#and i have to admit his purple demon version is cute as is his desire to feed everyone but i just don't jive with the whole assassin thing

[zasmn]

No spoilers of after you get all your companions please

I've wanted to be able to date Lace Harding since DA:I so I was super stoked to see that was a real option in DA:V!!! Then I met Taash and 😍 (sorry Lace)

[2af-afterdark]

Randomly Rating the Alt (Beta?) Designs in Journey to a Nu World

Listen, I saw these and some of them made me so happy and others... I died a little inside. Someone told me these are closer to their beta designs and that would make sense given what the event is, but I'm not 100% sure. Also, I'm sure it's their beta colors with their current designs at best. Making whole new sprites to perfectly match their beta counterpart would have been an ordeal. So... for all intents and purposes, I am rating them as alternate color schemes than as beta designs. Although, I do admit that I want to make a few comments on their roles in the event at least...

Ratings below for post length and because some people may want the designs to be a surprise.

10/10: I love him in all forms. No notes. Said it once and I will say it again though: he has Rin's silhouette. I guess it makes sense given what their relationship is, but it's uncanny.

8/10: His pallet swap is very minor, and the purple accent is actually really cute on him. Plus, I am a fan of soft pastels and his alt colors are so gentle. Still loves money and is so very violent. Love that he had beast tamer aspects in the fight against the heroes. Love that he's always a boss. I love him.

2/10: I love Morvay, but... they stole all of his color! There is just so much black in this design and it all sort of drowns out the overall character and makes him more muted. Also, they hid his titties and that is an unacceptable crime! Bonus points to both him and Aster though because their alt designs of aspects of the other's base color scheme (Ater's hair is the pink and purple of Morvay's jacket, Morvay's jacket is a more bright pink and black than Aster's).

10/10: I am a simp. Kuya is there. His titties are out. His collar makes him look like a whore. I am simple. I have simple desires. Also, you know, his loyalty in this event was actually kind of interesting. He was all for working with the Demon King and even selling the rouse. Plus, he gave off the feeling of being a secretive and wise advisor when he hinted to Eiden that he knows there are worlds with alternate versions of them out there.

3/10: His main blue hair is much better than the teal in his alt look. I do like the flower in his alt look, very appealing, but not enough to save just how... meh he is over all. I don't know. I just feel the teal is really jarring, especially given how much less it fits in with his outfit than his usual scheme.

5/10: This is not to say I hate Yakumo's alt design. It's just... there. The only thing that changed were his clothes. I like the red and white on him. A lot. But the lack of design on his shirt or pants is kind of sad. Middling design.

0/10: WHAT DID THEY DO TO MY BOY?????? He looks like your neighbor named Steve! THIS IS A CRIME!!! HE'S JUST SOME GUY! GIVE ME BACK MY SLUTTY PRIEST.

-10/10: Blade... Your hair is as cute as always. The color looks as good on you as always. However... that outfit... Are you an assassin or a court jester? It's so bad. OMG, I hate it.

8/10: You know what? I know it's just an outfit swap, but it really works on Dante. White looks really good on him and so does an open shirt. The shawl is always really nice in that blue-green color. It matches his eye and gems on his necklace. It's just very appealing overall. Also, it really let's him show off that tattoo! Which, you know, is a weakness of mine.

5/10: I don't hate it but I don't like it. I don't know. It's not bad, just not to my tastes. Although, I giggle that he's a bard! Not an alchemist, but a BARD! That is hilarious and I cannot explain why.

4/10: Again, kind of a meh design. I feel the yellow accents on his alt design would be better for Karu because then the eyes would match better. IDK, something about it just isn't working for me and I cannot place my finger on it. Also, we never saw Karu. I know the event was short, but... really? No Karu?

6/10: I like him better as a blonde, personally, but the scars are so amazing on him. Plus, the darker green to match his darker hair and the little leaf designs on his jacket are just very charming. I like the design. I with they would keep the scars because they really are just amazing. Although I miss Topper...

1000/10: NEVERMIND! He is perfect in all forms! ALL HAIL TOPPER!

[myfriendscallmecoelophysis]

Remember Me

Oops more Mianitian Isles fic. There’s not enough about Ianite. So have a 2500 word Ianite-centric thing. 

