#Slightly OOC

[onyx6o6]

Sometimes hyperfixations combine in the weirdest ways

Edit: I made a short sequel

[bitterlycursedstars]

Short fluff/smut.

Vergil x Fem!reader

Word count: 576

Summary: Vergil sneaks into your room late at night while you're sleeping to express his feelings to you in a certain way.

(Predetermined relationship, not r*pe)

Devil In The Night

You fell asleep on your side, but rolled over onto your back sometime in the night. The sound of your door slowly opening made you stir in your sleep, but didn't fully wake you up. No, the feeling of someone sitting on your bed and wrapping their hands around the underside of your thighs did the trick. You immediately lifted your head with wide eyes and looked down to see him between your legs, pushing your thighs up to your chest as he settled between them. The moment he saw your eyes open, he covered your mouth with his large hand.

  "Shh..." Was all he said as he shifted his hips slightly, rubbing his hardness against your underwear, which elicited a small gasp from you. You tried to shut your thighs, but he kept them forced open with his hips as he moved your underwear to the side with his free hand, exposing you to him. You closed your eyes and let out a soft whine as you felt long fingers slowly entering you, subconsciously arching your back.

"If I let go of your mouth, will you stay quiet?" He whispered, raising his eyebrow. All you could do was nod frantically while his other hand continued teasing you. He slowly moved his hand from your mouth to rest on your thigh. "Good girl."

The hand that was resting on your thigh moved down to join the other one, teasing you, while this one stroked your now-swollen bud. You arched your back a little more and bit your bottom lip to stifle a moan as your thighs instinctively tried to snap shut. You dug your nails into your sheets and began to pant softly, doing everything in your power to hold back your moans.

"You have been a good girl, haven't you? I believe it's time for your reward..." He slowly pulled his fingers out of you, only to replace them with his aching member with a soft groan. This time, you couldn't stop the small moan that left your mouth. Your hips instinctively bucked up against his to take every inch of his throbbing member inside of your slick hole.

"Vergil..." You whined softly before his lips collided with yours, cutting you off from saying anything else. One hand of yours buried its fingers in his hair, while the other dug its nails into his upper back, causing him to moan into your mouth. His hands also found their way into your hair, gripping and tugging as both of you moved in sync, the pace and intensity gradually escalating as the heat built up inside both of you.

Your tongues danced with each other, occasionally vying for dominance amidst the moaning and groaning. Your legs tightened around his hips and your movements became more and more erratic. He knew it would not be long until you came undone for him. He smirked and bit your bottom lip before whispering into your ear.

"Lose yourself to me, my princess. Show me how much you love me..." You felt his warm breath and his soft lips grazing your ear, and that was all it took. You tugged his hair hard and nearly drew blood from his back with your nails as your walls clenched and unclenched around his member. He let go of your hair to instead grip your pillow tightly as he spilled himself into you, letting his body tell you what he was unable to.

[t0rturedangel]

Ohhh since you're writing for him could you write something about evil morty being jealous/possessive with the reader (in a romantic relationship) please and thank you!

𝟎𝟎𝟏. 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘫𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘴 [ 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘳. ]

⠀⠀⠀: ᯓ 𝟎𝟎𝟐.⠀ EVIL MORTY SMITH X READER

› 〉 𝟎𝟎𝟑. SYNOPSIS, Evil Morty is one hell of a bf, his jealousy and possesiveness is crazy.

› 〉 𝟎𝟎𝟒. WARNINGS, Evil Morty, maybe a bit ooc, threats / threats of violence, ect

› 〉 𝟎𝟎𝟓. AUTHOR'S NOTES, Happy to do another rick and morty request! I hope this one is good- i'm not too good when it comes to writing for characters like him but I'll try! ALSO SOME WORDS MIGHT BE SPELT WRONG

🜸 ㅤ▎ㅤ▍ㅤUnlike RICK, EVIL MORTY is well aware that he can get jealous and possesive over you- in fact most Morties are aware of that fact, and well you cant exactly blame them, love is something they dont get often, and when they do it doesn't last.

🜸 ㅤ▎ㅤ▍ㅤSo it is no surprise that when you began to date EVIL MORTY, he was quick to become jealous and bitter to all other morties (even more than he already is). After all, now that your his significant other, others may be prone to want to go after you which is something that will bother EVIL MORTY.

🜸 ㅤ▎ㅤ▍ㅤThis especially happens during his presidental run, now that he's making himself and, ultimately, you public- many would be bound to try and get you away from him for various reasons. Though don't worry too much, EVIL MORTY has it all sorted- pull a few strings and the rouge morties that tried to even interact with you will be gone, like they never exsisted.

"Morty.." you called out, staring at your boyfriend who was currently sifting through various files, persumebly all to do with the votes and campaign as he was running for president in the citadel- something you heavily encouraged because it would be good to have a new, democraticly elected, leader for the citadel and hey, if morty needed any help or things got to stressful you'd be able to help (I mean how hard can it be?). "Yeah [name]?" He lifted his head up, staring at you with a quirked brow, clearly wanting you to continue though under his gaze you felt slightly uncomfortable- jeez when did your boyfriend become so damn scary? "Do you know what happened to the two Morties that jumped me the other day? I was searching for them coz I found out they were trying to make bootleg portal fluid but they were gone" you picked at the skin around your nails, avoiding your Morty's gaze nervously though your attention was quickly brought back to him when he sighed "Don't worry about them [name], they've been dealt with..... now come on- can you help me with these papers" he smiled at you, gesturing to the seat next to him which you quickly sat down on. You can only assume that Morty sent the cops after them, and that they're now in prison.

🜸 ㅤ▎ㅤ▍ㅤLet's say you're evil with him, meaning that you agree with what he does, and so when you met c-137 Rick and Morty you too pretened to be normal until you didn't- you were the first person the two were introduced to as you sat with them to eat food before evil morty appeared. Both of you then confessing to the fact that you hated ricks and the citadel.

🜸 ㅤ▎ㅤ▍ㅤIf you were 'evil' like him, then it would be perfect- because then he would be able to leave everything behind with you! Which is brilliant coz that means it will be just the two of you together, no one else trying to disturb your relationship (until season seven episode five).

🜸 ㅤ▎ㅤ▍ㅤOverall, EVIL MORTY is a little extreme when it comes to his jealousy- he doesn't like being jealous so he takes care of the problems quickly and swiftly, the quicker the better.

[atsucry]

Beyond the Thorn Vines

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝐈𝐈𝐈

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝐈𝐈

Malleus Draconia x gn!reader

warnings: Incredibly boring. Actually this chap is jst like PURELY info dump so like if ch. 4 is out you can like siim over this and move on. COUGH COUGH this was made on a deadline.

content warning: none

3:12 pm, Royal Sword Academy. Dorm room

"Could you stop it with that?!" You reprimanded your friend, balling your fist and slamming it down on the bed by the side of your lap. As you read, Che'nya has been swishing his tail back and forth nonstop over the book and flipping the pages.

He laid floating above your canopy bed, enjoying the elevation over ground. And when he bent backwards to face you; it was an uncanny sight.

"You've been analysing that for a while now, don't tell me you have trouble with comprehending the material!" The cat snickered.

