#i have TOO MANY THOUGHTS i haven't even gotten into the meat of this i jsut alsfjk

[revelisms]

Throwing down a big ramble of Silco and Vander headcanons, because I've had these two on my mind Too Much recently (and just need somewhere to braindump, while I figure out how to write them).

cw: abandonment issues, violent/complicated relationships, repression, dysfunctional family histories.

While it's likely canon(? side-eyes our TBD S2 flashbacks) that these two knew each other as boys and worked together for a long time, I really like the idea that they were pulled together by chance.

Maybe they worked on complete opposite sides of the Fissures—Silco working the mines, Vander working the fisheries/refineries/metalworks, etc. Carting off raw materials to various industrial crews was part of Silco's weekly work (and how he'd been able to build connections across the working circles of the city; climbed the rungs and twisted the ears of higher leaders, later on)—and Vander's crew was one of them.

Maybe they caught each others' eyes—or hated each other, at first (or Silco had an immediate, heavily-bottled crush). Countless handoffs turned into messy introductions, into Come down to the Drum, Swiftlet—we'll get'ya sorted up!, into them holing up together in the off-hours with other workers in their ratty pubs, realizing how uncannily much they had in common, for all their surface-level opposites.

Vander takes him under his wing; another stray to the litter. (It's a penchant they both have, perhaps, in their own ways.) He's older than him. Stronger, louder, warmer. A middle child in a big family, rife with dysfunction, broiling over with anger. He's someone who knows how to make his voice heard in the mess, and people flock to him, in ways they never did to Silco. They fear and respect him, in turns. He has a reputation—and it weighs heavy as a blade. He's never afraid to flash it, when needed (or just when he needs to send some brazen fools running).

Silco's jealous of it all, naturally—and more than a little admiring. He believes in him. Feels like he can trust him; like Vander would do anything for the two of them, for their cause, their people—just like he would, for them.

Quietly, his admiration bleeds into something else. An obsession, a hunger, a selfish and desperate sort of love. He was always an outcast, a dirty little thing, to his own kin and anyone on the streets. Never had a father, to appraise him. Never had anyone to call his own, who saw him as worthwhile; who picked him up from the sludge and kept him on his feet: made him feel like he could be feared and respected, too. He's been surviving since he was old enough to haul a cart of coal, and his youth was stripped from him. Always an ancient thing in a weak little body, gnawing at the seams for blood.

I think Vander was deep-seated in denial. An angry, bitter, violent man, with a deceptive charisma casing it all. Their relationship was inherently destructive (and with a flavor of Fight Club repression): they fought with fists as much as words. Sometimes, it skirted the lines, got too close—roughhousing bleeding towards something Silco craved, that Vander feared: that they nearly had, tumbled against walls with fists at their necks and their breath tangled.

And maybe, once or twice (or countless), they slipped over those lines; got too drunk to remember. Convenient thing, that, for Vander to sit in his denial; but Silco never forgot, never played it off. He ached, and he resented. Vander called him a brother in private, and a partner in public, and Silco simmered at it—A brother? Is that all I am, to you? All you see us as?—and, eventually, accepted it; that it was more important to have him, in whatever ways he could, than to not have him, at all.

I read him as having a bone-deep fear of abandonment, as equally as Jinx does: terrified of being left behind, discarded, being seen as unworthy, etc.—largely from growing up in a broken household with an absent father, but also just from being the runt, his whole life; ignored and spat on by his peers, by the stronger ones, the faster ones, the smarter ones. There's rage under that, festered for a lifetime. There's also an intrinsic sliver of inadequacy.

We don't know anything about his home life, before—but there's something there, in the nature of Henry's character in Detachment, that I can't not tie to Jinx: perhaps a guilt he's battled with his whole life, from having an ill weakling of a mother he never knew what to do with, who died too young, hating her life and all an undesired childbirth had reduced her to.

Cue both of these into how he latched onto Vander, and why his betrayal shattered him to a shell—and also why he saw something in Powder: an opportunity to nurture the part of himself he gleaned in her, but also a chance to absolve that guilt from his mother, an innate need to try again, and why her sledgehammering into his schemes brought the humanity back into the monster he'd harnessed in himself.

I think Silco was always a deeply guarded, manipulative, quiet, and wrathful man—and that Vander saw him, empowered something in him, that made him feel worthy, not soiled. That they brought out the worst in each other, in the guise of familial connection, and hid their own fears under the surface (Silco, his affections and desire; Vander, the guilt of emboldening something monstrous in Silco that he despised, that he hated himself for taking pride in).

They were unstoppable together—but destined for a bloody end. A perfect foil for all the ways love can spiral into something destructive.

And, in the aftermath of it all, we have Vi—Vander's manifestation of those regrets: another little thing, adoring in his shadow, that he emboldened in his image while equally discouraging it every step of the way, and that he wallowed in his shame over; and we have Jinx—Silco's own manifestation: another image of his fractured, misguided understanding of what makes family real (e.g., I see the monster in you, and you see the monster in me, and that is still worth something, for all others may be repulsed by it).

He refuses to abandon her, even though he is given every opportunity, by himself and by others; refuses to abandon her like he was abandoned, like he himself abandoned his mother, even for all Jinx lashes out at him, looks for lies in everything he does. He is always, in his own ways, clinging to her—not wanting to lose her, to lose someone who sees him, again; and who he sees, in turn.

(And it's what Vi is striving for, as well—trying to absolve her own guilt of abandoning Powder, and clinging to memory of what they had, not wanting to lose her sister again—and it's something she will rage at Silco for, and go head-to-head with him on, constantly.)

TL;DR—Silco and Vander are a destructive unrequited tragedy, and Vi and Jinx will carry the imprints of that, in everything they do: broken mirrors of their fathers, and their fathers broken mirrors of each other.

[bambikisss]

OMG GUE SUNG CHO IMAGINE WHEN HE FINDS OUT YOU ARE PREGNANT OMG IT WOULD BE SO SWEET PLS MAKE IT

A/N: I saw this an immediately gasped. This man would be so wholesome!! This has not been proofread as I wrote this during a class break, lol.

TAGLIST: @minaamhh

"Aunt Y/N, can you give me the salt?"

You smiled as you handed one of Guesung's nephews the salt shaker, helping him to add a suitable amount to his food before placing it back down next to you. You had gone out with Guesung and his niece and nephews, deciding to end the long day with some dinner.

"Here, baby," Guesung placed a thick piece of steak onto your plate before starting a new one. You thanked him, cutting a piece before holding it to his lips. You knew he hadn't eaten yet since you all came to the restaurant, focused on cooking the meat instead for everyone. He accepted it, humming as he chewed it. "I want one too, Aunt Y/N~"

You laughed softly, cutting up pieces of your steak for them as Guesung scolded them softly for not eating their own food, but instead asking for yours. His niece and both of his nephews loved you to bits, even a bit more than Guesung. That meant that they were very possessive of you, so you weren't able to do anything with Guesung without one of them trying to push their way in between you and him. You fed the kids, enjoying how sweet they were as Guesung placed the newly cooked steak onto your plate.

"Eat up, Y/N. You haven't really eaten all day," he placed his hand on your thigh as you ate, his thumb comfortably rubbing your leg as he finished cooking the food. You rubbed his back, thanking him for cooking as the table quieted down as everyone focused on eating.

You didn't know why, but you weren't fond of any food at all today. All of your favorites were making you sick. Throughout the day, he offered you many things to snack on, pouting whenever you declined. He even got you a big bag of cheese-its, which is your favorite. So, after dinner when you declined to get ice cream, he knew something was up.

When you got home, you suddenly paused as you felt an overwhelming craving for those cheese-its he had gotten you, which were in the car. You found your husband getting ready for a shower, stopping him as he removed his shirt. "Can you go grab those cheese-its?" Guesung paused, asking why you couldn't get it yourself. You gently wrapped your arms around his bicep, offering him your best puppy eyes, making him sigh. He put his shirt back on before making his way to the car, getting the food before handing it to you.

He noticed how clingy you had gotten lately as well, using your famous puppy eyes whenever you asked him to do anything. He wasn't complaining as he loved to have you close, but he was worried about you.

Guesung took you with him to train in Spain since you could work remotely, hoping to see why you changed. When you weren't with him, you were with the other significant others going around town. You hadn't thought anything about how you had been acting as of late until one of the other girls mentioned it. "Maybe you're pregnant?" you almost dropped your drink, declining the idea immediately. There's no way you could be, especially because you hadn't had sex with him in a few weeks. "You never know, Y/N, until you take a test." You nodded, realizing that may be the reason that you may have been acting differently.

You popped into a nearby convenience store to grab a box of tests before heading back to your shared place with Guesung. You hid in the bathroom, taking 5 before turning on a timer, sitting down on the tub as you waited. You weren't nervous about it coming out positive; in fact, you were excited. You had seen how happy Guesung was when he spent time with his nieces and nephews, so you weren't worried about how he felt about having kids.

"Baby? Are you in there?"

You jumped as Guesung knocked on the bathroom door, quickly placing a towel over the tests before he could open the door. He smiled as he kissed your forehead, now unfazed by your nervous appearance. You smiled, wrapping your arms around your his sweaty body, looking up at him. He looked down at you with so much love, kissing your forehead once more as your phone's timer went off. "Are you timing yourself using the bathroom or?" he chuckled, making you stuff your face into his chest. You turned it off before asking him to go wait in the bedroom, gently pushing him out. He now looked worried, asking if you were alright. You nodded, saying that you just needed some privacy. He obliged, closing the door behind him as he left to go sit down on the bed. You took a deep breath as you checked the tests, smiling as you noticed that they all came out positive.

You were pregnant.

You picked them up before making your way out to where he was sitting, taking in his caring appearance. When he noticed you approaching him, he sat up, wrapping his arms around your thighs. "Are you alright, Y/N? If you don't feel well then we can go to-"

"I'm pregnant." He paused at your words, his eyes widening as you showed him the tests. While you thought you should've waited and told him in a cute way, you were satisfied with telling him this way. He took a second to look over the results before leaning forward, kissing your stomach. Everything you had been recently doing now made sense; how clingy you were being, your rapid change of food preferences.

He tried to stop himself from crying, squeezing you tightly as he could, repeatedly kissing your stomach as you run your hands through his hair. You could tell from how he was acting how happy he was like you knew he'd be.

"Are you alright, baby?" you rubbed his back comfortingly. He at first didn't say anything before whispering "we're going to have a child of our own...a baby." You could tell he was on the verge of crying, which made you cry. He smiled as he stood up, kissing you lovingly as he picked you up, placing you on the bed as he held you close.

"I love you, baby. And you," he leaned down to whisper against your stomach "I love you so much. I can't wait to meet you."

~ <3 ~

"Baby, I couldn't find the ice cream you wanted."

You pouted as you waddled over to him, rubbing your stomach as he took out the groceries. He apologized as he kissed your forehead, rubbing your stomach before he handed you the ramen you had been searching for. Your eyes lit up as he offered to cook it for you, ushering for you to rest back on the couch. "Love has been making me crave it so much. Besides ice-cream and that ramen, that's all I've been wanting to eat."

The day after Guesung had found out you were pregnant, he began to call the baby "Love." Whenever he talked to your stomach, he would always say "Hi Love, it's daddy." He would read to your stomach or talk about his most recent soccer game. He even had a pillow he would place on your lap while he talked to the baby so you could run your hands through his hair. You thought it was so cute and the sweetest thing you'd ever seen.

He was keen on taking good care of you and your baby, having you rest more than you usually would. He would go out in the middle of the night to get your cravings and would always bring you any food you requested while he was out training.

"Be careful, baby. It's very hot," He placed the ramen down in front of you to give it time to cool down, leaning down to kiss your stomach. You relaxed as "Love" kicked, happy to get some attention from Guesung, making him smile. "Love is awake, baby," you placed his hand on your stomach, watching as the kicks moved toward his hand before calming down. Guesung's smile grew wider as he spoke softly to the baby, hoping to help the baby calm down so you didn't feel the harsh kicks. "I think Love is going to be like daddy and be a soccer player," you laughed, wincing as the baby did a harsh kick. Guesung kissed your stomach, asking Love softly to calm down, rubbing the area. "I hope so. I think Love is a girl, though."

You ran your hands through his hair, asking how he knew. He only shrugged before saying "I just have a feeling."

Well, his feeling was correct.

"Look at her little nose!" you turned in your hospital bed as Guesung showed his soccer team D/N, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms. He had a proud smile on his face as she sighed cutely, everyone's heart melt. When Guesung noticed that you were awake, he made his way over to you, kissing your forehead before placing D/N next to you. "She looks as pretty as mommy does."

Guesung kept that same attitude as D/N grew up, helping you the best he could, whenever he could. You had to admit that D/N was a bit of a daddy's girl, clinging to him whenever she could. You didn't mind, though; it was cute to see D/N and Guesung all snuggled up together.

And soon enough, she turned 5.

"Mommy! Daddy's coming!"

You held D/N up as Guesung and the rest of his team came rushing over after the game, all sweaty but happy with the win. Guesung picked up D/N as he kissed your cheek, then kissed hers when she pouted. "I won my first soccer game!" Guesung smiled as D/N told him about the game she had on Friday, his face showing how proud he was. That was another thing he was right about; she wanted to be a soccer player just like him.

When you all arrived back at the hotel, you put D/N to sleep while Guesung showered. She chose to sleep in the middle as she wanted to be in between you both, which you didn't mind. When he came out and saw her asleep, he felt his heart melt. His two favorite people in the world all snuggled up together; it was like a dream to him. He kissed you lovingly before slipping into the bed next to her, smiling as she snuggled up to him. "I'm so happy I met you, Y/N." You furrowed your brows as you met his eyes, smiling at how much love he had in his. "I got to marry you, and now you've brought D/N into the world...It's all I could've ever wanted and more." You felt your eyes well up as he kissed your cheek, his wedding ring clinking with yours.

"Daddy, you're being too loud!" you both looked down to see a slightly awake D/N pouting at you both for waking her up, making you laugh. "Sorry, we'll be quiet." You kissed her forehead as Guesung laid down fully.

[meowcats734]

(prompt response) A girl grows up thinking that all doors are automatic, but it's actually the work of a polite ghost.

I'd thought the four of us had gotten to know each other pretty well at the Silent Academy. At the very least, Lucet, Meloai, and I hung out together for pretty much every waking moment we had, and it was a rare week that didn't see Sansen and I sipping slurry and brandy together in his comfortable, hand-built home. 

But as it turned out, hanging out together in the controlled environment of school was one thing. Trekking across the country and sleeping in the same camp for weeks was an entirely different level of intimacy that I didn't expect. In the first week alone, I learned that Lucet snored, Sansen liked staying up late humming to himself, and Meloai just flat-out didn't sleep at all, instead electing to keep watch for us as we rested. 

I learned other things, too. As the food supplies we'd brought with us from the Peaks ran low and I had to fall back on the foraging skills I'd learned as a child, I found out that Lucet was a surprisingly picky eater. I, personally, saw nothing wrong with the meat slurries that were a staple food of the Redlands, and the only thing Meloai ate was a couple soul fragments harvested from the gremsquirrels we hunted, but for some reason, Lucet didn't seem to be a big fan of the ground-up meat powder that I'd grown up on.

Explaining that the meat grinder was a metaphor for the constant violence in the Redlands didn't seem to do much for her appetite, either.

Things got even weirder when we started reaching villages. The first one we found—Hatebroke, according to the lonely entrance sign—was entirely abandoned, and stripped clean of anything remotely perishable. I was just getting comfortable with the empty village when a door suddenly swung open as Meloai walked past.

"Rifts!" I swore.

"Where?" Meloai asked, gaze swiveling.

"What? No, it's an expression—the door, Meloai. Did—you have to have to have seen that, right?"

"Uh, sure? But don't all doors do that?" Meloai asked, taking a step towards the abandoned cabin. The wooden door swung open with impeccable precision, and I could have sworn the hinges even oiled themselves as they moved.

"...No, Meloai," I said. "Doors do not normally open themselves as people pass."

"Really?" Meloai frowned. "They did all the time when I grew up."

"No offense, Meloai, but you grew up in a dead nobleman's creepy-ass extradimensional basement," I said. "I'm pretty sure that your definition of 'normal' is pretty different from human standard."

Lucet kicked me in the shin. "Hey. Be nice, Cienne."

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just a little bit stressed from... I dunno... getting chased out of the only home I had left by a fucking eldritch abomination? If this is Iola messing with us..." I took a step forwards and shut the door; it didn't open again.

"I don't think this is Iola," Sansen said, frowning at the door. "This... I think it's a different soulspace entity. And if my guess is right, it's one that probably decided to follow Meloai around ever since she left the Plane of Elemental Insecurity."

"Wait, so we've been stalked by some invisible soulspace entity for months now? How come we haven't noticed?" Lucet said.

"Say the part about it being invisible again," I said, "but slowly."

Lucet flicked my forehead. Ow, but I guess I deserved that. "You know what I mean. Meloai, does this door-opening thing happen all the time?"

"Yes," Meloai said, grumbling. "Not like it mattered much at the Silent Academy, since there were always so many people moving around that the doors were always open anyway. Look, I obviously turned out okay, and I spent twenty years with this kind of thing happening. Don't we have more important things to worry about? Like, uh, getting enough food for you guys to eat?"

