#I am surely in the toils again

[jackdawandicarus]

oh , great, the romantic attraction is here again, whoopee time to doubt my arospec identity and my life choices as pine over this random human person who I barely know, isn’t that just lovely? Btw I already *have* one ongoing already, so I’m starting to think destiny seeks to spite me. Also they have the same name. Lol.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Apparently I can meet my goal of roughly 400,000 words in 6 months if I just somehow write at least 2,200 words a day ghbjh... Almost 2,500 today... huzzah...

[yanderenightmare]

♡ TW: yandere, captive reader, minor wounds, shackles, mental deterioration

♡ GN reader

“I’m sorry,” he says, looking up at you sheepishly from where he kneels before you, your feet in his lap as he carefully unclasps the second metal cuff from your ankle—leaving roughed skin in its wake, cut raw and swollen as badly as the other. “But, you know, I would have taken them off sooner if you’d been good.”

You don't answer him—not feeling like nodding and agreeing, though not exactly feeling up to doing the opposite anymore either. Tired of it, you remain quiet, and you look away instead—flinching and hissing as he carefully handles the wounds with disinfectant, balm, and bandages.

When he’s done, he rests his cheek on your knee—stroking his hands up and down your claves tenderly. “I really am sorry,” he repeats—voice soft and silken, nuzzling into you with big puppy eyes looking up at you. “You’ll forgive me, won’t you?”

There’s a disturbance in your head—an indecision—toiling and swirling like a storm, making you sweat, almost shiver. Should you behave for once? Do what he wants and avoid another punishment—or do you still feel like fighting? Is your dignity worth it? Do you still wish to take the risk and run now that you’re unfettered and free to try again? Or would you like to finally give it up?

This is a test. You know it. No doubt.

He’ll surely catch you if you try. You know that, too. It’s been proven, and you’re not foolish enough to keep holding onto any such false thing as hope.

So then, why try?

Well, it’s a stupid question, and yet you find yourself contemplating it—whether you should try anyway, even when failure is guaranteed. You think, now that you're really thinking about it, the only thing keeping you going is sheer and hollow principle.

Yes, principle—one based on the understanding that if you try, even if you fail, you can at least say you tried—one where the simple thought of giving is detestable. Back then, even weighing the options was unthinkable. Do or die—no in-between, nothing more or less.

But that fire within feels faint now—a low flame just barely weathering the storm, all alone in the cold, in the dark, just waiting for a final gust to blow it out once and for all.

It's an ugly thought, but you think what you really want isn't to find the strength to keep fighting but for someone to say it's okay to stop. You just want a sanction—a blessing—someone to blow the candle out for you.

And acknowledging that, you might as well blow it out yourself.

If the point holds no value, then fighting for it must be even more empty—right?

You sigh.

“It’s not that bad." Lifting a hand, you run it smoothly through his tousled locks with a smile. “Actually, it already feels better.”

The worst or best part about it is how strangely freeing it is—now that you’ve let go. The trouble of remaining vigilant and hostile is an exhausting feat, and now that you’ve put it to rest, you’re left feeling unfettered—like you can finally breathe again.

He kisses your knee, then rests his chin atop it—giving you a similar smile. “I’m glad.”

♡ BNHA – Deku, Dabi, Hawks, Shinso ♡ JJK – Geto, Gojo, Naoya ♡ HQ – Miya twins ♡ BLLK – Reo, Nagi ♡ DS – Doma ♡ WB – Suo, Togame

♡ FEM x M INSERT masterlist ♡ GN x M INSERT masterlist

[thewritetofreespeech]

pairing: Aemond x Reader

summary: your husband leaves for a hunting trip, but before he leaves he provides you with a gift to keep your fealty secure.

tags: heterosexual sex (m/f), chastity belt [fictional c. belt usage, don't come for me], oral (female receiving), cowgirl, aemond is a meanie to his wife, but also a sweetie, mentions of the other members of the Green but not present.

-------------------------------⚔️--------------------------------

The bells seemed to have not stopped ringing for days now.

First, to herald the new prince, Maelor, into the world. Then to call his father home.

Aegon had overheard of the Baratheon tradition of going hunting before the birth of a child. Claiming a new stag and presenting the pelt to the mother, which he thought was a splendid tradition. The hunting, not the presents for the mother; although any excuse to get out of the castle was Aegon’s ultimate goal. He assembled some of the finest hunters he could find, or at least on such short notice, and sped off into some forest while his wife labored through the end of her pregnancy and had her toil finally ended in the wee hours of the morning.

You were happy for Helaena. To have her child here & health and her agony ended. But also, selfishly, that your own agony might be ended too.

Your husband had gone with hers. Aegon insisted that family should be involved in this new process he was creating, and made his brother come with him for the hunt. Aemond did not fight him too hard. He too would look for any excuse to leave the castle, particularly when his half-sister & her family were around, and enjoyed hunting like any man of arms might when the opportunity struck.

However, before the princes left your husband presented you with a gift that had turned your ill-planned parting into a tortuous affair.

“I still don’t see why any of this is necessary.”

Aemond paid you little mind as he fastened the last strap and locked it. Admiring his work as he sat back on his heels. “I feel that my fidelity is being called into question.”

“It is not your fidelity, dearest one.” He told you. Standing to his full height above you as he slipped the key into his pocket. “A beautiful woman, alone, for some days’ time without her husband. I am protecting you from those less virtuous than you.”

You frown and drop your skirts. “Oh please.” As if anyone would dare touch you, or even glance in your direction too long, with Aemond the Fierce as your husband. Even before your marriage he had managed to scare off any suitor or admirer that came near. Deciding that you would be his and he would not have competition on the matter. His jealousy had not gotten any better since you were married, but luckily you found it endearing; in an odd, Targaryen ‘take no prisoner’ kind of a way. “I will be with your sister most of the time anyway whilst you are gone. Unless you think her a threat now?”

Aemond smirked. “I don’t know. Helaena does have a weakness for the oddest, cutest things.” He leaned in to give you a kiss, which you return despite your sulking pout.

“How am I to relieve myself with this thing?”

“There is a small hole.”

“Charming.”

“The point is that you, nor anyone else, can relieve you.” His hand came up to cup your cheek. “Not until I get back.”

You frown at Aemond again. Once again feeling your fidelity was being called into question, but now also your virtue. “Please. You think I am some nymph unable to curb my baser instincts while my husband is away? That the moment you leave I’ll just start humping the couches like a dog.” The prince scoffed. Amused by your joke. “I will be fine Aemond. I am sure I can last a week without ‘relief’ as you put it.”

“See that you do.” He gave you another kiss. Longer this time and you kiss him back properly, without the pout, as you realize this was your goodbye kiss. “Tell Helaena to push out that babe sooner rather than later. I’d hate to have to miss you by the time it’s all said and done.”

That had been a tenday ago, and you had been eating your words since the sixth.

At first, it was fine. You were indeed busy tending to Helaena. Keeping her comfortable. Keeping her entertained. You had not yet known the joy of being with child, but from where you were sitting across from her it seemed not to bring the joy often described. Your situation did not get problematic until night fall.

Alone in your bed, you had trouble falling asleep that first night without Aemond beside you. His gentle breathing not at your back. Had your bed always been this big? The second night sleep came a little easier, though you still missed your husband. By the third night, you really missed him. You suddenly realized that since your marriage not more than three days had gone by without Aemond sliding to your side of the bed to lay with you. He was not the braggart like his brother or other more crude lords at court, but he was quite the vivacious lover; when properly motivated by affection and praise.

Now alone, you were suddenly aware of your body and how much it had changed since being with Aemond. How, in a way, he had conditioned you for him. Before it would have been no problem for you to go without such pleasures, but now you seem unable to make it not 3 days without touch. Coupled with the fact that you couldn’t do anything about it with the damned belt on you were all the more frustrated in your situation and desired nothing more than for Aemond to come home.

You watched as the gates opened and Aegon’s party rode in. The horses galloping to a halt before the procession stage. No dragons this time. Aegon said it would take the sport out of.

The newly anointed father leapt from his horse and bounded up the steps of the small stage to Helaena. His eyes & smile bright as he looked on his newest son, Aegon took Maelor from her arms gently to hold him for the first time. It was all rather endearing.

Your attention turned from the happy scene to the steps again as they creak under foot. Aemond’s tall, lean frame now in full view. You find it difficult to breathe all of a sudden. As if your chastity belt was suddenly wrapped all the way around you like a corset. You grip the arms of your chair tight to stay strong and stay still. Aware that you were still in public and in front of your family after all.

“Look brother! Look at my new son!” The second prince walked over to his brother to look upon their newest addition. Giving his new nephew the smallest hint of a smile as he looked down at him. Your core quaked violently.

“Congratulations brother. Well done, Helaena.” The princess smiled shyly at her brother, and their mother seemed pleased for once at this happy moment.

Aemond snapped and made some sort of gesture at a servant, who scurried up the steps and handed him some ivory pelts from a chest that Aemond then gave to Helaena. Foxes, perhaps. Or maybe rabbits. You couldn’t be sure which as your sister-in-law gushed over their softness and color while you smiled & nodded along. Your mind completely focused on Aemond. He was so close now. You could practically smell him. The iron. The leather. The sweat & sun from riding back this afternoon. You have to swallow to keep the drool pooling in your mouth from leaking out. You had to get out of here. You had to get out of this…thing!

“If you’ll excuse me, I must wash the road off and rest in a proper bed if I am expected to entertain later.” Aemond’s voice cut through your thoughts. As if he heard you.

“You do not wish to stay and see the babe?” Aegon asked. Holding his new son up with a look of ‘what could be better than this?’. You could think of a few things, but as a lady you held your tongue.

“He’s not going anywhere, is he?” Aemond jest. To which his mother rolled her eyes and he kissed Helaena on the cheek. “I will see him at the feast, I’m sure.” He turned and finally looked at you. You felt your heart stop and your skirts grow moist before he offered his hand to you. “Come wife.”

You take his hand, digits trembling almost as much as that first time you took it, and stand. You kiss Helaena’s cheek on the other side, wishing her congratulations again, before Aemond lead you off the stage and into the palace. Luckily, by fate or design, the procession meeting ground was near your apartments. So it was a quick walk before you were at your door. They open for you, and Aemond only let out a stern “get out” to the servants, who only have mere seconds to flurry away before you were on each other. Your lips crashing against Aemond’s along with the rest of your body as you back him into a corner against the door like you felt you had been backed into all week.

“Get this fucking thing off me.”

“My, my, such language.” Aemond was grinning maliciously, but pridefully, down at you. “I leave for just a week and my sweet wife’s lips turn into that of a Braavosi sailor.” You gasp, nearly pant, as Aemond brushed his thumb over your bottom lip. Seeming fascinated by them. As if they were some intricate puzzle for him. “Did you miss me, issa jorrāelagon?”

You whimper as the High Valyrian rolls off Aemond’s tongue. Your thighs shivering as at the thought of it and those delicious purrs between them again. “Yes. I did.”

He seemed pleased. “I missed you too.” He kissed you again. Slower, sweeter, deeper this time, rather than tongue & teeth. It was a good thing Aemond’s arms were securely wrapped around you as his kiss made you swoon. “I would think of you every night.” His lips brush against your lips, your cheek, your chin. His hands caressing you softly everywhere as you stared dimly up at Aemond. Drunk from him. “While Aegon and his pack rutted with their camp followers, I would go to my tent and think of you. Stroke my cock along with your key around my neck, think of you waiting for me, until I could no longer take it anymore.”

You whimper & whine at Aemond’s words. A part of you elated to have that effect on your husband, but part of you also extremely jealous. You had been forced to wait while he had not. That seemed entirely unfair and should be corrected immediately.

“Aemond…please. I’m tired of waiting. Please take this off me so I can be your wife again.”

Your prince smiled at you. Pressing you back now as you kiss this time towards the bed. You had intentionally worn the simplest dress you had to the arrival. Beautiful in design and beadwork, but nowhere near the detailing of lacings and ties most of court lady fashion had. All with the intention of Aemond being able to get it off you quickly, which he succeeded at, and lay you on the bed. “Hells. You look radiant.”

“Aemond please…” You beg again. Bosom heaving. Your skin on fire at even the briefest touch of his fingertips against your calf. Tingling in your nakedness in front of him, save for this accursed belt.

He took pity on you it seemed and opened his vest with a few quick snaps. Producing the key from around his neck. He still kept it there, it seemed. Aemond gave you a long look, as if holding on to this final, torturing moment with some perverse pleasure at your suffering, before he undid the lock and helped you out of your ties.

You moan, loudly, with your head tilted back as it finally came off. Release from the belt was almost as pleasurable as the full release you were surely about to receive. Your skin able to breathe fully. Your limbs one with themselves again. It was enough to make your head spin, only to be brought back to you when you felt Aemond spread your thighs and kneel before you.

“A-Aemond! Wait! I haven’t washed properly in---mph!” He doesn’t seem to care.

Though you had bathed regularly since your parting, the belt made it difficult to clean yourself fully. Trust in this, you had tried. Every angle. Every side. Every idea imaginable to get around this accursed thing, but to no avail. Aemond seemed unbothered by this as he devoured your cunt like a starved man. That skilled Valyrian silver teasing your clit. Making you squirm on the bed, to the point that Aemond had to hold your thighs apart to the point of bruises. Gods, you hoped for bruises. The shift from no attention to this sudden onslaught was enough to drive you to madness. Overstimulated, you cum quickly with a sharp cry. “Oh Gods…..!”

Aemond doesn’t leave you until your walls stop quaking around him, then he lifted slowly from between your legs. “Still sweet as ever, issa jorrāelagon.”

The prince stripped out of his clothes with a speed you did not think possible of their usually intricate clothing. You bit your lip. Core throbbing even though you had just climaxed at the sight of your husband. Lean form. Alabaster skin. Pure white save for the hard, blushing cock pointed out at you. “Aemond…”

He chuckled. Probably finding your lust blown eyes and subconscious spreading of your legs for him amusing. “So needy.” He was enjoying this. Enjoying tormenting you with his fine figure and devilish smirk. People often whispered about how cruel Aemond was. You never believed them. But perhaps you would have to amend your thinking on the topic as it was cruel to have him on offer now and still make you wait.

He crawled on to the bed and on top of you. Your lungs filling with air and releasing in a sigh as you feel his weight on top of you. How you had missed even this part. To be close to your prince. To have his presence mix with yours. Not just the sex, but the intimacy was something Aemond had trained your body to as well. You hope to never be parted from it again.

“I’m rather tired from the journey.” He whispered to you. Panick welling up in you as he stroked your hair & cheek sweetly. He wasn’t going to stop, was he? You would punch him in that beautiful face if he stopped now! No a judicator in the land would convict you. “So, you will have to do all the work this time, sweet one.”

He gripped your hips then and flipped you over. You yip at the sudden change in equilibrium, but then moan as you felt his hardness brush against your sex. The length of it perfectly aligned to slide between your folds. By fate or design you could not be sure, but what you were sure of was that you needed it inside you.

“Take from me what you want, issa jorrāelagon. Let me see your rapture now that I am home. You deserve it.”

You whine at Aemond’s words and kiss him desperately. As a thank you? Just the burning need to touch him?

You lift up and line his cock up properly with your entrance. The wetness from your sex and anticipation allowing him to slide in easily, and you moan like a whore at the feeling of him inside you again. “You have to move, issa jorrāelagon.” Aemond reminded you. His tone sweet and teasing. This spell he had on you working over your mind as you are unable to think, just obey, and start to move your hips.

Aemond watched you from below. His eye and sapphire fixed solely on you as you writhed in pleasure on top of him. Every bit the nymph you claimed not to be just a short while ago as your body and mind were lost to you in the sole pursuit of pleasure.

“Aemond..! Aemond…! So good!”

“I know, my love.” He must be close. The grit of his teeth, and the fact that he used your nickname in common instead of High Valyrian, his tell. “I’m close. Just a bit more.” You weren’t sure if you could last that long as you were suddenly bursting all around. Body shaking. Gasping for air. Luckily, it seemed just enough for Aemond and his hips arched up to push deeper inside you as he spilled his seed.

You collapse on top of your husband. Sweaty, wanton, spent. Aemond, for his part, seemed to catch his breath rather quickly and flipped you back over. “What are you doing?”

“Truly you did not think that would be the only time I had you.” You cry out when Aemond thrust his still hard cock into your sensitive sex. “We have near a week to make up for.”

It was much later in the afternoon by the time Aemond felt he had properly ‘balanced the scales’. Your body was exhausted, but content. Laying with your husband in the afterglow, and your ruined bed, a tonic for your soul you didn’t know you needed. “I have a gift for you.”

“Another one?” You tease your prince, who smiled and untangled himself from you to go over to a chest you hadn’t realized was in the room. You recognize it though as the chest the servant had brought to Aemond at his command when he presented the pelts to his sister.

