#nightchild

[slartemis]

Second Life Avatar Trading Cards

A series of Trading Cards based off of Comic Cards for my SL Avatars.

Even though I don't RP much, I like creating characters and thinking through details that help make them come to life. I had been thinking of ways to show them off easily which was the idea behind the "Usual Suspects" photos, but they were a bit tough to deal with and didn't give much personality or info in themselves.

When I was a kid, I used to collect these sorts of Marvel Trading Cards that just highlighted a character's biography and stats. I realized it might be fun to replicate that with SL characters (especially since a lot of them were originally made for a superhero themed MMO), so I set up this series.

[imrllytootiredforthis]

Pent up~Teaser

pairing: changbin x sexshop employee worker

summary: changbin goes to a sexshop looking for a little something to fill up his lonely nights but gets more than he initially bargained for-not that he's upset about it~

warnings: in teaser-dom reader, sub changbin, obvious praise kink, mentions of masturbation, mentions of sex toys and bdsm, needy changbin. in full fic (of what i know so far): pegging, masturbation, cumplay, exhibitionism, teasing, size kink, etc

a/n: teaser bc i feel like it-and @arlojulien-nightchild-of-hades requested no.10 in my drafts, so here it is-also for binnie's birthday!

Changbin had never been embarrassed about masturbating. 

He knew that he felt pent up from time to time from stress and work and life in general-from what little life he did have. From having to deal with Han and Chan, because while he did love them, putting up with them wasn't the easiest feat, though he'd never tell them that.

His life was busy and things were frustrating, so much so he’d have to restrain himself from doing things he’d actually regret.

Like smashing Chan’s laptop when he stopped listening to all reason, locking himself in his room for days on end without getting any sleep, food or water. His self-destructive tendencies doing shit for the group and even worse for his own mental state.

Or like shouting at Han when he was acting like a brat, stuck in his own ways, which would result in him crying every time. He'd grown a lot in the past few years but he was still stubborn as shit and too sensitive for his own good.

And as Changbin had realized, was that doing any of those things rarely ever helped the situation but only aided in getting his own frustrations out.

So he'd found that the natural way to get rid of those frustrations while also not doing something that he’d regret later on was to blow off steam in other ways. Take things into his own hands in other words. After all, a busy person such as himself wasn't about to go out and look for a good lay every so often.

Masturbating and self-pleasure wasn't unhealthy by any means, he knew that and he’d never really understood why it was such a stigmatized topic, but that was a whole conversation for another time.

The point was, he'd never felt ashamed to the fact that he needed some alone time every once in a while. 

Not until now. 

Standing in his local sex shop in front of a very large selection on the shelf, trying to decide between two sizes of dildos. He could get the bigger one or the smaller one. Money was no problem and he could buy both if he really wanted, but he'd really rather not have to figure out how to hide not one but two fake dicks in the dorms in which any of his snooping roommates could find at any time plus it felt a little excessive to have two dildos.

But it really wasn't this part that he was ashamed of. He was just dandy with the fact that he was standing here browsing the shelves of dildos, looking for one that he was going to use on himself later tonight. 

Changbin knew exactly what he was signing up for when he walked in here and he wasn't embarrassed about it at all. This wasn't his first time in a sex shop and he could honestly say that they were pretty chill for the most part.

It was his first time in this one though. He'd wanted to switch it up a little-he'd wanted to finally go to the one near his place, accepting the fact that he could potentially run into someone he knew here.

Good thing: There was no one that he knew here.

Bad thing: He couldn't help the pang in his chest, the flicker of something he wasn't quite ready to face inside him realizing that he seemed to be the only customer in the shop who was single. 

Everyone else wandering through here was with a partner. Linked arms while quietly discussing which items they wanted to purchase, stolen glances and small smiles.

Sexual tension was thick in the air in this store today. A lingering look and quick meaningful touches between everyone except for him.

The sting of jealousy he had for that guy currently standing next to him was bitter. Someone who was looking at the same collection Changbin was but he had a partner with him; who teased him, nudging at his side as she tauntingly asked which one he wanted.

He couldn’t help but feel just a bit envious that the guy blushed and his partner coo'd about how cute he looked, brushing a finger down his face before whispering something too quiet for Changbin to hear into his ear.

The fact that he was in a store full of couples looking at things to take care of each other with, while looking for things to use on himself.

