#we got there it took a few years but now he flicks his tail and even puts his ears back if hes really done

[hafwen]

Timmy tried to join Lillie and i during our snuggle time and she hit him in the nose

Poor dude is the strongest and biggest but had the worst life before us so he gets scared so easily

He ran down the hall to one of mine and his normal snuggles and I have joined him.

It was so brave, he's never tried to do it before

Lillie why can't you just support him!

[waitimcomingtoo]

Part Of Your World ~ p.p

chapter two: kiss the girl

series masterlist

The next night, as soon as the sun began to set, Peter snuck out to the ocean to see you. He had spent the day studying the travel log of Tony’s boat to see exactly where he had been thrown overboard the day before. With a little math, Peter was able to use the wind speed of the day before to figure out which way the waves would’ve been moving. He estimated how far the waves would’ve carried him and eventually estimated the coordinates of the rock he washed up on. It was a leap of faith, but he took it anyway. He swung as far out as he could and saw a flat rock that reminded me of the one he saw the day before. It was a little far, so he decided to jump. He landed hard on his side and winced as he rolled over.

“Ow. Owie. I definitely have nerve damage now. Ow.” Peter whined and rubbed his side. He jumped when he heard water splashing beside him and watched you emerge from below the water.

“You came back?” You asked with a surprised smile on your face. Peter forgot all about his pain and moved closer to you.

“I had to see you.” Peter said simply. “You’re stuck in my head. I’ve been thinking of you ever since we met. I spent all day trying to find out how to get back to you.”

“You did?” You sighed happily and rested your chin on your hand.

“I don’t have a lot going on.” Peter admitted.

“But how did you get back to the rock?”

“I swung. I’m sort of a superhero. No biggie.” Peter shrugged and checked to see if it impressed you.

“You’re one of those super humans? The ones that save the city?” You gasped.

“I might be.” Peter played coy.

“Like the Iron Man?” You asked in excitement.

“Even better. I’m Spiderman.”

“Who?” You tilted your head in confusion.

“Okay. That hurt. You were my dream girl up until two seconds ago.”

“Sorry.” You laughed. “I don’t know much about the human world. I only learn about what’s above the surface if it falls into the water. I’ve seen the Iron Man flying above me a few times. He dropped a couple parts into the ocean once. I kept them for years and they still haven’t rusted.”

“Are you not apart of the human world?” Peter laughed in confusion.

“No. I wish to be. But I’m not.” You sighed and flicked your iridescent tail above the water. Peter jumped in surprise and suddenly, it all clicked for him.

“Oh shit. You’re a mermaid. How did I miss that?” Peter wondered, mostly to himself.

“I’m not sure.” You laughed and and hopped up on the rock to sit beside Peter.

It was the first time he had gotten a real look at you in the light. Your tail was shimmery like sequins and changed colors when Peter looked at it from different angles. It was an array of pink, purple, blue, and green that illuminated in the setting sunlight. Peter got a better look at the rings you had braided into your hair. On top, you had two starfish covering you for modestly. Peter thought all of you was beautiful, but he could not take his eyes off your tail. The way it blended into your torso seamlessly was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

“Wow. It’s beautiful.” Peter said breathlessly.

“You think?” You asked skeptically and flicked your tail again.

“I do. Everything about you is beautiful.” He said sincerely.

“Thank you.” You smiled warmly and looked down at your tail with a newfound appreciation. You had always hated it for the way it restricted you, but Peter made you look at it differently.

“Can I touch it?” Peter asked, catching your attention.

“If you want.” You agreed. “But under one condition.”

“Which is?”

“I get to touch something of yours afterwards.” You said and scooted closer.

“Okay. Deal.” Peter smirked and held out his hand. You looked at it skeptically before shaking it. You still weren’t used to the way another persons skin felt when you weren’t underwater. You’d only ever touched other mermaids before, never a dry human.

At the same time, Peter was experiencing something new himself. He reached out and put his hand on your tail, feeling the warm scales beneath his fingertips.

“How does it feel?” You asked him. It was a strange moment of intimacy for you. You never thought you’d ever get to talk to a human, let alone let one touch you.

“Like a big warm fish.” Peter answered honestly.

“I mean, I kinda am a big fish.” You chuckled.

“Well, you’re the prettiest fish I’ve ever seen.” Peter flirted. “And I’m not just saying that because your only competition is my childhood goldfish and the lobsters they keep on display at grocery stores.”

You threw your head back and laughed because even though you had no idea what a grocery store was, the way Peter said it was funny. You liked the way he talked even if it was nothing like you imagined humans would sound like. You thought they were all scary and mean like the way your father had described them all your life. Peter didn’t fit the evil narrative your father had created for humans. Peter seemed genuine and kind.

As you laughed, the two starfish you were wearing as a bra caught his attention again and he titled his head.

“Whats the deal with these guys? What’s their story?” Peter asked and pointed to your starfish.

“They’re star fish. They just suction on.” You shrugged and pulled one off to show him. Peter turned bright red and quickly turned away to give you privacy.

“Oh my. So you just whipped your boob out. Just like that. Okay.” Peter nodded to himself and kept his head turned so he wouldn’t freak out.

“Are you okay?” You laughed and put your starfish back on.

“No.” He squeaked.

“Humans go into the water naked all the time. I didn’t think it was such a big deal.”

“That’s called skinny dipping. But what you you just did, my dear, was called changing the trajectory of my life forevermore.”

“Haven’t you seen them before? I thoughts humans had the same anatomy up top?” You genuinely wondered.

“They do. We need to change the subject. I’m about to pass away.” Peter said with a wave of his hand.

“Then I’d just have to save you again.” You smiled flirtatiously and scooted closer to him so that your shoulders were touching.

“I’m not opposed to that.” Peter smiled back. “Wait, what thing of mine did you want to touch?”

“Oh, right.” You smiled shyly. “If it’s all right, I’ve always wondered what dry hair felt like.”

“That’s it? You just want to feel dry hair?” Peter laughed in surprise. You looked sad for a moment as he laughed at the thing you’d been dreaming of for ages.

“That’s a great idea.” He quickly followed up. “Here. Dry your hands off on my shirt so you can get the real experience.”

You smiled in excitement and did as Peter suggested. Once your hands were dry, you ran them through his messy brown curls. You gasped initially and withdrew your hand as if scared they were sharp. But once you felt how soft they were, you put both hands back in and played with his hair.

“Well? Is it everything you imagined?”

“It’s even better!” You gushed. “It’s so soft. I’ve never felt anything like it.“

“You can touch it as much as you want. I don’t mind.” Peter smiled softly. Your hands traveled from his hair to his face, then down to his clothes. You were both silent and you felt all the new textures and materials for the first time.

“Wow. Amazing.” You whispered to yourself as you touched the leather part of his shoe.

“I feel like if I showed you what hand cream felt like, your mind would be absolutely blown.” Peter chuckled.

“Hand cream?” You asked him.

“Oh, yeah. It’s also called lotion.” He explained. “You put them it on your hands to make them softer.”

“You just use it a lot. Your hands are very soft.” You noted as you held his hands in yours. The touch of another humans skin was enough to make you want to abandon your home and stay on land forever. Peter could see the longing in your eyes and reached out to brush the wet hair off your face. You looked up into his eyes, then down at his lips. You felt yourself start to lean in, then pulled away.

“So, have you recovered from your little drowning incident?” You changed the subject.

“I coughed up a couple gallons of sea water and nearly blacked out when I had to close my eyes to wash my face but other than that, I’ve been okay.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay. It felt like fate when you dropped into the water. I’d been watching you all day when you were with your friends. When I saw you plummeting towards the bottom of the sea, I knew I had to save you. Even if I was breaking every one of my fathers rules.”

“I’m glad you did it. I would’ve died down there and become fish food.”

“The fish are my friends. I wouldn’t have let them eat you.” You laughed and playfully shoved him.

“Aw.” Peter smiled at the sentiment.

“But the sharks are kinda rude so they definitely would’ve gobbled you up.” You said out of the corner of your mouth.

“There’s sharks in these waters?” Peter gasped and pulled his legs to his chest.

“Yes. But don’t worry. They don’t come around here.” You assured him. “They got annoyed by me sitting on this rock and singing all the time.”

“Well, then they’re missing out.” Peter smiled coyly and leaned against you.

“I’m the ones who’s missing out. I didn’t even know what hand cream was until a few minutes ago. There’s so much of the world that I’m never going to see.” You sighed wistful and looked away.

“I promise, hand cream is not that exciting. You can’t use doorknobs for like a solid throat minutes after you put it on. I’m sure you’ve seen way cooler stuff under the sea.”

“Maybe. But it’s all I’ve ever known, so it doesn’t excite me anymore. There is so much I want to see and know. I have so many questions and no one to answer them. If I were in your skin, I’d treasure every moment out there. I’d give anything for just one day. Just one perfect day.”You pleaded with no one in particular as you looked up at the sky. Your eyes fell on Peters legs and you put a hand on them. You smiled a little, thinking of all the things you’d give to have a pair of your own.

“So mermaids don’t turn into humans when they dry off?”

“No. That’s a myth. We stay as mermaids on land or at sea.”

“Hm. So H2O is a bunch of bullshit?”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll never be able to watch Aquamarine the same way.” He whispered to himself.

“What is Aquamarine?”

“Nothing. Never mind. Don’t worry about it.”

You continued looking at Peters legs before running your hand down your tail and flicking the end with a sigh.

“I envy humans. I envy how versatile your lives are. You can jump into the sea any time you want, but then you can leave it. You can walk and run and dance all the way down the- what do you call it again?”

“Street?”

“Yeah. That.”

“You knew the word versatile but not street?” Peter mumbled out of the corner of his mouth.

“All I know is the sea. I’ve seen all the coral reefs and I know all the fish. I know my cavern and the things I’ve collected. But I want more.” You professed and looked longingly at the shoreline in the distance.

“What’s stopping you?”

“My father.” You admitted and looked down.

“You mentioned talking to me was against his rules. Does he have other rules?”

“He has many.” You nodded. “No swimming beyond the old ship wreck. No going above the surface. No talking about going above the surface. And absolutely no interacting with the humans.”

“Sounds like a fun guy.” Peter said sarcastically.

“He is very closed minded. He doesn’t think humans and mermaids can coexist.” You frowned. “He thinks if humans knew about us, they’d hunt us down and mount us on their walls.”

“Not to take his side here…”

“Peter.” You warned.

“I’m sorry. But I have met a lot of men who would 100% mount you on their wall if given the chance.“

“What about you? Are you like these men you speak of?” You smiled teasingly.

“No. As much as I would love to see you everyday, I’d rather it be because you’re living with me as my beautiful mermaid girlfriend and not my wall decor.”

“Girlfriend? Is that like a wife?” You asked him.

“Yeah, kinda. It’s the title you hold before wife. We also call them significant others.”

“Oh. I get it. So like a partner? But the most important partner you have?”

“Exactly.“

“We don’t have that down here. My father chooses who each of my sisters marrys and we have no say in the matter.”

“Has he chosen for you?” Peter gulped.

“Not yet. I’m not of age yet. But on my next birthday, he will.” You sighed and played with one of the rings in your hair.

“Oh.” Peter said quietly and put his hand over yours to comfort you. You turned your hand over so that you could hold his and stayed like that for a minute.

“I wish that wasn’t his way. I want to fall in love. I want romance and chivalry. And I want to make my own choices.”

“I want that for you too.” Peter said sincerely. You looked at him and smiled sadly, appreciating the sentiment but knowing there was nothing he could do to help you.

“What would be the first thing you’d chose if you could make your own choices?”

“I’d want to be where the people are.” You said without hesitation.

“And then?” Peter asked. You smiled shyly and looked at him again.

“I think I’d like to be your girlfriend.” You used the new word he taught you.

“I can’t give you the first thing, but I can guarantee the second.” Peter said and squeezed your hand.

“I don’t know. We don’t know each other, Peter. We’ve only just met.” You replied as you stared at your intertwined hands.

“So we’ll get to know each other. By going on dates. Do you have those down there?”

“Uh uh.” You shook your head.

“Then I’ll be back tomorrow to show you.”

“At this time?” You asked hopefully and Peter nodded.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Peter. For our date.” You grinned. Before Peter could overthink it, he threw his arms around you and pulled you into a hug. You froze before hesitantly wrapped your arms around him as well.

“What are you doing?” You whispered into his ear.

“Hugging you.”

“This is a hug?” You asked and tightened your grip around him.

“Yeah. It’s meant to comfort people.”

“I think I like it. It comforts me.” You smiled as you pulled out of the hug. Peter smiled sadly, knowing you must not get any affection under the sea.

“I’ll be back tomorrow. I promise.”

When tomorrow came, Peter had an easier time getting back to the rock. He landed gracefully and put his hand into the water to let you know he was there. Soon enough, he could see you swimming up to the surface before emerging from the water.

“You had be worried for a second. I didn’t think you’d come back.” Peter smiled in relief as he helped pull you up onto the rock.

“It’s getting harder to sneak away from my dad. He’s getting suspicious about where I’m going all the time.” You sighed.

“What did you tell him?”

“That I was having a girl issue. That shut him right up.”

“Does your mom care about where you go?” Peter wondered as he set up the picnic he had brought. He had promised you a date, so he filled his backpack with things you’d eat on one.

“She was killed when I was little. Humans found her.” You admitted without meeting Peter’s eyes.

“Oh no. I’m so sorry.”

“That’s all right. It’s not your fault.” You smiled sadly.

“I lost my mom too when I was young. I know how it feels. It never gets easier. I’ll always miss her.” Peter said and put his hand over yours. You looked down at your intertwined hands before pulling him into a hug.

“Am I doing it right? Does it comfort you?” You whispered in his ear.

“You’re doing it perfectly.” He laughed and hugged you back. When you pulled apart, he finished setting up the picnic. He had two plastic cups that and a bottle of cranberry juice.

“What’s this?” You wondered as he poured it into your cup.

“Cranberry juice. I got it cause it’s called Ocean Spray.” Peter admitted as you took a sip. Your eyes went wide and then you grimaced.

“It’s so sour.” You said and wiped your mouth. Peter was about to apologize but then you downed the rest of the cup.

“I love it. I’ve never had cranberry juice before.” You smiled at the cup as of it was a diamond that Peter had gifted you. Peter smiled in surprise, loving the way the simplest things delighted you.

“I don’t know if you eat human food, so I only brought things that are ways to digest.” Peter explained as he took a few things out of his picnic basket. He laid out two apples, a loaf of Italian bread, ritz crackers, and pretzels. You were immediately drawn to the apple and picked it up to examine it. Peter watched you roll it in yours hands and look under it, gasping when you saw the stem.

“What is this?” You asked in bewilderment.

“That’s called an apple. It’s a type of fruit. They grow on trees. Sometimes people pick them when the summer ends.”

“This grew on a tree?” You smiled in delight as if that was the most amazing news you’d ever been told.

“It sure did. Although, I personally retrieved it from my fruit bowl.”

You took a bite of the apple and your eyes went wide. Peter watched with amusement as you savored every bite like it was the last time you’d ever get to eat. When you were done, you looked at the core and gasped.

“Wait a second. I have seen these! It’s a thingmabob.”

“Thingamabob?”

“When I find something but don’t know the name for it, I make something up. I’ve seen these a few times at the bottom of the sea. Humans usually throw them in the water.” You explained.

“Oh. Did you find these down there too?” He asked and touched the rings in your hair. You nodded proudly and showed him your collection.

“Girls lose these all the time. I don’t know what they use them for on land, but I think they’re beautiful.”

“They’re called rings. You wear them on your finger, like this.” Peter explained as he slipped his finger into one of the rings. You watched him curiously before taking a ring out of your hair. You put it on your finger the way he had and gasped.

“That’s amazing! I love it even more now. Thank you, Peter!” You gushed and hugged Peter again. He laughed and wrapped an arm around you. He took his time explaining all the food he brought and let you try them one by one. He loved how amazed you were by all of it and reminded himself never to take the simple things like fruit for granted again. If it was enough to make you smile, it had to be special.

Once you finished eating, you laid on the rock together with your head on Peters chest. He told you about his life on land and told you him tales from under the sea. Peter could tell that being in land was something you’d been thinking about for a long time. You lit up when you talked about it and made it seem like it was the most magical place on earth. Peter didn’t have the heart to tell you he had seen a rat eating a diaper on his way to you.

“So you still want to be with the humans? Even after what they did to your mom?” Peter asked quietly.

“Yes. I do. That was a couple of bad men. I don’t let them speak for all of human kind.”

“I hate to tell you this, but there are a lot of bad men out there.” Peter frowned as he looked down at you.

“I know. But I don’t think you’re one of them.” You shrugged, making Peter smile.

“I try to be good. I don’t know if I always am.”

“I think you’re good. I can feel it.” You sighed and nuzzled your cheek against his chest. You laid quietly for a moment and just enjoyed each others company.

Peter returned the next night, and the night after that. Instead of rushing out of school to go on patrol, he was rushing to see you. Each night, he brought you new foods to try and little things you’d always wondered about. Your mind was blown when he showed you a spoon for the first time and you nearly passed out when he brought you Sour Patch kids. Every night, rain or shine, Peter came back to you. You spent all day looking forward to your nights with him.

