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[faeroyce]

Exclusively for Cantis Magazine, we spoke with The Band Cthulhu ahead of their new winter release album, Dog Days.

The newest member of the band, Dani Royce, hails from Liverpool. But she didn't grow up with the Hogwarts education of her band mates, explaining, "You could say I was homeschooled, but even that doesn't fit. I learned by living... I got to pick what my passions are and my family encouraged me to grow them."

Indeed, Dani's passion for music had her lending her talent as a bassist to gigs across Liverpool, where The Band Cthulhu discovered her. "We first heard Dani play at an indie venue, and we absolutely knew we wanted to play with her, then and there." When we remarked that joining the band was a lucky break for the Liverpool witch, guitarist and singer Cass replied, "Honestly, we're the lucky ones that she's joined us."

We haven't been given any demos of the new album. In fact, the band are proud to share that they too, will hear the first play through of the entire album with their closest fans, at an invite-only birthday soiree for Shosh Edelman, the band's keyboard and synth player.

"The tracks are all original," Shosh answered when asked about the album's unique sound, "No covers, it's all our own work. We've been able to work with some artists that we all really admire. But it's definitely a step up from our last album."

We can't let mention of Cthulhu's debut album go by without asking about the sudden announcement of the band's 'break' earlier this year. Rumours have swirled online for months about the cause of the end of the fledgling band- but the resounding argument from fans is that sex, drugs and rock and roll was the band's downfall.

"Obviously we wish that things didn't end the way they did last time. We were all really hurt, and nothing good was coming of it by the end. But we're coming back better, and more prepared. I think the fans are going to be really impressed." Said drummer Rhett Andersen.

In preparation of the album's release, The Band Cthulhu dropped a surprise music video, hitting 1.2 million views in the first hour. For a wix band, Cthulhu's online presence has been a defining factor of their rise to fame. Band members share 'vlogs' and 'tiktoks' of their day to day, inviting fans to have personal relationships with both the band, and each member of it. Indeed, Cthulhu's utilisation of technology, unabashed advocacy for Being rights, and mobilisation of fringe outsiders as a fanbase, marks a seismic shift in the wix music industry.

-Melinda Hopsworth

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...

Dani hissed softly, the rush of power and knowledge that came with knowing a name. It wasn't quite the same amount of energy it might have been if Clementine Mei-Ling Priddy had offered to her herself, but it was more than enough. Dani closed her eyes for a second, fleeing a flutter of magic around her, around the name, spoken with a knife of love stabbed into the vowels and consonants. Even the way Shosh had said the name - like a desperate offering. It was tooth aching.

Dani was always happy with her abilities to hide rather than fight, to provide passage, and to duck into pockets of space only she could navigate.

She was, after all, a self-professed coward. Her Maman said there was no shame in it, in staying alive and safe, in keeping your loved ones alive and safe. Fighting back was good, but as Maman said, it was better to leave a thievery gone wrong than follow a sinking ship to the gallows or, worse, the depths.

But she could admire someone who fought back, as the tears and scraps on Celmentine Mei-Ling Priddy's body professed to them both. The panicked, terrified way that Shosh guarded the body told a story of love and desperation that Dani found a new respect for in her bandmate.

But love, desperation, and fear had no place when someone's life was on the line. Shosh surely couldn't handle her weight nor the speed at which Dani needed them to move, her head aching with pressure to keep the magical corridor open.

"Ya better hold tight to her then, an' don't fucking' scream either; I'm takin' ya both myself."

Dani crouched and pushed Clementine Mei-Ling Priddy's body into Shosh's lap, hurriedly arranging them like a babe carrying a kitten, and with a soft grunt, she lifted them both. Her frame didn't quake, nor did it bend, but she trembled with the combined strength of not dropping two bodies and keeping a bloody portal open. Shosh was sputtering and moving, but Dani growled, low and short in her throat.

"Hold still goddamn ya!"

Dani tossed her head back and ran straight through the corridor, thighs burning with the excess, blood dripping down her neck like beads of pink sweat. It was a short ten steps, but the moment each foot left the ground, it closed behind her with enough magical force to not just splinch Dani but send her flying through space and land in all manner of realms and places in the world. Two bodies hefted in her thin arms while her fingernails turned claws to keep a grip on Shosh's clothes and stop her from falling, which would inevitably kill all three in a gruesome manner that Dani would not think about.

Then she cleared the corridor, feet scraping to slow her momentum, and nearly rammed all three into the Clinic Door like a bad children's cartoon.

"DELILAH!" Dani hollered, voices pitched high, and a bit of blood dripped into her eye, "OLLIE! HELP!" Windows up the street slammed open; Dani's voice usually meant Aurors and people were made to run at her bellows. But instead of Val's little bird or the comforting face of Ollie, she came face to face with the She-Bitch herself, "Major Grey," Dani instantly recoiled, her least favorite person in the Den, a denizen part-time, a Healer always, an Auror with enough badges and kills and arrests and ambition to lead the Department. Not quite enemy number 1, but Dani harbored the same fear of Aurors for all of them, non-discriminatory.

"Healer Grey," came the correction with an exhausted huff. With a wave of the Auror-Healer's hand, weight was lifted from Dani's arms as Shosh was plucked like a squalling babe midair and pulled into the Clinic.

Dani began to babble, fear bubbling in her chest as Grey's med-coat flapped open and an Auror badge gleamed in the fluorescent lighting, "It's real serious-- I had to rush them here; it looks worse than those riots two summers ago--"

Grey's pale eyes snapped to Dani, who clammed shut. "Sit down and get some water—Delilah!" Val's bird poked from a room. "Use that silly little persuasion power you've got to calm the uninjured one down and get the other into the bed. I know you can manage levitation charms. She isn't bleeding out. We have a few moments before I begin. Now Royce, explain to me everything."

Dani whimpered under the eyes of an Auror, mouth snapping shut. Grey narrowed her eyes, "Don't you fuckin' dare Roy—" Dani sunk back into the wall and nearly wailed as Grey reached to grab her half-corporeal form. The Auror glared at the newly emptied space, except for a set of eyes glaring at her from a freshly made crack in the brick.

Grey stood there a minute examining the clinic room. Dani was sticky with blood and corraled quite literally into the wall. Shosh was a mess in Delilah's arms, cooing and snapping with her honeyed tongue in equal measure. Clementine Mei-Ling Priddy lay on an operation table, breathing a miserable hymn of blood in her lungs for an instrument. With the most pathetic sigh, Beatrice Grey pulled on a pair of blue latex gloves and wished desperately for her own bed.

"This is the last time I decide to run Ollie's little pet project so he can take a blasted vacation. This is a mummer's farce, this entire settlement. Stay in your wall, Dani; you're of no help. Delilah, for fucks sake, shut her up and get in here. I need your hands. They're steady. So help me, Morgana. If this is cause you got into a spat with Aurors and dragged these two into it, I'm taking you in Danika Adeline Royce, see that I fuckin' won't."

Grey strode into the operation room, magic swirling around her right hand as she raised her wand, eyebrows knitting together at the collection of wounds. "Now, what in the fuck mauled you?"

