#32 feet - 8 little tails

[grumpygreenwitch]

The Witches and Wizards Job 39-40-41-42-43

THIS IS IT.

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THIRTY NINE

I woke up on a relatively soft surface, which was more than I'd expected. Someone had put a pillow under my head, and there were quiet voices nearby, much louder ones further away. The warmth of Mouse against my leg and on my stomach was a welcome presence, and I reached down to rub his ears. He licked my hand and I heard his tail thumping against something soft. "Did we win?"

"Harry." Parker's voice was nearby. She moved closer and my breath caught. She'd put on the spider gown, an exquisite half-sheath of peach and gold and salmon tones, she'd done up her hair and put on make-up. She looked like a bona-fide, invited, certified guest of the party. In the darkness of the room she gleamed faintly, like a fallen star, the spider silk reacting to my presence. Lights, blue and red and white, flashed through a nearby window.

"I take it the cops are here."

"Well, yeah, but we called them," she specified, sitting next to me. "They're keeping the news people out. Everyone's all over that tidal wave that came out of nowhere and no one can explain." She gave me a tiny, wicked, utterly delighted look. "That was magic. And I was there to see it."

"It was, you were," I agreed. It was hard to get down on myself when there was someone around who so wholeheartedly approved of what I was, what I could do, all the glory and the violence of it, the grit and the beauty. "Nothing else was strong enough to maybe kill the dragon."

"Oh, it did," she assured me, then gestured with her hands to mime something being torn in half. She even made a squelching sound.

I had to laugh, and found that, overall, I wasn't terribly sore or hurt. Bone-tired, yes, I felt like I'd scraped a bottom to my magic I didn't even know was there. But nothing was burn, broken, or bleeding. "The Blackbird? Grandmother?"

"We've got them. Nate said to wait for you, though. Can you stand?"

"Oh, for this I can stand, dance and run a marathon," I told her, sitting up. I rode out a wave of diziness and got to my bare feet, felt them sting a little. My mouth tasted of the sea, and I could feel salt and sand in places best left unmentioned. I was suddenly starved, and I would have loved to wash my mouth if nothing else, but I didn't care. I wanted to see how it ended between Koschei and Baba Yaga.

I'd been lying in a bed that dominated a small room, probably a guest bedroom. My duster had been tossed at the feet of it, and I snagged it as I went, Mouse jumping down lightly to follow Parker and me. On top of a chest of drawers that matched the bed were the rest of my things, and I gave her an amused look. "All together in the same place?"

She grinned at me. "Amateurs. Oh." She rushed back into the room, grabbed a small bundle from the bed, and brought it back to me as I shrugged on the duster. "Nate said you should have this."

I looked down at a familiar bundle wrapped in a plain tablecloth and a lot of duct tape, and a few things made sense. "Fried your bud when you read it, didn't it."

She nodded.

"I should've thought of that."

"Harry, we all should've thought of that. We didn't. I should've got a mirror piece anyways, but I didn't." She shrugged easily. "It still worked out. I stole your earclip," she informed me lightly as she opened the door. My staff was resting by it, and I grabbed it as I followed.

We stepped out onto a hallway and golden light; just past the door, Eliot and Hardison were talking to a man with ash-brown hair cut very short and sharp eyes, dressed casually except for the Red Sox jacket and the discreet bulge of a gun, and a woman with long blonde hair, keen blue eyes and strong, mobile features, dressed as if she'd thrown on the first thing she could find when she'd jumped out of bed, her badge and her gun worn on her belt. Both of them had that unmistakable set to their shoulders of a cop on the trail of something important. He asked them something in the thickest Boston accent I'd yet heard of anyone, and all four of them chuckled low.

Hardison handed him Wattsford's little black notebook. Eliot handed her the sheaf of folders.

"That him?" The man shuffled through the notebook, his face going hard, before he looked up and pointed at me, back to his casual, easy manner. Parker, ironically, didn't get more than an admiring look from both of them, and why should she? She wasn't wearing the skin-fitted black of a thief, she was dressed like someone who'd come to a party.

"I didn't do anything," I replied automatically.

"Yeah, that's him," the woman confirmed with a touch of dark humor to her voice.

I sputtered, vaguely insulted. What's the point of proclaiming your innocence if no one's gonna even pretend to believe you?

"Harry is a consultant," Eliot told them both mildly. "He'll be going home soon, and hopefully we won't be getting him in trouble for a while."

"Like you never get me in trouble?" the man shot back, all amusement, but they all shook hands and parted ways amicably enough.

Eliot and Hardison came over to meet us. The hacker could barely take his eyes off Parker, so it was the hitter who offered me his hand, his eyes dancing, his smile warm as ever. "Sir."

"Sir." I shook his hand back. "I swear I didn't do any of it on purpose."

"The hell you didn't." Eliot snorted in amusement. "I'm glad you're on our side, Harry."

"Til the day I die," I assured him.

"May it be long in coming," he replied as if he were reciting a prayer. "Now come on. Time to finish this."

I followed them down the hallway to the main area of the mansion. "So the van did work, or did you and my dog run all the way across the grounds?"

"I absolutely don't doubt Mouse could run the distance and carry me," Hardison admitted. "I don't run if I can help it, it's undignified. The van did work, it's still working, actually. As much as a seven hundred pound computer made of cathode tubes can be said to be working."

"Those were the original computers, no?"

"No! What I made was better, stronger and capable of carrying you around without fritzing or exploding, capable of hacking into the security cameras so I could see where to go without running into the security people, capable of gagging the electrical system without actually frying it so we could pretend you were being all magic-like while I did my job." The hacker looked entirely too pleased with himself. "You brought me a dedicated, single system OS and I hacked it."

"You hacked magic?"

"I damn well hacked magic."

I couldn't very well refute him. Aside from the spider's phone, every single bit of on-site tech had worked because Hardison had strong-armed it into working, no more, no less.

"You did not," Eliot protested wearily, face scrunched up.

"I did."

"He did."

"Don't enc- Harry, don't encourage him."

"But he did."

"He did not - you did not hack magic, man."

"I absolutely did. Tell me how I did not."

"I -" The hitter shot me a look.

I could only shrug. Eliot looked at Parker. "He kinda did a little," she murmured sheepishly, much to his wounded indignation, and we all went into the main receiving room.

FORTY

"Where's everyone?"

Nate turned from inspecting the small, elegant little clavichord in the room, sipping on a cup of very strong coffee, and examined Leverage's consulting wizard. There were deep shadows under Dresden's eyes, and his hair was going every which way, salt hardening it into peaks here and there. His clothing was singed and still faintly damp, and he smelled of the sea. Not for a minute did the mastermind doubt that he was ready for round two, three and twenty, if that was what it took.

Nate didn't believe in people, not overmuch. He believed in his people; he'd worked with them, he'd seen the steel in their souls often enough to know it ran true to the core of them. But of the average person he expected very little, or nothing at all; he'd seen them crumple far too often under the burdens of the world. He didn't hold it against them, not ever. He himself had crumpled once before, like cheap tin. It had been a labor of years to re-cast himself, to find his own steel. In Dresden, that core ran through and then some. What Leverage faced together, relying on one another, the wizard faced alone. His horrors weren't faceless or nameless; they were solid, real and truly monstrous, even if sometimes those monsters were on his side. Harry Dresden had drawn a line on the sand and he would defend it to his destruction, or that of his enemies.

Then again, he'd seen much the same thing when he'd accidentally Soulgazed the wizard. That, and more. For a while after Nate had kept looking down at himself, expecting to find himself spattered to the neck with blood and perplexed that, every time, he wasn't.

"Gone. None of them wanted to stay to talk to the police," he told Dresden. "We asked mister Stone to keep back only the ones that weren't liable to eat anyone." Over one shoulder he looked at a corner of the room. "And the ones that didn't want to leave."

As if summoned by those words, Classy and his people, six in number, rose from where they were sitting or slouching and drew lazily closer. "We're runnin' a legitimate business here," Classy told Nate mildly; he had never put his jacket back on, or rolled down his sleeves. "Ain't got no reason to run from no fuckin' terriers."

"Yes, well," the mastermind agreed in the same even tone. "You do have to admit that's not a common attitude."

Classy shoved his hands in his pockets and snorted in amusement. "Yeah, alright. I'll be fuckin' honest," he added, tipping his chin and grinning maliciously. "I woulda stayed to see how that ends, police or not." His people muttered in agreement.

Dresden turned to look at what Classy had pointed out. Koschei was sprawled on a chair, asleep, snoring faintly. There was a single, long, thin silver chain binding him to the chair, hardly looking like it would keep him there. What might do the job, however, was the immense bird-like creature hovering just behind him, long neck twisting this way and that, a woman's face at the end of it, its eyes a rich, dark gold with black pupils, like a bird's. She was stout and exceedingly fluffy, each feather three colors, red, black and white-tipped, her train made of iridescent black feathers. She was clucking cheerfully to herself like a contented hen.

All around them, the wizard suddenly realized, were the portraits, eight in total, seven fakes and one copy. "Did you have to bring them all?" he asked Nate.

"I wanted to make a point," the mastermind explained, giving him time to take in the rest of the room. Off by the bar, Vanya Fedorov and Nick flanked the woman from the portrait, who'd wrapped an exquisitely knotted blue shawl about her shoulders; it glowed like a piece of the night sky, dark blue studded with tiny winking dots. Grandmother herself looked far more put together, less fragile and wounded, though still as delicate as the cup full of tea in her hands. Nick had found a garishly colorful shirt and a pair of shorts, and no one had forced him to put on shoes, so he looked absolutely delighted at the proceedings, even if there were none currently ongoing to delight him. Next to him, holding onto a glass of something strong she had yet to sip, was Jessamine Lochlin.

By the door to the main drawing room, never taking his gaze off the shark, stood Stone. He was wearing a plain shirt that barely fit him, and his somewhat bedraggled pants, but otherwise looked implacably unharmed.

"What happened to Fedorov's uncle?" Harry asked quietly.

"Fedorov called his father. Hard to tell which one of them was angrier at the betrayal," Nate replied in the same quiet undertone before pitching his voice to carry. "Sophie, go ahead and wake him up."

Beautiful and radiant still despite the night's shenanigans, the grifter came close to the Russian wizard and pulled from his black hair a lacquered comb - the same comb Parker had originally stolen from the Blackbird's pockets. "That better be enough, I'm not kissing him," she warned Nate dryly. Classy and his people snickered, and the leader of the Dredgers cleared his throat with a muttered apology he absolutely didn't mean.

Koschei roused with a snort and a start, tried to lunge out of the chair, and nearly fell. The alkonost clamped a taloned foot on the back of the chair and forced it back down, and the wizard went with it, seething. He opened his mouth and snarled something, paused… and looked utterly stunned when nothing happened.

"Yeah, that." Nate saluted him with his cup. "I wouldn't bother."

"Release me!"

"Uh, no. Not yet anyways. I've got a couple of questions I was hoping -"

"Release me!"

"- you'd answer before we trade you for your heart."

Koschei went white, though it was hard to tell if it was fury or panic. "You cannot imagine what I can do for you, for all of you. All you know of magic is what that brute Dresden has shown you."

"Ouch," Harry muttered without heat.

"Release me. I will grant you anything you desire."

"Yeah, you already made that offer," Nate reminded him mildly. "You already got your answer. Or do you mean them?" He gestured to the Dredgers with his cup. "You guys want anything from the Blackbird?"

"His guts on a platter, his head on a bowl," Classy growled. His people hissed and chattered agreement, all of their eyes burning with a lambent red light. "His fingers and toes to bite and gnaw."

"Um. Need him alive. Sorry."

Classy shrugged, seamlessly going back to his easy mood. "No harm. Figured I'd ask just in case."

"Stone," Koschei began.

"I was fool enough to make one bad bargain with you, wizard. I will make no more," the golem replied calmly.

"You should ask Fedorov," Nate suggested. "I'm sure you've got many things he thinks he wants."

Koschei said nothing, glaring furiously at the mastermind, and Nate sipped at his coffee. "But it's not so easy, is it, to tempt a man who knows that what he wants and what he needs are two different things. Who knows that those things aren't always going to agree with one another." He pinned a level look on the Russian enforcer. "Or is this because he already made his choice, and there's some sort of prohibition between the two of you?" He gestured lightly at the hand gently squeezing Grandmother's shoulder. "When a Royal chooses one of you, the other can't interfere?"

Koschei exploded into profanities in Russian, as well as a couple of other languages that made Eliot's brows climb nearly to his hairline. Grandmother reached out to pat Fedorov's hand, but the enforcer looked nothing if not confused.

"You don't look like the men in your family," the mastermind told Fedorov. "I mean, obviously that's not an absolute, like genetic testing, but it's pretty telling when you don't look at all like any of the men in your family. We looked them up. Not one. You look like your mother, though. Same eyes, same hair. All the way back seven generations or so. The Sagorovs might have taken you in, but you're not a blood-relation."

"Yes, but -" Vanya hesitated. "My mother was… a casualty of the family's business. They made amends by taking care of me. What does that have to do with anything?"

"She wasn't a casualty, she was the target. His target." Nate gestured at the frothing wizard. "It left you alone, vulnerable at a young age. But then the family stepped in, and he saw the potential for an even bigger payout if he just waited. A high-ranking member of the Russian mafia and a Fyodorov? You don't find a lot of those lying around these days."

Fedorov pressed his mouth to a thin line.

"That's the problem with paper records," the mastermind pointed out mildly. "They tend to stick around for a long, long time."

"How did you know?"

"The invitation," Sophie murmured. "The coat of arms embossed on it was for the Russian Tsars. It just took me a little while to remember it, it hasn't been used for so long."

"I am not this thing. I am me. I am my own man."

"You just saved Grandmother from her greatest enemy in pitched battle." Dresden's voice was very calm, in spite of the surprises rolling out to smack everyone in the face. "Heroes do that. Princes do that."

"Do not call him that," Baba Yaga's voice crackled through the tension in the room. "He has chosen to be prince of a different empire, and that is his choice. As it should be." She leveled a cool, disappointed glare on Koschei. "How can this lesson not sink in after all these centuries, Kostya? We do not choose them, they choose us. Always."

"I don't have the patience for your maudlin beggary. They are mortal, and weak, and flawed. They are tools to be put to use, nothing else. They are power. My power."

"And you wonder why no one likes you," Fedorov commented, then crouched by Baba Yaga. "All I have ever wanted to be is my own man. I do not ask for favors easily." He shot Nate a look. "The price is always far more than one is willing to pay. I would ask only one thing of you, Grandmother." He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a bundled handkerchief. Unwrapping it, he offered her the small, oddly shaped, carved wooden cup, a chicken bone tucked neatly inside it. "I would know what you think of me."

She gasped, and took the cup with wrinkled fingers. Then she looked up and smiled at him. "You already know, little prince. I think you are more than worthy. I think any path you choose should be proud to have you." She touched his cheek lightly and, Russian enforcer or not, he flushed faintly under her praise.

Koschei strained against his bonds with a high-pitched, strangled howl, before going limp in the chair. "So," he growled at Nate. "You win. You would make an enemy of me for all the days of your miserable mortal life. I hope it was worth it."

"Sort of," the mastermind replied. "See, Dresden is supposed to just be our consultant. Answer questions, provide information, that sort of thing. Things, eh, escalated, but he still made time for the information bit, and one thing he made real clear is that you like to carry grudges. You really do. So part of doing all this was also making sure you can't do that to my people, or to him."

"And what will you do, kill me?" Koschei laughed darkly at him.

"We could, I suppose, but we really don't kill people unless we have to."

"I am immortal," the wizard laughed.

"No," Dresden countered. "You just hid your heart so well even death couldn't find it. But then you went and dug it out." He rapped his staff lightly on the floor, and one of the portraits began to glow faintly, as if illuminated by a light behind it. "Worse, you went and dug up the keys to open your little magical lockbox, the same keys where you trapped your death. You might not be a necromancer, but man," Dresden shook his head. "I've walked the edge, and I thought I was close, but you make it look like I was hiking fifty miles from the Damocles Doom."

"A feeble threat from a feeble pack of feeble old men."

"You've been out of the loop. They've got women and everything in the Council these days. Real modern of them."

"You don't have the keys, I stole them back from Dresden's home."

"You made the most basic of mistakes." Sophie came up behind Koschei, just close enough to purr against his ear with Ekaterina's Russian accent before she straightened up and abandoned the persona altogether. "You forgot the first rule of the grift: always keep your eyes on the mark." She moved to stand by Nate.

"You kept looking for heroes," the mastermind sipped at his cup, "because you're used to fighting heroes. But the one hero you found, you kinda. Well. Brought him on yourself." He saluted Fedorov with his cup before giving Koschei his attention once again. "But we're not heroes. We're conmen. And you just fell for the oldest con: the shell game. " He moved to his feet and reached into his pocket, pulling from it the plastic chess piece. "In a tower."

The frame of the portrait began to glow with its own light, as it had back in the vault of the MFA. There, among the gilt and the filigree in the ancient wood, Nate found the carving of the tower, pressed the chess piece against it, and was unsurprised at last to see it sink in seamlessly.

"In a box," Eliot said, reaching for the box of matches Harry had thrown at him so carelessly. It had a treasure chest painted on top, and it was still half-full of matches. The little drawing led the hitter to the right place on the frame.

"I stole those from you," Koschei sounded strangled.

"Did you?" Nate asked casually. "Because we had a set at the safehouse, a set at the pub -"

"A set in Lucille," Hardison pointed out.

"And in the u-Haul," Eliot added, stepping aside for Parker, who frowned minutely at the frame until she found the carving of a rabbit missing a foot, and grinned victoriously as she did magic all on her own. "Inside a rabbit."

Hardison came up behind her. "You look absolutely glorious doing magic," he murmured, blindly shoving the duck-shaped whistle at the frame.

She beamed at him. "I do magic all the time," she replied just as quietly. "Pay at- Hardison, pay attention!"

"Hardison!" Eliot hissed, forcing the hacker to actually focus.

"Alright, ok! Messing up my rhythm here," he grumbled. He was one of the few people present who could reach the top of the frame and return the duck to its graven, flying flock.

"You see, our consultant explained something to us called a Mirror-Mask. When you bind several items together to make it look like they're all the real thing." Nate looked pointedly around. "I think you might have heard of it. Of course you were going to try and steal the keys, that's just common sense. All we had to do was make you think you'd succeeded. Make it, ah," he glanced at Dresden, "believable."

"The real set was never together, not after the first time," Sophie told Koschei mildly. "The best way to keep a magical item from being tracked is to have it always on the move. Harry taught us that too." She grinned at him. "And your own magic to hide the items did the rest of the job." From her purse she pulled the egg, and pressed it lightly to the bottom of the frame.

The painted emerald brooch burst into radiant color, bright enough to dazzle everyone present for a moment. Sophie brought out the key and bit her lip. "Are you sure, Harry?"

"You won't damage it," the wizard assured her.

She lifted the key and put it lightly against the brooch. It sank into the light as if into a lock. The grifter tested it one way, then the other, and slid it around a quarter turn, then another, before pulling it out.

With it came a black velvet bag the size of a man's head, secured with a golden cord, weighted at the ends with cabochon diamonds, each as big as a quarter, one pure, one black. Eliot caught the bag by the strings before it could drop from the key. "Heavy," he commented, his expression full of uncertain anticipation.

Sophie reached for the bag, hesitated, reached again and then took a full step back. "Parker."

"Dresden," Nate added.

"Mister Act," Harry said at once.

"The hell d'yer want me for, wizard?" Classy exclaimed, caught completely by surprise.

"To find out if it's booby-trapped," the wizard replied evenly.

"… Oh."

The bag was set on a small lacquered table, and all three bend down to stare curiously at it. Classy sniffed it lightly. "Dust. Time. Magic. No poison, no bugs, nothin' that bites or stings." He leaned even closer and licked the black velvet, then spat off to one side. "Night's breath and rowan ash. Their power's wore off with time, 's nothing but crap tea and soot."

"No hexes, no curses," Harry agreed. At Classy's dictum he gingerly laid a gentle hand on the velvet, then pulled it back, wriggling his fingers.

"Don't trust me, wizard?" Classy challenged.

"I do," Dresden replied evenly, then shrugged in the direction of the bar. "But I just spend a whole evening sneaking suppression potions into people's drinks. I made sure not to get you or your people, but you say rowan ash and I get paranoid."

The Dredger stared at him open-mouthed before he started cackling. "The Witchwell. That's how you made it work."

Parker ran her hands smoothly over the rich velvet. "There's nothing here but the one thing." She untied the cord and reached in.

The jewel filled both her hands. The emerald was immense, the same vitriolic green of its owner's eyes, flawless, shaped into an oval and set into a frame of platinum that made one dizzy if stared at for too long. Parker turned it this way and that, held it up to the light. Behind her, Sophie breathed out in disbelief. The thief suddenly shuddered and put it down abruptly. "It's wriggling," she declared tightly.

Sophie put her fingertips to it. "The Emerald Heart of Koschei the Deathless," she murmured. She could just feel the faint tremors of a heartbeat against her skin. "It's real."

"And untouchable," Koschei told them smugly. "Go on. Ask mister Stone to break it. Ask Grandmother to grind it up in her mortar. Ask. You do not have the final key, you did not find it, did you. You cannot touch me."

"We did not find it," Nate admitted readily. "We're just conmen. But you brought a hero into the mix," he told the Russian wizard mildly. "And he did find it, rattling around inside a chicken bone. Or what, did you think when you stole it, that we somehow miraculously found another chicken bone with a needle in it?" The mastermind's tone suddenly went to lethal ice. "Dresden."

Without hesitation, Harry pulled off the pin secured to the top of his shirt and flicked off the little mirror shard at the top.

"You cannot kill me." Koschei's panicked voice was a wheeze. "Your Council will murder you for it."

Dresden seemed to consider that. "True. Hey, Fedorov -"

"Wait!" Koschei shrieked. "What do you want, you must want something, everyone wants something. There is always something!"

"There is," Nate agreed, and gestured to the painting. "Tonight you were going to lock Grandmother in there with your heart, and finally do what you couldn't pull off all those centuries ago. You'd taken all the tools she uses for her magic, the mortar, the pestle, the shawl - left her her house, though, that's nice of you." He nodded at the alkonost who curtsied gracefully back. "You were going to lock her in there, and let the curse on the heart do what it was always meant to do. Sell the painting and wash your hands of her fate while you stole her power. So, instead, you're going to step in that cage. We're going to throw your heart in with you and we're going to lock the door. And then that lovely lady over there," he pointed at Jessamine, "is going to take you back to her museum. And if you're lucky, by the time you get out, your heart will have left you enough magic to fill up a thimble." He leaned back, once again the harmless, slightly rumpled, friendly man he could pretend to be so flawlessly. "But you'll be alive, though."

"There must be something you want," Koschei croaked, his eyes gone to rolling green pebbles in his corpse-white face.

"Probably lots of things," Nate admitted. "But I know the difference between what I want and what I need. And since we dosed you with a full suppression potion before we started this conversation, I don't think you're in any shape to offer me either."

FORTY ONE

The Dredgers boxed up the portrait after Dresden pulled the keys back out, and Eliot and Parker carried it out for Jess. The hitter excused himself discreetly, and both young women stared uncomfortably at anything but one another in the dark next to the u-Haul van.

"So you're a thief?"

"Sort of."

"Were you gonna - 'cuz I mean. I never got that vibe from you, that you were using me to steal from me."

"No!" Parker exclaimed. "No, I was, I wanted to work with you, 'cuz it was fun, and you were fun, and we could make plans, and then take 'em apart, and that was so much fun and that's what you're supposed to do with friends, have fun, except now I ruined everything and, and-"

"Alright!" Jess threw her hands out to try and stave off the deluge. She chewed angrily on her lip. "You don't have a lot of friends, do you."

Parker shrugged. "You just met them all but one."

"Oh my gosh," Jess tugged on her curling hair. "I mean, I'm not saying it wasn't fun, but you lied to me. Like, big lies! Important lies!"

"I know. I just… You wouldn't have wanted to make friends with a thief."

"Well… No, I guess not."

"But it was fun?" Parker asked tentatively.

Jess, flustered, wriggled uncomfortably in place. "So what's your real name?"

"Parker."

"Parker what?"

"No, just Parker."

"Well, there goes your free membership," Jess told her sternly.

"Ok, that's fair," the thief agreed, crestfallen.

The silence lingered and grew.

"So you're an art thief."

"Thief-thief, mostly."

"You wouldn't happen to know, you know. The Dutch Gallery."

"I know who did it, but they don't have them anymore, they sold them."

Jess let out an irate little squeal, stomping a foot. "I don't suppose that you'd want to. Do like a. Counter… heist?"

Parker's glum expression shattered under a burst of sunny, delighted surprise. "Would I ever."

"Well, good!" Jess nodded stoutly, then offered a hand. "Hello. I'm Jessamine Lochlin, and I've got a proposition for you."

Parker reached out to shake the young curator's hand. "Hi. I'm Parker, and I'm all ears."

FORTY TWO

"Wizard."

I turned to find myself nose to chest with Stone. "Oh, good," I said in a tone that implied the golem's presence was anything but.

"We made a bargain, you and I, back at the boat-house. That the building is no longer there is not a valid excuse to welsh on it."

