#bronze dick cameo tho

[thelampisaflashlight]

Cryptid Biology Season 2: Mabon

[Previous entry in the series: Here. After setting up for a special event, Bea feels like ditching the party like she did during Litha, but a worried Mountain convinces her to try and enjoy the results of her hard work, and Rain helps her unwind afterwards. Somehow this became angst. Somehow.] Below the cut.

The first day of Autumn brings a strange, new life to the abbey.

The siblings rise early, excited, and set out onto the grounds to relax and play to their hearts content; It's Mabon, and one of the siblings' preferred holidays, thus no one has to work today, nor tomorrow, or until noon on the third day of the season.

Bea, too, has been given the day off, but finds herself restless.

Invited to the main building for breakfast, along with the other members of staff, who usually take their lunch in their offices, rooms, or, in Bea's case, outside, she sits among the siblings, listening to them chatter ceaselessly about this or that around bites of food, only stopping when Copia -or "Frater Imperator" as he's now called, though she likely will never call him that just out of general defiance- moves to the front of the hall to speak.

Admittedly, Bea only half listens to what he has to say, and not entirely because she finds him to be a bore; While she'd normally avoid coming to this sort of thing, she felt as if she deserved a nice warm breakfast made by somebody else after she'd played hell trying to get everything set up for today.

It had been her, along with a choice few siblings of sin and staff members that had thrown everything together both inside and outside of the abbey for the celebration.

She'd spent the better part of the last week laying out a map of where everything should go, shifting things around so they needn't go so far as to alter the landscape, and even laid out woodchips to make a proper trail through the event so that neither the siblings nor their guests would have to walk through wet grass to view the various activity and craft stalls.

It had been a lot of work, albeit no more than she was used to in terms of knowledge or skill, but it was tedious, tiring work, and Bea had reached her limit by the time they stuck that last tent pole into the ground.

Now, her body ached and she wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed, but, at the same time, she felt brimming with energy.

One might mistakenly call it excitement, but Bea does not cope well with such emotions, and instead would call it anxiety.

As Copia speaks, she can't seem to make herself calm down, even with one voice filling the air, his over the top antics and joyful tone do nothing to alleviate the immense stress she feels knowing that if something about the event's set up or aesthetics get criticized, she simply doesn't have the mental bandwidth to stop herself from crying.

She pokes at her yogurt, the only thing she seems to be able to stomach, the smell of everything else combined together leaving her a touch nauseous despite, under normal circumstances, sounding delicious.

Bea wouldn't say it's rare for her to get anxious about her work being judged; And when it is judged, usually it's positive, but lately she can't shake even the smallest slight... and she isn't entirely sure why.

Everything -this event, being around so many people, life- feels like too much.

When she feels her stomach turn again, Bea leans forward on the table, clearing her spot and sets her head down atop her folded arms, taking a deep breath before closing her eyes.

Before long, a large, warm hand settles on her back, and she startles, eyes cracking open slightly as she takes in the sight of Mountain settling down beside her, his fuzzy, unglamoured face scrunched with worry.

"Are you alright?" he whispers, though it's hard to hear him as the siblings resume their conversations.

Bea inhales slowly.

"Just... thinking a lot." she says, and the ghoul nods, "I think I'm going to sit this one out, big guy..."

Mountain frowns.

"Don't give me the puppy dog eyes, Mount, it don't work on me..." she mumbles, but something about the look he gives her does make her reconsider, "...One walk around the grounds, and then I'm going home."

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Bea looks at the setting sun and wonders how on earth Mountain managed to drag her through the entire day's events without her noticing; She wants to be mad, but it's hard to be when she actually had a good time, and now all that was left was the closing bonfire.

Technically, there was more they could do during and afterwards, but none of that appealed to her, and Mountain knew her social battery and tolerance for his company was beginning to wear thin.

It wasn't that she hated Mountain or disliked him in any real way, but they were often "too much" for each other.

Although on a surface level, that might warrant a deeper dive into their relationship as a whole, put plainly; If they were to allowed to spend more time together, something would wind up broken or on fire, and not because they were bickering, no, but because, in the way of true friendship, they'd simply choose to cause chaos.

