#but he understands her (not in a weird magic language way just in a he knows her so well way)

[confused-and-dickless]

I am spinning my homemade blorbos in my head rn but I can't draw good and I don't even have a solid idea of what they look like. They don't even have names. But I know them like my own soul. And they're in love. And they're me. And they're everything. And they love each other. One of them loves soup. Tumblr I'm telling you you'd love these fuckers if only I know how to express anything about them. Maybe I'll write out their backstory and a few of their adventures.

[marcyvamp1re-blog]

✦ ◟Pnyo! ⊹𓆝 𓈒 ۫

WHAT IF!! | Damian finds a fish with a veeery strange face?

Synopsis; He finds a strange fish that not only steals his attention but also seems to be changing shape. Between obsessively caring for it and keeping his cat from eating it, something weird is happening: the fish is becoming... more human. A miracle or just an aquatic disaster? Damian doesn’t know what to think, but surely nothing will be the same after this.

Pairing ── Damian Wayne x Ponyo! Reader. (Platonic)

Content. MDNI ── Fluff, transformation, fight, mild violence?, supernatural elements, emotional conflict, character growth, ambiguity, mild suspense, fantastical creatures.

A/N ── English is not my first language—Spanish— Ugh, we’re finally starting to upload all the delayed requests. This one is special because, well, some friends specifically asked for it, and it kicks off the "What If!" section, where you can send me any silly situation or whatever you want.

Damian had never been a fan of comedic situations or casual affection. He had grown up surrounded by discipline, struggle, and duty, where everything that wasn’t a mission or a cause seemed unnecessary. Spontaneity and tenderness made him uncomfortable, as if they were territories he didn’t know and avoided with caution. But here he was, on a remote beach, trying to escape the feeling that something in his life was changing. Perhaps the peace of the sand beneath his feet or the sun barely touching his face made him feel vulnerable, something he had never allowed.

It was then that he saw her: a strange, glowing fish that emerged from the water with almost magical grace, as if it were a creature from a dream. Something about its appearance, with its peculiar shape and vibrant colors.

Damian, in an impulse as unexpected as it was baffling, grabbed the bucket that Cassandra and Stephenie had left forgotten by the shore. He lifted it quickly, without thinking, and caught the fish with the same precision with which he usually caught his enemies. There was no logical reason, no plan. He simply did it, as if, for once, the same curiosity that had made him take Goliath years ago was now driving him to do the same with this creature.

When he got home, the fish was still in the bucket, hopping slightly, as if it had no idea of the bewilderment it was causing in the boy who had, in some way, learned to treat the strangest animals as if they were normal. And though he couldn’t admit it, part of him felt a strange satisfaction.

Damian didn’t usually allow anything or anyone to interrupt his concentration, but something about this fish kept him in a constant state of alertness. He spent hours watching it in the fish tank he had placed in his room, studying every movement, every bubble it made while swimming. It wasn’t just curiosity. There was something else, something he couldn’t fully identify, but it felt like a small spark of something he had never allowed to ignite inside him.

At first, he watched it from a safe distance, not interacting too much, as if observing it silently was enough. But soon, the need to take care of it, to protect it from any possible threat, began to infiltrate his daily routine.

Every morning, he made sure its water was fresh, renewed, and free of impurities. His mother had taught him how to take care of little creatures, but he had never paid so much attention to the details as he did with this fish. The water had to be at the perfect temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, and the plants in the tank had to be kept clean, with no algae that could disturb its tiny ecosystem. If any leaf fell or something disrupted its balance, Damian would fix it immediately, as if the life of the fish depended on his intervention.

The others didn’t understand, of course. Drake and Duke, for example, would come over with mischievous smiles, bringing pieces of ham as if it were a harmless joke. He often found them crouched down, trying to give the creature a snack, and his patience would overflow. “What are you doing?” he’d ask with a calmness that barely hid his irritation. “Don’t give it ham. It’s not food for her.” And although his words were sharp, no one could deny the protective tone in his voice. The worst part was that his fish happily accepted the ham!

Sometimes, when they tried something new, like moving the tank to see how the fish would react, Damian couldn’t help but frown. No matter how ridiculous it seemed to others, in his mind, that creature deserved respect. And most of all, it deserved to be safe.

Alfred, the cat, was another constant concern. Although the cat usually behaved with innate elegance, he never missed an opportunity to observe the tank, his eyes filled with a furtive gleam. Damian had to come up with a series of tricks to keep the cat at bay. He’d place a special lid, one that kept the cat from opening it, and every time Alfred came close, he made sure he wasn’t too near the tank, always with that deadly glare that only a child trained in the art of discipline could possess.

As the days passed, something inside Damian began to change. He didn’t just take care of the tank and the fish with almost obsessive dedication; he did it because, somewhere deep inside him, he had grown fond of it. He wouldn’t admit it, not even to himself, but he knew that this little being, this strange creature he had caught on a whim, had become something more. It was his responsibility, his little refuge, a vestige of something more human that he had learned to avoid for years. And although he didn’t fully understand it, he couldn’t help but feel a strange peace every time he looked at the fish, swimming peacefully in its tank, unaware of the internal war its owner was fighting to protect it.

As the days went by, Damian began to notice something peculiar. At first, he thought it was just his imagination, the result of staring at it for so many hours, but soon it became obvious: his fish was growing. Not in a sudden way, but gradually, as if, somehow, it were changing before his eyes, transforming into something bigger, more... alive. At first, he was skeptical, attributing it to the fact that maybe the creature had been hungrier than he thought. But then, over time, the transformation wasn’t just physical. Its behavior also changed. It became more active, swimming in circles as if it were exploring, as if it weren’t the same creature he had known before.

Damian watched as its shape and color subtly began to alter. The fish’s scales became shinier, and its eyes, which once only reflected the calm of the water, now had a spark of something more: curiosity, perhaps. And the strangest thing of all was that it was getting closer to the surface of the tank, as if it wanted to get out. It was as perplexing as it was fascinating, but he couldn’t help wondering if his fish, somehow, was taking on a life of its own.

Something, though mysterious, was happening in their little world, and, though he didn’t fully understand it, a feeling of inevitability began to settle in his chest. The transformation was clear. Something magical, something he couldn’t control, was happening.

It was one afternoon, returning from a mission as Robin, when Damian discovered it completely. The door to his room was wide open, and a strange silence enveloped him as he entered. His gaze immediately went to the tank, only to discover that it had exploded, water spilling onto the floor and shards of glass scattered around. Panic swept over him, but then he saw it: a small figure in a red dress, completely soaked, jumping on his bed with overflowing energy.

“Damian! Damian!” the girl shouted, her face lit up with overflowing joy as she approached him, showing no trace of fear. Her eyes, now so familiar, looked at him with the same spark he had seen in the tank.

Damian stood still, his heart pounding in his chest, unable to fully understand what he was seeing. Where was his fish? Where and how did that strange girl get in? The girl, with her wet hair and soaked red dress, looked at him with a smile full of energy, as if she had finally found what she had been looking for.

And in that moment, seeing that familiar look, something inside Damian clicked. His fish, his strange and precious creature, had turned into a human, a girl.

A/N ── First off, yes, this request can continue. Feel free to send me questions or whatever if you like it. It's not a series, so no chapters or anything like that.

Honestly, I think I saw a Damian x Ponyo! Reader somewhere, but I can't remember the username, so all credit goes to them. If you see it, send me their username so I can give them the proper credit.

On another note, this story isn’t romantic, so don’t even ask. I’m watching you.

[mywritersmind]

pookieeee how are youuu 💗 I'm in NEED of a Franco fic where the reader is João Félix's little sister...

So she obvi speaks Portuguese and English (maybe some Italian in there too) butttt unlike her brother her Spanish is rusty. So when reader drags her brother (and of course some of the guys from the team) to support her best friend at a race, he's listening in to every little comment Franco makes about her in Spanish and trying to subtly give hints to reader that he likes her, and of course some good brother teasing! Just hardcore fluff, friend pining and good old family banter!

HE CAN UNDERSTAND - FC43

listen up : i used google translate don’t come for me. not proofread! super cute and fluffy! loved this request sorry if i didng execute it well😭

word count : 2281

⋆｡‧˚⋆

“Franco!” I jump into my best friends arms as he laughs. The moment I asked for three Grand Prix tickets, he sent them over immediately and went on a rant of how excited he was to see me.

“Y/n!” He grins widely at me, “I’m so happy you’re here!” He's in his race suit, his hair messy and extra wavy. I run my hand through it, fixing it a bit.

“You’re a mess.” I laugh as he pushes my hand away and rolls his eyes, “Oh!” I suddenly remember that my brother is standing behind me. “This is my brother, João! I can’t believe you two haven’t met!” I smile at both of them as my brother shakes Franco’s hand.

Oddly professional for someone he knows I love. “Nice to finally meet you. Y/n never shuts up about you.” I slightly blush at his words as Franco lets out a laugh.

“Good to know…” Franco gives us a mini tour. I'm so beyond happy for him. This has been his dream since forever, the first time I met him he even jokingly flirted and said I could be a WAG.

Franco is charming and hilarious so my brother likes him instantly. We end up in the William’s garage, everyone scrambling around and talking in languages I can’t understand.

Since it’s race day, i’m genuinely surprised Franco had the time to see us. Especially since Qualifying was earlier today.

But my best friend works in magical ways.

⋆༺

FRANCO

I watch Y/n talk to Alex’s girlfriend. I watch as her hair flows down her back and her hand covers her mouth as she laughs. “So,” João turns to me, sort of intimidating for his height but so far I think he approves of me. “You’ve known Y/n for a while, huh?”

I nod, “Yeah, she hasn't been able to shake me yet.” He laughs, nodding his head.

“You care about her?” Why do I feel like i’m getting interrogated?

I nod, “Of course. She’s my best friend.”

“I mean as more than a friend.”

I laugh uncomfortably, joking with him, “Are you asking me my intentions?” He does not find this funny. I clear my throat and breathe out, “We’re just friends.”

Y/n comes skipping back over to us. I’ve always been taught to not lie, but i’m not about to confess that I like her to fucking brother.

“J, you’ve got to see his car!” She takes his arm and pulls him away, “You coming, Fran?”

I’m about to follow after them but my engineer taps my shoulder, “Gimmie one second! Don't touch anything, Y/n, I know how you are!”

She gives me one of her signature smiles, making my pulse quicken and my smile falter. I catch her brother giving me an odd look before I sit up and wave.

I turn to my engineer who’s smiling, big, “Dios mío, te estás sonrojando.” (My god, you’re blushing.) I roll my eyes at him, turning to see Y/n point to my car and start asking questions to someone in blue.

“¡Cállate por favor!” (Shut up please!) Her Spanish is more than rusty. I've tried to teach her some but she gets distracted and she always ends up persuading me into something different. Still, it’s weird talking about her when she’s right there.

“Vamos, ¡te gusta! Es la forma en que la miras... como si fuera el sol.” (Come on, you like her! It’s the way you look at her… like she’s the sun.) I push his shoulder at his words. Christ, is it that obvious?

“Actúas como si fuera un cachorrito enamorado.” (You act like i’m some lovesick puppy)

“¡Porque lo eres! Siempre hablas de ella, tu pantalla de bloqueo es ella, ¡siempre le estás enviando mensajes de texto! Admítelo.” (Because you are! You always talk about her, your lock screen is her, you are always texting her! Just admit it.)

I cross my arms at him, not daring to glance back at her. “No voy a arruinar mi relación con ella…” I shake my head and tease him, “¡Ahora vuelve a trabajar!” (I’m not ruining my relationship with her… now get back to work!)

I join Y/n and João again, smiling and doing my duty as a tour guide. João gives me another weird look and i’m hoping it’s not because i’m losing his trust. I know i’m not her boyfriend, but I still want him to like me.

They are soon asked to step into the visitors area as I warm up for the race. Y/n kisses my cheek before she goes, “Good luck, Fran. Be careful!” I know my cheeks are red but all I can focus on is her so close to me, her lips on my cheek.

I nod, “Thank you. Have fun watching.” I wink at her and turn, getting ready.

⋆༺

YOU

“I’m so nervous! It’s so rainy!” I bite my lip as the cars go out on track in a second formation lap. The race hasn’t even started and someone’s already out!

My brother eyes me, he’s been acting weird all day and I hate it. He suddenly turns to me, “You don’t like Franco?”

It catches me off guard, “Uh… of course I do?” He rolls his eyes.

“I mean can you see yourself with him? I think you’d be cute.” I laugh out loud.

“João, when have you ever wanted me to date someone?” Especially Franco. I mean, maybe i’ve thought about it.

Okay maybe I've fantasized about it… a lot.

But what am I supposed to do? Confess to my best friend who’s always been there for me that I think he’s irresistible and criminally hot? No.

“I just think if you’re gonna date anyone… He’s a good option.” My cheeks heat as I shake my head, “You’re blushing! Come on, Y/n, why not?”

“Just shut up, the race is starting!”

The next time he brings it up is at a yellow flag, “He’s definitely nicer than your ex.” I give him a death glare and attempt to tune him out, “And who did you go crying to after he broke your heart….?” Franco. The answer is Franco because he’s always there.

It’s been hard recently because of his races, but he’s constantly texting or calling me. I think he just wants someone to gossip with.

“Again, he’s my friend. Just because you have a girlfriend now doesn’t mean you know everything!”

“No but I know everything about you, and you don’t look at your other friends like that.” I hate that stupid smug smile on his face. And I hate that he’s right.

My stomach drops when Franco goes into the wall. I grab onto my brother's arm who doesn’t look concerned at all and more happy that i’m so worried! I slap his arm, “You have no empathy!”

I cross my arms, biting my lip as I watch him exit the car. Thank god he’s okay.

Franco gives me a small thumbs up when he’s back in the garage. I can tell he’s absolutely gutted, the air is awkward and thick with tension since Franco’s crash meant that the whole team's weekend is over.

The race is long and honestly scary. Still, all I can think about is Franco.

Maybe this weekend, his attention to me, my brothers comments, and how Franco’s been looking at me, has finally sealed what I've been dreading.

I’ve known I like him for a while, but I don’t want to ruin us. I can’t be embarrassed by my closest friend!

I’m not an idiot, I see how he flirts with interviewers or even fans. Part of me wants to believe that’s just his personality, but the other part is screaming at me that he doesn’t like me.

His eyes though, he looks at me so deeply that sometimes I feel like I'm apart of some big trick.

“Hey,” My brother nudges me, “Race is over.” I snap out of whatever daze I was in and nod, “I gotta pee, go talk to Franco!”

When I look to where he points, Franco’s already looking at me. His race suit is unzipped and he looks so tired. “Hi.” He smiles softly but I can tell it’s forced.

“Sorry your first race with me sucked.” He frowns, leaning against the little barrier from the garage and friends and family.

“Hey…” I touch his arm briefly, “It did not suck! And It’s not your fault. It was scary though…”

His eyes look sad and I know it’s not just because he crashed. Franco feels so deeply and this weekend has been especially hard for him. I can tell he sees the worry on my face, “I'm really really happy you’re here. We’re getting dinner later, right?”

I go to the hotel with João first. We change and meet back at the restaurant. “I’m so hungry!” I groan as we sit down, Franco said he would be here soon but I am not above ordering early.

João sits across from me, “Gotta wait for your boyfriend.”

I eye him, “You better not say anything in front of Franco. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.” He laughs a bit.

“I really don’t think I will.” He’s so ominous today. “I can tell i’m making you uncomfortable though. My only question is… why?”

“Why?”

“Why can’t you accept that you like him? He’s obviously not going to turn you down. He’s practically got hearts in his eyes when he talks to you.” The waiter brings water which I gulp down immediately.

“I- No! I can’t like him. He’s my friend.”

“So you’ve said… but the best relationships start out that way.” Why is he pushing this so much?

“I just… I don’t want to ruin our relationship.”.

“Funny…” he mumbles something, “That's what he said too.” but I can’t hear him because Franco sits and starts saying hello.

Our dinner is amazing, the food is perfect and I can’t stop laughing at Franco and João. “You’ve gotta come to a match sometime!” My brother laughs, “The team would love you.”

Franco grins, “I would be honored! Y/n always talks about your games, you’re pretty good apparently.” This boosts my brother's ego far too much and we end the night while talking about football and childhood stories.

“He always teased me with his friends!” I roll my eyes at the memory, “They were all learning Spanish in highschool so I never understood them!”

Franco laughs as João shakes his head, “Why didn’t you take spanish in highschool?”

“I did! I just never caught on. Plus João became fluent after school anyway so his schooling barely helped.” I shrug as Franco’s expression turns odd.

He blinks, looking to João, “You’re fluent?”

“Si.” He looks almost smug about it as Franco nods slowly, swallowing.

“Así que escuchaste…” (So you heard…)

“Todo.” (Everything) Franco’s smile drops completely at my brothers words. But my brother still carries on with a smile, “Eres muy obvio, pero lo apoyo.” (You’re very obvious, but I support it.)

I frown at their communication that I can’t understand, “Okay, can you two stop gossiping? I’m ready to leave.” Franco smiles at me, nodding slowly as we stand.

Our walk back to the hotel is short and luckily no fans interrupt it. The warmth of the inside makes me smile and the ding of the elevator makes me yearn for my bed.

“Uh, Y/n?” I look back at Franco as he talks, “Could I speak to you for a moment…” I look at my brother who nods, a smile still on his face as he disappears behind the elevator doors. “Let’s go outside.”

It’s no longer raining so we venture out into the hotel's garden. It’s beautiful with tall plants and trees, a small path that we walk on, and flowers that I've never seen before.

“What did you walk to talk to me about?” I turn to him, he looks oddly scared and a bit chilly. He starts to speak but then closes his mouth and thinks, “Franco…?”

“I like you.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, I freeze, “I really like you and not just as a friend… like way more than that.”

I blink, “You’re kidding?”

The panic on his face is immediate, “No?”

“Shit. Okay!” I realize i’m so caught up in my own world that he probably thinks I don’t like him, “I feel the same.”

He breathes out, stepping closer, “You fucking scared me.”

I smile, not believing this is even real, “You really like me? Because my brother has been making me feel delusional all day!” He takes my hand in his and I swear my heart skips a beat.

“He heard me talking about you in spanish…” I raise a brow, “My engineer was teasing me and I didn’t know he spoke it!” I laugh, shaking my head at his story, “But I'm glad he did. I probably would be sitting in my room all alone if he hadn't.”

I grip his hand tighter, stepping closer, “I’m really glad too. I didn’t want to ruin anything but fuck I really like you.”

He grins and leans in, He paused before I nod. Franco presses a kiss to my lips softly, “I can’t believe you have a crush on me.” I whisper as groans and rolls his eyes, trying to walk away.

“No! No taking it back now!” I laugh, pulling him back to me, my hand going to his neck and my lips meeting his, “You’re stuck with me now.”

[sramoonlight]

Spot

What if the batfam had their own spidey?

Content you’ll see here: Batfam, neutral!reader, subtle crossover, weird romcom.

English it’s not my first language so please be patient

An hour already passed and you’re sitting on the roof, your head in your hand as you looked at the building bored, you hear how Conner taps something on his phone probably used to wait

But let’s be realistic, usually you don’t wait for something to happen, your intuition tells you to go somewhere and magically it happens

— So, how did you become this? —he asked moved closer to him, now your shoulder against yours

You sighed, fixing your posture to look at him

— I was biten by a radioactive spider, existential crisis, “a great power comes with a great responsibility” blah, blah, my origins are just like everyone else, you’ll get bored about it — but that didn’t stop you from laying more closer to him

Probably is the cold, or probably is your mind clinging in every sensation you feel, even so, you found yourself tapping your thigh to pass time faster

Conner analyze your words, there’s nothing he should ask not when is that specific.

— Well, I can’t get bored of hearing your voice — He chuckled taking you hand to place it on his thigh

A bold move actually, you saw him tracing the web patterns on your fingers, until his finger found the lump on the palm

He hummed, touching the seams like they were about to fall apart

— You’re a Wayne but you don’t look like one — He said more for himself, of course your suit looks kinda cheap

But you won’t change it for anything, I mean, this is the first one you ever had and the one with the most love you can give to a nonliving thing

Speaking of cheap, you look at his hands just covered by gloves without fingers, you moved to be closer to his face

— You do express your style, don’t you? — You asked, looking at him through the mask

He chuckled understanding your words, he knows that his choice of clothes isn’t something he could act normal about it but it’s the way he does the things

Kinda look naked without his jacket, but you look even more beautiful than him with it

— Could you imagine me with just a plain black t-shirt and jeans? — he forced a shiver across his back

Your giggles where enough to make him smile, now you don’t have that dark aura around you and it suits you better than being sad

He could grow used to see you being happy

— Anyways, don’t you ever thought about putting some things to you suit? I mean, the original suit kinda slay but you could make something yours —

You looked at the building, thinking about it you don’t have anything that could stand you out of the usually vigilantes, I mean, of course the spider suit makes you stand out but there’s a lot of things you could use

Is there a version of you who uses a hood? You bite your cheek looking at Conner, he uses primary colors and that seems like is his thing

Should you change your colors?

— Probably — You mumbled, the colors you chose were the ones your mother liked but red and blue just makes it hard for you to hide on the shadows

What about purple?

You thought for yourself before your eyes catches something, instantly you moved away from Conner going to the edge, you heard him how he complained about not being close anymore.

It does not matter anymore!

— That’s Dr. Octavia! — You pointed turning to see Conner who moved quickly at your side, a woman with curly hair left a car exchanging a hand shake with some of Lex Luthor’s man

You thought about everything, you’re sure you just put her on jail two months ago! This can’t be, how could she be out so soon?

— I thought she was in jail — Conner whispered just as confused as you, of course, seeing a great woman like her isn’t something you can just put aside

Quickly you pressed the comm on your ear praying for it to work at this distance

— Tim? Tim! Dr. Octavia is out! — you spoke as fast as you could feeling your hands trembled

You know Kingpin and Octavia worked together before and it won’t be a surprise if they do it again, but now that she’s at Metropolis you can only think she’s going to convince Lex Luthor

— Fuck, fuck, I can’t let this happen —

— Excuse me? —

Before you could answer to Conner you shot your web to the building climbing to the next window you could see, Conner shouted your name but you don’t care

This is bad, this is so bad and if you let this happen you won’t see a way to resolve the problem.

Moving stealthy through the halls you peeked to see where they just went, Octavia is moving to a meeting room and you saw the briefcase on her hands, that probably is what is going to convince Lex to help

— Sweetheart you really need to work on communication — You didn’t notice when Conner appears on your side

You looked everywhere to find a way to avoid this, ventilation, a secretary briefcase that looks exactly like Octavia’s, that’s it

— I need you to create a distraction — You shot a web to bring the briefcase, post-its and a marker, quickly you wrote something before sticking it inside.

Another web shot, it now sticking to your chest as you climbed to the roof

— Woah?! You can do that? No, okay! I’ll put the lights out, you’ll have 15 seconds before the generator goes on —

Just enough time to do what you wanted, you waved at him before drag your self through the ventilations, quickly as you could you tried to find the way at the room

Swoosh

The lights are out and you had to move quicker

15, 14, 13

You found the place, everyone there is freaking out as you look Octavia protecting the briefcase, she knows better than anyone to not let anything without a proper care

Think! Think!

12, 11, 10

You shot a web to open the door, you made it just perfect so you could open the ventilation without bringing their attention

9, 8, 7

— A web? — Octavia asked moving to hold the web

— Got ya — Quickly you exchanged the briefcases but the web is stuck on the ventilation, fuck fuck, you can’t let them know you changed the briefcases

What?

6, 5, 4

— Hey, are you okay? — Conner made it to the room with his glasses on, no one thought about avoiding him to enter

Instead, he moved across the room and quickly he wiped the web out of the briefcase, Octavia moved her hand ready to stop him but she couldn’t

— Superboy, please don’t touch that —

— Why? Is it something important? — he teased moving to see her eyes closer

Your heart is beating as fast as it could and you had to move away from the room crawling through the vents.

That was close, it is a nice thing that Conner is known in the building or you’ll be dead by now, speaking of that

The lights got on as you climbed out of the building, the briefcase is safe in your arms and you had to shot a web to move to the other roof where you left yourself breath normally.