"Well, hang on, maybe one of those problems can be a solution to the other." Sansen, by virtue of being older than Meloai, Lucet, and I combined, was the de facto leader of our little group of adventurers. "I've seen people come and go in my time, and I've even encountered the soulspace entities they've left behind. If this soulspace entity is formed from the soul fragments of who I think it is, then he's not going to be hostile."

"Didn't you just say it was something from Lord Tanryn's vault?" I asked. 

"Yes, but I don't think it's that puffed-up nobleman himself. He wouldn't stoop so low as to open doors for some commoner."

"Then... who is it?" I turned to Sansen, frowning. The old man had forgotten more than I'd ever know, and I trusted his judgement.

A faint smile spread across Sansen's face. "I think it's his old butler." He cleared his throat. "Meloai. Did the soulspace entity ever set tables for you?"

Meloai gave him an uncertain nod. "I... think? That's the thing where all the silverware flies into place, and the tablecloth straightens itself out with a whoomph, right?"

"...In this context, sure," Sansen said. "Did he—did the entity do the little thing with the three types of forks? The one with two little tines on the left, the bigger one in the middle, and that delicate, long, pointy one on the right?"

Meloai nodded enthusiastically. "See? It is normal for tables to do that."

"Oi," I muttered. "Well, I guess it's not the weirdest thing we consider normal nowadays."

"Yeah, that's ol' Mairel alright." Sansen's old gaze stared into the distance as he remembered. "He was my first crush, back in the day. If there's still enough of him left to remember how to wait tables and grease doors... well. Indulge an old man for a moment, will you?"

The three of us traded looks, then nodded at once. We may have been an eccentric little group, but we were tight-knit. We trusted each other. "Whatcha need, Sansen?" I asked.

His requests were fairly simple. We cleared out the front yard of the abandoned shack, smoothing over the dirt with our feet and hands—and as we did, something... else... joined us. Something that barely remembered how to speak or think, but still knew how to set a dance floor. Within minutes, we'd cleared a square of land, with Sansen standing in the middle.

And the old man began to dance.

Wordlessly at first, the waltz was an invitation. He took the lead, and empty air followed. And then, all at once, the air wasn't empty anymore. There was no flash of light, no thunderous miracles, but Sansen's steps became more sure, his weight more freely shifted, as he leaned on a partner who wasn't there but had been, once, long ago.

Meloai began to hum to herself, a wordless childhood lullaby that she must have heard when she was growing up, and the cadence of the tune matched the waltz to perfection.

The old man and the ghost finished their dance, and I felt a whisper of wind rustle around the impromptu dance floor.

Then the miracle was over, and suddenly, Sansen was holding nothing but empty air. He let out a long, contented sigh, memory coursing through him.

Then he opened his eyes, smiling.

"You wanted food, kids?" He stepped forwards, opening the door to the abandoned shack. Behind it, impossibly, incongruously, was a fully-set banquet table, resplendent with rich foods from an era long past, with three delicate forks set precisely by each setting. "Seems like there's something left of Mairel after all."

And the four of us ate gratefully, sustained by the memory of a ghost of an old man's friend.

A.N.

Soulmage is a serial written in response to writing prompts. Stick around for more episodes, or join my Discord to chat about it!

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[fandomtherapy44]

castiel x reader

Summary: This story is from the perspective of Y/n Winchester. The sister Of Dean and Sam. We will be starting from season four since sadly we did not get Misha Collins as Castiel throughout the whole series. It will start off as a friendship, but it will grow more as the series goes on. I will be skipping some episodes even though they are great episodes they do not push the story forward. I am so excited to get to write this since they are not many Castiel X reader stories out there. Okay without further due Love War & Grace enjoy the Story.

Paring: Castiel X Reader

Word count: 5,854

Warnings: Some language, Typical Supernatural violence, Spoilers for season four of Supernatural, the boys being mean to y/n, love spells

Chapter seven: Sex and violence

Y/n's POV

I was on my way back from getting some coffee and doughnuts for my brothers and I because there was no way that we wouldn't stop for these anyway. So, I thought I might as well get it out of the way and save some time and let my brothers sleep as much as they could considering the last few weeks. I was also wondering how Cas was doing. I haven't seen him these last few weeks. I kind of wished I had, just being around him somehow makes me be calmer and that's important with the stressful job I have. I hope he didn't get in trouble for when he hesitated to knock me out or that he's not hurt when Alastair almost pulled a uno reverse on him. I wish he could have a damn phone so I'm not worrying half of the time. 

As I open the motel room door, I make sure to be extra quiet to not wake Sam and Dean. I look to the beds and see Dean in one but not Sam. Then I hear his voice from the bathroom. “Yeah, that's what I'm telling you. No storms, no bad crops, nothing.” Demon signs? Who was he talking to this early in the morning? I was sure it was not Bobby because I knew he just got done with a pretty nasty werewolf case and was properly sleeping off the beer and coffee along with exhaustion. I try to stand still to not warn Sam then I hear sheets moving and look to see Dean awake listening to the same interesting conversation. “Yeah, okay. We'll keep looking. You keep looking too, OK? All right. Talk soon.” 

Sam finished and was coming out of the bathroom. I ran back to the door to make it look like I had just got back and slammed the door loud. “Hey guys I got coffee and doughnuts for us.” I said placing the drinks and food down on the table trying to sound normal. They both kind of looked at it like I had just gotten a five-star steak meal. They both come over grabbing some joe and a pastry. “Thanks Y/n/n” Dean said, stuffing his face with sprinkles falling out as a result. “Yes, thank you Y/n” Sam replied, grabbing a cup of joe and got a half of a doughnut with him being a health nut and all. “So, were you both sleeping?” I asked, trying not to seem obvious. “Dean was, I was in the can.” “Really” Dean and I both replied. 

“Yeah guys, you want me to draw you a picture?” “Nah We’ll pass I think.” I said sitting on the bed trying not to think about the secret convo in the bathroom. “Found a job. Bedford, Iowa. Guy beat his wife's brains out with a meat tenderizer.” Sam said, handing us a newspaper about the story. “Oh my gosh.” “And get this. Third local inside two months to gank his wife. No priors on any of 'em, all happily married.” “Once is sad and disturbing but three is a pattern.” I said looking at the man in the picture looking very happy with his now very dead wife. “Ahh. Sounds like Ozzie and Harriet.” Dean said, grabbing the newspaper from me. “More like The Shining.” Sam replied with a smirk. “All right, well I guess we'd better have a look.” Dean said moving to the bathroom to get ready for the day and me failing to not think about who the Hell was Sam talking to.

Currently we were sitting in the integration room with the man of the hour. He kept on ignoring eye contact like he was ashamed to look at us. “Why does the PD keep sending you guys? I already said I don't want a lawyer.” “They're lining up the firing squad.” Dean replied, staring the man in the eyes. “I'm pleading guilty.” He said back to us. “All right, look, you don't want us to represent you, that's fine. In fact it's probably not a bad idea, between you and me. We just wanna understand what happened, that's all.” “Mr. Benson. Please.” I said trying a softer approach with him. “What happened was, I killed my wife. You wanna know why? Because she made plans without asking me.” Well, there is another reason to not to date. “Now when it happened, how did you feel? Disoriented, out of control?” Sam asked. “Like something was telling you or possessed you to do it?” I said. “I knew exactly what I was doing. I was crystal clear.” He replied with no stuttering, it was chilling. “Then why'd you, do it?” Dean asked. “I don't know. I loved her. We were happy.” I brought some papers out on the table of his bank statements and tapped on them. “For a man who loved his wife you were sure spending a lot of secret money on 'M & C Entertainment'.” “I don't know what you're talking about.” Come on dude you murdered your wife the least you can do is tell the truth. 

“It means you were dropping fifties on some nude entertainment.” “We just wanna know the truth, Mr. Benson.” Sam added in. “Her name was Jasmine.” Like the Disney princess? “She was a stripper?” Sam questioned. “Dude, her name was Jasmine.” Dean said matter of factly. “I didn't mean for it to happen, I don't like to go to strip bars. My buddy was having a bachelor party, and there she was. She came right up to me. And...I dunno, she was just...perfect. Everything that I wanted.” “Well, you pay enough, and anybody will be anything.” Dean said and he was not wrong. “It wasn't about the money. It wasn't even about the sex. It was...I dunno. I....I don't know what it was. It's hard to explain.” It sounds like this man was down bad for this princess. “And your wife found out?” I asked curious. “No, she never had a clue.” “Then why'd you kill her?” “For Jasmine. She said we would be together forever. If...if only Vicki was…” Dead, damn whatever this is it really wants to be the only woman. “Afterwards, me and Jasmine were supposed to meet, and she never showed. I don't know where she lives, I don't know her last name, I don't even know her real first name! I'm an idiot.” He is but this was not all his fault I have inkling that something else was at play than good sex. “And you didn't think to tell this to the cops?” Sam questioned. “What for? The stripper didn't do it, I did it. And I know what I deserve. The judge doesn't give me the death sentence, I'll just do it myself.”

Sam and I are going to go talk to the head doctor to hopefully get some answers while Dean was finding if the other men had matched with Bensen’s spending. As we walked in the office the doctor was taking some Advil. “Rough night?” Sam questioned. “Fun night. Rough morning.” She said while rubbing her forehead. “Can I help you?” She asked us and I replied. “Ahhh...yes. Um, I'm Special Agent Ross, Agent Stiles, FBI. You Doctor Cara Roberts?” “Far as I know.” “You do some work with the Sheriff's department?” Sam asked. “Yeah, when I'm not slogging it through the ER. It's a small town. We multi-task.” “We have some questions about a case. About several cases actually. Do you mind if we sit?” Sam asked for us. “Great. Adam Benson, Jim Wylie, and Steve Snyder.” I said, referring to the men. “Oh yeah, the men who killed their wives?” “You handled their work-ups, right?” She nodded her head. “Autopsies for the wives and tox screens for the perps. Two-for-one special.” “Fun right” I said, trying to add to the conversation because I sensed that the doctor and Sam were giving each other the look.

“He he I’m sorry. Did you find anything?” I asked moving away from my awkward moment. “Not really. I mean, c.o.d. on the women was pretty clear. There was nothing unusual in their systems.” That would make sense. “What about the husbands?” “Can I....see your badges again?” she asked, and we both pull them out again. She gives Sam’s a real good hard look while she barely glances at mine. “There was one thing, um, an anomaly in the blood work. And I remember thinking how strange it was that it showed up in all three of the men.” She said as she pulled out their files. “What showed?” I asked while looking at the file. “Oxytocin. And their levels were crazy high.” “Ahh. Oxytocin?” “Mm-hmm, it's a hormone that's produced during childbirth, lactation and sex.” 

“People call it the love hormone. Um, you know how it feels when you first fall in love. The whole weak in the knees, tattoo you on my chest thing? That's oxytocin. Of course, it eventually fades and then you're stuck with every relationship ever. That and the painful regime of tattoo removal.” I wouldn't know but Sam would. As I looked up from the file Sam and Cara were smiling at each other with that look while they kind of forgot that I was right next to them. Then Dean entered which is good because it was getting awkward for me. “What'd I miss?” “Um Doctor this is our other partner, Agent Murdoch.” I said introducing them. Then Dean went into his Dean flirt mode. “Please, "Agent" sounds so formal. You can call me Dean.” He said holding out his hand and she took his hand and held it for like two seconds and let go. Wow I don't think I have ever seen this before. Usually, women are all over him and even sometimes get mad at me for being next to him. 

“I'm Doctor Roberts.” Then she turned back to Sam. “So, um, can I help you with anything else?” “Uhh, sure, just one more thing. This chemical, this…” “Oxytocin.” “Oxytocin. What would cause those high levels that you found?” “Nothing that I've ever seen.” “OK. That's it. Thanks Doc.” As he finishes, we go to leave the office and Sam stops to tell her. “By the way...try a greasy breakfast. Best thing for a hangover.” Sammy going for it, good for him. “Watch it buddy, I'm the only M.D. here.” She replied back smiling. “Dude, you totally C-blocked me.” Dean told Sam. yeah sure Dean let's go with that.

The three of us are now going to the car. “So Whylie and Snyder totally fessed up, huh?” Sam asked Dean about the others. “One emptied his IRA, the other, his kids' college fund, all on the same day.” Now that's what I call commitment. “Nude girls?” I questioned. “A club called 'The Honey Wagon'.” Very on the nose I see. “These guys have affairs too, with a stripper also known as Jasmine?” “Yes and no. This is where it gets interesting. Each guy hooked up with a different chick.” “So, is there a secret princess stripper operation going on?” “Well, they all described their stripper in the same way, the exact same way. Perfect, and everything that they wanted.” Like build your own sex doll factory. “Yeah, at least until dream Barbie convinced them to murder their wives.” Sam said being right and a little bit funny. “You know, it's almost like they were under some kind of love spell.” “Exactly what I was thinking I mean usually girls will just take the money and be happy with that but whatever this is it wants devotion that comes from love and for them that means murdering that woman containing the man's life.” I agreed with Sam. “Sure seems that way.” Dean replied back. “Which caused them to become totally psychotic.” “Absolutely.” 

As we entered the strip club, I felt I had at least a dozen pair of eyes landing on me, half of them wanting to see me up on the stage and the other half seeing if I was here to bust them for cheating. “We’re looking for three girls. Jasmine, Aurora and Ariel.” Dean said to the manager as his eyes wandered to the stage. “You seriously think those names mean anything to me?” He said almost annoyed also he was eyeing me up and down. “One's a redhead about 5'9". The other one's Asian, about…” I said getting his memory going hopefully. “You have any idea how many girls I deal with? Fake names, fake hair, fake…” He said, referring to the chest area. “You gotta have some sort of paperwork. Cheque stubs. Some way to keep track of the strippers.” Dean said to him. “Please, exotic dancers. Independent contractors working for cash. I stay out of their hair, they stay out of what little I have left.” “Sir, three of your customers murdered their wives. You don't think that that's weird? Or at least to raise a little concern.” I said to him. 

“Sweetheart, I think that's super-friggin' weird. But you know what it ain't? My problem. And if it turns out one of my employees is a murderer coordinator, I’ll have a spot open. You could have it, you know, if the FBI doesn't work out. I know it's a lot of work for women.” I almost pulled out my gun right there, but I held myself back and Dean looked the same. “Agent, could you go get us some drinks? I got this.” I said turning to Dean and he gave me a look of are you sure and I looked back, yes. “Sir I am just fine in my job, and I will take on more weight in my life then you will ever do in your long single life. Your workers work hard for themselves, and their families and they deserve respect as does anyone and they aren't just objects that you can talk about so carelessly. Next time you want to make a comment like that in front of me I just want you to remember I have a Glock on my side.” I finished walking away leaving him shocked and a little afraid. I walk over to the boys getting to the table and downing my drink I needed to after dealing with that little gremlin.

“Y/n I think he peed himself a little … good job!” Dean said high fiving me. “Just another day another mean person taken down any luck with Bobby?” I asked Sam. “A little. We officially have a theory.” “What’s that?” Dean and I both ask. “Siren.” Ohh that makes sense. “Like Greek myth siren, the Odessy?” Dean said surprising Sam but not me. I knew Dean was smarter than he let people know. “Hey, I read!” He said offended at Sam's look. “Yeah, actually. But the siren's not actually a myth, it's more of a beautiful creature that preys on men, enticing them with their siren song.” “Let me guess, 'Welcome to the Jungle?' No, no. Warrant's 'Cherry Pie.'” Dean responded. “Ha good one but I think Sam means more of allure like a promise of perfection.” “

So, they shake their thing and the guy's zombie out.” “Basically, yeah. Sirens lived on islands, sailors would chase 'em, completely ignoring the rocky shores...and dash themselves to pieces.” Sam added back in. “Sounds like Adam and his buddies.” Dean said back. “exactly” “Yeah. If you were a siren in '09 looking to ruin a bunch of morons, where would you set up shop?” “So whatever floats the guy's boat, that's what they look like?” Dean said confirming it. “Like Disney princesses” I said back. “Yeah. You see, sirens can read minds. They see what you want most and then they can kinda, like, cloak themselves. You know, like an illusion.” “So, it could all be the same chick? Morphing into, uh, to different dream girls?” “Yeah, actually. Probably. Sirens are usually pretty solitary.” “So, uh how do we kill it?” I ask. “Bobby's working on it. Even if we figure that out…” “How the hell are we gunna find it? It could be anybody.” 

Dean and I were waiting in the motel room for Sam getting info on the new guy and looks like he left his phone. Dean picks it up. “Dean, come on, maybe we should ask him.” “Y/n with everything that has been going on this past year do you think he would tell the truth.” He doesn’t let me answer and dials the number anyway and puts the phone on speaker. “Hey, Sam.....Sam?... You there...?” Guess who was on the other line my best friend Ruby. We both look at each other in disbelief and he quickly hangs up the phone as Sam comes back in. “Lenny Bristol was definitely another siren vic.” He said walking in the room. “You get in to see him?” Dean asked him, sounding like he was trying not to punch him. “Yep. He brought home a stripper named Belle. Couple hours later he offed his mother. Belle, of course, went MIA.” “Wait, he killed his mom?” “The woman he was closest too.” Then Sams phone rang. “Yeah, you, uh, forgot your cell phone.” I said handing it to him. He gave me weird look. “Hey Bobby.” “Ahhh, no. And, uh, it doesn't seem like she's slowing down any. You got anything?” 

