#Jenny draws hide your valuables | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

greetthedawn · 5 years ago

Link

Kiss me with those tired lips,

Let us stumble and fall

Oh it’s cold, I know

Just keep holding on

______________________

Song: Courthouse - Iwan Rheon

For as stuffy as the Assassins could be, the initiation party they threw Edward had knocked him flat on his ass.

He woke to a beam of light breaking through the trees. The sun hung in the sky at just the right angle to draw long across his eyeline, rousing him from the depths of his drunken slumber. Pulled somewhere near what could be called consciousness, his eyelids fluttered open, drowsy, and his gaze fell on the pink and orange sky, brimmed by the jungle canopy. He admired how easily their colors faded into one another, how he couldn't quite identify where one ended and the other began, or what the shade between the two might be called. It occurred to him, blearily, that he had slept through most of the day. It was justified, he supposed, given that they had celebrated through most of the night, but he still felt like a tad of a slob in his sauce for it.

He sat up slowly. His head span and his mouth was as dry as the soft earth beneath his fingers. At his feet were the charred remains of a bonfire, each of the coals blackened and free of any lingering warmth. Around the perimeter, he was able to identify the sleeping forms of a number of his friends. To his left, he found Mary asleep on her stomach. Rhona was stretched out perpendicularly on her other side, using the small of her back as a pillow. He smiled warmly. He knew them to be old friends, bonded from their Novice days, but they scarcely saw each other anymore. Rhona headed the Havana bureau those days and Mary seemingly sailed back and forth across every island but Cuba. It warmed his heart to watch them reconnect whenever their paths did cross.

His eyes fell to Mary's left hand, resting gently in front of her face. He could almost imagine her two shortened fingers whole again, the tips hiding in the patchy grass. He reached over and brushed the calloused skin along her knuckles lovingly, cherishing the moment of silent closeness. Stretching out his fingers, he laid them softly between hers. His brand stung, still fresh from the previous night's ceremony but slowly beginning the healing process. It was mirrored on her own ring finger, an inch below the severed tip. The finger held two burn scars in total, one much rougher and older than the other. Her brand was pink and weathered, somewhat jagged around the edges. The Observatory had been surgical in its amputation, but the skin that had healed over the third knuckle was much darker, almost black in the low light of dusk. He was grateful that her Assassin's mark had been spared in the accident.

The first sign of Mary's waking came from her fingers as he studied them. They reached and twisted back to lock with his. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and the muscles along her arm trembled as she stretched her shoulders and back, likely tight from the night's rough accommodations. The motion roused Rhona.

"Blimey," the latter woman complained as she pressed her palm to the side of her head. "How much did you lot let me drink last night?" She wobbled a bit as she pulled slowly into a seated position, supporting herself with her free hand against the dirt.

Edward chuckled and gestured at the spread of empty bottles around their perimeter. Several sat near minute divots in the dirt, as though they'd been thrown down with some force. A few were shattered, leaving behind a brilliant mosaic of brown and green. They'd have to clean those up later, lest Jenny or one of her friends found the shiny shards. "There wasn't much stopping you, mate. And I was in no condition to try, neither."

Mary groaned. "I'm going to hope I didn't drink my full share of those. Not that I can remember enough of the night to be sure." She and Edward laughed together at that, both knowing she had probably, in fact, put the rest of them under the table. He kissed her sweaty brow and she reached out to pull free the sloppy knot of hair at the nape of his neck. She shook it loose with her fingers, knocking out the caked-in clods of earth.

The sound of their voices stirred their sleeping friends at the other end of the ashy fire pit. Adéwalé sat against a tree with his chin to his chest and hands folded across his lap, looking somehow more stately than slovenly. As he stirred, he pushed his drawn hood back and rubbed the sweat off his bare scalp. To his side, Ikal and his partner, Glenna, were curled up together, slowly disentangling from each other's embrace.

"You smell that?" Rhona asked as Edward scrounged through their assortment of bottles in search of some leftover Hair of the Dog.

"Aye," Adé agreed around a yawn, somehow in a perkier state than the rest. "Smells like my supper!" Edward's old quartermaster wasn't often found in his cups and didn't lust for rum as most pirates did, but Kenway suspected that was in part because he didn't feel its effects so strongly as most did.

Together, they all got to their unsteady feet and followed the tempting aroma toward the beach. The enticing odor of the evening's dinner on the fire wafted across the air more strongly when they reached the sandy ship cove, whipped up by gentle coastal winds. Edward's stomach turned unsteadily. He was starving, but at the same time he couldn't imagine keeping anything down for the next week.

They found Jenny sitting opposite Bell, both rolling a wooden ball back and forth between themselves, carving a marginally deeper path in the fine sand with each pass. Massey tended to a pot over a fresh bonfire. The young pair of friends had graciously offered to babysit for the night and day as an initiation present to their captain. It was true, he and Mary made a formidable working team, but their relationship was undeniably colored by their separate and shared responsibilities, both to their crew and to their order. What moments they could find for themselves were more valuable now than any treasure in the Jackdaw's hold. Bell and Massey seemed to understand this. Ever since the duo had begun their Assassin training, they'd become trusted insiders on their crew, among the few to know Mary's true identity. Kenway looked out for his men and it had certainly won him the loyalty of these two.

"What are you drawing up for us tonight?" Mary called out as they approached. She had pulled up her own hair, granting the breeze leave to cool her neck. The evening was a pinch too humid for her liking, Edward knew. He was tempted by the thought of a swim.

