#lily and doomdad

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

May 11 Invasive Species…ish: version 2

>.> <.< Writing Lily as a kiddo is always fun, more so with DoomDad Slayer. more so with them as mers heheheh

This version of mer au Slayer is shamelessly stollen with massive amounts of love from @horseyneigh2002 He really loves his new adopted pup, but omg he keeps forgetting the chaos pups can get into without corralling them.... those poor fishermen were not expected the day to go sideways.

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[version 2] May 11 Invasive Species…ish

The small mer pup popped up half out of nowhere, but in all honestly she was as surprised as them. Or, almost as surprised as the fishermen who all froze. The camera on the boat for insurance and their own silly antics on occasion catching the whole thing.

Pulling up one of the newest, and largest traps after a string of not having much of a catch… and finding a little mer pup inside looking confused. Yet not panicking as she sneezed water to clear, and switched to breathing air.

“Hi!” the girl said with a chirping sound, from inside the trap as if it was perfectly normal to just sit inside one. Not seeming to be stressed as the trap was hurriedly brought on board and the group of three exclaimed startled sounds. She blinked up at them, flicking her tail fin to keep from being pinched by a crab. There were scattered shells around in the trap and the pup held some crab legs in her hands.

“What are you doing in there?” a bearded, broad shouldered fisherman asked as he helped unlatched a side of the trap. “How did you get in there, baby?”

“Eatting!” the girl said innocently, the small mermaid did not resist being helped out, as if used to humans. She held up a handful of broken shells to show her prize. Looking up at the big man, eyes wide at the dark and white beard as he settled her on top of a crate. 

Checking her tail, feathery fins and arms for any scrapes, but only a few older ones were on her, “I see that, did you get into any other traps?”

The little gold and black striped girl shook her head, puzzled. “No? It’s only that one where I was left.”

“Left?” The big man glanced over at the area they had left the trap, not far from shore, a shallower area that sometimes in the lowest tides. “Is your pod fishing? Out hunting?”

“My daddy!” The girl chipped, grasping her tail fin with her free hand. “He said, I stay here, I get to hunt. And stay by the storm den- but the rangers in the land side of pod- they said THESE-”

The pup was rambling, so very excited to see new people that seemed nice she was skipping words a bit. Holding the crab legs up to show the fisherman, “Ranger said these are bad crabs for reefs and humans- but not for me! I can eat all I want! I’m GOOD at hunting crabs now!”

Rangers…

The man thought of the Mer Protection Agency that was local in the area, they had active rangers with the pods around. And thus the pups too, so this little girl was learning what… were invasive crabs and eating them?

That… was honestly smart. 

“Are your fins okay baby?” The man asked as the crabs were checked and sorted in the trap. There were a decent amount and his little mermaid pup seemed to have thin fins. “You didn’t catch them in the trap did you? Or was… how did you get inside?”

“I’m fine mister!” The girl fanned out her damp fins to show, sitting up on the crate and munching happily on what was left of the crab legs. Breaking the shells to eat, “I opened the lid.”

“Lid?” one of the others asked, hesitating a moment and then laughed. The pup and trap were not hurt, “You know, she did a really good job at not hurting the trap.”

“Traps not mine,” the girl chipped happily, then held up the last crab leg, “But this is!”

“It is!” the bearded man laughed, “Do you know when your pod is coming back, baby? You want to jump off the boat?”

The gold and black pup looked up, judging the sky, then looking around the water and at a spot. She made a face, “It's still high tide… daddy is coming back at low tide. Can… can I stay out of the water?”

“Low tied…” Another voice, the pup looking over at where the captain had leaned out the door to the warm cabin. “That’s more then a few hours, you sure you want to stay with us baby girl? We’ll be pulling up traps and setting them all day.”

The girl wiggled, exited at that as she held up her last crab leg. “Can I have the bad for human crabs?”

There was a long awkward pause, and then the pup blinked as there was laughter. She was welcome to stay for a few hours with them, and Lily, the pup, was soon helped into a spot that was warmer and sitting up. The fishermen used some extra life vests to make her a seat, and a blanket was up over the girl to help her against the wind. She seemed pretty thin compared to other bigger mers, and the heat was something Lily was enjoying. Even having a visit inside the cabin with the captain.

Lily seemed absolutely ‘starving,’ or just like human kids was a near bottomless pit. More than happy to crunch into crabs of the invasive species there were pulled out of the traps.  Putting the scraps in an offered bucket, being very neat despite the crab massacre.

The young mer was absolutely full of questions, fascinated at all the things inside the boat. Lily listened to all the explanations of equipment, asking more questions until she understood. Delighted to learn all about the semi new things. She knew a good amount about boats, happy to tell what she learned with the Rangers and Coast Guard. 

The camera did catch at least two naps, solid twenty minutes between pulling traps up. The pup dosed with a nice full belly and held the hand of one of the fishermen. Who looked like he was dying of cute, once realizing mer pups squeaked in their sleep. 

It was a few hours later the boat was back in the spot they had found the pup. A spot was found and anchored off the slowly revealed islet as the tide drew back, the engines shut off. It was afternoon, and the crew had decided to wait a little while, having their meal on the back deck.

The pup was delighted, and Lily had finally finished off her last crab and a little bait fish. Lily had been very helpful biting a few bait fish open for the traps. Now she was nice and warm under a blanket and a jacket. Sniffing the sandwich closer to her, but was not too interested in it other then a nibble on a taste of cheese. 

“What’s your dad’s name?” the bearded man asked, not minding that they might get home late. It was definitely not every day one got to sit and talk with a mer of any kind. 

“He likes John! But peoples call him a lot of things!” the pup giggled, Lily smiled as she grasped her tail fin, she was no bigger than say, a 10 year old human but for her tail. 

“Where does he hunt?” The captain asked, looking around, noticing a dark shadow in the water. Offering a slice if watermelon from his lunch with the pup. 

“In the deep-DEEP dark!” Lily chirped happily, paused and then added, “I'm not allowed to go that deep. It's really, reeeeaaally cold… and scary. There's monsters past all the big bones.” 

“It sounds scary,” the bearded man agreed, leaning back on the rail beside the back of the cabin where the girl was. 

Lily nodded, agreeing, “I don’t like going that deep, to the bones. But it’s kinda pretty in the glowing spots in the bone place!”

“What is the bone place?” one of the youngest of the fishermen asked, puzzled.

It was the captain that spoke up, not minding opening a water bottle for Lily to investigate and sip. As if this was not the first time he had a mer pup on his boat for a while or day. “It’s one of the underwater graveyards, for whales, big mers, and the deep sea monsters.”

Two snorted, but both the bearded man and the captain seemed calm. And then the girl piped up, “Daddy drags the monsters up and eats them in the bone place, so there’s a lot of big bones!”

The captain hesitated a moment and asked, “Lily, do you know what kind of mer your daddy is?”

“Big-big!” the girl promptly cheered, tossing her arms up and out, then scrambled to not drop the water bottle and get another drink. “Big… my new dad is a biiiig shark! He’s a reef guardian!”

“Huh,” one of the other fishermen tilted his head, “Hey Cap, wasn’t there up north a big levia-”

The ship shuttered and moved, everyone but the sitting pup scrambled to keep balance as something massive rose out of the water beside the boat. Just as massive hands were wrapping around the ship. Claws bigger than the men scraping over the metal, but not puncturing the hull, and the head of the great beast…

He was and was no human, too big- big enough to eat even ‘normal’ bigger mers. Jaws that parted to bare rows of triangular shark teeth and pale, cold looking maw- the air vibrating with a growl.

“Daddy!” Lily’s little voice piped up with delight. The only one on the fishing boat that was unbothered, the little mermaid pup tossing her arms up, and impossibly seemed so pleased and proud. “I got all the crabs!”

The giant, leviathan merman paused, blinked, solid black eyes shifting to show green. He stopped gaping and tilted his head, taking a second look at the boat that had his adopted little pup. The ship was lowered back into the water and he frowned. At first having thought someone else was trying to kidnap his defenceless pup, now he was able to focus and see how Lily was just giving a spot. She was very ful, but not in a cage, not anything but happy.

No restraints, no scents of stress or blood from his pup. Fresh fear from the humans, understandably, he almost ripped their ship apart.

He gave a slow, questioning rumble of sound, studying the humans. No weapons, frozen in fear of him, but no move to hold his pup hostage or… he sniffed.

Fish were there, but not a fish hunting boat? It smelled odd.

“I had fun!” Lily responded, as if understanding the deep vibrating tones. “They told me all about… crab-boats! And I got to eat all the bad for human crabs- and I helped bite some bait fish in the traps! And I got to try a watermelon and this-”

The excited pup held up her bottom of fresh water. 

The gigantic megladon arched a dark eyebrow, he huffed and rumbled another sound.

Lily gave a nervous giggle, fiddling with her finds. “I was sitting in a crab trap… it got up on the boat. That’s how I got on, daddy.”

A long sigh came from the leviathan mer as he released the boat fully and sat back. No longer looming but hunching over the ship, still massive as he sat back in the shallows for him. Water lapped around his armored hide middle, one hand lifting above the boat and crew to… he pinched at the bridge of his nose, just above the wide scar there. Visible better with some distance. 

The captain suddenly recognized the expression of complete exasperation from the giant as notably green eyes looked at his ship. At the comparatively tiny mermaid pup. Not just any exasperation, but that one type of long suffering parents the world over. Staring at their child and clearly wondering how they were alive, or where the brain cell that had been seen earlier had gone.

Leaning over, the giant leviathan mer reached for the boat again, this time not trying to scare the flinching humans. His claws were surprisingly gentle at getting the pup out of her blanket and wrapping around, supporting her little fram with fingers. Lifting her off the fishing boat, and snorted at the protesting squeaks. 

He grumble-growled a sound.

Lily pouted back, “but…but it was fun? Not strangers anymore? We’re not in the bad place, so the humans are safe?”

Pup cradled in one hand, the megalodon Slayer proved to not be immune to a facepalm with his free hand. Then lifted the pup higher to sniff her, give a grooming lick to get the smell of the boat off her. Then moved the pup to be held like the world’s tiniest kitten to use his hands and arms to pull himself back into deeper water. Lily was pouting, looking at her new friends and waved as her giant father moved them away. 

“Bye!” Lily called before being plunged underwater, leaving a more then shocked crew to watch as it seemed to take forever for the Slayer of all mers and leviathans to leave and dive back into the seawater. Caring his little adopted pup. 

He was almost back to the storm den, making up his mind to find a well hidden and secure nursery grounds for his pup.

It hit him all at once, without warning that he had been called daddy.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

DoomDad Mermay master post thing

coming soon....

OUT OF (calendar) ORDER! [01: Baby]

fear the cute behind the scary space marine

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The Grim Deep Dark [01: The Depths] [02: Giants]

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also mermay promts for 2025 [01: His Pearl] [02: Abyssal Beast] [03: Bubble Baubles]

[04: Whale Fall] [05: Bioluminescent Den] [06: Blood]

[07: Trench] [08: Shipwreck] [09: Homemade, Kelp Forest]

[11: (version 1) Invasive Species…ish]

[11 (version 2) May 11 Invasive Species…ish]

[17: Selkie (pup)] [May 18 Nudibranch] [May 19 'Deadly' Toxin]

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Nymphaea Thermarum Story

DOOM Borrower au, based on @horseyneigh2002 's ADDC stories. GT themed, with Fredrick and Lily in that world.

Starts with all the feels and cutes pre-invasion as tiny Lily grows up with her human parents. I wrote a lot of this out of order sor trying to post in order XD have best dad trying to be best dad to a itty bitty daughter before hell invades [during and post invasion coming soon]

01: [In Love] 02: [Daddy's Girl] 03: [Knitting] 04: [Teaching] 05: [Plush]

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Mermay 07:

Hey, hey, @horseyneigh2002 I stole mer doomdad <_< >_> have a cute.

[06: blood] [Prompt list so far]

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“It's dark,” a little voice spoke nervously beside the truly massive giant’s head. He could feel the pull on some of his hair, slowing his swim to just glide while feeling the vibrations through his whole body. The little vibrations of his adopted pup, the more distant background sounds of the sea around them. The feel of the current and sounds it made going to the upcoming boneyard. 

“Where are we?” The pup asked, nervous as she moved to cling to the back of the leviathan class mer's head. Trying to hide as much as using him as a safe look out.

“Near the top entrance to the trenches.” the old mer hummed thoughtfully. Making sure he could not feel anything that was large enough to pose a threat. Not to the megalodon but to his displaced pup. “Almost home…” 

The big mer spoke slowly, as if not used to speaking aloud, not meaning to use a carrying voice, but with the sheer size scale of him. Nearly forty feet from shoulder to tail, not including his fins. “But …if you find a place like this… without me. Never swim deeper.”

“We ARE really deep though!” Lily's little voice piped up from on top of the Slayer's head. She had two really good handholds on his thick hair. If they were shallower, she would stand out being pale gold and black striped in the dark mass of black hair. She blended in from the lake of colors at this depth if anyone was watching.

The megalodon smiled to himself, halving almost forgotten that his pup was a shallow water mer. “Still, never go deeper… than the bones. Monsters are deeper.”

He felt the little pup pressing against his head at the mention of the monsters. The deeper then deep water creatures that almost every saltwater mers knew of. The things that hunted mer and human, or anything that moved. “What are the shapes?”

“Bones,” the giant explained, starting to swim again, passing over the lower graveyard that led down into the ‘canyons’ that turned into deeper trenches. “From monsters, from whales… even old mers that used to swim here.”

