#back on a mission - cirrus

[ask-sebastian]

I'm just warning ya it might be a few Muse songs in this list. 😏

I've shown you this before, this song is actually from a Need for Speed game I had on the Nintendo DS.

Honestly, I'm getting pumped already.

Maybe you can rearrange them a bit, so we don't get Muse back to back?

(I'm so sorry if people don't like Muse 😭it's my favourite band)

It's a bit slower, maybe we got stuck in traffic.

hmm I know some people don't like Rammstein... but I do, so tough luck.

Oh I'm at 10 songs already... but there wasn't a limit, was there? *evil smirk* incoming another music owl.

Zu coming in hot pursuit! I love that your pumped. We love the energy.

Also, there is no such thing as too much Muse. Never apologise!

Sabotage - Beastie Boys

[p1nkcanoe]

thinking about swiss getting in trouble for all the times he didn’t play his guitar on tour, all the times he didn’t stay on his platform like he should’ve, all of the times he went off and distracted his packmates during songs simply because he couldn’t control himself, and in turn being ordered to go to the practice room one afternoon and play. just play. prove he can work like the loyal ghoul he was summoned to be. so he does. and he's not happy about it, but he does.

but I’m also thinking about the others catching wind of his punishment and perhaps making it their mission to let him know just how distracting he can be.

swiss is trying so hard to practice. he wants to finish the set and go back to the den, pester cirrus while she reads or go search out whatever odd task mountain is busied with, but no matter how far he gets into a song he can’t help but notice his packmates in the corner of his eye as they sneak into the practice room with him. they come one by one and leave before the next enters, playing coy as they pretend to poke at their own instruments or adjust a sparkling tab. the first one catches him off guard—he’s about to be through the bridge in rats when long fingers wrap around his tummy from behind. they poke and prod at the soft flesh below his shirt, grabbing and kneading it in their palms before dragging upwards to grope at his chest, and he's about to stop playing when rain hooks his chin over the top of his shoulder and tells him to "keep going." then only a minute or two later he's finished with the song and rain is slinking out of the practice room before he can ask him what he could have wanted with him.

then he's cruising through absolution when aurora enters with cumulus trailing behind her. they come bounding in a pair to the front of the room, twirling and dancing with their fingers intertwined as swiss plays, and he can't help but smile as cumulus hooks an arm around her waist and dips her nearly to the floorboards, pulls her back up onto her feet and twirls her in a circle. aurora lets go of her hand. only to drop to her knees in front of the busy multi ghoul and wrap her tiny hands firmly around the backs of his thighs. he startles when she grabs his ass but doesn't stop playing. never misses a beat (or at least any that they notice). cumulus dances and twirls around the pair of them, acting oblivious to aurora as she puts on a show of humping the air and pulling at his thighs in manners that are comically obscene. swiss wants to laugh, he really does, but he also really needs to get through with the set first... before his papa comes back to check on his progress... again.

the girls dance and laugh. cumulus shimmies against his right shoulder and aurora pulls on his leg so insistently that swiss contemplates knocking her in the forehead with the body of his guitar. but then just like rain had, the two of them are gone by the time he finishes the last note of the song- the door shut behind them.

more ghouls pay him visits as he progresses. mountain shows up during year zero just to obnoxiously pluck at the strings of his instrument, phantom slinks in simply to pester him, and even cirrus makes a show during mary on a cross of wriggling around on the floor like a worm in the dirt.

he's about to be done with it all (thank the gods below) when the last ghoul saunters in. he's jamming through square hammer when dew sidles up to him, and there's no games, no teasing to his distraction. swiss gasps over the chorus, choking on his saliva suddenly, when dew presses his hard-on into his ass and snakes an arm between their bodies and between swiss' legs. he grabs him by his cock firmly and with his entire hand, squeezes and gropes at his soft length like he's trying to claw at it through the fabric. swiss hears the ugly noise that screams from his instrument before he realizes that his fingers have stopped working-- his entire brain has stopped working-- and dew is unrelenting. swiss feels his knees buckle when dew awkwardly reaches around his front with his free hand to grapple at his balls. and now, with his entire package in his hands, he can't possibly finish the last song.

"what the hell, dew?" he says, exasperated, and tries to get out of his grasp. but dew is stronger than he looks. he just grips him harder until swiss is sucking air between his teeth at the pleasurable pressure (and hardening up under his palms) and begins the exaggerated gesture of pretending to jack him off beneath his guitar.

finally, when swiss manages to break free from him, does dew speak.

"you fucked up the song, asshole."

swiss can only gawk as he releases him and leaves the practice room without looking back.

---

message recieved. loud and clear:

don't fuck with your packmates while they're working.

[dollyyun]

𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 | chap 09

SYPNOSIS: wherein the princess, who is a clandestine assassin, has been commanded to eliminate the seven vampire princes.

GENRE: 18+ (mdni), reverse harem, contemporary fantasy, enemies to lovers, third pov, eventual previous past lives will be entailed.

WARNINGS: profanities, violence, choking, suggestive theme/borderline smut kinda.

WORD COUNT: 6.8k

FEATURING: TXT members

TAGLIST: @aishigrey @kgneptun @b3tt7boop @smg-valeria @lhspeachie @enhaverse713586 @strxwbloody @firstclassjaylee @jwnghyuns @luminouskalopsia @deobitifull @loumin908 @sousydive @mlywon @pinkkami @skzenhalove @darkjongsung @caravm

🍒 MASTERLIST 🍒

As soon as a cirrus of consciousness pervades Elora's mind, an incessant pounding pummels within her skull, and gradually, she regains cognisance, resulting in her feeling sheer extortion throughout her body, while fragments of the event transpired prior to consciousness being deprived from her coalesce into one perceptible account.

The power that coursed through her veins was unlike any other. It was as though the enigmatic power itself derives from her inner core, rendering her confounded. She lacks comprehension of how and why it happened, especially when she was born as the first Aetherlyn without innate power. Subsequently, as she still bears the wound from being impaled by the dragon king's claw in her stomach, the extortion affects her wound, eliciting a painful moan from her lips.

Despite being rendered vulnerable, her mind and heart are in a symphonic tumultuous state of raging emotions, a thirst for vengeance is palpable. Being born with blood on her hands, she has long since developed a proclivity for bloodshed and enkindled mayhem insidiously.

No one, not even a single being, is aware that the princess of Aetherlyn is a clandestine assassin, and Elora intends to maintain this enigma until her dying breath.

"Mia Cara?"

Amidst the cacophony of tempestuous rage, a peculiar spark of benignity ignites within her upon hearing the dulcet tone of his voice. A part of her arduously desires to eradicate him and his brothers, since that is her mission after all.

Groggily, Elora flutters her eyelids open and is greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. A searing pain in her wounded stomach elicits another moan from her as she forces her body to turn to the other side, coiling her body with an arm covering her throbbing stomach.

"Elora." She feels his hands on her body before he cradles her in his grasps, with her body now leaning dependently on his chest while she is settled on his lap.

He grips her chin with his fingers firmly enough to tilt her head up, forcing her to meet his crimson-hued eyes with her hooded eyelids. "What's wrong?" Heeseung inquires, his tone evidently laces with worry despite his austere countenance.

"Hurts." Elora lacks the ability to form coherent words into a proper explanation, as pain is all she can feel. Her head almost lolls to the back while her eyelids are threatening to close, but his hand steadily supports her head.

"You need to feed on me." Heeseung raises his wrist to his elongated fangs, tearing the skin without any hesitation, before he descends his bleeding wrist to her parted lips that heave light pants. "Drink my blood." It is an order.

Despite her face contorting into a grimace at the revolting taste of blood, she complies, knowing that a vampire's blood, and moreover, a royalty's, has the ability to heal her wound.

The touch of her lips as she proceeds to drink from him sends an odd sensation through his body. There is no denying that he is enamoured by the sight of his bride with her eyes fluttering closed while holding his wrist firmly to her parted mouth.

Elora pushes his wrist away from her mouth, the excess of his blood is evident as it smears her lips. Her breath catches in her throat when he uses his thumb to wipe away the blood at the corner of her lips, while her gaze remains on his astute yet charming countenance.

Elora should be pushing him away, she should be ramming her hand into his chest to rip his heart out, but his touch on her body and his scent that infiltrates her senses feel oddly comforting and safe, especially with how he is being gentle with her, as though she can entrust her life in his hands.

"I'm going to kill them." An undertone of promise belies her croaked voice, while a spark of vengeance ignites in her indigo-hued eyes.

"No, you're not." Heeseung's opposition dismays her. "There will be no more bloodshed."

"Yes, I am." Elora punctuates her words before forcing herself to disentangle from Heeseung's oddly protective grasps. Despite the fact that his blood in her system has healed her, her body sways lightly as she abruptly stands, her mind going hazy momentarily.

"Mia Cara, stop." Heeseung's fingers latch around her wrist just as she nearly reaches the door with every intention to unleash her wrath at the dragon kings. Her heart lurches in her chest when he pulls her towards him. Their bodies crash against each other's, but unlike Elora, Heeseung remains indifferent as his eyes bore into her widened ones. "Under no circumstances should you provoke the dragon kings, let alone kill them."

She gives him a bewildered glare, but she doesn't feel the slightest bit bothered by his touch on her skin. "Why are you being indifferent about this? Weren't you attempting to annihilate one of the kings earlier?"

Heeseung's eyes flicker down at her lips momentarily, and they entice him to close the gap between them, but he maintains decorum. "Trust me, I feel as enraged as you, but Jay has commanded us to cease fighting any longer."

"Why is that?" She prods, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at him.

"We're about to find out." This time, another voice answers her question, compelling her to look over her shoulder just to meet Jake's eyes.

Jake, who is leaning against the door frame with his arms folded over his chest, tilts his head lightly to one side while a soft grin paints his charming countenance. "It's good to see you finally vertical, love." Even the way he speaks to her sends her a foreign sensation, and she has no idea whether to perceive it as good or bad.

"Elora." Jungwon emerges from behind Jake, his voice tinges with relief. When she looks at Jungwon, the latter's eyes soften as they scan her. "You were unconscious for a few hours."

"So I figured." She mumbles, tearing her gaze off of him to gaze at the window, where twilight has made its appearance. "When will we depart from here?" She inquires tersely, suddenly feeling self-conscious as their eyes remain on her.

"Hopefully soon." Jake heaves a sigh. "The kings agreed to spare our lives. The reason behind their agreement is solely because of Jay."

"Why? Because he's part dragon?" Elora frowns.

"You're not entirely wrong, but there is another reason." Jungwon tips his head to one side, beckoning them to follow him. "Come with me. The kings have summoned us to their main chamber."

"I don't trust them." Elora remains rooted to the ground. Her eyes go hard while a muscle pulses in her jaw. "We might be playing right into their trap."

"At the very least, you should place your trust in us, Mia Cara." Heeseung's voice comes out a tad softer at the end while he holds her wrist to his chest.

Something flickers in her gaze before she masks it with detachment, her lips curling into a sneer as she yanks her hand from his touch. "I don't trust you guys either. Remember that you're the ones who kept me as a captive detainee in the first place and got me into this shit." She says venomously, a patent animosity towards them.

Heeseung's eyes narrow at hers. "I recall you being the one who brought this upon yourself the moment you stepped foot into our kingdom. If anything, you're to be blamed. This is the consequence of your actions, Mia Cara."

Elora grits her teeth, hating how the endearment manages to affect her every time. "Stop calling me that."

The corner of Heeseung's lips tips up a smirk. "The more reason why I should continue to call you that, Mia Cara."

"We should head to their main chamber now." Jungwon's voice is tinged with annoyance as he grumbles.

"Come on, lovely. Enough of that." Jake chides her, but how soft-spoken he is compels her to heed his words. With one last glare at Heeseung, she pivots on her heels and trudges away with storms clouding over her head.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The familiar faces of the sovereigns greet her in her line of sight as soon as they enter the main chamber. The interior is different than she expected. The chamber is rather coruscating, with glimmering gemstones inlaid on every wall. Her gaze returns to the dragon kings, who have been examining her closely.

Elora recognises them, as she spied on them a few months ago when the high court ordered her too. Mainly due to studying them closely, albeit from afar, with a magical telescope to determine whether or not Pyrefall is merited as one of their targets. While dragons are the most ferocious creatures, they prefer to keep to themselves and avoid meddling with the affairs of other species; therefore, the high court of Aetherlyn concluded that it was prudent to steer clear of the dragons.

"So, is this the mermaidian you speak of?" Yeonjun's voice echoes throughout the chamber, resonating enough for Elora to be cautious of him and the way he is still accessing her with luminous amber eyes.

"I have a name." Elora nearly growls out her words, struggling to preserve decorum as all she desires is to launch her rage on the dragon kings, especially when the power is flowing through her veins with a hum, awaiting her to utilise it.

"Yes, she is." Heeseung wraps an arm around her waist, shattering her sole focus on her rage by the fact that his touch feels oddly protective. When she glances up at him, his stern gaze is directed at the dragon kings. "She's my bride."

"How peculiar. You are most certainly not one of the mermaidian princesses." Soobin speaks to her, prompting her sharp eyes to settle on his face. "Tell me, what is your rank?"

Elora hopes neither of them catches onto the way her heart is beating erratically. She has forgotten to prepare herself for this question. "I serve the princesses closely." As she speaks, her voice wavers lightly.

"A handmaiden?" Kai appears to be pondering as he raises an eyebrow at her. "Pray tell, how did a handmaiden like you end up being His Majesty's bride?"

"Enough." Jay startles her when he slams his palms on the wooden table, towering over the dragon kings' seated figures and glowering at them. Elora can't help but feel gratitude towards Jay for intervening. Her eyes glide all over his back, noticing how tensed his muscles are. "The purpose of you summoning our presence here is not to interrogate my brother's bride."

"Right. Let's get down to business." Soobin leans his body forward with his hands clasped together, and his amber-hued eyes seem to darken. "To begin, we will not apologise for capturing your brother and the mermaidian─"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Sunghoon cuts him off with a cold snarl. "Not only did you capture and injure Elora, but you've wasted our time when we should have already landed on Runefell's borders."

"Ah, the kingdom of phoenix's." Interest dances in Taehyun's eyes as he stares at the group. "It does beg the question, though. What do you hope to achieve in your expedition?"

"We are not obliged to answer your question." Heeseung's arm tightens around her waist, and she hates to admit it, but a part of her enjoys the sense of security he is providing her with.

"You're right." Beomgyu raises his hands, feigning surrender, while a smirk touches his lips. "But we're afraid that your brother may no longer join you in your expedition."

"Why is that?" Sunoo asks, his crimson eyes are glaring dangerously at the kings.

"Because we need him." Beomgyu's smirk falls, and the ambience is starting to feel sombre. "He's our dragon lord. One of the demigods of our world."

"Bullshit. He may be a dragon-vampire hybrid, but he is still a vampire royalty at the end of the day." Jake shoots him a scowl. 

Taehyun shrugs his shoulders. "Don't blame us. Blame the prophecy."

"What prophecy?" Riki frowns.

Jay heaves a sigh, his fingers running through his strands. "They have been told by their elders of a prophecy entailing the dragon lord's reincarnation, and he will reign supremacy over Pyrefall again."

"Aside from the prophecy, we do need him to strengthen the core of Pyrefall, especially when there is something brewing at this very moment." Soobin says sullenly. "A calamity that will happen soon."

"Wait," Sunghoon chuckles coldly, lacing with disbelief as he stares at Jay. "You can't possibly believe that you're their dragon lord."

Elora catches conflict residing in Jay's gaze before he looks away from Sunghoon with his jaw clenched. "What if I do?"

"This is preposterous! Our brother can't possibly be the reincarnation of your dragon lord!" Sunoo exclaims to the kings. "For that matter, demigods don't exist!"

"You have no idea how wrong you are about that." Kai shakes his head. "Perhaps you haven't been apprised of our past, in which there were demigods and demigoddesses a millennium ago. They ruled over kingdoms, including ours and yours."

"If what you are sprouting is true, then where are they now?" Riki asks with a sardonic grin. "Aren't demigods and demigoddesses supposed to be immortals?"

"A tragedy happened, leading to their demise." Yeonjun answers firmly. "We are uncertain of how or why it precisely happened, but according to the prophecy, each of them will reincarnate and will reign supreme over the kingdoms they used to rule."

"I'm not buying any of this." Sunghoon scoffs out. "This is all just a myth."

