Conflicting Lives- Chapter 2: Meetings And A Late Night Meal

Conflicting Lives- Chapter 2: Meetings and a Late Night Meal

archiveofourown.org
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Word Count: 1477

The meeting was… interesting, to say the least. Scythe had barely made it to the Agency building in time, and when he did he was exhausted from the running and teleporting it took to get there. Spore was waiting to make sure everyone got there in time, and held the door open for Scythe as he walked through.

“Good, everyone’s here.” Voidling said after Spore closed the door to the meeting room. It seemed as though all major heroes from all five cities were gathered in that meeting room. Some of them, like Hotguy and Stratos, he knew from elsewhere. Others he knew from missions and general public services.

“There’s been more villainous activity around the North-Western Hermiton areas,” iWork pointed to the area in the map on the large round table. “Witnesses have noticed more frequent appearances of Ender, Tanuki, and Earth in the areas of the crime, though reports of seeing Earth have lessened in the last few weeks.” he continued.

Scythe looked around the table, making short eye contact with Joel and Scar, but made sure to look at a few more people to not seem too suspicious. Admittedly, he and Joel had been out more often as college and other work got stressful.

Voidling spoke next, “I originally thought of Just increasing night hour patrols and monitorization in the area, but I’ve come up with a different plan that I would like to run by you all.” Leaning forward, he continued,

“I’ve gotten a deal with a few of the largest and most credible Informatives throughout all of our cities. They have agreed to do what they can, and get us any information about the routes and inside information on Ender and Tanuki, but it is a very expensive deal.” By the time he was done talking, his brows were close together in deep thought.

“Does anyone have any other ideas or anything they would like to ask about this plan?” iWork asked the group after a few more moments of silence.

There was a good five to ten seconds of silence and awkward looks around when finally someone seemed to speak up. “How do we know if we can trust the Informatives to give us correct information? They may be the most credible out there, but that doesn't mean they won't provide false information if they get a higher buyer, right?”

Everyone turned towards Cuteguy. After a few more seconds of silence, The Sheriff spoke up. “I think I understand where he’s coming from. Most of these guys work for money or some sort of trade right? How can we be sure that someone else won't come around and out-bid us in a way?” He finished with a look around the large, central table, his gaze stopping at Voidling and iWork.

The two looked at each other, then back at The Sheriff and the rest of the heroes. After what felt like a few moments too long, Voidling finally spoke, “I see where you’re coming from--” he looked at The Sheriff and Cuteguy, “--both of you. There is no way to know for sure, and that is exactly why I wanted to call all of you here so we may discuss this together. I don’t have much more information to give you guys, but does anyone have any questions they would like to ask?”

Scythe definitely had questions, but he only asked one of them. “If I may, who are the informatives? I’ve done my own research in the past about these informatives, and I have some knowledge that might help. Like for instance, they usually refer to themselves as Informative Operators, or IOs for short. 

They talk to eachother alot too, and have this sort of network between everywhere and everyone to make sure they all have the latest news, in a way.” He realized he trailed off a bit, and looked up to see everyone looking at him as both surprised and impressed.

Obviously, he knew this not because of research, but because of his own friends, although the people who don't know already don't need to find out.

“That… is actually really useful, thank you Lux.” Voidling finally said. “Our current ‘IO’s that have provided themselves available to us are Storyteller, Slab, Snowfall, and The Above. I have also done my own bit of research, though clearly not as much as Lux, and have found that they are known to be some of the most timely and trustworthy providers.”

All of the gathered heroes discussed amongst each other for a few minutes longer, and an endpoint was reached. Voidling would ask each IO if they would be able or willing to gather the information that they are looking for, and in turn they would each get paid handsomely.

Scythe did have a little bit of anxiety about this agreement, though he did do well to not show it to the other heroes. Two of the named IOs are close friends of his, and another is one of Joel’s partners. He wondered how Joel reacted to his partner being named as a detective of sorts for a case on himself, and made a mental note to ask him next time they saw each other outside of the Agency.

