#i missed it but heard a few passing comments and then a sword fight video was reccommended on yt and i was immediately sold

[justafoxhound]

Some detailed details I love about kcd, a very detailed game.

They made real plants and trees. The place feels familiar because I see these kinds of landscapes and woods irl. One of the puzzles has me looking for a weeping willow specifically. (This incidentally took me back to my childhood because there was one weeping willow in the park i would play in, we could use it as a base bc the drooping leaves concealed us, and it was good to climb bc of the way the trunk sprawled at a shallow angle.)

The bird song, I recognise some of the bird calls and I feel like I'm walking through my own local forest. 💚

[ledalasombra]

The Granddaughter - Chapter 5 - The Pain of Loss

Mari: I'm home. I'm sorry if I said something I shouldn't have.

Mari: See you tomorrow. Goodnight.

Alfred sighed when he received the message. Marinette tried to show that everything was fine during the night, but the fact that she couldn't keep her emotions in order only showed that she was more and more on edge. He didn't want to have to leave her alone, but he knew she wouldn't want anyone after her before she felt more emotionally stable. As much as he wanted to, he would have to wait.

Grandpa Al: Don't worry about it sweetheart.

Grandpa Al: sleep well my dear.

After send a reply, he finished arranging the things that were still pending in the kitchen, going down to the cave, to check if the family still needed anything else. The older one heard some voices in addition to the sound coming from the computer. He couldn't help being surprised when he saw the video that showed what appeared to be the last meeting between Ladybug, Chat Noir and some other heroes with Hawkmoth.

Everything happened very fast. The group was fighting Hawkmoth, Mayura and some Akumas, when the butler could see Multimouse being attacked by Hawkmoth's sword. Ladybug managed to pull the sword that was hidden in the villain's staff to her, disarming him and starting to fight him, while Chat Noir runs after the heroine who was on the ground.

Alfred immediately caught his breath, freezing as he watched Multimouse die in the video in front of him.

Ladybug approached Chat Noir, putting her hand on his friend's shoulder:

“We need to go, she'll be fine once the cure is called. If we stay here, we'll lose it... Mayura has fallen and the others have defeated the Akumas, only Hawkmoth is missing."

Chat Noir placed a light kiss on the forehead of Multimouse's lifeless body, passing his trembling hands over her face.

“I will return my princess…”

For a long ten minutes, all the videos went black. The cameras were broken and were back up and running once the cure was called. Multimouse who was on the ground, sucked in air quickly, trying to breathe as she looked around frantically. She had a lost look, not understanding what was going on. A few minutes later, Chat Noir runs across the room and hugs her, helping her to get up. The recording ends right after.

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

Dick was in the cave, talking with the others about the strange encounter he had with Marinette and how she and Alfred seemed to have a connection beyond what was seen. Everyone was waiting for the butler to arrive to try to clarify the whole situation.

“What is Tim doing?” Dick asked when he saw the youngest opening different files on the computer and selecting a specific video.

“Searching for information… maybe the files will give us some clue as to what happened. If she's connected to Adrien Agreste, there's a good chance she knew what was going on." Tim commented without taking his eyes off the screen.

“It's pretty obvious that she knows something about what happened. Let's wait for Alfred and ask him to explain” Damian commented, making his presence visible already in his uniform.

“We're not sure what she knows or if Alfred knows… We can't just assume the worst. Besides, if it was something Alfred didn't agree with, he would have intervened a long time ago." Dick commented, moving away a little to get the gloves and mask, while Tim opened the video. In a few minutes, Dick was able to realize that the video was indeed of the last battle, seeing Alfred enter the place.

"Shit" muttered the vigilant, noticing Alfred stop in front of the screen apprehensively. It was impossible not to notice how the older one became rigid and tense in relation to the video or how erratic his breathing became. In a few moments Dick was beside him, holding him lightly. The youngest can see a tear running down his adoptive grandfather's face. Alfred had seen videos like these before and he was never affected the way he was now. Dick noticed that Damian and Bruce were watching what was happening from afar, but that they didn't interfere. Everyone watched the video and Alfred's reaction, watching the footage come to an end and the butler put his hand to his chest as he tried to visually recover.

—----------------------

Alfred put his hand on his chest as he tried to compose himself about what he had seen. Marinette had told him that she was present at the last battle, but she didn't say details... He knew she was Multimouse and seeing her granddaughter die in the video was beyond what he could bear. He felt Dick put a hand on his shoulder and guide him to the nearest chair, seeing everyone looking at him with some concern.

“Alfred, did something happen? Everything is fine?" Dick asked, eyeing him with concern.

“I'm fine Master Dick. I just didn't expect to get here and see everything…” Alfred replied, still visibly shaken. The butler had always been in full control of everything, but at the moment he was trying to get his thoughts in order.

“Alfred, maybe you better rest…” Tim commented, handing the older man a glass of water.

 "I'm on my way, I just came to make sure you don't need anything else..." he commented seeing Bruce approaching.

"Alfred, did something happen? You were visibly shaken by the video.” Bruce commented, visibly worried. “What caused you so much stress? Do you want me to ask Leslie to come look at you and check if everything is ok?" 

Alfred took a deep breath looking into his eyes. "I'm fine Master Bruce. There's no need to call Leslie out for that. I was just a little shocked by what I saw. I didn't realize there was footage of what happened…"

"Alfred, I know this is not the time, but what does Marinette know about all this? Did she know about Agreste being Chat Noir?" Damian asked, which caused everyone in the room to look at him in silent questioning what he was doing.

Dick sighed, turning his attention back to Alfred, remembering what he heard Marinette say in the kitchen earlier ‘He thinks that because he couldn't protect me on the last day, because he saw me... he thinks that being by my side is putting me in danger.’

“I overheard part of your conversation in the kitchen, sorry about that. But why would Adrien Agreste or Chat Noir need to protect her?” Dick asked, looking the butler in the eye.