"Regardless of what you say, it doesn't change the fact that we recognise Jay as our dragon lord." Soobin tells him before his eyes meet Jay's steely ones. "You know it yourself, and you can't deny the fact that you have a sense of familiarity with us ─ your subjects."

"To add on, we will allow you to continue your expedition with Jay, on one condition." Yeonjun's tone is tinged with resolution. "After the end of your expedition, Jay will return to Pyrefall and reclaim his rightful position as the dragon lord."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Elora leans her back against the wall with her arms folded below her chest, eavesdropping keenly on the seven brothers as they have been engaging in a heated dispute with Jay since the moment the dragon kings made their dispersal. As she continues to listen, her mind drifts off to the conversation she last had with the vampire queen.

Unlike the rest of his brothers, Elora has a strong sense of inclination to believe in the fact that Jay is indeed a demigod ─ the lord of dragons, even more when the dragon kings provided with them concrete proof, just like the queen did with her.

Elora is startled by the ajar door swinging open violently, and as she turns her head to the side, she watches as Jay emerges from the chamber. The tension is palpable in his muscles. Upon catching sight of her in his peripheral vision, he turns to look at her, but the female remains flat-lipped before she leans away from the wall and saunters past him.

Elora hears his footsteps approaching her from behind before he falls in tandem with her, side by side. "You're no longer hurt anywhere, right?" Jay asks, though there is hesitation in his voice.

"No. Heeseung healed me with his blood." Elora says, remaining impassive, before her eyes flicker at his. "Are you actually considering returning to Pyrefall after the expedition?"

Jay's steely eyes harden with emotions she can't decipher. "I have no choice. The only reason you and my brothers are still alive is because of me. Otherwise, they would have executed you lot, especially after Sunoo and Riki eliminated some of the royal guards."

"There is always a choice." Elora retorts as they now turn to a corner where their temporary quarters are located. "You just have to be brave enough to make that choice. If I were you, I would've devised a strategy to outplay their cards instead of acceding to them."

"You wouldn't understand if I told you." Jay mutters bitterly, still following her even as she enters the room.

"Oh, but I do. I understand that you're weak." Elora shoots him a smirk as she stands in front of him. "You've allowed yourself to submit to the dragon kings, accepting whatever tripe they sprouted. I expected better from a prince like you than to acquiesce, but then again, you're just a mere prince, and they're the kings, after all. Pathetic."

"Shut up." Jay clenches his jaw while his crimson-hued eyes dance with menace. "You don't know anything. You're just a useless mermaidian without a worthy rank." He steps closer to her, glowering at her with his glaring eyes penetrating into hers. "The next time you dared to speak to me with such insolence, you'll do well to remember your place that is beneath me."

Elora ignores the tension that rises abruptly in a span of minutes as she remains glaring into his eyes. She clenches a fist to the point her nails are digging into her palm, finding his disrespect towards a royalty like her unacceptable, albeit he's one as well. "You may be above me, but you don't have my respect." She whispers, smirking coldly. "Get out, or I'll show you that I am far more capable of killing you in ways that are unimaginable."

In a blink of an eye, Elora finds herself being pinned against the wall with a loud thud due to the impact, and a gasp leaves her lips at the moment his fingers that are curling around her neck squeeze hard, obstructing the airways. She attempts to summon the magic that derives from the bracelet with the intention of conjuring a weapon, but once again, it fails her.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Jay asks mockingly with a cold chuckle, his grip on her neck is threatening, choking her. "You know, I felt sorry for you earlier today when you were injured by one of the kings. I should've let them kill you off instead."

"Fuck you." She manages to utter despite the restriction of her airways. She struggles in his strong grip and attempts to knee him in the sack, but he uses his knee to settle in between her parted thighs instead while gripping her neck tightly, which causes her to see black dots in her vision.

With a cold smirk on his handsome countenance, he dips his head next to her ear. His voice sounds sinisterly dark. "Tell me, Habibti, should I be the one to kill you?"

Elora claws at his forearms as she continues to struggle, her eyes rolling to the back as she nearly succumbs to the darkness, but he loosens his grip on her neck just slightly, allowing little air for her to inhale. Her heart nearly lurches in her chest at the moment he leans down to her face with his head slightly tilted and their noses grazing against each other.

His crimson-hued eyes seem to darken with each passing second, the longer her gaze remains on him. "Even if I kill you, you wouldn't even matter because Heeseung will eventually find another bride that is worthy of him."

"You can't kill me." She wheezes when he squeezes her neck again. "You need me to acquire the crystal heart. I'm the only access you have to get what you want." The airy whisper from her hits his lips.

Jay examines her with darkened eyes. An involuntary lust clouds his head at the gorgeous sight of the helpless mermaidian, whose eyes glimmer with hope for clemency, but her ego won't allow her to utter the words he wants to hear.

"Beg." He commands lowly. "Beg, then I'll consider letting you live."

"Never." She gasps out once more. Pain is apparent while her eyelids are threatening to close, with the black dots appearing in her vision quicker.

"Come on, Habibti. Don't disappoint me."

Tears well in her eyes, feeling humiliated by the fact that he easily overpowers her. Shoving her pride aside, she begins to whisper brokenly. "Please....."

What he does next throws her completely off guard. As he loosens his grip on her neck, but enough to still assert dominance over her, he closes the gap between their lips and swallows her gasp. She has no idea why, but she falls for his allure, reciprocating the kiss with equal fervour.

With her parted lips, his tongue breaches the entry to explore the cavern of her mouth, eliciting a faint moan from her. A low growl vibrates at the back of his throat as he appreciates the female submitting to him, sending her goosebumps.

Jay has no idea how divine and exquisite the mermaidian taste is. Her taste only drives him to addiction, needing to savour her for as long as he can.

"This is so wrong." She manages to murmur against his hungry lips. Eventually, he pulls away from her lips and dips his head into her neck, kissing her skin so sensually that she can't help but arch her back with her neck bared to him. Her chest heaves up and down at the palpable tension, and she attempts to squeeze her thighs together, but his knee is a hindrance.

A soft moan leaves her lips as he nips at her skin with his teeth. "Heeseung─"

"Keep my brother's name out of your mouth." He growls against her skin, sending shivers down her spine, especially with his hands roaming around her back before they rest on her derrière to pull her closer to his body.

By now, Elora is panting heavily, with moans occasionally leaving her lips at his sensual assault on her neck and her core grinding on his thigh. He trails his kisses on her skin upwards until he presses a deep kiss on her cheek. "Don't fucking say his name when you should be saying mine."

"But Heeseung─"

"What is my name, Habibti?" He nearly snarls, and she discerns how evidently he is being territorial over her. She gasps as he squeezes her derrière hard. "I asked, what is my fucking name?"

"Jay." She whimpers as he slots his lips over hers, not kissing her just yet, but enough to graze his lips against hers ghostly. "Jay." The way she utters his name sounds heavenly.

Satisfaction spreads across his chest before he leans in to nip at her bottom lip, sucking on it and resuming to kiss her senselessly. A low approval growl emits from him upon feeling the mermaidian using his knee to get off her high.

"That's it. Use me." He smirks against her lips, watching as her eyes roll to the back with her head tilting and her parted lips heaving with breathy moans, knowing that she is nearly coming. "I'm the one who gets you like this. Not Heeseung."

Elora ruts her hips against his as soon as her orgasm comes crashing down violently. A moment of exhaustion dawns on her while her arms are lazily draped over his shoulders. He proceeds to carry her over the bed and settles her down with the tendrils of her lilac sprawling across.

With hooded eyelids and dazed eyes, she gazes at him as he hovers on top of her. Her eyes flutter close when he leans down to kiss her, but this time, it is a kiss full of gentleness, as though he is taking his time to memorise the shape of her lips. Her heart flutters in a way that is foreign to her.

Jay pulls away briefly to scan her, smirking as he does so. He places a chaste kiss that she will surely remember before disappearing from her sight in a blink of an eye, leaving the female utterly breathless as she remains unmoving from the bed.

The state of haze continues to cloud her mind while her eyes are staring at the ceiling in daze. As her fingers make their ascent to touch her lips, which still tingle with the sensation of Jay's lips, she begins to ponder: What the fuck was that escalation?

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Seated on the balustrade by the massive open balcony, the nightly breeze tenderly brushes against her cheeks while she gazes out to the horizon, and she catches silhouettes of dragons soaring in the sky freely. The thought of freedom brings a rueful smile to her lips, while her heart has a discernible ache of longing.

Although Elora doesn't particularly have good memories back at her kingdom, she misses being there, especially the Mermaidia princesses, whom she regards as sisters. She misses the view of her bedroom, where the window allows her to view the magnificent kingdom of Mermaidia. Unlike her own subjects, the mermaidians are kinder to her and often welcome her to their kingdom, even though she always comes off as standoffish to them. The only times she wasn't aloof were when the mermaidian princesses were around.

Elora can't deny the fact that Mermaidia feels more like home than Aetherlyn. Oh, how she yearns to return to Mermaidia, where she can seek a semblance of freedom and swim with aquatic creatures. Nostalgia hits her when she recalls a certain memory of her racing with the Mermaidia princesses by riding fairly huge seahorses.

"What are you doing out here, lovely?"

Elora turns her head to the side and instantly meets his kind gaze. She watches in silence as he approaches her. The benevolent ambience he exudes reminds her of the mermaidians. It is ironic how she thought that he would be the insufferable one when he turned out to be the kindest, alongside Jungwon.

"Just thinking." She gives him a curt answer, lowering her disheartened gaze, but the sentiment doesn't go unnoticed by him.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Jake's gentle tone compels her to confide in him.

As she lifts her head up, Jake is settled across from her as he settles down on the balustrade. The foreign flutter makes its movement against her heart as she locks eyes with him. "It's stupid, but I miss home." She murmurs.

His eyes soften. "It's not stupid, Elora."

"It is." She counters firmly, ignoring the palpable crack in her heart that denotes her yearning to return. "You know what's worse? It's the fact that I'll be betraying my people. I'll be betraying the princesses." The back of her eyes burns while she tries her utmost to refrain her voice from wavering, but with the look in Jake's eyes, she feels as though he is able to read through her.

"I'm sorry." Jake offers with a sympathetic glint in his kind eyes. "You should already know that I disagree with their decision to acquire the crystal heart."

"I know." Elora blinks away her tears before gazing out at the horizon once more. "Heeseung was right. I brought this upon myself."

"What really is your purpose for coming to Mysthaven in the first place?" Jake prods gently.

"I can't tell you." Elora releases a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, but it's better for the truth to remain unknown to all of you."

Jake wants to press on the matter, truly, but upon seeing how low-spirited she is and the apparent display of her vulnerability, he decides to forgo it and wants nothing more than to provide her comfort. His sharp eyes catch the sight of a tear sliding down her cheek.

Jake scoots closer to her, and when the distance between them is nearly nonexistent, she looks at him with widened eyes, but he remains focused as his hand ascends to cradle her cheek before using his thumb to wipe away the fallen tear.

"I hate seeing you cry because of us." He murmurs, his eyes zeroing in on her glistening ones. Tenderly, he brushes her cheek once more with his thumb. "Don't cry, lovely."

Elora is about to deny it, but his strong yet kind gaze does something to her heart. She should be pushing him away, as he is one of them, after all, but right now, she doesn't feel like he is a threat to her. Instead, he feels like a safety blanket, offering her the comfort she never knew she needed until now.

"I miss home." Elora says sincerely in a broken whisper. By home, she meant Mermaidia. Not Aetherlyn.

"I know you do, love." Jake's velvet tone soothes her, prompting her to lean into his touch. There is also a peculiar warmth he exudes. His heart soars upon seeing the way she voluntarily seeks comfort, even from his mere touch as he cradles her face.

"Thank you." Elora murmurs, sincerity glimmering in her beautiful indigo eyes, which have become his favourite colour. "You are kinder to me than most. Thank you for that, Jake."

Jake unfurls a soft, lopsided grin that sends another flutter to her beating heart. "So, since you're not sleeping any time soon, care to tell me more about your home?"

When he sees a small smile appearing on her lips, he realises that he may or may not catch forbidden feelings for his brother's bride.

All the while Elora tells tales about Mermaidia and sits closely with Jake as he listens attentively, they fail to realise a pair of eyes and ears have been watching and listening to them in the dark. 

Jungwon's jaw is clenched while his eyes harden with newfound envy before he forces himself to look away from the sight any longer and retreats to his quarter.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When the next sun rises, the group wastes no time delaying and prepares to disembark for their next destination. Kingdom of Runefell, the kingdom of the phoenixes. The air is crisp as soon as she arrives at the castle's courtyard, where she is taken aback to see the kings in their dragon forms.

"You're here." Heeseung breathes out, his eyes scanning her appearance, and his chest rumbles with approval that the female is wearing the attire he had provided for her.

"It's not as if I can run away, can I?" There is a certain bite in her tone before her eyes soften as she stares at Jake, who is approaching her with a welcoming grin.

"Hey." Jake greets her as normally as he can, despite his heart pounding hard against his chest at the gorgeous sight of the mermaidian.

"Hi." Elora dismisses the way Heeseung seems to be examining them and remains in eye contact with Jake. "So, why exactly are they in their dragon forms?"

"Because we'll be riding them." Sunghoon's annoyed voice speaks from behind, prompting her to break eye contact with Jake, who, in return, pouts his lips in dismay as she no longer has her attention on him.

"But why?" Sunoo asks, his face twisting in pure annoyance and distaste. "We have Jay to do that, and surely he is able to carry the seven of us on his back."

"Shifting into a dragon is not as easy as you think." Jay's cold voice sends a familiar shudder to her, and when she accidentally locks eyes with him, instantaneously, she lowers her gaze while her cheeks feel oddly warm from the recollection of yesterday's event that happened between them. "Just like Riki, I need to save strength for what is to come next." Even as he continues to speak, she can feel his eyes drilling into her figure.

"The kings initiated and graciously agreed to assist us at Runefell's borders." The authoritative tone in Heeseung's voice indicates no room for any objections, to which the rest immediately smack their lips shut. "You all know your assigned teams. Elora will be riding with─"

"I'll ride with Jake." Elora interjects sharply, taking everyone by surprise as she walks towards Jake and latches her fingers around his wrist, dragging him with her. Jake can't help but shoot a smug grin at Heeseung before following her.

"Wanna ride with me?" Jay asks Heeseung, forcing the latter to look away from the two as they look oddly comfortable with each other.

Heeseung heaves a sigh. "As if I had a choice."

"Since when did they get close to each other?" Sunoo asks Jungwon in a whisper as they approach Taehyun's dragon form.

Jungwon's tongue hits the roof of his mouth as he rolls his eyes. "Do I look like I have the answer?"

Sunoo narrows his eyes at Jungwon's bitter tone. "I was merely asking."

While the group is busily mounting and settling themselves on the dragon kings' backs, the kings exchange looks between each other with snorts of smoke leaving their muzzles, finding great amusement in the palpable tension amongst some of the hybrid brothers and the mermaidian.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The journey from Pyrefall to Runefell is not as tedious as she thought it would be. Maybe it has something to do with Jake, who has made the journey comfortable for her, and how secure he held her waist, similar to how Heeseung held her before, but this time, the butterflies were intensifying in her tummy.

The sky remains a clear, bright blue, with the sun by the horizon casting a warm glow as the dragon kings make their descent to the land. As Jungwon dismounts from the dragon king with ease, his eyes are attached to Elora and Jake once more, and the green feels like poison within him.

As Jake has dismounted first, he assists Elora with his hands on her waist, carefully helping her to dismount from the dragon king. A subtle smile yet one that is impactful to Jungwon dances on her pink lips as Jake says something to her, to which she chuckles lightly afterwards.

"Are you okay?" Sunoo nudges Jungwon with his elbow. "You look like you're about to pop a muscle."

"Shut up, Sunoo." Jungwon hisses lowly before tearing his gaze off of the couple.

"Why do you have to be mean to me every time?" Sunoo sighs, following after his brother.

"It should be the opposite." Jungwon states in a monotone manner.

"Thank you for your service." Jay speaks for the group as he stands in the dragon kings' line of sight. In return, the dragon kings bow their heads before flapping their wings, gradually making their ascent.

The group begins to cross over the border and simultaneously wonders about the lack of security at the border. Elora has never been to Runefell, and neither has she ever encountered a real-life phoenix. However, she has heard that phoenixes are a majestic species and a force to be reckoned with.

"Has any of you been here?" Elora breaks the silence that feels thick, her eyes darting between their faces in curiosity.

