#her father would murder this man before the invitation arrived at the estate

[shroudkeeper]

I visited the lovely establishment of The Doman Dragon to look around. There is so much opportunity for RP there, even though the hour was late I couldn't resist a small photo session once I saw the morin khuur, and though it is not an erhu, she was respectful in playing it with the best of her ability. Again she is accompanied by Hancock, before the arrival of the hour of the ox, to listen and let the vibrations, filling the air around them, sink into his very bones.

[bleachanimefan1]

Inu-oh Part 13

The Wedding,

Inu-oh and Hana waved and to the cheering crowd, along with Tomoari and his troupe. Two of Ashikaga's bodyguards walked over to them with the shogun and his wife. "That was a splendid performance!"

"What are you talking about! That was amazing!" Nariko disagreed with him.

"Thank you." Inu-oh smiled and bowed his head a little to them. Hana smiled as well.

"Yes, thank you for having us." she replied.

"How would you two like to come to the castle for an exchange of drinks? Maybe next week?" Ashikaga asked the two.

"Actually, we have something important planned that week. Would the week after be okay?" Hana spoke.

"That will be fine."  

However, a scream filled the air.

"Help! Someone's been murdered!" One of the shogun's guards cried out as he found Inu-oh's father's remains, well whats left of it. "There's blood everywhere!" 

"I think that's our cue to leave." Hana spoke. The troupe quickly left and headed back to the village. The group split up and Tomoari went back with the priests while Inu-oh and Hana were left to themselves and they continued to walk back to Inu-oh's home.

"I wonder what happened to your father?" Hana wondered. "I mean, nobody can just spontaneously explode like that."

"Is it bad to say that I'm glad that he's gone?" Inu-oh asked her. Hana stared at him. Inu-oh was finally free from his father's torment.

"No. He was a horrible man." Hana told him. "Maybe he'll find peace in the afterlife after all he's done, but I doubt it, especially making a deal with a demon. You're free from him."

"Not just me." Inu-oh told her. "My brothers as well."

"Your brothers? Yeah, I never actually got to meet them. They were always hiding when your father was around." Hana said. "Hey, how about we invite them to our wedding?" Inu-oh's eyes widened, looking at her, before he smiled at her.

"Yeah, let's do that."

The next week came fast as everyone was preparing for the wedding. It was going to be a small ceremony held in private field surrounded by budding cherry blossom trees, near Inu-oh's estate. The two picked Tomoari to be the bridesman. Inu-oh and Hana invited Tomoari and the rest of his troupe, along with Inu-oh brothers. Inu-oh was dressed in a black kimono, hakama and haori. He stood at the alter with a priest, patiently waiting for Hana to arrive while she was getting dressed. Tomoari was standing beside him, along with Inu-oh's brothers as they waited as well.

"You're not getting nervous, are you?" Tomoari teased Inu-oh.

"N-No, why would you say that?" Inu-oh smiled.

"I can sense you shaking a little." Tomoari smiled back.

In a room in Inu-oh's estate, Hana was sitting down with several handmaidens as they helped her slip into a white kosode kimono. 

"I can't believe that you are marrying Inu-oh!" One of them exclaimed.

"He has such an amazing voice!" Another one sighed.

"Yes, he does." Hana pulled down her kimono to put it on, revealing a small barely noticeable baby bump forming on her stomach. One of the women noticed while one started to braid Hana's hair, putting up into a high bun with some red and white flower ornaments.

"You're pregnant, already?" She questioned. Hana smiled, nervously.

"Yeah, we couldn't wait." Another one began to apply lipstick onto Hana's lips while one placed a white silk wataboshi headdress over Hana's head. Then placed a white uchikake on Hana and slipped on geta sandals.

 "You are ready!" 

They led Hana out of the estate and slowly walked with her, heading to the field. Hana felt her heart beating fast when she saw Inu-oh up head, waiting for her at the altar. He looked so handsome! Inu-oh felt the same when he saw Hana slowly walking down to him, completely speechless at a loss for words. She looked like a goddess; it was the only way to describe her. As Hana reached the alter the priest began speaking out the vows for them to say. Inu-oh took Hana's hands and she took his and the took stared at each other, repeating the priest's words.

"This woman, I marry No matter what the health situation is. I will love this person. Respect this person. Console this person. Help this person. Until death Protecting fidelity I swear." Inu-oh spoke.

"This man, I marry. No matter what the health situation is. I will love this person. Respect this person. Console this person. Help this person. Until death Protecting fidelity I swear." Hana spoke. 

"Inu-oh, this woman you marry and become her partner. Will you in peaceful times, during sickness, this person you love, this person you respect, this person you comfort, this person you help until death, do you promise to fulfill?" The priest asked once again.

"Yes, I promise." Then the priest turned to Hana.

"Hana, this man you marry and become his partner. Will you in peaceful times, during sickness, this person you love, this person you respect, this person you comfort, this person you help until death, do you promise to fulfill?" He asked her.

"Yes, I promise." Hana spoke.

The two embraced each other and pressed their lips upon each other, kissing passionately. Tomoari along with his troupe cheered for them, along with Inu-oh's brothers. Several of Tomoari's troupe were drinking and eating some of the food.

"It's official now, you two are married!" Tomoari laughed.

"Yes, we are." Inu-oh spoke. "It feels like a dream."

"Well, it's real and I'm right here." Hana smiled at him, lacing her arm around his then she glanced over at Inu-oh's brother's who were standing near Tomoari, getting a better look at the two of them. One was taller than the other, had a longer chin. The second brother was a little chubby and heavyweight.

"You two must be Inu-oh's brothers. We haven't properly met, have we." Hana told them.

"I just can't believe that our little brother is getting married before us!" One of Inu-oh's brothers cried.

"How come you're not drinking?" Another one questioned Hana when he noticed that she wasn't drinking sake with the rest of them. Hana smiled, placing her hands on her stomach.

"Well, it wouldn't be good for your niece or nephew." She replied. Both of Inu-oh's brothers eyes went wide in surprise and their mouths dropped a little and looked at Inu-oh.

"You're going to have a baby!?" the tallest brother shouted.

"We're going to be uncles!?" the second one exclaimed in shock as well. Inu-oh nodded.

"Yes, and I've been thinking for a while. I forgive both of you. I want you two be a part of my life, Hana's, as well as my child's." He told them. His two brothers teared up and both of them lunged at Inu-oh, hugging him.

Soon night fell upon the sky as many stars shined above. Everyone continued to celebrate, Tomoari helped Inu-oh and Hana slip away by distracting everyone with a song. He began to strip down, revealing his chest, continuing to sing out loud. Inu-oh pulled Hana with him until he stopped by a cherry blossom tree and laid against it. Hana sat down beside him, leaning against his shoulder. Inu-oh pulled her closer to him.

"Well, my dear wife, we finally managed to get away. What do wish of me?" He spoke. "Name it and it's yours."

"I already have everything, dear." Hana smiled up at him. She laughed a little and so did Inu-oh. This was going to take some time to get used to those words. The both of them couldn't believe that they were married. "I just want it to stay like this forever."

Inu-oh pulled Hana into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and the two of them stared up at the sky watching the stars. Then Inu-oh frowned, startled, when he felt something strange underneath Hana's stomach and so did Hana. A kick? It was small but the two of them sore that they couldn't have imagined it.

"Was that-" Inu-oh paused still surprised.

"The baby kicked." Hana spoke softly.

[pigeon-princess]

TYBALT MONTAGUE’S BACKSTORY

It’s been a long time coming but here is the compiled backstory of my DnD Half-Orc Bard/Fighter Tybalt, tracing his life up until he joined the adventuring party known as The Tresspassers. I’ve also included drawings by me and other party members below the cut! 

(CW: SEXUAL ASSALT, RAPE) A small portion of Tybalt’s backstory contains some traumatic events, however they are not described in detail.

There is a collection of Islands off the coast of the continent of Iona, known by many as The Isles of Thiva. The culture of the islands is very Medditeranean, Italian and Greek inspired, so as you travel through you’d likely be seeing beautiful cliffside cities, lush wineries and lively street culture. 

For people living in Thiva, Orc pirates from across the seas are a serious problem, especially for certain villages on the Eastern coast. When an Orc raid passes through a city there is always a wave of destruction from the pirates, resulting pillaging, raping and murder thoughout.  

For the few women who survive their traumatic assault, only a handful of them are strong enough to survive and give birth to Half-Orc children. Because of this, Half-Orcs in Thiva are often looked down upon and shunned, almost as if they are a walking reminder of the trauma that the Isles have suffered. 

TYBALTS EARLY YEARS

Tybalt was one of these children. His mother was an Elven woman called Marina, from a small fishing village called Alta Maria. At the time of the Orc raid she had a husband and two, young half elven children called Mercutio and Benvolio. After surviving the attack, everyone thought she had gone mad for wanting to keep the child, but she was determined to love the baby despite the slander her husband threw at her. For her, the child was her own and one she wanted to protect them at any cost. Young Tybalt barely ever left his mothers side for the first 6 years of his life, his older brothers never wanted to play with him and his mothers husband couldn’t stand the sight of him. Despite all this he was happy by his mothers side. 

Marina - Tybalts Elven mother (Art by @lulii999​) 

Marina’s Drawings -  A young Tybalt finds a crab, Mercutio, Benvolio and baby Tybalt nap together, A grown up Mercutio and a grown up Benvolio (Art by @lulii999​) 

When Tybalt was around 6 years of age, his older brothers who are now 10 and 12 years old, invited him to play with them for the first time. He excitedly followed them to the docks where they managed to trap him in a fishing net and throw him onto a small fishing boat. Unable to escape the rope, the ship left port leaving Tybalt alone, trapped and afraid. He managed to survive the two day journey and the fishing boat arrived in the port of the capital city, Santiados.  When the boat made port, Tybalt made a run for it. He was lost and confused, but managed to survive by stealing food, avoiding the other Half-Orc kids that lived on the streets and sleeping in a barrel at night. Unable to find a way back home, and at this point thinking that perhaps his family didn’t want him anymore, Tybalt stayed living on the streets for 6 years. 

ON THE STREETS

During his time on the streets, when Tybalt was around 10 years old, he got into an altercation with an older Half-Orc boy who was picking on him. In a rage Tybalt pushed the teenager away from him, causing the boy to slip and stumble down a flight of stairs, cracking his head. When the other Half-Orcs saw that Tybalt had killed this kid, he became infamous and reveared among the Half-Orc street gangs. All Tybalt wanted to do was stay out of it. 

A NEW FAMILY 

At the age of 12 Tybalt decided to break into one of the larger merchant estates in the capital, thinking that he’d be able to steal a good amount of things from within. While rummaging through the mansion’s pantry, he was discovered by the family's 10 year old son, Romeo Montague, a human boy with bright blue eyes and blonde hair.

Tybalt threatened that he was going to hurt the kid if he came any closer, and instead Romeo suggested that if he is looking for food he should take the biscuits that they have at the back of the pantry. Tybalt hesitantly went further into the pantry to grab the biscuits, giving Romeo enough time to push the doors closed and lock him inside. Romeo immediately ran upstairs and called his parents to come down and see the kid in the pantry, his parents definitely thought he was making up some kind of imaginary friend until they heard angry yelling from behind the doors in the kitchen. 

Eventually the couple, Lorenzo and Helena Montague, sat Tybalt down and asked him about himself and why he was stealing from their pantry. With a bit of probing he told them that he lived on the streets and almost against his will Tybalt was given a bedroom to stay in and one day turned into a week. Before long Tybalt had a new family. 

Lorenzo and Helena Montague (Art by me) 

Teenage Romeo Montague (Art by me)

Growing up with his first ever friend, Romeo and Tybalt would get up to so many things together. They would spend their time pulling pranks, running away from lessons and throwing their tabaxi friend Antonio (Against his will) off the balcony to see him land on his feet (The tabaxi friend’s full name is Antonio Banderas). 

During their teenage years, Tybalt realised that his feelings for Romeo were beyond friendship and he developed a very deep, long standing crush for his best friend. He’d write poems and songs about his angst, about how much he loved him and how he was always chasing girls and never looked at him that way. 

Adult Romeo Montague and Antonio Banderas (Art by @lulii999​)

A TERRIBLE STORM 

By the time Tybalt was 21 and Romeo was 19, Romeo had started working for the family business in the merchant trade and Tybalt worked full time as his personal bodyguard and right hand man. Things took a turn for the worse when they sailed out to a business meeting with a man called Lord Magnus Kraus, an extremely well known merchant sailor in charge of an armada of sailors known as the Magdolina. 

As Magnus controls a large portion of the trade routes between certain ports, it was vital that Romeo secure this business deal in order for the Montagues to open up further trade. During the times negotiations seemed to be going poorly, Tybalt was starting to be very wary of the way that Magnus was looking at Romeo. It was like he was some kind of creature in an exhibit, and in a way that was extremely sinister and sexual. As Romeo appeared to be completely oblivious to this Tybalt confronted Magnus alone and threatened him. 

Magnus was curious about Tybalt, and offered a deal, if Tybalt agreed to sleep with him, he would agree to the trade deal and he wouldn’t lay a hand on Romeo. Tybalt was stuck in an awful situation, he knew that if he refused Romeo could be in danger and the trade deal would completely fall apart. Magnus Kraus is an extremely powerful man and one bad word from him could run their whole business into the ground. He agreed, and the next night he showed up at Magnus’s quarters. 

That night Magnus sexually assaulted him and treated him more like a beast than a person, using ropes to restrain him and whips to beat him with. Calling him awful things and breaking him both physically and mentally. There was terrible thunder and lightning that night, and from this day on Tybalt has a fear of storms as it always reminds him of Magnus. When Tybalt thought it was over, Magnus ordered him to come again tomorrow night or the deal was off. 

Terrified, beaten and bruised, Tybalt did just that and the ordeal continued every night for the next week. He even lied to Romeo that he was going to do extra work for the Magdolina so Magnus could get Tybalt alone on his ship for another 2 weeks. When all of this was done Tybalt returned back to the Montagues and swore he’d never tell a soul what he’d been through. The new trade routes were going extremely well and his parents were over the moon at Romeo and Tybalt's successful trip. 

It was shortly after this that Romeo met a beautiful red haired woman called Juliet Capulet, and Tybalt watched the love of his life fall head over heels in love with someone else. Juliet was extremely smart and insightful, early on she could see how Tybalt felt for Romeo. She tried to confront him about it to say she wasn’t sorry for loving Romeo but was sorry about how it was affecting Tybalts feelings, but he continued to deny anything of the sort. 

A few years later Romeo and Juliet announced their engagement and asked Tybalt to be their best man.  On the night before the wedding, Tybalt couldn’t bear to ruin their day with his own heartbroken feelings. Without saying goodbye or even leaving a note, Tybalt fled Santiados and sailed away to Estredios across the sea. 

A SAILOR AT HEART

Heartbroken, and lost, he spent all of his savings on food, alcohol and plent of company. When he was properly broke he hopped on a boat and started working on the open ocean as a sailor. 

During his time is Estredios and at sea, Tybalt did what he knew best to escape his heartbreak. He flirted and slept with people to his heart’s content over the next 2 years, learning not to get too close with people to keep his heart safe. He made a few good sailor friends who managed to pull him out of his darkest times and allowed him to enjoy his time on the seas. His memories of his time on the ocean are some of his favourite, although it was tough work at times Tybalt felt truly at peace when he was aboard a ship. 

Wanting to explore beyond the sea, his escapades eventually lead him to arrive at the docks of Finras, a port town on the coast of the continent of Iona. And it was there in a tavern where he picked up a job to help find a dwarven woman’s missing father, and that’s where his adventure with the party began…..

Thank you so much for reading Tybalt’s backstory! I’ve been playing this dnd character for over a year now and he means so much to me. If you have any further questions feel free to send me an ask! I’d love to answer them.

[brighter-side-of-the-coin]

Merlin Fic Rec - Halloween Masterlist

In the spirit of the spooky season, here is a (monstrous) list of fics that cover a range of Halloween-themed tropes!

Many of these fics explore darker themes, so please remember to read the tags/archive warnings - stay safe folks!

🎃Horror/Thriller🎃

The Devil's Table by kriadydragon (28k)

Arthur and Gwaine rescue Merlin from the clutches of slave traders only to find themselves trapped in a strange castle whose residents have up and vanished. There's something in the castle that's after them, and to make matters worse, Merlin is already injured and can't use his magic.

The Tomb by kriadydragon (17k)

There's a reason they say the Valley is cursed.

The Wild Hunt by aa_fic

Every year on Samhain, the Wild Hunt terrorises the small Welsh town of Camford. A year after his own father is killed by the Hunt, Arthur is asked to lead a party against it. Merlin Emrys, the ailing recluse who alone escaped the Hunt in the past, may hold the key to Arthur's success in defeating it—or he may be the leader of the Wild Hunt himself. Mystery/suspense, supernatural, Samhain/Halloween, dark romance.

