#Where he uses ghost magic to get a job with WE

[lizzyiii]

Hey girl hey. Hope you are still alive and life is treating you well. Just checking in.

you're so sweet for this omg. so ive graduated from high school, have this whole summer, but I can't really enjoy it since a broke girl's got to work. got my very first job and it's sooo draining, but I've got to get that bag

Sevenmas

pairing | aemond x wife!reader

word count | 9.2k words

summary | amid the haunting ruins of harrenhal, aemond's pregnant wife senses the looming threat of alys rivers, a witch whose presence fuels her nightmares and aemond's growing distance.

determined to protect her husband and unborn child, she delves into the secrets of warding magic, reclaiming her bond with aemond as she invites him back into her bed and vows to stand against the witch’s dark influence.

tags | 18+ (MDNI), smut, p in v sex, unprotected sex, pregnancy, magic, fluff, soft aemond, hubby aemond

a/n | it's summer, the heat is evident, yet I've only been at work or home. I needdd to leave my house!

likes comments and reblogs are much appreciated ✨

ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ

My Dearest Babe,

It has been a full moon since your father and I arrived at these dreary halls of Harrenhal. It is bleak here, cold and damp, and the walls seem to hold the whispers of the dead.

I have not known a single night’s rest since we set foot in this cursed place. My sleep grew all the more restless when your father saw fit to move me into a separate chamber.

Harrenhal weighs heavily upon him. It has changed him in ways I cannot yet understand. He walks the halls as if hunted, and I see the shadows of his unrest in his eyes.

Each night, his dreams twist into dark things—visions that wrench him from sleep, leaving him gasping as though clawing his way back to wakefulness. He grows ever more volatile, as if the very stones of Harrenhal press upon his mind, threatening to drive him to madness.

One night, he woke from a nightmare so violent, I feared for him. I reached out to calm him, but he struck out, not knowing it was I. I do not hold it against him—he was deep within whatever horror plagued him.

But he looked upon the bruise on my wrist with such anguish, fearing for my health and yours. It was then he resolved to put me in another room, to shield us both from his torments.

Yet, my sleep has only worsened since he made this change. This keep holds no comfort, only shadows and sighs, and I feel that something - someone - wicked watches us, waiting.

The sixth day of Sevenmas dawned in Harrenhal, a day to honor the Crone, she who carried the lantern of wisdom and foresight. How you longed for that guidance now, caught in the maze of cold stone walls and shadows that seemed to stretch into eternity.

The ancient keep, with its crumbling towers and halls seeped in ghosts of past horrors, gnawed at your spirit with every passing hour.

The days bled together, each as gray and listless as the last. Time itself felt suspended, and there was little to fill it but your prayers to the Seven and the slow, meticulous pull of thread and needle.

Embroidery was meant to calm the mind, but here it became another way for your thoughts to spiral into dark corners. How could you not let them when the halls echoed with whispers not your own and the air felt thick, laden with something unseen yet suffocating?

Your husband, Aemond, the prince with a fire in his blood and the shadow of the conqueror in his step, had become a stranger cloaked in duty.

Since Rhaenyra had laid siege to King's Landing, his days were consumed with strategy, flame-bright eyes scanning maps and murmuring with commanders until dawn kissed the horizon.

You would catch glimpses of him, his presence fierce and distant, a sword poised to strike. And still, there was one tether left—he would always return to break his fast with you, no matter the hour, as if the morning meal was a sacred pact he refused to break.

This shared ritual was a brief light in the gloom, a moment where his brow would smooth, and he would offer a small nod, as if to say, I am still here.

Yet even then, the weight of Harrenhal seemed to press upon him, creasing the corner of his eye and stealing the little warmth from his voice.

You wished for the strength of the Crone’s wisdom, to find words that could soothe whatever haunted him, whatever pulled him into those long, silent stretches where he barely met your gaze.

And so, with the sun’s first pale rays stretching over the stone battlements, you whispered a prayer to the Crone. Let me see what he cannot. Let me guard us in ways unseen.

There was another shadow cast over your time at Harrenhal, one that gnawed at your peace like a hound at a bone. Within the first week of your arrival, an attempt on Aemond’s life had been made, a sloppy affair that left more questions than answers.

Yet the mere notion of betrayal and blood sharpened Aemond’s already fierce nature into something perilously close to madness.

In his rage and paranoia, he swept through Harrenhal like a storm, burning and executing every male Strong—lords and bastards alike, sparing none.

The aftermath left the keep haunted by its own silence, populated mostly by women and children who dared not cross his path. Yet among the survivors, there was one who set your skin crawling like no other: Alys Rivers, the bastard daughter of Lionel Strong.

Her gaze, dark and knowing, seemed to pierce through you whenever it drifted your way. The keep’s old women, those who lingered in the kitchens and halls, were full of whispers, speaking in hushed tones about Alys and the tales that clung to her like a shroud.

They claimed she was a wet nurse with no babes of her own, that her cradle stayed empty because she offered her children to dark gods, drawing power from their sacrifices.

The word witch passed between toothless mouths with reverence and fear, a name that conjured images of blood and whispered spells in the dead of night.

You would catch Alys watching Aemond from the shadowed corners of the great hall, her green eyes glistening like the polished scales of a serpent.

There was something about the way she looked at him, a gaze that lingered too long, with a subtle curl to her lips that suggested she saw beyond what others did. Each time, a cold knot formed in your stomach, winding tighter with each day.

Aemond, for his part, seemed oblivious—or perhaps unwilling—to acknowledge her attention. He stalked the halls of Harrenhal like a restless dragon, his eyes always aflame with thoughts of war and vengeance.

But you, kept to the fringes and left with little to occupy your time, had learned to listen. You had overheard more than once the old wives’ tales, how the stones of Harrenhal bore witness to strange sights in the dark of night.

The morning light struggled to filter through the narrow, soot-streaked windows of Harrenhal’s great hall, casting long, somber shadows across the cold stone floor.

You sat at the grand table, an expanse of dark oak that seemed almost too vast with just the two of you seated at its head.

The hall’s emptiness swallowed the small noises of clinking silver and the rustle of fabric, leaving only the low crackle of a distant fire to break the silence.

You glanced at Aemond, his face severe and sharp as ever, eyes narrowed and distant as he picked at the bread before him. His hair, pale as moonlight, spilled over his shoulders, catching the dim glow of morning like polished silver.

You traced the line of his jaw with your gaze, noting the tautness there, the slight twitch that spoke of restless thoughts.

In truth, you did not know this man well—your husband, your prince, and yet a stranger in so many ways.

It had only been moons since you first met, and within days, the marriage vows were spoken, the ink on the alliance barely dry before you found yourself bound to him in name and in fate.

Your father’s fleet had been your dowry, a formidable power that the Greens could not afford to spurn. You understood your role, the politics and power that tethered you to Aemond, but understanding him was another matter entirely.

His silences were as deep and dark as the Blackwater, and he carried an anger that smoldered beneath his skin, an unquenchable flame that whispered of vengeance and old wounds.

But despite the cold armor of his demeanor, Aemond had never raised his voice nor his hand to you. He moved with a kind of carefulness in your presence, a restraint that bordered on gentleness.

He treated you with a respect that was rare among men of power, where wives were often little more than pawns on a board.

And though it was likely due to the child you carried beneath your heart, it kindled a small warmth within you to think that he had not left you behind when he marched to Harrenhal.

Instead, he had commanded that you come with him, a choice that puzzled you even as it comforted you.

Harrenhal was a desolate place, steeped in old, cracked stone and a history that groaned beneath every step. You despised it, with its drafty halls and the air that always seemed to taste of ashes.

Yet sitting here, across from Aemond as the thin light etched sharp lines across his face, you felt a reluctant flicker of gratitude.

The silence between you was not companionable, but it was not cruel either. It was a space where the two of you existed, tethered by duty and an unspoken understanding.

Your gaze lifted from your untouched plate to meet his. “You barely ate anything,” you ventured softly, the words almost swallowed by the great hall’s vastness.

Aemond’s eye flickered to you, just a moment of acknowledgment, before drifting back to the distant, unfocused point beyond the hall’s great hearth. “I have much on my mind,” he replied, his voice low and guarded, as always.

You lowered your gaze, the golden glint of your cup catching the flicker of the fire as you turned it in your hands. “Today is the day of the Crone,” you murmured, the soft words drifting into the vast emptiness of the hall.

Aemond’s eye settled on you again, this time with a sharper intensity, as if he were trying to read the thoughts that played behind your eyes. The violet of his gaze, stark and unyielding, seemed to see through flesh and bone.

You felt the heat rise to your cheeks but pushed on, lifting your head with a tentative, almost sheepish smile.

“I have been holding small celebratory suppers in my chambers for each of the Seven,” you said, the words trembling on the cusp of hope. “Perhaps you would join me tonight?”

Aemond’s expression remained inscrutable, carved from the same marble as the gods whose names you spoke. He was silent, his lips pressed into a thin line as he measured the request. You held your breath, bracing for the sting of rejection, but after a moment, he inclined his head with a slow, deliberate nod.

“I shall see if I am free to attend later, wife,” he replied, each syllable precise, as if spoken under a watchful eye.

A smile unfurled across your face, a small, fragile bloom that brightened the somber air. You nodded, your gratitude silent but deeply felt, and returned your attention to the meal before you.

The hall fell back into its familiar hush, but the silence seemed gentler, softened by the promise—no matter how uncertain—that he might sit with you as the evening drew near.

Throughout the day, you moved with a purpose that had been absent for some time. Excitement flickered within you, casting a rare warmth over the bleakness of Harrenhal’s cold stone walls.

You spent more time preparing yourself than you had in weeks, choosing a gown of deep violet, the color rich and regal, one you knew would match Aemond’s eye.

Your hands worked carefully as you braided your hair, fingers weaving strands with practiced precision. You wound the braids into a half-up style, securing them with thin silver pins, and threaded small pearls between the coils, their soft luster catching the waning light that seeped through the chamber’s narrow window slits.

As the sun dipped lower, you prepared the chamber for supper, eager to cast away the dreariness of Harrenhal’s stone embrace. The table, though small, was set with care.

You placed a modest arrangement of primroses at its center, their pale petals lending a touch of softness to the somber room.

Candles, thick and tapered, were placed with a meticulous eye, their wicks waiting to be lit and offer a warm glow that would banish the shadows lurking in the corners.

Tonight was meant to honor the Crone, a day of wisdom and reflection, yet you could not help but hope for something more—a chance to share a moment, however fleeting, with the man you called husband.

The hours had been long since you’d known any touch of intimacy, any whisper of companionship. The prospect of Aemond joining you, even for a brief supper, was enough to make your heart beat with anticipation.

Time stretched on, heavy and unyielding, as you sat alone at the small table in your chambers, a solitary figure in a room filled with muted light. The food before you, once steaming and fragrant, had grown cold, the sheen of oil on the meats congealing in the chill air.

The candles you had lit earlier had burned down to stubs, their light dwindling as shadows crept up the walls.

The fire in the hearth, once crackling with warmth, had reduced itself to a bed of glowing embers, the last vestiges of heat sputtering as they surrendered to the draft that snaked through the stones.

Your heart, which had quickened with hope earlier in the day, now felt leaden with disappointment. The silence pressed in around you, each passing moment a reminder that Aemond would not come. The anticipation that had kept your spirits aloft now left a hollow ache in its absence.

Pushing your untouched plate away, you rose from the table, your movements deliberate as anger stirred in your chest. It was not the hot, reckless kind, but the slow-burning indignation that came when expectation was met with silence.

You wrapped your cloak around your shoulders and slipped into the dim corridor, determined to find him, to seek an answer rather than stew in this quiet, stinging rejection.

Harrenhal’s halls were a maze of stone and shadow, empty and vast, with only the sound of your footsteps echoing softly in the cold. The castle held a thousand whispered secrets, and tonight, it seemed eager to keep its prince among them.

You turned corners and climbed staircases, the flicker of dying torches casting your shadow long against the walls, until the familiar paths grew strange and your resolve wavered.

Finally, as you entered a lesser hall that stretched toward a wing of old chambers, you spotted movement—a maidservant carrying linens, her head bent as if afraid to be seen. Relief mixed with frustration as you quickened your step.

“Excuse me,” you called out, your voice sharper than intended.

The servant started, nearly dropping her burden before bowing her head hastily, eyes fixed to the floor. It was a common sight in Harrenhal, the way they kept their gaze averted in your presence.

Word of your husband’s fierce reputation as Prince Regent and Kinslayer had traveled swiftly, and it seemed they feared that to slight you was to invite his wrath upon them.

With a lifted chin and a tone that brooked no disobedience, you asked, “Where is my husband?”

Before the maid could stammer out an answer, another voice cut through the dim hallway—a voice that chilled the blood in your veins and haunted your sleep with its whispers.

“I fear the prince is still occupied in the council chamber, my lady,” said Alys Rivers, her tone smooth and deceptively courteous, like the edge of a blade.

You turned slowly, meeting her gaze. Her eyes were dark, unreadable, but a knowing smirk pulled at her lips as she regarded you, taking in the sight of your tense shoulders, the protective way your hand drifted instinctively to your rounded stomach.

There was no warmth in her expression, only the sly amusement of a cat toying with a bird that dared to stray too far from its nest.

Your nostrils flared, and you straightened your back, eyes narrowing as you corrected her in a low, simmering murmur, “Princess.”

Alys tilted her head, feigning surprise, though her eyes betrayed nothing but a cold mirth. “Pardon me,” she said, her gaze sliding deliberately to your abdomen before flicking back up to meet yours, daring you to react.

“I am not your lady,” you hissed, “I am your princess.”

With a final, steely glare, you turned on your heel, the folds of your violet gown sweeping the floor as you made your way back through the shadowed hallways, heart pounding beneath your ribs.

The silence of Harrenhal enveloped you once more, and you did not pause until you reached the safety of your chambers, locking the door behind you and pressing your back against the cool, unyielding wood.

The echo of Alys’s smirk lingered in your mind, but you would not let her see your fear. Not tonight. Not ever.

A scream ripped from your throat, raw and primal, as the pain surged through you, tearing its way up your spine and scattering your senses. It felt as though your very body was being split apart, the agony sharper and deeper than any blade.

“Keep pushing, my princess; the babe is almost here,” urged the midwife, her voice steady but relentless.

You clenched your jaw, wanting to curse her, to scream at her to hold her tongue, but the pain stole all words from you, leaving you breathless and shaking.

It was a torment that came in relentless waves, each cresting higher than the last, only to drag you under when you thought you could surface for air. The burning, the stretching—unbearable, blinding.

“I cannot,” you sobbed, tears mingling with the sweat that drenched your brow. “Please… I can't,” you pleaded, your voice broken and desperate.

The pain surged again, stealing the air from your lungs, and then you felt it—a firm, familiar hand pressed gently to your cheek. Through the haze of pain, you turned your head, and your vision cleared just enough to see the sharp lines of Aemond’s face.

His single violet eye was intent, fierce, a rare expression of vulnerability breaking through his stoic mask. Relief, so profound it was nearly painful, swelled in your chest.

“Aemond,” you gasped, his name a lifeline, an anchor in the storm.

Husbands were not meant to be present for the birth, tradition forbade it. But he was there, and you did not care for any rule or rite that would keep him away.

“Just a few more pushes, my love,” he murmured, his voice low, a thread of steel woven through the gentleness.

You nodded weakly, mustering what remained of your strength. A deep groan escaped you as you pushed once more, the room spinning around you. The midwife’s voice rose above the roaring in your ears.

“The babe is crowning, my lady.”

But the tone was wrong. Too familiar, too cold. Alarm jolted you to consciousness, and you struggled to prop yourself on trembling elbows. Your eyes darted to the space at the foot of the birthing bed, and dread coiled tight in your gut.

There, in the dim light of the chamber, knelt Alys Rivers. Her dark hair framed eyes as green and sharp as glass, eyes that glimmered with a knowing, malevolent gleam. A smile curled at the corners of her lips as she met your gaze.

“No, no!” you screamed, panic twisting your voice. “Get away from me!”

With a surge of fear-driven strength, you tried to kick her away, your limbs thrashing wildly, but Aemond’s hands clamped down on you, firm and unyielding. “Calm yourself,” he commanded, his voice cool, steady as stone.

Alys turned her gaze up to him, a shadow of mock sympathy curving her lips. “You must choose, my prince,” she intoned, each word dripping with false solemnity. “The babe, or your wife.”

A sob wrenched from your chest as you felt your breath come in sharp, shallow gasps. “No. No!” The pain was drowned beneath the torrent of fear that flooded you.

Desperately, you looked up at Aemond, seeking the warmth, the fierce protection that once resided in his eye. But what you found was a gaze distant and unreadable, as though he stood apart, watching from some cold, unreachable place. His jaw tightened. “Save the babe.”

Time seemed to fracture around you. His words, so final, crashed over you like a wave of ice. Your eyes widened, disbelieving, as rough handmaids or shadows, you could not tell—pressed you back, holding you firm as you struggled.

“Let me go! Let me go!” you screamed, your voice raw with betrayal and terror, limbs straining against the iron grip that pinned you.

Pain cleaved through you, and you felt the weight of the babe shift within. But your focus broke as Alys moved, no longer at the foot of the bed but gliding closer, the flicker of torchlight catching on the edge of a cruel, glinting blade.

The chamber seemed to darken around her, the faint cries of the midwives fading into an ominous silence. And all you could see were those green eyes, bearing down on you like a curse whispered in the dark.

You jolted upright, heart pounding and breath ragged, the remnants of your nightmare clinging to your skin like a shroud. A trembling hand reached up to brush the tears from your cheeks, the dampness proof of the terror that had gripped you in sleep.

Your eyes drifted down, catching the soft curve of your swollen belly under the covers, rising and falling with your shallow breaths. A shaky sigh escaped your lips, a bitter mix of relief and unease.

The babe was still safe within you—at least for now. You pressed your palm over it, as if to reassure yourself of its presence.

Beyond the thin light filtering through the shuttered window, the sky remained cloaked in the indigo of night.

The stillness told you it was not yet dawn, that liminal time when dreams and waking often blurred. But sleep would not find you again; not after that vision, nor for many nights to come, you were sure.

The memory of Aemond's cold, detached gaze as he spoke words that sealed your fate in your dream clung to you. It pierced deeper than any blade, a wound festering with fear and doubt.

Yet you forced yourself to swallow the sharp sting of betrayal, directing your thoughts toward another source of your unease—Alys Rivers.

The whispers, the eyes that followed, the dark air that seemed to shift when she was near. Your fears, your husband’s torment, the sense of something wicked gnawing at Harrenhal’s bones—it all traced back to her.

Resolve steeled your spine. You pushed back the covers and rose, the weight of your pregnancy making the motion slower, more deliberate.

Wrapping yourself in a heavy fur cloak, you reached for the candelabra on the nightstand. Its small flame sputtered in protest before catching steady, casting long shadows that danced upon the walls.

The corridors of Harrenhal, once alive with whispered conversations and the hurried footfalls of servants, now loomed around you in cold, watchful silence. The draft that crept through the ancient stones nipped at your cheeks and sent a shiver down your spine.

Clutching the fur tighter against your body, you moved forward, the warm light in your grasp flickering as it met the draft.

The silence was thick, broken only by the soft rustle of your cloak and the creak of old floorboards beneath your weight.

At last, you reached the great doors of the library, their dark wood carved with sigils long forgotten and gnarled from centuries of use. Setting the candelabra down, you pushed against one of the doors, muscles straining with the effort.

It groaned open, the sound reverberating through the stillness and sending a cold gust rushing past you. Picking up the candelabra, you stepped inside and let the heavy door drift shut behind you with a thud.

The scent of old parchment and dust surrounded you, familiar and oddly comforting. Shelves stretched high, towering sentinels filled with the stories of old and the wisdom of those long gone.

On other nights, you would have lost yourself in the tales that wove through these tomes—myths and sagas that spoke of courage and triumph. But tonight, solace was not what you sought.

You moved through the rows with purpose, eyes scanning the spines until they found those few volumes that hinted at the arcane.

The lore of witches, their dark arts, the means by which they could twist men’s dreams and cloud their minds—it all lay within reach, hidden among dusty pages that no one dared speak of.

You placed the candelabra down, its light casting a golden glow that flickered across the cracked leather and faded titles.

With trembling hands, you opened the first book, its binding stiff with age. The parchment crackled as you turned the pages, your eyes drinking in the inked words.

If there was any way to guard yourself, to protect Aemond from the shadows that had seeped into your lives, you would find it here. No longer would you be haunted by that witch’s knowing gaze or the dread that coiled tight in your belly.

With each turn of the page, the flickering glow of the candelabra cast dancing shapes upon the stone walls, warding off the chill that seeped through Harrenhal’s blackened stones.

The words spoke of charms and tokens, of age-old rituals whispered by the smallfolk who feared the unseen.

Marking doors with protective sigils or crosses to ward off malevolent forces. The purifying strength of salt, said to bar dark spirits and their ilk. Rowan wood, revered for its protective properties, best used when tied with crimson thread to seal its potency.

The hours crept by, measured by the slow guttering of candle wax. You read, forgetting the passage of time as the nightmare’s claws loosened their grip on your heart.

Knowledge was your weapon now, and you wielded it with the silent promise that neither you nor Aemond would fall victim to powers unknown.

The day’s first light spilled through the high, narrow windows, a pale and hesitant glow that bled into the room and painted the bookshelves in muted gold.

It was the day of the Stranger, seldom celebrated, yet you paid it no heed. Lost in the pages, you missed the bells that tolled the hour and forgot the warmth of your usual morning meal shared with Aemond.

When at last you closed the final volume, a resolve settled in your chest, resolute and unyielding. You would need these items—symbols of protection—and that meant venturing beyond the castle’s shadowed halls and out into the market.

The fur-lined cloak wrapped snug around you, guarding against the bitter drafts that swept through the corridors as you made your way back to your chambers.

As you reached the windows, a rare sight unfolded before your eyes—snow, soft and unrelenting, blanketing the bleak spires of Harrenhal.

Snow was a rarity in King’s Landing, seldom seen during your girlhood there. For a moment, untouched by fear or doubt, you felt the stir of childish wonder rise within you.

Three knights of the Kingsguard, their white cloaks pristine even in the snow, flanked you as you ventured to the market. The square bustled despite the cold, vendors calling out their wares with voices hoarse from the chill. Your list of protective items, hastily scrawled in the early hours, guided your every step.

Surprisingly, the rowan wood was easy to find, its branches bundled tightly with red thread as per custom.

Charms of polished crystal and talismans wrought from iron and bronze were procured with little effort, their sellers eager to part with them for a handful of silver stags.

The murmured blessings from the old crones at their stalls made the hair on the back of your neck prickle, but you pressed on, their eyes shadowed with both reverence and suspicion.

By the time the sun began its descent, casting a gilded glow over the snow-draped stones of Harrenhal, your arms were laden with your newfound protections. You returned to your chambers with purpose, setting to work immediately.

