#douxie already came way earlier than i anticipated

[escape-from-arcadia]

Okay but the concept that I can just make something in my sketchbook and post it here and some people will actually seem to like it? Especially the fact the stuff in my sketchbook was something from my brain?? You know how wack my brain is???

Bonkers my dude.

[writings-of-a-daphodil]

This is All Wrong

Douxie x reader

Masterlist in bio!

Summary: You take a trip to a museum, but it's clear that the history that is described isn't what actually happened. You end up meeting Douxie who gives you an accurate tour.

Requested?: Yes

Going to a museum wasn’t something you did normally, especially when you were on vacation, but desperate times call for desperate measures. You were dying from the heat and from boredom, the museum had air conditioning and interesting history stuff.

You walked into the museum and sighed, it was so cold and it felt so nice. You went to go wait for the tour to start and you took a seat on a bench next to a guy around your supposed age, who was dressed all in black. He had dyed the tips of his hair a deep blue and you had to admit he was handsome. Though he didn’t exactly look like someone who was all that interested in history, but who were you to judge?

Personally you rather enjoyed listening to the interesting facts about history. It was fascinating to learn about the times you hadn’t lived through. You especially liked learning about everything pre 1900s. See, you had learned of your magic in the late 1910s right in the midst of World War One and so everything prior to that era was just so interesting.

Soon the tour was starting and you decided to hang towards the back, coincidently with the guy you had sat next to earlier. The tour guide was leading you back in time and she was talking about the Space Race and the Cold War. You did your best not to audibly scoff at all the facts she was getting wrong about the Space Race.

You had gotten a job at N.A.S.A to be close to the action and so you knew quite a few facts. It was hilarious that history got them wrong when so many people from then were still alive. Maybe this tour wouldn’t be as informative as you were expecting.

It got even harder not to laugh when the guide showed you some stuff from the World Wars. The facts she was giving were almost all wrong. You rolled your eyes and audibly scoffed when she described ‘the nonstop action’ that occurred in the trenches. you didn’t know how that information had gotten itself immortalized in history, but it couldn’t be more wrong.

You had been there and it was all about luck when it came to fighting on the front. The soldiers had been rotated and you didn’t stay at the front for a long period of time.

You continued to follow the tour guide and you realized that the rest of the trip wouldn’t be any more informational than what you were hearing now. However, it would be funny to hear all that History got wrong.  

You listened to some more incorrect facts and struggled to hide your laughter when the tour guide made the war out to be black and white. Yes, the Axis powers had been horrifically cruel, but America had their fair share of cruel soldiers. It was ridiculous.

However, you abruptly stopped laughing when you saw the guy in all black laughing too. You looked at him quizzically and he eventually turned to see you looking at him. You turned your gaze forward quickly, embarrassed that you had been caught staring.

You would have ignored the fact that he was laughing and continued to enjoy the tour, but you realized he was scoffing and laughing at all the incorrect facts.

He walked over to you. “You don’t seem to believe what she’s saying,” he stated and you shrugged.

“Some things, um, they um, just don’t seem true,” you responded lamely.

“Ah, so you are a Witch.”

“I prefer the term sorceress.”

“Well, what’s a sorceress doing here?”

“Well, I was hoping to learn about the time before I became a sorceress,” you explained. You had never had the time to go and check out museums before, you had been focused on learning magic and magical history. Now that you were here though, you didn’t think the museum was all that reliable.

“When did you become a sorceress?”

“The early nineteen hundreds,” you said. “I’m Y/n by the way.”

“My names’ Douxie,” he said, doing a little bow. “I’ve been a wizard since the twelfth century.”

You gasped. “Wow, it’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.” The two of you were interrupted by the tour guide getting another fact wrong.

“I came here to reminisce, but the tour is getting in the way,” Douxie sighed.

“It’s not her fault, people have just twisted history,” you defended. “Though I wish I could get an accurate tour.”

“Well then, let me take you on a real tour.” Douxie gestured for you to follow him and you entered a room that detailed the history of England.

“As you can see there is not a single mention of Camelot,” Douxie whispered as to you not to disrupt the other museum goers.

“Camelot,” you whispered back in awe. “I’ve read about Merlin.”

“He was real, and he is my Master,” Douxie said, proudly.

“No way!”

“Mhmm.” He led you over to a room that depicted Columbus’ journey. “Did you know that the trolls who first came to America came on the Mayflower?”

“Nope!” You laughed. Having Douxie give you the tour was turning out to be way more exciting.

He continued to lead you room to room telling you the truth about history. It was fascinating and you never could have dreamed of how twisted history had gotten. It was mostly the smaller facts, but there were a few big ones. Camelot for example was a huge one, you had already known of its existence, but having Douxie tell you about it was so much fun.

