#Oh look a headless corpse

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

So I love smaus (You can see them from the ones I reposted!) and I especially love Sukuna smaus. One thing I wanna beg for is a y/n who just... doesnt give a fuck that Sukuna murders people? If it aint someone she knows and semi-cares about, it's just kinda bypassed in her mind.

[newkatzkafe2023]

Took me a bit to think of this. BUUT Here I am 😈 For Genderbend Wukong month A male y/n who is the owner and main bartender of a bar (or tavern for the historical monkies). Charming, and a tease, but with an ice cold, calculating temper if someone were to mess around with his bar, or lord forbid, his monkey queens. Also the kind of guy to hide a shotgun under the counter of his establishment 0-0 (or some blunt weapon in the historical ones)

Like, one day he is chilling in the bar, chatting with monkey queen, some knucklehead walks in and tries to start trouble with monkey queen. But before she can kick them to kingdom come, Y/N shoots dude in the head with the shotgun, (alternatively, bashes their skull in with a bat) then just turns around and says; "I do hope that was not too much trouble for you, sweetheart. Here, have any drink, on the house." Calm and sweet as if he's not covered in blood.

This is Very Moe szyslak coded and I love it🤣🤣🤣

(Lmk Wukong) You have her wrapped around your lego claws with how sweet and kind you are. You first met a few months back when she wanted a to buy some drinks for her home, that was until she made eye contact with a Hot male monkey with a sweet smile, that left her breathless. You smiled at her

(M/N) Welcome to my bar peachpie, now what can I get you??☺️

Yeah Wukong was struck with cupids arrow that day, and for weeks she continued to both visit you and blab to everyone about you. Mk and Mike (male mei) can tell she liked you alot and decided to meet you along with everyone else. Of course you welcomed everyone with the same friendly smile and got soda and snacks for everyone and you all became fast friends, until the atmosphere was ruin by Wukong's enemies who didn't like the idea of losing to a women🙄🙄🙄 Mk and the others joined in the fight to help her. Until the demons were blown away with their corpses on fire, everyone slowly turned to see you holding a shotgun with an angry look on your slightly blooded face.

(Mk) WHOA!!!?!?!😲😲😲

(Macaque) God damn😥😥😥

(Mike) BRO HE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN THEIR ASSES!!!!!!

(M/n) Yeah Sorry about the mess folks, I'm usually better at controlling my temper, here's some snacks and drinks on the house 😥

All Wukong did was stare at you with a blush on her face

(MKR Wukong) Wukong has been acting Strangely, not in a I'm mighty pissed but in a I might have met someone and i don't want people to know way. Pigsy being the nosy fat bastard he was followed Wukong to a place called M/n's tavern, and their he saw her purring and flirting with a tall monkey man. She was smiling and every as she cuddle and laid on to the chest of the taller male, the two even kissed🤩😲. To say Pigsy was shocked is an HUGE understatement, because Wukong got a boyfriend!!! While pigsy ran to tell the monk Wukong sat and had a few drinks with you.

(M/n) more wine for you my dear as you tell me about your day😊

(MKR)(blushes) Oh yes and thank you😌

As you guys continued your date, when a large Demon thug busted in demanding to fight the monkey queen, Wukong was automatically pissed as her quality time with you was interrupted. Then something she didn't expect happened before she can do anything, she saw a large spiky bat make contact with the jacka**'s face he was now a headless bleeding corpse. Just in time to see the monk and the pilgrims bust in but Wukong was looking at something else. Soon the group joined at staring at you with a large bat and some blood on your angry face

(M/n): I'm awfully sorry about the mess dear here's some drinks for you and your friends, I'll clean this up.

Wukong was more madly in love with you then ever, and everyone can also see why your dating.

(NR Wukong) She quickly became a regular at your bar, you told her you don't get many beautiful woman around your bar and she was hooked! Every night she would come back for not only the drinks but to see the sexy man that man's the bar from behind. You had no problem flirting back at her for being such a sweetheart even giving her a few drinks as you bond and flirt

(M/n) My dear queen, this is the 4th night in a row surely my drinks Can't be that good😇

(NR) Oh your drinks are fine, but I'm loving the one who makes them even more😉😘

Just then a group of demons came Barging in not only making a mess in the bar but as began harassing the monkey queen, which totally raised yours and Wukong's blood pressure. Wukong got up and was going to teach these loser scrubs idoits a lesson before she saw not one, not two but all of the bastard get blowed to the shadow realm. Wukong was shocked at the look at your face as you were pissed and had blood on it while holding your large shot gun. You finally and apologized to her.

(M/N) Here's another drink madam, as an apology for my Barbaric outburst😥

Wukong would have loved the other drink if she was busy Making out with you.

(HIB Wukong) Fudge did Wukong have a very stressful week, Luier caught a cold and Silly boy has been acting up lately. Not to mention some more demons were picking fights with her, over a lot of old stupid sh*t. She was just so stressed out and needed to unwind a bit so, she went to your bar and fell face first exhausted. After a While a fancy drink was put in front of her

Wukong was mildly confused then she looked up to see a Incredibly handsome monkey man with a sweet smile offering her a drink

(M/n) Here Darling you look like you can use itsmack

(Wukong) I'm sorry I'm kinda strapped for cash

(M/N) darling no you deserve it

Wukong smiled as she felt relaxed around you and soon found herself opening up to you about everything in her life, that was until a group of knucklehead decided to come and mess up your tavern, while harassing the monkey queen. You quickly guessed these are the cause of Wukong's stress, and before Wukong can Get up and whooped their ass again. You grabbed a large spiky bat from behind your bar and Whacked those guys so hard that they became classified blood stains on your floor. You face was distorted from rage and covered in blood then you turned to Wukong...

(M/n) I apologize for both the mess and the outbursts, your drink is still on the house I'll take care of the mess😅

Wukong now wandered if you were single😮😳

(Netflix Wukong) She stood infront of M/n's tavern with a nervous blush on her face, she looked over to see Lin give her a thumbs up before she took a deep breath and finally went inside. You see Wukong had grown a huge crush on the owner of the place AKA you, for weeks now but she never knew how to talk to you until she got some advice from Lin. Now here she is walking over to you saying hi and introducing herself to you. You had quickly gave her your name with a gentle smile, she was quick to relax and hit it off well.......that was until some demons who were beefing with the monkey queen Barge in and made a mess at your bar. As the demanded for a rematch and Wukong was mighty pissed at them for ruining her first impression for you, well that was until the same demon quickly became smashed fruity under a large bat. Wukong was shocked to see you holding a large bat you hit behind your bar, you calm down and made a drink for her

(M/n) Here sweetheart it's on the house sorry you had to see that😓😓😓

Later Lin had ask how it went, and Wukong told him your both already dating with Marriage in mine🥰🥰🥰

(BMW Wukong) Ohhhhhhhhhh she was a regular at your tavern coming over every night and drinking your rice wine and paying you more then the drinks were worth. She was quite a handful but you never minded you love when she would come over, for she had plenty of interesting stories for you to listen too. Wukong also valued her time with you as she liked you more then a Companion and saw you as mate material but then one nice....

(M/n) So then what happened queenie??🙃

(BMW) Well, I knocked all those pathetic men on the asses. The look on their face was priceless 🤣

You were both laughing at the story, until some Familiar faces came and Barge into the tavern turns out the guys she whooped were not taking their loss to great and followed Wukong here for a rematch. Wukong was ready to grant the their suicide request until suddenly a Bat bat bashed their heads in turning them all into minced meat, it was you with blood covering your enraged face.

(M/n) I'm sorry my queen I'll get this cleaned up right away 😓

Wukong just stood their with hearts in her eyes😍😍😍

(Destined one) Now it was the destined one who captured your heart first, especially when she had such a cute face even when she looked curious. She came to your tavern because she had walked quite a way and her feet were killing her badly. You learned in her silence that she's called the destined one and that she is on a mission, and you took it upon yourself to listen and take care of her offering her to stay at your tavern. That was until thugs had bust in trying to rob not only you but he harassed and insult the destined one. She was just gonna ignore the guy until she saw you take out a bad and turn that moron into a pile of guts. You had blood on your face but turned calmly to the destined one and gave her a drink

(M/N) On the house young miss, I'm sorry about my outburst.I just didn't like what he said to you😊

The Destined one did not know what to make if this, but now she was very interested in you

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG

[queer-n-here]

Fucking Sangwoo dumb because why not.

Also, I got the idea to write this fic from this piece by @karmasadistic69 Lemme know if y'all want a part 2.

Also, fair warning, this one is not gonna be romantic. At all.

Contents: Reader kidnapping and fucking Sangwoo.

Warnings: Rape, kidnapping, mature themes, mentions of murder, mentions of suicide. Like I've said before, this is gonna be darker than what I usually write, you have been warned.

Oh Sangwoo.

The one behind all those serial murders.

The public didn't know yet; the cops were running around like headless chickens trying to find him.

But you knew.

You knew everything. About his mother, about his fist murder, about every single one that had followed ever since. Even about Yoon Bum, you knew.

And you hated him for it.

Yet here he was, tied to a metal bed frame and slowly regaining his consciousness as you watched his profile.

Sangwoo lifted his head slowly, eyes blinking open as his brows furrowed in confusion. The moment he realised he wasn't anywhere he knew, his eyes widened, and he whipped his head around, trying to figure out just where he was. And that's when his eyes fell on you.

You hadn't bothered to cover your face. For one, you knew Sangwoo would never manage to get past the measures you'd taken to keep him locked in your basement. For two, you wanted him to know who was going to ruin him.

"[Name]," Sangwoo said, and you saw fear in his eyes at being at the other side of this situation. He was supposed to be the one sitting in that chair, smirking; not the other way around. "What the fuck?"

You chuckled. "Surprised, are we?"

You got up from the chair, walked over closer to him and sat down at the edge of the bed. Sangwoo tried to scuttle away, to shift back, but the chains you had put around his legs and wrists would only let him get so far.

"Let's see..." You tilted your head at him. "How does it feel to be at the receiving end of this situation? Does it excite you? Does it help you understand your victims better? Or..."

You looked down at his sweaty hands, and then at his pale face. "Does it scare you?"

Sangwoo grit his teeth. He knew what you were thinking. That's what he thought every time he dealt with a victim.

Ah, he's trying to struggle away. How fun.

But he wasn't gonna let you have that satisfaction.

"How did I get here?" Sangwoo's voice was barely stable.

"Hmm," You debated internally whether or not to be like those typical movie villains that explain their plans before failing horribly to kill the hero. And then you realised, no one's a hero here. You were both deranged.

And so you said, "D'you remember me handing you that bottle of water after your match?"

You watched as Sangwoo remembered, and his eyes grew dark with hatred, but his expression remained casual. "So that's how I blacked out... Not bad."

You chuckled at his attempt to look aloof. "Oh, please, I learned from the best."

The implication of your words hit Sangwoo in the face. He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

You got up from the bed, walking over to the only barred window in the room. "It's funny, really, how the cops could never figure out it was you when you left behind all the evidence you did."

You didn't look back at him, but even in the silence you could hear the cogs of his brain turning. Should he admit to it? Or should he act like he didn't know what you were talking about?

Fuck it, if you had blackmail material on him, he had some on you, too.

"So you knew." Was the only thing he said.

"Of course I did." You turned around now, slightly excited to see his reaction. "I know everything, Sangwoo. From the body in your walls to the boy locked in your basement. Or should I say... Corpse?"

Sangwoo's face paled further, and finally, finally, a fraction of the fear he felt showed on his face.

Silence.

Then, "You killed Yoon Bum."

You laughed. "Oh, did you get attached to him?"

Sangwoo shook his head, a lie. He was attached to that boy. That's why he made him murder that bitch, so Yoon Bum could never leave him without the fear of cops. Yoon Bum was the only one he had.

He didn't love Bum, fuck no. He needed him to stay alive.

But now, he was gone, and standing in front of Sangwoo was you instead, just as insane as him, if not more.

He didn't say anything after that, and you left him to his thoughts.

The next day, you put your hands on him for the first time.

You'd thought about it many times, fuck, dreamt about it, even. And now he was here, in your hands and all yours to ruin.

When you first stripped him of his clothes, he tried to struggle. It was amusing how scared he was to have the sort of things done to him that he'd been doing to people for years now. Maybe it was because he could tell what thoughts were running through your brain, having had them himself.

You freed Sangwoo's legs, keeping his hands bound still. The next few hours were hell for Sangwoo, and heaven for you.

He gave up on struggling half-way through, using his bound wrists to hide his face instead, as if he could somehow forget you existed if he couldn't see you. His chest was heaving with each breath. As you fucked into him nice and fast, he bit down on his lips, hard, not willing to allow a single sound escape his lips to give you satisfaction.

The humiliation, the shame, the hatred he felt in those hours was so, so much more intense than anything else Sangwoo had ever experienced in his life. He wanted to kill himself, wanted to cut off each inch of his skin that you had touched. Anything, anything, if only it meant this would stop, if it meant you would stop. If it meant that he would wake up in his house again, with Bum locked up in his basement and the freedom to move his arms.

But you wouldn't let him struggle away, wouldn't even let him look away. You slapped his hands away when he tried to cover his face, and roughly grabbed his jaw to make him look at you.

"The second you break eye contact, Sangwoo," You muttered, your hips bludgeoning into his. "I won't hesitate to use these chains to choke you out of your miserable life, do you understand?"

And as much as Sangwoo wanted to die already, as much as he wanted this to end, he gulped and obeyed, lips and lashes trembling with fear.

There was no doubt that you'd do it. No doubt that you'd kill him if you got sick of him.

And so he lay there, letting you fuck him again and again and again.

[mihaelkeehl]

Mello isn’t a good person. It’s not new knowledge to him, in fact one of his first memories is shoving some toddler to the ground over some toys. He’s not stupid enough to even try branding himself as a good person, that notion fell through long before he first heard someone’s last gasps of air, the sickening gurgle in the back of their throats and a silent mouthed cry for their mother.

He knew he wasn’t a good person as he dry heaved onto the ground, nothing even able to come up, when had he last eaten again? He wasn’t a good person when he stuffed that headless corpse into a trash bag, shoving the heaving bag into the boot of Rod Ross’s luxury car. The empty McDonald’s wrappers that were scattered through the car crunched under his feet as he climbed into the car stone faced.

Most of all he definitely wasn’t a good person when he stood outside the chipped blue door of Matt’s apartment. He was grateful for once that Matt lived in a shitty part of town, no one really cared to look enough at the blood on his knuckles, the broken nose, the various bruises and scratches and spatters of blood. He needed to bring two changes of clothes in the future.

It was difficult to knock, it always had been. This was different however, far further than it had ever been before. Matt would take one look at him and know what he had done. How could he not? The man was integrated into every electronic he used, how else can you blackmail people if you’re not constantly recording every conversation you have. Yet Mello couldn’t decide what was worse, Matt looking at him with disgust or with love. The option of both made his stomach turn, the disgust he could deal with. It made sense. But to react with kindness and care? Mello didn’t think he could take it.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Mello grimaced slightly as it cracked open, the smoky haze of light shining on his blood splattered face.

“Oh hey busy day?” Matt said, putting his phone into his pocket. “I put the kettle on if you wanna shower, but I’m nearly through something big.” He rubbed his hands excitedly, walking back to his computer. “I’m gunna get back to it, I wanna be in Aruba in two weeks! I love stealing~”

Mello snickered, both of them would die of sun poisoning on the first day. His shoulders sagged as he unclenched his jaw. “Shower sounds great.”

He wasn’t a good person, but neither was Matt. Thank god for that.

[cyberneticfallout]

Chapter Two: The Wastes

Ch 1 - Ch 2 - Ch 3 - Ch 4 - Ch 5 - Ch 6 - Ch 7 - Ch 8 - Ch 9 - Ch 10 - More Coming Soon

Pairing: Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x Fem!Reader Summary: As you trudge through the wastes looking for the doctor, you and the ghoul decide to set up camp. Tags: Slow burn (and I mean SLOWWW), angst, eventual smut, language, canon-typical violence, more tags will be added Posted on AO3: Smoothie and The Ghoul Word Count: 1.2k

Navigating the barren wastes was never a task for the faint-hearted. The scorching sun beat down relentlessly, the dry air sucked the moisture from your pores, and the ever-present radiation kept you on edge. Easy work for that damn ghoul, you thought. A sense of unease always lingered in these parts despite all the years you’ve done this.

The ghoul maintained a steady pace ahead of you, with the dog forging an even greater distance in front as she diligently followed the trail of her missing owner. Doctors have always been a sought-after commodity, but the substantial reward offered for this one hinted at something deeper. So far you’ve seen a ghoul, a knight of the Brotherhood of Steel, and a vault dweller mixed up in all of this. Who else is after this man?

The mangled remains of an old Soviet satellite loomed into sight as the dog bounded towards it, barking excitedly. Upon reaching the ruins, you spotted a pair of legs emerging from the debris, followed by a torso. But to your surprise, that was all that seemed to be present seeing as the head seemed to be sawed off.

"Oh, shit," you whispered as the ghoul knelt down to examine the body. The dog sniffed around, whining softly before resting her head on the lap of the headless corpse. It appeared that the doctor hadn't gotten far, evident from the unsettling sight of a bloody metal foot attached to one of his legs.

The ghoul starts to cough and wheeze violently, a sight that has become all too familiar to you from past experiences. Without hesitation, he retrieves a vial from his satchel resembling the one you had previously shown him and inserts it into an inhaler. Inhaling deeply, he lets out a long sigh of relief.

"How many of those you got left?" You quip.

"I keep forgettin you’re here, you’re so damn quiet," the ghoul complains, slightly annoyed by your presence.

You raise an eyebrow, undeterred by his irritation. "Answer the question."

Grimacing, he carefully places the inhaler back inside his satchel. "Enough to get me through. Besides, you bribed me with a vial, so I’m assumin’ you got more. Don’t know why I ain’t just shoot you now and take it," he mutters, frustration evident in his voice.

"I'd make sure to break the shit before you even draw your gun." With a smug smile you take a seat next to the doctor’s corpse. “We’ve been walking for almost a full day now. Wanna rest?”

The ghoul looks at you wearily, his eyes scanning the desolate surroundings. "That vault dweller won't make it too far, so I suppose we can hunker down here for the night."

As the sun begins its descent, casting a warm glow across the desolate landscape, the small fire you managed create dances aflame, providing a small comfort in the darkness. Sticks of iguana meat, graciously hunted down by the dog, roast over the flames.

The ghoul lies flat on his back, his body weary from the day's journey, patiently waiting for the food to be ready. In this moment of stillness, you take the opportunity to observe him more closely. Despite the absence of a nose and the scars that mar his skin, you realize that, all things considered, he doesn't look too bad for a ghoul. There's a certain resilience in his eyes and a hint of humanity that shines through the decay.

"What're you staring at, smoothie?" His gruff voice cuts through the silence, abruptly pulling you out of your thoughts.

Startled, you quickly avert your gaze, hoping he doesn't notice the slight blush that creeps onto your face. "Nothing!" you hastily reply, trying to regain your composure. "So, uh, what's your name?"

"No," he curtly responds, his expression guarded.

"Okay..." you exhale, not wanting to push him any further. Sensing a need to shift the focus away from his guarded demeanor, you dig through your pack and retrieve a pipboy. With a few flicks and taps, you check on your radiation levels, noting that they are not alarmingly high but still present.

As you glance up from the pipboy, you notice the ghoul looking at you curiously. His gaze lingers on the device, and you can tell there is a spark of interest in his eyes.

"Scavenged a vault a long time ago," you casually remark, hoping to initiate a conversation. The ghoul nods, his gaze returning to the night sky above. Not a big talker, you think to yourself as you grab the cooked sticks of meat from the fire and toss one towards him.

He catches the meat with a swift motion, his eyes momentarily softening with gratitude before he takes a bite. The flavors of the wasteland dance on your tongues as you both savor the nourishment.