"Ya know…you could ask for my help," he suggested. "If you want!"

You slouched back into your pillow, holding the book open over your stomach. "Oh please, you'd word it as more complicated than it already is." You hadn’t noticed, but your eyebrow started slightly twitching.

Taking a double look at the page, you found that you still hadn't understood it, not one bit! It had messed with your head all morning, that or it was just Che'nya's interruptions.

The feline flipped over on his stomach and looked at you with owlish eyes, resting his head in folded arms. "Hm, Tomorrow's Magi-shift against NRC. You comin' to watch or are ya just gonna watch from the sidelines?"

"Ugh," you let your head drop to the side. "but the headaches…" You grumbled in displeasure. It was one of those headaches that would feel like knives that stabbed into your cranium. An awful one Indeed. You swear that one of these days you would pass out from the severity, though, hopefully not sooner or later.

"I'll get ya headphones if the whole stadium is too loud—!"

"It's not the noise!" You shouted in a whisper. Somehow you could never watch past anything near the championship round, so you never really saw who the winners were. Though you were certain that it was always RSA. NRC hasn't won against you all for 99 years.

Your friend grinned from ear to ear, a bemused noise left him and nodded his head from side to side akin to a bobble-head figure. "By-the-bye," he interrupted. "If you want to get rid of that 'awful headache' as you say…" Che'nya had always been the type of friend who you could never anticipate what action they might pull off next. But you could always tell If it leaned on more mischief or genuine goodwill.

"You should try seeking someone."

What he said was so stupidly blatant that it might've been a bigger, mind crushing headache than the ones you got occasionally.

"I've already tried that! I mean—of course I'd go to a doctor for migraines that won't go away. Who wouldn't—"

"That's not what I was referring to, silly," He chuckled, pressing his fingertips against his lips to…attempt to conceal the mockery. "But take it as ya will."

You raised your brow, He looked at you knowingly. His intentions weren't quite clear to you, but you could only hope for it to be rational, but what were you kidding?

"...Are you withholding information from me? Or what?"

"Aha! no no! not at all! I'm only suggesting, as any good friend does," He said with a dismissive hand wave, ascending down slowly at the foot of your bed to lay down, stretching his arms before flipping to face you.

"...You sure do love messing with me, don't you?" Your friend only responded in an amused shrug. "Well, I'll be off. Knowing you, this conversation won't go ANYWHERE till you turn over every rock. Buh-bye!" Che'nya's laugh resonated throughout him, trembling. He disappeared starting from his tail, his body followed. His legs were next and then his head—leaving behind a grin before it poofed away too. He frequently crashed at the Heartslabyul dorm to meet up with his childhood friends, his ability to turn invisible helped him stay low.

"Oh..that cat…" You wondered if Che'nya's teasing had a grain of truth to it—was there something more to what you were seeking, something you hadn't yet realised? The idea nagged at you, even as you tried to push it aside.

You managed to push yourself off the bed, tidying the sheets and led yourself to the front of your door, turning the knob to head for somewhere, anywhere. Though, no clear intention really presented itself to you. 'What to do with myself…I suppose a change of scenery could do me some good. For once. Not that I had anything else to do.' You thought to yourself.

After a few minutes well into aimlessly wandering, you stood at the threshold before walking inside, the mouth of the library engulfing you and its doors magically closing on their own—crashing in with a loud thud. The smell of old parchment welcomed you.

It seemed to only be you here. And the librarian.

You made a beeline for the literature section, the bookshelf was curtained in dust. Most thought of old things as borish, so it's to no one's wonder that it hadn't been touched.

You pulled out a book from the fourth shelf using a ladder, a book of turquoise leather binding and a golden spine. The cover had an engravement of a simple rose, peculiarly, its centre spiralled inwards and sometimes shone at you. You read the title: 'The whispers from no end, the collection.' It was a small thing. No bigger than your hands by 2 inches. The cover was still intact and wasn't actively rotting away in your hand…deducting that you were its first reader in ages. Atleast that's how you thought it worked.

Its charming cover attracted you, almost as if handing itself over to you. you slid down the ladder to make your way to one of the desks as you already began flipping through the pages.

You settled for a random page and began reading.

And when shadows swirled

around a solitary candlelight,

aware that it was seen

only by virtue of its glow.

At an opportunity to take leave

it scampered toward the exit,

yet with every step,

a cold breeze pushed it back.

In a moment of realisation,

it retreated into the depths

of the desolate manor,

unfurnished and shrouded in darkness.

You murmured the lines to yourself, jotting down notes for dissecting later. The notes didn't necessarily have to be done neatly, but just legible enough for you to understand.

From the right of you, you heard a sudden crack. Your eyelids burst open as you picked up the sound of glass shattering, but the windows in front of you seemed intact—The mystery of it confounded you.

Your eyes landed on the book you had just picked up, bringing it up close to your face once more to inspect it. It shone yet again in your eye, forcing you to jar your head and avoid the ray. At once, you picked up on a glass bead at the centre of the spiralled rose.

A crack ran along the delicate glass, atypically managing to break itself with no external force, that's what you thought, anyhow.

Your attention was engaged to the peculiar object, it almost lured you in. "...What could've possibly happened to you?" despite being something inanimate, you spoke to it as if you were referring to something that was animate. People would wonder why they'd always catch you doing this.

Your fingers ran along the fissure, untill it cut the tip of it. Pulling your hand back to your body, pinching the fingertip and swiping away the droplet of blood. Your blood seeped into the glass. Dropping the book and leaving it open.

It was that awful jabbing headache again. You've had almost enough of this tantalizing torture. But there was little to nothing you could do. "And if I had sought medical help, I'd have to down another useless pill."

Knowing that practically every item in here was laced with magic, you knew that you must have managed to involuntarily trigger something. And with such an anomalous appearing cover nonetheless.

"Agh…No, wait! Ack! I already have a curse on me—! I don't need another!"

With the senses that you had left, you managed to clasp the book shut with a loud slam—the pressure and force could've compressed the pages back into its former crisp and straight state. And by luck, your troubles were gone—and it only puzzled you even more so than answering anything.

Even the library seemed to hold its breath, anticipating another sudden outburst to happen. But nothing came after. And this became your telltale sign that it was time to leave.

Cautiously picking the book back up, you checked to see if it would come back alive, which it didn't—fortunately. You didn't bother to ask the librarian if you could borrow it—not wanting to show that you have…broken it.

By then, the hallways were painted in orange hues that reflected off of the pristine marble pillars and floors, your heels clicked against the tiles and echoed throughout. You eventually made it to the grand staircase that led up into the dorm rooms, though quite a hassle to walk up—since by every stop you'd have to catch your breath—it was gorgeous nonetheless.

You stumbled a bit on the way, but you ultimately made it back to your room safe and sound, removing your shoes— lugging the book onto your desk and crashing into your bed—Allowing yourself to melt into the sheets. Inward and outwardly exhausted.

"I can't exactly sit here and do nothing…can I…? Haha…" You chuckled to yourself. picking yourself up and sitting down at the edge of the bed, swinging one leg over the other. "'Go seek someone' He says! I've already gone to a doctor before, and if it did work, I wouldn't be complaining now!" You sighed into the palm of your hand.

