#chatelaine's are so fun and pretty i know it's usually for the ladies of the house hold

[essencering]

↳ summary: at this point, you assume that you've misplaced your own things, but find yourself surprised when you find said things in mammon's room.

↳ Tags: Gender Neutral Reader, Demon Attendant Reader, Mammon (Obey Me!), Nesting/Hoarding Habit, With Your Things, Mammon Loves His Special Person, Nightbringer Setting.

writer's blurp: mammon lives rent-free in my brain and that's a-okay he's such a sweetie to the MC both in OG OM and in NB. just wanted to write a short little thing about NB mammon finding comfort in things that have the reader's scent.

It started out as a missing coat or sweater. Something you choked up to just being lost in the abyss of your closet, or left it somewhere not that it was anything you were too sad about losing or being misplaced.

Then the throw blankets, or your favorite throw pillows that you would use at the House of Lamentation when the brothers would pull you into whatever movie or game night, and the ones at Cocytus Hall. Solomon helped you turn over every inch of the Hall, but neither of you had any luck finding them, nor could the brothers help you find your things at Lamentation.

Little things here and there, like pens and notebooks, objects you would use daily. You wondered if your chatelaine was breaking, and you not noticing it, but Solomon assured you that it wouldn't with the enchantment he placed on it for you. Some smaller things as well the occasional ring, or necklace.

It wasn't until you one day received a text from Mammon to come over and please bring something good to eat with your company (totally NOT a bonus he said) since he felt a little under the weather. You found your missing things.

Situated in a safe little spot on Mammon's bed, the very demon dozed off around the little things, but also wearing some of your missing jewelry. Face hidden in your throw pillows and your throw blankets living up to their name of being haphazardly tossed on his person, while he was wrapped up in your sweater.

You could also see some of his brother's things mixed in as well.

A little hoard of his own. A little nest with things that made him feel comfortable and safe. Things that belong to those that are important to him, to people that he loves.

So, as quietly as possible you leave Mammon's room knowing that if he were to wake up and knowing that you saw his little hoard of treasures that belong to those important to him, his little nest of things that brings him comfort he would quickly try to hide all of it.

Once you're back outside of Mammon's room you decide to make something other than the Hell Fire Noodles he likes, opting for something a little bit more easy on the stomach.

Texting to let Mammon know that you will be delayed in arriving, his response is a pouty little emoji, and him appearing by your side a bit later. Hiding his face in your shoulder, mumbling and grumbling while you cook, but sticking to you like glue.

[ikeromantic]

An Uncertain Alliance

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfic- this scene occurs at the start of Ch. 11 (romantic route- picking one was hard!). Approx 3000 words of fluff and stuff. 

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: Fox Hunt

Mitsuhide took a few more days in Kyoto to wrap up his business. He could have managed most with letters, but he wanted to be here for any reply from Mouri. The madman’s participation wasn’t a requirement to move forward, but his access to men and weapons would make life so much simpler. And it was an excuse to pamper his little mouse.

Not that he let her know that was his objective. To her it was just happenstance that their trip to visit an informant passed by a beautiful garden or a talented street performer. Or that the tea shop they stopped in surprisingly carried her favorite snacks. Her joy was Mitsuhide’s pleasure. He stored every memory of her delighted smiles and happy sighs. The look in her eyes when something took her breath away. 

And so he was almost disappointed the day the letter came, informing him Mouri would meet him at an upcoming festival in Kyoto. Mitsuhide didn’t want to discuss Mouri with his little one. Besides, he wasn’t sure what he could say that would do justice to the man and his reputation. So all he told her was that they’d be going to the festival together. 

It was a good location for a contact. Any city guards would be busy keeping order and no one there would likely know either of them on sight. Plus, the crowds would make it hard to get away with any violent double-cross. Still, it made him uneasy.

Meeting Mouri in a place he chose meant trusting there was no trap. And trusting Mouri was like expecting a rabid dog not to bite. Or, not to bite you anyway. 

“Are you worried about our mission,” she asked him as they walked through the crowded festival avenues. 

Mitsuhide glanced down at her and smiled. “No - not about our mission.” His little mouse looked as if she might squeak up again, so he added, “Let’s not think about it and just enjoy the festival together, hm?”

She frowned. “How can I not think about it? I mean, the sho-ah, shark-eyes, is planning our destruction as we speak!” 

“As we are planning his.” He stopped and faced her. “Right now, I am more interested in plotting a pleasant evening with you.” The half-truth stung, but he needed her to relax. To smile. To be his light. Because he knew he would do terrible, dark things still and without that balance, he would lose this sliver of peace they’d made together.

His little one blinked, surprised by the intensity of his response. “Oh. Well, that does sound nice . . .”

“Look,” Mitsuhide pointed toward a nearby food stall. “Candy sculptures.” The distraction worked as intended. Her gaze lit on the delicate confections, twisted around sticks into all kinds of shapes. 

She clapped her hands together in excitement. “They are so pretty! Can we get one?”

“We can get as many as you like,” he chuckled, letting her lead him to the stall. While she was ogling the display, he asked for two crane candies. Cranes were life-mates. Bonded from the moment they touched. He wasn’t sure she would understand the symbolism, but that was alright. 

Then they walked on, hand in hand, enjoying the sugary treat. 

“I’m glad you decided to bring me here,” she said after a moment.

“Well, it was you that reminded me humans - and kitsune - cannot go on without rest.” Mitsuhide watched her from the corner of his eye. She was finally smiling. Her small, pink tongue darted out to taste the candied crane. It made him want to kiss her. To taste the sugar on her lips, which would be far sweeter than the confection in his hand. He quite suddenly wished they were back in their room at the inn.

“Good.” She grinned over at him and bumped her hip against his leg. “So, why cranes? There were horses and dragons. Those colorful fish ones.”

A slight blush stained his cheeks as he realized she might have caught on to his choice. He cleared his throat. “Did you know that cranes mate for life?” He used the candy to ‘kiss’ her cheek. 

Her eyes went wide and her smile was soft and full of affection. She raised her candy up to give him a kiss on the lips. 

Mitsuhide took advantage of the moment to ‘kiss’ the crane back, which brought a rosy color to her cheeks too. The moment ended all too soon though. He saw the man they were here to meet approaching. Tall, and limned in red-lantern light that stained him blood-red. Motonari Mouri.

“Look,” he gestured toward the figure. “That is one of our potential allies. What lucky -”

“So this is the real reason we came to the festival. I knew it had to be more than a fun night out!” She looked up at him, eyes dancing. “You can’t fool me, kitsune.”

Mitsuhide smiled fondly. “I suppose not. But a nice evening with you is also part of the plan. This is just the part I didn’t mention earlier.”

Her gaze went back to Mouri. “Who is he? What does he do?”

“Hmm. I suppose you could call him an artisan of violence. A creatively murderous fighter. I almost shudder to think of the horrors awaiting anyone that crosses him.” Mitsuhide’s tone was playful, but he was deadly serious about Mouri. He wanted her to understand this was not a kind soul they were allying with, but a killer.

His little one nodded once, squaring her shoulders. She might have asked more, but Mouri was too close now for further conversation.

“I gotta say, Kyoto knows how to have a festival.” Motonari greeted them with his usual swagger. “Nice as it is, this place is gonna be yer funeral if I don’t like what ya got to say. Savvy?” He took in Mitsuhide with a wary glance and then looked to the chatelaine. Where his eyes lingered longer than necessary.

Mitsuhide felt his jaw twitch and did his best to restrain the reaction. 

His little one took a step back, her face going pale. This only encouraged Mouri. 

“Who’s yer little friend here, eh?” Motonari took a step closer to her, raising a hand as if he was going to touch her.

Mitsuhide stepped between them smoothly. “This is my fiancee.”

Motonari grinned wider. “You brought your little lady to parley. With me.” He laughed, a sound edged with madness. “I like a man that doesn’t respect the rules.”

The chatelaine poked her head around to look at Mouri. 

“My love, this is Motonari Mouri. I’m sure you’ve heard of him.” Which he was because he’d given her that lesson himself. 

“Of course.” She came out to stand beside him, putting her brave face on. “You conquered the whole south but . . . I thought you died?”

Mouri laughed again. “I gotta say, the best part o’ that introduction is the bit where yer eyes went wide with horror.” 

Mitsuhide did not appreciate the way Mouri’s gaze swept up and down his little mouse, or the rise of his brows as he tried - in his crude way - to flirt. “Yes, she is a delight isn’t she? Touch her and you’ll leave this meeting with one less hand.” A crude threat for a crude man . . . or so he rationalized.

“That so? Guess it depends on how many parts you plan ta leave behind.” Motonari threw back his head, laughing so hard he shook. 

The chatelaine interrupted with a polite cough. “If - if I may ask - how did you two meet?”

“Until recently, we were both in the service of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki,” Mitsuhide replied. He didn’t want to give Mouri the opportunity to characterize their relationship, such as it was.

Motonari got control of himself in time to nod, adding. “I slipped out before Mitsuhide here. But I promised him a good bloodbath before I left.” He wiped a fleck of spittle from his lip. “So, out with it. Why’d you invite me to meet?” 

Mitsuhide watched Mouri slide his gloved hands into his jacket. He took out a pistol and spun it lazily, waiting for an answer. “Motonari, there’s no need to play coy. You know why I contacted you. You watched my little drama play out at Honnoji, from start to unsatisfying finish.” He pointedly did not look directly at the gun and kept his expression one of thin-lipped indifference.

“Mind-reader. No wonder people get so twitchy around you.” Mouri shrugged one shoulder, his eyes narrowing. “You want help killing the shogun.”

“Very much so.”

Mouri pointed the pistol at Mitsuhide. “Does it get drafty in that big empty space o’ yer head? I didn’t come here tonight to get disappointed!”

The chatelaine bit her lip and looked for a moment as if she might run. Mitsuhide could feel the way her body tensed, but she held still. 

All he did was raise an eyebrow. “Oh? What part of this disappoints?”

Motonari scoffed. “How ‘bout the whole damn thing? Tell ya what - I got one goal. Just one. And that’s ta get you and Kenshin. Shingen. Nobunaga. Hell, anyone worth a damn, into one big, bloody melee.” His lips twitched into a half smile. “If everyone’s not trying to kill each other, then it’s not much of a party!” 

He gestured at Mitsuhide with his gun. “Ya think I’m gonna waste my time with some small fry like the shogun? I should shoot you right here, right now, in place o’ asking fer an apology. In fact.” He stroked the unlit fuse.. “I think I will.” Mouri pressed the barrel against Mitsuhide’s head, digging the iron into his skin.

Mitsuhide knew his little one was contemplating some mad attempt to ‘rescue’ him and rather than reply to Motonari, he first looked at her. Waiting to see a slight nod that meant she understood she was to stay still. He had this handled. In fact, it was going better than he’d expected. Mouri was playing right into his hands.

“I see. You plan to leave the shogun free to roam, ensuring that your long dreamed of bloodbath remains only a fantasy.” Mitsuhide sighed. “I expected better from you.”

Mouri raised an eyebrow. His pistol didn’t so much as twitch.

“Surely you see it.” Mitsuhide waited a beat, then continued. “The shogun will never engage with Nobunaga - or any of his enemies - in open combat. If he did, he might lose. Instead he will seek to assassinate them, one at a time. Subtly. An accident here, a mysterious illness there. Until there are none left to take the field. No celebration. No battle. Only quiet, pathetic deaths. One enemy after another. Who knows, perhaps he would even target you.”

“I’m not afraid of him.” Motonari’s defiant reply was somewhat spoiled by the nervous way he licked his lips.

Mitsuhide smiled. “Of course not. But your bloodbath will be severely lacking when there is no one there to bleed. A good party requires . . . guests - does it not?”

Mouri chuckled. “Ya got a silver tongue. But it’ll be so much viscera on the paving stones when I pull this trigger.”

“Mhmm. I imagine parts of me would travel quite far. Perhaps spattering the food stall there, or some of those festival-goers.”

