#Rain x oc

[titlemewickedwonderland]

The Manager (Ghost Fic) Chapter 1

Summary: The Ministry announces an outsider coming to be part of the congregation to help with the Ghost project as a tour manager; little did the Ghoul know; she is nothing like they pictured her or how she'd affect them all.

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"Now, I want you all to be nice, ghouls! This is the third manager we have had in the span of 6 months! If you dare run her off-" Copia wagged a finger at the group resulting in a few scoffs.

"It's not our fault the last ones didn't know how to handle us." Dewdrop sneered crossing his arms behind his back.

"Dew, you caught the poor girl's dress on fire!" Copia protested waving his hands around wildly

Dewdrop's smile was anything but innocent. "I was showing her a party trick."

Swiss snorted beside him making Rain whack the Multi-Ghoul on the arm with disapproval. "Papa we'll be on our best behavior I promise!" Rain vowed before giving his packmates a glare. "Right?"

Phantom snickered but it ended up in a cough as he met the small Water Ghoul's stern glare. "Right, we promise Papa."

Copia huffed and nodded just as the doors to his office opened and a Sister walked in. "Papa, your guest has arrived." she announced as she stepped aside to allow the figure behind her to step up.

She was not at all what any of them had imagined. She was not of their Ministry, an outsider very much out of place standing in Copia's lavished office and it made the Ghouls so silent as Papa stepped forward with an extended hand to shake the one the young woman offered.

"Ah, Mrs. Whitmore thank you so much for coming on such short notice!" the man said as he shook the woman's hand before placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

"I should be thanking you, Copia. I was really intrigued when we spoke earlier about this proposition," she replied with a warm smile. "And please, call me Ari."

"Si...please take a seat!" Copia waved her over as he shuffled behind his desk.

The woman, Ari gracefully moved over to the chairs; casting a friendly smile towards the masked figures standing off to the side before sitting down and placing her leather carrier case on the ground by her feet. She wore civilian clothes, a simple pair of jeans, and a warm cream-colored sweater that was sure to keep her warm in the cold season of Autumn that swirled leaves through the abbey with its chilly breath. Her hair was dark brown and curly; pulled into a neat ponytail at the back of her head. Definitely not what they had imagined when the Ghouls were informed a new replacement was being put on the Ghost Project as a manager; in all honesty, they had expected an older woman in her mid-forties - Sister Imperator's age...not this....lovely creature sitting there right now.

She was so attentive and open as she spoke with Copia, coming well prepared as she slipped a notebook from her bag to take notes on as she listened to the papa speak; jotting down vital information to store for later, no doubt.

"Ah, and before I forget and get ahead of myself this is a file of all my ghouls with their personal information that has been taken down and noted from the previous managers to ease your transition-" The file that was pushed towards her came to a halt as she placed her hand on it; stopping its movements.

Her smile was small but sincere as she pushed it back to the man across from her. "I won't need it." she said sitting back.

"But-but Mrs. Ari-" Copia floundered in confusion; only going silent when she tipped her head at him with an amused smile tugging at her lips.

"Copia, I would like to get something straight. I do not plan to leave anytime soon or be run off. The others who worked for you taking care of your needs and those of the ghouls while on tour lacked one particular detail that is vital to a job like this; I can tell you that much without having to meet the previous managers."

"And what is that mio caro?" the man asked curiously

"They lacked a sense of vulnerability to this job." she lifted a hand idly as she spoke and waved it around as she continued.

"I presume since they did not last long they didn't take the care to actually get to know the ghouls they had under their care. They saw a job that needed to be done and when the pressure of their personalities got the best of them - they left because they couldn't handle it. They didn't see their job as anything more than a paycheck and that was their first mistake, their second was that they didn't take the time to understand the ghouls and their needs; instead looked at them as if they were just a hindrance or a child they were having to babysit. What differentiates me from them, is that I do, in fact, care about this project. Not because of the pay." she turned her gaze to the silent group that had yet to make a sound since she arrived.

"I care because I know they are not just an object to be used as a tool for this project. Without them, the project wouldn't be possible and thus they deserve as much respect as they do the comfort of knowing they won't be overlooked and undermined simply because they are not human as you and I." she returned her attention to the man; her laugh of delight at his gobsmacked expression causing the corners of her eyes to crinkle as she smiled at him.

"So, I won't need those files. Everything I need to know about your ghouls, Copia I will learn on my own by actually getting to know them personally; not basing them off of a spreadsheet in a folder." she pushed the file back towards him before closing her notebook and putting it away into her own bag.

"Now, I know we spoke about the details of my job description but I hope you would shed some light on what I can do to help when we are not on tour. What will my duties off tour include?" she folded her hands in her lap and stared across at the skull-faced man; waiting patiently for him to pick his jaw up off the floor and gather his own thoughts before speaking.

"Ah, si. So, it is no real difference then what is expected of you on tour. You will manage their practice schedule, and make sure they have everything they need when the seasons change; each ghoul is particularly sensitive to the change of seasons for obvious reasons. When not with the ghouls I will need your help with planning out the setlist of the next tour, being there for practices to make sure everything is going well, taking notes when needed; booking venues and ticket booth stuff as well as merch stalls while we aren't on tour. Planning for the future tours and such." Papa explained watching as Ari nodded slowly while she took in his words.

She was not stressed in the least; the amount of work that seemed to be piled onto her plate was a rather big task to partake in but she didn't sweat it and instead took in the information carefully; the look in her eyes making Copia imagine her gears turning as she filed away data.

"And lodgings?" the woman finally replied.

"You will be staying in the manager's suit across the hall from the Ghoul's wing for easy access when you're needed. I hope that is alright with you?" Copia looked suddenly nervous but relaxed when Ari merely shrugged and pursed her lips.