— That was close… — you mumbled taking off the mask, for a moment it felt impossible to breath with it on

You moved to tap the comm on you ear, you want to open the suitcase but you need to inform Tim first

— I.. I got whatever Octavia brought, I’ll bring it to Gotham —

— Got it, please take care — Finally he responds, you looked at the briefcase

There’s a code lock that you need to find a way to open, shit, puzzles aren’t your thing and still you have to make your way to work it out

— They almost got you, don’t you think? — Conner made his way back at the roof where he moved to see what you got there

Like he didn’t notice that you don’t have your mask on, whatever you showed it to him and he held it close to his face

— I can break the lock — Before he could do something you moved to stop him grabbing the briefcase from his hands

— Wait! This probably would destroy itself if you use force, I know Dr. Octavia’s business —

Better than anything, you remember how many times something from her exploded in your face just because you thought about opening it just like that

And you can’t let it happen again, not when it’s not only your city in danger

You were ready for a question, but Conner kept looking at your face

— What? — probably he’s thinking about your choice of words

But instead he plays with the belts on his hips

— You kinda look like Tim, but better y’know?— you made a confused groan before moving to bring a lock of hair to your eyes

Probably it is similar to Tim’s, but you don’t understand why does it make you so happy

Whatever, you bring the briefcase close to your chest as you sighed, your body is starting to feel tired and you have to rest in the next two hours or you won’t be feeling good for tomorrow.

— Can we go home? — You whispered before taking your mask, you’re ready to put it on before Conner stops you

Mid way, your mouth is only showing now

— Keep it like this, you look better without it— you raised an eyebrow

He took off your mask now showing him your full face, you had to tilt your head to show him how confuse you are

— You even make your expressions without the mask — he chuckled amused by your face

And that only makes your cheeks red, do you? You know you do funny faces but enough for it to match your mask?

That is something else.

You opened your mouth ready to fight back but he holds you in his arms using his own body to hide yourself

— Let’s get going — He ruffled your hair before starting to flow, you had to hug hum by the neck like a scared cat.

Was it necessary to be in bridal style?

Once you arrived at the manor you’re yawning as Tim puts a cup of coffee on the table, he sits down in front of you.

The jacket Conner gave you is zipped all the way up to hide your suit, at the same time you’re wearing sweatpants probably the first one Tim saw before you arrived, it would be a shame if the family saw you on uniform.

You’re looking at the briefcase, and next to it there’s a notebook with so many number that just makes your head hurt, the only thing you know is that Tim took it and he has been trying to open it with all he could

You think you just saw him but Monster on his coffee.

— I tried 1056 possible codes, how could no one worked? — he ruffled his hair very tired of not being able to do it

You don’t look surprise, you know Octavia isn’t someone you can easily read

— What about if it’s 1234? — Superboy suggests and you look at him like he just said the biggest stupidity in the world

But he moves to try the code

You want to cry when it works, not like Tim who shouted as loud as he could

That was possible, Octavia is known for doing things that no one would guess and only a person with her level of knowledge can guess it, but what Conner did? It only took him 2 minutes to find it out

You feel like the dumbest person.

— Okay, okay, let’s see what we got here — Tim opened the briefcase

There’s a lot of papers that he held to read, probably what Octavia was supposed to give to Lex Luthor

So many to read, the letters doesn’t look like nothing you can comprehend, god damn the doctors and their lack of knowledge in calligraphy, surprising, Tim can read them

You blinked seeing something in a small glass, you opened the jar, is that a hole? How can you capsule a hole in a jar?

— Bug, don’t touch it —

Too late, you made your way to take it off of the jar and everything went blank.

Three times where the times you blinked, your eyes grow used to the light and you could see how there was no light

You can’t tell if it’s Gotham because it’s too dark or if it’s New York, you moved to the next window and by the way the snow is covering the streets, you can guess is New York but then you realized, this place doesn’t look good

You turned to see whatever is going on, but this is place is so empty

— Hello? — You asked but no one answered, a smell of iron filled your nose making you feel desperate

That’s not.. that’s not you

You walked around the building, this place looks like it just exploded, you had to walk for a while until you found a way to a room, wait? Is that your mother’s voice?

You ran, almost tripping with your own feet and there she is, a piece of ceiling is not letting her move now you realized, it wasn’t snow, it was the Alchemax way to stop a fire

That doesn’t matter! You moved to help your mother who looked at you with a horrified face

— No! You’re not supposed to be here! — she shouted pushing you away, you feel how the brick cut the glove of your suit — Mom, just let me help you —

The tears are making your eyes hurt, you desperately try to move her out of there but she pushed you once again not letting you help her by any chance

— Put on your mask! Don’t let them see you! — the desperation in your mother’s voice only makes your whole body tremble, what’s going on? You’re just trying to help her get out of it

You need to get her out of it, if not she’ll be dead

She can’t die, not in front of you, you don’t care if this is just an illusion or a dream, she can’t die!

— Mom! Please — your voice doesn’t sound yours anymore, not when a pair of arms held you pushing you away from the room — No! Get off me! Mom! — You shouted trying to let go

You turned to see this man, ready to punch his face but you don’t know him, still he wears a blue spider suit that makes you want to throw up

— Go home, kid — his voices sounds too raspy like he is holding back something you can’t understand

And finally, your body gives up as you felt it coming back to life

— (Reader)! (Reader)! — Tim is shaking you by your shoulders.

Conner is looking scared, not because you just went out for minutes but because he was closing the jar without touching the hole inside

Whatever made you cry even in that state, isn’t something to joke about

— That… that shit is cruel as hell — you wipe out the tears with your sleeves, weirdly, you felt how the tears make it into your suit

When did you break it? No, that’s not the real question, how did it broke even here?

Tim rubs your back trying to make it better, but you can only replay what just happened, your mother was there and you couldn’t even do anything about it

It was cruel, but that makes you notice why Kingpin wants it so bad

— This thing.. sends you to the time your heart yearns to see, I- I didn’t even ask to see my mother’s last moments but it sent me there — You explained, pulling your fist closer to your heart

The seam you always found confort on it is gone, your heart feels so empty.

There’s been two years since that moment you’re back at school, well, not at school you actually decided to walk home just to clear your thoughts

Let’s think about this, you saw your mother last moment’s and someone just pulled you out of it, there was something at the scene? You don’t think so, it feels like he was there just because you were there, someone who saved you from seeing the light leaving your mother’s eyes

She was so scared, but not about dying, about you being there and the way your glove ripped makes you realize that it wasn’t a dream

You were there, you made your mother’s last name horribly for her

You still feel bad for it, but you can’t blame yourself about it, you just want to cry.

But the show must go on, you still have to live as a person even if you don’t want to, and being Spidey is out of the game until you fix the hole on the glove

You sighed, not wanting to do this anymore is killing you, you’re too tired to even think about being yourself

— Hey, are you (Reader) (Last name)? — You turned to see a man, one with locks and a style very similar to Conner’s

You raised an eyebrow, if he was a journalist he wouldn’t call you by your mother’s last name so he knows you from somewhere else

— The blue guy sent me — he knows? Your hands shake as you tried to keep your calm, but you can’t just act like nothing

You need answers

— Yeah, that’s me, what do you need? —

— Let’s go for a walk, shall we? — This man is too calm and it pisses you off.

So let’s organize this, this man just told you that you’re not the only one but like, he’s a spider too

And apparently he’s from another universe where everything is different, what weird thing but you don’t have any chance to not believe in him.

Anyways! Now you’re putting your suit in, quickly as you could because Hobie (what is supposed to be his name) told you that he needs to take you somewhere, a place where you need to be in your suit

You took your mask out of your backpack and once you put it on you saw something laying on the bottom, Conner’s jacket, should you? Fuck it, quickly you put it on fixing it to for you just fine.

Once you’re ready you shot a web to your backpack attaching it to a near tube

— Please, please don’t get robbed — you prayed like it could hear you, the thing is, Hobie chuckled at your words — Geez little prince, you need to work on that trust issues —

You sighed trying to be ready for this but you can’t seem to be ready, you just can’t understand why this is happening to you

But he walked at you rubbing your shoulder in a way to calm your heart, after a seconds he tapped his watch and a portal appears in front of you

— Let’s get going — you just wish that you could trust him enough to be lead into an unknown place

Whatever, you walked through it now standing in a building huge as the whole universe, you look around it very excited before Hobie started walking again so you had to follow him.

The way back there was silent as you looked around, it was amazing until your eyes found something

You kept looking at Hobie’s shoes

— What’s up little prince? — He asked, his hands on his pockets as he looked at you

You cleared your throat, not knowing how to ask it

— I had a friend back at New York who is punk too so uhm, does your shoe ties mean..? — you were scared of asking but he didn’t look like me minded

— Yup, it is what you think —

A shiver goes through your back and you tried to ignore it, but now you can’t think nothing out of it.

Now that you need to find a new thing to think, you see how everybody at this place has their own spider suit, feels weird to be matching Hobie with the colors

Your hands are sweating before you get into a room, Hobie sighed

— Hey Mig, I have what you wanted — you made a confused hum before looking at the person in the top

The man you saw just a few days ago, he was seeing something on his computer before he turns to face you and you felt incredible small

He approached, how can a man be this big? You had to look up

— Hey uhm, my name is (Reader) — you tried to make a conversation but instead he extended his hand to you

It felt.. kind, you took it as he moved pulling you into the platform he was just in, instinctively you shot a web to keep balance

— We met before, and I know what you’re being through but I need you to focus — that has you spinning

An hologram shows your mother, the exact moment you saw just days ago

But in there you’re not wearing what you were wearing, you’re with your completely spidey suit even mask on as you hug your mother’s body

— That’s how it was supposed to happen, but instead we had that moment — He explained with a patient that doesn’t look normal on him

Is he being kind because of the situation? You feel like he’s used to being with people of your age

— So you mean, the timeline changed? — You shot whatever came into your mind receiving a hum as a response

— You weren’t meant to leave New York, you had to see what the accident did but.. that changed — that makes you wonder even more things but you can’t have an answer

Until you hear foot steps, you turn to see a group of people who where talking to each other, the man groaned annoyed

— Miguel! Are we doing it? Oh god, you didn’t let us prepare — a man with a pink coat fixes his looks

That… didn’t help much, but you appreciate the gesture

— The thing is, it was suppose to happen an accident on Alchemax but not the one is happening now — he tried to ignore the other people making you see the holograms again

The replay of the accident happening is sending you a shiver through your back, it doesn’t feel good at all

— But why? —

— Well, someone messed with the multiverse — he almost yelled that part looking at one of the people, specifically the boy with a black suit

— I said I was sorry! —

But before you could center your attention there, the man shuts the hologram now looking at you

— your universe adapted to this changes so now you have this problem about different cities —

You think about everything, the information now spinning in your head as you tried to find an answer that could make this easy and not just lots of information that would confuse you

— I.. wasn’t meant to meet my father? — You finally asked, and the man moved to see the ceiling

That was your answer.

The platform takes you down again and you’re looking at the floor, it feels to much, you were supposed to see your mother die and you won’t be able to meet your family, you wouldn’t meet Tim and your father wouldn’t hold your hand when you feel now

It feels wrong, heartbreaking

— But we’ll help you — Hobie hugged you by your shoulders holding you close as a way to stop your like to wonder — What? — You couldn’t look more confuse

— That is an anomaly, the spider society deals with them, so we’ll take your case — oh, so that’s what he meant, you mumbled a quiet thank you to the man in the pink coat

Uh… now that you see closely, is that a child?

Doesn’t matter, the thing that keeps making you wonder is the way they said it

— That means.. I won’t do anything? — You pray for the answer to be no

— No, you still need to do your spidey thing, but we’ll help you — The man said to you walking to face you

He sighed before tilting his head to see you better, for a man this talk he’s sure making an effort for his neck

— Okay, I can do it, what comes first uh.. —

— Miguel —

— Mr. Miguel! — you smiled at him

— So that means the team is getting bigger! — You chuckled extending your hand in front of Miguel

He looked at you before extending his, you jumped to high give him before turning to see the other spidey people

— Hi! I’m (reader) (last name) Wayne! It’s so nice to meet you all —

The hours passed and you were getting to know everyone, there’s a lot of things that you don’t understand like the canon events and stuff but you want to think if you don’t understand it it’s because you’re not mean to do it

But now it’s time to go home, you said goodbye to everyone even Miguel who only looked at you

— Oh by the way, we can’t control the portals in your universe —

— What? —

— Goodbye little prince — Hobie pushed you through the portal and in seconds you were falling

Falling?! Oh god! The portal opened in the middle of the hair, quickly you looked for your mask putting it on badly but enough to cover your identity

Shoot! You shot your web but because you were in the middle of the city there was nothing you could use to swing

— Fuck, fuck, fuck! Conner! — you closed your eyes ready to feel the pain

But you didn’t feel anything, instead of feeling a heavy pain in your bones you could feel you laying on something hard

— Itsy Bitsy, it isn’t raining for you to fall — you opened your eyes looking how Conner was holding you tightly — And I see you kept my jacket, is it comfy? —

— Kon! Get them down! — Tim shouted using his hand like a megaphone, it didn’t work much but you were able to hear them

Conner sighed floating down where Tim approached to help you get down

— What were you thinking? No, wait, how did you get up there? — he looked so confused

Almost like your mother when you did your first leap of faith, the face she made when she saw you fall from the Empire State was something you laughed for days

— Oh! I have good news! —

This is going to take a while…

Anyways! Back to the manor

…

You just finished explaining all the new information you got to your trio who listened in silence

They don’t seem like they’re buying what you’re saying, Tim sighed

— So you’re saying there’s more spidey people who are saying that we weren’t supposed to meat — he only cared about that last part, of course it sounds bad

You pulled out of your closet a t-shirt putting it on top of your suit, it was weird how you managed to change without taking it off but yeah, spidey privileges

— Can I enter now? —

— No! —

Speaking of that, Tim made Conner go out of the room even if you said that it was okay, I mean he didn’t like the idea of you getting dressed in front of a male

And he counts him too covering his eyes if maybe he opens them in a bad timing

— The important thing is, we’ll get help from them — you said looking at Tim who looked serious

Ah, right, he only works with Batman so having to work with people he doesn’t know must be hard

Anyways, you put your suit on the back of the closet before fixing your hair on the mirror, instinctively you see the watch on your wrist trying to supress a smile

— I see your point, but they’re going to help just if we can’t control the “anomalies” but stopping Kingpin and Black mask? — Tim sounded hesitant about it, only making you wonder

That is something else, their spidey things can’t help you stop this madness and even if you want they won’t interfere until they need to

You sighed, you still can’t figure out how to get into Alchemax and steal whatever they’re testing.

— Ah, Conner what are you doing here? — you heard Dick asked before he opens the room letting Conner enter the room

He has a towel around his neck, probably he just went out of a shower

— You’re pretty rude to let him outside — Dick enters the room too ruffling your hair

It’s been a time since he last spoke to you, maybe because he isn’t at the manor as much as you do, that makes sense, you live there

— You three are always together, I’m starting to think you’re plotting an attack — he jokes before leaving the room

That doesn’t sound like a bad idea..

You looked at Tim, he had the same idea as you and both were staring at each other before nodding

— Is this a bat thing? C’mon! You can’t leave behind —

This is going to blow up.

Little prince is a reference to the child’s tale The little prince, if you feel uncomfortable with the nickname please feel free to change the nickname.

This story has me writing everyday, but I’m so happy to do it if you like it as much as I do <3

[midnight-in-town]

Classical language and paranormal powers : Anya Forger and Arnold Crowley

Crack theory that I haven't seen anywhere, but I can't get it out of my head since ch95, so here goes.

We've had enough clues across the story so far to understand that there is a link between Anya's past and telepathic powers and her mastering classical language (which is not spoken anymore nowadays, according to Twilight), which recently earned her a stella :

While the nature of the link is still unclear, I can't help but question if Sensei hid other clues about this topic.

More specifically, Anya scored second, a big victory for her, but we eventually even met the kid who scored slightly better than she did in ch 95:

Moreover, he seemed particularly interested in Anya and wanted to meet her, before the dance party gave him the chance to.

Of course, it can be purely mundane kid behavior or just a comical way to annoy Damian, but still, I couldn't help but notice that mainly he, like Anya, has weirdly shaped pointed hair.

Might I even add, he has 3 horns/antennas, while Anya only has 2 (is it why he scored better ?). That's one similarity to two kids scoring well in classical language. Could be coincidental, I hear you.

Even more recently though, Anya and Yor encountered Melinda at a festival, when trying to get a fortune telling for Anya. Melinda shyly explained to Yor that it's a hobby of hers and that she believes in destiny and paranormal activities & powers, like telepathy :

However, Melinda is not super confident in her reading abilities, which is why she's not charging any money for it. But did you notice the name of another fortune teller who seems very accurate and popular, in ch107 ?

That's right : Magical * Crowley

Of course, at this point we don't know at all whether or not Arnold from ch95 is related to this fortune teller. However, I kinda doubt Sensei would mistakenly give the same name to the weird boy who beat Anya in classical language and to a popular fortune teller, when someone like Melinda, of all people, hardcores believes paranormal forces and powers are real.

Melinda who, by the way, is extremely scared of her husband who may have undergone surgery to get telepathic powers at some point.

Last but not least, we also know that fortune telling is likely to be a real thing in this universe, meaning Magical * Crowley's could have actual powers, considering Anya's family already owns a dog, Bond, who can see the future.

TL;DR Arnold Crowley from ch95 may be a kid with a strange power, like Anya is.

What this has to do with them being good at classical language, which is not used anymore nowadays, I don't know**, but I'd bet a few pennies it's going to be plot relevant.

**EDIT : To specify on what I currently imagine, since Anya's powers disappear during the new moon, maybe her powers depend on some kind of emitting/transmitting wavelengths (received by her hair horns/antennas), that could be coded with classical language (since it's not spoken anymore) ? It is a spy manga after all. x)

And if I were Endo-sensei, I'd take it a step further and reveal that she was actually hearing/reading all along people's thoughts in classical language, because that's how her powers were coded. She just doesn't realize it, because she's 4 years old, which is why most of her mistakes during classical language tests were spelling ones.

We shall see later. :) Thanks for reading and happy new year 2025 !

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for derpsheep behind the cut; “a fake cryptid and a real romantic”. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

Tim is having a terrible night, by which he means the Batman is currently looming over him like a creepy eldritch nightmare of a gargoyle while he’s trying to go meet Superboy for the patrol/hunting-date they scheduled and the Batman is not at all taking the “go away, I have a date” hint. 

Said “hint” for the record, was Tim explicitly saying the words, “go away, I have a date”. The Batman apparently thought that meant Calendar Man was causing trouble, though, so now Tim’s being Bat-stalked and has the Batman in his shadow, which is just really, really embarrassing in this situation. Like getting dropped off for a date by your weird neighbor who used to babysit you sometimes or something, he doesn’t know. 

Definitely embarrassing, yeah. Just–way too many kinds of embarrassing. He bets Superman isn’t dropping Superboy off right now. 

Ugh.

“Look, I promise, this is not a ‘Bat’ thing,” he says. “In no way whatsoever is this in fact a Bat thing.” 

leaving Gotham? the Batman asks. 

“No,” Tim says with a sigh, because he knows the Batman’s answer to them not leaving Gotham is gonna be– 

Bat thing, the Batman says, inexorable and inarguable as a snapped grapple and the force of gravity. 

Tim suffers.

“It’s just a date, B,” he says in exasperation. “I don’t follow you to go see Catwoman or Talia al Ghul, do I?” 

you do, the Batman says. 

. . . dammit, Tim thinks. The Batman wasn’t supposed to notice that. 

“Okay but Superboy is not a criminal who’s trying to use me to case a place for a thematic jewel heist!” he protests, puffing up Robin’s feathers indignantly. Most of the time the Batman understands Robin’s body language better than anything, really, and Tim has to admit there is something sort of satisfying about being able to flare up to twice his size when he’s irritated. At least on some level, anyway. “Or an assassin who might wanna feed me to her evil dad’s weird magic pit!” 

not feed, the Batman says. awaken. 

“That answer is no less creepy and unnerving than the last four times, I hope you know,” Tim tells him. “Not in the least because you’ve never clarified if the League is trying to awaken something in you or something in the pit.” 

“Tt,” the Batman says, which is honestly even more creepy and unnerving, given how rarely he actually makes actual noises. Or, like–correction: makes actual noises that sound, like–human, almost. The screeching and wailing and screaming is all pretty standard, but human noises . . . yeah, no. 

Tim already doesn’t like to talk to the Batman when he’s in his “human” aspect as it is. He isn’t some self-absorbed socialite or smarmy politician or shallow asshole with no genuine interest in other people, is the thing; when the Batman actually uses his voice, Tim can hear what that voice actually sounds like. 

As far as Tim knows, when it comes to humans, literally only Dick’s ever been able to stand the actual sound of the Batman’s voice. Jason apparently just, like–could grit his teeth through it, or hide behind Pennyworth. Tim, personally, forgets he has teeth, when he can actually hear the sound of the Batman’s voice. He doesn’t even know what Selina hears, but he does know she does most of the talking when she and the Batman are out together. And he still feels bad for Superman, after the sister-city gala incident with Metropolis.

Definitely he still feels bad for Superman after that.

[louisisalarrie]

I have a question. How does this work as far as PR if they are both not even trying to make it look legit? What is the point? How does this benefit either of them, especially since so few are buying it?!? I feel like this is way less believable than any other one he has done and I am not sure what the motivation is behind it at all considering both seem so damn reluctant to be doing it in the first place! Any insight?!?

ok so this wasn’t gonna be a welcome to the show bc it’s less educational and more so me venting about it but here ya go anon. welcome to the show!

I agree that it’s the least believable so far, from their individual public image, to their awkward and cringy actions around each other, to the fact that she seemingly appeared out of nowhere in his life and there was barely any soft launch. It’s like whoever is in charge of it learnt nothing from the years of the 1d stunts, and have reverted so far back in a day and age where things need to look far more legit now than they used to, due to social media, solo careers etc.

Anyway, because we’re in the thick of it, it seems a lot more clear to us that it’s fake. It has been interesting though, the comments on the articles from GP, Deuxm*i’s latest little comment that I just posted about, already a “trouble in paradise” article that we usually wouldn’t receive until farther down the line… so much flailing and scrambling. However, even with more suspicion from the GP than usual, most of them are gonna read the headline and move on, or click the article and not look at the GP’s comments. It still technically does what it’s meant to do, but they’ve just…. Fucked it up a lot earlier than usual.

Interestingly enough though, like you mentioned, it doesn’t even look like she is trying either. Usually with these stunts we’ll at least get the girl trying to make it look legit, but she’s clearly got no interest in this either… which leads me to believe it is for a reason other than album promo due to it being such a hard launch straight from the bat, no slow burn or organic elements at all, and some of the worst chemistry I’ve ever seen in a stunt pairing.

Apart from the handful of weird solos/antis who are obsessed with them and trying so hard to love it, the general consensus this time around just isn’t that believable for everyone. From the paps magically being able to drive down past a gate onto private property the exact moment they’re saying goodbye and getting those PDA pics, to the walk around the parking lot “a few days before” when Louis was in the same clothes, it’s just.. soooo sloppy. And surely his team can’t be THIS bad at their job… because it doesn’t just come down to how Louis and her act with each other, but also the way the information is presented to us and the GP and it’s been entirely fumbled.

I don’t think this is gonna be long lasting, I don’t think she’s gonna be the inspo for his album (although a little bit of het encouragement doesn’t hurt I suppose), and I think (and hope) there’s something more to this than PR for her merch and SoccerAid promo.

I mean the whole thing about it even potentially being for the sole purpose of SoccerAid doesn’t make sense to me. We are gonna watch Louis regardless - he has an absolute cult of a fandom. We’re not sitting on the edge of our seats going “ooohhhh better watch SoccerAid now!! I wasn’t planning to but now there could be tension between him and her ex boyf!! I wanna see the drama!!” or “ohh they’re so cute she’s gonna be there cheering him on, let’s watch!!” because that’s just not how his fandom works. And it’s not gonna convince the GP to watch for those reasons either. And if that is in fact the sole reason for this all, well… his PR team know absolutely nothing about us and have been slacking hard when it comes to understanding the relationship the fandom has with Louis. Including all the relationship lore over the past 15 years, both with stunts and Harry.

Like… not the “body language expert” analysing the photos to try and convince people they are in fact together and soooooo in love because even the media knows no one is gonna believe this shit with the quality of the pictures we’re getting from them. It’s just so embarrassing.

If it is in fact to end another stunt or kickstart the friendship narrative between H&L, then that would be great. Maybe they’re having to rush it all for some reason. But for any other reason to have it this rushed and awkward… it just doesn’t make sense to me.

[galadrieljones]

Possession (Rook x Emmrich)

❤️ Dragon Age | Emmrook | Solavellan | one-shot | Mature ❤️

word count: 7,460 Summary: In the Lighthouse, Rook and Emmrich hunt through some of Solas's old records from his time with the Inquisition. What they find brings them closer together, as they embark on a romantic scavenger hunt through memories of the past.