A prime example of this was when, the night after the party for Litha, Bea had decided she didn't, in fact, want to carry a cumbersome, carved statue of a dick back to the abbey -she wasn't sure where it had come from, nor did she want to ask- and the two had put their heads together to figure out the worst place to put it.

A bit of back and forth later, and it'd ended up in the lake for the water ghouls to find come morning.

Though in that case, the dick must've found its way into some deeper crevice -and, oh, the jokes about penetration and sex they had made after that- and disappeared, because there'd been no real pay off to that one... Last year's Samhain celebration however...

Bea shakes her head as she watches Mountain wander away towards the party, walking over to Dewdrop -she's pretty sure it's him anyway, it's hard to tell since she's only met him a handful of times- who is stood by the fire with the rest of his pack, save for one; Rain is decidedly missing from the group, but it doesn't take long for her to find him... or more accurately for him to find her.

Long arms snake around her midsection, cold and clammy, sending a shiver down her spine as he lowers his chin down to rest upon her head.

"Mountain actually managed to drag you out of your cave, hm~?" he teases, and Bea, surprisingly even to herself, doesn't bite back or shake him off.

"He has a way of doing that, yeah..." she sighs, feeling the water ghoul sniff her hair, "Whatcha doin', huh?"

"Nothing." he says, "Stealing the warmth from your body."

Bea snorts.

They stand like this for a time, Rain wrapped around her like a cold, yet comforting blanket, until -like the company of a friend- it becomes too much.

"Go on then." she pats his hands, prompting him to release her, "Back to your friends, I'm sure they miss you."

Rain pauses to consider this before pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, her short hair tickling his nose, and heading off in the same direction Mountain had gone.

Alone once more, Bea looks between the warm light of the fire, and the distant, dim glow of her porchlight across the lake, before setting off into the dark of the night.

She's too tired to fully process that she hadn't left any of the lights on before she left that morning, and though a whisper in the back of her mind hints that, perhaps, something is off, she doesn't have the spoons left to care.

Arriving at the cottage, Bea kicks off her shoes, hearing them thump against the wooden siding, and pops open the screen door to reveal the dark interior of her home.

Flicking on the lights, she takes in the space; Nothing's out of place or missing, but small things... small things are different, and she can feel it the moment she crosses the threshold.

Someone's been in here.

The thought has her blinking, more awake than she'd been all day, but there's no sudden drop in her stomach or a cold wash of fear over her features at this realization.

No, it's a lighter feeling.

She looks at the sink, the dishes stacked up to the faucet for the last week now sat in the drying rack, the hamper of laundry she'd left on the kitchen table because she'd been too busy to fold it was missing, but easily found upon opening her dresser...

Somebody's... tidied her house?

Bea places her hands on her hips.

Occasionally, Mountain would clean up after her, despite her protests, because he didn't like the place becoming cluttered even if he didn't live there anymore, but he'd been with her all day...

"Surprise?" a voice from the doorway says, sounding a little unsure.

Bea turns, catching sight of Rain, who nervously wrings his hands together.

"You did this?"

He nods.

"Thank you, but why?" she asks, and the ghoul steps inside, head bowed slightly as he looks at her.

"You've been working really hard lately, so I thought I might... take away some of the weight?" he offers, but when Bea raises an eyebrow at him, he confesses easily enough, "I thought we might celebrate the holiday together, like... like last time."

The gardener frowns.

"I didn't do it just because I wanted to-" he begins to clarify, but is cut off by Bea, who pulls him down into a kiss, "O-Ohhh..."

"Don't care." she mumbles, "I appreciate the gesture, but, really, you didn't have to... could've just asked, you know I wouldn't turn you down."

"But you could." he says, "I don't know... maybe I want you to."

"To turn you down?" she questions, confused.

"It's... a strange feeling, Miss. Milne." he says, placing a hand on his chest, and suddenly Bea recognizes his game, "A man of the cloth, tempted by a woman such as yourself..."

Bea smirks.

"I see... You want to play that game?" she laughs, running her hands up his sides, "Yes or no?"

Rain shudders as her fingers brush against his gills through the fabric of his shirt, "...Yes..."

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There is something to be said about these early fall days, how the mornings are cool as ice, but the afternoon sun reminds you that summer has only just left.

The nights are hot and humid, and in the close confines of the gardener's cottage, the air has never felt warmer.