“I caught this one when I was out on my own. Aegon & his troupe were off to the east with their wine and crossbows. I went west, as no quarry would come with their revelry. Seemed only fitting that since I found it on my own, my wife should have it.”

It was a pelt of pure onyx. Soft, but not nearly as soft as what Helaena had gotten earlier. This was the pelt of a beast, not prey. “Aemond, it’s beautiful.” Your fingers sift through the fine hairs. Feeling the power of its former master almost transfer into your fingers. “Thank you.”

“I am glad you like it. Perhaps I shall have to find you a new one, in nine months.” You glance over at Aemond out of the corner of your eye. Quick to understand his meaning. Quick to realize that Aemond wants his own son now that he’s seen Aegon with his second.

“Perhaps.” Time would only tell. You move your beautiful new fur to the side and crawl into Aemond’s waiting lap. “But if you leave me here for a week while I suffer alone, I will kill you. Do you hear me?”

Aemond laughed in the face of his own danger. “No. I would never leave you. This tryst was amusing, but I will be damned before I follow a Baratheon’s tradition before our own.” He lifted your hand and kissed it softly. “Our kin will have dragon eggs in their beds, not pelts.”

“Good.” You agreed and kissed him fully.

You make love again. Slowly, intimately this time. The kind of joining you both hope brings children. You would have to bathe and get dressed for the welcoming feast later that evening. Aegon’s welcome home and Maelor’s official presentation, along with all the spoils the men had caught on their hunt. But for now, it would just be you and Aemond. Enjoying each other and being back in one another’s arms.

Your last present though mysteriously vanishes. You have no idea where the belt went to, or what was done with it. Aemond had no answers. But you have a sinking suspicion it was moved somewhere for safe keeping; lest you find it and burn it, as was your threat long after.

[indecenthoney]

Clicker Fantasy

-----------------------------------------------------

We all have that uptight or academically gifted friend who can never catch a break from their responsibilities. Always working hard to please the people around them and never doing anything for themselves. It pains me to see them put on a mask, but I guess that's the norm nowadays. That is why, we should always have friends like me! You may wake up and put on a mask, but I'll be there to take it off when it becomes all too much for you.

I know! Why don't we come up with a little signal for you to unwind?

Finished studying? Great job! *Click*

Done with your homework? Wonderful! *Click*

Completed that project? You are... amazing! *Click*

When we hear that *Click* there shouldn't be a single thought behind those pretty eyes. Completely relax your body and leave everything to me. You've worked yourself to the bone and too much of anything is bad. If you don't choose a day to relax, your body will choose it for you. And we wouldn't want to disappoint people now, do we?

"What am I going to do with you? I mean look at you... You can barely keep your eyes open... I know I know you have to get this done, but it can wait... Why don't we take a break? *Click* Mhm... It'll be quick I promise... You just need a breather and you'll be ready to work again... I made us hot chocolate... The least you can do is drink it..."

People like this will always have their guard up even with the people that care about them the most. You must give them an inch in order to get a mile. They need to feel safe because words can only do so much.

"Made sure to give you extra marshmallows... Blow on it, first.. I don't want you burning your tongue... Taste good? *Click* What are you doing standing there? Can you relax? It's cold so come here and warm me up a little... Yes, I'm asking you to cuddle with me... I'll release you once you're done with your cup..."

Lull them into a false sense of security. It's not a bad thing. What's bad is letting them toil away while it affects their health. There is good in the bad. Trust me.

"Feeling a little better? Good! While you are drinking your cup, why don't I give you a little massage, huh? You've been sitting like that for hours... Your back is going to ache at this rate... Ah, I don't wanna hear it... Just relax and lean back into me while I massage your shoulders... Mhm... There we go... That's it... Feels nice, right? *Click* What? What noise? Clicks? I don't know what you're talking about... Will you relax? You're such a workaholic... I swear..."

Any person should feel safe when they are in your arms. All the things you are doing must come from a place of love. And possibly a little gaslighting to ease the process.

"We can put that cup away for now... Just two more minutes promise... You should enjoy this massage... Two minutes wouldn't kill you... Good... Just relax your muscles... Feel every bit of the tension fade away... *Click* "

When your friend has finally dropped their guard, you would slowly creep your hands up their shirt to massage their chest. Gently rubbing and tugging on their nipples. They'll squirm and whimper, possibly even rebel, but you must assure them that this is out of their best interest.

"Shhh... It's okay... It's okay... As much as you want to deny it... It feels nice... *Click* It's kind of cute seeing this side of you... Squirming and pleading for me to stop... but deep down you want this... you... need... this... I mean look at you... What slutty face you're making... *Click* It's almost as if you're begging for me to touch you... You may say otherwise but you're body will always tell the truth... See? Even if you tried to hide it from me... You're always leaving such a mess on my lap... *Click* Why don't we take a closer look shall we?"

Slowly gliding my hand down their underwear to reveal the needy mess they've become for me. Tracing my middle finger along their slit. And showing them the product of their own depravity. Continually gliding my finger around their opening to the point of insanity.

"C'mon use your words... I won't be able to understand a damn thing you say with you drooling like a dog... Be a good girl and nod if you want me to continue... *Click* "

Consent is hot. We wouldn't want to push them any further than we already have. Either way, they'll most likely come back for more.

"Yeah? Okay... Thank you for being honest, sweetie... One finger should be enough for now... *Click* "

I would click them before each and every climax. I want them to associate the feeling of pleasure with the splendid sound of a click. I would edge them and edge them. Clicking their brain dumb.

"Please? What do you mean please? Oh! You want to finish... I don't know... See this? See how hard I am? You did this... I have an idea... You are free to cum as long as you use me... Mhm... Fuck yourself with my cock... and let me watch you..."

I would enjoy every moment of them bouncing on my cock. I want to see them cry and moan from the pleasure. I'm nothing but a toy in this moment. I have nothing to feel bad about. It's them that's fucking themselves silly. I want to watch them till completion.

"You did such a good job... I'm so proud of you and all the things that you do... "

Even when she's worn out, the training is not yet done. I will fuck into her hard and deep. Overstimulating her. Clicking her with each and every thrust.

"Shhh... *Click* It's okay... *Click* Almost there, sweetie... *Click* You're doing such a great job... *Click* That's it... *Click* Take it... *Click* Enjoy every inch of cock as I pound into you... *Click* I'm almost there... *Click* Fuck... *Click* I'm gonna cum... *Click* Don't waste a single drop, okay? F-fuck... *Click* *Click* *Click* "

With that, she can finally go to bed cum-filled and happy. She can finally get the rest she deserves. Or I could've just been stern and instructed her to take a break, but that's how I would done it!

------------------------------------------

Clicking you gently,

Honey

[greenfuzzyball]

Dracula Daily Holidays (so far)

Here are some holidays the fandom has latched onto as we’ve been reading Dracula Daily/ listening to re:Dracula.

With this list I’m trying to capture the moments that get talked about the most or elicit the biggest reactions (admittedly, almost every entry has an iconic line or moment.)

I also included each character’s introduction or instance of them actually writing/recording something themselves. Ish.

Up to current entry to add as time goes on:

May 3 - My good friend, Jonathan Harker/Paprika Hendl

May 4 - The kindness of strangers

May 5 - “Enter freely and of your own will!”

May 7 - First Use of “Voluptuous”

May 8 - “A foul bauble of man's vanity. Away with it!”

May 9 - Mina

May 11 - Lucy

May 12 - Lizard Fashion- The Horror Day

May 15 - Lizard Fashion - There He Goes Again/ Jonathan, Gothic Damsel

May 16 - The Three Weed-Smoking Girlfriends

May 19 - “I am surely in the toils” & “I know now the span of my life. God help me!”

May 24 - “Why can't they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?” / Cowboy Day

May 25 - Jack’s Podcast / Renfield

May 26 - Art

May 28 - Mail Fraud Dracula / “A vile thing, an outrage upon friendship and hospitality!”

May 31 - The real terror is Dracula’s abuse / “Some new scheme of villainy”

June 5 - Renfield starts making his way up the food chain

June 17 - The coffins

June 18 - Statistical Outlier Spiders Renfield

June 24 - Identify Theft Dracula / The mother at the gate

June 25 - Jonathan’s Lizard Fashion

June 30 - IT’S SHOVEL DAY, MOTHAFUCKAS

July 18 - The Captain of the Demeter starts keeping a log

[ms--lobotomy]

@liar-anubiass-blog hi! Tumblr has a habit of deleting the very ask I want to write for when it is its turn. Here's your Emps being a bit of a silly billy.

---

summary: you are a poor unfortunate immortal who the emperor happened to take an interest in before the whole imperium of man thing. have fun with that

word count: 1353

content warnings: a bit of gore, a bit of longing for death, a very yandere man (god?) thing, also this shit is TOXIC toxic so beware, also he uses female words so if youre not a girl just pretend he used masculine pronouns i guess

---

It all started when you were minding your own business, crossing the street sometime in the 3rd millenium. It was late at night, and you were walking alone to your car, parked a little ways away from your workplace. You started to cross the street. A car barrelled towards you, moving haphazardly through the street. You barely had time to turn your head before it collided with you, flattening your frail body. Bones cracked open, flesh fell apart and blood poured from every opening.

After the offending car had frantically drove away, you felt your bones moving back to where they should go and fresh blood oozing back into your form. Soon you were standing up right where you had been before you were struck, work uniform and all. You raised a hand to your cheek. The blood was inside, where it was supposed to be.

You never told a soul about the event. After all, who would believe you? But this was not the only thing you found strange. As you grew older, you never aged. It was a little strange around your 30s or 40s, but you knew something was up once you hit 50. Faking your death was challenging, but you somehow made it work, ready to start life in a new city.

And city to city you roamed, never staying in one place for too long. You began to hate, loathe this curse that had been put upon you. One part of humanity that everyone else had shared was no longer yours. You wanted to die, you wanted it to end when your time was up. But time marched on, and so did you.

You'd moved onto your next city, ready and resigned to this process you had carved out for yourself. Get some crummy job serving slop to people who sometimes yelled obscenities at you, find a place to rent for a little while, and hunker down and hope your secret would be safe.

But something was different about this city, you felt a pair of eyes on you no matter where you went. You weren't sure where they came from, but you now walked a little brisker and you certainly now slept a little less soundly. You requested, you begged to work at the back of the seedy restaurant you worked at, a request which was never granted. So you toiled away at the front, ever cautious to remain inconspicuous.

But all of that would be for naught in the end. You were once again walking home from work, complete with a disheveled uniform. He was a taller man who hadn't had to do much to keep up with your brisk place. He was adorned with long black hair, honey-brown eyes and golden skin. His voice was deep and commanding.

"I know what you are." He put a hand around the back of your neck, his index finger tapping it lightly.

You froze. He stopped walking next to you, looking down on you. "Hell of an opener," you said after a few moments of silence. "Ever introduce yourself?"

"You'll know who I am soon enough," he replied. He tightened his hand around the back of your neck. How tall was he? Maybe around seven or eight feet? "Keep quiet and follow me or I'll snap it."

You felt a lump form in your throat. You'd been very careful to keep your secret from the outside world. If your neck was snapped in broad daylight and you somehow came back from it, there would be no more secrets to keep.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

You walked through the busy streets, never meeting the gazes of the city folk. Some of them looked at their feet when you stared back at them, some of them kept looking. "What a lovely couple!" exclaimed an older lady before meandering past the two of you. You thought your feet were going to fall off before the strange man turned into a more suburban area of town. "Not too far left to go," he said, the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk.

As soon as you felt you couldn't do it anymore, he led you up the steps of a beaten-down two-story house. His grip was tight enough that you couldn't even consider running away. With his free hand, he pulled a key out of his pocket and inserted it into the door. As he turned it, his hand trailed town towards your waist, grip tight as ever.

"Welcome to your new home," he smirked.

"My rent is due tomorrow," you remarked.

"You're not going to need it ever again," he said, pushing you into the house. This strange man had a maximalist aesthetic, little decorations were crammed into every corner of the place. He closed the door and led you through the halls, going slow to let you take in every little bit of it.

"So you're kidnapping me," you said flatly.

"That's a bit of an unkind way to put it, don't you think?" he asked. He pulled you close to him. You felt your heart beating in your chest. Not now, you thought.

"Think about it this way. You have a secret. A secret that I have as well. Don't you want to hide? Don't you want to slip under the radar?" he asked again. His hand slipped off of your waist and he knelt towards you, taking your hand in his.

"Do I know you?" you asked. You tried to pull away, but his grip was so tight it was bound to leave a nasty bruise.

"You may not know me, but I know you to your heart," he replied. "I've seen all that I need to see. You working long hours at that dead end job all but broke my heart. Those customers didn't see what I saw. I saw a beautiful individual stuck in a terrible existence. I saw you before me, living in fear. Don't you think you deserve to be freed from that existence?"

Your mouth hung slightly open. "You were the one following me," you said softly. "How did you have the time for that?" You pulled your hand away from his, and this time he relented.

"You can't explain the day you died and came back, can you?" he asked. "It's a little bit like that, don't you understand? I'm like you. I can help you. I can save you."

Your expression softened. "How?" you asked.

He stood up. He towered over you still, casting a shadow over you. "How about we head upstairs," he suggested, grabbing your arm and tugging you up the wooden stairs.

His bedroom was just as cluttered as his house was, if not more. There may have been around a dozen pillows on his bed, partially obscured by silky curtains. Light filtered through a window on the side of the room, illuminating books and statues and other little pieces of art.

"Where did you get all of this?" you asked. His hand trailed down your arm to meet your hand, engulfing it.

"I've lived a long time," he replied, leading you to the bed. He sat on it, pulling you onto his lap. "Longer than you have. Longer than you could comprehend." You could hear your heart beating in your chest again as he wrapped his arms around you. He buried his head in the crook of your neck, and you sat there for a moment, still. The curtains to the window fluttered slightly, the light made its way onto the both of you.

You weren't supposed to feel safe. You'd never seen this man before today, he all but kidnapped you. But you thought of your old life, hiding in nooks and crannies that the world couldn't find. Even if you would have to leave this area one day, you knew you weren't the only person afflicted with this curse.

You leaned back into his touch. You relaxed, going limp in his arms. He turned and planted a kiss on your exposed neck, just above where your collar ended.

"Good girl," he said.

[blakeswritingimagines]

“It’s a surprise My dear”

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon/Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.

You didn't realize he was in the room standing in the doorway simply watching over you quietly, thinking he was still busy at breakfast with his family as you were busy cleaning up around his room since his mother and grand-sire made it clear not to join them, lightly humming to yourself not having much to do since he had said he wanted to see you after and figured he wouldn't mind if you cleaned up a little bit while waiting.

He stood in the doorway only for a while longer, looking upon his beloved as he heard you gently hum to yourself, working hard to make his room sparkle and shine. You are like a flower he might pluck for his garden. You work so diligently to complete the tasks he has given you. You are good. You are loyal. You are mine. He knows he will not permit you to be bothered by anyone. You are to be his only, and for only him to enjoy he thinks to himself as he keeps watching you all but prance around the room.

You let out a small sigh as you looked around the large luxurious bed chambers happy to see all the hard work pay off and knew Aemond would be happy even as you chose to move things around knowing he would think it was better than before, smiling once you felt his arms around your waist which caused your head to tilt look up at him and speak softly "I thought you were still with your family, I didn't hear you come in."

“Mmm.” He replied back with his arms wrapping around you. You felt so good. The warmth of your curves beneath his hands. The sound of your voice. How he loves the sound your voice makes. “My family left some time ago. I returned to see you…I could not wait to see you. I’ve been missing you.” He bent down and kissed you on the cheek. He looked down upon you, and your sweet face lights him up. He could not take his eyes away from yours. They draw him in and demand all of his attention much like when he first came across you. He speaks softly, a little breathless, “I saw you from the door, My love. I wanted to come and see you in person.” He presses his lips against your forehead, lightly, “I must have you.” He whispered the last part, smiling wide with happiness. “How I’ve missed you my love.”

You turned around in his arms placing your hands on his chest as you looked up at him having grown used to seeing his beautiful violet eye color in only the one while he hid the other even from you, closing your eyes at his gentle affection and felt happy that so far today was going so well for him before you slowly opened your eyes with a lazy smile on your face "I've missed you too my sweet prince, but I'm happy I was able to get in some extra time helping others around the castle."

You were right, his sweet. Always putting your obligations before yourself, or him. He loved that about you. Seeing you so devoted to him. But you must also do things for yourself, and not simply slave for him. You must know how happy you make him. “My precious one. I would have you do things for you, rather than for others. I would have you happy. Not toiling away for others, but living life for yourself.” He spoke sweetly before leaning down to kiss you again, this time closer to your lips.

