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ikkosu · 6 months ago

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ERWIN. FEM. READER

Erwin offers to take you the market. You don’t like him very much.

THE office was dimly lit. Interior largely of mahogany brown, the once glossy veneer now bores the stale dull of wood. Pitch black blotted the regions where the gentle glow of the lantern from your table wouldn't reach.

Everyone had clocked out for today. You offered to stay behind to clear out the register — sorting through the columns and columns of names with a hope that each and every one of the patients had been rightfully dosed of medication. While it helped to ease the workload for tomorrow, your determination had came at a price.

On your right, beyond the frost sheathed window was the swarth-en veil of the night. And, it was childish impulse that urged you halt scribbling on the paper, turn, blow, curl out a finger and drag careful lines about the cold glass. Eventually conjured was a simple smile that grinned back, expectant.

Uncertainty blossomed in your chest. But you figured a taut quirk of your lips would be enough — even if it was stiff and even if it was half hearted. After all, the night had fallen cold. Having just finish up the last few batches of report , you longed for the warm covers of your bed.

You pushed the chair back. Blew out the flickering lantern and slung the satchel over your shoulder, paving your way down the steps.The ingress, large wooden doors, was wide open and no more than a few steps later would you be free from this—

A call of your name halted your steps, coupled with succession of footsteps behind thatmade you freeze. You whirled around, greeted with a looming shadow that overhead blocks the flare of the chandelier above and three steps back is all it takes for you regard his face fully.

“Commander.” You greet. Not kindly.

The commander smiles. But it isn't just any smile. The look on his face is soft. Just as his eyes were. Crinkling blue in tandem of the curve over his whites. He is but gentle as he regards you, gentle like the smile you carved out with care on the window. A warm touch against the cold. And, yet...

Discreetly, you glance around. There is no one else in the room. He peered at the satchel you were clutching and points to it almost instinctively. "I see you are finished."

“That, I am. I cant help but ask. Is there something you need from me?”

If he had caught onto your sharp tone, he shows no visible reaction. Instead, he inclines his head, a hand dismissing the thought. "No, not of that sort. It's a lovely weather tonight and I was hoping I could accommodate you across the market. There's a festival not too far and I hear the town lights are beautiful at this time of the month."

You blinked, “How did you know I was going to the market?”

At this inquiry, Erwin turns away. " I was passing by when I overheard you chatting with the lance corporal. I deeply apologized if I made you feel—“

“It’s fine." You raise a hand. "I was only surprised you knew. Only to the market, right?"

He ponders for a moment. " We could stroll on for more?"

You nod. " Won't be too much of a harm, then. Let's go."

Despite conceding, you were hesitant. Conjuring a scandal by simply seen walking alongside the commander isn’t something you could bear. It happened several times. Many had thought you were his lover. Not that you didn't mind covering for his Commander's apparent non-existent love life there was also the fact that you wished to never associate with him at all outside work duties. But it isn't wise to turn him down as well. Not when your life depends on his hands. What keys he chose to glide it over. Strings to a puppet. Puppet bounded by string.

Speaking of puppet..

Erwin isn’t beside you. You halt and turn to find that he has his back to you, the tip of his ears red. He's hunched over as well — is he rubbing his face? Just what on earth is he doing? You narrow your eyes. “If you need to get something—“

Instantly, he turns back around, clearing his throat. His forehead is all but pinched red. “Lets not wait any longer." He says. " The night might turn colder."

"I...yes, that is..right." You nod slowly.

As he strides past you, gait stern and commanding of an officer as he, all you could think about was how strange he is. He’s a strange, strange man this commander.

—

YOU try not to scoot away when he gets close. You also try not to flinch when his hand grazes against yours. Though, you did give him a look when he's close to holding your waist. But to be fair it was also a miscalculation, on your part. Too fixated on a stall, you tripped over your footing and it was all due to Erwin clutching your waist that the granite hadn't kissed your face yet. But the sudden proximity made you lock his eyes. He simply flushed at your look and kept his hands behind his back ever since. As though he'd be maimed the moment he twitched.

Irritation blossomed in your chest like vines curling up a ladder. Why is he acting this way? Childish. Awestruck. Often in the office, the most common expression he’s rooked on is a firm look that could melt ice and freeze hell over. Now, under the warm bustling lanterns of the festival, the past rolling fleets of vibrant mingling colors — his face is soft. One side of his cheek, the sharp contours is sheathed with bright orange while, where the shadow falls melts with the crinkle of his eyes and a shroud of a smile.

The visage of the window comes back. You push the thought away.

“A boy,” You mutter. Too bright. Much too bright.

“Hm?”

“Nothing.”

Erwin takes a step aside, cautious. "Did you find anything that you like?"

After a quick stroll round the markets, you had gotten the groceries you need. Mostly eggs and lettuce and a few chops of chicken. Now, you humored his request for a walk through the festivities.After all, the path is closer to your house, anyway which is why you conceded.

"I haven't been to a festival often. It's...new to me, to be honest."

" I see. Then I'm assuming you haven't tried these games, as well?" He gestured to the stalls.

You look, scanning the many sage tents propped up with decoration and vibrant commodities.

“Would you like to try?”

“The rifle range? I don’t think I’m adequate.”

You grimaced at the sight. Children and old seniors alike, giggling and cooing everytime a patron had made a perfect shot in the target. You were sure to humiliate him if ever you're to hold a gun.

Erwin only chuckled "Nonsense." And you flinched when his hands curled round your wrists, tugging you along. " Everyone has their own shortcomings. Learning a rifle isn't too bothersome, believe me."

Without much thought he grabs your hands and you try your hardest not to pull it away.

—

THE man at the stall was not much taller than Erwin. He was quite built. Tanned, dark eyed and considerably not bad looking from behind his ivory draped table.

"How many rounds?" Was his polite inquiry, already propping up the station for play. Your companion pulled out a pouch— his wallet that he took out several sheets of money from.

"Just two."

You reached into your satchel, frantic. "Oh, no it's okay. I'll—"

"Two rounds." But the deal had already been docked. Money taken and stashed. You gave a betrayed look to the man who only laughed in reply.

"Have you played this before?" He loaded up the rifle with, what you're assuming, is false bullets. Plastic at most. Soft and easily reflective.

"She hasn't."

You fight the burn from your face. "I must admit remorsely...i'm not very well aquainted with...these festivities."

"Ah, you'll get to be. Don't worry. Just a few games and—" He snapped his fingers in good humor. " You'll be rooked in like a drug."

" I hope not. I wouldn't want to go through the laboring process of rehabilitation." You said dryly.

" Easier said than done, lady." Was his playful retort.

Erwin extends the rifle to you, "Ready?"

You take it reluctantly. "Quite."

After a few rounds it was increasingly clear you're not as intelligent as you would seem to be. Each play proved further that your inadequate stance, aim, position is, at most, profoundly low levelled — even, the wind at some point isn't in your favor.