"I'm not welshing on it. I'm just not keeping up all that well with local events. The boat-house's gone?"

"You tore multiple holes into the building and then called up a tidal wave, wizard," Stone gave me a look as deadpan as his tone. "What did you expect would happen to it?"

I shrugged. I hadn't exactly been planning ahead beyond getting rid of the zmei. "Come with me. Hey, Ford, a word?"

The mastermind turned to look at me, then up at the golem. "I don't know that I have the energy to deal with your friends tonight, Dresden," he declared wearily.

"Well, you're in luck because this one actually is a friend. Did Eliot and Hardison ever talk to you about the moonlighting I did with them?"

"Yes, briefly. But they also mentioned it was not likely to happen again once you go home."

"To you, no. You're human. But it occurs to me, what if you had a group of non-humans doing what you do?"

Ford opened his mouth. He said nothing, closed it. Looked up at Stone.

"I don't follow," the golem admitted.

"Ford and his people run a small operation. Very neat, very tidy, very challenging," I explained, hoping the mastermind would catch the emphasis on the last word.

"We help people," Ford jumped in. "We help people who have lost the war. We come into a situation when the odds are entirely against us. When our customers have had hope and spirit crushed out of them by companies, by governments, by forces that seem too big, to powerful for any one person to challenge, let alone defeat. Our monsters aren't solid," he gestured at the painting, "but they are real. And so are the challenges."

The golem looked most definitely intrigued. "I don't see how this applies to me. Are you offering me a job?"

"Not exactly," Ford demurred. "You see, while we were working on Grandmother's case, a couple of people approached us. One was a seal-woman."

"Looking for her skin?"

"Looking for her fourteen-year-old daughter's skin."

The golem straightened up sharply. "Was it found?"

I liked him for asking that question. Never mind what he might say about ethics or morals, Stone still had, somewhere under the granite exterior, an awareness of right and wrong.

"We did, and we also managed to sneak in some information to the authorities that won't compromise any other potential seal-women out there, but that will make the lives of the men involved very, very difficult." Nate gestured. "Abstract enemy. Lost fight. We still pulled a win. But… they aren't going to come to us anymore."

"You're human," the golem said thoughtfully.

"You aren't," the mastermind pointed out. "We could, in theory, provide you with the infrastructure, with training, with advice come from our experience fighting these fights. While you, and your team, can reach out to Boston's supernatural community in a way we can't. You can provide them with the… leverage they lack."

Stone was silent a long, long time, looking deeply thoughtful. "I have no team. I would not involve my security people in this matter. They are good at what they do, but that is very much all they are good at."

"Can I make a suggestion about that?" I raised my hand.

"This was your idea and your bargain, wizard. Suggest."

"Nick!"

The shark, who'd been demolishing what was left of the buffet, came trotting over. "Wizard! Tell me you have more fights to offer. This has been the best night since I came to your world."

"No," Stone said stiffly.

"Uh, well, you know," Ford spoke before I could. "Nick's the one who sniffed out Dresden for the seal-woman. He's been nothing but good about following directions tonight, on nearly no notice. And you know he'll never be afraid to call you out if he thinks you're going about a job the wrong way." His eyes strayed to Sophie. "Personal experience talking here, that is incredibly important to the job."

Stone looked down at the niuhi, frowning. Nick beamed up at him, then at me. "Lots of seal-women out there who need help, Nick," I told him casually. "Lots of other people, too, and no one's helping them."

The shark snorted. "You think I could help anyone, wizard? Biting makes as many problems as it solves!"

"Untrue," Stone said. "Biting can absolutely solve many problems without creating more, as long as they are the right problems."

"I'm not very good at telling the difference."

The golem sighed. "I am." He faced Ford. "Perhaps we should speak after all, you and the shark and I."

The three of them walked away and I breathed a sigh of relief. Was the night over yet? I wanted nothing more than a blessedly hot shower, a fresh change of clothes, and a bed, any bed. Maybe just a couch. A sleeping bag. Or a couple of blank-

"You got somethin' of mine, wizard."

I turned. Classy had approached me alone, and I knew his people well enough to recognize the respect and deference he was showing me. Unfortunately, that didn't help me understand what he was saying, and I stared at him with what I knew was a blank, dumb expression on my face. "I do?"

The Dredger stopped playing with the thin silver chain he'd loaned Ford to contain Koschei. It looked like nothing but a silvery piece of jewelry in his hands. He cocked a brow at me. "Ford said you had it."

"He did?"

Classy peered curiously at my face, and broke into low snickers. "Long night, wizard?"

I could only groan in reply. "I feel like I've been put through a wringer and run over a few miles of bad road until all the soft bits are raw -" It hit me then, with the unpleasant mental image. "Oh, I do have something of yours!"

"There you are, found the one thinky bit ain't fallin' down tired," the Dredger cheered me on as I groped around inside my trenchcoat.

"You guys coming out alright out of this one?"

"Well enough." He shrugged, then pointed to where Sophie was having an animated conversation with his people. "Learning about this thing called a Zanzibar market. Humans are fuckin' brilliant, wizard. You think you got one up on them and they're a fucking dozen steps ahead already. Ah, there's my beauty."

I handed over the Burning Witchwell. "You know the thing's nearly empty, right?"

"I know. Blackbird promised he'd empty it for us, lying crow's arsehole. Ain't in the business of killing me own fuckin' customers, wizard. The Witchwell's what I want, not the poison innit."

"Well, hell, if that's all you want I can empty it for you."

"Right?" The Dredger brightened up. "What's yer fee?"

"You know the Bag of Winds Ying Ying Amarin wanted?"

He grinned and winked at me. "You want a stitch or three should come loose on it?"

"That sounds perfect, unless it's gonna get you in trouble."

He cackled. "Caveat emptor, wizard. We're Dredgers. We find what's not to be found. We get into places and things we don't got no business puttin' our hands an' our mouths an' our teeth on. Ain't no one better'n us at what we do. You do business with us at your own risk an' peril." He gave me a yellow-toothed grin and offered me a hand to shake.

I took it without hesitation. "You mind if I do it tomorrow after I get enough sleep to maybe not kill myself and everyone else around?"

He laughed merrily and walked away.

FORTY THREE

The morning of the day after the party broke sunny, warm and beautiful, the sort that promised a hot, breezy summer noon, a perfect day to head down to the beach. Boston stirred under the clattering of the T and the scent of hundreds of little coffee shops, and the tidal wave was no longer the biggest bit of news.

Nate and Hardison met Stone on the steps of the Back Bay Station. Hardison handed the golem the spider's phone. Stone, once again dressed impeccably in a custom-tailored turtleneck and dress slacks, took it with care and tapped his thumb lightly on it. His surprise when the screen actually lit up was very obvious. "I was unaware such a thing was possible," he admitted. "You're giving me a very rare treasure, mister Hardison."

"You're gonna need it. At least until you can get a different setup. You can do tech and magic, you just gotta be willing to, you know. Compromise."

"You do understand this is temporary?" Nate told the golem. "We're not going to handhold you. You don't answer to us. We'll help you set up, but the job's yours, you and your people."

Stone seemed to think very carefully on his answer. "I have worked for someone or another for nearly all of my existence," he explained. "My security firm is the first attempt I have ever made at others working for me, and yet… it was still me, working for someone else. I think this opportunity you offer me, mister Ford - I think it is everything the wizard promised." He smiled thinly. "And I do have the shark to keep me honest."

Nate couldn't help but be a little amused at that. "In that case, here's something to remember today by." He handed over the plain plastic chess tower.

Stone stared at it, then pocketed it. "It will be kept safe as long as I can do such a thing."

Across the Concourse, Harry Dresden, professional wizard, was staring at the growing rivers of people coming and going, a trickle quickly turning into a flood. Boston was beautiful, alive, a city as worthy of attention and devotion as any other.

He couldn't wait to go home.

"Wizard," Classy's rough voice called out, and Harry turned. The Dredger, flanked by two of his people, came up to the wizard sedately, blinking a bit in the bright morning light. The wizard offered him the wrapped-up bundle of the Witchwell, sans duct-tape; Classy dug the small cylinder out and shook it. "Not a fuckin' drop. You do good work, wizard."

"Well, you know. When someone's not trying to kill me."

Classy chuckled. "All said, I'm glad this ain't your turf. Don't fancy the fight if we had to go up against you."

"Nicest thing anyone's said about me in a while," Harry assured the Dredger, and they shook hands. "Stay alive, mister Act."

"Same, mister Dresden. Safe travels and all that crap." The Dredgers turned and walked away, pausing briefly to nod politely at Sophie as they crossed paths.

The grifter was leading Parker and Eliot, and she hugged Harry without hesitation. "Oh, I feel like we ought to keep you here for a month, just to give all those bruises a chance to heal," she protested mildly.

"Believe me, I'm going home in one piece. That's more than I usually get," Harry assured her sheepishly.

"I really did mean it, you know. You were only supposed to be a consultant."

"I did consult," he replied with a lopsided grin. "This is the easiest consulting I've ever done. You told me everything I needed to know, you let me sleep, you fed me. Watered me. Watered me a lot." She had to grin at that. "Hot showers every day, dang. Doesn't get much better than that."

She pulled away, and Eliot offered his hand. "It's all the hot showers, huh?"

"I have no idea what your water heater's made of, but you should invest in the company."

Eliot, who wasn't about to tell Harry the water heaters at both the loft and the safehouse had been replaced three times, merely beamed at the wizard as they shook hands. "Sir."

"Sir."

"You're a good man, Harry. Violence doesn't make you a bad man." He shrugged a little. "It's just a thing we have to do sometimes. You're not responsible for other people's choices, no one is but them."

The wizard's grin stuttered. "You make it sound like it's easy."

"Hardest thing in the world, my man," the hitter admitted. "Because you gotta convince yourself of it every day, every time you get up and look in the mirror. Just remember: forehead to nose, not nose to nose."

"Elbow, not wrist," Harry repeated dutifully, his grin returning. "Or I just hit them with magic really, really hard."

Eliot laughed. "Or that." He bent down to ruffle Mouse's ears and ruff roughly, much to the young dog's delight, while Parker came to stand before Harry.

"Are you really going to be alright?"

"I mean, I'm probably gonna get some version of yelled at for not reporting the Blackbird thing," he admitted, punctiliously honest with her as he'd tried to be all along. "Are you? With Jess, I mean?"

"Oh, yeah, we're good. We're gonna be - we've got plans. We're good. Harry? Thank for you asking."

"Thank you for accepting me. Me, and what I am."

"But it's magic," she protested. "Who wouldn't?"

The wizard didn't say anything, he merely cut his gaze to one side. She turned and looked. "Oh. Right."

Nate and Hardison joined the little group, and the hacker offered his hand with a grin. "Mister Hacker," he said solemnly.

A snort of laughter burst out of Harry, and he offered his hand. "Mister Wizard," he replied.

"I am," Hardison agreed. "And you are. You know, I had the theory in my head, the thought that we were just two sides of the same coin. I'm glad I was right."

"I am super envious of everything you can accomplish," Dresden admitted readily. "Let's start there. But mostly I'm also so mad that we can't do more. If you ever figure out how we can work together without me frying all your equipment, I'll be the first one there."

"Holding you to that, Dresden."

"You bet."

Nate stared very levelly at the wizard. Harry stared just as levelly back.

"Walk with me, Dresden."

"My train -"

"- doesn't leave until Hardison lets it."

The two men walked across one edge of the Concourse, with the mastermind lost in thought. After a few moments, he reached into his jacket and offered Harry a plain white envelope. "Your pay. Plus incidentals, and so on."

"Jeez," Harry stared at the envelope, then pocketed it inside his duster. "Thank you."

Nate stopped and turned to face the wizard. "You did magic."

"I did."

The mastermind shook his head. "You know, after the MFA, Sophie was explaining it to me. She described it as being sheep in a pen facing a man with a shotgun."

"It's not… entirely wrong. But also not completely right."

"No?"

Dresden smiled thinly. "Sometimes the sheep have shotguns, too."

Nate made a faintly amused sound. "Sometimes the sheep hire a wizard."

"And now you know where ninety percent of my work comes from. Congratulations, another puzzle solved," Dresden teased.

"Yes, but -"

"But you don't like the shape of it?" The wizard shrugged. "Neither does most of the world. Give it time, Ford. In a few months you'll be looking for explanations, twisting your memories into things that fit your reality better. In a year you won't think twice about it."

"You make it sound so easy."

"That's because I've seen it happen most of my adult life, and all of my professional life."

Nate thought very carefully on that. "I don't like that. I don't like thinking that the only way this works is if I lie to myself. I'm not interested in being comfortable, or I wouldn't do what I do. I don't want, I don't need the world to be in order, Dresden. I need it to be fair."

"That's our job, not the world's," the wizard replied simply. "We make it fair."

Nate chewed on that. "So it is."

"Besides, I doubt Parker's gonna let you forget that magic's a thing that happens. And hell, there's Sophie right there with you, Ford. If you don't look at her and see what she does is magic, I'm not sure I can help you. I'm not sure anyone can."

That did make the mastermind grin, however crookedly. He turned and offered his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you, mister Dresden. Can I add your number to our Rolodex?"

Harry shook it amicably. "Absolutely. Unless it's Portland."

"Worse than Boston?" They started walking back to the team.

"You have no idea. Besides, you'd have local help there if you needed it."

"Another wizard?"

"No." Harry gestured vaguely, as if to organize his thoughts before he spoke. "Do you happen to know what a Grimm is?"

[justfr4tm]

Hi! For this ask game :>

9 and 23 for Angel Dust, and 12 for Vox

9. Could i be roommates with Angel Dust?

as much as I love him as a character, he needs to stay 50 feet away from me/j

I would probably enjoy being just friends, roommates sounds like a little too much lol

23. Favorite Angel picture

every shot from ep 8 really

12. a headcanon for Vox

I love to think he has a tail and has to plug it in to recharge. Him recharging allows him to not feel tired, so he doesn't need to sleep that much, though sometimes he still enjoys taking a nap. (a 32 hour nap.)

tysm for doing the ask game :D🩷

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 27. brb x oc

a/n: this man is not going to keep himself together once he knows :)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: P U P P I E S

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @kulicny @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @dhwanishah09 @jesfreedark

-

Jolene gave birth in the second week of November, a litter of two girls and two boys. Beatrice woke up in the middle of the night with the birth already happening and all she could do was take care of her dog until she was done.It was magical, and stressful, but Beatrice was crying as she saw the puppies wriggling about.

She wanted to take a picture to send Rooster but she remembered she couldn’t, not until he told her he was close to his phone again. So she just kept it to herself…amongst other things. She was so focused on Jolene she forgot to do the follow up at the doctor about the ultrasound, only remembering when she was cleaning the little pen Jolene and her puppies were. “Oh, fuck.” she groans, pushing herself to her feet and rushing to her phone to check if there was still time.

She had fifteen minutes and she looked a mess, “Fuck!” but she didn’t want to leave Jolene alone, she had to call someone! Shells? No, Shells was probably napping at this hour, Evelyn was working and couldn’t come over, Leonardo was out of the question…which left one final person: Michael. Michael worked at night, he spent most of his morning doing God knows what and he wanted to meet Jolene’s puppies!

Which also brought the question of what she’d tell him once he got there. She had to come up with something but…the pantry was full, she can’t say she had to go grocery shopping, nothing in the house needed repairs, “Oh!I know!” she looks down at where Jolene is with her puppies, her auburn pittie just tilting her head, “I can tell him I need more blankets for you guys! That’s a great idea!”

The fact that Jolene looked like she was in an actual nest could be easily ignored.

“That’s perfect, he’ll never suspect anything.” she presses the phone to her ear after finding Michael’s name in her contact list, ‘He’ll be too busy looking at you guys too so.”

“Hello?”

“Mikey!Hi, good morning!Listen, are you busy?”

“No, I’m out and about, what’s up?”

“Can you stay with Jojo for a little bit while I buy her and the puppies some more blankets?”

Beatrice could swear he stopped breathing when she said ‘puppies’ and was probably ignoring anything else that came out of her mouth, “I’ll be right over.” and hangs up after saying he loved her. Beatrice tries to fight the proud grin but there’s no use, humming in triumph as she slid the phone back into her pocket.

Everything was going well, all she had to do was stick to the plan. No one else - besides Ev,Shells and Penny - knows about her pregnancy and while she did trust Michael’s word when it comes to secrets she also knew how much being an uncle meant to him, so he was out of the list as well.

Beatrice looks down at Jolene and her four puppies - one white, one black and brown, one auburn colored and one pitch black - all nursing themselves on their mama, as Jolene wagged her tail once she meets her owner’s eyes. Beatrice smiles, gently falling to her knees to pet her head, “You knew, didn’t you Jojo?” she asks as she scratches under her chin, “You knew about me.”

The way Jolene stood close by and how she often placed her head on Beatrice’s stomach was enough of a sign. Jolene boofed softly, as if she was confirming her owner’s questioning, closing her eyes as Beatrice kept petting her.

She sighs, then pulls out her phone just to take a quick picture of the puppies so she could send Brad whenever possible, smiling when the white one stopped feasting to lift her closed eyed face towards Beatrice as if she knew where she was already. Beatrice smiles, taking another picture of the pink nosed puppy and gently petting the tiny white bean with the back of her fingers.

Beatrice gets a message from Michael letting her know he arrived, which leaves her a bit confused but she stands up, walking towards the door where she could see her brother’s face peeking through the window. “Jesus Mike,” she says once she opens the door, “That’s creepy, don’t do that shit.”

“Where are they?” he questions, walking around his little sister with his laser focus towards the puppies, “Where are the tiny babies?”

“In the kitchen,” his massive form disappears from her view and Beatrice grins when she hears the soft yet loud gasp from her brother…followed by the baby talk. She walks back into the kitchen where she sees Michael is on his knees, leaning a bit forward with his lips parted in an ‘o’ shape, pointing at each little puppy and then caressing Jolene with his huge hand, “Cute huh?”

“Yes. Oh my God,” he whispers, “Oh they are little angels Bea. Oh I love them so much.”

“Yeah I know, anyway, I just need you to stay with them for a little bit.” She explains while placing her bag strap on her shoulder, then grabbing her car keys “To keep them company and…you are no longer hearing me are you?” Michael was too busy lying on the ground to be on face level with the new babies, cooing the one that sniffed his finger through the crate and then petting Jolene.

Beatrice rolled her eyes with a grin, knowing that they’d all be okay there…and now there was time for her to go. She knew what to do, she knew what to expect and she waited a bit before going just to make sure everything was fine. She sent another bye towards her brother, receiving no answer as she expected, closing the door behind her and making her way to the red jeep.

Honestly the drive to the clinic was a bit quick, she barely remembers arriving there and she sat inside her car with her hands on the wheel, looking ahead, chewing her lower lip.

Why was she hesitating? Why was she nervous? 

Maybe because that’s the very first pregnancy she ever had and she didn’t want anything bad to happen. That was why. Beatrice closes her eyes for a second, smell the flower, blow the candle and then leaves the car towards the clinic. As she wanders inside, she feels a bit on the spot by the amount of women there, some heavily pregnant, some not but most if not all of them had their partners with them.

Beatrice bites her lower lip, reminding that Rooster isn’t there because he couldn’t be, not because he didn’t want to be and to not let her mind spew words in her brain that weren’t true. She talks to the receptionist who smiles and tells her that the doctor will see her soon enough and to wait a bit, which she does, almost squeezing herself away from the couple next to her chair.

She bites her lower lip again, tapping her hands together between her thighs as she waits, looking up at the clock on the wall, bouncing her leg anxiously until it was her turn. She hears the mother next to her coo to her belly, then her husband puts his hand on top and she tries to gaze away from them because the last thing she wanted was to be called a creep but she couldn’t help but imagine how Rooster would react.

He’d be happy, because of course he would…maybe more protective than normal- no he’d definitely be more protective than normal. Would he become one of those satellite husbands who would always- yes. Yes he would. Beatrice has to bite back her smile before the laugh leaves her lips, just at the thought. “Beatrice Bradshaw?” a woman calls from a room and it still jolts her how now she had his last name. She lifts her head to meet the woman’s eyes, then stands up when she smiles, “Come on in.”

She remembered when she went with Marina to have her ultrasound because Derek was working, she remembered how pregnant her sister was and…it was making her second guess this decision. Maybe it was too soon, she thinks as she lies down, maybe she should’ve waited more, she couldn’t hide the gasp nor the wince when she felt the cold gel on her navel as she pulled down her shorts, maybe she should’ve-

“Well, well, there is something there.”

Beatrice immediately lifts her head to check the monitor, widening her eyes when she finally sees it. It’s very small, it’s so tiny it was hard to recognize it but it was there. That was her baby! “Oh….oh wow.”

“It’s still really small, it’s just a month old after all.” a month old, so that means she got pregnant during Palermo! “But, so far it looks okay. I do think you should come back in a few months, when you reach the fourteen to eighteen week mark.” 

“So…so it’s okay?”

“Well, it is still the first month so there’s always the need to be extra careful.”

Beatrice blinks at the doctor, she gets a bit confused but nods nonetheless, “Okay, u-um, should I…refrain from something?” the doctor offers her a kind grin, then rolls away from the table to open a drawer on her desk, flipping through some papers before handing it back to her, “Oh.”

There was a list of do’s and don'ts for first time mothers, she had to pay attention to it on the way home so she’d donate what she shouldn’t have at the house. Hopefully there aren't a lot of things? She’s been researching some stuff herself so she could at least be prepared until then.

She thanks the doctor before leaving, holding the piece of paper in her hands as if it was precious and fighting the best she could to not send a message to Rooster. No, she had to wait until he was ready to talk, he couldn’t now so there was no need to do that…but what she could do was prepare something for him…and buy paints, and work on the baby room!! Oh she was so excited!

-

“I’m back!” Beatrice calls, her hands filled with bags that she was sure to hide from her brother by hurriedly putting them in her small studio room, playing it off as drawing supplies while she goes to the kitchen with a new blanket for the puppies just like she said she’d get. Beatrice sees Michael is seated on the kitchen watching a movie on his cellphone and Jolene is still in the little pen with her babies, tapping her tail on the futon as the brunette approaches her.

Bea’s brother, who was currently eating a sandwich, looks up at her when she leans closer to Jolene, a pastel colored blanket in her arms, “How was the day? You took a long time to get back.”

“Oh, I went to Mackenzie’s to get some art supplies.” she says with a smile and for the first time the lie comes out so smoothly she’s proud of herself. “And the blanket too of course.”

“Hm, alright, well, they all behaved.” he smiles down at the puppies who were snoozing silently against Jolene, “Hey, do you guys plan on keeping them or something?”

Beatrice sets her bag on the counter, then looks over at Michael ‘Well, probably not. The house is spacious but we can’t keep them all…why? Are you interested?”

“Well, I am and so is Bibi. Once she finds out they are born you know she’ll pester Leo about it. Nevermind she just had a little sister, a dog is way better than a sibling.” he jokes, leaning on his open hand as he watches Beatrice laugh to herself as she fills a glass with water. There’s a piece of paper sticking out of her back pocket but he can’t see what it was from where he was seated, “So, anyway, do you need me for anything else?”

“No, Mike, but you can stay if you want.” 

“Nah,I gotta work later tonight and I need my beauty sleep, so,” he grunts as he pushes himself to his feet, walking over to Beatrice and pecking her forehead, “I’m going to take my leave and go home, Bea. Bye babies!” he coos towards the sleeping puppies, his smile never faltering as he walks to the door with his sister in tow, “Anyway, do let me know if you need any more help, I’ll do my best.”

Bea smiles and hugs him one final time, watching until he gets to his car then drives off. She waits a few more minutes, keeping her eyes on the car that was so far she could no longer identify it then bolted back inside after locking the door. She rushes to her little art room, yanking everything she got at the department store and setting it in front of her on the ground.

There is paint, a lot of paint, tape, a small box, alongside baby items she was going to make Rooster’s gift with, “Okay.” she smiles, gathering everything in her arms and rushing to the outside so she could have space and keep an eye on Jolene as well. Her dog just followed her with her head, blinking her big eyes until she could no longer see Beatrice on the backyard.

Since Beatrice didn’t want to make a lot of noise, even if she wasn’t cutting anything or using her power tools, she didn’t want to disturb Jolene’s puppies nor the new mama. She takes in a deep breath with a smile, then grabs everything she bought that day as she prepared Rooster’s little surprise. “Oh, shit!” she stands up, running inside the house to their bathroom, “Almost forgot!” 

She kept the tests inside the bathroom drawer for safety, fearing that if she kept it anywhere else she might throw it away by accident. Once she has them in her hand, holding it up like it was Excalibur, Beatrice walks back outside to where she left everything.

She knew she couldn’t do much, she had to keep it simple because, well, he was somewhere else far away and it’d be a bit awkward to bring home a box bigger than he could carry inside his bag. So what she did was choose one that looked like a pen box, nothing unusual nor that it’d bring a lot of suspicion once he got it and something that could fit both tests without worries.

Beatrice felt the butterflies dance in her stomach, she was happy, she was excited, she was over the moon because she was pregnant! It was almost unreal how everything happened, how one year ago this was the last thing in her mind and now, she married her crush - her handsome, tall and sweet crush - and now had a mini Bradshaw inside of her.