I can pretty much guarantee that a lot of this will no longer be canon as we learn more about the world and more of the story unfolds. As it stands now, this is the best I can do, especially considering how much secret conversations are occurring between the players and their respective gods. I watch Sparklez POV mainly but have seen glimpses of how Mianite speaks to Karl and how Dianite speaks to Tom in private chat. For now I am going with what Sparklez knows. 

Enjoy and as always 

Find me on Ao3:

Selenejessabelle12626 for the tame stuff

Lady-Spieroles for the less tame stuff ;)

~

Ianite woke up one morning with the strangest feeling. It was a sensation of wholeness and rightness, like something she hadn’t known she’d lost had suddenly been found. She’d felt a bolster to her strength as well, as though this feeling was boosting the fledgling powers she possessed. She wished mother was here. Mother had known all there was to know about the divinity she and her brothers were destined to grow into. Mother had been the one to see visions that became prophecies. Mother had known what awaited them when they got older. Mother would know what was happening. Gods did Ianite miss her mother. 

Over the next several days, Ianite’s dreams were filled with visions. She was used to the chittering voices that accompanied her thoughts, the voices of a thousand of her lives Mother had told her when she was younger, but Ianite had only rarely seen visions from these lives. Were these new visions part of the feeling she’d had? Were they part of the change? 

In one dream she was caged, shackled with burning molten chains, her sweet little Dianite warped into a demonic creature sneering down at her. This version of her had been mostly forgotten by the people of the realm, leaving her next to powerless to do anything but resign herself to her prison. But she still had a sense of hope, He was coming. He would save her. She had no idea yet who He was, but deep in her bones she knew He would not abandon her. This was the version of Him she had the greatest desire to meet. This was the one who’d all but created her after she had been forgotten. 

In another it was she who stood above Dianite and Mianite both, imprisoning them so that they would sow no more destruction across the world. She ruled this realm with an iron force of balance, a life for a life. The only true measure of balance. He stood at her side in this world, an enforcer of her will, armed with enchanted bow and sword, an unstoppable warrior. This dream scared her, made her fearful of what she was capable of if she chose that path. But still He remained loyal, despite this version of herself being so different from the others.

In yet still another she sat on a hill overlooking a quaint port town with a castle at its center, watching a pair of children run and play. The children looked to her with joy in their eyes and love in their souls. And He sat at her side, entwined His fingers with her own and pressing His lips to her cheek. This was the life Ianite would choose if she had to pick another. It was this dream she liked the most. The Ianite of this world was happy. 

While all her dreams bore great differences, there was one similarity among them. There was always a man at her side. His appearance differed little through each reality, only his dress and age seemed to change, though no matter what He always wore the oddest glasses upon His face. He was hers, the voices said. He was the only one throughout every life that supported her and followed her no matter where she led.  He was only one man though and each version of her got their chance to have Him by her side. And now, she realized, He was here in her world. It was finally her turn.

She felt the change in the air when the worlds synced. It was an influx of energy unlike anything she or her brothers had ever felt. Without a word to one another, they went their separate ways to think about what was happening. Mianite disappeared into the clouds to his ‘fortress’ (though Ianite knew it was little more than a fort made of cloud matter, her little brother was imaginative like that), Dianite ventured to his underground ‘lair’ (a cave he’d managed to cultivate life in despite the lack of sun, goodness her brothers had active minds), and Ianite herself went to the sea cave where she liked to be alone and gather her thoughts. 

When the burst of power came, it was so abrupt and strong that Ianite nearly fell from the rock she was sat upon and into the sea. “My powers… They are coming to be real!” She said to herself in astonishment, looking down at her hands. She had a faint purple glow about her and for the first time in her memory, she could silence the voices of her other lives that were in her head. She finally had control. 

Across their realm, both brothers had similar experiences of power, giving their own words of shock and acceptance. None of the three knew the source but only Mianite understood that this was not a coincidence. Whomever had caused the sync between worlds had caused this strengthening. It was something he must investigate. The prophecy of their mother had spoken of the coming of heroes who would give them the strength to finally overthrow their father. After all these years, it was finally time. 

