#fawns mailbox

[circus-clownn]

@sneeblbop

i haven't drawn fnaf in one billion million years but hii Christmas sun

[salty-an-disco]

In the Heathens AU, without spoiling too much, do you have any ideas about what other vessels might be friendly with the voices, and which might end up being hostile? Also, in the Echomirror AU, how did Cold and Paranoid first meet? How often do they work together? I am just so curious about their overall dynamic and how it might develop tbh (you should have seen this coming 😔)

Welllllllll– the best way I can say is that there's only One other vessel who'll be friendly from the start, and she's the one of the next ones they'll be meeting. After that? Oh boy–

Cole's and Pamela's first meeting was a bit messy. Pam confused Grimm for a ghost and fired an acid gun at him, and because Grimm has the reaction speed of a turtle, he didn't even try to dodge it. Cue to a comedic convo between a panicking Little Shrike, who's terrified that she just fired acid at one of her teammates, while Grimm is pondering on whether or not to lick the acid. They're interrupted by Eye of the Needle tho, who's close to breaking out of her reality bubble; and while Grimm is curious about what that'd be like, it doesn't feel like dealing with Echo lecturing it on cautiousness, so it just charges at her. Still covered in acid. It burns Eye of the Needle when she tries to punch or grab her, angering her more, giving Little Shrike an opening to fire a sleeping dart at her, letting Grimm finish her off.

Then they detransform and Cole faints from the acid burns.

After that, Pam decided she should prolly keep an eye on this guy, and Cole didn't mind it, since she's a lot more interesting than their other 'teammates'. While they still often go on separate missions, everyone else considers them basically a dynamic duo.

[cfcreative]

Absolutly losing my mind because this finally arrived today! It’s quite possibly my favorite art of Karlach (by @ribbonentrails!!) signed by Sam Béart.

It’s gonna go in a place of HONOR on my art wall; I just have to re-negotiate where my signed Dimension 20: Fantasy High Live art is placed.

[isaut]

ophie ophie 🎤 can we discuss butch beidou who opens bottle caps on her belt? because i’m thinking about her doing her very best to impress you, listening intently to your interests, asking you about your profession, and of course showing off by opening your beer for you

she’s doing this and then im asking her if she’s got a strap and then im sucking it kneeling on her living room floor that evening idgaf who’s watching

[fakebloodcapsule]

i know im extremely quick to assume someone's being condescending towards me or taking me for a fool and ever quicker to get pissed about it but goddamn some people make it way too easy

[salsflore]

for the outer wilds ask game: The Eye of the Universe and The Attlerock!

hi hello fawnsie!! thank u for the ask & sorry for getting to this late.. link to the original post honestly i don’t think i can even answer for the eotu one in like a normal manner though ...

The Attlerock: What was your initial impression of your F/O when you saw them in their source? Was it love at first sight or did the feelings creep up on you? Did you dislike them at first?

OKOK since i already answered for childe let me do this for zhongli ... when i first saw him in the story & when his banner came out i honestly didn’t really care much about him. I MEAN!! why would i. he was just a loser!!!

but then i think i wrote with a zhongli muse and then it got me thinking silly things. i was unconciously self inserting myself into the story errr and then i started looking at fanart and hcs and then...!!!! i watched some clip of his voice and it just made me feel fucking crazy okay

The Eye of the Universe: Gush pass! Or tell us anything you’ve been wanting to say about your self ship but haven’t found a good opportunity!

HE’S SOOO CUTEEE i love this old man so much. he’s seriously so lovely and pretty and silly and i want to see him to blush at my compliments and chuckle at my silliness and huff in adorable frustration over silly mortal inconveniences and and and and andnadnandnadnd and... his voice is simply mellifluous. his laugh is so symphonious. most pulchritudinous man i've ever seen. hope he DIES

[cantevenbeachhere]

Hey Ken, Day 5 brings us Willow. Willow is a faun, or a baby deer. Willow is a girl and she has antlers! Usually doe fauns do not, as Bucks are the ones with antlers. I haven't started her yet as I am working on an other project today but I will hopefully start her later!

IIIIIIIIIII…..I’m gonna say this is Wooble Nonny? Is that you? I bet it’s you. You’re the only one giving me a countdown. Or count up I guess.

Actually you’re the only one talking to me right now sooooooo.

Anyway! How do doe fawns have antlers? I thought grownup deer have antlers and not babies. That’s kinda wild. 

I bet Willow looks really neat!

By the way, thanks for keeping me updated so far! This has been really fun for me!

[stellar-skyy]

for the one word description thingy uhmm

sweetheart :3

AWW LILI <333

[aweina]

ᰔ. wrong package : mike schmidt — suggestive warning !! + ft. secondhand embarrassment.

next door neighbor mike who randomly appears in front of your doorstep, an unusual flushed look in his tired features. neither of you have been formally acquainted, if you don’t count the forced awkward exchanges when getting the mail outside.

although, mike was good looking despite his unkempt demeanor — the remnant memories of his stiff politeness and husk voice had you fawning over him for as long as you were made aware of his presence. but it seems like he’d rather get to work or rest at home than getting to know any of his neighbors.

but now, he stands in front of you shifting one foot over the other — his wavering eyes settling onto the torn box in his grasp rather than your face. there was a bob to his throat, swallowing down on his thickening saliva in anticipation.

“uh sorry to bother you, but i’ve actually gotten your package on accident and ummm … i opened it.” his fumbling words shot through his lips like he’s in a rush, but you still manage to make his statement coherent.

he directs your curious eyes over the beaten package and immediately, your polite smile turned into a silent scream. the rabbit vibrator that you ordered online was hastily covered in some old newspaper — what mike probably did beforehand out respect of your already invaded privacy. the hot pink color and obnoxious packaging taunting you. your name was bold and printed on the delivery sticker, sparing you no excuses for your erotic purchase.

your dilated pupils and now flushed complexion made mike feel apologetic, yet somewhat amused. his encounters with you were a rarity, but he made sure to remember those moments. like when you would focus on reading the mail beside the shared mailbox, the way your face looked so cute carefully squinting and mumbling each word. or even that time you mistaken his sister as his daughter, the same dust of pink settled onto your cheeks like it did now.

mike formed an impression that you’re put together and tooth achingly innocent, but after accidentally opening your package — his superficial thoughts about you has gone down south and into the depths of a more lustrous head space.

how would you look like using it? what would you sound like? crude and carnal ideas spilling over the mental image of your face, his senses clouded with this new epiphany.

he carefully hovers his hand over yours and guides them with a phantom touch, placing the package gently in your stiffened grasp. the furrow in your brows and lack of response made him worried you might pass out — but then you began to sputter a shy “thank you”, your quivering eyes never meeting his. it was a nice look, he couldn’t deny it.