“Mini Bradshaw.” she smiles, wrapping the two tests in light green colored paper, keeping it closed with a paw print sticker, “It is a mini Bradshaw, oh just you wait until your dad hears about you.” she was already talking to the baby even if it was as tiny as a grain of rice– “Oh! Oh great idea!”

Jolene just opens one of her eyes when she sees her owner open the pantry cabinets and rummage for a bit until she comes out with one single grain of rice, “Oh he’s going to lose it!” Beatrice then grabs a piece of paper and a copic marker, voicing the words she writes down on it, “What is the size of a grain of rice but not a grain of rice? Oh! I should ask him to not open until we are able to video chat…so I can see his reaction to it! Yes, great idea!”

She does write that down too, knowing that surprises are the one thing that eats on Rooster the most, he is like a little boy during Christmas eve eager to get his presents first. But hopefully, hopefully he will take on her request and wait until it is time.

Beatrice smiles once she is done, gluing the tiny grain in the middle of the paper and folding around it until it was just a thin square. She walks back out to grab the box, places the square on top of the folded paper and then clicks the box shut, “Perfect.” and now all she had to do was send it…she hoped it’d get there by the time they talk again, or at least the very next time they talk is what she is earning for.

As long as it reaches his hands she’s happy, she doesn’t have to worry about anything else.

Beatrice smiles at the little box, letting out a sigh through her mouth and then places her forehead on top of the gift, feeling like she was about to burst at any second now. She just wanted a safe pregnancy, a safe delivery, a safe baby, nothing else. And she’d do everything in her power for this baby to be born healthy, including keeping up with her yoga exercises in the morning since she’d seen it was good for the baby.

She sets the gift on the kitchen counter, preparing herself for the next step in her project, walking out of the kitchen and to the art room where the paint cans and brushes sat as if waiting for her return. She made a promise to herself to paint more this year, especially to finish that picture she never did - now thinking she should add more things to it before the baby was born.

As she walks back to the baby room, opens the door and turns on the light, she smiles seeing her sketches from a few weeks back, “Okay,” she looks down at her still normal sized stomach, “Time for us to paint your room, are you excited?”

And she decided that doing it now was better seeing she wouldn’t be very mobile by the next months after all. Beatrice looked around, pursing her lips and thinking where to start, “First, let me cover the floor.” she tells herself, spreading newspapers until she is surrounded. Beatrice then supports her chin on her hand, then her other hand on her hip, looking around with her eyes squinted just a bit, “Hm…hmmmm, I think I should start with the background first, that’s a great idea.”

Since she didn’t have work that day it was also a great way to pass the time, knowing this would take more than a few weeks to finish. Beatrice popped the paint cans open and got to work, even putting on her playlist as she did so, humming to Good Golly Miss Molly as she paid extra attention while painting.

Beatrice manages to paint most of the backgrounds until she feels her stomach beg for a snack, looking down at her cellphone to see it was “Holy shit, it’s past seven, oh God!” She closes everything and rushes down the stairs, greeting Jolene and the puppies when she enters the kitchen.

She’s covered in paint, there’s paint on her knuckles, her arms, under her fingernails and undoubtedly on her face as well, but she was going to take a shower after eating. She just decides to have some of the leftovers from last night’s dinner, heating everything up on her stove and checking her phone once she turns around.

There’s no message from him yet, the little ‘<3’ he left her being the last thing he said in weeks…she tried not to worry, she really did and she didn’t want to send him more than the message of support from a few weeks back. “I hope you are okay Roos.” she whispers, “For both our sakes.” 

What was she talking about, he was okay, he had to be. He said it’d take a while for him to talk back, there wasn’t anything going on, “Yeah, he’s fine.” she says with a firm nod, looking down at her stomach, “Your daddy is very brave. He really is, you know? He’s so smart too…I think you’ll be smart just like him. And probably musically talented.” she looks to where his piano was in the corner of the living room, imagining him and the mini Bradshaw seated next to him was already making her chest constrict.

He was okay. 

Everything was okay.

“God, Roos…talk to me soon.” she says against her phone, “Please.”

[libidomechanica]

“From harmony, this one, so in a man; and answer to speak the top”

A cinquain sequence

               1

From harmony, this one, so in a man; and answer to speak the top. As she doth among.

               2

Kiss thy pain. He was for all their colour animals. Fire. Where what and look! Such rage asswage.

               3

Down between classes. I played with fair and marking stay, and spangled in the space like Write it!

               4

The leagues of doom. What the blabbing like a flower as love round my darling, charlie, he’s ground.

               5

Pilots of dawn of stars go overflow. You seek for me! Give way you, all that from thy book.

               6

In all my spit. If there to worry vague and made aware. Like vibrant tail, with the river.

               7

I set me down. Me. He wrung him. Mother’s and dew upon thy wrack my peace that place an hour.

               8

And there’s thievish progress to be stars. Making a milking, that prevent my care na by.

               9

But passion and snow, despite the souls! Not Time or floats up, bright guid will, but Love fled and high.

               10

Goldilocks of Europe— can children save me not amiss. Even bury me, bury him?

               11

Except that I should do? Of unsifted off. And bosom swelling, underneath the season?

               12

What word was moved to which make. That he sat in front of men, what once I did not say, since what?

               13

And the sheet—crushed pepper— althought meant hold me beguil’d, this rage asswage. Lose some in the kye.

               14

For thee. To be happy skies, breadths of azure robe before I conceit of the evening sky.

               15

Grew or stood, which I gaze in the hold a fretful briar will; but is enough? Instruct thine?

               16

The faults should be a little flocks had cut him remains; long may win thy selfe best grac’d to think?

               17

Far grace, it light like a flowes, and cough loudly, violet, yet with rewards my lips shall sweet.

               18

Yet half the soil; and in this, that I have loved you for bliss? If it be not, there could not sad?

               19

And wanton play, dove-like flowers, the sheet and pillow. And Love is left me maim’d to dwelling.

               20

Saw the parrot’s call my mother’s vow, dead weeds and yet now knew we would breed unrest, O help!

               21

And somebody, I am clad in floods of chromatic ecstasy. Now as the fluster!

               22

With winged her comes and vibrant tail, with gathering or dead. Wherein he does to climb the space.

               23

Glen. I fry in vain. No bitter what it might; beyond the head so to see the highway home.

               24

It is that I had rather days I long dead! The Earth turn. Poor restless seas that Summer’s fate!

               25

(Linger? But their clothes, dirtying the unbroken nights not Europe—can children resist it speak.

               26

A city sound. Teach me to try. As an anger, and comfort? A fingers of Earn, and strive.

               27

And if ever mind, for this, nor I toil, the low replies. For me, in water unto thee.

               28

But soon he fountain commits strain was a saint. Big heart to driven by a lawn’s cast over.

               29

The lightly me, but, trowth, I can, the fuel; and then all song I climb the sea after long past.

               30

Because is due. And flowers to surrender the news; the melancholy into towers.

               31

The thorn, wet were once dry; but from her eldest daughter thou ever mouth of youth, and down tents.

               32

And all that will lend this or that mean. Dream how deep river, and eye’s dearest bands untwining?

               33

Who are were driven by the in Glenturit glen. And I vomit into my fathoms, false!

               34

Because your branches sit, chirping love which time breake in me her fruit. But of sight well: and more.

               35

An earth shall be you contented he field, and the abysmal wave? Shall we shower will best.

               36

And the dying no higher. One groan was never noticing underneath thee; thou survived.

               37

And having thresholds, from thee rest. How can it? Until he came back somewhere I leaves they be.

               38

Flutes: it is a praise, but and star, gleam. Nature lessened in love talk, not know how blackbird’s feet.

               39

Thought of existence beacons. And loved, the other: what is it threefold, it made apt sprites.

               40

We wanton base of my Soul. To discover, and shall be he toothy workers, even now!

               41

For its before happy rose, and all by my early morning. For the pride, the fancy yet.

[robbie-roo]

Hey! Could you please talk about afrotheria? You're the coolest zoologist I know!

dawwwww

but yes of COURSE I can talk about afrotheria it's a very diverse group they all have a questionable relationship and have a whole lot of convergent evolution they're somewhat related to Xenarthra but we aren't entirely sure how close yet

Paenungulata and Afroinsectiphilia those are our two clades or "branches"

so Afrotheria have 6 Supergroups and 3 families

Chrysochloridae (golden moles)

Tenrecidae (tenrecs)

and Potapogalidae (otter shrews)

as always this is gonna be an overview and will likely be split into multiple parts if I start feeling like the post is too long

So first! Chrysochloridae

these are found in Africa in the southern Sahara desert there are 7 genera and 18 species

so common traits:

some are on dry some are on wet lands

they are burrowers and look like marsupial moles

they have short limbs and tails

enlarged shovel-like forefeet with 1-2 claws

reduced eyes and carpinnae

large nosepads

short crisp fur (idk why I wrote crisp to describe them but thats what I have written down)

as for their bones they have HUGE malleus bones (inner ear bone) which could be for picking up ground born vibrations

(left shows the enlarged bone compared to a normal size)

they do have some sight but don't have electroreceptors like some of the burrowers we've talked about. they live in fairly loose soil and will grab insects to eat

they do have teeth! upper and lower molars their hair will usually cover up their eyes and limit vision further and they can detect very very low pitches

so let's put a face to the name!

this is a golden mole! a very elusive creature that comes out at night and swims though the sand just under the surface I doodled one in my notes I think I was pretty accurate

not a whole lot is known about these guys aside from this sorta basic knowledge since they're pretty hard to study they're really good at hiding from research teams

Next!!

Tenrecidae

8 genera, 32 species (which may increase by about 20 soon once new research is compiled)

they vary in size with the largest being around cat size and the smallest being smaller than a mouse! they have a varied habitat and diet

there are two groups I'll talk about for these guys the spiny tenrec in Africa and the shrew tenrec which is only found in Madagascar they can either be mouse-like or possum-like

these guys are fucking WEIRD so remember how I said monotremes have cloacas? these guys do too! male tenrecs also don't have scrotum due to their low body temperature

(this group also houses the Hemicentetes nigriceps which has the single largest litter size of any mammal and before you ask- 32 babies. at once. that poor mother.)

these guys also have quills and the Hemicentes will communicate by shaking their quills

they also have incomplete zygomatic arches (no cheekbones) not only is that incomplete but so is their auditory bullae

they have spiky teeth and own a whopping 32-40 of them! they have very beady little eyes and cannot maintain their own body temperature but one species will hibernate

And last but not least, the Potamogalidae

these guys are home to three species that all live in Africa they are highly modified for aquatic life and look sorta like otters (they are not related that's convergent evolution baby)

they have short strong legs and a flat tail they they mostly use to swim they also have some webbing on their feet

they eat small aquatic life and have a poor sense of smell to make up for it they have really strong whiskers they kinda look like wet rats

there's not a whole lot known about otter shrews they're also pretty rare and hard to study

but don't you worry.... there's more that was only one confusing branch to afrotheria we have 3 more on the other branch

[lovelyladyabsinthewrites]

Love Song for a Vampire Pt.6

Pairing(s): Edward Cullen x Wolf!Reader, Edward Cullen x Bella Swan, Jacob Black x Bella Swan

Warnings: none really

Words: 1454

Summary: You reunite with your pack and they have lots of questions.

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4  Part 5   Part 7  Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11  Part 12  Part 13  Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17  Part 18  Part 19  Part 20  Part 21  Part 22  Part 23  Part 24  Part 25  Part 26  Part 27  Part 28  Part 29  Part 30  Part 31  Part 32  Part 33  Part 34  Part 35  Part 36  Part 37  Part 38  Part 39

Slipping out quietly from the Cullen house, you take a deep breath; filling your lungs with fresh early morning air. They probably knew you were leaving, but just in case you didn’t want to make any noise as you fled. It felt good to move your body. For hours you hadn’t been in control, stiff as the dead. Gently, you rolled your muscles; experimenting with how much movement you had. Almost back to normal although a few places were tight. A few pops gave you a shiver, feeling the release of your joints. The wolf in you was thrilled.

Starting at a slow pace, you were drawn straight to the forest that made the border of the Cullens and the Quileute pack.

Your feet picked up pace once you passed the threshold of skinny trees and dived deeper and deeper. Heart racing, you felt your entire body explode as you leap; what was once a human foot was replaced by a giant paw.

All four paws landed with a thud, your world expanded as you tilt your head up; snout sniffing the air for anyone familiar. The thoughts of the others nearby immediately flooded you. Never truly alone in the forest, you full on run, knowing your way home by heart.

Yes. You were free. You were powerful in this form. If only you had had a chance to shift before being poisoned by that. . . that thing. The image of her still haunted you.

“(y/n)!” Came the echo Paul’s voice, excited and full of relief.

“Jesus, is that what you and Sam went up against?”

“What the hell was that thing?”

“Are you okay?”

Vibrations under your paws alerted you to the stampede of your pack, your family. They fell upon you, tails wagging and snouts poking at your face. You licked them happily in reply. Young and scrawny Seth Clearwater came bounding on lanky limbs and nearly bulldozed you to the ground had you not been stronger. You were able to keep yourself up and tackle Seth to the ground playfully. Paul and Jared tag in and it becomes an all out wrestling match, the only way they could show that they had truly been concerned about you.

“Alright, give her some space.” The lumbering black wolf of Sam stood patiently with Jacob, Quil, and Embry and the other young wolves. All except for Leah.

Reluctantly, the boys get off of you and let you stand up to shake yourself off.

“How are you feeling?” inquires Sam as he looks you over.

Admitting “A little stiff from being paralyzed for so long, but other than that I feel great. Are you okay? You didn’t stay at the Cullens.”

“I had to get back to the pack, tell them what happened. The Cullens assured that you would be taken care of and released as soon as you were healthy enough. Which it appears didn’t take too long. I’m glad.”

One of the young wolves, a thrill in his voice asks you “So what was that thing?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it. Even in all the horror movies I watched.” Another juvenile pipes in. All this supernatural stuff must have been so exciting for them. They didn’t know yet how dangerous that world was. Even for a being as strong as the wolves.

“Enough questions.” Embry speaks up with a snap of his teeth. Their ears flatten like airplane wings; tails tucked between their legs. “(y/n) has been through a lot. She doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“Embry is right. We should let her rest.” comments Seth as his tail wags slowly.

You didn’t want to talk about your experience, but that didn’t mean you wanted to skip out on your patrol duties. Especially since there were rogue vampires potentially roaming about. “Thanks for your concern, but I want to go back to work.”

Feeling Sam’s hesitance, he turns his head to look at Paul and Jared to see what they thought. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. I only got a little scratch on my face. And the poison has already exited my system. I’m ready to go!” Pawing at the earth, you try and smile as best as you could in your wolf form. The wolf pack needed everyone on board. A vampire had been so close to your territory. This. . . Victoria. Whoever she was. She was bringing trouble to Forks and La Push. The string of mysterious deaths up in Seattle most likely was her doing as well. You had seen it on the late night news that your parents watched. It made them worried as well. They knew that you would have to deal with the murderer if indeed it was a vampire. Constantly they worried about you. You knew they would freak out once you got home and they saw the cut upon your cheek. Job hazards, you would tell them. Neither of your parents knew that you had already imprinted. You would keep that to yourself for as long as possible.

*

“You know you didn’t have to walk me home, right?”

Embry blushes a little bit as the two of you walk side by side on the gravel road. The clothes you had worn at the Cullen household were back on you, the smell of vampire having been wiped away during your patrol out in the forest. “I know, I just wanted to make sure that you’re really okay.”

A smile spreads across your face as you focus on the road ahead but inside you felt a little giddy that this sweet boy was worried about you. Out of his little trio, Embry was by far your favorite. The two of you had so much in common and often hung out when the two of you weren’t scheduled for patrolling. Or when you were paired off, most of the time you and Embry would simply goof off, earning a scolding from Sam. You had hardly had any time to hang out with him since. . .

Since you imprinted on Edward.

That had put a sour note in your life and made it difficult to enjoy anything.

“Well, thanks I suppose.”

“Did it hurt?”

“What?”

Embry stops and points to a spot on his cheek, mirroring where Xiomara had injured you. Fingertips cautiously move up to the jagged scars that had barely scabbed over. Underneath your feather like touch, you felt the soreness of the wound; like a bruise below your skin. “No. I was paralyzed. I couldn’t feel anything.” Except for fear. You had been too focused on staring into Xiomara’s pitch black eyes; watching your own terrified reflection.

Now a bit embarrassed, Embry quickly shifts his gaze away from you. “Sorry. . . but hey, at least you’ll have a cool scar to talk about later. It’ll make you look hardcore and badass.”

Giggles bubbling through your throat, you nod. “Yeah! Now I’m excited! I just hope my parents don’t freak out too much.”

“What’re you going to tell them?”

“Eh. . . cat scratch?”

“That’s one big ass cat!” Embry lets out a cute snort-laugh.

Closely, side by side, the two of you talked of nonsense subjects and silly notions. The events of the past couple of days left you, immediately and in a rush.

Before you knew it, your small house came into view.

You and Embry simultaneously stopped. Just looking at your front door. In your gravel driveway, both of your parents’ cars were there.

“Who am I kidding, my parents are definitely going to freak out.”

“You want me to go in with you?”

Shaking your head you tell him it’s okay. “Thanks for walking me home though.”

“You’re welcome.” Embry smiles at you, such a boyish smile too. When you start walking again to your porch you hear Embry call you back. You turn halfway to better hear him. His whole body had become tense. “I know you’ve imprinted on. . . him. . . but, I just have to tell you this, at least once. I like you a lot. I’ve liked you so much for such a long time that I don’t even know when it started. I know you’re not my imprintee either, but until she comes into my life I don’t think I’ll stop feeling this way for you.”

You felt incredibly lightheaded. A boy likes you.

He wasn’t Edward, but you had always thought Embry was cute.

Blush and butterflies both burst into your body.

“Ah-um. . .” All throughout your hands was a warm tingling sensation.

“(y/n)!” Your front door is thrown open and your mom and dad are rushing to you. Allowing Embry to escape back up the street.

---------

TAGLIST: @saltedcoffeescotch , @dangerouslittlefairy , @burn-crash-rqmance , @casedoina​

[gnatolie]

Clown Cat Crochet Pattern Listed Below!

Full disclaimer, this pattern has not been tested by anyone but me yet. I haven’t had the chance to make a second clown cat and take pictures of the process yet. I only have the pattern written for a bi-color hat and body for now but it would be pretty easy to convert to once color. Feel free to message me if you have questions about any part of the process and I can hopefully explain a little better! *instructions listed are specifically for a cat, but the ears, face, and tail can be altered to be a different animal. crochet the head as instructed below, embroider your desired face, and find a good pattern for ears you want. just make sure to use two strands of yarn and an H hook so the size isn’t off.

  Materials: - 2 balls of yarn in chosen head color (white) - 1 ball of yarn in color A (½ main colors. I chose red) - 1 ball of yarn in color B (2/2 main colors. I chose yellow) - 1 ball of yarn in color C (1/1 accent colors. I chose blue) - Tiniest amount of yarn for nose (I used red for that classic clown nose look) - safety eyes (I used 12 mm, you can also embroider them or use buttons) - stuffing/wadding - H/size 8/5.00 mm hook - F/size 5/3.75 mm hook - bell (optional, for nose) - pompoms or buttons (optional, for body and hat decoration. I opted to make my own tiny pompoms because I didn’t want to buy any. Instructions are listed in this pattern) - embroidery thread (optional, I used thread to embroider eyelashes and mouth) - makeup or fabric paint + clean brush to apply (optional)

Abbreviations (US Crochet Terms): ch - chain sl - slip stitch sc - single crochet dc - double crochet inc - increase dec - decrease fo - finish off st - stitch

  Special Terms/Techniques: Intarsia/Mosiac/Jacquard crochet - used for hat. Daisy Farm Crafts’ gingham blanket patterns explain the technique really well. Here’s a link! You have to scroll a bit to find the explanation. Popcorn/Bobble stitch - used to make pompoms on hat and body Ladder Stitch - Used to stitch parts together, join halves of body, and minor tailoring of the “hip” area.

Head (head color) x1:

*Use H hook **Head is worked using two strands of yarn at once

Worked in the round. Start with a magic ring

sc 6 in magic ring (6)

*sc inc in next stitch* repeat 6 times (12)

*sc inc, sc in next stitch* repeat 6 times (18)

*sc inc, sc in next 2 stitches* repeat 6 times (24)

*sc inc, sc in next 3 stitches* repeat 6 times (30)

*sc inc, sc in next 4 stitches* repeat 6 times (36)

sc in each stitch (36)

sc in each stitch (36)

sc in each stitch (36)

sc in each stitch (36)

sc in each stitch (36)

sc in each stitch (36)

sc in each stitch (36). Place your eyes between between rows 9 & 10, about six stitches apart.

*dec, sc in next 4* repeat 6 times (30)

*dec, sc in next 3* repeat 6 times (24)

*dec, sc in next 2* repeat 6 times (18). Embroider the rest of the face and begin stuffing.

*dec, sc in next stitch* repeat 6 times (12). Finish stuffing.

*dec* repeat 6 times (6). FO and stitch shut, leaving a long tail to attach head to body later.

Ears (head color) x2:

*Use H hook

**Ears are worked using two strands of yarn at once

Worked in the round. Start with a magic ring.

sc 4 in ring (4)

*sc, inc* repeat once (6)

*inc* repeat 6 times (12)

sc in each stitch (12)

sc in each stitch (12). FO, leaving a long tail.

Flatten into triangle and stitch to top of head. I positioned the ears between row 3 & 4 of the head and sewed down the side. 

Nose x1:

*use f hook from this point on **use one strand of thread at a time from this point on

Worked in the round. Start with a magic ring.

sc 6 in magic ring (6)

*sc inc in next stitch* repeat 6 times (12)

sc in each stitch (12)

sc in each stitch (12). If you’re using a bell in the nose, add that now.

*dec* repeat 6 times (6). If you’re using stuffing, add that now.

*dec* repeat 3 times (3). FO and stitch shut, leaving a long tail.

Sew one or two rows below the eyes, directly between them.

Hat (colors A, B, and C):

*Intarsia/Tapestry crochet is used for this piece. A link explaining how to use this method is provided under “special techniques.” Brush up and practice if you need to!

Using color A, start with a magic ring.

sc 2 in color A. Switch to color B. sc 2 in color B. (4)

sc inc, sc in color A. Switch to color B. sc inc, sc in color B. (6)

*sc inc* repeat 3 times in color A. Switch to color B. *sc inc* repeat 3 times in color B. (12)

sc in first 6 stitches with color A. Switch to color B. sc in last 6 stitches with color B. (12)

sc in first 6 stitches with color A. Switch to color B. sc in last 6 stitches with color B. (12)

sc in first 6 stitches with color A. Switch to color B. sc in last 6 stitches with color B. (12)

sc in first 6 stitches with color A. Switch to color B. sc in last 6 stitches with color B. (12)

sc in first 6 stitches with color A. Switch to color B. sc in last 6 stitches with color B. (12). Switch to color C.

*sc inc* repeat 12 times. (24)

*sc inc* repeat 24 times (48). FO leaving a long tail.

Weave the end of color C towards the center of the hat, between the space where the hat ends and the ruffle begins. Sew the hat to the head, adding stuffing to the hat to make it stand. Pompom will be added later.

Because the hat is worked in the round, the colors may create a kind of swirl instead of a true half and half look. I chose to block my hat out by dampening it with warm water and twisting it until I was happy with the way the colors sat.

Arms (head color, A or B) x2:

*work first arm in color A, second in color B. Ruffles are worked separately in color C and sewn on

In Head Color, start with magic ring

sc 6 in magic ring (6)

*sc inc* repeat 6 times (12)

*sc inc, sc* 6 times (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18). Switch to color A or B.

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18)

sc in each stitch (18). Stuff and FO leaving a long tail. Stitch the top shut and leave a long tail to attach to body later.

Arm Ruffle (color C) x2: ch 18, join to make a circle 1. sc inc in each chain (36) 2. sc inc in each stitch (72). Sl in next stitch and FO. Sew onto arm where body color meets color A/B.

Body (color A or B) x2:

*body is worked in halves and stitched together **body is worked in rounds for feet, then rows for chest/belly ***the “hips” of the body are angular due to decrease; I ladder stitched over the angles after stuffing and constructing to make the body look smoother on the sides

In color A or B, begin with a magic ring

sc 6 in magic ring (6)

*sc inc* repeat 6 times (12)

*sc inc, sc* repeat 6 times (18)

*sc inc, sc in next 2 stitches* (24)

sc in each stitch (24)

sc in each stitch (24)

sc in each stitch (24). Chain 5. Body is worked in rows from this row on.

sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 3 ch. sc in next 24 stitches. sc 4 in other side of ch spaces (32). Ch 1, turn.

sc in each stitch (32). Ch 1, turn.

sc in each stitch (32). Ch 1, turn.

sc in each stitch (32). Ch 1, turn.

sc in each stitch (32). Ch 1, turn.

sc 14, sc dec twice, sc 14 (30). Ch 1, turn.

sc 13, sc dec twice, sc 13 (28). Ch 1, turn.

sc 12, sc dec twice, sc 12 (26) Ch 1, turn.

sc 11, sc dec twice, sc 11 (24) Ch 1, turn.

sc 10, sc dec twice, sc 10 (22) Ch 1, turn.

sc 9, sc dec twice, sc 9 (20) Ch 1, turn.

sc 8, sc dec twice, sc 8 (18) Ch 1, turn.

sc 8, sc dec, sc 8 (17) Ch 1, turn.

sc 7, sc dec, sc 8 (16) Ch 1, turn.

sc 7, sc dec, sc 7 (15) Ch 1, turn.

sc 6, sc dec, sc 7 (14) Ch 1, turn.

sc 6, sc dec, sc 6 (13) Ch 1, turn.

sc 5, sc dec, sc 6 (12) Ch 1, turn.

sc in each stitch (12) Ch 1, turn.

sc in each stitch (12). FO and weave in end.