Deep down, even though he tried to ignore it...it made him feel, oh what was the word? Lonely? Unwanted? Maybe just the tiniest bit pathetic-and not in the kind of way that he likes.

"If you pick one by the count of three, I'll use it on you in the car~"

He tried not to look at either of them as he grabbed the bigger of the two toys off the shelf, pushing past them and quickly making his way past them to the counter.

Fuck this place.

He dropped it on the counter without looking up.

He was going to go back to the dorms, where thankfully, for once in a blue moon all of his roommates were out. For the whole week actually, they wanted to go on a camping trip but Changbin was too busy for that. He had work, and going to the gym, and…well that was it, but it consumed a lot of time. Time he didn’t have to sleep on the hard ground on top of rocks and sticks and bugs in the forest. 

He normally liked camping and he felt bad to turn them down but he knew he needed this. A bit of alone time. There was no way he was going to give up the chance at being alone for a whole week while Chan, Hyunjin and Han were gone.

He was honestly just surprised that Hyunjin agreed to go with them.

Tonight he was going to forget all about this. About the want to be pounded by someone. A person. And not just his own hand and a toy. He was going to forget about the want to be teased and touched and loved by someone else. He was going to forget about all of that, throw on some porn and try out his new toy with the handy bottle of lube hidden in his nightstand.

"Cash or card?"

He rifles through his wallet for a few bills, "uh, cash please." he mutters, putting them in the counter as he counts, making sure he he’d taken out the right amount.

This would all be but a distant haze later tonight in his sex-addled brain. Nothing but a dream when he'd make himself cum over and over again to ensure he'd forget this.

“Don’t be rude. Look at me when you say that."

Changbin’s whole body froze, unmoving. He didn't even need look up to feel eyes burning into his skin.

"Don't make me repeat myself." He didn't know why he listened. It was just something. Something about the voice, firm in a way that he craved. Something coaxing and calming, rather than screaming at him to obey instead guiding him to it, making him want to listen.

Finally, his eyes managed to flick upward to the face the person talking to him. 

You smile pleasantly, so familiar yet unlike to the way you'd just spoken to him, in a way that makes him feel warm. You raise an eyebrow, gesturing for him to go on, the expression making his face heat up for some reason. "Good boy. And your payment?"

Wha-

What did you just say?

Did you just-?

He tries to recollect himself. Hopefully fix his jumbled thoughts before he embarrasses himself further, tries to find his voice, "I, uh..." all while you sit there, looking nothing but amused at this entire very un-amusing situation.

You hold back a laugh, eyes alight with mirth. "You paying with cash pretty boy?"

His mouth opens, then closes before he works himself up to a nod and manages to push the money across the counter to you.

What the hell was going on with him?

This time, you do laugh, throwing your head back like he had said something legitimately funny and not stumbled over his words like an idiot. 

"Sorry-sorry, I don't mean to laugh!" you don't sound very sorry, with the way that small giggles make way through the words. He can't help the way butterflies erupt in his stomach. 

You calm down and take the cash, putting it in the till, "Bag?" he still can't seem to bring himself to speak so he only nods. You notice but take effort not to start up again, putting the item into an inconspicuous bag and giving him his change. 

He pockets it, and that's it. 

He'll turn around and walk out of the store and never show his face in this place again, too mortified to see the very attractive sex shop employee that turned him on by just telling him to look at them. 

Too lonely to come to this weirdly couple-populated sex shop too.

God, he really needed to get laid. 

Maybe it was really time to give in and download one of those dating apps that Han kept suggesting. 

He wouldn't start anything serious. He didn't have time for that as mentioned before. He'd do it for nothing more than to meet a one night stand that would fuck his brains out and leave the very next morning. He was sure that wasn’t what Han intended when he’d suggested it, but it really wasn’t any of Han's business either way.

Changbin picked up the bag.

"What's your name pretty boy?"

You rest your chin in your palm, slouching against the counter and looking at him. You're taller than him normally but you’re the slightest bit shorter than him now and it makes him feel both nervous and excited.

"...Changbin."

"Hello Changbin, I'm Y/N." You reach a hand out to shake but he ignores it, preferring for you not to know exactly how sweaty his hands are at this very moment.

He doesn't know what to say next. Doesn't know what you were trying to do by asking for his name and introducing yourself. 

But he doesn't have to wait before you're glancing back down toward the bag that burns in his hand. "Ever used one before?"

Are you even allowed to ask that? Probably not. But he doesn't care.