“The others can manage themselves, I am sure. I cannot, however, manage without you.”He spoke above a whisper looking you directly in the eyes, before kissing you again, this time on the lips. ‘My my. She is so soft.’ He thought to himself before letting his thoughts drift feeling like he has to do everything in his power to ensure nobody else can take what is his. “My dear. I have a surprise for you.” You felt flustered at his words and looked down having learned time and time again just how special you were in his life and knew better then to fight it anymore, smiling as he tilted your head up and couldn't help but kiss him back almost just as tenderly like he were some fragile thing even if you had seen otherwise before your very eyes. Tilting your head to the side as you looked up at him but gave you a small smile as a curious glint lit up your eyes "What kind of surprise my sweet prince?".

“A surprise of the highest importance.” He smiled as he spoke and looked down at his lovely maid again. His lips are so close to yours. His lips yearn to taste your sweet flesh once again. He will do it. He will kiss his love again and again. He will savor it.  “Close your eyes my sweet Y/n, and let yourself indulge in me. Let me take you away. At this moment, you are mine alone.” He leaned in close. So close his lips are almost touching your ear. Then he whispered softly.  “I wish to wed you my dear. You are perfect. Nobody else will do. You are the only person for me truly. I should like for you to be at my side for the rest of my life. You belong to me. Forever. That is my surprise.” He pressed his lips against yours again acting softer than you’ve ever seen from him before.

You tightened your hold on him as his words were processing in your mind taking your time to really hear what he said knowing it was wrong to question if he meant it but looked at his face that showed no signs of any lying, biting down on your lower lip in excitement as you thought it over than spoke lightly not saying no but curious "What about your family?". He chuckled softly “What about them? Do they matter? My family matters little to me compared to you. What do I need a family for? I have you. I have all I need as long as I am with you.” He smiles fondly at you as he tightens his hold on you. 

“My love. What is your answer? Will you marry me?”

listening closely to his words as you leaned into his touch without a second thought not able to help the bright smile that graced your lips, thinking over his heart melting words with a small sigh knowing he wouldn't wait for an answer nor would he take a no for something like this and nodded your head before looking back up at him as you gently cupped his jaw whispering a soft answer for just him to hear "Yes."

He leans down and kisses you, a true passionate kiss. Something you both could not do in the halls and in public. Here, in this private space, you can do and be anything you desire. Anything. He leans over and whispers. “My love. You are the only one for me. My sweet Y/n. My forever to be. I am yours now and you are mine.” He stares into your eyes, your big beautiful eyes, and his heart soars as he thinks to himself that he is the luckiest man in all of Westeros.

Soon enough even with the excitement bouncing around the room due to how happy you and Aemond were, you had helped him get ready for bed before doing the same only to smile as you got into the large bed and into his arms, staying cuddled into his side as you wrapped your arms around him and laid your head on his chest still smiling wildly at just the thought of being with him even if he was intense sometimes then tenderly spoke "I love you Aemond."

He leaned in again enjoying how close you were to him. He was still reeling in the fact that you had said yes. “You make me the happiest man in the world, my dear love. I would kiss you again but I must make preparations. I know I should tell my father, but to hell with him. He should be honored to have his son be wed to a person such as you. He shall see in good time. And once that’s through, we shall consummate our marriage in the finest chambers wherever you first choose. I am yours, for all the time to come.” And he kisses you again “I love you too Y/n. I love you more than any man has ever loved anyone. You are all I desire, all I crave, all I have ever wanted.” He kisses your forehead once more. “Now go to sleep my love. Rest easy. I will keep you safe. Nothing shall harm my Y/n.”

[indig0trolls]

I heard there's a witch in these woods....

Toil & Trouble - 25$ // You look Familiar, Have we met? - 45$ // Gathering Herbs - 25$

As a courtesy to your fellow community members, please limit yourself to 1 design for the first 24 hours! Thanks!

TOS UNDER CUT!

TOS

By purchasing you will be agreeing to follow these terms as follows. PLEASE make sure you read them in full to understand them.

You MAY change the design/species of any design i’ve made after youve bought it, but you must leave credit with INDIG0TEA for the design, and the design itself must be recognizable.

Gender/sex/etc is ultimately up to the buyer.

You may NOTresell the design for more than you paid for it, unless it comes with extra art either made by you (listed for your current or historical  commission rates), or commissioned by you. Gift art/free art does not count towards the value of any design I make, ever. Additionally: You may not ever ask for, recieve, or offer full resale plus non-currency add ons (such as, but not limited to: art, characters, merchandise, games, game currency, etc.). Yes, even if the offer as couched as “free art/commission/character”. Partial resale may be negotiated only for designs whose original buying price was 30 or more dollars USD, and split dollar amount may be for no less than 2/3 of the list price to prevent people trying to workaround this TOS to encourage other people to accept their offers. (For example: Partial resale on a 30$ design may be a maximum of 20$ partial + non-currency add on.) This is to prevent overoffering/artificially inflating resale value. I am willing to make exceptions to this clause, but you will have to speak to me directly to ensure my TOS is being respected.

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You MAY use your design for any other purpose, so long as you are not profiting financially off of my work nor passing it off as your own.

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However, you may not reupload to toyhou.se, to keep the ownership log intact, and to keep the original tos consistent.

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Please credit to INDIG0TEA the first time you post art of them to websites other than toyhou.se 

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BLACKLIST

[ashes0909]

for the trick or treat fics: treat for steve/tony? 👀 and happy halloween!!

A Little Hocus Pocus

Steve/Tony; Rated T

-------

“Legend says that on a full moon it will raise the spirits of the dead when lit by a virgin on Halloween night.”

Steve shifted uncomfortably on the sofa next to Tony. At their feet Clint sat on a pillow next to Natasha and Bruce, with a bucket of popcorn in his lap, shoving a fist of the salty snack into his mouth. Clint laughed at the movie. “Be hard to find one of those these days.”

“A black flame candle?” Tony asked

“No,” Clint said through his chewing. “A virgin.”

Steve knew there wasn’t a spotlight on him, but his face didn’t get the memo as it warmed with hidden embarrassment. When he proposed a Halloween movie night, he hadn’t expected this topic to be front and center. And with a children’s movie and everything!

He ran his hands on his pants, removing sweat that so unhelpfully decided to join in on Steve’s discomfort, as the conversation and the movie continued. 

After the third reference to virginity, Steve had enough. “I’m going to get some candy,” he said as a way of excuse, though most of the gang was focused on the movie. But of course he could feel Tony’s gaze on him. The one person he didn’t want to know his secret.

In the kitchen, he idly searched through the candy bowl, not really seeing much of anything other than an excuse to clear his head. 

A throat cleared from behind him, and he knew it was Tony, had heard his oh-so-familiar footsteps as he approached. Steve didn’t turn around.

“Trick or treat,” Tony whispered in a sing-songy tune. 

Steve sighed, staring at the candy. “Treat.”

Tony’s hand reached out, touching Steve’s shoulder and prompting him to turn around. Steve did, meeting Tony’s inquisitive gaze. “You’re blocking all the treats. Unless…” Tony’s hand roamed upward from his shoulder, to cup the back of his neck. “Tell me if I’m wrong, which would be a rarity, let’s face it. But. It happens. You’re on the lookout for someone to help you…no longer qualify for the Black Flame Candle?”

Steve froze under Tony’s touch and his breath caught at his words. Silence hung between them for a moment, it felt as if life itself shifted under their feet. “What if I am?” Steve asked, voice husky.

Tony smiled. “Trick or treat,” he whispered again, the same sing-songy tune.

Steve swallowed around his nerves. “Treat.”

Rocking up onto the tips of his toes, Tony closed the space between them with a kiss, brief and full of promise. He slid his hand not around the back of Steve’s neck into Steve’s palm, before stepping back and looking into Steve’s eyes. “Follow me for a wicked good time.”

Tony started walking out of the kitchen, leading Steve towards the elevator. Steve’s heart raced, excitement coursing through his veins. He’d wanted this, wanted this with Tony for longer than he could remember. A grin broke across Steve's face as the elevator doors slid open and they walked in side-by-side, hands still clasped.

“Something wicked this way comes,” Steve managed in a breathy tone. 

Tony squeezed his hand, the other pressing the button towards the penthouse. “Better make sure you have your broomstick ready.”

Steve groaned. “Oh boo, that was horrible.”

The elevator shot upward. Tony’s smile was infectious. “Keep calm and I’ll carry your wand."

“Please stop.”

"If the broom fits, I’ll ride it."

Steve tugged on Tony’s hand, pulling him close again. “You’re double, double toil and trouble. I guess I’ll have to shut your mouth the old fashion way.” 

“Happy Halloween,” Tony whispered against his lips as the elevator opened the doors to the penthouse floor.  

[lampmanliveblogs]

Yesterday's Lie, Today's Truth, Tomorrow's Promise chapter 2 (beta)

Heeey, y'all remember that Vee fic I've been toiling away at? I finally, just now, five minutes ago, got the second chapter done. Sorta, anyway. This bad boy ended up being just over 10 000 words long... and it was originally supposed to be longer, but I decided to split it into two.

I havenät run this through any spellcheck or grammar check, and I mgiht go back to change some stuff before fnal publication, but I'm probabaly not gonna change too much plot-wise. It took me a long time to get it into a state that works, and I think I did a decent job.

I am planning on actually putting this story up on AO3, but I wanna make sure to have at least the first three chapters done and ready before that. The next chapter should hopefully not be as long as this one.

For now... enjoy!

(oh, and I actually settled on a title!)

(also, i just realized that copy-n-paste didn't copy-n-paste any of the italics... meh, it's 01:00 at night right now and I need my beatuy sleep)

xxXXxx

Lamp Entertainment presents…

The night was growing old, but Masha was wide awake. Lying in Luz’ bed, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars glued to the bunk above. They were tired, dead tired, but thoughts buzzed around their head like ten million fireflies, keeping them awake.

Not only were shapeshifters, basilisks, witches, magic, demons, and other worlds real, but shapeshifting basilisks demons from another world filled with magic and witches were real. Masha had spent most of summer sharing a bunk bed with one, just as they were doing now. It was a lot to take in.

Oh, and the story about the Wittebane brothers meeting a witch? It was true. The brothers had met a real witch, a witch that they had followed back to the Demon Realm, the world of demons and witches. Not only that, but old Philip Wittebane was still alive and kicking, turned into a monster and spending the last four centuries working on a plan to exterminate all witches.

That evil, wicked man was the reason Vee was alive. Vee had been… brief in talking about her origins. Masha knew better than to pry too much, and thank Goddess Marco and Samuel did too. Just telling them about her true identity had obviously been very difficult for her, and if there were things she wasn’t ready to tell them yet, then they shouldn’t pressure her.

Even so, what she did tell them did not paint a pretty picture.

”My name, it’s Vee as in V, as in ’five,’” she had explained, holding up two fingers forming a V. Her voice trembled and her gaze lowered, looking at something far, far away from the comfort and safety of her new home. She took a deep, unsteady breath before speaking again. ”I… am number five. Lab animal number five.”

And all of the sudden it made so much sense why ”Luz” had spent the first few weeks of camp jumping at every sudden sound and always looking over her shoulder. Why she would always sneak out of bed when she thought everyone was sleeping to make sure the door wasn’t locked.

It made Masha’s blood boil. Philip Wittebane better never show his face in Gravesfield again, or so help them…

But… something else troubled on Masha’s mind. They reached down on the floor, grabbing the vaguely clothes-shaped pile of fabric that was their discarded costume. The deck of cards was still in the pocket where they left them, still in the same order. The first three cards were still The Two-Headed Snake, The Light, and The Red String.

They shuffled the deck thoroughly and drew the first three cards again.

The Light. The Red String. The Two-Headed Snake.

What was the chances of drawing the exact same three cards? One in a million?

Maybe there was still some magic in them…

Eventually, Masha drifted off to a sleep filled with dreams they couldn’t remember in the morning.

Chapter 2: For the Future (that we can’t see)

Vee woke up early, before the others. Well, it wasn’t that early, it was just past eight in the morning. But considering the late night, it felt early even as the sun shone through the window.

She spent some time just coiled up in bed, enjoying the comfortable warmth under her two blankets. She thought if going back to sleep, but eventually convinced herself that it was time to rise and shine.

The others were still asleep, so Vee climbed down from her bunk as quietly as she could. Easier said than done when you had a thick tail instead of two nimble legs. Somehow, she made it down without waking anyone up, though that might have had more to do with the fact that her old cabin mates were exhausted after yesterday.

She noticed a deck of Hexas Hold’em cards lying on the floor. She recalled Masha playing with a deck on the day Luz contacted her from the Demon Realm. Vee couldn’t smell any magic left in them, which meant it was probably the same deck. They must’ve fallen out of Masha’s pocket. She gathered them and put them in a neat stack next to their costume.

She slithered silently out the room, past Samuel and Marco in the guest beds that used to belong to Willow and Amity. The whole thing reminded her of summer camp. She’d often wake up before her cabin mates then too, often sneaking out to enjoy the early morning sun. Masha had called camp prison, but as far as Vee was concerned, her first true sense of freedom had come from that place.

Making it down the stairs was one of those things that was a lot more uncomfortable with a tail than it was with a pair of legs, but Vee decided to stay in her true form for a bit longer. For the longest time, even before she made the decision to tell them, there had been an insistent voice in her head telling her that her friends would find her true form repulsive. It was nice to learn that wasn’t the case.

Oh stars, she could barely believe it! She had told them! She really had told them! Even though the thought had terrified her, she had still gone through with it. And it worked out, they didn’t hate her, they didn’t resent her for deceiving them.

There were some things she hadn’t told them. Things she had only ever told Camila, late one night after she woke up screaming from a nightmare. She wanted the truth to be a happy thing, not marred too much by what had been.

Vee was determined to move beyond her past pain. At times, the darkness made itself known at the back of her head, deep within her lizard brain. But she was getting better and better at pushing back. She had optimism for the future.

First things first though. She needed to call Camila’s work to let them know she was going to need a few days off. Vee, being naturally paranoid and a born liar, had already fleshed out a halfway decent story.

It took some convincing and a little bit of improv, but Vee was eventually (imitating Camila’s voice, of course) able to get Camila’s sudden leave accepted.

Once that was done with, Vee began cleaning up the mess in the living room while contemplating what to do with Luz. Should she take on her appearance and go to school as her again? Or should she call the school and inform Luz wouldn’t be coming for a few days? Both alternatives had its ups and downs. On one hand, Vee actually did like school and learning about the Human Realm. And Luz’ grades really did not need to get any worse. On the other hand, keeping up the deception would add another element of complication. Vee was good, but was she that good?

She mulled over it while cleaning up until she heard movement coming from upstairs. She turned to her friends groggily making their way down the stairs.

”Good morning!” she said cheerfully.

”Wow…” Samuel whispered. ”I was halfway convinced I was dreamt up everything,” he said a little louder.

”Not me, cause I’m not that creative,” Marco said.

”I gotta say, I think it would make for a pretty good story,” Samuel continued. ”A demon fleeing from an evil emperor ends up in the world of the humans, accidentally taking the place of a young girl headed for summer camp… yeah, that’s a good story. Maybe I should write a book about it.”

”Don’t you have like fifty-eleven different fanfics you’re already writing?” Masha teased him. Samuel blushed.

”I do finish some of my fanfics,” he said defensively. ”Unlike my thirteenth favorite fanfic writer, The Lampman. That guy couldn’t finish a fanfic if his life depended on it. ”

”I don’t know who that is, but he sounds like a talentless hack,” Marco said.

”I’m sure he’s not that bad,” Vee said. ”Anyway, here I am, very much real. By which I mean ’real-ly hungry.’ Anyone else want breakfast? I’m starving!”

The others agreed that breakfast would be nice. Vee lead them into the kitchen and began fixing some food. One thing the other Cabin 7 members had noticed about ”Luz” was that the way she’d scarf down her food at every meal like she had never eaten before. Which, based on what they now knew of Vee’s past, sadly made a lot of sense. Though that was not the only thing they had noticed about Luz ’ eating habits.

”You used to choke on your food a lot,” Masha observed. They were absentmindedly playing with the deck of Hexas Hold’em cards. ”Was that because you usually swallow your food whole?”

”Yeah, pretty much,” Vee confirmed while frying up some eggs. ”I do have teeth to chew with if I have to, but I usually don’t. Human throats are a lot less flexible than basilisks and I wasn’t used to it.” To demonstrate what she meant, she took an apple lying on the counter and swallowed it whole, making her throat bulge outward.

”Not gonna lie,” Marco said. ”That was a kinda gross.”

”You should see how I eat eggs then,” Vee chuckled. ”The difficult part is spitting the shell out in one piece.”

”Th-thanks, but I think we’ll skip that one,” Samuel quickly interjected. He looked contemplative for a moment. ”Do you have… is it poison or venom? I can never remember the difference.”

”If I bite you and you die, I’m venomous,” Vee explained. ”But if you bite me and you die, then I’m poisonous. And no, I don’t have venom. Don’t know if I’m poisonous though. I might be.”

