#same with bloom no one ever suspects her of anything ever shes just a lil guy after all

[chisatowo]

🖊!

Sier lovessssss board and card games, but alas rarely gets to play them since the only person they can usually play with around the house is their brother, but sometimes the rest of the human kids will play whatever cheap or free online options Sier can find! Once they meet in person Sier gets to be absolutely delighted by the fact that Aris' grandpa had a board game collection, and definitely made them come together for a game night at some point. Bloom is banned from monopoly now

[toorusproblems]

If your still taking requests can I request a death note oneshot nsfw were it’s after Light’s fathers death and the reader doesn’t like Light in fact hates Him but starts to feel sorry for him and later that day decides to visit his apartment to help him deal with his grief and ask if there is anything she can do to help him and light subtly implies that she can help him by sleeping with him and the reader is tempted to but doesn’t want to because she remembers she dislikes him and he has a girlfriend but light eventually persuades her into it ?

Just this once?

pairing: light yagami x f!reader

wc: 1.4k

cw: infidelity (light cheats on misa), dubcon, coercion, reader is L’s little sister, not proofread (lmk if i missed anything!!!)

hi!! sorry this took forever, i took a lil break from writing. i tried my best to stick to the request but idk how well i did lmao but even so, i hope you like it!!!

Your dead-set focus is suddenly ripped from you as the familiar noise of the task force headquarters’ door creaking open pulls your eyes away from the bright computer screen. To your displeasure, the new presence in the room is none other than Light Yagami.

“Oh, Light! I thought we agreed you didn’t have to come in today?” An uncharacteristically soft-spoken Matsuda greets.

“Yeah, but I guess my father’s passing only fueled me to get to the bottom of this even more.” Light states.

Being L’s sister, you’ve inherited the black-haired boy’s suspicion of Light. After all, you were the only person in the world that L trusted with his entire heart and soul. Those countless times you’ve stayed up together throwing theories about the Kira case back and forth, only for you and the night itself to hear.

Though your brother was undeniably a bit smarter than you, you weren’t stupid either. With everything L had theorized about Light’s true identity, it’s hard for you to write off L’s death as a coincidence. The timelines just seemed to line up too perfectly.

Everything on top of the fact that because of your investigation work on the Kira case you were barely even given time to mourn the loss of your precious older brother, a heavy dislike of the brown-haired man festered in you.

Even so, you can’t help but feel sympathetic towards him today. After all, it’s true that you know what it feels like to lose a close family member too.

“Hey, Light,” his name feels sour on your tongue, “if you want I can take the heavy lifting today, don’t stress, alright?”

His eyes meet yours, and you take note that they look even more dead than usual.

“It’s okay, Y/N, no need to worry.”

—

No need to worry.

Well, you did worry. All day in fact.

You hate yourself for feeling so empathetic towards the man who you suspect of being behind the killing of your very own brother.

But here you are now, about to knock on Light’s apartment door with a small bouquet of tulips in your left hand. Nothing special, you told yourself, just something to show that you care at least a little.

As you raise your right knuckles to the wooden surface, the door suddenly swings inward.

“Oh hello, Y/N. Pretty flowers you’ve got there.” Light points at the objects in your grip.

That’s it. That’s another thing that you hate about him. How he always seems to be one step ahead of you in even the smallest things. How it feels like he always knows what you’re thinking. It’s almost like he’s watching you sometimes, for fuck’s sake!

“These are for you, actually.”

“Really?” he fakes a smug expression, making you cringe, “Thank you so much!”

“It’s nothing. Feel better soon.”

You turn to leave, but Light’s hand catches your shoulder.

“Wait. Before you leave, can you come in for a second?”

“Oh uh… sure? Why?”

You receive no response as Light silently motions you onto his couch. A nervous pit grows in the bottom of your stomach.

“So uh… what do you need me for?” You ask apprehensively.

“Just want to talk. It feels like forever since we’ve actually sat down together and had a conversation, you know?”

You let out a sigh of relief you didn’t know you were keeping in. “Yeah, it has been a while.”

Yet another awkward silence passes. The sheer quietness seems very strange to you for a moment until it hits you.

“Hey, where’s Misa? Is she out at a shoot or something?”

“So observant.” Light chuckles, and with the tone he puts on, you’re not sure if he’s being sarcastic or not, “Yes, she’s filming a commercial for Miho Skincare. Or at least that’s what she told me before she ran out the door.”

“Oh, I see.” You bite your lip, unsure of how to continue the conversation, “Do you want me to put the flowers in a vase for you?” You ask, picking up the tulips from the coffee table.

Light moves his hand to your thigh in a smooth motion, catching you very off guard so that you nearly drop the bouquet. You hate the fact that blood rushes to your cheeks.

“No need. But there is something else I want from you, if I’m going to be blunt.” His eyes pierce directly through you. You feel naked under his gaze.

Fuck, as many negative feelings you harbour for the man in front of you, you can’t deny he’s attractive in all sense of the word. You know what he’s asking for. It’s plainly clear even just from the lust blooming in his irises.

And it’s then when you realize how touch-starved you are. You’ve been using every available hour of your life on the Kira case, of course you hadn’t had time for any kind of relationship.

So you don’t stop him from inching closer. One of his hands sliding towards the inside of your thigh while the other pushes a piece of your hair from your face. His captivating eyes flutter shut and you’re about to give into his touch when you remember the girl you had been talking about just a moment earlier.

“Wait. Misa.” You whisper simply.

“She won’t be home for hours. And you want to make me feel better, do you not? I’m just asking for one more thing in addition to those flowers you gave me, hm?” He borderline growls into your ear. You would be lying if you said it didn’t turn you on a little.

Without waiting for an answer, Light crashes his lips onto yours. The kiss is hungry, like he wants to waste no time with you. Admittedly, you still feel a little uneasy about all of this, Misa’s face—sweet as candy—beaming at you in your mind as her boyfriend sucks on your tongue.

You feel around each other’s bodies, unbuttoning anything you feel to rid yourselves of your clothing. It all goes so fast, and before you know it, you’re both in your undergarments. Light’s got you lying beneath him with your knees pressed to your chest. He reaches to pull your grey cotton panties to the side.

Suddenly, the peppy blonde girl inside your head once again appears, and you realize what you’re doing.

“Hang on, Light. I’m not too sure about this anymore…” You weakly tell him, pushing his hands away from your most sensitive area.

“Hm? But you promised you’d help me feel better.” Light throws uncharacteristic puppy eyes your way. He points to the wet patch that had formed on the centre of your panties, “And look, you want it too, right? Just this once? Please?”

It’s true, you had come here to make him happier. So why should you go back on it now? You criticize yourself, wondering how you could ever be so inconsiderate—to a coworker who just lost his father, too!

So you nod your head in coerced approval towards the man on top of you, who then in turn wasted no time pulling his cock out from his boxers.

Without warning, or any prep whatsoever, Light pushes the head of his cock into your cunt. The stretch burns, and you’re left wondering if it’s just because you haven’t gotten laid in quite a while, or if his cock is just that fat.

“Light!” You whine in slight protest, “You’re too big… hurts…”

He only hums in response, pushing himself further into you, “Sorry, little one, this cunt is just so tight, I can’t help myself. Fuck-“

Light starts a rhythm, watching his cock sink in into you over and over again. He notes how each time he pulls out, a sheen of both your slick, and even some blood coats it. Must’ve just been too big for your little cunny, he guesses.

The pain of the stretch slowly turns into pleasure and you relax into Light’s touch. You throw your hands into his surprisingly soft brunette locks as he pounds into your sweet spot.

You wonder if L is watching you right now. He must be so disappointed in his little sister, moaning and creaming so sweetly for the very same man he thought he had taught you to be wary of, the man who made the world a living hell.

[abloomntime]

A Bloom In Time Ch13 Dealing With The Past P2

"WHEN were you going to tell me about this exactly?!," Snatcher whisper screamed at the little girl.

Finding out Poppy was ok was a MAJOR relief of the girls' heads and Snatcher had allowed her to be lead into his home where she could rest for a small while. Currently she was sitting on the footrest he never really used since, well he had no legs and was slightly scowling picking all the leaves and sticks from her tangled, messy hair. Bow was currently resting and was absolutely THRILLED to discover the thing she thought was a weird plant randomly put on Snatcher's chair was in fact. A cat. And Bow having been raised in the Nyakuza City surrounded by cats was of course adored all things kitten like. She had shouted 'A kitty!' quite loud when Rough Patch woke at the sounds of new comers to his home. Of course being the lovable creature he was, didn't even fight back when the young girl picked him up and held him. He just did was he usually did, lazily lay there and purr as Bow curiously pet his leaves. Snatcher had pulled the little girl aside once he had the chance and demanded to know what the peck was going on around here?! Poppy had also wearily been glancing at the few subconites that had gathered around around and peered curiously at her while she did so, but Snatcher had assured her they wouldn't harm her. Besides, they couldn't even harm a small mushroom even if they tried, let alone a grown woman who once upon a time sold flowers to them at one point.

"Um...B-Boss?" One of his minions had tottered over to him and pointed a hand at Poppy worriedly. "I-Isn't that-"

They were hushed up when Snatcher snapped a deep scowl towards them and hissed. Some of the minions still had their memories after death and it looked like they recognized her as much as he did. "Yes. And if any of you say a word of that to her, you'll be put on 'checking the manor' duty! Not ONE word out of any of you!"

The minion looked suddenly nervous and backed off. "Y-Yes, Sir! No, Boss! Right away!" Before he ran back off towards the small group. Not wanting to risk being put on that duty.

Satisfied he snapped back towards the little girl who looked back up to him without so much as a shread of fear, as if used to his anger by now. "Now what in the pecking world is going through that little head of yours?! She told me you let her fall from the sky like a rock! Are you just an expert at dropping things from the sky, kid?"

She pouted like any child her age would. "I didn't mean to! I didn't know she'd be so heavy for teleporting with me! And she's ok so everything's ok, right?"

......He literally facepalmed himself and dragged his claws down his face before looking back at her. "That ISN'T the point, Kid! You gotta be more CAREFUL with these things. Especially when you KNOW it might hurt someone. I thought you learnt this after you dropped those time peices from the sky TWICE!!"

"HEY!! The mafia broke my outer door! And then Mustache Girl stole them! It's NOT my fault!" She ended her rant by crossing her arms.

"Yeah. Well, you did a fantastic job protecting the time peices. But in any case, WHY did you even bring her here in the first place?!"

Her pout melted a little. "Well...She was acting really weird. Like she was sleeping but her eyes were open and she wasn't saying anything. Grown ups always act so weird. So I thought since you're a grown up too and like to be quiet all the time you can help!"