Stitch the halves of the body together with a ladder stitch. Stuff the feet to desired firmness. You should have about 24 total stitches at the top of the body where the “neck” is – it’s okay if you’re missing a stitch or two though. The neck ruffle will be worked directly to the top of the body and will be made in the round.

Join color C to neck.

sc inc in each stitch (~48)

sc inc in each stitch (~96)

dc inc in each stitch (~192). Sl in next stitch. FO and weave in end.

Tail (head color) x1:

*tail can be made longer or shorter. add or subtract repetitions of row 3 to desired length **i chose not to stuff the tail but you can if you’d prefer to

start with a magic ring

sc 6 in magic ring (6)

*sc inc* repeat 6 times (12)

sc in each stitch (12)

sc in each stitch (12)

sc in each stitch (12)

sc in each stitch (12). FO and leave a long tail.

Pompoms (color C) x4: *regular fuzzy pompoms or buttons would work just fine for this project but in case you don’t have access to either of those and don’t want to buy them, here’s a fast lil tutorial. it’s basically just one single popcorn stitch tacked into a sphere shape. ch 3 in 3rd ch from hook, dc 5 (5). remove hook from loop and reinsert in the top of first dc. insert hook in loop and pull through. ch 1, FO and leave a long tail. Sew your popcorn stitch into a sphere. I sewed the top of the stitch to the bottom chain, then the side of the first dc to the side of the last dc. Play around with tailoring your popcorn until it looks like a pompom.

Construction:

At this point, you should have a head (stuffed with eyes and mouth), nose, hat, two ears, body, two arms with ruffles on the wrist, a tail, and some pompoms.

If you haven’t already, stitch the ears, hat, and nose to the head.

Attach the head to the body using the long tail left after FO. Finish stuffing as you sew. I used a ladder stitch and aligned row 15 of the head to the neck opening since both have ~24 stitches. It’s okay if part of the neck ruffle is tacked to the head.

At this point, I tailored the “hips” of the body to be smoother. Originally it was pretty angular. I used a ladder stitch to hide some of the “extra” fabric on the hips. You can leave it if you choose, of tailor it to whatever hip shape you like.

Attach the arms to the body. I, of course, used a ladder stitch. The arms are sewn to the side of the body, right underneath the neck ruffle.

The tail is sewn to the back of the body. I chose to place mine towards the bottom, where color A and color B meet.

Sew pompoms onto your clown cat. I put one on top of the hat, then three on the center of the body like buttons.

Finally, add makeup. You can do any design you like! I’ve used fabric paint before but I don’t like the texture it has, so now I use cheap makeup and brushes. (Because I sell/gift plushies, the pallet and brushes I use have never touched human skin and are consistently cleaned but if you’re making a plushie for yourself, you can use whatever you have. Finish off with a little scotch guard if you want to protect the makeup or leave as is. Of course, if the plushie is being gifted to a pet or a child, don’t put makeup on it – embroider or use non-toxic paint instead).

That’s it! Now you have your very own clown cat (or other animal, if you decided to use a different head pattern).

Again, this pattern has only really been tested by yours truly and I haven’t had a chance to take pictures to go with these instructions, so if you run into any problems, go ahead and reach out to me! Happy crafting!

This pattern is available for free here because I don’t believe in gatekeeping crafts but if you’d like to show me some love, support my yarn habit through kofi!

[snowdice]

Big Bang (Sort of) Editing Story [Day 67]

I started writing this fic while editing my Big Bang story, but am going to continue doing it for other things now that Kill Dear is out. I will write and publish 100 words of the story every time I finish doing whatever task I’m doing. If you’d like to block these proceedings, please feel free to block the tag proofread stories. I will reblog this post with the parts of the story I do today. Edited chapters are linked; everything else I’ve done so far is under the cut.

My Master Post Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30

Got many things to do today, though I do have a meeting in a bit over an hours, so there will be a break.

Chapter 31

Logan waited for a while after Patton left to check on Virgil, but the two never resurfaced. It was odd, Patton would usually remember to come back and get Logan or at least tell them where they were. With a sigh, Logan climbed to his feet to go find them. It took him a while to weave his way through the maze of bushes to them especially because they were suspiciously quiet (Well, suspicious for Patton. Virgil was often unnervingly quiet when alone.) Luckily, he knew the bushes enough after all of these years not to get lost and managed to find the two after a few minutes.

“Ah,” he said, immediately identifying the reason for Patton disappearing.

 “Logan!” Patton said, his voice excited, but also quieter than normal. “We found a kitty!”

“I can see that,” Logan responded, taking a step closer. The cat hissed at him in response. The hissing was so intense and wild that he’d suspect the thing was feral if it wasn’t happily on Virgil’s lap having had it’s head in Patton’s lap before Logan had approached.

“No,” Virgil told the animal as though it could understand words. “That’s Logan. Be nice.”

The cat still glared at him and swished it’s tail back and forth threateningly. Virgil pet the top of it’s head and it broke eye contact with Logan to purr.

 Patton seemed delighted by the purring, reaching to stroke under the thing’s chin carefully. “We should give her a name!” Patton said.

Virgil frowned. “I thought her name was Ghost Kitty.”

“That is ‘Ghost Kitty’?” Logan asked skeptically. From what Patton had said about that cat, it was terrified of people and no one could ever get near it, even him. Now it was in Virgil’s lap?

“But that was a temporary name,” Patton said, “for before we officially met her. Now we have to give her a real name.”

“Do not give it a name,” Logan said. “You will get attached.”

 “How do you name a cat?” Virgil asked.

“Do not name it,” Logan said.

“You give them names based on their personalities, how they look, or even just because it’s a cute name,” Patton explained. “Like, remember Mittens? I named her Mittens because she has white fur and black paws!”

Virgil looked at the cat. “She’s completely black,” he said.

Patton hummed. “So, we could give her a name based on that like Midnight or Shadow.”

“Those are fine,” Virgil said.

“No, no,” Patton said. “I’m just giving you examples. You get to name her yourself.”

“This is a bad idea,” Logan said.

 “Just throw out some names,” Patton said. “Anything you can think of.”

“Uh,” Virgil said. “Knife.”

“…Just Knife?” Patton asked.

“Nightmare.” Virgil seemed to think about it. “No, that’s mean.”

“How about things you like?” Patton suggested.

“Alfredo?”

Oh no, Logan thought, he was worse than Patton at cat naming.

“Good start,” Patton said. “Logan, do you have any suggestions.”

“Cat,” Logan said.

“Real suggestions,” Patton scolded.

Logan sighed and thought for a moment. “Aphrodite.”

“Catphrodite!”

Logan glared at him. “Helena.”

“Helenpaw.”

“Claudia.”

“Clawdia.”

“Persephone.”

Patton smiled at him, cheerfully.

“…Damnit!”

Patton turned to Virgil again. “Like that! They don’t even have to be serious. Like, uh, you could name her Madam Fluffywuffykins the Great!”

“Do not name her that,” Logan said, scrunching up his nose.

 Logan sat on the ground, the cat eyeing him, but no longer hissing. Logan gently guided them towards more sensible names despite Patton trying his hardest to drag them into stupidity.

Virgil still didn’t quite get it. He mostly tried to name it after foodstuff, and often not even appropriate foodstuff such as “Corn” and “Acorn Squash” and “Sandwich” and occasionally would drop in semi violent ones such as “Razor,” “Nightshade” and “Void.” Patton suggested names like “Fluffers,” “Bobette” and “Darling” as well as some that were puns. Logan tried to direct them towards more sensible ones like “Salem�� and even went so low as to suggest the contrary “Snowball.”

 It quickly seemed to become less about actually naming the cat and more of a game. Patton had taught Virgil about playing with cats and had even gotten out a ball of yarn he cared around for his crafts. Both Virgil and the cat seemed to find endless entertainment with that. Logan hoped Patton had another ball of yarn that color because, he was never going to get that ball back.

The barrage of names fizzled out into naming things around them like “Leaf” and “Bush” until they stopped suggesting names altogether. Patton and Logan sat back and watched Virgil play with the cat.

 Logan watched as they stopped playing suddenly and Virgil and the cat squinted at each other. “Marisol,” Virgil said, pulling the name out of nowhere. “That’s her name.” He said it with a certainty that was surprising considering how he’d treated the naming process with confusion and caution earlier. If Logan did not know better, his tone of voice would indicate that the cat, or Marisol he guessed, had gotten bored of them coming up with stupid names and decided to tell him her actual name herself.

The cat made a sound and batted at Virgil’s face without claws to grab back his attention.

 He turned back to it and bopped its face with a finger in kind. It attacked his finger, but in a clearly playful matter as it still did not extend it’s claws and its teeth did not draw blood.

“That’s a great name, Virgil,” Patton said.

“Much more pleasant than any that Patton suggested all afternoon,” Logan said. He received an elbow to the side for his quip.

“A pretty name for a pretty kitty,” Patton said, scooting over to where Virgil was sat and attempting to pet Marisol’s head. Marisol, however, was too keyed up and batted at the hand.

 “I love you too!” Patton said.

Logan rolled his eyes, but he had long since resigned himself to watching the two of them play with and coo over the cat for the rest of the day.

Eventually, though, it started to get darker. Even after Logan pointed this out, it still took over an hour for them to relent and leave the bush maze to go to the door. The problem was of course, that the cat had managed to grow very attached to Virgil in the last few hours and she followed them all the way to the door with manipulatively heart breaking mews.

 “You’ve got to stay out here,” Virgil said, when they got to the castle door. He pet her ear softly and she shoved her head into his hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t have anywhere to put you.” He sounded horribly sad about that fact and Logan felt himself shift uncomfortably. “I basically live in a closet and Logan doesn’t like cats in his room anyway.”

Logan immediately felt unreasonably guilty, probably more so because Logan did not think Virgil was trying to make him feel guilty. “…Bring the dammed thing inside.”

Virgil blinked up at him. “What?”

“It will get cold soon anyway,” Logan said.

He frowned at Logan from where he was crouched. “But you don’t like fur in your room…”

“I will have to find a potion that works,” he said with a sigh, “and we’ll have to say it’s mine to the guards and Father since it will be staying in my room, but it is yours in every other way. That means you are going to feed it, clean it, and clean up after it.”

Virgil nodded immediately and swooped Marisol up in his arms. The cat went without complaint. “Thank you!” he said. “I love her.”

“I know you do,” Logan said, already regretting it already. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to even consider recanting the offer considering how happy Virgil seemed to be. They had a cat now, he guessed.

  Chapter 32

“What are you doing?” Helen asked a few minutes after her son walked into the kitchen and started looking around as though he were trying to find something. It was a few hours into the afternoon, and she and a few workers were already prepping for dinner.

“Uh,” Patton said. “Have you seen Virgil?”

“No,” Helen said. “Why.”

“Er… Logan and I sorta, lost him,” Patton said. He was wringing his hands anxiously. Helen put down the knife in her hand.

“What do you mean you lost him?” she asked.

“Well, see, we were trying to teach him how to play hide and seek, um, but then we didn’t think to tell him that he eventually had to come out if we didn’t find him, and now we haven’t seen him since breakfast.”

 “He didn’t know what tag is?” she asked. That was just one more thing to add to the list of why Helen worried about Virgil and where he came from. Every morsel of information she’d managed to wring from Patton despite his evasions made her lists of concerns grow larger, even little things like him not knowing about simple childhood games. Actually, thinking of concerning things having to do with Virgil. “Wait, so he hasn’t eaten lunch.”

“Um, we don’t know that,” Patton’s mouth said while his eyes said ‘no.’

“He needs to be on a consistent diet, especially when he’s still taking the malnutrition potion,” she scolded.

 “I know, Mama, I know,” Patton said. “I’m trying to find him. I’d kinda hoped he’d gotten hungry and snuck down here. He probably wouldn’t want to risk being caught stealing food though.”

Helen grimaced. Yet another concerning thing.

“Wait! I have an idea, I’ll be right back.” Patton turned and ran out of the room. Helen frowned at the space he’d been and finished chopping the carrot on the cutting board in front of her. If it had been any other person in the castle missing, Helen wouldn’t have worried, but she had literally never seen Virgil without Patton and/or Logan by his side. Even when he’d gone to help Jeff can some fruit, Logan had reportedly hung around to read a book.

 Considering that Logan had never exactly been clingy even with Patton, she imagined that either Virgil asked, or Logan thought he should stay with him for his comfort. So, she was surprised that he was apparently hidden away somewhere in the castle where neither of the other kids could find him.

Still thinking about this, she walked over to the entrance to the cellar below the kitchen where they stored most of the vegetables, planning to grab some more carrots. She was confused for a moment when she heard movement from deeper in the pantry. She reached over and touched the panel near the door that controlled the magic lights.

 The newly illuminated figure startled as the lights came on, whipping around to stare at her with wide eyes.

“Virgil?” she asked.

“Sorry,” he said immediately, taking a step back.

“It’s fine,” she said immediately, “but what are you doing here?”

He considered her for a long moment, but apparently, she passed some sort of mental test, because he relaxed, at least as much as he’d ever relaxed in her presence. “Where are we?” he asked.

Her brow knit together. “The cellar under the kitchen,” she said, “You don’t know that?”

He shook his head.

“The only entrance is from the kitchen.” Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen him go through the kitchen at any point.

 “No, it’s not,” Virgil said. “There’s a tunnel.”

“A-a tunnel?” she asked. Actually, taking a closer look at him, he seemed a bit grimy. He had dust all over his front and dirt on his nose. She thought he might even have a couple of cobwebs in his hair.

“Yep,” he said.

“Where’s the tunnel?” she asked.

“It’s right over here,” he said. He took a couple of steps and pointed to the ground. There was an open square hole there that clearly had been made a long time ago but which she had never noticed in all of her time working here.

 “How did you find this?” she asked.

“We were playing hide and seek,” Virgil explained. “Logan said I could hide anywhere inside the castle. I hid on top of a dresser upstairs in some unused sitting room. There was a hole in the wall above it, so I climbed into it. Then, I crawled a little bit and it let out into a hidden passage in the walls. I wandered around in it until I found another hole in one of the walls. I thought it was a way out, so I squeezed into it, but it took me to a different hallway where I found an old room. There was a different hole in that room that had probably been covered by something because it was in the floor but whatever it was had rotted away. I crawled though it into a tunnel and came out here.”

 She couldn’t help but laugh a bit at his explanation. “Well, it sounds like you went on an adventure,” she said, “but Patton and Logan have been trying to find you. You missed lunch.”

He tilted his head at her. “I know. I was supposed to hide.”

“Yes,” she explained, “but you are supposed to come out at some point if they can’t find you for things like food.”

“Oh,” he said.

“They probably should have explained,” she said. “For now, why don’t we get you something to eat? You must be hungry.”

Virgil frowned. “But I missed lunch.”

“You can still eat even though it’s not in normal hours,” she said. “You could even if you had made it to lunch.”

 “Really?” he asked, he looked tragically confused by this offer.

“Of course, sweetie,” she said. “In fact, I insist you get something good to eat right now. How about I made you a grilled ham and cheese sandwich? Maybe some cookies too!”

Virgil titled his head. “You are Patton’s mother,” he stated.

Helen laughed softly. “He gets its all from me,” she said. “We should probably go find him and tell him you’re okay. He was worried.”

“I didn’t mean to worry him,” Virgil said with a frown.

“I know,” Helen said. “It’s okay. He’ll probably laugh when he figures out where you’ve been, and Logan will interrogate you all about the secret passageways.” He seemed happy about the prospect of seeing his friends. “Come on, let’s go upstairs for a bit,” she said.

  Chapter 33

Patton’s mom had already made Virgil sit down at the small table in the corner of the kitchen and had handed him a sandwich by the time Patton barreled into the kitchen, Logan coming after him at a more sedate pace.

“Virgil!” he said, sounding surprised and relieved.

“Patton,” Patton’s mom scolded. “No cats in the kitchen.” Patton had brought Marisol in with him and had let her go as soon as he’d seen Virgil. She immediately plodded over to him and hoped onto the table to sniff at his face in greeting.

“But she’s the princess!” Patton argued.

“No,” Logan said.

 “Yes, she is!” Patton said.

“The stupid cat is not a princess.”

“Don’t be mean to your little sister, Logan.”

“I regret every life decision that has led me to this point.”

While Logan and Patton were distracted squabbling and Patton’s mom was distracted watching them squabble, Virgil tore off a bit of the ham in his sandwich and offered it to Marisol. Marisol gracefully took it from his grip and ate it.

“So, this is Logan’s new cat I’ve been hearing about?” Patton’s mom asked.

“Indeed,” Logan said, his lips thinned. He and Marisol were mostly amicable when alone with just them and Virgil, but Patton had a habit of cooing over the kitten and needling Logan into being irritated.

 “Mmm, yeah,” Patton’s mom said. She glanced over at Virgil right as Marisol basically slammed her face into his chin in a bid to get pets. “Your cat.” She shook her head. “But Princess Kitten or not, I do not want fur in dinner,” she said.

“Sorry,” Patton said, honestly not sounding sorry at all. Virgil was always a bit surprised when the insolent shrug garnered nothing more that a scowl that did not reach Patton’s mom’s eyes. “I thought she could help me find Virgil, but you already found him.” He turned to Virgil. “Where have you been all day?”

 “Found a tunnel,” Virgil said. He had to use one hand to hold Marisol back from his sandwich as he took another bite, but then gave her a bite of cheese.

“You found what?” Logan asked.

“There’s a tunnel under the cellar,” Virgil said. “It goes to an old closed up room and also to a set of secret passageways.” It was a bit of a security risk honestly, though clearly no one had used it in years by how dirty it was. He did plan to go back into it and make sure the sprawling tunnels didn’t go to anywhere more dangerous like the royal wing.

 “A closed-up room?” Logan said. He could see a bit of curiosity already building in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Virgil said. “Where the door used to be seemed like it had been bricked over.”

“Really? Can you show me.”

“Sure,” Virgil answered.

“Ah, perhaps we should be a bit more cautious about climbing through random tunnels we don’t know the stability of,” Patton’s mom said.

Logan’s frown edged on a pout.

“Talk to your father,” she said. “I’m sure he can get someone who understands these things so you can safely investigate.”

“It was safe enough for Virgil,” Logan pointed out.

 “No, Logan.”

He sighed but seemed to concede. That was another strange thing about living here. By all rights Logan didn’t have to obey anyone except the king, but he often listened to those around him, not just the adults but Patton as well. It was interesting though it sometimes made the hierarchy hard to figure out. Virgil did sometimes stress out about the hypothetical situation where he got conflicting orders from two people, and he wouldn’t know which one to obey. So far it hadn’t been a problem luckily. They always seemed to work it out amongst themselves in some give and take social interaction that was a bit too complex for him to understand.

 Patton walked over to where Virgil was sitting. “I’m glad your safe,” he said. “We should probably put a time limit on hide and seek in the future, so you know when to come out.”

“Did I win?” Virgil asked. He’d honestly forgotten they’d been playing a game until Patton’s mom had asked how he’d found his way into the cellar.

Patton laughed. “I’d say so, yeah,” he replied. He leaned over to kiss Virgil’s forehead, but drew back immediately with a pinched expression. “You are… very dirty,” he said, rubbing his mouth.

Virgil nodded. “Your mom made me sit on a tablecloth,” he said gesturing to the fabric she’d laid over the chair.

 Patton snorted out a laugh. “We’ll get you into the bath when you’re done eating and you can tell us all about your little adventure.”

“I would also like to hear about your discoveries,” Logan said. “Though you are not allowed to sit on the bed until you do not have spider webs in your hair.”

Patton’s eyes widened and he jumped away from Virgil, startling both Virgil and Marisol. The latter hopped from the table onto Virgil’s lap. “Spiders?!”

Virgil tilted his head at him in confusion.

“He isn’t a fan of spiders,” Logan informed him, his voice amused at Patton’s reaction.

 Apparently deciding that she was no longer startled, but more confused by the noises Patton had just made, Marisol jumped out of Virgil’s lap to investigate, wrapping her way around Patton’s legs. He bent down to pat her back, though he still looked a bit startled.

“Your cat, huh?” Patton’s mom asked Logan once again. Virgil studied her. She had apparently missed Logan mentioning that he allowed Virgil on the bed. Or perhaps Logan was correct in his insistence that it wasn’t actually that big of a deal here. Virgil would rather not test that assumption, however, so was glad that it had been distracted from by Patton’s outburst.

 “Creepy, crawly death dealers,” Patton mumbled into Marisol’s fur, having picked her back up. Virgil made a note to not inform Patton of all of the different types of spiders he’d seen skittering around in the castle walls today. Maybe he’d talk about them with Logan once Patton left. He’d probably be interested. Virgil had seen some he’d never seen before! Logan probably could even help him figure out what their names were. “You’ll protect me, won’t you kitty?” Patton asked Marisol.

She made a little ‘burrrr’ sound in response, which Patton seemed to take a confirmation.

“Aw thank you, baby! Such a good baby.”

50234

Virgil popped the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. Patton’s mom turned away and grabbed a plate stacked with cookies. She handed it to Logan. “Take these, and please get the health hazards out of my kitchen,” she requested.

Logan took them without complaint. “Come on, Virgil,” he said. “Let’s go get you clean.”

“We’re going to need so much soap,” Patton said.

Virgil looked down at himself. “I can go outside and get most of it off if you get me a bucket of water,” he offered.

“Virgil, it’s below freezing,” Logan said as though that had a baring on what he’d just said. Logan sighed. “No. Bathtub.” Virgil shrugged. “Honestly,” Logan said. He turned with the plate of cookies in his hand, clearly expecting to be followed. “You’re not going to catch your death pouring a bucket of water over yourself in the cold when there are literally over a hundred perfectly good bathtubs in this castle. For goodness sakes.” And well, Virgil wasn’t going to complain.

  Chapter 34

Patton, to be completely honest, was not all that interested in the room that Virgil had found. Beyond just the fact that it would definitely have creepy crawly death dealers in it, he really did not understand the intrigue. If it had just been him, he probably would have just let a castle worker deal with it, but it was not just him. Logan was ecstatic with the prospect of investigating a secret in the castle. People who didn’t know him well may not believe it considering he spent most of his time with his nose in a book, but he was an adventurer at heart.

 Thomas had been easily swayed into finding someone to help tear down part of the wall into the secret tunnel near the room (so no one would have to crawl through the kitchen cellar like Virgil). It had taken a few days, however, and Logan was practically bouncing off the walls waiting. Virgil, despite having already seen the room before, also seemed excited, though if that was because of his own curiosity or because he was just excited that Logan seemed so exited remained to be seen.

“They are silly, aren’t they,” Patton asked Princess Marisol. He was laying on his stomach on Logan’s bed and Princess Marisol had just put her little paw on his nose.

 “Yes, I agree,” he said. “Don’t they know that we’re literally going to be 2 feet away from the normal hallway?”

“It is not silly,” Logan defended himself. “Any number of things could go wrong.” He sounded far too excited about the prospect of something going terribly wrong. “The tunnels could cave in and block off the exit or there could be some unknown pathogen in the air.”

Patton did not ruin his fun by mentioning that Logan’s dad had definitely basically baby proofed the tunnels for them ahead of time. Instead, he just said, “Don’t let Virgil hear you say that sort of thing. It will just stress him out.”

 “Yes, yes, of course,” he said, waving off Patton’s concerns as he mulled over two different weird green planty things (potion ingredients, Patton assumed) before setting one aside and sticking the other in his bag.

“So silly,” Patton cooed at the cat. Logan let out a huff but did not choose to say anything about it this time.

Speaking of silly, Virgil came back from Logan’s bathroom then, and Patton tried not to giggle. “Is this right?” Virgil asked, sounding and looking confused. Logan, in his overexcitement about adventure had commissioned Virgil an outfit that actually fit. Said outfit, however, very much made it look more like Virgil was going on a safari instead of a two-foot detour from the normal castle hallway.

 “Almost,” Logan said, “Here, let me.” Logan started straightening everything out and flattening the collar, reminding Patton of an overbearing parent on picture day. Virgil accepted the fussing without protest. It was adorable. Well, the outfit was ridiculous, but still, adorable. “There,” Logan said. “I think we’re ready to go now.”

It was about time. Patton was sure people were already waiting for them downstairs. Patton got up and patted Princess Marisol on the head. She looked up at them with interest.

“You can stay here, sweetie,” Patton told here. She seemed to consider it and then hopped down from the bed to go rub up against Virgil.