A Dark and Storming Knight by tehfanglyfish (4.9k)

After their horses run off in a torrential downpour, Arthur and Merlin are forced to take shelter in a cold and creepy abandoned house. To make matters worse, Arthur keeps wishing that a sorcerer would show up to light the fire.

The Monster in the Mirror by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle (7.5k)

A strange mirror has made its way into Camelot. With claims of it being enchanted, Arthur is determined to lock it away as soon as possible. However, while knights and lords and servants have all seemed to be shocked and terrified by whatever visions the mirror presented…Merlin doesn’t seem to notice. 

Until he does.

In the Deep, Dark Woods by dante_s_hell  (22k)

Arthur hires a company to provide team building exercises for the employees of Camelot Industries. The urban jungle is more their speed, but they make a go of it, traveling into the woods to bond while communing with Mother Nature. Unfortunately, the trip isn't what they expect and they bond the hard way...by trying to survive.

Tales to Tell in the Dark by mushroomtale, Polomonkey (7.3k)

A Prince stumbles across a beautiful man asleep in a castle...A merman longs for the handsome noble he sees above the waves...One orphan courts another in a town where young men are going missing...Three classic fairytales, given a horror twist.

The House by silence_since_silence (1k)

Merlin is a real estate agent. Arthur buys the two bedroom, one bath, one-level house with the streetlight right out front and just across the road and with the giant rosemary bush that has grown up around the front window like ivy.

🎃Ghosts🎃

Gibraltar May Tumble by shes_gone (24k)

Merlin's life in London is a bit of a mess: his career is trapped somewhere between student and professional, his love life is trapped in a relationship gone sour, and most days he feels physically trapped in the tiny, shared flat he can't afford to move out of—until an unexpected opportunity sends him packing for the coast. There, he meets someone who might be in a even worse fix than he is: Arthur, a Victorian-era sea captain who's trapped, a bit literally, between life and death, and who refuses to leave the house he died in over a hundred years ago.

Lament for the Lost by Clea2011 (21k)

Arthur inherits a crumbling mansion and sets out to restore it to its former glory. But Merlin has been held by a far darker inheritance all his life, and its grip on him tightens when he arrives at Camelot House to work for Arthur.

Resurgam by La_Temperanza (16k)

Merlin can see dead people™, and Arthur's just indirectly invited the entire spirit world. To think, people said this party was going to be boring.

The Ghost of Le Fay House by rotrude (28k)

Lieutenant Arthur Pendragon is wounded in action during the battle of Narvik. Rescued, he's sent to recover in requisitioned manor turned military hospital Le Fay House. His doctor, Merlin Emrys, is new at the job but quite hopeful of doing well... until strange happenings start to plague them both.

The Apartment and Everything That Comes With It by Pendragons Dragonlord (PseudoAuthor) (6k)

The apartment is old. Windows still covered in cobwebs, paint peeling from the walls, the bathroom ceiling covered in mould.

It’s a dump.

It’s perfect.

Apart from the flickering lights.

Nothing Like a Good Ghost Hunt by thecheekydragon (17k)

Merlin and his team are commissioned to investigate the hauntings at the famed Camelot Castle and get more than they bargained for when they find that the paranormal investigation team led by Arthur Pendragon has been commissioned to do the same.

Welcome to Camelot Hotel by schweet_heart (3.9k)

When his Uncle Gaius' old friend needs a favour, Merlin jumps at the chance to rent a flat in the newly refurbished Camelot building at a substantial discount. So what if the previous tenant left in a hurry in the middle of the night? It's not like the place is haunted or anything…

The Washerwoman by schweet_heart (4k)

Her dark eyes held such an aching sorrow that the expression almost stole his breath, and there was something oddly familiar about her, though Merlin was certain he would have remembered if he had seen her before.

Haunted by maarzanna (<1k)

Curious visitors keep turning up at the ruins of Camelot's castle. One of the spirits who haunts the grounds is particularly disgruntled by the disturbances.

Dead And Breakfast by yourrockyspine (4.3k)

After his Mum's demise, Merlin kept her beautifully-maintained B&B up and running.

And though he mostly loves having his mother's ghost nearby, it's some of the other deceased residents that make it exceedingly hard to please his (living) clients.

Flattening by yourrockyspine (2.3k)

A small, fluffy Happy Halloween follow-up to Dead and Breakfast

Arthur takes Merlin to his flat; Morgana's there all ghost-like and obnoxious

The Afterlife by supercalvin (3.1k)

“Hey, what’s your wifi password?” “For the love of God!” Gwen yelled, “Merlin you are dead. You do not need a wifi password.”

🎃Zombies🎃

Land of Ghouls by rotrude (39k)

In a world overrun by flesh-eating ghouls, with the apocalypse as part of his everyday life, smuggler Arthur Pendragon has nothing left to fight for until Finna, the leader of a survivor camp, entrusts him with one life-endangering mission he at first doesn't want to accept: escorting Merlin Emrys, a man who has survived a ghoul bite, to the last medical facility left standing in Great Britain in the hopes he will be key to a cure. Arthur and Merlin start on a quest that could cost them their lives or save mankind.

All the Dead Are Here by Footloose (46k)

There's not much outside Arthur's purview -- eventually, all creatures fall to the Reaper's scythe. It's never personal. It's just his job.

That was true until Arthur ran into the only death he's ever regretted reaping -- Merlin, who is inexplicably alive and well.

But that's not all. There are monsters that exist outside of life and death, and they're spreading like vermin in the city of London. The balance is in jeopardy, and Merlin may be the only one who can help him restore order in the chaos.

It's a Beautiful Night; We're Looking for Something Dumb to Do by flammablehat (<1k)

What's a little political unrest and a lackluster zombie outbreak in the face of True Love, anyway?

World of the Skin Puppets by charmed_seconds (3.5k)

The world was in ruins. Zombies have overtaken Europe and everyone was striving just to live. No matter how callous you get from living in a post-apocalyptic world, one is never ready to face the undead corpse of a loved one.

fixing to die by helloearthlings (3k)

He had put in his blue contacts, covered himself nearly head to toe in cover-up mousse, and still all that Arthur could see in the mirror was decayed yellow eyes and rotting flesh.

Zombies, Run! by supercalvin (1.2k)

It’s the zombie apocalypse. Merlin and Arthur are runners for Camelot Township.

🎃Vampires🎃

Dead of Knight by jsea (43k)

Merlin Emrys, supernatural expert and consultant for the local police, knows that going to the opening night of a vampire bar isn't a good idea, not with anti-vampire sentiments running rampant. So when he draws the eye of the bar's charismatic owner, and the new Master of the City, Arthur Pendragon, he's not exactly pleased.

When a series of murders, seemingly the work of vampires, forces them to work together anyway, Merlin unwittingly finds himself falling in love. Suddenly, the lines between work and love are not as cut and dry as they seem.

Dead Men Tell No Tales by a8csock (ladysockalot) (20k)

As a necromancer Merlin had a duty to the dead, as much as he avoided it. However, Merlin wasn't sure if he was lucky or not to have met a vampire in a cemetery, especially when he was investigating murders perpetrated by a vampire.

A Double Dose of Destiny by Drag0nst0rm (1.6k)

In which Camelot has a vampire problem, and Gwen rather wishes she wasn't the one who was expected to deal with it.

A Warlock's Blood by Lullabylily (8.2k)

People are dying. A vampire is terrorizing Camelot. And this particular vampire has taken an unsavoury interest in Merlin…

Another One Bites the Dust by merlin_the_dragonlord (3.2k)

The vampires have kidnapped Merlin. It's up to Arthur to retrieve his precious watcher.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU with slayer!Arthur and watcher!Merlin

Age Ain't Nothing But a Number by Mad_Maudlin (3.7k)

It was all going so well, and then Arthur found out Merlin's secrets. Both of them.

Vârcolac by rotrude (44k)

1740, Young Queen Maria Theresa of Austria sends Hauptmann Arthur Pendrachen and Leutnant Oberarzt Merlin Emryß to Transylvania, currently belonging to the Austrian Crown, with the task of dissuading the locals from believing in legends and myths that are archaic, provincial and frankly absurd. This is the Century of Philosophers, the Age of Enlightment and the state must spread rationality and scientific thinking all around! In short Pendrachen and Emryß are to drive some sense into those credulous peasants who still believe in the undead, also known as vârcolaci, moroi -- vampires.

It all starts to plan, but their journey journey ends up being fraught with less Enlightment and more peril than they'd wagered for.

🎃Monsters (and others)🎃

Skellington by Pasteles, Succulents (3.9k)

((Skellington/Frankenstein AU)) Arthur's been reincarnated in the 18th century when magic is still something punishable by death. But something's wrong, Merlin is no where to be found upon the once and future kings return. Kilgharrah, who has been bound into a human form, takes it upon himself to bring back the powerful sorcerer. In a twist of destiny, Arthur and Merlin meet before Kilgharrah's work is finished.

Through this Wonderland by inktomi (3.5k)

"No," says Merlin. "No. We are not going to Scotland so you can slay a mythical beast that does not exist."

Bumps in the Night by schweet_heart (<1k)

Arthur's back. Merlin's a vampire. The whole destiny thing is a bit anti-climactic, really.

Monster Mash by supercalvin (2.4k)

The ballroom was filled to the brim. On the ground there were the normal crowd of creatures and then flying around the ceiling were the winged clique. Everyone had a drink in their hand as they socialized (Wine, punch, blood, witch’s brew, and brains were all available at the open bar). 

A Modern Pygmalion by supercalvin (1.9k)

Doctor Arthur Pendragon has been working on his theory of reanimation for seven years and now he is ready to try his theory on human flesh.

Monster by supercalvin (1.4k)

Merlin and Arthur are the best pair of hunters on this side of the Atlantic.

Lake Monster Matchmaking by FandomOlde (<1k)

Kilgharrah, mistaken for a mythical lake monster, plays matchmaker for a reincarnated Merlin and Arthur.

With Smoke and Shadow by staymagical (1.2k)

Ever since he can remember, Arthur has had The Sight, a gift that shows him the aura of the supernatural. It's a pain, mainly.

The Wallfahrt Witch by rotrude (14k)

1630s, Counterreformation AU. A solitary traveller coming to a small Upper Austrian village finds shelter with the organ player of the local pilgrimage church. While religious strife is on the rise, the supernatural victims of its violence watch on as a star-crossed love story blooms.

🎃Halloween Fluff🎃

Of Halloween Socks and Poor Timing by orphan_account (1.6k)

No one knew he was wearing silly Halloween socks under his patent leather shoes.

Halloween Knights by bunnysworld (<1k)

Percy might have misunderstood as what they were going to the party this year. 

Stars directing our fates by Camelittle (4.9k)

In which Merlin finds that his destiny is quite literally written in the stars.

Pumpkin Carving by qvicksilvers (<1k)

The first ever Pumpkin Carving Contest has arrived in Camelot, all thanks to Merlin. Will it become an annual event? Judging by the results, probably not.

Pumpkin patch Mayhem by ForTheLoveOfFangirling (<1k)

Merlin drags Arthur to the pumpkin patch. 

To Light the Fires of Winter by Elizabeth (5.6k)

The Druids' mysterious leader, Emrys, has invited King Arthur to their encampment for Samhain.

Eager to solidify their people's alliance, Arthur agrees.

Halloween night by bunnysworld (<1k)

This wasn't their best idea

Suicidal Glasses and the Halloween Goose by giselleslash (3.3k)

Elena has to work Halloween night and Gwaine is smitten by the fact that she’s the worst bartender ever.

for me it's always you by helloearthlings (2k)

“My mum and I watched horror movies together every October when I was a kid,” Merlin said, unfazed by the look on Arthur’s face. “I like them.”

“I get to choose the movies,” Arthur said, not able to just agree without a fight. Merlin, damn him, looked as cheerful as ever as he leaned down to kiss Arthur again before moving away. Arthur missed him the second he was gone, even though he was just going to the kitchen, and it was somehow the most amazing and annoying thing all at once.

Modern Dracula by TsingaDark (3k)

Arthur didn’t believe in supernatural creatures. Nevertheless, he was about eighty-five percent sure that his neighbour was a vampire.

Halloween Story by every1isgay (3.4k)

Arthur always sees Merlin at Gwaine's parties, and he really likes him, though he hasn't asked him out yet. This Halloween, he hopes he can impress Merlin, but does not expect his reaction to Arthur's gory costume.

Away We'll Go by maarzanna (<1k)

The Halloween party at Pendragon's Co. has gotten a bit out of hand, and Arthur is mortified, that is, until Merlin shows up in a tantalizing costume.

Caldron Bubble by maarzanna (<1k)

Arthur does a terrible job at being a supportive boyfriend, and Merlin’s potion gets ruined. It's all Arthur’s fault.

Toward the Darkness by maarzanna (<1k)

A mischievous demon disturbs the Pendragon household.

Don't Kill Me, Kiss Me by safarialuna (2.3k)

Merlin just wants to have a peaceful Halloween. The last thing he expects is to be face-to-face with a towering man who is about to bash his head in with a shovel at a cemetery.

Haunted House by schweet_heart (<1k)

"Dare you to go inside," Arthur said.

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice by supercalvin (2.2k)

Arthur goes to Gaius Cafe before work and sees a fit runner who stops by every morning.

[hotel-japanifornia]

Following Revelations

Summary:  On December 29, 2016, Edgeworth returns home for the first time since Christmas Eve. There, he is confronted with the revelations that occurred over the last four years of his life.

Early in the morning of December 29, 2016, Miles Edgeworth is able to return home for the first time since Christmas Eve. Though he was acquitted the day before, he needed to file the paperwork necessary for his release. The task is usually done by the defense attorney, but since Edgeworth himself is a lawyer, he insists on doing it himself. It takes hours for it to go through and by the time Edgeworth is let out, he feels fatigued due to the lack of sleep. He’s sure that the first thing he’ll do upon arriving home is to crash right down on his luxury sofa.

Once he steps into the front doors of his mansion, a large building made out of white stone, he is immediately greeted by his Samoyed. As if on instinct, Pess runs with great haste up to her owner and nearly topples him over as she jumps on him. The prosecutor barely manages to regain his balance, and his facial features soften as he sees her excited, lopsided grin. She pants heavily as her tail wags with great fervor; she’s so happy that when Edgeworth reaches out to pet her, she practically jumps right into the palm of his hand.

After he scratches her behind the ears for a few minutes, he heads to the kitchen to make sure she’s been fed. Much to Edgeworth’s pleasant surprise, Pess’ bowl is filled to the brim with kibble to the point that there is even some spilled over on the tiled floor. It seems as if someone recently had filled it too, as the bowl is shifted more to the right than Edgeworth remembered it being. He knew there was only one person who could’ve done this.

Detective Gumshoe. He recalls asking the detective to look after Pess during the first of many times that he visited him in the detention center. Though the prosecutor had never invited him to his home, there was no one else that he trusted more with the task. He would need to thank him later, perhaps by treating him to a bowl of spaghetti?

With bleary eyes, Edgeworth looks at the analog clock that hung on the wall and sees that the hands point to, “4:00 a.m.”. It’s a bit early to start working, even by Edgeworth’s standards; but he isn’t in the mood to go up to his bedroom and sleep either.

Instead, he decides to sit down on the couch and his loyal pooch follows him right after. The prosecutor shuts his eyes in an attempt to sleep, but every attempt is fruitless. He grunts in frustration and rubs his temples in thought as he ponders the events of the last few days.

The last few days proved to be some of the craziest in Edgeworth’s twenty-four years of life. Not only did he find out that his mentor was a murderer, but the nightmares that plagued him for the last fifteen years turned out to be a lie. The prosecutor is unsure about how to feel about this revelation. For so long, he thought he was the one responsible for his father’s death; believing that even if was an accident, that he was no less guilty of murder.

During his time spent in the Von Karma estate, Edgeworth recalled always waking up in a violent, cold sweat or in the days directly following his father’s death, letting out a bloodcurdling scream before bursting into a fit of sobs. The next morning, the prosecutor would confide in his former mentor about his nightly horrors, but Von Karma would only respond with a blank stare and a disinterested frown.

Edgeworth never paid too much thought towards his reaction: Manfred Von Karma was hardly a caring and loving man. Yet now that he knows the truth, he wonders if his mentor took silent enjoyment in watching him suffer for a crime he didn’t commit. What if, underneath that frown, there was a sinister grin? A cold shiver wracks violently through Edgeworth’s body at the thought.

Suddenly, Edgeworth feels his eyelids getting heavier with fatigue. He lies down on the couch in an attempt to get some sleep again. However, this effort proves to be meaningless as he is soon interrupted by the familiar buzz of his phone. He grumbles as he rummages in his pockets in search for it.

Once he manages to pull it out, he finds the notification is merely a news update and little else. What he does find interesting though, is that the Chief Prosecutor left a voice message for him only a few hours ago. He plays it and listens to her emotionless voice as it sounds through the room.