Read here, or at AO3 💫

Possession

JOLENE MERCAR, also known as Rook, was stalemated outside the door of a certain generous and compassionate necromancer. It was late at night. Though time seemed to pass strangely here in the Fade, whenever she was inside the Lighthouse, she could always sort of tell what part of the day it was. Like an enchantment, or an illusion. She knocked on the door.

Emmrich answered. He was very tall, and when he saw her in all of her tiny elven glory, he smiled. He was genuinely surprised to see her, but seemingly very pleased. "Rook," he said. "What a nice surprise."

"Hello, Emmrich," she said, feeling a little stupid. She had her hands behind her back, rocking back on her heels as she spoke. "I was just...popping by. I discovered something, here in the Lighthouse, a hidden room. It belonged to Solas. It's filled with a bunch of notebooks. Diaries and things. Records, lots of them dated back to when he was in the Inquisition. I was going to go through them on my own, see if we could learn anything, but I suddenly felt the urge for company. I thought you might find it all interesting, as an expert on the Fade. You know, like he is."

Emmrich considered. Rook had long, dark hair, which she sometimes wore in a loose braid over her shoulder, but that night, it just fell to the small of her back, like a curtain. Her eyes were light as candles, and he liked her. Something about her forward nature truly intrigued him, and though he did not entirely understand what she might see in him, she came by often, looking for wisdom. She was young, and he could tell that she felt...out of place in all this. In any case, she had never come to him so late at night before. This was new. The promise of what lie ahead, it was very tempting, despite his prevailing sense of discipline and stoicism. He said to her, "I believe I would find that interesting. Thank you, Rook, for thinking of me. Please, come in. Just let me grab some things, and let's be on our way."

As she stood there, demurely, taking stock of Emmrich's vast and detailed inventory, the books and the skulls and the bizarre crystals, she felt excited, happy for the first time since all this began. It was a pretty picture, this place, so strange and haunted, and yet the whimsy, it was like wrapping herself in a warm scarf. Rook was not a mage, and she had not grown up with such displays of magical possibility. Magic was utilitarian where she was from, or else it was devious. But Emmrich, in all of his sparkling oddity, could make even the littlest, most mundane things feel new and awake. Rook often tried to remind herself that, no matter how bad things get, it's the little things in life that truly set you free.

In the music room, Emmrich was delighted by the presence of a piano in the Lighthouse. He honed through a couple of chords, but it sounded like the gloomier depths of the Necropolis. "It's woefully out of tune," he said. "I can come back in the morning, perhaps, make it sing once more."

"You play the piano?" said Rook, feeling wistful. She had picked the lid up off a wooden box, which she had stacked earlier near the high window. Light seemed to flood in, even though it was after ten.

"My skills are a bit lapsed," said Emmrich. "But I trained for many years in my youth. Music is a language all its own. I've found that certain spirits communicate more readily through the wonders of melody."

"Perhaps that's why Solas plays?"

He smiled. "Perhaps."

Rook sat down on a dusty old hope chest. It seemed made of both wood and gold at the same time, and this weirdness with textiles was something that Solas seemed drawn to. Metals that looked like wood, woods that looked like metal. She watched the little particles floating around in the bars of light from the window as she gathered a stack of leather bound notebooks. There were many books and records and things that looked sort of official, like things you might need at some sort of tribunal, but these ones were filled, front to back with what seemed like poetry, math, journal entries, all in Solas's handwriting. It was elegant but rushed. "Some of these notebooks are just filled with what look like complicated arithmetic."

"May I?" said Emmrich. He pulled up the bench from the piano, sat beside Rook at the window. Rook handed him a notebook. He studied the markings, which were strange, but some oddly familiar. "As the maker of the Veil, it would make sense for Solas to be adept at theoretical and applied physics. Some of these formulas are familiar to me and my studies. Others are...well. They are like nothing I've ever seen before."

"He doodles a lot. See?" She showed him the pages of another notebook. This one was more of a sketchbook, she gathered. There were a great many drawings. Mostly faces and animals, sketched out in pencil, loose with an absentminded touch. "This one is cute. Look. A nug."

"That is very amusing."

"If we don't find anything good here, we can always go back to the office," she said. "It's through the door, but it's sort of gloomy. I just brought some of the boxes out here so that we could sit in the light."

"Yes, the light," said Emmrich, studying the windows. "I wonder if the enchantment lives inside, outside, or in the glass itself?"

"In any case, it's pretty," said Rook.

"I agree."

She showed him another sketch, this one more detailed than the others. "Look at this one. Do you recognize this place?" 

It was a castle, or a fortress, misty, and planted deep in a glorious mountain scape. Emmrich studied it closely. He did recognize it, but he was having a difficult time placing it in his memory. "It says right here, Terasylan'Telas. Do you speak elven, Rook?"

"Nope," she said. "My knowledge ends at Andaran Atishan. Mostly."

"Hmm. You know, now that I think of it, I believe this might be Skyhold," he said. 

"Skyhold?"

"The legendary fortress of the Inquisition. It's located somewhere in the Frostback Mountain range, which forms the natural border between the southern Kingdoms of Ferelden and Orlais."

"Ferelden and Orlais," said Rook. "Geez. That's far. Have you ever been?"

"Never," he said. "Until I met you, I never once left Nevarra. Now, here I am, living in an ancient elven sanctuary in the Fade. Such intrigue you bring to my life, Rook."

She blushed a little, or perhaps it was just a trick of the light. "He seems attached to this place," said Rook, turning the pages of the notebook, slowly. There were several more sketches of the castle, from multiple angles, the insides and outsides. "He seems to know it well." 

"Who is this?" said Emmrich. He pointed to a figure, sketched out in the doorway to what appeared to be some sort of rotunda. The form was female, somewhat tall, created with great care, but it was unfinished.

"Who knows," said Rook. "A mystery woman? After this, it's just tons and tons of butterfly sketches. All kinds of them. Guess he's a fan of bugs."

"Let's delegate a little," he said. "Hand me one of those notebooks, if you please."

She obliged. He straightened up and opened the notebook in his lap. "You continue with the sketchbook, and I will investigate this here."

"What is that one?"

"It looks to be some sort of diary," said Emmrich. "Entries, with dates from twelve years back. I'll let you know if I find anything of interest."

"Same here."

They sat for a while, reading. At some point, Rook got antsy and scooched off the hope chest to sit on the floor. She flipped through the pages of the sketchbook, taken with the minute and lovely details of Solas's drawings. After the butterflies, the pages began to fill with the shapes of people, actual people with detailed, unique faces and expressions, which led Rook to believe that they were real. His friends, perhaps? There was a study of a young man with an enormous hat, a tall elven woman with short hair eating a cookie, a human shield maiden reading a book beneath a tree, and a great, Qunari warrior playing chess. At some point, she came across somebody familiar, but the hair had changed. She recognized him from Minrathous. It was Dorian Pavus, holding a skull near a candle. This awakened something strange inside her, like an eclipse. Late in the book, there was a sketch of Varric, situated from the side. He was holding a flagon, sitting in a tavern somewhere, and he looked pensive. Rook almost said something to Emmrich about it, but she kept it inside. She wasn't sure why. It just felt like opening a can of big, fat worms, which she wasn't ready to open yet.

But then. "Very interesting," said Emmrich. "Very interesting indeed."

"Did you find something?"

"I'm not entirely sure," said Emmrich. "There's a fair bit of elven in here, which I do not understand. But not all of it. This, here, it is written mostly in the common language. It appears to be a prose poem? A ballad of some sort."

"What's it about?"

"Well, as it is a ballad, which means it is about love."

"A love poem? By the Dread Wolf?"

"Come here, Rook. Have a look at this."

She got up from the hardwood floor and went and sat down next to Emmrich on the piano bench. He was big beside her, and she was temporarily taken by his scent. Like rosemary, subtle. His clothing was simple tonight, she thought, unadorned. Just a cream collared shirt, seemed made of cotton, very soft, well-tailored, and expensive. He opened the notebook between them, so that she could follow along. "Listen," he said. He pointed to the page in question and read aloud, solemnly and with great care. As he spoke, with such a soft gravitas, the world around her seemed to change:

Light gathers on the sea, where we sit on the pier. It approaches and folds beside you like an envelope. I do not know how it folds, but it seems to anyway.  It disregards me entirely. On this day in Val Royeaux, as we watch the seamen mooring their ships,  you whisper, "What is that, vhenan?" You speak of a white bird, which has landed on a barrel. "Some sort of egret," I say. I can tell that you already knew that. You just like to ask questions, and you think it's funny. The word "egret," you say, sounds funny in my mouth.  The light finds you here. It finds your eyes here. It disregards me entirely, The light. I could not have made it any more beautiful myself.  It has a mind of its own as it touches you. And you find me, ara avise'ain.

The room was silent, but for the tense ticking of a clock somewhere.

"What a wonderful, if not monumental relic," said Emmrich, his heart stayed. "I am taken aback by this. I should like to read it again and again. What do you think, Rook?"

Rook shook herself out of a deep but ethereal trance then. It felt like something was wrong with her. She realized right then that she had leaned in a little close, the whole time he'd been reading. Her cheek, it brushed against the soft fabric at his shoulder. He did not seem bothered. He seemed very comfortable there beside her.

"I think..." she said, trailing off. "I think...it's just...so erotic."

This seemed to intrigue him greatly. "Erotic?" he said. "Quite the interpretation, Rook. You speak of his use of light, perhaps?"

"Yeah," she said. "How it's always folding and...touching the water, touching her. The mention, too, of the word egret, and how it sounds in his mouth. It just calls to mind their...intimacy. Something was going on here."

"Very good," said Emmrich. "I do agree. It seems that perhaps the Dread Wolf may have taken a secret lover during his time with Inquisition."

"Perhaps the woman that he drew? The one in the doorway of the rotunda?"

"Perhaps."

"Ara avise'ain," she said. "Are there any other uses of this word?"

"Hmm," said Emmrich. He flipped forward a few pages. There was a great deal of elven here. It was sort of like fishing for diamonds through a deft and elegant swamp. But he caught on something, quickly, then studied. He gave her the notebook. "Here. Read this, Rook."

She stared at the poem. She tried to concentrate, but then, she felt him nudge her gently in the shoulder with his own.

She sort of jumped. "What's wrong?" 

"Read it aloud, if you please," he said, softly. "I'd like to hear it in your voice. It is so much more meaningful that way."

"Oh," she said. "Sure. Here goes." She cleared her throat.

I knocked, wondering if you had forgotten. You had not. You were braiding your hair. You said, "I was worried." Vhenan, who worries. Sometimes I feel like a star, which has already died. You say to me, "Sleep here." You invite me inside.  Where it is safe. A nest. Maybe here? You bring me in with both hands. I take off your dress. Why can't I go home, avise'ain? Where the candles flicker to death, withholding, and there are only teeth. 

"Shit," said Rook.

"I echo the sentiment," said Emmrich.

"This is really...wow. I wasn't expecting this," she said. "Only teeth? Fuck."

"I am concerned about the metaphor," said Emmrich. "It does not bode well for the Dread Wolf."

"I wish I knew what that word meant," she said. " Avise'ain. I know what vhenan means. It's like, an elven term of endearment. It means my heart. Or something."

"I wonder if, perhaps, Bellara, or Davrin could help us with the elven."

"That's a good idea," she said. "But Bellara's asleep. She was up late last night, tweaking the eluvian. Told me she wanted to turn in early."

"Then Davrin it is," said Emmrich. They set off.

When they found Davrin, he was lying flat on his back, on the hardwood floor, staring up at the ceiling while Assan, confused, licked his palm.

"Davrin?" 

"Hello, Rook."

"What the hell are you doing on the floor?"

He turned his head to see them. They stood just inside the entryway. There were stacks of old books on the table, the wooden carvings lined up. Davrin kept a very nice space. He was neat and discerning, but he was not a minimalist.

"Emmrich?" he said. It was like a light turning on. "Wait. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is just fine," reassured Emmrich. "But, we are wondering the same of you. Are you often taken with lying on the floor, Davrin?"

"Not at all," said Davrin. He got to his feet, slowly, like he was drunk. He wasn't drunk. He was just...exhausted? "Assan won't sleep. I thought, maybe if I lie here on the floor, he'd doze off next to me. But. No dice."

"Aw, poor Assan," said Rook, patting the sweet creature on his feathered head.

"Poor Assan?" said Davrin. "How about poor me?"

"Poor you," said Rook. 

He smiled. Assan squawked. "What are you guys doing here? Isn't it kind of late?"

"A little," said Rook.

"We require your assistance with the elven language. How are you with translation, Davrin?"

"Pretty good," he said. "What's going on?"

"We found some of Solas's old records, in a secret room, next to the library," Emmrich continued. "They are from his time with the Inquisition. It's quite interesting. A good deal of it is written in elven, however, and neither Rook nor I speak the language."

"Solas is an ancient elf," said Davrin. "I never really learned that dialect. I know a little, but it's rare."

"Can you try?" said Rook.

Davrin sighed. He scratched at the back of his head and then plopped down into the armchair by the fire. "Have a seat," he said. "Let me see."

Emmrich handed Davrin the open notebook, the one with the poetry, and then he and Rook sat down on the floor, like children. Assan watched the whole interaction, rapt and wide awake as Davrin took to studying the elven.

"These poems here are written in the common tongue," said Emmrich. "But there is an elven word used multiple times. Avise'ain. It perplexes us."

"Can you tell us what it means?" said Rook.

"Holy shit," said Davrin, reading the poem about the pier, and the egret. He read it multiple times. Then he looked at Rook, his face screwed up like he'd seen a ghost. "Do you know who he wrote this for?"

"No, we don't," said Rook.

He made a low whistle. "This shit is deep."

"What does it mean?" said Rook, urging him back to the task at hand. " Avise'ain?"

"Right," said Davrin. "Well, this word isn't something I've seen before. But it's not ancient elven. It's contemporary. See this? The suffix, -ain , is a diminutive. It means little, or petite. Avise is a form of the word ise, which means fire. Avise means flame. Avise'ain means—"

"Little flame," said Rook. "Like, a pet name maybe?"

"That's exactly what it is," said Davrin. "And see this here? Here, he uses the possessive, ara, which means my. My little flame. Whoever this was, they were definitely...well, I think you know."

"I believe the correct term is intimate, Davrin. No need to be coy."

Davrin almost started laughing. "Touche. Does seem a little strange though, speculating about the sex life of an ancient elven god."

"Solas didn't present himself as a god to the Inquisition," said Rook. "He didn't even tell them he was an ancient elf. According to Varric, he just presented as an apostate. He said he was a fade mage, same as you, Emmrich."

"That inspires my curiosity, to be sure," he said.

Davrin flipped through the book some more, studying the handwriting. "All this other stuff is ancient," said Davrin. "Except for this one word, avise'ain, which is in common elven. Why?"

"Perhaps the woman to whom he assigned his pet name is not an ancient elf," said Emmrich. "If she doesn't speak the dialect, it would make little sense for him to use it."

"So she's a regular elf? Or...a new elf? Like me and Davrin?" said Rook.

"Yes, and it's also likely that she speaks the common dialect."

"So, she's Dalish," said Davrin. 

"Are you sure you can't read any of this other stuff?" said Rook. "These poems and entries. You can't read the ancient elven? Even a little?"

Davrin squinted at the pages in deep concentration, which seemed to lure Assan closer to his side. He sidled up to Davrin's chair and placed his head in his lap. Davrin stroked the beast's neck absentmindedly, a darling display. "Hmm," he said.

"Hmm?" said Rook.

"I can't translate this word for word," he said. "That's for sure. I just don't know the vocabulary. But elven, it's more than just a language. It's like a feeling. If you're an elf, that is. Especially this old stuff. Shit, it's a little like music. Rook, even though you don't know how to speak it, I bet if you read this, and you focused really hard, like really hard, you would understand what I'm talking about."

"What exactly are you talking about?"

"You can sense the story," he said. "Solas, in his words, is telling a story. I can see it in my mind's eye, like...ancestral memory."

"I don't know how I feel about sharing ancestral memories with Solas," said Rook.

"Well, I think we do. Whether we like it or not." He handed her the book. "Here. Just take a look."

She looked at Davrin, a little apprehensive. She had never been very elfy. Sort of like self-preservation in Tevinter. In fact, in her quotidian life, before all this, it was typical for her to simply forget what she was half the time. When it struck her, and she remembered, it was always in these horrible moments of existential unease. On the street corners. On the docks. She had considered leaving Minrathous thousands of times before her twenty-fifth birthday, for thousands of reasons. But she never had anywhere to go. Until now, of course.

Suddenly she felt Emmrich's hand, big and soft on her shoulder. He squeezed once, then lowered his mouth, close to her ear. He said, "You can do it, Rook. I believe in you. Just give it a whirl."

She felt very hot all of a sudden, in her cheeks, and it zinged straight back to her eartips. But still, it was comforting. He was such a comforting presence, calming all her stupid bullshit with one single, casual touch. She said, "Okay. I'll try."

She picked up the book. The words made little sense. As Davrin had said, even for elven, it was out of whack, bizarrely tuned, as if invented on the spot. But then, after a moment, she felt a kind of warm, snowy sensation in the back of her brain. It was like fuzz, and then it spread, and it came into focus. Like a crystal. It spun there, at the center of her brain. She looked up at Emmrich, and she said, "I felt something."

"Wonderful," said Emmrich. "What did you feel?"

"This is a story," she said, tapping her finger to the words. "It's about rooftops, am I right?" She looked to Davrin.

"Yes," he said. "Rooftops, mountains. Her hair, like, it's everywhere, right? Did you get that?"

"I did. Maybe that means it's windy?" 

"Good call. Also, there's a tear in the sky. He compares it to an eye, watching them. Like they're never alone. But he wants her. Bad. He wants to be free, to be with her."

"Emmrich," said Rook, serious now.

"Yes? I must say. This is quite entertaining, you two."

"You've read the Inquisition folklore. Are you sure you never saw any references to a romance?"

"I have only read the canonical texts," he said, "which, beyond names and basic formalities, in no way addresses any interpersonal aspect of the people involved. So, no."

"You should go talk to Harding," said Davrin. "She was in the Inquisition. She might know."

"Oh my gosh," said Rook. "You're right."

"You're also in luck," said Emmrich, voice low, his hands clasped in front of him, very debonair. He nodded toward Assan, who had fallen asleep, his head heavy in Davrin's lap, very still, eyes closed, breathing even. "It seems our discussion of ancient elven poetry lulled your young griffon here right to sleep."

Davrin surveyed the situation, dropped his head back and blinked up at the ceiling. "Guess I should get comfortable."

"We'll see you in the morning," said Rook, very eager. Emmrich had got to his feet first, extended a hand to her. She took it, stood tall, and dusted herself off. "Thank you for your help, Davrin. That was...interesting."

"Any time," he said.

As they crossed the great courtyard in the middle of the night, they both looked up to the deep, dark Fade sky at the same exact time. There was a shooting star, or, that's what it looked like. It was big and molten, like a long column of light which then simply disappeared from existence. This dazzled Rook, but it also unnerved her. She had never really been outside before when the Lighthouse went dark. She'd had no idea that there were stars here.

"This place shall never cease to amaze me," said Emmrich, in wonderment. "Stars and night. The chattering sounds of inexplicable nature. We are floating on a cloud, it seems, and yet, there are butterflies and opossums. I can sense them in the underbrush. Solas made this place comfortable many years ago. He wanted his people to feel at home here."

"When we first arrived," said Rook, "the place was falling apart. I think Solas was living here, before the ritual, but it feels like there are parts of the castle he never went to, like he lived in two, maybe three of the rooms tops. Everywhere else, he just left it sealed away. Like a tomb."

"The bachelor pad of a god is sad indeed," said Emmrich. "Particularly if he is on the wrong side of love. Let us continue our scavenger hunt, Rook. I am enjoying this evening immensely. Thank you for asking me to accompany you on your search tonight."

"You're welcome," she said, smiling like an idiot. He held out his arm to her then, an unexpected gesture, but she took it anyway. Even though she was not afraid of the dark, she was hesitant, walking through the Fade like this. She was not used to such big, cold, and cosmic magic. 

Emmrich sensed this, as he so often did. "Do not fear this place, dear Rook," he said. "Allow it to become familiar, and it will embrace you, as a home."

They started toward Harding's. They could see the light from her lantern, a long, golden bar at the bottom of the door. "Is that what you do?" said Rook.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Like a scent on the breeze. I will not forget it for all my years."

When they got to Harding's door, it was like she had seen them coming. She stayed up late.

"Rook?" she said. "Is that you?"

"It is," she said. "It's me, and Emmrich. Are you decent?"

"Sure am," said Lace. She opened the door, seeming delighted. She was wearing red pajamas with her hair in a braid and holding a cup of tea. "What brings you two around so late at night?"

Emmrich smiled, his face going a little crinkly. "We won't take up much of your time, Lace. We just have a few questions for you, concerning your time in the Inquisition. May we come in?"

"Definitely," she said, holding the door wide open and standing back to give them room. As she shut the door behind them, Rook noticed the remnants of some sort of art project. There were what appeared to be curtains, draped over a table, and several spools of colorful thread. Harding seemed to be practicing her embroidery.

"I love the curtains," said Rook.

"Oh, thank you. I'm just trying to make this place feel a little more like home. You know?" 

Emmrich glanced at Rook, very knowing.

"So," said Lace. "You guys wanna talk about the Inquisition? What did you wanna know?"

"We have been scouring some of Solas's old records," said Emmrich. "Rook found a secret room inside, near the library. It's full of old notebooks and things. Much of it dated back to Solas's time with the Inquisition."

"Interesting," said Harding. "Find anything good?"

"Yes," said Rook, a little anxious. "We found love poems."

"Love poems?" said Harding, sort of giggling. "Really? Wow. I mean, I knew Solas was an artist, but a writer, too? Wow."

"Wow, indeed," said Emmrich. "We came here tonight to ask whether you know anything about a woman that Solas might have been seeing at the time. Someone in the Inquisition, perhaps? She was likely a Dalish elf."

There was a long pause then, in which Lace stared at them both as if she thought they might be on drugs. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No, we aren't," said Rook. "The stuff he wrote. It was really...passionate. Do you know anything about it?"

"Uh, yeah. I do," said Lace.

"Really?" said Emmrich. "Who was it? The woman, we mean?"

"Inquisitor Lavellan."

It was like a boulder, falling off a cliff.

"The Inquisitor?" said Rook. 

"Oh, my dear," said Emmrich. "This is a surprise."

Lace shrugged, like it was just any other factoid. "I'm surprised you guys don't know. I guess I just assumed that everybody did. It was all over the tabloids, at least down south. People can't get enough of that shit. Sene's love life has been under scrutiny for years. It really pisses her off, but I mean, what can you do? Idle minds, am I right?"

Rook opened the notebook, which she'd had tucked under her arm. She showed Lace the poems. She said, "He loved her. A lot. We're pretty sure that everything in here, at least in this notebook, is all about her. It's full of poems and stories. What happened between them?"

"Solas and Sene were crazy in love," said Lace, sipping her tea, reminiscing. "Like I said, it was no secret. They were great together. Inseparable. They used to have picnics on the battlements at Skyhold, talk for hours on the rooftops at Haven. He would braid her hair before they went out into the field. It was just...romantic. I used to talk to them all the time, when we would deploy to different regions, trying to bring people and their factions into the Inquisition. She would sit and watch him paint his frescoes, and he made her these butterflies out of his magic, like little presents. Hundreds of them, green and glowy, all the time. Everywhere. They would just fly around the rotunda, and the garden, like part of the decor. It was so dreamy and romantic."

"Green, glowy butterflies?" said Rook. "There's a bunch of them here, flitting about in the bushes. I've seen tons of them, flying around the Crossroads, too."

"Yup," said Lace. "Those are them. I'm not surprised that she's left her mark here. The way Solas looked at her, it was so...intense. I thought he was gonna ask her to marry him. It was really serious. And, like I said, everybody knew. They were just...Sene and Solas. Solas and Sene. The tabloids used to refer to Sene as the Tall Red Elf and Solas as the Tall Elven Warrior at her Side. Anyway, be careful, Rook. This is...kind of a long story, and Sene is a close friend of mine. She practically lived at my house for like a year once, down in the Hinterlands. I'll tell you stuff, but like, keep it clean. I'm not getting into the weeds here, okay?"