The innocent smile dawned on her face was what made Snatcher sigh and take a glance over at Poppy who just took another small piece of twig from her hair, scowled and flung it to the outside. Seemed like a good enough reason to a child. And he's seen her to crazier things for wackier reasons than wanting to help someone. But out of ALL the things she could've decided to do she brought him his dead, long lost lov-.....Friend. He groaned reaching a hand up to grip at his head. Out of ALL the crazy things to EVER happen to him THIS was the weirdest. Dying and becoming Ghost King of all of Subcon? Weird but he saw it as just rewards for what Vanessa did. She took everything from him so he took everything from her. Finding out there was a sentiant peice of him trapped in another plane of existance? Ok. But that comes with all the cursed magic that came with him. Having shiny time pieces fall into his forest and having a small alien invade his forest? No big deal. He always suspected life beyond his planet with the moon penguins and being able to visit the sun be a thing. So an alien with weird other worldly powers wasn't too much of a shock when he's already seen so much weirder things over a thousand years. Adopting said alien?.......Well.....He guessed he's always wanted a kid deep down. Vanessa did to and he was happy she was willing to have one with him way, WAY back then. But Vanessa was moving WAY too fast and in the end he did always end up with what he wanted. He was SO thankful Hattie wasn't related to Vanessa in any way. Hiding inside a crate to go on a well deserved vacation after getting his but kicked by said alien? HEY. TICKETS. ARE. EXPENSIVE. PERIOD. There was NO way he was paying 152 pons just for a measly few days on a ship in the middle of no where. Accidentally bringing everyone back to life with a time piece? OK! That one was on him. He could admit that. Those things really were too much trouble and he clearly wasn't thinking straight at the time. Coming face to face with the woman he secretly fell in love with?

........All the guilt and what ifs were still there and he still had nightmares about it every so often. But now she was here and....When he first saw her the hard slap of reality in the face sent a shockwave throughout his being like being trapped in ice again. Then everything came rushing back.....EVERYTHING!! The very first time they officially met when he saw her building her makeshift stand in the square. She was about to fall off her ladder trying to paint the sign above her flowers. And he was passing by at the same time and he couldn't just let an innocent lady fall and hurt herself. So he dropped what he currently had in his hands, ironically a couple wild flowers he picked from the woods for Vanessa, and managed to catch her bridal style before she hit the cobblestone roads.

"H-Hey." His brown eyes looked over her worried for any injury to the woman in his arms. "A-Are you alright, Ma'am? Have you hurt yourself? That was quite a stumble."

She rubbed her head before looking at him. "Nah. I think I'm alriiiiiiii-...IGHT!! T-T-THE PRINCE!?"

Her blue eyes went so wide when she found out she was in the arms of none other than the famous Prince Philip Snider. But that lasted only a moment before the memories were blasting at him faster than he could physically remember. It happened so quick remembering all those things at ounce. He remembered after a while he was curious about the flower stand in town, so whenever he visited Vanessa he would just instead stop by there. At first he wasn't too sure about spending all those pons on the flowers when he could pick wild flowers for free, but when he saw them. He had NEVER seen roses so red. Like the color of the prettiest red paints. Or Tigerlilies with such bright tan petals and deep dark black stripes. Resembling the beast in all it's glory. And lilacs so purple like the twilight at the very beginning of sunrise. Better than any wild flowers he'd ever seen. Vanessa thought so too. And after all at that point in his life he beleived Vanessa deserved nothing but the best and Poppy's flowers were the best he'd ever seen. That's how the two began talking. When he complimented her amazing flowers and she proudly told him all she did to make her hard work so beautiful. And he always admired hard work. Back in his day it was VERY hard for a lady to get a successful career by themselves outside a maid, cook, teacher, or very few they were born in, and as a future leader his life was full of hard work to prepare him to run a country one day. Even when his days from Vanessa's obsession became hard, she was always able to make him smile with her spunky attitude, good advice, or just any of the small things he noticed her doing Vanessa would've never done. Poppy was kind and gave him the patience and space to be himself when vanessa couldn't. Sure they were both stubborn and spoke their minds all the time. But there was a big difference. With Poppy it was when she was often giving the hard truth and her honest opinions on things. Even when she gently tried to tell him the things Vanessa did was unacceptable, it was always her being honest with the intent to help. With Vanessa it was her always giving criticism and demands.

Give her a expensive gift. "...I thought my prince could get me better than this. You're supposed to be pining for my love!" Give her flowers. "These are beautiful. But not as beautiful as me. You shouldn't be trying to compare me to small plants that will lose beauty." Do any lil itty bitty small thing she disapproved of. "Don't slouch over like that reading. Sit formal at all times or you'll ruin you're entire posture when you get older. Are you trying to grow a beard? Shave it. You look better without it. Don't thank the cook again. They are below us and should know their place. In the kitchen to serve ME. I thought you knew better than that!" And then their relationship grew into a casual convo every time he visited, to a good friendship, and then....well at least to him a one sided love. And then the very last conversation they ever had, his one last chance he ever had to tell her how he felt or to do something to save everyone, slapped him hard enough with the guilt to make him scream. All the shock and reality making his self twist into a tight not and suddenly being pulled loose letting it all out. But that wasn't the problem right now. Right now he had to solve a question. What does he do now? This was too early. Way, WAY too early for any talks or to even come up with a proper plan on how to even go about this. Where would he even start?....Well, he guessed he already had done it. When he first came back to his senses after seeing her, he was angry and frustrated. Was fate toying with him again? But then he looked at her and got a good sense it wasn't and just liked throwing the past in his face a lot. Once the notion of this really being Poppy came to him well....He.....MAY have gotten a little carried away with the sudden feeling of possession and needing to stake a claim to her. Especially when he now has her to himself it has a ...fullfilling feeling to it which almost mad him feel guilty in a way. But what was he gonna do? Let her walk away like that? Besides. This new deal benefitted them greatly now. He can ask her for small favors, maybe a talk...or something? he was still figuring that part out, and in return she gets his unlimited protection, immortality, and all the benefits of still owning her own soul. Which he's only ever done once ever before. So this works out greatly for the both of them. Hattie tilted her head at the sudden silent eternal monoluge of the ghost and tried waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention. It worked as he blinked and resumed his scowl at the small child.

"Uh...A-Anyways, why did you think I could help?"

"Because you're a grown up?...." She hummed. "Maybe Cooking Cat can help instead. She's a lady too."

"HA! That cat couldn't even run a full lap around a house and not be gasping for air. 'Sides, Kid. Whatever she needs I can handle it, can't be hard. Mortal dilema is sorta what I'm an expert in by now. And I'm pretty sure I already handled any poor imminant danger by making her sign a contract."

....

.........

..............

..........................?!

WHAMP!!

"OW!!" His claws immediately snapped up to cover his face where an umbrella suddenly wacked him in the face and everyone looked up for a moment at the loud yelp from the ghost, except for Rough Patch who still laid there. The ghost hissed and stared back down at the angry little girl with a scowl that could scare himself. "KID!! WHAT THE ACTUALLY PECK-"

"You stole her soul?!," she asked just loud enough for him to hear her.

Immediately his face became one of shock when he jumped and slapped one of those clawed hands over her mouth and snapped his head back to the house. Some minions were still looking at him but Poppy seemed more interested in unsticking a small stick from her tangled hair than she was seeing a ghost argue with his adopted alien daughter. ....He turned back to her feeling Hattie struggle against his hand and he leaned close. "NO! I didn't steal her soul, Kid! I'm not completely heartless! I just.......Gave her the same contract you have that doesn't involve any life threatening plots or perils."......She suddenly looked confused. "Y'know! Protection against danger wise."

......She blinked and tilted her head. A contract just like....hers? Then did that mean- Her blue eyes suddenly went wide as she looked at him in wonder. "Does this mean I get a big sister!?"

He looked confused for a moment....before shaking his head. "No, Kid. Not adoption papers. I meant just...." What was the simplest way to explain this to a child? "I meant she signed a contract that means she'd be working for me, but nothing dangerous. And she's going to be very protected. Ok?"

She stared at him a moment longer, but nodded and seemed to understand. "So...She's not family?"

"I-.....Family?"

Family......A family.....HIS family. His head turned back to Poppy and how she was now bending down and letting Bow nicely help her clear any more stuck leaves and sticks from her long hair. She always had a natural way with kids. Almost a ...motherly way if he did say so. His yellow eyes widened as that thought hit him and bounced around over and over again in that head of his. Slowly his eyes looked back down towards Hattie who still looked confused at his actions. A family. He's always wanted one when he was alive. He and Vanessa had discussed a couple times what they would do once their wedding had come and gone. Children were almost always a topic Vanessa discussed and insisted on. If it was a girl she would be the most perfect princess who would take after her of course and she WOULD be named Victoria and if it was a boy she'd make sure he wouldn't make any mistakes in becoming the perfect King one day. Any slip ups he made were going to be made sure he didn't and he WOULD be called Charleston. Vanessa thinking back on it now, would've made a terrible mother, Poppy on the other hand......She'd would've made a great of a mother as she would've been a Queen. As the few times he had ever been back to that manor or the dreaded nursury, the what if's had crossed his mind a couple times especially back in the early days of being a ghost. What if they had had a child? Would they had been like him or her? But all those what ifs soon died out once he had actually aquired children of his very own at last. And made sure to securely put his claim to his new eternal fatherhood. But-.....What IF the girls had a mother figure in they're life? They could use one right? Surely Poppy could be better than that Cooking Cat and WAY more better than Vanessa could've ever been. And looking back at Hattie specifically, she did have almost the same shade of brown hair he had when he was alive, and blue eyes Like Poppy's. It was almost like she was a mini mix of the two......Yeah...YEAH!! Guess who just found out the new placement. This would work out great too! Poppy loved kids, and these two won over everyone eventually.

"....Actually, Kid." That familiar fanged grin she knew came back to him. "She's a very new friend."

"You know her?"

"I-....Well no! And you're NOT allowed to tell her who I am! I mean who I was as a human! It's our little secret." He couldn't have this blown up in his face right now.

"Why?"

"Because I said so, and because it'll help us solve her problem. You want me to help her get better right?" She nodded her head yes. "Well there you go. Just keep your yapper shut and let me handle it ok?" She nodded again. Of course he....wasn't sure how to handle how to go up to her and say 'Hey! You know that prince who secretly liked you a lot but too afraid to say it? No? Well that's me! Im the ghost who tricked you into signing a contract and possibly made you lose everything by Vanessa but life happens. Right?'....Yeah. no. He'd figure it out later. Much. MUCH later. He nodded back. "Good girl. Now why don't we go meet your new...'mom' figure?" He turned back towards the tree house and started towards it.