Greetings, Prosecutor Edgeworth. I want to congratulate you on your recent acquittal. Due to the...unfortunate circumstances of the trial, I understand if you wish to take a short break. And if that is necessary, I can arrange that for you. He lays back against the couch and glares at the ceiling fiercely, as if it personally offended him. The prosecutor isn’t so sure he wants to go back to prosecuting right away. Though he usually took great pride in his work and its completion, the revelation of everything that occurred makes him feel dizzy just to think about. He couldn’t fathom what prosecuting would be like under this condition.

It’s all Wright’s fault! The thought flashes in Edgeworth’s head for only a brief moment before he just as quickly dismisses it. It’s true that his rival and childhood friend tends to rely on cheap bluffs and more often than not, is completely clueless about the case at hand. And yet, Edgeworth can’t deny that Wright is an incredibly determined lawyer and has an amount of devotion to his clients that is almost puppy-like in nature, especially compared to the other defense attorneys he’s faced in court. If it weren’t for the spiky-haired lawyer’s insistence on defending the prosecutor, he would be currently rotting in jail for two murders. And for that reason alone, he feels grateful.

For the remainder of the day, Edgeworth’s eyes continue to droop with fatigue. No matter how hard he tries though, he is unable to catch so much as a wink of shut-eye. Aside from that, Edgeworth’s day is uneventful which the prosecutor counts as a reprieve from the last few days.

At one point, he glances at himself in the mirror and swears that his hair is grayer than it was a week ago. Edgeworth concludes that this oddity is due to a combination of the lack of sleep, and everything else that happened within the last week; for example, his lawyer cross-examining a parrot.

The darker the sky gets, the more Edgeworth grimaces. He isn’t certain of what to expect from his dream tonight, if he manages to get any sleep at all. For the last fifteen years, he had the same recurring nightmare of him shooting his father and hearing this agonized shrieking afterwards. Edgeworth wonders if things will change now that he knows what really happened. He ponders this even as he lies in bed that night.

And much to his surprise, his eyes close and he drifts off into an uncertain slumber.

The familiar scene of the elevator sprawls around Edgeworth as he sees his younger self, his father, and the bailiff, Yanni Yogi, trapped in an unmoving elevator. Like how it played out in real life, Yogi and his father began to fight.

“Get away!” The younger Edgeworth screams before taking the gun lying right next to him and throwing it towards the two men. Suddenly the elevator door opens, and a gunshot rings out. What follows is a bloodcurdling scream of agony. Usually, this is where the dream ended, but much to Edgeworth’s horror, it continued.

Edgeworth gasps in horror when he sees the figure standing outside the elevator. The person is obscured by the shadows at first, but as they step inside the elevator, Edgeworth instantly recognizes the intimidating and domineering figure of Manfred von Karma. He towers over the young boy, his face showing the stoicism becoming of a killer however his eyes provide a window into the rage he truly felt. His younger self curled himself into a ball in the corner of the elevator as he quivered in fear. Suddenly, Von Karma grabs his younger self and slings him over the shoulder.

“Stop! What are you doing with my son?!” Gregory protests, his voice filled with horror and anger. He starts to get up in an attempt to rescue his son, but Von Karma swiftly picks up the gun, and shoots the defense attorney in the heart. Upon seeing this act of cruelty, younger Edgeworth shrieks in terror, before his captor walks away from the elevator with him in tow. The boy kicks, screams, and even bites him on the shoulder in a futile attempt to get away.

“LET ME GO! LET ME GO! Someone please, help me!” The young Edgeworth shrieks. Edgeworth watched his younger form, helpless to do anything but watch. Eventually, his younger self’s cries for help began to fade into the darkness and Edgeworth was now alone. He’s at a complete loss for words for what he just witnessed. The prosecutor shuts his eyes and silently mourns his younger self.

Despite his legs feeling frozen to the spot up until now, he suddenly starts to move. As his feet land on the ground, he hears a mysterious clunking noise. Confused, Edgeworth looks down and notices that chains are magically wrapping themselves around his body. He grunts in annoyance but continues to progress inside the empty void. This causes the chains to snake around his waist, and eventually, his arms as well. Soon, everything down from his shoulders is covered in chains.

Even so, Edgeworth continues to wander. The chains place a heavy restriction on his ability to move and prove to be quite cumbersome, with him nearly tripping over his own feet several times. No matter what he does, he hears the monotonous clanging of chains and finds himself getting wearier with every step.

After a few minutes, the prosecutor begins to hear a strange chanting noise. The further he advances, the louder and clearer the noise gets as if he was moving closer to an invisible source of the sound.

“Guilty! Guilty!” is repeated continuously followed by the sound of a gavel pounding. Upon hearing this chant, the faces of several people fill his vision, as if he were having a flashback. Some of them looked devastated, their faces drained of all color as tears welled up in their eyes; others looked furious, their teeth bared in anger and their gaze set in a murderous glare; others simply looked confused, with their brows furrowed.

Edgeworth recalls who those faces belong to instantly. These were the faces of the defendants he’d prosecuted in the past, the “criminals” he’d sent to jail, or so he thought. It was drilled into the prosecutor’s head by Von Karma that all defendants were criminals, and as consequence, they must be punished for whatever crimes brought them to court.

It was only recently that Edgeworth started to question the truth of that reality. In the past three months, he’d prosecuted three people who turned out to be innocent. As a result, the prosecutor started to ponder on his past verdicts; more specifically, the horrific realization that he likely put innocent people on death row, leaving them to die for crimes they never committed. Edgeworth grimaces darkly at the thought.

It was true that Edgeworth didn’t necessarily handle his cases the same way his mentor had. Von Karma was a ruthless man, he’d do anything to get his “Guilty” verdict: fabricate witnesses, create false testimony, force false confessions out of defendants, and even destroy evidence that could help their case.

Yet, when Edgeworth really stopped to think about it, he was no better than Von Karma. He too won his cases through underhanded methods. In his first case alone, he hid evidence as well as the true identity of a crucial witness. Though the prosecutor was not a murderer, he knew he was just as much of a criminal as Von Karma was in that matter.

Edgeworth is broken out of his contemplation by the weight of the chains on his body overpowering his muscles. He grunts as he struggles to keep himself up but eventually the weight becomes too unbearable for him and he collapses on his knees. His teeth are clenched in frustration as beads of sweat pour down his forehead; his heart beats so hard that it feels as if it’s about to pound right out of his chest and his vision begins to swirl in dizziness. He squeezes his eyes shut in an attempt to drown out the continuous, haunting chanting but to no avail. The prosecutor felt as if he was going to faint from exhaustion.

“...Edgeworth…” A voice suddenly calls from the darkness. Edgeworth is barely able to register it amongst the chanting. Though he’s certain he’s heard the voice before, it’s so soft that he can’t place who it is.

A dreadful shiver creeps up his spine. Was it another punishment? Another reminder of his shady past? The prosecutor didn’t want to know. 

“...Edgeworth!” This time, the voice cuts clear through the chanting. Still, the prosecutor can’t place who it is. He thinks for a brief moment that the identity of the speaker is Wright, seeing as the two were on last-name basis.

But upon further reflection, Edgeworth determines that it can’t be him. The spiky-haired lawyer’s voice was soft and gentlemanly, while this one was higher in pitch and for the lack of a better term, cheerier.

“Mr. Edgeworth!” The voice is even louder now, as if the speaker is directly in front of him. He lifts his head up as much as he can and upon meeting this mysterious person, his eyes widen in shock.

A raven-haired young woman with her hair done up in a topknot, and wearing strange purple robes stands right in front of him. Edgeworth can’t believe his eyes and blinks for a few moments just to make sure he’s not seeing things.

“M-Ms. Fey?” He splutters in shock. The young woman in question has her eyes fixated on him. Edgeworth scans her face cautiously in order to detect any hostility but much to his surprise, there wasn’t any. Her expression held not a pitying glance nor the mocking smirks that he’d expected, but instead her gaze is gentle and her smile sympathetic. If Edgeworth had any energy to move, this would be where he’d turn away and grab his arm, grimacing. But because he is restrained, all he can do is watch as she reaches her arm out towards him.

“Come with me!” She speaks. Edgeworth is hesitant to accept. Just three months ago, he’d prosecuted this young woman with all intent to send her to prison for her sister’s murder. And yet, this same woman, this Ms. Fey was now offering to help him? It was preposterous! Edgeworth was sure she’d appear to help him at first, before pushing him over and cackling madly at his helpless state.

But, as he peers into her eyes, he sees no insincerity in her offer. Her hand remains outstretched, ready for him to take at any time. In spite of himself, Edgeworth sluggishly raises one of his chain bound hands and places it in hers. The young woman grunts as she pulls him up. After managing to stand him up, she begins to lead him by the hand through the pitch-black void.

Even as they move, Edgeworth still can’t believe what’s currently happening. He remembered Ms. Fey getting herself held in contempt of court when he was about to be found “Guilty” on the first day, but he was sure that it wasn’t for his sake. They had little to no interaction before the murder at Gourd Lake, and what little interaction they did have was unfriendly at best.

Yet, Edgeworth also recalled something Wright told him about soon after he was acquitted for his father’s murder. Shortly before the prosecutor was led back to the detention center, the spiky-haired lawyer informed him that Ms. Fey was the one who retrieved the crucial DL-6 Bullet that proved Von Karma’s guilt. He went on to detail how she wrestled it out of his arms despite being tased immediately afterwards. Edgeworth could only presume then that even if it weren’t for his sake, she’d still fought just as hard for his freedom as Wright.

Upon thinking on it further, Edgeworth supposed it wasn’t so surprising that Ms. Fey was leading him by the hand towards an unknown destination. Despite Ms. Fey’s childlike mannerisms and odd sense of humor, he knew she too suffered from that horrid incident. Just as he lost his father to DL-6; she lost her mother, and eventually, her own sister albeit indirectly. It only made sense then, that the two hurt most by DL-6 would be the ones to finally lay it to rest.

As the duo progress through the void, Edgeworth notices that the formerly booming chanting is decreasing in volume to the point that he needed to strain his ears to be able to make out any of it. His movement also began to feel less restricted. He gazes downward and looks in awe as he sees that the chains that once trapped him were unraveling on the floor.

It was at this point Edgeworth started to realize something about his relationship with the young woman leading him along, and he knew that there was something he needed to do. Something important he needed to say to her.

Slowly, even the darkness around them starts to lighten in color. It was as if the two were reaching the end of a long, dark tunnel. Upon the void becoming a pure white, Ms. Fey suddenly stops and turns to Edgeworth wearing a happy smile.

“Looks like we made it, Mr. Edgeworth!” She cheers. Edgeworth suddenly clutches his arm nervously with a grimace. There was something that he needs to say to the young woman in front of him. He ruminates in thought for a moment as to how to put it. It’d been so long since he’d uttered those words to anyone. Before he can think too much on it though, he clears his throat, grabbing her attention.

“M-Ms Fey…” He starts nervously, “I-I just wanted to say that…” His throat begins to clamp up on him and his stomach twists in knots.

No! Edgeworth scolds himself. He can’t slip up now! The prosecutor takes a few, deep breaths to steady himself and squeezes his eyes shut. This was harder than Edgeworth thought it would be. It was just two words! He gathers his thoughts before speaking again.

“Th-Thank you…” Edgeworth stammers, due to the lack of experience. Ms. Fey smiles softly and nods.

“No problem!” She assures.

Then, something unexpected happens: the young woman embraces him as she begins to fade. Edgeworth’s form goes stiff, but he doesn’t attempt to pull away. The next thing he knows, she’s gone, and Edgeworth is alone again, this time in a blinding white void of nothing.

And if one were to look closely at Edgeworth’s face as he slept that night, they would notice one corner of his mouth was starting to upturn into a small, subtle smile.

[grouptalekindnesssoulstories]

To Fly A Rainbow

So uhhh...I just wanted wings? I have no other explanation

Words:~1,200

Warnings:Swearing, misgendering, homophobia/transphobia, threatening to out someone

“Lady Danielle Ekafae and her parents, Lord and Lady Ekafae” A herald announced the arrival of the last guests. Prince Roman settled his wings slightly, adjusting them to compensate for a too stiff chair. The estate who was hosting the ball had very few chairs made for the royal family and their wings. Those had gone to the King and Queen, and Crown Prince Remus. Roman knew there was another chair he could have used, but his gayness was offensive to the hosts. So he would suffer silently until the ball ended. 

“If I may, Prince Roman, I would like to request a dance with you” or not.

“Of course, my lady” He stood to honor Lady Danielle’s request. Like the perfect gentleman he was, he bowed before offering his arm. The lady giggled and took it. He swept them out to the middle of the dance floor. 

“That chair didn’t look comfortable” She remarked, eyes glittering. Curse her sharp eyes. 

“No, it wasn’t. However, a prince never complains-” He twirled her “-and my gay ass offended our hosts” 

“Well I hope Deceit strikes them soon” She took her eyes off him for the first time since the songs began. He noticed her studying the walls. 

“Usually I would say that he is a criminal and I hope he’s caught. However, because it’s you and you’d know I’m lying...I hope the same. He’s done a lot for me and my brother. Hopefully Re can come public with his marriage soon” Roman watched as for the first time all night, Danielle’s muscles relaxed. 

“Oh? Is he gay too?” She looked up at him, a small smile on her face.

“Yes. We’re twins, what did you expect? He’s married to our advisor Logan and Patton, a cook down in the kitchens. So, that’s another strike against him. Luckily, he’s good at social stuff. He also has helped marry others, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Our parents are trying, but the nobles aren’t budging” 

“You love him a lot. Well, I can tell you my parents are for it. They’ve accepted me since I came out” She smiled.

“Lesbian?” He dipped her, kissing her hand as he prepared to step away. She was swept away before she could answer fully. 

~~~

The rest of the party passed in a blur. Before Roman knew it, he was settling in a guest bedroom. He sighed, putting away his day clothes. He’d help wash them tomorrow, but right now he wanted to sew up a hole in his sock. As he was finishing, he heard a creak. 

“You can come in Re. I’m still up” He called softly. Instead of a door open, the window swung open of its own accord. A figure dressed all in black climbed in, making the odd event less odd. When its face turned to the prince, he saw that it was covered in snake face paint. 

“D-deceit” He stammered, scrambling backwards on the bed. Deceit just tilted his head at the prince. After studying him for a moment, the black-clad figure raised a finger to his lips and crept out of the room. Roman’s hands were shaking as he tied off his work and put his sock away. He considered going to sleep, but decided against it. Deceit occasionally left bodies in his wake and the prince’s would be quite the fuss. After an agonizingly slow hour, Deceit returned. When he noticed the prince was still awake, he once again tilted his head. 

“I wouldn’t dare hurt you, Your Highness. Besides, you have been nothing if not a leader in the fight for our rights. Sleep well, and know that you have nothing to fear” A familiar voice hissed through the painted face. Before Roman could place it, Deceit was gone. 

~~~

The next few weeks were quiet in the hunt for Deceit. After Roman reported the sighting to his parents, they stepped up the defense as well. It seemed the man had decided to lay low while the alarm was raised. 

“Ro. Why are you so distant?” Patton nudged his brother in law to startle him out of his thoughts. The Crown Prince had invited his partners and his partner to hang out in his room. Logan was busy trying to keep their husband from completely derailing a speech they were working on. 

“It’s nothing. Just thinking about what the thief told me. It still haunts me” Roman admitted after a second.

“Well, I have been looking over the records. It appears he goes after those who have been homophobic. Either behind closed doors, or openly, they all have that connection” Logan had given up trying to stop Remus, and had hidden the original copy of their work and left the other one with their husband. 

“Wait, really?” Roman straightened. 

“Indeed. and all of the murders he left a note. All of the inheriting children reported that it was a warning to not follow in their parent’s footsteps” The advisor straightened, adjusting their glasses. 

“Huh. That’s kinda neat? I guess. I know, I know. It’s rude to be glad of their deaths” Ro waved off the reprimand. Logan sighed and continued after a moment.

“Yes. Well, in an effort to prevent that, your father has compiled a list of everyone who has been against the changes. Hopefully we can prevent further crimes by our elusive friend”

“Awww, you think of me as a friend! Can you show me the list? My brain is coming up empty on who to go after next!” The group’s attention all snapped up to the top of the window. Deceit sat there, picking his nails. When they all finally took note of him, he wiggled his fingers in greeting. Remus reached for his bow. The thief clicked his tongue. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I told my associate that if I wasn’t back by dinner, to reveal your little secret. It would a shame if the crown prince was revealed to be gay and polyamourous!” Remus immediately lowered his bow and drew his partners behind him. 

“Deceit, please. Leave him alone” Roman begged as he stepped forward. 

“Only for you dear. Oh, and tell Dee I said hi. Well, Lady Danielle I suppose. He’s trans though. Goes by Janus. His parents are sweethearts. Use them to help get your reforms in place. Ta-ta” the familiarity of the voice finally snapped into place within Roman’s brain. 