"Sounds like a solid plan, now before we end this meeting Papa would you mind giving me the previous work files of the last manager on duty so I can see where they left off?"

"Si si...you certainly don't miss a beat." Copia laughed as he rolled away a bit to dig through a drawer in his desk.

"What can I say? I'm very thorough." she gave a playful wink before extending a hand to grab the rather large stack of folders labeled differently on the wings.

"Thank you, Ari. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership." Copia gave her a warm look and Ari returned it with one of her own before she grabbed her bag from the floor and rose to her feet with the folders tucked against her chest.

"Likewise, Copia. Now, if you don't mind...I do have a few bags that are waiting in the lobby for me to take to my new quarters and I'll retire for the evening to sort all this mess out." she tapped the folders with a finger.

"Si si mio caro. We'll talk more tomorrow, if you need me I'll either be in here or in my bed chambers down the hall! In the meantime, my ghouls will show you the way."

Ari nodded and headed for the door, pausing only briefly to look over her shoulder when she heard footsteps behind her. She snorted a bit as she opened the office door and slipped into the hallway; joined moments later by the black-clad figures.

"You aren't a very talkative bunch, are you? that's alright, I'm sure we'll get to know each other soon." she said as she followed the group down the hallway.

"Did you mean it?" a voice spoke up shyly to her right causing her head to swivel to peer at an average height Ghoul as he walked right behind her shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"About what you said back there to Papa. About us." he clarified.

"Of course I did! I don't say things I don't mean, honey," she replied with a small smile. "Now I know my word means nothing to you. Trust isn't something that's easily given when it comes to strangers but I hope we all can be friends while we work closely together, alright?"

The ghoul nodded once before falling back into silence as they led her toward the Ghoul Wing. They stopped at a wooden double door across the hall from another and paused there.

"We'll have someone bring you your luggage in a few minutes. In the meantime, Mrs. Whitmore this is where we will part ways..." the tallest of the ghouls spoke up in a rumble.

"Thank you for the escort." Ari smiled back at him before turning to open the door only to stop when another voice piped up.

"Hey! Err, before you go...we just wanted to let you know we appreciate what you said back there to Papa and...if you want...we'd like for you to join us at our table for breakfast in the morning, for proper introductions and such, y'know?"

Ari chuckled and turned to look at them. "I would love that!"

"Okay, cool. We'll uh, we'll come pick you up?" it was stated more as a question than a statement and Ari smirked in amusement.

"Sounds like a plan. Goodnight, guys. Sleep well." And with her parting words, she slipped through the door and softly closed it behind her.

~

Chapter 2

Taglist: @darklylucid @strawberry-moonpies

[jd-loves-fiction]

𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥 (2)

➢  A new ghoul is summoned, they're small and unsure of who they want to be. The ghouls and ghoulettes help them figure it out while bringing them into their loving arms and showing them that no matter what path they choose, they will be loved.

➢ 𝖕𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌: poly!nameless ghouls/ghoulettes x OC (Ghoulie)

➢  𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊: fluff ❤

➢  𝖜𝖈: 1.6k

➢  𝖆/𝖓: Not too happy with this one but the setup is needed 🙃 And if you’d rather read this on AO3 here’s the link :D

➢⚠️: nothing, just very wholesome :)

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 2 - 𝕭𝖆𝖇𝖞 𝕾𝖙𝖊𝖕𝖘

Aether wakes up in the middle of the night, by the blinking number on the clock beside the couch he lays on, to a new, unfamiliar scent coming from his room.

Seems the little ghoul is up.

When he reaches the door, eyes still heavy and half-lidded, he opens it slowly while looking for the new ghoul.

He finds them still on the bed, sitting, wide eyed and frozen. Aether stares back, blinking slowly and carefully closing the door behind him.

Satan, it’s awkward. He’s gotten so used to communicating through the bond with his pack, or at least getting a clue about what they’re feeling through it, that just trying to figure out what to say to the panicked ghoul is taking all of his energy.

If only Rain or Mountain were here, either of them could probably pacify even the wildest of beasts. But they’re sleeping and moving out of the ghoul’s sight might not be a good idea now that he’s got their full attention.

So he takes a deep, calming breath before relaxing his stance. His instincts tell him that if he appears relaxed, they might mimic his behavior. Hopefully.

“Hi,” He says it quietly but still they jump, clutching the blanket tighter between their sharp claws. The sound of something ripping makes Aether want to wince but he doesn’t let it distract him. “My name is Aether. I’m not going to hurt you.”

He doesn’t expect them to believe him but they lower their hands to their lap, revealing that his shirt has slipped down their shoulder.

"Do you have a name?"

They think for a moment, before looking down and shaking their head.

"That's ok. We can figure something out… How about 'Ghoulie'...?" It's a simple name, bordering on lazy but it works as a placeholder for the time being.

'Ghoulie' opens their mouth to test the name, but nothing comes out of their underused vocal cords, so they just nod.

The large ghoul decides to step closer, kneeling beside the bed and taking their small hands into his own as slowly as ghoulishly possible. "You don't need to worry anymore, you're safe with us - me and my pack. We're all like you. And we'll help you with anything you want from now on, alright?"

From this close he can see that their eyes are still pitch black with no discernible iris, unlike his own black scleras with purple irises.

He swears his voice has never been this soft, nor his grasp. All because he feels as if they might break if he's anything but the absolute gentlest version of himself possible.

Ghoulie blinks, squeezing his hands with as much strength as they can muster at the moment.

"How much do you remember?" He doesn't need to specify what he means, by the furrowing of their dark brows and the thoughtful scrunch of their nose.

He lets them think and then waits patiently when they start trying to speak, "It's… it was dark… and warm. Too warm."

