#which witch is copia

[rawkghoulsupreme]

This is what happens when you smoke Mary On a Cross and listen to Opus Eponymous then see a picture and think: "Oh yeah, get this man a broomstick and pointy hat". Mild Dracopia?

@thebandghostofficial fanart friday spoop because why not!

[her-satanic-wiles]

October 22nd

Thigh Fucking, Papa Emeritus III x Plus Size!Reader

Masterlist

Words: 1.8k

Warnings: Thigh fucking; somnophilia; needy dom!Terzo; plus size!Reader; lots of dirty talk; established relationship; consensual non-consent; Terzo’s drunk; free use; spit as lube; praise kink; body worship; cum eating; cunnilingus;

Taglist: @sodoswitchimage @enchantedbunny @bitchywitchygardener @thew0man @sodomiser @the-did-i-ask @copias-sewer-rat @gehrmansbignaturals @deetz-ghuleh @onlyhereforghost @zombiesnips-blog

🔞 MDNI 🔞

When you went to bed that night, you were well aware that you’d be there alone. Terzo had an evening of meetings and gatherings, and he wouldn’t be back in your shared chambers until the early hours of the morning. You had a busy day the following day, so didn’t want to attend, but gave him a sweet kiss on the lips and sent him on his way.

Which is why you were surprised when you woke in the middle of the night, moon pouring in through the opened curtains to gloved hands raising your legs in the air. A panic washed through you until you saw Terzo at your hips on his knees, his hands wrapped around your flesh and positioning you as he wanted you. You looked at the clock: it was just after the witching hour. He was home earlier than he would be usually.

His eyes were focussed on your legs, his tongue now placing open-mouthed kisses on your exposed flesh. He’d already tugged and manoeuvred your silk, babydoll nightgown off your legs so he could access your body easier, but you’d been so deep in your sleep that you didn’t feel it. His paints were smeared, partially because of his night of drinks and meetings, but mostly because it was all over your legs as he’d run his lips up and down, or accidentally whacked himself as he was moving your body. In his drunken state, he didn’t even realise that you were awake. Still didn’t stop himself from mumbling away as he pulled his incredibly hard cock out of his pants.

“Mi dispiace, amore mio.” He said, words slurring and voice so low it was almost a growl. “I didn’t want to disturb you, but I cannot wait any longer.” You were watching him, trying not to let him know that you were awake and doing so. You let yourself be pliant for him, allowed him to take what he needed from you, whatever that may be. The sound of his voice, the way his words purred as he spoke, sent shockwaves down to your core and had you sopping for him.

He wrapped his arms around your calves and pulled your body gently towards him so you were completely flush against his torso. You could feel his hard cock, now dripping with precum as he positioned himself in between your thighs and pushed through, groaning deeply at the feel of your soft flesh wrapping around him.

“Sì, è proprio così. That’s it, pretty girl. Just like that.” He opened your legs just a little and spat down them, aiming for his cock to help lube it up and make the slide smoother, but his first attempt missed and landed on your nightgown. “Oh, merda!” He said upon realising his drunken self missed his mark. So, he spat again, this time hitting where he wanted to, and began thrusting again.

You could see his thoughts racing as he fucked in between your plush thighs, your body jiggling at the impact of his movements. He moaned as he watched your thighs ricochet off of him, and in turn your soft stomach and breasts that were practically falling out of your clothes. He was certain one particularly rough thrust would expose your nipples to him. And this continued to be verbalized as he thought out loud: “If I could reach them I would suck on them, amore. I want them in my mouth as I fuck you just the way you like. I cannot fuck you that way tonight, though. I am sorry. Papa had too much wine. In the morning I’ll have you properly. For now, I need these thighs. These,” he gripped hold of one, “gorgeous,” he squeezed the flesh in between his fingers hard enough to bruise, “thighs. Sathanas, your body is sinful.

“Been thinking about this all day, amore mio.” He continued, his thrusts getting harder the closer he got to orgasm. “Your habit shrunk a little in the wash, or we’ve been feeding you so well. You’ve gotten plumper. Cazzo! Mi stai facendo impazzire! I would have gone insane if I didn’t do this. So good. So good for your Papa.”

You couldn’t keep up the act anymore. His words were going straight to your cunt and making you clench around nothing. You needed to cum just as much as he did. “Papa?” You called for him, your voice a half-whine.

“Amore mio, I’m sorry. I needed your body or I might have killed someone.”

“Papa!” You giggled at his confession, knowing that he was mostly joking.

Your hand snaked down to your pussy and pushed one finger through your thighs and folds to reach your clit. The tightness he’d held your thighs together made it quite difficult, but you’d managed it.

“Oh, brava ragazza. Touch yourself for Papa. That’s it. Wicked girl always tempting your Papa to sin. Making your Papa so desperate he has to fuck you while you sleep.” He tutted in disapproval but followed it with a gutteral grunt. “You’re gonna make Papa cum soon.”

Knowing that playing with your clit would be pointless now, you moved up to your nipples. You pulled the straps of your nightgown down and allowed your breasts to be completely exposed. Immediately, you felt Terzo’s eyes on you, watching your hands like a hawk as you played with your sensitive nipples, teasing yourself as you couldn’t play with yourself to completion.

Terzo cooed, “is my good girl wet for her Papa, hm?”

“Yes, Papa!”

“You wanna cum so badly, don’t you?”

“I need to!”

“Papa’s got you, tesoro. Papa will finish you off soon. Talk to me. Tell me you want my cum.”

“I do, Papa! I want your cum so bad. I want you to fuck my thighs. Use my body for your pleasure. I wanna watch you cum all over my body, please!”

Terzo’s grunt became more like a scream as he thrust one final time. He only reached halfway through your thighs before he came, his seed painting the inside of your thighs and soiling the soft skin, making you sticky with him. His teeth nipped at your leg, fingers digging into whatever skin he could find as he held on for dear life, his orgasm knocking the wind out of him and combining with the alcohol making him nearly delirious.

When he’d calmed down, he opened and spread your legs for him, allowing you both to see the damage in the moonlight. As your legs were pried open, his cum had stuck together so that there were strings connecting both of your legs that snapped the further apart they became. Trickles of it ran down your thighs and pooled at your cunt, dripping from your pubic mound and onto your clitoris. If you weren’t so horny, this would be disgusting. But the fact that you were so wet and needy for him only added to your arousal.

“Papa,” you whined, doe eyes in full effect knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist, “I need you.”

“Of course, tesoro. How could Papa be so selfish? Let me take care of you.”

His tongue ran down your right leg first, gathering his seed and licking it into his mouth, swallowing it as he went. He then moved onto the other thigh, cleaning you up and driving you insane as he did. Finally, he dove into your cunt as you’d been needing him to. He rested the heels of your feet on his back and had your thighs trap him there as he began to work away at you.

At the first long, rough lick, you accidentally shrieked. His lips then quickly encircled your clit and began sucking as hard as they could, giving you a powerful rush of pleasure that had your back arching off the bed and your thighs clamping around his head. While keeping his mouth sealed, the tip of his tongue continued to move erratically as it worked various parts of your clit in different directions. Your hand was now entangled in his dark, unruly hair as he gave you the most exquisite pleasure, moving his head in all directions as he sucked on your tender bud to keep your pleasure as incredible as possible.

He went on like this endlessly, mercilessly driving you closer and closer to the edge. Even when your hips bucked and you started using his face for your own pleasure, he continued his assault, unwavering and refusing to stop until you came on his tongue.

“Oh my - fuck!” You screeched. “I’m gonna fucking cum! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

He gave you one of the most powerful orgasms you’d ever had that night, continuing his intense attack even as you came. Your vision turned white in the strain your body was under from such a violent explosion, fingers tugging harshly on his roots despite how painful it must have been for him. Somehow, your voice was still working despite your lungs giving up, screaming through the intensity as though it would make it better.

Terzo refused to move his head or stop his ministrations even as you tried to push his head away, remaining at your core and stubbornly licking until he was finished. When he finally pulled away, you were able to gasp some air into your lungs, eyes falling upon his shiny face, a shit-eating grin plastered on there underneath your cum, clearly proud of what he’d done to you.

He crawled up the bed and gave you a kiss, allowing you to taste yourself on his tongue. His paints now almost completely gone around the lower half of his face, cheeks included, but his smile still remained. He collapsed on top of you, the weight of his body pushing you down into the mattress and keeping you there. He was sleepy now, you could see it in his mismatched eyes that he wanted to stay on top of you and fall asleep, using your softness as a pillow.

“Your paints, my love.” You reminded him, stroking his hair as an apology for pulling on them so roughly earlier. “Let’s go get cleaned up, hm?”

“I am comfortable.” He told you, burying his face in between your breasts. “Let me stay.”

“No, let’s go.”

He whined. As he spoke, his voice was muffled by your skin. “I may be an old man, tesoro, but I am still drunk enough to throw a tantrum if you do not let me have my way.”

“And I’ll never give you my cunt again if you do.”

He looked up at you, playfully offended. “You wouldn’t.”

“Would you like to risk it?”

He didn’t waste time even pretending to think, he pushed himself off you and gripped hold of your hand. “Come on, then. You can’t lay there all night. We must clean. Up, up, up, lazy bones!”

What an absolute shitbag.

Previous Day ⛧ Next Day

[gravehags]

unraveling a stitch

Pairing: Cardinal Copia x f!Reader (Curator!Reader)

Rating: Teen

Tags: mushy gushy feelings, first meetings, Imperator serving cunt, reader thinks she's going to be murdered, ministry backstory

Words: 1,981

Summary: This is the weirdest job interview you've ever had.

a/n: ok this ended up being like 1,500 words of conversation between reader and Sister Imperator but one thing about me is I'm a bitch who loves backstory so

divider by @gothdaddyissues!

To say you are nervous would be putting it extremely fucking lightly.

You’re sitting in the back of a car - a very nice car at that - and being driven out to somewhere in the middle of the countryside. Idly, you hope that Sister Imperator isn’t actually some kind of serial killer. She seemed nice enough on the…what was the system they used? Doom call? The preliminary interview went well, you thought. You had managed to succinctly answer all of the questions the older woman had thrown your way, surprising even yourself with the calmness in your voice. So impressed was she by you that she asked you fly out - fucking fly out - to visit her at what she deemed “The Abbey.” When she emailed you a ticket confirmation later that night, you were stunned.

And now, here you are.

You had left the airport about an hour ago, meeting up with the large man who stood stoically in the arrivals area with a small sign bearing your name. The driver has remained silent the entire drive, but every once in a while you catch him glancing at you in the rearview mirror. When you crest a hill and descend into a forested valley you gasp audibly at the sight. A vast collection of stone structures - probably the size of a university - sit within the trees. You gaze out the window with your jaw dropped as you drive through a multitude of well-manicured lawns and gardens towards an enormous gate, which opens as the car approaches. The driver pulls in and continues down a long driveway up to a large wooden door.

Oh shit, you think, this is happening.

Panicked, you adjust your hair and straighten your skirt before clambering out of the car. You turn to thank the driver but he’s already gone. Weird.

“Welcome,” a warm female voice says from behind you. The woman from your interview, Sister Imperator, stands in the doorway and for the first time you’re finally able to get a good look at her. She’s a handsome woman, her grey hair in a neat bun, wearing a suit. Very prim and proper, you think, until your gaze turns downwards and you see the electric red stilettos on her feet.

Oh work, grandma.

You smile and look back up at her, meeting her incisive gaze. You can imagine what she was like in her youth - hell maybe what she’s like now - and the men she’s cut down to size.

“Hello, Sister,” you say, extending your hand for her, which she takes in both of hers. “Thank you for having me.”

She steps sideways and gestures for you to enter the impressive stone building. When you walk in your jaw drops at the gorgeous stained glass that illuminates the space with bouncing colors. 

“Wow,” you say, slowly turning in a circle to drink everything in.

“I’m pleased you like it,” she says with a small smile, guiding you down the hall, “I’m sure you’ll enjoy many things the Abbey has to offer.”

