#after l!fe noctu

[hunn1e-bunn1e]

✝️AFTER L!FE✝️

                                                                                                   

Team Mane ➳

Ghilley ➳

...

Ell ➳

...

Jamie ➳

...

Licht ➳

...

Team Die ➳

Theo ➳

...

Louis ➳

...

Ethan ➳

...

June ➳

...

Team Hesperide ➳

Cyrille ➳

...

Noah ➳

...

Sian ➳

...

Kati ➳

...

Team Noctu ➳

Aitachi ➳

...

Kirr ➳

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Nine ➳

...

Day ➳ (20yrs)

Calm & Supportive Boyfriend (hc) ♂️❔

...

Team Diluculo ➳

Verine ➳

...

Quincy ➳

...

Mori ➳

...

Youseff ➳

...

🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.

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[a-day-in-the-afterlife]

The Night Team Is Bad At Road Trips (Oneshot) (Fanfiction)

You can read it here on AO3.  I know that there's no "Hour 4" section. It's because I was too lazy to write it, and I figured the early hours when Nine drove, it was so peaceful that nothing interesting happened!

Title:

The Night Team Is Bad At Road Trips

Summary:

When the 14th Department Annual Retreat rolls around, the Manager, Nyang Lead Manager, and Sei Housemaster decide to turn the eight-hour drive to the retreat location into a road trip competition to encourage all Soul Reapers' attendance. The prize? No cleaning duties for a month.

And there is no way Nine is letting any of the other teams get even a glimpse at a prize that wonderous.

As the Night Team travels to the retreat location, he begins to realize ... maybe he is the only one is his team with a braincell.

Then again, maybe not.

Just some Noctu bonding.

Genre:

Slice of Life, Humor, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Fluff and Humor

Rating:

T

Word Count:

6574

-

Hour 0

Our story begins inside the Noctu Team Dorm, in the bedroom of Nine and Day, where the human puppy of the two Soul Reapers ransacked the room in search of the last few belongings that he needed to pack for him and his team’s trip to the Purification Plains for the 14th Department Annual Retreat. 

The 14th Department Annual Retreat was a favorite of Nyang Lead Manager’s, as the destination point—the Purification Plains—was a place where all Soul Reapers could rest and relax and take time to remind themselves of the true meaning of Purifying vengeful spirits (of course, many suspected that the lake brimming with fish was actually the real allure for the fussy feline).  

He, Sei Housemaster, and the Manager had already gone ahead two days earlier to get things set up for the rest of the 14th Department, and, to encourage the Soul Reapers to attend the retreat as soon as possible, had set up the days prior to the actual event as a competition to see which Reaper Team could travel the eight hours to the Purification Plains the fastest.  The winning team was exempt from all Soul Reaper cleaning duties for an entire month. 

And oh, how Nine craved that one month of complete freedom.

Yet, he could feel a muscle in his left eye twitch, as he watched his roommate (who had decided that five minutes before their departure was the most opportune time to pack) scramble around the room for his remaining shirts and pants and hair ties and candy and snacks and pretty rocks and shiny beetles and mini elephant figurines and all manner of fidget toys to play with.  

Noctu was, by some stroke of misfortune, the last team to leave for the day (even Mane—who had Jamie, the supposed slowest Soul Reaper in all of existence—had left before them), and Nine could slowly feel his grip on the prospect of a month free from all cleaning duties slip away.

Day’s side of the room had always been a mess, and Nine loathed the day when Theo would get a glance at it, but he never bothered the lumbering Soul Reaper about it, because firstly, it was too much trouble, and secondly, even in all the chaos, Day seemed to know where everything was. 

Or so it had appeared.

“Nine-Nine, Nine-Nine, I can’t find my favorite jacket!”

“I believe it’s on top of your chair, Mr. Day.”

“Nine-Nine!  My hair ties are all gone!  Tachi-Tachi made them for me!  What am I going to do?”

“Are not the hair ties Aitachi gave you the ones on your wrist, Mr. Day?”

“Wow!  Can I show you the really sparkly flower I found under my bed, Nine-Nine?”

“Mr. Day, I promise I’ll look at it after you finish packing.”

And so it went for another five minutes before Day declared himself “ready for adventure.”  Nine breathed a sigh of relief as he and his roommate grabbed their respective luggage (although Day had offered to carry Nine’s seventeen suitcases for him because he only had one and was “stronger than Nine-Nine!”) and walked into the common space of the Noctu Team Dorm.  He prayed that he would find the tribesmen duo of Aitachi and Kirr, all packed and waiting for them, but unfortunately, that was too much to ask for, as the pair were nowhere in sight.

Before Nine could send Day to go out looking for them, however, out lumbered both Kirr and Aitachi from their bedroom, each with not a single suitcase in sight, but rather, massive messenger bags slung across their shoulders, Kirr’s made of leather, and Aitachi’s, merino.  

Kirr smiled at the two from across the dorm.  “Day, Nine, do not fear: Aitachi and I have packed emergency provisions enough for the both of you.”

“Brother Kirr is right,” replied Aitachi, nodding, and patting his bag.  “We will stave off our mighty foe, ‘Malnutrition,’ with all the food that we have!”

Nine shoved down the need to facepalm at the duo and in a composed voice, asked, “Do you two happen to have any clothes packed with all the emergency rations you have in your bags?”

Aitachi and Kirr exchanged confused glances, before the older of the two asked, “Why would we bring a change of clothes if we plan to wash and dry the ones we’re wearing right now in rivers as we blaze our trail to the Plains of Purification?”

“Kirr-Kirr, Tachi-Tachi, that’s so smart!” exclaimed Day, as he made motions to throw out from his own suitcase all his clothes, too.

Nine held a hand out to stop him and swallowed a sigh.  “Mr. Kirr, Aitachi, I think it would be greatly beneficial if you two brought several days change of clothes along with all this, as we won’t be doing trailblazing of any sort to the Purification Plains.”

“Oh, that’s right,” realized Day, sadly.  “Manager said that everyone is taking a ‘road trip’ there, and we’re supposed to be driving the car that the Department left for us.”

Nine wanted to laugh at the we’re supposed to be driving the car remark, because, due to the fact that he wanted to go on living, there was no way that he was going to let any of the other members of the Night Team drive their Department-sanctioned car.

It wasn’t that he liked driving or even particularly wanted to, but he was one hundred percent certain that up in the cold alpine regions that he had grown up in, the only thing that Kirr had ever driven was a pack of sled dogs; Aitachi was only fourteen and up until yesterday, had assumed that the entire party was to travel by way of horseback; and Day, who he treasured greatly, was … Day.  Nine was sure that in the entire time Day had been in the Otherworld, he had yet to pass his driver’s license test and was still patiently nursing his permit. 

But he didn’t have the heart to correct the well-meaning Soul Reaper and nodded.  “Mr. Day is right.  Our trip shouldn’t take us more than eight hours if we take the car, so you don’t have to worry about washing and drying your clothes on the way there, but you will definitely need a change of outfits when we get to the Retreat, unless … you want Mr. Theo and the other Soul Reapers to keep a twenty-mile radius from you.”

(Was it terrible of him to think that that wasn’t so horrible of a prospect?)

Aitachi valiantly declared, “Mr. Theo’s actions will have no effect on me!” but turned around to his room to pack some clothes, anyway, while Kirr slunk off after him, muttering under his breath, “How inconvenient.”

Nine groaned softly as he and Day followed the pair, because frankly, while Aitachi—who liked to sew his own clothes—had something that resembled style, Kirr believed clothes were simply a troublesome necessity; he didn’t even own anything nicely colored or patterned (“In the forest, it is best for a hunter to wear dark, solid colors to blend in with their surroundings”) and had absolutely no fashion sense at all.  And as Nine, who had an appreciation for beauty, refused to let one of his teammates be the bane of anyone with eyes, he felt it his obligation to now ensure that Kirr did not pack everything in the realm of beiges, blacks, and whites for the Retreat.

After several minutes of sorting through Kirr’s clothes and wondering how every item managed to smell so strongly of pine and bramble, Nine deemed the Night Team ready to take on the open road of the Otherworld.  

He herded the group outside of the Department building and toward a clunky black minivan that looked nearly five hundred and thirty-seven SRE years old (he knew the 14th Department was cheap, but really?).  

Nine bit back a laugh when he saw Day carefully arranging his lanky arms and legs into the driver’s seat.

“Mr. Day, I believe it would be best if I did all the driving.”

Day looked surprised.  “Nine-Nine, that’s not fair to you.  We need to take turns!”

“Brother Day is right!  As warriors, we must all learn to share the burden,” said Aitachi.

Kirr nodded gravely.  “It’s not possible for one hunter to take up all the shifts in a single season and succeed.”

Nine didn’t know what to say to that, but as he definitely wasn’t going to let the rest of the team drive, he decided to politely allay their concerns by saying, “In the Otherworld, you need to have a license to drive.”

This seemed to satisfy both Kirr and Aitachi—although he suspected that that was because neither of them was familiar with what driver’s licenses were—but Day surprised him by pulling out a glistening card from his pocket.  “Ta-da!  Look, I have a license, too!  Manager went with me to go get it last week!”

He felt his stomach sink as he slunk toward the front passenger seat and said, “Ah, excellent work, Mr. Day.  Let’s you and I take two-hour shifts, then.”

Nine sighed as Day revved up the engine and cheered, “Yay!  Let’s go, Night Team!”  

He was going to die for a second time, wasn’t he?

Hour 1

“Nine-Nine, Tachi-Tachi, Kirr-Kirr!  Do you guys mind if I play some music?” asked Day, who, although had proven in the past fifteen minutes to be a moderately competent driver (He had only almost crashed three times!  A new low record!), was now completely turned around to address the two of his team members that were seated in the back passenger seats.

Kirr looked mildly concerned because as a hunter, he was used to and greatly appreciated the silence, and had regarded the quietness of the group in the strange vehicle known as “a car” as a kind of comfort.  However, he assented with a stoic “No,” when he noticed the disconcerted expression that Day, who enjoyed silence as much as any exuberant puppy, wore.  

“I have no objection!” assured Aitachi, who was curious as to how Brother Day intended to play a musical instrument when he was busy using both of his hands to operate the “car” machine that they were currently in.

It wasn’t that Nine didn’t appreciate Day’s choice of music—it was just that he knew that all the songs on the tall Soul Reaper’s Otherworldify travel playlist were either super sweet bubblegum pop or some kind of holy music in another language with lots and lots of sitar.  As it turned out, he, like Kirr, was a slave to Day’s melancholy expression and was forced to suffer with a “That’s fine, Mr. Day.” 

Day brightened instantly—it was so gloomy when it was silent—and, taking his eyes off of the road for a few seconds, reached for his cellphone to blast his travel playlist on the car’s speakers.

Nine cringed almost imperceptibly, and Kirr and Aitachi exchanged astonished glances because where was the music coming from (Kirr also privately wondered if the flamboyantly peppy lyrics of the female singer even could be considered music)?!

“It must be the work of spirits,” concluded Aitachi, nodding.  “Brother Day must have employed them to make these noises!”

“Waaaaah, Tachi-Tachi, it’s not noise—it’s music!” said Day, whose eyes had grown to the size of saucers at the comment.  “And hehe, nope, no spirits—the music is coming from these speakers!”  He gestured toward their various locations in the car, leaving exactly zero of his fingers on the steering wheel.

Nine nodded and took this opportunity to lower the volume as he elaborated, “Speakers amplify the sounds that pass through them.”

“What an amazing contraption!” cried Aitachi.  He turned toward his companion on the right.  “Don’t you think so, Brother Kirr?”