Alfred sighed heavily before replying "Because he saw her die in the last akuma"

"But according to the reports, the last akuma were in the last battle and as far as is described there were no civilians caught during the attack." Tim looked at him, pausing briefly and taking a deep breath "All the akumas created were directed to the team..." Tim commented looking at Alfred directly. He knew that magic was preventing him from making the necessary connections to understand what was going on.

Alfred sighed looking around at everyone. He pondered what to say, he couldn't say much, but he knew he would need to answer something… "What do you want to know Master Tim?" he replied after some time.

“What do you know, Alfred? She knows more than she says and played a more important role than she lets on…” Damian completed looking at the person he had the most respect for in the house “Magic is involved and as obvious as it is, we can't connect the dots….”

“Holy Shit!” they all heard Jason scream from somewhere in the cave. Calmer now, Alfred took a deep breath looking at them. "Was she Multimouse?" Jason asked looking at him in shock.

The butler was silent for a few minutes, pondering what to say. Taking another deep breath, Alfred sat back in his chair, looking Bruce in the eye. "Yes and I won't talk about it again."

“ How long did you know everything that was happening in Paris? We could have brought her here…” bruce argued

“I don't believe she would come, being directly involved. Let's just say I've known about her being involved with all of this some time.” Alfred replied. “She is stubborn and somewhat hard-headed like you Master Bruce.”

"You could have told us, we could have helped in some way" Damian commented, visibly shaken by the events, seeing the butler look him straight in the eye.

"She asked me to keep a secret. She confided the whole situation to me in a very stressful moment and made me promise that I would not interfere or comment with anyone." He stopped looking at each of them weighing what he would say "She is my only blood family and I respect her decisions, right or wrong, just as I respect everyone in this family. Talking about it with any of you would not be right with her. Now tell me, Master Damian, would it be all right if I talked about all this with her?” the butler gestured around him as he spoke. "Trust and loyalty is something we earn. I will not lose hers or each of this family by talking about other people's secrets." He ended up seeing everyone silent. He looked at each one of them, giving a slight smile. "So, if you'll excuse me, I'll go to bed and call my granddaughter to make sure she is fine before she goes to sleep." He got up and headed for the stairs, pausing and turning his attention back to his family. "I will not ask this again, please avoid any discussion of the Paris situation with her. She is recovering from everything that has happened and deserves time. And Master Dick" he turned his attention to him "I would greatly appreciate it if you could just avoid listening behind the doors again. I'm sure that wasn't the education I gave you." Alfred didn't wait for any kind of answer, leaving the place in total silence.

_______________________________________________________________

Hi everyone, thanks for the coments! Again, english is not my first language, so if something is wrong let me know!

I’m sorry if I forget to tag someone. 

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[c-atm]

'Ohhh man, how did it come to this?" 

This was the thought of one Steven Quartz Universe. Currently, waiting on the roof of his school for one Connie Sachini Maheswaran. 

"This is so nerve-wracking!" He thought out loud as he paced in a circle and folded in front of his chest. "Why did I come here? Why did I not just leave? Oh, right, I asked her to come here!... WHY DID I ASK HER TO COME HERE?!" He yelled, scratching his head wildly. Before breathing calmly and deeply. "Don't lose focus; remember what you came here to do." He said to himself as he clenched his fist to center himself. He came with a motive.

That motive was Connie Maheswaran, and unraveling the enigma that was Connie Maheswaran. 

For some reason, beyond his knowledge, Connie was a delinquent of sorts. She didn't follow the dress code, always finding her way into a fight( which she hadn't lost one yet); she was a bit alarming to be around as well. The rumors of her snapping at a teacher were infamous, and many. She was also a bit of a bully...at least towards him. Nothing wrong or harmful, just...

"She's so damn stressful." He shouted to the blue sky.

There were other things as well that made him want to keep an eye on her. For one thing, her grades. 

While he was the top student in his class, Connie was one of the top students...In the city. She was quite the athlete and had her hand in martial arts, fencing, and tennis. 

Just this past weekend, he found out she was musically talented with the violin. He happened to spot her while walking around their city and caught her playing on the streets with some other performers collecting money, which she took none of. 

Being a savant when it comes to music himself, he could tell when someone was in love with their craft, and the melody that she produced sent shivers down his spine. From quick and powerful hip-hop to slow sensual and slow R&B to wild and rebellious rap and rock, to things he never heard before. The impromptu concert was something extraordinary. And so far from the 'Connie' in school, it's hard to imagine them as the same person, but there was no way it was anyone else but her.

"Not with those prideful black eyes." Steven started scratching his head, "where is she!?"

"Hehehe-hmm-hmm!"

Steven froze; he knew that snicker. He turned to the roof entrance to see her laying on her left side on top of the roof entrance, smirking at him with her cheek in hand.

"How long have you been there?"

"Enough to see everything." She teased, " the pacing, the head-scratching, the proclamations, and everything in between." She chuckled, seeing his nervous face. The way his lips formed a straight line, the slightly puffed cheeks, and those brown eyes that seemed to shrink just a bit, and the slight cold sweat from his head. 

'So cute, always so fun to play with.' She mused, "I was beginning to think you wouldn't show, had me waiting for quite a bit, you know." 

He blushed in embarrassment as he looked at his watch read 3:00, "sorry, had student council work. Still, 15 minutes late isn't that bad."

"I've been here since 1 p.m. Two hours spent  waiting for you." 

"I apologize for the Waitaminuet." Steven pointed at her accordingly, "You skipped afternoon classes...Again!"

"One was self-study... The other two." She paused, trying to think of a good excuse, her face cutely scrunching up. "Yeah, I skipped them." She admitted with a shrug.

Steven groaned, ready to comment, but stopped his thought as he looked closely at her, more so her legs.

So much of it was being shown from her hiked upskirt, and it didn't help hide her curves either. The loose-fitting, two-thirds button blouse and tie combo weren't better. "Come down here, so I can fix your uniform...Again!" The president barked at the smirking delinquent.

