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prismatales · 4 years

Text

Fade

Word Count: 3.4k

Bingo slot: Vigilante AU

Pairings: Takami Keigo x Reader

Tag/Warnings: Slight violence

Synopsis: Dealing with this vigilante was almost like an endless game of tag. Hawks knew it was only a matter of time until he found out her identity. What he didn't expect was realizing she was closest than he thought.

A new entry for @bnhabookclub's bingo event! Thank you @pixxiesdust for helping me bounce off some ideas! This one-shot's for my dear wifey @Hawks-senseis!

“Suspect’s heading your way Hawks. They’ve sustained a fair amount of injuries, should be a piece of cake for the number two hero.” The intercom died down with a wave of static.

Sighing tiredly, Hawks kept his regular pace, flying leisurely across the dark sky cluttered with stunningly bright stars. The scenario above and the lights from the buildings dispersed all across the city, shining just as strongly as the dark sky in the middle of the night, are a scenario that he could easily consider breath-taking.

If only he wasn’t so busy chasing after this one particular villain, then he’d certainly be relaxing at the top of a building, admiring the view with a satisfied smile, allowing the soft breeze of the night to brush peacefully against his face. All while enjoying a nice, warm canned drink in the middle of this cold night.

Maybe once this runaway criminal was finally trapped behind bars, ready to face justice, Hawks could actually manage to take that well-deserved break. And perhaps, some of his favorite yakitori would accompany that drink as well.

“Come on, where is he?” For a villain as quick on his feet as the reports mentioned, this guy was seriously taking his sweet time to show his god-damn face. Groaning impatiently, Hawks finally had enough and began flying in the direction the villain should have come from a long time ago.

But what he witnessed in its place was more than enough to make the hero do a double-take. Not only was this villain face down on the floor, but there was also someone else standing tall above him, tying up the struggling, seething criminal, who kept swearing like a sailor as he attempted to get out of the restrains.

“What took you so long birdy?” Said person slowly turned around to face the winged hero. When their “eyes” met, Hawks couldn’t help groaning in disdain once he recognized that costume. A black sleeveless hoodie, accompanied by matching pants and military boots. But the most characteristic trait was that white kitsune mask, adorned with six stripes across the cheeks; two purple ones, and a gold one in between, a total of three marks adorning both sides of her ‘face’.

“You again? I swear this is the fourth time this week!” Hawks ran a hand all over his face out of frustration. Even with that mask on, he could feel the smug vibes around her, and he could almost swear she also gave him a sly smirk.

“You should know this by now. Vigilante work is illegal.” Eyes wandered up into the dark sky as he breathed in deeply, before exhaling slowly as he looked back down. Hawks turned his attention back at the woman standing before him with her hands on her hips, confidently angled to the side.

“And you should know by now that isn’t going to stop me. I’m a big girl, I can handle myself.” Jerking the rope in hand, she easily pulled the villain off the ground, dragging him in between her and the hero standing before them. “Here, Merry Christmas!”

The villain was sent crashing down on the groaning hero, courtesy of a swift kick to the back. The near-collision was a good distraction for her. As Hawks became busy catching the delinquent, a loud “poof!” was heard, and when he looked up, there was a golden, glittery mist, and at the top of the roof, she observed him for a solid minute, before running off.

“Oh no, you won’t!” Hawks quickly pushed the stumbling criminal away from himself, and towards the arms of an upcoming sidekick that only happened to appear at exactly the same time this vigilante ran off on her own. Quickly spreading his vermilion wings wide open, Hawks took off into the sky, decided to catch this girl once and for all, so he could finally give her a piece of his mind.

He had to admit, she was pretty fast. Once he got her on sight, she was already a good distance away from the scene, and she hadn’t even used her quirk to keep the distance with the blond.

Looking back over her shoulder, he could almost feel that smug grin again as she kept jumping swiftly between rooftops, not losing balance for a single second as she kept dashing with an elegant and balanced step.

Finally, Hawks eventually caught up and landed in front of her with a soft thump as his feet touched hard surface below, wings raised high in the air folded into themselves before settling down on his back. Hawks smiled at her nonchalantly as both of them stayed still, looking at each other for a solid minute before he coughed in his hand to break the silence.

“You do realize this is illegal behavior? don’t you, Fade?”

“Fade” just tilted her head, feigning innocence while staring at the hero before her. She may be wearing a disguise to hide her identity, but even with it, Hawks just knew she was giving him a teasing smile underneath that mask.

“Oh? Is that so? What are you gonna do about it, pretty bird? Handcuff me?” She places her hand closer by the wrists, presenting them before the hero, it was a taunt, a challenging for him to arrest her at once, and for a second, he was tempted to clap those wrists in between the metallic restrains. “First you’re gonna have to catch me!”

Fade’s body started giving out the same sparkly smoke from before, just to be interrupted as a hand wrapped itself firmly around her wrist, snapping her out from focus, and preventing her from teleporting away from the hero.

“I just did. Now, you have to report everything to the police and who knows? Maybe they’ll let you off the hook easily, maybe they won’t.” But Fade wasn’t fazed in the slightest by his statement or even bothered moving from the spot. “As much as I appreciate your help back there. I’m gonna have to turn you in for illegal hero activity.”

His hand reached out for her mask. The idea of seeing her face for the first time after dealing with her intervenience for months now was so enthralling, that he completely missed it when something hit him on his side with force, knocking his breath away for just enough time for Fade to quickly escape from the hero’s grasp.

“For one of the fastest heroes out there, that sure was a slow reaction!” Her teasing laughter echoed through their surroundings like that of the Cheshire cat itself as she held a retractile staff in hand. Fade began walking backward with a bounce on her steps before a golden, glittery mass spread around her figure before teleporting her away from the scene much to Hawk’s frustration. He was so close this time!

“Shit, she’s good.”

Feathers fluttered wildly around in the air out of pain and pent-up frustration. This was the first time he managed to get this close since the very first time they met. He glared irritatedly at the spot where Fade once stood before him with a confident stance.

The chance to look for Fade disappeared just as fast when the shrill sound of his transmitter went off inside his ear. The voice of the sidekick who had taken the villain off his hands could be heard through the other side, as they gave the hero a status report.

Disappointed, he opted to call it a day before heading back home. Next time he ran into Fade it would definitely end with her caught. But right now, his body begged for some well-needed rest that unfortunately couldn’t be provided just yet, remembering the piles of pending paperwork, waiting patiently at his desk back at the agency, Hawks sighed tiredly before heading back to the office. Today would end up being one of those nights he’d spend sleeping on the couch even though he was single...

“So much for a nice, quiet night…”

The next day was followed by clear skies, engulfing everything around with a pleasant warmth. At least this was something Hawks could enjoy with tranquility as he walked to one of his favorite restaurants in town, mouth-watering at the idea of having one of his favorite meals and one of the house specials.

As soon as he stepped inside the small building packed with people, a cheerful chorus welcomed the hero inside. Every employee and customer inside greeted the hero eagerly, excited to see one of the top heroes coming for one of his favorite dishes and his usual meal at that small, but enjoyable local that greeted everyone inside with their tender, family-friendly environment.

After chatting with some of the staff and fans, Hawks quickly strolled towards his usual spot and took a seat, staring outside through the crystal walls separating everyone inside from the outside. Not only did This little restaurant had some of the best food, but it also had some of the best views he could ask for, the perfect spot to relax as he watched people passing by and at the same time he kept an eye open for any villain activity.

He may be on break, but you never know when a hero is needed, right?

The soft clank on the table catches his attention and he smiles knowing just who is beside the clothed table, serving a glass of cold water with a sweet smile on her face.

“Is nice to see you again Hawks!” You welcomed him happily before pulling out the small notepad from a pocket at the side of the uniform’s small apron, next was a pen that spun gracefully in between your fingers before its inky tip was pressed over the smooth, blank paper. “Let me guess, having the usual again, am I right?”

The hero just leaned on his hand with a chuckle “You know me too well, don’t you, y/n?” He observed you, quickly writing down his order without having to ask twice for anything else. sides? something extra? You already knew his order like the back of your hand.

Speaking of hands….

If there was something Hawks as good at was being observant, as he noticed the bandage carefully wrapped around the girl’s wrist and the slight, almost unnoticeable wince she gave every now and then as she had to move her hand in a way that put pressure on the joint.

“Aaaalright! The house’s special coming up hot! Same drink, as usual, right?” He nodded in response. Despite the discomfort from the small injury, you kept serving the hero with nothing but a cheerful smile and attitude of literal sunshine that always left the hero entranced.

A few minutes later, he saw you coming back with a steaming plate of fried chicken, but not just any fried chicken. This restaurant was well-known for its secret seasoning they used to marinate most of their dishes. Not only that, but it was also covered with this rich, homemade spicy sauce that left everyone on cloud nine after the first bite, and even those who weren’t fans of spicy food ended up obsessed with its peculiar flavor.

“Here you go Mrs. Hero! The house special with a side of fries, enjoy your meal!” As soon as the plate was placed down, one of his hands grabbed yours. His slender fingers traced the outline of the bandage with a soft caress that sent shivers down your spine.

“What happened to your hand, y/n? Is not what I think it is, right?” He asked, voice full of concern as you began stuttering.

“I-it’s nothing, I just tripped back home and landed on my wrist, don’t worry about it, Hawks!” You reassured the blond, pulling your hand back from his grasp before heading back to get his drink.

His gaze followed after you for a while. For a second he thought it had something to do with an abusive partner until he remembered you mentioning being single. How did he ever forget that when the two of you have been throwing mixed signals at each other for months now? He could still remember the first time your eyes met when he came to check the place out for the very first time and how much of a mess you were, after all, it was your first day of work.

So for the time being Hawks just let it slip with some hesitation, eventually he stopped worrying so much before taking a small bite of his chicken and groaning with gusto by that mouth-watering flavor of the sauce, the food in this place was really out of this world.

If he hadn’t been so busy with his food, Hawks would have noticed the cautious look you sent him from the other side of the local, waiting for another customer to order.

A few weeks later…

Once again, Hawks was busy flying through the skies as he patrolled the city at late hours of the night. The way the building’s lights illuminated their surroundings was a sight to remember when you had the chance to see them high up in the sky.

For once, it appeared that he was finally gonna have the chance to enjoy the scenario without a single disturbance. That is until he sees someone sitting at the edge of a rooftop, who seemingly had the same idea as him as they leaned back looking at the vast, dark sky.

That’s when he caught sight of that all too familiar mask. The mere sight was enough to make him groan internally, knowing that whenever Fade was around, the night would be anything but calm…. But then he thought, maybe this time he’d finally get the chance to find out just who was hiding underneath that mask.

Quickly, he landed a few feet behind the masked hero and tried to get close enough. But instantly she leaned forward, letting herself fall off the building before disappearing into a golden burst. surprised, Hawks strolled all the way to the edge and looked down, just to see nothing but that unique mist.

A foot quickly shoved him from behind, followed by that peculiar laughter as he struggled to regain balance for a second, completely caught off guard by the vigilante’s antics before his wings began thrashing wildly in a desperate attempt to help him regain balance. And once the hero finally was back on his normal stance, he turned back to give the cackling girl gripping the sides of her stomach a small glare.

“ahahaha! The look on your face!” She wiped away an imaginary tear, or maybe she was actually tearing up, Hawks couldn’t tell with that cursed mask “Should’ve brought my camera, that look was gold!”

Fade’s shoulder kept trembling the more time she spent laughing at the winged, who’s only response consisted of a bashful glare in her direction.

“Oh come on birdy, don’t give me that look.” Fade walked up to him, hands placed confidently over her hips as she leaned forwards, face tilted up slightly to be face to face with the hero. “For someone who enjoys teasing others non-stop, you’re too easy to rile up y’know?”

She quickly jerked her body back to dodge the hand that aimed for the mask, narrowly missing those leather gloves, which barely grazed that intricate piece of wood that did such a good job when it came to hiding her identity from both the heroes and the public.

“Geez, so forward! Buy me some dinner first!” She sassed, walking backwards again, with a turn on her heels Fade turned her back on the blond and began running away. The sound of wings fluttering swiftly pulled the corners of her hidden lips into a smirk when she literally felt as the hero quickly followed after her.

But if there was something Fade was just as good as Hawks, was at speed. Inhaling deeply, her body became surrounded into golden energy before she rapidly began teleporting from building to building, a special movement that focused on distracting her foes.

Her little trick managed to confuse Hawks only for a moment, quickly he used some stray feathers in order to pinpoint her next location with the aid of their ability to detect vibrations. The feathers managed to feel a small trembling in the spot where she was meant to appear next and Hawks quickly moved in position.

Just as predicted, that golden burst appeared all of sudden and this time Fade nearly crashed into the hero standing in her way, had it not been for her quickly maneuver, placing her hands on the hero’s shoulder to propel herself high in the air, nearly sending Hawks crashing down on the floor.

“Getting slow, aren’t you birdy?” She mocked him, still in the air while he growled in frustration “Maybe you should tone it down on that spicy chicken and extra fries!”

…Wait a second…

He quickly turned around with eyes widened in realization, that sentence was like the missing piece he was looking for “What did you just say?”

The realization hit Fade like a slap to the face, her body became tense once she realized what she told him. Just that little bit of information was more than enough for Hawks to know her identity once and for all. After all, he was no idiot, he just pretended to be.

“You idiot…!” She whispered to herself before attempting to teleport once again, but this time Hawks was ready. In the blink of an eye he had already caught up to her, when she teleported again the stray feathers were already doing their job looking for her next location, the chase quickly turned to Hawk’s favor when it became obvious just how nervous Fade had become.

There was one thing he just didn’t get...Why was someone like you doing as a vigilante? After getting to know you for months now, it was so hard to understand for him. But right now his main focus was to catch you. He knew the police would go easy on you, the only reason he said those words last time was that he was irked with Fade- well, you to be exact….

In the midst of his distraction, he barely noticed when you crashed into each other with force, knocking the both of you off balance before falling off the rooftop in a tangled mass of limbs. His protective instincts kicked in as he quickly turned around mid-air, pulling your startled body into his chest out of reflex. Somehow a part of your jacket had become tangled into his wings, preventing them from moving around to stop the fall…

It seemed luck was on their side when they fell into an empty alleyway. The trash bags littering the floor helping to cushion their fall, but they couldn’t help when Hawk's breath was knocked away by the impact on his back, as well as your weight landing harshly on top of him.

“You ok?” He couldn’t help asking, more worried about the girl in his arms than his own well-being. Hawks sighed with relief when you slowly lifted yourself up with a small, pained groan before looking at him, feeling slightly awkward once the realization hit in, that you were sitting on top of the winged hero.

He received no vocal answer, but rather a physical one as your hand grabbed the lower part of the mask to lift it off your face for a small moment, then swiftly you leaned down to plant a deep kiss over the male’s soft lips.

The gesture caught him off guard at such point, that for a minute Hawks forgot how to breathe. Eyes wide in surprise and body going stiff as all he could concentrate on was your soft lips moving against his own.

But before he had the chance to kiss back, you had already shoved him away by the shoulder with a devilish smile back in that sweet, flushed face as you slowly licked your lips teasingly.

“This isn’t over Birdy...See you around~”

You vanished from view in a flash, leaving behind a sparkling, golden cloud. As well as a stupefied hero laying into a pile of trash bags who only draped his arm over his face.

He would definitely need to have a chat with you the next time he went to the restaurant.

#bnhabookclub #mha imagine #bnha imagine #bnha hawks #takami keigo #keigo takami x reader #bnha imagines #mha imagines

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dovveling · 3 years

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I've been summoned

🙄 - Write your character explaining a topic to someone they’re frustrated with :3

(Oh this should be fun— maybe Iolas trying to explain to Lucio that he can’t simply do whatever he wants at an upcoming party)

He’s late. Again. Tiresome was the feeling Iolas was trying to shake off as he sat within the count chambers. The silver-haired magician had once again been summoned to help with the upcoming summer masquerade and once again the magician’s already short patience was dwindling. This had been the third time the blonde bobblehead summoned him and the third time the moron couldn’t show up on time.

The first two times Iolas simply gave up. Waiting longer than ten minutes for anything was beyond the easily distractible court magician. Iolas figured if his time was worth anything to Lucio then it was also worth showing up on time for. This already put the silver-haired man in a mood— as if he wasn’t always constantly in one. Unfortunately, Lucio already acknowledges this, which is why Iolas stays this time. He knows when Lucio is trying to get under his skin and he’s never been one to let others get what they want. That and it will just be more annoying the further they push this meeting along.

Annoying. That’s exactly how Lucio enters and that’s exactly the expression Iolas gives him when the pristine gilded doors fly open.

“Ah— there you are my pet!” Lucio more than comically struts over to the sitting magician knowing full well his untimely entrance has ruffled his lover's feathers. This does not deter the count however from placing a very dramatic kiss on the silver-haired man’s hand. Now, now. What do you always tell me when I pout?” Lucio’s grin cracks wider as he pinches the shorter man's cheeks together. “Be careful or you might just get stuck that way—“ the blonde’s voice was sing-song before abruptly being cut off by Iolas’ physical interruption.

“Would you kindly stop talking for once in your life?” An eye roll and a full breathed huff leaves the magician as he stands, shoving the count to the side as Iolas’ heels click past him. Rubbing the headache away Iolas claps his hands together. “You summoned me. I’m here. Are we going to talk about it or do I have to sit around here all day?” Iolas fixes himself in the full-length mirror trying to keep his annoyance at bay. Just as Lucio is about to rebuttal, Iolas quickly stops him w a signal of his hand and answers his question.

“Never mind. You wanted me to help you pick out an outfit, isn’t that what you said?” Iolas sneers, but it’s met with Lucios own smug look. The taller man’s wicked smile barely wavers at the sight of his disappointed lover. Slowly Lucio walks behind the shorter man to hold them against his chest. Begrudgingly Iolas melts, but the embers of his anger still simmer just below. Lucio seems to sense this as he speaks now carefully into the other's neck. “What’s got you so pissed huh— I promised we’d be matching this time that way you don’t have to change in case we clash like last time.” The smile against Iolas' neck feels like an eye dropper to a wildfire.

“That’s not it.” The Magician huffs out another breath and turns to face his lover his time. Slowly he traces over the sleek design of the blonde's face. Imagining how lovely a kiss would be if he wasn’t so ready to fight this man. Still, Iolas takes Lucio's chin in between his fingers and inspects him. He wants to chuckle at the way Lucio lets him. He’s like a show dog. “When are you going to learn you can’t keep acting like you own this place. Huh?” The words hiss out of him with the hope that they seep into Lucio like poison. As Iolas relents Lucio physically groans and pulls away from the embrace.

“I caaaan do whatever I want!” Lucio whines with more voice of a child than a man. “I’m back in the saddle we’ve apologized and everything’s all good! Ya know like how you said after you explained it all to Noddy—“ Iolas cuts him off there with a curt wave of his hand but before he can speak he has to brace himself to not just lock Lucio away in his room and leave the man to his own devices.

��That is the exact opposite of what happened. We agreed under my watchful eye that you are under strict— and temporary— terms of service to the palace.” As Iolas explains this he watches Lucio crawl into a red and gold adorned love seat. The taller man looking for an escape tries his best to give his court magician the best fireside eyes he can muster. If anything Iolas’ glare only sharpens. “Are you even listening to me? if you fuck this up there are no second chances mister—”

But Lucio is already pouring wine and handing one over to Iolas with a particular eye.

“Right. Yes! Okaaaay— A better question is when are you going to trust me my pet, hmm?” Lucio takes a sip and eggs Iolas closer with the drink knowing all too well what the other man is thinking. Iolas only peers at the drink with disdain. Something in him finally has had it for today and with three loud steps, Iolas looms over the sitting count and grabs the distracted man by his collar.

An auditable gulp is heard from the blonde as Iolas cinches the collar flush against Lucio’s neck. Slowly the taller man is starting to sweat at the idea of his lover being angry with him. “H-hey— now Pet, come on you know I—” Iolas stopped him with one firm shake and a deadly look in his eye. Iolas simply stares him down as he tightens his hold on the other man relishing as he watches the other man loses face as he chokes. “Ah— kay I promise I promise!” Lucio huffs out his grip on the wine glasses deadly close to being limp but he catches himself right as his lover releases him and when Iolas lets go Lucio isn’t sure if his blush is from his lack of air or not.

“That’s what I like to hear.” Iolas smiles his mood suddenly lifting as he sits on Lucio's lap and watches him slowly gather himself. While the count collects himself Iolas happily takes the second glass from the other man and sips it with a new found sense of calm. Then with a deep adjustment in his throat, Lucio opens his mouth dumbly for a second only to shut it as he takes in his lover so high up on his lap. This causes his blush to spread further down his neck as he looks at the man in front of him.

“You know I love getting bullied by you but if your gonna start something you could at least finish it too ya know.” Now Lucio is pouting and Iolas can’t help but laugh wholeheartedly. Iolas gives him a knowing look before kissing the other's face. The blonde stops him before he can say exactly what he knows Iolas wants to say.

“Really though— I swear no funny business or tricks or funny business tricks.” The wine passes Iolas' lips and He snickers as he looks over how fidgety Lucio’s has gotten. A good sign, seeing as now the blonde knows this is business.

Iolas' can’t help but smile at Lucio's still redden face, he wasn’t expecting this it seems.

“Well, we can maybe have one little game just between us.” Iolas speaks as if he’s considering it but he’s already aware it’s impossible to have Lucio perform completely without error. ‘It’s best to shoot for the lowest amount possible’ the magician admits to himself. Lucio however looks as if he’s the cat who got the crème. “HA! I knew you wouldn’t dry up on me you always pull pranks— come on then tell me what you have planned.” Iolas laughs at the wording, all frustration gone. This party certainly was going to be an interesting one.

#OKAY i don't feel so bad about this one #sorry this was so long but i was kinda having fun with it #thanks again bestie i hope you enjoy this accidental choking kink drabble #my writting #ask box #oc apprentice #the arcana mc #lucio x apprentice

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ryqoshay · 3 years

Text

Putting on Hairs: Favorable Dress

Primary Pairing: YohaRiko Hinted: KotoUmi Words: ~2.4k Rating: G? Maybe mild T for one of the implications...? AU: Theater, Werewolf, Werebeast, Monster, Cryptid, Angelic, Demonic

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Author’s Note: I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve written this much in this short of time...

Summary: Riko is hoping Kotori and Yoshiko can make a dress for her. But nothing is free...

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Riko approached the costume department with severe trepidation. Her heart was actively trying to pound itself out of her chest at the thought of facing her. Well, not her specifically, she knew she would feel this way about anyone of her kind. But right now, she was the one here.