Kirr was silent for a few moments before measuredly answering, “It is indeed extraordinary … but will the music not distract you from your task, Day?”

“Don’t worry, Kirr-Kirr!” promised Day, who secretly had to admit that his focus from the road was wavering as he tried to sing along to the songs, but he wasn’t sure if he could stand the silence, again.  “I’ll try to stay alert!”

Nine was struck with an idea.  “Mr. Day, you have been asking to hear my personal compositions for a long time.  Would you like to listen to one now?  The classical music will help fill the long silence ahead of us but will allow you to keep your focus.”

Day beamed at the compromise.  “Yay!  We get to listen to Nine-Nine’s music!”

“Yes, play it, Brother Nine!  It is always good to listen to the music of a fellow warrior!” said Aitachi, as Nine opened his own Otherworldify account and began to play an instrumental soft piano melody.  

The group listened for a few moments before Kirr reached forward to lightly press a hand on Nine’s shoulder.  His eyes gleamed with praise as he said, “You have true talent, Nine.”

“Yeah, Nine-Nine is the best!” agreed Day, as he felt calm overcome him with the music.

“Brother Nine is a prodigy!” Aitachi said.

Nine smiled softly at the encouragement as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat as he, along with the rest of the Night Team, listened to the masterful notes of the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Number 14.

While he loved Noctu dearly, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to show his fellow members his own personal compositions.

Yet.

Hour 2

As it turned out, the car that the 14th Department had given them was a gas guzzler, and at the beginning of the final hour of Day’s shift, Nine had the wits to peep at the fuel gauge—as the driver forgot to—and noticed that they were in dire need of gas, ASAP.

“It looks like we’ll need to refuel,” Nine announced.

Kirr immediately reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a short rope of jerky, handing it to him.

Nine shook his head.  “Not that kind of fuel, Mr. Kirr,” he said.  He took out his phone and searched for the nearest gas station.  “I meant fuel for the car.”

“It can share our jerky if it wants!” assured Aitachi, looking confused.  He wished he had remembered to bring carrots or hay, as that was the kind of food he had fed his horse, Tata, in the past, and he assumed this “car” would be more than obliged to consume the same fare, as well.

“I think Nine-Nine means gasoline,” Day said.  “That’s what gives cars their energy.”

Kirr grimaced.  “I’m afraid Aitachi and I failed to bring that kind of food.”  He lowered his head.  “We take full responsibility.”

As Aitachi bowed in tandem, Nine’s eyes widened when they both reached for their weapons.  “Mr. Kirr, Aitachi, it’s not your fault, truly.”  He gestured for them to lower their bows and knives, worrying that it was some kind of custom of both the Cicady and Atiyah tribes to self-mutilate as penance for an offense.  “Don’t hurt yourselves, please.”

“Hurt ourselves?  No, Brother Nine—Brother Kirr and I were only going to go hunt food for the car, as we didn’t think to bring any 'gasoline' for it!” said Aitachi.

Nine couldn’t hold back his laugh at the pair’s earnestness.  “There’s no need.  If Mr. Day will take a left here,” he nodded at the driver, who took an uncoordinated turn as instructed, “we’ll arrive at a station  where we can fill up our car with gas ad libitum, provided we have the money.”

“Which we do!”  Day pat his pockets in satisfaction, but upon remembering that he no longer was a wealthy human being, but rather a penniless Soul Reaper, he turned to Nine and blushed.  “Hehe, or I think Nine-Nine does.”

As the car rolled into the gas station, Nine smiled.  “That I do, Mr. Day.”

Hour 3

“Night Team, will you be with me as I wage war on Mane?” asked Aitachi abruptly as he rummaged through his messenger bag, his face a shade of red that matched the beads in his hair.  

Nine looked at the youngest of the group through the rearview mirror in concern, as Kirr instantly answered, “We will battle your enemies together, Aitachi.”  Nine was driving now, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t the main (read: sole) disciplinarian and voice of reason of his team. “Did something happen?”

“Yes, something did happen, Brother Nine!”  Aitachi pouted.  “It is a most grievous insult!”  He pulled out from his bag an enormous straw sunhat.  Around it was a sky-blue ribbon with the words “Aitachi: Cutest Warrior Ever!” embroidered on it.  

Day turned from his seat in the front to survey the commotion.  “Tachi-Tachi, that’s so cute!”

“That Mr. Licht snuck it into my bag, I’m sure!”  Aitachi shook the large headgear effusively.  “He's the only one who would do such a thing!”

Kirr nodded.  “We must seek the restitution of Aitachi’s honor against the Morning Team for this affront.”  

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea …” mumbled Day, who loathed conflict of any kind.  “Brother Licht will just apologize if you ask him.”

“Mr. Day is right,” said Nine.  “No waging war of any kind, okay?”  He strained his ears to hear the muted mutters of assent from Aitachi and Kirr.  “I said, okay?”  He nodded when the pair agreed louder this time.  “Good.”  

He looked at the clock, wondering how far the other teams were ahead of them.  Surely no one must’ve reached the Purification Plains yet, else the Manager would’ve made a post (or the team itself) on SNS.  He peered in the rearview mirror to see Aitachi unwinding the straw of his new hat in frustration.  “How about in order to avenge Aitachi, we do it by beating all the other teams—including Mane—to the retreat?”

Aitachi brightened at the prospect.  “What a good idea!”  He raised a fist determinedly.  “Death to the Morning Team!  Drive as fast as you can, Brother Nine!”

“Yay!  Let’s win this race, everyone!” cheered Day.  

Kirr bobbed his head.  “To the winners go the spoils.”

Nine grinned as he pressed his foot down on the gas pedal.  It was nice to see the Night Team come together like this, and for once, despite their extremely late start, Nine believed that they had a chance of winning.

Hour 5

First a nervous smile.

And then a frown.

Another nervous smile.

Another frown.

And then … something that resembled a mixture of both?

These were the expressions that consecutively passed on Day’s face in the two minutes that Nine had watched him out of the corner of his eye.

“Is something the matter, Mr. Day?” he finally had to ask.

Day stuttered, “I—um, no!”

“Brother Day, do not feel as if you need to hide your feelings from us!” said Aitachi.  “We are all warriors of equal caliber and can speak freely to one another.”

Kirr echoed the thought by saying, “Aitachi is right.  There are no secrets between us.”

Day’s face absolutely melted at the kind words.  “It’s just that,” he blubbered, “I really have to go to the bathroom and I know we’re on a tight schedule now and I don’t want to be a bother, and, and, and—”

“Mr. Day, there is no shame in needing to relieve yourself.”  Nine looked out the window and saw that a rest stop was coming up.  “We could all use a break, and look over there—there’s a resting place ahead, so we won’t even have to go out of our way.”

“Th—thanks for saying that, Nine-Nine,” sniffled Day, rubbing his watery eyes, as he pulled the car into the shelter that Nine had pointed out.

As soon as the vehicle came to a sudden stop (à la Day’s masterful parking skills), the party mosied out of the confining space of the car and into the open expanse of the rest stop.

Day sprinted to the bathroom shelter upon their arrival and Kirr began to stretch his muscles, much to the excitement of the flock of girls who stared nearby.

Nine followed Aitachi, who had smelled water and had grabbed Licht’s hat with every intention of throwing it into whatever body of water larger than a puddle that appeared.  

The younger boy saw Nine shadowing him and, as he came upon the lake which he had sensed, turned to the older Reaper and said quietly, “Brother Nine, you probably think I am being wasteful by casting such a finely-crafted piece of apparel away.”  He sighed and held the hat over the water.  “But I am a warrior and worked hard to be recognized as one in my tribe—it's disheartening to know that many in the 14th Department don’t see me as one simply because of my appearance.”

Nine shook his head.  “I don’t think that way at all.”  He himself loathed his own beauty and the other Reapers’ constant mention of it.  In that moment, he felt a kind of kinship with Aitachi, for they both hated what they saw in the mirror.  He pulled the younger Soul Reaper closer to the lake until they both could see their reflections in it.  “You are more than your appearance, Aitachi.  Us on the Night Team know that, but if the Reapers on the other teams need a reminder, we will make sure they get one.”

With that, he guided Aitachi’s hands farther above the water and gestured for him to let the hat go.  They both released a cathartic sigh as the ripples in the wake of its tumble down to the depths of the lake marred their reflections in the water.

Hour 6

“Is that the Evening Team?” asked Kirr as Day’s haphazard driving sped them past a field of fruit trees.  He was sure that his keen eyes had spotted Noah, Sian, Kati, and Cyrille lounging under several boughs, each munching lazily on an armful of apples.  

He watched—mildly amused—that upon noticing that the car that blazed past them was indeed of 14th Department and belonged to the Night Team (whose car had a vanity license plate that read “NOCTU”), no less, Hesperide dropped all the fruit they had been eating and looked at the passing faces of Day and Aitachi—who were sitting in the seats by the windows facing them—in shock.  

Nine smiled.  “That is the Evening Team.  And if I’m remembering correctly, they were the first  to leave?”  

“Yep, yep!” said Day.  “I remember because Little One was in a mood and told me to go away because I offered to get a suitcase that was too high for him to reach!  He told me my height wouldn’t matter in the end because Hesperide was going to leave first, and by Brother Cyrille’s calculations, that means they would get there first, too!”

Aitachi clapped his hands eagerly.  “They must have thought that their leaving early meant they could take long breaks.  A true warrior knows never to be so unguarded!”

“It looks like they’re already on our tails, nevertheless,” observed Kirr, who was still peering behind them at the Evening Team.  “They are fast like rabbits.”

“They’re already in their car?” asked Nine wearily.  Hadn’t they just seen them maybe two minutes ago?  Could they already be following them on the road?  He peeked into the rearview mirror in confusion.  There were no cars behind them for several yards—just how good was Kirr’s eyesight?

Kirr squinted, but he could still definitely make out Sian’s pink hair and Kati’s angry fist at least one mile behind them.  “They have not mounted their vehicle, yet.  They’re putting all their apples into some kind of compartment in the rear.”  As a hunter, he could gauge the distance and time it would take for them to catch up to the Night Team car in an instant.  “I have an idea.”

“What is it, Brother Kirr?” Aitachi asked eagerly.

Kirr looked at his companions.  “Let us set a trap for Hesperide to throw them off their course—and any other team that follows this path.”

“That is,” said Nine, “an excellent idea, Mr. Kirr.  Do you have any plans on what to do?”

“Normally I would suggest setting several snares to capture our prey, but as I believe Manager would be angry if the Evening Team was killed, I advise we set up a distraction that the other teams cannot refuse.”  He peered ahead with his sharp eyes and discerned a road marker that read:

Route 14 — Keep Right

Route 24 — Straight Ahead

If he was remembering the extremely long lectures Nine had given the group regarding the many winding roads of the Otherworld and how keeping on Route 14 would lead them straight to the Purification Plains, going on a different route would surely set one astray.  “Perhaps we should change the directions on that sign up ahead.” 

“Waaaaah, Kirr-Kirr, I don’t see any signs!” complained Day as he and the rest of the Night Team failed to see ahead what was so clear to the eagle-eyed hunter.  

“There is one,” he assured them.  “If Day were to move this vehicle with great speed, then we would be able to make it to the sign two minutes before the Evening Team.  In that time, we must rewrite the directions on it.  At present, it reads, ‘Route Fourteen, keep right, and Route Twenty-Four, straight ahead.”