"You sure you want me to do that? You might get a glimpse of my delicates", Connie gave a faux gasp before reaching for the hem of her skirt, "of course, if that's what this is all about-." She peeled the cloth back, letting a bit of thigh show, "Guess I can show you."

"Oh, re- I mean...No, no! " Steven screamed, turning around blushing, "come down. I won't watch."

She grinned as she tipped herself over the edge, landing silently on her feet in a crouch. Seeing that he still didn't realize she was on the ground, she slowly sneaked to him, not too close. Close enough to bend over by her waist, her lips pursed by his ear.

"Fwoooooooh!"

"Ahh!" Steven screamed as he leaped from Connie's whistle. He turned with an annoyed glare at the taller girl, a corner pout on his lips as she continued to grin mischievously.

"Hello, Pres." She chirped as if she didn't scare him out of his skin.

"Connie," Steven said with a growl. Usually, it would be 'Miss Maheswaran,' but today, purpose takes precedence over professionalism.

"Wow, 'Connie' off the back and so casual too. This must be more serious than I thought." She tittered a bit mockingly, her fingers upon her lip.

"It is for me." Steven sighed as he looked at her clothes. 

The sunflower pleated skirt hiked up to just below her navel, making it look 'dangerously' short; the short sleeve white blouse unbuttoned just enough to show a bit of her sports bra for the day(pink with a star), the pink bow tie which hung more like a chain and cascaded over her breast, and the blue blazer which was two sizes too big and she wore almost like a cape. The only regulation was the navy thigh highs with red and blue sneakers and her hairstyle, a loose mid-back flow of black with a sword clip in the perfect center.

"Drink it all in, Pres." She raised her arms behind her head and slightly arched her back, giving him a flirty pose, her teasing grin ever-present. " I know you like to watch."

"DO-DO YOU EVEN HAVE ANY IDEA HOW THAT CAN BE TAKEN?!" He screeched and face cherry red.

"Given the current circumstances," she placed a few fingertips on her chin, looking upward before pointing at him, "you're attentive of your fellow schoolmates." She offered him a thumbs up and a wink. "Good job, Pres! Way to stay charmingly diligent." She laughed boisterously.

He scoffed a laugh, "I appreciate the praise, but is it true, I wonder." He sighed as he began what was almost ritual for the two of them. "Here I got a fellow schoolmate who's a little wayward and wild." He started by buttoning up her shirt," She gets into fights, she skips classes, she dresses messy and revealing," He buttoned her collar button before moving to the tie. "And she seems to love surging my blood pressure."

"Well, you do make a cute cherry, Pres." Connie countered with a grin.

"She also never takes anything seriously." He breathed in slight annoyance, "or at least, that's what it seems."

"Hmm, Is that so?"

"Yes, you see. I have seen evidence of the contrary." He undid her tie altogether before throwing the cloth over her shoulders. "Attire excluded." He let out a little smirk at his joke." I just want to know why there's such a disconnect between her school persona and the one I've seen." He implored as he tied the diamond-point bow around her neck neatly. 

Connie didn't respond as he adjusted her skirt to just above her knees, as school allowed.

"Maybe, there isn't."

Steven looked up at het to see her looking down at him with a neutral countenance. 

"Wha-"

"There isn't a disconnect." She sighed as she took a step back and then passed him towards the railing. "Do you think I come from a broken home? I don't." She hiked back up her skirt, "my Am'mā is a doctor, my Tantai is a private security guard. Both heads of their fields and currently working in Delmarva, leaving me in our nice modest brownstone." She playfully sniffs.

"You must miss them,"  Steven whispered.

"Somewhat? Not the first time." She shrugged, "plus, kind of hard to miss them. They make sure to have video chats with use every morning and evening." She chuckles, "Dad, even try to synchronize our meals, so we eat the same thing." She shook her head, smiling. 

"Sounds nice."

"Not a dream, but I'm loved and allowed independence." She stretched out the tie letting it hang at her breast as she leaned at the rail. "What about you, Pres? What made you such a hardass for rules and regulations."

"I'm not a hardass." Steven rubbed his nape, looking away as she undid her buttons as they were before. "Do I come off like one?"

She side nodded, waving her hand, "Just a bit."

"Argh." He shook his head, "wait, this isn't about me-"

"Hold on now." Connie raised her hand, "you can't just ask a question and not expect to be interrogated yourself." 

"I'm not interrogating you." Steven countered, "I just... "

"What?" She offered.

"Wanna know why!?"  He barked, "Why you act so differently in school and outside of it. Why someone with your intelligence, athleticism, talent, and allure…" He sighed, "act so lackadaisical, rebellious, and aloof." 

"Why do you care so much?" She inquired, looking upward, "

"Just...I don't know." He admitted, "it's your so questioning?"

"A lot of people act differently from business than they are in their personal life." Connie looked at him with an arched eyebrow before sighing. "Do you act the same at home as you do here?"

"Well.."

"Outside of watching me with those chocolate browns of yours, that is."

Steven eyes widen at the teasing, flirty tone of her voice. He felt a shiver down his spine when her face adopted the style.

Those long black eyebrows were dipping down over half-lidded raven eyes that twinkled in the afternoon light with soft, slightly parted, puckered lips and the slightest cherrywood blush on her brown cheeks. "You thought I wouldn't know when my favorite browns were watching me play violin on Saturday." 

"I-"

She teased as she walked up to Steven, making him red in the face as he turned away.

*Chu*

Steven turned his eyes towards her as he backed up just a little, his hand on his right cheek, trying to fight the small smirk.

"Usually, you would act much more abrasive when I kiss your cheek, Pres." she grinned, "could you actually be resilient to my charms...or maybe you're crushing on me?" She laughed in slight play.

"Why did...No," Steven clenched his fist as a scrowl came to his lips." do you always do that? Make it so hard to have a conversation with you, Connie?"