"N-no...I, uh, figured that I'd try something new today. My roommates are out for the week.”

Okay and maybe it wasn't the best idea to inform you that he was going to be home alone and using a 9 inch dildo to masturbate tonight but he can't seem to hold his tongue back.

You take your sweet time to reply, letting him sweat for a good few seconds that he counts in his head as a slow smirk crawls across your face. "Adventurous." You now point at it. "and I'm, uh, guessing that you're using it on yourself, right?"

What were you suggesting right now?

“Uh-“

“I mean like, you’re not dating anyone right? Single?”

This must violate some kind of code of conduct about you working here. You should not be able to ask your customers this.

"Yeah." his voice sounds hollow, feels breathless. "Yeah I am."

Why is he even replying?

Meaningfully you scan him, watching him grow twitchy with nervousness. You then pull out a piece of paper from under the counter. Changbin stares at it as you messily scrawl some numbers onto it. When he looks back at you, you're already staring at him. "Listen pretty boy-"

"-Changbin."

Your face contorts into something unrecognizable that makes his stomach churn, in a good or bad way he can't tell, "Changbin. I’ve been working all day and I really don’t have the patience so I'm just gonna come out and say it.” You pause for emphasis, “I'm more than open to using that on you," you linger on the word, even though you don't really have to, you just like seeing the blush grow on his face. "If you don't want to, that's fine, don't feel pressured at all, but you seem to be wanting…someone in your life.” You glance back over to the couple, still looking at the dildos he had been.

Were you watching him? 

His heart pounds in his chest so loud he's afraid that you can hear it. His cheeks are flushed in mortification that he had been that transparent. That a stranger at a sex shop can see how desperately he needs to have his back blown out.

"So what do you say?"

Is it a good idea?...Yeah...probably not. 

“You don’t have to answer me now. Just,” you slide the paper across the counter and despite his best efforts to be in control of his body, Changbin grabs it, pocketing it all while you look smug. “give me a call if you would like to take me up on the offer.”

You glance at something over his shoulder and his eyes follow yours to the clock on the wall. He looks back right as you’re slinking to the back, through a rainbow wall of beaded curtains. “Hank!” You shout. “I’m going on my break, you’re on checkout!”

You glance backward one time, winking at him before disappearing into the back.

a/n: just lmk if you wanna be tagged in the final product, it is going to be the next fic i (hopefully) come out with so yeah

[mogai-sunflowers]

nightchildia!

nightchildia-

a gender related to being a nightchild!

[Image ID: A flag with eleven equally-sized horizontal stripes. From top to bottom, the colors are royal blue, pastel periwinkle blue, purple, medium magenta, deep magenta, black, deep magenta, medium magenta, purple, pastel periwinkle blue, and royal blue. There is a night sky overlaid over top. End ID.]

term and flag by me, requested by no one! tagging @radiomogai​​​ @dreamythism​​​ @delusielle​​​ @scytheral​​​ @bpdette​​​ @lovesse​​​ @heaveness​​​ @revenant-coining​​​ @noxwithoutstars​​​​ @flandrizzine​​​​ ​​ @decayedgender​

[frozen-fountain]

Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. Then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals. 💌💜

Moonshake - Mugshot Heroine

Krallice - Go Be Forgotten

Electric Wizard - The Nightchild

Wire - A Touching Display

Pan Daijing - A Found Lament

[auroras-kiss]

nightchildlexesia!

nightchildlexesia-

an aureth under the lexegender umbrella related to the word 'nightchild'!

[Image ID: A flag with nine equally-sized horizontal stripes. From top to bottom, the colors are pastel mint green, navy blue, purple, pastel magenta, pastel yellow, pastel magenta, purple, navy blue, and pastel mint green. In the center of the flag, there is a pastel yellow vertical box with a vertical pole of the same color through its center, and in the middle of that is the aurethesia symbol, a staff with two simple angel wings and a diamond-outline head. End ID.]

term and flag by me, requested by no one! tagging @neopronouns

@radiomogai @revenant-coining @decayedgender @yourdarlingness @horrgores @begendered-queer @noxwithoutstars @leijonisms @bpdette @variant-archive @lesboyloser @liom-archive

[joakims-metal-machine]

THREAD TIME!!!

My dearly beloveds, my fellow thirsty folk, I want to know!

What do you think is the most underrated Sabaton song?

The boys made so many good ones, but there are some that are more popular than others.

