Shimmer Eyes (original Notes)

Asteria Dimond and the Era 1 war (part 1)

It is towards the end of the war that it happens. Pink Dimond, also known as Rose Quartz, does something both unexpected and unprecedented. Pink Diamond did not believe that the other Diamonds cared about her, and she knew that they would not listen to her as herself nor as Rose Quartz. But she had to find a way to make them listen. She knew she was defective, off-color, but maybe if she could find a way to increase her power the others would listen to her. And so she did. No one knows how. No one knows uf she knew the consequences. In all honesty, even if she had known, she probably hadn’t cared. She somehow became Steven Universe. But an adult Steven Universe who has long balanced himself to look more like his mothers' forms and who goes by Asteria Diamond in professional settings. Asteria sends out a message to all the gems on Earth, both the Crystal Gems and the Homeworld Gems. In the message, they state:

"I am not Rose Quartz. I am not Pink Diamond. I am not a fusion of the two. I am something never before seen by Gemkind. Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz are dead. I am taking their place. This war is over. All Crystal Gems are to give themselves over peacefully to Homeworld. All Homeworld soldiers are to gather up the Crystal Gems peacefully and bring them to containment in my ship. There will be no shattering or excessive force from either side. Crystal Gems, if the ones trying to take you in are being cruel, leave them and find someone else. Gems still loyal to the diamond courts, only use violence if absolutely necessary. I repeat, I want no shattering and no excessive violence. That will be all."

Pearl had been watching this all in horror from across the room, the only one aware of the fact that this could not be some kind of unknown fusion between Rose and Pink as they were the same person. She could tell that this being was not her, which had horrible implications on its own, but she could also feel that her gem had shifted in a way she had never experienced but knew what it was instinctively. This gem was her new owner. She shied away in fear as the new gem, the new Diamond, approached her, but she could only go so far as her back hit the wall. They made a deep purr-like sound she assumed was supposed to be soothing, and she froze as a white-clawed hand brushed over her gem. His song weaved into the core of her being, bringing with it a great soothing calm. 

She was brought into a deep calm headspace, everything else chased away for the moment by the Diamond's song. She made no attempt to fight it, as it came from her Diamond, and let herself be picked up into her new Diamond's arms and carried away. Her Diamond purred deep in her chest all the way to the ship, almost rattling her body with the power it sung into ribbons twirling around her being. Her Diamond sat in a quiet and fairly dim room, and the soothing purring stopped. She started to come back to herself, but the entirety of her emotions refused to come back with the hand on her gem. As her grief started to hit her that touch quickly became a comfort, and she tried to lean further into it to try and hide from the pain of loss. Her Diamond did not take away her grief, or let her hide from it, but she held her and rocked her and comforted her as best as anyone can when faced with a pearl's fresh grief.

Eventually her Diamond laid her down and told her to stay and take deep breaths. She was all worn out emotionally, but somehow the unnecessary breathing helped to take the edge off everything. Her Diamond was somewhere in the room, dealing with reports and giving out commands. She had not been ordered to listen, so she did not bother too. Her programing would not let her miss an order if one is given to her.

Because the Crystal Gems are going to of course fight back, especially gems like Bismuth and Garnet, Asteria decides to use Pearl as bait to get the remaining fighters in. This is of course after Pearl has calmed down some and understands that Asteria doesn't want to hurt her or the other gems. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, and only wants the war to end without bloodshed. He reveals his plans to her, explaining how he will be taking the Crystal Gems into his court along with Pink Diamond's gems, mixing the two together just like he was a mix of the two leaders. Pearl expresses her doubts, both with the gems who had just been fighting getting along, and the fact that Asteria is not actually a mix between Pink and Rose. Asteria assures her that they can learn to get along with help, and that he was very much like a mix between Pink and Rose seeing as they are the same person. This shuts Pearl up about her doubts. And so Asteria goes to his new throne and pulls Pearl onto his lap, having her in her rebellion garb. They need to make it seem like the Crystal Gem's sneaking onto the ship to rescue her was their plan. Asteria knew that Garnet would discount the idea of Pearl betraying them, giving them a strong advantage when it came to getting around her future vision. So a message about a captured and tamed Renegade Pearl is sent out.