“Why’d you really come back here, Peter?” You asked him one day as you ate the strawberry he had brought for you.

“I said I’d show you what a date is.” He shrugged.

“Two weeks in a row?” You teased him.

“That’s what happens after you go on a date. You go on another one, and then another one, and then another one.”

“I like you, Peter. And I can’t deny that I’ve been hanging around this rock all day in case you showed up again. But we would never work. It’s a nice thought. And one that I’ll hold on to forever. But it’s not meant to be.” You said without looking at him. Peter moved closer to you and tilted your chin up with his thumb.

“But what if it is? What if you hate it down there because you’re meant to be up here?”

“I do want to be up here. More than anything.” You admitted. “I’m so sick of swimming. I’m ready to stand.”

“I know some people. Maybe we could make that happen.”

“Really?” You asked skeptically. “What kind of people?”

“Witches and wizards and sorcerers.”

“Oh my.” You smiled in surprise.

“Maybe if you can come on land, we could go on a real date.”

“Is this not a real date?” You teased him.

“A real date involves me buying you real dinner and giving you a real kiss at the end.” Peter said without thinking about it. He blushed when he realized what he had said and looked away from you, but you weren’t letting him off the hook that easily.

“A real kiss?” You played dumb and leaned in.

“Yeah. Don’t you have those down there?” Peter rubbed the back of his neck and felt his face burn. He wanted to lean in and kiss you. He’d been wanting that every since you met. But he was far too shy. He wasn’t gonna kiss you.

“I think so. It’s this, right?” You asked innocently before lightly smacking him across the face. It wasn’t enough to hurt him, just enough to surprise him.

“That was definitely not a kiss.” He laughed as he held his cheek.

“Oh, wait. Now I remember.” You said and tapped the side of your head.

Before Peter could respond, you closed the gap between you and kissed him. It was your very first kiss, and Peters too. His eyes initially flew open but then fluttered shut as he melted into you. He brought his hands to your face to kiss you and felt a mirage of fireworks going off in his stomach. For you, the excitement of kissing a boy for the first time mixed with the adrenaline of doing something that would shock your father made the kiss that much better. You kissed Peter until you ran out of breath and rested your forehead against his once you pulled away.

“I’m gonna get you legs one way or another. I promise.” Peter said softly as he stared into your eyes.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I won’t. Not to you.” Peter assured you. You leaned in and kissed him again before hopping off the rock.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Peter.” You waved to him before disappearing under the water. Peter reached his hand into the ocean and swirled it around, trying to understand what it felt like to be you.

🌊🌊🌊

Tag List🧜‍♀️

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[apompkwrites]

the grown-up kingscholar || leona kingscholar

masterlist characters: no canon, atiena, nuru, jabali, jabori (OCs) genre: fluff contains: some self-deprecation near the end of the chapter, kinda filler chapter? summary: mwezi miji now houses a new resident. and as time passes on, the villagers grow older. the people who were once children now grow into teenagers, hoping to make a name for themselves in the small village. notes: another transition ig? gonna get into some things next chapter and then (hopefully) NRC!! parts: [og post] | [the lesser kingscholar (1)] | [the broken kingscholar (2)] | [the two kingscholars (2.5)] | [the runaway kingscholar (3)] | [the outland kingscholar (4)] | [the grown-up kingscholar (5)] | [the guardian kingscholar (6)]

the streets of mwezi miji were quiet, the same way it's always been for years and years. there was no hustle and bustle like the kingscholar territory or constant tustles like the dens. mwezi miji was nice and calm and quiet.

"nuru! (name)! hurry up!" or not. "i will break your door down!"

"knock it off, would ya?" you growled, peering out from the open window. you rubbed your eyes, your ears and tail flicking in annoyance. you could hear jabali growl more complaints from outside as you walk away from the window.

once you turned around, you were met with the familiar sight of black wings outstretched atop the bed. with a light groan, you threw the blankets off of the form on the bed, causing nuru to whine and curl up into himself. his shoulders hunched up to cover his face and his wings shook.

"nnngh..." you merely rolled your eyes at the muffled whine, slapping at one of nuru's wings.

"if you act like this, i'm leaving you behind," you threatened, already halfway out the door when you hear a dull thud behind you.

"wait! wait, wait, wait!" when you look back into nuru's room, all you could see was a bundle of blankets on the floor by his bed with his wings tangled up in the fabric. your tail swished behind you as you watched nuru's head pop up from the blanket, shaking hurriedly to fluff up his hair.

it only took him a few minutes to throw his fluffy coat over his shoulders and rush over to the door, practically bouncing on his feet as he stared at you expectantly. "i'm ready, i'm ready!"

"sorry for the wait" was all you could say as you and nuru met with the twins outside. jabali rolled his eyes and slapped nuru's arm, causing the latter to wince in pain.

"can't believe you're the one who's always getting up late," he huffed. "you're the one got us into this, right?"

"...i thought it'd be cool," nuru pouted, shuffling closer to you toe hide. "i mean... i wanted to do this with my friends."

"a-and we get that!" jabori chimed in, holding out his hands nervously. "it's just... what jabali's saying is..."

"just wake up on time!" jabali finished, crossing his arms. "now hurry up! your mom's gonna have our head for this..."

"ah! i-i'll take the blame, don't worry!"

"--you both will report back by the end of your shift," was all you heard as you hurried up to atiena.

it hadn't felt long since you arrived at mwezi miji but simple observations made you realize just how much had changed since you did. atiena's hair had gotten longer and streaks of gray hair peeked out from the black. although as strong as they had been the first night you met her, her wings seemed to droop the more out of use they were.

it wasn't often she went out on patrol nowadays. back then, you remembered waking up in the middle of the night to atiena arriving back home, nuru curled up in her arms before she tucked him into the bed in your room. or rather his room. you were just borrowing his room at that time until a new one was made.

now she delegated her old patrol routes, something she claimed was necessary now that she was getting older. it was a strange thought, you realized. you had run away from the kingscholar territory about 2 years ago. and yet, in only two years, so much had changed. your friends had changed. and so did you.

"there you four are," atiena's voice startled you out of your thoughts. before anyone could even think, jabali pushed nuru up to atiena.

"blame your son, guardian," he grumbled, earning a loud squeak from nuru.

"s-sorry about being late, ma-- guardian!" nuru whimpered, pressing his hands together.

"i just expect this from you at this point," atiena sighed, shaking her head. "just... get ready for your rounds. same groups as before."

"yes, ma'am!" with that, the four of you split into two groups. nuru let out a sigh beside you as jabali and jabori ran off somewhere else.

"ma's gonna be on my tail by the time we get home," he whined, leaning into your arm.

"you do this to yourself at this point," you counter, lightly nudging him away. "now quit your pouting. we gotta get to our rounds."

"why do we have to do the outlands," he huffed, his wings stretching out in preparation. "why can't we just get the outskirts or something? why do we have to go all the way out there?"

"because your mom trusts us to survive?" you answered with a raise of your brow. "we've been over this, like, every time we patrol."

"uuugh," nuru drawled on before taking off into the air, flying a few feet above you. "it's so cold up here..."

"deal with it," you rolled your eyes. "i know you're saying that because you wanna go home. the cold doesn't bother you and i know that."

"... let's just get this patrol over with." you laugh in response as nuru takes off, his form shrinking into a barely visible speck in the mass of stars.

and all that you were left with were your thoughts. patrolling was routine at this point, nothing ever really happened except for the occasional wanderer you would run into. and you were grateful for that.

you could only think about what you left behind when you were on patrol. your mind often wandered back to that time, the words still fresh in your mind. the horror of what could have happened that night had you stayed behind was always lingering in your memory.

but there was also a part of your brain that couldn't help but think about them. falena was supposed to visit you the morning after you left. and you were far gone by the time he had woken up. so what happened?

did he ever end up going to your room that day? did the elders ever chastize you in the kingdom for leaving? did leona ever find out about your disappearance?

there was a part of you that wished they did. you hoped falena went to your room. you hoped leona was told of your sudden disappearance. and, deep down, you hoped that the elders did admonish your being to the kingdom.

you deserved it, didn't you?

...no. no you didn't deserve that. the others made that very clear the day you told them what had happened. you now knew that you were worth so much more. and now you truly believed that.

but that thought, that little voice in the back of your head, never went away. you weren't sure why but it was there. always mocking you at late hours of the night when you were wide awake.

always telling you that you deserved everything you had gotten.

"(name)!" nuru's shout echoed through your ears. "(name), we gotta go!"

"what...?"

"mwezi miji! it's..." nuru's voice seemed to get caught in his throat. "the dens! the beastmen from the dens are headed towards mwezi miji!"

...how far exactly idd you wander?

how long would it take you both to get back home?

taglist: @brokenncrown @help-meplz @destinationdesignation@rainys-personal-garden@kalims@sxftiebee@luxaryllis@auld-a@the-dumber-scaramouche@ayra2452008@tinywho-man@minteaspoon@kitty-chan33@hornehlittleweeblet2@letskeepitsimpleshallwe@atsuki-mitsuri@catgirlwannabe@miss-puregotti@havens-not-here @valka-230 @sacrificialwife1 @cherrykissesss890 @nothing-leave-me--alone @carmelchocola @mulandi @a-random-bored-person @shuriiiewrites @chaos-inperson

[szagaloree]

Eywa’s gift from hell pt.3

Contains: fluff/mentions of death of a child/a lil angsty/ slight smut not to much

EGFH bookmark: Chapters

The next morning everyone ate and chattered, meanwhile nyema was still in her room, she puts a sport brah that supports her quite plumped breasts, she sighed putting her bracelet on and head towards the cafeteria but saw spider just hanging around the lab, “what are you doing kid?” I ask, “nothing, what is this?” He asks going to tough the screen but nyema slaps his hand away from it “stop touching, what did I tell you about that,” I said, he huffs looking at the screen, “You didn’t have to fix the bracelet, I’m sorry for yelling at you, it’s my daughter’s bracelet, last that I have of her,” she said, he raises a brow “wait I didn’t fix the bracelet,” he says I squinted my eyebrows turning around “you didn’t fix this?” I ask looking at my bracelet, he shook his head “no” he answers in confusion, I sighed leaning my head back, having this slight feeling I know who it is.

Quaritch walks outside looking around with his little squad just talking, Quaritch notices me walking over to him so he stops awaiting for me to walk up to him, “let’s go… only you” I said then walked away, spider smiled excitedly “go where?” He asks, “it means she’s going to teach you,” he says, I call my ikran, “spider you know where to go, try not get him killed on the way,” I said he smirks nodding his head.

Two hours later Quaritch finds himself on huge vines connecting to the floating mountains, he hears a noises coming from above so he looks up, he sees me flying down on my ikran, I hand gestures “I see you” to spider he does the same and continues running, I land in the cave huffing. “Ready to die skwang?” I ask, “skwang?” He raises a brow, I smirked and walk over near the opening “let’s go, let’s see what you’re made of,” I cross my arms “how am I supposed to do this?” He asks, “you have to choose your ikran but your ikran must choose you,” spider explains “it wilt try to kill you, THAT I wanna see,” I said he side eyes me before huffing moving forward we follow behind him, he looks around almost nervously which I find very amusing, once an ikran found him he hissed and Quaritch instinctively hissed back.

A minute go by and he gotten his ikran, the on thing that irritated me was by how he punched his ikran I wouldn’t be surprised if it knocked the shit out of him, I sure would have I got on my ikran with spider in front of me, “fly it seals the bond!” I yelled he follows behind me, “this is so much fun,” spider smiles I chuckle, I flew on top of a mountain and landed temporarily, Quaritch lands next to me with a cocky smirk “what’s that about killing?” He taunts, I roll my eyes “I should kill you for how you punched it,” I flick his ear, i look out to the sun and was already loosing daylight, “can we stay and just fly around?” Spider asks “no you need to head back to base, it’s not safe being out at night,” I said, “what about him? He still needs to learn?” Spider points to Quaritch “I only teach what I am allowed to,” I said staring at Quaritch, “come” I took spider back but I decided to teach Quaritch some na’vi language, “ma’sa’nok” I pronounce, he copies “it means mother” I said, “oel ngenti kameie” I said, “oel-huh” my face contorted into irritation“oel ngenti kameie” I said, “oel gate-AYE!” I hiss slap his head, he huffs “you’re gonna stop with the slapping-ow did you just?!” He looks at me wide eyed when I tail whipped him, “you really just tail whip me?” I cock a smug look “and did, now oel ngenti kameie,” I repeated, he snarls “oel ngenti ki-OW!” He winces when I tail whip him again “I didn’t even get to finish dammit!” He argues “you were still going to get it wrong! God you skwang,” I roll my eyes, “they got bitch in na’vi” he said I glare at him, he chuckles “so…how long have you been alive?” He asks, “for a few years,” I answered, “hmph.. how did you get your ikran?” He asks, “what do you want? You’re asking me this shit so you can try something slick,” I said sternly “no not at all, I just wanna know, I’m not here to cause no trouble,” my eye twitch “like you going to the general on letting you hunt down jake and literally kill all the na’vi just to take over pandora is not causing trouble!” I growled slowly rising, “hmph on observant one,” he said, “I have eyes and ears all around this place.. and it ain’t the people here,” I said.

Later on Quaritch was trying to figure out how he can get nyema to switch, she was far off from them and the fact the rda allows her to have almost all control over everything is crazy, she’s not like them at all. Quaritch walks down the hall to her door, he knocks on it. It was quiet for a second till she opens it and her face instantly changed into aggravation “happy to see me?” He smirked, “go away” she said and slams the door, he just chuckles but opens the door. She turns around “go!” She said,”there’s something I wanna ask you,” he said “ughh enough with your questions cadet, go I don’t wanna hear it,” she huffs.

“How is Pandora all connected together?” He asks.

She turns around puzzled by his question, “why do you want to know? You don’t care,” he smacks his lips “alright you can stop with damn remarks okay!” He snaps, “you said we will never learn right, that we don’t deserve to one of them, but how will you expect someone to know something and see what you see if you don’t teach them?” She huffs crossing her arms, “because you are not to be trusted, playing soft is not going to get you Jake nor any of the na’vi,” she says.

His jaw clenched “I just want to know, that’s it,” he sighs.

“Pandora connects with every single thing, the trees, the grass, the ground you walk on, the animals, everything it’s all connected to her, she brings life into this world, everything is energy but you will have to give it back,” she begins to tell, “who’s eywa?” He asks, “their goddess, she made up of everything on Pandora, all these beautiful creatures, them, she provides and we protect,” she sighs. He looks down thinking about everything she’s saying, “she keeps the balance of life, but she also protects it,” she said walking up to him.

“Why you think all the animals and creatures came out, eywa’s had enough, she will not let no demon intimidate her nor destroy her world, you’re in her territory not yours,” she says, “if only y’all would have respected it, maybe you would have got what you wanted with peace,” she huffed turning away, she stops when he grabs her arm “teach me” he says, “teach you what?” She questioned, “the ways” he says, she looks up at him, taken back by his tone, his tone sounded real genuine and that’s scary, “show me what you see,” he said.

During the day nyema took Quaritch out to teach him and let’s say it was amusing, failing to ride a direhorse, fighting, he definitely got his ass beat, it ain’t like the old basic training we’re taking it down to the real fighting. She tackles him down again “what how?!” He shout sim shock, she snorts getting up “well maybe if you were actually good-ahh!” She yells when she was tackled down and now he was on top, he smirks “what was that?” She hissed and he hissed back but they both ended up laughing at each, he lifts her up “aye stop!” She laughs “not so tough are ya!” She shakes her head smiling, she got down and called her ikran, he calls his and follows behind me.

She giggled before yelping following off of her ikran “nyema!” He yells flying down, he gets down looking at her, she whimpere gasping for air, he looks at the blood and seen she was shot “shit who the hell did that?” He grunts, “hey!” One yells but their eyes go wide, “you bitch, what the hell is wrong with you?!” Quaritch shouted “oh shit i thought it was one of them,” he says “no you dipshit” he snarled, he picks her up and got on his ikran.

She groans waking up, “ughh what the hell” she mumbles, “you took a long fall,” Quaritch says, “what happened?” She asks she leans up yells feeling a striking pain in her side, “one of these idiots shot ya, thinking you were one of Jake’s squad,” quaritch says “just wait till this heals im blasting his head off,” she grunts getting despite the pain, “woah woah slow down there, sit down, don’t wanna reopen your wound,” he says grabbing my wrist “this isn’t my first gun shot,” she huffed, “and I don’t sit,” she says heading to her room but Quaritch follows, “well you need too, unless you don’t want it to heal,” he said. She shakes her head “im not new to Themis cadet i been at many wars, got many battle scars from it,” she says.