“i won’t tell, promise.” his previous nervous manner completely melted away as he teases you for a bit, his pointer finger pressed against his friendly smile — like it could somehow permanently seal his lips from exposing your status on your sex life.

you nodded, not trusting yourself to speak — not when you heart feels like it’s about to explode while your body temperature is fighting between haunting chills or overwhelming heat. the gaze in his eyes was much more darker and relaxed than before. weirdly enough, you trust him like you’ve known him your whole life. mike gives you a friendly farewell before he makes his way back into his house.

slowly shutting the door with a solid click, you immediately pathetically fall to your knees and shriek in absolute horror — the box crashing down with you and revealing the one thing that made this rare exchange so humiliating, embarrassment settling so thick in your core. your hot neighbor knowing you’re sexually active? currently getting off to a dingy sex toy? you cannot go back outside again, not if you’re going to possibly see him. hell, you cannot even use the toy without thinking of mike. it’s like he cursed it with some spell, the whispers of his name draw closer each passing second whenever you gaze at the toy.

his ears perk at the bloodcurdling scream that pierced through your closed windows — one so loud and dramatic, it sounded like an active crime scene. he couldn’t help but helplessly laugh into his baggy sleeves, prickles of tears in the corners of his eyes. it’s been awhile since he’s laughed like that, it was needed. returning back home felt less eventful, your embarrassment still making him chuckle under his breath and somewhat eager to see it on you again.

of course, there’s no shame of getting yourself off, but if you needed a helping hand — mike would gladly come over and do his due diligence to be the perfect neighbor. with his new image of you carved into his mind and colorful second impression of you, maybe it’s time for him to make a more formal introduction of himself, once you actually start recovering from your eternal embarrassment.

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

Sagau but the reader changes into chibi when they are tried like after long day of work they changes into chibi and one day reader changes into chibi in front of sucrose,venti and nahida

Tired!Reader = Chibi Reader?! 👀

Anon, you are making me a little curious lol- how did Reader become this tired? And, now that I think about it more, it honestly sounds like Reader is constantly having a Gouba-thing and just turning into a smaller version of themself LOL

(Disclaimers: Might be OOC & Strictly Platonic!)

Sucrose

The moment she sees you in your Chibi form, she couldn't help but fawn over at how adorable you looked. She has the sudden urge to pick you up since, you know, you're a cute adorable little child now.

She's too shy to actually pick you up, but seeing how tired you looked, Sucrose just had to do something about it, though. She runs up to you to make sure you're okay and you don't fall over.

"Your Grace—sorry but—uhm...are you okay?" She is looking at you in pure worry and concern. You looked up at Sucrose with your cute, adorable child eyes and she just couldn't stop herself from fawning over you.

You yawn, and that gives her the courage to pick you up and bring you the Knights of Favonius HQ. She'll place you in the Guest Room—hopefully, Sucrose won't get scolded for placing you in such a low quality bed!

To savor the memory, though, Sucrose takes a picture of your peaceful image in bed before quietly closing the door, letting you rest without a sound. Hopefully, no one wakes you up from your dreams!

Venti

One look and he's already coming up with ballads to commemorate how cute you are! He can't stop verbally fawning over you—you're just too cute as a chibi!

"Ehe, Your Grace, you are so adorable!~"

But when he sees just how tired you are? ...Yeah, no, he's still fawning over you. You look even cuter when your sleepy! This was an absolute cuteness overdrive.

Of course, he's not that mean though—he just takes his time to do things. He's going to take you to the Tree of Vanessa to rest peacefully, with him watching over you!

If you can't sleep immediately (for some reason) or you just wake up abruptly from your dreams, Venti's already playing something on his lyre.

Yeah, I have no idea whether he sleeps or not. He's probably pulling an all-nighter making ballads about you like this, honestly.

Nahida

Adorable child sees the Almighty Creator turn into a child—she is absolutely ecstatic! You not only look cute as a chibi, but she's as tall as you now! You two can hang out like other children!

But when she sees how droopy and exhausted you look? She will immediately whisk you away to the Sanctuary of Surasthana. She'll ask someone to get a bed in there for you.

As you sleep, Nahida will enter your dreams and you two will have fun playing in fantasyland!

"Let's go, Your Grace! The magic comet will save the Prince Frog now!" (Don't ask where I got this from—)

Aand, that's it! Hope y'all enjoyed it :) See you around!

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: N/A

Check The Ghost Rebel's Blog Description to See if Their Mailbox is Open!

[circus-clownn]

Now that we're men cuddles and toothy

Hoping this is what you meant

[00127am]

signed with love and forever yours, sion

postage. oh sion & gn! reader, no warnings! cost to ship. 588 words

it's the one year anniversary of the forty-second time i saw you. the time at the wharf. when the wind was blowing your hair back out of your face and you clutched your friends jacket tighter around your shoulders. a jacket i wish was mine. a jacket that i later found to wish was my embrace. it was cold that day, raining and with a wind that was quick to kick up the smell of salt from the ocean. you said it was your favorite weather. your favorite smell. sea salt and rain. my favorite everything is you.

if i told sakuya or ryo about the forty-second time i saw you, i'm sure they would do nothing but tease. laugh at the fact that i know each and every moment spent with you, those before our relationship (like the forty-second), those in the interim (the sixtieth), and those after (like the ninety-third). they would say it's cheesy and that there is no way that i can remember every encounter. but i do, when it comes to you. because if i didn't, if i couldn't, then i'm not sure that there would be much else worth remembering.

i've always been forgetful. you know this. constantly grabbing my keys and turning off the lights from each room i enter (each room that i forget why i'm in in the first place). and i hate it. you know this as well. because i find it cruel that we can forget things so easily. i hate forgetting beautiful things. i hate forgetting you. and that's why every second spent with you, thinking about you, is committed to perfect recollection. so i'll never have to forget the most beautiful part of my life and you won't hold the responsibility of reminding me (though you do remind me with every thing you do).

i'm looking forward to seeing you. our two hundred and ninetieth time meeting. and i pity everyone else who fails to cement every moment spent with you. because i revisit them all.

about sion's love letters.

sion's letters are carefully planned with clear, elegant cursive and tidy breaks in paragraphs. he writes them slowly, thoughtfully, in one sitting from start to finish. there's the rare spelling mistake or misuse of a word which he scribbles out, the only flaw on the page. every prose reads sweet, lovingly, and you can hear it in his voice. from his lovesick lilt to the low roll of his vowels from the back of his throat.