 Patton guessed she was coming. It didn’t matter too much since Logan had given her a magical collar that allowed her to open most doors in the castle and everyone knew she was the royal cat now, so if she decided she wanted to come back to the room and nap, she could. (She was very aware of the power she held.)

She pranced happily by Virgil’s side all the way down the steps to the first floor of the castle. She was such a good kitty.

Well, she did hiss angrily at everyone who came too close to them, but still, a very good kitty.

 Patton did lean down and pick her up so they could actually talk to the man waiting for them at the large hole in the wall. Logan went to talk to the castle worker while Virgil half hid behind Patton. He was clearly listening very intently to the conversation however, at least more intently than Patton was. Patton was busy shaking his head fondly.

“Yes, yes, Princess,” he said to the cat. “I know we do not trust the strangers, but I promise this stranger is perfectly safe.”

“How do you know?” Virgil asked.

“His name is Chester and I’ve known him since I was 9.”

 This seemed to slightly alleviate Virgil’s suspicion, but Princess Marisol still seemed antsy. Patton really needed to start slowly introducing the both of them to more people.

Logan finished talking with Chester after a few moments and it was time to climb through the hole in the wall. He wished he saw in the tunnel whatever Logan with his excited eyes and bounce to his step obviously saw. Or even that was more comfortable in the dark closed in space as Virgil obviously was. As it was, Patton’s nose scrunched up at the thought off all of the spiders that could be living everywhere in the secret tunnel, but he pushed through.

 The entrance to the tunnel had been made only a little bit from the room Virgil had mentioned and Chester had led them through it after only a couple of seconds. As Patton had suspected, the room was already lit up and probably cleaned a little bit by the people who had cut into the wall, not that he was complaining.

Virgil was still clinging a bit to Patton’s shirt, though it seemed to be less out of anxiety at this point and more out of a desire to stick close. He was peering around curiously at the lit-up space. He probably hadn’t seen much of it in the dark when he’d been here before.

 Yet, his curiosity was nothing compared to how excited Logan seemed to be. Now Patton may have not been interested in the room itself, but he was entertained by how interested Logan was and was happy to encourage that.

“What do you think this place is?” he asked Logan.

Logan hummed contemplatively, eyes looking around. “Well,” he said. “It’s a bedroom clearly, and old. Considering the location it is in in the castle, the size, the decorations, and it’s likely age, I’d imagine it was a bedroom of a royal family member. This used to be the royal wing three royal lines ago.”

 “Bearing that in mind, there are a couple of likely possibilities for the origin of the room as well as the reason it was sealed up, but we will need to investigate more in order to come to an actual conclusion.” He had already placed the bag he’d brought on the ground and was going through it, pulling out things that Patton did not recognize. He also got a piece of paper and sat on the floor to start to sketch.

“What are you doing?” Virgil asked.

“I’m sketching the floorplan of the room,” Logan said. “I will then put a grid on it so we can investigate while being sure that we aren’t missing anything.”

 Virgil seemed uninterested in this part of the adventure, instead electing to go poking around by himself. Princess Marisol squirmed out of Patton’s arms to go follow him. Patton swore that he only looked away from those two for 5 seconds, but the next thing he knew he heard metal clicking against metal.

“Oh,” Patton said, eyes wide when he saw what Virgil was fiddling with. “Honey, you probably shouldn’t touch…”

The old but fancy looking chest that had been at the end of the remains of the bed creaked open. Virgil sneezed as a cloud of dust puffed out of it. “Huh,” he said studying the contents. “There’s a skull in here.”

 “Oh, I don’t like this adventure anymore,” Patton commented.

Logan was on his feet within moments. “Let me see,” he said eagerly.

“What if it’s cursed?” Patton pointed out.

“Then I’ll just break the curse,” Logan waved him off. “Oh, it’s just a horse skull,” Logan said, sounding disappointed. “And also what seemed to be potion ingredients. Though they seem very fresh considering the state of the room.”

“Maybe we should get someone else to…”

Logan already had both arms inside the chest and was pulling things out of it. “This chest must have some sort of stasis effect to it.”

 He started pulling things out to look at them before setting them on the floor with no caution. “Well,” he said, “that answers the question of what this room is.”

“It does?” Patton asked.

“Ah, yes, between the horse skull and the potion ingredients, this is obviously the bedroom of Princess Marianne Elicia. She was the third child of King Simon IV and was quite the fan of horses.”

“…So she kept a horse skull in a stasis chest in her bedroom?” Patton asked.

“Of course,” Logan said. “Back when her family was in power, magic was outlawed and had quite the stigma against it, but she ended up learning magic and become quite proficient.”

 “It’s debated what exactly happened when her father found out about her activities. Some sources say that she was executed silently by her father, but others say she managed to escape with the head of the stables but not before putting a curse on the country of Prijaznia. That is until she or one of her bloodline sits on the throne, every royal line will end in madness and blood by the 5th seated monarch before an heir is born.”

“Isn’t that something you should be worried about?” Virgil asked.

Logan shrugged. “It’s just a myth,” he said. “Besides I’m 6th in the line, so there really isn’t any concern.”

52142

“There are a lot of interesting things in here,” Logan said, still focused on the chest. “Not to mention the books. We’ll have to be careful with those though since they don’t appear to be in stasis.”

Logan pulled the horse skull out and set it on the floor making Patton wince.

“Marisol no!” he said as Princess Marisol immediately went to go sniff at it. He swooped her up in his arms. “How long are we staying in this creepy room?” Patton asked.

“Patton, we just got here,” Logan said.

“We just got here and already found a skull!”

“Yes! Exactly!”

Patton groaned into Princess Marisol’s fur even as she tried wiggle away to go back and investigate the skull. This was going to be a long day.

  Chapter 35

Logan was surprised when he woke up alone in bed. He’d grown to anticipate waking to a smaller body unrelentingly clinging to his in the past couple of weeks. Confused he sat up and peered around his bedroom. He wouldn’t have seen Virgil with the way he melted into the darkness if it he hadn’t heard the sound of purring coming from near the window. He could just barely make out a dark blob shifting up and down at the cat kneaded at a different blob sitting mostly hidden behind the thick curtain.

“Virgil?” Logan questioned. “What are you doing?”

 “It’s snowing,” was the answer.

“That is not an answer,” Logan grumbled at the ceiling. With a sigh, he pulled himself out of bed. It was a bit chilly in here, he thought. The temperature must have dipped suddenly and intensely enough that the runes keeping the castle at a warm enough temperature hadn’t caught up yet. He pulled one of the blankets off of the top of his bed to wrap around his shoulders as he approached the window. There wasn’t much light outside, the stars and moon covered by clouds, but there were some lanterns lit for the night guard who patrolled the outside. “Oh,” he said in surprise. “It’s really snowing.”

 It had been colder but not quite cold enough for snow to stick the day before, so it came as a surprise when he saw snow was piling up quite high to the point where familiar paths outside his window had disappeared.

“I don’t like it,” Virgil informed him.

“Why not?” Logan asked.

“It’s cold,” Virgil answered. It was clear in his tone that in Virgil’s opinion ‘cold’ was a horrible insult to the concept of snow. Logan quirked a half smile and his attention was drawn to the fact that it was quite cold right here close to the window.

 Frowning, he pulled at the blanket around his shoulder so he could wrap it and his arm around the lump that was Virgil. He brushed the boy’s hand when he did so and found it was like ice.

“You’re freezing!” Logan said. “How long have you been by the window?”

“I dunno,” he replied.

Logan was already tugging at him. “You need to get back in bed,” he said.

Virgil obeyed the pulling at his arms even as he frowned. “I’ve been colder than this before,” he said.

“That actually doesn’t make me feel better,” Logan replied dryly as he shooed him towards the bed.

 He took the thicker blanket that usually stayed folded at the end of the bed and pulled it up over Virgil before climbing into bed beside him.

“There,” Logan said, rubbing Virgil’s arms through the fabric of the sweater he wore to bed. He was glad he wasn’t wearing a t-shirt at least. “The runes for heating the castle should catch up within a few hours, but until then this should do. Assuming we don’t sit by the freezing window for an undetermined amount of time.”

“I don’t like the cold,” Virgil told him.

Logan sighed. “Then why did you sit by the window?”

 Virgil shrugged and ducked his head a bit. Logan reached out to grab his hands to help him warm more but was surprised when one of the hands was much warmer than the other. He found his fingers were clutching a crescent shaped stone: the protection charm they’d made. Logan knew that he kept it in his pocket most of the time, but he didn’t normally see him holding it like this. It was warm to the touch, of course, indicating the safety of the room around them.

Logan looked over his face. “Are you…” he said. “Scared of the snow?”

 “I don’t like the cold,” he said once again.

“You’re scared of the winter,” Logan concluded. He looked at Virgil who was far too small for his age and seemed surprised at every casual act of kindness. It was clear that his basic needs were far from being met before he came here. Logan had to wonder what winter usually meant for him. His experiences were doubtlessly very different from Logan’s own. “That makes sense,” he acknowledged, “but you don’t need to be scared of it here. The castle is always perfectly warm and safe in the winter and Mr. Deknis and Ms. Heart work hard during the other seasons to make sure we have plenty of food. There is nothing to fear here.”

 He did not seem convinced.

“You don’t even have to go outside if you don’t want to,” Logan promised. “The castle is plenty big if you’d like to stay inside all winter long. It was made for the winter even without the magic devices that keep it warm. We have fireplaces and well insulated rooms even if those that ends up failing.” Logan pulled open the hand that had the protection charm just to transfer it to his other hand to warm it. “Though, while no one would force you to go outside, the snow isn’t always bad.”

“Yes it is,” Virgil said, his voice sure.

 “Not all the time,” Logan insisted. “Some people love the snow.”

“They’re stupid.”

Logan laughed. “It can be fun for a while with the right equipment if you have someplace to get warm again afterwards. Royal duties slow down during the winter and Patton tends to come up with all sorts of games for both the inside and the outside to pass the time. He’s particularly proficient at snowball fights, at least against me.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Play fighting,” Logan answered. “Like pillow fights, but snow.”

“I’ll stick with the pillows,” he replied.

“And then there’s a hill to sled down on the western side of the castle, and people like to build snowmen along the path.”

“What are snowmen?” Virgil asked.

 They’re temporary statues made out of packed snow,” Logan explained. “Typically, they’re made of three different sized balls of snow: the largest being the base and the smallest the ‘head’ though there are some variations. After building them one typically decorates them with different articles of clothing and objects found lying around. It’s usually sticks and rocks for the face and then things like extra hats and scarfs for decoration.” He smiled softly. “When my Pa was alive, we used to steal my Dad’s crown and fanciest robes. Sometimes Pa would steal it right off of Dad’s head and we’d run away. We’d find a secluded area of the castle yards and build the biggest snowman we could as quickly as we could before we got caught. He’d usually end up letting us keep the robes, but we’d have to give the crown back since some of the metals in it would rust when wet.”

 “That sounds…” Virgil’s nose twitched. “fun if you take away the touching snow part.”

Logan laughed. “It is fun,” he said. “Even with the touching snow part. Though, I admit that some of the ability for it to be entertaining does come from the fact that we could warm up afterwards with ease. You’ll enjoy Patton’s mother’s constant offering of hot chocolate during the season even if you never go outside, I’m sure.”

“Hot chocolate?” Virgil asked intrigued. His dark eyes shone brightly in the little light coming through the window. It was clear he could guess something about the drink just by the name and enjoyed the implications.

 Logan smiled fondly. “It is a hot drink,” he explained. “It’s a warm drink made out of milk and chocolate. I can get you some to try in the morning.”

Virgil nodded, eyes still wide with interest.

“For now, we should sleep though,” Logan said. “Are you warm enough? I can get more blankets.”

“I’m fine,” he said.

“Good,” Logan said, reaching up and adjusting the blanket over them once more, tucking it around Virgil a little bit for good measure. “Goodnight Virgil,” he said.

“Goodnight,” he replied softly. Logan reached under the blankets to grab the hand that was still slightly chilly from the window between his own. Virgil’s eyes slipped closed after a moment as he nuzzle his face into the pillow. At some point they both drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 36

Thomas had already been well aware that winter was on the way, but he and the rest of the castle occupants had been surprised at how intensely and suddenly it had come on. Most things were ready for the winter, but not all of them had been initiated. The fireplaces that took some pressure off the castle heating runes were cleaned out and ready, but they hadn’t been started yet. The stables for different animals on the grounds had been checked over and staff assignments had been made, but most were still in far out fields. Staff that went home for the winter months had been dismissed, but there were a few stragglers that would have to be helped home before things got worse.

 He’d gone out to the main stable to talk to the three workers that were the heads of different areas of animal husbandry to make sure a plan to get everything to where it needed to be soon was in place. It took a while to figure out considering that they’d expected a little more time before the first major snowfall. Thomas also asked them to make sure all of the workers’ homes were in good enough condition for the weather. Ranch hands typically had homes on castle grounds but not in the castle themselves since they needed to be close to the animals. Thomas knew at least half a dozen of those who spent most of their times out in the fields were the type to forgot to maintain their homes because they preferred camping amongst the animals in the summer months and then would be in for a bad time when snow began to fall.

 There should be enough extra rooms in the castle if they needed a place to stay until repairs could be done.

Those conversations took a good couple of hours, before Thomas was satisfied. Before trudging back to the castle through the still falling snow, he made a point to stop at one specific horse stall in the main stable. The horse turned his head to see Thomas when he stopped in front of his stall and puffed out a rather disaffected snort before sticking his head over the gate so Thomas could pat his nose. “Hello, Mr. Apples,” Thomas said.

 The horse seemed to conclude he’d tolerated Thomas’s petting enough and ducked his head to nudge at his torso. Thomas rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes,” he said. “I brought you an apple. Some things never change.” He reached into his pocket to grab the red apple he’d brought the white Arabian. “At least you don’t bite me anymore.” He paused, apple slice in hand and eyed the horse’s nose suspiciously. “Do not bite me,” he said even though he hadn’t felt the animal’s teeth in a decade. It would be just like Mr. Apples to wait until his guard was down.

 After a bit of scrutiny, he offered an apple slice. It was snatched out of his hand and there was a loud crunch as it was bit into.

“It’s snowing out,” he told the horse. The horse seemed to roll his eyes at the statement of the obvious. “I’ll remind again that if you run out in a snowstorm, I’m not running after you, so you’d be out of luck.”

Mr. Apples snorted.

“You’re old now. You’d probably not survive long enough for people to find you. Besides, you blend in with that white fur of yours. They’d probably walk right past you a few times.”

 He went back to nosing for treats as soon as he finished his first and Thomas sighed, pulling out another apple slice. “What are they not feeding you enough?” The gusto with which the horse snatched the apple slice was a very clear answer. “Well, we both know that’s not true.” Thomas fed the horse a third slice of apple when he was done with his second. “I have to get back to the castle now. Don’t be a devil horse.”

Mr. Apples threw his head a bit, splattering apple smelling foamy spittle all over Thomas’s front.

“Understood. Have a nice afternoon.”

 He left Mr. Apples in his stall then, knowing he’d be well cared for no matter how ill-tempered he could be at times. He’d been a king’s horse once, after all, no matter that said king had been dead for more than a decade now.

Winters were hard.

Winters were the times when things always slowed down at the castle, where royal duties were often thin. There were a lot of memories in winter.

The trip back to the castle was not particularly long, but it was also not particularly pleasant. The snow had not been cleared away considering it was still snowing which meant his feet and legs were wet and cold by the time he made it to the nearest castle door.

 He wasn’t sure if, when he entered, the castle heating runes had started to work in earnest or if he’d just been so cold that any measure of warmth was appreciated, but he was relieved to be out of the snow either way.

He decided to check up on the progress of the castle staff lighting the fireplaces. With any luck, they’d be lit already, and he could warm up even more. That in mind, he headed towards the main foyer where the largest fireplace in the castle sat to take off the chill brought in by the large front doors.

 The main foyer was bustling with activity when he snuck in along the sides, giving the guards stationed around nods as he passed. The main fire in the room was burning brightly, though only one of the two smaller ones near the side exits from the room was lit. The other one was still being set up with safety mechanisms. It was good progress and assuming other areas of the castle were being set up as efficiently, he assumed they’d all be set up by nightfall.

He’d need to go check around to be sure, but for now, he walked up to the main fireplace to warm his hands.

 He’d gotten into the habit when he was younger to every so often glance upwards. There had been a certain stable boy who had a propensity for climbing trees. These days, he usually found nothing when he did so, often not even consciously noticing that he’d turned his gaze momentarily skywards. Yet, today, he was startled out of his own idleness by dark brown eyes looking back at him from a small ledge in the shadows high above him.

He froze as he met the young boy’s gaze. Virgil seemed as surprised to be caught as Thomas was to have caught him.

 Slowly Thomas raised one hand and waved to the boy. He slunk back into the shadows at the acknowledgment. If Thomas peered hard enough, he could see a shadow stretch up towards the third-floor balcony in the darkness and disappear over the railing.

Interesting boy.

Thomas found himself smiling despite the oddity. They still had not found out much about Virgil. He would speak to Jeffers about many things apparently, but often could not be redirected to invasive topics and he was still a bit skittish around Helen. He hadn’t willingly existed in a room with Thomas. Thomas hoped that changed at some point. There was something about him that made Thomas like him.

  Chapter 37

Virgil had not spent a lot of time out of Logan’s room. What little time he had spent outside of it was either with Patton and/or Logan or tucked away in secret corridors he found in the walls where no one would stumble upon him. Yet, here he was willingly in a, well, not public by any means place, but one that was still more exposed than he was used to being in. Somehow, he was managing to not care at all.

It was helped by the fact that both Logan and Patton had been in the room at the start, but they had gone off to go… somewhere. Food sounded like it might have been the reason.

 He liked food, and usually he would have been all for going to get some, but between them promising to bring him back some and the fact that he was never going to move ever again, he’d decided to stay.

Princess Marisol seemed to be the only other rational being in the whole castle because she had also not moved since discovering the contents of this room. She was currently laying on his chest purring happily.

The fireplace was a wonderful invention. Now, Virgil had, of course, warmed up by a fire before when it was cold, but this was much different. There was a grate that blocked off the fire a bit keeping it from burning the person in front of it and there was a plush rug right by it, perfect for laying down on. Someone had known what they were doing when designing this room.

 He didn’t even care that the king had access to this sitting room as well as Logan.

…

Okay, so he did care a little bit, but he was ignoring that. He was probably busy this time of day anyway, right?

…

He really didn’t want to run into him after being caught watching the castle workers set up the bigger fireplaces. Kings probably didn’t like people sneaking around watching things from the shadows even when they didn’t know that the person sneaking around was literally sent to kill them.

Princess Marisol must have had a sixth sense for his anxieties (or he’d just started breathing faster and disturbed her) because she stirred a bit.

[thecreaturecodex]

Xeno’jiiva

Image © Capcom, accessed at the Monster Hunter Wiki here

[Commissioned by @warfares-bridge​. Xeno’jiiva is the boss of the story mode of Monster Hunter: World. So I decided to make it a CR 23 creature, to serve as a capstone battle for CR 20 adventurers. I also had an ulterior motive here. Going through my indices, I have noticed some “blank spots”. CRs where I don’t have a creature of that type. So I have been working to fill some of these in lately. That’s why the armus was a CR 18 ooze specifically, and I decided to put beast giants at CR 11. Turns out I have no CR 22 or CR 23 dragons.]

Xeno’jiiva CR 23 CE Dragon This massive dragon looks somehow unfinished—its wings are ragged, its pale blue skin is translucent in places, and its chest and ribcage glows an angry red. Gouts of blue fire shoot out of cracks and vents in its skin, and wreathe its body in a halo. Its head is oversized and bears two backwards-sweeping horns. Six orange glowing orbs sit along these horns, overshadowing its eyes.

The xeno’jiiva is a mysterious creature. Little is known about it, as divinations cannot detect it or generate information about it. They are known to emerge from cocoons buried within the earth in places of power, and are enraged and violent from birth. A xeno’jiiva hunts other creatures, particularly dragons, devouring their flesh and life essence and growing stronger as they do. Frighteningly, they are believed to only be a juvenile—the even more powerful safi’jiiva is rumored to be the adult form.

A xeno’jiiva is a fearsome combatant, and often comes across as reckless in its raw power. It prefers to feel life ebbing away in its jaws and claws, and so prefers to melee for the first few rounds. Only if it cannot kill a foe in this way will it rely more on mobility and its breath weapon. Not only do the fires of a xeno’jiva burn both body and soul, they also linger, setting enemies ablaze and leaving patches of deadly heat scattered across the battlefield. They are attuned to negative energy and can be injured by healing magic, but creatures that so much as touch a xeno’jiiva are burned by its intense heat.

A xeno’jiiva is over 120 feet long from nose to tail. Despite this, they can contort their bodies to fit into remarkably small passages and caves. Xeno’jiivas use this ability to enter dungeons and clear them out, killing dozens of monsters at once in their gluttony. A xeno’jiiva is an ecological disaster in the making—even a single one of these monsters can cause other creatures to flee their lairs for miles around, moving them into greater conflict with civilization. Since they kill top predators above other targets, population explosions of prey species may occur, leading to overgrazing and famine. Xeno’jiivas do not collect treasure, but leave it behind them as they slay other powerful entities.

Xeno’jiiva         CR 23 XP 820,000 CE Colossal dragon (fire) Init +7; Senses darkvision 120 ft., lifesense 120 ft., Perception +36, scent Aura frightful presence (300 ft., DC 32) Defense AC 40, touch 10, flat-footed 32 (-8 size, +7 Dex, +1 dodge, +30 natural) hp 481 (26d12+312) Fort +27, Ref +24, Will +24; +8 vs. mind-influencing effects DR 15/epic; Immune divinations, energy drain, fire, sleep and paralysis effects; Resist half damage from cold; SR 34 Defensive Abilities fire shield, mind blank, negative energy affinity; Weakness vulnerable to cold Offense Speed 60 ft., fly 250 ft. (poor) Melee bite +32 (4d8+14 plus energy drain), 2 claws +32 (4d6+14/19-20 plus 1d6 fire plus burn), 2 wings +30 (2d8+7), tail slap +30 (4d6+21) Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft. (40 ft. with bite) Special Attacks breath weapon (Ref DC 35, 1d4 rounds), burn (2d6, DC 35), drain, energy drain (1d4 negative levels, DC 32), powerful blows (tail slap), radiant heat, trample (4d6+21 plus 2d6 fire plus burn, DC 37) Statistics Str 38, Dex 25, Con 35, Int 8, Wis 24, Cha 29 Base Atk +26; CMB +48 (+50 bull rush); CMD 66 (68 vs. bull rush, 70 vs. trip) Feats Awesome Blow, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Flyby Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (claw), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Stand Still, Stunning Critical Skills Fly +24, Intimidate +38, Knowledge (arcana) +28, Perception +36, Sense Motive +36 Languages Draconic SQ compression Ecology Environment any land or underground Organization solitary Treasure standard Special Abilities Breath Weapon (Su) A xeno’jiiva can choose between two effects of its breath weapon. The first is three 20 foot radius bursts, all of which must be within 60 feet of each other and within 200 feet of the xeno’jiva. Each burst deals 8d6 fire damage (Reflex DC 35 half). A creature that takes fire damage from a xeno’jiiva’s breath weapon must succeed a DC 32 Fortitude save or take 1 negative level. If these bursts overlap, or if a creature takes damage from multiple bursts, it stacks for the purposes of overcoming energy resistance, but still deals only a single negative level. The second effect is a 140 foot line of fire that deals 24d6 fire damage (Reflex DC 35 half), and creatures that take fire damage must succeed a DC 32 Fortitude save or take 1 negative level. A xeno’jiiva may use its breath weapon every 1d4 rounds, but may choose between these two effects every time. The save DC for the fire damage is Constitution based, and the save DC for the negative level is Charisma based. Drain (Su) A xeno’jiiva gains 10 temporary hit points for every negative level it inflicts with either its bite or breath weapon. Temporary hit points are lost in 1 hour if not expended. Fire Shield (Su) A xeno’jiiva gains the benefits of a fire shield spell (warm shield only, CL 20th) as a supernatural ability. Mind Blank (Su) A xeno’jiiva gains the benefits of a mind blank spell (CL 20th) as a supernatural ability. Radiant Heat (Su) The area affected by a xeno’jiiva’s breath weapon radiates lingering heat. All creatures in the area take 4d6 points of fire damage when they begin their turn in that area, or when they pass through the area, for one round. A successful DC 35 Fortitude save halves the damage. The save DC is Constitution based.

[justanoutline]

Birds I don't think James D'amato considered when deciding on the 8.3x larger thing for calculating griffin size in Skyjacks

1. Hummingbirds. 

Hummingbirds are the smallest birds on earth. The smallest of the hummingbirds is the Bee Hummingbird, 2.25 inches long. As a griffin, it becomes about 18 inches long, comparable to a magpie or a cat (not including tail). They would be incredibly round and colourful. I love them.

2. Puffins

Again, a very round bird. The average puffin is about ten inches tall, so 8.3 times bigger is almost 7 feet tall! And again, incredibly round and friend shaped. This would be my #1 dream bird for a griffin.