“Every time I think I’m getting somewhere, it’s like I hit a wall. What am I even missing?”

“Well, at least the day's winding down,” you said, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. “Maybe a break will do me some good. It’s not like I’m making any progress here.” With a resigned sigh, you pushed the thoughts aside, resolved to get some rest. You lay back on your bed, letting the soft mattress calm you.

As you closed your eyes, the room fell silent, save for the faint echoes of your own thoughts drifting into the night.

Note: HEYEYEY srry for the lobg update i was dealinf with problems, my bad gng🙏 APOLOGIES FOR ANY WRITING ERRORS😊

[not-a-communist-just-meg]

first day of school sucks.

[orin-scrivello-dds]

I FUCKIN HATE YOU (Battery acid spaghetti)

[pete-spankoffski]

I think I might be the only one to remember this remember when I ate glass

[josephjoestask]

Ladies ladies one at a time… heh..😎😎

[ethan-green-69420]

Everytime I see someone break pasta I die a little

[impatiencegyu]

MDZS Transmigration!AU

Okay, hear me out, what if Lan Wangji was a transmigrator? Like, OG!Lan Wangji would be this cold, rude a**hole who teamed up with the rest of the clans to drive Wei Ying to suicide in the original story. All the shenanigans upto Guanyin Temple happen, and LWJ is killed by NMJ's spirit along with JGY in the end, all orchestrated by NHS.

Sweet, shy, quiet Lan Zhan stumbles upon this webnovel, and instantly hates Lan Wangji (who has a large fan base for some reason) for what he did to his favourite character, Wei Ying. He is miraculously transported into the story as Lan Wangji, and immediately takes it upon himself to fix everything. Soon enough, he falls for Wei Ying.

Xichen obviously notices that it's not his brother, so they talk about it, and Lan Zhan tells him all about what happens. So, Jin Guangshan is prevented and Xichen keeps a close eye on Meng Yao. The Jiang family survives — no one dies, including Jin Zixuan. Lan Zhan befriends Huaisang early on, to not get on his bad side, and gets him married to Jiang Cheng.

The drama with the Wens still happen, though. Jiang Cheng still loses his core, and Wei Ying gives his own core to him and takes up demonic cultivation. (The core-giving was not explicitly mentioned in the original webnovel, so there was nothing Lan Zhan could do, since he didn't know about it.) But, it was easier to get rid of them this once, and the Lan sect agreed to house the Dafan Wens after the war.

Wei Ying still becomes the Yiling Patriarch, and many people hate him, but it's better that what actually happened in the webnovel. He doesn't die, falls in love with Lan Zhan very late (cue the infinite pining) and marries him later on.

Wei Ying probably starts his own sect, and Lan Zhan leaves Gusu to live there. A happy ending, ha!

(But imagine what would happen if he was suddenly catapulted back into his real world one day? He'd be shattered and heartbroken for days until he meets Wei Ying again there. The romance part 2 probably starts there, with Wei Ying pretending to not have crossed over from that world to see him.)

Anyway, that's all for now! Bye!

[eternalwritess]

no words to be spoken between us both (so please save them for later)

There was a direct light coming from the ceiling and he was here. He was proof. Living. Breathing. Proof.

It was breathtaking at first, she smiled and let out a small squeal and showed him around. He was kind, he was mature, he was an angel. He meant everything in the world to her at that moment. She went back to her home that night with a smile on her face. There was no more reason for this genocide of souls. Everyone could be in heaven. It was a win win.

The next day came around and there was to be a meeting after lunch. She waited around eagerly bouncing on the balls of her feet before seeing someone in the distance. Lute. Lute who was the second in command of Adam's army, Lute who took part in the genocide with glee, Lute who always seemed to have her mask on and when it was off a different one in its place.

Lute who's eyes were now almost burnt red with tears. Lute whose arm is missing with bandages that were most likely done by herself. Lute who looked as if she was a minute from dropping dead. Lute.

Emily walked over her hand outstretched as if to ask what had happened before Lute took off and away from her. Lute. Emily paused for a moment wondering whether if she should follow but decided against it. The meeting was in an hour, she had to be ready.

In the meeting that walls seemed to close in. Lute was standing there with her mask on and despite Sera trying to ask her to take it off she never did, and Sera didn't push it. It was odd seeing her disobey orders. But what was she to think anything of it? Maybe she just didn't understand, maybe she never will.

The meeting went on and on and on and Emily paused looking at Lute. She was missing something else wasn't she? She seemed awfully lonely by herself. She looked small, defeated. She looked unnatural almost, then it hit her, Adam. She looked up at Sera and stood up abruptly.

Was Adam injured? Hurt? Is that maybe why Lute looked the way she did. "Sera, where is Adam?"

The whole court fell into silence and Sera looked at Emily. She couldn't describe it but she could feel the sorrow pulling from her eyes as she looked away. "He is gone."

Emily stood there mouth half open before looking over to Lute who couldn't look back at her. She was staring blankly into space glaring at some invisible object on the wall instead. Adam was gone. Adam died. One of them died. Emily felt the world shake around her, maybe she didn't care for Adam, but Lute did. Lute cared for him deeply. She saw it each time they were in a room together. They cared for each other in their own way. Isn't that enough?

And Emily cares for heaven, she cares for her people. Them dying would be horrible. She couldn't bare to see that happen. She heard something snap nearby but when she looked over all she saw was Lute with a broken pencil.

She muttered what Emily could only assume to be an apology and looked away, avoiding everyone's gaze. Lute was part of heaven, Lute was her people. She couldn't let her be sad.

Once the meeting ended Emily found herself naturally following Lute to the edges of heaven. A place in the clouds where you could see the people on Earth down below if you looked hard enough. A place where you could see the yellow rings of heaven spin around dizzying even the heaviest of hearts and stomachs.

Lute sighed and looked over to Emily. She knew she was following. Emily opened her mouth to speak but watched the look on Lute's face fade as she took off her mask and looked away from her. She shut it.

Emily awkwardly shuffled over to her and watched as Lute sat on the ground never glancing at her once. Emily did the same, but she looked at Lute. Waiting, waiting for her to speak to her. Waiting for something. She couldn't be like this forever, she wouldn't allow it. Emily couldn't even fathom the thought of Lute being sad forever, but why shouldn't she be? The only person she ever really saw beside Lute was Adam and maybe the occasional exorcist if she was feeling particularly social that day.

Emily saw Lute's hand beside her balled up into a fist, nails digging into her hand. Emily reached over trying to hold it, tell her that it was going to be okay. But with no avail as Lute moved her singular hand away.

"Lute-" Emily began but couldn't find the words or strength to continue on. She never met someone who wasn't truly happy in heaven anymore. People complained at times but they had people who they loved and people who loved them back for who they were. They were truly happy. They were going to be happy forever. But she couldn't find that thought for Lute. She watched the way Lute's eyes wavered down below her as she watched everyone on Earth run around.