My pick is Purple Heart/Nightchild. I say both because they have the same backing tracks and music, and I don't see anybody talking about them the way I see some talk about Carolus Rex or The Last Stand for examples.

[sirenofdathomir]

lady siren, I have a question that I hope you don't find too impertinent, but I have nobody else to ask and a debate to settle.

could nightsister magics find another nightsister's hypothetical holonet account

my roommate corin says "divination rituals", i say "every fucking time you've tried spells that involve your comm something has gone wrong. Destructively". though maybe he's just incompetent?

( - @nightchild-hope, if knowing who I am makes you more likely to answer, and I apologise for any bother, my lady)

There are many ways in which to find another, and Nightsisters are all connected to each other from a young age. Entwining with current technology is very difficult, however.

Finding another is not as difficult if you have connections yet... I believe tracking people that do not wish to be found, is often frowned upon.

Are you planning on misbehaving?

[o-wise-corvid]

Dathomir Daily

Sho Orrot Fo Pījn Ēhā

(pr: Shah Ah-rolled r-aht Fah Pie-j-n Ee-hay)

The Rite of Last Joy

When the Nightchildren Clan have members transitioning the line from child to adult, the trial is harsh. For Nightbrothers, they must hunt a beast and bring back food for their village. Nightsisters must survive the Sleeper. Their tattoos are the first gift, the ingredients for which are usually gathered with a sibling or, if they’re lucky, a parent.

But there is also a small tradition of gifting the young adult with a small treasure. A piece of jewelry. This can be a piercing, a ring for horn or hand, or an amulet donated from Mother Talzin’s vast horde of riches. The life of a Nightchild is hard and frequently unforgiving, bound up in obedience and sacrifice and pain. But this little kindness is so looked forward to that it has become something of an event, just for those closest to the celebrants.

Even Lord Sidious observed this when he granted Maul the rank of Lord. He gifted him one, pointless little bauble: a black pearl. The young man requested a piercing, in the helix of his ear. It was the only request Maul ever made of his Master that was granted without a backhanded consequence.

Because this ritual is frequently done at night, after all the celebrations are over, it is called The Rite of Last Joy, as it will be the final bit of happiness metered out at the very end of such a wonderful day. Possibly the most happy day that many Nightchildren will ever experience.

Tag list: @alexeithegoat @thesitharts @crc-jedi-knight-serushna @hotshot9 @smoooothbrain @gran-maul-seizure @foreverchangingfandomsao3 @herbalinz-of-yesteryear @justalittletomato @stardustbee @storm89 @by-the-primes @ohboi @and-claudia @eloquentmoon

[grivessillus]

Watch "SABATON - Nightchild (Official Lyric Video)" on YouTube

[ozkanyildizhan]

Listen to the "Attero Dominatus" full album by Sabaton. TRACKLIST 00:00 - 1. Attero Dominatus 03:43 - 2. Nuclear Attack 07:53 - 3. Rise Of Evil 16:12 - 4. In The Name of God 20:18 - 5. We Burn 23:14 - 6. Angels Calling 29:11 - 7. Back In Control 32:25 - 8. Light In The Black 37:17 - 9. Metal Crüe 41:06 - 10. Für immer (Doro Cover Song) 45:40 - 11. Länga Bollar Pä Bengt (Svenne Rubins Cover Song) 48:33 - 12. Metal Medley (Live In Falun 2008) 54:46 - 13. Nightchild 59:59 - 14. Primo Victoria (Demo Version)

[imrllytootiredforthis]

yandere skz masterlist:

ob·sess /əbˈses/ verb ➣preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling loving❤︎ extent. ➢"he was obsessed with you<3"

❤︎❤︎❤︎

a/n: i do not condone this sort of behaviour, this is purely for amusement purposes and should not be done in real life nor’ should be normalized

➢han jisung

➣lee felix

➢bangchan

➣hwang hyunjin-->unreleased

➢lee minho-->unreleased

➣seo changbin-->unreleased

➣kim seungmin-->unreleased

➢yang jeongin-->unreleased

❤︎❤︎❤︎

if you would like to be tagged for this series lmk and i will add you to the taglist down below!! (people currently on my taglist are here too, just lmk if you want to be taken off for this series bc i know not everyone's into yandere)

@goblinracha, @hobihearteu, @laylasbunbunny, @abcdefgiwsmcty, @xcookiemonsteer, @arlojulien-nightchild-of-hades, @hahagay, @fangirlnation, @bonateukna, @oofbeeboo, @idkhoomanmaybe

--also, who do you guys want next?

