#also wow look MORE dia... ;;

[chernabogs]

The Moon

Inc: Malleus, briefly Prefect Warnings: Some spoilers for the platinum jacket bday vignette. The laundry... LMAO WC: 2.5k Summary: 4 firsts that Malleus had under the watchful gaze of his oldest friend. First moments, first shop, first wash, first friend.

1—First Moments.

There is an envy of the moon that rots through his heart as a plague does the flesh. 

The moon was his friend for the longest time in his youth; people would pass like a breeze—tutors, courtiers, servants, —leaving him stagnant, alone. But the moon would always return. She’d look down at where he leaned out the window, his small hands grasping the stones to steady himself, and her silver light would bath over him like the gentle touch of a mother—at least, how he imagined that touch to be. He’d whittle away hours admiring her mottled surface, and she’d whittle away hours gazing back, until she would eventually vanish with the night as the inky black sky faded to a twilight blue. 

The envy existed because she always had the opportunity to come and go. Malleus was confined to a box for much of his life. Never once did he need to lift a finger, even if he desired to;

your highness is not meant to do that. Your highness is not meant to toil, and labour, and break the earth as we must. Hot sun should not kiss your fragile skin, sweat should not touch your brow. You must always remain above and away. Let us harvest for your needs; let us serve. 

No one ever worked for the moon. She controlled the tides, made the Valley livable, and in return was worshipped for her trials among those denizens. One does not tell the moon you are not meant to do that. You are not meant to toil, and labour, and wrestle the tides for our needs. That was preposterous to think. So, should he not, too, work alongside the rest to make the Valley a better place? Would that not make the most sense? 

For a while he resented it. He would turn to his side to face away from the window as night came, grasping his sheets with his hands and glaring into the darkness as though the moon would feel sad in his absence. That’s a silly thought. A floating rock in space cannot fathom the emotions burdened by fae and man alike. But in his childish mind—packed with tales of birds that talk and trees that walk—it was perfectly reasonable. Sometimes, it still is. 

The resentment only lasted a few weeks before guilt began to eat him. That’s a silly thought, too. To feel guilty over ignoring a rock. Yet the next night he did find himself leaning on that window ledge once more, looking up at her with wide eyes as her silver light brushed across his cheeks. I’m sorry, he had whispered, knowing she could not hear but imagining she did.

The sun may not see his skin, but the moon certainly did, and she kissed it goodnight every evening before he went to rest. Lilia once told him his mother was a star, but Malleus wagered she’s far more than that. A star cannot contain the love and power he learned her to have. 

No, looking up to the silver light above, he knew precisely what she had joined in those celestial skies. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2—First Shop.

The opportunity for growth first came when he was invited to NRC. There is a first time for everything, and Malleus was quick to experience many in those early weeks of his initial year.

The first time shopping alone. Most experience this when they become adults, or they get a taste in their teenage years when their parent allows them to embark to a mall, or a place with companions. Malleus faced a trial by fire when he needed to purchase snacks for himself in his off time—he did have an appetite. 

The cart broke, and that’s precisely when he knew this had been a dire mistake. Actually, he knew that when Lilia told him he was unable to go into town with Malleus. The discount store was the best place to get food for cheap and so Lilia had guided him here, and now the wheel was bent in a strange way and when he pushed it, it squeaked, or it didn’t move at all, and god this was awful, this was not how he planned—

Until an employee came. A single glance and a kick to the wheel fixed all his errors and so the crown prince of Briar Valley, with a charming flush of embarrassment to his cheeks, shoved the cart through the automatic doors after a mumbled word of gratitude. He’d get better at thanking people later. Gifts, for example, would be granted quite freely. 

The second trial of shopping came in acquiring the items. Malleus was intelligent. Incredibly so, in fact. Many of his tutors had not been able to keep up with his leaps and strides in the academic field (if one ignores how he threw tantrums and caused a majority to quit in the first place). However, ill-equipped was he for the trials of price vs quality comparison, and so he found himself in a stand still at many points with two boxes in his hand, trying to rationalize which one had the better ingredients and was it really worth the additional 5 madol? 

The experience took a grand total of two hours. Lilia called once—only to make sure Malleus did not become lost between the store and the school. A quick call became a long ordeal when Malleus barraged the man with questions regarding if it’s worth investing in carbonated water or not. He settled for whatever was in the taps at NRC, and he paid cash for it all. Because Lilia did, at least, inform him that paying with jewels was probably not an acceptable currency in the discount grocery outlet. 

At the end of it all, when he was digging through the box of granola bars on his desk at a late hour, and the moons silver light was greeting him for the first time in an entirely new land, a sense of confidence in his ability to handle any trial ahead caused a smirk to curl on Malleus’ lips. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3— First Wash. 

That is until he met the machine. 

He was a night owl. What he didn’t realize was that most teenage boys are night owls as well. He had not the faintest idea where the laundry room even was and deemed that 2 am in the kitchen was the best time to compensate for this. So enraptured in his scrubbing was he that he failed to hear the student until he heard an awkwardly spoken, “Um?” over his shoulder.

What a sight he must have been. Wide, green eyes glowing in the dark as he was hunched over the sink, a sock in one hand and a brush in the other. Perhaps his hair was disarrayed from the furious scrubbing to remove any dirt, perhaps his fangs were shown in his frustration of soap suds getting everywhere. Either way, the poor boy who had wandered into the kitchen for a midnight snack and encountered this was quite shocked. Malleus had straightened up, and a lingering silence had ensued until the boy had spoken once more in a frail, cracking voice.

“Housewarden? Why are you washing your clothes in the kitchen sink?” 

Why, indeed? Malleus had the choice to take the prideful route and say that he wanted to, and so he did. Spare himself the embarrassment. Or he could own up to reality and admit a slight bit of vulnerability to the student. He wanted to form camaraderie and friendship—so perhaps vulnerability was the right way to go. 

“I could not find the laundry room.” He had replied, a bit blunt in his words. The student stared at him for a moment longer before slowly blinking as the prince’s words registered to him. His mouth opened slightly, and he half turned to look out the kitchen door. 

“Oh, I just use magic.” The student had then pointed to the stairs where the dorms were. “But you can probably just have someone take your load next time.” 

Malleus knew his expression soured at the comment because the student’s face had dropped to worry. Let us harvest for your needs; let us serve.; this echoed in his mind as his hand had tightened around the sock. “No, I can do it myself.” 

The words were cold to the point of cutting. Silence, once more, before the student had cleared his throat again. “... I am overdue for a load myself. Do you want me to show you the room?” 

A simple question had been enough to ease any tension. Malleus’ expression had softened, and within twenty minutes, two boys were embarking in the dark with soapy laundry and baskets to scour the laundry room on their expansive campus. Malleus had looked to the moon as they passed and imagined her laughing at his plight. 

Many tales regale of brave knights who encounter ferocious beasts in their endeavours, with voices that sound of a thousand cries and mouths that spew a volley of ash upon their polished armor. The knights inevitably slay the beast and parade its head proudly for all the adoring villagers to see. 

Malleus’ beast had a body of stainless steel, and a mouth that chewed and swished clothing around with great fury. The first time he saw it, he had set his basket down and looked at the boy with an expression of; are you kidding me? Technology and the prince were not friends. Two phones burned within the first 48 hours of getting them had demonstrated that so far. But the boy exhibited a patience unseen as he had loaded his wash and walked the prince through the process of putting the laundry pod in, hitting the timer, and then hitting ‘start.’ 

The rumble of the wash had signified success. When Malleus repeated the steps with his own load and a second rumble had filled the wide, otherwise empty room, he felt quite akin to those knights slaying the beast. 

The two of them had sat in the benches of that laundry room together until the load was done and the boy could show him the dryer. They had never really spoken again after that encounter, but the memory of the boy's compassion (a rarity for NRC students) in aiding the prince was not lost on him. When the boy was suddenly hit with a streak of uncanny luck, and he had asked himself why, perhaps he had a lingering idea of why this was—but he would say nothing, nor would the prince.

Only the moon knew the answer to that question. 

—---------------------------------------------------------------------

4—First Friend. 

They had seemed utterly, completely, unequivocally normal when he first met them. Oh, he had heard about them—after all, one doesn’t just burst out of a coffin without the entire school knowing within the hour—but he had not met them, and when he finally did, he found himself to be quite underwhelmed. They were shorter than him, but just as quiet, and he had yet to know that those lingering awkward moments outside of Ramshackle would uproot his life in the most wondrous of ways. 

The moon knew. But she couldn’t say anything; she just kept smiling down with her silvery grin from the skies above.

He hadn’t meant to return to them, but in time he did, until eventually the student from Ramshackle ingrained themself in his routine in a way that baffled him completely. Sometimes he would look down at them on their walks and wonder to himself now, where did you appear from?, as though the night would whisper the answer in his ear and he’d go, ah yes, that makes perfect sense. 

The night is where they convalesce the most. In the beginning the student did not sleep often and Malleus, still ever the night owl, took advantage of this. He would abscond with them in the night (oh, he could imagine his Senate wailing how scandalous! in their flickering forms) and they would walk a familiar loop around campus until returning to the steps of Ramshackle once more.

Sometimes they talked the entire way. Other times they would simply move in silence, an unspoken understanding between them of two people in a routine they were both quite comfortable with. When an overblot had happened, the student would tell Malleus about the event, and he would nod in grave understanding—not knowing what they felt, since he never experienced it himself, but empathizing with them all the same.

It would also allow him to make a mental note to reach out to the affected party later. Just to check in. 

Winter break had been a time of upset for him because it had disrupted the routine he was used to. Back in the box, back in his room, with servants attending every need. The freedom he had become accustomed to being robbed from him made him feel like a mad dog in a cage and the absence of those now familiar night walks had him glaring at the sky. The moon was still there—so one member of their party was present—but the student was back at NRC, and it created a sort of them shaped void in his chest that made him restless. 

They didn’t reply to his holiday card. Maybe he had overstepped, or maybe they were like him and lost track of time on occasion. He liked to imagine it was the latter. He liked to try and find more things similar between them both beyond a love for the night and the moon. 

When he had returned and they had given him the VDC tickets, another sense of joy had sparked in his chest as he had held those tickets tight. A warmth flooding throughout his body, something he hadn’t quite felt before beyond when he looked at his family, and he wondered in that moment if this is what it felt like to be a part of something. He had always imagined having those experiences—being invited to parties, creating mischief in the night, sharing secrets and laughter under the stars. The student was granting these to him, despite both parties not knowing so yet.

The moon knew, though. She kept smiling down at them as they would whisper on their walks, hands close enough to brush but not touching each other because that felt too far just yet. She would observe the way Malleus would watch the student until they re-entered Ramshackle to ensure that they made it inside safe, and the faint smile on his lips as he walked away.

She knew, even when they did not. 

For now, however, Malleus was comfortable calling the student friend. They were someone who did not walk before him in guidance, or behind him in subservience. They walked comfortably by his side as an equal, and for that, they held more significance than he cared to admit. 

NRC had brought many firsts to Malleus’ life, and as each moment passed, he felt that envy of the moon fade away. For in the end, to be envious of his oldest friend was a pointless thing.

[the-travelling-witch]

𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓

summary: the plan was to spend a chill movie night at the castle but when was the last time anything went according to plan in the devildom?

pairing: dragon! barbatos x afab reader (gn/no pronouns used)

warnings: nsfw/ minors dni, dragon! barbatos, dom! barbs , aphrodisiac spit (idc if i made it up, deal with it), double penetration, two cocks, monster + tail fucking, breeding kink, oviposition, cream pie, pool sex, marking, a little bit of possessiveness (as a treat)

a/n: this is part of a low-key collab between @majoliish and me (aka we worked off the same setting and then branched off); i will update this with the link to his fic once he posts dia's part ♡

obey me! masterlist

The golden gates of the Demon Lord’s Castle swung open, revealing the grand hallway leading you inside. Awaiting you was, of course, none other than the royal butler, Barbatos. You couldn’t help the grin spreading on your lips as you skipped up the last steps to meet him, grateful for the warmth radiating against the frigid night air. 

“Good evening,” Barbatos greeted, slightly bowing, despite how often you told him not to. “It is most fortunate you could meet the Young Master and I for our Halloween movie night. As you are aware, the Young Master wished to spend the night before his grand birthday party learning more about human culture, so we appreciate you making the time for us.”

“No need to make it so formal, Barbatos, you know I’ve been looking forward to seeing you guys. You’re always terribly busy after all,” you laughed as he led you inside. The castle was lit entirely with candles tonight, making your shadows flicker as you walked.

“You are no better in that regard, always trying to reign in those brothers. It cannot be easy either.” When you entered what in other houses might be considered the living room, the smell of buttery popcorn, pumpkin spice and baked goods filled your senses.

“Wow, Barbs, speaking of busy, how many hours did you slave away in the kitchen for this?” You breathed in deeply, savouring the delicious aroma. “I can’t wait to ruin all your hard work by eating it. It smells divine.” 

“Oh please, this was nothing. There  would be no better compliment than enjoying yourself.” With practised ease, Barbatos helped you out of your coat, taking in the costume you were pulling at nervously with his malachite eyes studying you. “I must say, you look lovely tonight, as always. Though I’m afraid to say it is not fear my heart is shaking with.” 

“Thanks,” you stammered out, one hand bashfully rubbing your neck. 

You took this opportunity to take in Barbatos’s appearance as well. On first glance, his costume would pass for an ordinary demon form, however, his normally delicate looking horns had been replaced with ones growing backwards, branching out like sleek corals, and his ears had elongated into translucent fins. Different hues of blue and teal draped around him, the silky texture of his clothes shimmering with every motion and reminding you of the ocean.

Patches of scales were visible on his cheeks and collarbones, shimmering different shades of turquoise and aquamarine as he moved. As a nice surprise he had also removed the gloves he’d usually wear, showcasing claws that looked sharp and were probably sharper. Most intriguing of all, however, was the scaled tail swishing under layers of flowy, wave-like fabric. While it resembled his demon form in colour, the texture was completely different and it reached way further than normal.

“Wow, Barbatos, you look amazing,” you said, in awe at his graceful appearance. He was already a fascinating demon under normal circumstances but on this night it was hard to tear your eyes away from him. 

“Your high praise is ever so delightful, I shall remember it.” Again he bowed politely, the gesture smooth and elegant. “The Young Master and I have settled on the theme of dragons, though we both directed our focus on different kinds. As you can see, I have taken on the appearance of an aquatic dragon.”

Speaking of Diavolo, he met up with you shortly after, sporting a red and golden costume that played into his already dragon-like features and made him look even more impressive than usual. But in typical Diavolo fashion he was nothing but sweet as he greeted you, his joyful laughter bouncing off the wall as he gladly shared his excitement with you.

“Oh right, I almost forgot! I brought some snacks too!” You pulled various treats from your bag, some of them procured from the Human Realm with Solomon’s help but also a pack of chocolates Asmo had given you. “I know they don’t compare to Barbatos’s creations but I didn’t want to show up empty handed.”

“No, this is great!” Diavolo grinned, inspecting the candies from your world. “The purpose of this get-together is to learn about your culture after all.”

“Indeed, these provide a most valuable insight.” Quickly transferring them into various bowls, Barbatos set them up on the table in front of the biggest TV you had ever seen, before turning back to the two of you. “Shall we begin our movie night then?”

“Well, that’s what we’re here for tight?” You laughed as you settled on the couch, Diavolo and Barbatos on each side of you. With a flick of his hand, Barbatos dimmed the flicker of the candles to a dim light, creating the kind of spooky atmosphere expected of a Halloween movie night.

It was nice to see some classic films from your world while trying everything laid out in front of you. Obviously Barbatos’s baking tasted even better than it smelled and you could have eaten every last piece of it, but the chocolates you brought were pretty decent as well, your companions agreeing.

All in all, it was just the kind of relaxing night you didn’t get often around here and which you desperately needed.

Half-way through your second film, you’d noticed Barbatos shift rather often, which was unusual for someone as composed as him, to say the least. He’d assured you everything was alright, that it was just the unfamiliar attire that took some getting used to. Still a little sceptical, you turned back to the movie and tried to trust his judgement.