"No. We have not." Sunghoon answers her curtly, his eyes are scanning their surroundings to keep a lookout for any potential danger that decides to hurl at them.

"Is it just me, or does this place look like a ghost town?" Riki asks in a low murmur, prudence is evident in his tone.

"Yeah." Elora swallows harshly in an attempt to moisturise her dry throat. She immediately understands what he means. Despite the striking autumn leaves that cast a warm ambiance amidst the peculiarly warm temperature, it sure does feel ominous, especially when there are no signs of civilisation.

Silence befalls the group as they walk in silence. Occasionally, Heeseung's eyes trail to his bride from time-to-time to check for her well-being. His eyes narrow at the close proximity between her and Jake.

"Look over there." Sunoo announces, his finger pointing towards a small town from afar. "Maybe we can ask the folks directions."

"There's the castle." Sunghoon points out this time, and as they catch sight of the castle, they expect to see a beautiful castle, but instead, it looks ruined, almost as though a calamity had dawned before.

Elora's head throbs, leading her to stagger back a step while a wince escapes her lips, but Jungwon is swift to catch her as he supports her from behind. She ignores the tingles dancing on her skin as he touches her, her fingers rubbing her throbbing temple.

"Are you okay?" Jungwon asks in a murmur beside her ear and, subsequently, squeezes her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.

"Yeah, I just─" Her breath hitches momentarily when flashes of images appear in her mind before they disappear into thin air. She shakes her head, finding it bizarre. "Never mind. I had a little headache."

"The more reason we should head for the town to get you some refreshments." Jungwon's breath fans the shell of her earlobe, still not letting her go. "Come on."

Elora allows herself to be assisted by Jungwon, and eventually, the group makes their way to the first sign of civilisation.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Riki was right. Everywhere is a ghost town. As they finally arrive, there are no signs of any phoenixes in sight. It is practically deserted, and every building looks dilapidated, akin to how the castle looks. It is as if the kingdom and its inhabitants have been forsaken.

"I have heard tales about how Runefell was a radiant kingdom and prospered with an abundance of opulence, but this?" Sunoo speaks up, scoffing. "This is giving me major eerie vibes."

"Where is everyone?" Elora ponders out loud, her eyes scanning her surroundings keenly, and a movement captures her attention. Without alerting the princes, she rushes past them, startling them.

"Excuse me!" Elora halts her steps a few metres away from the mysterious, tiny, cloaked figure, who was previously about to sneak away. "Are you a citizen of Runefell?"

The kid hesitantly takes a glance at Elora, allowing the latter to catch a glimpse of the little boy's face. "Stranger danger." The kid mumbles.

Elora hears the princes approaching from behind, but she focuses on the kid with radiant golden rims in his eyes, and a frown pulls at her lips when she notices the abrupt change in his contortion. "Hey, kid─"

But what happens next shocks her. In an instant, the cloak obscuring the kid's full identity burns into ashes while he bursts into flames, but peculiarly, his flesh doesn't seem to melt.

"Elora!" Jungwon is quick to snatch Elora by the waist, pulling her away from the kid. Elora is too shocked to process anything after what she witnessed, still staring at the kid with her lips parted.

"Are you going to kill us?" The kid begins to wail, his power is abundantly uncontrollable. Despite bursting into flames, tears stream down his cheeks. "Please don't kill us! We have nothing left!"

"What? No! We're not going to kill you!" But the way Sunoo declares it seems to frighten the child more.

"Duck!" Riki shouts, dodging the flames that are shooting uncontrollably from the child's power.

Sunoo uses his magic to create a shield, with Riki behind him. Jungwon uses his body to shield Elora from allowing any of the flames to touch her, with his arms wrapping around her. Heeseung uses his magic to counter the flames, distinguishing them with water. Jay, who clearly breathes fire, clearly isn’t affected by the flames.

"Jake, what the hell are you doing?!" Sunoo's exclamation draws their attention to the aforementioned male, who is cautiously approaching the kid without any concern for his safety, and it also appears that the flames have no effects on him.

"Jake!" Heeseung grits his teeth, worried for his brother.

But Jake ignores any of their calls, as his sole focus is to soothe this kid. "Hey, it's okay. We're not here to hurt you." Amidst the child's wailing, Jake's gentle voice manages to overpower the chaos.

The others watch in bafflement as Jake places both of his hands on the child's shoulders while he kneels down. Upon Jake's touch, the child's wails quieten as he tearfully stares at Jake with a peculiar emotion that has Jake in confusion.

"We're not here to hurt you, little one." Jake reiterates firmly this time. "Where are your parents?"

"I don't have any." The boy hiccups, and Jake's heart feels as though it has been ripped off his chest. As a matter of fact, Jake feels oddly inclined to protect this boy as though the boy is his own.

"Then where are the rest of your people?" Jake asks, his face contorting into a frown.

"They're everywhere." The boy wipes away his tears with the back of his hand. "Please spare our lives. We have nothing left but the scraps of our home."

Jake clenches his jaw, and his eyes darken dangerously. Whoever is their sovereign clearly doesn’t deserve the title. He begins to ponder how long the citizens of Runefell have been neglected and living in such conditions.

"Do you know your way to the castle?" Jake asks gently while keeping his anger at bay.

"Yes." However, wariness resides in the boy's eyes. "But─"

"Can you guide us?" Jake's voice sounds too calm, and out of all them, Elora is able to discern that he is more than pissed. "I'd like to have a chat with your sovereigns."

"Jake! That's not what we came here for!" Sunghoon doesn’t bother to conceal his annoyance.

"I don't care." For the first time, Elora is taken aback to see the fierce resolution Jake displays, and for a fleeting moment, she swears she sees radiant golden rims in his eyes that are akin to the child's.

"Our expedition can wait, but this can't." Jake nearly growls, glowering at the rest of his brothers, before turning back to the kid with a firm nod. "Lead the way, little one."

PREV CHAP | NEXT CHAP

[rambheem-is-real]

Snail Fic

varadeva, crackfic based on server convos

Kid Deva is afraid of snails.

-

1981

Deva runs over to his father, dutifully presenting the bundle of documents Amma had sent with him. 

Dhaara smiles down at him, ruffling his hair affectionately. “Look at my boy, so responsible.” Deva feels his chest puff with pride. “Six years old and already going on important missions for the tribe.” Dhaara pokes Deva’s cheek, and Deva giggles. 

His father takes the documents, glancing down at them before setting them on the desk, and then returns his attention to Deva. “Well? Didn’t your mother tell you to come back home once you’re done here?”

Deva doesn’t move, but his lips drop down into a pout. Dhaara chuckles. “Alright, alright, I did promise you last week that I would take you into the Shouryanga forges,” he says, and Deva bounces on his toes, giddy over the fact that he’d get to see where his father worked most of the week, when he wasn’t at home or in political meetings with the rest of the tribe council. “Follow me.” 

Dhaara reaches towards the documents on the desk, then stops. “Not again,” he sighs. “We’ll have to get new ones, chinna.”

Deva walks over to the desk, leaning on his tippy-toes to see the papers. He gasps when he sees that they look.. wet? He quickly scans the rest of the surface. The cup of coffee is on the far side, and there’s no way it would’ve spilled all the way over here. However, there seems to be a trail of wetness across a corner of the desk, the one that the papers were close to. “What happened?” he asks. 

“Snail,” Dhaara says. “Now come on,” he gestures towards the door, but Deva stays put. 

“What’s a snail?”

“It’s an animal,” Dhaara explains. “It’s tiny and when it moves it leaves behind a trail of mucus.”

Deva glares at the wetness. Mucus, Dhaara had called it. How dare this snail ruin Nanna’s papers! he thinks. He turns back to Dhaara, shaking his head. “There’s a snail in here,” he says, and as always Dhaara understands his son perfectly. 

He chuckles at the little boy. “What, you’re gonna stay here until you catch it?” 

Deva nods, imagining himself as one of the superheroes in the comic books Varadha had stolen from Rudra. 

“And then what? You’ll kill it?” 

Deva immediately deflates. He hadn’t gotten that far in his imagination. How hard would it be to kill a snail?

“Chinna,” Dhaara tries to reason with him, but Deva’s already turning his back on him, pushing a chubby finger through the mucus on the desk. 

Determined little wolf, Dhaara thinks affectionately. He’s going to be a great leader. Chuckling, he makes his way out of the office room. Dhaara’s halfway outside the door when he hears an ear splitting scream, and immediately races back inside, heart pounding. That had been his son.

Expecting Mannarsi soldiers, Ghaniyar spies, or a ferocious beast of an animal, Dhaara runs into the office to see Deva sitting on the floor, staring agape at the desk, clutching his left hand to his chest. 

“Deva?!” 

Deva turns to look at him, still shocked, and wails, “SNAIL!”

Dhaara has to fight to not immediately burst out laughing at the mental image of what must have happened. Oh my God, he thinks, he’s terrified of snails. His brave little wolf cub, who wasn’t afraid of the dark, snakes, spiders, Raja Mannar’s scowling face, or anything a typical child might be afraid of, was terrified of snails.  He gently approaches his son, trying his best to keep a straight face. “Did you touch it?”

Deva nods, and a tear slips down his face. “It was so sticky,” he whispers. 

Dhaara scoops Deva up into his arms, and Deva doesn’t protest, only curling around him and resting his head on Dhaara’s neck. “It’s okay, chinna. Let’s just go home.” He only hopes Deva doesn’t feel the way he’s shaking from keeping the laughter in. 

-

1985

“-and those wisps up there, they’re called cirrus clouds,” Varadha explains, pointing to said clouds. Deva nods, listening raptly. His Varadha was so smart. 

They’re enjoying a leisurely day in the meadow, both of them not having any clan-related duties for the time being. Deva had brought a blanket for them to sit on, and Varadha had brought some biscuits to snack on. They spent most of the morning chasing each other in the grass, until they got tired and laid down, Deva’s head resting on Varadha’s chest, as he talked Deva’s ear off about what he learned that week from his science tutor. Not that Deva had any complaints. It was cool information, and even cooler coming from his best friend. 

“The water cycle-” Varadha cuts himself off, but Deva just closes his eyes, soaking in the sun, the cool ground underneath, and the feeling of Varadha so close to him. This was bliss. 

“Oh hey, little one,” Varadha croons. He’s probably found another frog or something, Deva thinks. Varadha had a problem when it came to animals, always wanting to cuddle the ones he thought were cute even if it meant it might be dangerous. “You’re adorable. Rey, Deva, look at this!” 

Deva feels something dropped onto his chest, and figures it's the frog. “What should I name him?” He opens his eyes, aiming to only briefly glance at the thing and offer a suitable name for Varadha, before going back to relaxing. 

Deva’s met with an abomination of a creature, its white eyes staring Deva down from the V of its antennae. He immediately lets out a strangled scream, body jolting in terror. 

Varadha immediately turns to him in confusion. “Deva? What’s wrong?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

Deva can’t let Varadha know about his fear. No self respecting ten-year-old should be scared of snails. Besides, it was usually Varadha being scared about something and coming to Deva for reassurance (that Deva would gladly provide), not the other way around. Varadha wouldn’t think Deva was cool if he ever found out about the snail problem. 

“Nothing, ra. Just thought I felt something.” 

“Oh, ok,” Varadha says, although he still sounds suspicious. “You’re alright then?”

Deva forces himself to look away from the beast’s horrific body, crawling around right on his chest , and towards Varadha, still worried. He plasters on a fake grin. “Of course! Never better! Absolutely jolly.” 

Varadha raises his eyebrow. “‘Absolutely jolly’? What the hell, ra?”

He’s gotta do something about this. Deva leaps to his feet, turning his back on Varadha, brushing away the snail as quickly as he can, shuddering at the wet sensation on his knuckles. 

“I think I’m just tired, I’m gonna go home and sleep,” he tells his friend. Go home and cry, more like, Deva thinks to himself. It was so wet-

“You dropped him!” Deva whips around to see Varadha lunge towards the fucking snail between Deva’s legs, cradling it within his hands as if it were some angelic being. Varadha smiles down at the way it squirms, not noticing the way Deva’s body is doing the same thing in the presence of the snail. “I think I’ll call him Deva Jr.”

Deva bites back all the swears he knows, which are honestly not a lot. “Ok, have fun with your snail. I’ll see you tomorrow, ra,” Deva calls back as he starts to speedwalk his way out of the meadow, determinedly not looking back. 

“Rey! Picchoda, you forgot your blanket!” Varadha calls out, and there was definitely suspicion in his voice. 

“Bring it to me tomorrow!” Deva shouts back. As soon as he’s out of the field and within the trees he starts running. 

-

Snails. Hundreds of tiny ones. They were slowly gaining on Deva, mucus trailing behind them. Deva backs up into a wall, eyes wide as he realizes there’s no way out. The snails crawl up his body, up his face, in his-

“Rey, wake up, Amma is calling!” 

Deva wakes up gasping. He stares at Varadha in his room, and Varadha stares back until he seems to realize he had something to say. 

“Oh! I’m here to return this,” he explains, and shows Deva the blanket, putting it on the foot of the bed before he scampers back to Deva. “Don’t have time the rest of today, I’m helping Thatha with the Bharghat negotiations!” Varadha beams at Deva, clearly excited, and Deva can’t help but smile back. His Vara was too cute. 

Something wet brushes his arm, and Deva yanks it out of the bedsheets. Both he and Varadha look at the white snail suctioned to Deva’s arm. He’s too tired to pretend he’s not scared out of his mind, he just woke up for God’s sake. Deva screams. 

He wiggles his arm around in the air, trying to get the snail to fly off, but the snail is sticking to him with the mucus. Varadha watches, eyes wide. “So THAT’s why you left so early yesterday?” 

Deva tries flicking the snail with his other hand, but that doesn’t do anything either. 

“You’re afraid of SNAILS?”

“NO I’M NOT,” Deva yells back, resorting to slapping at the arm. The snail crawls forward during a brief pause of Deva’s hand swatting at it, and Deva screams once again. 

“YES YOU ARE!” Varadha cackles.He gently grips the body of the snail and pulls it until the suction gives way. He grins at Deva, who looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. “What were you even trying to do? You couldn’t have just told me?” 

Deva looks down at his hands, frowning. “You’d think I was a coward.”

Quickly, Varadha darts in and gives Deva a hug. When he pulls back, Varadha gives him a soft smile. “Rey. You’re the bravest person I know. Even now.”

Deva perks up at that. “Really?”

Varadha nods. “Of course. And the snail thing,” he grins bashfully, “just makes you cuter.” 

Deva feels his ears burning. Cuter. His Varadha’s voice calling him that is going to rattle around in his head forever. 

“Rey Deva, wake up, how many times must I yell?” The voice of Deva’s mother seems to bring Varadha back to reality. 

“Oh, I’m gonna be late. Bye, ra!” Varadha calls out as he runs out of the room. He peaks around from the door, shit-eating grin on his face. “Of course, you can visit Deva Jr. anytime you want in Kotagadi!” 

“Yedava!” Deva yells, throwing a pillow at his friend, and Varadha easily dodges, laughing as he leaves the hallway. Deva can’t help but smile though. 

Cuter.

-

[orcaog]

More Completely Random Ghoul(ette) Headcanons

⭑ Rain pronounced Aether’s name wrong once and is unable to live it down.

⭑ Mountain is deathly afraid of spiders- which proves a problem when working in an outdoor greenhouse. He often approaches one of the Ghoulettes (they’re less likely to make fun of him) and asks them to get the spider in the corner for him.

⭑ Cirrus is the type of person to say the most unhinged stuff with a completely nonchalant tone- she’ll make a comment about how her and Cumulus had “very passionate intimacy” first thing in the morning with zero regrets and an air of casualness only achieved through having exactly 2 hours of sleep.

⭑ When Aurora was summoned, Sunshine decided it would be her mission to make the new Ghoulette as comfortable as possible in a new place. So when she went on tour, Sunshine spent her time left behind with Aether painting the wall in her room, so that when Aurora was to return, she’d come back to the Aurora Borealis as a giant mural on her wall. (Naturally, Aeth was dragged into it and was not allowed to complain or else Sunshine would chuck the paintbrush at him).

⭑ When Phantom was a new summon, he would find immense joy in jump-scaring people as they walked past open doorways. It ended when Swiss did it to Phantom and he burst into tears.

