#I realize I'm probably not good enough to tell how well I've grasped them :P

[cthulhubert]

I uh. It's December. You may or may not have noticed.

I did Nanowrimo, spent my "creative projects half hour" slot on that, and completely forgot about posting my fourth year of daily drawings for October. Nevertheless, into my my art tag it goes.

In a fit of petty first world anarchism, I did Inktober's prompts, but digitally.

This year's been busy, so I tried to stick to my half an hour per day drawing time slot. (I say, gritting my teeth, forehead vein bulging as I look at the parts I don't like.)

I am forcing myself to acknowledge that the past year—with its approximately 130 hours of drawing practice—has resulted in some improvements to line control, anatomy, and perspective, but I'm definitely also reaching the point where several of these feel too embarrassing to post.

In fact I only picked nine, instead of the ten I did the last few years.

Please read some of the captions because at least I do think I'm funny.

Dreams was an auspicious start. I like this Bakugirl.

Fortune... exists. I should've been a little bolder with the fairy actually like, interacting with the dragon woman's palm, really being present there, instead of just sort of posed on top. I also should've made the table smaller, dragoness is supposed to be huge.

I immediately decided I was doing some kind of pair for Angel and Demon. Please ignore that the actual prompt was not Devil. It's close enough right? If I had more time and ambition the devil girl's net was going to be made of serpents. I did not really capture her "shouting" expression the way I wanted, but now that I'm looking it's not execrable. Angel's dreads are definitely more half hearted than I wanted. This one did at least convince me that my next batches of studies need to be of clothed figures.

Rise got my favorite concept for the whole month. Cause it's bread. Get it? eh? Please enjoy our little alchemist workshopping her lines for introducing her magnum opus. Tried to lean into cartoonish with her face.

I spent a solid 10 minutes trying to decide what to do for Dagger, and then all of a sudden it was like a voice spoke to me: "Do fan art of one of your favorite games of all time." I wish the Final Fantasy series hadn't abandoned that more stylized, cartoonish vibe. You know, one of the most interesting things about drawing is realizing that I am 100% looking at things that I have previously—apparently!—only kind of glanced at. Like I would not, before drawing this, have described Garnet as having, to be frank, a prodigious bosom, significant badonkerage, or ginormous dobonhonkeros. To be frank. And a really low cut top to boot. But here we are. I like this face. Wish I'd chosen a more dynamic pose.

For Shallow I decided to do a little snippet of something from one of my stories (coincidentally one related to what I was working on in November). The anatomy is a bit iffy. And even though she's literally supposed to have been buried in a shallow hole in the woods, I had to add a gravestone because I wasn't confident how well that showed.

Rush is another one where I was not at all sure what I was going to do until the brain noise intruded, "Firetrucks are red because red's the color of communism and they're always Russian[Rushin'] around." What was I thinking with that background?

Hilariously, I didn't notice the final prompt of Inktober and how well Fire went with my spontaneous choice for the previous day. It's only now that I'm posting that I realized during export I must have turned off the "background" layer that shows a(n attempt at a) continuation of the previous background. I recall being really frustrated trying to get the foreshortening right on this mischievous fire-ninja jill-o-lantern's arms, but it doesn't look so awful now.

It's fascinating feeling myself more fully move into the phase of learning where I can tell that I'm on the cusp of drawing this or that noticeably better, I just have to push, put a bit more time into individual pieces. And of course, practice.

Next I think I'll aim for at least four and up to twelve studies of clothed figures. Might stop to try and find some good hints on drawing a good fire, or something that suggests dirt.

But I also have some writing to do. I got engaged in my Nanowrimo project. I'm finishing something else up that a friend and I have worked on in bits for years. Of course, what I'd really like is to do some writing and drawing practice every day. It hasn't happened yet, but then again, between picking up drawing supplies and actually starting to practice daily, "It hasn't happened yet" was the case for years.

Until it wasn't.

[9tzuyu]

my guitar is slightly out of tune, but i’m eternally yours.

[reuploaded and revised from my old blog.]

↠ prompt: you have a terminal illness but you have a chance with treatment but you deny it, then you meet wanda and you feel alive again.

↠ warnings: kinda angsty, but worth the read :>.

requests are always open!

masterlist

∘∴∙*⋆∙∴⋆∘∙*. ∘

“Oh–” was all you managed to say. “I recommend we start radiation treatments-” You zoned out and watched your feet dangle from the edge of the exam table. Was this it? Was this really all there was for you? It seemed hopeless to even do anything at this point. You figured if this was affecting you again, it was for a reason. 

"No. I don't want treatment." The doctor looked at you and his gaze faltered. "You do understand that if you refuse treatment this will inevitably kill you?" You nodded. The words felt empty, they carried no weight behind them anymore. Nonetheless, the doctor continued to try and persuade you. 

"I said I don't want the treatment. I'm refusing medical advice. I don't want to have to go through this again, it's obviously not going away. Now where the hell do I sign the papers?" You exasperated. The doctor gave you one last look before getting the papers for you to embark your signature on.

“You’re one-hundred percent sure about this?”

You shrugged your shoulders, “I've got nothin' left for me here anyways. Might as well just let nature take its course.”

"Well surely you've got someone, a friend maybe?" You shook your head.

 "Nope." You replied, popping the P at the end. The doctor seemed to finally grasp the situation when you handed the papers back to him as if you were turning in a job application.

He pursed his lips, "I'm going to give prescribe medication for the pain. Based on the size of the tumor I'd say you have about eight months to live, but only about half of those months will be enjoyable." You nodded your head in reply and gathered your stuff together. 

So how were you going to spend your last months on earth? That was the question you asked yourself. You walked out of the building and found yourself in a coffee shop. It was busy, but you found yourself a seat next to a window in the back of the shop. Your eyes gazed out the window as you pondered your question from earlier.

'I could move to New York and see broadway shows I've never wanted to see'

'There's always casinos–'

'–Or what about splurging your money on dumb things that you'll quite literally never need?'

You laughed at your thoughts. You made up your mind right there, you were going to live the rest of your life just the way it was. It’d be easier that way. You didn't have friends, no longer had parents, so it's not like anyone would really miss you really. All you had was your pet cat and your guitar. And truth be told, that's all you needed. 

Coffee.

"Hello?" You snapped out of your gaze to see a beautiful brunette standing in front of you. The second thing you noticed was her accent, you'd never heard it before. “I was wondering if this seat was taken?” She softly smiled at you. You returned the gesture and shook your head no. "The place is cram packed and you seemed trustworthy. I hope I'm not disturbing you or anything, you seemed to be pretty deep in thought." The young woman blushed a crimson color, "I'm sorry I probably seem weird or something, I'll go."

Normally you would have cared, but at this point in time you didn't mind the company. So, with the slightest bit of hesitation, you called out for her.

“Wait! It’s fine, don’t worry. I-I’m all alone.” The woman’s smile widened as she took a seat across from you. “Thanks. I'm Wanda, what's your name?”

"Y/N." 

"Y/N..." She flexed your name on her tongue, "That's a beautiful name."

"I'm stuck with it for life, so I sure hope it's at least a decent name." You narrowed your eyes at her as you joked. A giggle escaped the gap between her lips, causing a small flutter to emit in your stomach.

"So what do you do?" She asked, intrigued by your presence.