Aether chuckles in response, missing their lips twitching up at the sound, "I bet. Anything else?"

"I… someone," one of their hands leaves his hold to touch their damaged horn, "attacked me. I think. But I don't remember much else."

"Just once? You don't have any more injuries?" They shake their head. "Good. That's good."

"I don't… remember anything else. Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, sweetheart." He scrambles to correct them, heart breaking at their careful tone.

"How about I tell you about the rest of the pack? You can meet them whenever you feel ready, though. Would you like that?" His grayish thumb rubs soothing circles on their palm as they nod.

"I promise they're all very friendly." On their good days, at least.

The next few days are Heaven to Aether and Hell to the other ghouls who did as he asked and stayed away from the new ghoul until they’re really to meet them.

All they can do is sit quietly and patiently (as patiently as possible) and listen to Aether talk about how they should call the newcomer Ghoulie and refer to them as they or she and how it’s so easy to make them laugh and how they have no control over how their tail wiggles around when excited. By the end of the week, Sunshine is whining sadly and Dewdrop is ready to pull his hair out.

One day, he catches Rain on his way somewhere and stops to tell him, “How about you come to my room tonight? I think Ghoulie’s ready to start meeting the pack.”

The brief thought that if he had asked it to someone like Swiss, he definitely would’ve thought it was about something different. But the thought doesn’t linger for long after he sees how Rain’s tail starts wagging excitedly as he nods.

Night comes around and Aether tries, he really does, to keep his anxious energy from bleeding out into the air. But Ghoulie is perceptive and learning quickly, of course she notices. 

Whether it’s because he looks that anxious or because the bond is finally starting to form, he has yet to find out. They haven’t made that much progress on that front which doesn’t surprise him, but how disappointed the new ghoul looks everytime she realizes it’s not working does. It’s fucking adorable and springs forth the idea that Aether might just be ready to do anything for this ghoul, though he’s not quite ready to admit it.

“Are you ok?” Ghoulie asks, looking up from the book he handed her to keep her busy.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He lies through his sharp teeth and thinks she’s getting far too smart far too fast when she puts down the book to encourage him to speak his mind. It was weird the first time she did it, how easily she figured him out and how open to listening to him ramble she was. Aether is supposed to be the strong one, the shoulder to cry on, but the roles being switched is not as world-ending as he thought it’d be.

“Listen,” he kneels before the blinking ghoul to look them in the eyes, “I want this to go well. I really want you to like them. Otherwise this is going to be very uncomfortable for everyone.”

“If you trust them so much, why would you have to worry?” They put it so simply, as if it’s obvious and maybe it is, maybe it’s always been. Perhaps it’s just clearer to a creature still mostly used to thinking in instincts and focusing on surviving instead of what is proper to say or do.

He's about to admit that she might be right, but a knock sounds on the door before he can. Rain asks if he can enter through the bond, nervous and giddy as he awaits an answer. 

Aether looks to his temporary roommate and then to the door, receiving a nod to open it. He stays close to them as the door opens, having noticed how much comfort they find in his touch or proximity in general.

When the door moves without any words from Aether’s lips, Ghoulie looks at him with pure wonder in her black eyes, wishing so desperately she could do that herself already.

Rain enters the standard ghoul dorm room, helmet off and showing off his long, wavy hair - a beautiful bluish black color that reminds her of the very bottom of the ocean where light is scarce and shines through in rays. She finds herself wanting to touch it, to see if it'd feel any different from her own hair, it certainly looks softer.

The water ghoul, acting surprisingly more confident than usual as he greets the younger ghoul with a soft wave, "Hello there."

“Hi,” The word is exhaled, part nervousness and part excitement. Aether is a sweetheart, patient and lovely, but hearing about all the other pack members has Ghoulie on the edge of her seat waiting to meet them.

With the chance right in front of her, however, she is lost on what to say. And so is Rain. Aether’s decision to introduce the most reserved member of the pack to her first seems to have backfired.

Before Aether starts scrambling to fill the awkward silence, Rain speaks, determined to come out of his shell for Ghoulie’s benefit, “What’re you reading?”

“Oh, I’m not sure what the title is. But it’s about a fish girl… I think.” Speech seems to be something ghouls know inherently, even if they are almost never given the chance to use it while in Hell. Reading though is a skill they need to brush up on once arriving at the surface, since there’s a mediocre (at best) selection of reading material in the deep, dark pits.

Rain tries to hold his grin back from splitting his face in two. He wants to be gentle, but not condescending. He wants to be cool, but not aloof. He wants to be everything the others were for him, for her but he quickly realizes that just being himself will do nicely. He's just one ghoul, after all.

"Actually, Aether told me you like reading. Could you… help me out? There's some stuff I don't understand." The young ghoul laughs awkwardly, thumbing the corner of the page nervously as Rain's eyes widen upon realizing he's just been staring at her this whole time.

"Ah! Of course. Which part are you on?" He crouches beside the beat-up armchair they sit on to look over the old book.

Aether watches on fondly, sitting on his bed as the two timid ghouls begin opening up and talking more excitedly. Ghoulie casts glances in his direction to make sure he's still there in between letting her eyes roam Rain's blueish, smooth features.

Both older ghouls' hearts swell when she laughs, openly and loudly, as she starts making the amusing connection between Rain and the Little Mermaid.

A faint presence, curious and playful, is felt beyond the door.

[egonspenglerishot]

Thought Silas x Rain would be cute!

go absolutely ham with it >:]

((Salis mf))

“Your soaked! Well I am a water ghoul”

The ghouls and Papa were gathered around the summoning circle. A new ghoul was needed. Of course depending on gender and such ghouls are summoned with coverings. However though this ghoul was female, but had no breasts. They had a much more masculine figure. But it was obvious they were feminine.