But, of all the places in this amazing, wonderful world, why did she have to fall here? In this country? In this city? And now she was working at the same theater where Riko had just recently been hired.

Of course, the very same thing could be asked of Riko herself. Why did she have to flee to this particular island off the main coast? Choose this particular city? Accept a position playing the piano in the orchestra pit of this particular theater?

Was this all His idea of a cruel joke?

It was bad enough that she had stood so close during the meeting earlier in the day where the theater’s premiere patron was introduced. Why did she have to do that? Did she not sense Riko like she sensed her? Was she not uncomfortable with Riko’s presence as Riko was with hers?

Riko sighed. Why was she even doing this? Well, she needed a dress. But surely, she could just go find one at a local shop, right? Did she really need to deal with her to have one made special? But the examples she had see so far were just… otherworldly; so much better than anything she had seen window shopping around the area.

“Ah, Riko-chan!” An ashen blonde head poked into the hallway, startling Riko. “Yoshiko-chan was right when she said you were coming. Welcome! Come on in!” Kotori ushered the redhead into the room.

“Pardon the intrusion…” Riko said as she stepped through the door, immediately needing to resist the urge to turn back and run.

There she was, black wings spread wide in all their glory and looking as powerful as any other angel, despite her fallen status. And she was… trimming fur from a black kitten in her lap? What?

Yoshiko looked up with a surprisingly cheerful smile. “Welcome to Hell Zone, Riko!”

“Hell… Zo… eh?” Riko’s gaze flitted fervently around the room, seeking hellforged artifacts or demonic runes or something, anything that might imbue the area with the powers of Hell. And while she certainly sensed auras radiating off most of the equipment and tools, nothing appeared to be of infernal or divine origin.

“Or would you prefer I call you Pirum?”

“Eehhh?!” Riko aborted her vain attempts to scour the room as Yoshiko uttered her true name.

“Kind of a strange name for a demon, though…” Yoshiko continued as if she hadn’t noticed Riko’s reaction. “Do you guys even have pears down there?”

“Now, now, Yoshiko-chan,” Kotori chided playfully “we shouldn’t scare our clients like that. Now, what can we do for you, Riko-chan?”

“Uhm…” Riko fidgeted with her fingers, trying desperately to resist fleeing. “Kurosawa-san recommended I check with you about having a dress made for an upcoming recital?”

“Of course!” Kotori chirped. “We would be happy to make something for you.”

“She, uhm, didn’t give me an idea about pricing though…”

“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head about that.” Kotori smiled. “You’re in the orchestra here, right?”

“Yes… but…”

“So, we’ll make the dress for you and you can just owe us a favor.”

Something about the sparkle in the costume designers eye made Riko feel a bit ill at ease. More so than she already was.

“I’m not sure…”

“Surely you know about favors, right?” Yoshiko spoke up. “Your boss’s boss is fond of them, right?” She offered a decidedly devilish grin.

“Uhm…” Riko felt her knees start to shake.

“Don’t mind them.” A deep, masculine voice said from… somewhere. Riko couldn’t readily identify the source. “They’re just teasing you.”

“Phobetor.” Yoshiko gently swatted the kitten in her lap.

Wait, that had been the cat that spoke? But its mouth hadn’t moved. How… Then again, it wasn’t the strangest thing Riko had seen, here or down below.

“Sorry if we scared you.” Kotori giggled. “I am serious about the favor, but don’t worry, it won’t be anything beyond what you’re capable of giving.”

“What… did you have in mind?”

“Hrm…” Kotori considered for a moment. “Would you mind show me your wings?”

“Eh? My… my wings?”

“Yes, please.” Kotori nodded. “You’re a demon, right? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a demon’s wings. Are they feathered like Yoshiko-chan’s or leathery and bat-like or skeletal like in some movies?” She seemed to be getting pretty excited about the concept.

“Uhm… could we maybe… close the door first?” Riko requested meekly.

She realized that was closing off her easiest route of escape, but unless it was imbued with some anti-demon inscription or blessed or whatever, it wouldn’t actually prove much of a barrier to her. Also, despite her persisting fear, something in the back of her mind had begun insisting she could trust these two. Or three, really.

Yoshiko hadn’t attacked her on sight. Kotori obviously knew her nature and wasn’t afraid or hateful, rather she seemed genuinely intrigued. And while they had both teased her, neither had been malicious. Even Yoshiko’s mention of her true name had seemed more like an honest, if again teasing, question than some attempt to wield power over her.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Riko unfurled her wings.

Kotori’s eyes grew wide in awe. “They’re beautiful…” She marveled.

Riko blushed. She’d never heard that word associated with her wings before.

“Can I…?” Kotori reached forward.

Riko offered a weak nod before flinching a little as the designer’s hands began exploring.

“Definitely bat-like.” Kotori murmured, moving her fingers gently across the membrane. “A little drier than I expected, but still, lovely material. These will do nicely.”

“M-material?” Riko instinctively snapped her wings back in. “Are you saying you want me to trade my wings for a dress?”

“Not in their entirety.” Kotori replied. “Just a clipping. A little goes a long way, especially when imbued with such power.”

“Uhm…”

“I’m not sure that’s the best idea, Kotori.” Yoshiko spoke up.

“Oh?” The lead designer asked.

“Because demon wings are different than those of an angel, or a crane.” The blue-haired girl explained. “I mean, I’m no expert in demon physiology, but I’m pretty sure she’s got veins and nerves and stuff running throughout. It’s probably hurt her more than when you or I just pluck our feathers; certainly more than trimming Phobetor’s fur.”

“Although,” Phobetor spoke again “with her regeneration, she could very quickly heal the amount I assume you would be taking.”

“Yeah, but…” Yoshiko started.

“And if I recall correctly, that Kanata girl can adjust her abilities to numb rather than put to sleep. She’d be fully regenerated before she actually felt anything.”

Kanata? “Konoe-san?” Riko asked. “I thought I felt another demonic presence here.”

“Indeed.” Phobetor stood and stretched before yawning. “Although she is here for different reasons than you. While she is here to feed, you seem more interested in music. Pray tell, did you grow weary of playing Hell’s music and came to Earth for a change of pace?”

Riko blinked. “How… how did you know?”

“One of my primary duties is to run reconnaissance and monitor all local entities that could pose a threat to my master.” The cat explained. “Celestials, especially demons, are always worth investigation.”

“I see… wait, so you’ve been spying on me?”

“Indeed. And I have determined that you are not a threat to my master, Ms. Pirum.”

“… Oh…” Whatever was left of Riko’s fear was displaced entirely by embarrassment. “I see, well… uhm… Anyway, Riko is fine…”

“Very well. Riko it is.” Phobetor gave a single, curt nod. “Though it must be said that my assessment is not an indictment upon your power. You are still a demon after all. Rather, I have determined you to be far too… demure, for lack of a better word.”

“… Oh…”

“Also, your reading proclivities are quite… interesting, I must say.”

“Eh?”

“Oh? What kinda books do ya read, Riko?” Yoshiko perked up suddenly. “Earth is filled with a ton of strange tomes and some of their ideas on magic and such are utterly baffling. Though there are some amazing artists who create some amazing manga and doujin. Humans can tell such wonderful stories.”

“D… doujin…” Riko felt herself blush.

“Yeah, have you ever been to Comiket? Mortals sure know how to celebrate their hobbies.”

“She has attended.” Phobetor confirmed.

“Phobetor…” Riko whined.

“Really?” Yoshiko became even more excited. “Maybe we should go together this year.”

“… Maybe…”

“I do believe your tastes are vastly different, though.” Phobetor said.

“Oh? What kinda stuff do you like, Riko?” Yoshiko asked again.

“Uhm…” Riko hesitated.

“Her preferred reading material is…”

“<Stay thy tongue, meddlesome furball!>” Riko snarled in an ancient demonic language.

The other three occupants in the room stared at her in stunned silence.

Riko’s hands flew up to clamp across her mouth as heat exploded across her cheeks, spreading quickly to her ears and down her neck.

Yoshiko snorted.

“I’m… I’m so sorry…” Riko cried, her voice muffled through her fingers. “I didn’t mean…”

Yoshiko burst out laughing. Kotori giggled.

“I thought… you said… she was too demure…” Yoshiko managed get out between bouts.

“That seemed like the best description at the time.” Phobetor stated matter-of-factly.

“Are you… sure… she’s not a… threat?”

“My assessment remains unchanged.”

Why in the nine circles did you have to go and do that, of all things? Riko berated herself. She was so embarrassed she felt she could die and go back to Hell. Well, maybe not. She really had no desire to return.

“There, all done.” Kotori suddenly announced.

“Eh?” Riko came back to reality. “Done? Done with what?”

“Your measurements.”

“Measure…”

“For your dress.”

“Yes, I know, but… when did you…?”

“While you, Yoshiko-chan and Phobetor-chan were talking.”

“I didn’t even notice.” Riko admitted.

Kotori smiled. “I’ll draw up some proposed designs and give them to you tomorrow.” she explained. “Once you decide on one you like, we can get to choosing fabrics.”

“Alright.” Riko agreed. “Oh, uhm… about the favor…”

“Oh, don’t worry about the wing thing.” Kotori dismissed. “We’ll think of something else, it’s fine.”

“Well, if you don’t mind my asking, what did you intend to do with the trimmings?”

“Make leather of course. There are a lot of costumes and accessories that need leather, belts, shoes, jackets, all sorts of things.”

“So, it would be used for the theater?”

“Of course!” Kotori chirped. “Everything I do is for Umi-chan’s theater.”

“Unless someone else like Riko comes and wants something made for a non-theater event.” Yoshiko pointed out.

“Well, yes, but the favors we ask in return always benefit the theater.”

“That’s true.” The fallen angel conceded.

Riko steeled herself for what she was about to say. “I’ll do it. You can use some of my wings to make costumes for the theater.”

Kotori’s eyes widened as she inhaled with excitement. “Really?” She grabbed Riko’s hands and pulled herself closer. “You’ll let me make celestially imbued leather?”

“Y-yes...”

“Oh, thank you, Riko-chan!” Kotori surged forward and wrapped her arms around the redhead.

“Hey, Phobetor,” Yoshiko addressed her cat “you wanna go tell Kanata she’s on notice for numbing duties?”

“Will do.”

With that, Phobetor blinked out of existence. Is he a teleporter? Riko wondered.

“Well, we don’t have to do it right away.” Kotori said, pulling out of the hug. “I won’t collect payment until I know my customer is satisfied with the product I am selling them.”

Yoshiko shrugged. “We’re only putting her on notice.”

“Message has been delivered.” Phobetor’s voice sounded before he popped back into the room. “She said it would only take her a second, so we can have her do so whenever we are ready.”

“Only a second, huh?” Yoshiko pondered something for a moment. “I wonder if her sleep spell works that fast too.”

“I would imagine it takes effect quickly, for the sake of facilitating faster feeding.”

“You mentioned feeding before.” Riko said. “She’s not… eating people… is she?”

“Their dreams.” Phobetor responded. “She calls herself a Somnophore, though I believe Somnophage would be more accurate. But who am I to judge such things?” The cat seemed to almost shrug. “I am surprised you did not know.”

“I sensed she was a fellow demon.” Riko admitted. “But I hadn’t had a chance to determine what kind.”

“I’d let her feed on my dreams…” Yoshiko seemed lost in thought.

“Why, do you want her to put you to sleep, Yoshiko-chan?” Kotori asked.

Yoshiko chuckled. “It would help some nights.”

“Well, Kanata-chan seems to love the pillow I made for her.” Kotori explained. “It’s stuffed with a special blend of our feathers and she says it works wonders.”

“A pillow, huh?” Yoshiko turned her head and shifted one of her wings over for inspections. “I never thought about making one of those.”

“I’d be happy to show you how.”

“Alright.” Yoshiko agreed. “Although I’m surprised you didn’t make one for your precious Umi.”

“Of course, I made one for Umi-chan.” Kotori giggled. “But that was years ago, long before I came here. So that one was made with just my feathers. I made one for Honoka-chan then as well.” Her eyes sparkled as she seemed to be reviewing fond memories. “They still have them to this day.”

“Anyway, we should probably get back to work.” Yoshiko hopped up to her feet and moved across the room. “And I know you have rehearsals coming up. It was nice meeting you, Riko.” She smiled and reaching out a hand.

“Likewise.” Riko agreed, accepting the handshake.

“Phobetor tells me you’re quite good on the piano. Which makes sense, given who you serve under.”

“Well, not really.” Riko shook her head. “Not anymore.”

“Ah, I see.” Yoshiko nodded. “I can empathize completely. I haven’t served Him in a good long while.”

“Mm…”

“Anyway, I still look forward to hearing you play.” She grinned. “Maybe Kotori will let me out of this hell every once in a while, so I can head upstairs and listen a few times.”

“Awuuu…” Kotori pouted. “Yoshiko-chan, don’t make me out to be like some hellish taskmaster.” She blinked and turned to Riko. “No offense.”

Riko chuckled. “None taken. There’s certainly no shortage of taskmasters down there. That’s part of why I came up here.” With that said, she turned toward the door. “I’ll see you two… sorry, three, later.”

Words of departure and well wishes followed Riko into the hallway, and as she walked, her thoughts remained on the individuals she had just met. They were an interesting group, to say the least. But friendly, even to a demon like her. Maybe… perhaps, just maybe, working in close proximity to an angel wouldn’t be all that bad after all.

----------

Author’s Notes Continued in Followup Post

#YohaRiko #YoshiRiko #Sakurauchi Riko #Tsushima Yohane #Minami Kotori #Phobetor #Love Live Sunshine #Love Live #Putting on Hairs #fanfic #Tsushima Yoshiko

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delimeful · 5 years

Text

WIBAR Intermission: Making Adjustments (1)

welcome to the first chapter of the intermission! if you’re new to this AU, you can find the first chapter here and the ao3 story here!

warnings: tension, blood, fear, nightmares, medical torture, needle mention

Virgil’s first impression of their ship was that it looked a lot less futuristic than Star Wars would have had him believe.

It was less ‘fighter jet’ and more ‘classic UFO’ in style, cylindrical and all curves instead of edges. The panels on it seemed to be made of some obsidian-like metal, glinting in the storm’s light. He didn’t know how it compared with other ships, seeing as he’d spent most of his time in space stuck in a cell on one, and thus didn’t have many references.

Oh his shoulder, Patton shook, spraying water from his ruff of feathers like a dog after a bath. Virgil squinted as a few droplets hit his face, and ignored the odd staring that the thin, willowy alien- Logan?- was doing. If Patton’s friend had something to say to him, he could say it outright, because Virgil wasn’t a mind reader.

... Were there aliens that could read minds?

Patton tapped his shoulder with a clawed finger, pointing at a slight imprint in the ship. “There’s the door! Luckily, we’ve got one of the bigger models since Roman is on the larger end of the alien size scale! You’ll fit just fine.”

“Lucky isn't the word I would use.” Virgil’s shoulders rose slightly as he caught the grumble from a few feet behind him, unheard by Patton’s duller ears. If he wasn’t so on edge, he’d be annoyed. If Roman was going to shit-talk him, he could at least do it in something other than Common so Virgil didn’t have to listen to it.

It was already difficult enough just letting the Crav’on walk behind him; everything in Virgil screamed danger at even the smallest movement from the bulky alien. At a squat five foot, Roman wasn’t able to loom over Virgil, but his spike-like scales were all fully extended, making him look like a mix between an angry cat and a porcupine. His rigid, shell-like ears kept twitching, and frankly, Virgil was expecting to get one of those scales through his spine any minute now.

Patton shifted eagerly, his feathers fluffing in a way that meant he wanted down, and Virgil swiftly crouched to allow the Ampen an easier trip to the ground. Both of the others twitched at the fast movement, and he barely repressed the urge to flinch in response. Showing his nerves would only make them more anxious. Conceal, don’t feel, ect.

As promised, he only had to duck his head slightly to get through the ship’s main entry door, and the hallways were luckily tall enough that he could pass through in his customary slouch. He couldn’t help but stare like an idiot as Patton led him through the ship’s passages, getting glimpses of other rooms full of the alien versions of furniture and books. Such normal, everyday objects, but for a while he’d never thought he’d get to see them again.

Roman and Logan accompanied them, as though the moment they let Patton out of their sight, he’d vanish. Though he suspected this in large had to do with the Ampen dragging around an entire Human, he could understand it. He’d also do just about anything to keep Patton safe, after all. He couldn’t blame them for it when he himself had a panic attack nearly every time the Ampen had left for a town to get supplies without him.

“Here!” Patton announced, guiding him into what was probably a bathroom. The Ampen leapt up onto the counter, pulling a white cylindrical container from one of the shelves. “We’ve got plenty of bandages for when Roman gets himself into trouble. Can you rinse that scratch off for me?”

Virgil nodded and spent a moment fiddling with the sink while Roman protested loudly, something about defending his honor and trouble finding him. Once he managed to get the water running, he carefully peeled his sleeve away from his cheek, wincing when the fibers pulled at the newly clotted blood. Logan appeared at his side and offered him a dark cloth towel, making him jump in surprise. “Uh, thanks.”

After a fair amount of delicate washing and applying some basic disinfectant spray, Patton gestured for him to crouch. His eyes flickered to the other two, who were watching him with fascination and disgust, respectively. He… didn’t particularly want to be more exposed than he already was in front of them, Roman especially, but it was Patton asking, and what right did he have to deny Patton anything? He folded down into range of his little clawed hands, trying not to shiver at the cool air on the back of his neck.

Patton carefully applied gauze and tape all along the injury, making him feel like an underdressed mummy. “There! They’re pretty shallow, so they should heal up in no time with your healing rate!”

“Thanks, Pat.” He quickly rose back to a standing position, shoulders slouched.

The Ampen beamed at him, and Virgil felt more than saw the other two aliens stiffen. He let the edge of his mouth curl up in response, but carefully didn’t show any teeth. Never let it be said that he didn’t learn.

“Patton.” Logan reached out with one of his upper arms, settling crystalline fingers onto Patton’s shoulder. The Ampen leaned into the touch with a melodic hum. “Perhaps we could settle in the living quarters. We have a lot to catch up on.”

Virgil glanced between them, remembering that they were Patton’s real friends, and they’d been looking for Patton for ages, and had somehow managed to track them down where a huge smuggling organization had failed. Patton no doubt missed them just as much, his antennae fluffed out the way they were when he was truly happy.

He wasn’t about to ruin their happy reunion by making the others uncomfortable or worse, afraid. He couldn’t do that to Patton, even if his chest ached with the certainty that his welcome would only be temporary. Maybe the less he intruded, the longer they’d let him stay?

He cleared his throat awkwardly, drawing their attention. “I’m tired. Is it okay if I…?”

Patton frowned in worry and Roman sneered, but Logan was the one to speak, extra arms tucked behind his back politely. “Of course. We have a guest room, though it’s not particularly furnished at the moment.”

Virgil’s shoulders dropped a little at the idea of having some space to himself to breathe. “Yeah, that works perfect. Thank you.”

Once they reached the room, Patton was beckoning him down into a crouch again so he could check his head for ‘human illnesses’. Virgil chuckled quietly, still all-too-aware of the foreign eyes on him.

“No fever, Pat. I’m a little… too-much, right now.” He carefully moved Patton’s hand from his forehead and patted it like he was handling precious glass. “I’ll be okay. You said… they’re safe, yeah?”

Patton nodded exuberantly. “I would trust them with my life, Vee.” He paused, antennae flicking back and forth in uncertainty. “I… can I come check in later?”

Virgil felt himself soften further, well aware of Patton’s nerves at separating. He felt the same way, after all. “Always.”

Patton nodded again, gently bumping his head against the underside of Virgil’s chin before finally withdrawing. He watched as the three of them began to walk down the hall, Patton waving with a tiny hand and Roman shooting him a glare, and then ducked into the guest room, making sure to leave the sliding door partially open.

It was plain but had all the necessities, which was all Virgil really cared about, considering he’d been sleeping on the dirt ground for the past month. He checked the perimeter of the room carefully, exploring every corner and door.

Rationally, he knew there shouldn’t be any danger hidden away here, but he was too used to making sure his and Patton’s campsite wouldn’t be found by any stray locals. Habits that kept one alive were hard to break.

Eventually the paranoid itch in the back of his mind was satisfied, and he crawled into the bed, which was more of a hollow egg-shape, stuffed full of mounds of soft bedding. It was easily large enough for him, thankfully, and he settled in to sleep.

…

Sleep didn’t come.

Ridiculously enough, it was because he was too comfortable. The room was cool and quiet and dark, with no weather or local insects to worry about hurting Patton, but it was also wide and exposed to anyone who walked past his door. The bedding was soft and smooth, but clean enough that he felt bad for sprawling his dirty body across it.

He wondered vaguely if he could maybe shower, and then dismissed the thought. He didn’t even know what the supplies or facilities were like on this ship, and he really didn’t want to be without his clothes until he was sure one of the others weren’t going to attack him.

After what seemed like hours of tossing and turning, he gave in and dragged a thin blanket along to one of the odd circular storage cabinets in the room. It had a flat bottom, and it was hard and enclosed from any passerby, and that was enough for him. He had to fold his body slightly to fit in it fully, but he’d slept in worse conditions. Much worse.

Within moments, his eyelids drooped, and he was out.

He woke up strapped to a table, which was never a very pleasant way to wake. Above him, aliens in full-body protective suits muttered and babbled clinically in Common that was too complex for him to understand. He couldn’t struggle, stuck in his body looking out as he was stuck with needles and tubes.

At least this time whatever drug they had used to paralyze him was keeping him from feeling the pain.

His vision blurred in and out of focus, mind drifting as he watched bits and pieces of himself be cut away.

Suddenly, all the harvesters seemed to vanish, stepping back out of sight. He wished he could turn his head to see them, make sure they weren’t doing anything without him knowing, but what difference did it make? It wasn’t like he could do anything about it.

The horror of the situation only began to settle in fully when the Machine appeared at his side. His eyes locked onto its glossy surface immediately, his breaths coming quicker and quicker as gloved hands strapped cold bands around his forehead and wrists.

They flipped him over, and even though all he could see was the table, he knew the moment they’d attached the barbed metallic strip to his back, right along his spinal cord. His nerves jumped, feeling jolting through them again, minutes too late.

He had already been dumped in the arena, a room with cold white walls and windows set into the ceiling for harvesters to look down on him and whatever unlucky bastard they threw in with him today.

His gaze was drawn back down to the door lifting on the other side of the chamber. Speak of the devil.