"Well I do a lot of things, I walk, I talk, I breathe-"

"Oh shut up! You know what I meant." Wanda’s eyes gleamed with friendliness and warmth. She seemed like the type you'd be friends with if you weren't dying. "Okay, okay, I play guitar and sing while my cat eats her food." Wanda's eyes lit up at the mention of a cat. 

"You have a cat? What's her name?" Her elbows were propped up on the table with her head resting in her hands, showing just how actually interested she was in you.

“Her name is Nala. You know, from The Lion King?”

Wanda’s brows furrowed together. She’d never seen The Lion King, much less heard of it.

Your jaw dropped at her confusion. “You mean to tell me you’ve never seen The Lion King?”

“I’m Sokovian, what do you expect?” 

“Ahh, I see. Well, do you at least have any pets?”

"My apartment doesn't allow pets."

"So? Sneak one in." You replied nonchalantly, crushing ice between your teeth. Wanda looked at you in shock. "No way! Knowing me I'd get my ass caught on the first day." You shrugged in reply and the conversation quickly went dead.

Wanda checked her phone, moving abruptly to get up from her seat. "I'm so sorry, I have to go now. I'll see you around, okay?"

“Sure.”

After another half hour of waiting on nothing and thinking about everything, you finally decided it was time to leave. A feeling of regret washed over you. The woman was kind, very friendly, something that you craved.

But you couldn’t allow yourself these things now, especially given the direction you were heading.

_____

Over the next few weeks you'd spent your time songwriting, journaling and a midst of other lonely, boring things. Sometimes you'd catch yourself thinking about the woman in the coffee shop, but you tended not to dwell too much on the past. 

You thought about your tumor and all the different ways it was growing inside you. It grossed you out more than anything, but you weren't afraid. At least not now you weren't. 

A heavy sigh slipped from your lips, and the sudden urge to go to the park overtook the need to do anything else. You’d never really visited the park in your area before, so you decided now was the time. 

The beige acoustic guitar rest heavily on your shoulders, similarly to the weight of the world. It was bitter, no taste of sweetness was left over in the aftermath.

Leaves crunched under your feet as you made your way into the park. The smell of pine and bark surrounded you, just as the pinch of cold air that struck your face. It was tranquil.

You marched your way over to a nearby tree secluded from everyone else. Setting your guitar down, you nested cozily against the wood. Your journal rest aside your hip as did the pen that exchanged your thoughts into words.

Humming quietly, your fingertips grazed the instrument’s delicate strings. Music filled the air around you, but it came to a quick stop nearly ten minutes after you’d begun.

"Hey, I know you. Y/N, right?" You heard a familiar accented voice behind you. You turned around to find Wand standing above you. "Uh yeah, that's me. What's up?" She sat down beside you, making you a little uncomfortable, but you figured you could deal with it for the sake of being nice. 

"Nothing. I just saw you and thought I’d say hi. What about you? I see you have your guitar."

“Just singing,” you mumbled quietly.

She smiled and pushed a strand of hair out of your face that was blown in from the wind. "You’re really pretty." You bit your lip and you could feel the heat rise to you face. "Thanks."

"Mhm. So last time I didn't get your number, maybe I will this time?" She asked (although her eyes were begging). You couldn’t help but feel something while she bit her lip, her doe eyes unintentionally focusing on your lips.

"I'll have to give you mine, I didn't bring my phone with me – don’t use it much." You replied. She handed her phone to you and you typed your number in.

"Do you not have family or friends you keep up with?" Her brow quirked in curiosity.

"Parents died, no siblings, and no friends. I don't have many people to worry about."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine, I don't mind." She looked down in her lap before asking another question. "What about a job? Do you work?" Wanda was definitely a curious one, but each question she asked carried you in a way you’d never felt before. It was refreshing to have someone interested in you, and not your disease. 

"Nope, when my parents died they left all their life savings to me. It's plenty enough for me to live on." Your fingers began lightly playing the chords of a song. It was often that you unknowingly played when you were scared or nervous. You'd only realize afterwards. 

"That's good– not that your parents died, but you know, you have money and stuff. Even if it's– oh my god- " 

You cracked out a laugh, causing her to look at you in terror. Noticing this, you rest a hand on her shoulder. "Wanda, it's okay. You're fine, I know what you mean." She nodded shyly and looked up to the sky. 

"Hey, it's sunset! I love sunsets, I used to watch them all the time with my brother back in Sokovia." Her voice wavered at the end of her sentence, and you easily picked up on it.

"Something wrong?" You asked. She laid her head on your lap and you stiffened, but quickly relaxed. This is fine. This is okay. You set your guitar aside and began to play with her hair.

"I miss him. Pietro..." She paused for a second before continuing. "He died a couple of years ago from cancer." You felt your heart drop for the first time at the mention of the horrid disease that stripped you away from most of your life. "Oh." The word seemed to become your go-to for whenever you didn't know how to accept information you were given.

"He was the other half of me. We were twins, I felt like my whole world fell apart. After he died I moved out of my country and moved here. Since then I've made some good friends. You might like them." 

“I’m sorry about your brother. I’m sure he was wonderful, Wanda.” You whispered, bringing a piece of her hair to the end of a braid. “I'm happy you've made some friends." Wanda nodded and snuggled closer in your lap. "Maybe I can be your friend?" You gave it a thought. You weren't sure you could do that to her, not with your illness anyway. Guilt nawed at you already. She’d already lost someone so beloved and close to her from it, how awful you began to feel if you had to put her through that again.

"Y/N?"

You stared at her for a few moments before answering. "I don't know, maybe." She turned over to face you, but you avoided her gaze. "I'm going to figure you out you know." You stifled a laugh, "And you'll be sorry you ever did."

"Whatever."

____

Four months passed and you thought they would be empty, meaningless months, but with Wanda nuzzling her way into your life you began to feel alive for the first time. When she came around it was like a switch you couldn't turn off. 

Right now, you sat at your desk strumming your guitar while watching Nala play with a toy dinosaur you’d bought her just weeks ago. This life was good too, you thought. But it was lonely.

You weren't quite sure what Wanda meant to you yet, but you were slowly discovering that whatever the two of you had, blossomed into something more each second you spent together.

Popping a Vicodin in your mouth, your phone buzzed. It would be no one else but Wanda.

be there in a few, it's urgent. 

Panic set in your body as you worried for the safety of your friend. What could possibly be the matter? Normally Wanda talked about what was bothering her.

A knock at your door brought you out of your gaze and you stumbled to answer it. Wanda was distressed, her hair a mess and her eyes red.

“Whats wro-” You were cut off By Wanda smashing her lips onto yours. 

She pulled back in shock. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I-"

You shut her up by pushing her into the wall, door closing behind you. Her lips tasted of strawberry and her hands began to roam your body.

One thing led to another and you both ended up naked on your bed. How amazing it must be to wake up and know that you won’t be dead in the next few months.

"You're good. Almost too good. Where did you learn all that from having no friends?" She smirked at you. You gave her a smile and kissed her again. Your arms wrapped around her nude body and together you felt the utter bliss and excitement radiating from one another.

. . . . 

Three weeks later yoy began to shake. It was hardly noticeable, and it just so happened to occur when you were playing

It’s downhill from here and you know that.

