The Mentalists Shift In Atmosphere As The Viewer Slowly Realized The Episode Is A Red John One Is So

The Mentalist’s shift in atmosphere as the viewer slowly realized the episode is a Red John one is so wkdkqlsmwofjwokzlqmzkw

You’re expecting the classic dead rich attorney with a sketchy widow (who’s definitely hiding an affair) and then bam, you’re hit with Simon Baker’s thousand yard stare, gore and the crushing reality of death and grief.

Winter in Snezhnaya

Scaramouche x Reader

Scenario: You accompanied him to Snezhnaya, but much to Scaramouche's dismay, a certain ginger harbinger has come along as well. And the familiarity between him and you is testing Scaramouche's last nerves.

The Zapolyarny Palace towers behind you in all its imposing might, radiating glory and power. Somewhere within its walls, Scaramouche is trapped in yet another assembly with the other harbingers, while you are out here, walking along the edge of the winter forest.

Though you’ve accompanied Scara down to Snezhnaya and are a welcomed guest in the Tsaritsa’s palace during your stay, you find yourself turning restless rather quickly.

It’s obviously cold as shit up here, and darkness falls early, but as you stroll along the icy path, the moonlight reflects off the snow, making your surroundings shimmer like something straight out of a fairy tale.

Suddenly, a fox approaches you, showing no signs of fear or reserve. That’s another curious thing you’ve noticed around here, just how unusually amiable the animals are.

You rummage through the pockets of your coat, pulling out some nuts you’ve been carrying for that exact reason. You toss them into the snow in front of the fox.

The snow crunches as you kneel down to watch the animal feed on its newfound food in delight. Like it is used being fed in this city and knows exactly where to get what it wants.

“You’re going to spoil the wildlife if you keep on feeding every stray you come across!”

At the sound of his voice, you rise back from the ground, turning to see Scaramouche approaching. He stops a few feet in front of you, hands stuffed into his winter coat, the harbinger sigil prominently displayed.

“You’re already done for today?” You ask, giving him a subtle once-over.

Scaramouche crosses his arms and clicks his tongue in disapproval. “Fortunately, that was the last assembly for a while. One more day with these morons, and I promise, heads will be rolling.”

His eyes shift to the fox on the ground before they settle back on you. He raises an eyebrow. “Are you really so keen on catching a cold for the sake of some mutt?”

“It’s a fox, first of all,” you defend both yourself and the animal, unfazed by his demeanor. “And second, don’t pretend like you weren’t making eyes at that stray cat on our balcony last night.”

He scoffs, disdain evident on his face. “Yeah, of course. Seems like the cold ist really getting to your head.”

Not feeling particularly defeatist today, you decide to drop the subject (because you know exactly what you saw) and change the topic. “When will we go back home, then?”

But before Scara even opens his mouth, another jolly voice joins you. “Home already? What a shame!”

You can practically feel Scaramouche's whole demeanor dropping with irritation, rivaling the frigid temperatures. “Someone, have mercy on me,” he mutters darkly under his breath as Childe approaches you both.

Childe is wearing a suspiciously wide grin on his face as he deliberately ignores Scaramouche and puts his entire attention on you instead. “You should stay a few more days and enjoy Her Majesty’s hospitality to the fullest. I promise, you’ll love it.”

Scara’s jaw tightens at the familiarity between the both of you and if he weren’t bundled in his coat, you would be able to see a pulsing vein on his neck. “Shouldn't you be busy mopping the Tsarita’s ballroom or something, Childe?”

The 11th harbinger shoots him a grin. “Why, and miss all the fun of bidding you guys goodbye? You wound me.”

Then the ginger’s focus shifts back to you, making Scramouche’s eyebrow successfully twitch. “Truly, y/n, your absence will be felt not only by the hungry animals around here but I too will miss your lovely presence. What a joy it is to witness you making our balladeer here hot and bothered in a way I’m not quite used to seeing.”

You frown, but amusement twinkles in your eyes nevertheless, being used to his antics. “Thanks, Childe. It was very nice to see Snezhnaya for myself.”