"A fine pork stew for the captain!" Massey announced. The lad had always had a taste and talent for the finer aspects of cooking. Their supper was sure to satisfy.

"Jaysus, you all look a right mess!" Bell greeted their group. "I didn't think such a stoic clan had it in them!" He laughed, surely pondering embarrassing events from the night before that none of them would be able to recall.

Mary laughed weakly. "We're not saints, lad, no more so than yourself, and even the Pope likes his wine now and again." She toasted this with a swig from a bottle of grog she had lifted from Massey's cooking equipment.

The salty air whipped up around them with a gentle gust, swirling the smell of the pig all around. Edward pulled Mary tight to his side as they settled onto the sea-bleached logs surrounding the fire. In spite of the pounding in his head, he was bright in spirit. Surrounded by his dearest friends, his family, he was home.

______________________

Those moments like sticks and stone

Break your bones and draw your tears

Well these words, they’ll hold

And let time unfold

______________________

Edward's head broke through the surf. Salt water dripped off his lips as they parted to breathe, some reaching his tongue. The taste, which he used to find unpleasantly intense, he now almost enjoyed. He felt he could finally understand the appeal of the salt licks they used to give the barn animals back in Bristol.

Kicking hard against the current, he pushed back toward his partner. Mary sat in the shallows where the tide rose and gently fell but never fully receded. After their pork feast, the temptation of a twilight swim had been too great to resist. Mary had led him down the beach, leaving their friends behind to tell stories of the night before. They had wandered for some time before coming to the isolated cove where she had spent many days training him when he'd first come to Tulum to stay. Those days seemed a world away now, their reunion in the graveyard and weeks getting reacquainted, preparing for the most ambitious contracts of, hopefully, their lives.

Free from the water's grip, he crouched at her side and pressed a large shard of an opulent shell into her hand. "What about this one?"

Mary grinned at the specimen in her palm. "Might want to dull the edges a bit, but I think it'll make a fine add." She stood, stirring up the sand beneath her and making the water murky. Together, they trudged back to where they had left their bulkier clothes. Mary knelt to add the shard to a small pile of shells and pretty stones they had gathered along their walk to include in Jenny's collection.

Edward collapsed in the sand, exhausted from his dive. The last lights of the setting sun had vanished beyond the world's end, and stars were beginning to pattern the sky in full force. Mary stretched out alongside him, and he inched over to lay his head in the nook between her collarbone and breast. She lifted her hand, pointing at the hazy constellations. "That cluster of five over there..." She gestured at a collection of particularly bright dots. "What do you think the astronomers call them?"

Edward pondered that for a moment. They were arranged a bit like a house, or a square with a pointy hat. "Well that's plainly Turtle Major," he asserted. "You see those trails off the back? The flippers, those are, certainly."

Mary snorted in her laughter. "Aye, I see it."

Edward nodded. "That's not to be confused with Ernest the Fish Man, from the Greek myth about the man who was turned into a fish."

"No?" Mary asked, laughing harder. "Where's he then?"

"Over there," Edward gestured to a constellation to the east.

"What, the row of four? That's just a line, not a fish man!"

Edward shrugged. "Oi, I didn't name them! You'll have to ask the astronomers."

Mary huffed in amusement and kissed the crown of his head. "I love our nights like this," she sighed after a moment, running her hand selfishly across the expanse of his bare chest, wiping away lingering droplets from the sea as she went.

"They are far too few and spaced apart," he agreed with a tone of contentment. He reveled in her closeness. It had been roughly two years since their reunion, and nearly one since admitting their love for one another, but their lifestyle didn't lend itself to gratuitous intimacy. Despite that, or perhaps as a fortunate byproduct of it, he still managed to feel giddy in the moments where he could touch all the lines of her form without watching eyes.

However, laying there in a quiet embrace with eyes growing heavy, something became unsettled within Edward's mind. His heart was intertwined inextricably with Mary's and he carried with him a sense of intimacy, of a mutual, complete knowing of the other. Yet, despite this, he felt a small wedge in the center of that embrace; a trace of their one fundamental disagreement.

"Mary," Edward began, interrupting the easy silence. He anchored himself to the steady rise and fall of her breathing. "I think we should talk about yesterday."

Something in his tone seemed to tip her off to the scene he was thinking of. "I suppose we have to." She lifted a hand to gently run her fingers through his hair. "I'm beginning to suspect we have different plans for Jenny. Would you agree?"

He frowned and, with a deep breath, stated simply, "I don't like the idea of her beginning any training. I don't want this life for her."

Mary huffed, but the sound was warm. "I had worked out as much, though I am left wondering why."

Edward had to admit that he struggled with the why of it. He loved this life, the life he and Mary shared. Neither of them was suited to the civilian way. They'd each come to it in their own unique paths that had led them to each other and had both thoroughly enjoyed most of the journey there. What bits had left their hearts heavy, they carried together. Jennifer, though… she had a chance. Perhaps she had it in her to be soft, to be gentle, to live a life free of blood, pain, and death. "It's dangerous," he concluded. She had become a princess to him, his darling girl. "I want her safe."

He felt Mary nod in sincere agreement. "I want that for her too. I want her free from danger." She pulled away, and they both shifted so that they sat facing one another in the sand. Her look was firm, yet open. "But do you know what's dangerous? Being a woman in a man's world. There are so many perils that lay in the road ahead of her that may never even occur to you, Templars be damned. This girl is going to be able to fend for herself. I want her safe, but not living some sterile existence where she's at the mercy of a husband to vanquish any evil or inconvenience that bedevils her, and to not be that evil, himself. Men fail. Men die. I want freedom for her, Edward. I want liberty and opportunity." She leaned forward for emphasis, resting one forearm on her knee. Her fingers were curled passionately into her palm but there was no aggression in the fist they made.