The walk to her office is quiet, punctuated by the crisp snap of her heels on the marble floor. Your little black heeled witch boots, which you had thought were quite chic, pale in comparison. After climbing a flight of stairs you reach a solid door at the end of a hallway, which she opens for you. The room inside is equally as impressive as the rest of the Abbey, with high ceilings and large windows that look upon a green little courtyard. She takes a seat behind the large desk and gestures for you to take yours, which you do with some anxiety.

“Thank you for this opportunity,” you say, fingers tangling in your lap.

She smiles again. “Of course, dear. I will be blunt with you, I may have misled you regarding this interview and indeed…about this job.”

Your own smile slowly drops, as does your stomach.

“What,” you begin nervously, eyes darting around the room, “what do you mean by that?”

Shit, shit, shit. You really were fucking stupid, just agreeing to come out here to the middle of nowhere to meet a woman you’ve met once over the fucking internet. Your mind reels back to the serial killer thought you had earlier and you’re convinced you’re going to die here and this woman is going to bury you under a topiary.

She must see the panic in your eyes because she holds up her hands in an assuaging gesture. “You’re perfectly safe, I apologize for my ominous wording. What I mean to say is the nature of this collection is quite…sensitive. As is our organization who holds it.”

Your shoulders drop from their tense fight-or-flight position and you sigh. You feel silly as you clear your throat.

“Er…what exactly is this organization? You call it the Abbey and you carry the title of Sister…is this some sort of religious institution?”

“Yes,” she begins slowly, eyeing you cautiously, “ah, if I may ask…do you hold any religious beliefs? I apologize for the intrusive nature of this question but it is relevant.”

“Oh, um. I don’t,” you say, slightly hushed, “I’m sorry, I’m not Catholic or a believer of…well anything really.”

You’re taken aback when she sighs in relief.

“Oh good,” she says, steepling her fingers. Good?

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” you say after a beat, confused. “You want someone who isn’t religious to care for your collection?”

“Let’s just say we want someone more ah…open minded.”

You’re growing frustrated with the way she’s dancing around the truth and you frown.

“Sister Imperator, I don’t mean to be blunt but can you please just tell me what it is you do here?”

Her lip curls into a wry half-smile, clearly pleasantly surprised by your directness.

“The Ministry,” she begins, “represents those devoted to the cult of the Olde One. We are as old an institution as the Catholic Church yet far more…subtle in our ways. Out of necessity, you understand.”

Your jaw drops a little.

“You’re Satanists?” It’s more of a statement than a question and she’s pleased you’ve put two and two together.

“Indeed. We’re a small but mighty group that is spread throughout the world. This location,” she gestures to the walls around her, “is like our Vatican. Our collection here is that of Satanic art throughout history and requires someone with a special understanding of our church but most of all a level of education and expertise that many here lack.”

You’re stunned. You had no idea these people existed beyond individual belief systems and teenagers rebelling against their parents.

“If this is your Vatican,” you begin slowly, “does that mean you have a pope?”

Sister Imperator lets out a dry little laugh.

“All in good time, my dear. But first I must tell you, this ‘interview’ is entirely a formality. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve had the job since we ended that call.”

Your shock and wonder rapidly turns into joy as a grin splits your features. You fucking did it.

“Oh my God,” you blurt out, “wait, sorry. Is that offensive?”

When the sister snorts out a far more genuine laugh this time, you beam at her.

“Does this mean you accept the position?”

“Yes,” you say a little too quickly. The opportunity to work with an art collection held by fucking Satanists has you spinning. “Absolutely.”

“Wonderful,” she says, clapping her hands together and standing. “We’ll sort out the details of your employment and your move to the Abbey later but for now there is someone I would like you to meet.”

You dutifully follow her out of her office, practically floating as she leads you down the hall and down the stairs. You exit onto an open-air cloister and you encounter the first people other than the sister and the driver you’ve seen here. People of all genders in black habits of all styles - some very racy, you notice with a blush - congregate and walk down the halls. Sister Imperator leads you through and you notice the way they shy away from her in either deference or fear. It’s hard to say which.

She stops at a closed door and waves a hand towards it.

“This will be your office,” she says lightly, “it once belonged to our dear departed Cardinal von Shreck who was previously in charge of our collection. His work, however, fell to the wayside in recent years with his declining health. You will be inheriting quite a mess of paperwork from him, I’m afraid.”

You shrug.

“I’ve had worse,” you respond and Imperator continues down the hall and makes a left. The Abbey is massive, you think, much larger than you previously thought. Once again she stops at a door and gives you a brief smile before knocking.

“Entrare!” comes a muffled voice, and she pushes the door open.

The room is cozy but beautiful, filled with books and papers. But that’s not what draws your eye.

Making his way towards you and the sister from behind the desk is a man. He wears a vivid red cassock with an unusual bejeweled symbol you make a note to ask Sister Imperator about later. On his head is an angular hat and you smile at how it looks like he’s wearing horns. He’s not tall, but he still makes for a surprisingly commanding presence when he moves before you. Now that he’s closer you can better see the rest of him - his startling mismatched eyes surrounded by black paint, his swept back brown hair littered with silver, the pristine sideburns, his large, straight nose and the neat little mustache underneath it. Everything about him is charming, you think. Even dashing.

And then you realize you’re staring.

Imperator notices and gives you a peculiar look.

“This is Cardinal Copia,” she finally announces, “you will be consulting with him as you work with our collection.”

Cardinal, you think. Wow.

“Your Eminence,” you say, extending your hand. Sister Imperator smirks at the title and Copia blushes. Not missing a beat, he takes your bare hand in one of his gloved ones and lifts it to his mouth to place a slightly damp kiss on the back. His black lipstick leaves a little mark on you and you feel a flutter in your belly.

“No ‘Eminence’, signorina,” he finally speaks, his voice filled with nervous energy, “Simply Copia.”

You beam at him, you can’t help yourself, there's just something about him that makes you feel warm and mushy inside. He’s barely spoken half a dozen words and already you know that there’s something special about this man.

“Poor von Shreck,” Copia says, wringing his hands, “we lament his loss, but I am glad to see that Sister has found such an excellent replacement. And such a lovely one at that.”

He looks stricken with fear as soon as the words leave his mouth and you flush from head to toe.

“I’ve heard he’s left behind quite a bit of work, but I’m sure I’ll be able to tackle it, especially with your help.” Your smile is encouraging and he seems to relax a little under your kind gaze.

“Indeed. I am at your service, signorina,” he says with a little bow that makes you giggle. Clearly having reached her limit of the two of you interacting, Imperator places a hand on your shoulder to guide you out.

“I’ll see you soon, Cardinal,” you say with a little wave as the sister steers you out of his office. He gives a little wave back and you find that after the door shuts you miss his presence already. Imperator eyes the goofy smile on your face shrewdly before starting back down the hallway to her office. You follow, feeling as if butterflies are ricocheting off the inside of your stomach.

Cardinal Copia, you think. What a lovely man.

[leezlelatch]

Copia x Female Reader: The White Suit (Ft. Portobello)

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI

Copa pulls down his suit jacket and smooths back his hair, shaking his hands in front of him for a moment, and flexing his fingers as he breaths out slowly. Reaching forward, he opens his door, peaking around it to confirm that yes, it is you, looking ever so lovely, before swinging the door open all the way, his hand not grasping the wood for dear life raising, arm outstretched as if to say, "ta-da!"

"Hello, Cardinal!" You greet with a sweet smile, hands clasped in front of you.

You haven't seen each other outside of usual Ministry dealings since the incident in the kitchen, and concerned about little big Portobello, you caught the Cardinal after mass one evening to inquire about Portobello's health. To your surprise and delight, Cardinal Copia invited you to visit Portobello in the "infirmary."

Little did you know, Copia has been positively fretting ever since the hastily spilled words had left his mouth. What would you think of his rooms? Of being alone with him? Was he too forward? All of these thoughts are dashed out of his head and replaced with a pleasant buzzing the moment you greet him in that quiet, excited manner which dances around his heart and makes him think, at least for a moment, that you came to see Copia himself.

"Sister!" He exclaims, realizing he has been staring at you for a moment too long. "Come in, come in!"

Waving you forward, you pass him, arm nearly brushing his as the deep, heady aroma of his cologne wraps you in a warm hug and darkens your cheeks with a captivated blush.

In all the hundred ways you imagined his rooms, you are surprised and simultaneously unsurprised. Your eyes are immediately greeted by his desk, papers strewn across it, books precariously stacked and nearly toppling off the edge. A dark oak bookcase stands against the wall in the small space beside it, several different Latin texts shining out at you. His work space is chaos, and yet you are sure that if Copia requires a specific document, he can merely walk over and find it immediately. An organized chaos, perhaps.

The wall above his desk proudly displays Francisco de Goya's Witches' Sabbath, a piece you are easily and quickly mystified by.

"Are you familiar?" Copia inquires, his head tilts as he takes in your expression. His thumb and forefinger dance in a circle against the leather of his glove. He is not used to someone analyzing his space.

"Oh, yes!" You turn toward him, smiling and dropping your eyes from his intense gaze. "I've always enjoyed de Goya," you add quietly.

He nods good naturedly, pleased and impressed, and a long silence trails off between the two of you as Copia wills his rapidly beating heart to calm down, and you wring your hands in front of you, desperately wishing you weren't so awkward in front of the man.

"Would you like to-"

"Is Portobello-"

You speak at the same time, startling the both of you into nervous laughter. You take a step back as if to reground yourself and nearly trip over the small couch that also occupies the crowded entry room. Copia reaches out a hand to steady you, his touch sending little electric currents right into your heart, butterflies quickly taking flight in your belly.

"Falling for me already, Sister?" He quips, that stage persona slipping out for just a moment before his eyes widen and a blush erupts between the gentle freckles that powder his cheeks.

"Easy to do," you say back, your words catching in your throat.

Easy, indeed.

Copia's thumb gently passes over the skin of your hand as he lets go, his eyes gazing so deeply, tenderly into yours. There's a softness to his white eye that you do not expect, trailed on you so intently as it is. It isn't frightening or off-putting, sinister or strange, it is merely Copia. And you are finding, very quickly, that Cardinal Copa is the loveliest thing that you have ever seen.

"Our little invalid is right through here," he finally says, gesturing through another entryway.

You pass through to what you assume is his bedroom. A trundle bed is pushed against the far wall, covered in a simple grey comforter, blue pillow resting on top. There's a chair in the corner by the head of his bed that looks like it was taken straight out of a hotel room, and a long shelved table stretches across the wall closest to the doorway, full of candles, a record player, and other odds and ends.

You walk further into the room, drawn to the squeaking cages that sit reverently between the end of his bed and a small wardrobe. The cages are meticulously clean, full of very fine bedding and plenty of fun items for enrichment. Their water bottles and food dishes are full, and while a few little friends happily nibble away, some snooze quietly together in a corner or inside a brilliant replica of the Ministry. Overall, these babies are well taken care of.

You turn in delight back to Copia, but stop dead at the absolute mess of clothing he has piled on a couch near the door.

"Spring cleaning?" You giggle, watching in amusement as Copia hastily moves in front of the couch as if he can shield the mess with his body.

"Shit!" He curses, before waving his hands in front of himself in apology. "You know, eh, too many clothes, small space. My keep pile might be a little too big, but..." Copia trails off, embarrassed.

You hardly pay attention as your eyes fall on the small pile you assume is the "throw" pile. Walking quickly forward, your fingers grip the edge of the white jacket, your body shivering at the feeling of the snakeskin against your fingertips. His white trousers lie folded beneath it, taunting you.

"Copia," you say very seriously, all decorum thrown out the window. You notice him start slightly next to you at the sound of his name. "You can't throw this away."

Copia gives you a confused look, his eyes locked on the way you hold the white jacket close to your chest.

"I only wore it that one time so far, and I don't know...might be a little too revealing, huh?" He says, patting his belly. "You know what too much rigatoni does to you?"