Biggs came running up to them with the Crystal Gem's pirated communicator. It had been three days since Rose and Pearl had disappeared. It had been three days since the message from the fusion(/?) of Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond. Garnet hadn't been able to see much with her future vision as none of them could have ever seen this coming. What she could see wasn't good, and while it seemed like no one was shattered, many of them had been captured in the last few days. Bismuth could do nothing but worry and wait. They couldn't find their resident renegade anywhere, and none of them knew what to expect from "Asteria". She had asked Garnet her opinion, and the only thing the other gem could think of was some kind of heinous forced fusion. They knew that this was a dark and uncertain time, they knew that things were not likely to go well in this situation, but they fought anyway. And then Biggs, with her misty eyes filled with tears, handed her the communicator with another video from Asteria to all Earth channels.

Pearl sat in between Asteria Diamond's legs, a hand bigger than her entire head curled around her neck and up her chin. It was clear she was being held in place, and with more than the strong hand and sharp claws threatening her. Her eyes seemed hazy and far away, and she stared resolutely at the floor. Bismuth was aghast for a number of reasons, but a big one was her eyes. There was no spark of fire in them. No sparkle or otherwise rebellious look. She looked like-... like a pearl. Asteria Diamond spoke of their disobedience like it was utterly trivial. Like the entire rebellion was not only not a threat but something that would soon be neutralized. But instead of threatening them or ordering her troops to fight them once more, she reassured them that they would not be shattered. That there would be no need for them to be shattered. But the Diamond's "reassurance" only made Bismuth's mouth dry with horror. The Crystal Gems don't need to be shattered because they can be tamed. She could do nothing but watch and try not to gag as white claws and pink fingers traced over Pearl's gem. The Renegade shuddered and whined at the intrusion of the Diamond's power, her hands tightening in her lap, her eyes screwed shut, her body folding in on itself the best it could. But it was obvious she had long stopped fighting the control. The Diamond pushed, and the rebellious pearl shuddered and went lax, a low keen the only thing to show her discomfort. The Diamond cooed and pet her like she was a dog finally giving in and submitting to its abusive master. Bismuth didn't want to know how much Pearl had been touched and tortured to get her to this point. This was the fate the new Diamond had in store for them. To Bismuth, it seemed worse than a fate of shattering. But as the horrific message ended, there was only one thing on her mind. It looked reversible. Maybe not completely, but it was obvious that unlike what she had heard of White Diamond's mind control, Pearl was not completely a shell of herself. At least not yet. She turned to Garnet, who was clutching herself as she stared in open-mouthed horror. She snapped her out of it and got her to check her future vision. It didn't exactly look good for them, but there seemed to be a high chance they could get Pearl out, along with sabotaging the enemy. However, there was also a chance they would fail, that Pearl would already be too far in the Diamond's control, and they would end up captured. Seeing few other options, they planned their infiltration.

Asteria Diamond makes it clear that Pearl is fully allowed and even encouraged to fight the prejudices of other gems. After Pearl stabs the first gem who won't back down when she told them to, most of the others fall in line. Especially when her Diamond backs up her behavior. The gem was out of line, and Pearl ensured she knew that.

Pearl is seen as off by other characters because she is processing the change in owners and orders. Asteria takes the time to put a whole bunch of fail-safes into any direct orders so that Pearl can get around them if she needs to. Having all of these extra what-if's and stuff makes it a whole lot more to process, and Pearl will often use times when Asteria has used her powers on her to sort through stuff. She appreciates having the owner given power to circumvent her orders, and she also appreciates the concreteness that Pink/Rose often lacked, but it's still a lot.

Rumors say Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz didn't fuse. They melded. Instead of their forms becoming one, able to separate if they wish, their gems melded together and they beget an entirely new being.

(This concept was based very very loosely on this fanfic. It's not all that similar in terms of plot, but it is very good!)

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Part 6

The Great Jayce swap

Jayce from a world where he and the machine herald are true enemies switches with an au where the two are secretly on the same side but pretend to be enemies in front of others. Enemies Jayce will be known as Defender and freinemies Jayce will be known as Progress.

Defender takes a few days to settle into the new world before he is forced into a fight with this world's Herald. The battle is a bit stranger than usual, with his enemy seemingly going easy on him, but then he falls straight into the cyborg's trap and finds himself injured and at the Herald's mercy. His own Herald had never done anything like this, had always aimed for the kill, so he is understandably panicked by his kidnapping. He believes that the Herald plans to augment his body and take control of his mind, turning him against the people of Piltover and his friends. Viktor is actually just trying to help heal the wound he caused while kidnapping the other Jayce. He also wanted the chance to get a read on the man and talk with him privately. What he finds is a man absolutely terrified of him, and his heart softens a good bit as he holds the struggling man down and tends to his wounds. Defender has never seen the technology the Herald is using on him, so he has no way of knowing that it's just going to help close the wound.