”What if I bite myself and I die?” Marco asked. ”What does that make me then?”

”Stupid,” Masha said, prompting a good group laugh.

”No new information there,” Marco said between giggles.

The eggs done, the gang sat down at the table. Sitting on chairs designed for human creatures with things like ”legs” and ”butts” was yet another thing that was a bit awkward for Vee. She’d usually just stand at the table, but she decided to sit down this time. Before she sat down, she grabbed a special jar from one of the cabinets.

It had a homemade label, saying in neat handwriting that it was ”For Vee only.” A second pencil had added a small face making a sick face, to which the first pencil responded that ”I told you so.”

Her friends watched with interest as she took four slices of bread and spread thick layers of jar’s contents on them. It looked like some chocolate spread, but with strange lumps in it.

”What is that?” Masha asked finally. ”Is it some kind of special basilisk food?”

”Uh… kinda?” Vee hesitated. ”It’s nutella, with protein powder and, um… wood chips and sand.”

This was met with wide stares.

”Wood chips… and sand?” Samuel asked, as if to make sure he heard it right.

”It’s good for my digestion,” Vee said with a little shrug. ”It was either that, or I keep chewing on twigs I found on the ground. Camila thinks I need a lot of protein, so that’s what the protein powder’s for.”

”And the nutella…?” Masha asked.

”Oh, that’s for taste,” Vee said. Deciding that was enough explanation, she took one the fried eggs and sandwiched it between two bread slices slathered in the cursed nutella. ”I think Demon Realm stomachs are just tougher than human stomachs,” Vee said between bites of her sandwich. ”Luz told me there was a bunch of foods she couldn’t eat in the Demon Realm, but the others didn’t seem to have any problems with anything from here. Well, except for garlic.”

”What, they couldn’t eat garlic?” Masha asked in-between bites of their own sandwich. ”Like vampires?”

”Precisely,” Vee said with a nod.

”Wait, really?” Masha exclaimed, nearly choking on their food. ”Vampires are real? And they can’t stand garlic? That part’s true!?”

”Yes,” Vee said, smiling at the funny face Masha was making.

”Oh, so that’s why you had cloves of garlic next to your bed,” Marco said and nodded a little. ”It’s to keep the vampires away.”

”Kinda. There aren’t any vampires in Gravesfield (I hope), but it makes me feel safer to sleep with it,” Vee explained. ”Hunter said that basilisks and vampires used to be natural enemies, since, well… we both kinda feed on witches… Garlic is deadly to vampires, and since a lot of witches have vampire ancestry, a lot of them have inherited a garlic allergy.” Vee smiled at a memory. ”Willow’s and Gus’ weren’t that bad, but Amity’s was really bad. Luz was devastated, because one piece of garlic bread meant no more kisses for the day.”

That image garnered a few laughs.

”I can’t wait for you guys to meet Luz, the real Luz,” Vee said. ”She’s the coolest! Seh fights Belos and doesn’t afraid of anything.”

”Well, I think you’re pretty cool,” Masha said. They reached out to hold Vee’s hand, soft skin meeting rough scales. ”My whole life I’ve been looking for signs of the supernatural, for ghosts or demons or what have you… but I never ever dreamed of meeting, much less becoming friends with a living, breathing demon!”

Samuel put a hand on Vee’s shoulder.

”And I’m really happy you felt comfortable enough to tell us your secret,” he said. ”I know it couldn’t have been easy. I’m honored you felt you could trust us that much, and I promise you won’t regret it.”

Marco put his hand on Vee’s other shoulder.

”I used to think Cabin 7 was the coolest cabin in Connecticut,” he said. ”Now I know we’re the coolest in the whole world. I mean, who else can say they have a freakin’ shapeshifter as a friend?

”Aw, you guys…” Ve was struggled to hold back tears. She lost that battle, and big warm tears started rolling don her cheeks. ”I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she sobbed. ”I wanted to, but I never dared.”

Masha, Samuel, and Marco acted in unison, standing up to embrace Vee in a big group hug.

”Hey, it’s okay, I know what that’s like,” Masha reassured her. ”Keeping a part of yourself secret even to those that love you… it eats away at you. It took me forever to come out to my parents, even though I knew they’d accept me for who I am… anxiety’s a bitch.”

”Th-thanks,” Vee said. She managed to wriggle one arm free to wipe the tears off her face. ”You guys really are the best.”

They stood huddled together for a minute, until Vee felt her love of hugs starting to give way to her fear of being restrained.

”I’m fine, I promise,” she said, trying to wriggle free of the group hug. ”I’m just so happy is all.”

Eventually, the Cabin 7 crew relented with their physical affection and let her go. They had breakfast to finish after all.

The three humans watched with equal amounts fascination and disgust as Vee ate an entire banana, without peeling it. ”The shell doesn’t taste that good, but hey, it’s the inside that counts, right?” she said. And really, who could argue with logic like that?

Her friends had a few more questions about her biology yet.

”Do you shed your skin like a snake?” Samuel asked while helping to gather the dishes.

”Uh-huh,” Vee hummed, putting the dishes in the sink. She decided to be lazy and do them later. ”I actually shed not too long ago. The old skin’s in a box in the basement, if you wanna see it.”

”…that’s a hard pass for me bro,” Marco said. ”Why would you even keep it?”

”What were we supposed to do, throw it out in the garbage?” Vee asked rhetorically. ”You saw how Jacob acted yesterday. After Camila locked him in his own cage, he hasn’t dared to go after us directly. But I don’t think he’s above digging through the trash to find proof there’s a demon living here. As is, everyone thinks he’s a raving lunatic conspiracy nut. Which, to be fair, he is, he just happened to stumble onto the truth this one time.”

The three friends nodded, for the first time realizing just what it would mean if Jacob actually did get proof of demon presence in Gravesfield. The town had a history of witch hunting already, who’s to say the people of today wouldn’t continue the tradition should they learn of Vee’s presence? Not to mention what the government might do to get their hands on an interdimensional traveler.

”It must’ve been incredibly hard for you,” Masha said. They were still playing with the deck of Hexas Hold’em cards, shuffling them and drawing the first three cards. ”To have to pretend to be someone else, in a world you know nothing about.”

”It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure,” Vee admitted. ”But, well… it’s kinda what we basilisks do. We disguise ourselves, observe, lie, infiltrate, feed, survive… a lot of it was pure instinct. I’m a natural liar.”

Samuel shook his head.

”’Liar’ is a bad word,” he said. ”Very strong, very stigmatized. Say you’re a born actor and a natural talent at improv.”

This made Vee laugh.

”If you say so,” she giggled. She cleared her throat and the next time she spoke, her voice was an exact imitation of Samuel’s. ”A lot of it was instinct. I’m a born actor and a natural talent at improv.”

”You’re so gonna have to help me write my résumé,” Masha said to Samuel, prompting a brief chuckle.

”I’ve been thinking of doing NaNoWriMo this year, so I’ve been practicing how to make sentences longer,” he explained. He then had to spend the next fifteen minutes explaining what that was and deflect questions his friends had about the novel he was totally going to write.

After breakfast was done with and the table cleaned up, a natural question arose:

”So… what now?” Marco asked.

”I’m thinking that maybe I should take over as Luz for a little while,” Vee said. ”But I’m not sure. For now though… I suppose the first order of business is to get Camila’s car back. I know she has a spare key in the key cabinet. So I guess that’s today’s project.”

Masha looked skeptical.

”Do you have a driver’s license?”

”No…” Vee admitted. ”But I can turn into Camila, and I’m sure there’s some other identification lying around I could use. And that’s assuming I even get pulled over, and why would I get pulled over?”

”Normally you’d have a point, but the police have been on edge lately with all the break-ins,” Samuel said. ”My mom told me she’s been pulled over five times in her life, and three of them have been in the last month.”

”I think we’re missing something obvious here guys,” Masha said. ”Vee, do you even know how to drive?”

”I mean… no…” Vee said slowly. ”But I’m sure I could figure it out!”

”…I’m driving it home for you,” Masha stated, not leaving it up for debate.

”Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” Vee conceded.

Before they left, Vee quickly grabbed a few cups of brown pellets that she scarfed down. This made Marco raise an eyebrow… not that you could tell.

”Was that…?”

”Dog food, yes,” Vee sighed, clearly having had this conversation before. ”It’s filling.”

”Wow,” Marco said, not sounding particularly impressed or surprised. To be fair, the Luz he had known at camp did seem like she might eat dog food. ”You weren’t lying when you said you were hungry before.”

”I’m still growing!” Vee said with the smallest hint of a pout. Masha drew their attention away from the deck of cards they’d been playing with, since this sounded interesting. ”I’ve got a lot of growing left before I become an adult. I haven’t even been through second puberty.”

”…second puberty?” Samuel asked.

Vee nodded.

”Yeah, it’s, uh… a thing with us basilisks.You know, like… maturing and stuff.” This did nothing to explain anything. ”Point is, I’ve got a lot of growing left to do, and I gotta eat for that.”

”How big do you think you’re going to be?” Masha asked curiously. ”Or like, how long, I guess?”

”Oh, um…” Vee scratched the back of her head. ”About… twelve to fifteen-”

”Twelve to fifteen feet?” Samuel exclaimed, impressed.

”Noooooo,” Vee said. ”Twelve to fifteen meters.”

There was a pause as the three humans processed this answer.

”Bloody hell’s bells,” Masha finally whispered, their eyes wide with awe.

Marco whistled.

”Big snake,” he said.

”That’s putting it lightly,” Samuel muttered. ”Fifteen meters is bigger than the titanoboa, the biggest snake in the fossil record.”

”Haha, yeah, I got tall genes,” Vee said nervously. She shifted into her human form. ”Shall we get going?”

xxXXxx

Gravesfield was beautiful around this time of the year. The warm browns, oranges, and yellows of the trees suited the quaint little town. The air was clear and crisp, with a hint of winter cold in the wind, though today was an unusually warm and sunny autumn’s day. A perfect day for a nice stroll with friends.

Vee’s three human friends still had a plethora of questions that needed answering, not just about her, but about the world she came from. At the same time, Masha resolved to make good on their offer to give Vee a tour of the town. Since Vee already knew her way around, they resorted to the second best option, their specialty: useless historical trivia. And so the conversation kept bouncing between the magical and the mundane as if dictated by a conversational metronome.

”So on the Boiling Isles, all life and magic comes from the Titan whose body actually makes up most of the isles. All magic is made up of four basic elements, light, fire, ice, and plant. It’s really cool too, because when I eat magic I can taste the different elements. So Amity’s abomination magic, for example, is mostly plant elemental, with a bit of light and hints of fire and ice. Now, Gus’ illusions on the other hand are almost completely light elemental…”

”So you’ve all probably wondered why the library in town is called that, right? Okay, you’ve probably never even thought about it, but R.E.O.S Gravesfield Public Library is a pretty odd name, don’t you think? Turns out the old library burned down in 1931, and since this was during the Great Depression, there wasn’t any money to rebuild it. But as luck would have it, the millionaire industrialist, philanthrope, and hobbyist ghost hunter Robert E.O Speedwagon came to visit Gravesfield in 1933. This place was well-known for being haunted even back then. He didn’t find any ghosts, but he apparently took such a liking to the town that he offered to personally fund the construction of a new library. Thus, it was named after him. Speedwagon was an interesting fella, because he wasn’t born into wealth, no, he started out as a thug on the streets of victorian London…”

”Really, I swear, dog food isn’t that bad. Dogs are supposed to be man’s best friend right? Why would you feed your best friend something that’s gross? Amity, Gus, and Willow tried some, and they didn’t think it was half bad. Then again… Hunter nearly threw up… and so did Luz. Huh…”

”Speaking of ghost hunts, one of my favorites has got to be Mr. Hunter, and he actually visited Gravesfield once. As I recall, he wrote that while he didn’t find any ghosts, there was undoubtedly something eerie about this place that he couldn’t put his finger on. Like a subtle hum in the air, inaudible to the human air but still felt in your body. He visited the old graveyard while they were doing some digging and reburials, so maybe he could somehow sense the presence of the titan’s blood? Because I really do believe some people have extrasensory perception. People will say that ’Oh, the Stargate project never found any psychics,’ but do you really think anyone with real psychic abilities would tell the government? Best case scenario, you get locked up and experimented on for the rest of your life…”

”No, no, I’m not exaggerating, it’s an island on top of the body of an ancient giant. It’s just like that one story you told at camp Masha, about that giant that was killed by some gods who made the world out of its body.”

”Oh, you mean the norse creation myth? I love that one, it’s so metal. So in the beginning, there was a land of fire, a land of ice, and a great gap between them…”

It didn’t take too long for Samuel and Marco both to realize (and the fact that Marco noticed just went to show how obvious it was) that they were being slowly excluded from the conversation. There was no malice or ill will behind it, no. It was more so the fact that Masha and Vee seemed to only have eyes and ears for each other.

Vee looked at Masha with such affection and attention whenever they started talking, you could almost see her ears perk up under her hair. And Masha was always up for talking about history or ghosts or whatever else interested them that day, but the excitement with which they spoke to Vee was unparalleled.

As the odd bunch reached the center of town, it had become pretty clear what was going. Marco and Samuel had unintentionally become the third and fourth wheel on a date.

”Ooh Vee, you’ve got to try the new chai latte they’ve got at Robin’s Roast,” Masha said excitedly. ”Do you boys want anything?” They added, once they remembered the boys existed and were present.

”No thanks, I don’t like coffee,” Samuel declined. ”B’sides, I promised I’d be home by lunch, so I better get going.” He glanced at Marco. As per usual, Marco’s expression was nearly impossible to decipher, but it seemed like he got the hint.

”Yeah, and I only drink water,” he said. This was true; he only ever drank regular water. At most he’d treat himself to some ice water. He had never explained why. ”And I probably should get home as well. See you around!” he said and waved as he and Samuel went on their ways.

”See ya!” Vee said and waved back. She turned to Masha. ”And I’d love to try one of those chai lattes.”

”Great. My treat,” Masha said and started leading Vee towards the cafe.

Vee came to a sudden stop though just before they could enter.

”Oh uh,” she mumbled.

”What’s the matter?” Masha asked.

”Um…” Vee mumbled. ”I… don’t really wanna see her,” she whispered and gestured at someone through the window.

Masha took a peek inside the almost empty cafe.

”Who, Clara?” they asked, spotting one of Luz’ classmates. She was easy to recognize, with her bright blonde hair with a streak of pink. ”Did you or Luz get into a fight with her?”

”Wha-no, not Clara, the other one,” Vee said and pointed at the only other person in the room.

”Maya?” Masha said, surprised.

”You know her?”

”Sorta,” Masha shrugged. ”Believe it or not, but I’m a frequent customer at The Magic Circle, that’s where I get all my books on the occult and paranormal. So we kinda know each other. What about you, why don’t you wanna see her?”

”Well, uh…” Vee mumbled. ”We actually went to The Magic Circle the other day while we’re trying to figure out what that old rebus was about, and, uh… we kinda… got kicked out…”

”Ah, I see,” Masha said, a small smile playing at the edge of their lips.

”Really, it was mostly Gus’ and Willow’s fault,” Vee said defensively.

”If you say so,” Masha snickered. ”Don’t worry, I’ll go in and face this challenge alone,” distorting their voice into a dramatic growl, making Vee giggle.

”Alright, I’lll be waiting somewhere around. I don’t wanna stay too close, lest she see me.”

Masha nodded and entered the cafe. Vee turned around and started walking away in a very natural and unsuspicious manner, not at all reminiscent of someone who had just spotted someone who they really did not want to spot them.

She rounded the corner of the block, and realized too late that she had found herself back at the scene of the crime. Literally; The Magic Circle was cordoned off with bright yellow police tape.

What in the…? When did this happen?

Vee approached slowly, watching out for shards of glass on the pavement. Most of them had been swept up and to the side, but there were a few missed glittering in the high sun. Someone had broken open the door, nearly ripping it off its hinges, sending glass flying everywhere in the process. Not only that, but the metal bars that were supposed to stop anyone that had forced open the door had been cut and bent out of shape. Someone really wanted to get into that store.

A fleeting scent reached Vee’s nose, and she instinctively took a deep breath. She dared a little bit closer, almost to the point where she touched the police tape. She could hear people talking and moving inside, likely investigators trying to figure out who was behind this crime. It was not the noise that brought Vee close though, but the scent.

There was a faint smell in the air, a smell Vee recognized. Not from the realm of humans, but one from the realm of demons. It wasn’t magic, but rather the memory of magic, the ”soot” and ”smoke” of a spell. It smelled like someone had performed magic here… but no one, not Amity, not Gus, nor Willow had cast any spells while they were here. And even if they had, that was two days ago. Surely the smell would would have faded away into nothing by now… surely…

xxXXxx

The familiar smell of ground coffee beans and freshly baked pastries greeted Masha as they entered Robin’s Roast, well before the employee behind the counter could. They threw a glance at the sign showing customers that had managed to get themselves permanently banned. A pale woman with grey hair and bright golden eyes and a wild smile; Marilyn. Except that was not her real name. She was Eda the Owl Lady, a powerful witch from another world. She had come here once, tired to pay with a raccoon, cursed the croissants, and then ran away. To be honest, from what Vee had told them, this Eda seemed like an icon of chaos and unadulterated confidence. In other words, very much the kind of person Masha aspired to be.