Observing the target, the concentric circle consisted of three layers. You drilled all but the middle. And all but the target, even. Some bullets pelted the sage tent behind.

Erwin pats your shoulder. "No point giving up now when you have so much to lose, yes? Stay put. I will get us drinks.”

And with that he left, disappearing amidst the flock of crowd. Now, you're here with the man who leant against the counter, regarding you with warm eyes.

"Help?"

"I'll humiliate you further if you don't." You said with a groan, lowering the muzzle. " I just can't hold it right."

He rounded the table and came behind.

" That's because you're too stiff, my lady. You should stand perpendicular to the target with your feet roughly shoulder width apart. May I?" You allowed him to cage you in. " Here, just keep your hold on it tight. ”

“Like this?” You curl your finger around the trigger. His curls over yours as well.

"Yes, like that." He echoed, "Now, aim."

You raise the muzzle in line with the target. Stance, aim, position and breathing in mind you pulled the trigger. And—

Your cheeks lift up in its own accord, carving out a bright smile from your lips. "The middle!"

"If you are then you might as well be the gods."

"Yes, the middle." He grinned as well, pointing at the chafe of a bullet in the circle. "I'm such a good savior aren't?"

His laugh rumbled through your body as he shifted behind you. "See? All it takes is—"

“Excuse me.”

The man stiffened and you both simultaneously turn to find Erwin standing at the parting of the tent with drinks and food on his arms.

The natural crinkle of his eyes and smile is now rigid under the lantern. Soft contours now donning a sharp shadow. The plastic cup in his hold is unnaturally taut, gripped firm. A kind of silence fell. You're not so sure what to say at this sudden change in disposition, but you kept quiet.

The smiley face on the window vaporized.

Erwin walks towards you. The man is already at arms length, three steps away and silent as Erwin grabs the rifle and drills in at least a perfect shot on each and every one on the target spanning across the ground.

"The prizes please.” He says politely, setting the rifle down.

The man bowed simply and left without a word.

Something simmered in your chest watching him waddled away— but it wasn’t annoyance. Something like guilt festers deep inside. But you’re not sure why you’re guilty at all when you haven’t done anything wrong yet.

When he’s done gathering the prizes, on top of all the food and drinks — seriously, how does he do that? He turns urns to you, "Shall we?”

You gathered the several box of prizes from him to ease the weight. “You can play more if you want,”

“But would it be alright if we went to a different stall?”

“I…” He wants to change stalls now? That’s….you thought he was having fun here. “Anything. It's alright, you can do whatever you want to do,”

He momentarily glances to the man. “Good.”

Good? Your confusion reeks further when his palm is on your back steering you away from the tent. Erwin twists his body, peering over your shoulder. To probably look at the target, no doubt. What could possibly fuel his sudden annoyance for the man?

That question is short-lived as the sight of food quells the confusion away.

—

WHEN Erwin bid you farewell that night he returned to his quarters immediately. It was almost a daze-like trance as he sauntered through his nightly routine. Changing into comfortable clothes, arms half-way plunging through a sleeve, his mind is consumed with the earlier escapade this evening, some lighting up a bright expression and some that drew a visible frown.

Either ways, he shook off the irritation and slumped on the bed, relished the warm cushions on his bed and wished, for a moment, that your face nuzzled the pillow beside him.

It was a memory engrained into his mind. Your face was warm under the vibrant lanterns. Almost soft, and pleasant like a summer's morning.

His face grew warm. Tip of the ears tinged pink. Erwin grabbed the pillow and plunged his face into it.

#hi i wrote this at 1 am so forgive the chonky bits #erwin smith #erwin #aot #attack on titan #erwin x reader #erwin smith x reader #aot erwin #aot erwin smith x reader #attack on titan x reader

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natsuki208 · 2 months ago

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In the Middle of the Night…

Sasha Braus could not find it within her to go back to sleep after such a horrific nightmare. She now seeks for comfort.

(A gift for @sonofthesaiyans as it’s another variation of ‘Assassin’s Bullet’)

——————————————————————————

“NO! NO! GET UP!”

The brunette feels like she was yelling for hours, as her voice turns all raspy, her throat is now achy, and watery tears will not stop stinging her cheeks.

She can sense her own eyes beginning to close with no trace of light reaching her anymore, so her desperate cries are not working. All that is left is the scenery of darkness and the pain of a bullet in her chest.

In the middle of the night, she is awaken. She’s moved from inside of a blimp to inside her bedroom, nothing but the sounds of heavy breathing fill up the empty space. She doesn’t move an inch so she can catch her breath, only glancing around for a few seconds, until she is fully composed with what just happened.

Beads of sweat visibly disappeared now but her body still refuses to move, as if she’s still in the horrific dream world. It doesn’t take long however for her head begins tilting to the side to look at the window, to have what little light there is to shine on her face, to beckon her to get up and see outside… which she eventually does.

She gets up slowly out of her bed for she’s still slightly shaking, looks out at the dark night with the only light inhabiting in the environment being from the full moon. This at least allows her to notice the daisies outside, they are all in bloom in time for spring. Such a visual brings a small smile back to her face although she still doesn’t feel a hundred percent like herself again; what she needs is physical comfort.

After a few more minutes of admiring the white flowers, she walks steadily to the opposite side of the room and opens the main door. Hopefully somebody is willing to help her at this hour.

Usually the brunette would immediately go for the storage supplies for a little snack (or a much bigger one) but not tonight, what she really needs is closure. She walks into the big open room full of nothing but seating, the sofas are all close together and only a side table with a lantern off at the side.

Maybe she can stay here for a moment to reclaim her thoughts before going to find someone, but that idea doesn’t last long however. Light breathing noises can be heard, very slow and tranquil, and is coming from the sofa in front of her. A few steps forward and one small peep is enough to inform her that her black-haired Asian friend is sleeping soundly lying down. But the brunette is confused, so she softly whispers out her friend’s name.

“Psst, Mikasa…”

But even that is enough to alert the girl to wake up immediately. Mikasa springs up with a light gasp, sending surprise right back to the other, and she turns over to look at her in the face.

“Sasha? How long was I sleeping here?” She asks quietly.

“You tell me. I only just walked in here.”

Mikasa looks back down at her hands on her knees, feeling ashamed, but why? With Sasha being the curious person that she is, wants to ask why she isn’t in bed like everyone else, but soon remembers the obvious reason. She hates to do so but hesitantly opens her mouth and kinda lets it out.

“A-Are you… still waiting?”

Another gasp escapes from Mikasa, but it sounds sad this time. Sasha feels more terrible than when she woke up… sort of. Before either of them can reply, a great big yawn comes from the door behind Sasha. The door knob moves as the door swiftly opens again, this time a tall man with slightly grown-out hair walks in with his eyes closed. Once he opens them, things get a little awkward.