“Wait, please. I’m sorry I misgendered you throughout” The figure paused. Before long, he turned around again. The forced hissing dropped. 

“You...you figured it out? I. I was so careful. Hit them regularly for a simple robbery to disguise it. How?” He sounded so vulnerable. Roman finally realized why it was so hard to pin down his voice. He was on T. Before he could think any more, he shot in the air to perch next to him. 

“Your voice. And how gentle you were when you saw me awake. When I used the right pronouns. there were a thousand little things that snapped into perspective when you mentioned yourself” He reached out a tanned hand, carefully wiping away some of the make-up around Janus’s eyes. 

“Get him bro!” Remus cackled, his bow returned to his place. Both of the perched duo went bright red at that. 

“Look my scaly friend, you don’t have to do this anymore. We’ve got it. Please, just....go live your life. i’m guessing your parents know?” Roman finally choked out, a flashy smile replacing the surprised expression. 

“Yea. They were the first to know. I told them when I was little, and they’ve done everything they could to help. They also figured out I was Deceit too. They told me as long as I wasn’t cruel, I could continue” Janus had a quiet smile on his face. Roman smiled and kissed his forehead. 

“I’ll take over the fight from here. Thank you dear, but it’s time for political battles” Roman made to move so his companion could leave. Before he could do anything though, Janus grabbed his sash and pulled him into a kiss. After a minute, Roman melted into it. They broke apart with twin gasps amidst cheers. 

“I never answered your question. I’m gay too. Sleep well Darling” He called over his shoulder, drawing out the name sweetly. 

“I’m so doomed”

“That you are Ro. Come on, we have dinner with Dad soon” Remus snapped his wings to get his brother’s attention. 