She was about take her shirt off but looked at Quaritch “uhh hello!” He shrugged nonchalantly and turns around she took her shirt off looking at her bandage, “don’t you ever were a brah?” He asks, she smacks his head with her shirt “ow!” He yelps, “fucking perve!” She hissed he chuckles, he walks up behind her and she covered her chest, the height difference was something else. “I Wonder how long it’s been since you had man to take care of you,” he says she cringes a little “I don’t need a man to take care of me,” she says, “what about these?” His hands snack to her breast squeezing, she gasps “ohhh.. you’re full” he taunts in my ear, “rick-what the hell” she says, “what about taking care of her?” His hand snakes in her pants to feel on her wet temple. “Oh kitty you’re soaked, no even wearing underwear how naughty,” he smirks menacingly while his hand still squeezed her breast his fingers occupy her folds she squirms “ri-uhhnnn” she inhales sharply, “oh this what makes your shut up, for me to have to do this,” his fingers circle her clit she moans outloud gripping his wrist, “Quaritch! Uhhh I-" she moans, he stared at the mirror with a satisfying smirk on his face “a sexy sight to see kitty” he bites in her neck leaving loves bites, “fuck! Ohhh” she moans but whimpered from the fading orgasm going away because he pulled away, she was standing the breathlessly looking into the mirror while Quaritch licks his fingers with a chuckle, “oh kitty kitty kitty” he smirks, “maybe we should do this more often with the learning,” he smirks.

[sunwukongthegreatsage]

“I just think it would be a good idea!” MK insisted loudly, pushing at Wukong with all his might, barely even budging the king.

“It’s a horrible idea, kid,” Wukong said, for about the tenth time. MK pouted up at Wukong, slumping against him.

“Please, Monkey King? You and Macaque need to sort out…whatever is going on! Macaque’s cool now! So you two should be cool.” Wukong scowled at MK, blinking a few times.

“No.” MK pouted, doing his best attempt at puppy dog eyes. Wukong turned from it. “No, bud, Macaque and I have differences we can’t sort out through just talking. Thousands of years of unsolved conflict can’t be fixed with a conversation.”

“Sure it Can! Anything can be fixed through good ole communication!” MK insisted. “You have to, Macaque already agreed!” Wukong craned a brow, doubting this.

This information wasn’t technically true, as Macaque had to be convinced by means of bribery of free noodles a month. Pigsy wasn’t made aware of this in the slightest. He’d cope.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously,” MK said, nodding repeatedly to emphasize his point. Wukong groaned slightly, rubbing his hand down his face.

“Fine. Fine. But when it ends in a fight, I’m blaming you, bud,” Wukong said, ruffling MK’s hair slightly. MK grinned wide before tugging Wukong off to the waterfall entrance of his home. Wukong stopped once he saw Macaque calmly leaning against a tree just outside the waterfall.

“You brought him here?”

“I mean, less flying for you?” MK attempted to sweetens before interjecting with, “You already agreed!” Wukong groaned and MK finished tugging his mentor out from the waterfall. Macaque lifted his gaze boredly, tilting his head instantly as his eyes locked onto MK and Wukong. A smirk grew on his lips.

“Wow, you actually agreed? I’m shocked.” Wukong let his eyes roll, arms crossing defensively.

“Still letting anyone tell you what to do, I see, you don’t change much,” Wukong said before sticking his tongue out. Macaque’s face twitched with anger, but MK stepped between them.

“Peace talks! Peace talks! Communication,” he said, elongating the final word, circling his hands for emphasis. Macaque squinted.

“Wukong’s pride precedes him, nothing productive will come from this, kid,” Macaque sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Oh I’ll show you-”

“Hey! You both said you’d try!” Wukong scrunched his face up, tail flicking angrily.

“Fine,” Wukong spat.

“Fine,” Macaque returned in a mocking tone, and both monkeys shot each other a glare.

“Okay okay, so, Macaque, you go first.”

“Doing what?” Macaque grumbled.

“Saying your…grievances! Like what makes your guys’ relationship so rocky for you, you go first,” MK insisted, stepping out from between them with a wide grin. Macaque blinked before turning on Wukong.

“You killed me,” he snarled instantly, and Wukong returned the glare, missing the way MK shot his gaze between the two, completely unaware of this fact.

“After you impersonated me, attacked my master at the time, and stole all of his belongings, and then you tricked my people and got one of them killed!” Wukong returned, escalating. Macaque tossed his arms out, scoffing.

“You know I did that because you betrayed us, you betrayed your brothers. You became a servant of the celestial realm, of course I was going to do something!” Macaque snapped back, squinting. “You left us, you left me for some stupid pilgrimage and- and you betrayed us!” Macaque heaved for breath, not wishing to talk anymore.

“We lost, what was I meant to do?” Wukong attempted at keeping the anger behind his voice, but guilt was beginning to pick at his skin. “You left me too, Liù, I was trapped for thousands of years thinking you would come help me and you left me there to rot.”

MK pursed his lips awkwardly as he took a few steps back, sensing this topic of conversation was reaching a private point. Going unnoticed, he shifted to a hawk, soaring away from the conversation. He couldn’t wait to tell Mei his complete and total success.

“How was I meant to know,” Macaque said sharply, refusing to look at Wukong. Wukong took a step closer, anger rising.

“You hear practically everything, that’s your thing! What do you mean how were you meant to know! You knew I was trapped under that mountain, I cursed the gods for days, theres no way you didn’t hear me!” Macaque’s brows twitched with a twang of guilt, letting his eyes flick over Wukong. Wukong’s eyes were wet with not yet fallen tears, body shaking slightly with anger. “Out of all of them, I expected you to come help me, to understand. But no. You left me.”

“You left me!” Macaque returned, thrusting his arms out. “Brotherhood be damned, you left me!”

“I didn’t plan on it!” Wukong caught his breath, taking a hand through his hair. “I was never- I never wanted to leave, Liù, I-” He drug his hand down over his face. “Just leave, Macaque, this was a shit idea.” Macaque scoffed, turning to hide how he wiped away a stray tear.

“Of course. Too haughty to own up to your own mistakes,” Macaque hissed. Wukong’s face scrunched up.

“I can say the same for you.” Macaque flinched before whipping around.

“Fine, Sun, I’m sorry that I didn’t come save you after I heard you scream for months on end about how I’ll go help you, sorry I didn’t because we all knew you were set to betray us, I’m sorry, Sun. Is that what you want?” Wukong swallowed, not meeting Macaque’s gaze. He scoffed. “Of course. I don’t know what I expected.” He jabbed Wukong in the chest. “And I’m sorry for getting one of your people killed but I won’t apologize for fucking with servants of the celestial realm.” He turned on his heel, a mass of shadow forming on the tree to his right in order for him to make an exit.

“I-I’m sorry too,” Wukong whispered, so low that no body but Macaque could ever hear it. Macaque froze. “For- for hurting you.” Silence hung above the both of them, and Macaque sighed.

“See you, Wukong.” Macaque slipped through the shadow, and Wukong sunk in on himself, groaning as he scrubbed tears off his face.

“Damned kid, making me talk about my issues,” Wukong grumbled as he trudged behind the waterfall once again. “That did nothing helpful, what was he even thinking.”

During their next ‘Monkie Crew’ hang out (Mei and MK put together their collective braincell to create such a name), the two monkeys don’t utter a word to each other, and everyone turned on MK as if saying “you made it worse”, but MK took it as a win, considering not even a few moments later, Wukong tossed a bag of peach chips to the other, sparing an unsure smile. It was ten times better than loudly arguing every time they’re together.

And if they continue to privately work out their issues together, that’s none of MK’s business.

[redheadspark]

#9 with Jack Russell for the January prompt, please? 🧡

A/N - Thanks for requesting this, anon!

Open

Summary - You had to keep people an arm's length away from you. Not Jack

Warnings - Just some fluff

“You remember what we talked about that night…back at the motel in France?”

You hummed, looking up from the book you were reading and over at Jack whom was in the bathroom, changing his pajamas.  You pondered, wondering what in fact he was talking about as the cool air was coming in thanks to the breeze from the ocean.  The small sounds of the crashing waves filled the room, even the softer sounds of people chatting as they walked by your hotel window though you were on the fourth floor. 

“As I recall we have stayed in plenty of motels in France,” You commented, hearing Jack laugh from the bathroom as he then walked out. He was sporting a thin shirt and low hanging pajamas pants with his slat and pepper hair still damp, but a freshly shaven face and a twinkle in his eyes as he grinned at you.

“Two years ago day,” He went on some more, “That little shack of a motel near the Lavender Fields outside of Paris?”

Ah, now you were remembering perfectly what he was talking about.  It was clear in your mind as you smiled.  That very night was one of the most thrilling nights of your life, let alone one of the scariest.  

The motel itself was nothing pleasant, almost like a hole-in-the-hall place along the countryside.  Both yourself and Jack were on the run from a couple of poachers that were on your tail, though you lost them a few miles back with the makeshift pick up truck Jack rented for the job.  Although now the truck was on its last legs, and since it was too late to jump on a flight in Paris to get back to the states, It was your idea to find a motel to lay low in.  

After paying the receptionist with a handful go cash that was shoved in your backpacker, you and Jack grabbed the room on the second floor.  It seemed like such a joke to find that there was only one bed in the hotel room that had decent sheets and an old TV perched on the dresser.  But then again you two were too tired and caked in dirt and blood to argue about it.  You and Jack look at one another, you seeing the worn look on his face and along his cheeks as he sees the blood still on your pants and along your shoes.

You both are thinking it: You were glad to be alive.

Jack made you shower first as he was getting both of your old clothes thrown away and counted the money that you both got from the job. It was a decent amount for the two of you to split down the middle.  Even with the lack of water pressure from the shower and the faint smell of mildew in the air, you were glad to be a change of pajamas.  And after Jack had his own shower, you both were beyond exhausted to do anything else.

Then again, Jack took the remote and flicked through some of the channels as you both were on the bed shoulder to shoulder.  Maybe you both were trying to hold out in going to sleep since there was still a small chance that you both would be found by your packers.  But Jack finally stumbled on a channel that was showing a French soap opera, thinking it was better than watching the news.

Within minutes you two were roaring in laughter. 

The thought of the job and how it went south was melting away in your head as you were with Jack in that mediocre motel room.  It’s always been this way with you when you and Jack were together, the negative would melt away and the positive would take over within seconds.  Of course, you took a chance to work with Jack since monster hunters rarely worked together and were colleagues.  It was an isolated career, which was what you wanted to whole time.  Not being tied down with a boss, not being in stuck in an office or a cubicle for hours and hours on end.  This job was meant for the one who wanted to roam, who wanted to make good money by risking their necks, and especially for those willing to be alone.

But that last part was now compromised since you were battling your feelings for Jack. 

You were smitten from the moment you two shook hands and agreed to work together months ago.  You never meant to be taken by him instantly, blaming his charm and his way of making you feel at ease.  He was far different from other monster hunters who were more rogue and rough around the edges.  Before you knew it, you both were leaning on each other, beyond monster hunting and beyond running around the world.  

You were friends through and through, which made your crush deepen.

It would be suicide to be with another hunter, things could go wrong instantly and you could lose your life because of it.  Plenty of stories of hunters turning on each other would float around, killing each other over money or territory, even both.  Although you knew deep down that Jack would never do such a thing to you or anyone for that matter, you still strived to be careful and keep him at arm’s length.  You had to wonder if you needed to walk away from the profession altogether if your feelings were going to jeopardize what you had to do in the field. If you had to defend yourself again Jack, were you willing to make that choice yourself?

As your laughter was dying down that night, you saw Jack peering over at you from his spot on his side of the bed.  You were still grinning, pushing away the tears that you got from the constant laughing as you shrugged at him, “What?”

His smile alone made your stomach turn as he shook his head, his eyes almost scanning yours as you both were gazing at one another in comfortable silence.  Carefully, and as if he was waiting for you to be spooked, he reached down to lace your fingers together between yourselves and rested it on the blanket.

“I appreciate being here with you,” he said, his voice soft as he spoke to you, “It’s just been a while since I’ve had a close friendship like this, that’s all,” 

To hear that he loved this friendship with you, this relationship that you both groomed and grew together over the months, and knowing each other.  Relying on each other and having each other’s backs when times were tough and things got hairy.  You’ve always wondered what was going on in his own head, how he felt working with you and being partners with you.  But now hearing something very simple like this from him, at 2 in the morning outside of Paris, it moved you more than you could ever imagine.  

And as he leaned over to kiss you softly and with so much gentleness it made you ache, you felt your heart finally open for someone else in your life.

You were brought to reality again from the past memory flooding your mind, Jack peppering your cheek and neck with lingering and sweet kisses from his lips. You giggled, trying to move away from him as he wrapped you in his arms and pulled you close to him.  You let him, as you have done in the past as you wrapped your own arms around his neck and peered into his eyes.  

To see how far you two have come within one year of confessing your love for one another, after months of denying it and thinking it would never happen.  Jack was now in your life, in your heart, and now a part of your soul.  He never once took you for granted, nor did he wish to keep you arm's length away from him.  He adored you, bringing a new light into your life and showing you a new way to be in love.

“Happy First Anniversary to us, Amor,” He said to you as he nuzzled your nose with his.  You grinned widely, pulling closer to kiss him passionately while his fingers started to drift under your pajama shirt with ease.  

The End.

January Prompt Session

[inkrabbit]

Hi ink, would you be wiling to write a Rain/reader fic where the ghoul and the reader have a cute moment together, where rain teaches the reader to play guitar?

okay I had to look all of this up since I’m still kinda new to Ghost and the ghouls (mainly who played what during what era and who was who). since this request is for Rain, he’s going to be showing the reader how to play bass. shoutout to this post for helping me in my time of need so I could piece things together and also giving me an idea for this fic. I also used this video for the bass tabs for the song

You had known Rain for a few years now, having originally met him when you noticed Sodo wasn’t lugging around his old bass and was instead carrying a fantomen. “Oh, yeah. We got a new ghoul,” he told you, tail gesturing to the new summon you had passed by a few times. “He’s uh… kinda quiet, but he plays good.”

“I thought you played bass?” You had cocked your head at him, your brows knit together.

He rolled his eyes at your comment. “I play both.” And he said it with such a tone that it sounded like he was calling you stupid. “Alpha’s contract finally ended, he didn’t want to renew it; I took his place.”

“And we got Rain.” He nodded.

“And we got Rain,” he parroted. “How about you go talk to him? I’m sure he’d love to meet our helpful little human.”

And you did. You walked right over to the ghoul and introduced yourself, telling him that you helped the other ghouls get ready for upcoming rituals and kept track of inventory. And Sodo had been right: Rain was shy. He was a gentleman, but he stumbled over his words in the beginning. You thought it was cute.

As time passed though, it was like watching a flower bloom. Your once shy, soft-spoken water ghoul was becoming more confident, and not just on stage. You saw how he initiated conversation with the other ghouls and started to make jokes. You loved it. You loved seeing his smile and hearing him laugh with the others. Even now that he was starting to get comfortable with the others, he kept you involved. You were the first one he sought out whenever he wanted company or wanted to go somewhere. And of course you would agree. You loved spending time with him and getting to know more about him. It seemed that no matter how much time passed, you two still got to figure out something new about each other.

And tonight was no different. It wasn’t uncommon for you two to spend time together in his room. Hell, it was where you had found him most of the time to begin with, the poor ghoul having been too shy in the beginning to spend time out in the common area with the others. You had been laying on his bed with him sitting next to you, the two of you exchanging stories of your time at the abbey. He noticed you looking at his bass after a while.

“Do you play?” he asks you.

“Nah. Sodo offered to teach me, but we never got around to it,” you explain. You see his tail flick before he gets up, crossing the room as he gently takes his bass from the wall mount. He’s smiling when he climbs back onto the bed, motioning for you to sit up.

“How about I teach you?” You can tell he’s excited, his tail constantly moving behind him as he hands the instrument over to you.

“I’m not sure how good I’ll be,” you laugh.

“Practice makes perfect, right?”

You smile at him. “Right.”

He had walked you up and down the scales first, sitting beside you and pointing out the strings you needed to be on and where your fingers should be positioned. He kept you on track, his index finger gently tapping your knee in a rhythm as he softly counted one two, three four over and over.

When you felt like you had the basics down and a decent understanding on the notes, he decided to move on. You two had decided on Cirice, saying that, not only was it well known, the beginning would’ve been easy to teach you.

“Cirice is played in 4/4, which is also called common time,” he explains to you. “It’s just four quarter notes for every measure. And in the beginning, the bass has a seven-measure rest.”

“So you just sit there and count to twenty-eight before you start playing?” you tease, earning yourself a soft laugh from the ghoul.

“Sort of. During the rituals, I listen to the guitar, and then Mountain’s cymbal kinda… counts me down. I know I enter just before he hits it a ninth time.” You supposed it made sense, the little cues they all looked for from one another. He uses his claw to point at the string. “Then it’s half notes. 7 for two beats, then 9 for the last two.”

He does this, walking you through it slowly. You didn’t realize how slow the bass part was. Instead of letting you go on, he has you repeat the first few measures of you actually playing the song to get a feel for it.

“Then on the next part, you slide your hand up the neck from 9, and to 1.” Though you’re still holding the bass, Rain still makes the same gesture with his hands. You follow as best you can, having to redo it a few times before you finally get it down. That proud smile he gives you when you finally do it makes your stomach do flips.