Rain peeked out from behind Mountain and looked at the newest ghoul. What…element were they? They didn’t look…normal? Like other ghouls. They opened their eyes and instantly cowered back from the people infront.

Rain watched and couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Stepping forward he crouched and sat crossed legged like they’d been.

“It’s ok..I won’t hurt you.”

They looked at him and shakily made their way over, Rain catching them as they fell at the last few steps. He smiled as he held them stroking their hair making sure they were ok. Satanas what was wrong with him.

As time went on Salis grew more confident in their abilities of speaking and communication but would still often hide behind Rain after rituals or when the two were walking around the ministry.

One day rain was let off practice early due to some equipment malfunction. What he saw was not expected. Salis was snuggled up in one of his hoodies, on his bed and with his favorite record playing.

So many thoughts rushed through his head. What does he do? Does he wake them. Does he stop the record!! Does he snuggle with them?!?!

“Mnnn rain cmereeeeee”

The water Ghoul changed and laid beside the earth Ghoul, causing them to instantly snuggle into him. They always let out a hum when they sleep. Not many ghouls do it due to having more than one mate, however some ghouls mate for life

“Mmnn ti amo”

[ghouljams]

Friend.

Viking!Ghost with a huge wolf-dog.

Or, even better : shepherd!reader with a huge wolf-dog, or two ; big, ferocious babies who absolutely love the guy, smothering him in kisses and floof every time he visits his darling. Huge balls of fluff who are absolutely delighted when he picks both of them up as if they were still puppies. Reader falling a little bit more in love with him every time she catches him interact with them, gently talking to them as their tails wag and wag and wag. And Ghost who has to suck in a breath when he finds her asleep in the barn after she spent the night helping one of her sheep give birth, the two dogs acting as really big and warm blankets, along with all the other sheep ; just a huge pile of snuggles that won’t let any kind of cold wind through. Just utter cuteness, and the huge, powerful viking is smitten.

My period has been acting up since yesterday, and last night was a nightmare. I’m a little bit better, but I can’t eat otherwise it’s gonna start all over again. I am not hurt, I AM the hurt. I really wish I had a big doggo or one of my cats to snuggle with, or a partner to help with the panic attacks this shoot always comes with (or all of those, I need warmth and cuddles and love).

I wanna write, by I can’t, because brain not braining properly. So I’m imagining fluffy scenarios while listening to the rain outside.

The birds are singing in harmony with the rain. It’s a cozy melody.

Lots of love, Friend.

Mii, out (like a light, soon, probably).

You're getting used to the visits. The giant of a viking that hovers just at the edge of your fence, watching like he's got something to say only to turn away when you ask him to say it. The dogs like him, galloping over to the man every time his shadow crosses your fence. They wiggle and jump like puppies, pushing their big paws against his chest and stretching long with their heads back, the only man that hasn't been bowled over by them yet. You can't blame them for their affections.

Your guest scoops up one of them and cradles the overgrown mutt against his chest. Your dog, for all its ferocity, licks at his mask like the tamest pup in a litter. You get your flock settled before making your way over. It's a fair assumption the viking won't walk away with your dog, so you're guessing he's worked up the nerve for a conversation. You manage to get all the way to the fence, though he takes a step back when you lean against it. You switch your attention to the dog still on the ground and scratch under her chin. Her big eyes stare sadly up at you, as if you could pick her up like the viking.

"Ghost," he says, and you're struck by how rich his voice is, deep and smokey as a dwarves cavern, "you can call me Ghost," he explains, apparently having realized his attempted start at a conversation wasn't going to go anywhere.

"There another viking hidin' his face like you?" You ask him, the introduction is lovely (if a little awkward) but everyone in the village knows Ghost. Or, they know of him. Nobody really knows him. You figure that's what the mask is for.

"Suppose not," he replies, and there's a touch of humor in his voice you hadn't expected. It makes you think he's smiling. Somehow that makes your cheeks feel hot. Strange.

"What do you need Ghost?" You ask, leaning against the fence. He leans to put your dog down, and the other one goes to nose his hand. He scratches her head lightly before straightening up.

"Just came to pet the dogs," he tells you. You smile. "No show this time?" He asks.

"No wolves," you nod towards the pasture, your flock safe and sound as they graze. Your eyes land on the wolf fang sewn to his leather. It's familiar enough to make your heart squeeze. You wish he'd come for you.

-

You're not out in the pasture, or answering the door when he knocks. It's early but Ghost didn't think you'd be that sound a sleeper. Fucking hell it's early, he shouldn't even be here but he wanted to see you before he left and- and he couldn't stop himself. He was delaying leave for his own selfish desired, but he couldn't stop himself from coming out to your little pasture. He had no excuse for it, nothing he could tell you, but he didn't want to talk to you he wanted to see you.

These are two different things.

He wanders around the fence you've put up, sturdy, well maintained. He wonders if you fix it up yourself or ask someone else to do it. You could ask him, he'd fix it for you. He'd fix anything for you. As long as it was you asking, he could do anything.

He stops outside a little covered barn, the hay leading into it is fresh, the doors slightly ajar. It's a good bet if he's ever seen one. The hinges don't stick when he inches the door open to look inside.

One of your dogs lifts its head from your lap, and stares at him, it's fluffy tail wagging softly against the hay. You're asleep, of course you're asleep. Sprawled over the hay, your dogs cuddled around you, the rest of the sheep settled to huddle close to their shepherd as well. You're surrounded by thick wool and wirey dogs, hardly bothered by the animals and straw as you sleep through the wee hours of the morning. You don't even look cold.