"Mom?" Her face turned to one of wonder and curiousity again as she bounded after him again.

"Well....Kinda. She's going to be more of a live in nanny. I had one of those when I was your age." He couldn't remember the name of his parents old Head Maid too well, just her friendly old face and that she took care of him when his parents were too busy.

"What's a nanny?"

"A babysitter," he clarified before turning his gaze back towards the home. A long shadow came over the two girls pulling the last few bits of debry out of her hair, but both looked up towards the giant ghost looming over them all and smiling that familiar fanged grin of him. "Alright. New employee. Are you ready for your first contracrual obligations as my newest servant?"

Poppy Blinked up at him in shock. "N-Now?...So soon?"

He chuckled. "Of course. But what better way than seeing if you made a good investment than by testing out the product early on?" He waved a hand at her skeptical look. "Look. You signed the contract, it's only fair I ask you to do one thing for me in return. It's not even that hard."

....Poppy sighed and looked down. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Nope! But relax. I'm giving you all the easy tasks compared to any and all of my previous mortal helpers!" He rubbed his hands together before smiling and putting his hands on Hattie's shoulders. "I want YOU....to help me take care of these two little troublemakers from now on."

She blinked. "Excuse me."

"They can basically take care of themselves with my help of course. They're practically invincible by now, running off all the time around this planet and my forest. But they could use an older woman's touch around the place. Cooking, stories, playing. Y'know the stuff a mother would do."

"I'm sorry. You want me to play the part of being their MOTHER," she asked almost feeling like laughing at the ridiculousness of the question.

Yes he did. But of course instead he answered with, "No. I want you to basically help ME watch THEM. Like a nanny kinda."

"Ha! You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Does it LOOK like I'm joking around, Lady?" He absolutely wasn't. "Look. I was generous enough NOT to take your soul, take you under my wing, and if it wasn't for my slip up you probably wouldn't even be not frozen." Which was true in a sense. His mistake technically did unfreeze her. "So asking you to just help out can't be too far a stretch don't ya think?"

She scowled again. "HEY!! Being a nanny wasn't in that resume!"

"Well I can argue it IS since it didn't state what specific work I needed your help with. Just that you'd agree to help me out with, Lady. I run a whole haunted area of the land full of thousands of ghosts and undead creatures, deal with an annoying corpse at night time, and have to care for two girls in outer space or where ever they decide to go. Not to mention the trouble they cause, intruders in my woods, and hundreds of employees under my command. Please don't make me regret sparing and hiring you now. I can always change my mind." He was bluffing on the last part. He'd never do anything to hurt her especially now that he had her under his claws but the look on her face wasn't one of terror it was a deeper angrier glare.

"I THOUGHT you said you were going to help ME! Not use me as your free nanny now!"

"I AM! Who wouldn't want to be able to have a normal job after being frozen to death?!," he argued back.

"You MADE me have no other choice to sign that pecking paper!! YOU PURPLE ONION VINE!!"

"HEY!! I HAPPEN TO BE KING OF WHAT'S LEFT OF YOUR PAST PRECIOUS SUBCON, 'PRINCESS'!!" He shot back leaning down closer to her.

Poppy dared to stand up and shove her face and scowl back at the ghost's. "OH!! EXCUSE ME 'YER MAJESTY'!" He mock bowed. "IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD DO?! HOW ABOUT TIDY UP THIS LIL HUT YOU GOT GOIN' ON?!"

"HEY!! MY HOME IS THE BEST HOME ANY GHOST COULD EVER WANT!! YOU THINK IT'S EASY FOR A POWERFUL OVERLORD OF THE DEAD TO WATCH TWO LITTLE GIRLS WHO PESTER ME ALL THE TIME?!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING 'BOUT BEING THEIR FATHER?!"

"I. AM. NOT!!! IT'S JUST HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF THEM ON THE JOB!!"

"AN ALL POWERFUL SPIRIT CAN'T WATCH TWO LITTLE GIRLS?!"

"HEY!! THEY'RE NOT ORDINARY KIDS I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW!! NOW STOP UNDERESTIMATING ME IN MY OWN HOME IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!! YOU.....YOU....ROSE HEAD!!"

"OH REAL CREATIVE!! VINE BODIED!!"

"UNGRATEFUL WOMAN!!"

"JACK O LANTURN FACE!!"

"DOTTED FACE!!"

Hattie gave a deadpanned look as the two continued their petty arguement and Bow blinked in her direction before slowly putting Rough Patch down and getting up to walk over to her. The two little girls watched the two keep going at it like an old married couple for a moment, the minions watching in confusion just as much as Bow. Poppy didn't look afraid of him at all. Even arguing with him with an equal temper. Snatcher honestly....Didn't look enraged like he usually would have been if a total stranger who signed a contract with him had been fighting about duties he wanted them to perform. He just looked....average person annoyed, like two siblings or friends having a small argument over something useless.

"Uh....What's happening?," Bow asked Hattie without looking at her.

"I think no one here is a grown up anymore," Hattie replied flatly still watching the adults argue.

"ALRIGHT!! WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE QUALIFIED AS 'HELP' FROM ME TO YOU?!," Snatcher asked finally wanting to end this pointless argument.

Poppy actually stopped for a moment....Looking at him for a long time in silent thought at his words. What.....What DID she want help with really? She was lost. Both literally and thoughtfully as she still blankly stared at him thinking........What DID she want help with? She couldn't...She couldn't get anything back at all, and what was a dead person going to help her with anyways? From what she knew from what they said to her, all she got excited over was the fact there was someone in her situation...Ok. Maybe not exactly her situation persay, but similar at least. She was dead for crying out loud and now she's living basically a wild story some toddler thought up of. The quiet thinking seemed to catch Snatcher's attention as his scowl slowly by surely softened and watched as her's became even more unsure and deep in thought. He HAD helped her....Sure took a 'little' trickery, but it all worked out in the end. But he guessed like him when he first died, she was more than just lost-

"I......I don't know," she finally answered in just above a whisper. Looking back up to him with an almost panicked face. "......I really don't know."

Snatcher stared at her, a pang of worry and something else flashed across his face and through his shadowed body. All too familiar a situation and feelings. So it was kinda surprising to everyone when he lowered himself to not loom over her, but to look her in the eyes. As if she was an equal. A calm look over his face now and the angry aura from earlier disappearing as he spoke.

"Hey. I can understand that. Believe it or not you're not the only one who's gone through that kind of thing....I'm certainly no stranger to feeling like that. In fact it took me forever literally just to realize my place after I got lost," he spoke in a calm and steady voice to her. MAking the minions and girls around him give each other confused looks.

"B-But.....H-HOW did you do that?!," she demanded glaring back at him again, "I w-wanted HELP!! Not a job-''

"Lady-.....Poppy. Do you mind if I call you that? I think I would like it better if I did. Make it easier to talk for the both of us." She definately stared at him with 100% surprise now....to which he sighed and reached a hand up to rub his safe. Sentimentality REALLY wasn't his best side. "Ok. To make it in mushier terms..I DO want to help you ok. Believe it or not I do and I have my reasons. But you gotta know I can't change the past no matter what. Trust me I have TRIED and look where that got me. Stuck fused with a mushy corpse and having to lead a whole bunch of strangers through the forest like a tour guide." he glanced at her confusion again. "Uh..B-But that's not important. The important thing is that I can't change or fix anything that's already happened alright? I can't send you back. I can't give you anything from your old life......And I can't change what happened to you." Her face dropped and eyes widened even more- "But, I can help make the future easier and help you with whatever you need to settle down with alright? But you got to understand that it's NOT just going to be with a snap of my fingers. I know, I've experienced it for hundreds of years. Just know that...You're not going to be alone in any of this alright?" He without thinking offered out a clawed hand to her with a small smile. "Do you trust me?"

She still stared at him, and for a long moment no one said anything. The girls and minions were looking on in surprised wonder at the caring tone and meaning of the words that flowed out of the giant ghost's mouth, but no one made any more to do or say anything in fear of the quiet being shattered. It took a moment for anyone to react, but a bit reluctantly the red haired woman's shaking hand reached over and settled inself into the larger purple claws that came around her. ....Huh. Weird. She would've thought a ghost would've felt cold as stone, but instead he felt warm but not too hot either. Kinda like a crisp fall evening. Either way it wasn't what she was expecting when she allowed her bare skinned hand to hold his, and he felt...Oddly soft as well. Almost how a peach felt. Maybe he had fire inside of him keeping his being warm? Possible. His eyes and the inside of his mouth glowed as he spoke. But she wasn't too sure with ghosts since she never was one.

Poppy hiccuped again and reached a hand up to wipe at her eyes to get herself to stop crying before she started crying again for the third time in a span of hours. She still didn't know what time of day it was. "Y-Yeah...Ok?" Her voice came out soft and meek. And a little shaky too indicating she wasn't trying to cry and Snatcher quickly caught onto that. Seeing two little girls do a similar thing once.

"Hey. You know...I-It's alright to cry. Happens to everyone at some point right?" That got a small huff of a chuckle out of her and his smile (which he still didn't know he had) got wider....When a thought hit him with the speed and force of a meteor. "Hey! I know what can help a little bit. Y-You like flowers right? "

".....H-How do you know that?"

He had a flash of panic fly over his face for a moment before he coughed and shrugged. "You said you had a flower stand before Vanessa sent her goons to take you right? O-Obviously you must've liked growing things then. Or at least flowers."

"O-Oh. Yeah. That makes sense."

he sighed. Close call. But went back to that small smile. "Look. If you don't want to look after a stranger's kids I get that, but all I'm asking is a little help in return. And who knows. Maybe starting with something simple like this will help you settle down and get your thoughts together. Y'know. Something small then work our ways up to where we think would be the best action for you. Alright?"

She still stood there for a moment, before sniffing and nodding her head again. "'Aight. Sounds nice."

"There. See. Don't worry about anything. As long as I'm around there's not going to be any misfortune to you. I can promise that." He stopped when he felt a tug on his tail and turned around. "Hm? Oh. It's you." Hattie stared up at him with a confused look. "Well what's that face for?"

"Are you feeling ok? You're acting kinda funny...."

"WHAT?!" His hand was removed from hers as he stared down at the girl. "I-I'M PERFECTLY FINE!! I WAS JUST HAVING A BUSINESS TALK WITH MY NEWEST EMPOLYEE!! THAT'S ALL!!" He crossed his arms before looking back to all the minions surrounding him. "Well?! Don't just stand there! Back to your posts!"