“We will write ‘Route Fourteen, straight ahead, and Route Twenty-Four, keep right’ instead, then!” realized Aitachi.  Out from his messenger bag, he pulled several sticks of colored wax and lumps of coal, which he sometimes used to color pictures with—even though he insisted they were for the purpose of marking trees so one wouldn’t get lost in the woods.  “We can use these to rewrite the sign.”

And so that’s what they did.

Kirr’s estimation in how much time they would have to alter the road sign was correct, and the short time span caused their work to be rather shoddy, even though Nine’s beautiful calligraphy remedied it a little.

As they drove off, Nine bit his lip and said, “They won’t expect sabotage, so I hope they think that the mistakes in the sign were simply due to an error on the signmaker’s part.”

“‘Sabotage’ doesn’t sound very good, Nine-Nine,” said Day, who looked a tad bit queasy at the prospect.

Nine smiled benignly.  “Surely Manager expects a little healthy competitiveness in this contest.”

Hour 7

“Hm-♪-hm-♪, doesn’t everyone else think it’s funny that the only team we’ve seen in the past six hours is Hesperide?” mused Day, tapping absentmindedly at the windowsill.  “If what Little One said about the Evening Team leaving first is true, shouldn’t we have seen all the others in between?”

Aitachi pursed his lips.  “Maybe the other teams also sped past Hesperide when they were grazing, and they didn’t notice and so couldn’t take action?”

“Maybe,” said Nine, whose brow had begun to furrow,  “but I don’t think Noah would be that lax.  Especially since there aren’t that many cars on this road and all of the 14th Department ones have very obvious vanity license plates.”

“Diluculo and Mane up ahead,” announced Kirr, as if on cue.

The other Reapers’ eyebrows shot up.

“Both of the teams?” asked Nine, needing clarification because what were the chances?

Kirr nodded, looking ahead.  “All eight members are outside of their vehicles.”

“I see them, now!” exclaimed Day, whose jaw dropped open at the sight.  “Nine-Nine!  Nine-Nine—slow down!  Let’s see why they’re stopped!”

Nine, who didn’t necessarily want to waste time in oogling at the other teams, obeyed nonetheless and rolled down his window as the Noctu car stopped, with the engine running, in front of the field where the Dawn and Morning Teams were meandering about.

Quincy did not look happy to see them.  “Oh, great—it’s Doggo and his band of Night Team weirdos!”

Ell’s reception was much more welcoming.  “It’s great to see you guys—achoo!”

Day and Aitachi wriggled their way to Nine’s open window and poked their heads outside.

“Hey, everyone!  Why are you all stopped?” asked Day.

Aitachi, who had been surveying the area, pointed to Jamie, who was standing a few feet away with Non-Non, chanting, “Come on, lil’ feller, you can do it!” 

“I think, Brother Day, that Mr. Jamie is trying to get Non-Non to relieve himself!” 

“You brought Non-Non with you?” asked Nine incredulously.

Ell blushed.  “Mr. Jamie wouldn’t leave without him.”

Kirr also peeked out from Nine’s window.  “I too, would not leave without Non-Non if I were him.”  The tone he said this was so menacing that even Non-Non could feel a shiver down his spine.  

“Waaaaah, so that solves Mane, but what about you guys, Diluculo!”  Day looked a yard in front of him where Verine was pacing with some kind of inhaler at his nose.  “Oh no, is Bambi sick?”

“The Whelp is always sick, Doggo,” spat Quincy.  “And if he doesn’t get out of the car every hour for thirty minutes to get his stupid fresh air, then he gets even sicker!”

Youssef cleared his throat apologetically.  “What Quincy is trying to say is that Verine can’t stay cooped up in the car for very long so we’ve had to take a lot of breaks.  It’s only by chance that we met the Morning Team here.”

“If you’ve needed to make so many stops, how come you’re already only an hour away from the Purification Plains?” Nine had to ask.

The eldest Soul Reaper flushed and looked away.  “Mori … may have found that even though Route Fifteen doesn’t lead to the retreat location, it does merge into Route Fourteen quite aways down and in that span, manages to complete the same distance in only half the time.”

“Yeah, but Route Fifteen is shady as hell, so because of him,” Quincy whirled around to point a finger at Mori, who looked unperturbed at the accusation, “we almost got robbed seventeen times when we were taking the Whelp on his walks!”  He kicked the ground.  “And it doesn’t help that the dumb Morning Team decided to stop exactly where we did!”

“Speaking of the Morning Team,” Aitachi said, curling his fists angrily.  “Where are Mr. Licht and Mr. Ghilley?  I have many things I want to say to Mr. Licht for giving me that demeaning hat!”

“They’re both in the car, I think,” admitted Ell.  “And I’m sorry about Mr. Licht—he means well—achoo!”

Nine realized that unlike Diluculo, who had come through a different path, Mane must have stayed on Route Fourteen, and considering that they were ahead of Hesperide, must have found a way to avoid the Evening Team’s detection when they rested in the fruit trees.

“How were you able to get past Hesperide?” asked Nine.  “Surely if you went past them, they would have seen your car and drove ahead.”

Jamie, who was still trying to coax Non-Non into taking a bathroom break, called over, “Aw, Ghilley said that we should cover our license plates to confuse y’all.”

“Waaaaaaaah, isn’t that illegal?” asked Day, who didn’t realize that his team had no right to question Mane’s actions, as they themselves had done some unsavory things in order to win.

Ell’s blush deepened.  “O—oh, is it?  We had no idea—achoo!  Achoo!”

“While it is entertaining to hear of your exploits,” cut in Kirr, though not unkindly, “we of the Night Team must get moving, for we still have an hour yet to travel.”

Aitachi nodded.  “Brother Kirr is right!  We wish Diluculo the best of luck!”  He pointedly left out wishing well to Mane because dishonor!

“Bye-bye!” chirped Day, as Nine bade farewell to the other two teams and rolled the window back up.  

“That means the only team we have yet to meet is Die,” concluded Nine as they continued their drive down Route Fourteen.  

Day gulped.  “And scary King Ethan is on that team!”

“Brother Day, do not be afraid of Mr. Ethan!  We will most certainly beat him and the rest of Die!” assured Aitachi, although, he, along with the rest of the Night Team, could hardly fathom a scenario where the pretentious, but diligent Soul Reaper didn’t demand an absolute victory from his team.

Hour 8

“We’re almost there!” sang Day.  While he was busy playing Pictionary with Aitachi in the fog that formed from his breath on the window, he had still been keeping track of the time that had passed.

“And we’ve still seen no sign of the intrepid Day Team,” Kirr said.

Aitachi looked away from his and Day’s game to nervously offer, “What if they’re already at the Plains?”

“They can’t be,” affirmed Nine, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.  He was not going to give up a month free from cleaning shifts to someone as snobby as Ethan.

Kirr looked calm as he said, “Do not worry, Aitachi.  The members of Team Die are sneaky, but fast and strong, like foxes—and you remember how much fun we had the last time we hunted foxes.”

“Kirr-Kirr and Tachi-Tachi hunted foxes?  That’s so cool!”  Day exclaimed.  “Next time, take me too, please!”  He looked ahead and brightened.  “Hey, hey, that sign says ‘Welcome to the Purification Plains!’”

Suddenly, they heard an engine revving behind them and everyone besides Nine, who was driving, whirled around to see who the new car was.

Aitachi’s jaw dropped.  “Is that the Day Team?”  

The license plate on the front of the car proved it plainly, for it indeed, had “DIE” written on it, and the words were becoming clearer and clearer as the vehicle whizzed toward them at speeds that none of the decrepit 14th Department cars could even dream of moving at.  

Nine made the connection when he saw the plume of smoke and flames that the Day Team car left in its wake.  “Mr. June’s using his fireballs and blowing through all their fuel at once to move the car as fast as possible!”

“They were tailing us—” realized Kirr, running a hand through his hair in desperation, “waiting for the right moment in which to launch their true speed!  How could I have been so foolish as to not see this coming?  Ethan is a crafty foe, indeed.”

Aitachi tried to keep the panic out of his voice to console his friend by saying, “Do not think it your fault, Brother Kirr.  I’m sure Mr. Ethan purposely kept his car far enough that you couldn’t see what he was doing, but so that he could see us.”

“He probably saw us switch the signs on Hesperide, too,” recognized Nine.  However, he couldn’t dwell on that now, as the Day Team’s car was now right up next to them and was speeding past.  

Suddenly, Day was struck with an idea as he watched the golden smoke that depicted June’s handiwork from the tailpipe of Die's car.  “I have an idea!”

“Say it, Brother Day!  We’ll take anything!” exclaimed Aitachi, watching Die race closer and closer to the entrance to the Purification Plains.  

Day nodded.  “Let’s all draw our weapons and throw them at the car’s wheels on my count!”

Aitachi and Kirr bobbed their heads in agreement, but Nine stared at Day carefully.  “Are you sure about this, Mr. Day?  This is rather underhanded for you.”

“I’ll do anything to protect Tachi-Tachi’s honor,” assured Day, with not even a slight waver in his voice.  He drew his weapon and signaled for the others to do the same.  “On my mark, ready … set … go!”  He exclaimed the last syllable when he saw that the Day Team was fifteen feet in front of the entrance.

All of Noctu rolled down their windows and released their weapons at the word and every one of them hit true on the mark of one of the other car’s wheels.  As the Day Team’s tires blew out, the Night Team’s car sped past Ethan’s enraged face, but they had gotten no more than five feet before one of their own tires popped.

“Oh, no, King Ethan retaliated!” cried Day, referring to the lone sword that had pierced their car’s wheels.

However, Ethan’s sword did not have the slowing effect that he had intended, for as soon as Kirr and Aitachi felt the tell-tale loosening of pressure from one of their tires, their instincts and fleetfootedness, honed from years of hunting nimble hares and deer in the forest, took over, and they kicked open the car doors.  Before anyone could blink, the pair raced toward the Purification Plains’ entrance. 

“Come, Mr. Day, let’s follow them,” ushered Nine the instant the two sprinted out, offering his hand to the tall Soul Reaper.    

Day took it and grinned.  “Aye-aye, Nine!”

Ethan, along with the rest of Die, arrived at the entrance just as the last two members of Noctu did.  

“We did it!” cheered Day, huddling all the members of the Night Team into a group hug.  “We won!”  

“You didn’t win,” began Ethan, his eye twitching in irritation.  “You can’t win if your vehicle didn’t cross the entry point.”  He grit his teeth.  “Now since neither of ours can make it across, the winners will either be Mane, Hesperide, or Diluculo.”

“That’s not necessarily the case,” said the Manager, who seemed to materialize from out of nowhere.  She beamed at the two teams.  “The rules were that whichever team arrives at the Purification Plains first would win.  And since Kirr and Aitachi are both of the Night Team, Noctu wins!”

Ethan’s frown—which had momentarily disappeared at the sight of the Manager—deepened.  “But ma’am—they played unfairly.”

The Manager bit her lips.  “Technically, Sei Housemaster, Nyang Lead Manager, and I never said that there were parameters on what you could and couldn’t do to win, so while I don’t condone their actions—and yours, too, Ethan, I saw you throw your sword at their tire, as well—I think in terms of this competition, it’s okay.”  She turned to look sternly at the members of the Night Team.  “But I expect you four to pay for the damages you caused to the Day Team’s car.”  She cleared her throat.  “And to the sign.”

Day’s eyes widened.  “You know about that, Manager?”

The Manager only laughed and took out from her pocket four pink slips of paper and handed them to the members of Noctu.  “I award these coupons, which serve as passes from cleaning shifts for one month, to the Night Team!”