Ghost unhooks his cloak, the black leather and wolf's fur feeling ominous in such a pastoral scene, and drapes it over you like a blanket. Your dogs sniff it inquisitively, nosing it until he pushes their heads away with gentle pats. He tucks the fur against your neck and strokes his knuckles against your cheek. You're so beautiful, soft and vulnerable even under your fangs. He would have taken you to bed last night if you'd let him. Stayed up to watch the ewe and her new lamb while you curled up under the pelt blankets to sleep. How safe must you feel? How safe would he feel?

His thumb strokes against the fur and he stands. You'll still be here when he gets back, maybe not in the barn but here. In the village, in your pasture, right where he knows he can find you.

And hopefully, you'll be wearing his cloak when he does.

[miosko-art]

🌂🌧️

[northeaston]

assorted rain world art that also includes oc x canon

[cubesnap]

⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ DO NOT REPOST / REUPLOAD / USE ART. Thank you!!  ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ 

Stuff going on so erm ummmm *vomits out more art* yeaaa. I'm thinking about making an separate blog for candy gore as well

I'm also redrawing Cosmask's ref because I didn't like the previous one (especially the Krill-inspired horns).

Another thing: I really like the bioecosystem? (I THINK that's what you call em) within Iterator cans so I drew a bit of concept art of more iterator can purposed organisms.

Catalysts are very important purposed organisms that create special enzymes within the Iterator can. (If mutated/infected with Rot, the Catalyst will self-destruct to prevent further spread of the pathogen. (Basically just giant Ribosomes really)). It's design is sorta based off ATP synthases.

Enzymes (like the word's definition) restore previous lost data in neuron flies and repair them of ailments. (Essentially just speeding up recovery as well as other processes within the neuron fly).

To this day I STILL don't know what the little worm things are called within Memory Conflux 😭

[macchitea]

couple of oc story drawings for my elective final!

[midnightmah07]

I have no idea what happened I just sat down and all of this came outta my brain

[cioror]

Recent art trades

[ccnam-artz]

Vastness of Space

An iterator based off of space, specifically a black hole. Considered considerate and patient, despite appearing cold and distant. Is also mostly isolated from other iterators.

.

More info will be provided in the future

[titlemewickedwonderland]

The Manager (Ghost Fic) Chapter 2

Summary: The Ministry announces an outsider coming to be part of the congregation to help with the Ghost project as a tour manager; little did the Ghoul know; she is nothing like they pictured her or how she'd affect them all.

Support My Work!

Chapter 1

The mass hall was flooded with Siblings of the Ministry. The large space was abuzz with a conversation among them and for the first time in a while, Ari felt overwhelmed. Despite her professionalism with Copia the night before she would be lying if she said that she was feeling the pressure. She wouldn't be directly involved with the Siblings, of course. Her main focus was the Ghost Project and the ghouls; Papa and the tour. But seeing just how large the Ministry was was kind of daunting.

She was afterall, an outsider among these people and even when she had confidence in her ability to handle her work tasks it was another thing entirely when it came to the personal touch with the Ministry; she was not naive enough to think everybody would be welcoming to her. There would be speculations, there would be rumors, and there would mostly likely be bets to see how long she'd last working with the Ghouls. They were, from what she had heard previously; a bit of a handful.

Braydon had realized this was an odd job; he'd called it from the beginning; her husband was always good with his intuition, after all. But Ari was not a quitter and she had faith in her abilities; the problem was, would the Ghouls take to her? She would not work this job unless they were on the same page - if they accepted her or not, her morality would certainly not permit her. She had high hopes for her future here.

As she walked to the coffee dispensery for her morning brew she was unaware of the eyes watching her from the back of the room. She was oblivious to them - too lost in her own thoughts. She didn't even notice when a figure came up behind her; not until she felt something tugging on her hair. Swirling around she was well prepared to reprimade whoever was playing with her hair only for her to look down to find a petite tiny creature standing in front of her.

It was a ghoul. A ghoulette by the feminine shape but she was just so small. Much smaller then even the shortest of the male ghouls Ari had seen the night before. But she was cute. Dressed in the usual black attire and goggled helmet that was of Copia's Era the ghoulette looked so...pocket sized and adorable despite knowing she was not human.

The ghoulette let out a little giggle and clasped her hands in front of her as she rocked forward; reminding Ari of a little girl.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! I was just so masmerized by your hair, it's so pretty! Like silk. I just had to know what it felt like!" the ghoulette chirped flashing Ari a fanged smile.

"Oh!" Ari laughed a bit as she relaxed. "That's alright! I just wasn't expecting it! Thank you..." she trailed off when she realized she hadn't known the other's name.

"I'm Aurora." the ghoulette sidled up to her and poured herself a cup of orange juice. "And you must be Mrs. Whitmore! Papa had mentioned you this morning! I was very excited to meet you, you know!" Aurora said

"Well, that's very kind of you, Aurora!" Ari smiled and turned back to the station to pour some creamer into her cup of coffee. "And please, call me Ari." she added automatically.

"Ari? Is that short for something?" Aurora asked cocking her head.

"Yes, actually. It's short for Ariel. But I prefer Ari, it's more personal." and because she hated it when her husband called her Ariel. But Aurora didn't need to know that tidbit.

"Oh, that's lovely!" Aurora gushed on a dreamy sigh before turning once the women had their drinks ready. "Come on! You must go meet the others! We didn't get proper introductions before!" Aurora grabbed Ari's hand and rushed her down the aisles of long table benches all the way to the back where a group of ghouls sat.

"Good morning everybody! Have you met Ari yet?" Aurora took her place between two other female Ghouls

"Not officially." one of the other's grumbled; still too sleepy it seemed to be much of a conversationalist.

"Yes, we didn't really have much time for proper introductions since it was getting late." Ari replied looking around at the table feeling rather awkward being the only one standing.