“Gimme...a sec. Gotta figure out what just happened” 

~~~

Seven long years, the new laws were welcomed in with the younger prince kissing his husband. 

Janus had stolen Roman’s heart for his final crime. 

[jemej3m]

Random au idea I had but will never work on but you might enjoy: Andrew is Kevin's bodyguard. Neil is hired to kill Kevin. (in my mind it was also a fantasy au because that's what I'm writing atm but it could work either way tbh idk)

i love this idea!!!! if you’re looking for something similar, with old courts and alliances, i can recommend @gluupor‘s version here!! its amazing 

but ur wish is my command lmao so heres 2000 words on neil and andrew with the assassin/bodyguard trope lmao

*

Neil eyed the gun with mild distaste. He knew Ichirou liked the finality of the gun, the fear it inspired in one’s eyes, but Neil just thought it was messy. 

Efficient, sure, but loud. And cumbersome. And so obvious you’re holding a gun. 

He had knives instead. 

Like father like son, his mother said scathingly. She was long gone, having taken his father right down to hell with her, but that left Neil with a criminal empire and his father’s shoes to fill. 

“Get rid of Kevin Day.” Ichirou had said, lounging in front of a fire. Neil had been seated next to him, taut and rigid, like he always was around Ichirou.

Neil wasn’t insane enough to ask why, but Ichirou soldiered on anyway. 

“My father wanted him as an asset but I see him as a loose end. I had to get rid of Riko because of that man and my brother’s jealous tendencies: He knows too much.”

Neil remembered that. He’d handed Ichirou the gun. 

“He’ll be dead within a month.” Neil promised, trying to not let his voice betray how husk-like he felt. 

*

The first problem he encountered was: Kevin Day was loved publicly, and for good reason. 

Whatever. Neil would poison him and he’d be dead before the weekend arrived, with slow-acting Ricin to put distance between Neil and Kevin’s soon-to-be-corpse. 

That would be, if Neil could even get remotely close to Kevin. 

But he couldn’t. 

He’d commandeered the neighbouring flat to Kevin’s, among the gorgeously glittering glass scapes of New York City. He lived here, too, but it was never in the metropolitan area. He lived on Ichirou’s estate with was further north, or spent time in his Baltimore jurisdiction. 

Becoming Kevin’s new neighbour was relatively simple: He’d simply sent the old woman an invitation to an eternal retreat up in Canada, after looking at her search history (he never wanted to look at an elderly woman’s search history again). She packed up her bags, and Neil slipped in easily, paying the first three months of rent up-front and bypassing the security checks for such a prestigious living space with his new alias: Neil Josten. 

He liked the name Neil. Sue him. It was more comfortable to wear than Nathaniel.

It was upon moving into the apartment that he realised: Kevin Day was never alone. He was with his fianceé, Thea Muldani, who looked as equally adept in militant training as she was in Exy. He was surrounded by his team or the press. 

Or, as Neil reluctantly discovered, he was being watched by Andrew Minyard’s careful eye. 

A quick search on Minyard revealed many things. He’d been a Doe, he’d been to juvie, he’d been involved in multiple cases on child sexual assault as a witness. This wasn’t public information: This was just Neil’s awfully good technological ministrations. 

He also had a degree in criminology from Palmetto, which was where Neil assumed he and Kevin grew close enough that Kevin would trust his protection to Andrew. 

Context was great and all, but Neil couldn’t figure out a way around Minyard for the life of him. Sometimes, when they went out clubbing to a downtown establishment called Eden’s, he would disappear for ten minutes. It was an impossible window, seeing as Kevin was never alone. 

Neil decided the only solution was to grow close enough to Andrew that he could gain the man’s trust and slip around him. His habits were routine, and he took his smoke breaks on the balcony that aligned with Neil’s. 

So every morning, Neil would be leaning on the railing with a cup of coffee and a cigarette. Every morning, Minyard would slid open the door, and step out. He usually wouldn’t even look in Neil’s direction. No cordial good morning, not even a nod. 

Neil would have to catch the man’s interest. 

He’d been lucky in that his father had kept his scar-making to Neil’s torso. If Neil’d face had been disfigured, he’d be too noticeable as an assassin. He had recognisable features as it was: His red hair and blue eyes were recognisable as it was. 

So he wore an over-sized t-shirt that slipped off his shoulder and showed the worst of his scarring: a puckered bullet wound with an arc of a knife-blade through it for good measure, and the imprint of a clothes iron on his shoulder. Both were bright red against his skin and impossible to miss. 

A phone was jammed between his shoulder and his chin as he took a drag from his cigarette, hearing the door slide open. 

“…No, don’t be fucking stupid. No one can know about this. Can you imagine how much scrutiny I’d be under if they found out who it was? They wouldn’t be able to bring me down but I’d have a hell of a lot of work to do to avoid that. No, I have to go. Don’t fuck up whilst I’m gone.”

He threw his phone onto the ottoman and let out an aggravated huff, stamping out his cigarette on the railing. He shook his pack and found only a lighter, throwing the empty cartridge over the balcony with faux-frustration. 

“Quit being dramatic.” Came a voice to his right. 

Neil glanced to where Minyard was standing at the near-edge of the balcony, offering his pack. The two balconies were close enough that Neil could reach out, remaining hesitant, to take one. 

He lit it and brought it to his jaw, as was habit. “Thank you.”

“You’re wasting the nicotine.” The man insisted, with a detached gaze at Neil’s shoulder. 

Neil rose an eyebrow, pulling the shirt’s neckline up and over his scars to cover them once more. The man let his gaze flit from the shoulder to Neil’s face. “I’m more of a passive smoker.”

“Pathetic.” Minyard muttered. “You owe me a whole pack.”

Neil grinned. “Seems like a bit of a steep price.” 

“Interest rates are a killer.” He mulled. “I’m expecting it tomorrow morning, or I’ll hike the debt up to two packs.”

“Seems reasonable.” Neil let the smoke curl over his tongue before breathing it out through his nose. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll finish that if you won’t.” Andrew gestured to the coffee in Neil’s other hand. 

“Black and bitter? Not many people have my taste.”

The man made a scathing noise. “You’re a detriment to the human race.”

Neil put the cigarette between his lips and gave Minyard a two-finger salute. “See you tomorrow.”

Minyard hummed. 

Neil slid the balcony door shut behind him and grinned to himself. This would be fucking easy. 

*

Andrew didn’t know who Kevin’s (and by proxy, his) new neighbour was, but he was intrigued. By the sounds of the phone-call, he didn’t seem so noble, and neither did the curl to his grin. He owed Andrew for the cigarette which meant he’d see him again, and would be able to assess him once more. 

Kevin had slept like a black-out drunk after getting home from his away game, almost collapsing onto the couch. He hadn’t actually gotten black-out drunk for years, but sometimes Andrew wondered how someone acted like such a hangover without a single drop of alcohol in their system. 

He’d woken at six, as he usually did, feeling more than a little sleep-deprived. After a light workout on the rowing machine and breakfast in front of the TV, he took his coffee outside. 

There he was again. Andrew would be lying if he said the man wasn’t absolutely blessed in the appearance department, but it’d be entirely inappropriate to get with someone he’d have to see regularly after the fact. 

The man smiled from behind his mug, wearing a tight wife-beater and sweatpants that hung deliciously low on his hips with a dressing gown thrown over the top. No scars were on show, barring the slight raised bump across his hip that the tightness of his shirt revealed. 

“Here,” He said, throwing the pack at Andrew despite being probably 15 storeys above the ground. “I took one. Cash exchange percentage.”

Andrew scoffed. 

“I’m Neil, by the way.” He offered. “Neil Josten.”

“Andrew Minyard.”

“Thought so.” The man sipped on his coffee. Neil Josten. An ordinary name for such an eccentric person. “Didn’t want seem like a creep and start gushing about Day’s stats when we hadn’t even introduced ourselves yet.”

“Don’t you dare.” Andrew grunted. “I hear enough from the man himself.”

Neil laugh was a singular huff, twisting his face into something more gleeful. He leaned his elbow on the railing, facing Andrew with his head in his palm. “You’re not an Exy fan?”

“Over-exposed, you could say.” Andrew wanted to figure out Neil’s intentions. Not many continued to talk to Andrew, not when his resting gaze was somewhat murderous. What had Nicky once said? Bored murderer. Andrew would kill you and probably yawn whilst doing so.

“I gave up on pursuing it a while ago for more…” He cocked his head to the other side. “Lucrative occupations. But it’s still good to see a game every now and then. What are you, his boyfriend?”

Now that was an obvious question. “Bodyguard. Fucker seems to attract just as much bad attention as he does good attention. I’d rather throw myself off this balcony than date that mess of a human being.” 

Neil laughed again. He didn’t have a coffee or a cigarette: He’d come purely for conversation.  

Interesting, Andrew mused. 

*

Neil was getting bored, and the time constraint he’d set himself was coming to an end. He’d been living next to Kevin and Andrew for three weeks now, and Ichirou would be expecting some form of results in a few days’ time. 

Neil had met with Andrew for evening smoke breaks rather frequently, though mornings had become staple. Tonight Neil had offered a cigarette, self-rolled with a relaxant mixed into it so that he’d sleep heavily and let Neil do his snooping. 

When midnight had passed, Neil pulled his hood up and his scarf over his nose, swinging from his balcony onto Andrew’s. With a soft snick! the lock came clean under the ministrations of his picks and he slipped inside. 

He thought the place would be like Neil’s: Neither Kevin nor Andrew really seemed sentimental, or materialistic. 

Neil was horribly wrong. There was an old couch that looked like they’d hauled it from their college years all the way through to now. A knitted blanket throw was across the back cushions, facing the television. A gas fire-place had various photos on the mantelpiece, including Kevin proposing to Thea, Kevin and an older man who had to be his father and someone who would have looked like Andrew if it weren’t for the quiet smile hugging a heavily pregnant woman. Neil realised Andrew had a twin: Another photo of him showed Andrew, his brother, and a taller man with a darker complexion and a wide grin to contrast the twin’s blank faces sat toward the edge of the photo collection. 

It was odd, seeing how one’s life could expand to so many others. There was an odd sensation at the pit of Neil’s stomach: He grit his teeth and continued to the bedrooms. 

One was locked, the other wasn’t: Neil was right in assuming Kevin’s was the unlocked door and walked into his room. 

He was asleep, sprawled on his bed with his sheets wrapped around his waist. His fianceé was lying next to him, curled into his side with only a bra on. Neil wasn’t fazed: He’d killed people in far less favourable conditions, like that corrupt debt tycoon who’d hired Neil as a prostitute and welcomed him in only a leather harness. And when Neil said only, he meant only. 

Neil looked around the room. It was small, relatively neat, with large windows and an ensuite bathroom. He could stage an overdose: Kevin did have an alcohol problem in college. It seemed like the only viable option, seeing as Kevin was a world-class athlete with no recorded cardiovascular problems, no other drug abuses or suicidal tendencies. 

Neil sighed. He wished Ichirou would give him simpler jobs sometimes. He supposed that was his designed purpose: What was the point of sending out your incredibly precise and professional assassin to knock heads when their talents were best sharpened by intricate puzzles, forcing them to be as elusive as shadows in a crowd?

Neil brushed his fingers along the dresser, ignoring the photo hung on the wall of Kevin and Thea, not smiling, but completely vulnerable and open when looking into one another’s eyes. 

Neil wouldn’t lie and tell someone this job wasn’t isolating. He just didn’t have a choice. 

I don’t have a choice, He repeated to himself. I don’t have a choice. 

A shift on the mattress caught his attention. He glanced over: Thea was blinking up at him, rubbing one eye. 

“Andrew?” She muttered. “Is that you?”

Neil said nothing, slipping out of the room and out onto the balcony once more, retreated back into his apartment. 

He’d have to ask Ichirou for more time. He needed a better plan. 

*

Andrew seemed irritated the next morning when they met up again for a smoke and lazy conversation. 

“Are you alright?” Neil asked. 

Andrew sent Neil a scathing look and said nothing. He went through his smoke too fast and drained the coffee: Neil handed him another cigarette, free of relaxant this time. “Did you see anything of interest last night?”

“Not that I can recall.” Neil leaned a little closer. “Have you checked cameras?”

“Nothing.” He said sourly. “Kevin’s infantile lover-girl swore she saw me in their room last night, but I was dead asleep all night. If anyone had been walking around the apartment I would have woken up.”

“Interesting.” Neil said, hiding his smile behind his mug. “I’ll let you know if I ever notice something out of the ordinary.” 

Andrew nodded. 

The rest of their routine meeting passed in silence. 

*

im gonna write a p.2……how many times have i said that over the past few days lmao im a mess

[the-black-goat-inn]

Adventure hooks

A strange-looking, low-hanging cloud sits over the village. What's really odd is that, despite the wind, the cloud never moves.

A local boy has gone missing. His friends had dared him to venture into an old, abandoned cottage in the woods outside town. That was the last they saw of him.

The rotting corpse of a giant is found alongside a well-traveled road. The giant looks like it has been dead for weeks, but travelers at a nearby wayside inn swear that it wasn't there when they ventured through yesterday afternoon.

Two lovers are having in a very loud spat in the street. Suddenly, one of them falls dead, their face contorted in a look of horror. A strange symbol glows on the side of their neck and slowly begins to fade into nothingness.

The animals in the nearby area have been acting strangely. They no longer seem to fear people, and are all suffering an insatiable hunger for meat... even the herbivores.

A shopkeeper, while renovating the cellar of his business, discovers a strange, stone door behind a shelf.

A small town is unsure of what to do. A small child's voice can be heard from a long-dry well, but no children in the town are missing. What's more concerning is that every person who has ventured into the well in an attempt to rescue the child has not come back.

A man in a long black coat and wide-brimmed hat hastily checks out of an inn. As he rushes out the door, a small vial of swirling green liquid falls from his pocket.

A farmer rides into town, white as a sheet. He claims his scarecrows have been moving closer to his home each day. This morning they were outside the windows of his house. Is this the work of local pranksters, or something else?

A tall, handsome man in fine clothes stands in the center of a crossroads. He seems to know each of the PCs names and says he has information that would be very valuable to them if they choose to return to this spot tonight when the moon is at its apex.

The stuffed head of a fantastic beast that adorns a place above the mantle in a popular local tavern suddenly comes to life and screams something in a strange language before bursting into flames.

Locals say a star fell from the sky last night and landed somewhere nearby.

Every mirror in town ceases to show reflections, but rather gives glimpses into a shadowy keep.

The sound of yelling echoes in the night as a band of villagers, armed with torches and pitchforks, gather outside a home, demanding the residents surrender their young daughter.

A cloaked man in a dark corner of the tavern tells the party he has work for them but promptly dies, a dagger in his back and a sealed letter in his hand.

A concerned father approaches the party at a tavern and asks for their help. His daughter is seeing a man and he doesn't approve. He pleads with the party to end the union. The only catch; the man his daughter has been seeing recently died two years ago.

An innkeeper informs the players that a package arrived for them last night. It is a small silver locket with a date engraved on it. The date is one week from today.

The caretaker of a local cemetery is screaming that there are people in the mausoleums scratching at the doors.

Something big has been attacking Farmer Biden's cows. Whatever it is, it's killed five in the last week, but strangely it hasn't eaten them, only drained them of their blood.

Late at night, the sound of far-off drums can be heard in the darkness. War drums, and lots of them.

In a large city, to rival street gangs vie for control over a neighborhood, leaving many innocent bystanders dead. The local thieve' guild sits back and waits to endorse the winner.

A city official approaches the party discreetly, offering them a fair sum of money to kill her husband. She then reveals her husband died two weeks ago but has been lurking the streets ever since.

A new noble from an unknown house arrived in the city last month. Around the same time, several vagrants in the area started to vanish.

Someone has hired assassins to eliminate a single member of the party, but who is behind the plot and for what reason?

A nomadic barbarian tribe is passing uncomfortably close to town and officials, as well as the citizens, are getting very nervous.

A cleric gives the party a list consisting of pieces of monsters from the area that she is looking to acquire for her "work". She offers to pay the party a handsome sum for each piece.

A mysterious island suddenly appears off the shore of a stretch of coast or a lake.

A mysterious island suddenly appears in the sky over a town or city.

A raven flies through an open window and lands on the floor, seemingly dead, with a message attached to its leg. The raven then promptly transforms into a bloodied man.

A new brothel opens up nearby, but strangely they charge their patrons nothing. What's the catch?

A woman storms up to one of the PCs with a member of the town/city watch, points at them, and yells "That's the one! That's the one that killed my husband!"

While laying in bed one night in an inn, one of the PCs hears a small thump under their bed. It seems to be a journal that had somehow been dislodged from its hidden resting place. It details an extensive plot to assassinate a prominent leader in a town three days away. The last date in the journal is two days ago.

The owner of a nearby orchard has been complaining that his trees keep changing positions during the night.

A young boy approaches a PC and hands them a heavy, leatherbound tome with a heavy lock on it and whispers "I'm sorry" before running off in the other direction.

A local baker whose business was failing suddenly manages to turn things around with her new, delicious meat pies. Meanwhile, unattended children have been vanishing at an alarming rate.

An old man in a dusty, rough-spun robe claims to be a gold dragon in disguise and offers to lead the party to a great treasure.

Kobolds have tunneled into the basement of a nearby temple and refuse to leave.

A savage-looking tribe of orcs arrive outside the gates of a small town and offer peace. Is it a trick?

The party receives invitations for a formal ball held at a local noble's estate. The invites were sent by a Mr. Dusk.

A new drug is running rampant through several cities and is slowly making its way into nearby towns. The drug seems to offer the brief ability to perform minor magical spells, but prolonged use leaves the users withered husks.

A prestigious bardic college stands accused of manipulating events to write more interesting stories and songs.

A lovelorn man drinks away his sorrows in a tavern because his bride-to-be was kidnapped by bandits along the road after a picnic, and he is too cowardly to rescue her.

The players find an abandoned village. Tables are still set with as if for dinner, but with moldering food. Clothes and personal possessions are still found in homes. Even a minstrel's lute can be found leaned against a stool upon a small stage in the tavern. In the center of the village is a well with some rough words scratched into it in elvish ("A price must be paid").

A dragon has been collecting a tribute from a small town once a week for over fifty years. Two weeks ago, the demands stopped and no one has heard anything from the dragon.

A local temple employs what is quite possibly the worst cleric ever. It seems that anyone he treats dies. Luckily his church has given him a duty to make up for his perpetual blunders; they've made him an undertaker as well. However, now anyone he treats comes back to life.

Some local children come running into the tavern looking for their parents, breathless and gasping about a cave behind a waterfall not far outside of town, and the large, unseen thing the began growling inside of it.

While arriving in town, the party sees a wanted poster with pictures of their likenesses drawn upon it. It states that they are wanted for murder, extortion, blackmail, thievery, and arson. They are extremely dangerous and there is a significant reward for their capture... dead or alive.

A fire appears in the sky over a town or city. It traces a circle around the perimeter. Then it begins to rain hot pitch.

A long abandoned mine suddenly seems to be alive with the sounds of picks and hammers echoing from within... in the middle of the night.

An emissary from the elven lands arrives in the city, and suddenly high-ranking government officials begin dropping dead, apparently poisoned.

[alyblacklist]

S6 Blu-ray/DVD Deleted & Extended Scenes

Below is a list of which episodes have deleted/extended scenes on this year’s blu-ray/DVD and a short description of the scenes:

601 Dr. Hans Koehler

-Reinstated

Samar steps off the elevator into the Post Office and is greeted by Aram who is excited about her reinstatement and clean bill of health.  They kiss.  Cooper comes over. Samar says she realized she would miss her job if it were gone.  Aram says they have a new case.

-Koehler’s Client List

Scene between Jennifer and Liz at Liz’s apartment.  Liz is studying photos on her desk from Koehler’s client list.  Jennifer comes in and Liz says “I think I know how to ID this son of a bitch.”  Jennifer says that Rehoboth was a bust.  She says she sob storied her way through seven area hospitals and if anyone got singed that night, they handled it privately.  Liz’s plan is to try to date the deleted file on Koehler’s client list to find a nurse or a patient who may have crossed paths with Reddington.  Jennifer is skeptical, questions whether they should be involving the FBI as opposed to risking getting raped by tracking down the criminals on Koehler’s list, and ends up asking Liz to teach her to use a gun despite the fact Jennifer hates guns and the NRA, because she needs to be prepared for anything.

602 The Corsican

603 The Pharmacist

-I Made The Adjustments

Very short scene of Samar and Liz with the doctor who is expressing shock that his patient could have been injected with the nerve agent because he “made the adjustments.”

604 The Pawnbrokers

605 Alter Ego

606 The Ethicist

-Is It True

Longer version of the scene of Reddington at the psych hospital that was released as a preview (where he gets the money for the vending machines).  The scene continues as Red walks through a room where inmates are playing games and he spots the aviary and Atticus.  He remarks on the aviary and says he knows how he’ll be spending his time.

607 General Shiro

-5 Minutes

Glen is in his DMV office with a sandwich.  Dixie, another DMV employee, comes in and tells him a kid looking for a teen permit is back again.  Glen holds up his fingers and complains that he needs five minutes to each his lunch.

608 Marko Jankowics

-I Still Feel It Moving

