#1 because I realized too late that I messed up making the Inquisitor in my first run and it was killing me

[octosan]

If I posted examples I personally collected of The Veilguard's script being inefficient, would that interest anybody?

i.e. "Please stop holding my hand I'm begging you"

The ossuary mission is an especially egregious example of what I mean:

It's not that literally all the lines are saying the same thing but there's so much overlap of information in such short time do you feel me

Tells you to turn your brain off in a game which asks your brain to do a lot of heavy lifting imo.

[melanielocke]

The infirmary

I wrote a scene about Alastair visiting Charles in the infirmary (the second time), which was part of a fanfic of several chapters, but the whole thing was a bit messy and everything is in the wrong order on AO3 so chronologically this is the first, and can be ready seperately from the rest. (Chronological order of the chapters would be 4-2-1-3, but it doesn’t really matter in which order it’s read). Alastair and Charles do not yet know about Grace’s power here. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31458650/chapters/79662967#workskin

‘I wasn’t sure you’d come back,’ Charles said.

In truth, Alastair hadn’t been sure either. It was the second time he’d gone to the infirmary to visit his former lover, this time less hesitant. He was still a bit upset about the way Matthew had guilt tripped him into seeing Charles. But he guessed he also owed him this. At least talking to Charles now would give him some closure. Perhaps then he wouldn’t feel so nauseous every time he even saw him.

‘I wasn’t either,’ Alastair said. ‘But I think we should talk.’

‘Surely you got some of my letters during the past months,’ Charles said, sitting up on the infirmary bed.

Alastair had rarely seen him so vulnerable. Even when they had been in bed together, Charles had always been in control, his composure intact. Now he looked terrible, his face a grayish pale color and his hair in disarray.

‘I burnt them,’ Alastair said evenly.

‘All of them?’ Charles asked. ‘Well, you always had a flair for the dramatic.’

Alastair didn’t respond to that. ‘I heard your fiancée left you.’

Charles sighed and he showed emotion as he rarely did. Like Alastair he was a guarded person. But where Alastair had opened up when they were together, had given his lover everything, Charles had remained guarded even as they were together, showing just enough to assure him he loved Alastair, to convince him to stay. If Cordelia had not confronted him with how cruel Charles was to him, he might have stayed too.

‘Terrible business,’ Charles said. ‘Leaving Ariadne for her did not exactly make me popular.’

‘I can’t imagine why leaving your unconscious fiancée for another was an unpopular decision,’ Alastair said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

‘The odd thing is, I don’t even remember why I did it,’ Charles said. ‘Politically, Ariadne had much more to offer me. Her father is the Inquisitor after all. Grace’ mother is a prisoner.’

‘A prisoner who recently escaped the Adamant Citadel,’ Alastair added. ‘As for miss Blackthorn, according to the letter my sister sent me, she left you for James Herondale.’

Alastair had considered murdering James Herondale for betraying his sister like that. He’d seen James loved Grace Blackthorn, of course, had assumed James would never love his sister like she loved him. But when they’d gotten married, Alastair had thought he’d changed his mind. He’d believed James did love his sister and they could be happy together. How long had he been deceiving her?

‘I’m sorry for your sister, Alastair,’ Charles said. ‘Last I heard, she ran off to Paris with my brother.’

Alastair sighed. ‘I wish she would have come home after finding out about miss Blackthorn instead of going to Matthew. I have been arranging for my father’s funeral all by myself.’

Alastair needed her. How could she have left, now of all times, with their father dead and their mother about to give birth? He had no one to talk to with his mother sick and no friends at all. He was speaking with Charles, of course, but he was not the person to talk about his feelings with. He had, in the past, which usually resulted in Charles telling him he shouldn’t be so sensitive. It wasn’t exactly masculine to cry, after all, and image was everything to Charles. Anger was far more acceptable, and although Alastair had his mother’s temper, anger was exhausting and lately Alastair was often just too tired to feel the anger he’d once felt.

‘If you want, I could write to the head of the Paris institute to look for them, keep them out of trouble or even send them home.’