But Dani knew, she could taste it on her blood and mixed with her magic - cat, big fucking magic cat, big magical fuckin' werecat. The scent soaked into Dani's jacket, shoes, pants, and boots, the curse already mixed with their blood. No stopping time, no magic could fix this. Permenant.

"I sure hope she ain't allergic to herself."

@clem-priddy @virtuoshosh

As she counted Clem’s breaths, listened to each one grow wetter and shallower, Shosh was unable to properly marvel at the sight of Dani materializing through a solid stone wall and kneeling before her.

She blinked wide-eyed at Dani in the glittering dawn, her tear-soaked lips trembling, not understanding. “N-name?” Shosh repeated, and then followed the urgency of Dani’s eyeline to Clem’s body, clutched in Shosh’s arms. “C-Clem—her name’s Clementine Mei-Ling Priddy.”

Shosh had no idea what sort of strange magic Dani was performing, and she didn’t try to follow it; she kept her gaze fixed on Clem’s mouth, her split lip, the thin stream of air that went in and out, in and out—and Shosh never once allowed her bloodstained hands to break contact with Clem, cradling beneath her ravaged body tenderly.

She nodded when Dani said they needed to move, but then tensed in terror when she was asked to let Dani carry Clem. The only thing that Shosh knew with absolute clarity in this moment was that she could not—no, she would not let go of the woman in her arms.

“No!” Shosh snapped with a snarl, pulling Clem closer to her chest—harsh, perhaps, given Dani was only trying to help her, here. But the piano player was in shock, and the only thought that penetrated the delirium was how fiercely, how desperately she needed to keep hold of the other.

But somehow, mercifully, Dani seemed to understand, without Shosh having to stumble through half-conscious apologies. Together, they stood and gently lifted Clem, holding underneath her arms so that the two musicians carried the Hufflepuff’s weight between them. 

And then Dani began ripping into the very fabric of reality, and Shoshana readied herself to move with her into the void.

@faeroyce @clem-priddy

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...

The Den had surprisingly good reception for being in the sewers, there was never a place where Dani didn't have full bars unless you were deep in the underground. The only folk who went that far were those in hiding from the Law and Dani herself who had never felt any fear of dark corners and darkened tunnels. 

Dawn was inching above their heads and Dani was still awake and frankly thriving in the comforting silence of the Den. Maman called Dani her “Dawnchild'' for both the time of her birth and her great fondness for in the wee hours of the morning. Even as a child, when the sun awoke Dani turned her face towards the light, soaking up the early Sunrays that flickered into the sewers via magiked skylights and cracks in the ceilings. Dani would wander the misty silent streets, peering into closed windows and waving to the early risers off to attend work. In the Dawn, Dani wondered how anyone could hate the Den, could hate their brick and cobblestone streets, their skylights and gas lamps, the twists and turns, neighbors building homes in the concrete bedrock, the walls slick with dew and ivy and mushrooms. Dani did laps through the silence and rejoiced in the beauty of the Den, of their freedom, and the constant thrum of magic beneath her fingertips.

This Dawn was dark, it was still early and the sun was just peeking over the moonrays that Dani had basked in for the last few hours. Her bass was high up on her stomach as she threaded through the streets, her boots finding the dry raised bricks as she strummed. Neighbors waking up to prepare for days in their business nooks, peddlers yanking off the dust covers and checking their wheels, shoe shiners at their stalls waving to the faegirl as she played on mindlessly. Her bass thrumming low and melodic, echoing and reverberating in the tunnels. It could still be classified as night for the amount of people awake, the gas lamps humming and hours away from turning off. 

In the misty quiet Dani's phone buzzed, and in the quiet she answered softly and eagerly, her posture going taut and her eyes sharpening as Shosh sobbed on the phone to her. On the very edges of panic and from this far away Dani could taste the fear. 

An attack. 

“I'm coming,” Dani replied, keeping her tone and heartbeat steady.

Dani shivered - the aurors? Possible but they wouldn't leave a body just lying there. The serial killer wasn't operating in the Den as far as anyone could tell. 

It didn't matter who -- what mattered was Shosh was asking for her help and Dani could deliver.

Dani tilted her hips, bass twisted up until it's behind her back and wedged between her shoulder blades. She was far from the Studio, at least for the normal Wix. Dani tugged at the brick as magic sprung from her outstretched palms, and she ripped.

Dani tore through the layers of Den and stone, magic sinking into the brick and concrete, as she envisioned the Studio and her tongue flicked out of her mouth tasting the magic - sharp and spicy in the air - and when her hands sunk into the brick she closed her eyes. 

Da had taught Dani the importance of a Name. Names contained power and with the name Dani could always find someone, the wellspring of her magic flexed as she called out -

“Shoshana Edelman.” 

Magic crackled around her palms, sharp yellow lightning, and like the blast from a shotgun the wall fell exposing a narrow hallway that Dani crossed in milliseconds, feet barely grazing the ground as she knee slid across the ground, nearly bowling Shosh over. Dani's hand moving immediately to shore up wounds, blood seeping into the leather of her pants and her bass clipping the cobblestone with the force her knee slid next to her band mate.

“Give me their name.” Dani demanded, eyes focused, and it never occurred to her that Shosh didn't know what she was, and what she was asking but if Dani was going to move them both fast like this to the clinic then she needed the name. “I have to rip open another passage.” 

Dani cradled her hands under the victims head, even in the blood and lowlight and shredded skin and clothes Dani could tell they were strikingly beautiful. They were built strong, and Dani began to trace the outline of her body, her tongue flicking out. 

It was one thing to open small doors for herself, but another to forcibly rip open passages that would cross open streets and tunnels to bring the fabric of space close enough to navigate. She needed the Name, the taste of their magic and to be frankly rudely focused. Dani slipped off a charm from her waist chain, and shoved it into the young woman's palm.

“This will make the bleeding stop,” and like a tick, the charm swelled, and the wounds stopped their rivers of red, a sudden dam, “but it doesn't hold long. We gotta move.”

Dani looked at Shosh, her face grave and serious, likely unusual for Shosh to witness.

“Give her to me,” and she held her arms open, seconds flicking by. “I'll carry her through, and you follow very close after me; when I start running, you need to stay no further than a step behind. The timing for this kinda jump is... tempestuous.”

She couldn’t bring herself to focus on Shosh’s eyes despite the her attempt to lean into Clem’s field of view, her own eyelids heavy with the weight of exhaustion. “I was— C-Costa Rica,” Clem spluttered, wet in her throat and blood in her mouth. She squeezed her eyes firmly shut, trying to focus on finishing her words. “Cat. Big cat. Big cat. Not… I dunno. Caught me off-guard. Barely saw it.”

But this time Clem demanded her eyes open, desperate to see her; to see Shosh. Because Shosh was here. Sho. Sho. Wide-eyed and worried in front of her, but in front of her nonetheless… right? Her brows creased in thought, uncertain at the sight in front of her as ambient light dizzied across her view.

By Merlin, had Clem fucked up.