“Hold on a sec, I'll put you on speaker.” He puts the phone on the table for all of us to hear. "It says you need "a bronze dagger, covered in the blood of a sailor, under the spell of the song". “What the hell does that mean?” I ask. “You got me. We're dealing with 3000 years of the telephone game here.” “Best guess?” “Well, the siren's spell ain't got nothing to do with any song. It's most likely some kind of toxin or venom. Something she gets in the vic's blood.” “And makes them go all Manchurian Candidate. Uh, what do you think, she infects the men during sex?” I asked. “Maybe.” “Supernatural STD.” “Well, however it happens, once it's done the siren's gotta watch her back. She gets a dose of her own medicine…” “It will kill her.” I said finishing Bobby’s sentence. “Like a snake getting iced by its own venom.” “So, we just gotta find a way to juice one of the OJs in jail?” Dean said thinking it was going to be that easy. “Not that easy. None of those guys are under the spell anymore. Haven't got a clue where you're going to get the blood you need.” Sam looked like he was thinking. “I think I might have an idea.” He said talking about the blood if we could see it and maybe he could see the doctor again. “Be careful. These things are tricky bitches. Wrap you up in knots before you know what hit ya.” We left ready to go to the hospital and me wanting to talk to Sam about Ruby before Dean would blow up about it. 

“Dr. Roberts.” Sam said to Cara. “Agent Stiles. Can't stay away, huh?” Yup they are definitely feeling each other out. “Actually, uh, we're here on business. About the blood samples. The ones with the high...you know...oxytocin?” “Do you still have them?” I ask. “Mm-hmm.” “Good, we need them.” Dean replied a little rude there. “What for?” She asked. I was about to answer when this handsome man walked up to us in a suit and tie. “Excuse me, Dr. Roberts?” “Yeah?” “Excuse me, uh, we're a little busy here, buddy.” Dean said, pulling out his FBI badge and then so did the man. “Yeah, so am I, pal.” Oh, shit it was a real agent and a cute one at that. “Doc, can you give us a sec, please?” Sam said to Cara. “Sure.” She said backing away. “What's your name?” Dean asked very rudely you know if you're going to fake being an FBI agent you should probably not be a dick to a real one.

“Nick Munroe. What's yours?” I answered before they started to pull out to measure. “I am special agent Y/n Ross, and these are my partners Sam Stiles, Dean Murdoch.” “Y/n that's a pretty name.” Damn it am I blushing I think I’m blushing. “Thanks, I like yours too” What is going on with me? “What office are you from?” Sam stepped in. “Omaha, Violent Crimes Unit. My SAC sent me down here to see about the murders.” “You?” He asked and felt like he was looking at me when he said it. I felt like I was in middle school again.”D.C. Our Assistant Director assigned us.” Dean answered. “Oh, which AD?” “Mike Kaiser.” “What are your badge numbers?” He asked. “You're kidding, right?” “Dean he's just doing his job here you can call our AD and we can sort this out maybe we can even work together.” I said the words before I could even register them. No, I don't want Nick to be around us to find out that we’re not real FBI agents, but I can't stop talking. 

I handed him the card and he took it out of my hand, but he also grabbed it slowly and I got pulled a little with it. He went over to the corner to call our “AD” aka Bobby cooking. While they both turned to me. “Y/n are you serious right now?”  Sam said to me. I get upset at that. “What you Dean are the only ones allowed to date. Is it because he's a real agent and that he's threatening your power.” I said to them, and they were both shocked I was a little too. “No of course not-” “Good then he can help us and don't worry I won't let him really know what's really going on I'm not Dean of how he bangs a girl for a couple months and then tells the family secret to.” I finished referring to Cassie from a couple years ago who Dean really did love. I knew that was a bitch thing to say but for some reason I didn't really care at that moment. “Y/n -” “I'm sorry, guys.” Nick said, walking back to us. “That's okay Nick you were just doing your job.” I said, smiling softly. As my brothers stood there both were wondering what was going with their sister. “Where are you at with this?” He asked us. 

“Where are you at with this?” Dean asked trying to suss out how much Nick really knew. “Well, I was just about to run the, uh, perps' bloodwork.” I jumped again at the opportunity to talk to him. “We we’re too great minds think alike huh? But it turns out to be a dead end sadly.” “Oh yeah? But get this. I feel like I found something that, uh, connects all the murderers.” “Oh my gosh, that is so smart Nick.” “Thank you Y/n. Get this they were all banging strippers.... from the same club.” “You don't say!” Dean said with a sarcastic undertone. “What do you say we, uh, go down there and check it out?” “YES, I mean yes we definitely should investigate.” I said getting closer to him. “Well, here's the thing, Nick. See, we're kinda lone wolves…” Dean starts to say but Sam stops him. “You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea. Just... just give me a second with my partner and we'll, uh...one sec. Come here.” Sam brings Dean over to the corner. While Nick and I talk.

“Dude, you gotta stay with him.” Dean did not want to do that. “What?” “Keep him outta the way. Also, to keep an eye on Y/n there is something wrong with her.” They both look to Nick and I giggling up a storm and as I kept on touching Nick on the shoulder which if I do like guy, I don't do that. “Yeah, okay what are you going to do?” “I'm gonna do the blood samples.” “What the hell am I supposed to do with him?” “Just take him to the strip club...keep an eye out for the siren. Come on, Dean, just... just focus on the naked girls. You'll forget he's even there! And try to keep Y/n away from him.” Dean thought if I can as he looked over to me just staring at Nick like he was the messiah. 

Dean, Nick and I were back at the strip club and the two men currently are going off on each other of music knowledge. “Nobody's Fault But Mine.” Dean questioned. “Zeppelin recorded it in '75. It was a cover of a Blind Willie Johnson tune.” “Good job Nick” I winked at him and grabbed his hand a bit. “You Shook Me.” Nick questioned back and I answered this one. “'69, debut album, written by Willie Dixon and J.B. Lenoir.” “Nice Y/n, pretty and brains your boyfriend is a lucky man.” He said, staring at me. “Well maybe lucky for you I don't have one.” I said getting closer. Dean saw us getting closer and realized he was dropping the ball on watching me. “You know dude, for a fed you're not a totally dick.” Dean said stopping Nick and I. Nick was confused. "Aren't all of us feds?” He asked. 

The three of us were walking to the car and Nick saw the car. “All right, we're taking my ride, no complaining about the tunes.” Dean said. “No way. You drive an Impala?” I knew Nick was a cool guy and it looks like Dean is about to find out too. “It's a '67, right? It's a 327 four barrel.” wow spot on. “Yeah, actually.” Dean said confirming it surprised that Nick knew about it. “It's a thing of beauty.” When he said that he also looked at me and winked. “How the hell did you talk the Bureau into letting you drive your own wheels? “Maybe because we're fake. But Nick doesn't need to know that.

“Yeah, I know, I just...you know, not a lot of feds are as cool as us, huh?” Smooth Dean smooth. “So, what the hell with this case, man? How does a girl talk four different johns into murder?” Nick asked Dean and not really me. “It's a crazy world.” “I guess. Hey, can I level with you?” He asked. “I found something kinda weird.” “Well. You have bought your weird to the right spot. Lay it on me.” “I went to the crime scene this morning. Saw them bagging this up.” He showed us this evidence bag with flower petals in it. “So, I went back, uh, through all the files. It turns out a flower just like that was found at every crime scene.” It looked familiar. “Like it was left on purpose?” Dean questioned. “You know, sometimes a serial killer will leave an object behind, like a calling card. But with this case? Tell you the truth, I got no idea what's going on.” “I think I might. I've seen a flower like this before.” He said getting up to go into Cara, but I didn't care all I cared about was Nick at that moment. 

“Why don't we get out of here.” Nick said, standing up holding out his hand for me to take. We ended up in this little cafe and we talked fully for those two hours, and he seemed really into the same things I like. He started to lean closer and closer and was looking at my lips, but my nerves got in the way. “Uh sorry Nick I will be right back.” As I walked to the restroom, I did not see his expression change from a smile to an annoyed one. I walked to the restroom and locked it and went to the mirror. “You got this y/n you are amazing.” 

“Y/n? Let's go” “You got this it's just research and plus Nick might need help right Nick?” “Most definitely I could use the help.” I giggled at him again. Dean didn't have time to deal with this.”Alright you know what Y/n meet us at the room in two hours okay.” “Okay” I answered not even looking at him. 

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As I finished my sentence, I saw something I was not expecting. “Cas?’” I turned around to say something instead he came up close and suddenly I was in a random field. “CAS WHAT THE HELL?” I yelled at him. He didn't say anything as he came close and touched my forehead and it was like a fog had lifted. “Oh my gosh what happened to me?” He replied. “You were under a pre love spell.” He said so casually. “A pre-love spell, what does that even mean?” “It means the siren that you were so close to almost had you completely under his control.” “Nick?” I asked and he nodded his head. “That scaly Motherfucker.” “Wait, how did you know?” I asked him. “Were you following me?”  “I was” “Why?” “I sensed you were in trouble.” I couldn't even figure that out because I was covered in that love fog. “Thanks, you really are a guardian angel.” “I was just doing my job.” 

“Yeah, Cas for a job that's pretty amazing. I guess I'm pretty lucky to have an angel as a friend.” I said finishing and smiling. “Friend?” “Well to me you are, you keep saving me and listening to me that's what friends do Cas.” “Right friends” He said and looked happy? “The siren! I have to worn Sam and Dean.” “Send me back.” He hesitated not wanting to send me back to danger, but he knew I would get there one way or another. He came up to me and before holding up his fingers and said, “Just be careful” That made me happy that he cared to tell me that. “Don't worry I always am.” He then put his fingers back on my forehead and I was back at the motel.  

I went straight to our room calling Dean and then Sam because they were not answering. “Dean, pick up your damn phone, the siren is Nick! Be careful.” I walked in the room and as soon as the door closed, I had a pair of arms run into me. “Daaa!” I was struggling to see you had me pinned then I saw Nick walk in front of me. “Y/n where did you go? We were about to get to the fun part of our date.” I looked to the side and just saw Sam standing there. “Sam! Help!” Nick laughs at me. “Ohh Y/n your brothers won't lift a finger unless I tell them to” I then looked behind me and it was Dean who was holding me back. “So, you just come in and home wreck everyone into murdering their loved ones.” “I give those guys what they want. I just lift the blind and give them permission to do what they always wanted to do. And I got what I wanted, your brothers.” “Sam why don't you give your sister a nice punch not on the face though I don't want it too damaged.” Sam walked in front of me and punched me in the stomach as Dean held me.

“Uhhh” I wanted to fall from the impact, but I couldn't. “Your brothers are mine Y/n” “You poisoned them.” “No Y/n I gave them what they wanted as it looks different for each person. What you want no crave is love. I mean I have never seen a person fall harder for me. You must not never have been in love don't worry you will be in a minute. Dean hold her up right and Sam hold her mouth open.” They did without being told twice. I try to fight it but it's impossible because of how strong my brothers were put together. Nick opens his mouth wide and squirts his toxin in mine. I am let go and drop to the ground. “Now why don't we get back to that kiss sweetheart.” Nick said getting closer as I punched him right in his kisser. “You can take that kiss and shove it up your ass sweetheart.” He goes to touch his face and finds blood.

“Okay bitch how did you do that you not human or something?” “As far as I'm concerned One hundred percent.” “Ha okay that was some good entertainment thanks. Boys, why don't you kill her and then you two will fight to the death and whoever wins gets to be with me forever.” Wait what? Oh shit. They start to circle me. “Little Y/n/n the bane of our existence. I mean Sam and I have always had to hold your hand through everything. It's pathetic right Sammy.” “Yeah, Dean I mean we would have such a better life if she wasn't here.” “Then let's take care of her.” Dean said running at me. I dodge it good thing they taught me to fight men two times their size. Somehow, I got knocked out by one of them. “Y/n Y/n!!!” I was being shaken awake. It was Bobby. I was confused. “Bobby what happened?” I said and standing behind Bobby were my two brothers looking Sad.

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It was the next day, and no one was really talking. Bobby came from his car handing us sodas as in telling us he was happy that we were okay well physically. “Thanks, Bobby. You know, if you hadn't shown up when you did…” Sam said not wanting to finish his sentence. “Done the same for me, more than once. Course, you coulda picked up the phone. Only took one call to figure out that Agent Nick Munroe wasn't real.” Yeah, not real neither was he liking me. “You guys gunna be, OK?” I didn't say anything. I was hurt not just from the fight. “Y/n?”

“Mmhh of course always am.” I was lying to myself, and everyone knew it. “See ya.  You know, those sirens are nasty things. That it got to you, that's no reason to feel bad.” He got in his car and drove away wishing I was with him. “You gunna say goodbye to Cara?” Dean asked Sam apparently, they had got into a different type of research. “What's the point?” “Well, look at you. Love 'em and leave 'em.” “Y/n, look, you know we didn't mean the things we said back there, right? That it was just the siren's spell talking?” “Yeah, me too.” It was more silence like we knew we were all lying. “'Kay. So... so we're all good?” Sam said, looking at both of us because he and Dean had their own nasty fight. “Yeah, we're good.” Another lie. 

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That was it, I hoped you liked it! Wow this chapter was a lot more intense than my others and we didn't get much Cas because I thought it should be a more sibling relationship chapter, but I still got a scene of him caring and maybe a little jealous because CAS. The name I used for the fake agent's name was ode to Diana Ross like how Sam and Dean do classic singers all the time. I'm trying to progress Y/n’s and Cas’s relationship not too fast and not too slow so hopefully I'm dealing with that okay. I'm so excited we are just getting closer and closer to the season finale which is crazy. As always thank you for reading and the likes. If anyone wants to be added to the tag list, just ask nicely in the commits.

@vfandom hope you liked it!

[echantedtoon]

Demon Bride Ch18 Curiouser And Curiouser

Well ...This day had gotten much more awkward  .

This day had already been eventful with meeting Akaza and saying a sudden good bye to the small children you'd been reading too so quickly.  Then Kyogai had been so kind to offer you both another book to read during your stay and a delicious  lunch. It was actually pretty peaceful and honestly one of the best meals you'd ever had! You weren't sure what spices  Kyogai's chef used to cook the chicken meat in but it was delicious. But what you weren't expecting was for Kaigaku to come back with a vengeance. Or...what you thought was vengeance at first- Just a few hours later.

"Don't these hurt?"

"...Huh?"

You both might've lost track of time before Eri had awkwardly suggested she gets you back to bed as it had gotten late. Kyogai seemed ..strangely reluctant, but agreed that it would be best for your health to get some early sleep. However something had eventually caught your eye and it just so happened to be the  drums that was sticking out from his body. They were half way embedded within his flesh and looked to be one with him. You couldn't help but stare and ask which caught him off guard, more so when you suddenly reached out and touched  the drum embedded within his right shoulder. It didn't  feel like it was flesh.  It was made of leather and wood like a regular tsuzumi drum. Your fingertips grazed across the smooth leather one would be at for a drum. It seemed he used them to get around the mansion like a ghost. Did it hurt when he moved and shifted them around? Did it hurt when he placed them in his body? Does it hurt when he hits them?

"I-I...W-W-What are you-" His gaze fell silent when your other hand gently reached for the other.

"Your drums. Do they hurt your body embedded in like this?"

Her purple eyes gently looked up at him making his face light up a bright red. Too close! Too ..pretty- "I-I-IM FINE!" Her eyes blinked as  he suddenly backed away from her clearing his throat. "T-They do not cause me pain. Although your concern is a-appreciated. *AHEM!*" With a hand wave to Eri, he dismissed you both. His other hand shakily reaching up to grab the drum your hand touched. "P-Please escort Lady Y/n to her room. I-I have to finish settling some paperwork."

..You looked to Eri who seemed to be both knowing of something you didn't see and almost dying of second hand embarrassment. You were going to ask her what was up with all of that but the four armed demon only forcibly turned you around by the shoulders and pushed you down the hall back towards your room.

"Haven't you ever heard of keeping your hands to yourself? You embarrassed him! And why would you run through the halls after Lord Akaza!? You're supposed to be taking it easy until Lord Enmu comes back! Are you trying to get the both of us in trouble? I'm supposed to be taking care of you!"

"Sorry. I couldn't just let Kaigaku get hurt because of something I said." 

"Hmph! He would've been fine considering he's survived Lord Akaza 's punishments before, YOU however are more squishy than a sponge! You need to be more careful around the Lords. You're very lucky the few you've encountered aren't interested in harming anyone without a better reason than just 'she annoyed me'. If you did that to someone like Lady Daki or Lord Gyokko, then your life would've been forfeit!  From now on, you need to be more careful until you can safely leave."

"I know. I know. And I apologize for that. I promise I'll try not to do anything else that'll worry you but now that you mention the other Lords just how many are there?" Eri hummed as you turned to look at her. "It's just that I've lived on the other side of the mountain all my life and never even believed you all actually existed until three weeks ago. Why do to you all have Lords? Is your Master more of a king? I'm very confused."  

"Oh. I keep forgetting you're not from here so you wouldn't know." She looked at you know with a smile. "I guess you'll have to know if you stay here. That way if any more Lords show up, you'll be more careful."

"Thanks. I guess.," 

"You'll thank me later when I save your life. But since you asked, our Master is I guess our equivalent to an Emperor to you humans although he doesn't like being called that or so I've heard. He's one of the oldest and most powerful demons besides a few handfuls of  ancient families. He is in rule without question over all demons and the humans who live in his territories.  His family are the most wealthy and prominent of all of us. Under himself are the Twelve Kizuki or the twelve Lords as you probably have an easier time remembering." 

