#a sneeze on hallows’ eve

[cryingpariah]

Halloween with the Strawhats is easily the best place to be for the holiday! The entirety of the Sunny is decked out shiny garlands of pumpkins and Frankenstein heads (the original plan was fake cobwebs but it was strongly vetoed by Nami and Sanji). They had a cola powered fog machine, Franky had created a special hologram to make the grass on deck look lavender, Sunny herself even got a pair of fangs for the occasion!

Usopp is running around telling anyone who will listen the scariest stories that he definitely was there for and survived, don’t forget he is an expert ghost hunter! (Hard cut to Kuraigana where Perona feels a shiver run down her spine and a sneeze come on.) Unfortunately the list of people he ends up actually scaring always includes himself. Robin likes to join in storytelling but unfortunately her stories of mushrooms that slowly take over animals bodies and turn them into fungal zombies are all too real.

Sanji, by incessant borderline nagging requests from his captain, has created a speciality menu for his Halloween feast! Bones he had harvested served with blood (Breadsticks and Marinara sauce), warm and hearty witch's brew (regular stew in a hollowed out pumpkin), he had even offered his heart on a silver platter to his ‘special ladies’ (it was just a meticulous cut and dyed steak that was later passed off to Luffy.)

Zoro and Brook were the guards, stalking around to make sure that no one, alive or dead, disrupted the jovial holiday spirit of their crewmates. Zoro made it a point to ensure to Brook that ghosts can be easily spotted by how annoying they are and how they’ll wake up at 3am to ask what tea you want for their tea party that you never even agreed to come to! Brooks not even scared anymore he’s just incredibly lost. (Perona felt another sneeze coming on, oh why must she be so cute! Everyone can’t stop talking about her!)

Jinbei and Chopper are celebrating their first Halloween..ever! Everything is so new and exciting to them! The doctor plants himself on the helmsman shoulder, chatting eagerly about all the fun new traditions they get to be a part of! They ended accidentally matching costumes.

Hallow's eve on the Sunny is a spook-tacular time of year, no doubt!

[marchsfreakshow]

Opium And Monique Gibeau {James Patrick March x Reader}

It's 1938. You've been having to do sex work in the dark, until one client takes you to The Hotel Cortez.

Suggestive, so -18 proceed with caution.

Warnings: implied smut, general death warnings of blood, knives and such.

Inspired by "Noel's Lament" from Ride The Cyclone. Also 2.6k words this time, v proud of myself<3

Your perspective

⊹˚.⋆ ₊꒷ᘏᘏ︶ଓ︶꒷꒦⊹˚ᗢ₊꒷︶ଓ︶꒷

I was holding a small, brown bag in one hand, walking down a street with a cigarette in another hand. The streets were dusty and damp, and a homeless person in every other building. Street lamps dimly lit the Los Angeles roads, cars passing by to and fro. They were full colours of blue, black and white. Greys filled the car's shadows.

The tall buildings all looked the same. Meters tall, symmetrical windows, the darkness looming over them. Coughing, muttering, tiny breaths and sneezing went past me as I ventured into Los Angeles. They distracted me as I thought about the request the stranger gave to me. Throwing my cigarette on the floor, I opened my bag and took hold of the letter.

It read;

"Come meet in The Hotel Cortez. 10 pm, on October 30th. You will have to find the room.

Explore the Hotel all night if you must. I know it will cost extra, but I will be willing to pay more for the mystery of finding me.

-??"

Every read-over made me so intrigued that I did not notice where I was walking. I bumped into a man and almost fell. Luckily, he grabbed my arms and pulled me up, our eyes meeting immediately. There was no light there like a murder had just been committed. It was almost attractive, but the client needed me. "Excuse me! I am so sorry." He just nodded.

"Where are you going, sweetheart?" He smiled and held out my letter. I raised an eyebrow and stuffed the letter in my bag, in turn grabbing my lipstick and applying it as I walked in front of him. "You seem in a rush." He mentioned.

"The Hotel Cortez." Immediately, he took my hand and rushed me for about 5 minutes. Everything in my peripheral vision became blurry as I ran. God, I hate heels. Soon enough, he stopped and I held onto my head, as the rush stopped, and a headache formed everywhere.

The doors became gold as my vision cleared, but the mysterious man had gone. People were back to rushing to and fro, not even muttering 'excuse mes' to each other. It disgusted me. Sure I was a whore, but at least I had manners. However, I took a deep breath and opened one of the doors, a lavish hotel appeared before me.

It was breathtaking. Still, I wondered who wanted to meet me here. Everything almost overwhelmed me. Straightening my posture, I walked up to the reception and rang the bell. I rang, rang and waited for what felt like hours. No one appeared. 'How disappointing' I thought, staring up at the two stairs.

Slowly, I made my way up the staircase, seeing a bar before me. Lots of whiskey it seems. It took up a lot of the second level and added nothing but mystery to the hotel I was called to. October 30th. A day before All Hallows Eve. Not even a decoration, which was quite boring. The glum aura of the hotel only got deeper as I roamed the long, windy halls.

The walls all looked the same and never changed. Elevators on one of the walls. The doors also looked the same. Numbers kept going up. My heels were feeling like hell, so I stopped by a door, and took my heels off, immediately feeling relief. Thankfully, that wasn't the door I was looking for. At least I hoped. So I carried on walking around the halls. I felt crazy, wandering and roaming the empty halls, small sounds coming out of every single dark red door. Before an open door came into my eyes. I stopped next to it and peeked my head through.

What stood there was a lush, velvet room. Dark green filled the floor and carpets. Small tables held alcohol, snacks, cigarettes and more. The bed was bigger than I had ever imagined. It almost looked royal, and I had a suspicion, this was the room.

But what took my attention was a man. He stood around 6 feet. The suit was navy and looked freshly pressed. The shoes were a sharp black, but shiny. As I looked him up, I saw his face. Handsome, with a small moustache, and slicked-back hair. But his eyes made me realise something. This was James Patrick March. But, he was dead. He died 8 years ago. It shocked me, and by accident, I dropped my heels, which made him snap his head around. "Ah! You're here." He just smiled. His smile was attractive, but I stood there in shock.

Very quickly, I brought myself back, and put my heels on. "Are you the writer of this letter?" I asked, holding it up out of my bag. He walked towards me, and grabbed it, immediately reading it.

"Yes, indeed I did."

"But sir, with respect, you are James Patrick March. You should be dead. Did you fake the suicide?" I asked, crossing my arms. He seemed to admire my shape. He looked at me like he was about to make me a new person.

"You are correct in the fact that I should be dead my dear Y/N. However, I am indeed dead." He smiled at me, offering his hand to me. I took his hand in mine, and he led me in, closing the door behind us. We made eye contact, and it never broke. Questions I wanted to ask, ran past my thoughts. But our silence was kept as James sat me down. The bed was just as soft as I hoped, and he went to the table, picking up a drink. "Absinthe. Have some."

"Absinthe?"

"Well yes." He held it out to me, so I took it, not wanting to make him upset. Keeping, almost, harsh eye contact with him, would kill him to soften his gaze as I stopped the gross liquid down my throat. It burned like the Opium someone had me take.

It seemed I started to sell my love for that drug. It kept me sane as I dressed in black which only hit my lower thigh, the fishnets ripped in places I didn't know. And I always wear dark heels always. Kitten heels, but tonight I decided to make them taller. Makeup was quiet on my face, but it was there. James took it all in, and I stood up, my bag now on the bed. "James. If you are a ghost, why can I touch you?" I asked, confidently placing a hand on his shoulder, attempting to make this whole experience quicker.

"Ghosts can interact with the living in this hotel, and this hotel only." He responded, taking the drink from my hand and simply placing a finger under my chin.

"Does it feel different? To do it with a living human?"

"I have not yet experienced that. That's why you are here yes?" Without thinking, I nodded. Something drew me to him. But I couldn't tell what it was. He was a serial killer, a madman. So I took his arms, brought him to the bed, and then slowly undid the buttons on his blazer. "Take your time dear, don't rush it." He smiled, starting to kiss me, the taste of absinthe finding my throat once again.

--

The morning came, and I awoke slowly, barely any light came through the window. The room was still glum, and velvety. A man came in holding some food and smiled at me. "Y/N. You are awake." Clearly, I wasn't looking great, since I saw mascara smeared on my fingers. But I smiled either way. "I had someone make you breakfast before you left."

"Well, that isn't what you asked unless you're willing to add more to my pay." A smirked curled my lips. I took the breakfast anyway and snarfed down every bite. James was, a rough customer. Nothing like I hadn't seen before.

"I can and will pay you every single penny I own if you're happy with being here." A slight sarcastic twinge began the sentence, but he smiled at me, watching me eat the food like it was my last meal.

I took the napkin and cleaned my face with it before pushing the tray away. James was just watching me as I got up and dressed myself again, It felt good, people would always watch me. I was like Monique Gibeau to people, a classic whore in France who 'helped' soldiers. "James?" I asked, walking up to him. He looked enamoured with me, rookie mistake.

"Yes, my dear?"

"120 dollars. Including breakfast."

He raised an eyebrow at me. The time disappeared. It suddenly meant nothing anymore. Eyes staring at each other. I fell to my knees and heard the fishnets graze against the lush floor. Why couldn't I look around? James, like the bitch he was, started to leave. "James! James please." I croaked out.

"Whores die as whores." I felt crazy, and the sweet, dark black washed over me, I couldn't think anymore, and James had left me to burn out.

Soon enough, though, I brought myself up. Confused, I looked around until my eyes went to the floor. A knife. It was a shiny knife. When I picked it up, a drop of deep red blood fell from it and I stared, holding it. Who's blood was this?! But I dropped it as someone came in. She was dressed as a maid and had scruffy hair. "Has James not yet cleaned the knife? Oh dear. Well, the sheets are clean, that's all that matters." She smiled at me, and I elicited a small chuckle as a response.

"Um, would you mind telling me what happened here? It feels like I woke up from a horrible dream.."

"He killed you. That should be obvious enough."

Could my hands shake now I was dead? Apparently, so, I felt shaky, and I sat myself on the wall by a window. Everything felt off now. Not like I had any next of kin that would feel bad for me, but, I still felt like I was hurting someone. The woman left though, not even a sorry leaving her lips. I felt like I was going to explode. I'm dead? Why? I couldn't remember anything at all.

I heard nothing in my ears, and my heart wasn't beating, but it seemed like I was breathing. Still confused and scared, I roamed my own hands over my body, no scars. No stab wounds. What the fuck was happening?! I was still wearing the short, black dress with everything else. Suddenly I felt humbled. I felt humbled by the fact that I wasted my life being a prostitute in 1938. It wasn't right but it wasn't wrong either. Wasted it, with the drugs, and the various people. Men, women, freaks. Who fucking cared.

Sobbing, I stayed in that room for hours. James soon came back in and looked down at me. Literally and figuratively. "Did you fucking call me in just to kill me?"

He hummed and that was it. "Maybe it was because I wanted you forever hm? And so I can make you a better person. You are too beautiful to be working like that."

"I'm flattered," I said flatly, taking off my heels and not making eye contact with him. "Fine, if I'm stuck here where is a spare room."

"You will stay here with me."

"Like hell, I will."

He sneered at me. "You have a roof over your head, you have food at your disposal, alcohol, cigarettes! You have everything now at your fingertips, how can you not be satisfied with that!?"

"Because you fucking killed me!!" I stood up and prodded his chest with my finger, beginning to walk out, grabbing my purse in the meantime.

I felt his eyes on me as I walked out of the room.

Time passed quicker in this hotel once you were dead it seemed. I was always roaming the halls, soliciting people for fun. I never had a thirst for blood like the others. I walked past James one evening, a tension created around us as we made eye contact. A sexual tension that I didn't feel with anyone else who thought they were high and mighty. "Y/N. Let me make everything up to you. Dinner. Tonight in my room."

I raised an eyebrow at him as I leaned against a wall. He just smiled at me confidently, Well he was cute I will give him that. "Do I have to wear my heels?"

His smile just widened. "You can wear as much or as little as you like. Steal from a guest if you want." James then quickly kissed my cheek and walked off in the opposite direction of me. I didn't mind watching him walk away, but I shook that out of my mind and made my way to another door, knocking swiftly on it.

A pretty woman opened the door and I smiled at her. "Good morning! I was wondering if I could come in and have a talk? I'm a bit lonely here.." I put on my quiet shy persona, and she just smiled warmly.

"Of course my little mouse." She truly was beautiful as she smiled, her blonde hair was in a top bun, and she was wearing a white, low-cut dress to the floor.

--

"James?"

"You look so beautiful my dear." I smiled and he held my hand as he walked me in. "The dress looks so familiar to me."

"I met with a lovely woman called Elizabeth, She has long blonde hair, and she told me she's married to you, but it's an open marriage." I just giggled and sat on a chair opposite James. He grinned and nodded.

"Of course, it was my darling Countess. She is truly wonderous. She must have smelt me on you and took you in."

"Like, your cologne?"

He nodded as the maid walked in with some plates and placed them on the table I was sitting in front of. Everything looked fit for royalty, and I couldn't see myself eating any of this. "My dear please eat this. Miss Evers made it all for you to enjoy. You deserve nothing but the best food."

The candles entranced me, and I was staring at the flames, moving and burning. Everything in this hotel made me feel like I didn't belong here. The small roast was in front of me, and it didn't feel right to take a slice. "Hummingbird why don't you take some food and eat up. You haven't eaten anything since I gave you Breakfast."

"This... James. It's so much. I haven't had this much food in front of me. Let alone a whole roast! It's... overwhelming."

James got up and kneeled next to me. His eyes were soft. He never had that look on his face before. "Oh my darling, how about I give you a small forkful, and we can go from there?" He asked, putting some food on my own plate. It felt like I was a child, but it worked. No one dared enter now, otherwise, I had to die another time. Smells flooded me. Slowly, James took a fork and put some of the food on it, reaching for me. "Come on my dear, let me help you eat." As embarrassing as it felt, he helped me eat. Eating this much wasn't normal, and I avoided James' worried gaze.

We finished our food after about 20 minutes and I smiled to myself, happy that I had eaten something. "Do you feel better now my dear?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you James." He held my hands and pulled me up gently. "I feel so tired now.." The silent tension was replaced with just a comfortable silence as he held me.