You nearly gape at him. The man is completely oblivious. You are rather charmed by the way his suits cling to his figure, but this has everything to do with something a little below the belt. You may yet earn the title of Sister of Sin.

"But it's the white suit," you say slowly.

"I have a black one," Copia holds out his arms to punctuate the fact that he's wearing it. "And a red one. I was thinking of getting something new, maybe in blue..." He trails off at your expression.

"You just can't throw this away," you continue.

"Why?" He finally says, ever more confused.

"Because...I like it." You huff out a breath, gazing down at the white material in your hands with a vibrant blush. "I mean, everyone likes it...it's very....nice."

Copia watches the way your fingers bunch the material, the way your lips part as you shudder out a breath, the way your blush heats the skin of your neck and travels further. He's entirely struck dumb by your confession. You wanted him to keep the white suit because you like it. Because you like him in it. His quiet, blushing sister who saved a rat and smiles at him thinks he's attractive.

Copia's hands clench at his sides for a moment before he takes very careful steps toward you. Reaching out, he plucks the suit jacket from your hands and waits very patiently for your gaze to return to his. Your entrancing, pretty eyes are wide as they meet his, and he smiles at you with half-lidded eyes, sudden confidence powering his body and actions.

"I shall keep that in mind," he says softly, grabbing the trousers as well and depositing them in the "keep" pile.

"You might need it again...," you nearly whisper, heart pounding in your ears.

"Yes," Copia nods. "I think I will."

The Cardinal steps even closer, delighting with feral intensity as you let out a small noise from his proximity. Your pupils dilate as you return his gaze shyly, another tell that you are entirely effected by him. There is a time for nervous, awkward Copia, and there is a time for the Cardinal. And in just a few words, you brought him out. The Cardinal has thought about you with frequency since your midnight meeting in the kitchen, and having you here in his room causes a plethora of images to sweep across his mind.

"May I see Portobello?" You finally breathe in the intense silence.

Copia pulls back, and shakes his head slightly. No, now was not the time. His Sorella deserves to be courted, treated well and gently. The Cardinal would have to be content to wait.

"Of course," he smiles, placing a hand at the small of your back to guide you to one of the cages.

The very big rat snuggles into a blanket that has little ratties embroidered on the fabric. You wonder briefly if Copia made it himself, the stitching a little messy, but sweet. Grinning at the man, you turn and move closer to the cage, kneeling down a little so you're eye level with the snoozing rodent. You gasp in surprise at the small splint wrapped around his leg, a mish mash of splinting material, broken popsicle sticks with the edges rubbed smooth, and medical tape.

"Oh, sweet baby," you coo into the cage. Portobello looks up at you as if he recognizes your voice, sniffing at the air.

Copia kneels down beside you, an enraptured expression on his face as he watches you speak so warmly to his patient. You smile over at him, momentarily caught up in the loveliness of his gaze.

"I just adore him," you say softly. "All of them, they're so cute. You care so much for them, I think Portobello will make a quick recovery."

Catching your hand in one of his, Copia's eyes shine as he says, "Non hai idea di quanto questo significhi per me."

You don't understand, yet the sentiment is there, and you smile back at Copia, squeezing his hand.

You spend over an hour in his rooms, chatting, laughing, and holding your big baby rat. When it's time to go, you blow kisses at Portobello's cage, hearing Copia's quiet chuckle behind you. He guides you to his door, hand at the small of your back as he is quickly becoming wont to do.

"You know," he begins as you stand in his doorway. "You can come see him anytime you want. Or...I could bring him to you. He might like a change of scenery, huh?"

"Really!?" You gasp, excited.

"I think he likes you more than me," Copia grins crookedly. I like you, he says internally.

Leaning against the doorway, you glance down at the floor, suddenly shy again. Breathing out, you look back up at Cardinal Copia, watching as the candlelight from the hallway bounces across his features.

"I enjoyed spending time with you," you say. "Tonight was...very nice."

"Cara," Copia breathes out as if he's been holding onto it for a while. His voice is soft, reverent. "If I could spend every night half as lovely as this one, I would be a lucky man."

How many times can you blush this evening? Playing with your fingers as you smile, you say, "Goodnight, Copia."

"Bye-bye, cara. Goodnight. Take care! Sleep well!" He waves you down the hall, still there as you look back with each step taking you further from your Cardinal.

You cannot wait for next time.

[calxia]

Hi!! I really loved your fic about phantom and special and I would like to know what happens next 👉👈

I'm so glad you enjoyed that fic! it's one of my favourite things I've ever written so I'm elated so many people have enjoyed it. Here's the follow-up of what happens when you accidentally befriend the local retired weirdo.

After that first meeting in the library, it feels like Phantom notices him constantly. He saw him out of the corner of his eye everywhere. In the cafeteria, during sermons, and even in the band ghoul dorm. That strange mask and those piercing eyes would flicker in the edges of his vision, but by the time he turned, they were gone without a trace.

Phantom had returned to the old library multiple times yet he never managed to catch that strange ghoul. Special must have been still returning there at some point as the hearthside sofa was always free of dust and debris, but when was a mystery. He had proven himself to be a very elusive target. It was almost as if he could teleport from place to place.

He was like a ghost haunting the halls of the ancient abbey. You would see a glimpse of him but as swift as he appeared, he vanished. On one particularly memorable occasion, Phantom had woken up during the witching hour and made his way to the kitchen for a drink. Upon turning from the sink, a set of glowing eyes and bioluminescent spots peered down from him on top of the fridge. He dropped his glass in shock and then screamed from the surprise. The commotion had sent the pack running to his side from sleep. They were greeted by Phantom frozen in fear and glass shattered on the floor. Special had promptly vanished during the commotion and left the quintessence ghoul to try and explain to a disgruntled Dew and yawning Mountain what had happened. Nobody else had seen the ghoul and Phantom was convinced he could hear someone laughing at him. It happened three more times that week.

It got to the point where the rest of the pack wouldn’t even entertain him when he tried to tell them about his new stalker. They would just look at him in pity and suggest he get a psychological evaluation from Omega in the middle wing. Cirrus had even taken him aside to ask if he was on drugs, which was a very awkward conversation neither of them wished to revisit anytime soon.

After almost a month of being stalked by the other ghoul, Phantom decides to speak to Copia about it. If anyone would believe him about the very special ghoul, it would be Copia. Papa also had the benefit of being privy to every ghoul that had ever been summoned for clergy purposes.

He knocked on the older man’s office one evening when he knew that he would be alone. Papa had cheerfully welcomed Phantom in and offered him a drink before listening to Phantom’s qualms. The ghoul told him about that fated meeting in the library and the subsequent stalking and nighttime scares. Copia had listened with interest until Phantom finished, upon which a wide grin spread across his face. With a joyful smile, Copia tells him how that’s just how Special is in his retirement. And Phantom better get used to it because it means Special has chosen him as one of his favourites and will keep doing it for the foreseeable future.

[writingjourney]

In IKNBS, how do you think Copia would react to his s/o being a witch? What would his thoughts on it be? I am loving your fics btw!

First of all thank you so much!!! ♡♡

And I am sorry but I'm honestly not sure how to answer this in a satisfying way because in IKNBS Copia has one specific partner who is a painter and not a witch in that sense of the word. I wouldn't want to imagine him with anyone else, not for that particular universe, so I have never thought about any other dynamics really...

If we're talking about what he would do if 'strella was a witch.... I assume you don't mean the dark magic aspects of the story but modern practices of witchcraft? It's hard to say because as you've seen in the last chapter she has some very particular trauma in that regard and in my eyes would not want to touch it again. She had her whole life taken away from her which (at least she assumes) is because of her dabbling in magic as a child. I cannot see her practicing witchcraft of any kind thereafter.

In the IKNBS AU (I will call it that now) magic exists, the ghouls are shadow-y beings summoned from the pit and sorry if this is another spoiler now but paranormal beings and activities are happening outside of the abbey as well as we just saw in the latest reveal. So I think witchcraft would look a bit different than for us. I cannot see a world or AU in which he would not support his partner or even find it fascinating to help them or listen to them teach him about it, though! ♡

[emeritus-fuckers]

Howdy pal here I am again okay okay

mk so, I'd like to be matched with a papa, because I love the pookies<3

Aight, in personality, I have crippling social anxiety and I can't even talk to people in a super market to ask where a product is because that has led me to multiple panic attacks for some reason, don't ask questions, but once I am comfortable around someone that changes a lot. It takes quite a bit for me to get comfy, but once I am I'm like,,, too comfortable- Very loud, clingy, childish, over all just an asswipe. I enjoy making art and poetry and I can't make it through my day to day life without music or I'll just ascend. I have struggled with insecurity and mental issues, self-harm, etc, and have recently had a relapse episode in those things but I am too afraid to open up about that to most irl people, but things are going way better now.

On physical I am around 5,6 and I have a red wolfcut-ish thing. I enjoy baggy or anything more gothic or witch or 80s esc for clothing, and my music taste is practically everything and everything accept k-pop and dutch rap. I enjoy romance novels because I miss out on that too much irl and I enjoy horror because that's just entertaining, idk.

just random other things I thought I'd include would be I am a cardiophile, but more on the comfort and not fetish side of it. I enjoy doing hair, or playing with it, and I do that a lot to my friends when we're just chilling because it's funny. I enjoy singing and acting like I am in some sort of musical when I'm alone and I love nature, just going on walks or collecting plants. I practice witch craft, also more on the nature side of things in that way. I have volunteered multiple times at events for little children even though I hate them, it's the art side of things and I enjoyed face painting them for Halloween events or carnival things. I collect a lot of little trinkets and like giving people stupid stuff as un needed gifts and I WILL get personally offended if you do not cherish them.

There we go love goodluck<3

Your match is... Copia!

He understands what it's like to have social anxiety and he is really supportive about it. You both help each other to deal with it.

He sees you reading romance novels (which I'm pretty sure is a genre he reads too) and realises you want to expereince that. So when he is not on tour, he tries to take you out for a romantic date or do some kind of gesture whenever he can.

He loves watching movies with you, but if it’s a horror one he’ll probably jump into yo ur arms.

He's really happy that the sound of his heartbeat is comforts you. He’ll stroke your hair and smile as you curl up against him your head resting on his chest.

He loves walks with you, it gives him time away from being Papa and all the stress of the ministry. He also loves how happy you are when you get a new plant. However sometimes he has to plan a route that avoids the nursery section of Primo's garden, because you only have so much room for plants.

You two make a good team. One good example is at clergy events when you do facepainting for the children. Even though he is awkward when children are around he likes them. So you can focus on the art and not have to intereact much with them and he gets to spend time with the little ones.

One day he catches you singing and acting like you are in a musical. At first you are mortified, but then you see the huge loving smile that appears in his lips. He starts singing the other part of the song dramtically jumping up on the table and acting in character. This is now one of your favrouite things to do together, especially when it's raining outside.

He cherishes all the little gifts you give him. You become afraid he just chucks them away because you never see them again. But then you see him carefully place it in a wooden box he keeps under the bed. It's the one he takes on tour with him, filled with things to cheer him up if he feels down or misses you.

[thewitcheswitch89]

The Witches Image

Papa Emeritus IV - Part 26

you can also read on:

Min Heyoka (@TheWitcheswitch89) - Wattpad

The two of you finish your lunch and go back to his office. you finish your task and go to your duty in the library. later that day you return to Copia's apartment.

Copia was already in his apartment going through some paperwork when you arrived. He looked up at you as you entered, a smile spreading across his face.

"Ah, mia cara," he said, putting aside his papers. "You're just in time. I was getting bored going through all this paperwork."

"You brought your work here?" you said, stepping up to him at the dining table. "That's enough...that's the end of your work!" you said as you put the papers away.

Copia chuckled, amused at your determination to make him stop working.

"You're quite bossy, mia cara," he teased as he watched you pack up his papers. "But I suppose you're right. I can't work all the time, especially with you here with me."

"Now is your time to relax...the work will still be there tomorrow," you said.

"I have to cook!" you said, walking towards the kitchen.