he writes in a diary, circling around and underneath fawning, preserved flowers and sparse junk that he presses in between the pages. items and scraps from his daily life that only he would be able to make so beautiful, sticking to the creases of the pages and hanging off ever word. when he sends them to you, he sends you the entire book so that you can read his latest entry (and the five or seven which came before it, additionally new, because he can't seem to stop writing for you).

sion's always looking forward to when you send it back to him. he loves your scribbled drawings and notes within the margins. the way you highlight certain phrases of his and fill at least three pages with all of your endearing love in return. he looks forward to flipping through the things you added, whether that be a bookmark, an order tab, or a candy wrapper. his diary is filled with pieces of love from both you and him, his most prized possession.

your mailbox

🧾 © 00127am 2024

[jonesyjonesyjonesy]

Wildflowers (pt. xxii.ii)

a john paul jones x fem!oc fic (in progress)

summary: Julia Morgan knew nannying for three girls who had recently lost their mother would come with many challenges. But she never thought their father, the enigmatic musician John Paul Jones, would be causing her the most trouble. And while Julia is not in the business of saving broken men, her tenderness might be meant for more than little girls and wildflowers.

table of contents │ previous chapter

masterlist│ko-fi

notes: discussion of drug use, discussion of sa, general angst

a/n: it's going to get worse before it gets better 💔

pt. xxii.ii, jack-go-to-bed-at-noon

“I don't want to hurt you. But I can’t lose you, Julia, I can’t.”

I did not sleep. Why would I with a feral beast in the house?

I had no idea if John would wake again. Whether he would be stronger and more demonic than before. So I remained posted up outside the primary bedroom, almost unblinking.

That is until it was time for the girls to rouse for school. It was a miracle none of them questioned the thunderous snore of Peter Grant in the guest bedroom and even more remarkable they believed my fib that the strange car parked out front belonged to the new gardener. However, Tamara barely looked at me. At first I wondered if I had hurt her feelings by being short with her in the night, but then I overheard her whispering to Jacinda while they stood by the car waiting for me to come around.

“The ghost is back.”

It was urgent enough to cut right through the still air.

I wished I could believe in the ghost too. That the bumps in the night were angered spirits rather than their father, fecund with liquor and pills, a man they would not have recognized should they have met him.  

I should not have been driving in my sleepless state. I almost jumped the curb and nearly clipped a mailbox.

I barely remembered the drive. Just realized I left Warren House only to end up there again. It wasn’t enough that my body sagged with the hours of sleep lost. There was a hundred some pounds of weight on me too. Pinned to my hips. Gripping my thighs.

I sat in the car far longer than I would have on a normal day. Trying to keep my stomach from flipping at the memory of the night. Mere hours before.

With a final breath, a final push, I forced myself out of the car. And upstairs. To the master bedroom. To see if the monster had returned to man again.

The door was cracked when I got there. Just an inch. Caused by one of those ghostly drafts.

I ticked the door open a few inches more and peered inside.

John had made it to the bed, curled into a lump under the bountiful bedclothes. Red and cream floral. I hadn’t noticed it the night before. His hair was draped over his face, obscuring the evidence of my defense.

I watched him breathing for far too long and wished to feel what I had in the past. To fawn over him, adore him as I once had. Instead, I just felt sad, watching the covers rise and fall with his deep breaths.

I wished to crawl in with him, forget it all, laugh when he woke to gritty dried blood spattered across his face.

But I couldn’t. It might have killed me.

I pulled myself away from the door, closed it as far as I could without the latch clicking shut, and continued down the hallway. The doors to the guest rooms were now opened. And when I peeked inside, the beds were mussed. I sighed, knowing Annie would give me guff for it. Add it onto the pile. I could hack it after the night I had had.

I checked myself in the mirror once more (fatigued, but resplendently so) before heading downstairs to meet my “guests”.

“They wanted fresh air,” Annie grumbled when I entered the kitchen to grab another cup of coffee. “They requested breakfast on the terrace.” She dropped a plate of toast points onto a tray.

I whisked the tray away from her before she could pick it up. “You needn’t bother with them.”

“You needn’t either,” she said, though she made no effort to stop me.

We exchanged a resigned smile. I had given her the barest of details before the girls had come down for breakfast. That the men had shown up in the middle of the night, an emergency. Warned her John was not himself. That was all. Nothing about his outburst, the confusion, the belligerence.

I stowed the bite mark away too. There wasn’t anything gleeful about this mark as opposed to the ones Jimmy gave me. Nothing giddily perverse about it.

With the tray and my coffee, I headed out onto the terrace.

Peter spotted me first through a cloud of cigarette smoke. He looked surprisingly well-rested for a man wearing the same clothes he’d had on the night before. “Julia! Morning, love.”

“Morning, gentlemen.” I placed the tray on the table beside the tea service, glimpsing Richard and BP who were both a little worse for wear, no doubt having been forced to bunk up together.

“Oh, thank you. It’s a perfect day for a meal on the terrace, don’t you think? Fresh air and all that…” Peter went on jovially.

I hesitated to agree when the cigarette negated the fresh air.

Luckily, he didn’t bother for my answer. “Sleep well?” Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.

I snagged my coffee off the tray before saying dryly, “Like a baby.”

“Aren’t you lucky, then?” Richard grumbled.

Peter leered at Richard briefly. “We’re…uh, what he means is, thanks for handling him.”

“Handling him,” I repeated. So that’s what I had been doing.

“He just needed a feminine touch, you know? A reminder,” Peter said, snagging a piece of toast off the tray and dipping a corner straight into a glob of jam. “Of what is rather than…”

I stared hard at him, causing him to lose his train of thought.

“Sit, Julia,” Richard said. “You’re making me nervous.”

“No, I’ve duties to get to, I just wanted to make sure you were taken care of –”

“No, Julia, sit, please let’s chat,” Peter said, waving his fingers toward me.

The truth was, if I sat, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stay awake. However, a chat with Peter Grant never seemed negotiable. I took the free chair, pulling it out a foot from the table so as not to be too close to them. “I’d hate to make you feel antsy,” I echoed without affectation, though my blood was boiling.

BP stuck his tongue into the side of his cheek, keeping his mouth pressed tight together.

“I know I’ve thanked you before Julia, but really, really our boy was in a bad way before you showed up. You keep him in good spirits.”

My stomach turned. I keep him in good spirits. I couldn’t have been more foolish. Thinking any of it was love. I was something to do. A hobby. A woman’s body has been currency since the beginning of time. It was an exchange from the start. “I do what I can,” I said softly.

“And more, apparently,” Richard muttered.

I didn’t have the energy to glare. My humanity was seeping out.

“We’re hoping this will be a one time thing,” Peter went on. “We’ll keep an eye on him and what he’s…consuming. And when he’s back home, you know, you just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“I ought to be on the Zeppelin payroll at this point,” I said, watching the steam from my coffee.

