Recent epithet doodles, featuring: Detective Percival King, garbage cowboy, garbage cowboy again because wow I didn’t know she was bisexual, (I love being a multishipper, I can ship Zorcy and also Zora and several ocs.), and the Blyndeff family minus Martin
ZORCY (ClockTower as i like to call it) MONARCHY ONE SHOT!!!
Wrote this live in a discord server while on a cruise so not really that good but ehhhhhh
The time?
Midnight
A decade long rivalry between two kingdoms
The kingdom of Stelle and the Kingdom of Reddian
A few hours after a large battle between the kingdoms
Word spread fast
Apparently the Reddian Queen had fallen in battle
No body had been offically reported or found but people were already cheering and parading around in the streets of Stelle
All except one…
A small house in the middle of the capital
Disturbed by naught but a single person except for it’s owner
Zora Salazar
Bandit by day…
And…
also a bandit by night
She was sitting at her couch, an old ragged thing she stole
like almost everything else in the house
She had a knife in her hand…flipping it back and forth between her fingers in preparation…
With a deep breath, she sheathed it and went upstairs
Down the far hall. to the right
Was an unmarked door
Reaching out to open it. Zora reminded herself to put her mean face on
With a slow creak, the door opened…
Inside was…
The Queen
The very same one everyone was celebrating the death of
Percival king…
Zora didn’t have shackles or cuffs, so she made do—driving a hook into the wall and tying the queen’s wrists to it with whatever rope she could find.
You see
Zora snuck out the hours earlier
She may be a criminal in the eyes of her kingdom
But she still was on their side in this endless conflict…
Zora originally just wanted to sneak out
Kill some Stellian soldiers
And sneak back into the kingdom before anyone could catch her
That…was absolutely not what happened…
In the woes of battle, Zora spotted Queen King leading her troops
Her body moved before she even thought
And so
Zora kidnapped the queen of Stelle and mistakenly faked her death in the process
So here they were
Queen Percival King, Tied up with zero chance to escape…
She thought about it
“Ah…it’s you again”
Percy said…still as (annoyingly) stoic as ever
Zora glared at Percy, leaning against the doorframe
“Of course it’s me…who else could it possibly be?”
“…I originally had the thought that you lived with other people…but that seems to be false”
Zora scoffed
“I swear to…” She mumbled to herself…fully glaring at the woman infront of her
Zora pulled out her dagger and pointed it at the queen
“You have any idea how fucked you are?…”
Zora said, Stepping forward
Percival, was unfazed
“I would not recommend doing anything…the moment my kingdom finds out my life was taken by your hands…they’ll—“
Zora laughed
“You really think they’ll get revenge on me?!”
“Hate to burst ya bubble, but they already think yer dead! Think some random soldier killed ya rather than me!”
Zora took another step forward “You have nothing! nothing to threaten me with even with all your ‘Royal blood’ and intellect!” She said mockingly
Percy raised a brow, But Zora interrupted again
“And don’t even fucking THINK about escaping! My home’s right in the middle of the capitol! people’d recognize ya and drag ya out to your death faster then you could even beg for mercy!”
Percy was silent for a moment before speaking blankly
“…you thought about this extensively I see”
Zora choked on her own yell
Zora stomped even close, gripping her dagger downwards and pointing it directly at Percy’s throat
“I should just kill you…”
…
In response, Percy sighed and…
tilted her head up
“…if you must…go ahead…”
“… I have done more than enough for my people and the world they live in…”
“…even if my disappearance remains a mystery…”
“…I’m sure they’ll remember what I did beforehand”
…
come on…
DO IT!
SHE'S RIGHT THERE!
SHE’S LITERALLY LETTING YOU DO IT!
Just push your hand forward!
…
But despite Zora’s mind yelling
Echoing off the inner walls of her body
…it refused to move
Zora’s hand stayed there…still
Not moving a single inch away or towards Queen Percival’s neck
Percy herself had closed her eyes long ago…
Just waiting for the blade to enter her throat…
But it never did…
Zora’s hand tightened…
Slowly shaking more and more as she breathed harder and harder
Why couldn’t she do it?