He passed over an almost intact skeleton that was nearly as big as his own forty foot mass. Ribs and arm bones half sunk in the silt, looking like so many fossils. No features in the skull like him, with solid fangs instead of shark teeth.  It was almost twice as wide, or maybe it was just how the bones had settled. The megalodon swam at a steady pace, something his adopted pup could still hold onto him. Giving a dark outline of the prehistoric type of predator he was from both above or below. 

Yet he sensed nothing around but smaller sea life, smaller sharks that used the graveyard as a sleeping place.

“Older than you?” Lily’s little voice squeaked out, finally voicing what was in the little pup’s head. Her voice was still so light compared to the Slayer, but clear enough to him given her spot. 

“Older than me,” The true giant agreed as he passed by something that looked suspiciously like a part of a rib bone set that was covered in glowing kelp, a beacon of a landmark in the dark twilight zone. Only it was a good three times the size of the megalodon merman, vanishing into the deeper darkness as he weaved slowly in between the possible bones of something from the primordial seas long ago. He paused near one that had the most life near the top third, churring a low sound to let his pup know that it was safe. 

“Even older than Valen?” Lily asked, swimming around the big structure, too small to realize what it was other then something neat and had all sorts of glowing plants. She spotted the little scittering things on it after a few moments and trilled in excitement. 

“This place is even older than Valen,” The Slayer laughed as he settled to hover in the water, splitting his attention carefully to watch around, and watch the pup as Lily started to chase the little ‘shrimp’ and crabs. Those little things that he honestly could not see, yet he knew his little pup was very good at hunting them as she kept trying to show him. Lily was getting faster with hunting on her scale as far as he could tell, but never passed up anything the giant offered her after his own hunts.

He was also keeping his senses out for any possible threat, but still it was just them. The slayer smiled as he watched the little pup twist and play in the glowing kelp, her little stripes were bright and vibrant. Lily was finally adapting to the colder waters and growing a bit. He should not keep her this deep though, as nice as it was to see someone having fun in these bones. Their once owners would have loved that, he thought. 

The giant was lifting his hands, making sure Lily would not drift too much, and hummed a deep note of counterpoint to her little song starting. He made sure the pup seemed full before gathering her up into his palms. The Slayer lifted the girl, cupping her little self to warm up between his hands before giving her a careful sniff and quick groom. The megalodon let his pup cuddle up against his neck and purred. Not even minding that Lily had a handful of glowing kelp that gave his hair a streak once she was back in her spot. Starting the swim to go back to his territory, slowly rising up to the shallows as they found a warmer water current to ride. 

Slayer purred deeper, relaxed maybe for the first time passing by and then leaving behind the trenches. For the first time in years not going deeper to hunt the creatures in the depths for revenge. He had to make sure his little pup was safely stashed in his old territory. Make sure his once den would be warm enough. He could hunt later.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

When you want to be hugged and squished gently because you're sick. But. just. can't.

So you take it out on your characters.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Garnets 04 Fishy

[Ao3] [ffnet] full chapter in the links

"It's a little alarming how fast things just…vanish." Lily noted from where she sat in the galley. The tables and chairs were still folded and tucked aside, where they had been put months ago. The crates that used to take up space were gone. It left the galley barren to her.

"It's been what? Nine hours?" Lily asked in the empty room.

"Nine and a half." Riggs offered, so to say he was keeping a close eye on his charge. She was sitting at the sole table, finally eating the cupcakes she had made earlier in the morning. It was not the healthiest of meals like she normally made, but the AI could understand. Yet eating just cupcakes in the current stress levels was a little better than nothing.

"Are you going to eat something more substantial?" Riggs asked, getting a warning from Vega that a portal was opening again in the workshop space again. Making sure that there was nothing other than the big armored form coming out and pushing the next few crates through.

The animals had all been carefully packed up and the first to move. Including Lily's three tabby cats, who were very unhappy about this drastic change in routine.

"No," Lily shook her head, setting the last cupcakes back into a sealing box with the frosting. "I…don't want too much in my stomach, Vega said it would be tonight right? If something is wrong with the mask then I don't want to throw up a lot."

"Will you at least drink a protein shake?" Riggs offered something that might help his charge while she did not feel well.

"Okay," Lily rolled her eyes as she got up, but constantly fending off a worried AI was not worth the headache. Padding into the kitchen propper, making a note to be sure to change before too much longer.

It was not hard to get a bottle, shaking up water and the meal replacement powder. Or to grab a smaller cucumber to nibble on. The young woman was just getting herself into finishing packing up the last sable goods in the kitchen when a familiar chime sounded.

"...Riggs?" Lily asked, looking up and in the general direction of the observation room as there was another larger wave to send vibrations through the floor.

"Mr. Hawkins is back." The platform AI said, noting how the Slayer paused in the workshop bay. As if hearing his speakers from rooms away. "He's dragged something in again."

Lily swallowed, and put down the bag of dry noodles, jogging out of the galley. She had to slow and then stopped at the stairs leading to the higher level. Pressing the mask to her face to breathe before skittering up the stairs. Not used to looking around in her pocket of safety, Lily did not notice how there was a large form coming slightly around a corner.

She was out of breath fully when she got to the dim observation room despite taking breaks. Stopping at the closed door for a few minutes with the mask to her face, "Riggs? Is the…the room secure? Dad can't… god I hate stairs now- he can't get out of the hall right?"

She could hear a dull thud through the door every little bit.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Garnets 03 Trust

[Ao3] [ffnet] Full chapters in links

There was something about seeing such a massive man, clad in military-like but almost alien-like armor and several weapons attached to his person… crouching on his heels while reaching into the short corral panels. Fingers wiggling to try and attract the whistling guinea pigs closer to touch a brown or black head.

It was disarming, perhaps, but oddly sweet.

Lily hoped it was a good sign, that if this stranger was kind to animals he would not hurt her. Or just make off with both supplies and what she had managed to make.

So far so good, he was very quiet though. Letting his AI speak or translate what he signed. It definitely was not just the ASL that Lily remembered from her highschool classes. One or two signs she almost recognized, two things she remembered her dad seemed to reflexively do. Was it hybrid with his own signs, or 'shorthand' for a lack of better term?

With the guinea pigs distracting the man ('the Slayer' was real? That myth was reality?) Lily dared to get another look. She had not been extremely short by any means, about average for her family from her understanding at five two. but even with him crouched down she felt… small. The armored man was just huge, definitely had the same vibe as her dad did when in active service.

Except the marks on his armor.

Definitely claw marks had grooved into the armor, as well as what seemed many different types of bite marks. Some almost seemed human like on the forearms, except the fact that they were scraping metal. Another mark was definitely not human and completely covering his left shoulder, as if dragged across it to the front.

His eerie blue eyes met Lily's own, and the Slayer arched an eyebrow.

"Oh God, sorry," She flustered at being caught staring so openly, reaching up to rub the side of her head. Lily could almost hear her late grandmother muttering about proper manors. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've been around anyone again… also those look scary. Like they came from something scary."

There was an awkward pause and Lily winced, trying not to flail and resorted to just hiding her face in her hands. "The marks I mean? …I'm sorry. That was lame. Forget what I said."

There was a low snort, and then an almost chuffing like sound that came from the man. For the first time since arriving he gave a half smile, one of the scars that reached over his lip making it lopsided. Those intense eyes softened a bit before glancing down and tried to carefully pick up one of the paler, tawny pigs. Looking a bit disappointing as it scuttled away.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

The Grim Deep Dark: 02 Giants

@thespiritofcliffhangers @horseyneigh2002 @noris-stoneward @raventroll80 @garlickedbreads you guys might like this, again??

Still scratching part of the serial numbers off characters and punting them in an AU, this time IN season. some of the named characters are likely not going to be perfectly in character because of Lentils and and reading things on tumblr. GT themes with leveathen mers just being... massive [doesn't help lily is just....smol. getting adopted in part by big scary things. And if you know her, her doomdad will be looking for her soooo.... yay O-o good luck Roboute.]

[Chapter 01] xXxXxXx

02 Giants

It was too cold here, in this strange place. And so noisy from what the girl was sure was the bottom current she had only heard about from the reef guardians. Between that, and the nightmare the day had become, the little pup was pretty overwhelmed to say the least.

Leviathan mers… were also apparently real.

Not just the massive reef guardians, she could taste it in the water now that this massive giant of a merman holding Lily. He smelled exactly like the even bigger one. 

A large hand was moving, not the one holding Lily's tail, but her current… predator?

There was a small sound from above and beside the girl, her head was gently petted as there was that odd buzzing feeling in her head and at the ends of her fins. “You're not going to be eaten… again pup. I promise. Do you have a name?”

The little girl clamped her fins again, pulling back into herself and tried not to look up. She closed her eyes against the odd pale lights all around. Wanting to go back to her safe cove. Thinking of her pretty momma, her pod aunties and uncles. The dark shadows of the reef guardians. Even the humans that were nice, like the park rangers that let Lily and her pod siblings sleep on warm, safe docks. The funny but not bad taste of the ‘freshwater’ fish given as treats, or the sweet fruits.

The large hand moved, the strange mer rubbed his fingers against her shoulders and arm, then covering her head and shoulders as if trying to share body heat. But he was not made to bleed heat well. The deep voice rumbled against her, “I know I am not your pod, or family, little one. But I promise you, we will not hurt you. Our sire is wanting to get you back home too.”

The girl hid her face some more, pressing her head into little hands. She was cold and the pressure felt weird here. Lily felt the large hand moving and even though this stranger hand fully developed claws- hers seemed really soft compared. He… did not scratch her? Using them to move some of Lily’s fins, catching the edge of a few little spines in the curve of his claws. Watching how that could flex and bend.

“Can you control these? The venom you have pup?” he asked, sounding curious but thoughtful.

Lily hesitated, before nodding her head a little. Daring to peek up between her fingers. Seeing the dark blue curve of the giant’s stomach and chest. A lot of these giants looked to be pale shades of grey and blue.

“I think I can help you, but you must promise not to stick me, like you did to the scout.” the big mer started to say, and paused as he offered a finger to the pup, smiling above her when a little hand grasped it. “You see my strong armored scales?”

The pup nodded again, peering a little farther up, just able to see the soft glow of the mer’s eyes. Almost white, but tinted. 

“Not all of them are attached. My Father gave me, and many of my brothers, some of his scales, so I can move them.” He was starting to loosen his hold on the girl, and she shuddered as what little warmth was being taken away. Getting a whine of protest, that turned to confusion as the deep water mer grasped part of the plate over his front and moved it.

…was it like dive gear?

Lily puzzled over that, squeaking as she was half back in open water, the stranger had one hand wrapped around her middle. Keeping Lily from trying to find a cavern spot again to get warm, and hide. She watched with wide eyes, as the merman lifted one of his armor plates- the given scale? He was a levathen too- why would he need more- 

He moved the girl closer again, and Lily gasped as she felt the warm water. Almost diving for the hidden seeming spot. Tucking her fins and spines along her own frame, snuggling up to the only warm thing since… the monster had eaten her.

“There you go pup.” The big merman muttered, adjusting his armor and making sure she was fully under the plate of scale. Feeling her shivering and then shuttered at the memory of the black monsters crashing into the harbor. Then chasing humans and mers in different directions. He paused, as if able to see the same thing. “...you are safe with us. We might be from… deeper than anything you know as well. But we are not like the beasts that got you. We are abyssal leviathans, but not beasts, just very big mers.”

The big merman was shifting straps Lily had not noticed, the space compressed but not so much that it was uncomfortable. Like being held snug between the reef guardian's hands or against his neck when he visited.

“Hmm…” the big mer rumbled beside Lily, as if deep in thought.

The pup felt her fins warming up first, and finally started to feel like she was thawing out. Reflexively snuggling against the so far friendly stranger. She thought about it before a little voice spoke up. “Lily.”

“Hm?” The big mer paused, looking down, not sure if he heard that. “What was that…?”

“My name,” the pup shuttered and pressed into what warmth there was. “It's Lily.”

“Cute,” the merman hummed, sounding a little puzzled as he admitted, “I've never heard of a name like that, but it is cute.”

“It's a flower, up in the land part of the ranger home.” The pup, Lily said as she tried to wiggle her fingers. They were still stiff, her tail not fully responding either but… she was warming up like this.

“Land?” The voice sounded surprised besides Lily. The tingling feeling from the first time she saw him was coming back to press against her mind. It has the girl squirming until it faded. She felt… wave sick now. “You have been… on land? And not hurt?”

“Yeah?” Lily blinked, confused at the question, thinking of the beaches, the docks, even the little streams and the nice soft ‘lawn’ by the park rangers’ home. All good places to bask and sleep, or roll and play with found toys. Sometimes playing ‘boops!’ with the rangers on the islands. “Sometimes you have to be under a tree with the heat, but it's nice to visit and play.”

If it got too warm when on the lawn, there was that fresh water pond Lily and the other pups of the pod were allowed to roll into, and cool down. 

“Tree…” the mer echoed the new wore, his hands held over the spot the pup was under his armor. “We have always been told, down here, there was no life on the surface. The sun burns everything to the top current that's above us.”

There was a little snort from his new charge, she seemed almost offended at that. She was getting a little more comfortable and confident with being warmed up, having a hiding spot, and pretty sure she was not about to get eaten again by a monster. “The sun can burn… but it's… it's not that bad, and if you look at it, it's bad. But plants grow, seaweed grows with it. And fish are just fine in it! So are we! …Why would someone lie about the surface?”

The last question was innocent, but it held more to it then the child could ever intend. 