"You're right," he said, getting up from his chair. "I need to learn to relax more often. Work can wait until tomorrow. Right now... I have a beautiful woman with me, and I want to give her my undivided attention."

Copia chuckled and followed you into the kitchen, watching you move confidently around the room.

"You're in your element here, mia cara," he said, leaning against the counter. "What are you going to cook for us?"

"Depends on what I can find," you said, "but I think I need to go shopping!"

Copia raised an eyebrow, a small grin playing on his lips.

"You don't know what you're going to cook?" he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You're just going to cook whatever you can find in the cupboards?"

"No! I'm going grocery shopping!" you said, and walked toward the door.

Copia chuckled at your determination to go to the grocery store.

"All right, all right," he said, following you to the door. "Let me go with you."

"Okay! Let's go, bodyguard!" you laughed.

Copia chuckled at your joke, enjoying the light atmosphere between you.

"At your service, mia cara," he said, offering his arm for you to take. "Ready to get some groceries?"

"We'll take your car," you laughed and walked out the door.

Copia chuckled and led you outside to his car, which was parked nearby.

"My car it is," he said, unlocking the doors and opening the passenger side for you. "After you, mia cara."

"Thank you," you smiled and sat down.

Copia closed the door and walked around to the driver's side and got in. He started the car and drove to the grocery store, glancing over at you occasionally.

"You seem excited to go shopping," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"No, I love your car!" you smiled.

Copia chuckled, a crooked smile on his face.

"You just want me for my car, huh?" he teased, giving you a sideways glance.

"Yes!" you laughed.

Copia laughed too, his voice warm and amused.

"How hurtful," he said, feigning a wounded expression. "I thought you liked me for more than my material possessions, mia cara."

"Start the engine!" you smiled.

Copia laughed at your enthusiasm.

"As you wish, mia cara," he said, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot. "We're off!"

"Yeah!" you said.

Copia smiled at your excitement, his eyes shining with amusement as he drove. He maneuvered through the streets, his driving confident and effortless.

"You're like a little kid, excited to go shopping," he said, giving you a sidelong glance.

"No, I'm excited about your car! Let's take a road trip sometime? you, me...the car...and you!" you smiled.

Copia chuckled at your comment, a small smile on his lips.

"A road trip, hmm? Just you, me and the car," he said, thinking about the idea. "I think I like the sound of that, mia cara. We'll have to do that sometime."

"Maybe after this thing with Lilith is finally over," you said, looking out the window. "But I did not have a nightmare last night. Maybe because you were by my side!"

Copia's smile softened at your words, his expression turning tender.

"Perhaps that's the case," he said, casting a sideways glance at you. "You were perfectly safe with me. I would never let anything happen to you, mia cara."

"You couldn't stop Lilith from sneaking into my dreams," you said. "Have you talked to the Elders yet? About the exorcism?"

Copia's expression darkened slightly at the mention of Lilith.

"No, I haven't spoken to the other Papas yet," he said, his tone becoming a bit more serious. "But I plan to soon. I want to find a way to protect you from the nightmares. You shouldn't have to suffer through them."

"Yes!" you said. "But right now I'm focusing on Grocerys...!"

Copia chuckled softly, his mood brightening as you changed the subject.

"Right, focus on the groceries," he said, nodding his head. "What are you going to make for us, mia cara?"

"Mhh, I don't know...how about burgers and fries?" you smiled.

Copia's eyes lit up at the suggestion.

"Burgers and fries?" he said, his tone filled with approval. "That sounds delicious, mia cara. A simple but classic meal. I like it."

"Do you have to get up early tomorrow?"

Copia shook her head, her expression a little tired.

"No, thankfully I don't have to get up early tomorrow," he said, a hint of exhaustion in his voice. "I have a meeting in the afternoon, but otherwise I can sleep in a bit."

"So that means we can have a beer?" you asked.

Copia chuckled at your question, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh, so you want to have some fun now, mia cara?" he said, his tone becoming a bit playful. "I have nothing against you buying beer. But don't drink too much, we don't want you to get too tipsy and embarrass me in public."

"No, I mean for dinner!" you said.

Copia raised an eyebrow, amused by your clarification.

"Ah, just for dinner, I see," he said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Very well, we'll take a few bottles. But just a few, I don't plan on carrying you to bed like a drunken mess."

"Why not? As my bodyguard, that is your job!" you laughed.

Copia chuckled at your comment and shook his head in mock disapproval.

"Is that my job now, mia cara? Carrying drunken women to bed?" he teased, his tone light and playful. "I suppose I can add it to my list of duties, but I charge extra for that kind of service."

"Tzzz!" you shook your head.

Copia laughed at your reaction, enjoying the banter between you.

"Oh, don't 'tzzz' me, mia cara," he said, his tone amused. "You're the one who wants me to carry you to bed like a drunken mess. I need to set some boundaries around here."

"Yeah, sure!" you said. Copia parked the car and you went to buy everything you needed for your dinner...and some bottles of beer. you drove back to the ministry. back at Copia's apartment you started cooking. preparing the fries and putting them in the oven. Then you made the burgers.

Copia watched you effortlessly maneuver around the kitchen, his stomach growling at the delicious smells wafting through the air. He leaned against the nearby counter and watched you intently as you cooked.

"You know, I have to say, you look pretty natural in the kitchen," he said, a smile on his face. "I think you missed your true calling in life."

"Cooking for others? No...I like cooking for you...because you cooked for me yesterday!" you said smiling at him.

Copia laughed, touched by your words.

"Ah, mia cara, you flatter me," he said, placing his hand over his chest in mock surprise. "You cook for me just because I cooked for you yesterday? I must have made quite an impression, hmm?"

"No, I just want to return the kindness! because I do not take it for granted! It is special to me when someone cooks for me," you said.

Copia's expression softened, touched by the sincerity in your tone.

"Ah, mia cara, you're too kind," he said, taking a step closer to you. "I'm glad you appreciate the gesture. Cooking for someone you care about is a special thing, and I was happy to do it for you yesterday."

"And now I'm happy to cook for you, even if it's just simple," you said, turning the burger patties in the pan.

Copia chuckled again, amused by your enthusiasm.

"Simple or not, I'm sure it will be delicious," he said, watching as you expertly turned the burger patties. "You have a talent for this, mia cara. You make it look so easy."

"You can help me cut the tomatoes and cucumbers!"

Copia nodded and rolled up her sleeves.

"Of course, mia cara," he said, walking over to the counter where you had laid out the fresh vegetables. "Just tell me what needs slicing and dicing, and I'll be at your service."

The two of you finished cooking and sat down at the dining table to eat.

Copia took a bite of the burger, his eyes shining with appreciation.

"Mmm, this is very good, mia cara," he said after swallowing his bite. "You have a real talent for cooking. I may have to hire you as my personal chef if this keeps up."

"I'll cook for you as much as you want! But don't complain if you put on weight!" you laughed and popped one of the fries into your mouth.

Copia chuckled and shook his head in mock disapproval.

"I don't mind putting on a few pounds if it means I get to enjoy your cooking," he said, taking a sip of his beer. "As long as you promise to feed me every day, I'll be happy, mia cara."

"Next time a salad...I don't want to gain weight!" you took a sip of your beer.

Copia raised an eyebrow, a grin on his face.

"A salad, hmm? Trying to balance things out, are we? Fine, I'll accept your deal," he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "A burger one day, a salad the next. I guess I can live with that, as long as I get to enjoy your cooking."

You laughed and looked at him, "But I like your muscles...I don't want them to be gone!" you grinned.

Copia chuckled and jokingly flexed his arm.

"Ah, so you're worried about my muscles, huh?" he said, a teasing gleam in his eyes. "You like them, hmm? Well, don't worry, mia cara, I'll do my best to keep them intact."

You smiled and ate your burger.

Copia did the same, enjoying the food and making light conversation between bites. He finished his beer, set the empty bottle aside and looked over at you with a satisfied smile.

"That was fantastic, mia cara," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You really are an excellent cook."

"Thank you!" you smiled at him. "So, what do you want to do now?"

Copia thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on the tabletop as he considered the options.

"Hmm, well, I suppose we could watch a movie," he said, his tone casual. "Or, if you're feeling ambitious, we could get some more alcohol and play a drinking game."

"Do you have more alcohol?"

Copia chuckled and nodded.

"Of course, mia cara. I always keep a well-stocked liquor cabinet," he said, getting up from the table. "What would you like to drink? We have liquor, wine, beer... take your pick."

"What drinking game?" you asked.

Copia thought for a moment, considering the various options.

"How about... never have I ever?" he said, his tone playful. "It's a classic and always leads to some interesting revelations, don't you think?"

"Ok, let's go!" you laughed.

Copia laughed too, enjoying your enthusiasm for the game.

"All right, let me get some more beers and we'll get started," he said, walking over to the fridge. He grabbed two more bottles and returned to the table, sitting across from you again.

"Okay, mia cara, you ready?"

"But we need something more than beer...we need shots!"

Copia raised an eyebrow, intrigued by your suggestion.

"Shots, hmm? You're right, that would make things much more interesting," he said with a mischievous smile on his face. "What kind of shots do you have in mind, mia cara?"

"First of all, we need a lot of shot glasses and some liquor or vodka or something," you laughed.

Copia chuckled, amused by your excitement.

"All right, all right, I'll go get them," he said, getting up from the table again. He went to get some shot glasses and a bottle of vodka from his cupboard, returned to the table and set them down in front of you.

"I have a feeling this game is about to get interesting, mia cara," he said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Yes!" you said, clapping your hands in exhilaration, and sat down on the chair next to him. Kissing him..."Let's go!"

Copia chuckled at your enthusiasm and kissed you back, pulling you closer.

"You are quite eager, mia cara," he said, running a hand through your hair. "All right, let's get started. Since I'm the one who suggested this game, I'll go first."

Copia thought for a moment, trying to come up with a good "never have I ever".

"Mmm... never have I ever... been skydiving," he said, looking at you with a grin.

You did not take your shot, "I would never do that!"

Copia chuckled, amused by your reaction.

"I suspected as much," he said, taking a shot himself. "Your turn now, mia cara. Ask me a question."

"I've never eaten a whole box of Oreos in one sitting," you said, drinking your shot.

Copia laughed at your question and shook his head in mock shame.

"Ah, you got me there. I'm guilty as charged," he said, taking a shot himself. "It was a particularly rough night a few years ago, and the Oreos seemed like a good idea at the time."

He shrugged, a hint of a smile on his face. "All right, your turn again."

"I've never drunk an entire bottle of wine before," you drank your shot.

Copia shook his head, impressed by your question.

"Damn, mia cara, you really go for the heavy hitters, don't you?" he said, taking a shot himself. "Yeah, I've done it before. More than once, actually. Can't say I'm proud of it, but it happens."

He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "All right, my turn now. I've never... gotten a tattoo.

You didn't drink your shot.

Copia raised an eyebrow, surprised at your answer.

"Oh, you've never gotten a tattoo?" he asked, his tone a mixture of curiosity and surprise. "No ink, really? That's interesting."

He took another shot, a hint of a grin on his face. "All right, mia cara, your turn again. Ask me another one."

"If I had a tattoo, you would know by now, right?" you smiled.

Copia chuckled, recognizing the truth in your statement.

"You're right, mia cara," he said, a hint of amusement in his tone. "I suppose if you had a tattoo, I would have seen it by now. I can't say I'd be against you having one, though."

He took a moment to think of his own question, considering a few options. "I've never... been arrested."

You drank, you shot

Copia raised an eyebrow, surprised at your admission.

"Oh, mia cara, you've been arrested? That's unexpected," he said, watching you take your shot. "What was it for, if I may ask?"

"I was out with some friends and we had too much alcohol...so we had the idea of breaking into a swimming pool! and we got caught!" you laughed.

Copia laughed heartily, amused by your story.

"Ah, I see, a youthful indiscretion," he said with a smile on his face. "Breaking into a swimming pool after having a little too much to drink... I can't say I'm surprised, mia cara. But it does sound like quite an adventure."

"It wasn't...one of my friends threw up in the pool!"