Masha nodded to Maya before going to place their order. Two chai lattes, and these ones were the best in town. Well, they were the only in town, but still. They were good, Vee was sure to love them. After a moment of consideration, Masha decided to grab two two cupcakes as well. They had a chocolate-and-coffee frosting and were decorated with white and black hearts.

Without thinking, Masha reached into the pocket where they kept the deck of cards. Their thumb brushed over the topmost card. The Red String.

”… on a date?”

”Hm?” Masha hummed and spun around to face the voice taking to them. It was Maya, sitting by her lonesome with a by now cold coffee.

”You on a date?” she repeated, causing Masha’s brain to malfunction.

”Wha-? N-no, it’s not a date! We’re just friends.” Incredibly enough, Masha managed to stutter forth the exact series of words that anyone who was on a date but didn’t want to admit it was a date would say. Amazing. They felt their cheeks begin to heat up.

Maya, as expected, looked unconvinced.

”Yeah sure. And your ’friend’ with the green hair is real subtle.”

”You… saw her?” Masha said, keeping their tone low. Even if Vee’s other friends hadn’t done a crime, it was probably for the better not to draw too much attention to the basilisk hiding amongst humans. They glanced at Clara, who looked absolutely miserable over in the corner of the cafe, sulking with a half empty coffee mug.

”Yeah…” Maya said slowly. ”Kind hard not to, with the green hair and bright orange sweater. She’s like a walking traffic cone.”

That image was enough to make Masha forget their nervousness and start chuckling. Maya didn’t joke often, but when she did, she did not miss.

”She thought you might be mad at her,” Masha explained, still keeping their tone low. ”She said that last time you two met didn’t end so well.”

”Water under the bridge,” Maya said. She stirred her coffee with a spoon, not that it did much good since it was already cold.

”…wasn’t it less than two days ago.”

”Lot of water passes under the bridge in two days,” Maya said with a shrug. She tapped a coin lying on the table. It looked like it could be gold, though it probably wasn’t, and it had a spiral symbol on it. ”But you can let her know that her friends aren’t gonna get in trouble if they come back. I literally could not be arsed to report that stolen costume. And, well… with what happened, another missing costume isn’t that big of a deal.”

”What, what happened?” Masha asked, slipping back to normal conversational tone. Something else had happened at The Magic Circle since then? This was news to Masha.

”You didn’t see it on the way here?” Maya raised her eyebrow. Masha had never claimed to be great at reading facial expressions, but they could somehow decode exactly what Maya meant, calling Masha out on being… distracted by their company.

”If it was something at The Magic Circle, then no, we came from another direction,” Masha said quickly, internally cursing their traitorous body for pumping excessive amounts of blood to their cheeks.

”Yeah, well, someone broke into the store,” Maya said. ”Completely trashed the front door. Hence why I’m here instead of at work.”

”Oh no, that’s terrible,” Masha said. Genuinely, that was their favorite store in town. It was a much-needed haven for a social outcast enby goth like them. ”That’s what, the fifth this month?” The last month or so had seen an unprecedented number of break-ins and thefts happening in the otherwise peaceful little town. The last place to be hit was a private workshop. The thief had made off with thousands of dollars worth in tools, car parts, and electronics. ”Was anything stolen?”

Maya nodded.

”Mhm. No cash though, which is weird, didn’t even touch the safe. No, they stole some costumes and a bunch of jewelry. And cassette tapes, which is even weirder to me. If they were originals, then maybe they’d be worth something, but the ones we have are cheap replicas for nostalgia’s sake.”

Out of the corner of their eye, Masha saw Clara suddenly get up from her chair and hurry out. In her haste, she bumped into Masha. She mumbled a quick sorry and was gone before Masha even had the time to tell her it was fine.

”Geez, what lit a fire under her ass?” Maya said dryly, watching through the window as Clara all but ran her way from Robin’s Roast.

”I dunno, maybe she realized she was late for her class on being a bitch,” Masha said. They almost regretted saying that immediately, because in the grand scheme of things, Clara was not that much of a bitch… though she was far from a saint. Still, it was a funny joke that almost made Maya laugh.

”Yeah, probably,” she said. Her eyes flickered to the floor. ”You dropped something.”

”Oh, thanks,” Masha said and bent down to pick up the Hexas Hold’em cards that had slipped out of their pocket when Clara collided with them.

There were three cards on the floor. Now, you’d think that since The Red String, The Two-Headed Snake, and The Light were the three topmost cards in the deck, those would have been the ones to fall out, but you’d be mistaken. With a slight frown, Masha gathered the cards and looked at them.

The Sword and Shield featured a winged sword and an ornate shield. The card invoked the imagery of a knight or soldier, brave and loyal. It’d be a pity to stain such beautiful things with the blood of war and conflict.

The Golem showed a large and brutish figure made from purple clay. It was probably supposed to be one of those abominations Vee had mentioned Luz’ girlfriend (Amity?) used. A figure crafted with magic, made to defend or attack, but with little will of its own.

The Whip was just that, a whip, though the tip of this one was replaced with a snake’s head. Whips were the weapon of oppressors and animal tamers, who ruled though fear of pain and punishment.

”Oh yeah, and the thief also stole all those cards too,” Maya said, snapping Masha out of their thoughts and back to reality. ”What were they called, Hex n’ Hold’em?”

”Hexas Hold’em,” Masha corrected, shoving the cards back in their pocket.

”Right, right… I think we got them from that creepy conspiracy nut.”

Masha nodded.

”Jacob Hopkins. I got my deck from him as well.”

”You know him?” Maya asked.

”Not really. He used to work at the Historical Society,” Masha explained, which was met by a sympathetic grimace from Maya. ”And yes, he really is as crazy as you think. Or worse even. Did you know he’s an actual flat-earther?”

”Noooooo…” Maya said slowly, in utter disbelief. ”That can’t be true! I though the whole flat earth thing was just a bad meme.”

”I wish I was kidding,” Masha said while shaking their head. ”Flat earth and witches from Mars, ancient aliens that gather in the ruins in the woods… you can see why he got kicked out of the GHS.”

”Good riddance, by the sounds of it,” Maya said.

At this point, the man behind the counter decided he was tired of listening to Maya and Masha’s banter, and so he cleared his throat to get Masha’s attention.

”R-right, sorry,” they mumbled. They quickly paid and with only some difficulty, managed to grab both cups and the paper bag with the cupcakes.

Maya was a gentlewoman and got up from her seat to hold the door open for them.

”Good luck on the date,” she said, which, despite the playfulness to her voice, still sounded genuine deep down.

”It’s not-” Masha’s words were cut off by the door closing.

Masha wasn’t privy to Maya sighing and sitting back again, reaching for the spoon to uselessly stir her coffee again… only to discover the spoon had, as if by an invisible hand, been bent out of shape.

As Masha exited back out onto the sidewalk, they scanned the street for Vee, finding that she was nowhere within sight. Following a hunch, they rounded the corner and indeed, there she was.

Vee was standing in front of The Magic Circle, dangerously close to the trashed door, almost touching the police tape. She was sniffing the air, her eyes closed in concentration.

”Good Goddess, what did you people do!?” Masha said loudly, startling Vee. She almost jumped out of her own skin as she spun around.

”Nothing, I was just curious!” she said quickly, before she even registered who it was talking to her. She relaxed when she saw who was talking to her. Masha noticed her hair move as her big adorable ear moved underneath. ”Oh. Funny. Real funny coming from you, considering you’re my alibi.”

”I dunno, they say criminals always return to the scene of the crime,” Masha said, trying to sound genuine. ”Are you sure it wasn’t you?”

”Positive,” Vee said dryly. ”No, I really was just curious. I thought I could smell something…” She threw a quick glance at the wrecked door and security bars with the hint of a frown. ”But it’s probably nothing.”

”How about we get going again then?” Masha said, holding up the goodies from Robin’s Roast. ”The tea’s getting cold, and i’ve still got many useless. I mean, ’ interesting’ historical facts to tell you. Oh, and I got us a little something extra,” they said and shook the little paper bag, though gently, as to not spill any of the still hot liquid.

Vee’s face lit up at the prospect of food and drink.

”Gladly,” she said excitedly and took the cup Masha was offering. As they started walking away from the depressing sight that was The Magic Circle, Vee smelled the tea carefully.

”You were right, this is amazing,” she said.

”Y-you do know you’re supposed to drink it, right?” Masha asked while taking a sip themselves.

”Oh, I know,” Vee said and took a careful sip. ”But there’s not much difference in smell and taste to me.”

”Really? Can’t you feel any taste?” Masha asked, intrigued. There was still so much about their friend they didn’t know. They recalled what Vee had talked about before, how she normally didn’t chew her food, so maybe it did make sense that she didn’t have much of a sense of taste.

”No, I have a sense of taste, but my sense of smell is a lot more refined,” Vee clarified. ”Didn’t you ever wonder how I became the best seeker in hide and seek back at camp?”

This took Masha a second to process. It was true that whenever the camp counselors made the kids do hide and seek among the barracks or in the nearby woods, ’Luz’ was always the best at finding people… she even earned a little gold star for it, one of many.

”You… you were tracking us… by scent?” they said slowly. Vee nodded with a big grin, revealing Masha probably had a very funny expression.

”Yeah,” Vee said, clearly holding back laughter. ”I remember the very first time we played hide and seek, and I was so confused that no one else was trying to mask their scent. That’s when I realized humans just don’t have that good a sense of smell. Uh, no offense, you humans have a lot of great qualities, especially yo-I mean-”

”That’s why you showed up covered in mud!” Masha exclaimed, suddenly remembering one of the weirder things ’Luz’ had done, and one of the few times she got in trouble at camp.

”That and camouflage,” Vee laughed, prompting Masha to start laughing as well.

Once the laughter died down, the two friends could continue with their walk through town. Masha offered Vee one of the cupcakes.

”Aw, these are so cute,” Vee said, taking a good look at the muffin, before it was to be devoured.

”A cute cupcake for a cute girl,” MAsha said before they could stop themselves. Being unable to see their own face, Masha wasn’t sure if that sentence made them blush harder than Vee, but they suspected that might be the case.

”G-gee, th-thanks,” Vee stammered. ”I-I think you’re cute too. B-but in a cool way! You’re like the coolest person I know! Wh-which I know doesn’t mean that much because I really don’t know that many people, at least when compared to the average human, which I’m not…” Her sentence trailed off at some point before it devolved into complete gibberish.

And so, in only a few seconds, the atmosphere between the two friends changed entirely. They spent a few minutes in awkward silence, wandering the streets of Gravesfield while eating their cupcakes and drinking their tea.

Masha decided to break the silence.

”So, uh… did you say you could smell magic as well?” the asked, recalling something Vee had mentioned offhandedly the night before.

Vee nodded.

”I can track magic by scent as well.” She suddenly smiled again. ”But I can do more than just track,” she said. ”I can tell all sorts of things by smell. Like, did you know Marco uses the same kind of dandruff shampoo as Camila?”

”I didn’t know Marco used shampoo,” Masha said. ”I’ve never been able to smell anything from hm other than that body spray he insists on using way too much off.”

”It really doesn’t smell that good” Vee agreed. ”Okay, but I can also tell that Samuel really need to do something about his foot fungus.”

”Eeeeew!” Masha exclaimed. ”Gross!”

”I know,” Vee said with a nod. ”It’s been pretty bad for a while now, but I noticed that it’s gotten even worse. I’m serious, it can’t be healthy.”

”Ew, ew, ew!” Masha repeated while holding their hands over their ears. ”Talk about something else.”

”O-okay, um… ”Vee thought for a moment. ”Oh, I know, something else I can do. I could tell instantly that your mom was pregnant, right when I first met her.”

…

”SHE’S WHAT!?”

xxXXxx

It took Masha a bit to calm down after that bombshell. The revelation that there were going to have a younger sibling within a couple of months was bad enough, but it was made even worse when they realized that… it must have happened while they were away at camp. Vee was profoundly apologetic about the whole thing, meagerly saying she thought they knew already, which only made things yet worse, because it was apparently an obvious thing too.

Eventually they calmed down, largely thanks to Vee distracting them by asking for more historical trivia.

Vee was a very attentive listener. As Masha had noticed before, they could notice her ears move and perk up when she heard something she thought was interesting. And those big bright eyes were so full of life and wonder at everything. Even when it came to those subjects most people who were not already interested in history found boring and irrelevant. Though Masha made sure to omit some of the more gruesome details, especially regarding the witch hunts.

The two of them spent about an hour walking around Gravesfield, enjoying their chai lattes, cupcakes, the pleasant weather and each others’ company.

As Masha set the course, they dragged Vee along in any random direction, based more so on vibes and any interesting facts they could think of. So it was quite unintentional on their part that they end up where they eventually did end up.

It was towards the south edge of town, where at one point, there had been a big push towards development. Land had been purchased and forest cut down to make way for new housing and businesses. Pretty much all of those grandiose and ambitious ideas had been abandoned for a variety of reasons… and one huge reason, the primary reason really, was what Vee and Masha found themselves looking at.

Masha came to a halt when they realized where they were, an abrupt halt that took Vee by surprise. She followed Masha’s gaze, beholding the modern ruins.

The entire area was cordoned off by a chainlink fence to keep modern urban explorers out… not that it had succeeded, as the gate had been forced open, and was only kept closed by a rock someone had placed in front of it.

Beyond the fence was a large field of asphalt, which had once had lines for parking spaces, though since long worn out. Cycles of heat, and rain, and cold without any upkeep had over the years made the asphalt start to crack. Life, ever persevering, had started to reclaim the area, with grass, weeds, and flowers growing from the cracks.

On the other end of the old parking lot stood the remains of a building. Crumbling slabs and blocks of concrete, with rusting metal beams and rebar sticking out of it like the bones of a rotting corpse. Almost every visible wall that was still standing was covered in graffiti, some so old that it had started to fade away.

Masha broke the silence.

”That… used to be a big department store,” they said slowly. ”Built in 1998, it would even remain standing for a decade. Shoddy workmanship, corrupt inspectors approving subpar construction, and the ever-present desire of those who already have more than they need to earn even more, to increase the profit margin by even just a fraction of a percent…” They stopped before they got too carried away. They had spent a lot of time looking into this case, and everything they had learned had made them more angry. They took a deep breath to calm themselves down. At their side, Vee had a mixed look of confusion and worry.

”Are… you okay?” she asked quietly. She started to reach out, but stopped halfway.

”Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just… it makes me mad,” Masha said, though Vee didn’t look very reassured. ”It was during a summer of heavy rainfall that part of the roof collapsed,” Masha continued, doing their best to slip back into history teacher mode. ”Two people received minor injuries, one employee and one customer. Examination of the wreckage as well as the original blueprints lead to the entire building being condemned and left here. The parent company promised to clean it up, but of course, nothing has happened yet. It’s only been fifteen years after all, give it some time.” Again, Masha couldn’t help but let the disgust seep through their words.

”It was the opinion of several independent experts that a leak on the roof, a problem which was known about by the staff, lead to supporting beams beginning to rust and for the roof to weaken,” Masha continued. ”Furthermore, partway through the construction, there was a change of plans and part of the air conditioning system was moved, putting additional weight on a part of the roof that was not designed to bear it. One investigator went as far as to claim that the construction company had knowingly used substandard materials in order to cut down costs. Of course, they were never taken to court for this.”

Masha stepped on a small pebble on the ground, rolling it under their shoe and fiddling with it. Vee stood by, silently waiting for the next part of the story.

”I was here on that day,” Masha said finally. ”I wasn’t old enough to remember, I was only a little over a year old when it happened, but my dad has told me the story. It was in the afternoon on the seventh of June, 2007. My parents had been visiting my mom’s family living in the next town over. On the way back home, they stopped by here to get something for dinner.”

Masha stopped and pointed at a spot close to the ruins.

”I don’t know if you can see it, but there’s some flowers growing in some of the bigger cracks over there. Mom and I planted them there on dad’s birthday last year. I don’t remember what the flowers are called, but they’re supposed to represent life.”

They cleared their throat.

”Anyway… it had been raining cats and dogs all day, so dad was supposed to head in alone while mom waited in the car with me. But just as dad was about to leave… I started crying. He said that I was sleeping before, but the suddenly… I sat up and started crying. But not just crying… he said… he told me that I was screaming. And that he had never heard me scream like that, not before, not since, not even when I broke my arm in second grade.”

Even the brief mention of that painful memory made Masha rub their arm, even though it was completely healed.