[mutt-sys]

MUTT!! !!! you should sooo totally explain your ghouls and how they interact with their element.... :3

YESSSSS OH MY GOD THANK YOU!! KISSING YOU(PLATONICALLY) I'M SO EXCITED HOLY SHIT

Okay so, in my version of the ghost universe the ghouls are fucked up experiments. Ghouls cannot be summoned they must be created, I've explained how they must be created in another post that goes alongside this one.

The clergy originally began experimenting on willing followers back in the 40s a little after WW2, they failed horribly each time until sometime in the 50s where they took a small group of followers and managed to turn them into ghouls.

These ghouls were gifted to the original Emeritus, they only managed to survive about four years before they gave into their elements and withered away. Now, seeing that it was in fact possible the clergy began experimenting more and more to get better results.

Soon they had their first successful batch of ghouls, they were given to the first Emeritus and they lived well over 13 years before they decided they needed more for the new cardinal who was going to take the place of the third Emeritus.

The clergy needed to get rid of these ghouls which prompted the experiments I talked about in a previous post, it worked and they had another batch of ghouls who were ready to protect and serve their cardinal at all costs.

How do these ghouls react? They're scared, skittish and wildly unpredictable. Dewdrop will overheat and sometimes catch things on fire, Aether makes things float or makes people pass out if they're near him for too long, Cirrus and Cumulus make people short in the breath, Rain can't be near water for too long or else it starts to gravitate near him, Mountain always grows random plants on spores on his body that need to be removed, Swiss can make you feel weak and fatigued if he touches you.

The Cardinal realizes all of these ghouls need help and he's made it his mission to protect them and get them comfortable in the body they're in, after years of rehabilitation it works and they're now mostly functional.

What the Cardinal, now Papa emeritus the fourth, didn't know is that they needed two more new ghouls and in the middle of the night the clergy stole two selected ghouls and began the process all over again.

The fifth Emeritus blames himself all of the time for not being able to protect his ghouls, it set so much progress back for all of them and now he needs to repeat all of the rehabilitation again with every single one of them.

[cheerycherrycandy-resurrected]

What if we kissed in the Maize Maze?

Ok so I wanted to start posting my Soulmates AU for Raindrop month, but writing for my Medieval one is going waay better than planned and it's confusing me to have 2 separate backstories in my head at once, so while I still have *checks calendar* 5 DAYS, here's a little stand-alone ficlet!

What if we kissed in the Maize Maze? A Midwest Emo Ghouls AU ficlet

Rating: T Content: fluff, literally that's it just fluff Words: 615

Lots of love to @alwaysjustmina for organizing this month again this year, I love any excuse to write about our soggy boys!! 🌦️🖤

hello @revengeghoulette, here is your summons as promised!! 🫡

Read below, or on AO3!

Haymaking season was coming to an end, and Swiss, Mountain and all the ghouls who pitched in to help were looking forward to a well-deserved break. To celebrate the end of the season, Swiss had built a maze out of hay bales for the children and kits of the town, as well as some of the more enthusiastic adults.

The whole community had come together to put on a party at the ghouls' farm. Mountain and his colleagues from the hardware store had built fairground games, Dew had dragged the church's speakers down on a trailer and was playing records Mist had brought from her shop. Aurora's cafe had a small pop-up, and Cirrus had brought a vat of apple cider, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, for the younger guests. Cumulus was in her element, her little face-painting stall attracting such a sizeable queue that Sunshine had jumped in to help out. Phantom was taking his new role as Youth Pastor – and more recently Sunday School teacher – very seriously, replacing her in supervising a very intense game of tag. While Mountain minded the hay maze, Swiss was giving rides on the haycart he had hitched to the back of his tractor, driving the children and kits up and down the field in the warm afternoon sunshine.

After closing time, once the families had gone home, the ghouls had the place to themselves without getting in the way of the fun of the younger members of the community. Rain and Dew were the last ones left inside the maze. Aurora and Mist had quickly disappeared somewhere together, Sunny, Cirrus and Cumulus were deep into their mission of finishing off the cider now that their responsibilities were over, the three of them covered in rainbow paint and body glitter.

Dewdrop and Rain walked hand in hand through the maze, quietly drinking in each other’s company in the balmy evening air. Making it to the centre of the maze they sat down on a bale, surrounded by golden walls on all sides as the amber glow of sunset spread across the sky. Dew leaned his head on Rain’s shoulder, utterly content in the moment.

“It’s beautiful.” Rain commented, as they watched the play of colours around them. “Just like you.”

Dew turned his face to bury it in Rain’s neck, bashful.

“You are, and I’m so proud of you, taking over from Aeth like you did. You’re doing such a great job, love! Look at how the town and harvest are flourishing. I’m honoured to call you my husband.”

Never one to take compliments well, Dew redirected Rain’s affections by capturing his lips in a searing kiss. The pair lost themselves in each other, the cooling temperatures went unnoticed past the warmth of their bodies, the slight prickliness of the hay nothing compared to the soft slide of their lips.

By the time they came up for air, Dew having squirmed his way into Rain’s lap, the sky was glowing a deep russet colour. From outside the maze, they could hear the sounds of the others packing up to leave.

“Alright lovebirds, time to come out or I’ll send the dogs in!” they heard Swiss call. The pair only giggled, Rain placing feather-light kisses across Dew’s cheekbones while he blushed the colour of the sky.

“You don’t have a dog!” Dew hollered back as he struggled to hold in his giggles.

“Hi Dewy.” deadpanned Mountain.

Eventually, Dew and Rain managed to find their way out of the maze, neither wanting to be found and carried out by the giant earth ghoul.

“Nice straw hat, Rain.” smirked Swiss, “although normally you weave it into itself, not directly into your hair!”

[thelampisaflashlight]

Mission Imp-Possible

[Although we're still three hours shy of the poll's conclusion, I couldn't resist writing this any longer, so, here it is. Swiss babysits some of the imps for an afternoon, it goes about as well as can be expected.] Below the cut.

Swiss would like to know whose idea this was so he can personally thank them, with his fists perhaps, for the headache of a task he's about to waste his day away with.

He has to watch the imps.

Not all of them, just the smaller ones; Cirrus, Dew, Rain, and Sunshine.

But that was still half the pack of the chaotic little runts, and Swiss can already feel the tension building behind his eyes the moment he opens his door and sees the pet carrier sitting there waiting for him.

Crouching down to look inside, Swiss locks eyes with the smallest of the lot; Dew.

Yes, Dew had named his imp after himself, the others had, too, to be fair, but Dew's imp had a special nickname to differentiate him from the ghoul himself.

Dewdles.

Fucking.

Dewdles.

In appearance, he's sort of like a cross between a hairless cat and a rabbit, with little mismatched horns and glowing spots where his magic emanates from his body.

Much like his master, Dewdles is a hybrid, though it was hard to say what his secondary element is, because it's certainly not fire.

He's water and... something else.

Quintessence, maybe, but no one is really sure.

He's a bit like a male calico in that sense.

Rare.

Dewdles is the least of Swiss' concern out of the lot though.

Unlike Dewdrop himself, Dewdles is well behaved, but he needs a lot of attention or he'll become all wet eyed and lethargic...

It's a little heartbreaking to see, and Swiss would rather not, so Dewdles is probably going to spend most of his visit on his lap or close by.

Out of the four of them, he's most concerned with Rain's imp.

Drizzle.

Somehow that name is worse than Dewdles, but Swiss can't quite parse why.

Drizzle is... in a word?

Slippery.

He's pure water, meaning his body has the consistency of one of those water tube toys; All flop and wiggle, and, if Swiss didn't no better, no bones whatsoever.

Drizzle is wrapped around Dewdles protectively, although if you ask Swiss, it looks more like he's about to suffocate the little guy and eat him as a snake might.

"He would never." Rain had assured him one evening when he'd seen Drizzle pick Dewdles up off the couch with his mouth and carried him off to snuggle in an overturned cardboard box in the corner, "...At least I hope not."

Rain was quick to clarify that he was joking, but it had taken a great deal of self restraint to keep himself from getting up rescuing the little imp.

A confused chirp from inside the carrier draws Swiss' attention to Sunflower, Sunshine's imp, who was just as small as Dewdles, if not a bit smaller -her large batlike wings and ears gave her a bit more mass- but it was hard to tell unless they were side by side.

Sunflower is a menace, too, largely because she can fly.

Yeah, apparently some imps can do that, though Sunflower seems more inclined to cling and climb, preferring to make others carry her than having to exert energy flying from place to place.

Still, he's a bit worried about her getting on top of or behind something and getting stuck should she decide to do so.

She probably won't.

He hopes.

And lastly, the small wisp of cloud in the very back of the carrier, glaring at him like an angry little lamb, is... Cirrus Jr.

Swiss can mock the others' naming skills all he wants, but, really?

Cirrus Jr.?

He knows better than to laugh about it to Cirrus' face though.

Cirrus Jr. is, quite possibly, the angriest little imp Swiss has yet to encounter.

She's a bit like one of those puffy lap dogs.

Pomeranians.

She bites like one at least.

Swiss assesses the little collective in front of him and then, sighing, takes the carrier inside his room, carefully shutting the door and latching it... because, yeah, the little assholes can work doorknobs.

There's not much imps can't do if they put their walnut sized brains to it, but, much like cats, they don't really have the ability to think things through beyond having the thought, "I've done the thing, now what?"

If they did, Swiss thinks the church would be sending them on the first bus back to Hell, but they don't, and, frankly, that much is apparent based on the little outfit Dewdles has on when he pulls him from the carrier.

Swiss has to pause looking at the pink, rhinestone embroidered shirt and attached tulle skirt, turning Dewdles' entire body in his hand to read the writing on the back.

"Grandpa's Princess." Swiss reads aloud, flipping Dewdles around to meet his gaze.

"Copia bought this for you, didn't he?"

Dewdles croaks at him, giving him a wide-eyed stare, his little two toed paws swimming uselessly in the air.

It's cute.

Swiss sets him down on the ground, watching him waddle along, unsteady on land in spite of being amphibious.

Drizzle lets himself out of the carrier once he sees Dewdles roaming around freely, sidling up beside the smaller imp, bumping against him gently.

Around his long, long neck is a little bow that matches the tulle on Dewdles' skirt.

Swiss hums and shrugs at the pair and turns back to see Sunflower crawling along the floor, looking around warily before slinking over to climb his knee.

"What are you doing?" he asks, feeling her little claws dig into his jeans as she pulls herself up onto his thigh.

She squeaks at him.

Carefully, Swiss extends his hand to her, letting her climb on before resting her on his shoulder.

Probably the only high place he trusts her to be while under his supervision.

Unlike Dewdles and Drizzle, she doesn't have any sort of accessories, probably because they would impede her ability to fly in one way or another, but as far as Swiss is concerned, she's adorable enough without them.

Truthfully, Swiss finds all of the imps impossibly cute... he just.

He just has trouble being around them.

He's not sure why really.

He's not allergic, and he's not afraid of the per se.

He just...

There's some mental hang up that makes it hard for him to understand them.

Even though they can make little noises and communicate quite well, they're very difficult creatures to read, especially for Swiss, and he isn't sure why.

He's been around other animals, other people, but imps?

Imps are weird.

Or maybe he's weird?

It doesn't really matter, it just means Swiss has to pour more energy into figuring out what they want, and sometimes he doesn't have it.

Today, though, he's fine.

He thinks so at least.

Although as he stares down Cirrus Jr., who has yet to leave the carrier, he can't help but feel a little out of his element, and as a multi-ghoul that's certainly an accomplishment in and of itself.

But he decides that, if he has to, or rather, because he wants to, that he's going to get the fluffy ball of rage to like him, even just a little bit.

Glancing over at Dewdles and Drizzle wobbling and sniffing around his room in tandem, and checking on Sunflower where she rests on his shoulder -receiving a mirthful squeak when he pokes the top of her head- Swiss offers his free hand to Cirrus Jr.

She sniffs once.

Twice.

And promptly trots over to the door.

Ouch.

He'd kind of expected that outcome, he's just glad her decision didn't involve sinking her teeth into his hand.

Again.

For the millionth time.

Swiss sighs and shifts to a proper sitting position on the floor, sliding the carrier over to retrieve a bag from the back.

It's a little baggy of treats and other things the imps might want, like toys or...

"Is that another dress?" Swiss pulls out another little costume from the bag; An imp version of their current uniform, complete with little booties.

It's too big to be for Dewdles though, and Swiss has never seen Drizzle wear anything apart from the occasional collar, so whose...

Cirrus Jr.

Swiss looks between the imp and the aloof cloud sat staring at his door.

There's even a little cape.

Yeah, no, this is going on that imp right now.

"Little demon~" Swiss singsongs, tapping his nails on the ground to draw Cirrus Jr.'s attention.

She glares at him.

"Wanna play dress up? Huh?"

There's a flicker of... something... in the imp's eyes.

Swiss thinks for a moment.

"Wanna look like your mama? Huh? Do ya?"

Cirrus Jr. tilts her head and whines.

Her little tail moving ever so slightly.

"Who wants to look like a badass~?"

Tiny hooves click on the ground enthusiastically and come to paw at his shins.

"...Holy shit."

The ordeal of getting a tiny, tiny wisp of cloud into a full on costume takes Swiss a full ten minutes, if only because the outfit is, like anything commissioned by the church these days... incredibly layered and detailed.

"They sprung for real buckles and zippers and not just velcro, huh?" Swiss muses once he finishes tying the laces on Cirrus Jr.'s boots.

"I take anything I ever said about Dewdles being spoiled. You. You are spoiled." he says, scratching behind Cirrus Jr.'s ears, making her wiggle about and roll, "Yes you are, yes you are..."

"Mrrp."

Swiss shivers when he feels a wet, slimy mitt touch his pant leg.

Drizzle has, apparently, grown bored of following Dewdles around and has decided a nap is in order.

The only problem is, Swiss doesn't want a soggy, mucus covered imp in his lap right now.

"No."

If they were outside or in the pool, maybe, but the idea of his lounge pants getting crusted in snot in the process?

Not ideal.

"Noo..."

He doesn't get much of a choice in the matter when Drizzle opens his mouth, yawning widely to expose his practically toothless maw, and all but slides onto him.

"...Okay."

Swiss looks to see where Dewdles has gone without his buddy, and finds him...

Scaling the side of his bookshelf?!

"Dewdles, please-"

"Whrrr..."

"Please, bud."

"Mrrp, mrrr..."

Swiss tries to rise up from his place on the floor, but when he does...

"Mrrp!" Drizzle digs his claws into Swiss's thighs, hanging off of him and hissing irritably as his bed is taken away from him.

"Drizzle!"

"SQUEEEEE-"

All movement in the room stops as Sunflower cries.

Shrill and loud.

Directly into Swiss' ear.

Okay.

Okay, okay, okay.

Yeah, this is too much for Swiss to handle.

Why did the others think he could handle this??

He can't handle it.

He really can't.

He needs help.

Help.

"Stop."

Out from under the bed, shaking off a disturbing cloud of dust, comes Swiss' own imp.

Seldom seen or heard by anyone, even Swiss.

It doesn't have a name, Swiss hadn't wanted to name it to begin with, because it's...

"Behave."

It's weirdly intelligent, alright?

Swiss knows imps are good at mimicking sounds they hear.

But his imp is... it's weird.

It's like Mountain's imp.

Cursed in some way.

But different from the rest.

Even Mounty's imp has the excuse of belonging to, well, Mounty, to explain its odd behavior.

But his imp?

That thing scares him.

And the fact that it was sleeping under his bed this whole time?

It's no wonder he has so much trouble sleeping alone in his room at night.

His imp is shaped like a dog, but wrong.

Like someone tried to draw the animal from memory and made it flesh, with horns atop its narrow head and spines along its tail...

"Behave." it repeats, not to the imps but to...

Him?

Swiss points at himself and the imp just nods before slipping backwards under the bed, black eyes never leaving him.

"Sleeping."

Right.

Gathering up the imps back into the carrier, Swiss slowly flees the room, apologizing for waking the... the whatever the fuck is living under his bed, and heads down the hallway.

He sets up in the common room instead.

"...Right, so that was fucking terrifying." he says after letting the imps back out again, holding Dewdles and Cirrus' Jr. on his chest like a lifeline for his sanity.

Drizzle has curled up on the chair across from the couch, the one Rain likes, and is asleep.

And Sunflower is...

Hanging from the ceiling fan upsidedown.

Fantastic.

It's not on at least.

"Why are you torturing me?" Swiss whines, getting a mix of squeaks and chirps in response.

"You're all stressing me out."

"Mrrp."

"Squeak."

"Chirp."

