#(mentioned) black clover oc: lorelei swallow

[acacia-may]

Wilhelmina "Billie" Granvorka (Black Clover OC)

(Art from this Picrew).

Happy New Year! One of my resolutions is to share a little more about my OCs this year so without further ado here's a brief intro to one of my (secret) Black Clover OCs and the subject of my new, upcoming project "Eye Of The Storm"...

Wilhelmina "Billie" Granvorka

Wilhelmina or "Billie" Granvorka is the daughter and only child of Kaiser Granvorka and his wife (the most functional and arguably the best ship in Black Clover). Her father's Vortex Magic and mother's Water Magic combined to create her Hurricane Magic.

She is ambitious, serious, resourceful, driven, and resilient. Though she is independent and slow to warm up to others, she is loyal to her friends and squad-mates. She has been friends with David and Lorelei Swallow since her childhood and eventually becomes good friends with her fellow Golden Dawn members particularly her fellow "rookies" (and overachievers), Letoile Becquerel and Klaus Lunettes (though she and Klaus did not get along very well at first).

Wilhelmina wants to prove that she has what it takes to be a magic knight on her own talents alone and not because she is riding the coattails of her father's successes.

Birthday: March 19th

Magic: Hurricane Magic

Likes: Tea, Reaching Her Goals, Reading, Knitting, Spending Time At Home With Her Loving Parents

Dislikes: Messes, Laziness, Trivial Small Talk, Not Having A Plan

She is the protagonist of "Eye of the Storm" (which is hopefully coming soon 🤞).

A few more fun facts below the cut 🌧️

Her nickname "Billie" was given to her by her mother. It is still used with affection by her parents and by her childhood friends, David and Lorelei (OC) Swallow. Most of her squad mates, however, call her Wilhelmina.

Like her father, she has a gift for mana sensing and magic control. She inherited her father's hair and eye color, but she also takes after her mother, Maris, who was a magic knight vice-captain and very powerful in her own right. Kaiser and Maris struggled to have children and had almost given up when Wilhelmina was finally born. Her birth prompted them to retire from the magic knights to raise her. As their only child, she was doted on but never spoiled. She is close with her parents who were very involved in her life and upbringing.

With a magic knight captain and vice-captain for parents, Billie had a lot of raw magical ability and talent. Both of her parents trained her to take control of her hurricane magic, and she has always wanted to follow in their footsteps and become a magic knight.

Though her parents never set unrealistic expectations for her, Billie often felt the pressures of being a "Granvorka" from other nobles, particularly the magic knights. Being the daughter of one of the most respected, now-retired Magic Knight Captains always weighed on her heavily and gave her an intense desire to prove herself--both that she could live up to her family's legacy and also showcase her own power and abilities.

Though the Golden Dawn was a relatively new squad at the time, she chose to join it because she felt it would best help her reach her goals and prove herself and also because she felt Captain Vangeance truly believed in her and actually wanted her for her own abilities not just because she was Kaiser Granvorka's daughter.

She participated in the same entrance exams as Klaus Lunettes and actually faced off against him in the dueling portion of the exam. After a grueling battle, she ultimately beat him by pulling the steel lances he had made into her hurricane, flinging them back at him, and pinning him to the wall with his own weapons. This set them off on the wrong foot even after Captain Vangeance selected them both for his squad.

As the two newest members of the Golden Dawn, she and Klaus are particularly competitive with one another and he is usually cold and standoffish to her given that he felt she humiliated him at the Magic Knights Entrance Exam. However, after many careful observations of her training and sparring sessions, he eventually develops a strategy to best her during a sparring-training session.

Eventually, she and Klaus grow to understand each other, connect over a mutual love of reading, and become friends. They drift apart after things go horribly wrong on a joint-mission but (secretly) remain very loyal to each other.

Hamon Caseus was assigned to be her and Klaus' "babysitter" when they first joined the squad (in a similar way to how Klaus eventually became "babysitter" to Yuno & Mimosa when they joined years later). He always invited them to have tea after their training sessions. Hamon eventually becomes like an older brother to her along with their (pre-series) Vice Captain, Ronan (Ren) Conglaciare (OC), but Langris Vaude (their "backup babysitter") will always feel kind of like her babysitter.

She has known David Swallow since childhood and still thinks he is a moron. He may be her friend, but she is not above sharing his battle weak spots with Letoile to help her best him during their squad's training sessions.

Though her favorite hobbies generally involve her training her magic, she is surprisingly crafty. When she was young, she and Lorelei Swallow (OC) (who was like a big sister to her) always worked on crafts, particularly knitting projects, together. She does not have a lot of time for it these days, but it is still relaxing for her.

She loves tea and collects different blends. She doesn't have a lot of personal effects in her room at the Golden Dawn base, but she does have a porcelain tea set which was given to her by her parents.

A/N: I haven’t decided if she & Klaus are a pairing or just close friends. If they are a ship, they kind of give me “Right Person Wrong Time” vibes. Maybe if I write about them some more, I’ll figure it out. Feel free to weigh in friends. Thanks!

[acacia-may]

Lukcy (Henry Legolant & OC)

Story Description: Just as ten-year-old Henry Legolant has resigned himself to the fact that he is destined to be alone and isolated forever, a surprise guest and some troublesome stairs start to change his mind. Could he really have found a friend?

Fandom: Black Clover

Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Backstory

Relationships: Henry Legolant and Lorelei Swallow (OC)

Characters: Henry Legolant (POV Character) and Lorelei Swallow

Rating: G

Warnings: Mostly fluff and friendship, but some references to Henry's illness and isolation, allusions to his terrible parents and childhood trauma, and some mentions of (future) arranged marriages.

Word Count: 2742

Fic Series: "If My Heart Was A House" & Related Stories

Link to original post on AO3.

A/N: After my OC Lorelei Swallow (OC Profile linked here) appeared in "A Family Where There Once Was None," I really wanted to write something that was more centric on her, so this is a one shot from "If My Heart Was A House," my (as of now unpublished and unfinished) story series about the relationship between Lorelei Swallow and Henry Legolant. "Lucky" is really the backstory of how she and Henry met and became friends as children, and it is written from Henry's point of view.