"Let's get you to your bed then hm?" I nodded in response, and he kissed me, which felt odd, but nice. A genuine kiss, not a kiss that my clients had nothing behind it.

"That sounds nice James. Thank you."

⊹˚.⋆ ₊꒷ᘏᘏ︶ଓ︶꒷꒦⊹˚ᗢ₊꒷︶ଓ︶

[sidhewrites]

20! I've lost the plot completely! It's fine! It's the first draft and things will be better in the rewrites! Who's ready for SKELETONS

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By the time Josie and Lucy are at my front door, I barrel through them both, shaking off the feeling of dread that comes with walking through Lucy, tailing the quickly-fading trail of what I assume to be ectoplasm. Magnus has taken Renfield back out into the night, across the street, and right back to the graveyard, which has me feeling a little crazy for going back and forth so many times. He's gone right past the main walkway, past the old church, and into the oldest parts of the graveyard -- the ones that even I don't visit. 

Wild roses and scrub grow thick and thorny, choking the rotting fence of the churchyard. There's a grim buried here somewhere, and I can't help but flinch at the sudden shadow that leaps out at me from the darkness. A massive, shapeless thing that barks like a dog. I barrel past it, hoping it understands that I'm not here to disturb the dead but return one specific dead back to his eternal rest.

I hop the fence, hissing as splinters burrow into my hand, and follow Magnus through the overgrowth. Thorns and twigs pull at me, but I don't have time to care. I can't lose him. The footprints fade too quickly, and I trip over my own feet at the last minute, falling face-first into the dirt and bolting back upright with a curse.

But, at least, there's no need to run anymore. Magnus has come to a stop. He sits in the moonlight, a perfectly white cat now, eyes trained on a moss-worn hunk of stone.

"Your grave." Why come here? What's he trying to do?

He twitches, but doesn't turn to face me. "Do you know what is inscribed on this headstone?"

"R-I-P?" I guess.

He snorts -- then sneezes and coughs at the attempt at breathing through a nose like Renfield's. "Magnus Sunthorpe. Loving father and husband. May he rest in peace."

"Okay, so, yeah. RIP." I sit up slowly.

"Do you know why we bid the dead a peaceful rest, Miss Kaz?"

"Are you seriously gonna start monologuing again?"

"Not quite," he says. A deep laugh rumbles from Magnus's chest.

"What--" 

Before I can say any more, the ground beneath our feet start to rumble. Something whacks me in the back of my head and I yelp. By the time I recover and look up again, bits of debris and loose stone float around the ruined gravestone.

"As we get closer to Hallow's Eve, young Kaz, we ghosts grow more powerful. I'm sure your lady friend has felt things change, eh?"

The very air seems to come alive, pins and needles shooting along my limbs as the smoke starts up again, emanating from the long-settled grave dirt. Cracks begin to appear, and far below the ground, something begins to knock.

"What are you doing?"

"Means to an end, darling girl. Means to an end."

Josie and Lucy finally arrive behind me. Josie grabs hold of my shirt and drags me out of the way just as the ground explodes. We fall backwards, through Lucy, and in a pile on the ground. Stone and soul rains down on us, and I do my best to shield her from the worst. Once it ends, we look up, shaking off the heebie-jeebies, to see the grave standing open.

Beams of light shine out from the old coffin at the bottom of it. Something inside thumps, knocking on the ancient wood. It's weak at first, still gathering strength. And then, after a moment, it knocks again. A single skeletal fist bursts out, then the other. It rips at the wood, throwing planks aside, before it stands up, still wearing the half-rotted funeral suit it had been buried in.

Magnus-the-cat levitates in front of Magnus-the-Skeleton. [Fancy magic shit happens. Magic light.]

When the light fades, it's just Magnus-the-Skeleton, standing in his coffin.

Renfield's body lowers to the ground slowly, lifeless. I don't care about anything else -- no weird ghost magic, no potentially murderous walking corpse. Nothing but my poor, stark-white cat.

I scoop him up into my arms, holding him close, my own pulse hammering as I try desperately to feel for his. I can't breathe, can barely think -- until I find it. Faint and fluttering, but there.

He's okay.

My baby boy is okay.

I look up, seeing Magnus-the-Skeleton brush off his fancy old-timey pants and pick up a fancy old-timey top hat. He puts in on, almost dignified. And then he looks up at me, green pinpricks of light forming eyes in his empty sockets and filled with a venomous glee.

"Hello, dearest Kaz," he says, teeth chattering together. He takes a step forward, and I think for a second that he's going to scramble out of the grave clumsily. But there's no awkwardness or uncertainty here. Magnus simply flicks his wrist, and he begins to levitate, floating up and out of the grave. Some of the glowing dust around him coalesces, forming into something resembling skin to hold the skeleton together, though his bones remain all-too-visible underneath.

And as Magnus finally comes to land on solid ground before me, I feel myself lifted up in turn, pulled by unseen spectral hands until I'm on my feet as well. I hold Renfeld closer, jaw set as he looks me over with those uncanny eyes.

"You really are a curiosity, aren't you?" he says, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow.

I'm a bit at a loss at the moment, so I simply settle on, "God...you're, like, really ugly man."

This was, evidently, the wrong thing to say to a magical ghost-skeleton-man bent on silencing the town forever, because Magnus simply scoffs, and waves a hand. I'm thrown aside, turning to land on my shoulder and keep Renfield safe.

"Kaz!" Lucy shouts, running my way.

"Not a chance." Magnus waves another hand, and she's thrown in the opposite direction.

"Leave her alone!" I sit up with a snarl. "Josie, take Renfield and get somewhere safe."

"Like hell I am. I'm the only one who has half an idea of what to do here."

"And, pray, what would that idea be?" Magnus steps in between us, folding his hands in front of him. "Come now, girls. Don't leave me out of the fun."

[Something. Kaz tells Josie to go get the book.]

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." Magnus flicks his wrist again, and a bolt of ghostly energy flies her way. 

But rather than knocking Josie off course, it simply hits her in the back. She grunts, but shrugs it off with little more than an ow.

Magnus tries again. This time, Josie faces him and takes the attack in the chest. Something glows around her neck, and she smirks, gesturing to the [protective gem] pendant around her neck. "You'll have to do better than that," she says.

While she's distracted, I throw myself bodily at Magnus, giving Josie the chance to get the spell book.

Even as Magnus throws me off him, I can't help but watch her go in confused awe. "Crystals," I say. "Who knew?"

"Kaz--?" Lucy says, giving me just enough time for Magnus to throw a solid kick to my jaw, and mutter under his breath. The blow leaves me with a split lip, and I spit the blood his way, hoping if nothing else that it stains his gross old funeral pants.

"Enough," Magnus hisses. "I have work to do." He raises an arm, and this time, a wave of ectoplasm rises up from his grave, colorless light shining from within. 

At first, it seems like nothing happens, save for a bit of dirt falling into the empty hole.

And then more dirt. A bit of grass. A few loose rocks.

Soon enough, it becomes clear. The grave is sucking things into it, a black hole to swallow the town whole.

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[elentiyawhitethorn]

A Sneeze on Hallows’ Eve

CW: language

AN: This whole fic is my way of complaining about being sick on Halloween, then complaining some more about not having a Rowan to make me feel better lmao

Holiday Collection//2504 words

“Oh gods I’m so excited!” Aelin squealed. “It’s almost Halloween!”

Rowan chuckled. “That’s only the, what, eighth time I’ve been reminded? And that’s only today.”

Aelin sent him a look. “Halloween is tomorrow, Rowan,” she told in her most serious voice. “This is important.”

He nodded, trying to hide the smile pulling at his lips. “So I’ve heard.”

Aelin crossed her arms. “If you expect to be getting any within the next decade you will stop dampering my holiday cheer. Understand?”

Rowan grinned. “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a salute.

Aelin not-so-playfully punched him in the arm. “You’re an ass.”

“And what a fine ass I am.”

A startled laugh escaped Aelin’s mouth. “I hate you.”

“So I’ve heard.” Rowan waggled his eyebrows.

Aelin snorted. “You just love to bully people, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah, baby. I get a real kick out of it.” Rowan’s smile turned soft. “I just love how much you adore the holidays. It’s cute.”

Aelin smiled. “I can’t help it. I don’t understand why all grownups don’t dress up and go trick-or-treating. Even the old grumpies like you should want to go. It’s free candy for fuck’s sake.”

“Did you just call me an old grumpy?” Rowan asked incredulously.

Aelin only tossed a saucy grin his way. She made to open her mouth and give him a comment about what an old man he was, and how prominent that four-year age difference was that she loved to tease him about, but instead a loud sneeze came out.

“You all good?”

Aelin smiled. “It’s just a sneeze, Rowan. Less a sign of my ill health and more an indication that you need to start dusting more frequently.”

Rowan scoffed and argued that he already cleaned most of the house and if she wanted the place dust-free, that was her responsibility. So began a jesting quarrel about who needed to pick up the slack, and the sneeze was forgotten entirely.

—

Aelin sleepily opened her eyes. She hummed as she felt a hand stroking her hair and gently turned her head to her husband.

“Good morning,” Rowan said with a soft smile on his lips.

Aelin smiled back and opened her mouth to reply… then her brain started functioning and she realized two things.

One, it was Halloween.

And two, something felt off. Really off.

Ignoring the second thing, Aelin sat up. “Happy Halloween!”

Rowan grinned. “We’re in for a busy day, huh?”

“What do you mean?” Aelin asked innocently. “The candy’s sitting on the counter. Our costumes are ready. The house has been decorated for weeks. What is there left to do until this evening?”

Rowan crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Don’t think I don’t know you, woman. It’s not a true holiday without a trip to the store because you couldn’t stop yourself from downing all the candy and a last-minute accessory emergency.”

Aelin winked, trying not to think about the weird chill to her skin. It was just excitement.

“This is going to be the best day ever.”

She got out of bed and dragged Rowan downstairs with her, pretending she didn’t have a feeling that the exact opposite was going to happen.

—

Their day was indeed busy. As predicted, Aelin got into the candy they were supposed to give to trick-or-treaters before they set out to have some fun of their own. Rowan was sent to the grocery store to buy some more.

And there was a dreadful feeling that their costumes just didn’t work right. Aelin drove down to the Halloween store and bought a different crown. The one she’d already had for herself didn’t match Rowan’s, and that just wouldn’t do. They were meant to be a queen and king, after all. Gods forbid they didn’t match.

Not too long after that, Aelin grew unsatisfied with the number of pumpkins on their front porch and grabbed another from the store, then carved it meticulously. That had been a bit time-consuming.

Then they’d fixed the cobwebs on the brick of their house, which had fallen down overnight. Aelin coughed so much during the process that Rowan sent her back inside, claiming she was going to catch a cold without a proper jacket on.

But Aelin was starting to realize she already had one.

Perhaps realize wasn’t the best word. Aelin kept sneezing and coughing and leaning against the walls for support, but through it all, she firmly denied such a thing in her own head. There was no way Aelin would be able to come to terms with being sick on Halloween.

And so the day went. Aelin insited that she absolutely needed to go for a walk down the street while it was still light out, so that she could see the autumn leaves. Rowan dutifully allowed himself to be pulled down the road. It was at that point that he started asking how she was feeling. He even tried to feel her forehead, but Aelin slapped his hand away.

“It’s Halloween, Rowan. I’m fine.”

Rowan hesitated, then smiled tightly, surely aware after being married to Aelin for three years and knowing her for two more before that there was no arguing with her.

—

Rowan was already dressed in his tunic and old-fashioned pants, crown and scepter, and cape. Aelin was in the bathroom fixing her makeup and Rowan was outside the door, making fun of her for the length of time it was taking to dress up. He even went as far as to say that back in the age of monarchy, nobody even showered.

Aelin tried to send him a scathing retort about the numerous monarchies still present in the world, but a wave of nausea hit her and she leaned over the sink, gripping the linoleum tightly.

A moment of silence passed as Aelin tried to push aside the dizziness, to no avail, and then Rowan spoke again. “You okay, babe?”

Aelin bit her lip. “Yeah, of course,” she rasped. “Just doing my hair.”

She was apparently not believable enough for Rowan’s liking. A soft knock sounded on the door, and when she didn’t reply, Aelin heard the knob creak.

“Ace,” Rowan sighed, coming to her side. His hand came to her face, brushing her hair aside gently. “You’re burning up.”

“I’m just dizzy,” Aelin insisted, sounding fake to her own ears. “Stood up too quickly.”

Rowan shook his head. “Baby—”

“No!” Aelin snapped. “We’re going to go stand at the door and give candy to children. Then we are going to go trick-or-treating. Come on.”

She spun around and made for the door, bending over and nearly falling to the ground as vertigo took over.

When Aelin’s vision cleared, she vaguely registered being in Rowan’s arms as he carried her up the stairs. She tried to struggle but a choked sob came out instead, and then she was crying.

Rowan set her down on the bed. “It’s okay, Aelin.”

“No it’s not!” Aelin sobbed. “I can’t be sick. I can’t.”

“You’re allowed to miss one Halloween.”

“No,” Aelin said, still crying.

Rowan wrapped Aelin in a hug. “Just breathe.”

“How can I?” She wailed. “This is important to me. I want to go have fun. I need to.” Aelin didn’t care that she sounded like a baby. Holidays were her special days. The moments she got to dress up and have fun, moments she cherished more than any little kid.

“I know, baby,” Rowan soothed. “I know. But you’re sick. You need to rest.”

Aelin shook her head, quieted slightly but still shaking.

“You haven’t been vomiting, right? Nothing that bad? It’s probably just a cold made worse by how hard you’ve been pushing yourself all day.”

“Which means I’m okay to go out,” Aelin insisted.

“Absolutely not.” Rowan scooted closer to her side as she tried to sit up. “You’re twenty-five, Aelin. This is far from your last Halloween.”

Aelin could feel herself reluctantly agreeing with him.

“I know how much this means to you, but there’s nothing either of us can about it at this point, other than try to make the most of it. Let me help you feel better.”

Aelin bit her lip to hold in a whimper. “Okay,” she whispered.

Rowan reached for Aelin’s hair. Tears of silent anguish started anew as he gently undid the braid she had pinned to her head. By the time he was done with that, a handful of bobby pins and several hair bands were stacked on the nightstand.