Virgil rolled to his feet, ignoring the ache of his body to prepare himself. Almost all of the aliens they paired him with came out of the door ready to maul him, be it from anger, or drugs, or simple terror. He’d gotten enough scars trying to talk them down, enough to know the futility of it.

When the door rose, however, he knew the face behind it. Patton?

It was as though the past months had never happened, like they were meeting in that cell for the first time again. Patton shook and trembled, scrambling back against the door as it swung shut after him. Virgil felt something in him ache at the sight.

He opened his mouth to reassure him, tried to kneel and reduce the difference in height between them, to look as nonthreatening as possible. Patton, I would never hurt you.

His body was silent. It took a step forward without Virgil’s input. And then another. And then he was suddenly there, inches away from the Ampen, hand reaching out for his throat and Patton let out a desperate wail, the one he’d only heard once, just before their escape—

Virgil jerked awake like he’d been electrocuted by a guard taser, choking on his own spit as he struggled to breathe.

Just a dream. Just a dream.

He tried to concentrate, reaching out with a feather-light (never careless, never harmful) touch for the reassuring, fluffy weight of his friend against him. All he found was air, and his fear levels shot up into panic attack territory. Where was Patton? Patton wasn’t there, Patton was gone, Patton was-

Patton was home. Patton was safely bundled into bed with his real family, the ones that didn’t have violent, horrifying nightmares.

The memories of the past however many hours hit him, then, and his hands fell limp back to his sides. He shouldn’t be feeling this way, he knew, because Patton was safe and happy here, and that was what the Ampen deserved. That was what mattered, not his stupid little hurt feelings over the fact that Patton’s friends definitely hated him. He dragged a hand over his face tiredly, mouth sour with the knowledge that he was a bad friend.

All intent to sleep gone, he attempted to reach for the cabinet door, only to find empty air. He blinked, squinting in the dark, and found it easily enough. He’d apparently kicked out in his nightmare, because his right foot was stuck in the detached cabinet door, driven through the white material like it was cheap plaster. Oops.

This made it considerably more difficult to maneuver his body out of the cabinet, but he managed without driving the splintered door into his ankle too much. Still stung terribly when he pulled it off though, leaving several fresh new scrapes. Hopefully those wouldn’t get infected.

The door to his temporary room was still partially open, thankfully, and he quietly nudged it further to slip out into the hallway. The lights had been dimmed partially, probably to simulate night and keep them on a routine sleep schedule. The smugglers hadn’t bothered with light cycles for his cell, leaving one corner of the room darkened at all times for whenever he got exhausted enough to sleep. It was a nice change.

Aimless beyond an urge to ascertain Patton’s safety, he wandered the ship near-silently, glancing at any open doors he passed and attempting to figure out what the purpose of them was from what little he could see in the rooms. There were helpful labels on some of the doors, but he still didn’t know how to read the written form of Common. Patton had offered to teach him, but there wasn’t much time to waste writing in the dirt while they were on the run.

Still slightly out of it from his nightmare, Virgil almost walked right into one of Roman’s sharp-edged scales before realizing he was there. He froze, breath catching in his lungs as he waited for the bulky alien to notice him there at his side. The alien turned his head slowly, the horns atop it forming a distinct crown silhouette.

Roman’s red eyes were just light enough in color to be picked out from the rest of his face, and Virgil watched in disbelief as they passed over him without a second glance. The alien shuddered slightly, the movement making his scales rattle and shift, and then turned away to tromp back down the hall.

Night vision, Virgil suddenly recalled, thinking about how often he’d had to guide Patton through terrain in the dark. He’d thought it might have just been an Ampen thing, but it looked like Roman’s species didn’t see into shadows too well either. He let out a slow breath, watching as Roman began his circuit anew. He could only assume that the area he was patrolling was where the others were resting. Of course Roman would be up to guard them from the human.

Guess he wouldn’t be able to check on Patton after all.

Suddenly more tired than before, he waited until Roman’s back was turned and then bolted back the way he’d come on silent feet.

Well. It wasn’t like he hadn’t spent sleepless nights alone before now. A few more on a new ship wouldn’t hurt, since he couldn’t imagine it would be long before he was back to sleeping out on hostile planets.

#sanders sides #g/t #giant/tiny #ts virgil #space au #wibar #ts roman #ts logan #ts patton #wibar int: ma #watch it burn and rust #wibar intermission #*winks at you all* surprise!#writing #my writing

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normallee · 4 years

Text

They Were Roommates || Notia and Norma

TIMING: Before Christmas LOCATION: Norma (and Notia’s) Apartment PARTIES: @humanmoodring and @normallee SUMMARY: How to be a Human 101

“Hello, roommate! I have arrived home!” Norma called out as she hung her pirate hat onto the coat rack inside the door. The entire apartment looked bare to her. Nadia had been pairing down her belongings and attempting to make it appear more human. She wasn’t convinced she was doing a very good job but the ghost in a mortal’s body was the authority on these matters. She supposed she’d have to trust them. She stepped inside and looked around some more. “Did you leave Tom on the porch again? That’s not very nice. We need to keep him until Christmas. I heard it, too, requires a turkey. And I cannot imagine having two of them running around.” She went to the sliding glass door and let the turkey back into the apartment. It was big and smelly but she had grown strangely fond of this large feathered creature. Maybe it was because it reminded her vaguely of a shriken. She wasn’t sure. “Are we going to have more lessons today?” she asked. “I have a pen and paper and everything this time. I’ve been told that is what students bring to classes. They also always have gum in order to make bribes of friendship and annoy teachers.” She reached in her back pocket and pulled out a pack, holding it towards her roommate. “Would you like some chewing gum?”

The lack of loud colors in the apartment meant nothing when there was a loud turkey and an equally loud Norma running around, but Nadia had been nursing a cup of coffee long enough that she only flinched a bit when Norma walked in. “Hi, Norma,” she said, a bit too tired for a proper greeting. She wasn’t sleeping much, these days, and… she wasn’t cold, she didn’t get cold, but her body sometimes reacted like it was, shivering for hours before she could get it to stop. She was fine, now, but it came and it went. “Tom?” The fucking turkey. “Oh, yeah! You know, it’s actually proper etiquette that, between the holidays, the holiday turkey is kept out of living spaces. Turkeys need plenty of fresh air, you know. And grass. Keep ‘em inside for too long and they get interior depression.” The turkey thing had been Norma’s idea, sure, but Nadia was rolling with it because, fuck, it was funny. Annoying as hell, but so, so funny. “Yeah, I’m down for more lessons.” They were pretty fun, especially when half the shit that came out of her mouth was made up. Sure, she gave Norma a few good pointers; she didn’t want the woman to get caught and end up killing this body because of some bad advice. “Yes, perfect. It’s always good to take notes. You’ll be quizzed on all of this, later.” She took a stick of gum. “Thank you. See, politeness. A very useful tool.” She popped the gum in her mouth and settled in for the inquisition. “So, what do you wanna know today?”

“Yes, Tom the Turkey. He informed me that was his name through a series of gobbles.” Norma started scribbling notes already as the turkey started to follow her around. “I think he also says that he much prefers the indoors, but we will take your advice into consideration.” She sat on the couch, sitting on the edge with rapt attention with her pen in hand, ready to learn. She would have to take good notes if there was going to be a quiz. Did she need a highlighter? She saw most people studying used one of those and they looked like fun. Oh, right. She had to pay attention. “Well you rearranged my apartment and I’m still not sure as to why. So more about that, please. And as well, I need to understand how a book of faces works. And why toks tik. And what a yeet is. And what humans shop for. There are so many shops and strange items to purchase, I don’t understand the value structure. Did you know that some rocks cost more than others? Why? They’re all rocks. It’s very odd.”

“You… understand the turkey.” It wasn’t a question, but Nadia still cast a doubtful glance towards the creature, looking into its beady eyes for a sign of intelligence. It, Tom, whatever, stared back. Even though the turkey blinked first, Nadia felt like she’d lost a battle of wills or some shit. “Well, thank you both so much for your consideration.” She looked around the apartment, grateful that it wasn’t in the same state that it’d been when she arrived, though it was still a bit odd. The flamingos had been allocated to outside, and she’d managed to get rid of most of those damn trophies. The furniture was better put together, though she didn’t have the patience to really build shit, and she’d short circuited the fucking apartment twice putting things together, but it looked less like an alien lived in the joint. Instead, it looked like an alien and their human roommate lived there. “Okay, so I rearranged things to look, like, more human. Yeah, yeah, all the shit here was very human, but too much human stuff makes you look… less human and more human impersonating. Also, some of that shit was old and obsolete. You don’t need it. Now it looks more liveable, you feel?”

Nadia chewed thoughtfully on her gum. “Okay, so a book with faces on it’s like one of those people from Game of Thrones that’ll steal your face and pretend to be you, but a Facebook is a website, like that town forum thing but with more videos of cats and babies. Uhhh, toks tik is, like, a clock metaphor, and to yeet is to projectile vomit, I think. Humans are dumb, but they typically make purchases for necessity and amusement, in that order if they’re smart.” This was something that she knew about. “Necessity’s like food, water, booze… Toilet paper and hygiene stuff. Amusement’s literally anything to keep them entertained for their short, short lives.” And she knew all about that, didn’t she? “Most of the stuff you’ve got here’s amusement purchases. You need more necessities. Some stores specialize in certain things, be it necessity things or amusement things. And the rock thing is all about rarity and aesthetic. Some rocks are more valuable because they’re prettier, shinier, or because they’re so damn hard to get a hold of. Then, of course, there’s paper money, where someone just wrote a number on a piece of paper and the rest of us are supposed to go along with it like chumps.” Nadia snorted. “Don’t get me wrong, I love money, but it’s fuckin’ useless.”

“Well I can’t be completely sure but he’s easier to understand than most humans, I will say that much,” Norma said. Tom gobbled in agreement before waddling off looking for seeds. The entire apartment felt oddly empty now that Nadia had rearranged it and had removed some of her belongings. They had all been meaningless but she had come to enjoy them and the sense of familiarity they brought. “Old? None of it was very old. All of it was from the last century at least. That is very recent, let me tell you. Nothing has even started to rust yet.” There was barely any dust, too. She had been very proud of this fact. Humans were always so dusty. As Nadia talked, Norma scribbled furiously, taking as many notes as she could. They were in a few different languages, mostly something that just amounted to furious scribbles. She wasn’t entirely sure what note taking actually entailed but it seemed like she was doing it the same way she had observed. It’s not like she needed to read these later anyway. “Food, water, booze. Booze? This is alcohol, correct? That is necessary? Interesting. I do find humans more tolerable when inebriated.” It made them drop their inhibitions and without those, they were far more prone to chaos. She did very much appreciate the improved hygiene over the years, she would say that much. Her face scrunched up in confusion again. “Wait, money is useless? Then why is it so often considered valuable and a thing that mortals will both risk and waste their lives on?”

“Seriously?” Nadia asked, marginally curious. “What does he say?” She watched the turkey, completely confused by the dynamic that he and Norma had going on but, really, it wasn’t the weirdest thing about her roommate. Norma was odd as hell, and that was saying something because some of the fuckers Nadia had worked with over the years had been strange. “Anything older than, like, twenty years is considered old. Some old things are good. Old might mean that it’s worth more, or is considered vintage. But, sometimes old is shitty.” She paused. “Phones older than, like, three years are very shitty.” She peaked at Norma’s notes, frowning at what looked like a mess of squiggly lines. What the fuck? Some of that couldn’t even be an actual language. “You gonna be able to study those later?” she teased. But then she sobered up. “Booze is alcohol, yes, and it’s absolutely a necessity. The drinking kind, not the medical kind. That kind’s not important. But it’s vital that humans have alcohol at least once a week, unless their lame and abstain from that kinda thing. But yeah, most people are way better to be around drunk.” It made them more fun and easier to manipulate. Nadia was a fan of doing business in bars. “Because people apply a fictitious value to slips of paper, and people think they’ve got to work themselves to death to get it, which is dumb. It’s just paper. Just, like, take it.”

Norma thought that Nadia’s question was very strange. “He gobbles a lot. And makes strange clucking noises. Your ears function, yes?” She shook her head. Did she think the turkey spoke in English? That was very silly. Tom made another gurgling noise and she nodded. “You’re right, Tom. Humans are simple minded.” She made a mental note (and a scribble in her notebook) to get Tom more grain. He seemed to enjoy it very much. “Twenty years?!” Norma shot up and practically dropped her pencil. “That’s so recent! Like a blink of an eye!” She let out a huge sigh and reached down for her writing utensil. “How am I supposed to remember what’s recent? That’s such a short time span, the next twenty years are almost here.” She broke the tip of the pencil at her next eplatantion. “Three years? Why do you bother having these gadgets if they are immediately outdated? Why bother? This is silly! That’s no time at all. Do you all really think a year is a long time? Like it matters? This is exhausting. How do you all live so slowly and quickly at the same time?” This felt hopeless. She threw her pencil away, behind the couch. It didn’t matter. “So all humans need alcohol to survive and I can just take their paper money. What about their plastic money? That one is mostly unlimited, right? The currency that is allowed on the small rectangular cards? I ran into some issues the other day but I think I resolved it.”

“Yes, my ears fucking function.” Nadia sighed. “I don’t think that the turkey speaks English. I was wondering if you spoke turkey. How the hell do you understand him?” Asshole. But she didn’t call Norma that, didn’t want to come off as too much of a jackass, even though Norma was the one to start the name calling with that simple minded shit. “Yeah, twenty years is pretty recent, I guess. In the grand scheme of things,” Nadia mused. “But not all of us live for… how long have you been around again?” She was hoping, maybe this time, Norma would say. She was beyond curious about her seemingly ancient roommate. “Technology upgrades at a rapid pace. New stuff comes out every few months, each thing better and more technologically advanced than the last. We’ve come a pretty long way from the invention of the wheel.” She laughed a bit bitterly. “Good question! I did the smart thing and just upgraded bodies when the old one expired.” She took a sip of coffee, glad that Norma was at least absorbing some information. “Yes, and you can, but you’ve got to be sneaky about it. It’s not taking so much as stealing. And you can steal the plastic money, credit cards, they’re called, too, but you gotta be especially sneaky, and you can’t use them for long, or you’ll be tracked. Credit cards are pretty simple: you use one, and they charge you for it. Not immediately, but eventually. I don’t use ‘em. I don’t trust banks.” They were only good for being robbed.

“I don’t speak turkey, I just understand the turkey. It’s very different.” Norma gave an exasperated sigh. It was far less complicated than being human was so it was strange to her to get such pushback about it. Tom agreed. She could tell by the ruffling of his feathers. “I lost track,” Norma said nonchalantly as she doodled severed heads and some intestines spilling on the floor, along with some nice bleeding hearts with knives through them. “Based on your current calendar, quite a few centuries, I believe. But there have been other calendars and other systems of time so it’s all rather subjective and silly.” She added some more blood splatters around the heart with a flourish of her pen. “The real solution would be to get a better, less human body,” she said, mostly to herself, with another sigh. “Can you upgrade bodies like technology? That’s only a ghost thing, correct?” She had a feeling if humans could, they would. They tried so hard as it was to appear less old and feeble as they progressively aged. “Stealing. That’s a thing that is against the human laws, right? Most of them seem to be very against that. I know there are many in different places but that one has always been frowned upon. Humans are very possessive despite the fact their goods and money does not go with them to death.” Her next doodle was a man dying by way of a small plastic rectangle. ‘What’s not to trust about banks, though? Is that not where the money lives? Which you need. Please explain.”

Nadia blinked at Norma, unsure if this was a topic she wanted to keep discussing. “Okay.” It wasn’t. She cocked her head a bit looking at Norma’s paper with raised eyebrows. Violent. She could get behind that. “Damn, okay. That’s, like, an impressively long time. And you don’t age or…” Norma didn’t look much older than Nadia Diaz’s body. At the most, Norma didn’t look any older than Nadia had been the first time she’d died. “Right, right. Super subjective. Very silly. Time’s an illusion, and all that.” She raised her eyebrows a bit. “I mean, you’re not wrong or anything, but less human bodies aren’t exactly easy to find, you know? Outside of this town, at least.” She kind of liked her humanness, too. It was familiar and useful. So what if she couldn’t light herself on fire or have supernatural strength? She could blend in, and humans were in an abundant supply. They trusted their own, even if they didn’t always realize that other species existed. “Yeah, it’s just a ghost thing. I kinda dig this body, though. She’s worked well for me for, like, over six years, now.” She wouldn’t give up this body without a fight, at this point. Besides, it’d literally die without her in it, now, since Nadia Diaz was gone. “Stealing, yeah. It’s definitely against human laws, but laws are subjective. What’s another person to tell me what I can and can’t do, you know?” She grinned lazily, leaning back. “Doesn’t matter. We like to look good, impressive, for the living. Nothing’s more exciting to most people than being better than everyone around them. Wealth makes them believe they’re better. And banks steal money. They all just work for big corporations and the government, and they’re fucking useless when people come along and take your money from you.” Like Nadia literally did all the time. “Why should a group of bureaucratic assholes be in charge of the value of pieces of paper? It’s fucking ridiculous.”

“Physically? No, not really,” Norma answered, eyes still glued to her paper and the hatch marks she was adding to the spleen sketch to add some shading. “For the most part I believe I look relatively the same as I did when I was last human.” The words always felt a bit like boiling water in her mouth. To admit she was ever anything so plain was shameful and never something she enjoyed advertising to her demonic cohorts. They all thought they were so much better than her because they had never once been mortal but it was not her fault that her near godhood was delayed a few years. It hardly mattered in the grand scheme of eternity anyway. “If you say so. You are right, however. There really is an overabundance of humans. I see why it would be much easier to acquire one of their bodies. But you should really consider a siren. I think it would suit you.” Norma tilted her head to get a better look at her work. She ripped the page out, crumpled it up and tossed it behind her before she started on her next set of illustrations. Norma was unsure if anything that Nadia was saying about these bureaucratic institutions were correct but she found herself nodding along in the appearance of understanding and solidarity, something they had gone over in the previous weeks. Questions were an indication of non human behavior, at least that was what she had been told by her current tutor. “So we steal money to be wealthy and toppled the banks. Very much noted,” she said, letting out a small sigh as she finally looked back up at her current roommate. “This is all very nice. Thank you. I appreciate you. But can you just show me how to find the cat videos in the world wide web again instead?”

“Huh.” Nadia took all of Norma’s information in with interest; it was the first time the other woman had admitted to once being just that, a woman. A human woman, in fact, who had somehow managed to become immortal in a way that seemed way better than any deal the undead got. “That’s pretty fucking cool.” Maybe she could check in to figuring out how Norma had become, well, Norma. It’d be pretty fucking funny if she made this body immortal. Then, if Nadia Diaz’s ghost really was still hanging around, there would be no doubt that she’d outlast it. She laughed, though, at Norma’s next remark. “A siren? Makes sense, I guess. I’ve been told I have a wicked good tongue, anyway. Imagine if it was supernaturally so.” Whether or not Norma actually took her words to heart was irrelevant. Half the time, Nadia was just fucking with her. It was fun. Norma seemed to genuinely believe whatever came out of Nadia’s mouth, as long as she said it in the right tone. And, besides, what harm could it do? It was fun, and, if Norma ended up robbing a bank or something, it’d be funny as hell. She could feel that Norma was losing interest, though, so the cat videos question didn’t come as a surprised. Nadia was only a little exasperated as she finished her coffee and went to grab her laptop. “Actually, this time, you are gonna show me how to find cat videos. Remember, it’s just like I taught you.”

#writing #wickedswriting #chatzy #humanmoodring #nadia #notia #they were roommates

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beyondtheciouds · 4 years

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.30. Part 1 of 3

Grace groaned, being over dramatic as she followed Christopher down the rotten and creaky stairs to the basement lab. She had volunteered to assist and now she regretted it. Her hair, white ash; untamed like the snowy feathers of a swan fluttered around her shoulders as she took one rotted step at a time.

Her hands; trembling pulled the heavy robe she'd snatched from a closet around her tighter to shield the cold from her body. The robe she'd realized too late was wool and a hideous shade of purple that was approximately several sizes too big. The hem dragged behind her like a veil. For once, Grace was at ease. She gave a doleful look as she opened her mouth. They'd only gone down about a dozen and already she was tired. "How many stairs are there? A thousand?"

Christopher wasn't as oblivious as he seemed. He had been paying attention; listening to her light breathing like a piece of information his brain needed to explain to his heart. He tried not to move as fast as he usually did and walked in front of Grace with a slight skip to his step. In his hand, he held a witchlight in one palm. A smile; hidden in the corners of his mouth formed. His other hand was sweating in the pocket of his trousers clutching the inner fabric nervously. He didn't glance back at Grace when he answered her. He was far too preoccupied counting her breaths. He instinctively took the narrow steps two at a time, multiplying. "Not quite, but a good guess nonetheless. One hundred and twelve to be exact."

Grace groaned again, her gray eyes on the back of his shirt and the crissed crossed brown suspenders he wore. "Seriously?"

For no particular reason, Christopher Lightwood had become a mystery to Grace in the months she'd been working with Lucie. Every now and then he would show up while Grace and Lucie were having tea, discussing the next necessary steps. He'd only speak to Lucie, never acknowledging Grace while he delicately devoured lemon tarts.

Grace Blackthorn was not used to his ignorance and the fact he was oblivious to her had Grace feeling shaken. She was not alright with being ignored.

"Yes," Christopher said, nearly tripping. He caught himself immediately and was shocked he hadn't fallen on his face.

The two moved in a new, comfortable silence until the last step when Christopher announced they'd arrived.

Much sooner than Grace expected they were at the old wooden doors. Christopher opened up the double set of doors and the creak of the hinges echoed in the underground laboratory. The basement opened up to a much larger, cleaner room.

Grace was immensely impressed. "Oh my!"

Tables and chairs scattered about; benches filled with green glass beakers and blue tubes. Images. Images not paintings carefully strung up on copper wires. Boxes and boxes full of color papers and blueprints. Foreign tools and peculiar instruments littered dusty shelves. Scientific equipment arrangements were all over the room like blooming flowers. Strange and unusual inventions and inventory were stacked in every visible corner.

Grace smiled as Christopher turned to face her. Her eyes were wide as she took in all the intense colors of the tubes and beakers.

"You did all this?" Grace asked, astonished by the multitude of items.

Christopher blushed, suddenly shy. "No, well. This is Henry's lab but don't worry. We---- I mean, I am allowed to be in here."

Grace raised her eyebrow, turning to lookat Christopher. She gasped as he pulled off his dusty glasses and wiped them on his shirt. His eyes confirmed her suspicions that he was relieved that she'd wanted to come to his favorite place in the Fairchild Manor. The irises were iridescent; a peculiar lavender shade bright enough to remind her that he was James's blood.