Story below the cut. Please let me know what you think if you're so inclined, and thank you so much for reading! 🥰

16 Years Ago…

Henry Legolant had always had a keen mana sense. Even his family who wanted very little to do with him thought it was impressive for a ten-year-old. He supposed it was a more positive side-effect of the mana-depleting illness he had had his whole life—possibly the only positive side-effect. After all, his illness had kept him lonely and isolated from other people, but sensing their mana, knowing where they were in the house helped him to still feel connected to them in a way. Though he rarely saw or talked to his parents he knew their footsteps and could feel their mana—how it rolled off his father in formidable, frosty waves and swirled around his mother in uneven spurts and splutters. He could sense their mana now—emanating from several floors below him, but there were two new mana signatures with them: a forceful, commanding tornado and a sparking, buzzing presence.

This puzzled Henry as his mother and father rarely entertained guests and never brought them to the country house which, they made no secret, existed merely to hide him. He wondered what they were doing here. Perhaps they were new doctors his parents were bringing to examine him? Henry sighed. He doubted they would be able to do much to help him, even if they were well-meaning. For his entire life, he had been told that there was nothing to be done about his mana-depleting illness besides to keep him away from other people, and so he had been isolated in the country house. Though he was glad that he wasn’t hurting anyone by staying by himself, it did get lonely with only the birds outside his window to talk to. He hoped someday he’d get to have an actual friend, but even wishing for it made him feel guilty. His illness being what it was, he was cursed to be alone forever.

Henry startled. There was a sudden shift of mana in the house—that kind of terrified spike that could only be caused by fear in the face of peril or danger. Sitting up in bed with a start, he paused—closing his eyes and staying perfectly still as he tried to isolate where the mana was. This mana was different than the others—much fainter even with the added intensity of panic. It was so weak that it must’ve been drowned out by the much strong mana signatures earlier. Still, Henry mentally kicked himself for not picking up on it before. His mana sense was the one thing in the world he had going for him, and he couldn’t even get that to work right.

Henry shook his head forcefully. Now was not the time to be thinking of that. He closed his eyes even more tightly, walking through the corridors and staircases of the house in his mind until he finally found the mana signature on the southeast stairwell.

Henry inhaled sharply. Someone must be falling down the stairs.

His head pounded, but he tried as urgently as he could to rearrange the southeast wing of the house so that even if someone was mid-fall they would land safely. He even carried several soft, feather pillows into the new staircase landing by bouncing them across rippling floorboards. Then, he pursed his lips together and waited. Waited and hoped.

He closed his eyes again, trying to pick up that faint mana signature again, and he sighed in relief when he felt the panicked spike of mana subside, replaced with gentle calm waves. Though the mana signature was still the faintest he had ever encountered, he could tell now that it was flickering and warm like the light of a dim candle.

Henry’s eyes widened. He had never felt warm mana before. It was so cozy and inviting like…He couldn’t quite think of the right word for it, but…  

“No,” he said aloud to only himself. He needed to turn his focus to stronger mana, back to his father or that new tornado presence near to him downstairs. Maybe then his illness wouldn’t drain the already faint mana out of this person. If their mana was a flickering candle, he would surely snuff it out in an instant, and something so warm and so beautiful deserved to be preserved. His heart raced, and he began to shiver as he closed his eyes and tried to find his father’s mana instead. Was he still downstairs in the sitting room? Or maybe the dining room? Or…?

“Hello?” called a distant voice pulling Henry from his thoughts. “Hello? Is someone there?”

It sounded like a woman’s voice, but…no. Not quite a woman’s voice—it was younger and higher pitched. Perhaps a girl? Henry had never actually heard what a girl sounded like before so he couldn’t know for sure.

“Is this house haunted? Is that why the stairs and the walls and floors moved around?” the voice continued. Henry’s stomach coiled. Was she talking to him?

“Are you a ghost? Or more of a guardian angel? Or just a magical house?” she prattled on. There was no fear in her mana despite her talking about ghosts and haunted houses. If anything it was even warmer than before—almost friendly. The word popped into Henry’s head from somewhere in a book he had read once. He shook his head as if he could somehow shake the thought away with it.

“I’m going to guess…” She hummed thoughtfully. “A magical house? Am I right? Are you a magical house?” She paused for a moment, but his lack of response didn’t seem to deter her. “Thank you for saving me, Magical House.”

Henry felt a blush rising in his cheeks though he wasn’t entirely sure why. Perhaps it was because he had never been thanked for anything before. The words slipped out before he could stop them, “You’re welcome.”

The voice gasped, and Henry covered his mouth with his hands as his face grew suddenly hot. He could sense the girl’s mana nearby. She was in the same corridor as he was, so she must’ve heard him. His heart started pounding again, and his hands trembled. He shouldn’t have done that. His parents would likely be incredibly angry with him. Should he rearrange the house again so she wouldn’t find him? Henry sighed. He wasn’t really supposed to have done that the first time. His parents didn’t want him to use his recombination magic when they were in the house. He hoped they would understand why he had to intervene the first time to protect that girl midfall, but would rearranging things again be justified? And what if he frightened the girl? But if he didn’t move her or himself to another part of the house, then—?

“You’re a magical, talking house?” the girl interrupted his thoughts. “That’s amazing! I’ve never talked to a house before. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Lorelei. Do you have a name, Mr. House?”

Henry sighed. He knew he probably shouldn’t talk to Lorelei anymore but decided that not replying would be rude so he said, “I’m Henry.

“Well thank you for saving me, Henry!”

Her voice was exuberant, cheerful, and grateful enough to make him blush a little. Henry fidgeted. “It’s really no trouble, and…” He stopped himself. He didn’t know if he should correct her and explain that he was actually a boy, not a house.

