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fandomweekly2023-09-06 09:49 am
iluvroadrunner6) wrote in fandomweekly2023-09-06 09:49 am
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[#185] And I’m Damned if I Do and I’m Damned if I Don’t (Legacies)
Theme Prompt: #185 - Recklessness
Title: And I’m Damned if I Do and I’m Damned if I Don’t
Fandom: Legacies (TVDverse)
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 859
Summary: Hope helps the students of the Salvatore School problem solve.
Sometimes Hope likes to think her reckless hero days are behind her. She’s grown a lot since she was a traumatized teenager set up by the surrounding adults to think it’s okay to martyr herself for the greater good. (Well … not all the adults, but one particular adult and … yeah. There’s been a lot of therapy for that.)
But that she was turned when she was a teenager does not help those instances. She believed turning would freeze her at seventeen, which isn't entirely wrong. Despite therapy's help, she still needs to take a breath when knee-jerk impulses come up. Especially when dealing with incredibly impulsive teenagers.
“No.”
All of their faces fall in unison, save for Harry, who throws up his fists in protest. “This is no time for stillness! We need action!”
“We need action, but now is not the time to be reckless.” Hearing those words coming out of her own mouth is strange, but she’s taking it as a sign of her growth. “Monsters are dangerous and you need to let the teachers handle it.”
Teachers being Hope, the unkillable Tribrid, but the point still stands.
Genevieve straightens. “But we can help! We’re not useless. What are you training us for if not to actually help people?”
That is a sentiment that Hope understands, much more than they realize. But she’s supposed to protect them now, because this is the life she chose, being a teacher at the Salvatore School. At least while she’s not drawing any suspicion about how she doesn’t age, anyway. But regardless, she knows they do need practical experience, so she tries to give them the benefit of the doubt.
“Okay. So what would you do?” They all stare at her blankly, and she sighs. “You think you can handle this monster? What’s the plan? Every good super squad needs a plan.”
Baron pauses, before holding up a finger. “Can we do a huddle?”
Hope smirks, before nodding. “Fine. I’ll watch the door while you make a plan.”
The four of them nod, before turning and curling around June, the only member of their group who hasn’t spoken yet. Probably because she’s the one slowly building the plan in the back of her head and talking would have diverted too much energy.
“It’s a kappa, right? It’s Japanese. In the books, they said you just need to spill the water in their head,” June reports back. “But how do we do that?”
“Is it like a cup that’s balancing in their head, or is it like … a hole in their head?”
“The latter.”
“Gross.”
“Focus, Harry.” Genevieve drums her fingers against her thigh. “Is there anything else? That can’t be all there is to them.”
June’s brow furrows as she tries to think and then her eyes widen and she straightens to look up at Hope. “They like cucumbers!”
“Cucumbers?”
“And they’re egotistical and like to be treated as gods, but they can also be helpful and irrigate farms and bring fish.”
Hope nods as she tips her head to the side. “So to me, that doesn’t sound like something inherently malicious. That sounds like a person. A person who might be scared and in an unfamiliar place.”
Baron immediately straightens. “I know what we should do.” He glances back to Hope. “We need to get to the kitchen.”
Hope raises an eyebrow before nodding. “Okay. It’s your plan. Let’s go to the kitchen.”
* * * *
Twenty minutes and a messy kitchen later, Baron emerges into the hallway with a bowl of food. He places it down in the hallway and sits cross-legged on the floor to wait. Eventually, the lizard-like creature comes around the corner, staring down at the boy in front of him. Baron leans forward, pushing the bowl a bit further away from him.
“It’s my mom’s cucumber salad, and it is bomb, I promise.”
The creature tips his head to the side slightly, curious, before slowly making his way closer. He sits in front of the bowl before leaning forward to sniff it. Then he takes it, crossing his legs under his bulk as he munches on the salad.
Hope watches as the kappa goes from tentative trying to thoroughly enjoying. Baron grins, pleased, before glancing back at Hope with a nod. “So, what do we do now? Can we give him somewhere to stay?”
That is a complicated question, but Hope’s willing to try it. “Let me talk to the headmaster.” Cleo’s been opening up the school in a lot of different ways as the world expanded, but a kappa is a new option for them. “In the meantime, keep the cucumbers coming and maybe take him out to the Falls. They like water, right?”
June nods. “There are some caves there that could be a good fit where people won’t bug him.”
“Good. Be careful, and if things go wrong, call for help. Don’t think you can handle it yourself.”
