#but what does aesther mean??

[gay-salt-amber]

Can I ask for a fic of Venti telling Aesther and Xiao his past?

The moon hung high in the sky as the Anemo trio walked into Aether's home in the Serenitea pot, Aether was currently carrying a drunk Venti on his back while Xiao held open the doors, got some water for Venti and put some fresh sheets on their bed. Venti was happily humming a few classic tavern tunes and Aether was jokingly singing along with him. Xiao was clearly tired but tried to play along a little to make his lovers happy.

Aether plopped Venti down onto the bed, Venti giggled,

“Cmon! Join me! I want cuddles!”

Aether happily joined but Xiao was a little more hesitant, “My lord…-” Xiao's hesitancy was cut off by Venti pulling him happily, “That's better! My lovers in my arms~”

Venti laughed and Aether sighed and said, “Baby, you need to get some sleep.”

Venti yawned, “I suppose my dear traveler is right…”

Venti was out like a light which got a chuckle from the Yaksha, “He…falls asleep really easily…”

Aether kissed Xiao and Venti's heads, “Yeah, he does, doesn't he? He's so cute~”

Xiao nodded, “Mhm…I suppose we should go to sleep too, dear.”

The blonde agreed, unbraiding his hair, “Good night, my dear Yaksha. Sleep well.”

Xiao blushed and said, “Good night to you too.”

.

.

.

Venti groaned on the couch, his head throbbing, “Ugh…I’ve never been this hungover…”

Xiao laughed, “Baby, remember the end of the archon war? It took a week for you to get sober enough to even play your lyre.”

Venti sighed, “I suppose that is true~ But I was so young then! I could stomach 80 glasses of wine and not vomit a drop afterward!”

Aether raised an eyebrow, “How old were you when the archon war ended, Venti?”

Venti looked at Xiao for an answer, The Adeptus smirked and said, “I don't keep track of your age for you, that's all on you, love.”

“Rude!” The bard pouted and started counting on his fingers, “Uhh…100?”

“Really? I guess you’re right, that is quite young for an archon like you.” Aether winked, “And I doubt you aged a day~” The anemo archon blushed, “I- uhm….you flatter me, traveler ~”

Xiao kissed his cheek, “But he's not exaggerating, you look just as pretty now as the first day I met you.”

Venti laughed, “You two are so sweet to me!”

Aether put a hand on Venti's head, “How's your head? Does it still hurt as bad as this morning?”

He shook his head, “No, it's gotten better since I have you two lovely boys taking care of me!”

“We’re your boyfriends, after all, it's our job to take care of you.” Xiao pointed out

.

.

.

.

“Wait, that's a normal thing? I thought partners being so caring was a thing only in fiction books…”

Aether blinked, “Pardon?”

Aether and Xiao shared a look of concern over Venti's words, “What do you mean?”

Venti shrugged, playing with his braids, “I mean, sure, I’ve seen that stuff around mondstadt but I thought that was something just did in public to make themselves look like the perfect couple...”

“Venti, have you not been in a relationship before you dated us?” Xiao asked

The man shook his head, “No, it made me feel…weird at first, I mean, I love you two, I really do, but I'm still not used to all this affection yet.”

Aether smiled softly and said, “Hey, that's alright. Me and Xiao have never been in a relationship either, we’re all learning and doing our best, you’re not alone in that.”

Venti smiled, hugging the two of them, “I sound like such a dork complaining about something like that, sorry.”

Xiao scattered kisses all over Venti's face, “Don’t say that. It’s ok.” Xiaos have never been the best at comforting, but he's trying his best.

The Traveller then got up and said, “I’m going to go make lunch, I’m assuming you want pasta, Venti?” Aether knew Venti would want pasta and sweet apple cider, it was what he always wanted after a night of heavy drinking at the Angels Share

Venti nodded, laying on Xiao's shoulder.

Xiao said into Venti's ear, “I'm…really happy for how far you’ve come with understanding love and being in a relationship, we’ve all had a hard time with it but you and Aether have all stayed positive through the whole thing, it's like you’re rays of sunshine.”