She realised that now. She had been so angry. She was so tired. Was she always this tired? Where did she ever find the energy to be so angry in the first place? She really should've told her.

Clem pressed a damp, stained hand to Shosh’s cheek and gave a weak smile, a sense of warmth underneath her hand despite every inch of her body weak with an increasing weightlessness. Real. She was so thankful that Shosh had found her; that she could see those eyes — those that had a corner of them just for her, but always uncertain whether or not Shosh knew about it. It was okay if she didn’t; she could rest there for now. It was that clarity and comfort that allowed her relax, the reassurance of safety letting her calm finally as darkness pressed into the edges of her sight.

She was so tired, but maybe now it was okay to rest. "'m sorry," she pressed out as broadly and wholly as she could, giving a weak smile in the hopes it was reassuring. With eyes focused shakily on Shosh, everything around her pressed black.

@virtuoshosh

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What made you hate Aurors so much?

"I just think that getting chased through my own house, my tunnels, getting them pretending to care about me while, using me while they're undercover, getting arrested for nothing, getting hexed at and cursed and put into handcuffs. I'm such a big fan of the Aurors - love them so much, they're all such good wonderful nice kind fuckers who have been terrorizing the Den since before I was even in my Da's balls."

[faeroyce]

Spill the tea on your current band members!!!

"With so much peace and love - no. Heart!"

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How have your past experiences shaped your view of the future?

"This is... a surprisingly deep as fuck question for literally no reason. I was expectin' questions about who I was fuckin' in the band or like my body count," Dani blinked, "Ahhh... cops fucking suck, they're always gonna suck, they sucked when they would arrest me for nothin' or beat on me for mouthing off, or chasin' me around until I had to hideout from them for a few days... The Aurors are always gonna be corrupted fucks - but that's okay; I know the Den got me cause we're all a big ass community, and we look out for each other even if everyone wants us to rot. So I guess that's the future - some things are always going to be fuckin' terrible, but some things are always gonna be good."

[faeroyce]

Dani had never done a production of ... any size, really. Her wandering bassist fingers never landed her with a band longer than a few months, never long enough for promotional photos, videos, or anything similar. All her YouTube and Tiktok videos had been done on a muggle camera and pointedly never showed her entire face during the recording, half her face - lower, upper, right, or left - never in its entirety.

She couldn't.

The news they would be recording a music video ( Dani was still reeling over the fact she was in an actual band with her name on the marquee and not just listed as Feat. Dani Royce ) had sent her reeling back to Paris, hunting Maman through the various Under Houses and Wix Salons proved easy.

"You told them not to ask about your heritage?" Violeta Royce had asked from a chaise lounge, swirling champagne in a gold-flaked flute and dressed in velvet. Dani sat with her back against the chaise, her dirty boots leaving muddy streaks on the plush midnight carpet, while Violeta scratched her fingers through Dani's curling locks. "You explained that it's rude to ask?" Dani nodded, "Then tell them that your magical heritage won't allow it, and their PR needs to spin them something when people try to take photos of you." Lies weaving lies, Dani lived her entire life underground, and in the underground, it was an open secret that the Royces weren't quite human, were some fucked up mixed wix, and had always accepted this as true. It was another asking the whole world to believe that. "They'll figure it out; my baby is a star that they'll wanna make shine - or I'll know why." Dani sighed into the motherly kiss pressed to the top of her head - trust Violeta to be both gentle and threatening at the same moment.

Cut to today, to Dani flopping onto the throne, throwing her legs over the arms, sitting sideways and looking around the room, eyeing the camera's with a wary eye. Were they recording now? Was it going to glitch, or do something weird? Even the muggle cells had issues after prolonged use around her. Maman bemoaned that Dani would have been the perfect thief - unphotographical by magical and muggle means.

"Didja want me to sit proper? Like manspread and shit," she sat back into the chair, but her toes skidded the ground and she made a face, "My feet don't touch the ground..." So she went back to sitting sideways, kicking her heels over the arms, the shirt didn't even rustle with her movements, instead falling artfully over her chest and down her arms, silky and smooth. They'd gone all out for costumes, which was likely the newest thing Dani had worn in years that wasn't stolen.

"So they're what..." she gestured to the other bandmates, "my new legion of musical slaves, a harem? I'm like a fucked-up Pied Piper right, and now they're lusting and kneeling before me to eat me out and listen to my sick riffs?" Cass made a vague choking sound, but it was an honest question. Dani had been worried about how she would look on camera rather than listen too deeply to the vision. "Also, I'm going to get what... gooed?" Someone had said Dani was going to be Slimed, and she hated it so much she nearly quit the band. "With the crown, right?" Dani wished desperately her bass was draped over her lap, her fingers idly strumming and fretting against her stomach as she awaited instruction, tilting her head back so her mess of hair fell over the side and she caught sight of Rhett and winked just to watch the wolfkid flush.

As irritated as the band seemed to be, Ros was loathe to remind them again that the crew had been there longer. Jono had arrived at half five, and Miki hitched a ride with their uncle, bringing along the band's van full of equipment. They'd been working to transform the warehouse from an abandoned shithole to professional soundstage for hours, when Piper arrived.

She was good with her hands, had a knack for creativity, and when she had mentioned to Rosalind with her big wide eyes and hopeful lilt that she had a good vision for a music video for the song the band had been working on, Ros had backed her fully. Rosalind had hired a director first, a professor from Waheela U, chosen specifically with the intent to coach Piper into the role. Ros knew Piper would have the talent for it; all she needed was the experience and knowledge. She had a vision for the set design, and Rosalind trusted her, sipping her coffee while she scrolled through pictures of each piece Piper sent through.

The rest of the crew had arrived soon after Piper, and the band finally arrived around ten in the morning, already bitching about the cold. So when Shoshana scurried away from Sascha, the blonde met their gaze, raising her brows and having a pointed sip of her coffee.

Ros was next to Piper when she called for first places, and the elder Veela nodded in approval, stepping back and behind the camera, waving Piper over and gesturing to an empty director's chair. Ros crossed her legs, leaning her hand on the back of the chair to peer out behind Piper's head.

Cass was relieved for the call. Honest to Vlad, he thought his hair was never going to bloody fall flat again, with the amount of hairspray they were giving him. He practically leapt out of the chair, hurrying over to take his guitar from Miki and pulling the strap over his head. He was just finding his mark when the fancy Yankee Director Ros had hired called out,

"Okay. We're starting from the end: You three have been transported down here, you've given her your musical offering. You're bewitched, ensnared... Ms Royce, could we get you on the throne now, please?"

[faeroyce]

RUBY CRUZ as HAZEL CALLAHAN in BOTTOMS (2023) dir. Emma Seligman

[faeroyce]

"Val," he grinned, Roland took a sip from the fizzy drink rimmed with pop-rocks, and the popping sugar snapped pleasantly against his gums. "You checking me out, gorgeous? I know I cut a fine figure in silk, but I didn't know you swung for my kind," his curls flounced over his forehead, "or are you searchin' me for my badges, luckily I'm off duty for a few days. Some relation or other died overseas in the line of fire for MACUSA so I'm taking the time to grieve," before barking out a laugh.