“That could be arranged.”

That caught my attention. My eyes zipped to Peter.

He grinned wolfishly. “A joke, of course.”

“Of course,” I replied, unconvinced. I suddenly wondered if they kept a roster of vessels.

Peter jammed his inch of a cigarette into the ashtray and reached for another. “Between the two of us, I know we can make sure he’s in good shape for tour in January.”

The words rolled over me like storm clouds closing in. Slowly and then all at once. “Tour in January.”

“Yes, it’s not much time, but we can keep him on the straight and narrow.”

I did not have the energy to convey what I felt. Hell, I didn’t even know what I felt. Surprise. Dismay. Fury. Ache. A collision of all sorts of a terrible feelings. I glanced at BP who seemed to be the only one who could tell I didn’t know of a tour starting in January. He dipped his chin lower and looked away.

Hadn’t they just started recording the album? Surely it wasn’t enough time for them to set out in tour in a handful of months.

“Of course, we’ll have to make sure his spirits are up until then so he doesn’t get cold feet, but you do an excellent job of keeping him warm, Ms. Morgan.”

 I opened my mouth, unsure what vitriol would emerge, only to be cut off by a low and gravelly, “The hell is going on?”

John was awake and he was standing barefoot on the terrace. The lower part of his face was streaked with dried blood and there was a splotch of a stain on the collar of his nightshirt. I couldn’t look directly at him more than a moment.

“Christ what happened to your face?” Richard asked with his lips contorted in bemusement.

“What are you talking about?” John trailed off, words mushy.

Peter glanced at me, then back at John. “You’ve got blood all over your face, mate.”

John smothered his face with his hand, his coordination massively strained by his hangover. “The hell…”

BP and Richard looked at me for explanation. I shook my head. “He wasn’t like that when I left him.”

A pitiful lie.

Peter reached for his napkin and dipped it in his water glass. “C’mere, I’ll take care of it,” Peter said, almost like a mother.

My knuckles whitened as I gripped my cup of coffee.

“How did I get here?” John asked in a small voice, stepping closer to us.

Every nerve in my body stood on end, my body sensing danger. The weight returned to my middle.

Now that he was within swiping distance, Peter got up, grabbed John by the arm, and swung him down into his own chair. “Just relax and I’ll explain.”

John, still dazed, looked at me, his eyes calling for some sort of help I couldn’t give him. Peter smeared his cloth napkin across John’s face to clear off the blood. John bristled, raising his hands to bat Peter away. “I can do it.”

“You got into a state last night. A really bad one,” Peter explained. I was shocked by his softness with John. I’d seen him threatening and I’d seen him trying to charm, but I’d never seen him quite like this. Cleaning up the messes.

“It’s sore, why’s it sore?” John complained softly.

“Had to bring you home so that you’d settle down,” Peter went on. Then, satisfied with his cleaning, gave John a pat on the back. “Felt better when you saw Julia, didn’t ya? Perked right up when you saw her.”

John’s blue eyes rolled toward me again and, this time, they caught.

And I remembered

Tour in January.

As if the chasm between us wasn’t already wide enough. It made sense why he would want the girls to know about us then. He could go away for tour, leaving behind his girls with not a nanny but…something more. I wondered how long he knew, how long he had been wondering how to tell me, how long he would have waited it Peter hadn’t sloughed the information on me.

It was too much for a Tuesday morning.

Though John’s forehead was pinched still with confusion, he managed a small smile. My stomach turned at the sight of it. I looked away before I could try and determine what memories lay behind that expression. Which pieces he still had to give him a picture of the night before.

“She took right good care of you,” Peter went on, unknowingly stabbing more daggers into my chest. “Didn’t she?”

“Other than whatever scrap you got into,” Richard said, his lip turned up in disgust.

Peter shot him a glare, as per usual. “Yes, you’re feeling better now. And looking better too. Right boys?”

“Much better,” BP offered quickly.

Richard sighed and shuffled a hand through his wispish hair. “I mean, it’s a start.” 

I pressed myself up from my seat. “Peter, please sit. I ought to get on with things and you all can…talk.”

I didn’t wait for any replies. I needed to get inside, finish my coffee, and try and make myself serviceable for the day.

Though several voices called out after me, John’s stood apart. “Julia? Julia, wait –”

How dare he say my name like that? The lilting emphasis I’d come to love. Whether amidst bantering or the needy twirls between the sheets, it was his call to me.

And I would not let it soften me.

I stalked back into the house, into the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind me. Annie was gone, off to another one of her tasks for today, which was less than ideal for me. Being alone meant the rip cord could be pulled on my emotions.

I grabbed the counter to steady myself and prepared to let out a sob.

But the kitchen door opened behind me, the sound of bare feet on the floor. Damn it all, I knew it was him just from the way he walked now. The softness of his breaths. That’s what Annie told me would happen all those months ago. I would learn the sounds of the house. It would become a part of me.

He would become a part of me.

“Julia, please, let me talk to you.”

I tipped my head back, resisting a curse as I steady the tears that so desperately wanted to escape. “What is it?” I said, placing my fist on my hip and pressing my fingernails into my palm to take my mind off the need to weep.

John didn’t respond.

I took a deep breath and turned to face him. Being alone together put me on edge immediately. I ran my hand around my neck, the phantom feeling of my collar tightening suffocating me. “What is it, John?”

“You’re upset with me,” he said plainly.

I pressed my hand to my chest and shook my head. “I’m not.”

I watched him take a step forward. My stomach dipped with nausea. “You don’t have to lie.”

Under the fabric of my dress, I could feel the wound his teeth made in my skin. At least that was easier to hide than the tears in my eyes. “You were in a bad way. That’s all.”

John’s skin was like paste. He needed a shower. And he needed a meal. Some more sleep probably. His jaw was prickling with stubble that needed to be shaved. His hair was more like a nest or a mop than the silky tresses I knew he cared for so well.

I didn’t look much better.

He took another step forward, pinching his fingers together at his sternum. “What happened, Julia?”

I moved back, hoping he didn’t notice. “Peter told you, it was just –”

“They’re appealing to my ego, they won’t tell me the truth.”

It saddened me that his want for the truth surprised me. The vision I had of John had slowly been replaced. From confident to cocksure, from humble to petulant.

The good parts were still there, weren’t they? My vision was simply clouded. Perhaps.

John strode forward quickly, quicker than I knew what to do with. His hand landed against my elbow, “Darling, please –”

Without thinking, I ripped myself away from him. My heart lodged itself in my throat and my whole body screamed for me to run from him. Danger. Destruciton. Ruination.