With meticulous care, you bound the red thread around the twigs of rowan wood and placed them above each entrance.

Salt, precious and fine, was spread across the thresholds, each grain catching the firelight like scattered stars.

With charcoal from your writing desk, you etched intricate symbols—wards against dark magics—onto the cold, unyielding stone walls.

But it was not just your own safety you sought to secure. For Aemond, you had combed the market for a piece both practical and protective. After much haggling, you procured a leather eyepatch, supple and black, unmarred by wear.

Returning to your chamber, you carefully stitched shards of black tourmaline into its edge, each piece glinting with a subtle, protective gleam. Your needlework was steady, each pull of the thread imbued with silent prayers.

Lost in your task, you barely noted the soft knock at your door or the maidservant who entered, setting a tray of supper on the table near the hearth.

The aroma of roasted fowl and warm bread wafted through the chamber, but your focus remained fixed.

As you worked by the fire's glow, the shadows that had haunted your waking hours seemed to lessen, replaced by the steady rhythm of thread and needle, and the quiet resolve that this time, you would be ready.

You were so absorbed in your needlework, fingers deftly stitching the dark crystals onto a supple leather patch, that the sudden clearing of a throat startled you. Your gaze snapped up, eyes wide with surprise as they met the cool, familiar face of Aemond Targaryen.

“Husband,” you said, breathless as you hastily hid the finished eye patch beneath a velvet pillow. Rising to your feet, you inclined your head, though your heart thudded with residual tension.

He stood tall and imposing in the dim glow, the silver-white of his hair catching the light like a crown. For a moment, the room felt smaller, as if the walls themselves pressed in with the weight of his presence.

“What brings you here?” you asked, voice touched with confusion and a hint of sharpness. Exhaustion dulled your sense of propriety, leaving the question more pointed than intended.

Aemond’s lone violet eye narrowed, an unreadable glimmer within its depths. “To have supper with you,” he replied, as if such a thing were the most natural answer in the realm.

Your eyes flickered to the table, where two silver plates now sat, the steam rising lazily from the dishes set by the silent servant moments before.

You pressed your lips into a thin line and sighed, murmuring, “I believe my invitation was for yesterday.”

A shadow of regret crossed his face, so brief that another might have missed it, but you saw. As you moved past him to take your seat, you caught the soft murmur that slipped from his lips, “I deserved that.”

Aemond followed and took his place across from you, the creak of the chair echoing in the quiet chamber. For a moment, silence hung between you, broken only by the faint crackle of the hearthfire. His gaze settled on you, sharp and searching.

“I have not seen you at all today,” he said at last, the words carrying a hint of something that might have been longing, tempered by pride.

Your eyes dropped to your hands, fingers fiddling absently with the edge of your gown. Remorse pricked at your heart—you had broken your shared morning ritual, the one part of the day reserved just for the two of you.

“I was very busy,” you replied softly, the excuse feeling thin on your tongue.

Aemond’s expression remained unreadable as he tilted his head slightly. “I heard. Visits to the market square,” he said.

You hesitated, holding back the details of the charms, the salt, the ancient warding sigils you had traced with trembling hands. He would only deem you foolish or worse, mad.

“I needed fresh air.”

His eye narrowed, a flicker of displeasure passing over his sharp features. “It is too dangerous for one in your condition to wander beyond these walls,” he said, the admonishment clear, though his tone held an undercurrent of concern.

You lifted your chin, meeting his gaze with defiance. “That is why I took three of your White Cloaks,” you retorted, the fire in your voice matching the spark in his eye.

For a heartbeat, the tension crackled between you, the weight of unsaid words pressing down like a heavy cloak. Then, Aemond’s lips quirked, almost imperceptibly, as if some silent battle had been waged and resolved within him.

“Good,” he said at last, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “You are no fool, wife.”

The tautness in the room eased, and though unspoken, an accord was reached.

Aemond leaned forward, and placed a carved wooden box on the table between you. “I’ve brought you something,” he said, his voice a measured calm, yet there was an undercurrent of something softer. “An apology for last night.”

Your brows knit together, skepticism clear in your eyes. “My forgiveness cannot be bought with trinkets, husband,” you said, your tone edged with defiance. Yet even as you spoke, curiosity stirred within you.

One of his silver brows arched at your remark, and a small smile ghosted his lips. “Let us see if it is worthy,” you murmured, reluctant to give ground but unable to hide the intrigue that tugged at you.

With a careful hand, Aemond lifted the lid of the box, revealing a necklace of silver and sapphire. The deep blue stone glimmered like the sea under moonlight, capturing the room’s faint candle glow.

Your breath stilled for a moment, eyes tracing the intricate work of the silver links, each carved to mimic dragon scales.

Your fingertips brushed over the gem, the cool surface grounding you as warmth bloomed in your chest. Unbidden, a soft smile tugged at your lips, an expression so rare that even you felt its presence.

“Thank you, husband,” you whispered, your voice softened by genuine gratitude.

Aemond’s face shifted, pride flickering across his sharp features. There was something triumphant in his half-smirk that you could not allow him to savor unchallenged. You rose from your seat, skirts rustling as you moved.

“I, too, have a gift for you,” you said, your tone now light with a note of playfulness.

“Oh?” he replied, one silver eyebrow lifting in surprise, though the glint in his lone violet eye revealed his interest.

“Mm,” you hummed, stepping to the chaise where a small cushion lay. Your fingers slipped beneath it, retrieving the item hidden there. Turning back to him, a touch of shyness colored your expression, a rare sight that softened the lines of your face.

With both hands, you presented him with an eye patch, the black leather supple and embroidered with fine strands of broken tourmaline crystals, catching the dim light with a subtle shimmer.

Aemond took it, surprise giving way to careful scrutiny. His fingers traced the delicate work, the weight of the crystals and their arrangement thoughtful.

“Black tourmaline,” you said quietly, watching his gaze flick between you and the patch. “It is said to have powerful protective qualities.”

You hesitated, unwilling to speak of how it was also believed to ward against dark energies and unseen dangers—of how it might shield him from threats both known and hidden.

For a moment, silence stretched between you, thick with unspoken words. Aemond’s mouth quirked into a faint smile, rare and genuine. “Thank you, wife. 'Tis a very thoughtful gift,” he said, voice low and sincere.

A moment passed, and you froze in silent shock as Aemond reached up to remove the eye patch he wore. Of course, you had seen what lay beneath—the striking sapphire set into the hollow of his missing eye—but Aemond was never keen on showing it.

In King’s Landing, he would only take it off moments before sleep and replace it the moment he awoke.

Before he could put on the new eye patch, you placed a hand over his arm. “You know you don’t have to wear it around me, yes? I have no issue with it, and you should not either.”

Aemond stared at you for a long moment, his nostrils flaring slightly. For a heartbeat, you feared you had overstepped, but then he nodded, leaving both eye patches on the table.

A small, victorious smile touched your lips as you felt the weight of this unspoken understanding between you. “Allow me to have the maids bring us some dessert,” you said, the tension lifting.

Aemond nodded, his gaze lingering on you as you turned to the doors.

Stepping into the corridor, you quickly found a maid and requested something sweet to be brought to your chambers. When you returned, your heart faltered at the sight before you. Aemond stood at your desk, his tall frame hunched slightly as he leaned over an open book—your journal.

Panic surged within you, and you strode forward, slamming the book shut with a sharp motion. “What are you doing?” you demanded, your voice sharper than intended, eyes wide with both shock and alarm.

Aemond straightened, holding the closed journal in his hand. His expression was unreadable, though his eye bore into you with quiet intensity. “What is this?” he asked evenly, tilting the book slightly for emphasis.

“My private journal,” you answered quickly, reaching for it, but he lifted it just out of your grasp, his superior height giving him the advantage. “Give it back, husband. It is mine.”

Aemond’s voice was steady but carried an undertone of something raw, almost fragile. “Then why,” he began, his eye fixed on you, ignoring your protests, “do you write to our babe?” There was an ache in his tone, a depth of emotion he hadn’t yet voiced.

The question caught you unprepared, stealing the breath from your lungs. Your fingers tightened around the fabric of your skirts, and your shoulders sagged as you avoided his penetrating gaze. “In case,” you whispered, the words trembling as they left your lips.

“In case of what?” he pressed, his voice low and edged with a demand for understanding.

His gaze bore into you, unrelenting, as though he could uncover your secrets by sheer will. Unable to face him, you closed your eyes and let out a shaky sigh. “In case I’m not there,” you admitted at last, the words barely audible, like a confession carried on the wind.

Aemond’s brows drew together, confusion shadowing his features. “What do you mean if you’re not—” He stopped mid-sentence, his breath catching as realization dawned. The tension in his posture shifted, his shoulders falling ever so slightly. “…There.”

His sharp features softened, a rare vulnerability settling over his face. “Women do survive the childbed,” he murmured, his voice gentler now, as though he feared the weight of his words might shatter you.

“Not every time,” you countered, your tone edged with resignation. “And there’s also… that choice.” Your voice broke on the last word, and you felt the tears prick at the corners of your eyes.

The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the faint crackling of the fire. Then, with a tenderness that made your heart ache, Aemond reached out and cupped your cheek.

His touch was warm, his thumb brushing lightly against your skin as he tilted your face toward him, forcing your eyes to meet his.

“There can be more babes,” he said softly, his words a promise etched with fierce determination, “but there is only one you.”

His eye, a storm of violet and sapphire, held yours with such intensity that you felt as though he was laying his very soul bare. A tear escaped and traced down your cheek, but Aemond caught it with his thumb, his touch steady, grounding you in the moment.

“I would not choose otherwise,” he said firmly, the weight of his vow lingering in the air between you. “Not for all the heirs in the realm.”

Your lips trembled as you whispered, “You swear?”

“I swear it,” he replied, his voice low and resolute. “I will not lose my wife.”

The ache in your chest eased slightly, the warmth of his words wrapping around you like a shield. You placed your hand over his, pressing it gently against your cheek.

With a soft breath, you tilted your head upward, letting your lips meet his in a gentle caress. The kiss was tender at first, a quiet exchange of affection that carried the weight of your unspoken fears and his unyielding promise.

Aemond responded eagerly, his lips pressing more firmly against yours as his hand slid from your cheek to cradle the nape of your neck.

His other hand found your waist, gripping you firmly as he pulled you closer, as if the mere thought of distance was unbearable. His tongue brushed against your lips, seeking entrance, and you granted it willingly.

As his tongue met yours, the kiss deepened, a slow, fervent dance that sent warmth coursing through your veins. A soft moan escaped your lips, and you felt his grip on your waist tighten in response, his fingers digging into the fabric of your gown.

Your hands moved up his chest, tracing the hard planes of muscle beneath his tunic, before curling into the fabric as if to anchor yourself.

The world around you faded, leaving only the press of his body against yours, the taste of him on your lips, and the heat that built between you like the fire crackling in the hearth.

When the kiss broke, it was with a reluctance that lingered in the air between you. Your breaths came in shallow pants as you gazed up at him through hooded lashes, the corners of your lips curving into a teasing smile.

“My love,” you purred, your voice sultry and laced with affection, “you’ve left me wanting… again.”

Aemond’s gaze darkened, the stormy hue of his violet eye smoldering with barely restrained desire. “Have I now?” he murmured, his voice low and velvety, the faintest smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “Then it seems I must remedy that, wife.”

You guided his hands lower, to the swell of your belly, then further down to the hem of your nightgown. “Will you show me how much you desire me?” you asked, your voice a sultry whisper. “Make me forget everything but the feel of you inside me...”

A low growl rumbled in Aemond's throat as his hands moved beneath your gown, fingers tracing the curves of your swollen belly before dipping lower to find the damp heat of your core.

“You have no idea how often I dreamt of this,” he murmured, his breath hot against your ear. ��Of burying myself deep within you, feeling your walls clench around me...”

With a swift motion, he lifted the hem of your nightgown and pulled it over your head, throwing it aside, revealing your naked form.

His gaze devoured every inch of you, from the full breasts that rose and fell with each ragged breath, to the soft, rounded hips and the glistening folds of your sex.

“Tell me what you want, my queen,” he commanded, his voice husky with desire.

A shiver ran through you at Aemond's bold appraisal, your nipples hardening into tight peaks as his hungry gaze seared your skin. You reached for the fastenings of his breeches, your fingers fumbling with urgency to free his straining erection.

“I want you,” you murmured, your voice low, thick with a desire that lingered like a soft melody in the air. Your eyes never left his, the depth of your longing laid bare in the way your breath hitched.

Aemond’s violet gaze darkened, the flicker of a smirk ghosting his lips. His head tilted ever so slightly, a predator’s grace, as though savoring your words before acting upon them.

You took a step back, your movements slow and deliberate, your footsteps light against the floor as you inched toward the bed. The flicker of the firelight cast a warm glow across the room, the shadows dancing across the carved posts of the bed.

As you reached its edge, you let yourself fall gracefully onto the soft mattress, your body sinking into the luxurious furs and silks. Propping yourself up on your elbows, you gazed at him through lowered lashes, a sly smile curving your lips.

“You beckon me so boldly,” he murmured, his voice a low, velvet drawl, the faintest edge of amusement laced within it. “Have a care, wife, for I am not a man to resist such temptation.”

Aemond watched, transfixed, as you sank onto the bed, the mattress creaking under your weight. His cock throbbed in time with his racing heart, the tip already glistening with precum.

He shed his clothes the rest of the way, letting them fall carelessly to the floor as he stalked towards you, muscles rippling with each step. By the time he reached the bed, he was fully erect, his shaft jutting proudly from a nest of silver curls.

Lying beside you, he reached out to cup your breast, thumbing the sensitive peak before leaning in to capture your mouth in another searing kiss.

His free hand trailed over your round stomach, pausing to tease the edge of your slit before delving deeper, fingers probing your slick folds.

“You're so wet for me already.”

You gasped into the kiss as Aemond's fingers found your entrance, your hips bucking instinctively to meet his touch. “Please,” you whimpered, breaking away from his mouth to gaze up at him with pleading eyes. “I need you inside me. Fill me up, make me yours again.”

As if sensing your desperation, Aemond positioned himself between your thighs, the broad head of his cock nudging insistently at your opening. With a deep groan, he thrust forward, sheathing himself to the hilt in one powerful stroke.

You cried out at the sudden intrusion, your back arching off the bed as waves of pleasure-pain crashed over you. It took a moment for your body to adjust, to relax and welcome the thick length filling you so completely.

Aemond's breath hitched as he bottomed out inside you, your velvety walls gripping him like a vice. For a moment, he simply savored the exquisite sensation, reveling in the tight heat enveloping his throbbing cock.

Then, with a slow, deliberate withdrawal, he pulled almost all the way out before slamming back in, setting a relentless pace.

The bed frame creaked ominously beneath the force of his thrusts, but Aemond paid it no mind, lost in the primal rhythm of rutting his mate.

“Yes, just like that,” he growled, his hips snapping forward with increasing urgency. “Take my cock, my queen.”

You wrapped your legs around Aemond's waist, heels digging into his firm behind as he pounded into you with wild abandon.

Each brutal thrust sent shockwaves of ecstasy coursing through your veins, your inner walls fluttering wildly around his pistoning shaft.

“Aemond!” You wailed, your nails raking down his back as you met his ferocious pace.

The obscene slap of flesh against flesh filled the room, punctuated by my wanton cries and Aemond's guttural grunts. You could feel the pressure building within you, coiling tighter and tighter like a spring ready to snap.

Suddenly, you were hurtling over the edge, your orgasm crashing through you like a tidal wave. You screamed his name as your cunt clenched rhythmically around him, milking his cock for all it was worth.

Aemond's eye rolled back in his head as your velvet sheath spasmed around him, your climax triggering his own. With a hoarse groan, he buried himself to the hilt and came undone, his seed erupting in thick, pulsing jets.

He continued to thrust through the aftershocks, prolonging your shared bliss until he was spent, collapsing beside you with a grunt. For a long moment, the two of you lay entwined, chests heaving as you struggled to catch your breath.

The chamber was awash with the warmth of the firelight and the quiet hum of your contentment. As you lay entwined, your bodies barely a breath apart, your gaze lingered on Aemond’s face.

His sharp features, so often hardened by duty and war, were softened now, his violet eye fixed on you with a tenderness rarely seen.

Your noses brushed lightly, a quiet intimacy, as his hand rested possessively over your waist while yours splayed across his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart.

Almost as if drawn by a spell, he leaned forward, pressing a feather-light kiss to your lips, a gesture so gentle it felt like a whispered promise. When he pulled away, he settled back onto the pillow beside you, his arm still wrapped protectively around you.

You shifted, nestling closer, your head finding solace in the crook of his neck. Your hand lay over his heart, its steady rise and fall a soothing cadence that began to lull you into slumber.

His breathing slowed, each exhale a soft brush against your hair, and soon, the quiet comfort of his presence drew you into a deep, dreamless sleep.

But the peace did not last.

You jolted awake, startled by the sudden thrashing of Aemond’s body beside you. His face, so serene moments ago, was now contorted in anguish, his brow slick with sweat.

His breaths came in sharp, uneven gasps, and his hands clenched the sheets as if warding off some unseen terror.

Your heart clenched at the sight. He had spoken little of his nightmares, but you knew they haunted him—a torment born of battles fought, losses endured, and burdens carried.

Pushing yourself up, you moved with as much haste as your swollen belly would allow, the weight of your pregnancy slowing you only slightly.

Grabbing the robe draped over the chair, you wrapped it around yourself, its soft fabric barely warding off the chill of the room as you padded toward the small table where you had placed your new goods.

Your hands rummaged through the items with purpose, your fingers finally curling around a small vial. You held it up, peering at its contents even in the dim light. The faint, familiar scent already began to calm your racing heart.

Lavender oil.

You returned to the bed, the vial clutched firmly in your grasp. As you sat beside him, Aemond's thrashing began to subside, though his breaths were still ragged, and his jaw clenched tightly.

Carefully, you uncorked the vial, the soothing aroma of lavender wafting into the room. You poured a small amount onto your hands, warming the oil between your palms before leaning over him.

With gentle, deliberate movements, you began to anoint his temples, your touch light yet firm as you traced small, calming circles.

The oil left a faint sheen on his skin, its scent filling the space between you. "Aemond," you whispered softly, your voice low and steady, a tether pulling him back from the depths of his nightmare.

His breathing began to slow, the tension in his body easing under your ministrations. You moved to his wrists, massaging the oil into his pulse points, your hands steady despite the ache blooming in your lower back.

“You are safe,” you murmured, your lips brushing against his ear. “I am here.”

You whispered a silent prayer under your breath, invoking the gods for protection and peace. Your gaze stayed fixed on him, your heart clenching as you watched his features begin to soften, the tension melting away.

You held your breath, waiting. When his form finally stilled, his breathing evening out, you let out a soft sigh of relief. The lavender and your quiet vigil had worked.

Exhaustion weighed heavily upon you, and you slid back into bed beside him, pulling the covers over the both of you. But just as you were about to lay your head against Aemond’s chest, you froze.

A chill ran down your spine, and the hairs on your arms stood on end as an inexplicable sensation swept over you.

You were being watched.

Your eyes darted to the chamber doors, which you now noticed were slightly ajar. Beyond them, barely visible in the darkness, you caught the faint glimmer of glowing green eyes.

Your heart raced, a primal fear coursing through you. The air seemed to thicken, heavy with an unseen presence.

But you steadied yourself, your breathing slowing as you reminded yourself of the protections you had set in place earlier that day.

You had taken every precaution, warding the chamber with runes and incantations, ensuring that no ill intent could cross its threshold. Alys Rivers might wield her strange gifts, but she would not claim Aemond—not without a fight.

With a courage you hadn’t known you possessed, you tightened your arms around Aemond’s sleeping form, drawing strength from the warmth of his body against yours. Lifting your chin, you stared directly into the glowing eyes, refusing to show weakness.

“I won’t let you have him,” you whispered fiercely, your voice a low, steady vow. “Not without a fight, witch.”

For a moment, the air seemed to hold its breath. The green eyes lingered for a moment longer, unblinking and cold, before retreating into the darkness.

Only when the oppressive feeling lifted did you allow yourself to exhale. A trembling sigh escaped your lips as you lowered your head, nestling into Aemond’s chest. His heartbeat, steady and strong beneath your ear, became a soothing rhythm, lulling you out of your fear.

As the night enveloped you once more, you clung to him, your resolve unshaken. Whatever forces sought to disturb your peace, you would face them.

For Aemond, for your babe, for the family you were building together—you would fight.

Hope You Enjoyed!

[tsukii0002]

A young adult Yuu III

Yuu is isekaied into twisted wonnderlar, but they are a "independent" adult in their 20's, college ended and who is fighting for finding a job and survive.

[Previous] [Next]

Seeing the vision of the King of Beasts.

Yuu: Is this because of age… or is the stress of this world driving me crazy.

Grim: *a magical talking beast*

Yuu: Hum, it could be either.

Ruggie: *trying to flatter Grim into giving him his food*

Yuu: Stay away Grim!!!, teenagers are too cruel to flatter a stranger in such a soft way!!

Yuu: If the blot is similar to the carbon footprint and the gem removes it, it could be applied to global warming?

Deuce: To what?

Yuu: Nothing, existential problems of my generation.

Crowley: There are a lot of things to do, selling drinks…

Yuu: You already want to exploit us again.

Crowley: I'm worried that your pessimism might rub off on the students.

Yuu: It's called being realistic, it's what it is.

Yuu: Ah, that's cool, playing a sport.

Deuce: Did you practice any sport Yuu?

Yuu: Nop, I stopped, when you get older the sport disappears as fast as the flexibility of your knees… besides when you have to survive there is no time for sport… that's for rich people.

Yuu: So the sport consists of throwing a solid iron disk at you with the speed enhanced by magic?

Ghost: Exactly.

Yuu: And couldn't you have chosen a less mortifying sport? I don't know, like badminton?

Grim: Oh come on Yuu, where's your adventurous spirit?

Yuu: *looking at him unhinged* In my fifteens, next to my energy. I'm of an age, and life doesn't give me enough for this.

Investigating by asking the injured

Yuu: Now we're detectives, ha ha, I feel like I'm a moonlighting again.

Riddle, Cater, Grim and Yuu drawing conclusions about the culprit.

Yuu: You are very capable Riddle *smiling*.

Riddle: You think so?

Yuu: You have very good ideas and Cater, it's incredible how much information you can gather. You guys are awesome .

Cater and Riddle: *blushing without understanding why*

Cater: Is this…

Riddle: … To be praised by an adult?

Leona: I know you, you're the one who stepped on my tail while I was sleeping.

Yuu: The student gardener!

Leona: Gardener of what? Failed adult.

Yuu: Hey!! I'm older!

Leona: Yeah, and I am your superior.

Yuu: … Ouch.

Malleus: …

Yuu: …

Malleus: …

Yuu: *looking around*

Malleus: …

Yuu: Isn't it a little late to be awake? do you need help? are you lost?