"Oh shoot! I was supposed to come to wake you for breakfast, I'm so sorry Ari. I-" The soft-spoken ghoul from the night before began rising from his seat.

"Oh don't worry about it! I found my way around easily enough." Ari laughed waving at him as if to say it was okay while she stood sipping at her coffee.

"You gonna sit down or what?" the grumpy ghoul spoke up cocking his head to glare at her with firey orange eyes through the goggles of his mask.

"Oh I-" Ari bit her lip nervously

"Oh come on! We don't bite, we promise." one of the other ghouls with a megawatt smile spoke up as he scooted to the side making room for her to sit down.

She did so carefully and wrapped her hands around her cup of coffee as she glanced at all the other ghouls. "So, um, where do we start?" she asked

"Ah, introductions!" Aurora clapped before motioning to the Ghouls on her side of the table.

"This is Cumulus, she's our air ghoul," she motioned to a short woman with curves that Ari was instantly jealous of before moving her hand to her other side. "And this is Cirrus our other air ghoul, beside her on her other side is Mountain - he's the drummer and Earth ghoul." Aurora pipped up.

Cumulus smiled brightly and reached out to touch Ari's arm in a gesture of warmth.

"We're so glad you're here, I can already tell you'll be so much better than all the others." she chuckled.

"Those troublemakers on either side are Swiss and Dewdrop. Swiss is a Multi -ghoul and Dewdrop is our Fire Ghoul!" Cirrus piped up pointing to each of the ghouls bracketing Ari in.

"And lastly this is Phantom, he and Aurora were summoned at the same time; kind of a package deal. He's our new Quintessence ghoul. Oh and sweet Rain baby over there! Can't forget about him; he's our Water Ghoul!" Cirrus motioned to the last two of the group and Ari gave each a smile of hello.

"Wow, there are a lot of you." Ari finally responded.

"Trust me, we aren't as bad as people think we are!" Phantom smiled over at the woman who nodded thoughtfully.

"Oh, I'll be the judge of that." her blue eyes twinkled with mirth.

"So, Ari. Tell us, how'd you stumble upon Papa?" Cumulus asked propping her elbows on the table and leaning over to listen intently.

"Ah, funny story actually. You see, I come from a management background. I was originally a secretary for a law firm but the sort of environment as you can imagine gets toxic pretty quickly. I had been searching online for awhile before I stumbled upon Copia's ad for hire. Got in contact with him and well, he seemed to like what he was hearing so. Here I am!" she lifted up her hands

"What does the mister think of your new job?" Cirrus tapped the table as her gaze fell onto the woman's hand. "Presuming there is a mister?"

Ari subconsciously grabbed her ring; twisting it around her finger and her smile was tight but the ghouls watching her could tell there was more behind the story then her words.

"Yeah, my husband Braydon um...he's a detective for the local police. His reaction to this job was well...concerned I suppose. It's not every day your wife gets a job at a Satanic church." she chuckled a bit despite her awkwardness.

"I mean, I don't blame him. Maybe he'll warm up to the idea once he knows you're doing good here." Rain offered a smile of encouragement and Ari just nodded but her eyes said a different thing.

"Yeah, maybe."

The table got silent aftward and Ari just stared down at her cup of coffee lost in thought. The truth behind her relationship with her husband was more complicated than she wanted to let on. They'd been married for the last 5 years but in the 2 years, their relationship was becoming strained. It hadn't always been like that, the first 2 years had been amazing; all through the honeymoon phase and all. But then Ari had gotten a higher paying position at her law firm and Braydon had been appointed as a detective within months of each other and that meant stressful days at work and a shit ton of piled work to do - you could imagine they didn't often see each other.

Ari suspected Braydon may be cheating on her but she never had proof. But when they worked long hours and barely got to see each other it put a strain on the relationship. It was hard and Braydon wasn't too thrilled at this new prospect of the job she took on but she needed this.

A hand softly gripped her arm and the woman lifted her gaze to meet Phantom's across the table, there was a sheen of concern in her gaze through the goggles of his mask as he gave her a small smile.

"You okay?"

Quintessence ghoul, right. He probably sensed something off about her emotions. Ari plastered a smile on her face and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking of where to start with work." she laughed a bit but it was hollow as she pulled her arm from his grasp and rose from the table with her now empty cup.

"Thank you, guys, for welcoming me this morning, but I do have to go sort out all those folders left by the previous managers. If you need anything don't hesitate to come by, I'll be in Copia's office. I have a feeling I may need some of his input." she said

"Oh okay..."

"Hey don't be a stranger okay?" Swiss added giving her a little wave.

"Likewise." Ari smiled before turning and heading for the doors, tossing her disposable coffee cup into the trash on her way.

She managed to find her way back to her room and once inside she pressed against the door and let out a sigh before shaking off her gloom and went to grab the folders and carrier case before leaving to head to Copia's office.

When she arrived she knocked, patiently waiting for a reply before turning the knob and walked inside with a warm smile on her face when she saw the man hunched over a pile of paperwork he was grumbling at. As she entered Copia lifted his head to look at her and his grumpy expression softened a bit.

"Ah, Ari. I hope you slept well, were the quarters to your liking?" he asked.

"They were, thank you!" she assured him before waving the folders in front of her. "I just met the ghouls in the breakfast hall. They are an interesting bunch but I'm sure we'll work together just fine. Would you mind if I borrow your company for a bit with these? I may have some questions."

"Si si! Please make yourself comfortable. I could use the break from this buffoonery." the man chuckled as he leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

Ari smiled sympathetically knowing full well how frustrating paperwork could be when you weren't one who liked to do that work. She moved further into the room and settled herself down on his office sofa; pulling the coffee table a little closer and began spreading out the files in front of her.