The group of four held their tickets up to the sky and cheered, and Nine had to admit, although his motivation for this road trip initially had been for these passes alone, he now considered them just a sweet, sweet bonus for the time he had spent bonding with his teammates.  

And on their drive home after the 14th Department Annual Retreat, he scrounged up his courage and poised a finger on the “play” button on the car speaker to share with the rest of Noctu his most prized, secret music composition.

He had hesitated before to show this part of himself.

But after this trip, he was finally ready.

[hyacinth-04]

I’m hurting

[tokiyaichi]

• noctu icons (500x500)

— like or reblog if you save

[merakiui]

i don’t remember actually sending a request, sorry about that- anyway, how about the noctu team realizing they’re crushing on the manager? make it like a puppy crush for aiyachi bc the baby is only 14

(Here are the hcs! Please forgive me. I don’t know why they took so long to post. :< But I’m happy with the result! I hope you’ll like it too. Thank you for requesting! These are really cute to think about.)

Noctu Team With a Crush HCs (Aitachi, Kirr, Nine, and Day)

🎯 Aitachi 🎯

Aitachi looks up to a lot of people. He’s not bothered by the fact that most of them might be older and taller. That just means they’ve got more years under their belt and plenty of wisdom to share with him.

He’s so used to being around adults that your presence doesn’t faze him in the slightest.

Intimidation? He knows no such thing! Aitaichi hardly considers fear when you treat him with the same respect as everyone else.

Just don’t baby him. Aitachi may be the smallest and youngest out of the group, but that doesn’t mean he’s a child. He’s a mature Reaper with the courage and strength of a true, pure-hearted warrior!

That’s why he’s always willing to put his life on the line if you’re ever in danger, which is extreme and illogical considering he’s already died once and is now immortal.

He means well, but you’ll still clarify that he doesn’t need to go to such lengths to ensure your safety.

“I’ll be fine,” you told him after a vengeful spirit tried to attack you. “You don’t have to worry so much. As long as no one’s hurt, we can continue with our work, right?”

The very next morning you find a talisman on your desk, along with a small note telling you to keep it close whenever you’re in danger.

Since then, you’ve kept it as a good luck charm, knowing that as long as you’re careful you won’t fall prey to any wandering spirits.

Aitachi takes up the role as your unofficial errand boy ever since he discovered the special spot on your desk for the doll he made. He insists on bringing you every important document because it’s a warrior’s duty to provide for those in need.

His fellow Noctu Reapers think it’s quite charming that he does this, especially Day, who makes all sorts of comments doting on how his “little brother” is so helpful and sweet.

You’re grateful that Aitachi’s so willing to lend a hand without a single complaint, and you make sure he knows just how thankful you are.

Even if the gesture is reserved for that of a child, you still pat him on the head. Aitachi pouted about it at first, saying that head pats aren’t suited for warriors.

Now he just blushes at the contact, proud to have gotten your recognition.

He’s almost like Day in a sense, unintentionally following you around like a lost hound.

It’s quite obvious that he’s got a case of young puppy love.

He’s making another talisman doll for you when he comes to the realization of his wholesome feelings.

Are warriors even supposed to feel this way?

He’s stuck thinking about it the whole day, and he’ll probably be less confident to admit to it.

In the meantime, though, he’ll continue helping you to the best of his ability, secretly doing everything he can to be considered your number one. Almost like a teacher’s pet, but in this case it’s manager’s pet.

All of those talisman dolls are starting to pile up on your desk, as well as his innocent adoration for his hard-working manager.

🏹 Kirr 🏹

Having a crush is such a foreign concept to Kirr.

When he first heard the word, he took it quite literally, wondering why anyone would want to crush another person. That should only happen in a survival scenario where life and death is at stake and you’re facing an enemy with negative intentions.

Yet as he learns more about what it means in a romantic sense, it gives him more confusion. So a crush is a strong sense of admiration for another person?

In that case, wouldn’t it be his manager who he holds in high esteem?

He doesn’t really know how to bring this topic up with the others, so he’s debating it internally. It’s definitely a struggle for poor Kirr, who can’t seem to figure out whether or not what he’s feeling is a crush or just simple respect for his colleague.

So he ends up watching how the Reapers act around you. They’re so kind and sociable. And he acts the same, albeit at a serious level where most jokes go over his head.

Kirr is so busy troubling himself with these inner debates that he doesn’t even register when someone’s trying to talk to him, and it’s a bit concerning.

One afternoon he’s sharpening the arrowheads on the ends of his arrows when he sees you crossing the field. And you look serene as you walk, not paying any mind to the wind that rustles your clothes.

He’s shared plenty of conversations with you before, but during those times he never had a chance to appreciate you in all your astounding form.

It’s almost too much for him, and a slew of feelings catch his heart in a vice.

Maybe he does have a crush after all.

But where are all these emotions coming from? Based off of what he’s heard from the Department, Kirr knows that a crush is normal for everyone of all ages. It’s a sign that you’ve taken romantic interest in someone.

He wonders what one does with feelings like these. Obviously he could confess or get to know you more, but something’s holding him back. Suddenly, he’s become indecisive.

Normally, when he’s hunting, it’s easy to rely on logic and instincts. Now he’s not so sure which will help him out in this situation.

When you catch his staring and wave, a smile on your face, Kirr holds up his arm, returning the gesture. You really are a great person; your personality glimmers underneath the glare of the sun, and he’s glad that someone so amazing is his manager.

Logic might fail in this case, and instincts won’t get him anywhere as he has no idea where to begin. So maybe he’ll settle on his heart, following it like it’s a searchlight in the blurry haze of confusion that’s overtaken his reasoning.

Kirr’s definitely going to gravitate towards you more as he tries to navigate his newfound feelings. He’s doing his best, so please encourage him.

🎼 Nine 🎼

He catches you slacking off one day, absorbed in the videos on your mobile device.

Nine isn’t one to snoop, but he does happen to catch the swish of a colorful pen against a sheet of unwrinkled paper. He knows what it is at once.

You’re watching calligraphy videos.

“Do you enjoy that, Manager?” he’ll ask, awaiting your answer.

Once you confirm that you do like it, Nine’ll be happy to know that his manager shares similar interests with him.

Since then, the two of you have bonded over calligraphy, and Nine’s even showed you what his skillful hands can do. Just give him a pretty pen and some paper and he’ll be scribbling all sorts of gorgeous words.

He finds that the best word to write is your name, which is a tad confusing, but you seem honored.

Before he can even register the extent of your relationship, you’re already inviting him to places. Whether it’s in your office talking over paperwork or rendezvousing in the human world during a successful mission, Nine enjoys your presence.

Nine realizes that every day spent in your company is fun, albeit a dangerous erosion to his heart, which is beginning to wear at its foundation.

He manages to stay composed, but there’s something strange in how he hopes of eventually surpassing the border known as friendship.

He’s not used to getting so close to others; usually he keeps his distance, only upholding a conversation when needed. But now he feels as though he’ll lose you if he doesn’t stick around, and the idea of that is crushing.

You’re already such a ray of sunshine, a soothing force against the hectic work days, so he wants to ensure that you’re also content.

He’s writing down the remnants of a composition he recalls, testing his memory of his distant past life, when everything starts to click into place. The stars align as he writes in the final notes, reviewing the completed composition with tranquil eyes.

If he’s right, it should be played slow and steady, transitioning between notes of melancholic hope and satisfied bitterness. Quite a tragic piece, if he’s being honest, but maybe that was his intention. Or his memory might be faulty. Either way, he’s certain that this composition describes his inner turmoil perfectly. Bittersweet like chocolate and uncertain like his intuition.

Nine can’t remember the name to this particular composition, so he writes the first thing that comes to his mind.

The moment he finishes writing your name is definitive proof of what he’s feeling.

Some would say it’s a crush, and others would say it’s unfiltered endearment. Regardless of what it is, it holds the same implications.

Nine’s in love.

Though his previous life was cut short and he refuses to sort through his cracked past, he has all the time in the world to start anew. And that’s all he needs to act upon these feelings that have blossomed.

It’ll take time, but he knows that he’ll be able to confess when he’s certain that his love isn’t completely one-sided.

In the 14th Department, Nine seems to wear his smile purposefully, and there’s a bright shine in his gaze.

🍦 Day 🍦

He’s with you 24/7. At least, that’s what it feels like to you.

Realistically, it’s because of your role as manager. But at some point he just starts to forget that that’s your job and he begins to consider you a friend.

He’s in your office all the time, sitting on a swivel chair or trying to lounge on your desk while you’re writing up reports.

In the beginning, you would always kick him out, lightly advising him that work hours are not play hours—even if there aren’t any ongoing missions.

But Day is so loyal, constantly flitting around you like a butterfly. He seems to smile even brighter when you address him, and despite his carefree demeanor he wants to provide as much help as he can.

“Let me carry that, Manager!” or “Hey, hey! We should get ice cream to celebrate your hard work. I want to take you to the best place. You have to try the new flavors with me!”

You give up pushing him away and start to welcome him into your office.

The other Reapers begin to suspect something’s up, especially those who are more perceptive than the others. Day’s own team members can’t help but wonder what’s got him so fascinated with you.

He claims he can never be bored when he’s around you, which proves to be true because this man can talk about anything and everything.

All it takes is for you to mention that you’re in the mood for something sweet, and he’ll be on that topic faster than a moth to a light.

Without meaning to, he memorizes all of the information he learns about you, accidentally mentioning some facts during a conversation.

It makes you realize just how close he pays attention to you.

Even Nyang Lead Manager has noticed his attachment, but he’s uninterested for the most part. As long as Day doesn’t let himself get distracted from work, he’s not bothered.

But it makes things harder for you. Your focus diminishes whenever he’s near, so much so that you begin to take in different aspects of his actions.

He rarely blushes, but when he does it’s usually whenever you do something that warrants bashfulness. And he’s started to compliment you a lot now, always recognizing changes to your fashion.

Day happens to be relaxing in his dorm, reading an ancient tome about magic and its connection to the heart, when it finally makes sense.

Wait. Hold on.

He peers at the symbols with undeterred intensity, recalling memories of you and him. Eerily, his feelings fit the exact description in the book.

He really does spend a lot of time with you, and you’ve been occupying his thoughts day and night since he first got to know you. Some would say it’s too much, but you can never have enough of something you love.

Love. That’s the word he was looking for.

He’s in love. True, real, authentic love.

Day pops up from his sitting position so fast it almost throws him off balance. The other Noctu members look at him in confusion, but he’s too busy to even give them an explanation.

Now wired with too much excitement to feel worried, he rushes through the 14th Department, completely shirtless and in a hurry to get to your office so he can give you a rambling soapbox speech about his inner thoughts and feelings.

Someone give him a shirt before he gets himself in trouble with Nyang.

[creations-of-a-certain-no-one]

Sleeping Noctu team

Because yeah, I started playing and got hooked on the game literally the day before the shutdown notice.

So... anyway, practiced some watersoluble graphite on them. I’m still trying to master how to draw hair im this technique as nothing that I used on dry media works in wet techniques lol

[ashiiixoxo]

if you dont think that the Hesperide uniform is hot, you haven't looked clearly at their uniform. I mean,, LOOK AT NOAH AND KATI,, AND SIAN AND CYRILLE.

honestly, we have to appreciate all of their uniforms because 🥵

[blue-temperature]

[ESP] AFTER L!FE — Flor Eterna: Noctu —

Flor Eterna: Una flor que no se marchita dentro de un cristal. Un regalo que indica despedidas, pero no por la eternidad.