Then came Aelin’s outfit. Off came the Victorian dress and slightly slutty corset, and the cape and her shoes and everything else until Aelin was in her underwear. Before she could start shivering too badly, Rowan pulled a nightgown over her head and helped her into the flannel nightwear.

Several moments passed after Rowan murmured something unintelligible to Aelin’s pounding ears and left before he reappeared with a wipe and started cleaning the makeup from Aelin’s face. He took off her earrings and vanished once more with the dirty wipe and numerous jewelry items.

Aelin was still crying noiselessly when Rowan knelt beside her. She expected him to pull up the covers and tuck her in, but he scooped her up instead. She could only sniffle, both from the cold and from crying, as Rowan brought her down the stairs and set her on the couch.

“I’m going to go set the candy outside so no one rings the bell. Wait here.”

Aelin crossed her arms as she started shaking, feeling far too cold for their heated home. Soon enough, Rowan sauntered back in with a glass of what looked like juice, possibly grape, and an extra blanket.

He pulled the blanket over Aelin, then did the same with several other blankets already on the couch.

“Dink this, baby.” Rowan handed Aelin the glass of juice. “You need to stay hydrated. I’m going to go heat up some soup; I’ll be right back.”

Aelin shook her head and grabbed his wrist. “Rowan, I know how much you love to coddle me, even when I’m only minutely ill. But I think I just need to mope right now.”

Rowan put his hands on his hips. “And what kind of husband would I be if I let you do that?”

Aelin just sniffled.

Bending down, Rowan grabbed the remote and tossed it at Aelin. “Pick out your favorite Halloween movie. I’ll be back with the soup in a couple minutes.”

Aelin was holding back tears all over again, this time out of love for her husband, as she turned the TV on and went straight to Netflix. She immediately selected The Nightmare Before Christmas, then started obediently sipping her juice.

The microwave dinged in the other room, then Rowan rentered with a steaming bowl in his hands. He set it down on the coffee table, careful not to spill as he situated the cloth underneath it, there to avoid burning his hands.

“Let it sit while it cools,” he instructed.

Aelin cocked an eyebrow. “I’m sick, not mentally deteriorating. I know how soup works.”

Rowan smirked and sat down next to her, pulling the blankets over himself and snuggling next to her. “Come here,” he murmured.

Aelin moved in and wrapped her arms around his chest. She buried her head in his neck, smiling as he reached for the remote and started the movie.

—

Everything went well enough. The soup was good. The movie even better. Aelin only went through half a box of tissues, thoroughly grossing herself out every time she blowed her nose. Her throat started to feel sore partway through the movie, and Rowan left and grabbed her some medicine, despite her numerous protests that she was fine.

The credits started rolling through and Rowan flipped the TV off. “It’s off to bed with you, missy.”

Aelin pouted. “I’m not tired.”

“Liar.”

Aelin could only stick her tongue out at him as he unnecessarily picked her up again, the third time tonight, and carried her back to the bedroom.

Rowan was on his way out of the bedroom, finally, finally going to change out of his king costume and get himself ready for bed, when Aelin spoke up.

“I’m sorry.”

Rowan turned back around. “Whatever for?”

Aelin pulled the blankets up farther. “For making this a horrible night for you.”

A sad frown crossed Rowan’s face. “Love, this isn’t your fault. You can’t help when you catch something. We’ve both been through this before, many times. Remember when we were first dating and I had the flu? I vomited all over your favorite pair of shoes, which by the mercy of the gods were not on your feet at the time.”

Aelin shook her head slightly into the pillow as Rowan smiled and tried to make a joke out of it. “I didn’t mean having a cold. I meant this whole day. All of it. Things we were going to do, too. You don’t like dressing up, no matter how much you tell me otherwise. And you probably only want to go trick-or-treating when you’re taking out your kids, not your wife.”

Rowan came forward and knelt by her bedside. “Milady,” he began, and Aelin couldn’t help but crack a smile at his formal king speak and his cape swirling around his body. “Don’t thou think I could have changed earlier if I had such desired?”

Aelin laughed. “Stop that horrid accent at once, my liege.”

Rowan only bowed his head.

Giggling, Aelin scooted closer to the edge of the bed to smack him, then her brain caught up with what he said. “You what?”

Rowan grimaced. “Oh, I know I’ll be teased now. I’ve always been very carefully maintaining my cool. It’s a careful balance of upmost enthusiasm to spare your feelings and semi-reluctant behavior to attest for my suaveness.”

Aelin was torn between snorting and gaping. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, I won’t lie. Five years ago I’d be laughing my ass off to see myself now. I never would have imagined being married to a woman who forces me to dress up on Halloween like a little kid. But honestly, this isn’t the worst costume you could have picked out.”

Aelin sat up in bed, sickness forgotten. “You have fun doing these things with me?”

Rowan smiled tenderly. “I love dressing up. I love decorating the house and watching cartoons and carving pumpkins. I love it all because I love you.”

Aelin’s lower lip wavered. “I love you so much.”

Rowan pressed a kiss to Aelin’s cheek. “And I adore you, milady.”

Aelin laughed faintly, her throat aching in protest. “That’s Your Majesty to you. Now go get ready for bed.”

Rowan winked and did as ordered.

Not a minute after Rowan left the room, Aelin heard a sneeze, followed by several expletives. She groaned into her hands, but smiled too as she imagined how they’d both likely be taking sick days tomorrow.

There would be plenty of time to watch another movie or two.

———

Tag List:

@aelin-bitch-queen

@evolving-dreamer

@feysand-loml

@flora-shadowshine

@gracie-rosee

@infernoqueen19

@julemmaes

@lemonade-coolattas

@live-the-fangirl-life

@midsizewitch

@morganofthewildfire

@nehemikkele

@realbookloverproblems

@rhysandswingspan

@rowaelinismyotp

@rowanaelinn

@sexy-dumpster-fire

@sleeping-and-books

@story-scribbler

@swankii-art-teacher

@thenerdandfandoms

@yesdreamblog

[fullmetalscullyy]

trick or treat

summary: Ideas that sprung to Roy’s mind while in a state of boredom were never the best or most thought out. Of course, it wasn’t until after said idea was executed that he realised the error of his ways.

rated: g | words: 2760 | tags: young!royai, trick or treat, royai, pre-canon, childhood, childhood friends, friendship

read on ao3

Ideas that sprung to Roy’s mind while in a state of boredom were never the best or most thought out. Of course, it wasn’t until after said idea was executed that he realised the error of his ways.

Master Hawkeye had dismissed him for the day. He’d found something far more interesting within his own research and focussed his attention there, rather than tutoring his young apprentice. So, Roy had excused himself – receiving an impatient and uninterested grunt in response for his troubles – and retreated to his bedroom.

There wasn’t really anywhere else to go in the house.

He would have sought out Riza for some company, however she was not home. She’d ventured into town to the market for the day and likely wouldn’t be back until late afternoon.

Roy loudly puffed out the air from his cheeks as he stared at the ceiling above him, feeling quite at a loss of what to do with his suddenly gained free afternoon.

How he’d long to be able to come and go as he pleased from this house.

His face twisted in distaste as he thought about the reason why Riza left as she did. Chores were always something he’d tried to weasel his way out of. It was hard with Chris, near impossible, but with his sisters, he could bargain his way out of them when he really wanted to. The thrill of the successful avoidance of tasks around the house was always a rush for Roy, for it never happened often under Chris’ watchful eye.

Being in this house was a love/hate relationship for Roy. On the one hand, he loved the knowledge that was being imparted onto him, and was ecstatic chores were a thing of the past. Master Hawkeye would never burden Roy with such unimportant things, not when there was alchemy to study and learn. However, he did not enjoy how quiet it was. He missed the hustle and bustle of his aunt’s business and the coming and goings of his family. There were so many of them that there was always someone awake and available to talk to at any hour. In this house, it was the polar opposite. No sound, no laughter, no teasing. Roy often thought that one loud sneeze would bring the walls of the house crashing down upon them. The sudden sound would be too much for the foundations to bear and it would simply give up. And there wasn’t much to do in his free time either. With Riza gone there was no one to talk to, and even when she was here, she was often too busy with her own tasks to make time for him.

He did revel in those small moments they did share together though. Whether it was listening to the radio in quiet companionship or reading with one another.

Never around Master Hawkeye though, of course.

It was like fun was prohibited within these walls, and Roy hated it.

He sighed again and wondered what his family was currently doing. It was almost All Hallow’s Eve. They always picked pumpkins at home and carved them. The bar was decorated with many spooky things in the spirit of the season. The girls would dress up in a costume, as would Roy, and he’d grin and dart about the bar excitedly while chatting with the customers as they complimented his outfit. He’d be the man of the hour, the cheeky boy who made the patrons laugh with his silly jokes as he asked them if they’d like a trick or a treat. And living with so many siblings, it was not unheard of that they often played tricks and pranks on one another. At this time of year, the house was rife with it. At least twice a day there would be a scream, followed by a loud cackle as someone laughed at the other’s expense.

Roy loved it.

And that was how his idea popped into his head.

He could play some pranks…

Harmless ones, of course.

He didn’t like to entertain the idea of incurring his Master’s wrath though. Roy reasoned that if he tried to play a trick on the old man he’d be kicked out and be on the next train back to Central. Of course, that only left one unknowing victim.

Riza.

They would be harmless. Roy and his sisters used to do it to each other all the time. This would be no different. It would be a way for them to bond, like he did with his sisters! And she could try and get her revenge on him and get him back by scaring him too.

Roy grinned. This would make life in the house this afternoon so much more fun.

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Riza arrived back from the market an hour later. Roy snickered as he heard her kick off her boots from his hiding place. As he peeked around the corner he watched as she placed the paper bag on the floor at her feet before shrugging out of her jacket. Once it was hung up, she started to turn and that was when Roy retreated into the darkness.

He tried to hold in his laugh.

As she came closer, he readied his hands and leaned forward onto the balls of his feet. He was coiled like a snake, ready to strike.

Riza appeared in his view.

A split second later, Roy pounced.

Riza started violently as he jumped around the corner with a very loud shout, intending to scare her wits away.

It worked.

Riza’s eyes widened considerably, sparked with terror. She recoiled backwards in fear and a soft gasp escaped from her lips. The bag in her hands was lifted higher, clutched against her chest in an attempt to make a protective barrier between herself and what had given her a fright. The contents at the top spilled over as she squeezed onto it tight. A bag of apples fell to the floor with a thud as oranges rolled away from her, happy to finally be free from the confines of the paper.

Roy laughed at the expression on her face, bending over at the waist and clutching his sides.

His plan worked! Her face was a picture. She’d looked terrified!

Once Roy’s guffaws had turned to giggles, he straightened and grinned at her. “Got you!” he announced with another laugh.

Riza continued to stare at him. He could tell her heart rate had picked up, as had her breathing, however she tried her best to control it. After the initial scare her expression turned tight, and her eyes grew cold.

Roy’s pleased smile slowly dripped off his face and a weight threatened to settle upon his chest.

“That was a mean trick,” she scolded. As hard as she tried to appear calm Roy could still hear the slight wobble in her voice. There was a flash of something within her expression as the hard outer shell cracked. A flash of hurt graced her face briefly before it was gone again.

That… hadn’t worked out the way he thought it would.

Feeling rather contrite, Roy stared after her retreating form. Her shoulders were bunched up at her ears and she didn’t even bother to pick the apples or oranges from the floor. She simply hurried away into the kitchen.

It was supposed to be a bit of fun. Roy and his sisters tried to scare one another all the time. Another love/hate relationship of his, as he loved to do the scaring, but being older, his sisters each had a myriad of horrors under their belt that they could torment him with.

But it was all done in jest. It was all a bit of fun, and nothing so serious that could cause harm at the end of the day.

So why did he feel such a rush of guilt all of a sudden?

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Stupid boy, Riza thought to herself as she unpacked her bag. She forcefully placed the contents onto the countertop and grit her teeth as she tried to control her shaking hands and slow down her heart rate.

She didn’t like people trying to scare her. That had already happened to her enough in her childhood with her father except he hadn’t even been trying. Perhaps this truly did make her a “spoilsport”, like the children at school had teased her with, but she didn’t like tricks.

Embarrassment flushed through her at the memory of her reaction. She’d been so scared. So full of fear. Roy’s sudden yell brought back memories she’d buried and tried to forget years ago. Riza reasoned it shouldn’t still be getting to her and causing such a stir, but it did.

There were footsteps behind from the hall behind her and Riza tensed. Her hand stalled over the top of the bag as her heart stuttered for the second time that day.

“Riza?”

“What?” She didn’t mean to snap. It just happened.

She didn’t turn around and Roy said nothing more. There was the shuffle of feet and he left her.

Good.

She didn’t want to see him.

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Riza scolded herself. As she’d cooked dinner for the family her mind quietly whispered to put a chili into Roy’s bowl as a form of revenge, but she quickly stomped down that urge.

She didn’t have any chili for a start.

And, of course, she couldn’t upset or get revenge on the star pupil. That wouldn’t do at all. After the day she’d had, Riza would really rather not incur her father’s wrath. Dutifully she returned to her cooking.

Plus, they were too expensive to waste on him.

As per her routine, she tapped her knuckles three times on the door to her father’s study. The Dinner Signal, she’d named it. He would be quiet for another ten minutes or so then would amble through to eat.

Normally that would give Riza and Roy ten minutes together, something she’d always looked forward to, but Riza didn’t think she wanted it today. She’d rather have taken her meal to her bedroom and eaten it there, but that was out of the question. Her father would know something was wrong and it wasn’t worth the effort and hassle to explain and deal with it all.

As much as she hated tricks, she didn’t want Roy to leave or get kicked out. He was happy hear learning and she didn’t want to jeopardise that for him.

It was only natural he’d be familiar with tricks or find them amusing, Riza had mused once her heart stopped racing. He was from a large and loving family. She’d often seen siblings and friends playing tricks and trying to scare one another at school and in town. And he was unused to the quiet and the solitude of her own family, she knew that much. Anything to combat the boredom would be grasped at.

Riza felt a flicker of regret and sorrow curl around her sternum. She wished she could offer him something better than they had already to make his time here more enjoyable. She wished she could be as exuberant and fun as he’d described his family of being. But it simply wasn’t her. It was something she struggled with.