John’s hand lifted into the air, wide palmed and open. A surrender, though his eyes betrayed his confusion.

Every return of his was marked by the need to touch. More touching. More, more, more. Again, again, again. To him, the denial sent him down a different path at the forking of the road. Little did he know I was already miles ahead of him. Running. Away, so far away.

“Sorry,” I apologized meekly. “I don’t know why I did that.”

I did. Of course I did.

John moved the open hand to his nightshirt, fisting the fabric anxiously. “Tell me what happened,” he insisted, his voice low and clipped.

“It’s not –”

“Julia. Tell me.”

I glimpsed a flake of dried blood under his nose. I ran my hand back and forth along the benchtop nervously. “You had something. I have no idea what. But they brought you here in the middle of the night so I could help calm you down.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” he said more to himself than to me.

“Well, they all seem very aware of what’s been going on between the two of us. I suppose they thought you needed a woman’s touch.” I added the last bit through gritted teeth.  

John sucked his lower lip into his mouth for a few moments of contemplation. “I don’t speak about it outright, but I suppose the phone calls aren’t necessarily…secretive.”

I clamped my hand around the bicep of my opposite arm. I was shrinking as we spoke, bit by bit. An open secret. Like mistresses and whores. “You wanted her,” I said softly. When John canted his head, I clarified, “Maureen. You were…distraught.”

His mouth fell open. “I wanted her?”

“You got it in your head she was…” I shook my head. “I don’t know, I only saw the tail end. Because when you realized it was me you were coming home to, you came back to your senses.”

John’s brow furrowed and his mouth grew very small as he considered the facts. “I’m sorry, I don’t know where that came from.”

His quiet apology reinvigorated his pull on me. The inexplicable connection between us had not ceased to exist, but it was fraying, dangerously close to a single thread. “Do you remember talking to me on the phone last night?”

“I…don’t.”

Another thread snapped. “So you don’t remember what you said to me?”

“Did I say something hurtful? If I did, I’m so –“

I shook my head. “No, no. It’s not important.” I looked out the window at the expansive yard. It was turning gray out. Rain was imminent. Then, I smiled. Trying to smooth everything over. Except the tears I’d been holding back decided to betray me and fall. I swiped at them. “Fuck me.”

John clicked his tongue. “Julia, please, don’t be upset, I didn’t know I –”

“We shouldn’t keep doing this. It was too soon, too rash,” I say hurriedly.

“Please don’t say that.”

“You still think of her. It isn’t fair to any of us.” Any of us. Because whether he remembers or not he had implicated his children.

John’s forehead pinched. “I’ll always think of her.”

I winced. Stupid thing to say.

“That’s not something that will ever go away, Julia.”

“That’s not what I meant, I…” I swallowed, tears rolling down my cheeks. “I don’t think I’m strong enough for any of this.”  

I turned away from him to try and cry with some kind of privacy. Because it was true. I wasn’t strong enough to be everything for him, always anticipating each and every feeling or worry he might have, trying to be good, oh so good because that’s what he needed.

And if I failed?

It was not just a human thing for me to fail.

I was paid to be here. Where did my job end and I begin?

I don’t see you being able to resist that kind of trouble. And we know how that turned out the first time, Nick’s voice played loudly in my head.

Oh, if he could see me now, he’d be laughing. I just knew it.

Again, a hand. This time to my shoulder. My body bristled even harder this time, an angry scrawl gurgling from the back of my throat. “Nnndon’t touch me,” I snapped, clutching at the place he touched me as if it burnt

I was a cornered animal. Teeth bared, tears streaming down my face. And this time instead of confusion, something else appeared on John’s face. An amalgam of disgust and fear. Good. That would make everything easier. “What happened?” he asked, his voice harsh.

“John –”

He stepped closer. “What happened last night?”

“I don’t want to do this, I don’t.” I gulped at every word, trying to steady myself.

“You won’t even look at me and I can’t –”

“I can’t.”

“I can’t even touch you without –”

“Fine! You want to know?” If I let him close in any further, I would suffocate. I grabbed the collar of my dress and pulled down, revealing the wound he’d made with his teeth the night before. “Here.”

John’s eyes landed on the purple impressions of his teeth on my chest. He had the gall to look confused.

“You bit me,” I said through clenched teeth. “You bit me and then you tried to fuck me.”

The words landed in his face, his expression flinching. The universe must have been laughing at the recurrence of these marks on me. Once from pleasure, once from pain. The pain inflicted by the wrong man.

“And I told you no and you wouldn’t stop.” My voice broke at the end because up until the night before, on the phone I loved him. And now here, in the kitchen I…still did.

But I knew I couldn’t.

John pinched his lips together. “Is that why…” He gestured toward his face. “The blood?”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, but if I didn’t –“I stopped. Why couldn’t I just say the words? Say them aloud. He deserved to hear them. If I hadn’t hurt him, he would have hurt me. Raped me. And this conversation would be much different. Or would it? Is it any different if the intention was there? If he wasn’t in his right mind? “You wouldn’t stop,” I said once more, ashamed how meek I sounded.

John put both his hands over his face for a moment, then scrubbed them back through his hair, pulling his chin up with them. “Fuck.” Then he laughed, raw and humorless. It was a harrowing kind of laugh. One you acquire as an adult when you realize how richly awful the world can be. “Fuck,” he repeated. Quieter. More bruised. “I don’t remember doing that.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know why I –“

“I know.”

“I would never, ever –”

I blinked, releasing one more tear. “I know, John, I know.” But he nearly had.

His fingers of one hand ticked nervously and his breath was heavier than usual. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

I didn’t have to say the truth aloud for us both to hear it.

Too late.

“But I can’t lose you, Julia, I can’t.”

I found myself smiling despite myself, wicking away more tears. In the haze of love I had for him, I would cling to the meekest admission so I didn’t have to let him go.

“Give me a chance to…make it up to you. If I can.”

“I boxed you in the nose, perhaps we’re even,” I said in an effort to lighten the moment, looking at the tears glistening on my fingers.

The corner of his lips tipped up out of necessity and nothing more.

I dried my hands on the bodice of my dress. “I suppose you’ll be going back, then.”

John scratched the back of his head, eyes falling to the ground. “I’d rather not seeing as how we’re –”

I interrupted swiftly. “No, it’s good, I need to get used to it. What with your tour coming up.”

His reaction was delayed, but once it registered, his pallid cheeks lit up with embarrassment.

“Peter told me,” I said with a limp smile.

John sighed. “I was going to tell you when I came home.”

“Right, of course, I’m just a little surprised, is all.”

“Everything’s being rushed, once we’re done. We had stuff in the catalog anyway that we never –” he stopped short. “None of that matters really. You know. In the scheme…of things.”