The heat radiating from both sides was getting harder to justify by the two just being demons and your concerns were proven right when Barbatos, of all demons, excused himself and took an awful amount of time just to never come back.

You apologised to the prince as you got up to search for the butler yourself. Something was definitely wrong and if there was someone who was predestined to uncover it, it would be you. The only problem: the castle was huge and Barbatos was more skilled at appearing and disappearing wherever and whenever he liked.

The halls were eerily silent, making your steps echo loudly in your ears despite the plush carpets. Every few metres you looked over your shoulder when the flicker of your own shadow or the branches moving outside the window caught your attention from the corner of your eye. Whenever a particularly strong gust of wind howled and rattled the windows, your steps hastened just a little bit.

When you had already opened just about every door and checked every room you came across, you were about to give up. Clearly, Barbatos didn’t want to be found, so what were the chances that you could?

You pushed open the heavy door to the palace pools, inhaling the distinguishing smell associated with pools and feeling the humidity in the air. The moon was full and high in the sky as it shone its silver light through the round centre of the all-glass window front and the waves broke the light, reflecting a hypnotising pattern onto the walls.

It might have gone unnoticed under the moonlight but a splash in the water alerted you to the presence in the room. There, in the centre of the pool, teal hair floated through the water, the long flowy fabric of Barbatos’s costume moving around him like the iridescent tentacles of a jellyfish.

“Barbatos!” You exclaimed, already at the edge of the pool by the time his name fully left your lips. Of course, his attention was already on you; he never could have missed you entering the room. “There you are! I was so worried, you know. But it’s an odd time to take a dip… not that I’m judging you or anything.”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” the demon chuckled, a low and melodic sound that had your heart melting. “Although I assure you I would not be here if it was not strictly necessary to my predicament.”

“Your predicament?” You questioned, squatting down to be closer to him. “What’s going on? Are you ill or something?”

“Your concern warms my heart, truly,” he smiled. From up close you could see the scales that looked so realistic glistening with the water drops that dripped from his hair. In the moonlight they looked like they were made of precious gemstones and you couldn’t help but think how good he looked like this. Extending a courteous hand to you, his stunning eyes found yours. “Why don’t you join me and I'll show you what I mean? I promise there’s nothing dangerous about it.”

Without hesitating you put your hand in his, fully trusting him. Then you realised how detailed his costume was. You hadn’t noticed earlier but the colour of his teal nails extended onto his fingers as well, right about to the second knuckle, contrasting the translucent webbing spanning between his fingers. 

Then he pulled you into the water and steadied you by the waist when you jumped because of the chill. You could feel his claws digging into your hips through the wet clothes sticking to your skin. But you hardly had time to think about it as you were already drifting through the water, securely held in Barbatos’s grip, who was cutting through the water as if it was nothing. Sure, he always looked effortless but it was as if he didn’t even need to move his legs.

That was when you felt it. Amongst the tingling sensation of his silky attire wafting around your legs, something strong and scaly brushed against your calf. You of course saw the tail earlier but it was just a costume, surely it shouldn’t be this functional… or this long.

“You seem rather speechless, what is the matter?” Spinning you around as you came to a stop, his chest pressed against your back, your hand still in his grasp. His voice was low as his lips rested near your ear, the vibrations of his voice travelling down your spine. “Imagine my surprise when I found out I had turned into the very thing I was masquerading as this entire evening.”

“W-What?” You stuttered, trying to wrap your head around this new piece of information as Barbatos’s lips attached themselves to the skin behind your ear. “You turned into a dragon? How?”

“Because of you, my dear. Or rather, because of those chocolates you brought. An accident perhaps,” he muttered as his mouth travelled down the side of your neck and lavished the juncture where your neck met your shoulder with attention. “Or perhaps you knew full-well of the effects it had and it was a deliberate move on your part? No matter what is the case, are you ready to face the consequences of the situation you have put me in?”

“The consequences?” You airily asked, focusing on keeping your thoughts in line as Barbatos leaned over you and started trailing kisses all over your jaw. The hand that was on your waist all this time had moved to hold the other side of your face, angling your head the way he pleased. This dominant side of Barbatos made you thank the stars that your knees couldn’t buckle as you melted into his hold.

“Looking at you, I’m certain you are already aware,” the demon said, though he still pressed his hips into your backside for emphasis. The feeling of the big bulge straining against his clothes had you stifling a moan by biting your bottom lip. “If I may be so bold to read your reaction, you want this too, do you not? If not, you should voice it now as I can feel my self-restraint slipping.”

There was no denying it, you had been dreaming of having Barbatos like this since you had gotten to know him. Something about the butler had captivated you and your interest had only grown the more time you spent around him. And though you would never admit it, the image of his skilled fingers doing other things than preparing tea had filled your mind on more nights than one. Even if he wasn’t completely himself right now, you would not be idiotic enough to pass up this chance.

“Barbatos, please,” you all but whimpered, trying to grind your hips back against him in the water, your fingers grazing over the fin on his ear as you reached back for him. His groan sounded like music to your ears and you could feel the arousal starting to pool below your navel. 

“What are you pleading for, my dear?” Barbatos whispered, his lips almost brushing yours now as he pulled you even closer to him. “What are you thinking of? Tell me, so I can make it become reality.”

“Please touch me, Barbatos,” you begged, aware how needy you sounded when he hadn’t even done anything yet. “I need you to.”

“As you wish,” he approved before slotting his lips against yours. They were slippery from the water but still pillowy-soft and soon you were humming against them. As if to swallow your noises, Barbatos parted his mouth and you felt a split tongue flick against the seam of your lips.

You easily granted him access, allowing him to tangle his tongue with yours but you had underestimated his transformation, which granted him an inhumanly long appendage to map your mouth out with. Occasionally, your tongue would bump into the tip of one of his fangs and it sent a shiver down your spine. When you parted to allow oxygen back into your lungs, rather than water, it was your shared saliva coating his lips and connecting you both by a string.

“So soft and obedient…” Babatos groaned as he nipped at your shoulder, sharp fangs grazing the skin but not breaking it. Turning you to face him, he encouraged you to wrap your legs around his waist as he moved you through the pool again. “No wonder demons fall for humans’ temptations so easily. You make it incredibly difficult to control myself.”

Shortly thereafter, the edge of the pool dug into your back as your demon started working on freeing your body from your costume. Uncharacteristically enough, instead of meticulously peeling you out of it, the loud sound of ripped fabric could be heard over the rippling water. Whatever was left of your clothes was carelessly tossed somewhere onto the floor, Barbatos too busy licking and sucking all over your collarbones and chest to care.

As you were stripped bare piece by piece for his eyes to drink up, you rolled your head back when his tongue literally wrapped around one of your pebbled nipples, making you gasp. Threading your hand into his teal locks, you gave them a harsh tug when his mouth closed fully around your areola, no doubt leaving a red ring of imprints around it. To keep you steady as your back arched into his touch, you felt pinpricks of his claws digging into your hips, the pain making you moan out in lust. 

Seemingly drawn in by the noise and determined to coax more of them from you, Barbatos connected your lips again in an open mouthed kiss that felt filthier than the first one as he crowded you against the edge of the pool, pressing his hips into your swivelling ones. The more he kissed you the foggier your mind became, slick starting to ruin your underwear which was clinging to your folds. It also loosened your inhibitions, having you moan freely and making you beg without shame as long as he touched you.

“You are truly magnificent,” he whispered as if it was something only deemed fit for your ears to hear. Goosebumps rose in the wake of his wandering fingers, claws grazing your skin as light as feathers, the ghost of his touch spreading across your entire body. “The finest works of art do not compare to you. It’s my deepest pleasure to have you all to myself and leave my mark on your beauty.”

“More, please, more,” you whimpered and Barbatos would be a fool not to give you exactly what you wanted when you were giving yourself to him so freely.

“Such a good human, already begging me so sweetly,” he crooned against your temple, water droplets from his hair landing on your feverish skin. With a quick swipe of his claws, the restricting fabric of your bottoms and underwear fell away and you sighed at the cool sensation of the water enveloping your heat. “Anything for you.”

You felt weightless as Barbatos lifted you out of the water to settle you on the edge, then swam closer to take his rightful place between your legs. Even if you wanted to close them out of embarrassment, you couldn’t, not with his strong, webbed hands keeping you spread wide open for him as his nails dimpled the fat of your thighs. To steady yourself and avoid keeling over, your fingers found their way back into his hair, this time grabbing hold of the base of his horn.

The tips of his tongue flicked around the inside of your thighs, gradually wandering closer to where you wanted him most but in your opinion he was needlessly drawing it out. By now, your muscles were twitching in need at his sweet torture and your fingers tightened around his horn. In return, a sharp nip into the inside of your thigh jerked your hips and heat shot through your veins.

“Patience, my dear,” he reprimanded, eyes sharp as he looked up at you. You could see his tail flick behind him, the fin and tapered tip breaking the surface of the water every now and then. “I need to prepare you well for what’s to come or you’ll struggle to take all of me.”

In response, you clenched around nothing, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the dragon in front of you. His eyes attentively tracked the way your slick gathered on his fingers as he carefully ran a digit through your slit, careful not to nick you with his claws. Your entire being seized up when he put pressure on your neglected clit which only started pulsing more intensely under his treatment.

The tongue you had grown to love slipped past his lips and lapped your arousal from his own digits making him sigh. “You already smelled delicious but you taste so much more exquisite. I have to get a proper taste if you offer something so sweet to me.”

Just from watching him, an embarrassing amount of slick had started to soil the tiles you were sitting on and you couldn’t remember ever being this worked up before. So it felt like heaven when Barbatos’s tongue finally came into contact with the sensitive skin around your core. For a moment you thought he’d tease you further but he decided to be merciful and drag the appendage through the length of your slit, the tip pressing down on your clit after the delightful reaction you had shown him earlier.

If you thought the butler was already skilled with his fingers you had severely underestimated his oral capabilities. When he’d drenched your core in his spit to his satisfaction, your folds even more susceptible to his every touch now, he wasted no more time diving into your heat.

“Barbatos!” Your gasp of his name echoed around the otherwise empty pool area and you gripped the tiled edge for dear life. The length of his flexible tongue allowed him to easily map out your body and find every last sensitive spot of your velvety walls. “So good! Don’t stop, please!”

Spurred on by your praise, one hand reached up to circle your clit, the movement fast and precise and you simultaneously pushed your hips forward and his head closer to you. Peering down through your lashes with half-lidded eyes, you saw that his striking eyes were already on your face and the sight of him between your legs, his clothing fanned out around him and his scales shimmering under the surface, was almost enough to push you over the edge.

By now, your entire being was so sensitive, the faintest of movements had you twitching and clamping down on his tongue. You didn’t know what was up with you and you didn’t think about it further, the only thought in your head being how much you wanted to cum. 

“You’re almost there aren’t you?” He gently coaxed and was satisfied by the melody of your broken moans mixed with syllables of his name dripping from your lips like the sweetest of nectars. Barely parting from you to speak, his hot breath fanned your lower lips as the pads of his fingers continued the assault on your clit. “Be a good human and show me how well you can cream all over my tongue. I know you want to, so go ahead and give me all of you.”

As if your body had only waited for his approval, you did as you were told and came with a high-pitched moan of his name. Without realising it, you were white-knuckling both the tiles and Barbatos’s hair as pleasure coursed through your veins and pulled you under the waves of ecstasy. Said demon didn’t seem to mind though, instead just diligently keeping up the sinful caress of his fingers until you were trembling in overstimulation like a leaf on a lake. 

When you pushed him away from you, his hands settled on the curve of your hips and gently lifted you back into the water with him, carrying your entire weight as you rested against his chest, relaxing into the hypnotic sensation of his hands wandering all over you and massaging your tired thighs.

“As much as I’d love to let you rest, I’m afraid we are far from done,” he whispered, lovingly kissing the crown of your head, actions betraying his words. The hands that had lovingly taken care of you, wandered to your butt and kneaded the flesh there, all the while grinding his hard erection against you. “This was just the beginning of the pleasure I can show you, after all.”

Finally discarding his clothing as well, he revealed his flawless skin which shined like silver in the moonlight. You slung your arms around his neck as Barbatos curled his heavy tail around your middle, keeping you flush against him so he could grind his hard cock against your soaked folds and coat himself in your release. And suddenly you understood why his bulge had felt so big against you earlier.

Instead of one, two heads kept bumping into your clit.

“Barbatos, I don’t think I can–”

Before you could finish your sentence, your doubts were silenced by his lips on yours and slowly the fear of pain was replaced by the anticipation of a delicious stretch and the feeling of being fuller than you’ve ever felt. 

“Don’t worry, my love,” Barbatos spoke through the mist clouding your brain as he hiked you higher on his waist and wrapped your legs around him, “I won’t hurt you. I’ll make sure you’ll take all of me and that you’ll beg for it.”

You squeezed his hips between your thighs as you sighed into the crook of his neck. “Who knew that you had such a dirty mouth on you under that prim and proper façade?” 

“It is hardly a façade, merely the proper etiquette expected of me by my position.” The end of his sentence already trailed off into a groan as the mushroom head of his bottom cock breached the tight ring of muscles with ease, the stretch facilitated by how worked up you were. Though, the foreign oversensitivity you were experiencing on this night had you clenching hard around him and enveloping every prominent vein. “Under these circumstances, however, it is natural I’ve been released from my royal duties. So right now I’m just the demon Barbatos.”

“You’re always you to me,” you whimpered through the pressure building in your abdomen. “Never just a position, always yourself.”

“No, if I were myself around you,” he bottomed out slowly as you panted against his collarbones while trying to get used to his girth, “I would have given into my urges and made you mine already; would have had you writhing underneath me far earlier than it would be appropriate.”

At his confession, fiery passion blazed through your nerves as you remembered how often you had fantasised about him on quiet nights. To find out he felt the same way made you crave him more, your hand clawing at his shoulder as you did your best to swivel your hips even if all your muscles seemingly turned to jelly with him filling you so deliciously. 

“And I would have let you,” your own admittance was quiet against the heartbeat pulsing in your ears but Barbatos heard you clearly. The sound he let out was the most animalistic yet, barely human anymore and it shot straight between your legs. “Move and– And you can have me any way you want now…”

“All this time spent in the Devildom and you still don’t know when you’re getting yourself in trouble,” Barbatos’s jaw clenched as he slowly pulled out of you, making you feel every vein and ridge against your walls, until only his tip remained inside of you. Then, without warning, he thrust as deep as he could, pulling you back down simultaneously. “You need to watch what you’re saying to a demon such as myself.”

The slow pace he set at the beginning was quickly abandoned in favour of pounding into you, almost using you like a toy with how easily he moved you up and down on him to meet his thrusts. Nevertheless, he never lost his ability to hit your most pleasurable spots dead on, not that he could really miss them with his girth. 

Vaguely, you registered his tail winding around you but you didn’t realise his intentions until something scaly was catching some of your arousal before poking your other hole, making you gasp out his name. Then, his mouth was on yours again and it became harder to hold on to lucidity the more you swallowed around his tongue, your speech becoming even more incoherently slurred as pure lust swirled in your belly.

“It’ll be alright, you can take it. You just need to relax for me,” Barbatos whispered. At this point you didn’t think you had control over your body anymore, instead having your strings pulled by the demon whose arms you were held in. His tail wriggled in further and further, through the thrusts that hadn’t ceased alone, and the pressure against your walls from both sides wound the knot in your stomach impossibly tighter. “There we go, you’re taking it so well. Almost as if you were made for me.”

Somewhere in your mind, you agreed. With the way he was moulding your insides to the shape of his dick you were positive he was currently ruining you for any other man. As your head rolled to the side, you barred the expanse of your neck to him and Barbatos gladly took the invitation to leave more evidence of this night behind, every kiss and lick searing hot against your already feaverish skin.