“They told me you were tricky, kitsune. But no one mentioned you were mad.” Motonari closed the distance between them until he was close enough to kiss. 

Mitsuhide stared into the depths of his red glare, imitating the madman’s own body language. Gold on scarlet glinted in the light of the festival lanterns in this space of tense silence.

Then Motonari started laughing. His breath smelled of sake and tobacco. “Alright. Ya got me. I’m in, just this once.” And he lowered his pistol.

Mitsuhide watched as the madman carefully wiped down the barrel and placed it back in the holster. His hand found the chatelaine’s icy fingers. He gripped her hand tightly. She was alright and so was he. The gambit had paid off.

“The only place I’ll let Nobunaga and the rest die is in a sea of blood and gunpowder. By my hand.” Motonari sounded certain as he said this. As sure as he would be telling them the sun would rise in the east.

“Then I believe we have a deal.” Mitsuhide knew the bargain would only last so long as Mouri saw the necessity of it. And stayed entertained. Hopefully they could locate the shogun quickly and be done with this.

Motonari gave a snort that might be agreement, then gestured to the candy Mitsuhide still held. “Say, why don’t ya treat yer new ally to some o’ that fancy candy, huh?”

“You . . . want candy?” Mitsuhide couldn’t help the ways his eyebrows rose. 

“Yeah. So run along and get some fer me. The lady an’ I will wait fer ya right here.” Mouri took a step toward the chatelaine. 

Mitsuhide didn’t need to be psychic to know what ran through his little mouse’s head. It was written in her face in large, panicked script. ‘Don’t leave me alone with this maniac!’ The kitsune thought fast. “I am sure I could deliver a better token of friendship to you at a later da-”

“I ain’t asking fer a better token o’ whatever.” His voice rasped and his hand moved toward the holster of his gun again. 

That was the problem with unstable allies. They couldn’t be relied on. Even the simplest things could set them off. Any situation could become a violent one at the drop of a pin. But what bothered Mitsuhide the most was this. There was only one reason for this particular request. Mouri wanted to be alone with the chatelaine. Why?

“Yer girl will still be here when ya get back.” Motonari smiled like a shark. A hungry one.

“Go ahead, Mitsu. Get him some candy. I’ll be fine.” She gave Mitsuhide an uneasy smile.

“I’ll be right back.” It made him feel ill to say it but Mitshide knew it would be better to go along with the madman than to fight him on such a small request. And besides, if he tried anything, the chatelaine would scream. Then, Mouri would lose more than his life. So it was reasonably safe to leave them for a few minutes.

Mitsuhide glanced back at them as he hurried away. Mouri was sitting beside the chatelaine now, almost close enough for his hip to touch hers. Bile surged in his belly. No one should be so close to his little mouse. No one but him. Just hurry up, he told himself. Hurry and get back.

He found a closer stall with the same kinds of candy and picked out a fish for Motonari. Then hurried back. His little one was smiling at the madman and Mouri looked . . . confused. Jealousy burned through his veins in a wave, and he almost ran the last few steps, shoving the stick of candy between the two of them. “There. Your candy. Now get away from her.”

The last sentence was almost a growl, and Mitsuhide couldn’t help the way he reached for his little one. Pulled her close. She was his, her smile and her laugh. Her kind eyes. Mouri deserved to be close to none of it. 

Even as the jealousy burned through him, a colder, more logical part of Mitsuhide scolded him for his rash behavior. This was not like him at all. This display. What did it hurt, even if Motonari was flirting with the chatelaine? Nothing, really. Except . . . except Mitsuhide didn’t want her to be anywhere near that madman. She could get hurt. Not just physically - but her heart and her sweet spirit. He had to protect her.

Motonari seemed unaffected as he took the stick of candy and popped it in his mouth. “There’s somethin’ wrong with yer lady friend. She’s crazier’n I am,” he said around the stick.

“There is nothing wrong with her. She is perfect.” The words were out before he’d even had time to consider his response. This was . . . odd. He never spoke without thinking. Never.

“That so? Cause from here it looks like her madness is contagious. Gettin’ worse from person to person.” He chomped down on the candy, crushing the spun sugar figure between his teeth.

Mitshide’s first instinct was to slap the sweet out of his mouth and break his teeth with a well-placed elbow. But he held himself still, rigid. His heart was beating fast and he felt hot - shaky. Acting now would be . . . ill-advised.

Motonari shook his head and stood up. He addressed the chatelaine. “Better hope yer man doesn’t get tripped up by his love-addled brain. If he does,” he took the candy out of his mouth and pointed toward her with the jagged, chewed end. “I’ll fall on you.”

This threat was more than Mitsuhide could stand still for. He pushed his little one behind him and grabbed the hilt of his sword. “You will stay away from her! If you take a step closer to her - now or ever - I will remove your head from your neck.” The words were a barely audible snarl.

If Mouri was worried about this, it didn’t show. He only smiled his shark-like grin. “Where’d your disguise go, kitsune? Your real face is showing now. Barking like a fox in a trap.”

Mitsuhide tried to get control of his breath. To push the murderous rage in his chest back down. To slide his mask back into place. 

From behind him, his little one hugged his back. “There’s nothing to worry about. My Mitsuhide won’t trip up.”

Motonari shrugged. “We’ll see.” Then he was walking away, swagger firmly in place.

Mitsuhide watched him go, and when he was out of sight, finally let go of his sword hilt. He was shaking. He turned to wrap his arms around his little one. Feeling her warm body pressed tight, the steady rhythm of heartbeat and breath, calmed him. She was here and safe and his. 

“Are you alright,” she asked, her voice muffled against him.

“Yes. I . . . I’m fine.” But he wasn’t. This was only the first of several dangerous meetings they would need to undergo in this quest to see the shogun taken down. There would be more meetings with Mouri and others. He had to find a way to control this - this response of his. Otherwise Motonari was right.

Next: Future-Speak

[nad-zeta]

Hello! Can I get a matchup please? I’m an Aries and I will most certainly not hesitate to kill someone if they deserve it and will speak my mind whether people like it or not. I hate routines, they bore me. I’m impatient and short tempered and I hate being tied down or told what to do. I love reading, listening to music, receiving attention & affection or if i feel like it, going out with my friends. I also love taking on leadership roles and being challenged since I’m very competitive. Tysm! 💞

Match up

Hi there love! Thank you so much for the request! Sorry for taking sooooooo long! I hope you enjoy it dear!❤

So I match you with………………………………. Nobunaga

Oh, you definitely entered into Azuchi with a bang. From the moment you enter the palace, it was evident that you were not happy with being hunted down and caught. You walked into the room, and all eyes were now turned to the strange lady who had saved their lord from the fire. He summoned you to come closer to him. You narrowed your eyes and moved slightly closer, you knew one thing was for sure, and that was that you were not ganna take this man or any other man in this room’s crap. Your death stared Nobunaga. You were having a particularly bad day that day and being sent back in time, and now standing in a room full of strangers was making it worse by the second. Nobunaga, in his usual arrogant voice, proclaimed that you were to be an Oda princess. Like hell, you thought, no way are you ganna be some prissy princess, you were born to lead. You legit told him exactly how you felt, you told him you are not the type of girl who is just ganna sit still and look pretty all day. 

Nobunaga was sooooo amused by you, very few in his lifetime have had the balls to challenge him. And yet here you are guns blazing. The two of you looked at each other challenging, almost fighting for dominance. Finally, after a few moments, Nobunaga smirked at you and then decided to make you the castle new Chatelaine. You couldn’t help the corners of your mouth curling up into a small smile.

You had been so focused on Nobunaga that you had forgotten you were in a room filled with warlords. Who now were each started teasing you in their own way, for being so feisty. Well, all except Hideyoshi. This boy was fuming, if looks could kill you would be dead ten times over. Nobunaga now stood in front of you and started twirling a strand of your hair between his fingers. Hideyoshi finally snapped when you “playfully” swatted Nobunaga’s hand away. Hideyoshi drew his sword and had it at your throat, spitting out threats. What he didn’t expect was that you would stand up for yourself and bark out some warnings of your own. TBH Masamune and Ieyasu had to pull the two of you apart cause things were escalating a little too fast. Nobunaga watched the whole scene unfold, wearing the most delightful grin. He could tell that the fireball which he had stumbled on was going to be a lot of fun

You literally challenged Nobunaga every chance you could get. Mind you not that it was intentional, it’s just you hated having someone tell you what to do. You worked in your own time and at your own pace. Somedays, you would clean the castle and stay up late in the night to perform your duties, while other days, you would be up at the crack of dawn delivering messages. You basically got scolded every day by Mamayoshi for not following the set routine. Not that you cared; you honestly hated routine, and you wanted to do things when you felt like doing them. After a while, the people of Azuchi got used to your strange way of thinking and working. No one could fault you on your work or performance as often it was to such a good standard, that you would put those around you to shame. 

You had slowing started making friends with the Oda warlords, and was even invited to their manors for tea on occasion. Nobunaga was especially fond of you. Since working as Chatelaine, you had brought a different kind of energy into the castle, and his sights were now set on you. He summoned you to his room as he does, and before he could use that classic come to bed with me line, you spotted his Go board and pieces. You smiled at him and challenged him to a game. Even though you lost your competitive nature, pushed you to challenge him to a rematch, and so your weekly tournaments of Go started. The two of you got to know each other pretty well through these Go games, and you had low key come to enjoy Nobunaga’s company.

One day you were chilling in war council as you do, when Nobunaga announced that you were to join him on the battlefield to bring him luck and favor with the gods. Cue you literally refusing. “you will come along fireball, end of discussion,” “well, I refuse,” cue Hideyoshi losing his shit. At the end of the day, there was no getting out of the inevitable as you were now sitting on Nobunagas horse marching to the battleground. The two of you conversed in some light conversation, and you couldn’t help but feel yourself relax. Even though Nobunaga was stubborn and commanding at times, you still felt yourself drawn to him. You really enjoyed being challenged and the competitive banter the two of you would engage in at times.

Once you reach the campsite, you decided to take charge of the medical tent. The battle was underway, and you worked hard every day to patch up the injured. In the evenings, you would sit with the Oda force by the campfire and laugh at the funny stories they told.  As the battle progressed, things started looking worse and worse for the Oda forces; they were now facing two threats at the same time. You had only realized the severity of the situation when Mitsunari rode back to camp with his troop. He was severely injured and could barely stand up straight. His troops were now stuck without a commander to lead them into battle, and you truly knew how adverse the consequences of this were. You used to half and half-listen to battle strategies, and you knew Mitsunari played a vital role in the successful execution of these strategies, especially in this battle. 

You were determined and ready, you loved your new friend and would do anything for them. You always fancied taking up the leadership role, so you decided to hand over your duties as head doctor/nurse and mounted up onto Mitsunaris horse. You had already earned your title as princess and Mitsunaris people always adored you, so when you declared that you were going to lead them into battle, they were all too happy but to follow the fireball princess. You gave your best speech and battle cry and was now charging full speed onto the battlefield. You remembered from the many discussions that Mitsunari’s unit was Nobunaga’s backup. You rode, and your blood froze when you saw the sight in front of you. Nobunaga was heavily outnumbered and was also pretty severely injured. You wasted no time as you rode to join his unit, to even out the playing field, barking out orders and treating the whole ordeal like a game of chess or Go. The tide had turned, and thanks to you, and your fearless leadership, the advantage was now back with the Oda forces. The battle ended in the Oda’s being victorious.

You and Nobunaga rode back to camp, with the cheers of the army behind you. The second you got to camp, you commanded Nobunaga to come with you so you could patch him up. You could see the idiot was trying to hide his pain and injury from his troops. As you cleaned and bandaged the wound, you couldn’t help but feel your heartache a little, it hurt to see someone you love so much injured so badly. After you dressed his wound, the two of you now sat in silence. Nobunaga was the first to break it thanking you for your quick thinking and bravery. He had long ago fallen in love with you, and the concept of love, in general, was kind of new to him, so his words came out a bit clumsy. He cupped your cheeks and looked you dead in the eyes and finally confessed his love. You couldn’t help but chuckle a little at his clumsy words and a slight blush spread across his cheeks. You were but all too happy to return the feelings with a sweet kiss.