Copia chuckled and shook her head in mock disapproval.

"Oh, that's unfortunate," he said, trying to stifle a grin. "I can imagine the look on the employees' faces when they found out. Probably not too happy about some drunk college kids breaking in and making a mess."

"No...okay, my turn.... I have never clogged a toilet before," you said without drinking your shot.

Copia chuckled and shook her head in mock disbelief.

"Oh, come on, mia cara, we all have clogged a toilet at some point in our lives," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Are you really saying you've never had a toilet disaster?"

You laughed..."Not that I remember...maybe when I was a kid!" you shrugged. "Your turn.

Copia chuckled, still not quite believing that you'd never clogged a toilet.

"Well, if you insist," he said, thinking for a moment. "I've never... gone skinny-dipping."

You drank your shot.

Copia raised an eyebrow, surprised again, and chuckled.

"Oh, so you have been skinny dipping," he said, a mischievous smile on his face. "Well, color me intrigued. Are you going to share the details, mia cara? Or is that classified information?"

"There's not much to tell...we were at a beach party...got naked and went skninny dipping!"

Copia chuckled, replaying the scene in his mind.

"Oh, I see," he said, a twinkle in his eye. "So it was one of those wild beach parties, huh? All naked and carefree, just living in the moment. I imagine there were some interesting sights, mia cara..."

"Maybe I was drunk, I don't remember! so my turn...I've never danced on a pole before." you didn't drink your shot.

Copia raised an eyebrow, a hint of intrigue in his expression.

"Mmm, a good one, mia cara," he said, a cheeky grin on his face. "Trying to get me to admit something naughty, hmm?"

He chuckled, considering his answer. "You really want to know?"

"Yes!" you said.

Copia chuckled again and shook his head in mock resignation.

"Ah, well... yes, mia cara, I did dance on a pole," he admitted, a hint of a smile on his face. "I was quite young and... let's just say I was trying to impress a certain young lady."

"Ahhhhh..." you laughed, looking at him with wide eyes.

Copia chuckled, enjoying your reaction.

"Yes, yes, I was quite a wild one in my youth," he said, a hint of a grin on his face. "But that's all in the past now, mia cara. These days I'm a proper papa with a proper image to uphold."

You laughed hard.

Copia chuckled at your amusement, enjoying seeing you so entertained.

"What's so funny, mia cara?" he asked, his tone light. "You know, I was pretty good at pole dancing."

She leaned in and kissed his cheek, "You're so cute!"

Copia chuckled, feeling his cheeks blush slightly at your compliment.

"And you're pretty adorable yourself, mia cara," he said, a hint of a smile on his face. "But don't let it go to your head, or I might get in trouble."

"Okay, I got another one...I've never stripped for anyone before!" you didn't take your shot.

Copia shook her head and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh, mia cara, you really know how to ask the bold questions," he said, a hint of a smirk on his face. "You really want to know the answer to that, hmm?"

"Yes!"

Copia chuckled and shook her head in mock resignation. "All right, mia cara, I'll give in. Yes, I have stripped for someone before."

"Ohhh....will you strip for me sometime?" you laughed.

Copia chuckled and shook her head in mock disapproval.

"You're very naughty tonight, mia cara," he said, a hint of a smile on his face. "And here I thought I was supposed to be the one in charge. But... I suppose I could make an exception for you, sometime. If you ask nicely, of course."

Then there was a loud knock on the door.

Copia's smile faded at the sound of loud knocking at the door. He gave you an apologetic look before getting up from the chair.

"One moment, mia cara," he said and walked over to the door. He opened it to reveal a young ghoul standing in the hallway.

It was Terzo. Out of breath, "Copia...you must come quickly...one of the sisters is possessed!"

Copia's eyes widened in surprise and concern at Terzo's words. He immediately led the way into the hallway, closing the door behind him as he spoke. "Possessed, you say? Which sister?"

"Sister Madison.

[gothdaddyissues]

The Devil Came to a Small Town

Catch up here: | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 |

Chapter 6 is now up!

Read on Ao3 or below the cut... (~6500 words)

(Also, thanks to @copiousloverofcopia for letting me make Sister Ren a member of the Abbey! 💜💜)

October 2

Copia rushed through the halls at Sister Imperator's heels, wringing his hands in worry. For the last hour,  the high-pitched whines and howls from the Ghouls' Den could be heard all over the Abbey, sending Siblings skittering away in fear. Another unearthly shriek echoed through the halls and Imperator covered her ears, the sound sharp and piercing enough to cause actual pain.

Terzo appeared from an adjacent hallway and walked alongside them. He was paintless and disheveled, looking like a moody teenager just rolled out of bed despite it being well after lunchtime. He winced when another screech sliced through the air. "Satan's sweet honey-covered balls," he swore, "What the fuck is going on?"

The three approached the door of the Ghouls' Den, entering without knocking. Dewdrop lay maskless on the common room floor, shivering and shaking, his Ghoul companions huddled nearby. Cirrus sat with him, his head on her lap as she pressed a cold washcloth to his forehead. Secondo stood above him, arms crossed over his chest in annoyance as he watched his wife, Sister Ren - head of the Abbey's infirmary - tend to the stricken Ghoul.

"I told you yesterday, you need to drink water. A ton of it," she scolded, "To flush it out of your system."

Dew moaned, writhing on the floor in pain. "I'm dying."

"You're not dying, you bambino," Secondo scowled, "You've got a headache and indigestion. We warned you not to drink any more coffee."

"He's a Ghoul," Ren chided her husband, "It's not going to affect him the same way it affects us humans. Caffeine makes their nervous systems go into overdrive."

"This is much worse than last time," Imperator sighed. "Is there nothing Primo can do to help? Some herb or concoction?"

"He's already gone to the greenhouse to prepare something," Secondo said.

Another wave of pain washed over the Ghoul. He convulsed, curling up into the fetal position, and let out a wail of anguish. Within seconds, all the Ghouls began keening, squirming in their seats, sharing in the suffering of their fellow hell-spawn.

"Uggggh!" Terzo cringed at the sound, glancing at the other Ghouls, "What the fuck?"

"They're feeling his pain., Terzo. They share a connection, both physical and mental, having been called from the same source. How many summoning rituals have you been to? Shouldn't you know this?" Secondo snarked.

Terzo raked his hand over his face, rubbing at his tired eyes. "Don't be such a stronzo. I thought that was just for major stuff, not upset stomachs."

The door swung open and Primo swept in, hurrying to the Ghoul's side. "Here." He had a glass vial in his hand which he uncorked and held out to Dewdrop. "Drink this tincture. The herbs will sedate you, help to ease your pain. There is more I can do to fully cleanse you, but I lack some of the ingredients."

"What do you need?" Imperator asked.

"Bloodroot and Black Nightshade. I have been unable to replenish since we moved from the city." Primo looked to Copia. "If your witch lady-friend's shop is as magical as claimed, she should carry both of them."

"I will go to her," Copia volunteered, ignoring Terzo chuckling under his breath.

Cirrus and Sister Ren helped Dew up into a seated position, and Primo handed him the vial: "The quicker you drink it, the less you'll taste it."

Dewdrop gave it a sniff and twisted his face into a look of disgust. Then he took a deep breath and gulped it down, trying not to gag. "Fucking hell," he swore after he swallowed, "It tastes like the Devil's asshole."

"How do you know what the Devil's asshole tastes like?" Swiss asked him from across the room.

"Because I've kissed your mom," Dew shot back before he laid down on the carpet again, ignoring Swiss' agitated growl.

Imperator turned to the Cardinal. "Copia, get to Miss Bennett's shop, quickly. Before these two send each other back to Hell."

"Yes Sister, of course," Copia bowed slightly to her and as he turned to leave, Aether stopped him.

"Hang on, boss, I'll take you."

"Are you sure, Aether?" Copia asked. "You're still going to feel his pain no matter where you go. I can drive myself."

"I'll be fine, Cardinal," the Ghoul assured him as they met at the door. He leaned in and whispered, "Please, boss, I need to get outta here. I can't stand listening to him whine anymore..."

⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧

Primo's potion must have taken effect because except for a few early moments of discomfort for Aether, the drive into town was uneventful. As they arrived at the shop, Copia realized he had not seen Isabella since their meeting in the cemetery two days prior. It seemed like much longer... ages even. Being in her presence brought all his nervous energy bubbling to the surface. He straightened his tie and smoothed down his hair before stepping inside.

She stood behind the counter, clad all in black with a long grey cardigan over top, her dark hair flowing over her shoulders in soft waves. Simple and comfortable, and utterly bewitching. He was so smitten that for a moment, he could not move, his heart fluttering in his chest as he took her in. Aether had to give him a little shove of encouragement to keep going.

It was when he finally moved further into the shop that she noticed him. Her expression lit up, a warm smile spreading across her face, dimpling her cheeks and crinkling the corners of her eyes. Oh Satanas, what he wouldn't give to look upon her beautiful smile every single day...

He cleared his throat, composed himself: "Good day to you Miss Bennett."

"Good day to you, Cardinal," she greeted. "And good day to you, Cardinal's... friend?" She motioned to Aether. "How should I refer to you?"

The Cardinal chuckled softly. "You may call him Aether, for that is what I call him."

"Aether? Okay, good day, Aether." She smiled at him, and he put his hands to his heart and bowed slightly, acknowledging her greeting. "So what exactly is it Aether does for you? Is he your bodyguard?"

"You could say that. He's a bodyguard in a sense. My driver. My companion. Wait... no. Not THAT kind of companion. I mean... it's not.... there's nothing wrong with that sort of companion, I'm not saying..." he stammered nervously. "Eh... what is the word I am looking for?" Again he was reduced to an awkward mess in Isabella's presence.

Aether leaned in and whispered into Copia's ear.

"My assistant!" Copia suddenly blurted out, "Yes, that is it. My personal assistant." He could feel the heat of embarrassment coloring his cheeks.

If she noticed his discomfort, she did not mention it. But she did raise her eyebrows toward Aether. "Oh! So you can talk?"

"Ah yes. Yes, he can." Copia used this opportunity to push through his anxious thoughts. "The Ghouls are technically not permitted to speak in the presence of those outside of the Church," he explained, "It is an archaic rule, but one we still mostly abide by."

"Ghouls? That's what you call them?"

"A silly nickname, I know. One used for millennia. Because of the masks, you see." It was a small lie of omission, easier for him to explain than the real reason...

But Isabelle couldn't help but smile. "Seems appropriate. Being minions of Satan and all." She didn't know how close she was to the truth.

The magnetic pull he felt toward her rendered him speechless yet again. The urgency of the visit dictated that he keep things quick and professional, but she was so lovely, so clever. He was captivated. Aether gave Copia a nudge, yanking him out of his reverie.

"Eh, yes, so..." He moved closer to the counter, closer to her, while trying to refocus on the task at hand. "Primo sent me to fetch some spell ingredients. Bloodroot and Black Nightshade? He seemed quite certain you would carry those."

Isabelle nodded, turning to the large apothecary cabinet behind her, filled with glass jars of various herbs and materials. "I do! How much do you need? A little or a lot?"

Copia and Aether exchanged a look. "Best make it 'a lot' just in case."

She pulled two heavy jars out of the cabinet, placing them on the counter to begin her work, scooping a generous amount of each into flat-bottomed paper bags. "Now, he’s used these ingredients before, yes? Knows to take all the necessary precautions? Don't ingest them, don't directly inhale the smoke if you burn them, et cetera?" She looked up at him with a pointed expression. "Right?"

"Primo is a master with such things, yes. He will be most careful, I assure you."

"Of course, just making sure." She took out a black marker and wrote the name of each ingredient on the outside of the bags, then folded the tops over and sealed them with a sticker. "I trust you. But I have to do my due diligence. I won't sell these to just anyone, you know? It's definitely more advanced stuff."

Izzy rang the transaction through on her register, taking the credit card Aether handed to her. And as they waited, Copia glanced around the shop, sensing something was missing. "Your partner... Ari? That is his name, si? He is not here today?"