As the night sky envelops you in its dark embrace, you settle into a companionable silence once more. The crackling of the fire and the occasional sound of chewing provide a comforting soundtrack to your temporary respite. The dog rests her head on your lap as you eat the rest of the meal, saving a bite for her even though you watched her eat an entire radroach earlier.

As you offer her the morsel, a glint of appreciation shines in her eyes. She gently takes it from your hand, savoring the treat as she curls up beside you. You take a moment to observe her, the flickering firelight casts a warm glow on her fur, accentuating the gentle rise and fall of her breathing.

You reach out to stroke her fur, offering a comforting touch. The dog looks up at you with eyes filled with a mixture of gratitude and longing. It's as if she understands the weight of her loss, yet finds solace in the companionship she has found with you.

Unbeknownst to you, the ghoul has been silently observing your interaction with the dog. A flicker of emotion passes across his face, a brief but genuine smile that hints at a hidden softness beneath his hardened exterior. He turns on his side, settling in for the night, and offers a simple instruction.

"Make sure to put out the fire, smoothie," he says gruffly.

Looking up at his back turned to you, a small smile creeps onto your face. You rise from your spot and take a moment to extinguish the crackling fire, ensuring that all remnants of its warmth and light are gone.

Returning to your makeshift bedroll, you lay down next to the dog, who has already settled in for the night. The quietness of the surroundings wraps around you like a peaceful embrace. Gazing up at the stars, their brilliance shining through the vast expanse of the night sky.

As you lay there, the tranquility of the night begins to lull you into a peaceful state, coaxing your eyelids to grow heavy. The wastelands may be ravaged and unforgiving, but for now… there is a quiet peace shared among you, a ghoul, a dog, and a headless corpse.

Tag List: @fallout-girl219 @ellabellabunny123

[midnight-bay-if]

Oh no! MC is stuck at home feeling terribly ill with some sort of sickness! How do the RO's go about taking care of MC?

(Sorry this took a while! it's been a hectic few days.)

S: With the best doctors money can buy and a lot of care and attention. S doesn't take chances when it comes to the people they love, and it's one of the rare occasions when they are willing to leverage their influence. If the illness isn't too serious, they will personally take care of you after the doctor has left. Anything you desire, it's yours. They'll leave a decanter full of ice and water by your bedside and supplies for any common ailment close by in the medicine cabinet. They are very prepared to set work aside for as long as you need them.

Rain: By floundering. Rain is still very new to being around humans and their illnesses, so expect a lot of running around like a headless chicken with a lot of unintentionally obtrusive questions. "Does it hurt anywhere?", "Are you supposed to be this warm?", "Your eyes are looking a little droopy. Is that normal?"

Their heart is in the right place, but their bedside manner could use some work.

Taj: Taj pretends to act pretty blasé about the whole thing. "You humans are so fragile," they'll mutter, all whilst unpacking every over the counter medication they could find from the pharmacy. If it's a magical ailment that threatens you, they won't be able to hide their fear quite so well. They know, if a human is unprepared, things like that can kill quickly. In which case, they don't mind leveraging with S to get their resources for you.

N: N bemoans their lack of power in situations such as this. Their limited strength is of no use to you when your curled up in bed, shivering. Demons don't really get sick either so this is especially discouraging. Although they do believe their connection should afford you some protection.

It isn't a typical part of their character, but they stay by your side and closely monitor your condition. Standing vigil like some creepy spectre watching from beyond the grave would typically be reserved for Umbra, but in this instance, Umbra would need to step over their corpse to get to you first.

Umbra: This shouldn't happen to you. Umbra would give anything to be able to just take it away. But they can't. So, instead, they try to cultivate an atmosphere designed for healing. I wouldn't try to get up on your own from the bed, because Umbra will guide you right back down into the bed. Need anything? Great. Give them orders. Give them all the orders. Umbra would rather be doing something than nothing.

God forbid anyone but a doctor try and enter the room, either. They aren't risking someone bringing some new germ into your space. Only once the worst of it has broken, and you've offered a stern word, will Umbra chill out.

[teecupangel]

Because of these tags from the Kelpie Desmond idea

#i went for shay for no other reasons other than #kelpies are from celtic folklore #he already named his ship morrigan #look #at least we didn’t make desmond a dullahan XD

From @thedragonqueen1998

Dullahan? Whats that? And oooo, kelpies are awesome!

From @blue-cat-ter-flies-blog

@thedragonqueen1998 dullahan's are pretty much the origin of the headless horsemen legends.

From @thedragonqueen1998

Oh, cool! Now i know. ^^ Ooo, i just thought of this, but what if Desmond becomes the headless horseman from Sleepyhollow(i'm really sorry, but that's pretty much the only media i've seen with it 😅) and he is being controlled by a Templar to hunt Assassins? OH! What if we combine it with Horse!Desmond and it's Ezio that's the Horseman? Abstergo using a PoE to puppeter the body they made based on Ezios remains and they picked out a horse that had a reputation of being fierce and violent to run around with?

It would be so angst-y if it turned out that his horse is Desmond and Desmond can’t do anything but watch as Ezio slaughter their ‘brothers’.

You know what would be awesome? If Ezio’s ‘corpse’ had been turned into a Dullahan by the Templars to make him into an Assassin Hunter of some kind. People don’t recognize him at all because he hides the fact that he has no head by wearing an empty helmet ala Celty Sturluson and he looks like this:

His head is being kept in an Abstergo facility and is used to control him.

So the Modern Assassins have their work cut out for them because the Black Rider is scarier than Cross and more relentless.

And his next mission?

To find and detain Desmond Miles.

[jump-in-the-whump]

Sorry this question isn't really whump related buuuuuut, do you have any "bickering like an old married couple" prompts up your sleeves?

Hi! This is a scenario I really like, especially when the characters are in some kind of difficult situation! So here's to you some with this vibe.

The plan had unraveled in the chaos, and now they were stuck hiding behind crates in a warehouse, guards swarming the area. A peeked over the top, only to duck down quickly as footsteps grew closer.

A whispered harshly, “I thought you said you had this under control!”

B shot them a look, eyes wide. “I did! But then you had to improvise, didn’t you?”

A glared back. “Oh, sorry for trying to save us when your plan went sideways.”

B groaned. “You didn’t save us, you made it worse! Now we’re hiding behind crates, genius!”

They both froze as a guard passed close by, breath held until the footsteps faded. B finally exhaled. “Next time, just stick to the plan, will you?”

A grumbled, “Next time, come up with a plan that doesn’t suck.”

They were ankle-deep in muck, trying to make their way through the sewers after their original escape route had been cut off. The smell was unbearable, but that didn’t stop the constant bickering.

A gagged slightly, holding their nose. “This is disgusting. Next time you suggest a ‘shortcut,’ remind me to not listen to you.”

B shot them a look over their shoulder. “Hey, it’s either this or getting caught. I didn’t see you coming up with any better ideas.”

A grumbled, squelching through the filth. “I would’ve preferred literally anything else to walking through a river of sewage.”

B rolled their eyes. “Yeah, well, you’re still here, aren’t you?”

A scowled. “Only because if I leave you alone, you’ll just get lost.”

B snorted. “Lost? I’m the only one who knows where we’re going!”

A muttered under their breath, “Right into more trouble, no doubt.”

The cave walls echoed with dripping water as they huddled against the cold, both panting from the exertion of escaping the ambush. Blood trickled down from a gash on A's arm as B fumbled with the bandages, frustration etched on their face.

A winced as the bandage was pulled tighter than necessary. “Could you try not to strangle my arm?”

B shot them a glare, hands not pausing in their work. “Maybe if you didn’t charge in like a headless chicken, we wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

A groaned, rolling their eyes. “Oh, here we go. You were right, I was wrong—again. Let’s just skip to that part so we can focus on the bleeding.”

B tugged the knot on the bandage a little harder than needed, making A wince. “Don’t tempt me. You know I can leave you to bleed out.”

A smirked despite the pain. “You love me too much for that.”

B sighed, softening as they secured the bandage. “Unfortunately, I do. Now stop squirming.”

The storm raged outside, wind howling against the crumbling walls of the abandoned building they had taken shelter in. B sat slumped in the corner, clutching their leg, blood soaking through the makeshift tourniquet. A was kneeling beside them, trying to tighten the bandage with trembling fingers.

“I told you not to go after that damn thing,” A grumbled, glaring at their friend’s leg as if it were personally responsible.

B clenched their jaw, shivering slightly. “And I told you to shut up about it already. What’s done is done.”

A shook their head, tying off the bandage. “Yeah, except you’re done if we don’t stop the bleeding. You’re not exactly useful to me as a corpse.”

B managed a weak laugh despite the pain. “I’d make a fantastic ghost though. I’d haunt you into the afterlife.”

A shot them a look, half-amused, half-exasperated. “You already haunt me and you’re still alive.”

B smirked. “Then I’m doing my job right.”

Hope you like these, thank you for the ask <3

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s4 episode 12 thoughts

didn’t watch an episode last night because i was sad. and by consulting the people, i knew that this episode would ALSO be sad. but now in my infinite wisdom, i realize: how better to distract yourself from your own sorrow than to watch some fictional characters writhe in their own grief? which brings us here.

“a headless corpse walks out of a hospital morgue” well that actually just sounds silly. i know it’s not gonna end up being silly, and i’m sure my heart will be on the floor, but you have to admit, it sounds silly.

author’s note: the episode about the dude with no head is now the second episode EVER to make me cry. and editing these notes is gonna SUCK SO BAD😭😭😭I WAS WRONG ABOUT DROWNING MY SORROWS IN FICTIONAL WOES. I HAVE NO INFINITE WISDOM. ONLY TEARS.

let us begin below. join me. hold me. comfort me.

ambulance time :3 we see a guy named leonard, who i presume will be the star of the episode given its title. he tells michele driving the vehicle that this guy having a heart attack is “up to his ass in alligators”, and idk what that means, but it doesn’t sound good

oh a needle. mmmm no no. NO. no. <- girl who cannot look at the screen

NO! no. crash. oh god, that’s my worst fear. EMS lady michele who made the mistake of looking behind her while driving is now covered in blood. i assume that we will see leonard's head soon.

(little did i know!!! little did i know. i have a fear even deeper than causing a car accident that decapitates someone)

ah, yes. the head is not attached to anything. michele, covered in blood, is leaving after leonard is dropped off in the morgue.

the guy in the morgue is trying to stream casual by chappell roan (obviously) but he hears some thumping in the distance. leonard has escaped! without his head!

oh god, he killed morgue guy. you see, i thought we were going to get an episode where the mystery was how the headless man got around and lived his daily life, not that the headless guy was also going to be a murderer. i thought we were gonna get scenes of his headless body using sign language to communicate and question how he’s gonna eat in a semi-comical fashion. but now. now he’s evil. sigh.

and leonard is naked. do they put you in the morgue naked??? i always assumed there’d be a little bit of dignity…

SCULLY TIME!!! i can feel all pain in my body evaporating. she is looking in the little morgue case he escaped from. there are a lot of bloody footprints. and mulder is here, too!

it’s funny how i sit down to watch the scully and mulder show and then when i see them on screen i think “oh boy, it’s scully and mulder time :D”

good news! the morgue guy who was certainly streaming chappell is NOT actually dead. he was just knocked out. and had all his clothes taken, which is unfortunate.

scully is gagged at the idea mulder thinks a headless body escaped from the morgue, and me too girl, but i feel you should be used to it by now. we probably both should be, actually. 

she thinks it’s some sort of coverup for body snatching! oh, compelling. even mulder seems to nod along. god, wouldn’t it be funny if they just had a normal case once? please. i beg.

they’re looking at security camera footage from the night it all went down, and see the clothes that were stolen from morgue guy being worn by someone. scully thinks maybe the thief got scared and dipped, which led to this wonderful exchange: “where could he hide an adult body where it wouldn’t be found?” “i’ll show you” <- YEAHHHH I LOVE WHEN SHE SAYS WEIRD AND UNSETTLING STUFF

time to check the medical waste. are you telling me surgical byproduct gets turned into roads??? i don’t think i can handle that information, so i’m going to simply not fact check it. but she would never lie to me.

mulder looks freaked tf out as he hands the flashlight to her to inspect the waste LMAOOO

“mulder i think i’m gonna need your help, your arms are longer” (cut to visible distress on his face) LMAOOOOO

he’s groaning as they rummage through bags of human stuff, but they find leonard’s head!! noticeably, NOT the rest of him

they are going to split up, and mulder will go to leonard’s house while scully looks at his head. and she makes a pointed correction that he is no longer living. damn. 

his head weighs 10.9 pounds! the head looks a little… wow, i was gonna say it looked fuzzy, but now we get a closeup and it’s actually very convincing. no rigor mortis or clouded eyes, which is inconsistent with the time of death. and she’s gonna go to brain town when he opens his eyes!!

well, bodies do that sometimes. and he’s opening his mouth. and closing it. so uh. what’s that all about?

something or someone is running as mulder enters leonard’s house. he finds a bathtub full of blood, which is not promising. and blood out the window. 

bro stuck his fingers in the blood and sniffed it….. OH! it’s not blood. it’s iodine. okay. that’s less freaky. 

scully says it seems the head has been effected by radiation that is preventing any sort of scanning, and also that she hasn’t cut into the head yet, even though she knows it’s just extra energy stored in the cells that made him blink, but still! aww mulder be NICE TO HER!

“maybe he was home” "leonard betts." “yeah” “without his head.” “yeah :)” LMAO

OMG his headless ass was IN the iodine!!!

WAIT.... HE HAS A NEW HEAD??????

wait… he was a really good EMT… and his head somehow grew back… is he one of those aliens that can heal people???

(author's note: it was a really good guess on my part, but i think he was some sort of new freak not previously established in canon)

he could diagnose illness very well… but he kept his distance from his coworkers. hmmmm. and he never got sick. hmmmm. or injured. HMMMM. michele is suspicious.

they’re gonna mummify his head. sort of. and mulder is smiling at scully over his own stupid joke, and i want to punch his stupid face (affectionate).

man. i do not care for this slicing of heads process. 

oh no!! leonard was like, entirely made of cancer. was he absorbing the cancer of his patients… is that a thing you can do….?

he should have died a looooong time ago. or maybe the process of slicing distorted the findings?

michele is pulling into the hospital as she deals with another case, but she hears someone say “up to your ass in alligators” over the radio… and she recognizes leonard’s voice! he’s making another correct ID on what is wrong with a patient!!!!!!!

the agents are off to one of the professors at a maryland university that mulder keeps on call at all times, who is going to look at the head slice. oh…. this guy does aura photography. okay, so not super promising.

she’s like yeah yeah yeah i know about eastern medicine but WHAT does it have to do with this. i respect her knowledge and her focus.

it looks like the aura photography captured some shoulders? that i guess mulder thinks proves leonard is still alive somehow?

“are we happy with the results?” <- something about the way he said this made them sound so married. i'd be happy to live in that brief moment forever.

scully looks pissed off into another dimension at this whole process LMAO

mulder wants to know if there is a good kind of cancer that is actually regeneration…. and the iodine helps regeneration! which has been used in labs for creatures whose limbs regrow, i guess 

“there isn’t a creature on earth that can regrow its head” “worms. you cut a worm in half, you get two” <- and that’s why you’re the FBI’s most unwanted, because you advocate for worm murder 😭😭

“mulder, they’re worms” <- LMAOOOOOOOOO STOP i saw that line out of context once 

scully gets a phone call! and it turns out leonard had an alter ego named albert- whose fingerprints match his? but albert has a living relative. visit time?

yes, it is visit time. oh! the picture his mom has on the table is the same as the picture we saw earlier of leonard when he was featured in the newspaper!

they try to tell his mom that “her son” died recently, but she says he died 6 years ago!! well, that is confusing.

michele is also on the case, looking for whoever it was who she heard on the radio earlier using that distinct phrase and accurately diagnosing people. the others pointing him out to her refer to him as “the new guy”.

and it is leonard! michele is chasing him…. he hugs her and reassures her that it’s okay. at first it's touching, and i realize too late that he is going to kill her, which he does while apologizing. then he lays her down???? but he gets caught!!

he is running and running…. but he gets tackled by the cops and handcuffed. with a very conspicuous head bruise.

OH MY GOD he PULLED HIS THUMB OUT OF THE HANDCUFF BLEUGHHHHHHHHH all the cops return to is some blood and a finger 😭😭😭

no no bad…. body horror… bad…. not for junis, who are weak and frail… 

michele was given a lethal dose of something that occurs naturally, so it usually misses detection. and leonard was ID’d as the attacker!!! oh i just know everyone at that hospital is SO confused

mulder and scully are fighting over evolutionary theories…. while holding umbrellas in the snow… sigh. so beautiful.

GAG! the trunk of leonard's car is filled with cancerous tumors. that scully can name as she sees them. a massive flex of her knowledge.

OH. maybe he eats cancer. well. this is a bold theory, mulder, and what a lovely time for you to propose it, as i am just thinking of how lovely they look in the snow, and how they should go ice skating and other such winter activities. sure. the guy eats tumors.

and the car leonard was driving traces back to the mom!!! so they go to her place with a warrant. scully confronts her, saying they know she’s lying about her son being dead, and he killed someone, so lying to protect him isn’t gonna get her anywhere except JAIL.

mulder finds iodine while she recounts a tale of her son being beaten up as a kid. and she says god means for leonard to stay even if people don’t understand. crazy thing to say about a guy who just killed someone. 

leonard is at a bar watching someone smoke and looking at him hungrily. while his baby thumb pulsates and regrows. NASTY! nasty. 

he’s getting up after the cigarette dude and following him outside like he’s hunting some prey. he says that “you’ve got something i need” and whips out a tiny knife. uh oh.

back at mom’s house, they find a storage locker receipt. off to track it down.

oh. leonard was straight up eating that dude inside the storage locker. see, i don’t care for that. and also he is screaming while this happens and also his body is pulsating and oh my god. OH MY GOD HE JUST GREW A NEW HEAD???? out of his mouth. whyyyyyy

at the storage unit, the agents find blood flowing from beneath the door, and then the dead cigarette guy. but leonard comes out in a car at them!

i like how mulder grabbed scully to keep her safe... it was very nice. 

leonard is speeding off. and they shoot at him, which causes the car to go up in flames. damn. good shots, those two.

so the cigarette guy had his lung removed, but now leonard seems to be burnt to a crisp. BUT! when they dig up the guy under the pseudonym who had allegedly died 6 years ago, he looks also very dead!!

so he just keeps dying and coming back? i ask myself.

no! mulder thinks that the car crashes- both times- were decoys, and that “leonard” is still at large. scully does not seem pleased by this. 

and back at his mom’s house, she’s washing him in iodine, saying they “found your friend”. she says the FBI aren’t going to leave him alone…. you know what you have to do…. WHAT TF DOES THAT MEAN???

the agents are watching her house. but then an ambulance rolls up, saying that an old woman has had massive blood loss. did he eat his mom?? how would anyone know?? is this a trap???

scully finds his mom, who has a surgical cut…. and they’re taking her to the hospital… scully is helping her out…. she is so kind

but as they take leonard's mom out, scully notices IODINE ON HER HEAD! is he waiting on top of the ambulance? she tells mulder to get over here RIGHT NOW. 

and leonard grabs her!!!! and says she has something he needs. NO!!!!! no that means…… no. 

she’s beating the hell out of him though which is a major slay. she defibrillates him. queen.

it seems he really died. for now.

mulder’s telling her she should be proud, but she just wants to go home. that's what she says: "i want to go home". oh my goooooooood. oh my gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood.

wait it’s still going. she’s coughing. NO, SHE’S COUGHING BLOOD?????!

no it’s her nose. oh my god. the end.