Just when you thought the pleasure would finally drive you to insanity, Barbatos angled his hips in a particular way and struck gold by having his second dick apply pressure on your clit, immediately drowning you in another orgasm that left you gasping for air. The day after, there’d be vicious red marks decorating his back but neither of you cared right now as you spasmed in his arms, your muscles no longer listening to you. 

Vision hazy, you barely registered the texture of the tiles underneath your torso until your cheek squished against them. Your legs were still submerged as Barbatos repositioned himself behind you. Spreading your ass with his webbed hands, he watched as your glistening holes twitched against the newfound emptiness before he gave you what you were missing.

“I can’t believe you’re still so tight,” he groaned, cursing under his breath as he lined up both of his cocks and bottomed out until his balls slapped against your clit in one smooth trust. The upper one of his dicks wasn’t quite as girthy but still filled you up deliciously until you couldn’t anymore if the stars you were seeing were the real ones behind the window. 

“You look so beautiful, all splayed out for me. And I’m certain you’ll look even more enchanting carrying my clutch,” Barbatos panted, the strain from fucking your brain out finally getting to him as well. “Such a waste that they won’t take like this. You would’ve liked that, wouldn’t you? To carry my eggs around? Oh dear, I can feel you clamping down on me… We’ll leave that for next time, I suppose.”

Only half of what he was saying was registering in your mind but the low, rich timbre of his voice had your own moans rising in cadence and pitch, creating the most sinful symphony. The rhythm of his hips, however, started to falter as the pulsing of your warm walls coaxed him to the peak as well.

Your breasts rubbed against the cold tiles with every thrust, the difference in texture and temperature adding to the stimulation. Despite not being able to see it, you could hear the splash of his tail behind him followed by stray water drops landing on your back. Snaking his hand between your legs, you guessed he truly tried to drive you mad with pleasure as he leaned over you with stuttering hips.

“Barbatos–,” you downright sobbed in warning, “I’m so close.”

“I’m almost there too, just keep sucking me in like this… That’s a good darling,” he groaned out before his fangs sunk into your shoulder.

If you thought you felt full before, you weren’t prepared for the sensation of the first egg being pushed inside of you. You could feel the bottom shaft swell with the oval shape as your muscles stretched further to accommodate for the size. It reminded you of the first time his tip had spread you open, only ten times as intense.

Just when the first one slipped through your tight opening, you came. Hard. And it wouldn’t stop, prolonged by several more of his eggs nestling inside of you. At the same time, your other hole was stuffed to the brim with hot strings of white, leaving you to feel completely stuffed. 

By the time Barbatos pulled out of you, you were still left gasping for air, dripping cum and slick and trembling against the edge of the pool. After admiring the sight in front of him for a little longer, he gently pulled you back against him, letting himself drift backwards in the water. With your back resting against his chest, it was easy for Barbatos to knead the knots out of your sore thighs, hands wandering to stroke over your belly every now and then. Lovingly, he kissed the top of your head as you clung to lucidity, his tail curling around the length of one of your legs. 

“You did so well for me,” he reassured you, stroking along your arms. “And do not fret about the eggs. Since they won’t take like this, they’ll just come back out. Of course, I’ll be there to help you through it. Though I was quite right, you look positively enthralling carrying my clutch.”

“Well, getting to this point felt amazing as well, though I doubt I’ll be moving a single muscle tomorrow,” you admitted, making a chuckle rumble in his chest. Sighing as you shifted in his hold you added, “Guess I’m not so upset I accidentally fed you some magic chocolate if it gave you two dicks. I’ll still get Asmo for it though.”

“Please do.” You could hear the smile in his voice as his fingers traced your body. “Though I must correct you: It was not the transformation that gave me this anatomy.”

“Wait, you always–”, you gulped.

“Naturally. However else could I have promised you to breed you properly in the future?” The teasing tone hiding behind his polite demeanour and closed-eyed- smile did not go unnoticed by you. “That is, of course, if you are willing to help me understand the human body even better.”

“I- I guess I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” you answered bashfully.

“Splendid. Now then, given the nature of the candies I suppose the effect should wear off when Halloween night ends,” Barbatos cleared your next question before you even posed it. “Judging by how high the moon still stands, it appears we still have plenty of time.

“Perhaps we should test your stamina next while we see how many clutches you can carry?”

© the-travelling-witch 2023 - do not repost, translate, copy or edit

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[the-secret-keeper]

Part 3 of Obey Me X Twisted Wonderland/Barbatos X Reader

This was requested by @sonicfangirl123 and @babyxwolfiex

TW: Very sassy demons terrifying a crow, mentions of alcohol and alcohol consumption, and canon levels of violence for Obey Me.

Reader is referred to as MC.

There has been a bit of time that has passed since the end of the last one and the start of this one. It will begin the day that the festival celebrating the finding of MC is starting.

Also, fair warning, in this, MC used to live in the House of Lamentation, but currently lives in Diavolo's castle with Diavolo and Barbatos.

Enjoy!

I shifted my bodyweight from the front of my feet to the back, as I stood beside my best friends and boyfriend in front of the mirror portal.

"Calm down, MC. They'll be here soon." Lucifer sighed.

"Sorry, I'm just excited." I laughed.

"I am too!" Luke agreed, matching my impatient movement. "I haven't met their friends before! It isn't fair that you guys got to!"

"I am excited as well, but you doing that won't make them appear any faster." Simeon agreed with Lucifer, but in a much gentler tone.

"Here they are." Barbatos interrupted our discussion. I turned and practically started vibrating in excitement as their silhouettes appeared in the mirror.

They all stepped through, getting their bearings, but I was only interested in one.

"Grim!" I exclaimed, speed-walking up to the flying cat and hugging him.

"Get off me, Henchman!" He complained.

"You got your backpack?" He nodded. "I'm so excited!" I beamed. Riddle cleared his throat. "Right, sorry." I apologized, taking a few steps back. "Welcome to the Demon Lord's Castle in the Devildom. You have all been formally invited to stay here for a few days, and attend the Welcome Home Festival that starts today."

"You get a whole festival just for coming back?" Azul questioned.

"Yeah. I'm pretty well-liked in the Devildom."

"Yeah, we all like MC here." Satan agreed.

"Yes, in fact we like them so much that once we named a comet after them." Diavolo said proudly. I nodded enthusiastically when they looked to me for confirmation.

"Wow!" Kalim exclaimed, eyes shining with glee. I smiled warmly, nodding at them.

"You'll actually be split up in where you're staying. Malleus," I paused. "Where is Tsunotarou?" My friends from Twisted Wonderland looked around. "Oh my Diavolo." I sighed. "Diavolo, come on, let's go get him. We'll only be a few minutes."

"You can't just order a crown prince around!" Jamil hissed, glancing between us.

"I don't mind!" Diavolo smiled jovially.

"Yeah, Dia is really chill." I agreed, before leaning into my lovers side, who leaned into me in kind. "Please make sure Jamil relaxes. He's a 24/7 babysitter, he needs a vacation almost as bad as Lucifer does." I whispered, and Barbatos nodded, before we both stood up straight, and Diavolo and I headed into the mirror portal.

We walked through the school, past stunned students, and straight towards the Diasomnia mirror in the mirror chamber. It didn't take us very long to reach the Dracula-esque castle. I fearlessly pushed open the front doors to see Sebek approaching the doors with a bag.

"Sebek! Good, you're already on your way, we were going to pick up the others as well. If you'd wait by the portal back to the mirror chamber, we're going to retrieve Malleus." I smiled at him.

"The Young Master hasn't arrived yet?"

"No. For someone so tall with such a presence, he is very easy to lose."

"Lillia-Sama! Is Waka-Sama here still?!" Sebek yelled into the castle.

"Child of Man." I turned around, and beamed at my tall friend.

"Tsunotarou, I was worried when you didn't show up with the others. Are you ready to go?"

"Are you certain it's ok for me to go?"

"Trust me. You are no more intimidating than him." I gestured at Diavolo who stood at my side. "Plus, it's really important to me that you're there! I want you to see where I'm from, you're one of my best friends, and I want you to enjoy the festival."

"Yes. Your presence will likely be about as noticeable as the brothers. While it may turn a few heads, most people in the Devildom will not spare a glance." Diavolo reassured.

"Now that I think about it, you'll probably stand out the least." I hummed, though didn't explain my train of thought further.

"Malleus, you almost forgot your bag." Lilia appeared upside down next to me, causing me to flinch.

I don't usually flinch at intimidating presences. But when Lilia just pops out of nowhere, it scares me for some reason. Maybe it's because he hides his presence, and I can usually sense when those with presences like Malleus or Diavolo as they approach.

"You ready to go?" I smiled at Malleus, who nodded.

"I am ready as well!" I laughed a little at Sebek's enthusiasm.

"Sorry you have to miss it, Lilia. But he's in good hands." Someone has to look after the dorms, which is why all the Vice-dorm leaders are staying back, aside from Jamil. Ortho is also staying behind, simply to watch over the dorm. But he made Idia come, somehow, so, there's that.

"Take lots of pictures."

"Definitely will!" I promised, giving him a thumbs up before whipping out my phone. I sent a quick text to the group chat containing my first-year friends, making sure they were going to meet us at the mirror chamber.

Once I got a confirmation from all of them, we all headed towards the mirror portal, which was actually in the auditorium. And we emerged in the Devildom. Everyone was still there.

"Now!" I exclaimed, causing most to flinch. "As I was saying." I smiled. "You'll actually be split up in where you'll be staying. The First-years will be staying here, in the Demon Lords castle." I said. "However!" I turned to my friends. "This isn't Ramshackle, and what Barbatos says goes, got it? Behave yourselves." They nodded. "Now, Sebek." I looked at him, placing my hands on his shoulders. "Don't panic."

"What?"

"Malleus," I turned to Malleus, letting Sebek go. "you will be staying at the House of Lamentation with the Demon Brothers."

"I will?"

"Yeah. They're pretty chaotic, and they only have the one guest room. You're the only person I felt could deal with them without completely losing your mind." I laughed a little awkwardly. "Boys, I expect you to treat my friend with respect."

"Yes! Waka-sama is the Crown Prince of Briar Valley." Sebek agreed.

"True." I nodded. "Anyways. The rest of you will be split between two halls. Solomon is in charge of one, and Simeon and Luke are in charge of the other. They will actually determine who goes to which hall."

"I want him!" Luke exclaimed, standing next to Riddle. I pursed my lips.

"Luke." I was trying not to laugh, about to ask a question to him.

"Yes," I paused.

"Nevermind. It's fine with me, Riddle likes sweets anyways." I shook my head a little. "You all can duke out who goes where. But, Jamil needs to stay with Kalim. So those two are a package deal." I explained. "The Festival starts in a few hours, so until then, I guess we can take you guys to your separate living arrangements?" I looked to Barbatos for confirmation.

"I don't see why not."

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Alright, I'll show the first-years their rooms so that they can put their stuff down and then we can head to the House of Lamentation."

"Why don't we tour the castle first?" Vil asked.

"Because you won't be here that often." I explained. "We can always do the tour of the castle later, but the other living arrangements are a good distance from here, it's just more convenient to do them as soon as we can. Plus, by the time the tours are done, the festival will be getting ready to kick off, and there'll be just enough time for Vil to prepare. Right?"

"That should be correct if the estimations of the time his routine takes is correct." Barbatos nodded.

"Rude." Vil grumbled.

"But accurate." Belphie sighed. "If you're anything like him, then you take forever to get ready."

"Basically the alternate universe version of each other." I nodded.

"What's even going to happen at the festival?" Leona asked.

"Hmm." I hummed, squinting my eyes in thought. "I know there's going to be a lot of food booths, various welcome home themed activities, and a big ball at the end of it, but I didn't do very much of the planning because they insisted it be a surprise."

"That's right!" Asmo latched onto one of my arms, and Mammon threw an arm around my shoulders.

"We planned it all!" Barbatos cleared his throat. "Except for the ball. Barbatos insisted he do that." Mammon corrected.

"Today, tomorrow, and the day after's events will be like a steretypical festival. With lots of games, food, fun, and a few amusement park rides that Diavolo rented." Asmo explained excitedly.

"And booze too!"

"Just to be clear," I added quickly, "the alcohol from the Devildom doesn't affect humans, unsure about beastmen and fae." I made sure they were aware. "If, there is alcohol from the human world, it will be marked. And there will also be nonalcoholic substitutes for those like Luke who are too young, yet will be affected by alcohol from the Devildom."

"Will you be partaking?" Azul asked.

"Not without several powerful demons around me." I smiled knowingly at him. "Don't try it."

"Noted." He nodded.

"Partaking in any alcohol, from the Devildom or otherwise, will be optional, so don't even worry about it." I shrugged.

"That's good to know." Riddle nodded.

"Yes, dealing with over a dozen drunk humans would probably be more chaotic than the actual festival."

"Probably." I agreed with Lucifer cheerfully. "I will be right back, do not leave without me." I waved for the first years to follow me, showing them to the guest quarters.

Though each of them technically had their own room, I knew my friends well enough to know that they were going to spend the majority of their time in each other's rooms or in my room. I left all of them with maps, as this castle can get kind of confusing.

But I marked several places as "Do not go. This place can and will kill you." While that may have been a bit of an exaggeration for some of these places, I also wanted to make sure they didn't cause too much trouble, for Diavolo and Barbatos, but also in case they ever wanted to visit.

I also marked the room I was staying in while they were here. Normally I'd share a room with my lover, but I knew he needed sleep and that my friends would be coming to my room in the middle of the night. Like the little gremlins they are.

After making sure they were aware of the different areas they were not allowed to go under any circumstance. I made sure to really pound that into their heads. I know that they're chaotic, but it's for their safety.

Of course, I'm not an idiot. I know my friends. They're going to try to go there anyways, despite my warnings that it could put their lives in danger. But none of them are nearly as powerful as Barbatos who put up a barrier around the areas that they aren't allowed to go into. Even combined, they won't be able to break a barrier put up by him. If my warning isn't enough to deter them, the fact that they will be physically unable to enter it should.

I made sure that they were all set up in their separate rooms. That everything was where it was supposed to be, and that they were comfortable. And then I made them change out of their dorm uniforms into more casual clothes.

No point in wearing them when not at NRC or their dorms.

All of this took about 20 minutes because they're slow. But once the entire process was done, I led them back to the entrance hall, where everyone else was as well.

"Now that that's done." I sighed approaching the group. "Let's go! I can't wait to show you all around my home town!" I beamed, as I began to lead them all out of the castle.

[koolades-world]

hello sorry if your requests are closed pls feel free to ignore this if they are :(

i just got this nice idea and wanted to share it and maybe you could do hc idkkkk anywayy !!

so imagine a mc but they're a poc (black, asian, whatever) and they always felt kinda like an outcast in the human world bc they lived in a white neighbourhood and now they're in the devildom and... wow Mammon, Simeon, Mephisto ?! (and maybe Dia and Raphael too cuz they can be mixed or something)

Like I am japanese and I live in europe and in my whole life I've interacted with like 3 or so poc ?? That's sooo little! I would be overjoyed to meet people (demons) that aint white- there is some common experience shared with all poc and i just need that 'bound' with someone lool

Anyway sorry this kinda sounded like a rant by the end but yea! even if you don't do it its ok! Have a nice day and ily !/p ♡

hello!! of course :)

i only moved once when i was younger but both neighborhoods were predominantly white, and i don’t think I’ve ever had a close poc friend that wasn’t an online friend. in middle and elementary i was one of like three or four pocs. high school was better but since I was a magnet kid, i always saw the same people and they were majority white. I’m almost certain I was the only mixed one in that program

bottom line, i can relate haha

enjoy <3

Poc Mc and the poc boys

poc solidarity!

of course the first demon you see is Diavolo, and while you don’t trust him right off the bat because you’ve just been basically abducted for this program, it’s nice to see a poc in charge

since mammon is assigned your caretaker, of course you’re quick to form a friendship

when he learns about your childhood since that comes up at some point, he goes oddly silent and listens carefully when you tell your stories

eventually he himself opens up a little about what it was like in heaven and his experience

gonna break format for a minute, simeon and I would be such good friends, besties even. a writer, very kind, a great baker and cook, a great fashion sense, and he looks like me? omg sign me up we’re twins. there is such a thing as two pretty best friends lol

simeon is so naturally effortless but sweet, so it wasn't hard to become his friend

he's more than happy to help you where ever needed

after you get over the whole kidnapping thing, you become fast friends with dia because he's just so wonderful to be around

and he's more than happy to be your friend because the poor guy doesn't have enough. he'll take you to do all sorts of fun stuff and even if your pictures together end up everywhere online, he doesn't care

you also are a little reluctant to warm up to mephisto because of what lucifer had said about him, but diavolo spoke highly of him, so you spent a couple afternoons with him

and you found yourself very interested in him and the rad newspaper, left wondering why lucifer hated him so much

if you want, you're more than welcome to help out and of course receive credit where credit is due

it was also kind of intimidating to get close to raphael too since he seemed so tough and unapproachable, but he was actually great to have a late night talk with and helped you out with any kind of fashion dilemma

maybe the devildom isn't so bad after all...