Malleus: Heh, you've got some nerve treating me like that *disappears*

Yuu: ??????? Should I report the disappearance of one of the students? *panicking*

They find out the whole dorm was involved and everything they have done to carry out their plan.

Yuu: Maybe if you put that energy into other less self-destructive things you would do better!!!!! This is going to be taken into account in the future when looking for a job!!!!!

Jack: What's wrong with them?

Ace: They're just frustrated with the world.

Jack goes to wake up Yuu and Grim in their bedroom.

Yuu: *defeated* even for this I can't set an example.

Ruggie causes the stampede

Yuu: *really angry* This is very dangerous, Nothing, nothing justifies trying to hurt people, they're old enough to understand that!

Ace and Deuce: …

Ace: I think from now on we should warn Yuu before Crowley in an emergency. At least they care.

The whole plan is uncovered, Diasomnia is fine, and Riddle puts a collar on everyone in Savanaclaw.

Leona: *sighing* it's over, I give it up.

Yuu: That attitude… *worried* I think Leona is closer to being an adult like me than a student like you…

Ruggie: *is wounded*

Yuu: *standing in front of him*

Ruggie: What are you doing?!? it's dangerous!!!

Yuu: Shut up!!! Let us adults be responsible for the children!!!!!

Riddle: Why are you doing this with the power you have?!

Leona: You're going to scold me, you?

Yuu: He's not, but I am!!!! Your pain is not an excuse to hurt others!!!!

Jack: *use his unique magic*

Yuu: Is this… you know...*turning to look at Ace*?

Ace: NO!!!

Yuu: Adolescence in this world is a thing….

Leona: *overblotting*

Yuu: WHAT IF THIS SCHOOL HIRED A DAMN THERAPIST!!!!!?

Watching Leona's flashbacks

Yuu: *serious* What kind of adult makes a child feel like this….

The injured ask Savanaclaw to participate.

Leona: Ha, as if a bunch of herbivores could do anything to me.

Yuu: Stop acting tough, *shouting* you're of an age!!!!

Leona: You, SHUT UP!!!

Jack: *offers to help them with the exhibition match*

Yuu: *pointing at him* Like this, kids have to be like this.

Yuu: *waking up after being hit* I missed the game….

Deuce: Hey, don't worry!

Yuu: What kind of adult misses their children's game????

Ace: Since when are we your kids?!?!!!!

Cheka: Are you a friend of my unca?

Yuu: They are very expensive Yuu, you are very young and it wont be the same, you are very young and it wont be the same...

Leona: If you like it so much you can keep it, *grinning* you're old enough to have one anyway, right?

Cheka: OwO

Yuu: I don't think you're one to talk!!, I know people your age with one or two.

Leona: !

Jack: *doing the math* How?

Yuu: The 20's are very confusing years…

Leona: *sighing* Sorry for have been a bother.

Yuu: Wow, I didn't expect that from you.

Leona: Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, I'm leaving.

Yuu: Leona, life is unfair, you're going to encounter more failures than victories. And it only gets more unfair as you get older, and there's nothing we can do about it, at least most of the time.

Leona: *stopping, turning his back on them*

Yuu: But with your talent and your intelligence, I think you can carve your own path, and, although you can never be king… I'm sure you can create a place that only you can occupy, and it will be worth more than any birthright.

Leona: *looking at them without saying anything*

Yuu: Besides, being a king is overrated, what is the merit of ruling without earning it? in my world they beheaded one…

Leona: For a pitiful adult, *smiling* you make a lot of sense.

Yuu: You'll get there *smiling back at him*

.

.

I'm not entirely satisfied with this part, so I may modify it. But I'm glad I got out of the block with this series.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading 🩶

[juletheghoul]

Request for another hurt/comfort the General bit (I'm counting the period chapter in that category). 'Greedy' made me think of other potential lovers that the Reader had in the past, maybe another master who had her before Marcus. Except not so much a lover but a slave owner using his property. And maybe this guy has some fancy job and gets invited to an event at the General's estate. And maybe he sees her and makes comments or approaches her in private. I'd love to see Marcus's reaction to something like that!

okay nonny, I see youuuu! Okay so I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind, but my mind raced and it is what it is - hope you enjoy! 🩷🩷

(thanks @absurdthirst for talking this one out with me!)

Lets get into it:

smut under the cut - 18+ and don't read more if you aren't into exhibitionism (not beta'ed and probably full of errors)

word count; 1.6k (series masterlist)

---

He yawned, despite all of the flesh on display. You, were much more affected.

It had started out like every other gathering, food and soft music, raucous laughter and all manner of delights to draw the eye. Slaves adorned in intricate masks posed on pedestals, their bodies covered in white paint to make them look like living statues. Prominent Gladiators stood sentinel, stock still and oiled to showcase their bodies, breathing weapons, standing at the ready for the pleasure of the distinguished guests filling the halls.

Inevitably, the flesh on display had worked it's magic on the guests, and the lively conversation, had descended into cries of pleasure. The soft music changed from lutes and harps, to the wet, obscene sound of flesh meeting flesh. The liquid squelch of arousal ringing out around you.

It was hard not to think on what it sounded like when your Dominus took you, his lovely sounds in your ear, his cock coated in your desire for him, and it was in you to mount him then and there, but he had not given any indication that he desired this, and so you stood beside him, shifting your weight from foot to foot, ignoring the ache of emptiness between your legs.

Despite his hunger for your body, a thing he indulged in almost daily to your great delight, he was an intensely private person. Anything he did in public, was to send a message, to secure his peace and to remind anyone who showed him disrespect, that he was not someone to be trifled with. For you, there was no difference. Whether he took you here, in front of everyone, or at the villa where you were alone, it made you drip all the same. There was no shame left, only lust.

He was speaking to another, a friendly conversation while your hands fidgeted with your tunic, when you saw a ghost from your past. A former owner, recognition and delight on his face. That Dominus had given you pleasure as well, not nearly as much as your General, and never privately, he liked to be in the middle of it, to be spoiled and shared. He enjoyed the spectacle of excess.

He smiled wide, making his way over to you with one of his girls, and one of his boys in tow, both of them roughly your age.

Marcus saw him approach, and you felt him tense.

"I see you have been blessed by Fortuna, found yourself in the house of General Marcus," He smiled at you, benevolent. "and he has brought you here, much to my delight-" He ran his finger down your arm softly, you felt nothing. "Come, let us move to a private room and indulge as we did-" His words were cut short, when Marcus' hand wrapped around your wrist, pulling you away and onto his lap.

"I think you have forgotten who she belongs to, I have not given you leave to touch." His hand lands on your thigh, heavy and so welcome where you were draped across his lap. Your hands instantly wrapping themselves around his neck.

"Oh come now Marcus, what is it to share amongst friends-"

"We are not friends." He places a kiss at your throat, his voice like ice despite the petal soft feel of his lips on your skin, "and I do not share."

Your heart raced, and you couldn't help but giggle softly, this was what you wanted, for him to claim you in front of all.

The other man let out a huff, half laughing, half disbelieving.

"They are but slaves, why bring one as lovely as her if not to tempt, I offer mine to you freely, in the spirit of good will." He thrusts his girl forward, the boy too, both of them staring at the way Marcus pulls your tunic to the side to kiss your shoulders, their gaze devouring the path of his big hand sliding under your tunic to caress the wet slit between your legs. His mouth pulls away, but his fingers glide between the lips of your sex slowly, slipping over your clit in soft, wet strokes.

"What I do with what's mine, concerns me, and me alone." He turns to watch your face, how your mouth hangs open, how your breath catches with every delicious swirl, "What say you, girl, should I share you?" He punctuates his words by sliding two thick fingers inside you as deep as they can go and you moan, wantonly.

"No Dominus, please no, just you." You press forward, pressing your lips to his despite not being given leave to have his mouth and he laughs into the kiss, pulling away after a moment and you whimper when he takes his fingers out. He rubs them against your lips like a rich Roman woman would with the juice of a pomegranate, before sliding them into your mouth.

"You may leave us." He speaks to the man, keeping his lust blown eyes on the way you hollow your cheeks around his fingers.

Once the man walks away, tail tucked between his legs, you shift, feeling him hard and heavy underneath you.

"Shall we return to the Villa? Or would you like me to take you here and now?" His lips bite at your ear and your heart races to have him offer this to you, control, choice, luxuries that you have not been afforded in this life. It is such a vast difference from the life you led up until you came to be in his service. Servitude is servitude, that will never change, but you've never wanted anyone as much as you want him, you sometimes think that what you feel for him, might be more akin to obsession, something dark and all encompassing.

You bite your lip, smiling conspiratorially in the strong cage of his arms.

"I would have you take me here and now Dominus, I would have you show them who I belong to." You speak into his ear, sucking a mark into his neck, he rewards you with a deep groan and a heavy palm on your ass.

"Stand." His voice is commanding, and makes your nipples hard as pebbles. "I will take you from behind, so everyone can see how well you take my cock." He whispers it in your ear, turning you so you lean against the lectus, he hands another blow, a loud crack on your backside that makes you jump.

Gooseflesh spreads across your skin as you feel him lift your tunic, rolling it in on itself at your waist so it doesn't fall, and within a heartbeat you feel the blunt tip of him prodding at your seam. His hand slides around, and he puts it to your mouth, palm up.

"Spit." He commands, and you obey. It's filthy, and your heart beats like a hummingbird in your cunt at his tone. Eyes find you, of slaves and owners alike and they smile, enjoying the show and you smile back, the arousal like the teeth of some great wolf around your neck.

His first thrust was like a punch, and your body bent forward, your face pressing to the silky fabric of the lectus both in relief, and on fire.

"No, no girl, you will stay up, and see how they watch you take my cock." He lifted you up, pressing his hand to your throat to keep you upright.

"Yes Dominus." You replied, eyes half lidded in pleasure as he pulled himself out and thrust back in. He was harder than you'd ever felt him, hot and heavy inside and you couldn't do anything but stand there, on the tips of your toes and take what he gave. His breath came out in pants in your ear, his thrusts hard enough to make your breasts bounce, the hardened tips of them tickled by the fabric of your tunic.

Eyes of other slaves watched, and a wave of slick seeped out to find them almost covetous of the pleasure your Dominus so freely gave you, of the way his hand slipped around once more to find your neglected little clit, to pinch it between wet, spit-soaked fingers and pull your world apart. The sharp, starburst of pleasure spreading like a tidal wave throughout the network of your veins and he laughed in your ear.

"Already? just a little pinch and you gush all over me, girl?" He sped up, drawing out the pleasure until you all but wept, his cock kissing something divine inside you. "You like them watching you take it, you like it when I claim you for all to see, you like being mine don't you, girl?" His pace stuttered, affected by his own words and you turned your face to meet him in a misaligned kiss, whispering into his mouth that yes, yes you did, holding one hand on his at your throat, while bringing the other to hold the weight of your breast.

"I want your gift Dominus, please, may I have it? Please?" You begged him, relishing the way he couldn't contain himself, pushing himself deep enough to hit your womb, pleasure and pain mingling together as he ground himself almost too deep and painting your insides with his spend.

"It's yours-" His whisper was gravel in your ear, softer words following and for a moment you can almost convince yourself you’d heard him say I'm yours but you ignore it, your imagination and your arousal running rampant. Instead you wait until he pulls himself out, and turn in his arms ignoring the eyes that follow you and wrap your arms around his neck. You claim a kiss, licking into his mouth with an authority unavailable to you in any other aspect of your life. His seed leaks out of you, dripping onto your inner thighs as he pulls you close, letting you take your fill.

"Can you take me home Dominus?" You press kisses to his throat, running your tongue across where you feel his heart beating there, "I desire for you to take me again." He shudders softly and never in your life, have you ever felt more powerful.

He nods and you smile.

-

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[zhelin-thames]

Translated ver of this post by @doby-mans

Translated by google

Another idea I had for a DC x DP crossover, remembering canonically that Danielle went off on her own to different parts of the world.

This time, Young Justice. Danielle becomes part of the team, and everyone assumes she's a Martian, given that she focuses more on her magical abilities and skills like camouflage and phasing through walls.

But one day, Miss Martian falls ill and can’t use her telepathic powers to keep the team connected during a mission. They all turn to Danielle. Despite the setback, the mission goes well—they recover a dangerous magical artifact, a box with strange inscriptions. Finally, someone speaks up:

Superboy: “Why didn’t you establish a psychic link during the mission?”

Danielle: “Because I don’t have telepathic powers?”

Superboy: “We all know you’re a Martian like Miss Martian, so…”

Danielle: “I’m not! None of you understand the true nature of my powers, and maybe you never will! You don’t know what it’s like to be me!”

Robin: “What is it we don’t understand? Being different? Having powers no one fully comprehends? Being a teenager with raging hormones?”

Danielle: “No! Being an artificially created clone made in a secret lab!”

Impulse: “Let’s see, Superboy, Red Arrow, Robin… and now Danielle. Am I forgetting anyone?”

Danielle: “Wait, what?”

Superboy: “You’re not the first in that situation here. So, Martian DNA?”

Danielle: “Worse… The true nature of my powers… ghost DNA.”

Zatanna: “If that’s true, then you’re exactly what we need. According to the box’s inscription, only a halfa can open it.”

Danielle: Attempts to open the box but her hand starts melting. “Ah! I can’t… My ghost powers aren’t stable. This hasn’t happened in years.”

Robin: “Too bad there’s no other halfa to open the box.”

Danielle: “Well… that’s not entirely true. Besides me, there are two others. One is a dangerous villain—my creator—who disappeared years ago. And the other…”

Zatanna: “What about the other?”

Danielle: “The other… well, he’s…”

The entire Justice League, Young Justice, and Batfamily, who were either present or on the comms: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE GHOST KING?!”

Danielle: “He’s the only other halfa left in this world, and he’s much stronger and more stable than I am. Do you want to open the box or not?”

Batman: “This could be important. Call him.”

Danielle: “I already did. I asked him to meet us here at the Gotham base.”

Nightwing: “We might have a problem. We were in the middle of a Poison Ivy attack when what looks like a flying boy froze her in seconds.”

Batman: “Froze her?”

Red Robin: “That’s not all. Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face were attacking on the same street, and the same boy let out some kind of super scream that knocked all of them unconscious, including their henchmen.”

Danielle: “Oh no… He’s mad.”

Robin: “Uh… The same boy just duplicated himself and locked every villain and criminal in the city inside what looks like a box made of his own energy.”

Danielle: “Oh no, he’s really mad.”

Danny: Appearing directly behind her. “Of course, I’m mad! I told you to call me the moment you became unstable! You know what could’ve happened!”

Danielle: “I know, I know, but you don’t have to worry. I haven’t needed an ectoplasm injection in years. Meditation usually works.”

Danny: “Have you been melting before?!”

Danielle: “Don’t be so overprotective. I called you for a different reason.”

Danny: “Don’t change the subject. Don’t make me ask Clockwork to keep an eye on you.”

Red Hood: “Clockwork?”

Danny: “The Ghost of Time.”

Batman: “We need help with this box.”

Danny: “And who’s this furry?”

Danielle: “That’s Batman, the hero of this city.”

Danny: “Well, terrible job. I’ve been here for two seconds, and I already had to clean up the mess. That box… it looks a bit like Pandora’s Box. Where did you get it?”

Wonder Woman: “But Pandora’s Box should be protected by…”

Danny: “Pandora herself. In my realm. Exactly.”

Danielle: “We recovered it during a team mission. Apparently, only a halfa can open it, but I couldn’t, and it destabilized me.”

Nightwing: “I don’t know what confuses me more: the box thing or how many powers this guy has.”

Danny: “That’s easy. I have classic ghost powers, including the ones I used around the city. But as King, I have access to ancient magical artifacts, like the Crown of Fire, which greatly amplifies ghost power. Along with the Ring of Rage, the power would be infinite, but I made a deal with the former king. He keeps the ring and his freedom as long as he doesn’t cause chaos. Then there’s Aragon’s Amulet, which basically gives dragon powers. There’s also the Ghost Key, which can literally open any door, whether in my world or this one…”

Danielle: “Is the list of magical objects really that long?”

Danny: “I was just missing the Reality Gems, which could change reality itself as we know it. But, of course, I already destroyed those…”

Batman: “The box is the priority.”

Danny: “Right. We shouldn’t open it. If it’s like Pandora’s Box, then whatever’s inside is very dangerous. But fine, if that’s what you want…” Opens the box and immediately both he and Danielle feel overwhelming discomfort. “I know this feeling. It’s… a Blood Blossom.”

[feralwinniethepooh]

TF 141 Reverse Comfort

Gn!Reader

Tw: none

John Price holds all his stress in his back. He isn’t ancient by any means- but he also isn’t the best at taking care of himself. Sometimes you catch him rubbing his neck making sharp gasps and winces. More than once you’ve spotted him lying on the kitchen floor late after work, sweat and dirt still stuck to him and his uniform. When you first offered to massage him, he had hesitated. Don’t get him wrong, he’d experienced first hand the magic your hands could do. He was just aware that he was a lot. He had a lot of stress and he wasn’t small by any means. It took some reassurance, but you managed to convince him to agree. He obediently laid out on your shared bed, shirtless just as you had ordered requested. You said you’d start with just five minutes and would stop anytime he was uncomfortable. Soon five turned to ten, ten to twenty, twenty to thirty. By the time an hour had passed he was a limp rag doll, practically a part of the bed.

“Hey honey, are you okay?” You whispered softly in his ear, shaking his shoulders gently. Price let out a mix between a grumble and a hum. He paused before shifting his head to face you. Your lips pursed to stifle the giggle that threatened to bubble from your lips. John was a sweet sight to see, with the impression of the sheets on his face, hair all askew, eyes slowing blinking open.

His voice came out hoarse from lack of use, “What time is it?”

Simon Riley was infamous for the way he handled his stress. The signature balaclava and skull that went with his Ghost persona. He was accustomed to taking care of stress his way. And while he had grown to rely on his team, he still was far from perfect. Sometimes he forgot what it was like to be taken care of. It was one of those nights where everything seemed like too much. He couldn’t even remember what had set him off, only that he was sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. You approached him gently but he still flinched. He hated the look in your eyes, the way your brows furrowed. Too deep in thought, he couldn’t hear you calling him. It was only when you scooped him up did he snap out of it. It wasn’t effortless, there was a shift in your walk and you’d grunted at first. Still, you held him; carried him all the way to the bathroom. You slowly set him down on the toilet. You leaned down and made deliberate eye contact with him and explained what you wanted to do. You were patient, repeating yourself until you were certain he heard you, waiting for his eyes to return to the present every time they drifted. Eventually you managed to get most of his uniform. Despite being otherwise naked, he still clung to his balaclava and you made no move to remove it. You once again crouched down and took his weight into your arms. Even with the mask, you could still see the wide, star-struck way he stared at you as you slowly lowered him into the tub.

“There we go, good job now.” Whispered praise spilled from your lips. He clung lightly to your arm- so fragile you couldn’t bare to pull away. You leaned to reach the knobs and turned on the water.

John MacTavish handled stress as he did all things, dramatically. While it was no laughing matter, you did always know when he was stressed. A loud THUMP! was all you needed to know that you would find Johnny sprawled out somewhere unconscious. It truly became concerning when it was late, when he came back after a drink with friends or back from his thoughts. This time he didn’t even make it to the couch. You heard a particularly loud THUNK! and recognized your lover. You looked towards the sound to find him against a doorway. If the entrance wasn’t enough of a sign, his constant shifting between feet and faint smell of booze confirmed your suspicions. When he finally noticed you, he looked at you with big sad eyes (not unlike a puppy, you noticed). You reached out and took his hand, softly cooing at him. You wanted to lead him back to the bedroom at least (the bathroom in an ideal world) where you could get ready for bed. Johnny whined and made desperate attempts to reach you- despite still holding his hand- and stumbled from the doorway. You quickly intercepted his fall, pulling the scotsman to your chest.

“Please-” His voice came out broken and slurred. You shushed his begging, pulling him closer. He melted in your arms, almost all of his weight on you. He hummed a soft tune, something you could swear you’d heard while he slept. Carefully, you began to sway to the song. The two of you remained like this for a while, Johnny humming a song only he knew as you lead the dance.

Kyle Garrick is a man who prides himself for his willpower. One might argue a bit too much. While Price might fail to take care of himself and Johnny brushed off his pain with a joke, neither of the men were oblivious to their stress. Even Ghost, with his emotional constipation and horrible coping mechanisms didn’t ignore it. Kyle bottled it away, waiting for the intensity to die down and choosing to believe that it was nothing. Maybe part of him knew this would never end well. It was such a nice picnic, he didn’t mean to ruin it. Self hatred and frustration bubbled up through the panic that overwhelmed him. He hid behind some old abandoned bathrooms at the park in an attempt to regain control. It wasn’t even anything that bad like a firework or a car backfiring, something he could brush off as instinctual. It was stupid like a stranger slightly too familiar, someone behind him in his reflection, a flicker in the corner of his eye, something he should be able to handle. And yet here he was cradling his head in hands as he crouched against the worn brick wall. He couldn’t even make it back to the car much less the house. Thoughts swirled in his head, poisoning any chance of recovery. He heard you before even rounding the corner, though didn’t look up when you called his name. All his terror had solidified into a cold hard stone of shame and despair. The thought of looking up and seeing disappointment or pity on your face shook him to his core. You made no effort to look at his face once it became clear he wasn’t going to look at you. Methodically, you slowly helped him onto his feet, making sure to communicate every action and only performing them when you were positive he understood. It was a slow and repetitive process, yet despite the difficulties the two of you eventually made it back to your car. You guided him into the back and sat down beside him. The silence only broke when you placed a hand on his back and leaned to softly kiss his temple. When you pulled back, Kyle was finally looking at you. Large tears rolled down his face and his lips pulled back into a grimace as he tried to choke back a sob.

You pulled him into your arms as he shook, comfortingly rubbing circles on his back with one hand. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please-” He whined into your chest before getting cut off by an overwhelming sob.

“There is nothing to be sorry about.” You reassured with a confident gentle voice. He pulled away just enough to look up at your expression through his tear covered eyelashes. Not one of disappointment, pity, or regret, just love. His face pulled into a sob as a wave of relief crashed onto him. You held him as he cried, collapsing completely in your arms.

Didn’t really do much for beta reading other than basic corrections so feel free to give feedback. I tried to make each oneshot as even as possible. Stay safe, drink water, and remember that you have to use the restroom.

[eldritch-spouse]

Don't be timid, you can and should cum your little brains out while he works, it's half the fun of his job.

This is soo hot. I love the scenario of Babesley coaxing us to cum while he massages us.

Like we just got out of work and he’s working on us. We’re trying so hard not to cum while his hands are touching everywhere, and he just takes it like a challenge to see how far this can go until we eventually orgasm.

TW: Consent to nonconsent

He's scheduled you weekly.