[hourlyhiphop]

Shif-T Da Nightchild Makes an Impact on the Independent Charts with "Alien" Album

Shif-T Da Nightchild Makes an Impact on the Independent Charts with "Alien" Album

[mogai-sunflowers]

I’d love some requests based on “unofficial” words like the two people from earlier! here’s a list of all the fantasy unofficial words in my queue!

foreverland, everland, foreverstar, everglow, eversong, everstar, everlight, eversky, skysong, skystar, skyglow, skychild, skymore, auroraglow, aurorastar, aurorachild, aurorasong, auroramore, auroraland, everchild, foreverchild, nightchild, nightglow, evermage, evermuse, starrymore, starstory, starblade, starscape, starland, everstory, evermorrow, evermoon, starflight, moonflight, skyflight, auroraflight, moonsong, starsong, wonderstar, wondermore, wonderchild, wondermuse, wondermoon, wondersong, wonderglow, wondersky, wonderstory, storymore, storychild, storyglow, and tomorrowchild!

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

Jay's New Job

So we figured that Giratina, enterprising son of a gun that he is, would probably not have put all his eggs in one basket in regards to trying to get his nightchild - therefore, a lot of other giratina blessed knocking around doing funky little things

Like creating demons? yeah, sure, absolutely

Guess who was watching Supernatural when they were fleshing out this particular thing

~

 As the twins and Soise ran out of sight, I smiled and turned back to examine the stalls again. I’d need to get a gift for Phoe, and since we were here… didn’t really know what to get her, though.

 “Hey… Jayden? What do eight year olds like?”

 He laughed and shrugged, upsetting the fletchling on his shoulder. “It depends. I liked birds, Skyla liked planes…”

 “And I liked… hell, I can’t even remember. Attacking Candice with bulbasaur plushies, I think.”

 “Plushies might be a good place to start.”

 I nodded and we make our way through to the plushie stalls of the market.

 “Just… probably best not to tell the twins. We don’t really have the room for more plushies.”

 “I don’t know, you could always take the beds out of one of the cabins.”

 “That’s a fairly sensible suggestion, Brith, but I’m going to have to let it slide.” I grinned.

 We looked through the stacks of plushies of pokémon from all over. So many choices… hard to pick just one. Plus, I really didn’t know her all that well. I picked up a zangoose, feeling the softness of its fur.

 Something prickled at the back of my head and I shook my head. It didn’t leave. I rubbed at it, frowning.

 “Something wrong?”

 “Are you going to pay for that?”

 “Huh?” I looked up.

 “That plush. Paying for it?” The stall owner was watching me, a hand held out.

 “Right… sorry.” I shook my head and concentrated, but the prickling wouldn’t leave. “Jayden – can you handle this?” I passed him the plush. “There’s something… I’ve got to do.”

 “Jay?” He looked bewildered as I left him, pushing through the crowds.

 “Brith, can you feel that?”

 “Feel what?” She was at my side in an instant, looking around.

 “Something… something’s happening.”

 Brith closed her eyes, aura sensors vibrating slightly.

 “There.” We both pointed at the same time, to a nearby alley. Exchanging worried looks, we stalked over to it and looked down.

 I could hear murmuring coming from the other end, but it wasn’t words I knew. And the prickling was getting worse. Exchanging a glance with Brith, I set the rucksack down and motioned for Vulp and Sesser to stay and guard. The two of them nodded and settled there as we left.

 There were the sounds of a scuffle, or someone struggling… and a chant in a language I didn’t know. We sped up, and I lifted a needle from the inside pocket of my coat.

 And… well, that was a strange sight to walk in on. An older man, dressed in black – looked like a priest – walking around the outside of a circle, reciting the chant. Inside the circle, a… a thing. Looking sort of like a snake, twisting and writhing and trying to… break free, I supposed. But it wasn’t going over the circle.

 Brith flicked an ear, lowering her fists slightly. The man kept his chant going, and the black scales shed away from – that was a woman in there, a human!

 “What are you doing?”

 The man broke off his chant, looking up. “Well. Ah – you wouldn’t understand.”

 “I think I understand fairly well.” I narrowed my eyes. “What are you doing with her?”

 “Blue.”