The blonde fake pregnant drug mule and her fake husband from the beginning of the episode in a car.  She complains that she wants the thing out of her and she can still feel it moving.  The fake husband warns her they need to stay in character until they arrive.

-Get Your Things

Marguerite Renard with her dog at the mansion in Canada.  One of Jankowics’s men tells her Jancowics is dead and that his body was found in vacant lot in DC with FBI responding.  Dembe shows up, clocks the guy and tells Renard she is coming with him.

-I Need To Know What You Told Them

Dembe and Marguerite Renard in a car.  He wants to know exactly what she told Liz and Jennifer.  Renard says she didn’t violate her agreement and that they already knew about Katarina.  Dembe tells her that he’s been instructed to ensure that Agent Keen never finds her again.  

609 Minister D

-It’s Complicated

Liz and Ressler in the car discussing the imposter and Liz’s guilt over putting him in jail.  (Gif set of scene here).

-Femme Fatale

Liz and Samar at a museum.  Liz says she’s a sucker for a good femme fatale - Kathleen Turner in Body Heat, Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction.  Samar agrees and says she’s not saying she’d boil a guy’s rabbit but she can see giving it a warm bath every now and again.

610 The Cryptobanker

611 Bastien Moreau

612 Bastien Moreau Conclusion

613 Robert Vesco

614 The Osterman Umbrella Company

-episode commentary with Amir Arison and writer Sean Hennen

615 Olivia Olson

616 Lady Luck

-We Always Knew This Day Would Come

Short scene of the Blacklister and her daughter where the daughter says she’s been waiting her whole life for her mother to let her help.

617 The Third Estate

618 The Brockton College Killer

-Episode commentary with Orlando Machado Jr. and Sam Christopher

-Justice For Tobias

Scene where the podcaster tries to get commentary on the steps of a building from Ressler and Liz, who brush her off.  She warns them that the killer is still out there and will kill again.  Scene cuts to the killer killing another victim in a car.

-She’s Our Killer

Short scene of Ressler and Liz in the car talking to Aram and Cooper back in the war room.  They’ve realized the podcaster is the killer and are trying to locate her.

-I’m Leaving Him

Scene of Liz and Dembe in what appears to be the hallway outside her apartment.  He tells her that Raymond is alright with him but he’s not alright with Raymond and is leaving him.  But he couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.  They hug.  She asks when she will see him again.  He says he needs to find himself and that she needs to find herself too and makes her promise that she will.  (Gif set of scene here)

619 Rassvet

-Doorstep

Extended scene of Liz arriving at Dom’s door.  Liz shows him the photo of him picking up Katarina’s mail and asks if her mother is alive.  Dom says no - Katarina is gone.  Liz asks Dom if she knows that she murdered her father (shown with flashbacks to the fire) and says she knows about the imposter.  Dom says he would help her if he could but he can’t.  Liz says we both you know you can, you just don’t want to.  Dom says I don’t, I’m sorry.

-Come Inside

Liz is sitting in her car outside Dom’s house as Dom watches her from the window.  She turns on the car to leave and Dom comes out and knocks on the car window and invites her inside.

-Gathering Supplies

Katarina is at the shelter and goes into what appears to be the director’s office. She takes an ID from a wallet and also some first aid and cleaning supplies.  

-Is She Really Here?

Katarina’s mother meets Ilya outside the ferry terminal.  He asks if she was followed and the mother asks if it’s really her.  Ilya tells her there’s a coffee cart inside.  She hugs him and heads inside.

620 Guillermo Rizal

621 Anna McMahon

622 Robert Diaz

-Ms Pacman 

Ressler and Aram watch the news of Diaz’s resignation over takeout in the war room before heading off to have their Ms. Pac-Man tournament. (Gif set here).

[starfata]

Culpa Mansion

From @Miraculous-of-salt's Haunted Mansion Au Famous Haunts of America- The Culpa Mansion- Priscilla Gore, 1957.

Long before it became infamous for the murder of Brigette Cheng, the building now known as the Culpa Mansion had a slightly sinister reputation.

The lands the estate sits on were purchased by a third son of a wealthy family- Arthur Culpa. The Culpa family had made their wealth in trade and shrewd investments. A great traveller himself, when he chose to settle down from his adventures across the globe he decided to so in great style.

Not only did he have improvements made to farms and timber yards he now owned, he had a great forest planted around the site, in addition to the great formal gardens that are now visited today. He had great input into the design of his future home, both for the sake of his future family and his collection of oddities. When he moved in, he was still a bachelor, known for his fascination with the occult.

During the building of the mansion, locals knew it as the ‘Crypt House’. The reason for this was that the lands of the house contained several churches- and the accompanying five cemeteries, three of which had to be moved to allow for the consolidation of the church congregations. Arthur arranged this personally, a fact which endeared him to his new tenants, and the building became officially known as the Culpa Mansion when he moved in.

The bachelor lived in the mansion alone for several years, often entertaining guests from far and wide, some of whom were well known, and others of whom were utterly unknown to the community. One of these, Mirjami Kivi, arrived alone at the mansion and swiftly married Arthur Krypte in the nearby Church of Reverant Souls.

The couple were not initially blessed with children, but twenty years after their marriage Mirjami birthed a daughter, who would be their only heir. Emilie Culpa. At the time, Arthur was in his sixties and Mirjami was assumed to be in her mid forties.

Emilie was a much-adored child- and was devastated to lose her parents to flu when she turned 20. Initially, she declared she would only marry when she could find a man who adored her as much as her father had adored her mother. Years passed, and it became widely assumed that Emilie Culpa would be a spinster.

However, the Culpa family had long had the servants test their food, as a remnant of when they were nobility in their former country- and one day Mary Ballard, the lady’s maid who was Emilie’s closest attendant and had that duty, asphyxiated. It was determined that Emile’s food had been poisoned.

Within the week her marriage had been announced. She wed a man known only as Francis, rumoured to be a soldier turned bloodthirsty mercenary, hired to protect as well as wed the Culpa heiress. He took her surname, in deference to her departed parents and the legacy they intended for their heirs- or, as rumours at the time said, to avoid being caught and hung as a criminal under his own name. Their son, Felix, joined the small family less than a year after the wedding.

The Culpa’s kept up the tradition of Emilie’s parents, inviting guests. Rather than the travellers and mystics who her parents kept company with, Emilie preferred to associate with creatives- painters, sculptors, authors- all sorts visited the great estate, and Emilie patronised several others in order to add to the beauty of her home.

The letters written by those guests paint a picture of Francis Culpa that is as disturbing as it is romantic- he always had a sword on his person, as well as a gun. He was known to threaten guests he felt had disrespected his wife; and would not leave her whenever they had new company. He was said to be as silent as one of the great cats, with a dispassionate gaze that chilled the soul.

However, it was clear to many of these guests that however the marriage had begun, he did care for his wife and son. He personally taught Felix many of the skills a young gentleman needed, such as riding or shooting, and they had near daily fencing matches. The state-of-the-art gymnastics room was his greatest alteration to their home, as he deferred to Emilie in all matters regarding the estate, only arguing for her security. There was an intruder when Felix was 10, who went for the young master with a knife. Francis killed him, with evident pleasure in the act.

Felix’s diary, of which only excerpts have been made available to the public, records this incident as being the first time he had truly realised why his father was regarded as a dangerous man, but that it comforted him to know that his father was both capable and very willing to defend their family.

Now as any familiar with the tale will recall, young Felix Culpa was not the only one to grow up on the estate. Several of the servants were married, including a Sabine Dubois and Thomas Cheng, who had a little girl only a little younger than Felix.

Brigette Cheng grew up in the same house as Felix, albeit in very different circumstances. Her childhood was spent pottering in the servants courtyard on nice days, and assisting in various errands as she grew. She attended lessons in the schoolroom under the governess Emilie Culpa had hired to teach the children of the area, and while she was not as gifted as some she was noted to be a bright girl with a good head on her shoulders.

She began work at 13 as a between maid, which would be a maid who worked in the gardens, kitchens or house as appropriate. It was roughly equivalent to being a scullery maid, but with much more mobility.

When she was 14 she was promoted to being an upstairs maid, largely as a result of her growing friendship with young Master Felix. Even after the loss of his parents he was known to deliberately seek her out, a fact which somehow didn’t become widely known the servants of the mansion until he sought permission from her parents to court her when she turned 18. Their engagement was soon announced, causing great joy in the community, and a ball to celebrate the event was arranged.

However, the happy couple was wary, for a poisoning attempt was caught- not everyone in the community was happy to see the Master of the Culpa Mansion marry a servant.

In addition to this, Felix had been a greatly sought-after bachelor, and several of the women in the area were vocal in their disapproval of the match. One, now known only as the Witch, was barred from the grounds entirely.

The tale ends in Brigette being found dead of stab wounds in her private sitting room, the night before she was to be wed- a death which the initial investigation, done by local Sheriff Rainsdown, ruled to be a suicide, despite the evidence of a struggle.

Felix was said to have gone mad. and killed the bridesmaids who were meant to be attending her that very night.

Some say that he haunts the grounds still, hunting all those he holds guilty for the betrayal of his bride.

Others say that The Witch, jealous of Brigette and furious at the engagement, not only killed the Bride but cursed the mansion and all in it to painful deaths. It’s certain that no one in attendance that evening lived a long or peaceful life- several committed suicide, while there was a rash of murders in the area, blamed on vengeful spirits.

Conspiracy theorists blame Felix’s mysterious father, Francis Culpa- whose death, while recorded on his tombstone in the family cemetery, was witnessed by none. Perhaps he disapproved of his son marrying a servant? Or perhaps he despised the weakness of his family’s servants, in allowing the tragedy to occur?

[lnicol1990]

The Dark Domain - Session 6

Well, haven’t posted one of these for a while. Simply put, December got a bit hectic for me and I could keep up with my session write ups. But, with the new year, hopefully I can get back on track

Also, isn’t it amazing how your players can interpret something so entirely different to how you’d intended it? Isn’t it amazing how they can completely derail a session by focusing on something they weren’t meant to?

Yes, but at the same time… no. Just, please no.

Anyway, onto the session!

We begin with Zolfor waking up from her sound thrashing from Kaieth and Irah. She finds herself in a small, cramped cell with several other people. A shifty looking rogue quickly explains the situation; that they are all prisoners waiting to be re-educated and turned into husks of their former selves, mindlessly following orders without a care or dissenting thought.

The rogue asks Zolfor if she has any hair clips, which she does and hands a couple over. The man quickly picks the lock and, after a little flourish, allows Zolfor through first. She promptly misjudges stepping over the bar at the threshold, catches her foot on it and falls flat on her face. She quickly gets up and moves out of the way.

The rogue and three others are quick to follow her, but one woman does not move. She can be heard muttering to herself that she’ll be spared if she is repentant, and no attempt to move her is successful. As such, the others leave her there and make their way out.

Zolfor and the rogue lead the way, slipping into the shadows easily. While two of the others are similarly stealthy, one fails miserably. The sound of their footsteps attracts the attention of the guard, and they are spotted and caught. Zolfor and the others use the distraction to make a break for freedom. Another is spotted as they run, and only Zolfor, the rogue and last other escapee make it upstairs.

Reaching the top of the stairs, they find themselves in a side room within the church. As they creep towards the main hall, the rogue spots another guard and quickly motions for Zolfor to back up. The last escapee trips and lands heavily, alerting the guard to their position. Leaving the clumsy fool to their fate, Zolfor and the rogue hide behind nearby statues.

Once the guard has taken the last escapee back down to the prison cells, Zolfor and the rogue make a break for it. They are able to sneak up on a guard and kill him, at which point, their exit is clear.

Outside, the rogue quickly leaves the city, and mentions that Zolfor should do the same. However, she explains that she has unfinished business and heads towards the docks. The rogue doesn’t try to dissuade her, and instead takes his chance for freedom.

Zolfor is so focused on getting her belongings back from the Old Town urchin that she doesn’t notice a guard on patrol until she all but walks into him. She is unable to see his face under his helmet, but flirts with him, hoping to distract him so she can make the first move. She seems to be successful as he leans towards her for a kiss, but she is caught off guard when he stabs her in the stomach with a dagger and then hits her away from him.

The fight is short. The guard has the upper hand from the start and Zolfor has nothing on her that she can use to defend herself. She is able to fire off an eldritch blast at the man, but causes limited damage. After only a couple of swings, the guard stabs her through, sending her to her knees as shock overwrites her thoughts.

It ends with a swift snap of her neck.

As the sun rises, Atlas, Kaieth, and Irah all receive a vision. They see Priestess Trill, a dagger close to the divine gem on her forehead. They hear her scream as it is forcefully pried off. The gem, bloodied, rests on cobblestone before being crushed and turning dark as its celestial light is extinguished.

Kaieth rises first, coming out of his meditative trance. He is disturbed by the vision, and after privately reviewing it, he waits outside Irah’s room, wanting to speak to the aasimar about it. The other man does not seem particularly worried about the vision, passing it off as a simple dream, which only heightens the elf’s concerns. He all but drags his teammate downstairs, wanting to see if Atlas also had the vision.

They find the goliath waiting for them in the dining room, and notice that he seems tense. While Kaieth assumes it to be about the vision, he is quickly corrected; Atlas just doesn’t like the expensive nature of the inn that they are staying at. It has even ruined the larger man’s appetite, simply asking the waiter for water, even after it is mentioned that breakfast was included in the room price.

As they are left alone, Kaieth brings up the vision. He distrubed with the fact that they all shared it, and believes it is a warning of some sort. When questioned, he explains that he often has visions when he is in his trances and that they all mean something; to see something so disconnected to what he is used to, it must be a warning. He theorises that it may mean that there is another group looking to harm Trill.

This assertion confuses Atlas, who asks why that would matter. Kaieth states that it would mean that another group might be trying to take Gorvick for themselves, which in turn would mean that they have more issues to contend with to accomplish their own mission. The elf shows mild relief when the goliath concedes his point, and Irah readily notes that he hadn’t thought of that possibility, and that maybe more consideration should be given to the vision.

Their discussion is brought to an abrupt halt when a man shuffles up to them. He doesn’t speak and they can tell by a quick glance that he has been re-educated. The man’s clothes are a little better kept than others they have seen, and the crest of a jumping fish is sewn onto the left of his tunic.

He wordlessly holds up an envelope to Irah, who takes it with a solemnly. Task complete, the man turns around and leaves,

Upon inspection, Irah sees that the envelope is wax sealed with the same crest as was on the man’s clothing. He carefully opens the seal and reads the letter within, speaking aloud for his companions.

It is from the mayor’s steward. Irah, under his cover name ‘Philamoris’, has been invited to dinner the next day at the mayor’s estate, after evening prayers. His ‘entourage’ is also welcome, but he reminded that weapons are not allowed in the estate and that formal attire is expected.

Both Atlas and Kaieth are unhappy about the idea of walking into an unfamiliar place without weapons, but both are confident that they could hold their own regardless. The topic of formal clothes is even more hotly disliked. Atlas brings up the practical reason that he is a goliath and nowhere will have something that can fit him, and also admits that he hates those kinds of clothes anyway. Kaieth is simply proud of his position within his temple and considers his uniform to be enough, stating that if the mayor disagreed then he would take it as a personal slight against him and his temple.

Irah is able to sway Atlas into considering giving formal wear a try, if only to woo Trill who will likely be in attendance. Kaieth, however, does not budge on his stance.

Either way, they all agree that attending the dinner is the next step in discovering the best way to take the city for the Domain. And the next step in preparing for that is buying formal attire.

As they make their way out of the inn, their attention is grabbed by Priestess Trill who is yelling at a guardsman. Upon making their approach, they can hear the man telling Trill that the investigation has come up empty, something she is not happy to hear. The party ask what has happened, and Trill indignantly tells them that some of the prisoners marked for re-education have escaped, and one has been killed.

The party are aghast at the announcement, both the murder and Trill’s brazen admission that they keep prisoners locked up below the church. However, when they learn that the murder victim was Zolfor, Kaieth’s concern immediately drops.

Irah, however, is still worried about the criminal and asks the guard captain more questions, which the man does not take very well. The man is snappish, but apologises once he notices that Irah is an aasimar, who can see that the captain is clearly exhausted and irritable from not having answers. After he calms down, the captain is more agreeable to Irah’s questions and agrees to Irah’s request to speak to the guard to found Zolfor’s body.

As the captain leaves, Irah asks Trill if she would allow him use of the church to conduct a private discussion with the guard in question. She happily agrees, though is less happy when he reiterates that it will be private and he doesn’t want her there.

As the captain returns with the witness, Kaieth notices the necklace in his pocket heating up. Remembering what Rolfor had said, he realises that one of his siblings is close and quietly mentions this to Irah. Once the pair arrive, Irah and Atlas walk the man into the church. Kaieth stays outside with the captain, both of whom watch Trill leave to the mayor’s estate.

Within the church, Irah interrogates the guard with Atlas watching from the side. He learns that the guard did kill Zolfor, who was his half-sister. The man explains that their father is a monster and that he has sworn to kill every child of the man, breaking the bloodline. Atlas speaks up at that, curious to know if that plan included the man himself. The guard goes quiet, possibly uncomfortable with either answer he could give.

Irah, however, decides that the man is dangerous to his teammate Rolfor, and prepares to cut him down. The man hurriedly calls out for him to stop and removes his helmet, revealing himself to be said teammate. Rolfor explains to a very confused Irah that he had followed them from Quain on another boat, being very careful not to get too close and warn Zolfor that he was there. He has been lying low, posing as a guard since he arrived, but has no useful information to add.

When Irah tries to press Atlas’s earlier question, Rolfor brushes it aside, saying that they will have time to talk later when they’re in a safe place. Irah agrees and they come up with a cover story for the previous night.

Meanwhile, Kaieth waits outside with the captain. Not as confident a speaker as Irah, he decides to let the captain speak first, knowing that many people are uncomfortable with silence and will try to fill the void. His patience pays off, and the captain speaks.

At first, it is simple curiosity as to why the elf isn’t grilling him like everyone else has that morning, but some careful manoeuvring on Kaieth’s part brings the topic onto the crime and the town guards. He quickly learns that the guard are understaffed and underfunded, with almost everyone having to use the standard armour and weaponry sold at the indoor market. As such, there’s no way for the captain to figure out if the murder was committed by one of his guards, or by someone else.

When Kaieth pushes for more information on why the state of affairs is so bad, the captain becomes uncomfortable speaking where someone could be listening in and takes the elf somewhere more private to continue speaking. Once alone in a quiet section of the city, the captain explains.

Shortly after the Domain was pushed out, there were many sympathisers left in the city. A few short months later, a plague swept across the city. The head priest of the city, a priest of Sannie, specialised in healing miracles and was the only one keeping the number or fatalities down. During this period, a portion of sympathisers rose up and killed the man. Trill, who had recently arrived, felt she had to take his place and wanted to purge the city of every sympathiser, whether they were part of the attacks or not.

In addition, Ilvan became mayor at the same time. Amidst the stress of his new position of power, the concerns of the plague, and the murder of the head priest, his wife went into labour early and birthed their daughter premature. And from the moment she was born, the daughter has been sickly all her life. All these factors made the mayor extremely paranoid and gave Trill permission to purge the city.

Since then, the mayor has prioritised Trill’s needs, rather the city guard, even pulling some of the captain’s men away from their duties to provide protection for the priestess.

Kaieth says nothing, letting the captain’s words paint him a vivid picture of the situation. He makes mental notes of everything that could give him and his allies an edge in the upcoming takeover.

The elf suggests that they return to the church and meet up with Irah, accidentally forgetting to use the aasimar’s false name. The captain picks up on this and asks who ‘Irah’ is. Kaieth freezes, horrified at himself at the blunder, and shakily bluffs his way out of the situation. He forces himself to say that he is a Blackleaf refugee, echoing what Trill had called his people the day before, and that Irah had been someone he knew in the camp he was from and that ‘Philamoris’ often reminded him of his old friend.

To his extreme relief, the captain simply nods in understanding and drops the subject, asking if they should make their way to the church.