"Can you fix it? Can you fix this?" You yelled at him, despite knowing it was all your fault. If you would've just taken the treatments you wouldn't be in this place. But back then your life had no real meaning, it was just you and your cat.

You hadn't planned on falling in love with someone. 

"There's nothing I can do now. Treatments won't work, it's too far gone. I'm surprised it took this long to start showing symptoms."

For the first time in years, you felt tears beginning to build in your eyes. "You don't understand, I love her and now I'm just going to leave her? This can't be happening, you have to do something!" You pleaded, but the doctor’s eyes were solemn, giving you the only reply you needed. 

You stormed out of the hospital and made your way to Wanda. Silence rang through your ears.

Tell her. You have to tell her.

It will be over.

Sobs wrecked your body as you fumbled with the keys to your shared apartment. The door opened to a sight you wanted to live forever.

There she was, perched on the couch while massaging Napa’s scruffy fur. She was content, happy, and here you were to ruin it.

"Y/N? Baby what's wrong?" She got up from her spot and rushed over to you, worry etched on her face. You clung onto her for more life than you had left. And god, You weren't scared before, but you sure as hell were now. 

"I have terminal cancer."

Wanda froze.

"That's not funny, Y/N. You know how I feel about this topic." Her glare was hasty, burning into your skin.

"I was diagnosed almost five months ago, please Wanda you have to believe me. I have tremors, don't you see?" You raised your hand up to show her, but she slapped it away. "You're making yourself do that, Y/N. Stop joking, or I'm leaving." She crossed her arms

"W-What?" Your chest tightened.

"I said stop joking."

"I'm not joking, Wanda!"

"I'm leaving," She huffed, snatching her jacket before slamming the door shut.

And it was true, she did leave. However, Wanda didn't leave for the reasons she gave you.

She loved you, but she couldn’t handle another loss like this.

. . . . 

During the next two months you experienced the most heartache you'd ever felt before. The combination of vomiting, body aches, and dizziness didn't help. If anything, it made it worse. You missed Wanda. Everything about her gave you a reason to live.

You were on your seventh month and the pain was unbearable. It hurt to reach out for a cup of water, your hands shook uncontrollably all while sending jolts of scorching pain throughout the entirety of your arm.

Undoubtedly, the hospital bed became your next best friend (although it was the worst one you’d ever had. But it somehow managed to weasel its way back in your life).

Wanda was nowhere to be seen, and if anything that only progressed your disease. The only thing that kept you sane was your guitar, and the fact that Nala was being taken care of by a sweet, old nurse (who sometimes snuck her in so you could see her).

It was about the small things now. 

More days passed and each one was getting worse. By now you just wanted to end it all on your own, but you were physically too weak to do that.

There was a knock on your door, but you ignored it thinking it was just another nurse. "Y/N?" The voice was soft, it felt like it'd been years since you last heard it. You turned your head slightly to see Wanda standing in the doorway. A weak smile formed on your face.

"Hey you." 

Wanda quickly dropped her things and ran to your side. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She mumbled over and over again as you calmly stroked her hair.

"It's okay, you know it is." You whispered in her ear. She looked up at you and shook her head, "But it's not okay, I left you when you needed me the most." You stared at her adoringly and the tips of your fingers gently rubbed away the tears from her face. "But I'm still here, aren't I?" She laughed through her cries, "Yeah... you're still here."

Both of you knew you didn't have much time left, but you ignored that other than the fact that you made her promise to take care of Nala when you were gone. She held your hand and got you everything you needed.

And you love her so deeply for that.

One night you had the feeling that your time was coming soon, so you woke Wanda up from her sleep. "Sweetheart?" She stirred a little before finally sitting up. 

"Yeah?"

"Hand me my guitar?" She tilted her head, "But your shakes?" You ignored her and asked for it again. 

When she handed you your beloved guitar you took it with grace. "Come help me, I wanna play a song." She nodded and came to your side.

Your fingers struggled as they strummed the delicate strings on the instrument. You picked one of Wanda's favorite, and when you were done you spoke lightly.

"My guitar is slightly out of tune, but I'm eternally yours."

[bansheeoftheforest]

Uh, is there still an angst break? Ignore this ask until your ready if so 👉😎👉

-

What was the au where Jekylls pushed down the stairs and experiences a skull crackening again? Oh well but I've been thinking of a branch of that where Jekyll doesn't know hes dead like all day. I also cant remember if that was already discussed or not

The lodgers patch him up, he complains of a headache, and goes on his merry way! He's confused why all the lodgers are so nervous and being nice to him all of the sudden, why creature is looking at him with a stange mix of empathy and pity. He was told he fell down the stairs, fell unconscious, and obtained a bit of an injury. He cant fathom why Frankenstein is "The only doctor who can treat him" why he has to constantly go to her for checkups. Why Maijabi is suddenly following him practically everywhere.

Hyde squeezes back control for a moment and tries the potion but it doesn't work. Maybe a bit of pain but certainly no transformation. Jekyll assumes his injury or whatever medication they're giving him to treat it somehow negated the effects

Jekyll complains about "suddenly blacking out" the lodgers know its because his soul is slippery. They tell him it must just be a side effect of the injury and not to worry

How long can they keep it secret from him? When does he find out? Does he? Does it get to be years only for him to realize that he hasn't aged? That he still needs checkups from Frankenstein? Does he learn sooner? Does a lodger crack and say it? Does he rot? Does he notice how so very cold he is. How animals act around him? It's all very interesting,,

-

I actually did think a bit of Jekyll's kidnappers for the amnesia kidnapping au! When drawing that lil sketch of Henry and O'Leary meeting Robert I had considered making it so O'Leary was suspicious of Lanyon like "Oh theres no news anywhere of someone matching Thomas' description who's missing. But some random people walk up claiming to know him? Begging to take him back with them?" And he'd think they were the kidnappers. But ultimately I decided against it as I felt Lanyon and Rachel were pretty clearly, genuinely concerned for "Thomas" :p

-

I tried playing assassins creed once, the first(?) one. But the controls were confusing and everything was sorta thrown all at me at once, and I got bored of it quickly

But! I went to the store the other day and just so happened to notice Syndicate was being sold for 15 dollars 👀 So I bought it because funky Victorian assassins and your influence! It's a bit less confusing then the first ac game I tried but why is going down or dropping so hard bdksnks. I'm having quite a bit of fun! If you dont count my rage and annoyance-, the B button refuses to cooperate with me unless I'm looting corpses >:(

The b button being the bane of my existence aside, I AM having fun! I like the funky outfits and I want to play as the girl twin (evie?) forever because her clothes are good and shes better at attacking than jacob(?) For some reason. Probably the stun her weapon has? Oh well! I have not unlocked any new outfits yet, nonetheless I wish there were more.