Nine:

Ellos dicen que la diferencia entre el recuerdo y la remembranza es el “anhelo”. ¿Recuerdas que dije que quería olvidar todo sobre mi pasado antes de llegar aquí? Esos recuerdos cortaron profundamente en mí mientras el dolor de la pérdida envolvía su mano en mi garganta. Así que me promet�� a mí mismo algo... que nunca permitiría a nada (entrar) en mi corazón de nuevo. Que me enfocaría y cumpliría mi deseo, entonces me iría sin (dejar) rastro.

Pero supongo que he fallado.

Los momentos que he compartido con la Manager, sin importar cuán doloroso se vuelvan los recuerdos, no puedo olvidarlos, no... NO los olvidaré jamás.

Gracias por hacerme recuerdos que valen la pena mantener. Manager... por favor no te olvides de mí. Escribo esta carta con la esperanza de tener un lugar en tu corazón. Incluso la esquina más pequeña está bien, siempre que me guardes ahí. No quiero ser un mero recuerdo. Quiero ser tu remembranza.

— Nine —

Day:

¡Hola, hola, Manager! ^0^ ¿Te acuerdas? ¡Cuando viniste por primera vez, corrí para conocerte y me caí! Dolió realmente mal, pero cuando vendaste mi rodilla y sonreíste, ¡Ya no dolía más! Eres una persona con ese tipo de habilidad, hehe. Sin importar cuán duras se pusieran las cosas, podría hacerlo contigo a mi lado llamando mi nombre. Incluso si estaba en la oscuridad, incluso si la misión se volvía imposible, siempre.

Me dijiste que no importaba la oscuridad, la luz más pequeña podría ahuyentarla. Fuiste la luz para nosotros.

Mi padre solía decir que a todos los que conocía eran personas con las que no pasé el tiempo suficiente juntos en mi vida pasada. Si tenemos una vida pasada, Manager, sé en lo profundo (de mí) que debo lamentar no estar contigo más tiempo. Y ahora, desde que estoy lleno de lamentos y tristeza por tu partida, sé que en nuestra próxima vida nos veremos nuevamente.

Con plena fe en nuestra reunión destinada, estoy despidiéndote, no con lágrimas, sino una sonrisa, hehe :3 ¡Gracias por todo, te amo!

☆DayDay☆

Kirr:

Recuerdo el día en que una estrella cayó desde el cielo. Desde entonces, cada momento con la Manager fue vital y milagroso. Creo que hice muchas rabietas. Porque me gustaba la manera en la que la voz de la Manager sonaba como si me retaras. Disfrutaba tu atención tanto que- actuaba como un niño. Pero creo que ya no puedo más. Voy... a intentar y vivir como tú me has dicho. Incluso si mis instintos se embotan y no pueda escuchar más la voz del bosque. Eso también... será un milagro para mí. No odiaré más la nieve cayendo, ya que podrías estar sonriéndole por ahí, en algún lugar. Cuando llueva, pensaré en nuestro verano juntos y, cuando el viento sople, escucharé tu voz. Si hago eso, se sentirá como si aún estuvieses aquí conmigo. Espero que no haya más inviernos en tu viaje. Pero si el peso de el mundo es demasiado... por favor, ven a encontrarme.

— Kirr —

Aitachi:

Los guerreros de las llanuras no están tristes por las despedidas. Las llanuras nunca terminan y nos regocijamos en cada encuentro. Cada relación es importante y debemos enfocarnos de la suerte que es la oportunidad del reencuentro. Todo lo que deseo es entregar mis palabras de apoyo a la Manager que comienza su nuevo viaje. Es lamentable que nuestro tiempo juntos esté llegando a un fin, pero creo que es algo espectacular y hermoso.

Las despedidas son solo el principio de los nuevos comienzos. Justo como si todos comenzáramos de nuevo desde los finales de nuestras propias historias. Creo que este final, señala el comienzo de algo nuevo otra vez.

Con eso dicho, este lugar sin ti... se sentirá vacío para mí. Sé que tendré días en los que me pierda anhelando por ti. No sé que hacer con esos sentimientos brotando dentro de mí incluso ahora.

Que te vaya bien, Manager. Se feliz y, algún día... Veámonos de nuevo. Por favor...

— Guerrero Aitachi —

[dsknsk]

After L!fe Manager Training Guide a.k.a playing the game of ‘Suki Kirai’

Manager training at first confused the hell out of me. The books are relatively hard to get as I found out. However, although it is stated that certain partners prefer certain trainings, there are two things to keep in mind. As far as I know, the bonus is 5% with all cards in a matching training, I don’t know if this can be upped.

1. The card doesn’t matter, only the character. For example, I have both the Ethan SR and the Ethan SSR, but they prefer the same training.

2. The type of the card doesn’t matter either. The three trainings ‘correspond’ to the three kinds a card can be, but this has no influence on the effect.

You can see which character will give which type a bonus by the line above them, and if there’s something after ‘Partner Effects’ at the right. If the line they say is remotely positive, it means they give a bonus to this training. Every character only prefers one training, and ‘hate’ the other two, so to say. Like ‘Suki Kirai’, if you will.

Ell - ‘What a mess of a- achoo!’ - Leadership and Judgement ❌[Hate].

‘This is not a dream!’ - Empathy ✔️ [Like].

Jamie - ‘What is this...’ - Leadership and Judgement ❌[Hate].

‘You happy? Me too.’ - Empathy ✔️ [Like].

Ghilley - ‘Punishment will be needed.’ - Leadership and Judgement ❌[Hate].

‘I’m smiling, haha!’ - Empathy ✔️ [Like].

Licht - ‘...Annoying.’ - Leadership and Judgement ❌[Hate].

‘I love everything!’ - Empathy ✔️ [Like].

Theo - ‘You should have done what I told you to do.’ - Empathy and Leadership ❌[Hate].

‘I’m happy as well.’ - Judgement ✔️ [Like]. 

June - ‘I am not sure..’ - Judgement and Empathy ❌[Hate].

‘Very good.’ - Leadership ✔️ [Like].

Louis - ‘How unfortunate.’ - Judgement and Empathy❌[Hate].

‘How romantic!’ - Leadership ✔️ [Like].

Ethan - ‘Low level scums.’ - Judgement and Empathy ❌[Hate].

‘Yes, I agree.’ - Leadership ✔️ [Like].

Sian - ‘Just leave it at this for today...’ - Leadership and Empathy ❌[Hate].

‘Hey[sic] that is a good idea!’ - Judgement ✔️ [Like].

Cyrille - ‘Let’s stop now, yeah?’ -  Leadership and Empathy ❌[Hate].

‘Should we start with a hello?’ - Judgement ✔️ [Like]

Kati - ‘I hate you!’ - Leadership and Empathy ❌[Hate].

‘Oh yeah~!’ - Judgement ✔️ [Like].

Noah - ‘I’m trying to avoid winning by strength alone.’  - Leadership and Empathy ❌[Hate].

‘It’s always good to solve things by taking it out, right?’ - Judgement ✔️ [Like].

Nine - ‘I want to be alone to think.’ - Leadership and Judgement ❌[Hate].

‘Hello to you.’ - Empathy ✔️ [Like].  

Day - ‘I can do it too...’ - Leadership and Judgement ❌[Hate].

‘Hehe...I really like it...’  - Empathy ✔️ [Like].

Kirr - ‘How disgusting.’ - Empathy and Judgement  ❌[Hate].

‘There is a lot to eat. Very good.’ - Leadership ✔️ [Like].

Aitachi - ‘You will be caught in a stampede!’  - Empathy and Judgement  ❌[Hate].

‘Have courage!’ - Leadership ✔️ [Like].

Youssef - ‘Is that not enough?’ - Leadership and Judgement ❌[Hate].

‘Do you need a hand?’ - Empathy ✔️ [Like].  

Mori - ‘Did I look that easy to you?’ - Empathy and Judgement  ❌[Hate].

‘You are toying with me.’ - Leadership ✔️ [Like].  [Mori is a somewhat strange case, both of his lines are negative but he does prefer Leadership despite the tone of the line makes it seem]

Quincy - ‘I’m really mad!’ - Empathy and Judgement ❌[Hate].

‘Whatever, I’ll do it.’ - Leadership ✔️ [Like].  

Verine - ‘I hate it no matter what...’ - Leadership and Empathy  ❌[Hate].

‘Would you walk with me?’ - Judgement ✔️ [Like].  

I also compiled this information in a table, here: 

If you prefer the original Google Spreadsheet, here’s the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uAXJh7s66_QRTnYSajHQEwP9cuRYytAy2SHYgF6yjYQ/edit?usp=sharing

If you want to have a quick reminder, take this word: 

1. All members of Hesperide prefer Judgement.

2. All members of Mane prefer Empathy. 

3. No members of Noctu or Diloculo prefer Judgement save for Verine.

4. All members of Die prefer Leadership except for Theo, who prefers Judgement.

[vivichancollection]

after l!fe edition - noctu ver.

received 11.06.2021

[merakiui]

Hi sorry if I’m bothering but I was just wondering if you had any general headcannons for Nine or the rest of Noctu? Love your writing by the way❤️❤️.

Noctu General HCs (Aitachi, Kirr, Nine, and Day)

🎯 Aitachi 🎯

He’s always training because he wants to become a stronger Soul Reaper. His main motivation for that is you, his encouraging Manager.

Aitachi likes to train alongside you and Kirr. The three of you make a great team and whenever you seem to grow tired he’ll be there with a cold bottle of water and some healthy snacks to revive your energy.

He won’t admit it, but he tends to get embarrassed when he struggles to interact with modern technology properly. He usually learns from the others how to operate his SNS, but he seems to actually listen when he’s getting pointers from you.

He’s Kirr’s hunting buddy. The two of them probably fish together and they’d be happy to go camping with everyone if it’s brought up.

Introduce him to modern television and he’ll fall in love with all of those survival shows. The more outdoorsy, the better!

Aitachi likes to tell you stories of his tribe. If you ask, he’ll be so happy, proudly explaining more about his coming-of-age ceremony and what it’s like to experience life in his tribe.

He’s very awkward with modern language and will often talk in a stiff manner, sometimes using phrases that are commonly spoken within his tribe.

Despite his age and height, he is quite knowledgeable when it comes to survival and the outside world. Although there are many changes he is unfamiliar with, which is usually the always-updating types of technology.

Aitachi struggles to navigate the Internet and sometimes he ends up on the strangest sites with no qualms as to how he got there in the first place. One minute he’s trying to search up images of the land where his tribe lived and now he’s on a website that’s listing nearby properties for sale.

Autocorrect is his enemy and he can never fully wrap his head around those virtual helpers (Alexa, Siri, Cortana, etc.).

🏹 Kirr 🏹

Aitachi is his best friend and closest ally when it comes to anything and everything. He’s eternally grateful to have someone who understands as much about hunting and survival as he does, especially when he feels so lost in the modern world.

Kirr is probably more accustomed to the modern world than Aitachi is, but there are still moments where he struggles to keep up.

He loves to go on nature walks with the manager, but his favorite outing would have to be hunting with them. If they’re not a fan of that, he doesn’t mind a simple stroll through the woods.

He does not understand many jokes, especially those that use Internet slang or texting lingo. He’s especially confused about words like ‘simp’ and ‘pog.’

Kirr definitely enjoys wildlife shows just like Aitachi, but his favorites are usually about how animals hunt. There’s always a glimmer of intrigue in those quiet eyes when he watches a lion stalking its prey.

He’s not the best at communication and will sometimes say something that may give off the wrong impression or cause a misunderstanding. But for the sake of the manager, he wants to always try his best to improve these aspects of himself.