"He's out running an errand for the shop," she explained, laughing softly. "But partner? No. Friend? Yes. Best friend since we were 10 years old. Really, he's like a brother to me. He was hanging around so much when I opened the store, I figured I might as well hire him and give him a reason to be here all the time."

He was relieved to hear it. It was a thought - a worry - that had crossed Copia's mind, that perhaps her co-worker was more than just a co-worker. She and Ari were obviously very close. "Ah, so you and he are not..." Copia faltered, anxiously wanting to confirm it, but not sure how to say it.

"A couple?" Izzy found the word for him. "No. I'm not really his type. He prefers the uh... penis-havers."

"Oh! Eh... I see..." Copia mumbled, embarrassed yet again. "I did not mean to pry..."

"No, no, it's quite all right, Cardinal. It's not really a secret." Her eyes met his and she gave him a reassuring smile, putting him at ease. He envied her confidence. She had the uncanny ability to make even the most awkward of moments more comfortable for him.

Before he could reply, he felt Aether prodding him, directing his attention to the back room of the shop. Visible through the doorway was Isabelle's desk, and atop it sat a vase holding the flowers Copia had delivered to her the day before, on prominent display. It gave him a little swell of pride seeing them there. This means she likes them, yes? "What a beautiful bouquet of flowers you have there, Miss Bennett," he remarked, trying hard to be oh-so-casual about it.

She handed the credit card and their purchase to Aether. "Yes! Aren't they just stunning? Absolutely gorgeous! I love them so much." Her eyes locked with his. "And they really did brighten my day, as you’d hoped. Thank you, Cardinal."

Copia shyly averted his gaze, knowing he had been caught out. "You are most welcome," he said, "I heard about what happened at the coffee shop yesterday - I'm so sorry. All because you defended us. It was the least I could do."

She laid her hand over the back of his. "Don't give it another thought. I'd do it again, anytime. Because we take care of each other, right? Please, give your Ghouls my thanks for looking out for me. I hope they didn't have to put up with any abuse from that woman."

He patted the top of her hand. "Oh no. They actually gave her a good scare, I'm told."

"It may be wrong of me to say but I'm glad to hear it," Isabelle smirked. She did not make any move to take her hand away from his, but her expression quickly turned serious. "But really, you need to watch out for her. Her name is Diane Francis. She's made trouble for me in the past, and I'm worried she'll make trouble for you too, especially after yesterday."

"Diane Francis... Francis... why does that sound familiar?" Copia wondered aloud.

"She's the biggest real estate agent in town. You've probably seen her name and picture on signs and ads, pretty much everywhere."

"Would this be the same Francis who owns a land development company?" he asked, the name jogging his memory. "They were bidding against us for the Abbey property for a short while."

Isabelle nodded. "Yes. Well, actually it’s her husband’s business, but she's involved too. He's an even bigger asshole than she is, to be honest. Can you believe they wanted to tear the whole Abbey down and build condos there?" She shook her head in disgust. "I don't trust them. They have tons of money and influence around here and they don't like anyone or anything they can't control. Please be careful, okay?"

Copia could see the distress in her eyes. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, wishing that his hands weren't gloved so he could feel the warmth and softness of her skin under his fingertips. "We take security very seriously, you mustn't worry. But thank you for the warning. I will tell the clergy and I promise we'll be cautious."

He heard the soft 'ding' of Aether's phone. The Ghoul read the incoming message, then quickly tapped Copia on the shoulder, putting the phone in front of his face so he could see it as well.

"Oh dear..." he sighed. Aether was already headed towards the door, clearly panicked. "You must forgive me Miss Bennett, we are needed back at the Abbey. I thank you, as always, for your kindness."

Izzy came out from behind the counter, following Copia as he went after Aether. "I hope everything is okay?"

"Yes, yes, just a minor emergency. Ghoul trouble. It happens... more than it should, honestly." He made it to the threshold and stopped, spinning on his heel to turn back to her, hating having to say goodbye so abruptly. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, peppering it with three hurried kisses. "Mi dispiace, cara. Please forgive me for rushing off. Ciao, Bella. I will see you again soon, si?"

Aether held the door open for him and he climbed into the backseat of the SUV, cursing the stricken Ghoul under his breath. "Damn that little gremlin! Hopefully we make it back before he inadvertently burns the Abbey down..."

⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧

Ari saw the expensive SUV pulling away from the curb as he made his way back to the shop. When he entered, he found Izzy standing in the middle of the shop floor, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"What'd I miss?" he asked, "What happened? Was that the Cardinal?"

"Yes... He just ran off. Some kind of emergency at the Abbey. Something to do with the Ghouls...I hope everything's okay," she fretted.

He placed one of the two bags he was holding on the shop counter. "Ghouls?"

"The guys with the masks. Bodyguards and assistants. They're called Ghouls. Oh, and they can talk, they're just not allowed to outside of the church."

"Huh. Nothing weird or creepy about that at all," he remarked sarcastically. "Anyway, here's your stuff from the office supply store, and..." He held up the other bag he carried, "I got some sandwiches from the deli for lunch."

Ari wandered off into the back room, Izzy following at his heels. "Really? That's your response? I thought you were as curious as I was."

"I am! But girl, honestly, I haven't eaten all day and I'm hangry. I'll indulge my curiosity after we eat, 'kay?" He moved the vase of flowers over so he could sit opposite her at the desk and unpacked the takeout bag. He nodded over to the bouquet. "And did your loverboy fess up to sending these?"

"He did," Izzy admitted, plopping down into her desk chair, looking dejected. "It was a thank you-slash-apology for being harassed by Diane Francis yesterday."

"As suspected." Ari glanced over at the flowers again, admiring their unique blooms. "Quite the grand gesture. He must really like you or something," he teased.

Izzy opened the bottle of iced tea Ari placed in front of her then unwrapped her sandwich. She took an unenthusiastic bite and pondered her sudden foul mood. Just yesterday she had been so overwhelmed by the smutty dream she'd had that just the thought of being in Copia's presence sent her into a tizzy of denial. But now, only a day later, she was deeply disappointed he hadn't been able to stay longer. Each time she saw him, her longing grew. She wanted to spend time in his company, away from the shop and the Abbey, where the two of them could just be. Her intuition was still screaming that there was more to this...

"Okay," Ari interrupted her thoughts. She'd barely touched her food and he had already plowed through half of his. "I've eaten some and am now officially 50% less evil. So... tell me about these Ghouls."

⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧

October 6

It was a bright, beautiful autumn morning, with a light breeze carrying the slightest hint of the winter chill to come. Deep red and rich golden leaves swayed against the clear blue sky, occasionally dancing through the air and swirling to the ground on a gust of wind.

Isabelle unlocked the gate protecting the front of her shop and pushed it off to the side where it latched down, out of the way. She dragged the chalkboard A-frame sign onto the sidewalk to sit next to the door. Ari had covered it with Tim Burton-esque drawings of monsters, bats, and pumpkins surrounding a large square in the center to countdown the days until Halloween - 25, as of today.

Main Street was already bustling with activity for a Wednesday. Izzy waved hello to Alex and Melissa, owners of the antique shop across the street, and nodded greetings to passers-by. She picked up her old straw broom (so stereotypically witchy of her) and began sweeping the dead leaves and dirt off the sidewalk in front of the shop, humming a happy tune to herself.

As she worked, her thoughts drifted - like they so often did these days - to Cardinal Copia. His image was always lurking at the edge of her consciousness, his essence flitting in and out of half-remembered dreams. It had been a few days since she had seen him, since he had rushed away for that emergency. She debated with herself, wondering if it would be too unprofessional to call him to see if everything had worked out all right. But more than that, selfishly, she found herself missing him. Odd, considering they had probably spent at most an hour total in each other's company. In truth, they barely knew each other. But he had a bewitching hold upon her, this strangely familiar and comfortable feeling that overtook her in his presence. His absence brought a longing to be close to him, making her ache, almost as if she were homesick for a place she had never been...

Izzy finished sweeping and noticed two young women on the sidewalk a few steps from her door. They were dressed in low-cut, black tunics with long black veils draping down their shoulders. The stylized upside-down cross of the Church of Emeritus hung from chains around their necks - Sisters from The Abbey. Izzy recognized one of the two as a regular customer. Assuming they were coming in to shop, she was about to step aside and give them room to enter, but they were interrupted by rude voices snickering behind them.

"What the fuck? Hey! Hey ladies, Halloween isn't until the end of the month. Why you all dressed up? Are these your Naughty Nun costumes?"

The Sisters turned to see two teenage boys there, probably no more than sixteen years old, tall and skinny dressed in oversized flannel shirts and artfully ripped jeans. They saw the crosses on the Sisters' necks and laughed louder.

"Oh shit!" one boy hooted. "You're from the Satan Church, aren't you? Whatda they call you? Sisters of Sin?" His eyes dipped down to their cleavage, ogling them shamelessly. Their habits did not leave much to the imagination.

"My parents were talking about you," the second one continued, "They said you're all bunch of freaks."

"Are you a bunch of freaks?" The first one got right up close to the shorter Sister. "Do you sacrifice animals? Do you drink their blood?"

The second one joined the first. "I heard is they have big orgies. All the time. Is that true?" He reached out his fingers and skimmed them along the Sister's veil, close to her face. "C'mon baby, you can tell me. I wanna hear all about it... Gimmie the deets."

"Or maybe show us what you can do?" They were both laughing now, cruel and taunting.

The other Sister took her friend's arm, leading her away. "Ignore them, Sarah," she said, "Just keep walking. Let's go."

Izzy watched, the anger welling within her as the Sisters tried to escape. But the boys continued. "Awww... come on, we were only joking. Don't be stuck- up sluts. Try to convert us! Tell us about the orgies!"

"HEY!" Izzy yelled. "Leave them alone!" She approached the Sisters and ushered them over to the entrance of her shop, shooting the boys a scolding look over her shoulder.

"Oh look, it's the local bitch... I mean, witch," the first boy sneered. "What are ya gonna do? Fly around on your broomstick and put a curse on us?"

Izzy brandished the broom in front of her, swatting it at the boys. "Wanna find out? I'll turn you into toads, don't tempt me..." She eyed them for a moment, trying to place them; one of them seemed familiar. "Wait a sec... Aren't you Tony's kid?" she asked the first boy. "You look just like him. And shouldn't you be in school right now?"

"Shit, dude," the second boy muttered, smacking his friend on the shoulder before beginning to back away, "She knows you. Let's go..." The first boy quickly followed his friend without saying another word, hurrying across the street and in the opposite direction.

"Say hello to your dad for me!" Izzy called as they scurried away. "He and I go waaaay back!" She ensured they had disappeared down a side street before turning to the Sisters in her doorway. "Are you ladies okay?"

The Sister Izzy recognized nodded, but the other kept her eyes averted, fidgeting with the cross around her neck. Izzy touched her shoulder gently.

"Why don't you two come in and sit for a few minutes?" she suggested. "We've got a big pot of fresh chamomile tea all ready." Izzy pushed open the shop door and led the Sisters inside. "I've seen you in here before," she said to the one she recognized, "You always get the lemongrass incense. What's your name?"

"I'm Brooke. And this is Sarah."

Ari watched them enter, a concerned look on his face in response to Izzy's worried expression. "Hello, ladies," he greeted before turning to Izzy with his eyebrow raised. "What's going on?"

Isabelle brought them over to the reading nook and motioned to the settee. "They got harassed out on the sidewalk by a couple of punk-ass teenagers. One of them was Tony's kid... they were awful. Can you get the Sisters some tea, Ari?"

"Of course." He hurried over to the tea cart at the end of the counter, readying two cups.

Izzy crouched down in front of Sister Sarah, who was still clearly shaken up. She took the girl's trembling hands in hers, hoping to ground her and ease her distress. "Sarah?" she said softly, "You okay?"

Sarah nodded, her eyes still downcast. "I... uh, yeah. I'm okay," she mumbled.

Ari approached tentatively, full teacups on matching saucers in each hand. "Here you go," he said softly as he handed them off to each Sister, "Sip on these a bit."