I had no more fight in me. No more willingness to open my heart up and show the hurt. The want. If I was going to continue to love him, I’d have to lock it tightly away until the timing was more appropriate. A silly thought when it comes to such a quivering, untenable feeling.

Before either of us could say anything, I heard noise from the hall, the terrace door opening and heavy footsteps.

“Enough,” I said softly. “No more of this.”

John started to step forward and then remembered that his advancements were now threats. He glanced down at his hands as the door to the kitchen opened.

“Hate to interrupt –“ It was Peter. “But we really ought to get back to it.”

“Just a minute,” John said, barely tilting his head over his shoulder toward Peter.

Peter’s eyes found mine and where there had been a semblance of softness earlier, there was now edge.

Until I was notified further or until I changed the circumstances myself, I was under an obligation to make everyone’s lives easier. Every single life but my own.

Under Peter’s watchfulness, I did what last night I thought I’d never do again. I stepped closer to John. His eyes lit up, but kept himself at bay. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears as I took John’s hand. At first it burned and then my body seemed to remember every other moment before last night at once. I inhaled sharply and lifted my gaze into his. Blue I had been dreaming about for far longer than we had known each other’s mouths and bodies.

“You won’t lose me,” I whispered. A promise to him and to myself. Time apart would be good. For me to weight out all the good, remember him the way I had fallen in love with him, not the feral monster from the night before.

John left me with a touch to my cheek. Nothing more.

When I finally was able to sleep after almost forty hours of waking, he came to me in a nightmare.

tag list: @jimmys-zeppelin, @kari-12-10, @grxtsch, @ritacaroline, @kyunisixx, @salixfragilis , @jimmypages , @dollyvandal , @cassiana-on-dark-side, @faisonsunreve , @sastrugie , @seventieswhore , @mayspringcome , @barrettavenue , @foreverandadaydarling , @glimmerofsanity , @montereypopgroupie , @lzep , @jimmysdragonsuit13 , @n0quart3r , @larsgoingtomars , @paginate54 , @leveeisbreaking , @callmethehunter (let me know if you’d like to be added 💋)

[isaut]

ophie i could spend hours reading your fantasy au, would you share with me a lil bit about your lore as an elven mage who has been around for a long time :>

i am nothing short of honored that u love my fantasy as and would be nothing short of honored to talk about myself as an elf… but there’s such a beautiful sadness to a long life and im so enchanted and haunted by it.

but she has an interesting past that’s scattered in the margins of bardic tales due to her proximity with beidou. and i don’t think she’s given a halo in these stories either. while mages are often highly regarded towards their power, they’re also feared and resented at the same time. and im not quite sure what yet, but i think that she had something to do with beidou’s death and feels immense guilt and sadness over it. a lil wound she can’t ever heal fully. (in all honesty, I think that she used to be into some fucked up forms of magic that involved bodily alterations, fusing monster and human soul in one, a la the witcher, and beidou volunteered for it and simply didn’t make it out)

i think she’s been serving in her current court as an advisor since she graduated from mage school (which is the jade chamber in this au). I think she was banished from liyue as a result of beidou’s death— both by legal order and on her own terms. in the world of mages she’s been disgraced even though she is thriving.

and she spends a lot of her time in mourning. in the early days of her advising career, when she was advising cyno’s great great great great grandfather, she was very hands off. just excited to be away from her past life. and a lot of bad things happened and was put in a position to advise a very young king, which is why she’s so uptight and frustrated nowadays.

and i think dehya is a constant reminder of all the healing she (i) have to conquer.

but on a more lighthearted note: she spends her free time watching the desert sands shift and sway in the wind. she hovers by the kitchen and snags dates before they’re pitted. she prepares long and intricate rituals she never carries out. she reads nearly everything she can get her hands on— there’s threat from the wooded heart of sumeru that paper records are a thing of the past, and so she’s convinced cyno to dedicate spare resources to widening the libraries of the palace.

and honestly, at first i wanted her to have a dungeons and dragons lifespan of only 800 years but i think there’s something sadder about her having to live for eternity because of her agreement as a mage to bind herself and walk hand in hand to the end of time with chaos.

[stabberghost]

YOU. IT'S YOU! YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR ART AMONG OTHERS FUELED MY SOUTH PARK OBSESSION DURING THE SEASON 26 CRAZE!! I remember scrolling through Pinterest and fawning over your art style, especially that one jimmy drawing. shkcbdkhdkshd!!!! Now i created a Tumblr account and I'm finding so many artists just within my reach. You're art is just so lively and radiates happiness. Not just the south park ones! I absolutely love the little mailbox and object head thing you're working on. (apologies for not knowing what it's called-) you're amazing! bye-

AHHH!!!! HII!!!! YOURE AMAZING TOO!!!

Im kinda surpised people still like my old south park drawings even if i don't draw them as much anymore ahhh I wish i could know which jimmy drawing you're talking about cause I've drawn him WAAYYYY TOO MANY TIMES

BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE MY ART!!!! I hope to post more of my little mailbox guy and his friends :3c their world/story doesn't really have a name yet but im workin on it ! I also hope to post more oc stuff in general theyre my little babies n i just hope people can love them just as much as i do

BUT sheds a tear THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN!!! <333

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Francis Drake Main Story

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors.

Blank, ageless, and suspicious blogs will be blocked.

Minor spoilers ahead. Not proofread.

The mansion greeted the morning without Drake.

(Drake is not yet home.)

I collected the letters in the mailbox and stared at the closed gate.

I tried checking his room to see if he had come back, but his room was still empty this morning.

(Everyone said he might be out partying.)

Thinking about it that way, a different kind of unease started to well up inside me.

Mitsuki: "Instead of worrying like this, I should go out and look for Drake again."

Just as I was considering that一

Drake: "I'm home, little fawn."

Mitsuki: "Drake!?"

The source of my worry returned with a carefree smile.

Mitsuki: "Welcome back. But more importantly, where were you yesterday!? You didn't come back the whole night."

Drake: "I was drinking at the tavern and chatting with other customers. I ended up getting drunk and passed out until morning."

I was relieved to hear that he wasn't involved in anything dangerous.

Mitsuki: "I was worried when you didn't come back."

Drake: "Ah, yeah, sorry for making you worry."

Drake tried to comfort me by gently stroking my head, and for some reason, he stared at me intently.

Mitsuki: "W-What is it?"

Drake: "Well, I was talking about you last night."

Mitsuki: "Me? What kind of talk?"

I was curious about what they were saying about me at their drinking session.

Drake: "Well, I was talking about how I can't take my eyes off you."

(Huh?)

Drake: "I'll keep the details a secret."

Drake: "Anyway, I'm going to take a bath."