‘Last I heard, the head of the Paris institute is out for your blood,’ Alastair said drily. ‘You really messed up in Paris, I’d surprised if they’d even let you into the city.’

‘I’ve heard people say you were cruel, but you were never cruel to me before,’ Charles said softly, showing a bit of vulnerability.

Alastair knew it was purposeful, an attempt to inspire pity in him. But it wasn’t cruel to confront Charles with his mistakes, was it? Arrogant and ambitious as he was, Alastair genuinely did not think Charles would make a good consul anymore.

‘Cruel?’ Alastair asked, raising his voice a little. ‘This is not cruelty, Charles. Becoming engaged while you were still with me and I was clearly uncomfortable with it, that was cruel. Leaving Ariadne while she was unconscious was cruel. You have been nothing but cruel to me while we were together.’

‘I never wanted to hurt you,’ Charles said.

‘Perhaps not, but you didn’t care either,’ Alastair. ‘You didn’t listen to me when I said you were hurting me. You assumed I’d change my mind and realize you were right eventually. That’s your problem, Charles, you only ever care about what you want, and you convince yourself that others around you want the same thing. And you do not listen to a single thing that tells you otherwise.’

Charles looked stunned, and Alastair felt a bit better, getting this off his chest. He’d spent much time thinking of Charles, and what had gone wrong. He’d blamed himself at times, as he always did. He should never have started a relationship with Charles, should never have let a much older man convince him that being hidden away like that was love. But Charles was at fault too, for taking advantage of him, for demanding Alastair’s time, his love and affection, and giving nothing back. He still felt nauseous whenever he thought of Charles touching him, couldn’t imagine why he’d ever allowed that.

‘I am not engaged anymore,’ Charles said. ‘So that is no longer a problem.’

Alastair hesitated. Did Charles mean what he said? He wasn’t engaged, that was true, but why would he assume Charles would do anything but find a new fiancée as soon as possible? He couldn’t have the world thinking he was unable to find and keep a wife, after all. He had to keep up appearances.

‘I still care for you Alastair.’ Charles paused for the slightest moment. ‘I missed you.’

He seemed so vulnerable in that moment, and it almost made Alastair want to give in, to go back to what he knew. The love he’d once felt for Charles resurfaced. But it had turned bitter too.

‘Is that why you wouldn’t leave me alone?’ Alastair asked. ‘If you’d really cared for me, you would have left me alone when I asked you. Instead you insulted me when I asked you to leave me alone, and you insulted my sister when she stood up for me. What did you think would happen?’

Alastair had never been fond of parties, he only had Cordelia and his mother to speak to and they both had their own group of friends they wanted to spend time with. Most of the time, he only attended because he had no choice but to at least show his face. But lately, going to parties not only meant being awkward and alone, but also trying his best to avoid Charles who just wouldn’t leave him alone.

‘I wasn’t thinking,’ Charles said. ‘I was lonely and I had just realized I’d made a terrible mistake in Paris and I needed you. Can’t you give me another chance? I won’t get engaged again, I promise.’

Alastair sighed. Charles had made many such promises when they’d been in Paris together. He’d broken all of them. He had no reason to believe Charles was genuine this time.

‘I nearly died,’ Charles added. ‘And all I could think about was you. How I wanted you to come back. Apparently I called out for you, although at the time I wasn’t exactly conscious and had no clue what I was doing.’

‘Yes, thanks for that,’ Alastair said. ‘Despite all your efforts to conceal who you really are, you might just have outed us both. So far, I don’t think anyone has figured it out, your brother is remarkably dense, but people still might.’

Alastair knew it wasn’t fair to blame Charles for that, he knew Charles had been nearly dead, but the idea of a half conscious Charles calling out for him was still uncomfortable. Some time ago, he might have thought it romantic, proof that Charles did love him. But they weren’t together anymore and now it was just a reminder that Charles had not moved on.

Charles seemed genuinely concerned by that statement. ‘You think they know?’

‘I honestly have no idea,’ Alastair said. ‘But you’re the one who called out for me, you’re the one who gets to figure out how to explain it.’