 His eyes widened as I took a step towards him. “Just – she has a demon in her, I must remove it!”

 I glanced at the woman. Her shape was changing again, snake-like then scorpion-like then crab-like… it looked familiar.

 “Distortion,” I whispered.

 “You know it?”

 “I’m familiar.” I gestured to the circle. “What’s with the get up?”

 “Just – let me finish this first.” He turned back to his book and continued the chant.

 “Blue.” Brith tugged at my sleeve. “Look.”

 I glanced back. She was holding an old paper, from a few weeks back. The front page had a picture of a circle… like this one. A chalk-drawn body in the middle of it. Blood obliterating many of the marks.

 What was going on?

 “The ritual isn’t working… well, this will stop you.”

 Looking back, I gasped as the man drew out a knife and stepped over the boundary of the circle, towards the struggling woman.

 “No!” I leapt forward and tackled him out of the circle, the knife clattering to the ground.

 “What are you doing?” he gasped, struggling under my weight. “I must finish this!”

 “Not by killing her!”

 There was a fluttering of paper and the sound of something getting punched back. “Blue, some attention here!”

 I looked around. Brith was between us and the woman, but she wasn’t really a woman anymore. More a sort of… zubat-venipede cross with skorupi pincers. Right.

 “This might be my bad, but I will not let you kill her,” I muttered, springing to my feet and pulling out another needle.

 “The knife, the knife!” He gestured to it, not getting up. “That will kill it.”

 “And her.” I frowned, leaping forward. “Not on my watch.”

 I took my place beside Brith and the woman hissed at me.

 “You… I know you.” She tensed up, all bug armour and arching tail.

 “Never met you before in my life.”

 “Ah… but you are the Guardian. Well, well, well…”

 “This is more than a demon,” Brith whispered. “That’s him. That’s actually him.”

 “But… Joanna – Phoe.” I frowned.

 “I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket, would I? Not like you have.”

 The woman raised a hand to point at me, and spines flew from her fingertips. I raised an arm and armour flashed into place, the spines shattering uselessly against it.

 “This is a good basket, though,” someone spoke through me. That was a crap analogy, but I appreciated the sentiment. “You try too hard… and it dilutes the power.” I slashed a hand across, the needle becoming a sword in the instant it took for the woman to grow herself armour.

 She was flung to the side and hit thin air, crumpling to the ground. What?

 “You… what are you?”

 I ignored the man, stepping over to the woman. “You have your NightChild, Giratina. Leave here.”

 “Ah, but I like my playthings…” She pulled herself to her feet and hissed at me, growing spines.

 “And we don’t play.” I parried her next attack, stepping to the side and slamming my shield into her back.

 She couldn’t leave the circle. Interesting. I paced its edge, keeping an eye on her as she hissed and morphed in the centre of it.

 “No – wait!” Brith yelled and I turned, not fast enough to see the knife fly through the air.

 I certainly heard it hit, though. A solid thunk, followed by coughing gasps. I spun back around – wings flaring for balance – and watched as the woman sank to her knees, coughing up blood. All distortion left her and she was just a woman, bleeding out on the ground.

 “Hold him,” I snapped, stepping into the circle to kneel down by the woman.

 There wasn’t anything we could do, and for a moment I was transported back to Castelia, to the last time I had watched someone die. I lifted up her head, supporting her against my – still armoured – leg.

 “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was too weak.”

 “No, it’s alright,” I replied. “You were strong, he didn’t get through.”

 “The things – he made me do.” She coughed up blood. “I released – so many demons. I’m sorry.”

 Demons. I’d heard stories about them, everyone had. Hadn’t thought that they were real, though. I laid her down carefully and took hold of the knife, pulling it from her stomach.

 “Right. You’d better explain things now.” I stood up, turning around.

 Brith had the man in a headlock, but he was limp and unresisting.

 “You – what are you?”

 “The Guardian,” I replied. “And you’ve been doing my job badly.”

 “We – well, I was told I had to!”

 “By whom?” It was quite a nice knife, if a bit… bloody.

 He hung his head. “The voice. Please – I can help you. I’m – I’m supposed to teach you.”

 “Teach me what?”

 “How to exorcise them. You may have the NightChild under your wing, but there are other marked out there, many demons. You have to hunt them.”

 “The pay’s going to be crap, isn’t it?” I glanced to Brith. “Release him.”

 She let him drop.