”So… dad stayed, you know, to try and figure out why I was screaming bloody murder. And… that’s when they heard a a loud rumbling and a terrible crash. Mom said that at first she thought it was thunder, and that maybe it was a lightning bolt that frightened me. But no, the sound was not thunder, it was the roof collapsing… right above the entrance. If my dad had left when he was supposed to, if I hadnät started crying…”

”Then he would’ve been caught in the collapse,” Vee finished the sentence, met by a nod from Masha.

”Mhm.”

”You saved his life then,” Vee said tentatively, still not sure why Masha was telling her this.

”In a sense,” Masha mumbled, their hand in their pocket, fidgeting with the Hexas Hold’em cards. They pulled out the deck and held them up for Vee. They spoke slowly, hesitating. ”Are… you sure there’s no magic left in these?”

Vee frowned and took the cards. She smelled them carefully, flipping through the deck. It honestly looked kinda funny.

”No,” she said after a little while. ”Not even a little spark. Even the memory of magic is gone. All I can smell on them is you.” She handed the cards back and made an attempt at a smile. ”There’s literally not enough magic in them to do a card trick.”

Masha couldn’t help but smile at the joke, and they couldn’t help but giggle at how adorably proud Vee looked over herself for that pun.

”I really did think there might still be some magic left in them,” Masha said, shuffling the deck.

”Why?” Vee asked.

”Because…” Masha took a deep breath. Why was this so difficult to talk about? It really shouldn’t be. ”Last night, at the Haunted Hayride, just before we ran into you and Jacob… I drew some cards…”

One more deep breath. Inhale, exhale. This was the moment. Time to see if they really were crazy.

They drew the first card in the deck.

”The Two-Headed Snake. A being that is dual in nature, something that is not what it appears to be at first,” Masha said. They handed the card to Vee, who was looking… how would you describe the look? Eyes wide, mouth open and jaw slack. Flabbergasted, perhaps? One might even go as far as to say she looked gobsmacked.

They drew the second card in the deck.

”The Light illuminates and reveals things in the dark.” They handed that card to Vee.

They drew the third card in the deck.

”The Red String. A deep connection.” Masha swallowed. ”Like friends, or people who are destined to meet.” They handed that card over to Vee as well. ”I didn’t know it at the time, but in hindsight… it’s an odd coincidence, right? The Two-Headed snake is obviously you, a snake with multiple faces. Then we have the light which reveals things, just like how you revealed the truth to us, shed light on the situation so to say. And The Red String, well… we were obviously connected, since we became friends at camp and then ran into each other again, even after you became someone else.”

”That… does… make sense… kinda,” Vee said, talking slowly as she tried to process what was going on.

”And it’s not only that, but this night, I shuffled the deck again and I drew those exact same three cards,” Masha said, their voice ramping up as they got more worked up. ”And now I pulled the same three cards again! That can’t be random chance, it just can’t! I thought there might be some magic left in the cards, but if there isn’t…” The sentence trailed off.

Of course they had thought about it many times before, of course, what kid hadn’t? That dream every misunderstood kid has, the dream of being special. Masha had poured over books, badly produced documentaries, and no end of shady internet forums talking about psychic powers and the like. People whi claimed they could see ghosts, or bend spoons, or see the future. susually, these people wanted you money, but every so often there appeared to be someone genuine. And even more rarely, there appeared to be someone who really could do the magical things they claimed.

”Actually…” Vee said slowly, scratching the back of her head. She gave the three cards back to Masha, who shuffled them back into the deck. ”There’s no magic in the cards, and they weren’t enchanted with oracle magic, so they couldn’t tell the future anyway… but maybe there’s something… special about you. Because, um…” Her gaze fell to the ground, like she was avoiding eye contact. ”You do… smell kinda weird.”

”Weird in what way?” Masha said a little too quickly, for the moment forgetting what they were talking about and everything Vee had said before that.

”I-it’s not b-bad or anything, just… strange,” Vee assured them, still not meeting their eyes.”You smell of… metal.”

”…metal?” Masha said, confused. ”What kind of metal?”

”It’s not really like any metal I know,” Vee clarified. ”It’s more like a metallic smell.”

”And that’s weird?” Masha asked, trying to get Vee to explain just what she was talking about.

”Yeah…” Vee finally looked up again, meeting Masha’s eyes with hers. ”I was super confused when we first met, because no other human smelled like you. They all smelled like soap, and hormones, and regular stuff. And you did too, but you also had that other smell. But… you remember Dr. Jante?”

Masha nodded. Of course they remembered the head honcho at camp. It was undeniably ironic that Reality Check Camp, which aimed to make weird kids ”normal” was created and lead by Dr. Jante, a man who was inarguably a massive weirdo himself.

”He smelled like that too,” Vee said. ”So I just kinda figured some humans smelled like that. But if what you’re saying is true, then maybe there is something more to it. Maybe… maybe humans can do magic too! My kind evolved to track witch magic, not human magic, so maybe that’s why I wouldn’t recognize it!”

”D-do… do you really think so?” Masha said. It actually took them some effort to hold back a tear. Vee, someone so incredibly special, a real demon from a world of magic and miracles thought they might be magical too. It was everything they could've ever dreamed of.

”I mean, what else could it be?” Vee said enthusiastically. "You said it yourself, the chances of getting those same three cards three times in a row are astronomical. So if a funny coincidence is off the table, then what’s left?”

”Could I really be magic? For real?” Masha asked, their voice shaking, not out of stress, or anger, or sadness, no. Out of joy; they had a big dumb smile on their face. They looked down at their hands, halfway expecting sparks to fly from their fingertips. ”Can that really be true?”

”i don’t know that it couldn’t be true,” Vee said with a shrug and a big smile of her own. ”Why don’t we ask the cards?”

”Oh… yeah!” Masha said, excited. Of course, what kind of fortune teller were they, standing here asking questions, when they should be consulting the cards. They shuffled the cards again while Vee shuffled next to them to get a good look.

The first card had an image of a black bird.

”The Raven,” Masha said, saying the first thing that came to their mind. ”An oft maligned bird, it’s nonetheless intelligent and beautiful in its own way.”

The next card showed a single arrow with an ornate metal arrowhead.

”The Arrow. A… weapon of war, or…” Masha bit their lip, trying to figure out what the card was trying to tell them. ”Direction? Showing the the way or going somewhere.”

The third cad had a crystal ball from which a ghostly figure was emerging.

”The Spirit. A teller of the future summoned to give wisdom or aid to the living.”

”Seems clear as day to me,” Vee said. She pointed at the first card. ”The bird is obviously you, ’oft maligned, but intelligent and beautiful.’ And this arrow…” Vee moved her finger from The Raven, in the direction of The Arrow, which was pointing at… ”The Spirit. That’s the symbol of the Oracle Coven, and they can see the future.” She beamed at Masha.

”I…I.” Masha didn’t know what to say. They finally lost the battle against the tears, as small droplets of joy started rolling down their cheeks. ”Thank you,” they whispered, leaning in even closer to Vee. ”You have no idea how much this means to me.”

”O-oh, it’s really no big deal,” Vee laughed awkwardly, her face becoming a deep red color. ”I jus-”

Masha interrupted her by pulling her into a deep hug. Vee made an ”Eep!” sound and stood frozen for a second before she returned the embrace, holding on to Masha hard.

She held on very hard.

Almost a little too hard.

”V-vee,” Masha said after about a minute. ”It’s.. getting hard to breathe.

”Ohmygosh, so sorry!” Vee yelled and let Masha go, nearly pushing them over in the process. ”I’m so sorry!” she said again, hr face red as a beet. ”I, uh… constrictor instinct?”

Despite being short of breath, Masha couldn’t help but laugh at that, which in turn made Vee giggle awkwardly.

”You know,” Masha said as they dried their tears. ”When we first started on this walk, I didn’t expect to learn this much about myself. Mostly I expected to teach you boring history facts and maybe to learn a bit more about you, and…” They stopped at a realization. Something they, both of them, had forgotten. Something kinda important.

”What is it?” Vee asked, noticing the change in Masha’s expression.

”…we forgot the car, didn’t we?”

”…we did.” Vee sighed. ”Aw, shoot.” The walk back would be almost an hour.

xxXXxx

Going back in time a bit, to when Clara left the cafe in such a hurry. She had gone to the right, the opposite direction of The Magic Circle. She did not want to see the scene of the crime, she was desperate to avoid it. Coming to Robin’s Roast, so close, had been a mistake.

What no one knew at this point in time was that if Clara had walked past The Magic Circle at that moment, past Vee, the basilisk in hiding… then this story would have had a very different ending. Sadly, that was not to be. Fate, it would seem, has a sense of humor.

To Be Continued…

[nkn0va]

Request(Blazblue): On the day of their birthday's Makoto, Noel, Tsubaki, and Mai's S/O's back them their favorite dishes (Mai's S/O even asking Noel to help them cook for her).

I am so sorry if this gets repetitive, that's kinda how it goes sometimes for 4 character requests. Probably gonna be a bit shorter than usual.

-It doesn't take much to figure out what kind of food Makoto likes. Not only does her heritage make it pretty obvious but she's also quite the foodie in general.

-She doesn't have any particular favorite food but she is a big sweets gal, and of course being a squirrel, nuts are a personal favorite of hers. There are plenty of dishes out there that meet both those criteria, you have options.

-Eventually the idea you decided on was a chestnut parfait. Sweet, easy to make, had nuts, and had fruits to make it at least somewhat healthy. The perfect plan.

-When lunch eventually rolls around you head up to Makoto and present it to her while wishing her a happy birthday. Her mouth almost starts to water right then and there.

-She scarfs it down at record speeds that are frankly a bit concerning. She certainly enjoyed it though judging by her smile and the way her tail couldn't seem to stop wagging.

-As soon as she's done her arms wrap around you immediately in an enthusiastic showing of thanks. She's absolutely going to ask you for more in the future.

-Noel's not too much of a foodie, she absolutely prefers to cook instead of eat, much to everyone's dismay.

-However her birthday happens to fall on Christmas, so you have as good of an excuse as any to make something for her. A traditional Christmas dish could fulfill your needs well.

-You spend hours toiling away in the kitchen, making a nice, full meal for the both of you to enjoy. You figured it'd be a nice thing to do for both of you since work in the NOL has left you both unfortunately unable to go home for Christmas.

-Mercifully, your workload is at least greatly lightened for the day if not outright eliminated entirely. As soon as you're done with what little you have to do and evening comes you invite Noel over to your place, not telling her the reason.

-The first thing Noel is met with is a table filled with steaming hot food, leaving her unable to hold back her shock that you'd go so far for her.

-She doesn't know whether to kiss you or dig right in, however her nervousness gets the best of her and she opts to go for the food, which is by no means a bad choice. The effort and love you put into it really shines through.

-Mission success. Now all that's left is to pray to whatever God will listen that she doesn't get the urge to return the favor...

-Tsubaki is a sucker for chocolate, as much as she tries not to let it get to her. It gets to the point that Jin of all people worries about her in this regard.

-Her birthday just so happens to coincidentally fall on White Day, so you'd likely already be getting her chocolate anyway. The problem is having both occasions on the same day sorta ups the pressure on your part to perform.

-You eventually decided the best way to fill the criteria for both was via chocolate cake. You didn't want just some simple, easy cake from a box anyone could make, you knew she deserved better.

-Then you had an epiphany. You could indeed churn out something worthy of such a lovely lady. After spending a good amount of time in the kitchen you end up with a chocolate cake sweetened with condensed milk along topped with caramel and whipped cream. Surely this would pay off.

-Tsubaki's eyes light up as soon as she sees the fruits of your hard labor, even more so once she takes the first bite. She is practically in heaven. It felt like she was falling for you all over again.

(Can't believe it took this long to finally write for Mai. Though I'm writing this last minute on late night April 21st so what can you do lmao)

-It's rather tough for you to pin down what sort of food Mai would like considering her...complicated relationship with food.

-Whatever you do see her eat, it's completely mangled beyond recognition by whatever the hell Noel does whenever she cooks. You don't know, and frankly you don't think you want to.

-However this is going to turn out to be a nice boon for a change. Not being able to cook for Mai was a serious point of grief for you due to her supertaste, but with Noel around you can finally do so. She immediately agrees to the plan.

-After some discussion about what she typically makes for Mai and what she seems to like best, you two decide on a seafood pilaf. You'd make the base since you wanted to contribute at least something to the dish, and let Noel take it from there.

-Frankly it's a bit scary, leaving her with a perfectly normal dish and then getting it back looking like a weapon of mass destruction. This weapon of mass destruction though was all Mai could eat so you really can't complain. (Not complaining about Noel's cooking...what the hell have you come to...?)

-Mai's grin is practically ear to ear as she eagerly eats everything down, especially once she hears that both you and Noel worked on the dish. As far as she's concerned this is the best damn thing she's ever eaten, thanking you both with a big smile and hug. Being able to eat after what happened is always a treat.

-You still have no idea what Noel does to any food she touches to make it end up the way it does, but perhaps it's one of those mysteries that's just best left unsolved.

[0hviaexcuse]

In the Line of Work

By @lady-astras

For (person)

Story ~

THE SUN BEAT down on Gem’s neck, as was usual on a summer afternoon. The mountains she lived among usually provided welcomed shade, but today, she was working atop the plateau. That meant no clouds and no shade except for a couple of trees - that she had to cut down anyway.

Gem wiped her brow and sighed, leaning against a tree trunk. It was hot. All that she had done today was place a couple of wood blocks as a foundation for her to-be wizard tower, plan out a winding mountain path, and procrastinate a lot. 

She’d already visited Fwhip, so it’d be awkward to visit him again. Her gaze drifted to the southeast. She could almost see the wheat fields that occupied the majority of the Gilded Helianthia and Mythland lands.

Surely, the sun would be affecting Pearl as it was affecting her. And she was sure to be toiling away in the blistering heat, tilling wheat fields and tending to crops and building and whatnot.

Sighing, Gem made her way down the rough mountain path to her house embedded in the rock. She shielded her eyes from the bright glare of the light off of the amethyst crystal roofs. Her wings, made from the same material, hung on a hook by the door. She picked them up and strapped them on, grabbing her rockets as well before taking a deep breath and heading outside to do the routine jump off of her balcony.

Right, before I forget… some crystals might be important for healing, she thought to herself, racing back inside and opening a chest of amethyst shards. Gem pulled out some crisp, unbroken ones, pocketing them before heading to the balcony again.

On her way there, she tried to stick as much as possible to the mountain shades, finally giving up when she reached the planes. There were the Grimlands - Gilded Helianthia would not be farther now. Spotting her brother Fwhip, she swooped low to breeze past at a dangerously close distance, laughing mischievously when he almost screamed in surprise.

“See you!!” She called back, firing a rocket to gain altitude before soaring over the foundations of his palace towards Pearl’s humble kingdom.

There - where a forest of oak and birch trees began. Within those trees would be a large clearing, and there would be Pearl. Sure enough, when Gem fired a rocket and propelled forward, the brushy tops of wheat stalks appeared past the green leaves. 

Pearl was leaning against her shovel, eyes facing the ground to avoid the piercing sun despite her wide straw hat - which had a couple holes in it. Gem landed on the nearby path silently, carefully trekking through the wheat plants to avoid trampling any of them. Pearl looked up wearily when her shadow crossed her face. A bright smile immediately adorned it, envying the star that so tormented them today.

“Gem! Hi! How’re you doing? Quite sunny today isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is, Pearl. Which is why you shouldn’t be out here working on your wheat fields.” Gem gestured to the expanses of dusty gold plants around them. “You are literally the number two wheat producer in the lands. Why do you need more?”

“C’mon Gemgem, it’s some friendly competition between neighbours! Sausage promised me a part of his unused land if I managed to produce more wheat than him! The offer’s too good to resist!” Gem raised her eyebrows.

“And? Pearly Pop, come on. You can always do it on a cloudier day or a cooler hour. Do you, by any chance, know what the phrase ‘take a break’ means?”

Pearl shook her head innocently, her eyes wide and mirthful. Gem groaned.

“Come inside, your wheat plants aren’t going to die if you abandon them for a couple of hours. Any sane person would wait until near sunset to do such strenuous labour.”

“Ay, but these plants ain’t gonna plant themselves are they now?”

“Your sense of logic is incredibly… what’s the word again?”

“Incredibly intelligent perhaps?”

“Most certainly that is not the word I am looking for. Come inside now and get some water, food, and rest.”

“Okay, who am I to argue with the great wizard Gem Tay?”

“Exactly. Now you’re getting it.” Gem took Pearl’s hand and led her along, her free hand taking Pearl’s shovel and carrying it. As they started walking, Gem noticed Pearl’s slow pace and masked limp. She whirled around once they were under the wooden awning’s shade.

“What happened to your leg?” She demanded. Pearl hesitated. Gem leaned the tool against the wall so she could cross her arms and tap her foot impatiently.