"Are they all relatives of his?" Was that why they had such high positions compared to the millions of other demons living around you? But you thought Eri said Kaigaku and Kyogai weren't related?

"Only a few of the Lords are related to each other since they're siblings but otherwise no. No Lord is related to the Master. There's always six of them and each of them has a very important job assigned from the Master to keep our kind from running rapid and wild." 

"What kind of jobs?"

"Well it depends. The twelve Lords are decided into two groups of six. The Upper and Lower Moons. The Upper Moons are the most powerful demons under the Master and are given the most important jobs. The strongest of them is Lord Kokushibo who holds the place of Upper Moon One. He's the delegate between humans and demons as well as in charge of the other Upper Moons. Lord Kokushibo is also Lord Kaigaku's sensai. He teaches him sword fighting." A grimace suddenly appeared on her face. "And just under him is Upper Moon Two Lord Douma."

"That was the man you mentioned before!"

She glumly nodded. "Yes. He's also the human recruiter." You gave her a look. "By that I mean he's in charge of attracting more humans to live in the Master's territories. He's also in charge of managing the..." She hesitated for a moment. "Managing the shipment of certain..'goods' for all demons. But he's rumoured to be a womanizer and constant flirt with many humans and demon consorts however I don't know if that's true."

"Well doesn't he sound like a great ray of sunshine."

"Well they say he's also very beautiful and can't feel emotions. But I've never even seen him so I don't know if any of those things are true. But none sound pleasant. Not like Lord Akaza!" 

Your eyes lit up. "That's right. He said he was an Upper Moon."

"Number three to be exact.  He's security for humans. You can say he makes sure no human is harmed by any demon unless ordered by the Master or Lord Kokushibo. He's the kindest of all the Twelve Kizuki besides Lord Kyogai. Directly below him is...Or should I say WAS Lord Hantengu, but since he retired from the position earlier this year the title of Upper Moon Four is shared between his five sons."

You blinked. "So... Upper Moon Four is shared by five people then?" 

Eri nodded. "Lords Sekido, Karaku, Aizetsu, Urogi, and Zohakuten. They're all brothers and sons of Former Lord Hantengu.  They are all Upper Moon Four and the newest Lords. However they haven't had their initiation ceremony yet so for now they are just placeholders of said title. They are the punishers and collectors. They're in charge of chasing down any traitors or law breakers whether they are human or demon and enacting righteous punishments, they are also in charge of collecting any owed debts to our Master whether it be money, land, or even blo-.. Goods. You'd be surprised exactly how many there actually is ." 

"They sound scary." 

"I wouldn't know. Never met them. However to keep on track is Lady Nakime as Upper Five. I don't exactly know much of her other than she's the communicator between all the twelve kizuki. No one I've talked to knows that much about her, I just know she's been Upper Five since Lord Gyokko retired over a hundred years ago.  Under her is the last of the Upper Moons. Upper Moon Six Lord Gyutaro and Lady Daki. The brother and sister. They're informants and work underground, whatever that means. They both live and work in the entertainment district however they're well known because of their...habits."

"What...Kind of habits?"

"Well...It's rumoured that Lady Daki is very beautiful. I don't know if that's true or not, but even the rumor is enough to make desperate men go and look around mating season. Many men go but ...no one I've heard that went has ever come back. At least not in one piece. Lord Gyutaro's very protective of his sister you see. That's what brings on much of the carnage from desperate suitors. "

You didn't know what to say about that. All these demons, other than Akaza, sounded scary. You wouldn't want to meet them without protection either 

"And what of the Lower Moons? What do they do?" 

"Oh! Well you already met three of them! Lower Moon One is Lord Enmu! He's in charge of all travel within Masters provinces and transports most of the goods in and out of his domains, also responsible for helping Lord Douma bring in other humans by train. And Lower Moon Two is Lord Kaigaku. He's the guardian of the Eastern Mountain Border and Lord Kokushibo's apprentice. Lower Moon Three is a mystery however...I heard someone new is getting the role but it's unconfirmed."

"And the last moons?"

"Those would be Lord Yahaba at Lower Moon Four and Lady Susamaru at Lower Moon Five. They both work together and are the personal guards of the Master's family. And last but CERTAINLY not least is Lord Kyogai in the last position. He's the record keeper. Documents any important event in our history, any information Master would want or need, and he's also in charge of documenting many laws, deaths, births, and marriages."

You stared semi in awe at her as you both passed other servants approaching your room.  "That sounds like a lot of work and pressure for one person. " And you were kinda glad you didn't have any drama in your life-

Eri only shrugged and reached a hand out to grab the sliding door. "Well they're all perfectly capable of handling themselves. Besides you don't have to worry about anything they do."

The door was slid back in one motion and both of you turned to the room...Only to pause at exactly who was inside waiting for you.

"It's about dam time you showed up! I've been waiting here for hours!"

You blinked as blue and black eyes glared up at you from the floor as Kaigaku sat there cris crossed, tail curled by his legs, and with one hand tapping the floor while the other held his frowning face. He continued to stare at the two of you just dumbly staring back at him.

"...Why are you in my room?, " You eventually asked raising a brow. Did he mix up rooms? His was right across from yours, so you pointed behind you. "Your room is right across the hall from mine."

"I KNOW THAT!! I'm not stupid! I've been waiting for you to show up!", He countered back which made you blink, "Hey, Eri. Go get us that food I mentioned to you earlier !" Eri blinked. "Well what are you waiting for? Go get it!"

Eri blinked as Kaigaku waved a shooing hand at her making her blink at him then turned to you with a half worried look before sighing and bowing to Kaigaku. "Yes, Lord Kaigaku. As you wish?"

You made to call Eri back as she turned to walk away- "And you!" You turned back to him as he motioned for you to come inside. "Come in and close the door. I want to talk to you."

...You scowled at him before stepping in and grabbing the door. "You know you're really making it hard for me to like you!" 

His face perked up slightly. "Oh. So you DO want to like me?"

You closed the door a little harder than maybe you should've. "Well you're not making it easy! You're really rude you know." 

"I've been told. Would you sit down?" ...Your brow rose. "What?"

"It couldn't hurt you to say please?"

He inhaled like he was trying to compose himself to not get angry, but his eyes narrowed at you. "MAY I be able to get you to sit down and talk with me?"

Well...he didn't say please but you supposed that was as close as a please you'd get from someone like him. So you went over and with about a yard between the two of you, went to sit-... purple eyes blinked at the floor. 

"What now?"

"Did...Did you bring me a pillow to sit on?" The small pillow looked like the one you'd seen in that one dining room when you first got here 

"Does it matter? I'm here to talk, not discuss furniture."...Well you guessed it probably didn't matter but it was still strange he brought it here. Perhaps he wanted to get on your good side, which only made you give him a suspicious look before slowly sitting down. "Hmph. What took you so long? I've been waiting for you long enough."

"Well excuse me if I promised Kyogai I'd talk with him." He was starting to get on your nerves again.

Kaigaku flashed his eyes and gripped his face harder. "Oh yes. And just WHAT exactly were you both talking about?"

Tch. Why did he want to know? Y/n's face deadpanned. "He just wanted his book back is all. I don't see how that concerns you." 

"It does  concern me thank you very much considering what happened between us!! First Akaza and now Kyogai's budding in where they don't belong!" 

What was he talking about now? What did those two do to Kaigaku to make him mad this time? And how did that concern you?...Oh no. You groaned annoyed. Was this because you got between their fighting? Was he really that annoyed by a girl stopping him from getting flattened like a plank of wood?

"Is this about what happened earlier today with Akaza?"

"And Kyogai now! Yes!"

So it was because you embarrassed him. You groaned again reaching up a hand to rub your face. "You can't be mad about that-"

"The hell I can't!'' he pointed at you. "Don't think I didn't see how you were gripping his arm!"

TO SAVE YOU!! You wanted to yell but instead sighed. "Alright. So just so I get what you're trying to say... You're angry about what I did today?"

"And the parts they played."

"Right, right. *Sigh* Alright. Just to make you happy, what if I promise to never do that again?"

That sure made him perk up in interest. Making him raise a brow and eye you carefully. "... You're serious?"

"I promise you. I'll never try anything like that again if it bothers you. And I always keep my word, but in return can I ask something from you?" Perhaps you out could use this moment to bring some kind of peace.

He only looked more suspicious now crossing his arms. "Yeah? And what's that?"

"Would you please tone it down with the attitude for me?" It surprised him enough to raise both brows, your hands gestured around. "If  we're going to be living together then we can at least show each other some courtesy can't we?"

To your surprise your words seemed to actually make him think because Kaigaku hummed and looked off in thought. "...Yes..If we're going to be together." He then nodded. "Very well. Just stop doing things to annoy me-"

"And I have a name. I'd like it if you used it more."

"Ugh. Fine if it'll make you less annoying about it." 

Wow. You were honestly surprised! The last thing you were expecting was for Kaigaku of all demons to somewhat apologize and somewhat be polite-ish. To be honest this was something you didn't think he could do but it still make a suspicious feeling bubble up in the back of your mind that he was doing this for some other reason besides wanting you to stay out of his business, which fair enough you guessed. But it still begged the question.

"So was this it?" He hummed at you in question. "What you wanted to talk about. Was that all? It's odd you'd want to stay for dinner and be so nice to me if there wasn't something else."

He frowned again and huffed before rolling his eyes. "Can't do anything without you being antsy. But now that you brought it up, yes I do. And it's something I would've done before if I knew them what I know now." 

What was he talking about now? Was he talking about kicking you out again? Oh no. Was he about to lecture you about how you should be kicked out again? You thought he was done ranting about that. Instead purple eyes watched as he lifted his right arm up, and with his other reached towards his wrist. The confusion in your eyes diminished some when the hand went to the blue charm dangling from his wrist. That's right. He wore three of them all the time. Two were secured around his neck in some kind of necklace, and the third was wrapped around his wrist. Sharp black claws gently tugged and pulled at the thick string keeping the third blue charm stuck  around his wrist until it all fell away, the now lose charm harmlessly falling into his grey palm. With a final stare at it, he exhaled and turned back to you.

"This is a magatama charm," he said holding it up to you. Now closer, it seemed to be made out of some kind of polished smooth stone. "I figured out a way to get out of the trouble you caused me by coming in here and also our little problem with others budding into things they shouldn't, I'm planning on making a statement about exactly what I think of you."

...Your brow rose deadpanned between him and the charm. "And what exactly does that have to do with me or your jewelry?' your hand pointed at the admittedly lovely piece.

"You gifted me a dowry so I'm simply gifting you one in return as is customary and to show that there isn't anymore hard feelings about losing my last peach from your blunder."

"...So you're trying to make peace with me so Akaza doesn't try to flatten you again?"

He squawked and you saw him instantly scowl. So that was a yes then- "IM DOING THIS TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THOSE ASSHOLES TO BACK OFF AND MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS!!"

So that WAS a YES. Nice. But you'd play along if it meant Kaigaku would be 'nicer' to you, and so the other two would stop arguing with him. So rolling your eyes and sighing, you nodded.

"Alright. You win." You blunt response got him to shut up in the middle of calling Akaza a woman stealing something whatever he meant by that. "I accept your apology. And your promise. And your terms of the deal from before as long as you accept my terms. I also accept your generosity of the gift, but I can't take your jewelry."

"WHAT?!", He yelled but not in anger, he looked more..lost. Sputtering he blinked back to the charm in his hand before holding it up to his face and twisting it this way and that as if to check for even the slightest imperfections on the beautiful blue surface. "...Well what's wrong with this?!"

"Absolutely nothing. It's perfectly beautiful."

"Then take it!," He thrusted it back at you firmer, "If there's nothing wrong with it, then accept it! If you don't like this one, I have two others if you'd prefer one of them!" Already his other hand made grabbing motions at his neck. "Just name which one you want and it's yours."

"I wouldn't want those either-"

"Then tell me what you want and I'll get it for you! Whaddya want?! Gold? Dresses? Food? I can provide most anything."

"Kaigaku it's not about the gift! I just don't want to take something that might mean so much for you, and it's not fair for me to accept something so expensive from you when I just gave you mere peaches!" He paused. "Despite what you might think, I'm not a greedy or materialistic woman. I wouldn't want to accept such a thing unless I earn it or have enough money to buy such a thing."

"... You've already earned it from me. I wouldn't give such a thing like this to anyone unless I want to go through this. And I decided I wanted to with YOU. Although I never thought I would or with a human of all women. Y/n. Take it. I refuse to gift you anything less than this. If I want a new one!," He spoke louder interrupting whatever you were about to say when you opened your mouth, "I know where I can get another easily to replace this one. It's a perk of being a powerful man. Now will you accept this or I'll find you something else."

God's above! Just how stubborn was he?! ...sigh. He wasn't going to stop unless you accepted it was he? Ok. New plan. You'd accept it for now, and then 'accidentally' leave the charm in Kaigaku's room when you left. That way he'd stop bothering you with it and you'd be too far away by the time he found it to make you take it back. Yeah. That sounded like a good idea. 

"Alright, Kaigaku. I'll accept your magatama." For now. 

His face lit up in a smug, satisfied glee. "Heh. I knew you'd love it." Suppressing the urge to roll your eyes, you held out a hand- ?! You jumped when he literally leaned forward quickly towering over your body. "Hold still so I can put it on you!" You never even got to argue with him before he was on you, hands going around your head and something like thick string touching your neck. "Hold still!"

"Kaigaku, get off!"

"Stop being a spoiled child and hold still like I said!"The string was wrapped twice around your neck and a knot was tied to the left side of your neck before the hands finally backed off with a happy look from Kaigaku. "There....It's perfect."

You shoved his body away from yours with a frown. "I could've put it on myself." You glared at his smug face, and let you hand reach up to touch the necklace wrapped around your throat. It was some thick string, and soon your skin grazed the smooth surface of the charm hung off it. "...*sigh* But thank you. It's beautiful."

"I know. It's why I chose to present you with that instead of those cheap human items."

You rolled your eyes but didn't have anytime to say anything before the door slide back open and both of you turned to Eri who looked almost annoyed to be ordered to bring food a second time today. But paused when she spotted that shimmering charm on your neck all four eyes widening-

A rapid clicking came from Kaigaku's throat. "If you tell her ANYTHING I'll make sure you have a decade attached to your working years here." Eri snapped her mouth shut as you looked at him. "Now leave the food and wait for us to call you back in -"

"Eri stays." His head snapped back to you. "Eri is assigned to me, which makes her my servant, and she's supposed to take care of me. If something happens while she's not here, we'll all going to be in trouble. And I say she stays so she stays. That's FINAL, Kaigaku."

"....UGH! FINE! I can already tell you're going to be a hard one to live with."

"That goes for you too. Now shall we eat? It's been a long day."

"Tch. Fine. I've already done what I came here for anyways."

At least dinner was more peaceful. Kaigaku scarfed down what Eri had brought before abruptly leaving and leaving you with Eri for the rest of the night. Once he was safely out of earshot you turned back to Eri who had gone back to staring at the necklace around your neck with a half worried half deadpanned face.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

She slowly nodded. "Yes...So, what did you and my Lord speak about?"

You groaned. "Oh nothing much. Kaigaku wanted to...'apologize' because Akaza must've threatened him."

Her brows rose. "Oh. Is that all?" 

"He also told me to stay out of his business and gave me this-" You pointed at the necklace. "-in order to get on my good side. But I plan on returning it to him later before I leave."

Her face perked up. "Oh...So you DIDN'T accept it?"

"No not really." Eri breathed a sigh of relief placing a hand to her chest, your brow rose. "..Why do you ask?"

"No reason. But a word of caution, try not to accept any gifts from any men while you're here. Don't ask why as I'm not allowed to tell you but it'll just save us all a massive headache later."

You weren't sure what she meant about that but it must've been a demon secret so you'd keep in mind to do what Eri said and keep yourself out of trouble. Another half week passed by with yourself doing the same routine as before with Eri. You would read to her and both of you would be entertained by the many poems and stories unfolding within the pages. You were surprised more when Kaigaku seemed to keep his word about toning it down with his attitude. Whenever you saw him in the halls, he'd smirk proudly at himself and the fact you were wearing the necklace he'd given you. You only continued to wear it to appease him before you left, but the strange reactions you were getting from everyone was also suspicious. Many servants would stare at your neck or give glances at you before quickly turning away. You supposed it had something to do with it being a gift from one of their nobles. However you were not ready for the reaction from Kyogai when he saw you wearing it. It was when Kaigaku left to go back to his duties along the Eastern Mountain Border and you and Eri were passing by him in the hallway. Kyogai had lit up upon first seeing you approaching but it was completely wiped away when he looked lowered to your neck and saw a very familiar blue charm.

"WHERE DID YOU GET T H A T?!"

You were taken quite aback at the sudden yell and pointing at you in such sudden anger. It had Eri peddling back behind you, head instantly bowing on instinct in face of her main Lord's anger.

"Oh...You mean this necklace?"

"I WOULD V E R Y MUCH LIKE TO KNOW HOW IT HAD GOTTEN AROUND YOUR NECK!!," He strained his voice eyes narrowing at the necklace.