Venti laughed, “Hehe~ is that why you always call me your angel and Aether your sunshine?”

Xiao's cheek became the color of cherries, “I-I suppose so…”

The bard kissed him, “Thank you. I'm proud of you too, not only have you improved physically, I can tell your mental health has improved, having someone to talk to about your problems and having a support system helps so much.”

Xiao nodded, laying into Venti's arms, “And it's all thanks to you and Aether, you two saved me from that turmoil.”

Aether called from the kitchen, “VENTI! WHERE DID THE APPLES GO?!”

The bard whispered a quiet, “Oh dear…”

Xiao laughed, calling back to Aether, “There are some fresh ones ready to be harvested outside! I can take Venti to pick some!”

Venti's face beamed at the mention of picking apples, Venti went and put on his sweater and ran outside to their garden with Xiao in tow, “Slow down, angel!”

Venti smiled, his white, feathered wings out of their hidden sheaths, he was flying to the top of the apple tree, basket in hand, and picking them happily, “Xiao! Toss me another basket!” He called out

Xiao was hesitant at first, too flustered at the sight of Venti's gorgeous, angelic wings but eventually, he pulled himself together enough to give his archon the basket,

The home was filled with praise for each other that day, blush covered all three of the anemo user's cheeks that day and their hearts were filled with love. They were happy, they were content and they were learning together. Love is such a magical thing and it was magic they all learned through trial and error, it wasn't the smoothest romance ever written but, it wasn't all fiction like Venti thought, it was real and he loved this reality.

[sscarred-starss]

this literally triggered me to front so im here to answer ALLLLLl your questions. pls note im not canon so like. this may be wrong according to canon. but ill answer how my life is!!!!

I have absolutely no idea for a lot of this. i know there are some people in the agency who can help me regrow them faster if i need to for missions or whatever, but nowadays if i lose a feather it takes about 3-5 days for it to come back fully, and one day after its fully grown back to actually be able to be used (controlled, used as a sort of katana, etc.) I think it was coded into my dna since my dad has wings too? but im not sure about that. idk abt a lot of stuff before like,,, 19, bc memory loss and ~traumaaaa~ !! but yesi think. and my feathers do molt and regrow like regular feathers, and they get brighter (like, the red gets prettier) during the spring :3. they're also sorta like a cut in the way of like, yk how your skin always dies and falls off, but it does that more when u get a cut? its like that!!! they have a regular cycle of falling off and growing back (I have to preen or some will get stuck and I cant fly right). but that also gave me a fucked up version of a skin picking disorder in middleschool, and so like, (I lost my thought) yeah.

also yes!!! my body creates SOOOOO much more keratin than the regular human body so i have to cut my hair and nails SUPER often. i have a super fast metabolism and i do eat a LOT more protien than at least the people around me (who are all human with either no quirk or a quirk that doesnt effect the way they eat or what they eat. (Toya, Julie (Jesus intrj.) Aesther (deer boy) etc.) I eat chicken like its my last meal. i have no idea how or why but i can like, harden my wings (sorta like Kirishima's quirk!) to use the big ones similar to katanas, and the smaller ones are super soft to the touch but while im fighting or training they sort of unconsciously harden (I think this may be due to the way I was trained as a kid,,, my mind just sort of turns off and goes into fight-mode in those times) but I think its possible for me to consciously harden them! I used to, as a kid, and I used them as quills when I didnt have pens for homework. I think even when the feathers are soft they're pretty durable.

my bone structure is def effected!!! my shoulders are 'double jointed' but not in the way that normally means. the joint where my arm is has a joint right below it where my wing connects! my shoulder-blades are weirdly shaped but its been like 2 years since i had an x-ray that i looked at. and i think in canon i was born with my wings, but in my memories i wasnt! atttt... around i think it was maybe 2-3, maybe a little older, my wings started growing in. i dont remember much of my childhood but i remember it being HELLISHLY painful. they started as two little baseball sized lumps on my back, they were all red and hurt, i couldnt sleep in any way but on my stomach with my arms straight at my side. then after a month the skin 'broke' sorta and my little wings popped out (we sorta just found it one morning when my mother looked at my back to check on it, they were maybe 4-6 cm (1.5-2.3 in.) long when they came out? and they grew rlly rlly quick for about a year after that, then they just slowly grew with my body till I was around 17 and they stopped getting bigger when I stopped getting taller. it hurt like hell tho, would not recommend.

had to pause to eat some dumplings.