Neither noticed the silver eyes flaring in the shadows as they moved into the room.

Grace leaned over a mental monstrosity on the table, her eyebrows now up into her hairline.

Her features held an increasing amount of worry in the lines that appeared on her forehead. She did not admit that she might be skeptical as she eyed the entire entanglement of large nuts and small bolts; long screws and short nails holding together mismatched pieces of wood and metal. Somewhere in the middle was a control panel with brightly colored knobs, buttons and gears.

Grace continued to eye the machine suspiciously as if it would soon come alive as she moved to the other side of the table where the chairs were. "What is this terrible looking thing and why do you have it here?" She finally asked after several minutes.

For the first time in his life, Christopher felt the lightbulb go on over his head and a tingling feeling in his chest. Someone other than Henry and Thomas were interested in his passion. He now understood what James was referring to when he looked at Grace. She wasn't just beautiful he decided, she was ethereal. "Are you sure you want to know?" His voice teased lightly and surprised both of them.

Grace hesitated, feeling nervous and reached out her hand timidly to touch the gears. "Of course."

Christopher clutched the bright tube in his hand as he sat down in Henry's rocker beside where she stood. The purple liquid in the glass test tube fizzled and bubbled as he moved. "Oh! Don't touch! Sorry! That's... That's Henry's Top Secret investment."

"Top Secret investment?" Grace asked, interested and snickered. She'd wanted to press, but his eyes told her that she'd never be able to loosen his lips the way she could with James. If something was a secret in Christopher's confidence, it stayed a secret. "What does this...calamity of metal and wood precisely do?" Grace asked, her curiosity like a cat winning her over.

"Never you mind," Christopher said playfully, careful not to spill the acidic concoction on his pants. They were already stained from rain and mud. Suddenly he was once again shy and uncertain; perhaps embarrassed by his ruined clothing.

Grace suspected that Christopher was tongue tied and against the voice in her head, she let him be. She gracefully rolled her shoulder and gestured a manicured finger to the tube Christopher held instead of pushing further. The light of the candles painted their silhouettes on the ceiling and Grace wondered if Jesse would be the same when he returned from Purgatory. If. If he returned. If.

Would he still love her? Would all the pieces fit?

She hoped the spell would work as she sat down on a wooden chair. She hoped to be out of Idris soon and away from the other Shadowhunters. Everything that happened next would depend on the accuracy of the spell and of Christopher's potion Grace decided. "Can you tell me what that particular wretched smelling liquid is, Christopher?"

Grace pronounced his name so informally that Christopher blanched, then turned several shades of pink. He tried to sound more calm than he was at her attention. He wasn't even sure how he was feeling. The thing that struck him and took his breath away was that he didn't even consider that Grace Blackthorn knew his name. "Compound X. I would like to name this liquid Compound X." Christopher paused, gathering himself. "Entirely composed of natural and semi-natural ingredients; imposed crystalized crystals then liquidized arnum lily petals, crushed sparrow bones, smashed spider spindles---"

"Right. I get it," Grace interrupted with a sour taste in her mouth. She didnt need to suffer complicated details but she didn't want to be mean. She waved her hand at him as if he were a fly buzzing about her on a summer day.

Christopher laughed uneasily, not understanding the change in Grace's mood. "Sorry. Sometimes I get ahead of myself."

"What does it do?" Grace asked and raised an eyebrow. She smiled sweetly, inching the wooden chair closer to Christopher's.

Christopher grinned, his lavender eyes lightning up like moon flowers. "Hopefully it will bring your brother back."

***

James sighed, leaning against the door. He checked his pocket watch for the third time in ten minutes. "Quarter past three."

"We've got time before the Fairchild clan awakens.. and Lucie said to wait up."

"For bloody sake, the birds aren't even awake Tom. What are we even expecting to happen?"

Thomas cleared his throat, his mind already foggy from the few drinks he'd gulped down during the third and fourth rounds of gin rummy. He sat on the couch with his arm wrapped around a square pillow. "We need to call Alastair."

James felt nauseated. "No," he said, unable to convey agreement. He needed sleep not to be standing here arguing like fools. "Why? Didn't you hear what time it is, Tom? He is probably well fast asleep like we should be by now."

The maid was finally asleep but mostly passed out, drunk in a chair by the window. Her eyes were closed and she whispered unintelligible prayers. Thomas glanced uneasily at her before speaking. "We need the extra help. Lucie said we need to make a complete circle. An even number."

"Without Cordelia with us---even with Alastair there will not be enough." James argued; angry at being deprived of his sleep. This was to be the only night he'd get rest after recieving a letter from Will staying he'd found Tessa. Lucie and her mess had taken it from him originally and now Thomas was corrupting what little time was left.

He was suddenly jealous of Cordelia, sound asleep and refusing to indulge in his sister's madness.

James's nose twitched and he felt the edge of his vision blur; a voice fraying in his ear as the edges became obsolete. Belial wasn't pleased.

"Why are we helping them raise the dead again?" James asked, undeterred by the way his voice slurred, becoming distant.

He was fading.

"Because she's your sister. Obviously this means a hell of alot to her if she has convinced us to risk exile." Thomas said, his own words slurred. James was as crooked as Thomas's smile. "Besides James, you'll have to help keep Lucie safe."

James caught his breath, his lungs burning. "Exile? Lucie never mentioned Exile to me, Tom."

Thomas had the temporary choice to be embarrassed or confused. He chose confused. "I...she never told you?"

James and Thomas had been quietly arguing for the last fifteen minutes and now this new information was the icing on a very thin piece of cake. James was done talking to all of them. He wanted to get to bed before his head imploded with another rotten expose. "No, apparently I was not privy to that piece of information, Thomas but I wish I had been."

"James. James, I am sorry you did not know of the risks involved with her plans but you should have still known."

And of course, he had a faint idea of the consequences.

"Call upon Alastair if you must Tom." James said bluntly and paused, watching Thomas's complection turn white. James's gold eyes were furious and flaring. Thomas sat up straighter, expecting some imitation instruction. Perhaps his friend knew more than Thomas thought. Perhaps that was not news. Perhaps James already knew that Alastair was to be part of their group. Part of the plan. Unknowingly, Thomas's cheeks burned red as James continued on. "But if you do include Alastair in this nightmare, please do know you will be the one dealing with Math when awakes from his drunken slumber. Goodnight, Tom."

James frowned, upset with Thomas. He turned quietly on his heel and sighed. He stormed out of the room like a rotten child who wanted a piece of chocolate that was refused.

James had to get away before he dissolved into darkness.

Thomas sat on the couch quiet and more sober than he was drunk. His hazel eyes were bloodshot wide and unblinking. He was too shocked and stunned to speak.

#cassandra clare #the last hours #the shadowhunter chronicles

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calumbeer · 3 years

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adopting a cat during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a surge in pet adoptions in many countries as most of us are forced to remain in our homes during lockdowns. Many crave for support and companionship during these trying times, especially those of us living alone. People are turning to welcoming fur babies into their lives to fill the gaps left by social gatherings and physical activities which we used to enjoy pre-pandemic.

I, for one, was able to adopt a Male Balinese kitten who I decided to name Tesla. He brought a huge amount of positive energy into my home. He’s a playful and energetic little baby, with blue eyes and white fur, guaranteed to make anyone swoon by his cuteness.

But of course, the journey to getting Tesla adjusted to a new environment in the middle of a health crisis was not easy. You have to make sure your little furry bundle is not anxious and fearful of his new home, and that he gets to enjoy your company as much as you do his.

Here are some tips I can share on preparing for adopting a cat during the pandemic.

1. Be mindful of lockdown restrictions when preparing the essentials

It may have been very easy to buy necessary pet items pre-pandemic, but at this time, you have to be mindful of pandemic restrictions in your localities. First, you must prepare a checklist of the basic items you’ll need. For a cat, you will need a cage, a litter box, cat food, a few toys, a carrier, a food bowl, and a scratching post, to name a few. You do not have to buy them all at once, but always assess which items are most needed at a given time.

Consider buying things online if there are strict lockdown measures in your area. If you want to go to a pet store so you can personally check out the items, just find the nearest one in your area and make do with whatever’s available at that store. Groceries usually offer basic items for pets like cat food or litter.

But always keep in minds that we are still living in a pandemic and even pets can get infected. So only leave your homes when necessary.

2. Buy deodorizer for your cat’s litter and place the box strategically in your home

Since you’ll be spending most of your time indoors, it’s very important to keep cat litters fresh and deodorized.

Since I live in a loft-type studio unit with no balcony, I chose to place my cat’s litter box inside my own bathroom, right beside my toilet. But, ideally, a cat’s litter box should be placed somewhere with good air circulation.

You must also choose a kind and brand of litter that works best for you. For Tesla, I use the clumping cat litter, but others would recommend the Tofu kind. Of course, it depends on your and your cat’s needs and preference.

Cat litter deodorizing spray or powder may also come in handy. I use the Arm & Hammer products as they work almost instantly in killing the foul smell of my cat’s poop and pee.

3. Keep your cats busy indoors

Luckily, cats prefer the indoors, so they are perfect quarantine buddies. Still, it’s very important that your cat never runs out of things to do inside the house. Buy them toys or scratching posts to encourage them not to play with your household items like your sofa or electrical wires when they get bored.

Also keep in mind that even though we get to stay with our pets 24/7 at this time, we might still end up busy when working from home.

You may want to consider buying toys that are interactive like feather wands. Whenever you take a break from work, play with your cats a bit and shower them with love and attention. And when it’s time to leave them alone, give them toys that they can play with on their own like small balls or stuffed animals.

4. Schedule visits to the vet

It’s best to have a schedule for your vet visits especially during this pandemic so you can prevent long lines. Though there are mobility restrictions, do not skip your vet appointments. Remember that our pets can also be vulnerable to diseases and it is best to keep them healthy and protected at all times.

If vet clinics are not accessible, there are home remedies you can try if ever your cat is sick or if they need deworming. Just make sure that you get your information from a credible source and you closely follow instructions to make sure you are not doing anything harmful to your kitty.

5. Just enjoy the ride

Though you are currently limited to the four corners of your home, you can use this time to be creative in forming bonding activities with your fur babies.

Some cat parents are learning how to groom their own cats themselves as their local pet salons are closed during quarantine. Your kitties can also join you for Netflix and chill. Just make sure you have some treats ready if they go hungry in the middle of it.

One of my favorite moments with Tesla was when he finally learned how to fetch. I began training him to do this trick when he was three years old using his favorite toys. I learned how to train him by watching youtube tutorials and reading other blogs. I have to admit that I was a #ProudMomma the first time he was able to fetch me a small plastic ball; the only item he can carry using his mouth at the time.

That’s it for now! Have fun with your furry and adorable quarantine buddies!

- arianne and tesla 🐱

#cats #cats of tumblr #balinesecat #pandemic #quarantine #quarantinecats #pets #covid19 #armandhammer #kitten

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enchanted-prose · 4 years

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#14 She Holds the Key in Her Hand

my beta loved this chapter :,)

Word count: 5,218

Characters: Tobias, Imogen, Princess Amarinda, Mott, Renlyn (Original character), Feall (Original character), Jolly (Original character), Roden, Jaron

Notes: edited. im excited to see reactions.

Enjoy!

The atrium was large enough for a group of people, but small enough not to feel empty. Shelves lined the round walls, and the ceiling was made entirely out of glass. Plants, books, and small collected trinkets rested in odd places. Couches and padded chairs of all designs had been placed strategically around the massive fireplace. A massive rug kept the chairs a safe distance from the fire, which illuminated a series of paintings.

It was a treasure among the castle’s numerous libraries.

Renlyn had been responsible for most of the furnishings. She'd managed to turn a stern room into one of the most favorite places in the castle for Jaron’s inner circle.

"That's nice," Tobias said, gesturing to the book covers Amarinda, Imogen, and Renlyn were embroidering.

Imogen’s creampuff of a kitten opened a single green eye, stared at Tobias, and settled back against Imogen’s arm.

"Thank you, I suppose, but my embroidery has always been severely lacking," Amarinda teased, holding up her mediocre book cover. "I refuse to give up."

"I think you've improved," muttered Renlyn.

Amarinda feigned offense as everyone in the room began nodding.

Tobias kept his hands clasped behind his back as he stared out of the tower window. He kept hearing pieces of Amarinda’s conversation, but couldn’t contribute.

It was an unspoken pact that each time there was a regents’ meeting, Amarinda and Imogen would gather all information possible, and discuss it with each other while they tended to their needlework. Renlyn had been invited, but no husbands were allowed to participate.

Eventually, Tobias earned the right to be in the same room during a needlepoint session, and did his best not to encroach on the discussions.

"Very true, I still remember some of your earliest designs," Imogen yawned.

"Play fair, I was a child at one point."

"As were we all,” Imogen mused. “Except Renlyn, I suppose"

“I emerged from the womb fully grown, it’s true.”

Amarinda snorted, and pulled her needle free from its thread. She frowned. “I do wish I’d stop doing that.”

“Perhaps you should consider a longer tail?” Renlyn gestured to the long thread dangling from her own needle.

“Be careful with a longer tail, it sometimes causes the string to knot,” added Imogen.

Tobias, who didn’t know much about the art of embroidery, turned to one of the shelves. His practice fippler stared at him from its dusty pedestal.

Several weeks ago, Jolly had made his home in one of the many rooms in the castle, and offered to teach Tobias the fippler.

However, Tobias was a natural disaster when it came to certain instruments, and he made no point in practicing after Jolly left to perform for a Lord’s daughter’s wedding in the northwest corner of Carthya. The fippler knew Tobias’s sin.

He picked it up, and wriggled some of the pieces. Tobias blew a series of extremely off key notes through the mouthpiece. Imogen’s cat hissed and ran beneath her skirts.

The cringe he wore rivaled the crown of garbage that adorned some of the Vault entrances.

In practicing the fippler, Tobias failed to notice how close Amarinda, Renlyn, and Imogen had gotten. The veil and circlet Renlyn wore over her hair hid both Renlyn’s and Imogen’s faces. Amarinda drew her head back from the secret conversation, a smile on her face.

Don’t eavesdrop, don’t eavesdrop, don’t eavesdrop.

Ah! He could quietly play the fippler and look at all of the trinkets on the shelves. Many of them weren’t Carthyan, and even more of them had been made by Jaron, Imogen, and Fink.

The most beautiful image was a bird made from the outline of a hand, the thumb outline served as a head, and the other four outlined fingers served as colorful feathers. Jaron’s signature took up the entire bottom portion of the image.

Tobias flinched as a loud, pitchy squeal escaped from the fippler.

All members of the embroidery trio looked at him. His ears burned.

Jolly was going to kill him for abusing the instrument.

Unable to continue mistreating the fippler, for both his sanity, the women’s sanity, and the fippler’s sanity, Tobias set the instrument down on another shelf. He’d have to pick up practicing later.

Tobias took a step onto the rug and turned around himself. Shelves of books, bottled flowers, angry wooden knights Roden and Jaron used to throw at each other; the atrium was filled with hints of his friends.

Without the fippler, Tobias wasn’t distracted from Amarinda’s conversation.

He couldn’t stop himself from catching strings of phrases.

Certain words stuck out; words like “Blackberry Night”, and “Mandatory”.

Don’t intrude, Tobias, don’t intrude. They invited him to be in the same room because he didn’t feel the need to stick his nose into their business.

“- it wouldn’t be difficult,” Renlyn chuckled. “The decorations can be reused.”

Amarinda hummed, “But do they match our preferred color palette?”

“Do the colors even need to match the color palette?” Imogen asked.

Don’t intrude, don’t intrude.

Both Renlyn and Amarinda gasped, and then shushed each other.

All three of them were plotting. Tobias peered over his shoulder, only to make eye contact with Amarinda. He flung his gaze back to the window and prayed his flushed face would soon return to normal.

“Tobias?” Amarinda wore a charming smile. “Do you want to join our circle?”

“I thought I’d never get an invit-! Yes, I would love to join your circle, I appreciate your offer,” he said, bowing his head ever so slightly.

“I brought up Jaron’s stance on Blackberry Night,” Imogen explained. She and Renlyn inched away from Amarinda. “We decided we’ll take care of the party ourselves.”

“Thank you,” Tobias said as he sat down by Amarinda, grateful for the space Renlyn and Imogen had made for him. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

He recognized the proud look on Renlyn’s face. It was the look of a woman who knew how much power she had. The corner of her mouth turned up, the closest to a smile Tobias had ever seen from her. “Not exactly. I’ll be providing decorations for the castle. We’ve decided that we’ll require a series of colors for everyone to wear; the decision to host Blackberry Night has been a little short notice, and a lot of nobles wouldn’t be able to find something new to wear in time.”

“Ah, I see. I suppose I can help get the word out.”

Amarinda nodded, “I’ve agreed to help set up the decorations.”

“Our goal is to set up as much as we can before Jaron notices,” Imogen explained. “He puts a lot on his shoulders, and it’s only fair that we help him.”

“And I’m the one paying for Blackberry Night, not the crown, so our lovely king and queen don’t need to worry about the cost,” Renlyn sat a little straighter.

Sometimes Tobias forgot just how much wealth the Karises had. Renlyn didn’t enjoy discussing her assets outside of a business transaction.

“How long will it take you to get the decorations here?” Amarinda asked, setting her embroider on her lap.

Renlyn smirked, “Not very long at all, I have a residence not far from here, and I can always rent.”

Tobias tilted his head, “What exactly do you want to see done?”

“Trellises, blackberries hanging from the ceiling. I’d very much like Blackberry Night to look like a dream.”

“A dream? Amarinda is an expert when it comes to creating an atmosphere, you won’t be disappointed, Lady Ren.”

“Oh, I know, and if I am, I’ll redo everything by myself.”

She continued to explain that she wanted the magic of the party to stretch out as far as it could. Those who weren’t nobility would have their own rustic celebrations, and Renlyn wanted to be able to experience that same concept without having to take a tumble through leech filled mud. An army of farmers were awaiting her call to bring harvested berries and branches to the castle.

The entire castle was to be decorated, and it needed to be at least halfway done before Jaron returned from checking in on Feall.

Something was nagging at the back of Tobias’s mind.

Something important.

“Renlyn, how can you even afford this?” He asked, racking his brain for everything he knew about the Karises.

It wasn’t much.

She waved her hand, “I know how to make a profit.”

A profit. Tobias wrinkled his nose, there had to be more to it than that.

He wondered if the current unrest following the name Mireldis Thay had anything to do with Lady Renlyn Karise.

No amount of courage could motivate Tobias to blurt that out to the world.

“So it’s settled, we’re setting up as much as we can over the next two hours?” Imogen asked, a devilish glint sparkling in her tea-colored eyes.

“Oh, absolutely,” Renlyn winked. “Call in the page outside, I’ll send word to my staff. They’ll be excited to get involved.”

“I do have to recommend that we bring in fake pools. Queen Danika did that for her daughter’s birthday, and they were quite popular,” said Amarinda as she reached for Tobias’s hand.

“That-, that really would add a little extra something to Blackberry Night.”

Tobias grinned as he pictured Renlyn’s splendid plan for Blackberry Night. He’d always avoided participating in Blackberry Night while he was younger; many people used Blackberry Night to drink barrels and barrels of bees wine and lead wild hunts for fairies. It was a fool’s holiday, but a welcome one.

A tradition among young couples was to take a bouquet of flowers, wrap them together, and write a secret wish to tie to the wrapping. You’d take the bouquet and your secret wish with you to one of the many dances, find your partner, and hold onto the bouquet as you danced to light jigs and reels. The longer you held onto your bouquet, the more likely your wish would come true.

When the church bells rung at midnight, you and your partner would rush to the Roving River, and throw your bouquet into the water.

It was your choice whether or not you’d tell your wish to your partner.

Although in certain cases, certain wishes could be fulfilled during the remainder of Blackberry Night. Typically, these wishes led to rushed weddings and a series of babies born in the spring.

“Excited for Blackberry Night, love?” Amarinda asked, reaching over to brush her fingers over Tobias’s curls.

“We’ll see, I might have to tend to the drunken nobles who’ll try to punch their way through stained glass,” Tobias snickered. He looked back at Amarinda, studying her every feature. “Although. . . I do know of a few favors I can call in if needed.”

“I’d like that; I’d hate to be stuck with Roden as a dance partner again.”

“Why? Does he step on your toes?”

She laughed, “He’s a skilled dancer, surprisingly enough, but he’s not my husband.”

Tobias reached for Amarinda’s hand, and kissed her fingers, “I’ll pull strings, you’ll have a dance partner for Blackberry Night.”

“Then I’ll find a bouquet of flowers to throw.”

“Does that mean you’re writing the wish this year?”

“Absolutely,” Amarinda smiled. “And I won’t tell you what it is.”

“Are you sure?” Tobias stuck his bottom lip out as far as he could.

“You won’t get a single word out of me.”

The bounce of her red-brown curls captured all of Tobias’s attention as she threw back her head to laugh. Amarinda was a creature of grace and poise, and Tobias couldn’t stand the thought of his life without her.

Somebody was calling his name- probably Renlyn.

He didn’t care.

He could spend an eternity watching every flick of Amarinda’s hands.

The conversation continued without him.

“Right, as I was saying,” Renlyn wrinkled her nose. “My workers will be here within the hour. Amarinda, you’re welcome to include Tobias in decorating the main hall. Imogen, I take it you can handle the cooks?”

Imogen nodded, “They’ll be more than happy to spite Jaron in a way that won’t get them into serious trouble.”

“I suppose that’s good.”

“To clarify, we’ve decided on creams, pinks, and golds for the dress code?” Amarinda asked, excitement sparkling through her hands.

Tobias could sense the energy she carried.

He waited for Renlyn’s confirmation, and shared a smile with Amarinda. A ball was much needed at Drylliad. They’d be able to dance around the floor and forget the Faola, Mireldis Thay, and Oberson’s meddling hands for a few hours.

They’d be able to throw a bouquet and a secret wish into the Roving River and hope it comes true.

There were a handful of wishes always lingering in the back of Tobias’s mind, but he knew eventually their time would come.

It was a matter of being patient.

“Do you, ah,” Amarinda’s voice dropped. “Want to find a nice corner with me?”

“A nice corner? We’re in a nice- oh! That kind of corner!” Tobias chuckled, his ears burning as he realized what Amarinda was hinting at.

“I take that as a yes?”

“It better not be a corner where I can see you,” Renlyn gagged. “So childish.”