"Maeko is my girl, nobody knows that we're madly in love and engaged. My family would never approve, pureblood or not." Roland faked a swoon, "I mean when she aims those ocean blue eyes at me and imagines me drowning in my own blood - damn, doesn't the idea of it get you hot." Roland couldn't help riling up everyone in his vicinity, and Maeko was his favorite pass time when he was forced to march through Knockturn Alley like any of that show of force shit was important.

"C'mon, I'm here to drink and dance and forget the grief of another dead family member. Cut me some slack," he tilted the fizzy drink down his throat and grabbed the tequila to pour shots for the pair of them, "c'mon, how about we toast to Alyssa Sidewinder-Nunez, aged 19, may her name be writ on the Sidewinder books as a heroine for wixkind." He didn't know her, some third or fourth cousin of his, he'd already told Axel, who cried a bit for this unknown blood relation who'd been crushed to death.

He pushed the shot to Val, "You wouldn't deny me a little shared toast would you?"

XXX

Dani was already pressed against the wall; the woman was clearly half-something that was bigger and stronger than the half-fae, and she loved the fangs pressed against her throat and thigh wedged against her center. She jerked against the splayed hands curved around her waist, and then the back of her skull prickled.

"Lemme down," Dani tapped the woman's shoulder, who pulled back with a sheen of concern over her mossy green eyes, the sparkling lights making the woman look directly out of a muggle fantasy film, "don't worry, I'm likin' all this that yer doin' to me," her lithe fingers scratched through the flop of curly blonde hair, "but I'm gettin' a bad feelin' and my magic lets me know when bad feelin's turn to bad times ya know?"

"I understand, seek me out when that bad feelin' reminds you of the certainly good feelings we will share," The woman's hand reached out to cup Dani through her thin pants before snaking away. They parted, and Dani scanned the room, finding --

"That shitstain!" Dani took two steps and jerked her magic. The world warped around her as she popped into existence behind Val, teeth bared as he held out a shot to Val.

"Oi asshole, who the fuck let you in here?"

"Gold runt, lots of fuckin' gold, and Axel too."

"Oh goddamnit, don't tell me Val's princess is here too?"

"If she was, I'd be trying to tumble her right now. Want a shot?" He held out the tequila and Dani stared at him.

@meow-morales

"Val," he grinned, Roland took a sip from the fizzy drink rimmed with pop-rocks, and the popping sugar snapped pleasantly against his gums. "You checking me out, gorgeous? I know I cut a fine figure in silk, but I didn't know you swung for my kind," his curls flounced over his forehead, "or are you searchin' me for my badges, luckily I'm off duty for a few days. Some relation or other died overseas in the line of fire for MACUSA so I'm taking the time to grieve," before barking out a laugh.

"Maeko is my girl, nobody knows that we're madly in love and engaged. My family would never approve, pureblood or not." Roland faked a swoon, "I mean when she aims those ocean blue eyes at me and imagines me drowning in my own blood - damn, doesn't the idea of it get you hot." Roland couldn't help riling up everyone in his vicinity, and Maeko was his favorite pass time when he was forced to march through Knockturn Alley like any of that show of force shit was important.

"C'mon, I'm here to drink and dance and forget the grief of another dead family member. Cut me some slack," he tilted the fizzy drink down his throat and grabbed the tequila to pour shots for the pair of them, "c'mon, how about we toast to Alyssa Sidewinder-Nunez, aged 19, may her name be writ on the Sidewinder books as a heroine for wixkind." He didn't know her, some third or fourth cousin of his, he'd already told Axel, who cried a bit for this unknown blood relation who'd been crushed to death.

He pushed the shot to Val, "You wouldn't deny me a little shared toast would you?"

XXX

Dani was already pressed against the wall; the woman was clearly half-something that was bigger and stronger than the half-fae, and she loved the fangs pressed against her throat and thigh wedged between her thighs. She jerked against the splayed hands curved around her waist, and then the back of her skull prickled.

"Lemme down," Dani tapped the woman's shoulder, who pulled back with a sheen of concern over her mossy green eyes, the sparkling lights making the woman look directly out of a muggle fantasy film, "don't worry, I'm likin' all this that yer doin' to me," her lithe fingers scratched through the flop of curly blonde hair, "but I'm gettin' a bad feelin' and my magic lets me know when bad feelin's turn to bad times ya know?"

"I understand, seek me out when that bad feelin' reminds you of the certainly good feelings we will share," The woman's hand reached out to cup Dani through her thin pants before snaking away. They parted, and Dani scanned the room, finding --

"That shitstain!" Dani took two steps and jerked her magic. The world warped around her as she popped into existence behind Val, teeth bared as he held out a shot to Val.

"Oi asshole, who the fuck let you in here?"

"Gold runt, lots of fuckin' gold, and Axel too."

"Oh goddamnit, don't tell me Val's princess is here too?"

"If she was, I'd be trying to tumble her right now. Want a shot?" He held out the tequila and Dani stared at him.

@meow-morales

[faeroyce]

casshasfangs​:

Cass had his hands in the pockets of his duffle coat. When Sascha had presented the coat to him, he’d not been too interested (it reminded him of Paddington Bear). But it was cold as balls, and he wanted to visibly show Shosh that he was trying, so he put on the dumb marmalade bear coat and trudged outside. It was irritatingly warm, annoyingly comfortable, and grudgingly matched his newly found style.

He waited at the Den’s exit for Dani, and when she arrived he gave a smile, “Hey! You pumped? I’m pumped. I’ve got the owner’s number and he said they’ve got in the new Road Worn. I’ve read reviews and it looks like a fucking dream.” More than the actual music shop, though, Cass was excited to have someone new to geek out at guitars with.

They strolled towards the music shop, and as they arrived, a gaggle of Danish teenagers, clearly on Winter break, walked out. One of them elbowed the other, pointing in Cass’s direction. A knot tightened in Cass’ stomach but he swallowed it back, walking forward to head to the shop, when one of the teens stopped them, asking excitedly for an autograph. Cass nodded and looked around expectantly for something to sign. They rifled through their bags, then found a notebook and a pen, which he dutifully took and signed. Cass looked to Dani, raised his brows, then looked back at the teens, inclining his head to her, “You’ll want her autograph, too. Trust.”

@faeroyce​

...

Her Dad was hovering when she walked out the door, something he had rarely done while she was growing up. Dani had been allowed free reign of the Den since she was able to get herself in and out of trouble - but leaving the Den? Now that was something she hadn’t done until well into her teen, always accompanied, and always with her Dad’s knowledge, her Mum’s warnings and with Val at her back. 

Den was safe, Den was home, the aboveground was strange and concerning. She’d gotten better about it over the years but Dani still felt off-kilter. Her Dad walked her to the exit tunnel, gripping her shoulder and looking over his own waiting for the tap-tack of leather boots on cobblestone. Waiting for an Auror to come and try and nab her, talk to her, then send her stumbling right back into her Da’s chest while he spoke curses on the names of the Aurors he knew.