Rook fell silent. She did not really know much about Inquisitor Lavellan, or the Inquisition at all. It was not a common topic of discussion in Tevinter. And yet, even still, she was a bit of a celebrity, mainly with the Chantry, as the Herald of Andraste. They talked about her all the time in the holy newsletters and things like that. Debates over whether her claims to prophesy were legitimate, or whether she even believed them herself, seeing as she was an elf. Rook knew that she was Dalish, but she hadn't really put it together, until now.

"We promise to be civilized in our questioning," said Emmrich, taking over. "We will of course respect your loyalties to Inquisitor Lavellan. But please forgive me, as I must ask. You make it sound like he was over the moon for her, and yet, you said he left? Why?"

"At the time," she said, "Sene didn't know. None of us did. Nobody knew that he was the Dread Wolf. We just thought he was some really powerful apostate. After we killed Corypheus, he just...left. She was devastated, but at some point, she moved on. Or, she tried to. She was in another pretty serious relationship when Solas finally showed himself again two years later, during the Exalted Council in Halamshiral. He explained everything, that he was the Dread Wolf, that he wanted to bring down the Veil, that he still loved her, but that he had to go, and he would not take her with him. That was important. Anyway, based on what Sene told me, I think he originally intended to just use the Inquisition, like a pawn, to help him further his plans. But it didn't go so hot. He accidentally fell in love. He made friends, too. Kind of a huge, fantastic failure...I guess."

"So it was after the Exalted Council," said Rook. "That's when they last saw each other?

"In person, yeah," said Lace.

"What do you mean in person?" said Emmrich.

"Solas is a dreamer," said Lace, taken with the thought. "Rook knows. He can walk in peoples' dreams. As far as I know, he's visited her, quite a lot, over the past ten years. Where they stood at any given time, it was sort of on and off, but it was consistent, to some degree."

"Does he still love her?" said Emmrich, seeming desperately curious. Too tall, he was nearly hunched in half, trying to lean into their conversation. 

"Probably," said Lace, her voice soft all of a sudden. She became wistful. She looked away, toward the window. "They were special. They meant everything to one another. It was the kind of love that you aspire to, you know? And I mean, she still loves him. That, I know for sure. Sene went through a couple different men, trying to move on. But despite both of them being great guys, neither of them stuck, not like he did."

"Which men?"

Lace sighed, setting down her mug on the table next to the curtains. "This is where I call it a night. I'm not getting into all that. You're gonna have to read about it in the tabloids like everyone else."

Emmrich seemed to be thinking about this in a practical manner. "We can probably find them in the Magisterial Library of Minrathous. I'm sure they keep records of every tabloid and newspaper in Thedas, going back at least 100 years."

"Or, you know," said Lace. "I guess you could just ask Inquisitor Lavellan, herself. I'm sure you'll meet her. Soon."

"I will?" said Rook.

Lace shrugged again. She was doing that a lot. Like it was all just old hat to her. "Sene is close to Morrigan," she said. "And she also has Lady Nightingale, the best Spymaster in all of Thedas. I guarantee that she knows all about this by now, everything that's happened. And she'll also know, too, that you're the one leading the charge here, Rook. She'll know that Solas is trapped in the Fade, and that you're the only one who can talk to him. So, of course, she's gonna wanna meet you. Probably soon. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if, when you go to meet Morrigan at the Cobbled Swan in a couple days, she'll be there, too. Then again, who knows? She's got her hands full. Given everything my ma said in her last letter, the south is...under siege. There's a bad fight there, and lots of Blight. All hands on deck." Harding looked down into her tea, pensive, and then she looked at the floor. "I'm okay," she said, to no one. 

"Is your mother safe?" said Emmrich, placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, like she was terribly relieved that he asked.

"I think so," she said. "She went to Skyhold, with a lot of other people. I'm pretty sure that's where Sene is. Or, she goes back and forth a lot, with her Commander. Cullen. It's become like, a sanctuary. Like what this place used to be."

"Harding," said Rook. "I'm sorry. I didn't...I should have asked you about this earlier."

"It's okay, Rook," she said, smiling once more. "I get it. We have our hands full up here, too."

Emmrich straightened up then, and something about his massive height seemed to change the atmosphere. He seemed to know it, too. He clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Well, we should take our leave. Thank you, Lace. This has been most educational."

"Now that you know," she said to Rook, "what will you do? Are you gonna mention it, next time you see Solas?"

Rook thought about it. She could not picture it. Whenever she thought about him, about Solas, her mind twisted into a riddle, and she could no longer tell what was real. She had only ever seen him from far away, up on a huge pedestal, or in the Fade, where everything was grim, and he was removed from her grasp, as cold and hard as steel. He was a total stranger, and yet, she relied on him. In this moment, she felt hugely young, raw, spilled open, her guts all over the floor. She did not want to hurt the Dread Wolf. He was like a music box, rusted shut, and there was just something so strange about it. So pretty, this idea that he held inside of him this intense history. Love, sex, all the things that made him a man and not a god. "I don't know," she said to Harding. "I need to think on it."

"Well, goodnight," said Lace. "See you in the morning. Lucanis is making breakfast so, don't miss it."

Outside, Rook and Emmrich stood at the center of the midnight courtyard and stared up at the enormous idol of Fen'Harel. Oddly now, standing here in front of this enormous statue, her thoughts turned away from Solas and instead settled with the man by her side. It was so strange, she thought. From the very first day she met him, he disarmed her. He took her guard completely down, and he told her to light brassieres and they fought demons, and they were talking to spirits. She said hello to a little wisp, and it had made her heart beat strangely. He told her he had never been out of Nevarra, and he seemed starved for adventure, and yet, it had been him who'd swept her off her feet, took her on a grand field trip through the Necropolis, this well of magic, everywhere, all the time, living and breathing with a mind of its own. He had opened her eyes that day.

He was older, but she didn't much care. He did not treat her like a child. Sometimes, he did treat her like a student. But he did that to everyone, and in any case, it was never condescending. It's just who he was. The professor. He was not steel, nor was he even terribly guarded. He did not give in to her easily though, that was for sure. He moved slowly, deliberately, all those times she would go to talk to him, ask him questions about what he thought about all of this, about the Veil. He kept his distance until it really mattered, as if every choice he made would determine who they were, together, and in this, she knew that she could trust him. 

"What do you think of all this, Rook?" he said then, smiling at her. "Have your opinions of Solas changed in any way?"

"A little," she said. "I need to sleep on it. I just...I realize that I don't know him at all. He barely even seems like a person sometimes, let alone a man who could...well, you know."

Emmrich held out his hand then, and from his palm, he snapped a little wisp, white and pure. It buzzed around her nose and landed in her hair like a bug, and she laughed. "Do you like it?" he said, very debonair.

"Yes," she said.

"You know, Inquisitor Lavellan is not a mage either," he said, growing pensive, his brow furrowed. "She was at the Conclave, sent as a representative for her clan, which, as I recall, is fairly important in the Free Marches. They own a great deal of land there. Even still, she was one lowly elf among an entire Chantry. She was certainly judged, and certainly alone. There are records, which state that, after the explosion at the temple, which resulted in the death of Divine Justinia, the Seekers of Truth wanted to arrest her for apostasy, for treason, for murder. You name it. She was ostracized far before she was ever beloved. And she was young when the Inquisition began, only twenty, if I recall from the literature, and the Chantry experts distrusted her immensely, even after she was named Inquisitor. Many were especially critical of her as the prophetic Herald of Andraste . But others believed, and among them, I imagine, Solas. He followed her. He loved her. Just like with this place, he desired to warm her heart, to make her feel comfortable, at home in an icy, mean, judgmental landscape. Perhaps because he understood what that meant? To be so ostracized, so fantastically alone. Part of that was the butterflies, I imagine, and that is why they linger still. That little wisp I just conjured up, you said you like it. Does it bring you warmth, Rook? Joy?"

Rook held it in her hand now, like a little poof of cool, calm energy. It seemed to vibrate with admiration, glowing up at her, like it was alive. "It does," she said. She set it free then, and it disappeared. "Thank you, Emmrich."

"Whatever the Dread Wolf is or isn't," he went on, "I think it is clear by now that he is, ultimately, just a man. He has desires, needs, and she fulfilled them, as he fulfilled hers. These were needs that had either not been fulfilled before, or not in some time. She thawed his heart, and he kept her safe, and they found a home in one another. Even if it was short-lived, it is more than most will possess in their lifetimes."

Rook felt impulsive then. She could hear the words that he was saying, and she knew that he was right, but she was lost in the feeling and the sound. She wanted to express herself. She wasn't shiny or particularly eloquent like he was. Definitely not a poet. She didn't have beautiful things to say or magical creatures she could conjure into the air. But she did have action. She had always been good at just...doing things. No fear. She slid her hand into his then. He looked down right away, at their fingers mingled together, like he was startled, and then he looked at her, laid bare. 

She said, "Is it okay? I don't know what to say. I just...I want to show you how I feel."

He was very soft then, his eyes dark and filled with a hidden sadness, which tempted her. What was it? Where did it live? What did it see? He picked up her hand, and he closed his eyes and brought her knuckles to his lips. It disarmed her and made her weak, and she sort of shivered. Their eyes met. He said, quietly, "Language can be superfluous in times like these, dear Rook. But, please, know that I feel it, too."

So, she kissed him, in front of the Dread Wolf statue at midnight, in the Fade. She had to stand on her tallest tiptoes to do it. At first, just like with the handhold, he was taken aback, but he quickly molded to her, his other hand on her jaw, as he touched her ear with tenderness. It was not devouring. It was pure. Tallest mage, so full of compassion. He seemed to unlock for her that night, a click and release.

Rook did not have much to hide. She didn't understand people who did. But she could try. That night, Emmrich walked her back to her room, and they shared one more kiss before parting until morning. She sat down on the couch in the blue, aqueous light of her quarters, vibrating and giddy, and watched the fish do their little immortal dancing. She thought about Inquisitor Lavellan, twenty years old, a Dalish elf in the Chantry, and how lonely that must have felt for her. How scary, how out of place she was and the deep, impending desire to return to the home that she knew, somehow, she would never really see again. Not as it once was, as a child. But then, there was a man who came along and made it feel okay to just be alive, no matter how you did it, or how new you were to the world. A man who seemed to know everything, who could stand so tall, and yet, who nursed inside of him a heart so true that it could not be contained. And so they were consumed by possession, discovery, desire. 

*This story, though it stands alone, is also a part of my Solavellan fic Riptide.

[wordy-little-witch]

I am now hip deep in the Edge of Midnight campaign from legends of avantris and lemme tell you some shit -

1) I would lay down my life for Jericho Sticks without any hesitation. Torbek and Jericho are my sons now, no takesies backsies.

2) Lethica and Marius are so perfectly aligned to be end game lovers but I personally adore the idea of them being queerplatonic if only bc it's funny to watch people be confused and I think Lethica would adore that.

3) you can pry the concept of Briggsy having a some kind of magical fantasy cellphone equivalent from my cold dead hands - sending stone or smth idfk - and he's been keeping his buddy/boyfriend Torbek updated on all this like "Becky you would not BELIEVE what happened today-" ((listen I know the flirting bit between them in the yuletide one-shot was a feycurse but leave me alone it's funny as fuck))

4) briggsy @ jericho in ep 24 appropos nothing: Jerry, maybe we have to kiss ((sad, silly twinks with Literal Darksides are his type /j))

5) I have a friend-crush on Nikkie and I will never recover

6) I have an unyielding NEED to have Jericho get a final hit on a boss and yell yeehaw

7) I know stylistically Jericho doesn't have "skin" but I personally hc that his clothes aren't effectively his skin, he has a burlap body - and he has "tattoos" in the form of embroidery. It started when he had to stitch up his own cuts and stuff and he just kept it up.

8) Only Yorgrim has any constant sense of cooking in an actual kitchen-like setting. Farryn, Marius, and Briggsy can do journey or on-the-road cooking, but it's never.... great. Lethica burns everything somehow or gets the bright idea to 'experiment', and it's never good - she's fine if she's got clear end goals. Jericho is understandably skittish around fire due to his body and straw, but he is the closest to being able to cook well and do so semi regularly.

9) Virgil is a weird mix of a hater and lowkey overprotective. He does hate being imprisoned, but also he's kinda bound here so he HAS to keep this disaster of a bard safe. He refuses to admit he might have a soft spot. He is Stressed.

10) Farryn doesn't get the appeal of Girls Nights, but Jericho does!!! They join Lethica for some fun relaxation. Briggsy once asked why Jericho was allowed since he's also a dude, and Lethica just responded "he's allowed to be there - on account of him being a scarecrow and not a literal man after all." It's an inside joke which later has to be explained - Jericho is nonbinary but doesn't rightly care about stuff like that.

11) Yorgrim is the group dad, no I will not explain.

12) sometimes after a battle, Lethica and Marius will help stitch up some of Jericho's tears. Farryn may also add in random flowers she finds around because it makes him happy.

13) Briggsy is small but mighty. The only person he has yet to pick up and carry is Yorgrim - he swears that one day that tombstone will be gone and he'll be able to do it. It's all the rock's fault, he's sure of it.

Spoilers under the cut (caught up to present)

OKAY so I am caught up completely and have decided that Canon is not important leave me alone

• Yorgrim did not die - he got wounded heavily but survived.

• Farryn almost got taken but they got to her in time. She is mute for a time due to injuries and trauma - idk if she ever talks again bc we could use more sign language in the world. Maybe it comes and goes, fuck if I know, idk and idc

ONWARDS TO SILLIES

• Lethica strong armed her way into giving Jericho The Talk after he revealed he had no idea what a penis was. Scarecrows cannot blush, but apparently his fiendish glow can ebb and flow and he glows much MUCH brighter when he's embarrassed - she tries so hard not to laugh.

• Adella and Jericho btw are simply besties. His "crush" on her is a friend crush and Phillip just finds it painfully cute. ((Also -> Jericho has mommy issues and Adella always wanted a son/nephew/little brother. Peaceful alignment))

• Dark Mode Marius is a colossal flirt but still a giant dweeb. He's cool and suave until someone flirts back - then he's a mess.

• Briggsy is very happy with his Kannon & makes "shooting my shot" jokes at every and any opportunity

• Yorgrim, with his reward, manages to finally lay many souls tonrest but he still carries the tombstone on journeys - just not constantly now. He still believes he must pay penance, but it's a little easier to share the burden.

• Farryn, with her own reward, has not chosen to activate it yet. Something tells her to wait, to bide her time and remain. She does, however, get a little more at ease with the others. She and Jericho have come to an understanding, too - that being they they are a package deal, no takesies backsies, and they refer to each other as twin, much to the confusion of many, many, many people. WLW and NBLM solidarity.

• Jericho is pining HARD for Marius, but he's absolutely terrified of damaging the friendship so everyone is watching two oblivious dummies look longingly into each other.

• POLYAMORY POLYAMORY POLYAMORY

• Marius grows rather fond of Virgil, and the sentiment is very much NOT reciprocated bc this angry knight vampire is not good enough for his vessel and he's mad about it.

• Yorgrim: I've only had my friends for a few days, but if anything happened to them, I'd kill everyone in Druskenvald and then myself.

• I fully expect for Jericho to somehow befriend an enemy in disguise, not realize, and accidentally fuck up the evil plan with the powers of puns, music and friendship (/j)

• the first time the party sees Jericho presenting more feminine, he's been lended one of Lethica's dresses after his own clothes got torn up and the rest are being washed. Marius has a nosebleed and faints. Briggsy is staring somewhat respectfully. Lethica is trying valiantly not to laugh. Farryn and Yorgrim regret not dying when they had the chance.

• Marius: i cannot have a relationship because I have sworn to follow the duchess of sin

Lillith: whoa hold up, Do Not use me as an excuse to avoid the cutie pie over there. Besides, he has a demon. I'm queen of hell. I can make a small exception.

Marius: shit

• Briggsy Bi Icon: OH if ONLY Jerry here had a DASHING KNIGHT to SAVE THEM from this PERILOUS INCIDENT

Jericho: captain, I'm just getting off of a horse??

Marius: no no Briggsy has a point, no maiden should be unaccompanied or unassisted. Allow me-

Lethica&Farryn: We Know What You Are

• Yorgrim is watching all this inter party flirting and is definitely wondering if he's gonna have to have an aside with everyone about flirting tactics and communication skills. Briggsy is making it worse by enabling everyone.

• Farryn gets some sweet, succulent healing, that is all.

[blu3-ja3]

The Art of Getting a Street Cat to Love You! (Stray!Tim Au)

Masterpost

Year 1

Year 4 Age: T•10-11 J•12-13

January

"Do you think it's weird that your mom flirts with him?" I look over at where Selina is as she flashes a flirtatious smile to Batman and back flips away, then I look back towards Robin.

"She's not my mom, is it weird for your dad to flirt with her?" I ask as I jump to the side barely missing the gloved hand that reaches out to grab the satchel hanging from my shoulder.

"Batman's not my dad," Robin says as she shrugs, there's a flap of heavy fabric and I lean forwards quickly letting the momentum carry me into a roll.

"Is he Batgirl's dad, Birdie?" I ask springing to my feet and facing Batgirl and Robin. Batgirl immediately starts to loop around and I keep my eyes focused on her.

I can hear Robin's footsteps most of the time but Batgirl is super light on her feet and quick, the only reason I managed to get out of the way was because I heard her cape and even then I'm pretty sure she let me hear it. Staying focused on her makes it easier to dodge her attacks, it's either focus on her or Robin and let the other get hits in. And if I'm being perfectly honest Batgirl hits like a truck so I'll focus on dodging her.

"No," Batgirl says, I'm still getting used to her talking to me. I'm used to her just staring at me or Robin and Robin magically translating. That or she'll use sign language but I don't understand because I'm still learning.

"So you are just some random kid Batman found?" I asked leaning backwards as Batgirl rushes forwards with a palm strike.

She reacts quickly and knocks my feet out from underneath me causing me to fall to the roof. I roll out of the way as Robin tries to plant a boot on my chest, once on my stomach I push off the ground, jumping up onto my feet.

"Did Catwoman do the same thing to you?" Robin asked, immediately rushing up to me throwing punches and kicks that I do my best to block while keeping eyes on Batgirl.

"Kinda? It's complicated, my parents are dead I didn't have anyone else," I explained jumping up and using Robin's shoulders to leap frog over them. I've gotten a lot taller all of the sudden and Selina is teaching me how to use that to my advantage. Robin stumbles forwards and Batgirl catches her.

"I mean we both have crazy supervillains as dads so that kinda checks out," Robin says pointing to herself and Batgirl who nods in agreement.

"Huh? No wonder you two get along so well, birds of a feather and all that," I laugh as Robin makes an offended noise and I can barely hear Batgirl laughing.

The two girls immediately rush forwards both attacking together, I'm easily overwhelmed barely able to block some of the more harsh blows but taking a majority of the hits. I stumble back a bit dazed and grab the satchel from around my shoulder, I keep it clutched tightly in my hands and raise it up.

"Do you guys even know what's in here?" I asked, swinging the bag side to side, I took a step backwards closer to the edge of the building. It's a really tall building, the air up here is super strong too.

"Oracle says it's important documents that Jackie Loren owns and that you took from her safe," Robin says after touching her ear, something that I'm not surprised by. Robin has talked to this Oracle a couple of times and Batman has done it a ton of times.

"Kinda, they are important documents but they're not Jackie's," I say as my foot meets the edge of the roof, I quickly look to where Catwoman is fighting Batman then back to Batgirl and Robin who are moving closer.

I take a deep breath and relax myself. My grip tightens on my satchel strap and close my eyes.

"Wait! Don't-" Robin yells but it's too late.

I let myself fall backwards off the ledge, wind whipping past me as I quickly turn myself around so I'm facing the approaching ground. I quickly find an out stretched flag pole and like second nature I let my whip fly out and rap around it.

The immediate momentum catches and swings me sending my body flying through air, this time it's a detailed statue that's protruding from another building. It looks like an eagle or bird of sorts, my whip wraps around it and I'm flying in an arce across the sky before landing firmly on a rooftop.

I turned around to see the distant forms of Batgirl and Robin still standing on the rooftop I was just on. I hold up the bag before slinging it back over my shoulder, then I jump and wave to the two girls. They both wave back, I laugh before turning around and running across the rooftops. Once I'm sure I'm not being followed I go to mine and Catwoman's agreed upon rendezvous point.

•°•°•

It's been a few days since I've seen Robin and Batgirl, well that's not entirely true I saw them last night while I was out with Tim so he could take pictures. He really wanted to go out since it was a relatively clear night for Gotham and the moon was full, 'The perfect conditions!' and I really can't argue with him sometimes.

I dig my claws a little deeper into the stone wall while reaching up to find my next hand hold. It takes a bit of time since the old clock tower has quite a few false holds and easily dislodged bricks, but eventually I make it to the top. I walk over and sit on the cris-cross by a gargoyle and wait.

It doesn't take long before I hear the whirling of small engines and the flapping of heavy fabric. Batgirl comes over first sitting on top of the gargoyle one leg dangling and the other crossed under her. Robin comes to sit on the other side of me both legs swinging over the side as she lightly kicks them in the breeze.

"You're insane for jumping," Robin says after a few minutes of silence.

"Noir over there does it all the time," I reply, nodding my head over towards Batgirl.

"Not from that tall of a building right BG?" Robin asked looking up towards the girl in question.

"No, not yet," Batgirl replies, the last two words barely a whisper but I snicker at Robin's expression.

"Not yet?!" Robin shouts sounding slightly concerned, me and Batgirl start to giggle a bit.

"What does it matter? I made it out fine," I say after catching my breath and fake wiping a tear from my goggles.

"It matters because we were on a ten story building roof," Robin says her face pinched in worry.

"So?" I asked, shrugging, not really understanding the problem as I had everything under control.

"Different," Batgirl states while staring down at me and Robin.

"Yeah it's different BG drops from like 4 stories!" Robin exclaims while pointing at Batgirl who's just nodding her head.

"And the difference is?" I asked actually hoping for some context, it wasn't like I jumped off without a plan. I knew what I was doing and how to do it.

"Broken arm or broken body." Batgirl stated and I shifted a bit in my seat at the tone in her voice or lack there of.

"Yeah what she said! If you mess up on a four story it'll hurt and you'll get a broken arm but if you mess up on a ten story your whole body is in a cast if you're lucky!" Robin said animatedly, tossing her arms up as she explained.

"It's fine Birdie, I've got 9 lives!" I smirk at Robin and I can feel the eye roll from her. She laughs while shaking her head before saying.

"You're insufferable sometimes, Tabby." I smile brightly and laugh with the two girls for the rest of our time together before they leave for patrol and I head home.

March

I let myself into Drake Manor and hold the door open while Selina walks in carrying the cake in both hands and she calls out for Tim. I hear the pitter patter of his footsteps while I walk outside to grab some of the wrapped boxes and bring them in.

Usually I would have already celebrated my birthday a week earlier but Tim mentioned his dad and Dana would be gone on a business trip and they'd celebrate his birthday early. As soon as Selina heard she immediately decided then and there that we would be having a small party on his birthday, when I suggested that I wait to celebrate my birthday to celebrate with Tim she thought it was a fantastic idea.

I walk into that massive house and greet Mrs. Donovan, the older caretaker that usually watches Tim while the Drake's are out. She leaves thanking Selina for the break and wishing Tim a happy birthday. I walk into the dining room and set down the presents that have either mine or Tim's name on them.

I walk back outside as a silver car pulls up and parks, Duke immediately hops out with a small gift bag in hand. His mother finds Selina and the two talk for a bit while I go about grabbing the rest of the presents and some simple party decorations.

"Want some help?" Duke asked, already reaching out and grabbing some of the last party supplies.

"Thanks," I huff as I adjust a few things in my arm before leading Duke through the manor.

Tim excitedly greets Duke, chattering away about the friends that are going to attend while Duke nodded along smiling. There's the sound of another car pulling into the driveway and Tim is running towards the door. Duke laughs before setting down what he has in hand into the table.

"Man I know you told me Tim's family was loaded but this is still a little crazy," Duke laughs as gestures around the massive room that could easily fit Selina's and my entire apartment.

"Oh trust me man it's still surreal to me that he gets this entire place to himself most days," I say as I start to spread out balloons and a table cloth.

Suddenly Tim comes barreling in with Conner and Bernard in tow along with a young blonde haired girl, she's holding the hand of another girl about as tall as her with black hair. Behind the gaggle of children Selina walks in followed by a red haired woman in a wheelchair, a blonde haired woman, Duke's mom, Mr. Luther, and Mrs. Dowd.

"Jill! This is Stephanie and her friend Cassandra!" Tim says pointing to the blonde girl first then the black haired girl. I give a polite wave before going back to setting up the party while Tim leads the gaggle of his friends further into his house.