He reached out for her folded hand, brushing his thumb reassuringly over her scarred and scabbed knuckles. "No one can touch her, Mary," he impressed. "All this time, these years that I have chased power and influence, it's all for her now. All that I am, all that I've become is for you and for her. The whole of our Order dotes on her. Our current resources are unmatched. She's untouchable. We can make certain of it."

Mary narrowed her eyes, and her hand didn't grasp his in return. "You and I have cut down far more powerful folk than ourselves, remember. Resources means nothing if someone with conviction is after you. You can't protect her. Neither can I. We lost her for nearly two years already. I won't have her defenseless if something were to happen to us, not when there's clearly a better way."

He shook his head, unconvinced. "Death is inevitable. Don't think that I don't know that. But I don't want her living the whole of her life preparing for an attempt on it that may well never come. When we go to London, things will be different there. The scores that we've settled in the West Indies won't chase us there. We can build a life for her that's worlds apart from what you and I lived through growing up. Her existence will be one of esteem and ease. Any number of powerful families will clamber to secure her hand for their sons! High-class ladies don't have to fuss about anything more taxing than hosting dinner parties and entertaining their husbands' business partners. How can you not want that for her?"

Mary sighed, visibly weary with his stubborn attitude. "If that's what she wants, I won't begrudge her. But I need her to have options. We can't shield her from everything, though God willing we'll both stay kicking about long enough to try. I don't want her to have to survive as I've had to, but she'll have to know how to fend for herself if the worst comes to pass." She glanced away, gazing out at the dark horizon over the sea.

Edward squeezed her hand. "I'll concede, no woman should be left defenseless. A few of your knife tricks up her sleeve and no common man will dare cross her. I promise you, though. She'll never have to struggle for base survival as you once did."

Mary's eyes broke from the waves and turned back to him. There was a look in them that he hadn't seen in some time, but it set him back on his heels just as quickly as it had in his youth. Sternly, she corrected, "You know as well as I that she won't be up against just common men. She's barely two years hatched, and she's already become collateral damage in a war as old as mankind itself. You can't truly think that an advantageous marriage will save her from her part in it. I know you've seen enough by now to understand the truth. You've come too far. Don't trade one folly for another." Her tone was pointed and left no gaps to expose self-doubt. Her convictions on the matter were clear and certain.

Edward was quiet for a long moment. He didn't have a good response to that argument. Was he, indeed, foolish to think he could separate her from this dark current of history? His view of the conflict was so intimate, he imagined himself part of a privileged few with access to the truth. In his mind, he fantasized of keeping Jenny separate from it all, keeping her a part of the blissfully ignorant many. Perhaps, however, she was born tragically too close to it all. Perhaps it was unavoidable, an inevitability.

With a sigh, he relented. He didn't agree with her, but she was the wind that had always carried him to shore and he couldn't afford to be at odds with her. He knew by now that ignoring her wisdom would leave him adrift. "I've worked on ships since I was just a boy in pursuit of one thing: trying to provide for my family. Whenever I imagined having children with Caroline, I pictured having the ability to drape them in the finest fabrics and pay for the finest tutors just as Caroline's parents had given her. I wanted any daughters I might be given to have the skills necessary to marry well and find someone who would protect them when I no longer can. Never once did I imagine they might learn how to clean blood that wasn't their own from their blouses, or how to sever an artery beyond hope of repair." He laughed darkly. "I wanted so badly to be a proper father, with proper daughters who could fit into society in a way that I have never been able to. I still want that. I want to provide for her and give her the choice of ease that I never had."

Mary sighed, considering his words. "There are many things less easy in this world than the life of an Assassin, Edward. Chiefly among those is a woman without a father or a husband, and it's all too easy to lose those if you have them. I did. If I'd been raised any other more conventional way than how I was, I could very well be working the streets or dead. No amount of money in my father's pocket would have changed that. If you die, Jenny can't inherit a coin of yours. You are right that we live deadly lives, you and I, but that won't change. We've made our oaths. We're in this for life, by choice. Aye, Jenny hasn't chosen this, and I'll be happy enough to give her the option to leave it all behind when she's old enough. Until then, though, I'll be bloody well damned if I'm going to let anyone stop me from giving her every opportunity to make her own way in the world first."

Edward nodded thoughtfully. A choice. A chance. He could live with that. "All right, then. It's settled. We'll raise her as a woman of substance, with every opportunity money can buy. Education, status, all of it. We'll also train her in the ways of the Order. When she comes of age, it'll be up to her to decide what life she wants to lead. Until then, we open every door for her that we can find and close none."

The tension in Mary's fingers relaxed. She nodded slowly, smiling gently. "I think that's a deal I can make."

Edward reached out and brushed her cheek. She raised her eyes to his, and there was peace in them. "I know she's your daughter. She's not my blood, but I see her as my daughter, too. I have every intention of being a father to that girl, and a partner to you. The two of you are my family, and I will always respect your authority when it comes Jenny, but I want to be partners in her rearing. I will take every full responsibility due to the father of a daughter and the husband of a powerful woman."

The slightest smirk touched her lips. "Oh, a husband?" She crawled forward, into his lap, and wrapped her legs around his waist. With her arms draped over his shoulders and her lips on his cheek, she whispered. "I do think I'd like to be married to you."