 “Take the bag back to the ship, will you? Tell Jayden I’m… busy.”

 Brith nodded. “Be careful.” She left.

 He stood up, shakily, and looked around for his book.

 “So. Teach me.”

 “Let’s – get out of here first.”

 “What, don’t want to be rewarded for your service to the community?”

 He laughed nervously.

 “Fine.” I stepped forward and grabbed his collar. “Hold on.” Spreading my ice wings, I pulled us into the sky. “Where do you live?”

 He gulped and screamed. I shook him.

 “Concentrate.”

 “Th – there.” He jabbed a hand downwards. “In that block. With the balcony.”

 Excellent. I landed on the balcony and let him go, shrugging away the armour and the wings with a sigh. That stuff hurt.

 He fumbled with the door and finally got it open. “This – this way.”

 I followed him in, sheathing my needles.

 He was asleep – I could hear him snoring from the next room. I got up, making as little noise as possible, and cleared all the books, all the equipment he had, into several bags. It was still dark, but I knew where the docks were from here. Should I bother leaving a note…?

 No. He would know. But – I grinned – maybe a message. Unsheathing one of my needles, I stabbed it into the centre of the chalk circle he’d drawn out to show me. This was my job now, not his.

 Opening the sliding windows, I pulled the bags out and breathed in the night air. Let’s see if this would work… concentrating, I tried to pull on some measure of change – tried to pull on some wings.

 It was slow going. Hard work, I hadn’t had to do anything like this in a long time.

 But I got there. Wings for arms, talons for feet. The… harpy form. Well, it worked.

 Awkwardly, I took the bags in my feet, gripping them tight. Then I hopped up and spread my wings before stepping into the sky.

 I fell, first, before I got the hang of beating my wings. Even then it was haphazard, and I couldn’t get higher than the buildings again.

 So I dropped into the street with a thud and picked up the bags in my hands. I’d just walk back.

 Jayden was waiting on the ship – the lights were on in the main cabin. I stepped up the plank and over Ray and pushed the door open awkwardly.

 “Jay!” He was there in an instant, catching the door. “Are you alright?”

 “Yeah – yeah, I’m fine.” I nodded, pushing the bags into the nearest corner.

 “What are they?” He looked down at them as I closed the door.

 “Ah – tools of the trade.” I hugged him, stealing warmth.

 He hugged me back, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Brith didn’t say much.”

 “This is going to need something to drink.” But I didn’t want to let him go.

 “Right. Well… we can handle it.”

 Eventually I had to, and we sat down at the table with a couple of glasses and a bottle of whiskey. It was definitely a whiskey explanation.

 “Demons are real,” he said eventually.

 I nodded, playing with my glass.

 “And… there are other Giratina Marked.”

 I nodded again.

 “And… right.”

 “And it’s my job to hunt them down and get rid of them,” I said quietly, downing what was left.

 “Well.” Jayden blinked and shook his head. “Alright then.”

 I looked up at him. “Sorry.”

 “It’s fine.” He smiled, but I could see it was forced. “We’ll manage. You know what you need to about it, don’t you?”

 I nodded. “Just… not how to find them.”

 “We can work that out.” He leant back in his chair. “I suppose it explains why you still have all the power stuff.”

 “Yeah, but I haven’t used that since Nyx’s Night,” I replied, frowning. “I didn’t know.”

 “You haven’t noticed…?”

 “Noticed what?”

 He leant forward, reaching for the bottle. “Every so often I see the shadow of wings, or there’s water dripping around you. And not just when you’ve been in the sea, or washing yourself.”

 I frowned. “No… I hadn’t noticed.”

 “Maybe that’s something to do with these demons.”

 I nodded, yawning. “Maybe.”

 “You can start in the morning.” He stood up, helping me up as well.

 “The hours are going to be shite. The pay’s even worse.”

 “Nothing new, then.” Jayden laughed softly.

[movieposters1]

[o-wise-corvid]

idea: how about a word for the opposite someone who inexplicably has horns and was not expected to?

Now this poses a dilemma in the AU where I mostly operate. In every clan but the Nightchildren, both sexes have horns. And so there wouldn’t need to be this word. However, in the Nightchildren clan, females born with horns could face culling or sterilization so as to prevent the gene from being passed along. Their bloodline is poison to her goals. Therefore:

Poh’frīn: a derogatory term used only during the time of Talzin to describe a female Nightchild born with horns (literally green horn; poison green)