"Hello Mrs. Dowd, Mr. Luther, Mrs. Thomas! It's nice to see you all," I say giving a small wave while helping Selina place out colorful paper plates and plastic utensils.

"Hello Jillian, sweetie. Happy birthday! Officially the big 13! You must be so excited!" Mrs. Dowd says coming over to give me a hug, I hadn't really known the woman for long but she was kind.

She really seemed to like me being around Tim and Bernard so I often let Bern come over while I watched Tim. The kid needs to interact more with kids his own age. Plus Mrs. Dowd frequently brought over fresh fruit which I happily indulged in so she was fine in my book.

"Ah, yes Conner mentioned this would be a double celebration. Congratulations Ms. Rodriguez on your big day," Luther said with a stiff smile and quick head nod, a regular acknowledgement I got from the man.

Luther wasn't horrible, he's polite if stern but he really cares about Conner and that's all I really care about. Conner and Tim have been friends since the Pokemon incident at the gala, the two found each other while hiding from pushy party guests and from there became fast friends. I've only watched Conner a few times and every time Luther's assistant Mercy was there. Said woman walked into the room holding a wrapped box and setting it in the pile of presents for Tim.

"Happy birthday Jillian, sweetheart I hope you and Duke enjoy yourself but I've got to go. Got a case that needs my attention," Mrs. Thomas says before giving Duke a hug. I could tell Duke was blushing a bit but didn't pull away

"I'll send Duke home with a slice of cake for you and Mr. Thomas," I say smiling at the kind woman and waving a simple goodbye. Mrs. Dowd also said a quick goodbye before leaving behind Mrs. Thomas.

Selina introduces Mrs. Brown; Stephanie's mom and Barbara; Cassandra's current guardian. I say hello to the women respectively and finish helping Selina set up despite her insisting I didn't. Once everything was decorated and prepared Selina called Tim into the room, who immediately came bouncing in followed by his group of friends.

"Okay now that the Birthday boy is here what do you and the Birthday girl want to do first?" Selina asked smiling at Tim after helping him pin a ribbon to his shirt. Tim looks at me and I lift an eyebrow while shrugging.

"You wanna do presents? I got some from Dad and Dana but I know you haven't celebrated yet," Tim stared as he walked over to sit next to me, Duke taking the other seat next to me and Conner sitting next to Tim. The other three kids sit across from us as I look over to Selina with a questioning look on my face.

"Presents first, then we'll do pizza, cake and ice cream," I say as Tim does a little fist pump and Conner reaches across the table to high-five Bernard. Selina laughs before nodding.

Tim has a few more presents than I do but I kinda expected as much when he told me about his guest list. Selina separates the presents into two piles one for each of us and I hear the click of a phone starting to record knowing Selina probably asked one of the parents still here to record.

"I'd like to give Tim my present last if that's okay?" I say looking towards Selina who smiles and nods.

Tim had a blast opening his presents, getting superhero action figures from Bernard, a few new games for his PlayStation from Conner, a couple of custom picture frames from Steph and Cass and a new camera lens from Selina. When we got to my present I grabbed the long box and placed it in front of Tim.

Immediately Tim began unwrapping it, throwing wrapping paper aside and frowning at the box. Quickly he found an end and pulled away the tape. The first thing that fell out was a red helmet, inside the helmet was a pair of thick gloves, elbow pads and knee pads all in red and black. He looked up at me confused and I nodded towards the box.

Tim reached inside and pulled out a set of white shark wheels with red detailing around the outside. He pulled out a pair of trucks and baseplates with a bag with all the required nuts, bolts, bearing and tools. Then came the simple black grip tape and Tim's little wheels started turning as he looked up at me.

"You didn't?" He gasped look at me. I simply laughed and tossed my hands out towards the box again.

"I don't know did I? Maybe I finally got tired of you stealing my board!" I laughed as Tim's eyes lit up and Selina laughed from where she stood.

With a sudden gentle ferocity Tim slipped out the last part of my gift. It's an absolute labor of love that I'd been working on for months at this point, it's the Gotham skyline from one of Tim's favorite spots to take pictures of Batman and Robin. Hidden throughout the buildings are small figures of Batman, both Batgirl's, all three Robins, Nightwing, and Catwoman. There's also a hidden Charizard in one of the clouds.

Tim holds the board in his hand for a long time not saying anything. At first I thought he was looking at the board but the longer he didn't say anything the more nervous I got. It didn't help that no one else was saying anything and I was behind Tim's back so I couldn't see his face. Finally I spoke, the nerves were getting to be too much.

"I- uh figured you'd like a custom board and I realize now I should have probably waited to customize it with you. I can paint you a ne-" I stopped midway through my sentence as Tim looked up to me with tears in his eyes. Immediately I started to panic!

"Oh hey, Timmy! I can paint something else onto the board little dude there's no need to cry about! I'm sorry I just thought you'd like this design, I-" Tim dropped the board into the table before launching himself into my arms.

I instinctively wrap my arms around the boy as he squeezes me tighter. I looked around in panic at the adults in the room, silently begging for their help. Tim pulls back from the hug and his face breaks out into the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face. I let myself relax before smiling and laughing myself.

"Thank you Jillian, this is the best gift I've ever gotten. Well second to my mom giving me my camera," Tim says smiling and I laugh.

"Yeah we both know I can't top your camera Timmy," I swallowed around nothing before asking. "Do you really like it?"

"Yes! This is so cool! You have to help me set it up and then we're going into the backyard so I can try it out!" Tim says pulling away from the hug and picking up the board again. He shows his little group of friends and the kids ooh and aah over the board.

I go to sit back in my seat while Selina takes a moment to stop the recording and start another one. Duke leans over to me and whispers into my ear.

"I'm glad you're getting your board back, I like watching you skate." I laughed at Duke who also started laughing when I pushed him away. Duke leaned down and pulled out the pink bag he had with him and handed it to me.

"Wait! Let me get the camera set up so we can see you Jillie Bean!" Selina says while moving around so she's standing in a spot where she can see everything as I open the presents.

I looked towards Duke and then pulled away the stuffed papers from the bag and set them aside, the first thing on top was a small box. I picked it up, it wasn't heavy but there was definitely something sliding around inside. I opened the lid of the little yellow box and inside was a bracelet.

It was a thick braided bracelet with pink, black and yellow threads in the middle are the words 'Alley Rat' in multiple different colored letters, they're all circular shaped beads. The threads are tied into a slip knot with the pink and yellow threads hanging loosely, two of the longest threads have two beads on the ends. On the pink thread there's a J bead with a yellow jelly star bead over top. The yellow thread has a D bead with a pink jelly star. The pink thread has a moon charm tied into the knot at the end of it and the yellow has a sun charm.

I look over to Duke to see his wrist has an almost identical bracelet tied around his wrist but the words 'Street Cat' replace the words on my bracelet. I glance up at Duke who has the biggest, brightest smile on his face. I don't even think about it as I launch myself into a hug, I realized that my throat is tightening and my eyes burning from unshed tears.

"Thank you," I whisper trying and failing to keep my voice calm and steady.

"You said you've always wanted a pair for us, I figured I know how to make them. Why not," Duke says, shrugging while we still hug. I pull away and immediately put the bracelet around my wrist and feel absolute delight bubble up inside, so much so that when I smile to Duke it's all crooked teeth and gums.

"There's more," Duke says after sharing a similar tooth and gum smile, he gestures at the pink bag.

I reach in and find an envelope at the bottom, pulling it out it's addressed to me. The card is homemade, a coffin shaped card with the words 'I'm gunna cast a spell on you!' I flipped it open to find more of Duke's hand writing saying 'You and your plus one will have an amazing time at this concert!' Immediately my head whips up towards Duke.

In his hand are two concert tickets...

"You didn't?!" I gasped looking closer at the tickets.

"I did, it's kinda why I only got you a friendship bracelet as a gift," Duke says, rubbing his ear lobe, a common nervous twitch for him.

"You got us Hex Girls Tickets?!" I exclaimed looking closer at the tickets in his hands. They were definitely the real thing, "DUKE! How?!"

Duke laughed before handing both over, "It took a lot of convincing my mom and promises of a very clean house and kitchen, but you were so excited when they announced their tour."

"Dude! They sold out so quickly! And you got two!" I couldn't help my disbelief nor my excitement, I've loved the Hex Girls for as long as I can remember. Plus it's not just them it's a whole plethora of bands that are touring with them. This event is massive.

"Yeah it took a lot and my Dad barely managed to snag these two but they're for you and whoever you choose to take with you," Duke says, handing over both tickets. I look at him dumbfounded.

"Duke," I simply tilted my head at the boy in front of me.

"Yeah Jill?" He asked also tilting his head to mock me, I roll my eyes.

"Who's the one person I'm going to take with me?" I asked and Duke shrugged.

"I don't know, Selina? She's like your mom, you can make it a girl's trip," Duke says looking towards the woman in question who is simply shaking her head with a smile.

"Duke, you're my best friend man. I'm taking you to this concert whether you like it or not, and I know you'll like it," I laughed handing him the other ticket smiling at him. He accepts it back while blushing and looking away sheepishly.

"Like I'd ever choose anyone else before you, come on Duke," I shake my head and roll my eyes at my best friend.

"My present next!" Tim yells while standing up and running over to where his present is sitting next to Selina.

Tim got me a set of really fancy name brand alcohol markers, like the entire set! And! A set of Gauche paints with a set of really nice looking brushes. Selina got me a new silk set since my old one is too small and kinda falling apart, she also got me an eyeshadow palette to start my own collection of makeup and so I stopped stealing hers.

The last gift was another little box, this one slipped open instead of a lid. Inside was a little piece of paper, on it was written 'Coupon for One Shopping Spree!' Underneath the paper was a set of silver cat shaped studs and a slip of paper with a date. I looked up at Selina slightly confused, not really understanding.

"Well Kitten, you tend to wear my jewelry when we go to big events but you can't ever wear the complete set. After that day you can!" Selina explained and everything clicked into place, I got up and gave Selina a long hug as she rested her cheek on my head.

Afterwards we put aside the presents, Selina brought out the cake with the lit candles for Tim to blow out. When she brought in the cookies and cream ice cream it had another set of candles in the shape of a one and a three for me to blow out. We ate ice cream, really good chocolate and cherry cake, and tons of pizza.

Eventually Tim dragged me outside to set up his board and teach him how to do any maintenance even after telling him we'd be doing it together when it needed to be done. Soon the few parents still at the party watched as Tim and his friends took turns sitting on the board and being pushed across the Drake's back patio.

I was sitting with Duke talking about our plans for the Hex Girl's concert. Mostly about what bands we want to see from the pits and which we want to just sit and listen to when Tim comes barreling over towards us. And so too is the gaggle of 10-11 year olds behind him.

"Jillie! Jillie! Can you show us some tricks? I tried explaining some of them to everyone but it's better if they could see them and you said I wasn't allowed to try any just yet!" I looked down at Tim who was holding up his board with a massive smile on his face.

"Come on Jill, do some cool tricks for us," Duke teased while nudging my shoulder, I swayed with the nudge while rolling my eyes and smiling.

"Fine, only because the birthday boy asked," I exclaimed while reaching out for the board and standing up.

I spent the next hour or so, I was mostly just doing Caspers into different tricks and transitions while rolling around. Eventually I started teaching Tim and giving him tips on his form. But for the most part it was just holding up whichever child was on the board and running with them on the board.

Soon the sun set and parents started gathering children to take home. Tim said his goodbyes to Bernard who was the last friend to leave. Duke was the last to leave after we sat and played some Mario Kart with Tim while waiting for Mrs. Thomas to pick him up.

I walked with Duke to the door of Drake Manor and we both stood there for a moment, Tim is helping Selina set up a bed pallet in the living room for me and him to watch movies and sleep on. I look down at my wrist at the bracelet wrap securely around and then glance at the nearly identical one on Duke's wrist.

"Well good bye Jill, I had fun and happy birthday! I'll see you later yeah?" Duke says as he walks out the door but stops to look at me, tilting his head while he smiles.

I take the few steps forward and pull Duke into another hug, the same tightness in my throat and burning behind my eyes returns. I take a deep breath that comes in stuttering and Duke pulls back his face warped in worry and blurred by tears that threaten to fall. I'm trying to say something but all that comes out is a squeezed sob.

"Woah! Hey Jill what's wrong? Are you okay?" Duke immediately frantic, I launch myself forward again and pull him into another hug. He returns the hug his hand gently rubbing the middle of my back.

"Thank you for being my friend," I whisper before pulling back from the hug and laughing at the confused and incredulous look on Duke's face.

"You don't have to thank me for that!?" Duke squawks and I can't help but laugh at the pitch of Duke's voice and the confusion on his face. "Don't laugh at me! I'm being serious here!"

"I know and I know I don't have to thank you for being my friend. I hope you know this," I hold up my wrist that has my bracelet wrapped around it, "Is the best gift I've ever gotten from anyone, Duke. Thank you..."

•°•°•

I don't know what wakes me up exactly, one moment I'm peacefully floating in the dark void of sleep and the next I'm wide awake. Looking around the dark interior of Tim's living room I don't see anything that could have woken me up.

There's a shifting of blankets and fabric behind me as Tim moves, his small frame not doing much to disturb our floor palette. I don't move as I hear Tim fidget and move, seemingly trying to get comfortable before he stops. The room goes quiet again...

"Hey Jill, you awake?" Tim's voice is small and quiet, if I wasn't awake I wouldn't hear it at all.

"Yeah Tim, what's up," I ask as I roll over to face Tim, not really sure what woke both of us so suddenly.

"Can you follow me?" Tim asks as he pushes himself up right and starts crawling out from under the covers.

"Um sure," I answer dumbly as I begin to pull myself out from underneath the covers as well.

Tim moves quickly and quietly, leading us through the maze-like interior of his home. I feel a little silly sneaking around in a baby blue tank top, matching blue sleep pants with duck print and fluffy mis matched socks but Tim's sneaking around in a matching pokemon pajama set so I'm not too worried about it.

Tim leads me past the door that I know leads to his room and further down the hall to the last door. He stops in front and turns around looking at me expectantly, I raise an eyebrow at him shaking my head in a silent question of 'What?'

"Can you get this open?" Tim asked at last, I rolled my eyes and walked towards Tim's room. I quickly come back with two paperclips that I've started to straighten out and bend the wire into my desired shape; a small L, before repeating the process with the other one.

"Yeah, what's inside?" I asked crouching down in front of the door and looking at the lock on the door. I slip the first wire in and immediately find the first tumbler.

"It's my dad's office," Tim says with such a casualty to it, my hands immediately freeze as I hold them both up and turn to stare at Tim.

"Woah! Wait why are we trying to break into your dad's office?" I ask, keeping my voice in a low whisper but making sure Tim knows my hesitation is clear.

"Because," Tim says as he rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Tim, I'll do a lot with very little but this is one of those times I needed a bit more," I say, knowing full and well that Tim knows about mine and Selina's nightly activities.

But breaking into Mr. Drake's office feels a little out of bounds, the man has been nothing but kind to me and I know he's getting better with Tim. He's not a perfect person but he definitely doesn't fall on the list of rich assholes Selina targets.

"I heard my dad having a really weird conversation with a business partner, they were talking about bettering Gotham from higher up and in the shadows. Dad wasn't happy about it and told him to leave, which didn't make sense," Tim explains with a huff, throwing his hands down to his side. He's definitely tired but I'm still confused.

"Why not, was it a bad deal?" I asked, not really understanding much of Mr. Drake's business or work. All I know is he's really rich and owns his own company that Tim will take over one day.

"No it wasn't Jill, it was actually a really good deal for my dad and his company. But whatever that guy offered Dad didn't like, I want to know what so maybe we can help Batman and Robin!" Tim exclaims quietly as he starts bouncing on his toes softly.

"And how do we do that?" I ask as I turn my attention back to the lock before me and immediately get the first tumbler into place.

"Well if I can get you a copy of the papers you can give them to Robin, who'll give them to Batman!" Tim explains and I nod as I have to admit to myself this doesn't seem like a horrible idea. Then a thought creeps into my head.

"Why not tell Selina about this?" I ask just as I get the second tumbler into place.

"Because I want you to help Robin and you can tell her you've got your own Oracle!" Tim explains as he is once again bouncing on his toes.

"Ah! I get it now, Selina wouldn't let you get involved so you came to me," I voice the thought as soon as it formed in my head.

"I mean you run around Gotham's alleys and rooftops with me almost once a week," Tim says crouching down next to me as the third and fourth tumblers slide into place.

"True, alright kid let's get in here." I turn the lock and open the office door before removing the two pieces of wire.

The room is really nice, large windows against the wall across from us. Nice artwork hanging from the walls along with degrees and certificates, to our left is a small seating area with a fireplace and coffee table. To our right is a massive dark wood desk with two chairs in front of it, a really fancy computer sits on top with a massive bookshelf behind the desk.

Tim and I immediately walk towards the desk and bookshelf, the younger boy sits down in front of the computer and turns it on. I start rifling through drawers finding one locked, I point it out to Tim who tells me to wait a minute before picking the lock. Looking over his shoulder I see what he's working on.

Most of the time I see Selina work on the computer stuff, she's definitely not as quick as Tim but in no time there's a small beep and the boy gestures down to the locked drawer. I immediately get to work while Tim starts doing more stuff on the computer, it takes me a bit of time to pick this lock. It's a lot more complicated than the door lock but eventually it opens.

"We should team up more often," I joke as Tim continues to be a little techno wizard.

"Yeah, I think we'd put Selina out of business though if we didn't tell her," Tim giggled and I laughed with him while digging through the drawer. The boy continues his little crusade on the computer.

It's mostly important documents like Tim's birth certificate and house deeds. But I've dug through a lot of rich people's stuff and if there's one thing I know it's that they like to make shit complicated. It started tapping and feeling around for false bottoms or sliding panels. When I reach up to the top of the drawer I find a button and push it.

There's a painting of Janet and Tim that sits directly behind the chair Tim's in, when I press the button the painting slides down revealing a hidden alcove. I immediately jump up and scramble over to the alcove as it finishes revealing itself, Tim walks over as well. We both stare at the contents inside.

There's a strange white half mask, it's very intricate and definitely worth lots of money but something tells me I wouldn't be able to hawk it for the cheapest price. There's a stack of papers underneath the mask that I start reading through, handing the top one to Tim who reads it out loud.

"Beware The Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadow perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send The Talon for your head..."

"Jill this is weird," Tim whispers when he finished reading the poem, but I'm too focused on all the documents I found.

I passed one to Tim and I know he's reading over it, most documents are proposals that I don't really understand. But some have names of companies that I know are rivals to Drake Industries and one keeps coming up... Wayne Enterprises.

I reached for my phone but came back empty handed, thankfully Tim knew what he was leading us into... Sort of, but he has his phone and starts taking pictures of everything including the mask and the poem. I see him attach them all to an email and send it to me before deleting them from his phone.

Immediately I place everything back into the case and in the exact same way we found it with the poem onto of the proposals and the mask on top of that. I find and click the button again before closing the drawer. Tim does some tech wizardry and there's another beep to signal something activating for that drawer.

Then we leave to go back to bed... It was nearly impossible to do so.

April

"And remember once this event is over we're going to immediately have to leave for our flight, you won't be able to contact us once we're in the air. If you need anything contact your mother," Mr. Drake instructs as Dana adjusts the man's tie and hands him a simple mask.

"Yes sir, Mr. Drake. I know, you and new Mrs. Drake enjoy yourself and your honeymoon. I can handle Tim," I say while smiling politely and ruffle Tim's hair, he immediately bats away my hand and I laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll just be at the skate park from sunrise to sunset," Tim laughs rolling his eyes and smiling mischievously at me.

"Tim..." Mr. Drake scolds, tone firm and authoritative. The look on his face makes me twitch a bit nervous, the man has such a harsh glare.

"Yeah, yeah I know. I promise I'll behave," Tim promises, holding his hands up in a mock surrender before smiling at his dad.

"Good son, now we've got to get going. You two don't stay up too late," Mr. Drake says turning around and offering his arm to his wife, she immediately takes it before waving kindly to Tim and me.

I stand there and watch them leave, Tim right beside me the whole time. As soon as we can't see the tail lights of their car Tim is right in front of me, a familiar mischievous glent in his eyes. Immediately I know this kid is about to convince me to do something stupid...

Like letting him go out with me as Stray... Yeah that went over really well with Selina. She wasn't at all happy to learn about Tim and my little escapade across Gotham's rooftops. I'm still working off being grounded and Selina hasn't skimped on using multiple dishes while cooking. Thankfully she has yet to learn about Tim's weekend night photography so that's a win.

"We have to spy on this event," Tim says immediately, I instantly know that I'm going to be in so much trouble if Selina finds out about this one.

"What?! Why?" I ask or rather demand, I have no idea where Tim comes up with the hair brain schemes but I really need to because this is getting out of hand.

"Jill that guy came back to Dad's office and made him another offer before inviting him to this event! This could be more evidence for Batman!" Tim exclaims, he's been hooked on helping Batman find the court of owls since that night on his birthday.

"Then we let Batman know and we leave it alone, Tim. This isn't something we should get involved in more than we already are," I try to dissuade him, knowing very well that it's a futile effort. Tim is so incredibly stubborn I'm surprised the kid hasn't tried becoming Robin at this point.

"Why are you so hesitant every time I bring this Owl stuff up? What's wrong?" Tim asked, looking genuinely upset and frustrated.

"I don't know, I just have this gut feeling that we shouldn't dig too far into this," I sigh it's so hard to explain the feeling I have to Tim, it's just how I feel.

"Yeah yeah, you trust your gut because of Alley kid things. But seriously Jill, I have a feeling Batman may need another set of eyes on the outside for this," Tim says, trying to convince me. He can be so pushy sometimes, I've been told that he got that from his mom but I didn't know Mrs. Janet Drake too well.

"Is this because of your silly theory of Bruce Wayne being Batman? Tim there's no way he's Batman." I roll my eyes at Tim, he refuses to listen to reason of his theory. I've met Mr. Wayne plenty of times, there's no way the man is Batman. Who I've also met plenty of times.

"I'm telling you he is and it kinda does but also it's not like we can ask Selina to help! She's already at the party on the inside, they need eyes on the outside!" Tim exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. Something he only does when really frustrated.

"And you want to be those eyes?" I ask, raising a brow and cocking my hips. Something I learned from Selina, I fold my arms over my chest for extra affect.

"Yes! Come on, this is perfect for the strays to look into!" I feel long sigh, knowing very well that if I don't go with him, Tim will just go by himself.

"Fine, but you have to listen to me this time! No running off like last time, Selina ripped me a new one for letting you come with me," I lecture while pointing my finger at him. Tim does a tiny fist bump and I immediately regret my decision to ever interact with this child.

"Okay I promise, come on let's get changed!" Tim exclaims, running towards his room excitedly.

"Tim, my costume is at home with Selina's," I explain a little confused, I immediately see a familiar mischievous grin on Tim's face.

"Nope! I grabbed it while over at your house when you were feeding Queenie!" Tim yells with a sing song quality to his voice, my shoulders fall and I look up towards the ceiling like it has the answers to all my questions.

"Mother Marry, please help me..." I pray, this kid is going to make me get grey hairs early I can feel it.

We get changed quickly, me in my normal suit and Tim in a similar one but his has dark red instead of dark blue. I've also gotten a few upgrades to my suit and kit thanks to Robin giving me what she call 'old tech'. That really made me wonder what all was in that bright yellow belts all the birds and bats wore. Well not all Nightwing's is black and Batwoman's is red but still!

Thankfully I don't have to worry about slowing down while traversing Gotham because Tim has plenty of experience. At least with the running and jumping, swinging is still something he's getting the hang of but he's been enjoying it so far so I'm not too worried about it. We arrive at city hall in record time and find a nice spot to watch from the skylight.

Everyone is wearing elaborate masks, I can easily spot Selina's and I assume the man next to her is Bruce. It takes me a bit longer but I do eventually spot the Drake's and point them out to Tim when he can't find them. We sit there for about an hour when I finally decided to call it.

"Okay, this is boring and there's literally nothing happening. Come on let's go home T." I move to stand and walk away when Tim's hand reaches out and grabs my wrist.

"Wait look! Those two by the stairs, their mask look!" Tim's pointing and I use that and what he's told me to find the two people he's talking about. A man and a woman wearing solid white masks with a familiar design to the one we saw in Mr. Drake's office.

"Okay, so they're wearing white masks that doesn't mean anything," I mumbled crouching down next to Tim again. Just as I think Tim's about to drop it the two slip out of the main room despite the rest of the building being off limits.