______________________

Guided only by the light of the moon ahead and the bonfire behind, Edward and Mary waded hand-in-hand behind Adéwalé out into the cove. When they were waist deep, Kenway's old quartermaster turned to face them. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Are you?" his new quartermaster countered. Adé did look a tad nervous.

"Some of us have never participated in a wedding ceremony before. I can only do my best," he countered. Mary and Edward chuckled. They'd both been married before and had been subconsciously preparing for this for some time. Adé had been thrown into the mix just five minutes earlier.

They had decided not to wait any longer. They'd been joined in spirit for months. All that remained was to make it official. They didn't have a minister present, but they did have a ship's captain and open water readily available. Their witnesses watched excitedly behind them from the shore.

Adé took a deep breath, placed a hand of each of their shoulders, and looked up at the sky. "Almighty God, I have brought these souls before you to unite them as one in your eyes." He dropped his gaze back to the couple. "Edward Kenway. Mary Read. Is it your wish to take the vows of marriage?"

They nodded and, with shared smiles, confirmed, "It is."

Adé turned first to Edward, then shrugged. "Alas, I do not know any vows, so I will ask that you make your own."

Edward pursed his lips for a moment, thinking. His first wedding had been in the village chapel, with a proper priest and a strict script. It had been a rather mindless process, to be frank. As he gazed at Mary, he found himself at a total loss for words. What could he possibly say to do justice to the gift she was giving him? Stifling jealousy for the time he was buying Mary to prepare her own words, he eventually stammered the sentiments he had long held private in his heart. "I, Edward, take you, Mary, to be my wedded wife, my partner, and my guide. I have spent many years battling against your wisdom, all for the ruin of myself and those who dare to get close enough to me. I vow to honor your decision to stand by my side by submitting myself, mind and soul, to your love, to your counsel, and to the service of your happiness. With God as my witness, I make this vow to you."

His view of Mary's warm smile of acceptance was obscured by the gathering mist in his eyes. "I, Mary, take you, Edward, to be my wedded husband, my partner, and dearest friend," she responded. Her voice was steady, but had an edge that hinted she, too, was holding back strong emotion. "You have grown into a man I greatly admire and strongly wish to tie myself to for the rest of my days. I vow to walk with you through all of life's terrors, to come with you on every adventure, and to be with you, always, be it in body or in spirit. With God as my witness, I make this vow to you."

The smile Adé gave them showed mingled pride and warmth. "My friends, your souls have been bound together by the Assassin's Creed, and now I have the greatest pleasure of joining them again in the bonds of marriage." He raised his voice so as to be heard by the small throng of onlookers at the fireside. "I now pronounce you Edward and Mary Kenway, man and wife!" Adé nodded to Edward. "Kiss your bride, breddah!"

With a smirk, Mary threw an arm around Edward's neck and pressed her lips forcefully to his. Snickers and joyous whoops from the beach mingled around them with the soft song of the lapping waves. Kenway's heart soared like a seabird as he wound his arms around her waist and pulled her tight to him, never to let go again.

______________________

From courthouse to crackhouse, baby

I’ll follow you blindly, let me

And let all your sins

Come stumbling in

______________________

AN: I live in Seattle, which is one of the hardest-hit areas of the US in terms of COVID-19 infections. Hence, I am on lockdown and have plenty of time for writing. The next chapter will be the last, and I am starting on it today. Our journey together is coming to a close after six very long years.

I have other projects in the works, and I'm excited to explore other worlds outside 1700s Assassin's Creed. This story is my heart, though, and I plan to revisit it soon in the form of a Mary POV prequel someday. I don't think I'll ever write another behemoth like this one until I get around to writing an original novel, but this has really shown me what I'm capable of, given the time.

As always, please leave a review if you feel compelled to do so, and shout out to my lovely Beta Reader!

-Drew

#CWMN Full Chapters #come with me now #Assassin's Creed #kiddway #edward kenway #Mary Read #james kidd #kiddway fanfiction

7 notes · View notes

spnjediavenger · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 8: Sacrifices

FINALLY!

Super excited to finally get back into White Wolf again. And also excited to work with @sarimaposthumous again in a glorious fanfic collaboration, crossing over our two SPN fics! Love ya, girl!

Disclaimers: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters; nalusa falaya research/info was taken from a few different websites which are tagged at the end

WARNINGS: like...two curse words?

Time frame: Between S5 and 6

Spoilers: Season 5 and 6 spoilers?

Notes: Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! And much love to those who have liked and/or reposted!!! <3

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 5.5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Elliana’s Journal

Chapter 8: Sacrifices

Elliana sighed and Jenny rubbed her eyes before each grabbed another one of Bobby’s lore books. After finding out about Lucifer’s cage having a “backdoor key” of sorts, the girls had been spending hours trying to find any kind of leads on the location of either.

Jenny groaned and closed her eyes before resting her head on the book in the hopes that osmosis would work this one time. “I need a break,” she sighed.

“Me too,” Ellie agreed, hopping up on Bobby’s desk while Jenny leaned on the corner rubbing her temples. Bobby had gone out just a few minutes prior for a food run, leaving the girls to continue researching.

“I don’t know about this, Jenny,” Ellie said. “It’s taken us so long to find this key thing and now we’re coming up with nothing.”

“Well hello, ladies,” a Scottish voice said from behind them.

The girls turned to find Crowley standing in the doorway, glass of whiskey in hand.

Jenny rolled her eyes, “What do you want Crowley?”

Crowley stepped towards the scotch and poured himself a tumbler. He swirled the amber liquid and took a sniff before scrunching his nose slightly. He took a sip, relishing the annoyance from the huntresses. Taking another sip, he stepped towards them before speaking, “What do you girls know about Orenda Alley?”