When Ianite returned home, she noticed the change within her brothers. Both had a similar glow to them that she herself had, though in red and blue respectively. None of them commented on the change when clearly all three had experienced it. They knew Mother’s prophecy, they knew what they were destined to do. It had been nearly a millenia ago when she’d first told them, disguising their fate within a bedtime story. Once Mother had gone, Ianite, as the eldest, had become the reluctant guardian to her brothers, doing her best to keep their home at balance as only she was able. But now it seemed, her time was coming to an end. Soon their Chosen Champions would be calling out to them and things would change forever between the three of them. She would miss this calm, the peace between Order, Chaos and Balance. But even she was growing restless and tired of waiting.

When she fell asleep that night, she used her new power to bring forth the dream of the port town. But this time, she saw not the man that Ianite had married, but the version of Him from the world where Ianite had been imprisoned. He had traveled across the dimensions to that one, here in this world He would do as He had done in the last, make choices that he believed would be in her best interests rather than His own. He was loyal, all versions of Him were, but this one especially. Secretly, the Ianite who fell asleep now, hoped she might meet Him who had been the one to give her strength in the world where she’d had none, to give her life when she'd given up on it.  She knew not His name, but did know His face and was very eager to meet Him, however long it took. 

She was in the sea cave a week later when she felt the pull. She heard a new voice in her head, that of a man. “SMITE YEE ALMIGHTY IANITE” he called to her. The pull grew stronger and stronger and then she saw a room of purple and white stone, an illustration of herself decorated a wall and when she turned, there He was. 

She didn’t know what to say, all this time and she was at a loss for words upon laying eyes on Him.

“Hello!” She said, deciding to begin simply. 

“Milady.” He greeted, inclining his head. “How are you?” 

There were others there, but she cared little for them right now. All she cared about was that He was here. The man that all other versions of her trusted and believed in was here for her. 

“I wasn’t expecting to be here so soon.” She admitted.

“I wasn’t expecting it either.” He agreed. 

She looked around the temple they were in. She knew other versions of Him were skilled builders and apparently this one was as well. She wanted nothing more than to stay and speak to Him and get to know Him but already she felt the power that had pulled her here starting to wane. 

“I can’t stay long… but this place! This is beautiful!” She told Him, hoping it would lessen the blow that she was leaving so soon. 

“Thanks I worked hard!” He said with pointed enthusiasm while the other men snickered behind him. Perhaps they had teased His capabilities and her praise had given Him the validation He’d desired?

She looked around further and nodded to herself and Him. This would be her temple most certainly. This would be the place she would channel her power through. “Yes, this will be fine! I love it! Thank you!” 

She’d decided to ignore the incorrectness of the portrait, figuring that in another realm, the Ianite He knew must have had eyes like this. The other men however were not so keen on letting it slide. The man who’d called her, a priest, she realized once he spoke, was the first to draw attention. All but opening the floodgates for the other two to ask questions. 

Ianite noticed the way her Champion blushed, embarrassed by his mistake. “It’s called heterochromia…” she defended “and I think it makes me cute!” 

“Yes! Very cute!” Her champion agreed immediately. She chuckled at His eagerness to impress. 

One of the other men, who appeared to be a zombie? asked after Dianite. “Dianite?” She questioned “He’s fine. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon.” 

“Dianite is super nice right?” Her champion asked with a mischievous look in his eye. “Like just a great dude?” 

“Oh he’s very sweet.” She agreed. Confused by the way the zombie argued with the others at her confirmation. 

He tried to find out more but she chose not to answer. He’d meet Dia soon enough. “But I really can’t stay.” She told her champion with a frown. 

“Why not?” The priest asked. 

She knew it was not her place to tell them the full truth. They need not know of what was to come, not yet at least. They’d only just met. “I left because of a great evil in this land.” She told them. 

The zombie shouted in disbelief but she waited only for her champion's reaction. “Fenrir?” He asked “Is that the evil?” How he knew of Fenrir she wasn’t certain, but was not yet certain if she should tell them more. She would speak to her brothers once they’d met the heroes themselves and decide on a course of action. 

“Please… give me another day. I will return for good.” She promised, looking to Him. He was the one she was to trust and believe in, not any of the others. Though perhaps she might confide somewhat in the priest, he seemed to know more than the others. He was the one who’d summoned her after all. 