“Does it always stay this slow?” you ask him. He shakes his head.

“Well, not as slow as this. Even before Papa starts singing, it picks up a little bit,” he tells you. You give him a smile, handing the bass over.

“Could you show me?” He’s hesitant but finally takes it. You notice how, instead of his claw tapping like it was for you, his foot just barely taps in that same one two, three four beat.

You can hear him softly humming the song as he plays, probably to also help keep on track. But you notice how the notes are faster, especially when you hear the first “can you hear the rumble” and watch as his hand bends so fast to string together three notes before he goes back into the normal position.

“I didn’t know you had to do that.” you comment, catching his attention.

“Yeah. It’s not too bad, though.” he laughs softly. “You know, practice and all. Really, that’s the only like… complex part. Everything else is pretty straightforward.”

You watch him as he plays, softly singing with him as he goes. You’re both staring at the bass, watching each string he plucks. You notice he picks his head up finally.

“Can’t you see that you’re lost?” He holds your gaze as he sings to you and you don’t even register that you’ve stopped. The bass still making some noise, though it’s softer than his voice was. His hand slides up the neck as he continues. “Can’t you see that you’re lost without me?”

But he doesn’t pluck the cord for the next part. You don’t know who leaned in first but his lips press against yours when the next note should’ve hit. It’s slow, your hand coming up to cup his cheek. He shuffles, setting the bass down on his bed as he reaches out for you. One hand is on your cheek while the other gently holds the base of your neck.

You’re both silent when you pull away, his eyes lidded as he stares at you. You let a smile dance across your lips.

“I don’t remember that happening during the rituals,” you tease softly. He laughs.

“The other ghouls wish that would happen.” There he is, the blossomed flower you loved seeing.

Your thumb strokes his cheek. “Well, if all practices with you are gonna be like this, I’d love to have more of them.”

“It doesn’t have to be just practice,” he tells you softly. “We could do this more. Whenever you’d want.”

“Rain, are you asking me out?”

You can see how the panic takes over in his eyes. “I-I mean, if that’s something you would want. You know, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Like, I feel like we just click and-”

“Rain.” He looks at you, lips pursed together. “I would love to.”

[celestiall0tus]

Miraculous Absolution - Chapter 1 - Origins

Next

            “Plagg? Plagg? Where are you? You’re going to make me late.”

            Adrien searched the house for Plagg. He had the news on in the background while he looked. He paused every so often to listen to the reports but resumed his search. He wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. A black cat was curled up inside next to an empty container of camembert.

            “Plagg!”

            Plagg shot up. He meowed and darted out of the fridge. Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose.

            “Come on. We have to get going.”

            Plagg meowed. He jumped onto Adrien’s shoulders. Adrien returned to the living room. Adrien took a moment to listen to the broadcast.

            The reporter interviewed random people on the streets about the state of the city. On the Miraculous team, Chat Noir, and their enemy, Papillon. Most were discontent with the state of things. They made demands for the heroes to show some results that isn’t just stopping monsters. Others demanded the heroes leave and take the villain with them.

            Adrien snorted. He grabbed the remote but paused. The reporter approached a young woman with long black hair that shone blue in the light. Her attention on a statue of Scarlet Knight, a former hero. She startled and her bluebell eyes widened when approached by the news crew.

            “Young lady, would you give us your thoughts on the Miraculous team and the villain they claim to fight?”

            “Oh. Um, I don’t have much to say.”

            “Nothing?”

            “Well, it’s scary what we’re going through. I mean, two years feels like a long time to face this threat. But we can’t do anything except leave our faith in the heroes. Just like my dad says. We need to trust and believe in those who fight for us.”

            “And do you believe that?”

            “It wavers at times when things get really bad, but I try. It’s all I can do. It’s all we can do.”

            The reporter thanked the woman for her time and moved on. Adrien turned off the TV and stared at it.

            Plagg meowed. He flicked Adrien’s cheek with his tail.

            “Sorry. Just got… distracted. Let’s go.”

~~

            Marinette walked through the city. She headed for home after her time in the park. She paused near city hall as a riot brewed. The crowd earned the attention of other onlookers as they screamed and shouted. They all demanded answers to the threat, salvation from the evil butterfly, and for the Ladybug.

            Marinette tilted her head. She had heard the people cry for this Ladybug for a few months now. The people cried for it, posters were plastered over the city, and a resistance against the Miraculous team had brewed. She wasn’t sure what this Ladybug was, but she assumed it was like the Miraculous heroes. Each of them was an animal themed hero. The stalwart turtle, Carapace, charming bee, Queen Bee, and their leader, the black cat, Chat Noir. Even if this Ladybug was like them, it made her wonder why it was so important.

            The question had been asked many times over the months. Many didn’t have the answer, just theories. The Ladybug was the answer to salvation. The Ladybug would be the force that liberated them. The black cat was inferior to the Ladybug as the black cat only destroys. Then there was the older crowd who said the Scarlet Knight was a ladybug. Although, no one knows for sure if Scarlet Knight was or wasn’t. The only people that ever saw the Scarlet Knight were the criminals she fought. Their accounts weren’t as reliable as the story changed every time.

            Even when Marinette’s mother, Sabine, spoke of the Scarlet Knight, it was never the same tale twice. Every version was different just like all the other heroes Sabine told her about. However, there were things that never changed from those stories. The Scarlet Knight was always courageous, selfless, and loving. The Scarlet Knight fought not because she had to, but because she wanted to protect those who couldn’t. Because of that, it made the Scarlet Knight incredible.

            Marinette smiled when she remembered the stories. She remembered when she was younger, she wanted to be like the Scarlet Knight. She wanted to be a hero for the people. To always be there when they needed her. It was a fantasy she lived in over and over again, like her friend, Rose, who lived in fairytales. Unlike Rose, she had to wake up and attend reality. She wouldn’t be a hero like Chat Noir and his team. And she wouldn’t be like the Scarlet Knight.

            Even though Marinette had to wake up, to live in the real world, that didn’t stop her from dreaming. To be a strong, dependable hero that the people looked up to. To keep them safe so they didn’t have to live in fear. To keep the peace so everyone could live in relative, ignorant bliss. She may be able to achieve some of that, but not in the ways she truly wanted.

            Marinette’s Alliance ring buzzed. She looked away from the crowd at it. A screen popped up with her messages. Rose had messaged the group chat with her, Juleka, Alya, and Alix. Rose told them to keep their schedules open tonight. Alya and Alix asked why, but Rose didn’t share, insisting it was a surprise for later. She hummed and sent a thumbs up emoji. She looked at the time and saw it was just past two. She dismissed the screen and hurried back home.

~~

            Adrien stepped into work. The staff greeted him as he made his way to the elevator. He paused when he saw Nathalie with a new, familiar face. He called out “Nathalie” and approached.

            “Adrien, good to see you. And Plagg.”

            Plagg meowed.

            “Always happy to see you, Nathalie. Who’s this young lady? I haven’t seen your face before.”

            “This is Miss Couffaine. She was just signed on as the newest model for the agency. I took the liberty of volunteering to give her a tour of the building.”

            “Please, call me Juleka.”

            “Pleased to meet you, Juleka.”

            “Likewise, Mister Agreste.”

            “Please, Mister Agreste is my father. You may call me Adrien.”

            Juleka bowed her head.

            “Say, Nathalie, would you mind if I continue the tour? Take the time to get to know our newest addition?”

            “You are needed soon for a photo shoot.”

            “I don’t see any harm in her shadowing me for that, no?”

            “Very well. I’ll see you in ten minutes, Adrien. Don’t be late.”

            Adrien and Juleka watched Nathalie leave. Adrien motioned for Juleka to follow as they stepped into an elevator.

            “So, I’ll be working with you more it seems.”

            “Nervous?”

            “Very much so. I’m taking major steps in all aspects of my life. I mean, weren’t you nervous?”

            “A long time ago. Although, two years is a long time to work through those nerves.”

            “Do they ever get to you now?”

            “They do, but I just dust it off. I know what I’m doing and what needs to be done. No matter what the people say.”

            “I’m glad we have a leader like you. I don’t think I’d be able to handle the criticism that you get.”

            “Well, I’ve heard things like this all my life. I know there’s no real weight to their words. They’re just said to make you feel bad for what you’ve done, or what they believe you failed to do. But if it brings any comfort, with you, we should be able to finally catch Papillon.”

            “I hope so. I’m still adjusting to the powers.”

            “I know. It’s a major shift. Just take your time. Once you’re ready, we’ll begin the hunt.”

            The elevator dinged and doors slid open. People poured into it while Adrien and Juleka stepped out. She followed him down an empty hall to a pair of doors. Nathalie waited outside for them.

            “You’re early for once.”

            “Nathalie, you wound me. I’ve been early before.”

            “In more ways than you might think.”

            Adrien snorted while Juleka giggled.

            “Get ready you two. We have the photo shoot to do and then someone needs to make an appearance on the news today.”

            “I hear you, Nathalie. You ready, Juleka?”

            Juleka reached into her vest pocket. She pulled out a small creature with a big head. The creature resembled a mouse. Plagg eyed the mouse and transformed into the same creature. Adrien raised his right hand that had a large silver ring on his ring finger. Juleka pulled out a coin pendent necklace from in her shirt.

            “Plagg, claws out.”

            “Mullo, get squeaky.”

~~

            Marinette sat at the countertop in her parent’s kitchen. She listened to Sabine preparing dinner while she finished her classwork. She closed her laptop once she was done. She stretched as Sabine started setting up for dinner. She gave Sabine a kiss on the cheek, then flipped on the TV.

            The news came on. Marinette moved to change the channel but paused when Chat Noir came onto the screen. The reporter interviewed him on the current state of the city. She listened as he reassured the reporter that he and his team were doing everything they could to stop Papillon. He went on to say they had a new member to assist with the task. The crowd behind him erupted into a frenzy and cut off the interview. The people rioted as they cried out for the Ladybug, their savior. The footage cut as Queen Bee’s power was used to pacify the crowd.

            “It’s crazy out there, isn’t it, Mom?”

            “It is. Hopefully we’ll see an end soon with this new hero.”

            “What about this ‘Ladybug?’ I’ve heard people whispering it for a few months now.”

            “I have too. Everyone seems to think it’s the answer to salvation, but she’s long gone.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Well, there was a ladybug hero before Chat Noir and his team. She was the Scarlet Knight.”

            “So, she was a ladybug? Like people are saying?”

            “She was. A marvel that one. You were lucky if you saw her and weren’t her target.”

            “Does that mean you saw the real her?”

            “I did once. I was attacked by some muggers. She swooped in a blaze of red and black glory. She was magnificent.”

            “No way! What was she like? Did she look anything like her statue?”

            “I don’t remember all that well, Mari. It was dark and the only pieces of her that stuck out was the red and silver.”

            “Well, what do you remember aside from that?”

            Sabine turned off the burners. She moved the food, then sat beside Marinette.

            “Let me think. There was the whirl of her yo-yo as she swooped in from above. The whoosh of her cape in the wind. The bright red ladybug emblem on her cape. Her gentle face and bright, purple eyes.”

            “Wow. What do you think happened to the Scarlet Knight?”

            “I’m not sure. I like to think she grew up. Realized there was more to life than just fighting villains.”

            “Do you think she’d ever come back?”

            “I don’t think so. Her time has long since passed. There are new heroes to carry the torch.”

            “Do you think a new Scarlet Knight will rise?”

            “Maybe. It’s hard to say. But that’s not something for us peasants to worry about. You got your classwork done, right?”

            “Mom, I’m not in high school anymore. I don’t need to be reminded to do my work.”

            “Oh, honey, I know. But that first year you did.”

            “It was an adjustment, but I’ve gotten better. I’ve really gotten used to this system. I’m even a few weeks ahead of the lessons. The headaches are even getting better as I understand the material more.”

            Sabine hugged Marinette. “I’m glad you’re doing well. We’re so proud of you, dear.”

            “Thanks, Mom. Is dinner almost done?”

            “It is. Will you get your dad and let him know?”

            “Will do.”

            Marinette kissed Sabine’s cheek. She turned off the news and headed downstairs. She stepped into the bakery. Tom looked over from the register.

            “Hey, kiddo. Dinner almost ready?”

            “It is. Do you need any help with closing?”

            “I could. Would you watch the register while I clean the back?”

            “Sure thing.”

            Tom headed to the back. Marinette watched the store as closing drew near. She moved from the register once it was time to lock up. She locked the door as Alya slammed into it. She gasped, then snickered as Alya fell back. Rose and Juleka rushed to help Alya while Alix laughed. She unlocked the door and let them in.

            “You know it’s closing time, right, girls?”

            “We know. We came for you, girl,” Alya said.

            “What? Why?”

            “Have you checked your Alliance?” Rose asked.

            “No. What’s up?”

            “We’re going to go celebrate! Juleka just signed a contract deal to be a model,” Rose announced.

            Marinette squealed. They all jumped around Juleka and hugged her.

            “Juleka, that’s amazing! What are we doing? Dinner?”

            “Yup. My mom has offered to make us something special over at Le Grand Paris. We were also hoping we could get some of the best pastries in all of Paris,” Alya said.

            “Well, Dad’s in the back. Could you girls watch the door while I get ready?”

            “We got it, girl.”

            Marinette headed upstairs. She started towards her room, then headed to the kitchen.

            “Hey, Mom, I’m going to head out with the girls.”

            “You are? What about dinner?”

            “We’re going to celebrate. Juleka just got a modeling deal!”

            “That’s amazing, but it is late. Will you girls be safe?”

            “We have our Alliances. They’ll inform us if there is a monster attack.”

            Sabine frowned. She looked at the silver gadget ring on Marinette’s index finger. She knew they were reliable in delivering that information, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that crawled up her. She took a deep breath.

            “Ok. And forgive me, Mari. I know you’re an adult, but please come home immediately after the dinner. I don’t want you out at night.”

            Marinette hugged Sabine. “I will. And thank you. I love you.”

            “I love you too, Mari. Now, hurry along. Don’t keep your friends waiting.”

            Marinette kissed Sabine’s cheek, then hurried to her room. Sabine stood for a moment longer. Dread rose within her that threatened to consume her. She stepped from the kitchen and looked at the door. She ran a thumb over the key she kept under her shirt. Marinette’s door closing broke her thoughts as she turned back to Marinette.

            “I’ll see you out, Mari.”

            Marinette nodded. They headed downstairs. Marinette joined the girls as they buzzed. Sabine stood beside Tom. She took his hand as she watched the girls. They filed out of the door except for Marinette.

            Marinette ran back to her parents and hugged them. “See you after dinner. Love you guys.”

            Tom and Sabine hugged Marinette and kissed her cheek. Marinette returned the gesture, then hurried after the girls. Sabine’s smile faded when Marinette was gone. The dread gnawed at her and made her sick.

            “Honey? What’s wrong?”

            “Tom, I’m scared.”

            Tom pulled Sabine into a hug. “They’ll be fine. Marinette’s been safe and those Alliances keep them safer. Besides, the heroes will be out at this hour, right? If one of those vile creatures shows up, they’ll be around to keep her safe.”

            Sabine forced a smile. “You’re right. She’s been safe all this time. What would make tonight any different?”

            “It’ll be alright. We just need to have faith in our protectors. They haven’t failed us yet after all.”

            “Right, faith. That’s all we need. Um, I’m going to finish dinner. See you upstairs soon?”

            “Wouldn’t miss it, dear.”

            Sabine and Tom shared a kiss before Sabine headed upstairs. She looked to her bedroom door down the hall. The dread chewed at her. She took a deep breath and reassured herself. Marinette would be fine. They would all be fine. Nothing bad would happen.

~~

            Papillon sat in a dimly lit room. Her butterfly lights flickered as they moved their wings. She had her hands folded atop her cane with a butterfly light outline around her face. Her creations fluttered about the city in search of a new victim. She tsked at the crop for the night. Nothing felt right to draw out the Ladybug. Maybe something to damage the heroes’ reputation further, but not bring out the Ladybug.

            Papillon sighed and switched between her creations. She paused when one landed on the window of an apartment bedroom. She watched the little Chinese woman do a couple double takes to ensure she was alone. She watched as the woman moved to her nightstand and pulled out a jewelry box.

            “Alter,” Papillon commanded.

            Papillon’s creation twisted and turned invisible. It passed through the window and approached the woman. She opened the jewelry box to reveal a pair of ladybug earrings. Papillon gasped and grinned. There they were, the ladybug earrings. Papillon was close to drawing out the ladybug. Even if it was a fluke, another to the tally.

            Papillon searched the woman’s room. She eyed a family portrait of the woman with her husband and only daughter. She recognized the man as Tom Dupain, one of Paris’s top bakers.

            “Little Akuma, hear me well. Find one of Tom Dupain’s rivals. Seek their loathed rival and twist their heart. Bring an end to Tom and his wife’s life. However, should the daughter appear, leave her alive. Now, go.”

            The Akuma retreated from the room and searched for Tom’s rival.