Leaving behind those intriguing words, he entered the mansion.

(What does he mean by "can't take my eyes off me?")

Despite feeling relieved that he returned, I now find myself feeling anxious.

One day, amidst the lively days, my heart began to change little by little.

Mitsuki: "Thank you for tagging along, Drake, and for carrying most of the bags."

Drake: "Don't worry about it."

Drake grinned at me as he accompanied me to town.

Drake: "If you want, I can carry you in my arms."

Mitsuki: "Well, since you're offering, why not? It'd be easier for me, and I'm sure you can do it if you're insisting so much."

Drake: "Alright then, let's do it."

He bent down, preparing to lift me, but I quickly stopped him in a panic.

Mitsuki: "I-I’m joking! You really don't have to do it!"

(It's too embarrassing to be carried like that in the middle of town!)

Drake: "Getting shy, are you? Well, let's do it when you're not embarrassed."

When I was with him, even simple conversations made my heart flutter.

(Being with him is so much fun. I wonder why I feel this way.)

I guess there might have been some truth to it when Arthur teased me about feeling lonely because Drake didn't come home.

As we strolled through the city with light steps, I suddenly heard whispers from the townspeople.

Townsperson 1: "Have you noticed those guys? They've been showing up in town from time to time."

Townsperson 2: "Yeah, they give off a rather intimidating vibe."

I followed their gaze and saw the figures of men dressed in unfamiliar attire at the street corner.

They were wearing long cloaks and had swords at their waists, giving them an overall sharp and imposing appearance.

(Who are those people?)

Townsperson 2: "I've heard rumors that they're mercenaries hired by some noble."

Townsperson 1: "Oh, now that you mention it, they do look like that. If they're here to protect the city, I'm okay with it!"

The townspeople seemed relieved and satisfied as they moved on to another topic.

(Is that really the case? They do have a disciplined military-like vibe.)

Drake: "Heh?"

Startled and feeling a bit uneasy by his impressed tone, I looked up at him and saw a somewhat cynical smile.

Mitsuki: "Drake? Is something wrong?"

Drake: "Nah, I just thought they seemed like skilled fighters. I bet it'll be fun to spar with them."

Mitsuki: "Don't challenge someone to a duel just because you find it fun."

Drake: "Haha, don't worry. I won't. But if someone challenges me, I won't back down."

He laughed it off, and we continued on our way, but the group from earlier and that fleeting smile on his face left me with an uneasy feeling.

It was that night that we had sudden visitors.

Mitsuki: "Vlad! Why are you here?"

Without any warning, Vlad and his two companions from the old castle came to the mansion.

Vlad: "Sorry for dropping in unannounced, Mitsuki. Are Comte and Leonardo here?"

Vlad: "I have something important to discuss."

Mitsuki: "Sure. I'll let the others know. Please come in."

They seemed to have something important to discuss, so I invited them in.

Drake: "Little fawn, those guests..."

Charles: "Oh! Hey, is that the new vampire who joined the mansion?"

Faust: "The 16th-century pirate, was it?"

Mitsuki: "Yup. It's your first time meeting each other, yeah?"

Mitsuki: "Drake, this is Comte's old friend, Vlad. And these are Faust and Charles."

Mitsuki: "Vlad, this is..."

Vlad: "I've heard from Comte. You're Francis Drake, the renowned hero of the sea."

Drake: "Yeah, I've heard about you too. So, you're another pureblood, huh? Nice to meet you."

After exchanging brief greetings with Drake, Vlad immediately headed deeper into the mansion.

Drake stared at Vlad's departing figure, his expression somewhat unusual.

Drake: ".........."

(Drake?)

Despite being curious about that gaze, I also went to call Comte and the others.

While the three purebloods were talking in Comte's room, Faust and Charles were waiting in the living room.

Apparently, they didn't know why Vlad had come to the mansion.

Faust: "We saw a peculiar group carrying swords in town."

Mitsuki: "Oh, I saw them too. The townsfolk were saying they might be mercenaries."

Charles: "When we saw those people, Lord Vlad suddenly decided to visit the mansion."

(Does Vlad's important matter have something to do with those people?)

After a while, Vlad, Comte, and Leonardo came to the living room after finishing their conversation.

Their expressions seemed somewhat stern.

Leonardo: "Sebastian, are all the residents of the mansion present tonight?"

Sebastian: "I believe no one has gone out."

Comte: "Good. Could you gather everyone? I have something I want to discuss with all of them."

As soon as the residents of the mansion gathered in the living room, Comte, facing all of them, began speaking.

Comte: "I'll get straight to the point. It seems that vampire hunters have appeared in Paris."

(Vampire Hunters?)

It wasn't an entirely unfamiliar term, but I couldn't form a concrete image in my mind as I listened to Comte's explanation.

Comte: "There are few who know of their existence, but they are, as the name suggests, individuals who hunt vampires. In other words, they are our enemies."

Comte: "If you have seen those intimidating men wielding swords in the city, those guys are the Hunters."

(Those people I saw during the day!?)

(Well, it's true that they have a military-like atmosphere.)

Just as I was connecting the dots, Isaac suddenly voiced a question.

Isaac: "Wait. I saw those people too, but the townspeople said they were mercenaries, not hunters."

Isaac: "In the first place, do hunters really exist in this era?"

Vlad: "They proudly wear the same symbol as us as part of their identity. They hide it in their accessories and clothes."

Vlad: "Those people in the city all wore the same symbol as the hunters who massacred my clan."

Everyone present let out a small gasp.

Vlad's family, the Draculesti, were considered special beings.

However, I heard that when he was a kid, everyone in his family, except him, was slaughtered by vampire hunters.

(I can't believe those hunters are now in this city.)

Comte: "Vampire hunters don't appear on the public stage of history, but they secretly organize and carry out missions."

Comte: "And their mission is to hunt us, vampires."

Leonardo: "But you see, they're just regular humans. They can't spot us at a glance."

Leonardo: "Unless they witness us drinking blood, they won't be able to expose us."

(Leonardo has a point.)

Most of the residents sustained themselves with rouge or blanc.

As long as they didn't bite someone, they could avoid being discovered.

Feeling somewhat relieved, Vlad quietly spoke up.

Vlad: "There is just one thing that concerns me."

Vlad: "The presence of the vampire hunter's spear that pierced my chest."

Vlad touched his chest over his clothing as if trying to suppress the pain from the wound.

Vlad: “That spear can kill even pureblooded vampires, and there are only two of its kind in this world.”

Vlad: “If, by any chance, they still have it, the danger would increase significantly.”

Drake: “.........”

(It can kill even pureblooded vampires.)

Just hearing those words sent a chill down my spine.