"Snore."

Swiss lifts his head.

"Drizzle did you just say 'snore' instead of actually snoring?"

Drizzle chuffs at him lightly, sticking out his long, blue, froglike tongue at him.

"...If I didn't know Rain would be mad at me for losing you, I would throw you in the lake so fast-"

Drizzle raises his ears at that.

"I'm NOT throwing you in the lake."

Ears down.

"Mrrp."

Dewdles frees himself from Swiss' grip and drops down onto the floor, trotting over to the chair.

"Meep?"

Drizzle snakes his head down and grabs Dewdles off the floor, nestling him beside him.

They stare at Swiss disapprovingly together.

Swiss could be mad.

But then again, they are still dressed up like little matching nerds, so he just sticks his tongue out at Drizzle and turns his attention to Cirrus Jr., who has taken to sleepily purring at full volume against him.

Swiss yawns.

"The others better get back soon."

It doesn't take long for Swiss to drift off, feeling Cirrus Jr. go deadweight on top of him provides just the right amount of pressure for his body to relax, and the even breathing of Dewdles and Drizzle sleeping provides a nice bit of ambient white noise...

Sunflower chatters at him lightly from her perch, wrapping her wings around herself, taking the others cue and closing her eyes as well...

"Swiss?"

A hand jostles him awake.

He's not sure how long it's been, but when he goes to open his eyes he...

He can't see shit.

He brings a hand to his face and startles when he feels something soft and squishy resting there.

"Meep."

Ah.

Dewdles.

The imp flops off of his face when he rises, rubbing his eyes.

Rain is standing over him, Drizzle already having wrapped himself around his shoulders, "The imps wear you out?"

Swiss shakes his hand, stretching and yawning.

"Not at all, man..."

He looks around.

Cirrus Jr. is still asleep between his feet, and Sunflower is...

He feels something move on top of his head, in his hair.

"Can you...?"

He gestures to where Sunflower has tangled her feet into his curls.

"Mn." Rain carefully untangles the imp from Swiss' hair, letting her dangle from his index finger, "Were they all good? Five imps is a lot to take care of at one time..."

"Yeah, yeah, five is-" Swiss pauses, "I was only watching four imps."

"Oh, uh..."

"What?"

"Your imp...?" Rain gestures over the back of the couch.

Swiss peeks over the edge.

Laying firmly against the back of the couch, in an awkward sploot is his imp.

His imp followed him out to the common room.

Seriosuly?

"Fuck."

"Swiss Miss doesn't usually leave your room, I'm surprised."

Swiss looks at Rain.

"Swiss... Swiss Miss?"

"Oh, we also call him Marshmallow sometimes, or Chunky Butt, because he begs for food like crazy in the morning..." Rain hums, "You didn't know that?"

"I didn't know it even had a name."

Rain blinks at him.

"Don't judge me, I don't like imps!"

Rain gestures at the pile of imps surrounding him.

"They like me, not the other way around!"

Dewdles pats his face with his tiny paw.

Placating.

"...You don't count. You're practically a rat."

"Mrrp."

"Rats are cool."

"Mrr, mrr..."

Rain snorts, "Says the man talking to one like that."

Swiss flushes, embarrassed.

"Shut."

[petrichorvidae]

Mushy May Day 1: Cuteness aggression Doing each others' makeup

Rating: Teen Word count: 3,863 Pairing(s): Cumulus/Mountain (Not main focus) + Written with polyghouls in mind but can be interpreted however you want! Link to it on AO3 for those who prefer!

I couldn't for the life of me think of something for the cuteness aggression prompt so I swapped it out with this... only to realise I don't know all that much without makeup. And yet, I still ended up with one of the longest things I've written in years lol