I did have to learn, I couldn't actually fly till I was maybe 9... but I was able to control my feathers from the day I was able to control my wings - such as flapping or flexing them, when that started being able to happen I was able to move my feathers enough to pick small toys up or poke my mom when I wanted food (she hated it).

I sleep on my stomach almost always, or my side! I am able to sleep on my back but it pulls on my back joints (of my wings) in a way I rlly dont like. I rarely actually sit on couches/chairs or like, beds, i usually lay on my stomach when im working in bed too. only time ill be on my back is to cuddle Toya ngl. its not uncomfortable if i do it right, like if i prop a pillow up behind my back between my wings itll make it easier to lay on my back without discomfort. they're pretty heavy... but also light, if that makes sense? but also yeah they totally get sore after holding them up all day, even if i dont fly almost at all the whole day. at around 20:00-21:00 I'll start dragging my wings on the ground and need to put a lil thing around me (kinda like a belt??) to hold em up. its sorta like. one of those binders ppl who get top surgery get afterwards, but much looser, just to keep my wings up so my feathers dont get damaged by the ground. i can still consciously hold them up but its hard, especially when im tired. 100% hurts my back to carry them all day, hurts worse on days that I train cuz working them makes them soso tired. but it also hurts if i dont use them at all (flying, stretching etc.) cuz my back muscles get all tight. they are SUPER sensitive, bc of the feathers. like, ive had to tell ppl multiple times pls pls pls dont touch my wings cuz when im not being aware of the fact i need to be tough it gets me all 0////0 HOH. especially close to my back (like 40 cm (15.7 inches) from where flesh meets feather) is SO sensitive i dont let anybody touch there ever. i can dm u more detail abt that and a couple other things that im not comfortable telling mystery tumblr users who will probably see this.

fire: no more feather

but WATER. I can handle water. light rains slows me down a little but if its anything more than that its possible i cant fly more than a few meters without eating shit. and uuhhhh i think thats it!!!

its totally ok not to be normal about quirks there was a while where we werent either (we have notebooks like Deku's /srs)

hi hello i saw you were talking to us about quirks and science and stuff.

what do u think about my quirk?

-Keigo (Hawks)

OMG YES OFC

I actually have so many questions about your quirk it's not even funny

One, how are you able to regrow feathers? It's not in human biology to regrow feathers (as we don't have any), so was it coded into your dna before you were born? Or was there a dna change? And even if it is in your dna to regrow feathers, does it also grow according to bird molting schedule? Like do you regularly molt? And also, how does the regrowing actually work? Because I know you can fully regrow your feathers in about 4 days, but how does that impact you on a daily basis? Is it a constant thing, where you're constantly making and getting new feathers? Or does it happen sort of like a cut on a body would, where it only happens when you need it?

More on the feather thing, feathers are made of keratin, which is made from proteins. Do you have to eat an abnormal amount of protein to maintain your feathers? And do your hair and nails grow quicker because they're also made of keratin? Or the opposite--do they grow slower because your body is putting more keratin towards your wings?

Also, how can do you strengthen your feathers, and how are they so strong? I know they're really strong and durable, but do they come like that or do you change the properties of your feathers as you need? Also, what would they be made out of? Is it keratin as well? Or another substance?

Two, how is your bone and muscle structure affected? I can't find if you were born with your wings or not, but I have questions for both:

First, if you were born with your wings, how did that work? Were you able to fly right away? Or was it more of a baby bird situation where you had to build up the muscle? And how would that tie into how strong your feathers are?