Jenny shrugged, “Only that it’s dangerous and most people who go there don’t usually come back. Why?”

“Wait - Orenda Alley?” Ellie stepped in. “Where the nalusa falaya supposedly lives?”

The room’s other occupants looked at her, saying nothing, and Elliana looked between them before stopping at Jenny. “Nalusa Falaya? Native american legend?”

Nothing.

Ellie jumped off the desk and over to one of the bookshelves, running a finger along the spines until she picked one out. She flipped through the pages and placed it down on Bobby’s desk for Jenny to take a look.

“Nalusa Falaya is an old Choctaw legend; translates to ‘long black being.’ The Nalusa Falaya adults would hide in the swamps and call to travelers. When their victim came close, they would jump out and scare them unconscious. Then, they would jump on the unconscious victim and eat them. The Choctaw elders would warn the tribe against going out at night and to travel in groups when the Nalusa Falaya were near.

“Others believed they would attack at twilight and bewitch victims with its evil magic - which is where ‘orenda’ comes from; translates to ‘magical power’ in Iroquois. It would first attract a hunter’s attention by calling out to him. Then, when the hunter turned around, he was so affected by its power that he would fall helpless to the ground. When they couldn’t fight back, the nalusa falaya would insert a thorn in them and possess them from there. It’s a common rumor that there’s only one left. And it’s supposedly in Orenda Ally.”

“Smart girl,” Crowley complimented, nodding his head a bit.

“Okay, I’ll repeat myself...why?” Jenny arched a brow and crossed her arms.

“I have a job for you two.”

“Excuse you?” Ellie scoffed, crossing her arms as well. “You think we work for you or something?”

“Now, now,” Crowley appeased. “No need to get counteractive, my dear.”

“Just get to the point, Crowley,” Jenny let out an exasperated sigh.

“The nalusa and I have some...unfinished business, of sorts,” Crowley said. “I’d like you two to bring him to me.”

“Again, do you think we work for you or something? You can’t just pop in here and-”

“So I suppose you don’t want to get your dear Sam Winchester back, then?”

The girls froze and looked at Crowley.

It was Jenny’s turn to scoff at the king of Hell. “Do you really expect us to believe you want the Winchesters back in action? I’m sure business has been booming since they shoved Luci back in the cage and Dean hooked up with Lisa.”

Crowley put his hands up as a show of mock surrender.

Ellie looked at Jenny, skepticism lacing her features.

Crowley finished the drink and set the tumbler down. “Maybe I miss the good old days. Regardless, you bring me the nalusa and I will give you back your beloved moose. As for you, Jenny, I might be able to scrounge up something valuable to sweeten the deal for you.”

“How can you get into Lucifer’s cage?” Elliana challenged. “We’ve been reading for days - and that’s after I spent a week of my own researching - trying to find a way into the cage and you expect us to believe you can get in?”

“Always one for quarrel, aren’t you, little wolf?”

“Only Gabriel can call me that,” Ellie said in a heated tone.

“I’m the king of hell, darling. I have my ways, I can assure you of that.” Crowley turned to Jenny now. “Call me when you have it.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a black business card with red lettering on it that read ‘King of Hell’ along with his phone number.

The two gave him a bewildered look as Jenny reached out to take his business card. “Just trying something new,” he shrugged. “Oh, and by the way, girls,” Crowley said, turning back around for a moment. “Our dear ‘lusa requires a sacrifice before making any deals.”

“What?” the girls said in unison.

“What kind of sacrifice?” Elliana asked, though she didn’t really need to.

“I have a feeling you already know the answer to that, darling,” Crowley countered before vanishing.

“A human,” Ellie said with disdain. “It wants a human sacrifice. Either to eat, bewitch, or mate with. According to most lore…”

Jenny paced around Bobby’s living room. “Maybe we don’t have to sacrifice anything? We could just knock it out, shove it in a trunk, and drop him off at Crowley’s doorstep.”

“We don’t even know what to expect with this thing. I’ve read probably five different descriptions on what nalusa falaya look like.”

Jenny paused in thought. “Okay, what are the most common characteristics?”

Ellie thought for a moment before sighing lightly. “Tall, almost emaciated, melts into shadows like a phantom. How do we catch something that can become a shadow?”

“You use a trap,” a voice said from behind the girls. They snapped their heads up to see a skinny, unknown man standing in the doorway with a wide, kind grin on his face.

Ellie immediately backed into a bookcase as her heart rate sped up a bit; Anaya remained quiet but still went to stand protectively in front of her.

“Elliana, this is Garth. It’s ok, you can trust him. Wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Bobby said soothingly as he stepped into the room as well, back from his errands.

“Well, not unless it has fangs,” the younger man joked, wide smile still on his face.

Ellie let out an airy laugh and a small smile crept onto her face; she moved into the room a bit more, feeling comfortable enough to leave the wall.

“Wow – you already got a smile,” Bobby said, impressed. “Takes a lot to get one from her these days.” Elliana threw Bobby a Winchester bitch face. He knew the reason she didn’t. But Ellie knew he was only teasing her.

Garth simply shrugged, smile never leaving his face. He then turned to Ellie. “Elliana is a beautiful name,” he said kindly.

“Thanks,” the girl said, blushing a bit. Elliana quickly grew comfortable around Garth, his demeanor friendly and lighthearted. How was this guy a hunter? she thought.

“And Garth, this is Jenny. Another colleague of mine.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jenny!” he said, reaching out his hand to her.