The two of you walked out of the museum and you noticed that the sun was almost set. You turned to Douxie. “There’s this ice cream place I’ve been dying to try, why don’t we go?”

“It’s a date,” Douxie said and you beamed.

The two of you made your way and sat down at one of the outside tables.

“Thank you so much for giving me that tour,” you said after you ordered.

“Mhmm, I enjoyed reminiscing about the past. Today turned out to be much more fun than I had anticipated.”

“Then we should do it again,” you suggested, already liking the idea of getting to spend more time with Douxie.

He smiled. “I’d like that.”

****

This chapter was inspired by @mysteriesmuse request:

Hi! I was thinking maybe a one shot of Douxie and reader at a museum and they start out on a tour, but then Doux is like nah this isn’t right and proceeds to take reader on his own tour of the artifacts and history. And it’s just really fluffy lots of laughs and maybe it turns into a date and they get dinner/dessert at the end. Above all I hope you enjoy your trip! Don’t forget to have some fun and relaxation for yourself!╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

~~~~

I hoped you liked this and I hope I did a good job carrying out the request! Thank you so much for requesting and have a wonderfully fantastic day/night!

P.S. if you want to be on the taglist for all things Douxie and not just Fire Keeper, feel free to ask. I hope it works and please message me if it doesn’t.

[nikibogwater]

A Shot in the Dark: a Tales of Arcadia Fanfiction (Chapter 1)

"...The Arcane Order doesn’t actually care whether you live or die. They have given me permission to do to you whatever I deem necessary. So...” Douxie swallowed and grit his teeth as Rivan’s hand began to glow with an ugly, pulsing red light. “...I will ask politely one more time before I resort to more extreme measures. Where is the forest-child Nari?”

When Douxie is stripped of his magic and captured by a new enemy, Nari and Archie risk everything to come to his rescue.

(Chapter 2)

(Chapter 3)

Here we are, dears, the first chapter. Don’t forget to check out the author’s commentary after you’ve finished (if that’s the kind of thing you’re interested in) and I will be back with the next chapter on Nov. 13. Thank you all for waiting, and I hope you enjoy. 💕

Read on Ao3

Or under the cut:

Most of Douxie’s mornings began with the harsh, clattering sound of his phone vibrating and whistling next to his ear. Necessary as his morning alarm was, he still hated it with every fiber of his being. So he had been borderline ecstatic when he slipped into bed the night before and left his phone alarm off, envisioning a long, uninterrupted sleep that he hoped would end no sooner than ten am, preferably eleven. This Saturday marked his first real day off since moving to this blasted city, and he intended to relish in it with all his might.

So he was just a tad miffed when, at approximately eight-fifteen, a strange, nervous sensation rising in his chest slowly pulled him from slumber. He attempted to ignore it, simply burrowing down deeper into his pillow, but the feeling did not abate. He could not shake the peculiar awareness that he was being watched. In the end, centuries of experience forced him to heed his instincts, and he pried one eyelid open and glanced over his shoulder.

Two pairs of luminous golden eyes were hovering uncomfortably close to his head and staring at him fixedly. Douxie yelped and threw off his covers, scrambling upright and fumbling for his magic vambrace nearby. A small green hand held it out to him politely, and after a bit of confused blinking, Douxie finally registered the faces of his companions. Nari and Archie were sitting on the floor next to his mattress, looking at him eagerly. He felt himself deflate as he gave a long sigh of relief.

“Fuzzbuckets, you two, don’t creep on me like that,” he admonished lightly, fastening his vambrace around his left wrist. Nari gave him a sheepish smile while Archie stepped up onto his mattress and rubbed against Douxie’s side.

“Next time, don’t oversleep,” the Familiar replied. “You do remember what day it is?”

“Yeah, it’s Saturday. My day off. Hence the reason I was sleeping,” Douxie said with a yawn, stretching his arms above his head.

“It’s also the day you promised to bring Nari to Central Park,” Archie informed him.

“...It is?” the wizard mumbled groggily, looking at the wood nymph crouched nearby. She gave him a somewhat apologetic nod.“...It is. Ah, fuzzbuckets, I’m sorry, I completely forgot.” He tumbled out of his bed, snatching up his day clothes from a heap on the floor. “I’ll be ready in two shakes,” he promised, ruffling Nari’s hair before pushing himself to his feet. He staggered to the bathroom, running his fingers through his sleep-mussed hair, very nearly smacking his head on the doorframe.

“Perhaps we should not have woken him,” Nari fretted as the door closed behind the wizard.

“You know Douxie always acts like a plague victim first thing in the morning, regardless of how much he slept.” Archie reminded her, following Nari into the kitchen area and pulling the box of English Breakfast tea out of the cupboard while she filled the kettle at the sink.