Since that day, you were known as the fearless princess, the goddess of victory, a true fireball, and lucky charm to all. Nobunaga honestly loved and adored you so much. He would shower you with affection from the moment the sun rises to the moment it set. He loved that you kept him on his toes and wasn’t afraid to challenge him. You were a truly amazing woman, and he had no problem proclaiming this to all he meets, he would often say that you are his queen, and equal ruling the world by his side.

The two of you can often be found simply spending time with one another. Nobunaga spends every moment of his free time with you. He loves to hold you in his arms and shower you with kisses. You really enjoy sitting on his lap with your head resting on his chest while he is working. During this time, you would usually just sit and read, occasionally dropping a small kiss on his jaw.

Other potential matches...................... Masamune

I hope you enjoyed it, love! And I hope you are staying safe and well! ❤🥰

[yunohawkeye]

Oda Forces + ticklish MC

Nobunaga:

He probably finds out during a Make-Out-Session

You’re both trapped in the heat of the moment and he randomly let’s his hands roam up your torso with featherlight touches

He first was taken aback from your sudden squeal and jumping away but when he heard you laughing he put 1 and 1 together

“So you seem to be very sensitive over there. But no worries, I’ll take good care of you” he said with his usual grin plastered on his face

Prepare yourself

This one won’t go easy on you

You can count on many random tickle attacks while making out, during war councils or just walking by in the hallway

 sometimes they escalate into tickle wars between you both

He just loves to make his lucky charm squeak and squirm under him

Hideyoshi:

For him it’s gonna be a good morning kiss where he lets his fingers trace through your hair

But when he runs them lightly over your sensitive skin behind your ear you stiffen up and let out a loud high pitched squeak

He instantly freezes

Did he hurt you?

Do you have any kind of injury there?

Mamayoshi-mode avtivated

This man has instantly 1000 ideas of what could have caused you any kind of pain

But when you start laughing he relaxed again and when you tell him that you’re just quite ticklish there his all-known grin comes back up

“And here I was thinking I hurt you in some kind of way. But I have to admit that this sound you made was kind of cute. Maybe I could be able to hear it more often?”

From then on he tickles you from time to time, but always in a short, playful way and in private

Why should others have the privilege to hear those cute sounds of yours?

Masamune:

Uh oh...

That’s gonna be fun ^^

First of all, it didn’t happen by accident

He just randomly asked himself if you would be ticklish in any kind of way and the reaction he got when he tested it by randomly appearing behind you and squeezing your hips was like music to his ears

On the other hand when you were feeling his hands suddenly laying themselves on your hips made you squeak rather loudly and jump up in surprise

As soon as realization hit you, you pouted at a heavily laughing Masamune and playfully hit his chest

After 10 minutes of him almost dying of laughter and you trying to stare him to death he spoke up

“I was hoping to get a cute reaction from you, kitten. But this was way better than I imagined. Prepare yourself to get attacked like that again if your responses keep being so intruiging.”

Oh dear~

Prepare youself indeed ^^

He’s gonna tickle you at random times like Nobunaga and he really doesn’t care who’s watching 

But instead of just counting on luck to meet you in the hallway he will specifically search for you just to sneak up on you

And believe me, the One Eyed Dragon doesn’t know mercy when it comes to that

Mitsuhide

*!insert warning sign!*

Good luck with this one chatelaine... you’ll need it

Mitsuhide finds out by accident

He’ll find out while you two were cuddling with your head seated on his lap while slightly dozing off and his hands combing through your hair

He’ll let them slightly graze over your temples, your cheeks over to your neck.

But when you suddenly awoke with a loud squirm on your lips and your body stiffening for a second Mitsuhide couldn’t hide his amusement on his face

“My, my~ I didn’t know you were such a sensitive singing bird, lady chatalaine. I’m quite intruiged by it. I may make use of this lovely song of yours some time. Any objections~?“

As you tried to say something though he just tickled you again with his usual smirk on his lips

“I knew you wouldn’t hide this beatiful gift from me~“

This prick

But you still love him

Prepare for trouble and make it double with this one~

He’ll be like Masamune and tickle you on random occasions while still searching you out

If you’re talking to other warlords (preferably Hideyoshi) he’ll just walk up to you from behind and cut off your sentence by squeezing your hips or by letting his fingers run over your neck, causing you to jerk up and laugh

Hideyoshi is quite annoyed by it

Masamune on the other hand couln’t stop laughing for 10 minutes straight the first time your sneaky snake did that

But forgive him, he just wants to hear you laugh

Ieyasu

He’ll find out by letting his hands roam slowly over your almost completely sleeping figure after some exhausting nightly activities  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

When his hand grazed over our lower back you suddenly jerked up while letting a high pitched squeak escape your lips

Slightly worried he’ll ask if you’re doing ok and what happened

After you told him that you are just extremely ticklish there he just let out a “tsk” and signaled you to come back into his arms

After you lay down again he’ll whisper in your ear (his face was hidden in your neck to hide his massive blush)

“You know... The sound you made wasn’t that terrible. And... I wouldn’t be completely disgusted by hearing it again...“

From then on he’ll sometimes tickle you there `by accident´... yeah sure...

But it’s always in a lovely way

He doesn’t tease you about it

Except he’s in an extremely playful mood

And he'll most probalby use it as a tool to cheer you up when you’re feeling down

Otherwise he’s pretty chill with it

Mitsunari

And last but not least - the angel boy!

He’ll find out when he’s coming home from a mission and you’re waiting outside at the gate for him

He’ll get off his horse and catch you running towards him in one of those cheesy  lifting-up-and-spinning-in-circles-kisses

And that’s where it happened

He didn’t catch you 100% and his grip slipped so his hands were under your shoulders which made you stiffen up and letting a quite loud squeal escape your mouth

Mitsunari stopped dead in his tracks

Did he hurt you or made you uncomfortable?

Angel boy is worried sick

But after he heard your laugh his frown vaished and made place for his angelic smile again

“Ah~ MC-sama seems to be quite ticklish~“

You certainly weren’t prepared what followed after that

“That’s good to know for the next time~“

With surprise written over your face you looked at Mitsunari who beamed as usual

But something was a little bit odd... This didn’t sound as innocent as before

Prepare yourself~

He may be an angel but we all know from Supernatural that they aren’t all as innocent as they seem  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Otherwise Mitsunari isn’t the one to tease you but if he tickles you it’s either an accident for real or a little sensual addition to making you feel good -w-

This angel just wants the best for you~

Phew... this was my first scenario I did~

Hope you enjoyed!~

If you have any Ideas, requests are open ^^

[xathia-89]

A Lap Pillow

I spotted Ieyasu trudging through the corridors one morning and looking a lot grumpier than he usually did whilst muttering under his breath. A war council had just finished from all the appearances of the warlords now filtering out, and mostly looking deep in thought. I smiled to myself and slipped into the library, willing to lose myself for a few hours since the castle was running well for now.

I jumped a mile when the quiet atmosphere of the library was disturbed by the door being thrown open, followed swiftly by the trudging of feet that I recognised as Ieyasu’s.

“...scheduling an early morning after tasking me with working late nights...nearly a week barely sleeping...stupid soldiers...dopey chatelaine…” I could hear him muttering, whilst I stayed in my little corner. It would be for the best to leave the blonde to it, until he practically fell onto my lap and book trying to get a volume out from above my head.

I was shocked and locked my eyes with a faintly blushing Tokugawa, who merely grunted and swiftly stood up.

“Looks like you haven’t been sleeping too well,” I nervously opened, trying not to let my mouth run off around Ieyasu. “Nobunaga said that lap pillows are the comfiest things to sleep on when he’s tired, maybe you should try it,” I could feel my regret and embarrassment setting in the second the words left my mouth, and I was trying to not go too red.

“Mm, might as well,” he yawned and gestured for me to go out onto the secluded veranda where the sun had warmed the wood.

I swore my head was going to explode, as Ieyasu looked at me like I was the idiot and made the arm movement for me to sit down. I was trying to not hyperventilate as his head rested against my thighs, I had been so busy with my education and career that I had never been involved with any kind of relationship, so this was an entirely new experience for me. When I had offered my lap, it had been the last thing on my mind that he would accept it. Most of the warlords had their fan clubs, and Ieyasu was no exception, though he chose to ignore his more than anything, and would regularly call out Hideyoshi, Masamune and Mitsuhide on the way they treated their little clusters. I had brought the book I was reading with me at least, as I resumed my fantasy adventure escape.

Ieyasu had already closed his eyes, and his breathing was shallow and steady. He looked so youthful and at ease whilst he was asleep, as I subconsciously started to stroke his hair whilst I read one of the slightly steamier scenes. His locks were silky smooth and it made me feel a little better as silly as it sounded. Then a grumble escaped from the man, and he fidgeted about on the floor a little. My hand froze in the middle of its automated motion, as I was scared that I had woken him from his sleep until he settled back into my lap again.

He’d gained a frown during his movement that disappeared as I resumed the gentle massaging of his scalp and hair. I allowed myself to gaze down on his sleeping form, admiring his good looks as my imagination galavanted off with the possibility of it happening again. I picked up in my book after I realised I had definitely been staring and was privately grateful that I hadn’t been spied by anyone since it would definitely start off a string of teasing that I didn’t think I would be capable of surviving.

“Ieyasu?” Hideyoshi’s voice came from just behind me and made me physically jump as we were caught in the ‘compromising’ position. A small smile appeared on the vassal’s face, whilst the other warlord put his grumpy expression back on his face. “Lord Nobunaga has further information,” he issued, gesturing for the blonde to follow.

He didn’t even glance back or hesitate in leaving me. It was just something I would have to live with, at least he was able to go and do what he needed to now he was rested.

The conversations were getting stranger and stranger as I worked my way around the castle. Ieyasu was appearing everywhere, and catching me off guard as I was usually being asked to fetch heavy objects for Masamune, Nobunaga or Mitsuhide. Hideyoshi would normally appear and then smile at us both as though we’d been caught doing something other than work, which always made me go bright red. If my cheeks weren’t permanently stained after these few days then I would be very lucky as I escaped down into Azuchi one afternoon to go and get some supplies for the seamstresses.

“It’s strange seeing you on an errand without Ieyasu,” Mitsuhide could spot me from a mile off it felt as I looked through the threads and fabrics. His voice was silky smooth, and he was close to encroaching on my personal space. He knew exactly where everyone’s boundaries were, and how to push them, which always made me extra nervous as I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Having a fight?” He mused with a smirk.

I gave him a puzzled expression as I finally handed over the selection of threads and needles required. “No, he’s barely said a word to me. It’s just been very strange that I’d only seen him this week whilst I’ve been doing chores and then suddenly something heavy appears as he does,” I frowned. “And then Hideyoshi normally comes along not long after Ieyasu,” I pointed out, whilst the fabric merchant began to chuckle.

“Lord Mitsuhide is teasing you I believe my Lady,” he laughed. “I think he’s probably been setting you and Lord Ieyasu up,” he pointed out, as I gave him a strange look.

“Always spoiling my fun,” Mitsuhide slipped an arm around my shoulder and immediately spun me around to return to the castle, a snake’s smile on his face as he purposely kept his arm there I felt.

The seamstresses were highly grateful when I returned with more needles and thread. Their project income had been steady and had also managed to deplete the stocks since colours were always a trend. We had plenty of neutral colours and had ended up using them where it could be cleverly hidden in the designs. I was thinking of my kimonos, and then one of the seamstresses chuckled and drew attention to the fact I was biting my lower lip. I went red as I was pushed into the measuring area, and they all took their chances to fuss over me as the Oda Princess. They were all talking excitedly about me catching ‘his’ eye, whilst I felt very confused. I strained to listen to catch a whisper of a name, but the women were far too good. My curiosity was stoked, but I didn’t have the stealth means of getting an answer yet.