It simply wasn’t permitted in this house. Her father would glare and gripe about the noise interrupting his research. It would quickly be squashed beneath a frail hand as he hushed them, all the while muttering about how Roy should be taking his time here seriously.

Riza sighed. Her shoulders slumped as she stared down at her bowl of stew on the table before her.

“Riza?”

Her head remained still, but her eyes flicked up to look at Roy beneath her lashes. He stood in the doorway to her kitchen with his hands clasped behind his back. His expression was contrite, but there was a hint of nervousness in the way he was holding himself. He took a hesitant step forward and approached, coming to a stop across the table from Riza.

“I wanted to apologise for earlier.” He was sincere as he spoke. “I suppose it was quite a cruel trick, especially if it wasn’t something you were used to. It won’t happen again, I promise. I’m sorry.”

She continued to stare at him for a while longer, assessing his apology, but he never wavered.

She nodded. “Thank you,” Riza whispered.

“May I?” He gestured towards his seat at the table.

A frown graced her brow, but Riza nodded. “Of course.” She was unsure why he felt compelled to ask if he could sit.

Once settled, Roy stared down at his food. He seemed to be gearing up to speak, so Riza left him to it. He was granted even more time to collect himself once her father appeared in the doorway. He looked like his usual exhausted self, however there was a gleam in his eyes that told her his research today had been successful. He appeared deep in thought and didn’t even spare the two children a passing glance. Without a word he picked up his bowl and shuffled back to his study.

“My sisters and I like to play tricks on each other,” Roy started to explain quietly as if her father hadn’t even entered the room. He appeared nonplussed by his behaviour, which Riza thought dryly was a sign he’d been working with the man too long. “We do it for fun, but I can see now that wasn’t the case for you.”

“Roy, it’s okay –”

He shook his head.

“No, it’s not. And I shouldn’t have tried to do it.”

There was no arguing with him, and for the sake of progression, Riza nodded and accepted his apology.

They ate together quietly for a bit, before Riza inquired about what tricks he and his sisters played on one another. A wicked grin overtook his face and Roy leaned forward excitedly, regaling her with many stories about their antics together.

It did sound like good fun, Riza had to admit. She even giggled when he told her about the time his sister had left a massive, lifelike spider on his bed from a joke shop, and he’d screamed so loudly the patrons of the bar below were genuinely concerned he was being murdered.

Dinner was fun. It was the most entertaining time Riza had had in a long time.

“Here, let me,” Roy offered and rose from his chair. He scooped up both his plate and hers before Riza could argue.

“I’ll get them.”

“No,” he shook his head with as much authority as he could muster. “You stay there. I’ll clean up.”

“But –”

“No buts!” he announced with a grin. “My turn to do so is past due. A treat in exchange for my trick,” he quipped with a wink.

“I don’t need you to do anything in return as an apology,” Riza tried to argue, but again, Roy was having none of it.

“It’s not only as an apology. I want to help.”

Riza studied him closely for a second longer. He never normally wished to assist her. In fact, he would always hurry away or pretend to be busy whenever she was starting on her list of chores around the house.

“So, this treat,” Riza inquired as she lifted a teasing eyebrow. “It’s just a one off then?”

Roy grimaced as he returned to the table. “Perhaps a treat was the wrong choice of word. It shouldn’t be a treat for me to pull my weight around here. I thought it sounded clever and was more apt for the time of year,” he added sheepishly.

“You’re normally busy with your alchemy though, that’s why.”

“It’s still no excuse.” His tone was firm and there was a resolve in his eyes that Riza would never have expected.

“Well, I would always appreciate some company,” she granted quietly. “That would be… really nice.”

Roy grinned. “I will be more than happy to assist. I am at your beck and call, my lady,” he finished with a flourish. He tried to bow low but lost his balance and almost fell over, almost dropping the glasses in his hands in the process.

Thankfully, he didn’t.

Riza snorted loudly. She couldn’t help it. Her eyes widened at the sound and the both of them broke out into laughter.

It felt good to laugh with him. With anyone. For too long this house had been devoid of such a sound.

It felt wonderful.

[ninjacat1515]

Fiadh and her friends stopping travelers and making demands for bags of gold and Emeralds. Most unfortunately do not meet the requirements for safe passage, and find themselves in dire straights.

But there's only so much 5 monsters can consume anyways, and when they can't handle another bite they close down their road block and retreat to their camp for a long rest.

Meredith brews a special tea to help them all digest and relax, and they laze on pillows and tell stories long into the night. Meredith smooths her eyebrows and turns to Fiadh.

"Any plans for All Hallows Eve?"

"Matias threw his back out so he will not be joining us, but he said to keep the festivities lively without him."

Anne cocked her head.

"How did he manage it this time?"

"The old goat sneezed! At least last time he was wrangling a Ravager, but yesterday stole his dignity."

The ladies burst out laughing, and Meredith fetches more tea. It had begun to rain but the tent was magically water sealed and kept the heat from the lanterns in. Fiadh sighed contentedly, wanting nothing else but this glorious life she led.

When the Pillagers had finally succumbed to sleep, a Trader stumbles across the tent and peeks in; heart stopping.

Five female Illagers, older but no less dangerous, out like lamps in a storm. He closes the tent flap and pulls his llamas along as if he had no tomorrow.

Fiadh had cracked open an eye and seen him, but she hadn't wanted to budge from her comfortable position.

[mari-lair]

Norray halloween week Day 1: Ghosts!

If curious, below are some random info about this Teacher/ghost AU

Ray got a gun and he can use it. The ghost gun isn’t able to touch, much less physically hurt anyone, but it replicate the sound of a real gun, which contributed a lot to how low priced his haunted house rent has become. It nearly gave Norman a heart attack the first time he heard it.

After being dead for a while, Ray learned how to turn visible and invisible at will and play around small objects such as paper, shoes and butcher knives. He can control up to 4 small objects at a time or something relativaly heavy like a chair if he really concentrate. The more he got the hang of controling and moving small objects the lower his house rent become, rarely getting aggressive but still able to physically hurt people. On All Hallows Eve he can posses people’s bodies and get out of the house he haunts, but he always ends up back to his empty ‘home’ when the night is over.

Ray is an incredibly fast learner. Just by observing the people that visits his house, he learned a decent amount of modern english and understand the basics of how tecnology is a  thing now -he wished this advanced tecnology was invented when he was alive. It would make the of lack of food and nutrients less of a deadly nightmare in open sea.

As a pirate, Ray used to be the one in charge of doing most of the bloody work and take the night watch, protecting his captain’s back from both outside and inside forces. He was constantly alert, borderline paranoic. But as the years in death passed, he grew more calm, very patient. He usually don’t mind new people in his house, happy to learn more modern english and befriend the guests willing to tolerate him. If a new guest cross a line however,  Ray will do his best to scare them away. Hurt them or kill them by manipulating knives if he sees fit.

It’s very rare for adults to see Ray as anything other than a nonsense they have no energy to deal with or a warning sign for their crumbling lives, so he usually hang around kids. The childish company mellows him with time.

Ray is from a time where death was common and getting hurt was inevitable so what people consider pretty serious is something Ray considers mild “Why are you being so dramatic about seeing some bone? Be grateful your hand is still attached to your wrist after you slaped your daughter. If it wasn’t for her wishes you wouldn’t have legs to run away.”

Norman is considered a genius and have countless prizes under his belt. He wanted to go to the moon when he was a kid but because of his weak health, he knew he would not be acepted in the space program. He decided teaching was the next best thing later on, accepted as a teacher in a prestigious school while still young. He enjoys and understand all subjects but love history the most, unable to deny it was hard and frustrating to teach a whole class of teens at times but still liking his job. Having one student that was genuinaly interested in his class was more than enough to make his day.

When Norman first started teaching, he felt more responsable than he had his whole life. It wasn’t a bad feeling per see, but it made him anxious so he called his little sister Cherry once a week to ask her questions about her teachers and make sure he was doing a good job.

Norman may not be the funniest of teacher but he’s still a favorite for his palpable cares for his students. He does not make the subject easier than is requested but he put a lot of effort into making people enjoy their world history, teaching with passion and seriously answering any questions, no matter how silly or joking it sounds. He’s understanding and try his best to help those with dificulty with the subject, always giving people second chances, having lost countless nights of sleep correcting re-writen essays after deadlines and turning his test questions into podcasts for students with adhd, aware the big historical excerpts are fundamental for answering the test but too hard to focus, specially with limited time.

The lambda crew are problem children. Norman went the extra mile to save Barbara and Zazie from failing classes even outside history and left Vincent startruck with his wide knowladge about not only world history but a ton of subjects he could be teaching too if he wasn’t overworking himself. Norman is both happy to inspire the squad to study hard and also very awkward by their blind admiration.

The teacher had a firm “ghost don’t exist”  mentality, which is one of the reasons he brought the haunted house in the first place. He had chalked Ray up as an halucination from his sleep deprived brain, having the rotten luck of buying the house right after a bad guest owned. The ghost got more annoyed than usual from things as insignificant as Norman keeping the lights on for too long, putting music Ray doesn’t vibe with, or just acting unfairly cute, to more personal matters such as Norman studying about Ray and his family lives. They used to have a distant and bad relationship but once Ray noticed Norman had only admiration for history, being genuinaly kind when trying to talk instead of mocking his existence, Ray apologised. Norman was still wary at first but they quickly hit off, enjoying to learn what the other had to offer and matching in wits.

When Norman catch a fever or a bad cold Ray gets wary. He know, on some level, that medicine have evolved a lot, but he remenbers way too clearly how serious even the weakest of diseases could get if not imediatly treated.  He always stick by Norman’s side when the teacher sneezes, not taking his eyes off him. Usually Norman keep working when he catch a cold, so Ray learned to float Norman’s grading papers out of his reach when coughing joined his sneezes. Floating a paper is enough to get Norman to take a break most of the time, but if the get stubborn Ray will stop playing nice. Just lower his voice to comander mode and order “Rest. Now. Or I’ll make your life a living hell.” and Norman does what he’s told, it’s very unconfortable to have a gun in the face and he does feel very tired.

When Norman is seriously sick, not just coughing but stuck to his bed. Ray freak out and fear for his life. When it reached this level, most of his crewmates died or had to be thrown in the sea to not infect other. Yes Ray know it’s not as bad anymore, but even when he observed guests, they rarely got sick, and when it got bad they where taken to a doctor. Norman lives alone so he got no one to feed him and bring him blankets or take him to the doctor if he lies for hours in bed. Ray was all the help he would get and he is fucking dead, he can’t measure his temperature or take care of him properly. Ray does tries his best though. He concentrated a lot to float heavy blankets and pillows towards Norman. Imediatly fetching any pills asked of him and doing his best to make him tea. It isn’t tasty, but Norman still appreciates his care.

Ray is the first to fall in love, he think “If only I could  kiss this fool and hug him, I would do it on the daily. I wish he was alive back then... He would love meeting Emma...” at least once a week but a big part of him is just “Forget scurvy! Norman would die of cold or malnutricion before he reached 10. Thank god the helpless bastard took his sweet time to be born.”

Ray cannot touch any eletronics, he can’t even come close without phones, computers, and tvs turning to statics, so Norman buys an illustrated book about the Red Mane Pirates for Ray to see his crew again. He know is not perfect but is the best he can offer whenever Ray expresses missing his family.

They read together. Norman occasionally teaching a new word to his ghost and Ray correcting any historical inacuracy. It’s fun.

Norman finds an illustration of an alive Ray sleeping in the mast waaay too beautiful. Ray snort at the romantized draw, disolving into laughter by how Norman failed to hide his blush.

It became a habit to read history books together and tease each other. More often then not, it lead to a history class and way to much sass on both ends.

“Wait, so there really was a world war? I heard about it from old guests but I thought they were exagerating when they called world war! And what do you mean 2? There was a second one??”

“How did miss the second one? It was HUGE, quite horribl-”

“You were not even alive when it happened.”                                        

“Tecnically, you weren’t either Ray-” 

Ray is a bit scared of how attached he got to Norman, knowing eventually the man would die. He hopes it will take a long time, and that once he had a painless death, he will become a ghost too, but he doesn’t really believe Norman will ever turn into a ghost. Ray knows not everyone that dies became a ghost. Since someone as compassionable as Emma -even if she was forced to have blood and dirty choises on her hand to survive the merciless seas- was not cursed to became a ghost, he was confident someone as kind as Norman would dissapear from Ray’s afterlife once he died too.

More of this AU here

.

And since you reached the end of this text wall. You can have this bonus Norman being awkward/excited about their growing friendship.

[sinscrivener]

Uri's suckerfish

URI אוּרִי m Biblical, Biblical Latin, Hebrew

Means "my light" in Hebrew. This is the name of the father of Bezalel in the Old Testament.

Name: Uri

Born: October (/All Hallows Eve/ but they didn't pay mind to the changing of seasons like Aziraphale and Crowley do)

Being: DemonAngel

Powers: Tempting and miracles, sneezes/hiccups flies or butterflies, level with a look when they don't like someone

Eyes: Lavender

Looks: More like Beelzebub with messy black hair and small nose, has Gabriel's strength but small like Beel, (though their a very healthy bab)

Wings: A soft just after dusk color with faded blue at the tips, grows darker going upwards

Takes after: Beelzebub more so mimicking them to no end and Gabriel LOVES it, Beel, not so much (though they love it just as much)

Animal: Sucker Fish (they are cute as hell!!!) /Point to be made, like Beelzebub has the fly, you got the chameleon and Toad, like that/

They hold it in their arms, it's that damn big

-

Funny story as to why it's THIS kinda fish I chose!

I was young mind you, and it looked like a shark, it looked cool, I always wanted a shark and asked if I could have the little shark fish

It was a shitfish as the owner of the feed store told my mum and gave it to us

Not sure how much they go for now, mine was deep blackish brown, and when I brushed my fingers upon it it was sharp (named such now I know for the 'armor')

Loved my crapfish (neither word I could say as a kid lol mum said them as jokes I at this time sadly don't recall his name) but loved him nevertheless name or not!

Face stuck to the front of the glass showed me his speckled belly even~❤️ Adorable

And no, I wasn't one of those kids who constantly tried to pet their fish like a dog, I would dip my fingers in whenever he was near enough and feel him, I WILL be honest there! But I wasn't fucking stupid as to hold it outside tank and pet it!

A few years later it died, I doooon't think the tank was right for him, way before computers were that big of a thing and books on THOSE? Hell no, now where I lived!