The rings of heaven spin around them causing Emily to want to vomit even more. Adam was dead. He was gone. And with it it seemed that Lute followed, followed into another unknown state of being.

"You should go," Lute muttered softly and looked over to Emily for the first time. Her eyes once yellow had a red tint around the whites and her makeup seemed beyond ruined. Her face littered with bruises and her stub of an arm bleeding on her clothes.

Emily frowned and shook her head placing her hand on Lute's shoulder and turning her towards her. Lute was shaking, it was weird. So weird. But Emily smiled softly at her and pulled her in for a tight hug and watched as Lute curled into her.

It's gonna be okay, I promise. Those were the words that never left her lips that day, for she didn't have to stomach to say them. To tell someone who just lost what they thought was all to push through it. Maybe she can figure out how to fix this. Maybe she can make Lute happy once more.

[s0d0mizer--s0d0mizes]

Full Of Cookies

@ask-phantom-ghoullll

[adam-fuck-her-stan-wife]

do we vibe with this fat little pig?

what should I name him?

[idonatedallofmyinternalorgans]

Kris: yeah susie bullies me

Noelle: oh my god why doesnt she bully me

Kris: she shoves me into lockers and tells me my mum’s sick of me

Noelle: thats so hot

Kris: she laughed at me and said she’s gonna eat my face

Noelle: oh but look at those scary teeth

[atsucry]

Beyond The Thorn Vines

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝐈𝐕

Malleus Draconia x gn!reader

Additional info: again, a bit boring cs this is just a yap session but it is the turning point

cw: none

The young naiad was placed in a serene pond, the water rippled as the group submerged them. they limped backwards as they rested on the damp soil as all the other nymphs gathered around the poor child.

"Will they be alright?" one spoke up, concern for the child laced her sentence.

Your mother cried out, "By the name of all that is mighty, they will!" She brought down her hand to caress your features, tracing her thumb down the bridge of your nose.

You sat at the very back row in the stadium, the sound of cheering surrounded you—though your attention was not fully caught on anything. These things have become partly tedium to you that you wonder why you still come. It was nearing the championship round and it has been three hours since then.

Throughout the entire game, your leg bounced uncontrollably—your heel tapping rhythmically against the concrete while everyone else was enjoying the tournament. The blood that has been inside the book yesterday night had yet to change colour—even by a bit. It gave you a nerve wrecking, nail biting feeling. It had you contemplating on if you had gotten yourself stuck in a time loop, perhaps the reason why you felt so bored. But you chose to mark it as something of an impossible manner. Something a little more mundane.

At that moment, you valued logic over all else—it would take a whole day or two for blood to oxidise and turn brown in colour. Yes—that's what it is, of course it is. It hasn't been a full day yet, there's no need to fret.

A whistle sounded out through the entirety of the area and snapped you out of your own bubble. It was just another score.

You uncomfortably shifted in your seat, trying to ease the stiffness in your legs as the stadium lights blared out for the championship round.

You swept your eyes to the left as Che'nya materialised right before you, slipping into the empty seat next to you with his hands behind his neck with one leg swung over the other. His sudden presence was almost a relief, he looked around with an air of curiosity and leaned in to speak.

“You know, this tournament really does bring out the best and the worst in people,” Che’nya said, scanning the field. Expectantly Waiting for an exciting incident to occur. "And I mean…who even bothers watching till the end anyway? It ain't fun anymore when we got a winning streak over the other."

You hummed in agreement, though, you were sure you had more to say, more to add. "Out of our obligation to support our team, I guess."

"YOUR obligation, not mine though."

You sighed as you leaned back, your eyes wandered the field. "You didn’t have to show up at all, then," you said, half-serious. He was almost above it all.

Che’nya shrugged, tipping his head back lazily. "Me? Well, let's see…why do I bother showing up?" He pretended to contemplate, tapping his chin. "Ah, right! Who else in here are you friends with and would mind to care for you…yes, it might only be me!" He said, sticking his thumb out and pointing towards himself. "No offense to you, of course. But you should really start mingling with the crowd. I mean—I know in magical creature years, you're 'bout the same age as me. But my, you're 178! In those years, an average person would've met at least double-digits of people."

"Oh…don't hit me with that. It's just one more year here and I'm good to go. It'd be pointless to start making friends now."

"Oh but i'm being real, It's kind of pathetic—But do what you want!"

"There’s Neige,"

"Neige is everyone's friend. He doesn't count."

You two sat in silence as the players prepared for the final round, the audience gripped the edge of their seats as they waited, leaning over forward to see even more of the field. "You'd think after almost a century of this crap that they'd just stop holding inter-school tournaments," Che'nya added. "But I don't know, it's worth a shot,"

"I suppose so," You slouched forward and placed your elbows on your knees, you couldn't care for any of this, at all.

Che'nya's voice continued to drone on beside you, a mix of playful banter and casual observations. rambling on about whatever kind of absurdity, as he usually does. Recounting the pranks he's pulled off in the past, present, and acts he'll do in the future.

"Aha! And when I saw the new first years at heartslabyul and when they first saw me—along with the cat—They thought of me as a ghost!" He snapped at his sides as he burst into hysterics—you could almost say he had a passion for shaking people up in the head, especially with his real name being that long.

And in a sudden moment, you felt as if a large sword cave itself in your skull, it pierced your brain in half—Your hands flew to clutch the sides of your head as you let out an agonising groan—an agonising scream if you weren't in public. It was happening again. Not only was the pain unbearable, but made you feel bound down—something out of control. A helpless fish caught in a net. That it made a mockery of you—that all your moves were already predetermined. And even if that wasn't the case at all, you still felt trapped in your own body, and that was the opposite of what you wanted as a nature spirit—a water spirit nonetheless.

"So then in the corridor—wh—hey!" your friend looked at you frantically, leaning to meet you at eye level. The highest level of concern was etched on his face. "No…you don't look so good," His eyebrows quirked as his face scrunched up—looking around to see if anyone else had noticed. No one. "Okay! I think we need to go—what's the point in staying to watch anyway? It's boring, boring!"

He bent down to scoop you up, throwing your arm over his shoulders as he pushed past the rows of people. manoeuvring through them all. "Alright—Excuse me! Coming through!" He exclaimed, escorting you out of the stadium as quickly as possible as you carried your own head in your hands, eyes screwed shut as your forehead wrinkled while your face formed a scowl. You learned not to bother coming to these events at all when you reach your 4th year. The entire way out came across as longer than it actually was, like someone had brought you back to the beginning every time. You two hurriedly scampered down the steps, stumbling on the stairs occasionally your way down.

Once you made it past the threshold the gate, the cheering faded out by a bit. Che'nya set you to lean on a wall, catching his own breath. And at once the pricking sensation stopped all together. Just like last time, and it always left you dumbfounded. No, not how many times it has happened—but the reason why it did. Yes, you've accepted that it happens, but you never found the explanation.

You slid down the wall, resting your back against it as you caught your breath. The quiet outside the stadium was a stark contrast to the overwhelming noise inside, and you relished the momentary peace.

You stared off into space, murmuring to yourself. "Why is that…?"

"Hah…What? You're good now?"