Progress, on the other hand, runs into the new world's Herald the first night there, but not in a battle. He finds him nursing an injury far from his base, so he drags him to his home to patch him up, babbling on all the way and not letting the Herald get a word. Viktor is very confused by this new Jayce, who seems so soft and bubbly and calls him cute nicknames while patching him up. He's so very different from Defender that The Herald can't bring himself to harm him, not when the man didn't even seem to realize they were enemies.

Pack or Prey? - Chapter 1 - BlackFoy - Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) [Archive of Our Own]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62210176/chapters/159141145

Isha Bunny's Adventure

Isha ends up in a modern au. Since she's not in her alternate body it is not difficult to convince them that she is from an alternate universe. They care for her while they try and find a way to put her back, but the more they get to know her the less they want to send her back. They get her a talking tablet to help her communicate, and some of the things she says can be... concerning. Like talking about how hard Vader can hit, about being in the habit of watching his body language to make sure he wasn't upset, just in case she needs to dodge. She is, of course, referring to Warwick, who does not have full control over his bloodlust and actions, but they do not know this, and with Vader having had an instance of domestic violence in the past with Silco, he knows he is technically capable of hurting his family even if he loves them.

Bloody Claws - BlackFoy - Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) [Archive of Our Own]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62257153

Tags and sneak peek below the cut

Baby Blue Protocols

(Please note that this was written without having actually watched Arcane and before season 2 started.)

Becoming a father changes Silco in ways no one could have anticipated, certainly not himself. But it had changed him, and with that, it changed the underground. Silco by no means stopped being a dangerous man, but he focused more on making the world better for Jink than he did on his own goals. From there comes the Baby Blue Protocols. Silco comes to rule the underground even more than he did before, and with that comes the strict rule that nobody touches his daughter. Even those not directly under Silco's rule come to respect this. Things change as Jinx gets older and is able to defend herself; if she starts a fight, then of course, the other party can retaliate, but everyone still understands exactly who they are dealing with and who stands behind her.

Things get messy when time travel becomes involved.

Vander and Powder wake up in a version of the Lanes they don't recognize, and anyone who sees them coming immediately runs away. Even if they weren't faced with Vander back from the dead, nobody wants to deal with getting too close to Zaun's princess while she's so small and fragile. Eventually, Sevika shows up all grumpy about having to deal with this mess, grumbling about them scaring the shit out of half the Lanes and bringing them to Silco. Vader is, of course, on high alert, trying to be prepared for anything through his old heartbreak, but Silco is kind with Powder and cordial with him, if not a bit cold still, and Vander allows himself to relax slightly.

And then Jinx jumps down from the rafters, and things go to shit again.

Arcane possessed Jayce

Due to some experiments with Hextech, Jayce ends up possessed by something arcane. His eyes turn a rainbow myriad of colors, and he is no longer himself. His palms and fingers spark with magic, able to control things and do things he shouldn't be able to accomplish. The arcane being that can temporarily reside in Jayce's skin doesn't mean any harm; it will actually oftentimes try to help, but it isn't the best at helping without instilling a great amount of fear in the process.

One of the first things it tries to help fix is Viktor's illness. It recognizes Viktor as someone important to Jayce, and it also recognizes that Viktor is dying and in pain. So it goes about working sparks of magic into Viktor's body, trying to help him heal himself. Give his body the jumpstart it needs. Viktor is terrified when Jayce, who is strong and able-bodied, pins him down and starts removing his clothes. He figures out that Jayce is not fully himself quickly enough, but that does not change the terror of the situation. He is helpless against Jayce's body, and no matter how hard he squirms and writhes, he can't get away. Warm, callused hands sparking with the arcane dig into his tender muscles, and while the magical massage is ultimately helpful, it is painful and terrifying while it is happening. Viktor falls asleep before possessed Jayce lets him go, and so they both wake up the next morning with a mostly naked Viktor still pinned by Jayce. Jayce, of course, apologizes profusely, but Viktor mostly just wants to move on and figure out what happened to Jayce. Possessed Jayce hadn't done him any harm, not really, and while he hadn't appreciated the scare, he was more interested in exploring the new phenomenon of the arcane. The arcane creature now bound to Piltover's golden boy tries a few more times to help Viktor through the occasional massage, even taking him down into the forge to help keep him warm, but Viktor works his body too hard for them to make any real progress. He's dying slower than before, but he's still dying. That's when they decide to use the forge and create metal pieces infused with arcane to attach to Viktor; that way, he can have a constant stream of magic helping to stitch his body together. It works in the end, but Viktor has no way of knowing what possessed Jayce is doing. He knows nothing other than that the Arcane creature is holding him down and attaching metal to his flesh with magic.