Second, if you weren't, was it painful to grow your wings? I imagine it would be, because your bone and muscle structure would be changing, but I'm also wondering how fast it was. Was it an instantaneous, one second you don't have wings the next second you do situation? Or was it a gradual change, over a few months?

Three, just daily life questions. How do you sleep? Can you sleep on your back with your wings? Is it comfortable to lay on your wings? Are your wings heavy at all, and if they are, does it hurt your back to carry them all the time? Are your wings sensitive? I know you can feel vibrations through the air when you release your feathers, does that tie into just daily life too? Plus, can your feathers feel pain? Like if someone were to stab a feather, would you feel it? What about if it happened away from your body? How do you put shirts on with your wings? How are you able to telekinetically control individual feathers? Is it hard? Do your feathers follow deliberate commands, or is it sort of whatever your brain thinks first? I know you have a weakness to fire, what about water? Does it weigh down your wings at all?

I'm so normal about quirks I promise

[iknewyouweretroublegoatremix]

tagged by @henrycavilsgf thank you so much <3

rules: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag four+ people

AIR

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch small animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love dimly lit diners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love the chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AESTHER

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

tagging @13-taylor-swift @taysthings @delicate-13 @willowswift @picturetayburn @ofdeepfears

[schreeuwekster]

Probably gonna be kicking a hornets nest, BUT

Can the Americans reading Drac Daily please and kindly stop making the Harkers black?

Yes, I know they are supposed to be darker haired. Yes, I know Mina is the aestheric foil of Lucy. NO THAT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE POC.

If you've read a significant amount of victorian and Edwardian literature, you'll notice a trend. The trend being that the English come in 2 varieties: fair and dark. What they mean is blonde/blue or green eyed, maybe a bit ginger. Not too much or you'll become Irish. And brunette with brown or hazel eyes. Their complexion is still white. Dark is really only to be interpreted in the context of "so white they may glow in the dark" being the normal. Dark being, you know, the white complexion of the French or Italian at most.

Victorian England. Native English people in general. Do not compare to the racial make up of the US. Kindly stop superimposing (modern) US standards onto (historical) Europe.

[galvanizedfriend]

I finished the chapter and surprise! I did cry! I was on my way to give you a comment but I decided that first I will congratulate you for this amazing story! Is crazy to me that this story is more than 300k words, girl, it doesn't feel like it! Al least to me! Cause that probably caused you a lot of headaches lol.

First of all, again, this is not the end but I need to congratulate you for finishing this arc. I will say, there was this fear on my reading the chapters cause I'm always questioning if you are going to delete it or not (this was before I knew that you finished the story) so to finally being here reading this chapter that is the closure to that acr makes me speechless.

I enjoyed the chapter really bad, the last part killed me (I don't want to give spoilers cause people need to read it like NOW!), I was all tears and the way you connected the next arc, I'm impressed. Once I told you that I was really excited to see the mystic falls gang and I can't wait for it! Especially with this last chapter. Don't think I'm ready for the angst tought lol.

Again, CONGRATULATIONS! You managed to prove me how an incredible and passionate author you are and I cannot be more proud to have you as my favorite fic writer ever! Thank u so much! And since I'm cover in tears and it's not even the finally yet I'm thinking I might die when that days comes. I need the next chapter but I won't be mad if we wait our usual 15 days cause girl, I NEED TO RECOVER FROM THIS! Thank u for causing me all these beautiful feelings, thank u for all these tears I'm currently having while writing this, and thank u for this story. Can believe there's only 9 chapters left! 😭

It's amazing how you can make me experience all this with this fic. I will always be grateful that I found The Wolf and that I found you. It's that literal, you don't have an idea of ​​how I'm feeling right now, probably because I don't know how to express myself well. But I haven't stopped crying and crying since I read the chapter, this story means more to me than I ever imagined possible and I don't know, this certainly feels like the season finale of a show and it's killing me! I knew we weren't going to have this fic for forever, but lord, realizing that this is a thing is breaking me! 😭😭😭