FUCK YOU ALL I HATE EVERYTHING (punches wall) (punches table) (punches everything in an arm’s reach) (keeps punching until i collapse into a ball of sobs)

well. for most of this, distracting myself with fictional character’s problems worked. but now i’m just sad about my own life AND scully’s.

okay. i won’t lie. you want me to tell the truth? fine. i’ll tell you. i’d never lie to you...

i knew about the scully cancer arc. 

there. i said it. i know, i know, i too wanted everything to come as a surprise. but in all honesty, i’m glad i knew about it, because if i didn’t i’d probs be straight up ugly crying right now. 

yes, i saw it in a gif set a while ago- not this part, but from a later episode- and i find myself still deeply saddened despite knowing it was going to happen. i think it’s just so awful that cancer is a thing that happens, and even knowing that scully isn’t real doesn’t it make it less of a reality for other people, and that breaks my heart. of course i want my fave fictional girl to be okay- and this was foreshadowed after the abduction arc anyway- but cancer…. god, it’s just horrific. i think we all know someone who has it and have had to see what they endure. and it’s so genuinely and horrifically fucked up. luckily i can look at this leonard guy and be like damn, wouldn’t it be fucked up if a guy grew a new head? and i can rest knowing that it shall never happen to anybody alive, but this? like. you just don’t know. it could happen to anyone. 

and that really scares me, i think. more than anything else. so at least we learned about my deep set fear together? glad we had that bonding experience.

gooood. i’m gonna cry. okay yes, check it write it down- the tears are in my eyeballs. you can’t see it, but it is happening. yes, and now they are leaving my eyeballs and going down my cheeks. okay so. that’s fine i guess.

fuck me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this episode was fine, other than that, i guess? i mean i laughed a bit but then i laughn’t. the laughter was cancelled. his face when he was digging around in the body part jumble was really funny, i love when he is squeamish. and i liked him laughing at his own joke and how beautiful they looked in the snow. the idea of this as a monster was kinda interesting and very disturbing in practicality- body horror is always gonna get me- but leonard himself wasn't super compelling. you can't really be that good of a healthcare worker if you're in it just to eat people. his mom was more interesting to me, but also she was annoying because how tf are you gonna sit there and say your baby boy eats people because he is so special?

scully, why do they do this to you……….. i need to save you from chris carter myself……. 

s4 loyalists: you scare me, because how can you endure this willingly? bro, i love angst too... but this is just straight up masochism 😭

[zebaji]

Summary:

“You have a ranked list of the enemies you’ve faced?” Morro asks, and everyone shares a devious look with one another. Oh no , he thinks, but at that point, it’s too late. 

“Of course we do!” Nya smirks, “How else do you think we cope?” She asks, and Morro stares at her, trying to see if she’s being serious. She is, Morro realizes, and while he should feel concerned, he was also on their list, so really, this was a problem they all needed to face.

Or: Morro is a zombie and the Ninjas decide to go on a road trip to turn him back into a human. Realizations and bonding ensue.

{This is one of the fics I'm doing for @morrotober's summer event :D The topic is road trip, but I couldn't help but add some plot and worldbuilding and all that fun stuff!

Fic is under the cut, let me know what you think!}

A Road Trip with a Reformed Evil Zombie

In all honesty, just the idea of having a road trip was something to dread about. But to actually commit to it– well Morro can’t promise if everyone is going to survive the week that it’s going to take to this so-called Temple of Life. And he isn’t even alive!

Oh, this was going to be a nightmare, Morro sulks as he watches Jay and Cole cram countless bags of luggage into the Land Bounty, and Kai and Zane fill a large chest with ice and food. 

At least Wu wasn’t coming with them, thankfully– the old man had told him that he would clear out Morro’s old room into something fitting a living person before they came back from the temple. There were actually tears forming in Wu’s eyes when he said it, much to Morro’s disgust and shame.

He’s filled with disgust because Wu? Crying over him? Morro wanted to scoff and tell him to save the pathetic tears for someone worth crying for. The shame is because it was Morro who caused the sadness. He didn’t realize that Wu actually cared– Morro shakes his head, abruptly dismissing the many emotions going through him at an alarming pace, instead focusing his thoughts on watching these Ninja, who despite somehow managing to defeat him at his greatest, run around the monastery’s courtyard like hungry headless chickens.

If Morro were a better person, which he isn’t, he’d offer to help them pack up the Land Bounty and have them on their journey much faster than the pace they are currently at. However, he is more than content to watch them and bask in the sun’s heavy rays. He hasn’t felt the heat in so long it hardly bothers him that for everyone else it is sweltering and irritating to be outside. He isn’t a good person, despite what everyone seems to think, and has blatantly refused to use his wind to cool everyone down.

Never mind that his powers aren't working and he just isn’t telling people. No, it’s because he refuses to participate in this nonsense that the Ninja have determined is important– like bringing him back to life. He’s already somewhat alive, he doesn’t need to be any more!

But apparently, the Ninja have already made their decision, and now, they are going to make the journey to a temple nestled somewhere south, even more south than Metalonia, to a place where Wu is confident in bringing Morro completely back to life.

Because right now, he is simply a rotting corpse, one that isn’t exactly rotting– since he doesn’t smell or have flesh falling off of him with his every movement– but a corpse nonetheless. He can touch the bones in his chest and a portion of his skull, there are green veins of the poison running through the tattered remains of his skin, thick and matted black liquid that pours out of his poisoned green eyes if he forgets to blink.

All nuisances, he’d complained, ignoring the way he was quite literally grotesque to be even looked at for more than a few moments. He told himself he didn’t care. It was just remnants of his injuries in the Cursed Realm and then falling out of a portal that was trying its hardest to keep him from exiting, he told himself and the others. Nothing that was needed to make an entire week's worth of travel. But his argument had been ignored and everyone had begun preparing around him like he was a ghost again.

Morro doesn’t know how he feels about it all, and as such doesn’t move from his position, standing in the monastery’s courtyard as everyone finishes packing. He doesn’t bother to move, even as Lloyd walks up to him, carrying water bottles that he has been passing around to everyone in the heat. “Here,” He offers, and Morro warily takes the bottle.

He has mixed feelings about water– any person who had been a ghost for decades would be, especially when it had been the cause of his second death. But it also helped him realize that he wasn’t a ghost any longer, since Nya blasts him with water every time she feels like it. He thinks he’s gotten used to it, but every now and then it still stings like acid streaking up his limbs, mixing with the poison running in his veins, giving him another slow and painful death– Morro jolts from his musings when he remembers that Lloyd was here, waiting for him to take the bottle.

“Thanks,” He says uncertainly, and Lloyd gives him a small– almost knowing– smile as he walks away, back towards the others who are complaining about the heatwave.

Despite everything with the mad scientist and his zombie creations, Morro still doesn’t understand how Lloyd can handle being around him, let alone be kind to him. He doesn’t deserve it– something the other Ninja have vehemently agreed with him on at first, but after… after everything, with Morro sacrificing himself for the Ninja and becoming this half-monster– zombie– creature– thing, everyone seems to have forgotten how bad Morro used to be.

“We want to help you,” Lloyd had said after Morro had realized his powers were gone and he could feel the heat of the fire. When he could see bone in his fingers and could breathe in fresh air. A monster– and not just figuratively.

“Why?” He had demanded, whirling away from the mirror that he had been staring at for the past five minutes so that he could fully glare at Lloyd, only to falter when the Green Ninja didn’t even flinch at his decaying appearance. “I possessed you,” He hissed, feeling a mixture of satisfaction and guilt, when Lloyd finally paled and took a slight step back. 

“I invaded your mind,” Morro continued, taking a step closer to the Ninja. “I almost killed you, ” He sneered, and Lloyd took a deep but shaky breath and stared back at him.

“You did,” He said plainly as if Morro had told him that he had broken a toy and not everything that he had done.

“So why do you want to help me? ” He demanded, shoving the hysterics somewhere deep in his ribcage. It was too bad that his ribcage was very visible and open at the moment.

“You saved me,” Lloyd had said, leaving no room for argument. “Sacrificed everything that the Doctor had promised you, to save me. From dying. From becoming like my father. An evil zombie–” Lloyd made a face, and Morro looked on, a brief flash of amusement on his face. After all, Morro had taken his place as this supposed, evil zombie. “Okay, sorry, just a zombie, but you get my point! I owe you. Maybe not my life, since y’know, I’m not exactly over everything that you did, but it’s enough to want me to help you.”

 Morro had stared at Lloyd in silence– Forgiveness was not something he had been afforded in his very long undead life, and it was an odd feeling to gain it now. “Alright,” He said at last, and that had spurred the start of this…trip to the Temple of Life. 

And now, preparations are complete and Morro is crammed into this boat on wheels with his once-enemies for the next few weeks. “You brought the portable stove right?” Nya asks, jumping into the driver’s seat. The others have strapped into the seats behind her, and everyone is unbelievably quiet. Morro hadn’t realized how tense the silence had been, but now that he does, he can see that everyone is on edge. He highly doubts it’s because of anyone other than him. He knew this was a bad idea.

Kai nods his head, either oblivious or trying his hardest to ease the tension. Most likely the latter. “And the propane, the grill, the lighter, the lighter fluid, and the charcoal for some reason. Honestly, Nya, just because I don’t have my powers doesn't mean I don’t know how to start a fire,” He rolls his eyes, and Morro is surprised that despite Kai’s loss of powers, he can still manage to joke about it. Morro is still in denial that his powers are gone because he is sure that the reason has something to do with his half-mortality. Not anything else.

Nya scoffs, her eyes focused on the road, as Wu and Pixal wave them off and they start to make their way out of the mountains. “Are you sure? We lived in Dad’s shop for how many years, and I still don’t think you can light a fire without matches.”

Kai glares at her, looking offended as he crosses his arms, “Master of Fire, Nya, I don’t need matches! ” He reminds her in a splutter, and everyone shares an amused look. From there, chatter breaks out, lighthearted and pleasant, and out of the corner of his eye, Morro can see Kai and Nya share a relieved look at each other.

Well, until Jay demands that everyone should start singing 99 Bottles of Tea and Kai lets out a strangled scream and launches himself out of his seat to tackle Jay. Morro blinks at the scene and sighs when Zane is the only one to try and separate the two– everyone is too amused to even try.

Lloyd suggests they play eye-spy, a game that people play on long trips, but the leader of the Ninja forgets who he’s playing with, and Morro watches for the next hour as everyone competes to find the most mundane thing they can spot and get away with.

“Something yellow,” Cole says confidently, staring at the Desert they have just entered.

“Is it sand?” Morro asks dryly, “Or the sun? Because that’s the only thing outside right now.” 

Cole sniffs and points to the bright yellow exit sign. After they pass the sign, there really isn’t much other than the sand and sun. No one wants to play anymore, which Morro is thankful for– until Zane starts reading his book about Ninjago out loud, and has everyone groaning silently in their seats.

Morro is silent for the next few hours, watching as the landscape turns from the familiar mountains into a dry desert. How big was the Desert of Doom? He didn’t remember it being this vast, Morro glares at the sand as if it's the desert's fault that his memory is failing him.

“Y’know, I used to live here,” Jay tells him casually, as the sun sinks to the ground, and Nya stops at a nearby rest stop so that they can stretch, eat, and swap drivers. Lloyd and Zane are out looking for a vending machine to get snacks, and Kai is pulling out the portable stove, while Cole and Nya are outside clearing up a picnic bench for all seven of them. “Before I became a Ninja. They run a junkyard, though it’s closer to the city than where we are right now.”

Morro casts a look at the Master of Lightning. He knew the previous one– Libber, he remembers wistfully. The only one who hung out with him, even though he was being an asshole to all of Wu’s other students. “I didn’t know Libby was still alive,” He says quietly, his voice hoarse and crackly. Jay’s eyebrows fly up, “Libby?” He repeats, sounding confused as he hands Morro two folded-up camping chairs. 

Morro frowns, “Libber? The previous Master of Lightning? The person who gave you your powers?” He says, feeling like he’s missing a crucial piece of information as the two of them carry the chairs to the picnic bench. The weather is nice– which is a pleasant surprise considering that they’re in the desert. It’s even a little windy, which makes his long and tangled hair flutter slightly. It’s nice– really nice.

“You knew my bio mom?” Jay pauses and eyes Morro with surprising intensity, and if he could turn red, he probably would have. Even still, he feels the back of his neck warming.

“I mean, I wouldn't exactly say I knew her. I didn’t really have friends back then,” Morro coughs nervously, grimacing when tar fills his mouth. “And besides, she was either hanging out with Lily and Obra, or on dates with Gordon– some upstart actor who had this weird obsession with pudding cups– wait, did you say ‘bio-mom?’” Morro pauses, almost losing his grip on the chairs as he stares at Jay, who’s shrugging at him sheepishly.

“Uh, yeah. I found out I was adopted a few years back– and the only person who knows is Nya. I figured that if Wu hadn’t brought up knowing the person who had lightning before me in the decade I’d known him, then he wouldn’t know either,” Jay says bitterly. 

Morro can’t say he’s surprised. “Well, that’s Wu for you,” He says, his own bitterness creeping out. “Never says the things he should, and says the things he shouldn’t.”

Jay snorts in understanding, “Yeah, well. Me and Nya tried to find stuff on her, but we never found anything. I didn’t even know her name,” Jay is quiet, and Morro understands. He knows what it’s like to know nothing about the people who were supposed to care and yet didn’t, and being desperate for an answer.

“If you want, I can tell you what I remember about her,” Morro offers, startled by how he genuinely means it. Maybe it’s just because he understands, or maybe it’s because he finally has a heart beating inside of him for the first time in 70 years. Whatever it is, Jay gives him a sincere smile. “That would be awesome. Thank you.” 

Morro nods with a shrug, and they join the others; Kai is grilling something on the small stove– the smell of sizzling meat wafting through the air, and Morro absentmindedly wishes he had a complete stomach so that he could eat– and Lloyd and Zane have returned with a pile of chips and drinks.

There aren’t a lot of people milling around– it is late at night in the middle of nowhere– so it’s quiet and peaceful. Relaxing and soothing– something that Morro hasn’t felt in decades, and casting a quick glance at his companions, they haven't had in a while either.

“Alright!” Kai says a few moments later, grinning as he waves a spatula in the air, “Burgers are done!”

“I think I speak for everyone that this is the best quest we’ve had in a while,” Cole says as they all load their plates with food. “Honestly, this feels more like a vacation than anything–”

“Don’t jinx it!” Jay interrupts with a yelp and goes to knock on the wooden bench. “If some rabid beetle named Bernie pokes out of the sand again, I’m feeding you to it!”

The group goes silent, and Morro looks around, once again feeling like he’s missing something vital before everyone bursts into wild laughter. “Bernie?” He asks uncertainly to Zane, who at least manages to choke down his chuckles to explain.

“The last time we were in the Desert of Doom, an ancient beetle named Beohernie attacked us and ate the Thermolytic Kinetic Inverter, which resulted in me retrieving it from the beetle’s stomach,” Zane explains like half of any of those words means anything to Morro. “Jay nicknamed it Bernie.”

“But the only reason it attacked us is because we were being reckless and were driving off of the road,” Cole jumps in, no doubt reading Morro’s unimpressed look. “We’ll be safe on the path we’re on.”

“Knowing your luck, I highly doubt it,” He says dryly, and the Ninja don’t even bother to argue, instead just laughing harder. 

“At least with this quest, you’re the worst thing we’ll have to deal with,” Lloyd says, still grinning wildly, even if Morro wanted to take offense, his guilt won’t allow him that, so he offers a small smile instead.

“Uh yeah, Morro– I think out of all the villains we’ve faced, you’re top five. You’re actually scary so if we have to deal with some like… I don’t know. Ultra Violet or the Mechanic? You’re dealing with them,” Jay informs him, and Morro’s eyebrows raise in curiosity, as he ignores the reminder of once being a ‘villain’.

“You have a ranked list of the enemies you’ve faced?” He asks, and everyone shares a devious look with one another. Oh no, he thinks, but at that point, it’s too late. 

“Of course we do!” Nya smirks, “How else do you think we cope?” She asks, and Morro stares at her, trying to see if she’s being serious. She is, Morro realizes, and while he should feel concerned, he was also on their list, so really, this was a problem they all needed to face.

“So am I at least top three?” He asks instead, and Lloyd raises a hand.

“For me you are,” He says, grinning at Morro like that was a sentence to be smiling at. Which it wasn’t. These people are crazy, Morro thinks, before once again remembering where and who he is. But so am I, He sighs to himself and gestures for Lloyd to continue.

“It’s Harumi, you, and then Dad,” Lloyd lists off, and Morro should not be this surprised over the revelation. But he’s beating Lord Garmadon? Nice.

“I’m beating your dad?” He clarifies out loud with a snicker, and Lloyd shrugs, taking a bite out of his burger.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“How? Can I ask what the criteria are?” He dares to ask, and Lloyd grins again and shakes his head.

“Nope.”

“But I’m winning?”

Lloyd shoots him a look, although his lips betray a smile. “This isn’t a competition!”

Morro raises his hands in surrender, “You’re making it sound like it is!”

Lloyd snags a chocolate bar from the table, “My trauma, not yours,” he mutters, his mouth full of candy. 

Nya grins sagely in agreement, “For me, you're like top four,” She shrugs, and Kai nods with her. Jay shrugs, “I don’t know, I think he’s my fifth one?”

“Morro’s my third too,” Cole says, and Zane agrees with him. 

“Thanks, I think?” Morro grins uncertainly.

“Again, this isn’t a competition,” Lloyd grumbles, but he doesn’t seem too put off by the rankings. 

Cole pats Morro gently on the shoulder, “It’s alright, he’s just mad because he’s my number one villain,” He says with a wide grin. “After all, he did release the Serpentine and made our lives miserable for five years straight.”

Lloyd chucks the candy bar at Cole and then immediately dives after the bar before it can hit the ground. “I was ten! ” Lloyd screeches on the muddy floor, as everyone bursts into laughter once more. “I was ten, and you hung me up a pole! What was I supposed to do?”

“Not release the Serpentine!” Cole laughs as he leans back in his seat. From there on out, the rest of the meal is the Ninja trying to tell Morro the most ridiculous story they have– the best one Morro has heard is, “When the Ninja turned into children.” He had seen it vaguely in Lloyd’s memories, back when he was… possessing him, but the tale is much funnier when Kai and Jay do their squeaky voices, and Lloyd goes into extreme detail about the Fritz Donnegan competition.

So this is what peace feels like, Morro notes, as the Ninja’s laughter is the only sound around them. Everyone else at the rest stop is gone, and there is a faint buzz of insects around them. The sky is clear and he can see the stars so clearly, it’s almost jarring. Wind flutters around them– or in Morro’s case, through him, and it’s a pleasant night to be outside.

But then everyone is yawning and packing up, and Zane is offering to take the next shift so that everyone who requires sleep can get it. Morro doesn’t think he needs to sleep and doesn’t say much as everyone bids their goodnights and ducks into the back of the Land Bounty where all the bunks are.

It’s an hour after Cole, the last person to disappear into the back, leaves, and Zane eyes Morro, who is sitting next to him in the passenger seat. “Perhaps you should at least try–”

“I’m not going to sleep,” Morro cuts in with a scowl. “Don’t even start.”

Zane nods his head slightly, and they fall into silence once more. Morro watches as they pass a single car, small lights that grow and grow until they cross paths, and then the road is only lit by their own headlights once again. It feels oddly lonely, and now Morro’s desperate for any noise or proof of life that isn’t just him.

“Have you ever done this before?” He asks. Zane gives him a questioning look, his glowing eyes boring into Morro’s side. He shifts uncomfortably. “Like, have you, gone on a long trip before?”

“A few times,” Zane says with a shrug, returning his sights back to the road. “Not as peaceful as this, however. Usually, it’s because we’re attempting to save the day or something along those lines.”