A comfortable silence fell in the pair; the sound of papers turning was the only sound that was accompanying the sound of the fan in the room. Copia's office was lavished with dark colors, leathers, and bookshelves but it was cozy still especially with the candles scenting the air with their rich flavor so Ari found herself relaxing and focusing on the work in front of her without too much trouble. She didn't realize that Copia had been sitting there watching her in silence for a good 15 minutes; just watching the expressions that twisted her face as her thoughts processed what she was reading.

At last, she looked up with an exasperated look. "Copia, what kind of people were you hiring for this job? These files are a mess and the numbers are all wrong!"

"Oh?" the papa asked frowning.

Ari nodded and picked up one sheet of paper waving it in front of her. "The financial part of the tour is all off. There are receipts missing, numbers aren't adding up, and I'm pretty sure there are extra expenses that were cashed in that have nothing to do with the tour needs." she pursed her lips.

"What in Satanas name?" Copia huffed and unfolded himself from his office chair before making his way over to sit beside her on the sofa; peering down at the jumble of numbers and printout of receipts.

"See here, this is the budget that was agreed upon for your last tour." Ari circled a line of numbers with her pen before circling another part. "This is what was spent on tour expenses; or what is being claimed as tour expenses. But if you look here on this list of receipts there is a good chunk of money missing that didn't have a corresponding receipt." the young woman said as she jotted down a few marks and notes at the corner of the sheet of paper.

She grabbed her calculator and began typing out numbers before showing it to him. "There is at least $1800 missing that doesn't add up to the rest of the expense. Do you know what that was being used for? Were there some extra expenses that you had to use? A broken instrument or maybe a wardrobe issue that you needed to buy?"

Copia gazed at the paper and shook his head - his brow furrowing in confusion. "No, the tour went perfectly smooth last month," he stated grabbing the paper to examine further.

"My only other idea was your manager who was in charge of all of this was taking money from you guys to spend on...whatever the hell it was they wanted to buy without permission. That's why you're down nearly 2k." she said.

"Oh, Lucifer help me." Copia rubbed his forehead and muttered something in Italian.

"Hey don't stress, it can easily be fixed, and get your money back but that'll involve a bit of an investment to make that money back." Ari soothed as she rubbed his back. "I'm thinking if we can order an extra installment of merch for the next tour and cut back on a hotel stay or two we should be back on track. Are you okay with that?" she asked.

"Si si." Copia agreed nodding slowly.

"Good, I'll jot some notes down and see what else we can do to help balance the books some more. Oh, before I forget did you have a schedule for the ghouls for their practice sessions and stuff I can work on?" she added as she began packing up the file she was working on.

"Ah, si. There should be a schedule sheet in one of these files. We haven't changed the schedules much. I think the ghouls have an extra few days off though after we get home from tour that we've implanted to give them time to decompress."

Ari nodded. "Good good. Okay. I can work around that." she fiddled with the other files as she skimmed through them and the pair fell silent again.

"Thank you, Mio caro." Copia suddenly spoke up causing the woman to look up with surprise.

"For what Copia?" she laughed a bit.

"For taking on this job. We know it is a big ask and well...you're the most capable person we've had thus far who seems to know what they are doing. I feel as if we will be in good hands." Copia smiled as her and she returned it with a kind one of her own.

"I enjoy this type of work Copia, and I appreciate the opportunity. It's not every day someone gets to work with a famous band." she gave a playful wink

"Si." Copia gave a laugh before ending it on a sigh and slapped his knees. "Well, I should probably get back to work eh?"

"Unless you'd like Sister Imperator on your ass then I should think so." Ari teased.

"Ah, you met Seester?"

"I did. We met when I arrived last night. Severe looking woman but she's not half bad. I don't imagine I'd be working with her a lot though." Ari confessed as she turned back to her files.

Copia hummed thoughtfully before he sat back down and picked up his pen to look over his notes again.

The pair worked in silence after that until late in the evening when someone knocked on the door. It opened and a ghoulette's head poked in.

"Sorry to intrude Papa. But would we be able to steal Ms. Ari for a little while?" Cirrus spoke up.

"Ah, si. I think it's late enough Mio Caro. Why don't you go relax until dinner? You can sit with me at the table and meet my brothers." Copia winked.

Ari stretched with a sigh. "If you're sure Copia." she finally said as she began packing up her things and putting them away.

"No no! Tesero! Leave your things here, you are more than welcome to use my space for your work! Just put them over there in that cubby whenever you're done with your work!" Copia rose from his chair and rounded the table to help put away her files into a cabinet in the corner.

"Oh, are you sure? I don't want to intrude on your personal space Copia!" Ari protested with a frown.

"Nonsense! I enjoy your company far more than if I were alone here. You are family now so please make yourself at home!" the man replied lifting her hand to place a kiss on her knuckles.

Ari smiled warmly at him. "Thank you." she replied before finishing up putting her things into the cabinet.

"Alright, well I'll see you later tonight then!" Ari waved at the papa before heading over to Cirrus.

When they entered the hall she found Cumulus and Aurora waiting for them. "Oh, what's this? Am I in trouble?" she squinted playfully causing the women to laugh and shake their heads.

"No! We just wanted to show you something. It's a surprise!" Aurora chirped linking her arm through Ari's and beginning to lead her back toward the Ghoul's wing.

But instead of going to her assigned chambers, the girls went further down the hall to stop at the double doors leading into the Ghoul's hall. She was ushered inside and was left speechless on the threshold.

The Ghoul's wing felt like some sort of one-floor mansion with an open space, a comfortable exterior that reminded Ari of an old Victorian-style mansion, and the air was filled with the scent of rich incense that was burning from holders in different spots of the large living space filled with couches, beanbags, and other furniture.

"Wow. Well, this wasn't expected." she mumbled as she was led further inside to the common room where the other ghouls were waiting.