It was around 2pm when Scythe had finally gotten back to his dorm room, and he felt like he could sleep for a decade. He had exhausted himself getting to the meeting, had to still put up his full illusion for roughly 3 hours, then had to travel back across all of Hermiton to get back to his dorm room. Getting back took almost an hour and half by itself since he was so exhausted.

By the time he got to the city border of Cursia and Hermiton, his illusion was completely gone. He still had about a 20 minute walk from the border to the campus, and another 10 from the campus entrance to his dorm room. He expected to meet Ella as he walked in the door, and wasn’t surprised when he walked in and saw her sitting on the couch, turned towards the door to see who was coming in.

Scythe tiredly smiled at her as he closed the door behind him, and he almost lost his balance as he walked to the couch, though he would never admit it himself. Ella looked at him with worry in her eyes as he sat down and asked, “Are you alright? And don't tell me yes, we both know you aren’t.”

“Then why ask if you already know?” Scythe complained. “I was exhausted by the time I got there, had to hold up for hours, then had to come back while still being exhausted. Take a wild guess as to how I’m doing right now.” Even though his words and tone sounded harsh, him and Ella both knew that he didn’t mean it in a rude way.

Instead of saying anything back, Ella simply put Scythe's head on her shoulder and draped her arm across his shoulder, bringing him into a half-hug, half-cuddle pose. Scythe simply took a deep breath and leaned into the embrace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was around 11pm when Scythe woke up, and he hadn't even realized he fell asleep. He groaned as he sat up on the couch and looked around, finding Ella still asleep on the couch. He realized by the way she was lying that he must’ve fallen asleep on top of her or leaned against her, and he kissed her forehead before getting up completely. Grabbing a blanket, he made sure to softly drape it over her to keep her warm in the chilly dorm room.

Then his stomach growled. And he realized he didn't eat anything other than a very rushed and incomplete breakfast. “Shit…” Scythe cursed quietly to himself.

Making his way to the small kitchen, he opened the fridge and took out some eggs, and pancake mix from the pantry. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he started making pancakes and eggs as a late night meal, but I mean come on. How quiet can you realistically be?

It wasn't very long after he turned on the stove and got the pancakes started that he heard Ella start to stir. He turned around to see her sitting up and rubbing her eyes, trying to get rid of the sleepiness.

“Good morning sleepyhead. You up for a midnight snack?” Scythe asked as he turned back to the stove. She chuckled

“That's rich coming from you, who basically passed out on me as soon as you leaned over. But yeah, that sounds great actually.” she replied, standing up from the couch and walking over to Scythe.

“Sounds good. Could you start the eggs for me? It shouldn't be much longer until I have enough pancakes done.” he asked her, and she nodded and grabbed a pan to start the eggs. The next 2 hours flew by, and after the pair were done eating, they both went to bed, for real this time.

(AN: Scar and Joel are both heroes, and their aliases are Hotguy and Stratos, respectively)

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More Posts from Scythegameing and Others

1 year ago

Conflicting Lives- Character Designs 7/?

Characters introduced in Chapter 7!

Note: all character designs are made with Gacha Club due to a lack in my own artistic abilities at the current time. Please feel free to interpret my designs in your own style!

Empyrians

Conflicting Lives- Character Designs 7/?
Conflicting Lives- Character Designs 7/?

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9 months ago

DDVAU ART TIME!!

DDVAU ART TIME!!

just a vigilante and a hero dancing in to moonlight ^○^

1 year ago

Conflicting Lives Characters as Incorrect Quotes (because why the hell not)

All quotes generated randomly from this site. also some funny characters that haven't been introduced yet :)

Joel: Having two partners is both amazing and complicated. But all our problems are solved with communication. Etho: It’s my turn to cuddle Lizzie. Joel: FIVE MORE MINUTES DAMMIT!

Joel: Aww, what's your dog's name? Scythe: Spartacus. Joel, yelling to Scar: TRY SPARTACUS! Scar, on the computer: DIDN'T WORK! Scythe: … Joel: What's your favorite number?