“It was a lot of trouble for me,” chuckled Lorelei, filling the silence. “Though I guess you wouldn’t really know since I bet you don’t have a lot of problems with falling down and being clumsy since you’re a house and all. My mother and father say I have two left feet, and I’m always tripping over myself. I was going to fall on my face if you hadn’t saved me, but you did. That was very nice of you.”

“Well, actually, I…” he stopped. Once again, he was going to try to explain that he wasn’t actually a house, but he supposed he didn’t have much experience with falling down stairs and being clumsy as a human boy either since he spent most of his time lying down in bed.

Lorelei it seemed, however, hadn’t even heard him since she was still thoughtfully prattling, “I bet a house has other kinds of problems—like bad weather or mice living in walls or cracked tiles. Have you been a house for a long time, Henry? I’ve only been a girl for nine years.”

“So you’re nine years old?” Henry’s mouth twitched in the corners, so she was a girl.

Lorelei laughed. “Yes, but I have a birthday coming up. Then I’ll be ten.”

“I’m ten.”

“Really? I would have thought you were older.” She paused. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. You’re a very beautiful house, Henry.”

Henry chuckled quietly but clearly not quietly enough since Lorelei asked, clearly perplexed, “What’s so funny? I meant what I said. Your bricks are very sturdy, and your floors are shiny. A lot of your walls are a pretty color too.”

“Thank you,” Henry replied a bit sheepishly. “But—”

“But nothing,” interrupted Lorelei. “You’re a very nice house and you’re magical and you can talk. I would want to live in you, but the Lord and Lady Legolant already live here, so I can’t.” She paused briefly before adding, “Well… maybe I can someday because I’m going to marry their son when I grow up.”

Henry gasped. His face grew suddenly hot. What? She was going to…what? “But…I…uh…he’s really sick and…um…probably won’t live to grow up,” stumbled Henry unsure how exactly to even respond to that information.

“I know,” said Lorelei otherwise unphased. “But if he does…”

“No,” Henry interjected far more forcefully than he meant to. After a couple of deep breaths, he repeated much more calmly, “I mean…um…” He stopped. He wasn’t sure what he meant. What were his parents thinking? He couldn’t even be in the same room as another person without completely draining their mana—he certainly couldn’t be married, and Lorelei’s mana…it was so faint already and so warm. He could never snuff it out—could never put himself in a situation where he accidentally could. “Your mana…”

Lorelei cut him off with a good-natured laugh. “Oh, that’s why they thought I’d be a good fit. I don’t really have a lot of it so his sickness shouldn’t affect me too much.”

Henry sighed in relief almost in spite of himself. He certainly hoped she was right, but there was really no way of knowing, was there?

“And since I don’t have a lot of mana no one else wanted to marry me so my parents are happy too,” she continued. “They’re going to sign all the contracts today to make it official or at least talk about them or something, but we won’t get married until we’re a lot older.” Lorelei paused. “Have you gotten to meet him before, Henry? I hope he’s nice.”

Henry’s face flushed. “Um…well…I…I think he is or at least he tries to be.”

“That’s good. I’m trying to remember his name… Mother and Father said it during the carriage ride over here, but I can’t remember…Harry? No. That’s not right…”

Henry swallowed hard, and his heart began to pound. If he really was going to marry this girl one day, it probably wouldn’t be best for him to start things off by lying to her. “It’s…um…Henry.”

“Really?” gasped Lorelei. “His name is Henry, too? Is he named after you or are you named after him?”

Henry fidgeted and bit his lip. “Neither. Um…” He swallowed hard. “I’m Henry Legolant…and not a house,” he added for good measure.

There was a long, heavy pause, and Henry began to twist his hands. It was possibly the longest pause of his whole ten years, made even longer by the fact he could sense the change in her mana—suddenly uncomfortable though he couldn’t tell if that was from embarrassment or disappointment. “I’m sorry,” he continued in sincere apology, hoping that that would make her happy again, but it earned him only confusion.

“Why are you sorry? I’m the silly goose who thought you were a talking house.” She chuckled lightly. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m glad that you’re a person, but…” She hummed. “How did the house move?”

“Oh, that was my recombination magic,” explained Henry. “It can move anything in the house.”

He rattled the floorboards in the corridors as a demonstration for her, and she laughed and applauded. “That’s wonderful, but how did you know I was going to fall? Can you see the future?”

“No, but I have a sharp mana sense because of my illness, so I could um…feel that you were falling.” He knew that must sound very strange to Lorelei, but he wasn’t sure how else to explain it.

“You can sense my mana? But I don’t have a lot…”

“No, but it’s really warm and changes when you have strong feelings—like the fear of falling.”

Henry’s cheeks turned a bit rose when he realized what he had said, but Lorelei just laughed. “So you’re a mind reader? Can you tell me how I’m feeling right now?”

Henry pursed his lips together. It usually didn’t work the way Lorelei thought. He mainly picked up on subtle differences and changes in mana signatures. What she was asking him to do know would essentially be reading her mind, but… “I can try.”

Closing his eyes, Henry took a deep breath and searched for Lorelei’s mana. Once again he was struck by how warm it was in the softest, most gentle way. He could almost think of what it reminded him of, but he still couldn’t put a word to it. And he certainly couldn’t figure out her emotion from it.

“I don’t know…” he admitted at last with a defeated sigh. He decided to make an educated guess. “Disappointed?” He would have been disappointed if he was her given the circumstances and the fact she would be stuck with him in this dreary old house when they grew up.

“No,” she replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “I’m happy.”

“Why?” The question slipped out before he could stop it.

“Because you’re Henry Legolant, and you’re nice. I guess I really am lucky.”

Henry’s face flushed a deep red, and he stumbled over his words until he eventually managed to choke out, “Lucky?”

“Mhmm…like my magic. It’s lucky magic, and even if it’s weak, it still makes good things happen for me. Like when I almost fell down the stairs, but you saved me. And my parents picking out a stranger for me to marry when I get older, but he’s actually really nice and my friend.”