Maybe you should have offered a little bit more resistance when he first suggested you stop by more often. After all, these types of services aren't free, and you could be saving your time and money doing something a lot more productive back at home- Or even just keeping it for emergencies. But he insisted, and you could almost believe it came from a place of genuine concern, that you needed to invest more in self-care.

And maybe... Maybe he's right. Why shouldn't you give yourself a little break?

Working in Hell is exhausting. While it can certainly pay very well, it's ten times as draining as the surface, especially for newcomers like you. People still getting adjusted, people weighing the pros and cons of the Rings and their influence on humans.

You figure that, if you're going to put yourself through the wringer on a near daily basis, you might as well get to enjoy some of the more indulgent experiences out there. Travel between Rings is cheap and fast, rifts have long-since been a perfected art, one moment you're in Greed, the next you've stepped into the Commons. To see a particular masseur in a little nook of a busy street.

You could have sought out many different massage parlors. It didn't have to be the one with the attractive incubus.

But you wanted it to be.

He was gentle and charming as he welcomed you, made you feel special, like every moment passed in the privacy of a sanctuary for two lovers. It was hard not to sink into the experience, not to drift off into relaxation and notes of pleasure, let it take you to trance-like heights. Maybe it's the tone he uses, his practiced fingers, the scents in the room, or even the way it's so lulling and invitingly decorated. All of it blends together, perhaps, to create a feeling you'd call nothing short of magical.

It's why you've agreed to come back. Time and time again. To the point where this demon now knows you on a first name basis, offers you a smile you don't see directed at other clients.

Or maybe you're just delusionally parasocial and should take a break from this. A harsh possibility you'd rather not marinate in.

" Oh dear, you look ghoulish today- "

You might have taken offense to that a month ago.

" Harsh week? "

" You could say that. "

A long, exasperated sigh is all you offer when the incubus holds the door open for you. The demon makes a face, as if he could read a thousand words in that tired motion alone.

" You can tell me all about it when you lie down. "

He makes it a point to undress most of his clients, the ones comfortable with it at least. The first time this happened you almost jumped out of your skin, now you can only turn away and let those dexterous fingers peel cumbersome cloths off your shoulders.

The way he purposely lingers in certain sections is heavenly. Babesley doesn't grope at you, he ghosts hands around your neck, already beginning to work on your shoulders and brushing claws along the length of your back, slowly stroking his way down your midsection to roll thumbs on your hips while your pants are pushed down.

It's the loving, wanton caress of a partner trying to convince you to relax in bed with them after a long day of work. The worship of a cultist most devoted. You've already begun exhaling for completely different reasons.

Being naked in front of him hasn't really gotten any easier, but you figure he must at least find you mildly beautiful, to stare at your figure as long as he does. Some part of you almost wants to ask.

" Lay. " He coos, gathering the lotions and soft-scented products you'll have today.

Thus begins your battle.

To resist him.

Babesley is an excellent masseur, you have to admit this. But his technique is fundamentally erotic. Whatever body part of yours he's handling, sparks of pleasure are inevitable and intentional. Yet, instead of making your form tense, it causes you to melt further, thoughts slipping away, distracted by the dim flickering flames of scented candles and soft ringing of hell-forged chimes.

It's always this dance.

A wonderful session, inevitably ruined when you tense to avoid orgasming.

Babesley frowns this time, gentle hands lifting from your bare mons and going back to your tummy. Your sigh of relief is definitely not missed.

" Why do you always fight it? "

" Mmm? " You're almost too comfortable to consider forming words.

" The climax is pivotal to this technique, princess. "

A rush of heat warms your cheeks. That much is obvious, but hearing him say it aloud hits different.

" You come in. I smell arousal, I know your need, your frustrations, but you never let me guide it out of your system. You never take that step with me... "

The incubus' hands still on your body, waiting until your eyes peek open to have a proper talk, yet you simply don't have the courage to respond.

His face falls. " You don't feel safe. "

Blinking, you're quick to wag a finger.

" No no- That's not- That's not it... "

" Then tell me. " Babesley purrs, softly parting your legs further.

Strong and steady motions climb the length of your inner thighs, retreating, approaching, teasing. Shudders course through you.

" You know you can be loud here, no one will hear you. You can let go... "

Babesley's claws are dulled, they need to be, for such a line of work. He can use long, dexterous fingers to their utmost potential without hurting anyone in the process, thumbing next to your labia to provide a delicious pressure you'd never usually seek on your own. With a knowledge of sexual anatomy as profound as his, you know this concubus will have you dancing on the edge without even touching the visible part of your clitoris.

" Show me what you need. "

The monster's motions grow repetitive yet stagnant, waiting until you take initiative with a small roll of your hips.

" I'm here to take care of you, after all. "

Something about the air is thicker, warmer.

" I always am. "

There's no stopping the choked noise that rings when he finally edges around your already sensitive clitoris, the lubrication in his fingers creating tingles of temperature difference that have your toes curling.

" It took so long to get you to understand you need to come see me more. "

Smooth circles distract you from another two fingers parking at your soaked entrance. You don't want to even think about the mess you're making.

" Maybe it's more efficient if I just show up to your home. We can schedule it. "

The insertion is slow, planned, each inch of those digits pushing hard against the top, spongier sections of your walls. Although your mouth opens to draw in desperate breaths, your eyes shut firmly and you tremble for more.

" I can afford the trip, really, I've tested things. I'm sorry about your lock, I know it scared you, but I left you enough to fix it. " His motions pause for a second. " Did you find that? In your bedside table? "

Between his generous fingering, the constant rolling of your clit and the lurid sounds that have started, it took you way too long to register what Babesley said.

The sick fear you should feel is but a mere droplet of water in an ocean of physical stimulation that won't allow you any clarity.

" Yes, I should be there for you always. I know how tired you are after work, I know you suffer. You're not at home in Hell, but I can change that. "

Only now do you notice the saccharine cadence that has taken over the incubus' voice. No longer just a welcoming masseur, or even a seductive lover, he sports a dripping mania, disgusting infatuation springing out of seemingly nowhere.

Perhaps you never noticed the signs, because surely, he's this affectionate and caring with all of his customers, isn't he? Babesley looks at every client's body the same, right? Anything that appears significant and intimate is just a part of his service, isn't it?

God, how fucking stupid can you be?

You try to make words, to tell him to stop, that this is creeping you out and he's a freak. They don't come out, nothing but moans and whines do, an overwhelming coil forming in your pelvic area when he speeds up, unrelenting and demanding. You've arched your back off the table without even noticing.

" But let's not worry about that right now. All you need, is to come on my fingers. "

With a hilarious amount of ease, it takes a mere twist of his fingers' position for you to tumble into what might have been one of the most intense orgasms of your life. Something that Babesley viciously milks, drawing it out for a length of time that is almost unbearable. Your eyes roll and your ears shut out any of his senseless cooing.

When your body is finally allowed to rest, you have no energy to so much as twitch on his massage table, every part of your body melting away.

" There it is. Isn't that worth it? You look adorable. "

You're terrified.

[naga16]

Prompt 1: Red Hunter

(Before we begin, I'd like to say that I've been awake for no less than 20 hours... And it currently half hour before midnight.

Okay?Okay. )

The story begin in the watchtower. Impending doom via asteroids, aliens, gods, ghost, terrible disaster or whatever you wish. Point is, the world might as well die if they fail to find a way.

Generic cult shit and badabing badaboom!!!

GH! PHANTOM!!!! Here to save the day!!!

There's a catch though, of course there is.

Dunno 'bout the technical rules cuz I did no proper research. But turns out that certain people just needs to die to preserve the balance of the world.

Grim reapers cannot kill cause all they can do is wait for death and guide the soul in the afterlife. They don't kill, unlike the popular belief that they do.

So what does that mean? It means that King Danny assigned one of people who summoned him to be his Executioner.

Who does he choose?

Isn't it obvious?

He chose RED HOOD, of course.

Cuz Danny instinctively knew that this man is a dying revenant, starving cuz he's not fulfilling his NEED for revenge and all that shit that made him possess his own body.

So Jason was given a new name, Red Hunter, a remembrance of the good old days. He was also given a book, except for the first page, the book was practically blank.

The first page was a contract, that the person was bound for life to kill ANYONE who's name appears in the book. That the person will do the task dutifully.

Jason, being chosen, signed it since he really have no problem in killing. Truthfully, he was glad that the Big Bat or anyone else (exempt Tim and Damian) was not chosen since, unlike him, they have morals that kept them from taking lives.

So, he signed it, the book vanished with a flash, Danny smiled in victory, disaster avoided and one, two, three!!!

Jason was awoken by his Ghostly Butler. A guide to help him do his job. A person who can answer his question.

So ask he did...

First of, where did the book go? Inside Jason, a little lesson of summoning the book give him a magical transformation to his Executioner outfit.

Does he have a time limit? Yes, apparently, it's 24 hours, a very good news.

What would happen if he fail to kill by the given time? A punishment to his own person. Ghost will attack him for several hours, or just bother him.

How does he do the killing? Whatever he decide. Death by bullet, stabbing, planned accident, poison, arson, or beaten. Really, for as long as he kill the person, the way he would do it doesn't really matter.

Why does he have a Butler? Cause of a previous issue with the last executioner killing themselves with their guilt. The Butler system was made so that that can be prevented.

How would he find his target? A ghost will lead him to it.

What does that mean? You will know at your first mission.

So he kills, what next? You shall use your thermos.

What does that even mean? You will know at your first mission.

Really, why does he have a butler? To give guidance and answer.

So, when will I get my mission? Now.

What?

So Jason took the book and there, written in a fancy calligraphy, the civilian name of Joker. Or at least that is what the ghost of his younger self wearing his old Robin costume said to him.

[ancha-aus]

Ghosts & Medium AU Drabble - Mansion Invasion

The drabble idea i have been wanting to write :3

There is some stuff that hapepend in between. But it is a few weeks after Ngihtmare joined the group :3

No edit's or beta we going.

*----------------------------*

"I still do not see the purpose of getting distracted from your mission of getting my relic." Nightmare sounds unamused from where he sits in the front seat.

Dust does not look up from the road "And I like to eat something other than dry rice once in a while." and the stupid cult activity ruined most ghost hunting jobs so he needs to branch out.

Sure he hasn't hunted other supernatural stuff in a while but this shouldn't be that hard.

It are only like sex demons. And those never managed to affect him before so all things considered it is a very save job to do for Dust.

Killer whines as he uses Cross's body to lean over the back of the chair "Why is Nightmare allowed in thr front seat?!"

Ash huffs "Because you try to distract Dust while he is driving like now! Back off!"

Cross pouts as he hangs in the air with his arms crossed. Waiting for his body to finish kicking Killer out.

They figured out that once Cross's reinhabites his body he has two full days before his spirit and body become weak to possession again. Which means Killer will force his way in. Then it is a matter of who is stronger at the moment and kick the other out. If Cross remains he gets two more uninterrupted days. If Killer wins it takes the body a bit over a day to kick him out himself.

THere was this day once where both somehow managed to stay in the body and that was weird. Killer cooed about them sharing and maybe that would make for a dope threesome. Cross had turned to Horror and asked the other ghost to hit Killer which Horror happily did.

This morning Killer had won and seems to be Killer's turn to drive the body.

Dust had once asked Cross why he didn't just go back to the church to be safe. but Cross had looked embarressed as he shot him looks before muttering about how it seemed ungrateful to just let Dust fix his mess and than not even help with repaying the deal Dust had been forced to make for Cross.

Dust appreciates his assistance. Even if Cross also tends to wake in his bed now. At least he apologises. Soemthing about weird body sharing shenigans and habits. Dust didn't pay enough attention.

Etiher way!!

Work.

They drive for a moment in blissful silence.

Nightmare sighs as he looks out of the window "And what exactly does this work include?"

Dust keeps staring ahead "We are going to a mansion. Where I will search the area and find the source of an incubus and succubus infection. Once cleared I will get paid." and he will finally be able to buy some coffee and sigs. He hasn't had either in so long and he is craving both so badly.

Also maybe some medicine for his migraines and headaches. Those are starting to really bother him. Painkillers for his aching body from all his magic would also be nice. It may even finally stop the constant shakign of his right hand and arm.

Nightmare frowns "We are going to clean out a demon infestation?"

Dsut shakes his skull "No. I am. You all i just don't trust to leave in my appartment alone so you are coming along."

Ngihtmare looks insulted "I do not need a babysitter."

Dust doesn't even bother to answer that "We are almost there."

Cross frowns as he leans closer "How will you fix this anyway?"

Dust doens't look away from the road "Incubus and sucubus spread the same way. Having sex and letting the victim drink some of the blood of the demon. It makes the victim into one of them."

Killer gasps "No! If you want sex I can show you an amazing time!" and he grins.

Dust shoots him a glare before quickly looking ahead of them "I am not going to have sex with any of them you idiot! That is the exact opposite of what i am trying to do!"

Horror looks interested "So how would you fix it?"

Dust sighs "You remove the demon energy of the one who started the chain. You end the source it cleans all the ones following it. so all i need to do is find the original demon that infiltrated the place. cleanse them. and all the others will be fixed too!"

Cross hums "That sounds relatively easily..."

Ngihtmare chuckles "sounds much too easy. How will you make sure they don't trick you or infect you?"

Dust huffs "please i have dealt with them before and they never could do shit against me because i don't find anyone attractive. Hard to transform and look like someone you like when you don't have anyone." it did mke it very easy for him to spot the demons and cleanse them.

Dsut just hopes he can find the original one and doesn't have to fix each victim one by one as that would just take a lot of magic and energy that he does not have. which means he needs to focus on finding the source.

They stop before a long driveway which leads to a big mansion. It looks beautiful as it stands proud between large fields grass.

Killer snorts "Well someone is compansating for something." and he chuckles.

Ngihtmare looks unimpressed at the mansion "Honestly it looks unsightly. It isn't even that large. They clal that a mansion nowadays?"

Dust has the feeling this will be a long day. He turns his chair around and kicks killer out of the way as he walks to his equipment. He looks for a moment before just bringing his notebook with exorsice rituals. He grabs an amulet as well. Dust checks and is happy to note that the crystal powering it is fully chargest. Hopefully with this he can easily deal with this. He tugs the amulet away in his scarf.

All ready.

He leaves his van and waits for the two bodies to actually leave it as the three spirits just float around.

Dust leads the way and speaks "Now. Remember. We will be in a nest filled with these demons. Don't do anything that could get you infected." he shoots Killer a glare specifically "You especially."

Killer puts ahand on his chest "You wound me Dusty. As if i would ever cheat on you with someone else. You know you are my one true love."

Dust shakes his skull as he glances at Nightmare.

Nightmare looks amused "As if i would desire mortals or lowly demons like them."

Dsut raises a brow "Then why are you also in my bed in the morning?"

Nightmare grins "your mortification is delicious. Almost as tasty as Killer's jealousy." Killer glares and Dsut just shakes his skull.

He knocks on the door.

A butler opens and looks at him disapproving "Oh. Can I help you?"

Dust nods as he takes out his phone and searches for the email wiht directions "Yes. I am Dust. Master Erised and I had contact about a small... infestation? that needed clearing?"

The butler frowns as he looks them all over. His sight remaining on the three in actual bodies and not once glancing at the ghosts. "I see. please. come in." they walk into the large hall with many fancy paintings and some vases around. The butler mentions for them to wait there as he goes to get the master of the house.

They wait as Ash does his job and inspects everything around the hall quickly wihtout leaving any traces. he returns and says he doesn't see cameras or any symbols or magical markers. Meaning the demons are fully concentrate on just expending forces. maybe even trying to make a new nest.

That is when a man in a large coat with a fur lining walks down the stairs. his grin wide and arms open "Ah! The exterminator! Dust was it?" he smiles charming as he stops before them. Looking all three of them over.

Dust nods "Mister Erised I assume?" he holds out a hand.

The man nods as he takes his hand and kisses it. Killer postures and glares and Dust mentally takes note that the master had already been taken over by the infection. Shit. okay. Timelimit is very short in that case.

The man lets Dust take his hand back and looks amused when Dust rubs the back of his hand on his hoody.

The man speaks a bit about how he thought there was an infection but it seems to have sorted itself out already. But he hadn't thought to email him quite yet. He apologises and encourages them all to spend the night to rest up. assuring him that they will obviosuly still be paid as he hadn't cancelled.

Dust nods along and they are shown around the mansion before ending up in a visitors wing where the man shows three different bedrooms for them to use. All a bit apart from one another and not one wall shared between the different rooms. He encourages them to get comfortable and wash up before meeting him in the hall when he will show them around the property more.

He leaves them be.

Dust just waves Nightmare nad Killer along to his room where he drops off most of their things and starts searching it.

Killer stretches "So... waste of time? at least you will still get paid."

Nightmare answers before he can "Oh no. the demons are still very much here. they just infected the mansions owner."

Dust nods "They are making this place a nest." he gets some tools prepared before hiding those on his person. "We will all work in groups. Ash will obviously wiht me. Cross? horror? who will stay with Killer and who will stay wiht Nightmare in their own rooms?"

Cross glares a tKiller "as if i am leaving Killer alone with my body. especially with it being at risk of being infected." Horror looks fine with it and floats to be more by Ngihtmare's side.

They all clean up in the bathroom by taken turns before leaving some token clothes in the other rooms. after which they move downstairs to meet with their host who shows them across the property and introduces them to many, many, servants and maids that all tend to his needs. He grins and winks as he says they will tend to any need they may have.

Dust thinks the demon lays it on a little thick. which honestly? not the smartest move as they are here specifically to get rid of the sex demons. why try and play with fire by flirting with them?

Then again.

Dust glances at Ngihtmare who has about five different servants eeying him. Nightmare seems to fall in favour. May be because the others see the more mortal form over the black goop and tentacle form that Dust and the others can see. Dust only managed to see glimps of that form in mirrors but that one looks like a very pretty skeleton with soft purple eyelights.

Killer, or better said Cross, also seems to fall in favour. Which Dust also gets. Cross works out and it shows. Dust knows that is generally well liked and appreciated by others.

Ngihtmare looks amused "As lovely as the pool looks. we did not bring swimwear. I am afraid we will have to decline."

One of the humans talking to him. Maybe one of the daughters of the lord? Grins and mentions how they don't mind skinny dipping. And she and her sisters are more than happy to join in if it makes them more comfortable.

Nightmare just smiles and shakes his skull "It seems rather rude." he gives a partial bow "Thank you for the offer." the demon infected humans look annoyed and sad but accept it.

Dust does notice a few making eyes at him. But as soon as they do Killer is by his side and glaring challenging at the ones looking. Dust doesn't see why Killer is so worried. Dust isn't attractive and so he doubts he will actually become a target. Not to forget Dust doens't have any interest himself. Meaning it is fine.

One very large meal later they split up to go to their own rooms.

Dust is only in there for a moment. Enough to give the others time to go to their rooms before grabbing what he needs and leaving his room again. He has the first incubus or succubus to find.

--

Nightmare stretches as he checks his appearance in the mirror. He does not like that the look in the mirror shows his old form. Even if he is lacking the wings he used to have.

At least there aren't any clear angel marks on him anymore. As much as the fall was painful adn horrible he does appreciate that the fall burned away all marks he had as angel.

He touches his back where his wings used to be. He can almost see his full old form as he stares at himself. the markings of the moon on his skull. the stars as a crown over him. The six wings all snow white aside from the purple tips of the feathers.

At least he is outside of that locked realm now.

In truth Nightmare does not care that Dust is working on something other than getting the relic Ngihtmare asked for. It had been the quickest thing he could think about that would ahve sounded reasonable while Ngihtmare searched for what he actually wanted.

His soul.

His soul is somewhere locked on this earth. Hidden away from him and with him suposedly stuck in hell he would never have been reunited with it and regain all of his powers.

Onc ehe has those. He won't have to worry about being banished again. He will be truly free to go wherever he wants.

but for him to be able to find his soul he needs some of his powers and energy back. Which is why he is staying witht he mortal and his spiritual guests. They are all wells of emotions and so easy sources of power for Nightmare.

Ngihtmare sighs as he turns abck to the room "Just have patiences." he is already one step closer to being free than before. At least Dsut had managed to actually figure out how to summon him instead of fucking up the ritual circle and leaving it useless for him to actually cross over.

Now.

Is it late enough to join the sleeping other? trigger some of those emotions he can eat and absorb as he relaxes back in the company of the warm body-

knocks on his door.

Nightmare frowns as he looks up "Who is there?"

a moment of silence before the door creaks open. It is Dust?

Nightmare frowns as he tilts hsi skull at him "Dust? Is something the matter?"

Dust shrugs as he sidesteps into the room.

Horror frowns "Dust? Are you okay? Did something happen?" he looks around "Where is Ash?"

Dust however ignores horror and walks to his side and leans against him. Nightmare freezes before one tendril pulls Dust a bit closer. He is freezing "Dust?"

Dust mumbles as he pushes clsoer to his side "Cold..."

Ngihtmare frowns. That con't be right. Mortals shouldn't be this cold. Is he getting sick? He hadn't noticed something in the food he ate that could ahve been dangerous. And the demons here shouldn't be able to stela his life force from a distance- unless!

Ngihtamre frowns and rubs his arm "Did one of them get to you?"

Dust shakes his skull and pushes clsoer "Wnat to be close... can i stay?"

Horror frowns "somethign is off... Dust?"

nightmare nods "of course." they will hunt the demons in the morning. He leads Dust back and helps him in first before joining the other. He is still so cold. He rubs the other's arms and back to hopefully get abit of warmth back into the other "I will go grab another blanket."

Dust keeps a tight hold on him "No... we can..." he mutters before looking away "nevermind."

Nightmare can't help but smile. Dust isn't often shy about anything. He just holds the other "What would bring you comfort?" maybe he wants more food? Nightmare had noticed he eats very little and Dust gets defensive when they point it out. Maybe he feels awkward for wanting more?

Dust looks at him and pulls back a bit as he slowly starts to undo his hoody as he mutters "quick way is to share bodyheat..."

Horror hold sup his hands before covering his own sockets "Wait! Dust! I am still here! also not the time?!"

Ngihtmare realises right away were this is going. wait is there an aura at work? to get them more worked up or-

Dust undoes his scarf and drops it to the side.

Ngihtmare doesn't think and throws the fake off his bed and against the wall.

The face goes from shy to hurt for a moment before a knowing grin appears "What is wrong?" the demon stands up striahgt and taps down the dirt of them "You can't be shy now."

Ngihtmare glares as he is off the bed himself and on the other side of the room "you are not dust." why hadn't his tentacle impaled the weaker demon for daring to do that? For invading his space and imply those things?!

The demon grins as they walk over. swinging the hips nad Nightmare raises his tendrils at the ready. The demon does not see his warning as they get right into his personal space with a purr "You know you want to. You can't stop looking at him. Watching him. Anytime anyone makes a comment he is all you see. I can be him. I can act how he would act. You can have him right now."