He does not understand flirting at all. Like jokes and the modern world, Kirr has trouble adjusting to these lighthearted tones. If the manager ever flirts with him, it’s usually one-sided and he always appears confused.

Most of the time he’ll accept whatever it is you’re telling him, especially if it’s meant to be nice. But he won’t flirt back or say anything that’s supposed to be funny because he just doesn’t understand it.

If you’re someone who likes puns and jokes, he’ll probably want to learn a little more, if only to understand you whenever you start to joke with him.

He may be serious and not at all as talkative as the other Reapers, but that doesn’t mean he’s unhappy. He’s just confused, but he’s got the spirit!

🎼 Nine 🎼

Nine is always so graceful and polite, which makes him quite the persuasive Reaper. He often finds ways to get Day to do things for him and most of it is under an innocent pretense.

Despite what some may think, he does genuinely care for those he manages to get close to. He trusts the manager and Day the most, but there are still things he won’t tell them.

He’s very good at avoiding conversations that make him uncomfortable and he won’t usually tell someone if they’re crossing a line of discomfort. He’ll just calmly redirect the conversation.

Nine probably enjoys classic literature and poetry from older time periods. He likes to compare it to today’s writing to see what has changed.

He also enjoys classical music of all sorts and will try to replicate his own versions in unique compositions. Music theory and the history of music are topics that also intrigue him, and he likes to pore over information related to that in hopes of learning more to improve his own skills.

Nine’s the type of Reaper you can rant to if you’re ever feeling down, but don’t expect him to vent about own troubles in return. He’ll comfort you to an extent, but it still seems like he’s reserved.

He likes all things peaceful: melodic piano music, zen gardens, calligraphy, and even simple poetry. He would definitely enjoy stargazing because it’s such a calming activity.

There are days when Nine’s lazy side shows and as a result of this he’ll get Day to do his tasks for him. He’s very clever when it comes to slipping away from patrols and Day’s often left with two times the amount of work.

Nine hides most of his true feelings behind a passive smile and only ever vents through his compositions, which he only shows to those he truly values.

He is surprisingly good at reading the atmosphere in a room and knows how to quell an uncomfortable mood.

🍦 Day 🍦

You’ll never see him sad unless it’s something truly serious and dire. Day is always a constant ray of sunshine like Ell.

He’s very carefree and casual, wanting to be friends with everyone in the 14th Department. Once he believes he’s made friends with someone, he’ll be willing to do anything for that person.

Day is like a huge puppy. He gets excited easily and loves being around people. There’s never a dull moment with him.

He loves to bake with Nine and the manager, as they are his two favorite people in the whole world. Day often feels incomplete without them by his side and he loves to help them whenever he gets the chance.

Day doesn’t like to see the bad sides in people and will focus on their positive qualities instead. He believes that everyone can get along if there’s a happy environment and good food!

He’ll get upset if he finds that his Soul Reapers aren’t getting along and will even cry if anyone acts particularly mean towards him or his friends.

Day loves emoticons, especially the cute and happy ones. He feels like he can fully express himself with a few emojis and he’s probably the type to spam text messages, most of which aren’t actually coherent sentences but just strings of emojis.

Another thing he loves about the manager is when they help him when he’s in distress! Sometimes he’ll trip if he’s running too fast and as much as the injury may hurt everything feels better the minute his manager bandages it. He’ll be even happier if they pretend to kiss it, promising that it’s a charm for faster healing.

When he’s with Kati, chaos and trouble ensues, as the both of them are far too energetic to contain.

He wants to try making his own ice cream with Nine and the manager, but he can never wrap his head around the process.

[merakiui]

Twilight and Night Teams Playing Among Us HCs

The 14th Department decides to play Among Us (PART 2). (Part 1 can be found here.)

Twilight Team (Hesperide)

🎮 Cyrille 🎮

He’s the type of player who overanalyzes everything. Oh, the lights went out and Sian’s avatar passed by him? Yep, that’s sus.

He’s actually pretty good at determining who the impostor is. Cyrille keeps an eye out for those who are around him, stowing that information away for when the next dead body is reported.

Cyrille’s a genius, so of course he’d be perfect as a crew mate or the impostor. It doesn’t matter the role; he’s able to adapt flawlessly. 

Though he still manages to fumble with the controls. Dexterity isn’t his speciality, so it took some time to get used to playing. (He accidentally clicked on the vent button instead of sabotage, and Sian caught him.)

When he’s the impostor, he uses the classic “if you didn’t see it, it didn’t happen” excuse. He’s always asking the others for their proof when they’re accusing him.

“If you didn’t see me anywhere near the body, why would it be me? You lack substantial evidence, and because of that you’ll lose. In other words, voting me out would only benefit the impostors.”

He could probably write an entire thesis paper on why he isn’t the impostor. 

Everyone just believes him because they don’t want to hear a rant that delves into the science behind the gameplay, and they’re also just trying to have fun. No one asked for a science lesson. Sorry, Cyrille.

He’s not that good at completing the tasks because the controls confuse him. 

His go-to color is green, and he wears the goggles hat. 

🛠️ Noah 🛠️

Noah’s soft appearance and way of speaking reflects kindness, so there’s just no way he could be the impostor!

He likes to look at things from the perspective of lawful justice. Although it’s a game, Noah’s certain this tactic won’t fail him.

He considers it to be a great way to pass time, and it’s especially fun to play with the manager. Sometimes it can get tedious when he’s stuck as a ghost for an entire round, but other than that Noah likes it.

He’ll stick with the others in groups so no one winds up dead, but if the manager does end up dying he might tease them about it. 

Noah likes playing with Kati, despite the fact that the younger Soul Reaper is always trying to compete with him. He tends to take on the role of an elder brother whenever him and Kati are in the same lobby, and most of the time he’ll lose for the sake of inflating Kati’s ego.

He tends to break up a lot of arguments between Kati and Sian, especially when they bicker over who did what task.

“It’s just a game. There’s no need to fight so much.”

“The phrase ‘it’s just a game’ is such a weak mindset.” - Kati to Noah, probably. Noah just doesn’t understand why everyone gets so riled up. There’s no point in arguing over Among Us. They should use that time to vote out the impostors. 

He’s more athletic, so video games aren’t his style. But Among Us does improve his observation skills, so he doesn’t mind it all that much.

His go-to color is lime, and he wears the police hat.

🎤 Sian 🎤

He blames everyone but himself. Sian is so quick to point fingers and start arguments based on what the others say. 

“You saw me vent? As if! I’m not stupid like you. If you vote me out, you’re all going to lose. Seriously...”

Sometimes he gets a little too into the game, often getting frustrated when he’s voted out all because someone blamed him. 

He likes to check the cameras in hopes that he’ll be able to catch one of the impostors. 

When he’s the impostor, he goes after Quincy the most. It’s for all the times Quincy’s bothered him. Revenge is best served in Among Us. “This’ll teach you for always calling me a whelp!” 

If someone walks in on him after he’s killed a crew mate, he’ll report the body so fast and blame that person.

“It was Kati! I saw him kill Cyrille! You guys have to believe me.”

Sian is 100% salty in the dead chat, but Cyrille’s there as well so it’s not all that bad. 

He probably looks at Among Us memes and tips to win flawlessly as the impostor, and he’ll show them to Cyrille so that the two of them can team up to throw the game.

His go-to color is red, and he wears the backwards cap because he believes it looks cool. 

🍎 Kati 🍎

He’s competing with Noah. It doesn’t matter if they’re in two separate lobbies; he’s still going to consider it a competition.

Kati’s the type of player who chases the others around while pretending to be the impostor.

Definitely trolls, so much so that sometimes he’ll get kicked from the lobby. 

He’s also the one who constantly calls emergency meetings when nothing has begun just so he can accuse others. 

“I saw Noah fake the scan in Med-bay! It’s got to be him. Vote him out!”

He’ll say the most suspicious things, telling the others to watch their backs or else he’ll bite them. It’s a heavy threat when you consider the fact that he actually will bite you in real life. So in-game isn’t all that far off either.

Kati gets a little too trigger-happy when he’s the impostor, forming pacts with the others and then betraying them shortly after. He’d be good at the impostor role if he wasn’t constantly acting so giddy and sus. 

He teams up with Day and the two of them cause trouble together. It’s especially fun when they’re the impostors.

Kati complains in the dead chat once he’s killed, whining about how he’s so certain that it was Noah who sabotaged his chances at winning. 

His go-to color is pink, and he wears the flower pin hat.

Night Team (Noctu)

🎯 Aitachi 🎯

The others tell him to wear the sticky note that says “dum” because it’ll ward off the evil impostors, and he does just that.

Aitachi doesn’t really understand the concept of Among Us. He’s not exactly up-to-date with modern technology, and so he’s not good at video games.

When playing, he’ll believe whatever the others tell him under the pretense that they mean what they say. Of course, half of them are being helpful and the other half just want to see cute Tachi pout in confusion.

“What does any of this mean, Sir Kirr?” he’ll ask, as if Kirr knows anything. Kirr just tells him it boils down to pure instinct and survival. “I see! In that case, we shall form a group and huddle to keep warm!”

Aitachi, no... You have to do your tasks, silly. 

He never does any of his tasks, so his task bar never goes up. Because of that, everyone suspects him of faking tasks. In reality, Aitachi has no clue what that even means.

When he plays with the manager, Aitachi always swears that he’ll protect them because it’s his duty as a warrior. Unfortunately, as soon as they separate, he’s killed.

He types in the ghost chat as the living debate what their next move will be, wondering why no one’s responding to his messages.

When he does figure out how to play, which will take a lot of time, he actually has a lot of fun trying to find the impostors. 

His go-to color is brown, and he wears the bear ears because it’s the closest thing to a pelt. When he isn’t wearing that hat, he’s got the “dum” sticky note on. 

🏹 Kirr 🏹

Just like Aitachi, he’s clueless. Though he’s able to adjust to the rules once he understands them. 

The only thing on his mind is survival of the fittest, and he uses his knowledge as a hunter to avoid death.

“This world is not much different from ours.” (For context, he’s comparing the impostors to vengeful spirits.)

Kirr likes to ask a lot of questions that have nothing to do with the actual gameplay. 

“If everyone is stuck on this spaceship, why haven’t they had anything to eat yet? They will starve without any nutrition.”

Kirr, sweetheart, it’s just a video game. Don’t worry about that.

He works alongside Aitachi, and the two of them learn—albeit incorrectly—from one another. They’re both so proud when they do their very first task.

Kirr never seems to become the impostor, so he’s always stuck as a crew mate. Along with that, he gets lost around the map quite easily, which is ironic considering he’s a skilled hunter.

He’s one of the few who’s killed first because he’s always alone in electrical trying to connect the wires. :( Poor Kirr.

His go-to color is black, and he wears the miner cap hat because he thinks the light on it will actually illuminate his way when the lights are sabotaged. Kirr’s just trying to do some in-game camouflage, but it’s not really working.

🎼 Nine 🎼

Nine is a silent player, only talking when he needs to. No one ever has time to question him because they’re too busy arguing over whether or not the others are the impostors. 

He wouldn’t have considered playing if the manager hadn’t mentioned it to him. It’s a way for everyone to relax and have fun, so they wanted him to be part of the chaos. 

He tends to stay in the background to avoid immediate suspicion. His tasks are always his first priority, and because of that he ends up finishing earlier than most players. Though a body report or an emergency meeting is inevitable, and sometimes that’ll interrupt him when he’s downloading files.

He’ll only call an emergency meeting when it’s absolutely necessary. Whenever Day follows him around, Nine doesn’t bother with a meeting. He’s certain Day won’t kill him because that human puppy never seems to get the impostor role.