“That is a very good question…” the merman hummed, he was actively moving. Almost swimming backwards to find a spot well away from the feeding going on. His armor kept most of the sounds away from the pup, and he started a low, deep rumbling purr to further block anything out. If the pup had been exposed and comfortable with the full air breathers, she should not hear their remains being put to use now that the funeral song was sung. 

“Do… you have names?” the little voice squeaked out unsure. Lily felt confused, all the talking and deeper then deep tones and voices before had blended together with the shock and cold. 

“You may call me Varro, little one,” the merman smiled down at the little one hiding under his armor. That name should be easy enough for a pup to use. Varro could hear her sounding the word out, the name had a bit of an accent to it, a little rolling of the ‘r’ sound but nothing bad. Varro gently brushed the little mind again, still picking up on the unguarded thoughts and memories as he spoke. “Do you have someone to go back to? A pod to take you back to? Someone to protect your home?”

He caught a memory that had him pausing, from the perspective of a pup. Seeing a giant almost as big as himself, hide and natural armor shimmering in shades of black, red and slivers,  with wide panels of green or pale cream, while the being was stretching out in truely shallow waters. The pup climbed over him with a few others, all her size, using the long tail as a slide back into… tidepools? Then a flash of sitting in deeper water with someone warm and loved, a parent, looking up at…

A leviathan?

No… the outline in her memories was not like the few massive leviathans in the deep, or like Varro’s own father. Something broader and thicker, swimming slow while the parent said something to their pup.

“Reef guardians.” Lily piped up, echoing the memories, the thought of them only gave relief. “They protect us, we take care of them.”

“How do you take care of them?” Varro asked with a curious tone. Keeping an arm over the open spot of his armor to keep the heat in. He blinked in surprise at feeling soft little claws giving a scratch attempt on his hide. 

“Groomies!” Lily chirped, trying to demonstrate a little as her hands had thawed out. “Momma and pod make sure they heal after fighting or hunting monsters that come up to the islands! Aunties and uncles say that other pods help their pups- I’m too small to play with them still… but Slayer protects our islands! He’s really nice and brings tasty treats from the mainland- and will protect the boats that come visit too!”

The pup gasped, rambling rapidly, happy to talk about the guardians. She was using a bit too much energy and moved enough to stir the water under the merman’s armor, making a shock of cold water come in and squeaked in alarm. 

“Easy little one,” Varro kept the deep purred, trying to adjust a bit to keep his body running warmer than normal, using a bit of energy himself. The merman glanced over at the main source of light, seeing his sire in his own creature form to finish eating and looking up. “It won’t be too long, we’ll get you back up shallow.”

“...really?” Lily asked, pressing against her current protector. Captor? Were these another kind of reef guardians… without a reef?

“I promise,” Varro said with as much feeling as he could, and reassured with his gifted ability. “My brothers and I will make sure you get home.”

Lily shivered at recent memories of listening to the leviathan mers. “...no one…is gonna try and eat me?”

“No one will eat you, little one.” Varro promised.

“But that one said-” Lily squeaked in fright, then again as the space she was in was tapped lightly over the armor. 

“I am sorry one of my younger brothers is stupid.” the big merman said, leveling a look at the one in question. Who looked a bit alarmed as he sensed the disapproval but could not place it. Varro blinked as he continued, noticing the young scout that was back to laying down amidst again the rocks, resting and recovering, and not all that hungry to eat any of the beast. “We will not eat you, or any of your pods, Lily.”

“Promise?” Lily pushed at his lower chest, having slid a bit down, wedged in a spot. “Slayer doesn’t like the monsters that come from deep-deep down. Promise, you’re not like the monsters?” 

She wanted to believe Varro was nice, that his pod was… nice. But everything had been so scary today, and confusing. 

“I promise,” Varro said, not bothered by re-explaining to the frightened girl. Smoothing down some of her fears, he was listening to what was said around with half a mind. “Not monsters, we are leviathans. Just smaller than our father. We don’t want to hurt anyone, little pup, just bring you home. Maybe find a home for us too…”

He felt the confusion coming off the little one, watching as the others were settling and organizing themselves. 

“...find a home?” Lily asked, puzzled and distracted.

Varro considered, then spoke of their situation with a very simplified version, “Those monsters that attacked your nursery? They did the same to us, we lost many little pups to them, our… reef guardians. They fought very hard, but we had to abandon what was once safe to us. We were looking for a new home, when my little brothers found this beast, and you.”

“...oh,” Lily grabbed at her tail fin, holding the longer ends of it to just hold onto something. The sustained adrenaline was starting to ebb and then bleeding away, leaving the pup to be tired suddenly. “When are we going home?”

“Soon pup,” Varro’s voice reassured as he looked up, eyes shining in the darkness as the water rippled around him. “The current has to switch directions, and we might… we can get through.”

“How do you get through the bottom current?”

“Probably ride on our Father’s back.” The big mer chuckled, then paused as he saw The Leviathan coming up to meet him. “I need to ask you something, Lily. It might sound odd.”

“Odd?” the girl echoed, blinking in the dark spot she was stuck in. that tingling was back, more wrapping around her.

“Have you ever been held in a brood pouch?” Varro asked, “Do any mers on the surface have anything like that?”

There was a long, quiet pause, and she had to think about it. A small nudge from… somewhere against her mind had the pup suddenly grasping the idea. Lily squeaked as the pup remembered something like that, but had not been taught the right words yet for the chamber. Or she just had not thought to ask just yet. “Brood… Like being held… tight?”

“Yes, like that.”

“Only the bigger reef guardians can do that. Hold someone safe?” 

The ‘smaller’ leviathan mer thought about that, “That is about right for us too. It won’t be safe for you under my armor. So you will be going to ride with my father.”

Lily remembered the dark shadow on the other side of the living light, the glowing teeth and eyes. She gave a nervous, chirping sound. “I’m scared.”

“I know you are, little pup,” Varro said as he patted the spot above where the girl was wedged. “I know my sire is much bigger than even me. But he is kind, and will keep you protected. And you’ll likely be warmer than I can.”

“I scare the pup?” a water vibrating voice asked as there was something moving that lily was just able to sense. She flinched, and the girl’s spines and fins shivered.

Varro grunted, flexing his hands in the water but other than that kept himself from reacting to the involuntary action of the pup. Knowing she possibly did not even realize he was scratched by the tiny venom spines. Well, now he knew why one of the scouts was still resting on the ground, as Varro was starting to feel sick. Not nearly enough to really do harm, but the pup had some good reason for a threat display as she grew older. 

“She is frightened of many things, rightly so,” Varro took a deep breath, definitely a venom that acted fast, but as he was paying attention, he was sure it was not something that traveled in the blood but stayed in the muscle. “But I have an idea. Lily? Would you ride with my father, if he held one of my little brothers at the same time as you?”

“Oh?” the bigger form chuckled at that, the leviathan tilting his big head and looking to the side. Seeing the young scout freeze where he was resting, as his son realized he was being actively examined. Then the creature formed leviathan, the sire of the mermen around leaned over to sniff his young son. 

Titus grunted a mild protest as he was rather shamelessly licked in the background. Then full on suffered with being picked up and groomed. Getting looked over by The Leviathan's creature form.

“Just… held. Not eaten?” Lily was asking from her spot, wedged and not moving against the merman, “Like… the guardians?”

“Like with your guardians,” Varro promised, they seemed to be leviathan sized in her memory, or at least half of Roboute’s size. Given how the pup’s sense of scale seemed to think him as just as massive as his father. But she had small memories of being held in the jaws of something large in her short life, maybe when she was freshly hatched? She had to have come from an egg much smaller than anything they were used to, and moved from hatching ground to the nursery waters somehow. 

Surely that was mostly the same on the surface too. 

“I need to move you though,” the adult mer noted as Varro looked over his armored scale-chestplate. 

“...meh…” the pup complained, shaking her head. “Cold!”

“I know it is, pup,” Varro sympathized as he started to loosen the armor and reached under. He grinned at the tiny bite attempt- as Lily had promised not to use her spines, but nothing had been said about biting. The pup was upset overall, and young enough to not know better, or know how else to express her fear. Varro could not help the amusement that came at feeling tiny teeth biting his knuckle. After a few moments the pup let go with a defeated feeling.

The leviathan merman hummed reassurance as he extracted the pup back out from under his armor. She just felt too small in his hands. Feeling and seeing her shivering in the bioluminescent light as Varro held the little pup between his hands, letting her grip the outside of his chestplate as he moved closer. “It’s safe, I promise, you will be safe. And my little brother will be with you. He’s one of the scouts that found you.”

Varro swam closer to the massive form of his father, who was sitting quiet against the rocks. After a moment the tiny pup was detached, and held out. Her fins flared for a moment, before a stream of notably warmer water passed. Lily blinked, confused enough that she was transferred from one set of large hands, to another almost as big behind her.

“It’s okay pup,” a semi familiar voice spoke as she was pulled past shimmering creature fangs. It was the same big merman that kept finding Lily’s hiding holes before… it was the one that cut open the monster to pull her out of it. She latched onto his fingers as he pulled her back against his front and into… glow?

The glowing-ness closed around them, the pup wiggled but only to try and hide her face against the shiny scaled armor. There was a deep, humming tone from all around as the water started to heat up.

The mer holding the pup hesitated before relaxing back in the pocket of space. He ran a hand down the little back of the pup, taking the chance to look over the pale stripes, fascinated at the differences. He blinked and carefully repeated the action, finding the pup was calming down with the small touches. 

Demetrian, Titus as he was starting to be known more as, smiled despite himself as he ran his fingers carefully through the little feathery fins. Mindful of his claws, watching the pup settle as the heat picked up, and the pleased humming of his father settled around them. 

“...I promised you would be safe, pup,” Demetrian said, watching the little pup, little girl giving out to all that stress and fear of the horrifying day to her. Starting to pass out now that it was warm and she was held. He tried to mimic the humming purr of his father around them. He looked the pup over, fascinated with the shape of the tail fin, fine fin membranes instead of solid like his. “We’ll keep you safe now. I’ll keep you safe.”

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Wraith of the Mother: 05 Dragon

Best-est of good boys has come with a present, holy hot chocolate, not to mention real food about to be served. And arrival of the Doomdad into Gecko's new life.

Also in typical Omie fashion, this turned into something so much longer then I intended. it's like full chapter length instead of a short...

@noris-stoneward @thespiritofcliffhangers I did thiiiiing

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 6]

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

05 Dragon: It was one thing to see the outside through windows and a few glimpses of memories that were unguarded. It was wholly another and nicer thing to be able to sit in open clean air. 

Even with the expanse of stars, and the shield that protected this area. Well. This roofed area. Protected only from the odd pockets of rain, Gecko was still trying to sort out how the artificial weather worked as he watched the misting downpour from his spot.

Not impossible to get up for him, as the last adjustments for his first new leg was made elsewhere.

Gecko wanted to see the process, but though his request to do so was given to whoever was making the first prosthetic. He really did not need a translation for the snarl that came from a device, the startled look on Asa’s face had been clear. Then seeing the apothecary… healer's expression darken before snapping back and scolding whoever, was entertaining. More so as the annoyance was no longer aimed at him. Again he did not need the translation for the conversation that followed. Mostly Asa growling at whoever for a solid ten minutes, and in a horrible way never raising her voice but the anger was clear.

There was a second voice in the background that barked a demand or order, Asa had switched to the second voice. Who then took up scolding the first in person and dragging them away.

Lily had giggled openly and shamelessly beside Gecko in that same ‘someone else was in trouble’ way. Something universal between mortal and nearly immortal it seemed.

That had been a few days ago. After waking up he spent a full day in Asa’s domain. Likely monitored, having some questions asked and answered by both. Gecko was sure he was in the wrong… time. Possibly. He was also still going on half formed memories and instincts. Gecko was familiar with his own body in many ways, the rest of the place is what had him confused.

He recognized humans, different brothers (and sisters?), and the small ones. Little babies, or not all babies. Toddlers and such, each one could fit in his hand nearly, but he could watch them from his spot now, as the little ones were taught. He was also keenly interested in the class itself, listening in. Finding it as endearing as…informing.

He was picking up the local language faster with the classes the last two days coming inside. Gecko not at all bothered by it being for the so young, the picture cards he glimpsed also helped sort a word out. Not to say that he did not have company that helped, or company overall. Lily visited at least a few times through the last few days. There were another few recovering brothers of this new… chapter (chapter?) as well in the covered area.

At the moment only one was here with Gecko, and he sounded asleep. From the way Asa had parked him, and that cool glow used, the pass out may have been intentional. Then again this other man was wrapped in a good amount of bandages and Gecko recognized the smell of healing, burnt flesh. This man had fallen asleep on his side, propped on some cushions, not unlike what Gecko had. Fallen asleep watching the great winged creatures taking off, spiraling in play and then coming down to roosts out of sight. Even the wolf creature that came and went had not calmed him down until seeing the wintherin.

“Who is he?” Gecko asked the last time Lily came by. One large hand rubbing the big, old wolf head that rested in his lap.

The woman looked over, taking a moment to recognize the other before speaking. “I don't know his name. But he's a wintherin rider. They pulled him through a portal before we found you.”

Dragon rider?

Gecko wondered at that again now, glancing down to see that the last class of the young was done for the day. The other area did not have as much coverage for rain that day as he watched the rain turn from misting to proper rain. The clouds were thicker than ever, at least since before Geko woke up.

It was… nice.

There was a curious sense of peace that was coming over him. No.. it was coming over those all around him at the rain, the smell of the rain and that odd smell of warm stone that got wet suddenly.