Also! I was thimking, and my current quests are taking place at 1868? Did I get that right? And Jekyll is like 35 in 1885. So in game he'd be 18! An au like I believe you mentioned sounds very interesting 👀 but I must play more to know what's going on and daydream about it

That would be the resurrection au <3

But god, I really like that branch! Especially combined with the hc that he can't feel pain bc the HJ7 and the transformations made him immune. Frankenstein patched him up and made fleshweaver to heal the crack in his skull but it still has to be bandaged, he surely broke a few bones, yet all he has to do is to be careful because it doesn't even hurt. He doesn't even realize how severe the injuries are because it doesn't hurt, it very well might just have been that he accidentally slipped at the bottom of the staircase and accidentally hit his head on the railing during his fall, rather than getting physically pushed and flying down the stairs, shattering his skull upon impact with the marble floor. Y'know what would be extra fun? If he only starts getting a bit suspicious about how severe the injury was once he realizes his lungs stop breathing for minutes at a time when he gets distracted, or his heartbeat stops dead in his chest. I know that that's not how biology or even creature works but lets say the HJ7 is funky, Zombie Jekyll my beloved. Perhaps he would only fully grasp what had happened once he blacked out too much and 'passed out', but his soul slipped out enough to leave his body unconscious on the floor while his soul/ghost was just... Watching. And it's not until Maijabi (who, as you said, follows him everywhere) immediately calls for more Lodgers saying that Henry's soul is getting unstable and Frankenstein's lousy job is starting to shine through that he fully understands that it was not a mere hit to the head. Or maybe it is when days, weeks, maybe months has passed and the headache never goes away, he only feels how his body starts feeling so much more... Fragile and delicate, that the guilt has eaten Helsby up alive and he corners him and spills everything, knowing he is going directly against what the group agreed to but not being able to keep it a secret much longer-- or maybe Creature would tell him immediately, once Henry is, for once, alone perhaps days after the initial accident. He cannot see Henry struggle to understand what is going on when he already knows what's happening to Henry, his mind, and his body. He doesn't listen to the plan that Frankenstein and the Lodgers has set up and immediately tells Henry the first moment they are alone. That would certainly be horrifying, I can only imagine how the Lodgers would find Henry after that, once he actually knows and manages to process everything. He would be so mad, not only to have been killed in the first place, but also because he was robbed of an afterlife because the Lodgers were selfish and could not accept the consequences of their actions. He would be mad, he would be so pissed and I have no doubt he might actually be mad at Maijabi too for even agreeing to help Frankenstein and the rest of the Lodgers. That anger would not stay long, though. That anger would soon turn into misery and sadness and paranoia so even as Henry has tried to push Maijabi away, Henry still ends up on his doorstep begging him to help him make sure he is not rotting, because no matter what anyone says, he is sure he can see rotten spots and patches on his skin and he is just so scared and jdhfjsdfdsfsfs... <3

--

Ooooooohhh, I was actually daydreaming about this just this morning! Granted, I woke up at 5 and began to daydream to fall asleep quicker but I still like the thought of O'Leary being suspicious of Robert/Rachel/Jasper/the Lodgers bc he is protective of 'Thomas' and doesn't want anything bad to happen to him and especially with the idea that Henry still has hallucinations and they both think he was abandoned by his family, left to rot at a mental asylum. O'Leary might very well think that it might be Henry's friends and family that dumped him that Henry had 'escaped' the hospital and that's why they knew he was missing since the Asylum itself obviously wouldn't have posted the news... I really liked Jeks idea, okay? Like a lot, I absolutely love it <3

--

Oh, the oldest AC game I played was Unity bc it was free after the Notre Dame fire, and I can confirm, I played 15 min and could not get through it even if i would have wanted to, it absolutely sucks so i have no doubt the older games are just as frustrating <3

BUT!!!! I'M SO GLAD MY CORRUPTION IS SPREADING AND YOU BOUGHT AND PLAYED IT AND ARE ENJOYING IT SO FAR!!! Trust me, Syndicate truly is an absolutely amazing game and is definitely one of my top 3 games of all time. I sometimes play it w my friend watching me play and trust me, I know that rage of trying to do smt but the character does smt else... or you try to do smt but the game doesn't react and you miss your chance... Oh well, still a wonderful game <3

My friend loves to play as Evie as well but I'm definitely playing Jacob every chance I get and I honestly get a lil pissy when I have to play as Evie bc I always prefer to play male characters, plus, I just like Jacob better bc he is a sweetheart. He is also canonically bisexual as hell!!! Have you met Abberline yet? The police officer? Him and Jacob together is one of my fave ships for the game. I also bought the ultimate/golden/whatever name it was edition so I had a bunch of extra outfits, I love the sherlock holmes outfit for Jacob but my friend keeps bullying me for it </3

Honestly? The time difference is the bane of my entire idea for the au bc if it's during their time Henry hasn't even graduated yet, and definitely not well-known enough for them to actively meet for whatever reason, and if you use the timeline for the jack the ripper dlc (in 1888) a lot of... Less than pleasant things happen so it wouldn't really make a lot of sense for a crossover to happen at that point but maybe it's just bc im a pussy and refuse to play the dlc. Rn, while imagining the au, I just imagine the 1868 timeline to be the same as the TGS timeline. I like to imagine the Frye Twins hearing about Henry and the Society and promptly breaking into his office to ask him to make poison and stuff for them. I also have a feeling that Jacob would flirt wildly with Henry and that Henry would be less-than-amused. It would also be a very fun thing with the fact that there would be two Henrys, with TGS Henry Jekyll and AC Syndicate Henry Green, soo... XD

[otome--fantasy]

Of Demons and Dragons

Ikemen Sengoku Imagine: Being able to turn into a dragon.

Ch.6

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of dark themes, mentions of alcohol consumption

You hadn't ment to fall asleep while you groomed your scales, you weren't even aware you had dozed off till an absolutely blood curdling scream and the sound of something wooden clattering to the floor woke you up. With a suprised grunt, your eyes shot open and you attempted to stand, causing you to bump your head and the points of your antlers hard against the cieling. You wriggled and writhed in a panic, desperately trying to move around as you had forgotten where you were.

"Princess?!?!"

Your head snapped to the open door to see a terrified Kinu, shaking with her hands covering her mouth, and the tray of food she had been carrying splayed out on the flooring. Your own eyes widened in suprise, but you quickly snapped out of it when she moved to run away. Without thinking, you lunged for her, catching her with your teeth by the back of her obi and pulling her into the med bay before using your nose to shut the door - all while she screeched in fear for her life.

"Kinu!" You called her name to try and get her attention, but she couldn't hear you over all her screaming. With a huff, you carried her to the center of the room. She was struggling and beginning to sob and hyperventilate as she tried to free herself from your grasp.

"Kinu!" She gasped and paused in her frightened fit at the sound of your voice.

"P-princess?!" She looked around the room, unsure of where your voice had originated from.

"I'm right here, Kinu."

She visibly froze and looked behind her to see you, "Oh goodness...!" The poor girl looked like she was on the verge of tears, "The beast ate you princess?!"

You sighed through your nose and rolled your eyes before gently putting her down on the floor and released her, "No Kinu," you corrected, "It is me."

She swallowed a thick lump in her throat, "Huh...?" And looked up up at you with her jaw dropped and eyes wide, "P-princess?"

"Yes, Kinu," you tilted your head slightly to the side, right ear twitching as you gazed at your maid. You briefly wondered how many times you would have to reiterate this.

"Wha-wha-what happened to you?" Her voice was shaky as she trembled, causing her to stutter.

"Nothing," you blinked, "I am the same as I've always been."

"But-but you're a...uh-"

"Dragon," you finished for her.

"Yes," her breathing was still erratic, but she was beginning to calm down. She collapsed into a sitting position on the floor as she watched you shift back to normal. She scrambled on all fours to hand you your robe once you had finished and she realized you were naked, "I came to collect you for your bath, Milady..."