Alastair wasn’t exactly ready for people to know he liked men, but he didn’t know how to explain the situation either. He figured it was probably best to pretend none of it had happened, or that he had no clue why Charles had called his name.’

‘I will,’ Charles said. ‘Don’t worry about it, they won’t find out.’

Alastair couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed that Charles cared so much more about people not knowing than about his comfort and happiness, even if he was also relieved people wouldn’t know, not yet.

‘But I mean it, about wanting you back,’ Charles said. ‘I won’t become engaged again. I would do that for you. I never realized how unhappy it made you.’

Alastair sighed. ‘You never realized because you didn’t care. I told you many times it made me unhappy, I tried to reason with you, tried to tell you it was unfair to both me and your fiancée. If not this, then there will be something else we do not agree on, and you never listen to what anyone else wants. I will not go back to being dismissed like that.’  

‘You do realize you want things that are impossible, don’t you?’ Charles asked with the arrogance he was so familiar with.

‘What I want is impossible? Charles, you want to be consul. You want the support of a wife, a perfect public image and you want me whenever is convenient for you. All I wanted was to have someone who loves me and makes time for me. Someone who cares about how I feel.’

Neither of them said anything for a while. ‘It wasn’t much I asked for,’ Alastair said, refusing to look Charles in the eye.

Charles put his hand on Alastair’s, but Alastair withdrew as if the touch burnt. In a way, it did. It made him feel sick like the sight of Charles often had the past months.

‘Do not touch me,’ Alastair hissed between his teeth.

Charles looked at him for a moment. ‘There’s someone else, isn’t there?’

Alastair wasn’t sure what had given it away, or why Charles would bring his suspicions up right now. His aversion to Charles’ touch wasn’t about Thomas.

‘And what if there were someone else? Does it matter?’ Alastair asked. ‘Because whatever it is we had, that’s done. You cannot expect me to give you another chance after breaking my trust so many times.’

‘Who is it?’ Charles asked, ignoring everything Alastair had said as he always did.

‘It’s none of your business,’ Alastair said.

He wasn’t about to explain that no matter how much he liked Thomas Lightwood, it was impossible because of his past mistakes. If thinking he had someone else would convince Charles to back off, that would be worth it.

‘You can’t really think he will be different,’ Charles said. ‘It’s always going to be a secret no matter who you are with, and if you can’t accept that, you are going to end up alone.’

Alastair’s dark eyes flashed dangerously. ‘I’d rather be alone than be with someone with whom I’m unhappy. Goodbye, Charles. I won’t be visiting again.’

Alastair left, refusing to look back at Charles who called after him. Asked him once again to stay. He should never have let Matthew pressure him into seeing Charles and her certainly shouldn’t have come back.

He hated how he’d been tempted, if only for a moment. He knew now that whatever it was Charles offered, it wasn’t love. He knew there was more to being in a relationship than just fulfilling Charles’ sexual needs. He remembered his last days in Paris, seeing the city with Thomas, going to a museum together, talking about their interests, art, travels… If only it were possible. If only he hadn’t ruined everything with those rumors, with everything he’d done at school.

But perhaps someday there would be another Thomas Lightwood, someone who wanted to take him to museums and mundane films, who was interested in what he had to say and not just in what he could offer in the bedroom. Charles would move on eventually, and Alastair felt relieved after telling Charles the truth. If anything, it brought some closure.

[dramione-tea]

recommendations & little snippets of myself

by Cassiopeia Candles ( Instagram: @casseopya.candles )

note: click the title in order to be directed to the desired fan fiction.

- for the dramione shippers, I wish you luck! 

Unrequited Love  [ casspiane ]

“Darling, I wished you knew,” 

Draco Malfoy x Original Characters (OC)

1. Love Never Dies. [ rosebuds_ ]

Rachel Farrell, pure blood witch, family of Gryffindors. First year is not the best for Rachel. She struggles trying to fit in and be accepted by those around her. Falling for Draco Malfoy, Rachel has to overcome a wave of obstacles. She finds it difficult to be accepted by her family and turns to the Malfoys... Which was undoubtedly one of the biggest mistakes she made. Find out what happens to Rachel and what truly changes her life.