They nod, and Hope knows that won’t be the case. Teenagers will be teenagers. But sometimes you need the kids to make the calls to wind up with something better.
Title: And I’m Damned if I Do and I’m Damned if I Don’t
Fandom: Legacies (TVDverse)
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 859
Summary: Hope helps the students of the Salvatore School problem solve.
Sometimes Hope likes to think her reckless hero days are behind her. She’s grown a lot since she was a traumatized teenager set up by the surrounding adults to think it’s okay to martyr herself for the greater good. (Well … not all the adults, but one particular adult and … yeah. There’s been a lot of therapy for that.)
But that she was turned when she was a teenager does not help those instances. She believed turning would freeze her at seventeen, which isn't entirely wrong. Despite therapy's help, she still needs to take a breath when knee-jerk impulses come up. Especially when dealing with incredibly impulsive teenagers.
“No.”
All of their faces fall in unison, save for Harry, who throws up his fists in protest. “This is no time for stillness! We need action!”
“We need action, but now is not the time to be reckless.” Hearing those words coming out of her own mouth is strange, but she’s taking it as a sign of her growth. “Monsters are dangerous and you need to let the teachers handle it.”
Teachers being Hope, the unkillable Tribrid, but the point still stands.
Genevieve straightens. “But we can help! We’re not useless. What are you training us for if not to actually help people?”
That is a sentiment that Hope understands, much more than they realize. But she’s supposed to protect them now, because this is the life she chose, being a teacher at the Salvatore School. At least while she’s not drawing any suspicion about how she doesn’t age, anyway. But regardless, she knows they do need practical experience, so she tries to give them the benefit of the doubt.
“Okay. So what would you do?” They all stare at her blankly, and she sighs. “You think you can handle this monster? What’s the plan? Every good super squad needs a plan.”
Baron pauses, before holding up a finger. “Can we do a huddle?”
Hope smirks, before nodding. “Fine. I’ll watch the door while you make a plan.”
The four of them nod, before turning and curling around June, the only member of their group who hasn’t spoken yet. Probably because she’s the one slowly building the plan in the back of her head and talking would have diverted too much energy.
“It’s a kappa, right? It’s Japanese. In the books, they said you just need to spill the water in their head,” June reports back. “But how do we do that?”
“Is it like a cup that’s balancing in their head, or is it like … a hole in their head?”
“The latter.”
“Gross.”
“Focus, Harry.” Genevieve drums her fingers against her thigh. “Is there anything else? That can’t be all there is to them.”
June’s brow furrows as she tries to think and then her eyes widen and she straightens to look up at Hope. “They like cucumbers!”
“Cucumbers?”
“And they’re egotistical and like to be treated as gods, but they can also be helpful and irrigate farms and bring fish.”
Hope nods as she tips her head to the side. “So to me, that doesn’t sound like something inherently malicious. That sounds like a person. A person who might be scared and in an unfamiliar place.”
Baron immediately straightens. “I know what we should do.” He glances back to Hope. “We need to get to the kitchen.”
Hope raises an eyebrow before nodding. “Okay. It’s your plan. Let’s go to the kitchen.”
Twenty minutes and a messy kitchen later, Baron emerges into the hallway with a bowl of food. He places it down in the hallway and sits cross-legged on the floor to wait. Eventually, the lizard-like creature comes around the corner, staring down at the boy in front of him. Baron leans forward, pushing the bowl a bit further away from him.
“It’s my mom’s cucumber salad, and it is bomb, I promise.”
The creature tips his head to the side slightly, curious, before slowly making his way closer. He sits in front of the bowl before leaning forward to sniff it. Then he takes it, crossing his legs under his bulk as he munches on the salad.
Hope watches as the kappa goes from tentative trying to thoroughly enjoying. Baron grins, pleased, before glancing back at Hope with a nod. “So, what do we do now? Can we give him somewhere to stay?”
That is a complicated question, but Hope’s willing to try it. “Let me talk to the headmaster.” Cleo’s been opening up the school in a lot of different ways as the world expanded, but a kappa is a new option for them. “In the meantime, keep the cucumbers coming and maybe take him out to the Falls. They like water, right?”
June nods. “There are some caves there that could be a good fit where people won’t bug him.”
“Good. Be careful, and if things go wrong, call for help. Don’t think you can handle it yourself.”
They nod, and Hope knows that won’t be the case. Teenagers will be teenagers. But sometimes you need the kids to make the calls to wind up with something better.