“Friend?” Henry repeated the word incredulously. He shook his head in disbelief. Had she really said they were…? Could they really be friends?

“Of course we’re friends, silly,” Lorelei chuckled, and Henry blushed red as he wondered if it was, in fact, Lorelei who could read minds.

He felt the heat rising in his cheeks as a warmth began to spread through his chest; however, he stared down at his twisting hands and bit his lip. “I’ve…I’ve never had a friend before...”

Lorelei hummed. “Well…you’ve got one now,” she replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and Henry could feel her sincerity in the flickers of her kind, comforting mana. As it swirled around him almost like a warm blanket, a smile tugged at his mouth, and he realized what it was her mana reminded him of. It felt like a home—the kind that he had only read about. Somewhere warm, cozy, and safe filled with family and friends who cared for each other. It was only a distant dream for Henry, but…now he had a friend so, perhaps, he could have a home someday too.

Henry sniffled at the thought. It was more than he could bring himself to hope for right now, but still, a smile spread across his face and he couldn’t help but feel that even if it was Lorelei who had the “Lucky Magic,” for the first time in his life, he was the one who was truly lucky.

[acacia-may]

Future Problems Universe Masterlist

A Masterlist of the stories and OCs and fanbabies included in my Black Clover "Future Problems" Universe below the cut!

Stories:

Main Series:

Part 1: It's A Future Problem -- When mysterious items begin appearing and disappearing through portals in the Black Bulls Hideout, the squad teams up to solve the mystery and get more than they bargained for

Part 2: A Mixer Mix-Up (Currently AO3 only) -- Finral's mixer quickly goes from bad to wacky when some uninvited guests show up

Part 3: Portals and Potatoes -- Unexpected guests interrupt the Black Bulls' potato eating contest

Chapter 1

Stand Alone Spin-Offs (In Chronological Order):

Little Wonders (Currently AO3 Only) -- Kalon visits an 8-year-old Finral and 7-year-old Langris

Birthday Buddies -- Kalon and his uncle, Langris, share a birthday

Also (Technically) In-Universe:

A Family Where There Once Was None -- The Black Bulls gather at the beach in the far future with their families

Breaking the Cycle -- When Finral's daughter, Narah presents with offensive spatial magic, Uncle Langris is called in to help

Coming Soon:

Captain Magna

Crossing the [Time] Line

The Other Side

Fan Children Profiles Grouped by Parent(s):

Mentioned in my works so far:

Charmy Pappitson and Rill Boismortier:

Rye (No Profile Yet, but I linked to an ask about him)

Anni

David Swallow and Letoile Bequerel:

Vespera (No Profile Yet—Just Some Headcanons From An Ask)

Finral Roulacase:

Calia (Lia)

Kalon (No Profile Yet—Just Commissioned Art)

Narah

Gauche Adlai and Grey:

Asa

Toshi

Amira (Mira)

Gordon Agrippa:

Daphne

Henry Legolant and Lorelei Swallow (OC) (profile link here):

Summer (No Profile Yet—Just Some Headcanons From An Ask)

Langris Vaude:

Altan

Noelle Silva and Asta:

Licita

Kai

Nozel Silva:

Almos

Acier

Vanessa Enoteca:

Tirion

Yami Sukehiro and Charlotte Roselei:

Katsu

Hana

Marceline

Other OC Profiles:

Wilhelmina Granvorka

Lorelei Swallow

"Lucky" (Fanfiction about her & Henry Legolant's Childhood Friendship)

Henry Legolant x Lorelei Swallow: My Ship in 5 Minutes Meme

[acacia-may]

A Family Where There Once Was None

Description: In the future, the Black Bulls gather together at the beach with their families causing Asta to reflect on his life’s journey and the family he found along the way.

Rating: G

Warnings: Mentions Pregnancy, A character accidentally gets hit in the head

Fandom: Black Clover

Genre: Black Bulls Squad as Family; Domestic Fluff

Relationships: The Black Bulls Squad as Family is main focus. There is some Asta/Noelle, and Asta, Noelle & Their Children. There are a few hints at Grey/Gauche and Rill/Charmy. (Henry/My OC is also briefly mentioned). The rest is left intentionally ambiguous so choose your own adventure.

Characters: Asta (POV Character), Noelle Silva, Liebe, Charmy Pappitson, Vanessa Enoteca, Finral Roulacase, Finesse Calmreich, Yami Sukehiro, Zora Ideale, Nacht Faust, Gauche Adlai, Grey, The Black Bulls Family, Lorelei (Swallow) Legolant (OC), and the Children: (Katsu, Marceline, Tirion, Lia, Kalon, Narah, Asa, Toshi, Mira, Summer, Daphne, Rye, Anni, Altan, Licita, and Kai).

Word Count: 4905

Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another site.

This story was written for Black Bulls Month Day 3: Found Family. I checked with the organiser and got the greenlight for this idea so hopefully what I've written still fits the prompt. I honestly can't believe I actually got this finished in time! 😅

Story Below the Cut! Thank you for reading!

“Dad! Dad! Come see my sandcastle!” Licita’s bare feet made a trail of excited footprints as she ran straight for Asta. Beaming, he scooped his daughter up in his arms causing her to giggle before she grabbed his hand and dragged him off towards the town of sandcastles she and several of her Black Bulls cousins had been building with their Uncle Rill. Judging by the ice cream smeared all over her face, Rill’s daughter Anni had seemingly been distracted from her own sandcastle by snacks leaving her dad to finish it on his own—not that he seemed to mind much since he didn’t even notice Asta wave at him as he walked by. Captain Yami’s son, Katsu, and Lia Roulacase seemed to be equally caught up in their work and, if Asta had to guess, some sort of competition to see whose sandcastle would be the biggest—though they did both find the time to quickly wave back at him. On the other side of their sandcastles, Liebe, in what Noelle affectionately referred to as his “cutesy form,” was smoothing the wall of a much smaller and less elaborate structure.  

“This one is mine,” said Licita excitedly—her little blonde pigtails bobbing as she talked. 