“You’re welcome here anytime, my dear.” Childe chuckles, placing a friendly hand on your shoulder, but that’s when whatever little patience Scaramouche had left drains away for good. He steps in between you, his gaze deadly and fixed. “Touch her again, and I’ll end you.”

A bold, delighted laugh escapes Childe, clearly aware of the effect his words and actions have on his comrade. He lifts his hands in defeat. “Ahh, finally! I’d love a good fight with you, my friend.”

Scaramouche lets out a dry chuckle, but there’s no humor in his eyes. His fingers twitch, ready for some action. “It’s on then. I’ve been waiting for this day for long enough.”

Meanwhile, you have to suppress a groan. This has been going on all week, them breathing down each other’s neck the whole bloody time. How do these people even get any work done with the way they hate each other’s guts?

You step to the side, Scara’s eyes immediately following you. But you put on a mock-serious face, clasping your hands together. “What a fabulous idea, boys! We can finally settle this like the big grown adults we are, right? You do that - but if you’ll excuse me, I'm heading back to my warm, comfy bed.”

“Don’t you worry.” Childe laughs, amusement dancing in his eyes. “We’re just messing around, isn’t that right, Scaramouche?”

A cold smile spreads across your lover’s face as he regards Childe with a deadly look. “No, please, go on. Keep testing me. See how far it gets you.”

“Now, don’t sound so detesting; I might start to think you don’t like me.”

“Sucks to be you, then, doesn’t it.”

Childe responds to that with nothing more than a shit-eating grin. He turns to you, his face smug, and you can basically feel the headache forming.

“Write to me, alright? And keep me updated on what Mr. Sunshine over here is up to. I barely get to see him these days.” He begins to step back towards the city entrance, but not without shooting you one last wink. “Too occupied with his honeymoon phase, huh?”

“I’m gonna murder you.”

You gently grab Scara’s hand, in an attempt to ground him - or to stop him from causing the Tsaritsa to lose yet another Harbinger.

And he does stay by your side. His fingers soothingly tracing along your wrist before slipping between your own. He turns to you, his anger still radiating from him, but upon seeing your amused look, he scoffs and looks away.

“You’re in way over your head.”

“Am I?” You muse. “Or is someone a bit possessive because of Childe as of now?”

He locks eyes with you, daring you to continue.

“What? Now i can’t tease you after having to suffer through your constant bickering with each other our entire time here?”

“We weren’t-” he starts, but clearly thinks better of it and sighs, a hand running through his hair in annoyance.

“You were saying something about a bed?”

“Mhm. Want to share?”

“You better.”

Thank you so much for reading! Comments and reblogs are so appreciated

Intimacy

Xiao x Reader

Intimacy for Xiao is a hard thing to come by.

Intimacy with him is

when you gently slip off the glove from his hand.

Tenderly, softly, delicately holding your fingers against his.

He is reluctant, repulsed even. But not from the gesture, not from you.

Never from you.

It is his own hands that bear the darkness. Or rather the vessel of the darkness. It’s his hands he considered the root of his inner corruption, his hands that have killed and slayed down and diminished countless lives.

His scarred hands you now hold so delicately as if they were something incredibly divine in your eyes. Something worth appreciating. Something worth saving.

That was the way your eyes are constantly looking at him like he was something worthy of salvation.

And when Xiao looks up, instead of repulsion or sorrow he is met with a soft smile that makes something sing where his heart is supposed to beat.

Carry the Moon / Part 1

Xiangli Yao x Reader

Part 1 ~~~ Part 2 ~~~ Part 3

Summary: From first meetings to searching your voice in every room, how very intriguing you’ve become to him.

As a spirited adventurer, you’re used to a life of action and impulse, having little interest left for the world of data and deduction. But when you stumble upon a rare mineral, you find yourself drawn to the unexpected warm soul that resides within the logic-stricken researcher Xiangli Yao. And as your practical instincts clash with his world of science, sparks fly in more ways than one.

“I would advise against entering that room if your life is dear to you.”

The sudden voice yanks you out of your thoughts and you tense up.

Shit. There goes the plan of being quick and sneaky.

You let your hand slide down from the door handle while trying to come up with a plausible excuse. Not that the truth isn’t plausible on its own, it's just… more on the embarrassing note.