The minions immediately did as their leader ordered and jumped and scrambled in all directions from his scowl. Poppy blinked again and looked at the still deadpanned child staring up at the ghost. "Is ....Is he always like this?"

She shook her head. "No. Usually he's more cranky. But maybe he hit his head too hard doing that weird crawl with human legs."

In an instant Snatcher snapped to her. "HEY!! YOU AGREED NOT TO MENTION THAT AGAIN!!" She stuck her tongue out at him and he grumbled before nudging her with his tail. "Well....Go take her home or something. I have some...business to take care off." Or more like to plant as he turned his head around to look in the direction of the Subcon Village.

Poppy blinked up at him. "Wait. You're leaving me? Now? So soon after I just got here?!"

"Yes," he stated bluntly. "I got something in mind to help you, but I can't risk you all running around while I'm trying to conduct business. "

She laughed unbelieving. "Unbelievable! What am I supposed to do in the mean time?"

"I don't know. See the ship? Have the girls show you around, I have to work."

Poppy still stared unbeliving before Bow smiled and grabbed her hand. "It's ok. He can be really.....um...Straightforward, but whenever Snatcher has an idea it USUALLY works. He doesn't like it when everyone interrupts him." A small tug to her hand made Poppy stumble a bit as Bow happily pulled her away from the ghostly home. "Come on! I can't wait to show you the Metro room!"

"The what?"

Hattie still stared at the leaving ghost with a raised brow at his strange behavior and hummed...Before shrugging it off for now and turning to bound after the other two girls. Oh, well. Snatcher was probably just having the mood swings as he called them. Grown ups were so weird.

[clansayeed]

Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ― Chapter 5: The Bloodkeeper

PAIRING: Kamilah Sayeed x MC (Nadya Al Jamil) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ⥽

While struggling with nightmares of lives she’s never lived, a shadow from the past looming over her city, and the proposed idea that her life may just be a little bit too weird to handle alone, Nadya makes sure to tell herself that everything is perfect just the way it is. If only. When the self-proclaimed King of Vampires (and Maker of her sometimes-girlfriend and always-boss, can’t forget that little tidbit) Gaius Augustine returns intent on claiming Manhattan as the throne that was promised, she and her friends find themselves forced into the task of saving the world. But with millennia-old vampires and an Order of hunters on their heels as well as allies hiding catastrophic secrets at their backs… it won’t be an easy task. Too bad destiny didn’t exactly ask for her input.

Bound by Destiny II and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the Bloodbound series and spin-off, Nightbound. Find out more [HERE].

*Let me know if you would like to be added to the Destiny II tag list!

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

Gaius is free. Jameson is a traitor. Kamilah is vengeful. And Nadya is a Bloodkeeper.

[READ IT ON AO3]

“He’s back.”

Part of her is angry they don’t believe her at first. But when Nadya puts herself in their shoes — and she can now, like changing coats or doing something different with her hair, the ease of it frightens her — she isn’t entirely certain she wouldn’t react the same way. Which was easier to trust; the word of a fragile girl one loud noise away from a post-traumatic breakdown, or their own memories?

Only now they’re her memories, too.

So it makes sense when they go to check. Kamilah and Adrian leaving the penthouse so quickly they may as well have jumped from the roof. It’s hard but she tries not to take it personally. It’s not like they’re avoiding Nadya. This is important. This is life or death.

This is survival or slaughter.

They aren’t stupid enough to leave her on her own again, though. Nadya’s burned all those bridges — and herself in the process. Lily comforts her because she’s scared, because Lily knows she’s scared, but comfort, in this case, is another word for ‘keeps her under constant surveillance.’

“Did you know being unconscious isn’t the same as sleeping?”

Lily looks down at her strangely. But keeps Nadya close, tucked under her arm with a grip that’s meant to ground her but also makes her feel kind of grounded? “Weird talk to fill the silence.”

“The opposite, actually.”

“What d’you mean?”

What does she mean? Or how best can she describe the noise all around her; all the voices with their cheers and screams and laughter and weeping? Lily’s the vampire — she’s supposed to be the one with the super hearing.

Well… technically she is. Since all of the things Nadya hears aren’t really there. They already happened a long time ago.

She waits too long to respond, gets lost in her own (not really) thoughts. So Lily squeezes her arm — unknowingly right on top of a not-yet-bloomed bruise from her tussle with the Trinity. And the pain anchors her to the present. Careful, some part of her warns, don’t make a habit of it.

“Nadi’.”

“I think that’s been my problem, lately,” she continues; not like it explains anything, “I’ve spent too much time hoping to just… knock out, y’know?”

“No… I don’t.”

“How did I get here?”

Lily tenses with worry and holds Nadya back at arms’ length. She probably hopes that will keep her from knowing how truly and utterly freaked out her best friend is. It doesn’t.

“You’re scaring me, Nadya.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t — it’s not something to apologize for. But… can you just… try to explain?”

She nods. She tries.

“How did I get back to Kamilah’s?” Eyes quickly roaming over the familiar furniture, doorways, displayed antiques she’s come to know so well; “I don’t remember.”

Lily inhales deep; still doesn’t quite shake such human habits as breathing. “Adrian brought you here, sweetie. You don’t remember that?”

“Where did Adrian find me?”

“In his office…” And the silence is imploring, desperate despite the calmness of her. So Lily keeps going; “You were missing for three whole days. I couldn’t track your phone, you weren’t on any camera. We tore the city up and down trying to find you but it was like… like you’d vanished into thin air.

“Then you were just back. I pinged your phone at Raines Corp. and you were there sleeping on his couch like you’d pulled an all-nighter or something. None of it made sense — still doesn’t, mind you. But I’m the one who should be asking you about all this. Not the other way around.”

Nadya’s face scrunches up while she listens; and tries to remember. Anything; a drive, a train ride, walking on her own two feet. Only there’s nothing to remember because it’s gone; swept clean. Like someone took an eraser to the white board of her life and just wiped it carelessly across. Half-words and fractured sentences left in the wake.

Something falls into her eye and it stings — makes Nadya recoil and Lily hold her tighter because Kamilah probably warned her about Nadya being a danger to herself but when are they going to understand she’s a danger to everyone else, too?

It’s sweat, she realizes in the most anticlimactic fashion. A shower would be nice — but Nadya highly doubts she’s allowed to do such an ‘alone’ activity right now. As it is she practically has to pry her best friend’s hand away so she can give herself some space. One of them still needs breathing room, after all.

“Why aren’t you asking me, then? About… all this.”

The young vampire chews her bottom lip.

“Figured we should probably wait until Adrian and Kamilah get back. You remember where they went, right?”

Oh, she remembers. She remembers that particular change of atmosphere with a clarity as striking as it is opposite of the rest of her muddled thoughts.

“I just wanna sleep, Lil’.” Nadya sighs; and the fragility of it scares her. Forces her to face the reality that she didn’t know she could be so… broken.

“So sleep. They could be gone for hours.” Lily means well — Nadya knows that. But there’s absolutely no freakin’ way that’s happening.

Lily kicks off her boots and starts to stretch out along the length of the couch. Nadya’s body agrees; an instinct forged in friendship’s fire, and scoots herself down until they’re in an all-too-familiar position. Head-meets-toes. A little uneasy and a lot cramped, and it’s no sleeping bag slumber party. Yet somehow it’s the exact balance of physical comfort and personal space she needs. Even if Lily’s ankle bumps against her temple  a few times.

They both close their eyes. Neither one sleeps.

Which is just as well, because when the Council members return to the penthouse they do so with voices raised and only rising higher.

The door slams shut with a THUD. Too loud for Nadya and Lily not to sit up far too alert to have been asleep. They know it — but don’t get the time to mention it before the fight is brought to them.

“He’s your Clan, Kamilah! You’re telling me you never suspected a thing?!”

“You were victim to Jameson’s psychic interference just as much as I!”

Adrian scoffs at the excuse. “Why didn’t you have any safeguards in place?”

“He was bound in blessed iron and witchfire! I seem to recall you agreeing with me that further measures were unnecessary!”

“You spent more time with him than anyone. You really didn’t consider he might have a way out?”

Kamilah rounds on Adrian in a whirl of dark hair and darker eyes. Her hand hovers just shy of his throat, nails like claws so familiar with that particular form of violence but not Adrian, never Adrian so she stays her wrath. For now.

“Watch what you find yourself implying, Adrian.” She snarls.

And he does — his frustration falters in the set of his brow before coming back in a different way. “You know I don’t mean that. I could never. I just…”

“Like I’ve been saying since we left —” Jax doesn’t have to shout to be heard over them; the growl deep-set in his curled upper lip is more than enough, “— neither of you are thinking straight. Yelling louder doesn’t make either one of you more right. On the contrary — you’re both very very much at fault.”

He stares them down; their bond, their years and experience trying to push him into submission but Jax doesn’t let it happen. He stands resolute and damn the rest.

“I take it the vampire Don Corleone wasn’t safe and sound where you left him last, huh?” asks Lily, and if she hoped to serve as a human (you get the point) crowbar intent on prying them apart… well its the thought that counts.

Even Adrian looks at her with a strangely scolding reproach. “I know you mean well, Lily, but if you fully understood the seriousness of the situation, you’d know now isn’t the time for jokes.”

“Yeah, well, maybe if you guys would share with the class instead of storming off I’d understand the seriousness of the situation.”

Nadya reaches out a hand to Lily’s arm; tries to stop her before she says something that actually does some damage. Her best friend gives her a look of “what, you know I’m right,” but it’s not about who is right and who is wrong.

Not against him.

She chances a look to Kamilah, oddly silent compared to moments ago. And just as she feared — Kamilah’s looking right back at her. Surveying her; trying to find something wrong with her. If only Nadya could express just how much of the woman’s self-doubt she feels as her own.

“He wasn’t there, was he. Gaius wasn’t in the Onyx Sarcophagus.” It’s not a question because she knows the answer. After all, it kidnapped her and fed her fancy wine and food and split her skull in two with a psychic jackhammer.

Kamilah purses her lips. “No. And you knew we would not find him.”

“I… yes. I knew.”

At Kamilah’s side, Adrian runs his hand over his face. Paler than she’s ever seen him, even when he was starving, beaten, and facing the executioner’s sword… or sunrise.

“How do you even know about him, Nadya,” desperation bleeding through his voice, “let alone where he… where we…”

All that he’s feeling and Nadya sees that he’s still holding himself back. Like if he feels it, or lets himself feel all of it, that makes everything worse. Somehow accepting those emotions makes everything Adrian’s fault.

But it’s not. It’s not your fault Adrian, it’s not.