"As far as I can tell, I am,"

He let out a relieved sigh, letting his head hang low as he leaned with his hands on his knees. "Well, it's not the greatest idea to stick around, so let's just retreat to your room to figure out what's going on, yea?"

"Yea, that sounds reasonable enough," You pushed yourself off the floor and dusted down your uniform. "Let's head back!"

"Oh, and thanks, by the way!"

"You're in thinking territory, that's dangerous. Don't pop a vein now!" Che'nya cackled as he basically let himself melt and become one with your bed, overseeing you connect the dots in your thumbtack board with your chin tucked between your thumb and index.

"You've been standing there for a good 3 hours,"

"Che'nya, can you please shut up for a second,"

"I'm looking at an empty board!"

"Because you feel the need to input your own thoughts that I don't have space to think of mine! Just hold on and sit still for a minute!" You shooed him away, turning your focus back to your mind map. You're sure there must be an explanation for…whatever nonsense this was. You could link it to the fact that you have chronological gaps in your own memory—

"Have you figured anything out? Little genius?"

"I'm leaving this for tomorrow! I'm leaving this all for tomorrow!" Your outburst surprised Che'nya, maybe he should also leave the teasing for tomorrow as he sat himself back up awkwardly. you dragged your two hands across your face, letting out a frustrated groan. Your eyes drooped and were ready to fully shut.

"No…No, I'll continue. I'll continue with my work. Pass me that stupid book on my desk,"

"The old looking one?"

"There is no other book on my desk…?"

You held out an expectant open hand, waiting for him to hand it over—you felt a sudden heavy weight on it and brought it to your front. The blood still remained a pretty shade of red.

"No…I'll continue this tomorrow,"

“Seriously though,” he said, hopping up onto your bed like it was his own personal couch. “You should really take it easy. Whatever this thing is, it's getting worse.”

You didn't answer, your eyes focused on the floor. “Hey,” he said, his tone shifting. “You're doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“That brooding thing where you start spiralling. It’s not a good look on you.” He rolled over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling as if it held the answers to the universe.

You pushed the book aside, finally letting your shoulders drop with exhaustion. The pounding headache had dulled to a light throb, but the fogginess in your mind lingered. Che’nya lay sprawled out on your bed, completely at ease while you were drowning in your thoughts. "Alright," you sighed, rubbing the back of your neck, "I’m done for tonight. Let’s call it."

Che’nya stretched like a cat, extending his arms up to the ceiling with a dramatic yawn. “Well, it’s about time! You always overthink stuff, y’know? Let things breathe a bit."

Rolling your eyes, you stood up and moved toward the door, signaling the end of the conversation. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I’m heading to bed. You should probably head back to your dorm.”

Che’nya jumped to his feet, surprisingly spry despite his earlier lounging. “Night, night! Try not to overwork that brain of yours.”

The door clicked shut behind him, and the silence that followed was almost overwhelming. You stood there for a moment, staring at the door, before letting out a slow breath. The room suddenly felt much larger, more empty.

But no, you’d already decided. It could wait until tomorrow. You weren’t going to drive yourself insane over it tonight. The exhaustion settled in, heavy like a blanket.

Your mind, however, didn’t want to fully quiet down. It wasn’t the first time you’d experienced something like this, but it was happening more frequently, and that in itself was troubling.

The ceiling above you was a blank canvas, and you stared at it, wondering why your body had reacted so violently in the stadium. You knew from a young age that you'd been cursed somehow. You didn’t want to admit it, but the idea of a deeper cause gnawed at the back of your mind. It wasn’t just the headaches. It was the fog, the gaps in your memory, the flashes of something you couldn’t quite place.

But before you could spiral too far down that road, you turned onto your side, pulling the covers up over yourself. "Tomorrow," you muttered to yourself. "Deal with it tomorrow."

The fatigue finally began to take hold, pulling you into the welcome embrace of sleep. The last thing you heard before your mind slipped into darkness was the faint echo of the cheering crowd, still celebrating the championship match you barely paid attention to.

Tomorrow would bring more questions, but for tonight, at least, you’d find peace.

In your sleep, you heard a voice call out to you, and an annoying one at that. "Psst, wake up…hey, hey, hey, hey, heyyy—" Che'nya poked at your shoulder, urging you to wake up and stir you from your stupor for some unknown but probably irrational reason.

"Hm…? Huh…?" Your words were muddled and groggy, tossing and turning in your bed—You didn't want to get ready yet—no, not yet. It was too early to be dealing with the world right now. You didn’t even bother to try opening your eyes till a bright light shone down on you.

"Agh—what's wrong with you?!—"

"The headmaster's calling us to the office,"

That sentence alone had you shot up straight into a sitting position, were you still dreaming? No it seems that you're fully awake now, perhaps you heard it wrong. "Hah…Huh? Pardon?"

“We’re considering you two for the exchange program between Royal Sword Academy and Night Raven College,” the headmaster began, his tone measured and formal. “It’s an opportunity for selected students to experience a different academic environment and broaden their perspectives.”

Che’nya nudged you slightly, a playful grin on his face. “Looks like someone’s about to have a big adventure.”

You barely processed his comment, your mind still reeling from the abrupt awakening and the lingering discomfort from the previous day. "...Im sorry?"

The headmaster adjusted his glasses and shuffled through the papers on his desk. “It’s a chance to engage with a new curriculum, participate in unique magical studies, and interact with students from a different institution. It’s designed to be both challenging and enriching. And the main reason being that after almost 100 years of consecutive losses from Night Raven, we decided to send in our own students to possibly get the to learn teamwork and cooperation.”

"Yea, but why us though…?" You took a glance to your friend to the right of you, 'you put me up for this, didn't you?' you tried communicating telepathically with him. Though you were certain it wasn't exactly what you managed to tell him, you knew he understood what you meant. He shrugged and only gave you a knowing smile.

"Well, let's see…" The headmaster shifted in his leather seat, clasping his hands together. "You two rarely participate in any school activities," He listed. "And we heavily encourage our students to get to know each other through school activities and events—yet in your three years here, you two have yet to show that type of enthusiasm."

Ah, so that's what it was. You felt a pang of unease. "I see," you said, trying to mask the irritation in your voice. "But why would you think we'd be a good fit for this program?"

The headmaster's eyes twinkled behind his glasses. “We’ve noticed potential in both of you, even if you haven’t been the most socially active, except for your friend; Che'nya over here. Who does seem to show interest in socializing...Just in his own peculiar way. It’s about pushing boundaries and discovering new strengths. And, considering your unique talents and perspectives, we believe this experience will be beneficial not only for you but for the academy as well.”

"And I expect you both to also participate in the activities and events that Night Raven has to offer, as well as maintaining academic performance—"

Che'nya suddenly butted in. "We'll take you up on the offer, anyways, bye-bye!" He grabbed your wrist, leading you out the office and out into the hallway and closing the large door behind him.

You squinted your eyes at him, agitated and quite frankly, furious. "...Are you serious?!"

Note: guys is it obvious that this was rushed.

btw apologies for any mistakes in my writing😗

[primalmagic]

small sacrifices (you are my life)

five times raine sacrifices something for eda, and one time she gives it right back.