“Eh?” He mutters sleepily. “What are you two doing here?”

“We could ask you the same question, Connie.” Mikasa speaks up first.

“Oh I just came by to find a snack and head- *yawn* back to sleep. You want one, Sasha?”

The brunette feels embarrassed to admit it, but is desperate for friends to help her after such an experience in slumber, that she needs to come forward with it. “I-I’m not hungry actually.”

Somehow this springs Connie awake. Mikasa can’t help but be surprised either. Poor Sasha now most definitely feels mortified.

“Sasha, is everything okay?” Mikasa asks with concern.

“Y-Yeah. No offence but that doesn’t sound like you.” Connie attempts his best to not be harsh.

Those anxious feelings come flooding right back through her body, she tries her best not to cry again, even if one small tear slips through. Luckily, Connie is too stupid and half-asleep to catch it but Mikasa is another story. Without hesitation, she requests that Sasha should sit with her for a moment - the saddened brunette nods and shifts her way over.

Nothing is said at first, leaving the tired Connie feeling awkward standing, until Sasha gives in with her emotional stress. “I… I just had a bad nightmare, that’s all.”

The two others show both concern and confusion in their expressions. “What are you saying?” Connie butts in. “A nightmare about what?”

A pause occurs. The scratching of nervousness doesn’t help Sasha any further, or playing with her hair or holding back more tears. Brief memories replay in her head over and over again: everyone of the current scouts were in a blimp, there was cheering, interrupted by the sound of a gunshot, she fell to the floor, Jean and Connie were yelling at her, and light was fading away.

Such an event of a plausible death is what can occur anytime during the war and she hates it. So much in fact that she can’t formulate a response. She hurries her hands in her face, finally letting it out of her system, all while two of her closest friends watch.

Mikasa doesn’t hold back either, as she shifts closer to her friend and softly rubs her back up and down (something she recalls Carla doing for her a lot when she was a kid) and Connie takes his seat on Sasha’s other side. Confusingly, he just lays a hand on her shoulder for now. Sasha can sense he’s close and instantly rests her head on his shoulder, making him blush a little, as her breathing slows step by step.

Connie stares at the equally as calm Mikasa just over Sasha’s head. “Should we tell Captain Levi and Commander Hange about this?” He whispers.

“Not now, Connie.” She whispers back. “This is all she needs right now.”

There the trio stay all quietly resting on the sofa, the gentle breeze outside is all that can be heard with their breathing, and moonlight shines through the thin curtains. When all seems peaceful, Connie shuts his eyes once more and droops his head to the side where Sasha is - hopefully he doesn’t end up snoring. Mikasa, keeping her hand on Sasha’s lap, continues to look at the front door for another few minutes before drifting to a light sleep herself.

No words were needed at this point, just the comfort of friends to get her relaxed again is what really matters.

What would the rest of the scouts think if they woke up only to find this? Will Sasha be okay enough to discuss things probably in the morning? Hopefully she will be.

The midnight hour comes to a close with a faint yet beautiful smile spreading on the sleeping brunette’s lips.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot #snk #sasha braus #mikasa ackerman #connie springer #springles?#mikasasha?#fanfic #one shot

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only-lonely-stars · 4 months ago

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The Heart of the Mountain

Oneshot – (FFN) (AO3)

Summary:

After the Tournament of the Sources, Cole goes underground in Shintaro in search of answers. Queen Vania, who hasn't seen him since before the Merge, follows him.

Sort of a sequel to Where Are You?. MAJOR SPOILERS for Dragons Rising Season 2 Part 2! You have been warned.

Vania wasn’t there when Cole arrived, but she heard about it from her staff. It was the Master of Earth’s first visit to Shintaro since the Merge. She hadn’t heard from him, hadn’t seen more than a few news clips… and he was there.

Underground.

He’d ignored her, not even bothering to say hello before descending into the mountain. It was his right to go down there, but being snubbed hurt. He did what he wanted, no matter how it impacted anyone else, because usually it only helped people!

Vania was the Queen of Shintaro. If there was anyone who could do as they liked, it was her.

Two can play at this game, Cole.

So Vania canceled every duty she had for the day. She dressed in her favorite adventuring outfit, freshly plaited her hair into a crown braid, and touched up her makeup. Then she followed him into the darkness and depths, bearing a lantern and striding with confidence.

—

She found him standing in the Heart of the Mountain.

He was staring up at the statue of Lily, everything illuminated in orange. It almost looked like a trance, the way he stood so still, the way the whole room was built to frame him.

For a moment, she didn’t recognize him at all.

“...Cole?”

The ninja before her straightened up, then turned to look at her in surprise. His black hair was longer than she remembered, his eyes a little more tired. “Vania?”

Vania frowned, trying to understand what she saw. Cole was wearing something new: white, orange and steel gray. It was a complicated suit, not unlike a set of armor, and entirely different from a ninja gi.

She preferred his usual black, but it was still quite handsome on him. He was always handsome.

“You… didn’t come say hello. I thought I would come down and find you.”

In case you didn’t come find me before you left.

Because I missed you.

Why didn’t you bother to find me?

“Oh…” Cole looked away, having the decency to be ashamed. “I”m sorry, Vania. Hailmar said you were busy. I didn’t want to interrupt anything.”

“You know you’re never an interruption.” Vania approached him, but it felt like entering a home uninvited. “I just… haven’t seen you in so long. I heard about your surviving the Merge, and you never responded to any of my letters, and… then you disappeared again. I thought you were avoiding me.”

“Avoiding you? No!” Cole stammered, finally coming to her and grasping one of her hands. The contact was welcome, and she had to smile, looking up into his eyes as he seemed to come back to himself. “I’m sorry, Vania, really. I just have a lot on my mind.”

She laughed softly. “When do you not? Every time I hear from you, you tell me about yet another catastrophe.”

“Ha, well, you know how it is being a ninja. Never enough time or people to help with all the things going wrong in the world.” Cole reached up and ruffled his hair, but he didn’t let go of her hand. With ruffled hair, he looked a little bit more like she remembered– boyish, carefree, adventurous. “And this time is unfortunately no different.”

“So I’ve heard.” She mustered her best attitude for him, pushing away her frustrations. “Why are you down here? And… what’s going on with the new outfit?”

“Oh, this?” Cole looked down, letting go of her hand so he could mess with it. He tugged at the material, as if to change the fit, but eventually gave up with a sigh. “It’s a long story. Maybe this isn’t the place for it… or maybe it is. I don’t know.”

“That… means nothing. You know that, right?”

“I know, I know.” Cole laughed, then stomped his right foot. The earth rumbled in response, producing a bench made of rock that faced the statue of Lily. It was a detailed structure, with indentations that almost looked hand-carved, despite Vania seeing it grow before her very eyes.