Hideyoshi patted me on the head as I emerged from the sewing room, looking glad to see me.

“They’re getting all giddy,” he remarked as we walked back towards my room.

“They’re making me a kimono, I think,” I frowned. “I was just considering asking them if the workload wasn’t too bad. Since I know they’ve been pretty together and on top of it recently, and mine are showing a little sign of wear. Then they were laughing about catching someone’s eye? I couldn’t hear or figure out who they were discussing,” I was so absorbed in what I was saying, I missed that Toyotomi had let out a sigh of relief at the final sentence I uttered. “I didn’t need an escort, but thank you,” I smiled, as we approached my room.

“You hadn’t been seen all afternoon, I wanted to make sure,” he smiled and waved as he left.

I frowned as I checked the library yet again. It had been a few weeks since I had last seen Ieyasu, and I just had the niggling feeling that he wasn’t sleeping properly again. I bumped into Hideyoshi for the nth time and apologised for it.

“Are you looking for Ieyasu?” I asked hopefully. “I haven’t seen him since the last war council,” I frowned.

“He’s in his manor,” the vassal replied, looking surprised.

“I checked there as well,” I sighed. “I’ll just have to hope he’s looking after himself,” I tried to brush it all off with a bright smile and left Toyotomi in the corridor, oblivious to the thoughtful look on his face.

Ieyasu was grumpily having forced company during his research. Hideyoshi, Mitsunari and Masamune had all descended on his manor whilst he was still pouring through books and scrolls regarding the past conflicts with the Tiger of Kai and Dragon of Echigo. He had found out that it was Mitsuhide who had been setting up the meeting traps with the chatelaine and had been successful at avoiding them until he’d accidentally let Hideyoshi in a short while ago, and now had another two warlords with him.  He was trying his best to ignore them all until Hideyoshi was scolding him and simultaneously taking away the research material from the blonde.

“You’re avoiding Natsuki,” the vassal frowned. “She was worried you aren’t taking care of yourself.”

“Why should she be worried?” Ieyasu scoffed and glared at the tray of food that was put in front of him by Masamune. “Mitsuhide seemed fairly comfortable with his arm around her when he brought her back from the market,” his tone holding a hint of bitterness.

Hideyoshi and Masamune shared a look that was missed by the other two men, both Mitsunari and Ieyasu focused on the research in front of them.

I was surprised at the number of councils going on, as I was organising the food to be delivered to the manors as everyone had just filtered out now. I bumped into Ieyasu, and froze up as the warlord then tried to stifle a yawn.

A sigh escaped my lips as I pulled the unexpecting man into a dark turn in the corridor. “Are you not sleeping properly again?” It was a long shot, and I was sounding exasperated to my ears at least.

I was shocked as Ieyasu grunted and ended up pulling me through the short twists and turns to my room. His grip was firm, but there wasn’t any violence in it, as I thought I saw the slightest bit of a blush on his cheeks in the candlelight, but I quickly dismissed it as I realised he wanted to use my lap again to power nap since it was likely there would be an early morning council. I settled next to the open windows I had, after finding a blanket to put over Ieyasu since it was likely there would be a draught if I didn’t prepare. He scoffed at my faffing once I was sorted, and resumed his position with his head in my lap. It was too dark to read this time, my eyes hadn’t adjusted yet to reading the scripts in the manner that Ieyasu, Mitsunari and Mitsuhide would do regularly through the nights when it was needed.

After a few minutes of a suffocating silence, I heard Ieyasu grumble to himself, before speaking up. “Massage my head like last time,” he mumbled, and I could feel myself light up like a firework though I clumsily started combing through his locks.

I didn’t know when I’d started, but I just found myself singing very soft lullabies to fill the silence. It would keep me focused and awake as I alternated my hands to try and lull Ieyasu to sleep. Sleep wasn’t coming easily for the warlord as I was surprised when he grabbed at my hand, and I started stroking the back of his palm to soothe him. It seemed to work with the combination, as his breathing went shallow and steady. I left out a sigh of relief that I didn’t realise I was holding and studied his face. He was exhausted, judging from the bags under his eyes and how pale he actually was.

“I couldn’t stop worrying about you when I didn’t see you for those weeks,” I softly said, stroking his forehead. “You don’t take care of yourself, and I found out that Mitsuhide was pranking me when we were walking into each other all the time,” I paused. “Then after I found out he was messing with us at the fabric stall, he started acting all weird. He draped his arm over my shoulders and kept pulling me against him, though he was doing it because someone was watching since as soon as we were back inside Azuchi, then he just smirked at me like he usually does and disappeared,” I puzzled. “Then you started avoiding wherever I was, and it hurt,” I couldn’t stop my feelings coming out to a slumbering warlord. “I just wanted to see you at any point. Just to make sure you were okay, I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and I don’t know why,” I murmured, my hand resting in his hair.

“You’re an idiot at times,” I tensed up as Ieyasu spoke, not opening his eyes.

I was pulled down to him, my eyes wide as we kissed.

When we parted for air, Ieyasu had me then pinned to the floor before continuing the kiss. My fingers were tangled in his locks as his knee had my legs apart slightly whilst cradling my head as though it was the most precious thing in existence.

I couldn’t catch my breath or my thoughts. His thumb trailed over my bottom lip as I swallowed the lump in my throat. There was definitely a fire that had been started, but it was the last thing that we also both needed.

“As much as you are going to hate me,” I softly said. “I think we both need some sleep.”

A chaste and loving kiss was the only response before Ieyasu reluctantly dragged himself upright. He offered me a hand and then pulled me in the direction of my futon.

“You didn’t think I’m leaving you at this point, did you?” He smiled.

We settled down under the covers, and then I was pulled against his firm chest in a surprise move. I knew I had to be lit up like a lantern, especially when a chuckle escaped down my ear.

“It’s so cute how you do that,” he murmured, and then kissed my temple before we slipped into sleep.

“Oh, what do we have here?” Mitsuhide sounded very full of himself, as Ieyasu opened the door from my room to the corridor. Akechi was poised to knock for my attention, and both of us were now frozen in place. “Ieyasu appears to have spent the night since that’s exactly the same clothing you were wearing yesterday, and you haven’t brushed your hair,” he sauntered in, and then apparently also knew how to summon Masamune and Hideyoshi.

I hid my cheeks in my hands as Date was chuckling at the scene before him. I was more surprised to not be hearing a lecture from Toyotomi, and the attention in the room turned to the vassal, who had a pleased smile on his face.

“I knew that someone would eventually cave,” he wandered over and patted me on the head, whilst Ieyasu looked just as grumpy about being caught as I looked as embarrassed about it.

“I hate you all,” Tokugawa glowered, and then pulled me into his arms in a territorial manner.

[throughtheglassdarkly]

Missing Pieces, part 8

Welcome back. When last you were here, Bella went all murder-hobo and I drew some dicks. Onward.

So once we determined that Bella wasn’t going to immediately collapse into a lifeless puddle of goo, we decided to leave a note for the spymaster of the Knights of the Widow’s Walk. It took me a minute to come up with the right wording, but I eventually settled on this:

“Dear Sir and/or Madam Spymaster:

We have located the loyalist, who is a former associate of Buck’s, and have determined she is working with several Fetches and a pair of non-Court affiliated changelings. One of the Fetches is dead and the other is in our possession. Please advise as to how you wish to proceed.

Love and kisses,

Derek, pledged courtier of the Autumn Court”

With that taken care of, we all went our separate ways, leaving Day’s Fetch in his care. The next couple of days were quiet. A little too quiet. I realized after about three days that we hadn’t heard anything from Bella and she wasn’t answering any texts or calls. Pam, Yova, and I decided to go pay her a visit (Day was having a little too much fun tormenting his Fetch). I made tres leches cake and Pam worked up a world-class guilt trip.

Before we sought Bella out, Yova suggested that we Facebook stalk the Fetch as much as possible to get an idea of what we might be dealing with in the fallout. The Fetch seemed to keep most of the personal stuff on its Facebook on friend lock, but did have some public things, like its work with the university. We couldn’t help noticing that in some of the photos it was with a very tall, handsome dude with short dark hair. The comments all identified him as “Carlos <3 <3 <3”. We could see there were a couple of worried comments on the Fetch’s page in the last couple of days, but since most of the page was private, we couldn’t see anything more than that.

So the three of us traipsed over to Bella’s apartment. Nobody answered and there wasn’t the sound of anyone inside. The next logical step was her workplace, a magic shop that also sold tons of incense and crystals and new age crap for all your Wicca needs. When we got into the place, I was bracing for a huge waft of patchouli, but thankfully the dominant smell was cinnamon, due to the giant stack of cinnamon brooms near the entry. The Professor Trelawney clone who owned the place greeted us and asked how she could help us. When we told her that we were some friends of Bella’s and hadn’t been able to get a hold of her, she told us that Bella had asked for some time off. “And I was very worried about her, something about her aura seemed much darker than usual,” she said. Yova discreetly indicated that there’d been a death in the family and Professor Fauxlawney nodded sagely. She gave us a healing crystal and asked us to bring it to Bella. She was also pretty obviously anxious for us to buy something. Pam and Yova picked out some incense. And I wasn’t going to buy anything. I really wasn’t.

She had geodes. They were so shiny.

Now, lest you think that Bella was in some absolutely horrendous danger, I’ll cut that off at the pass. She was perfectly fine. Physically. Physically, she was perfectly fine. She was staying in a Spring Court safe house alongside Duke Lamington, the Chatelaine who was Mistress Lilly’s second in command. And as it turns out, Bella had not had a good couple of days. She was on autopilot more than anything and wasn’t processing things anywhere nearly as quickly as she could have been. She didn’t remember how she got from one place to another and was having really unpleasant memories of Arcadia, like Amberleigh’s coldness and Lamashtu screaming in her face.

Fortunately, Duke Lamington is a very decent dude and he was giving her some space and letting her try to work through it himself. He did check in on her and on the morning we went looking for her, Bella said that he sat down and told her that he hadn’t experienced it himself, but that he’d heard how jarring and unpleasant confronting a Fetch is. “And I can’t help but notice you’re missing a bit of the exuberance which caught our Court’s attention in the first place,” he told her. He asked if she wanted him to call us, but she wasn’t really in the mood.

Knowing a losing battle when he saw one, Sir Duke asked her what she would like to do and if she would like to go out and have some fun. “Yeah, but I don’t want to do what you do for fun. I don’t wanna go to The Container Store or Bed, Bath and Beyond,” Bella snarked. “There is nothing wrong with Bed, Bath and Beyond except their exorbitant prices,” Duke Lamington said. Despite her being horribly insulting, he told her that he’d arrange for her to have some fun that evening.

Bella told me later that she’d been curious about what Duke Lamington did in the Spring Court and asked him if he could show her what he usually did. He seemed surprised, but went off to get his computer. When he brought it back, he had each and every Excel spreadsheet open. “People want to think the Spring Court is all frivolities and careless pastimes, but there is effort that goes into organizing and maintaining this Court and that falls to me,” he said. Bella was goggle-eyed at how many details he had organized and just started scrolling through the spreadsheets. He told her that they were in the process of planning the Spring Fling, the Court’s inaugural party. “If you want to throw a truly good party you one, spare no expense, and two, arrange everything months in advance so you can book the best venue and hire the best band and arrange for the best caterer and make sure everything goes according to plan.”