Renlyn’s obvious discomfort at the possibility of catching Tobias and Amarinda tenderly wrapped in an embrace drew a series of giggles from Imogen. She smiled, “It’s only childish if you get caught. I strictly remember seeing you with-“

“That’s not important!”

“Does Renlyn have a secret admirer?” Amarinda widened her eyes, plastering a mask of utter shock on her features.

“I most certainly do not! I have better things to do with my time!”

“Kissing is a good thing to do when you have the time,” Tobias teased. “Especially when you have the right partner, speaking of which. . .”

Renlyn jumped to her feet, “Don’t! No, no, no! I don’t want to see that!”

Tobias pressed a kiss to Amarinda’s nose, “See this?”

“No, I think she means this,” Amarinda explained, leaning in to kiss Tobias’s smile.

The cry of frustration Renlyn made only made Imogen laugh harder, which made Amarinda laugh, and then lead to Tobias’s burst of laughter too. Renlyn stood up, embroidery in hand, and bowed.

“I’ll be meeting with my staff, send a page if you have any questions,” she spat. “And if I find out the decorations aren’t taken care of because the two of you are off in a corner unable to keep your hands to yourselves, I’ll-”

“It’s alright, Ren, we’re just teasing you,” Amarinda’s laughter was contagious, her smile lit up the room.

“Whatever, I’m trusting you to stick to your duties.”

“And I promise neither Tobias nor I will disappoint.”

“Is this the conclusion to Drylliad’s first party planning committee meeting?” Imogen asked, laughter twinkling in her eyes.

“Consider this meeting adjourned, we’ll return to further discuss our plans in a few hours’ time,” Renlyn bowed her head, clasped her hands behind her back, and left the atrium

“Party planning committee?” Tobias couldn’t contain his laughter.

Imogen shrugged, “We needed an official name, ‘Sisters of the Book Embroidery Circle and Tobias’ doesn’t really work.”

“Does this mean we’re going to go behind Jaron’s back when he says he’ll think about throwing parties?” Amarinda wrinkled her nose. “I’m in, especially if party funds come from our purses rather than Carthya’s.”

Amarinda was proving her promise to Renlyn only half an hour later; after she and Tobias had finished in their private corner of course.

Tobias had witnessed battle firsthand, he’d been subject to various types of terrors, and he’d seen many a grisly sight while working with the royal physician.

His precious wife had the strength of a military commander when it came to planning a party.

Her troops were the artisans and servants standing at her feet. Half of them held themselves like cornered mice, and the other half gawked at Amarinda. Her ability to capture any crowd’s attention was a talent not many people had.

“My lady, traditionally, Blackberry Night is much less detailed,” explained a larger gentleman.

Tobias wasn’t exactly sure what position the large gentleman held.

“No, no,” Amarinda shook her head. “I don’t think you understand, it’s vital that we stick to pinks, golds, and creams. This should be treated like a gala, not a barn dance.”

He wasn’t quite sure what to add, Amarinda was handling the situation on her own. He’d rather remain silent than hold her back.

So he watched his wife command her troops.

Amarinda motioned for several servants carrying baskets of brambles to stand before her. She instructed them to put the brambles around the base of every column in the great hall. With that taken care of, Amarinda began instructing the next group.

Watching her was fascinating. Tobias continued to stand behind her, watching as the great hall slowly began its transformation.

When he was younger, his grandmother brought him wondrous books of fairies and knights. Tobias could remember that one of the books was painted, and bore pictures of a magnificent fairy kingdom.

By the time Renlyn, Amarinda, and Imogen were done with the castle, Tobias was certain he’d see that fairy kingdom in person.

“Do you think Renlyn will take care of the lights? She didn’t give me specific instructions, and I’d hate to mess up her grand vision,” Amarinda said, reaching back for Tobias’s hand.

“I think it’s alright,” he shrugged. “She trusts you enough to do this.”

Was it wrong that Tobias was slightly shocked that Renlyn was even allowing Amarinda, Imogen, and himself to help with her plans?

He’d grown to be on better terms with her, but Tobias knew how important order was to Lady Renlyn Karise. Trusting others to maintain that order wasn’t always an easy choice.

Tobias would know. He’d rather do things on his own than trust the other physician’s apprentices to do the same task.

The front doors burst open, and a trio of men stumbled in.

Odd, Roden and his friends rarely slurred around drunk during the day. Was that Mott with them?

Tobias rolled his eyes, returning his attention to Amarinda and the task at hand. It wasn’t his responsibility to limp Roden and whoever else up to their rooms. They were grown men, and Tobias didn’t want to play nursemaid any longer.

“By the Saints-,” Amarinda gasped, shooing the servants away. “Tobias, Tobias! Look!”

“It’s only Roden, I think he managed to drag Mott to a tavern this time,” he waved his hand.

Amarinda’s voice went small, “That’s Jaron, Tobias, not Roden.”

It clicked into place, almost. The realization wasn’t quite there, similar to the way not every toy’s pieces fit together when assembled by a child.

Roden was shoving his way through the small crowd that had gathered around Mott, and was pushing them back as Harlowe ducked under Jaron’s arm. Feall had his arm wrapped around his torso, supported by Mott.

Vomit stained Jaron’s trousers.

His skin was paler than the freshly washed sheets out in the courtyard.

Tobias recognized the lines of pain on Jaron’s face. The creases in between his brows grew deeper as Jaron fought off tears. Jaron didn’t have any outer injuries.

This was much worse.

“Get him upstairs!” Tobias barked, his voice not his own. “Mott, tell me what happened, spare me no details.”

“Faola attack,” Mott grunted, and transferred half of Feall’s weight to Roden’s outstretched arms. “He was asking for Feall, Jaron attacked, the Faola got a kick at Jaron’s right leg and sent him straight down. Commander Regar managed to hold the Faola off long enough to escape, but Feall is sporting an-”

“Take care of the king!” Feall growled. “I was foolish to trust you Carthyans with this matter, and now Regar is dead!”

Roden was practically carrying Feall, “Did you see Regar fall?”

Mott shook his head, “Regar is in danger, Roden, I can handle carrying Feall up to the physician’s chambers, but you need to save Regar. Check by the Vaults, lower Drylliad.”

“Don’t let either of them die, Tobias,” Roden grunted. “I’ll be back.”

Faces of shock passed. Tobias ordered the physician’s apprentices out of the chamber, and instantly began shuffling through herbs and poultices. Imogen soon joined him, and began grinding various herbs into powder.

She was pouring the mixture down Jaron’s throat within seconds.

Tobias began patting down Jaron’s ankle, checking for broken bones. He couldn’t see any evidence of breakage, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any damage.

“Imogen?” Tobias asked, gesturing to Jaron’s thigh. “Any breaks?”

She shook her head, “None that I can feel. Hand me a knife, I can cut through the trouser leg.”

“You’re being awfully calm.”

“My anger is balancing my hysteria, Tobias. I promise you’ll see my temper very soon.”

Her threat carried too much weight.

Her tea-colored eyes so full of kindness turned to stone all too easily.

“Come- come here,” Jaron murmured, sweat trailing down his temples. “Imogen-.”

“Keep quiet, I promise I’ll listen,” Imogen swore, she quietly gestured to the shears on Tobias’s worktable.

Shears in hand, Tobias began cutting away Jaron’s trouser leg, tossing aside the vomit covered fabric each time he finished with it.

“I know- I know who- ah!”

“Sorry, found the bruise,” Tobias choked, gesturing to the foot sized shadow on Jaron’s thigh.

He’d never heard Imogen swear that profusely before.

“The Faola did this to you?” Imogen murmured, her hands balling into fists.

“I suppose he didn’t like my sense of-,” Jaron coughed. “My sense of humor. But that’s not what I need to-”

Tobias frowned at Jaron’s bruise, “He needs to stop talking.”

“I think I know who Mireldis Thay is!”

“Imogen, he’s getting delirious-”

“Let me speak To- ow!” Jaron flung his head back against his pillow. “Curse this-!”

Jaron’s forehead was slightly warmer than usual, but not dangerously hot. His ramblings cut through the chamber as Tobias left Imogen at Jaron’s bedside, and returned with a damp cloth for Jaron’s forehead.

He once again swore that he knew who Mireldis Thay was.

“Where’s Ren?” rasped Jaron.

“She’s busy,” Tobias said. “And you need to rest. Your leg is bruised, but not broken. You’re to lay low for the next few days.”

“There’s too much to do!”

“You’ll have to trust us to take care of it then. We’ll put on Blackberry Night in your absence.”

“Tobias!”

“Imogen’s in on it too!”

That earned him a pair of angry glares. Imogen frowned, and dabbed at Jaron’s forehead, “You need to lay back, Jaron. Can you do that for me?”

The fire in Jaron’s eyes was clouded with pain, even Tobias could see that. He grumbled a complaint, but finally settled back into the pillows.

Mott lingered in the back of the chamber, and gestured for Tobias.

Imogen had finally managed to capture Jaron’s attention. His gaze was glued to her face. Every so often, Imogen brushed a stray curl from his damp forehead.

They didn’t need Tobias’s company.

“Do you think Regar will be alright?” Tobias asked as he stood next to Mott. He pressed a hand over his heart, hoping the motion would force himself to calm down.

“Count to ten, time sped up for a moment,” Mott murmured. “Does it always feel that rushed when somebody comes needing medical attention?”

One, two, three. . .Tobias inhaled. Four, five, six. . . Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. In. Out.

The stakes were different in Jaron’s case because not only was he Tobias’s friend, he was also the king. Jaron’s survival was the highest priority.

Death was unpredictable, and Tobias only had his mind to combat it.

“Yes and no,” he shrugged. “Sometimes the patient is too far gone, and sometimes the rush of the moment slows to a still. I always carry extra concern for Jaron; you never know what kind of trouble he gets into.”

“Where is Feall?” Mott scratched the back of his bald head.

“Another chamber, we typically keep patients in separate spaces, keeps things clean and tidy.”

Tobias pinched the bridge of his nose, his heart had finally calmed.

A lone Faola had attacked four men, if Mott’s report was true. The Faola challenged not only Feall, but Mott, Regar, and the king of Carthya.

Two of those four were left wounded.

Roden would be returning soon with word about the third.

“Jaron’s claiming that he knows who Mireldis Thay is,” Tobias noted.

“Not quite sure how he figured that out, or where he got the time,” said Mott. He inhaled. “Is he going to be alright?”

If Tobias’s assumption was right, and the only damage Jaron sustained was that large bruise on his leg, everything would be fine.

But things rarely worked out in Tobias’s favor.

He rolled his shoulders forward ever so slightly, his mind winding through layers and layers of ignored findings. The Faola had attacked Feall so long ago, and Tobias had to stand in Roden’s way.

His kindness had brought harm to Jaron, his closest friend.

This was his fault.

“I can see your guilt, Tobias,” Mott muttered. He frowned, “This is out of your control.”

“But I was there, Mott, I was there during the first attack. I couldn’t let somebody die, and now Jaron’s tossing on a medical cot because of it!”

Tobias flinched at his own words.

He hadn’t meant to grow so frustrated.

Had they been wrong in pushing aside Mireldis Thay? Did she have more to do with the Faola? Was Feall right in fearing her every move?

Was Oberson’s irrational fear of Lady Thay really that irrational?

Imogen chuckled lightly, she was holding Jaron’s hand. His eyes had finally closed.

“There’s something I-,” Jaron paused to heave in a breath. “Tobias, you need to do something for me.”

“Promise me you’ll rest and I’ll consider it,” Tobias countered.

Jaron’s ghostly smile didn’t belong on his exhausted face. “I need you to ask questions for me.”

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

The great hall had changed in the few hours Tobias had tended to Jaron. Renlyn’s staff was all too talented at quietly setting up for a ball.

He doubted that this was the first time she’d set something up like this.

It was easy, slipping through the crowds of servants rushing to fulfill Renlyn’s requests. Tobias usually didn’t sneak. There wasn’t a reason to suspect him of everything.

But this time was different.

This time, he was sneaking around for Jaron. His instructions were clear.

Jaron insisted that a certain troubadour knew more than he let on. It was this realization that led to Jaron’s bruised leg, he was sure of it.

Jolly would be hiding at the Dragon’s Keep, singing bawdy songs and asking for garlins.

It was Tobias’s duty to get Jolly to share crucial information.

Tobias? A spy?

It was bad enough sneaking around trying to find murky answers, but it was worse knowing that Jaron expected a handful of murky answers.

The Dragon’s Keep was more crowded than usual. Tobias crossed his arms as he slipped in, dodging as many flying fists as he could.

The bright orange jerkin was the first thing he saw. Jolly was slumped in a corner booth, his lute at his side.

“Not who I was expecting, Lord Branch,” Jolly smirked. He gestured to the open seat across from him. “I’m only a little disappointed, but you’re welcome to take a seat.”

“Who were you hoping for?” Tobias muttered, sitting down across from Jolly. He shook his head when a barmaid offered to bring him a drink.

“A king, I suppose.”

“Jaron?”

“Be more creative.”

“Oberson?”

“Closer, but not quite.”

Games, games. Tobias pinched his nose, “Jaron was attacked today, he was trying to keep an eye out for Feall.”

“He’s meddling,” Jolly called over a barmaid, asking for another drink. “You caught me at a bad time, I’m frustrated and raging drunk.”

“Why?”

“Friends, I suppose. I love my friend with my whole heart, but she’s going down a path I will not follow.”

Ah ha! Jolly had left a door open for questions. Tobias leaned his elbows on the table, trying his best not to seem too eager. “What’s her name?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, doctor boy?”

“I would, actually.”

“It’s not my story to tell, I’m sorry,” Jolly took his fresh tankard, and drained as much liquid as he could.

It wasn’t his story to tell. A friend was going down an unfollowable path. A lute was playing, and a man’s low voice rang through the hushing crowd. Jaron had hummed the song multiple times throughout the week.

Ingrithay.

Tobias smacked his forehead, cursing himself for forgetting vital history lessons with his wife late at night. Ingrid Thay. Ingri. Ingri Thay.

Ingrithay.

“Ingrithay is about the queen of Idunn Craich, isn’t it? Queen Ingrid Thay, wife of Graer Thay, stepmother to Mireldis Thay. You’ve been dropping clues.”

Jolly threw back his head and laughed, “I’ve been dropping clues!?! I’ve thrown them to you as best I can, but I will not tell the story. It is against what I do; if I can’t keep a secret, I can’t keep my head.”

“I’m a member of Queen Danika’s family, you can-”

“Through marriage, Lord Branch,” Jolly corrected.

“That still holds, you can tell me. You have nothing to fear. I know you know who Mireldis Thay is, and I want to help. Tell me who she is, and we can-”

“I love Mireldis Thay more than I fear any king or queen, my Lord. No bargaining in the world would change my stance.”

Tobias had never seen Jolly’s face so serious before, and frankly, it frightened him. There was no trace of a smile or a musical note.

Nothing but determination.

“Amarinda and I want to-,” Tobias began, but Jolly held up his hand.

“I’ll give you a single hint, but don’t betray my trust, Tobias. There is more to me than music and laughter.”

More than music and laughter.

He shuddered despite the warmth in the tavern.

Jolly drained the rest of his tankard, and slammed it down. He dragged his hand across his face, “Mireldis Thay has a bone to pick. I won’t help her, and I won’t stop her, but you can do what you can.”

“Tell me where she is, Jolly,” Tobias grunted. “She attacked the king, didn’t she?”

“To her, Jaron is a blocking piece. She’s still a princess, despite this all, and you know how royals get.”

A memory flashed across Tobias’s vision.

A glimpse of a smug, rare smirk.

His heart thudded in his ears, and he was certain he was correct.

But he needed Jolly to say it.

Tobias’s voice was small. Too small. “Mireldis Thay has been living under our noses the entire time, hasn’t she?”

All it took was the slightest nod of Jolly’s head. “You know her, and I know her. Mireldis has played this game with only one goal in mind, and soon she’ll have her winning move.”

A rare smirk, a flash of gold hair. Tobias pressed his fists to his eyes.

Mireldis Thay, a fugitive, was serving the queen of Carthya.

And Tobias had left her in the castle, close enough to the king to strike a killing blow.

He tried to ignore Jolly’s chilling laugh as he fled the tavern.

#fic friday #the ascendance series #ocs #the whole crew got involved with this one #tospias #tobias #prince jaron #roden #princess amarinda #imogen #mott

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advernia · 5 years

Text

of cats, jade, honey, nightingales, and spilled ink — — a compiled assortment of ikerev drabbles i’ve managed to spit out last week during break hours - they're spoiler free + scenes with vague contexts because that's all i can manage to write recently lmao _(:3 」∠)_

stray cat conjuration theory || loki & alice prompt: rain, rain, rain // shady stuff under an open umbrella

her umbrella is a shade of red.

it's shade because you see, it’s hard to be too sure considering the conditions: the umbrella’s cloth is soaked through and through due to its heroic sacrifice of shielding two people from a sudden torrential rain, the sky above them is covered by a thick spread of dark grays and obscure blacks so there’s little to no lighting that equals to harder visibility, then there’s the overgrown trees with their -

- ki, are you listening?

… hmm?

he turns his head - it’s a slow twist of his neck from up, down, then a tilt to his left with a little push forwards; perhaps painfully deliberate - and voila, there she is in all her glory; a face he was getting fond of filling his vision: wide eyes framed by dainty eyelashes, a small nose resembling what a fine-made porcelain doll might have, round lips without a single trace of rogue yet have the natural color of an enticing peach, and… oh -

alice, he says almost in sing-song, your cheeks are red. like apples! are you okay?

the umbrella skews a bit to the right as she shrinks back, grip on the handle tightening - a bit of his arm is left exposed and attacked mercilessly by the rain, dry turning damp in seconds: it’s cold and frankly annoying against his skin, but there’s a quick solution to that, and that is -

w…w-wha… hey, loki?

yes, alice?

uh… do you mind moving back? a little bit? please?

aww, but my shoulder’s gonna get wet!

oh… i wouldn’t want that either, but… don’t you think you’re standing a bit too -

- a bit too what?

a step closer has their shoulders brushing up against each other and his face just a handspan away from hers, and he takes this opportunity to peer much closer at her eyes, and he sees that her irises are a brilliant shade of -

i… i-if you move any closer, i’ll leave you here to get drenched!

a pause. brisk raindrops hitting the umbrella fill it in, dull sounds of tap tap tap tap tap, then -

he breaks into light laughter, a foot moving backwards and upper body retreating, a safe breathing space in between them now visible again.

sorry, alice! I was just kidding… did I take it too far?

really, loki… is this how you treat people who share their umbrellas with you?

nope! it’s not everyday that someone offers to share their umbrella with me… even if their umbrella’s too small to begin with.

… does that mean you want to get drenched after all?

no way!

please speak well of me || ray & alice prompt: in memor(iam)y // a fragment of me on your skin

"now that i think of it, why did you call this necklace a 'collar'?"

the king of spades raises his head briefly, eyes shifting from the wordy official document in his hands to the woman standing in his office. she's by the bookshelves, small hands, lithe fingers intent on relocating the books from their former places to wherever she saw fit. pull out, set aside, dust away, evaluate possible positions, then insert back to the shelf. rinse and repeat, like dance steps: one, two three, four, and five.

around her neck, chain hidden by the collar of her blouse and ribbon, a sparkle of green shone. it showed itself occasionally, peeking out of the ribbon when she would begin to chase the dust away from the books and shelves with a feather duster. it doesn't mix, he muses, that red ribbon against that bright green. to begin with, why was her dress blue and her ribbon red? do they mix? then again, did he really need to know?

she was wearing it, anyway - that's all.

"... i don't get you," he replies, tossing the now-signed document onto one of the many stacks piled on his desk. he gets another document from another stack and tries not to groan when he's greeted by multiple lines of ink, beautifully dull and almost consuming the paper itself. "does it matter?"

"of course it does," she replies, tone and pitch of voice a little bit higher than usual. he can't see her facial expression, but he envisions a frown - or maybe a scowl crossing her features. either way, she's not happy. "a collar is something you would use for pets. or domesticated animals."

"i know."

"so do you see me - or think of me as one?"

his lips quirk upwards, a snort escapes him. "is that your question for the day?"

she stops to glare at him, a thick tome in her hands. "that's just cheating."

"it isn't," his reply comes off as casual.

she doesn't buy it.

"i can see you grinning, ray blackwell."

he laughs when his full name rolls sharply off her tongue.

"are you actually angry, or are you trying to act like my mother?"

♠ ♠ ♠

the king of spades learns that morning that alice the second can wield a five hundred twenty-three-page book with a thick hardbound leather cover like a training sword of the wooden variety, something that one could find in the black army's barracks.

sturdy and definitely not lethal.

he fails to account lethality for multiple hits straight to the head, though.

to his credit, she does apologize after she'd whacked him thrice. the book goes back to the shelf (without bloodstains), he mournfully clutches his head, she looks at him with worry.

"it's just that a necklace this nice," she says, fingers reaching up to her neck to clasp the jade in her palm, "doesn't deserve to be called a collar. it’s a gift from you, and i intend to treasure it when i get back to london.”

he’s not sure where’s the dull throbbing coming from now: it’s either from the back of his head, his ears, or his chest.

who cares, it hurts.

lather that honey on your tongue || blanc & alice prompt: ye olde pickup lines // romance in the eyes of the full moon

when he finds her, he sees her standing a few paces away from his house's backdoor, her hands set behind her back. her head is tilted upwards and her eyes reflect the moon over their heads: it's a large silver coin shining bright against a blackened sky scattered with stars.

he calls her name once - she turns her head, smiles and waves. moonlight casts a dainty glow on her facial features, making her skin seem softer and the blue of her eyes more vivid. he pauses for a moment before he walks to stand beside her.

"oliver told me you would be here," he says. "it seemed like you two had a pleasant chat before i arrived."

her brows furrow, lips purse themselves together. "i think oliver enjoyed it more than i did."

"oh? i would certainly enjoy myself as well, if i were in the company of such a beautiful lady such as yourself."

a pleasant smile lights up his features. one could not say the same for hers, however - her mouth has gone slightly slack, but she shook her head immediately and turns her head up back to the moon.

"i say, the moon is beautiful tonight," he says as he points to the sky with a gloved finger.

"but not as beautiful as i am, maybe?" she says, a lilt in her voice.

she laughs for a bit until she realizes that his eyes are on her: his eyes are wide open, his mouth slightly agape. heat flushes and colors her cheeks slightly.

"okay, i'm sorry," she splutters, angling her face away from him, "it's just that i mentioned to oliver that i get so flustered when you compliment me, and he said something along the lines of 'then why don't you beat the rabbit in his own game', and - "

" - and you decided to compliment yourself before i would?"