“So you don’t have…vacations?” Morro asks, the word feeling foreign on his tongue. Cole had said it earlier, and it had been bouncing around in his mind for a while. “You don’t just explore Ninjago because you want to? Just have the roads take you around the realm you’re supposed to be protecting?”

“It would be nice to travel without worry. Sounds idyllic in a way,” Zane is quiet, the metallic ring in his voice disappearing for a moment, and Morro catches sight of a billboard that looks like it’s about to fall off. In faint letters, the sign read: Sylvia’s Splashy SuAquarium. 10 Exits Away.

“You ever gone to those sad little roadside attractions?” Morro asks, refusing to let his voice fall into nostalgic territory when he remembers going to that weird fortune-telling lady who loved selling bad advice to Wu. “Ones that leave you wondering why people decided to make that their entire life’s work?”

Zane catches him staring at the billboard, ��I have not. But it would be interesting to explore. Perhaps on our way back, we can go?” He offers, and Morro shakes his head and leans back in the seat.

“I mean we can if you and the others want to, but I don’t think I want to do water,” He says, just as they pass another billboard, this time for some alien museum exhibit. “Maybe we could do something like that,” he points towards the sign. “The others would probably get a kick out of that.”

Then Morro wonders when he started to care about what the others would like.

Zane laughs, oblivious to Morro’s realization. “True,” he says. And then, “Do you mind if I put on a podcast? I haven’t been this far south before, and I’d like to know what we could encounter.”

Morro shrugs, “Go for it. It might be nice to know what has happened since I was dead.” He rests his head in his palm, as Zane presses a button, and a slow and evenly paced voice comes out of the speakers, talking about some forest that they’ll probably drive through later that week.

His eyes droop downwards, as the desert finally becomes more mountains, and he’s asleep before the sun rises.

+*+

Two days later, they’re driving through the Forrest of Luminescence, and Morro is reminded of the deep ocean, with no sky in sight, leaving the world around them dark and mysterious. The trees and plants all glow in different colors; blue, pinks, and greens, pulse as the Land Bounty’s lights brighten up their path. He thinks he spots a few birds, but they could be fish for all he knows. This place is unlike anything he’s ever seen.

“Dibs on taking out the bike,” Nya shouts, jolting everyone out of their awed stupor. She’s out on the deck before anyone can process her words, but when they do, everyone shoves against each other, all desperate to get to the other bikes that made their way onboard.

Morro watches, once again wondering how absolute children managed to defeat him, and shakes his head when he hears cackling and shouting echoing from upstairs on the deck. 

Cole– who is driving, and cannot participate in all of this– also shakes his head, but Morro suspects it's for a different reason than him. “I want to go, Zane can you take over?” Cole asks, and Zane rolls his eyes before returning to the book he’s reading.

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

Engines roar in the quiet and Morro spots four motorbikes racing ahead of the Land Bounty a few moments later. Cole drops his head in defeat, “Aww man,” He complains, and the Land Bounty speeds up to keep up with the other vehicles.

Morro snorts, “Did you not bring enough for everyone?” He asks, and Cole shakes his head, just as Zane puts his book down and excuses himself to call Pixal and start lunch– grilled cheese sandwiches and a large garden salad.

“Only a few so if in case we were stranded or needed to get someplace where the Bounty couldn’t– we wouldn’t be stuck like last time.”

Morro nods his head, “Makes sense. Back… Back before I first managed to escape the Cursed Realm, Bansha taught us how to kill inanimate objects. It’s how Wrayth turned that motorbike into the bike that followed you to the train station.” he says, ignoring the way Cole eyes him nervously.

“While turning bikes into ghosts is super cool, in a super creepy way– You can’t do it anymore right?” He asks, and Morro shrugs, smirking slightly.

“Who knows?” He says mysteriously. “I am part ghost after all.”

“Not for much longer,” Cole points out, his eyes briefly flickering to Morro before staring back in front of him.

“Yeah,” Morro says quietly. He still doesn’t know how he feels about that if he’s being honest with himself. Mortality was not a good look on him after all– how many times had he died?

“After the Day of the Departed,” He starts, only to falter, feeling oddly hesitant. He shouldn’t be, he tells himself angrily. He had helped the Ninja fight against the mannequin-ed versions of their previous enemies and Sensei Yang. He had been helpful. He did good.

And yet, Cole had turned back into a human that day. Morro had died again, possessing a doll that looked eerily like him. He feels bitter and doesn’t have enough willpower to dampen the feeling.

“What was it like turning back into a human?” He says, his voice sounding strangled. “You didn’t exactly have this in-between state like I do. How painful was it for you?”

Cole is silent, guiding the Bouty to trail after Kai’s bike. “I wasn’t a ghost for as long as you,” he says finally, as the sky finally peaks its way through the dense trees. “It just felt like a super long nightmare. Something that didn’t feel real. But I still sometimes freak out about water,” he laughs deprecatingly. “And I still run into walls.”

Morro nods, that part made sense– he's only had this decaying flesh for less than a month and keeps forgetting that he now has bones and muscles and can no longer float with the wind.

“And I guess, adjusting to eating and drinking again was rough. And showering– oh man, I’d forgotten how nice it was to feel clean, ” Cole continues, and Morro grimaces. In his partially alive body, he still didn’t have the need or desire to do basic human necessities, but he supposes he should be mentally preparing himself for that. Human, he thinks, allowing for some wonder to enter his thoughts. It has been a while– and Morro isn’t sure that he’s ready to be whole and real again.

“But don’t worry dude,” Cole says, seemingly understanding his thoughts. “You’ll get the hang of it. And we’ll be here to help if you want it,” He says, and Morro hates that his vulnerability is that readable, but doesn’t say anything. There isn’t much point, anyway.

“Thank you,” he says, and wonders if he means it. He doesn’t know. 

Zane comes back, looking cheerful. “I’ve informed Pixal on our whereabouts and made food,” he says, pressing a button on the large dashboard. “Food is ready if you want to come back on board or if you would like to stop,” he tells the Ninja on the bikes. Cole takes control of the button. “And so we can swap drivers!”

Lloyd’s voice crackles back, giving them the affirmative, and in ten minutes everyone is back on the Bounty, digging into their lunch. Morro looks on, and wonders if the food quality has improved since the last time he ate– which was almost seventy years ago. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing, becoming human.

+*+

“I should have known that this wouldn’t have been a peaceful trip!” Kai seethes, as he uses his sword to cut a path through the dense jungle. Morro trails after him, 50% sure that they are walking in the wrong direction.

“Seriously! Were you expecting to be ambushed by goblins?” Kai whirls around and looks at Morro as if he expects Morro to say yes. “I didn’t even know goblins existed in Ninjago!” He continues, ignoring Morro’s reply, not that Morro gave him one.

“I don’t they’re called goblins,” Morro finally juts in, as Kai wipes away the sweat from his forehead. “Don’t be disrespectful.”

Kai stares at him for a minute, “Are you… being serious? They literally chased us away from the Bounty calling us demons, and you want me to be nice to them?” He asks bewildered, and Morro sighs, tilting his towards the sky and regretting literally all of his life choices. All of them. Even the good choices that he’s made were not that great if this is where he has ended up.

“Obviously I’m not being serious, I took care of them, remember?” he drawls out the words slowly, rolling his eyes, and then wipes at his face with a scowl when the black liquid starts leaking out of the corners of his eyes. His vision is already impaired, he doesn’t need to be completely blind, he grumbles to himself, cursing how irritating it was to be in between life and death. He didn’t mind either side, he’s finally determined to himself– but toeing the line? It’s really bothersome.

“Yeah about that– remember that you agreed to the no-killing rule?”

“An odd way of saying thank you, but I’ll take it,” Morro snips back, smirking when Kai shoots him a disgusted look but goes silent anyway.

The two of them resume walking, and Morro’s confidence in Kai taking them back to the Bounty dwindles with the setting sun. “Do you have any idea of where you’re going?” He snaps, suddenly losing all of his patience– which to be fair, isn’t a lot as it is– and Kai levels Morro with a glare of his own.

“It would be a lot easier if you could just float over the trees and see where the Bounty is,” He snaps back, and Morro narrows his eyes– ignoring the reminder that he was powerless.

“Oh, sure. Like I’ll be able to see anything in the dark,” He crosses his arms, and Kai scowls at him, no doubt reading the underlying statement. Won’t be able to see at night, even if your companion is the Ninja of Fire. 

“Come on,” Morro snaps, pushing past him. “We don’t want to lose any more daylight, because we’ll be useless in an hour.”

“Low blow, dude,” Kai growls, but Morro shrugs, continuing through the jungle. “Especially since you don’t have your powers either, do you?” Kai says it like he’s won a game, and Morro bristles silently, but he doesn’t turn around. He won’t take the bait. He’s better than that.

“Because, back before you came out of the portal machine, you practically created a tornado anytime something ticked you off,” Kai continues, and Morro keeps his lips tight. “And now I don’t even feel a breeze.”

Morro doesn’t say anything. Unfortunately, that doesn’t deter Kai. “You could have told us– It’s not like it’s not just you who doesn’t have their powers,” he accuses, and as the last streaks of light in the sky start to fade, Morro frowns and whirls around– his patience evaporating in the wind, no pun intended. 

“And what,” He grits his teeth, desperately trying to keep his cool– a hard feat to do with the Ninja of Fire– “Do you think you would have done? That’s right, nothing. I know how this works– I need to regain my powers by overcoming my fear or some crap like that– something which I can’t control!”

“What do you mean? You know why your powers are gone?” Kai asks peering at him with almost knowing eyes, and Morro scoffs, resuming their trek.

“I’m comfortable being a ghost and I’m comfortable being a human. Being stuck as both at the same time is a painful experience and I have hated every second of it. As soon as we get to this temple, and I become a human, I’ll have nothing holding me back and my powers will return,” He says, not leaving any room for doubt.  He refuses to believe anything other than that is the cause for his loss of power. 

“Careful dude, you’re sounding like a supervillain again,” Kai warns lightheartedly, no doubt trying to ease the suddenly heavy mood, and Morro stares at him stoned-faced. Kai shrugs undeterred, “But are you sure that’s really why they're gone?”

“Of course it is,” Morro dismisses, spotting something glowing in the distance. “What else could it be?”

“Okay,” Kai says, sounding uncertain, but then he spots the glowing lights too. “What is that?”

Morro squints, shouldering past a few more trees to come closer to a building with flashing lights and a sign for… gas prices?

“Is that a gas station?” Kai demands, standing next to him. “In the middle of the freaking jungle?”

Yes. Yes, there is.

It looks like a normal gas station that he’d probably find in the cities, which is jarring, considering the jungle landscape that spreads over most of the southern parts of the realm. There is even a road in front of the establishment, with a car parked to the side of it. All the gas pumps are vacated, but the point is that there is a station with no other civilization surrounding it. They could have at least added a restaurant next to it, or something.

Kai shrugs nonchalantly, “Eh, I’ve seen weirder. But I swear if it’s run by greedy cultist goblins who think we’re demons, I’m going to lose it,” he mumbles as he stalks towards the station.

Morro trails after him, feeling wary of it all as they get closer– or maybe it was because of the decent gas prices. Despite being born before cars were even a thing, and having no idea what the ideal gas rates should be, he’s heard enough of Zane’s grievances to know that gas was more expensive than ever before.

“And what are you hoping to accomplish?” He asks as they cross the paved road. “I don’t exactly think there’s a strong enough signal here to call the others.”

“Might as well ask,” Kai says cheerfully, as they open the door, and a small bell chimes. “Who knows, maybe the goblins have long-range!”

“I highly doubt that,” Morro tries to say, but gets interrupted by high high-pitched scream. They both whirl around and immediately duck as a bag of chips gets thrown their way.

“DEMONS!” The cashier screams and Kai bristles, brandishing his sword at the counter, as if about to charge.

“We are NOT demons!” He shouts back, and Morro groans as Kai prepares to launch himself at the screaming glimmering pink-purple goblin.

“No wait,” Morro grabs Kai’s shoulder and takes a step forward. “No killing, remember?”

“That was a rule for you, not me,” Kai mutters under his breath but crosses his arms. Morro rolls his eyes, “I’ve got this,” he says and takes a smooth step in front of Kai. 

The cashier takes a step backward in response and raises another bag of chips over their head. “Stay back, demon,” they warn with a shaky voice. Morro ignores this and walks around the counter.

“Actually I’m a zombie,” Morro clarifies, letting his eyes bleed green and as he steps closer and closer to the poor shaking cashier, he feels tar dripping down his cheeks. The cashier hits the wall and lets out a quiet squeak. Morro grins, and a louder squeak rings in the empty gas station. Oh, how he missed scaring people. 

If only he had his powers to knock down the shelves and cause the building to rumble with the power of his wind. Ah well, you win some, you lose some. Behind him, Morro can hear Kai sighing in impatience. Rude.  

“Wh-What do you want?” 

He has to strain to hear the question, and Morro shrugs. “Can I borrow your phone?” he asks, and that sentence is what makes the cashier pass out. Morro blinks and takes a step back in surprise.

“Oh great,” Kai grumbles, as he snags a yellow chip bag off the rack, and aggressively opens it. “This is your fault.”

“My fault?” Morro tosses his hands in the air, “You were about to kill them!”

“No, I wasn’t! And I didn’t loom over them like I was evil, either!” Kai points out, hands full of potato chips.

“I didn’t loom,” Morro crosses his arms indignantly, knowing full well that he was. “I was just asking to borrow their phone!” 

“Yeah. By looming,” Kai rolls his eyes and picks up the phone sitting on the counter, quickly pressing numbers as he munches on the chips. “Check on the goblin while I call the others, and hopefully we’ll be gone before they wake up. I refuse to get chased in the jungle this late at night.”

Morro spares a glance at the passed-out goblin that probably was going to wake up any moment now and shrugs. He’s pretty sure if he even looks at the cashier’s direction, then they’ll probably pass out again. “I’ll grab some snacks too,” he decides to stall and grabs a bag before stuffing it with chips and candy. 

“Don’t steal!” Kai hisses at him, his head tilted to keep hold of the phone as he finishes off the bag of chips that he most definitely did not pay for.

Before Morro can point out the blatant hypocrisy, the call goes through, and Kai’s face brightens. “Heyyy, Nya!”

Morro watches in bemusement when Kai’s face immediately falls as he winces and tugs the phone slightly away from his ear. “We’re at some gas station,” Kai explains in a rush. “Yeah! It was the goblins!”

Morro lets Kai deal with his angry sister and then the cashier stirs, and Morro opens one of the refrigerators in the wall, pulling out a bottle of water. Before he can hand them the bottle, he makes a mistake and locks eyes with the poor thing, and the cashier lets out another squeak before slumping back down. 

He just puts the bottle next to them and goes back to wandering the store, looking at the odd trinkets and postcards that decorate the wall. It’s all jungle-themed, and he wrinkles his nose just staring at the cartoon figures of animals.

“ETA is like, five minutes,” Kai says, putting down the phone. “Boy, she is not happy with me, as if it was my idea to get chased down by crazed goblins,” he mutters, and glares at the two bags of candy and chips Morro is holding. “No,” He says flatly. “We don’t have any money! And that’s way more than just a small bag of chips.”

Morro snorts, “It’s funny that you think that you have any control over me. And besides, they called us demons– I think it's fair we reward ourselves. It’s not like we’re robbing them of their money.”

“By stealing their merchandise? Like that makes any sense,” Kai raises a brow, and Morro shrugs, putting a keychain that has the letter M in the bag. 

“Better than you driving a sword through their chest.”

“I can hear you!” An indignant yelp rings through the building and the two of them turn around to face the dazed-looking goblin. “Demons! What have I done to deserve this punishment?” They wail loudly, and Morro gestures a hand at them, and looks at Kai to say, ‘see?’

“We’re really not,” Kai’s face shifts from anger to blankness, trying to go for patience and failing miserably, but Morro can applaud him for trying.

The cashier points at Morro, “His face is falling off! His eyes are bleeding black! I can see his inside of him,” the poor goblin shouts hysterically. They’re not wrong… and Morro can concede that he may indeed look like a demon. Still doesn’t explain why Kai was chased though. Maybe it’s the gelled-up hair?

“We’re working on it,” He shrugs, just as a large beam filters through the store, and the distinct outline of the Land Bounty becomes visible. Perfect, the Ninja are right on time.

“Fine,” He says, making something up. “You have survived this encounter. I won’t… ‘demon-ize’ you? But I’m taking these bags with me,” He heaves up the grocery bags, and Kai’s loud exasperation does nothing to cover the sigh of pure relief and the rushed nod the cashier gives him.

The two of them walk out of the gas station, Morro triumphantly holding out his spoils of war to the waiting Ninja. “We got snacks!”

Every other face stares back at him unimpressed, except Cole, who grins and says, “What did you get?”

+*+

There is a child sleeping on him.

Okay, well Lloyd’s not technically a child, since he’s as old as everyone else, but Morro has quite literally been in his mind, and to him, Lloyd is still and will always be an absolute child. 

Honestly, who eats five candy bars in two minutes? A child, that’s who, Morro grumbles in his mind, but doesn’t dare move an inch on the couch to escape his fate.

This is his fault– he sighs to himself, because had he not taken the bags of snacks from the gas station, Lloyd wouldn’t have been able to end up in a sugar coma, and therefore would not be using Morro as the world's most uncomfortable pillow.

He doesn’t even know how this happened, one moment they were all watching a movie that Jay had put on, and the next, the person he possessed was in his lap, snoring away. The worst part is that everyone else is asleep, wrappers and stray chips littering the ground, as Nya drives for a few more hours up in the front.

 This is uncomfortable, Morro decides. He would very much like to be out of this situation. “ Lloyd,” he says as loudly as he can in a whisper, poking a boney finger into the Green Ninja’s side. “ Wake up! ”

Lloyd moves slightly, mutters something incoherent, and snores again. 

Morro groans, feeling himself start to panic. He doesn’t want to move Lloyd, but he also doesn’t want to be stuck here.

“Lloyd, can you please wake up? Just for a second, and you can go back to sleep. All you have to do is roll over,” He begs, but it’s to no avail. Oh, why couldn’t Lloyd have fallen asleep on someone else– like Kai! He was right there and was no doubt a much better option than Morro!

A blinding light flashes in his face, blinding him, and when Morro can see again, he sees Nya grinning at him, holding out her phone. Did she just… Morro stares at her in dawning horror. 

“Delete it!” He demands with a scowl, but she just smothers her laughter as she takes another picture.

“Oh no, buddy. This is revenge for literally everything,” She says gleefully, and while Morro supposes that while he deserves the picture, he doesn’t deserve to be slept on.

“At least get him off of me!”

Nya shakes her head, “Suffer,” She looks a little manic when she says it, but Morro refuses to become deterred.

“I’m like the last person he should be doing this to,” He whispers loudly to her when Cole shifts in his sleep on the floor. “I have literally tried to kill him. Multiple times!”

Nya, who has killed Morro once, doesn’t seem to be too worried, which is actually so concerning. “Are you going to kill him now?” She asks, and Morro stares at her a little crazed.

Was she insane? “Are you insane?” He asks out loud. “No!”

She rolls her eyes and shrugs, “Then it’s fine.”

No, no, no, this was not fine. Maybe Nya was sleep-deprived and needed sleep to think properly. Because this was definitely not a good idea.

“Nya, you need to kill me right now before he wakes up and kills me himself,” He hisses at her, “Use a knife, water, poison, whatever,” He pleads, and she rolls her eyes.

“Stop being such a drama queen. He’ll wake in,” She glances at her wrist, one that doesn’t have a watch on it. “Oh, I don’t know, five hours from now?”

Then she freaking walks away, “Nya?” He whisper-shouts. “Nya! Come back!”

But she’s gone and Morro is stuck. This is not what he envisioned when they had planned this journey out. He glares at Lloyd’s sleeping form half-heartedly, “When you wake up, I’m going to kill you,” he threatens.