So, knowing the story, Uri holds one of the coolest damn fishes I ever had (miss him, wanna get myself another one day ❤️)

The size of the one Uri has is in dedication to what I wish mine could have been, HUGE, the shark I KNEW he was!

Tucked up in Uri's arms as they move around Hell after their barer Beelzebub

A neat trick with their suckerfish however, as Uri and the fish grow up together, if put upon it's masters head, the fish almost melds it's body into Uri's so that it's armor becomes their own.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Old Maple

Prompt: “It’s dark, no one will see you.” -- @challengingwords challenge

Pairing: Mark Lee x reader

Genre: witchcraft au

Word count: 505

“Are you worried someone will see us? Don’t be.”

Of course, you were concerned. It was Hallow’s Eve and whilst the majority of the population were either out trick or treating or attending costume parties, there was also more awareness on a night like tonight. Someone would patrol the area, and the last thing you wanted was to end up behind bars for doing something illegal and dangerous like this.

Still, you had to admit this was your idea originally.

And Mark was all too happy to remind you of it. “Didn’t you want to see if that book is in this old house? You’ve been going on about that legend to me for an entire month. I’m a little surprised it’s me having to convince you right now, when it was the other way around. It’s dark; no one will see you or me. I promise.”

“Oh fine,” you grumbled, seeing no way out of it now. Accepting his laced together hands as a step, you bounced over the stone wall, waiting for Mark to land on the opposite side. He smiled at you when he did and then pointed to the house, both of you crouching as you ran towards the back entrance.

Old Maple Corner was said to be once a witches’ stomping ground and a spellbook was left up in the attic waiting for the chosen one to take it as their own. As a witch-in-training, you were adamant you needed to get your hands on it. Legend or not, if it existed, you knew it had to be worth sneaking into the derelict house, and dealing with countless cobwebs and dust.

You were sneezing before you reached the attic.

“If you continue to be that loud, you’ll wake the dead,” Mark murmured and you turned to him, disgruntled.

“We have far worse worries than the dead, Mark.”

“Like?”

“Getting across this hole in the floor.” You whined at the obstacle, but he easily found a path that was safe enough to cross, holding out his hand for you.

“As a witch, shouldn’t you be able to use your broom to fly around in here?”

“Ha-ha. I left it at home,” you remarked dryly, though you inwardly cursed yourself for not thinking of that.

Finally, you were in the attic. It was bare, unlike the rest of the home that had been eerily decorated. You groaned, feeling stupid for believing in the legend.

“Is it here?”

“Do you see it, Mark?” you questioned sourly, turning around and stopping dead in your tracks at the apparition before you, Mark banging into you a moment later.

“Y/N?”

“Uh, I think we have to go. Now!” you urged, pushing your boyfriend towards the exit hurriedly.

You didn’t tell him what you saw, no matter how many times he asked. And you decided you were going to learn all about witchcraft through what books you already possessed.

Legend had it; the last witch of Maple Corner lost her head because of that book, after all.

_________________

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

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[akire-echo]

October Drabbles

Day 31- Candy Themed

You’d heard a story of a demon summoning gone wrong, where the demon turned out getting the body of ice-cream because of a sneeze. You didn’t want that happening, you needed a helper for your business. You could not afford to hire help so you needed to summon some. You definitely needed the extra help on Halloween, since people would be buying a lot more chocolate and sweets from your bakery.

You got out your special book and set out the ingredients. You placed out vanilla candles, something to make your demon sweet. You set out icing sugar too, hoping to get a demon who was inclined to baking or making pastries.

You chanted the words but right at the last second, you got icing sugar in your nose and sneezed. Dang it, just like the ice-cream demon.

The powdered icing sugar exploded there was a figure that emerged.

“What the hell?” A male voice said.

You looked at him.

He was pale purple all over except for his hair, which was a dusty rose colour. He had long horns that curled back and then forward, dipped in blood or something. But he had five eyes, two on the each side and one in the very middle. But the most distinct thing was his patches of white that looked like powder and he was covered in what looked like paintings of candies.

“Oh dear.” You gasped.

“What have you done?” He growled.”I’m all...cutesy and covered with...hell, is that candy?”

“I sneezed, okay?”

“It’s not okay! I’m-you’ve made me cute!”

“I just needed help with my bakery!”

He growled again.

“You gonna help or not?” You asked.

He sighed.“Yeah, but only because I am obligated to, since you summoned me.”

“Great.” You sighed in relief.“I’ve got a lot of orders since it’s Halloween. Can you bake?”

He nodded.”Yeah, I can bake.”

“Awesome! Put on an apron and let’s get started.” You smiled.

He begrudgingly did as you asked and helped out.

He wasn’t bad either. He was fairly skilled at making the breads and things while you did pastries. It worked out because his hands were warm when yours were cold. His claws even helped trim edges of things, making it easier.

He was even good with the cheesy Halloween decor on the treats. Even with the, as he called it, “dumb candy corn”.

What would’ve taken you since 4am by yourself took only an hour and a half.

“You are a total lifesaver!” You hugged him, then realized what you were doing and stopped.

He smirked.“Usually I’m taking lives.”

You chuckled. “I am going to prep some chocolates for kids, just in case we get trick or treaters. Would you mind staying the whole day?”

He shrugged.“I’m here until you send me back.”

“Great! No one will even suspect you’re a demon since it’s Halloween,they’ll think it’s a great costume.”

He smiled evilly.“That’s exactly why we come out on All Hallows’ eve.”

You smiled at him.“I’m glad I get to spend this holiday with someone who appreciates it.”

The whole day was so busy, you didn’t even get a break. Your candy demon friend was also busy, and everyone loved his costume. He was so helpful and kind to everyone who came in, especially the kids. After all the goods were sold and all the kids had gone home for that night, you started cleaning up. Your demon helped, washing while you dried and put away.

It was well near midnight when you finished, you had to be up in about 5 hours to do it all over again, only it’d more busy with trying to figure out more fall menu items.

You sighed, wishing your demon could stay forever.

“You have icing on your face.” He remarked.

“Oh?” You asked and began wiping but he laughed. You tried to wipe more but he just laughed louder.

“Here.” He said and leaned in, licking the corner of your lip.

You gasped softly, not expecting him to be so...warm.

“That was...out of line.” He stepped back.

“No, I Uh...I liked it.” You blushed.“I would...would’ve considered asking you to stay longer...”

“I would like to stay, if I weren’t so cutesy coloured.”

You smiled.“I can fix that.”

He smirked, sharp teeth showing.

“Once I am my normal self, I am going to take you on that counter.” He pointed.“Even if it’s covered in flour.”

You giggled.“Sounds good.”

[larksinging]

alright it’s @rumtumtuggers birthday today!!! happy birthday hunter, now you can finally leave middle school,

but no really im so glad we’ve started talking more?? honestly being able to bounce ideas off of you and hearing all the great and creative ideas you come up with has made me feel so much more creative and i cant possibly thank you enough for that. thanks for joining rwby hell with me! im so happy we started talking more and really became friends. anyway! i hope you have a good year coming up....

in honor of rwby hell, here is some actual rwbies from “hell”, aka some random white rose scene from demon au 

“Do you dream?”

“What?” Ruby rolls over to face Weiss, who just glances at her demon and then back up at the canopy.

“The way you were talking before. It sounded like you didn’t know. Do you actually dream?”

“No,” Ruby admits. That’s not entirely true. She thinks she used to, once. But it was so long ago that she’s forgotten. “What’s it like?”

No matter how many contracts Ruby takes with mortals, she’ll never get used to the mind numbing boredom of waiting for them to finish sleeping. And they get so fussy if she tries to wake them, too! It’s sooo annoying. And sure, she could sleep too, but that’s boring and unnecessary and she has much better things to do during her limited time in the mortal world. 

Sometimes Ruby just wakes up her contracted human and bothers them until they entertain her, but she won’t for Weiss. She actually likes Weiss. So instead she’s lounging on the luxurious couch on the other side of the room (Weiss got all huffy the first time Ruby tried to lay on the bed, so exiled to the couch it is). 

The tip of her cape lays on the floor while she sprawls on the fancy pillows and holds the “tablet” above her to play the silly fruit game Weiss showed her. The screen and the moonlight filtering in through the windows lights the room up silver and blue. 

She just beats level 945 with a soft “Oooh yes!” when Weiss makes a choked gasp and sits upright in bed. 

Ruby glances up lazily to make sure that Weiss isn’t actually dying, but she’d be able to sense that. Contract stuff -- it’s no good to contract to a human who ends up dying. It kinda stings. But no, she can tell Weiss isn’t dying. Cool. It’d be inconvenient if Weiss died, and also a little sad. 

“Good morning,” Ruby drawls. 

At her voice, Weiss nearly jumps out of her skin. “Wh...?” She blinks at Ruby, and then the clock on her bedside table. “It’s... it’s not morning,” She stammers. “It’s two am.” 

“You’re awake, aren’t you?” Ruby swipes another combo on the screen. “Then it’s morning. Let’s go!” 

“I didn’t wake up for you,” Weiss hisses. “I just... woke up.” 

“Noooot seeing a difference.” 

“I had a nightmare, okay?” Weiss’ voice pitches up in a strange way. It’s enough to get Ruby to put the tablet down and look over. “It’s not important. I’ll go back to sleep in a minute.” 

“Oh. That’s rough. I think.” Ruby offers helplessly. “I know some demons who eat nightmares. Nightmares are the bad ones, right? Or maybe they cause them, and it was that one angel who eats them. Or...” 

“You-- Never mind. I’ll pass.” 

“Suit yourself.” Ruby fumbles around the couch to find where she threw the Scroll, until she hears a low whining noise. She looks up, but Weiss is looking at her hands clenching the blankets. 

For all her impatience, this time Ruby knows to simply wait and watch. And just as she expected, Weiss eventually unfurls. 

“I don’t want to be alone,” Weiss says, her voice soft and almost wavering. 

“I’m right over here,” Ruby replies with a shrug. 

“That’s not--” Weiss frowns. “Just... come over here. Please.” 

Even if Ruby doesn’t totally get it, she obeys and wordlessly crawls onto the bed. There’s plenty of room for both of them, but Weiss still scoots over to make space for her. Taking the cue, she lays back against the pillows, even if she’s still on top of the blankets. Weiss doesn’t say anything and Ruby just stares up at the canopy. 

“...Am I supposed to be doing something?” 

“Just be quiet for one second, you dolt.” 

“Oooookay. One--”

Weiss smacks her shoulder and Ruby just grins, but she’s quiet after that. 

“Do you dream?” 

“What?” Ruby rolls over to face Weiss, who just glances at her demon and then back up at the canopy. 

“The way you were talking before. It sounded like you didn’t know. Do you actually dream?” 

“No,” Ruby admits. That’s not entirely true. She thinks she used to, once. But it was so long ago that she’s forgotten. “What’s it like?” 

Instead of answering her immediately, Weiss stares up at the ceiling. “It’s like…. Watching a movie. No. It’s like someone telling you a story, but you’re living it, except everything’s kind of hazy. Like... a cloud?” 

“Hmmm.” That sounds strange and alarming, the way lesser demons describe being bound by their true names, but Ruby can’t quite imagine it. “I love stories. Yang used to read them to me.” 

“Very old stories, I imagine,” Weiss adds. “Like ‘The Death and the Farmer’?” 

Ruby laughs loudly. Weiss frowns at her. “What’s so funny?! That’s one of my favorites!”

She has to wipe the tears from her eyes, but eventually Ruby manages to settle down. “Yeah, Yang told me that one, sorta. A veeerrry different version than the one you know, I bet.” 

“The version I know is probably better,” Weiss rolls her eyes. “But... maybe sometime we can compare notes.” 

“Mmm, alright. If you’d like that.” 

Weiss wraps her arms around one of Ruby’s arms and rests her head against Ruby’s shoulder. Ruby blinks up at the mild darkness, but allows it. 

They fall into silence again. She hears Weiss’ breathing start to slow, so she must’ve fallen back asleep. 

With Weiss so close, Ruby’s reminded of just how warm humans are. They’re a good few degrees cooler than Ruby herself -- though even Ruby doesn’t run as warm as Yang -- but there’s something charming about human’s more gentle warmth. It’s soft and radiating, like an old memory. 

“Goodnight, Weiss,” She murmurs gently, and closes her own eyes. 

Ruby doesn’t dream, of course. That much wasn’t a lie. She’s not in the business of lying. 

When she does fall asleep, it’s usually either empty blackness or a swift drop into a different plane of existence. Mortals might call it a ‘dream realm’, which is nice if she and Yang want to meet up from halfway across the world (if they can sync up right). 

But sometimes, if she lingers just on the edge of the darkness and the drop, she remembers things. Faded bits and pieces.

Even though she hasn’t said anything, she can tell that Dad knows what her decision is going to be. The way his smile doesn’t reach all the way to his eyes, the sad glint in his gaze when he thinks she isn’t looking. Ruby wishes she could tell him that he’s wrong. He’s not. 

Technically she’s not supposed to tell anyone yet. Ancient rules and all. On sundown of her ...th birthday, she must choose. She can’t live with one foot in two worlds at once. Mortal or demon. Such is fate for halflings like her. 

Dad’s been sad ever since Yang left .... years ago. And Ruby loves her dad, but she loves and misses Yang too, and she wants to see her and Mom more than once a year. 

At least she’ll get to see them today before she decides! That’s the benefit of her birthday falling on ... (In the future they will call it All Hallow’s Eve, and then Halloween, and many other lost names). It’s the one time Mom and now Yang can visit. 

Dad kisses her forehead when they leave the house. It’s a small farm house in the middle of the ... forest, on the island of ...., but Ruby loves it. She’ll miss it. Zwei barks and circles her legs as she picks up basket of food. The most morbid picnic ever. 

They trek through the forest turning red all the way up to the cliffside meeting place. The meeting place is beside a marker stone, older than the town, which reads: 

............... .................... Death knows this place .............

 When they arrive, it’s close enough to dusk that Mom and Yang are already waiting for them there. 

There’s something different about Yang now. Even if it’s been ... (Two, yes, two years), Ruby’s still not used to it. It’s a sharpness in her eyes or the way her hair almost glows. Her laugh seems to echo. It’s that unreal quality that Mom’s always had, she just never thought about it before because it was Mom. 