While Bella was looking over every single micromanagey detail that he had written down, he told her that he had the numbers portion done, but that they hadn’t yet considered a color scheme and asked if she had any considerations about colors or décor. Apparently last year was a hibiscus theme, which he thought was a little corny but Mistress Lilly insisted on. The year prior was ivy and white lilies (there are a lot of floral themes, apparently). The year that made him shudder in recollection was 1997: the year they did the surfer theme. When she heard that, Bella asked him how old he was and how long he’d been back. He didn’t answer her directly, but told her that wasn’t long after he made it back and that it was one of the things that made him realize how badly the Spring Court needed someone to help organize their ideas. Bella suggested a few ideas for the Spring Fling, like coral and cream fiesta and pink and green flamingos. Duke Lamington nixed the flamingos but agreed to run pink and green by Mistress Lilly. They spent the rest of the afternoon planning the party and hanging out, which Bella said was a nice contrast to her feeling like she was going to die.

Now at this point, Pam, Yova, and I had absolutely no idea any of this was going on. We were walking and talking, trying to go over Bella’s shopping habits as we made our way back to my apartment building. I was still carrying the cake or else I would have been staring at my geode the entire time. So shiny. I asked if we should try the Hot Topics in the area and Yova told me that apparently that wasn’t exactly Bella’s goth aesthetic. Pam was ready to put out an APB at this point.

Our convo got cut short when we got back to my and Yova’s apartment building. Buck was waiting outside at the bus stop, clearly looking for us. We approached and he waved awkwardly. He told us that someone had gone to pick up Day’s Fetch and that he was here for business. “So you got our note,” Yova said. “Oh, yeah. This guy,” he pointed at me, “he’s fucking good.” If it had come from anybody else on the planet, I might have taken the compliment. But being the petty bastard I am, I decided to just give him the cold stare. Yova invited Buck up to her place after I made it clear that he was not getting anywhere near my place without taking off his shoes. “No, no, Derek, your apartment’s been defiled enough in recent memory. But you are taking off your shoes,” she told Buck.

They made their way up right to Yova’s apartment and I stopped off at my place to drop the cake off in the fridge and pick up Paisley. I was not going to be without my attack gecko.

When I got up there, Buck clasped his hands behind his back and said, “So, business. Right. So, awkward, I know. I hear that Aurora is involved,” he said. We nodded. He took in a deep breath and said, “So what you gotta understand is what we were up to was survival. But the thing is if she’s thinking she can wriggle her way back into the good graces of whatever patron she’s found herself now, that’ll mitigate any of the damage done by our fuckup with you guys.” “So losing us did a blow to her reputation?” Yova asked. “Oh, yeah. She was working directly under Scáthach. You don’t piss off a Lady like that,” he said.

Pam delicately asked him, “You know that Scáthach isn’t any more, right?” His eyes got to be the size of Kennedy half-dollars and he said, “What? You’re fucking with me.” We told him the brief details about how she’d lost her title and her keep and her spear. He looked stunned for a few minutes before he got out, “Holy shit. Holy actual shit. Then… it means one of two things. Either clean slate or we got the problem of being attached to a fuck-up. And she’s gotta work three times as hard to pick herself up.”

He told us that he’d brought us a list of her previous places in the Hedge where she’d go when she needed to recuperate. We thought at first it was the Knights wanting us to do their work for them, but he told us he wasn’t there for the Knights, he was trying to give us some information to help us. “I don’t know what you guys got in mind as far as payback you want to do, but she’s obviously got your Fetches under her thumb, or at least two of them.” “She called them her babies,” Yova said. “Yeah, she… she does that,” he said, sounding a little creeped out. He told us he didn’t know if she made our Fetches herself, but if she didn’t, she got somebody to provide her with excellent quality building blocks.

Before he left, Yova asked Buck how he felt about Aurora. He said he missed the old life he had, but he wasn’t sure if he missed her or the illusion of power being a loyalist brought. “Don’t get me wrong, our lives sucked, but we weren’t you guys and that does something to you when you kind of hate the position you’re in,” he said. We asked if he wanted to help capture Aurora or seek some revenge. He said he didn’t want any part of it and wanted to put that behind him. He tossed a notepad to Pam and made his way to the door. As he walked out, I tossed over my shoulder, “Don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you.”

Pam looked in the notebook and saw a hefty list of locations in the Hedge and the mortal world with sporadically active trods we could use to get to and from those places. Yova asked what our thoughts were and I said that we obviously weren’t at full strength now, but that we needed to strike before she was able to recover too much. We agreed that we needed to let Day get his Fetch claimed and then grab him and in the meantime figure out just what the hell was going on with Bella.

Thankfully, during her time when she was considering joining the Spring Court, Yova got Duke Lamington’s phone number and she gave him a ring. He was polite as always and asked her how he could help. She told him that we didn’t know where Bella had gone and hoped he would have some idea, which is when we learned that she was safe and in the Spring Court’s care, though he did admit she wasn’t doing terribly well. Yova asked him if he could pass on the message to her that things were happening that had to do with the night Bella killed her Fetch. He agreed and put her on hold so he could ask Bella what she wanted to do. When he got back on, he said that Bella was being very vague and not paying a huge amount of attention.

Duke Lamington told Yova that he and Bella were going to go out that evening and Yova proposed he give her the location of where they were going so we could bump into them and see how Bella was. He agreed, then asked her if he could get her advice on where to take Bella. “This is a sort of lifestyle that I have absolutely no familiarity with. There was a 90s night at the local beer hall, would that be appropriate?” he asked.

When he asked this, Yova pulled the phone away from her ear and looked about as pained as I’ve ever seen her. She very quietly said, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” I sat next to her with Paisley so she could cope.

Yova turned back to the phone and, with a look of abject agony on her face, asked, “What sort of thing did Bella ask for, specifically?” “Loud music and flashing lights, I did confirm the flashing lights,” Duke Lamington told her. Yova proposed that she act as the outsource for this and quickly called one of her Juilliard contacts, asking where the best place in Albany was for a rave. She managed to get the address of a rave that was held in an empty store area of one of the malls in town and passed that on to the Duke. He ran it by Bella and she said, “I can’t even see you at a rave. But yeah! Let’s do it!”

While all this was going on, I still had Paisley in my lap. I looked down to her and asked, “So, girl, you up for a rave?” She looked up at me with a quirked head. “Rave, uh. Loud music, flashing lights, lots of drugs?” I asked. She considered for a second and then, if I’ve ever seen a gecko shrug, that was it. She stayed home.

The next few hours we spent raiding Yova’s closet to try and get outfits for a rave. And yeah, yeah, I know what you’re going to say. I have club wear, I don’t have rave wear. I did not get the gay dancing gene. Bella also took Duke Lamington out for appropriate rave attire. He got a snazzy neon bow tie and suspenders. Yova also called Marigold and asked her if she wanted to meet us there. She jumped at it.

Bella and the Duke were the first ones to get to the rave, not long after it opened. He mostly was there to chaperone Bella, though he did do a little dancing to humor her. We got there about twenty minutes later and thankfully managed to spot the Duke quickly enough, with that neon blue bow tie. Bella actually seemed like she was doing much better; she was going through her usual Bellaisms. We made our way over and she waved at us, looking happy. “I didn’t know you guys were going to be here!” she said. Pam and Duke Lamington shared a look – we’d all heard him telling Bella that we were going to be coming along.

While Pam and I tried to figure out what was going on, Yova got a text that Marigold was there and Yova sent her a picture of what she was wearing. She made her way over to the bar, where Marigold was sitting, dressed in her normal Wednesday Addams getup and nursing a hot pink drink, looking delighted. Yova greeted her (with a nice kiss on the cheek – yes, I was watching) and told her she looked happy. “Oh, I am! This is fascinating!” Marigold told her, going on about all the social dynamics. Yova was looking positively charmed and warned her about taking anything from anyone who offered it. “I’m not that naïve,” Marigold scoffed, pulling out her bag. “Look, see, I have a whistle, and a can of mace, and this straw is supposed to change colors if you put it in a drink that has date rape drugs in it.” Bless that child.

Yova brought Marigold back over to where we were on the dance floor and we all greeted her. Pam told her how nice she looked and some of us proceeded to dance awkwardly (Duke Lamington doing the two-step, Pam doing a shimmy, Marigold swaying in place, me doing the cabbage patch) and others less awkwardly (Yova dancing around Marigold, Bella just having a good time).

But then. As we were dancing, both Yova and I spotted a couple of young women pushing their way through the crowd toward us, looking surprised and emotional. We pointed them out to the others and Bella quickly recognized them as old friends of hers. She turned, completely freaked out, and started making her way in the other direction. Yova, thankfully, reacted quickly. By picking me up and throwing me like a goddamn discus at them. They were pissed as hell at me and it stopped them from moving forward, but didn’t stop them from spotting Bella and they darted off through the crowd after her. Yova swooped in, picked me up, and started acting like a running back. I looked up at her and managed to get out, “When we get out of here… I’m gonna kick your fuckin’ ass.”

Yova managed to stop one of the girls by running into her, but the other caught up with Bella and asked her what was going on and why she was acting the way she was. “And what is up with this look?” she asked. Bella tried to affect a Spanish accent, making like it was a case of mistaken identity. Around this time, the rest of us managed to catch up. “What is going on, is this cold feet or something?” Between Bella’s denials and Yova’s insistence that the girl was mistaken about who Bella was, she finally left, but was clearly unhappy about it.

We made our way outside the mall and Duke Lamington gently told Bella that she was going to have to deal with what happened with her Fetch. I realized that this was probably the time to let Bella know what she might be dealing with and I pulled the ring out of my pocket and handed it over to her. “What’s this?” she asked. “I found that in the pile of rags that was your Fetch the other night,” I said. She didn’t seem to be putting it together, but Yova reminded her that the girl mentioned getting a case of cold feet. Bella looked at the ring a minute longer, then put it in her pocket and stormed off, saying, “Not my problem!”

Duke Lamington told us that it wasn’t exactly the Spring Court’s place to deal with this, but he wished us luck. “I’ll go check on the little miss and make sure she gets home all right, whether it’s to her own place or our locale,” he said. He promised to let us know where Bella ended up. She ended up asking to go back to her own place and Duke Lamington escorted her there. She told me that when he dropped her off, he told her it was a pleasure hanging out with her and that it wasn’t often members of the Court sought him out. All together now: awwww.

That left me, Pam, Marigold, and Yova hanging outside the mall. Yova apologized to Marigold about the night ending prematurely. “Oh, no, it was fascinating!” she chirped again. She did stare through her glasses after the girl who was traipsing off and, getting a bit more serious, told us that we should be careful about the police in case she talked to them about what was going on with Bella. “I think we might have a bit of help with keeping that at bay, with Officer Break. Did she ever end up contacting you?” Yova asked. Marigold’s shoulders slumped a bit and she said, “Yes… yes, she did. And I was just about to call her back, but then Miss Stella dumped a pile of research projects on my desk.” “She’s good at that,” I said. “Yes, she is. You know, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t sleep,” Marigold said.

We ended up piling into Yova’s crappy pickup and dropped Marigold off at her apartment first. It wasn’t the best part of town, but her building looked nice. Yova then dropped Pam off and drove me back to our building. She parked the car, looked over at me and made a peace offering. “I’ve got a bottle of vodka and mixers upstairs.” “Deal.”

Now, that might have been the end of it. Except that when Pam got home, she could feel the aftereffects of Glamour. It wasn’t hostile or wrong, but she definitely could feel something. As she looked around her apartment, she saw a long, thin thorn pinning a parchment envelope to the wall. Mentally noting that she was going to have to spackle that later, she pulled out the thorn and opened the envelope, breaking a messy wax seal. Inside was a small note that read: “HEY KIDS, WE’RE BUSTIN OUT. -C P.S. TELL THE OLD MAN I’M GONNA PUNCH HIM.”

By this point, Yova and I were upstairs in her place. I was starting to put together some Moscow mules and she was trying to change out of her thigh highs. Pam called me and I picked up, saying, “Fallen Angels Abortion Clinic, you knock ‘em up, we knock ‘em down, we have a special on twins today, how may I direct your call?” Pam took a second to respond, then said, “I’m sorry, I think I have the wrong number,” and hung up. I cackled for a few seconds, then called her back.