- Literally binge read the whole book during my 6th grade examination. ( I know it was bad for me ) But hey I didn’t fail.  

P.S. Don’t be like me. 

2. midnight of the masquerade [ seraphilims ]

a story in which two people realize masks only hide the appearance - not the heart. 

- Love the story plot.  I’ve read this thrice in different years. 

3. Imperio [ pansyparks ]

The younger sister of Cedric Diggory, Arden, is a Slytherin who doesn't fit in. Draco Malfoy, a wealthy Slytherin bully. The two come together, and Arden realises that being a Slytherin isn't so bad after all; but with a few bumps in the road for Draco, can they stay together?

4. Dear Draco [ malfoyuh ]

❛stay a little longer❜

- 15 year old me were in tears, so was my heart.  Rate it as 5/5.

5. Let’s Kill Tonight  [ Bambey ]

Rebecca Rosewood's life is dramatically changed when she becomes a Death Eater. With blood on her hands, she is summoned by Voldemort to go to Hogwarts and extract information from the famous Harry Potter, finding herself hopelessly attracted to Draco Malfoy at the same time. But it all gets a little too much when her past finally catches up with her...

- One of the first fan-fictions I’ve read about Draco.

6. if looks could kill [ WhenInDoubtSleep ]

In times like this, the truth can rewrite the past and alter the future. In an attempt to find herself amidst the deceptive lies and horrible truths, she finds Draco Malfoy instead. She honestly just wants to make it out of the year alive...and maybe with a few less kisses from the blond git. Love story set during the sixth year at Hogwarts.

7. Always Had A Thing For Bad Boys [ oxNeverShoutNeverxo ]

8. Who Are You?  [ TheBlondeAdventurer ]

Draco Malfoy. One of the most arrogant teenage boys in Slytherin's house. He struts through the school and doesn't miss an opportunity to cut someone down, just as he has been by his father his entire life. Now enter Elena Crowe. A quiet girl who tries her hardest to stay out of trouble, and one of Ravenclaw's best students. She always has the best answers and never fails to help someone in need, even if they may not deserve it. In their sixth year at Hogwarts, Draco finally runs into Elena, whom he has never seemed to notice before. Elena does her absolute best to stay away from him, because all he can be is trouble, but Draco finds amusement by forcing himself into her life. For what reason, he doesn't know; but what he does know is that he enjoys bantering with this quiet girl, because even she can get riled up and fight back. But Draco will see that Elena is a lot more than what she may seem. Soon he will be battling morales, his past, his family, and both of them may end up facing off in the final battle not with Lord Voldemort, but each other.

- To be completely honest, read this one more than 3 times. 

9. Unwanted Legacy [ writtenbyciara ]

" admit it, you care about me. "

- Recently read this months ago and found it quite interesting. The author’s writing style is different from the rest as her words make you visualize more on what is happening. 

- Book 1 & 2 is complete, while book 3 is still on its way. 

Draco Malfoy x Hermione Granger (Dramione)

1. We Learned The Sea [ floorcoaster ]

Draco Malfoy turns himself in after a very successful career as a Death Eater, then enlists Harry and Hermione to help him in a scheme to bring down the Dark Lord.

- This gave me the feels.  Draco’s personality in this is far most different from the books and other fan fictions.

2. The Bachelor  [ Fluff ]

Hermione's mother is pressuring her into finding a boyfriend. On a whim, she applies and is accepted into the wizard version of The Bachelor. But what happens when The Bachelor is none other than Draco Malfoy himself?

3. Defending The Dark  [ Cece Louise ]

Almost three years after Voldemort's defeat, Hermione Granger is a Ministry-appointed Defense Inquisitor. Her next assignment: defend Draco Malfoy. She's sure there must be some mistake. Confronted with mysterious memories, candid conversations, and confusing feelings, she is plagued with uncertainty. Just who is Draco Malfoy? And does he deserve a second chance?