Yang immediately runs to hug her. Ruby nearly suffocates in her grip, but wraps her arms around her sister anyway. Summer doesn’t, of course, because there’s only one time she can touch Ruby or Dad. Still, she laughs and smiles and tells Ruby how much she loves her. 

They all sit down to watch the setting sun and have their own feast. Dad and Ruby eat the pastries they made this morning. Summer takes an apple and watches it disintegrate in her grasp, which is like eating for her. Yang eats some of the dried meat they brought in a single bite, and Ruby thinks she sees sharp teeth. She shivers, and only most of it is excitement. 

Then the sun finally sets and everyone looks at her. She smiles sadly and says, “Sorry, Dad.” Because, to be honest, it was never a question which she would choose. 

He hugs her tight and says goodbye, and then he and Zwei alone go back to the forest and towards home. She’s left on the cliff with Mom and Yang. Mom smiles, but Yang looks apologetic. 

“I should warn you,” She says, “This is gonna hurt.” 

“I… okay,” Ruby says, lightheaded from the realization of what she’s done. “Why?” 

“The human part of you has to die,” Mom answers, with the infinite gentleness she’s always possessed. “I’m sorry. But we’ll be here for you.” 

They’re not lying. About any of it. 

“I thought you didn’t need to sleep.” 

Ruby blinks away to white hair tickling her nose. She sneezes and Weiss reels back with a yelp of disgust. Eventually Ruby sits up and rubs her eyes. 

“I don’t need too,” She yawns, “I just choose to sometimes.” 

“Well, choose to be awake right now.” Weiss puts her hands on her hips. Ruby deliberately moves slowly just to annoy her. “We need to be at a dress fitting in an hour.” 

“Uuuugh, why? I’m pretty sure I’m older than, like, the concept of dresses. Why do I have to do this?” 

“I highly doubt that.” For all her huffing, Weiss does offer Ruby a pastry she must’ve stolen from the kitchen. How rebellious! “We have that ball to go to this weekend, and we need to get appropriate attire. Mostly for you.” 

Ruby devours the croissant in one bite. “Why do I have to go?” 

“Father insists on it. It’s customary in Atlas to show off a bound demon.” 

At first, Ruby rolls her eyes. She’s not really bound, even if she won’t tell Weiss that. It might spook her to know that Ruby’s not chained here by anything more than own amusement. The enjoyment she finds spending time with Weiss is a much stronger spell than anything else mortals try to use on her. 

What she does do is narrow her eyes at Weiss and then grin wolfishly. “Aaaaand you want me to keep you company around all those stuff Atlas folks.” 

Weiss frowns and looks away briefly. “...Perhaps.” 

“Awww, Weiss, it’s okay, you can admit that you like m--” 

Luckily for Weiss, her Scroll beeps. She promptly ignores Ruby, who flops back onto the bed. She waits until Weiss finishes typing out a message and come back over to the bed to glare at Ruby before pestering Weiss. “Who was that?” 

“My fr-- that pen pal of mine. You remember.” 

“The one with the blue hair?” “No! Not him. The one with your sister.” 

“Oh.” Ruby sits up. “Oh! Did she mention Yang? How is she?” 

Now it’s Weiss’ turn to roll her eyes. “She sounds fine. We’re just commiserating. She’s got a stupid event for work the same day as the ball.” 

“Misery loves company!” 

“Just get moving. Please. I am begging you.” 

Pouty Weiss isn’t as fun as Cheerful Weiss, so Ruby does eventually get up. She smooths out her cape and watches at Weiss moves around the room to get some appropriate clothes for going out. She side-eyes the jacket Weiss is approaching with. 

“If you don’t make me wear that, I’ll tell you demon secrets,” Ruby watches with a feral glint in her eye. 

Weiss hesitates and lowers the jacket. “You need to look presentable.” 

“No I don’t. I’m a demon. And most of the ones roaming around here look way worse than me.” 

Eventually, Weiss sets the jacket down. “Alright.” She turns to leave and Ruby, automatically now, falls in step beside her. 

“How about I tell you how wrong your version of ‘Death and the Farmer’ is?” 

“That’s not a very good secret.” 

“But it's fun.” Ruby folds her hands behind her head. “But first you’ve got to tell me the version you know.” 

There’s a moment of silence as Weiss frowns and struggles to remember. “Once upon a time there was a farmer who lived in the middle of a forest on a lonely island. He had two daughters--” 

“Nope.” Ruby pops her lips on the p sound. “Only one daughter.” 

“What? Every version I’ve heard, he has two.” 

“Oh, he does. Just not yet.” 

Weiss furrows her brow. “If he only has one daughter before Death comes, then who’s the other daughter’s mother?” 

“Did they seriously write that out?” Ruby laughs. “I guess they didn’t want to encourage people to date demons.” 

“Death is her mother?” 

Ruby just smiles. 

[simplyshelbs16xoxo]

‘Spellbound: All Hallow’s Eve’: Chapter 1: He Had It Comin’

Summary: Sequel; takes place a year after the epilogue of Spellbound (I suggest reading that first). Sherlock and Molly encounter a man who's out for revenge at the Watsons' Victorian themed Halloween party. Meanwhile, there's a woman roaming around London, impersonating Emelia Ricoletti. Magic, Mayhem, Mystery, and a Murder (or two) Most Foul. 

- read the first story HERE

I wanna dedicate this to my girl, @mrsfrankensteinwinchester cause she is literally the biggest fan of this series, and I just love her so much!

               The crisp October air bit at his skin. The man supposed it was worth it to meet his mistress for a night of passion. The fog began closing in around him, thicker than the down blanket his wife was sleeping under when he left. A snapping of a twig caught his attention, making him realize he was not, in fact, alone.

               “Who’s there?” he called out.

               “Only I,” a woman’s voice whispered in the dark.

               “Oh, thank goodness,” the man sighed in relief. “I was beginning to think you were ready to call it off. Where are you, my love?”

               He watched as a hand broke through the fog towards him. Her nails were painted a crimson red. As she came into view, he saw she wore a vintage style wedding dress—Victorian, perhaps—with long lace sleeves and a veil that hid her face from view.

               “'Til death do us part,” she hissed before the dagger pierced his heart.

               “Molly!” Sherlock shouted. “Victoria sneezed again!”

               “Oh, bugger, what’d she do now?” Molly asked, rushing into the sitting room. Their daughter had a habit of being able to do simple magic almost any time she screamed, sneezed or cried. Molly looked around, but nothing seemed amiss until her husband cleared his throat. The deerstalker he loathed so much was now sitting atop his head for the hundredth time.

               “This blasted hat is the bane of my existence,” he huffed.

               “Oh, Sherlock, do stop being melodramatic,” Molly laughed. “You know she loves it!” She lifted their six month old daughter into her arms. “You love playing jokes on daddy, don’t you, darling girl?”

               “Dadadada,” was Victoria’s reply whilst she laughed excitedly.

               Sherlock walked over to his wife and daughter, swiping the hat off his head.

               “I love you both very much, you know,” he spoke softly, one hand on the small of Molly’s back and the other gently stroking the chestnut curls on their Victoria’s head.

               It was then that Greg Lestrade strolled in looking white as a ghost.

               “Any possibility I can get you two to come to Bart’s quickly?” he asked them. “A highly regarded member of the British government has been murdered!”

               “Was it Mycroft?” asked Sherlock, who grimaced when Molly elbowed him.

               “Oh dear? Another murder?” Mrs. Hudson asked, bringing up the tea. “I’ll take care of the little one whilst you two take care of things.”

               “Mrs. Hudson, are you sure?” Molly asked.

               “Quite sure,” their landlady replied, taking Victoria into her arms. “Don’t you worry about a thing!”

               It wasn’t long before Sherlock and Molly were out the door to inspect the gruesome scene they were about to behold.

               In the mortuary, the body of Thomas Milton was laid out before them.

               “A member of the House of Commons I presume?” Sherlock deduced. When Greg opened his mouth, Sherlock interrupted. “It was a rhetorical question.”

               “Eight stab wounds, but he was pierced through the heart first,” Molly observed.

               “A bit excessive don’t you think?” Greg asked.

               “Excessive, yes, but there’s a clue from it,” Sherlock remarked.

               Greg looked at the couple dumbfounded.

               “It was a crime of passion,” Sherlock and Molly spoke in unison.

               “That’s scary, you two.” Lestrade shook his head in disbelief. “It’s like you share the same brain.”

               ‘Yes, well, time for you to go so Molly and I can concentrate—you think much too loudly,” Sherlock hurried the Detective Inspector out of the room.

               “Did you have to be so rude?” his wife scolded him.

               “Darling, I’m sorry,” he murmured into her ear.

               “I’m not the one you should apologise to,” she remarked.

               “I will apologise to Lestrade when we’re done,” he promised.

               “Wake,” Molly spoke firmly, a jolt of electricity burst from her fingertip.

               “Wha—where am I?” an undead Thomas Milton asked.

               Just then someone burst into the mortuary.

               “Sorry, forgot my pho—BLOODY HELL!” Greg shouted in a fright.

               Molly, on impulse, returned Milton to his previously lifeless state.

               “We can explain,” Sherlock paled.

               Somewhere in dark hidden alcove of a back alley, two men are heard whispering back and forth by a passerby—a woman taking a shortcut home from work. She walked quickly, her heels against the pavement being the only other sound.

As the clicking of her shoes echoed throughout the alley, her heart rate accelerated. She walked faster. Chills covered her skin, feeling as though someone was watching her. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. The end of the alley was just within her reach when a large hand grabbed her shoulder.

“Shouldn’t have been eavesdropping,” was all she heard before everything went black.  

FFN | Ao3 | Buy Me a Coffee

[imaginefeawakening]

Thank you @tcongdraws so so so so much for drawing such a lovely cover art!!! It inspired me to give some love for the Hoshidan Princes and for our endearing Prince Chrom! Please check this post throughout Halloween for additions~ You may request prompts here or at @imaginefefates

Takumi: He spent hours being too self-conscious to even put his costume on. With a lot of puffing him up, she’d got him to shed his shyness and try it on. “Hey,” he turned around as he examined himself in the mirror. “Not bad.”

“See?” she puffed out her cheek and hugged him from behind. “You gave me a headache for no reason.”

“I’m a prince. I can’t go out looking like a fool.”

“Hasn’t stopped you before,” she grumbled under her breath. 

He pouted. “I heard that.” Thankfully, he was easily placated with a few kisses. “Well...shall we get going?”

“Yeah...hey, you didn’t tell me what you think of my outfit.” This time, Corrin was the one to pout. Takumi grinned and rest his hands on her shoulders. “You’re not so  bad yourself.”

“That’s all? Come on Takumi, we’ve been married this long, stop getting shy.”

“Fine,” his ears pinked. “You look really, really….hot.” She was expecting pretty, or cute. This was indeed out of left field.

“Takumi…” her ears were redder than his.

“What? We’ve been married this long, stop getting shy.” He had a shit-eating grin that tempted her to mess with his face. They continued ribbing and teasing each other until they’d arrived at the ‘haunted’ manor. It loomed tall and menacing, and it looked entirely too pointy, in his opinion. There was also a suspicious amount of fog around it for what was otherwise a clear night. Was he the only one that felt the intense sense of dread? Takumi gulped and looked at Corrin with unease. “Hey….I don’t think they’ve got candy here…”

“It’s Old Hallows Eve, Takumi. Don’t you want a little excitement? A spooky atmosphere would be perfect.”

“Haven't you had enough excitement for a lifetime? What with jumping down cliffs and all that…” He grumbled for a little while longer, until they’d reached the manor. “You know, I doubt it’s even open—“ His voice trailed off as she carelessly opened the door and pushed forward. The door groaned ominously, and Takumi swallowed.

“You can hold my hand if you’re scared…” Corrin grinned at him and patted his cheek.

His lips pushed into a pout, but he took her offer in the guise of holding it so she wouldn’t get scared. With that settled, they wandered further inside, to Takumi’s dismay. They strolled through the parlor and examined the dusty tomes. “Ooh these are interesting…” Corrin picked one up to show Takumi, who proceeded to begin sneezing.

“Ahh...ahh—choo!” He sneezed, and just then the fireplace came alight with life, albeit for a moment. “Wah!” He leapt and hugged Corrin with all his might. “Wh—what was that?!”

She cocked her head to the side. “What was what, Takumi?”

“The fireplace! It’s lit—huh?”

Just like that, it was dark and dusty, not even a single wisp of smoke remained. Takumi dared not look at her expression. “I swear…”

“You might be a little too spooked...let’s go somewhere else.”

He took “somewhere else” to mean somewhere outside and as freedom. He did not expect it to be even deeper into the mansion. Corrin sat down at a piano and began playing the piece on the left behind sheet music. “Ah this is a duet...can you play, Takumi?”

“‘Fraid not,” he mumbled as he looked around the room. He was poking around the room to keep his mind off how creepy it all was. Just act like it was an old part of the palace...yeah...he chuckled nervously and looked down at the ground. “Huh…” it looked different than from all the other tiles. He curiously nudged the center with his foot and was about to greatly regret doing so.

Corrin bit her lip as the piano harmonized with her. “How are the other notes playing...I think we should get out of here, Takumi.” She stood up and looked around for her husband. “Takumi? Takumi! Where are you?” She hurried around the room until she came upon a giant hole in the ground. “T—Takumi…?” He couldn’t possibly have….

“Don’t you want a little excitement?” He called out mockingly, though his voice was so wracked with terror that his sarcasm came out as weak whimper. “A spooky atmosphere would be perfect! Aha...ha…..ha…..sniffle…”

Oh dear. He’s lost it. “I’ll save you Takumi, hold on!”

“I’ll be here...in the dark...and cold…” He continued to whine as she ran around looking for some very, very long rope. She ran from one end to the manor to the other, with no such luck. Perhaps it would be better just to find where he was imprisoned and free him there. As the thought occurred to her, a white puppy with droopy ears nipped at her feet.

“Oh hello!” she knelt down to scratch behind its ear. “Do you know where I could find my husband?”

It barked in what she hoped was affirmation. With a wag of its tail, it lead her down into the basement to catacombs she didn’t think even existed. It was frightening but she had decided to trust the young canine. It was her biggest lead to finding Takumi after all.