"A conversation? On what?" She folded her arms over her stomach, "on how my clothes are wrong? On how I should be more courteous to substitute teachers and not skip those classes, despite them being nothing more than extra study-halls. How I should be more forthcoming." She glared, "you don't wanna conversation, you wanna lecture." Her glare softened, "you wanna guide and help someone you think need it, and as honorable and even attractive as I find it...I don't need it. I'm not begging for attention or a lost lamb or your new pet project or whatever. "  She sighed, looking away, "I'm just who I am, and that's all I can be."

Steven rubbed the back of his head, "I know." He kissed his teeth, "I wasn't...I didn't call you up here to lecture you."

"Hmmph!"

"I swear, I didn't." He at her eyes, realizing the small moisture in them. "I really just wanted to talk."

"Yeah," She blinked a few times. "Another round of complaints, again."

"No!" Steven shouted making her jump and turn to him. He rubbed his cheek, "Sorry?"

"You're nervous."She noted with a small smile, "You scratch your left cheek when you're nervous."

"Um.." He put his hand down, only to instinctively continue scratching.

"You're reactions are so cute, Pres." She chuckled behind a fist.

"Come on; this is what I'm talking about." He muttered, "can't even tell you that I want to get to know you without being teased." He blabbed involuntarily. 

Connie felt her voice lock in her throat as her cheeks burned under her skin. "What?" 

"I want to get to know you." Steven implored nonchalantly before the implications hit him. "I mean…Um.." 

The two looked at each other with not so different eyes. Both were feeling a bashful warmness in their chest, one that rendered them too afraid to speak but urged to be anything but silent.

"I'm interested...in you, " Steven admitted to Connie and himself. "In knowing you...I mean... Outside of school." He finished, scratching his cheek.

"Just outside school?" She sighed, ignoring the warmth in her chest, as she pressed her palm to her cheek. Trying to get a rise out of him.

*Chu*

"Steven?" Connie's voice broke as she felt his lips on her other cheek. "That..you…"

"An answer to your question!" He implored, quickly, "I'm interested in you… all of you." He  announced, "That's ok, right?"

Connie wanted to tease him on his change of words, but with his hand out toward her, basically asking her to grasp it. She came to realize it wasn't a fumble of words at all. 

"Mmmhmm." She muttered, taking his hand. 

The two giggled at the feel of their warm palms. "Um...Can I walk you home, talk to you on the way?"  

The (seemingly) genius delinquent nodded at the hardworking president. "Already trying to learn about me, Pres. .Steven."

"Well," he gave her a flirty grin as he leads her to the stairs, "you did say my diligence was charming." 

"Yeah." She involuntarily squeezes his hand, "it is." She breathed out, closing the door behind them, ending one chapter of a rivalry and opening a book of friendship, love, and more.

[echoes-of-the-clockwork]

Book Three: Pestilence (Ignis x Reader) Chapter Three

"No red carpet, but a stone staircase is the next best thing," Gladio commented as they navigated down the flight of stairs.

"The entrance to Costlemark only opens during the night. Seeing as we don't have time to wait, I manipulated the mechanism," (Y/n) said.

"A stimulation of shadows activated the mechanism sealing the entrance," Ignis stated as he pieced the puzzle together in his head. "A splendid display."

"Exactly," the Horseman replied. "Even during the brightest time of the day, shadow spells never fail."

"I'm guessing your speciality is spells. You're too dainty to be a sword wielder," Gladio comments.

"How perceptive of you, Gladio, and a little judgmental. Though, I'll let that last comment slide. I'm an enchantress and specialize in fire, lightning, ice, light, and shadow spells."

"Whoa...That's more than Noct can use!" Prompto chanted.

"I'm also well-versed in the artes of healing. Morosely, my knowledge of herbs won't be helpful in battles."

"So we have a healer now? Yes!" The gunslinger cheered. "Now we won't have to stock up on potions so much!"

Descending the last flight of stairs, Noctis glanced at the girl. "You got a staff or something like that? Y'know, like what healers have in video games?"

"I know not of these "video games" you speak of, but yes. I posses a staff." (Y/n) held out her hand and summoned her staff.

"Ooh, never seen a staff like that," Prompto comments. He eyed the weapon until his eyes stopped at her bare feet. "Um, are your feet gonna be okay, (Y/n)? What if you step on something?"

"I'll be fine, Prompto. Without shoes, I can feel the mana flowing through the network of veins inside Eos. I'm able to tap into their energy and use an unlimited amount of mana," she replies. "With how often I cast spells, a large supply of mana is exactly what I need."

Reaching the first chamber, the group was greeted by several gelatins. As the boys were summoning their weapons, the purple blobs suddenly melted and retreated. Noctis dispelled his sword with a scowl. "What the...?"

"Did they just...run?" Prompto asked in disbelief.

"Apparently so." Ignis glanced toward Pestilence and saw the seemingly innocent smile on her face. "Care to explain, (Y/n)?"

She continued smiling as she answered the tactician. "Daemons tend to flee in my presence. Apologies for not mentioning it earlier."

"Does this mean this is gonna be easy?" Prompto asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"Guess we'll see," Noctis replied.

Seeing as the daemons had fled, the group decide to make their way down a hallway to their left. Gladio glanced around at the walls and commented on the structure. "Well, this place is seriously ancient."

"Indeed," Ignis agreed with the brute. "These walls have well withstood the test of time. A stark contrast to the ruins that lie above."

Inside the next chamber, more daemons appeared. While the gelatins immediately fled, the galvanades hadn't picked up on Pestilence's scent until they surrounded the group. When one tried to launch itself at the Horseman, it received a whiff of her mock orange fragrance and retreated alongside its fellow daemons.

"It's so nice not having to fight," Prompto sighs contently.

"There are daemons out there more brazen than others. Some may try to attack if they've the courage to," (Y/n) stated. "But I've yet to encounter one with such valor."