Petricor.

Gecko blinked and looked around, reaching out unseen to the unconscious brother who was easing a bit more in his dreams. The man reached out farther to that brother, trying to smooth away nightmares again, wanting his odd little brother to heal peacefully.

Sound drew his attention, even through the rain, picking out a familiar voice now. Lily was just close enough, and Gecko looked around realizing she was talking with someone else. He could hear that cart, and sat up a bit. Reflexively reaching out as he sensed the old wolf again, and another soul. Mind. Younger but not, somewhere in Lily’s age range but shimmering with a more solid wall.

Like the new brothers, but rooted very well, one might say. It reminded Gecko of a shield or wall really, and almost reminded him of someone he used to know. Older than this boy, but just as solid in that person’s soul and mind. Or… he had been. When they… were… young… together?

Gecko shook his head, turning in his lovely seat, looking for the young woman. That cart meant real food, and also dinner was coming. Food that had taste, even if he was on soft foods still. Also he would get company for a while until Lily was pulled away by her tasks. He was still trying to figure out all of what Lily did, other then learning how to be a healer.

She took care of a few people?

Hmm.

Movement from the covered path had him looking over. Seeing the now familiar, little form that was Lily. She had an escort, one without armor and dressed in a similar style of lavender colored clothes. Though unlike others, this young one had purple cuffs and hems. Like Lily's own?

Was that a former family thing? A brother visiting their own family…?

Gecko watched as the young man's attention was pulled down to the human. He blinked and then stooped over as Lily motioned for him to bend down. Gecko did not need his other senses to suddenly understand that the two were not once siblings, watching the young man's eyes widened and then flushed. Lily let go of the taller one, grinning a bit awkwardly but peering up. Only to get scooped up and squeezed into a hug, possibly kissed back. But they were laughing, even with the storm.

The man could not help stare for a long few moments, part of his mind almost seemed to short circuit. It was both very cute, but also… for some reason almost seemed wrong?

Like he, Gecko, knew the young brother should not do that. Yet at the same time he could feel the happy humming from both, it was a stolen moment for them but not a… a… bad? Gecko could feel the delight from the young brother that was living in this moment of life. The exited thrill from Lily at being held and willing to open up-

It was, by all accounts, something that was a cute, soft moment.

Gecko could not understand why part of him also thought it was too much. That this young brother might not know what could be done to him if caught…

…caught by who?

The man watched as Lily was being lowered back down by the cart, which had not been disturbed despite being sniffed around by that big old white wolf. The younger brother cupping Lily’s face and smiling before using both hands to ruffle her hair. Getting smacked and flailed at before Lily ran her own hands through her short hair to straighten it out.

It was only a few moments, a minute at most, and the young brother was grinning, walking lighter on his feet as he followed behind the smaller human. Their path stayed under the covered areas with the rain as long as possible. Lily had to pull up her jacket, a bit too big, closer and a hood up to run through the one spot to get to where the covered area that Gecko and his sleeping companion were. The younger brother had a hood pulled up as the old wolf just trotted with her own time. 

The wolf shook herself, her fur too thick to be more than just a little wet. She en moved to check on Gecko first, then over to sniff and check over the other injured man. That young brother went there first to check and pulled out some things from his own jacket to tend to the exposed parts of the burns. As well as starting to change bandages that were exposed. 

“Good afternoon Gecko! Are you still wanting to be outside with the storm?” Lily asked and greeted as she came over with her cart. It was a different one from last time, larger and had what looked like a heating element to keep the food warm on top, and an enclosed part that seemed to hold some more things. 

“I like it,” Gecko said aloud, there was a rumble in his voice now. Something a little more familiar to his half formed memory. A few days with steady food, rest and plenty of water was helping his healing ability and his voice had been getting stronger. Or back to normal yesterday, and now it was getting a bit smoother. There was still a lower gravely edge to it that might not leave. “And I think, your healers layered enough on me.”

Gecko looked down, bemused at his seat being very well padded, he had three whole blankets on or beside him.

Lily giggled a bit, rubbing her neck and looked at the lower section. “Yeah…and Pax sent more. Just in case.”

“Check the brother there,” gecko half requested, looking over at his normally quiet companion. “He might need the added coverings more than I, with the weather change.”

Lily looked over, hesitated and then walked over to the other two, “Rai?” 

“He seems to be asleep,” that young brother… Rai spoke in his language from where he was sitting on his knees checking the face and head. The older warrior was able to pick out some words on his own now as he listened carefully while the boy… young man, checked the mobile bed itself next. “It's a good thing I brought the extra batteries. We can move him closer to Gecko. Go ahead and set up the dinner Lily, I'll move this brother closer to make room and set up the bars for the blanket.”

“Get him moved while he's still asleep.” Lily agreed and pulled the cart over closer to Gecko, smiling at his red gaze. Gecko was pleased that his new little friend never did seem afraid of him, but fascinated.

Then again, Lily seemed used to living among the giants around here, as did most of the normal humans Gecko got a glimpse of. Even those babies and small ones he had been watching. He hummed as the old wolf came back over to nose into Gecko’s lap, then lifted up carefully to thread herself under the one blanket and into the nest. Partly in his lap for attention, partly on the bed frame, with her wagging tail and one leg hanging off. “Hello again Lady. Are you two…three going to be staying as company?”

“Yes!” Lily seemed excited, then dropped her voice so as not to disturb the injured being rolled closer. Opening up quite a lot of space in the covered area. “Dad's coming up to join us for lunch. I hope you don't mind, but we thought the rider here would feel better if he had his Wintherin come to visit him.”

“Here?” Gecko asked, pausing while petting the big wolf head until his left hand was nudged. Blinking, the man sat up a bit before reaching to give another pet to the wolf, able to smell the food and smiled. He liked the idea of one of the creatures he had been watching in the air over the last few days coming here. “I would like to see one.”

“He might not interact with you directly,” Lily said, helping the bigger young man with spreading a large blanket over the frame that had been set up around. Thick enough to help limit the cooling breeze that would chill the healing burns too much. “Dad's riding him up here to see his rider.” 

“Your father?” Gecko echoed and seemed happy at that. He had been starting to worry that Lily did not have anyone to lean on, not to say that she was not an adult, but family admits the all the warriors was a good thing. “He is a… rider of the dragon creatures as well? Wintherin rider?”

At his attempt at saying the phrase must definitely have an accent. Judging from the looks Gecko got not just from Lily, but the other tall young man stood up and looked over. Lily giggled and echoed the phrase, correctly, getting Gecko to repeat it a few times to get it right. The younger warrior was grinning now as he finished.

Coming over, Rai sat down beside Gecko's spot, his tone reassuring and words mostly understandable. “Really close brother!”

“...Close.” Gecko muttered, then rumbled almost in time with Rai as movement caught both their attention. Lily was at the cart and was setting bowls out on it, and lifted the first cover off a dish.

He could definitely smell whatever it was, Gecko not sure what the pale dish was, but it was something creamy. It smelled good regardless, and there was something else that was tangy he had the scent of but could not see yet.

Then the first wonderful thing of the evening was offered to Gecko. The large handless cup that Lily needed both hands to hold was brought over. Something that smelled rich now that it was uncovered. An earthly, nutty flavor of smell that gecko could almost recognize by some deeply rooted human instinct. Even though Gecko also knew, despite quite a lot of gaps in his void-burned memories.

“What is it?” Gecko asked, seeing how the younger man was perking up and sniffing at the air.

“A comfort, and treat,” Lily said with a proud grin that said she might not have officially been allowed to bring this. “Since Dad's back I made a big batch. There's some alcohol in it, but that should have cooked mostly out. It's spiced, hot chocolate.”

“Ooooh,” Rai sat up, watching as if to be sure Gecko had a good grip with his sole hand. Not to steal but making sure that nothing would be spilled, Gecko could feel the unguarded, surface thoughts. Wanting him to have the treat. Then he chuffed happily as the young man was offered a cup too. 

Gecko was lifting his cup, before being able to try it, the old wolf was climbing up in his space. She was shamelessly making full use of the room that came from the lack of Gecko’s left leg. The wolf sighed deeply as she rested her head on Gecko’s left thigh as he blinked. Then the wolf was so still that the darker man had to listen intently to be sure there was a heartbeat as the other two looked over. 

Then the wolf took a breath and snored.

All three were relieved. 

If Gecko had two hands, he would give his furry companion a pet. Having gotten fond of the creature that still thought of protecting her people even her aged state. 

“Shite, Rula you scare me sometimes.” Lily said as she came over to cup the massive head, ruffling the pale fur. Gecko could feel the worry from the young woman. “You’re not allowed to leave me, pretty lady, not after only coming to see me for a few months.”

The wolf gave a soft thump and wag of her tail before dropping into a surprisingly boneless sleep. Gecko smiled, trying to sort out how to give the wolf a pet without putting his drink down. The idea of the prosthetics seemed even more appealing now that he wanted both hands again. The old wolf had been a good companion when she was by to check on him. 

The earthy, sweet smell of the drink drew Gecko’s attention back to it. It smelled rich, and the cup was wonderfully warm in his hand. The smell was a good clue that he never had anything like it, but when he tasted the drink there was something so very deeply instinctually aware that this was good. It satisfied a human rooted taste for something that had been around humans in the early life of their race- but was missing when he was. 

Gecko knew both that he never had whatever was in the drink, but also knew that it was something safe, warm and comforting that his body still knew of.

Ritch, earthy, smooth and then creamy as he took careful sips to enjoy the odd but ingrained known treat. There were a few fluffy balls of half caramelized sweet on top of the drink that tasted good.

Gecko wondered not for the first time if he had died, if these people, the odd brothers (and sisters?) and little human lives were also trapped in this pocket with him. Trapped in a pocket beyond the void with souls that were peaceful, recovering- some echoing his own protectiveness… would that… be… so bad?

Sound of air moving against the storm, then sensing mass and a well of power had Gecko looking up, startled. He was a third of the way through savering the rich drink and quite honestly was not expecting to sense someone with enough radiating power to blur the edges of his other senses-

The massive creature suddenly blocked out most of the light over half of the roofed area of the stone pavilion. No, not blocking the light exactly as large forepaws, then larger hind paws grasped the railing and stone foundation. It’s wings were dark naturally, darker like charcoal by the body and limbs, even the wing limbs. There was a dusting like splattered silver spots over the black, and the wing membranes lightened to a gray, then were edged in a burnt orange. The large head and neck was pushing into one of the openings of the pavilion, making itself inadvertently seem bigger by stretching out to sniff the air. 

The big creature purred- paused and then backed up, to adjust to lean back and fold up those massive wings. The dragon-like creature eased into the open space of the covered area, sniffing around the roof before tilting his head down. Muscles rippled and flexed as the dragon stepped in, crouching low to make sure a human figure on its back was not knocked off. 

That was when Gecko saw the saddle, a band of formed hide, straps and what might be metal. Around the base of the thick neck, the saddle down its back partly between spined ridges, made to hold one person but not strapped in, other than twisting an arm into the straps. The dragon had no bridle, or anything to do more then seeming pressure of the rider moving to get the…blind? Blind dragon?

There were no eyes visible, a patch of off-color pits on the armored head under the large red-orange horns that were in the main placement one would expect eyes to be. The horns were swept backwards in a crescent shape, and with the shorter, thicker horn of the same color. It almost seemed like the creature could ram into things. Gecko was quick to spot the little pits on the edges of the horns, like sensors?

Gecko reached out with his other senses, feeling the crooning, soft thoughts of the dragon as he found his rider. Wings held tight and purring to the injured, unconscious man, the dragon-like creature was smart enough to hold affection and worry for his person. His rider. Stretching out on his belly, the purr picked up, seeing the world very different, as people glowed and pulsed with energy and life. All in different ways, alike but some stronger than others

Like the current rider dismounting and walking around the dragon was ablaze with a well of power. The dim, crippled but still hot ember glow that was Gecko himself. The shield-like shimmer of Ria that was sitting beside him. Then the soft steady golden glow that was… Lily? 

Gecko could only look up as the big head was leaning close, sniffing his own remaining leg, then the wolf. Ria and Lily were both young enough to get a lick of greeting before the wintherin was trying to slowly turn itself around. Finding how to place his tail and then rump, before one massive wing extended enough to become a shield against the storm. What thoughts that came from the dragon were curling around its worry for its rider. The want to nest with his person was so strong, the want to help keep his rider warm and safe and show off what he had helped make? But the wintherin knew it should not, and could not properly nest on the injured man.

So the dragon was coiling and curling up around the bed without disturbing it. Water fell off its frame as he crooned a soft song to his rider. Head resting over his tail near the head of the bed, almost vibrating the air with the reassuring purr that came out.

What a wonderful creature…

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Writing list

In progress master list thing, don't mind me. under construction

DOOM themed stuffs

Garnets [My doom AU, Slayer starts adopting humans. He is DoomDad.]

Library Mouse Doom idea [GT Giant/Tiny, Valen find's out that a borrower is adoptable shaped] [part 1] [part 2 coming]

Healers’ Guard [Garnets based, why must humans be... cute]

Lil’ Nugget [gift story based on @raventroll80 's amazing Troll!Slayer AU] [part 1] [bonus 1] [part 2] [bonus 2]

Shinnies? [So sneaky] [Gift story to @gullivertravelstowonderland based on their story A Monster of Divinity.]

