System Reboot ( MR AU RP )

Lucinia huffed.

“ No; No it’s not “ she scoffed, meaning Evelyn. But she nodded and nuzzled Belle’s neck.

“ But yeah…of course love, always. “ She murmured “ Just rest for now. “

====

( OOP-NO-THEN NEO WONT EXIST ;-; )

Tari read it all only to go wide eyed with horror.

It took her a moment to fully process, besides she wasn’t in the best mental state right now to handle more things.

Her eyes welled up.

Neo will never exist…..


My Robin will never exist…..

Skye’s son will never exist.

Tari’s eyes watered up and spilled over as a single tear fell down her cheek.

But if—-crackerjack if Skye’s at risk for so many things i…



…i don’t wanna put her in danger!

OH CRACKERJACK WHY DID I HAVE TO GO TO JAIL?! WHAT DID THEY DO TO PREVENT THIS?

Tari hiccuped as she took a long time to reply. She just….she just couldn’t.

She shakily went to type.

……………..







….



I—-i need to think on that—-


That was all Tari sent. She couldn’t argue with Sofia on this…not right now. She wasn’t in a good mental state to argue. How could Sofia say that?! Heck in the future —-She saw how much Sofia loved Neo!

Tari hiccuped loudly and covered her mouth as she read the text over and over.

( ngl I got so emotional reading that and writing this ack )

"Babe, you're not in your right mind," Skye whispered. "It's okay. I understand you're not gonna be firing on all cylinders right now. The important thing is... you didn't hurt anyone."

She continued rubbing Tari's back, moving her other hand to Tari's side and rubbing it with her thumb.

"C'mere, kitty..." Sofia mumbled, joining the group hug. "I'm here..."

( omg ma heart )

Tari took a moment to listen to Skye, only to nod and hiccup. She had a point..but she almost did, that’s what scared her.

She melted at the back rubs and side rubs, humming softly. Only to melt even further at the combined warmth when Sofia joined the hug. And even more at the petname. She’s not had any normalcy for a full month.

Being killed over and over…trying to save them…it was enough to make anyone snap. No wonder Belle snapped before hand… the poor thing.

Tari hiccuped raggedly and soaked up the hugs and warmth. She made sure to cherish it. To cherish them all now as they were before any more horrors happen to them.

The bluejay moved her head to Sofia’s shoulder, as if to give her equal attention. Her body was still shivering.

“ i missed you…i m-missed all of you….” Tari’s voice cracked.

( right back atcha ack- )

"It's okay..." Sofia soothed. "It's allll gonna be okay. We'll figure this out together... like we always do."

Skye breathed a soft sigh. "Yeah. We'll figure it all out eventually."

She was just now starting to process the things Tari had been talking about. It all seemed so... insignificant in the heat of the moment. Now that she thought about it, it seemed... off. And that was being generous.

( Ehehe i love that post )

Tari sniffled and hiccuped as she listened to the both of them, only to nod.

Right—like we always do. Like we did in the past…

She chuckled a bit and nodded.

“ Yeah..l-like in the past…” Tari said, trying to find some light in the situation. She held on to them both tighter as a few memories played of those horrid and grotesque changes that they went through, it scarred her mind permanently. It was like a god damn nightmare.

It was enough to make her tremble again.

“ i j-Just don’t wanna die again…” Tari whined.

( thank ack )

"You won't," Skye soothed. "You won't die, baby. Not on my watch. Not on our watch."

She took another deep breath. "Wanna sit down, love? Sit down 'n cuddle maybe?"

"I vote cuddles," Sofia whispered.

( Yeye and ma heart i love em all )

Tari began to relax even further once Skye said that she won’t die again. She believed her on that. Only for her eyes to snap open wide in a touch starved manner.

Would Sheridan actually grant her a moments worth of peace for this? She…she had to be dreaming…she had to be.

The bluejay nodded frantically.

“ I s-second Sofia…please..i-it’s—it’s been a month—“ her voice cracked and pitched.

Lucinia upon overhearing them stood up from the couch and allowed them the couch only to eventually make her way over to Belle and for her to sigh heavily, then to cover her face. Her life flashed before her eyes when Tari aimed the gun..she wouldn’t lie on that. She agreed with the others on some downtime.

Masa had gotten up by now and had snuck the gun back and put it back in its rightful place on his hip. His eyes were wide as he stared at the ground now.

I can’t believe she—she’d do something like that…

( saaame aa )

"Are we... good to move around again, or...?" Belle ventured.

"No. Nobody moves from this room," Skye stated firmly. "I dunno why, just... we gotta stay together."