“Okay, fine. I got stabbed.”

“Oh Pearl! By?”

”I hit myself with my hoe. Don’t worry, it wasn’t that b…” Pearl trailed off, noting Gem’s furious expression.

”If you got hurt enough for you to limp like that it’s definitely bad. Come inside - I’m so glad I had the foresight to bring some crystals. You’re going to sit and rest for the rest of the day, and some cuddles wouldn’t hurt. It might help ease my anger, even.”

”What do you even have to be angry about?” Pearl complained, following Gem inside her house to her cooled bedroom. Gem sighed as the wind from her electric fan hit her sweaty face. Beside her, she could feel Pearl equally relaxing and enjoying the false breeze.

“Maybe you were right then, this is nice.” She admitted. Gem clapped her hands in triumph before extracting the violet crystals from a hidden pocket, and her grimoire from her bag. Pearl had chosen to wear pants for the occasion rather than her iconic green and gold dress.

”Roll up your pant leg, I have to see the injury.” Gem instructed. Pearl did so, and Gem simultaneously gasped and sighed in frustration.

”That is definitely bad. Okay, to the bathroom, rinse that off without soap. Go.” Pearl got up and blundered her way to the bathroom. Gem heard the sounds of splashing water as she opened her spell book to the corresponding page—Moderate Cuts, Bruises, and Other Abrasions.

Pearl limped her way back into the bedroom and plopped down on her bed with a sigh. “You found anything that’ll work?”

“You want a potion or a spell?” Gem asked, scanning the page. “The potion’s gonna take like twelve or so hours to brew if we do everything right, but the spell will be pretty uncomfortable and maybe even painful.

“Uh… spell. I deal with discomfort all the time - I work in a wheat field half the day for goodness sake. I can deal with it. I’m a strong woman.”

“That you are, Pearlo.” Gem replied affectionately, handing her two decently sized crystals. “One in each hand.”

“This feels like an occult ritual.”

“I’m literally a wizard, trust the process.”

“I do, Gemgem. I trust you very much.”

“Good.” Gem poured a few drops of healing salve around the wound. Pearl flinched.

“Is it meant to sting like that?”

“It’s the amethyst. Now shut up, this is technically a new spell and I want to make sure I get the pronunciation right.” She took a deep breath. “Sana aptissime mediu.” Pearl shivered again.

“Why does that tickle?” She whined.

“It’s meant to - the crystals are empowering the spell so the salve works faster. At least I got the spell right! I’ve never used the medium spell before.”

“If there’s crystals in the salve then why do I have to hold these ones?” She waved her hands and consequently the amethyst in them.

“Those help channel the magic all throughout your body, healing any other minor injuries you might have. Which, I think you had a good amount because that took a lot more of my energy than the book said it would.”

“You trust that book more than me.”

“It’s never lied to me.” Gem jabbed with a small smile. Pearl gasped loudly enough to indicate that whatever she was about to say was teasing.

“I would never lie to you! How could you ever suggest I’d betray you like that! All I did was not tell you, it’s not like I explicitly said I didn’t get hurt.” Gem smiled.

“Okay, whatever reasoning makes you believe you upheld your morals.”

“HEY! You’re implying so many incorrect things about me right now. How dare you even think I have morals?

Gem sighed again. “What can I do to make up the apparent insult to your personality?”

Pearl’s face shifted from surprised to thoughtful, then smug.

“CUDDLES!”

“Hey, that’s my thing! Thief!” Gem protested, carefully setting down her magic supplies on the floor by Pearl’s bed.

“Nuh-uh!” Pearl retaliated, taking Gem’s hands as soon as they were free and pulling her closer, making sure not to disturb her leg and the magic that was still working with it.

“Fine. I wanted those anyways.” Gem conceded. Immediately, Pearl cheered and wrapped her arms around Gem joyfully. “Don’t tell me you’d rather be working out there than in here with me.”

“If  I’m gonna be overly warm anyways, I’d rather it be because of you than the sun.”

“If you’re so warm then take off the blanket. Or turn up the fan or something.

“It’s a comfortable kind of warmth. Hey, my leg doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Good. Now be quiet.” They stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Pearl holding tightly onto Gem despite the awkward position. Gem sighed, resigned to the fact that she wasn’t getting out of this bear hug any time soon.

“Hey Gem,” Pearl said after fifteen minutes of the only sound being the whirring of the fan and the desperate chirps of birds. 

“Hmm?”

“Are you a witch? Because, Gem, I think you’re enchanting me to love you like this.”

Gem huffed. “Not quite a witch, but I’m a wizard, it’s essentially what I do. And I can assure you that I have no love enchantments cast on you.” Pearl hummed.

“I wouldn’t be mad if you did turn out to, you know.”

“For Aeor’s sake Pearl! I am not enchanting you!”

“Suuure.” They fell back into silence.

“Hey Gem?”

“If this is another corny pickup line I will do things to you.”

“What kind of things?”

“You wanna know?”

“Eh… depends.”

“I will send you back out there in the heat and you will be working until sundown regardless of leg. Oh, and no more cuddles.”

“NO CUDDLES? So cruel. All I wanted to say was: I love you.”

“Oh, well, I love you too Pearl. You know, as a friend.”

[serial-serializednovelreader]

For the ask game: 10 and 17, Jonathan Harker!

Yay! Always happy to get an ask about one of my favorite characters in fiction :))))))))))

10. Best moment on screen (or in the book):

This is super hard, since he has SO many good moments!! I am going to keep this spoiler-free, since I'm not sure if you've read Dracula all the way through or not and I don't want to spoil anything (if you have read the book, I do talk about a few of my favorite moments with Jonathan that take place later in the book in this ask!).

I would have to say him attempting to save the child he hears the three sisters feeding on in Dracula’s room. I think it's truly a defining moment for him. We've just seen Jonathan (understandably) scream in fear for his life after seeing the three women again and only feeling safe in his room. He knows as long as he stays in there, he will remain safe. But as soon as he hears a child in danger, he's willing to risk facing those women again *and* Dracula to save a child he doesn't know and doesn't even know if he can save. I don't think he even considers any of that in the moment — he's just ready to do it. That's what makes him a hero in my eyes. Being willing to do what's right, no matter the cost. Of course, Dracula prevents him to do so by locking the door and...he cries. It's such a human moment from him and I appreciate that we get this moment of raw honesty. It's the first time we see him do so in his time at castle Dracula.

I think Shovel Day is very important too, don’t get me wrong. I just think that this moment is what truly defines him — in my eyes — as a hero and is his best moment on screen followed by him hitting Dracula with a shovel!

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them:

Going off of this moment, I have two quotes that I think go great with it:

"There are stories about every hero. How they became great. Most have one thing in common. Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think. Almost on their own." -- All Might, My Hero Academia (dubbed version of S1 Ep.2)

"Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive." -- Charlotte Brontë

Now for my favorite quotes from Jonathan Harker (again, spoiler-free!):

“(Mem., get recipe for Mina.)”

“‘Do you know what day it is?’ I answered that it was the fourth of May.”

“Solicitor's clerk! Mina would not like that. Solicitor—for just before leaving London I got word that my examination was successful; and I am now a full-blown solicitor!”

“If there were any one to talk to I could bear it, but there is no one. I have only the Count to speak with, and he!—I fear I am myself the only living soul within the place.”

(about Dracula yeeting his mirror) “It is very annoying, for I do not see how I am to shave”

“(Mem., this diary seems horribly like the beginning of the "Arabian Nights," for everything has to break off at cockcrow—or like the ghost of Hamlet's father.)”

“Once more have I seen the Count go out in his lizard fashion.”

“I am surely in the toils.”

“Despair has its own calms.”

“This morning, as I was sitting on the edge of my bed cudgelling my brains…”

“It makes me rage to think that this can go on, and whilst I am shut up here, a veritable prisoner, but without that protection of the law which is even a criminal's right and consolation.”

“Let me not think of it. Action!”

“Yes, there is a way, if one dares to take it. Where his body has gone why may not another body go? I have seen him myself crawl from his window. Why should not I imitate him, and go in by his window?”

“As he went down the wall, lizard fashion, I wished I had a gun or some lethal weapon, that I might destroy him; but I fear that no weapon wrought alone by man's hand would have any effect on him.”

“Good-bye, all! Mina!”

As for songs, I made two playlists about Jonathan Harker, one about his time trapped in the castle and one about his relationship with Mina (here's the post with the playlists included, for your reference!). I'll highlight one song from each that are my personal favorites.

Striking and ominous with an epic feel, Run Boy Run by Woodkid definitely embodies what we're all shouting to Jonathan while he's going to the castle. However, I can definitely picture this song taking place as he's climbing down the castle walls (lizard fashion, of course) and attempting to escape. I imagine the musical interludes are flashbacks during his time at the castle and the various horrors he experiences. What happens at the end with the hopeful swell of the song is up to you...

Lyrics to highlight:

Run boy run!/ This world is not made for you Run boy run!/ They're trying to catch you Run boy run!/ Running is a victory

Tomorrow is another day/ And when the night fades away/ You'll be a man,/ boy! But for now it's time to run,/ it's time to run!

An 80s rock ballad, You're the Inspiration by Chicago is swoony and romantic with an electric edge. This is one of my favorite love songs and it definitely embodies how Jonathan feels for Mina! If Dracula was set in a modern time period, I could definitely see Jonathan serenading Mina with this song during karaoke night (bonus points if he can’t sing, but it’s the sweetest music to her, lol).

Lyrics to highlight:

You should know,/ everywhere I go/

Always on my mind,/ in my heart

In my soul,/ baby

You're the meaning in my life/

You're the inspiration/

You bring feeling to my life/

You're the inspiration

And I know,/ yes I know that it's plain to see/

So in love when we're together/

Now I know that I need you here with me/

From tonight until the end of time

Ask game here

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: 4am Drunk Calls **

Lewis Hamilton x Ex-Girlfriend Reader

Warning: Mild Cursing, Crude Language, Dirty Talk, Angst, NSFW, Phone Sex, Self-Pleasuring 

Words: 4.6k

Summary: Reader and Lewis are broken up. On a hard night of partying her shield cracks and she drunk calls and let's some dirty filthy shit spill.

Note: Appearance of someone I have been meaning to start writing for since 2021 but never found the opening. Everyone say hello to the opening and the new addition to our lineup. LOL

Thank you for reading, I appreciate it!

If you enjoyed this, please, LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG!!!