“Stay safe, keep your eyes peeled. Monsters are abound these days, in badges and outside of ‘em,” Her Father pushed her towards the tunnel, leaving a trace of gold dust on a bare sliver of skin on her bicep, “Signal if you need me to come get you Princess,” Dani nodded then strode up to find Cass, bursting through the thin veil between the Den and the Aboveground, blinking blearily before pulling up a thin mesh mask over her mouth and nose - for fashion she told Cass, keeping a wary eye on the shadows and inquisitive eyes. But she couldn’t escape Cass’s excitement and quickly began to talk the finer points of strings and neck length, her hands sparkling with excess magic and energy as they plodded to the music shop, putting a big of swagger in her step as girls giggled passed and she roughly put a hand through her mussed locks.

“He’s jus’ bein’ a fine kind lad, promise I’m not a scary sort at all nor am I as famous as he is,” Dani clapped a hand on his shoulder, grinning to show a gleam of her teeth through the mesh mask. There was a sigh from a fan, and Dani winked while a pretty blush grew over her face, “C’mon darlin’ I’ll sign anything ya want me to to, give ya my number as well in case you want some private lessons on the bass... or singing. I’ve been told I make the most lovely sounds.”

The girl was clenching onto her friend, eyes glazed over, lips parting - all the signs of Dani’s allure, like a poisonous flower all flashy pretty colors hiding the danger underneath. 

“Cass gimmie her paper, I think she’ll want my number, back stage passes can get so tricky...” she ripped an edge from the paper, and scrawled her cellular and folded it, pressed it closed with a kiss and as she walked passed the fan tucked it into the girl’s hand. “C’mon my lad, we’ve got strings to make sing, our fans wouldn’t want us to keep us from our business would they?” The act of suggestion had them bustling out of their way, parting like the sea as Dani strode passed with Cass and when they were far enough away Dani peered up at him. 

“You’re not one for fan fuckin’ are ya?”

[faeroyce]

casshasfangs​:

Cass scooped up the red bull cans, which were piled precariously atop each other, balanced on an amp. He snickered to himself at Rhett’s admission, waving off a ‘Sure, sure…’ before he went for his guitar. He was just thinking about the music, honestly, about what they’d have her play. Something to impress her, something that she could pick up easily, something that lent itself well to a strong bass, something where Shosh could sing so he could focus on Dani… Shosh read his mind, as always, and he was about to turn to her to quip about it with a crooked grin, when Dani came barging in.  

The song was perfect, he couldn’t have picked better himself. He stood close to Dani, his gaze shifting from his fingers strumming to Dani. His knee shook, his head bopped, Cass couldn’t help himself. He moved when he played, always had. And he hadn’t played with a bass in a while.

When the bridge came, he inclined his head to the mic stand, still making eye contact with Dani, then stepped back. Dani stepped forward, and while Shosh continued the lead, Dani sang, “More, and more, and more, and more…”

Cass turned to Rhett then, his eyes widening. He cocked his head to the new girl and mouthed to the werewolf, “Holy fuck!”

—

While the band gathered together in the booth, Rosalind settled on a stool in the studio, head buried in her laptop to look up the girl’s details. She hummed a tone of mild interest at the song, looking up briefly before going back to her work, content to let Eric do his own job.

Ros raised her brows at Piper’s line of questioning, humming before answering with a laundry list of factors going through her mind, “Her optics look good, strong social following, she’s clearly talented. Marketing her will be difficult, but if we can manage Rhett, we can manage anything… She’d need media training, an image refresh with the other three. Is she part pixie, did she say? We’ll just need to bring in a consultant, make sure the wards and provisions cover anything she needs… ” She looked up from her laptop then, lowering the screen, “If you mean the sound, though… You know the band, you’re experienced. You can make that call. Is she a good fit, sonically?”

...

The patrons of Mersey Grille loved swinging Dani atop the bar when she was but a wee lass, time was a suggestion in the Den and Dani had never adhered to a bedtime. So atop the bar she’d sing, love songs, shanties, drinking songs. Ma said her voice was like that of a sparrow, high and dancing above the din. They stopped when the raids became more frequent, and Dani had nearly caught one too many stray spells to her reedy childish chest.

But the trill of her voice, a high soprano, suited for theater and love ballads rather than the church of punk that Dani prayed before. So she stopped singing, lending her voice to back-up, learned how to scream into the mic to make herself more marketable. When she sang harmonies she pitched her voice light and low. But, this wasn’t just some band hiring her for a week or a backtrack, they needed to hear her.

So Dani crooned into the mic, voice spilling from her lips like a sparrow, flying high around the booth. Da said to be careful with her voice as she got older, Fae had magic around the throat, around riddles and entrapment. Dani had seen it, singing love ballads for girls she wanted for a bit longer than a night. It wasn’t the type of enthrallment a Veela had, but it could lull you, just like Dani’s eyes could freeze you. 

“More, and more, and more and more and more,” 

The end was repetitive, even soothing. This was Dani’s time, when she could show her assets, how she could be a teamplayer, that she was more than a womanizing bassist - she was talented and could give them more than just a heavy backbeat. She was her. Timing her beats with Shosh’s was almost child’s play Dani had to learn body and vocal cues - when to shut the fuck up and when to push the envelope. She toyed with the idea of doing a harmonized scream at the end but thought better, the vibe was wrong. Instead Dani carefully harmonized the last note, letting it ring through the booth as she stepped back, flexing her arms, bass hung low around her hips, sweat sticking her hair up in all sorts of directions.

“Did I mention I do screamo as well as backup?” She offered plucked a water bottle from a stray bucket of them, sucking it down. “I don’t do alotta vocals, seein’ as how when your fer hire it’s hard to learn all the songs. But I can do it,” anything to make herself more valuable, more worth their times, anyone’s time, “not that you lot need another vocalist but it’s in my skillset.”

...

Stalagmite was the best of the many Den venues, with clean bathrooms and clean water; sound was good, the place safe if you ignored the jutting rocks coming up from the floor. The Clinic hated Stalagmite and the rotating crowd surfers who came out of the shows with with puncture wounds from getting dropped wrong onto the jutting rocks. Dani had scars from her own days in the crowd. But now her view consisted of screaming fans, heavy bass riffs, and her name being chanted back at her.

Last song, she had to make it count. The Terrified Jones paid her fifteen galleons to do a cover job, she had two days to learn the material and announce her joining the band for a few shows. Guest player.

Dani winked at Val just in front of the barricade, arms enclosing the little Veela the were-jag called an annoyance currently dancing her ass off to The Terrified Jones lead singer, whose voice was cracking every time he tried to hit a new note. The smoke was intense on stage, the stage lights flashing piss yellow and neon purple - the band's atrocious choice. But the money, the stage, and cheers as the band walked off and Dani heard her name being yelled. Well, it felt better than whatever shit emo rock band from Belfast could pay her.

Dani went straight for the bar, bass slung low on her hips and the bartender immediately started throwing together a triple gin and honey mix. The fae felt eyes on her and turned to the small group hovering and whispering.