Doom Prompts Collection [Mostly Garnets based, computation of random prompts]

Wraith of the Mother [DOOM/Garnets crossed with Warhammer. Ish. One very lost Salamander.] [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6]

Random MerAU [s?] doomdad found a baby, she's odd but his now

B.F.D.G. [Minigiant Slayer AU, biiiig guy waking up on Mars early. also finds humans adoptable shaped but has to save as many as he can.] Story on Ao3 BFDG prompts and such

Nymphaea Thermarum [DOOM au, based on @horseyneigh2002 's ADDC stories. GT themed, with Fredrick and Lily in that world <.<]

......

To be sorted stories

Little Library Mouse: Fallout idea [GT Giant/Tiny] [part 1] [part 2 coming]

Lifeboat [GT story. Humans are good luck fairies in this land of gaints. send help, there's an awkward hermits with new fren]

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tagging everyone in progress sorry for any multi alerts. I love yous

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Doom prompt 22: Jello?

A reverse Prompt from my Doom Discord, that I yeeted, but also did. Based on the Garnets Story, have some more doomdad.

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22: Your Slayer being reintroduced/finding jello and trying to make it.

It was still so strange to have someone alive around the Fortress. Just around him again really.

The Slayer stopped in the middle of the hall, suddenly remembering that fact and looked around. As if expecting the human to appear. Then remembering where he had put her, turned to start walking down to the green-house, garden level. Making it almost all the way down there before seeing bright colors, and a body, where there normally was not any. 

The Demigod slowed his pace, pausing on the stairs as he took a good look. Seeing how the human was leaning against the rails on her left side carefully, both arms tucked up against her front. A water bottle was beside her, and a couple odd boxes. The Slayer tilted his head, coming down the few steps to crouch on them.

He chuffed softly, finding that Lily was dozing, and reached out to tap against her knee. Being mindful of any reaction and ready to catch if needed. Lily tensed up, but thankfully did not last out in a way that would hurt herself. 

Confused and almost scared, but it did not seem like she was scared of him. As Lily relaxed once recognizing him, maybe scared she could not recognize the Fortress?

“...hmm?” The Slayer made the soft sound, watching Lily take two deeper breaths. 

“You…are…a frucking shark.” Lily mumbled, “Coming out of nowhere like that. Don't you make any sound?”

The Slayer shrugged broad shoulders, and then frowned for a moment as he thought about the human signs. Where go?

It took a moment for herself to put together his attempt, but this time Lily did not seem to need Vega translation. Lily picked up the two boxes beside her to show them to the bigger, not quite man. “The galley… uh, kitchen? I wanted to make a treat.”

The Slayer blinked at the colorful boxes, puzzled how they would be a treat. He looked up the stairs, then down, suddenly realized that Lily only made it halfway up the first section to the level of the kitchen. Getting up part way, the Demigod offered his hands to Lily with another questioning humm, offering to take her up there.

The human was clearly tired and it showed as she nodded, “I could use a hand.”

Lily started to carefully reach up, but squeaked as the Slayer leaned forward into her personal space… and just picked her up. Lily squeaked in surprise, getting squished a bit as the Slayer grabbed her water bottle and started walking back up the stairs to the level of the kitchen. The young woman blinked, and then sighed as Lily was resigned to her fate so to say. 

“You’re too big sometimes,” Lily noted, feeling the chuckle from the Slayer before  she looked up. “Well, you are.”

The Slayer smiled slowly at the human, snorting softly again before shifting and walking into the long dining hall like space. He hesitated for some reason before walking in with what suspiciously sounded like a sigh.

“It’s really… quiet here, isn’t it?” Lily realized, shifting a bit, only to get a reflexive squish from the Slayer.

The demigod blinked, looked down then lifted an eyebrow, feeling the girl… young human? She shivered? There was a low sound from the Slayer, before remembering there was no threat, no monster but himself around. For a moment he stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, not sure what to do.

Lily giggled, the human wiggled to be put down, and she wavered on her feet once on her feet, the Demigod caught her at once. He looked guilty at the wince as his hand closed around the bruising already up and down her right arm. Letting go, the Slayer was not sure what to do now. 

He almost startled, but froze as a smaller hand grasped his left hand. The Slayer blinked, expecting a smack at least but Lily just held on tight for balance, gripping the small boxes in her other hand. The tug that followed was not anywhere needed to actually get him moving if he did not want, but the Slayer blinked and fallowed after the human. Careful to not run her over by shortening his stride a lot. “Hm?”

“Come on big guy,” Lily tugged again, gripping his thumb and a few fingers. “Let's have the treat… or make some. It’ll need to be set, but we can have something before or after dinner.”

He liked treats.

The Slayer followed Lily into the kitchen, his expression seemed stuck in a calm curiosity. As if he was not quite believing what was going on with his day after cleaning up. Not used to having another living thing around that both did not want to kill him but… not scared of him?

He could almost imagine that lingering leery-ness was fading in the tiny human. Well, nearly tiny… no. wait. The Slayer put a hand on Lily’s head, smiling at the squeak he got. Yes, she was very tiny. 

“Really?” Lily demanded, trying her best to flail at his hand and arm, but her own movements were still restricted with injuries on both arms. It was not very impressive at all, and Lily stopped with a hiss of pain.

Vega? The Slayer signed up at the nearest camera after pausing to look. Pain-killer?

“I have some on the way.” The AI spoke, startling Lily to looking back, missing what had been signed.

“What now?” Lily demanded, trying to remember what time it was. At all. 

“The Slayer, John, asked me for something.” Vega explained, “Can you reach the counter Lily?”

John?

The Slayer blinked, and then he smiled lopsidedly thanks to the scars. He had almost forgotten he had given that name to Lily to use. John Doe indeed. He walked back over to the human and reached out, nudging Lily to go inside the kitchen itself. Watching his human intently, until she looked back up before signing carefully. What is treat?

“Oh, um, I was saving some jello.” Lily held up one red box that looked to have a berry of some kind on it. “Not sure I’m up for cooking right now, but this just needs hot water and time. I left a boredom bag up here.”

The Slayer, John, tilted his head, making a questioning motion.

“My boredom bag?” Lily echoed, half guessing, at a nod she padded over to one counter to the side. A blue and green bag was sitting on the edge of the counter. Carefully reaching with her left arm to pull the flap open, and then showed John one of the skeins of yarn she still had left. It was a bright orange color, and there was a scarf midway attached to it. “It’s crafts and things I can do between waiting for things to cook or resting.”

John leaned over, poking at the bag and looked inside to see what else was there. Making a surprised sound, but seemed pleased. Reaching out to ruffle Lily’s short hair, and then stole one of the boxes she held to look it over. Inspecting it very carefully, as if the text was alien or even just a font that was hard to read. Slowly he finger spelled out the biggest letters. J-E-L-L-O

“Jello,” Lily echoed and half showed, half offered the other box. “We need some hot water, cold water, a dish or bowl and the fridge. Erm… fridge equivalent.”

John chuckled, glancing around the kitchen space and stooped close to the smaller human. Wrapping his left arm around her to just pick Lily up, grinning at the startled squeak and shifted to set the human on the counter beside the stove area. Peering at the pot of water left there from another time. He picked it up to sniff, and then sip, testing if it was used and forgotten, or filled and forgotten?

Lily was making sure all of herself was in place before huffing, “Really? And that’s fresh, I couldn’t find a teapot, its for tea or cider or coffee.”

“Mm…” John paused at the mention of coffee, looking over at Lily hopefully, even as he started the pot to boil and setting the boxes aside. Looking around and moved to get two mugs from beside the sink, and poked around the dishes collected and from the Fortress itself. The altered man turned and showed Lily a wide, shallow bowl with a questioning huff.

Lily nodded, but was staying in the spot she was put. Trying not to show she was tired, but had the big jar of instant coffee that had come from her home Platform’s stores. “That should work! Grab the bottle with gold on it too?”

The Slayer tilted his head, puzzled, but put the mugs in the bowl, and reached for a bottle that had a gold label and an amber fluid inside. Almost forgetting to grab the powdered creamer that he had found when scavenging. Offering it to Lily with a hopeful expression, he liked it when she made the coffee now. 

Lily was reaching behind her, picking up a box left near the stove top. Getting some tea bags and the sugar jar. “Do you know where the baking cups from the Platform are?”

John considered as he heard the sound of one of the drones coming closer. Colorful? Small?

“Yeah they were colorful cups.” Lily nodded, starting to make John's coffee, then prepping tea for herself in the lobster mug. Looking up as there was movement, one of the hover drones, she squinted at seeing it had a now familiar injector. “...rude.”

“You are due for the next dose, miss Lily.” Vega reminded over the speakers.

“I don't like it,” Lily could not help but complain. There was a chuckle from John and she sighed, “Well, the painkiller part is good and all but I just… sleep after. I want to make dinner.” 

The Demigod came back, taking the syringe from the drone and stood in front of Lily. He tapped her right wrist, offering a hand for Lily to put her arm in. It was better to listen to Vega for this, and he rumbled a pleased tone at getting the arm. Finding the right spot and vain without any issues, watching as Lily relaxed a few seconds after the hiss of the injector. Better?

“Yeah.” Lily flexed her hands to test, thankfully the new doses of the Argenta medication was not so strong. She had a little bit before Lily would need to take a nap. “Water is hot, if you can get the baking cups?”

“Mhm,” John hummed in agreement, getting the requested little, colorful cups from where he had stashed them. Coming back to see Lily pulling the small pot closer, away from the heat as it was simmering instead of boiling. The Demigod gave a low sound, worried as he set the little stack of cups beside his human.

Lily thankfully took the biggest of the little cups by the handle and scooped some water in both the tea and coffee cups. “Here, grab the jello boxes, if we get this made and in the fridge before starting dinner, it should be ready by then.”

John hummed again, not minding following instructions for making this ‘jello’ thing. It smelled… something like he should know what it was. Fruity for sure as Lily mixed the powder. Sugar? He snorted at the dust and took the bowl and little blue cup that was offered with instructions to put three cups of water in the bowl now that the sugar was now dissolved. He paused to lift the bowl of warm, flavored water, sniffed it and then just took a sip to taste.

“Hey!” Lily protested, pushing at his hip with a foot, “Don't drink it! You have to add the cold water and let it set- big guy!”

John took another sip, stepping away from Lily and grinning. The very intense and sweet flavor actually got rid of the lingering taste of the chemical cleaners he used in decontamination. The Demigod did eventually add in the water, tried another sip to a protest behind and placed the bowl in the ‘fridge’ inset into the wall. Coming back, John tilted his head, and smiled at the pout before leaning forward. Carefully pressed his head against Lily in a small way to show some affection before picking his human up again. 

“Plplplpl….”

“Hmm,” John hummed back at the sound made, grabbing the ‘boredom bag’ on the way out of the kitchen to one of the tables by the door. Settling Lily there and then backtracking to get her tea. 

“Am I banished from the kitchen?” Lily asked, taking a sip from her tea.

John grinned, patted the girl on the head and walked back to start their dinner. When he came back with some bowls, including the one from the fridge, filled with noodles and former frozen veggies and a one of the many cans of sauce. Not the same as the tasty macaroni and cheese that Lily made, but it tasted good to John.

The Demigod hummed in amusement, finding his human. Setting the bowls on the table before stepping to the slumped form on the side of the table. John crouched beside Lily, carefully easing her back into the large Argenta chair and detangled her from the orange yarn. 

Making sure his human was fine, just napping, and he smiled. That was okay, it was not the same coma-like state as before. Lily would wake up soon. So John settled in a chair and quietly started to eat, pulling the bag over. Starting to investigate inside, pulling the things out one at a time. Crafting supplies and then a book?

Not one of his, but something that quickly caught his attention. It was a textbook of… engineering? No, mechanics, in a way.

It was one of the manuals for the platform he found Lily on. As he read through it, John noticed the small handwriting of notes. At least five different people if he had to judge, maybe six, all adding to the manual about practical things that worked better for maintenance. John smiled as he found Lily's own handwriting, seeing a glimpse of what she was like before the hell invasion. More sass it seemed. He wondered if Lily could regain some of what he was reading.

She was a lot quieter now than the notes suggested.

The Slayer was determined to let his human heal at her pace. Let Lily get back to what she could of before, and to grow into a new self if needed. He would keep her safe until then.

John closed the manual once reading through it, reaching to investigate another note book. Careful not to let any of the loose papers slide out, examining it all and found it was patterns for the ‘knit’ thing Lily had been doing. He paused at bumbling the bowl with the red fluid, blinking in bafflement at the… jiggle?

“Hm?” Distracted, John pulled the bowl over. Watching the movement before tapping the side. He sniffed it, still smelled like the sweet richness as before. He picked up a spoon and poked the wiggly red. 

Vega watched in some amusement as the great Slayer, who had plowed through an invaded Mars while technically suffering from malnutrition. This legendary warrior who was hell's only known predator was… extremely distracted by poking a bowl of gelatin. Vega could see how John would poke, watch the wiggling, then turn the bowl and poke another spot with an amused expression. The colony AI did notice that although John was playing with the food, he was being very careful not to break the surface of the treat. Willing to play with the food, but waiting for Lily to wake back up as she was the one to say it was a treat.

When the Slayer was able to try the treat, he practically purred.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Doom Prompt 20" Stargazing

A reverse Prompt from my Doom Discord, I yeeted, but also did. Based on the Garnets Story, have some more doomdad.

20: “Your Slayer getting a chance to star gaze will their smol”

“Promise not to let me go?” 

John looked down at who he held and then smiled, and nodded firmly, rumbling in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. He would never let his flower go if she did not feel safe. Then made a questioning tone as he stopped at an opening door. “Hm?”