“Tomorrow you’ll be back forever?” her champion asked, a hint of pleading desperation behind the lenses of His glasses. She knew that other versions of herself had been lost to Him or had taken Him quite some time to meet. He didn’t want to lose her again. 

“Well, as long as forever can truly be. But yes.” 

The relief on His features gave her hope that she might be enough for Him who had lost so much. 

The moment was ruined when an arrow struck the column beside her with a shout of accusation from the zombie. In an instant her champion had drawn His bow and fired an arrow at the zombie. It didn’t connect, a warning shot, but an efficient one. Her other selves had not been mistaken, He hadn’t hesitated to defend her despite there being no harm done. 

“Mister Zombie. I think you dropped this arrow.” She said pointedly, pulling it from the stone and throwing it back to him while he continued to make accusations about who’d fired the shot. He opened his mouth to make an excuse but stumbled back when her champion rammed into him with a trident’s magic. The other’s laughed at the zombie’s expense, the zombie joining a moment later, clearly used to the teasing.

“That sounds like one of my brother’s ‘pranks’.” She chuckled along with them. 

The priest tried to revisit her avoidance of the mention of the great evil but her champion asked further of her brothers. Whether He knew he was giving her a way to avoid answering the priest she wasn’t sure, but either way she took the opportunity. 

“Mia would prank us both. No idea why.” She told him, confused by their surprise.

“Mianite does pranks? Not Dianite?” Her champion asked, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

What world did they come from where Dianite was the mischievous one? Neither of her brothers were particularly ruthless, though she supposed Mianite was the one who more often started quarrels between them. 

“But, really, I think I should leave.” She told them, frowning slightly at the disappointment on His face. “If I can come back, maybe my brothers can too. Go see them!” She urged. She’d had her time to speak with the heros, her brothers deserved the same chance. She knew that they were just as eager to meet them as she was. 

“Ok, we will.” Her champion assured her. 

The Priest spoke further to them and she took the chance to look around. Despite the issue with the portrait, it really was a lovely temple. The portrait was clue enough that He’d known her before, for if she’d never seen Him in this world then He’d never seen her here either. He’d chosen colors and materials she was fond of as well. It was magnificent, truly.

“Good to see you my lady.” He said once the other’s had left. There was a fondness in His voice that sent a flutter of joy through her heart. He left without another word, following His friends to summon one of her brothers. 

“Glad to finally meet you, my Champion.” She whispered, letting go of the strength that kept her here and returning home. 

She was in the sea cave once more when she opened her eyes but now she felt a lightness in every breath. He was everything she’d expected and she could hardly wait to get to know Him better. He was not the husband of one of her lives, nor was He the warrior of the darker lives. She was hesitant to get her hopes too high, but He might just be the man who’d brought her to life in the world where she hardly existed. 

That night, as she fell asleep, Ianite dreamed of the world where she had been married to Him. Except now, it was not the husband she saw, instead He wore red glasses and was surrounded by others, His friends, as they celebrated a victory she felt the significance of even now. She was not there corporeally, but instead was a spirit of herself. She was present in the consciousness of the spirit as a tome was placed in His pocket, this version of herself’s final words to Him. She watched as He found the tome and began to read it out loud to His friends.

“...The man is faced with a choice between the two. His life is riddled with choices! And like the stubborn idealist he is, he carves out a middle path. He’ll take neither god. He’ll have a goddess all to his own...” He had a smile on his face and tears in his eyes as he read, for in this realm he had lost his goddess. 

It is upon the final words that Ianite knows that this is the version of Him who she has met. He always looked the same but it was in His eyes that she saw the same respect and trust she’d seen in the temple. Not the loving adoration of the husband, nor the resolved acceptance of the warrior. 

The voice of herself that had been imprisoned echoed in her mind. “Treat him well and treat him fairly young one. He deserves it after all he has done for us.”

[tired-college-student-writing]

Beautiful Versions of Brokenness pt. 2

Summary: Marinette is different. There was no denying it, but none would have guessed that the true reason was soul deep

Continuation of Prompt: If you're into Black Butler, maybe something with that and Miraculous ladybug? Or Black Butler with Demon Bim? I just think you'd do a good job with the Black Butler characters.

Part 1

____________________________________________

Chat Noir reluctantly left so that Ladybug and Sebastian, shortly after, promised to meet up on the next patrol night so that they could properly discuss their unlikely reunion.