"Kyogai be calm," you said holding up your hands to try and calm the strange anger, "It's just something Kaigaku gave me to try and apologize. I'm only wearing it to keep peace, but I'm giving it back to him later."

That last sentence had him looking directly at your face for a solid ten seconds of silence. "...So you aren't accepting that?!"

"No! I only took it to not hurt his feelings but I never to told him I would be keeping it." With every word the largest demon relaxed little by little. "I'm just going to give it back later when he's not around."

"HA! So he doesn't know yet?'

"No. And I'd appreciate if you kept your mouth shut about it since if he knew I'm planning on giving it back he'd just throw another fit about it." 

A big smile broke across Kyogai's face as he hummed in thought staring at the necklace. "…..Very well. I will respect your wishes, but if he thinks this is going to change anything then he has another thing coming! He doesn't seem to understand the laws don't apply to this situation!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. ...Hmm. But perhaps he has a good idea for once. If the law doesn't apply here then it seems I might still get ahead."

Did he want to do this though? Marriage seemed like a big step especially with someone he just met a few weeks ago-

"Kyogai?" A hand softly grabbed his with a worried cute face beaming at him and the smell of roses hitting his senses. "Are you alright? You're worrying me here."

YEP! IT WAS WORTH IT!!

"I am fine. Perfectly fine. Do not worry. However I must leave. There's a special task I must prepare if I want to present it. Excuse me. Eri, let me know if Kaigaku returns immediately."

And he left just like that. Leaving you to stare at Eri who only groaned and shook her head, so you didn't bother to ask. It just seemed that the two demons really didn't get along. However Eri's strange behavior seemed to get more and more noticeable. You'd catch her staring off into space not paying attention to even the stories as you caught back her attention to which shed apologize and ask you to repeat yourself. Or sometimes she'd take glances out the window with a longing look. Or she'd give glances at your necklace with envy like she almost pictured herself in it-

"Alright. What's gotten into you?'' You finally asked her about it two days later when she stared off for the fifth time in the last hour.

Her many eyes blinked at you as you caught her attention back. "Uh...What ever do you mean?"

"This is the fifth time I caught you staring off, and you're starting to see worry me. Why have you been acting so strange?"

"Oh. Well..You shouldn't concern yourself with that.?" A nervous hand combed through her hair nervously. "It's not that big of a deal."

"It is if you're acting like this," you assured her, "You can tell me. I promise I won't judge you for it."

She hummed nervously wringing one pair of her hands together before sighing. "Well...Do you remember how I mentioned I was engaged?" You nodded. "W-Well it's February already. Usually I'd be permitted to visit him once a year, I haven't seen him since last last summer, and with a few ...'others' falling in love around here.. It's just reminding me a lot of him lately."

"Aren't you going to be marrying him soon?"

"When I agreed to work for my Lord, I agreed to work for him for a certain amount of time. I can't leave until next year when it becomes March, which is still a year away. I also can't ask to visit him now, not when I was ordered to watch over you.  I'll have to wait until you're free to go before I can see him again."

You looked at her for a long moment. "Eri, exactly where does your fiance live?" 

"He lives in a small series of ponds and water bodies five miles south from here. Usually I can go and be back within a single day. Why?"

"Well mating season is over right? That means it's safe for me to be outside for a while. If I explain to Kyogai how you're feeling then I'm sure he'd allow me to go with you."

"Mistress Y/n! No. You're still recovering and I couldn't ask that of you-" 

"Eri, if I spend one more day cooped up in here without stepping out once I'll go crazy! And I already decided I'm going to ask so there's no getting around it if he says yes."

"IF he says yes being the key words here," she pointed out, "My Lord is very worried about your health and safety. Even if you ask him in the politest way on earth and give the most reasonable of reasonable reasons back, how are you so sure he'll say yes to this entire thing?"

"By using a simple trick I've learnt from growing up with a grandmother like mine." You smiled very slyly making Eri raise a brow. "When would you say he's going to be the busiest?"

"Tomorrow when he'll be processing some treaty negotiations into the archives. Why?"

"Perfect."

Eri didn't say anything but the very next day she seemed both anxious and curious to be seeing what you'd be coming up with when you had her follow you very early in the morning towards Kyogai's study. And it was EARLY. The sun had barely even risen out of the sky when you tugged a half asleep Eri behind you. Kyogai as always woke up before the sun even did to work, and combined with his workload would make for a perfect time to ask him. A few servants seemed surprised to see you walking around so early but most didn't pay attention to you just walking around doing their own chores, and Kaigaku still wouldn't be back for a few days so it'll all work out fine! The main study was the one he usually worked from so you went right up to the door and paused for a moment. Eri and yourself exchanging a look before your hands grabbed onto the door and slide it just open enough to pop your head in. Indeed Kyogai was there already working. The sounds of furious quill scribbling filled the air as the large demon sat down in his usual spot, a two foot stack of papers to the left of him on the desk. Yikes. He really was going to be busy wasn't he? Whelp. You came here all the way to ask so you might as well ask.

"Hey, Kyogai?"

He hummed not paying attention and not looking up from his papers.

"Can I go with Eri to meet her fiance?"

"Yes,yes. Whatever you need."

"Thank you."

You then popped your head back out, slid the door back shut, and turned back to Eri who had her haw dropped and all four eyes wide. "Well you heard him! Let's go! We can be back before nightfall."

".... I'm very much starting to think you have a death wish."

"And Ill take that as a compliment."

[jazz-kitty]

1, 2 , 7, 8 :3

1. favorite character[s]

ive already talked about kenneth and flora BUT! runner up is cera i think. i haven't seen her in a million years but that's okay. i think she's incredibly fucked up and i want to get her #OUT of her mental and also physical ice prison.

im preddyyyyyyy sure rn that angie is a fucked up cursed version of anju, but as "angie" she still made a servant. it just happens to be in the image of cella- taking some of her likeness & kind of her name- because even deep down the fragments of anju in angie still cares for cella. but i dont actually know. i think her dedication to angie is super fucked up and interesting though. angie doesn't care whether her meat homunculus made of illegal magic lives or dies, but cera is also so incredibly willing to lay down her life for her boss that somehow it works out. well. hopefully it stops working out bc i want cera to be able to live for herself but. AH! not much to say since it all happened like six chapters ago now sicne anyones even thought of cera but i still spin her aorund in my brain bc she's epic as hell. my friend said her ace was a morpeko :(((( thats so CUTE!!!

2. least favorite character[s]

i don't like saki or karen. what do you do when a character for most of their screentime is intended to be comedic relief and then you just don't find them funny. i feel like such a nerd but i just don't think they have jokes and theres not much else to like about them ToT at least as it stands. idk. even then i'll still draw both of them no problem i am not exactly a professional at disliking characters. my main issue with them is that they don't appeal to my sense of humor and if i'm drawing & writing them they do. so. problem solved?

erick is also kind of up there but he stays in his lane over in poison type gearen city [forgot the actual name] so he doesn't bother me as much. plus he has cat ears so he gets bonus points.

7. favorite friendship[s]

patty & cera have they ever talked? NO! have they ever talked about each other? NO! in a hypothetical situation, would it be kind of cute? YEAH!

for ones that r actually on screen though. i loveee neved & nastasia. even if it was just 1 conversation, i love their dynamic. the two most mature [AUTHORS NOTE: does not mean they are mature. just means they are not zetta geara or madelis] xen members havin a little chat and i'm TUNED IN!!!! and their shared affection for ren is so cute. they both know it's a bad idea and they BOTH tell each other it's a bad idea, and then immdiately just go Anyways, because they r BOTH going to continue caring about ren anyways. whateverrr. i think it's cute.

honorable mention delpha and adam. theyr eso sweet. they love each otherrrrrrrr they make fun of each other so much but they would kill someone for each otherrr <3

8. favorite family dynamic

florin and flora you're so. i talk about them too much. florin disowning flora after finding out she's in bladestar is soooo. oh my goodness! and then trying to get her the death penalty too!!! i think about how after florin says that he just wishes flora would trust him more- that he's there for her, if only she'd let him be- flora says THIS

its so. god dude. i feel like it's not just that flora was leading bladestar, but selfishly- florin cares more about the fact that flora never told him about it. and its soooo. oh my god. both of them care[d] about the other so much but are far too fucked up to ever be able to show it. flora feels like she's the only one who can ever get her job done- especially after rune turned her down- and she wants to keep florin SAFE by keeping him out of everything. and florin just wants to BE THERE for his SISTER!!! without understanding until darchlight cave why she's making it so difficult to!!! god!!! it's so evil how many times things could've gotten better and how many chances flora had to just let her brother love her and how every single time she refuses and florin gets pushed a little closer to the edge of a metaphorical cliffside. me when im in a lack of communication challenge and my opponent is flora who thinks letting her brother think she hates him and actively trying to get him to hate her is the simplest way to handle things. i hate rejuv

[fefairys]

53 54 55 56 57 59 60 68 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 . lol i just want u to do all of them

ur crazy i love u so much <3 under the cut again

53. Alpha kids or Beta kids? grrrrr I LIKE THEM ALL!!!!! im gonna say alpha kids cuz theyre underrated and im an alpha kid lover, but i really love them all :/

54. Alpha trolls or Beta trolls? beta trolls.

55. Beforus or Alternia? beforus is really interesting to look at because its so nuanced, i think. alternia is fun too because violence and killing and murder and all the trauma that comes with that, but there's also the insidiousness of beforus being seen as a "utopia" but it actually sucks really bad also, just in more subtle ways. beforus, final answer.

56. Derse or Prospit? DERSE GANG BABEY!!!! I LIKE. PURBLE!!!!

57. The Felt or The Midnight Crew? oh man i really like all the funnie time powers of the felt. gonna go with them even tho i love the midnight crew dearly as well.

59. Red team or blue team? i think red team would be more fun to be on because of the drama of it all

60. Meat or candy? oouugugughhhhhh..... both. neither. certain aspects of each. throw it all in the garbage. reread it 10 times. AAAHHHH

68. already answered

70. Do you like your God Tier outfit? (maid of heart) yeah i think its alright. looks comfy 👍 a fun dress might be nice tho...

71. Ship headcanons? this is too vague im going to eat you.

72. Character headcanons? eating you again this is EVEN MORE VAGUE

73. Meteor trip headcanons? man i dunno. rose and vriska stumbling upon each other alone at one point and its really awkward at first because theyve never really talked and rose probably dislikes vriska from the things kanaya has said about her, but she is very intriguing isn't she? they get to talking, as light players do, and vriska thinks rose is super cool, maybe she even says "You know what, Lalonde? You're actually pretty alright." and rose... hmm... rose wants to keep her distance, karkat and kanaya have both told her so many accounts of vriska being just straight up fucking evil. rose would probably suspicious of her trying to befriend her. i don't know that's all i've got idk what happens next.

74. Earth C headcanons? big polycule.

75. already answered

76. Do you like kidswaps? Do you have a favorite? kidswaps i have found more intriguing than bloodswaps for some reason.. i really like dave lalonde and rose strider i think that is rife for some super interesting shit going on. but idk i dont really think about AUs like this very much!

77. Do you like speciesswaps? Do you have a favorite? again havent really thought about it. designing the kids as trolls is really fun, but haven't thought about the implications or anything!

78. Do you use quadrants IRL? yup. you know this, juice, my kismoirailsis lol... fun fact for anyone else reading this, me and juice started as kismesises, which tends to surprise people who know us irl because we seem like we're sooo in love (which we are) but yeah we are still kismesises under that :) real!

79. Do you like celebrating 4/13? hell fucking yeah brother its a high holy day for me

91. Favorite hemocaste? aw man idk. probably gold. cool powers and usually nerds, whats not to love!

92. Favorite typing quirk? typing quirks are so fun i like all of em!!! T3R3Z1'S 1S D3F1N1T3LY 4 F4VOR1T3 THOUGH!!!

93. Favorite MSPFA? i have never read one all the way through </3 vast error is pretty cool but i am NOT caught up on it at all. thats the only one i've gotten super far in :/ sowwy

94. What would your strife specibus be? hmmmm.... i've always liked the idea of umbrellakind theres so much u can do with that, that's why i gave it to my first fantroll ever! so yeah i'll go with that. umbrella.

95. already answered

96. What would your lusus be? i want it to be a kitty... idk tho my trollsona's lusus is dead i havent really thought about it!

97. What caste do you feel you’d belong to, regardless of your zodiac? definitely a low one, still. idk rust feels right!

98. What characters do you relate most to? well.

99. already answered

100. One popular HS opinion you agree with? uh idk davekat and rosemary good 👍 :)

[bluegarners]

hello new follower here with some of the fic questions. 40, 38 36 and 15 and 16

omg hi new follower bunny!! <3

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

since i answered this before, i'll talk about my second favorite au, which would be 'the scars are not absolution' !! i really wanted to explore the concept of a "robin-less" bruce but i also wanted dick to be a part of his life. the solution? ghosts! granted, that makes this alternate universe that much more depressing since there's no real way to "save" anyone, everything bad that could've happened at this point already has, but!! i like to think about it anyway~ i have a whole series in the works for this au, involving all the other kiddies and some of the leaguers, but that's many many many pages away considering we haven't gotten into the actual meat of the story yet

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

this might sound strange, but i actually tend to stray away from aus. yes yes i'm aware i've got like, maybe three different aus going at the moment, but for whatever reason, i just don't like removing the characters too far away from their original source. this tends to only be the case for dc characters though, for some reason, as i'll read aus all the time for other medias

36. Do you visualize what you read/write?

hmmm, tricky question! sometimes i do, sometimes i don't. honestly, it really depends on what kind of scene i'm writing. if there's a particular thing i'm pulling inspiration from, then i'll pause and think around the scene multiple times before writing it down as is. if it's just one of those random bursts of fingers on a keyboard, i don't tend to dwell as much

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

yes, actually! my fic 'mainstay' got wayyy more traction than i was expecting, especially considering it was something i wrote in about two days. i did it for a fic request from @/viceturtle and although i had a lot of fun writing it, i just didn't give it a huge amount of thought. low and behold though, it's probably one of my most popular fics of all time and i think that's honestly because jason todd was in it. i don't write him much even though i love his character, and i think jason todd just has a lot of fans that appreciate some angsty but grounded fics with him at the center haha

40. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

i answered this previously, but i'll add a little more to my thoughts! a lot of the fics i like tend to be long format (40k+) so even though they are some of my favorites, it takes a long time to re-read them so i just tend to not. there are a couple good one-shots and shorter fics out there that i do enjoy, but because they're pretty short, i remember pretty much everything that happened so it's not always worth it for me to re-read something i remember pretty clearly

[caspercryptid]

Maybe sharing holiday foods with JayVik for a prompt? I know that my family has certain foods we eat to celebrate the holidays, like eating Night Owl Soup one New Years Day!

thanks babes, happy holidays <3

-

Viktor had.... sort of forgotten. That there was anything to celebrate.

Admittedly, that wasn't particularly forgivable. The winterfest celebrations had been going on for days. But Piltover was always celebrating something or other, and other than progress day, none of the holidays held any particular meaning for him. The celebrations had only gotten more exhausting since people started putting on parties every time Jayce made some big announcement. It was getting tiring.

So he forgot, and it didn't matter anyway, except that Jayce wasn't in the lab, and Viktor has been struggling to figure out why for two days until it clicked that- ah. The solstice. Of course.

The lights are shining in the window, beautiful shades of red and gold, and Viktor looks at them for a while, resigning himself to the strange loneliness of realizing that Jayce was probably having a good time somewhere else, and then he gets back to work.

When the door clicks, an hour later, he doesn't even look up. "I apologize, Sky." he says. "I'm a little busy with this experiment."

"Did you and sky have plans tonight?"

He tenses a little at the sound of Jayce's voice, and nearly falls off his chair turning around. "Jayce." He says. "I-- figured you would be celebrating."

Jayce's arms are full of-- something. It's a few baskets wrapped in a warm red cloth. "I was." he says. "But uh-- it got a little hectic. And I was in the kitchen all day anyway so."

"--you were?"

Jayce comes over and sets a basket down next to Viktor and leans against the lab counter. Viktor raises an eyebrow at him, but he just nods at the board, as if saying- Well, go on.

Viktor opens the basket and has to catch his breath, as he picks one of the objects out of the basket.

"--are these?"

"Meat pies, yeah." Jayce smiles a little, looking embarassed. "I used to have these with my family." Viktor says, a little distantly, as he turns a pastry over in his hands. the edges are curled together horribly, clumsily, but it's warm in his hands, shaped like a half-moon.

"I know." Jayce says, and looks embarassed. "you mentioned once. When you were drunk."

"I haven't been drunk around you since--" "Two years ago, I think." Jayce says. "Which is probably smart, gotta focus on the work and...all."

Viktor just stares at him, for a minute, and Jayce tries for a smile.

"I'm sorry if this was a weird, creepy thing to remember but--" "No." Viktor says, firmly. "No, not at. Not at all."

He takes a bite of the pastry.

It's-- better. than the ones from the undercity. Objectively, Jayce has used better ingredients. It's more clumsily made but... Viktor can't help but feel like the real reason he likes it is because Jayce made it.

Jayce is still looking at him, expression hopeful, and Viktor smiles.

"It's perfect." he says, and then nods to the other baskets. "I hope you didn't make too many, I don't have much of an appetite on the best of days--" "Oh, no. I mean they do have food but--" He shows Viktor a basket of honeyfruit pastries. "--just stole a bunch from our kitchen at home. I thought we could.. just. have our holiday here."