Cole led her to sit on it next to her. It was wide enough for two with just a little space between them. Nothing more than a hand’s width.

It was more distance from him than Vania wanted, even now, and she felt brave. She shifted to the side, so that they were touching at the hip. Cole looked surprised, but when she smiled, he rested his arm on the back of the bench behind her.

Why wait so long, Cole? Didn’t you know I was waiting for you?

After a moment’s pause, in which Cole did nothing, Vania knew she was being too hopeful. She looked down at her hands. “So. What’s kept you away? I heard there was some conflict with Imperium.”

“Yeah, although that’s kind of old news now. Do you want me to start at the beginning?”

Vania inspected her hands. “...Why don’t you summarize, and then tell me about what happened most recently?”

“I can do that.”

Vania leaned back against Cole’s arm, part of her attention fixated on just how strong she knew he was, and Cole didn’t seem to mind. When she finally looked back at him, attentive to his story, she saw the glint in his eye.

Excitement, adventure, and danger. All the things she loved in his stories! She couldn’t keep back a smile. “Come on, tell me!”

“I was just trying to figure out where to start!” Cole laughed, and with it, Vania’s spirits lifted. “Okay. It all began at the Merge.”

—

Vania accepted Cole’s cell phone, considering the photo it showed her. “So this one is where I start?”

“Yeah, exactly. That’s the Land of Lost Things.” She swiped through it, seeing the mountains of trash and miscellaneous objects, until pausing at a statue. “That’s… one of Geo’s statues?”

“Yeah! The guy’s a whiz at them.” Cole swiped through a few for her, past other statues, until he stopped. “That’s him, and Bonzle too.”

Vania peered at the screen. He looked just as Cole had described him: a purple Munce who was almost obsessed with color and found object art, grinning and showing off his sharp teeth. Bonzle, the spell-turned-skeleton, was looking at the camera with a slightly bored smile. “They look nice! You should bring them to Shintaro sometime.”

“I dunno… Geo’s been burned before. He got stuck there because nobody missed him, since he was off-color.”

“No, you should bring him.” Vania gave Cole a smile, searching his orange-flecked eyes. “We’ve been making real progress since you left! There are some Geckles and Munce who are practically family now. Geo deserves to be around that, to have a part in it.”

Cole laughed, and she suppressed a happy shiver as he toyed with one of her loose strands of hair. “Sure, Vania. I’ll tell him next time we run into each other.”

“Good. I’d love to meet any of your friends.”

“And I’d love for them all to meet you.”

The way he said it made her feel like there were butterflies in her stomach.

You talk to me like that, but you don’t make a move. Stop playing with my heart like this!

Vania felt her cheeks heating up, so she looked back down at the phone. She swiped through a few pictures of two little boys playing– they had to be Fritz and Spitz. “You said you also had some pictures of the City of Temples, right?”

“Oh, yeah! Sorry, I got distracted.” Cole took the phone back and swiped through it, past pictures of the Ninja and their students, past sweeping landscapes and blue pies. He stopped at a cityscape, clad in gold and ringed by mountains. “It really reminded me of Shintaro.”

“Oh, wow! It’s so similar!” Vania looked with delight as he moved through them. “The stonework is just incredible.”

“I know! I wish I’d gotten the chance to explore more.” Cole stopped at a picture of the arena. “Here’s where we fought. I wish I could say I did well, but… hey. Sora won, and we’re all really proud of her!”

“Of course.” Vania rested her head against his shoulder. “Did you get very far?”

“Uh… no, actually. I kind of got curb stomped.”

She laughed. “You? Curb stomped? It must have been a mighty opponent.”

“Would you believe me if I said it was a Serpentine kid?”

“Maybe.” She giggled. “At least you got to watch the rest of those fights. They must have been really impressive.”

“Oh yeah! Especially Lloyd’s fights. He did a great job!” Cole laughed. “And then… well, I missed a few. And that’s actually why I’m here.”

She looked up at him, curious by how his voice had shifted from lighthearted reminiscence into something somber. His expression was as serious as she’d ever seen him. He was looking at the statue again… studying it.

She prompted, “Cole?”

He frowned. “I don’t know, Vania. It was just… weird.”

“What was weird? I don’t understand.”

Cole sighed, and she watched as he seemed to almost physically shrink. She’d long outgrown her childish fantasies about him and his mountainous strength, but moments like these are even more of a reminder that Cole wasn’t just some incredible, legendary figure.

He was just a man.

I like him better this way.

“When I was in the City of Temples, I found a mech. It was attuned to my element. After I’d lost my element to the tournament, I needed a vehicle, and I went back to it.” He drew away, hugging himself with both arms. “It was my mother’s, and there was a mech suit in it that fit me. This suit.”

Vania blinked in surprise. “Is that why you’re wearing this?”

“Ha, yeah. I know, it’s not my usual style.”

“It’s not bad,” she assured, inspecting it more closely. The similarities to armor made sense now, the steel and segmentation. The color scheme also made sense, considering what records of Lily they still had in Shintaro. She’d always loved the color white. “How come there was a suit that fit you?”

“I don’t know.” Cole sighed, his vice-like grip on himself loosening. “It was the perfect size. Maybe it wasn’t my mom’s, maybe it was my grandfather’s. Or maybe my great-grandparent’s? Or even older? I have no idea, and there wasn’t anything inside it to say whose it was originally.” He shook his head. “That’s the thing. It was charged with Earth energy, and I was able to harness it even though my element had been taken by the dragon ivory. I don’t know why!”

Vania’s heart softened. She reached out and laid her hands on Cole’s, watching as he looked over. His eyes expressed pain.

No wonder why he didn’t come find me. He needed answers.

She reached up and touched his face, brushing aside a strand of hair, and said, “I can only imagine how confusing that is.”

Cole smiled, so she continued. “Who knows why it was there? Maybe they somehow knew you would need it.”

“Even if it was generations ago? I find that hard to believe,” he confessed with a laugh. “The element of Earth has never come with visions of the future, just… back aches and dirt under our fingernails.”

“Do you need knowledge of the future to know your heirs might need something?” Vania posed her challenge as more of a question, but they both knew she was pushing him. “Cole, I know my heirs will need things. Laws, instructions, records of what I did and why. Your ancestors probably did similar things. You will probably do similar things. The mech was obviously left for you.”

He glanced away. “Maybe…”

“No, there’s no ‘maybe’ about it. I know it’s true.”

Another laugh burst from him, unbidden. “Okay. Sure. You’re right. But that’s not the only thing bothering me.”

Before she could ask, Cole got up from the bench and began to pace. “Here’s what I don’t get. I found a mech that’s just right for the job. Then I had a dream that showed exactly where I would need to go, and the mech got me there. Then, once I actually arrived, the ghost of Master Wu showed up and spoke to me!”