Flashing her most coy smile, Dani ran her fingers through her sweaty tumble of hair - "Need an autograph, or maybe a photo eh? Admiring my good looks are we?" Dani flipped the bartender a half sickle and took her drinks, "Hope y'all enjoyed the show and everything; merch is to the back. Unless of 'course ya want something else from me. Which is fortunate for you all as I do groups, but you'll need to provide the space."

[faeroyce]

meow-morales​:

Val stretched their lithe body across the back of the couch just like it was an evergreen branch, peering down at Dani while she rambled. “Cthulhu, huh? Poco pituco for the likes of the Den, ey? But they got a few catchy tracks, if you like that stuff—pretty sure Derek’s a blood bag for one of those kids, he never shuts the hell up about them…”

They were about to mention the fact that Delilah couldn’t stand the fledgling band, which made the prospect somehow more appealing, to Val—they liked anything that would irk the Duchess—when Dani mentioned the girl in a different context. A growl bristled in the back of Val’s throat and they leaned to loom over Dani, vulnerable and belly-up on the couch. A predatory smile uncurled across Val’s face, which hung over Dani’s like a harvest moon. “You know, it’s considered pretty rude to bring up a Were’s heat unless you’re plannin’ on scenting and rutting them proper. You’re lucky I’m such a cool kitty cat…if I were some hot-headed wolf, we’d have to scuffle for dominance, or some shit…” They flashed Dani their incisors, but was only able to hold it for a few seconds before they broke, and laughed, sprawling back onto the couch’s backrest; god, but Pack Weres were dramatic.

Val bent their arms at the elbows and rested their head back on their hands. “And I only reek of parakeet because that stupid little bird woulda gotten herself crushed to death in that mosh pit, okay you fucking pucha? I was trying to be, like—neighborly, or whatever the fuck…” Val sniffed, and then hopped up onto their feet, not wanting to think about Delilah or her scent any longer. They grabbed some loose, worn jeans from a pile on the floor and pulled them on over the briefs they’d been sleeping in, ran a hand through their cropped black hair and grabbed a brown leather jacket from the back of a chair, which they shrugged on over the muscle tank with the Tarapoto Tree-Skimmers logo on it that they were already wearing. “Hop to, Tinkerbell,” Val said to Dani while they looked for their boots, “You know what we gotta do to christen something big happening, it’s tradition. So throw some pixie dust on those pit stains—we’re goin’ out.”

...

Anyone with braincells might’ve already ran at the look on Val’s face, but Dani had seen Val in every state imaginable and all it would take was a simple phasing parlor trick then she’d be out from under Val’s predatory grin. So Dani let out a playful mrrt, idly transfiguring her throat to use the typical biology of a cat then back again. 

“I’m too handsome to let you get into a scuffle of dominance with me,” Dani snorted at the simple idea of fighting for dominance as if she cared about such silly matters. Dani had fucked more than a few weres in her time, but rarely saw the appeal of such a stringent sexual dynamic.. 

“Neighborly huh?” Dani teased, forever stuck on the way those two looked at each other when no one was looking, “Sure seems like you’re trying to borrow more than a cup of sugar from our dearest neighbor. Besides I’m sure some dashing local was ready to scoop your bird up if she got crushed.” Dani knew there was always someone in the wings waiting for the something-Veelan to turn her head from Dani’s best-friend. “Best let her get crushed and have someone else smear their scent all over her isn’t it?” 

Dani was sick of the dance Val was having with Delilah, she couldn’t understand the tension - fuck and/or get over it. They both had enough partners to do that, this was just silliness.

“Aight let’s get this shit rumbling,” Dani crowed, cinching her leather pants tight around her waist with a length of cord she kept in Val’s house, that she’d bury beneath their couch. What day was it? Unsure but time was false in the Sewers, only kept by concert dates and delivery days. 

Dani made a split second stop into Val’s room, shedding her previously sweated through shirt for a spare she cropped button-up she kept there, left open to show off her leather bralette she didn’t even need and flat stomach. Grabbing a bit of gel to slick back her hair, she fiddled with her wooden jewelry and whistled a gem-sparking spell to bring brightness back to the rough cut rubies on her leather necklace and wristband as she strode back into the living room.  “I’m hoping for a club moment myself, girls are so easy when I do light tricks or say I’m in a band - think we can get some notches tonight? Make a proper game of it, quickest to three gets free drinks for a week?”

[faeroyce]

casshasfangs​:

Cass had thought it was a general common knowledge that he was a veritable fucking idiot; Rhett really didn’t have to call him out like that. He elbowed her in response, pretending to hide it by tucking his sunglasses into the front of his shirt, and then sipped at his cider. 

He followed the group into the little hole-in-the-wall, content to let Piper, Rhett and Shosh do most of the convincing and talking. Piper and Shosh especially were good at this kind of thing. Cass mostly just sipped his drink and frowned at the closed off wall, imagining Eric turning around from where he’d been at the bar, to find the group completely gone.

Sure, he wasn’t good at anything too social. But he knew music. Pursed his lips at Dani’s critique of their sound but didn’t fault it. When Dani waxed lyrical about her limitations within the sewer, though, he frowned and piped up, “We know what that’s like. We might have made it big but that’s only ‘cause we know. This isn’t just a band. Our gigs, our spaces, our staff, everything’s all about sticking it to them, and making this whatever the hell we want. I don’t know what you are, you don’t have to tell us. But you’re bigger than a fucking sewer, I’ll tell you that.”

He looked over his shoulder with a huff, then around to the other members of the group, “We’ll go to Stevie’s, then?” And to Dani, “We’ve got a studio down the way. Do you need a hand with your bass?”

—

The group eventually made their way to White Witch Studios, where Rosalind had a handbag over her arm and was furiously typing away on her phone, about to leave, when she encountered the group, “Merlin, there you are. Eric said you’d disappeared, and I was three seconds away from calling in a damn detective.”

She eyed the newcomer of the group, and raised a brow at Piper, awaiting an introduction. When it came, Rosalind extended her hand to Dani, “Nice to meet you. Come on in, everything’s where you left it- Cass, you left red bull on the amp, clean it up. Shosh, a package came for you, don’t ask me what it is, I don’t know. Rhett,” She opened her handbag then tossed a handkerchief in Rhett’s direction, “You look like you’ve been in a bloody sauna.” 

The younger band members tottered off in different directions, leaving Rosalind, Piper and Dani at the foyer. “Dani, I have a form for you to sign. It’s a standard non-disclosure agreement. Conditions only kick in if you decide not to pursue the part in the band. Just outlines that you can’t disclose the location of the studio, or what we talk about here. We record everything from the booth, you own all of your work, if you choose to leave we’ll give you the hard copies. Good with you?” She looked up from her phone then, reaching behind the foyer’s desk to pull out the clipboard and aforementioned form. 

.

Bigger than the fucking sewer. Dani stewed on that as they entered the building, the one that had been shuttered then suddenly taken off market and blocked off. She’d been tempted sorely at least thrice in the last week to break in and see what was being done with the place. Rumors flying that the Aurors were trying to set up a station within the sewers. Rumors flying it was a new Hedgehouse, that she could get behind. None of the rumors even predicted that it’d be a recording space, better, cleaner, newer than any DIY backrooms masquerading as a recording space in the entire sewer.