OR raeda through the ages.

—

1.

Dating someone you've known for literally forever is an odd experience. It's fucking awesome, that's for sure, but it's odd. Like, when Eda remembers that, oh, she doesn't have to panic holding Raine's hand anymore.

She still does panic- but for a completely different reason. And that said reason is a thousand times more favorable than before.

It's a Monday, which means one of two things. One, she has to go to school. Two, she gets to see Raine. She thanks the Titans for two- it makes her absolute hatred for Hexside so much more bearable.

Eda crashes into her Locker, hair all over the place and sunken bags underneath her amber eyes.

"Woah- hey there, soldier," A familiar voice practically half-sings next to her.

"What do you want, bitch?" She grumbles.

"Hey!" Raine squawks indignantly, "That is no way to speak to your partner!" They flick Eda on the shoulder, and then frown, "You alright, though?"

"I had to wake up. Does it look like I'm alright?"

Eda loves Raine, that's a pretty well-known fact. But what she doesn't love is the fact that Raine is definitely a morning person, and it sucks for her. Like, seriously, how can one be this happy on a Monday morning?

Raine laughs, all traces of worry gone. "Good to see you too, buddy," They snort, "Hold on, it looks like a ratworm built a nest in your hair. Let me get a comb."

They shuffle through their bag before bringing out an orange, wide-toothed comb with a slightly bent top. They shrug, "This'll have to do, then."

They lean closer to Eda, leaning onto the Locker before pulling out a small lock of her hair. They brush through it lightly, plucking out a leaf in the process.

She blushes at the proximity- because Raine's so close. And then Raine looks up at her with slightly wide eyes, and they're aware of it too. Hesitantly, they reach out to touch her cheek, one firm hand still gliding through her hair.

The comb catches a tangle near her neck and breaks, and Raine rolls their eyes, "Eda... you need to comb your hair if you're going to keep it this long," They mutter.

Butterflies engulf inside the bottomless pit of what is called a "stomach" and Eda presses them down. Because they're stupid and not necessary right now.

"I do what I want," She rolls her eyes right back, but without any heat.

Raine leans in and presses a featherlight kiss on Eda's cheek. "You do you, the- SCREEEEECH."

The Locker screams at the top of its lungs, signaling the start of the school day. They both jump apart, blushing and shocked by the outburst, before starting to giggle.

"Way to ruin the moment," Eda folds her hands, and smacks the Locker for good measure. She's not actually angry, but the squeaking box doesn't need to know that.

"We should get to class," Raine grins, "See you at lunch?"

"If I don't get detention by then, absolutely," She winks and starts walking away, not before noticing Raine's amused expression, feeling so much better than she did before.

Only a few seconds later, she hears: "Oh, and by the way, you owe me a new comb!"

—

2.

Eda never ends up giving Raine a new comb, which is fine, because Raine forgot about it anyway.

When Eda brings it up one afternoon while playing grudgby, a few months later, Raine snorts, "I was joking, Eda. It was practically useless anyway. Seriously, I don't mind."

Eda smiles lightly, "Thanks, then."

"Not a problem, soldier," they nod, kicking the ball with all the strength they had. It misses the goal and soars outside the field, and into the stands, causing both of them to groan. Every time this happens, they spend at least fifteen minutes trying to find it.

"On second thought, maybe I could do with a favor," Raine mumbles, "There might be a storm today and I need to find that ball soon."

"You got it, commander," Eda salutes, running towards the stands, "Last one there is a rotten slimesicle!"

They don't find the ball.

It's been an hour, and there's no sign of it anywhere. Clouds are billowing in the sky, and it's begun to drizzle. Eda shivers, mentally chiding herself for not wearing something warmer.

Raine looks up, concerned. "You can take my jacket, if you want? We can look for the ball tomorrow, let's just get home soon."

Eda is about to protest, but Raine picks up the grudgby jacket that they take with them to practice, and gently hands it over to her.

And well, she can't say no to them now, can she?

She takes the jacket, hesitantly pulling it over her arms. It's a little bit too tight and slightly short, but it couldn't have been better. And, on another note, it smells like rain.

It's kind of coincidental (or maybe not), but Raine always smells like petrichor. Petrichor in the boiling isles is... not an incredibly popular scent. But she thinks otherwise- once the acid rain disappeared, it smells pretty decent outside. Or maybe that was just Eda.

Dating Raine kind of felt like petrichor, when she thought about it. The days of giggling and blushing and getting embarrassed weren't gone, but they weren't... incredibly common anymore. Raine wasn't something new and exciting anymore- but they were something better. They were home. Not that Eda would ever say it out loud, but it was true.

They were like the feeling after the rain ended, after the excitement, after the fear. It was the peace and knowledge that the two of them were here, together, and it was enough. She was enough.

The rain begins to grow a tad bit heavier, and they duck under the bleachers. "We gotta get to dry ground," Eda mutters, because everyone knows that acid rain burns are not fun to deal with.

"No shit, Titans." Raine huffs, "C'mon, the training room should be open. It's our best bet."

—

3.

They do not find the grudgby ball.

Actually, they do. Just not the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that.

Nope, they find that stupid ball four years later. They're both out of school now, with Raine starting their work with the covens, and Eda playing professional grudgby.

Eda flips her hair behind her back, trying to untangle it from her favorite jacket. Well, it's technically Raine's, but she kind of kept it a while back- and Raine didn't seem to mind that much.

They'd stitched a bright red "E" onto it only a few years back, smiling at Eda as they handed it over. "You wear it too damn much, so might as well have your name on it. You know, just in case you lose it."

Now, she's wearing it, watching the practice from the stands above. After injuring her finger in a thumb war (Why? Raine had sighed, You're an adult, Eda), she was forced to take a short break from playing.

She kicks her legs back and forth, humming to some screaming-rock music playing on the stadium's radio to keep the players upbeat. They've rented out the Hexside playing grounds for just today, since their normal practice place is infested with a very territorial slitherbeast.

Suddenly, her leg hits something soft, and she frowns. Leaning down, she pushes out a small brown ball. Someone must have lost their ball kicking it up here, she thinks, we used to do that all the time.

It's a fond memory of Raine- and one that sends a pang of nostalgia through her chest. She turns the ball in her hands, and pauses when she notices a small R + E etched into the ball's leather.

She bursts out in giggles, because what the fuck. She snorts, "Raine's would love this- after all these years, and I'm the one who finds this old thing."

Eda tucks it into her bag and waits until practice is finished. And as she walks outside, she realizes three things.

One, Raine's not waiting for her.

Two, Raine won't be waiting for her anymore.

Three, Raine and her broke up.

Four days ago. One day after her fucking birthday. Who does that? Who breaks up with someone twenty-four hours after the best day of their life?

Raine Whispers, that's who.

Eda's still wearing the bracelet Raine gave her, and she doesn't know why. She should be throwing it to the owls, but she can't bear to lose the last gift Raine gave her.

It's a white one, made out of bat silk. There are small, intricate designs on the tiny black clasp connecting it around her wrist. And in the very middle, is half of a heart. It used to be Raine's parents, and they'd given it to them as a promise. Raine has one too, and it's almost identical to hers- except that it's black.