They’d finally arrived at a row of jail cells, and sure enough, Takumi was gripping at the bars and shaking like a child. Corrin groped around in the dark for the keys, and freed him immediately. “Corrin!” he just about bawled and flung his arms around her neck. “I thought I was going to die in there.”

“I wouldn’t have let that happen..my poor dear, are you hurt?”

“My ass is completely sore…”

“You seem to be fine,” she sighed in relief. “Let’s go home now..” A faint grumbling from him signaled his assent and they went back upstairs. When they reached the landing Corrin had stopped to thank the pup, but it had vanished. She thought it better to not question it, and they made their way outside to the refreshing, crisp air.  

“Worst. Idea. Ever,” he complained as he cling to her arm.

“I’m sorry...what would you like to do instead.”

“Well...were all dressed up...you can, ahem, spoil me once we get home.” He nudged her shoulder with his, his crooked smile slowly returning.

“...Takumi…”

“Hey!” he huffed. “I nearly died back there!”

She smiled and kissed his cheeks, slightly darkened by soot.

“I know. I just wondered how you’ve got such a one-track-mind, dear.”

“I told you, you look hot in that,” he insisted, and grinned as she blushed once more. He recovered back to his usual sassy self by the time they went home, and wasted no time asking for kisses and special treatment once they made it to the safety of their bedroom.

Chrom: “Oh,” he looked down at himself with great amusement. “This is less...freeing as usual.”

“Bear with having both sleeves intact for a night,” Robin said with mirth. She’s careful to not poke at his fashion sense so much, but Chrom pouts anyway.

“Be nice. What am i, again?” he rubbed at the pointy teeth you’ve saddled him with, she swatted at his hand.

“Hey, it took a while to get those on. You’re a vampire, Chrom.”

“‘’Tis a strange beast indeed. Doesn’t look frightful other than how, erm, exposing it is.” The way he covered his arms was reminiscent of a maiden guarding her chastity, and she giggled at the resemblance. His collarbone was displayed handsomely, in your opinion, and she told him just that.

“Ah. What else could I have expected from you, Robin.” He laughed, and then examined her outfit. “Whoa there.” She smiled innocently, just as he finally took in what she was wearing. He swallowed hard, and his eyes widened comically. “W-well I see you’re showing a fair amount of skin yourself….” His eyes lingered at her cleavage until a flick on his forehead brought him back to his senses.

“Chrom. Relax.”

“But…”

“I’m yours, despite how deep my neckline plunges.”

“I...ahem, I see. And what exactly are you?”

“A devil.”

He mumbles something under his breath that probably earned a smack or two on the head. But she let it pass. “Now, shall we go, my vampire?”

“Yes, my little devil,” he said, his eyes back to her chest.

“Perhaps you’re the devil here,” she rolled her eyes, but allowed him to keep an arm around her waist.

“Maybe I’ll show you later.”

-

After a few hours of trick-or-treating with little Lucina (who was a little ladybug, courtesy of Frederick’s tailoring skills), her parents had dropped her back home to sleep so they could have a little more fun of their own.

“So...I’ve always been curious about these. But Frederick would never let me do this...he’d pull back me and Lissa by the ear and lecture us about the consequences of kidnapping.”

“I expect that his purse wouldn’t be able to afford your ransom. A test of courage, huh? I don’t recall ever doing one. This’ll be a first for the two of us.”

“Brave enough?”

“For the both of us,” said Robin airily as they went hand in hand to the spooky woods on the outskirts of Ylisse. It was eerie, and a very small shrine sat at the entrance. Chrom pointed to it with a hopeful look. It was then, that Robin realized, that he actually looked nervous.

“A shrine...that’s a good sign, yes?” He smiled confidently, but there was no hiding the sweat drops that dripped down his neck.

“Chrom, I doubt there’s any ghosts actually here.” She pulled him into the forest with no fear, his clammy hand wrapped tightly in hers. The first ‘test’ was a hollow pumpkin wrapped in white scraps of fabric and paper that swung around in circles by propulsion of the wind. Robin had to admit that she was startled, but Chrom, ever reliable, jumped in front of her and swung out his sword,  slicing the pumpkin in two. “I think that was one of the decorations…” Robin coughed, her hand on her heart still.

Chrom turned to look at her slowly, as he sheathed his sword. The now skewered pumpkin rolled around pathetically at their feet. They shared a nod and scuried forward before someone discovered that their hard work is now mush on the ground. Bits of pumpkin guts squelched beneath Chrom’s boots, and his nose wrinkled with distaste. Just as he opened his mouth to complain, something hit the back of his head. “What the?!” He turned on his heel to look for his assailant, but all he saw was darkness, and now a thing fog, for miles ahead. He looked up at the trees, and spotted no one either. Nonetheless, he tightened his hold on Robin, his jaw set and his feet rooted in a defensive stance.

“What is it Chrom?” Robin tilted her head to the side.

“Something just hit my head…” He picked up a pumpkin slice and showed it to her.

“Someone’s really mad at us huh...Maybe we should go ba--” Before she could finish her sentence, a large gust of wind blew over them, The crickets stopped chirping and a wolf howled in the distance.

“M-maybe just some elwind magic..?” Chrom offered hopefully.

“This is no work of a tome,” said an ominous voice from above.

“Ch-Chrom...was that you…” Robin clung to his side and looked upwards. She needn’t look at him to see the frightful shake of his head.

“There’s...no such thing. This is a prank. There’s no such thing, there’s no such--”

“What do you want, a new pumpkin? We’ll wrap it nicely for you if you leave us alone.” Another gust passed and they screamed. Chrom and Robin clung to each other for dear life, though he had taken out his sword again.

“You will do no harm to my wife! We’ve defeated a dragon, and we can take you on. That said--” He scooped up Robin rather dashingly, and ran at an inhumanely fast speed. “We’ll be taking our leave--”

“Just run, Chrom, run!”

They tried to run back to where they started, but a few more swinging pumpkins blocked their path and they had to backtrack. They returned to following the arrows to go out the other way but after a while of running they had realized they had passed the same moss covered rock about six times.

“It’s hopeless, Chrom. We should sit down and think of a plan…” She hopped down from his arms and kissed him gently to thank him for carrying her around the whole time.  

“Y-you want to stay here longer?!” His eyes darted nervously as though they were to be attacked at any moment.

“Well...we haven’t made much progress just running aimlessly….Let’s go find that stone again...perhaps we’ll find a way north out of here.” She took Chrom’s hand and they wandered aimlessly until they found their goal. Common sense was on their side finally, and they began seeing the light outside the forest.

“Finally, a way out of this hellish pls—AAARGH—“ Chrom scooped up Robin once more and least backwards, though he brandished with Falchion with a determined finesse. “H-Halt!” he said to a silhouette that was marching towards them.

Robin took out a pocket tome of thunder, and aimed it towards the spooky figure. “We’re not afraid to use this!” She spoke with a shaky bravado, and they heard an all too familiar sigh.

“Milady. Milord. It would do good not to dismember your knight.” It was a very, very weary Frederick who held Gaius and Henry by the ear. “I believe these two scoundrels have been harassing you?”

“You!!” Robin glared daggers at Gaius. “You’re the reason I lost years of my life? And what say you, Henry?”

“All the kiddies went home, so I couldn’t scare ‘me anymore.”

“And they stopped giving out candy...I got chased out with a rolling pin. So we got bored. And knew you were coming here.”

Frederick was the next to offer his explanation. “I pried it out of Lissa. Milord. I told you, you might get spirited away here. And did you listen? And you’ve endangered your wife too. You should be good examples for Lucina.”

“Never mind that...yet,” Chrom added hurriedly under the intensity of Frederick’s stare. “How did you find them..while we were running for our lives.”

“No one messes with Frederick,” Gaius said, still looking like a dog who’d gotten caught marking his territory on the furniture.

Robin glared at him again, with a look that said that he would regret messing with her. “Let’s...let’s just go home.”

“Agreed.” Chrom mumbled, holding his wife close to him. As the others nodded along, a strong gust of wind passed over them. The pair glanced at Henry who looked as perplexed as he did. “Cut it out with the elwin’s…”

“Nya ha! Elwind? I’m just the pumpkin decorating guy.”

Gaius claimed innocence as well.

“Wait then...the voice in the forest…”

A horrifying realization came to them, and it was then that they only had one option.

“RUUUUUUUUUUUN!”

Ryoma: After a long night out and about, the royal couple had just returned to their quarters. Ryoma, dressed as a Tengu, had begun to change out of his robes and discard his wings. But Corrin stopped him just as he’s exposed his torso.

“Wait...I like you like this.” She smiled and hugged his waist, and rest her cheek against his sculpted chest. “Stay dressed up a little longer?”

“Ah my cute witch...how can I deny such a request.” With warm eyes, he gazed at her. He slowly bent down to meet her height, and just as he cupped her chin for a kiss…

Bang! Went a noise outside their door.

“E—eek!” Corrin hid inside his robes. “Wh—what was that?”

“Let’s find out...ah, you’ll need to…” He gently pried her face away so he could tie his robes back. “Will you wait here?” She shook her head and held his hand. “Then we go together.” He squeezed it reassuringly as they slid open their bedroom door and ventured outside, each taking a weapon in hand on their way out.

On the floor was a grimly red splotch of red. “Blood…” Corrin whispered, her eyes wide.

“Mm...perhaps we’ve an assailant in our midst? Stay close to me, love.” He switched from holding her hand to keeping a protective arm around her, as they crept through the hallway.

“Do you think anyone’s…” She glanced back at the stain with worried eyes. Ryoma gave a quick squeeze of her shoulder to reassure her.

“It’s too light to have been anything too serious. don’t worry, everyone here is far too capable to be cut down.” He gently pecked her head and smiled st her, though she didn’t miss the slight strain in his eyes.

Another band came from just a little down the hallway, and the two broke into a sprint. Following that was some yelling and thumping noises that sank their stomachs.

There was another bang, and they discovered that these noises were resounding from Kana and Shiro’s room. They wasted no time and charged in, their swords ready to decapitate anyone who dared harm their children.

Instead they found Kana and Shiro shrieking and hugging each other, both staring into the ends of their parents swords. “Uncle, uncle!” Shiro shouts, pushing Kana behind him.

Ryoma and Corrin immediately lowered their swords and exhaled in relief, before proceeding to regard their children with stern stares. “Just what are the two of you up to? Do you know how scared we were? And why are you unprepared, should a real assassin have come you would be skewered in a matter of moments, is that any way to—“

“Easy,” Corrin put a hand on Ryoma’s chest to stop his tirade. “Children...do you have an explanation? What are those red stains, are you hurt?”

Kana bashfully showed a tray half full of raspberry tarts, some broken into crumbly pieces. “Sorry Mama...the firecrackers kept going off on our way here.”

“And we dropped our goods a few times,” Shiro pointed at their candy stashes.

“Well...all’s well that ends well...oh unfurrow that crease, Ryoma, it’s halloween.” Corrin stood on her tiptoe to smooth out the wrinkles on his brow. “And weren’t we going to have some fun, too?”

“Like what, mama?” piped up Kana and Shiro covered his ears, as the dutiful older brother he is.

“Never you mind. Now...good night then,” Shiro coughed awkwardly and kept holding on to Kana’s ears, Kana who wriggled around to free himself.

Ryoma and Corrin sighed in relief once more and returned to their room. They’d barely set foot in the room before Corrin returned to where they’d left off. “You should dress up like this more often, it suits you.”

“Would you prefer a tengu or a prince as your husband?”

“Why can’t I have both?” she smiled at him sweetly and slowly covered his jaw and neck with kisses. “This is my treat, for tonight.”

Fred: Frederick was adorably disgruntled. His brows furrowed together like usual, but this time with confusion rather than irritation. “Is this not a mere class change? Although you’ve...emphasized the sinister aspects.”

“Don’t you look dashing?” She messed with his pointy hood so it shadowed his face even more, and drew some whiskers on his face as a personal touch.

“I look like an evil sorcerer about to kidnap your first born and toss him into a cauldron. Boil, boil, toil and trouble,” he added in a deadpan.

“Then I’ll be sure to keep Morgan away from you, my scary husband.” Morgan was currently attending a small halloween party hosted by Lissa, who was in charge for taking care of everyone’s sprouts for the night.

“Do you think he’ll be fine? Should we go check on him?” Frederick’s worried ramblings began again, and she quickly hushed him with a soft kiss.

“Let him have his fun. He grew up well in one timeline already, no?” She smiled at him assuredly and kissed him once more. “Now then, shall we have a nice night in?”

They left out a bowl of candy to let the children help themselves to (little did they know that Gaius made off with the bowl when he stopped by their house). The lights were dark, and the only lighting that emanated windows were some well done jack-o-lanterns, carved courtesy of Frederick.

Robin and Frederick spend the evening huddled together under blankets, exchanging spooky tales. Some she’d heard from others, some Frederick had picked up over the years, and some that they spent a while crafting together. But the spookiest were most certainly Frederick’s. Before Chrom had seen any battles, Frederick quietly dealt with the horrors that had gone on in people’s lives. Scary occurrences with no explanation, ruthless monsters that murdered and tortured for fun. Just as Frederick finished his most frightening tale yet, it was time to go collect their little pumpkin from his patch. He stood up abruptly, as if on clockwork, and a high pitched yelp escaped Robin.

“S-sorry...I suppose I’m a bit jumpy…” She held a hand out so Frederick could help her on to her feet, though she still clung to his arm for balance.

“Good heavens,” he cupped her cheeks in his hands. “You look ghastly. I’m sorry...I didn’t think I would frighten you so much.” He stroked her hair gently, and carded through it until some color returned to her cheeks. Not wanting to appear childish, she smiled like her usual self, though it still wobbled a little bit when she remembered the more terrifying bits from his stories. “Perhaps I should get Morgan mysel--”

“No!” she yelled hard enough to make him flinch. “I--I mean, he’s expecting both of us, right? She clung to his arm and smiled nervously. “Can’t let him down.” Though it was apparent that she was frightened to be on her own, Frederick mercifully did not tease her one bit, and they strolled together in the dark. The children had mostly gone home, and there was a certain eeriness in the air, when surrounded by wooden goblins  and trolls. She was fidgety, despite how much Frederick rubbed her arm in reassuring circles. Mentally, he made the resolution to never scare her again, no matter how much she asked.