Tim immediately lifts the latch of the window and when I try to grab him, the boy slips away easily and laughs. I try not to clench my jaw too hard as I slip in after Tim. I follow Tim and Tim follows the white masks, who slip into the mayor's office. Slipping closer to the door we watch as the two press a specific set of tiles and a door opens up.

I resign myself to my fate knowing that Tim would demand we follow after them. Moving quickly I push into the room and walk straight to were the two figures disappeared. I lightly tap the side of my goggles and send a silent thank you to Robin as the secret panel lights up. As well as the door.

Wedge my hands between the two sliding doors, they open to reveal a long elevator shaft. I remove my whip from around my waist and use it to wrap around my gloves before using the large cable to slide down. After a few minutes we meet with the elevator cart, Tim spots a massive vent shaft and slips inside before I can stop him. Vent systems are never a good idea, I just know this is about to go horribly wrong.

Resigning myself to whatever fate is at hand I slip in after Tim, we pass by room after room with masked figures and statue busts of old people. Really fancy people shit. As we keep going the rooms become less fancy and more sterile like labs.Tim stops ahead of me and I hear a vent being removed. I try to crawl faster after him but just miss him as he jumps down into a room... And I follow after.

"What the fuck are you doing? We're meant to observe not investigate!" I hiss looking at the room we're currently in, there's tons of chemistry equipment and a dead body locker on the wall.

"We've got to gather evidence, come on. Take pictures of these while I grab some stuff," Tim says waving a hand full of papers before setting them down and walking further down the bench. I heave a deep nervous sigh and wonder over.

I understand nothing of what's on these papers but Tim's confident Batman will so I take as many pictures, front and back, as possible. Tim's slipping little quarked test tubes into my satchel and asking what they're doing to the bodies. We both freeze when the door across from us slides open and two men in white coats and masks walk in.

"RUN!" I scream and reach out, grabbing Tim's hand and pull him after me as I sprint to the door on the opposite side.

Still holding tightly onto Tim we sprint down hall after hall, every one looking the exact same as the last one. Suddenly we turn down a hall and it dead ends, only for an elevator door to open up at the end and two more scientists step out. Making a mad dash I shove the two figures to the side as the doors start to close, I yank Tim in after me and I slam my hand against the panel of the elevator.

The thing lurches and we start moving upwards, I let go of Tim's hand and place both hands on my knees. I reach up and pull of my lower mask and suck in greedy mouth fulls of air, trying desperately to get my heart rate under control. Suddenly the elevator lurches and stops, I stand back up and pull my mask back over my face.

Immediately I grabbed Tim and boost him upwards, the boy quickly gets the idea and opens the top panel and crawls up. I toss up my whip and he secured it to the cable before I climbed up after him, I look up and can see the last door. I turn to Tim instantly.

"Get on my back," I instruct and Tim nods, quickly I crouch down and Tim wraps his arms and legs around my torso. I'm suddenly very grateful for Selina's hours of free climbing training on the most random of surfaces.

The climb is hard, Tim's weight isn't a lot but it's sitting in a weird position so I'm having to adjust on the fly. Each time we get a few more feet I have to will my arms and legs to keep moving, digging my claws deeper and deeper into the metal walls and silently praying that I can just get a little further.

Finally we reached the bottom lip of the elevator and I can stand on the sliver of flooring while prying the doors open. When the doors open I step through and Tim hops of my back. Immediately I recognize where we are; Gotham University's Public Library, I come here all the time with Duke to study.

I take Tim's hand again and start dragging him through the familiar halls, though they're so much more creepy at night in the dark. We reach the central library when Tim pulls me back and we stop. Distantly we can both hear something coming towards us, I let go of Tim's hand and shove him backwards.

Something with glowing yellow eyes come barreling towards me on all fours, I barely managed to roll out of the way but it still caught my leg. Sharp claws dig into my boots and barely scratch my skin. I immediately get back up and grab Tim's hand again.

While running I grab my camera and phone before slipping them into my satchel. We come to a quick stop and I rip my satchel from my shoulders and place it onto Tim's before turning him around and shoving him forwards.

"Run! Go get help!" Tim turns around but I cut him off, "GO! NOW TOMBCAT!"

I don't wait for him to argue, I run in the opposite direction of him making as much noise as possible. I turn around to see the strange yellow eyes running towards me and I turn back to look ahead of me. The creature gains on me quickly but I play keep away well enough, or I thought I did.

I ran in another direction, silently thanking Batgirl for never taking it easy on me when I realized I'd lost track of the weird creature. I quickly move towards the center of the library where all the tables were to hopefully get eyes on the thing again. My heart was beating so loudly in my chest I missed the strange clicking sound above me until it was too late.

Suddenly a black mass of glowing eyes, weird clicking and sharp claws is on top of me, tearing through cloth and flesh in single swipe before claws dig deep into my hip and side. I scream as white hot pain sears through my body, but it's hard to hear as the glass roof above me and the creature shatters. Three black silhouettes descend from the roof, capes flaring out around them.

Batman lands a powerful kick sending the strange creature flying, Batwoman and Nightwing land on either sides of me. Everything is fuzzy like I have cotton in my ears, I'm suddenly being picked up and I can see the bright blue in the shape of a bird. Everything begins to move and I'm being jostled around like someone is running with me.

It's really hard to focus and even harder to breathe, everything is hot and I suddenly feel like I'm going to be sick. I try to ask about Tim but the words come out slurred and mumbled. It becomes really hard to keep my eyes open, the nausea getting worse everytime I'm moved. I close my eyes for a minute.

When I wake up it's in a sort of familiar room. I'm in the batcave again... Right Nightwing was carrying me and I got really nauseous so I closed my eyes. I look down and see Tim laying on my chest and Selina's asleep in a chair. I glance around and spot two sets of white eyes staring from corner, freaking bats. What weirdos.

One steps forwards and I recognize the red and black suit of Batwoman standing at the foor of the bed. Nightwing slinks out after her, the blue of his suit standing out and almost glowing in the dimly lot room.

"Oh good your awake, I'll go get Batman. Nightwing you stay here," Batwoman instructed before walking away.

"What happened?" I asked, gently moving so Tim was laying in a more comfortable position.

"The Talon poisoned you, kid. You're lucky to be alive," Nightwing paused before continuing. "They were both so worried about you, and honestly so were we..."

"Hah, yeah now Selina can kill me instead." I lean back against the pillow behind me and cringe at the flash of pain.

"Jillie?" Tim's voice squeaks out, sleep very clear on his face as he looks up at me.

"Yeah Timmy it's me," I smile and reach down to ruffle the boys hair.

Tim looks like he's about to cry but then launches himself against me, pulling me into an extremely tight hug. I accidentally let out a cry of pain that wakes Selina who also launches herself to pull me into a hug, I hold both of them and try not to wince in pain. I can feel two different damp spots forming on my shirt. Selina pulls back suddenly, tears still in her eyes.

"Don't you ever do that to me again! Do you hear me! I thought I lost you kitten, I thought-" Selina breaks off with a horrible sob, I immediately pull her into a tighter hug. Body and pain be damned, she needs this. I need this...

What the hell did we just stumble into?

June

"Come on Duke we've got to get to the front!" I reach down and lace out fingers together as I pull Duke behind me to get to the front of the pit.

I look up to the stay and see Storm walking closer to the microphone, as soon as the crowd starts jumping I use that to my advantage. With each surge I pull me and Duke closer and closer until finally we're right at center stage. Both our chests pressed against the cement barriers, I cringe a bit at the pain in my hip but I brush it off.

Tonight it's just me and my best friend enjoy amazing music together.I look over at Duke and give him a toothie smile, showing off my new bracelets with pink and black bands. I blush when he squeezes my hand sit intertwined with mine and I ignore how my heart skipped a beat. The concert started and Duke's attention immediately snapped to the stage.

Yeah, tonight is all about me enjoying myself with Duke, that's all...

November

This was such a bad idea! How did I let this happen? How did I let her talk me into this? 'Tabby I need you to pick a lock and stand guard for me!' I could have just told Robin no, but did I. Nooo I've got to have a soft spot for the stupid bird.

"You brood as loud as B does, Tabby," Robin laughs as I click another tumbler into place. Stupid lock, stupid bird, stupid cat...

"Well I'm sorry if I feel a little misguided, when I was told I was picking a lock I didn't think it would one of Penguins!" I hissed as a tumbler falls out and I have to readjust for a third time tonight.

"Oh come on, the two Bats are dealing with Two Face and I didn't want to deal with Nightwing tonight so I found my favorite street cat to help me!" Rodin smiled as she leaned over my shoulder, her curly blonde hair tickling my cheek. I get the lock back to its final tumbler and I take a deep breath.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say Birdie," The last tumbler falls into place and I open the door, "After you m'lady," I say with a bow and I smile at Robin's giggling.

All things considered the whole heist goes off without a hitch. Robin got what she needed, I managed to swipe a few small valuables. We both left with what we needed and had fun taking down a bunch of Penguins goons in the process. We eventually find ourselves on a rooftop near the park.

"We should team up again like that Birdie! That was tons of fun," I laugh as Robin sings her legs of the side of the building.

"Oh absolutely I'd love to do that again Tabby. See you soon okay?" I smile at her before heading out and going back home after what I would consider a wildly successful night!

December

"WILL YOU STOP THAT!" I yell trying to pull my arm away but Batgirl's grip only tightens. She hasn't said anything to me since she literally dragged me out of my bed, I'm still in my pajamas.

Suddenly a duffle bag is being shoved into my arms as well as a backpack that has my Stray suit in it when I open it. Confused I look up at Batgirl who simply signs 'Change Now.' I glance around the empty wearhouse before sighing and accepting whatever fate Batgirl has decided for me.

I slipped into the suit with efficiency but I noticed instantly that this is a new suit. It's definitely heavier with more padding and thicker fabrics, then I quickly open the duffle bag. Inside is all my accoutrement, my hoodie, goggles, mask, gloves, belt, whip, and boots. Except they've all had a noticable Bat upgrade, confused I look up at Batgirl.

"Noir, what's all this? What's going on?" I asked as she just stands there signing 'Finish Up', I sigh and pull on the rest of my equipment.

Batgirl walks over pulling out a small case and holding it out to me, I take it, open it and find a simple black earpiece. Sighing I place the bit of tech into my ear and tap it once like Batgirl instructs me to do. There's a slight buzzing before a multi layered feminine voice begins to speak.

"Hello Stray, my name is Oracle. We need yours and Catwoman's help, Nightwing has already gotten into contact with your mentor but Batgirl needs your help." I nod before coughing and clearing my throat.

"Yeah, sure I can help... What am I helping with?" I asked still a more than a little shell shocked by the sudden upgrade and meet The Oracle... Tim's going to be so jealous when I tell him.

"Batman and Robin have gone missing and we need your help finding them. We know if you meta powers and how you've been training them. I'd like to personally ask for your assistance by lending us your gifts. It's been too long and we're starting to worry." I look to Batgirl who simply nods and I nod with her.

Oracle sends us to their last known location of Batman and Robin, a wearhouse on the edge of the docks that has connections to Black Mask and his gang. Quickly the two of us slip into the wearhouse and begin to look around.

I don't find much of anything that could be of use or that I could use my powers on. Suddenly there's a tap on my shoulder and I turn around to find Batgirl holding something in her hand. Immediately I recognize Robin's headband, though it's cracked like it had been stepped on.

"Will that be enough for you to use your powers Stray?" Oracle's multi feminine voice asked, I don't even know what she looks like but I know both Batgirl and her are desperate and hopeful.

"Yeah, um... Let me sit down for this just in case." I sit down and that off one of my new gloves, I hold out my hand and Batgirl places the piece of green headband into my hand.

I focus on the item, letting the gentle sound of Gotham bay lull me into a daze. There's a buzzing pop and suddenly I look up to see Robin fighting a bunch of men. She's not looking good and one of the men grabs her from behind, another rushes up and punches her in the stomach.

I stand up and walk around looking at every single one of the men with the half skull masks and start giving detailed descriptions out loud. The men keep beating on Robin until she stops struggling and they tie her up. Another man higher up is wearing an all black full skull face mask. Robin says something and a goon punches her causing her headband to fall out. One goons steps on it and laughs.

Suddenly I snap back to the wearhouse with Batgirl standing in front of me. I double check that they heard my descriptions and then begin to relay exactly what happened to Robin and what I saw. Oracle asks questions and I do my best to answer while Batgirl seems to reenact what I told her happened.

"So Black Mask has Robin... Thank you for clarifying things for us. We'll be in contact regarding you helping with your powers again," Oracle states, I turn to say something to Batgirl but she's gone.

"Um... Yeah, I'm happy to help you guys find Robin. She's my friend and if I can help let me or Cat know..."

[robin-evry]

Maybe you could do Dungeon Meshi with Eda like reader? With all curse and rebellion stuff? Though, I do feel like they would hide their curse due to all shame they felt and when they tell the truth they would tell everyone that they "would understand if they want to leave them behind"

OMG, finally a dungeon meshi request. Ask and you shall receive, this eda is before eda makes peace with the owl beast.

𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐃𝐀!𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 🦉🪄

Eda is known as the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. But due to her rebellious nature, she is pretty much an outcast/criminal who has a great number of enemies. Eda makes a living selling human treasures at the markets, and sometimes homemade elixirs and potions. She also happens to be a collector, as she keeps most of her human treasures at home.

( English is not my first language)

The island holds many interesting and powerful individuals. But there was always an elf sorcerer that had usually been talked about around the island.

The elf sorcerer is known for being one of the most powerful mages in the island as well the number one most wanted criminal there.

Even tho eda!reader is a merchant, they travel towards the dungeon for their free time, collecting ancient scrolls to find a cure for their curse, sell or to collect They are able to decipher the ancient text in the dungeon.

During one of these expeditions they met laois party, the party ambushed by a party of monsters and eda!reader save them. As a thank you they offer them some food from the monster

Originally eda!reader was weirded out by this food, but they started to enjoy it.

Eda!reader is also a user of ancient magic much more proficient than marcille, due to exploring the dungeon they manage to enhance their proficient in the magic.

They often give marcille some advice on ancient magic and how to get away with it, hiding the evidence.

Chilchuck originally doesn't trust eda!reader, due to some rumors heard about them, I mean they're the island number one criminal and are hanging out and what if they continue hanging out with them to steal their stuff and leave them stranded.

Even tho most characters look down on Laois, eda!reader can see right through him. Even tho he looks like an idiot as well a weak warrior. Laois is not someone that should be looked down upon. He's very powerful and they respect him for that.

They usually discuss monsters with him and are surprised at his knowledge about them, as well as learning about his sister. Eda!reader said they will try their best to help them if they do have a time of need or they will assist them in their journey as much as they can.

Senshi is by far one of the chilliest people that they ever come across usually people would warn others if they come across them or they will try to arrest them to get the bounty under their head, but no he's just talking to them as if they are just a normal person.

Marcille and chilchuck are by far the most worried about eda!yuu at the beginning, they are a criminal and at the mean time both of them started to warm up to them but never let their guard down.

As for izutsumi, they see eda!reader slyness is not a reason to trust them as well for their sarcastic humor. But there are still some moments of vulnerable moments between. Izutsumi is by far the first person to know about their curse.

By far they keep the secret of their curse hidden from the party. Until one day and they forgot to drink the elixir medicine and turn into their owl beast form.

Originally, the party was unaware about this and was fighting the monster, izutsumi realized that the monster has the same scent as them and asked the team to stop attacking and retreat for sometime.

She explained that the monster was them and they needed to find a way to wake them up. After a lot of brain scrolling they managed to turn eda!reader back to normal.

When they woke up, they thought laois or the party would be disappointed by them. But instead Laois looked at them with admiration saying how cool their beast form was. While the other party doesn't mind as long they are okay and they took their elixir medicine dayle

By seeing this they manage to give an idea towards the party how to save fallin. And Soon eda!reader will start to join their journey more often.

[klinefelterrible]

At The Longbottoms’

Neville: I really enjoy these little meetings of ours

Pansy: oh I so adore them, it’s so nice to have all friends together at once

Harry: thanks for including us, guys

Hermione: I love your house

Draco: I’m so drunk

Blaise: when did you manage to get drunk?

Harry and Pansy: Hermione

Hermione: guilty as charged

Neville: since when are you daydrinking?

Hermione: since Mrs Malfoy invites me over to her for some little-little somethings from her wine cellar

Harry: twice a week

Harry: and then they’re scissoring

Hermione: oh, yes

Draco: which I still haven’t approved yet

Hermione: -pending Draco’s approval of course—

Blaise: did you know that Ronald cannot come when he’s drunk?

Ron: and Blaise cannot get hard-hard

Blaise: that is true

Draco: I bet Pansy and Longbottom don’t have no problems of this sort

Hermione: I think they live an excellent life with at least more than satisfactory sexual relationship

Harry: why not excellent as well?

Hermione: who would call a life without anal sex excellent?

Ron: well I used t—

Draco: shut the fuck up ginger

Blaise: uhm—

Harry: ah, yes—

Draco: sexless life, what a nightmare! Harry and I are fucking since—

Hermione: yes, we know since when

Draco: *stabs her under the table with his high heel*

Hermione: ouch!

Draco: don’t you dare interrupt me, you gorgeous whore

Hermione: but—

Draco: *grabs her by the neck and throws her back*

Draco: we are fucking since—

Ron, Blaise, Hermione, Pansy and Neville: year three

Harry: actually…

Draco: it seemed like eternity

Draco: waiting for you to finally understand my signals and love language

Harry: I fucked his ass in my dreams so many times I really have no idea which time was actually the first real one

Pansy and Hermione: aaaaawwww :3

Ron: that’s sick dude

Blaise: don’t say that, it’s cute

Ron: I mean he was so weird we all thought he was into Cho and then into Hermione and even Luna

Luna: Harry was into-into me?

Harry: yeah I loooove cute petite blonde weirdos with long hair and cute butts

Luna: I thought we were just having it casually

Draco: you had it casually

Draco: as he was, is and will die MINE

Draco: give me a cigarette

Ron: here

Draco: light it for me will ya? I am so pissed

Ron: okay okay

Draco: but anyway why aren’t Pansy and Longbottom having anal? It’s only healthy

Neville: well I uhm-

Pansy: Neville and I, uh-

Draco: basing on their stupid face expressions I think—

Pansy: wh—

Draco: so I think they did it, there was a little poopy catastrophe and-

Draco: look at me, Pansy

Pansy: *avoiding his gaze*

Neville: uhm, I, uh—

Draco: I am guessing two… three weeks ago

Draco: it’s nothing to be ashamed of

Harry: yeah there are spells and potions and

Neville: yes but we wanted to have it naturally and

Pansy: let’s not——

Hermione: you gotta eat more fiber

Blaise: I second that

Ron: we use spells, though

Blaise: but I eat a lot of fiber so the spells act as a double safe

Pansy: uhm

Hermione: I don’t care, my ass is magical

Harry: she has a ring-amulet on her neck since year four

Hermione: and my ass is magical

Luna: how magical?

Hermione: very magical

Pansy: ——talk about it…

Draco: I don’t care

Draco: I need to be fucked so often I really don’t care about that stuff anymore

Harry: the spell is my obligation

Draco: I bet it was the same day they had Narcissa’s cheesecake—

Pansy: —a day after—

Draco: —or a day after

Harry: ahh… the famous Narcissa’s cheesecake

Draco: ruining anal since the dawn of time

Hermione: I love that woman

Hermione: I would literally never stop eating her out

Draco: hey

Draco: is there a way for us to not have this conversation?

Neville: you talk about sucking Harry’s dick all the time

Pansy: and then you just do it

Neville: in front of us!

Draco: would you like me to hide it from you?

Harry: here we go

Draco: do you want me to hide the love I am so gladly giving to him? The-

Pansy: Draco, please

Neville: I didn’t mean anyth—

Draco: it all started with this whore! *pointing at Luna*

Luna: me?

Draco: shit

Draco: wait a minute—

Draco: *pointing at Pansy, shaking head, then at Hermione*

Draco: That whore!

Hermione: ah yes, that is true

Hermione: but today I am here with Luna

Draco: she looks exactly like my mom

Luna: thank you

Draco: does she taste so divinely too?

Harry: now whatever else you say, it’s your fault

Draco: what

Harry: you just called your mom’s cat “divine”

Draco: she gave birth to me

Draco: what else would you call it

Harry: smooth

Neville: jesus christ

Hermione: I am kissing her there exactly because of it

Harry: don’t you start with it now

Harry: not you too I mean—

Ron: I am not surprised

Blaise: and I am having a time of my life

Ron: time of your life like yesterday when we fucked so hard your legs couldn’t stop shaking for an hour?

Blaise: almost like that

Draco: dirty faggot show-offs

Harry: it is almost always exactly the same with them

Neville: how about some popcorn, anyone?

Pansy: we have juice too

Harry: jesus Pansy why did you-

Pansy: wha—

Hermione: I love your mom’s juices

Draco: I once called them home

Draco: my smell is her smell

Hermione: can I smell you now?

Draco: do you want to kiss those babygirl lips?

Luna: so did I just now learned that Draco and Hermione are doing it

Harry: are you okay with it?

Luna: *watching Hermione caressing Draco’s dick under the table* *looking at passionate kisses exchange between them* yeah I’m okay

Harry: it’s a delicate matter to both of them

Luna: I can see that

Harry: and they are both drunk

Luna: yeeah

Blaise: so anyway as far as I know if you guys use a lot of lube and not much of a force, you’ll be okay

Ron: he’s talking about anal

Neville: uhm

Pansy: yes, I know that, Ronald, thank you

Hermione: *passionately kissing Draco’s neck*

Harry: in five, four, three, two, one…

Luna: huh?

Draco: I need to suck a dick right now

Harry: bingo

Draco: any dick

Harry: okay *stands up over him*

Draco: *gets sucked off by Hermione, gives head to Harry*

Neville: and now I am glad my grandmother couldn’t come

Pansy: I think she somehow knew it might happen

Luna: I believe that if you told her that Draco was going to come, she’d just—

Neville: *looking at Draco mouth-fucking Harry* *hearing Hermione’s moans from under the table* I wonder if we could ever have a party without people fucking in front of us

Blaise: *getting slowly fingered by Ron* uhm

Ron: yeah these things just keep happening

Harry: they know you two are petting each other since you came here

Blaise: not since we came!

Blaise: because mister thickfinger is also thickheaded sometimes

Ron: I was eating!

Blaise: You could just eat with one hand

Blaise: or I could be feeding you

Ron: let’s save it for when I’m in my nineties

Harry: *comes*

Draco: *comes*

Hermione: *moans*

Blaise: *moans*

Hermione: *comes*

Blaise: whoa!

Ron: too deep?

Blaise: no, not that

Blaise: she just came from sucking Draco’s dick

Hermione: also Luna was petting me with her foot

Draco: *panting* THAT is sick

Harry: so anyway

Hermione: she has pretty little cutie feets

Draco: give me a break

Hermione: almost as pretty as your m—

Draco: I AM NOT LISTENING TO YOUR SNAKE TONGUE

Draco: you forsaken whore

Hermione: geez I’m sorry I love your mother

Harry: he literally just came in her mouth and now he’s despising it for having an opinion

Pansy: classic Draco

Draco: husband, stop mansplaining everyone

Luna: no, Harry, please go on

Luna: I like the live commentary

Draco: “I like the live commentary” how stupid are you, stupid bitch?

Luna: Draco, you are a magnificent, hypersexual being and I adore every bit of you

Draco: :v

Draco: shit she looks like my mom and I was so mean to her

Neville and Pansy: whoa

Draco: *blush*

Hermione: what’s going on

Harry: it’s the post-coital confusion

Draco: what is what?

Harry: this is adorable

Harry: someone please take a picture I will hang it in my office

Neville: *clicks his smartphone*

Pansy: *clicks her smartphone five times*

Hermione: what is going on

Luna: I think it was nargles

Harry: oh no

Ron: shit

Draco: what the fuck is nargles

Harry: aaand we’re back to square one

Draco: do you have some vodka?

Neville: yes *reaches for a bottle*

Neville: as I was saying, I really enjoy these little meetings of ours

Draco: *takes away the bottle from Neville’s hands and starts chugging*

Draco: *lets out a long, nasty burp*

Pansy: ah yes, the smell of vodka and cum

Pansy: this sooo reminds me of Slytherin dormitory

Ron: or the floor in Viktor Krum’s tent

Hermione: yeah

Ron: he fucked you in the ass, didn’t he

Hermione: yeah and the second he came he literally passed out in the puddle of spilled vodka and his own sperm

Luna: oh! I like this word

Ron: what, sperm?