“Oh, Derek. I think that somebody has your number,” she told me. “No, no, that was me,” I said. “He’s a shit on the phone!” Yova called from her closet. “So, what’s up?” I asked. “Well, I just got a note from Cassi. It said they’re breaking out,” she said. I felt my feathers spring up into full alert and I snapped my fingers to try and get Yova’s attention. “What? What is it?” she asked, leaning out of her closet dangerously. “THEY’RE BREAKING OUT!” I yelled. “OH SHI –” she yelled, losing her balance completely.

“Oh, that sounded painful,” Pam said. “Yeah, it was like watching a sequoia go down,” I said. “Uh, we’re going to – Yova, how long is it going to take you to change?” I asked. “Five minutes!” she said, contorting herself to try to get those damn thigh highs off. “Right. Um, we’ll be there in ten minutes,” I said. “I’m just going to change into something that’s not – this.” “I don’t know, Derek, I think Adrian would find that very fetching,” Yova said from the floor, pointing to my mesh shirt. “Shut up, Yova!” I yelled, darting for the door.

And so that brings our current story to a close. When next you come back, I’ll tell you all about the next fine kettle of fish we managed to get ourselves into. Until then, may your friends never use you as ballast for their Olympic tryouts.

[shogetsus]

Stripes of Auburn, Eye of Sapphire

7. Masamune

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Summary:  Some of her features look Western from his point of view, like the lines of her jaw, or her copper brows a tad bit thicker and not groomed as custom, even to northern standards. For what it takes and even if her name doesn’t sound foreign, Mai Mizusaki is an exotic beauty, clearly not from these lands. And that gaze hasn’t seen famine nor witnessed a wife crying out for her husband and child as they were drawn to defend the lands of their daimyo.

Is her homeland a safe haven from the evils of men, as the serene amber of her eyes seems to take after? Does such a place even exist?

Just… who is she?.

Masamune

Of all the possible figures he’d run through his mind to encounter on his way to the mysterious woman’s assigned room, Mitsuhide Akechi was far from not expected. In fact, it’s more fortunate than anything he’d happened to find him instead of encountering Hideyoshi once again, or else he couldn’t be sure he’d have endured but another lecture from him. Two consecutive sermons had been more than enough for his book, either way.

Once his associate swings the door close with that certain characteristic elegance of his, Masamune leans nonchalantly against a wall, casting a curious glance his way. For how long he’d known him, he could already tell by the quirk of one of Mitsuhide’s mobile brows they seem to share the same budding curiosity towards Azuchi Castle’s new female resident.

And yet, Masamune knows deep down either of them are truly surprised for their reunion having been drawn by an unexpected element, such as an unknown woman. Some may call it fate, but between the two of them, it just comes down to simply sharing mutual interests. However that may be, it is for his acquaintance to ponder further on—and either way, Masamune wouldn’t bring himself to bother with a better clarification.

Akechi comes to be the first in attempting to break the ice. “Who would have thought, our Lord’s savior turned out to be such a slender little thing…” He voices out a thought lingering in the back of Masamune’s mind, folding his hands into the sleeves of his pristine kimono. “Whatever will happen to this sweet lady from now on, I wonder?”

“That’s quite rhetorical, coming from you,” For what it takes, what they do not seem to share are their presumptions on the woman inside the room; ‘slender little thing’, maybe so—and fair enough, in comparison to Masamune’s build, that is—but sweet, he definitely wouldn’t describe her as such. “Hideyoshi already leaned us on to Nobunaga having taken an interest in her, so…” He comments with a vague shrug, figuring out the simplest of reasons often turn out to be the most plausible ones.

A spark of mischief crosses his golden eyes, thin lips curling into a knowing smirk. “And yet, here you are, Dragon…” It’s clear how Mitsuhide doesn’t include himself in the statement; he’s been ordered by Hideyoshi to fetch the woman, after all, whilst he’s simply arrived on his own accord.

“Were you truly expecting otherwise?” Masamune prods, returning that impish smile with one of his own. Regardless of the obvious implications in his words and the ever-present naughty look plastered on Mitsuhide’s face, there the other man still stands; gaze unwavering, waiting for him to figure it all out on his own. “Hah, I thought so.”

His assumption hangs in the air; a light, low chuckle from Akechi practically confirming other questions left unvoiced. For the way his sly associate’s stance leans towards the newest resident’s room, casually guarding the door, all but states a little game and a subtle challenge arising altogether. At the gesture, Masamune slightly tilts his head, but can’t help for his single eye shimmering in excitement, revealing his growing anticipation.

He’d previously considered being too premature to engage in a thing like this, but for the looks of it, there’s already a race among his colleagues to unfold the mysteries behind the newest addition of Azuchi Castle’s inhabitants. Masamune would be a fool to even consider backing down from such a fun challenge, however irrelevant it would be—and Akechi would be the bigger fool to not assume he’d be in beforehand.

As it turns out, he’s relieved for grasping the opportunity when it came, just a couple hours ago, and having already made his first move. It leaves him with a much confident advantage over his recently self-announced ‘rival’.

Although Mitsuhide isn’t truly the one among the players Masamune is most wary of—if not at all, really.

However, there’s again no reason to wrap up his head over it just yet. Both of them are just about to see how Nobunaga Oda will partake on their little game of theirs soon enough. And while there’s a slim chance neither would be able to have their slice of fun if Nobunaga just so decides against it, Masamune knows deep down he didn’t happen to strike an alliance with such a letdown in the first place. If anything, the Lord of Azuchi has struck him more as an enabler rather than the other way around.

When the door slides open and Mai Mizusaki shows up before them—all but regal and outstanding, clad from head to toe in several folds of the most expensive fabrics Azuchi town is able to provide—Masamune and Akechi share very similar pleased smirks, the sight of such a beauty appearing as a reminder of how… entertaining the future days are looking forward to becoming.

Feeling bolstered by the striking view, Masamune makes the first move and purposefully ignores his associate, all but setting his sights on his target and offering his hand to her with a flourish. “Shall we go, Mai?” He says suggestively, recalling the pretty way she’d flustered the last time he’d drawled her name, intent on turning her utmost attention to him once again.

Mitsuhide appears hardly surprised by the bold move from his part, yet knows better than to provide with a counterattack, barely restraining himself from showing how truly amused Masamune knows he is. And even as he turns and strolls onto the halls with the exotic beauty alongside him and his fellow warlord silently following, everything regarding their situation is all but naturally expected, way predicted beforehand.

In a way, it’s somewhat boring. But hopefully so, Nobunaga will spice things up for all of them. 

And thrillingly, Nobunaga Oda happens to provide once again.

“So be it, then. I shall appoint you as my chatelaine.” He decides after a sigh, resigning to indulge in the lass’ wishes to be of more use.

His decision prompts the wholehearted approval of both Masamune and Mitsuhide, and while the rest of the warlords begin further discussing it, so far there seem to be no real objections on the matter.

“How could this waif possibly be of any use?” Ieyasu grumbles as so usual of him, naturally wanting to move onto the real subject at hand, which is not precisely—to his opinion—the just named Princess of Azuchi.

“It’s Lord Nobunaga’s decision, Ieyasu. Hold your tongue,” Hideyoshi is quick to frown down on him, “Though only time will tell if we can trust her…”

“Who says you have to?” Mitsuhide points out with a nonchalant shrug, “Just keep an eye on her. You’re good at that, right?” He directs a brief yet all the same mischievous glance at Masamune before adding, “She may surprise you.”

Why, I eagerly look forward to that. Masamune doesn’t voice out his thoughts, flashing a wicked smile at Akechi instead, not in much need of words between them when they can practically read each other quite effortlessly.

“Then it’s decided.” Nobunaga attempts to wrap up the discussion, “Work hard and prove your worth to me, Mai.”

While a nice bunch of them are noticeably pleased with the outcome—and the wide variety of possibilities a job as chatelaine would entail—that doesn’t precisely seem to be the case of the Princess. “I won’t let you down.” She says, but Masamune notices the forced reassuring tone she pulls out, all but looking like keeping her wits about her.

Sure, her subtle squirming and clear wariness towards Nobunaga is pretty much understandable. Aside from the fact that lass appeared out of nowhere and some odd circumstances turned out for her to save the life of the daimyo—who currently has her on his lap as if a prized possession, to the disapproval of some—in fact, she happens to know the same amount about all of them they know about her, which is… close to nothing, actually.

Just who is she? It’s becoming clear she’s never had to deal with the likes of them, barely judging by her absolute lack of decorum. But above everything, it’s her exotic nature that draws Masamune’s eye in ways he can’t truly bring himself to fathom; and for one, it’s an irksome feeling at its best.

With a satisfied grin and in teasing ways Masamune has seen himself doing with his own pet, Nobunaga brings his fingers under her chin, prompting her eyes to his. “Worry not, Princess. I plan to take good care of you.” He can’t truly blame her for flinching back, honestly, for he’d have probably reacted similarly, were he in her place.

“You can start by letting go of me, then.” The lass doesn’t wait for him to do so, though, extricating herself from his grasp dexterously, yet with some subtle politeness.

Akechi breathes a snort through his nose, raptly listening and watching all the conversations unfolding at once. “Be as it may. I shall enjoy your company nonetheless,” A mischievous smirk clings to Nobunaga’s face, finding a sort of fun in the woman’s situation, “And grant you time to learn to enjoy mine.”

Hideyoshi doesn’t bother hiding his disapproval. “I still don’t know about her, my Lord. She’s awfully disrespectful.” He comments with one of his natural frowns.

To Mitsuhide, Nobunaga and Masamune’s amusement—which looks like a clear contrast from the rest of their associates—the woman is quick in standing up for herself. “I won’t speak for all of you but I don’t know anyone thrilled to be fondled like a piece of property.” She points out.

“Right you are!” Masamune can’t help but intercede and approve wholeheartedly, “I like a lass who knows what she wants.”

Mitsuhide’s sly smirk widens even further, “And just how would you like to be fondled?”

“That’s… not of your business.” She puts effort into giving a proper retort, apparently struggling not to scrunch her face and look like a silly kid while placing some safe distance between her and the daimyo of Azuchi.

She ends up taking a spot between Hideyoshi and Masamune, folding her knees and taking utmost care of the long folds of her exquisite kimono. Her eyes gleam in pretty shades of amber as they roam over the entire group, the hue reminding him of the autumn afternoons back at Yonezawa.

Those were lovely, tranquil days, just as endearing as her eyes; in which his hardest struggles were merely stirring some trouble with his cousin, stealing mochi from the kitchens and keep up with writing lessons. The sight makes Masamune wonder, is she the same as he once were, back in the day? Untouched, unspoiled by the tragedies of war?

Some of her features look Western from his point of view, like the lines of her jaw, or her copper brows a tad bit thicker and not groomed as custom, even to northern standards. For what it takes and even if her name doesn’t sound foreign, Mai Mizusaki is an exotic beauty, clearly not from these lands. And that gaze hasn’t seen famine nor witnessed a wife crying out for her husband and child as they were drawn to defend the lands of their daimyo.

Is her homeland a safe haven from the evils of men, as the serene amber of her eyes seems to take after? Does such a place even exist?

Just… who is she?  

“Isn’t it wonderful that you’re making so many friends, Mai?” Mitsunari’s ever innocent pondering pulls him out of his reverie.

Hells. It’s very unlike him to let his mind wander so carelessly, at least not these days, his lips pursing ever so briefly with discomfort. “I bet those two will get along great. They’re both clueless,” Ieyasu and apparently nobody seems to have noticed, however, continuing with his characteristic scoffing, facing him from where he’s sitting.

“Ieyasu, I’ve told you before: don’t be rude.”