Rain contemplates this change, buried deeply inside of Bea's body, the heavy rise and fall of her chest entrancing him as he compares the tan lines closer to her neck and shoulders to the paleness of her breasts.

He draws them together, thumb reverently over the softness of them, squeezing.

"Can I..." Bea sighs as Rain rolls his hips, "...ask you something?"

Rain hums, hands abandoning her chest as he lowers himself down on top of her, "Go right ahead."

"...Would you be sad if I left?"

And just like that, Rain feels the temperature drop.

"Are you... planning on leaving?" he asks in a faint whisper.

Bea runs a hand through his hair, playing with one of the many dark curls.

"Lately, I haven't been feeling like myself..." she says, "...I feel... different, and I can't quite place how or why."

Rain pulls back a little to look at her face from above, "...When you say leave-"

"The last time I spoke to Sister Imperator, before she... before she passed, I renewed my contract."

"Then you're staying?" Rain almost lets himself feel relieved, but quickly circles back, "You said..."

"...She said there's a chance, that when this is over, I won't..." she tries, but the ghoul is already lifting her up, the movement drawing them closer together, and for a moment they both groan before coming back to their senses, "...So I need to know... Will you be sad?"

Rain gives a stilted laugh, "You... you make it sound like you're dying, Beatrix, and I don't like it... So... So just tell me what's going on. Don't beat around the bush."

Bea looks up at him, honey brown eyes shining in the dull light of her bedroom, "...I was given a chance to become part of Copia's staff, permanently."

"That's... Bea, that's wonderful news, but why-"

"I have until the end of October to decide." she says, "After that, it'll be too late to change my mind."

Rain blinks.

"I still don't..." he swallows hard.

"She said it's possible I'll forget things, or I might... might not be the same person afterwards."

"...You didn't..." he frets, grabbing her arms, "You can't...!"

"Why not?" she asks, and, fuck, does Rain want to scream.

"Aren't you happy like this?" he questions, "In your cottage, comfortable and secure... Why would you risk losing that?"

"...Rain..." Bea trembles, tears starting to bead on her lashes, "...It's more of a risk not doing it. If I don't... I have to leave. So either way... either way, I could lose everything."

"You could stay!" Rain states firmly, "Papa -Frater- Fuck! He'd be reasonable and understand that you shouldn't have to do something like that just to stay here! It's bullshi-"

"...I already talked to him." she says, "He gave me other options, and I chose this... Sister offered it to me, and I asked Copia after she was gone if the offer still stood."

"...The end of October..." Rain feels his world spin just a little, "That's how long we have then..."

Bea rests her cheek on his shoulder.

"If I do forget or become someone else, you'll have to remind me."

"You'll remember." Rain says, "I won't let you forget."

"That might not be something either of us can con-OH!"

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"So do I need to ask or are you just going to come out and say it?" Mountain asks when he sees Rain shuffling into the ghouls' den in the early hours of the morning the following day.

The ghoul offers him a tired stare before plopping himself down in the worn armchair Dew usually steals for himself first thing, "...Y'ever think, maybe, Bea's... not happy?"

Mountain pauses, looking towards his packmate, then sits down on the couch, the old springs groaning under his weight.

"I don't think..." he shakes his head, "People like Milne... no..."

"It's complicated." he settles on finally, "Milne came here to escape whatever life she left behind in the states, and now things are changing here, and she's getting itchy. Anxious."

"Anxious enough to leave?" Rain muses, "Or to forget..."

The earth ghoul closes his eyes.

"Humans are funny creatures."

"I don't think this is terribly funny, Mountain..." Rain trills nervously, "I don't think she realizes how serious this is-"

"And I think she does." Mountain counters, "If you think she doesn't, then perhaps you should get to know her beyond the curves of her body."

"I-"

"Milne is not stupid, foolish at times, but she knows full well what she's doing." the other rumbles, "...and would it be so bad?"

Rain furrows his brow.

"Maybe you should ask yourself why you're so worried about it..." Mountain says, "Milne joining the church."

"I'm more concerned about why you seem so calm and resigned to it happening." Rain argues, "She's your friend, and you seem okay with the idea of her possibly forgetting all about you!"

Mountain hums.

"I'm not." he smiles sadly, "Okay with it, that is. But..."

"Milne would make a remarkable ghoul."