“He showed me. He… he led me to it.”

“Who? Jameson?”

Kamilah scoffs. “Don’t be such a fool, Adrian. You know very well who.”

“But that shouldn’t have been possible.”

“What does that matter?” Jax kicks off from the wall and braces against the back of the couch. “It happened. Can’t change it. The only thing looking back at the past is good for is figuring out your mistakes so you don’t repeat them.”

“We didn’t make any mistakes.”

“Yes, we did.”

All eyes on Kamilah as she raises herself to a height Nadya didn’t know she was hiding. It’s a stature — a kind of weight on her shoulders she’s so far only seen worn by the Trinity. Two thousand years accepted and owned in one fluid motion.

She’s terrifying, and she’s beautiful, and she’s… she’s Kamilah.

“We underestimated him. I underestimated him. We allowed ourselves to believe Gaius could be chained and held prisoner. That he would accept the punishment we had agreed upon; that he should be forced to stare into the abyss of eternity alone, in the dark, and thought that he may face his actions and understand the consequences.”

She turns to Adrian vulnerable; raw in a way she can’t quite control. She carries the weight of her years but not without struggle. “Our mistakes were not physical, Adrian. But the day we took our victory and believed the matter put to rest with him was the day we blinded ourselves to the truth. Because… it was easier that way.

“We should have killed him.”

The look in his eyes — he agrees even if he won’t say it out loud. A gathering storm of guilt and responsibility and taking the consequences on his shoulders and seeing the both of them like that… it breaks her heart in a way Nadya didn’t even know could be felt. Until now.

“Fine,” he spits out the word in a bitter pill, “but none of that explains how Nadya is involved.”

Nadya hopes her smile is a reassuring one — but something tells her she’s too exhausted and it just looks weary. The way his face falls only hits it home. “I thought the same thing. Until he explained it to me.”

“He what?”

She can feel his panic itching under her skin like an ugly sweater she can’t pull over her head. Kamilah’s, too, though she hides it better and takes a knee in front of Nadya where she sits. She rests a cool palm on her thigh; tries and succeeds to keep the tsunami of emotions she’s feeling out of her face but Nadya doesn’t need to see them to feel them there.

“Nadya,” she rasps, “what did he explain?”

“My visions.”

“How did he know —” But the question dies on her lips; what’s the use in asking when they both know the answer?

He’s Gaius.

“Start from the beginning.”

It’s not a request.

LINEHERE

“You know, Bloodkeeper sounds like an epic R-P-G title.”

Though the moment she says it Lily looks over way out of the corner of her eye — like she isn’t sure if it’s okay to be making light of the whole business just yet.

Nadya’s smile is weak, but there. “I wish. Then I could return it and get my money back.”

“Store credit and you know it.”

She shrugs in a touché kind of way; looks back to Kamilah in hopes she might say something, anything — even if it’s just to scold them for not “taking things seriously.”

But the vampiress is as silent as she has been from the moment Nadya began recounting the events of… well, a couple nights ago now.

And saying nothing is sucky sure — but that Kamilah won’t even meet Nadya’s eyes is what really punches her in the gut.

Suddenly Adrian leans forward in his chair, elbows-on-knees, and buries his face in his hands.

“Adrian…?” She calls hesitantly — wanting so badly to go over there and comfort him. But if he rejected her now Nadya isn’t so sure she’d survive it. Not in one piece.

Kamilah distracts her with a touch. “Do you remember where you were taken?”

She has to dig… really deep and down and she has a feeling she shouldn’t remember where but it was too terrible a betrayal not to find the pain of it lingering in her chest.

“Marcel’s. I—I recognized the gardens. But I didn’t see him — maybe he…” And what kind of a world are they living in now where the idea of Marcel being held captive is a better one than him being complicit?

Any hope is dashed, though, when Kamilah shakes her head. “No; while I’m saddened to hear it I can’t say it surprises me. Marcel adored Gaius, and I think he held a soft spot for the boy as well. Enough that he valued Marcel’s innocence and kept him from knowing the more gruesome aspects of his plans. It took him many years to forgive Adrian and I for our turning against him.”

Jax’s face twists in disgust. “This kid, what, wanted Gaius’ crazy plan to happen?”

“He wished for a world where we no longer had to hide,” Kamilah replies in measure, “and I will not begrudge him that. But I have to hope the glamour of his return will soon fade and Marcel will… make the right choice.”

Glamour. Against her will, when Nadya inhales she smells death and rot. Behind her closed eyelids she can still see his opaque eyes…

“And you really believe all of this, Nadya?” asks Jax instead; he’s gotten good at changing the subject when they all know it’ll end in argument. Hanging her head counts as a nod, right?

“I do.”

“Even knowing how crazy manipulative this guy apparently is.”

“He could explain everything.”

Jax scoffs. “Yeah, and that’s wrapped up a little too neat and tidy for me.”

“While skepticism is a healthy trait to have when Gaius is involved, Matsuo, he gains nothing from lying.” Kamilah stands so suddenly Nadya gets secondhand vertigo. “As it is — I can confirm his claims.”

They all watch as she practically vanishes — gone in one blink and back in the next. She returns clutching a small book bound in old leather greyed and sagging with age. Nadya can see the echoes of its former splendor in her mind’s eye. Something from the library in her office, probably.

Kamilah flips hastily through the worn parchment pages; finds something near the end that makes her expression fall the barest flicker. “The myth of the Bloodkeeper.”

Part of Nadya wants to wrench the book from her hands. Another wants to chuck it from the building roof. “Please tell me that’s some kind of encyclopedia.”

“Nothing so concrete.”

Beside her, Lily’s practically jumping out of her own body. “Lore loot… that’s some high-level shit.”

“Lil’.”

“Actually, given I’m understanding the context correctly, she’s nearly accurate.” Which makes Lily pound her fist into the air and hold it out to Kamilah — but hell hasn’t frozen over just yet.

“For the first thousand years or so, Gaius kept me close at hand. Only once did I leave his side and it was at his own behest. He tasked me to find a book; a journal of some sort. With the scarcest of leads I scoured the vast city of Pataliputra for a decade. Until I found it coveted by an old madwoman.”

Nadya shivers against a breeze that isn’t there.

“And?”

“And she knew who I was. Never had we so much as toed the Empire’s borders and she knew me. My name, my birthplace, my deeds… ones no mortal could have shared — ones with no survivors.”

Kamilah goes eerily silent; lost in her own memory. God forbid Nadya be lost in it too. “Kamilah.”

Twice she blinks, lets her eyes lose their glaze of the past. “I told him I had found the book, and with a few pages to prove it’s existence. As well as a pile of ashes.”

Adrian snaps to attention and the movement makes Nadya jump. He’d been so quiet, so still… more a grave than a man.

“You lied to Gaius?”

“It was my small act of youthful rebellion.”

“I just can’t believe he bought it.”

“You’d be surprised just how much trust he had in me. Even in the beginning.”

Lily raises her hand but doesn’t wait to get called on. “Uhm, can we get back to the mad old lady trope?”

Only she doesn’t have to. Nadya reaches out for the journal and when Kamilah lays it gently in her open palm it feels… familiar. Like it’s been in her hand before — each word from her own thoughts onto the page.

“She was a Bloodkeeper.”

Kamilah nods. The hairs on the back of Nadya’s neck stand up; all four vampires watch her flip through thin pages with anticipation. Do they expect her to suddenly pull an Exorcist and start screaming memories in a demonic rage?

“The word is mentioned nearest the end. She describes a relief at naming herself; she feels unburdened by it. And the way she describes learning it is as though it came to her in a… a dream.”

She falters — Nadya doesn’t look away from the entries written in a language she can’t even read. She doesn’t have to.

Kamilah’s never sounded less certain of, well, anything in her life. “I see the signs, now. The mere potential of that knowledge was… I wanted to forget it, Nadya. I did — even in your hour of need.”

There’s not much use in trying to read it; when Nadya hands Kamilah back the book she makes a point of touching the back of her hand. “I believe you. You don’t need to be sorry.”

“I promised you I would find a way to ease your suffering.”

“And you did.” The journal falls abandoned on the rug between them, they might as well be completely alone. In fact Nadya would rather they were. “You did, Kamilah.”

“A-hem—” Coughs Jax into his fist with all the tact of, well, Nadya. “Let’s skip to the part where he let you go. Anyone else find that interesting?”

“He’s right,” Adrian agrees, “Gaius isn’t the type to let go of things—people—he claims belong to him.”

He is right. Nadya knows it too. But when she scrunches up her nose and thinks really really hard? It’s easier to remember her eighth birthday party.

“I can’t remember.”

“Well isn’t that ironic.” Lily teases dryly.

“More like convenient…” Adrian trails off — finds Jax giving him a hard eye.

“What did I say? Too neat and tidy.”

Kamilah reaches out to stroke her fingertips along Nadya’s arm; a caress even while literally holding herself at arms’ length. “Jameson’s doing, I’m sure.”

Jameson.

“Nadya?”

She looks down to see she’s gone rigid under the woman’s touch. Not that she relaxes. The Council members had been arguing about Jameson when they returned. And Valdas… hadn’t Valdas said he was the one who had messed with her head — influenced her, he’d called it.

“He took it.”

“Took what?”

Jameson who deceived them all. Jameson who forced her to take on memories she wasn’t ready for. Jameson who poured the wine and served the dinner and all the while loathed that he didn’t have a seat at the table.

“My head… he… he…”

Jameson who offered her water.

Before he took hold of her head and dug psychic spears into her mind over and over until he found what he was looking for.

What Gaius was looking for.

Nadya groans; knocks her glasses aside in her haste to somehow stop the pain. She presses the heels of her palms against her eyes and kind of hopes they’ll pop into her skull to dull the pain.

“Nadya!” comes Adrian’s voice, suddenly too close, and she throws out a hand to try and keep him at a distance. “What — what’s wrong?”

“Give her space, Adrian,” comes Kamilah’s voice, hypocritically closer but far less panicked; instead she’s a cool drink of water through the burning pain where Jameson had singed a hole into her memory.

“Keep going, Nadya. Whatever Jameson has taken is in your power to retrieve.”

Encouraging words from a woman not feeling like her head is a matchstick alight. “N-Not… it’s like a wound. It hurts…”

Lily squeezes her shoulder. “Come on, Nadi’. You’re literally the only one who can.”

Blindly Nadya reaches out over her shoulder, grasps at the void with uncertainty, but it doesn’t last long.

“I’m right here Nadya,” whispers Adrian in her ear, voice thick and unsure but none of that matters because his grip is the exact opposite, “we all are.”

“Even Jax,” Lily chimes in.