Scar: Are you a painting? Grian: What-? Scar: Because I want to pin you to a wall. Joel: OH GOD I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY YOU WANTED TO HANG HIMOR SOMETHING-

Scythe, talking about Ella: I would never say that my partner is a bitch and I don’t don’t like them. That’s not true… My partner is a bitch and I like them so much!

Scott: Yeah, a partner sounds nice, but a supreme enemy you can make out with in secret sometimes sounds a lot more hardcore.

*in the ZITS group chat* Tango: First one to reply is gat. Tango: *gay Tango: Wait...

*after discussing the plan in ch.2* Voidling: Does anyone have any questions? Xelqua: Is this legal? Voidling: …Does anyone have any relevant questions?

I plan on getting out a list of all the ships I have in this AU, but feel free to ask about anything in the meantime!


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1 year ago

Conflicting Lives- Incorrect Quotes 2

Have some more silly little things lol. from the same website as the last one, here

Lunar: I sleep with a gun under my pillow. Sam: I sleep with a knife. Ella: Both of you are pathetic. Lunar: Oh yeah? What do you sleep with? Ella: Scythe.

Etho: You really believe in Joel? Lizzie: Mmm… Luckily, he believes in himself enough for the both of us.

Ella, turning to Scythe: Stop calling yourself hot, the only thing you can turn on is the microwave.

Tango: Jimmy, you’re in charge! Scott: Jimmy, can we start a fire?

Scott: Tango isn’t answering my messages. Jimmy: Allow me. Scott: I tried 6 times, what makes you thi- Tango: *replying to message* Hello.

Mumbo: *is wearing silk pants* How does this look? Scar: Like its slips on and off really easily. Mumbo: Scar: No, I didn't mean it like that- Grain: We know what you meant.

Cleo: So are you gonna explain how the hell you crashed my car? Pearl: Well we were driving and there was a deer in the road, so I said "Gem, deer!" Cleo: ...And what did Gem do? Pearl: …They said "Yes, Honey?"

Ella: Come on, Lunar. Nobody actually believes that Scythe is in love with me. Lunar, to The Squad: Raise your hand if you think that Scythe is helplessly in love with Ella. *Everyone raises their hand* Ella: Scythe, put your hand down.

Pearl: We’ve been conducting an ongoing study to see what Joel will and will not eat. Sam: Grass? Yes! Pearl: Moss? Yes!! Sam: Leaves? Ohh, yes! Pearl: Shoelaces? Strange but true! Sam: Worms? Sometimes! Pearl: Rocks? Usually nah. Sam: Twigs? Usually! Pearl: Scar's cooking? Inconclusive! Jimmy: How did you… test this? Pearl: You just hand them stuff and say ‘eat this’ and if they eat it, they eat it. Jimmy: ... I don’t know how to feel about this. Scar: IS THAT WHERE ALL MY SPARE SHOELACES WENT?

Scar: Show me Pennsylvania. Scythe: I don’t know Canadian geography.

Cleo: I have a question. Scythe: Shoot. Cleo: Is the S or C in scent silent? Gem: Fuck you, I’m going to be thinking about this all day. Scythe: Okay well, cent is pronounced the same way as scent so I’m gonna say the S is silent. Cleo: Okay, but sent is also spelled the same way. Gem: Google says that the C was added in the late seventeenth century, so I guess the S is silent. Joel: Plot twist, both the S and the C are silent and the E actually makes the sss sound. Gem: Joel is not allowed to talk anymore.

Scythe: You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy. Ella: I would be happy if you ate, stayed hydrated and got a reasonable amount of sleep. Scythe: I said within reason, Ella. How about I murder that guy? Ella: So murder is in reason but proper self care isn't? Scythe: Well, duh. What kind of question is that?