A huge thanks to @forlorn-crows for organizing Mushy May!

~~~~~~~~~~

Cumulus had woken up that day with only one thing on her mind, a plan set in stone, an instinctual need to do but one not-so-simple thing; Today was the day Cumulus would teach Sunshine about makeup.

She wasn’t sure what, exactly, had brought this sudden urge upon her. Perhaps it was a few too many compliments and comments the Multi ghoulette had been making to her and, on the less than common occasions where she could be bothered to do her own makeup, Cirrus. Or maybe it was just because the new summon had brought back memories of her own time as someone new and foreign in a ministry full of people who knew each other, shoved into an already bonded pack, and remembered her first time discovering the wonders of makeup with some siblings, and how much joy it had brought her to have a new way to add to her self-expression. Regardless of the whys and hows, once she had fresh clothes on and some of Mountain’s famous eggs and bacon, she was ready to set upon her self-assigned mission. 

“Come on Sunny, It’ll be fun!” Cumulus leads the newest member of their little pack into her and Cirrus’ shared room, closing the door behind them a bit too eagerly as a complaint can be heard from down the hall and quickly brushed to the side as she continues doing what her heart was set out to do. Sunshine’s smaller hand is held in hers while she leads her to a corner of the room where some beanbags were set up for them to sit on comfortably while they do this.

“...You’re sure it’s going to be fun?” Quiet and anxious, as she has been ever since her summoning day.

Cumulus turns to her, looking into her fiery eyes and smiling warmly at her. Her hand comes to rest on her arm in a comforting gesture. “Oh honey, I promise you that I will try to make this as fun for you as possible.”. After a few seconds, she thinks to add “And if it isn’t fun for you then I promise we can stop whenever you’d like.”

That seems to make Sunshine a little less on edge. Still, Cumulus can’t help the small chuckle that’s pulled from her when the Multi ghoulette raises one of her hands, pinky finger extended out with the most serious of expressions that she’s seen on her yet, and asks; “Pinky promise?”

It’s nearly instant how she wraps her pinky finger around Sunshine’s and pulls her close. “Promise.”

She gives a quick peck to the tip of Sunshine’s nose and that seems to be what finally breaks her walls down. It warms Cumulus’ heart, just how pure and genuine the little laughs that the young ghoulette lets out are. It might just be the purest thing she’s heard in a good long time, maybe even in all of the time since she had been summoned herself.

Once her little laughing fit is all done and over, Sunshine lets out a relaxed sigh and seats herself upon one of the beanbags. She chooses the one that looks the comfiest for herself, a pleasantly plump one with pink faux fur, leaving the smaller blue-grey one for Cumulus. She’s not really sure what to do while she waits for Cumulus to finish gathering all of her things, so she settles with challenging one of the plushes perched atop Cumulus’ pillow to a staring contest. It takes a while but Cumulus soon returns to her assigned beanbag chAir, a whole bunch of stuff that Sunshine had no clue about now laid out on the floor in front of her. She feels a sense of relief wash over her as she’s freed from her silly little staring contest, the look that beady-eyed plush was giving her was starting to get intense.

“All right,” Cumulus claps her hands together as she takes stock of everything, double-checking real quick that she has everything she needs. “Let’s get started!”

“So what are we doing, specifically?”

“I was thinking we’d start it simple with some eyeshadow and eyeliner since it’s your first time.” Cumulus explains her plan. As if any of those words would explain anything to the new ghoulette. Just as she had expected, the response she gets is Sunshine’s brow creasing in confusion and a tilt of her head that reminds Cumulus a bit too much of those cute dog videos that a Sister of Sin had been showing her the other day. Adorableness aside, she decides to explain further with a simple “You’ll see when we’re done.”, which seems to be satisfactory enough of an answer for the curious Multi for the time being. She goes back to as she was on the beanbag, her legs crisscrossed as she waits for Cumulus to do whatever it is she’s been so eager for all morning.

From Cumulus’ collection of makeup supplies, she procures a simple and small eyeshadow palette and a couple of brushes. The corners of her mouth pull up into an even bigger smile as she watches Sunshine’s expression go from confused once again, to full of wonder when Cumulus opens up the palette to reveal all the colours hidden within. That pure wonder in her eyes is something Cumulus hopes will never fade. 

Cumulus offers Sunshine a warm smile and goes to hold her hand in hers, caressing her hand in a way intended to soothe any remaining jitters she might have. “It’ll be okay sweetheart, promise.” Orange gazes into black as Sunshine locks eyes with her for a moment. “Now,” She clapped her hands together once again “you got any preference for colour?”

Sunshine seemed to mull it over for a few solid seconds, before finally settling on “Hmm, nah. I think I’ll trust you with that stuff for now. Thanks!” She smiled a small and toothy smile at her, fangs and all on display. It was nice getting to see this initially shy and closed-off ghoulette start to grow more comfortable around her new packmates. Cumulus is honored to have the smaller ghoulette’s trust, even if it’s something as rudimentary as this.

With a gentle hand and a bit of hesitance on Sunshine’s half, Cumulus is finally leaning forward, eyeshadow brush in hand, ready to get this party started. She looks over the colours, a range of mostly more natural or neutral colours with a few brighter more saturated options thrown into the mix. The palette was a gift from one of the Siblings in the choir, a thank-you present for helping them out with some extra singing lessons in her free time, and she hadn’t gotten the chance to use it until now. After analyzing her options she decides on trying out a simple smokey eye. 

She starts with one of the darker colours from her selection, getting it on the brush before getting to work, sweeping with gentle strokes across Sunshine’s upper eyelid, slowly but surely applying the makeup while Sunshine sat there perfectly still, save for her tail thumping down onto the beanbag despite the ghoulette’s best attempts to hide her newfound excitement.

It took a bit, especially with how Sunshine started to fidget after spending more than a few seconds without doing something, but Cumulus was all done with the first step and is now ready to move on to the second. She picked a more mid-toned shade, applying it over Sunshine’s crease, spanning from the inner corner to the outer edge of her eye. After a little work, it starts to form a gradient-like appearance with the darker shade. With that all did and done she moves on to the lightest colour she has picked out and is quick, yet careful, to apply it above her crease going up to her brow, it doesn’t take her long at all and she’s ready to start blending everything with a clean brush she saved aside just for this. Everything was coming together now.

“Okay Sunny, just a little bit more and we can move on to the next thing, all good?” It’s almost comical how quick she is to nod her head at the question.

She quickly adds a little of the lightest shade to the inner corners of her eyes, helping to really bring out the brightness of her eyes. Once done with that she puts the palette and all her brushes off to the side, discarded for future her to put away and clean up. Now it was time for the trickier part; eyeliner.

She grabs her liquid eyeliner and while she’s shaking the bottle she explains this next bit to Sunshine “So we’re gonna do your eyeliner now sweetie, but I’ll need you to be very still so I don’t mess it up. Do you think you can do that Sunny?”

“Oh, uhm yeah... I can try, I guess.” Sunshine’s anxiety rears its face a little in her response but is quickly put down with Cumulus’ genuine ‘Thank you, sweetie’, which puts her at ease once again. She still seems a little nervous when Cumulus unscrews the cap and pulls the brush out, but her trust in the older ghoulette seems to cancel it out as she lets out a deep sigh.

Cumulus swipes off a bit of excess liner against the edge of the bottle before going to begin to apply it to Sunshine. After a couple of years of practice along with some good ol’ fashioned trial and error under her belt, Cumulus is able to get a good line on her first try. She’s decided to go for a small wing look for Sunshine, nothing too dramatic. She’s able to do the first wing pretty quick, and is about to move on to doing the same for the other eye when she notices how fidgety Sunshine’s getting with her hands. 

“Oh sweetie, you’ve been doing so good so far.” Sunshine beams at the praise. “You wanna hold onto this for me until we’re done so you have something to fidget with?” She asks as she plucks up the stuffed cow plush from her bed, a gift from Mountain after they both discovered their shared love for highland cows that came as a matching set with one he has for himself, the very same plush that Sunshine had been staring down as if her life depended on it earlier. The fat little thing glares hard deep into her soul once again as she grabs the presented plush, but this time she is distracted from its intimidating gaze by just how soft its pale blonde fur is against her fingers. She lets out a small ‘Ooh’ while she pets it. Cumulus deems this as a mission accomplished, and after giving Sunshine a minute to settle back down with her new bovine friend, Cumulus does the wing for her other eye. 

With the look almost complete there’s just the lipstick left now, and she’s already got a colour all set and ready to go. A simple nude, to really hit home with making her eyes pop. A darker colour didn’t really seem like Sunshine’s sort of vibe anyway. It ended up taking Cumulus a bit longer than it usually would, given how squirmy Sunshine got at the weird feeling of it being applied to her lips, but Cumulus was happy to say that she was all done.

“And done! Tada!” She presented a small mirror to Sunshine, and aside from a few cracks it had earned over the years that reflective surface did a wonderful job at showing the Multi ghoulette how she looks now. That sparkle in her eyes as she took in all the little details and the slight sparkle of her eyeshadow was well worth all the time they’ve spent here, sitting in some old beanbag chAirs in Cumulus and Cirrus’ room, with some fat little cow plush that still bore into the very depths of Sunshine’s being with its little bead eyes.

“Thank you, Cumulus. This was way more fun than I thought it would be at first, to be honest.”

Cumulus chuckles darkly, “Oh honey, we aren’t done yet.”

“Huh?”, Sunshine wears her confusion on her sleeve, her head tilting to the side again in that dog-like manner. Gosh, it was so adorable, Cumulus just wants to eat her up.

“Well, how did you think you were going to learn if you didn’t try it out yourself, sweetheart?” Cumulus brings back the palette and brushes from earlier, along with the liquid liner. She beams at Sunshine with a big and bright smile as she announces “You’re going to try it out on me now.”

Sunshine gulped. She looked to the cow for support, but for the first time today, he had turned his back to her. She was all alone, left to fend for herself. Damn cow.

…

The learning process was painful. Everything was so much harder than how it seemed, Cumulus truly made it all feel effortless but evidently, it was anything but. There were several times when Sunshine had groaned in frustration and considered giving up and walking off, maybe finding somewhere nice and secluded to sulk for the day, but Cumulus was always there to pull her back in with her words of encouragement. After what felt like hours she was finally done, and she took a few steps back to really take in her work.

“It’s… better than I thought it would be!” Sunshine beams at the older ghoul, tail wagging wildly to and fro, slapping with only a slight sting against her legs on occasion. She truly was sunshine incarnate.

Cumulus brings her into a hug, carefully not to step on any of the stuff strewn across the floor beneath them. “You did good Sunny!” She places a kiss on her cheek before pulling away, looking into those fiery eyes once more. “I’m so proud of you.”

Sunshine tried to hide the oncoming blush across her cheeks, but she wasn’t quite quick enough to hide it from the Air ghoulette. She gets a kiss on the nose as another little tease.

“How do you feel about showing the others?”

That seems to startle her a little, as she jumps in Cumulus’ hold. “Show them?” She looks around the room, catching a glimpse of the two of them in a full-body mirror over on Cirrus’ side. “Like- like right now?”

“Yeah sweetie, right now.” A few moments later Cumulus continues on to add “If you’re comfortable with it, that is.”

“Only if I’m comfortable with it?”

“Yeah, we could just take some photos if you want and go clean all this up.”

Sunshine thinks it over once, twice, three times before finally making her decision. She shakes her head insistently “N-no, I wanna show the others. You did such a good job, it would be a shame for it to go to waste.”

Cumulus brings her into another hug, speaking quietly into her ear “Oh Sunny, don’t sell yourself short. You did good too.”

Sunshine laughs a little at that. “If ya say so.” The pAir quickly put their things away, and by that they mean they put it all onto Cirrus’ desk until Cumulus could put it all back in its rightful place at a later time, knowing Cirrus wouldn’t be too bothered by the additional clutter in the time being. With that done the two open up the door, hand in hand, and step out to show their packmates.

They can hear voices down in the den, the name they have lovingly given to the open area of their dorms where they are free to hang out and eat. The smell of something good cooking tells them that Mountain’s in, as are Dewdrop and Swiss judging by the light-hearted yelling they can hear, likely over some game. Their suspicions are confirmed when the ghoulettes walk out into the space and are greeted by the sight of a good many of their packmates already gathered. Dewdrop, Rain, and Swiss were all squished together on the slightly cramped sofa, Dewdrop and Swiss both with controllers in hand as they argue about who allegedly cheated. Rain was of course attempting to mediate the pAir from where he was sat between them, but that was looking like more and more of a losing battle as the seconds ticked by. Meanwhile, Mountain, just as they expected was over in the kitchenette area of the den.

Cumulus decided to announce their presence with a simple question “What are you making there, Mounty?”

The Earth ghoul’s ears perk up, his tail wagging instantly at the sound of his packmate's voice. He doesn’t turn around but answers her anyway while he continues to cook. “I’m making a grilled sandwich since I had to skip breakfast today.” Knowing the question she was bound to ask before she could even think of it, he goes on to explain “Someone must have accidentally locked one of the strays in the greenhouse tonight, and she was reasonably pissed by the time I got there.” He sticks out his arm, littered with plasters and some angry red marks. Ouch.

“Ouch.” She hissed in sympathy “You got them cleaned, I hope?” The question is met with a subtle nod, the ghoul focusing for a moment as he flips his grilled cheese over.

“Oh yeah, it was Lucy so… ya know…”

“Ooh yeah, her scratches sting like a bitch.” Dewdrop butts in from the sofa, seemingly having won his little debate if Swiss’ pout and quiet grumbling is anything to go by. “Pretty sure I’ve still got a scar from the lil’ fucker!” He sounds almost proud of the absolute beating the scrawny black cat had given him when he last attempted to pick her up. But hey, it still somehow went better than all the other times, so that’s something.

“Hey Lus.” Rain waves tiredly over tiredly, and comedically lets out the biggest yawn not even a few seconds later, stretching in a way that never fails to make everyone question the existence of his bones, and a squeal is heard not a moment later when he knocks Swiss right off of the sofa with his tail.

“Ow! You gotta watch that thing man!” The Multi ghoul rubs at the back of his head, feigning injury in typical dramatic Swiss fashion. They’re all used to it by now, and the Water ghoul just scoffs at him with a chuckle before cosying up more to Dewdrop’s side. Oh, it was so clear who the victor of the argument had been.

“Hehe, hi there Rain. Bullying Swiss as usual I see?” Cumulus smirks at the trio from where she was stood at the edge of the hallway. Sunshine was still hidden away behind her, holding onto her hand with a firm grip while she waited patiently.

“Oh you know it, he was exploiting some glitch in their game.” The Water ghoul explains.

“Hmm, deserved.” She says, but they all know it’s all in good fun. A little laugh from behind her alerts them all to the additional presence that they hadn’t noticed yet, and now they were all looking at her as if she’s sprouted a second head.

She looks behind her and checks in on Sunshine, silently communicating to her through facial expression alone, asking her if she is ready. That small nod was all she needed to let Sunshine’s hand slip from hers so she could step up further into the room.

“Ghouls and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make!” She gestures to herself “As you can see, I have a bit of a new look today, at the hands of our lovely little Sunshine. But not only has she done a wonderful job on me, but she also had to go and honour me by allowing me to hone in my skills with her as my latest project.” All of them seem to perk up at that, it’s certainly been a long time since Cumulus has subjected one of the pack to one of her beauty lessons. It was still fresh in the minds of everyone how insulted Rain was when she suggested that he needed moisturizer. He was a Water ghoul, after all, being moist was his whole brand.

“Without further theatrics, I present to you all, my lovely artist and canvas for this evening!” She gestured to her side, and not long thereafter a only slightly hesitant Multi ghoulette appeared. The room is filled with ‘Ooh’s and ‘Ah’s as they all come up to see Cumulus’ work up close, showering both her and the small ghoulette in compliments.

Swiss whistles as he walks up from his seat of shame down on the carpet. “Damn Lus, you did good with this one.” He grins one of his trademark toothy grins at Sunshine, only appearing slightly menacing as he takes her in. “I’d say you may look even more delectable than usual, little spark.” That blush from earlier is now back in full force, Sunshine’s cheeks burning as the Multi ghoul continues to hit on her some more.

“Okay, keep it in your pants Swisstopher.” Mountain calls out from the kitchenette as he starts to make his way over too, his grilled cheese new safe and placed on a plate to cool down for a moment. “You look great Sunshine.” He says before pulling her into a firm hug. “Sorry I wasn’t able to give you your lessons today, like I said, there were some… complications down at the gardens.”

“Oh, that’s fine. It all worked out in the end anyway, Cumulus found me!” Her tail wags strongly behind her.

He chuckles warm and deep, and pulls out from the hug to turn over to the aforementioned Air ghoulette. “And speaking of the devil,” he’s being pulled by Cumulus into a kiss before he can continue the thought. When he’s finally released from her grasp he tries not to think of how her fresh lipstick has probably just smudged all over his mouth and tries to regather his brain cells real quick. “Uh, as I was saying; you look fantastic as always Lus, though the blue is certainly a break from your usual tastes.”

“Hehe, I let Sunny here pick all the colours herself.”

“Damn, you did all that yourself?” Dewdrop asks, sounding genuinely impressed.

Sunshine blushes even more at all the attention but nods in response to the question.

“Wow, you did great for your first time!” Swiss is the next to offer his thoughts. “You shoulda seen what she looked like when Mountain first tried to do her makeup for her.”

Said Earth ghoul was now hiding his face away in the crook of Cumulus’ neck as best as he can with their height difference, and the small whine that can be heard from him causes laughter to spread across the pack. “She looked like a discount circus clown!” Dewdrop exclaimed before clutching at his stomach as he bent over with the sheer force of laughter that hit him. The others were in a similar state. 

Their reactions make Sunshine wish she was there to see it for herself.

[hellboundwrites]

GHOULS HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

Halloween season has arrived, and I've decided to note some of the headcanons that I've had in mind for the ghouls recently.

Here are my favorite ghouls / by elements

🪐Omega = he's not really a Halloween guy. I mean, they already wear costumes. He can't be bothered to put effort into it. Just to fit in, and because it makes his companions happy, he'll dress up as an alternative version of ghouls. He might come out of the abbey in his true form because it's the perfect opportunity for it, or just add something to his usual look that enhances the "infernal" aesthetic. In the end, he's the one ghoul that actually scares people away, even without trying.

🪐Aether = always wears handmade costumes. It's elaborated with a lot of details but comfy. Halloween is for him the best opportunity to create a look for himself that he usually wouldn't have the courage to wear daily. He might cosplay as a 70-80's rockstar for example, and you'd recognize who he's supposed to be from miles away. Also more importantly, he's the costume-nurse. He always makes sure his costume has an integrated bag or pockets for glue and stitches. Last year for example, he was a jedi, and he was very happy about being able to wear a discreet tool belt.

🪐Phantom = of course, a vampire. But he'll only wear something dark and classic. Think old horror movies. He'll have his hair pull back, very bad fake fangs, red contacts, a cape… He'll also be fully invested in his role all night, so expect to hear some old English come out of his mouth at all times. Just call him by his character's name exclusively !

⛈Zephyr = loves having costumes that include his disabilities. Although he can walk just fine, going trick-or-treating is very long and difficult for him. He decorated his wheelchair as the Scooby-Doo van last year. He's done a lot of physical therapy this year though and feels excited about trying canes instead.

⛈Cirrus = she likes opening to kids that trick-or-treat at the Abbey's doors. In consequence, she will usually wear something that'll be easy to understand for them. Can be a simple witch, Morticia, Emily from the Corpse Bride… Last year she was Maleficient. Her costumes are never modest, though. She puts a lot of work into looking believable. It's a lot of organization and stress, but she always cherishes the kids' reaction in the end.

⛈Cumulus = She's always something evil. She doesn't cosplay as anyone in particular, and only makes her own looks. She loves elaborated makeup. She can paint her whole body if she desires too. Don't ask her who she's supposed to look like, this is always an original from her collection. She's here to impress.

🌿Mountain. Mountain... = he always fails his costumes. Nothing fits him. He never plans long enough in advance for it to work. He's disappointed about it every year, and still can't manage to fix it. This year though, he finally gathered the courage to ask for help. He'll have Sunshine to help him find clothes, and Cumulus for the hair and makeup. He'd like to be a hobbit, but he's starting to think he'll be more believable if he cosplays Gandalf - of course, he's not really hobbit-sized. If he can have an excuse to smoke all night, well...