"Let's hope none possess the audacity," Ignis stated.

<-------<<<<<<

A couple of hours passed by and the group had yet to find the royal arm. They had encountered hordes of daemons, but not a single one engaged them in combat. Prompto was whistling to himself with his hands on the back of his head as they strolled down a spiraling ramp. "I could totally get use to this. We haven't even lifted a finger down here!"

Before Gladio could even respond, a yojimbo manifested from the ground with its katana resting against its shoulder. When the boys thought it would run like the others, they waited for it to retreat. When (Y/n) saw it didn't fear her, she tried to shout out to the others but she kept her lips sealed knowing her words wouldn't reach them in time.

The daemon lunged toward Ignis, who was unprepared for the sudden attack. Before he could even react, someone pushed him out of the way. He heard a shrill scream and the sound of a blade ripping through flesh. His emerald eyes widen in horror when he spotted (Y/n) pinned to the ground with the yojimbo's sword pierced through her chest all the way to the hilt. The daemon finally picked up on the Horseman's scent, but it was too late. The boys had dealt with it before it could scurry away.

Once it was eliminated, the four rushed over to (Y/n) and saw the pain written all over her face. She tried to smile through the excruciating pain, but she could only muster a tormented frown. "C-Could one of you gentlemen p-provide a helping hand?"

Gladio was shocked to see she wasn't dead while Noctis supported Prompto when he felt faint from seeing the immense amount of blood pooling underneath the girl's body. Ignis stepped forward and met her (e/c) gaze as he wrapped his hands around the hilt of the blade. "Th-The slower you are, the m-more painful it will b-be, Ignis. Just...rip it out."

"(Y/n), I-"

"I'll be f-fine. Please, hurry."

Ignis nodded and used all his strength to yank the sword out of the stone floor and the Horseman's body. She yelled in pain as the sword exited her body. The tactician was about to grab a potion when he witnessed the skin stitch back together and mend perfectly.

(Y/n) sighed in relief, placing a hand over where the wound once was. "Immortality is a blessing and a curse. A shame the pain is not annulled." She pushed her upper body off the ground and thanked Ignis. The strategist took one of her hands and carefully helped her back onto her feet.

"B-Blood..." Prompto whimpered with a pale face.

Pestilence glanced down and realized the blood that still remained on her body. She gazed apologetically at the blonde. "Apologies, Prompto. I fear I lack the proper equipment to purge the blood from my clothes at the moment."

"A-Are you okay?" The gunslinger managed to ask, trying not to look at the blood.

She nodded with a smile, trying to hide the crimson liquid with her arms. "Yes. All has mended."

"Damn..." Gladio cursed, still in shock from seeing the young girl stabbed. "Iggy would be dead right now if you hadn't been here."

"If I weren't here, you four would be somewhere much safer," the Horseman rebuttals.

"Nonsense, (Y/n). Gladio is correct," Ignis said. "I'm indebted to you."

"I simply did what was right. You are not indebted to me in any way, shape, or form, Ignis." The royal advisor was speechless and had no clue how to respond to her. The snowy-haired girl noticed this and decided to change the subject. "Let's continue forth. That royal arm is not going to magically appear in front of us."

"Dude, if they could, this would be a thousand times easier!" Prompto chanted. "Noct would have all thirteen royal arms by now!"

"If things were really that easy, we'd be in Altissia already," Noctis said.

Pestilence knew of the prince's engagement to the Oracle. Ignis had informed her of their journey and their struggle to reach the city upon the water during their lengthy chat this morning. She was glad he filled her in on the details so she could understand their predicament better.

They continued deeper into Costlemark with no repeated incidents like the one with the yojimbo. The five came across a lengthy pathway with darkness enshrouding everything. Prompto glanced around them and into the darkness. "And what have we here?"

"Dunno, but it's huge," Gladio answered.

The sharpshooter groaned when he noticed how long the path was. "I'm too tired to walk all the way across."

"We'll call it a night here, then."

"Actually not too tired!"

"I'm not so sure about that, Prompto," (Y/n) said. "You have been yawning the most out of all the others."

"Think you, uh, could send some of that immortality my way so I wouldn't need to sleep?" The blonde boy questioned with a gulp.

"I'm afraid not. You will have to stave off the weariness yourself."

"Ugh..."

<-------<<<<<<

Inside a large chamber, the group was bewildered when they found no way to proceed forward. The boys thought about backtracking to see if they had missed anything, but they abandoned the idea when they saw (Y/n) sauntering over to one of the strange platforms. They followed after her as she stood in the middle of the platform and used the sharp tip of her staff to trigger it.

"The floor!" Prompto gasped, bracing himself as the panel descended into the floor.

"It's moving," Gladio gaped in shock.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa-?!"

Noctis glances toward (Y/n). "How did you...?"

"A lucky guess," she smiled. "I've wandered ruins like these before and they contain the same mechanism. Though, if I'm honest, I did not expect it to work." She pressed the hidden mechanism once more and the platform retreated into the side of the wall, forcing them to jump down.

A few daemons manifested in the narrow space, but they disappeared in a heartbeat. The Horseman proceeded forward and pressed another switch.

After what felt like hours of traveling through a network of passageways, the five were dumped into a large room and ambushed by gelatins and a red giant. Unlike the other daemons they encountered, these were willing to stand against the group with such a large ally on their side.

"Guess these guys aren't running for the hills," Gladio said, summoning his greatsword.

"This was supposed to be easy!" Prompto whimpered as he conjured his handgun.

"Stop bitchin', start killing."

(Y/n) kept a safe distance away from the daemons alongside Prompto. She targeted the larger assailant while the boys dealt with the gelatins. Using a powerful ice spell, she was able to shatter the giant's swordarm. It roared in pain, collapsing on its back. Gladio and Ignis saw the opening and took out the large daemon. Noctis and Prompto took out the last gelatin and turned just as the red giant's body decomposed.

"Talk about a surprise party," Prompto huffed, dismissing his pistol.