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4 weeks ago

Conflicting Lives- Chapter 3: Possible Collaboration

archiveofourown.org
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Word Count: 2354

Scythe was sat back down at the meeting table, as were the five district heads and Storyteller. Not many words had been said since they all sat back down, both to Scythe’s gratitude and dismay, the seedling of anxiety in the pit of his stomach only growing as more silent seconds passed by. his gaze moving between the 6 people in front of him. He only hoped that his eyes didn't show what was going through his head.

They were all looking at him, well- almost all of them. The only person who wasn't really looking at him was Storyteller. Of course, they were looking at him like Voidling, Tinkerer, Strawberry, Atlas, and CuteGuy were, but they were more so looking through him instead of actually at him. Whether that was better or worse, Scythe couldn't really decide.

“Storyteller requested that she be able to work along side you in this case, so long as the vote results in a yes.” Atlas spoke up first, breaking the slightly tense air. It made since that they spoke first, being the Survan Hero District head and therefore, Scythe’s boss. His voice was steady outwardly, but Scythe was able to see a the smallest hint of knowing in his eyes.

Storyteller - or rather Lunar - simply nodded along with Atlas’ words, their own eyes giving nothing away. Scythe locked eyes with her for just a moment before looking back at Atlas, the anxiety in his stomach both lessening and growing at the same time.

“I’m sure I’d be able to do that. If i mask ask though, is there any specific reason why Storyteller would like to work with me specifically?” Scythe responded, keeping his voice as calm and professional as he could. Of course, he was pretty sure that he already knew the reason why Lunar wanted to work with him specifically, but thought that it would only be polite to ask anyways.

Atlas simply turned to look at Lunar, gesturing his hand forwards just slightly so that she could say the reason herself. Lunar and Scythe knew Atlas outside of formalities as well, and all three for them being more than just what they appeared to be to the other 4 district heads.

“I believe that your access to all areas of Survas would be beneficial to my part of the.. investigation. I also think that our abilities could work well together in the event of anything unfortunate happening in the process.” Lunar responded, actually looking at Scythe rather than through him now, her voice steady, calm, and carrying a professional tone to it. She had an excellent poker face, and anyone that didnt know them wouldn't be able to tell that there was more to their words then she let on.

Scythe slowly and silently nodded as she spoke, listening to her words carefully. The reason was actually pretty close to what he guessed it would be when said in front of the district heads, surprisingly enough. One of his ears flicked slightly as he thought of how he would respond, though another voice spoke before he could. “So, would you be willing to assist Storyteller in their investigation then?” Voidling chimed in, looking at Scythe from behind his mask with a tone that did leave room for him to refuse if he wanted to, though Scythe was still able to tell that the Hermiton hero head was hoping that he would say yes.

Luckily, he hadn’t planned on saying no, and looked at Voidling with a nod. “Yes, I am.” Scythe said simply, keeping his response short and polite, the tip of his tail swaying from one side to the other before stilling once more.

“Well then, you’re free to go home Lux. Thank you for staying behind, and enjoy the rest of your day.” Voidling responded with a small nod himself, raising his arm to check his communicator for any new messages or alerts. “Of course” Scythe responded with a small and polite smile, standing up from the chair he stood in and walking out of the meeting room. As the door to the elevator closed, he let out a breath of relief that he hadn't even realized he had been holding, his tail flicking from side to side and his ears dropping just slightly.

That was… certainly something, to say the least. He wouldn’t even be surprised if he got a message from Lunar later asking to talk about what happened, that is, if he didn't message them first. Scythe’s eyes closed as he took a couple of deep breaths, the elevator dinging softly as it descended past each floor.

Once the sturdy metal mechanism came to a stop, Scythe’s eyes were open once more, his previous anxieties calmed and his mind focused on going home. He stepped out the elevator calmly once the door slid open, giving a small and friendly wave to employees he passed by on his way out of the building.

Once outside, Scythe opened his communicator that rested on his right forearm, opening his personal messages and finding Ella’s contact, named ‘Sunstone’, sending her a small and quick message.

Scythe: On my way home now, will probably be like 20 or 30 minutes.