🔮Sunshine = she doesn't have time for costumes. Her main concern is to be the party's organiser. Before she joined the Project, the ghouls had never planned any kind of gathering together for Halloween. She wants to be with her family and that's the only thing that counts. She'll just put something a bit festive, do her hair and put on some "scary" makeup, (which for her is dark shadow and eyeliner). Maybe washable dye or glitter in her hair this time around ? Nothing that can make dancing and running around uncomfortable !

🔮Swiss = is there a better opportunity to be naked ? On Halloween, his sole missions are to 1.be sexy 2.dance. Whatever year it is, his shirt is always wide open and tucked in his pants to enhance his tight waist, his chest always exposed, and his feet always moving... He doesn't mind any addition of costume or makeup that will make him prettier, but never purposefully goes that way by himself. 🔮Aurora = absolutely has the most feminine costume you'll see the entire night. She cannot not be hot, but maybe not as intensely as Swiss. She's the girl that wears the bunny outfit, the Barbie outfit, the Tinkerbell or Daphne outfit... The hair is down and the skirt is mini. Her only rule is : sexy but always secure. She has to wear warm tights and good shoes. Being pretty shouldn't stop you from running, jumping, and staying up all night. Special mention : this year, since it's their first Halloween together, they want to do a hot-couple-costume.

🌊Rain = has the boring but cute costume. If you don't know him, you can't really see how it's a costume most of the time - to be honest he always looks like that. He just genuinely doesn't need more material than what he already has. He thinks dressing up is cool but hates having to spend his whole night adjusting his costume or being careful with it. Last year he was the Phantom of the Opera, but he found the mask restraining. This year he's thinking about maybe a proper suit, a hat, his usual jewels and a bit of makeup. With some luck it'll pass as a period costume.

🌊 Mist = will always hide herself under her costume. You can never recognize her. The only thing she cares about, is surprising others. If she dresses as a character, it'll be a slay version of them. This year she's doing the Grinch, so expect green manucure, a pink dress and fake eyelashes on that green fursuit. Count on her to wear bad bald caps and colored paint all over her body. She doesn't take herself too seriously and is only here to have fun.

🔥Alpha = much like Omega, doesn't care about Halloween. You'll find him doing his actual job in the Abbey, at the yearly ritual that none of the new ghouls have the decency to assist. Traditions are really lost with the young generations...

🔥Ifrit = was, is, and will always be the guy who shows his muscles. He's into action movies and old rockstars, so it's only ordinary that he dresses as such. He'll be Han Solo, or Freddy Mercury, or Wolverine. Ifrit has the softest heart out there, but he's peak masculinity when it comes to looks, and he cares about his heroes. Right now, he's into 00's sci-fi/horror and still searching for some cool costume that will stick to his skin just *right*.

🔥Finally, Dewdrop = Don't ask stupid questions. Don't joke about Halloween with him. Don't even make suggestions. He has already had everything planned since November 1st. He has notebooks full of dark designs for corpse paint that involve fake (or real ?) blood, and a wide range of colored face paints in his drawer just for that event. He'll spend his afternoon looking for the perfect color, and he'll do intricate designs with extremely thin brushes on his face before the night starts. Dewdrop needs to look like he just sacrificed something in an old forest and burnt a church. He loves the theatrics of wearing long dark robes and being covered in blood. Halloween truly is his way to express himself and explore his own graphic world.

If you come across this post and see your fave missing, feel free to add your headcanon for them.

[belle--ofthebrawl]

15 screams swissdew to me 👉👈

This... didn't get too dirty until the end. I am so sorry. It's so dumb and barely smutty.

(15: One more cheesy pickup line and I'm throwing you over that table.)

Nobody remembers how it started but it was probably Swiss' fault.

Probably.

H'd gotten into a fake tussle with Cirrus over something unimportant, probably who loves Cumulus more. Nobody knew, nobody cared. The important thing was that Cirrus shoved him over the back of the couch, where he smoothly flipped and landed neatly on the floor with one hand on his fist and the other propped on his hip.

"Even if there wasn't any gravity on Earth," he insisted, with his eyes scrunched shut. "I would still fall for her."

"You'll make everyone else feel left out." Cumulus had murmured, extending a hand to help him up. He took it. Kissed it.

And made it his personal mission to flirt with everyone that night so they didn't feel left out.

"Hey, Aether." He says, rolling across the floor to Aether's recliner. Aether looks up from his book with an eyebrow raised. "Guess what my shirt's made of."

("My shirt." Mountain corrects from his seat between Aurora's legs. She's braiding his hair.)

"Linen." Aether says.

"Boyfriend material." Swiss says. When Aether doesn't react, he says it again, plucking at his collar. "Boyfriend material."

"Uh-huh." Aether says.

"Romance is dead." Sunny calls absently from where she's lazily flipping through channels. Swiss rolls over the floor to her and gives her a finger gun.

"Quick give me mouth-to-mouth so we can resuscitate it."

She scoffs and drops the remote on his face. He takes it in stride, hopping up and pacing around, pressing buttons randomly until he comes to Rain.

"Am I turning you on?" He asks with a cheeky grin, pointing the remote at him and pressing the Power button.

"You have a great face for radio." Rain said with a beatific smile.

"No one loves me." Swiss sighs, throwing the remote back towards Sunny. "You just want me for my body."

"Would you hold it against me?" Mountain murmurs and Swiss springs into action instantly, bouncing to drape himself across the larger ghoul's lap.

"Always," he promises, holding his pinky up. "As long as you want."

"Come here often?" Mountain asks with a little smile, linking his own pinky finger with Swiss'.

"Would you like me to?"

His other hand is inching up the inseam of Mountain's jeans while Swiss gives the other ghoul a textbook case of bedroom eyes. Mountain bows his head, kisses him as the hair not yet braided by Aurora swings to obscure them.

Speaking of Aurora. She tugs on a braid after a few moments, clearly not interested in sharing Mountain with the way she loops her arms around his neck and starts sucking a bruise into the skin of his neck, staring Swiss down unblinkingly.

"Boo, you whore." Swiss says. Mountain shrugs and is rewarded for his complacency with Aurora's nails scritching on his scalp. Lowing like a cow, he settles back between her legs and gives little butterfly kisses to her inner thigh. Looking around with an exaggerated pout, Swiss' eyes land on Aeon and Dew on the sofa, playing the stupid mobile game Aeon had dragged him into.

"So what you can do is," Aeon says, unaware of the way Swiss prowls towards them. "You can do the right thing and give the shorts back. Or you can run around town with them on, put them in the summer potluck-"

"Gross." Dew says tapping at his phone while watching Swiss army crawl on the ground behind the couch. 

"Or put them on display at the harvest festival." Aeon continues. "I like to wear them and talk to him."

"You would." Dew says in a monotone, tracking the little scuffles as Swiss continues to move. He waits for a telltale pause and when a hand creeps up to pat around, Dew avoids it. Aeon is not so lucky.

"Hey!" He yelps as Swiss looms up behind him and covers his eyes. "Dude, c'mon. I was mining!"

"Hang on," Swiss says. "Ooh, I can make a good one with that."

They wait while he thinks, Aeon trying to peek between his fingers to keep playing. Dew rolls his eyes, propping his elbow on the couch and shaking his head.

"I would pick your ass any day." He finally says and is let with various sounds of dismissal and disapproval from the entire group. "Okay, not my best work. But thankfully," He skids over to Dew's side of the couch and puts grabby hands on his bony shoulders, giving him a little rub. Dew heats up in warning. Just enough for a heads up, not enough to scorch his seat.

Turns out that was a mistake.

"Hot as you look, baby!" Swiss calls, digging his fingers into Dew's skin tight before pulling them off and blowing on them. "Got just the thing to cure that fever."

("He's gonna say cum." Mountain says under his breath.

"Definitely gonna say cum." Aurora agrees.)

"If you say one more bad pick up line, I'm throwing you over the coffee table." Dew says, still neutral. His warning has been given.

He swears he feels Swiss smile and can't stop the way his own lips quirk up as Swiss bends down, pulls Dew's hair back to whisper right in his ear.

"I'll have you know I'm an expert on beauty." He breathes, hot over Dew's skin as he walks two fingers up Dew's arm to pull at his shirt collar.

"Mm-hmm." Dew says, eyes narrowing into slits.

"No, I mean it!" Swiss insists. "Beauty's on the inside, and I've been inside you so much that-"

Dew's little by human standards. If his glamour was real, he wouldn't be able to pull off his next move, only would end up hurting himself and Swiss in the process. But he's hellspawn and Pit-raised, a runt who got used to moving fast and fighting dirty. There's not much weight to him but he knows how to use his body and surroundings as leverage, bracing himself hard so he can yank Swiss over the couch and over-the-shoulder throw him onto the wooden coffee table, which cracks neatly in two.

("Oh no!" Aeon cries. "Our table! It's broken!"

"Delete TikTok off his phone when he's not looking." Mountain mutters to Aurora, who nods solemnly.)

Dew, still seated, spreads his legs wide and props his elbows on his knees so he can lean over and give Swiss a little smirk.

"So did it hurt?" He asks. "When you fell from heaven?"

"Make love to me in the wreckage of this room, Dewdrop, right fucking now." Swiss says, sounding choked up and suddenly extremely horny.

"Sure." Dew says, standing up to unzip his jeans. "But then you gotta let everyone else have turn."

He chucka Swiss under the chin and brings the other ghoul close to mouth at his cock.

"Just so they don't feel left out."

[sage-nebula]

STH - Finalizing the Pre-Departure Checklist

Notes: I actually have another fic that I've been intending to have finished today, but partway through writing the conclusion of that fic I got distracted by the idea for this one, so here is this for now. I will clean it up later. Spoilers for the ending of Sonic Frontiers, as well as for the Sonic 1 ending cutscene from Sonic Origins.

- - -

Filled water canteens, check. Canned food and energy bar provisions, check. Instant coffee canister, check. Miles Electric, check. Wooden comb, check. Dry shampoo, check. Blankets, check. Magnet gun, flash bombs, emergency grenades—check, check, check. Everything he needed for at least a few days of travel was ready and accounted for, packed in a backpack. After looking through the bag for a third time, just to make sure he was absolutely ready, Tails tossed it into the cockpit of the Cyclone. He had her parked outside for once, behind his Mystic Ruins workshop, ready for takeoff. It had been so long since he’d flown her; she was a solo-craft, not suited for multiple passengers, and so she saw much less use than the Tornado did. But this was a solo trip, and the Cyclone provided him with land travel as much as she did air. She was much better suited for this journey. With one last look at the back door to his workshop to make sure he’d locked it, Tails spun his tails so he could jump into the cockpit—

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna leave without saying goodbye.”

His concentration broken, the rhythm of his tails halted just enough for Tails to land back on the ground with a stumble. Sonic’s hand caught his arm before he had a chance to topple over, and Tails turned stunned eyes on his big brother’s teasing smile as Sonic eased him back onto his feet.

“I left a note,” Tails said, his mind still catching up with the fact that he’d been alone behind the workshop not a second ago. Trust Sonic’s speed to—

“A note? All these years, and that’s all I get? A note?” Sonic put a hand over his heart. “That hurts me, Tails. Right here.”

Tails rolled his eyes. He knew played up theatrics when he saw them. “You already knew I was leaving. We saw each other a day ago. And you hate goodbyes anyway, so—”

“You’re right. I do. And I’ll probably leave this one before it’s over, but . . .” Sonic shrugged. “I still want to see you off. Make sure you’ve got everything you need.”

Sonic cared. Of course he did. And Tails understood, because he cared about Sonic, too. How many times had he made sure that Sonic had all the tech he could possibly need before a dangerous mission? How many times had he used a drone to deliver a forgotten canteen or extra aqua bubble powerup just in case something went wrong? This is what they did—they looked out for each other. That’s all Sonic was doing now, and Tails knew that.

But he was supposed to be proving his independence, proving that he could stand on his own. And that meant not needing someone to look through his provisions like he was a kid going on a field trip. Tails ran his tongue along his teeth and looked away, turning his eyes up to the sky. Cirrus clouds—a good sign. Just what he needed for an easy flight. “No worries. I’ve got everything covered.”

“Good.” Sonic leaned against the Cyclone, and after a moment, tapped her side with his knuckles. “Not taking the Tornado, huh?”

Tails blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden topic change, and looked back over. “No, she’s yours.”

“Pft. I’ve been meaning to give her to you for ages now. Should’ve done it a long time ago.” Sonic crossed his arms loosely over his stomach, an easy smile on his face, but there was something different about it Tails couldn’t quite parse. “You can take her if you want. You should take her.”

As—touching? weird? confusing?—as it was that Sonic was suddenly handing over ownership of the Tornado, Tails couldn’t let it distract him. He shook his head. “Even if you want to give her to me, that doesn’t change the fact that you can fly her, and you might need her. Besides, she’s got a double cockpit now, and I’m flying solo. It’s better for her to be here in case you go on a trip where you need to take someone with you. Amy, or Knuckles, or someone.”

“. . . Yeah. You’re probably right.” Like with his smile, there was something off about Sonic’s tone. And Tails couldn’t identify exactly what it was that he was hearing, but whatever it was, it told him that Sonic probably wasn’t going to be taking the Tornado out of the hangar any time soon. “So. You’re all set to take off, then?”

“Yep.” Tails patted the Cyclone’s side, ran his hand over her freshly dried coat of paint.

“Got a destination in mind?”

“Nope. I’m just gonna go wherever feels right. See where the wind takes me, you know.” Not unlike what Sonic himself always did, meaning that Tails was following in his example yet again, but he was going to try very hard not to think about that.

“Sounds like my kind of adventure. And everything’s in working order—GPS, comms . . . ?”

Tails felt the fur along his back stand on end, and when he turned to look at Sonic, his agitation must’ve shown in his face, for Sonic held his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Hey, I know you can take care of yourself,” Sonic said, and for what it was worth, he did sound sincere. “I just want to make sure—”

“I know,” Tails said, and honest to Chaos he didn’t mean to sound so terse. “I can handle it. I’ll be fine.”

“I know,” Sonic said. “But you know, if something came up—there’s nothing wrong with calling in a little backup. Heck, if it wasn’t for you, Knuckles, and Amy, I’d still be a cyber-zombie back on the Starfall Islands. We all need a little help sometimes.”

“If it wasn’t for us, you wouldn’t have been corrupted in the first place,” Tails muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Tails forced a smile as he met Sonic’s eyes again. “Look, I know this is a bit . . . different. And I know you’re just trying to look out for me, and I appreciate it, I really do. But I’ll be fine. That’s what this whole journey is about, right? Proving that I can make it on my own? It’d be disappointing if it turned out I couldn’t, so—”

“Nothing you do could ever be disappointing,” Sonic said, and something uncomfortable wormed in Tails’ gut at the look on Sonic’s face. He turned away again, his tails swishing around him. “But that’s not . . . having your own adventure doesn’t have to mean cutting yourself off from everyone, you know. So you don’t need to call for backup. So what? Doesn’t mean you can’t call just to say hey.”

Tails frowned. “I never said I couldn’t.”

“Great.” There was a smug grin in Sonic’s voice—one Tails had heard so many times over the years, usually right after one of Eggman’s plans had just been ruined. “Then I look forward to hearing from you at least once a week.”

“What?” Tails looked over, aghast, and was met with the exact smile he knew he was going to see. “You can’t be ser—”

Sonic held up his hand. “Doesn’t have to be a phone call. You know I hate talking on the phone. And it definitely doesn’t have to be every day, because we both know I suck at keeping track of what day it is. But just, you know. An email. Once a week. Doesn’t have to be long. Just a couple lines to say hey, let me know how you’re doing, if you’ve seen anything cool in your travels. Just enough so it’s not like you disappeared off the face of the earth.”

It was— Tails wanted to scream, just a little. Because it wasn’t an unreasonable request. It wasn’t like his plan was to disappear off the face of the earth. It’s not like he was trying to cut himself off from his friends. But that also—it wasn’t the point. He wanted to be independent, wanted to prove that he was more than the burdensome little brother that Sonic always had to look after, and if Sonic was still looking after him via weekly check-in emails, then didn’t that defeat the point?

“You never sent weekly check-in emails when you were traveling,” Tails muttered, and he hated how petulant he sounded.

“Yeah, well. That’s big brother privilege,” Sonic said, and perhaps sensing the argument even before Tails opened his mouth, added, “And not the best example set, fair enough. That’s my bad. But I’ll send emails too, in response to yours. We’ll keep in better contact this time. Deal?”

It wasn’t what Tails had had in mind, when he’d decided to go off on his own. But it wasn’t an unreasonable request. Sonic was actually admitting that something he did in the past maybe wasn’t the greatest idea in the world. And from the look on his face, Tails could tell that this really mattered to him.

And for some reason, that made Tails’ throat feel a little choked. He nodded, in lieu of being able to say anything, and Sonic’s posture finally relaxed.

“Okay. Good. Glad we got that sorted.” Sonic stood up straight, free of the Cyclone. He considered Tails for a moment before a half-smile curled his muzzle. “And—one more thing.”

Tails tilted his head, his throat still a little too thick for him to trust his voice. Luckily, Sonic took his head tilt for the cue to continue that it was.

“I don’t think I ever told you this, but—you remember how we met on West Side Island, right?”

Tails nodded. He didn’t know how he could forget.

“Well . . . did I ever tell you why I was on West Side Island?”

Tails blinked, the confusion he felt enough to finally unstick his throat. “No. But it was because Eggman was there, right? He was harvesting animals to use as batteries for his badniks, and so he could build the Death Egg.”

“Well, yeah. But also no.” Before Tails could question what that was supposed to mean, Sonic continued. “Eggman was on South Island before he went to West Side. It just so happens that I was also on South Island, and so I freed the animals there and chased him off.”

“Yeah, I kn—”

“I chased him off as Super Sonic. With the Chaos Emeralds. And before the Chaos Emeralds scattered, they showed me something.” Sonic grinned, his eyes bright. “Wanna know what they showed me?”

“I . . . guess?”

“You. Well,” Sonic waved a hand through the air, “not you exactly, but they showed me West Side Island, so that’s how I knew to go there. And that’s where I met you.” Sonic grinned, and lightly poked Tails on his forehead. “So what I’m trying to say here is, even if you decide to skip out on your weekly email, you can rest assured that the Chaos Emeralds won’t.”

Tails stared at Sonic for a second as he put the pieces together, and then blurted the first thing that came to mind. “Are you saying the Chaos Emeralds are going to snitch on me?”

Sonic laughed, and ruffled the fur atop Tails’ head, heedless of Tails’ attempts to swat his hand away. “Bro, you have no idea how fast they’ll snitch on you. They were snitching on you before we even met. So if I were you, I wouldn’t give ‘em a reason to do it again.”

The fur atop his head now thoroughly ruffled, Tails blew his bangs in a vain attempt to get them back out of his eyes. “The only thing I’m thinking about giving them a reason to do is mind their own business. Do they seriously have nothing better to do than spy on people?”

“Who can say? The Chaos Emeralds work in mysterious ways.” Sonic shrugged, but his expression softened. “But that’s just a backup plan. Just in case . . .”

“I know. And they won’t be needed. I’ll be fine,” Tails said, and added, because he knew Sonic needed to hear him say it, “and I’ll email. Once a week.”

Sonic smiled. And before Tails could say anything else, or could think to turn to the Cyclone, Sonic darted forward and pulled him into a hug. For a split second, Tails wasn’t sure how to respond; one arm thrown around his shoulders was one thing, and not too uncommon a thing at that, but a full-on hug was a different story altogether. Those were so much rarer. But Sonic’s hug was secure and warm, and knowing that it would be the last time for a long time that he’d have the chance to hug his brother, Tails hugged him back just as tightly.

But the hug was over as quickly as it happened. Sonic stepped back, his hands on Tails’ shoulders. He was still smiling, but—Tails was sure he was imagining it, but it looked like it was wavering a little.

“Take care of yourself, partner,” Sonic said. His voice sounded a little tight. “I’ll . . . see you later.”

Tails nodded. “You too, Sonic. I’ll be in touch.”

Sonic nodded, and gave Tails’ shoulders one last, bracing squeeze. In the next second he was gone, and Tails was once again standing alone beside the Cyclone.

[dearspiritss]

“Attention” - Cirrus/Phantom

Kinktober day 1: Pegging

I wrote this on my phone so it’s unedited, also first time posting smut?!? Be nice, also I apologize in advance- Anyways enjoy :3

How did he get himself into this situation? Sat down bare on his knees, the cold, wooden floor under him wet from the pre that gradually leaked from the tip of his-

That morning, Phantom woke up with the severe need for attention. The little voice in the back of his head was practically screaming, begging for it. He decided to make it his mission of the day to get as much attention as he could from his pack mates. He thought everyone was going to be easy, if only he knew how wrong he was.

He was one of the only ghouls who rose before the sun, always up before everyone else no matter what. His first victim of the day, Rain.