She seemed afraid of you, but you couldn't really blame her. "Thank you," you gave her a small smile, taking the robe and sliding it on before securing it. Kinu simply nodded and staggered back to her feet, before silently motioning for you to follow. You trailed after her to the bath house where everything was laid out - towels on the racks, bath nice and hot, and some scrubbing rags by the tub.

"Well, miss," Kinu kept it formal, too on edge to be as open as she had previously been with you, "I'll leave you to it."

"Actually, Kinu," You called to her before she could exit the room, "I could use your assistance."

She turned back to see you sliding off your robe and climbing the steps to enter the bath. She gulped and silently made her way back to you while you settled into the tub. A small sob bubbled from within her throat. What were you going to do with her? Did she know too much? Were you going to drown her in the tub for finding out your secret? You could simply say that she slipped and fell into the tub while she was preparing it and no one would question a thing. Tears welled up in her eyes and slowly trickled down her face, "Miss?"

"You have a body scrub I can use, yes? And a brush?"

She nodded, walking over to the shelf on the back wall and pulled down a wooden box before placing it on one of the steps and opening it. She pulled out a brush, a bowl, and a few jars - opening them before pouring a bit of the contents into the mixing bowl. First she poured some pure white sand into the bowl, followed by ground salt. You watched her with curious eyes as she added a few herbs, oils, and other plants, "I thought salt was valuable?"

Maybe you had your history wrong, but you thought salt used to be very rare back in the old days. It was even sometimes treated as a commodity by some countries. "In places without easy access to the sea, yes. Besides, this is a special stash we keep for important guests."

Made sense.

After she mixed the ingredients thoroughly, you saw her peal what looked like an aloe vera leaf and add it to create a lotion-like substance. She then picked up the bowl and walked around the bath to the side you were leaning against and set it down on the top step, before taking a seat herself. She was obviously nervous, and was using the home made bath scrub as a fidgeting tool - constantly stirring it even after it had been consistently mixed.

"You have questions," you broke the silence and heard a sharp intake of air from her.

"T-the others, Milady," it took her a moment to gather her thoughts, and fight back the sobs that racked her body enough to form a coherent question, "d-do they know?"

"No, they are unaware," you sighed, making the silent decision not to tell her about Mitsuhide. She was shaken up enough as it was, you don't need to give the girl even an inkling that you may have threatened him.

"O-oh," she sighed. So you were in hiding? "W-what exactly are you, Milday?" There was still a bit of shakiness to her voice.

"A dragon."

"Are there more of you?" She gently began to brush your hair in an effort to give her hands something to do other than shake. She was careful when removing all the knots that had accumulated over the semi-long period of neglect. You took this moment to ponder where your ancestors would be in this current time period.

"Yes," she paused along with you before the both of you continued, "I think at around this time my kind was- are divided. Some of us live among the people, but most of us live in more remote places away from civilization."

Kinu stopped her motions once again, but this time she leaned over the edge of the tub so she could look at you, "Why?"

"I suspect because of the hunters."

Her brows furrowed in concern, people hunted dragons? Were there some hunting you? Well that explained why you hid yourself, and though it wasn't the full reason - had she voiced it she wouldn't be entirely wrong, "Hunters?"

"Yes there were-" you corrected yourself, "are many of them these days. Most of us think living with humans isn't worth the possibility of being killed, so we live secluded in very hidden locations."

"Oh," she seemed to sadden at this, before placing the washcloth into the bowl, and began to wash your shoulders, working her way to your neck before scrubbing back out towards your arms. She thought about your explanation, as well as the way you had been treating everyone since your arrival. She thought your confidence among the warlords was something to be admired - especially in the eyes of she and the more timid maids, and you had been fairly kind to her and the other servants thus far, "Well I think that truly is a great loss to the world that you should all stay hidden."

You chuckled at her naive view, but you couldn't blaim her, ignorance was bliss in this case but also dangerous. You were the only one of your kind she'd probably ever met (knowingly), "Most of us avoid people like the plague."

She tilted her head, not understanding the phrase, though whether is was due to lack of schooling or because Japan had yet to hear of the plague was beyond you, "But those of us who do live among you all," you sneared as you recalled the history of your people, "Nasty."

Oh yes, there was no end to the list of abhorrent things your kind did to the humans back in the old days. Sure there were some who just wanted to live peaceful lives along side strangers who looked like them, but others... human trafficking and cannibalism (can it be called that?) to name a few.

"What do you mean, miss?" Surely it couldn't be any worse than some of the things people already did to each other, and on some levels she was right, but still, "You don't want to know."

Kinu took that as her cue to shut her mouth before she continued scrubbing, but she stopped when you turned around to face her, "Would you head back to my room and prepare everything for me?" You looked at her with soft eyes and a kind smile. This was probably a lot for her to take in, and you wanted to give her a moment to sort herself out.

"Well sure, Milady. Was there a particular kimono you had in mind," she smiled feeling a bit more at ease now that the two of you had time to talk.

"No, I trust your judgment," besides, she probably knew better than you what would be more appropriate for an occasion such as this. Her smile widened, and she nodded before heading off to go prepare everything for you, and once you heard the door shut you let out a sigh. Today had not been the best, but hopefully from here on out things would get better.

You finished up your bath - scrubbing off all the unseen dirt and grime that must have accumulated from your many days without self care, before drying off, grabbing a new robe, and sliding it on to head back to your room. You must have been in there for at least an hour and a half, because when you returned there were two mugs of water on your dresser along with another full of elixer.

Kinu looked up from smoothing out the kimono that had been laid out for you and followed your gaze, "Ah yes, Lord Ieyasu said he wanted you to drink at least one glass of water and your next dose of elixer before you went to the feast."

You gave Kinu a tight smile accompanied by a small humourless laugh, "Yes, of course," that was the first thing you did after closing the door behind you - hoping that the preparations for tonight would take long enough that both drinks wouldn't spoil your dinner too much. At first you weren't going to drink the second glass of water, but the medicine seemed to be getting worse everytime you drank it, so the extra glass was useful for getting rid of the disgusting aftertaste.

You now stood in front of a mirror that had been brought to your room to dress you and eyed the choice of design on your kimono rather curiously. There was an embroidery of a large dragon that stretched from below your waist line to the bottom of the kimono, the main color matched that of your scales, the stitched dragon matched your secondary colors, and the floral designs that served as a background for the dragon added a variety of color. Your hair was in a nice bun with loose curls and decorative accessories of flowers here and there. You almost didn't recognize your reflection staring right back at you, and you remained silent till the other maids left.

"You look beautiful, Princess," Kinu smiled, the imagery of the designs of your Kimono ironically flying over her head - even just after your conversation, though you wondered if she had done this intentionally.

"Kinu, did you pick this for me?" You turned and gave her a gentle smile, wanting her to know that, if she had, she wasn't in trouble, but if she hadn't-

"No, Mitsuhide arrived while I was looking for a suitable kimono, and said that you had requested to wear this specific one." She smiled at you through the mirror, oh so happy and blissfully unaware of what had transpired between you and the kitsune, "I assumed you thought of something you really wanted to wear and had changed your mind."

Fuck you, Mitsuhide.

"Oh yes," you laughed humorlessly, "How could I have forgotten," the smile didn't fade from your expression, though it didn't quite reach your eyes.