Your grip tightens around your bag as you turn around slowly, a careful neutral expression on. Only to come face-to-face with the Xiangli Yao himself.

‘Thank you, universe,’ you think dryly to yourself.

“I can assure you; it won’t be a pleasant experience to try and sneak into the room,” Xiangli Yao continues. “For neither of us, if I might be honest. Mortefi likes to protect his personal office quite well and I’d be the one having to drag your unconscious body to the infirmary.”

He says all this with a measured calmness and poise you wouldn’t exactly expect from him under these circumstances. After all, if you were to find a stranger lurking around the sacred workshops of Huaxu Academy in the dead of night it wouldn’t exactly offer the picture of the most good-natured intentions.

‘Oh, just why did you have to procrastinate this task out of all?’ You scold yourself. Explosives, my ass. Then you speak out loud, giving him a sidelong glance. “You’re bluffing.”

The renowned Researcher crosses his arms, a challenging quirk to his brow. “Am I?”

“You’re Xiangli Yao.” Since when do researcher have that much sass? You shift slightly, the bag in your hands has gotten uncomfortably cold by now.

“Positive.” His eyes flicker down to your bag, before they return back to you, studying your reaction carefully. “And who are you, if I might ask? I can’t recall you being one of the students, right?”

“I’m here to drop this off at Mr. Mortefi’s office,” you explain and gesture to the bag hanging from your arm.

“At this time of the night?”

“You’re also still here.”

“I am a researcher.”

“And I’m a commissioned Questor,” you dart back. “And these Glacio herbs need to get into a cool environment before they freeze off my pouch entirely.” Then you point towards Mortefi’s office door with a deadpan expression, not buying his ‘warnings’. “But apparently it seems I might explode upon entering. So, I’m in a bit of a dilemma.”

Instead of the expected annoyance you are used to from members of the academy there is an amused glimmer in Xiangli Yao’s eyes. “Indeed, security got extra tight lately.” He studies you for a moment, as if searching for a reason to alarm security.

You hold his gaze, even if his calculating expressions make you feel sort of bare, like he was aiming to make an X-ray of your mind.

Then, finally, he relaxes his stance and steps closer, a key glistening in his hand.

“Allow me.” There is a click and Yao steps inside, holding the door open for you.

When the room in fact does not get blown up and also no alarm goes off, do you actually enter the room, but that doesn’t keep you from frowning anyway, “You’re just letting me in without further evidence? Perhaps the security isn’t as tight as you said, and you guys do need some explosives around here.”

You hear him huff in amusement as he follows you further into the neat and spacious workshop. “As you mentioned, these Gravedos need to be preserved in suitable temperatures as soon as possible.”

You feel his eyes on you as you enter Mortefi’s en suite refrigerator room and search for an adequate location for your gathered herbs.

“Besides, I was aware that we were expecting a delivery of Gravedos. Although Mortefi hinted at it being supposed to arrive last evening.”

You grimace. A fracture of you had hoped, your overdue delivery could’ve been missed. But of course not, given you’re surrounded by a bunch of nerdy researchers and scientists. When you turn back around, you find Xiangli Yao leaning against the door, his keen eyes observing you. Again, you shift slightly under his gaze, a bit of embarrassment creeping into you.

“Well, yeah, about that… I ran into some trouble on the way there. I hope none of your research or important projects will suffer too big of a loss because of that,” you half-ass an apology and can’t help but cringe a bit at the mocking tone in your voice.

But against your expectations, the wariness in Xiangli Yao’s eyes melts away and he shakes his head. “Personally, it won’t trouble me. Mortefi on the other hand is quite strict on his schedule as you might have noticed. But do not worry, he’ll be fine. Eventually.”

You nod, rummaging around the pockets of your bag. “Fortunately for my head, he paid me in advance so I can avoid him in the next couple of days. Unfortunately, though…” You find what you’ve been searching for and display the materials on a table. “I was planning to ask Motefi if there’s anything that could be of value or interest for ‘the science’ or for him personally here, but… perhaps you could help me out instead?”

As you look up, you find Yao already stepping closer as well, taking in the various items and minerals spread across the table. You watch as he quietly studies them with an intrigued expression. Then his eyes suddenly narrow, before they widen once again. “Is that…?” He reaches for a blue crystal-like mineral that reflects in the artificial light of the room. His movement halters before his fingers can graze the stone's surface.