Comte: “I want you all to enjoy your second life. But considering who the enemy is...”

Comte: “I don’t want to lose any more family members.”

Comte: “Please, be very careful.”

It was unclear to me how everyone was taking Comte’s heartfelt words.

Drake: “Hm. Those guys look tough, so I wouldn’t mind picking a fight with them if I had the chance.”

Drake: “But I guess I’ll refrain from getting involved.”

Drake’s grumbling lightened the tense atmosphere, making me relax a little.

Mitsuki: “Honestly, Drake, even at a time like this...”

Napoleon: “You don’t really give a damn if someone looks strong, huh?”

Dazai: “Haha! Picking fights might not be a good idea, but being overly cautious might not be good either.”

Dazai: "It's just like when you take off after seeing the cops, even if you have nothing to hide, and they start getting all suspicious of you."

Isaac: "Dazai, do you have that kind of experience?"

Leonardo: "Well, we've managed to avoid getting caught until now, but we can't just lock ourselves in the mansion until the hunters leave."

Arthur: "I was looking forward to secretly having fun with some girls, but it looks like I'll have to put that on hold for a while."

Theo: "It seems like Arthur is the only one who needs to be careful."

The atmosphere lightened, and the usual banter returned.

Their nonchalant attitude helped ease the seriousness of the situation, but it also made me realize something I'd never thought about before.

(I knew that everyone here is a vampire, but I never thought I'd have to worry about them being hunted down.)

I silently prayed that nothing would happen to them, but at the same time, I wondered if all I could do was pray.

After Mitsuki and the vampires had returned to their respective rooms, Drake stood on the balcony.

Drake: "A visit from the true vampire hunters."

Drake: "Nice. It's going to be interesting."

He drew a knife from his waist and held the blade up.

(I can't seem to fall asleep.)

I was still anxious about those vampire hunters in Paris, and my racing thoughts kept me from sleeping.

(Maybe I should get some fresh air.)

With that thought in mind, I slipped out of bed and headed to the balcony.

(Huh?)

To my surprise, there was already someone there.

Mitsuki: "Drake?"

Drake: "Little fawn, what are you doing out here?"

Mitsuki: "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get some air."

As I stood beside him, Drake leaned against the railing and peered at my face.

Drake: "I got it. You couldn't sleep because of those vampire hunters."

(Well, I can't deny that entirely.)

Mitsuki: "It's embarrassing, but yeah, maybe a little."

Drake: "You’re honest as always. Would you like this big brother to keep you company?"

Mitsuki: "Hehe, you're teasing me again."

Mitsuki: "Are you going to count sheep until I fall asleep?"

I playfully changed the topic, and he extended his arm toward me, pulling my shoulder closer.

Drake: "I'll count sheep like this until you fall asleep."

Drake: "One sheep, two sheep."

(He's so close.)

Despite the cool night breeze, I could feel his body heat, causing my face and body to grow warmer.

Mitsuki: "Drake, um..."

Drake: "Three sheep, four sheep."

Despite being flustered, he continued to pat my shoulder and count sheep.

Drake: "You're so warm. I'm going to have a hard time letting you go."

Drake: "If this were a bed, I'd fall asleep first."

Mitsuki: "I'm just a little warm."

Drake: "Is that so? Haha! Then you might not get any sleep."

When I managed to squeeze out my voice, Drake quickly moved away.

(Phew. I thought my heart was going to explode.)

However, I found myself feeling a little lonely when his warmth left, so I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

Perhaps it was his usual casual demeanor, but the unsettling unease in my heart was starting to subside.

Drake: "Well, hearing about the vampire hunters appearing can make anyone anxious."

Drake: "Since we all live together, there's always a possibility that even as a human, you could get involved."

Mitsuki: "I'm more worried about everyone than myself."

I looked down at the garden from the balcony.

The vibrant flowers I saw during the day were now shrouded in darkness.

Mitsuki: "Everyone in the mansion became vampires, but they're just living their second lives with such strong determination."

Mitsuki: "And I know that even the three purebloods have a deep affection for humans."

Drake: "..........."

Mitsuki: "It's just heartbreaking to imagine them being hunted as villains."

Mitsuki: "It would be nice if we could understand each other beyond our differences."

(I don't want anyone to get hurt. Everyone here is important to me.)

(Drake, too.)

I wish the wind could carry away all my anxiety.

Thinking that way一

Drake: "I guess that's what vampires are to you."

I heard him say this coldly, so I turned my gaze to him.

(Drake?)

Drake: "But you know, that's just a one-sided perspective. For humans, it doesn't matter what feelings vampires may have."

Drake: "The fact remains that vampires drink human blood."

Mitsuki: "Yes, but..."

Drake: "Humans are the same. Humans hunt vampires for their own convenience. They resist the threat to their lives."

Drake: "Humans might also have the motive to eliminate superior beings to dominate the world."

He raised the corner of his mouth and wore a sarcastic smile.

Drake: "Predators and prey, hunters and the hunted一humans and vampires are parallel to each other, no matter how you look at it."

Drake: "That's why they've been killing each other in the shadows of history."

(.........)

His words were painfully realistic, perhaps because he was someone who had survived through the ages and had a unique perspective.

But his attitude of not siding with either side felt like一

(He's been observing the relationship between humans and vampires from a distance.)

His aquamarine eyes, usually gazing into the distance, now looked dark and somber.

Drake: "The difference in our species is the root of fear and hatred. That alone can make anyone cruel."

Drake: "Both humans and vampires have the same roots. Hatred seems to be a part of living beings' nature."

Mitsuki: "Drake."

His words felt like a harsh outpouring of emotion, and before I realized it, I had grabbed his arm.

Drake: "........."

Mitsuki: "Are you okay? You seem to be in pain."

Drake: "Mitsuki."

Suddenly, the night breeze that had been rustling the trees calmed down. We gazed at each other as if time had stopped, and Drake's hand overlapped mine.

Drake: "Your hands are warm."

Mitsuki: "Yours too."

Drake: "Haha! Maybe you only think that for now."

(Only for now?)

I didn't quite understand the meaning of those words, but...

(I don't want to believe that hatred is at the root of human nature.)

(But did something in his past make him think that way?)

Drake: "Sorry. This conversation turned unexpectedly heavy."

Drake: "Even if a hunter appears, it doesn't mean they'll suddenly barge in here."

Drake: "Instead of burdening yourself with worry, why don't you get some rest now?"

Mitsuki: "Okay."

He patted my head gently, and his eyes were smiling, but...

(Even the clearest ocean has dark and unreachable depths at the bottom of it.)

(I wonder if Drake also has a place like that in his heart.)

Those thoughts crossed my mind that night.

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