Nightmare can't believe it but it sounds tempting. His tentacles just hang there. unwilling to attack the image of Dust. The idea of seeing Dust impaled on his tentacles? Dying on them? Even if it isn't really him?

Oh...

Oh no.

This is not the time for this.

The demon grins as they put their arms around his neck "See?" they pull back and Ngihtamre is treated to the image of Dust licking his teeth with a sly grin. Nightmare can feel his magic spark with interest even as he knows it is fake.

It looks so real.

It feels real.

The demon even smells like Dust-

Horror flies through the demona nd the image flickers.

Dust is gone and one of those needy daughters is in view.

The demon is impaled with a tentacle within moments and the human dies.

The body drops and Ngihtmare pants as he and horror are left in the room.

Horror shoots him a glance "so... about those desires for mortals you don't have-"

Ngihtamre glares "shut. up." he grabs his jacket "lets just look for the others." and leaves the room.

--

Killer pouts as he lays in the room alone. He lays on his back dramatically and sighs loudly.

Cross looks at him annoyed "Can you stop that and just go to sleep already?"

Killer glares at him "It is unfair! I finally got control and now I can't even enjoy my nightly cuddle and groping with Dusty? It is rude!" he pouts.

Cross huffs "You shouldn't even do those!"

Killer raises a brow at him "Says the one who also does it."

Cross sputters "That isnt!" he glares as he blushes, heh Cross is rather cute when he blushes, "it isn't my fault you got my body used to sleeping with dust!"

Killer grins "man i wish it was that. I would kill to be allowed to fuck him."

Cross sputters again and hides his face "You know i didn't mean that!"

Killer laughs but stops when the door creaks. He sits up but grins when he spots dust "Dust bunny!" he makes grabby hands "come lay in bed with me!" he wants to hold him. and kiss him. and grope him a little!

Dust looks at him before smilign a bit and walking closer. Fuck dust looks pretty when he smiles. Dust needs to smile more often! Killer will happily be silly if it means dusty smiles more and- huh?

Killer stares for a moment before pouting "Why did you take edge-lord wiht you?" he pouts but gets out of bed. If Dust and Nightmare are here it is most likely to do with the actual job thing so fine.

Dust however just pushes him back on the bed and joins him. Huh!?

Cross makes a very curious highpitched noise "Dust?! Dust! That is my body still!" he is blushing madly.

Killer is ready to tell Cross to shut it when Dust hums "hey cross... mind us joining you?"

Killer immediantly pushes the demon off of him and jumps back to the other side of the bed. Dust frowns at him as Killer takes out a knife "Not a step closer demon. Where is my dusty?" he glances at ngihtmare but nightmare just stands there like a statue and doens't move to attack dust "Nightmare! that isn't dust!"

Nightmare just tilts his skull at him and speaks calmly in that smooth deep voice "Of course it is dust." he is so still. his tendrils are all not even moving.

Killer blinks and cross curses "oh shit." cross flies over and waves his hand in front of nightmare's face but there is no reaction. Cross floats backwards "holy shit. They are both demons! Killer!"

Killer glances at them... and rushes towards the door. He kicks it open and runs outside. Cross close behind.

Killer pants as he rushes to dusts room and kicks in the door again. The room is empty thank fucking god. He checks the last room only to find a dead human on the ground.

Killer pants "okay. okay. the others are fine. no idea where but shit." the demons leave his room and killer starts running again "deos explain why those tendrils were not idling or anything!"

Cross flies by his side and shoots him a look "... wait so you find nightmare hot? since when?"

Killer turns a corner "Not the time!"

--

Dust looks around the corner and frowns. Everythign is way too quiet.

Ash looks around as well and huffs "okay. So. We checked the bedrooms. Nothing that looks like a base or nest... wait did these demons actually nest like monsters or is it more of a metaphor?"

Dust walks down the empty halls as he checks corner after corner "I think it is both. The mansion is the metaphorical nest. but the first in the chain will remain inside the actual nest nest as its underlings do the work to make underlings nad collect like the sex energy?" he probably should have read up on them before this job.

Ash nods "Right! You got the amulet ready?"

Dust nods "Just need to get close enough. Which should be easy enough."

Ash snorts and nods "Just act interested." he looks amsued "I am sure your boyfriends will love to know you flirted with another demon."

Dust glares at his brother "stop calling them my boyfriends."

Ash laughs and Dust rolls his eye lights only to yelp as he almost runs into someone.

Dust glances up and glares "Killer!" well he assumes it is still killer and not cross as killer had had body dips "What are you doing out of bed?!" he hisses as he glances around nervously.

Killer grins at him and smiles "I wanted to be with you!" and he hugs him as the hands wander. Dust doesn't even think as he just hits him on the top of his skull. hard.

Killer yelps and pulls back with a pout.

Dust glares "Where is Cross?" Killer has the nerve to look confused around him but Dust just shakes his skull at him "Nevermind. Stay quiet and don't mess this up or so help me!" he turns and continues on his path.

Ash huffs as Killer "way to lose your buddy in a buddy system. You lot had one job."

Killer just ignores Ash and Ash huffs angerly "Dsut! your boyfriend is ignoring me again!"

Dust hfufs "No my boyfriend."

Killer blinks "wha-"

Dust glares a thim "hush. I am working." and he checks another corner. He feels a hand trail his hip and he just kicks backwards.

A loud groan and Dust shoots Killer an unamused look "No need to be so dramatic. You are a skeleton. you don't even have a dick out at the moment." if killer has summoned his ecto in a place that is infested with sex demons dust would have actually marshed him outside and locked him in the van. Dust will apologise to cross later if he actualyl hurt his body.

Dust takes afew more steps and looks back annoyed "Either keep up or get to a safe space i am not in the mood to drag you along." Killer just groans and Dust rolls his eye lights as he walks away. seems like killer jsut wants to be dramatic.

Ash looks insulted "can't beleive that asshole ignored me the whole time."

Dust shrugs "Killer just is like that sometimes. Any demons?"

Ash shrugs "Not that i noticed wandering."

and they walk deeper into the building. Dust quickly finds the kitchena dn looks around "There should be a wine cellar we can still check." the only places they hadn't checked in the tour and originally sweep fo the place are the cellar, attic and the shed in the garden. But Dust doubts it will be the shed as that would be too far away from the mansion stuff for the demons to easily enjoy.

He searches and grins when he finally finds it. he crouches down and tugs on the panel.

"How is that going?"

Dust jumps and looks back just to glare "Ngihtmare i keep telling you to not sneak up on me!" he glances around but no one is nearby. Dust turns back to open the door to the cellar "You better not have been followed."

Ash huffs "YOu saw the idiot in the hallway on your way or did Killer go back to the room?"

Nightmare hums as he leans closer "I did not see anyone along the way." he looks down into the cellar before looking at Dsut with a grin "Getting some wine?" he looks amused.

Dust just looks unamused at him as he starts climbing down "You know very well what i am doing. stop playing dumb." and he climbs down. He looks around the cellar but just sees rows and rows of bottles. mmh. He walks forwards as he ignores Ngihtmare joining him.

He makes sure to check for anymore trapdoors and pathways downwards but it seems there is only one level to this place. which is gigantic btw.

Dust glares "Honestly who needs this much wine?"

Ash snorts "Maybe they are alcoholics?"

Dust freezes and laughs as he shakes his skull "maybe!" and he snorts.

Nightmare joins his side and puts a hand behind him on the small of his back. euh?

Dust shoots him an unamused look "Ngihtmare."

Ngihtmare smiles back "Dust." and he leans closer "We are all alone."

Ash coughes loudly "excuse you?!"

Nightmare acts as if he didn't hear Ash "No one to interrupt us having a moment. We can get comfortable. Open a wine bottle or two and well." he smiles "just enjoy each other's company."

Dustjust stares at him. Ngihtmare keeps smiling. Dust keeps staring. His smile slwoly drops as Ngihtmare glances to the side before looking back at him with a new smile.

Dust speaks slwoly "You are going. to remove your hand. from my hip. Or lose it." and he smiles back.

Nightmare slowly removes the hand.

Dust huffs and turns towards the exit "You two are acting worse than normal tonight. Honestly. here of all places!"

Ash floats after him "you need to train your not-boyfriends better."

Dust huffs "working on it." and he climbs the ladder.

Dust leaves the cellar and makes his way towards the attic. He meet skiller along the way but killer is still being his annoying self as he tries to grope him and rub against him from behind. Dust obviously hits him in the area of the kidneys and that makes him stop.

Weirdest part is that Dust ahsn't seen either Horror or Cross yet however. maybe those two are actually sticking together? In that case Dust wishes Nightmare nad Killer would stay together and watch each other's backs.

He meets Ngihtmare just as he gets to the cellar and Nightmare smiles a thim but Dust just points behind him "No. You either go meet up wiht Killer and watch each other's backs. Or you are going to look for Horror and stay with the original buddy system."

Ngihtamr elooks confused "Horror?"

Dust sighs "Yes. Horror. YOu know? the person who you were suposed to stick together with?!" Dust just sighs annoyed as Nightmare keeps looking confused. Dust just points down the hallway and glares "Go meet up with either of them. I am fine and hoenstly it is a lot easier without either of you distracting me. Leave." and he climbs the ladder towards the attic before closing the door behind him.

THERE!

Ash sighs "They are so rude tongiht. They keep ignoring me!" he pouts.

Dust shrugs as he inches around the attic. He feels a warm air around them and smells many different scented candles around.

Dust moves slowly as he glances around a corner. There is a whole group od maids and servants all cuddled together. all having this hazed look about them as they cuddle together. Dust searches the group and tries to find who the leader is.

Ash mutters "it is a whole harem. at elast we found the nest. Let me search the area." and he flies off as Dust studies those here.

He slowly takes the amulet out of his scarf and pushes it up one of his sleeves. Now it is just a matter of finding the right target and-

A tap on his shoulder and Dust glares before freezing. ah shit that is the butler.

the butler tilts his head at him "Hello. Is there soemthing we can help you with?"

Dust thinks as he tries to think of an excuse "I... thought i heard something... and got curious... I apologise." he mutters as he tugs deeper into the hood. He can smell the demon's scent now. His mind is starting to ache of all the different energies and magics trying to pull him under a trance.

The butler nods "I do apologise that we bothered you." a hand is slowly nudging him towards the nest. Dust lets it happen.

Dust glances back and sees Ash fly near one of teh nobels. the son it seems. Ash is pointing at him and points to his neck. Dust glances and spots the mark and tiny cut. seems like that is where the original demon shared their blood through. and the son brought it back here and got to work.

Dust lets the butler lead him right into the nest as a very people push themselves against him. smiling at him and rubing his sides.

Dust mutters about feleing flattered but not really being into this thing. making a show of scooting away from the maids offering this while making sure the movement brings him clsoer to the nobel's son.

The butler just bows and leaves to get food and refreshments around as Dust keeps moving strategically until he is right by his target.

The son chuckles and smiles at him. his eyes a pure pink as the demonic energy has taken him over completely "Is there someone you have in mind? We can make your wildest dreams come true?" his form shimmers and Dust blinks in shock as he for a moment looks like Killer. Not jsut killer in cross's body but actual killer. The spirit he met. a moment later he looks like acutal cross. then nightmare, the nightmare he knows not the version they know. and a moment later like horror.

Then the nobel looks like himsefl again as he frowns "I can't seem to be able to settle... your interest seems... divided." he grins "but we are with many... you just need to let us and we will happily bring you bliss and whatever you desire-"

Dust cuts him up by showing the amulet right in his face. The amulet works right away and the pink light leaves his eyes and the people around him all shudder and seem to drop like flies.

Dust is left surrounded by unconcious bodies all in different levels of undressed.

Dust and Ash are quiet.

Ash shoots him a disapproving look "Serioously?! You find them attractive?!" he sounds insulted.

Dust sputters "No?! Maybe? I don't know?! Maybe it is just... I only had contact wiht them?! So that is all the magic could pick up?!" he dind't find them attractive! Right? Like. He never thought any of those kind of things about them!

Sure he found it more annoying than insulting when killer or cross climbed in his bed but that was just because he is used to it! and nightmare. well. nightmare made it obvious he is just in it for the negative emotions! And horror is just a pleasant guy!

Dust crosses his arms "there is nothing there. they are just guys i actually hang out with aside form you. Stupid demons must think because those are the only relationships i have going that it are those type of things."

Ash looks unconvinced but nods "lets just look for the lord and tell him you found the source. get actual payment for this dumpster fire."

Dust couldn't agree more.

--

The lord of the house was horrified to realise what had happened. as those influenced did keep some of their memories from the whole ordeal. He ended up paying them extra for the work and assaults they had to suffer.

Dust was unamused to find otu that SOMEONE had killed the lord's duaghter.

Luckily it was rather easy to blame someone else aside form them on that and wiht the demonic energy having gone around the lord wasn't that interested in a full blown investigation.

The nobel son had almost no memories or the whole thing. in his mind he wasn't even suposed to be home yet but still on a skiing trip with his friends.

Yeah.

It was a fucking disaster.

But Dust got a nice payout and even a large bonus for not giving up on them and still fixing their issue and also some apology money. and hush money to not sure that the family had gotten infected.

The drive back was awkward as Dust shoots the others a look "You guys are more quiet than usual..." he glances forwards again. He hadn't been worried before but maybe something happened after all? "did... are you guys okay? None of them got to you?"

Killer is quick to hug and nuzzle him "of course not! I would never cheat on you love! You are the one i love and the only one i TRULY desire!"

Dust frowns at him "I wasn't.. I didn't mena that! I just... you guys weren't hurt right?" he hadn't... he figured it would have been fine but he hadn't thought there would ahve been that many...

Killer shakes his skull and muttered "a few tried but none of them got to me! I figured it out quickly and just ran around the whole night!" he looks proud of himself. Cross nods his agreement and confirmed that is all that happened.

Horror speaks calmly "a few tried wiht nightmare as well. but none succeed. we got out of the area of them and hid." he glances at nightmare. waiting.

Ngihtmare waves it off "More insulting than anything. them thinking i would even want them." he hasn't looked at them yet.

huh...

Dust files that information away. Seems like they had stuck to the buddy system after all...

Maybe this whole trip had beena bad idea after all...

He shakes his skull.

No. There is nothing there. THe demons must have just confused the casual relationships they have for interested. That must be it. There is no way Dust is actually interested.

No way at all.

[bossuary]

working on it [AO3 link]

Rating: G Fandom: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Pairing: Lucanis Dellamorte x Emmrich Volkarin Tags: blood and gore, eye contact, praise, touch-starved, hands and fingers, hurt/comfort, Word Count: 424

Summary: he doesn't want to talk to anyone but Bellara and Neve. he doesn't. also, he does. he just...doesn't know how. getting beat to shit is as good a plan as any. he can do that.

Notes: the THIRD Lucanis x Emmrich tumblr ficlet. this one was inspired by this art from @ibahibut, give them some love!

______________________________________

“I’m fine.”

“It’s not the wounds, it’s the infection,” Emmrich said. “Stay still.”

Warmth curled along his shredded forearm where Emmrich held it up. Contamination could cause that flush. He’d had the canal-shakes twice. But the heat climbing out of his open collar wasn’t from filthy water in an open wound. It wasn’t fever pulling a shiver from his belly each time Emmrich brushed his cheek with cool, tinctured gauze.

If you know it, so does he.

Emmrich gestured, stirring up an incantation. Magic crept over broken skin. Tendrils of green energy stroked gooseflesh from Lucanis before melting beneath the surface.

“If all Crows throw themselves so literally at their work, the cost of healing must bite deeply at their profits,” Emmrich mused.

Muscle and skin responded to Emmrich’s spell. There was a weird presence in how Lucanis’ tissue reformed. It ached, but not too badly.

“It’s cheaper to train us not to mind the pain.” Lucanis flexed his hand. A few curls of magic pulled back, as if startled. “We can’t do the job if we’re afraid of being hurt.”

“A dreadful skill to learn so well, and so young,” Emmrich said.

“A useful one,” Lucanis countered.

This earned a furrow of Emmrich’s brow. With a faint smile, he resumed his work.

“Ah, but here in the Lighthouse you find claws in conviviality, and poison in the stories shared,” Emmrich said, dabbing a scratch here, a cut there. Finding one just beneath Lucanis’ chin, he ventured there, too. “Of all the pains, these can be the loneliest to master."

Emmrich raised an eyebrow at Lucanis, his touch a firm request for a little more access.

Lucanis let Emmrich lift his chin. He met eyes that had gone dark, despite the light of wisps nearby. Dark and avid.

“Next time, say no. Say what you truly need, if you can,” Emmrich said, his voice tight. “But stop saying ‘I’m fine.’”

Lucanis didn’t feel the gauze, or the cuts. He felt the massive shape of everything he didn’t know about wanting to be close to someone, resting entirely on a thumb and forefinger.

Then, Emmrich withdrew. A famished, half-remembered specter tumbled out toward that retreating hand, while its host stood still.

Mauled by a wyvern just to be touched. Of all the pathetic-

“I’m…working on it,” Lucanis managed.

But, Emmrich didn’t miss much when it came to ghosts, and demons. The glinting darkness returned to his eyes. Slowly, he took Lucanis by the chin again.

“Indeed you are,” Emmrich said. “And doing so well.”

[tsukii0002]

A young adult Yuu

Yuu is isekaied into twisted wonnderlar, but they are a "independent" adult in their 20's, college ended and who is fighting for finding a job and survive.

[Next]

Crowley: ...

Yuu: ...

Crowley: ...

Yuu: Dude

Crowley: I can explain

Yuu: I left the washing machine on.

Crowley: Is that the problem?

Yuu: Are you going to pay my electricity bill?

Crowley: So you will stay here until we find a way to return you home.

Yuu: For free?

Crowley: Well, you'll have to be a janitor and take care of Grim *holding the creature*

Yuu: *gently picking him up* Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight... You want me to live here, for free, with housing, food and expenses included? Just to be a janitor?

Crowley: Exactly.

Yuu: And that I also have to take care of this cat?

Grim: I'm not a cat!!!!!!

Crowley: That is.

Yuu: Where do i have to sign to stay here for life?

Crowley: It's a bit rickety, but with a little effort and a smile, it will be livable… I think

Grim: It's in ruins!!!!

Yuu: *smiling* This is no worse than my last apartment.

Grim: And It have ghosts!!!

Yuu: *smiling even more* They are no worse than my last roommates.

Ace: *pushing Grim* Ups sorry janitors.

Grim: Watch where you are going!!!

Yuu: What would your mother think if she saw you like this?

Ace: What?

Yuu: So much effort and resources invested for your son to be a bully, what a disappointment.

Ace: Hey.

Yuu: Today's youth is misguided… *shaking their head*

Ace: HEY!!!

Seeing that Ace has tricked them into cleaning the windows.

Yuu: Tricked by a teenager…. wow.

Yuu: *meeting Deuce for the first time* My maternal instinct is awakening?

When they decide to go to the mines.

Ace: For an adult Crowey bullies you any way he wants.

Deuce: Ace!! that's rude.

Yuu: Ha ha, leave it Deuce, he's right.

Deuce: But-

Yuu: That's what the life of an adult is all about, letting yourself get trampled by other adults while trying to survive, as you enter that cycle and eventually become that adult you swore you'd never be when you were young.

Deuce: …

Ace: …

Grim: I think you broke them.

In the mines.

Yuu: Stay behind me.

Ace: Oh come on!

Yuu: I'm the adult!

Ace: You have no magic! Even the furball would be more effective.

Grim: Hey!

Deuce: Ace is right Yuu-san.

Yuu: Let me make myself useful damn it, and don't treat me like a sir, I'm still young!!!!

Grim, Ace, Deuce and Yuu running away from the ghost.

Yuu: Still better than my last roommate!!!!!

After getting the magic stone.

Ace: We survived!

Deuce: We won't get expelled from school!!

Yuu: *putting a hand on each boy's head and ruffling their hair* You guys did amazing.

Ace: *blushing* we couldn't have done it without you…..

Deuce: *blushing ever more* Yeah, Ace is right.

Yuu: *smiling* Still, I have no idea about magic but I think you guys will become great mages.

Grim: What about me?

Yuu: Of course, you too Grim *they heads for the portal*

Ace: *whispering* Didn't that feel too comforting?

Deuce: *whispering too* It's the recognition and validation of an adult.

Ace: What's wrong with Yuu?

Grim: *happy* They has been told that they will start being a student with me!!!

Yuu: *with a dead face* Great, I'm going to fulfill the dream of every recent college graduate… Back to high school

Deuce: They do not seem to be well...

Yuu: Someone please kill me.

.

.

[omgfangirlland]

ANOTHER IDEA HAS APPEARED!!(I have a reporting and an exam tomorrow but this is more important😃)

A John Constantine daughter/apprentice who got teleported in the marvel/supernatural/invinsible universe (I can't pick between the three) due to a her making a mistake in spell casting or maybe she was experimenting with a new spells which leads to her being sent in another universe.

Reader can see ghost of course and she's an orphan (it'd be fun if there's a twist on who her biological parents are). Reader goes to school like any normal kids does, she gets to attend school due to being on a scholarship. It depends on you on what age she meets John Constantine. At first, John Constantine doesn't really see anything special on the kid except she's a bundle of sunshine who likes to keep a positive outlook on life despite living in Gotham. She slowly wiggles her way into John C. Heart like a worm then they slowly formed a bond like that of a father and daughter.

Reader is more of an adventurous gal who's always curious about things, always eager to learn, and would always try out or experiment on spells despite John C. Told her not to. Most of her failed attempt weren't really bad since she'd only sometimes set something on fire, accident summon a demon (I mean, who hasn't done that before? Just another Tuesday), accidentally sent herself to Sahara desert, accidentally turned all of John C. Outfits into color pink (we don't talk about it.. John C. Had to wear those pink outfit for weeks while he was working) and other stuff but those weren't really bad (readers words, not mine). It was another day where reader was doing another experiment but this time.. She got sent to another universe with no knowledge on how to get back and no way of contacting John Constantine. Que to John Constantine going all Father mode and looking everywhere for reader while reader is just curiously checking out the place she got teleported to and curious of what new spells she could possibly learn.. (I feel like if she's in marvel, she'd ask Wanda or Dr strange to teach her some spells or something)

-🔱

And you know he rocked those pink outfits- I also think he was gaslighting anyone who said anything about it :))

You gave the backstory, so I'll just start, and I'll actually go the supernatural route, around 1979 after Dean comes back from the boys' home-

Btw- if anyone knows how Wendy Gos came to look like that- the deer head with antlers when the natives are saying they look more similar to the ones in Until Dawn- let me know, I'm dead curious.

Is it because some white film director decided they aren't scary enough? Was it a white man's fear built from seeing a traditional ritual, kind of like we have cu Capra, where we dress up as a makeshift goat and dance and sing?