Jenny shook his hand and gave the hunter a surprised once over as she took in his scrawny frame. It was a wonder he hadn’t been killed yet.

“Likewise. So, tell us about this trap?” Jenny said.

“Getting right to it, I see,” Garth noted.

“It’s been countless hours of research. It’d be nice to not have to dive back into those books,” Jenny closed her eyes and shook her head. Bobby cast Garth an affirmative nod. He smiled back and walked up to Bobby’s desk, pulling aside a pencil and a piece of paper.

“Ok, so you know how there’s devil’s traps for demons, soul eater traps, anasazi protection symbols, and other things?” he asked the girls. At their nods, he continued. “The choctaw indians have their own symbols as well. These,” he said, drawing out two symbols. “Are two such symbols. One is called a ‘Shaman,’ which represents the medium between the visible world and the spirit world; the other represents control over forces and the gravity of the earth. Put them together,” he draws another. “And you get the choctaw spirit trap.” Garth smiles a bit proudly as he finishes.

“That’s great, Garth,” Ellie said, a small smile of interest on her lips. “How did you find this?”

“I didn’t.”

“What?” Jenny asked in unbelief.

“These things are really rare,” Garth defended. “Any story or sightings you hear of, either no one has gotten close enough to notice anything, or they...don’t come back. So I looked into the most common choctaw symbols. Sometimes we have to learn as we go. Like I heard Ellie did with the grootslang.”

“It’s the best thing we have right now,” Ellie said. “We don’t have anything else to go by,” she continued, pleased enough with the information. “So we have an idea - or at least the start of an idea, on how to capture the nalusa falaya.”

“Now we just have to figure out where Orenda Alley is.” Excitement began to lace Jenny’s features.

“I think I might have that covered,” Ellie said with a faint smile. She ran upstairs and back down with her leatherbound journal in hand.

“Though I’ve never seen one, I’ve had an interest in the nalusa falaya legend and researched it a little while ago. While the Choctaw tribe is from Mississippi, nalusa sightings have all come out of Michigan, which is where Orenda Alley is supposed to be.”

Ellie had opened up her laptop and brought up a map of Michigan.

“There’s an old, run-down dock at the edge of one of Michigan’s lakes. Many sightings have come within a 20-mile radius of it, and a few disappearances from the area as well,” she reported, looking at her two companions.

As the three continued to discuss their plans, Jenny and Elliana filled Bobby in on everything that happened before he returned. He was grumpy that Crowley had been in his house again; and his scowl deepened as they told him this was something Crowley had asked of them, making him suddenly a little less accepting of the idea. But when Garth announced he would go as well, Bobby reluctantly agreed but still made sure to note he still didn’t like it. He wanted to accompany them, but the girls convinced him not to, saying more people would give a bigger risk of being noticed if the nalusa falaya were to somehow sense them.

With a defeated sigh, Bobby grumbled, “So who’s doing what? You’ll need a negotiator, sacrifice - which I still don’t like, and a lure to draw this thing into a trap - which you still don’t know how to do.” What a great confidence builder he was, the trio thought.

“I’ll be the sacrifice,” Ellie said after a moment of exchanged glances.

“No!” Bobby said sternly. “I ain’t lettin’ you get yourself killed if things go south.”

“Ellie, I don’t think that’s such a good idea…” Garth said, already becoming a bit defensive of the youngest in the room.

“I’ll do it,” Jenny said confidently, also not wanting to possibly risk Ellie’s life.

“No,” the girl shook her head. “I’ve already gotten you into enough trouble with...when Luc-...when I got taken,” she continued with some difficulty. “I’m not letting you be put in another situation again.”

“Have Garth do it - no offence, Garth,” Bobby said.

“No, I’m with you,” Garth said assuredly.

“Out of all of us, it would probably want me the most. And being the youngest, I doubt it would take me seriously as a negotiator.”

Garth turned to Jenny and Bobby for help, a begging look on his face that the other two shared for a moment. But since Ellie was adamant about being bait and would not hear otherwise, they reluctantly agreed.

As the group of hunters packed for their hunt, tension filled the air. Ellie brought some of the duffel bags to the truck before saying goodbye to Anaya, not wanting to risk her for a more dangerous hunt.

Jenny was about to head out and Bobby grabbed her and Garth by the shoulder.

“You idjits best not let anything happen to her,” Bobby lowly spoke in his gruffy tone. He knew Ellie would throw a fit if she thought he believed she couldn’t handle herself.

Jenny nodded and let out a sigh as she swung her own duffle over her shoulder and stepped outside.

The trio waited for dusk in Upper Michigan before they would put their plan into motion. The beautiful colors of the sunset were a stark contrast against the rundown and dilapidated harbor below them. It’s been years since it was last functional; due to all the situations and strange happenings, it had quickly fallen into disrepair.

The sun now below the horizon, Garth slipped off to begin drawing the choctaw spirit traps.

“You ready?” Jenny asked Elliana. The younger girl nodded, trying to refrain from frowning; she didn’t want to let out how anxious she was as she internally fought off a panic attack.

The girls checked their weapons one last time; earlier while trying to think with a similar mindset as with the grootslang, the group had tried to think of what might be able to injure the nalusa. Thinking of what the native american tribes used as weapons, they figured there must be some sort of rock or stone that weakens it and came up with agate - which is supposed to be one of the best stones for protection. It can supposedly drive away spirits, protect from psychic attacks, and stop magic. So they filled shotgun shells with it.

Jenny cuffed Ellie’s hands behind her, the cuffs broken in a way that appeared to be locked, but Ellie could easily escape at the opportune moment.