“Robin...are you…” Frederick had tried asking, when they heard a rustle.

She let out the loudest shriek when a cloaked figure moved in the bushes beside them. Frederick not missing a beat to protect his wife, clobbered the poor bastard who had chosen that unfortunate location to eat his goods. “H-hey ow! What the hell do you think you’re--?” Of course it was none other than Gaius, Gaius who still had the gall to hold the very bowl of candy he had snatched from their residence.

“Gaius! Why are you there?! And is that ours?”

“Candy break. And, nuh uh,” he said, quickly thrusting the bowl under his cloak.

“I carved our names into it. Hand it over.” He snatched back the wooden bowl that had become sticky from Gaius’s gorging. “Now go home, or I’ll have your wife hear about your mischief.” He gulped in response to that and quickly took his leave. Frederick’s shoulders slumped as he sighed, and rest his hand on Robin’s head. “Nothing scary. Just this idiot thief. Better now?”

She nodded and leant up for a kiss, and fisted her hand into Frederick’s pointy and ‘sinister’ collar. “Thank you, my brave wizard, for protecting me, What would I do without you?”

“Be an utter mess. But, my dear, I would be too. Let’s keep each other safe and collect the little one?”

“I’m at your side...happy halloween, Frederick.”

“And a Happy Halloween to you too...let’s ease up on the scary tales next year,” he suggested and cleared his throat. “As adorable as you were, clinging to my arm all night.” Though bashful and embarrassed, Robin agreed.

[elentiyawhitethorn]

Holiday Collection

A collection of all the fics I write for the holidays for any ship for the sake of order. All will also be available on their respective masterlists.

Halloween 2021:

Rowaelin: A Sneeze on Hallows’ Eve

Aelin loves the holidays. Halloween is always a fun time to dress up and act like a little kid again, and Rowan loves her for it. But Aelin’s special day is completely ruined when she catches a cold—can Rowan make her feel better or is Halloween doomed?

Feysand: Every Vandal for Themself

Feyre, Azriel, and Lucien, all victims of Mor and Cassian’s recent pranking spree, decide revenge is in order. Things, as they tend to do, don’t quite go as planned…

The Release of Red (TV):

Rowaelin: In the Backseat

CEO Aelin Galathynius likes to let loose when she’s driving home after a long day of work. Too bad someone’s in the backseat, ready to rob her—and tease her about her terrible singing voice. And yes, this most certainly is a holiday!

Thanksgiving 2021:

Feysand: Loners & Love Stories

Feyre loves animals and Rhys is dieting, meaning both of them are vegetarian. Neither can properly enjoy Thanksgiving—so why not spend it together? Feyre, stubborn and icy, doesn’t see it this way. Good thing Rhys is persistent.

Yulemas 2021:

Rowaelin: A Study in Human Behavior

When Aelin’s sociology teacher asks the class to decorate for Yulemas for a social experiment, she finds herself constantly berated by fellow student Remelle. When Aelin finally snaps, someone else seems impressed. Written for 12 Days of Rowaelin.

Yulemas 2022:

Rowaelin: Like a Dream

Rowan is certain Hellas himself is meddling in his life when his boss forces him on a work trip to convince a famous romance author to switch contracts. Over Yulemas vacation. With Aelin Galathynius, asshole extraordinaire.

[soprana-snap]

Blue Moon

Happy Halloween!

I’ll be reblogging my Stray series and hope to post A Little Magic today or by the end of the week. Stay safe this All Hallow’s Eve.

#Fun Fact: A blue moon is caused by dust particles in the atmosphere making it look blue. Another definition is a second full moon in a month. A full moon on Halloween is a blue moon. The next full moon on Halloween will be in 2020. .

.

.

They say that everyone has two wolves inside them: a good and an evil. The good represents all the hope, love, and positive. The evil, everything negative like hate, envy, self doubt. They are at war, clawing and snarling in every person.

It is also said that the one that is fed regularly is the one that wins.

Her mother didn’t exactly tell her about the wolves, mostly because Lucy was afraid of the Big Bad Wolf in the stories, but she did tell her of the battle between good and evil: Letting love win, always.

Love, trust, acceptance, and hope.

It was how Lucy tried to live her life, even after her Mama’s death.

However, old tales of wolves and good vs. evil never revealed truths; exact, crystal clear truths. Lucy loved fairy tales for the good story and the morals behind them. She also loved wise tales.

Halloween was just a normal day for her when she was young. Her Papa never let her go out trick-or-treating but her Mama and her had dress-up parties and put on plays. Together, they raided the kitchens with silk pillowcases, bringing joy to the chefs as each one put a treat inside. It wasn’t normal, but it was enough for Lucy. There weren’t many children around her gated neighborhood, most of the neighbors too successful or busy for parenting.

But, this time, Halloween was special, very special.

Her first year of college had been going well, classes a drag but she expected as much as an honors student. Most of her time was devoted to studying or doing projects to succeed at her 18 credit load. Honestly, she missed sleeping.

What made today of all days special was her friends. Back in August, when she had no knowledge of the town or of the dorm, Lucy was certain she’d be alone like all the other times. That was when she met Levy, her roommate. A diligent looking, blue haired girl with kind eyes and a bright smile. It wasn’t what she expected but they got along fine.

Then Levy introduced her to Erza and Lisanna, who then introduced Gray and Natsu, who then introduced Gajeel and Loke…

It kind of got out of hand. In the week before classes even started, Lucy had met about half of her future graduating class AND half of the class before them. Lucy would never dare complain about having too many friends but it took effort and careful balancing to maintain them and school.

Especially Natsu.

If she had to chose one word to describe him, it would be loyal.

Another would be obnoxious but she liked to be positive.

As a fire science major, she expected more reserve from him, but then he wouldn’t be Natsu, her best friend. The best friend that likes to break into her dorm and steal her hot chocolate packets.

Anyway, one of her friends-

It was exciting just thinking about them

-was throwing a halloween party.

Plus, this halloween was during a full moon! A halloween under a blue moon. A smile came to her lips.

It quickly fell, however, once she recalled one thing wrong.

She was lost in the woods, on this special Halloween night using the moon as her light, looking for her lost best friend.

The party started off well enough. She and Levy arrived late, about five o'clock, to see everyone else already there. The music wasn’t too loud, the snacks were full, and everyone was in costumes. A grand old time, as her grandfather would put it.

Having a blast, eating enough candy to regret later, and trying not to fall into one of Cana’s pranks, she was sure this was a halloween she would never forget.

It didn’t escape her notice that some of her friends were acting a little weird, Natsu in particular. He wasn’t eating. He wasn’t fighting with Gray. He kept checking the clock or frantically asking the time after only moments had passed since the last he questioned. It was passable with Gajeel, who was crankier than usual. It was out of sorts for Natsu.

She asked him if he was feeling sick and his eyes looked darker as he shrugged. 

“Something like that.” he had replied gruffly, scratching at his head far more vigorously than she'd ever seen.

He started pacing right before sunset, looking more frazzled and agitated than she ever remembered seeing him.

Then, just as everyone started shouting ‘Happy Halloween’ and tossing candy, he bolted like a racehorse out of the gates. She wasn’t sure how he moved so quickly but the next second he was out in the yard, leaping the fence and vanishing into the woods. She only saw the flash of his red dragon tail on his costume disappear over the fence as she gave chase.

Trust the fire science major to out parkour the english major.

It took her a total of 30 seconds after calling his name and starting a scene before trying to clamber up after him. It took her twice as long to get to the top, her boots slipping on the metal. Jeez, how many rumors is she going to have to deal with tomorrow?

The chain links sliced at her sleeve, catching her bicep with a sharp trail that immediately began to bubble with spots of blood. Ignoring the throb of pain, she hoisted her body over the fence, nearly eating it as she fell on the other side. Then she ran through the woods blindly, not thinking about anything but finding Natsu before something bad happened to him. Never mind she was now also lost in the woods.

An owl hooted overhead, startling Lucy from her deep thoughts. Night had fallen now, the moon still rising above the canopy of the trees. Maybe it was because it was All Hallows’ Eve but Lucy had the major creeps.

It felt like she was being watched.

Her skin tingled as she could feel a pair of eyes on her, her hands pulling her red cloak closer. It was all so laughable. She dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and then got herself lost in the woods.

“Hello?” she called out, turning her head left and right. “Natsu?”

Silence answered her, a soft breeze rustling the branches of the trees. The colorful leaves on the ground began to flutter, some taking flight into the shadows. Some crunched, sounding like a gunshot in the silence.

“Who’s there?” she snapped sharply, whirling around so fast that her cloak nearly tripped her.

The wind died down, revealing the soft noise of a twig snapping, a low rumble following.

Lucy swallowed thickly, feeling a bead of sweat trailed down her temple. Okay, so something was out there, watching her. Her self defense course never covered getting stalked by animals in the woods but she assumed it was the same principle.

“If you're some creep, I think you should just go back to where you came from. I don’t have time to deal with you. My friend is missing.” She hoped her voice sounded as fierce as she was trying to make it sound. If it came down to it, Natsu could handle himself in the woods. She wasn’t made to fight cougars or wolves.

Her heart seized and her back ached from how she tensed at the answering growl from the shadows, just feet from her left and behind a tree.

Okay, it was time to leave Natsu’s ass in the woods.

She shifted, moving to step away but froze when a hoarse voice spoke into the dark night.

“...L...Lucy?” It was rough, but almost certainly Natsu’s voice.

“Oh my gosh thank goodness-” she breathed, clutching her cloak over her heart and sighing. That much bravery and bluffing had to have made her lose about five pounds in sweat alone! “I was worried-”

She heard a breath, much deeper and huskier than she ever heard, like the snort of a horse...or the sneeze of a large dog. Was there something else out there? Oh, she hoped not.

“You...shouldn’t have come.” Natsu said then, absolutely no mirth or typical light in his tone. He sounded...exhausted? Scolding her wasn’t in his repertoire, but he was now.

That made her blood boil.

“Excuse me? When you run off like that, of course I’m going to follow! I was worried about you!” Now she was yelling in the middle of a forest, in the dark. If any creatures didn’t know they were here, they knew now.

Her scolding echoed for a while before silence returned, Lucy straining her ears to hear anything of the man hiding in the shadows.

There was a shift behind the tree and then Natsu sighed in that deep way once more. “Thanks Lucy. For everything, really. You’re always looking out for me.” The wind came again, shifting the branches to cast fleeting moonlight on the base of the trunk, and the illuminated shadow behind. “But you need to go back. I’ll be behind you soon.”

“Uh, no? I’m not leaving you in the woods when you have an 8am class tomorrow!” If he was thinking about skipping because he had a late night in the woods doing whatever he was doing, he had another thing coming.

“Lucy, leave.” Natsu barked. Literally barked the last word.

Her legs burned from how fast and hard she leaped back, hitting a tree in her haste. “Natsu?” she whispered, clutching the cloak tighter around her. Fear froze her as she listened to the quiet, yet unmistakable sounds of his panting. Panting.

Her feet went on autopilot. One step after another, she circled the tree at a fair distance, eyes fixated on the shadow under the overhanging branches. Speckles of moonlight filtered down, dotting the figure once hidden to her.

It wasn’t connecting. The dots weren't adding up. Natsu had pink hair...not russet. Natsu had hair on his head...not his entire body.

He was a man...not a fluffy, long snouted animal with claws and fangs. But, that was what was behind the tree that his voice came from.

Dark eyes watched her in horror as she stared, maw parted to reveal a mouth full of teeth. Standing on four legs, a wolf stared at her with the equivalent of a ‘deer in the headlights’ look. It was huge, around the size of a motorcycle, and it had familiar onyx eyes.

“Oh...my God-” she whispered, hands moving to her mouth as her jaw dropped.

The wolf, however possible, looked even more panicked, turning to her and spoke, “Don’t freak out!”

It was Natsu’s voice.

Lucy was certain she lost her damn mind, believing that a talking wolf and Natsu had anything in common.

She took a step back, then another. The wolf made to follow, pausing when she inhaled sharply. “Okay, take a deep breath Lucy. You look like you’re about to have a panic attack.”

True. She was absolutely having a panic attack right now. There wasn’t enough air in the world to help stop her dazed dizziness, her throat hurting from breathing hard and fast.

“Oh my God, you’re a damn furry.” she wailed in horror, stepping back and shrieking when her boot caught on something, sending her tumbling back.

Pain erupted in the back of her head, Natsu’s cry of her name muffled and tinted with slight offense.

Good. Because being a werewolf was okay...being a damn furry was not. That was the last thought she managed before the world was lost to her.

The End

P.S: Did you really think I would write a serious Halloween fic? Trick or treat, you got the TRICK!

[scienceoftheidiot]

Part one of a silly ficlet. @soot-and-snide, your fault ! Part two is being written right now. 

This is written on my phoen while walking around th city so pleae excuse any mistakes (or autocorrect wrongdoings haha).

In the dark light of a late afternoon, the door of Whitechapel police station crashed open in front of Edmund Reid, his coat flowing behind him. “Is he here at last ?” Sergeant Atherton turned owly eyes towards his superior. “Yes, sir, he has arrived. With - The sergeant couldn’t continue his sentence as the inspector was suddenly taken by a series of strong sneezes. So strong, in fact, that his bowler flew to the floor. After a while, shaken, still sneezing, Reid limply picked up his beloved hat, and held out à hand towards a thin stick that was producing lazy curls of heavy white smoke on the counter. Between two bursts, he was able to say, in a voice that was more of a growl: "What in all life and death is this thing ?” The tone alone stated that whatever this thing was, it would have to be destroyed sooner rather than later. “It’s…” Fear made the sergeant stutter. “It’s incense, sir. Bought it from that indian bazaar at the turn of Brick Lane. "Throw this. Throw this away, NOW. "B-but sir ! It keeps bad spirits away, inspector ! And it’s All Hallow’s Eve ! A dangerous time to be dealing with - "Atherton, if you don’t throw this away right now, it’s MY bad spirits you will have to deal with !” While the growl had faded from his voice as the sneezing had gradually stopped, the sudden orange flash in the inspector’s eye, on par with him baring an impressive set of canines, quickly set Atherton in motion. The sergeant opened the door wide, and all the windows to let fresh air in, then threw his burning stick in a bin on the street. He did however hide the remaining twigs under his jacket, casting à dark eye at the inspector as Reid walked down to the morgue.