"Yeah," Noctis sighed. "Could've done without it."

Suddenly, a viridescent light enshrouded the four boys. The warm radiance expelled their exhaustion and healed their wounds. Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis gazed at (Y/n) as her staff vanished.

"That was..." Ignis started.

"Refreshing!" Prompto finished the advisor's sentence.

Pestilence smirked at the boys. "Glad to be of assistance. Now, let's see where this leads." She gestured to a platform in the middle of the large vacant room. They stepped onto the panel and rode it up to the room they had been in thirty minutes ago.

"Great..." The raven-haired boy sighed heavily. "We're back at square one."

"Not necessarily," (Y/n) said. She checked the other panels and found another one had a switch. "Over here!"

The boys rushed over just as she activated the panel. "Ugh..." Prompto groaned. "Here we go again..."

Following the path, they reached a crossroad when two panels had switches. Noctis went to activate one, but the Horseman stopped him. "I suggest the other switch, Noctis."

"Why's that?" The prince questioned.

(Y/n) gestured to the symbol on the floor. "A symbol commonly used to guide those who've lost their way."

"Uh, okay." Noctis pressed the switch and the other passage was sealed. They followed the path all the way to the end, where they discovered an elevator. Stepping aboard, the lift carried them deeper underground into a lab.

"Wonder how deep we are," Prompto wondered. "And we just keep goin' deeper and deeper."

"No idea," Noctis stated. "Who would build a lab all the way down here?"

"The people who once lived here. You'd be baffled at how all this ancient machinery still works as if new," Pestilence said. "It's rather fascinating."

"You're quite knowledgeable of ancient ruins, (Y/n)," Ignis pointed out.

The white-haired girl glanced at the advisor for a brief second before looking away. She clenched her hands together, refusing to meet any of their gazes. "I've told you of how I became a Horseman, but not who I was before this life." She inhaled deeply before continuing. "I was an archeologist from Galahd. My work took me all over Lucis and certain parts of Accordo."

"Quite an accomplishment at such a young age," the tactician compliments.

"It was all thanks to my father I was able to accomplish so much before my life was taken from me." (Y/n)'s voice was low and brimming with melancholy.

"How did you-?" Prompto started to ask, but didn't get to finish as Ignis had picked up on what he was going to ask.

"Prompto," the bespectacled man scolded.

The blonde hadn't realize what he was about to ask until it had almost left his mouth. "S-Sorry..."

"A tale for another time, perhaps," (Y/n) said, offering the blonde boy a kind and gentle smile to ease his guilt.

"What's it like-y'know, being resurrected 'n stuff?" Noctis asked.

"Mostly strange. Eos has changed immensely since my departure. I'm also aware that my home is...gone. I did plan to see it once I arrived, but I learnt of its downfall."

"Must've been difficult to learn the truth," Gladio comments.

"It was, but I've come to terms with it."

Everyone fell silent as the elevator reached its destination. As they stepped off, they could feel heavy footfalls and glanced behind them. A giant beast stomped towards them with a mighty roar.

"What the hell is that?" Gladio scowled.

(Y/n) conjured her staff, staring into the beast's eyes. "A jabberwock."

[jawnjendes]

take my hand and we’ll be alright | shawn mendes

university au, shawn x goth gf (is this a thing bc it should be)

~1k words

masterlist | series playlist

Days like these usually happen when a series of small annoyances occur and they make me wish I was home in California again. Then, I get very homesick and isolate myself in my dorm. I sink myself into whatever video game I'm fixated on and I ignore any obligations I may have.

Shawn hasn't seen me on a bad day yet. He hasn't seen me shut down completely, but I did warn him about it. If I was closed off now, wait until I'm playing Mario Kart for twelve hours because I don't want to deal with whatever is bothering me.

My boyfriend hasn't seen me on a bad day, but he might.

It started because I overslept and missed breakfast. Then, I was late for class and had to sit in the very front of the room. After that, people kept physically running into me across campus. I kept thinking that this wouldn't happen to me at the smaller and far less populated community college back home. I kept thinking of how no matter how late I slept at home, I would never miss a meal.

Once I got stomach cramps, I decided to call it quits and go back to the dorm. My brain grew foggy very quickly, so I grabbed my Hogwarts throw and dumped myself onto the couch in front of the TV. I grabbed my Switch controller and booted up Breath of the Wild. Nothing else mattered. Good thing I wasn't working today.

I knew time had passed when Stella walked through the front door. Must have been past four o'clock if she was already home. She immediately knew something was wrong because I typically didn't come home from class until six.

“Aww,” she mused as she walked past the couch and into her room. Stella had seen this before, and at this point she knew better than to try to get me out of the fog. However, she did let me know she would be ordering pizza in case I was hungry.

I didn't feel hungry. I didn't feel anything. I just kept navigating my chosen hero around the kingdom. He didn't speak that much either. It was a coping mechanism. At least this hero was still getting shit done in the midst of his silence. The only shit I got done was defeating another one of the major bosses.

A knock on the door came later. Stella was quick to emerge from her room to answer, talking about how hungry she was. But when I heard her open the door, she let out a surprised, “Oh… you're not pizza.”

“Sorry to disappoint. I'm looking for my girl,” a familiar voice replied.

Guess who forgot about her boyfriend.

Stella's voice perked up suddenly. “Look who's here! It's Shawn, the guy you've probably been ghosting all day!”

Yesterday or tomorrow, I might give a fuck. Today, I only focused on some wild breath.

“Did you guys fight or something?” Stella asked in a much lower voice. “She never talks when she gets like this.”

“No, she just stopped answering my texts this morning,” Shawn replied. “I wanted to see what happened, if everything’s okay. She’s not talking?”

Stella sighed. “She does that on days like these. She’ll just play video games or watch movies and ignore everything else. I think it’s an extreme form of self care or self destruction.” Then she spoke louder, probably at me. “See? I do remember the things you tell me!”