Izzy took a step back, giving them some space but still keeping a close eye on them. And really, she needed more than a moment to compose herself too. The harassment she’d experienced? She was used to it. But to see these young women taunted and objectified by those deviant brats? That made her blood boil. Once the Sisters seemed more at ease, she asked: "How are you guys getting back to the Abbey? Do you have a car here, or are you getting picked up?"

"We were just going to get an Uber back," Brooke said.

Izzy frowned. She wanted to make sure these girls got back safely and in comfort - especially Sister Sarah. After all this, a stranger driving them didn't sit right with her. "Let me call the Abbey," she said, pulling her phone out of her back pocket, "I'll see if someone there can come get you."

She scrolled through her contacts until she came to Cardinal Copia's name. Well, you wanted to talk to him, right? Now's your chance... It felt weird, too forward, like she was pushing a boundary. But it needed to be done. Her confidence faltered and the butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she tapped on his office number and the call rang out. After a moment, she heard Copia on the other end: "Pronto? Copia speaking."

Her heart was pounding. "Cardinal?" The high-pitched, nervous chirp of her reply made her cringe. "Uh, hi, it's me. Isabelle? From the metaphysical shop?" Like he's not going to know who you are?

"Oh! Bella!" He was definitely caught off guard but she could hear the smile in his voice. "Yes, I recognized you. What a lovely surprise! How are you?"

His pleased reaction eased her nerves, and she let out the anxious breath she had been holding. "I'm well, thank you. But I have a bit of a situation here at the shop. Two of your Sisters are here with me, Brooke and Sarah? They dealt with some harassment out on the street today and they are a bit shaken up."

"Oh dear, oh no," Copia fretted, "The poor things. Sister Sarah is quite new to the Abbey, a very sensitive young lady. I worried perhaps she wasn't ready for an outing in town just yet."

"It was a couple of teenage boys causing a nuisance, skipping school. They have a reputation as troublemakers, the little shits. I scared them off for now. And your Sisters are safe here. Is there someone there who can come and get them? If not, I can give them a ride..."

"Yes, I'm sure there is someone available. One moment..." She heard Copia place the phone down, his footsteps fading across the floor, and the sound of a door opening. She could faintly make out his calling on Aether, telling him to bring a car to the shop as quickly as possible. Then the sound of the door shutting again, footsteps growing closer, and the rustle of him picking up the phone once more. She could picture it in her mind, envisioning him in his bright red cassock, those soft leather gloves cradling the phone next to his ear... "Please tell the Sisters Aether is on his way to get them, and will be there as soon as he can."

"Oh good! Thank you Cardinal."

"No, no, thank you, Bella. Again, you take such good care of us. I am so grateful it was you who was able to help them."

"You're welcome... really, it was the least I could do. Like I said the other day, we look after each other, right?" Not wanting the conversation to end just yet, Izzy took the opportunity to continue. "I, uh, I hope everything is well with you? Last time I saw you, you rushed out of here for that emergency. Did it all work out okay?"

"Ah, yes, yes. It did - eventually. Some of our Ghouls have a talent for getting themselves into trouble," Copia replied cryptically, "But all is well now."

"And your friend Primo was happy with his spell ingredients?"

"Very! Very impressed," Copia assured her. "Better than he could've grown himself, he said. Which might be the highest compliment I've heard him give. He will talk your ear off about herbs and potions if you let him."

Izzy laughed softly, "Well, I hope I get to meet him someday. Maybe when I come for the tour of the Abbey you promised me? Which I really want to do. Soon." Then before her brain could stop her, she blurted out the thought that had been on her mind all morning. "I've been looking forward to seeing you again."

There was a beat of silence on the other end of the call before she heard Copia's nervous chuckle and shy stammer: "You... uh, really? You have?"

She wanted to say something witty, something to play off the confession and seem so self-assured. But there was no clever quip to gloss over the truth. "Yes," she replied simply, "Yes I have. So if you're in town, for whatever reason, don't be a stranger, okay? Stop in and say hello."

"I will," Copia said, his voice gentle and sweet, "I absolutely will. I am..." He paused for a moment and cleared his throat. "I am looking forward to seeing you again too."

"I'm glad the feeling is mutual." She couldn't suppress a giggle. Okay, shit, this really isn't the time to be flirting - you need to be professional - and get off the damn phone before you say something else stupid... "But until then, I know you're busy, so I won't keep you. I'll make sure your Sisters are well taken care of until their ride gets here."

"Thank you again, cara mia. You are a gift to us. See you soon, yes?"

"I hope so... Have a wonderful rest of your day, Cardinal."

"You too. Ciao, Bella."

"Bye," she said softly. Izzy ended the call and clutched the cell phone to her chest, pressed against her thudding heart. I'm a gift? Cara mia? He wants to see me again too? She was grinning like a fool, lost in her own little world of Cardinal Copia bliss when she snapped back to reality - Ari and the two Sisters were staring at her in silence, various degrees of amusement on their faces. They had overheard the entirety of her end of the conversation.

"Don't move," Ari said, holding up his finger in the air, "I have to capture your face right now - it’s just precious." He grabbed a nearby pad of paper and a Sharpie, quickly sketching out what he saw before him. With pride, he held it up to show her: the name 'Bella' written with a big arrow pointing to a smiling, heart-eyed emoji face. He looked at the drawing, at her, then back to the drawing. "The resemblance is uncanny!"

With gritted teeth, Isabelle gave Ari the most annoyed death-glare she could muster, shifting her eyes over to the Sisters and then back to him, wordlessly telling him to shut the hell up. It didn't stop him from laughing out loud. At least the Sisters were polite enough to keep their giggles hidden behind their hands. Izzy took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and slipped her phone back into her pocket, attempting to exude confidence while refocusing on the matter at hand. "Aether is on his way to pick you up," she told them, "He should be here shortly. Let me send you back with some incense, hmm? My treat."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that!" Brooke protested.

Izzy waved off the objection. "No, no, I insist. I know it doesn't make up for what happened outside, but it's a little something to brighten the day, right?" She went to the shelf of incense sticks on display. "Would you like your usual Lemongrass, Brooke?"

"Yes, please... You're too kind, Miss Izzy. Thank you. For everything."

"You're most welcome." Izzy placed six sticks into a small paper bag. "And you, Sarah? Which kind would you like?"

"Um, something sweet? Or fruity?" She finally seemed to be relaxed.

Izzy picked three black cherry and three vanilla into a second bag and handed them over to the Sisters. "I'm really sorry you had to deal with all this today. It's hard when people are awful to you because of what you believe in. Trust me, I know. But don't let a couple of edgelords looking to stir up shit discourage you. The majority of people here are definitely NOT like that. And the handful who are love to make themselves known, so they're easy enough to avoid. Seriously, if anyone in town gives you trouble again, you come and see us," Izzy said, "We've got your backs, okay?" As she spoke, the familiar black SUV pulled up to the curb in front of the shop, and Aether hopped out. "And, I think your ride is here."

The Sisters turned to see Aether enter the shop. He rushed to them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "It's okay, Aether, we're fine," Brooke assured him, "Miss Izzy has taken really good care of us."

Aether turned to Isabelle and took her hand in both of his, shaking it vigorously. His grip was tight and remarkably strong, and his skin was strangely cool to the touch. But just as she registered how unusual it was, he let go, stepping back to usher the Sisters to the exit. "Thank you for coming to get them, Aether. We appreciate it," she said.

He blew her a kiss and gave Ari a wave before giving them both his hand-over-heart gesture of thanks once more. Then the three of them were out of the shop, into the car, and back off to the Abbey.

Izzy glanced over at Ari, that smug, teasing look still on his face. She sighed and collected the two empty teacups, taking them to the back kitchen area, Ari following behind.

"Sooooo...." he began, "I have a question. Like, a serious one. No teasing, no bullshit."

"Okay."

"The Cardinal... why don't you just ask him out?" His tone was one of genuine curiosity. "You're usually so forward. You like a guy and you're ON him. What's different here?"

"What's different is now I'm a business owner, and I'm trying to be professional," she replied. 

"You're not trying very hard," he observed. He wasn’t wrong. When it came to the Cardinal, the pretense of professionalism began to fall away the minute she first laid eyes on him. And was fading ever faster after dreaming about fucking him nasty in the Abbey greenhouse…

"I stand to get a lot of business from the Church if I handle things right,” Izzy continued, “I mean... yes, I like him, and he likes me. Yes, we have this weird connection. But I don't want to rush into something with him and screw everything up. So I'm trying to let it develop naturally." Ari raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Or naturally-ish," she conceded, heading back to the shop floor.

"I see… Well, I guess there's a first time for everything," Ari mused, “How very mature of you.”

"You may have noticed that rushing into relationships has been successful for me exactly zero times. It can't hurt to try a different approach."

"True," Ari agreed. “Not gonna lie, I’m curious to see how long you hold out. Especially after your ‘Notice me, senpai’ moment today.”  He looked down at the drawing he'd made earlier and giggled again, then tore it off the pad of paper and handed it to her. "Would you like to keep this? Frame it? Maybe display it at your wedding?"

Izzy snatched the paper out of his hand and crumpled it up. "Ass," she muttered, tossing it in the recycling bin.

"Awww... I love you too, Iz."

⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧⛧

Copia and Imperator waited at the main entrance for the two Sisters to return. Imperator gave both a gentle hug. “Are you alright, my dears?” she asked.

Sarah nodded. “Yes, Sister. I’m okay. Better now that we’re back here. But Miss Izzy was very kind to us.” 

“I’m very glad to hear that,” Copia said, “Miss Bennett has done so much for us already. We are lucky to have her as a friend.”

Brooke and Sarah exchanged looks. “Yes Cardinal,” Sister Brooke said, unable to hide a knowing grin, “Very lucky. She is so thoughtful and sweet… and pretty, wouldn’t you say?”

“Eh… eh yes. Yes, she is.” Copia’s brow furrowed, aware that he was being teased. The Sisters likely overheard Bella speaking to him on the phone. And considering how quickly gossip spread among the Siblings, it would probably only be a matter of hours before the entire Abbey knew about their flirtations. He stood a little taller, clasping his hands behind his back and giving the Sisters a stern, authoritative glare. “Miss Bennett is an exceptional ally. This is still a new place for us, and we must cultivate friendships with like-minded people if we wish to thrive here. We must remember to be grateful. And we must repay her kindness someday, si?”

“Yes, Cardinal,” the Sisters replied.

“And,” Sister Imperator interjected, “I think we should consider a policy of going into town in our secular clothes for the time being. At least until people become more accustomed to our presence here. It’s not ideal, but I don’t want this to become a regular occurrence.”

Copia nodded. “Now off you go, dolci sorelle” he shooed them away with his hands, “To the kitchen. I asked them to save some lunch for you.”

“Yes, Cardinal. Thank you.” The Sisters bowed to him, then to Imperator in turn, then rushed off to the dining hall, giggling to each other as they went. 

“Are you sure about this, Sister?” Copia asked as they walked back to their offices together. “Not allowing the Siblings to wear their uniforms outside of the Church seems a bit like blaming the victim, don’t you think? Hiding who we are, as though we’re ashamed?”

“A temporary measure, Cardi,” she assured him, placing her hand on his arm, “I have no desire to hide either! But I want everyone here - and everyone who may be considering joining us - to feel comfortable and safe. We’ll give it a bit more time and be good little citizens. People will come around, I’m sure of it.” Imperator stopped outside her door and turned to face Copia. “And don’t worry, dear. You can still go visit Miss Bennett any time you like.” She gave him a wink and disappeared into her office, shutting the door behind her.

[preqvelle]

RITE HERE RITE NOW SPOILERS AND THEORY

( im sorry I don't know how to do under cut on mobile)

. . .

I've had a thought .. bare with me with me

I'm crediting @silverghostxox on ig but also theorising with myself as well here

Obviously, after watching the movie and the Hot air balloon sequence, along with the Clicking of the shoes in the last scene much like Like Dorothy in the wizard of Oz. That's a nod to that. But ..