Instead of going home, Marinette leads them to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Parisians are used to seeing their heroine and a black figure at the top of the tower, no one would think twice if she arrived there. Sebastian follows as he always did.

“This isn’t my first life after Ciel then,” She hummed, once she arrived, deciding to deal with the first question on her mind.

“No,” Sebastian agreed, as her timer slowly beeped towards its end, “This is my 37th time meeting you since your contract was created. The 21st time you’ve awoken your Phantomhive memories.”

Her eyebrows rose, “it’s only been 130 years since Ciel died, how have I been reborn 37 times?”

The demon all but scoffed, “Really mistress? All these years with beings of heaven and hell toying with your life and you still believe we are playing by earthly rules?”

Marinette just glared, “You’re telling me Hell lacks linear time then? When I die, my soul just flies to any time period it pleases and becomes whichever child it can find?”

“Precisely,” Sebastian smirks, “There have only been a few rules your soul seems to follow, your eyes remain virtually unchanged, still the strikingly blue and purple hues they have been since our contract was sealed, your hair an inky black and your memories return within a year of the age you took your earldom, thirteen, or not at all. Other than that this is the eighteenth time you’ve taken a female form, fifth where you’ve been of mixed races, tenth of being Asian descent, you’ve been of African descent six times, middle eastern eight, Native American three times. You’ve been of peasantry or slavery six times, on three different continents. Though being enslaved has triggered your memories flawlessly every time and allowed for you to rise in the ranks of society with grace. Sixteen times you’ve been of noble birth in multiple different royal families across the globe. It’s been an adventure each time

“What about Lizzie?” She finally asked,” She never sold her soul, and yet Chat Noir is clearly my fiancé.”

Sebastian frowned, “To be quite honest, she’s never appeared before, or at the very least never awoken. Human souls are not supposed to be reincarnated so quickly, even by heaven’s terms we should not have run into Miss Elizabeth before the 30th century and I’ve never heard of the average reincarnation remembering their memories as vividly as Chat Noir did.”

“Who would know?”

The grimace was fleeting on the demon’s face but Marinette knew what he was getting at.

“The Grim Reapers,” She groaned, “Grell hanging around anywhere?”

“What makes you so certain that pest is still working off their debt?” Sebastian countered

Marinette glared, “Because I’ve seen a shockingly familiar red figure watching the Akuma battles before, but only the ones that might have high casualty counts if we had lost. Plus you’re always aggravated whenever I came back from those types of battles and she was the only one that I know that gets under your skin that badly. If she wasn’t so… open about her desires I would have loved to see her around more.”

The demon sighed, “Observant as always my lady. Grell Sutcliff, William T. Spears, and Ronald Knox have all been given special assignments to follow your reincarnated soul around as they are used to our unique brand of chaos. They are given time off when your soul is inactive, and this works counts as double time for their repayment… containing the destruction left in your wake.”

Marinette hummed, as her time finally wore out a Tikki appeared next to her.

“Sebastian,” Tikki greeted, cooly, drawing a wicked grin on the young girl’s face.

“Miss. Tikki,” He offered with his polite butler smile, the one Marinette knew meant he wasn’t happy, “A pleasure as always.”

“Oh, you’ve met then?” Marinette laughed with twisted glee “I haven’t seen you look so constipated since we had to do those Phoenix poses!”

She could practically hear the teeth grinding behind his forced smile, “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about Mistress, I think the reincarnation process has scrambled your mind.”

She hummed, cheeky grin not falling as she passed Tikki her emergency cookie, “Either way, we need to plan. Obviously, we can’t play the butler and Earl roles as we once did so we must figure out new roles that we can play, and create a fake hero identity for you if you plan on continuing to help out during Akuma battles.”

The smirk he gave showed off far too many teeth, but instead of unnerving her, it filled her with a sense of comfort, “Allow me to handle everything, mistress. What kind of demon would I be if I couldn’t manage a simple cover story and superhero outfit.”

________________________________________

Marinette awoke the next day to find it starting off horribly. Not only had she overslept without the ever-present tapping on her balcony door Sebastian normally did whenever she slept through her alarm, but as she was rushing she tore her blue contact, only to find it was the last one she had in stock, her new order not set to arrive until later in the week. She decided to give the demon a pass just this once since he most likely was still coming up with proper identification and dwellings for him to stay at now that she required him to be more than just a bird.