“I can support her without the group hug.”

It makes Nadya laugh; a spluttering thing wet with tears and spots in her eyes and everything sharp nipping at her head trying to take a chunk out of her. And somehow in the midst of it all… something snaps back into place.

“TheAmuletofNero!” The words tumble from Nadya and leave her heaving for breath. Adrian’s disembodied hand holds a glass of water in front of her and she doesn’t hesitate to gulp it down. Could give absolutely one hundred percent less of a care if she spills half of it down her chin — which she does.

She comes up from drowning in the cup, coughs on the water sloshing around in her lungs, and tries again.

“The… The Amulet of Nero. That’s what he wanted. He… he needed to remember where it was hidden.”

“Because he’s, what, going senile in his old age?” Lily asks, rightfully skeptical.

Gasp. “He —” —gulp, gasp— “— he didn’t hide it. Someoneelse… and he didn’tknow…” And just when she thinks she’s got only air in her lungs Nadya’s body throws her into another fit.

Adrian returns with a second glass; before she can take it he holds it out of reach with a warning, “slowly, this time,” and waits until she nods to give it to her. “‘The Amulet of Nero?’ I’ve never heard of it.”

Everyone looks at Kamilah for an answer, then. How is it possible that just when she’s certain the woman can’t possibly look any more worried, she manages all too well?

“That’s because Gaius had hidden it away long ago by then. And for good reason.”

Nadya sips her water — with every cool taste the psychic pain receding further and further into nothing. The sight makes Kamilah’s lips quirk upward and brings her hand to the human’s fevered brow. But her eyes are too sad for it to be a smile.

“If Gaius is looking for the Amulet then things are far worse than I imagined.”

[lilsherlockian1975]

Love is Like

Here’s a tiny little thing I just wrote and the lovely @mizjoely beta’d for me. Rated K. Enjoy ~Lil~

“I like you.” 

“I’m sorry?” Molly asked. 

“I like you,” he repeated. 

The pair stood in the corridor just outside the morgue, Molly in a set of scrubs with more than a little bit of Mr. Hopkins still on her, Sherlock dressed in his usual bespoke suite. He had barged into the room just minutes before and demanded an audience with the pathologist. It didn’t matter at all that she was elbows deep in the chest cavity of a 57 year old lorry driver at the time. He was adamant, and she knew there was no point in arguing with the man. 

“I like you too, Sherlock. Isss that all?” she questioned, completely confused. 

He growled softly and turned around mumbled incoherently to himself. After about three minutes, Molly was just about ready to give up on him and go back inside the morgue, when he finally turned back to face her. 

“You’re not understanding. I don’t like… anyone.” 

“I’m aware of your aversion to people, Sherlock. Especially the ones you consider stupid. However…” 

“See, that’s just it. You aren’t stupid. Not at all.” 

“Thank you for that acknowledgement, I suppose. As numerous as my faults may be, I’ve never thought of myself as stupid.” 

He huffed out a laugh. “Numerous faults, Molly? You are the least faulty human being I’ve ever met.” 

That gave her pause. Two compliments in one conversation? Oh God… “What do you need? Are you in trouble?” 

“No!” he said, sounding offended. “Why would you think that?” 

“You’re buttering me up for something. I’m not sure why, but…” 

“Buttering… I’m not plying you with compliments, Molly. I haven’t done that in years.” 

“Be that as it may, I don’t fully understand why you pulled me out of an autopsy to tell me…” 

“I don’t just love you, Molly, I like you. Genuinely like who you are. I love my parents because they gave me life and it’s expected. I…” He sighed. “… love Mycroft, I suppose, because he’s my brother and, as much as I detest his meddling, I will admit that he means well. I love Rosamund because she’s my goddaughter and a baby and has yet to do anything to annoy me too much. The verdict is out there, of course; her personality is still forming. Though the chances are in her favour with Mary as a mother…” 

“Sherlock, stop!” She held up a hand. “What, in God’s name are you trying to say?” 

“I don’t love you because I have to. I love you because… I like you,” he explained. “Like… John. I chose to. Not because it was expected. Not because I have to.” 

She smiled. He’d never elaborated on The Phone Call and it had been nearly two weeks since that, frankly horrible, day. She suspected, after hearing the explanation from John about the events at Sherrinford, that he actually meant those words, just not in the way that she’d dreamed of hearing. In the end it didn’t matter. She loved him and she always would. 

“Okay. I understand. And I’ll…” Even though she did understand, she couldn’t bring herself to say it again. “…always like you too.” 

He expelled a breath of relief. “Thank God.” 

“I really need to get back to Mr. Hopkins. So…” 

“Come to Baker Street tonight for dinner,” he said. It was clearly not a question. 

“Sure.” She nodded. “I think I might have some extra toes if you want them?” 

A slightly confused look crossed his face. “Toes? Oh, no, not tonight. Experiments are fine, Molly, but even I know that they aren’t appropriate for first dates.” He pulled out his mobile and started typing. 

“First whats?” 

He glanced up. “First dates.” He continued typing as he asked, “You’re not allergic to shellfish, are you?” 

“Ah, no.” 

“I didn’t think so,” he said, his eyes focused on his phone. 

“Who’s going on a date?” she asked, thoroughly flabbergasted. 

His head jerked up. “Us. You and I? I just asked you.” 

“Why… what… why?” 

Shoulders slumping, he sighed, this time clearly frustrated. “We just established that I like you and you like me. Thus the date. How are you not following this?” 

“You said you liked me like you like John…” 

Sherlock put his hands to his temples and mumbled, “One of us has to stop saying like.” 

“Can you see my confusion?” 

“I do like you…” He growled. “I admire you much the same way I do John, yes. But not exactly the same way. For instance, I’ve never wanted to see him naked.” 

Confusion clearing away, Molly let his words really sink in. I don’t just love you, Molly, I like you. Genuinely like who you are. “You like me,” she said, a smile blooming on her face. 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sherlock nodded. “We’re finally there.” He looked down at her, his blue-green eyes dancing all over her face. “So, you’ll come to dinner?” 

“Of course.” 

He stowed his phone then leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. “Bring an overnight bag, if you like,” he said with a wink. 

I’d like that very much, she thought as she watched him walk away.

[abloomntime]

A Bloom In Time Part 13

"WHEN were you going to tell me about this exactly?!," Snatcher whisper screamed at the little girl.

Finding out Poppy was ok was a MAJOR relief of the girls' heads and Snatcher had allowed her to be lead into his home where she could rest for a small while. Currently she was sitting on the footrest he never really used since, well he had no legs and was slightly scowling picking all the leaves and sticks from her tangled, messy hair. Bow was currently resting and was absolutely THRILLED to discover the thing she thought was a weird plant randomly put on Snatcher's chair was in fact. A cat. And Bow having been raised in the Nyakuza City surrounded by cats was of course adored all things kitten like. She had shouted 'A kitty!' quite loud when Rough Patch woke at the sounds of new comers to his home. Of course being the lovable creature he was, didn't even fight back when the young girl picked him up and held him. He just did was he usually did, lazily lay there and purr as Bow curiously pet his leaves. Snatcher had pulled the little girl aside once he had the chance and demanded to know what the peck was going on around here?! Poppy had also wearily been glancing at the few subconites that had gathered around around and peered curiously at her while she did so, but Snatcher had assured her they wouldn't harm her. Besides, they couldn't even harm a small mushroom even if they tried, let alone a grown woman who once upon a time sold flowers to them at one point.

"Um...B-Boss?" One of his minions had tottered over to him and pointed a hand at Poppy worriedly. "I-Isn't that-"

They were hushed up when Snatcher snapped a deep scowl towards them and hissed. Some of the minions still had their memories after death and it looked like they recognized her as much as he did. "Yes. And if any of you say a word of that to her, you'll be put on 'checking the manor' duty! Not ONE word out of any of you!"

The minion looked suddenly nervous and backed off. "Y-Yes, Sir! No, Boss! Right away!" Before he ran back off towards the small group. Not wanting to risk being put on that duty.

Satisfied he snapped back towards the little girl who looked back up to him without so much as a shread of fear, as if used to his anger by now. "Now what in the pecking world is going through that little head of yours?! She told me you let her fall from the sky like a rock! Are you just an expert at dropping things from the sky, kid?"

She pouted like any child her age would. "I didn't mean to! I didn't know she'd be so heavy for teleporting with me! And she's ok so everything's ok, right?"

......He literally facepalmed himself and dragged his claws down his face before looking back at her. "That ISN'T the point, Kid! You gotta be more CAREFUL with these things. Especially when you KNOW it might hurt someone. I thought you learnt this after you dropped those time peices from the sky TWICE!!"

"HEY!! The mafia broke my outer door! And then Mustache Girl stole them! It's NOT my fault!" She ended her rant by crossing her arms.

"Yeah. Well, you did a fantastic job protecting the time peices. But in any case, WHY did you even bring her here in the first place?!"

Her pout melted a little. "Well...She was acting really weird. Like she was sleeping but her eyes were open and she wasn't saying anything. Grown ups always act so weird. So I thought since you're a grown up too and like to be quiet all the time you can help!"

The innocent smile dawned on her face was what made Snatcher sigh and take a glance over at Poppy who just took another small piece of twig from her hair, scowled and flung it to the outside. Seemed like a good enough reason to a child. And he's seen her to crazier things for wackier reasons than wanting to help someone. But out of ALL the things she could've decided to do she brought him his dead, long lost lov-.....Friend. He groaned reaching a hand up to grip at his head. Out of ALL the crazy things to EVER happen to him THIS was the weirdest. Dying and becoming Ghost King of all of Subcon? Weird but he saw it as just rewards for what Vanessa did. She took everything from him so he took everything from her. Finding out there was a sentiant peice of him trapped in another plane of existance? Ok. But that comes with all the cursed magic that came with him. Having shiny time pieces fall into his forest and having a small alien invade his forest? No big deal. He always suspected life beyond his planet with the moon penguins and being able to visit the sun be a thing. So an alien with weird other worldly powers wasn't too much of a shock when he's already seen so much weirder things over a thousand years. Adopting said alien?.......Well.....He guessed he's always wanted a kid deep down. Vanessa did to and he was happy she was willing to have one with him way, WAY back then. But Vanessa was moving WAY too fast and in the end he did always end up with what he wanted. He was SO thankful Hattie wasn't related to Vanessa in any way. Hiding inside a crate to go on a well deserved vacation after getting his but kicked by said alien? HEY. TICKETS. ARE. EXPENSIVE. PERIOD. There was NO way he was paying 152 pons just for a measly few days on a ship in the middle of no where. Accidentally bringing everyone back to life with a time piece? OK! That one was on him. He could admit that. Those things really were too much trouble and he clearly wasn't thinking straight at the time. Coming face to face with the woman he secretly fell in love with?