"yes, well - gosh, that sounded really awkward, didn't it? please forget i said anything."

he fixes her with a blank stare for a few seconds before chuckling.

"on the contrary, i can't deny your words."

her breath catches in her throat for a moment before she replies. "which ones?"

"you being far more beautiful than the moon will ever be, of course."

"now you're just exaggerating - i didn't even say half of that!"

"you didn't, which is why i took the honor of doing so."

he leans forward to take a lock of her hair in his fingers, pressing it to his lips with a smile.

sing sweet nightingale || sirius & alice prompt: i’m drowning in siren calls // my own two feet as a compass

that deep tone has engraved itself so distinctively well into her ears and mind that each time she would hear it, even if it was of the softest of murmurs, she would find herself looking for its source. it's almost unbelievable how it's become something like a reflex in such a short amount of time, making her feel quite sheepish. she was no dog, nor did she wish to give off the impression that she was a clingy lover constantly observing her beloved's actions... but time and time again, her body would fail her and she would always end up in another search for him.

whenever she would successfully find him, he'd pause whatever he was doing for a moment to greet her with a smile and a voice that soothes her sudden wanderlust. the sound is oh-so kind and noticeably happy so she smiles back, but somehow there's a lingering feeling of disappointment for herself.

so one day she tries to stop turning his way when she hears him from afar: whether she was at the kitchen and him just outside by the training grounds, she by the flowerbeds and he near the headquarters' entrance, or her in the saloon and him issuing orders by the hallways; she stifles the urge of her feet to drop everything and go to where he was. it's far from easy since she wants to hear more, but she tries her best and it actually works for a while - perhaps three days. it makes her feel a bit better about herself, but -

- it's all for naught when he literally corners her in her own room, back and wrists pinned against the wall. she breathes an inhale of surprise at the sudden action, turning sharp when he lowers his face so it's just inches away from her own. his breathing sounded strained, how strange, like he was in pain - oh dear, did something happen? could she be of help?

worry begins to flood her thoughts, but it's washed out without a care just as quick when his breath tickles her ear and he speaks to her with an urgency, demanding and agitated and frustrated but still so beautiful to hear -

why have you been avoiding me?

oh no, she muses but doesn't say - her body had involuntarily trembled out of sheer delight at the sound of his voice so close, heart singing loud and knees growing weak.

words don't dare crawl out of her parched throat.

trails of sea-foam ink || dean & alice prompt: that i hold dear // the chase for a permanent you

today before he leaves his home he walks over to that one drawer and collects every single letter she sent, keeps all those tiny envelopes complete with their barely torn seals inside a folder that fits snugly into his bag, then goes on his merry way.

when they meet for tea, he shoves the folder - and all those one hundred fifty-seven letters of four seasons - into her hands.

“you should do something about your penmanship,” he says like the professor he really was, and that just makes her frown. what - was her alphabet too round, the edges too curved? were the words, sentences, and paragraph alignments all wrong on each and every line, like how music notes would dance on staves?

“i’m sorry,” she says, but she’s not even sure what she’s apologizing for. maybe it was better to ask. “... is my writing too small for you to read?”

“i would’ve told you immediately if that were the case, rather than subjecting myself to eye strain.”

“is it too large?”

he holds himself from clicking his tongue. “it’s not an issue about size.”

“oh. then is it about how i write everything in a slanting manner?”

“no - you aren’t the first and perhaps the last person i would see whose penmanship presents itself in such a script-like fashion and objectively speaking, you are one of the agreeable examples of those writing in such a style.”

“uh-huh,” her head tilts to the side, she frowns. “then can i ask you what... well, you don’t like about my handwriting?”

he raises the teacup up to his lips. what i don’t like, he muses, is how light you write. what i don’t like is how the ink you used to write all those letters is dark enough to leave its mark on the paper but light enough for me to think that its fading, like touches of moonlight on a cloudy night. it reminds me of you and how you came to be in this world in the first place, and how easy it is for you to go back if you firmly decided on it. but what i dislike the most is the fact that i still have lingering thoughts of the possibility of you leaving when every single letter you have sent me has told me otherwise, all because your penmanship is as light and dainty as yourself.

“dean?” she calls out, voice something small.

unease unable to quell itself, he allows an amount of pure black tea to hold his tongue.

#ikemen kakumei #ikemen revolution #ikerev fanfic #ikerev alice #loki genetta #ray blackwell #blanc lapin #sirius oswald #dean tweedle #drabble.txt #yeeeouch haven't done much writing recently so these feel a bit rusty #... they're a shame to scrap tho... maybe the others should go on a queue too #i like how dean's piece turned out bc the analogies mmm

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fullmetaldevil-blog · 5 years

Text

Batim Stitched AU: Halloween Birthday Bash ch 3

Ok! I kid you not, what was supposed to have been a cute little short rapidly expanded to a 80+ (and counting) page story. It had become so long that I had to divide it into 4 parts rather then 3 like the initial plan. Anywho without further delay (been delayed long enough) here we go.

SINdy and Confessional belong to @trashboatprince

Angel Henry, Bendy, Alice and Borise (Errand Boy AU) belong to @inkspottie

Bendy (ITT AU) belongs to @soniccrazygal

Beast Bendy (Dubbed BBendy to separate the Bendys from the Family AU) belongs to @doberart

Fate (Broken Cycle AU) belongs to @vespavespa

Shadow and Ben belong to @zanzaflux

On with the show~!

October 31st Halloween day

The sounds of padded feet quietly tiptoed down the hall striving to be as quiet and as careful as possible yet still alerting a large ink cat to their presence. Shadow lifted its head to see Allison sneaking into the kitchen to prepare for the morning. The large cat looked at the sleeping toons beneath it to see the toons were all out like little lights and gently tucked them in though it internally grumbled with having to pull Bendy back onto the bed since the toon was half hanging off the side of the couch. Once it was sure that Bendy was secure and that none of the other toons were disturbed by the cats movements it carefully got off the couch and crept into the kitchen to join Allison in her early morning ritual.

Allison pulled out the spare pans from the oven as quietly as she could setting them on the stove only to feel like someone was watching her. A small gurgling sound confirmed her suspicion as she looked over her shoulder to see Shadow sitting in the doorway watching her. "Good morning Shadow. Coming to watch me cook?"

Her answer was a murmuring sound and a slight nod before the cat trotted into the kitchen and rubbed its head against her side getting a chuckle from her. It brought her a small amount of joy that she won’t be by herself in the kitchen and would have little companion, that she’ll have someone to talk to as she wasn’t expecting the toons or her husband to surface any time soon.

"You can watch, but when I'm almost done can you get them up for me?" She pulled out a box of oatmeal and a bag of sugar from her cabinet before lightly scratching Shadow on its horn. The inky cats grin stretched wider as it leaned into her side, it was happy it could join her.

Allison quietly began to get her collection of pans together as she cooked bacon in one and sausage in the other. A pot soon joined the stove filled with water, raisins and cinnamon that was set to boil while she focused on finishing up the bacon and sausage. All the while Allison cooked Shadow sat next to hear lightly leaning into her side as it watched items go to and from the stove. When the first piece of bacon was ready Allison let it cool before slipping it to the inky cat for keeping her company. The feline enjoyed the crispy breakfast item purring into Allison’s side in thanks.

The pair enjoyed the peaceful bliss of the morning hour. Allison lifted the last of the bacon off the pan setting them on the plate to cool as well as the apple maple sausages. Shadow enjoyed the little sausage links that she slipped him as they were juicy and sweet, the cat purring in delight.. Allison chuckled at the cats response to the food and hefted the two plates setting them on the table and covered them. Shadows horn twitched as it finished off the last of it’s sausage before it’s attention was drawn toward the back door before a small knock was heard.

"Who could that be?" Allison lifted a brow before looking at Shadow who tilted its head looking at her.

Allison readjusted the large pot on the stove and lowered the flame so it wouldn’t boil over. She wiped off her hands on her apron before turning to the back door opening it.

Before her stood an older man with soft blue eyes and fluffy light brown hair with gray on his sides. Much to Allison's surprise small ivory horns poked through his hair on the top of his head and a golden halo floated above. Small white wings with black tips were folded against his back and sides while a small breeze ruffled their feathers. The man smiled before pulling out a small chalk board surprising Allison till she saw the scarring on his mouth and throat. It was a safe assumption that the man before her couldn’t speak.

The male angel quickly jotted something down on his board before he turned it around allowing her to read it while he gave her a warm welcoming smile.

'Good Morning.'

"Good morning to you as well." Allison returned the smile. "I take it you are 'Uncle Angel' or 'Angel Henry' as the boys put it?"

She has an idea as to how Benny’s Uncle looked as he had described him as a full grown man. Though she was briefly confused as why Benny drew the man looking like an angel toon rather than a full sized human with angel features. It was gonna be a question for some other time. While she pondered over her new guest Henry’s nodding returned her attention to him as he erased the board and wrote a quick message before holding it up again along with holding out his hand.

'That’s me. Nice to meet you Mrs. Connor'

"Likewise" Allison chuckled returning the gesture before a set of voices sounded out from behind Henry earning a guilty and concerned look from the man.

Allison peered behind the angel to see 3 very familiar toons along with a familiar beast. Bendy, Alice and Boris perfectly on model were standing behind Henry along with a version of Beast Bendy who seemed to be amused at whatever had the 3 toons occupied. Alice and Bendy seemed to be bickering over something while Boris was simply watching them to make sure they didn’t get out of hand. Henry looked at his toons and companion before he turned back to Allison and waved at her catching her attention before holding up his board.

'Sorry. I couldn't leave my three toons at home.'

Allison scoffed at the angel's statement waving her hands. "You're fine. The more the merrier. You came just in time for breakfast."

A look of surprise crossed Henry's face before he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. He grabbed his halo and pulled on it to stretch it out like toon physics to form a thought bubble, words quickly formed in it he while he gave Allison a sympathetic look.

'Sorry for coming so early. I wasn't sure what time was best. I'll be more than happy to help in the kitchen. The initial invite was for BBendy and I, but I couldn’t leave my three toons at home since it’s their first Halloween as well.’

Henry's statement was met with a warm smile as she stepped aside allowing entry into the home. “LIke I said, you’re fine and I completely understand. We all have moments where we can’t leave our children home. Plus, I’d be more than happy to have a helping hand in the kitchen.”

Henry breathed a sigh of relief nodding at her words. He was happy that the actress was so understanding of his situation as he feared that he would have to leave the toons at home to be watched by the rest of his studio family for which they didn’t have any plans for going out on Halloween night. Many simply planned on passing out candy, watching movies or simply relaxing as they didn’t express interest in taking the toons out trick or treating. He was happy that his toons would be able to enjoy the holiday alongside others. Henry motioned to the group behind him to gain their attention for which the halo bubble instructed them to introduce themselves.

Allison chuckled as the Alice toon was the first to approach her with a warm smile before bowing slightly. “Good Morning Mrs. Connor. My name is Alice Angel and it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Allison bowed slightly in turn. “It’s nice to meet you sweetie.” her answer was a hug as the Angel happily expressed her thanks for allowing them to stay before she headed inside.

Once the little angel had skipped into the home, Boris glanced at Bendy whom had firmly attached himself to Henry showing no signs of introducing himself any time soon. The wolf lightly rolled his eyes before stepping forward.

“Nice t’ meet ya Mrs. Connor. My name is Boris the Wolf.” The wolf held out his hand in greeting.

Allison met his hand with her own before gently pulling the wolf into a hug while lightly giggling. She couldn’t help herself as she had to admit while she loved Bendy, Boris was always one of her favorites because he reminded her of her husband, a soft sweet boy. A small part of her wished that Tom was still a Boris toon, but it wouldn’t have been fair to the man as it wasn’t by choice. Movement behind the wolf caught her attention as she looked past him to catch glimpses of a bushy tail happily wagging back and forth.

“Nice to meet you too Boris and there is some food already in the kitchen.” She beamed at the toon and didn’t need to tell him twice, the wolf politely excused himself before he headed into the home.

Once the wolf was gone Allison turned her attention to the hulking beast Bendy and the smaller toon Bendy that was clinging to Henry. The two Bendy’s looked at each other before the toon one clung a little tighter to Henry indicating he wasn’t moving anywhere before Beast Bendy huffed at his much smaller counterpart and came forward. The Beast leaned his head down till the side of his head was gently rubbing against Allison while she heard a low guttural rumbling in his throat that was followed by a happy sigh when Allison returned his affections by rubbing the side of his face while being careful to avoid his teeth.

“Nice to meet you too Bendy.” Allison chuckled before stepping aside allowing the beast to carefully fit himself through the door. She was surprised at how he was able to fit, but considering he also lived with a Henry, she figured it was safe to assume he was used to getting in and out of doors without too much trouble. A stark difference between their Bendy that would get stuck in them while Benny would laugh at his counterparts misfortune before getting tossed like a toy. She had to admit that BBendy was a familiar sight and she was surprised that she wasn't at all concerned about the beast even though this was a different Bendy. Perhaps being around Benny's friends was putting her mind at ease.

Henry was to last to come to the doorway with his bendy in his arms that brought a small smile to Allison’s face. This Bendy had his face buried in Henry’s chest while he clung to him with his tail curled around the man’s arm. It seemed that this one was a bit shy. Deciding to give the little devil some space, Allison stooped a bit to have her more level with the hiding toon.

“Hi there. I know you, you’re Bendy the Dancing Demon. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Allison Connor.”

The toon nodded and mumbled a small ‘hello’ before he buried his face back into Henry’s chest prompting the man to gesture to his halo.

‘You’ll have to forgive him, he’s like this sometimes.’ Henry gave a sympathetic look at his toon. He knew full well why his Bendy was clingy and he really couldn’t blame him. ‘He’ll hopefully warm up later on after he eats and is around everyone a little more.’

Allison nodded in understanding as stepped aside to wave the angel in before Henry waved at her to gain her attention and gestured to his side. Under his wing was a small stack of presents and even Bendy had a small present in his hand that he had mostly tucked under his body.

‘I brought some gifts that I think he’ll like, the toons pitched in as well.’ he put on a small smile.

“Thank you, you didn’t have too. It is a gift enough just for you to be here.” Allison couldn’t hide her gratitude within her smile. I warmed her heart to see that even though Benny’s friends had been invited which was already a treat to the toon, but they brought gifts to him as well when they weren’t obligated to. To see that they were just at thoughtful as him filled her heart with pride that her toon had the best people around him to call his friends.

Allison helped gather up the gifts for Henry since his Bendy refused to remove himself from his creator for which Allison didn’t fault the shy demon for it. She figured he would eventually move about on his own when the time was right. Henry held the door open for the actress as she cradled the gifts in her hand and hastily retreated to her bedroom to hide them setting them next to her bed. Tom was still hugging the covers for which she lightly tugged on them waking the man and softy urged him to get up to watch the toons. Henry retreated to the kitchen to be met with the rest of the toons as well as Benny, SINdy, Shadow and Bendy whom all had woken up at the arrival of the additional guests. Tom meanwhile slowly stirred himself and dragged himself into the kitchen to watch the group while Allison remained the room to better hide the gifts.

The kitchen was full of bodies as Benny was firmly attached to Henry’s leg getting dirty looks from his Bendy while the angel chatted to the toons father. Though Tom couldn’t hide the look of astonishment and confusion on his face as he watched the words form in the angel's floating halo. It was like watching cartoon physics as he was vaguely reminded of Benny’s little floating Z’s when he’s asleep. He swiftly understood that this Henry couldn’t speak and was patient as the angel formed the words to their conversation. SINdy, Bendy and Shadow were all crowded around BBendy with the beast gurgling happily while the toons eagerly chatted to him. Alice entertained herself as she admired the kitchen before eyeing some cookbooks, but didn’t dare touch them until she asked Tom with the man giving her the go ahead. Little music notes seem to float around her as she gingerly opened them giving them a look through with Boris peering over her shoulder.

A clap rang through the air gaining everyone's attention as Allison returned to the kitchen standing next to her stove. “Good morning everyone and I’d like to thank you all for coming. As much as I’d like to get things underway, I’d like if you all were to head to the living room so I can try and finish cooking breakfast. The kitchen is a little too small to properly accommodate everyone.”

“I can help!” Alice piped up setting the book back on the shelf before stepping forward.

“Me too.” Bendy, SINdy and Benny all chimed in.

‘I’ll lend a hand’ Henry offered, but felt a hand on his shoulder, turning his attention to Tom with a questioning look.

“Actually, I’d like it if you to come with me to get some more groceries. I doubt we have enough eggs and bacon for everyone here.” the mechanic gestured to the crowd, in particular at Benny earning a small sheepish chuckle from the toon. Henry nodded in agreement at the mechanic request while his Bendy lightly pouted in protest.

“Alright everyone." Allison addressed the crowd. “BBendy can you clear some space in the living room? The coffee table and couch can be folded up and set aside to make way for the tables. Benny, SINdy and Bendy can you three get some fold out tables from the garage as set them up in the living room with BBendy?” her request got all three toons doing a mock salute along with a ‘yes ma’am’ while BBendy nodded and turned towards the living room. “Alice can you help me in the kitchen and Shadow, if you’d like, you can rest in the living with BBendy or you can stay in the kitchen with us. Boris you can either help in here or help BBendy with clearing the living room, I'll let you decide.” Alice nodded and stood next to Allison along with Shadow who seemed to be more interested in remaining in the kitchen.

The group dispersed with Benny, SINdy and Bendy retreating to the garage to fetch the spare tables while BBendy accepted Borises offer of assistance, and the pair headed into the living room to prepare. Tom loaned Henry a coat and hat to cover his wings and horns while they got ready to head out. Henry’s Bendy pitched a fit at his dad joining Tom on the shopping run until Tom lent him some of Benny’s clothes so the toon could quiet down and come along. Henry thanked Tom for his willingness to let him come along, only for Tom to comment how he understood the desire as Benny was clingy to Allison as well. He knew all too well that there are times that the toon’s don’t like to be separated from their perceived parent.

Allison watched as everyone split up leaving herself, Alice and Shadow in the kitchen with some semblance of peace and quiet restored to her kitchen, at least for the moment. For as much as she would have liked the additional help, having everyone in one room would have driven her insane. The kitchen simply isn’t large enough to accommodate the additional bodies and everyone would simply be stepping over each other trying to work.

“Shall we?” Alice’s voice chimed in drawing Allison’s attention. She had to admit it was interesting hearing a voice similar to her own, yet not quite. The actress nodded as the two angels rolled up their proverbial sleeves and got to work while Shadow’s grin stretched even wider.

“What would you like me to do ma’am?” The toon angel looked at her human counterpart. She wasn’t sure what the actress had been making prior to their coming as they hadn’t expected to be arriving around breakfast time.

Allison hummed while taking in the kitchen. The planned meal was oatmeal, toast, eggs, bacon, sausage and some fruit. The bacon and sausage were already cooked and were on the kitchen table and the toast was the last thing that needed to be made. That only left the oatmeal, eggs and fruit, but she didn’t want the angel near the stove since she is still a toon made of ink and the last thing she wanted was for her to get hurt. Her eyes finally rested on the bowl of apples on the table. “Can you slice the apples for me and then make some toast?”

“Sure!” The toon angel chirped as she paced to the table, pulling out her chair sitting down and began to slice the small pile of apples.

Allison briefly checked with her to make sure he’s worked with a knife before getting reassurance from the angel before she returned to her stove leaving Alice to her task. The angel happily hummed while she worked, earning a smile from Allison who returned to her stove and turned the flames back up on her oatmeal stirring the pot.

Shadow took up residence next to Allison leaning against her as she stood at the stove, the large ink cat was content with watching the two work while listening to BBendy shuffle around in the living room presuming that it was making some space for the tables and chairs that were to be brought inside. It’s stubby horns twitched at the sound of Allison humming a soft gentle tune that the cat leaned into her mode purring at the lovely melody.

“I know that song.” Alice’s voice chimed.

“Really?” A grin stretched across Allison’s face in astonishment and joy. She was surprised that Alice knew it as it wasn’t a song from the studio as it was a really old tune that is seldom heard.

“Yeah it was one that Henry had on one of his records at home. I think it was called ‘Greensleeves’.” The angel returned the smile. “Henry has a number of classical pieces and that was one of them.”

Alice began to sing the melody of the song before she heard Allison join in encouraging her to sing louder. Shadow purred at it listened to the two ladies sing across the room at each other with their voices in harmony. The inky cat was enjoying the music that the ladies were creating while they worked, it’s tail lightly tapped to the beat.

The pairs voices squeaked briefly when a third voice joined in only to see Ragdoll enter the room carrying the tables along with Bendy in his Ink Devil form carrying chairs. The ragdoll demon’s deeper voice provided the harmony to the ladies melody as the trio sang out. SINdy poked his head out from behind Ragdoll’s horns as he was riding on his friends shoulder and held up his sign.

'We got tables and chairs!'

Allison chuckled breaking away from the tune at the sight of the 2 larger demons and the toon perched on Bennys shoulders before gesturing to the living room. “Well I’m still cooking so you boys can set them up in the living room.”

“Ok” Benny nodded as he ushered Bendy to the living room where they were joined by BBendy and Boris in helping to set up.

Allison turned back to her stove and added in the sweetened condensed milk to the oatmeal while she could hear the toons moving the tables and chairs around. She had to stifle a laugh at hearing the boys bicker about if the table was set up properly until Benny opted to prove his point for which the table folded up like a bear trap with him squeaking loudly inside. She felt pity for her toon, but laughed at SINdy and Bendy both pulling him out of the ‘cursed table’ and made a mental note for Tom to fix it later telling the toons to grab a different table instead.

By the time the boys had finished setting up the tables and with them no longer folding up with Benny inside, Allison finished the oatmeal and poured the hot cereal into several bowls one for each guest. She left plenty in the pot for she knew some go back for more then just seconds as well as her husband and Henry who ran out of the house to do a quick errand. Alice placed the sliced fruits at the sides of the bowls along with some butter and jelly toast. The eggs were the last thing that were prepared as she wanted them piping hot as she sprinkled a little cheese on them before setting them in a large bowl. The bacon and sausages were piled high on a plate so everyone can take their desired amounts.

BBendy grinned at the two ladies making the final touches to everyone’s breakfast and moved towards the door gurgling for Allison’s attention.

“What’s up BBendy?” The actress looked at the demon.

The beast sat down to center himself as he extended his large hand into the kitchen laying his hand out flat and motioned for the plates. After a few light gestures and a small whine Allison realized what he wanted. “Oh why thank you BBendy.” She chuckled while placing the finalized plates onto his hand.