He was all but tearing his hair out when he looked at her again. “Vania, I don’t understand! He said he caused the Merge. Wu would never do that intentionally. I know he would never want that! I practically raised him– I know it’s backwards, but it’s true, and I know that’s not like him!”

He stood still, breathing heavily from his rant.

Vania watched him. Pacing and barely rational. This was the man she had missed for so long, the one she’d longed for all these long months they’d been apart.

She felt the impulse to get up and go to him, so she followed it. She hugged him, burying herself in his arms and his armor. Cole held her, tense yet relaxing slowly at her touch.

Vania took a deep breath, smelling earth and tea and machine oil. “I don’t know either, but we can find out together. You don’t have to figure it out alone, Cole.”

He wilted. “I know. I’ve got my team. But–”

“No. Not just them.” Vania looked up at him, holding his gaze, daring him to look away from her. “You have me.”

“But you’re all the way in Shintaro,” he protested.

“So send me a letter! Call me! We have phones, you know.” She pulled him down to rest his head against hers, daring him to pull away. “Cole Brookstone, if you ask me to come to you, I will come. It doesn’t matter when or where or how. You are not alone.”

He held still, and for a moment, she felt like she’d pushed too far. Had she done something she couldn’t undo? Had she thrown herself at him, more than she had the day they’d met, and he’d disliked it? Had time dampened their connection, their friendship, until every spark of more had been stamped out?

Cole sighed, closing his eyes. “Okay. I’ll… I’ll stay in touch better, Vania. I’ll tell you when I figure out any more of this, or find any more clues.”

Vania closed her eyes to match him. She could feel her fears slowly washing away and being replaced by peace.

“Don’t leave for so long next time, please?”

“Okay. I won’t.”

“That includes if you get… stuck somewhere, or are about to have a big battle, or whatever else is waiting for you. I worry about you when you’re gone.”

“I’m sorry.” She opened her eyes to see him pulling back, and for the first time in their conversation, he looked truly apologetic. “Really, I am.”

“I know.” She smiled again, reaching up to caress his face. Even now, delight coursed through her when he leaned into her touch. “I’m not holding anything against you, Cole. You should know that… I never will.”

“Even if I disappear again?”

Vania laughed.

This man. This sweet, stupid man.

“I will search all the Merged Realms if I have to, but you are not disappearing on me again. Ever.”

Finally, the smile on Cole’s face seemed to last. He reached up and toyed with her hair, his hands exceedingly gentle. “As you wish, your Highness.”

His shoulders were not so tense now, his voice softened by affection, and Vania knew that he had gotten what he came for.

The Heart of the Mountain slowly dimmed, coming back to its dormant state, until the darkness was close at hand and broken only by her lantern’s weak glow. The lantern light played across the walls, across Cole’s face, across both of their hearts.

Please… stay with me this time.

She knew he wouldn’t, and yet prayed for it anyway.

#ninjago #ninjago vania #princess vania #ninjago cole #cole brookstone #colania #conia #vanillacake #ninjago dragons rising #dragons rising #ninjago fanfiction #OLST fanfic #OLST writing #as a final note: i don't agree with shipping cole and geo but let's NOT harass people about fictional characters #let's all treat each other with respect and kindness so that we can all have a good day in the fandom :)

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therizino-ao3 · 1 year ago

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Hermit Horror Week 2023

Day two: Environment

Summary: xB wants to support his friend, but there’s something about his base that feels wrong. He can’t bring himself to leave, no matter how much he knows he should.

Read on ao3

Contains: unreliable narrator, a character being non-consensually drugged (implied + in a magical way), loss of free will (strongly implied), panic attacks, fairy folklore, suffocation mention, weird time shenanigans

“So dude, have you seen my base yet?”

xB looks up from the diamonds he’d been counting, “Hmm? No, I haven’t. You’re doing like, mushrooms or something, right?” So far, his and Hypno’s business has been doing great. They’ve been getting quite a few sales lately, to say nothing of the IOU collection they’re racking up. They’re making bank.

“Yep! Like a mushroom forest, mystical land kinda thing,” Hypno takes the diamonds xB hands him, “You should totally see it! I’ve finished the main mushroom and a bunch of decoration around the place, it looks so cool.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I’m happy to head over now, if you want?”

They head over there by foot, instead of by elytra. It’s… a little weird, but xB doesn’t mind, he thinks Hypno wants to show off the custom lamps he’s made for the path. It’s quite atmospheric, he’ll admit, with the towering dark oaks letting only small puddles of sunshine hit the ground, and the glowing fungi beckoning them forward. It’s magical.

They seem to walk for ages, wandering down the twisting path. At one point, xB turns around, just to see what’s behind them. There’s nothing. It’s pure black, no sign of the pretty little lamps they just passed. xB swivels back to Hypno, about to voice his concerns, but Hypno starts talking about dye farms and making concrete and xB just kind of forgets about it. It’s not too much of a concern, anyway. The further in they go, the more xB realises how safe it is. Like, initially he was super concerned of a creeper crawling out from the forest, with how dark it was outside the path, but he actually hasn’t seen a single creature other than them. He can’t even hear the birds sing here. Hypno must have done some mad mob-proofing.

Eventually, the trees open out and he looks at Hypno’s hard work and instantly his stomach drops. His mind is screaming at him to get out. He needs to leave. His heart is thundering. His eyes squeeze closed. Then, he feels Hypno’s comforting hand on his shoulder and it’s all okay. He blinks a little and looks up at his friend.

“Is everything alright xB?” he’s frowning.

“Yeah, I’m just- I felt on the verge of a panic attack for a second there but, now it’s all gone,” his face feels a bit wet, is he crying?

“Are you sure? We can go back if you’d like, I don’t want to continue if you’re hurt,” Hypno looks concerned.

“No, no, it’s all fine. It might be like, hay fever from all these mushroom spores,” he says. As he says it, he knows it makes absolutely no sense, but he wants Hypno to stop worrying.

“Alright,” Hypno seems to buy it, his tone becoming more playful, “You know, you can just admit you’re jealous of how cool my base is, xB!”

“I am not jealous, we all know, out of the two of us, I got the cooler base. M’kay?” he smiles, feeling a bit better. They’ve crossed over a barrier of tiny mushrooms in front of the path, seeming to circle around the whole area. Inside, there’s a field of beautiful light green grass, home to all sorts of fungi Hypno’s been cultivating. They’re mainly red and white, with some brown, but they’re in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. Throughout the area, there are fairy lights and lanterns and fireflies and they all glow in the darkening dusk sky. When they left Horse Head Farms, it was mid-morning, xB remembers. It’s funny how fast time passes.

Most of the mushrooms seem decorative, but the larger ones have been made into buildings. There are cute little doors carved into the trunks and signs that say things like “Storage” or “Farms”. One particularly thick and pretty mushroom has been decorated a lot, he assumes it must have been Hypno’s starter base.

“I can’t believe you’re living in Smurf village, dude,” xB giggles.