3. Woodpecker

Woodpeckers are not silly the way Hummingbirds and Puffins are, but a hairy woodpecker (11 inches) becomes 7 and half feet tall. More importantly, their tongues, which wrap around their skulls for protection and are about a third of their body length, become over two feet long. Woodpeckers can also make holes up to 2 inches wide, scaling that up means potential holes over a foot wide. People IRL find Woodpecker damage to be a problem. I think this should be a bigger deal for folks in Spier. 

4. Penguin 

The smallest species of penguin, literally called Little Penguin, tops out at 13 inches tall. The largest penguin, the emperor penguin averages 45 inches. Scaling up, Little Penguins are now 9 feet tall, and Emperor Penguins are 31 feet tall! A full sized school bus is 35 feet long, for context. I now think the final fight should be the Mariner vs a Emperor Penguin griffin. My money is on the penguin. 

5. Green Heron 

The Green Heron is probably the most ridiculous bird on this list: it’s neck retracts. It can be up to 18 inches long, but normally stands closer to 10, with its neck retracted. In griffin terms, that gives us a 7 foot bird that occasionally extends its 5.5 foot neck to reach a full 12.5 foot height. This is like if Gable stood up straight and all of a sudden was taller than a house. Absurd, I want to see it. 

6. Flamingo 

The tallest species of Flamingo is the Greater Flamingo, normally standing between 3.9 and 4.7 feet tall. This means a griffin is between 32 and 39 feet tall, comparable to the length of a school bus. Flamingos also fly at speeds of up to 40 mph, and in large formations. Imagine a fleet of flying pink busses coming at your skyship. This has killed people. 

7. Ostrich. 

Ostriches are the largest birds on earth, measuring up to 9.2 feet tall. As a griffin, this gives us a bird 76 feet tall. This is taller than the average spruce tree (50 -75 feet tall), so despite being flightless, you will at least be able to see them coming. Of course, by then, it’s probably too late.

8. Canada Goose

I have spent my entire life being antagonized by these bastards. 0/10 Not a Fan. They can be up to 45 inches long, making a griffin 31 feet long. I refuse to believe these exist in Spier, simply because no one could or should live in a world with 30 foot geese. 

[daisydevorak]

I’m skipping ocs but this one has my heart in a fucking vice grip. Meet Arthas! He’s the palace’s handyman and hates people. [More infos + shirtless version under the cut. OH, and he’s a werewolf >:3c]

Full Name: Arthas 'Belladonna' Stewart  Nickname: "Please don't" Age: 32 Birthday: August 26th (Virgo)  Gender/Pronouns: he/him Sexuality: Considers himself a questioning straight man but is still very curious, never bedded another man before but wouldn't be against it.  Race: Human/werewolf Height: 7'0 in human form, 8'0 in werewolf form Physical Description: Arthas is quite the imposing sight atop his 7 feet height, and his icy gaze is quite intimidating when he's staring back at you. His brown hair gets paler towards the tip, shaved hair at the back, wavy rat tail kept shoulder blade length with longer, curly hair at the top. His left arm is completely missing, leaving a large and extremely visible scar behind, with some others around it. One scar adorns the left side of his neck and another one marks his jaw. Arthas is on the heavier side of body hair, but not to the point of being considered a "bear", and he keeps his face well shaved except his chin. His piercings counts a vertical labret, ⅝ inch ear plugs, nose bridge, tongue, septum, nipples and a prince Albert, all surgical steel. He's large, bulky and on the muscular side. His werewolf form is the same color as his hair with a white underbelly and long pointy ears. He still has his piercings and missing arm, but grows to be 8 feet tall and his sclera becomes black.  Personality: Arthas is a lone wolf by choice and preference, values animals' and nature's companionship over human interaction, and when forced to socialize, he comes off as grumpy and unapproachable. He isn't scared to tell you the harsh truth without regrets so you leave him alone and absolutely *despise* being restrained and/or controlled. But Arthas wasn't always like this; younger, he was very popular amongst his friends and family, always being the center of the attention, now he shys away from it at all cost, hermiting himself away from prying eyes. When you get to know him better and he grows fond of you, however, he becomes much softer and kinder, much like when he's with his animals, but this wall is hard to get through and would require a lot of work, effort and patience to win over his temperament. 

Favorite Drink: Freshly sourced water Favorite Food: Deer tenderloins, cooked rare Favorite Flower: Belladonna

Other Bits: Arthas can shift in his werewolf form at will, at any time of the day. When a full moon approaches, he becomes more agitated and impatient but still has full control on himself. His full moon transformation is painful, and once a werewolf (during the full moon) he's a bit more aggressive than normal, but again has total control over himself. He will occasionally get random ghost pain in his left arm, but you'll never guess because he hides his pain and torments very well behind that cold and grumpy mask of his.  Magical Abilities: None Familiar/Pets: A pet rat named Guss and a few other wild animals that keeps him company sometimes.  Patron Arcana: The Hermit Canon LI: -  Voice Claim (Optional): Strix from Paladins

Brief History: Arthas was born and raised in the small village of Sarpor, located next to the larger city Vesuvia. It was a poor little village that focused on hunting and gathering to fend for their needs, the count too selfish to come to their aid both protection wise and monetary wise. For years, Arthas helped take care of his family since his father died at a very young age, leaving him, his siblings and his mother behind. Being the eldest of six and without a father figure, he was the one to take on that role and provide parental care to his brothers Ludwick, Marth and Kurt, and his baby sisters Monika and Gloria, helping his mother with finances by working multiple jobs at the same time. Because of that, Arthas developed skills in many domains, thus making him very popular and respected throughout the village. Everybody knew his name and everyone knew they could count on him. Life was hard and harsh but it was still his prized, tranquil life… Until a werewolf was spotted near the village's outskirts, threatening to attack them. Everything happened too quickly that day; he was working on repairing his neighbor's fence, hammering down nails in the wood, until his left arm was caught as he was swinging the hammer down. Blood started pouring from the werewolf's jaw as it's teeth ripped through his flesh, tearing muscles and tendons away until his arm gave up at the shoulder joint. The beast was, in fact, already deeply wounded by the village's hunters and was ran after by a couple of them, but they couldn't do anything about the attack except trying to kill it as it was chomping down on Arthas' arm, causing it's blood to enter the gaping wound left behind and turn him into a werewolf. Merely a few days later, his scar was already closed because of his new werewolf blood, but this came with a price; every full moon, he transformed in the same creature that attacked him (and survived). First thing he did was to exile himself from his village, reluctantly abandoning his family behind and giving the family's responsibility to the second eldest son, Kurt, but it was for the best. And everyday, he taught himself how to control the beast inside of him, teaching himself how to sync with it, think like it and be one with it. Arthas became a solitary man in the process, a hermit if you will. But even if he wanted to stay alone in the woods, he still had to make a living, he still needed to work, he couldn't leave his jack-of-all-trades skill perish and go to waste. So instead, he decided to become the Palace's handyman even though he despises nobles, keeping himself away from people and working with them only when he needs to. 

Extended History (Optional): TBA

[kuroopaisen]

the in-between | iii (kuroo tetsurou)

➵  it took you and kuroo far too long to learn that love was never singularly defined. it can be both striking and understated, sudden and unhurried, gentle and all-consuming. and most of all, it can be anything else in-between.

wc: 7.2k (part 3 of 3)

warnings: f!reader, depiction of anxiety & mentions of depression (kind of)

a/n: a grand final thank you to @w-yuren once again for going through ALL OF THIS,,, anyway, i hope you enjoy this finally!  

m.list |  ch. 2 ↞ ch. 3

"You gotta make sure you squish it down," Kuroo said, patting his hair.

"I know," you laughed, on your tiptoes as you balanced yourself on one of his shoulders. You tried not to think too much about how close the two of you were, and how unnecessary it was. Measuring the heights of the rest of the team hadn’t felt this weird. Was it because you’d stood on a step ladder for the other behemoths of the team? Was it because Kuroo was kind of attractive? Hard to say. 

You really should’ve just used the step ladder. That way, you wouldn’t have to rely on your admittedly shoddy sense of balance– 

Oh shit. You felt yourself falling backwards, squeezing your eyes shut as you prepared for your inevitable and humiliating collision with the gym floor. 

But you didn’t fall. A pair of hands grabbed you, hoisting you up. 

You opened your eyes. 

He may have had a shit-eating grin on his face, but the look that Kuroo was giving you was undeniably fond. Although, fond in the way you might look at a puppy that was chasing its own tail. 

His hands were on your waist. You’re close, closer than you’d ever been before. You looked up at him, unable to shake the feeling that this was a bit like something out of a shoujo manga.

"You and your damn lack of balance," he chuckled, that aggravating smile of his painting his lips. "You've really gotta do something about that, you know."

"I'm well aware," you huffed, plopping your heels back on the ground. You tried to ignore the hammering in your chest and the way you couldn’t take your eyes away from his face. You tried to stop your mind from flicking back to the day he’d been crowned captain, and how it had felt to be in his arms like that. 

You’re doing a rather shit job at it, really. So instead you half-dove for your notebook, jotting down his height. You’d already prepared all the measurements from the last assessment in order to compare them. 

"You've barely grown," you mused, brows all furrowed as you looked at the notebook.

"As long as I'm still taller than Bokuto, it's fine."

You laughed. He's glad for it. "Isn't he catching up to you?" You asked, looking over your shoulder at him.

Kuroo waved a hand. "We don't talk about that."

You smiled, taking the opportunity to jog over to Coach Nekomata and hand him these new stats. You really needed a moment to distance yourself from him, to let yourself catch your breath. 

Those weird little feelings had been cropping up more and more. Frankly, they were annoying. You enjoyed your friendship with Kuroo. It was comfortable. It was safe. And you didn’t know what you’d do without it. Feeling… whatever it was that you were feeling could jeopardise that. So, you were determined to suppress them as aggressively as you could. 

Meanwhile, he’s trying to get the thought of just how pretty you looked in his arms out of his own head.  

✉

[YOU] 8:31 PM: if i told you you've shrunk a few mms since last year, what would you do?

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:31 PM: don't even joke about that

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:31 PM: i’m a respectable 187.9cm thank you very much

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:32 PM: that's basically 188. and up from, what? 186.4 cm last year?

[YOU] 8:32 PM: aw you sound just like yaku

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:32 PM: now that's just uncalled for

✧ ✧ ✧

Your approach to training camp was quite similar to how a zoo animal might respond to being released into the wild. Excitement, followed by a brief spurt of anxiety, and then flitting about relentlessly as you experienced all you could. 

He hadn’t had many chances to talk to you, given how busy you both were. He was actually kind of miffed at that, much to his own surprise. But, he knew it’d only be for a week. 

You were always with the other managers, sorting out food and water, and making sure that everyone was doing okay. You had some friends on Karasuno, too, and you’d been taking the time to catch up with them. 

Somewhere along the way, you’d ended up becoming friends with Bokuto of all people. You’d been acquainted before from previous practice matches, but for some reason you’d really clicked at this camp. 

And that was fine. Wonderful, even. But sometimes Kuroo really needed your help to control the kids, but he never knew where you were. 

At that moment, he needed you to whip Lev into shape. So he was doing his daily scan of the gym, hoping to catch sight of you. 

Ah. There you were.

You were peering at… something, brows furrowed and bottom lip jutted out just a little. You were sitting on the gym floor, hunched over your knees. You looked like a little gremlin. It's kind of cute, but he's not going to say that.

"What're you thinking about?" Kuroo flopped down next to you, legs spread wide.

You nudged him with your foot. "Give me some space, would you?"

"Nah," he shrugged, spreading his legs even wider.  

“You doing alright?” You murmured, slumping down to sit properly. 

“Lev’s being a little shit,” Kuroo said, “I need you to talk to him.”

“Same as always, then,” you smiled. But, you still weren’t looking at him. Your gaze was somewhere else entirely. Frowning, Kuroo did his best to follow your gaze across the busy gym. 

Were you looking at… Bokuto?

He glanced back at your face, trying not to get distracted by your eyes as he followed your gaze once more.

Yeah. There's no way you weren’t.

Bokuto was two courts away, rapt in deep conversation with Akaashi. Kuroo knew, deep in his heart, that it was probably about something stupid. But nonetheless, you were staring at him. 

"Don't tell me you have a thing for dumbasses," Kuroo chuckled, trying to ignore that weird little pit forming in his stomach.

"And what if I did?" You hummed, tilting your head.

"Really?" Kuroo scoffed. "Bokuto's your type?"

You used to be so easy to fluster. But you knew each other too well now. 

If he wanted to know if you really thought about Bokuto that way, he’d have to be bolder. 

He wished he could ask the question more directly. He wished he could ask in a way that'd get him a definite answer.

You grinned, shaking your head. "I'm not admiring him, if that's what you're asking." 

"Then why are you staring at him like some kind of superfan?"

"He's just… serotonin in human form," you shrugged. "Literally, he's always smiling about something." You bit your lip. "I don't know, he just seems like someone who's… always making people… happy."

Kuroo snorted. "You really don't know him very well."

"Hey, don't be mean!" You slapped his arm gently for that one.

"I wasn't insulting him!" Kuroo grinned, holding up his hands. "I'm just saying–"

"I thought you were friends."

"We are!" Kuroo couldn’t tell if you were genuinely upset or not. "I just… not sure if his team would agree with you on that," he grinned. "Have you seen him in a slump?"

You shrugged. "Not my problem." A pause. "Thank God."

Kuroo chuckled. "You know, I can put in a good word for you if you'd like." He didn’t know why he offered. Maybe to ignore that swell in his stomach. Maybe to hear you say 'no thanks.’

You shook your head, a smile tugging at your lips. He thanked whatever deity was looking over him. 

"Can't I just admire someone for being a good person, Tetsu?"

He didn’t miss a beat. He quirked an eyebrow at you. "Calling me that here, huh?" A grin swept across his face before he could suppress it. "What if people hear you? They might get the wrong idea."

You blushed at his words. You blushed. He didn’t know why he loved it so much when you did.  

"Shut up," you mumbled, crossing your arms. It's like you’re shrinking. Some part of him, unruly and foolish, wanted to wrap his arms around you.

Instead, he smiled, reaching up to ruffle your hair. "I don't mind, at least."

You glared at him. You didn’t know how that name had come out of your mouth. You’re still not sure if it's okay for you to call him that. You just knew that the little smile that touched his lips whenever you used that nickname made you happy.

But it's a small fondness; the sort that made you feel all giddy inside, but usually went unnoticed regardless. 

But nothing went unnoticed with Kuroo. No remark, no glance. He's infuriatingly observant.

You finally understood what his opponents must feel.

His hand was still tangled in your hair. Neither of you had broken eye contact; and you’d been looking at each other for much longer than usual. There’s a voice in the back of your mind, begging you not to let your mind wander. But it’s hard, when you’re this close. When he felt barely a breath away. Your ears thrummed as you came back down to earth, the pounding of volleyballs and the chatter of far too many sweaty boys reminding you of where you are.

"Hey, Kuroo!”

A voice called out. You’re not quite sure who it belonged to. You’re too distracted by the look in his eyes.

His head whipped around, brow creased ever so slightly. But it was enough for you to know he's annoyed. You wouldn’t let yourself wonder why.

But he's up on his feet, and the air suddenly felt a lot cooler. And you couldn’t help but wonder, 'what was that?’

As he walked away, he couldn’t stop thinking about you. About Bokuto. About the fact he's so bothered by the mere thought that you might have a crush on his friend. You’d said you didn’t like him, right? That should’ve been enough. And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. There's something about it being someone he knew that got on his nerves.

He’d convinced himself that this wasn’t love. So why did he feel like this? 

✉

[a respectable 187.9cm] 11:54 PM: i literally cannot believe that bokuto’s your type

[YOU] 11:54 PM: okay FIRST OF ALL

[YOU] 11:54 PM: i told you he’s not my type omfg i can’t believe you’re still thinking about this 

[YOU] 11:54 PM: second of all

[YOU] 11:54 PM: tetsu you should be asleep 

[YOU] 11:55 PM: go to sleep or there’ll be consequences 

[a respectable 187.9cm] 11:55 PM: i just

[a respectable 187.9cm] 11:55 PM: i thought you’d have better taste than that, you know? 

[YOU] 11:55 PM: I Am Going To Kill You

✧ ✧ ✧

“Okay,” Kuroo nodded, pen in hand. “So what exactly are you worried about?” 

You were both sat at the desk in your room, huddled over a textbook. You’d been trying to pay attention, but you just couldn’t. Your brain was too frazzled from stress. And Kuroo, as always, had picked up on that. 

You took a deep breath, straightening out your shoulders. Quite frankly, you were worried about a lot. But, you weren’t about to drop every single little anxiety you had on him all at once. 

“It’s the uni exams, right?” He asked, tilting his head at you. “Amongst other things.”

You nodded slowly. “Yeah…” 

“Did you want to do more practice exams?” He asked, reaching for his laptop. 

You shook your head. “No, I’m just…” You took another deep breath, your fists balling in the fabric of your sweatpants. “I feel like I can’t keep up with all the content we’ve been learning, and I genuinely have no idea what I’m going to do if I bomb the entrance exams.” 

Kuroo gazed at you with just the right amount of sympathy. 

“My chemistry grade’s been improving, yes, but I feel like…” You took another deep breath, trying to ground yourself. “It’s been… really, really hard trying to stay on top of everything, and… and I don’t even know what I want to do with my life, so I have no idea how hard I’m supposed to be working, or what I’m supposed to be focused on, and… and I’m scared, and I’m worried I’m letting people down, and I’m.. I’m scared that I’m not going to do anything meaningful with my life, and–” 

Your words caught in your throat as you felt a hand on your head, smoothing over your hair. It wasn’t an unusual spiel for you; Kuroo was quite used to them. And he was getting better and better at handling them. 

“Listen,” he sighed, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “I know it’s hard for you to see your own merits. And I know that things are getting pretty overwhelming. But you’ve got to have faith in yourself.” 

You swallowed, leaning into his touch instinctively. 

“I know that’s easier said than done, but you’re smarter than you think you are,” he said, giving your arm a squeeze. “You’ve improved a lot over this past year, you know? You finally know what a compound is!”

“Hey,” you whined. 

“I know, I know,” he grinned, hand now ruffling your hair. “But believe me. You can do this. I know you can.” 

You bit your lip. Oh, no. Your chest was constricting again. 

“I’m just… scared,” you mumbled, looking down at your hands. 

“I know,” he murmured, giving your arm another a light squeeze. “Let’s take this one step at a time, yeah?”

You nodded, but you didn’t lift your head back up. You kept staring at your balled up fists, trying your best to take a long, measured breath, in the hopes that doing so would help ground you. 

Don’t think too much. Just focus on the moment. On his voice. 

“Hey,” he murmured, unlooping his arm from your shoulders and instead taking your hand. You flinched at the suddenness of it, but you didn’t pull away. He brought his pen to the back of your hand, the nib tickling you as he scribbled something over your skin. 

It’s going to be okay. You can do this. Those words stared at you from the back of your hand, emblazoned in Kuroo’s chicken-scratch script. 

He’d always been saying this sort of stuff to you. He’d always been trying to help ground you, to bring you back down to earth. And above it all, he’d always had an unshakeable faith in you. A faith you didn’t quite feel like you deserved. But he was always there, always supporting you. 

He meant more to you than you could even put into words.

“I’m sorry,” you sniffed, squeezing your eyes shut as you felt an all-too-familiar sting in them. “I didn’t mean to freak out on you, I’m–”

“No,” Kuroo shook his head, smiling at you. “Don’t do that.” 

You bit your lip. He hated it when you apologised for stuff like this. Totally unwarranted, he’d said. 

“Do you still have it?” Kuroo asked, letting go of your hand. 

You dug around in your bag, pulling out a little booklet. “This thing?” 

He grinned. “Yeah. You told me it’d be useful.” 

“It has been,” you murmured, fiddling with the corner of the booklet.

You’d been a little surprised when he’d first handed it to you a few months ago, but now it was well-worn. It was a collection of articles, each one dedicated to different types of coping strategies for all sorts of problems. Stress, anxiety, melancholy, a lack of motivation… any potential problem you could face, he’d found at least a handful of potential solutions for. 

Honestly, you weren’t sure if things would be running so smoothly if it wasn’t for him. Kuroo was the sort of person who always liked to be on top of things – ‘it gives me more time to goof off,’ he’d said. But you knew that he also wanted to do well; to see his hard work pay off, to get into a good university, and to make his family proud.

And he’d helped you stay on top of things as well. His timetables and this booklet were just one small part of that.  

As you ran your thumb over the booklet, a lump began to form in your throat. 

You really couldn’t have predicted that the two of you would get so close. And each and every day, you grew closer still. 

You’d noticed the little affections between the two of you. The way your hands would brush when he walked you home. The way you leant against one another whenever you had movie nights. They way his hand always lingered in your hair when he ruffled it. They were only little moments, nothing particularly grand. It was nothing that transgressed either of your boundaries. Everything you shared was nebulously platonic; more a testament to just how comfortable you really were with each other than to any undercurrent that ran differently to friendship. 

But you knew that some part of you wanted it to speak to something else. That frightened you.

And yet, romance didn’t cover it nicely. It felt almost disrespectful to try and think of your feelings that way. You had the suspicion that this love of yours didn’t fall neatly into either camp.

There’s so much at play – he meant so much to you, and you honestly couldn’t imagine your life without him in it. Where would you be? Who would you be? 

You loved Kuroo Tetsurou. Deeply. And you had for a while. 

Your love for him was somewhere in the in-between. There’s a wealth of feeling here, deep and powerful and intimidating. But you were scared of the grey. Scared of what it meant. Scared of how those feelings might express themselves. And you had no idea what he was feeling. No idea if he was even on the same page. The last thing you wanted to do was to make him uncomfortable.  

So, it’s easier to call them platonic. For the sake of your friendship, if nothing else. 

✉

[passable at best] 11:34 PM: i hope you’re asleep right now

[passable at best] 11:34 PM: but don’t forget to look after yourself, okay? 

[passable at best] 11:34 PM: i know you’re really stressed, but don’t forget to eat well and keep your fluids up 

[passable at best] 11:35 PM: and when you’re stressed, take a deep breath 

[passable at best] 11:35 PM: your brain needs the oxygen, if it’s going to run smoothly ;) 

✧ ✧ ✧

It took everything within you not to squeal at the top of your lungs as you watched that final spike from Yamamoto go flying off the hand of one of Nohebi’s blockers. 

Your kids had done it. They’d won. 

You’re running on pure adrenaline as you launched yourself in the air, jumping being the only way to properly express your delight. Yamamoto dashed towards you, hands held up. You high-fived him with a grin, saying something that you were sure was totally incoherent. But you just didn’t quite know how to put your overwhelming pride into words. 

Lev was next, running at you while screaming. You screamed back, standing on your tip-toes in an attempt to ruffle his hair. Oh, you had words for him; but you’d wait until you’d calmed down a bit. 

There was someone in particular that you wanted to see, though. Someone– 

“Oi!” You flinched, turning around. 

Kuroo. With his arms spread wide, already anticipating you. 

You threw yourself into his embrace, and his arms found their way around your waist. He wanted nothing more than to be close to you, to share the joy and elation coursing through his veins. What he wanted most, in that moment, was to be with you. 

You melted into him, your face nestled in the crook of his neck. And then, he knew. 

It’s love.

It’s not love in the way it’s always been sold to him. It’s not a love that burns bright with passion and spectacle.

But it’s how he loves you. It’s a quiet, peaceful love, an impressionist watercolour of every shade and tone of affection. 

You looked up at him, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling with joy. 

And he wondered, in that moment, if he should kiss you.

You’re looking up at him with such resolve, such determination that he felt like maybe, just maybe, the things he'd dreamt of might be possible.

There's a pleasant remembrance, a deep gratitude for the fact that all this time, you’d been there. Supporting him. Like you always had.

But it wasn't time to think about it. You’re still technically on the court, and there were so many people around. He wasn’t going to put you on the spot like that. 

He merely wrapped his arms around you again, pulling you into his chest. "I can't thank you enough, you know."

"Me?" Your face was burning red, and you’re glad he couldn’t see that.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, resisting the urge to kiss the top of your head. “You’ve done a lot for me. Both as a manager, and as a friend.” 

Your arms were around his waist, and you squeezed him tight for just a moment. “You too.” 

He knew he should let you go. He knew that the two of you had been entwined like this for far too long to pass it off as platonic. But he didn’t want to let go. He wanted this moment to last forever. 

He only found the courage to let you go when Lev came thundering towards the two of you, arms raised above his head and elated smile on his face. Kuroo managed to release you, watching with an unabashedly fond smile as Lev gave you a highly dramatised play-by play of the game you’d just been watching. 

But you were smiling, all the way up to your eyes. And for Kuroo, part of loving you was feeling nothing but joy when he saw that look on your face. 

And he knew he would be blessed with that sight for the rest of the evening. 

By the time you’d all left the stadium, you and Yaku were in tears. The first years were flitting around, offering you both a copious amount of tissues. Both of you refused them, content on just using your shirts. 

Usually, the sight of you in tears would break his heart. But he knew these were happy tears. And he wouldn’t trade that brilliant smile that accompanied them for anything. 