“But you also told me to be honest, Hideyoshi, which is what I’m doing,” Masamune can’t help his soft snicker at Ieyasu’s annoyed eye roll, “Besides, isn’t this is a war council? Shouldn’t we get back to business? Suruga, Shinano and Kai—but that’s no surprise—are a total mess right now.” He points out with a sneer, “It’s not like I care if you prefer to be messing around with some waif instead of discussing the discord and skirmishes happening in your recently acquired territories, but I’d like to be informed if you would…”

Mitsunari makes his addition, his easygoing demeanor turning serious once they get Nobunaga’s attention. “Though minor conflicts are inevitable, if they increase in number they could destabilize all the footholds we’ve made,” The hard frown in his young face doesn’t really suit him, but Hideyoshi’s vassal has always been known to be pretty much an open book—both in his expressions and for having his nose constantly stuck into one. “It may be happening already. Opposition to Lord Nobunaga is spreading to even previously peaceful domains…”

The news, however, doesn’t strike Masamune as massively concerning. “If they’re trying to get our attention, why don’t we go knock down some doors and show them we mean business?” He shrugs, a savage smirk showing on his face, all but anticipating what’s to come as he turns to his associate seated on his right. “Mitsuhide, with all your schemes and secrets, I’m sure you’ve dug up some fun news about the enemy. Got anything to share?”

The Princess hums in a certain discomfort, but Akechi cracks up a sly smile. “Fun?” He seems to share the sentiment, although he opts to face Nobunaga. “Well, I suppose it is for some of us. On the other hand, my Lords, I’m afraid I’ve yet to receive further news on the matter of the incident at Honno-ji. With enemies lurking everywhere, nothing is too certain…”

“I assumed as much. I await your report, then,” Nobunaga concludes, relaxing against his armrest, “And Ieyasu, the reason for my summoning mainly concerned the appointment of our Princess. However, it has been some time since we’ve all gathered under the same roof. I would like to throw a feast to celebrate it and welcome our new residents…”

And so, as a cue from the Lord of the castle, the tables are properly set and the men arrange themselves and switch places to prepare for the regal banquet much expected from their unconventional host. Piles over piles of food, some standing out as European delicacies, are spread everywhere before them, much to the majority’s delight.

One of the maids, particularly acquainted with Masamune as a long past dalliance, flutters her pretty lashes and smiles coquettishly once she gets near him. Yet while he politely nods in thanks for her hard work, he can’t help his eye to be drawn to the new female resident still seated at his left—the way the lass’ gaze roams all over the table in awe, almost in disbelief, catching his utmost interest.

“What’s that face for, lass?” He leans to the side, and the maid seems to take that as her cue to disappear and attend the others, “Just suit yourself. Or is there something in particular I can get you?”

“Ah, um, it’s nothing, really…” For a split moment, she appears to be struggling to keep a straight face, but it’s obvious from Masamune’s point of view something is concerning her, “I’ve never seen so much food piled up together in my life, that’s all,”

“In any case, I strongly recommend any of the mochi over there,” Ever the gentleman, he makes work of stretching over the table and fetch a plate for the two of them, saving a zunda-mochi to himself. “They’re not as great as in Oshu, mind you, but it’ll do just fine. But the dango is quite good, though,”

She accepts his offering with a half forced smile, but his attempts for a meaningless conversation don’t seem to help her from the sort of trance she appears to be into—her mind clearly elsewhere, judging by the glossy look of her amber eyes. Akechi either bothers stepping in, looking too busy catching up on multiple conversations ongoing at once while wolfing an onigiri without even a care of actually tasting the damn thing.

The one to approach a moment later comes out to be, surprisingly, Hideyoshi. “You’re looking lost, Mai.” He points out matter-of-factly, “Is something the matter?”

Hideyoshi’s ever natural concerning manners succeed in pulling the Princess out of her apparent stupor, startling just slightly. “Well, er, you’re not wrong. I was just thinking I’d like to get to work but I don’t really know where to start or what I could possibly do,” She admits with a frown.

“I’m pleased to know you’re taking up your new role seriously,” He nods in approval, the hard wall of skepticism he’d seemed to put up faltering just a bit—which is quite interesting, all things considered. “You should start with familiarizing yourself with the castle, first. We can show you around shortly after this meal…”

“… Is that all?” A dubious look appears on the lass’ face, quirking a brow. “Don’t get me wrong, though. I know it’s better to take it easy at first, but loafing around is not really my thing.”

On that addition, Nobunaga joins in on the conversation. “If you intend to partake on a more challenging task, then you can see that Mitsunari lives properly,” He comments, an amused smirk on his face as he quietly sips on his tea.

Mitsuhide manages to suppress a snort, but Masamune can’t really help his low chuckling, already picturing such implications. Their aforementioned associate just gawks at them in dismay, bracing himself for a complaint.

The only woman in the room returns to looking confused, though. “Um, what exactly does ‘seeing Mitsunari lives properly’ entail?”

“It’s simple. Make sure he takes at least two meals per day and on time, and gets the required amount of rest.” Nobunaga explains matter-of-factly, “If you truly want to be useful, you will soon learn that helping Mitsunari helps the castle,”

“That’s it? You’re not joking?”

“I wouldn’t laugh if I were you. You just got assigned to pet care…” Ieyasu makes a witty remark before returning to busy himself with his cup of tea.

The lass shoots him an incredulous look, almost dropping her barely eaten mochi. “Please, my lord, you should rethink this decision,” Mitsunari finally makes his concerns known to Nobunaga, “Lady Mai is now a Princess. It is unfitting to burden her with this task!”

Masamune just leans back and crosses his arms, finding quite a good amount of entertainment in the discussion. “I bet the new spirited Princess will have fun with it. I know some of us will, at least…” Glancing at Mitsuhide, the sly grin in his face clearly tells how much he agrees with his sentiment.

“I wish you the best of luck in your very vital task, my Lady,” Akechi’s eyes gleam impishly, and for a second it seems as if he’s already picturing multiple entertaining situations to come.  

“Hey, that’s enough mockery out of you two!” Hideyoshi glares at them past the Princess’ snack in her hands. “And Mai, let me know when you’re ready to depart. Mitsunari and I can give you a tour of the castle for today, and we can discuss your assignments in the meantime,”

“Ready when you are,” Presumably too eager to escape all the inquisitive looks directed at her, she’s quick in dropping her food and follow an ever so oblivious Mitsunari out of the war room, his Lord on tow. “If you excuse me, um, my Lords…”

Huh, she has barely eaten anything. Was it the mochi? Maybe I should see what she likes to have…

As the Princess and the others left, closing the door behind them, the banquet continues with the regular pleasantries. Ieyasu and Masamune proceed with informing the stationing of their troops for the time being, while Mitsuhide makes exemplary work of putting his Lord to date with the latest reports from his travel to Honno-ji and forward.

The most pressing matters, according to Akechi, appear to be Kai’s imminent revolt; an issue long in the brewing ever since the passing of their leader, Shingen Takeda. Once a formidable enemy of both Ieyasu and Nobunaga, the stakes currently seem to be on their side, though—mostly after Masamune’s addition of his army in the northeast region—leaving the province with little to nowhere to seek refuge should they finally decide to take up arms against their new Lord.

Masamune leans a hand over his knee, excited to settle the score, “Just point me to the place that needs some fencing, and consider it done,” He says to Nobunaga with a reassuring grin plastered all over his face.

“Are you dumb, Masamune, or just have a death wish?” Ieyasu scoffs at his assertion, “Nobunaga and I together could barely hold against them the last time. What makes you think you can?”

The Lord of Azuchi doesn’t intervene, preferring to watch from the sidelines, leaning against his armrest and listening intently. “Why, Ieyasu, I wouldn’t underestimate us northerners if I were you,” Masamune quirks a challenging brow, “Aside from a good meal, we’re always up for a good fight…”

“That’s just recklessness, but whatever. It’s your men at stake, not mine,” Ieyasu puts up a show of rolling his eyes, but everyone can tell by the way he doesn’t glare at anybody in particular he’s not truly annoyed, “If we’re done here I’d like to take my leave, though,”

Mitsuhide follows his lead, rising up with a flourish, “I shall see to everyone has settled up properly as well,” Without further ado, he strolls to the exit ahead of Ieyasu. “My Lords, Masamune…”

He snorts amusedly at the silly jab, but leaves Akechi be for the moment—they have a good part of the afternoon to catch up, after all. A quiet and companionable silence falls over Nobunaga and him once they’re left alone to their own devices, basking in the remains of the feast; a fact Masamune appreciates as much as wholeheartedly approves of his current host.

While making work of politely refilling Nobunaga’s tea, Masamune finally breaks the silence. “I’ve been wondering, do you have any particular tasks in mind for your chatelaine?”

“None, in fact,” Nobunaga shakes his head, “Unless she causes trouble, I’m fine with letting her do as she pleases. That was always my intention.”

“Personally, I think it would be good for her to get into a little trouble, if you know what I mean.” He pulls up a sly smirk, “That’s why I wanted to recommend some things.”

Judging by the slight tilt of his chin and a single quirk of his brow, Nobunaga appears to have taken the bait. “As long as castle life isn’t disrupted… and she gets to assist me,”

Masamune shrugs nonchalantly, getting the innuendo but not feeling perturbed by it. He’s seen the knowing look in Nobunaga’s eyes when he brought the now called Princess before him, but he would be a fool to plan to get in the way of his Lord’s whims without a very good reason for doing so. And a woman—as pleasingly interesting as she may be—isn’t truly one, to be honest.

“By the way, where did she say she comes from?” He prods a little.

At the sudden question, Nobunaga chuckles low, amusement clinging to his face, “Hah. From 500 years in the future, if you believe her outrageous stories,”

Wait, what? That’s… what? As a matter of fact, the news doesn’t particularly disturb him—if anything, it makes him all the more curious about the woman, if he even wasn’t in the first place.

“I see. I wasn’t wrong about her, then,” A wicked grin spreads all over Masamune’s lips, already anticipating many exciting days to come. “This will be fun…”

Mochi: A traditional rice cake made of mochigome, a short-grain glutinous rice.

[nad-zeta]

Match up ^o^

May I request a Match up, please?

I’m at the part when I have to choose a route and I honestly don’t know/care. So I decided why not let some lovely internet stranger choose for me? Who do you think I would pair the best with?

I also noticed how much effort and detail you put into these so I decided that it was only fair to try to put in just as much effort in requesting. Or maybe I am just extremely vain so blabbering on this much about myself comes naturally (I also wouldn’t be too suprised if this were the case lol). Either way, I apologise for this getting so long. And without further ado, let’s learn about yours truly. Uh, yay?

I will start with my physical appearance because that’s easiest.  

First of all, I am rather tall for a woman. Pair that with the fact that I constantly wear boots with 8 centimetre or greater heels and I almost always cap out somewhere above 182 centimetres (that’s 6 feet in American). So yes. I’m not exactly the approachable type, on the account of my height and near constant resting bitch face. I always look pissed off at something (and to be fair, I usually am).

I am a brunette with boring brown eyes. Nothing of note there. 

I prefer to walk on my toes, for whatever reason. I also have great posture when I walk and these two factors always make it seem like I am floating. I’ve been told that I always seem very confident and self-assured. Which is complete bullshit because 90% of the time, I am winging it. 

I am a dancer (of sorts. More on that later), so I am rather slim and toned. This is literally the only aspect of my physicality that I am actually confident in. The rest of me can burn in hell for all I care. 

I am also very touch adverse. I hate the feeling of skin touching my skin it grosses me touch. However. There are a select few people in this world that I accept and enjoy hugs and cuddles from (and who I could snuggle with for hours). If I let anyone cuddle me that means I trust said person unconditionally and feel extremely comfortable around them. It’s essentially the ultimate statement of trust.

Onto personality.

If you can’t already tell, I have about as much dignity as a wet cat. I while I certainly do have an ego, it can be kind of difficult to bruise. Publically, I am absolutely shameless and don’t give two shits about what others think. 

I have a tongue of steel and can rapid fire the most atrocious insults and comebacks when provoked. I’m known for my venomous sarcasm and biting wit among my own circles. I have a line for nearly every single situation so one-liners have become my thing. Which works out for me because I am a huge flirt.