Belle furrowed her brow, then approached Lucinia, pulling her into a hug. At least she could still be with her. Hold her close and tell her it'll be okay.

Theo just plopped down on the floor and stared into space.

Lucinia tensed up initially, she was still trying to process what just happened. But eventually she loosened up and melted into Belle’s embrace, only to then bury her face into the hug, trembling a little as she did.

Lamar and Masa both looked up at Skye in great confusion, only to sigh in defeat.

“ Aight well—imma just..be over here then…” Lamar grumbled and headed over to Theo only to sit beside him and cross his arms.

“ So much for Halloween huh little man?” He asked Theo.

Tari looked over at Belle through the group hug, her brows furrowed as her expression seemed to read ‘ you can’t forget you of all people have to remember! ‘. Then she blinked and her eyes widened.

“ Wait-Theo! Where’s Theo?! “ Tari yelped, her tone panicked as her gaze searched for him.

"Right over here!" Theo called, once he heard Tari's voice. "Don't worry, I'm okay!"

Belle didn't make eye contact with Tari; she was too focused on Lucinia. She pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Lucinia's head.

"It's gonna be okay," Sofia whispered, trying to calm Tari down.

( The Bebe femix )

Lucinia melted further at the forehead kiss, humming softly. She just buried her face further into the hug. Still trying to process what the hell just happened. Yes she was concerned for the bluejay…but she’s..never been held at gunpoint..let alone by anyone she’s trusted. Though…with what Tari said about her being Sheridan…made her wonder what could’ve happened…Tari normally wasn’t the one to act out towards friends like this..yes the poor things had some mental issues in the past..but never this severe.

I Wonder…..

Tari furrowed her brows when Belle didn’t make eye contact, but she came to the conclusion that the pheonix was busy. She’d..she’d just try again later. And once Tari heard Theo’s voice, her violet gaze darted towards him and made eye contact, only to sigh heavily in relief.

“ good! Just—stay where we can see you. Please. “ Tari called, her voice still filled with worry for him. She knew he liked to wander about. She didn’t want him suffering those changes again either, but she was glad he was okay.

And once she heard Sofia’s voice, she tried to relax further, but physically and mentally…she couldn’t.

“ ……it’ll happen again—i-it won’t be okay….i c-can’t-cant stop—i need to figure this out…i need to save you guys..” Tari rambled.

( right back atcha ack )

Belle kept her eyes closed for now, holding Lucinia in a tender, protective manner. She almost lost her... again.

Theo gave her a thumbs-up and grinned from ear to ear. Clearly, he didn't recognise the gravity of the situation, but it was probably for the best.

"No-no-no-- baby... shhhh... focus. Stay with me a little longer," Skye murmured. "What is gonna happen again?"

( FR OMG MA HEART )

Lucinia melted further in the embrace, feeling safer than she had been moments ago. She clung to Belle, almost as if to reassure her and herself. To reassure them both. She trembled ever so slightly here and there, the gun barrel flashed in her mind again..Tari looked so—different..serious. Kinda …scary if she were honest.

I never thought I’d use Tari and scary in the same sentence..but here we are….I’ve never seen her like that..maybe once when she was Cardinal but—this wasn’t Cardinal..it was her. ….but she looked so terrified all the same…to think something so horrible happened to her to push her to that point…..

She also sounded very determined to protect us…so in a way..her heart was still in the right place…i just…god what happened?….

Tari spotted Theo’s thumbs up, only to give him a small warm smile. It was the first one she gave in over a month. The little guy was always able to do that for her. However once Skye spoke, her eyes widened and were filled with fear again.

Memories flashed with death, upon death of them all causing her to tremble. She didn’t wanna say…it was too horrifying. She let out a fear filled whine.

“ No—I can’t, i cant! Please—please don’t make me—“ Tari whimpered as tears formed in her eyes. She was too scared to say it. She just pressed herself into the both of them and trembled more.

( YEYE ACK )

"S'okay, baby..." Belle murmured. "We'll be okay."

"Love, we can't fix the problem if we don't know what it is," Skye whispered to Tari. "C'mon, let's sit down on the couch and cuddle up for now, and we can figure this shit out, okay?"

Sofia pulled back, preparing to direct Tari to the couch.

Lucinia nodded at Belle’s words, seeming to relax further. Only to give a tiny sigh of relief.

“ I trust you….” She murmured “ for once i…i don’t know what’s going on….and I hate it. Tari’s gone off the rails…out of nowhere..and I can’t fix it. Not to mention …I’ve been getting this weird..dejavu vibe too…like somethings off and I just can’t place it….and not to mention Skye is having us stay in the living room…which is also odd…babe…the hells going on?..” Lucinia asked, her voice slightly shaky.