I've already told you this, but ❤️❤️❤️! I do not know what to say! You're just so incredibly kind and always so supportive! This is truly an exchange, because the kind of sweet messages you've sent me throughout this entire story and the lovely aestheric you made truly make my day, so the fact that my fic will offer you some gratification is really all that I could hope for. :)

I always feel sorry that a chapter makes someone cry, but at the same time that's such an amazing compliment! It means the stuff I wrote has truly touched you and I can hardly believe that. I have felt that way so many times about so many fics, and I'm constantly fangirling over the stories that I love, so when someone does the same to mine it's almost surreal. My first instinct is always to say STOP IT I DON'T DESERVE THIS! But I'm trying to be kinder on myself and just feel happy and flattered with that kind of response, so THANK YOU SO MUCH! ❤️

And lol I know a lot of people were constantly afraid I would delete it, and I can't blame them. 😂 That is the name I have made for myself and I have to own up to it. Tbh, I had many moments when I almost ALMOST gave up. But the support I was getting and going back to read old comments in older chapters made me relax and keep going. Hopefully, things will get better until the end. I'm very excited for the Mystic Falls arc. There will be angst, of course, but there will also be many things I think people were really waiting to see. Not to mention Klaus and Caroline have a lot to figure out. lol And they will!

Again, thank you so so much for this really sweet message! And what are you talking about, you express yourself perfectly! ❤️ But do not worry, you can switch to Spanish any time! :)

[wodrueckts]

hiiii! 19 and 32 for the druck asks

hiii, thanks for asking me something

19. favourite aesthetic shot?

i don’t really have an eye for this kinda thing but this was the first thing that came to mind. just looks so nice and cozy (does that even count as an aestheric shot? do i even really know what that means? idkidk)

32. character who deserved better?

well, amira definitely deserved better aka a whole season to herself. 

but in-story… hm, that’s difficult bc i think i think most characters ended the last season on a pretty good note and in a pretty good place so idk if i can say they deserved better… though they all deserved better at SOME point because they all went through some shit but they also all overcame it… leave it to me to completely overthink the quesion lmao.

i’m just gonna say alex because he came all the way from london to berlin, was ready to change his plans for the future, just to get dumped. that’s kinda rough lol.

[thesickbcy]

💛

💛- A memory that makes them feel angry

“What… what did you just say?”

Fae’s standing in the office of none other than the Reverend himself, face busted up and knuckles raw. He just got back from the job that was supposed to set in stone the hierarchy of his future. He spent months hunting down this high-end target, spent the past hour finally beating him to death for being stupid enough to show his face in a club, and now the Reverend has the audacity to call him up for a meeting and tell him…

It was staged?

“The fuck do you mean it was staged?”

The Reverend sits deep in the large office chair behind his large office desk in his large business office far, far away from his large church. Hands crossed, fingers knit together - he looks just about as holy as he does behind the podium, although this time it’s not his sheep he’s preaching to. Sharp shoulders (softened only slightly by the fancy drapes over his cassock) seem relaxed despite the aggression sent his way. Aesther has no intention of giving in, either: he’s used to Fae’s sharp tongue and mean attitude. It’s how he survives out there on the streets, dealing with lost souls and stray sheep. Nasty business, that. Not that the king pin would know exactly, but he was somewhere similar once (and never would be again). He understands.

“I needed to make sure you’d do anything I asked you too, no matter how long it took or how bloody it got.” Aesther’s voice is unrelenting, even when calm and gentle. “As my heir, you’re going to have to deal with things you won’t want to do, but you’ll have to do. No matter what your opinion on me or my orders are, you have to do as I say. You’ll also be leading a sophistocated group of smart individuals who won’t throw their loyalty to just anyone. I needed to make sure you’d be willing to go the extra mile for me and our men. To see if you could gain their trust enough to make this work out. And, as usual, you did not disappoint, Kairos.”

“Didn’t I already prove that with the, what, hundred or so years I’ve already served?”