Lily looked up at him, then down to the ground and the path the open doorway led to the bridge between the main Fortress and the offshoot. The ‘king’s retreat’ they found the Argenta survivors. The young woman shifted in the arms holding her, “I'll be okay, as long as you promise to not let me drift off into space, yay?”

John chuckled, ducking to press his head against the girl before walking. Still a girl to his age, maybe not a child but still young. There was a pause before he huffed against Lily with a play growl, getting a yelp.

“Rude!” Lily laughed, trying to shove at the big head, then as a hand was caught in a gentle, mock bite, “Ruude! No eating me!”

“Garrr–rrumph?”

“No eating people!” Lily squirmed as they were now in the wide open space. Feeling as much as hearing the thunder deep rumble of John laughing at her. Shifting what he held as John stopped in the middle of the bridge, looking around as he let Lily pull her wrist out of his mouth. 

This was a good spot. 

The Demigod glanced to the side, just about to see the curve of the earth, took a step to drop the large, colorful cushion he was holding. The stooped to plop Lily on it, and offered a hand as John kept his left on her back. Lily blinked, trying not to look up just yet as she gripped his hand with both of her own. The Demigod settled on the ground beside her, keeping a firm but not painful hold on his human as promised. 

“...spaaace,” Lily whispered as she dared to look up at last while the Fortress was slowly rotating into the shadow of the broken moon. She felt light headed and dizzy but thought she could see her own small puffs of air. Lily gripped tighter to John’s hand as she remembered the last time she was on this bridge, the mummified demon chasing her. 

The not quiet man beside her took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh that looked like a stream of smoke almost. John’s body always ran hot, but he was focusing on making his body temperature even warmer to help fight off the chill. Lily, bundled in her old platform jacket and warm pants, tilted her head watching him now. Watching the next slow breath and was able to calm herself down.

“You look like a dragon,” Lily blurted, and smiled again before flopping gracelessly down against John’s left side. She sighed herself, just a little puff of warm air compared to the demigod. 

John gave a play growl back shifting to keep his left arm wrapped around Lily as she let go of his right hand. Holding onto the side of his dark green shirt instead, the argenta cloths were a bit too big. Comfortable though as they were not restricting like a lot of human made things were to him. “Mm?”

Lily stopped trying to peek over his chest at the horizon of the earth. Her eyes tracking across the vast… openness of the dark sky now that they were in a part of the shadow from one of the larger chunks of the broken moon. The heavy arm shifted and Lily was comfortably squished against her guardian's side. Like a weighted blanket that held her secure.

Lily knew that they were safe in the Fortress still. Vega taught her how to check that the two layered shields were working.

It still felt like she could fall up if she was not careful. Maybe it was childish, but she did feel safer while being held by John. Slowly the tension eased and Lily was able to look away from the moon's broken parts and finally watch the stars themselves. With a giant living heater holding Lily it was not so bad now.

Much better than the last time.

John lifted his free right hand. Flower?

“Hm?” Lily hummed back, shifting to watch the moving hands. 

Feel better? John carefully touched her middle where she had been scrapped from the fall. 

“Yeah, I think so.” Lily pressed against the Demigod's side, smiling as John rolled over. Almost on her before pulling the smaller human against him in an attempt at cuddling. Lily giggled as she was inadvertently squished again. “OY! Big guy, I won't be if you roll anymore!” 

John gave a mock growl, but after a moment rolled mostly back onto the stonework head still on the cushion and held Lily's arm in one hand. Still not letting go as promised. Lily settled down again, not as scared it seemed as she rested her head between John's and his left shoulder. Adjusting to hold the larger hand now instead.

“Is that Mars?” Lily asked, pointing up at a glitter of red in the expanse of lights.

John looked and hummed with a nod. That was Mars, so far away now, and a little over a decade later, he wondered what happened to the colony after he stopped the first wave of hell there. The not quite man blinked, trying to look at Lily as he wondered if he would have been able to meet her fifteen years ago? How small would she have been then? 

The Demigod, not for the first time, wondered if he could have saved more people if Hayden had not tried to banish him to Hell. 

He sighed, humming a low note and rubbed his head against Lily's. Grounding himself back into the present.

“Dad used to serve on Mars, years ago, before he retired from service.” Lily noted, back to watching the stars. She pointed out a large dot, “see that? It's an old station that used to be the halfway point between us and Mars. I wonder if people are still there.”

Lily felt the slow shrug from John. “...I'm glad Dad came back.”

“MmHm,” John nodded again, from what he understood of the timing that was before he woke up. His free hand dropped to trace the Last Gift, grateful not just for the crucible but that the man had been around to protect Lily for as long as he could.

The demigod paused and lifted the hand holding Lily's, pointing to a star in Orion’s belt. See there?

The human tilted her head. “Yeah?”

Carefully, with one hand held firm, John slowly sighed. Been there. Argenta colony. Pretty purple rocks, crystal. Digging home? Digging colony. 

“Digging colony… mining colony?” Lily guessed, getting another nod. “Neat!”

John nodded, thinking of the families there, and their fortress-like, small city home. Sort of remembering that there was mention of them finding ruins as the Sentinel group he had been with at the time were leaving. 

“Have you been to other stars that's visible from here?” Lily asked softly, feeling John perk up and look around. One could almost hear him think before pointing out another spot. Using the held hands, pointing at another point above the railing. Happy to sign slowly and explain the colonies. Argent D'nur was out of sight for now. 

It was a few hours later that John realized Lily was dozing. He smiled and rubbed his head against her own again. If only that his human was dozing did he stay to rest, just shifted so Lily could be against his side again. Never breaking his promise to keep a hold of her, just in case.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Doom writing: 19 Fetch

Prompt from my Doom Discord, based on the Garnets Story, Heather is a good nugget and so happy in doomdad's protection.

19: “Heather is playing fetch with the phantom wolves and SSG joins in”

Big! Heather flailed her arms, too excited and nervous to finish what else she was going to sign as she stared at the bigger than big phantom wolf. She gasped as Kia’ swung the large fuzzy looking head to her.

The phantom Sentinel wolf’s ears almost popped up as Valen watched Kia’ recognizing a true child. Not just being confused at Lily's lack of height. Heather was far healthier than when she first came to the Fortress, but she was still just a child. 

“Gentle Kia’,” Valen reminded his wolf as the second one was forming, but she had always been very gentle with the young and injured.

Kia's form solidified a bit more and walked over closer to sniff at the offered hands of the girl. The girl that was almost smaller than Kia’ own shoulder, the wolf looked up at her person. Checking that she was doing good before leaning forward to follow up the little arms. Sniffing and then licking the girl's shoulder. 

A caninelike grin formed at the giggle before little hands grasped at the phantom's fur. Kia's tail wagged as she sat, trying to snuffle over the child as the living Rula padded into the gardens with another younger wolf from the visiting Sentinels. Heather gave a delighted sound, wiggling happily, trying to not pull on the phantom's fur as she was inadvertently tickled.

Off to the side, John chuckled as he looked up from where he was sitting. Well and truly pinned by one of Daisy-Due’s toddlers sleeping on top of his middle. 

Big dogs! Heather managed to finally sign up at Valen, watching as he smiled while crouching on his heels. 

Speaking as he signed back was his habit since he had noticed that Heather, and Iris both watched his face just as much. “Yes, big dogs… wolves.”

He slowly made the Argenta sign for the wolves. Taking the time to let the girl get used to it and be confident with it. She was picking up the Argenta silent language very well now, it likely helped that everyone was also semi forced to get used to the Slayer's odd habit of mixing both sets of signs. 

Can big dog. Heather paused and tried again with the new sign Valen showed her. Big wolf play? Please?

Valen smiled and pulled out what might be considered a glow stick to some out of his subspace. Offering it to the girl as all the wolves, living or phantom suddenly laser focused on Heather. Kia' bounced in place and dropped into a play bow, grinning and wagging her tail as Da'k hopped from one side of his companion to the other as another golden phantom wolf formed to join. Seeing big brown eyes looking up at him, Valen mimed tossing the shimmering stick at the wide open space.

It took a second then Heather lit up as she realized that meant a yes, that they could play with her, and it was possibly like fetch? 

She shifted to face the right  direction and reared back, the wolves had a false start and started to bound in that direction. Just before Heather tried to throw the stick. Rula was the only one to linger a moment, for both training and more so experience with someone that had little arms, and just little children too. She was able to trot over to pick the glowing stick up and pad back to the girl. 

The old wolf sat and then laid down to offer the stick, trying to set a good example for the others to be extra gentle with this puppy. Heather took the stick, set it on the ground in front of her as the others came back, baffled. Giving Rula a pet and then rubbing on her cheeks like Heather had seen Lily do. The gold phantom wolf whined as he rolled onto his side, staring at the stick.

That was a play thing! Why did they have to wait-? The two legged puppy threw the stick again!

Valen watched to make sure the wolves were behaving. That none would knock the girl over before he moved over to where the Slayer, John was. Making sure that his king did not need saving from the small child. John liked having the kids safe on the Fortress now, but he was still very unsure of what to do with anyone smaller than Heather without another around. Thus, the Great Slayer was very stuck in place with the tiny boy that had toddled over and flopped across his middle and just fell asleep there listening to the demigod rumble.

Heather giggled as she tossed the stick again, this time trying underhanded, getting it not as far but higher. Watching as one of the phantoms backed up and lifted up on its hind legs to grab the glowing stick out of the air. Trotting back and offering it proudly to the girl.

She was more than delighted for the chance to play with the bigger than big dogs. Tossing the odd stick and sometimes offering it to one doggy to take. They tilted their big fluffy heads in confusion before politely offering it back after a few seconds. Heather did remember to look around to find where Valen and John were. Valen did not seem worried and, as far as she could tell, her other guardian was sleeping. 

It was still okay to play!

The girl noticed another phantom, more like some of the ones Vega had been teaching them about. One of the wolves that had not fully finished recovering. No thick fur but still showing a strong body, though this bigger-big dog had a wider head and shorter ears. It was tilting its head back and forth as he watched the game going on from where he sat by the lavender plants. 

Knowing that she was safe in the Fortress, Heather padded over to the big dog. Offering him the stick, the phantom felt like a he, even though he was not fully solid yet. The transparent dog with the big head seemed to blink slowly at Heather’s offered glowing stick. Almost like it was still sleeping, the dog opened its mouth to take the stick, blinking confused at Heather as its form flushed with some color. 

Kia’ came over, sniffing with the new Phantom, looked very puzzled but the new thing seemed to shake himself. Not getting the fluffy but had short blue-silver fur and a thick chain around its neck like a scarf.

Play? Heather tried to sign to this phantom. Watching the big, wide head turn one way, and then the other before it got up and set the stick down in front of the girl. Sitting back and seemed to huff at her. Smiling, Heather picked up the stick and backed up, tossing it up underhanded.

The new phantom big dog watched it and then sat up to catch it like the other one had. The very short nub of a tail wiggled as it realized what to do now. Offering the stick back. 

Heather picked it up and backed up, motioning for the new phantom to come with, and smiled brightly as he did slowly. He seemed… familiar. Though Heather was not sure why, she never met this dog-wolf before. This new friend was not nearly as fast as the other wolves, but that was okay, he might be new to being a phantom!

The girl made sure to toss the stick to him as much as to the older Rula. That seemed to help him move a lot better. Heather gasped, wondering if the stick was magic. Wraith magic? That would be so neat!

Heather was more than happy to run all around the garden area until she had to sit, trying to toss the stick from sitting under the big tree. The new phantom coming to sit beside her with Rula. the girl waved the glowing stick around, fascinated with the slight trail of light. Heather squeaked as a large head rested in her lap, for the first time noticing that this new phantom’s eyes did not look like the other wolves. Duller, but he seemed happy to lay down with her even as the other phantoms shook and vanished into the area. 

The Slayer stood over them after a bit when the lights in the garden dimmed. John tilted his head as he looked at the odd little scene, having expected Heather to be with Rula. He trusted that wolf to take care of any of his humans. The strange phantom looked up at him, and then rested its head over the girl in a protective way. As the man knelt down, the giant dog wagged its tail stump as John reached for it. Feeling a pretty solid head.

He recognized the living, but not really aware weapon then, and smiled as his Super Shotgun had finally reached a level to project. There were not really any lights on so to say, but just enough for the weapon to recognize one of his humans. What the Slayer cared for, his created living weapon did so as well.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

DOOM Writing prompt 06: Doomdad 1

a writing prompt/gift for someone on my doom discord, tied into the Garnets story. n.n Heather is a good little nugget

.

6: Doom Dad 1

He was very aware of the small form coming over, even before the young girl was tugging on his fingers. The Slayer shifted where he was crouched, giving a soft chuff like sound to show his affection, John smiled in his helmet. 

Heather tilted her head, her mask firmly in place before moving to grasp his wrist and pulled. ‘Question?’

‘My flower want something?’ The demigod moved only to rest one leg down, more kneeling than crouching. He and the Sentinels, and some of the humans were actively bringing supplies to the Fortress, and the City. John gave a half smile, liking the chance of having one of his humans coming, mostly because it was safe. 

Heather nodded, waiting a moment before lifting her arms towards her guardian. The girl was rewarded with being picked up by large, warm hands, Heather could sit on an arm so she could sign while being held. ‘Is there really fish?’

John slowly blinked under his helmet, he was not expecting that. ‘Some fish at store, yes. Why?’

The girl wiggled excitedly. ‘Are you bringing back fish? For ponds?’