Hello!

So I don't really understand how Tumblr works quite yet, but I've got a lot of ideas and snippets and WIPs sitting in my notes app that will probably never be good enough to see the light of AO3, so I've decided to post them here that way I can still share them with others. Hopefully, you guys enjoy my stuff, most of it isn't the most coherent but it's still ideas. If someone wants to write something based on my stuff please let me know. Thanks!

Asteria Diamond: Yellow Pearl (Part 6)

Yellow Diamond's Pearl stood primly where her Diamond had left her, doing some organizing for some far off colony as she waited for her Diamond to return. Hopefully her owner would burn her anger out while she was here and Yellow Pearl wouldn't have to deal with it herself. She did not envy Pink Diamond, even if she was a Diamond and would therefore be fine. Her Diamond's current levels of anger made her shiver just by proximity. The air around her Diamond had a tendency to become charged in her anger, and when it got bad enough it would hurt Pearl's gem. Not that she would ever complain, that was not a pearl's place, but she could silently wish for the air to be calm and still. Not long after her Diamond had left Pink Diamond's Pearl entered the ship. Despite there being nothing different about her form Yellow couldn't help but think that something was wrong with the other gem. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what, and that made her afraid. She knew what hiding pain of all kinds looked like, why couldn't she recognize this?

"My Diamond had instructed me to give a message to the gems abord this ship." The other Pearl said. It was clear what that statement meant, but Yellow couldn't help but worry as she handed Pink a ship communicator.

"Of course." Was all she said aloud, but with her body she signed the question, 'are you well sister?'

As she fiddled with the communicator the other Pearl responded, 'I am well. I have been given to a new owner. I am still adjusting.'

Whatever Yellow had been expecting, it hasn't been that. What had happened that she had been given to another? Who had she been given too? If she had displeased her Diamond, why hadn't she been shattered? Before she could voice or sign any of these questions, the communicator went live.

"This is a message from Asteria Diamond to all the gems abord this ship. Every gem who's job is not absolutely necessary to the ships continued functioning are to report to room 8x3 in the conjoined ship. Wait there for further commands. That will be all."

Yellow stared in shock signing, 'what happened?!' the moment she could.

"Come, I'll escort you to the other ship." Pink said, signing, 'to much to share in this moment. Find hiding spot first.'

Yellow considered this, mind racing. "My Diamond may not pleased if she does not find me where she left me."

"If necessary she will be notified of your whereabouts." 'Owner will not be here for some time. (Comforting)'

"Understood." Yellow said, following Pink out of the room and to the other ship.

'I will show you.' Pink signed. Yellow waited, but got no further explanation.

What could Pink want to show her? Hopefully it would explain this horribly concerning situation. She didn't know what was going on, and she didn't like it. She became more and more unnerved as they started to hear a sound. It was the yelling and screaming of some gem, muffled by the walls of the ship. It was always a horrible sound to hear, but Yellow tried to ignore it. As they got closer and the sound got louder, she realized that the gem must be pretty loud for them to hear them from so far away. She refused to acknowledge the pull in her gut until the wailing became horribly loud and painfully clear. She froze, feeling like she had just been dropped into a bucket of icy water. That was her Diamond. That was Yellow Diamond, screaming and wailing like... like...-

Pink put her hand in hers and pulled them along, putting up no fuss at having to practically drag her along. Her vison blurred, time seeming to warp as she was pulled through the spinning fuchsia halls. Pink pulled her into a small room, pushing her down into the corner on top of something soft and tapping her hands in a steady rhythm of comforting sign. (Asteria tried to give Pearl a bigger room, but Pearl wanted somewhere small so she could "hide", so her room is a repurposed closet.) It took a long time to calm down from her panic, and by then she didn't even try to speak. Not for something like this.