"Is something wrong, Princess?" Kinu, having been a servant for many years, recognized even the most subtle change in mood.

"No," you reassured her by turning to place a hand on her shoulder, "It's beautiful."

She placed a hand atop yours and returned your smile, "No, Milady, you're beautiful."

After a moment your turned back to look in the mirror and sighed. Kinu made a last minute check of your attire before she was sure you looked perfect. She smoothed out any wrinkles or creases that had gone unnoticed, and straightened out your obi. The outfit wasn't ceremony fancy, or 'trophy princess' flashy, but it was very obvious a lot of time and effort had gone into it and you appreciated every detail.

Once Kinu was sure everything was in its place, she escorted you to the mess hall where you undoubtedly turned heads. You caught the attention of the warlords who had been conversing with each other, and a few of the vassals gawked at you. You were not quite sure where your place was in all this, till Nobunaga waved you over to an empty seat between he and Masamune.

"I'll leave you to it, Milady," Kinu smiled before she turned to leave, but you stopped her by grabbing her arm, "You aren't going to eat with us?"

She shook her head, "The servants normally eat separately from the vassals and in private."

Your brows furrowed and you glanced at Nobunaga before looking back towards her. You had words, but she placed her hand on the one you had used to grab her and held it, "It's okay, Milday. It's this way so there are people to serve and bring the food out to the others," she giggled, "And there are no servants for servants, so we all just eat in the kitchen or in our rooms."

You grit your teeth for a split second, she had a point, "If you say so," before nodding to Kinu and turning to make your way to Nobunaga. You walked to the right of the mess hall and around all the tables. There were six of them in total, five were arranged columnar so one end was towards the mess hall entrance and the other towards the back of the room, with equal spacing between them; the sixth one was set up horizontally centered towards the back, each end pointing towards the left and right sides of the room respectfully.

The table at the back is where all the warlords were seated, with the exception of Mitsunari who sat between Hideyoshi (to his left) and Ieyasu (to his right at the farthest end). As you approached the table, you caught eyes with Mitsuhide who sat at the end on the side you approached from, and glared at him. He sent you an amused smile in return that made you bite back the urge to swipe at him the way you did three months ago.

"Why Princess," the kitsune's grin widened slightly.

Don't react.

"You look absolutely ravishing in that kimono."

You sent him a quiet hiss when you walked past, before taking your seat between the Demon Commander himself and the One Eyed Dragon, "Mitsuhide is right, lass. That kimono suits you very well."

You shot Masamune a sweet smile and shrugged your shoulders slightly, "Thank you, Masamune. I had no idea it was in my closet." You didn't even bother acknowledging Mitsuhide as you had made the silent decision to ignore him for the night.

"Yes," Nobunaga cut in to your conversation, getting your attention when he moved a stray curl behind your ear, "Your outfit choice for the night is very fitting." He brushed his fingers along the decorative faux flowers in your hair, an action that was oddly soothing, "Delicate like a flower," he moved one of the tassels from your obi's ties out of your lap, better exposing the dragon embroidery underneath it, "But fierce like a dragon."

His words, his actions, his smug ass smile was all very breathtaking and sent a nice tingle up your spine. "Thank you," you unintentionally purred, "Though to be honest, I really can't take any credit. The maids picked out everything, and did all the work." You picked up your tea mug, "All I did was stand there and look pretty."

"You're having tea?" Masamune shot you a look before picking up a spare saucer of saké, "Tonight is a night for celebration."

"I don't think my doctor would condone that," you looked to the blue-clad warlord and chuckled.

"He wouldn't," Ieyasu spoke up from the other end of the table and shot the two of you a glare.

"Sorry," you laughed bringing the tea to your lips, "Warden says no," before taking a sip and placing the mug down. Masamune clicked his tongue and shook his head, placing the saucer down before picking up his own cup of tea. You raised a brow at him, and he shrugged, "Solidarity."

"Masamune can't drink," Hideyoshi clarified. Ah, he can't handle liquor. The revelation made you giggle, and Masamune sent a glare towards Hideyoshi.

"You should try some of the Sashimi and Dumplings, Milady!" Mitsunari leaned over the table to look past Hideyoshi and Nobunaga, and towsrds you.

"No she shouldn't," Ieyasu interjected, "She is still recovering. No raw foods," he said with finality.

"Damn Salmonella," you grumbled. To be honest it was fine by you, you were hungry but due to Ieyasu's warning you didn't want to eat anything heavy, and meat in general was as heavy as food could get. "What?" Masamune looked at you with a confused face, and you sighed - remembering that a lot of food born illnesses didn't have names yet.

Oh that probably means that any time someone got sick from food poisoning, they blamed it on someone trying to kill them.

"Nothing," you couldn't hold back the chuckle that bubbled from your own personal thoughts.

Nobunaga reached for something that was infront of him, but closer to the other edge of the table and silently winced in pain. The quiet sound caught your attention and you watched him for a moment, not sure if you heard him right. He tried again, only for the same sound to escape him. Were you missing something? When did he get injured? You took the tray of sushi he had been reaching for and placed it next to his, earning a quiet thanks from him.

You briefly glanced around the room, to make sure your eyes weren't deceiving you, and surprisingly the subtle spectacle had not gotten the attention of any vassals around the room. Nobunaga seemed to be favoring his right arm and you narrowed your eyes at him.

"Are you okay?" You tried to keep the conversation quiet, but it was difficult with so many different conversations going on around the room.

"What?" He turned to look at you to better understand your question.

"I said, are you okay?" You spoke up a bit, hoping no one outside the warlords table had heard you.

"It's nothing," he stated simply, before brushing off your concerns for the rest of the feast. You watched him like a hawk while the others enjoyed eating and drinking, though you suspected the other warlords were doing it in moderation and you wondered why for a moment. The vassals however didn't hold back, they got loud halfway through the celebration, but their drunken banter put a smile on your face.

The group seemed really tightknit, more like a very large band of brothers than a garrison of soldiers under the command of different leaders. The night wound down when there was almost no food left on the tables for the vassals, and they left in groups of three or more to either head off to bed or find somewhere else to indulge themselves. Within an hour of the food depleting to nothing, the hall was empty save for Ieyasu, Mitsunari, Hideyoshi, Nobunaga, yourself, Masamune, and Mitsuhide.

Should you leave? You wanted to, but you felt awkward being the only one at the table to leave, before Mitsunari spoke up, "We should head to the council room before it gets too terribly late."

That caught your attention, and you perked up a bit, "You all are going to have a council meeting right now?"

"Not just us, you too."

Shut up Mitsuhide.

"But why?" You huffed, "I'm no one important."

"Nonsense," Mitsunari looked over towards you with a gentle smile, "You're the Oda Princess."

"Not a real one though," Ieyasu snarked.

"One of the topics we are going to cover tonight involves you," Nobunaga finally answered your question. Your brows furrowed, "Me?" You repeated, "How?"

Nobunaga chuckled before moving to stand, "Come to find out."

Ugh.

The other warlords followed his lead, and with a begrudging sigh, you trailed after them. You contemplated ditching them and just returning to your room for the night - being around so many lively people drained your energy. However, before you could linger too much on the idea, you entered a hall that looked familiar. Dang, here already.