“You recognise it?”

“I do. And yet it should be nearly impossible. I didn’t dare to hope that this would find its way into the academy anytime soon.” He looks up and meets your eyes. “If I may ask – where exactly did you find them?”

“The sea of flames. It was more of a coincidence that I stumbled across them.”

Xiangli Yao’s eyebrows rise. “That’s quite the treacherous region. Incredible.”

“Then they must be worth something, right? Do you have any use for it?” You lean back against the desk, eyes shifting between him and the crystals. Might not hurt to try and catch an idea of their market’s price around here. Who knows, maybe this guy would be willing to make a good offer. He is the principal investigator after all, if you remember correctly.

Yao picks up one of those blue crystals and turns it between his fingers with a pensive expression. “They are called Ardores Lapis. Sometime after I built my robot Patty I searched for various ways to modefy its abilities and also combine some techniques in my mecha arm. That’s when I came across this mineral in my research. Ardores Lapis is a wide-ranging phenomenon as its mere existence contradicts many common beliefs in science. It should not exist and yet…”

His eyes gleam with quiet wonder. Or rather not so quiet…

You blink a few times, pulling yourself together as you realise how you’ve drowned in his nerdy yet concise explanation. So, in the heat of the moment, you answer impulsively, “Keep it then.”

At this Yao’s eyes dart to you, clearly taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“I mean it,” you reply sincerely. “I won’t charge you until I figure out what this bad boy is actually worth. Until then, you might as well use it for your… experiments.”

He shakes his head, placing the Ardores Lapis carefully back on the table. “No, that’s not right. You initially wanted to bring these to Mortefi. It’s meant for him to test and decide what to do with it.”

“Maybe. But it didn't come to that. I mean, look at it this way.” You make a point of adding a touch of dramatic element to your facial expressions as you tap your finger on the table. “Fate wanted me to be late on my deadline, missing Mortefi's open-office-time only for you to stumble upon me and just like chess-pieces falling into place, it all aligned so this ends up in your blessed hands.”

Amusement and mirth twinkle in his eyes. “You certainly have a knack for using verbal theatrics, do you not?”

You shake your head, a smile grazing your lips. “Listen, back in the sea of flames there were a whole lot of these. I’ll head back there first thing tomorrow morning and bring some more. Delivery for you and for Mortefi.” You lift your thumb to emphasise your affirmation and also because you really, really want to just leave already and get at least a few hours of sleep in from this night. And like, that would mean even more of a higher payment for you anyway.

Fortunately, Yao must’ve come to the same conclusion as he inclines his head in gratitude. “Then please, accept my payment as of now at least. Give me a price, money is no problem.”

Oh, that guy is loaded, loaded. You sure are gonna eat good this month.

“While I appreciate the gesture, I can’t give you a proper sum without knowing the full extent of its worth. I might need some… research time.” Great, so the academy's air is starting to rub off on you, huh? “Besides I trust you’re the only one at the moment with the knowledge on how to properly take care of the minerals before they wither away, correct? So do it for the big science, or whatever you guys use as motivational speech."

Yao hesitates, debating his morals, which no doubt are on the right side of his heart. Then he nods. “Alright, then.” Reluctantly, but without any further protest, Yao accepts the minerals you hand out. 

“I - you have my deepest gratitude.”

“Careful, if I return empty-handed tomorrow, Mortefi might try to duel you for their return.” You retort with a teasing glint in your eyes.

Yao laughs under his breath, the sound warm in contrast to the cool room. “Yes, he might be prone to do that.”

As you’re ready to leave you reach for your bag and gather your belongings, Yao tilts his head, as if realising something.

“You still haven’t told me your name.”

You stop by the door frame and turn back around to him for a moment. “Maybe next time then, pretty boy.” Something in you (probably the lack of sleep) spurs you on to even wink at him as you quickly hurry away before the last ounce of self-reverence leaves you entirely

Part 1 ~~~ Part 2 ~~~ Part 3

Thank you so much for reading! Comments and reblogs are so appreciated

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