The Slayer stared for a moment before letting out a huff of amusement, reaching up to cup his littlest human’s face. Then ruffled her hair as his gloves were clean. John nodded and then signed. ‘Big fish, yes. Flower want anything else?’

Heather had to think about that. Fish were really exiting! She had not thought about what else there might be. ‘Marshmallow?’

There was a deep vibration coming out of the big chest in front of Heather as John stood up with her. Walking back to the bridge and the portal. The girl tensed, as she knew she was not supposed to go near this area normally, but John was walking so confidently that she could only blink back at a surprised Valen. Then the world was all weird and sideways for a few moments. Enough that Heather pressed her head against John’s chestplate to hide her face and wait for it to pass.

Portals made Heather feel unwell, but she did not have the same sort of sickness that Lily seemed to. Heather could lift her head and blinked around the semi dim building. At first wondering if they were in a mall or something like that before gasping as she saw animals. They were and were not alive, looked like it but did not move, animals she never saw in her original home. Only really seen in pictures and books, different kinds, even some birds that looked like they were paused mid flight.

There were a lot of cloths, and all sorts of things that looked like they were for camping. Like the supplies Heather had seen Lily and Dr. Rose pack up to give as care packages for those that could not or would not come to the fortress. 

John was shifting her, lifting and then swinging Heather down to her feet in front of a nicely sprawling area of-

“Ah!” Heather blurted, seeing all the different stuffies and more in the kids section of the store. She turned, eyes wide and pointed.

John leaned over, giving Heather a nudge towards all the goodies with a knuckle to her back. A fond rumble. ‘Flower get what you want.’

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Garnets 01 Sea Platform

[Ao3] [ffnet]

Posting first chapter under the cut, then others will just be the first part of the chapter. I'm 68 chapters deep in this story and really proud of it. hopefully someone likes Doomdad over here on tumblr as well!

Chapter One: The music was doing a pretty good job of blocking out the sounds of the storm in the upper area of the platform. As well as, well, other less natural sounds. The more inner areas were still firmly locked down, with all sound buffers in place so the music did not need to be as loud, so as not to stress the animals any more than the vibrations from the storm might.

The sole person in the room sneezed, and then started coughing. They fumbled for the mask and small tank on her chest. It was a very rigged up medication dispenser but it worked. She could breathe better after a minute, closing her eyes against the dim light of the room.

Not just because she was laying down, it had to be dimmed to keep who she was waiting for from getting aggravated.

Lily fought the urge to cry again, she had done that enough already today. Watching old recordings, both of her family's making and snippets that the platform's AI had found in security feeds before the chaos.

The room the young woman was in was pretty bare. Two shuttered windows in the north, with a bank of computers that overlooked a good part of the loading docks of the platform. Possibly this room was originally a sort of security station before the place had been converted for marine science. To the young woman's right was another long window and door, it was darker with red lights at the moment. The door behind her that led to the inner complex was closed. The hall to the right was a checkpoint from the outside to the inside. There were two boxes below that window, pushed together and against the solid half wall.

Now, after the demonic end of the world, that hallway was the last airlock between her little pocket sanctuary and…

Everything.

"Outer doors opening." Riggs, the mentioned AI spoke up with a warning. The music turned down in the room before the muted sounds of shuffling feet were heard.

Lily did not move at first, trying not to look right away. As if that would help her pretend that the walking creature… the former person was still who he used to be. There was a thump against the thick window, trying to get the young woman's attention.

"Outer door closed," Riggs said softly, "It seems he dragged a crate in this time. I'll turn the speaker on now."

Lily lifted her hands up to scrub at her face then sat up. Took a breath and smiled at the form hunched against the safety window, making herself smile, "Hi dad,"

Something like a wheeze and growl came out of the hulking form, but it changed to a low grumble that seemed pleased.

The young woman got up, Lily brushed herself off as she walked to the half wall and window. Using those boxes like steps to put her closer to the creature's head level. He was mostly human-like compared to the other possessed and altered outside. Though missing his right eye, it was almost filled in, or scabbed over, the brown still there in the remaining eye. Not glowing yellow or red, like a lingering trace of the man he used to be.

More so that the gaze seemed to soften as Lily stood up, by him. Both hands lifted to press against the thick glass, though never trying to break it. Just scratching with the right clawed hand, and the gloved left.

His blue armor was starting to fade, or corroded, showing a lot more signs that he had been fighting some of the other hellish creatures outside since he last game by.

Lily rested her head against the glass, tilted a bit to one side, resting her own hands almost in the same spots as the altered man. "Happy birthday dad. I made cupcakes."

There were no words from the speaker, just a wheezing breath. Maybe something like a happy grumble if she imagined.

Lily stared at the glimpses of silver and gold chain under the collar of his armor. Before her eyes shifted to the name engraved off-center of the chest plate.

Fredrick Hawkins.

"I'm doing okay so far Dad." Lily spoke up, closing her brown eyes again, trying to imagine how he used to hug her. "I miss you and mom, but the guinea pigs are breeding really well. I still can't cull them myself, I have to use the freezer."

Lily paused, taking a steading breath as the creature that used to be her adopted father thumbed his head against the glass near hers. She could see the seaglass-like growth on his right shoulder. She did not have long before she had to go lay down again as that demonic side started to get aggravated.

"Pretty sure Mom was onto something about the saltwater hurting the monsters out there." Lily opened her eyes to meet the one brown, hazy eye. How much did he recognize her? She wanted her dad back, and wanted back the times before he was infected. She wanted to be back before hell truly broke loose.

Lily wanted to feel safe with her dad protecting her and her mother.

There was a hissing over the speakers, making Lily step down, away to her left.

"Sorry, guess you gotta go. Don't… don't get washed out by the storm." She smiled and shuffled slowly backwards in the dim room to get the possessed soldier to calm down. "Love you dad."

She had to sit back down, laying down to more or less play dead until the armored not-man would shamble his way out again after five minutes. The speakers turned off before that. Lily pressed the heels over her eyes as if that would stop her from crying. No sobs came, just tears as she finally rolled over to hug herself and just… cry.

Lily was an adult, had been for a little while, definitely had to be one in the last, nearly year since Hell erupted on earth. The last few months were hard. Becoming harder as she became alone after losing her father two months ago.

She was an adult

In the apocalypse

All alone.

Riggs was quiet, letting Lily be for now. Get the sadness out until she rolled over onto her back again, staring upwards at the ceiling as the music was turned up again at a requesting hand motion. His way of trying to help when he had no body or drones to control. The young woman closed her eyes tight, thinking of the one cupcake down in the staff kitchen she had spent the most time on.

There was a beep from one of the computers.

"What was that?" Lily asked, feeling a vibration through the floor of a bigger wave hitting the platform.

"I can not tell if it was a ship on the west dock, or a portal." Riggs reported, not for the first time seemingly annoyed at the damaged sensors on the outer sections of the platform.

"Waves are coming in from the north west right?" Lily opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling.

"Yes miss Lily." Riggs confirmed. "Do you think it's someone trying to get to a safeplace?"

"Unlikely if there's a portal, it might just be the things from hell again." Lily stretched, trying to clean her face as she felt herself crying again. "Open an comm. to the outside for a minute, let's try and get the storm to wash off as many of them as possible."

"Ready in, 3, 2… now," Riggs started as normal before his voice dropped and then the music dimmed outside. A distinct click that let the human know she could speak.

Lily took a breath, her voice sounding more cheerful then she felt, "Hello-hello! Invaders coming in! Lets Go, hop-hop!"

The woman clapped her hands in time with her words in a way that got the mindless creatures to respond.

"Trespassers in the-"

"South east," Riggs supplied in a low tone the best place for the creatures to get swept off by the waves.

"-South-east! Port sided! Let's go-go!" Lilly finished as another bigger wave hit the platform. The coms turned off as the music outside turned to something cheerful to keep the creatures distracted from the storm and willing to stagger to the dangerous edges of the platform.

Her arms dropped back to the ground, and then shifted as Lily stretched her back and legs. It seemed almost impossible to get the energy to finish rolling over and get up. So she stayed there, legs drawn up to make it easier on her spine to stay laying on the ground.

Maybe it was depression, hopelessness, or just apathy, but Lily did not want to get up. She had plenty of things to do with the grow tanks. The plants were growing, as much to help feed her as the guinea pigs. Litter boxes needed to be cleaned out, cats fed.

She needed to actually eat something today other than frosting.

…Lily really wanted some more frosting.

The music stayed the same in the room she was in, slightly older rock then current trends. Pre-apocalypse trend? It was not too heavy but the current song was nice to get lost into. Just that slight repetitiveness that was not hard for the mind to keep up to.

A precious few minutes to zone out and lose herself away from her reality. Feeling the vibrations of the storm that would hopefully make the platform safe again.

Mostly safe.

Her dad would likely not be bated out into the storm, and mom…

Lily shivered and curled her arms close at the image of what her mother had turned into. Pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes and then ears as she tried to force her thoughts away from what lay coiled up under her area. In the lower section of the platform.

"Riggs, change it to the 'don't think' playlist, please," Lily whined, motioning so the camera in the room could see her request to turn the music up again where she was. It was harder to recenter herself, given how she was already upset with meeting the altered creature that was and was not her dad.

Just the thought of what her mother became… It was not easy to calm down again. Breathing was shuttering and not just from whatever after effects and damage from the outside toxic gasses. The medication did not do anything to stop her from crying. Sobbing? Grieving the loss of her world, her family, again. Not knowing what would happen to what was left of her parents.

She was exhausted and numb after a few songs.

"Outer door opening?" Riggs announced, sounding startled as the outside door was almost forcefully opened after it hitched half way. The sensor had not picked up the old key card still attached to what was left of Hawkins' left wrist. It was the key-pad itself that had been used to type in a still active code. The big form was already walking in the hallway before Riggs could warn his distracted charge, the music turning down as a code was punched in the inside door rapidly once the stranger saw the young woman. "Miss!"

"Dad?" Lily asked confused, not really registering what Riggs had just said, looking up from the floor as she lowered her hands from her face.

The big form stopped short in the doorway, he was outlined in the now open door by the red light in the side hall. The outline looked alike enough that in her addled state she thought it was her changed father. He had his old armor on after all when he changed.

Had she not overrode the locks?

Lily took another shuddering breath, coughing despite her best effort to stay still just in case. As if the changed form might go back again if she had been still. But just enough of the gasses from outside slipped in that she had to pull up the mask to hit the dispenser.

That was when she noticed it was no extended, clawed right arm on this being. He, it? He? had rifle or shotgun grasped in his right hand, and a half extended metal blade on the left forearm. The latter was dripping something dark, as rain or sea water too was finishing running off his frame.

It was such a strange moment right then as they clearly stared at each other.

Mostly clear, Lily could not see past the helmet, as what little light in the room reflected off a tinted visor. She could see her own small reflection in it, sort of.

Slowly, this new creature, being- person? They lifted the shotgun and then smoothly swung it around to their back before taking a step forward.

Lily did not react, just staring up at him from the floor. Not fully sure if this was real, but something finally shook loose as she remembered her father's helmet was downstairs, in the room they used to share. His face had been exposed when she saw him a little while ago.

It took only two strides for this being to come into and across the room. Moving far faster than someone of his bulk should be able to with the armor, as he knelt. At the same time he somehow seemed as if he was not trying to move fast, as the now free right hand slowly reached out to touch her middle.

Not until the feeling of warm, almost hot metal and some kind of fabric touched her arm did Lily start to realize this was no fever dream. Not some sort of desperate hallucination.

This was not her changed father finally getting inside.

He used the floor to help push the blade on the outside of his left gauntlet back into a retracted state. The left hand that touched her exposed right arm was damp. A mix of the storm wetness and something dark being left behind.

He seemed in just as much shock at finding someone else alive.

Lily tried to get up at the same time as impossibly large hands were closing around her shoulders as she started to cough.

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

Wraith of the Mother: 06 New Gods

hey, pssst, heeeeey.... doomdad awakens and steals a son this time >D goodluck getting this one back into the grim dark world. that's his new giant son. Gecko's even been invited into the family lunch!

Wintherin eggs, hatchlings and kiddos coming soon. and the later two will be climbing on the new giant guardian, much to Gecko's delight. even if his new family is confusing to him.

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]

xXxXxXxXx

“Dad!” Lily's voice drew Gecko's attention back into reality. She set the dishes in her hands back on the tray before running around the big dragon, wintherin. The rider that helped bring it up was dodging the tail before stooping over. 

Dad?

Dad?

Gecko puzzled over that as he watched this new man scoop up the tiny human in comparison. He was dressed similarly to the young woman and Rai, that lavender color of semi loose leggings and shirt. Not just the exposed forearms told of a hard fighting life, as they were layered in scarring and burns. Something in the air of him as well, of an old fighter. The new man's mind was a solid wall of a shield and stubborn will the likes Gecko had never seen. 

Yet Gecko could feel the softening edges at seeing Lily. A bond was there between them, protective, affection and whispered thoughts were just barely heard as the rider pressed his cheek against the young woman's head.

My little flower... You're safe? I'll keep you safe… I swear... You feel happy, my flower… My daughter... I'll keep all of the hells away from you…

There was a deep well of love, not just for Lily but other bonds tied to this man. Still living souls were linked to him, being shield and protected but not fed on or anything like that.

…was this rider, Lily’s father, like himself? Gecko could not help but reach out unseen, a bit hesitant, and then was caught. Like a reflex to snap and bite, only the well of power grabbed him. Pulling Gecko’s broken, barely held together mind and soul into a wildfire of an inferno. Heat bearing down on Gecko’s own soul, he was dragged into the power not unlike how he had been caught by the… Wraiths.