Asta beamed at her. “It’s beautiful!” 

“I’ll show you around, Dad!” Licita’s eyes sparkled with pride as she dragged Asta around the sand structure. She pointed to a cluster of shells stuck into one of the mounds of sand. “That’s the door. Narah helped me find seashells to make it. Narah didn’t make a sandcastle, but she was helping build mine before she went to get more seashells.”  

Asta’s smile widened. Narah Roulacase had inherited her father’s kind heart and had always been particularly attached to Licita seeing her more as a little sister than just a little cousin. “That’s really nice of her.” 

“Narah is really nice. I like her a lot. I like all my cousins!” Licita prattled excitedly with a smile that seemed to fill her tiny face. “Did you see Lia and Katsu’s sandcastles? They’re really big!” 

“Yes, I saw them when we came over,” chuckled Asta. “But your sandcastle is really big too, Licita, and I love all the windows!” 

“Uncle Liebe made those. I’m making this sandcastle for him to stay in, and I want to be big enough. Can you help us, Dad?” 

“Sure,” said Asta as he reached for a nearby shovel. He couldn’t help but chuckle a little as he glanced over at Liebe who had returned to work—carving another window in the sand. Asta knew that if he had even jokingly suggested making a sandcastle for Liebe, Liebe probably would’ve crossed his arms and scowled at him, but he had such a soft spot for his niece that these days he could be caught building sandcastles, having tea parties, playing dress up, and doing a wide variety of other things, Asta could have never imagined Liebe doing before Licita was born. Asta wondered if it was perhaps how much his daughter took after him and her namesake that caused Liebe to be so attached to her or perhaps it was all the ways she was like Noelle—her smile, the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed, how her shoulders stiffened and she fidgeted when she was nervous. Liebe and Noelle had bonded so much over the years, and she had once confided in him that Liebe, despite only being her brother-in-law, felt as much like her brother as Nozel, possibly even more so. 

At the thought of his brother-in-law, Asta glanced towards the ocean where Nozel was standing at the water’s edge holding onto the hands of his young daughter, Acier, who giggled as the water crashed against her feet in tiny little waves. It had been Asta’s idea to invite him and his family along with them to Racque—after talking it over with Noelle, of course—and he liked to think Nozel was grateful to be there, even if he did look a bit exhausted, probably from chasing his twin boys up and down the beach earlier. 

Asta was at least pleased to see that he looked happier to be there than Langris, who Finral had invited along for, Asta presumed, much the same reason that he and Noelle had invited Nozel and who had unfortunately, despite ample amounts of sunscreen, gotten horribly burned on their first day. Asta chuckled a bit to himself remembering how Vanessa had teased him for looking like a beached lobster at dinner the previous evening, but immediately felt sorry for it. Despite still being a bit red, Langris seemed to be doing alright now—collecting seashells with his son and his niece not a few yards away from the sandcastle village. Asta wondered if Narah was collecting seashells for her older sister’s sandcastle too or just Licita’s. 

It warmed Asta’s heart to see everyone together again. He was sure that most of his former squad mates must have felt the same way since they had all jumped at Vanessa’s idea for everyone to meet at the beach in Racque that summer. Asta and Noelle had been some of the first to commit to the idea and had been planning the trip for months. Of course, that had been before Noelle had found out she was expecting their third child—or the ’tie breaker’ as Luck liked to refer to the baby—and despite Asta’s reassurances that they wouldn’t have to go if it was going to be too much for her, his wife, in that strong, determined way of hers, had insisted that they keep their vacation plans. She had already had two children, she had reasoned, so she knew what she was dealing with, and Asta trusted her judgment. Still, that didn’t change the fact that he was a bit worried about her being in the heat and bright sun for so long when she was so heavily pregnant. He was sure he wasn’t alone in this type of concern seeing as he and Noelle weren’t the only ones expecting—even if their baby was due the soonest. 

Asta glanced over at the cabana Henry had set up which Zora had nicknamed “the nest” with a sort of affection on account of all the new or expectant mothers congregating there. Noelle was lounging there now, positively in stitches over Henry’s wife, Lorelei, balancing a tower of seashells on the wide curve of her abdomen. She was due a month after Noelle and had recently knitted a set of matching booties for her baby and theirs since she was determined that they should grow up to be friends. Finesse, who was giggling behind her hand, had also been given a set of booties as she was due nearly two months later and was sporting quite the bump of her own which was a source of much stress, worry, and fussing for everyone, her husband and brother-in-law especially, given her often delicate health. Not an hour ago, Vanessa had told them all to calm down and stop worrying for what had to be the fifteenth time that day, but she too had been keeping a watchful eye on her. She had been looking out for Lorelei and Noelle too, which Asta appreciated. He was sure that Henry did as well especially while his attention was focused on watching his boys splashing around in the shallow water. 

It seemed that Vanessa’s strong maternal streak, which Asta had always admired, had only intensified when she had children. Even now, she was helping Charmy pass out water and snacks to the other ladies despite the fact that she could probably benefit from some rest and relaxation of her own considering the fact that she too was, as she called it, “unexpectedly expecting” and seemed to be at that uncomfortably round stage of pregnancy, though she swore she wasn’t nearly as far along as she looked. Still her little one would be also arriving this year along with the rest of the new Black Bulls cousins, and her baby’s matching set of Lorelei’s booties appeared to still be a work in progress—attached to some temporarily forgotten knitting needles. It brought the brightest smile to Asta’s face. He couldn’t wait for all the children to get to grow up together. 

He was also glad to see Noelle in such bright spirits, despite being a little bit squished given the wide curve in her belly and the two little boys who were currently leaning on her like a pillow that is. Almos Silva, the elder of Nozel’s twins whom Asta had affectionately nicknamed ‘Al’ much to his father’s chagrin when the nickname had stuck, was particularly fond of his Aunt Noelle and had fallen asleep leaning against her side at nearly every family gathering Asta could think of. This time, however, he had company, as Kai, Asta and Noelle’s two-year-old son, had curled up next to his mother and fallen asleep on her other side with a half-eaten and now melting popsicle in his hand. Asta couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he watched Noelle chuckle at her attempts to fan herself without upsetting her sleeping son and nephew. 