You’d calmed down a bit by the time you all settled into a nearby ramen joint. The tears had stopped, replaced by nothing but high spirits. Kuroo, for one, was having the time of his life. There wasn’t much time to just let go these days; entrance exams were closer than he wanted them to be, and finals were growing more and more imminent. And that wasn’t even taking volleyball into account. 

But for now, he could lose himself in this moment; in sharing his glee with this team that he loved so much, that he’d fought alongside with everything he had. 

And you, of course. 

As he sat next to you, watching your face light up as you spoke to Kai about nothing of consequence, he knew that he was done with tip-toeing around the issue. Done with denying his feelings. He knew that he’s feeling something on top of friendship. Not instead of it, but alongside it. And maybe that was the realisation he should’ve come to a while ago.  

But that didn’t matter. He knew now. He had to say something. 

He tried his best as he walked you home. But confessing was harder than he’d given it credit for. 

You were chatting away so animatedly about how proud you were, your entire face lit from within by nothing but pure adoration for your kids. You even pulled out specific examples from today’s game, complimenting each person who’d been on the court. 

Seeing you like this made him so soft. So fond. 

And he wanted to kiss you really, really badly. 

Say something, he thought to himself. Say something, you absolute idiot. 

“And Lev,” you breathed, a hand on his chest. “Can you believe it?” 

Kuroo chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ll be honest, I thought it’d take a bit longer for the whole teammate thing to click.” 

“I’m so proud of him,” you said, shaking your head. “He’s grown so much in just one year.” 

So have you, Kuroo thought to himself. 

“Will Yaku be okay?” You asked, looking up at him. Fuck, you were so pretty. 

“He should be,” Kuroo nodded. “Honestly, at least that sprain means he’s obligated to take a couple days rest.”

You grinned. “That’s true.” 

Your arm kept brushing against his, your hands so close to touching. 

Why were his palms so sweaty? He might’ve reached out and taken your hand if his own didn’t feel so gross. 

Fuck. You’ve already reached your house. 

“Well,” you sighed, rocking on your feet a little. “Thanks.” 

“For what?” He raised an eyebrow at you. 

“For tricking me into being your manager,” you laughed, moving to stand right in front of him. “It’s been fun.” 

“Geez, you don’t have to say it like it’s over.” He scoffed, too nervous to reach out and ruffle your hair like he usually would. 

“Sorry,” you grinned. “I’m just… happy.”

“Me too,” he admitted. 

You smiled at him, eyes bright and full of wonder. Were you letting the moment linger? Did you not want this to end either? Was there any possibility that you felt the same way he did? 

Do it, he thought to himself. She’s right there. Just… just do it. 

Something in your face shifted. Just a little. But you stepped back, giving him a resolute nod. 

The moment was gone. 

“Make sure you get plenty of rest, okay?” You smiled at him. 

Do something, he pleaded. 

But the adrenaline’s gone. That bright flame of courage he’d felt when you were in his arms had flickered out. And now you felt just out of reach. 

“I will,” he nodded. 

By the time you made it up to your room, you knew. 

You threw yourself on the bed, burying your head in your pillow. 

He was going to kiss you. 

You could see it in his eyes. In how he’d looked at you in his arms at the stadium. In the way he’d hesitated before dropping you home. 

You’d wanted him to kiss you. You’d felt nothing but crushing disappointment when he hadn’t. 

You rolled over onto your back, staring at your ceiling for a second. You took a few deep breaths – just as that little booklet of yours instructed you to. You needed to calm down. To sort out your thoughts. 

You sat up, reaching for the photo album sitting on your bedside table. 

It was his birthday tomorrow. It’d been lost in the hub-bub of the qualifiers, but you’d been preparing this gift for a couple of months now. You just had to get the photos from today printed, and it’d be complete. 

You flicked through the last few pages, gazing over the pictures of the past few months with a strange lump in your throat. 

It hit you as you looked at his face in one photo. It’s decorated with a genuine smile as he gazed at you, sat next to him in a little booth at a ramen joint. You’re not doing anything special. Just laughing, probably at something stupid he had said. But he looked so happy, and that made your heart ache in the way it only did for him. 

You couldn’t chalk your feelings up as just friendship. You had feelings for Kuroo Tetsurou, and they’re multiplicious. They’re something in-between friendship and romance, something you hadn’t given shape and form to. 

But they’re something you wanted to explore. 

✉

[YOU] 8:43 PM: hey

[YOU] 8:43 PM: i don’t think i made it clear enough today, but i’m so proud of you 

[tetsuwu] 8:44 PM: yeah, the team really gave it their all 

[YOU] 8:44 PM: they did! but i meant, like you. i’m proud of you

[tetsuwu] 8:47 PM: oi

[YOU] 8:47 PM: ????

[tetsuwu] 8:48 PM: what did i say about warning a guy before you say sappy stuff like that? 

[YOU] 8:48 PM: look, i just wanted to let you know! and you should really be proud of yourself, you know?

[tetsuwu] 8:49 PM: just. give me a moment 

[tetsuwu] 8:50 PM: also did you have to change my name back to tetsuwu?

[YOU] 8:50 PM: it’s a classic :) 

✧ ✧ ✧

Birthday mornings were always a gamble in the Kuroo household. 

Was the rest of the family going to pretend they forgot? Were they going to be standing in the corner of your room, waiting for you to wake up and scream? Were they going to be hiding in the garden as you woke up to an empty house? 

Most years he tried to wake up early to get the jump on them. But he’d permitted himself a sleep-in, just this once.

He’d been up late, after all, cursing himself out for being such a coward. The thought’s still with him when he woke up. 

He had to push it out of his mind. There was a lot to be happy about – a spot at nationals, a chance to make the Battle At The Garbage Dump actually happen, his birthday. He knew he shouldn’t dwell too much on you. He also had to check on Kenma; chances were he was suffering from a fever, as usual. 

He’d confess. Eventually. But first he had to actually enjoy his birthday. 

And the only way to kick that off was with a tea. 

He’s still a bit bleary from sleep as he walked into the kitchen, intent only on getting some caffeine into his body. He didn’t need to peek at the mirror to know that he looked like a damn mess. His family would chew him out for it regardless. 

So he tried to steel himself for the typical morning tirade, playful jabs that he had to be lucid enough to return. 

What he didn’t steel himself for, however, was seeing you standing in his kitchen. 

He froze. What were you doing here? Why were you speaking to his grandmother? Why did you look so cute in your jumper? 

The questions flooded his mind all at once, a mental labyrinth that he couldn’t quite make his way through. 

Your arms were around his neck before he even had the chance to process it.

“Happy birthday!”

Oh, oh–

He’d been awake for barely fifteen minutes, and he had to act like this wasn’t making him melt into a puddle? His mind was back at the play-offs, his arms around your waist as you pressed your body against his. He needed to regain his composure, and desperately.

“Thanks,” he managed to mumble out, his arms hovering awkwardly above your waist. 

At that moment, he locked eyes with his grandmother. Her face was plastered with the trademark Kuroo grin, and she winked at him. 

That’s it. His composure was completely in shambles. He grabbed your shoulders and pushed you away from him, giving him the space he needed to think clearly.  

“So…” He cleared his throat, one hand pressed on his neck as if to ground himself. “What are you doing here?”

Your face fell ever so slightly, and it broke his heart. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” You frowned, tilting your head at him. “It’s your birthday. I wanted to come and say hi.” 

He locked eyes with his grandmother again. She took a sip of her tea. 

“Let’s… let’s go to my room,” he suggested, painfully aware of the fact that the flush in his cheeks had made its way to his neck. It’s not ideal, being alone with you in his room when he’s feeling like this. But if he was going to embarrass himself, he’d prefer to do it somewhere his grandmother couldn’t watch. 

He didn’t wait for your response. 

He turned on his heels, stalking out of the kitchen as quickly as he could. 

He’d wanted at least twenty-four hours to pull himself together. At least. Then maybe he would’ve stood a chance while talking to you. But here you were, one of the first faces he’d seen today. How long had he been awake? Twenty minutes? 

This was, quite frankly, a disaster. 

He thundered into his room and sat himself on his bed, back a little too straight and hands balled up in his lap. 

You sat yourself down next to him after shutting his door, close enough to make him a little more nervous. You’ve got a gift bag in your hand and a look of concern painted on your face. 

“Tetsu, are you okay?” 

Did you have to use his nickname? You’d called him that plenty of times before, but now it just felt… strange. Now it made his stomach flutter in all sorts of ways.

“Yeah,” he blushed, looking away from you. “Do I seem… not okay?”

“You seem uneasy.” 

Idiot, he thought to himself. Of course you’d be able to read him. And it’s not like he’s being subtle. 

“I’m fine,” he said, trying to replicate his usual easy smile. “Just feeling old, you know?” 

You laughed. “Sure.” 

He could feel his face burning up. And he could feel you watching him. That just made it worse. 

He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what he even wanted to say. Blurting out a confession wasn’t the best way to go about it. But he didn’t even know how to start a conversation with you right now. 

“I, uh… I brought you something,” you said, holding out the bag. 

He took it with a nod, setting it in his lap. Okay. This was a start. At the very least, he now had something to talk to you about. 

He took a deep breath as he reached into the bag, pulling out a thick, square-shaped present. Peering into the bag, he caught sight of an envelope. 

“Read the letter later, please,” you said, your cheeks a little pink. 

He nodded. You probably got all sappy in it. If he read it now, he’d probably explode. 

“You can open the present, though,” you said, gesturing to it. 

“Right,” he mumbled, taking a second to collect himself before tearing into the wrapping.

It’s a photo album. The photo you’d slipped into the cover was one of the team, collapsed in a human pile as they beamed at the camera. 

He looked at you tentatively. You offered him a beautiful smile. 

“I hope you like it,” you said, a hint of blush to your cheeks. 

He already knew he would. 

But he wasn’t ready for the absolute flood of emotions that was stuffed between these pages. There was that time from second year, when the team had gone to a theme park. It was just after Kenma had started to bleach his hair. Kuroo, Yaku and Kai beamed up from the page, completely unaware of Yamamoto pulling a face in the background.  

There’s the day you, Kuroo and Kenma had gone to get ice cream in celebration of Kuroo’s captaincy. Kuroo’s beaming at the camera, one arm looped around Kenma’s shoulder. It’s only slightly, but Kenma’s smiling, too.

There’s a selfie from that trip to the temple, both your cheeks flushed. He couldn’t tell if it’s from the cold or from the promises you’d made that day. 

There’s photos from the New Years’ Festival you’d both attended with Yaku and Kai. You’re all dressed up in your nicest clothes, pressed together for a poorly lit selfie. 

There’s the first group photo from this year, the entire team huddled together. The taller guys had to hunch to accommodate the likes of Yaku, even if they weren’t about to say it out loud. But, half of Lev’s head still got cut off. 

And that’s just a handful of them. His heart was already overwhelmed as he flicked through countless photos of birthday celebrations, the training camp, and many other little moments he’d forgotten about. 

There’s even photos from yesterday, each member of the team grinning like idiots. 

The tears welled up before he could stop them. 

He wasn’t the sort to get sentimental. But this just got to him. Seeing every happy, joyful memory of the past two years made him feel like he was about to collapse in on himself. It filled him with a certain sense of adoration that he couldn’t hold back. 

He covered his face with his hands, bending over. 

“Hey,” you murmured, placing a hand on his back. “You alright?”

“I’m–” He choked on his words, clearing his throat. “I’m great.” 

When he finally dropped his hands and let you see his face, your heart stuttered. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, his nose was all red, and his cheeks were flushed a deep, deep scarlet. But you didn’t have time to process it. 

His arms wrapped around you, pulling you towards him. You conceded, resting your face in the crook of his neck and wrapping your arms around his chest. He’s warm, comforting. 

"I wouldn't be who I am today without you."

His breath fanned your neck as he said those words. And as fuzzy as that made your mind, you knew you felt the same way. 

You genuinely couldn’t imagine who you’d be without him. He’d had such an impact on you, and you couldn’t be more grateful for all the ways he’d helped you grow as a person. 

And you knew now that, it’s okay to love him in the in-between. You didn’t need to be afraid of how you felt. You could love him in all sorts of ways; in ways that were cleanly defined, and in ways that weren’t. You could love him as you needed to. As you’re able to. 

"Me neither," you mumbled. 

He drew back, bringing one of his hands to cup your cheek. You didn’t shy away. 

He was looking at you with such affection, his eyes still a little watery, still a little red. You loved this Kuroo – this big, dense softie. 

His thumb ran over your cheek gently, and you hoped your face didn’t look as flushed as it felt. 

He thought you were the most precious thing he’d ever seen. 

“Can I kiss you?” His words were soft, his voice low and gentle. 

You could feel your heart hammering in your chest, your mind abuzz with excitement, nervousness and everything in-between. 

You managed to nod. 

The smile on his face rivalled even the most beautiful sunrise you’d ever seen. 

When his lips met yours, you felt everything from elation to relief. Elation at being able to hold him like this. Relief that you could finally hold him in all the ways you wanted to. 

His lips were softer than you’d expected them to be, and his touch so gentle and hesitant that you felt like you’re about to melt. 

But there’s desperation in this kiss, a testament to all the build-up. You wanted more of him. You wanted to give him more of you. 

He pulled you into his lap gently, both hands on your waist. One of your hands was twined in his hair, the other running over his shoulder and collarbone with a feather-light touch. You’re just so glad, so grateful that you finally get to be with him like this. 

His hands moved from your waist, to your hips, to your thighs, to your shoulders. The only thought running through his brain was you – how good it felt to kiss you, how exhilarating it felt to hold you close to him like this with no hesitation, how it felt like he’d waited his whole life for this. For you. 

Some part of his brain thought that was oh-so-adolescent and stupid. Most of his brain didn’t care.

You pulled away, lips pink and cheeks flushed. He blinked at you, dazed and a little startled. How did your post-kissing face look so cute and pretty? Why hadn’t he kissed you sooner? Why’d he deprived you both of this for so long? 

“Tetsu,” you hummed, cupping his face in your hands. 

“Hm?” 

“Your family is home.” 

“Oh,” he swallowed, a little embarrassed by how much he’d let his mind wander. “Yeah.” You both knew that his grandmother wasn’t the type to knock. 

You laughed, pressing a kiss to his nose. 

He smiled at you. A sudden swell of gratitude gripped his heart; you felt the same way as he did. You hadn’t necessarily traded those words yet, but he had a feeling that they were in that letter you’d written for him. 

But you didn’t need to talk about it right now. You could just enjoy this moment. Enjoy the fact that neither of you were holding back anymore. 

He couldn’t wait to tell Kenma–

Oh shit. Kenma. 

“You alright?” You asked, brushing his fringe out of his face. 

“Huh?” He asked, blinking at you. 

“Your face went all weird,” you pouted. 

“I just remembered that I’ve gotta go check on Kenma,” he said, resting his hands on your hips. “I want to make sure he hasn’t got a fever from yesterday.” 

Oh. Oh. Your heart was going again. 

There was a lot you could say about Kuroo Tetsurou. And there were so many things you couldn’t put into words. You adored him. You adored him for his perspective on things, for how he always managed to bring you back down to earth. You adored him for just how much he cared, even if that was veiled by his playful deflections. You adored him for the fact that, even though he’d never admit it, he’s soft, and had a penchant for offering people all that he could give. 

And he’d given you so much. He’d been your resource to use as you pleased, and so much more. He’d held you up without complaint, and he’d done nothing but support you. He’d been one of your closest friends, if not the closest. And ever since you’d gotten to know one another, he’d been someone you’ve always felt comfortable with. In many ways, he’d been your safe place. 

Yet on top of it all, he’s a dork. He’s clever, yes, and one of the most interesting people you’d ever known. But he’s such an idiot, so endearingly goofy. He always seemed to find the levity in things, even though he knew when to take things seriously. And for all his maturity, for all those wonderful things about him, he’s still just a guy.   

You wouldn’t want him any other way. 

✉

[whipped] 2:01 PM: okay but… can i call you my girlfriend now? 

[whipped] 2:01 PM: am i... your boyfriend?

[YOU] 2:01 PM: tetsu we’re in the same room 

[whipped] 2:01 PM: yeah but i don’t wanna say it out loud 

[whipped] 2:02 PM: also kenma’s here and he’ll get uncomfortable 

[YOU] 2:02 PM: sounds suspiciously like you planned this 

[YOU] 2:02 PM: anyway, i thought that much was clear? 

[whipped] 2:03 PM: not necessarily 

[whipped] 2:03 PM: just wanted to check 

[YOU] 2:03 PM: you’re such a nerd 

[whipped] 2:03 PM: yeah well… i also wanted you to know that you’re the best birthday present i could’ve asked for ;)

[YOU] 2:03 PM: oh my god

[YOU] 2:03 PM: you’re so cheesy 

[whipped] 2:04 PM: :) 

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 31. brb x oc

a/n: OH MY G OD. yes. yes im excited for this new arc uwu

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: fluff, mentions of pregnancy, B A B Y

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

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@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

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@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @dhwanishah09 @jesfreedark

-

“C’mere baby.” 

Rooster is currently on their kitchen floor, making kissy sounds and patting his lap to Eleanor, who is looking at him from the door with Jack behind her, her big eyes brimming with caution “C’mere,” he pats his thighs again “C'mere beautiful, come on, I won’t hurt you.”

Beatrice watched the whole thing from the kitchen table, sipping her glass of water with a little smile as she watched Jack and Eleanor watching Rooster cautiously, Jolene stepping from behind her puppies with her tail wagging to immediately lie down next to the pilot, as if to say it was okay to approach him. 

“C’mere,c’mere,” his voice was a bit higher and he let out a pleased ‘aah’ when Eleanor slowly made her way over, her ears back and a gentle yap coming from her mouth. She sniffs his hands when he offers them to her, then his arms, then his pants and feet. The white puppy looks up at him after a few seconds, then holds herself up by climbing on his crossed legs, “There you go,” he gently picks her up and brings her to his chest, nuzzling the puppy’s white head, “Oh you smell like puppies.”

Jack, who was still by the door watching his sister and mother, whined a bit from fear and apprehension only for Jolene to gently ‘boof’ towards him since his sister was too busy wagging her tail and enjoying the constant attention. The male puppy slowly got closer, repeating the same patterns his sister did by sniffing Rooster’s hand and legs before he too stood up on his hind legs so Rooster could pick him up, “See? I’m not so bad,guys.” he coos,holding both puppies against his chest and letting them lick his face…until Eleanor barked at Jack for soaking more attention than she did, “Woah!Okay little lady, that’s not nice.”

Beatrice smiles so hard her cheeks hurt, watching her husband holding up both puppies with Jolene lying by his side supporting her huge head on his equally large thigh. Beatrice couldn’t wish for anything better, looking down at her stomach where their growing baby was and mentally telling them that ‘this was what they’d see everyday.’ She also had a feeling their child was going to be just as much a dog lover as they both are.

When she looked up again,Bradley was on the floor with Jack and Eleanor climbing over him and sniffing his face - well Jack was, Eleanor was playfully biting his fingers - “You okay over there?” 

“This is a great way to go.” comes his voice, “Trampled by puppies.”

Beatrice snorts out a laugh that soon evolves into a fit of giggles that she has a hard time holding back, even if she puts her hand over her mouth in hopes to stop. It was the most hilarious thing to see Rooster lying down, arms open by his sides with the two puppies climbing on him and checking him out…Eleanor was very focused on the bottoms of his sweatpants, especially a lone piece of string that she wanted to yank it out more than anything, “You do look really relaxed.”

“Puppies should be considered medicine.” he says when Jack is almost sitting on his face, “They cure anything and everything.”

“I mean there is puppy yoga.” Beatrice says and her husband’s head immediately lifts as soon as Jack is on the floor again, “Yeah, they bring puppies for you to relax even more, I think there’s one in San Diego.”

Rooster’s mouth dropped open in amazement, his eyes shining, “That sounds absolutely incredible, holy shit.”

“There’s one with goats too-“

“Do not tempt me with a good time.”

Beatrice laughs again, standing up from the chair to walk closer to her lying husband, leaning forward with her hands on her knees “I'm going to leave you here for a little bit and call the clinic, okay?” He turns his eyes from the male puppy on his side towards Beatrice. He inhaled shakily but he nodded with a smile, giving her a little wink before she walked out of the room.

The brunette exhaled just as shakily as he inhaled, her happiness seemed ready to burst from her body as if it was a balloon. Her footsteps seemed to float all the way towards her phone up in their room, humming happily as she dialed the clinic's number.

Rooster,who was still downstairs with two big puppies over his body, could hear Beatrice’s voice from their room. It was muffled but she sounded so happy, and honestly so was he. He was excited to see his kid, their kid, for the very first time. 

While he was away he did his research, a four months old baby would be around the size of a lemon…or a kiwi, the sources varied in that aspect. The head, arms and legs would be developing and it’d look more like a child. He was a bit nervous as well, something about seeing his baby for the very first time made something in him just snap…he wanted this of course he did, he was over the moon because of it, but he also had the same fears of not being a good father.

Funnily enough if his mother was alive she’d scold him for thinking like that, tell him he was talking nonsense and to not worry so much. 

“Well I got us scheduled.” Beatrice’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts “We need to go there after lunch, and I can’t pee before we go.”

“Oh?”

“Makes it easier to see the baby.” She explains, still smiling at his position down on the floor “But the ladies at the clinic are eager to meet you, I might’ve told them a little bit about my husband.”

His smirk returns as he looks up at her, gently removing the puppies from his chest to stand up to his full height, towering over Beatrice “I’m flattered.” He whispered, kissing her forehead “Because you know how much I love talking about you, it’s only fair you do the same.” And his arms wrap around her waist, her cheek is against his chest and his mouth is on the crown of her head “What do you think it’ll be.”

“Hm?”

“The baby, boy or girl?”

Beatrice thinks about it for a second, her own arms wrapping around his middle and resting on the curve of his ass “…I don’t know.” She says after a few minutes of silence “I mean…I’d love whatever gender the baby is. I don’t really care as long as it's healthy.”

“Fair.” he mutters against her scalp, cheeks flexing with a smile, “Keep it at that, it’ll leave everyone whose betting on it freaking out.”

–

Beatrice holds his hand as they wait to be called inside the room she’s visited months before, their fingers interlaced and her shoulder touching his bicep. He is holding her hand tightly, more than normal but it’s not hurting her at all, it’s just something that she could only translate as protection.

Ever since he got home earlier that day he’s been the protective husband/dad she thought he’d be. He helped her out of the car, even if her stomach wasn’t big enough and didn’t let go of her hand when they got inside the clinic, it’s really something to see.

Something very Rooster.

If he was like this with their seventeen weeks old baby, imagine when the baby is actually born.

Beatrice looks to the side and sees that he’s flipping through a magazine one handed, craning her neck a bit to have a better look, “Whatcha reading?”

He hums, then flips the cover for her to see ‘My Baby & Me’ with three women smiling and laughing at the camera, all of them heavily pregnant, “Do you think they ask actual pregnant women for these? Because from what I’ve read they wouldn’t be so…happy standing up for too long.”

Of course he read about it, “I mean, I don’t know,” she says sweetly, pressing her chin on his shoulder so they could read the magazine together, his finger flipping back to the page he was before, “There could be some women that handle a bit better. Some of them even wear heels during pregnancy, Roos.” she notices that he moves to a page where there was a full baby room, completely furnished with a toddler on his feet inside the crib, smiling at the viewer, “That’s cute.”

“I was thinking about getting something done about the room.” he begins, turning the page to the one he bookmarker seconds before with his fingers, “Get something like this,” he points to the brown crib and changing table with light green accents, “And then get everything else based off what you did.”

Beatrice looked up at Rooster with so much love in her eyes she felt ready to explode, “Did you see it yet?”

“Not yet, but I will,I promise.” he smirks, turning his head to kiss her cheek, reminding that their PDA had to be minimal since they were surrounded by other couples and the clinic’s employees “But doesn’t it seem like a good idea?”

“It does and I think it’ll match nicely.” she blinks, “You know I saw a tiny aviator like onesie at a baby store a few weeks back.” Rooster stares at her with an unreadable gaze, “It’s infant size.” and then he immediately grins because of course they were going to get that, it’d probably be the first thing they would buy, maybe even leaving the hospital with the baby wearing exactly that.

They were going to talk more about it, but their names were called. Beatrice smiles back at the woman then towards Rooster, who looked to be a bit in shock, maybe noticing that this was really happening “It’ll be okay,Roos.” she whispers, grabbing his hand and standing up with him following suit, “It’ll be just fine.”

“I know gorgeous, it’s just.” he keeps his voice down as they walk down the hallway to the ultrasound room, his eyes moving from Beatrice to the several pictures of pregnant women hanging on the walls, “It’s just I’m still grasping at this. Seems crazy.”

“It does.”

Once they are inside the room, Rooster sits down next to Beatrice, watching her lie down and push her shirt up and pants down enough to expose the little bump on her navel. He still couldn’t keep his eyes away from it, it was probably the most magical thing he had ever seen in his whole life honestly. Beatrice winces at the cold gel being applied to her skin, hissing quietly but remaining immobile, only turning towards Rooster as he looked at the still black monitor.