He closed his communicator after sending the message, taking a breath of the crisp and cool autumn air before heading off in the direction of his apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~

Scythe fumbled more than he usually did to get the key into the door of his and Ella’s apartment, finally managing to turn the key and open the door after far more attempts than he was willing to admit to anyone.

On his way back, he had taking a tiny detour through a back alley, opening his inventory and retrieving his hoodie, slipping it back over its head and removing his eye mask from his face, letting it sit loosely around his neck like it had been just over an hour earlier. The sky blue cloth sleeve that covered the majority of his tail in uniform had been removed to stored in his inventory until he got changed out of said uniform.

“Hey Sunstone, I’m back!” Scythe said, his raised voice ringing through the small apartment as he closed the door behind him, re-locking it and taking his hoodie off.

Ella appeared from around the corner where the bedrooms were a few short moments later, her long, dark brown hair tied up in a half-loose ponytail, a soft and small smile adorning her face.

“Welcome back, how’d it go?” She asked as she walked towards him, having to tilt her head back quite a bit just to look up at him thanks to their significant height difference.

“It was good. Apparently Sam and I have been attracting so much attention that the heads want to hire reporters to try and get more info on us.” Scythe replied, a small smile appearing on his lips. “And do you, uh, mind if I invite Lunar over for a bit? Her and I need to talk about a few things. They’re one of the reporters that Voidling and the others picked out.”

Ella was quiet for a few seconds, before sighing and shaking her head slightly. She never did like his double, or rather triple life that he had, but she also knew there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it either.

“Yeah, sure, I don't really mind. I’ve got to get ready to go to my classes anyways.” Ella responded, reaching up and grabbing the collor of his hero uniform and pulling him down just enough to where she could plant a small kiss on his cheek.

“And maybe if you didn’t rob important places, you wouldn't be potentially under investigation.” She said, her voice a bit lower this time, not-so-subtly scolding him for his reckless actions. She let go of his collar and turned around, walking back towards her room. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Scythe was still for several seconds, still half-bent over from Ella pulling him downwards by the collar of his uniform, his cheeks dusted a soft pinkish-purple color. He did not expect that, to say the very least, and was left a bit flustered as she walked away, disappearing down the hallway once more.

He blanked several times and shook his slightly to re-compose himself, standing back up straight as his tail flicked to the side and curled slightly at the end. He took a small breath before walking down the previously mentioned hallway and into his own room, closing the door behind him and taking off his uniform into far more comfortable clothing.

When Scythe stepped out of his room a few minutes later he was wearing a simple light gray t-shirt and dark red sweatpants. He saw the bathroom door closed across the relatively small hallway from him with the light on, and the soft sound of water hitting the bathtub and walls met his ears. Ella must already be in the shower then.

He walked into the living room, plopping down on the couch and grabbing the tv remote, turning it on and flipping through channels until he landed on something that looked interesting enough. He then reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulled out his phone, unlocking it and going to his messages, clicking on the one named ‘Crystal’

Scythe: Hey, you able to come over? Scythe: We should probably talk about the meeting.

After hitting send, Scythe began to mindlessly run his fingers through the tuft of hair at the end of his tail. It was a small subconscious habit he had when he felt nervous or anxious about something, and it was a good few minutes of him just looking at his phone screen before three little dots appeared, signaling that Lunar was typing back.

Crystal: Yeah, I can but I might be a little bit. Just got back to my own place a couple of minutes ago and haven't really been able to eat anything yet today, so I’m going to do that first. Scythe: Alright, sounds good. Take your time.

He responded almost instantly, quickly reading over Lunar’s message before he hit send. He set his phone down next to him on the couch cushion, closing his eyes and taking a small breath. He felt a bit silly for getting so worked up over a conversation that was most likely just going to be like any other time him and Lunar talked about anything relating to villain or vigilante work, but its not like he could exactly change that very easily, so all he did was take another breath.

When he opened his eyes again, Scythe focused on whatever channel it was that he put on the tv, relaxing into the couch just a little more. It seemed to be some sort of cheesy old-time soap opera type movie, a woman dramatically swooning backwards over what was presumably her lovers arm, the latter bending down over her and trying to comfort her.