Surprisingly good at faking tasks. He’s learns quickly that certain tasks perform a small animation once completed, so he stays away from those when he’s the impostor. 

Very rarely participates in the discussions. His strategy is mainly just keeping important information to himself so he can win, but as a crew mate he adds in a word or two that can either refute or prove the others’ claims. 

Nine never understands why Theo’s so intent on chasing him around. Once he was outed as the impostor—courtesy of the gracious Theo—and for that entire game he was just following Theo as a ghost. Sometimes Theo’s more confusing the gameplay itself.

He’s still polite to everyone, even if they’re accusing him or getting a little too heated.

“I respect your opinion, but I’m afraid I saw Mr. Cyrille vent.” Nine wants to remain civil despite the chaos that erupts when trying to pick out the impostor.

His go-to color is purple, and he wears the flamingo hat. (Day chose it for him.)

🍦 Day 🍦

Day doesn’t like being the impostor because he feels bad about having to kill his friends.

“I don’t want to kill Nine-Nine! I don’t want to kill anyone.”

He’ll call emergency meetings for the dumbest things.

“What’s going on? No one’s died yet.” And Day will respond with, “I just wanted to say hi to everyone! At the end of the day, we’re still friends, right?”

Nine has to tell him that it’s just a game and that he should just have fun.

Day follows Nine and the manager around because he believes that if they’re in a group nothing bad can happen. Imagine his surprise when Nine ends up killing him the second the manager leaves for navigation.

He feels so betrayed. His expression goes from :D to D: so fast. Poor Day. He just wanted to be by Nine’s side.

He has so much fun when he’s a crew mate. When he finishes his tasks, he’ll run around the map looking for something to do.

Probably dances on the cameras so the others won’t suspect him of being the impostor, or he’ll do figure eights in the lobby while waiting for everyone else to join. 

His go-to color is white with the cherry hat because it reminds him of ice cream.

[creations-of-a-certain-no-one]

AyakashiRR + AfterL!fe + Arcana Twilight + A3! Masterlist

Ayakashi Romance Reborn

ARR event haiku Group:  Romance patrol 1 scenes Futaba: portrait, genderbent, Buffutaba: 1 & 2 Aizen - watersoluble graphite Yakumo: scary, sparkling vampires, birthday drawing Toichiro: birthday drawing, glittery Shizuki: watercolour Toichiro & Shizuki: fox care Aoi: birthday drawing, trans!Aoi Oji: birthday drawing, eyes Kagemaru: black hair practice part 1 and part 2, on the floor, in a dress Nachi: no talk me im angy, birthday drawing Kuro: cute Kuro request, birthday drawing Kuya: feathers, birthday drawing, graphite portrait Koga: birthday drawing Ginnojo: birthday drawing Gaku & Yura - birthday drawings Yura: sleeping Akiyasu: birthday drawing, watercolour graphite

Arcana Twilight

Alpheratz: birthday drawing Pollux: blushy

After L!fe

Birthday drawings: Sian, Day, Mori, Kirr Sleeping Noctu team Sleeping Mane team

A3!

Banri: birthday drawing

[merakiui]

So you know that subtle rivalry hinted between Theo and Nine, like especially about the piano and stuff? I've seen their mini rivalry in personal stories too, but like I think it's pretty funny, cause the calm, peaceful Nine with the cool and collected Theo. What things do you think they would "fight" over? If you do small stories, like maybe a small story over it??

(Absolutely! Their relationship on the AFTER L!FE website says both of them believe the other has “ulterior motives,” which is definitely interesting. I ended up writing a small story/oneshot for this, and I hope it was good enough in terms of what they would “fight over.” Theo and Nine are so fun to write for when it’s in this format.)

Cake (Nine and Theo)

The manager is like cake, Theo thinks as he walks down the hall, a few documents held securely in his gloved hands. Everyone wants a piece of their time, but there’s only so much to go around. I guess it makes sense. They’ve always been sweet when it comes to the Reapers in the 14th Department.

Cake has an expiration date, as does any food. Along with that, it’s messy. Perfect frosting, fondant flowers, and a moist sponge that gets all over silverware and on clothes. Nevertheless, it’s a dessert for any celebratory occasion. Theo knows a lot of the Reapers can be compared to cake. Take innocent Ell and his happy-go-lucky personality for example. If he were a cake, he’d be the most overbearing slice of sugar. Such a simple cake is an insult, though. If you’re going to indulge in something unhealthy, at least make it overly presentable so you won’t have to fuss over the consequences of such a treat in the near future.

But Theo isn’t interested in cakes that have basic layers. He’s much more intrigued by those that have stacks of unique combinations, such as pineapple, vanilla, and even coconut. Each layer can be carefully picked apart, and every flavor dissected before his blue eyes. People are like cake. They’re either sickeningly sweet or spoiled with a rotten attitude, and they fall victim to their own natural expiration dates with the course of time. They can be broken down and devoured as easily as one does to a slice when they’re hungry. More importantly, their ingredients are always different. Opposing backgrounds, conflicting lifestyles, and even the people with whom they associate. When mixed together, it creates a person who holds their own morals, judgements, and rules based on the cards they have been dealt.

Perhaps that’s why children are so territorial when it comes to snacks; they believe it’s their right to be granted the best treat. In a group of three, who is most entitled to the last slice of cake? The two warring sides or the one unknowingly trapped in the middle? Sharing is cast aside in favor of getting the final piece. No one wants one-third of something. You can’t have one-third of a person. But Theo’s not of that age where you assume the world will be given to you on a silver platter. He knows when to choose his battles and when to surrender.

He knows when to savor every bite of cake he can get.

Theo almost drops the files he’s holding when he hears the upbeat staccato being played in rhythmic succession on the piano. That piano. The piano he should’ve found with the manager. If only they’d asked for his help. If only Nine hadn’t ruined it by impressing them with his dexterous talent. If only—

“You’re amazing, Nine!” the manager praises, a grin on their face. “I wonder if the other Soul Reapers have any sort of musical talent, too.”

“It’s nothing special,” he says, politely deflecting the compliment as easily as one discards a slice of moldy cake. “But I’m pleased you enjoy it, Manager.”

Of course, Theo thinks bitterly, drawing his lips into a thin line. Nine’s playing for them again.

“Can I try?”

Nine nods, sliding over on the bench to make room for (Name). While they tap certain keys at random intervals, sheepishly attempting to knit a comprehensive melody, Theo looks on in dissatisfaction. It’s Nine who senses the presence of a third individual, and he cranes his neck to confirm his suspicions.

“Oh, Mr. Theo. A pleasant surprise seeing you here.”

“You’ve been playing a lot lately. Won’t Nyang Lead Manager get angry if he catches you slacking off?”

“He doesn’t have to know,” (Name) says, rescuing Nine from any criticism Theo might have at the ready. “Besides, the day’s been slow enough.”

His heart sinks when he notices the bento boxes, evidence of two meals that have been thoroughly consumed. One for (Name) and one for Nine... They ate lunch together, and now they’re on the piano—the one he should be playing—acting completely chummy. Why? he thinks, his mind attempting to wrap itself around the concept of work relationships. Why are they so close?

His instincts tell him it’s all part of Nine’s master plan to have you to himself—to take all of the cake and leave nothing but crumbs for the others. It’s so selfishly enraging. Luckily, Theo has reason to stay in the spotless storage room. He sets the files on the lid of the piano, nearly swiping the bento boxes out of the way. There was more than enough room, and Nine doesn’t miss the calculated abruptness in Theo’s actions.

“Hm? What’s all of this?”

“Reports from this week’s patrol shifts,” he explains in a matter-of-fact tone. “I was told to bring these to you for review.”

“Right! I forgot about that. Thanks, Theo. What would I do without you?”

Just as fast as it sank, that familiar cardiovascular muscle skips a beat. Sneakily, he eyes Nine to gauge his reaction. The calm Noctu Reaper is staring right back, a partial smile gathering at the corners of his lips. If a pastry chef adds poison to the meringue of his cream horn and it incapacitates an unsuspecting customer, is he at fault? Does the issue lie with who sold him the poison? Were his intentions outlandishly harmful or driven purely by revenge? In this situation, who would be the chef? Theo’s certain it must be Nine. After all, he’s infecting you with a skill that should be reserved only for him. Playing the piano has always been his speciality. Nine is just a copycat baker whisking all sorts of notes in hopes that it produces a suitable tune.

His talent is poisoning the chances Theo has of impressing (Name) with his flawless playing.

Like a garden that’s been infested with weeds, stripping its sprouts of their needed sunlight, Nine has planted ugly hemlock.

“Is everything all right?” Nine questions, seeming concerned at Theo’s stretched silence. “Mr. Theo?”

“Everything’s fine. I’m flattered you’d worry about me.” Despite the fact that Nine’s older and that Theo ought to respect his seniors, he can’t bring himself to willingly trust the Reaper who’s been stealing the manager’s heart with his dexterity.

(Name) pops up from the seat at once, startled to have caught sight of the time. “Sorry, Nine. I've got to supervise Day and Kati’s cleaning shift. You can never be too careful with those two...” As they grab their empty bento box and the pile of documents, exchanging serene farewells with Nine, Theo opens his mouth to say something.

I’ll go with you, he wants to add, and yet the words evade him.

The manager turns to address Theo, a radiant beam in their expression—the sight of a flower that has wilted once and sprung back to life with a little bit of water and sunlight. “There’s a book I found that I think you’ll like. I’ll lend it to you if you’re interested. Let’s talk more next time, okay?”

His heart just about flips into cardiac arrest. How can his manager be so mindful and generous despite the minimal conversation they’ve shared? Such a gesture is sweeter than any cake the other Reapers may resemble.

“Let’s,” he echoes, watching as they make a swift exit. And suddenly the once dusty, overcrowded storage room becomes a haven. Observing it from his angle, he realizes just how much work the manager and Nine have done in terms of cleaning. That could’ve been a task suited to him. Now it’s as though you and Nine have started meeting up periodically in this room.

Nine rises from his spot on the bench, gingerly closing the lid over the piano keys. “Is there something on your mind?”

Theo raises a brow. “Nothing in particular. Why do you ask?”

“I was only curious. You seemed quite attached to the manager’s reactions. Though that’s just a speculation of mine. Please forgive me if I assumed incorrectly.”

“Well, I don’t want them to disapprove of my work.”

“I understand. You always do your best, Mr. Theo, so don’t let the pressure of appeasing Manager weigh you down.”

“I won’t. Thank you for your concern.” His words are hollow—lacking a soul—but he delivers them anyway. A faux cake needs no decorations if it’s role is not to be enjoyed. It’s merely a placeholder in his acquaintanceship with Nine. Stale enough to be recycled for future use, but also courteous in case of an emergency. “Then, I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Nine bids him a professional goodbye, friendly against the powerful tide of passive-aggressive distrust Theo’s built up. The disarming Soul Reaper closes the lid of his bento box, listening to Theo’s even footsteps as they grow distant with each passing second. He isn’t a fool, and neither is the picture-perfect Reaper in the Day Team. Something’s amiss. Anyone would be able to recognize the tense atmosphere that has ensnared the storage room in its vicious maw. Nine isn’t a stranger to formulated schedules. Ever since (Name) asked to meet him in the storage room for a few coveted minutes of listening to him play, Theo’s been in the distance, looming like a shadow in a child’s nightmare.