BBendy happily growled and patiently waited for all the plates to be loaded onto his hand before retracting his hand from the kitchen. He turned and held his hand out to Benny, SINdy and Bendy whom happily retrieved the plates from the demon and began to place them at the tables. The toons happily chatted to each other as they ran around setting up all the tables for the guests who would occupy them. Boris was content with gathering up the utensils to set the tables since none of the other toons thought to get them. Allison even joked to the scurrying boys asked if they planned on eating with their hands since Boris was the only one who sought out utensils.

Once the tables were right and prepared, Benny quickly took his seat grinning wide at his bowl of oatmeal with SINdy and Bendy sitting next to him. BBendy took up the end of the table closest to him sharing it with the other Bendy toons. Alice laughed at the congregation of demons calling the Bendy’s table the demon table as she and Boris took the second table making sure to save a seat for Henry and Bendy for when they got back from shopping with Thomas. Allison watched as all the toons chow down on their food chiming in thanks or hums of appreciation before she took a seat at the ‘demon’ table.

SINdy was about to reach for a slice of bacon before a small golden fluffy bee sat on the slice of bacon he was about to grab. The sight of the bee made SINdy’s grin go wide as he held up his sign.

‘Fate!’

SINdy suddenly holding up his sign gained everyone's attention as they all noticed the golden bee that suddenly appeared on their table. The bee buzzed away taking the slice of bacon with it before it glowed turning into a ball of light before reforming to a very familiar shape.

Allison watched as the shape took on an on model bendy form except this one was completely gold and sported a long spaded tail. His face lacked pie cute eyes as they were completely round and had what looked like small bags under his eyes making him look sleepy. The being Benny described as Fate. The figure stood before the group muttering something before pulling out a small item that resembled a salt shaker and sprinkled something shiny onto the bacon before eating it.

The toon noticed the crowd watching him and happily bowed wearing a large grin. “Hello everyone!”

Just as the words left Fates mouth he found himself in a bean pile as the other Bendys ditched the table to give their friend a warm welcome. The pile laughed as they hugged their friends before they decided to get up and to give their friend some space.

Fate lightly patted the dust off himself before he looked over at the woman he knew was his friends mother, Allison. He straightened up his bow tie and pace over to her holding out his hand for a handshake. “Good morning Mrs. Allison Connor, my name is Fatekeeper, but everyone calls me Fate!”

Fate outstretched hand was met with Allisons as she gently shook his. “Nice to meet you Fate. Thank you for coming.”

“Oh I wasn’t about to miss my friends Birthday!” Fate cheered.

“Well we have more than enough for one more at the table, would you like to join us?” Allison gestured to the table with all the toons eagerly grinning at their friend.

“Certainly!” Fate chirped before dashing off to the table taking a seat next to BBendy. The god looked around the table at all the food happily helping himself along with the rest of the toons before he stopped and looked at Allison. “Do you have any glitter?”

Allison couldn’t hide the look of confusion on her face. “G-Glitter? What would you want with that?”

“The food is great” Fate grinned after a spoonful of his oatmeal. “But it would be even better with glitter mixed in.” Everyone deadpanned at the table and all looked at Fate in mild disgust.

“You do realize that glitter is an art supply and isn’t edible.” Bendy groaned at his friend's request.

“And so is Ink, so what's your point? Don’t knock it till you try it.” Fate grinned while pulling out a small salt shaker opening it and sprinkle glitter all over his food. Everyone else slowly grabbed onto their plates shaking their heads no when Fate offered the shaker to any of them. The god shrugged and poured more of the contents onto his food and happily munched away.

Allison briefly looked at Benny like his friend lost his mind, but the toon shrugged and began to dig into his oatmeal. She sighed and sat down before she heard the familiar sound of the door being unlocked. She hastily got up from the table to meet Thomas in the doorway with Henry helping him carry in a large cake box while his Bendy snickered at the two men.

"Looks like you were successful" Allison beamed at the two men.

Henry grinned and nudged his Bendy to temporarily help hold the box earning a brief complaint from the toon while he took a moment to tug his halo off his wrist and to stretch it into a thought bubble.

'Thomas said he needed to get more food for breakfast when in truth he was picking up a cake he ordered.'

"Well you boys arrived just in time" Allison let them through the door. "The toons are all in the living room and don't suspect a thing."

Thomas readjusted his hold on the cake relieving Henry of it "Well I'm just gonna set it in the kitchen and wait till they are all done with their food. Plus we" he lightly nodded towards Henry and Bendy. "Gotta eat ourselves."

Allison chuckled and lightly kissed Tom on his cheek "That's fine. In the meantime I'll round up the gifts and wait till you want to get the cake."

"Thanks." Tom quickly headed into the kitchen while Allison retreated to the bedroom leaving Henry and Bendy to go to the living room to join the rest of the guests in the morning meal.

Henry helped himself and his Bendy to the oatmeal pot while the rest of the toons were all immersed in lively chatter. The angel took a seat next to SINdy silently chuckling at his own Bendy jealously guarding the seat next to him yet a gentle yet stern look from him kept his demon at bay. Henry lightly glanced around the room at his other toons smiling as they socialized with the other guests. Alice was happily chatting with Benny as the pair were enjoying a lively conversation about clothing and fabrics. The angel toon boasting about the outfits Henry made for them for Halloween which was matched by Bennys enthusiasm for the later hours so he can see his friends dressed up. Boris was much quieter and seemed to be enjoying BBendys company along with Shadow who had taken up residence on the floor next to the large beast. The little quiet corner simply enjoyed listening in on others conversations or nibbling on the remainder of the food on the table.

Tom joined the group some time later shocked to see the golden Bendy, but lifted a brow at the toons protecting their respective plates from said Bendy. Shrugging he grabbed his own bowl and plate filling it with the oat meal for which he was surprised it wasn't completely empty. He fully expected to draw the bottom of the barrel with breakfast. Alison's choice of picking a heavier food item seemed to have paid off as it was obvious that the toon’s couldn’t eat as much of it as they could with lighter foods. He gathered up his plate sitting next to the golden Bendy for which the toon quickly turned his attention to him.

"Good morning Mr. Connor." The golden toon chirped. "My name is Fate."

"Nice to meet you" Tom nodded before digging into his oatmeal.

"Do you want some glitter with that? It will taste so good" Fate held out a salt shaker of the art supply to Tom getting both eyebrows raised.

"Ummm… I'm fine, but thank you?" The man looked around realizing why the other toons were slightly protecting their meals.

Thomas gently placed his hand at the edge of his plate pulling it towards himself making sure to keep Fate in his peripherals as so he won't end up with a sparkling meal. The consumption of ink was a normal sight to him, but the consumption of glitter of all things was something he simply couldn’t fathom.

Allison patiently watched the group as they were pounding down the last of their meals and added onto a steadily growing stack of plates. Once all the toons were satisfied, Bendy hopped off his seat and gathered up some of the plates along with Benny as the two carefully balanced them and walked around the table heading for the kitchen.

"Oh thank you boys, but I got them from here." The actress intercepted them to keep them from seeing the cake.

"Are you sure?" Bendy spoke up as Allison reached for the plates in his hands taking them from him. The demon looking at her in confusion.

"I'm fine. Why don't you go back to the table with everyone else." Allison rounded up the plates from Benny.

"Ok" Benny lightly frowned, but retreated back to the living room while his father walked past him with the rest of the dishes from the table.

The couple retreated to the kitchen and quickly placed the plates into the sink and filled it with water so it would be easy to clean them. While the sink was filling up with water Thomas unboxed the cake and grabbed a single candle while Allison grabbed a stack of smaller plates and a handful of forks. She turned the water off before she poked her head out from around the corner and carefully watched the toons who were idly chatting away. Shadow was looking at her and slightly tilted it’s head with it’s stubby horns twitching slightly, it seemed to know she was up to something. Allison placed a finger over her lips silently shushing the inky feline before reaching up and flicked the lights off plunging the room into darkness except for the small hints of light from the curtains.

Henry's and Alice’s halos was the only small light sources as the toons all briefly panicked except for Fate who opted to kick back and watch the show. The little god was quick to figure out Tom and Allison’s surprise and choose to supervise the toons to make sure they didn’t transform to put up a fight. Henry waved around to keep the toons from panicking too much as his halo glowed a bit brighter for them, he was doing his best to reassure the toons as he knew full well what was coming next.

Benny squeaked looking around "W-What's going on?"

"Not sure" Bendy glanced around.

SINdy briefly panicked before his eyes rested on a small light that was entering into the living room. He reached over and tapped his friend gaining Benny's attention and pointed at what was entering the room.

Thomas slowly entered the room carrying a large white cake decorated with a soft yellow icing and strawberries with a single lit candle in the middle. Allison stood next to her husband carrying plates and utensils happily singing 'Happy Birthday' with the rest of the toons that knew the song soon joining in.

Benny's pie cut eyes were near the size of dinner plates at the sight of the pair entering the living room before Allison lightly hugged him. She sang next to the toon while Tom carefully set the cake down in front of Benny with the toon looking up at him confused. Allison continued to sing before she lightly motioned Benny to look down at the cake before him with his pie cut eyes growing wide at the words before him written in golden icing.

Happy Birthday Benny

A small whine escaped him as Allison soon found herself with Ragdoll hugging her tightly softly sobbing. The demons response to the cake earned worried glances from their guests until they saw movement in the darkened room. Long black inky threads slowly snaked around the room before gently wrapping around everyone in the room. Shadow carefully edged itself out of the threads and trotted next to the group choosing to lean against Ragdoll's side gently purring. Everyone else was finding themselves being pulled in for a large group hug. Ragdoll gently lifted his smaller guests with his threads while pulling his larger uncle, father and BBendy into a group hug with the demon whispering 'ThAnK yOu' over and over.

Allison rubbed Ragdoll's back comforting the demon before nudging his cheek. "Benny, you still gotta make a wish and blow out the candle."

The demon slowly released everyone allowing his friends to go back to their seats. He willed his ink back to it's void reducing his size back to normal. He looked at the candle as the little flame flickered and swayed, his mind lost in what he wanted for his wish. Benny closed his eyes allowing his mind to drift back to his earliest memories of birth and retraced his steps to his escape. A shadow of a smile grew on his face as he thought about his life up to this point before he opened his eyes to look at his friends. So many had gathered for the sake of celebrating his birth and then some.

His eyes grew a little wider at the realization of his wish and took a deep breath. His only thought was that he wished for many more gatherings with his friends and family as he blew out the candle earning cheers from his family and friends all around him. A small happy squeak erupted from him as a large joyous grin plastered itself on his face.

"Cake time!" Thomas reached for the cake to have his hand slapped away by Allison with a small gurgling sound akin to snickering from Shadow.

"Don't you dare" The actress pulled out a cake knife and pulled the stack of plates towards herself. "The Birthday boy gets first dibs."

The knife gently cut into the cake dividing it into large enough pieces for everyone before Allison gently lifted up a piece and placed it on a plate and set it before Benny. The toons smiled happily accepting the plate before picking it up and passing it to SINdy earning a raised brow from his mother.

"I always thought you serve your guests before you serve yourself." Benny spoke softly.

Allison felt a sense of pride bloom within her as Benny's selflessness. Even though it was a special day for him he still looked out for others first.

SINdy's grin grew wide as he took the plate Benny handed him and passed it down to Henry who passed it to his Bendy. Bendy looked like he wanted the slice, but lamented and continued to pass it down. For each slice taken and served was met with it being passed down the table until each and everyone individual had a slice each. Pleased hums drifted through the air as everyone enjoyed the light fluffy strawberry cake.

Once everyone was served Benny looked at the remainder of the cake. He cupped the knife in his hand and made a few slices of his own earning a glance from his mother.

"What are you doing?" She leaned down watching the toon continue to slice a few more pieces of cake.

"Well SINdy lives with Sammy who couldn't come, Confessional doesn’t come out much and Shadow has Ben. I thought that they should get a slice of cake too as a thank you for letting them come or not being able to be here." Benny looking up at her with pleading eyes. He felt they deserved some cake and hoped his mom would agree.

"I'll wrap them for you" Allison lifted the slices and set them on a plate.

"Why are you putting them on a real plate instead of a paper one?" Benny lifted a brow. He knew paper plates were for sending people home with food, but never a real one.

A chuckle escaped Allison at his inquiry. "Well by giving them an actual plate, it gives them a reason to come back because they would have to return it."

SINdy and Benny both cheered while Shadow leaned against Allison purring. SINdy was ecstatic that his dad was getting a slice of cake as the man had commented that the last cake he had was stolen from him. The cake wasn’t chocolate, but he was certain that his dad wouldn’t complain and it was far better than a can of bacon soup any day. He couldn’t wait for Confessional to get his piece. He knew the demon preferred smoked meats, but it was nice to have a little something sweet from time to time.

Shadow was happy it's creator was getting a gift, but also wondered how he would handle it. Ben wasn’t exactly used to having people show him their appreciation for something. He was used to responses of fear and drowning people in the ink rather then getting gifts and shows of appreciation. It was curious to see how Ben would handle Allison giving him a gift.

Allison wrapped up all the slices of cake on the plates and carried them into the kitchen before returning with a small pile of brightly wrapped boxes covered in ribbons.

“What are those?” Benny tilted his head watching Allison set the gifts in front of him earning more looks of confusion.

“These are gifts from your friends as they all brought you these for your birthday.” Allison waved to their guests with SINdy taking that as his cue to remove himself from his seat and to search for his present in the pile. Once SINdy found his present he gently scooped it up and approached his friend all grins.

‘I know it isn’t much, but Happy Birthday.’ the cardboard demon held out his folder with a little paper bow stuck to it.

Benny accepted the folder and opened it to reveal a collection of sheet music from the various Alice Angel shorts as well as blank sheet music with a note attached to them.

‘So you can create your own music’ signed: Confessional

A happy squeak erupted from Benny as he hugged his best friend thanking him profusely. He grew up on the Alice angel music and while Allison hardly sang the songs anymore as she had admitted to forgetting some of them, it was nice to see some of the old songs from happier times returned to them. A little piece of his younger days when things were much more cheery returned to him. He was also elated that even though Confessional doesn’t come out much, he added on to his friends gift with a gift that suited both of them. It wasn’t a secret that the two enjoyed playing musical instruments together along with his singing, it was nice that Confessional was encouraging them to create their own music since both were brimming with musical talent. He could only wish he could hug Confessional directly.

Bendy hopped off his seat and grabbed his present and ran up to Benny happily holding it out to him. “Happy Birthday!”

Benny released SINdy and turned to accept the present from Bendy opening it to reveal a small stack of books about the ocean life as they were full of pictures of various oceanic life and information about them. Benny hugged his friend happily thanking him for such a thoughtful gift as he wasn't able to swim without assistance. There was so much about the world he didn’t know and the ocean was such a fascinating place full of wonderful creatures. He was always eager to get his hands on any book that had more information. He knew that as soon as he had the chance, he’d be eagerly reading the contents seeking out new knowledge and creatures he could only dream about.

Much to Henrys surprise his Bendy hopped off his chair and handed Benny a small package before darting back to his seat leaving Benny confused. The toon looked at his quieter friend before opening up the parcel with a big grin spreading across his face at it’s contents.

'What did you get?' SINdy tilted his head with Benny turning the item over to reveal the present.

In Benny’s hands lay little tickets made out of colored construction paper with '1 Free Henry Hug' written on them.

Henry had to stifle a laugh at his toons gift, but Benny was all eager to show his friend his appreciation for the gesture and hopped off his chair and gave his friend a hug. It was nice to see that his Bendy was warming up to the toon, albeit slowly, but it was a start all the same. While Benny was showing his appreciation to his Bendy, BBendy nudged the angel earning some silent snickers from him as he rested his hand on the large demons head with the demon grinning at him eagerly along with Boris.

‘I know, I know.’ The angel had to chuckle at the toons eagerness.

BBendy reached over to the last present which was really more of one giant one with a bunch of smaller ones taped to it and slid it over to Henry. The angel lightly tapped Benny on the shoulder getting his to release his Bendy from the plushtoons hold and to turn his attention to the gift.

‘This one is from Boris, BBendy and myself’ The angel gestured to the box.

Benny cautiously approached the large box and looked up at Henry before looking back at the gift. He grasped onto the paper and opened it enough to get a good look at the interior before plastering himself to Henry loudly squeaking his thanks earning small protests from Bendy about ‘using up a Henry hug’ ticket.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Allison peered into the opening of the gift and saw a collection of toys ranging from marble runs to lincoln logs, all of which encouraged building whatever your imagination can come up with. They were toys that can easily be enjoyed alone or with family and friends. It warmed her heart as she knew it was a gift that was chosen not only for the toon but for her and Tom as well. Benny loved it when they were able to do projects together and this was the perfect toy to let them build whatever they wanted however they wanted. She could already imagine Tom and Benny building castles out of Lincoln logs accompanied by marble runs. Oh the things those two would build and the chaos that ensues, but she couldn’t hide the smile as she was already looking forward to it

Alice looked at her gift and gently grasped onto it before striding to the plush toon who had moved onto BBendy hugging him as best he could. She lightly cleared her throat earning Benny’s attention. “Here, Happy Birthday.” she held out the package.

Benny released BBendy from his hug and strode up to Alice graciously accepting the gift with a warm smile and a ‘thank you’. He gently tore open the wrapping to reveal a journal with a ribbon that bound it closed. He looked up at her before she gently opened the book for him revealing a collection of easy to make recipes that didn’t involve a stove. Recipes that he could easily make himself and that kept him as far away from open flames and things that could potentially hurt him. Benny happily skimmed the book and even found a few recipes that little notes encouraging assistance as either the stove or the oven were involved.

Alice found herself with a happy plushtoon thanking her. Benny had to eat a lot often wanting to help Allison or Tom with food preparations, and if he could help make his own food then he was all the more eager to learn. He greatly looked forward to trying out the recipes the toon angel had given to him.

Shadow watched with a slight frown on its face. It didn’t have anything to bring as a gift to its friend and watching everyone else present gifts made it feel guilty. It had heard Allison allude that them simply being there for its friends birthday was gift enough, but it still felt twinges of guilt. It didn’t have anything to offer,let alone what would even be able to offer?

SINdy caught on to the ink cats downcast feelings and gently rested a hand on the cats shoulder gaining it’s attention as he held up his sign.

‘It’s ok Shadow. You being able to come was gift enough as Ben may not always be up for the trip. I’m sure Benny is just as happy that you’re here, regardless if you have a gift or not.’

The lost smile returned to Shadows face as it processed SINdy’s words. It was true it’s creator wasn’t always up for the constant traveling around, but it was happy that he let it come over for the celebration. A purr escaped the cat as it leaned it’s head into SINdy’s chest gently nuzzling him before it trotted up to Benny and gently headbutted him in the chest purring loudly earning a bubble of laughter from the toon at the cats display of affection. Shadows grin stretched even wider at the toon’s laughter as it seemed that it playing with Benny was gift enough for the toon.

While Shadow was tickling Benny a grunt sounded out as Tom eased himself out of his chair and began to gather up the now empty dessert plates. "Well I gotta go back to the garage since the cart won't paint itself.

Tom soon found a chorus of 'can we help?' As he found himself surrounded by a cluster of pie cut eyes and grins. Henry silently chuckled at the man's plight before helping in gathering the dishes.

"Well I hate to burst you guys bubble, but I need some help in the kitchen." Allison placed her hands on her hips laughing at her husband's sudden crowd.

Thd toons all shared looks of confusion as to which parent they should help with. BBendy shrugged and lifted himself up and strode next to Thomas lightly head butting him indicating he was gonna help Tom. The other toons took the hint and began to divide themselves up to each respective parent. Benny, SINdy, Shadow, Alice, Henry and his Bendy all came to Allison's side to help in the house while Fate, BBendy, Bendy and Boris all went to Tom's side.

Tom shrugged and motioned for his group to follow him into his garage workshop to finalize the cart and to prepare it for the night. Once the group was gone the toons and angel turned their attention to Allison ready to see what she needed.

An eager grin split her face as she motioned to the kitchen. "How about we make some cookies?"

Her answer was instant as the toons cheered while Henry silently chuckled at Benny who glued himself to his mother's leg in excitement.

Henry lightly waved to Allison gaining her attention before pointing to his halo.

'What cookies are we making? I know a recipe or two.'

"We're gonna make sugar cookies and peanut butter cookies. Everyone loves the peanut butter cookies and sugar cookies because everyone loves to decorate them."

'I can help with the sugar cookies' Henry lightly hummed.

"Ok that sounds good, so who wants to make peanut butter cookies with me?" Allison smiled at her and Henry's little helpers.

Much to Henry's surprise his Bendy slowly stepped forward wringing his gloves slightly and rocking on his heels.

"Can I help? They sound really good and I've never had them before." Bendy gave her a small hopeful look.

Allison took a knee to look at the toon directly. "Sure, and when we're done you'll get the first cookie."

A grin grew on the toons face in excitement. "Thank you!"

Benny approached Henry grinning up at his uncle. "Can I make sugar cookies with you?" Earning a nod from his uncle with Benny eagerly standing next to him.

SINdy looked torn as he wanted peanut butter cookies, but also wanted to help make cookies with his friend. A small frown formed on his face as he looked between the two with Henry catching onto the cardboard demons internal struggles. The man knelt down and rested his hand on the demons shoulder with a warm smile.

'I'm sure Allison would be more than willing to give you some peanut butter cookies. We're gonna be making more than enough for everyone to enjoy.'

A hopeful grin grew on SINdy's face as he turned and looked at Allison.

"He's right sweetie. I got enough ingredients so everyone gets some as well as some to take home" Allison reassured the demon for which she got a bright grin in response.

With the concerns laid to rest the group divided themselves based on who wanted to make what. Allison had Henry's Bendy and Alice to make peanut butter cookies with the young angel eager to learn the recipe to make at home for her family and dad. Henry had SINdy and Benny for which the two were having fun playing with the dough. Allison had to laugh as it felt like the time she and Linda ‘child swapped’ when she had Bendy and Linda had Benny. There was a sense of amusing nostalgia of working with another parents toon.

Henry was quick on the ball with handing out the rolling pins to make sure the two toons didn't use their faces to roll the dough. Being his Bendy's creator and former animator, he was well prepared to keep toon logic to a minimum. He took his eyes off the toons briefly to get the pumpkin cookie cutters only to turn around to see both boys flatten the dough out with their faces before bursting into laughter. Their rolling pins clearly forgotten. All he could do was smile at the toons antics as they both were having harmless fun.