........All the guilt and what ifs were still there and he still had nightmares about it every so often. But now she was here and....When he first saw her the hard slap of reality in the face sent a shockwave throughout his being like being trapped in ice again. Then everything came rushing back.....EVERYTHING!! The very first time they officially met when he saw her building her makeshift stand in the square. She was about to fall off her ladder trying to paint the sign above her flowers. And he was passing by at the same time and he couldn't just let an innocent lady fall and hurt herself. So he dropped what he currently had in his hands, ironically a couple wild flowers he picked from the woods for Vanessa, and managed to catch her bridal style before she hit the cobblestone roads.

"H-Hey." His brown eyes looked over her worried for any injury to the woman in his arms. "A-Are you alright, Ma'am? Have you hurt yourself? That was quite a stumble."

She rubbed her head before looking at him. "Nah. I think I'm alriiiiiiii-...IGHT!! T-T-THE PRINCE!?"

Her blue eyes went so wide when she found out she was in the arms of none other than the famous Prince Philip Snider. But that lasted only a moment before the memories were blasting at him faster than he could physically remember. It happened so quick remembering all those things at ounce. He remembered after a while he was curious about the flower stand in town, so whenever he visited Vanessa he would just instead stop by there. At first he wasn't too  sure about spending all those pons on the flowers when he could pick wild flowers for free, but when he saw them. He had NEVER seen roses so red. Like the color of the prettiest red paints. Or Tigerlilies with such bright tan petals and deep dark black stripes. Resembling the beast in all it's glory. And lilacs so purple like the twilight at the very beginning of sunrise. Better than any wild flowers he'd ever seen. Vanessa thought so too. And after all at that point in his life he beleived Vanessa deserved nothing but the best and Poppy's flowers were the best he'd ever seen. That's how the two began talking. When he complimented her amazing flowers and she proudly told him all she did to make her hard work so beautiful. And he always admired hard work. Back in his day it was VERY hard for a lady to get a successful career by themselves outside a maid, cook, teacher, or very few they were born in, and as a future leader his life was full of hard work to prepare him to run a country one day. Even when his days from Vanessa's obsession became hard, she was always able to make him smile with her spunky attitude, good advice, or just any of the small things he noticed her doing Vanessa would've never done. Poppy was kind and gave him the patience and space to be himself when vanessa couldn't. Sure they were both stubborn and spoke their minds all the time. But there was a big difference. With Poppy it was when she was often giving the hard truth and her honest opinions on things. Even when she gently tried to tell him the things Vanessa did was unacceptable, it was always her being honest with the intent to help. With Vanessa it was her always giving criticism and demands.

Give her a expensive gift. "...I thought my prince could get me better than this. You're supposed to be pining for my love!" Give her flowers. "These are beautiful. But not as beautiful as me. You shouldn't be trying to compare me to small plants that will lose beauty." Do any lil itty bitty small thing she disapproved of. "Don't slouch over like that reading. Sit formal at all times or you'll ruin you're entire posture when you get older. Are you trying to grow a beard? Shave it. You look better without it. Don't thank the cook again. They are below us and should know their place. In the kitchen to serve ME. I thought you knew better than that!" And then their relationship grew into a casual convo every time he visited, to a good friendship, and then....well at least to him a one sided love. And then the very last conversation they ever had, his one last chance he ever had to tell her how he felt or to do something to save everyone, slapped him hard enough with the guilt to make him scream. All the shock and reality making his self twist into a tight not and suddenly being pulled loose letting it all out. But that wasn't the problem right now. Right now he had to solve a question. What does he do now? This was too early. Way, WAY too early for any talks or to even come up with a proper plan on how to even go about this. Where would he even start?....Well, he guessed he already had done it. When he first came back to his senses after seeing her, he was angry and frustrated. Was fate toying with him again? But then he looked at her and got a good sense it wasn't and just liked throwing the past in his face a lot. Once the notion of this really being Poppy came to him well....He.....MAY have gotten a little carried away with the sudden feeling of possession and needing to stake a claim to her. Especially when he now has her to himself it has a ...fullfilling feeling to it which almost mad him feel guilty in a way. But what was he gonna do? Let her walk away like that? Besides. This new deal benefitted them greatly now. He can ask her for small favors, maybe a talk...or something? he was still figuring that part out, and in return she gets his unlimited protection, immortality, and all the benefits of still owning her own soul. Which he's only ever done once ever before. So this works out greatly for the both of them. Hattie tilted her head at the sudden silent eternal monoluge of the ghost and tried waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention. It worked as he blinked and resumed his scowl at the small child.

"Uh...A-Anyways, why did you think I could help?"

"Because you're a grown up?...." She hummed. "Maybe Cooking Cat can help instead. She's a lady too."

"HA! That cat couldn't even run a full lap around a house and not be gasping for air. 'Sides, Kid. Whatever she needs I can handle it, can't be hard. Mortal dilema is sorta what I'm an expert in by now. And I'm pretty sure I already handled any poor imminant danger by making her sign a contract."

....

.........

..............

..........................?!

WHAMP!!

"OW!!" His claws immediately snapped up to cover his face where an umbrella suddenly wacked him in the face and everyone looked up for a moment at the loud yelp from the ghost, except for Rough Patch who still laid there. The ghost hissed and stared back down at the angry little girl with a scowl that could scare himself. "KID!! WHAT THE ACTUALLY PECK-"

"You stole her soul?!," she asked just loud enough for him to hear her.

Immediately his face became one of shock when he jumped and slapped one of those clawed hands over her mouth and snapped his head back to the house. Some minions were still looking at him but Poppy seemed more interested in unsticking a small stick from her tangled hair than she was seeing a ghost argue with his adopted alien daughter. ....He turned back to her feeling Hattie struggle against his hand and he leaned close. "NO! I didn't steal her soul, Kid! I'm not completely heartless! I just.......Gave her the same contract you have that doesn't involve any life threatening plots or perils."......She suddenly looked confused. "Y'know! Protection against danger wise."

......She blinked and tilted her head. A contract just like....hers? Then did that mean- Her blue eyes suddenly went wide as she looked at him in wonder. "Does this mean I get a big sister!?"

He looked confused for a moment....before shaking his head. "No, Kid. Not adoption papers. I meant just...." What was the simplest way to explain this to a child? "I meant she signed a contract that means she'd be working for me, but nothing dangerous. And she's going to be very protected. Ok?"

She stared at him a moment longer, but nodded and seemed to understand. "So...She's not family?"

"I-.....Family?"

Family......A family.....HIS family.  His head turned back to Poppy and how she was now bending down and letting Bow nicely help her clear any more stuck leaves and sticks from her long hair. She always had a natural way with kids. Almost a ...motherly way if he did say so. His yellow eyes widened as that thought hit him and bounced around over and over again in that head of his. Slowly his eyes looked back down towards Hattie who still looked confused at his actions. A family. He's always wanted one when he was alive. He and Vanessa had discussed a couple times what they would do once their wedding had come and gone. Children were almost always a topic Vanessa discussed and insisted on. If it was a girl she would be the most perfect princess who would take after her of course and she WOULD be named Victoria and if it was a boy she'd make sure he wouldn't make any mistakes in becoming the perfect King one day. Any slip ups he made were going to be made sure he didn't and he WOULD be called Charleston. Vanessa thinking back on it now, would've made a terrible mother, Poppy on the other hand......She'd would've made a great of a mother as she would've been a Queen. As the few times he had ever been back to that manor or the dreaded nursury, the what if's had crossed his mind a couple times especially back in the early days of being a ghost. What if they had had a child? Would they had been like him or her? But all those what ifs soon died out once he had actually aquired children of his very own at last. And made sure to securely put his claim to his new eternal fatherhood. But-.....What IF the girls had a mother figure in they're life? They could use one right? Surely Poppy could be better than that Cooking Cat and WAY more better than Vanessa could've ever been. And looking back at Hattie specifically, she did have almost the same shade of brown hair he had when he was alive, and blue eyes Like Poppy's. It was almost like she was a mini mix of the two......Yeah...YEAH!! Guess who just found out the new placement. This would work out great too! Poppy loved kids, and these two won over everyone eventually.

"....Actually, Kid." That familiar fanged grin she knew came back to him. "She's a very new friend."

"You know her?"

"I-....Well no! And you're NOT allowed to tell her who I am! I mean who I was as a human! It's our little secret." He couldn't have this blown up in his face right now.

"Why?"

"Because I said so, and because it'll help us solve her problem. You want me to help her get better right?" She nodded her head yes. "Well there you go. Just keep your yapper shut and let me handle it ok?" She nodded again. Of course he....wasn't sure how to handle how to go up to her and say 'Hey! You know that prince who secretly liked you a lot but too afraid to say it? No? Well that's me! Im the ghost who tricked you into signing a contract and possibly made you lose everything by Vanessa but life happens. Right?'....Yeah. no. He'd figure it out later. Much. MUCH later. He nodded back. "Good girl. Now why don't we go meet your new...'mom' figure?" He turned back towards the tree house and started towards it.

"Mom?" Her face turned to one of wonder and curiousity again as she bounded after him again.

"Well....Kinda. She's going to be more of a live in nanny. I had one of those when I was your age." He couldn't remember the name of his parents old Head Maid too well, just her friendly old face and that she took care of him when his parents were too busy.

"What's a nanny?"

"A babysitter," he clarified before turning his gaze back towards the home. A long shadow came over the two girls pulling the last few bits of debry out of her hair, but both looked up towards the giant ghost looming over them all and smiling that familiar fanged grin of him. "Alright. New employee. Are you ready for your first contracrual obligations as my newest servant?"

Poppy Blinked up at him in shock. "N-Now?...So soon?"

He chuckled. "Of course. But what better way than seeing if you made a good investment than by testing out the product early on?" He waved a hand at her skeptical look. "Look. You signed the contract, it's only fair I ask you to do one thing for me in return. It's not even that hard."

....Poppy sighed and looked down. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Nope! But relax. I'm giving you all the easy tasks compared to any and all of my previous mortal helpers!" He rubbed his hands together before smiling and putting his hands on Hattie's shoulders. "I want YOU....to help me take care of these two little troublemakers from now on."

She blinked. "Excuse me."

"They can basically take care of themselves with my help of course. They're practically invincible by now, running off all the time around this planet and my forest. But they could use an older woman's touch around the place. Cooking, stories, playing. Y'know the stuff a mother would do."