“Well, let’s just say now it’s officially on record. It only took you a year to get everyone’s trust, yet you’ve been spending the years prior doing… whatever it was you do. Jumping off buildings, flipping my cops the bird, acting like a child. You’re not just a kid anymore though, are you? Now you’re an adult - one who can finally pull his own weight in this family. It’s about time.”

The smug look on his superior’s face is enough to get Fae’s blood boiling. He clenches his fists tight, angry that this man had the audacity to once more lead him on and string him out like some kind of cat, but the pain in his split magic causes his fingers to relax. Of course he would. Of course it was fake. The Reverend just needed more reason to make a fool of him, as if waiting until his dying breath to force a deal wasn’t humiliating enough.

For once, Fae has no words.

“Congratulations, my boy! You’ve successfully proven yourself capable of growing a pair and running a business like mine. You’ve led my men through a year-long stake out and not lost a single soldier. This is even better than I could have imagined. You’re really quite the leader, Fae, whether or not you think you are.”

There’s no paper making it official, no celebration or ceremony to congratulate him on straining his mind and resources to the brink. Just him, the guards at each of the doors behind and to the right of Fae, and the Reverend. Fae has half a mind to throw himself out of the windows behind his father just to stick it to him, but there’s no point. He’s finally worked himself hard enough to get the recognition he deserved. He’s not going to waste it.

But there’s something in Aesther’s eyes that tells him there’s something on his mind he has yet to say. What, does he want Fae to call him on it? The Reverend pulls out a bag of dust and a pipe from his desk and takes his time lighting it, focused momentarily on the glass in front of him before inhaling deep. The smell from the smoke’s rich and pungent; that must’ve been the purest Dust Fae had ever seen. He didn’t even know it came that pure, especially given the way magic sparked and glittered as the powder in the pipe burned. God damn.

“There’ll be a more official ceremony later. You’ll get your just desserts then. The whole flock will attend just to pay their respects. Should be quite a good haul; several of our boys would give their right leg if we asked for it. Feel free to ask for anything you want. Daughters, sons, dust, life savings. They’ll do anything for you now, or they’ll die. That’s how it’ll be from here on.”

But that wasn’t what Aesther was thinking, was it? God, Fae hated this stupid game he played. Make your son ask you directly, just to see him on his knees. Make him beg like the rest of your dogs since it’s sooo funny seeing him get his designer jeans dirty. Fucking unbelievable. Fae crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the ground before deciding to finally speak up. (It never got easier talking strong to his father, even if he was supposed to be family).

“What is it.”

“Hmm?”

There lapses a silence between them before he tries again.

“I know that look. There’s somethin’ else on your mind. What is it?”

A mumbled exhale is all the response he gets for a moment. The air’s so thick he could cut it if he pulled his knife out. The guards remained completely stoic, as if they were statues glued to the wall. Fae can’t see their thoughts on their faces, or read their bodies for any emotion. It’s completely eerie how good they are at remaining composed no matter what. At least the Reverend knew how to train them well. Must be real trusted to be in this office, hearing everything that went on. Including what the bishop was about to say, given how he adjusted in his big office throne.

“You remember the day we met a second time, Fae? The day your mother died.”

Fae’s quiet at this. His voice is low, cold, as if he’s trying not to let emotions flood his already aching body, “clearly.”

“Then you should remember the men who came after your family, right?”

“Absolutely.”

Oh, he did not like that smile on the bishop’s face. A terrified knot coiled within Fae’s stomach, turning his magic cold. Where was this going… no where good, that’s for sure.

“And yet here we all are, with you completely unfazed by standing in the presence of your parents’ murderers.” An exhale of glittering smoke left the bony lips of the boss as he grinned wider, needle-like teeth bore in absolute delight. “I’m surprised, Fae. Normally you’d kill people who threatened the ones you love in a heartbeat… but you’ve been working for them for a full-on century now.”