Bigger than a fucking sewer. Dani’s entire world was the Den, it spread like tentacles beneath the city, spreading it’d denizens deeper and filling up the spaces it could with anyone who needed the freedom Above could grant. 

“Ya can’t call a detective down here,” Dani offered, hands buried into her pockets lest she fucking infect the space or something; god it even smelled new, “the Den don’t like the Aurors much, won’t let them in for anything less than a murder most days. They can't get much further than my Da's place, and we're a bit further than tha' right now." Dani paused to think, "I'm a liar, the Den likes that one Auror who sings all them muggle musicals. Even if I have chased him into a wall at least twice for singing Phantom too often.”

She was blathering, a bad habit for when she got nervous or overexcited, and trapped her jaw shut and offered a small smile, her free hand wrapped around the neck of her bass that was still hung around her shoulders and had been the entire walk over.

Dani eyed the contract, her Da had a talent for truth seeking something she didn’t quite possess in spades but folk couldn’t really lie to her. She could see their intention, sparking like fools gold in the corner of their smiling mouths. Dani held her free hand out, the one not on the strings.

When it was handed to her she looked around the room, and straightened up. 

“Mind if I have your name, please?” Dani offered her a smile, the sort that got her in trouble with fiancé's, the kind that could root someone to the spot, make their head a bit fuzzy and their time a little slower. Nothing serious, just a little proper Fae trickery in action. “I like to know who I’m talkin’ to is all. We’re all about community trust down here, best to know our neighbors and employers.”

Dani thumbed the bass, what may have been perceived as a nervous tick was casting a light truth-seeking spell around the contract, the kind her Da could do by twitching his nose, the kind Dani could do while using her bass. But the contact wasn’t glowing, and the woman wasn’t either, the usual spark of pyrite around the corner of a liar’s mouth missing. 

Safe to sign then.

Stalagmite was the best of the many Den venues, with clean bathrooms and clean water; sound was good, the place safe if you ignored the jutting rocks coming up from the floor. The Clinic hated Stalagmite and the rotating crowd surfers who came out of the shows with with puncture wounds from getting dropped wrong onto the jutting rocks. Dani had scars from her own days in the crowd. But now her view consisted of screaming fans, heavy bass riffs, and her name being chanted back at her.

Last song, she had to make it count. The Terrified Jones paid her fifteen galleons to do a cover job, she had two days to learn the material and announce her joining the band for a few shows. Guest player.

Dani winked at Val just in front of the barricade, arms enclosing the little Veela the were-jag called an annoyance currently dancing her ass off to The Terrified Jones lead singer, whose voice was cracking every time he tried to hit a new note. The smoke was intense on stage, the stage lights flashing piss yellow and neon purple - the band's atrocious choice. But the money, the stage, and cheers as the band walked off and Dani heard her name being yelled. Well, it felt better than whatever shit emo rock band from Belfast could pay her.

Dani went straight for the bar, bass slung low on her hips and the bartender immediately started throwing together a triple gin and honey mix. The fae felt eyes on her and turned to the small group hovering and whispering.

Flashing her most coy smile, Dani ran her fingers through her sweaty tumble of hair - "Need an autograph, or maybe a photo eh? Admiring my good looks are we?" Dani flipped the bartender a half sickle and took her drinks, "Hope y'all enjoyed the show and everything; merch is to the back. Unless of 'course ya want something else from me. Which is fortunate for you all as I do groups, but you'll need to provide the space."

[faeroyce]

meow-morales​:

.

It was rare that Val ever unintentionally shifted into their jaguar form, anymore; but when they did, it was while they were asleep.

Val had spent so many nights, at first, and then days in the jungle stretched and dozing across the strong branches of the evergreens, the cool rainforest canopy a temporary relief from the sweltering humidity. The distinction between human and feline blurred the most while Val was unconscious and dreaming, so it was only natural that even now, as an adult, Val tended to shift back and forth according to their REM cycles.

Even in their slumbering subconscious, Val’s large cat ears pricked up at the sound of a small creature approaching, and the jaguar shot straight up from the bed with a growl when Danika’s voice echoed loudly through Val’s small studio apartment. They shifted in midair, so that they landed gracefully on two human feet, a scowl on their face, with glowing eyes that still half-belonged to the jaguar glaring through the darkness.

“Hijo de puta Dani…” Val grumbled as they stalked through the shadows to flick on a light and then loom over the half-Fae’s sprawled form on the floor, the illuminated neon from their eyes dissolving back to their normal shade of black with every blink. Val peered down at Dani, arms akimbo. “…and don’t be tumbling in here taking my Tia Violeta’s name in vain unless you mean it.”

They reached an arm down to help hoist Dani up off the ground, smirking a little despite the rude awakening; Val was practically nocturnal, anyway, and they were used to spending long nights getting into trouble around the Den with Dani. “Habla, causa. ¿Qué tal? Where’d you disappear to after the show, huh? That tombo giving you shit again?”

.

Dani let herself be set upright and idly slapped off dirt from the back of her pants and tousled hair, dried sweat clung to her neck and forehead after having damn near sprinted through the Den making more than a few shortcuts to make it to Val in record time. Da had likely already heard through the grapevine that his kid had gotten adult-napped by some wrapped up snowmen and was busy trying to decide to call her Ma and the cavalry or whether or if this was just another scheme Dani had gotten herself involved into.

The answer was - scheme. The best scheme, a real fucking job with a real fucking job that isn’t just paying her under the table with galleons and leers. 

“God we get it you’re Ma’s favorite ya don’t need to be all prickly about me swearin’ by her and all,” Dani whined as she flung herself through the couch then back onto it with a long-suffering sigh, blowing the messy waves out of her eyes. How was she going to word this proper to Val? How was she gonna say ‘Hey I got a job and sometimes I gotta leave the sewer for the tour and shit, it’s so awesome! They’re all so cool can you believe it it’s fucking Cthulhu they’ve been all over the mags and it’s crazy--!’

Except Dani was saying that, hands in the air practically spewing it into the open air. But in for a Knut in for the whole Lourve as her Ma liked to say, so Dani barreled onward in a single breath. “They needed a bassist and their hot blonde werewolf is a fan! Of me! She saw my Tiktok and Youtube video and they tracked me down and the whole thing with terrible disguises and god they were sweating!”

Dani stopped, then blinked and looked Val up and down, sniffing the air.

“You smell like Delilah’s perfume ya know,” Dani slung a single leg over the couch’s arm, practically reclining, “you two sure as fuck were cozy at the barrier tonight, surprised I wasn’t walking in on you two fucking like you’re in heat.”

[faeroyce]

@meow-morales​

Dani let herself topple backwards through the wooden door, her bones vibrating a little before settling down, skin tight then loose then normal again, all the usual signs of her unusual magic. She had a single hand covering her eyes as her body hit the floor with a light thud, her gold and wooden jewelery tinking gentle even while another ripped formed in the knee of her trousers. Already a white handkerchief waving frantically in her free hand.