Hypno punches his arm, “This is not a Smurf village! It’s a fairy realm. Get it right, xB.”

xB’s mouth feels dry. He knows that word. Fairy. Right now, he can’t think of what it means. He nods. He looks at the giant mushroom in the centre of the base.

It’s obviously the centrepiece, towering over every other mushroom. It’s incredibly beautiful. Hypno leads them to the front entrance. xB feels sick looking up at the gills of the mushroom. He can almost imagine the microscopic spores floating down, filling their mouths, suffocating them. Spore particles would probably be good to add, the movement would make the build more dynamic. He’ll tell Hypno later. Hypno drags xB into his home. The wooden staircase looks very nice, Hypno’s done a pretty good job on the spiral. They run up it together. The air smells sweet, almost sickly. After a very short tour, they come back outside - Hypno hasn’t finished the interiors yet. He’s surprised he was allowed to leave, he thought Hypno would trap him there forever, not that he’d mind.

Hypno is looking at him, “So what do you think of my base, xB?”

xB thinks. He thinks about the amazing lights and the vibrant colours and the magical aura. He thinks about Hypno, who’s one of his best friends, who has worked so hard on this base, who xB would do anything he asks him to do. That’s weird, he’s able to realise. He likes Hypno but Hypno is also sometimes very annoying, and other times, xB just likes to mess with him. He wouldn’t do everything Hypno wants. He thinks about all the people willingly signing their IOUs. Is xB willingly answering Hypno’s question? Not that he has any choice, he has to answer it regardless. He wonders if Hypno’s human. He always assumed he was, not having any visible non-human traits, but sometimes the signs are more subtle. He’s thinking too hard.

“Hmm, it’s alright,” he says, “My base is still better.”

#i'm sick so sorry if this one is a lil worse than usual #i know the prose is weird anyway lol #xb (under hypno's control): i am still better than you #i had so many ideas of different bases I could do for this one #but I decided Hypno S8 because I never see anyone talk about how he lived in a mushroom base the same season he stole souls #cmon... the potential #hermithorrorweek2023 #hermitcraft #hermitcraft fic #fanfic #xbcrafted #hypnotizd #horse head farms #unreliable narrators #panic attack #brief but I'm tagging it #therizino writes

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i-speak-for-the-universe · 5 months ago

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(READ TAGSSS… pls) Dropping another chapter bc late night motivation got me in a choke hold last night (Logicality Siren AU fic)

Patton woke up on sun-warmed sand, him flipping onto his stomach to cough up non-existent water, all he could remember before being thrown overboard was the hurtful chant’s overwhelming his ears.

He was still thoroughly confused, dazed by the quickly warming mid-afternoon summer sun into another spell of unconsciousness.

He wasn’t expecting to wake up for the second time, already anticipating himself in some type of afterlife until someone shook him, jolting him into complete consciousness.

He yelped, a name almost coming to his lips before it disappeared on his tongue, leaving him panting in the oddly empty air.

“Oh thank the gods, he’s alive.” A relieved voice spoke, followed by a rougher, more scruffy and teasing one. “Ugh, boo! No fun!”

“Remus!” The first voice scorned, Patton blinking as his eyes adjusted to the wonkily distributed candle and lantern light. “Hello? Are you there?” Patton heard words being spoken to him, a hand waving an inch or so away from his face.

He swallowed, getting his breathing under control before answering. “Y-yeah. Where… Where am I?” He asked shakily, giving himself a shake before rubbing his nose bridge, realizing his glasses weren’t there and quickly checking for his conch shell, which was luckily still secure around his neck.

One of the voices snorted, the one Patton assumed was Remus. “Somewhere safer than out their baking on the beach like a human gingersnap.” Patton turned to look at Remus as he spoke.

Remus was tall, his head covered in a mass of long and thick dark brown curls. He had emerald green eyes and a scraggly (yet it was obviously styled to look that way) dark brown mustache. He was wearing black leather pants, boots, and fingerless gloves, covering his chest with a black-dyed deer hide tunic.

“Yes, my brother is at least somewhat right.” So the two were brothers. “This is our humble abode, and we have brought you her in the hope that you are not dead.” The other voice explained, Patton turning to look at that brother.

“And, my apologies, we have not yet introduced ourselves. I am Roman,” Roman put a hand to his chest respectfully. “And that,” He gestured to Remus. “Is my twin brother, Remus.” Remus mimicked the hand-to-chest gesture his brother did, there seeming to be at least an ounce of respect in the man.

Patton took a second to examine Roman before introducing himself in turn. Roman was an inch or two shorter than Remus, straighter and lighter brown hair cut shorter on his head, eyes a shade of brown that sparked a deep red at some angles.

He was wearing brown leather pants and boots, the boots stained darker than his pants. His shirt was an off-white cotton and he seemed to have a leather quiver strapped to his back.

“Oh, it’s alright, I’m Patton by the way!” Patton finally introduced himself, offering a hand for both of the twins to shake.

“Don’t worry, we’ll show you around our small beachside town after we get you something to eat.” Roman said after shaking his hand, smiling confidently as he spoke. “I’m sure you’ll make friends fast, you seem to be a good fellow.”

Roman helped Patton get off of the small bed he woke up on as Remus scurried off to get Patton a change of clothes. Once changed into simple horse leather pants and an off-white and blue striped shirt (though everything was slightly baggy considering the twins both had slightly larger statures than him), he was happy to eat nearly anything set in front of him.

Thankfully, what was set in front of him was a simple spaghetti, though obviously made by Roman due to the twin’s comment on his brother’s inability to not set fire to something when cooking over the three’s meal. The two feuded for the rest of the meal even after they both finished.

Eventually, the argument defused, leading Remus to comment on what to do. “Oo! Ro-bro, we should show Patton around the city!”

While Roman agreed and the twins started deciding where to take Patton, he was internally struggling. He literally just washed up to this town no more than a day ago and now they want to show him the town already?

He was on the fence but it was clear they weren’t going today, so the twins set Patton up with a cot and other sleeping materials before explaining where they would be going tomorrow.

The twins went upstairs to bed, leaving Patton downstairs with just a little lantern and a teddy he was given to snuggle for the night to keep him company.

Something just felt… wrong. The twins were very hospitable, don’t get him wrong, but he just felt like there was an inexplainable gap in his memory that he just couldn’t piece together.

Well, there wasn’t much he could do right now. So, he simply brushed it off the best he could, blowing out the lantern before settling down for bed.

#this still needs a name lol #should patton have a dream about a mysterious and admittedly handsome siren who seems oddly familiar?#or should he just wake up like normal and walk through the town with the twins??#decisions decisions #logan sanders #sanders sides #logicality #patton sanders #siren au

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deadclawed · 1 year ago

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A Third Wheel Brings Extra Stability

Azriel and Cassian have secretly been taking each other as lovers for weeks. They want to tell Rhys, but he's just been so grouchy lately...