Percy opened her eyes
Strangely enough…it wasn’t fear or sadness in them…
But curiosity…
”GOD”
Zora pulled away, Swinging her arms around angrily as she stomped the wood planks that barely held up the floor
”DAMMIT!”
She glared at her hand…the knife in her open palm…
”Fuck…”
Despite the fact that she's at her mercy, Percy still hasn’t show any signs of begging or weakness, still maintaining an air of…
dignity …
to her…
“…why didn’t you go through with it?”
“Shut up…”
“…that’s not a answer—“
“I SAID SHUT UP!” Zora hissed
Throwing the knife as hard as she could at Percy, hoping that this time it finally worked…
…it didn’t
For some reason her hand didn't let go for just long enough to make it go askew
The knife slammed into the wall
Several inches away from Percy’s head…
She stared at the knife wide eyed before turning back to Zora
“…you seem to be hesitant to kill me”
Zora ran towards her
Grabbing the knife from the wall and attempting to plunge it RIGHT IN HER STUPID HEAD!
…
But her hand stopped…again
She tried stabbing her right where the bridge of her nose was…
But her hand physically pulled back…like her own body didn’t want to hurt her
NO!
No!
She wanted to!
Ever since this goddamn war started
Zora always wanted Percy dead!
Who wouldn’t be?!
Every fucking CITIZEN in Reddian wanted her dead!
Zora was no different!
Right?!
Every time Zora saw a slander poster of Percy out on the street she took it down!
It was because she couldn’t stand seeing her being insulted like that STUPID FUCKING FACE!
…
Ten seconds had passed…and yet
Zora’s hand still had not moved…
The knife had not moved…
Still mere inches away from Percy’s face…
So instead
Percy herself decided to move
She tilted her head forward, causing her to just barely knit herself on the blade
Not enough to truly hurt
But enough to leave a small dot of blood
Zora gasped,
Instinctively pulling the knife away for a moment before freezing…
what?
why did she do that?
WHY DID SHE DO THAT?!
Percy winced slightly from the sting, but her expression was still entirely curiosity…looking at Zora like she was a puzzle to be solved…
“…what is stopping you from ending my life?”
Zora shot a glare at her
“Do you want to die?!”
"What difference does it make what I want? I'm a prisoner in your grasp...unable to do anything meaningful and yet, you hesitate..."
…
Zora was quiet
So Percy continued
“…with how you were acting…I thought you were actively waiting for this opportunity…but—“
“Stop…talking”
Percy tilted her head…
“…do…you not even want to hear my death being spoken of?”
Zora turned back to Percy, taking a step forward and once again trying to end her life
This time it’ll work…
THIS TIME IT’LL FINALLY WORK!
…
Oh wow
Yknow
Zora never really got a good look at the Queen’s eyes but…
Now that she’s looking at them clearly…
…
…aaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH
WHAT WAS SHE DOING?!
Percy wasn’t even curious anymore…
Like she already figured out Zora’s deal…
NO!
SHE DIDNT HAVE ANY!
WHAT DID PERCY THINK?! ASSUMING SHE WAS SOME KIND OF COWARD SAP WITH A CONSCIENCE?!
ZORA WAS A HARDENED KILLER GODDAMMIT!
"You're trying so hard...yet you fail to commit…why?”
…no…
“Even as your hand moves, your body won't allow you to fully follow through...”
…No…
“is it guilt that holds you back?“
…NO!
She didn’t know what to do…
She didn’t know why her body was acting like this
Why her mind was acting like this…
So she did the only thing she really knew how to do…
Unleash her anger onto people who don’t deserve it
”SHUT UP!” Zora said, getting up and into Percy's face
”WHO DO YOU THINK YOU FUCKING ARE?! A THERAPIST?! YOU DONT GET TO TRY AND ANALYZE ME LIKE SOME KINDA TEST ANIMAL YOU—“
“You…still haven’t answered my questions yet…” Percy said calmly
”BECAUSE THEY’RE STUPID!” Zora continued
”WHY THE HELL WOULD I ANSWER THEM?!”