I was actually thinking of going the John W. found you first, but I'd like the other way around better- So, clearly, John W was out on a job, probably hunting a Wendy boy(I am a very superstitious person so I'm not playing with full names, I already have bad luck, thanks- I'm also watching creepy stuff on youtube so that clearly isn't helping) so let's say the wendyboy got the upper hand, knocked the gun out of John's hands and as he scrambles for the weapon he hears a voice speaking a language he is too adrenaline fueled to understand.

When he turns to look back at the monster, gun aiming right at its head, he sees you standing next to the creature, who was frozen midair. "I always wanted to see one close up. They look so much like a strigoi, it's crazy!" He can only stare at you as you pull out a sleek camera and take multiple pictures of the monster.

It takes a moment for him to lower his gun and find his breath. And it takes you looking at him and smiling to realize you're a kid, around Dean's age. "If you're going to fight creatures like these, it's better to not be alone. OR you know... use magic."

"Do I look like a witch?" The man was still in shock, groaning as he got up. "Thinking only women can be witches is such backwards thinking- My dad's one and he'll have plenty to say about your 1980's way of thinking." He huffed at your words, sputtering as he tried to backtrack, stopping as soon as he noticed your amused look and as the year you said registered.

"It's 1979." Your smile twitched as your shoulders dropped. "I am beyond grounded when he finds me."

John W wasn't planning on taking care of you, not after finding you're from the 20xx's, but finding out your father is a skilled demon hunter does change his mind. That's how you found yourself in the same motel as him and his boys.

Was it a bad idea to follow a grown man to his motel? Yes. Will your John have an aneurysm when he finds out? Yes. Did it end well? Yes! Sammy is a sweetheart, and Dean has been nice, if a little quiet. Honestly, you could feel the tension between him and his father from miles away.

But the boys loved having you around. John W seemed so much more- soft? ...Tender? Different. Not as mean or rough, he stayed back more, spent time with them more- Sam thinks it's because he's starting to realize the shit he pulls and is trying to be better, Dean knows it's because he can't say no to you.

It would be funny if it didn't hurt. And Dean doesn't hate you, he can't. You don't know what John W is truly like, how mean and hurtful he gets. How he almost left him to rot because he just wanted to feed Sammy.

Dean gets his lick back by shily making you ask his dad to do the stuff he has always wanted- in that sibling way of "But tell him YOU want to do that". It hurts that it works, not even with Sammy would he have been able to pull that, but as you laugh with his younger brother, spinning as fast as those cursed carousel tea cups could go, he can't be mad.

After a while, Dean thinks you're lying about your John coming for you, but he doesn't say anything. He hopes the man doesn't, if he exists. It'll keep you in their life, it'll keep his dad as fatherly as he once was. He likes you, Sammy likes you, John W likes you.

To the boys, you've become family in the two weeks spent together, and John sure as hell isn't correcting Sammy when the boy calls you sis, not that you do either, you can't when the teen looks at you like you hold the sky. And on the third week, Dean was sure you were bound to stay.

John Constantine had a horrendous month, starting with Batman hammering his head about a possible yellow-eyed demon being connected to people burning under mysterious circumstances, continuing with finding the book he told you not to read wide open on the floor, and you nowhere in sight.

But it did end when he found you in South Dakota- well, he found two grown men muttering to themselves over some old magical books. You found your dad holding John's W own dagger to his neck, eyes glowing with fire from the depths of hell, as you walked through the door with the boys right behind you, Bobby's gun aiming right at him.

"Oh, hi Dad. I made new friends!"

John's C mistake was relaxing as he saw you just fine holding an ice cream, John W took the opportunity to headbutt the man.

Constantine isn't happy about any of this- he wants out faster than you can say Hellblazer, alas, the oldest Winchester may know something about the yellow-eyed demon that's been wreaking havoc in your world.

Sigh... Bats owes him a good bottle of scotch.

----

Something that I had in mind to add, but it didn't go the way I initially wanted it to:

You leave Sam and Dean two necklaces, half of a coin each. If something big happens that they need help with, they'll need to connect the coin, and a portal will open right to them, allowing you to come and help.

[sunny-reacts-to-stuff]

tma 39 "infestation"

worms, parasites, gore, physical violence, body horror, trypophobia, uncanny, jumpscares (2m07s, 2m11s, 2m16s, 6m40s, 18m25s), loud screaming, alarm sounds, high-pitched audio interference, being chased, being trapped, getting lost, asphyxiation, abandoned tunnels

i cant believe i am slaying my way through the magnus archives as a scaredy cat

martin being like "right right right right" is so cute from an outside perspective but i would literally kill him myself if i was jon in that moment

where the fuck is tim

also my poor 3/4 archivists im praying for you rn

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" "there we go ^0^" see that's the clervalstein i came in for

"Look, you guys got to go home every day, okay. I didn’t!" my SON TT

HE SAID THANK YOU ????

so sorry jon for saying it would take you until s4 to say please and thank you

"These old files are far better protected than we ever were." the diction of that was peak "im gonna kms"

nooo martin you did great

better trapped than dead?

"why record it" for the memories, sash

he has gotten attached, let him be

gods forbid an autistic guy has a comfort object

Every real statement just leads… deeper into something I don’t even know the shape of yet. -> i feel you jon dont worry

the only difference between you and i is that i have something close to a database and you look like you cant type into a computer

"Only an idiot would stay in this job." says guy that goes to work at 6 am bc he wants to

LET MARTIN (and me) CALL YOU AN IDIOT

waiting for me im coming waaait im coming too

ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU ARE USING THE FUCKING TAPE RECORDER BECAUSE THEY JUST MAGICALLY DONT RECORD DIGITALLY AND YOU HAVE WAITED 39 CHAPTERS TO LET ME KNOW THAT

"ITS SOUNDPROOFED" I AM WHEEZING AND I SO SHOULDNT

turn around every now and then i get a little bit lonely

SASHA?

"joe spooky" i fw this guy

I JUST SAID I FUCK WITH HIM.

WHAT.

man.

man.

man.

"it's stupid" "yes. yes it is" jon he just saw his friend (YOUR FRIEND) die can you be nicer

jk i know he's also very stressed

MARTIN GETTING MAD? YES.

please jon. enlighten me on why you started working there. i've been wondering.

out of those 40 i just listened to, at least 80% of them ended with you being "nah why would this be real"

jonathan. i am so sorry i ever was mean to you.

actually i still think you should have been nicer to your co-workers.

but i am sorry about everything else.

this is what i wanted (not the tim part of course) but yes be vulnerable

slowburn and forced proximity the trope you are

couldnt the worms have killed fuckass elias

im so sorry because tim just died but im here smiling like an idiot at these two actually having a conversation

"we’re clearly doing a whole heart-to-heart thing" autistic ass man (just like me fr)

the fuck do you mean "even you must be aware that's not normal"

is martin from london

WAHT.

WHAT.

WHAT.

JON WE CAN'T GO FROM "I DON'T BELIEVE ANY STATEMENT BC IM A WEE LAD AND IM SCARED" TO "AH YEAH MY ROOMMATE MUST HAVE BEEN A GHOST"

HE IS SO OFFENDED LMAOOO

the va's from manchester

elias you're a horrible boss

THE FUCK YOU MEAN "WORSE THAN MARTIN"

MARTIN ISNT EVEN BAD

BURN THE BUILDING

SASHA DONT USE THAT

oh he used to smoke thats why he was so offended when tim asked

"im not a doctor" i say that very often

YOUR ONE REASON TO NOT KILL MARTIN AND JON IS THAT YOU DONT WANNA REHIRE JON?

"so....." sounded so silly

"the window is covered in WORMS" sounded so pinocchio trailer

okay now hug as you die

tim?

"bit light headed, the gas yk" tim you are so funny please dont go bald

DID HE JUST FLASH THEM

"can you walk?" "no" "THEN LET'S GO ^^"

HE WRITES POETRY AND HE RECORDS THEM ANALOGICALLY TO GIVE IT A LO-FI CHARM. JON, IF YOU DONT MARRY HIM I WILL AND IM A LESBIAN

but tbh that sounds a bit suspicious

why are we all giving out our reasons to join the institute

the fuck

DID SHE GET GRAHAM'ED?

DID SASHA GET GRAHAM'ED?

MARTIN HAS WHAT

well. that was everything but fun.

[namjoon-koya]

Author's Note: annnd I'm back for chapter 2. Anyways Yuu is reader I will not be using Y/N, Yuu(reader) will be AFAB!reader. Also this chapter is a bit longer, but mostly because I wanted to finish the prologue. But yay finally Ace and Deuce show up:,)

Warning: Swearing, Violence.

Prologue: Weclome to the Villains' World Part 2

"Hee hee hee... Aren't the two of you supposed to be off cleaning the school today?" You let ou a groan as you heard one of the ghost in your room, you slowly started to wake up. Well... at least you know being in this world wasn't truly a dream, "mmm...Five more mintues..." You heard Grim mumbled as he buried his face into the blanket "Go ahead, sleep the day away. And you might not eever have to wake up again."

"Just like us!" Great now all three ghosts were in the room, "Myah?! The ghosts are back! Hey, Yuu, up and at 'em!" Grim shouted as he quickly jumped out of the bed, you groaned before following his lead. Grim was able to push the ghost away with his fire magic keeping them at a safe distance from the both of you, "So I hear you'll be living here from now on? Hope you like pranks as much as we do!" the ghost teased before dissapearing.

"We gotta get rid of those things for good!" Grim complained "Well that was one weird wake up call." You say as you picked up the blanket that was on the floor and folded it, neatly placing it on the bed. The door to the room suddenly opended as Crowly walked in, you frowned did he seriously not knock?... "Good morning, Yuu. Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Not at all! When I sprawled out on the bed, the mattress fell right through the frame! Exactly how ramshackle IS this dorm? and worse yet, we got woken up by ghosts!" Grim complained, you shurgged "I guess I slept alright."

"I am delighted to hear that you've adjusted so well, despite being sent to another world! Now, speaking of moving on, let us discuss your assignment for today." You mentally sighed did Crowley even come to check on your well being? or did he just come to deliver you the list of chores Grim and you had to do? The three of you moved down to the living room as Crowly listed what he wanted the both of you to do today, "Your job is to clean the campus. That said, the campus is vast, and without magic, it'd be quite a Herculean task to clean it all. Therefore, today I'll have you focus on the area spanning from the front gates to the library."

Dammit Crowley you're starting to wonder if this was even worth it, didn’t he have people or workers to do this for him? "Now Yuu... I do expect that you'll keep a close eye on Grim, lest he cause another incident like yesterday."

"Understood." You replied

"Do not fail me. You may take your lunch in the cafeteria. I eagerly await the fruits of your labor." With that being said Crowley finally leaves the dorm, "Hrmp. I ain't cleanin' nothin'! I'm here to study magic so i can be blastin' off spells left and right! Like BAM! POW! FWOOM!" You watched as Grim pretended to summon spells, you gently picked up Grim and placed him on the floor "After we clean, we can study in the library."

You watched as Grim pouted "Lets get going, the faster we clean up the faster we'll be done." After getting dressed you both set out to front gate where Crowley wanted the both of you to start, you saw seven statues some of them oddly looked creepy... "Wow, so this is Main Street, huh? This is increible! I didn't get to see much of it yesterday. What's the deal with these seven statues? All their faces look pretty scary." Grim slowly walked pass the statues studying each of them.

"Like, this lady here looks like she's got some reeal anger management issues." You looked over at statue which Grim was talking about and he defiently wasn't lying, she almost looked... smugged in a certain way. You were so focused on the statue that you didn't realize that someone walked up to you and Grim, "You don't know the Queen of Hearts?" You both quickly glanced over to the new voice, it was a boy on the right side of his face near his eye you saw a marking it almost looked like a heart shape... his hair brandishing a soft red color.

"Queen of Hearts? is she some kinda big deal?" Grim asked.

"She was a queen who lived in a mazelike garden of roses long, long ago. She was a strict woman who prized order above all... She wouldn't tolerate a rose being off-color or her playing-card soldiers being out of step. She basically ruled over a kingdom of madness, but not one of her subjects dared to defy her. You wanna know why? Because the punishment for breaking a rule was immediate decapitation!"

"wah! That is seriously messed up!" Grim said frightengly.

"Pretty cool, right? I'm a big fan. I mean, who would bother to obey a queen that was kind all the time?"

"Yeah, true. A leader needs to be strong. But puttin' that aside... who're you?" Grim asked, "Name's Ace. I'm a first-year student here, as of... today! Pleased to meetcha!" Ace smiled.

"I'm Grim! I'm a prodigy who's plannin' to be, like, the greatest mage who ever lived! That there's my far less interesting hench-human, Yuu." You glared at Grim as he said that.

"Yuu? huh, so the rumors are true you're a girl... Anyways your name has an odd ring to it, not in a bad way of course." Ace said givng you a warm smile "Thank you, it's nice to meet you."

"So tell me, Ace. Is that lion with a scar in the eye a famous ruler too?" Grim asked.

"Of course! That's the king of Beasts who ruled the savanna. But he wasn't born into the throne-he had to earn it through hard work and elaborate schemes. When he became king, he decreed that the hyenas would be pariahs no more, and should live among his subjects as equals."

Grim hummed "Sounds like a great guy! Not everyone's able to look past soical status like that. Who's the lady with the octopus legs?"

"The Sea Witch who lived in an underwater grotto. She basically devoted her life to helping troubled merfolk. If they were willing to pay the price, she'd help them change their apperance, find love, and etc. They said she was so good, there was no wish she couldn't grant. They also say the price was a tad steep though. But she was granting wishes! Of course it was!"

"So you're sayin' that once I'm a great mage, gettin' rich off folks will be a total cinch?! Do the dude with the big hat next!"

"That's the Sorcerer of the Sands. He was an advisor to a total dolt of a sultan. He was a smart guy. Really capable sort. He exposed this swindler once-some guy pretending to be a prince in order to trick the princess! After that, he got this magic lamp and became the greatest sorcerer in the world. Then, they say...he used that power to become sultan himself!"

"Wow! Guess it's true that a mage needs to be an excellent judge of character, huh? And what about this beauty over here?"

"She's a queen who was said to be the fairest in all the land. In fact, she used her magic mirror to check how she ranked on a daily basis! When it looked like her position was threanted, they say she'd do whatever it took to keep it. Can you even imagine the level of dedication it would require to keep a record like that? Also, they say she was a mster of making poisons!"

"Geez. She's pretty, but that sounds kinda scary..." Grim said.

"You think so? I gotta respect the hustle!"

"F-For sure... Sounds like she fought hard for what she believed in, and never gave up! After that one there, wuth the flaming head? Now THAT guy looks scary!"

"That's the King of the Underworld! Single-handedly ruling a kingdom packed with rambunctious spirits- that takes competence! He may look scary, but he was a straight shooter who worked tirelessly at a tough job he never asked for. I mean, this guy who was ordering Cerberus, the Hydra, and the Titans into battle for him."

Grimed hummed amused "Hmm. That IS something. To think he could have that much power and not let it go to his head!"

Grim turned his attention to the final statue "And that last one there, with the horns?"

"That's the Thorn Fairy who lived on a mystical mountain. She was noble and elegant, and a master of magic and curses-even by the standards of these seven! She commanded storms, covered the kingdom with thorns...she could use magic on a massive scale! She could even turn herself into a giant dragon."

"a dragon! What all monsters yearn to be!" Grim said in amazment at the Thorn Fairy.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ace said, you noticed his smile turn into a grin "Not like some piddling weasel." Grim let out a suprised squeak, that's when you hear Ace begin to laugh "I can't hold it back anymore!" he said as he continued to laugh "come on, you're the ones who turned orientation into such a fiasco, right? The one summoned by the Dark Mirror who can't even use magic, and the monster no one summonded at all. It took everything I had not to bust into laughter right in the middle of the ceremony!"

You noticed Grim become frustated by Ace "H-Hey! You don't gotta be a jerk about it!"

"So in the end, neither of you got admitted, and now you're janitors? SO lame!" You rolled your eyes at Ace before huffing at him "What are you a child? go take your pranks somewhere else."

"Says the one who was so clueless and didn't even know who the great seven are, not a single one of them! Maybe before you try getting into the academy again, you ought to take a second crack at kindergarten?" You decided not to pay attention to Ace anymore, he was just feeding on the anger expressions both you and Grim had.

Ace laughed again which made Grim boil over even more, "Grim breath just ignore him." You tried calming him down, you remembered what Crowley told you before about Grim being your responsibility "Anyway, just thought I'd tease you a bit. And man am I glad I did. It's been a blast! Unlike you, I actually have classes to get to, so I'll let you get back to picking up trash. Bye!" Ace began to walk away and you thought that would be the end, you should’ve known better.

"You ain't walkin' away from me! It's too late for that!" Grim suddenly used his fire to cut off Ace's path, Ace quickly took a step back "No one makes fun of Grim! Master of Fire! I'm gonna make that explodey-head of yours explode all over again!" Grim teased.

"Explodey-head?! You wanna throw down with me, shorty? You got some guts. You wanna talk hair, huh? I'm gonna shave you like a toy poodle!" Ace said as he glared at Grim, before you could shout at Grim to stop he summonded more of his fire "How do you like that?" Ace said as he got rid of Grim's fire using his wind magic, "H-hey! His magic winds are blowin' my fireballs off course! no fair!"

"Grim-" You tried calling out to him, but he didn't pay attention to you as he contuined to fight with Ace. Other students began to gather around wacthing them some of them even cheering on, you pinched the bridge of your nose there was no way to get to Grim when he was hot-headed.

"Awww...can't hit me with your little fireballs?" Ace teased Grim again, “Grr! You better believe I’m about to! Take that!” Grim kept summoning his fire but nothing was touching Ace as long as he used his wind magic, “pfft. All it takes is a little gust to—“

Ace pushed Grim’s fire to the side, but that’s when you saw it. Grim’s fire burning the Queen of Hearts statue in the process “Grim! Stop your fire is burning the statue!” You shouted, Grim and Ace suddenly stopped once you said that both of them shocked seeing the scorched statue.

“Oh no! Now the Queen of Hearts statue looks like it’s been flame-broiled!” Ace shouted looking the statue over

“That’s your fault for tryin’ to divert it! You shoulda just let it burn you to a crisp!”

“Who in their right mind would ever do that?!” Ace glared at Grim.

“What is going on here? Cease this at once!” Crowley’s voice rang out, making the three of you freeze.

“Oh no.. The Headmage!” Ace said as he looked nervous.

“No more lashings of love! We gotta get outta here!” Grim shouted, you suddenly heard a lash whip and Ace screaming painfully before hearing Grim scream next.

“I’m still sore from yesterday!” Grim shouted, you had to hold back from laughing as you watch the both of them painfully rub where Crowley hit them.

“As if the likes of you could ever flee from me!” Crowley said crossing his arms.

“Did I not just warn you, “no more incidents?” And now you’ve charred one of my statues?! It’s almost as though you WANT to be expelled!” Crowley sighed.

“No! Forgive me!” Ace said quickly apologizing.

Crowley turned his attention to you making you flinch “and you, Yuu. You were specifically told to keep Grim under control!” You bowed your head slightly “I’m sorry.”

“This will not do. And you! State your name and grade.” Crowley looked at Ace.

“Ace Trappola…Freshman.”

“Then listen well, Trappola. You too, Grim and Yuu. As punishment for today’s infractions, you are hereby ordered to wash a hundred windows!”

You sighed you really could not catch a break in this world “that’s what you get for makin’ fun of me! This is all your fault!” Grim scolded at Ace.

“What! I have to do it too?!”

“Of course you do. You will meet in the cafeteria after class. Are we clear?”

Ace sighed in defeat “yes sir.”

“Ugh I just can’t catch a break!” Grim complained, Ace walks off into the school and Crowley walks in an opposite direction. Leaving Grim and you alone, Grim slowly peeks over at you but doesn’t say a word.

He knows you’re angry you don’t have to even say anything but he can already sense your frustration with him, you begin to clean the front gate and Grim joins you. It’s quiet before finally Grim decides to speak up “Yuu… are you angry with me?”

You wanted to stay angry at him, but when you see his ears drop in sadness when you didn’t reply your anger softened. You reached down to him and gently cradled him in your arms, surprisingly he didn’t protest “Grim- I’m just frustrated… I know Ace was a jerk and he pissed me off too, but we have to be careful okay? So try to control your anger for now on.” You say before gently placing him down.

After cleaning the front of the gate and the library you both made your way to the cafeteria, even while completing your tasks you still had to clean the windows… “I’m already exhausted from a full day of cleanin’ I can’t believe we still gotta wash a hundred windows!”

“I know… but we gotta suck it up and just do it.” You say to Grim as you handed him a towel, “what’s buggin’ me is, Ace ain’t even here yet! To make us wait, after what he did… grr!”

“Maybe he’s just running late because of class…” you both waited… and waited….and waited until it was really late “And now he’s super late! I bet he up and bailed on us!” You groaned placing your towel on a nearby table “let’s go look for him then.”

“Let’s go! I ain’t doing his punishment for him! I don’t care if we gotta drag him kickin’ and screamin’ he’s washing those windows!” Grim said angrily, you nodded you both went to a freshman classroom to look for him.

“Hey! Ace! Get over here! Try to hide from me, will ya!” You both looked around the classroom and found no one “huh.. maybe there’s really no one here?”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that. I’m here.” You both looked at the painting before quickly stumbling back “That painting just talked!” Grim shouted “Yes and?… is a talking painting really such an oddity at this school?” The lady in the portrait on that wall talks too. As does the gentleman in the portrait on this one. As long as a painting has a mouth, why wouldn’t it be able to talk? Is that really so strange?”

“I mean… paintings usually don’t talk…” you said to him, “well, your “usual” and my “usual” clearly differ. Shall we agree to disagree on the matter? Now, you seem to be searching for someone.”

“We’re lookin’ for this guy called Ace. He’s got messy hair and a heart drawn on his face.” Grim informed the painting.

“Ah, I know the one. A new student, I believe? Today was his first day at school. I think he went back to his dorm a while ago.”

“Grr! So it’s true! He’s tryin’ to ditch us! Do you know which way he went?” Grim asked.

“The door to dorms is in the eastern building.”

“Let’s go chase after him, Yuu!” You knew this wasn’t going to end well, even after your talk with Grim about learning to control his anger he just seemed more pissed off by the second.

You and Grim made your way to the eastern building like the painting said, as the both of you got closer that’s when you saw Ace. “Aha! Gotcha punk!” Grim shouted as he started running to Ace, “they saw me!” Ace said nervously before he started running away from you and Grim.

“Stop right there, pal! No fair gettin’ a head start! Wait!”

“Who in their right mind would ever wait?! See ya!”

“No way are you gettin’ out of this! You think I WANNA wash windows?” You followed behind Grim chasing after Ace.

“Outta my way!” You heard Ace shout, that’s when you noticed there was another student in the building “Hey! What gives?!” He asked confused quickly moving out the way, watching Ace run by.

“Hey you!” You shouted making the boy turn his attention to you, “please stop him!”

“You want me to cast a spell to stop him?! Like, freeze his legs? or bind them with a rope? Or maybe I could… hmm.. no..”