The two return just as Irah, Atlas and Rolfor (once again disguised as a guard) leave the church. Moments later, Trill is also at their side, with the party feeling like she was waiting for them. Irah bluffs that ‘George’ had actually seen the attack last night, but had been hit around the head so events were only now coming back to him. The captain is dismayed that ‘George’ hadn’t reported the injury, and Trill offers to heal him that moment, forcing Irah to stop Trill by mentioning that his healing abilities were better than hers and so healing the man should be his task.

Kaieth and Atlas both notice the priestess looking exceptionally insulted by this, and Kaieth attempts to diffuse the situation by mentioning that Trill had more important uses for her miracles than healing a guard. While not as smooth a talker as Irah usually is, his words do calm her down slightly.

The priestess then turns to ‘George’ and asks who the murderer was, with Rolfor replying that it was a fellow guardsmen who he saw running for the gates before he blacked out. The captain voices his confusion as every guard is accounted for and that no one is missing. Trill verbally grills the captain for such incompetence and that he will have to recount his men again, and interrogate them.

Atlas, at this point, grabs the captain’s badge of office and, after a futile resistance from the man, pulls it off his uniform. He quietly mutters that a man who could screw up an investigation as simple as this was not worthy of the position and holds the badge far too high for the man to ever hope to retrieve it.

Defeated and outnumbered, the captain takes his leave and orders ‘George’ to join him. Irah counters the order, by mentioning that he wants to treat the guard first to ensure there are no further complications from his injuries. The captain backs down and slowly walks back to the guard station.

The party begin to make their way back to the inn when Trill catches their attention and she demands that Atlas give her the captain’s badge. The goliath, however, has gotten tired of her constant dismissal of anyone she didn’t consider important and refuses to hand it over. When she continues to demand for it, getting more and more rude as she does so, he finally lays a hand on her shoulder and asks her in a dangerously quiet voice if she really wants to do this.

This earns him a flash of sacred fire on his wrist, clearly an attempt by her to make him flinch, but his natural toughness absorbs all the damage and he doesn’t bat an eyelid. He explains to her that she got that shot for free, but anymore and he would retaliate.

The guards protecting her are frozen, one intimidated by the man and the other clearly aware that any move he made would likely get the priestess killed. In the end, Irah comes to rescue and is able to make the pair stand down from the posturing. Trill, however, refuses to move and loudly states that ‘the brute’ is in her way. Atlas remains motionless for another few seconds before finally taking a step back.

He smirks as Trill hurriedly makes her way into the church, followed closely by the guards.

Irah, Kaieth and Rolfor all let out a collectively held breath and everyone agrees that they should return to their rooms in the inn to discuss what they should do now.

And so ends the session.

[ourmidnightmusings]

OkiKagu Fanfiction

Title: Babies Bring the Worst out of People

Summary:  Okita Sougo is forced to attend a baby shower held in honor of his and Kagura's first child. The best part? His in-laws can't wait to murder him. 

Pairing(s): OkiKagu, hints of KamuSoyo and GinTsu

Rating: M

Chapters: 1/?

A/N: I’ve been wanting to write for my second favorite couple ever! Also, there needs to be more OkiKagu fics in the world! Please let me know what you think. Hope everyone likes it! :)

"I changed my mind; I'm not going."

Kagura looked up from her third bowl full of rice and egg and spared an annoyed glare at her husband. "Yes, you are."

Folding his arms together, Okita replied in a stern voice, "No, I'm not." Naturally, any wife in his time would be a bit tense to hear the man of the house sound so serious. A proper, Japanese woman would obey her husband's words, not defy them.

His wife was neither of those things.

"HAH! It's funny that you think you have a say in anything." The Yato bellowed out in fits of laughter. After another round of knee-slapping and snorting, she went back to shovelling piles of food into her mouth. Disregarding Sougo's unamused look, she went on to prove her firmness on the matter. "Anego worked hard on this baby bath party for us, we have to go."

Okita rolled his eyes. She didn't even know what the damn thing was called. "You mean baby shower."

"Whatever, you're still not getting out of this."

He released a deep sigh and sat next to the frustrating Amanto. Glancing down at her well-rounded stomach, he began to think of ways to convince her to ditch the damn party. The last thing he wanted to do was argue with an irritable, hormonal alien that was capable of sending his ass flying should he piss her off. But he was really not looking forward to seeing a bunch of troublemakers and dealing with the shit-show that was likely to occur. And as bad as the Yorozura and their friends usually were, they were not the reason he wanted to avoid the baby shower.

To his luck, the Boss Lady had thought it would be a great idea to invite Kagura's brother and father to the event. How she even found out how to contact them was beyond him.

It wasn't that he was afraid of his in-laws. It was that he hated them and wished that they would both get lost in space somewhere. For one, Umibouzo was always giving him menacing looks and pandering Kagura to come alien-hunting with him. Then there was that prick Kamui who had attempted to kill him at every given turn. The day before their wedding was a lovely example of how close they had become.

"You're not worthy of mating with my sister if you can't even beat me in a fight." The vermillion-haired man pressed the tip of his umbrella further into his neck, grinning. "As ugly as she is, I still have to protect her dignity as a Yato."

The fight ended right away once China shot a hundred bullets at them. Never mind the prospects of injuring her own groom.

He leaned over to rub her pregnant belly affectionately. Despite the hectic process of dating and marrying the crazy woman, he loved her more each day. His happiness only increased the day she told him that they were expecting their first child. They still had a few more months until she was ready to pop, but he was excited to meet their new son or daughter. Having a new family was always something he secretly wanted. His only regret was that his older sister would not get to shower them with the same love she raised him with.

"Can't you give me a break? I'm the one who gave you this kid." Sougo pulled her away from the table, settling her in between his legs. "Unless you're not telling me something." He joked.

"Relax, Sadist. I've never slept with anyone else and you know it." Kagura rested her head on his chest. "I can give you an exact date that you blew your load into me to prove it."

"So vulgar," Okita smirked. An idea formed in his head, it was likely to fail but worth a shot. He pulled her down with him onto the floor and climbed on top of her. With ease, he unhooked the first few ties on her qipao to reveal her swelling breasts. "I wouldn't mind blowing my load into you right now though. What do you say, China?" He whispered as he peppered kisses all over her neck. She had been consistently horny during her second trimester- not that he was complaining. Maybe he might be able to sway her with the promise of some afternoon nookie?

The Amanto girl pushed him away and straightened out her dress. "I say we get going before Shinpachi and Gin-chan wreck the place." She held her hand out to him, smiling like no tomorrow.

He only groaned and helped her up.

~

By the time that they arrived, Saddaharu in toll, the Shimura house was already filled with familiar faces. Kagura's eyes had lit up tremendously, taking in the hoard of people that were socializing around the estate. It seemed that Anego invited everyone who lived in Kabukicho. Not excluding an abundant amount of friends the Yoruzura had made on their adventures. "Kagura-chan! Okita-san! Welcome!" Otae greeted the couple made their way to the yard where most of the decorations and food were. Blue and pink balloons, streamers, and banners spread out as far as they could see. Why there were even tables filled with all kinds of delicious-looking food!

Sougo snickered, patting the pregnant Yato's shoulder tenderly. "Looks like they've prepared enough for your appetite. Unfortunately, it looks like the rest of the country will have to suffer a shortage for at least a month." His joke earned him a crushed foot, courtesy of his wife's favorite pair of boots.

Ignoring his groans of pain, Kagura eagerly waddled up to the older lady. As excitement burst from her body, she gave her friend a tight hug. "Whoa, Anego! This place looks amazing!" The vermillion haired woman beamed.

The daughter of a samurai smiled and returned her embrace, mindful of her protruding belly. "I'm glad that you like it. We're waiting for a few more guests to arrive and then we'll really start the fun!"

"Who's missing?" Okita grunted, looking around the crowd suspiciously.

Suddenly, several panicked screams and screeches filled the area. The sea of people quickly dispersed as a large, flying ship clouded over them.

"KAGURAAA!"

Fuck.

"Papi!" His wife yelled back, watching in awe as her father and brother jumped off the space vessel. Abuto and a few other of their lackeys joined them as well. Umibouzu landed first, although his balance was thrown off by a loose roof tile. He tumbled comically until he fell face-first at their feet.

The married couple and Otae watched awkwardly as he quickly stood up. "Thank goodness, I made it in time." He coughed into his hand, faking composure. But as soon as he remembered the reason for this reunion, his face brightened up a second later. "How's my precious daughter and grandson?" He cooed while leaning toward her belly.

Okita rolled his eyes. He had purposely ignored him like a damn middle-schooler.

Swatting her father away from her, Kagura snorted. "What makes you so sure that it's a boy?"

"It was foreseen, of course!" The hunter proclaimed smugly.

"They say old men become superstitious when they're approaching their final days." Kamui hummed while striding towards them. "Wouldn't it be better to end you now, though? I'll let you die while with what little wit you have left." He asked with his usual menacing smile.

Abuto chuckled as he and a few other of their men joined them. "Now, now. We promised not to make trouble, right Captain?" Not that he would expect his commander to keep his word, especially when he was surrounded by a few people he had yet to settle a score with.

"Don't worry, I'll be on my best behaviour." Kamui beamed. "You're looking quite healthy, little sister. You too, Policeman." He said with a smirk.

"Likewise, Criminal." Sougo eyed him back.

Ignoring his son's rude interruption, Umibouzu huffed and folded his arms. "Anyways, I did not predict Kagura's first child. It was Kouka."

"Mami did?" Kagura's eyes widened.

"Yes. We once had a long chat about your future, just before…" Her father trailed off with a sad smile. Putting his hand on her shoulder and gave her a tender squeeze. "She said that in her dreams she envisioned you cradling a little boy. And I have never known your mother to be wrong about anything."

Kagura, somewhat stunned but also touched, was left speechless. It was only when Sougo gripped her hand that she awoke from the flashing memories of her dear mother. She hadn't realized that she was already tearing up either. Damn hormones.

Sighing, Kamui turned his heel. "Well, if you're done being sentimental about the past, I'll go and mingle."

"Try anything funny and you're dead." The first division captain called after his departing brother-in-law. He was answered with a wave of dismissal.

Clearing her throat, Otae turned back to her guest of honor. "Kagura-chan, let's get you comfortable. Everyone still needs to greet you." Also, she would very much like to make sure her home was intact.

She nodded excitedly. "Okay! Papi, are you coming?" The pregnant woman asked.

"Later. For now, I think I'll go find that sliver headed idiot. Have fun!" Umibouzu grinned before trotting off as well.

Husband and wife shared a knowing look. They would be lucky if no one died by the end of the night. Personally, Sougo blamed the baby.

[hollowgroverp]

     CHRISTOPHER LANGDON

(age.) two hundred and four (species.) vampire (occupation.) bartender (residency.) arrived july 2019 (mirror.) sam claflin

❝  a pavement of the past

tw: death/murder,

Born in 1815, Christopher Langdon was welcomed into the world, into an upper class family outside of London. Being the second child, but first son, Christopher was reared with the knowledge that he would, one day, take over from his father and run their family’s mining company. Of course, even Christopher’s father hardly ever stepped foot in the mines themselves. Instead, he managed from afar, giving orders through letters and other higher-ups in the company, who often came to the Langdon estate for meetings. Nicknamed Kip by the time he could speak, he always knew the responsibilities that he would eventually carry. To the public, he was a perfect gentleman. However, behind closed doors, he and his siblings ran around causing chaos, masterminding little pranks in the house.

As Kip aged, his father occasionally began to bring him to business meetings to learn the ropes. The associates would always chuckle, shake his hand, and talk about how much he looked like his father. Otherwise, Kip spent his time on his studies, while his parents discussed who would be appropriate for him to marry. By the time he reached his twenties, it was decided for him - and although he had suspicions, his parents wouldn’t say who they had in mind. However, as time went on, it seemed he and a childhood friend, Clara, were being hinted at more and more. Their families would invite each other for visits often, and it seemed that they were always sat next to each other. Truthfully, Kip didn’t mind his parents’ choice - at least he knew he already got along well with her. So, he began planning a proposal.

Soon after Kip made his decision, Richard Langdon, Kip’s father, accepted a meeting from someone in town, concerned about someone new who was passing through. After hearing his complaints, Richard wrote a letter to someone he knew of: a hunter of the supernatural. He had only heard stories of vampires, but after hearing about events in a town further away, he was concerned enough to investigate.

However, all did not go as planned.

Late at night, Kip awoke to screams in one of the bedrooms nearby. He jolted out of bed, ran towards one of his sister’s rooms, and froze when he saw a man standing over her, her throat lodged in his mouth. The last thing he remembered was seeing the man run to him, and a painful blow to the head.

While Kip was out cold, Lukas Blackwell, the vampire in question, had attracted most of the household from the scream of one of the daughters. He killed each of them - except for Richard, whom he tied to the bed frame. As revenge for sending a hunter after him, Lukas fed Christopher some of his blood, and proceeded to snap his neck, despite Richard’s pleas to take him instead. It wasn’t long before Kip’s eyes opened once more, but it wasn’t him - not at first anyway. No, Kip wasn’t himself until he had already drained most of his father’s blood from his body, surrounded by the corpses of his family. Lukas Blackwell had already disappeared.

After coming to, and realizing that his family was dead, he knew he couldn’t stay there. Still distraught, he packed a few things (clothes, and a decent sum of funds,) and set off, numb from that terrible night. Unaware of the limitations of being a vampire, he learned several things the hard way - until he finally made it to France. His mother was French, and he spoke the language fluently, so it was the first place he thought of to escape to, at least for a short period of time. It was there that he met another vampire, who began to help him along. The two of them became friends, living in hiding, but no longer in complete darkness - thanks to the daylight rings Kip’s new friend told him about.

While part of Kip wanted to make a life for himself somewhere, at least for a while, until humans became suspicious of his never aging, he also felt restless. Ashamed of the fact that he was still alive while his family wasn’t, he couldn’t let himself get comfortable. All it would take was a few years, growing attachments to people around him, and he would be gone. Something inside him told him he had to get out. Throughout the years, he traveled around Europe, trying to lay low while also keeping himself busy. Too much time alone with his thoughts wasn’t great for his stability.

It wasn’t until the 1920s that Kip finally decided to try out North America. The United States was a massive country he could travel around, wasting time and distracting himself. He lived fairly freely, and when flying for travel became popularized, he began going back and forth between Europe and North America. When the world discovered the existence of supernaturals, that was when Kip had to begin laying low once again. Only recently has he discovered the existence of Hollow Grove, and with a suspicious human breathing down his neck, he hastily moved to town, unaware of who he might run into after moving.

❝  the nature of the beast

Despite the tragedy of how he was turned, Kip hasn’t spoken a word of what happened to anyone. No one knows what he did, or the feeling of pure guilt he feels in the pit of his stomach when he thinks about it. He is certainly secretive, but hides this behind a visage of sarcasm and wit. He can still turn on his gentlemanly behaviours from his youth, but much prefers to avoid it. Instead, he is usually found flirting or goofing around while tending bar.

While some might say he is irresponsible and childish, others might argue that he is charming and clever. Most either love or hate Kip, because he simply doesn’t care about what others think; or, at least, he likes to pretend he doesn’t. He avoids conflict whenever necessary, preferring to cool off a situation with a joke and a smile or two.

[simplyshelbs16xoxo]

‘Simple Romance’ Chapter 2: Holmes and Hooper

Chapter 2 has arrived after all! Thanks so much to @strangelock221b for beta reading! You’re a lifesaver! Like the candy, cause you’re sweet :p

tagging @glitterkitty4ever to let her know chapter 2 is here!

When Molly clocked in the next morning, Mike informed her that a small parcel had been left in her office. Curiosity got the best of her, so the first thing she did was see who it was from. There wasn’t any indication of the sender until she opened it up. There, atop a couple of bags of her favourite sweets, a note lay waiting to be read.

               I thought you’d like a pick-me-up for the day. Hope it makes you smile. –SH

               “What am I going to do with you?” she muttered to herself, unable to keep the smile off her face. She’d had a bit of shit morning already, having gotten in a row with Tom over the phone. They had different ideas about when the wedding should be. He felt it should be sooner rather than later, but Molly didn’t want to rush into it. She hadn’t a clue why—Molly had been waiting for this time in her life for a long time, so why was she suddenly not in a hurry to jump right in?

               Jellybabies and winegums were her favourites—Sherlock knew that, so why didn’t Tom? She laughed in disbelief at the situation she found herself in. It was awfully funny that a man who finds facts like that trivial to keep note of it anyways. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t love him, because oh she did, and always would. Overall, she was happy with Tom; happier than she thought she’d ever be. But then a line from that Sheryl Crowe song played in her mind: If it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad?

               Why, indeed.

               “How’s it going with Molly?” Mary asked, lounging on the sofa in 221B. She took a bit of the apple she had been munching on for the past ten minutes.

               “Well, I dropped off a parcel in her office before she arrived at work, and I’m waiting to see what comes of it.” Sherlock flipped through the book in his hands. “Slow day for clients too; doesn’t show much promise for anything interesting.”

               “Or does it just not show any promise of you heading to the hospital today?” Mary teased. It was her day off from the surgery, but John still had a couple of appointments for the day. She figured she’d hang around Baker Street to get her kicks. Sherlock ignored her remark in favor of his mobile. A smile lit up his face for a moment. “Good news?”

               “Molly texted,” he explained.

               “And?” Mary encouraged.

               “It did make her smile,” he replied. “At least that’s what she told me. I think I might be onto something.” Sherlock thought back on the many times his father had seemingly made his mum fall in love with him several times over. Perhaps he was a natural at these romantic entanglements after all.

               “Sherlock, we may need your help on this one.” Lestrade burst into the sitting room. “How do you feel about murderous ghosts?”

Taking a deep breath, Sherlock knocked on the door of Molly’s office. He could hear Tom within the room as well, making him groan in frustration. The door swung open, and there she stood in front of him, all smiles and sunshine. “Oh, hello, Sherlock,” she greeted him. “Is everything alright? Come in.” The invitation made Sherlock flash a smug look toward Tom, who looked quite cross with him.

               “Yes, just fine; I was hoping you could help me out with a case Lestrade had just given to me,” Sherlock replied, following her inside. He immediately noticed the fairy cakes that had been brought to her by Tom, sitting untouched on her desk. Funny, since being her fiancé, Tom should know that Molly isn’t fond of fairy cakes. Her true downfall was those jellybabies he’s seen her buy from the vending machine at Bart’s on several occasions.

               “Have you been to the crime scene yet?” she asked, smoothing her jumper.

               “Ah, no, I stopped by here to see if you’d like to come along. I’d appreciate to know your take away from it. Apparently there’s a ghost involved, not that I believe in such things.” Sherlock smirked as she suddenly gave him her full, undivided attention. Molly loved the idea of the supernatural, and he knew this case would be right up her alley.

               “Let me grab my coat from the locker room, I’ll be right there,” she smiled, enthusiasm radiating off her.

               “But, Molly, I thought we were going to have lunch today,” Tom complained.

               “This is part of my job. We can do it tomorrow!” she called back at him from the hallway. Tom glared at the consulting detective, but quickly straightened up at Molly’s reappearance moments later. “Besides, the game is on!”

               “Right you are!” Sherlock grinned, exiting the room with her.

               Upon arrival, Molly took in the old Victorian home. It looked as if it were in the process of being fixed up by the owners who bought it just a few months ago. Only one owner remained now.

               “So, what exactly happened?” Sherlock asked Lestrade.

               “Well, Mrs. Cunningham took quite a fall, she did. She fell over the balcony, taking the old rail with her,” he explained. “It’s quite the accident it seems. She kept making claims of having seen a ghost which sent her over in the end.”

               “This was murder,” Sherlock stated.

               “I figured you’d say as much, but how? The wood is shown to be rotting, which is a plausible explanation,” Lestrade pointed out.

               “Someone could’ve loosened the nails,” Molly suggested. “According to the statement from the real estate agent, the structure was quite solid before they began fixing it up.”

               Sherlock smiled proudly at her. His Molly was so clever. “And this ghost? Where does it come in?”

               “Well, her husband had told us she saw this young woman in the greenhouse one day, and later, found the woman’s photo in his findings of a tragedy that happened here. Apparently, she had been brutally murdered by her husband decades ago,” Lestrade explained, handing them the printed article. The woman pictured had fine blonde hair, her face containing elongated features.

               “Fascinating,” Molly remarked. “May I?” she nodded at the body lying there.