Chapter One.

18+. This is self-indulgent smut. Read the next chapter on ao3.

—

Night fell on the House of Wind and Rhys was still in his study. Cassian and Azriel sat next to each other in front of the magnificent floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city below. The nightlife of Velaris was beginning to wake, lanterns lighting and the streets starting to crowd.

Cassian swirled the auburn whiskey in his glass, perfectly content with staying here in comfortable silence next to Azriel for the rest of the night, enjoying the company of one another until someone eventually retired to bed. But something was nagging at him.

Rhys had seemed so tired lately. Distant. His usual lively violet eyes fading into a dull plum. Still beautiful, but not so distinctly him. He had tried gently pressing the issue, asking Rhys with a light touch on the shoulder if there was anything he can do to help, but all he got was the grumbled out "I’m fine", and, "Stop being a mother hen."

"I’ll stop being a mother hen as soon as your complexion stops resembling that of an egg," he had told him, earning a pinch on his wing.

He glanced from the light glowing underneath the door to Rhysand’s study and back to Azriel’s casually neutral face, moonlight accentuating the peaks and dips of his cheekbones and jaw as he took a sip of his drink and watched the partygoers below.

“You’re staring,” Azriel grumbled, eyes still fixed downwards.

“You’re drinking very loudly,” he lied easily, watching a blush creep up Azriel’s neck, a pretty pale pink for a male who spends most of his life in the darkness of shadow.

He sharply turned in his seat. “I am not.”

Cassian flashes him a shit-eating grin, all gleaming white and pointed canines. “You are. You just couldn’t hear it over your own incessant gulping.”

“Your breathing is incessant.”

They stared at each other for a long moment wearing equal smirks, eyes narrowing in challenge. Perhaps they were both just tipsy enough to start a sparring match in the common area. As he contemplated his takedown, Cassian began to feel the full weight of Azriel’s stare, heavy like something was pushing down on his shoulders to keep him firmly planted in his seat. He squirmed.

Azriel’s lip quirked slightly in a smug grin, finally pulling away his gaze and shooting down the rest of his whiskey in one swallow. Cassian’s body began to feel lighter now that he was no longer under the weight of his brother’s sharp observation. But that lingering unease was still there, unable to be ignored for much longer. “Have you noticed the ..” he began, unsure of how to voice his concern over Rhys but knowing it was too late to take it back, “the weariness?”

Cassian was grateful that Azriel’s posture seemed to slacken in recognition. “Leadership is weary business,” Azriel said, resuming his survey of the city below, slowly turning his now empty glass on the armrest.

“This is different.”

Azriel thought for a moment. “Yes.”

“Should we d-” Rhys emerged from the study, starlight bathing him and soaking into his freshly combed hair. He was dressed well, in all black, with a fine jacket that helped accentuate his trim waist and powerful arms. The dark circles were still clinging to his eyes and his face was still an unusual pale, but his violet irises shone a little brighter. Hopeful.

“I’m going to Rita’s,” he said plainly, and yes, he did sound a bit chipper. Strange.

He was already halfway to the door before Cassian stood. “Let me grab my coat. I’ll go with you.”

Rhys stopped, turning to his brothers with a cautious smile that looked more like a grimace. “Don’t get your coat, Cassian.”

“Oh, is it warm tonight? I could just go in this,” he said, gesturing to his 'float like a bat. sting like a bat.' t-shirt.

Rhys’ face grew even more pained. Azriel stood and made his way over to Cassian, studying Rhysand’s face and clothing as he drew nearer. “He’s meeting someone,” he said bluntly.

That confused Cassian even more. “Well, then, we will both go with you,” he offered, waving a hand between himself and Azriel. “We should be present for Night Court business.”

“Cas-” Rhysand began, and for the first time in a long while, the High Lord of the Night Court seemed to be actively searching for the right words.

“He’s meeting someone,” Az said again, commanding Cassian’s attention.

Cassian stood perplexed for several moments. How could Rhys be so low energy, moping around for weeks and then suddenly want to meet someone at Rita’s? What changed? And, more importantly, who is this person? He’d been trying to get Rhys to go out somewhere, anywhere, with him to get his spirits back up, but he always said no. Was it him? Did he want to get away from him?

“Oh!” he said, connecting the dots, “Oh.” He plastered on a smile that didn’t even feel the slightest bit convincing. Rhys echoed it, anyway.

Azriel clapped a hand on Cas’ shoulder and led him back to the adjacent chairs overlooking the city, sitting him down and grabbing the bottle of whiskey to refill their glasses. As Azriel began pouring into his glass, Cassian called out to Rhys who was now almost too quietly trying to exit the house. “Enjoy yourself, Rhysie,” he mused.

Rhys rolled his eyes and the door clicked shut behind him.

Azriel resumed his place next to Cassian, liquor and emotions both renewed. Cassian turned to him once more, extending his glass like he was about to make a mocking toast until he saw that look on Azriel’s face. Quiet brooding. Always planning. Always assessing. “We’re going to follow him, aren’t we?”

Azriel stifled a smirk and clinked their glasses.

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #cassian #azriel #rhysand #cassian x azriel #azriel x cassian #rhysand x azriel x cassian #acotar fic #smut #rhysand x azriel #rhysand x cassian

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autisticrosewilson · 4 months ago

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here to ask about Spencer and Mae

pls may I have some knowledge on them 👀

YES!!! Okay so Mae'rot is my character, she's a part of a team of characters that came from me thinking about if there was a Lantern team that was full of magical girls! Spencer was made by @andi-dromeda and he's technically a part of the flash fam, but he spends most of his time with the Lanterns.

CW for Death, bugs, body horror, ect. My characters are freaks guys

Mae is a part of a made up species of fungus people and she's the black lantern! I did rewrite the lantern lore a little because I thought what they did with the Pink and Black Lantern's specifically were stupid and boring.

The Pulchra Putredo are a people that worship death, although they themselves cannot die in the traditional sense. See they inhabit the land of Pulput, a floating island that was all that's left of an older, long forgotten planet, home to a piece of the Black Lantern's reactor core. No one knows where the Pulchra originated from but the first recorded records were of them turning the dry barren soil into a bustling hub of foliage, this is because though their bodies breakdown they become a part of the land. Which makes Pulput a living planet crawling with the overgrown bodies of everything that's ever died there.

It's easy to see why they grew to revere the concept of death, as this beautiful unattainable thing that they all reach for with open arms. Despite how much they all love death because they have no true concept of mortality none of them can wield it.

Until Mae. See she was originally Kryptonian but when the Pulchra came to collect what was left of the planet, they found a lone baby girl. And this was exciting, because she was born from death, and while she would live a long time she could die. She WOULD die, eventually. They take her to their planet, very far from any sun at all, and make her one of them. They do this basically allowing their roots and mold and whatnot to spread to her, inside and out she is overtaken by moss and spores. She's raised by a family of Ink Caps, which are the first mushrooms to begin growing from her skin which is weakened by the lack of sunlight.