“I don’t care how! Just do something! Anything!” Grim shouted.

“Anything?! Anything… huh… All right! Here goes anything! I summon thee…something heavy!…” Suddenly out of no where you watch a cauldron falls on top of Ace, “what?! A pot?!”

You and Grim stopped running and that’s when you heard Grim let out a belly laugh “Look, Yuu! Look! That Ace guy got crushed beneath a giant cauldron! It squashed him flat! That’s what you get!” Grim smirked.

“A giant cauldron?! I wasn’t expecting that… I may have overdone it this time…” the boy mumbled.

“Oww… What are you guys bothering me for? You guys coulda just banged out the work yourself!”

You frowned at Ace “dude there’s no “banging out.” A hundred windows! You heard the headmage we have to do it together besides remember YOU started it.”

“You have to wash a hundred windows as punishment? What the heck did you do?!” The other student asked, “I was just screwing around with that furball a little…” You, Grim and the other boy just stared at Ace waiting for him to explain further what he actually did “Okay! And the statue of the Queen of Hearts got a teeny bit charred. Sue me.”

“You damaged a statue of the Great seven?! No wonder he flew off the handle with you! After you managed to get into THIS school, how could you get in this trouble on the very first day?!”

Ace glared at him “Oh, shut up. Who are you anyways?”

“My name is Deuce. Deuce Spade. Don’t you remember your own classmate?”

“Uh… you don’t remember my name either.” Ace said quickly.

“That’s not the point! You shouldn’t try to shrink an order from the headmage!” Deuce scolded.

“Yeah, Yeah, message received… Fine, let’s bang out the windows already… huh?” Ace started looking around confused before looking at you.

You stared at him “what?…”

“The furball! He’s gone!” He shouted, you let out a groan as the three of you ran outside. You saw Grim already running ahead “I’ll let you two handle the rest! See you, suckers!”

“You caught me so YOU could run away yourself?! Yuu! Aren’t you going to stop him?!”

“Me?! I don’t have magic!” You shouted.

Ace sighed “hey! You there! Uh… juice?”

“My name isn’t juice! It’s Deuce! With a D!”

“This is partially your responsibility, you know! So help me catch that little furball!”

“How’s this my responsibility?!”

“Grim’s useless janitor friend can’t use magic. That means this is up to you and me!”

Of course Ace just had to take a jab at you, you watched as Deuce and Ace chased after Grim leaving you.

You truly had the worst luck ever, hopefully Crowley finds a way home for you soon. You’re not sure how long you can put up with Grim causing you trouble, you start running to Ace and Deuce to catch up with them.

The three of you run from the Main Street straight to the cafeteria caging Grim in, “argh stop jumping around like that!” Ace said annoyingly to Grim, but Grim only laughed “catch me if you can!” That’s when you saw Grim jump up on the school’s chandelier, “Grim! Get down from there!”

“No way! Don’t be giving me orders human!”

“No fair climbing onto the chandelier, you coward! I haven’t really learned flight magic yet… what could I summon to hold him?… hmm… “ you could hear Deuce mumble “oh! That’s it!”

“Did you come up with somethi— Hey! Stop! What are you doing?! Why are you pointing your pen at me?!” Ace looked over at you, but you didn’t know what to do either.

“Because I’m going to launch you.”

Oh, shit. “Wait Deuce—“ but he didn’t stop he casted a spell on Ace “are you kidding me?! Put me down!” You saw Ace begin to levitate off the ground “seriously do not launch me! Abort! ABORT!”

“Just make sure to grab him tight. I’ve got him in my sights, and… go!” You watch as Deuce threw Ace, Ace let out a scream as he was launched towards the chandelier.

When Grim saw Ace suddenly he let out a scream, that’s when you closed your eyes and looked away before hearing a loud crash. When you looked back you saw the chandelier on the ground broken, “oh no the chandelier!” You shouted.

You knew Crowley was going to be pissed off when he found out about this, you hear Ace let out fits of cough as dust scattered from the chandelier “I can’t believe you just did that!”

Grim lets out a groan “oh, right! I probably should’ve have come up with a way to soften your landing after you caught him..”

“You complete and total moron!” Ace shouted at Deuce as he got up and dusted off his uniform “we got Grim, but we broke the chandelier! If the headmage finds out about this—-“

“If I find out about… what, dear Ace.” Welp the four of you were dead….

“Ah! Headmage Crowley…!”

“YOU.THREE.AGAIN. What have you done this time?!” Crowley shouted as he stared at You, Ace and Grim.

“Everything’s spinning….” Grim groaned.

“Burning at statue wasn’t enough for you? Now you’ve destroyed a chandelier!? Enough. All of you are expelled.” Crowley stated.

“Whaaat!” Ace and Deuce shouted.

“Headmage, please! Give me a second chance! I can’t get expelled from this school! I need to be here!” Deuce said, “then blame yourself for your own foolish behavior.”

“I’ll pay for the damage! However much it costs!”

“That chandelier is no mere light fixture. It is a magical chandelier. Its candles are powered by a magical energy source, enchanted so that they will burn for eternity. It was created for us by a legendary artificer. Possibly their finest creation. It has been here since the school was established and I imagine it would be here forevermore. Considering its historical value, I would estimate its worth to be no less than a billion thaumarks. And you intend to repay that sum?” Crowley asked.

“A….A billion marks?!”

“B-but I’m sure with your magical talents, sir, you could snap your fingers and fix it right up!”

“Even magic has its limits. Furthermore, its magestone— the figurative heart of any magic artifact— is cracked. A magestone cannot be easily replaced, I fear the candles of this majestic chandelier will never burn again.”

Ace sighed “this is bad…”

“What am I going to do?!… how am I going to tell my mother?…”

You frowned looking at Ace and Deuce, you couldn’t help but feel like this was your fault if only you kept your eyes on Grim!

“Crowley where exactly can you find the magestones?” You asked.

Deuce and Ace looked at you shocked after you asked Crowley that question, “hm… well the magestones that powered this chandelier was mined from a dwarf’s mine. If you can acquire a magestone with the same properties, it may be possible to repair it.” Crowley informed.

“Then let us go find it.”

“I should caution you that I cannot promise there yet remain magestones to find. The mines were closed quite some time ago. It is quite likely that all of the magestones have already been mined.”

You shrugged “it wouldn’t hurt to look right?” You say glancing at Deuce and Ace.

“I will do anything to avoid expulsion, sir!”

Crowley hummed “Very well, then. I will suspend your expulsion for a single night. But if you fail to return with a magestone by morning, then all of you are expelled.”

“I understand, sir. Thank you very much for this opportunity!”

Ace sighed “Fine, then. Let’s hurry down there, find a stone and get this whole thing done with.”

“You should be able to reach the Dwarf’s Mine instantly by using one of the gates in the Mirror Chamber.”

The three of you nodded “Myah… where am I?!” Grim said quickly getting up, you huffed before picking him up by the scruff of his neck “MYAH?! YUU! Put me down!”

“What did we talk about last time?” Grim gulped, he’s never seen you upset “a-ah I’m sorry!” You sighed you would continue this discussion later with him, but for now it’s better to go help Ace and Deuce.

The four of you start walking to the Dark Mirror, at first it was quiet and awkward between you guys but that’s when Deuce spoke up. “Yuu right?… thank you for asking Crowley about the magestone.” Deuce said giving you a warm smile, you smiled politely back at him “well listen you guys went after Grim and tried capturing him… I think it was the best thing to do.”

Ace suddenly groaned “can you both stop flirting? Like seriously.” You and Deuce glared at him “we aren’t flirting it’s actually called being nice Ace.” You huffed at him, Ace didn’t argue and only mumbled whatever.

The four of you finally arrived at the Dark Mirror, “maaan… how did I end up in this mess? I swear, I have the worst luck.”

“We don’t have time to complain. Let’s go! Dark Mirror take us to the Dwarf’s Mine!”

The Dark Mirror started to glow first a soft white color before finally shining brightly, the four of you stepped through the Mirror arriving at the Dwarf’s mine. It was definitely abounded….there was a house but it didn’t seem like anyone lived inside it for years.

“So this is the Dwarf’s Mine… Long ago, this mine was flushed with magestones.”

“Myah.. who knows what lurks in there now?” Grim said as he hid behind your legs.

“Look, I can see a house. Let’s see what the people there have to say.” Ace pointed out, the four of you walked towards the cottage and slowly opening the door.

The house was scattered with cobwebs and dust, “hello?…. Is anyone home? Must be abounded.” Deuce said as he looked around “look how tiny these desks and chairs are. Did children live here? One, two… Seven! It’s like a clown car in here!”

“When the mine was flourishing, this house must have been a lively place.”

“Well, this isn’t getting us anywhere. If we’re gonna find a magestone, it’ll be inside the mine.” Ace pointed out, “let’s head inside and take a look.”

You guys ventured outside and saw a cave opening, a tree stuck on top of it as the roots grew on the sides of the cave.

“Y-You wanna go inside THERE? It’s pitch black!”

“What are you scared of the dark? Pathetic.” Ace said teasing Grim, “Myah! I’m not scared of anything! I’m taking the lead you all follow me!” Grim said as he rushed inside the cave, as you followed behind Grim you could see different mining supplies.

“Huh? Hold up!” Shouted Deuce making Grim, Ace and you freeze suddenly.

“What now?”

“There’s something there!”

That’s when two ghost suddenly appeared making Grim shriek, “visitors! The first in ten years!” “Do make yourself at home… you can stay forever!”

“Myah! Gh-gh-ghost!” Grim shrieks as he quickly hides behind you, “ghosts are about the last thing we need right now! Let’s give those ghosts the slip and run for it! Follow my lead!” Deuce grabs a hold of you arm and pulls you to the front of the group, “Deuce?!”

“Yuu lead the group! If the ghost get too close Grim, Ace and I can hold them off.”

You nodded and started running.

“Myah! These ghosts are still hot on our trail!” Grim complained “keep moving!” Ace shouted you didn’t look back, but you could hear them using their magic to keep the ghosts away.

You started to hear something else deep in the mines, you came to sudden stop as Grim crashed into your legs and Deuce and Ace quickly brushing past by you as to not run you over. “Yuu! Why are you stopping?” Ace asked, “I hear something.. look.”

Ace looked ahead and saw more ghost gathered he sighed in frustration “more ghosts?! They’re floating around here too!”

“If we stop and fight, we’ll never get anywhere. Let’s just keep moving.” Deuce suggested.

“Sure, but don’t act like we voted you team leader. The only reason we’re here in the first place is because of that stupid stunt you pulled.”

Deuce frowned at Ace “oh? I’m pretty sure this is all because you tried to shrink your window-cleaning punishment!”

“So we’re bringing up ancient history now? Then if you wanna get down to brass tracks, this all started when furball torched that statue!” Ace shouted.

“Myah!? Maybe you shouldn’t made fun of me, then!” Grim quickly defended himself.

“Guys! We’re in real hot water, remember?! If we don’t come back with a magestone by morning, we’re all being expelled!”

“Yeah, which is why we don’t need you ordering the rest of us around. It gets old fast.” Ace complained.

That’s when you suddenly hear a low deep rumble while the rest of them were still busy arguing it sounded like it was starting to get closer… “shh! Did you guys hear that?” Ace, Deuce and Grim finally stayed quiet and listened.

That’s when you heard the voice again more clearly it didn’t sound like it was making sense either, “w-where’s that coming from?” Ace asked and again the voice spoke unclear of what it wanted or was saying.

“Sounds like…it’s getting closer….”

That’s when the creature finally appeared it oversized Ace and Deuce, black liquid dripped from its head. The creature shouted again but this time you understood it, it was protecting the magestone.

“There is it!” Ace, Deuce and Grim screamed. Ace grabbed your arm and quickly pulled you to run with them, “what was that?!” “No one said there’d be monsters! Let’s get outta here!” Grim cried.

“That thing is super creepy! But didn’t it just say something about “stones?”

“Wait what?”

Again the creature spoke, Ace was right.

“So there ARE still magestones here!”

“Myah! Even as a master sorcerer, I… I don’t think I can take that thing down!” Grim mumbles frighteningly.

“But we need a magestone or we’ll get expelled! I’m going in!”

“Are you outta your mind?!”

“Deuce wait!” You tried grabbing a hold of his arm, “I won’t be expelled! No matter what!”

You stared at Ace with concern as you both watch Deuce attack the creature, but even with his determination the creature ends up throwing Deuce aside “aw, crap! He’s got Loosey-Deucey on the ropes! Not on my watch!” Ace uses his wind magic on the monster but it has no affect on it.

The creature throws Ace away and that’s when it sets its sight on Grim “Myah! Stay away from me!” Grim shouted using his fire but nothing was working “it’s like nothing even hurts it!” Grim shrieks.

Suddenly you see something sparkle behind it “did you guys see that?!”

“Could that have been a magestone?!”

The creature roars angrily again refusing to let you guys take the magestone.

“Yuu! we need to book it, and fast! That thing’s gonna pound us into tuna paste!”

You nodded and grabbed Grim “Ace! Deuce! Let’s retreat for now! We need to come up with a plan!” You all rush out of the cave and safely outside, you set Grim down and sighed.

“This should be far enough, I think?”

“Oww… what was that thing? No one said there’d be anything like that!”

“That was no normal ghost, that’s for sure.”

Ace sighed “let’s just give up and go home, I’ll happily take the expulsion if it means never having to fight that thing again.”

“What?! No way, not happening! I’d rather die than get expelled from Night Raven! How can you give up when the stone is right there?”

Ace scoffed at Deuce “pfft. Big talk from someone who’s not even half the mage I am. You want that stone so bad, go get it yourself. I’m out.”

“Oh YEAH?! Fine, go back to your coop, you big chicken!”

“Whaaat?! Who’re you callin’ chicken, huh?!”

“Whoa, Deuce… is it just me, or did you like, turn into a totally different person just now?”

Grim said, Deuce realized what Grim meant and suddenly coughed “Sorry… Lost my cool for a second there… Sorry Yuu.”

You cocked your head to the side “why are you apologizing to me?”

“Because! It’s not gentlemen like for me to get this upset…”

You shrugged “don’t worry about it, you’re just… frustrated and rightfully so… what do we do now?”

“Can’t you guys just blow that thing up with magic?” Grim asked.

“Using magic at a greater scale, or using different types of magic— those things require training.”

“Yeah that’s why magic academies exist. It takes a lot of training before you can snap your fingers and turn your thoughts into magic and the more flustered you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes.”

You hummed “oh I’d assumed spell casting just came naturally.”

“Nope, although if the magic’s your specialty, you can use it more intuitively.”

“Heh, you’re actually pretty smart Ace.”

“Y-You!”

“Anyways, we need to find some way to defeat that creature and get the magestone.” Deuce said.

“Yeaaaah. Just like the time with the chandelier, right? You “found some way” and now here we are. We just fought that thing and it creamed us. So what exactly is your plan here, genius? Because I sure don’t trust you to improvise.”

“What?! You’re the one—“

You seriously couldn’t handle them fighting anymore, Grim could tell by your face that you already had enough “can you two just knock it off already?!” You shouted both Ace and Deuce stopped and stared at you in shock.

“Yuu finally snapped..” Grim mumbled.

“You said it yourself— we can’t hurt that thing.”

“But…But what are we going to do, then?!”

“What if we all just worked together?” You suggested.

“Work together? Is that some kinda joke? You always say the lamest things with the straightest face, yuu.”

“Agreed. No way could I work together with him.” Deuce said shooting a glare at Ace.

“Yeah… but gettin’ expelled on the first day… that’s pretty lame too.. maybe even lamer.”

“W-Well…”

Deuce sighed realizing Grim had a point.

“I actually did have this one idea… unless I’m too “lame” for that.” You said cheekily at Ace.

“Gah… fine. Let’s just get this over with, then. Alright Yuu, what do you need us to do?”

You start to lay out the plan on how to attack the creature, halfway you could see Ace and Deuce look at you In amazement. “Yuu, that actually isn’t a bad idea! I think it can work.” Deuce said confidently, “thanks Deuce, let’s all get into position then.”

You four return back to the cave determined to get the magestone, “Yuu… is this plan of yours really gonna work? I’m scar- I mean, I’m a little… uh, hungry.”

You nodded “I’m confident this can work.”

“It really could. Let’s go, Yuu!” Deuce said supporting you.

Grim positioned himself in front of the cave, he looked at you nervously but you gave him a confident nod “H-Hey, monster! I’m, uh… over here! You see the monster emerge out of the cave angrily, “he’s comin’ our way, Yuu!”

You got into your position hoping Ace and Deuce were both ready as well, “hey! Over here!” You shouted at it, the monster took a quick swing at you but fortunately you were able to dodge it “eep! If it lands one of those punches, we’re toast!”

“Let’s lure him as far from the cave as we can!” Grim nodded as he followed your lead he helped you lure the monster further away,“we got him a good distance away from the mine!” Grim shouted.

“Ace! Deuce! We’re counting on you!”

“You bet, I got this! One extra-large gust of wind, comin’ up!”

“With a side of Grim’s blazin’-hot fire!” Grim’s fire grew as it collided with Ace’s wind magic, the monster shrieked “how’s that taste?! With my winds fanning them, even Grim’s feeble flames can become an inferno.”

“Whaddaya mean “feeble?!” Ya really don’t know how to shut yer mouth, do ya?!”

“Now’s our chance!” It was up to Deuce to deliver the final blow, “just stay calm, aim carefully… and pull out the biggest, heaviest thing I can think of… Get ‘em cauldron!” Deuce summoned a cauldron making it fall on top of the monster “nailed it! The plan is workin! Look, Yuu! That monster got smashed flat by a falling cauldron, just like Ace did!”

Ace quickly glares at Grim “Coulda done without the reminder, thanks! This has been one drag after another.” He sighs.

Deuce quickly rejoins the group after seeing the monster wasn’t able to get up “Quick! While it’s distracted, we need to get that magestone!”

You guys quickly run inside the cave to find the magestone, that’s when you see it laying on the floor. The colors were a mixture of red, green and blue. “Got it!” You said picking it up and handing it to Deuce, you hear the monster roar as he started to wiggle out underneath the giant cauldron.

“Uh-oh! Looks like it’s nearly wiggled free!”

“Hey, Deuce! You gotta add more weight!”

“Y-You mean something heavier?”

You heard Deuce stuttering trying to come up with something, “Uh… I summon thee, cauldron!” You watched as cauldron appeared falling on top of the monster “And also, uh…Um.. Another cauldron!” Another fell, “And a cauldron on top of that! All the cauldrons!” The monster seemed to shrink underneath the weight of the cauldrons.

“Is that the only thing you know how to summon?!” Ace questioned.

“Pipe down, already! I’m worked up enough as it is!” Deuce snapped back.

Grim quickly threw a fireball at the monster “we got the magestone! Now let’s get outta here!”

“Roger that!”

You guys quickly ran out of the cave leaving the monster to roar furiously, it quickly shoved off the cauldrons and raced after you guys.

Ace looked behind him and saw the monster closing in “are you kiddin’ me?! It’s still coming! It pushed off all that weight!”

“Yuu! Don’t fall behind!” Grim shouted, “D-Don’t make me nervous Grim!”

You guys continued to run, but it seemed like outrunning it wasn’t the best option. “It’s too fast! It’s about to catch us!” Deuce warned.

“Y-You guys weakened it! If you guys were able to strike now!…”

“Aw, fine! Let’s just smash the thing! Try not to wet yourself, Deucey!” Ace pointed his magic pen at the monster.

“Same to you, Ace!” Deuce stood next to Ace and took out his magical pen.

“I’m gonna show you why they call me Grim the Great!”

“Yuu, make sure you keep your distance.” Ace warned, you nodded.

You saw as Ace and Deuce finally worked together as a team… honestly you felt a little proud of them! Grim was also standing his ground and not backing down, Ace continued to mix his wind magic with Grim’s fire. Deuce was the one who delivered the last blow to the monster making it finally fall down, all of you stood still cautiously waiting for the monster to get back up. Yet it didn’t you finally felt like you could breathe calmly.

“Is it… over?”

“I think.. we won? We did it!” Grim cheered.

“All right!” Deuce shouted happily.

“Yes!”

“Gimme a victory high-five!” Grim, Ace and Deuce came closer to you to include you in, you smiled “We’re all really good friends, hm?”

“I don’t think that had anything to do with it.” Deuce was quick to turn down that notion “Yeah! Spare us the cliches, Yuu.” “There’s no “together” here! We won ‘cause of me! This is all from me bein’ a magical genius!” You rolled your eyes at them, “be honest at least!”

“Y’know… I hate to admit it, but.. we mostly won because of your plan, Yuu.”

“Yeah… if you hadn’t managed to keep your cool and tell us what to do, we never would have got this magestone.”

You smiled at them, “well… I’m just glad it worked out for you guys in the end!”

Deuce nodded “now I won’t get expelled, and wow is THAT a relief!”

“I’m just glad you guys are okay, you three almost gave me a fright when I saw that monster punch you guys.”

Ace sighed “yeah, yeah, lessons were learned, et cetera. Can we just go home already? I’m wiped.”

“Usin’ all that magic made me hungry!” Grim complained “huh? What’s that?” You noticed a black stone on the ground “is that a part of the monster we just beat?”

Deuce examined it more closely “it looks like… a magestone? But it’s black as coal! I’ve never seen one like that before.” Grim got closer to look at it, you saw his nose twitch as he sniffed it “what IS this? It smells amazing!”

“Are you insane?!”

“Must be some kinda fancy monster candy that it was hidin’ from us! If this tastes half as good as it smells…” Grim picked up the stone and suddenly chomped down on it, “Grim no!” You picked him up and tried to see if you could take it away from him, but it was too late it was already gone.

“MYAH?!” You flinched as you heard Grim make a weird noise.

“Are you okay?!” Deuce asked.

“That’s what you get for eating trash!”

“Ohhh… that was… AMAZING!” Grim cheered in your arms, you looked over at Deuce and Ace confused and they only stared at you confused as well.

“Rich in favor and full-bodied… Like sweet, fragrant flowers burstin into bloom on my tongue. A whole field of ‘em! Right in my mouth!”

Ace gaged “Gross. Monsters must have real weird tastes.”

“You might be onto something there… Most humans don’t take random stuff they find on the ground and just pop it into their mouths.”

You sighed and placed Grim back down on the floor “Grim, this better not get you sick in the future you hear me?” You scolded but of course Grim wasn’t paying attention and went on about the flavors again.

“Don’t worry about me. I don’t got a weak stomach like you humans do.”

“Hmph. We’ll see if you’re so smug when you’re sick later tonight.”

“Okay, let’s pull ourselves together. We need to get this magestone to the headmage.”

The four of you made it back to the Dark Mirror, you realized the mood felt much more different around Ace and Deuce. Last time it felt rather awkward, but now this time it almost felt comforting…

Back at the school you guys saw Crowley already waiting for you guys, when Deuce handed him the magestone Crowley looked shocked…

“Pardon?! You’re telling me you actually went to the Dwarf’s Mine in search of a magestone?” Crowley asked.