[raschuuuu]

Summary: Y/N is a famous YouTube vlogger and Ruben Dias a famous professional football player. They've been friends for a few months but never met. Now it's finally time for them to meet but what happens when one of them falls in love?

PART 1

Rating/genre: fluff, friends to lovers

Pairings: Ruben Dias x female reader

Word count: 1289 words

Author's note: Hey guy's. This is my first ever footballer fanfiction. First of all: I AM SORRY ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE. I'm bored at work tbh, thats why I started this and I have no idea how to continue. So if you like this and want to read more please let me know how to continue or how you would want it to end?:)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was finally time. I'm on the train from London to Manchester. I took a few days off because I was invited. From Ruben Dias. I'm a Vlogger/Youtuber and apparently Ruben often watched my videos and decided to slide into my DM's a few months ago. We just started small talk, he told me he liked to watch my videos every Sunday and that I should keep doing what I do. I was honored. In the beginning we only had small talk but over time we've been writing more and more and more and also making phone calls and facetime. The only problem was that we never met because he's very busy and so am I. A few days ago Ruben asked me if we didn't want to finally meet and I said yes. And now I'm sitting here and I'm all excited.

Hey, I'll wait for you outside in the car. See you in a minute!

He texted me. I got off the train, it had already been dark. I told him not to come and I'm gonna take a cab, but he insisted.

I realized how nervous I got, I mean, we've been writing for a long time, but we've never met in person, and he even offered me that I could sleep with at his place. We didn't have a romantic relationship, we just texted as friends, but I mean the guy is pretty hot and everyone who doesn't think so must be blind.

When I was outside, I was out in the parking lot, I didn't even know which car he was driving. Do you know this embarrassing situation when you stand there looking for someone and the person most likely has already discovered you? I heard someone calling my name from a car standing a few meters away from me.

I ran to the car and he got out. He smiled at me very cute and he gave me a hug. His body felt so strong. He smelled good and we looked each other in the eye. He was a little taller than me, so I had to look up.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you in person," he said, and I noticed my cheeks turning a little red. "Me too, Ruben, we finally made it after so long," I replied.

He packed my things in his trunk, and then he opened his car door for me, and we drove off. The ride didn't take long, he asked me how it was and if I was hungry. I was so hungry but I couldn't eat because of all the excitement.

When we arrived, he parked his car and we went up to his apartment. His apartment was huge, clean and tidy, and above all, it was comfortable. He took me to the guest room and showed me where I‘ll stay for the next few days?

In the guest room, I remembered that we never agreed how long I was supposed to stay. I was uncomfortable staying with him anyway. I've told him several times that I'm going to take a hotel, but he insisted that I stay with him.

"Ruben, thank you, wow, this room looks so great, but I just remembered, we didn't agree how long I'd stay. I really don't want to bother you.", I said desperately. "Y/N, are you crazy? Stay as long as you want. My home is your home, I want my guests to be comfortable." he answered.

That feeling he gave me felt so domestic. I mean, I've known him for a little while, but how often do you have situations in life where you get along with a person very well, but once you get together, it gets kind of weird and uncomfortable? I was afraid that we'd end up in a similar situation, but on the contrary, it felt like I'd always visited him, as if we'd always been friends, as if I'd stayed with him several times.

For the next two days we spent together, he showed me Manchester, we went to dinner together, or we cooked together, he introduced me to his brother Ivan, everything was just so beautiful. We talked a lot, and we had deep conversations at night in his living room. He opened up to me, he told me some of his secrets, and he talked about his fears. I was very honored that he saw a close friend in me.

But I had a feeling I couldn't get rid of. Ruben was a very attractive and handsome man. I know I said that before, and I'm gonna say that again. If there's an attraction between a man and a woman, you can't be friends in my opinion. I tried to come up with other thoughts or convince myself that he wouldn't be so attractive, but that didn't work. Above all, Ruben has told me several times that he thinks that he has now found a best friend that he never had, and I don't want to break that feeling just because my pussy always gets wet when I see him.

He showed me some Instagram models that didn't even look like me that he's currently finding attractive. I mean, Ruben, he follows a lot of Instagram models, and he's also written with a lot of them and met a few of them, but he couldn’t imagine a relationship with them and those he thought might have been serious, turned out to be a gold digger. After a nice five days I spent with Ruben, it was time for me to leave Manchester and go back to London. I have taken a little break on Instagram while I was with him, so people wouldn't get suspicious of me meeting someone because when you have 5.6 million followers on Instagram this can happen fast.

I had to shoot content again and entertain my followers, so I packed my bag in the morning and Ruben was waiting for me so he could drive me to the station.

When we were in the car, I noticed a strange silence I'd never felt before between the two of us. Do you know that there are once pleasant silences and once unpleasant silences? And this was definitely an unpleasant one.

"Are you all right?", I asked him. He was looking at the road. "I'm fine. I'm just sad that you have to go," he said, turning his head to me for a moment. "I'm sad too, Ruben, it was nice five days, I had a lot of fun, maybe I can come visit you again, or you can come to London," I tried to cheer him up. He just nodded his head and kept on driving.

When we got to the station, he parked a little far away so he could get off with me. He took my suitcase out of the trunk and handed it to me.

"Thank you for coming, Y/N, I really appreciate it. You're a great person and I'm very happy to have you as my friend." I realized how emotional he got and sad. I hugged him and stroked his back. „Ruben this feels like a goodbye forever“ I said smiling at him. „It’s just that when I get used to a person I don’t want them to leave anymore. Please visit me again Y/N“ he said. „Of course Ruben! We’re in the same country. I can always hop in the next train and visit you. And if you should be in London again let’s definitely meet“. „Yes we should definitely do that. And the next time you should come visit my game and maybe I can introduce you to someone how you wanted to“ he said hitting my arm in a playful way. „You‘re really trying to set me up with someone huh“.

And with that we said our last goodbyes and I took my train back to London. I‘m so happy that I found a friend like him now.

[coco-santos]

I Do

The day has finally arrived the day Y/N and Rúben would be finally unite as one they will become Mr and Mrs Dias.

For Y/N she was excited a little bit nervous but she knew all those nerves would go away when she sees the love of her life by the altar . She's happy to be surrounded by her close friends as she got ready for the big day. Her makeup was done she just had to put on her gorgeous dress. "I just want to say a few words " Y/N sister who is also her maid of honour started. "Today is a very special day for a very special person and I know you dreamt of this day for almost most of your life I remember when we were little we use to make mood boards of our dream weddings and after I got married I never thought it would happen for Y/N because she was the true definition of a Bachelorette that was untill she met Rúben and he made her believe in true love and the rest is history now we here today trying to get you to the alter .... I'm gonna make a toast to Y/N and Rúben " she ended as everyone made the toast. Y/N finally got in her dress and the dress hugged every curve on her body the right way . Tears was threatening to come out . "No no don't cry we don't want to ruin your make-up "her best friend said. She gave them all a hug and thanked them for being here to share this special day with her .

Rúben was busy fixing his 4 year olds bow tie then his son Rauw asked what's marriage. "Well Marriage is when two people love each other very very much and they want to be together forever it's not just that but they bring two families together"Rúben tried explaining to his son that's from a previous relationship but he had full custody of him because his mother just left one day. "So that means you love Y/N very very much" Rauw asked. "Yes that means I love Y/N to the moon and back more then words can describe little one"Rúben patted his shoulder.

Rúben couldn't wait to see Y/N he was counting down the seconds for her arrival. He stand in front of the altar with his best man John Stones and a few of his other friends. All the guests was seated and everything went quiet when the music started to play and Y/N arrived....Rúben was speechless...the dress was beautiful but Y/N was a million times more beautiful. Before handing Y/N over to Rúben Y/N dad shared some words with his almost son in law. "Please take care of her in all her days and if one day you don't feel the same towards her don't break her down , cheat on her or just leave her bring her back to me so we can kill you together " he said making Rúben chuckle "I don't see that ever happening you have nothing to worry about I'll take care of her I promise " he said. Y/N father then gave her of to Rúben. "Wow you look beautiful I can't believe you all mine "Rúben said crying a little. "Aww you crying I would have walked back if you didn't " Y/N made a joke making everyone laugh. "Well we can't have that happening " Rúben said. "Family and Friends today we are brought together to celebrate the love between Y/N and Rúben most of you have been witnessing the special bond they have and how happy they make eachother and today they are here to make there promise to eachother so let's here them make there vows" the pastor said. "Y/N the first time I saw you I knew you were the one for me and I thank God everyday for letting our paths cross because I truly don't know where I would have been now without you I just can't imagine my life without you and also the way you were ready to step in and take on a role as a mom for Rauw is amazing and we both love and adore you very much and I know marriage isn't all sun shine and roses but as long as we have our love for eachother we can overcome everything I love you and I'll never make you doubt it " Rúben said taking her hand and placing a kiss on it . "You gonna make me cry"Y/N said wiping her tears. "Well I'm truly blessed to be standing here Infront of everyone today with you and I won't make any promises because we know life is not easy but I'll try to be with you every step of the way ,on your sad days I'll listen to what you have to say and comfort you and also on your happy days I'll overwhelm your heart with joy Rúben since the day I met you I couldn't picture myself with anyone else I knew that it's you or no one the day you and Rauw became a part of my life I became the luckiest person alive and if we aren't together forever just love me till whenever because I don't know about you but I pinky promise I'll love you forever"Y/N said connecting her pinky with his . "Can we have the rings " the pastor said. Rauw walked up giving the rings "Y/N I just want to say that I'm very happy to have a mommy like you and I love you very much " Rauw said hugging your leg. "Aww Rauwi I love you too" you said. Then you guys repeated everything the pastor said and you placed the rings on each others fingers. "Well if anyone is against these two being together come forward or forever hold your piece" Ruben then made a joke of him having a gun by his waist and turned around to look at everyone... everyone laughed. "Well then I'm not holding you guys back Rúben Dias and Y/N Y/L/N I now pronounce you husband and wife you maybe kiss the bride " And Rúben didn't waist any time to kiss Y/N...

RubénDias

Liked by yourusername and 1,789,567others

Rubéndias Forever and ever @yourusername

Yourusername

Liked by Rúbendias and 1,234,645 others

Yourusername Mr and Mrs Dias 💕

[radioinactivity]

Been thinking about Fallout 4 again and I've always wondered what is the minimum number of changes you could make to the plot so it would at least be cohesive and I think I've got it:

The Institute are isolationists pursuing immortality.

Add a little backstory that they tried to share their technology with the rest of the Commonwealth like 75 years after the bombs dropped and the Wastelanders tried to kill them to take all of it. So they decided to lock themselves in CIT to keep doing mad science, intent on outliving the "savages" on the outside.

The current generation of Synths are replacing people in order to keep the Commonwealth politically unstable so they can't unify and potentially raid CIT again. Importantly: the Institute cannot be influenced to stop this strategy. You can convince some members of the Board but not the guy in charge of defense, he will always insist that their survival hinges on the Commonwealth staying uniquely chaotic.

Synths themselves are the result of their pursuing immortality via test bodies but they're imperfect (ie failures)- rad resistant, disease resistant, age slowly but they're sterile (kinda like a fun parallel to super mutants in FO1 wow imagine that). So the Institute uses them as a slave class and as infiltrators so they don't go to waste.

The Railroad are all synths using old world spy shit they've learned and stumbled on (ie the DIA facility under the Slocum's Joe) to try and liberate the other Synths in the Institute. This is why they're kind of bad at the Spy Shit until the Sole Survivor shows up. That's it. That's the only change.

Tbh the Brotherhood is Fine. Maybe bring back the cut ending where you can ice Maxson and put Danse in charge. The Minutemen are also Fine but I think taking back Quincy and making it a settlement should have been part of the plot. Preston deserved that closure it's weird he didn't get it.

And finally: The Sole Survivor is another synth let loose on the Wasteland who just THINKS they're a prewar parent looking for their baby. This is the ideal justification for the player to either faithfully pursue their lost kid OR fuck around and build shacks OR be a force of Chaos upon the Commonwealth. Either the programming worked really well or it didn't.

None of this fundamentally changes the structure of Fallout 4, and really you can't do much about some of the stupider shit, but at least this gives the Evil Faction some tangible ideology that make sense. And I think if the Institute has understandable motivations, everything else clicks into place a little more neatly. Sidenote: this whole silly thought experiment is based off the notion of like. Only using what Fallout 4 already gives us. Think of it as the design document for a Main Story mod where the goal is to make as few changes to the base game as possible to make everything cohere.

Anyways Fallout 4's missed potential was created in a lab to drive me specifically insane

[canirove]

Rúben Dias Imagine | five

Author’s note: Someone on Wattpad asked me for more Rúben and I told them that with him I get randomly inspired, and that’s what happened here after seeing him at Bernardo’s wedding 😁 A little summary would be that you are together at the wedding, and since Rúben and alcohol aren’t the best of friends, he ends up saying something that he should’t have 👀 Hope you like it and thank you for reading! 💜  

Masterlist

*Female reader/pov

"Are you sure you can't see anything?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"And from this angle?"

"Nothing."

"And if I do this? Rúben… Rúben!"

"You can't see anything, I already told you" he sighs.

"You aren't even looking at me!"

"Yes, I am."

"I can see you through the mirror's reflection, and you are looking at your phone."

"Because we are gonna be late, that's why."

"Then tell me if you can see anything!"

"You can't see anything from any angle" he says, getting up from the bed. "And besides, it's not like people will be looking at you."

"Oh wow, thank you" I reply.

"They won't because their eyes will be on Bernardo and Ines. It's their wedding, remember?" he chuckles.

"I know. But they will still look at me. I am attending with you by my side, and you are wearing a suit. It's impossible to not look."

"And that's why no one will be paying you much attention or analyzing every detail on your outfit. They'll be too busy looking at me" Rúben smirks.

"Idiot" I say, rolling my eyes. "Though you are probably right."

"I am. And I also am right when I tell you that you can't see anything, and that you look beautiful. You always do, don't get me wrong. But lately a lot more. And I love the reason why" he smiles.

"I wish I felt as beautiful as you think I look, tho" I sigh. 

"I don't think you look beautiful. I know it, it's a fact. And if we don't leave now, us being late to the ceremony will also be a fact."

"Fine" I say, taking the hand he is offering me and looking at myself in the mirror one last time. You can't see anything.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Kiss, kiss, kiss!" everyone chants, Bernardo and Ines kissing for the millionth time.

"They are gonna end up fed up with each other if you keep asking them to kiss" I laugh.

"Them? Maybe. But I will never get tired of kissing you" Rúben says with a cheeky smile.

"Never?" I ask, arching an eyebrow.

"Never" he says before kissing me.

"Eww, you taste like champagne. How many glasses have you had already?"

"I don't know" he shrugs.

"Rúben, you and alcohol aren't a good combination."

"I'm fine. This is just champagne."

"Let that be your last glass, please" I say as he pours himself another one. "I want to be able to dance with you later."

"It will, I promise" he smiles before drinking half of it in one go.

"Rúben! It's time for our speech!" João says, walking towards our table.