"Surprise!" Swiss held up his hands motioning to something by the fireplace and Ari turned her head to look and found bundles of wrapped gifts and bags sitting on the stone platform.

"What's all this?" Ari asked confused as she was led to sit down in a large overstuffed bean bag beside Rain.

"It's a 'welcome to the Ministry' party!" Cumulus gushed. "We wanted to thank you by doing something special for you!"

"Thank me? But I haven't done anything yet?" Ari laughed looking around at all the masked faces.

"Perhaps not, but uh...well..." Rain scratched the back of his neck. "We could already tell right off the bat that you'd be a good fit for the band and the project. You've been kind to us and treated us fairly even after only being here for less than a day. We just wanted to thank you for agreeing to take us on."

"We don't do this to every manager we get so just shut up and be grateful." Dewdrop crossed his arms looking away.

"Well of course I am! I'm just confused since I haven't done anything for you guys yet." Ari replied shaking her head.

"You gave us the time of day and treated us with equality...not like an object. That's enough for us." Phantom said as he grabbed a few of the presents from the pile and passed them over to her.

"Go on and open it!" Aurora bounced on the sofa beside Mountain.

Ari laughed and began to carefully open the packages that were handed one by one to her. In all, she had a beautiful leather bag that smelled of fresh leather and polish with intricate designs on it and buckles that she'd gotten from Swiss because according to him; her current bag was threads and she couldn't possibly go walking around with such a thing.

She'd gotten a new journal from Phantom that she could write notes, schedules, and such on for easier access and less hassle to work with when she got to work. It was beautiful black leather bound with a leather tie and had a cool-looking design of a Japanese zen garden etched into the leather. She loved it as she traced the delicate engravings imagining herself carrying this thing around her all the time.

From Aurora, Ari received the most beautiful gemstone necklace she'd ever seen. To most people, it may have been plain. But the entwining of the metal around the stone. A rough-cut moonstone clasped within the metal wrapped around it. She had said the Moonstone was a symbol of new beginnings, inner growth, and strength.

From Cumulus, Ari had received a music box; it was black with gold engravings with a paneled picture of the moon and stars. The music box played a melody that she wasn't familiar with but it was beautiful and melodic while an angel spun around in the middle.

Rain was so sweet and gave her a bath set filled with bath salts, soaps, candles, sugar scrubs, and more for a spa day. The scents were so sweet and she couldn't stop smelling the bar of soap causing Rain to duck his head in a bashful display of embarrassment when she thanked him for the thoughtful gift. Ari didn't remember the last time she had time to actually enjoy a good bath to help ease a stressful day so the gesture was sweet of him and she planned on using it whenever she got the next chance.

Cirrus had gifted her a few new articles of clothing. A few pairs of comfy jeans, a few sweaters that were fleece or knitted, a few pairs of fuzzy socks for comfort, and a long trench coat to help keep her warm in the coming months. They smelled like her perfume and Ari had a thought the ghoulette had purposefully sprayed her favorite perfume she always wore onto them.

Mountain's gift had been this beautiful chest hand carved by his own hand with flowers; but that wasn't all, inside was a little packet of seeds that he said were seeds belonging to the flowers Iris, Hyacinth, and Alstroemeria. He said he was planning to plant them in the garden in her honor. It was a sweet gesture and Ari thanked him with a warm heartfelt smile.

Lastly, Dewdrop's. His was a little confusing because it was small and seemingly uncaring. It was a pick. A guitar pick to be precise. A black pick with the Ghost band sigil engraved on the front and his element sigil on the back. At first, she was confused until Dewdrop's grumpy self explained in not too many words that it was hers to use despite not having a guitar...until he clarified it would be the pick she used when he gave her guitar lessons. It was only then that Ari realized his gift wasn't actually the pick but more of the gift of his time. As sort of an olive branch to her - a chance to spend time with him and get to know him. To bond. She could already tell Dewdrop was one of little words and he didn't get along with a lot of people so to have this opportunity given by him was something big and important to him.

"Thank you guys. All of these are such sweet gifts and so thoughtful." Ari smiled down at the pile of things in her lap. She wasn't expecting this kind of gesture from them so it did strike a chord in her; they were trying to be her friend. Giving her the green light and letting her know not with words but with their gifts that they were accepting her into their fold. So Ari knew, just because of this; she'd make sure to cherish not only the gifts but the givers as well and give back to them in the only way she knew how. By being their friend and by being the best she could be for them.

"Aw, damn you aren't going to cry are you?" Dewdrop looked over at her seeing the look on Ari's face.

"No!" Ari chuckled despite the emotion choking her up. "But all of this...it's so sweet of you guys. Thank you."

"You already said that." the fire ghoul grumbled as he grabbed a beer from the carrier on the coffee table. "Now can we drink or what?"

"Sounds good to me! Want one Ari?" Swiss asked as he grabbed one for himself.

"Sure, I'll have one." Ari agreed as she grabbed a bottle from his offered hand.

"I think this will be great. This partnership." Mountain leaned back against the couch and smiled to himself.

"You know what Mountain? I think so too." Ari shared his smile before taking a sip from her bottle.

~

Chapter 3

[gummygoatgalaxy]

Older Louie and Rain

[hdra77]

Looks at u cutely,,, Slivermoon, Eclipse, Mossy Cobblestone and Echo x Oyster because yes,,, <3

Bro this is a really big request have mercy on my poor hand 😭😭

+ our co-op slugs

[toxictoxicities]

Ive been ITCHING to draw more of these two for a while they've been in my head rent free- also just found the perfect audio for em

Amiable Morality @saelrum Mended Trimmed Leaflets my own <3

[sugarr-moon]

BATHBOMB BLAST