Blaise: I like Ron’s sperm

Pansy: jesus christ

Pansy: can we stop saying “sperm”?

Harry: here we go

Draco: *during one long burp* spe-eeeeerrrrrrr-mmm

Harry: *tired sigh* happy now?

Luna: *dreamy sigh* yes

Pansy: *sarcastic sigh* yes

Hermione: I-

Harry: please

Hermione: are we supposed to stop talking at all?

Draco: Alas! The stupid whore comes to her senses and finally speaks some wisdom

Hermione: thank you

Draco: anyway let’s finish the subject of Mr and Mrs Longbottom having an-

Neville: I was happy when we didn’t talk for a while

Pansy: I was about to say that

Luna: they are so harmonious and unanimous

Draco: I like her

Draco: she speaks my language

Harry: we all speak your language

Ron: huh?

Draco: you gotta repeat yourself, Potter, because orangutan here didn’t get it

Luna: because he’s red and big?

Draco: because he’s an ape

Blaise: my sex-crazed monkey

Draco: you’re too slim for a gorilla, Zabini

Harry: please don’t

Draco: he’s a-

Harry: don’t be racist

Luna: a lemur!

Draco: what the fuck is a lemur?

Hermione: it’s a—

Draco: shut it

Draco: I think we should go home now

Harry: really? Why do you think so?

Draco: the vibe is off

Harry: you mean you’re drunk, you had sex with a girl and a boy, your mother was mentioned, then the slytherin, there was cum mentioned, Blaise is still fingered by Ron and Luna is most likely fingering Hermione under the table or it’s the other way around or both. Is there anything else here that needs to happen for the meeting to conclude?

Draco: *frowns*

Hermione: uh-oh

Draco: *lets out a long, loud, wet fart*

Draco: I think some of your cum just left my body

Neville: and this one’s on you, Harry

Neville: you shouldn’t have asked that question

Draco: Neville’s got a point

Harry: did you just call him “Neville”?

Draco: isn’t this his name?

Pansy: you always say “Longbottom”

Draco: that’s rubbish

Draco: also there’s cum in my panties

Harry: you are not wearing panties

Draco: shit

Draco: there’s cum in my miniskirt

Harry: I think it’s safe to assume that this chair needs some cleaning

Neville: I was going to throw it away anyway

Draco: let’s go

Pansy: it was a pleasure as always

Draco: of course

Draco: especially for the whore here *points at Hermione*

Harry: thanks, guys

Hermione: I am coming too

Pansy: you mean coming, not coming, right?

Hermione: I mean I AM CO—

Luna: *grabs Hermione’s face*

Pansy: okay I get it

Neville: we can play Wizardopoly some other time

*Ron and Blaise apparate with a loud moan and a bang*

Neville: how about I invite my Grandma now

Pansy: how about you fuck my ass with the spell now

Neville: now?

Pansy: oh yeah

Neville: in front of—

*naked Hermione apparates*

Neville: —Luna?

Luna: don’t mind me, I can be your emotional support

Pansy: uhm—

Luna: I can also go outside and search for nargles

Pansy: oh thanks, they’re becoming a real problem outside

Neville: thank you, Luna! Love you!

Pansy: now where were we?

Neville: …damn

Pansy: what

Neville: I don’t know the spell

Pansy: call Harry

Neville: jesus christ okay

Neville: *unflips phone* hey Harry… tell me the spell

Harry: “fecerectumdisplacenta”

Neville: thanks *flips phone*

Pansy: is it “fecerectumdisplacenta”?

Neville: yes!

Neville: how did you know?

Pansy: Draco had it on his collar back in hogwarts

Neville: that’s really considerate

Pansy: his mom has just arrived one day at Hogwarts and gave it to him, and said that he needs to “know how to take care of shit”

Neville: that woman is…

Neville: all I’m saying it is impossible to not adore her

Pansy: I second that

Pansy: now where were we…

[channieskies]

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕴𝖁: 𝕽𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘

Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader, Jeong(Jung) Jaehyun x Reader (Fem/AFAB/Curvy/Plus sized)

Genre: Smut (eventual), Angst, Supernatural Romance, Urban Fantasy

AU: Supernatural AU, Vampire Au, Werewolf AU, Witch AU

Word count: 6520 [Reading time: 27 Minutes ]

Networks: @neverendingdreams-net & @mirohs-aurora-society

Synopsis: Overwhelmed by all of the revelations you need to take a moment for yourself. You end up having an unfortunate run in with something that goes bump in the night.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve had such a….” He sniffed the air around you, his hands moving to grab the fence behind you, boxing you in, your flesh squeezing through the metal slats of the balustrade . “Such a tasty smelling meal. Even if it smells a little like… mutt.” Your eyes widened as his tongue jutted out past his crusty lips to provide moisture to them. “And all to myself? What a lucky night.” The closer he got the more your body stiffened, despite you telling yourself to move. Run. Do something, anything, just don’t sit there and let this man defile you.

CHAPTER INDEX

A.N: Please reblog and leave a comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to @palindrome969 and @therhythmafterthesummer for reading over this for me. I could never thank you enough. Dividers by @saradika-graphics

Disclaimer: This story does not reflect the real lives or personalities of Stray Kids or NCT. I do not know them personally. This is purely a work of fiction.

Warnings: MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. This chapter contains use of explicit language.

Chris took a few steps towards you, grabbing your hand. “I’ll explain after we hear what your mom has to say.” You wanted to pull away, but you couldn’t move your hand from where your fingers were now entangled. “I promise.” He pulled you with him inside. Most of his roommates had taken places in the kitchen to eat the food your mother had brought home with them in mind. She sat silently in the living room in her usual spot. It was weird to see her in this space without her usual jazz or the tv playing. You don’t think you’ve ever seen her in here without her doing one of the two. Chris sat first, patting the seat with his free hand for you to sit next to him. He wasn’t going to let go, you knew that. He wanted to be supportive, that's how he was showing it. “I’ll tell her after you say what you need to say, ma’am.” She sighed, but nodded, understanding that he needed time to divulge the secrets he’d kept from his close friend since the beginning of their relationship.

“I’ll start by saying, I wanted this curse to end with me. If you didn’t know the truth, maybe you and possibly your future children wouldn't have to bear the burden of the mistakes our ancestors made.” Her eyes focused on where you and Chris’ hands were intertwined as she spoke about future generations. She had always made it known that she hoped the two of you would end up together, but that was somethin for the two of you and possibly fate to decide. She promised not to interfere and she’d done a wonderful job at keeping that promise. Chris’ thumb softly rubbed the back of your hand in soothing circles, helping to abate the sick feeling that was clawing its way up from your stomach. “I know you’ve been told that our family is cursed.” She sighed heavily. “I purposely told Gram and Momma to keep you out of this. But your darn grandmother just wouldn’t let it be. Damn it, Momma.” She leaned back in her chair. “Before our family came to this country, we were practitioners of witchcraft. It’s something that can be traced back thousands of years for us. From our motherland to now, we have been hereditary witches. Each woman of this family is gifted with a sort of magic, one that through practice can be honed and used to aid the passing of this curse. Mine is plant based magic. I’m a hedge witch. I make my own special kind of magic with healing potions and plants.” She waved her hands showing all of the rich greenery she had in the house. You’d grown up with these plants all of your life, you’d never thought that it had to do with witchcraft.

“Your grandmother was into divinity, her mother was a gray witch, hence all the runes around the house. She protected a lot of good people and good energies with her spells and had a strong sense of justice. There is a long list of what the mothers before me were and what they did with their gifts, but we only need to focus on one. Inés.” You hadn’t heard that name before, your great-grandmother used to tell you many stories before she passed. Most were stories of the women before her in the family, but not once had she mentioned Inés. But then again, maybe your young mind had mistaken her name. You could have sworn your grandmother often cursed the name Enid, but with her strong Louisiana drawl.. Absolutely anything was possible. Come to think about it, she did stretch the name out in a very odd way. “Inés was a powerful woman. Powerful, especially considering where she came from and the fact that she was a woman. She was also powerful in the sense that she had multiple disciplines. She could commune with the dead as a hedge rider, doing so beyond the veil as we call it, the veil between the human world and the afterlife. She also had brushes of divinity. She was also the first green witch of our family.” 

Chris shifted in his space, releasing your hand in the process. Just enough for him to wrap an arm around you and pull you into his side. You instantly relaxed, between his scent, which you always found solace in, and the warmth of his embrace, you were swept into peak comfortability. “She’d made a name for herself in the years she lived in Cuba. Though she was supposed to keep a low profile, being that she wasn’t supposed to be an independent or free woman, not there and definitely not here in this country. Nor in that time period. She was eventually captured, she could see everyone's future but her own, sadly. She was sold back into servitude, giving divine counsel to the second in command to the Count of Ricla, in Havana. The aid to the count became so powerful that he was able to quickly move up in his position by helping to fortify Cuba against the British invasion. He was sent to another Spanish colony to do the same thing he was successful at in Cuba. Which of course he succeeded in, he had the most powerful witch by his side.”

She took a sip from her drink then continued, “Once he was back in Cuba, he married. Reluctantly, upon his betrothal, he had to acquiesce his maid to his wife. At first he was doing well, they had sent him here to Louisiana, to re-establish Spanish control after the rebellion as governor. He thought he could do it on his own, but his ideas weren’t making the leeway that an idea from Inés would. He started to resent the fact that she spent most of his time with his wife instead of him. He wanted her solely for himself. Her time became his, he even moved her from the maid chambers into a guest room, gave her the finest of linen, and even her own maid. His wife wasn’t stupid, she knew there had to be more to the story than just her husband being drunk with power not that he was leader of a state. She started to speculate that Inés had put a spell on him, like she was told witches did. So she sought out her own person with magikal inclinations. Inés had a twin, just like I did. One that was just as strong as her sister, but in her own right. She could see past the veil as well, but her best skill was based in gray magic. His wife wanted to rid herself of the problem that Inés had become. So she had her family send over her sister Maria, to take care of the problem. Saying that she would give her freedom papers, since because of Inés, the governor had granted slaves the ability to purchase their own freedom in the colony. With the promise of freedom, money and a new life, Maria agreed to get rid of her twin.” 

Your grandmother had told you how rare twins were in your family, saying that there was once a pair, and that they were part of the downfall of your family. Your mother and aunt were the only twins in the family in over two hundred years.  Now knowing that Maria vowed to get rid of Inés, you wondered if that tradition unwittingly continued with your mom and aunt. Your aunt died of natural causes in the early nineties, it had nothing to do with your mother, but it could have had everything to do with the twins that cursed your family. 

Knowing that one twin survived while the other perished, that is too eerily similar for your liking. “But all of this needed to be done before the governor returned to Spain. So the governess and Maria put their plan into action, to make sure that the governor had no indication that Inés was gone and replaced with Maria. It took months for them to hatch their plan. Poison, paired with a curse, that should be Inés’ undoing. Maria couldn’t kill her sister bare handed, she wasn’t a savage. But using magic against her sister, that she could do.” Your mother shook her head, “This was her family she was thinking of killing. Whenever you do magic you have to have a clear head and heart. Maria did not. Guilt, that's what she felt when she saw her sister that night. She led her away from the party the governor planned as his farewell party, he was returning to Spain in a different capacity from being the governor that he was here. Maria lured Inés away, just showing her face in this party was enough to make her twin chase after her. She led her to a secluded area that the governess had designated. Inés knew there was something up, how else would her sister be able to escape and leave the island? She asked if they could talk about it, but Maria was resolute. She wanted her freedom, just like the freedom her sister once acquired. See, Maria held a grudge against her sister for leaving her to rot on the sugarcane plantation. If she was able to get out, she could have saved her too. But her selfishness left Maria to mourn the younger sister she has once cared so deeply for. In her eyes, this was already justified, her sister was already dead in her eyes. But at the same time, as she stared at the face she shared, all she could think about was how close they once were. How it broke her heart when she found out that Inés had escaped the plantation. Maria was punished for her sister's actions, tortured and beaten badly. But there was still a part of her that wanted them to run away from all of this together. Be free together. Inés asked if Maria had made up her mind and she nodded in turn. Maria approached her sister, ready to relay her plan of how they could just leave together, but Inés felt threatened.” You felt a shiver run down your spin, curling your body even more into Christopher for warmth.

“A curse left her lips before Maria could even get her words out, her sister's fingers twisting around her wrist to initiate contact. ‘O se kwe pe se,’ Inés could see the betrayal in her sister's eyes as she recited the incantation for a slow and painful death. The curse of death. It took physical contact and strong magic for the spell to work, and Inés had both. Maria froze in place, her hands reaching to her to touch her sister's face for what might be the last time. Tears brimmed her eyes, knowing what would slowly come to be. But she wasn’t going down alone, even if she wanted to spare her sister the pain of death, she decided to do something just as bad. With conviction, she spoke to her sister, ‘My dear sister, may your lineage be cursed with being a help to those you have hurt and scorned with your execrable wickedness, may they be burdened with the care of others until they become the things you hate. Bound and rooted to this very township you hold so dear, anyone who leaves shall be smited by the strength of our ancestors and sent to their fiery death.’ She spit on the ground right next to her sister's feet. 

Now, Inés didn’t think much of the silly little curse, what damage could a dying witch really cause, right? She assumed her sister's identity and sat with her until she struggled to take her last breath. She and the governess had some butlers to burn the body. Inés watched her sister's body become blackened ash and her spirit escape into the full moonlit night sky. She was now free from being hunted by her sister, free from the chains she was once bound by, but there was this feeling looming over her. I think the damage her and her sister caused the family didn’t set in until she had her first child, a daughter. Even though she tried to have more, it was just miscarriage after miscarriage, stillborn after stillborn. Each one nearly takes her life, each one stripping away her mental fortitude. She was free now, yes, but she was still bound to the curse her sister's last words cast upon her. Even trying to reverse another witches curse was impossible, especially if it was their dying words. For every generation after Inés would be bound to this city, taking care of the magickal creatures that inhabit it. If they need the healing hand of a witch, we are bound to take care of them. I can travel, because I use my skills to help wherever I go. Traveling for a few days seems to be fine. But leaving for more than a week has been deemed as deadly. That’s how my sister…..” 

She looked down at her lap, “I thought I could end it with me, to stop this curse from spreading further down our family tree, but I guess that the purchase that Maria’s words have on this family will be unending until someone breaks the curse. Now that you have used your hands to heal, you are now the bearer of our curse, my love. The curse I wanted to spend the rest of my life trying to hide you from.” You sat up, moving away from Chris, you needed a moment to yourself with your thoughts. “I thought that with your father’s family ties to hoodooism, that maybe the magic in his blood could help to end the curse. But I fear it wasn’t enough. I’m sorry.” You were trying desperately to unpack everything that your mother said to you. There was a curse on your family going back over two-hundred years, that would have to be broken by becoming what Inés hated the most? And all the stories that your grand and great-grandmother told you as a child were all true. So the oldest of the two wasn’t senile like you’d been led to believe. Not only was she in her right mind, she had been trying to prepare you for the things you’d inevitably have to face in the future. She taught you little charms and incantations that you took as prayers, but now understand that they were spells. 

You were a witch who was a descendant of witches. Cursed witches at that. “So every little ghost or spooky story your grandmother told you as a child was true. Vampires, werewolves, they are all real. Along with a plethora of other magical entities, that I will tell you about some other time. I can see this is going to take some time for you to process, so, I’m going to check up on Jeongin.” She stood and moved to stand in front of you, she grabbed your chin, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “I love you, so very much. I only hid our lineage in an attempt to spare you from a life of servitude. I’m sincerely so sorry, my love.” She rubbed your cheek with her thumb before her gaze fixed on Christoper who sat rigidly in the corner of the couch. “Your turn, lover boy.” She patted the curly tuft of hair on top of his head, then made her way to your room to check up on the alarmingly fast healing boy.

Silence overtook the room. Chris sucked in a deep breath as he rubbed his presumably sweaty hands on his jeans. You finally had a moment to take in what he had on, dark washed jeans and a cardigan with nothing under it. He was dressed for a date. The date he had planned with you. But life sucked and it liked to play with people and their emotions. “I guess it’s my turn to tell you the truth.” He sounded nervous. Voice shaky, clenching and unclenching his jaw. “I can also heal fast like Jeongin.” That was all he said at first, as if he was trying to formulate the right way to tell you what he needed. “Do you trust me?” He reached for your hand and you let him take it. You nodded, not able to verbalize the words with all the bombshells that had already been dropped on you. “I’ve been keeping something from you for a while now. When I… when I’d finally found the courage to tell you, you had started dating your last ex and the next thing I knew, you were gone.” You gave him an apologetic smile and he shook his head. “I still should have tried to tell you. I was just afraid that you’d never talk to me again if I told you the truth.” He swallowed hard, “I’m… God, how do I say this without scaring you off?” He chuckled anxiously.

“Chris, just say it-”

You both talked at the same time, his words covering yours as you trailed off. “It’s hard for me to say this, since I’ve always been afraid you’d turn your back on me. I’m one of the magical creatures your mother mentioned…... The boys are my pack. We are a pack… of werewolves.” The first few words were covered up by your own, but you most definitely caught the end. A werewolf? You chuckled, this had to be a joke right? There was nothing that could convince you that Christopher was anything other than a regular human, His roommates though? Definitely suspicious. Your mind traveled to the encounter you had with the oversized pierced wolf you’d seen around his house a few days ago. Now it made sense, it was one of them. Given the amount of ear piercing it was either Felix or Hyunjin, and you were putting your money on Hyunjin. You didn’t want to know who the scary one that came out of the treeline was. Just thinking about the way it looked sent chills down your spine. 

“Just like you, it’s in my blood. Everyone in my family is- well, minus cousin Gary, he’s the only one in a very long line that isn’t.” You’d met his cousin Gary and as hairy as that man was, you were shocked he wasn’t just like the rest of them, if they were in fact werewolves. This was information overload and it felt like a cruel joke at this point. Your life wasn’t the best, but knowing that all of it was a lie was taking its toll on your mental state. You needed to clear your head and process everything that had been revealed over the last hour. “I wanted to tell you, I really did. But it’s forbidden for us to share our status with humans.” He chewed on his lip, “It wasn’t until I met your mom that I found out what you really are. She told me not to tell you, so she could keep her secret intact. I’m sorry, Y/N.” You understood, you really did. He was doing what he could to help your mom and keep the rules in place. But this was still a lot, especially in the time span.

“I understand.” You nodded, rising to your feet. “I think…” You paused, looking in his eyes just to look away. “I need to get some fresh air.” He got up, and you shook your head. “Alone, Chris.” You could see the apprehension on his face, his protective nature kicking in. “I’ll take my mace.” He still looked at you like a kicked puppy, like he didn’t want you to venture out into the night without him being around to protect you. “I’ll be fine, Chris. Don’t worry. I’ll call you if anything comes up.” He nodded reluctantly. You needed to get out of there. All that information was starting to suffocate you. You grabbed your keys with your bear mace on the chain, and headed out into the night air. He followed behind you, but didn’t go any further than the first step off the porch. You took off in whatever direction your feet took you, you didn’t care about where you ended up, just as long as you got away from that house and all of the prevaricators that were currently inhabiting it.

You walked for what seemed like hours. From Uptown to West Riverside, back up through East Riverside through Touro to the Garden District. Your legs burned, your body wasn’t used to all of this activity. It'd been less than a year since you’d left this city and your body was suffering from not being as active as you once were. You spotted a stone and iron fence and took a seat on the protruding stone part. You rubbed your thighs, trying your best to make sure they wouldn’t cramp up on you. Your mind drifted back to everything that's happened over the course of this long ass week. Evicted, forced to turn tail and go back home, kissed your best friend, had weird flashbacks with a cute doctor you’d met for the first time, got scared by a cat that walked to see if you were okay, found out you’re a witch and your best friend is a werewolf. You scoffed, shaking your head. This was right out of some young adult fiction book, if anyone asked you. You had ticked off all the boxes to make this a bestseller, at that. But you’d much rather be the protagonist's best friend that had no idea any of this was taking place and had little to no problems and not the actual star of the stupid story. You leaned your back against the cold iron of the fence, closing your eyes briefly. Even though you had convinced yourself you were done running, the prospect of getting away from it all did sound awfully tempting. That was until you remembered that you’d probably simultaneously combust if you ever left the city for good. 

“What is a pretty lady like you doing out at this time of night? Alone?” Your eyes snapped open upon hearing the gravelly voice. You were greeted by a man who looked like every physical description of a pervert possible. Greasy hair, weasley face, slender frame, draped in an all too big trench coat. He smelled like death warmed over with a hint of ‘he might be an alcoholic,’ to top it all off.

You sighed, not wanting to deal with the late night weirdos that loved to traverse during the light night hours. “Dude, respectfully…. Fuck off.” Your patience was really wearing thin and you didn’t try to hide your annoyance like you usually would. Your world had been blown up and you didn’t need for some unhygienic deviant to make it any worse. He laughed, the sound of his demented and high pitched cackle bouncing off the space around you, making you feel a bit of unease. His eyes flickered a glowing silver color for a brief moment and if you hadn’t been so wide eyed and afraid, you would have thought your eyes were playing tricks on you. “Seriously, leave me alone. I have fucking mace and I will use it on your weird ass.” You lifted the bear mace and undid the safety. He stepped close so quickly that it made you jump. How did he move from where he was that quick? He reached his hand out towards your face, you could see the dirt and a deep rusty color under his nails. You smacked his hand away, making him retaliate by pushing you forcefully back against the iron and brick. That was definitely going to leave a bruise.  The amber streetlight above your head gives a better glimpse of his appearance up close. There was something smeared on his cheek and sprayed all over his jacket. Was that… blood?

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve had such a….” He sniffed the air around you, his hands moving to grab the fence behind you, boxing you in, your flesh squeezing through the metal slats of the balustrade . “Such a tasty smelling meal. Even if it smells a little like… mutt.” Your eyes widened as his tongue jutted out past his crusty lips to provide moisture to them. “And all to myself? What a lucky night.” The closer he got the more your body stiffened, despite you telling yourself to move. Run. Do something, anything, just don’t sit there and let this man defile you. You shut your eyes tightly, and closed your mouth, placing your free hand over it and your nose as you lifted the mace and sprayed indiscriminately. He hissed and moved away, giving you enough space to take off running. With your eyes still closed and hand still over your mouth, you fled down the familiar streets. You hoped nothing had changed over the last year, or else you’d be in deep shit. 

A blood curdling scream followed you as you rounded the corner. You could feel the hairs on the back of your neck standup. Your adrenaline was racing, heart pumping, you could hear your loud footsteps as you powered your way through the pain coursing through your body. You couldn’t scream out for help, who could help save you from a vampire? You couldn’t multi-task that well, so pulling out your phone when there was clear and present danger following you was also a no go. You didn’t dare look back, you knew that would slow you down. But you wanted to know if you had gotten away. With a swift turn of your head, you saw how close he had gotten. He was so close that if he reached out, the tips of his fingers would touch you. There was a glint of hunger and amusement in his eyes. He was playing with you, his food.

When you turned your head to look in front of you, you bumped right into something or someone. The force was enough to knock you and them to the ground, but you didn’t fall. A cold hand grabbed at your bicep, swiftly tugging you behind them. “Ahh, you caught my prey.” The guy who was hot on your tail slurred out. “Give her to me.” He cackled, rubbing his gross hands together. The person who you ran into didn’t say a word, but kept a tight grip on your arm. “Give her to me!” The man yelled and it caused you to cower. You’d never been so afraid in your life. You closed your eyes, trying to calm your nerves. “She’s mine ! I found her first!” He was throwing a tantrum, a grown man. He grabbed at your alleged savior, who didn’t budge when the man's hands came in contact with his dress shirt. “You can’t have her! She’s mine!” He shook the man, who finally let your arm go. Your savior's eyes connected with yours, that familiar warmth you’d met earlier. Your eyes danced over his sharp but kind features, illuminated by the soft house lights in the distance. He gave you the faintest smile, trying his best to reassure you without using his words.

“Leave her.” Dr. Jay’s voice was cold as he spoke with an authoritative tone to the man. It was now your pursuers time to cower. He let go of his shirt and shrunk to his knees, whimpering. “Go, or I’ll have no choice but to take your miserable life.” His voice was deep and unwavering as he spoke. “Now!” His voice only rose a slight bit, but it sent shockwaves towards the man. He fell back on his butt, but quickly corrected himself and ran off in the direction of where you’d come from. Your heart was thumping in your throat and ears, you had cold beads of sweat all over your body and you felt faint. Just as your legs were about to give out, he caught you in his arms. The last thing you saw before slipping into unconsciousness was his concerned eyes.