”WHY WOULD I EVER WANT TO KILL YOU HUH?!”
”ANSWER THAT IF YOU’RE SO GODDAMN CURIOUS!”
Honestly…Zora was barely thinking at this moment
She just yelled
…Percy was…
confused for some reason…
Hey! Atleast she wasn’t trying to guess what Zora’s deal was!
Zora hates her!
That’s all there is to that!
…
Percy was still speechless
“…’why would I want to kill you’…” Percy repeated
“…so…”
Wait…
No…
NONONONONONONO
“…you don’t want to kill me then?”
FUCK!
“YE-“ Zora froze for a second “NO! I’VE BEEN WAITING TO DO THIS FOR YEARS!”
“…yet you keep…not killing me…and you’ve refused to explain why”
“WELL—WHAT DO YOU THINK HUH?! IF YOU’RE SO DAMN SMART THEN WHY DONT YOU TELL ME!”
Percy looked down for a moment…
oh dear the gods please don’t tell Zora Percy was actually thinking of reasons why
Zora really didn’t want Percy getting the right wrong idea…
“…there could a multitude of differing reasons why”
“But there are two main…catergories of reasons so to speak…”
Aw shit she was
“The first one being that there’s something in the way that is stopping you from killing me”
She started listing them off
“Worry that instead of being praised and rewarded, the people of your kingdom will insult and punish you for some sort of reason”
“Someone else taking the credit for my death and labeling you as a intimidator”
“Or simply my reaction not being satisfactory for you”
Percy shook her head
“…I don’t believe this is the case”
“you would’ve directly told me what you wanted from me if I had any ability to make it so”
“And if it were a external reason then you wouldn’t have bothered confronting me to begin with until you dealt with that external reason”
…
Why was Zora not saying anything?
“The other catergory is that you do not want to kill me…but you are forcing yourself to desire it for a reason”
Oh no
So what?
Not like Percy she’s gonna figure out something that doesn’t exist
“You possibly don’t see me as the cause of your problems, or you have a problem with the actual act of murder”
“Perhaps it’s a personal reason, not wanting to kill me because you have some sort of personal attachment to me or the actions I’ve done”
Percy paused…
Staring at Zora with good reason for some reason…
“…”
“…you appear to have a visible reaction to that one…even unintentionally…is it that?”
Zora opened her mouth to speak
Only to realize she held her breath when Percy brought that possible reason up…
…
…shit
“…rather then saying it’s not…”
“You stand there, unable to say anything”
“…are you trying to come up with a explanation?”
…Zora was silent…
…so Percy continued
“…for what possible reasons you have a personal attachment to me…”
Percy hummed in consideration
“If it were something as simple as you believing in my kingdom’s side of the war, I assume you wouldn’t have gone through all this effort to try and convince me of the opposite…”
“Infact, I don’t believe it has anything to do with my kingdom”
“It’s a kingdom, I am simply one of many people in a long line of many who will run it”
“If I were to perish then a new monarch would be chosen to rule over the kingdom, one befitting the kingdom’s interests…”
“…So it’s not my title as Queen…”
“Is it something else about me?”
…
Say something…
Anything
please…
Just get her to stop talking
“Besides my title…there isn’t much about me that’s not personal in and out of itself…”
“…so is that it?”
“Is it me?”
Say something…
SAY SOMETHING!
“…n-no…”
“…why do you hesitate to say such?”
Her face…
It was so…
stoic
Not a single hint of anything more than simple observation…
she won’t judge
YES SHE WILL!
SHE’S A QUEEN! WE’RE NOTHING BUT A POOR BANDIT IN HER ENEMY KINGDOM!
SHES GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR FEELINGS AND STAB US IN THE BACK WHEN SHES BACK WITH HER PEOPLE!
“It’s not my death you desire…but something else about me”
Zora paused…
“…w-what…are you implying something?”