Lloyd just lets out another snore, leaving Morro in disgust and helplessness that he’s never known before. Ah, well perhaps he could put himself in a sugar comma, he thinks, reaching for a candy bar. Perhaps it’ll be less miserable that way.

Spoiler, it isn't.

+*+

But somehow, in some way, there are no other problems reaching the Temple of Life. Not that Morro’s complaining.

The temple itself is in complete disarray, with crumbling walls and columns smothered in ivy. It’s also super quiet, the only noise is their footstep pattering against the ancient stone. He wonders how long ago this temple was built and how long ago someone walked amongst these halls. In a sense, this place feels as much a ghost as he does. Teetering the edge of here and not, it feels… familiar. And isn’t that a scary thought?

Thankfully, it’s not as dark as Morro thought as they walk through the temple– a part of the roof has caved in, and streams of sunlight brighten their way. Not that they know where they’re going– Wu was unsurprisingly very vague on this part of their trip.

“Are we sure this is the place?” Jay asks, right before they find the central room. Then there’s no point in responding.

“Oh yeah,” Cole breathes, as they all stare in wonderment. “Definitely in the right place.”

Morro hums in agreement, as he takes in the room around him. He’s never known a place to be so full of green and brimming with… well, life.

Despite being in the center of a rocky barren land where there are only the harsh waves that crash over jagged rocks and frantic winds that whip across the mountains in a violent scream, nature runs wild here.

Lush plants and trees sprout from the grassy ground and curl around the walls as if creating an illusion of being back in the jungle. It definitely feels that way too, with wildlife walking through the room without care for predators, but something’s missing. Everything seems too still, too quiet.

“Hey, Look at this!” Lloyd points to some pedestal on the edge of the room. While it looks just as aged with time as the temple, it’s not decorated with vines or crumbling with disuse. It’s polished and glowing, and a few inches above the stone hovers a ball of flaming fire.

Morro hears Kai exhale sharply as they all gather around the pedestal. “It’s calling to me,” he murmurs, holding a hand over the ball of fire. His hand flexes and the ball turns into a large flame, sparks fluttering from out of his fingers and dancing across his palms. Kai breaks into a large smile, taking a step back to punch a large blast of fire into the air.

“We are back, baby!” He shouts gleefully, letting more bursts of fire out of his palms. “I’m not using lighter fluid ever again!”

Zane frowns, “But how?” he asks, and Kai shrugs. “I don’t know. It felt like a reminder, I guess. Of where my powers should be.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” he declares, but before Kai can continue, Nya points at something behind Cole.

“Look, there’s more,” she says, and they all follow her finger to where another pedestal stands, this time holding a ball of rock.

A few feet farther from that, there’s a ball of water. Then a ball of electricity. A ball of ice. The more Morro looks for the pedestals, the more he sees. “These are all of the elements,” he realizes.

“All of them?” Lloyd asks skeptically and starts to walk around the room, and Morro follows him, searching for his own powers, but stops in front of a ball of golden energy. “Huh,” Lloyd says, staring at the ball, stupified. “How is this possible?” He asks, poking at the ball hesitantly. It flashes green momentarily before going back to a glowing gold.

“The First Spinjitzu Master,” an old voice says behind them. 

Everyone jolts out of their awe, and are quick to draw their weapons at… another goblin. A lot older than the ones they have already encountered with long white hair and a staff that could probably make Wu jealous, but still have the same shimmery pink-purple color and pointy ears. “Not this again,” Kai mutters under his breath, but thankfully there is no one screaming about demons. 

“Who are you?” Cole asks suspiciously, although it isn’t unkind. “And what do you mean the First Spinjitzu Master?” Jay jumps in.

The old goblin looks at them individually, before settling his sights on Morro. His eyes widen briefly, but he doesn’t say anything.  “I am Asferus, the keeper of this temple,” the old goblin introduces. “The First Spinjitzu Master tasked my family to protect this place, long before Ninjago was even considered to be a realm.”

“What do you mean?” Lloyd shifts uncomfortably, “I thought the First Spinjitzu Master created Ninjago.”

Asferus chuckles, “That’s what everyone is led to believe. No, he was not the maker of this realm, but he had a hand in creating it into what it is today. Before his arrival, a great serpent by the name of Wojira ruled the sees, and my ancestors along with the Merlopians helped him put her into a deep slumber.”

Huh. Well, that was interesting. Did Wu ever know this part, or had the First Spinjitzu Master hidden the truth to even his children?

“But what is this place?” Nya asks, pointing to the different pedestals. “Why are our powers here?”

Asferus looks sad when he says, “The First Spinjitzu Master had many enemies that tried their hardest to rid him from this realm and all the others. He worried that if his enemies managed to dispose of him and his allies, a remnant of their powers should be safe in a place that no one but their descendants or their chosen heirs would be able to locate and use.”

“So he created a vault of every Elemental power in existence, just in case something happened?” Cole clarifies, and Asferus tilts his head to the ground.

“Not all of them,” he says quietly. “Wojira had two elements under her control. One of them managed to make their way back to the First Spinjitzu Master’s allies– Nyad. She stole most of Wojira’s powers and it turned her into an ocean. Wojira fell into a deep slumber and in her wake, she left behind two amulets. My brethren on the islands protect one, the Merlopians, the other. But it has been many centuries since then, and you cannot hide something forever.”

“So someone found the amulets?” Nya asks, her eyes furrowed as she tries to make the connection. Morro is in the same place, this story doesn’t seem relevant to help him turn back into a human, so why was it being said?

“Two people, in two different eras. They gained some of Wojira’s powers, making them the Elemental masters of Water and Wind. The calmer versions of Wojira’s storm and waves.”

“Wait, are you saying me and Morro are the descendants of a snake?” Nya demands, and Morro winces. He’d once wondered where his powers came from, why the people who had abandoned him had given him this one gift that had made him think for over seventy years that he was special.

“Your powers are,” Asferus corrects, gesturing to the pedestal that holds the ball of water. “And not long after Raine discovered the Wave amulet, the First Spinjitzu Master found her and helped train her. He never discovered the Master of Wind.”

“Until now,” Morro says, crossing his arms.

“Until now,” Asferus agrees softly.

Morro doesn’t usually think back on his past for obvious reasons. He had been an orphan and homeless until Wu took pity on him and fed him with falsities. Had Wu known? Had he known that Morro was the first person he’d ever seen to use Wind, and thought Morro was special because of it? Had Wu thought he would be the Green Ninja, simply because no one else had known of an Elemental Master of Wind?

It’s so believably Wu, to do something like that, that Morro squashes down his anger and bitter resentment and hardens it into cold determination. So what if that’s what Wu thought? The past was the past, and there was nothing they could do to correct it. Unless he could somehow use the ball of time sitting on a pedestal next to him. 

Morro shakes his head, he wasn’t going to think of the what-ifs. “So this place holds the elemental powers– how does that turn me back into a human?”

“If all the elements are placed on each pedestal, then, in theory, it can reinvent whoever steps in its light. I believe that a few decades ago, a person tried to accomplish the feat of eternal life through a weapon, but failed to harness all the elements and cursed those that he used it on.”

“Yang,” Cole spits out in disgust and Asfernus shrugs.

“He had the right idea, the wrong ingredients. Perhaps you will succeed, or suffer a fate worse than him and your friend over here,” he nods in Morro’s direction, and Morro grimaces. 

No pressure or anything, huh? Good thing Morro is a pro at being under pressure– except there’s something that he can’t exactly control.

“In this state, I don’t have access to my powers,” Morro says, ignoring the way everyone, except for Kai, turns to look at him in surprise.

“What?” Jay demands, “We come all this way and you don’t even have your powers!”

“A few minutes ago, I didn’t even know that my powers were a requirement!” Morro snaps back. “Or that I got them from a freaking snake!”

“So what do we do? How do we get them back?” Lloyd asks, and Morro throws his hands in the air. 

“If I knew how to, don’t you think I would have done it already?” He asks frustrated. He had tried. He had tried so hard to cause something as small as a breeze. But his powers were gone. “I can’t do it when I'm both a ghost and a human. I don’t think it works like this.”

Zane gives him a calculated look, “Perhaps it’s not that. As a ghost, you shouldn’t have technically had your powers, and yet you did– not even in a weakened state but at full power. I highly doubt that now, partially human, you would be struggling to retain any of it.”

Morro scoffs, “So what? You’re saying this is all in my head?”

“Yes,” Zane agrees bluntly, and Morro refuses to look at Kai, who he is sure has an ‘I knew it,’ look on his face. 

“So how do we not make it in my head?” He asks, “Have a small therapy session?” It’s meant to be said mockingly, but the Ninja actually exchange a look and contemplate it, and Morro holds out his hands to stop it. “Nope, no way. No therapy, not from you at least.”

Kai coughs, “I don’t know about the others, but I was going to suggest something else.”

“Trust me, I am all ears,” Morro says a little too quickly.

“When you think of your powers, where do you feel that tugging sensation where your power resides? For me, it’s near my shoulders that goes down my arms and into the palm of my hands. I know the others feel it differently, but where do you feel it?” Kai asks, and Morro frowns with a small shrug.

His power was like another layer of skin. Armor that was invisible to everyone but him– the only thing he could call his own. He was the wind in a sense, the ease of being able to bend it around him came as naturally as breathing. 

Which is why it was so hard to adjust to just… not having it anymore. It was suffocating without it– it was like a piece of Morro was missing. Or was it the only piece of Morro? Was he anything without his powers? He’d like to think so, but he doesn’t know. His life has been so much change, so much chaos, that to have his one constant ripped away from him… He’s swept away with nothing to keep him tethered.

It makes him wonder, why had his power left him after escaping from the Doctor’s portal? If Zane is right, and it is all just mental, then why would he be blocking it out? His wind was a lifeline, a constant in his life and death and ghostly resurrection. What would make him subconsciously want to be away from that?

Maybe he deserved to be without his powers, a small thought creeps into his mind. How many people had he hurt with his powers? It hadn’t just been the Ninja who had suffered from his wrath, and maybe mentally, Morro hadn’t wanted to be with something that had been a cause of it. Maybe… Maybe.

Wind flutters through the remains of his hair, and Morro blinks his eyes open. He hadn’t realized he’d closed them. “Oh,” he breathes loudly as the wind flows through the room, singing to him like a lost friend. He hadn’t realized that’s why the room was so still and quiet. The wind was gone.

He breaks into a grin, letting a large gust blow through the chamber, and the Ninja cheer, sounding more relieved than Morro thinks they should. “Now what?” He asks Asfernus and the elder points to the farthest part of the room. There is an empty pedestal, and Morro has some idea of what he should do. 

“Place a piece of your power onto the last pedestal, and I shall start the ritual,” Asfernus explains, and Morro cups his hands together, and lets the familiar hum soothe his bones as he forms a ball of wind, swirling violently on itself, and places it in its spot.

Then Asfernus begins to chat, ancient, archaic tongues, and before his very eyes, the moon makes its way over the sun. An eclipse, Morro’s mind flashes back to the Day of the Departed. But this time, it is not a comet, and it is not Morro going back to the Cursed Realm.

No, this time– as a glowing gold portal is cast in the center of the room, the middle of every pedestal that contains an element– this time, Morro will get to live.

He takes one small tentative step toward the portal, making sure this is what he must do before his legs take a mind of their own, and he’s walking, running towards the portal. Unlike before, where he had gone from ghost to zombie, in complete and utter agony, begging for another death to come his way– this time, it’s like a warm embrace.

His first death had been inhaling the poisonous gasses in the Caves of Despair, and his resurrection has him breathing fresh air. Gold swirls around him, filling him, fixing him, making him whole.

And then it’s over, and Morro is breathing and alive, and so, so, thirsty.

He stares at his fingers, now covered in flesh and muscles in wonderment. Alive, he thinks, barely able to believe it. The Ninja crowd around him, all grinning at him in delight, and Morro can only mirror their faces.

“It worked,” He says, feeling dazed as Lloyd helps him up from the ground.

“You’re alive,” Lloyd confirms, squeezing his hand slightly before letting go. “We did it.”

“And no one was trying to kill us! New best quest ever!” Jay jumps in, laughing as Kai swats him. 

“Tell that to the crazy cultists!”

“Okay, fine. No one was trying to kill me, ” Jay amends, and Morro can’t help the smile bubbling out of him.

“This has been quite the easy trip,” Cole grins in agreement, “Can’t believe we’ve already finished it.” Zane shakes his head. “The journey is not over yet. We still have to get back to the monastery.”

“That’s right,” Morro nods his head, “I think we agreed to four roadside attractions, right?”

Everyone breaks into an argument about which they should go to first, but Morro slips away to see Asfernus. “Thank you,” he says quietly, and the old goblin smiles at him.

“The temple is complete, thanks to you,” he says, gesturing to the room around them. It’s true, the temple is back in pristine shape, with no more crumbling walls and caved-in roof. “A fair trade in my opinion.”

Morro ducks his head, “I guess, but still, thank you.”

“Try not to repeat it,” Asfernus tells him lightheartedly, and Morro snorts. Yeah, there was no way he was going to die again– not until he was Wu’s age– and thinking of Wu, Morro pauses, feeling unwanted panic consume his newly remade body. Was he prepared to deal with Wu?

No– well, maybe. He’ll see. Right now he was going to enjoy the fact that he was human, had his powers back, and had another week's worth of touring around Ninjago before dealing with Wu and all the battles that it came with.

This was a vacation, and Morro is definitely going to enjoy it as much as he can. He deserves it.

[verdemoun]

I can’t see all of them being able to drive well but I also can’t see that fact stopping them. Maybe for some angst, who is the first in a car accident?

oh two part-er

first while not technically a car accident kieran was very literally hit by a car his first day in timewarp, and not a light tap. he was thrown, broken arm, bruised ribs, head slammed into the asphalt so hard he saw spots and passed out. his introduction to modern era was the chaotic horror of an emergency room, searing fluorescent lights, the stink of disinfectant and strangers in alien hospital uniform repeatedly asking what his name was.

kieran duffy wasn't remembered as a van der linde. he wasn't remembered at all. bessie had no way of connecting the dots that so much of mary-beth's novels were true until lenny started reading them. so with the hospital mandated bare minimum to a seemingly homeless man who stammered about O'Driscolls and his gang, he got turned back out onto the streets with a few days of painkillers and a shoddy cast on his arm.

everyone else gets the comfort of waking up to the smiling faces of loved ones or at least a friendly mad woman chasing you down the street knowing your name. kieran sleeps rough for weeks, lurking around the modern era shady belle because it's the only thing familiar but being chased off the gated property the second he's noticed.

when hosea and lenny happen across him by chance, he's more bruised and battered than his corpse was riding headless back into shady belle, and more terrified than he ever was being their prisoner in colter.

it is months before he can get in a car without looking like he's being held at gunpoint

but the first van der linde car accident, hmm: well obviously the gang pick up driving very differently.

hosea is the perpetual old man driving 10 under the speed limit when you're already running late to work. but bessie lets him drive the chevy on sundays and they just enjoy one another's quiet company on the open road.

lenny is the only one who can drive without bessie clutching the door. he is also the first to buy his own car and understands they serve the same purpose as a horse. even forms an emotional connection to his car, is slightly upset it doesn't love him back like maggie did.

they put off teaching sean to drive as long as possible and true to form he proves their greatest fears being a horrible driver - but the pizzeria never had to pay a late delivery fee again.

kieran sat behind in the wheel in an empty lot, let the car roll a hundred yards before pulling the handbrake and having a panic attack. never again. passenger princess/walks everywhere.

as much as he loves learning about the engineering of cars, arthur is not a natural driver. he insisted on learning to drive in a truck because people already looked at him and assumed he had a truck. as a result, no parking lot trolley return was safe. his truck is as dented as his spine is ruined.

so no one expected it to be lenny who was running late one night: or a phone call from an unknown number, saying there'd been an accident. not lenny's fault, of course. another driver, too drunk or too tired to realize the light was red and slammed straight into the driver side of his car.

most of the gang have been lucky enough to avoid a hospital, and as a result it's chaos. bessie is so distressed worrying about her son that she forgets she's the only one who knows what to do. hosea is panicky asking reception what happened, where's lenny, where's his boy. and sean is just. silent. nothing. no bouncing. no anxious fidgeting. he's silent, and still.

and lenny's asleep. general anasthetic or some sort of sedative, unnaturally still and more bandages than flesh. just a strange, bulky hospital bed and blue hospital blanket. tubes and a heart beat monitor that they naively thought only existed on tv.

hosea chases bessie, who has to remove herself because she doesn't want to be the only one in the room crying. it doesn't seem fair how upset she finds it when she has known lenny for so much shorter than the rest.

just sean. sitting with unnatural calmness in a plastic chair beside lenny in a hospital bed. afraid to hold his hand in case he hurts him. cracks a few jokes about being glad lenny has always only ever loved reading, because if he wanted to learn to play piano he'd be mortified by his broken, swollen fingers.

lenny doesn't laugh. the heart rate monitor stays at a constant, steady beep.

some old, painful memory digs its way to sean's consciousness. he can hear bessie sobbing in the hallway, hosea bracing her weight in an embrace like she'll collapse without him. sean instinctively opens the windows and moves his chair so as to not be in between lenny and the night air. his eyes bounce for a moment between the clock and the heart rate monitor. he offers him confession, like a good catholic boy, and when no answer comes, begins to sing old irish blessings only loud enough for the two of them to hear.

lenny is fine and makes a full recovery!! discharged days later, recognises he's lucky and it could have easily been so much worse. he's more annoyed about the hospital getting his family worked up for no reason. whatever drugs they gave him, it was the damn best sleep he ever had. he's more upset over the hospital bill than his car being wrecked, and wasting a joke about 'all the bleeding was internal, that's where blood is meant to be' on sean, who doesn't get it

recognises the tune next time sean is humming irish blessings to himself. doesn't know where.

[elijahstwink]

Hello! This is my first time doing an ask thingy 🤭 But I was just wondering if you did male reader stuff for Elijah? If not, it's totally cool! But if you do 👀 Can we see Elijah turning someone new? Maybe someone he met at Rousseau's that he asked to be his new assistant. The reader starts catching feelings (cuz who would 🥴) and Elijah catches on, but doesn't say anything. Just walks around doing his usual things, knowing the smallest stuff sets the reader off (in both good and frustrating ways😏)

Hi! Thank you for the amazing request! I really hope you don’t mind that I changed the plot a bit. Instead of being Elijah’s assistant, the reader becomes almost like a apprentice. Elijah also doesn’t willingly turn the reader but it is still his blood that turns him.

𝓜𝔂 𝓑𝓸𝔂

C H A P T E R O N E

You accidentally become a vampire, killing the first person you feed off in a way that only a ripper could. Confused and alone you go to the only person you think will help. The man who turned you.

Warnings : Violence, the reader is not a child just looks like it.

You wake up alone.

Your head is pounding. Rain is hitting your face and you realise you’re lying on the side of the road. You shiver from the cold as you sit up. Why does the rain sound so loud? How did you get here?

“Excuse me sir? Are you alright?” Your head shoots up, you clutch it as pain stabs at the movement. A lady stands infront of you, no more than 30 years old. She looks concerned.

“I-I don’t know where I am” you mumble, trying to stand. She quickly puts her shopping bag on the ground before helping you stand.

“Thank you ma’am.” You shiver at the cold of the night. When you look into her eyes something weird happens. It’s like your whole body is pushing you to do something, to feed something inside you.

“Is there someone I can call? Do you……” Her voice fades into nothing. For some reason all you can focus on is the sound of blood pumping through the veins on her neck.

You don’t think twice as you pounce on her, almost like a natural instinct. You bite into her neck with sharp fangs that shot out your gums. The pain of teeth tearing through you mouth was covered by the immense satisfaction of finally feeding the hunger inside you.