            Papillon grinned. It wouldn’t be long now. Soon, she’d have her wish.

[asmrbrainrot]

The Gator boys & the Moon Witch~ Ch 1

It had been a fairly quiet week for Esther, or Sybil now. How long had she been going by that name? A few years at least, since she had gotten away from that awful Rexite priest… but she’d rather not remember. The whole traveling cabaret act treated her well. As well as it could at least, considering the nature of showbiz. Common sense told her she should probably be finding a place to settle down by now but she enjoyed floating from place to place. (Even when she didn’t need to) It’s not like this was her only source of income though. She was a witch after all, so it wasn’t difficult to make money on the side selling glamor potions or ready-made spell scrolls.

She slowed her broom as she took in the scenery around her. Cypress trees, cat tails, the smell of autumn in the air, it had been a while since she had traveled along the countryside. She halted her broom to read the wooden sign that marked her destination. “Welcome to Lilloway, Home of the Silverben Swamps” “Huh Quaint little place..” she muttered to herself. She decided to finish her journey on foot. Bella had woken from her nap and was getting ancy in her basket, besides after flying all day a walk would do Esther some good. It was surprising that such a small town like this would even have a nightclub, even more so that they invited her to perform. “Must be pretty short on entertainment if they invited a few old washups like us huh Belle?” The small dog gave an enthusiastic yip in response.

Not that she was complaining, a town like Lilloway was a pleasant change of pace from Akahn, with all its hustle and bustle. Something her college self would’ve loved, with all its trade and new-fangled gadgets. Oh goodness it had to be fifteen years now she was out of school. The woman leashed up her little friend and the two set into town. The once peaceful countryside soon melted into the stirrings of a village. As they approached the village square a corkboard with a plethora of fliers caught her eye. Thinking there might be a map among them Esther approached, Bella in tow. Hmmm Fall festival, Gabby’s Glamour spells, (Got enough of those as is) Oh! A freshly posted flier caught her eye. “Madam Sybil Dupree The Songbird of the South Performing at the Silverben Saloon!”. “Hmmm Guess we ain’t so washed up after all ey Belle?” Esther smiled leaning down to pet the black cavalier as it yipped excitedly. When suddenly Esther's attention was drawn to a set of large black boots that were approaching her.

“Howdy Ma’am.” Spoke the owner of the boots, in a deep husky voice. Esther stood up taking Bella with her as she faced the man. He was a tall muscular fellow with copper hair & beard. His arms marred with scars from what had to be his previous tussles. That and his serious demeanor told Esther this man wasn’t to be trifled with, nevertheless she had been brought up to give everyone a fair chance regardless. It’s what Earl would’ve done. “Well Hello there.” Esther responded warmly, Bella snugly in her arms. “Names Warren.” The burly man introduced, offering his hand as a sign of good will. Esther returned the gesture noting the rugged texture of his hand. A working man. “And you must be the famous Madam Dupree, if my eyes don’t deceive me.” Warren remarked, offering a kind smile while giving Bella a gentle pat on the head. “I don’t know if I’d call it that exactly!” Esther laughed, setting Bella down once more. “No need to be so humble! You’re all the town’s been talking about lately, well’sides them swap freaks runnin amuck.” The man remarked, ripping a bounty flier off the board.

Esther’s eyes were drawn to the flier, it depicted a terrible alligator-like beast with a hefty bounty listed at the bottom. Her chestnut eyes flicked from the flier to Warren, who had picked up on her curiosity. “Them beasts nothin ta worry bout Ma’am. Just a couple a wild half bloods runnin down the property value. Me an my men will have ‘em taken care of soon enough.” The man added in a vague attempt to “comfort” the women next to him. In truth Esther felt bad for those poor souls. Sure they looked a little different, acted a little different, but they didn’t ask to be that way. In the end they were just people trying to live their lives. Why should they be treated so horribly? “ So you’re a bounty hunter then?” Esther added dryly. If Warren was the kind of man to hunt down innocent people for sport then she wanted no part of him, but she had to be subtle about it. If word got around that she was some halfblood-sympathizing radical, she’d be run outta town faster than the half bloods themselves. “Looks like Warren caught a live one!” Shouted a woman from across the way.

She and another young fellow approached. Friends of Warren couldn’t be good company. Best to keep subtle for now though. “Aw hush up Andy. I was just greeting this lovely young lady to our town. It ain’t too often we get celebrities down here.” At this the younger blonde headed man perched up. “You’re Madam Dupree then! The one that’s ’s singing at the saloon?” The lad piped up. “Of course you would know Vernon! There’s hardly an’evenin you don’t spend at the saloon!” At this the two began to bicker before a calm yet stern hand gesture from Warren signaled the two to stop. “If you children are done I do believe Madam Dupree here needs some direction to the Inn.” Warren implored looking at Esther with a knowing glint in his emerald eyes. “Oh! Yes actually.” She responded “Then I reckon we should show you the way so you can get all settled an’ready for the show tonight!” Warren offered, the warm smile returning. “I’d like that.” And with that they were off to the Inn, little Bella in tow wagging her tail all the way.

[thecrystalquill]

The Curious Misadventures of (Y/N) Addams

A/N: So!! I hope you read the intros because they’re very important!!!!!!!

I’ve been waiting to write this for, like, two years now, and I’m so excited! Get ready for something a little darker - y’know, creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky. You know how it is...

Masterlist     Series Masterlist     Series Intro     First Years’ Intro Letter

Chapter One ~ The Letter

“Good morning, (Y/N). How did you sleep?”

     (Y/N) took her usual place at their breakfast table just as Grandmama finished the cooking: scrambled lizard eggs and toast. “Like the dead,” she replied, rubbing her eye before starting to eat.

     “Just as always,” her father laughed, taking a rather large sip from his strong black coffee and then a few puffs of his cigar. “Pugsley, put that away my boy, not at the breakfast table.”

     The boy smirked a little, before putting the meat cleaver down on the table with a grin. “Now, Pugsley,” said Morticia, “you know better than that – toys are not allowed at the table.”  

     It was mid-July – the fifteenth to be exact – two days after (Y/N)’s eleventh birthday. It was a lovely damp, grey morning outside, which was odd for July, but far better than the blistering heat they had on the thirteenth. But that hadn’t mattered too much, (Y/N)’s party had been held indoors anyway. She wondered if they would be doing anything today, to make the most of the weather. “The mail’s here,” her little sister, Wednesday, announced in a rather dull voice as she entered, carrying a few parcels and letters. She placed them on a place-mat between their parents, then took her seat next to her sister (who was sat at the other end of the table) and found that her breakfast was already waiting for her.

     Gomez started to open a parcel, pulling out some strange contraption with shark teeth. “Thank you, Wednesday,” said Morticia, having finished her plate and flicking through some of the numerous letters that Gomez didn’t pick up. “Now, children, don’t forget that today is the Dark Arts and Crafts event that Aunt Trivia is hosting. I’d like you all to be ready by ten, we wouldn’t want to be late now, would we?”

     There were a few nods and ‘yes mother’s mumbled between chews. (Y/N) had her head stuck in a book that she’d found a few days ago in a local bookshop; and Pugsley had started to use his meat cleaver to cut his toast, getting the scrambled lizard eggs everywhere and earning a kick from Wednesday sitting opposite him. She was about to throw an insult his way when she was cut off by her father.

     “My word…” he had muttered, sounding rather astounded.

     Morticia looked at him with concern – his eyes were the size of saucers and his moustache looked as if it had stuck up in shock like a frightened cat’s tail, his eyebrows were about to jump from his face too, not to mention that his mouth was slowly falling to the wooden floor. “What is it, Gomez? Is something wrong?” She asked worriedly, placing a pale hand on his arm.

     The room had gone completely silent, all attention focused on him. The man soon recovered from his initial shock enough to find his voice. “Wrong? No no, nothing’s… nothing’s wrong, Tish.” He cleared his throat a little, looking to her. “In fact, it’s quite the opposite really.” Suddenly, his face broke out into a very large smile, as did Morticia as she recognised what was in his hands. “(Y/N),” he beamed, beckoning her over, “you have a letter.”

     Frowning in confusion, the girl stood up and made her way over. She didn’t get letters very often, but when she did her parents never acted like this; this was strange – even for them. Once she was in reach, the (y/h/c) girl took the letter, admiring the neat green handwriting, and read the address:

Miss (Y/N) Addams, Third Floor East Wing Bedroom, 0001 Cemetery Lane, Whitby, York

     Strange, whenever she got a letter it never specified her bedroom on the address, especially when it was clearly from no one she knew. Glancing up to her smiling parents and then over to her siblings, who were – judging by the looks on their faces – just as confused as she was, she turned the letter over to view the wax seal as Grandmama took a seat. Everyone watching in anticipation. She studied the strange crest that had been stamped into the red wax, it was a shield, it had four sections on it with a different animal on each, though she couldn’t quite make them out. Then, sucking in a breath, she unsealed it and took out the letter.

     “What does it say?” Pugsley asked curiously, “Read it out!”

     “Er… okay…” She responded, fiddling with the corner of the page, only thinking of what a strange letter this was. Then she read it out loud to her family:

“Dear Miss Addams,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Students shall be required to report to the Chamber of Reception upon arrival, the dates for which shall be duly advised.

Please ensure that the utmost attention be made to the list of requirements attached herewith.

We very much look forward to receiving you as part of the new generation of Hogwarts’ heritage.

Yours sincerely,

Professor McGonagall. (Deputy Headmistress)”

     There was a pause again as everyone processed the information, before Gomez broke it. “This is wonderful!” He bellowed, standing to his feet and opening up his arms rather dramatically. “Absolutely, positively wonde—”

     “—Sorry but… what does all that mean? What’s Hogwarts? What’s all this about?” (Y/N) demanded, possibly even more confused than before.

     Grandmama let out a cackle, her bushy hair moving about with her head. “It is what it says! Hogwarts, the finest school of magic there is!”

     “Don’t you see, my girl?” Gomez grinned, clasping his hands on her shoulders firmly. “You’re a witch! My daughter – a witch! Oh, I never thought this day would come, not ever. A real witch, just like Montgomery!”

     “Who?”

     “Montgomery?” Wednesday commented, clearly knowing more about the subject; she was very curious in their family history and heritage, always snooping through the family books in their library. She was good at that kind of thing – for an eight year old, that is. “Our great-great Grandfather?”

     Morticia shook her head and gracefully swept some hair out of her face with a shiny nail. “No no, darling, your great-great-great Grandfather.” She placed a hand over Pugsley’s shoulder proudly, presenting a kind smile. “He was a wizard – the last wizard in our family.”

     Pugsley gasped excitedly, “A real wizard?”

     “Well of course!” Their Father confirmed. “All squibs after him, though. Born without magic, the lot of us – that is, until now!” His eyes sparkled with delight as he looked towards their eldest, who still looked mildly confused. “(Y/N)! You, mi cucarachita, are the first witch in the family after generations!”

     Shock ran through her body as she finally understood, having absolutely no idea what to say. “Oh…” She let the information settle with her for a moment, before letting herself smile shyly, not able to bring herself to entirely believe what was happening. Still, with their family, stranger things have happened. “So… what now?”

     “Now?” Gomez repeated, “Now we go shopping for your supplies! There’s a list, is there not? We must go to a very special place for this, where is that Grandmama? I recall you mentioning it once or twice.”

     Grandmama clapped her hands. “Oh I know, it’s in London – have to get there through a pub – the back end of The Leaky Cauldron.”

     “What a lovely name…” Morticia commented wistfully, “you shall have to go there very soon. Get all of your things. We have plenty of Galleons and Sickles, and Knuts in the Vault.”

     “The Vault!” Mr Addams exclaimed, “I’ll go there immediately and gather plenty of money! Now (Y/N), go get ready, then we’ll take the car to London and get your things---”

     “But, Gomez,” Morticia interrupted, moving away from Pugsley and toward her husband, “what about the Dark Arts and Crafts event? We already told Aunt Trivia that we would go, and the children were so looking forward to it.”

     “No worries, Tish. You go with the children, and I’ll take (Y/N).” He responded excitedly. “We can make a day of it, some father/daughter bonding, it’s been a while hasn’t it (Y/N/N)? Then you can arrange a party to celebrate. Oh, we must celebrate! Invite everyone! Spread the news! As many guests as we can!”

     “That sounds great!” Pugsley exclaimed, his meat cleaver long forgotten as he made his way around, “We can get ready now.”

     Wednesday nodded, standing up neatly. “Yes,” she agreed in a monotonous voice, “if we get there early we can leave sooner. Then prepare a party.”

     “Well alright,” Mrs Addams smiled, feeling the excitement with everyone else, “go get ready, then when we get back you can help. Wednesday, how would you like to be in charge of invitations?”

     “Okay. Do we have to invite cousin Lumpy?”

     “Yes.”

     She sighed and made her way out with her brother, “Fine.”

     Gomez, who was practically jumping with joy, beamed at his wife. “Well then, Tish, you take them to the fair. And say ‘hello’ to Aunt Trivia for us. I'll get Lurch to get the car ready. (Y/N), go get yourself ready and then make your way to the car!”

     “Okay.” She responded quickly, running off to her room to make herself look presentable - after all, Addams’ may be quirky but they still have a reputation for class. (Y/N) was really quite excited to go shopping for her things, to find out what it was like in the Wizarding Community, what it was like for her Grandfather.

     “Lurch!” Called Gomez, the butler appearing at the doorway behind him almost immediately and letting out a low gurgling sound of acknowledgement. “Ah! Lurch, go prepare the car, would you? We are going to Diagonal Ally! Isn't it brilliant?”

     Another groan was his answer, leaving to prepare their car. It was a very old car, a classic Packard v-12 from 1933. Bought new by the family the day it was released. Kept in perfect condition. Lurch was very proud.

Tag List:

@boyaddams

@too-attached-to-fiction

@kpopgirlbtssvt

@lady-of-lies

@twsssmlmaa

@asadbisexual1

@sugakookiemonster

@theyaremorethanjustfictional

@curlszx88

@cocopuffs1450

@siriuslysirius1107

@miiikkeey

@purpleflamebluesparkles

@qisunny

@clxwnkid

@milfho

@lilqi

If I miss-tagged you let me know.

.

[fanficsandfluff]

Tickletober 2022 - Day 22: Monster

A/N: This one's from my lovely friend @goblinden for sending a prompt with Steve, Eddie, and Dustin in to me! No one has sent me any requests to see a Steddie pairing so I am very happy to have received this. I hope I've done it justice! Also a disclaimer, I know NOTHING about the world of Dungeons & Dragons, so anything I've written is from my friend's help or just purely nonsense out of my brain. Any mistakes aren't my fault lol. Enjoy!

Fandom: Stranger Things

Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Dustin Henderson

Steve was stuck babysitting once again, but this time it wasn't him and 6 freshmen. It was him, Dustin Henderson (so one freshman) and Eddie Munson. For now, at least. Dustin invited Steve to come to one of Eddie's Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, not even asking Eddie for permission first because he figured the guy would say yes to anything he wanted. The perks of being as lovable as Dustin Henderson... And Steve's been reluctant for the few years since actually being close with the group to sit in on any 'nerd' stuff. But now that they had Eddie and his awesome campaigns, Dustin figured the ante was upped and it wasn't a child's game anymore. Steve could handle this.

But the thing was, they were early. Way too early, apparently. So Dustin and Eddie got to talking as they set up their game table together. And Steve plopped himself on the nearby sofa, literally tapping fingers on his knee or picking at his cuticles. Fun times. Right.

Steve tuned in to the end of a conversation Dustin and Eddie were holding as those two sat at their respective seats at the gaming table.

"... but the gelatinous cube could be better than any of the ones we're naming here," came from Dustin's mouth.

Gelatinous cube... disgusting way to say Jell-O, Steve thought.

"How so?" Eddie asked, leaning back in his chair and hiking one leg up to rest over the other.

"So we know the Froghemoth, Roper, Cyclops, even. The first two have the tentacles, which we've mentioned before," Dustin smiled knowingly towards Eddie and continued, "And the other has the brawn we're looking for. But!" he pointed a finger in the air, "Gelatinous cube can't take damage as easily and once you're stuck in that thing, you probably ain't getting out," he said like he just won an argument.

Eddie leaned forward in his seat now, fully intrigued, "You may have something there, Henderson..."

The two curly haired party members turned their heads simultaneously when they heard a scoffing sort of laugh from Steve Harrington, sitting on his lonely little couch.

"Something funny, Steve?" Dustin asked, taking the reigns from something Eddie probably would've said.

"Noho, nothing's funny. Well yeah, a little-- Don't worry about me, just keep talking about your snot cubes and sasquatches."

Eddie rolled his eyes, "Why did you bring the nonbeliever here again?" he flicked his eyes back towards Dustin.

"I told him it'd be fun. He needs a little fun in his life," Dustin argued, "I'm the only fun he's got left--"

"Not true," Steve immediately cut right in, "I have a life, dipshit, thank you very much."

"Yeah, but is it fun without me?"

Steve took a pause too long and Eddie started to laugh.