You felt warm, secure, like you were at home, tucked away under the covers of your bed. Has this horrible night all been some type of nightmare? Had you fallen asleep while waiting for Chris to show up for your date? You sure hoped so. You really didn’t want to have to add being chased by a vampire as his prospective meal was something you wanted to add to your list of bullshit. Your eyes fluttered open, only to be greeted by the mismatched eyes of Socks. “She refused to leave the room when I asked her to.” His deep voice carried from somewhere in the corner. The room was dark except for the light coming from the fireplace. “She usually doesn’t warm up to people very quickly. But, she’s really fond of you. ” He stood to his feet, and slowly made his way over towards you, the closer he got, the more you could see of him. He’d changed out the dress shirt he had on earlier and was now clad in a crimson robe with gold embroidery. It looked like it was made from the finest materials, expensive, and old. “How are you feeling?” He came to your side, kneeling next to where you lay. He placed a cold hand to your forehead to feel if you were feverish.

“I.. I’m fine.” Socks jumped down off of you and made her way to a cat bed that was near the fireplace. “How long was I out?” He didn’t tear his eyes away from yours, as if reading your thoughts to make sure you were fine and not lying.

“Four and a half hours. It’s three fifteen.” He must have been really good at keeping time, since he didn’t even bother to look at a clock or his phone. “I let your mom know that I found you. I left out the part about you being chased, as to not cause her any alarm. She knows you are in good hands.” He stood and you sat up, realizing you were in a bed. Your eyes floated around, taking in what you could make out about the room. The walls were either dark gray or black, the four post bed had part of the curtains closed, you assumed for privacy. There was a tall fake archway behind the bed, with a warm orange glow that emanated from it. The room was gothic, but in a modern way. It played with both styles really well. Clearly you needed to be chased by a blood sucker to be in this plush of a bed, because there was no way you could afford this on your own. The plethora of pillows alone would probably bankrupt you. “Here, drink this.” He handed you a glass filled with cool water, “I’m sure you must be thirsty.” You took it with no hesitation, and swallowed down the liquid. You were parched. Between the hour long walk and running for your life, you were sure you were dealing with the repercussions of it all. You’d had a wild night, and it wasn’t in the type of way you wanted to be wild, either. You were gulping the cool liquid down, you had to look absolutely crazy in his eyes, but you didn’t care. He chuckled, eyes shimmering with mirth, “Slow down, you can always get more.” He lifted the condensation speckled pitcher for you to see. “Anything you need to help you get better, I’ll get it for you if I don’t have it.” You paused your drinking. Kindness was a rare find these days, so his words made you feel a tad bit suspicious.

“Why?” You asked bluntly, words tumbling past your lips before you had to assess if you should ask them or not. “I mean, you saved my life by chasing that guy off. Then you carried me… here… which I assume is your home. You have no reason to continue to care for me…. So.. why?” His eyes searched yours as if he was looking for the answer for himself. He shrugged, putting the  pitcher back down on the bedside table.

“Kindness is free, Y/N. Or- at least it should be. What kind of doctor would I be if I didn’t help someone I saw that was clearly in need of aid? That’d make me a pretty shitty one, no?” He smiled, more to himself than anything, deep dimples now on full display. “Plus. your mom scares me. I don’t think it would be wise to test her when it comes to her precious daughter. I’d like to keep whatever extremities she’d threaten to cut off.” Has your mom threatened this man before? You wouldn’t put it past her, honestly. After the ex who’d gotten you pregnant ran off, she tracked down his family and ever so nicely threated to fuck all of their shit up if he did at least show up to at least one doctors appointment. In the end, he didn’t need to, you miscarried at twenty-two weeks anyway. “So, rest up. I'll drive you home in the morning.” He got up and started for the door, “Do you have any allergies or food you don't like to eat for breakfast?” This felt like the first time anyone had asked you that. He was offering breakfast? Clearly his kindness was free, because most guys wouldn't even attempt breakfast if they knew they weren't getting anything out of it. You shook your head as an answer. “Are you… down for anything in that case?” That could have been interpreted in several ways, but you'd take the innocent route since he was such a nice guy. You were slow to nod, contemplating whether to give him a verbal answer or not. “Good…” He pushed the door open and stepped into the hall, “I sincerely hope you get a good night's sleep. Wouldn't want your mom to worry and wonder why I brought you back with bags under your eyes.” He smirked, “Goodnight, Y/N.” 

With a soft click of the door, he was gone, leaving you to your own devices. You searched your person for your phone, finding it in your back pocket, crushed and cracked. Even when you tried to turn it on, absolutely nothing happened. You being pushed hard against the fencing around that house clearly did more damage than just a few bruises. You sighed heavily. This day was the absolute worst. You forced your eyes shut, trying your best to sleep off whatever dog shit you’d stepped in to make this day unfold the way it did. But sleep evaded you like a man hopping states to get away from paying child support. You spent the night tossing and turning, staring at the beautifully ornate tray ceilings of this bedroom. There were gold little details that you figured out after staring for so long, were intricately drawn stars. Everyone you could see in the dimly lit room was different. You wondered if any of the other rooms in this house were decorated to such an extent. You were tempted to do a self guided house tour, but something in you prevented you from budging from the spot you were in. You tried your best to forget the night's events, hoping that with the nearing daybreak you'd find this to all be a dream.

But even as the shadows were chased by the light of dawn, your mind stayed in a state of unrest. You were a witch, one bound to this city by a generational curse. Your best friend was a werewolf and his roommates were his pack. You were nearly killed by a vampire and were saved by your mom's boss, of all people. No wonder you couldn’t rest, that was a lot to unpack, even as someone who lived through it. You pushed back the covers, slipping your legs from underneath the warmth of the comforter. Your feet were met by plush slippers, instead of the cool wood of the floor. Socks peeked her head from underneath the bed, then her little white paws stretched out as well. She must have slept under the bed instead of in her comfortable little bed by the fireplace. “Good morning, Socks. I hope at least you slept well.” 

She crawled her way out from under the bed and looked back at you as if she wanted you to follow her. You slipped your feet in the slippers and followed closely behind her. She tapped the door with her head and moved back so you could open it. The hall was dark, pitch black almost. It was almost like the sun wasn’t up quiet yet, or like it was setting instead. She pranced quickly down the hall and you followed behind quickly, not wanting to lose her in the inkiness of it all. You could still see the little patches of white as you left the room, but the further down the hallway you went, the more the absence of light spread. You lost her a brief second, but she meowed, calling you in her direction. Buy how you wished you had your phone so you could use your flashlight. “Here?” You asked her, squinting your eyes in the darkness. From what you could make out, it looked like a wall. Just a wainscotting and wallpaper covered, everyday wall. She meowed again. She either thought you were moving too slow or she sensed your confusion. “There's nothing there-” You stopped mid sentence as you brushed your fingers over the wall in front of you. It pushed open with a soft click

If you thought you were confused before, you were ten times as confused now. You pushed the trick door open ever further, watching her little white paws prance into the dimly lit room. “Wait, Socks-” You chased her past the threshold, just to be stopped in your tracks as you entered a bedroom. There were candles lit all over the room in varying sizes. The wallpaper was blood red, the wainscotting black, a large portrait of Dr. Jay was over the mantle of the unlit fireplace. The room looked empty, which should have been a fire hazard, considering all the lit candles. Socks jumped on the large four post bed in the middle of the room. It was similar to the one you’d slept- well, laid in the night before. But there was a glaring difference. Instead of the flowy sheer curtains that framed the beautiful bed, this one had thick, heavy drapery around it, all in black. Just like yesterday at the hospital, your feet started moving on their own. Even if somewhere deep down inside you were a little curious to know what Socks had pulled you in here for, something in your mind told you this was an intrusion into Dr. Jay's privacy. But you couldn’t stop yourself, your feet had literally taken on a mind of their own, pulling you towards the bed against your own will. You could always use the excuse that Socks led you here, if you were caught. Your body stopped as the toes of your slippers hit the bottom of the wooden frame that surrounded the bed. There Socks was, cuddled up next to her papa who seemed to be out cold. His hands formed an ‘x’ over his chest, his body straight and pointing towards the sky. This man absolutely had to be a serial killer, because who else slept like they were dead in a casket with no covers over their body? You know, besides the stereotypical vampires they have in those stupid teen movies? He looked peaceful though, like he lived a life without worry or strife. You wished you knew how that felt, but you were sure that wasn’t an option for someone like you. 

You cleared your throat to announce yourself. But he didn’t budge, not an inch. He was sleeping like the dead, as your grandmother would often say. You sighed, opting to reach out and lightly shake him, just for your hand to be illuminated by this strange pearlescent blue glow. You pulled your hand back, afraid of what might happen to it if you kept it there too long. For all you knew, it could burst into flames or something. But once again, curiosity got the better of you. You reached out again, fingers brushing against the cool blue light. You looked around to see where it was coming from, but there was no apparent source of light. You stepped back, away from bed. Checking under it, just to be intercepted by an ornate base side panel. Just where the fuck was this light coming from. You grabbed a post to help you stand to your feet, and that's when you noticed it. The fine, yet tiny runes embroidered onto tapestry draped over the bed. It reminded you of all the little ensigns your great-grandmother left around the house. You were so busy taking in the portiere that you didn’t notice Dr. Jay rising from his deep slumber. “I guess Socks has taken more than just a liking to you if she led you in here.” He spoke softly so as not to startle you, but it did anyway. You jumped, clasping a hand over your fast beating heart. “Sorry- I didn’t mean to startle you. Quite the opposite, really.” He sighed. “Could you, hand me my glasses, they are on the side table?” You were still trying to calm your nerves after being scared half to death by the owner of the very bed you were hovering next to, but you nodded, reaching over to grab his glasses. You picked them up and passed them to him, almost forgetting about the strange blue glow that encapsulated your arm every time you reached into the chamber of his bed.

His face contorted, and since you didn’t know him, you couldn’t tell what it meant. He hummed and nodded, taking the glasses from your hands and putting them on his face. “Ah, so you are a witch.” It was your turn to make a face. You took a step back, unsure how he came to that conclusion. “He waved a hand around, gesturing to the canopy of his bed, “Your grand- no, great-grandmother made this tapestry for me. That's probably the only reason you can reach your hand in here at all. Because it’s meant to ward off any supernatural being, especially those with ill intentions.”  He threw his legs off the side of the bed and stood to his feet, slowly sauntering towards you with each word. “She helped me when I was plagued by the memories of my…. Long life. I couldn’t sleep, everytime I did manage to fall into slumber, past memories would replay in my head like I was a bystander. I couldn’t do anything but watch the tragedies of my existence replay in full detail. So, I sought out the most powerful witch in the city. She was easy to find, her house is like a beacon, calling to all the occult seeking help.” 

You were backing away with each step he took towards you, his deep voice carving its way into your brain, trying its best to lull you into a false sense of security. You didn’t know this man, despite him saving your life, having a very curious cat that wouldn’t leave you alone, and being your mom’s boss. You couldn’t trust him, despite what your mind was yelling for you to do. “She sewed this by hand for me and used blood magic to enchant it. Since she used her own blood, and you are a direct descendant of hers, you can come and go freely from my bed chamber.” You did not like the way that sounded coming from his lips, not one bit. Why was that his choice of words? He could have just said “she did some magic mumbo jumbo and your blood is hers.” That probably would have made you feel a bit more at ease than you were right now.

“From your bed chamber…” He hummed again, just as the back of your knees hit a chair in the corner, successfully making you sit, despite you wanting to run. His eyes flashed black past his glasses, making you gasp. He chuckled, lips curling up at the sides. That's when you noticed his fangs, they weren’t there before, were they? He grabbed your wrist softly, dragging his nose along the vein in it. You couldn’t move, your body wouldn’t allow you too. Your mind was still trying to convince you that this was fine. Everything was fine, despite you once again being in clear and present danger. What the fuck was with your luck since you came back to this cursed ass city? He took a pass at the skin with his fangs, like he wanted to sink his teeth into you, but wouldn’t. At least that's what you hoped. “Please don’t… hurt me.” Even with his irises being pitch black, you could still see his eyes twinkle with mirth. 

“Oh… I would never.” He pressed the softest kiss to your wrist, still keeping eye contact with you. “But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t care to taste you.” You were sure your heart stopped beating at that moment. Guess you could add your mom’s boss to the list of revelations of the night. He was a blood sucking vampire, and in this moment he wanted to taste you.

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© ✐Channieskies 『MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. Please leave a like, comment, and reblog if you enjoyed this story.』

[anonym-potato]

Nein Again - 2x14 "Fleeting Memories"

Boy, it feels like I was making one of these just yesterday...Last time, the Nein acquired a strange and powerful magical artifact they do not understand, and then had a fight because who needs trusted allies when you've got duplicitous fellow thieves? Then a cat called Molly the wrong name. Wonder what that's about. Spoilers ahoy!

Opening on a Mercer Wheeze is a good sign

And Ashley's back! Double good sign!

I rate this Sam Riegel D&D Beyond ad a 9/10. Ashley does deserve a party every time she comes back. Why did they never do this again.

Oh wait no the silly string gave them too much power. That's why.

Oh no the criminals have guns Percy what did you do.

Molly's little giggle when Yasha appears out of nowhere is hysterical.

You can hear Matt make the decision not to give The Gentleman an accent as he says his first few lines.

Who's the weird creepy hanging guy. Matthew who is that.

I love how Beau plays their knowledge of how to get into the Evening Nip to the Gentleman.

Blood magic is so cool I gotta play a Blood Hunter some time.

The Gentleman being sweaty is just one of those things where Matt really could've avoided it if he'd thought about the phrasing for two more seconds.

I love Fjord's audacity here. This is Uk'otoa foreshadowing somehow.

And Nott and the Gentleman's audacity with that whole acid game. So much BDE in this tavern tonight.

Yasha why do I feel like if you got your blood back you would try to put it back inside you somehow.

An abandoned mad science lab is a phenomenal setting for a dungeon crawl.

I don't know what's funnier - Fjord suggesting Molly can turn water into wine, or Molly actually trying it to be sure.

You know Nott's making a good point Ashley has terrible timing

Liam what the hell is a 'GWAR babe'? Am I too young for this?

Even the professional criminals are racists

Matt's Jester accent is extra Russian.

If I could draw I'd be making fanart of Laura in bed on the other end of a tin can telephone to give Jester directives.

That "no-eye-dear" joke is a civil offense Sam Riegel.

...Okay but what are the Quebec laws that serve as obstacles to giveaways. I'm curious now.

I respect Molly's desire to not learn who he used to be but seriously could not be me.

Molly this group is made of sharp objects, have you seen Beau?

Liam's Jester Body Language is vaguely reminding me of KP Hob. It's very Cheerful Creature.

I love that "I left every town better than I found it" is Molly being dismissive and neglecting responsibility. I love that it's not sincere and that Beau takes it seriously. The way that the group in general and her specifically prop him up is so...real. And painful.

Oooooh and I'm just now realizing Beau's issue with the fortune telling is because of her dad.

Poor Nott just wants to know if Yasha will eat her.

Okay why does everyone think Caleb was the one Molly was talking about. Even my asexual self can see he clearly wanted to jump Fjord's bones.

COMPREHENSIVE EPISODE WSR: Fjord has now attuned to the Waste Hunter Blade as his Pact Weapon. The group has returned to the Invulnerable Vagrant again - Molly has bought two Vials of Holy Water, which he distributes to Beau and Nott, and Fjord has purchased a nice practical Cloak of Protection.

Caleb and Yasha's whole Bit with the throwing stars is delightful. This is the seed of a beautiful friendship.

I bet Dweez and Otis are related. Just 'cause.

Everyone immediately jumping into Beauyasha-themed Kiss The Girl is so funny.

In Conclusion: I remember almost nothing about this dungeon/arc so I have no prescient jokes to make.

[slaygentford]

General

Name: Mona de Riva

Alias: Rook, girl in the portrait, "trouble"

Gender: woman

Age: 23 at the start of veilguard

Place of Birth: Antiva

Spoken Languages: Every single one of them. part of her crow training was learning every single one of them. she was essentially created in a lab by the crows to be the perfect courtesan assassin

Sexual Orientation: "Straight" ie comp-hetero'd and deeply traumatized

Occupation: assassin initially but now that she's burned treviso to the ground and blighted it she's going to be facing some employment problems sooner rather than later

Favorites

Color: pre-neve, big on black. post-neve, big on green

Entertainment: something weird like practicing calligraphy. HATES the harp. don't ask.

Pastime: spent a lot of her time sitting for paintings in a very long con delegated to the de rivas by the dellamortes to kill one of antiva's most celebrated artists, which led to the most commonly reprinted painting in treviso -- the portrait of the girl from the slight 3/4 angle that we see in the game. she never really had a pastime outside of that bc of the sheer length of the contract -- lasting from ages 19-22 -- and the fact that the crows dictated her every waking minute growing up.

Food: loves a bloody steak. just absolutely loves to stab a knife into a rare steak

Drink: water honestly. meh on coffee culture. doesn't drink alcohol -- it's just another poison

Books: sick of being a well-read courtesan; doesn't read again for fun until she meets neve and bel and starts getting begrudgingly invested in dock town serials

Have They…

Passed University: essentially yes, under crow tutelage. with a heavy focus on the arts, and also murder

Had Sex: unfortunately!

Had Sex in Public: probably

Gotten Tattoos: no

Gotten Piercings: yes -- lobes

Gotten Scars: oh has she ever. the celebrated painter who was her contract found out she was a crow; unfortunately, he was a mage, and he attacked her in bed and flayed about 20% of her body including her face, neck, torso, right arm, and right leg with his magic, leaving her blind in one eye and living with chronic pain and numbness 👍 forever. and yes she finished the contract by smashing his head in with his own staff. neve is the first person she's ever known who understands what it means to have a disability in this line of work/as a woman/as a result of trauma

Had a Broken Heart: yes, when she realized that even teia was not going to save her from viago's training, or from being delegated a contract by house dellamorte

Been in Love: never before veilguard, and then neve, who saw her in an impossible light, rendered even more beautiful by her beholder and so forth.

Are They…

A cuddler: no. sleeps flat on her back with her arms crossed like a feratu.

Scared easily: would say no, but the truth is that she just has a way of instantly converting fear to rage

Jealous easily: no -- except of lucanis in particular, who she thinks has never had to work a day in his life. at least, not work like she has, because nobody hates women like the crows do. secretly sympathizes with illario, though she finds him fundamentally pathetic for not successfully killing lucanis. not on her watch! she's doing her part!

Trustworthy: ABSOLUTELY not. made revenge (against the crows for the life they forced on her) into her legal middle name. kept sending lucanis on suicide missions with a sick sense of satisfaction until it finally stuck. taash died bc rook was more worried about house dellamorte burning than her own team surviving.

Family

Siblings: none

Parents: both human, she presumes they sold her to the crows for one corn chip. and honestly they probably did do that.

Children: no -- and I don't think she can have them actually, I think viago made the call to take care of that given her specialty

Pets: not yet, but in her future she will be an aunt to a nug bel rescues and brings everywhere.

[estrellita-wrights]

MATCHUP TRADES!!!!!

Hey my beautiful bestie😍 GOT U SUM INFO ✨

Kana She/Her

NO CHARACTER: Ortho, Riddle, Kalim, Rook, Vil, Lilia

Other characters see me as: Introverted, Average, gets whipped into things without wanting to get whipped into them (somehow sorts things out despite having a near break-down themselves?), weak, and some (namely Octavinelle and Savannaclaw) probably pathetic

How I see myself: Introverted, sad but trying my best, kind, pretty unmotivated (what did u expect, no talent, no magic, no understanding of academics in TWST, surrounded by people THOUSANDS of times smarter than me, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO.)

How do I meet new people: If by chance I have to talk with someone for a project or a special event, and I resonate with them, I’ll become friends with them! I open up easily. But yeah, unless I’m feeling extra social that day (which does happen sometimes), they needa come up to me.

Head or heart: I usually follow my head more, and my heart follows my head too which is also really bad (I have depression mwahahaha).

Sense of Humor: Quirky, Reddit, Instagram humor. I know, heinous. I laugh at regular humour too but this gets me.

Temperament: Short but wont show it. I can get angry easily, but I’m pretty good at keeping it to myself.

Likes and Dislikes:

Likes: Writing/Journaling

Philosophy/Ways of Living

People who understand me (or at least try without being disrespectful)

Hot Guys (C’mon, who doesn’t?)

Dislikes:

People who give unwanted advice for things they know nothing about. Ex. Depression? Just get the heck up and do what you wanna do! Can’t let that stop you.

Sitting in my bed all day (hate it, but cant help it)

Rude people and Not understanding people (kinda ties into the first one.)

Hobbies: Writing/Journaling (Obvi) Reading/Watching Psychological Shows (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, LAND OF THE LUSTROUS)

Love Language: Physical Affection, Quality time (Just sitting together, acknowledging and being safe in each other's presence is enough for me too).

Appearance: Not tiktok/Insta pretty, SHORT, but honestly, pretty average. I love wearing jeans and cute shirts.

Anecdotes: I once stopped writing for a whole year and then got back into it because I wanted to write but I was too critical of my work to.

My type: Quirky, Kind, Weird but not the weird typa weird, just unconventional. Supportive, UNDERSTANDING

Preferred Dates: Picnic dates, Quiet Dates, Game/Movie Dates, Anything that isn’t too public.

Kins: Shinji

Music Taste: Literally everything except country and even then there are exceptions.

HELLO BESTIE!!

Your twst match is...

🛡️Silver Vanrouge🛡️

🛡️Silver would probably see you as who you are, a kind-hearted individual

🛡️One of Silver's known weakness in TWST is seeing the best in everyone he meets! How is that a weakness? Well, he misunderstands the motivations of others and immediately assumes it's good. However, in the case of Kana, who doesn't see the beauty in her heart that I see in you (my love/platonic), Silver would show you how amazing you are. And he would do it completely sincere.

🛡️How did you two meet? Well, dear Kana, you are a kind-hearted individual. You did him some kindness, of what I'll let you decide, and he became eternally grateful. Perhaps that kindness you have only done on a whim, and you are shocked when a pretty boy with hair that shines like the finest silk and eyes that rival the Aurora Borealis, approach you. He smiles at you with the prettiest smile known to man, and your heart skipped a beat. He was eternally grateful of what you did, though you've forgotten it already. And this starts the odd, but wholesome relationship between you and Silver.

🛡️in short, he approached you.

🛡️ Silver would listen to your rambles, not fully understanding them but happy he's there (though his face doesn't really show it). Whether you vent about something bad that happened or you're rambling about something you like, Silver would listen to you with full interest and care. He'd nod every now and then too, to show that he's listening.

🛡️Anime dates!! Silver doesn't watch anime much (but his papa loves it), but he's willing to give it a try. You'd probably ramble about this and that after every episode, and Silver would listen. He doesn't say it, but he enjoys your rambles just as much (if not more than) the episodes you watch. If you apologize for rambling, he'll explain how much he enjoys it, since it shows your love and interest in the piece. Also, Silver wouldn't emote much while you binge-watch the series, so you might think he doesn't enjoy it, but actually he gets really invested and might even make a shrine for his favorite character (and he's not ashamed of it too)

🛡️Some days, you both just chill under a tree. Y'all just holding hands, resting peacefully together.

🛡️Picnic dates with the prettiest boy alive!! He makes you some delicious snacks, and placed a flower in a vase in the middle of the picnic blanket. You both just chat about your day, when suddenly, you see a deer approach Silver. It starts nuzzling him on the cheek, and Silver talks to it for a bit. It's like seeing a fairytale princess, especially with the flower crown oh his head (from his animal friends). Did I forget to mention that BIRDS came up to you and Silver and placed FLOWER CROWNS on you!? Yep. Silver's definitely a romantic.

🛡️He tries to be understanding on your bad days, just staying by your side and making you some soup. He doesn't give any unwanted advice nor does he try to cheer you up with a joke. He's just there for you, and he always will be, or at least for as long as you want him.

🛡️Did I mention he could sing!? His voice is like an angel, as enchanting as a siren. Also his little animal friends play instruments while he sings. He once played the opening theme to an MMORPG that Lilia liked to play, so you can bet he'd play your fav song (with accompaniment by woodland creatures)

🛡️Also the animals are non-negotiable. Silver is Silver, so he'd definitely attract animals no matter where he is. He'd also befriend them, and let them have some of his food, and you'll definitely see him surrounded by cute little birds on a daily. If you're a fan of woodland creatures, dating Silver would be heaven. He'll even ask the deer (politely) if you could pet him!

Yeah that's it! Hope you enjoyed!