Your mind shut off, nothing mattered but the crimson liquid flowing down your throat. The lady’s screams were nothing but white noise, the coldness previously overwhelming you had converted into a beautiful warmth. The feeling was different from anything you’ve ever experienced and you wanted more. More, more, mor-

The feeling is stripped away from you suddenly. You gasp in a breath of cool air before looking down. It was like you had been splashed with freezing water, or woken up by a bright light as you take in what’s in front of you. What you’ve done.

What was previously a young lady, who was trying to help you, is now a headless corpse, covered in flesh and blood.

You stand above her, horrified. The rain causing blood to run down the flooding street. You can’t scream, you can’t cry. You’re frozen, still taking in the insanity of your day. You clutch your head, pulling at you hair as odd flashes of memories flood your brain in small bursts.

You’re walking down bourbon street. People are partying in the night air and getting drunk in the nearby bars. You’re on your way to find somewhere to settle down for the night.

The splashing of water against plastic rings in your ears, separating from any other sound. You look down at the bag she was holding. A toy truck is half out the bag.

It hits you then. This was a person. She had a life, maybe kids. You drop to your knees, sobbing into your hands.

It’s like you suddenly teleported. You’re inside a large central courtyard, surrounded by balconies going up multiple floors.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, oh my god I’m so sorry!” You scream.

A hand rests on your shoulder. You spin around. A man is looking at you, his eyes red with veins emerging from the skin under his eyes and fangs sticking out from his mouth. You don’t have time to scream, he grabs you, biting harshly into your neck.

Even during the storm worthy rain and the sound of your own wails, your hearing inhumanly focuses on the sound of footsteps going down a creaky wooden staircase and a chain latch unlocking on the front door behind you.

You stumble to your feet, running as fast as you can down the road. You’re completely shocked for the one hundredth time tonight when you look back and realise you just ran the length of a football field in about two seconds. Turning around, you find a secluded bench to sit on.

You force yourself to breathe, the hunger begins to bubble inside you again. In a feeble attempt to distract yourself, you focus on the memories still floating around your head.

These ones are more clear.

Pain, so much pain. Fangs are piercing your neck. You’re about to pass out when a voice booms through the space.

“Kol!”

The sharp pain leaves your neck, the only thing keeping you upright is the hands holding you against a wall. You hear the person holding you sigh as footsteps approach.

“Brother what have we said about bringing locals into the compound?” The man scolds, “Wait- is that a child?” .

“Don’t worry Elijah, he looked homeless.” Kol explained, seeming completely relaxed.

There’s a sudden gust of wind, and the body holding yours is gone.You’re about to fall, unable to keep yourself upright, when a pair of arms catch you.

You don’t know how much time passes, perhaps you passed out. All you know is your now spring upwards, coughing and gagging around, a wrist? You realise your back is pressed against a strong chest, but not the same one as before. You try to push the wrist away, as a horrible metallic tasting liquid fills your mouth. But whoever this is, is stronger than you. The strangers other hand brushes your short hair out of your face.

“Shh, it’s alright. Just a little bit more, sweetheart.” A deep voice hums in your ear.

The wrist slowly pulls away and the hand from your hair retreats. You spin around, suddenly feeling energised and awake. A man stands before you, clad in a neat black suit and wiping his bloody wrist with a previously white handkerchief.

If you were in any other situation you would probably be completely flustered by the attractiveness of him. His strong jawline is littered with stubble and his onyx eyes are staring at you with a kind look. His brown hair was neatly styled.

“W-who are you?” You stutter.

“Elijah hurry up, we don’t have all night!” A man from the balcony above you calls out. You assume it must be this Kol guy.

Elijah grabs your shoulder gently, meeting your eyes. You suddenly felt as though your gaze was locked in place, unable to do anything but look into the hypnotising darkness of his pupils. You weirdly felt safe around him.

“You are going to forget everything that happened here tonight. Now leave.”

You open your eyes, jumping up from the bench and starting the walk to Bourbon Street. This Elijah guy must be able to help you.

Thanks for reading. Don’t worry it’s gonna get spicy soon enough ;)

Please send requests I love to hear from you all! Oh and point out if there is any spelling mistakes or anything, sometimes tumblr deletes entire paragraphs lol.

(Should I start a tag list? If so message me if you want to be on it!)

- 𝓓𝓮𝔁

[bellepeppergirl]

An Investigation of the Impaler's Catacombs

So, with the DLC being announced and us getting some info about it and its characters, one thing we learn is, of course, Messmer the Impaler. Some people were quick to point out that there is a location in the base game called Impaler's Catacombs. "Impaler's" is singular, meaning it belonged to AN impaler, not a group of impalers, which would be impalers'.

Interestingly, the Impaler's Catacombs are also located on the Weeping Peninsula. I say this is interesting because a couple reasons;

1. The Weeping Peninsula is home to a spirit next to a church who speaks of an unwanted child of Marika's. Many people assumed this had something to do with the headless demigod in the Walking Mausoleums, but we are now inclined to believe it could be Messmer. That being said, there could be some relation to the headless demigod and Messmer, as we do seem to see more knights similar to Mausoleum Knights in the trailer and images. And with Messmer's seeming fondness for blasphemous things; he has dragon eyes, he has a snake, he wields fire and what looks like the thorns of the guilty, I think this could be related to why he would be unwanted. He's a little shit.

2. The Weeping Peninsula does not have a demigod or shardbearer. Every other region of the game has some kind of big boss that is important to the main story, while the Peninsula has... a Leonine Misbegotten... sure, this boss is interesting with the story of Castle Morne and it having the sword, but it is interesting that this is the only region without one and just so happens to also have this dungeon and a spirit talking about an unwanted child.

So, onto the actual dungeon.

For starters, we have a giant pit near the beginning of the dungeon.

Is this important? Probably not since I'm pretty sure other dungeons have this kind of entrance area, but one think I don't think is typical of dungeons is this:

There are bars over the tombs. Now, I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure this does not happen in other dungeons, at least not very many. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is odd.

And this appears to be in multiple areas, not just this hall, though admittedly not every one of these corpse storage things are like this.

But now we have the impaling part of the Impaler's Catacombs; a classic trap of step on it, get pushed up into a bunch of spikes. Oh look at that, you've been impaled.

I think this could imply that, if this is related to Messmer, that he would be a very cruel person. I mean, you would probably have to be cruel to impale someone regardless, but to do so through a not-so-fun funhouse trap is probably a bit more sadistic.

Underneath this is the sewers. These sewers still have tombs here, which is a pretty shitty place to be laid to rest. Does this have any meaning? Well, it could add to the theme of unwantedness. If you don't want someone, you likely don't respect them, and if don't respect them, put them with the poop. And if he somehow had a hand in making this one, it could be that this tomb was for people just like that.

Is there anything interesting about the sewers? Well, it's full of Putrid Corpses. According the item description of the Putrid Corpse Ashes:

Does this mean anything? Tbh, I'm not sure. There could be something we could out these enemies essentially being meat shields or distractions though, but may I am reaching again.

The other interesting thing we find here is a prattling prate! Specifically...

"Please Help." Oop. I think the name speaks for itself, but the shape of this prate, all of which are intended to be heads, looks very squished. Almost like the person who has pleaded for help has had their head stepped on, which is something I'm sure many Messmer fans wish could happen to them.

Next up we have more barred over tombs next to the lever. This will add more to my theory at the end.

We've got this window that leads back to the boss room. Does this mean anything? Probably not, but you better believe that I'm gonna pull something out of it at the end. Plus it's kind of a neat way to loop back around!

Speaking of the boss, our boss is a Burial Watchdog. Pretty standard. But what isn't standard is that this one is accompanied by four imps.

Once again, very cruel. Mostly to use, the player, but still. It will go into the fuel pile for my theory.

And for beating this boss, we get the Demihuman Ashes.

Can I get anything out of this? Well, the Demi-Humans are a pretty oppressed group, like many of the inhabitants of the Lands Between who weren't born as the Golden Order or its enforcers would want you to be.

So, what is my theory? Well, as you could probably tell...

I think Messmer is an asshole. A very cruel asshole. Assuming he is related to this dungeon, I think that this dungeon was maybe meant more for punishment than normal burial.

The tombs being barred over? Only those with clean shots to the exit are. Perhaps Messmer would have people entombed alive and they would be locked behind these bars, unable to escape and forced either to starve to death, or simply suffer forever since death was removed.

Those tombs that aren't barred over? Well, they're all right on our fun little deathtrap. Sure, you don't have bars. You can get out of your tomb, but the moment you do, your driven through with metal spikes. And below is the sewers, which is full of putrid corpses and a prate asking for help.

Perhaps others were shoved down here to live in the filth, unable to get up to the top. The time of being trapped down here had them begging for help, begs that went unanswered, and they were corrupted by the filth into these putrid beings.

As for the boss? Well, let's start with the window down to it. Your only choice would be to head down into the sewers, or out this window. This window doesn't harm us, but we have protagonist powers. Any normal person would probably shatter their legs. Next, the boss' drop. The Demi-Human ashes. Again, an oppressed and hated group. Perfect for being trapped here as a punishment, no?

And the boss itself is a large group. You get past the bars, you get past the death trap, you get out of the sewers, make it down the window without being too badly hurt, and what you have is four Imps and a Watchdog waiting to make sure you NEVER make it out.

I think Messmer may have watched over the Weeping Peninsula and may have made this tomb not for the dead, but for the living. To trap them; make them suffer and never be able to get out.

And as a little bonus; the pit at the beginning. A funny thing about this pit is that there are messages down here. You can survive the drop! But uh... good luck getting out. You physically can't unless you have beaten the dungeon and fast travel, or use one of the items that return you to a Site of Grace. This could add to the theme of you're trapped and never leaving. Once the rest of the tomb is full, they bring you in, drop you in a whole, you break your everything, and are trapped. But this assumes this was intentional, but tbh, it probs wasn't.

BUT HEY, THAT'S JUST A THEORY. A GAME THEORY. Thanks for reading. Is any of this true? Maybe. Only time will tell. I'd love to hear your thoughts and thank you to everyone who made it this far in the post.

[verbenaa]

to eden | chapter five

𝓈𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎: Rin paints an easy smile onto her face as she turns away from Astarion and to where her dinner and hopefully a lovely bottle of red waits for her. She will find her way to Astarion tonight, she knows better than to pretend otherwise even if she’ll never admit it. The least she can afford herself is a little bit of alcohol to soothe her embarrassment at her willingness to be at his mercy.

Astarion calls out to her as she walks away, voice a low purr. “I’ll be waiting, dearest.”

𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔: Astarion/F! Tav

𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: E

𝓌𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉: 9.0k (i am so sorry)

𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: beheading (off-screen but there is a vague description of this), fingering (f!receiving), orgasm denial/delay, breast worship, dirty talk, piv, (light) hair pulling, aftercare, soft dom Astarion baybeeeee

𝒶/𝓃: hi hi hi I'm back with the next chapter. sorry it took a little longer than usual but OH WELL it's here now. also it's worth noting the last half of this is pretty explicit smut 😮 so please be mindful of the warnings listed above ✨ thank you so much for reading, liking, reblogging etc; I appreciate every single one of you and you make my day 🥹

ao3 here

masterlist

The fires of the Grymforge lick at her skin as glowing embers dance through the air, carried on a too warm breeze that provides no relief to the sweat beading on her skin like drops of dew. Rin is almost certain that she’s so close to the Hells down here that she can smell brimstone amongst the metallic tinge of iron invading her senses as she sets her eyes straight ahead.

Nere’s head is surprisingly heavy where it dangles from her hand; his long, white hair gripped tight in between gloved fingers as his mouth hangs open, lips slack with death. Blood drips down onto the warmed stone beneath her boots with a steady sound, the drip drip drip a macabre beat she’s certain she could turn into song if she had some parchment and a quill handy to jot down the resounding notes of it. 

Eyes up, eyes up, eyes up.

Rin looks resolutely forward, nausea curling deep in her stomach as the long knife she had used to behead him still in her right hand, handle painted deep red with the Drow’s blood.

Don’t look down.

“Does anyone have a bag? A cloth?” The smile that graces her face doesn’t reach her eyes, her pleasant tone discordant with the scene of carnage; all manner of Duergar, Ironhand, and well, Nere’s now-headless corpse spread around them. “I’d rather not drip my way back to the Myconids, if possible. Who knows what that would attract.”

Nere’s voice still echoes in her mind as if the tadpole doesn’t want her to forget the cold rage in his words and the power he thought he had commanded as he attempted to force her to cut down the Duergar. 

Too bad for Nere she had already made her deal with them, however distasteful she finds their work practices (or lack thereof) to be.

Rin recognizes distantly that they all seem to be looking at her a little strangely—Karlach and Wyll trading a glance between them and even Astarion wearing an expression of something close to concern.

She should have let one of them do the dirty work. Astarion, Karlach, even Wyll would all have been better suited for this particular task—they were all far more versed in dealing with monsters like this.

It was one thing to bury her blade in the belly of an enemy; a cold, impersonal death that she could easily rationalize away. 

But the act of her knife cutting through muscle, cartilage, bone—it was anything but impersonal. 

And yet, she did it. And she would do it again, too; the realization of that growing heroism rising to life in her somehow more terrifying than the thought of her blade cutting through the gristle of a hundred more necks.

But even she, with her half-empty heart, knew without a doubt that the world was better off without the so-called ‘true souls’ like Nere inhabiting it.

Rin isn’t sure exactly who it is that comes forward to take the head from her, shoving it away into some sort of covering and hiding it from sight. Her fingers flex, free of the weight, as she resists the urge to wipe at the sweat that sits high on her forehead and runs down her temples, the thought of more of Nere’s blood on her worsening the nausea building in her stomach.

At least Elder Brithvar got his money and the Gnomes got their freedom. 

And Rin got Nere’s head—or rather, Sovereign Spaw would be getting Nere’s head once she delivers it back through the belly of the Underdark.

Wins all around, it would seem.

She ignores the temptation to tear off her blood-caked gloves and toss them into the molten river flowing beside her, instead settling instead on giving a firm nod to the Gnomes behind her as they collect their kin around them, speaking in soft tones of their plans. Rin has a sneaking suspicion that this won’t be the last time they encounter the Ironhands, if the whispers and hard looks passed around to one another are any indication. 

With a last, sweeping look around, she begins her steps across the rough-hewn stone towards the giant arching staircase, hoping to never have to set foot in the overbearing heat of the forge again.

The way back through the Underdark to the Myconid colony feels infinitely longer than it had before, even with the weight of Nere’s head no longer in her hands, now safely held instead by Karlach who was seemingly unbothered by the blood staining the cloth a deep, dark crimson.

They had taken the same rickety boat back across to the shore, its rotting planks creaking as it weaved its way through impossibly dark and depthless waters; the occasional bioluminescent fin breaking through the waves or the trail of something terrifyingly long slithering through the water next to them disturbing the surface of the water as they sailed, Rin’s skin crawling at thoughts of whatever things swam beneath them.

The entire party seems grateful when they step onto the stinking docks of the old village, the sand sticking to their boots as they climb step by step up the far from stable wooden walkways leading up the edge of the cliff face. Rin had never thought she would appreciate the chill of this nightmarish world, but after the rolling heat at the heart of the forge she now welcomes the coolness of that phantom breeze on her skin as she steps carefully over the half-broken boards below her feet.

“While I must admit you do make quite the vision covered in blood, darling,” Astarion comes up behind her on silent feet, appearing without her notice in that way of his he seems to take great enjoyment in as Rin starts at his presence, his movements ever graceful as one of his gloved hands comes to rest lightly on her elbow. “Why don’t you take a moment to drink this?”

Rin glances down at his free hand, taking notice of the small glass vial containing a familiar red liquid held in his open palm. Astarion wasn’t wrong, she had somehow managed to forget about healing herself in midst of it all—the small cuts on her face still stinging from the beads of sweat that had dripped down her temples and onto her cheeks, no doubt the trail of them cutting through the grime she can feel covering every inch of her exposed skin.

“I would have thought you wouldn’t be terribly picky as long as any blood was present.” She glances to Astarion as their feet fall into step next to one another as they finally crest the final steps, almost painfully aware of the hand barely touching her elbow.

“The sight is rather thrilling, I’ll grant you.” He raises his brows suggestively as Rin glances down at the bottle in his outstretched palm once more. “However, I would rather you be covered in only your blood, preferably as I partake of it.”

She reaches out and plucks the bottle from his hand, curling her fingers around the glass before Astarion can change his mind and hide it away once more in his pack. With the cork between two gloved fingers she pulls it free before pressing it to her lips, drinking down the red liquid in a quick gulp, a cooling sensation already spreading through her. “I’ll make sure that I manage to only get covered in my own blood next time we melee, then. To better suit you.”

“I shall look forward to the sight.”

They fall into a companionable silence as they walk beside one another, Rin’s eyes searching along the dark landscape as they tread towards the colony, phosphorescent mushrooms and blindingly blue crystals lining their path as their trek lingers on endlessly.

Had it been days? Weeks? Rin had lost track in the deep darkness of this world below, the sun so far above them not even the tiniest beam has a chance of making it down. There were so many colors down here, ones she had only ever dreamed of seeing. It was such an eerie, effervescent beauty, so easily masquerading as a dream when it was nothing but a nightmare with the creatures that wander this place.

She steps delicately over the bright pink pad of a mushroom, the sponginess soft against boots still caked with drying blood as they finally pass into the threshold of the colony, Myconids going about their business with graceful sways of motion.

The Underdark was nothing if not illuminating, quite literally, Rin thinks as she walks past the glowing mushrooms lining the way to where Spaw waits for them, its hazy light mixing with the warm glow of a nearby lantern, glowing little moths drawn in by its luminescence.

As Rin climbs the final mushroom up to the platform where Sovereign Spaw reigns, she feels nothing but excitement to be finally done with the Underdark and its cold, deadly beauty.

✧· · ─── ·✧· ─── · ·✧

Rin brushes out the final tangle from her damp hair as she sits cross-legged on her bedroll, sighing in satisfaction at finally being free of the feeling of the blood that had crusted on her skin.

The smell of what is presumably a stew—likely filled with a  number of things Rin doesn’t want to think about—wafts along the air, her stomach rumbling in protest. She sets her brush back down upon her makeshift table next to a growing stack of folded papers, all filled with beautiful scrolling script despite the often brief and sardonic messages they contained.

She had sometimes taken to imagining what Astarion must look like when he would read her little messages, allowing her mind to wander in the few and far in between moments of precious alone time she had the privilege of. 

He still never addresses her in his letters, always quick to the point with his words. But he still sends them, and that fact fills something inside her she has no plans to put a name to at the point of overflow with every response received. 

Rin grabs her lyre resting against the side of the tent, the worn wood comforting in her hands as she flicking her fingers over the strings, plucking each one softly, the notes barely resonating into reality. The strings were still in tune much to her delight, though the flowers carved into the soft wood have seen better days, several now sporting gauges along the petals in thanks to their recent travels.

Instrument in hand she stands, stepping out into camp intent on heading straight to where dinner was so kindly being served. Rin inclines her head to Karlach where she sits by the fire, the tiefling raising the tankard of Dwarven Ale in her hand in response.  

She’s barely taken three steps towards where Gale ladles something liquid (soup? stew? broth of a questionable meat?) into chipped bowls to be served with stale slices of sourdough when she notices his presence. 

“Ah, there’s my little treat with her cheeks all flushed,” He croons at Rin, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes as she stops walking, releasing a sigh as she sends her dinner a last look of longing. “I’ve been wondering where you were.”

She sends him a look out of the corner of her eye before turning to face him as she props an hand up on her hip. “Is that the best you’ve got for me today? Just ‘your little treat with flushed cheeks’? Come now, Astarion. I know you have better lines than that.”