It was for the "love of their life", Raine's parents had told them. And that bastard had given it to her, like a fucking joke, and then broken up with her.

It was kind of her fault, actually. She'd messed things up and now Raine refused to talk to her, and she was kind of- very slightly- heartbroken.

Very slightly. She didn't sob into her pillow for hours last night.

Eda turns her wrist, and lets out a self-deprecating laugh. Fitting, she thinks, That it's a broken heart.

She'll get over Raine Whispers, she knows.

She thinks.

She hopes.

—

4.

Edalyn Clawthorne is an outlaw. She's fearless, she's wanted, she's famous, and she's living her dream life.

At least, that's what most elves think.

No, the real Edalyn Clawthorne doesn't even exist anymore. She's living as a facade, as the "Owl Lady" in fear of people knowing who she truly is.

It's the harsh truth, and one she hates to confront.

Damn it, the only reason she's stealing things from the human realm is to get on the coven's nerves. Because you know what? Fuck the coven. Fuck Belos. Fuck that fucking Raine Whispers.

She's swearing too much, and she knows it. But there isn't anybody to stop her, there isn't anybody that cares.

She's so, so alone.

And she hates it so much.

"Eda?" A tiny voice calls out from the living room, and Eda wills her self-pitying thoughts to disappear. She's not completely alone, because she has King. King, who she brought home one night and then just... kept.

"Yeah, King?" She calls back, "Do you need anything?"

"The King demands another glass of red juice!" He declares.

"You hated it, remember?" She sighs, "You threw it at your stuffed demons last time."

"Exactly! I must use it to torture the souls of my prisoners so they bow to my will!" He cackles an evil laugh (it's actually adorable, Eda thinks), and then she hears things being thrown around the room.

Oh well.

She forces herself to stand up and grab the broom, because Hooty obviously can't dust himself (actually, he can- but don't tell Eda that). Plus, the Owl House was beginning to look like a dump, and King was not helping.

She could get through this, one day at a time. It would get better, because she had King, and he was safe, and that was all she needed for now.

But speak of the titan, and he shall arrive. Just then, King screams, and Eda jumps to her feet and runs- alert and scared.

"King?" She panics, "You 'kay?"

She finds him in the middle of a large pile of stuffed animals, groaning and muttering unintelligible syllables to himself.

"King?" She picks him up slowly, stepping over the oversized stuffies. "Buddy, what happened?"

"I thought... it would be a good idea to make a tower of doom! And have my servants carry me up to the top... but they dropped me! And I fell," He bawls, tears springing from his bright brown eyes.

"Does anything hurt?" She asks softly.

"My arm... and my head... and my legs," King wails.

Titans, why couldn't the world just give her a break?

"We need to get you to a doc- oh no," Realization dawns on her when she realizes she can't even come close to the Boiling Isles without someone noticing her. And everyone knows she's wanted- she'd be caught immediately.

She looks at King, sniffling in her hands, and groans inwardly.

It was time to make a trip to the doctor's office, also known as the center of the Boiling Isles.

Five minutes later, she's sitting on Owlbert and flying into the city, wearing a wild magic-made black cloak, large sunflower glasses (she couldn't find anything else, okay?), and a brown rainhat.

Here's the thing: getting into the doctor's is easy- nobody suspects anything when a cloaked woman with a wailing baby enters a hospital. But inside, Eda's going to have to drop all of her magic, in case it's carrying any sort of disease or whatever. What's she going to do then?

She has absolutely no idea.

The doctor gives King a vial to drink, which, since she's spent a ton of her life in illegal activity, Eda knows doesn't work. So slams a bunch of money on the table, leaving the poor worker gaping. "You're- you're a wonderful mom, ma'am. There's a proper healing potion in the back I can give to your son, but he'll have to take it once a day for about a week." Eda nods sharply, and the doctor scuttles away.

When he comes back, Eda's magic has faded (the hospital has leeched it away from her), and the doctor's smile falls. "You're- you're the-"

She groans, and without thinking, drop-kicks the doctor and grabs the vial. "We'll be leaving now, thank you," she smirks, picking the wide-eyed King off the hospital bed and running into the hallway.

Red alarms begin to blare loudly, and Eda's smirk disappears. "They have security buttons in every room now, don't they?" she mutters.

"Yes, they do, actually," a voice replies, causing her to freeze. Something about it isn't right, and it sends shivers down Eda's spine. She whisks around, finding herself face to face with the one and only...

Fucking Titans.

...Raine Whispers.

"Ever since you've turned the Boiling Isles into your own little playhouse, Belos has taken extra measures to keep us safe from your harmful antics. Now, I ask that you hand over whatever you've stolen, and come with me to the coven court."

They're on different sides now, she remembers. They're the enemy.

"As if, get the fuck away from me." She steps back and stands taller, but Raine isn't intimidated.

"Eda-" They begin, but are quickly interrupted.

"That's Edalyn to you, thank you very much. Better yet, call me the Owl Lady." She scoffs.

Raine sighs, a flicker of hurt passing through their expression, "Don't make me do this the hard way, Edalyn."

"I haven't stolen anything!" She hisses, "King got hurt and I needed a remedy, okay? Just let me go, and I won't do anything stupid." She hesitates, "Please."

Raine looks down, like as if they've only just realized King was there, hugging Eda's leg.

"King?"

"Yada, yada, yada, I picked him up on the side of the road and I'm taking care of him now. Can we go now?"

She drops the vial into her pocket, distracted and trying to find ways to get out of this forsaken place. But instead, she drops it, and it lands on her toe, spilling the remedy all over the floor.

And you know- she's stressed, and she's tired, and she's had a really long day- so it's only natural that she starts tearing up.

"Fuck off, Rainestorm," She mumbles, looking away so they can't see that she's so done right now.

She doesn't miss how Raine's eyes widen, and then flicker to King, and then to the broken vial.

"Take this."

"What?"

"Take this," They mutter, handing her a similar vial from their cloak, "I use it for my wrist sometimes."

"Wha-"

"Titans, Eda, just take the vial and go! I'll lead the guards off. Just... go."

She doesn't need to be told twice, she grabs King and the vial and Owlbert and flies out of the window immediately.

She's breathing too hard, and her heart is racing a mile a minute. It only slows down when she spots the Owl House below, and she lands shakily.

The first thing she does is tuck King to bed, whispering promises and wishes as he falls asleep. Then, she goes to her room and cries.

She hasn't cried like this in a while, like all her emotions are escaping her faster than she can keep track of them. Seeing Raine was like a knife had sliced all the wounds she was trying to close.

She's still in love with Raine Whispers, she knows.

And she hates it more than anything else in the world.

—

5.

The Owl House is full of people, but sometimes, Eda still feels alone.

Luz and Amity are trying to find potion ingredients in town, King is sulking, and Willow, Gus, and Hunter are all plotting in the living room.

Unity day is soon, and they know it. It looms over them like the mist on a winter morning, like they're flying in a thousand clouds.

Eda isn't stupid- she knows this could be it.

They could lose people, and they will lose people.

But another part of her tells her that everyone will be fine, because they have to be, because she needs them to be.