'Explain. (pleading)' She signed, staring at Pink (was her name even Pink anymore?) with wide teary terrified eyes. Pink had lost most of the strangeness in her form, and both her signs and eyes were gentle with unspoken pity.

'Me or you first? (Where do I start?)'

She stopped and thought for a moment, trying to decide which choice was better. It was like choosing between the bad news and the worse news, but she needed to know both. 'Beginning, need it all anyway.'

Pink started to explain, sometimes with Pearlsign and sometimes with words. There were parts where she gave the signed 'Redacted.' (I cannot speak of it.) But thankfully the story still made sense without the parts Pink skipped. And what a story it was. A Diamond dead, the rebellion over, the Crystal Gems tamed and a part of the new Pink Diamond's court, and a new order born through the fallout of Asteria Diamond's creation. It was all so much, especially since Yellow now had an idea of why her Diamond was screaming. The new Diamond was apparently not all that thrilled with the current state of the Diamond Authority, and seemingly had the power to do something about it. Pink was just Pearl now. She had asked if she was to call her fellow pearl Asteria Pearl or something similar, but Pearl had said it would probably be better if she didn't. Pearl had said that her Diamond would be alright, but Yellow had her doubts.

(Yellow both loves and fears her Diamond. She was made to serve her, and doing so makes her happy in turn, but sometimes her master had a temper that she will take out on the objects and gems around her. Unfortunately for her, Yellow Pearl counts as both. This did not mean she wanted something bad to befall her Diamond, or otherwise be separated from her. Unfortunately it seemed unlikely that she would be able to see, let alone help, her Diamond in the coming cycles. The uncertainty of it all made her itch with anxiety, but Pearl promised to help her adjust.

Pearl calms Yellow down, before going and helping to sort the new gems. Some upper crust gem kicks up a fuss at Pearl, who gets to show off her renegade side and Jasper's submission to Yellow Diamond's gems. At some point Asteria "tames" Yellow Pearl, and somehow ends up changing her ownership to Asteria even though Yellow Diamond is still around and alive. Yellow Pearl isn't happy about this change, so to ease her into it and to make her feel better she is assigned to help Yellow Diamond when she is awake and needs it. This does not disclude her from the order bomb Pearl got, but Asteria is a bit slower and gentler with it since she knows Yellow Pearl isn't used to the idea of freedom of any kind unlike Pearl.)

When Pearl is summoned to her duties, Yellow goes with her. She didn't know exactly what work they would be doing, but Pearl assured her that she could follow her around and serve Asteria Diamond with her for the time being. Yellow was glad for this despite her fear of the new terrifying Diamond. She didn't want to know what might happen to her with her Diamond unable to have a say in her fate.

They arrived in the room where the rest of Yellow Diamond's gems had been sent too, where several ex-crystal gems and Quartz soldiers were milling about interrogating the new gems. Pearl walked through the crowd with the grace of a pearl and the confidence of a Diamond's belonging. Yellow had to puff out her chest just to try and portray the confidence she had. Pearl headed straight for the Bismuth, and Yellow had to bury her fear from being in the room with Crystal Gems. But her sister made no signs of warning to her, and spoke without fear, so there shouldn't be much immediate danger.

"Bismuth. Are we ready to start sorting?"

"Hey Pearl! Yeah, we should be good to go! There's some we're going to have to play by ear, but things have been going pretty well so far!"

Pearl nodded to the smiling Bismuth, seeming unaffected by the gem's strangely jovial mannerisms. Yellow didn't want to turn her back on the strange gem, but Pearl did it without a second thought so she tried to follow her lead. This time they stopped before what must be Pink Diamond's Champion Jasper. Yellow puffed up on instinct being next to such a large warrior gem, but Pearl seemed just as unflappable as before. She saw no signs of fear in her as she spoke to the much larger gem. How could her sister be so fearless in a room full of gems like this? Did it have something to do with the strangeness she had first seen in her? The pain that wasn't?

"Jasper, round up your squads that are assigned to this and prepare them to start escorting gems to their proper places."

"Yes my Pearl."

Yellow, along with all the new gems nearby, gaped in shock. Yellow stood frozen for a long moment, trying to register what she just heard and fit it into her view of how the world worked.