"Whatever," Steve huffed, folding his arms over his chest and choosing not to look their way, "Enjoy all your dumb nerd games and forget I'm even here, alright?"

Dustin shook his head, never understanding how Steve could say things so hurtful and then still act like he was the victim who was sorely affected. Eddie, however, took this sullen turn as a window of opportunity.

"Fine. Henderson and I haven't even gotten to the good one," Eddie looked right at Dustin again and he smirked, "Nightgaunt."

Dustin tilted his head to the side in confusion at first, "I mean, I get it from the tail angle? Similar to the tentacles on the Roper, but I don't really get another--" Eddie's remaining smirk finally tipped him off. A huge smile sprung to Dustin's face.

"The nightgaunt," Eddie pulled out a little hint of his DM voice, "Similar in build to the bats from hell," he meant the Upside Down, "Mixed with the size of the dogs from hell," again, Upside Down.

Steve would never admit it got to him, but Eddie using his DM voice immediately sparked intrigue in him. He wanted to turn and lean in closer, just like Dustin was doing. But he said what he said and wasn't turning back now, still avoiding any kind of eye contact with those two. That didn't mean he still couldn't eavesdrop.

"And their tail?" Dustin asked, continuing to fabricate the story with Eddie, wanting him to get into details.

"Ah yes, their extra long tails with the spearheaded tip," Eddie held his arms up and mimed aiming a spear, really getting into the spirit of it, "Pliable, strong... perfect for grappling with!" Eddie lunged and laced an arm around Dustin's neck, dragging the kid over towards Steve.

"Hey!" Dustin uttered his surprise but knew it was all part of the act... or maybe it was under the guise of the act, but Eddie took his chance to physically annoy him.

"Imagine it, the tail wrapping around your neck so you're scarce for breath; your arms come up to try and pry the tail off of you, but now the tail wraps around each of your arms and pins them, too," Eddie kept narrating and Dustin was helping him by acting it out.

Steve was watching them, failing at his attempts to ignore the two of them. And god dammit, he was almost feeling anxious from all of their intricacy.

"You're gasping, you're not strong enough to break free," Eddie flicked his dark brown eyes Steve's way and grinned to see him enveloped in his tale, "And all the while, that lengthy tail is wrapping itself around your arms, your waist, your legs, even. Oh yeah. It's long, Stevie boy," he finally directly made eye contact with the ex-jock, now crouching by Dustin's legs, "And when you think that it can't get worse, that your end is in sight...!" Eddie paused for dramatic effect.

He launched himself right for Steve on the couch, the suddenness making the guy jump back and brace himself, gripping one hand into the back of the couch and the other on the armrest. His eyes were wide and Eddie's face was inches from his. And Eddie had a wild look in his eye, matching his wild hair and demeanor.

"Go ahead and ask me what happens next, big boy," Eddie encouraged Steve.

Steve swallowed before asking, "Wh-What happens next?"

"The nightgaunt, with all its claws and horns and horror..." Eddie righted his head and positioned his body over the couch, flexing his fingers so unnoticeably to Steve since the man was staring right at his face. Perfect, "... it fucking tickles you, man!" Eddie practically screamed and his face shifted entirely to pure joy as he hopped himself up on Steve on the couch and dug his fingers into the man's ribs.

Steve looked shocked at almost the sheer volume of Eddie's words and didn't even absorb what he said so much before he let out a scream of his own and coughed out a laugh, flailing to cover up.

"Wahait! Wait--Wait wait ack! F-Fuhucking-- EDDIE!" Steve tried growling but he was on his back on the couch with the damn freak straddling him from above and spidering his fingers in any spot of torso he could reach.

Dustin was now laughing, too, ecstatic their little show had this kind of payoff, "Ha! Still gonna call us nerds?"

"Or our games dumb?" Eddie threw in with a grin, pinching right into Steve's hips while he had the opening. Steve bucked and the most genuine laugh they'd heard yet flew from his lips.

"OHOho shhhh---" Steve was ready to curse some more but he was laughing too much, "Y-Youhu guys suck!"

Eddie smirked, "So it's a no, then," he vibrated fingers into Steve's belly while his other hand kept Steve's fighting arms at bay. Steve jumped up again on the couch and his laughter jumped in pitch.

"Just picture the nightgaunt focusing all its energy riiiiight here," Eddie taunted more as he kept the tickly pressure on Steve's belly. He did it so precisely that he got Steve to snort after a few extra seconds of tickling there. Hearing that got Dustin laughing again. Eddie could safely say he was happy, too.

Dustin ran up to the side of the couch now, exclaiming, "I roll! I cast hideous laughter!" he pointed his finger in Steve's face and laughed as evilly as he could before poking more into Steve's ribs and he occasionally got a good poke in his armpit. Steve squeaked when that happened and now Dustin was using all his energy to try and pin one of his arms but it wasn't working.

"Hang on, hang on, allow me," Eddie saw Dustin struggling and he reached down and fluttered a few fingers against Steve's neck.

This tried and true hack caused Steve's shoulders to hunch, his arms to raise, and now Eddie snatched one up and pinned it above him against the couch. A bonus was Steve's bright giggle that came forth from the neck tickles.

"Hideous laughter commencing, bard," Eddie grinned at Dustin and put all his effort in keeping Steve's hand right where it was.

Dustin scratched at Steve's now exposed armpit. And Steve practically exploded in laughter. It was loud and at times squeaky. He was trying to squirm, but Eddie's weight kept him down. His next effort was to use his free arm to block access to his sensitive underarm. But then Eddie got his stomach again and confused his senses so he couldn't decide which to fend off.

"OHO FUHUCK OHOhohofff!" Steve cackled.

"Sorry, Harrington. Hideous laughter practically immobilizes you. Makes you unable to do anything because you're laughing to ha-hahard--- hey!" he giggled himself when Steve's new use with his free arm was to try and tickle back.

Steve pulled his other arm out of Eddie's grip and pushed Dustin away, "Seeheems like your spell's got a flaw in it. Not immobilized," he poked and squeezed at Eddie's belly and sides to get him back and off of him now. It only lasted briefly until Eddie was giggling and no longer straddling him.

Steve pulled himself to the opposite end of the couch and caught his breath, running a hand through his hair to try and fix it. It had gone wild from the attack.

Dustin smiled at Steve like he meant the world to him... and then Steve looked at Eddie at the guy shared the same stupid smile. Now Steve was smiling, Jesus Christ what has become of him.

"Enough monsters, okay? Save them for your game-- campaign."

"He can be taught!" Eddie cheered triumphantly and he patted Steve's leg as he stood up off the couch, "There's an extra seat for you at the table, you know. So you won't have to be relegated to banishment on the sad stoner couch," he grinned.

Steve chuckled and shook his head fondly. Within minutes, the rest of the party was here and they began their campaign. Steve sat at the corner next closest to Eddie and watched as the story unfolded. Hey, it was pretty fun. Even if he didn't understand more than half of the terminology being used. But the kids were having fun, Eddie was a riot, and so he could learn to have a little bit of fun, too.

[the-faramir]

Niji-iro Midori: The Reluctant Ringmaster

Chapter 4: Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys

During one night's performance of the Celestial Menagerie, a commotion arose from the audience. An outraged upper-class member of the audience accused Toby of short-changing him. While the clowns performed, Mistress Dusklight herself went into the stands to settle the conflict.

"Mistress Dusklight! This ginger fool can't even count! I gave him a platinum and he gave me change for a gold! Are you simple, boy? I demand the rest!"

"Sir, we will resolve this matter," Mistress Dusklight replied, "but please let's not disrupt the performance. Now, Toby—"

"Stuff and nonsense!" The portly patron reached out toward Toby. "I'm taking my platinum back now!" The man grabbed at Toby's change purse, tearing the fabric and scattering coins about. In the cascade, a few earrings, bracelets, and gold coins ricocheted onto the floor. "What? My antique watch! How did you lift that from me, boy?"

Some of the surrounding audience, also seeing their stolen property, started an uproar, stopping the clown act altogether.

"Intolerable, Dusklight! Scandal! Disgrace!" The overweight man turned several shades of red not usual for human skin. "What kind of operation are you running here? No. I will not stand for this. Friends! Let us leave and never patronize this establishment again!"

Audience members scrambled to retrieve their stolen valuables, taking all of the coins Toby had collected in payment for tonight's concessions as well. As a good third of the audience left the tent, loudly clamoring for refunds, Mistress Dusklight turned to Toby, her ears pointed out sideways and her eyes practically incandescent with rage. She simply said, "My office. Now."

Having heard the ruckus from midway, and since the crowds had long since left to fill the big top for the show, Midori locked up the booth she had been running all evening and followed Mistress Dusklight and Toby, moving stealthily in the shadows to avoid anybody's notice. Arriving at her quarters, Mistress Dusklight greeted Mazael, her new aasimar bodyguard. The lovestruck young man stood at attention as the two approached, smiled at Dusklight fawningly, opened the door, let the two inside, and then closed the door, standing guard.

Midori sneaked around to the open window in the back, escaping Mazael's senses. She could hear everything from that vantage point.

"Toby, Toby, Toby!" Mistress Dusklight exasperated. "What went on back there?"

"Mistress Dusklight, ma'am!" Toby snapped to attention like a soldier addressing his captain. "They have so much and we have little. So I take a bit from those who can afford it. You know we all do it. I've done this for years and never got caught in the act. Never. Nobody gets caught. But that fat guy, it was dark in the stands. I couldn't see his coin was platinum. Nobody pays in platinum. Usually silver. Sometimes gold. If he just said 'gimme change for a plat,' I woulda known and that whole scene wouldn't'a gone down. Honest mistake. Won't happen again, ma'am!"

Mistress Dusklight's ears flicked backward for a split second. "For years, you say?" She began pacing back and forth. "You are damned right that won't happen again! Tonight, we lost nearly half of the audience." She pivoted and took a few steps away from Toby, her anger clearly growing by the second. "They all wanted refunds." She turned on her heel and leaned forward toward Toby with her arms spread out as if in explanation. "REFUNDS, Toby! And they won't be coming back! This is going to set the Celestial Menagerie back quite a bit. We will have to tighten our belts." She turned away again, stepping past her desk, her right hand skimming the desktop and picking something up off of its surface that Toby could not quite see. She spun around and took four quick steps, closing the distance between herself and Toby, her tail puffed and flicking furiously from side to side. "But do you know the worst thing, Toby? The thing that you've done in all of this that hurts me the most?" Toby, surprised, shook his head quickly. "You've been pickpocketing for years, and YOU'VE! NEVER! PAID! ME! TRIBUTE!" She emphasized every one of those last words with a thrust of her dagger into Toby's ribcage.

Toby looked down at his chest, aghast, then back up to Mistress Dusklight until his vision faded and he collapsed onto the floor with a weak, wet groan.

"I'm afraid, Toby, that your services are no longer required. Good day, sir." Dusklight tossed her bloody dagger onto her desk. "The Celestial Menagerie wishes you the best of luck in your future endeavors."

Hearing Toby collapse, Midori panicked and jumped through the window to come to his aid. The bottom fell out of her life as she saw him on the floor, lifeless. Midori fell to her knees and looked up into Mistress Dusklight's startled face.

"Mistress Dusklight?" Midori pleaded, "What happened?"

Mistress Dusklight chuckled. "Midori, I know Toby was an…attachment…to you. But in this business, there is so much workforce turnover that it's best not to get too close to anyone." Her eyes glowed gold and her pupils dilated as she pulled at her web of magical influence to manipulate Midori's emotions, staring unblinkingly into her tear-brimmed eyes. "Forget him." Her voice took on a honeyed, purring quality. "He is nothing. Go back to your post. Do not react. I am your mother. You will obey me. Good carnies follow orders." Dusklight grinned evilly as her power surged.

In Midori's head, there was practically an audible snap as her rising emotions overwhelmed Mistress Dusklight's spell. In a moment of clarity, all of the memories of all of the times in which Dusklight mistreated her or one of her fellow Celestial Menagerie members came flooding into her mind. Not only had Dusklight's cruel treatment caused people to leave the circus, but she had killed other performers before! Dusklight simply convinced everyone that her victims had left on their own accord. Nobody ever dared to question her.

Dusklight felt a twinge of feedback from her spells breaking; she knew that further manipulation would not be possible. Midori jumped to her feet, her boiling rage washing away her sensibilities. She raised her hands at Mistress Dusklight, her tiny, dull claws barely visible, and managed to force out coherent words: "Dusklight! Why I oughtta���!"

Dusklight snorted out a derisive laugh. "Oh, little kit! You could hardly open a letter with those. But still, my hands have gotten dirty enough tonight." She changed her voice to sound sweet and vulnerable, but could not help sounding sarcastic. "Oh, help! Help! There is an intruder in my quarters!"

Almost immediately, Mazael launched himself through the door, drawing his sword as his shiny plate armor clanked. "Fair Mistress! Someone threatens thee? This tiny vixen, mayhap?"

Seeing the sword drawn on her forced Midori to come to her senses, at least somewhat. "Whoa, whoa, Maz! Keep it in your scabbard! Mistress Dusklight and I were just having a friendly discussion." With no immediate threat to Mistress Dusklight, Mazael lowered his sword somewhat. "Turns out, I was just leaving, see? I'm outta here, leaving for somewhere better, and I just came to say goodbye." Midori drew a deep, calming breath. She redirected her murderous rage into the only other channel she had available: song. She cleared her throat, drew another breath, and turned to Dusklight. She began to sing:

🎵🎵🎵

You think you own me, you think you can cage me You think you can abuse me and not enrage me But you don’t know me, you don’t see the real me You don’t feel the fire, the desire, that frees me

🎵🎵🎵

Mistress Dusklight arched an eyebrow.

🎵🎵🎵

I’m a wild soul, I’m a fox in the night I’m a star in the sky, I’m a spark of the light I’m a wild soul, I’m a dreamer of dreams I’m a seeker of wonders, I’m a maker of schemes

I’m a wild soul, and I’m leaving you behind I’m a wild soul, and I’m going to find A place where I belong, a place where I can shine A place where I can be myself, a place that can be mine

🎵🎵🎵

With the circus show over, other circus folk heard Midori's song and wandered by. Some came in through the open door. Others gathered by the windows. A few security bruisers came to stand behind Mistress Dusklight. Some of Midori's friends, seeing Toby dead on the floor and not knowing what happened, came over to stand by Midori.

Seeing that she had an audience, Midori used the trick that Myron taught her to amplify her voice, carrying it throughout the circus grounds and into the big top. She poured her soul into her song in an effort to reach out to everyone in the Celestial Menagerie and break as many of Mistress Dusklight's spells as she could.

🎵🎵🎵

You call us freaks, you call us monsters You call us tools and fools and bothers But you need us, you want us, you fear us You need our charm, our skill, our talent

You say you’re an artist, you say you’re a star You say you’re a master, a leader, a czar But you’re a tyrant, you’re a liar, you’re a cheat You’re a coward, a traitor, a thief

You can’t stop me, you can’t hold me, you can’t control me You can’t hurt me, you can’t break me, you can’t erase me You can’t keep me, you can’t have me, you can’t own me You can’t change me, you can’t tame me, you can’t claim me

I’m a wild soul, and I’m leaving you behind I’m a wild soul, and I’m going to find A place where I belong, a place where I can shine A place where I can be myself, a place where I can be free

I’m a wild soul, and I’m saying goodbye I’m a wild soul, and I’m ready to fly A place where I belong, a place where I can shine A place where I can be myself, a place that can be mine

🎵🎵🎵

Seeing that she was rapidly losing support, Mistress Dusklight stepped into the metaphorical spotlight with her rebuttal:

🎵🎵🎵

You think you’re free, you think you can escape me You think you can betray me, desert me, and forsake me But you owe me, you serve me, you belong to me You owe me your life, your loyalty, your destiny

You’re a lost soul, you’re a fox in a trap You’re a speck in the dark, you’re a stain on the map You’re a lost soul, you’re a dreamer of lies You’re a seeker of trouble, you’re a maker of cries

You’re a lost soul, and you’re making a mistake You're a lost soul, and you’re going to break They call me the boss, they call me the queen You call me a coward, a bully, a fiend?

But they love me, they admire me, they envy me They love my art, my fame, my glory

You say you’re a star, you say you’re a hero You say you’re the leader, and you say I’m a zero But you’re a puppet, YOU’RE a liar, YOU’RE a cheat YOU’RE the coward, the traitor, the thief

You can’t fool me, you can’t outrun me, you can’t defy me You can’t hurt me, you can’t beat me, you can’t deny me You can’t leave me, you can’t forget me, you can’t ignore me You can’t change me, you can’t resist me, you can’t oppose me

You’re a lost soul, and you’re making a mistake You’re a lost soul, and you’re going to break You’re a lost soul, and you’re saying goodbye? You’ll stay with me or you’re GOING TO DIE!