The girls took a deep breath before walking down a set of stone stairs and out onto the docks. Jenny scanned the darkening waters looking for any signs of the nalusa falaya. They began walking past one of the boat houses when she heard something that made her freeze.

“Jenny,” she heard Shane’s voice whisper to her from the shadows.

“Fuck.”

While she was distracted, a bony hand gripped Elliana’s mouth to prevent her from screaming and pulled her away from Jenny and into the boat house they just passed. When inside, Ellie was thrown to the ground, handcuffs broken off; but the freedom of her hands did nothing when she froze upon the being in front of her.

“Jenny, it’s okay. We can hunt this monster together. I’m here for you,” the creature whispered from behind her in Shane’s voice. She shook her head and spun around only to find Ellie missing.

“Shit.” Panic coursed through her as she began to call out for Ellie, but was stopped short before she heard his voice which caused fear.

It was Lucifer.

“Remember when you said you would do anything for me?” he chuckled. “Well that time is now.” Jenny let out a shot toward the shadows near one of the boathouses.

The moment after she did, the creature practically melted out of the shadows, its tattered hood covering the majority of its face. Only its mouth full of sharp, crooked teeth could be seen. Its emaciated form was pronounced by the dilapitated cloak dusting its shoulders. As it made its way towards her, Jenny noticed its stick-like arms with long, bony finders at the end; each one wielding razor-sharp nails. Beneath the creature’s protruding ribs, its body dissolved into a misty, shadowy form giving the appearance of a phantom.

Elliana looked away from the nalusa before her to try and get a grip on herself. I will not be another victim of this thing, she thought.

Ellie stood and pulled a knife out of her boot; a piece of agate she and Bobby were able to cut into a blade so she would be able to hide it away in case of a situation like this.

She advanced on the creature and took a swing at it with her knife, only for it to deflect her arm and push her to the ground. It dug its nails into her back, only eliciting a pained hiss from the girl, as she didn’t want to give it any satisfaction. It lowered its form closer to the ground and its face to her ear.

“What. Does Crowley. Want?” it whispered dangerously, digging its nails in a little deeper.

Jenny raised her gun ready to shoot before Garth’s voice rang out behind her. “Hey you fugly monster! Come get it!” The creature turned towards Garth and made its way towards him, but stopped before the trap Garth set, and turned its face up in a snarl. Garth opened his mouth to say something, but Jenny raised her shotgun and fired off an agate-filled shot at the nalusa. It caught the creature off guard and stumbled into the trap and began struggling.

Garth looked up all bewildered at Jenny. “Nice job, but, it’s practically invisible; what if you shot me?!”

Jenny shrugged, “I took a shot, it worked. Make sure it stays put while I go find Ellie.”

She took off towards the boathouse where she originally heard the whispers. She shone her flashlight around it and noticed a covered set of stairs that led down to the water. Pushing back the bushes, Jenny gingerly made her way down the steps, shotgun in one hand and a flashlight in the other, and found a landing below the docks along with a hidden door. Forcing the door open, Jenny took a deep breath and made her way inside and down a very dimly lit, grungy passageway. She quickened her pace when she heard muffled screaming and stepped into a dim, moldy room.

Ellie had been tied up by her wrists, bruised, and blood stains formed on her back.

Jenny rushed to her aid, but Ellie’s eyes widened and she shouted out in warning, “Jenny, no!”

Jenny was suddenly flung across the room. Her gun slid to the other side and a second Nalusa approached Jenny. It began mimicking her mother’s voice. “Sweetie, stop fighting and give in.” Jenny fell to her knees, overcome by the magic radiating off the creature. Its thorn was out and ready to pierce her, but not before something lodged itself in the nalusa and incapacitated the creature. Ellie had managed to break free and strategically threw her blade and Jenny snapped out of her trance.

She looked up at Ellie and grinned, “About time.”

Ellie let out a faint chuckle, “Sorry, I was a little tied up. Took you long enough to find me,” she smirked lightly, rubbing at her raw wrists.

Jenny stood up and drew a trap under the nalusa to keep it from moving. “Well I was busy with my own Nalusa. Hopefully Garth is okay. I guess we should get these two to Crowley before they wake up.” They dragged the body to a worried Garth, with his own furious Nalusa who was still trapped, and shoved the second one into the same trap. Jenny pulled out the business card and dialed Crowley.

“We’ve got them…”

“Them?”

“Well, you can say it’s a two for one special...do we need to summon you?”

“No, love.” Crowley appeared behind them with a few demons who grabbed the Nalusa Falayas and vanished. “Well done. Here is your gift Jenny.” He extended an empty hand.

She looked at him incredulously and scoffed while crossing her arms, “You’ve got to be joking.”

“Oh right...my mistake.” He snapped his fingers and both Jenny and Ellie fell to the ground from a searing pain in their eyes.

Garth knelt down by Ellie, “What are you doing?! Let them go!”

“No need to get your knickers in a twist,” Crowley looked at his watch. “C’mon, I haven’t got all day.” Jenny blinked and looked up. In Crowley’s hand, was a little black puppy. “Your very own little hellhound and now the two of you can see hellhounds...you’re welcome.” He handed the puppy to Jenny and turned around.

“Wait, what about our agreement?” Ellie spoke up before he could leave.

“We’ll be in touch.”

“Woah wait - what do you mean ‘we’ll be in touch’? You said you’d get Sam if we caught this thing,” she said hotly.