When you entered, the warlords took their places at their assigned seats, while you followed Nobunaga up the dais, only to pick up your pillow and walk over to the spot next to Ieyasu, before plopping it and yourself down.

Nobunaga leaned back slightly and let out a sigh. You glanced around the room, before turning to look at the raven haired man, and leaned in his direction, "Are you really okay? You seemed stiff the entire feast."

"No," at least he was finally being honest, and you weren't going to have to jump through too many hoops to get an answer like you would most men. Your brows furrowed at this, "What's wrong?"

Before you could get an answer out of him, Hideyoshi cleared his throat and Nobunaga waved off your question. "I'll begin," Hideyoshi watched you till he was sure you wouldn't interrupt and then continued, "I have a report on the villains who attacked Lord Nobunaga at Honno-ji."

You perked up a bit, it had been a while since you heard of the incident. "Mitsunari," the brunette turned to his vassal, "The night of the attack, you sent several men to follow their tracks."

"Yes," he nodded in confirmation, "I had hoped to search for their whereabouts. However," Mitsunari paused for a moment to clear his throat, "Last night several bodies were delivered to the castle."

Your eyes widened, having a feeling you knew what he was going to say next.

"It was the men I had sent out."

You glanced around the room to gauge the others reactions. Most if not all of them remained calm and expressionless, though you couldn't say you were suprised. This type of thing was probably normal to them. People didn't exactly have a long life expectancy in this time period. You looked at Nobunaga through the corner of your eye as he held a disturbingly pleased smile in his face.

Asshole.

"They must have gotten close," he chuckled, "Apparently their leader doesn't want me learning his identity."

"We may be out of leads," Hideyoshi sounded resolute, and you could hear the anger growing in his voice, "but we won't give up the search. Those assassins won't be allowed to roam free."

"Hideyoshi, I want you and Mitsunari to come to my room afterwards to discuss this more." You looked at the Oda leader with a raised brow, though your eyes narrowed in suspicion - he was up to something.

"Yes, my lord," they both replied in sync.

"If I may, I have a report as well," Mitsuhide began to speak with a smile on his face, "The scouts we sent out to reconnotier the eastern front came back to us with rather curious rumors."

You raised a brow, partially because you had never heard that word used before in the place of recon or reconnaissance, and partly because you were actually interested in what the snake had to say. "It means to gather information, Princess," you shot a glare in Ieyasu's direction - half tempted to make his tea erupt again, but sadly he didn't have one.

"I know what it means," you snapped back at him, "You should be paying attention to the report and not whether or not I have a grasp on military jargon."

"They say the Dragon of Echigo is alive," Mitsuhide continued on as if he hadn't been interrupted, "And he is sheltering the Tiger of Kai back to life from his supposed death due to illness."

"Interesting," Nobunaga raised a hand to rub his chin in thought.

Dragon of Echigo? Your brows furrowed at the irony. How cute- a soft sigh interrupted your thoughts, and you looked at Ieyasu with an annoyed expression.

"The Dragon of Echigo is Kenshin Uesagi, Lord of Kasugayama Castle in Echigo. The Tiger of Kai is Shingen Takeda. They're brave generals who vied with Nobunaga for power. Both of them supposedly died some time back."

"Thanks, Wikipedia-" you snarked, but Ieyasu wouldn't stop till he had delivered an insult, "And incase you're wondering, your cluelessness was written all over your face. Try being quiet will you?"

"You should really get checked out, Ieyasu, it isn't healthy to be hearing voices that aren't there." And while your at it get your eyes checked too.

"Mitsuhide," your and Ieyasu's quiet squabble did nothing to interrupt Nobunaga and Mitsuhide's conversation, "Can you verify this?"

"Not yet. So far it's just been nothing but rumors. But I will bring you proof." You saw nothing wrong with this idea. If he went chasing rumors, he wouldn't be in Azuchi to pester you. Please go away, Mitsuhide.

"Hold on, Mitsuhide."

Ugh.

"Yes?" Mitsuhide turned his attention to Hideyoshi.

"Why are you leaving our lord's side to go chasing rumors?"

You had almost forgotten that Hideyoshi suspected Mitsuhide... Almost.

"It's simple. If they turn out to be true we need to know as soon as possible to plan our next move." Hideyoshi got quiet after Mitsuhide's reply, but that didn't mean that the brunette was backing down. Your gaze shifted between the two as the silently glared at eachother from across the room.

"Can you promise you're not planning anything?"

The whole argument made you want to groan outloud, but you refrained from doing so. You knew for a fact, the last thing Mitsuhide wanted to do was betray Lord Nobunaga - he just liked to play Devil's advocate.

"Anything?" A sly smile crept onto Mitsuhide's face, "Could you be more specific, Hideyoshi? I'm a little slow on the uptake, you see."

You wanted to slap that smile off his face and tell him to quit his shit, but you also wondered why he was trying so hard to look like he was up to something. You kept your gaze on the kitsune, examining him for answers.

"You know what I'm talking about. I need to know you are not planning to betray our Lord to his enemies."

"Would you trust me if I told you I wasn't?" Mitsuhide chuckled, "What's to prevent me from lying or changing my mind, Hideyoshi?"

"Mitsuhide," Hideyoshi spoke through gritted teeth, "why does a man of your talents insist on such-"

"Enough, both of you," at the proverbial snap of his fingers, Nobunaga's command caused the both of them to cease their arguing. Once the room was silent, Nobunaga spoke once again, "Mitsuhide, I give you permission to scout Echigo. Ascertain whether the tiger and dragon are alive or dead, and what's going on a Kasugayama Castle."

"I understand, my lord," Mitsuhide bowed slightly with a nod of his head. You glanced at Nobunaga for a split second before gazing over at Hideyoshi. He seemed like he had a lot more say on the matter, but kept his opinions to himself after that.

You remembered the first day you met everyone. Hideyoshi and Mitsuhide had an argument almost exactly like this that time as well. Hideyoshi wanted to hear Mitsuhide say that he wasn't plotting behind their backs, but like today, Mitsuhide was insistent on antagonizing him. You once again wondered why Mitsuhide didn't just tell the truth, he was loyal to Nobunaga. Fiercely so- so loyal infact he had come after you knowing full well you had inhuman capabilities. There had to be some sort of angle to this.

"My plan was to begin an invasion of the western territories," with that out of the way, Nobunaga continued the council with a smile, "but I may have found bigger prey. Any activity from Echigo can't be overlooked. Make swift preparations for war. Masamune, Ieyasu. Gather the troops."

Both the one eyed warrior and the blond looked to their leader and nodded, "Yes, my lord."

"The rumors better be true," Masamune held a playful smile on his face, "I've been waiting for some action."

"Princess," Nobunaga's voice brought your attention to him, "It's your turn."

"Hm?" You raised a questioning brow to him, and wontered if you should make a smart ass comment but before you could, he answered your silent question. "I have orders for you."

"No," your turned up your nose at him, an action that only made his smirk widen, "I haven't given them yet."

"Don't care," you turned your head away from him, emphasizing the fact that you weren't having any of it.

"I enjoy your spirit but listen to what I have to say first." You still didn't turn to look at him, and after a moment he continued, "I hadn't mentioned this before, but I suffered an injury in the previous battle."

That got your attention. You turned to look at him and narrowed your eyes skeptically.