“You keep saying that you’ve been wanting to kill me, yet you’ve had countless opportunities to do so and failed every time. That makes it clear that your goal isn’t my death, but rather something else…”
“N-no…”
Percy noticed how uncomfortable Zora was
And kept pressing
"Your denial says otherwise...you keep insisting that you hate me, that I’m your enemy, yet you're unable to follow through. If you really wanted my death, you would’ve done it by now, but instead, you’re holding back…it’s as if you’re trying to deny some sort of desire…something you’re ashamed of enough to try and hide it”
Zora backed up instinctively…
Of course
Percy noticed the opening and attacked it
“You’re getting defensive…I’ve clearly figured some sort of truth out, haven’t I? There’s something that you’re trying to deny, something that you’re trying to suppress…”
“N-no…stop…I…”
Percy continued, ignoring Zora’s protests and going straight for the heart…
her heart
“And…not only that…you also seem to be…angry by the mere mention of my death…”
“It’s something you seem to actively dislike…perhaps even hate…”
“…it’s not just me you wish for…”
“You wish for my comfort as well…do you?”
Zora backed up even more…
Almost tripping on the knife she didn’t even realize she dropped
a captor afraid of their captive…
How ironic
“…You’re torn…”
“torn between your feelings for me…and…”
“…what I believe to be your feelings for your kingdom”
“…you keep repeating the same thing over and over”
“That you want me dead…”
“…but…you clearly don’t”
“You refuse to even elaborate why you want me dead, just that you do…”
“…is it because you’re a part of the Reddian kingdom?”
“All this war and combat between our kingdoms…”
“…is it because you don’t want to feel like you’re betraying your kingdom?”
“…”
“…once again, you’re not saying anything at all instead of simply denying it…”
“…it’s rather…rude of me to ask such but…”
“…is my theory correct?”
“…”
Zora was quiet for…what felt like forever…
Until she finally spoke
“…what do you want?”
Percy tilted her head again
“…pardon?”
“…what…do you want?”
“…I don’t understand…this isn’t a blackmailing attempt or a threat…”
“Just tell me…”
“…you—“
“JUST TELL ME GODDAMN IT!” Zora yelled, stomping towards Percy with tears in her eyes
For what is the first time since Zora brought Percy here…
Percy was scared…
And Zora…
Zora hated HATED that…
…
…finally telling ourselves the truth huh?
Took you long enough
”Just tell me! Spit it out! What do you want?!”
Percy was speechless…taking a moment to try and find her voice
“…w-what I want in general? Seems unrelated to the topic…or…is it what I want with you?”
Zora was crying…
She wasn’t sure why but she was crying…
Her fists were clenched and shaking and she was breathing hard…
…all Zora could do was nod
Once again…Percy hesitated…
“…I-i…don’t want anything with you…”
She paused, trying to rephrase her sentence
“I—…what i mean is…I've not… any ill intent toward you…”
Percy paused
“…but…”
“That’s not what you want to hear…isn’t it?”
Zora…tried saying so…
But…
The only thing that came out of her mouth is a small whine…
So she nodded again
Percy nodded in response “…very well…”
“…what is it do you want?”
Zora’s eyes widened
“W-what?”
“…what is it…that you want…out of…this whole situation of you kidnapping me? Truly”
“…I…”
say it
“…”
just say it…what is there to lose?
“…I…don’t…know…”
…your pride? Dignity? What? it's not like you have those anymore
“…Do you wish to court me?” Percy said
YES!
“Wh-NO!”
“…is that a denial due to personal reasons or a external factor?”
“What are you talking about— YOU’RE A QUEEN! YOU RULE OVER AN ENTIRE KINGDOM! ONE THAT’S AN ENEMY OF MINE!”
“AND I’M NOTHING BUT A POOR BANDIT STEALING TO MAKE A LIVING! I SHOULD BE NOWHERE NEAR YOU!”
Percy raised a brow
“…none of those are personal reasons…all of those are external reasons entirely either out of your control or up to interpretation”
“…so you do wish to court me…but you hide it because you worry of the consequences”
Zora’s fists tightened even more…
Felt like her fingernails were drawing blood…
She pulled from Percy, Turning away and towards the door
Before Percy could even say another word
Zora swiftly slammed the door wide open and stomped out
Closing it behind her without a single care in the world
A/N: We will probably never get a second season of this, or see these two interacting again. But that's fine, cause what we got was enough for me.