Looking in her closet she paused at her normal outfits, plink blossoms, pink jeans, and ballet flats. It just… felt wrong with her new memories of the Earl rattling around her head. She wasn’t unhappy being a woman in this life, still feeling as comfortable as ever in her own skin, but the overly modern and feminine dress just didn’t sit right with Ciel’s memories so fresh in her mind.

Instead, she pulled out a peter pan collared button-down shirt with the collar and large buttons navy against the cream of the rest of the shirt, a forest green western tie clasped in the front. She also pulled on a pair of straight-legged green pants and a navy blazer adding a tan pair of thick heeled ankle boots.  For her final touch, she deep parted her hair, pinning it over her right eye and pulling it back into a bun securing a cream ribbon in a bow around the base of the bun once she was finished. Satisfied she grabbed her bag and took off at a run, bidding her parents goodbye as she attempted to make it class before the bell rang.

She arrived seconds late and found the room reorganized, seats had been moved and the open seat on her normal side of the room was right up next to Adrien. Well, she had to admit her previous actions around him had been overboard in retrospect, and while he was still cute but with Lizzie back in the picture it seemed almost like cheating on her old fianceé.

“Good morning, Adrian,” She greeted, choosing to stand in front of the desk instead of sitting down yet.  

The blonde turned to her and perked up, “Marinette! I’m loving the new look, very Victorian esque”

“Thank you!” She laughed, “I felt like a change, You look great too!”

She could feel the eyebrows around the room go up as she smiled gently at the boy, but it was a good change of pace for him, his usual sneakers, jeans, and T-shirt had been swapped out for shiny dark brown dress shoes, a fitted pair of emerald green pants, with a crisp dark blue shirt tucked in. When he turned she could see a silver lace embroidery cutting a wavy path from his left shoulder to his right hip shimmer. He even wore a simple silver ear cuff to finish off the look.

“I picked it myself,” He preened under the positive attention, “Father usually is so strict about what I wear in public but he said I did well with this one!”

“Well, I have to agree,” She hummed, “You should experiment more often, I’d love to give you critiques now that we’re desk partners.”

“Girl what?” Alya finally interrupted, “That’s not your seat, you’re sitting in the back now.”

She could stop her smile from falling into a stony blank look as she turned around, “Excuse me? Who made that call?”

“Well,”  Nino piped up with a slight weariness at her look, “She’s got hearing issues so we had to put her upfront, to make it work Ivan sat next to Mylène, Nate sat next to Alix, and she came up with the idea of moving me up here, so I could spend more time with my girlfriend.”

Marinette raised a brow making the majority of the room fidget, “Who exactly is she?”  

Before any of them could answer Ms. Bustier opened the door and started her normal classroom announcements, “Good morning, students. I'm sure you've all heard by now, but Lila's home from her trip to Achu and she's back in school with us again.”

The Italian girl all, but bounced into the room to greet everyone, receiving a warm answer back as Marinette’s mouth thinned.

The fox paid her little mind as she pretended to gasp in surprise at the empty seat next to Adrian and started gushing, “Oh, a seat in the front row! You all remembered my hearing issue! You're such sweethearts, all of you!”

Marinette tilted her head, “I didn’t realize you had a hearing issue, Lila.”

Green eyes flashed towards her as she painted on a self-conscious smile, “Oh Yes, I suffer from tinnitus, a constant ringing in my left ear. I've had it ever since the sound of an airplane engine burst my eardrum on the runaway when I was saving Jagged Stone's lost kitten,”

“Really?” Marinette questioned with a raised brow, “Well I am sorry to hear that, but I would like to know why your disability is ranking above my own.”

Lila froze as Bustier paled eyes widening with realization. The room grew silent before Kim slapped the desk, “Oh my god, we forgot Marinette can’t see!”

She laughed, shaking her head, “I’m not blind Kim,”

He waved her off, “You know what I mean.”

Nino groaned, slinking down, “You aren’t even wearing your contacts today!”

“I ripped one this morning,” She sighed in explanation, “My replacements aren’t coming until Wednesday. So I really can’t sit in the back of the room even if I wanted to.”