The news falls on closed ears at first. Fae’s too busy trying not to heave out of dread while his brain processes the meaning behind everything his so-called father just said. He’d say it came in waves, but it didn’t. The fury wasn’t cold like the ocean, but instead a meat freezer. He could feel it on his bones the second he walked into the Reverend’s office. It’s finally to the point where he’s shaking where he stands, eye lights completely black and knuckles bleeding fresh due to scabs popping open at the tight grip he holds. His head’s lowered, eyes locked on the man sitting before him until the guards nearby remove their sunglasses and expose their faces.

The same faces printed on the back of his skull the day he was supposed to die.

“W h a t   d i d   y o u   s a y.”

Aesther laughs, which forces Fae to suck in a breath.  “There’s the temper I’ve been waiting for! There it is! That’s what I expected the very first day I brought you up to this office. Yet here we are, years later, only just sharing the good news with each other.”

“Oldest trick in the Fae book, my boy. If there’s a deal you just can’t pass up… you make it happen any way you can. And you… you held such potential, such magical prowess that I haven’t seen since I first showed up on this ugly dead planet. See, I simply had to have you down here with me, as one of my own, since you’re the only likely candidate to become an Original when my time here is up. But your mom…

“See, your mom? Was wise beyond her years. She was one of the only mortals I knew who outsmarted every Fallen she encountered, just like her mother, and her grandmother, and so on so forth. Her entire family went up in flames around her, yet there she stood, tall and proud, with her husband and her three kids who-. Well, two, since one was stolen from her by us, too. Regardless, there she was… and there you were. A byproduct of centuries of wise women who could outsmart the Fae and even cheat death. A witch more powerful than any I’ve ever seen.

“And guess who inherited all of that magical byproduct? Of course… witches are smart to our tricks. So I had to act accordingly… to keep you on my radar before she could pass on the secret knowledge she possessed that would eventually make you immune to even an Elder Fae’s charms.“

Aesther leans forward onto his desk, giving Fae a small frown beneath laughing eyes, “you really should’ve burned that seeing eye stone you took when you had the chance, huh?”

There’s a phantom throbbing in Fae’s right eye. It’s the place where, at the beginning of this mission, Aesther had carved the paisley and floral patterns right into his skull. He told Fae it was just precautions, that he, as the Reverend’s son, needed a Mark to show the rest of the flock he was high ranking. Then came the Eye… a surgical proceedure also performed by Aesther himself. Something about cursing his eye, combining their magic so that he could pop up any time Fae needed him. But now Fae realizes the truth behind the Mark and the Eye.

They’re tracking devices. They let the Reverend see what he sees, know where he goes, they Mark him so that everyone in the entire underground and the entire surface knows who he is…

No.

Who he belongs to.

He had not only made a deal with the most powerful Fae in the underground thinking it was the only thing that could save his younger brother, but he had just about sold his soul to him as well. He had given literally everything to Aesther and he had no idea. Fae thought he had the upper hand, had the Original under his thumb by making him merge SOULs with Papyrus in order to save him. In reality, it was Fae who was the fool.

His mother was right. She’d be so disgusted with him if she knew… And to think, she would have taught him how to truly outsmart the Fae… if he had just. 

Just.

“Fuck. YOU. YOU FUCKING MONSTER! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU AND YOUR WHOLE FUCKING UNDERGROUND, I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU-”

“Put him in the cell. He’ll be unreasonable when he wakes, so he’ll stay there until he can learn to behave like a proper son again.”

Arms grab the younger Fallen before he can leap over the desk and grab the fixation of his ire. He’s screaming, spitting, thrashing, doing as much as he can to get all these pent-up emotions out of his system. The Reverend Bishop is ever calm as he watches his protege curse his name, smiling and inhaling a deep hit of Dust before exhaling that sweet rich smoke through his needle-sharp teeth. All it takes is a gesture of his holy hand to get a Guard to hit the butt of their weapon into the back of Fae’s skull, ‘curing’ him of that unholy rage of his enough to drag him off with ease.

He tries not to remember the rest of what happened. The cell remains one of his most unpleasant memories, right after this one.