Allison had a bit of a time with Bendy as she kept catching him trying to eat the peanut butter for which Shadow luckily intervened by using its tail to tickle the demon every time his hand wandered.The little demon wanted the cookies so badly he could hardly wait. A chuckle escaped Allison at the impatient demon, but simply handed him and Alice a fork before she rolled a single ball of dough and laid it on the pan. She had Alice and Bendy take turns crisscrossing the forks over the dough pressing each ball made on the cookie sheet. She explained to Alice that the forks were vital as not only do they had a lovely visual pattern to the cookie, but they also help flatten the dough so the cookies can have nice even uniform shape and to bake evenly.

Since Henry's cookies would take some time to be ready to bake as they needed to be cut and laid out on the cookie sheets, Allison set the stove and once it was ready for the cookies she slid in the pans. Bendy was immediately glued to the window watching the cookies bake lightly tapping his foot impatiently while Alice took up residence in a chair and enjoyed idle chatter with Allison swapping recipes. Allison even pulled out a few empty note cards from her recipe box and jotted a few down for the ever inquisitive angel.

Shadow laid next to Allison chuckling at the toon glued to the window. It reminded it of its creators counterpart in its world. It would watch it’s world’s Bendy impatiently pace back and forth in Junes home with the girls occasionally joining him in his impatience while June would get a good laugh. It was amusing to see that even though it was in another world surrounded by different Bendy’s, they all had little traits that made them all similar, yet they are all so different. Shadow laid it’s head down amused and content, it was patient and knew it would get a cookie soon enough.

Once the timer went off indicating that the cookies were ready, Allison had to fend Bendy off as the toon kept repeatedly reaching for the cookies with the actress ultimately holding the trays high out of the toons reach telling him that they are too hot and needed to cool. Henry took the opportunity to set his trays in the oven to bake, though was soon finding a demonic barnacle on his leg that went by the name Benny as soon as he had the trays in hand. Both respective parents would have found the others predicament with the toons funny if they weren’t combating their own set of toons whom were eager about getting cookies.

Allison lightly tested her batch of cookies ensuring they were cool enough to handle before pacing to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of milk before grabbing a few glasses.

“What’s with the milk?” Bendy lifted a brow as the actress paced around the room.

“You’ll need them for the cookies.” Allison smiled as she poured out several glasses of milk and passed out each glass to her guests. “You’ll definitely need them for the peanut butter cookies.” handing Bendy a glass.

The toon accepted the glass questiongly before he soon found Allison holding out a still warm peanut butter cookies to him. He thanked her and bit down on the cookie with his pie cut eyes growing wide before he eagerly scarfed down the rest of the cookie.

“It’s so good!” the toon happily chirped before taking a swig of his milk. “May I have another one please?”

“Certainly”

Allison handed Bendy another cookie before passing out the first tray of cookies to everyone whom happily enjoyed them while they waited for the sugar cookies to be done. The room was filled with pleased hums and the smell of peanuts while Allison took a moment to divide up the second tray of cookies into smaller containers. Since Benny wanted to share some of his cake with the guests that were unable to attend for one reason or another, it was only fitting that they should have some cookies to go alongside the cake. The actress stowed away all the excess cookies while the ding of a timer sounded off.

Henry opened up the stove and just as he pulled out the trays, like clockwork, Benny was clinging to his leg looking at the trays. He internally chucked about the clinging toon until he felt another small weight against his other leg and looked to see SINdy clinging to him as well. It seemed that SINdy was picking up on the habits of his best friend. The angel set the trays atop the stove to cool before closing up the oven and setting the oven mitt aside.

‘They gotta cool first before we can decorate them’ The angel looked down at the two grinning demons.

Benny and SINdy were willing to wait for while Henry and Allison seized the moment to clean up the kitchen knowing full well that once the cookies were ready, all hell would break loose from the toons trying to decorate them. The images of the toons covered in different colored icings ran through the parents minds, but at the end of the day they were toons. You can’t fault them for wanting to have a little fun.

While Allison and Henry were busy washing the dishes Allison peeked over her shoulder to see the toons all moving around the kitchen cleaning up as well as setting out the icing on the table so they all could decorate. Alice was leading the pack in organizing the kitchen with Benny and Bendy right behind her. SINdy was busy setting out the icing and filling the little bags that Henry had suggested in filling with the topping since it would be easier to decorate. It warmed Allison's heart to see all the toons cooperating and helping each other with various tasks.

Henry finished up washing the last dish and passed it off to Allison to dry before he left to check on the cookies. Though as soon as he approached the trays and gave them a light pat to check their temperature, he felt two small weights on his legs. He didn’t even bother looking down as he knew full well it was SINdy and Benny.

A smile graced his face as he grabbed a spatula and began to gently lift the cookies off the tray. ‘They are cool enough now and everyone gets 3 to decorate.’

Allison chuckled as the toons all rushed back to the table and grabbed their respective plates before forming a line leading up to Henry. Benny was the fastest with SINdy right behind him followed up by Bendy and Alice. One by one Henry placed a cookie onto each toons plate and they returned to the table were Allison helped each one with showing them how to decorate them before standing back and let them work.

Shadow sat next to the group watching the toons decorate their cookies from little bats to pumpkins and ghosts. It wished that its creator can have some cookies knowing they were his favorite. A light pat on the head took Shadow out of its supervision of the toons and to Allison whom held a container with a few cookies that were yet to be decorated.

“I'm gonna give these to Ben as a thank you for allowing you to come.” the actress lightly scratched the ink cat on the side of it’s horn. Her answer from the large ink cat was loud purring as it nzzled its head into her side, the large feline showing its gratitude.

Allison joined the toons in decorating the cookies as she wasn’t about to send some of them out the house plain. Since they were gifts they had to be decorated properly. Benny scooted over allowing his mother to work next to him with him eagerly showing her his decorated pumpkin cookies. Some of the other toons took the plushtoons cue and began to show Allison their cookies as well, with quite a few of them being creative chaos.

A content smile crossed Henry’s face as he watched the table bustling with icing and sprinkles as the cookies were being covered in anything and everything the toons could get their hands on. His halo lightly bobbed up and down above his head before he gently grasped onto it and curiously peered through it. Allison was sporting small golden horns and a halo that floated above her head, while a little Bendy plush outline glowed in the center of Benny’s body. It wasn’t a surprise to the angel, Benny told him that when he reunited with Allison she was an Alice angel toon and naturally Benny would appear as a plush toy since he used to be one. Over Alice and Bendy were his sketches of the toons which was a normal sight to him since he was the one that created them. However when his halo was turned towards SINdy he was met with a face full of a shadowy black figure whose body strongly resembled a cape with a floating round head and horns curved downwards. The face was mostly covered in what resembled ink with two small glowing orbs for eyes and large teeth that turned upwards into a grin at the sight of the angel. The demon known as Confessional.

Henry flinched when Confessional turned his attention away from watching SINdy whom he was covering with his cloak, to Henry. The demons face split into a mischievous grin before a gloved floating hand rose up and waggled a single finger prompting Henry to remove his halo and to let it go back to floating above his head once more. It was a small warning from Confessional to not look at SINdy though the golden ring. The angel smirked as he understood why Confessional doesn’t want SINdy seen, and opted to roll up his sleeves and to help Allison with the toons as they not only decorated their cookies, but began to decorate each other as well.

------ Out in the Garage ------

“All right here we go.” a rough voice broke the silence of the air as Thomas let his small group inside the garage.

The toons fanned out at the sight of the interior as the garage was fairly large with more than enough room to house 4 cars and shelf space. They flocked to the sight of the cart with all the sounds of ‘ooo’s’ and ‘aahs’ drifting through the air. The smaller Bendy’s were quick to climb onto the cart finding they had plenty of room to move around and they even encouraged Boris to sit with them as well. BBendy whined slightly as the demon was way too big to fit on the cart, but when the toons popped in and out the sides of the cart like a whack a mole game, the large demon was eager to catch his friends.

Tom watched the spectacle with being strongly reminded of a squirrel running around a tree before he spoke up. “All right you guys, for as much as you enjoy the cart, it’s not going anywhere unless it’s painted.”

The two Bendy toons ditched the cart and came up to Thomas while Boris and BBendy were watching from a distance.

“What color is it gonna be?” Bendy spoke up.

“Well my thought was to make it a soft gold color as it’s the color most commonly seen with Beehive depictions.” Tom fingered through his cabinets until he secured some yellow and brown paints. “Thing is we gotta mix it first before painting.” the man set a few tins down as well as come empty buckets.

“Can I help?” Bendy was at the man's side.

“Sure, but let me set it up first and then we'll go from there.” Thomas looked up at the cart before looking back at his paints. “Well need 3 different colors, 2 yellow and brown.”

“How come?” Fate tilted his head while looking at the older man.

“Well I figured that the interior be brown along with part of the bottom and that the outside portions be one shade of yellow and the lighter yellow would highlight the honeycombs.”

Fate smiled and rested his hands on the back of his head “For not being an artist you have an eye for details.”

The gods comment earned a chuckle out of the mechanic. “Well when you’re designing machinery there is a sort of art form to it I suppose. You have to know how to draw to create a design.”

“So does that mean you know how to draw like Henry?” Bendy chirped.

Tom burst into laughter “NO, no, no. I can draw, but mechanical things for measurements and blueprints. I’m not an artist to where I can create a masterpiece of the mind. What I draw is of the practical nature where everything has a function and purpose since it’s supposed to be something real, not imaginary.” his eyes widened at his choice of words noting the small frown that formed on Bendy’s face as well as the rest of the toons.

Guilt settled into Tom’s stomach, it was true that his line of work focused one something real while Henry focused on something imaginary, but what happens when that imagination becomes real? How do you explain that what wasn’t supposed to be, is?

Fate felt bad for Tom’s poor choice of words, but knew what the mechanic meant, a small smile graced his face as he opted to lend the poor man a hand. “See Bendy, what he means is his job is to make things physical work.” The toon looked at the golden Bendy in confusion. “Take this for example.” Fate reached over and grabbed a wrench off Tom’s work table holding it out for the toon. “His job is to design a wrench or to design a better one since it is a tool that is used to make humans lives easier. What he makes is for their physical lives in the world around them while and artist seeks to make things to help their minds. Images of nature, space, or beings of the imagination that touch people's hearts rather than their bodies. In a way they are both artists, but of opposite natures.”

“Then what about the Ink Machine?” Boris deciding to speak up.

“When I was commissioned to make the Ink Machine it was done on the premise of turning something imaginary into something real. A combination of our arts as Fate described it. It was made to bring literally life to the imaginary, solely to make the children happy from one side, and a company profit on the other.” Tom rested his hand on the cart looking at the group. “The 1930’s was a rough time as the stock market had crashed and many people were poor and struggling to make ends meet. The thought of having cartoon characters real to where the children could laugh and play with their favorite characters was too good to pass up even though our Joey only saw it as a means to keep the company afloat. I made it with the intention of seeing children smile. I already told Benny and SINdy this, but at the end of the day while the machine was a curse and many suffered for it, it achieved in bringing you all to life. Now what remains has a chance to start new and to care for the surviving toons. You guys gave many of us old adults a reason to smile again, despite what happened.” the shadow of a smile formed on the man’s face.

Bendy returned the softened expression with one of his own. It was nice knowing that at least this Thomas Connor had good intentions behind his actions, while that doesn’t speak for every iteration of the mechanic and engineer, at the least the ones they know never meant any harm, and if anything, were satisfied at the birth of all the toons.

Fate clapped his hands together grinning . “Now that we got that settled, why don’t we get to painting this cart. It’s ain’t gonna paint itself!”

Bendy laughed at his friends comment agreeing along with BBendy who was poking a small pile of brushes.

Thomas grabbed the container of brushes and passed them out to everyone while Fate stirred the three buckets of paint with mixing in a little touch of his own in one of them and kept that bucket to himself. Bendy and Boris shared the base yellow color with Tom instructing what needed to be painted that color while the mechanic and BBendy kept the brown for themselves making it easy for them as BBendy lifted the cart making painting the underside easier for the both of them. Fate giggled and floated up to the top of the cart and began to paint in the details earning a deadpan look from Bendy and a happy expression from Boris.

“Seriously Fate? Glitter? This ain’t a disco ball.” Bendy groaned at the gods painting.

“Tsk, tsk Bendy. Gotta have a little fun with the evening and besides, the glitter will actually make it easier for light to reflect off the cart making it easier for people to see us. I imagine it gets pretty dark up here at night and anything that can reflect light would be helpful.” The God cheekily grinned at his far younger companion. “Plue if we’re gonna go out in it, might as well go in style.”

A grunt sounded out from under the cart as Thomas slid out from under it. “Fate’s got a point Bendy. It gets dark out and while I’m not going with you guys tonight, anything to ensure your safety is a must.”

Boris looked at the mechanic tilting his head. “You’re not coming?”

“Well while the kids are out and about for Halloween trick-or-treating at the different houses, it wouldn’t be fair to have our house empty with no candy for any of the kids while you all are running around. So I volunteered to stay home and to pass out candy to any potential visitors.” Thomas brushed off the dust off his pant leg as he stood up cracking his back earning a small groan from the man.

BBendy grunted and gurgled while fate listening to the large demon before speaking. “BBendy wants to know if Benny is ok with you staying home.”

Tom scratched the back of his head. “Well, He was already told how Halloween works with the trick-or-treating as well as passing out candy, so I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. Plus he already knows I don’t have a costume.” The groups motions all came to a halt at the mention of the word and the all looked at each other earning a raised brow from Tom. “Something I said?”

“We don’t have a costume.” Bendy gestured to the rest of the group and especially at BBendy.

“I have one that Henry made me” Boris chimed in.

“I can just transform for mine since no one will be none the wiser.” Fate cheekily grinned.

Bendy frowned slightly pouting. “Yeah, but I don’t have one.”

Tom had to chuckle at the little pouting demon as well as the far larger one as it looked that the wind was knocked out of both their sails. “Well the faster we finish painting the cart, the faster we can see about solving your problem with the costumes.”

BBendy gurgled happily and pulled the aged man into a one arm hug with Tom briefly panicking at the sudden action. Once he realized that the demon was hugging him in gratitude he relaxed in the demon's hold.

The group resumed their painting the cart with renewed vigor as they still needed to make their costumes before nightfall and the fall month’s days are shorter and the nights were longer. Tom kept a fan on facing the cart to help it dry faster so he wouldn’t have to worry about any damp or wet spots once the evening set in. BBendy was all grins as he was sporting off his strength in helping adjust the carts angles making it easier for everyone to paint as well as himself. Tom had to chuckle at how small the paint brush looked in the demons large hand but the demon was happy with such a simple little thing. He even had little sparkles around his face which was an amusing display of toon logic.

The remainder of the painting process went smoothly with everyone keeping a watchful eye on Fate whom was determined to make some sections of the beehive shaped cart as sparkly as possible with Bendy groaning all the way. Tom resorted to telling Fate he could make some sections have a shine to them as long as he didn’t get too carried away which made the gods eyes light up and he went to town on the cart decorating it to his heart's content. Once fate was done Tom had the group turn over their brushes to wash them for which he discovered that BBendy wasn’t at all bothered by water as the demon was eager to help Tom clean the brushes while Fate and Bendy helped boris in setting up some fans to help the cart dry even faster.

“Alright guys, I think that wraps it up.” Tom put the brushes away. “Lets head back inside and see what we can do about your costumes.”

The toons cheered and all rushed out the door to head back inside leaving Tom behind to lock up the garage chuckling at their eagerness. It was always amusing to him to see that despite the fact that many of the toons are about 30 years old, if not older, that they behave like a cluster of excited children. Seeing them so excited over something that he himself as an adult had long since grown out of tugged a smile on his face as he had to admit that they made him feel younger than he actually was.

Tom reentered the house through the backdoor by the kitchen to find the kitchen was controlled chaos. All the toons were munching on cookies that Allison and Henry had baked and their set of toons were eagerly showing the cookies they made to the rest of the group that hac come inside. Allison was passing out extra cookies to Fate, Bendy, Boris and BBendy since they were outside helping him in the garage with the cart rather them making the sweet treats. He himself was rewarded with 3 peanut butter cookies which he thoroughly enjoyed alongside the toons.

“Benny.” Tom spoke gaining his demon’s attention. “Can you help BBendy and Bendy with a costume. Apparently they don’t have any.”

Benny eagerly nodded and ran up to BBendy and gently grabbed onto his finger. “Wanna come to the living room so I can make you a costume? You too Bendy.” the toon chirped at his friend.

Both toons finished their cookies and followed Benny into the living room with Shadow soon following after them. While they were gone Henry retreated to the corner of the kitchen and grabbed his bag he had brought along opening it. One by one he pulled out his own toons costumes separating their respective pieces.

“Oh those are adorable!” Allison cooed at the sight of the costumes that Henry had pulled out for his toons.

The angel blushed slightly as he scratched the side of his cheek. ‘Thank you. I like to sew and while it would have been easier to draw the costumes, I wanted to make them by hand.’

“Draw the costumes?” Allison’s brow lifted in confusion.

‘Oh I guess Benny didn’t tell you.’ the Angel got up and picked up an ink pen out of a little canister by the phone. ‘See whatever I draw with ink I can bring to life a long as the image is completed.’ He drew a small sunflower to prove his point, and much to Allison’s surprise a real sunflower replaced the small drawing that the man had done for which he set the flower in a glass of water. ‘While drawing would have been a lot faster, it isn’t as satisfying as when you do it with your bare hands. I had the time at home so it was just a matter of getting the materials and the needed measurements.’

“I think that is very cute and impressive that you were able to make their clothes and costumes.” Allison grinned at the man.

Henry handed over the costumes to his toons with Tom showing Alice were the bathroom was so she could change into her costume. though the little angel wanted to have her hair done so Allison volunteered to help her so Henry could focus on helping his Bendy and Boris with their costumes as well as to change into her own. Boris was able to get into his costume easily enough the cartoon wolf's tail wagged back and forth happily as he sported his skeleton costume. Bendy needed a little help with his costume for which his creator was more then willing to lend the toon a hand.

‘Are you gonna wear a costume as well?’ Henry looked over at Tom earning a confused look from the man before he realized that the angel was addressing him.

“No, I volunteered to stay home to pass out candy for any children that would brave the long driveway up to the house. I set up some lights along the path so it isn’t so dark. If anyone comes up they get a bag of candy.” Tom shrugged.

‘I see.’ Henry couldn’t fault the man for not wanting to come.

Something stumbled into Tom’s leg startling the man as he looked down to see SINdy struggling to get into his costume from earlier. The combination of the two costumes blinded him and he was caught up in the material.

His little sign and hand frantically waved around ‘Can I get a little help please.’

“Hold still” Tom caught the little struggling toon and held him still before he began to untangle the costumes.

Henry watched Tom gently untangle the toon with a certain level of care that came with being a parent. It was amusing to see a Tom that had a tender side and wasn’t completely rough around the edges. The man practiced patience with lifting the costume off the toon and then carefully redressed him as to make sure the cardboard demon didn’t get tangled again all the while a big grin was on SINdy’s face as he was thankful for the help.

SINdy was all dressed and ready to go along with Alice and Allison coming out of the restroom both sporting off their costumes. Alice happily ran up to Henry showing off her costume and her hair happily chirping about how Allison did it for her and that the actress let her fix her hair as well. Henry complemented the little angel on her outfit and hair while he dug around in his bag pulling out his costume and headed to the bathroom to change. SINdy broke away from the group eagerly rushing into the living room to see BBendy sporting a large fluffy vest, small wings and little antenna on his head and he was absolutely peachy. The demon was all grins in his costume as he rocked back and forth in place happily. Bendy just put on his antenna grinning happily while Benny was fixing Shadows bee costume. The ink cat’s grin seemed wider than normal as Benny was working on the finishing touches. Fate was a little golden bee riding on top of Benny’s head while the toon worked on his friends costumes.

“I see everyone is almost ready to go.” Allison snickered before putting on her antennae headband as she entered the living room.

“Almost” Tom sounded out from the hallway as the man opened up the closet and pulled out a small stack of extra pillow cases before entering the living room. “They can’t get candy if they don’t have a bag of some sort.” the mechanic held out the pile for the toons all to take their respective bags earning a chorus of ‘thank you’s’.

Henry exited the bathroom to see all the toons dressed and ready to go. The now mummified angel smiled at Allison. ‘Are we ready to head out?’

Allison peaked out the window to see the sun had set dying the sky a deep scarlet with hints of purples. “Yeah I think it’s about that time.”

Upon her stating that it was time to go all the toons cheered in excitement at finally being able to head out for the night. Thomas found a cluster of leg weights on himself as well as a fluffy bee on his head as he headed towards the garage to open it up for them to take the cart with Allison and Henry both trailing behind laughing at the mechanics misfortunes with his demonic baggage.

Tom opened the door heading inside and Allison and Henry both stood in the doorway stunned at the project that the man had built. The wooden cart looked like a perfect beehive with little pockets of open honeycombs for the toons to hide inside as well as little boards on the outside with cushions for them to sit on if they didn’t want to ride inside.

“Oh Tom it’s so cute!” Allison jogged up to the cart to look it over while the toons clambered onto it with each one claiming a spot to sit down.

“Well it was the least I could do. I’m not going, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna damper their fun.” Tom scratched the back of his head.

“Thank you for your effort.”Allison pulled her husband into a kiss. She was happy that despite the start of the week with Tom being moody about the time of year with the ink machine that he finally lightened up and was not only participating, but also enjoying the holiday. She couldn’t be any happier.

“Are we ready to go?” Benny lightly tugged on Allison’s pant leg looking up at her breaking her out of her kiss with Thomas. Bennys answer was a big grin from his mother and a nod earning a happy squeak from the plushtoon, he couldn’t wait!

Allison grabbed onto the handle and began to push the cart before BBendy nudged her, he wanted to push it for her. A chuckle escaped the woman as she allowed the demon to nudge the cart forward, but BBendy walked on his knuckles, so him pushing the cart and trying to walk proved to be a bit of a challenge.

Tom watched the group trying to move the cart before he got an idea and rushed back to his table rummaging around. He pulled out a set of straps and briefly examined them before jogging back to the cart and group..

“Hey Shadow?” the man looked at the cat as it tilted its head at him. “Would you be willing to help pull the cart?” Tom held out the straps that he tied together to form a makeshift harness.

Shadow looked at the cart and then back at Tom nodding its head, it didn’t mind helping out one bit.

Tom paced up to the cart and with a few turns of a screwdriver the straps were attached to the cart while Benny helped shadow into the harness. Once the cat got the all clear it lightly tugged on the cart finding it wasn’t very heavy and slowly began to pull the cart. Allison got behind and helped push while the toons piled into it and they all waved good-bye to Tom as they headed down the driveway and into the street to begin their night of trick-or treating.

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