"Oh, shit. Did you bring what we wrote?"

"I did" João smiles. "Shall we?"

"Yes" Rúben says, finishing his drink.

"Wait" I say, grabbing his hand as he gets up.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Just…"

"Urgh, don't bite your lip like that. I can’t control myself when you do it" he says, sitting down again and kissing me. It is a sloppy kiss, one that tells me that the last glass of champagne he drank was all he needed to be officially drunk.

"Don't say or do anything stupid, ok?" I say when we break apart.

"Me? Never" he laughs.

"João…"

"I'll take care of him, don't worry" he smiles. "Now let's go."

"Yes, let's go. I love you, gorgeous" Rúben says, kissing me one last time.

"I love you" I reply, fearing the worst.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"And that's how we met Ines" João says, Rúben loudly laughing next to him. "Anything else you would like to add?"

"Yes!" Rúben says, taking the microphone.

"Oh, God" I whisper, already covering my face with one hand.

"Ines, I'm sorry about that day. It won't happen again. Hopefully" he laughs. "And if your husband here doesn't leave us this summer, I promise that this season I will treat him well. No more hitting him or scaring him or things like that. He's gonna be a dad now! Berni! A dad! So happy for you, bro. I can't wait for our kids to play together in a few months, it's gonna be the best!" Rúben laughs again.

"Wait what?" Bernardo says as he, Ines, and basically everyone in the room turn their heads to look at me. Great. Just great.

"Oh, fuck, shit" Rúben says, still talking through the microphone. "No one knows yet. Well, our parents do. But no one else. And now everyone does! You were all worried about your bump showing on that dress and I oops!" he laughs. "I'm going to be a dad!"

"Can you please shut up" I whisper, my eyes fixed on him.

"I'm going to be a dad. With the woman I love. The most amazing woman in the world. I love you, gorgeous. I love you so much!"

"I love you too" I smile, this time talking loud enough so he can hear me, people now looking from him to me and back at him.

"I love you so much! So so much! I want to spend the rest of my life with you! And with our kids! Because that baby won't be the last one, trust me. We love making babies" Rúben smirks. 

"Ok, I think that's enough" João says, taking the microphone from his hand.

"I love you!" Rúben shouts one last time before leaving the small stage and starting to walk towards our table, a stupid smile on his face. Though he doesn't make it to where I am, his eyes going wide before running away.

"Oh God" I say, getting up and following him outside.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Here" I say, giving him a Kleenex.

"Thank you" Rúben whispers. "And I'm sorry."

"About what? Embarrassing yourself and me in front of everyone, telling them I am pregnant when I have been trying to hide it because I am not ready to share the news yet, or vomiting on one of the flowerpots outside the venue?" 

"All of it?" he says, looking at me with puppy eyes.

"I told you to stop drinking."

"I know."

"Then why didn't you listen to me?"

"Because I was happy and I wanted to celebrate! I wanted to celebrate Bernardo and Ines, and us, and our baby, and I just…" he shrugs.

"You can also celebrate while drinking water. Alcohol isn't necessary."

"That's what I will do from now on. I promise."

"Sure" I snort.

"I promise" he says, clumsily getting up from the floor. "I want to do it for you. Both of you" Rúben says, putting his hand on my tiny bump, the one that no one had noticed. Until now.

"Do you think they are mad?"

"Who?" 

"Bernardo and Ines. We just kind of crushed their wedding" I chuckle. 

"Nah. They probably are a bit shocked, but not mad."

"We can't go back there just yet, tho. People were already looking at us because I have the hottest date, and if we go now, we'll be the center of attention, not them. And they still have to do their first dance and all that."

"Then let's wait. I could do with some fresh air."

"You definitely could, yes" I laugh.

"And earlier they were looking at you. You are the hot date today, not me" Rúben says, moving his hands to my waist and pulling me closer to him.

"Are you trying to flatter me so I forget everything you just did?" I say, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Maybe… Is it working?"

"Kind of" I smile.

"Then I'll have to try harder" he says, leaning forward to kiss me.

"Rúben, no, eww!" I say, taking a step back.

"What is it?"

"Your breath smells like shit!" 

"Oh, fuck, sorry" he apologizes. "We'll leave that for later, then."

"Please and thank you" I laugh.

"Do you still love me, though?" he says, closing the space between us once again.

"So so much I want to spend the rest of my life with you" I say with a teasing smile.

"Laugh at me all you want, but I was telling the truth." 

"I know. But next time let's keep it more private."

"Ok" Rúben laughs. "I love you, gorgeous."

"I love you too" I smile.

[melanieph321]

Hiya, love your work so far and the other Ruben pregnancy piece. Could I please request one with Ruben where reader is pregnant and maybe someone has made a comment about her appearance and Ruben picks up on her mood and helps her through it, with some bump fluff? Thank you 🩷

I got you boo! ❤️ However it turned out more explicit than I intended. Oops🙈

Ruben Dias x Reader - Believe me

+18

Enjoy!

It was subtle and they thought you couldn't hear them.

"She's just with him for the money. I mean didn't she get pregnant after three months of knowing him?"

"I think just two months. I remember when Ruben started posting her on Instagram."

"Wow, in that case what a gold digger."

"And that dress she wore, like what was she thinking?"

"Right. I would never wear a dress that revealing if I was carrying a child, so unclassy."

It was funny how these fancy events sometimes worked, you thought. People would come up to you and Ruben, congratulating Ruben on his success with Manchester and you on your six months pregnancy. People would smile and be polite but as soon as you turned your back on them the whispers began. This time whilst you occupied yourself in the ladies restroom.

"Anyway it is a matter of time before Ruben will leave her."

"Right, he hasn't even proposed to her yet and she's carrying his child for god sakes."

You kept quiet whilst eavesdropping from your toilet booth. Once the two girls, complete strangers to you, left the restroom, you spilled out of the toiletbooth with tears in your eyes. You were quick to wipe them away though, knowing Ruben was waiting for you to return.

"There you are." He said as you returned from the restroom, make up in tact. "Ready to go?"

"Yes let's go home." You lead the way to the car.

"Should we pick up some McDonald's on the way?" Ruben said, whilst helping you fastened your seatbelt over your swollen belly.

You frowned "You don't eat McDonald's Ruben."

"I know." He chuckled. "But you do and you didn't seem to like the dinner they were serving tonight, so I thought..."

"I'm good Ruben. Let's just go home."

Silence fell in the car. Ruben looked to you with furrowed brows, but made the choice to ignore your foul mood. Perhaps he thought you were just tired from the long night. At least he was.

"Home it is." He said and put the car into drive.

Too bad for Ruben that your foul mood followed you home. You took forever in the bathroom removing your make up. But also shifting in the mirror yet to remove your, apparently, too revealing dress.

"Y/N?"

Ruben suprised you in the doorframe. He was already dress for bed, wearing his gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

"Yes?" You didn’t turn away from the mirror to look at him.

"I made you some sandwiches downstairs, if you'd like to have them before bed?"

You turned your head in suprise. "But I said I wasn't hungry?"

"I know what you said." He smiled. "But I also know that what you said wasn't the truth."

"Ruben." Somthing came over you, a warm feeling spreading warmth all over your body. Ruben knew you better than you knew yourself sometimes.

He stepped into the bathroom, leaning against the wall behind you, meeting your gaze in the mirror.

"Why are still wearing that dress?" He frowned.

You lowered your head and shrugged your shoulders.

"Y/N" He said, pushing himself off the wall.  "What's wrong?"

You shook your head. "Nothing."

"You sure?" He railed you in with his arm around your waist, pinning your back against his front, this way forcing you to meet your reflection in the mirror.

"I feel so out of place." You whispered.

"What?" Ruben tilted his head.

You wiped your nose that had begun to run. "I just wish it was just you and me sometimes. Just you and me, without the worlds judging eyes on us."

"Y/N, did somthing happen earlier tonight?" He truned you over to face him, your back now resting against the bathroom sink.

"I don't want to talk about it." You sighed.

"It would be better if you did." He said, wrapping his arms around you, bringing you in for a tight hug.

"I know, but I just don't want to. At least not now, not tonight."

"Okay." He whispered, lips caressing your ear. He pulled you back a little, letting his eyes drop below your chin.

"What?" You said, feeling a bit exposed with the big cleavage on your dress.

"Did I tell you how gorgeous you looked tonight?" He frowned.

"Yes." You nodded. "About a hundred times before we left the house and a hundred more times a the event."

"But did you believe me?" He raised a brow.

You bit your lip and shook your head.

"Well why not?" He frowned.

"Because..." You opened your mouth to say something more. Perhaps tell him about what those girls in the bathroom said about you. However you decided not to, closing you mouth to Rubens disapointment. He went back to wrapping his arms around you, almost smothering you with his tight hug.

"What must I do for you to believe me when I tell you that you look gorgeous?"

"I dunno?" You buried your face in the crease of his neck. "I don't think I'll ever feel gorgeous or sexy being the same size as a full grown seal."

Rubens shoulders shrugged as he chuckled. His hands went to rest on top of your belly, with his forhead brushing against yours.

"So that's what were having then. Not a girl, not a boy. A baby seal?"

"Yes, a baby seal" You smiled.

Ruben looked at you with alot of love in his eyes and suddenly whatever had caused you to be in such a foul mood tonight seemed to vanish in an instant, just like that.

"Does that make me a Papa seal?" He said, bending down to kiss your lips.

"Yes, a Papi seal." You pulled at his neck to bring him down for another kiss. You gasped as his hands suddenly went from your belly to your thighs, lifting you up to sit on the bathroom sink.

"Ruben." You groaned, chest rising with the sudden excitement.

"How would mama seal like to have here Papi seal?" He said, voice horase as his lips brushed against your neck.

"I would like to have him right here." You nodded. "Between my legs, in the bathroom.

"As you wish." He jerked your body forwards, his full fledged erection crashed into your center.

"Fuck Ruben." You moaned.

"Trust me, I'll fuck you." He said, raising his hips a little to tease you with his wood.

"Ruben please." You squinted your eyes and desperatly clinged onto his neck. Rubens hands disappeared underneath your dress to pull your panties down your legs.

"I want you in my mouth." He said, kissing your knee.

"Yes. Oh God please." You felt a throbbing between your thighs. It was getting worser with Ruben kneeling down to be eyelevel with the sink.

"Fuck."

He buried his face between your thighs without warning, causing your back to slumped down against the mirror.

"Oh Ruben."

You felt his warm tounge lick you in the right places, causing your legs to tremble. It was a bit embarrassing, but with Ruben you weren't able to contain yourself as you were with your previous boyfriends. With Ruben between your legs, the stars came over you quicker than you wanted to.

"Was it good for you babe?" He asked, wiping his mouth as he came up for air.

You dress had rolled down your body with all the tossing and turning that you did. And now you sat on the sink with a glistering pussy and swollen tits spillning out of your cleavage.

"God, you're a sexy seal." Ruben groaned.

"Shut up and fuck me." You said, pulling him by the t-shirt, helping him remove it over his head. Ruben grabbed your jaw and pulled you in for a sloppy kiss. Everything was getting sloppier by the minute. Once he got to pulling himself out of his sweatpants, his cock was already leaking for you.

"Please Ruben, harder." You moaned as he slapped his palms against the bathroom sink, thrusting his hips against you with a force that shook the mirror behind you. Your hands trembled as they tangled themselves up in Ruben's hair, holding on to whatever strand that would hold you down. Once it came to the climax you both arrived together, relaxing against each other as you came down from the high of what you just did.

"Fuck, you're so sexy. So fucking sexy." He siad breathless. But it was nonsense you thought, excusing his words for the ecstasy of post love making. But then he brought you arms length just so he could utter the words again, this time meeting your eyes.

"You believe me don't you?" Rubens hair was tousled up like the twigs on a tree and his lips were plump red from kisses, however he had never looked more beautiful, you thought.

"Yes." You nodded. "I believe you."

[danikamariewrites]

can i please request some more rowaelins daughter x elorcans daughter? maybe some jealousy? imagine they’ve only told their parents about their relationship and want to wait incase of anything happening to them. And at one of the balls held in terrassen, someone in her parents court come up to her and introduce their son to reader. Reader is standing next to Diane and their parents. Di is absolutely fuming and gets closer to reader. Reader just smiles and declines. Right then and there they decide to announce their bond and relationship.

I’m Flattered But…

Elorcan daughter x Rowaelin daughter!reader

A/n: these two are my new favs to write for🥰

Warnings: teeny tiny angst

A knock sounds on your door just as your handmaidens put the finishing touches on your gown. You watch in the mirror as Diana enters, stopping as she looks at you in awe.

“Wow,” she breathes out, “you look so beautiful.” You smile at her through your reflection as she comes closer. “Thank you ladies.” You say in dismissal. You want alone time with Diana before the ball tonight.

While your family, immediate and extended, know of your relationship the rest of the kingdom does not.

You turn on the raised platform, holding out your hands for your mate to take. She holds them tight, gazing down at you with love in her dark chocolate eyes.

You’re almost eye level with Diana. She inherited her fathers height making her almost six feet tall. While you stand at a comfortable five foot six. Personally, you love the height difference. Tall and muscular, Diana is every inch the warrior her father molded her into.

Leaning up you capture Diana’s lips with yours in a slow, loving kiss. When you pull back you wipe your lipstick from her plump bottom lip. “You’ll dance with me right?” “Uh-huh.” She hums out wrapping her arms around your hips as she lifts you off the platform.

Diana holds out her arm for you to take. “I’m also here to take you down to the ballroom.” You playfully roll your eyes at her, “Of course you are.”

The ball was going just like any other. Your whole extended family was in attendance. Manon and Dorain accompanied by Chaol and Yrene with their daughters. Elide and Lorcan with Diana’s siblings, Aedion and Lysandra, Gavriel even talked Vaughn into coming out of his hiding spot.

Before dinner and the real party started you, your brothers Sam and Nolan, and your sisters Malin and Evelin, stand by your parents thrones. As the oldest you stand between your parents to greet royal delegations or other lords and lady’s.

You tensed as your eyes landed on a lord and his son from Melisande. Looking at your father you saw a muscle in his jaw tick. He hates Lord Stagspire and his entitled son, Owen. They boy had been given everything he asked for since birth. Which made him think he was entitled to you.

Your mother let out a sigh as they approached, joining the staring session you and your father were having. They knew exactly what Lord Stagspire was here to ask. And the answer was a firm no. But as Queen, King, and Princess you had to put on a smile and play nice.

“Queen Aelin, King Rowan.” Lord Stagspire bowed deeply along with Owen. You gave a small curtesy back. As the lord prattles on kissing up to your parents you try to look anywhere but at Owen. You could feel his eyes burning holes into your dress.

You finally found Diana talking to one of Chaol and Yerne’s daughters. Her gaze met yours and she tilted her head in confusion. She began to make her way over to the dias. When she spotted Owen anger flashed across her beautiful features making her pace quicken.

Diana sidled up to Aedion at the edge of the dias, pretending to speak to him as she watched Owen like a hawk. She knew he made you uncomfortable. You felt better even if Diana was just off to the side for moral support. Plus you knew she’d absolutely kill Owen if he ever tried to fight her. The little lordling was absolutely pathetic.

Lord Stagspire clearing his throat brought you back to the conversation. “Now that your daughter and Owen are of age, I wanted to propose a marriage between the two. I think they’d make a fine pair your highness.” You heard Nolan cover up his laugh with a cough. Your mother didn’t hide hers however. Then you felt the rage from Diana’s side of the bond. You had to put an end to this before the two females you love most cause a scene.

Stepping forward, you place a hand on your mothers shoulder, giving her a calming look. “I’m flattered my lord but unfortunately, I don’t believe Owen and I’s pairing would be a fit.” Before he could say something he could regret Lord Stagspire gripped his sons shoulder, holding him back.

“Princess y/n, I was speaking to your parents.” “About a matter involving me and the crown I will one day wear. So I believe I have a say.” Your mother speaks up next. “I trust my daughters judgment and she is allowed to speak for herself as future queen of Terrasen. But, we thank you for coming tonight.” Your mother waved him off and he begrudgingly left.