"I'm sorry. You want me to play the part of being their MOTHER," she asked almost feeling like laughing at the ridiculousness of the question.

Yes he did. But of course instead he answered with, "No. I want you to basically help ME watch THEM. Like a nanny kinda."

"Ha! You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Does it LOOK like I'm joking around, Lady?" He absolutely wasn't. "Look. I was generous enough NOT to take your soul, take you under my wing, and if it wasn't for my slip up you probably wouldn't even be not frozen." Which was true in a sense. His mistake technically did unfreeze her. "So asking you to just help out can't be too far a stretch don't ya think?"

She scowled again. "HEY!! Being a nanny wasn't in that resume!"

"Well I can argue it IS since it didn't state what specific work I needed your help with. Just that you'd agree to help me out with, Lady. I run a whole haunted area of the land full of thousands of ghosts and undead creatures, deal with an annoying corpse at night time, and have to care for two girls in outer space or where ever they decide to go. Not to mention the trouble they cause, intruders in my woods, and hundreds of employees under my command. Please don't make me regret sparing and hiring you now. I can always change my mind." He was bluffing on the last part. He'd never do anything to hurt her especially now that he had her under his claws but the look on her face wasn't one of terror it was a deeper angrier glare.

"I THOUGHT you said you were going to help ME! Not use me as your free nanny now!"

"I AM! Who wouldn't want to be able to have a normal job after being frozen to death?!," he argued back.

"You MADE me have no other choice to sign that pecking paper!! YOU PURPLE ONION VINE!!"

"HEY!! I HAPPEN TO BE KING OF WHAT'S LEFT OF YOUR PAST PRECIOUS SUBCON, 'PRINCESS'!!" He shot back leaning down closer to her.

Poppy dared to stand up and shove her face and scowl back at the ghost's. "OH!! EXCUSE ME 'YER MAJESTY'!" He mock bowed. "IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD DO?! HOW ABOUT TIDY UP THIS LIL HUT YOU GOT GOIN' ON?!"

"HEY!! MY HOME IS THE BEST HOME ANY GHOST COULD EVER WANT!! YOU THINK IT'S EASY FOR A POWERFUL OVERLORD OF THE DEAD TO WATCH TWO LITTLE GIRLS WHO PESTER ME ALL THE TIME?!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING 'BOUT BEING THEIR FATHER?!"

"I. AM. NOT!!! IT'S JUST HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF THEM ON THE JOB!!" "AN ALL POWERFUL SPIRIT CAN'T WATCH TWO LITTLE GIRLS?!"

"HEY!! THEY'RE NOT ORDINARY KIDS I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW!! NOW STOP UNDERESTIMATING ME IN MY OWN HOME IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!! YOU.....YOU....ROSE HEAD!!"

"OH REAL CREATIVE!! VINE BODIED!!"

"UNGRATEFUL WOMAN!!"

"JACK O LANTURN FACE!!"

"DOTTED FACE!!"

Hattie gave a deadpanned look as the two continued their petty arguement and Bow blinked in her direction before slowly putting Rough Patch down and getting up to walk over to her. The two little girls watched the two keep going at it like an old married couple for a moment, the minions watching in confusion just as much as Bow. Poppy didn't look afraid of him at all. Even arguing with him with an equal temper. Snatcher honestly....Didn't look enraged like he usually would have been if a total stranger who signed a contract with him had been fighting about duties he wanted them to perform. He just looked....average person annoyed, like two siblings or friends having a small argument over something useless.

"Uh....What's happening?," Bow asked Hattie without looking at her.

"I think no one here is a grown up anymore," Hattie replied flatly still watching the adults argue.

"ALRIGHT!! WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE QUALIFIED AS 'HELP' FROM ME TO YOU?!," Snatcher asked finally wanting to end this pointless argument.

Poppy actually stopped for a moment....Looking at him for a long time in silent thought at his words. What.....What DID she want help with really? She was lost. Both literally and thoughtfully as she still blankly stared at him thinking........What DID she want help with? She couldn't...She couldn't get anything back at all, and what was a dead person going to help her with anyways? From what she knew from what they said to her, all she got excited over was the fact there was someone in her situation...Ok. Maybe not exactly her situation persay, but similar at least. She was dead for crying out loud and now she's living basically a wild story some toddler thought up of.  The quiet thinking seemed to catch Snatcher's attention as his scowl slowly by surely softened and watched as her's became even more unsure and deep in thought. He HAD helped her....Sure took a 'little' trickery, but it all worked out in the end. But he guessed like him when he first died, she was more than just lost-

"I......I don't know," she finally answered in just above a whisper. Looking back up to him with an almost panicked face. "......I really don't know."

Snatcher stared at her, a pang of worry and something else flashed across his face and through his shadowed body. All too familiar a situation and feelings. So it was kinda surprising to everyone when he lowered himself to not loom over her, but to look her in the eyes. As if she was an equal. A calm look over his face now and the angry aura from earlier disappearing as he spoke.

"Hey. I can understand that. Believe it or not you're not the only one who's gone through that kind of thing....I'm certainly no stranger to feeling like that. In fact it took me forever literally just to realize my place after I got lost," he spoke in a calm and steady voice to her. MAking the minions and girls around him give each other confused looks.

"B-But.....H-HOW did you do that?!," she demanded glaring back at him again, "I w-wanted HELP!! Not a job-''

"Lady-.....Poppy. Do you mind if I call you that? I think I would like it better if I did. Make it easier to talk for the both of us." She definately stared at him with 100% surprise now....to which he sighed and reached a hand up to rub his safe. Sentimentality REALLY wasn't his best side. "Ok. To make it in mushier terms..I DO want to help you ok. Believe it or not I do and I have my reasons. But you gotta know I can't change the past no matter what. Trust me I have TRIED and look where that got me. Stuck fused with a mushy corpse and having to lead a whole bunch of strangers through the forest like a tour guide." he glanced at her confusion again. "Uh..B-But that's not important. The important thing is that I can't change or fix anything that's already happened alright? I can't send you back. I can't give you anything from your old life......And I can't change what happened to you." Her face dropped and eyes widened even more- "But, I can help make the future easier and help you with whatever you need to settle down with alright? But you got to understand that it's NOT just going to be with a snap of my fingers. I know, I've experienced it for hundreds of years. Just know that...You're not going to be alone in any of this alright?" He without thinking offered out a clawed hand to her with a small smile. "Do you trust me?"

She still stared at him, and for a long moment no one said anything. The girls and minions were looking on in surprised wonder at the caring tone and meaning of the words that flowed out of the giant ghost's mouth, but no one made any more to do or say anything in fear of the quiet being shattered. It took a moment for anyone to react, but a bit reluctantly the red haired woman's shaking hand reached over and settled inself into the larger purple claws that came around her. ....Huh. Weird. She would've thought a ghost would've felt cold as stone, but instead he felt warm but not too hot either. Kinda like a crisp fall evening. Either way it wasn't what she was expecting when she allowed her bare skinned hand to hold his, and he felt...Oddly soft as well. Almost how a peach felt. Maybe he had fire inside of him keeping his being warm? Possible. His eyes and the inside of his mouth glowed as he spoke. But she wasn't too sure with ghosts since she never was one.

Poppy hiccuped again and reached a hand up to wipe at her eyes to get herself to stop crying before she started crying again for the third time in a span of hours. She still didn't know what time of day it was. "Y-Yeah...Ok?" Her voice came out soft and meek. And a little shaky too indicating she wasn't trying to cry and Snatcher quickly caught onto that. Seeing two little girls do a similar thing once.

"Hey. You know...I-It's alright to cry. Happens to everyone at some point right?" That got a small huff of a chuckle out of her and his smile (which he still didn't know he had) got wider....When a thought hit him with the speed and force of a meteor. "Hey! I know what can help a  little bit. Y-You like flowers right? "

".....H-How do you know that?"

He had a flash of panic fly over his face for a moment before he coughed and shrugged. "You said you had a flower stand before Vanessa sent her goons to take you right? O-Obviously you must've liked growing things then. Or at least flowers."

"O-Oh. Yeah. That makes sense."

he sighed. Close call. But went back to that small smile. "Look. If you don't want to look after a stranger's kids I get that, but all I'm asking is a little help in return. And who knows. Maybe starting with something simple like this will help you settle down and get your thoughts together. Y'know. Something small then work our ways up to where we think would be the best action for you. Alright?"

She still stood there for a moment, before sniffing and nodding her head again. "'Aight. Sounds nice."

"There. See. Don't worry about anything. As long as I'm around there's not going to be any misfortune to you. I can promise that." He stopped when he felt a tug on his tail and turned around. "Hm? Oh. It's you." Hattie stared up at him with a confused look. "Well what's that face for?"

"Are you feeling ok? You're acting kinda funny...."

"WHAT?!" His hand was removed from hers as he stared down at the girl. "I-I'M PERFECTLY FINE!! I WAS JUST HAVING A BUSINESS TALK WITH MY NEWEST EMPOLYEE!! THAT'S ALL!!" He crossed his arms before looking back to all the minions surrounding him. "Well?! Don't just stand there! Back to your posts!"

The minions immediately did as their leader ordered and jumped and scrambled in all directions from his scowl. Poppy blinked again and looked at the still deadpanned child staring up at the ghost. "Is ....Is he always like this?"

She shook her head. "No. Usually he's more cranky. But maybe he hit his head too hard doing that weird crawl with human legs."

In an instant Snatcher snapped to her. "HEY!! YOU AGREED NOT TO MENTION THAT AGAIN!!" She stuck her tongue out at him and he grumbled before nudging her with his tail. "Well....Go take her home or something. I have some...business to take care off." Or more like to plant as he turned his head around to look in the direction of the Subcon Village.

Poppy blinked up at him. "Wait. You're leaving me? Now? So soon after I just got here?!"

"Yes," he stated bluntly. "I got something in mind to help you, but I can't risk you all running around while I'm trying to conduct business. "

She laughed unbelieving. "Unbelievable! What am I supposed to do in the mean time?"

"I don't know. See the ship? Have the girls show you around, I have to work."

Poppy still stared unbeliving before Bow smiled and grabbed her hand. "It's ok. He can be really.....um...Straightforward, but whenever Snatcher has an idea it USUALLY works. He doesn't like it when everyone interrupts him." A small tug to her hand made Poppy stumble a bit as Bow happily pulled her away from the ghostly home. "Come on! I can't wait to show you the Metro room!"

"The what?"

Hattie still stared at the leaving ghost with a raised brow at his strange behavior and hummed...Before shrugging it off for now and turning to bound after the other two girls. Oh, well. Snatcher was probably just having the mood swings as he called them. Grown ups were so weird.