“Oh, well, I was going to next ask if you would be joining me in my bed later tonight, but if it’s another you want I will gladly oblige.” A finger comes up to pose next to his lip as he thinks, mind digging through his presumably endless and tiring amount of pick-up lines. “All these accolades from the Tieflings are nothing compared to the sound of my name, cried from your lips.”

Rin lets out a laugh at what was an utterly ridiculous sentence, the line doing nothing to assuage her to his bed. But she would certainly play along with this little game of his. 

“Oh, Astarion. Such honeyed words, and yet they do not tempt me to taste.”

His eyes skate down from her face to the place between her legs, smile turning infinitely more sensual as they return to meet her own. “They’re not nearly half as sweet as when I last tasted you.”

“You’ll have to be more specific about which taste in particular you find the sweetest, darling.” She gives Astarion her best impression of him, lowering her pitch and elongating the word ‘darling’ as her smile widens at his overdramatic eye roll in response, breaking the look of seduction painted over his features.

“I can give you a more in-depth answer later, if you’d like.” He’s quick to bring the mask back up, replacing his annoyance with another alluring smile that has her brow rising.

Astarion doesn’t give her a chance to reply, already another one of those cursed lines leaving his lips, spouting something about her perfect body and the Gods that has her lip curling in distaste. It was some even worse than the last one he threw her way, a sigh breaking free as she shoots him a look of disbelief.

“I’m fairly certain the Gods had zero hand in making me, otherwise they did a poor job on a few things. Did these really work on Cazador’s targets? I refuse to believe it.”

Rin had never considered herself someone with terribly high standards, but perhaps she needed to reassess her opinion of herself if that many people were so obviously swayed by words that belonged in the likes of the cheap romance novellas sold in some of the less than reputable book sellers back in Baldur’s Gate.

“Well, they worked on you last time, didn’t they?”

Rin levels a finger at him as her eyes narrow.

“Firstly, I did not sleep with you just because you called me pretty.” She doesn’t need to mention that she did it because she had been having inappropriate dreams about him. Or that she still does. “I slept with you because I was…curious. Secondly—”

“You know what they say about curiosity, darling.” Astarion interrupts her, a dangerous smile spreading across his lips as the look in his eyes turns sly.

“Well it’s a good thing I’m not the one who is like a cat then, isn’t it?” 

“You seem to preen well enough under my hand when I pet you.” She somehow managed to play right into Astarion’s hands, his smile widening as he speaks.

“I did no such thing.” If she had a little less composure, she would be stamping her foot, settling instead for averting her eyes as she hmphs in his direction.

“Alright, alright,” Astarion waves her off with a roll of his eyes at her little display. “Just one more. How about if I said these little words…”

His face turns almost serious, lashes lowering and mouth turning soft as he prepares whatever he has next for her. 

 “I love you.”

Something in her chest stutters strangely, her eyes narrowing as Astarion stands in front of her, earning the role of the charlatan she knows him to be with this little performance, a perfect liar complete with a pretty package.

Rin doesn’t remember the last time someone told her they loved her, words she hadn’t dreamed of hearing from another’s lips since she was a naive girl, young and earnest and full of hope. She’s sure it had to have happened before but her memory draws an unfortunate blank as she tries to resurrect something—any inkling of a feeling—but nothing comes to mind. 

However much the girl she had once been wanted to hear those three words, she doubts that Astarion will be the one to ever utter them to her, to speak them as kisses fall across the planes of her face, placed with the love and reverence and wonder.

Rin raises a brow as she dismisses the thought to the back of her mind to rest with her other, less than favorable vulnerabilities. “I thought you were a better liar than that. I do hope you’re enjoying yourself though, you certainly look like you’re having fun.”

“Decidedly. I like to think you and I have lots of fun together. It’s quite easy, with you. Especially compared to the rest of this lot we’ve seemed to throw ourselves in with.” Astarion gestures with a nod to their companions behind him, Rin peeking over his shoulder to glance at them where they go about their evening—or what constitutes as an evening when there is no sun or moon to mark the passage of time.

The words are surprisingly genuine and Rin feels the slightest hint of heat rise to her cheeks at the sentiment behind them. It was true that she may prefer Astarion’s companionship above the others—and not just because of their slightly more intimate relationship—but to know that it was perhaps returned was a dizzying thought.

Perhaps they were friends, after all.

“All of this to say that I was hoping, darling, that you would join me tonight for a little, shall we say—respite. Experience one another’s full portfolio of talents, if you will.”

Her cheeks heat at the mention of another night spent in his arms and at the mercy of his hands and lips and his—

“I might make my way to you. I guess we’ll just have to see where I end up tonight.” It’s a blatant lie, unbelievable to likely anyone within hearing range. Astarion certainly doesn’t look convinced by the words, a victorious smile already curling on those lovely lips of his.

Rin paints an easy smile onto her face as she turns away from Astarion and to where her dinner and hopefully a lovely bottle of red waits for her. She will find her way to Astarion tonight, she knows better than to pretend otherwise even if she’ll never admit it. The least she can afford herself is a little bit of alcohol to soothe her embarrassment at her willingness to be at his mercy.

Astarion calls out to her as she walks away, voice a low purr. “I’ll be waiting, dearest.”

She doesn’t look back to see where he stalks off to as she raises a hand to wave him off.

✧· · ─── ·✧· ─── · ·✧

The barest hint of excitement settles in Rin’s stomach as she pulls the tent flap to the side, peeking her head inside the darkened interior only to find Astarion in the exact opposite state of dress she expected, buckling on a chest plate of armor instead of taking it off.

He looks up at her arrival, eyes gleaming with mischief as he eyes Rin up and down in her thin blouse. “Ah, I had so hoped you would come by. Grab your sword, darling. We’re going out on a little adventure.”

She stands back upright, glancing from side to side to check that Astarion was, in fact, talking only to her and not to one of their other companions who had somehow managed to sneak up behind her.

“An adventure,” Rin tastes the words on her tongue as her eyes narrow in Astarion’s direction, that mischievous look of his highly suspicious. “You know, I do feel as though I’ve had enough of those recently.”

“Nonsense,” Astarion scoffs at her response, waving his hand in a trademark dismissive gesture as he finishes the final buckle of his armor, adjusting it once before securing a short sword to his back. “We are adventurers, are we not? What kind of bard says no to a potential tale for a ballad?”

Rin hazards a look around her and releases a breath with the realization that none of their companions seemed to be listening, or at least none obviously listening. 

She hisses through her teeth as she keeps her voice low, careful not to be overheard. “Astarion. I am not going out there, into the wilds of the Underdark to have sex.”

It wasn’t that their companions didn’t know about their last little adventure together, it was quite the opposite—a fact Rin became painfully aware of as she had walked through camp the next morning—bite mark painfully obvious and messy hair a dead giveaway—and pretended to pay no mind to the furrow of Gale’s brow or the look of disapproval on Wyll’s face. 

Karlach had the decency, at the very least, to give Rin a saucy wink as she made her way back to her tent, in which she only replied with a suggestive wiggle of her brow. 

“You had no qualms about having sex in the wilderness, what’s the difference now? A few more scary monsters, perhaps?” The smile Astarion wears as he teases her is nothing short of infuriating, her fingers itching to find something to throw at him. “Where’s your sense of adventure? It would be terrible loss for all the poor little souls who need your help were you to suddenly lose it.”

“My sense of adventure is fine, thank you.” Rin glares at him as she settles for crossing her arms in front of her like a petulant child instead of pelting him with something. “And yes, well, last time there was pretty flowers and soft grass, not…deadly mushrooms everywhere you look and strange creatures that rise up out of the godsforsaken ground without warning.”

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid, sweet thing.” Astarion is far too amused with this line of questioning, evident by the tease in his words and the cunning smile he wears.

She wasn’t afraid so much as simply pragmatic about the potential risk of enjoying herself in what was very clearly a living hellscape. “I am nothing of the sort. I am simply cautious about being ambushed with my clothes off.”

He arches a brow, clearly unconvinced by her argument. “That could happen in camp too, you know.”

He was right, damn him. Rin sighs heavily and despite her lackluster protest, she can’t deny the terrifying feeling that swirls in her chest at the opportunity to get to be with Astarion—alone.

“Fine, but at the first sign of anything strange we head back.”

“You have my word, darling.” Astarion holds his hand up in mock salute and while his ‘promise’ does nothing to assuage her, the smile that breaks through on her face belays that fact. “I have missed you. And now you’re all mine. And I’m all yours, until morning at least. Let’s see where the night takes us.”

✧· · ─── ·✧· ─── · ·✧

Rin trudges through the Underdark once more, the light leather of her armor rubbing against the thin shirt she wears. “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”

Astarion looks somehow at complete ease, unbothered by the dark landscape surrounding them as he walks next to her.

“You can’t tell me you’ve never wanted to have sex down here.”

“I can’t say I ever thought I would be in the Underdark, much less even considering having sex down here.” Rin sighs as she rolls her shoulders, her sword a comfort from its place on her back. “We need to be careful. One wrong move in the throes of passion and we’ll accidentally set off one of those explosive mushrooms. How would we ever be able to explain it to Withers? I don’t think I’d be able to look him in the eyes again.”

“Oh, I think Withers has seen his fair share over the years. I doubt there’s much we could do to shock that old mummy.”

He was probably right. 

But still.

“Let’s just hope we don’t come across anything hungry looking for a snack, at the very least.” Rin sighs as they fall into silence once more, Astarion leading the way confidently as he navigates them to a place that apparently only he knows, her eyes unsuccessfully marking their location as they pass spore after spore after spore.

Finally a dark shape looms ahead of them, appearing seemingly out of nowhere in the mists until they’re practically in front of it. Several more steps forward and Rin suddenly recognizes their location, incredulousness striking through her as she continues to follow Astarion until she reaches a familiar set of darkened stone steps.

“The Arcane Tower. Really, Astarion?” Rin stops in her tracks to look at him as the building stands imposingly before them, all dark walls and strange metal pipes curling at the edges, the same peculiar mist ever present around the structure.

“Oh, I’m sorry, would you have preferred a moldy mattress back at the Selunite Outpost or a dark, damp cave instead?” Astarion huffs as he turns to look at Rin, clearly put out by her complaints evidenced by the annoyance written across his face. “At least I chose somewhere with lighting.”

He gestures to the arcane lanterns dotting the uneven stone of the facade, the eerie blue light emanating from them adding nothing that Rin would ever consider ambiance to Astarion’s location of choice.   

“I’ll admit the other options listed were much worse. But I still don’t see what was so offensive about a tent.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers, darling. And this is the best this little corner of the Underdark has to offer unless you want to trek our way over to Menzoberranzan and put ourselves at the mercy of the Drow. Although…maybe that’s not a terrible idea, honestly.”

“They’d have us tied up and in chains before we could even set foot inside.” Astarion’s eyes light up, another retort already forming on his lips likely about said chains. Rin is quick to cut him off with a look. “Lead the way, then.” 

They walk up the front steps but not before Rin gives a final glance at the turrets still standing, eyes assessing that they were, in fact, deactivated—she had already taken one hit from its powerful beam some time earlier and was not eager for another.

It doesn’t take them long to make their way inside the tower and move down to the basement level, Astarion leading the way. Rin knows that while they did technically befriend the automatons (or however much one can befriend magically programmed beings) living several floors up, she can’t help but marvel at the lack of fear in his steps as he moves quietly across the floor, at ease in the dim light of the workshop around them. 

He opens the door leading out to the back, holding it open as Rin passes under his arm to step into the small garden behind the tower. The space is just as they left it, though the small Sussur at the water’s edge lacks its bloom, long since donated to the likes of Omeluum back with the Myconids. 

Rin gives the water bordering the garden a withering glare, desperately hoping nothing decides to drag itself onto the shoreline whilst they are in the middle of certain activities. She looks up to the top of the tower briefly before her gaze darts back to where Astarion had moved past her, now laying a blanket down on a soft patch of grass growing up in between the uneven pavers.

The uncanny glow of the Sussur tree emanates from behind Astarion as he removes his sheathed sword, setting it down on the ground near his feet. Numerous other little knives follow as the luminous glow reflects off both his pale skin and the blades he empties, not waiting for Rin to follow his lead as he makes himself comfortable, leaning back on his elbows.

“This is quite the place you’ve chosen, I hope you know.”

“I’ve had liaisons in far less savory places with far worse company,” Astarion shifts his gaze to Rin’s where she still stands several steps away. “I’m quite content with this, actually.”

“I guess by those standards I, too, have had my share of dubious encounters,” Rin walks over to where he reclines and lays her sword to rest by the pile of Astarion’s own, sitting down beside him with legs crossed as a glowing blue leaf floats slowly to the ground in front of them. “But certainly never this dangerous before, though. Usually just, you know, the odd alleyway or storage closet.”

“I think you like the danger.” His voice is back to the velvety cadence that haunts her when she tries to sleep, whispering the things the wants him to do to her in her most private imaginings. Astarion sits up and turns to face her, the look in his eyes luring her in.

“I may be coming around to it.” Rin wishes it were a lie as her eyes flick to his, the unknown feeling that has been slowly blooming in her chest giving a pulse as they grow nearer.

In a garden filled with arguably deadly things, he was by far the most dangerous thing here and she's powerless against that face of his as he pulls her own closer with a finger under her chin. The Sussur casts an uncanny glow down upon him, lining him in a luminous blue.

“I thought so.” Something like victory flashes across his claret eyes as he lowers his lips to Rin’s, the hand underneath her chin sweeping down to curl around the back of her neck as he pulls her closer.

She melts into the kiss, the world falling away around her as her focus narrows to the feeling of his lips against hers with a speed that should feel worrisome. And yet, Rin feels nothing but satisfaction spread through her as the beat in her chest quickens, the grip against her neck soft despite the urgency with which his mouth moves.

Astarion’s hands are quick find their way down her body, skating over her armor as he finds each and every buckle with ease, deftly unbuckling her armor bit by bit before letting it fall onto the blanket below them and sweeping it to the side with a brush of his arm, his lips never leaving hers.

The lack of weight is freeing, Rin sighing as she deepens the kiss, her tongue brushing against the coolness of Astarion’s lips in askance. He opens for her and her tongue darts in to taste him, brushing against his own.

Astarion’s hands caress down, remembering the curve of her waist and hips as they explore. He finds the hem of her shirt and slowly pulls it up her form, only breaking their kiss briefly, his lips retreating from Rin’s as he drags the thin spun cotton over her head before tossing it away with a flick of his wrist. They meet again not a moment later, Astarion capturing hers in a hard press as his hands find her waist once more, dragging her closer.

Rin follows the lead of the hands that pull as her waist, sliding over towards where Astarion fits her onto his lap. Her legs part all too readily on either side of his hips as she faces him, fingers sliding down the leather scales of his chest plate.

“I don’t think you need this on anymore.”  Her fingers fumble at the buckles of his armor with none of the nimble grace of Astarion’s as she fights against leather and metal, his delight in her frustration obvious by the amused smile playing on his lips as she releases a noise of frustration when her fingers slip once more.

Astarion finally takes pity on her, his own hands coming up to join her own as he undoes the last of the buckles holding his armor on before quickly shucking it off to join the pile where hers sit in a jumble beside them. 

“My, you’re eager tonight aren’t you?” Fingers dance up and down Rin’s spine, her chest pressing into the cloth of Astarion’s shirt as she rests her arms around his shoulders. 

She ignores Astarion’s question, instead drawing her lips across his jaw as she presses kisses to his cool skin as her hands trail down his back before sliding her fingers underneath the soft material to run them along his lower back, careful to avoid the deep scars he had seemed so rightfully discontented about when she had seen them the last time.

Astarion seems to sink into the warmth of her hands on his skin, pulling her hips closer to his own as her lips work at the place where his pulse should thrum, the beat of it long silenced as her mouth runs over his throat. Rin can’t help the small gasp that slips out as hips connect, her covered center connecting with his as a pulse of heat works its way through her body.

“You know, I think I’d rather fancy you beneath me.” Astarion’s hand cups the back of her head, fingers sliding through the soft strands before he turns them, rolling them both. Rin finds herself lying on her back not a moment later, the hand behind her head slowly lowering her down onto the blanket as Astarion hovers over her between her spread legs. 

“And I’d rather fancy you take this off.” Her fingers grip his shirt, lighting pulling at the fabric as she smirks up at him, untucking it slightly from his pants. 

Astarion returns her look as he briefly sits up, pulling his shirt over his head in one swift movement before leaning back down, hands caressing her hips as he presses his bare chest against her own. “Is that the only thing you’d fancy?” 

“There are a few more things that come to mind, now that I think of it.” The tips of her breasts press into his chest as Astarion lowers his head to kiss her, one of the hands on her hip sneaking around to the front of her pants to run just underneath her waistline.

Rin releases a breath onto his lips as that hand inches lower, fingertips running over the front of her underwear teasingly. Her hips jump into his hand as he moves slowly lower and lower, tension curling deep inside her with every brush towards where she wants him most. 

“I think I know exactly what it is you’re thinking of.” He draws a teasing pattern over her the thin cotton gusset of her underwear, touch light as he runs them over the length of her, the growing dampness only spurring him on as he smirks at the evidence of her arousal.

Her hands fly down to grip at her pants, eager to free herself from them as she pushes them down her hips, underwear following as she quickly kicks them off of her legs with as much grace as she can manage pinned underneath Astarion as he watches on, amused.

“Ah, always in such a hurry,” A devious look takes over Astarion’s features that has her mouth opening in question, but as he runs his fingers through her newly exposed folds he chases any thought from her mind. “Why rush when you could savor?”

He collects her wetness as he moves to circle her clit, a cry breaking free of her lips at the touch as a flush rises across her cheeks and her legs widen further for him. Astarion lowers his mouth to her neck, licking up the line of her throat as he slides his fingers inside of her waiting cunt, her hips bucking as he sinks them deep.

“Ah…” Her eyes fall shut as his fingers begin to move, his lips laying a kiss on the ever present scar on her neck, the two twin points that she knows mark her as his first, at least in one sense of the word. 

Another kiss lands on her collar bone as his fingers work her, easily building her pleasure up with an ease that she hates.

“You see, darling, I think you need to learn a little patience.” Astarion presses a kiss to the valley between her breasts, her back arching into him as he curls his fingers against that one spot, threatening to bring her over the edge. And as she is just about to fall into the building euphoria Astarion stops, his fingers stilling inside her as her orgasm fades, vanishing into nothing as she whines at the loss.

Rin’s eyes fly open, staring at him with disbelief as she tries to find the words for such a betrayal before settling on two distinct ones, spoken with indignity. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, I most certainly did,” Astarion leans in close, lips hovering near her ear as his fingers sit unmoving, still seated inside her. “But don’t worry, we have all night for me to teach you.”

He was enjoying this, the bastard.

His lips move to press a kiss to Rin’s own, soothing the discontent etched in the curve or her brow and the ire in her gaze before running them down the column of her neck and towards her breasts, tongue flicking out to tease at a nipple as she writhes beneath him at the stimulation.

Astarion’s fingers begin to move once more, pressing in and out of her as he sucks and licks at her breast, drawing a moan from her lips as she watches where Astarion’s connect with her nipple, painting her skin with his mouth as he leaves a trail of wetness that glows blue in the strange, effervescent light of the garden.

Her hands come up unbidden, running through his soft curls as her back arches into his waiting mouth. Astarion hums into her skin as her fingers card through those silver locks and all it takes is a glance down her body for her to see the evidence of his pleasure, the outline of his hardening cock pressing against the pants he still wears.

With luck, he would let her help him out of them—preferably sooner rather than later.

His fingers feel euphoric as they move in tandem with his mouth, ratcheting her pleasure higher and higher as he plays her body as well as any bard their lyre, fingers flicking at the strings of her pleasure with ease. 

Rin can’t help but think but that he was so unfairly good at this as her hips begin to ride his hand, chasing the high he had so cruelly denied her before in hopes of reaching her peak again as her back arches.