Alya’s face scrunched, “I’m missing something,”

Marinette stared up at her unblinkingly, “I have a severe vision problem that causes me issues with depth perception and distance, especially if I’m not wearing my contacts. As noted by my doctor I need to be sitting within the first two rows of the classroom, and to have a seat partner is willing to give me notes that I may have missed if my vision acts up. It has been on file since I was six years old.”

“Ivan and I can move to the back,” Mylene offered quickly, “I’m sorry for forgetting Marinette!”

She offered a soft smile, “It really is no issue, as long as it gets sorted.  While I must admit I believe the origin of Lila’s disability is fabricated, I am sympathetic to her for having said disability, but I refuse to not have my accommodations met just for someone else’s to be met.”

“Fabricated!” Lila gasped tears welling in her eyes, “How mean! You don’t like me, do you! You’re trying to make me look bad and have a hard time due to my disability!”

The ice that entered Marinette’s eye before she turned to the Italian girl sent a shiver down the class's spine, causing Chloe to shrink back and Adrian to sit up stick straight. Marinette felt an odd calm fall over her as the Phantomhive came out to play.

“You claim that you received hearing damage from being too close to an airplane because you ran onto an active runway to save Jagged Stone’s kitten from a jet preparing to take off,” Marinette repeated slowly, “ Not only does Jagged Stone despise cats, but he’s despised them since he was a child after one attacked and killed his parakeet, Juniper. This is an easy fact to look up as he’s mentioned it several times in multiple interviews. The pet he currently owns and has owned for almost twenty years now, is Fang, a freshwater crocodile that Jagged hatched himself. No one is stupid enough to forget the animal they heroically saved from a vehicle that’s accelerating an average of 32 meters per second squared, wasn’t even a mammal when I know that Fang weighs almost 200kg.”

Lila tried to break in but Marinette just straightened her back, and crossed her leg at the knee before continuing, “Furthermore, no airport in this day and age would allow for a teenage girl to make it to the runways where a plane was taking off without being tackled by security, nor do I believe that your mother, a diplomat, would be moronic enough to allow you to be placed in that much danger. If it did happen there would no doubt be multiple stories run by the media about it, internationally so since Jagged Stone is such a big name and you are the daughter of a diplomat, this would not be the first we would be hearing it.”

Marinette grimaced as she moved onto the next point, not even paying mind to the sputtering Lila was doing, “Based on these facts I’m going to assume the claims that he wrote a personal song for you that have been bouncing around are also false as if they’re not it does not paint a good picture that a famous man in his forties is writing and dedicating songs for you, a young teen fan. If these accusations were true, I'd be forced to believe that Jagged Stone is a hebephile or at the very least grooming you.”

Marinette simply crossed her arms as the room grew deathly silent, “Lastly, nothing suggests that sitting closer to the front of the room helps tinnitus, as the persistent ringing would not change and make little difference in a room this small. Most students with tinnitus require the student being given the option to move to a quieter location if the condition is triggered during class, groups the student is working with being given the option to move to a different area in case group work gets too loud during group activities and being placed near a low-level sound, such a small fan, computer, a heating element, or an open window, as complete silence can irritate the issue. I did enough research when helping Aurora fight for proper accommodations made in her own classroom on the subject to know that much. Or as by the way you are dressed and the fact you claim to have spent the last few months traveling the world, your family clearly has money so buying one of the many options of hearing aid out that that has been developed to assist and almost eliminate tinnitus would be overly easy. They sell them for around 270€, fairly cheap for accommodation products, and if your family truly took you on trips across the globe then you can’t convince me they don’t love you enough to shell out a few hundred euros to make your life easier. So tell me again why I’m making a big deal about making sure my own disability is taken care of?”

Lila sputtered, before bursting into tears, “I was too embarrassed to tell you the real reason! I didn’t want you guys to think less of me for taking a break with Prince Ali to go see a concert, I didn’t mean to get so close to the amps but… the hearing loss is so new I’m still adjusting”  

Marinette glared at her, “Save the tears. Lies are pathetic tools to use and earn you no lasting loyalty, and to accuse someone of being ableist for questioning the origin of your disability, not even the disability itself is vile. Not a single person in this room would have been upset at you if you told the truth instead of tried to force the issue of fake heroics.”