At dinner you were quieter than usual. You had to sit with your family at the head table. Staring at your mate with a far away look you became a little jealous. You wanted to socialize with her and your friends. You wanted to show off your relationship freely.

Your mother nudged you with her elbow. “You’ve been quite since the dias. What’s wrong my love?” You let out a sigh placing down your fork and knife. That far off look not leaving your face. “I just want to be able to spend time with Diana during these things. I know we haven’t accepted the bond yet. But I want us to be able to be happy together.”

Aelin’s heart broke in that moment. As a mother all she wants is for her children to be happy. She would let you and Diana do whatever you wanted, Elide as well, but your fathers had voiced some concern. They just wanted to keep their baby girls safe.

Looking at Rowan, Aelin found the same heartbreaking look on his face. “I’ll go talk to Lorcan.” He said down the bond. The King pushed back from the table and strode over to the Lord and Lady of Perranth. Crouching, Rowan spoke to his brother.

Roughly five minutes later Rowan returned with a smile on his face. He gave Aelin a thumbs up and her lips widened into a grin.

Your mother leaned over to whisper in your ear, “What if we announce it right now?” You look at your mother with wide eyes. “Are you sure?” She nods lightly. Standing, Aelin raises her wine glass, tapping her fork against the side to demand the attention of the room.

“Thank you all for coming this evening. It is so wonderful to see my friends, my people, and leaders of Erilea together. It truly warms my heart.” She slowly set her glass down as your heart pounded in your ears. You ripped your eyes from your mother to look at Diana.

Elide was whispering in her ear about what Aelin was about to announce. Your mate looked to you with the biggest smile on her face that you returned. “On top of all other happy events of this evening this announcement is my favorite. My daughter, Princess y/n, has found her mate! She and Lady Diana Lochan are planning their ceremony and we hope you can join us when the happy occasion arrives.”

Applause sounds around the ballroom and Diana rushes to you. You pull her to a tight embrace, resting your head against her shoulder. You pull apart and the applause dies down. “Go have the first dance,” your mother encouraged.

You took Diana’s hand leading her to the dance floor. The quartet began playing and Diana began guiding you across the floor. “You sure you’re ok with this?” You ask, looking up at her with a bright eyes. “I’m more than ok.” You felt so happy you could cry. You sent a wave of love down the bond that Diana returned as she spun you.

Pulling you back to her chest you started laughing. “What is it love?” “We’re going to have to start planning our ceremony.”

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

You've done transmac cars, what about transfem?

I've indeed done transmasc cars, so sure, what's the point in pretending I'm better than that.

As explained in the post above, I feel like for a car to be trans it has to have undergone an aesthetic transformation of some sort - so this post will be about cars that changed face (before to the left, after to the right).

While some voted it most transmasc car of the post and it literally started off with a female name, I actually think the Onevia looks a bit more transfem to me (that's one sentence for the "how did my life end up here" folder).

But there's one more front end alteration with its own name these cars have under their belt.

Enter Mitsuoka, a small Japanese car manufacturer that mostly specializes in taking cars that just aren't weird enough and solving that problem. Indeed, they worked on that Silvia too, turning it into the Mitsuoka Le-Seyde - but I'd rather show you the newer version, based on the last Silvia generation, because I feel like the contrast it offers is genuinely unmatched.

Yep.

And I know what you're thinking - where in the absolute pants did they get this idea? Oh, you're gonna love this one: from Zimmer, an American company founded in the 80s to do exactly that to the Mustang!

Zimmer went bankrupt in '88.

And then was bought up by Art Zimmer (no prior relation) and did the exact same thing to the newer Mustang!

and to the Town car!

Zimmer ceased production again in 2020. "Why?", I cannot fathom anyone wondering. Well, simple: they made the silly mistake of not being in Japan, where Mitsuoka is still thriving doing stuff like this.

Also, speaking of Mitsuoka, you really need to see what they ended up with when they put their hands on the Honda NSX platform (creating a concept that however would reach production as a fully unique car).

And if you thought this couldn't get any better, the two cars above are called, respectively, Galue and Orochi. Wow.

To finish, I would like to submit one I'm not sure can compete but I like too much not to mention: the Pit Crew nose kit for the first generation Mazda Miata!

And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't include the inspiration for the Dias Classic (which annoyingly seems to have a sweep going on for itself in the poll), the Subaru Vivio Bistro.

And as a treat for y'all, I found one modified in bosozoku style.

I don't believe this poll deserves a larger sample size, but you can reblog this post if like me you think it would at least be really funny.

Links in blue are posts of mine explaining the words in question - if you liked this post, you might like those!

[akwolfgrl]

•°♤°• Thank you for listening to my other ask! Sometimes I get nervous when other ppl respond to my texts.

Anyways; I like to call this AU Spiritual

For what Spiritual animals will look like, I took inspiration from the Patronus from Harry Potter. But they appear and reappear as they like.

The colors of a Spiritual Animal is depending on their human. An example is Zoro's, who's spirit animal is a green tiger, named Asura. Asuras spiritual form color is like a Patronus, but his color is green (or purple, when Zoro uses/activates his Haki). I like to also think that the more a person's Haki activates/grows stronger, the Spirit Animal does the same.

The Patronus form is basically the spiritual form for the animals. There Fur/Dry + Slimy Scales/Feathers/Moist Skin can change color based on their human.

I have Spiritual companions listed to some of the Strawhats (I will also add ZoLuSan pairing, but with a twist of Allsan).

Vinsmoke "Blackleg" Sanji: (Female) Red Fox or Kit Fox. Named "Blue" or "Oceania"

Roronoa "King of Hell" Zoro: (Male) Siberian Tiger. Named "Asura"

Monkey D. "Strawhat" Luffy: (Male) Barbary lion. Named "Rex" or "Kingsley" (Kingsley's name I got from the fic "Companians". Rex means "King")

Nico "Devil Child" Robin: (Male) Black-Necked Crane. Named "Nox"

"Cat Burglar" Nami: (Male) American Bobtail. Named "Citrus"

"Sniper King" "God" Usopp: (Male) Long-Nosed Armadillo. Named "Aster"

"Iron Man" Franky: (Male) Greater One-Horned Rhino. Named "Atlas"

"Soul King" Brook: (Female; Now Skeleton) Cob Horse. Named "Dia"

-More info soon! Tys for listening ❤️

Wow this sounds so awesome! I can't wait to hear more!

I love how sanji has a fox! What about chopper? Or becase he is a reindeer he doesn't have one?

[mossyscavern]

Old language habits.

_____________

Sam felt lighter then air this evening.

Waking up to the smell of burning candles is something he’ll have to get used to, but he doesn’t really care about that right now.

He sat up from the ground he was sleeping on and yawned, stretched his limbs and stood up before starting to climb out from the well his restless spirit rests until nightfall.

By the time he got out of the dried up well he immediately went to the unmarked grave yard to say hello to the only people he can talk to. The weavers siblings.

At first he didn’t think he’d ever get used to them, but after some months? He did and it didn’t seem that bad anymore. When he saw the siblings chatting away about who knows what, he greeted them like he normally does… except-.

“Buenos dias-.”

He says before slapping his hand against his mouth. Each weaver turned towards Sam with either a confused look or a shocked expression on their face. Sam gulped, chuckling a bit as he played it off as it was nothing.

“S-sorry, force of habit.” Was all he said before dashing out of there like he was being chased all over again, minus the candle… and being alive.

By the time he went back into the well, he was frantically panicking. ‘What the hell was that?!’ He thought, panicking and pacing all over again. Sometimes he wished he’d never speak his familial language.

But it’s a language he grew up with because of his abuela… and he just said ‘good morning’ in Spanish in front of 5 siblings from the 1920’s. ‘Why! Why! Why!!’ He thought, pacing around in a circle. “Why the hell did I let it slip!”

And just like that, he decided to try not to speak his native tongue…

Easier said then done when you’re frustrated. “¿Cómo es el amigo de este Duncan?” Sam wondered, mumbling to himself while shaking his head. “What?” Sam’s eyes widened at the response.

He slowly turned his head to see Tom, tilting his head to the side. “N-nothing! Just talking to myself.” He stammered, hoping he doesn’t need to explain what he said. “Oh, ok then…” Tom said, turning away from the redhead.

When Sam was about to do the same, Travis said something… and Sam just snapped.

“To be honest, summoning you five was the best thing to ever happen before dying.” “¡¿Él hizo qué?! ¡¿Este idiota hizo qué?!”

Sam yelled, completely ignoring his own English dialect. “¡¿que estabas pensando, Meterme con los no-muertos?! ¡¿De verdad?!” He yelled at Travis, completely upset that Travis messed with something he shouldn’t have.

And with every word Sam says in his grandmother’s native tongue, Travis looks more nervous as he backs away into the old couch. After a few swears at Travis and calling him an idiot Sam took a deep breath and left.

“I Really need some space.” Sam said, slipping back into English and walked off, leaving the weavers confused and Travis shaking.

‘… slipped in my grandma’s language again.’ He thought, mentally face palm at himself for doing that. ‘Welp, now they know… fantastic.’

He sighs, climbing back down the well, he doesn’t know how long he’ll be down there for.. but he knows it’s for a long long time. He stretched his limbs and yawned. ‘Wow, yelling in my family’s language took a lot out of me.’

He thought to himself as he lay down and let sleep over-came him.

_____________

I was actually planning this before hand..

but was a little nervous because I didn’t know much about Spanish… only the easy ones I’ve known from watching Dora, some things I learned from fanfic where a character speaks Spanish… most of it was also google translate-.

Then I got inspired by a post made by @lorinstella who talk about how the weaver fandom didn’t really have an ethnic, racial… nationality and some representation so… I thought I’d finally post this after so long…

(I don’t think I did the language justice.)

[hasquetzorkukudoneanythingwrong]

El Noche de muerte

Recently, a new archeological site in Veracruz, Mexico was discovered. Uniquely, it's almost completely underground and it seems to be of Toltec origin, or another similar Nahuatl culture. 

Marco, a self described "amateur archeologist" who was also failing his archeology courses in university, was very much interested in this new site. We just had to go and see it. However, it was completely off limits to the public until further notice. This wasn't inherently odd, since many old sites could be harmed if people visiting weren't careful, but Marco seemed to not give a shit.

He decided to go out, late October. "Tonight is too perfect. Everyone else is getting ready for Dia de Los Muertos, so they can't stop me as easily. Just gotta get outta town quick enough." Marco, conveniently, lived in a town that wasn't too terribly far from the site. It was still a decent drive, but he'd definitely risk it. 

"Marco? Where are you off to?" His roommate asked him. 

"Just heading out into town for the night." He answered.

"Okay? Seeya later?" His roommate asked.

"Definitely." He responded.

After a few hours driving, he had gotten a bit lost. "God damn it. I must've made a wrong turn somewhere." Since the site was new, and off limits, it actually still wasn't on the maps app, so he couldn't depend on it to get there. "I'll try and backtrack a bit, maybe that'd help."

After driving back a bit and into a clearing, he was still not sure where to go. "Fuck, I should've been there by now. If I don't figure it out soon, someone will start looking for me."

Suddenly, someone tapped on his car window.

"Ah!" It spooked him. "Oh, uh, hello there?" 

A taller lady, with a black shirt with a spider on it, darker skin, prosthetic arms and peach colored hair was at his window. "Are you lost? I've never seen you here before." She asked.

"Oh yeah. Uh, I'm actually trying to find this uh- newly discovered Toltec site!" He explained. "I-I'm uh…. Checking on it's condition. I was sent by the museum! I'm professor Marco" Marco lied, unconvincingly. 

"Oh yeah! Just pass by those trees there, take a left and after a few meters, take a right and after some more driving you'll find it." She said, very helpfully.

"Oh! Th-thanks!" He said back.

As he got the car ready to go, he waved the girl off. "Thanks again, uh-"

"You can call me Nelia" She told him.

"Thanks Nelia!" He said.

After the short drive, and following Nelia's directions he was at the site. It was surrounded by warning signs and fencing, but oddly nobody was guarding the site.

"All these signs, but no one here to physically stop me or report my actions. Nice!" Marco said aloud to himself.

The visible part was just a small stone structure, with an entrance leading to stairs, that took you to the main part of the temple. As Marco navigated the signs and fencing, to not show obvious signs of being here, he felt his excitement rise and rise. 

He finally reached the main entrance, and started his way down the stairs. "So far so good, and so far I don't think I'm damaging any-THING!" As he said that, one of the steps crumbled and he tripped down the stairs.

"Fuuuuuck…." He said as he laid on the ground. He got back up, and looked back at the step that crumbled. "Fuck, hopefully that won't be noticed" He worried.

He then started to actually look around at where he was. "Wow, very macabre" he commented. 

The site was very creepy in nature. There were skulls everywhere, along with artwork depicting monstrous beings decorating the walls. "Maybe this was a place for sacrifices? Would explain the skulls and shit" He commented, as he walked forward.

Walking along, he also noticed sacrificial knives, old spears, animal bones and other things that'd creep out most people.

Marco eventually made his way to what seemed to be the end of the seeming sacrificial temple. In the center, was a round stone structure, with something terrifying on it. 

"I-is that… a fresh heart?!" He nearly screamed. 

It really was, before him on the altar, was a still very fresh heart, with red blood surrounding it. "I-is someone still using this for worship?! Is this why this place is off limits?!" Questions like these were racing through his head, then he noticed something above the altar, artwork depicting what seemed to be a god. This being seemed feminine in nature, with stone arms covered in spikes, sharp animalistic teeth in her mouth, and haunting red and purple eyes. Oddly, unlike most mesoamerican artworks, she wasn't depicted in profile, but front on. This had her facing Marco full on.

"God, I don't think I've seen this deity before. W-wait, is that her name down there?" He noticed glyphs underneath her, thankfully even though he was failing his archeology courses, he could at least read these glyphs.

"Ne-nex…. Nexoxcho? That's an interesting name." He then looked back up at the art, and when he saw her face, she looked back at him.

"AH FUCK!" He screamed, the surprise making him trip backwards. He picked himself back up and started running back to the entrance. As he ran, he had a horrifying chill running down his back, he needed to leave as quickly as possible! 

Eventually, he made it up the stairs, nearly tripping again but still booking it up to escape. 

It had started to pour rain when he was in there, but the fear in him stopped him from caring about that, and from caring about all the warning signs and fencing. He ram past it all, to get to his car. Once he got in, he took a minute to stop and just breathe. 

"Wh-what the fuck was that?!" He said to himself. "Is that God coming to get me or something?" He questioned. "I gotta get out of here!"

He then tried to start his car, but it wouldn't start up. "No no no! C'mon, we gotta go!" But it wasn't cooperating, and his fear was growing.

Then he heard a tap at his window again. "AAAHH!" He screamed.

"Woah! You okay?" He heard.

When he looked at the window, he saw Nelia again, holding an umbrella to shield herself from the rain. 

"O-oh! Nelia. I thought you were something else." Marco said, as he rolled down his window. "This stupid thing won't start! And I'd very much like to leave soon."

"Well that's not good." She responded back. "Hmmm, tell ya what. I'll take you to my place tonight, and we can get someone to help with the car in the morning!" She offered.

"O-oh? Really? Are you sure about that? You don't even really know me." He questioned.

"Yeah, but I can tell you're harmless, and you need somewhere to stay. C'mon, I'll take you there, it's not far" She said.

He stepped out of the car, Nelia actually handing him the Umbrella to hold.

"So, what were you doing near the site, anyways?" He questioned her.

"I like to hang around the area, it's very fun. Sometimes I look close to the site, noticed some interesting stuff happen there" She talked.

"Huh, interesting… you uh- ever gone in?" He asked.

"Oh no, I would never. It's far too dangerous. I've considered it, but it's not something I'd risk." She answered.

Eventually, a town was within sight, and Marco felt some relief to finally at least be somewhere warm.

Eventually though, he realized something was not right. The town was completely empty. And not only that, but it looked to have been abandoned for ages, falling apart. "N-Nelia, this is where you li-" but she was gone. 