“Astarion,” she speaks his name on a breath, lashes fluttering closed as she holds his head to her breast as a familiar white hot heat begins to spread through her body, the coil of pleasure in her stomach tightening as it readies to break.

“Not so fast, my dear.” He releases her nipple from between his plush lips with an audible sound as his fingers once more slow, stranding Rin on the precipice of her orgasm as she whimperswhen they leave her entrance to instead rub at her folds, spreading her slickness once more.

The feeling is good but far from what she craves, certainly not nearly enough to push her back over the edge as the pleasure cools once more, still molten but not the descent into oblivion she so desires. 

“Astarion, please.” The fingers that she has buried in his hair clench at the loss of the pleasure, her center aching with an unfulfillment that only he can remedy.

“I do quite like the sound of you begging so prettily for me.” Astarion rests his head on her breast as his eyes settle on her face and the desperation held there, fingers running up through the center of her, finding her clit at the apex.

Slick fingers twirl around the pearl in a slow circle, pressure light as a sigh of relief leaves Rin’s parted lips. Astarion’s eyes cut through hers as he speaks, a haze of lust clouding the dark crimson of them, lashes low. “Tell me what exactly it is that you want.”

“You know perfectly well.” Rin snaps despite the heady feeling settling along her limbs, but she knows all too well now that he won’t hesitate to rip it away when it pleases him. She knows she must look like a mess; wet and flushed and borderline desperate to find the release that he has deprived her of.

“Mm, you’re right. I do know what you want.” His fingers fill her again, thumb rubbing at her clit as she whines. “But I like hearing it come from your lips. You write me such lovely letters filled with pretty words. I want to hear them now.”

“No. I already begged you once and you denied me.” She says with as much pride as she can all laid out underneath him, naked and vulnerable and wanting with his fingers deep inside her.

“I so love the way you look when you’re getting angry.” He pulls his fingers from her, only to join them with a third and Rin’s breath catches, the stretch of them delicious as a low moan falls from her throat.

Her head bows back onto the blanket at the fullness, the slight burn not at all unwelcome as Astarion pumps his fingers slowly, letting her adjust to the sensation. She can hear the sound of her wetness as he moves, the pleasure beginning to border on too much as sensitivity soars along with the intensity of her desire aching to course its way through her body.

His head leaves her breast, lips moving over her skin once more as Astarion kisses a line down her stomach, fingers pressing in and out of her in time with the breathy moans from her lips as he leaves a trail of wetness along the front of her.

Rin widens her legs as he lowers himself in between her thighs, hips jumping as he presses kisses below her belly button and lower still as the hand not dedicated to her body anchors itself on her hip. 

She feels his tongue touch her first at the place where his fingers fill her before licking a languid line up her folds to her clit, flicking around it.

“I must say, darling, you’ve been very good,” Astarion laps at her center, the pleasure of both his tongue and fingers euphoric as Rin’s fingers grip the blanket hard, tears beginning to mist her lashes at the overwhelming sensation of it all. “And good girls deserve a reward.” 

“Please.” Astarion gives a long sigh against her wetness but blessedly doesn’t stop either his hands or his mouth, tip of his tongue ringing around her clit with precision. 

“I suppose that will have to do. Won’t you come for me, darling?” He wraps his lips around her clit and sucks at the moment his fingers curl just right and she falls apart, heat rushing over her body as she cries out into the night.

Astarion works her through it, letting her hips buck as she rides the wave of her orgasm, lips and tongue working at her clit while his fingers continue their practiced motions as she writhes.

His lips retreat as she comes down, pillowing his head on her thigh as he watches her heaving chest, breathy little sighs leaving rosy lips. She raises a still shaking hand from beside her, unclenching her fingers from the blanket to run through his hair once more.

Rin’s head lolls to the side in contentment, his curls soft against her hands as she revels in the feeling of weightlessness settling along her limbs. “I still think I’m perfectly patient, you know.��� 

“I just gave you the best orgasm of your life and you still manage to find ways to talk back to me?” Astarion scoff is punctuated with a roll of his eyes, “Maybe you are beyond my teachings.”

“Bold of you to assume that was the best orgasm I’ve ever had. That ego of yours has gotten out of hand.” She can’t really deny Astarion’s words as he was unfortunately not wrong—it was easily the best orgasm of her life, but he didn’t need to know that. She’d never hear the end of it were she to let that little piece of information slip.

“I’ll have you know that I’ve earned the right to have such an ego.” He catches her evasion as his mouth widens into a smirk against her thigh. Astarion glides up her body, mouth hovering over her skin as he goes until he reaches Rin’s lips, pressing a hard kiss onto the soft pink of her own.

Rin runs her hands down his exposed chest, feeling every indention of the lithe muscles until she reaches the waistband of the pants he still wears. Hips roll into her hand as her fingers trail further down to run over the outline of his cock where it presses against the fabric, his length hardening more with every brush of her fingers.

“Show me what else that ego is capable of, then.” Astarion frees himself of his pants in an easy motion, far more graceful than she had been as he sits up to drag them down his legs and off, his cock hard as Rin glances to where it bobs between his legs.  

“On your knees, you minx.” Astarion’s hands brace themselves on her waist as Rin rolls herself over, this one a command she’s all too willing to do without complaint. Rin rises onto hands and knees, perfectly placed in front of him as if on display.

She can’t help the blush that stains her cheeks she looks back to see Astarion’s gaze wander over the expanse of her bare skin before settling on her exposed core raised into the air. No part of her is hidden away from him like this.

“Do you want to know what I would have done,” Astarion leans forward, pressing a kiss to her lower back as his hands caress her hips and he takes his place behind her. “Back in that little room at the Zhentarim hideout?”

“Yes.” Rin whispers into the air around them, yearning twisting her stomach as she feels her body heat at the words. His lips trail down over her soft flesh towards her waiting center, her arousal gleaming on her center in the light of the Sussur and she barely withholds a moan. 

“There were so many ways I could have done it. It’s hard to choose, they’re all so delicious.”

Astarion lips reach her cunt, swiping his tongue through her folds lazily as her hips jump at the contact. Without warning he licks into her entrance, capturing her essence on his tongue before darting back out, savoring the flavor of her as she cries out. 

He straightens, the taste of her still on his lips as he positions himself at her entrance, a hand stroking Rin’s hip as the head of his cock begins to press inside. “But the one I like the best is where I bent you over that little table and fucked you so hard you could barely walk out of there.”

Astarion watches as his cock sinks into her slowly, his hands gripping her hips tight as he sucks in a breath. Rin can feel every inch of him, everything seemingly so much more sensitive like this. With one last push of his hips Astarion bottoms out, his hips against her backside as they both moan at the contact.

“Do you think you could have been quiet while I fucked you? I’m not so sure you have it in you.” With a slow roll of his hips Astarion tests the feeling of her, his cock pulling out only to push back in with a sinful slowness until he’s once again filled her warmth, a sigh falling from his lips. 

“You have no idea what I’m capable of. Besides, I thought you liked ‘the sound of your name cried from my lips’.” Rin moves her hips against his still form as she parrots his earlier words back to him, working herself up his cock before pressing back to take him fully before doing it again. 

The hands on her hips tighten, gripping harder as he stills Rin’s hips. “Oh, believe me, I do. And I intend to hear it tonight.”

Astarion pulls out of her once more before thrusting back in faster—harder—as he takes control, Rin’s head snapping up at the intensity of it, a wanton moan slipping past her lips as he sets pace.

She lasts several hard thrusts on her hands below lowering herself to her elbows, the intensity drawing cries from her lips as he brushes against the deepest parts of her cunt, Astarion’s hands still on her hips as he drags her up and down his cock.

Only a few more after that she’s on her stomach, cheek pressed into the blanket underneath her as she moans his name just as he had wanted. He rubs against her front wall like this, hitting her sweet spot with every thrust in.

“Gods, yes, just like that,” Rin pants as his cock hits deep, eyes rolling back before her lashes shutter. She’s dizzy with pleasure, with him, as he fucks her the way he does in her dreams.

One of Astarion’s hands finds it’s way from her hip to her head, gathering her hair in his pale hand, strands of gold flowing through his fingers as he leans over her back, hips rolling endlessly into her own as his teeth nip at a pointed ear.

The hand in her hair tightens, pulling at the strands with a light tug. Rin moans at the slight sting on her scalp as she raises her head, more heat pooling as she straddles the line between pain and pleasure underneath him.

He cradles her head as he holds her by flowing waves of darkened wheat as his hips rock into hers. “Do you like this, darling?”

Rin’s past any point of caring for how she must look to him, how desperate and aching and wanting she must seem as she nods her head, lips falling open as breathy little moans escape. Astarion’s chest presses hard against the curve of her spine, the coolness of his skin a balm against the heat of her own as his hips roll into hers, that hand in her hair still cradling as his face lowers down next to hers. 

“You feel so very good.” Astarion’s lips find her neck as he presses a kiss to her throat, the blood thrumming through her veins singing as he ghosts over her pulse.

“Drink,” Rin angles her neck to his mouth as her hips keep in time with his own, meeting his every thrust. “If you want to.”

“Always so generous.” Astarion moans into her neck before his fangs break through her fragile skin, the icy flash of pain only adding to the heat diffusing throughout the rest of her as he drinks.

His hips give a particularly hard thrust as he sucks at her neck, a ragged cry falling from her lips as his cock hits the deepest parts of her once more and rivulets of pomegranate-dark blood run down her overheated skin.

“You taste…” Astarion speaks in between sucking at the wound, hips unstopping. “Beyond comprehension. Every part of you.”

The hand not buried in her hair sneaks its way underneath her hips, fingers finding her clit as his mouth works at her neck and his hips continue their perfect rhythm, and Rin finds herself suddenly close to the edge once more and her climax within reach. 

“Astarion…”

“Come on my cock.” Rin doesn’t know if its a demand, an order, or a want, but she will gladly oblige him as his hand strums at her clit from under her raised hips, her cunt tightening around his cock in a vice as she comes once more, writhing underneath him as he has her pinned.

All it takes is for Rin to constrict around him for him to come, Astarion burying his face into her neck as she spills himself inside of her, her blood coating his cheek as he moans his release into her wet, sticky skin.

Their hips slow as they come down, Astarion’s weight pressing into her as he pants into her neck, the hand in her hair finally loosening. Rin lowers her own to the blanket, heartbeat rabbit quick as she smiles dreamily, the blood loss addling her brain as she rests with a hazy sense of wonder.

The hand pinned underneath her hips escapes as Astarion licks the remaining blood still stuck to her neck, leaving a last kiss for rolling off her to land on his back with a contented, sated sigh. 

Astarion glances over to where she still lays on her front, eyes cataloguing the sight of her—cheeks flushed, lips bitten, drops of ruby red blood splattered over both warmed skin and mussed curls. “You look like an absolute mess, darling. Who would ever do such a thing to you?”

“Hm. I wonder who.” Rin forces her eyes open and manages a laugh at the blood coating his chin and neck.

Her eyes close once more as Astarion rummages through the small pack he had brought, the soft rustle of fabric and the clinking of something glass resonating through the quiet garden. 

Rin starts when she feels the wet, chilly cloth run between her legs, gently wiping away they spend that slowly spills from her, her eyes flashing open to see Astarion folding the cloth to run it now against the bite mark on her neck, dabbing at the drying blood on her skin.

“See, no scary monsters managed to attack us and ruin the moment.” Rin ignores the obvious tut in his voice and smiles anyway as Astarion turns the cloth onto himself, wiping away the blood coating his chin.

Rin can’t help but think that something about this time feels so much different than their first—lighter somehow, despite the darkness that surrounds them. She sits up with a smile, stretching her arms above her head as she reaches for her shirt.

“Don’t speak too soon Astarion, we’re still naked. There’s still plenty of time for an ambush.”

[noir-drabbles]

Draft 3

Summary: You bring in a new guest that you probably should've left for dead in the ditch he put himself in. Oh well, he seems interesting enough, despite his clear exhaustion. At least you can help him bathe.

(Honestly still don't know if I want to stick with this concept of Viper. I like miserable men that's for sure. Viper is such a sourpuss in my mind, especially before his inevitable corruption at the hands of the Reader who may or may not be connected to the family tragedy that kickstarted Viper's need for revenge.)

“Hmm, you're not pushing me away,” you noted as you sprayed a small cut on his arm, watching the blood and muddy muck flow right down, “Didn't take you for someone that would be calm in good company.”

Or any company for that matter. When you pulled his arm over your shoulder, you were pretty much expecting him to fight you until he passed out. Would've let him too, just so you could drag him to a dry place all the easier. But no. You offered a helping hand and he didn't reject. He didn't accept either but the lack of resistance was enough. You're not one to take no for an answer

“It doesn't matter,” he wasn't even watching you. In fact, he hasn't looked at your eyes since you dragged him in here in your small little house you inherited. Just kept dazing off, gaze landing on any corner of the room, not quite here, “I got enough of 'em.”

And he sounded sleepy too.

“Heyo, wake up,” you tapped at his shoulder and he jolted, sloshing the water right over the rim of the tub and onto your bare feet, “Don't fall asleep. I want to talk. Who's them? The corpses?”

“Rats, vultures, the lot of them,” his words were slurring and he sunk deeper into the warm bath. You should probably get him out of here soon, but you'd like for him to be clean before you leave him be on your freshly washed sheets. Infections are nasty, festering on the aging of waste and grime. “Didn't get them all, but I got enough. Enough, enough… I'm enough, and I'm tired.”

Sounds like quite the long hunt. And exhausting, to place your self worth on whatever vengeance journey he’s on.

“Alrighty alrighy, lot of carrion feasting I see,” you washed the bubbles out of his white hair, “though, you might want to stop with the dramatics, you're not dying yet. I mean, look down.”

He already was so all it took was a movement of the eyes.

“…it's gone,” there was no shock, simply disappointment. Only then did he finally slide his attention to you, “You…”

“Yup, that big ol hole is gone now,” you grabbed your pot, scooped up some scarlet water and pour it over the rest of his now clean injuries. They sealed over just like that. The benefits of one who was swallowed a drop of the Headless Snake's blood, “Sorry if you wanted to die in that ditch over there. It's too bad that you were doing all that while I was on my walks.”

You don't live close but you lived close by enough.

Leaning off his arm, the man pressed his fingers into his now solid stomach in the water. His lips pulled back, teeth grinding against one another. He slammed his fist into your bathroom wall, shattering the tiles into shards and fine powder.

You dropped your pot, seized his jaw and yanked him to face you properly. His eyes widened and his hand lashed out and grabbed your neck. The muscles in his palm twitched, as though about to squeeze, but like him, your expression didn't change.

As you both glared at one another, you spoke.

“I placed each and every one of those tiles in this bathroom by hand, stranger,” it was a personal project you did out of pure enjoyment. Hours upon hours of effort, and he had the gall to smash it in front of your face like you'll just stay there and watch, “This house is precious to me, left behind by people no longer here, dead and gone. If you're going to hit anything, hit yourself. At least those bruises will take minutes to heal from.”

The shower head dripped. The fog of humidity passed around the both of you as it floated out the water. Both of your breathes were mixing with one another.

“Don't go ruining what little I have left,” your words sparked something in him, because you saw his eyes finally look away.

He let go and let his hands sink into the water. He was his dour self once more, all hunched to the side, eyes clouding over in the air of grayness he had around him.

There we go. Now you can continue.

[spectrechosts]

Misc. Short Demon Stories

Untitled stories about demons that weren't written as part of my Vandalize series. Second one probably fits into it though.

"What'cha guys watching?"

"One a them creepy girlchildren found Zep's summoning circle in a book, she's trying to make offerings."

"Oh shit, lemme see."

The three demons stood over a misty scrying pool, and in it's waters watched a young girl chanting in her treehouse, summoning circle etched into the wood, a dead bird in the center.

"Nice. Love getting summoned by weird little girls, they want the best shit."

"Last time I got one she gave me three baby teeth and 15 canadian dollars in exchange for making her good at drawing Inuyasha."

"Did you give her the whole show or just the character?"

The demon shrugged.

"I made her good at drawing in general."

"Softie. You gonna pick up or what, Zep?"

"Nah. I mean, if she had killed the bird it'd be one thing, but she just found it on the sidewalk."

"She's like ten, you want her to kill a bird?"

"I want her to do something. Prick her finger, I dunno. Hang on, I'm getting another call."

The scrying pool shifted to show a man etching the summoning circle into the flesh of a headless corpse.

"Oh, this fucking guy again. Hate getting serial killers."

"Ooh I'm decapitating people and carving occult symbols into their flesh, look at me! Dickheads. Get new material."

"Go back to the kid, this sucks."

The pool shifted back to the treehouse, where the child was dripping blood from the tip of her finger onto the dead bird.

"YEAAHHH!"

"NICE!"

"Okay okay, I'll go see what she wants."

Zep dissipated into smoke, and the two others waited, the scrying pool no longer showing the child now that the summons had been answered. After a few long minutes, she reappeared.

"Well?"

"The pact has been made. Her parents will agree to get her a puppy. And in exchange…"

She took a stack of foil packets out of her sleeve.

"Pokemon cards."

"Siiiiiiiick."

~

"I uh, I think that there's been um, some kind of mistake?" Kaylee said, looking very intently at the ceiling of her room.

"It's okay hun, don't be shy! Lotta people do this, it's no big thing." Said the succubus now lounging in the center of her room, clad only in a-

To call it a slutty nurse outfit was an understatement. This was slutty costume design on a level mortal minds could never dream to achieve.

"No, no there's actually been a mistake." Kaylee said, her face burning. "You're very pretty, but I was looking for uh, actual medical help."

"And you got it, doll! Hell's very own gender affirming care agency, at your service!" The succubus beamed at her. "How can we help you today?"

Kaylee flicked her eyes back to the demon, made sure she was seeing correctly.

"You look like a succubus?"

"What kind of demon do you think should be handlin' your sexy bits? Gettin' you all prettied up? Trust me doll, when it comes to fleshcraft there ain't nobody better! Whaddaya want?"

Kaylee swallowed. She really hadn't expected this to actually work.

"Um. Just, you know. Girl I guess. Make me a girl."

"Gotta give me more to work with than that, hon. What're you having trouble with?" The demoness said, slinking up to her and throwing an arm around her shoulder familiarly. "Tell your pal Vicky how mortal medicine's failed ya, I'll see what I can do."

"I, I dunno, all of it I guess?" Kaylee shrank inward, clutching her own elbows. She had never said any of this out loud to anyone before. "It's just so daunting, you know? Trying to get psychiatrists to put you on waiting lists to get on pills that'll take years to do anything. I want it to be easy."

"Well don't you worry toots, we pride ourselves on being easy."

Kaylee cracked a tiny smile, she had walked right into that one.

"Alright I'm gonna ask you some questions, just answer as honestly as you can."

Vicky poofed to the other side of the room, sitting in Kaylee's computer chair with a clipboard in one hand and a cigarette holder in the other. "So tell me doll, what kinda timeline you looking for here?" She said, taking a drag while she waited for Kaylee's answer.

"Fast, I guess? Faster than it would be otherwise."

"How important is retaining a resemblance to your current appearance, family, etc."

"Um. Depends on the end result I guess?"

"How important is it that people not realize your transition was magically aided?"

"Not very?"

"Would you want people to remember you as always having been a girl?"

"You can do that?"

"Sure can, hon. Expensive though."

"…Depends on the person, I guess?"

"Mm. Okay, you're giving me very noncommittal answers here sugar. Want me to just run through the basic contracts for you?"

"S-Sorry. Sure."

"Okay. Cheap or expensive first?"

"Cheap."

"Ugh, c'mon doll, show some moxie! We're doin' magic here! You deserve more than the bare minimum!"

"Are you just saying that because you want to eat my soul?"

"Ehehe, a lady never tells." Vicky said coyly.

"Cheap, please."

"Fiddlesticks."