Viktor smiles at him. "I'd like that."

[wolfsbanesparks]

is there an original story that you would like to write or get writing it somday? if so would you share an excerpt??

I have had a few original stories I've entertained over the years. The one I'm most invested in is called The Devil in the Details. It's a paranormal mystery/cold case type of story. It's basically two stories in one set five years apart.

Basically the "present" follows a young man as he searches for clues as to what happened to his younger brother who went missing five years ago while.

The "past" follows that younger brother, a high school senior, as he uncovers secrets of the occult in their hometown that ultimately lead to his disappearance.

It's an interweaving plot where the younger brother's disappearance haunts the narrative and the reader is left to wonder who or what is responsible while picking up clues.

I've written a (very rough) 20-30k of the story and haven't even gotten into the meat of the story yet.

Excerpt under the cut

His father stared back at him slack-jawed and confused for a moment, the smell of the whiskey on his breath souring the air between them. 

“Your mother said you came by, I didn’t think she’d let you in the front door.” His voice was strangely hoarse, though he spoke clearly. He took a few steps forward and Issac was able to get a better look at his face. It was more lined and sagging than he expected. It was as if he had aged twice as fast as everyone else.

“She didn’t. I let myself in,” Issac straightened his posture as he spoke, trying to swallow the defensiveness that always came from talking with his parents. He realized he had a couple inches on his father, though they were likely close to the same height when the man wasn’t slouched and hunched over himself. 

All he got in response was a huff of what might have been laughter, though there didn’t seem to be any humor in it. 

“Did she tell you why I’m here?”

Samuel paused just staring at Issac for a moment before raising his glass to his lips. He downed what was left in one swig and stared into the now empty glass. He nodded his head before dragging his hand down his face. “Yes...yes she did” His voice cracked with emotion and Sirius thought for a moment that he was going to start crying. Instead he gently pushed past Sirius and headed towards his study.

Sirius followed him on instinct. “So are you going to help me? Or are you going to completely shut me out like mom did? Because I’m going to find out what happened with or without you”

Once in the study Samuel all but collapsed into his desk chair. He gave no indication he was going to respond or even that he had heard his son. He stared at his desk for a long time. Long enough for Issac's anger to begin to boil over.

“Well? Are you going to answer me or not?” Still no answer. “Dammit dad! I’m asking for your help! This would all be so much easier if you just cared enough to do something instead of just sitting on your ass and--”

“Don’t you dare say I don’t care enough!” Finally Sam looked at him. There were so many emotions swirling in his somewhat clouded eyes. Pain. Fury. Sorrow. 

“Then help me figure out what happened to my brother”

“I already know everything I need to know”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Samuel took a deep shuddering breath. He avoided Issac's eyes as he spoke. Instead his eyes drifted to a photograph on his desk. Issac wondered briefly if it was a photo of Noah or if that was too much of a cliche for his father.

“He’s gone and we’ll never see him again. Not in this life...Not even in the next one I imagine.” Before Issac could protest his vague and unsettling answer Samuel continued. “He’s gone because he was good, so good, and I wasn’t. I couldn’t protect my own family from the monsters in my closet. I was a coward who thought he could outsmart the goddamn devil himself and Noah paid for that mistake” His voice broke again and this time a few tears did spill out of the corners of his eyes. “This hell is so much worse than the one imagined being dragged to and that bastard probably knew it”

“Are...Are you saying you know who took him? Who killed him?” The icy chill of realization brought bile into his throat at the mere thought. “What the fuck did you do?! Who was it?!”

“He doesn’t have a name, at least not one I ever knew” 

“Well give me a description, a location--something! You can’t just say cryptic shit like that and expect me to leave it alone!”

“Please Issac, nothing good will come from you knowing more.”

“TELL ME!” 

“I made a mistake, years ago, before either of you boys were even born. If I had known that this would be the price I never would have agreed!”

“Why can’t you give me a straightforward answer? Or some details that might actually help!”

“Because knowing the details will get you killed just like it got him killed!” Orion was breathing heavily, tears streamed down his face, making him look red and blotchy. “The two of you are so alike that way. You keep digging and digging, looking for a truth that is going to hurt far worse than not knowing ever could. I lost everything because I couldn’t stop him from learning the truth. I will not make that same mistake with you.”

“This isn’t over”

“I know”

“You can’t stop me. I have a right to know”

“I think it’s best you leave Issac, before your mother gets home”

[chanheeinc]

Love in a Slide (Juyeon One Shot)

Description: A Spin-off One Shot from THIS reaction post!

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1431

You have known Juyeon since you two were 6, he stole your snack at lunch and you hated his guts until you were 16. Some say a ten year grudge is a little much, you say the jerk should have kept his hands to himself. He has since bought you many snacks, and stayed by your side no matter what. You two are together so often, your parents ask where he is if he didn’t come home with you that day or you didn’t go to his. After he debuted, you figured you wouldn’t see him anymore, but he makes sure to facetime you every night and ask how your day went. Most days you ask how his went, unless you could see how upset he was about something. The first time you noticed Juyeon’s sad eyes is when you started dating a guy on the soccer team in highschool. You at the time assumed it was because he was too busy with training that he didn’t have time for the sport and that made him upset. You never got used to how gloomy he would be when your boyfriend was around, so you broke up with him. You told Juyeon it was because he refused to open the door for you, he thought the reason was funny and smiled again for the first time in a long time. Now when you see Juyeon’s sad eyes, you tell him a story of your clumsy adventures for the day, making him smile. Last night he called you with new sad eyes.

“What’s wrong?” You asked before you could even register the words leaving your mouth.

“What do you mean? I’m just a bit tired,do I look bad?” Juyeon rubbed his face.

“Honestly? You look a little rough buddy,” You tell him. “ When is your break?”

“Next week, we get two days off.”

“Come over to mine then! All of you, we can have a staycation!” You say enthusiastically.

Juyeon agrees that a staycation seems fun, The Boyz members all text you how excited they are to come. Your apartment lets you set up tents on the tennis court, since no one uses it anyways. You get camp foods and drinks, determined to make your friends have a good time, you spend your whole check on everything. By the time you get done stringing up lights, setting up the grill, and filling the coolers, The Boyz arrive with gifts in hand. You sprint to hug them, it has been about a year since you were next to Juyeon physically. Sangyeon ruffles your hair, Eric jumps in your arms, Hyunjae high-fives you, and Jacob hugs you tightly. Juyeon isn’t to be seen, you turn to ask where he is and met Juyeon’s eyes. He is squinting at you.

“Did you not see me?” He asks.

“Not even a little, how long have you been there?” You wrap your arms around him, bringing him into a hug. You rest your head on his chest as his arms snake around you.

“I got here first, maybe if you weren’t so entranced by Sangyeon you would have seen me.” You laugh at him and look up to see he isn’t smiling, odd.

“I guess I was just too excited to see everyone, sorry JuJu, don’t worry you are still my number one.” You see him smile slightly at that.

You grab Juyeon’s hand and skip to the campsite, The Boyz have already made themselves comfortable in the lawn chairs you set out. They all begin to talk about what has been going on since they last saw you. Changmin shows you pictures of his Chucky doll, Chanhee begs you to let him live with you, Sunwoo rests his head on your shoulder dramatically. Juyeon continues to hold your hand, not saying much. After Sangyeon tells some stories of everyone and Younghoon successfully falls over the lowered net about five times, it has gotten dark. You all enjoy a meal of grilled meat and down several drinks. After the dinner Kevin stands up and loudly asks to play Hide n Seek. You all eagerly agree, choosing Sangyeon to be it first. After four rounds you find yourself running for your life to the playground close to the Tennis Court, Juyeon deciding to join you like he has done for the previous rounds. This was always how you and he wound up playing games for school trips, never leaving each other’s side, you guess things haven’t changed much. You go through the bottom part of the slide, your legs being the only strong part about you so they can hold you up. Juyeon slides halfway down the entrance, his face inches from yours. You didn’t think anything of it, you’ve shared a bed with him several times, even a sleeping bag. You were so focused on listening for footsteps that you didn’t feel Juyeon’s eyes burning a hole in you. You finally glance at him to be startled by his serious face. Juyeon always gets serious around you when he has been drinking, something you forgot since you haven’t seen him in a while. His eyes flicker down for a second then back up, your heart pounding in your ears.

“I don’t think Jacob will find us for a while.” You say, voice cracking lightly..

“Hm?” Juyeon says.

“I said,” You begin to repeat yourself, Juyeon moving slightly closer to you, eyes looking lower again, you gulp.

“Jacob, not finding.” You sound like a caveman, Juyeon isn’t really listening anyways.

His face is close to yours, usually one of the two of you would jokingly make a fake vomit noise, but not tonight. He was inching closer to you, no room left. A second away from-

"Found you two!" Says Jacob.

You snap out of the daze the slide puts you in, Juyeon disappearing afterwards. The Boyz are tired from running around and all decide to crash, moving to their respected tents. You only bought four, three to a room. Jacob was supposed to share the tent with you and Juyeon, but he heads towards Kevin’s tent.

“Cobie, you're in my tent.” You stop him.

“I know, but since you haven't seen Juyeon in a while, I’ll give you two alone time.” Jacob smiles.

You thank him and help carry his things into the now crowded tent of Kevin, Eric, and Hyunjae. You unzip your tent to see Juyeon laying on his back. You flop down next to him, taking his hand. He hesitates to hold it, the first time that he has ever done so. You glance at him, his sad eyes are showing.

“The stars look lovely tonight.” You jokingly say looking up at the tents ceiling.

“I’m in love with you.” Juyeon says.

Your head turns so fast to look at him you hear it pop. His eyes are closed but you can see tears falling out of them. You sit up, letting go of Juyeon’s hand. “I Love you,” you’ve heard a million times, but “I’m in love with you,” is a new one. You grab the tissues you brought, dabbing the tears away from Juyeon’s eyes. You were close to his face again, just like in the slide. You don’t know if you love him or in love with him, you have never known. You always felt happy when he was around, you even liked when he hated your high school boyfriend, though you were unsure why. Maybe you are in love with him, maybe you’re selfish and just want him to love you.

“Are you sure?” You ask after a few minutes of silence, a dumb question but the only thing you can think of.

“Positive.” His voice cracks.

“For how long?” At this point you are stalling to make up your mind.

“I don’t know how long I’ve been in love, but I’ve had a crush on you since we were six. That’s why I stole your snack.” His eyes close harder, like that stops the tears and not pushes them out.

You laugh. Confused, he opens his eyes, tears falling even more rapidly. You cover your mouth, wiping away his tears. All of these emotions begin at a lunch time snack. You didn’t need any more time. You lean down and kiss him, he instantly kisses back. A thousand sparks shoot off through your body, he grabs you and pulls you closer. You pull away and rest your head on his chest, you can hear his rapid heartbeat. He lays his hand on your back, holding you close.

[batwhimpix]

An Interview with Former Takarazuka Top Star Asumi Rio: The Laidback Personality Behind the Handsome Face

(Translated by me 8/19/2021)

While still a member of the Takarazuka Revue, Asumi Rio was known for her sensitive acting which digs deep into the heart of each role, her crystal-clear vocals, and her captivating stage presence. As the top star of Flower Troupe, she gained an immense level of popularity. Now, it has been one year since her retirement from the company. She has expanded her repertoire from stage to screen, and continues to showcase new sides to her talent. In her first name-bearing variety program, the Hulu Original "Asumi Rio's Atelier," Asumi-san learns new tips and techniques to "step up" both her lifestyle and her design sense. Totally different from her intense onstage aura, this program offers a chance to get to know Asumi-san's soft and relaxed offstage persona.

It's been a year and a half since you left the Takarazuka Revue. How would you describe that period of time for you, Asumi-san?

When I was in the Revue, because I had managed to enter the world of Takarazuka, which was my absolute favorite place, I felt strongly that I didn't want to have any regrets. So I was very motivated to work as hard as I could to polish my craft. I was completely lost in it, but within that, I always had my fans cheering me on, and the guidance of so many around me. In the last year and a half, I've realized all over again just how precious a thing that was.

Until I left, my only experience was on the stage, so stepping into the world on screen for the first time, a lot of totally new forms of expression were expected from me, and I felt a lot of anxiety. Parting from Takarazuka and living as just one individual human, every day is full of challenges. But that said, every day now is also rich with new experiences and new possibilities, so I've come to face that with a lot of gratitude.

While you were in Takarazuka, there was a very clear image, that of a perfect "otokoyaku," to aspire to. Now that you don't have that anymore, what kind of actress are you aiming to become?

There are a lot of qualities I have now precisely because I was an otokoyaku, and I think it's probably okay for me to just embrace that. As top [abbrev. "top star", the starring otokoyaku actress in each troupe], I was in a position where I had to lead the troupe, watch over and guide all the other actresses, and shape each production as the lead actress. I think I've picked up a lot of grit through that experience, and even as a woman, I think having a bit of a masculine edge in your lifestyle and how you deal with things can be a positive, right?

Even when I was playing otokoyaku roles, moreso than aiming for a particular ideal, I came at each role separately, like, this time I'm playing this kind of man, next time I'm playing this kind of man. It was like a gradual broadening of my horizons. Now I'm simply adding female roles to that roster, so it's kind of like the scope of roles available to me has doubled. When it comes to my outward appearance, as my hair grows out and I transition toward a more feminine look, I've been having all kinds of new discoveries, like, "Oh, this kind of styling makes me feel like this." Within my drama roles as well, I like those discoveries like, if I do it like this, won't it be interesting, or if I do this, I can get viewers to say, "Oh!" I want to keep digging to find those little moments where I can really surprise people within each role.

Since your retirement from Takarazuka, what overall on-set experience sticks out the most in your memory?

I think that has to be the first show I had the opportunity to take part in, "Ochoyan" [NHK serialized telenovella]. Until I was on that set, I always thought that the stage was the most incredible place in the world. I would never find anywhere else where every member is so unified in their vision, where everyone has so much pride in their troupe and so much love for the production they're building together, as in Takarazuka. Even now, I still think Takarazuka is a very special place, and my love for it hasn't changed.

But on the set of "Ochoyan," like Takarazuka, there were so many staff working to create this thing, who truly loved the work and brought all kinds of skills to the table to bring it to life. Among the cast as well, the atmosphere during recording, where all of us in the Tsurugame Family Theater [the name of the theater company employing main character Takei Chiyo as well as Asumi-san's character Takamine Ruriko] really did feel like a family, wasn't that different from Takarazuka at all. On the contrary, because our time together was limited just to the recording of this show, it felt like everyone valued that time all the more. Being on a set like that was a huge experience for me.

In Takarazuka, you had a very hectic schedule. As soon as one production closed you were already thinking about the next. I'm sure your lifestyle has changed in a big way since then. What kind of feelings do you have about that?

I retired and moved here to Tokyo right around the start of the pandemic. During the lockdown, when I was in my house all day, I realized how long the day really is. Suddenly it was up to me to decide how to spend all this time in the day. I could use it to rest or, if I had some area I was struggling with, I could use it for training too. I had a renewed realization that depending on my own feelings, I could choose to change myself in any number of ways.

These days, how do you find yourself spending the majority of your time?

These days, I'm doing a lot of types of work I'm totally new to, and working on sets with people I've only just met, so I'm still in a place where I spend a lot of time nervous. When I'm on a set I haven't gotten used to yet, my antenna is going in all different directions, so after I get home I try to relax as much as possible. In order to fully refresh myself and go into work the next day in high spirits and ready to face whatever comes, I've been making a conscious effort to be kind to myself.

What activities allow you to refresh your batteries the most?

Zoning out, and eating delicious food.

On "Asumi Rio's Atelier," you gave steaming rice in a donabe [TN: earthenware pot traditionally used to steam rice, supposedly more delicious than steaming in a rice cooker] a try for the first time, but what kinds of things do you eat most often?

As long as it tastes good, I'll happily eat anything. I like vegetables, meat, fish, and I love carbs, too. Ideally, I want to eat a good balance of a lot of different things.

Speaking of that program, how were the topics for each episode decided? Were you able to make requests?

For "Atelier" we had the general framework that I would be trying different activities I was interested in from the onset, so basically they asked me, "What kind of things are you interested in? What do you want to try?" And then...Yeah, first I had about 30, then we added about 30 more, so in total about 60, ideas that we pitched. The program staff wanted to include as many of my requests as they could, so actually, within each episode there are probably three or four different ones. In addition to that, there's an interview in each episode that relates back to that episode's theme. I enjoyed the chance to reflect on my Takarazuka era and memories from my childhood.

On the topic of your Takarazuka era, in your first interview for us, you said, "I wasn't necessarily aiming to become top star." But within the system of Takarazuka, to climb all the way to top star, you must have been aware of something within yourself that made you want to aim higher?

Let's see...Ever since I was an underclassman, I had a strong drive to improve as an otokoyaku. I wanted people to find my performance interesting, and I wanted to be seen as a necessary part of the production. I wanted to act a lot, and I wanted to sing a lot of songs that I love. I wanted to bathe in the spotlight, and I was happy when I got to wear more gorgeous costumes. If I really think back on those feelings now, first in the shinjinkouen junior performances featuring only actresses who have been with the company seven years or less, and then in performances at the smaller Bow Hall theater next to the Takarazuka Grand Theater, inevitably I started aiming for the lead roles that would allow me to stand on stage for the longest every time.