Scythe scoffed, amused at just how corny the movie really was. How and why he decided on this channel on all things, he didn't really know, and after what felt like no time at all, he heard a knock at the front door. He looked over his shoulder at the noise, his ears lifting slightly before he pushed himself off the couch with a small grunt.

He unlocked the door once he got to it, grabbing and twisting the handle to open the door, Lunar standing on the other side of it in a dark blue turtleneck sweater and black stockings. She seemed to be in her cat-like form, her ears and tail resembling that of a feline hybrid’s, more notably a tabby cat in particular.

Scythe offered a small smile as he stepped aside to let them in, closing the door behind her and walking back over to the couch, the both of them sitting down on it. Lunar looked over at the tv, their head tilting to the side slightly as she looked at what was playing.

“..what the hell are you watching Scythe?” They asked, their voice more curious than anything. Her eyes stuck to the tv screen for another moment before she turned her head to look at Scythe, on of their eyebrows raised.

“Honestly?” Scythe started, shrugging his shoulders and looking at the tv screen himself. “I have no fucking clue.”

Lunar scoffed, but it was more amused than anything, a small smile even appearing on her lips for a moment, her head shaking just slightly.

It was then quiet for a good while, both the enderman hybrid and the cristaline watching the terrible cheesy show on the television. They both knew that they had to talk about the meeting at some point, and the possibility of all too many different outcomes appearing scarily close on the not-so-distant horizon.

“So… about the meeting.” Scythe eventually said, his quieter-than-normal voice breaking the strangely tense air between him and Lunar. He looked away from the tv and at them, looking for any sort of reaction, kind of hoping for one that wasn't negative.

Lunar simply nodded in response, their own gaze remaining on the tv screen for a little while longer before she too turned her head to look at Scythe, her expression unreadable. “I’ve already thought of a couple of different ideas, if you want to hear them.”

His eyes widened just slightly in surprise. Not surprise from Lunar already having an idea already, he knew her well enough by now to know that she always had some sort of plan for anything that came across her plate, but instead surprise from her having multiple different alternatives. That, he had to admit, was something that he wasn't quite expecting.

“Oh, uh- yeah, sure. Might as well, I guess.” He responded after a moment, blinking a few times to re-compose himself, turning a bit more towards Lunar as he waited to hear their ideas.

Lunar nodded, turning towards Scythe as well, her tail curling into and resting in her lap. “So, here’s what I was thinking…”


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6 months ago

If you are trans I need you to stay alive.

Stay alive for every other trans person fighting, stay alive for every trans person who is no longer here, and most importantly stay alive for yourself.

They don’t get to erase us! They don’t get to take away our rights, and treat us as less than human. Don’t let them erase us, and don’t let them make you a statistic. Don’t let them win.

Stay alive

If you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for others. Do it out of spite.

3 months ago

Timebomb :]

Generally uninterested in pretty much everyone but they may or may not have a soft spot for a few different people

Timebomb :]
Everyone. Post Ocs. NOW

everyone. post ocs. NOW


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3 months ago

Ngl i forget i have tumblr sometimes even tho i doomscroll through my feed alot-

ANYWAYS i made another silly little animation that posted yesterday (oops)


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10 months ago

If you receive this, you make somebody happy! Go on anon and send this to ten of your followers who make you happy or somebody you think needs cheering up. If you get one back, even better!

Thank you so much anon!


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scythegameing - ScytheGameing
ScytheGameing

Hello! I'm Scythe or Joel and I use he/they pronouns. I am a mcyt-centered artist and I do a lot of Hermitcraft and Life Series fanart! My asks are always open and I am (almost) always willing to chat!Commission Status: OPEN (0/5 slots taken)Email: scythe.gameing@gmail.comYouTube: YouTube.com/@ScytheGameingTwitch: twitch.tv/scythe_gameingCommissions: https://ko-fi.com/scythegameing/commissions

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