🎵🎵🎵

Not to shy away from a challenge, Midori replied in a way that she knew would hit Dusklight right where it hurt:

🎵🎵🎵

Your ex-boyfriend Thunder, he’s upset You know he left you because of something that you said And he didn’t like the way you treat everyone like trash

He was a father to me and all the rest So, more than you, we all love him the best And we’re leaving here to go to a show with more panache

We’ll be in the back seat of Papa Thunder’s wagon He’ll be driving to the Circus of Wayward Wonders And I can’t help but think that this is where we belong 'Cause we’ve been dreaming of joining him all along

Oh, I remember you taking me away In the middle of the night

You said you wanted me to be your star But you never treated me right

You said I was a member of your family But you lied, you lied, you lied

So Mistress Dusklight, can’t you see That you can’t control me

No, no, you don’t control me

And we’ll be on the stage with Papa Thunder’s crew We’re putting on a show that makes the crowd go wild And I can’t help but smile, 'cause this is what I love And I know that he loves me too

🎵🎵🎵

Mistress Dusklight stood still, arms crossed, with a scowl on her face and her left eye twitching. "Hmph." She snapped her fingers. "Guards! Kill her!"

Mazael and the two security guards stepped toward Midori, who raised her fists and wished that she had a rapier or dagger so that she could at least take one of them down with her in the impending battle.

Brondin Stonehammer, an armored dwarf with a blood-red beard who worked in crowd control, stepped between Midori and Dusklight's minions. He slammed the haft of his greataxe onto the floor with a resounding boom. "Do not touch her! She's done nothing wrong."

Stefano, one of the circus riggers, stepped in next to Brondin, his fists raised in a fighting stance. "Is this really how you treat family, Mistress?"

More of Midori's friends looked at each other, nodding, and moved in between her and Dusklight with shouts of "We quit, Dusklight!" and "We're with Midori!"

"FOOLS!" Mistress Dusklight thundered. A team of heavily muscled goons in clown costumes and whimsical greasepaint entered the room to stand behind Dusklight, armed with clubs, maces, brass knuckles, and the like. "You are hopelessly outnumbered! Even if you were able to fight your way out of my chambers, you would never survive running the gauntlet of my minions to escape the circus grounds."

Bufurug, Midori's favorite cook and resident druid, piped up meekly in his raspy, high-pitched voice,

"Don't worry, folks, I'll get you out of here safely." Everyone in the room, including Mistress Dusklight, turned to look at the little shoony doubtfully.

A goblin in the back jeered "Whatcha gonna do, bite our ankles?"

Bufurug replied, "Um, no, well, I was actually thinking…." and quickly transformed into the ferocious shape of a tyrannosaurus rex, breaking through the ceiling and outer wall, sending wood-and-glass shrapnel throughout Mistress Dusklight's trailer, knocking Dusklight and her flunkies to the floor. Bufurug let out a thunderous feral bellow that Midori swore sounded like his voice shouting "Run!"

And run they did, hidden in the wake of the rampaging dinosaur. They soon ran safely away from the circus grounds and toward Abberton, the outskirts of which hosted the Circus of Wayward Wonders.

Meanwhile, Dusklight and her minions picked themselves up from the rubble on the floor in her destroyed office. She caught the eye of Ruanna Nyamma, a flame-red-haired half-elven carnival barker who had done a significant amount of dirty work for her in the past. "Ruanna! Form up a team with two others. I have a job for you…."

Chapter 1: We Are On a Diplomatic Mission to Absalom

Chapter 2: The Circus Arrives Without Warning

Chapter 3: Hi-Diddle-De-Dee, a Carny's Life for Me

Chapter 5: One Does Not Simply Walk Into Abberton (Coming Soon)

Chapter 6: The Circus of Wayward Wonders (Coming Soon)

[maximwtf]

“It’s a tie, for now...”

                                        Ilima x injured Reader

words:1167

google docs pages: 3

warnings: injury, I think thats all?

opening: Ilima challenged you to a battle, but one of his attacks hits you by accident.

Not Proof Read!!

AN// I started playing sun finally after finishing moon like almost a year ago and I still love Ilima just as much, so here we are!  A short lil fanfic of him :D

                                 “It’s a tie, for now…”

You were at the training field of the school with Ilima. He had asked for you to fight with him again, because it had been a while since the last time. The island challenge had taken longer than you had expected and your main team was taking a break. That's why you had Herdier and Rockruff ready to battle. You thought this would be a great opportunity for them to learn more about fighting and get better at it. This was safer than fighting wild pokemon, because Ilima was your friend and wouldn’t push you or your pokemon too hard. 

“You ready? I’ll take the victory this time!” He hummed to you, with a slight smirk on his face. It truly had been a while since you two had had the time to hang out like this, because both of you seemed to be too busy to spend your free time like this. “I sure am. Let’s see if you’ve gotten any better since last time.” You replied to him, as you took Herdier’s pokeball in your hand, ready to release him on the field. “Then we shall begin.” Ilima replied and released his pokemon. “Gumsoosh, I choose you!” Was all you heard before the creature appeared from its ball to the ground. It had it’s arms behind its back as it slowly lifted its gaze up to you. You smirked a little at this and released yours. “Herdier!” You said as the dog looking pokemon appeared in front of you. He shook his fur for a moment, before taking a proper stand. “I believe in you buddy, okay?” You whispered to him, before lifting your gaze back to Ilima. “Gumshoos, use bite!” Ilima directed Gumshoos, and it did as it was told. You didn’t have time to command Herdier to dodge, and the bite landed on him. His health didn’t go too low, but he was too stunned to move. “Gumshoos, use tackle!” Ilima commanded again. “Herdier, dodge and use play rough!” You yelled out, hoping that he would still have time to dodge. You bit your teeth together and saw how Herdier dodged Gumshoos’ attack barely. He then charged at and landed his attack perfectly on Gumshoos. Gumshoos’ health lowered quite a bit because of that, but it was still standing. “Gumshoos, use bite again!” Ilima commanded, and Gumshoos did as it was told. Herdier didn’t have time to dodge the attack, and Gumshoos was able to land a critical hit. This caused Herdier to fall on the ground, fainted. You retrieved him to his ball, and took Rockruff's ball in your hand. Ilima grouched down to pet gumshoos for a moment before he let gumshoos rest in his ball again before he would be able to heal them. Ilima then got up, and took his second pokeball in his hand. “You ready?” He asked. You nodded, still determined. “Rockruff, I choose you!” You yelled out as Rockruff appeared in front of you, barking a few times before taking a stand. Ilima smiled at your Rockruff before sending out his pokemon. “Smeargle!” Ilima said, and the paint brush tailed pokemon you had seen multiple times before appeared in front of Ilima. It flicked its tail back and forth behind its back. You started this round. “Rockruff, use rock slide!” you directed him. Rockruff barked a few times, then forming the attack. Bigger and smaller rocks landed on Smeargle, dealing a great amount of damage. “Good job!” You smiled and clapped at Rockruff. Smeargle shook its head, and stood back up. “Smeargle, sketch!” Ilima directed. Smeargle used sketch, and copied rock slide into its attacks. “Rockruff, use bite!” Rockruff tried to use bite, but Smeargle dodged it. “Smeargle, use rock slide!” ilima used the new attack. Smeargle used rockslide, but Rockruff dodged it. Your eyes widened as you realised what was about to happen. The rocks from the attack hit straight at you, making you fall down onto the ground. Rockruff turned around as it heard you fall, and ran to your side, barking as an alarm. “Y/N!” Ilima yelled out, running to your side. “Are you okay?” He tilted his head a little, and kneeled next to you. You sat up slowly, and rubbed your eyes. Soms sand had gotten into them from the rocks. “I think I got some sand in my eyes…” You murmured, trying to blink away the sand. It felt like sandpaper being rubbed against your bare eyes. “I think I have some water with me, if you want to try to wash it out?” Ilima requested, taking a small bottle of water from his bag. “Yes…thank you..” You hovered your hand towards Ilima, and taking the bottle after a little bit. “Does it hurt anywhere else?” Ilima then asked as you started to use the water to clean your eyes. “I think…I think I just got my air kicked out of me…kind of hard to breathe.” You admitted, wincing a little while washing your eyes. “Ahh..there's a small scar on your cheek..” Ilima commented, carefully turning your head to the side with his hand. “I think cleaning it and putting a bandaid on it will do just fine though.” He added, letting go of your chin. 

You blinked your eyes for a moment, making sure that the sand was finally out before handing the bottle back to Ilima. “Thank you so much…” You hummed, looking for Rockruff with your gaze. He seemed to be near you, playing with Smeargle. As soon as he noticed you, he took off to come and see how you were doing. You pat his head. “You did well too…” 

“Come on, let’s get you up from there.” Ilima said, and stood up while offering his hand to you. You took it gladly, and stood up with his help. “I think I might have also gotten a hit on my head. Everything is spinning a little.” You said, trying to get a hold of Ilima’s shoulder so you wouldn't fall down again. “Let’s go inside for a moment then, shall we? We can end the battle in a tie.” He smiled, coming closer to you so you could lean on him. “That’s a good idea.” You hummed, taking a hold of his arm. 

Rockruff and Smeargle followed behind you and Ilima as he led you to his house, since it was closer. He led you to his room, and allowed you to lay down for a moment as he continued some of his studies he had started earlier. Maybe some other day you’d figure out who actually won.

[acr3ss-the-cosmos]

How Chenhua Got Orchid

It was a typical day on the Xianzhou Luofu for one tiny 6 year old Fennekian girl, or at least, it had started out that way. That morning she had woken up, eaten breakfast with her mother and father, and then attended her schooling for the day. Nothing out of the ordinary happened until later that evening, when the colors of the sky began to shift from blues to hues of yellows and oranges.

Chenhua and her father were walking home, the girl happily holding his hand, when she saw something glisten through the corner of her marigold orange eye.

"Bàba, wait!" She exclaimed, stopping her father in his tracks.

"Hmm? What is it, Chenhua?" He asked his daughter, curious as to what attracted her attention.

Chenhua pointed towards a narrow alley to their right, her large ears flicking.

"I think I saw something over there!" She said, starting to walk towards the alley's entrance.

As she got closer, she could make out something moving on the ground, twitching every so often. The girl could now see that it was a badly damaged Cycrane, and she let out a dismayed gasp.

"Oh no!"

Small hands reached out to carefully pick up the robotic bird, and Chenhua started to gently stroke its head.

"I'm so sorry that you're hurt." She soothed with a tiny voice full of sympathy and worry. Her ears perked up as she heard her father approach from behind, and he began to lightly scold her.

"Chenhua! You know you shouldn't walk off on your own!"

"I'm sorry, bàba, but look!" She held up the Cycrane for him to see, her ears flattening against her head. "It's hurt!"

A look of surprise took over her father's face, and then softened as he caught sight of his daughter's concerned demeanor. Even when she barely knew how to speak, Chenhua always seemed to have a fascination with the artificial intelligence created by the Xianzhou Alliance. In hindsight, it shouldn't have surprised him that she had such a heart for the broken Cycrane. He had been a craftsmaster in the Artisanship Commission for almost 50 years, so naturally some of that interest would have passed on to his daughter.

Chenhua's father hummed in thought as he assessed the damage.

"It doesn't appear to be too badly damaged; nothing that a few repairs wouldn't fix."

The Fennekian girl's eyes shined hopefully. "Does that mean we can help it?"

A smile showed itself on the man's face, and with it came a light chuckle. "Yes, Chenhua, we can. Let's get home quickly so we can get to my tools."

"Ok, bàba." Chenhua responded with a determined little nod of her head.

The two started off towards their home once more, this time with one Cycrane being cradled in the girl's arms. Her tail swished as she looked down at the robotic creature with gentle eyes.

"We're gonna help you, little birdy. Don't worry -- you're safe with us now."

[memento-morianon]

random excerpt

this is from book 2's rough draft, (because i cannot write in a linear fashion) taking place when Morianon and Evarin are on their 5th wedding anniversary vacation to connect with his people and learn more about their culture. Their host is named Zarek, and his oldest son Tezo has voluntarily become their guide for a lot of things. He's very excited to be their friend and help them experience the quetzalin culture! He's also happy to have a reason to practice the "common" international language more, since he's trying to follow his father's footsteps and study linguistics, to become a translator or maybe just to travel outside the rainforest.

excerpt will be partly under a cut because it's long. there is casual nudity but it's not described in detail and the content remains PG aside from that.

Morianon stirred and squinted at the knocking sound that woke him up. Evarin snuggled deeper into his feathers, hiding her face from the early morning light. 

"Sorry to wake you!" Tezo chirped behind the door, "you said you'd like to join a traditional preening, and now is a perfect time." 

"We'll be out in a moment," Morianon called back to him, gently shaking Evarin awake. 

"Early birds," she grumbled, crinkling her snout and rubbing her eyes. Morianon was already on his feet, ruffling his feathers.

"If you're that sleepy, you can take a nap later," he said. Evarin waved a hand dismissively as she got up. 

Once clothed, they joined Tezo outside the guest house. He smiled at them, bouncing on his toes and lightly flicking his tail. 

"I am so happy to show you our traditions," he said, "my friends do not speak other languages, but they know International Sign, so you will not be left out." 

"Thank you," Morianon sighed in relief, "someday, I hope I can hold a full conversation in Quetzalin, but-" 

"We'll get there," Evarin assured him, taking his hand. Tezo nodded enthusiastically, gesturing for them to follow him. 

"You already pronounce our words very good," he said "you will come back again and get better." 

“Of course,” Evarin replied, “every year, at least once a year. If all goes well, we’ll have a hatchling next time we visit.” She squeezed Morianon’s hand and grinned. He wrapped his wing around her, holding her close.

“I am working on it,” Tezo laughed. He guided them over the bridges between trees, past quiet groups of other Quetzalin starting their own morning routines. Morianon looked up and watched a few people leap from their balconies, spreading their wings to fly across the enormous clearing below. A few small flocks of young dancers were already out, twirling in the air, heckling and encouraging each other at the same time. 

“Maybe we should invite some family down here too,” he mused, “just so they can see it.” While he watched the dancers, Tezo skipped ahead with his wings fluttering, calling out to several quetzalin entering a building. They all turned and grinned, calling back and waiting for him.

"Oh those must be his friends," Evarin said, pulling Morianon forward. Tezo waved his friends closer and spoke to them in Quetzalin while gesturing and signing at Morianon and Evarin. 

"These are my family's guests," he signed, "they are learning our language and customs. Be kind and patient." He pointed at both of them in turn; "Norianon and Etharin," he said. Then he pointed at each of his friends; "Lir, Tika, Rou, Otin, Ezi,"and each of them smiled and nodded. Morianon took note of their plumage, focusing on their main colors. Dark blue, red, pale gray, mottled brown, and yellow. 

"We are glad to meet you," Evarin signed, hoping her hand shape was not too foreign to them. But they returned her gesture in kind and she relaxed. 

"Come then, inside," Tezo herded the little flock into the preening spa, letting Morianon and Evarin follow behind him. "We preen nude," he explained while his friends passed through a heavy curtain, "there are shelves for your clothing." 

"Ah, but we only just got dressed," Morianon laughed, holding the curtain aside as he followed Tezo. Evarin hesitated. 

"Tezo?" she called softly. 

"Yes?" he paused with his waist sash half undone. Evarin glanced down at herself, tugging her shirt hem. 

"My body is… very different from yours. Do you think your friends would be uncomfortable seeing me nude?" Tezo tilted his head and pondered for a moment. Morianon squeezed his wife's hand. 

"Ev, they all seem quite nice. I'm sure it's no different from the mud spas back home." 

"Back home, people already knew me," Evarin murmured, pressing her knees together. 

"No one will be uncomfortable with you," Tezo replied, but he smiled apologetically. "They may stare a little; it is rare for outsiders to join the preening." 

"Do what feels comfortable, Ev," Morianon reassured her, "I want you to be here with me." He pulled her forward gently and she followed. 

"I think I'll leave my underwear on this time," she said. 

"That is alright." Tezo removed his clothing and jewelry, tucking it next to his friends' things. "Preening is about comfort. Oh!" He turned with a look of embarrassment. "I forgot to explain preening rules." 

"Rules like no flirting in the spa?" Morianon grinned and untied his waist cloth. "We have that rule at the mud spas too." Evarin smiled, keeping her back to Tezo as she removed her clothes. 

"Yes," Tezo replied, "no being sexy. It is impolite. But, we also have rules about where you can preen another person." He put his hands on his chest. "Shoulders and wings, anyone can preen. Chest and lower, tail, and back, only partners can preen." He moved a hand to his feathered cheek. "Family and friends can preen face and head," he continued, "we use hands for everyone. Preening with your mouth is for loved ones, family or partners, or good good friends." 

"Thank you," Morianon nodded, "we'll be careful." 

Beyond the small curtained room, the others were lounging on benches and the sandy floor. A fountain of water bubbled up from the corner of the spa room, filling a shallow pool. The gray-feathered friend was already in the water, flicking their wings to splash it over their body. Everyone else had spread their wings out, gently laying them over each other’s laps and combing their fingers through the feathers. It reminded Evarin of a braiding circle, laughing with her friends as they all did each other’s hair. 

“It’s cozy in here,” she said, holding Morianon’s hand and keeping close under his wing. He nodded in reply, eyes darting to examine every detail of the space. He admired the feathery carvings on the rounded corners of the walls, painted in every color to represent the whole flock. 