Notice how copia does the "no place like home" click of his shoes near the end of the film? And respite of the Spitalfields also ironically mentions the wizard of OZ and how Dorothy goes home at the end of the movie.

Song mentions

When the curtain unveiled, to the sound of applause, that the king that we hailed was the wizard of Oz.

But also a foreshadowing

Imperator wore red shoes, and when she was covered over by the white sheet, her Red heels were sticking out much like the Witches Red shoes when the house fell on her. In the movie the wizard of Oz the slippers represent the ability to triumph over powerful forces.

I'm sorry this is so long. It is mainly me just talking to myself writing shit down so I can just vent, but remember the city of Meliora? In square hammer, it was green, and I've always thought that was a nod to the emerald city, and green means money, which mummy dust (eh, this is an entirely dif side quest a thought for another time)

A message is that people will march behind any authority figure who makes a splash, however undeserving they may be.

Let's see the twin brother : We will break away together, I'll be the shadow, and you'll be the light.

Maybe a nod to his twin, perhaps? One is the dark half, and the other would bring the light one. One will eventually kill the other one if we go back to the romulus and Remus theory. But which one. (Dunno) now then my fellow antichrist theory mutuals is this could still happen.. I say that because obviously we assume Copia has the mark 666 and Sister did mention something about how he will come to understand that one day ending means the beginning of a new one and that after a night of darkness.

Obviously I'm very much shitghosting and ballparking alot here and I don't claim anything as stated I'm only making links and parallels here and there 😅 I'd love to pick other people's brains here thoughts and theories. ^^

[profanepurity]

So Lucifer's favorite is Primo. Terzo is Asmodeus' favorite. Do other Demon Lords consider Secondo or Copia their favorite?

Oh, very good question! You guys are going to get more design peaks and small name changes for the Lords with this one! (and a lore dump oops)

Secondo and Beelzebub actually see eye to eye on quite a few things. You would think two very similar, powerful men- stubborn, cold, and bitter powerful men I might add- would clash. However, they actually get along quite well. Secondo always provides exceptional offerings and has proven himself to be a worthy devotee and prophet, so much so that Beelzebub has even invited Secondo out to drink with him on several occasions. (They both made a freind you guys this a big accomplishment for both them.)

Beelzebub even offered to personally oversee Bellamy's education when she is older. To the church he may be a bishop, or a terrifying king of Hell, but in some circles he is known as "Reverend Professor Avarice". Many of the siblings, like Sister Natalie, can attest to how good of a teacher he is.

Copia on the other hand is a bit of a special case, since he gets baby privileges with the fact that many of the demons want to be close to him for one reason or another. But Saltarian and Imperator have Copia so locked down that Satanas even has to "put effort" into reaching out to him. This has deterred a lot of demons from working with our rat boy unfortunately...

except for Belial...

Belial is a wicked and cruel king. There are very few members within the church that are willing to work with him, simply because of how dark his energy is. (Something to note, Belial is very good at spotting witches, keep that in mind for later). His name roughly translates to "Godless", "worthless", "evil" and you feel that when you are in the presence of Lucifer's second. "Father Null" on the other hand is a very sweet young man, but is simply a lowly priest, often over looked and often dismissed. As Copia gets older, that is perhaps what draws him to Father Null and the darkness of Belial. Copia just wants companionship in the shadows from someone who's like him, over looked and dismissible.

If you look back at my post about Copia's "dedication", you can see a very old sketch of Belial in the background. Many of you caught on to how pissed he looked lol. Lilith actually ended up telling the other Lords what the church had done a few years after Copia had been born. Many of the Lords had been "out" for one reason or another, so when they'd returned they had done so excitedly, expecting to come back to two of their partners and a baby. Instead, Lilith looked more pale and ill than the day they had found her in that cave. She could barely describe what had happened without breaking into sobs. Lucifer was like a wounded animal being forced to perform as "Bishop Stell", giving sermon after sermon for the church while Saltarian practically held him at "gun point" to do so. It would not matter how many people spontaneously combusted into fire in the pews, how black the water became, how many swarms of locusts and toads covered the church, Lucifer could do nothing for Copia. He could only drag his bloody claws against Imperator's door at night, whispering all the things he as going to do to her in Hell (Oh I have a comic idea for that later hehe).

So you can imagine just how livid Belial was to come back to this. He only regretted not spending more time comforting Lilith initially. After she told him where Copia was, Belial took Lilith's head in both of his slightly shaking claws and kissed her in silence. He only broke it once her breathing had evened, and he watched her until she looked up at him. Belial was a sadistic fucker that rarely took anything seriously. His humor is a reflection of just how black his heart is.

But he has never looked more concerned and angry than in that moment in quite a long time. He looked at Lilith's face, which Belial adored, even as it was stricken by grief and anxiety. He had pressed his forehead to hers.

"Baby, can I leave you alone for a little bit?"

The Unholy Mother said yes, but she wanted him to come back with Lucifer. She was scared for him, terrified of Lucifer tearing himself apart trying to get them to release Copia.

Of course, Belial promised her everything would be fine.

He killed 36 monks who were under Nihil on his way to the nursery, one for each month Copia had been kept from his mother at that point. He left their bodies piled in the hall of Imperator's office, practically trapping her inside with corpses draped in red, cotton robes and sparkling grucifixes in front of her door.

When "Father Null" entered the nursery, he saw Copia playing on the ground, alone, with a couple rats who he was sharing his food with. In that moment, all the vile, sick intentions of the wicked king dissolved. All he saw when he looked at Copia was two of the loves of his life. He saw Lilith's eyes and Lucifer's smile in little Copia, who barely even noticed the priest had walked in. Null sat with Copia for a little while as a gentle priest, watching Copia play with his tail that he decided to unmask. Copia thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Before Belial returned to Lilith, he came into Bishop Stell's office to do as he promised. He approached Lucifer slowly and knelt before his king at his chair. Belial pulled both his beloved's hands away from his work, and kissed each of his damaged fingers. Lucifer didn't say a word as he looked at his lover, covered in the blood of traitors. Then he saw Belial smile at him. The evil demon, with such pure and warm affection, told Lucifer that their child was beautiful. He promised he would remain in the church for the entirety of Copia's childhood to ensure their child would be looked after in the shadows. Belial was seen as worthless and wicked in heaven and on earth, but Lucifer, the perfect being, has always looked at him with weakness and adoration. For that, Belial would be eternally devoted.

"I know you're angry, but you're scaring her."

Belial had whispered that against his head, and that was all it took for Lucifer to finally break down into sobs- that he'd been suppressing for three years- into Belial's arms.

Lilith felt like she could breath again when she saw Lucifer walk in behind Belial, hardly hearing him apologize to her as she pulled both the fallen angels closer to her and the other kings.

Copia has no idea how loved he is.

[iomadachd]

@tooxldtorememxer asked for a starter with Copia & Imperator

Which Witch - Florence + the Machine

Imperator has never once laid all her cards on the table, and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who could make her do so.

She is standing before Copia's desk and for once, he is sitting. In a world of power plays, she is usually the one forcing him to stand, to prove his place is before her. Now, she holds a piece of paper in her hands, one eyebrow raised in accusation.

"I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out. Who's a heretic, child? Can you make it stick, now?"

[her-satanic-wiles]

I was tagged by the beautiful @da-rulah and @sodoswitchimage to do this. I never do these because I end up having no one to tag, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, I suppose.

Last Song: Dawn by Dario Marianelli and Jean-Yves Thibaudet from the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack.

Favourite Colour: Blood red or emerald green, but pastel pink comes in at a close third given my entire house is that colour and navy blue lmao

Currently Watching Reading: I don't watch TV much, but I'm currently reading a Freya Marske book. I won't go into detail because we're boycotting Macmillan and St. Martin's Press for their employee's violently racist remarks about Palestinians, but we still support authors.

Last Movie: Insidious the Red Door.

Sweet/Spicy/Savoury: Love me something spicy, but I'm a slut for sweet shit, man.

Relationship: Single, and going back and forth between loving it and hating it lmao. Unless you count my delulu relationships with fictional men, in which case I'm currently dating Copia and Astarion at the same time, lmao

Current Obsession: Ghost (of course), Victorian fashion, tea, reading and sapphicism.

Last Thing I Googled: The publishing house of the, the Witches of Thistle Grove series by Lana Harper.

Selfie: I don't take selfies anymore, but I do make a bunch of videos for BookTok, so here's a screenshot from an unpublished review video:

Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this and hasn't had anyone tag them yet. I tag you.

[stressghoul]

This whole "opposite of Christ" thing has got me thinking. What if he takes it even further and instead it's Copia betraying someone, possibly Sister?

now this is something I could get behind. Copia avoids his own death, and turns around and destroys what has caused him all this grief, which happens to be his own mother.

“Like a mother would save her own child from digging a grave” - Witch Image

maybe we’ve been interpreting this wrong; Sister may have planned for Copia to become the antichrist and all, but when it comes down to the wire, she can’t go through with it. it’s her son afterall. she saves him by allowing herself to die.

[ryuzatodraws-archive]

those idiots on Twitter are moronic, Ryu. if anyone comes at you for liking Copiiia but it’s CaNoN tHeYRE bRoThERs just tell ‘em it’s also canon Primo, Secondo and Terzo are all dead.

so if they ship themselves with any of them it obviously means they’re really into necro (because they’re dead remember, don’t forget that, it’s canon!)

because if your AU where they aren’t related doesn’t matter and only canon does, which for some reason equals incest even though it’s explicitly not (that baffles me, it really does)

then they’re AU where nobody dies doesn’t matter either

just because something makes you uncomfortable, doesn’t give you the right to be a giant fucking twat. you don’t have to like something or agree with it, but nobody needs to witch hunt someone over it

they’re all bullies, Ryu, and so is anyone else that shames others for a fictional preference.

you don’t have to share this but just know that you are kinder, braver and by far a better person than these wanky purity police dipshits

Gotta admit I was a lil disheartened over what Copia said at the concert but I gotta remind myself that this is all for fun. Aus and all this stuff are just for fun and nobody should beat up or feel bad for liking the opposite about it

[hallowed-be-thy-username]

ya know I was listening to witch image and the lyric mentioning a pale white horse got me thinking, which 4 horsemen do you think each papa would probably fit in with? (4 if you count copia/popia as one)

Ooooo!! Oh this is fun, yes yes I like this

The White Horseman- Pestilence

Papa IV

Among a number of interpretations, the white horseman represents disease, conquest, and the coming antichrist. Well all of those things point to Copia, in my opinion- Rats, IMPERA as a concept album chronicling the fall of empires, and hints that Copia is the antichrist just hit that nail on the head.

The Red Horseman- War

Papa III

The red horseman carries a sword and in most interpretations symbolizes conflict or strife. That speaks Terzo to me and I’ll tell you why.

The devil’s fall came only after his great rebellion, a single and simple act of looking into the face of authority and saying, “I am glorious.” This was Satan’s ecstasy, but he embraced it knowing the punishment. Are you ready then, to join Papa Emeritus III in the pit, to proclaim your own splendor, feeling your wings melt as the last breath of the exclamation leaves your mouth?

That’s from some promotional material for Meliora (you can read the whole post by Slavghoul here). Denounce, rebel, and rise up.

The Black Horseman- Famine

Papa II

I saw an interpretation that said the black horseman could specifically symbolize artificial famine- oppression by keeping an abundance of luxuries available to the rich while making essentials for the masses selectively scarce. This brings Secondo to mind for me because Infestissumam is largely about what men (predominantly) have likened the Devil to for them- oppress what you interpret as evil or a threat to your position of power.

The Pale Horseman- Death

Papa I

Thanatos, the pale horseman of death, rides with Hades and the pale color is said to be that of a corpse. Primo brings the doom with the telling of the coming of the antichrist in Opus Eponymous, so I felt that he fit this role the most. Vampa, as he is affectionately known, rocks us all to our unholy destiny all the way to Hades.

This was a lot of fun to answer, thank you for asking!