His laughter must’ve startled her as she turned towards him with a slight shrug and playful roll of her eyes. Asta beamed at her before turning back to his daughter. 

“I’m going to check on your mom real quick. I’ll be right back.”

Licita smiled and nodded. “Tell her about my sandcastle, okay?” 

Asta beamed and nodded at her before making his way towards Noelle. Even by the time, he had walked over to the umbrella, Charmy and Vanessa were still busy handing out large glasses of water with festive umbrella straws to the group. 

“Here,” Charmy said handing him one. “Drink up. We don’t want anybody getting dehydrated. Take Noelle’s too.” 

“Thanks, Charmy!” said Asta as she handed him another cup with a different coloured straw, before she turned to Grey whose hands were currently full, rocking her daughter, Mira, to sleep. Amira Adlai was the first girl in a long line of boys and a generally fussy baby, but she looked so peaceful now as she slept. Charmy gave Grey an understanding nod and thoughtfully placed her cup next to her on a small folding table as Asta took a seat next to his wife and sleeping son and nephew. 

He rubbed her back gently with his free hand. “You doing okay, Noelle? Do you want to go back to the hotel and rest?” 

“I’m fine,” she assured him with a slight smile. 

“At least let me take, Kai,” he said reaching out to scoop up his son. Kai stirred but quickly nestled into Asta’s shoulder and drifted back off to sleep. “Well, someone needs a nap,” Asta chuckled affectionately ruffling his fingers gently through his son’s silvery hair. 

Asta thought Kai must be exhausted from playing around in the water with him and his uncles. Though Asta had ducked out about an hour ago, from what he could tell, Magna and Luck were still engaged in an intense splash fight with several nieces and nephews, and every few minutes or so, “Asa, stop turning into me!” or “Kalon, get down from there!” would echo across the beach followed by Asa Adlai, transformed into one of the Silvas, giggling at having drenched Uncle Magna again with borrowed water magic, Rye Boismortier complaining that he was starving before painting up a popsicle or an ice cream cone for himself, or little Summer Legolant running up the beach hand and hand with Daphne Agrippa excitedly exclaiming that she had found yet another hermit crab for the growing collection of “friends” that Gordon was keeping a watchful eye on in a nearby tide pool. In other words, the same kind of fun chaos the Black Bulls had enjoyed back in the day—just with a few more, younger members. That reminded him…

“Oh, Licita wanted me to tell you that she’s building a sandcastle for Liebe. I think she wants you to come see it when she’s done. As long as you’re up for it.” 

Noelle tilted her head at him with an almost bantering exasperation. “Bakasta…” 

Asta’s mouth twitched into a smile at the nickname which his wife only used in an affectionate and, generally, playfully annoyed way these days. “Sorry. I know. I just want to make sure you and the baby are okay,” he said as he pressed his hand to her stomach. 

“Don’t worry. We’re taking good care of her,” reassured Vanessa with a kind smile. “And I swear Nozel has been over here every five minutes to make sure she’s drinking enough water.” 

Noelle rolled her eyes and sighed. Asta knew that her only reservation about inviting Nozel along was that he would probably be fussing over her constantly, and, naturally, being Nozel, he was. “I told him I’m fine,” she huffed. “He’s such a worrier.” 

“I think that it’s sweet that he cares about you so much,” said Finesse in her soft and gentle way. 

Vanessa laughed. “Of course, you would say that,” she teased, and a pale rose filled Finesse’s cheeks. 

“I like when he brings his daughter over. She’s so cute,” gushed Charmy. “All those Silva babies with their big, pretty eyes!” She turned to Noelle and Asta with a bright smile.  “Who do you think this one will take after?” 

Asta and Noelle looked at each other thoughtfully. Their third little one was a tie breaker in this way as well since Licita looked more like Asta and Kai looked more like Noelle. He shrugged. “Dunno. What do you think, Noelle?” 

Noelle’s brow furrowed. “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see…” she conceded with a sigh. 

“Just don’t mention it around Zora or Magna or they’ll start a betting pool again,” joked Vanessa with a wink. 

“Where is Zora anyway?” asked Charmy.

“He said something about going with Finral to go pick up some watermelon,” replied Vanessa with a shrug. 

Charmy frowned. “We have enough food already.” 

“I think it’s for a game,” chimed Grey quietly enough that she wouldn’t wake the sleeping baby. 

As if on cue, Finral and Zora suddenly appeared through a shimmery portal. 

“Hey, we got watermelon!” Zora yelled at the chaotic group of kids still playing in the water with Luck and Magna. Finral, however, turned to the cabana with a weary sigh. 

“Sorry about that. Did we miss anything?” Everyone seated under the cabana shook their heads. “Good. Zora was very insistent about getting everyone together for some watermelon splitting but couldn’t find any watermelon so I told him I’d portal him to the market to pick some up. He’s a very slow shopper though…” 

“He was probably just stalling so he could get a break from all the chaos around here,” laughed Vanessa. 

Finral shrugged but chuckled, “Yeah probably. I think he picked up every single watermelon they had, and—” He paused holding up a hand to the group. “Hold on just a second…” 

In an instant, he had pulled his son, Kalon, gently through a portal. Kalon’s brow furrowed confusedly, but he beamed at him. “Thanks, Dad!” 

“Please be careful, Kalon. How did you even get up there?” 

Kalon, however, didn’t seem to hear him as his attention had turned to Asta and Noelle. “Oh hi, Uncle Asta. You and Aunt Noelle are still married right?” 

“What?” Noelle’s confused exclamation caused her sleeping son and nephew to stir, but they swiftly drifted back off again as Asta double-checked that ring on his left hand, just to be sure. 

“Yeah, we’re still married and very happy.” 