4. Graveyard Valentine  [ Bex-chan ]

Hermione thought she was the only person in the world who would spend Valentine's Day in a Graveyard, but she was wrong. He's there. Every single year, with his gloves, roses, and answers. Dramione Valentine's Day one-shot. Post-Hogwarts. 

- All time favorite.

5. Eighteen Months  [ Istalindar ]

When Hermione is diagnosed with a magic allergy and kidney failure during the summer, everything changes for her, friends, enemies..life.

6. Love Me Twice [ Bex-chan ]

'"They tore her apart and then wiped me out of her mind to send me a message. To mess up my life. To break..." he trailed off. Blaise nodded his head with understanding. "To break your heart," he finished for him.' Dramione. One-shot.

7. The Wrong Strain [ Colubrina ]

Everyone knew what veela were. Veela were magical creatures, breathtakingly beautiful, who captivated men with a single look. It would have been nice to have been that strain. Instead, Hermione Granger was infected by another. Instead of captivating all men, she was captivated by one. She'd die without him. She was already in almost constant pain. 

8. Entwined In Time  [ TheSummerNightingale ]

When Hermione and Draco get put into detention together, a potion mishaps throws them back in time: into the Marauders' era. As they begin to adjust to life twenty years into the past, the two become drawn together, sharing the bond of the future as they are forced to work together to return to their own time.

9. Destiny [ Annie Lockwood ]

Hermione's wedding night is everything but perfect for the young witch. Her new husband and long-time friend, Ronald, is passed out drunk and she thinks upon her life leading up to that night. Hermione falls asleep, despondent and alone. When she wakes up the following morning, she is still in bed with her husband. But it isn't Ronald Weasley.

10. Silencio [ AkashatheKitty ] 

One late night, hate turns to lust.

11. Clean [ Olivie Blake ]

Malfoy's handsome face was contoured into a condescending smirk. "No faith in that giant brain of yours, Granger?" She looked up at him defiantly. "Maybe I don't have faith in you!" she said, raising her voice. Malfoy only looked at her. "You'll find I'm very surprising."

12. Marked  [ Olivie Blake ]

Two dead. Three missing. The Order is down a leader and another innocent takes the Mark. Where is the Chosen One, and who killed Draco Malfoy?

13. The Fallout [ everythursday ] 

Hermione learns about growing up through the redemption of Draco Malfoy.

14. Every Day, a Little Death [ LovesBitca8 ]

It has become common knowledge that Hermione Granger cannot have an orgasm. Many have tried, none have succeeded. Can Draco Malfoy offer his assistance?

15. familiar faces, worn out places [ LovesBitca8 ]

“You are at St. Mungo’s. You were in a coma.” He looks me over again, taking a pause. “I am a Healer here now,” he says, like it explains something. My fingers stretch, drifting across his sleeve. He looks down, like I’ve thrown mud at him.

Forcing my vocal chords together for the first time, I whisper, “What’s your name?”

16. Kiss Me, Haunt Me, Kill Me [ LovesBitca8 ]

"So," she said, and her voice was just as he'd remembered it, "you've chosen to haunt the castle as well?" She lifted her brows. "I'm dead. What's your excuse?" ~*~ Draco Malfoy returns to Hogwarts as Potions Master to find the ghost of Hermione Granger floating through the halls.

17. Ribbons Down Her Back [ LovesBitca8 ]

The unintentional annual seduction of Draco Malfoy through a series of ribbons and bows - or - Christmas Fluff with a dash of Secret Santa.

18. Manacled  [ SenLinYu ] 

Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Hermione Granger has an Order secret, lost but hidden in her mind, so she is sent as an enslaved surrogate to the High Reeve until her mind can be cracked.

19. The Library of Alexandria  [ SenLinYu ] 

 The Library of Alexandria is not for just any witch or wizard. Many bookworms may try but few are permitted to pass through its doors. The books residing there are ancient and powerful and, if one happens to make a mistake, the consequences can be rather—novel.