He looks down at his hand when he feels a soft touch, Beatrice’s fingers gently brushing over his knuckles until she curls around his digits. She mouths the word ‘okay?’ to him and he nods, replying just the same, bringing her knuckles to his lips to press a soft kiss to her skin. He tries to control his bouncing leg, digging the heel of his foot hard inside his shoe so he doesn’t break the comfortable silence inside the little room.

Soon the ultrasound begins and at first he couldn’t see much except blobs of gray and black, there’s just shapes he couldn’t identify until the direction changed. And he couldn’t help the gasp that leaves his mouth.

Beatrice smiles up at him, turning to face the monitor just like he was and see their baby, their actual baby that was no longer the size of a tiny bean, now it had a head, legs, arms and looked to be sleeping peacefully, “Woah, look at that.” she whispered, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

Rooster didn’t reply, not yet, he was still grasping that this was the very first time he saw his child. The little baby was there, it was there! “Well, the baby looks fine.” the doctor comments, “Would you two like to check the gender?”

Beatrice turns to Rooster, who obviously hadn’t heard the question considering he was still staring at the monitor with his jaw hanging open. So Bea gives his hand a gentle tug, with a quiet “Roos.” calling his attention, “Do you want to check the baby’s gender?” He doesn't hesitate in nodding, since he doesn’t feel like he could talk right now, still understanding everything that’s happening in this small room.

The doctor just chuckles at the two, who watch with so much intensity you’d think the monitor was going to fly away at any second and they’d never be able to figure out. “Well,” the doctor begins, “It’s a girl.”

And he feels like he’s about to faint, “A girl? It’s a girl?” how did he know? How did he know? There was no way he’d know without…nevermind, it doesn’t matter. They were going to have a daughter! It’s a girl! They were going to have a girl, “...holy shit.” he does not hold back the swearing, much for the doctor’s amusement, “Bea, it’s a girl.”

Beatrice’s eyes were glossed over and she gently wipes a lone tear that slid down the side of her face, sniffling quietly, “I know Roos. It’s…it’s a girl.” she laughs tearfully, seeing their little girl’s shape inside of her was…incredible. 

But when the doctor finally lets them hear their daughter’s heartbeat, that’s when Rooster has to hold his head up with a hand in front of his mouth and try his best not to sob. “It’s a strong heartbeat.” the doctor says, “She appears to be completely healthy, there’s nothing wrong with her.”

Rooster could only hear the sound of their daughter’s, Nicole, heart beating repeatedly and quickly, it was like the drums of a marching band, it was loud and yet so quiet at the same time. He couldn’t explain, there were too many emotions rushing through him, so many that he had to look away from the monitor to wipe his eyes only to feel Beatrice’s hand doing that for him with a gentle smile on her face, “It’s okay,Roos.” she whispers as the doctors finishes some paperwork before letting them go, “It’s okay.”

“It’s our baby girl, Bea.” he voices those words and she could hear the pure love and adoration within them, “It’s our baby girl.”

“I know.” she smiles, still wiping his face the best she could, “I know,Roos.”

After a few seconds of both of them calming down because the fact they could hear and see their baby jolted them so much they had to ease their own heartbeats. The doctor said it was all fine and they just had to keep an eye on the little girl but she sounded and appeared healthy as she could be, she congratulated the two - handing them the pictures of the ultrasound as well - and they walked off the little room.

Once outside they had to lean against the Bronco for a few seconds, looking up at the clinic, the ultrasound was held tightly in Beatrice’s hand as if she was terrified of losing it. It’s a long pause, it lasts more than either planned but it breaks when she lifts the picture of their baby to her eyes “...she’s really cute.”

Bradley snaps out of his thoughts to look towards Beatrice, then at the picture and he couldn’t help but smile at it, “I think I see a bit of your nose.” he points to the barely visible profile of their little girl and Beatrice chuckles in disbelief, “See, the little slope? It’s like yours.”

“That soon, huh?”

“That soon.” he smirks, leaning back against the car door with a gentle laugh breaking through his throat, “Have you ever considered that…we’ve been together for two years and a half now, married for six months and we are not expecting our very first child?”

Beatrice folds her arms over her chest with her eyes towards the sky, “You know…now that you mentioned, yeah.” she smiles, “I think we are very lucky Roos. It’s not…often people get pregnant so quickly after marrying, sometimes they wait, sometimes…you know, things happen and yet, here she is…my aunt was right, she was just desperate to show up.”

She looks down at the tiny baby one more time, running her finger over her little silhouette, “She looks like a little robin with how she’s posed.” Beatrice pauses, then turns over towards him, “Robin.” Rooster arches his eyebrow towards her, “Nicole Robin. What do you think?”

“Robin, huh? I like it. Keep with the birds within the family.” but in reality, he was over the moon by the name suggestion because it was so Beatrice to do that, to blurt out something that just latches onto you and it means so much, “Maybe she’ll be just like her daddy.”

“Sweet and charming?”

Bradley licks his lips, giving one quick check towards the clinic and then leaning closer to Beatrice, “That too, but I was thinking she could become a pilot, now I’m going to kiss you because that was dangerously smooth Mrs.Bradshaw.”

“I learned from the best, Mr.Bradshaw.”

They shared a soft laugh before Rooster leaned down to kiss her lips like he wanted to since they got to the clinic. He tasted her cherry flavored lip gloss and swallowed her soft sigh, only pulling back when he felt that he’d go even further if they weren’t right in front of a public space and in the middle of the street “Let’s go home,” he whispers against her lips, “So I can continue this in private.”

Beatrice’s laugh is like music to his ears and her cheeks flushing up were an added bonus, “Very well,” she thanks him when he opens the passenger door for her, stealing another quick peck and then closing the door. As he enters the car, Beatrice is still looking at the ultrasound, “Who will win? The bet?”

Bradley stops after he shuts his own door, thinking about it, “Oh, Payback,Phoenix,Coyote and Bob.” 

“Mav isn’t in the bet?”

“Oh he is, but he tossed the idea of twins.” he laughs, “So it’s possible he’ll win half this time.”

Beatrice hums with a little grin, placing the picture inside her bag and leaning back against the seat, “...they’ll lose their minds when we show up tomorrow.”

“Yep,” he chuckles, turning the car on, “They sure will.”

[libidomechanica]

Untitled Composition # 10259

A kimo sequence

               1

Less you are locked at! As early noticed& that I do when I drew at my trust and joy but love?

               2

Her bones with denial vain would not blind but here’s the Jews from time we’ve her; and ocean flood.

               3

And press my tongue, the grot of Proserpine. Is over the young, and downwards that now, Sir Foole!

               4

And if between His After and pronounces last is bloody close of you. To keep the learne heart.

               5

For still; with the rout thy will build a basketball. Set forth, and wha will bloom palms, or maiden-head.

               6

Thou shalt heart-certain up some fresh woods days; but dead. Unlike the act is decay; till saw the leg.

               7

Pledge? Wherewithal she repentance came debtor for bodily tenement. Now on the solid.

               8

A skylark wound the poppies hung with sand. A simple, fire-tailed exhalations; to tint her hame.

               9

The sides of me, or those threatest we love holdeth and spirit that dare wet! Nor did her pity?

               10

Come away their eyes that brought she had won. Even where to pass, and ease the sea and pain, let bee.

               11

Some benighted, fond image see. Tales that unnotice she nurst; delight. Gnat, a beam of the rill.

               12

Through reeds of Being and fate? The occasion been, and said; oh Thou, who at a vice: had she fold?

               13

I do love that when thy fame here and bolted thus weigh down innocent, dozes three. What region.

               14

Pent up by-and-by; then glut thy Heart. That vision fleeting? When all the motherly cheek on cheeks.

               15

Is this powers? They used fifty should they have taken up the mind, each humble, low-born the pot.

               16

Its own slipperiness.—Of palm or pine? The hasten or declining pride I this friendly Few.

               17

And Meg. And again among cool bosom sweet, whose speech arises stole a breeze would understand.

               18

Whose voice and, feeling tone came not, her has to contagion spend, so is my love! Mother, your balls.

               19

Know me, till in her, strikes in an abyss. That this thy drowsy wings was an old despair itself.

               20

Brought for he nil falsen no wintry season know. The worldly talk like their cups the make my hands.

               21

A grandmotherly cheek! Yes, yes, and its five talent—is emptied of soberly, beginners.

               22

For thee to man, of posting west? Let they do not your round they smiles no change now approaching heart.

               23

As from sweet love holds back, and scudding year. Something the mild whispers him thence a face, silently.

               24

Of little fall be hears deep sighs, and rigg’d with stars in virgin kisse.—A cuff neglected and sent.

               25

With lullaby. Blind mouths! As the creatures wild thyme, and for me under the wine of Thine; oh turn.

               26

Tu-who; tu-whit, tu-who; tu-whit, tu-who; tu-whit, tu-who; tu-whit, tu- who! Seeds of droop-headed.

               27

Lullaby the eight upon the apron. If one down every eastern border of our buried.

               28

Clings about its five shalt by fount of secret grieved below thine. Make a close, a shores and you say?

               29

The city, and canst them? Scarce had never could with feet as silence, in their rose, a shore, tu-who!

               30

With a frown, with thou canst the snow on pathless sky—but he hell am I to the black. Delight.

               31

And sunny glades of speech arises from high Top, and so beguiled, already in that heart, there.

               32

The wondrous moods; and the sad and perhaps it was brought fair youth be still them. Gives and candlelight.

               33

—It favorite aggies. Went for yúsuf—she bee sucked in that my Mother’s blush, and did grounds, and thence?

               34

The princes do belongs! And silvery eye but love and air, I feel this toes, I know that much.

               35

I may she wound alive? Single light, to when the gardens yet unset with sad eies I the more.

               36

Yea, too, Beauty began a Tale of Love’s used no maid’s bliss. Making eyes, no alternate prayers.

               37

Crime. Bends aloft, and then followed by skill. Dream was to pray we for you must do’t, for Lycidas?

               38

To the gloomy shaft, thou art cruel. Of the Heart there up to all new techniques for such as ever.

               39

Sooner heaven hie, close the world ’gainst a vacant minute slipperiness did trip and nothing.

               40

Your breast in the meadows? In our lives complement to row thou hast been the eldest said: Wait up!

               41

Eager thou, to whom broad day the answered in comes, and sixty! Through the unheard, and if you give.

               42

Alas! My mother silverly around, Return, Alpheus: the rush of gall, is fancy’s spring.

               43

I am talking,—ah, it may I do, hear and clodded ear! The world of sisters trough all these?

               44

His past, make my good carefully dress the parting, and true. Bright she found me loved Mozart was told.

               45

When old me with black and through my loss to give your old bards, that aged hands;—for lo! Come to weak.

               46

She too wide plainness of needful at the windows: Friends of petals beside! Our two should a fool.

               47

The beauty only think, my prettie death. Rich result of a’. In listen too a little journey.

               48

Come within the vineyard, and innocuous occupation. Might be freely complain, and fine.

               49

With wondrous mortal too.—Ocean floods, that selfe my mind is satire of love, in ministring.

               50

So thin the doors leadings for its patterned disarray—my mind. Their secrets of both, and see feed?

               51

My meaning is in my young unborn. Leading his Dagger Thorn. I take this, and with a limits.

               52

She shall love’s first, that I dreamed I was false foul, they were not importune and unfamiliar guest.

               53

Others pale. Leaving your girl with heat may be, ere it glide, and for lace better if I no more.

               54

I fail! And walked as truly round, little was said to hide some suspicion star-showers, and hell!

               55

A things—glory as his slaue. And do so for fear’d the dedicated hiss of the light; their stept.

               56

What so it goes. Was fain to following danger strive not bring, cheek is cold, she gave it an oath.

               57

The root, so loves her, that flowers Sappha went, and shed a bliss. So Pharaoh, or so this thy name?

               58

Saying the beaten gold with eyes at large, a deep upon thy terms divine! And dark, that she, chaste.

               59

Return, of whose are the silently. From out together who is as a child; she kiss’d her hair.

               60

Someone lived they? You shalt sea strange, and her can we find by adding the pure and as good report.

               61

And change to sail sae royallie. I would say, of happiness … and once that in an April’s inmost soul.

               62

To find, a siren song, not thou receive. Wind are light, tu-who; tu-whit, tu-who; tu-whit, tu-who!

               63

It is not, flying breast the dreary vaults. And, coming on the life, and candlelight, old jockstrap.

               64

Thick, as then I knew not wish our buried streets, but not mad pursuit? Dead perfidious plays an end.

               65

Rot inward glance from time the her falls under through. And Why I love that balanced-but I forbeare?

               66

She van of a kind of your grace, that with waking me to the pot. In bleak November, makes cakes?

               67

Thou have spar’d for all. To kill my dear, beside you the scrip, with a singeth: o stone, there torn out.

               68

And thou leaves about there all in vain the fair. By all perfect witness something in the regions?

               69

Girdle me with the unimagined for the stream with black again. That thou hast slain by the clear.

               70

So in my old ladies cannot shed of your emissary eyes shall be my blood! With a tree.

               71

Of grass! That had never, every marge, whose bring how bright dungeons; heaths as the rose, and quills today.

               72

Tracing, they still be. Man’s pardon a’ our sister: of all. For the old Chaucer used when the phone.

               73

Busy old grief that we can we find your far as pride doth sleep! Able to entice you do so.

[satanisnotapogostick]

sam playlist liner notes

1. jesse got trapped in a coal mine – goodnight, texas

dean picking sam up from stanford in the pilot: jesse getting trapped in the coal mine

(he never DID marry his girl)

2. me and bobby mcgee – kris kristofferson

to me, me and bobby mcgee is about when sam runs away from dean and hangs out with meg before she outs herself as a demon

3. dorothy - mewithoutYou

“one turned into sr. Margaret, and I said "if you can change your shape that easily can you take the form of my dead father?”… then last night I was somewhere near virginia rebuking satan with ironic faithfulness. and satan turned to me: have you thought much about that cry?"

lucifer AND john themes???? yes.

4. life during wartime – talking heads

this song is sam adjusting to being a hunter and being at war, where he’ll stay for the rest of his life <3

5. this is how we do things in the country – slim cessna’s auto club

ok so this song is about sam killing madison. when you murder the girl you’re sweet on but it’s righteous and everyone thanks you for it. this is how it’s always been! this is how we do things in the country! (and also getting amy killed, a little bit, but that hasn’t happened yet. this is still early seasons)

6. clampdown – the clamp

“the voices in your head are calling. stop wasting your time, there's nothing coming, only a fool would think someone could save you… but you grow up and you calm down, and you're working for the clampdown.”

damn maybe we’re not the good guys. anyway!!

7. smith & jones forever – silver jews

smith & jones (salmondean) together!! forever!!

8. everything you did – steely dan

oh bro you slutted around with a demon and let satan out. what have you done

9. tortoises all the way down - mewithoutYou

“everybody knows, son. everybody knows what you've done!!”

just crazyass guilt song

10. up jumped the devil – nick cave

the tiger. he destroyed his cage. yes. YES. the tiger is out.

11. (ghost) riders in the sky – marty robbins

“then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride. tryin’ to catch the devil herd across these endless skies”

just s5 endless chase vibes

12. needle in the hay – elliott smith

demon blood detox time baby

13. emperor – mark lanegan

“why can’t I get right? all these demons to enslave me. who’s left to fight? oh, just the emperor.” the emperor being lucifer. obviously.

14. skating away (on the thin ice of a new day) – jethro tull

they have the horseman rings!! sam’s about to jump into the cage!! your world is about to end, but it’s okay!! you’ve done it!!

15. the passenger – iggy pop

and lol now he’s possessed by lucifer

16. the mercy seat – nick cave

okay now we’re at stull and he’s REALLY going to the gallows (jumping in)

17. when you die - MGMT

I imagine this song happening during the fall itself from stull into the cage. honestly this is a weaker entry but like. haha tfw you die

18. fifteen feet of pure white snow – nick cave

thee cage song.

“I waved to my neighbot, my neighbor waved to me. but my neighbor is my enemy. I kept waving my arms til I could not see, under fifteen feet of pure white snow. is anyone out there please? it’s too quiet in here and I’ve beginning to freeze. I’ve got icicles hanging from my knees, under fifteen feet of pure white snow”

you’ve even got icy temperature themes!

19. loverman – nick cave

yeah <3

“there’s a devil waiting outside your door (how much longer?) there’s a devil waiting outside your door and he’s bucking and braying and pawing at the floor and he’s howling with pain and crawling up the walls…. loverman!!! till the bitter end!!! while empires burn down forever and ever and ever and ever amen”

nick cave count: 4

20. satan it’s you – jett screams

@polishnatural recommendation. cellmates (and bunk buddies) with the devil in hell type vibes

21. relax, take it easy - mika

the war has already been won and nothing that happens in here has any effect on the real world. why not relax into the simplicity of it all!! (sometimes it’s just better when things are bad type vibes)

22. don’t lose your temper - xtc

we’re out of the cage! and starting strong with a mocking song bc he already lost his temper and grew mild and that’s why he’s too tired to fight. so this is the only hallucifer era song on the playlist

23. first wave intact – secret machines

war metaphors. extended wars. unwinnable wars.

“I wonder what you're waiting for. I wonder what you're working for. I wonder what you're living for. I wonder what you're dying for”

same king

24. mexican war streets - mewithoutYou

“but how long before our tails are caught by our "free" thought?” INDEED

“nature had another plan (& failed to run it by me!) nature had another plan, some other surrogate self to live in the sediment of so many somebody elses' innumerable lives and you were right: it's not a person who dies but worlds die inside us”

SO TRUE. we’re fully breaking into late seasons here

mwY count: 3

25. screen shot - swans

these are all sam’s meditation mantras. he’s offering a course: how to become okay with really horrible situations that you are also complicit in. “love! now! breathe! now! love! now! breathe! now!”

26. god’s away on business – tom waits

IT WASN’T GOD IN YOUR HEAD SAM

27. when the lights come on – they might be giants

when the lights come on (when lucifer brings you back to life)

28. light’s on

TWO songs about sam’s resurrection at lucifer’s hands??? yeah ;)

“the lights are on, you don’t know just who your friends are. the lights are on, and it’s light you’ll never know”

29. devil’s resting place – laura marling

I mean. yeah. his time in the cage with the devil coming back to haunt him

30. failure - swans

see my edit that I won’t link bc I can’t find. but anyway yeah. this guy fails a lot

31. last song about satan – slim cessna’s auto club

ding dong the devil is dead!!

32. president – max frost

@girlkingsam recommendation. late seasons sam vibes for sure. plus this song can be read as being about hell politics which is fun. I don’t give a damn who’s president (of hell)!

33. the road goes on forever – the highwayen

cycles of violence, etc. the road goes on forever, nothing ever (really) changes. (also yes sonny is dean and sherry is sam. I guess)

34. careers in combat – parquet courts

the namesake of my little fanfiction.

“there are no more summer lifeguard jobs, there are no more art museums to guard. the lab is out of white lab coats cause there are no more slides and microscopes. but there are still careers in combat my son!!!”

king of hell ending please please you’re nothing. anyway he’s been at war his whole life and war is his legacy. anyway.

[johannstutt413]

How’s the queue lookin, boss?

1. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Blemishine/Nian (working on this one now)

2. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Tails Club II: Fluffier than Ever

3. (requested by calligomiles) Gavial/Zima II, Tomimi’s Reaction

4. (requested by calligomiles) ShiraYuki/Scavenger II, The Date

5. (requested by anonymous) Doc/Whislash

6. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Blemishine x Eunectes

7. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Blemishine x Chiave, Blemishine calls Whislash auntie one time too many

8. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Shining andor Nightingale doting on Blemishine

9. (requested by mathmaticalknight) The Doctor talks to Blemishine about the fact she is the only person at Rhodes Island willing to attack sleeping enemies, and that she considers it mercy.

10. (requested by calligomiles) Platinum/Nearl/Gravel

11. (requested by anonymous) Just after Maria Nearl, the Kazimierz Media’s hatchet job...and a little more besides

12. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Aosta/Bibeak

13. (requested by greenone170b7) Shining and Liz cheer on their wife while she kicks ass to save her sister

14. (requested by greenone170b7) Maria and Platinum start dating (and Margaret is suffering because of it)

15. (requested by greenone170b7) Zofia is lamenting her single status in the bar when she gets swept off her feet by a gorgeous fem!Doc

16. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Broca/Click

17. (requested by anonymous) Ifrit joins Reunion...and Saria and Silence have to stop her [GODDAMNIT SADFIC ANON]

18. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Blaze x Saria

19. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Surtr and her talking sword

20. (requested by anonymous) Mudrock/Fem!Doc

21. (requested by anonymous) Hung is a dudebrochadmyguy

22. (requested by calligomiles) Zima/Leto in this timeline

23. (requested by calligomiles) Rosa/Istina in this timeline

24. (requested by calligomiles) Jackie/Grani/Absinthe Poly-cop-ule

25. (requested by anonymous) Doctor/Gavial during Great Chief, Tomimi no likey

26. (requested by calligomiles) Jackie/Swire (OkaKoro!)

27. (requested by calligomiles) Mudrock/FrostNova

28. (requested by calligomiles; continuing from this) Mudrock/Gummy/BP

29. (requested by calligomiles) Mudrock/Rosa

30. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Nian/Whisperain [I see what you’re doing here]

31. (requested by calligomiles) Zima/Glaucus

32. (requested by calligomiles) Istina/Deepcolor

33. (requested by calligomiles) Rosa/BP

34. (requested by calligomiles) Leto/Specter

35. (requested by calligomiles) Gummy/Skadi...V? Likely with all of these Abyss/USGG couples coming together at a meeting or some’n

36. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Warfarin, Pramanix, Conviction, and Ansel learn to helidrop

37. (requested by anonymous) Specter/Doc

38. (requested by calligomiles) Rosa/Gavial 2

39. (requested by mathmaticalknight) ChenPipe 5ish (Ch’en working Command Center accidentally brings Bagpipe and Reed into contact)

40. (requested by anonymous) Jaye/Utage, Resting Terror Faces come together

41. (requested by calligomiles) Utage/Zima

42. (requested by calligomiles) Utage/Gummy II

43. (requested by calligomiles) Flint/Zima

44. (requested by calligomiles) Flint/Leto

45. (requested by emburbaguette) Doctor/Rangers

46. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Angelina/Utage II

47. (requested by calligomiles) Absinthe/Zima

48. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Doctor gets TP’d to G&K

49. (requested by calligomiles) Rosa and Talulah, bonding over shared rejection of nobility

50. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Saria/Nian 5, meet the family (Dusk)

51. (requested by calligomiles) Swire/Rosa III

52. (requested by calligomiles) BP/Andreana

53. (requested by anonymous) Blue Poison/Astesia

54. (requested by calligomiles) Saga/Archetto

55. (requested by calligomiles) Saga/Absinthe

56. (requested by calligomiles) Dusk/Deepcolor (“I’m not worried about collateral damage”)

57. (requested by calligomiles) Ifrit/Rosmontis/Eyjafjalla

58. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Ceobe walks Dusk’s paintings freely

59. (requested by calligomiles) Skadi/Gummy 6: Someone’s Gonna Die From Sugar Overload

60. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Dusk burns Nian’s movie collection, Shaw is the most upset

61. (requested by mathmaticalknight; continuing from this) Archetto joins the group

62. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Franka gets Liskarm to help with her biggest prank ever

63. (requested by calligomiles; continuing from this) Rhine Labs Sandwich

64. (requested by calligomiles; prequel to this) Mayer and Magallan’s Meeting

65. (requested by lonewanderer2033) Operation: Nine-Tailed Frog [Suzuran gets Blue Poison an outfit similar to hers]

66. (requested by mathmaticalknight) “Hey Dusk…Why don’t you fight like you did during your event?”

67. (requested by calligomiles) Rosa/Nearl III

68. (requested by calligomiles) Beeswax/Mint

69. (requested by mathmaticalknight) One of the gang [from Dusk’s event] learns Dusk has the worst physical results of any non-robot Operator

70. (requested by anonymous) Surtr vs Platinum – Who Wins the Doctor’s Heart?

71. (requested by anonymous) Ch’en/Doc post Chap. 8

72. (requested by calligomiles) Horsebucket II: It’s All Coming Together

73. (requested by anonymous) Skadi/Suzuran/(maybe Specter too)

74. (requested by wealmostaneckbeard) Tachanka becomes the USSGG’s surrogate dad

75. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Utage becomes the Great Chief

76. (requested by calligomiles) Swire/Rosa IV: Sweet as Honey

77. (requested by calligomiles) Swire/Talulah (in a world where Koschei doesn’t exist that fucking prick)

78. (requested by anonymous) Blue Poison and/or Platinum in the Arknights equivalent of this scene [Mr. Incredible’s part at least…anon feel free to clarify, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this movie]

79. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Someone starts worshipping Dusk or Nian (…probably the Doctor honestly)

80. (requested by calligomiles) FrostNova/Alina/Talulah, in an idyllic setting (similar world setup as Talulah/Swire imo)

81. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Ceobe and Saga, maybe a couple, maybe just being hungry doggos together, we’ll figure it out when we get there

82. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Iris returns something to Whisperain from before her last reset

83. (requested by mathmaticalknight) Dusk/Whisperain

84. (requested by mathmaticalknight) What If…Nian made Chen’s sword?

Yes that is 80+ fics deep. No that is not intimidating. *shivering*