❛ BLACK CAT ❜

hi friends!! basically, i watched the teaser trailer for season 2 of shadow and bone, got excited, began to reread the soc duology, and then these happened! or rather, i found an ancient unpublished fic i wrote after the first time i read the duology, and decided to make that a problem for everyone else! i hope you all enjoy these, you don’t need to have seen the show nor read the books, i actually think many of these are fairly fandomless! i just wanted to explain my inspiration! DON’T ADD TO THIS LIST! i’ll make more lists like this one! ily all, bon appetit, go forth and write or read or nap or watch tv or something!

• “ my goodness, you’re not nearly as stupid as you look! ”
• “ you have all the answers right in front of you. you just need to look at it differently. ”
• “ don’t presume that you know me just because you’ve heard a few rumors and read a few articles. ”
• “ there’s certainly more to you than meets the eye, isn’t there? ”
• “ i urge you to remember exactly who it is you’re talking to. because while others might appreciate your tone, i assure you, i do not. ”
• “ i’m concerned that you mightn’t understand what discreet means. because the path of chaos you’ve just created is exactly the opposite of discreet. ”
• “ you owe me a favour. i’m here to collect. ”
• “ i thought it was a good time to pay you a visit. it’s been so long, after all; and we have so much to catch up on. ”
• “ you are not your father/mother/parent’s child. not by anything other than blood, and that’s not even on the spectrum of importance. ”
• “ i was wrong about you. ”
• “ you know, i was warned not to get involved with you. people insisted it was a fool’s decision. but i held out hope that you’d prove them wrong. now’s your chance. ”
• “ i’m not the sort of person to fuss over hurt feelings. you’re either of value to me, or you’re worthless. so prove to me that you’re not the latter. ”
• “ you honestly think i don’t know where you go each night? i’m not blind nor an idiot. i just trust your ability to return home unharmed. ”
• “ have you told anyone else about this? ”
• “ there are no children anymore. only survivors. childhood and innocence are luxuries afforded to the privileged. not us. ”
• “ i offered you an opportunity once. to build a better world together. we both know how that turned out. and now, you come crawling back, begging for… what? mercy? forgiveness? ”
• “ i’m with you. always. no matter what happens, i will be right by your side. do you understand? ”
• “ we’re a team, aren’t we? teams stick together. even when the leader is being a prick. ”
• “ …i was really worried about you, you know. you scared me earlier. and i’m not saying it to make you feel bad, it’s just… promise me you’ll tell me if things get bad again? ”
• “ i can’t pretend to understand all this stuff you’ve got going on. but i do promise that i’ll be here to help you through it all. alright? ”
• “ there’s a job that needs to be done before we get to work on the big task. that’s why i’m here. you’ll be helping me/us to complete both jobs. payment upon completion. ”
• “ you and i aren’t as different as you want to believe. that must be why you’re so angry. because looking at me, all that i’ve done… it’s like looking in a mirror. isn’t it? ”
• “ people are scared. they need a leader. and right now, like it or not, they’re looking to you. so go on. lead us. ”
• “ you’ve come up with some really insane plans over the years, but this is just defying any amount of belief. ”
• “ look. i don’t care if people underestimate me. i actually enjoy it. they see me as an idiot, they drop their guard, the end. but i need you to know that i’m not an idiot. okay? ”
• “ people have died. we can’t let that go unpunished. ”
• “ the world is changing. and if we don’t get ahead of it, then they’ll be the ones to decide what it changes into. ”
• “ right! what’s the plan, then? and god help the lot of us if you don’t have one. ”
• “ not all of us can afford the luxury of a conscience. ”
• “ don’t make the deadly mistake of presuming my actions reflect weakness. too many have made that same presumption. and not a single one of them lived to tell the tale. ”
• “ you’re scared. i can tell. the shaking, the look in your eye… you want to run. don’t. you’ll waste precious time and energy, and you’ll need it all if you want to live. ”
• “ everything is gone. it’s all smoke, ruin, obliterated. is that our legacy now? our reputation? destruction, devastation, death? is that who we are? ”
• “ we’ve fought against powerful enemies before, but this is beyond that. if we want to get out of this alive, we need to be smarter, stronger, better than we’ve ever been before. ”
• “ don’t forget why we’re here. there’s far more at stake than our lives if this goes wrong. ”
• “ you’re the only person here i trust. we need to stick together, watch each other’s backs. just because everything’s changed, doesn’t mean we have to, too. ”
• “ i can’t think of anyone i’d rather be doing this crazy, ridiculous, nearly definitely lethal mission with. let’s go out with a bang, eh? ”
• “ you people are completely insane. but you’re also insufferably good at this sort of thing. so let’s go save the world, shall we? ”
• “ why are we fighting so hard to save the lives of people who hate us, anyway? ”
• “ you’re the best there is at this sort of thing. i’d hate to see the one who got the better of you… ”
• “ look at them all. going around, fussing over money, clothes, land… do they ever realize what’s going on around them? do they ever see the bigger picture as we do? ”
• “ you’re clever. good. it’s nice to have a challenge. but you should know now, you’ll want to be a hell of a lot smarter than that if you want to go up against me. ”
• “ you and i both know the risks. we both know what people like them are capable of. tell me it’s all okay, and i won’t question you. but if it isn’t… we need to be ready. ”
• “ it’s lonely and vicious at the top. i can handle that. but you… you wouldn’t survive five minutes of this life. ”
• “ you can’t survive in this world without growing a thicker skin, and erasing that naive belief that you can trust anyone you meet. least of all me. ”
• “ if you’re knocking on my door, i can only imagine it means you’re here to collect. and by your demeanour, it’s one hell of a favor you’ll be asking, too. ”
• “ i understand your anger. i’ve lived with that sort of rage for many years of my life. but you need to set it aside, understand? we need you calm if we want to get out of here. ”
• “ oh, don’t get all sentimental. i saved your life because you’re worth more to me alive than dead. it doesn’t signify any degree of care or affection. ”
• “ you have one hell of an inflated ego, you know that? we were told this job was impossible. that’s not a challenge. that’s a fact. it is not possible. even for you. ”
• “ i’ve heard it all before. one more job. one more mission. one last heist. but there’s always more. it’s like some sort of obsession for you. searching for another thrill. ”
• “ enough! this is it! don’t you see that?! we almost died! you almost got killed! if the saints are kind enough to save us today, it’s only so we can quit while we’re ahead! ”

Where Lacey Adler is more likely to turn to rich colors, tall heels, and a red lip, Emma Knightly is not. She turns to soft and relaxed floral dresses, she doesn’t know how to curl her hair right, and heels may as well be a death trap. She’s soft and meek– the perfect victim for a cult to dig its claws into and never let go.

It was strange to leave behind her finer frocks in favor of what Lacey saw as her still cute, but more casual, summer wear. Stranger still was how she and Bolest packed their things independently, missing one another like satellites in the sky. Her her apartment-turned-office feels sterile and cold these days, but she supposes that is how Emma would feel too. She’s alone in the world. Another box for the cult to tick. 

She has maybe ten minutes before the cab arrives, just enough time to apply Emma’s muted and nude makeup. As good a time as any to lay a few ground rules with her client/husband. She dials his number, puts her phone on speaker, and places it on the bathroom counter so she can get to work applying her soft brown eyeshadow.