Mornings for Nari looked very different than they used to, she realized as she set the kettle on the stove, stepping back so Archie could light it (due to her somewhat complicated relationship with Bellroc, she was still wary about anything that involved fire). As a demigoddess who had existed for hundreds of millenia, she had never had much experience with something as human as family domesticity. Her siblings (if the Arcane Order could ever really be called such) certainly never spent mornings bustling around a kitchen making tea for one another, but even if they had, Nari was beginning to understand that there was more to being a family than the mundane routines. There was a feeling in the air around her, a sensation of companionship and contentment that felt almost otherworldly at times, yet it was inextricably linked to these small, daily, human gestures of kindness.

Douxie emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, just as Nari was squeezing out the teabag. His damp hair was combed back into its usual neat appearance, and he was wearing his favorite hoodie. He mumbled a quiet ‘thanks’ as Nari presented the cup of tea to him, and slumped back against the island countertop as he took a sip. Archie sat down on the counter behind him, pressing against his wizard’s back and purring contentedly into the soft, warm fabric of his jacket. Nari mirrored Douxie’s position beside him, trying to quell the nervous excitement fluttering in her chest. She had heard much about Central Park, and after going two-and-a-half months without feeling any real grass beneath her feet, the thought of visiting even the smallest pocket of nature made her spirit tingle in anticipation. But she kept still and quiet, trying her best to be patient as Douxie drank his tea, slowly working his way back to full alertness.

“Right,” he sighed after he had drained the last drop from his mug. “You two already had breakfast?”

“Nari was kind enough to open a tin of sardines for me earlier,” Archie answered. “And she says the sunlight is strong enough today that she will not require any food.”

“Okay,” Douxie hummed as he set his mug in the sink and ran water in it. “Then I guess we’re ready.”

“Wait,” Nari chided, opening one of the cupboards and pulling out two granola bars. “You need sustenance as well.”

“Right. I forgot,” the wizard chuckled, slipping her offering into one of his pockets. “I’ll eat when we get there.” He grabbed his keys off of the counter and held out an arm for Archie to clamber up onto his shoulder. Nari scurried to the door eagerly, practically bouncing on her toes as Douxie reached out to undo the magical seals. Before his hand made contact with the door, he drew back suddenly and snapped his fingers.

“Fuzzbuckets, I’m forgetting all kinds of things today,” he muttered, turning to the small demigoddess. “Nari, face me and hold very still for just a second.”

“What is this for?” she asked, intrigued as Douxie knelt down to her level and placed his hands on either side of her head, his middle and index fingers pressing gently against her temples.

“I’ve been looking into some concealing spells that can be cast directly onto a person, rather than on an area. It’s a lot more complicated than the standard protective wards, but it should make your aura undetectable to other magic users for a little while.”

“Isn’t that a little excessive?” Archie remarked, climbing down from Douxie’s shoulder in order to give him some breathing room for the spell. “The entire reason we came here is because it is almost impossible to detect individual auras in a place this crowded.”

“I don’t see any harm in taking extra precautions,” Douxie replied. “Keep very still for me, Nari.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his aura flowing out and wrapping around her like a warm, familiar cloak. “Celare,” he murmured, and Nari felt a sharp tug on her spirit as the spell washed over it, cool and comforting like the shade of an old tree. Douxie’s hands fell away from her head and he sat back on his knees, his breath short and a little ragged. “Wow,” he panted. “You have....a lot of magic. I almost didn’t have enough of my own to cover it all.”

“...I’m sorry,” Nari answered meekly, unsure of what else to say. Douxie laughed breathlessly and shook his head, bringing a hand up to squeeze her shoulder.

“You’re fine. I’m just impressed.” He levered himself back to his feet, bracing himself against the door for a moment, before seeming to collect his bearings. Archie hopped back up onto his shoulder and nudged his head in silent inquiry. Douxie waved him off with a soft ‘I’m fine.’ Then he disabled the protective seals and opened the door, stepping back and gesturing to Nari. “Let’s go.”

“Should your magic not also be concealed?” she asked as they emerged into the hallway, pausing while Douxie locked the door behind them (the ordinary way--he didn’t see any need for magic seals if none of them were home).

“I’m afraid I can’t cast the spell on myself,” he explained, pocketing his keys. “Anyways, I don’t think the Order had enough time to get a good feel of my aura. It’s your magic signature they’ll be looking for. Relax.” He smiled down at her as they began descending the uneven stairs (it was unknown whether there was ever a time in history when the elevator in this complex had actually functioned). “There’s nothing to worry about. Let’s just focus on having a good time today, alright?” He stopped her halfway down the flight so he could lift her over a broken step.