His finger taps at the colorful plastic while the gears in his brain turn. Nine doesn’t know Theo well enough to make any rash claims, and he certainly wouldn’t say any of that outright. Perhaps he just doesn’t know how to approach others, or he might want a chance to practice on the piano. If that’s the case, it would justify his lingering near the storage room. Nine has noticed the pattern, though. Theo’s always there when the manager observes his skillful fingers dancing across the keys. He’s never there for anyone else.

“I suppose anyone would think it’s an ulterior motive,” Nine murmurs to the empty air. “I’m not too sure.”

Green-eyed monsters don’t have blue eyes, so what does that make Theo?

Said Soul Reaper waits outside the door of the storage room, pressed against the wall with his ears alert and his mouth shut. To be blunt, Nine’s taken too much of the cake, and Theo’s not going to allow that. Crumbs are messy, and he despises messes. For a moment, the darker side of his thoughts conjure other messes. Crimson messes. Accidents that involve choice words and measured actions. Everything should be exemplary for a delicious result. But there won’t be any cake if he’s lacking the ingredients. The only recipe that makes is regret with a side of loss.

Theo slips away from the wall, quietly moving in the other direction. There are many layers to Nine that he must separate for intense study. The closer he gets to the center, the more personal he’ll get. And if the perfect cake involves a book, a piano, and the layers of a certain someone, he’s willing to forsake cleanliness.

Nine is there in the doorway wearing a faint smile as he witnesses Theo leave for a second time.

Something is definitely amiss with Mr. Theo.

[a-day-in-the-afterlife]

A Day in the AFTER L!FE Drabbles (1 — Kirr | Dogs) (Fanfiction)

You can read it here on AO3.  This entire drabble collection is not only under the tag #adverbslut_writes_al (and #adverbslut_writes), it is also under the drabble collection tag of #adverbslut_drabbles_al.

Title:

1  — Kirr | Dogs

Summary:

Kirr’s lived his life among hardworking sled dogs and hunting dogs.  What’s he to do when the Manager brings a dog that’s not meant to be a worker, but a friend?

Genre:

Fluff

Rating:

G

Word Count:

761

-

Growing up in the mountains amongst the Cicady tribe, Kirr saw many animals for the useful resource that they were.  Animal meat, roasted over an easy fire, could stave off hunger for many hours, animal bones could be used to build many an apparatus, and animal pelts served as excellent coverings to trap in the warmth that was so easily lost in the frigid alpines.  

All animals were to be used and properly dissected this way—except one.

Dogs were quite the anomaly in his survivalist mentality.  They were by no means food, nor, when dismembered, were of any use as building materials or clothing.

In the Cicady tribe, canines were seen as something other, something quasi-human, in the fact that they were workers.  Mute employees of the tribe were dogs, who, when properly trained, could blitz across the mountains with a sled trailing behind them, or silently follow as hunting partners deep into the forest.  These animals were too useful to be cast aside and were always rewarded for their pains with solid hunks of meat and jerky.  These workers, when not sleeping, were constantly on duty and not meant to mingle among the other members of the tribe, for what tribesman would want the shame of distracting a determined breadwinner while they worked for their keep?

So that's why it came as an absolute shock to Kirr when the Manager brought, from a neighboring Department, a tiny Shih Tzu, who, in every respect, a lapdog, yearned to be petted and admired and played with, whilst looking ever the ornament.

By some stroke of misfortune, the Manager had dropped it off at the Noctu dormitory for the afternoon and bade Kirr, who had been the only one in the room at the time, to "watch it for a bit."

And "watch it," he did. 

For thirty-seven minutes did he stare stolidly at the animal, who seemed infatuated with the silver bow in their fur, waiting for the Manager to return and relieve him of his shift.

However, the Manager did not return, and Kirr was left to wonder what this sorry excuse for a dog meant when it rolled about on its pillow, its tongue lolling out of its mouth playfully.

Kirr reached into his pockets for something to do and pulled out a rope of jerky.  He handed it to the dog, who looked at it with interest.  "You have not worked today, but that is no reason for you to starve."

The dog eagerly nibbled at the treat, as Kirr caught sight of some kind of strange, pink, leather necklace that adorned its neck.  

"'Princess,'" he read aloud.  He looked at the animal, who was now gracelessly chasing its own tail.  "You do not look like the princesses I have heard described in fables, but I suppose the Princess of Canines behaves differently than those in the stories."

With that, Princess meandered toward him, her short claws caked in an odd glittery fuchsia pigment.  He had no time to dwell on this fact, though, for as soon as she reached him, she began to bonk her nose on him repeatedly, before settling in what he had once heard called "the downward dog position."  She bapped the ground in front of her in what seemed like excitement.  

Kirr's eyes widened—what was this?  Was this some kind of strange demonic ritual that Otherworld dogs partook of before summoning all manner of hideous beasts from the Underworld?  He had never seen this behavior from the sled and hunting dogs of the Cicady tribe.

"She wants to play, Kirr," said the Manager, laughing from the entrance of the Noctu dorm.  She tossed him one of those infernal tennis balls.  "Throw this."  

Kirr looked at her quizzically before chucking the ball haphazardly with his well-muscled arm.   After subsequently knocking over twenty-two of Day's religious artifacts (all of which he caught with great alacrity before they crashed to the floor), Princess hurled after the ball.

Something about the way that she dutifully brought it back to him, panting with enjoyment, brought a smile to his face. 

"Again," the Manager instructed before Kirr obeyed.  She cringed as she watched the ball ricochet off of the beautiful tribal, religious, and musical decorative pieces in the dorm.  She was a second before suggesting that they take their play outside before she saw Kirr's face and heard his chuckle.

Never in her life had she seen him more exuberant than in that moment, as he beamingly tossed the ball to Princess and laughed like a carefree child.

[blue-temperature]

Información sobre Equipos de Segadores de Almas, sus miembros y entrevistas a sus seiyuus (Parte 4): “Noctu”

Imamura Masaya Interview:

P. En este juego, los Segadores de Almas purifican y recolectan almas errantes en un Kaleidoscopio y las almas recolectadas pueden nacer otra vez como seres nuevos. En el proceso, ellos conceden un deseo para los Segadores de Almas que los ayudaron. Si te fuese dada esa oportunidad, ¿qué deseo pedirías que fuese cumplido?

R. ¡Yo también quiero ser un maestro de artes marciales! ¡Quiero volverme y ganar el título de “Guerrero” como mi personaje Aitachi!

P. ¿Cuál fue tu línea favorita de tu personaje?

R. Cada línea tiene algo distinto que ofrecer, así que tengo un montón, pero Aitachi diciendo, “¡Señorita! Los gatos parecen ser los animales mas lindos e inteligentes!” fue solo tan adorable!

P. ¡Por favor, dinos qué pensaste acerca de interpretar tu personaje!

R. Aitachi se adaptaba perfectamente al lindo hermano menor. Como sea, al darme cuenta de su carácter, encontré que era un poderoso y orgulloso “guerrero” y eso incluso aunque es el menor, él es el más valiente. Aún, él tiene tantas facetas diferentes en su personalidad, ¡como amar a los animales!

Sakagami Sho Interview:

P. En este juego, los Segadores de Almas purifican y recolectan almas errantes en un Kaleidoscopio y las almas recolectadas pueden nacer otra vez como seres nuevos. En el proceso, ellos conceden un deseo para los Segadores de Almas que los ayudaron. Si te fuese dada esa oportunidad, ¿qué deseo pedirías que fuese cumplido?

R. “¡Un mundo sin conflictos!” ¿Es algo demasiado grande para un deseo? ¡Si pudiese, entonces me gustaría eso! Quiero vivir una pacífica vida rodeada de perros, gatos y pingüinos.

P. ¿Cuál fue tu línea favorita de tu personaje?

R. Tiene que ser, “Ahem... ahem! Me gustas, ¡Me gustas mucho! ...¿Manager? Estás roja. ¿Estás enferma?” Este es el tipo de línea que solo puedes oír en un momento especial, pero después de decir algo así su cara es como “¿Qué está pasando?” Que total rompe corazones. Especialmente cuando él no tiene la intención de ir de esa manera... Pienso que este momento fue la combinación perfecta de la masculinidad y el hijo de la naturaleza de Kirr.

P. ¡Por favor, dinos qué pensaste acerca de interpretar tu personaje!

R. Le di voz a Kirr con la mentalidad de que él es de una pequeña tribu que vive una dura existencia en la naturaleza. Habiendo crecido en ese ambiente, me aseguré de que Kirr mantenga su... instinto asesino? Pero esto lo vuelve realmente inepto en la vida moderna, así que es suena como tonto, ¡pero él es TOTALMENTE serio! (risitas) Desde que es comedia en sí, me aseguré de mantenerme estoico, para hacerlo incluso más gracioso. Espero que todos amen a Kirr, quien es “lindo-porque-es-tan-serio.”

Shioya Fumiyoshi Interview:

P. En este juego, los Segadores de Almas purifican y recolectan almas errantes en un Kaleidoscopio y las almas recolectadas pueden nacer otra vez como seres nuevos. En el proceso, ellos conceden un deseo para los Segadores de Almas que los ayudaron. Si te fuese dada esa oportunidad, ¿qué deseo pedirías que fuese cumplido?

R. Mi prefectura natal es Iwate, que está muy lejos de Tokio, así que suelo visitarla tan a menudo. Así que, si tengo un deseo, haré a Iwate la capital de Japón así puedo ir a casa todo el tiempo. (risas)

P. ¿Cuál fue tu línea favorita de tu personaje?

R. “Todos tienen límites. Encontré importante mantenerlas.” Todos pensamos que sabemos cómo tratar esto, pero nos encontramos  fallando. Si eres muy cauteloso, no puedes ser abierto, pero si no lo eres entonces serás insensible... Los límites de todos son tan diferentes.

P. ¡Por favor, dinos qué pensaste acerca de interpretar tu personaje!

R: Era bastante majestuoso y atrevido a su propia manera. Envidio su capacidad de decir lo que está en su mente. Él es el tipo de persona que es difícil de volverse cercano, pero una vez que estás dentro, ESTÁS DENTRO.

P. En este juego, los Segadores de Almas purifican y recolectan almas errantes en un Kaleidoscopio y las almas recolectadas pueden nacer otra vez como seres nuevos. En el proceso, ellos conceden un deseo para los Segadores de Almas que los ayudaron. Si te fuese dada esa oportunidad, ¿qué deseo pedirías que fuese cumplido? 

R. Quiero una mansión. No quiero preocuparme sobre la renta.

P. ¿Cuál fue tu línea favorita de tu personaje?

R. “¡Juguemos de nuevo la próxima vez!” Es una pequeña ocurrencia después de una batalla, pero carece de cualquier sarcasmo o malicia. Sentí que esta línea era solo tan... como Day. Quiero tener la capacidad de ser así de puro como Day en mi propia vida.

P. ¡Por favor, dinos qué pensaste acerca de interpretar tu personaje!

R. Instantáneamente pensé que Day era un persona divertido. Él está en el equipo de la “Noche”, pero tiene miedo de la oscuridad, se llama “Day”, e incluso su deseo de Kaleidoscopio... Él es tan positivo e inocente incluso con la carga de su trauma, así que fue un desafío hacer justicia a su actuación. Como sea, siempre admiré individuos emocionalmente fuertes como Day, así que esta oportunidad de ser él fue increíble. Desde que no estoy completamente consciente de toda la historia de Day en After L!fe, estoy emocionado por ver lo que depara el futuro para Day, la manager y sus compatriotas.

Fuentes: https://afterlife.hangame.com/en/character & https://afterlife.hangame.com/en/interview/noctu Traducción al español: (Lupei)