It's so stupid, and so selfish. But she can't help it. If she lost Luz, or King, or even the stupid friends she keeps bringing over, it'd hurt like hell, and Eda's done with losing people. Her parents, her sister, Raine.

So she settles the score with herself and vows that she won't let any of them die before she does.

She'll fight for them, and them only.

She'll die for them, and them only.

She's cooking lunch when the doorbell rings, and she groans because she knows she's the one who'll have to open it. She lets the levitating ingredients plop back onto the table, and walks towards the door.

"Welcome back, Luz-"

Come on.

"Raine," She blinks, then regains her posture, "Can I be of any assistance?"

Raine shakes their head in a clipped and polite manner, "Can you give Luz these documents for me? They're about the Day of Unity, I managed to snag them from Belos."

This whole... thing is so weird. Raine is suddenly against Belos, and is helping Luz, and indirectly helping her. And don't forget the fact that they willingly got taken by a weird monster thing for her. And they used the song they wrote together, performed bard magic, and saved her.

Eda doesn't want to talk about that day. Because she lost Raine all over again, and she knows Raine knows it too.

Now, they're acting as if nothing ever happened.

She takes the documents from her ex's hand, and nods, "Thank you, I'll let her know when she comes back. It might not be a good idea to come here during the day, though. Someone might catch you."

"Concerned, Edalyn?" They smirk, with a look that Eda knows all too well. It fades quickly. "It's better this way, I can just say I'm going out for an errand and nobody thinks its suspicious. I'm hiding right under their nose."

"Fascinating." She deadpans, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have lunch to make and children to help, sooo-"

"Need help?"

"Sorry?"

They fidget with their glasses, a nervous habit they seemed to have picked up during their days with the coven. "I've noticed there's a ton of people here nowadays, and it's probably stressful, so... do you need any help?"

"Is the great Raine Whispers asking if they can sacrifice their prestigious time to help me make lunch?" She asks, incredulously.

"You're working so much, Edalyn, it's the least I can do to help." There is something tender in their voice that makes her heart clench.

Titans, fuck this. "Call me Eda," A voice speaks, one that she can barely recognize as her own.

It's Raine's turn to be surprised now, "Huh?"

"Just- call me Eda. If we're working against Belos together, you're going to have to stop acting like we're strangers," She tries to sound harsh, but it comes out softer then she's expecting.

"Alright, Eda," they smile, "Can I come in now?"

—

+1

The Day of Unity is over.

They're alive. They're all... okay.

But it's not over yet, because The Collector is going insane, and nobody knows how to stop him.

And King... King is trapped up there with him too. She needs to find him, and... she needs to find Raine too.

Getting up to the floating castle is the hardest part, but she manages. Flying with harpy wings is surprisingly easy. She's planning on finding King first, but as she sneaks in through the backside, she feels a familiar tug of magic pull her closer.

Raine is here, and Raine is close.

She wants to look for them- she wants to find them and take them back, but she needs to find King before anything. King is her first priority.

Finding the Collector's room isn't hard, there's a trail of stars descending towards it in ever direction.

But she isn't exactly sure how she's going to grab King. The Collector would catch her if she made a run for it, but she doesn't have too many options.

She hears King say, "Hey! What if we played over there with the stuffed animals? I'll hide in one of them, and you have to try to find me!"

There's a scuttling noise, which she assumes is King hiding.

Eda waits, and waits, and waits, and hears the Collector looking inside of each toy and chest. "KING!" He squeals, "I'm going to find you!"

The Collector is nearing the door, and she needs to get out of here soon.

Something bumps on her leg, and she looks down and...

"King?"

"Eda??"

She ignores him, and lets her fight-or-flight mode take control. She picks up King, and then she's running, running, running, away from The Collector's voice and down to Raine's chamber.

"I thought you were hiding?" She whispers, breathlessly.

"I needed the bathroom, and he wouldn't let me go," King pouts in her arms, "So I just tried to escape for a bit! Why are you here?"

"To save you guys, obviously."

King frowns, "The Collector'll be lonely though."

"Seriously?" She hisses, "You're worried about that?"

They reach the entrance, and Eda pauses. King looks up, "What's wrong?"

"Raine's here."

King looks at her for a few seconds, then flails around, "Put me down! I'll stay on guard. If The Collector comes, I can trick him or something. Go get Raine." He grins.

Eda thinks about it for a while, and then places him down, "I'm so proud of you," she murmurs, and presses a kiss on his forehead, "I'll be back before you know it. Try not to get caught."

She's running again, opening doors (The Collector isn't very good at locking things), and looking through every room she can find.

It's like a maze, and she's starting to wonder if she's going in circles.

That is, until she finds them. They're locked onto a sticky black goop, and they freeze when they see Eda.

Oh right, she's still in harpy mode.

She spots their glasses on the ground and picks them up.

"Stay away!" Raine yells, and Eda has to hold back the urge to snicker.

She comes closer, putting the glasses on their face and cupping their cheek with her hand. "Hey, Rainestorm."

"Eda?"

"Mh hm."

"You're here?"

"I am."

"You're not just my imagination?" They ask, skeptically.

She giggles at that, "No, I'm here."

She begins working through the thick goop, one strand at a time. "How are you doing?"

"Peachy," Raine mumbles.

"Seems like it." They look so tired, with dark eyebags and new scars. But Eda has never seen them look so beautiful before. Because they're here, and they're alive, and they're okay.

They sit in comfortable silence for a while, Eda working through the goop and Raine staring at her as if she's some sort of new instrument species. If instruments have species, she doesn't know.

A scream breaks the silence, and they both freeze. "KIIING! I DON'T LIKE THIS GAME ANYMORE! LET'S PLAY SOMETHING ELSE." The Collector's upset, and he's nearing wherever they are.

"Take King and get out of here," Raine whispers as Eda breaks half of the goop, placing a small instrument in her shaking palm.

"No," she glares at them, pushing the miniature violin back. They must have used the last of their magic to turn it tiny in a desperate attempt to keep it safe. "Rainestorm, you've given me so fucking much. I'm not taking your violin. It's... it's your life."

"Eda," Their voice cuts through her protests, "You are my life. And I need you to be safe. Please."

It's a confession, and it causes Eda to take a step back, "I'm not leaving without you."

It's all she can say right now, with her mind so full of emotions and Raine.

"I left you," they look away, "You couldn't look at me without remembering how much I messed up."

She laughs, which startles them. "How much you messed up? Don't blame yourself for my mistakes, Raine. It was my fault. I get it. I would leave too, if I was stuck with someone like me," She's getting a bit too self-deprecating, plus, she doesn't like this whole game of charades, so she pulls closer.

"Raine Whispers, I'm not taking your violin with me. I'm taking you. We're going to get to the Owl House safely and I'm never, ever, going to let go of you again." She says it so decisively, with a fire in her eyes she knows Raine has never seen before.

And then there's a snap! and Raine stumbles out of their prison and into Eda's arms.

"Easy there, soldier," She smiles, and Raine returns it weakly.

"That's my line."

"C'mon," she smiles, hauling Raine up, "Let's get you home."