"When you put down that revolt?" Ieyasu's voice cut through your silence, and brought your gaze to him before you looked back at Nobunaga. Why was he barely making all this known now? It's been three months, you felt like this is something that should have been delt with long before?

Unless-

"Yes. A glancing blow from one of the arrows, but it has yet to heal."

You couldn't even say if it was true or not, you had been absent for a majority of the battle due to having to deal with a small skirmish of your own. "However," the raven haired warlord continued, "I must be in perfect condition for the next battle. And so I will be going on retreat to the springs."

Your glare only hardened as you watched him, silently searching for more answers, because you knew there was something he wasn't telling you.

"My dearest Lucky Charm will be coming with me."

"What?" Just like that you snapped out of your thoughts, "Why?"

"Isn't that nice," Mitsuhide chuckled from the other side of the room, "Congratulations on being chosen for such an important mission."

"I'm counting on you to not fall for our Lord too quickly, lass," Masamune jested at you in a friendly manner, a smug smirk etched on to his features.

"No one has answered my question yet???" You looked at the others confused.

"Princess," Hideyoshi tried to reassure you, you think, "remember to serve Lord Nobunaga as I would," or give you tips, you guess.

"But why???" You raised a brow at the brunettes comment. Bad choice of words, Hideyoshi, but then again he doesn't know the two of you nearly screwed.

"You sustained serious injuries as well, did you not?" Nobunaga was talking to you as if the answer should be obvious.

"Well yes but-" he didn't let you finish, "Then the hot springs will benefit you as well." He nodded, as if the action could physically bring a close to the conversation.

"Is it just going to be you and me?" You sighed, knowing there was nothing you could do to change his mind, so you may as well get as many details as you can.

"Yes, if word of this injury got out, there could be another revolt. For secrecy, I will take no guards and go with you alone."

Oh even you knew that was bull. Nobunaga was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He had to know going alone would be dangerous. Sure, he had you, but none were aware of what you were - save for Mitsuhide.

Unless of course-

"We leave in the morning. See that you're prepared, Princess."

He's trying to make himself look like an easy target. But what would he have to gain from this?

You gaped at him slightly when it occured to you.

He suspects a mole amongst his ranks and he's trying to draw them out by making himself look like an easy target.

Nobunaga was giving you a teasing smile.

If nothing happens, then he knows his inner circle is safe and the traitor is lower in the chain of command.

You looked around the room, examining the men you had though you'd come to know. They had all seemed fairly loyal in your eyes. It was obvious from the way Ieyasu used to birate you about your interactions with Nobunaga that he respects him very much. Hideyoshi practically worshiped the ground Nobunaga walked on. Mitsunari's loyalty to the Lord in question was second only to Hideyoshi, so it was a given that by association it wasn't him either. Masamune was always so eager to fight for Nobunaga and for some reason their relationship struck you as brotherly, and Mitsuhide had proven to you earlier that day how loyal he truly was to his lord.

Who could he possibly think it is?

"Close your mouth or you'll catch flies," Ieyasu snipped. You snapped you mouth shut and shot him a glare.

"You should probably start packing," Hideyoshi called your attention away from the blond and your face scrunched up slightly in distaste, "I guess, since you're leaving me with no other choice."

Nobunaga nodded at your words, as you stood up to head to your room. Like hell you were packing, more like staying up and thinking of a way to get the heck out of here.

"Kinu will be bringing you your last dose of medicine for the day," Ieyasu called after you., and you loudly groaned before closing the doors to the council room behind you.

When you arrived to your quarters, Kinu was already there with your medicine and a glass of water, as well as a few extra maids to assist you in removing your complicated garb. You allowed them to change you into your night attire first since the smell of the medicine assured you that this glass was even more concentrated before the last. Obviously the idea of shaking liquid medicine before giving it so it was equally distributed in each glass was still a foreign concept, and you could only assume the medicine was getting more potent because whatever was still in it that was solid had settled to the bottom and you may be nearly finished with the first batch.

You almost wanted to spit out the last sip. It had an unpleasant gritty texture to it and it felt like it left a thin film over the roof of your mouth and your tongue. Kinu quickly handed you your glass of water, and you eagerly chugged it before handing it back to her and politely asking for more.

You straightened out your night robe and turned to Kinu after she poured more water in your mug. The other maids bowed you, taking your used clothing before leaving the room and closing the door behind them. "How was the feast, Milady?" She smiled and handed you the ceramic cup.

"Good," was all you could really say. Of course you had tasted better food, but what could you expect from a world that had yet to obtain the variety of spices and cooking techniques of modern day life. "It wasn't what I was expecting," you chuckled, before taking a sip of your water "Lots of drinking and marry banter from the vassals. Don't know why I expected it to be stiff and stuffy."

Kinu covered her giggle with her hands, "Of course not, Princess. Banquets like this are often to help the lord's and their vassals unwind, it also helps boost morale if it's in celebration of something, such as your getting better."

"Yes well," you moved to sift though your closet, not entirely sure if you should really pack, "It was great up until the end."

Kinu tilted her head in a confused manor, and you glanced back at her when she remained silent, before turning back to your closet and explaining what you meant, "Lord Nobunaga wants me to go to the hot springs with him tomorrow-"

You were cut of my the maids failed attempt at muffling her excited squeals. And you turned to look at her, a smile creeping on to your face at her infectious joy, "Oh, Princess! That's wonderful!"

Your brows furrowed and you snickered, "How?"

"Well, Milady," she hastily walked over to you with an extra hop in her step, and made an effort to speak a bit more quietly, though it failed miserably, "I'm sure you're aware of the Lords fondness of you."

Fondness?

You scoffed and turned to look at Kinu, "He's only doing it because-" you paused, your smile dropping from your face as did not want to tell her your suspicions on why he is really doing all this, and you also didn't want to tell her he was 'injured' in fear of spoiling his little experiment. She looked at you expectantly, "Because...?"

You cleared your throat, "He thinks the hot spring will do me some good, and he thinks I would enjoy getting out of the castle for once."

Your little white lie only made her squeal again and you rolled your eyes, smile once again returning to your face as you pulled out a simple kimono off the rack. The material felt light and the had a little more give than most, it would be perfect for traveling, maybe. Your weren't sure. It was hard to say since you didn't know how exactly you would be traveling. You assumed by horse, and you've never ridden on a horse in a kimono for extended periods of time.

"That would be good for the trip there, Princess," oh yay, you made a good guess, "Would it be alright if I pack your things for you?" She stuttered slightly, afraid you would take her request the wrong way, "N-not that I don't think you know how to dress, it's just-"

"Kinu." She snapped her mouth shut, "I would appreciate it."

Just like that her excitement returned, "Oh! Thank you, Milady!" She hopped to your closet, taking your place when you moved out of the way. With a relaxed smile you made your way to your futon, slowly laying down onto the mat while Kinu flitted through your closet for everything she thought would be nice for you to take. She would pull out a kimono, talk out the pros and cons outloud before putting it back and picking out another. You talked with her while you could, asking questions and agreeing with some of her opinions, till all you could respond to her with was, "Mhmm..."

As your responses became quieter and quieter, she turned around to look at you and smiled at the image of you curled up beneath your blanket - the only thing visible was your head from your cheek bones up. She continued sorting through your closet till she was finished and then took her leave.