“Alright,” Nari promised. They made it to the lobby and burst into the sunlit street outside, the taste of freedom burning on the wood-nymph’s tongue like those carbonated drinks humans were so peculiarly fond of. The park wasn’t too far away, and Nari was still somewhat distrustful of automobiles, so they had opted to walk. She made sure to hold on to the edge of Douxie’s hoodie tightly so she wouldn’t accidentally lose him as her eyes wandered the cityscape, taking in the sights.

The first time she had walked the streets of New York City, Nari had been on the verge of tears. There were so many sensations assaulting her mind at once, the feeling of countless souls buzzing around, a crowd of spirits so thick that sometimes it felt like a wall. Even without tapping into her roots, she was drowning in a sea of tangling energies, as hundreds, even thousands of voices echoed in her soul all at once. It was more than she had ever experienced in one place before, and it had made her frantic with the desire to claw her way out of her own skin. The protective wards Douxie cast on their apartment helped filter out most of the magical noise, but it had taken several weeks of regular exposure before Nari was able to walk out in the open without clinging to Douxie’s hand so tightly that her nails left crescent marks on his fingers.

She had learned how to block out most of the noise now, and only felt the faintest twinge of anxiety as they joined the sea of bodies traversing the city. It helped that whatever spell Douxie had put on her was having a sort of swaddling effect on her aura. Her spirit felt comfortably nestled within her, not completely deaf to the world around her, but still separated from it in some way. She was even able to discern the individual life forces of the people around her, pick out who was emitting which charge. It was like a chaotic smear of colors had sharpened into a recognizable picture, one where she could finally see the finely drawn details and appreciate the contrasting shades.

Until suddenly, with a jolt in her stomach, she realized that one piece of the picture was missing entirely.

She and Douxie had stopped at a crosswalk, and were waiting for the signal, when her eyes drifted across the figure of a man, leaning against some brickwork near the turnoff into a smaller alleyway. He was fashionably dressed, (“business casual,” the humans called it), with an elegant black trench coat hanging nonchalantly off of his arm. He had dark brown hair, handsomely trimmed and styled, just a bit longer than Douxie’s, and was wearing a large pair of expensive-looking sunglasses. He looked thoroughly uninterested in the world around him, and had the appearance of someone who was waiting to meet up with a particularly tardy acquaintance. But Nari couldn’t sense that he was waiting. She couldn’t sense anything from this man. He emitted no life force, no aura or energy of any kind. He was like a standing, breathing corpse. Feeling oddly sick all of a sudden, Nari pressed closer to Douxie’s side and frantically tugged at his sleeve.

“What’s wrong?” he murmured, the sound swallowed by the noise around him, though Nari was able to feel his intent through his aura.

“I-I am not sure. I felt...Well, actually I did not feel...” she stammered, unsure of how to communicate what had just happened. Across the street, the signal changed, and the people around them surged forward. Douxie glanced at the crosswalk and then back at her, a silent request for her to make this quick. Out of ideas, Nari pointed back to the space between two buildings a few feet away from them, hoping to bring his attention to the man in question.

Except, when she looked back, he was gone.

“...What is it?” Douxie reiterated, glancing between her and the alleyway in confusion.

“There was... There was a man there, just a moment ago. Except, he was not there. I-I could see him, but I could not feel him. He had no aura or life force.”

“Perhaps he was a spirit?” Archie suggested, speaking as quietly as he could so as not to draw attention to himself.

“No, I have seen spirits before. He was definitely a living human,” Nari objected. “But he....It was like he had no soul.”

Across the street, the crosswalk signal changed again. Beside her, Douxie’s aura was rippling with unease. But a moment later, his spirit stilled, and he put an arm around her to turn her away from the alley.

“...Whatever it was, we don’t know for sure that it was a threat. It was strange, yes, but I don’t think we need to worry about it just now. It might not have anything to do with us. Heck, it might’ve just been a trick of the light, or--”

“Douxie, I know what I saw,” Nari interrupted, putting as much force into her small voice as she could.

“--or it might have been something real,” Douxie amended, giving her an apologetic look. “But whatever it was, we don’t have any reason to be anxious about it. Not yet, and maybe not ever. Let’s just get to the park and have a good time, alright?”

Nari fell silent, and gave a reluctant nod. A minute later, the crosswalk signal changed once more, and they continued on their way. Though Douxie’s spirit was radiating a placid energy, Nari couldn’t help noticing that he kept his arm around her for the rest of the journey.

To be continued. ✨