I saw her go into her room again, leaving Shawn with me, and me with my game. Then, there were footsteps behind the couch, but I kept my eyes on the game and my hands on the controller. From my peripherals, I saw Shawn’s tall figure settle down next to me. I could tell he was looking at me like I was going to break at any second.

“Hey, you.” His arm went across the cushions, reaching for my shoulder.

My body visibly tensed when I felt this touch. Slowly, Shawn retracted.

“Alright. Hands to myself, then.”

I continued my game, trying to forget that he was here. It was just me and the hero with the sword. No boyfriend today. No fucks to give today.

“Whatcha playing?” Shawn asked. “Is that… Zelda? With the sword?”

Fuck.

“That’s Link,” I corrected. “But yes, it’s a Zelda game.”

He perked up at my voice. “You’re talking!”

Not anymore.

“Have you been on the couch all day? What’s been going on?” Shawn persisted, only to receive my silence again.

I knew it was frustrating, but I really did not want to use my voice today. I wasn’t sure what would come out, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop myself. Whatever that was threatening to burst out of me didn’t seem to have a stopping point.

“Well…” Shawn trailed off.

That was the word Stella would use when she gave up on me. I planned on staying alone all day anyway. I’ll apologize to Stella and Shawn tomorrow if they decide to not cut me out of their lives.

Shawn continued. “Just so you know, I’m gonna stay here until you’re ready. I don’t want you to be alone.”

Well that’s different. Normally, Stella would lend a loose ear. Luca would ignore me in return. My own parents just sent me to therapy. I was practically useless here, why would someone want to stay with me?

For the first time in six hours, I paused the game. I blinked a few times; My eyes were burning from staring at the TV for too long. I opened my mouth to speak, but I was internally startled by another knock on the door.

“Finally!” exclaimed Stella as she burst out of her room.

Unpaused.

~

“You know, I didn’t know you liked video games,” Shawn pointed out. “I’m learning a lot about you today. You’re really good at this game.”

I ditched Breath of the Wild for Super Smash Bros a couple of hours ago. I spent practically the entire time battling people online. Shawn didn’t ask to join in, saying he wasn’t a video game type of guy. He sat and watched, commenting on my fighting and cheering when I won.

He also filled me in on his day. He went to class, probably failed an English Lit test. He got a large order at the flower shop he works at and spent three hours arranging daisies. Had lunch with his mom. What a productive boy.

I let out an irritated squeak when my character got launched off the stage.

“Oohhh, very close,” Shawn said. “You’re still killing it.”

My character was barely revived when the last 5 seconds of the match were up. Shawn and I waited in silence for the winner to be announced. However, Shawn cheered and clapped when my hero with the sword showed up on the screen.

“Thirteen knockouts?” he said in disbelief. “That’s my girl!”

He didn’t see the small smile that had cracked my dull face.

“There’s a Smash tournament at this one barcade,” I spoke up. “I entered. It’s on Saturday, if you wanna come.”

“I’m there,” Shawn said without missing a beat. “So you’re practicing now, eh?”

“I am.”

Silence fell between us again, but the air wasn’t as foggy or tense anymore. I finally decided to close the game and set my controller aside. Then, with a small sigh, I extended my arm towards Shawn and held my hand out.

I still didn’t directly look at him, but I saw him smile from the side. He took my hand and squeezed.

“Thank you for staying with me,” I mumbled. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to stay. Wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

Oh, cool. The dam is bursting again.

“Sometimes,” I began, “I get a little homesick…”

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Chapter 5: On The Subject Of Expectations

Becoming The Mask 

"Have you ever even held a sword before?" Draal demanded the next night.

"I'm more of a knife guy."

Jim could pass that off as a cooking joke if questioned, but it was true. The scale of the blade he had to work with now was throwing him off almost as badly as fighting in humanoid form.

He was confident enough that Draal wouldn't kill him – or, at least, that Blinky and AAARRRGGHH wouldn't stand idly by and let Draal kill him – that he offered the sword to the troll.

"Show me how I'm supposed to hold it, then."

Draal's eyes widened and he actually took half a step back.

"Ah, Master Jim," Blinky cautioned from the sidelines, "only a Trollhunter can wield the Sword of Daylight."

Jim ignored this and held the sword flat across both hands. Draal took it, slowly, cautiously, with more fear and reverence in his expression than Jim thought the sword really warranted even if it was magic. When Draal raised the blade above his head, it shone blue, and vanished from his hand in a burst of glowing smoke. It reappeared in Jim's hand, like the amulet had when he first tried to leave it with Stricklander.

"The sword is bound to the amulet," said Blinky. "It is not that only the Trollhunter may wield it, but that only the Trollhunter can."

Draal and Jim both winced.

"I'm … sorry," said Jim.

Draal sighed heavily. He walked over to the side of the Forge. Jim thought at first that he was storming off to be alone with his thoughts, but Draal came back with a double-pronged spear, or maybe a pole arm, from the weapons rack. He tested a few strikes against the empty air, and then pointed it at Jim.

"Your blade is but an extension of your body," he said sternly. "And your body, an extension of your eyes. Mimic my movements, Trollhunter."

"I'm almost impressed," said Draal, a few nights later. "I didn't think a fleshbag could survive this level of pummelling."

"You actually … getting tired?" Jim tried to taunt. It was ruined by his wheezing. Draal had successfully run him over three times so far in this match. "Admit it … I'm … wearing you down."

Draal laughed at him.

"Trollhunter!" A shouting woman ran into the Forge, waving her arms above her head. "TROLLHUNTER!" Blinky and AAARRRGGHH rushed to her.

"What is it? Speak, Bagdwella!"

She panted. Jim walked over, trying not to stumble. Draal gave him a sideways glance that could be creatively interpreted as concern.

"Rr … ruh … rogue gnome!"

"So, I learned something interesting about the Amulet last night. Apparently the teleportation thing it was doing is only if the Trollhunter rejects it. If somebody steals it, it doesn't just poof back to me."