That chill down his spine from the temple was very much back. "Fuck, was she a ghost or something? Y'know what, I'm not dealing with this horror movie stuff, I'll be lea- OH FUCK!" As he turned back, he actually saw a giant tree fallen behind him, blocking his path back. "H-how did I not hear or feel that fall?" 

"I-I guess I'm going into the ghost town." He said, as he went towards it.

Despite the place looking very much empty, he couldn't escape the feeling that he was being watched by hundreds of eyes. Eventually, he saw a tree with a piece of paper attached, somewhat blowing in the wind. It was a missing person's poster, and it had Nelia's face on it.

"Sh-she really was a ghost!" He said out loud when he saw the poster.

"Not quite" He heard behind him.

He turned quickly towards the source of the voice, but nothing. He continued on, eventually seeing a large building in the center, with the least damage of all the buildings, he decided to take shelter there.

He opened the door, stepped in and it was pitch black inside. He took out his phone to use it's flashlight, only to be immediately greeted by a the same mural of the goddess Nexoxcho hanging on a wall in the building. "OH GOD!" He screamed.

Immediately, his phone shut off. "N-no! You still had plenty of batte-" then the door slammed open behind him.

Standing there, was Nelia again. 

"Y-you! Wh-what do you want?!" Marco demanded.

And in a creepy voice, Nelia answered "Oh, I just wanted to have a little bit of fun." 

"Wh-what?! Am I just a toy for you?!" He exclaimed.

"Yeeesss." She said, as her body started convulsing and shaking. Her body stretched even taller, her stomach opened up a mouth with sharp teeth and a long tongue inside. Her prosthetic arms turn stone, with spikes adorning it. Her eyes turned a haunting red and purple. And huge tentacle sprouted out of her back.

"W-wait!" Marco said with horror. "Y-you're-"

"NEXOXCHO!" She screamed monstrously.

Before a tentacle grabbed Marco by the throat, and pulled him towards her. And the last thing he saw, was her mouth opening very wide as he was pulled in.

Teot-tober day 31

Nelia/Nexoxcho

Hope you guys liked the story! It's my first attempt at something like horror! Really hope it turned out well! And I also hope you enjoy the artwork of Nelia/Nexoxcho!

Nelia by Miuchat and Nexoxcho art by Sageyaku, both on twitter.

Tags to share!

@hasbbdoneanythingwrong @hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong @haskamadoneanythingwrong @hikikomuridesuuu @madillhethen @300iqprower @agnerd-bot @averaillisa @the-belial

[lesvegas]

New Vegas - Now Under New Management!

In 2301, the city of New Vegas had been a raiders’ paradise for nearly twenty years. In the Jackal-run Ultra-Luxe hotel, with Cal's help, Auguste continues investigating the murder of his dog.

Chapter 3: You’re Gonna Go Far Kid [ao3 link]

I was never allowed in the Tops’ Presidential suite. It had been claimed by Fresno when they took Vegas, and they only ever let my father or the cleaning people in there. My father and I shared a two-bedroom suite with a view, several stories up but not quite at the top. Fresno would’ve given him the Presidential or the High Roller or any other fancy room at the snap of his fingers, but he wasn’t picky. All he wanted was some windows and for me to have my own little space.

Cal took one of the old Gomorrah boss’ suites for himself, but he was almost always sharing it with someone. Unlike Fresno, he didn’t go wasting all that space on just himself. There were three other big suites by his, and they were usually occupied. By who, I had no idea. Judging from the all the noise I’d hear whenever I visited Cal’s room, it was probably more than one raider at a time with as many whores as they could afford.

I knew the Ultra-Luxe had the biggest, fanciest suites to match the rest of it. I’d never seen them myself, but one would have to assume from the name alone that they were the best of the best. And like every other raider I knew, naturally, the Jackal matriarch had taken the biggest, best-est suite for herself. At the very top of the Ultra-Luxe hotel was the Penthouse suite, and it was at least twice as big as Cal’s room and three times as big as my father’s. There were armed guards outside of the elevator, and armed guards at every corner as we passed through the corridor and bedroom. I had to wonder what she was so afraid of. These guys weren’t stationed here because she knew we were coming; we barely had to wait two minutes before we were brought up here. Maybe she just liked having a bunch of men watching her at all times. She didn’t even bother to get dressed for us, still laying nude in the pool in the middle of the suite. Shit, I’d kill to have my own pool. “Oh, wow…” She said when she saw me, sitting up in the shallow water, her feet floating. “I haven’t seen you since you were…” She lifted her hand out of the water, holding it a few inches above the smooth surface. “This little. I think it was your birthday. I gave you a teddy bear. Do you remember?” No, I didn’t remember. I’ve got three teddy bears in my room, and two of them used to belong to Brutus. And all three of them were from my father. I also don’t recall having ever seen this woman before in my life. I think I would’ve remembered the sharp teeth, missing eye, and the odd hollow scars along her arms. But instead of saying any of this, I kept my mouth shut and looked at Cal. He’d insisted on doing all the talking, so I was gonna let him. “I don’t think he does. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this shy.” Cal teased, then put a hand on my head and ruined my hair. I kept my hands in my pockets and bit my cheek before I could do anything stupid. I won’t let him hear the end of it the second we’re out of here, though. “He might get all upset if he starts talking, though. I’m sure you've heard.” She hummed, and took her hair in her hands, squeezing and wringing it out. It reached just below her shoulders and looked natural. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a raider with nice hair before. “No, I don’t think I have. You’ll have to enlighten me.” “Well…” Cal glanced at me, then continued. “Someone shot his dog while he was taking him out for a walk about a week ago.” She gasped dramatically. “Oh, that’s horrible!” “It is.” Cal went on. “And the shot could’ve only come from your hotel.” She was still for a moment, then flung her hair over her shoulder before her hands went under the water again. “Callipho, dear, you’re not saying what I think you are, are you?” “Dee-” “Dia.” She cut him off. "Dia.” He went on. “Your hotel is huge. You’ve got hundreds of men. You’ve got dozens of rooms anyone could rent out with a view of the whole Strip. I’m not saying you had anything to do with it, personally, but someone in the building last week did. And as you can imagine, this place is our only lead. So, if you could help direct us to, I dunno, a guest book to start, that’d be great.” She beckoned one of the men as she stood up, and he brought a towel to her immediately. She wrapped it around herself, but not before I could notice more of those weird scars along her legs. “We don’t let anyone rent out our rooms. We’ve filled them all ourselves. We live here.” She explained, her voice darker now. “If you insist that someone in our hotel shot the mutt, then you’re insisting it was one of us.” “He wasn’t a mutt!” I snapped. “He was a Belgian Malinois, one of the last purebreds around, and he was easily the smartest and most loyal dog anyone could ever hope to have!” “Easy.” Cal put a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back a little. “She’s not gonna help you if you’re rude.” I smacked his hand off my shoulder. Why the fuck was he treating me like a child? Dia sighed almost wistfully. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry you lost your puppy.” She went on, stepping out of the pool to stand before us. She smelled almost sickly sweet. “But I promise we had nothing to do with it. And I would never let some stranger stay in my hotel. I do wish I could help, but…” “Then help.” I said sternly. “I just want to know who did it. I don’t care who else was or wasn’t involved, just-” I swallowed. Fuck, this was useless, even if she did know, why would she tell me anything? I didn’t even know what questions to ask her, and neither did Cal. This was a pointless trip, I was never gonna find out who killed Brutus, and I wasn’t even sure Cal would be able to, either. “You’re not gonna cry, are you?” Dia asked, sounding all concerned, touching my cheek. “I couldn’t bear it if you did.” “This has all been a lot for him.” Cal said quietly. “That dog was the only friend he’s ever had.” “Oh, I can imagine…” She ran her hand through my hair, and I refrained from giving her a look as she tried to fix it. “Well… I can’t make any promises, but I suppose I could tell you what I know. I got a noise complaint about a week ago, maybe even on the same day as the… you know. It was said to be gunfire, shot somewhere on the twelfth floor.” “From one of the residents?” Cal asked. Dia hesitated. “If I had to guess, I’d place my bet on Rocco.” She said quietly. “He has a room all to himself with a view of the Strip. That was his only request; a room with a view. His favourite pastime is marksmanship. Now, I’m not saying it was certainly him, but…” “It’s as good a lead as any.” Cal said, putting an arm around my shoulder in a half-hug. “Thank you, Dia. You’ve been a real help.” “Don’t make me regret this, dear Callipho. Get what you can from Rocco, then leave. We have enough issues as it is without outsiders making things worse.” Dia said firmly. Then she gave me a smile. “And Auguste, sweetheart… you should come visit more often. It’s a shame we don’t get to talk more.” “I will.” I said quietly, probably lying. I’d rather never come back here again if I could help it, but I was starting to realize Cal had the right idea bringing me along to meet her. I was like the cute kid door-to-door salesmen brought along to prevent poor saps from slamming the door in their faces. Cal and Dia said their goodbyes, she reminded him again not to make her regret this, and we were led out of the suite and back into the elevator. The man tending it was about to take us back to the ground floor, but Cal politely requested being dropped off on the twelfth. The Ultra-Luxe’s hotel wasn’t nearly as winding as Gomorrah’s, but I still felt lost. Each floor felt nearly as wide as the hotel was tall, with hallways the size of streets and a sitting area around every corner. I wouldn’t be surprised if every room was half the size of the Penthouse suite. There were a lot of people lounging around, well-dressed enough that they almost passed as tourists, but they were all clearly Jackals. I got a lot of stares. Cal did not. He also seemed to know exactly where we were going, leading the way to the far end of the twelfth floor, all the way to the last door. He stopped right in front of it, and I nearly bumped into him. “This is important.” He spoke in a hushed, serious tone that sounded odd coming from him. “I need you to let me handle this. We don’t know how dangerous this man is and it’d be better if I did all the talking. If you don’t think you can keep quiet, wait out here for me.” I just nodded. I’ll do whatever the hell I want, but if I didn’t act compliant here, he probably wouldn’t let me into the room at all. I stood by and waited for him to pick the lock or pull out a master key or something. Instead, he knocked. “‘S open.” The voice was muffled by the door, but not far from it. Gruff and deep enough that it could only be a man’s. I looked up at Cal as he slowly opened the door all the way. This wasn’t a suite. It was a broom closet. A big broom closet, but a closet nonetheless. It was just a little bigger than my own, and most of the space was taken up by a mattress on the floor and a shelf up against the wall with a few metal boxes on it. Cal stepped around the mattress and I followed, closing the door behind me. At the other end of the closet, oddly enough, was a window, open wide with an older man sitting on the ledge and looking down. Next to him, in the corner up against the wall, was some sort of scoped rifle. “Are you Rocco?” The old man didn’t even look at us. Unlike the rest of his crew, he wore ordinary clothes; slacks and a simple button-down shirt that wouldn’t be out of place in a pre-war catalogue for the common man. There was nothing formal about him, but he didn’t quite look like a typical raider, either. He leaned further out the window and spat, then grinned as he must’ve hit something or someone. “I’m Cal, proprietor of the Gomorrah. My friend here is Auguste, son of the courier. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?” Cal went on, as casually as he could, trying the get the geezer’s attention. “I saw you come in.” He said, still not looking at us. “Could’ve nailed you then, if I wanted to. But I didn’t see the point.” I bit my cheek to keep my mouth shut. Not yet, not yet… “Thanks for sparing us.” Cal said lightly. “You must have quite a view from up here. Mind if I take a look?” “Get any closer and I’ll jump.” He said quickly, but with a grin. “Then you’ll never know.” Cal showed his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, we’ll stay right here… So you are Rocco?” “Whatever.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Are you Rocco or not?” I barked. That made him finally look at me. He didn’t look as old as he sounded, but he was dirtier than I first thought. Maybe they gave him a closet to himself for a reason. His eyes were a cold, steely grey that narrowly focused on mine. “Rocco, I am. The fuck do you want, you uppity little whelp?” Cal put a hand on my shoulder, barely containing me as he took over again. “We were told you might’ve shot a dog from up here recently. That true?” “I ain’t talking to you, Gomorrah. I asked the runt a question.” I took a breath before speaking again, doing my best to ignore the smell of dust and something stale. “Did you or did you not shoot my dog?” I asked, firmly. “He was a Belgian Malinois, a big dog, we were walking back to the Tops from Vault 21…” I tried to look past him without leaving my spot. We were pretty high up; all I could see from the door were signs and the top of nearby buildings. “Yeah. I shot a dog.” Rocco casually admitted. “Is that all you came here for?” “Of course not.” I snapped. “I want to know why you shot him!” Rocco chuckled lowly, letting his head fall back against the window sill. He looked at me sideways. “Why? ‘Cause I missed, that’s why.” Missed. Missed? Missed the shot? Tried to hit something, hit Brutus instead, missed… I opened my mouth to ask the next question, but it didn’t come out. I didn’t make a sound. It only made Rocco laugh more. “Oh, you stupid, spoiled little shit.” Rocco went on, staring right through me with that signature Jackal sharp-toothed grin. “I wasn’t aiming for the fucking animal. I was aiming for you. And I missed.” He said with a slight shrug. I forgot how to breathe. My heart felt heavy and my whole chest felt tight, but my hands were twitchy and fast. I went for my gun faster than Rocco could laugh at me again, but Cal was even faster, pinning me to the door with just one arm, his other hand gripping my wrist, keeping my pistol pointed to the floor. “Auguste, look at me, now.” Cal said quietly, but I couldn’t just look away from the murderer. “Step out and wait for me, alright? Just let me take care of him.” Fuck no. If I let him out of my sight for even a second, how the hell would I know for sure he was dealt with? I needed to shoot him. I needed to put a bullet through his head, watch the brain matter splatter all over his filthy mattress, watch him bleed out until there was more blood out than in, then throw his corpse out the window for good measure. I needed to kill him as many times as it took for him to stay dead. For Brutus, and for my own damn life. But the more I pushed back, the harder Cal pinned me against the door. Rocco picked up his rifle with one hand and pointed at Cal with it. “I believe the boy still has his questions.” He said. “Let him ask.” Cal hesitated, but not for long. He kept a close eye on that rifle as he loosened his grip and slowly backed off. I still had my back to the door and didn’t move. If I lifted my gun, even a little… “Now you know why I shot the dog.” Rocco said, turning his whole body so his back was to the rest of the world, facing us, letting his feet rest on the tiled floor. “I really didn’t mean to. I’ve got no reason to kill any innocent animals anymore. There’s plenty of meat around here.” “Why me?” My voice was small and pathetic and not nearly as composed as I’d like it to be. “Why not?” Rocco shrugged again. “I don’t like you. You’re loud. Your clothes are loud. You walk up and down the Strip like you already own it. You piss away all your time and money the same way everybody else around here does. You look even more disgusted looking down from your ivory tower than you do when you’re walking amongst the great unwashed. You can’t even let yourself enjoy the view or the music. You’re a spoiled little nepotism baby with no purpose, a frivolous waste of life. Every single filthy fucking raider you hate so much has done more for the human race than you ever will in your entire fucking life. Even your own mother hates you. It’s a fucking miracle for you that no one else has tried to kill you first. That answer your question?” I wasn’t sure if I was more angry or scared. All I really knew is that he’d been planning it for a while, and it really was a miracle that he missed. A really fucked up miracle. It almost made me think I didn’t deserve it. Brutus sure as hell didn’t. “Is that all?” I asked after a moment. Rocco’s body jerked a little as he half-laughed. “No, that’s not all. I was always content with waiting for the day you die some stupid death. But somebody else sure wasn’t.” Cal perked up at that, but kept quiet. It was my turn to handle things. “Who?” I asked. “I dunno.” Rocco said. “Man didn’t give me a name. Just a few thousand caps and a polite request to blow your brains out. He just walked right up to me while I was taking potshots at some Fiends outside of Freeside. Honestly, I probably would’ve done it for free with how nice he asked.” A few thousand caps. Just a few thousand. Three thousand? Four, maybe? That was all my life was worth to someone. What was pocket change to me was more than enough to motivate almost anyone to kill me. Why wasn’t I dead yet? “Did he tell you anything else?” Cal asked when I couldn’t talk. “What’d he look like, what was he wearing?” “You’re not gonna figure out who he was with what little I know.” Rocco insisted. “He came up to me, complimented my aim, and asked if I was interested in some work. Thought it was odd, but I listened to him anyway, and he just really seemed to want the ‘courier’s kid’ dead. He gave me the caps upfront and didn’t really say anything else. Whoever he was, I think he just wanted to see some chaos. A bit misguided, though. No one would actually give a shit if you died. Hell, if anything, people around here might celebrate.” “What did he look like?” Cal repeated. “I dunno. I didn’t look at him.” Rocco said. “I was staring down my scope the whole time we talked. He sounded funny, though. Talked like he was on official business. Used big words.” “You seriously didn’t get one look at him?” Rocco was still talking, but I stopped listening. He finally stopped staring me down, actually looking at Cal as he spoke to him. It was easier to move when he wasn’t fixing me with his gaze. My hand twitched, just a little, like it wasn’t sure if it wanted to move. Like it wanted to see how perceptive he really was. When he didn’t notice, I let him talk for another moment, then raised my gun and shot him. Then I shot him again. The first bullet narrowly missed, grazing his shoulder, tearing his shirt, but it startled him enough that he dropped his rifle. The second shot went right through his pec, and I didn’t even know where the third bullet went because it knocked him down and out of the window faster than I could blink. He didn’t even scream on the way down. Cal didn’t yell at me right away. He went over to the window, looking down to see where the body fell, then checked out the rifle he dropped. He opened the magazine. “It wasn’t even loaded.” He muttered, then set the gun down in the corner. “He was gonna kill me.” I tried to say, but I choked. I covered my mouth and stared at the floor, bit my cheek until it bled, almost as hot as the spot behind my eyes. I could feel pressure building, threatening to make my head pop as I tried to blink the tears back. I couldn’t keep my eyes shut for more than a second without getting another glimpse of cold eyes and sharp teeth and ripped flesh and- “Kid?” I just choked again. Squeezed my jaw shut as hot tears streamed over my hand and down my neck. My other hand lost grip of my gun, dropping it. Instead of giving me shit, Cal just came over and picked up my gun. He didn’t give it back to me. He pocketed the gun and put a hand on my shoulder, gently. “Ten minutes, then I’m taking you home. Alright?” I didn’t look at him. It didn’t stop him from stepping out and closing the door behind him, leaving me alone. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I let go and gasped. Looking up at the window, at the blood on the sill, it made it difficult to breathe. My head was starting to pound louder than any music or yelling coming in from down below, and I really didn’t feel like alleviating that tension. I dried my eyes on my sleeve, relieved that they seemed to stop crying. There was no way in hell I’d be able to walk out of here sobbing like a bitch. I took a step closer to the window. How far down was the drop? How high up did you have to fall from to die? Did he land head-first on solid concrete? Maybe I wasn’t the one who killed him. Maybe it was just gravity. He was sitting on the ledge, looking down, maybe he was already planning on doing it himself. His rifle wasn’t loaded; he didn’t have anymore bullets to shoot himself. Maybe falling was the next best thing. I wasn’t even halfway to the window when I stopped. The yelling from outside was different, less rowdy and more… angry. If I looked down, I knew I’d be met with ants looking back up at me. I’d see a mangled old murderer in a pool of blood. I didn’t feel like losing what little lunch I’d had, so I didn’t step any closer. I instead opened the door and went back out into the hallway. Cal looked surprised to see me, but he didn’t say anything. He just started leading the way through the hotel again, and I paid even less attention to where we were going, eyes on his back. I was more focused on avoiding the stares and keeping my back straight and my stance confident. If people were gonna know I killed a man, they were gonna know I did it on purpose, and that it didn’t scare me at all.