"Ow, ey, what are ya doing there? It's a bullet, not a rock! Just take it out already, will ya?!"Zora winced as she glared down, a little dizzy, at Percy.
"I would if you would stop moving. The bullet has to be taken out perfectly. If there are any remains then your injury might get infected." She scolded her partner and looked up at her. Blue eyes matched gold ones in their stubbornness. In the end the blue won.
Zora mumbled to herself and leaned back against the couch. Her side hurt like hell, but at least she wasn't bleeding and she was sure she didn't break any bones. Meaning that it won't take her that long to be up and running again.
"This is what happens when you act so recklessly." Here comes the lecture. Typical. "If you were more careful this could have been avoided. In the future, please refrain from such actions."
"A normal girlfriend would say thank you and give me a kiss. Besides it's ya who should be more careful. The only reason I had ta jump was cause ya were right in the line of fire. What were ya thinkin?" She didn't want to fight about this. It was dumb. But then again, all of their fights were always about dumb things. It was better she supposed. No big drama between them.
"Saving the citizens was my priority, if that means putting myself in the line of fire then so be it. They rely on me and my team to protect them. But if I'm thinking about them, I cannot guard you. Therefore Zora, I would ask you to be more mindful of yourself in the future." Percy finally managed to get the bullet out, she held it between her fingers triumphantly. "Aha!"
The outlaw looked between Percy and the bullet, imagining if it had been her that was hit instead. "Ya say all that noble sounding crap and then ya go and risk your life like it's no big deal."
It hurt to move. God damn did it hurt to move. But if she didn't get through to the blonde cop now, she didn't know when she would. She grabbed Percy by the front of her uniform and pulled her forward.
"Ya think being out there on the front lines is some noble sacrifice but it ain't! I've seen a lot of people go down and guess what, it's never pretty, it's never heroic, it's painful and bloody! So, if ya got people there to help ya, give them a chance instead of tryin' ta do it all by yourself!"
"You’re bleeding." Percy said with just a hint of tremble.
"Shut up! This is nothin'! Haven't ya heard a word I said?! I worry about ya, idiot!" In the early stages of their relationship Zora wouldn't have allowed herself to have an emotional outburst like this in front of Percy. It could have been seen as a weakness. Maybe it still is but she lost too much blood to care.
"And what about me?" Percy returned the gesture, grabbing the front of Zora's shirt. "Do you think it brings me joy to see you bleeding, to see you hurt? Like you I have seen people die, and the last thing I would ever want is to add your name and face to that list. Take care of yourself too, Zora!"
They were two people who no one ever told they should worry about themselves. Zora was always a loner, why would anyone care about the well-being of someone like her? Percy was expected to take care of others, the citizens and her unit, it was her job. And now they were yelling at each other about that exact problem. They were both overly protective of each other.
"Perhaps... we should both learn to be more careful in the future." She let go of Zora's shirt and ran her hand down her sides, stopping at the bullet wound. "What you did was reckless. But it was only a response to my own recklessness. I am sorry for that."
"Well, yeah, that hurt like hell not gonna lie. Ya know I've got your back no matter what. And I hate ta think of my girl getting hurt. Who's gonna cook all them bland dishes for me if yer gone?" Zora relaxed against the couch again, the tension in her side subsiding. "That one might leave a scar."
"No matter. As long as you are well. And... I will try to ask for backup when I need it." She was sure she's still gonna put herself on the line for the safety of others but that's a part of the job she could never avoid. "However, if you must watch my back then do it in such a way that won't leave you a bleeding mess next to my feet. Please." That please might be the most vulnerable Percy had ever sounded.
"Still... I... I did good right?" Zora asked, a painful grin making its way on her face. "Protectin' people and all that."
"Yes, Zora, you did well." Percy pressed her hand against the injury, the gauze absorbing more of the blood. "Now let's get this closed up properly, shall we?"
"Whatever ya say officer, whatever ya say." Jackpot! She got her praise. It might be a dumb thing to almost die over, but Zora never said she was the smartest person in the world. Just the one who was the most in love with Percy.