“If you’re fucking I’m sorry!” It wouldn’t be the first time that Dani had walked in on Val’s bed-notches, nor would it be the last and vice-versa. The pair had torn through the Den of Magic long ago, a pair of heartbreakers and studs letting their body keep the score and the Clinic annoyed with their noon walks of shame to get checked. “But this is super mega wildly important ya know! I promise, swear up and down on my Ma’s latest heist forreal!”

Having not hear a shriek from a bed partner, Dani opened her eyes to a peeved off Val standing over her prone body.

“I’d say your door was open, but I kinda just fell through it instead.”

[faeroyce]

peace-love-piper​:

Piper only had a moment to stare in wonder at the strange door that disappeared into the cavern wall before she was being addressed by the spunky bassist. Her brow crinkled in confusion and she said, “My—?” and then Piper flushed as she realized Dani thought Piper was intentionally trying to Charm her, and that she’d been identified so instantaneously as a Veela. “Oh! Oh, no, that’s not what I—”

But Dani ignored Piper’s protests in favor of willfully chattering on, not letting any of them get a word in edgewise until she’d finished speaking and all of their heads were spinning.

Or, at least, Piper’s was; she could certainly feel the young woman’s energy, which meant the bass player wasn’t Veelan. And Dani was a Being, to be sure, but—try as she might, Piper couldn’t place the energy. It was…lulling, almost. Hypnotic, in a way that drew Piper’s attention, sparkling and distracting—but then seemed to distort, feeling eerie and somehow not-quite-right, the longer she focused on it.

Shosh, who’d been staring at Piper impatient and expectantly, gave an audible, annoyed huff and a roll of her eyes before interjecting herself, “Please—you literally just listed all the reasons why we do need a proper bassist, and we all know what negging is, so why don’t we play this straight—we want you because you’ve got talent, and it’s being wasted playing with other bands who clearly don’t appreciate what you can do. And you’re undervaluing yourself if you limit your art to freelancing and YouTube—I mean, do you really want to be a sewer vlogger your whole life? Don’t you want something more?”

Piper brushed her fingers over her temple, sighing; a little brusque, maybe, but the keyboardist wasn’t wrong. She gestured a hand through the air, and in a gentler tone than her young client, Piper added, “We’re not trying to ‘shark’ you, or imply that all bassists are interchangeable—quite the opposite, really. If you’re happy here, doing what you’re doing, then far be it for any of us to interfere, but…I believe that you have something very special, Dani. And I think you’d be a great fit for this band. All we’re offering here is…an opportunity. To be a part of something great…” She looked at each of the band members in turn, pride and affection shining in her eyes, before looking back at Dani. “…but if it’s not for you, we’re not here to force you. Perhaps you’d be willing to just—give it a try?”

...

...

"Neggin'?" Dani questioned, tilting her head to the side offering her own lopsided smile. Sometime she gave people as Delilah lovingly called it 'The Ick' with her smiles and Val often poked her to remind her to blink sometimes. "Now settle in there sweetheart, I'm not saying anything but the truth and what the critics are gonna say once they get over all your dashing good looks."

Dani was being hiried, that was for damn sure. They could dress it up all kumbayah for band comraderie and everything but Dani knew a hiring when she saw one. Talent got snapped up down here, for the record labels, for the backtracks, for playing chords while the lead singer could play an unplugged guitar, hit all the notes and look gorgeous for the groupies beneath their feet. They got a paycheck, names on records, royalties and a cushy slot for the next spot in the band.

Dani, was getting a bit too old to play at the sparky for-hire bassist without representation. Dani, was getting a bit too familiar on the TikTok and Youtube, and the Ministry wasn't going to play nice when they send one of their Muggle Affairs Aurors down for a 'chat', if they can find her, about the Statue of Secrecy. Dani, was getting far too old to not have a contract with a band or label or something other than the Mersey to fall back on not without whispers.

"Biggest I've ever hoped for is an 11pm Solo Slot at Staligmite," Dani offered with a huff, "not much for us sewer kids outside of the Den," her hands found the brick, thumbinh it gently, feeling moss grow and cover her thumbnail as if to hug her back, "most of us are here cause up there," she nodded to a skylight a few feet away from there, "they can't handle us or don't want to. We don't dream too far beyond these tunnels." There wasn't any point to it, Dani was fae - half of one at least. That half was too strong that her parents didn't even send her to Hogwarts. Strong enough to startle vampires, veelas and wolves. Strong enough that even her Mum couldn't meet her eyes some days.

But still... someone great. Wasn't that what her parents always told her to be? Someone she believed was great. Didn't matter if she became a cat burglar like her Mum, a bartender like Da or a shoe shiner as long as she was proud of it.

If she dreamed of a sky above her that was blue instead of mottled grey then wasn't she allowed that freedom which was given to her by her mere existence?

"Play a song with me," Dani offered finally, her ruminations laying heavy on her brain, unknowing that she was still looking unblinking at the assortment of Kraken Kids, unknowing that the moss was growing over her wrist, unknowing she'd stood unmoving in the same spot. Then all at once came back to startling life, breaking from the wall, a breathing statue as she fingered her bass in a low moody riff. "Play a song with me and we'll see where we stand, music shows truth doesn't it, reveals everything. Maybe it'll tell me if this is the wrong or right direction. I always find my way."

Dani could never get lost, it was in her blood.

Stalagmite was the best of the many Den venues, with clean bathrooms and clean water; sound was good, the place safe if you ignored the jutting rocks coming up from the floor. The Clinic hated Stalagmite and the rotating crowd surfers who came out of the shows with with puncture wounds from getting dropped wrong onto the jutting rocks. Dani had scars from her own days in the crowd. But now her view consisted of screaming fans, heavy bass riffs, and her name being chanted back at her.

Last song, she had to make it count. The Terrified Jones paid her fifteen galleons to do a cover job, she had two days to learn the material and announce her joining the band for a few shows. Guest player.

Dani winked at Val just in front of the barricade, arms enclosing the little Veela the were-jag called an annoyance currently dancing her ass off to The Terrified Jones lead singer, whose voice was cracking every time he tried to hit a new note. The smoke was intense on stage, the stage lights flashing piss yellow and neon purple - the band's atrocious choice. But the money, the stage, and cheers as the band walked off and Dani heard her name being yelled. Well, it felt better than whatever shit emo rock band from Belfast could pay her.

Dani went straight for the bar, bass slung low on her hips and the bartender immediately started throwing together a triple gin and honey mix. The fae felt eyes on her and turned to the small group hovering and whispering.

Flashing her most coy smile, Dani ran her fingers through her sweaty tumble of hair - "Need an autograph, or maybe a photo eh? Admiring my good looks are we?" Dani flipped the bartender a half sickle and took her drinks, "Hope y'all enjoyed the show and everything; merch is to the back. Unless of 'course ya want something else from me. Which is fortunate for you all as I do groups, but you'll need to provide the space."

[faeroyce]