“It took an army of angels to free Dean from hell. Things like this are a bit more complicated than these little hunts of yours. Be patient.” With that, he snapped his fingers and vanished.

Ellie let out a deep sigh before turning back to her two companions.

“I guess we should start heading back to Bobby’s,” Garth said, a sympathetic look on his face.

The girls agreed and the three began their ascent to the street when Ellie stopped.

“Wait! I forgot about this,” she said, pulling out a tattered scroll from her pocket. “I found this when the second ‘lusa had me in the boathouse. I have no idea what language this is but it seemed important.”

Jenny and Garth shared a confused look before Jenny took it carefully in her hands.

“I have no idea. Let’s take it with us and see if Bobby can find something to translate it.”

Elliana nodded and they went back to the truck and drove away.

Jenny, Elliana, and Garth returned to Bobby’s, exhausted. Garth helped him patch Ellie up before Bobby ordered the three of them to get some rest, promising a good meal when they woke up.

That said and done, Jenny handed him the scroll Ellie found. He said he’d never seen anything like it but would start hitting the books. “Again.”

About a week later, everyone said goodbye; Garth moved on to start another hunt, telling Ellie he would be willing to help her out if she ever needed a hunting partner; Jenny returned to The High Priestess with her new Hellhound, Duke, and a copy of the scroll that was found amongst the Nalusa’s possessions with a promise to keep looking for ways to get Sam out of hell; and Elliana stayed with Bobby, trying to figure out what to do next.

Epilogue

*another week later*

Via text message

To: [Jenny]

Something’s wrong with Sam.

“Research” credits to:

https://sasquatchchronicles.com/nalusa-falaya/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choctaw_mythology

http://www.native-languages.org/morelegends/nalusa-falaya.htm

https://listverse.com/2014/10/21/10-disturbing-mythological-beings-from-around-the-world/

https://www.google.com/search?q=choctaw+symbols&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1323&bih=735&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=koDrPbZDgxdN6M%253A%252CJMgcxEuO2OKqYM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kQabYtW5fJPeRhzywhyqDCxsgAbZg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQyJHXwevgAhVRtlkKHXBfDJIQ9QEwAHoECAIQBA#imgrc=zRLfiMnY6xYxVM

https://www.google.com/search?q=nalusa+falaya&client=safari&hl=en&prmd=imnv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVlMPCvtrgAhUGhOAKHcUZCw0Q_AUoAXoECAwQAQ&biw=320&bih=454&dpr=2#imgrc=A1H78NFqoqGKaM

https://www.ghostlyactivities.com/stones-that-protect-against-evil-spirits/

Chapter 9 ->

Forever tags: @bellero

#supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #Supernatural fanfic #SPN #Sam and Dean Winchester #sam and dean #Sam Winchester #dean winchester #bobby singer #Garth Fitzgerald IV #fanfiction #oc #original character #winchesters x oc #supernatural x oc #white wolf #crowley #king of hell

5 notes · View notes

sarimaposthumous · 5 years ago

Text

The High Priestess: Sacrifices

TITLE: The High Priestess

CHAPTER NUMBER: 5/?

AUTHOR: SarimaPosthumous

GENRE: Supernatural

FIC SUMMARY: Jenny is an OC set in the Supernatural universe. She has owned a bar called the High Priestess for nine years and has managed to carve out her own niche in the hunting world. Everything changes when the two notorious hunters show up in her life after she’s managed to avoid them.

RATING: M (Violence, language)

Word Count: 3,819

WARNINGS: Season 5 and 6 spoilers?

AUTHORS NOTES: I guess this is technically a flashback for my series. It takes place between season 5 and 6. This was cowritten with the amazing @spnjediavenger‘s for her fic “White Wolf.” It also provides backstory for Jenny as well! Please check out her series and please provide feedback!

AO3 Link: x

Jenny groaned and closed her eyes before resting her head on the book in the hopes that osmosis would work this one time. “I need a break,” she sighed.

“I don’t know about this, Jenny,” Ellie said. “It’s taken us so long to find this key thing and now we’re coming up with nothing.”

“Well hello, ladies,” a Scottish voice said from behind them.

The girls turned to find Crowley standing in the doorway, glass of whiskey in hand.

Jenny rolled her eyes, “What do you want Crowley?”

Jenny shrugged, “Only that it’s dangerous and most people who go there don’t usually come back. Why?”

“Wait - Orenda Alley?” Ellie stepped in. “Where the nalusa falaya supposedly lives?”

The room’s other occupants looked at her, saying nothing, and Elliana looked between them before stopping at Jenny. “Nalusa Falaya? Native american legend?”

Nothing.

“Smart girl,” Crowley complimented, nodding his head a bit.

“Okay, I’ll repeat myself...why?” Jenny arched a brow and crossed her arms.

“I have a job for you two.”

“Excuse you?” Ellie scoffed, crossing her arms as well. “You think we work for you or something?”

“Now, now,” Crowley appeased. “No need to get counteractive, my dear.”

“Just get to the point, Crowley,” Jenny let out an exasperated sigh.

“The nalusa and I have some... unfinished business , of sorts,” Crowley said. “I’d like you two to bring him to me.”

“Again, do you think we work for you or something? You can’t just pop in here and-”

“So I suppose you don’t want to get your dear Sam Winchester back, then?”

The girls froze and looked at Crowley.

Crowley put his hands up as a show of mock surrender.

Ellie looked at Jenny, skepticism lacing her features.

“Always one for quarrel, aren’t you, little wolf?”

“Only Gabriel can call me that,” Ellie said in a heated tone.

“ What? ” the girls said in unison.