Tari felt Sofia pull back and instinctively reached out to the Canary with wide fear filled eyes, trying grasp at her to get her back. She feared….she feared if she let them go the same thing would happen again. Though once she listened to Skye she thought on it a little bit only to hiccup and nod.

“ O-Okay….” She choked out.

Sofia led Tari over to the couch and sat down, doing her best to pull Tari with her.

"C'mere... let's just... relax, catch our breath, all that good stuff," she whispered.

===

"No idea. But I have a theory," Belle muttered. "Remember that shit Tari told us? About the... time travel shit? My guess is she's screwed the timeline up again or something."

Tari blinked in a bit of hesitation, she couldn’t rest…she had to…she had to save them. She needed to. Then again…she might not get another break like this if Sheridan decided to be cruel.  

The bluejay followed Sofia with ease and eventually sat down on the couch, she was a bit hesitant to fully let her guard down. Something could still happen.

====

Lucinia’s eyes widened once Belle jogged her memory, it made the hairs on her neck stand up.

She pulled her head back to look Belle in the eyes. Her own eyes wide with horror.

“ If that’s the case then—h-how did she?…and with what Tari said..about—about me being Sheridan and all…”

Something seemed to click. Her eyes showed nothing but pure horror in them as a lightbulb seemed to go off.

“ Then Sheridan must be pissed at her.” Lucinia said.

Sofia and Skye cuddled up to Tari, both of them holding her protectively.

"We're gonna fix this," Skye whispered. "One way or another."

===

"No idea. But if it happened accidentally before, who's to say it didn't accidentally happen again?" Belle hissed. "And yeah; no shit. Of course. Of course somebody finally finds the universe's clit, and of all the people it could be, it's doctor fucking Sheridan."

She let out a heavy sigh.

( EHEHE ANGY FEMIX )

Tari tensed up initially at the contact, her eyes wide and a bit wild. She still…had some lingering trust issues. Her brain was still kinda messed up…well….okay a lot messed up. She hiccuped shakily as some memories of those horrid and grotesque beaks kept flashing in her mind. Mainly Skye’s..

She just nodded shakily and did her best to unwind. She leant back into the couch, back into their embraces. She let out a fearful sound as she did.

“ O-Okay…..” Tari murmured.

===

Lucinia winced a bit at Belle’s harsh language, but it was justifiable, Sheridan was cruel when it came to power. She knew that all too well with how he could get.

But it didn’t stop the gravity of the situation from sending a chill down her spine.

“ It’s not too far fetched…we all know how he can get…and…I’m not sure about the accident part…call me crazy but..i dont think that’s the case this time…if I know anything about the doctor…he doesn’t like his work being stolen…or messed with. Maybe….” Lucinia mumbled as she tried to work up a theory.

“ The only thing I could think of is that Tari did something to anger Sheridan and he’s making her pay the price..and..apparently the rest of us from what she was rambling about..something about us dying a lot…..and the poor thing looked—tortured. Belle Ive never seen her like that…something happened.” Lucinia said firmly. She made sure to keep her voice low only for Belle to hear…she had no idea why…call it gut instinct.

( EHEHE YE )

Skye gently rubbed Tari's side with one tender hand. "Alright babe. Let's start from the beginning. What... sparked this?"

Sofia remained quiet for now, still holding Tari to make sure she felt safe.

===

Even the harsh gravity of the situation couldn't dampen Belle's... undying "spirit".

"Damn, I shouldn't have used that expression earlier. The one about the universe's... yeah. 'Cuz now I'm thinking about yours," Belle mumbled. "So you mean to tell me that Sheridan's got his hand up the universe's ass and he's just fuckin' with us now?"

Tari tensed up at the question yet again, but…with the side rubs..and being held by the both of them, she was starting to unwind. She soaked up the side rubs and took in the shared warmth and both of their perfumes…which eventually did the job for her as she melted a bit, it was..enough for her to think clearly, for the first time this month.

She leaned into Sofia’s arms and moved her lower half to lean against Skye.


It took her a long while….her lips felt glued shut…everytime she tried to say something….she physically couldn’t.

Tari took a deep breath and closed her eyes and tried to focus.

“…….a m-month ago—when we came here originally—it—it’s hard to explain—but this isn’t the first time we stepped foot in the ramen shop…at least for me…for you..i-it is. Actually…a-about—crackerjack I dunno how many times I stepped over that cursed threshold!” Tari hissed, only to take another deep breath.