She sniffled, “I’m sorry Marinette, I didn’t mean to make accusations about you or your character. I’m still on edge from the whole situation…”

Marinette let her glare drop and gave a cool, “It’s forgiven this time, now can we please figure out the seating situation?”

“Well,” the teacher stepped in, “Since Adrian agreed to be Lila’s tutor to help her catch up-”

“Actually, Miss Bustier,” Adrian raised his hand sheepishly, “I was going to bring it up with you later in private, but I really don’t think I’d be a good option to tutor Lila given how full and sporadic my schedule is already, I really would hate for her to fall enough further behind.”

“Oh crap,” Alix swore, “We didn’t even think of that when Lila suggested you!”  

Adrian just gave a slight shrug, eyes not looking up from his desk, “It’s okay, I do want to help out the class as much as possible, I feel bad never being able to help out with anything after school.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Kim brushed off, “We get your dad is really on you about everything, we’ll just have to find stuff you can do in class instead!”

“Maybe,” Mylene squirmed a little in her seat as everyone turned to face her, “I mean just a suggestion… but maybe Adrian could be Marinette’s seat partner and help her take notes. You rarely miss actual class time for your activities and this way you’re helping out without committing to any extra time that your dad might not let you come for.”

Bustier clapped, a blinding smile on her face, completely missing how Lila’s face had twisted into an angry mask, “Excellent idea! Let’s all find new seats again, Marinette and Adrian stick together in the first two rows, Lila why don’t you sit on the left side of the classroom by the windows to see if that helps your tinnitus for now. I’ll call your mother in for a proper evaluation over the next few days and we’ll find a proper course to deal with your disability. If someone would like to volunteer to be Lila’s primary tutor please take the seat next to her. Everyone else please fill in!”

Slowly the room began shifting once again. Adrien and Marinette simply switched seats to allow her to better see the room as Alya, Nino, Chloe, Sabrina, Rose, Juleka, and Nathaniel stayed in their same seats. Ivan and Mylene did move to the back row together as Max broke away from Kim to sit in the second row next to where Lila ended up and Alix slid across the aisle to take his old spot.

Alya was still looking at Marinette as if she had three heads, “Girl, what on earth was that? You’re like sunshine personified, but you just tore Lila apart like she was tissue paper.”

Nino huffed a slight laugh, “Keep forgetting you’ve only been in the class for a year, babe. You’ve never seen a Marinette takedown before.”

Marinette smiled, “Do not lie and do not do anything that might have permanent consequences. If they can not follow those two simple objectives in my presence then I will gladly set them straight. Lila not only lied but accused me of being a bigot, I will not tolerate slander.”

“Well I think it was badass,” Adrian commented, causing her to smirk wickedly.

“Thank you. It’s always nice to know my skills are appreciated.”  

“Oh do you need any notes from the last few days,” Adrian asked suddenly, sliding his notebook between them as the lesson started.  

She gazed down idly, “Not that I can think of but thank-”

Marinette had to keep her eyes from bulging as her words faded off, because in the middle of the page, squished between two facts about the Roman empire stood a simple sentence in perfect English.

I didn’t think I would see you until tonight, Ciel.

“How on earth were we this blind,” Marinette mumbled in English, earning a laugh from his once betrothed.

“Excuse me?”

The pairs heads snap towards the door as a worryingly familiar voice sounds through the room.

There in the doorway was a tall teen with shaggy raven hair as he sheepishly held out a paper towards the teacher, “Are you, Miss. Bustier? There seemed to be a mix up with my transfer papers. Mr. Damocles told me just to head down and you should have all of my forms by tomorrow, but he didn’t want to prevent me from starting today as planned.”

“Oh I hadn’t realized I was getting a new student today,” She apologized, taking the paper and skimming it briefly before turning to the room, “Class it looks like we’re getting another new face today! I want you all to welcome him with open arms! This is-”

He was shorter, a little lankier and with a rounder face then they typically saw him, looking every bit the fourteen year old he was in no doubt playing, but there was no doubt who it was.

“Sebastian,” The demon introduced, mirth dancing in those burgundy depths as he grinned up at the reincarnated duo, “Sebastian Michaelis. I look forward to joining your class.”

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