               “Be my guest; that goes for you too, Sherlock.”

               Together, he and Molly looked for any possible signs of foul play having happened before she fell.

               “Sherlock, take a look at this.” Molly gestured to the woman’s left arm. He took note of the cut that had clearly been made before she died.

               “Interesting,” he remarked. “Did she have a good life insurance policy?”

               “You’re thinking the husband did it?” Lestrade ran a hand through his hair. “The two never had issues in the seven years they were married.”

               “In cases like these, it usually is,” Sherlock replied. “You must always watch out for the ones who seem perfect, for they are always hiding a darker side.” He was looking at Molly when he said it, thinking of how too perfect Tom seemed to be in her eyes, but Sherlock knew better. He didn’t trust the man with her. That wasn’t to say he was a murderer, but there was definitely something dark inside him.

               “How do you explain the ghost?” Lestrade asked.

               “I don’t know yet, but I’ll get back to you when I figure it out.” Sherlock looked around for the ambulance, spotting it across the street. “Is Mr. Cunningham in there?”

               “He is; we haven’t been able to get much out of him as he’s had a shock,” Lestrade replied.

               “Shock,” Molly scoffed. “If you’re right about him, I say he hired someone to act as a ghost to scare her over the railing.”

               “Intriguing theory, Molly, let’s revisit it a bit later; you may be onto something.” Sherlock had gotten his chance to show off for her once before, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed with how little he had to show this time. But, oh, he loved it when she was unknowingly clever. He was certain that Molly Hooper could beat him in a battle of wits without even trying. His eyes shifted to her hair, tied up into a sophisticated bun. How many times had he imagined pulling her hair free from its restraints, just to brush his fingers through it? “Focus,” he scolded himself.

               “What was that?” Molly asked.

               “Um, your brain is really focused today.” What in the hell had he just said? Smooth move, Holmes. The look she gave him in response was a mix of confusion and amusement. Wonderful. “Ah, Mr. Cunningham, do you think you’re ready to tell us what you know to be true?”

               “Yes, I—I think I can,” he stumbled out, shrugging off the shock blanket around his shoulders. “For the past few days, ever since I found information on the tragic past of this house, Lindsey had been convinced the woman she met in the greenhouse here was the ghost of the murdered wife. I told her ghosts weren’t real, but she began hallucinating.”

               “What kind of hallucinations?” Molly asked, captivated by the strange case.

               “Well, she claimed hearing the sound of someone scratching at out bedroom door, and sometimes she’d hear the sound of knives scraping. I never heard a thing. I offered to get her some help, but she wouldn’t listen.”  Mr. Cunningham’s voice was shaky as he told his story, as if he wasn’t quite convinced of it himself.

               “Give us a moment.” Sherlock pulled Molly aside. “I don’t doubt that his wife heard these sounds, do you?”

               “No, not at all; what are you thinking?” she asked. He was so close to her that she had to tell herself to calm down. Why did he have such an enticing effect on her? For God’s sakes, she could smell the mixture of cinnamon, cloves, wood smoke, and a hint of sweet tobacco on him. It was highly intoxicating. All the times he had spent the night in her flat, hiding away from the world, she had wanted to curl up against him just once; she still wanted to.

               “I’m thinking a look inside the house is imperative. We’ll have to have Lestrade let us in.” Sherlock strode toward the doorway where Greg stood, getting the approval to head inside. Molly followed after, volunteering to search downstairs whilst Sherlock went up to search the bedrooms. She looked in the kitchen first, with the knives in mind. They could possibly take finger prints to compare them with the husband’s. She’d bring it up with Greg to see what he thought.

               It wasn’t much longer until the sound of a phone ringing caught her attention. Molly walked toward the stairway where Sherlock held out a phone to her. The contact calling came up as ‘Caroline Smith’ with a photo of a blonde woman with elongated features.

               “That’s—“

               “—the supposed murdered wife from decades ago? Yes, I believe I’ve already solved it,” Sherlock smirked, heading straight towards Lestrade. “Arrest that man, and find this woman.” He handed the phone over to the DI. Mrs. Cunningham’s husband was now currently present with the rest of the police.

               “You’ve solved it!?”

               “Of course I’ve solved it; Mr. Cunningham was having an affair with Miss Caroline Smith, who he asked to spook his wife with the intention of sending her to an asylum. Quite easily, he imposed her photo within the article to leave lying around for his wife to find, making her believe she had seen a ghost the day they moved in. Am I getting this right, Mr. Cunningham?” Sherlock stared him down.

               “Yes, I had an affair, and I asked that of her, but I didn’t send her over the edge!” Mr. Cunningham argued.

               “You may not have, but you did loosen the nails just enough to give way to her weight against the railing; I’m entirely certain that murder was in your agenda from the very beginning,” Sherlock snapped at him.

               “Impressive,” Molly remarked. The last thing she needed to do was fluff his ego, but she couldn’t help herself.

               “Elementary; fancy some chips?” Sherlock waited for her response with bated breath, knowing she had flat out ignored his request the last time he had asked.

               “Love some,” she replied, no longer caring to hide her pleased smiles from him. They were just a couple friends going out for chips after a case…right?

FFN | Ao3

[phaedrecameron]

The Accused, James Fraser Chapter 9 Transactional Immunity

She laughed and swatted his hands away. Jamie reached out again. This time she came to him; her musk filing his lungs. She smiled a secret smile, her hair curling around her face. He lay back as she lowered herself onto him. Her movements slow and rhythmic. He grabbed her hips and made to match her pace, but she quickly pushed him down by his shoulders. “Stay still,” she commanded. Her voice breathy and yearning. He let his body go slack as she took what she needed. Slowly, she leaned down to kiss him. Her nipples grazing his chest. Unable to resist, Jamie brought his right arm around her back; securing her to him as she continued to move. His left hand reached over her hip and around her arse to their joining. She bit the side of his jaw. He felt her slick and warm as she pressed her forehead to his and spoke, “I’ll never leave you.”

Jamie awoke to the force of his release. The cell was dark, save the small flicker of a florescent light shining through the bars. His breathing was labored and his heart felt fit to burst. He curled on his side, wishing for a warmth and a smell that wasn’t there. He closed his eyes. It was the first time Claire had come to his dreams. Served him right. What had he been thinking? He’d allowed her to touch him; invited it even. And she had responded. A small terror reached his heart. What if it was an act, some psychological mind game for the eval? Could she be safely asleep in the arms of her husband? A part of him wished it so. No. He wiped his hand across his face. There was a truth to her; what was between them was real. And he knew she wouldn’t let him be. She’d lose her job and worst trying to help him. He knew she would because he’d do no less.

Jamie reached for the rosary Jenny had mailed to him. There was one person who might help him, but how he could he ask? What of Laoghaire and her baby? Should no one be punished for their deaths so he could pursue a married woman he barely knew? Could he risk Jenny and Willie to be with Claire? Would Claire even want him?

But, God had sent Claire to him. Why else if not to be with her? Claire belonged with him. He knew it when she took his hand. He was here so she could find him; it was the only way he could make sense of it. He had to trust she was his redemption and he must protect her.

Jamie rose from the small cot. He decided he must fight for his family, fight for Claire, fight for his life.

*************

“Fraser’s claiming insanity. He has no history of violence and barely knew the victim. Seems to me something an insane person would do,” Grey argued as he looked directly at Det. Tom Christie.

Fresh from the gym, John Grey was spending his Saturday in the DA’s office working on the Fraser case. He’d ordered the Detectives to his office. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

“A beautiful young woman is motive enough. Most men understand that.” Christie retorted.

John leveled an eye, but before he could respond to Christie’s inanity, his phone buzzed.

From Hal Grey

Sending car at 5.

Hal was heavy-handed, but this was ridiculous! Does he think I can’t get to Pardloe Estate on my own?

“…..don’t need to prove motive,” Christie was saying.

“Yes, but if you’re asking a jury to execute someone, evidence of evil intent would help,” Detective John Cinnamon smoothly added.

At least someone with a functioning brain.....

“She was pregnant, he didn’t want to be stuck for 18 years supporting a gold digger’s spawn.” Christie responded. He smiled smugly and continued, “if Fraser were innocent, he would have identified the attacker, he would have given a statement instead of walking back into the bar, covered in the victim’s blood, murder weapon in hand.”

Grey put down his double shot Americano, “that’s a nice bit of speculative fiction, but you’ve uncovered no evidence that MacKenzie knew she was pregnant or told Fraser that she was. And because there’s no video surveillance showing the other entrances to the alley, all we have is a lot of loose ends. Loose ends equal reasonable doubt.”

Christie bristled.

“Well, we’ve got more info on the murder weapon and Fraser’s movements before the murder,” Cinnamon stated, swiftly diffusing the tension in the room. He handed Grey a stack of papers. The top was a photo of the knife used to kill Laoghaire MacKenzie. “It’s a Scottish dagger called a sgian dubh. And,” Cinnamon pointed, “it’s a replica of one stolen from the National Museum of Scotland a little over a year ago.”

“Oh?” Grey’s interest piqued.

“I had it sent to Harvard.” Cinnamon was thumbing through a small notebook until he came across the right information. “Yeah, a Dr. Frank Randall. He’s the resident Scottish expert. He identified it as a good likeness of daggers used in early to mid 18th century Scottish highlands. Even though it’s a replica, Randall said it’s worth several thousand dollars.”

Christie sniggered. “Yeah, because random Boston dirtbags carry fake medieval European daggers. It clearly belongs to rich boy Fraser.”

“Well medieval is a different period, but it does point to Fraser,” Cinnamon nodded.

Grey examined the photo. “What’s this?” Grey motioned to carved lettering on the hilt of the dagger.

“That indicates the clan.” Cinnamon was reading from his notes. “Society in the Scottish highlands was organized around clans. Think the Houses from Game of Thrones. This dagger is from Clan Grant. That’s the Grant motto in Latin.”

Grey continued looking at the photo. “Could this be a type of honor killing?”

Grey knew quite well the cost of family honor.

“Dead-end. Fraser and the Vic have historical ties to Clan Grant, but so does half the Scottish diaspora. Dr. Randall didn’t believe there was a cultural basis for the murder.”

“Hmmm,” Grey sighed. He felt he was going in circles. “And Fraser’s movements?”

Grey looked to Cinnamon, but Christie replied. “He arrived in the U.S. three weeks before the killing. Flew into D.C. and spent time in North Carolina before catching a flight to Boston.”

Christie held up his hands, anticipating Grey’s next question. “We don’t know what he did there or why he went. Victim has no ties to the south.”

**********************

John was greeted by the smell of old leather and even older books as he walked into the library at Pardloe estate. It was unchanged since his father’s death. His sister-in-law, Minnie, entered handing him a glass of single malt scotch. “I thought you might like a drink.”

“Thanks,” John smiled at her. Minnie always bridged the gap between John and his brother Hal.

“I bought that, special for you. It’s MacKenzie Whisky. It’s quite good.” She winked at him.

John sputtered, “I’ll be sure to pass your praise to James Fraser.” He shook his head and took a sip. It was good.

“I hope the trial is televised, Fraser is a stone fox. Does he have a sexy accent?”

“Good God Minnie, the man is accused of killing a helpless woman!”

“Well, you think he’s innocent.” She smirked as she took a sip from her own glass. “Is that your plan? To exonerate him in some spectacular fashion. Take all the credit for righting a miscarriage of justice and crushing Brown in the process. It’s a good plan to prove your mettle to the public and the party.”

John gaped at her. Minnie worked in PR crisis management. She had been invaluable to Hal when he served as a US senator.

“Oh, come off it, John. You used the word ‘accused’ and described a woman as ‘helpless’. You know there’s no such thing.”

John began to respond as Hal entered the library. Minnie walked to Hal, placing a a hand to his chest and whispered something to him that John couldn’t hear. She turned to exit the library and yelled over her shoulder, “be sure to find the true killer before letting him off.” She quietly shut the door behind her.

“You should’ve told me my daughter was about to marry Che Guevara,” Hal began without preamble.

“That’s a tad harsh. Denzell is a good man, if a bit naïve. And I’m under no obligation to inform you of information given to me in confidence.”

“No obligation! You have every obligation when it concerns this family! Dottie has a chance to be someone. To do something. All you care about is doing what you want, while others are left dealing with the consequences.”

John thought of Hal’s words from the 4th.

You’ve learned nothing, our father died knowing our sacrafice was wasted on you.

John turned from Hal. Memories long buried came to the fore. He could almost smell Hector’s cologne. While John was a junior at Yale, he fell hard and fast for Hector, a first year. It was a reckless, all encompassing first love. Hal was serving as the junior senator from Massachusetts. He and Minnie warned him to be cautious. Not everyone accepted John’s nature and their father didn’t know. But John felt the invincibility of youth and privilege and did as he wanted.

That was until his father, the former governor, received an envelope. The Grey’s were blackmailed by Hal’s main political rival with the accusation that John had sex with Hector when he was a minor. While not true, hush money was paid and Hal was forced to withdraw from politics as part of the deal.

John was sent to Europe to finish his studies. He never knew the specifics, but John was led to believe Hector had set him up. Upon his return to America, Minnie assured him those involved has been ‘dealt with’. Outwardly, Hal and his parents forgave him, but their disappointment was right below the surface. John felt it was his responsibility to continue what Hal could not.

Hal, I’m sorry. I know what I cost you. I know you don’t believe me, but I live everyday trying to make it right. But I can’t do that under your thumb. I can’t let you control me if I’m to honor our father and your sacrifice. I must do what’s right and destroying your daughter’s happiness is not right.”

John left the estate without another word. *************** On the drive back to Boston, John’s thoughts drifted to Fraser. If Fraser were innocent and wasn’t insane, what would explain his subsequent actions? What would induce a man with everything to sacrifice his life? John’s phone buzzed.

Hal I forgive you. I’m proud of you brother.

John felt a relief he didn’t know he needed.

Then the answer came to him easily. Family. The protection of it. That could be Fraser’s only motive. But John had a job to do; find Laoghaire MacKenzie’s killer or killers and he was betting Fraser would lead him to them. Decision made, tomorrow, John would grant James Fraser pre trial release.

[pagesofkenna]

Direct Mayhem: Undermountain, Chapter 8

In which we do some housekeeping

The C.A.T.S. (Carlin, Anahera, Tariq, and Sadi) have some free time to spend up in the city of Waterdeep again, taking care of the home base before they head back down into the Undermountain.

Tariq, the facechanging warlock, is visited by his mentor and patron Dantea. She checks in on him, to see how he’s doing, and he tells her about the strange otherworldly dreams he’s been having.

Sadi, the tabaxi monk, is visited by her father-figure Syl, who heard the news that her actual father was murdered days ago by the mysterious Black Viper. Sadi, who was actually the one to kill he father, reassures him that she’s doing OK, and throws herself back into vigilante work to distract herself. She’s actually very upset, though, and struggling to reconcile what she’s done with the kind of person she always wanted to be.

Carlin is invited out by Rishaal, the dragonborn bookstore owner down the street. He’s going down to the Dock Ward to buy some books at a library estate sale, and wants Carlin to accompany him, as he’s never been down there by himself before. Carlin picks up some books of his own while he’s there - some on magic, some on history, and some on tinkering - to fill out the manor library.

Anahera, their triton tagalong, just tries to make herself useful.

As a group, the CATS hire a small band of adventurers (through Mirt the Moneylender) to mount an expedition into the Undermountain and retrieve the barrels of ale the party discovered. They also pay all the fines and fees required to start their tavern properly; hopefully, the tavern will be a secondary source of income while the CATS are down exploring.

During the week, the CATS are visited by a Harper friend Mattrim, who gives them a small purse and asks them to repay a Harper debt down in Skullport, which can be accessed from level 3 of the Undermountain. Soon afterward, Esvele Rosznar knocks on the door. She reminds the party that her brother is missing, and asks them to go find him, or news of what happened to him, as a favor. She looks pointedly at Sadi (who had asked Esvele to tag along on her little murder party) as she asks this.

Finally, after a tenday, the CATS head back down into the Undermountain to work on their new missions: the Harper debt, Esvele’s brother, and the threatening letter from Manshoon, who asked the party to retrieve a stolen object from Halaster’s apprentice academy.

They pass the first floor easily, pausing on the second to check out the Goblin Market again. Yek, who they’ve heard wants them dead, isn’t immediately around, but some of the goblins murmur loudly that they wish someone would come along and kill him, so the party decides to oblige. Tariq sits on Yek’s throne and makes a show of horsing around, and a minute later Yek himself, the goblin boss in his magical human form, arrives, flanked with four bugbears.

Sadi and Carlin attempt to threaten Yek, insisting he leave the market for good, but the bugbears don’t take kindly to this threat and attack. In six seconds, Sadi and Carlin both attack Yek, and he dies instantly.

Two more bugbears are killed before the last two, and any goblin’s still on Yek’s side, lay down their arms. The goblins cheer, claiming to be finally free of Yek’s tyranny, and scowl once Sadi starts to loot all of Yek’s treasure.

Before the party leaves, they discover the goblins are attempting to start a slavery ring in the market, and thoroughly chastise them for this.

Next, the party stops by one of the portal archway gates that they saw earlier. This one has an image of a dying tree carved into it, and when Sadi touches it with her wooden staff, the portal flashes green and then opens. At the same time, the party all hears a woman’s voice speaking in their heads, pleading with them not to go any further. They call back, but there’s no response, and after a minute the portal closes.

Moving on, the CATS meet up with Rizzeryl, the drow convoy from House Auvyndar and ally of the Zhentarim. He’s surprised to see they’re alive, and passes on some more info: Halaster’s apprentice academy, Dwemorcore, is down on the 9th level, and Skullport is accessible both from the 3rd level and the Xanathar hideout, as well as having direct access to the sea outside Waterdeep.

The party also checks in on the nearby Xanathar outpost, and is happy to hear that their hired adventurers are all alive still and doing their paid jobs.

Down on level 3, the party has to sneak past an entire city of Drow soldiers on their way to the entrance to Skullport. They venture further through these tunnels than they had before, passing the location of the Xorn fight from last week, and spot a few Drow waiting in ambush over the nearby river. They kill some drow in a nearby cave, and find another one of those portal archway gates.

This gate is inscribed with three images of a man carrying a staff. They dick around with it for a while, trying to figure out how to solve the riddle, and finally Tariq pulls a broom out of his Bag of Holding, and shaves all the bristles off of one end. He hands it to Carlin, then he and Sadi take out their respective staves, and the three of them each touch this archway once with their ‘staff’. The portal flashes green, and opens.

This time there’s no voice in their heads, but a faint ghostly image of a woman, shaking her head and shooing them away. Everyone is confused, and not sure how to take this, but Sadi decides she needs to make a point, and marches right on through.

Something flashes, and Sadi feels magical power flow into her. She stands in a dusty, cobweb-filled room on the other side of this portal, surrounded by a magical force field. When she decides to turn back, bumping into Carlin on his way to go rescue her, the force field remains and everyone can see she is protected by something. The party agrees not to go through the portal until they can figure out where it leads, but Sadi now believes using the portals to travel is a wonderful idea.

The CATS kill the two drow ambushers before they move on, winding through the tunnels before they eventually find a troop of hobgoblins. The hobgoblins, they know, are at war with the drow, so they agree to swear fealty to their leader, a hobgoblin named Azrok.

There’s a bit of bureaucracy beforehand but finally they meet the warlord Azrok, who sits on a throne of skulls and will not look them in the eye. His wife, Lurkana, whispers in his ear, and when they finally all kneel Azrok and Lurkana thank them for their fealty, and promise them safe passage through the Hobgoblins’ space.

While kneeling, Carlin looks up and sees the necklace of trophies on Azrok’s neck - a few claws, some eyeballs, and a single human finger still wearing the ring of House Rosznar. He whispers this to Sadi and the others.

Sadi is at first too distracted looking at Azrok, who she realizes doesn’t react to their movement whatsoever. It appears that Lurkana is whispering in his ear to tell him what’s happening - it seems like he’s blind.

The group is escorted out of the throne room and are left free to roam the small underground city. They hear about a strange ambassador from Xanathar who is staying in town, and ask to be shown where he is. They’re lead to a simply furnished bedroom, occupied by a single Illithid, or Mind Flayer.

The mind flayer welcomes them in and warns them away from Skullport, telling them it’s a horrible place, no place for curious adventurers. He tells them a fanciful story about Halaster and his seven apprentices, attempting to distract them with another adventure. The CATS don’t take the bait, and decide to leave.

Before they can head to Skullport properly, they’re pulled aside by a messenger from Lurkana. She invites them into her quarters, and asks them to complete a job for her in exchange for a lot of gold. Apparently, some adventurers came through a while back and stole something from her husband: a magical dagger he needs to defeat the drow. Without it, the drow have been gaining ground. The adventurers were Duergar, who she believes are either hiding in Skullport or passed through on their way somewhere else. Get it back, she asks, and the CATS will be handsomely rewarded.