Somewhere along that road, when I was told I was being transferred from the troupe I was first inducted into, Moon Troupe, to Flower Troupe, this feeling that I had wanted to be the Moon Troupe's successor welled to the surface. And since that's the same as saying, "I wanted to be the top star of Moon Troupe," that was the first time I became aware of that goal. Every troupe in Takarazuka has its own character, though, so after my transfer, I was desperate to hurry up and become an otokoyaku befitting Flower Troupe first...

So as you worked to further your artistic development, there at the zenith was top star.

If you were to ask my underclassman self, the Top-sans are unbelievably incredible performers, and the more shinjinkouens you experience, the more closely you come to understanding just how incredible they are. Then as you spend more years with the company and find yourself in a position where you're working directly under the Top-san, you realize how much work they're really doing, and...The more you know, the more you lose the ability to say something like "I want to be the top star" carelessly.

And yet, you bore the heavy responsibility of a top star for five-and-a-half years. It's hard to imagine from your usual laidback attitude, but when it comes to your art, you're incredibly diligent and strong-willed. That gap is captivating.

When it comes to theater, I'm very picky. I mean, I'm way too stubborn for one thing. Especially in productions where I'm playing the lead role, I always have really strong feelings about how I want to perform things, and I'm not in a position where I can hesitate to convey that. It's important to listen to the opinions of various other people too, but when it comes down to it, if I have a clear idea of the direction I want things to proceed and direct things with that in mind, it makes things easier for everyone else, so I always tried to communicate my thoughts clearly and directly. If I'm delivering consistently good work, there's a persuasive power to that. Not only do the underclassmen naturally follow along, but the staff listen and respond to my requests as well.

But when you're making this kind of production, you do have to be pretty strict. But then, the real me is more of a people pleaser. I want everyone to like me, or more like, I don't want to be disliked. I didn't want the younger underclassmen to feel like I was unapproachable or like they couldn't talk to me because I was the top star. I wanted them to think of me like family. So outside matters relating to work, I tried to give off as relaxed a vibe as possible. Definitely, I think there was quite a gap between "on" and "off" for me.

Are there a lot of differences between "Asumi Rio the otokoyaku" and "Asumi Rio the actress?" How about between your stage name persona and your private self under your birth name?

I've lived under my stage name for so much longer than my birth name that I feel like, at this point, the parts of myself that belong to my real name are few and far between. I do have the feeling that, in some respect, I've grown up together with my stage name. In essence, while I was in Takarazuka, I didn't worry too much about creating a separate persona. Thanks to the kindness of my fans and the environment I was in, I felt like I could leave my otokoyaku persona on the stage and stay pretty close to my natural self everywhere else. I guess the only thing is, when I'm alone in my house, I revert to goblin mode. (laughs wryly) Like I'll have trouble getting myself to go take a bath, or I really should clean but my back hurts, etc., etc.

By contrast, now that I've graduated from being an otokoyaku, a lot of the things I'm doing as an actress are total firsts for me, so I think I feel more discomfort with my presentation now than I did then. There are times when I get really nervous, and then I get disappointed in myself for feeling that way. Like, until just a little while ago, I was in a position where I was responsible for keeping everyone's morale up. I would get up on that stage like, "It's alright, just leave it to me," so what am I all anxious for now? I often think about how much I still have to learn, and how badly I want to hurry up and learn it so I can show the results of my efforts.

Is there a particular ideal you're currently pursuing? What kind of actress do you want to become, and what kind of woman?

Since leaving Takarazuka, I've had a lot more opportunity to meet all kinds of new people. On every set I've been on, each of the actresses I meet has their own unique aura, and seeing their acting up close, I'm blown away by each of them. Among the staff as well, there are so many different kinds of professionals of all ages, and I often find myself inspired by their work ethic and lifestyle. I'd like to continue to enrich my life by learning from the amazing people I meet and experiencing many new things, and work to become a more fully rounded human being.

*Bracketed notes not marked "TN" (Translator's Note) were present in the original article.

[job-the-prosperous]

yeah after you go through the second floor of the Depths all the monsters hit harder :( you'll have to be twice as careful!

Been getting along well enough for now but I haven't seen a single boss from this floor yet. No idea what to expect of them. It would sure be nice if its all the same bosses... doubt it though. Maybe it won't be so bad? Either way the boss room is pretty close by, might as well try.

(story progression undercut)

The skull decorated door was only a few rooms away from where he was. His heart thumbed in his chest furiously. It had been awhile since he had been in a new environment. At first he thought that the changed would bring more vigor to his life. As it turns out the exact opposite was true. Job peered into the boss room. More of the same flesh walls he'd been walking around in for what felt like ages. Nervously, he stepped in and the door slammed shut behind him.

What he saw inside was nothing he had ever seen before. A large, gelatinous figure with legs and arms that must of been too deformed to move with. It simply sat at the back of the room and stared him down.

Couldn't be to difficult. Don't have to worry about dodging its own movements. The floating eyes may be of concern though.

The staring contest lasted for a few agonizing moments. Eventually the monster had started to shake. It's eye sockets growing larger while it uselessly flailed its "arms and legs" around.

In a mere second a huge brimstone beam blasted from the creature's face, nailing Job. He was flung to the wall only to be hit by yet another beam when trying to roll away from the first. He got out of the boss's line of sight as yet another beam was fired. There was barely any time to even predict when they would fire another. At first he tired to focus his attack on the eyes that where slowly bouncing around the room. They weren't phased by any of his tears. Must of been immune to his attacks.

His focus returned to the boss, firing as many tears as he could to charge up his own revelations beam. Now that Job was not in it's immediate line of sight it was no longer using brimstone. The ring of tears they shot out where much easier to avoid with the occasional help of his meat cube and blocking tears. The damage output Job was dealing was slow but notable. The eyes had been attempting to coral Job back in front of the boss, but Job's flight made them trivial matters.

Once his revelation beam was ready, he flew over to the monster's right side and released the stored light. As soon as Job went over, the monster fired its own brimstone which pushed Job back into the wall. Thankfully for Job, his attack had sliced through the blood shot and landed its mark. The boss was slowing down, it had of been close to dying. Job was prepared to fire the finishing tears but was caught off guard by the boss jumping high into the air. It landed directly onto of Job's right wing. Pinning it to the ground underneath its massive weight. Job struggled to free himself as the creep the monster spawned burned his crushed wing. He was to close to the monster for the brimstone to be aimed at him, which was the only upside to his predicament.

He felt an agonizing sting throughout his body as his last bone heart was shattered. In a final act of desperation he continuously fired tears at the monster, praying it would die soon. His arms grew tired only barely being held up with his running adrenaline. A pained feeling rose in his chest as reality set in. Job mentally braced himself to forget this all and wake up on the first floor, the monster toppled over and finally let go. He had completely looked over his small meat cube friend, who had been ramming into the boss to deal just enough damage to kill it.

Job laid on the ground for a bit, amazed he had gotten out of that alive. Earning a loving nuzzle from his companion. The familiar warmth of white light washed over him, an angel room laid before him. What a miracle this fight was. Touching his right wing sent shivers up his spine. It was still mangled and singed from the fight. He got himself off the ground with a bit of stumbling. The reward for his troubles was the midnight snack. He scarfed the moldy bread down. Not his best idea, nearly throwing up what he had eaten. But he kept it down, filling up the little health he had.

The angel room was warm and inviting. He paid no mind to the item pedestal in front of the angel statue. Job fell face first onto the floor. A good place for a quick nap. The familiar that was on the pedestal rushed over to Job's side. A smaller version of the angel statue that was in the room with them named Seraphim.

I just, need a little rest is all. Make sure my wing is okay for later

Job elected to take a quick break in the angel room before heading to the next floor.

[gayger]

"Summer in Konoha was ending and it was ending fast. With the end of that came the beginning of the end of Sakura's journey in high school. While it wasn't too rambunctious or anything of the sort, Sakura did have one regret: a high school sweet-heart. She didn't get to experience that all encompassing adoration being shown in the school halls, being yelled at by teachers for showing pda, or even the awkwardness of a first kiss. A part of her longed for that feeling - for that experience.

Those thoughts penetrated her mind as her eyes bore outside of her window, over at the open water of the ocean. Sighing, she dares to look away for a second and to her journal on her desk.

'Sakura's Dream Book!'

She smiles softly. She definitely got to cross off some of those dreams, though she wasn't sure they were the ones that she found of importance now.

Knock, knock!

"Sakura! Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura sighs, looking over at her window where one of her best friends was waiting outside patiently, perched up on the old oak tree that was beside her bedroom window.

Making her way over to him, she scowls at him slightly. Why couldn't the blond just knock on the front door like a normal person? Opening the window, big and honest blue eyes stared into hers excitedly.

"Did you forget? We're going to the beach today!" He shouts, a grin on his face. Taking in his tan sleeveless top and neon orange swim-trunks, she could only smile good naturedly. She forgot how much he was looking forward to this.

"I didn't forget, you're just early," she says as she shakes her head. "Go back down the tree and I'll get ready." Sakura pauses before she turns away, giving him a serious and dangerous look. "And Naruto?"

He gulps slightly, knowing what she was probably going to say. "Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Don't even think about peeking or you are dead meat." She smiles sweetly, flexing her knuckles slightly. Naruto nods quickly, repeating a mantra of "Of course, anything for you - not that I was going to peek because that would be creepy!" And other things of that sort.

Eventually he had made his way down and she could hear a few of her other friends yell "Watch it!" and "Don't fall, you idiot!"

She laughs softly before getting ready.

Her highschool life may not have been everything she had hoped or wanted, but at the very least she had gotten through it with some of the best people.

~ ` ~ ` ~

"Mom! I'm heading out with some friends, we're going to the beach!" Sakura shouts, opening the front door and not stepping out until she hears her mothers resounding "Okay, be careful!"

"It's about time, forehead," snarks her other best friend. Sakura's eyebrow twitches, but she ignores the pretty blonde's snarky remark anyway. "Are we all ready to go?" She asks, a smile on her face as she adjusts her bag. It isn't like the walk is very far, it's pretty much just across the street so if they did forget something, her house was just right there. Pretty convenient if she's honest.

As they start walking, Sakura can't help but notice that a little ways down the street there was a movers vehicle in front of a big house.

"Hey! Someones moving into old man Madara's house!" Shouted Naruto, apparently spotting the same thing that she did. "Yeah, I guess so," Sakura hums out. She wonders if they were family members of Madara's or if it was simply sold. He passed away about a year or so ago, so it has been vacant for awhile now. Whoever it was, she hoped that they enjoyed living there. It was a beautiful house, Sakura had to admit.

While she was gawking at the house, her other best friend, Ino, let out a squeal.

Plugging one ear with her finger, Sakura gives her a look. "What the hell, Ino-pig?"

"Oh, come on. You aren't telling me that that super perceptive eye of yours didn't notice the really cute guy over there?" Ino swoons, "I hope he's single." Sakura rolls her eyes, but decides to take a look at who she could only assume Ino is talking about. It was just her luck that when she did, he decided to look over in their direction as well.

Her heart pounds and her cheeks flush slightly when he smirks at her and winks. "Ino, oh my god.. He saw me look - I'm screwed!" Sakura whispers quickly, pointedly looking away. The blonde could only laugh at her friend's predicament. It was just like Sakura to be put in a situation like that.

"I don't understand what the big deal is," Naruto says with a confused look. "I mean, he's super pale and his hair looks like a duck's ass."

"Nice one, Naruto," Kiba snorts, high-fiving him.

Feeling pretty embarrassed, Sakura just quickly starts walking towards the beach again - to their usual spot. Ino gave one last look in the mysterious and handsome boys direction before following her. "Hey, wait up!"

The two boys were left to follow once they were done laughing.

"So, why couldn't Hinata come?" Sakura asks as she lays out her beach towel next to Ino's. The blonde sat down, digging through her bag while answering, "Her father said that they were having family coming into town. She probably won't be able to hang out with us for awhile, from the sound of it."

Sakura juts out her lip slightly, "That sucks. She's really good at keeping Naruto calm."

"Yeah, I know - but, hey," Ino grins, "You've got me. I'm sure we can handle these two morons on our own for awhile." Both teens laugh, stretching their legs out as they applied sunscreen.

Off in the distance, Sakura noticed Naruto and Kiba going ahead into the water with no hint of sunscreen at all. She shakes her head, willing herself to not think about the atrocious sunburn both boys would be sporting later on today.

"Can you believe we are going to be seniors this year?" Ino says off-handedly, moving her blonde bangs away and behind her ear. "I feel like it was just yesterday that we were in middle school fawning over the band Akatsuki."

Sakura nods in agreement, "I know. It's honestly crazy but.." She trails off, a troubled look on her face as she recalls her journal. "I feel like it all went too fast. I didn't cover nearly all of the bases that I wanted to."

"You mean from your journal?" Ino questioned, looking at Sakura in interest. "What was left unchecked? I'm pretty sure you made it your mission to have everything done and dealt with. I mean, you have been the top of our class and our student body leader practically every year."

Sakura's cheeks turn slightly red as she looks away from Ino, hurriedly standing up. "It's.. Just stupid stuff, you wouldn't understand!" She says quickly, trying to exit the question. She practically runs to the water, Ino following after her trying to protest the abrupt end to their conversation.

As soon as the cool water reached across her feet, Sakura let out a soft sigh. She slowly walks out deeper until she's about knee deep, letting her head fall back as she relishes in the feeling of the cool water. Sakura loves the ocean. It was her calm, it was her escape. She can't count how many times she came out here just to wade in the water whenever she was troubled.

Off in the distance, Sakura could see Naruto on his surfboard riding the waves. The guy was a total goofball, but she had to admit that he was one of the best surfers at their high school. He genuinely enjoyed it. It was the only thing (other than the lovely Hinata) that he would give 100% his focus.

"Hey, Forehead. You can't just take off like that," Ino shouts with a scowl on her face as she finished tying her long hair into a bun on top. "Why wouldn't I understand anyway? We've had many of the same experiences, I don't think there is much that I have done that you haven't."

"You would be surprised, but even so.." Sakura sticks out her tongue at her, "You will never know."

"Fine!" Ino pouts, "Be like that."

Sakura laughs, shaking her head and Ino joins in. She really was her best friend.

~ ` ~ ` ~

A few hours later, the four teens are all sprawled out on their beach towels laughing.

"I can't believe you wiped out just right after you were boasting about how you are the best," Kiba howls.

Naruto scowls, shaking his fist at Kiba in protest. "Hey! It happens - you wiped out way more than I did today, anyway dog-breath!" But even with the name calling, he too cracked a grin.

Sakura only watched with a fond smile on her lips. She looks up at the sky, noting that it would be dinner time soon.

"We should probably get going soon," She hums out. She lived just across the road, but she knew that Ino lived quite a walk away and she didn't want her walking in the dark. She knows that Naruto lives a block away from her and would walk her home if it did get dark, but Sakura would rather be safe than sorry.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm beat!" Ino yawns, covering her mouth in the process. Despite all of the sunscreen she plastered on, the blonde was still beyond burnt. Sakura could only imagine the horrified look on her friend's face when she looked in the mirror later.

"But, but-" Naruto pouts, hanging his head. "We've barely seen each other the last few days."

"Hey, Naruto, look at me." Sakura sighed, shaking her head fondly. "How about we all have a sleepover tomorrow night, okay? Then we can all spend plenty of time together."

He immediately perked up, but Kiba rubbed at his hair some in thought. "I wish I could, but Akamaru is going to the vet tomorrow. He's going to need me all night." Naruto gives him a disbelieving look but Kiba quickly waves his hands. "Don't give me that look! You know how much of a baby he is."

"Well, whatever the case may be.. I will be there and I'm sure Shikamaru and Ten Ten would be down to go, too. Ten Ten especially, she was really upset that she hasn't been able to spend so much time with us because of college and her job."

"Sounds like a plan, then." Sakura says, clapping her hands.

Heading towards the sidewalk, Sakura slings her bag over her shoulder. She's chatting away with Ino when she hears him.

"Hey."

Ino nudges her slightly, shutting the pinkette up for a moment and pointing in the direction of the voice. "Is he talking to me or you?" She asks, softly, before putting on a big and flirtatious smile.

"Hey yourself, I'm Ino," she introduces herself while holding out her hand.

The black eyes of the boy from down the street doesn't even spare Ino a glance, instead focusing on Sakura's own emerald orbs.

"I was hoping I'd catch you, I'm Sasuke." He introduces himself, giving her a small smirk and offering up his hand. Ino huffs but looks Sakura over and notices her red face. Sighing, she nudges her in the small of her back trying to get the pink haired teen back on track from her short circuit.

"I'm, uh, Sakura." She finally says, lamely, while holding out her hand. He takes it and she goes to shake, but instead he bows down and brings her knuckles up.. And he presses a small, light kiss.

Sakura could have fainted and Ino picked the worst time to pat her on the shoulder, "Well Saks, I'm gonna go ahead and head home. Text me, okay?" Before the blonde bounds off, waving cheerily.

Sakura retracts her hand, trying to regain focus, not even registering that her friend left her.

"Well," Sasuke pauses watching her face as he spoke, "I was hoping that I could maybe get your number and perhaps an agreement to meet me tomorrow?" Sakura couldn't believe her ears. For once, in her life, a cute guy was asking her and not Ino or hell, even her asking him.