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Part 6

The Hound's Gone Feral

The Hound, after everything, has found himself back in time. He does not know how, and he does not particularly care. All he knows is that he will protect his pups this time, no matter the cost. Vander has time-traveled. Except he's not really sure he's Vander anymore. He's been Warwick for a long time now, and after that, he was part of a hivemind. He's not even close to the man he used to be, and he isn't sure what to do now that he's back to the time when he was still human. But then he sees his pups, his kids, and he knows that nothing else matters. But if he's going to protect them, then he's going to have to take care of the Silco problem. He isn't sure if the man is friend or foe, pack or prey, and so he sets about finding out.

This Vander is feral in a way that nobody is used to. Or, at least, nobody but Silco, who believes that Vander had gone soft. He finds out pretty quickly that Vander is more feral than ever before. Vader has Sevika tell Silco he wants to talk alone, which was a shock by itself since Vander shouldn't have known she was working for him. Silco comes long after the sun has set and the kids are in bed, not actually alone since he decided to bring Sevika with him. But that's fine with the Hound because he knows Sevika is good with his pups when she wants to be. Silco tries to go into the conversation with his silver tongue, but Vander is blunt and honest with him. He tells him that he's been changed, tells him he isn't sure how to see him. Silco tries to scoff and needle and provoke a reaction, but the Hound just watches.

In the end Silco finds the push he was looking for, the kids, and gets a reaction out of Vander. Vander has his hands on Silco almost before he's finished speaking, surprisingly gentle as he pins him against the wall. Silco acts like he's won, gloats about Vander's savage nature, but instead of flinching away Vander leans in closer and *admits that he's worse than ever.* Now Silco's starting to understand, with Vander growing into his neck, that the man pinning him down is far from soft. He starts to panic and struggle, making the Hound chuckle. "Regardless of if you are Pack or Prey, you will not harm the pups." Silco foolishly decided to push his luck, "And if I do?" Vander growled deeper than it should be possible for a human. "Then you will wish you had drowned."

And then Vander lets him go, lets him gasp for air, lets him run off trying to act like he wasn't completely terrified. But Silco knows that Vander has changed, that he isn't soft, and that's enough to change his plans. He also has to bury the part of him that wants to be a part of the Hound's pack, wants to be protected by Vander's bulk once more. Silco realizes that Vander holds seemingly no remorse for what he's done and is willing to do it again. This strokes his anger into yelling, which Vander shuts up by biting him hard enough to draw blood. The Hound is testing to see if Silco's blood will entice him to hunt, but Silco feels the punishment and the claim of the marking. Vander declares him not prey and lays him down in a booth to get the first aid kit and some water. Silco reacts when Vander grabs him to treat the wound and Vander growls back, enforcing the dynamic some more. Some more conversation.

After a few days and then a few meet ups with no violence from Silco, the Hound assumes that Silco has chosen Pack. Which means he starts trying to make sure the man has ate and drank and slept and is otherwise protected since he doesn't sleep in the den with the rest of them. He's been doing the same with Benzo and Ekko, but they take it much better than Silco does. Sevika is mostly amused by this point, and takes the occasional glass of water shoved her way with a nod.

Eventually, they get into an argument about something or another, and Vander threatens to punish Silco. Silco laughs, but then Vander handcuffs him to the chair and plops Powder in his lap with instructions to tell him about her inventions. Powder kind of shrugs and goes with it, and while Silco is definitely feeling the punishment in the beginning, by the end, he's getting along pretty well with Powder and actually helping her with her bombs. The Hound is smug.

The second the Hound and Dr. Corin Reveck are in the same room it is a blood bath. Silco is introducing them for one reason or another, and then Vander is on top of Reveck pounding his skull in. Corin struggles, and manages to get a few wounds in, but he is quickly and brutally overwhelmed by a panicking raging Hound. Silco is in shock and also fairly terrified, especially when Vander rounds on him, but Vander just holds him close and mutters some curses at Reveck's dead body before insisting he is shown his laboratory. Not wanting to get hurt by trying to say no, Silco brings him and watches as the Hound tears the lab apart. He knows very little of what is going on, but he knows from the few words Vader spoke to Reveck that the scientist had been involved in whatever it was that changed him. Silco doesn't think that Vander has taken shimmer, but Reveck did something to him, and so he's not that upset at the man's death. More so the destruction of his plans and a whole lot of shimmer. The only thing Vander handles with any care is Rio, who he puts out of her misery as gently as he can.

Sheriff Grayson meets with the Hound, and is very unnerved by him. Not to mention not very pleased about the hard changes they will have to make. The Hound isn't afraid to threaten, to state facts that double as threats, to drop Grayson's own death into the conversation.