Something massive, so much bigger than Gecko, in strength and power in this case was more oppressive in heat instead of the cool grip before. Regardless of how physically large the rider was. This was not… mortal, anything but mortal. Gecko had no idea what or who this was, he was barely aware of the physical world when the cup almost slipped through his grip and Rai grabbed it. 

Gecko was being pulled into the other, and inspected. Judged for if he was a threat or not, and despite the near burning feeling of the other’s power… he was not actually trying to hurt gecko. The grip was reflexive, as if the other was used to something hostile trying to press into his mind. Not something inquisitive. 

It very much felt like when an interesting, new tool or shiny thing was being tilted back and forth to be inspected. Only Gecko himself was the shiny thing.

All at once, Gecko felt the humm, and the clearer words in the well of power. Taking a moment to process that a god was talking to him in that same primordial way that Gaia and Bastet had. Only not in the physical world as well like they had, but it felt… grounded. A vibration from shifting, tectonic plates that vibrated down into even Gecko’s altered bones.

Who are you?

Gecko hesitated, trying to remember, he was honestly trying to remember who he had been before the void and that different, death like cold. Not like the oddly soothing coolness from the wraiths.

And…

He could not remember, whole parts of Gecko’s self were just, shred away from him. Had been partly dissolved in the void surviving only by chance and dreaming of worlds that might not be real. He did not know who he used to be, but did not mind the name that had been offered to him. Gecko.

The rough edges of the other’s power softened a bit, taking in what was freely shown to him. 

Bastet sent you?

Gecko hesitated, it was not exactly being sent. He was dropped, gently at least, not far and told to seek her son?

Amusement flooded out through the well of power. 

You found him.

Gecko was being carefully let go, nudged back into himself with an unspoken promise that they would speak again. This other wanted to know more but knew enough that Gecko was not a threat to those little souls and lives this unknown god treasured. Including Lily and the other bonds linking humans to him, the impression of young lives.

Gecko would never intentionally hurt his charges… his… his… was his? He… 

The protective instincts that had been resting with safety around were stirred up. A broken memory that confused Gecko, but the other seemed approving of as the grip loosened. Letting Gecko go and return to his body with something pushed with to help. 

The young brother was looking at him worried, the still warm mug in his hand, none of that wonderful drink lost. Rai spoke carefully, sounding out the words he was not used to. “Are… you… wake?”

“Yes…” gecko breathed slowly, made himself breath slowly, red eyes staring at the rider who was carefully setting Lily back on her feet. 

The young brother smiled following the almost glazed red eyes. Then understanding, as it almost felt like a struggling wraith gift had been pushed out. “Ah.”

He understood somehow. Impossibly, just, knew or suspected what might have happened. Could what have happened to Gecko, have been done before with someone reaching out to that… god? Immortal? …primarch? 

Gecko almost belatedly realized he was being helped by Rai to take back the large mug. Being encouraged to take a drink, and the rich taste that his human root instincts loved, it did help slowly root himself back into the present.

“What happened?” Lily asked, realizing something was off, it had only been a few odd seconds in real time. The space of time to get a good long hug and cuddle before seeing the difference in gecko. She looked up as her father started to use his hands to communicate, Lily tracking them. Then demanded, “You scared him?!”

The rider that was a not so hidden god looked a bit sheepish and shrugged. 

Gecko looked up intime to see Lily’s little frame by comparison… smack the god. Absolutely with no fear of repercussion, if anything he was able to sense near playful, more exasperated outrage for… him? “What weird ass bull shite are you doing? He’s barely recovering from gods knows what- and you're doing what?”

It took a moment of confusion, watching the little mortal smack and, well, not chase the unknown god. Lily was… she was allowed, and knew she was, to bully her father regardless of what he was. Not that the rider was protesting, but instead looked highly amused as he was smacked on chest and arm. 

“Ah,” Gecko started before abruptly realizing that Lily had not been speaking the language he knew. She was speaking their standard, Argenta? Not every word was instant understanding, with a half a second delay. He remembered the heat and power pushing something at him and looking at himself, Gecko found he had been given just enough to grasp basic understanding of the local language. 

It was not perfect, but it would help so much to learn the rest. To not be starting at the smallest of basic levels. Not that Gecko minded at all, watching and listening to the lessons of the children over the last few days had been delightful.

The rider (god?) was successfully slapped enough to Lily’s judgement. With a strange confidence for someone mortal she walked over to the dragon, winthern’s head. Using a palm to pat the thick neck almost as big as her. But then being a daughter of… that, she could be confident.

“Hey big boy,” Lily said to the winthern male as he tilted his head to her. Some experience let her know where to rub her knuckles, not as a scratch but gentle pet. “What are you hiding?”

The dragonic creature shyed a bit away, trying to tuck his head, jaws firmly clamped. 

Lily looked back at the rider, who lifted his hands and signed. A surface thought that Gecko could hear help translate what it ment. Eggs, wants to show off.

“Ah, can I see them?” Lily tried to coax, still giving the equivalent of light pets. “We can hide the eggs with the blankets, big boy? So you can cuddle your rider? They'll be safe.”

The wintherin gave a low grumble, shifting. After a few more careful pets from Lily, and that ‘rider’ leaning over to give a stronger scratching at a visible leg. Possibly a hind one, it was hard to tell with the wings folding over so much of its own body. The dragonic creature finally groaned a long, low tone before uncurling a bit. Trying to shift to lean into what the rider (...god? Was that a good thing…or no??) was doing with a shoulder, but stubbornly trying to keep his horned head beside the human. 

Enjoying both the scratches and the reassuring pets at the same time.

Gecko watched the wintherin heave a sigh after another few moments. He could see the tension easing in the muscles and the big head tilted a little. Nudging into Lily before the jaws opened slowly, and then gaped as if yawning at her. The young woman reached in and scooped up the first one and then a second round object resting in the big maw. Holding them to her chest and sighing. Her heart rate settled with the success of getting the slightly damp, but warm eggs. 

Lily walked back to her cart, kneeling down to start pulling blankets out from the lowest section. Behind, the rider that brought the draconic creature up to this area. Reaching over to grab by the horn, and pulled the big head to reach for the blunted muzzle and jaws. The Wintherin had to open his maw and checked inside with more experience.

Only after he was sure the wintherin was not hiding another egg, Lily’s father let the beast go to walk after her to the small group. The dragon grumbled but settled back down to curl around his rider. Gecko could not help but stare, first at this not really man, and then at what Lily was doing. Realizing she was hugging dragon eggs that shimmered from against her and drying them off with a cloth, then wrapping them up.

The eggs looked to almost glow, or were that good at reflecting even dim light. Lily adjusted the level of the lower shelf under the heating element. The eggs were safe to stay warm but not cook on their spot. And had a few blankets set aside now. Looking up to see her giant of a father dishing up a few bowls already. “Good picks?”

The big man chuffed, not unlike how Rai had a bit ago. It was a please sound as he opened the third container, pulling crispier things out to put in the bowls. Three larger ones and another bowl that was a third the size. He walked over, offering one bowl to Rai, and then looked over Gecko. How he was sitting with the wolf, and missing the right arm.

This odd man softened a bit, finding a spot where the bowl could be placed. Balanced with using the passed out wolf, as if knowing that she would not move. Or wake up. Then again, considering the age of the wolf, and a few past naps, she likely was not inclined to move for another hour.

Lily popped up and unfolded a little, honestly cute little table beside Gecko's left forearm. Something that had been used before when he was with the apothecary, only it looked and smelled wooden, not metal this time. The woman squinted at her father and moved the bowl of food on it. “Rula is much sneakier then people give her credit for. You can use this Gecko, like before.”

“Thank you Lady Lily.” Gecko said softly, his eyes kept going back to either the wintherin, or to Lily's father. Still not quite sure how that worked.

“No problem,” Lily smiled, putting one of the spare blankets down beside the left of his chair and then plopping down. Having a nice little nest of padding, and another blanket to bundle in as she stopped moving. Adding as the smallest bowl was given to her, “Thanks John.” 

“Mmhmm,” her father rumbled back as he sat with his own large bowel. Peering at it, in a way that was not unlike Gecko had been giving all the real food offered to him. He was not used to real food, but craved and wanted it. Giving a moment to appreciate just having food before taking his first bite.

Gecko could sense the contentment radiating off not just the strange man… John? But the other two. They knew, trusted and felt safe that even Rai’s guard was dropping as the younger brother settled back down to Gecko’s right. He relaxed slowly, Gecko watching the other three and reaching out unseen.

A little more hesitant, but was at least not poking that old god’s mind again. Lily at least was pretty unguarded, she felt safe, and loved in the protection from… John. scooting her now blankets over until she was close. John reached out, pulling his daughter closer against his right side, squishing her carefully, but like trying to show he was physically there to protect her. Whispered thoughts just barely heard, promising to keep her safe.

Gecko turned his red eyes to the bowl of food, carefully setting the mug down. Picking up one of the crispy looking strips, it smelled wonderful. Maybe with how things felt… settled with the other three and the dragon were, eating or humming, he too was calming down after Gecko had accidentally poke that god’s mind. Heavily seasoned, crispy outside, soft flakey inside. 

It… was not so bad maybe. 

Movement drew Gecko’s attention, John was glancing between him and Lily before setting his half empty bowl down in his lap and started to sign with his hands. Both Rai and Lily tracking it, and surface thoughts translating what they saw… read? Helped the man get a grasp of what was asked. 

Where did he come from? Not one of my Sentinels.

“He was found near Bastet’s new nesting area on the far side of eden…” Lily shook her head to start before she paused and pointed in the rough direction. “When Iris’ and Heather’s class were learning about the local herbs. We found him and called for help. Gecko has been recovering for the last week. Asa things Bastet had something to do with him here.”

“...I know that name.” Gecko said softly, pausing in savoring his meal. “I was not sure… if anyone else did… or it was a dream.”

“What happened?” Lily asked, paused and rephrased, not knowing that gecko understood a bit more now as she had slipped into her Standard. The same ‘argenta’ language. “What do you… remember? If you don’t mind. I know grandmother is… intense.”

“I… heard her, and another… Gaia? In the darkness. The cold,” Gecko looked up, not sure if he should describe it all, and was worried that Even Lily seemed to understand. As well as something in the steady, unwavering look from John had Gecko both staying honest and talking for the first time where he was before being found. “I think… I was being devoured by the void, that darkness. They were… soft. Light, cool in a different way. It was that Bastet, told me to find her children, and her… son.”

Lily listened, then nodded as she pointed at first John, “Dad is one of her claimed sons. Rai, and the argenta, are the wraith’s first children. Basic humans like me are Gaia’s children, or ‘grandchildren’ to the other wraiths.”

That was… interesting. Enough so that something in the far back and broken part of Gecko’s mind worried and was revived at the same time.

“Do you know anything where you were before the…void, gecko?” The young woman softened a bit as she asked with honest, gentle concern that almost hurt for some reason for Gecko. Even as her impossible seeming father settled, some tension left in his shoulders and arms. John trusted Bastet it seemed. 

“...pain, death… war I think. And a different kind of darkness.” Gecko tried, but only mostly had those as the strongest imprints. “...heat. A place very hot.”

“Hmm,” John hummed at that, shifting to take a few more bites before starting to signing. Again for Gecko mostly the basic translation was coming from unguarded thoughts. Few places with a true void. Can find through hell.

“Could… where Gecko is from, have been consumed by hell as well?” Lily asked, drawing the other three’s attention to her. “You and Valen said each level in hell is from a conquered world. Or a few. With the time warpness from there different in each level…”

“Mother Bastet giving him to us, to you, John.” Rai spoke up, words not fully clear to Gecko but more than they had been from just a little while ago. The young brother seemed to be understanding the situation with that idea better. “She must think he needs help, that you’d like him.”

John was thinking, under his well guarded shields. Almost unreadable in expression, but Lily was relaxed after a look at him. The large, not quiet man turned to his mortal daughter. What dose Flower think?

Lily signed back, not meaning to hide her opinion but responding in that sign language as she was thinking about it, getting back into. He’s been nice. I like Gecko. 

The odd glowing green eyes, oddly a bit more blue, looked back over at Gecko. Debating before giving a snort and nod. Mine now.

Gecko blinked, confused even as Rai laughed beside him.

John turned back to Lily to ask. Why no limbs?

“Valen is likely finishing them now.” Lily assured, remembering belatedly to speak aloud as she reflexively started to sign again. There was a moment of her wavering and trying to sort out what to do with her hands that Gecko thought was cute. “Grandpa got mad at the other smith and took over. I was told by Asa not to repeat what I heard or I would be dunked in The Healthy again.”

John snorted, and smiled as he relaxed fully for the first time. Not at all minding being a heater for Lily, but also liked the way that Rula the wolf was perfectly fine with this new person. Though in his own guarded thoughts was trying to place why Gecko’s build seemed a bit familiar to him. A tiny thought piping up, that one place could have been devoured by hell. Turned into another void. The name of that place just a little out of reach in his own fog of memory, but from age and a few stints of bloody raging madness in hell. 

Oh. 

Wait.

John remembered.

He finished off his bowl, letting Lily steal that last best bite of a fried fish piece. The Slayer glancing over this broken Space Marine from a different world. Different kind from what he had been when mortal, even those of this world. This one was notably lost, very lost and broken in more than a few ways. 

Well… looks like he had a new son.

John wondered if Gecko could find a spot to be happy, or just alive again.

That was when Rula woke up, rolled a bit and leaned over to shamelessly steal a fish piece out of Gecko’s hand.