"Uh, um.. Sure," she says as she pulls out her phone. She fumbles with it slightly nearly dropping it which draws a laugh from him as he effortlessly pulls his own phone from his pocket. She was starting to feel bad for all of the times Hinata has gotten nervous or messed up in front of Naruto or anyone, really. "Here," she says as she hands him her phone and his in return. They place their numbers in and once done, he gives her a cool smile.

"Alright then, I will talk to you later, Sa-ku-ra."

"R..Right," she says softly as she waves bye and he turns to leave. After he's long gone, she just stands there kind of dumbly. She couldn't believe that really happened but her mother opened the door to their house and shouted "Sakura, stop standing there like a dumbass and get inside!"

Snapping out of it, she immediately crosses the street to enter the house.

"Why were you just standing out there?" Her mother asks, shutting the door behind her. Sakura smiled sheepishly, tightening her hold on her bag.

"I was talking to someone and I was just lost in thought. No biggie, really."

"Talking to someone?" Her mother questions and Sakura nods, starting to head up the stairs.

"Yeah! But it was no one important, honest!"

Mrs. Haruno was unconvinced but let her go up the stairs. She was sure she would be able to get some information from Ino if needed.

Plopping down on her bed, her bag on the floor, she lets out a sigh. That really just happened. Pulling her phone up to her face, she notices that she has two messages. One from Ino and the other… from him.

Her face slightly pink, she opens up the one from her friend first.

From: Miss Piggy

Subject: Duckbutt

To: Billboard

Girl, you better tell me all of

the deets! Not a single bit of

information left out (6 p.m.)

Sakura snorts at the subject line. She figured that the comment Naruto made will not be forgotten anytime soon - especially since he was right, to a degree. Quickly, she writes out a response before opening the message from Sasuke.

From: Sasuke Uchiha

Subject: Meeting

To: Sakura

How about tomorrow at the ice

-cream parlor up the street at 1?

(6:10 p.m.)

Sakura thinks to herself quietly, trying to map out a time-line for tomorrow. She knows tomorrow that it is the sleepover which means most of them will be coming around 4 or 5, but she also knows that Ino likes to get a head start above everyone else which means she could pop in at any time.. This was tricky, but maybe she could time it just right. Besides, it's just for ice cream. It's not like they are going to be there for hours.

Quickly, she types out "Sure! Sounds great :)".

She deletes the smiley face a couple of times, but at some point she accidentally sent the message while it was on there. Innerly she cursed herself, but what could she do? It already sent.

"Honey?" Sakura's father knocks on the door, opening it up. He was finally home and Sakura couldn't help but smile as she stood up from her bed. "Dinner is ready, come eat."

"Coming!" Sakura says cheerily, meeting her father to walk down the stairs.

Her father worked in the oil field, so he was only home one or two weeks out of a month. So family dinners were precious to her heart. She just wished he was home more, but she understood why he chose that field. While it wasn't reliable, it paid pretty decently. It paid the bills and allowed them some luxuries. One of those being Sakura's growing college fund. It is because of this that Sakura felt a little more pressured to make sure she succeeded and did something worthwhile. She didn't want all of his hard earned money to go to waste.

She just hoped it wouldn't be for nothing.

~ ` ~ ` ~

Sakura knew what she was expecting to see when she woke up in the morning. The very same view that greets her every morning: her ceiling with her stars and solar system stickers. Instead, she got bright blue eyes staring her in her soul and a cage made from blonde hair. Accompanied by a headache, of course, because why would Ino do anything quietly?

"Get your lazy ass up, forehead!" Ino yells, hands on her hips as she pulls back from her face.

Sakura groans, rolling around onto her side and stuffing her pillow onto her head. "Go away."

Ino tsks and the only thing running through Sakura's head is shit. Ino grabs a hold of her foot and yanks as hard as she could, dumping Sakura on the floor by her bed. Sakura glares up at the blonde, scowling. She was having a good dream.

"Damn, it is never this hard to get you up. You're usually up before sunrise to watch it," Ino mumbles out. Sakura blushes, shaking her head. Ino didn't need to know that she stayed up practically all night with anxiety as an obnoxious bubble in her chest.

"Sorry," Sakura mumbles nonchalantly while her eyes look for her clock. Her eyes widen when she realizes it says 12 p.m. Hurriedly, she scrambles up, panic clear on her face.

"Woah there, what has got you so eager to get up all of a sudden?" Ino questions, eyebrow raised as she watches the pinkette hurry to her closet and pull out outfit after outfit. Then it clicked. "Oh. My. God!" She squeals before enveloping Sakura into a tight hug. "You're going to meet him aren't you?! That's why you were acting all weird last night when I was trying to see when I could come over!"

Sakura's face is bright red and she taps her arms to get her to let go. "Fine, yes. We are supposed to meet at the ice cream parlor at 1."

"Then there is no time to waste! Here, let me help!"

~ ` ~ ` ~

It took a matter of 30 minutes, but Sakura was well on her way down to the ice cream parlor. She didn't want to run because she could just hear Ino griping in her head about how her 'perfect' work would be absolutely ruined. Nervously, Sakura tucks a loose strand behind her ear. The parlor comes into view and she quickens her steps, grateful that she opted for simple sandals that fit her comfortably instead of Ino's bright idea which was heels. Her feet would be killing her, she is not like Ino who could dead-sprint in stilettos.

She could see him outside of the parlor, leaning against the wall. His eyes catch hers and her heartbeat quickens as her cheeks flush. Sakura stops in front of him and he gives her a small smile.

"Hey," he says and Sakura's genius murmurs a quiet, "Hi."

Sakura looks anywhere but him for the simple reason she felt very self conscious, but it all stopped momentarily when he offers her his hand and he leads her inside the parlor.

"What kind of icecream do you like?" He asks her as they approach the cashier to order. Sakura hums, thinking, and she smiles before answering: "chocolate as of right now."

Sasuke laughs quietly, "As of right now?" He questions and looks at her amusedly.

"It changes," she supplies before looking up at him, "How about yours?"

"Strawberry."

They didn't stay at the parlor long, instead they found themselves at the beach. They walked along the waves, Sakura's sandals in one hand and the other hand locked with his. The sunlight against their skin was refreshing and added to the warmth of the situation, the wind carrying her laughter as they talked.

"So.." Sakura trails off, her eyes slowly looking up towards his, "What brought you and your family here?"

"My great uncle left it to my brother Itachi in his will, but it's a big house and he wanted to share it with the rest of us." Sakura hums, watching the brief coldness flash in his eyes when he mentioned his brother. She didn't question it, this date… Was that what it was? This date was going well and she didn't want to ruin it by prying into his family life.

"I had no idea he had any relatives, if I'm honest," Sakura says thoughtfully and smiles. "But, I'm happy to find that he did. My friends and I made it a habit to drop gifts and say hi during holidays." Sakura rambles, leaving out the 'because he seemed so lonely' due to her not wanting to offend him.

"Yeah.. He wasn't much for big family gatherings."Sasuke shrugs and then looks down at her, taking in the way the sun brought out the many different shades of greens and spots of blue in her eyes.

"You have very pretty eyes."

She blushes, looking away. "Thank you," she says softly and can feel her chin being lifted up by him. His gaze was heavy and the world stopped around her, nothing but their breathing and her heart beating ferociously could be heard with the gentle lullaby of waves.

"Don't look away from me, Sa-ku-ra." His thumb gently rubs against her cheek and she half expects him to kiss her but instead, he drops his hand and re-takes her hand in his.

"Shall I walk you home?"

Her mind is blank and it takes a minute for what he said to process. A little bit of disappointment bubbles in her, a fear that maybe she said something wrong. "Oh, uh, sure," she says softly and she guides him to her home which is across the street.

Once they arrive, she lets go of his hand and fidgets, unsure of what to do now. Sighing, she looks down at her feet before slowly looking up at him. "Look, I'm sorry if I said something wrong-" Her words die on her tongue because he does something so unexpected and peculiar.

He poked her forehead with his index and middle finger, effectively catching her off guard.

"I had fun, Sa-ku-ra," he removes his fingers and Sakura watches, dumbfounded. "Let's do it again sometime."

"Okay," she replies and a pretty blush forms on her cheeks, she shyly watches him leave with a small smile on her face.

She turns around and briefly catches blue eyes peeking through the blinds of the living room window and she sighs, shaking her head. Of course she would get no privacy.

Stepping inside the house, she is greeted by her mother and Ino laughing obnoxiously on the couch. Not at all suspicious. Sakura places her hand on her hip, looking at them expectantly.

"Did you guys sate your curiosity looking outside the window?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," her mother states innocently before her expression turns devilish. "Buuuutttt, since you're here. Mind sharing the details?"

Sighing, Sakura gives in and decides to tell them about everything - with the exception of what happened near her front door. That, she had decided, would stay secret for her sake. Or as secret as it could, considering she was being watched the entire time they were out there."

- "A Proclivity for Love" chapter one.

Want to read more?

You can find it on AO3 and Fanfiction,net. There are 23 chapters!

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13822288/1/A-Proclivity-for-Love

[chaoticspacefam]

May I ask about "Yes, I Know I’m A Wolf" ? :) (~Dina)

Thank you for the ask Dina! @justanothermainblog

Gonna drop a tag in there just in case bc Tumblr is being fantastically well...Tumblr, tonight 🤣 Oh hey look, it's....kind of fluff? Kinda. And it's Rai/Koth who I haven't gotten to talk about in what feels like forever 🥰 So, the "vibe" of this chapter and its companion chapter "And I've Been Known To Bite" were based on this particular lyric set from Young Heretics:

"Yes I know I'm a wolf, and I've been known to bite But the rest of my pack, I have left them behind. And my teeth may be sharp, and I've been raised to kill, But the thought of fresh meat, it is making me ill."

I don't imagine there's many (if any at all tbh) Purebloods on Zakuul so it's somewhat of a shock for him to see Rai use her fangs as weapons (he didn't really even notice she had fangs until then) and he's a little freaked out by what happened, Rai picks up on this and so this conversation ensues. This is, in fact, step *checks notes* 3?? 3, to them bonding and eventually falling in love. Eventually. Chronologically, this one technically comes after "And I've Been Known To Bite" but I decided to go with a "flashback" style sequence for this pair so I could keep the lyrics in the correct "order" for the two parts of the fic series that they fit, if that makes sense. XD

I'm REALLY excited for this one and I can't wait to actually get to writing them both when I have some time freed up. A lot of this aside from the pivotal line, "I don't like killing things and I need you to know that." might end up changing at some point as I flesh out the surrounding paragraphs, so we'll see how the final product turns out but this is probably the WIP on the list that I, personally, am most excited to finish 🥰 Snippet, ofc, because how could I not include it even if I haven't written too much of it yet.

Finally, she was the one that broke the silence, her voice carrying conviction despite the softer, gentled tone she used: “I don’t like killing things. I need you to know that.”

Koth stared at her again, and this time he set his hydrospanner down and sat back from the terminal he’d been trying to get into. She heard him huff out a breath softly as he turned the statement over in his mind, and kept quiet to let him think it over in his own time. Finally, Koth rolled his shoulders, sighed again, and muttered ruefully. “But sometimes you have to, yeah. I get that.”

The Pureblood’s hands freeze over the control panel she’d been about to tap, her relief at hearing the pilot somewhat agree overshadowed by her own emotions.

“Yeah. Sometimes it’s us or them. It doesn’t make it easy...or right. But sometimes, you have to protect your own. That’s all I’m trying to do.”

[bittybattybunny]

I hope your not feeling down on your writing skills because I haven't caught up and commented on your latest releases. It's not you it's that I pick too many fanfics to follow and they all update a lot and I've been so busy and I've fallen behind on so many fics from various authors and sometimes my depression just makes me want to lie in bed all day doing nothing and it doesn't help I have to spend my limited spoons helping family everyday. I know these aren't good excuses, but I do sympathize with the lack of energy feeling at least. But your work really does bring a lot of joy to my life. It's so fun keeping up with your various AUs, and your latest one that features Kaya as Spider King has me really hyped because I want to learn more about Kaya, she's so fun! And Ruclipse is such a good comfort ship that just hits all the things I like seeing in a ship. You're so amazing and creative and it's awful that anyone would try to make you feel otherwise! Like your newest OC, Justin Tyme seems like such a lovable dumbass bastard. I love his wild, curly hair and his dapper outfit. I can't wait to see what dumb shit he gets himself into! I know this is really long and rambly, but I hope you know you have fans who genuinely love your work. I don't know if you're still thinking about that one comment you mentioned that got you really down, but honestly, fuck that guy. I don't know what they said but it must have been pure BS to have you doubting your hard earned art skills. I wish I could do more to prove you're awesome and that your fans really admire you, I just hope you don't stop sharing what you love because some rando was nasty for no good reason. Because we love what you do!

It's not like anyone one person nonny so please don't blame yourself. This has been an ongoing thing for a few months actually...

it's just a general thing over all lately like. I mentioned this in dm's with a friend but overall past few months I've had lower engagement overall with my works and it really does a number on my confidence. More so because like your latter point.

yes, I am still very much thinking about that one negative comment. Because that person also has the need to comment on other things and I even had a thing asking why I took a few weeks to update (when reality I posted to another ongoing fic and my TLC chapters are long chapters) and just the fact they could tear into a character (yes it was a comment on a character specifically and not even a main character it's a side character who has an important role for Snatcher's growth as a person down the line) then go saying "why didn't you update" when I posted a double update that week---

Like it lives in my head rent free and I want to literally cry because like the character is a focal in an upcoming chapter and I can't deal with another "why are they back" type thing. because "everyone finds them annoying"

And I'll be honest. it was Kaya. Like I've been trying to have fun with my BCU stuff with her as Spiderking because it's engaging for me and me and @/doodleimprovement even came up with a b-plot involving Kaya and Hattie trying to hook Nell and Marcus together and it's one of the best things as well as Kaya and Nell having a really good relationship.

but because of that one comment it makes me hesitant to do anything with Kaya despite she's one of my oldest ocs, my most thought out ocs and I adore her beyond anything. Like yes she's over powered and such and in TLC rn she comes off as a know it all, but upcoming chapters will show she's just a spacey kid who's trying to fit into a role others decided for her and isn't really as all mighty as she seems. Snatcher even ends up thinking of her as a little sister more than anything. Like fuck I'm even hesitant to share anything on her actual story despite how much work is in it. Like she's my favorite Oc (that's why shes my discord icon, and I'm pretty sure she's my twitter icon as well)

And like the points in the comment just. IDK they didn't fit to her, if anything the points are more suited to be shot at Eclipse.

Which is another thing I just get iffy on. I love RuClipse and everything with it. I love writing and drawing the dorks. But I'm now so afraid if Kaya could be attacked for only showing in a handful of chapters that don't even touch on who she is, when is someone going to finally tell me off on my wolf? who's going to tear into a character I pour a lot of personal shit into to try and comfort myself?

I use Ruclipse to deal with my own romantic heart, they are what I wish I could have so I love to write them, I hurt them but i like to make them happy in the end. Someone who can deal with your highs and lows. No ones perfect but you can still figure it out and love even the negative parts (I am a heavy romantic OTL)

he is in fact a lovable bastard. i have fun plans and he gives me an excuse for why Cel is so tired and having to be the brain cell and how she even wound up working with the time kids when she's so much older than they are. Currently I'm trying to think of how to use him and honestly I think he's gonna wind up hella comic relief fun guy who's just making a mess and do his own side story while Hat and Bow are busy in subcon----

thank you, I don't mind the rambly it kinda gave me a chance to get this off my chest... like I've typed this kinda response up time and time again and I always delete. I feel like I'm whining because I get upset but it's just, I spend so much time making things, I use all my spoons on either working or creating, I just want to know if it means anything but then negativity lives in my head because what's a functioning meat cube??? I try to stay positive but it's hard. Like another thing is Moon Guardian; the reason I haven't updated? because I have had someone bothering me about it. weekly I get asked about how I'm doing on it but it's not from a place of "want to read it" it's because I told them they couldn't post a certain thing until the chapter is done so it feels pressuring to constantly get asked because I feel the only reason they want to post is to boost their thing and I'm just the machine to boost it with my characters and comic.... like it feels they've taken the comic from me and it sucks because I have so many fun things planned. Like I accidentally went off on Nina about a thing with Alpine skyline and Eclipse as well as a thing with a Time Rift and a Jelly ghost.

Sorry kinda went off, just I've sat on this thought train since like early april. I've done my best to ignore it and just keep going but it's gotten really hard with the fact my health hasn't been really great. I've spent a lot of time lately bed bound because I just hurt so badly. if I'm not resting, I'm at my day job which is incredibly stressful rn as I only really work mornings and I see things that are being missed so then i report it and it still gets missed and i can't get it fixed after a point cuz we're back to full service and need the people so I can't nitpick but just.... I'm bitter okay like if I left this shit when I worked I would have gotten yelled at but now we just let it slide??? and this stresses me out which then causes my body to freak out because I'm stressed which puts me in more pain. and then like at work have people acting shocked I have my cane or soemthing and just skfdslkfksdf

so my energy is so tanked. and then the negative comment in my head, no idea if people like things cuz I have no idea if I hear nothing, just has had me doubting why post. Like I should go back to just not posting my stories and sketches or w/e and slink back to my hole like I was before.

idk Its just. a bad night in the house of bun. I've had these thoughts festering and I guess today was the dam breaking. It's probs cuz I'm nervous posting Chimeras because it's a very dark au.