The four of you stared at him confused then at each other “uh… yes?”

“I didn’t expect that you’d seriously do it. And never in my wildest imaginings did I think you would actually return with a magestone! And here I spent all evenings preparing your expulsion documents.”

“Are you serious?! While we were fightin’ some crazy monster for you, you were expelling us?!” Grim grumbles.

“Monster”…? Crowley asked.

“Yeah. There was a monster, all right. A big, nasty one. It nearly killed us!”

“Would you kindly relate this story in full?”

“It’s going be a long one…”

“Please follow me to my office then, I have time to spare.”

You guys follow Crowley to his office and start to explain to Crowley about the monster you fought, Crowley only listened and nodded sometimes.

“Hmm… So a mysterious monster was living in the mines. And the four of you worked together to destroy it, and then brought its magestone back to me?” Crowley questioned. “I don’t know that I’d call it “working together.” Ace mumbles.

“It was more like we just happened to share the same goal at the same time…”

You rolled your eyes “don’t listen to them, we did work together they just don’t want to admit it.”

“Oh gracious… ohh… ohhh…” Crowley starts to cry before full on sobbing in front of you guys.

“What is this guy’s deal?! Bustin’ into tears in public?! At his age?!” Grim whispers.

“In all the decades I’ve worked at this school…the day has finally come when the students of Night Raven College have joined hands together to defeat a common foe!”

“Whoa! No! No way would I join hands with that guy!” Deuce quickly says.

“Okay, one, there was no joining of hands. Gross. And two, exactly HOW old are you, headmage?!”

Crowley ignores answering Ace’s question, “At this moment, I am moved beyond words. This incident has proven my hopes were justified. Yuu, my doubts are allayed! For you… you possess the talents of a beast tamer!”

Your jaw dropped “beasttamer?!”

“My students have all been selected by the Dark Mirror for their exceptional talent and potential. But great talent begets great pride and big egos. Most are so self-reliant and self-centered that they never even consider cooperating with others.” Crowley explains.

“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.” Grim mumbles.

“But you, Yuu possess no magic. Yet in spite of that— or perhaps because of it— you were able to convince those who CAN use magic to work together for a common goal. The everyday, humdrum mundanity you possess may be exactly what Night Raven needs!”

“But… none of those words are good things?”

“Yuu… I am convinced that people like you are necessary for the future of this school. My educator’s institution tells me so, Trappola, Spade—I hereby revoke your pending expulsions! Furthermore, Yuu… I am granting you the qualifications necessary to attend school at Night Raven College!”

“What?!” Ace, Deuce and Grim shout.

You stood there shocked at Crowley’s notion, “You… remember that I can’t use magic, right?” You said reminding Crowley, “I remembered that’s why, Grim your actions today have made it clear that you possess sufficient talent to become a mage. In light of the total sum of your respective circumstances, you and Yuu will share a single enrollment at Night Raven College.”

“Myah! I…I’ll get to go to this school…? As an actual student? Not a janitor?!” He asked.

“Correct. However! There must be no further incidents like the one that occurred today. Are we clear?”

“Myah..Myah… Yuu, I…I finally…”

You smiled at Grim happily “Grim! I’m so happy for you!”

“I finally did it!” Grim exclaimed happily.

“Accordingly, I will now present to Grim the magestone that is issued to every student here.”

The magestone that Deuce turned in to Crowley suddenly appeared on Grim’s neck it was a soft purple color, “heh! A magestone, eh?!”

“It is typically attached to the “magical pen” that each student uses. But I suspect your paws cannot handle implements, therefore I have a custom solution for you. Is it possible that I am, in fact, too kind?”

“Ah, sweet! I look awesome! A magestone collar to be worn only by the legendary archmage, Grim!” Grim cheered in a cheerful mood.

“You’re not listening to anything I say, are you? Yuu, as you can plainly see, Grim remains oblivious to the customs of human society. You are to keep a tight rein on Grim, and ensure there are no further incidents!” Crowley informs you.

“Wow, that’s quite the promotion. From janitor to student to prefect, all in the span of a day.”

“Oh, I see. So if your dorm is just you two… and the headmage is putting you in charge of Grim, that makes you.. the dorm prefect.”

“Well, that’s gotta be a Night Raven first! A magic-less prefect? But sure, why not? Whatever works!”

You smiled at Deuce and Ace before looking at Crowley, “I’ll do my best!” You cheered.

Ace chuckles “Good luck to you, magic-less prefect.”

“Ah, yes. I suppose that does make you a prefect. I just so happen to have a job for you, and that title will make it all the easier to foist…er, I mean, congratulations!” Crowley goes to his desk and pulls something out, “now, I have something for you. This is called a ghost camera.”

You stare at Crowley confused “ghost?” You asked tilting your head to the side, “oh, my grandma’s told me about those. Those are like super old magic item, right?” Ace asked.

“I would hardly consider them “super old…” ahem. But it may indeed have been invented when your great or great-great-grandmother was a child. It’s a camera enchanted with a special kind of magic. It enables the user to photograph not just the subject’s physical form, but parts of their soul itself.”

“Wait that sounds… sketchy.” Deuce said.

“They’re called Memories. Here’s the thing: when the soulbond between photographer and subject deepens… The Memories captured in this magical camera’s photos come jumping out!” Crowley hands you the camera and you examine it carefully.

“Soulbond?” You asked.

“When the photographer and subject grow closer, their photographs grow animated like videos…and sometimes the photographs take on corporeal form and slip out. Is that not what you youths would call “wicked keen”?

You cringe at Crowley trying to say those words, “that almost sounds like ghost photography!”

“Very astute. Hence the name “ghost camera.” I understand it was developed as a more vivid way to capture moments in time, in an age before videos were a thing. As Spade observed, in days of yore, when people saw Memories jumping out of photos, they would get spooked and yell, “Ghost!” I’ve heard many people who were deathly scared of being photographed by such a camera.”

“This tech sounds like way more trouble than it’s worth.” Ace sighed, “Yuu. I would like you to photograph Grim and the other students with this camera, and make a record of your campus life.”

Grim sang a cheery rhyme “sounds like the perfect way to immortalize all my finest moments!”

“Ahem.. make especially certain to capture the mischief caused by certain students who struggle with impulse control. Keeping a photographic journal sounds far less tedious than writing me lengthy reports, wouldn’t you agree? As a prefect, consider it your duty to maintain a sharp eye on your surroundings and record them. Note how generous I’m being in providing a rare magical item that even someone like yourself can use. Is my kindness not beyond all reckoning?”

You held yourself back from replying back to him sarcastically “thank you, sir.” “The hour has grown late, so further details shall have to wait till the morrow. You are all dismissed. Return to your dorms.”

“Good night, sir.”

You all leave his office, and exit into the hallway. “Phew… we managed to avoid expulsion. That was a close one!” Deuce sighed, “Yeah, no kidding!”

“La la la! I’m a student at Night Raven College! I’m gonna be the top mage on campus in no time. Enjoy eating my dust, boys!” Grim smirked.

“Big words for a sentient pile of lint who’s literally only half a student. Still.. good for you.”

“I guess we’re schoolmates now. Grim, Yuu— welcome to Night Raven.”

You smiled a Deuce “the pleasure is all mine.”

“Okay, seriously, can we quit it with that stuff?” Ace groaned.

“Heh. We’ll be seeing each other all the time now. We’ll see what a pleasure that turns out to be. Especially you, Ace, since we’re in the same dorm.”

“Yeaaah, can’t say I’m jazzed to see your smug, self-important scowl every day.”

Deuce glares at Ace “better than your lazy, dopey grin.”

“Keep bawling, crybaby. I haven’t forgotten how you almost wept when he said you were expelled. Catch ya later, Yuu.”

You chuckled hearing them continue to bicker back and forth.

“Man, those two are made for each other. Maybe they’re the type who bond through squabblin.” Grim says as he watched them walk away, “well good thing we’re not like that huh Grim.”

“Yup! Anyways, Yuu. Let’s get back to the dorm! Tomorrow when we wake up, it won’t be as janitors. Finally, finally… my glorious education as a proper Night Raven College student is about to begin!”

You smiled at Grim’s excitement as you both walked back to the dorm you wondered how life was going to be now, Crowley never mentioned if he found a way for you to return home yet. At first you were afraid but now… you had Grim, Ace and Deuce… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad here until you found your way back home.

Once Deuce and Ace were out of view from you, Ace bumped into Deuce’s shoulder “you liked her didn’t you? Yuu?” Ace teased. Deuce face quickly became red “N-No! I just… admire her in some way..” “admire?” Ace asked confused.

“Y-Yeah! I mean… she doesn’t have anyone or even magic and yet she came through for us even when she didn’t have to.”

Ace hummed in agreement.

“And who knows since we’ll see her and Grim more often now maybe… they’ll become great friends to us?”

Ace chuckled “maybe, for the first time you’re actually right.”

Back at the dorm you and Grim drift off to sleep, ready for the next day when you two officially begin as students.

[awritesthings1]

Silent Night

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Reader

Summary: Set the Christmas before World War 1, Tommy and you share a special moment on the front steps of Watery Lane.

ao3 link

-

“Merry Christmas, Tom.”

The words were swept away by the shrill cry of the wind battering the powerlines above Watery Lane. Together, you sat nestled beneath a faint porch light as the snow blanketed the streets of Small Heath. Tommy leaned into your back, and you snuggled into his chest, with both his legs bracketing you in. The stars—which were hard to make out by how heavy the snow fell—vacated the sky for incandescent streetlights.

Tommy squeezed his arms around you in response, which were locked around your shoulders and clasped at your chest. His warm breath tickled the hairs on your neck. You involuntarily shivered, although he mistook it for the cold, pressing a firm kiss to your pulse. Your back curled delightfully into the warmth of his body and overcoat.

The only Christmas lights you would get to see in 1913 were candles perched on windowsills and streetlights that faded in and out depending on how hard the snow fell. None of it mattered, though. You survived another year in Birmingham, which was enough to be grateful for. Your body hummed lowly like a cat, purring as you admired the stark white flakes falling a breath away from your boots. Tommy’s eyelashes brushed against your skin as he shielded them in the valley of your neck and shoulder.

Muffled music played through the walls across the street. Silhouettes danced through the windowpanes, back and forth, around and forward.

For Christmas, Tommy gifted you a long, soft, red scarf. You wore it around your neck, but it hung loosely due to Tommy’s insistent nose nudging it down. The side that draped over your lap, you used to wrap around your hands like mittens for warmth.

“We should get back,” you whispered behind heavy eyelids.

Tommy hummed into your neck but didn’t make any further movement. You couldn’t blame him either. The period leading up to the holiday season was nothing short of exhausting. Polly needed to gather enough food to feed the mouths around the table, Tommy needed to find small gifts for everyone to open, and Arthur needed to win enough bets to pay for firewood. And you? You tried to shrink beneath the floorboards to feel like less of a burden because you were left under Polly’s care five Christmases ago by your father, who had decided to pack up his things and move across the pond for better job opportunities. He promised to send money back to Polly to pay for your needs, but she was still waiting on the first payment all these years later.

You shifted into Tommy’s embrace, turning around so that you could peck him on the lips. Cheekily, he held the back of your neck and kissed you back more eagerly. You couldn’t help the smile that formed at his sudden passion, but you pulled away nonetheless, not wanting to be caught sucking face on the front doorsteps by any of the Shelby family members or by passersby. When you drew back enough to see his face, you saw the way his eyelids blinked low and slow. The blue in his eyes was frozen into a dull gray, like how you imagined a translucent ghost might be.

You brushed the longer part of his hair back and felt his temperature with the back of your hand. He was burning up, despite the cold weather.

“Let’s go inside, Tom." You smiled gently, briefly letting your nose press into his collar for warmth as you hugged him.

He grumbled something unintelligible, but let you pull him to his feet. Instinctively, his hand went to the small of your back as you both shuffled inside, where the smell of Polly’s Christmas mince pies greeted you. By the time you were wrapped up in a blanket and cuddled together in front of the fire, the pies were still warm, and the magic of Christmas still remained. The night went on; Arthur told some amusing stories to Ada and John; Finn fell asleep on the floor; and Polly carefully slipped a cushion beneath his head. And even if nothing terribly remarkable happened, the Christmas of 1913 wormed its way into your heart, where it would remain for many years to come.

-

A/N: I have a longfic ready to publish but I'm holding it hostage because I don't want it to get lost in the holiday fics lol. Also I have a tag list so leave a comment if you want to be tagged in any new Tommy fics I write :)

Taglist: @fairytale07 , @ilovepeoplesdads , @goblinjnr , @maliceofwonderland .

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Re: the previous anon asking about ramshackle, my personal hc is that it used to be the staff's dorm (I could be completely wrong, I haven't read the early books in a while). Then, when Crowley took over from the previous headmaster, he didn't hire any new staff and instead let the non-teaching current staff retire/quit/otherwise leave their positions and then employed ghosts (since they don't really need a place to "live" (ba dum tss)), and left Ramshackle to fall into disrepair. Whether or not these ghosts were the old staff or were just looking for jobs is up in the air (and also opens a whole can of worms about ghost economics, but I'm not willing to get into that here) For some reason he still hires living teachers and Sam, but I'm not sure if we ever get any details on where they live during the school year.

[Referencing this post!]

I went back into the prologue to check! The dialogue seems to suggest that Ramshackle used to house students. The Ramshackle Ghosts mention that people used to live there, then Crowley tells us "the ghosts scared away all the students." (Note that Crowley does not say “the ghosts scared away all the students AND staff.”) Thinking about it, staff lived at Ramshackle, well... it might be a little strange to have students visit them at their living quarters instead of in the classroom or their offices if they need academic assistance. Most likely Ramshackle served a similar function as the other dorms: student housing.

As for where staff stay… There was one line dropped by Crowley in the second Halloween event which implies the (current) staff may live off campus. I talked about it in this post!

We’re not sure exactly how long Crowley has been headmaster for or when Ramshackle exactly fell into ruin 🤔 I wonder if the main story (or extra materials/content) will cover that… We don’t even know if there was even a previous headmaster or if Crowley was just always the headmaster. From how he speaks (ie being salty at the 99 lose streak to RSA and honoring Lilia’s invite to NRC despite being hundreds of years later), it feels like Crowley has been in charge for a long ass time. It could be that he’s honoring his predecessor’s legacy or wishes, but he seems to personally be making the shots or reacting in a way that’s quite emotionally invested for someone who is newly taking up the mantle.

Mmmm, I wonder if it’s really as simple as Crowley letting the current staff go…? I’d imagine most can’t afford to quit their job or retire on the spot (unless he incentivized them to leave with a generous severance package). I do think employing ghosts in the place of living people to do odd jobs may be more cost effective though, seeing as ghosts have far fewer living expenses than the living. (No need for housing, food, most material possessions, etc.). Crowley could thus justify paying them less/j Although… This is also most likely an efficient way for the devs to reuse assets and not have to design unique characters or more mobs to fulfill the roles of odd job NPCs.

There is lore which states that ghosts are attracted to areas that are concentrated with magical energy, which may explain why NRC has so many ghosts lurking around. I wonder if Crowley just happened to notice all the ghosts lurking on campus (rather than actively seeking them out) and wanted to give them something fulfilling to do with their time, hence the jobs. (Do ghosts even have a need for employment or money when they don’t really have physical demands??? What would they even buy with their earnings, if they’re being compensated at all?) Some ghosts, like the ones that work in the cafeteria, seem to be brought in from the outside to serve more specific roles (ie as Master Chef/Culinary Crucibles instructors and cafeteria staff). The Ramshackle Ghosts though… I’m not sure about their origins?

So the Ramshackle Ghosts have taken up residence in the dormitory, but we don’t have much in the way of their history. It could be that they were random ghosts that migrated to NRC due to its magical draw?? Other unrelated ghosts seem to have been drawn to Ramshackle in the past (such as Eliza and her ghostly entourage in Ghost Marriage). Some have theorized the Ramshackle Ghosts are dead students, but the closest thing we get to proof of that is a line from book 2. One of the Ramshackle Ghosts says that he was a star magift/spelldrive player when he was alive—but this does not inherently imply he was a student, since the sport is very popular and widely played by mages, student or not.

There’s still so many mysteries wrapped up in Ramshackle… 🔍

[apho-sappho]

I heard that you know things about Cadence of Hyrule. Please yap about it for me. I need to know the plot and everything for research. Thank u :]

Ah, I love my job

CADENCE OF HYRULE !!!!!!!! I LOVE this game

PLOT/GAMEPLAY (contains spoilers)

Edit: Why did I lowkey make a whole guide

So, it starts off with Cadence, who's from the Necrodancer games. It has a little cutscene, where we get to see that Octavo, the villain, put the king, Zelda, and Link to sleep.

Cadence falls out of the sky into a strange little clearing, where she meets Trill, a fairy who's very accepting of Cadence's situation. She goes into a building, where Trill explains that everyone has to move to the beat of the music. (When all enemies on the tile die, the music stops/gets quieter)

They find a weird little cloud room where Trill comments that her friends are inside portals. Now, this is where you get a choice, you can either wake up (and therefore play as) Link or Zelda. It doesn't change much if you pick one over the other.

I typically play as Zelda, and that's the route my Cadence of Hyrule Link (Lute) has. If you choose Zelda, she wakes up using the power of the Triforce. Cadence then leaves. Impa is in her room, and Impa explains that she can't fight while the beat is like that.

Zelda escapes Hyrule castle, but she has to fight a guard with her dagger. Hyrule Castle is always in the direct 4 middle tiles on the map.

(There's also a Deku Scrub in the Hyrule Castle hallway too? For some reason? Aggressive, not friendly)

(If you choose Link, he wake up at his house. His house is always on the second to bottom row, the one below it is always a beach I believe.)

Trill tells you that Octavo has sealed off the castle, and there's 4 champions scattered along the lands you have to defeat

It's very much an open world game. The tiles randomly generate, changing where everything is (unless you use a seed)

So, after this, you have a couple options.

Go to Kakariko Village, where Dampe tells you that someone was found at the edge of the village, asleep. They're currently in the house, and they're the other one you didn't choose, so in most of my playthroughs its Link. You can push a grave in the graveyard, where you get to a crypt. You fight through the crypt to get to the boss room, where the Shadow version of the asleep person is. When you defeat them, you get a Hibiscus potion, which wakes up the sleeping beauty.

Go to Lake Hylia. There, you find that there's a frozen island in the lake. Next to the island, on the land, there's a cave, and when you go in, you find that the Prince of the River Zora is asleep, and there's a bunch of ghosts. If you talk to them, most will have the dialogue "...", but one tells you that, quote, "The Prince belongs to us now. Don't worry, we'll keep him safe! Wwee hee hee!". If you bomb that ghost, a wraith will appear and all the other ghosts will disappear. When you kill the wraith, the Prince will wake up and thank you, giving you flippers, which let you swim to get to the Frozen Grotto, a dungeon. When you do the dungeon and find the boss key, you go to a room where Octavo appears, where Octavo tells you to chill or something, I can't remember what exactly he says. He gets an Oboe, filling it with magic thanks to the Golden Lute. Then, you fight the Wizzroboe, an absolutely ADORABLE boss who controls ice

3. Go to Gerudo Village. There, you find that a woman named Barriara, the leader of the village, is cursed to be asleep, and you play a jaunty little tune using these giant notes (Gerudo Valley btw) to wake her up, where she tells you that Octavo put her asleep. She asks you to stop the mischief in the ruins. If you go into the house she guards, you meet the young Prince Ganondorf, who speaks of a power in music. When you check out the ruins, you find that there's a woman who'll lower the bridge if you give her 3 gears, which you can find around. I have never done that and instead I get the goron necklace from the bomb merchant, which, in combination with the flippers, allows you to swim in lava (one of my fave things in the game). Here, you have to fight the Bass Guitarmos Knights and its backup dancers, which controls fire

4. Go to Death Mountain, where you find the Temple of Storms. But, before you can get there, you have to visit the Kakariko Windmill Hut, where you have to wake up the couple who works there, who gives you the 'down thrust', which allows you to step on the heads and kill the enemies below you. Then, you go to the Temple of Storms, where you find the Gleeokenspiel, my ult fave, who controls lightning

5. Go to the Lost Woods, where you have to pay attention to the colors of the monsters and go through certain paths, then defeat a lynel to get into the tube to the final dungeon, the Lost Swamp, where you defeat the Gohmaracas. I love this little guy so much.

Then, after you've defeated all 4, you defeat Octavo, who gets upset and brings everyone into the future, where he gets defeated trying to defeat Ganon, whom you then have to fight. Using the Triforce, Link and Zelda send Cadence back to her world. Also, Cadence is implied to hold the Triforce of Power

Then, there's the extra Octavo's Ode, where you get to see that the motivation for Octavo is like, really sad?? He knew that something bad was going to happen to Hyrule, and frankly thats obvious because Hyrule is in disrepair, its ruined, its frankly messed up, so he stole the strings of fate from the Fates, a bunch of old implied to be Sheikah women, to try to stop whatever disaster was going to get them. In Octavo's Ode, he wakes up with no memory of what happened, and tries to undo the damage he did. The taunts from the Fates imply that Octavo has like, full amnesia, doesn't remember who he is.

Some notes!!

There's a couple different weapon types, the dagger (Cadence and Zelda only), Short Sword (Link only), the Broadsword, the Spear, the Flail, the Greatshovel (Cadence only), the Long Sword (Link only), and the Rapier (Zelda only)

Each weapon has 5 upgrades, plus 1 special version. The upgrades are titanium (plus one damage), ruby (gives hearts the more you kill), emerald (poisons enemies), obsidian (adds to damage depending on how long you've gone without missing the beat/getting hit), and glass (plus one damage but breaks upon getting hit)

They can be upgraded by the Great Fairy, but it takes diamonds, something you get for defeating all monsters on a tile.

The special weapons are as follows:

Jeweled Dagger, "As dangerous as it is beautiful, this dagger surprises anyone who would stand in your way."

Kokiri Sword, "Said to be intended for a future hero, this weapon was meant to banish anything in Link's path."

Fragarach, "A sword of legend, Fragarach is said to have an unstoppable edge, capable of cutting through anything in its path."

Impa's Naginata, "Crafted for Impa, the great Sheikah warrior, this versatile weapon strikes fear in the hearts of many dark creatures throughout Hyrule."

Hylian Flail, "Brutal and effective, this weapon is used by only the boldest Hylian heroes."

Eli's Greatshovel, "A legendary warrior named Eli once owned this shovel. Perfect for an enterprising gravedigger."

Caladbolg (my beloved), "This sword is fabled to be the finest long sword in an ancient realm."

Royal Rapier, "Passed down by the royal family of Hyrule for generations, it grants heroic strength in times of need to those of noble lineage."

If you have any questions, please ask!!! I thrive on giving knowledge about Cadence of Hyrule