"Someone stole the Amulet?"

"I got it back." He'd tempted the creature out of the hole with a candy bar, and stuffed it into a sack and stuffed the sack into a battered metal lunchbox. In order to retrieve her own things, the shopkeeper had been willing to have the wall carved open to get to the gnome's stash. "I'm just saying, that's kind of a counter-intuitive design feature. Thought it might come in handy when Bular kills me and the Amulet picks somebody else."

"Bular is not going to kill you."

It was comforting to hear Stricklander say that. Hearing that stern, parental tone, Jim could almost believe that he could turn to the more experienced Changeling for protection from Gunmar's son, and actually expect to receive that protection.

After school, he was faced with the gnome problem again.

It was secured in its box and very loudly unhappy about it. It had given up shouting and crashing into the walls, and was now singing a lament to the accompaniment of its odd guitar, or whatever the instrument was.

Jim had never had a pet, but the gnome's earlier behaviour reminded him of things he'd heard about ferrets. He was going to feel bad over killing the cute, clever little thief. He really should have done it already, but … as one being that trolls considered vermin to another, he wasn't sure he could go through with it. He hadn't directly, personally killed anything since leaving the Darklands.

He put it off by doing homework and reading more troll lore. Eventually the gnome went quiet. Jim thought it fell asleep.

Considering he had compared it to a ferret earlier, he should have expected it to escape.

Considering how up-and-down his luck had been lately, he really should have expected it to get out his window, drop off the porch roof, and make a run for Toby's house across the street.

Having known each other for ten years, Jim and Toby tended to let themselves in to each other's houses rather than knocking and waiting. Jim went right after the gnome, praying Toby was out and Nana Domzalski was immersed in one of her shows.

He almost caught it in the front hall. It darted into a rain boot that was lying on its side. Jim picked the boot up, but the gnome popped right back out as he was trying to cover the top of the boot with his forearm. It jumped to the ground and he turned the boot over, slamming it down like a glass on a spider, and missing the gnome by a hair.

In the kitchen, he dropped to all fours to follow it under the table and wondered if he should risk switching forms for faster reflexes. He could switch back if he heard Nana or Toby coming.

Before he could make a decision, the gnome jumped from the chairs it had been hopping back and forth between onto Jim's head, yanking his hair on landing, and then onto the floor and scuttled behind the fridge. Without AAARRRGGHH, Jim couldn't move something that heavy.

Well, maybe in his armour he could – he had suspicions it increased his strength, considering the size of the sword – but did he really need a magical suit of armour just to catch one lousy crafty gnome?

He waited by the fridge for it to come out again.

"Jimmy!" Nana Domzalski greeted him. Because of course she was here, in her own house, in the late evening, on a weeknight. "What a nice surprise. I think Toby-Pie is upstairs."

"Thanks, Mrs Domzalski," he said as easily as he could. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the gnome make a break for it and, conveniently and terribly, run up the quarter round of the staircase. "I'll just head on up."

Toby essentially had the entire upper story to himself. He was in his bedroom, staring enchanted at the gnome, which was playing its guitar.

"Aren't you just the best tiny musician in the world?" he whispered. "With such a cute pointy hat –" It bared its fangs at him and he recoiled, falling back on his bed and scrambling away. "And pointy teeth!"

"Toby!" Damn secrecy! Jim was pretty sure gnomes were carnivorous; he didn't want to drag his best friend to the hospital with mysterious bite wounds!

"Jim, did you see that?" The gnome ran again with a chittering giggle and disappeared into a pile of video games. "It was just there! Like a tiny lawn gnome, with a guitar, and fangs!"

"I saw it too, Tobes."

The undercover thing would be to lie and try to grab the gnome without Toby noticing. But Toby had seen the gnome. He hadn't had his phone out to record the musical performance, but he couldn't be put off by being told he'd imagined it. It would be easier to catch with Toby's help. Jim just had to keep Toby from finding out anything else and from comparing notes with Elijah Pepperjack in the aftermath.

The guitar started playing in the dollhouse. Jim held his finger to his lips and Toby nodded. As quietly as they could, they approached the dollhouse and peered into the tiny windows.

"Aw," Toby crooned. "He made a friend." The gnome was serenading a Sally-Go-Back action figure.

"When I say so," said Jim, "you pull the dollhouse open and I'll grab him."

"Come on, Jim, look at the little guy! He sounds so happy. Soul of an artist in that one."

It did seem docile for the moment …

"I just don't think it's safe," was the best Jim could offer without breaking at least one of his covers.

"I'm gonna name him Gnome Chompsky," said Toby.

"You're not serious. You're not keeping it."

"Man, I wish we could tell people about this, but poor Chompsky'd probably bolt again if too many 'giants' like us started crowding him, am I right?"

"You're actually serious."

"Come on, Jim! This is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me! I promise if he bites me I'll drop him down the garbage disposal and you can say you told me so."

Jim returned the empty sack and lunchbox to Bagdwella later that night and let her assume he was, indeed, a 'gnome slayer'.

Previous Chapter (Kanjigar, Vendel, the Heartstone, and Draal)

Table of Contents

Next Chapter (A visit to the Janus Order)

If you’re confused about the ‘ten years’ comment, Toby says in the birthday episode, “I had just moved in to the house across the street, and Jim’s dad got him this sweet bike kit for his fifth birthday ... and then he just took off.” So, in canon, Toby and Jim met when they were five. 

I HAVE FEELINGS about the scene where Jim and Draal are training together and Jim offers Draal a chance to try out the Sword of Daylight and it vanishes out of Draal’s hand and Jim tries to apologize for the magic sword’s behaviour. [My impressions are detailed here.]

I thought about killing Gnome Chompsky off, to demonstrate the difference in character between Changeling!Jim and canon!Jim, but that scene stopped working when I actually got into Jim’s motives and feelings, so this happened.