20. A Slow Cruel Descent + A Fragile Ascent  [ SenLinYu ]

A Slow Cruel Descent

The war grinds on and Hermione Granger, the lead intelligence for the Order of the Pheonix, is captured. Unable to crack her through interrogation without risking her mind, Voldemort conceives a cruel method of breaking her that involves a reluctant Draco Malfoy.“He stared at her in disgust.She looked—broken.The fire she’d still had when she was dragged in was now extinguished. Her eyes were locked on his face like she were memorizing him.“Stop staring at me.” He snarled. “You stupid bint. You’re supposed to be so clever. They can’t break you with torture but a fucking potion reduces you to a sniveling traitor.”

A Fragile Ascent

The War is over. Voldemort is dead. And Hermione Granger is broken.

21. Sweetly Broken [ LadyKenz347 ] 

As the dust settles following the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco’s confidence, belief system, and world are shattered.In an attempt to mend his broken pieces, he turns to vials that take the pain away. But once the high’s are no longer so high and the lows get so much lower, Draco has to start a journey of healing and redemption that often hurts more than it helps.

22. Truth, Lies, and Storytelling  [ BreathOfThePhoenix ]

“Hermione,” Harry took a deep breath and flipped the book over to see the back cover, “why is my name on this?”“Like I said, someone is writing about us. The film we just saw was based on that book,” Hermione tapped the cover of the book on the top of the stack, “and it was incredibly accurate.”Harry passed the stack of books over to Ginny, holding on to the first one. He turned the title of the book over in his head, mumbling the words quietly to himself.“Harry Potter… me… Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Philosopher’s stone. Hermione, this feels weird. Am I the narrator?”When Hermione and Draco uncover a familiar new film called “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” they learn that the wizarding world may not be as well hidden as they thought.

23. DIVINATION FOR SKEPTICS  [ OLIVIEBLAKE ]

The latest in magical advancements is an enchantment that reveals the bearer’s romantic compatibility with another person. Effectively eliminating uncertainty from dating, the charm can tell you whether or not you’ve found The One with a precise, Hermione Granger-approved calculation of traits and preferences. It’s a foolproof method of predicting relationship happiness. It’s also, for Hermione, positively dreadful news.

24. Isolation [ Bex-chan ]

He can't leave the room. Her room. And it's all the Order's fault. Confined to a small space with only the Mudblood for company, something's going to give. Maybe his sanity. Maybe not. "There," she spat. "Now your Blood's filthy too!"

25. Hunted [ Bex-chan ]

Forced to work together when their old schoolmates start dying, Hermione & Draco must overcome their differences to solve the mysterious deaths. The tension in the office is getting rather...heated.

If you reached to this part. 

HEY THERE! 

Feel free to message me on instagram if you ever feel the need to fan girl, I do too most of the time. 

[commander-yinello]

VandeRan Week Day 1: First Meeting

My first entry for @vanderanweek! Sadly like the ship weeks before, I will be late with my entries and it might take a while to finish but! I am determined to do every day for this rarepair! This week I focus on @hiniparlousblog‘s Angel AU which is awesome. I hope you enjoy!

The white halls of the Grand Cathedral glistened under the light that poured through every window. Saeran slowly walked through it, his robes and wings making swishing sounds behind him. It was with an angry heart and a deep frown he continued to his destination, a room on the right side, dwarfed by the rest of the building.

The room was so brown compared to the what he was used to; shelves and cupboards were stacked with scrolls and books, meticulously arranged to order. A tall muscular man with long brown hair in the middle of it all turned to him, a feather pen in his hand and a blank sheet in the other. His robes were more ornate than his, a golden brooch in the shape of a sword pinned on his chest. His face was so serious, not a hint of a smile - it put him on edge.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m Saeran Choi. I was asked to report to Inquisitor Mary Vanderwood.” He knew very well that this person had to be this Vanderwood, but he played it dumb. Anything to get this over with.

The inquisitor inspected him fully, towering over him by half a head and it made Saeran anxious. “Ah, one of the Choi twins?” He grabbed one of the books from a shelf nearby and opened it. Unlike most books,  cover wasn’t dusty or old. As the pages fell open, swirly golden letters formed and created words, indiscernible from his distance. “So you’re here because your brother received his halo.”