I’ll flirt with pretty much anyone regardless of gender, I don’t give a crap. To clarify, it’s not because I am an attention whore (okay, yes. I am a complete attention whore), it’s because I am a theatre kid so excessive eye contact and sexual jokes are kinda where I thrive. I am also not afraid to get questionably lascivious with my flirting if someone tries to out-pace me. I never blush, I never falter, and I never let anyone know that they got the better of me. It shows weakness. 

Despite my salacious façade, I am not inherently a sexual person. As a matter of fact, I am quite the opposite. I don’t experience sexual attraction (kudos to my asexual humans. I see you). This has rendered me practically immune to all charm, crushes, and sex appeal. It makes my life a lot easier, in my opinion. I don’t get too attached. I also enjoy messing around with the egos of fuck boys. 

As mentioned earlier, I am an attention whore. I love showing off because I crave validation (this could point to some deep seated insecurities about myself that I refuse to acknowledge…. Ahem). Being on stage as where I thrive. And yes, I am a dancer, as I stated earlier. But I am not your conventional prissy ballerina. I am a circus performer. More specifically, I’m an aerialist. I have covered trapeze, contortion (I am unnaturally flexible), lyra, and silks. It’s a lot of fun almost dying every day and finding bruises in the most questionable places (if you cant already tell, I am an adrenaline junkie. I took karate for the first dozen or so years of my life and have recently been searching for more weapons combat classes because apparently I don’t have enough bruises already).

I am not easily impressed. And I don’t give out compliments very often. And that includes myself. I can be unnecessarily hard on myself at times… most of the time. But then again, who isn’t? 

As for the side of me that isn’t stark-raving mad, I am usually a pretty objective person. While I have no qualms with discussing emotions (both mine and friend’s. I am a great listener and actually give pretty good advice when it comes to dealing with intense emotions). I tend to avoid letting them interfere with my logic. I look down on those who allow their emotions to dictate their actions. It makes them needlessly reckless. 

I am typically a pretty chill person. When I am among people I am unfamiliar with, I tend to stay quiet and try not to rock the boat too much (again, I won’t hesitate to unleash a severe tongue lashing upon any poor soul who happens to rub me the wrong way… Or just happens to exist. I don’t take shit from other people and I hate it when others try to control me. (I don’t play rough, I play smart). 

I really enjoy reading, writing, or drawing quietly. I can’t stand loud and excessive noises or people (parties, screaming, concerts). I am a true extroverted introvert. I love being the center of attention and chatting, but I need my alone time. People are exhausting to deal with. 

Because of my aversion to loud sounds, I tend to avoid typical dance parties like the plague. While I am very good with mingling and partying in general, I can only keep it up in short bursts before I have to retreat somewhere quiet. This is also the reason I greatly prefer the nighttime (if I had a choice I would sleep all day and only frolick around at night. I just love the dark. It’s comforting in a weird way). I also love the night because that’s when I get to sleep and just peace out on life. It’s kinda like non-committal dying.

I am near constantly on hyper-alert so I am not easily startled. When I do get startled, I have a tendency to squeak, yelp or growl. These noses are purely reactionary sounds but for whatever reason, my friends think that they are absolutely adorable and will go to great lengths to startle me just to hear me make them.

To counteract my friend’s malevolence, I have learnt to be super observant, especially when I feel threatened. Usually, I am caught up on my own world and thoughts. I have an imagination so powerful that I can trick my brain into feeling false sensations such as an extra limb or falling. I much prefer to spend my time in my head rather than our boring reality. But if I feel threatened, or think that another attack is imminent, I instantly become hyper aware. These moments of lucidity enable me to make certain observations others would otherwise be overlooked (for example. I was able to tell when my professor lost her wedding ring due to the discoloration around her ring finger and the habitual and near-constant worrying she did at it. I offered to help her look after class ^.^. I admittedly felt kinda smug when I saw her surprise.) Ironically enough, I like to refer to this mode of thinking as “Sherlocking”. I can be quite the detective when I really try. 9 out of 10 times my friends will come to me when they suspect infidelity, I am pretty good at digging up dirt. 

However, I have to make the conscious decision to do this, usually when I am trying to figure someone out or manipulate them into liking me. So this isn’t constant and usually I go about my day like everyone else, blissfully unaware of my surroundings.

Uhh, there is probably more I could cover but this is getting very long as-is and you are probably forcing yourself to get through my seemingly eternal ramblings. So I am going to stop here and go grab myself some food. 

Best of luck to you,

-November

Hi there love!<3 you sound like such a cool interesting person! ^_^ Hehehe I probs took so long with this match up that you already chose a new route lol! Anyways thanx for waiting soooooo long for this and I hope ya enjoy it love ^0^ ^_^

I match you with……………………… Masamune

Honestly, it was between Masamune and Mitsuhide for me lol but i eventually decided to go with Masamune 

The first time Masamune sees you, his eyes go wide in awe, like wow you are one tall fine lady! He has legit never met anyone so tall. After you were named as chatelaine, you stayed behind with some of the warlords to chat and get to know them better, you are after all going to be seeing their faces every day for the next 3 months. 

Right of the bat, Masamune is howling in laughter at the fact that you are way taller than Ieyasu. You, Masamune and Mitsuhide basically tease the poor porcupine for a solid 20 minutes. “My my I never expected such a scary-looking little mouse to be so bubbly and friendly.” 

Oooh, this boy just stared a war of wits. Today day was a good day cause your tongue of steel was rapidly firing witty words and sarcastic remarks at the resident kitsune. He almost couldn’t keep up, almost. Masamune was just standing there watching the whole scene unfold, you truly were going to be a lot of fun! Masamune decided to test out that tongue of steel of your and started firing some flirty pick-up line, while unbeknown to him you are the queen of one-liners, and have no shame when it comes lascivious flirting. Masamune, of course, never backs down from a challenge, and he was determined to make you blush. The conversation got so heated that it made even Hideyoshi blush on your behalf. You simply laughed and fired another one of your pick-up lines.

After the little chat in the hallway and a massive speech from mama bear for talking about things that were not PG13, cause of the kids *cough* Mitsunari *cough*, you and Masamune become quick friends. He had never met a woman before that was immune to his boyish wild charm, and handsome sexual appeal. Masamune was definitely popular with the woman, not as popular as Hideyoshi, but he was definitely a fuckboi. As surprised as he was, that his normal antics didn't work on you, his ego wasn’t dented one bit, it just made him more determined to get to know you. 

Masamune definitely finds your flirtatious nature attractive, especially when you managed to score the two of you free sweet bun just by flirting with the shop owner, he was, even more, shook when the shop owner was a woman, your flirtation truly knows no bounds. The two of you would spend loads of time together, just going out for tea and sweets while getting to know each other. TBH although Masamune would never admit it, he found it refreshing that you weren't just his friend simply cause he was hot or cause you wanted to climb in stations but because you actually liked him as a person. You and Masamune definitely made an unstoppable team when it came to banquets. The two of you would team up and start teasing everyone there. When you two cuties are together its always a good time with loads of laughter and banter

Masamune discovered that you like him, was an adrenaline junkie. He loved that he finally had someone around that would do stupid shit with him just for the thrill of it. The two of you would go out on adventures 24/7 jumping down waterfalls and hiking up cliffs. The two of you goofball would also dare each other to do the craziest shit. Like one-time Masamune dared you to jump off the castle’s roof onto your balcony, and you freaken did it, no questions asked. Or like the one time you dared him to put his head in Shogetsu mouth, mind you the little cub was now grown into a full-blown tiger

One day you and Masa went to go watch one of Mitsuhide’s undercover performances. The three of you were investigating a shady daimyo in one of the nearby provinces. The three of you disguised yourselves as performers and joined a circus troop as their new dancers. You were so excited, the stage is where you truly come alive. You had promised Masa to show him something that would shock/surprise him after he gave you the grand tour of  Azuchi. Today was the day, you had kept your dance and performances a secret from the two men, and now it was finally time to show them what you can do. You had 3 different performances planned. The first one was contortion. To say Masamune was shook would be an understatement he never knew anyone could be so freaken flexible, like wow. Your next performance was aerial dancing, his blue eye gleamed in delight, watching you move through the air so gracefully. If he wasn’t sure before he was sure now, this boy loved ya. But what really took his breath away was when you trapezed through the air, he was absolutely mesmerized at the way you flew through the air doing back-flips and other cool ass tricks. Masamune loved the look of pure joy on your face as you performed and after the show, you explained to him that you were a theatre kid back in the past. Mitsuhide definitely took note of your skills, and since that day you now accompanied him on most missions that required him to disguise himself as a performer.

Masamune loved everything about you at this point. Your overdramatic introvert/extrovert personality. The way you walked. Gosh, he loved the way you walked, it looked like you were an angel floating around wherever you went. He loved your banter and one-liner for every situation. And most of all he loved your hyper-alert side. Boy did he love to come up behind you to scare the crap outta you just so he could hear you squeak, yelp or growl. Like he lived for those adorably cute noises. And you somewhere along the line had fallen in love with the big idiot. He was always coming up with new fun adventures to go on or new fun things to do. He was one of those few people that could actually keep up with your banter

What was he most impressed with you may ask, well you Sherlocking skills of course. One day there were rumours of some super shady daimyos visiting Azuchi. Word on the street was that they were planning on stealing Mitsunari report to make the poor angel look bad. Mitsuhide was away sorting out some other plots and schemes, so it was now up to you to use your skills, to save the angel. You used your detective skill to gather evidence, and since your inner circle knew you were from the future, you were planning on catching them in the act and filming them for evidence. Masamune was always up for an adventure, so he acted as you own personal Watson. The two of you hid while watching the whole scene unfold, once they left the room the two of you came out. “What do you think they are going to do with the report lass,” he asked while his blue eye gleamed in delight. “Hmmmmm, I believe they are going to burn the evidence in the forest” you replied in your best British accent. Masamune couldn’t help but laugh. The two of you made your way to a secluded part of the forest and spotted them making a fire. Masamune looked at you curiously “How did you know they were going to be in this exact spot.” “Elementary, my dear Masamune.” He couldn’t help but burst out in laughter you really were a super fun kitten. Unfortunately for the two of you, they heard you guys laughing behind the trees and before you knew it, the two of you were surrounded. One of the men had a sword right at your throat ready to cut you open, that is when you shocked them by not backing down from the fight, you hit the sword away with one of your own gifted to you by your dearest one-eyed dragon. “ Point that sword at me one more time and i’ll slash your Achilles’ tendons, and TBH given the medicine situation of this time, no one would know how to fix your injury, so I hope you like hobbling around on one leg for the rest of your life cause that is what will happen.” These men were shook; meanwhile, Masa was next to you howling in laughter, “She’s not joking boys, this lass delivers on her threats.” You had never seen grown men run away from a fight so fast. You and Masamune picked up Mitsunari’s report that had fallen on the ground during the commotion and walked back hand in hand

You didn’t really like skin touching skin, but TBH you definitely like the warm feeling of Masamune’s hand warmed around yours. The two of you had come to fall in love with each other, and it wasn’t long before you two cuties entered into a relationship. Despite both of you being adrenaline junkies, both of you also loved your quiet times. Often you would sit together in his manor each doing your own thing. You would read and write, and Masamune would sit at his desk pretending to work (Cause admin is so freaken boring). 

The two of you would have the best time together during banquets you loved being the centre of attention and would chat with everyone, but as the night would progress you would start feeling a bit drained and that’s when the one-eyed dragon would swoop in, pick you up and takes you to a quiet corner where the two of you cuddle and snuggle together.

He would spoil you rotten with the most amazing food, he would basically, cook anything your heart desires just to see that beautiful smile on your face. His heart would always burst with affection whenever he cuddles and kiss you, he knew that the fact that you allowed him to cuddle you was the ultimate statement of trust between the two of you.

Often the two of you cuties can be found causing mischief and giving Mamayoshi more grey hairs or cuddled together sharing stories of your day

Other potential matches............... Mitsuhide 

Hope u enjoyed it dear @november-solarstorms