“Oh good! I’m glad!” Kalon’s smile widened, and he turned to glance over his shoulder exclaiming, “Tirion, don’t worry! Uncle Asta and Aunt Noelle are still married so it’s okay!”  

Reaching the edge of the cabana after, Asta presumed, running after Kalon, a particularly flushed Tirion ran a hand through his already messy pink hair before rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. “Thank goodness. I was really worried for a minute,” he sighed in relief before being pulled into a hug by his mother, Vanessa. It seemed to visibly calm him, and his face softened to a gentle smile. 

“Kalon, what did you do?” asked Noelle with a stern but affectionate sigh. 

“Nothing,” he insisted before he noticed his father’s pointed tilt of his head at him and fidgeted a little. “Well not nothing, but nothing bad…” 

“Kalon, we talked about this, remember?” Finral said—his voice kind but a bit weary. “No time traveling when we’re on vacation.” 

“Sorry, Dad. It was an accident. But don’t worry, I didn’t break any of the rules on the list—I don’t think but I don’t know because I didn’t have it with me because I didn’t want it to get wet and I’m not supposed to time travel on vacation.” Kalon nodded empathically with a bright, cheerful smile. “I was just checking with Uncle Asta to be sure, and everything is okay. I don’t think anything could break up Uncle Asta and Aunt Noelle. Young Aunt Noelle really, really likes him. I can tell.”

Asta stifled a bit of chuckle at the faint blush of pink that filled Noelle’s cheeks even after all these years.

“I’m sure, your Uncle Asta really liked her too,” suggested Finral, and Kalon nodded. 

“He’s just more sneaky about it.” 

Vanessa and Charmy could scarcely contain their laughter, and even Grey chuckled quietly to herself, always careful of the sleeping baby in her arms. Noelle glared at them with an almost playful roll-of-her eyes, though she did give a genuinely grateful nod to Finesse who was kind enough not to have laughed though she gave Kalon a gentle smile and pat on the head. 

“Please be careful, Kalon,” she said, and Kalon nodded. 

“I will—Ooh popsicles! Can I have one Aunt Charmy?” 

Charmy shrugged but motioned to one of her sheep to bring Kalon a popsicle. “Do you want one tool, Tirion?” she asked. He smiled and nodded. 

“Yes, please.” 

When Kalon and Tirion had both run off with their popsicles, Finral wearily took a seat in an empty chair next to Grey and turned apologetically to Asta and Noelle. “Sorry about that. He’s still learning how to use his magic. I don’t think he has messed anything up too badly yet…” His voice trailed as his brow furrowed. “But I guess we wouldn’t really know if he had, right? Since the future would be different…?” He rubbed his temples. “I don’t know…” 

Asta shrugged. He didn’t know either and thinking about it too much made his head hurt, but he smiled and reassured Finral, “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s fine. Besides Noelle and I are pretty solid”—he smiled brightly at his wife—“I don’t think he could break us up.” 

“You should worry more about your own relationship” said Noelle with a frown. “If he messes that up, he'll make himself not exist.” 

Finral sighed. “That’s what keeps me up at night…”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” chimed Charmy with a shake of her head. “If she was going to settle for you once, she’d definitely do it again.”

Noelle snorted a laugh, and Finesse gasped, covering her mouth with her hand while Vanessa scolded, “Charmy!” She huffed but rolled her eyes with an almost playful affection before turning to Finral, “Don’t listen to her. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” 

“And you should take advantage of the time you have to catch up on some sleep,” teased Lorelei Legolant. “You’ll have a baby keeping you up all night pretty soon.” 

“The baby’s keeping me up now,” sighed Finral wearily, running his hand through his hair. “Not to mention all the nieces and nephews…” 

“I wish you wouldn’t worry so much, especially about us,” Finesse said. 

Vanessa comfortingly patted his arm. “You worry too much. It’s not going to help and will only end up hurting you, you know? You’re going to make yourself sick.” 

“I know. But really—how are all of you? Can I get anyone anything? Noelle is there—?” 

“Asta is taking very good care of Noelle and he and Nozel have cornered the market on worrying about her,” interrupted Vanessa. “Honestly, they’re about as fussy over her as you and Langris are over Finesse.” 

Finral sighed. “I really am sorry about that…” 

“Here, sit down and drink this,” said Charmy, handing him some water with a colorful straw. “You look awful.” 

“Thanks Charmy,” he muttered sarcastically before running his hand through his hair. 

“You look tired,” Vanessa corrected. “Did you sleep at all last night?” 

Finral sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with a yawn. “Around 2:30, Kalon completely kicked me out of bed—literally. I couldn’t get back to sleep after that.” 

“It’s probably karma,” quipped Charmy. 

Vanessa rolled her eyes before she patted Finral’s back. “Maybe you should go take a nap. There’s plenty of adults around to keep an eye on the kids.”

“I don’t need—” His protest was cut off by a yawn, and Vanessa blinked at him.

“Please, Finral,” sighed Finesse, and he shrugged his shoulders and conceded. 

“Alright, but only if you’re sure it’s not too much trouble.”

With a smile, Vanessa waved her hand at him. “We’ve got this. I mean, we’ve been here all day without any emergencies or injuries.” 

“You jinxed it, Vanessa!” huffed Noelle as their long-retired captain made his way up the beach holding his crying daughter, Marceline. 

“Charmy, you got any ice back there?” he called as he neared the cabana. 

“What happened to her?” asked Noelle in concern, gasping, Asta could only presume at the big, purple bump on her forehead. 

“Toshi accidentally hit her in the head when he was trying to split the watermelon.” 

Sure enough, there was Gauche running up to the cabana holding a shaking, rattling teacup and saucer which Asta supposed would probably seem very odd to anyone who didn’t know that Toshi Adlai had a bad habit of turning into inanimate objects whenever he got stressed or upset. “Is Marceline okay?” asked Gauche, handing Grey the tea cup as she handed him baby Mira in exchange. 