The only reason the water ghoul gets up so early is to take care of himself. He does everything he needs to do before properly starting his day. That’s why he always looks so damn good. So, with his target locked in, Phantom started his journey to Rain’s room. He approached the door, gently knocking against the wood with cold knuckles. A quiet “It’s unlocked” came from behind it, inviting him in.

A smile spread across Rain’s face as he watched the quint slip into his room, closing the door behind him. Without a word, Phantom simply crawled into the bed and plopped down onto Rain. “What’s wrong, baby?” Phantom shook his head, looking up with a small smile. “Just wanted some early morning cuddles? Is that it?” Phantom nods, letting his head fall onto Rain’s chest with a happy chirr. “Well, who am I to say no?”

Phantoms day continued like this. Making breakfast with some head pats from Swiss, a sugary sweet make out sesh in the greenhouse with Mountain, one-on-one guitar practice with Dew, gossiping with Aurora while she braided his hair, and a nice long nap with Cumulus- but he was still missing one person. Cirrus, who was completely focused on paperwork and ignoring everyone.

“Cirrus, can we watch a movie or something?” The only response he got was the shake of her head. “Why not? Don’t you wanna spend time with me?” She looked away from the papers she had scattered about, a hint of hurt in her eyes. “Of course I do, Ant, but I still have work to get done. Do you think you can wait?” He pouts, but plops down onto the floor beside her and nods. “Good boy, just try to be patient for me.”

He tried, he really did, but he wasn’t known to be patient. Only five minutes passed before he began pestering her again. “Can’t you just.. finish it later?” She sighs, sounding a little frustrated, but doesn’t turn her gaze away from her papers. Phantom groans and rolls his eyes, murmuring in infernal. He thought he was quiet, quiet enough to where Cirrus couldn’t hear him. “I can hear you, Ant. This will be your only warning.” He scoffed and turned around. “What are you gonna do about it?”

The sound the ghoulette slamming her pen down made him jump. “My room, now. You know how I want you. You sit there and you wait.” He didn’t argue, he couldn’t. The tone of her voice and the glint in her eyes already has him chubby in his now overly tight jeans. He quietly stood, escorting himself down the hall. As soon as he entered the chilly room, he stripped himself bare, folding his clothes neatly and sitting on the icy wood floors. There he waited, now very patient.

Ten minutes later, the door opened with a click and Cirrus slithered her way in, cooing at the sight of the ghoul before her. He sat on his knees, hot and heavy between his spread thighs, with his arms behind his back. “Now you want to listen? Fucking brat.” She gripped the sides of his face, forcing him to look up at her. His eyes were red and puffy, a few tear stains down his cheeks- and she could lie and say he didn’t look pretty like this, but she couldn’t deny the heat gradually growing within her.

“Fuck you’re so pretty.. Too bad you had to act out, now I’ve got to punish you for it.” She noticed how his cock kicked, a blurt of pre dripping onto the hard floor below them. “Up and onto the bed.” He did as she said. Now on all fours, presenting himself to her. “Good boy.” She praised and he shuttered. She rummaged through her nightstand for the bottle of lube she kept, popping it open and slicking up three fingers.

The first went in easy, the second she had to work in, and the third took Phantom’s breath away. He writhed and moaned from the pure pleasure of having three fingertips pressed against his prostate. “Please, please, please touch me-“ She chuckled, removing her fingers and nearly drooling at the way his little hole clenched around nothing. “You’re lucky I prepped you, I choose tonight.” Phantom gasped, immediately knowing what she meant.

She hummed, rummaging through that drawer. The drawer everyone knew of and what consisted inside it. She pulled out one of the biggest straps from her collection, slipping on the harness and securing it around her hips. Cirrus looked up, grinning at Phantom’s terrified expression. “If you’re going to have an attitude, I might as well fuck it out of you.” She noticed how tense the little quint became, so she slid a soothing hand up and down his back. “You can handle it, I know you can. If you’re good for me I might reward you.”

He nodded and she lubed herself up, pressing gently against his awaiting hole. Pressing in inch by inch and watching her not-so-innocent victim was her favorite part. Watching their faces contort in pain mixed with pleasure, watching them fall apart-

She lived for it.

Phantom held his breath until Cirrus bottomed out, gasping for air that’ll burn his lungs when she did. Before he could speak, she was already ramming into him with a brutal speed. The only thing he could manage were the little “ah, ah, ah”s that fell from his lips. She cooed, running sharp claws into his hair and pulling back to see the blissed out expression on his face. “C-Cir-“

“So sensitive, so pathetic.” He wailed as he came. Thick, white ropes covering the soft blanket below him. Cirrus didn’t slow her steady pace, laughing as the quint whimpered from overstimulation. “Oh, baby, you thought that was it?” Phantom nodded as both of his arms collapsed, sending him face first into the bedding.

“I’m just getting started.”

[theluckywizard]

In the Shattering of Things: Ch. 49 - The Sweetest Song

Chapter Summary: Her longstanding suspicions confirmed by his antics the night before, Rose finally finds the courage to show Cullen what he means to her.

Fic Summary: Lady Rose Trevelyan's idle, aristocratic life blinks out in a haze of irrelevance when the breach destroys the Conclave. She may be soft and coddled when she joins the Inquisition, but there's a fierceness inside her she's yet to fully recognize. Armed with only a few relevant skills and the mark that makes her a legend, she is thrust onto a path delivering hope where it’s long been scorched away and finds comfort in the grumpy, handsome stick in the mud charged with her protection and training. As she stumbles her way across southern Thedas, she begins to realize she's tangled at the center of machinations she barely understands, and she's not alone in that. Enter Hawke.

Excerpt:

He asks me back to his tower to look over the Crestwood maps and in spite of the practical impetus, the invitation has me high as the luminous cirrus clouds that streak across the sky. The door closes heavily behind us and the latch clinks softly. It feels momentous, like we’re locked in to work out our confessions.

“Let me get set up,” Cullen says, unfurling a map on his desk. I join him when he’s ready, and we lean over the desk too close together, as he points out possible locations for camps and resources that he’s gleaned from scouting reports and historic geologic surveys. 

His enthusiasm provokes my deepest delight. I adore the smile at the corner of his eyes that wakes up when he realizes there’s some other relevant detail about the mission he can share. He wanders away for something else and I quickly sneak a few of his cast figurines onto the map of Crestwood. When he returns with a handful of journals and notes, he flashes me an intensely knowing look, and then shakes his head with a smile that takes over his entire face. 

“You’re a menace,” he mutters, sweeping the figurines aside, spreading out his notes and journals which we lean over together. 

“A menace and a witch,” I agree. He rubs the back of his neck, grinning at the rough schematic of a small keep, Caer Bronach, that he copied in from a local history book. After a moment, he carries on about what a boon it would be for the Inquisition to hold it. 

Cullen gestures at the keep, though all I can concentrate on is how near we are, his tenor a mere hum behind the flurry of my thoughts. When our arms brush against each other for the seventeenth time of the morning as we shift anxiously on our hands, he trails off and we lock eyes momentarily. It’s a soft and searching look, the hush between us so very loud.

He leans hastily toward me, one hand slipping to the small of my back and rests his nose and forehead against mine where he stays, his other hand reaching to glide his fingers under my braid.

Read the rest here

DAFF Crew Tags

@warpedlegacy | @rakshadow | @rosella-writes | @effelants | @bluewren | @breninarthur | @ar-lath-ma-cully | @dreadfutures | @ir0n-angel | @inquisimer | @crackinglamb | @nirikeehan | @oxygenforthewicked | @mogwaei | @exalted-dawn-drabbles | @melisusthewee | @blarrghe | @agentkatie

[nocturnalghoul]

The entire time they are on tour Cirrus sends Aether random candids of Dew, each one slightly closer than the last, that are just captioned some variation of “about to steal ya bitch”

A night or two before they come back to the abbey she just sends a photo of her and Rain kissing Dew that just says “mission success”

[gothdaddyissues]

Ghoulies Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

For the @petrifyingpapas challenge - Week Two: INCANTATION

SUMMARY: On Walpurgisnacht, the Ghouls attempt to summon the spirit of Papa Emeritus III. Will it go wrong? Probably.... But it might not be a bad thing after all (~2600 words)

TAGS: Cumulus, Aether, Rain, Swiss, Mountain, Cirrus, Dewdrop, Sunshine, The Ghost of Papa III, summoning spirits, Ouija boards, everybody wants to protect our boy Copia (including me)

Also available on Ao3 HERE

⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧

Deep in the bowels of The Ministry, where Siblings and Clergy alike feared to tread, lay chambers full of mystery. Well, really it was just a maze of cobwebs, damp, and empty rooms. But there were no humans brave enough to venture down there to find that out.

It didn't stop the Ghouls though. It was their favorite place to go, in fact. Away from prying human eyes, they could do whatever they pleased -drink, dance, fuck, play Monopoly, or have paintball tournaments -  with no consequences.

But sometimes, just once in a while, they got themselves into trouble.

One particular night - an hour or so before dawn on Walpurgis Night, to be exact - Aether and Rain found themselves hurriedly descending the steps into their secret basement hideaway, late to meet with the others. Cumulus had "an idea" (her words, not theirs) of how to celebrate the event. But she needed a particular object that the two of them were tasked to acquire. And it took them longer to get a hold of it than they anticipated.

Aether pounded on the ancient wooden door to the farthest room, knowing it would be locked. They were greeted by the sound of scraping metal and creaking hinges before Swiss slowly swung the door open.

"Good evenink. I am Sveess," he said in his best Count Dracula impersonation, "I bid you velcome." He bowed deeply, laughing as they entered.

The windowless room within was lit only by candlelight. The rest of the Ghouls sat cross-legged on the floor in a circle around a large pentagram Cumulus had drawn there with red... paint? Blood? Aether wasn't about to check. There were other magical symbols scribbled in each corner of the room, one in the middle of each wall, and also one on the back of the door.

"Please tell me you got it?" Cumulus asked eagerly.

"Yeah," Aether replied. It had involved a trip to the party supply store and a Mission Impossible-esque operation to break into Sister Imperator's office at nightfall. She kept their prize on the shelf behind her desk, propped up on a small stand like a trophy. Because to her, it was. Hopefully, she'd never notice they'd swapped it with a cheap, plastic replica. He walked over to Cumulus while reaching into his jacket to produce the yellow toy. "Here ya go - the Kazoo of Destiny."

Cumulus clapped her hands in glee. "Excellent! I knew I could count on your guys! Thank you." She took it from Aether and placed it carefully in the very center of the pentagram, atop a Ouija board. "Okay, sit, sit. We don't have much time before sunrise."

"And why are we doing this again?" Mountain wondered aloud. "This feels like a really bad idea..."

"Because if we don't do it now, we'll have to wait six months until Samhain," she said.

"But WHY?" Mountain asked again. "Why are we summoning Terzo's ghost? We didn't even know him."

"Because we want to know who killed him, remember?" Sunshine reminded him.

"Yeah, and maybe have him scare the shit out of Imperator while he's here," Dewdrop added, a fiendish smirk on his face, "That'd be fun."

"Now's your chance to leave, if you don't want to do this," Cirrus said gently.

Mountain looked anxious, fiddling with his hands as he sat.  "No, no... I'm good. I'll stay."

Once all the Ghouls were in place around the pentagram, Cumulus explained the rules. "No fussing, no moving out of the circle until I say it's okay. Don't let go of your neighbor's hands, no matter what happens. We have to keep the circle intact. First thing I'm gonna do is cast a protective barrier around us. Then we'll summon him. Y'all remember the incantation?"

They all replied with a chorus of affirmatives.

"Okay." Cumulus took a deep breath to steel herself. "Here we go."

She stood and walked around the circle three times, invoking the spirits of the old ones at each quarter. She asked for protection and guidance for the ritual. And when she finally returned to her spot at the bottom of the pentagram she raised her arms over her head, creating a swirling purple cloud out of the air. As she sat, she swooped her arms down with her, bringing the mist down as well, enveloping them all in a safe, shielded bubble.

She took the hands of the Ghouls on either side of her, and the others followed suit until they were all linked together.

"Greetings to our companions from the other side," Cumulus began in a clear, steady voice. "Tonight we gather here to contact the spirit of our lost brother Terzo, Papa Emeritus the Third. We seek your indulgence. We wish to offer you understanding and justice, Papa. We seek to avenge your untimely death. Please, Papa, make yourself known to us. Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos. Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos."

That was everyone's cue to join in. They chanted in unison: "Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos. Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos. Amate spiritus obscure te quaerimus. Te oramus, nobiscum colloquere apud nos."

The incantation was chanted 13 times and then the Ghouls fell quiet. They looked at each other, looked around them, up at the ceiling, and at the yellow kazoo lying in the center of the pentagram.

Nothing was happening.

"Did it work?" Cirrus asked in a whisper.

"How long does it take for him to show up?" Swiss asked, getting impatient.

Culumlus shushed them. She was trying to keep focused. "Papa Emeritus the Third," she called out, "Please let your presence be known to us. If you are here, we ask that you give us a sign."

A sudden whoosh of air blew through the room, extinguishing the candles around them all at once, plunging them into near darkness. Rain startled and yelped like a frightened animal.

Dewdrop gripped Rain's hand tighter, trying to keep him steady. "Fucking hell, Rain! Don't let go."

"Guys, stay still!" Cumulus was trying not to panic. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized the purple, iridescent mist that surrounded them provided a dim luminosity, like a black light. She could see the yellow kazoo in front of her practically glowing fluorescent.

And then it started to move, jittering and spinning as if someone was fidgeting with it.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit," Rain mumbled.

Cumulus was giddy. "Papa?? Papa is that you?"

The kazoo slid across the Ouija board seemingly of its own accord, pointing to the YES in the top left corner.

The Ghouls exchanged looks, some of them full of excitement, some of them terrified. But all of them sat in suspense, leaning forward to gaze down at the Ouija board in wonder.

"Hello, Papa," Cumulus said softly. "Thank you for coming."

Again, the kazoo moved, slipping from letter to letter as the small end spelled out the next response: H - E - L - L  - O.

"You are greatly missed here, Papa," she told him.

A - M... I?

"Yes! Very much. Please tell us, are you okay? Where you are, I mean?"

The toy slid back to the YES, pointing to it briefly before it began to spin. It was the spirit's turn to speak. Slowly, it began to spell: W - H - O... I - S... P - A - P -A... N - O - W?

"Um," Cumulus began. This was odd. She'd conducted many a seance in her time but had almost never seen a spirit ask its own questions like this. Even in death, Terzo was still a force to be reckoned with. She couldn't help but worry that her answer would upset him. "Copia. Copia is Papa now."

For long moments, the kazoo did not move. Had they rendered the spirit of Terzo Emeritus 'speechless' with this news? The air in the tiny room was thick and hot, and she could feel the tension in her companions as they waited. Then, suddenly, the toy shot across the board to the word NO.

The Ghouls looked at each other again, all of them growing more unsettled. "Yes, Papa. It's true."

The kazoo moved quickly this time: P - U - P - P - E - T.

"Puppet? Who's the puppet? Copia?" Cumulus asked, her voice shaky with worry. "What do you mean?"

P - R - O - T - E - C - T... H - I - M.

There were audible gasps amongst the Ghouls, and Aether tightened his grip on Cumulus' hand. "Protect him from who, Papa?" he asked.

T - H - E - M.

The faint sound of bells could be heard in the distance. Morning had come, the sun was rising, and all the residents of the Ministry were being called to begin their days. Time was running out, but Cumulus wasn't done...

"Papa, please, tell us. Who do we protect him from? The ones who killed you?"

Once more, the kazoo pointed to YES.

"Who?" Swiss asked. "Who killed you, Papa?"

They watched as the toy darted across to the alphabet once more, stopping first at the letter S. As it moved to the next letter, the shrill claxon of a cell phone ringtone echoed throughout the room, each one of the Ghouls' phones going off in unison. So jarring and sudden at a moment when they were all wound as tightly as springs, that was all it took to set them all off. Cirrus and Sunshine screamed and grabbed at each other. Dewdrop and Rain jumped to their feet in alarm, knocking the Ouija board across the floor. Aether, Swiss, and Mountain frantically searched through their coats to find their phones and silence the noise. Any semblance of keeping to the seance rules went by the wayside. The circle was broken.

"NO!" Cumulus cried. "Oh no! No no no no!" The misty purple bubble of protection evaporated around them, and the eight Ghouls were left in the darkness.

Aether's face was quickly illuminated by the light from his cell phone. "We missed Sister Imperator's morning call," he announced, "She's gonna be pissed." He turned on his flashlight, shining it around the room at his companions, all of their reflective eyes wide, thoroughly freaked out and looking like deer caught in headlights. "Is everybody okay?" he asked... knowing full well they weren't.

"I need to get outta here," Mountain whined, his voice trembling, "Please let me out."

With their phone lights as guides, the dazed Ghouls managed to find their way to the door, and Mountain sprinted away the moment it was open. A few of them muttered apologies before making their way out. Only Cumulus remained in her spot, staring down at the upended Ouija board and the kazoo laying in the dirt.

Aether approached her slowly. "You okay, sweets?" he asked, his hand dropping to her shoulder.

She shook her head sadly. "No. No, I'm not. I messed up bad. We didn't send Papa back... we didn't close the circle. What if..." She sniffled back her tears. "What if Papa is stuck here now? This is horrible. We've doomed him to wander this place as a ghost."

"Well, we already have to deal with the ghost of Nihil. What's one more, eh?"

Cumulus managed a small chuckle and placed her hand on Aether's before looking up at him. "And what about Copia? We have to protect him, he said. But he didn't get a chance to tell us who from. All we know is it started with an 'S.'"

"Sister Imperator? I mean, everybody already suspects that."

"Or Saltarian?"

Aether gripped her hand tight. "Or both? He did say 'them.'"

"Shit..." Cumulus sighed.

Again, their cell phones jingled. A text message this time, from Sister Imperator: "Where are you?? You're late for the morning meeting!"

"Come on," Aether said, helping Cumulus to her feet, "Let's go. We don't want them to come looking for us down here and seeing what we've done, or we're fucked. Don't worry. We'll figure this out, okay?"

Arm in arm, they left the room, shutting the door up tight behind them.

⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧

Moments passed. Terzo waited until they were safely back on the main floor before he floated into the room. This was entirely unexpected. Torn away from the blissful void of the afterlife back to this mundane place, not a physical part of it, but still in it. He looked down at himself, glowy and ethereal, dressed in his finest chasuble, his hands encased in the black gloves with the golden claws...a nice outfit to spend eternity in. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

His kazoo sat at his feet.

"Hmmmm..." He reached down to see if he could touch it. The first test of his incorporeal-ness. He wasn't sure what to expect. Placing his hand over top of it, he watched in wonder as it melded into him, absorbed into his ghostly form. The Kazoo of Destiny was his once more.

He couldn't help but giggle.

⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧ ⛧

The Ghouls never again spoke about what had happened that night.

It's not that they didn't acknowledge it. They most certainly did. But not to each other. It simply became a tacit duty, an implicit agreement between them all to protect Copia with their lives. There was always at least one of them keeping an eye on their Papa at all times, never letting him linger with Imperator or Saltarian too long out of their sight.

The Ministry, and the Ghost Project, were thriving. More popular than they had ever been, with legions of new, devoted followers. The Ghouls knew that was all because of Copia's hard work and dedication. They showered him with love and affection, never letting on that they knew what had happened to his predecessors, or what they were prepared to do to keep him safe.

Cumulus spent days searching the halls for glimpses of Terzo's spirit. She lit candles for him in the chapel, asked for him to make himself known, and spoke prayers and incantations from ancient ritual books, all in hopes that he would be safely shepherded back to the shadow realm. As time passed and she saw no sign of him, she assumed that he had returned there.

But no. Terzo was just really good at being sneaky. He never appeared to anyone. He kept himself hidden as best as he could - including from the foul spirit of his shithead father that also wandered the halls. He was still around though, keeping watch over his favorite Sisters of Sin, causing upset with Sister Imperator and Mr. Saltarian every chance he could, and growing very fond of the Ghouls that had summoned him. Perhaps one day he would reveal himself to them...

And as for Copia? Terzo was so proud of him and of how far he had come. He was exactly what the Ghost Project needed. It was too bad Terzo had to die for Copia to take the mantle, especially when he recognized all the struggles this new Papa was going through: the self-doubt, the pressure, the loneliness. If only he could be there, physically, to help guide him. Instead, he did what he could.

Terzo was with him in spirit on the stressful days, on the cold, lonely nights. Sometimes he would play a tune on his kazoo that only Copia could hear. Copia would never startle or wonder where the sound was coming from. He would smile, relax his shoulders and close his eyes, and just for a moment, enjoy the company.