Saeran felt anger within him bubble up again and pushed it down as Vanderwood gazed at him with scrutiny. “And you did not.”

“I don’t see why it matters.” It was already bad enough his brother got all the pats on the back and the compliments for becoming an archangel; right after, the Dominions arrived and ordered him to visit the Inquisitor.

The taller brunette closed the book and put it on the wooden counter next to him. “Twin angels have always been rare. But all of them shared a similar pattern; they always earned their haloes at the same time. This is the first time in our recorded history one received it before the other.”

Saeran shifted on his legs. He wanted to look away so badly. “It’s not like I have any control over it.”

“That is true. Though willingness to help and positive thinking have aided the process.” Vanderwood finally broke his endless stare and guided Saeran back into the main hall. “I heard from Lord Jihyun Kim you have trouble fitting in with your assigned group.”

“Jumin thinks it’s because I wasn’t a social person during my human life.” Saeran said, pushing a stray lock away, desperate to do anything with his nervous hands as they walked. Hyun, Yoosung, Jumin, Jaehee... They were nice, but... “I don’t hate them. They’re just not my friends yet.”

“Archangel Han always tries to find a logical explanation when in truth there could be none.” They halted once they reached the entrance, the large marble doors looming over them. His halo seemed vanish in the light behind his head, yet it made him more radiant. “Saeran, the Inquisitor’s job, my job, is to root out any source of evil amongst other angels.”

The realization of why exactly the Dominions had sent him to the Inquisitor hit Saeran like a brick. “I’m not evil!” he blurted out.

Vanderwood raised his eyebrows. “If you were, you wouldn’t be standing here. I’ve been watching you, Saeran Choi, and your brother. His behavior is quite… maddening.”

His irritated expression made Saeran wonder if he was talking about the time when Saeyoung appeared in a maid dress during prayer. Or when he snuck into the library and taught Saeran and himself spells to access restricted areas. Or when Saeyoung changed the automated voice to welcome new angels at the Gates of Heaven with bad puns.

Probably all.

“But despite his pranks he is pure of heart. I’m glad you aren’t like him actually.”

Saeran couldn’t help feel relieved. While many had laughed every time, he begged his brother to stop messing around, afraid he’d lose him.

“And frankly, the Dominions are too easily concerned. Ever since the betrayal of no less than three archangels, they are on edge and too eager to label anyone who deviates from the norm a heretic. I think you are easily flustered, no doubt envious, perhaps prone to anger…”

Saeran grimaced, trying not to frown. He was not easily flustered!

“...but you are a kind spirit. I have no doubt they’ll be congratulating you soon.” A small, gentle smile appeared on Vanderwood’s face before it was forcibly hidden, but Saeran had caught it.

He felt heat rise to his cheeks. This was the first time someone seemed to have faith in him. Even the most well-meaning Yoosung expressed his worries regularly with his behavior.

“Thanks. I-I should go,” Saeran said a bit too quickly, unable to deal with this new situation. Without waiting for Vanderwood’s reply, he skipped down the stairs, making his way to the park up ahead. When he looked back, he saw the brunette walk back inside.

“Told you he’s nice!” All of the sudden, Saeyoung jumped in front of him, that ridiculous monocle of him not helping his cocky grin.

“WAAAH! Saeyoung!” Saeran growled, as his brother simply laughed. “You scared me half to death! Have you been spying on me?!”

“Pff, stop overreacting.” Saeyoung hugged his brother and dragged him along, ignoring Saeran’s complaints. “I knew it wasn’t a big deal. There’ll be a shiny ring above your noggin before you know it!”

While struggling to get out of his idiot brother’s tight grip, Saeran thought back to Vanderwood. Strangely enough he hoped they were right. The idea of becoming an Inquisitor now appealed to him.

***

Vanderwood watched the flustered redhead leave and went back into the Cathedral deep in thought. He had lied - and lying was a grave sin, he knew. But what good would it be to tell him the truth? He hoped that keeping it hidden, at least Saeran could be saved.

God have mercy on him if he was wrong.

To be continued on day 2~