“ Originally…there was a Sigil that L-Lamar painted…i-it had circles and lines…that—that is a warping Sigil….a time warping S-Sigil…and it’s a god damn curse!” Tari growled.

===

Lucinia fought the urge to smack Belle’s head right then and there, so she just settled for a grimace at her remark. Only to nod and sigh heavily.

“ Yeah…at least that’s my working theory….i mean—cmon have you ever heard Tari that serious about something?…” Lucinia asked with a raised brow and a head tilt.

Skye's blood ran cold as Tari explained. Her eyes widened the more Tari said, but she didn't stop the gentle side rubs.

"You mean he... he painted something that warped time?" Sofia whispered. "Why... why wasn't it painted this time? Weird timeline shifting shit, I guess..."

"Shh, love... lemme talk to her," Skye interjected, her voice soft. She gave Sofia a quick kiss on the lips to silence her.

Sofia hummed at the contact, then settled down, trying to process.

"Alright, so... baby... there's no sigil on the wall," Skye continued. "So... we're safe, right? We just gotta make sure Lamar doesn't paint it."

===

"I mean... not exactly," Belle muttered. "...I really should be more concerned about the potential collapse of time and space itself, shouldn't I?"

A nervous grimace crossed her face.

( THE BEBES MA HEART )

Tari smiled up at the two as they kissed, it actually made her melt more in their arms. She missed them…she missed them so much. It almost felt like old times. Though Tari shook her head at both of them, a troubled expression on her face was seen. She…knew this was a lot for the both of them…but something had to be said.

“ A-Actually….Sofia…it didn’t fully originate from Lamar…this time he just dreamt it…..if I remember correctly..i time warped first…then it just spiraled from others warping..somehow the Sigil spawned from there…like a m-manifestation of the act. I think Skye found it?…then again my memories hazy…” Tari mumbled.

She took a deep breath and she shrugged.

“ I think we are?…but I’m not sure honestly….but everytime someone looked at the Sigil, mainly Belle…she was the first one out of us to originally freak out…the room w-would go dark….pitch dark…the sigil would glow a-and…you’d all freeze. “ Tari began, her eyes slowly began to widen with pure horror as her voice trembled.

“ Y-You’d all freeze a-and…..y-you’d turn into these bird monsters…your rib cages would be ripped out of your backs in the shape of w-wings…a-and beaks would sprout out of your mouth covered in blood….s-so…s-so much blood…a-and I’d die….I’d die over and over and over again, sometimes I’d bleed out…sometimes my neck snapped…sometimes I got shot..o-or one of y-you would kill me…but you’d all be dead…death…after death…after death…after death, after death! I cant! I cant—Not again, god please not again!- “ Tari cried out and covered her face with both hands as she trembled.


===

Lucinia gave an equally nervous grimace facial expression and nodded.

“ Yeah…but…what the hell do we do?…” she asked as she furrowed her brows. she felt powerless.

( RIGHT BACK ATCHA ACK )

Skye held Tari close, and hushed her as gently as she could manage.

"Baby-- hey-- shhhhh... shhhh, focus on me, love," she whispered. "Don't think about that right now. Think about how we're gonna fix this. Clearly something's different this time 'round, right...?"

===

"Sit here and hope the universe doesn't fucking explode," Belle remarked, eyes widening. "Sorry. I would suggest something fun but... I dunno, we don't have any other options."

( FR )

Tari let out a broken whimper once Skye held her close. She tried her best to focus and relax but she couldn’t..but Skye’s and Sofia’s touches helped a ton.

She shook her head, still covering her face.

“ I don’t know—-he’s mocking me…mocking us! He’s wanting my guard down so he could kill me again! But I won’t! I won’t let him win I won’t, i won’t! It’s too good to be true-i can’t stop—“ Tari rambled madly.

She was starting to slip again…having to think on this made it worse for her.

===

Lucinia patted Belle’s shoulder with a heavy sigh.

“ it’s alright…i understand…i just…i hate being powerless..usually I can come up with answers on the spot but..not this time. Let’s hope Skye can figure this shit out….she’s a wiz at this stuff…Sofia too..she’s got one heck of a brain..” Lucinia smiled softly.

“ I suppose we can just…make sure no one leaves this room…and just sit it out i suppose…” Lucinia offered with a small shrug.

"Shhhh-- hey-- Tari..." Skye interjected.

Sofia echoed the gentle words and phrases.

"Babe, we can't stop him if we don't have clear heads," Skye continued. "We need to assess the situation first, babe."

===

Belle sighed softly, then nodded.

"Yeah... sounds good, babe... maybe we can just snuggle up on the couch and vibe for now...?" she murmured.