“Norianon, join us,” Tezo waved his hands at the preening circle, getting his friends to scoot over and make room. Morianon followed and sat beside him, letting go of Evarin. She stepped back and sat on another bench nearby, watching as Tezo demonstrated proper preening technique. “Look here,” he said, gently lifting Morianon’s wing feathers, “you have not preened well on your own. It is better with friends; we reach more places.” He picked a few flakes of keratin out of Morianon’s wing, leftovers from his last molt. 

“My friends and family try,” Morianon sighed, shoulders tense. He could feel the dull threat of anxiety in his heartbeat, lingering at the edges of his mind as he allowed Tezo to touch his wings. 

“Watch me,” Tezo said, “this is how we preen. You can try with the others.” His fingers combed over the fibers of Morianon’s feathers, starting from the base and moving toward the tips. His sharp nails pulled the fibers together while also snagging any loose keratin flakes or dead skin and pulling them out. “Hold your fingers at an angle, like this. It works better.” Tezo nodded towards the yellow-feathered quetzalin on Morianon’s other side. “Try with Ezi. And practice speaking too, it is good for you to speak our language.” 

“Yeah,” Morianon nodded and turned towards Ezi. They smiled at him and stretched their wing over his lap. Cautiously, he ran his fingers through their feathers, listening to the quiet conversation all around him. The quetzalin language was chirpy and light, full of trills and clicks. He knew some of the words. Please and thank you, welcome, dancer, watcher, friend. Ezi spoke slow so he could keep up, signing with a free hand occasionally to cover the words he didn’t catch. Little by little, the conversations started to make sense. Gossip, mostly. He smiled. Petty mundane conversation about who was flirting with who, which dancers were catching the most attention in the popular courting circles. His anxiety faded, and he allowed Ezi to preen his feathers in turn. 

Just outside the group, Evarin was also trying to keep up with the conversation. She caught bits and pieces, understanding the tone of humor and sarcasm, noting the central topic of courting dances. The gray friend, Rou, if she remembered right, left the fountain and joined the group, feathers still dripping. 

Evarin smiled as she watched Morianon relax and laugh, stumbling over his words as he tried to speak the language. No one mocked him for it, gently correcting his pronunciation and suggesting words when he faltered. He didn’t turn to look at her, completely engulfed by joy as he became part of the flock. But the others around him did glance towards her now and again. Their eyes lingered on her belly, appearing confused. 

Looking down at herself, trying to figure out what they found so odd, she realized it must have been her belly button. So exposed, the apparent hole in her gut must have caught them off guard. Morianon didn’t have one, she knew. Just a little nub of a scar under his feathers, where she assumed the egg yolk had been connected to him as a fetus. Had he been born in an egg? She wasn’t actually sure, since he claimed his birth mother had been an elf. 

The stares made her nervous. She folded her arms around herself and leaned forward. Morianon was opening up, laughing, making friends. Evarin was alone. She couldn’t keep up with the language, she had no feathers to preen. She longed to sit with her husband, to let someone braid her hair. But Tezo had mentioned that the head was only for close friends and family, and she was a stranger here.

The red-feathered one, she couldn’t remember their name, kept glancing at her more frequently than the others. She caught their eyes and for a moment they stared at each other. They said something quietly to their friend with the dark blue feathers, and then stood and walked away from the group to sit beside Evarin. She straightened up in surprise.

“E-tha-rin?” they asked, waving their hand towards her. She nodded. “Tika,”they said with a grin, tapping their chest. 

“Ket’uh, Tika,” Evarin replied, hoping she had pronounced their “hello” correctly. Tika nodded, eyes bright. They reached their hand out again, curling their fingers slightly. Evarin followed their gaze to her own hand and reached out in reply, letting them touch her. They sat closer, pulling her arm to their lap and looking over it. The hair over her skin was dark and thick, and Tika seemed intrigued by it. They glanced towards her again, tilting their head. She nodded. They hesitantly ran their sharp nails through her arm hairs, combing them as if they were tiny feathers. 

Evarin’s heart felt warm, watching Tika preen her arm hair. They were silent, communicating with her through their eyes and their smile. Hands occupied, they couldn’t sign to her, but it didn’t matter. The room felt so much smaller, suddenly. The distance between Evarin and the preening circle had shrunk, though she hadn’t moved from her spot. Their conversation was louder in her ears, their laughter touched her a little deeper. Tika’s fingernails didn’t leave any marks on her skin, but she felt marked all the same. Like the scars of the stroi, or the braids of the dwarves, proving their place in a family or clan. Evarin had been claimed and given a place; part of the flock.

[ritualoftheancients]

Ritual of the Ancients Chapter 18: The Ren Faire

by Roan Rosser

This is a chapter of a complete vampire novel with a trans-masc main character and a gay romance subplot. New Chapters are posted every Sunday. If you like the novel and want to support the author, ebook and paperback copies can be purchased here.

*****

With Jack driving like a bat out of hell and light traffic on I-84 eastbound, we managed to make it up to Hood River in less than an hour, rolling into town just before 10:00 pm. I directed him to the fairgrounds from memory. I’d been dragged there enough times over the first eighteen years of my life for various Renaissance Fairs and SCA Events that I could probably have found my way there blindfolded.

Quiet hours were beginning as we arrived, but many people were still out and about, mostly gathered around the bonfires scattered around one edge of the fairground. Jack parked at the end of the line of cars and turned off the engine but grabbed my arm before I could open the door.

“Ground rules. First, no revealing your nature or anything about the supernatural. Second, this is just for you to make up with them. Third, we go straight back to the safe house after.” Jack gave me a hard look, narrowing his eyes at me. “Got it?”

“Got it. But what will you do while I find them? Are you just going to wait in the car?” I asked.

“And leave you on your own?” Jack gave me a bemused look. “No. I’m going with you.”

“She knows you too. Won’t that give us a greater chance of being recognized?”

“Yes, but I won’t feel safe with you by yourself. I can protect myself if need be.” Jack glanced around outside, craning around to check the back too. A few people were smoking in front of a car a row down, but they had their backs turned to us and seemed to be focused on their own conversation. “Let’s go. Keep your head down and act casual.”

We both got out of the car and walked toward the fires. It was dark out here in the country, and the moon was down to just a sliver tonight so there was hardly any moonlight, but to my surprise I could still see almost perfectly. Jack stumbled on the uneven ground, so I took his arm.

“I can see. Just hold on to me.”

Jack gave me a grateful smile and wrapped his arm in mine and took my hand. I was glad he couldn’t see me in the dark, since I was sure I had a goofy smile on my face.

My parents had owned the same tent for years, and I’d recognize it if I saw it. However, first I steered Jack toward the bonfires. Despite the lateness of the hour, that was where we were most likely to find them. My mother loved to socialize, and was always one of the last to turn in.

We neared the fire with the biggest group of people around it. With my new vampire vision, the light of the fire actually made it harder for me to see; pure darkness seemed to be better for my new eyes. Then someone stepped aside, revealing two profiles. I stopped abruptly, recognizing my mother and father. My mother was shorter even than my barely five-foot height, and combined with the big, poufy dress meant it couldn’t be anyone else. My much-taller father stood next to her, wearing what I had always joked was his pirate coat, which was buttoned tight against the night’s chill.

Jack leaned down and whispered in my ear, “What’s wrong?”

“I spotted my parents.” I jerked his head toward them. “We can wait here and tail them back to their tent.”

“No, we need to get this over with. I recognize that tall muscular guy over there. He was one of the men who abducted me.” Jack’s eyes flicked in the man’s direction, and I turned to follow his gaze. “No, don’t look.”

I jerked my head back, trying to glance over with just my eyes as Jack pulled me along again in the direction of my parents. Jack was right, I was terrible at this. I hadn’t even spotted the man, although now that Jack had pointed him out, it was obvious he didn’t belong here. He looked very uncomfortable in his obviously brand-new, store-bought doublet. A strange bulge in the shirt’s side could only be a gun.

We were almost to my parents when a man and a woman stepped out of the crowd, stopping directly in our path. I moved to go around them, but the woman’s arm shot out, blocking the way.

“Who are you?” she hissed, glaring at me. “And why do I feel so drawn to you?”

I stared back at her. I could almost feel the animosity coming off her and the man in waves. “Do I know you?” I craned my neck to see around her and make sure I didn’t lose track of my parents.

“No, that’s the problem.” The woman glared at me and put her hands on her hips. “You should have sent in notice if you wanted to attend an event outside your home area.” The man with her was nodding along to her words.

“What are you talking about?” I said, glancing over at Jack to see if he was as confused as I was.

Jack looked like he’d bit a sour lemon. He leaned toward me. “They’re vampires, Ev.”

Oh, right. I could see it now. Both of them were pale under their makeup, and the firelight reflected off their eyes with an odd sheen.

“I’m sorry, I’m new. I didn’t know the rules.” I pushed her arm out of the way. “But I’m in a hurry, and we’re not staying.”

The man with her, dressed as a Victorian nobleman, was suddenly standing in front of me. He grabbed my arm, his grip like iron.

“Stop,” Jack said softly. “It’s fine, he’s with me. I’m Jack Smith, from the PCA.” When both vampires looked at him blankly, he continued. “I work for Stacy Cord.”

Both lit with comprehension, but the woman frowned.

“Why’s he being escorted in our territory by a mangy mutt instead of a vampire?” she sneered.

Jack let out a growl, his eyes flashing dangerously. He gritted his teeth, and I could see the effort it was taking him not to respond to the insult. “They’re busy tracking down that rogue vampire. Like you should be doing.”

The man had the grace to look guilty, although the woman merely tossed her head, making her blond curls bounce, and pouted. “Like I’d miss the event of the season. I’d have to wait months for the next chance to show off my new outfit to people who can appreciate it.” She posed a little and I, who’d grown up with a seamstress mother who was a period perfectionist, could see why she was so proud of it. It was deep red with a low-cut corset, a big bustle with at least a dozen layers of petticoats, and wide-sleeves. Wait, I recognized that hand-stitching on the sleeves.

“It is fabulous. You look amazing. I can see why you want to show it off.” I smiled at her. “It fits you perfectly. Your seamstress did an excellent job.”

The woman’s chest swelled and she batted her eyelashes at me before smirking at Jack. “I’m glad to see someone can appreciate quality.”

“I’d love to get one for myself.” I glanced at the man still holding my arm. “That’s why I’m here, actually. To see Mrs. Boesch. I just want to talk to her and then we’ll be going.”

“Not going to stay for Cloved Fruit?” the man said in a thick British accent, finally letting go of my arm. “It’s the highlight of the evening, isn’t it, Clarissa?”

Jack looked down at me in confusion. Cloved Fruit was a sexy drinking game popular at Ren Fairs. I could see why vampires enjoyed it, but there wasn’t time to explain all that to Jack now. I shook my head, mouthing “later” at him, and then said, “No, maybe next time.”

“More for us then, Reggie.” Clarissa took Reggie’s arm again, giving me a critical once-over. “If I may give you a bit of advice: ask for an outfit that’ll go with heeled boots. A bit of height will help you win over the ladies better.”

Jack let out a guffaw that he badly covered up with a cough. “After you then, ma’am.”

Clarissa gave Jack a dirty look, but escorted us over to my mother and father, who were talking to a man I didn’t recognize. I overheard her say, “I haven’t seen her,” before Clarissa walked right between her and the man she was speaking to, cutting her off mid-sentence.

“Rose, good evening. This young gentleman,” Clarissa gestured to me, “was just admiring the new outfits you made for Reggie and me. He just had to meet the designer to get one of his own.”

My mother had a smile on her face as she looked at Clarissa, but as soon as I stepped out of Jack’s shadow and into the firelight, the smile slid off her face and she wrinkled her nose as if she’d just stepped in something disgusting.

“I won’t speak to that thing,” she sniffed, “until my daughter returns.”

Even Clarissa looked taken aback at vehemence in my mother’s tone. Well, this reunion was off to a great start. At least my father was looking at me. I decided to start there. I turned to him with a pleading look. Sometimes my father could talk sense into my mother. I felt, more than saw, Jack move to stand next to me.

“Dad, I wanted to see you to—”

“You heard your mother,” my father said mildly. He was almost expressionless. My mother lifted her nose in the air and turned her back to me, picking up her skirt in both hands and walking away. My father gave me a small frown as he looked me over, taking in my scraggly five-o-clock shadow that had taken me two weeks of cultivating to grow, and my chest, flattened by my makeshift binder. “Come back to us dressed as a proper young lady again, then we can talk.” He turned and hurried after my mother.

All the air left my lungs, and I felt like I was going to puke. Then I wondered if vampires could throw up.

“Dad? You idiot!” Clarissa leaned down to hiss at me. She was angry because she thought I’d faked my death before being turned, as was common practice. She didn’t know that wasn’t the case with me. “And you, how could you be a part of this?” she demanded, whirling on Jack.

“I agree, he is an idiot,” a man said from behind me, followed by the click of a gun being cocked. “All of you, put your hands in the air.”

My eyes went wide and I glanced at Jack, who was glaring at me in an I-told-you-so way as he raised his hands above his head. I did the same, as did Clarissa and Reggie, who both looked slightly confused.

“Turn around, slowly.”

All four of us did so to find the man my parents had been speaking with holding us all at gunpoint. He waved the tip of the gun first at Clarissa and Reggie, and then at Jack. “You three, get out of here. I only need this one.” He settled the barrel back to point directly at my face.

Clarissa nodded, gathering her bustle in one hand and grabbing Reggie’s hand in the other. She frowned at me for a moment, but then shrugged, and she and Reggie almost ran away.

The man watched them go for a second, then glanced at Jack. “You too.”

“I won’t leave him.” Jack stepped between me and the gun. “Run, Ev.” The man’s gun barked, and Jack grunted in pain and staggered back.

“Not without you!” I grabbed Jack around the waist, letting myself sink into the near-fugue state that let me move so fast. I tossed Jack over my shoulder and dashed in the direction of the car. It was a bit awkward, since Jack was nearly a foot taller than me. Jack seemed heavier than he should have, especially with the way I’d thrown around that cop the other night, but he wasn’t unmanageably heavy, although it did slow me down.

Something warm ran down my back, and I smelled Jack’s blood. I couldn’t stop my fangs from descending. The gun cracked again. Pain blossomed up my arm, and I nearly dropped Jack. Something soft hit the back of my head and exploded, showering me with something wet. Had he thrown a water balloon at me?

People around the camp began screaming and running away from the shots. Lights began to go on all around the camp, heads popping out of tents as I wove around through the campground toward the car. I hoped the darkness made it so that no one noticed that I was running faster than the rest of the crowd.

I was going so fast that I almost crashed into the car, sliding on the loose gravel for a moment before falling against the trunk.

My right arm refused to move, forcing me to clumsily dump Jack sideways onto the ground. Jack moaned as he hit, and the strong smell of blood nearly made me swoon. Jack landed on his side. The front of his shirt had a neat hole in the front, and a trail of blood tracked up his chest.

I cursed and knelt down, applying pressure to the wound with my working hand. Jack’s eyes were fluttering and he was unresponsive.

“Don’t die, Jack,” I babbled, pressing on the bloody hole in Jack’s chest with my good hand.

Then Jack’s chest sunk in, and fur sprouted up from his face as his nose elongated. A moment later, a jackal lay there in Jack’s bloody clothes. It began thrashing in slow motion around in them, trying to get loose.

The screams began to get closer, and I looked up to see three men with guns moving through the crowd in our direction. They looked to be moving with exaggerated slowness, but it wouldn’t take them long to get into range, and they were already raising their guns. One had another water balloon out, and had his arm cocked back to throw it. Why water balloons? I didn’t have time to dwell on it now.

“Shit, keys.” I fumbled at Jack’s pants with my one working hand, trying to ignore the way the jackal was glaring at me. I finally got ahold of the keyring and tugged it free. I unlocked the car, and turned to get the jackal.

I grabbed Jack’s bloody clothes as a bundle, slow-motion jackal and all, and tossed the whole thing into the passenger seat without looking. Jack’s yelp of surprise seemed to go on forever while I climbed inside and got the car started. I was starting to get so thirsty, but if I slowed down, the men would get to the car before I’d be able to get us out of here.

A gun cracked, and the car jumped as the bullet impacted somewhere I couldn’t see.

My right arm still refused to move, so I had to awkwardly twist my left hand around in order to get the key in the ignition, frantically glancing at the slowly approaching men as I struggled to reach around the steering wheel. At least the car started right up.

As soon as I got it into reverse, I floored it, sending us careening backward into the road. I was starting to get some sensation back, but it still took me a moment to pop the shifter into drive with my partially numb right hand. I let my speed fall away as I hit the gas and roared away. Bullets whizzed after us as the three men chased us down the road, firing at the retreating car until they were out of view.

Jack jumped up into the passenger seat and sat down, having finally wiggled his way free of his clothing. His hackles were up and his lips were pulled back from his muzzle as if he were growling, although I couldn’t hear anything.

“I know, I know. You told me so,” I said to the jackal, slurring around the unfamiliar feel of my fangs, which refused to retract.