***NOT Edited/Proofread***

***Slightly Interactive***

~~~~~~~~~

"Sweet baby Jesus in a manger he looks good as fuck," you groaned out as you watched his latest story again and again.

 You'd lost track of how many times you'd watched it, lost track of how long you'd sat there analyzing the 30 second clip of him doing pull ups from every angle. You did know that you'd started with a full to the brim glass of wine and now your glass was dryer than the Gobi.

 Upon this close up of his back as he pulled up you let your finger rest on the screen pausing the video. You gawked at the bunched muscles there and let your tongue roam over your bottom lip. You remembered your fingers resting just atop his "still I rise" tattoo. They didn't anymore though. Taking your finger off, you let the video finish off then you went back to his page to drool over the photos he'd posted today. He was off on yet another luxurious trip enjoying his wealth and fruits of his hard labor.

 On the 4th picture, you sighed. The setting sun loved him. The golden light bathed him like none other. You loved seeing him in the sunset, it was a major turn on for you that he always capitalized on when you were together. He laid in the sand with a wide smile and a hand shielding the sun. You wondered who'd taken the picture. Who was he with?

 The thoughts toiled in your head until the discontent within you bubbled. Groaning, you threw your phone across the room then dropped onto your back.

 "Jeez! You're on a roll to make it 4 phones this month," Nori, your personal assistant and friend said.

 You rolled your eyes again.

 "Then it shouldn't piss me off."

 Nori snorted. "How did an inanimate object piss you off today?"

 She approached you and as she did, she let out an amused scoff. Glancing at her, you saw her eyes on your screen.

 "If you miss him so much call him."

 "Fuck outta here, who misses him?!"

 You said it more forcefully than you’d intended. Crossing your arms, you took up the keyboard for the entertainment system on your media room and proceeded to distract yourself.

 "I'm sure he misses you too," Nori went on.

 "Bullshit. You don't see he's on yet another island? Probably with some thirsty IG thot who is desperate for some attention and dick, and he is eating it up and dickin’ her down without a care in the world. Ass!”

 Nori didn't answer for a few moments. "Or he's frontin’ as much as you are putting on a façade, so you think he's over you."

 You glared at her. "Who's frontin? Who's putting on a facade? Fuck outta here I am so over him and his bullshit double standards. Him and his bullshit stubbornness. Him and his always gotta be right and refuse to fess up to being wrong. Him and his bossiness and always needing to have the upper hand in damn near everything. Fuck him!”

 You could feel Nori's eyes on you. When you looked her eyes said it all.

 "What?"

 "Weren't those the reasons you fell in love with him?"

 You sneered and looked back to the massive screen in front of the room. As your personal assistant for the last eight years, she’d seen you pre-Lewis, during Lewis and post Lewis. This meant she had the receipts to back up every single one of her on point accusations. It also meant she was right. You hated she was right. Nori sighed loudly.

 "You two are so similar it’s ridiculous."

 "I'm nothing like him. If someone I say I love expresses vulnerability about something I'm not going to hurt them and turn an already tumultuous exchange into a nightmare by bring aloof, distant and wishy-washy. Then turn around like the hurt one and play victim. I also wouldn't ever make the person I say I love have to constantly guess where I stand with them."

 "Fair enough but Y/N that was you in the beginning of your relationship."

 "Nori that was almost 2 years ago. You grow up. I thought we were deeper than that and turns out I was the fucking fool. I was the one who got played."

 "But you know Lewis. You know how hard a real connection is for him. You understand him better than 90% of people. Y'all were the real thing, Nori pleaded.

 You sank deeper into the cushions fighting the sting on your eyes.

 "Bullshit. There was no connection."

 Sighing, you flung the keyboard aside after deciding on some fantasy series that would no doubt take your mind off of things.

 A few nights later, you capped your lipstick turn stood tall, assessing your outfit for the 3rd time. The short length of your moss green dress accentuated the gold and diamond thigh garter you wore while the deep plunge of the neckline showcased the jeweled breast harness. Both pieces of jewelry hugging you and amplifying your assets. It occurred to you then that you'd donned a style and color that you knew Lewis would like and you'd done it all unconsciously.

 A mixture of annoyance and sadness filled you. It had been 3 months since you'd ended things. 3 months since your argument. 3 months since your feelings erupted like a volcano while his laid as tepid as tap water. 3 months since he'd let you walk out of his hotel room in Monaco without so much as a step to stop you. 3 months since your relationship tipped to the checkbox of "it’s complicated" and 3 months you still couldn't get him off your mind. The hopelessness of the situation only pissed you off more.

 "Get a grip Y/N. He did this. You were 100. Fuck him. You're fine as fuck and any man would be lucky to have you. You don't need him!”

 Your notification went off and you grabbed your phone and went to check what was happening. Once you opened IG you saw what it was. Lewis had posted again. He looked like he was in some club with his shades on and throwing up peace signs with his friends. Fuck he looked good.

 "I sure want him though."

 Again, you tossed your phone rolling your eyes.

 By the time you and your friends rolled into the club it was well after midnight. You had a nice buzz going thanks to the few glasses of champagne you'd already had at home and on your way to the club. From the way the club was packed you guessed there was something else going on besides drinks, hot bodies and music.

 You made your way to one of the VIP areas and posted up waiting to get bottle service.

 "Please don't blackout tonight, Amdala pleaded into your ear.

 You shot her a shocked look, "Moi? Non ma belle amie. Je n'ai jamais. Je vais être sur mon meilleur comportement. (Me? No, my beautiful friend. I have never. I am going to be on my best behavior.)

 Her don't bullshit a bullshitter look was so on point you had to laugh.

 "I'm being serious," she countered.

 "Dala when have I ever been a sloppy drunk?"

 She nodded and gave you the only response she could, "Never."

 "Exactly."

 "But you’ve always been with 44 so it was safe to say you kept the sloppy drunk away for his reputation. Now there’s no 44 in sight."

 You sighed. Amdala was always pointing shit out in that blunt way of hers. You'd always suspected it was the French way to be so forward and while her words did have a bite most times you never took offense.

 "It's not just his reputation I have to be careful with ya’ know. My mother would scalp my ass if I dragged her precious last name through the mud."

 Amdala nodded fully understanding demanding mothers who were making names for them proving that not all billion-dollar net worth bosses wore trousers and ties, the best ones wore 8-inch stilettos, Dolce sunglasses and limited-edition Birkin. Your mothers were forces in their own right for decades, but their recent venture really catapulted them past anyone's reach. They'd teamed to revitalize and solidify F1's women's division. It was a move that many men objected to because like it's hard to helm a racing empire...right. Your mothers were proving they could rise to the occasion as well as stand tall longer than any badly aging man.

 "Maman (Mama) still giving you grief over yours and Lewis' break up?"

 You scoffed. Giving grief was an understatement. She was up in arms. She thought the world of Lewis and thought the two of you together spoke volumes and no one could dare come close. Sometimes you didn't know if she wanted you with him because of the PR heaven it afforded her or because he truly made you happy. Until he wasn't.

 "She is still insisting I fix things."

 "And will you?"

 "I didn't break anything I need to fix."

 Right on time, a waiter approached with your other friends and several bottles of expensive liquor, and you cheered, thanking them as they dropped them off. You quickly filled a glass needing to wash away the bad taste on your mouth from talking about the end of your 3-year relationship.

 "To the single life and truly feeling," you toasted.

 You, Amdala, Sade, Tanzie, and Chanel raised your glasses and cheered before knocking their drinks back. From then, the night passed in a blur of drinks, skin, and blinding lights. You drank, danced, and laughed like you had not one care in the world. You partied like you were in your prime and at your best and the whole time you felt like such a fraud. So, the only natural thing to do was drink some more to dull the feeling.

Out of nowhere from across the club you saw him, and everything stopped. He was sitting with his shades on surrounded by Miles, Daniel, and Andrew. His head was turned to your direction, but you had no way of knowing if he saw you too. The lights in the club didn't afford you many details of him but you knew from experience he was dressed to the nines in some high-end designer’s runway look that he put a spin on to call his own. You didn't doubt he looked good.

 Your mind went back to all the times you'd spent together at fashion shows pointing out things you both liked then made a game of it to see who could gift the other first. You'd even spend hours at home trying on outfits just to show them off to each other and strip them right back off to worship each other’s bodies.

 A pang of pain struck your heart and you quickly looked away. Grabbing the bottle before you, you took it to the head. You were still too sober for this. Peeking back over you saw a pretty and thin mahogany-skinned woman slip onto his lap. She laced her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear. Kill Bill alarms went off and you had to fight every urge to storm over there and mark your property. The longer she lingered in his lap the truth spoke. A putrid acrid taste washed over your tastebuds and though it was a taste you’d experienced so infrequently; you knew what it was. Jealousy.  

 You were under no illusions that he'd been pining for you or celibate since you'd ended things. Yeah, he was in the middle of the season, but he wasn't a monk. He liked sex and it was something he did well. Why wouldn't he partake now that he could with anyone he wanted. You regretted that you hadn’t found a stallion to make you forget him yet.

 "If it isn't Y/N in the flesh and in the club without her chaperone."

 You looked up to the body standing in the lights glare making it impossible to make out their face. Squinting, you angled your head and smiled when you recognized Ruben’s face. Scoffing, you leaned back and crossed your legs.

"Ha, if it isn't Ruben Loftus-Cheek without his harem."

 He scoffed and shook his head. "Still a cheeky one I see."

 "Aww love that ain't ever gonna change. Can you handle it now?"

 Ruben looked you over as if he were really contemplating it. A few months ago, fresh off your breakup with Lewis he was there, and you'd had a nice night of flirting and canoodling until his, according to her, girlfriend pulled up causing a scene.

 "How's the girlfriend?"

 Ruben sat beside you bouncing his large soccer star knee against your thigh. You were sure it a move purposely done.

 "I told you; she wasn’t my girlfriend then and she isn't now. We'd broken up weeks before."

 You nodded and drank from the bottle again.

 "I really wish men would double check their statuses before approaching other women."

 "No need to double check when the words were exchanged. No need to stay somewhere you're not happy. Right?"

 You studied him. Though you'd kept your breakup relatively low, it had broken news, so it wasn’t farfetched to believe Ruben knew you were single right now.

 "I suppose."

 "So I get this off my chest now, he was an absolute fool to let you go. I never would have."

 His brown eyes were hypnotizing, and he knew it.

 "You know what they say, one man's trash."

 Ruben took your hand and lowered his lips to your knuckles, "You'll be my treasure."

 Damn did he spit some sexy game. Biting your bottom lip, you said fuck it. You lifted the champagne bottle to Ruben's lips then poured some into his mouth. As he tipped his head back to swallow you took a glance across the way and sure enough Lewis was watching with his shades lowered. An evil smirk split your face and you made a vow he'd regret being so cold with you by the time the night was done.

 Bottle after bottle popped and hour after hour Ruben remained by your side chatting and flirting up a storm. You wouldn't lie and say it didn't feel good having the attention of someone who showed they wanted you. The difference with Ruben and Lewis was that Lewis was mainly private and liked to stay away from public declarations and or outward expressions of emotion unless you were alone. You chalked it up to him being so reserved and deeply emotional underneath everything and never pushed for him to change. You loved him the way he was. Ruben showed off the object of his affection. His motto was I work hard so I can love just as hard. Whenever you were with him you had no doubt he was feeling you. It was addicting.

 In the middle of a sensual Latin dance, Ruben pulled your chin to him sealing your lips together. Your first reaction was to pull way because it felt so foreign to kiss anyone but Lewis, but you didn't. You allowed him to kiss you, teasing your lips with his and getting familiar with them. He pulled you closer, flush against his body and you felt every lean and powerful muscle that a premier player from an FC molded daily. A soft moan escaped you and Ruben responded by placing his hand at the small of your back. The kiss continued and before long you were lacing your fingers behind his neck. Every sensation was new, his lips, his taste, the way he held you against him and the feelings bubbling in your stomach. It felt different and entirely wrong.

 Before you made the move to pull away, you were being pulled away first.

 "Look at the time. Gotta go!”

 Amdala bit held firmly to your arm and continued pulling you away while Ruben pleaded with you to exchange numbers or continue the night together. Amdala was not hearing it though, she didn't stop or entertain his suggestions she gathered all your friends and made for the exit.

 "What the fuck, Y/N! So much for not being a sloppy drunk."

 You groaned.

 "Did you see Lewis?"

 "Yes, and he saw you and I'm sure several people saw you and him and that show."

 "He doesn't care. He didn't stop me."

 That realization said you were definitely done. When you got home you showered needing to wash away the remnants if the night. As you rinsed off your skin and applied your overnight hair mask your thoughts drifted to the many times Lewis had done this for you. He loved pampering you making you feel like relaxed. Perhaps it came from the years of him needing the same. He was a great provider. One day he may even make a good father.

 Without even realizing it your hand had dropped to your breast and you were now tweaking your nipples. Just like that the memory played of the last time he'd showered with you. It was a memory for the books, a shower that did not accomplish its goal. You both ended up as dirty at the end as you were in the beginning.

 Your hand swung out and smacked the wall as your fingers swirled around your aching bud. A shiver rushed through you, and it took great effort to pull yourself together. Groaning, you angrily grabbed your towel and wrapped your body. On your way out you grabbed the waiting bottle of rum on the sink counter. Once in your bedroom, you opted out of completing your nighttime routine. Instead, you sunk into the 5000 thread count blankets that decorated the ultra-luxurious bed you’d had custom made to your sleeping style and preference. Whenever you left for trips, you hated leaving it because it meant every night's sleep would be restless.

 You lodged yourself against the headboard, then brought the bottle to your lips once more.

 "Mmm."

 The silence in the house was deafening. Grabbing your phone, you went over to Twitter to snoop. After seeing a dark and blurry picture, that you knew was of yourself, sitting with Ruben having him whispering in your ear you followed a trail of other pieces of footage and tons of speculation.

 "Y/N seems to have moved past F1 and has her eyes on Premier League now. Is that a step up or backward?"

 "Bruh, if it ain't Lewis its backward. L for her."

 "Let’s talks about how Lewis could dare let her go. She's been showing out for the last few months and even I see what he’s missing. L for Lewis."

 "I saw him in a club a few weeks ago and he definitely doesn’t look like he is sleeping well or eating well. Regrets hit you hard."

 "They just needa get back together. Can you imagine the babies? 🥺"

 "He can do better. He's Sir Lewis Hamilton. She can go on."

 "Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a snaaaack. Bout time he was with a black woman. They cute together."

 "See---no way I’m gonna be with a man who has only ever dated white women. It means I’m an experiment and not a preference. Hard pass."

 "Ruben ain’t got shit on Lewis. She needa cut the playing and go on home to that man. Ain’t no substitute for number 1 which is number 44."

 You caught view of how many people retweeted and liked it and down the list you saw a familiar handle. Springing up, your eyes bugged.

 "@LewisHamilton"

 You quirked your brow then shook your head in disbelief. Scoffing, you went down the hole and found other shady tweets he’d liked or retweeted like he was some incognito user. This was definitely not in character.

 15 minutes later, you were done with the rum and done with inhibitions. You found your phone and without needing to look you dialed him. It rang once, that's it. Once.

 "Little bunny."

 Your belly flipped hearing his nickname for you. It always flipped, every single time.

 "Still remember that name?"

 "That name still has an effect?"

 Arrogant ass, you thought.

 "We both know it never affected me as much as you. We both know whenever it came out your mouth you were hard seconds later."

 "Oh is that what you’re doing tonight? Sitting in that big comfy bed that is an exact replica of mine...sorry ours, thinking about me hard?"

 "I think we both know who is thinking about who tonight sir likes a lot," you replied in reference to his liking spree. You knew he’d catch on.

 A soft chuckle was your answer.

 "Yeah I thought so. I know you think of me. You think of my skin just reminiscing about how silky it feels against yours, under your fingers, how good it always smells, coconut, rose, and brown sugar. My lips, you drive yourself crazy thinking about how sweet they are, better than any wine. How they always bring you to your knees with the slightest lick, bite, touch. Then there’s my eyes and how hypnotizing they always were to seduce you in just seconds. My hands and how magical they were. I know you want me, Lewis. I know it as certain as I know no one but me will ever do for you. I’ve—ruined—you."

 The alcohol in your system was churning and really pushing you tonight.

 "And what about you little bunny? Do you think of me?"

 You literally bite your tongue for a few seconds hoping to stop yourself from answering truthfully.

 "Come on little bunny, you can tell me."

 "i think about your mouth a lot. I think about how you could never get enough of my pussy. I think about how you feasted on me for hours and still couldn’t get enough. I think about your thick fingers, God you had magic fingers. I miss you eating my pussy as you fucked me with those fingers before you gave me that beautiful, beautiful dick. Fuck, when you got into dom mode...nothing could compare. Uuugh, this pussy misses you as much as that dick misses me."

 When you took a beat, you realized your fingers were fast at work on a mission to get you off. The stretch if silence allowed you to hear the squelching echo around you. You were so wet, and you didn’t care if he heard. You wanted him to. This was the game after all. Lewis released a shudder, and you knew just what he was doing. A devilish smirk stretched across your face.

 "You miss this cock down your throat?"

 Your smile widened, you had him and he knew it too.

 "You know I do. My favorite thing to do is choke on it. Nothing better than not being able to breathe cause my throat is full of you. I love when you fuck my throat ‘till I can’t speak the next day then do it again like it’s my only remedy. Mmmm."

 Your fingers swirled faster and faster. You were so close. Lewis groaned in your ear and the deep baritone took you to another level of ecstasy. It was almost like he was right behind you and your fingers were his.

 "Tell me you want me, king."

 Silence. It stretched for so long you didn’t think he'd answer. Then after a minute or so, his voice ran through you in a reply that had the effect of a cock thrusting into you.

 "I want you little bunny. I want you so fucking much it hurts."

 The tension in his voice was so clear, it made it so tight, as if he were clenching his jaw through the entire sentence.

 “Let me hear how much you want me little bunny.”

 You shuddered again and let his voice do everything it has always done—take you away. You let out a moan that stretched so long you could feel the oxygen depleting from your lungs. You didn’t feel like you needed it though, it felt like all your body needed was him. You took a loud gulp of air as a shiver ran down your spine and curled in your gut. It was the telltale sign you were tipping the edge.

 “You wish this pussy was in front of you right now, don’t you? Wish you could bury your face between my legs.”

 Lewis grunted again then cursed on the next breath. You dipped two of your fingers inside your heat and hissed out, half in elation and half frustration. You wanted them to be his fingers.

 “This pussy is as tight as ever.”

 “Fuck,” Lewis grumbled, his own frustrations bubbling to the surface.

 You couldn’t help bit giggle. The power you felt was intoxicating.

 “That tight pussy always fit you like a glove. God!”

 A whimper escaped you, then a mewl and when your fingers sped and dipped deeper than before his name slipped out.

 “Oh, little bunny, you will forever be the death of me.  Do you understand how weak you make me, how utterly—open you have me all the time?”

 “Prove it. Cum with me king. I’m so fucking close and I’m not waiting.”

 With every plunge of your fingers, you crept closer and closer to complete combustion. Your shared panting and moans of pleasure was all that was uttered between you, both only focused on release. You sensed it was a release that both of you desperately needed, a release you both yearned for and hadn’t found since your last night together before everything went to hell.

 “Y/N,” Lewis grunted at the same time you screeched his name both of you finally getting sucked into the forcefield of pleasure that had only one goal—to cripple both of you.

The wave your rode took complete control sending your body into convulsions and making it next to impossible to catch a full breath. The intensity of your orgasm made your toes curl, eyes roll back in your head and your fingers involuntarily throwing up gang signs. Ever so slowly your body returned to the plush blankets covering your bed. Your skin was sensitive as was every part of your body.

 You could feel all the alcohol you’d had creeping up on you. Your exhaustion was becoming too much to stave off. As your breathing settled and you snuggled into the mattress you finally felt complete calm, complete satiation. A soft sigh fell from your lips as your eyes fluttered closed.

 “I miss you Y/N, I miss you more than you know. So much I’m--incomplete.”

 His voice was so low compared to the pounding of your heart in your ears. It was so low, you almost missed it. Almost. Your eyes opened again, and you gazed into your ceiling. He sounded just as he’d admitted—open. He sounded completely unlike how he had three months ago. Your throat tightened with the knot of emotion you knew came before your tears and you clenched your jaw. No, you wouldn’t let him do this again. The hurt was too deep this time.

 “And yet, you chose to break my heart and let me go. Goodbye, Lewis. Thanks for the orgasm.”

 You ended the call and laid ever so still in the darkness of your room until your exhaustion won and took you to a place of dreams and fantasies. It was enough for tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[theskeletonprior]

Write Time: Day Nine

This month, my goal is a cool 30 000 words written. I’ll be carrying on with more RAVENOT. If you’re curious, you can take a look at my WIP intro right here. And if you’re really keen, you can read the first chapter (sort of a pilot as I toil) right here! Now onto the daily ramble.

I have a little bit of time before I set off for work today to make this entry, but I don't really have much commentary. I'm expecting to be about 900 words behind after the weekend, which isn't huge given my target. I'll try to write on the train like I did last week, and get some time in after work, but I have a couple of social engagements to keep up, so that will cut into my post-work writing time. If I can get about 500 words a day, I'll be pleased. I think I'm beginning to hit my stride with the story, and I still manage to feel some modicum of confidence. I have questioned whether or not these daily journals are a worthy cut into my writing time, but I think ultimately that reflection is an important part of the process. I'm already considering doing another Write Time in January, and keeping up a cycle of low-pressure writing every other month, and then turning it up the next. Because I have other obligations, I might tone down the expected word count even more for January's Write Time, but I think if I mean to pursue my writing honestly and earnestly, I need to be able to achieve that balance. Funny how I said I didn't have much commentary and then the words came rumbling out. That's all for now. Please behold my excerpt for today. (And do let me know if you have thoughts about my work--it's lonely out here!) Please behold.

"Anything?" Hadan shifted on the balls of his feet, but was more careful this time not to take another step closer to the carcass. Ravenot worked in silence, but for the wet shifting of organs as they examined them. The rot had spread with catastrophic efficiency, but where it had began remained an unknown. "The catalyst is not here. It must have come into contact with it elsewhere." Ravenot's mask turned toward the arch, the two trees growing together, the risk they now knew must be taken. But there was still the matter of the carcass rotting here. Ravenot cleaned Hadan's knife in the grass, leaving the remains to return it to him. “I will bury the organs," he said. "The forest will make safe the rest, if't is left alone. When I am finished, I must move on. For the final time, Hadan, get thee gone from these woods. Hast thou not heard tell of the fey lands? Thy nephew might live out his whole life ere we pass through this arch again." "What about you, then? You won't be much good, either, if no one sees you for a lifetime." "I may return by roads the living cannot." They took out their spade from its case on their right hip, threading the shaft into the collar until it was tight. Ravenot tested the handle idly, and then began to dig a shallow grave, as he had done many times. It's quick work, and the rhythm of it quiets their mind, attunes them well to the path ahead, the calling which tells him that he will surely pass into fey lands before this day is done.

Until next time!

Taglist: @alexanderflowerbird @void-botanist @carmillasboywife @ceph-the-ghost-writer @wintherlywords

As always, let me know if you’d like to join or leave the taglist, and I’ll act accordingly.