[potassium-pilot]

FFXIVWrite 2023, Prompt 1: Envoy

"Oh, are we close?" Surito Carito asked, the tiny tonberry trying to lift himself against the edges of the ship to see the surroundings. Behind him, Dia gave a boost so he could see.

"Wow", he breathed. "I'm only sorry that my memory is failing me in the geography of my time. This place is breathtaking." Lily appeared at his side to join him in looking.

"So this is Old Sharlayan", Alka Zolka commented. "I admit, I'm a bit overdue for coming here. Ever since they opened their borders to adventurers, I had been meaning to visit."

"Me too", Setoto spoke up. "I simply can't believe they would allow a tonberry to speak in a place like this."

"Well, I admit I pulled a few favors, but Scholarch Montichaigne seemed positively tickled by the idea of having someone who lived in the era of Nym come and speak on its behalf", Dia explained. "I can also tell you with certainty that no small amount of students want to hear about it. There's a lot of historians here and they are all very curious about what happened to the nation."

"And none of them are going to try and kill me, correct?" Surito asked. "I saw the looks that the Limsan citizenry gave us. Had it not been you protecting me, I'm certain I would have been set upon ere I set foot on the ship."

"So long as you stick by me, you'll be safe." Dia pulled a box nearby so Surito could stand on it. "Now just keep looking at the ocean."

The ship made its way to Scholar's Harbor slowly but surely. Around 10AM, it docked and allowed its passengers to depart. Dia, Surito, Setoto, and Alka Zolka made their way towards customs and arrived to the lalafell woman who presided over it. She took the names and professions of Alka Zolka and Setoto, who simply stated that they were scholars of Nymian history.

"And your name?" She asked of the tonberry.

"Surito Carito"

"And your profession?"

"I am a scholar."

"Of what field?"

Surito seemed confused. "Er, simply a scholar, madam. A member of the Nymian Royal Marines."

The official raised her eyebrow slowly. "Er...why would we need a soldier here?"

Dia shook her head. "Forgive him. He's an envoy of the former nation of Nym, here to give a lecture on its history and culture. There should have been a form explaining his special circumstances sent to you by the Studium."

"There is, yes. I simply need to confirm his name and profession as is listed here. At any rate, all appears to be in order, and you are all granted permission to enter Sharlayan at your leisure. Welcome."

With that, Dia guided the three of them away from the gazebo and into Sharlayan proper. As they walked, all of them noticed as eyes gawked at the creature walking about the city. Some even ran at the sight of Surito's waddle.

"Oh dear...", Surito whispered.

"Don't worry. They are merely ignorant. This is why you're here, is it not? To inform", Alka Zolka tried to reassure.

"Surely, it won't be too long until people begin to understand", Setoto concluded.

Even with their encouragement, Surito kept as close to Dia as he could. As he said, when people saw the ex-Warrior of Light leading the tonberry, they knew better than to try and interfere. Finally, they arrived at the new headquarters of Baldesion Annex, where Dia arranged rooms for them all to stay. Upon the doors opening, Ojika formed a big smile. "Ah, Dia! I'm glad to see you and your friends have safely-- EEK!"

Surito jumped at the shriek of the lalafellan innkeeper. Dia scowled. "Yes, he's a tonberry. No, he does not have a stabby death awaiting you. His name is Surito Carito, and he's a guest lecturer, so I'd appreciate you not screaming at him."

"How do you do?" Surito greeted nervously.

"S-sorry. I've never seen one up close before. I've never even heard of one that could talk before."

"They don't, usually", Surito explained. "Dia here helped break me out of the trance that traps all of my brethren in a state of perpetual violence."

"Oh?"

"If you want to learn more, I'd recommend sitting in on his lecture", Setoto encouraged. "It's tomorrow at 11AM."

Ojika looked up to Dia, who nodded in affirmation. "I think I can make the time for that. Why don't I show you all to your rooms?" With that, the three were led to their quarters for the evening. Upon reaching Surito's quarters, Dia and Surito couldn't help but hear footsteps running towards them. Upon the turn of their heads, they spotted a red-haired miqo'te rushing them.

"Dia!" G'raha exclaimed happily. "Always glad to see you." He looked down and noticed the tonberry, making a curious look form on his face. "Er...Dia?" G'raha darted his eyes down in Surito's direction.

Dia looked down to her scholar companion. "Go on. Introduce yourself. I know him; you'll be safe."

Surito cleared his throat. "Hello there. My name is Surito Carito, one of the last scholars of Nym and one of the last members of the Nymian Royal Marines."

G'raha's jaw remained wide open and he gawked at the marine in shock. "I...I'm pleased to meet you. G'raha Tia, at your service."

"Forgive me, but you are a miqo'te, are you not?"

"I am."

"I've never met one before today. Ah, this day has been full of new experiences."

"Much the same for me", G'raha agreed, "I've never met a tonberry before today."

Surito's face squinted in happiness. "I hope you'll be one of the attendees for my lecture tomorrow morning."

"A lecture?" G'raha looked up to Dia, who nodded. "Well, I can certainly try to make time for something like that. What is your lecture on, exactly?"

"Nymian culture and history."

"Considering your interest in Allagan history, I think you'd be interested in a society that took full advantage of Allagan summoning arts to mold into the tactics of the Nymian scholar", Dia pointed out.

"That would be interesting, yes. Even without it, I must admit I know little and less of the nation."

Surito nodded. "Then may I see you there." With that, Surito hopped up to reach the doorknob, opened it, and let himself into his room. G'raha, still reeling from the idea that he just met a tonberry that didn't want to stab him mercilessly, merely blinked.

"You all right?" Dia asked.

"I...have a lot of misconceptions I need to clear up", he admitted.

"Everyone does. That's why he's here", Dia smiled. "Oh, did you have plans for lunch?"

"Not a single one", he lied, having initially intended on using it to do some research on the Twelve.

"Then you should join us. I intend to take everyone to the Last Stand. I was going to ask Krile too."

"I'd love that! I'll see you then."

A few hours pass, Dia using the time to help Krile with her research, telling her about her own, and listening to Krile vent about the difficulties of restarting the Students of Baldesion. As the stroke of 1 in the afternoon, Krile declared, "Now might be a good time for a break, do you not agree?"

"I couldn't agree more. Let me fetch everyone and we can go to lunch." Dia left Krile's study and gathered Alka and Setoto. Upon arriving to Surito's room, Dia knocked.

"Who is it?" Surito asked.

"A ghost. Thought I might haunt you a bit, just for kicks."

"Come in, Dia."

She opened the door and smiled at Surito. "We're heading for the Last Stand for lunch. You're in for a treat. It's the only restaurant with remotely edible food in Sharlayan."

"Oh...I'm fine here, thank you."

"Surito?" Alka asked. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing at all. I just believe it might be better if I just kept to my room during my stay."

"Oh none of that, Surito! We want you there", Setoto protested.

"I don't wish to scare anyone again."

Dia breathed a sigh from her nose. "Come on, you two."

The three left the room, Surito using his solitude to try and practice his lecture. About twenty minutes in, his door burst open and a crowd of people flocked in. "Hope you're decent!" Dia laughed.

"Oh! What is this?" Surito exclaimed.

"This is lunch. You're eating it one way or another", DIa insisted. "I've brought G'raha along and our host."

"Hello. You must be Surito Carito. My name is Krile Baldesion. I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"Hello to you, Krile. Thank you for your hosting my compatriots and I. You're quite possibly the most welcoming presence I've encountered here."

Krile frowned. "Dia told me of Ojika screaming at the sight of you. I apologize for him. I'm afraid that while I informed him of a guest speaker coming to stay with us, I failed to inform him of what to expect of you. I apologize for his conduct."

"It's of no consequence. At least he didn't run at the sight of me like some of the people I've encountered today."

Dia placed lunch on his table. "Well, let's forget about them and get some food in our bellies. Come on up."

The five sat around the table, G'raha in the middle surrounded by Dia and Krile on one side, and Setoto surrounded by Alka and Surito on the other. Dia handed Surito an Archon burger. "You'll love it!"

"So, Surito, what inspired you to come and give a lecture in Sharlayan?" Krile asked.

"In truth, I have been looking for how to revive the art of the Nymian Scholar for some time now that we have a cure for the plague in our grasp."

"Plague?" G'raha repeated.

"Yes. You can see its effect on people by looking at me, and you can see that the cure works with one look at Setoto here." G'raha and Krile snapped their attentions to Setoto, who smiled at them proudly. "You're Nymian?" G'raha exclaimed.

"I am. You wouldn't be able to tell with one look at me, but I am one of the few students of the art left. Were it not for Dia, Alka, Surito, and the work of my father, we may not be speaking today."

Dia smiled as she chewed. Upon swallowing, she added, "We had discussed it for a while and agreed that the best way to try and keep things going was to utilize modern day historians. Montichaigne seemed to rather like the idea."

"I don't blame him in the least", Krile commented amusedly. "This is the first lecture of its kind- a discussion from a citizen of a society long thought to be dead."

After the remainder of their time was spent listening to Krile picking Surito's brain on history, the five stood up and went their separate ways for the evening.

------------

The morning dawned on Sharlayan. Surito awoke and rose from his bed before he scrambled to find his notes. Upon finding them and reading them through, he heard a knock at his door.

"Who is it?"

"Remember that ghost from yesterday? She said you owed her 20 gil, so I'm here to collect."

"Come in, Dia."

She opened the door and entered alongside yet another new face.

"Oh...hello...", Surito greeted hesitantly.

"Hello", she greeted back warmly. "My name is Ameliance Leveilleur, a good friend of Dia's. I understand you're to give a lecture in the Studium today, is this correct?"

"I am. My name is Surito Carito. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"As am I. If you're going to give a lecture here in Sharlayan, however, we thought it best if you might look the part." Ameliance reached into her inventory and pulled out a small, white Sharlayan robe, sized for a lalafell. "What do you think?"

"That...would be lovely. I wish I knew what to say...thank you, I..."

"But of course. Go ahead and change into it for me."

Upon the two looking away, Surito changed into the white robe and looked in the mirror.

"It looks nice."

They looked back and judged for themselves. "It does", Dia affirmed, "Although it is a little big..."

"That much, we can change. If you wouldn't mind helping me with adjustments, Dia, we can get started."

After an hour preparing the robe to fit him, they looked upon their handiwork proudly. "Now that's a Sharlayan."

"Don't worry; we can hang the Scholar armor on a mannequin and show it off that way", Dia suggested.

"I would like that. It's important for Scholars to have the appropriate gear", Surito reminded her to Dia's amusement.

"Now that we have you dressed up, why don't we show it off, hm?" Ameliance suggested.

"I...I don't know."

"The only way people will get used to seeing you is to see you. The more people that see you walking peacefully with Ameliance and I, the better", Dia reminded him.

He took a deep breath and braced himself. "All right. Let's go."

With that, the three escorted Surito out of his chambers and led him around town. To his shock, fewer people seemed outright horrified at the sight of him as they walked around town. Some even cooed at the sight of him in their robes, like they would a child. He wasn't sure if that was any better.

After enjoying a leisurely walk about the city-state, they arrived at the Studium where they were directed to the lecture hall. Upon opening the doors, he was surprised at the amount of attendants that had already gathered, and the event wasn't due to start for another fifteen minutes. He sat in a chair on the side alongside Dia, Lily on his shoulder, Alka and Setoto (the latter having arrived about ten minutes before Dia and Ameliance did) and stared at the crowd of students.

Surito had a flash of memory. Nymian universities that trained young people all had their own robes to don in uniformity. They would gather and discuss, await the professors before they would start their work. They would ask all sorts of questions, pose theories, discuss history, magic, current affairs of the time, spend countless hours writing papers and preparing arguments. They would laugh together, they would cry together, bemoan assignments together, and cheer in triumph in their accomplishments together.

To see these young minds carrying on such similar traditions warmed his heart. It hit him in this moment that no Calamity, no apocalypse, and no tragedy in the world would ever dim a curious mind.

The hour drew nigh for the lecture to begin. Surito walked up to the podium that was adjusted for his stature and looked out to the crowd, who all looked to Surito to pay him heed. As he looked upon the faces of these students, he could see them- his classmates, his former teachers; he was back in his element.

He took a deep breath and spoke aloud.