“She’ll be fine,” grunted Yami, taking a towel and a block of ice from Charmy and pressing it to his daughter’s forehead. He turned to Marceline who stared at him with teary blue eyes. “You’re okay,” he reassured her. Marceline sniffled but nodded.

“Is Toshi okay?”  asked Asta turning to Grey who shrugged her shoulders as the teacup rattled in her hands.

“Everyone knows it was an accident,” said Gauche shaking his head as he rocked the baby. “You don’t have to get all upset about it.”

“I didn’t…mean to…Dad…” cried a particularly weepy Toshi Adlai as he transformed back into a little boy caught in a hug by his mother. “Marceline, I’m so sorry!”

Crossing her tiny arms, Marceline wrinkled her nose and frowned at him. “You’re a moron.”

Most of Asta’s companions began to stifle laughs, and even the former Captain Yami struggled to hold back a grin as he grunted, “That wasn’t nice.”

“But you say it all the time, Dad…”  Marceline argued causing most of her aunts and uncles to burst out laughing. Before Yami could scramble to salvage the situation, Toshi started to cry harder.

“No. No, Toshi, it’s okay,” soothed Grey patting his head comfortingly, before he turned into a butter dish. “Gauche!” she called turning to her husband in concern.

Gauche, however, just let out a long weary sigh. “Just leave him. He’ll be fine.”

“Is Marceline, okay?” interjected Nacht as he appeared in the doorway to the cabana with Zora who practically beamed as he turned to Gauche.

“Your son’s got one hell of an arm.”

“Swear jar.” Nacht frowned, holding up the colorfully decorated swear jar Gordon had made. Huffing, Zora dug through his pocket for some spare Yul and dropped two coins into the jar. Despite this only being the second day of their trip, it sounded pretty full to Asta.

“What are we going to do with the swear jar money when it’s full?” asked Zora with a bitter shake of his head.

“We could buy a cake,” Charmy suggested.

Noelle’s eyes narrowed. “It’s supposed to be a punishment.”

“Okay well, you can buy me a cake and watch me eat it.” Charmy hummed thoughtfully, and Noelle huffed.

“What if we gave it to charity?” asked Asta. “To an orphanage maybe?”

“Good idea, Asta.” Finral smiled at him but yawned and tiredly rubbed his eyes. “Sorry…”  

“You still need that nap,” said Vanessa with a light, good-natured chuckle.

Finral sighed. “Eh, I’ll sleep when the kids are grown up and out of the house.”

“That’s gonna be awhile,” said Yami dryly as Charmy and Zora didn’t even try to hide her snickering. Before anyone could protest, however, Licita came running up the beach with a somewhat panicked Liebe in tow, now at his full height trying to catch up with her

“Mama! Mama! Mama!” she yelled, excitedly grabbing Noelle’s hand and pulling her towards the door. “My sandcastle is done! Come see! Come see!”

“Okay. Okay. Just a second,” said Noelle with a smile. Asta knew that Noelle would have probably been the first to admit it was getting harder and harder for her to get around quickly now that she was nearing the end of her pregnancy so he offered her his arm. “Thanks,” she mumbled as she stood up from her seat with a glance towards Al to see if she had accidentally woken him. Asta stifled a chuckle. His nephew really could sleep through anything and had barely stirred despite all the commotion. Kai, however, was beginning to fidget and yawned before Asta laid him down on the chair and Noelle tucked him in gently with a nearby beach towel asking if their friends wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on him for a minute.

With Asta’s hand in one hand and Noelle’s in the other, Licita led her mother and father towards the sandcastle village. Katsu and Lia were still hard at work on theirs, and Anni and Rill appeared to be making a moat or trench of some kind.

“This is mine, Mama!” said Licita triumphantly as she began pointing out her sandcastle. “It’s really for Uncle Liebe, but it has rooms for everybody! You and Dad and me and Kai, but all the aunts and uncles too and the cousins can all play together right here.” She pointed to one of the mounds of sand. “And there’s a big kitchen for Aunt Charmy and Anni and Rye, and this is where Uncle Gordon and Uncle Gauche and Aunt Nene can show me and Narah and Genevieve how to do crafts. And over here we can play hide and seek with Toshi and Kalon and Summer and Uncle Finral and Aunt Grey. And there’s lots of shelves with books for Uncle Nozel to read to me and Al and Adler and Acier. And there’s a really big yard where Uncle Magna and Uncle Luck and Uncle Zora can show us how to play really fun games. And here’s a fireplace where Uncle Yami can tell us all stories if Katsu and Hana and Marceline ask him to. It’s big enough for the whole family! Do you like it?” Licita turned back towards them with the brightest, beaming smile, but her little brow furrowed as she tilted her head in concern. “What’s the matter, Mama?”

Asta turned to Noelle to find her wiping glistening tears from the corners of her eyes. She sniffled but reassured Licita, “Nothing. It’s okay. I’m just”—her face softened into a gentle smile—“really happy.” Asta took her hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. He knew without the look she gave him that the tears were mainly a result of the pregnancy wreaking havoc on her mood, but he also knew what it meant to her to see their daughter’s sandcastle, thoughtfully made big enough for her whole family, a family that, at Licita’s age, Noelle could have only dreamed of. How much it meant to her to know that Licita would get to grow up surrounded by a whole group of people who loved her and would have everything that Noelle never got to have before joining up with the Black Bulls.

“I love it!” said Noelle as she scooped up a giggling Licita in her arms.

“Do you want to help me build more of it, Mama?”

Noelle beamed at her. “Of course. Maybe a nice nest for your Aunt Secre, hm?”

As Licita cheerfully prattled about Aunt Secre’s nest, Asta watched as Noelle glanced from the sandcastle, to the cabana filled with cheerful chattering and laughter of their former squad mates, to all of the happy children, their beloved nieces and nephews, running up the beach or splashing around in the water. She smiled, and as she turned to look at him now, no words were needed. He understood—knew Noelle must feel it too, that warm, safe feeling as if everything that had come before, all the sadness, loneliness and pain of the past was just a distant memory now. They were finally home.