The Pulchra are also a hive mind species! They all have something of a mental link to each other and Mae is included in this, although she's born only linked to her family instead of the entire species. She has to manually collect the others by becoming infected by their spores, and she can give this link to others by giving them hers!

Because she's so far from any kind of sun she's very sickly and weak with almost none of her Kryptonian powers and very little connection to her roots, and she has no desire to explore it. Because she's always on death's door with her health the lantern core reacts to her but she can't control it, mostly it just overwhelms her with the voices of the dead when she's near it. She's almost like a prophet to the Pulchra as the spirits come from past, present, and future and they can give her messages that she passes on.

It's only when she's older that she gets her ring, she dies on an excavation into a planet's ruins and is reanimated by the ring after rot and decay has had time to set in. She's stronger now ironically, no longer shambling about half unconscious, although now she's being consumed by multiple insects from her planet (a great honor, if death is their holy spirit, the land is their father, and the insects are the son) and she needs to feed on dead things to survive.

Her hobbies include gardening, rock collecting, learning dead languages, and grave robbing! She's close with my Yellow and Pink lanterns, she has a crush on the Indigo, and she's got a homoerotic rivalry with the White lantern (of which I also changed the lore for because these are magical girls and I have a theme here).

She now has a lesser version of the core's powers, so while she can control ghosts it's only ones that have died recently. She can reanimate things but they'd just be mindless puppets, not truly alive. She can cause people to age/decay rapidly (usually this acts like a bad sickness) and she can manipulate shadows instead of light. Along with the flight, strength, and durability the rings give all their users. While near gamma radiation she can access her Kryptonian powers but doesn't really like them so she uses Kryptonite to weaken herself.

Is she a horrific mass of maggots and rot? Yes. Does this exclude her from a magical girl transformation or sparkly outfit? Of course not!! I'm actually so mad that all the lantern suits are so boring like you can literally make them look however you want and you all look the same. I know the meta reason is because who wants to draw that many different suits but I don't care, all my girls are slaying.

All of the girls have three core motifs and a mix of different aesthetics that I'd draw from if I had artistic skill. Mae's are plague doctors, ink, and fungus and she prefers looser baggier clothes to make room for all of the creatures and plants growing out of her skin. She would prefer not wearing shoes at all, but because she's one big contaminant she has to wear very thick gloves and boots when interacting with people of Earth, and she usually wears her mask too because her appearance is generally pretty off-putting.

The other Kryptonians...well let's just say they're not super fond of her, and she really doesn't like them. They're insistent that she's an abomination, something that needs to be fixed, mostly they just feel bad for her, for her whole existence. Mae doesn't take kindly to their pity, this is everything she's ever aspired to be. She feels equally bad for them! It must be terribly lonely, isolated within their own flesh and mind, islands onto themselves, unfathomable even to each other. It's her worst nightmare and she tries to avoid them where possible.

Her people are pacifists so she only uses her abilities defensively and honestly isn't much for combat anyway, she believes that death is a gift that should come to people through natural means only, but this changes the longer she's on the team. As her character progresses she gradually decides some people should have to earn their death, and she's the person who should make them. This is the only time she uses her rapid decay powers. She rarely uses the ghost powers as she doesn't like disturbing their rest but she can be convinced by people she's close to, so she usually relies on shadow manipulation during battles.

Growing up with a species that only communicates through a mental link means she never learned how to talk! Her ring usually speaks for her, although she eventually learns some ASL the longer she's on earth. It has the default AI voice at first but when she learns how to change it I think she'd sound like Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

I won't say too much about Spencer but he's one of the people she's closest to, and the only person on earth who shares the link with her and her family. They have an obsessive kind of queer platonic relationship, where although they love each other it's not explicitly romantic and there's definitely nothing sexual about it. Not in human terms at least, the Pulchra have sex and relationship dynamics the likes of which we couldn't comprehend. They're the definition of soulmates and unfortunately I am obsessed with them.

#dc oc #oc stuff #Mae'rot #Lantern Girls #girls really is a blanket term there's a lot of weird genders here but y'know #Spencer #Ask #but Jay that wouldn't work lore wise!#canon lantern lore matters not to me after what they did to the Star Sapphires #TerminalVelocity #that's Spencer and Mae's ship name because Spencer's alias is Velocity #oh and Mae's is Voidrot I didn't mention it #they met while terrorizing Bruce and as compensation Spencer offered to let her infect him because her fungus can't kill him!#he can disconnect any time but the closer they get the less he bothers because he prefers being connected to her #Guys the lore is insane we spent like a week and a half non-stop making shit up #and I'm writing a fic about them now #Codi is planning to draw Mae ehen they get through his insane backlog #everyone point and laugh at WIP Georg and don't look at my drafts

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maniacwatchestheworld · 2 years ago

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Okay, okay, okay, so hear me out... Blue Lantern Harvey Dent.

So lately I've been playing with this idea that like... The Joker somehow managed to get his hands on the Black Lantern ring, and so Batman needs to get the Justice League to make the White Lantern, but then all of the colored lantern rings accidentally end up in Arkham Asylum instead. The rest of the rogues get their hands on the rings, soon learn what they need to do and are totally down to kick the Joker's ass and so have to work together to summon the White Lantern and bring the Joker down.

Who gets what rings can be negotiated, but I'm generally thinking that it would go...

Green: Harley Quinn. She does have a lot of willpower, surviving her abuse at the hands of the Joker, and deserves to get in on this Joker beat down!

Yellow: Scarecrow. Duh.

Orange: Catwoman. Stealing is her biggest vice after all, and she's probably going to be better at keeping it away from space-Gollum than like... The Penguin would without dying!

Red: Bane? Maybe? This one can be negotiable as a few of the rogues could fall under rage. Maybe you just give it to Bane because he'd handle the effects of the Red Lantern Ring the best? I dunno.

Indigo: Poison Ivy. Because she does hold a great amount of love and compassion towards plants... Just not other people and animals particularly... And hey! With the Indigo ring, she can MAKE people care about plants! :D

Purple/Pink: Mr. Freeze. Because that man sure as hell does love his wife just... SO much! I don't think that any of the rogues love their significant other quite as much as Mr. Freeze loves his wife!

Blue: Two-Face. More specifically Harvey Dent. Hope is a constant theme with his character and when he was DA, he inspired hope in the people of Gotham. Which, let's be honest, is an impressive feat!

Out of any of the rogues, I can see the Blue Lantern ring actually choosing for Harvey to wield it. He inspired a hopeless city like Gotham to have hope against all odds. He inspires hope in Bruce Wayne who in turn gives everyone else hope as Batman. He inspires such a great level of hope, of course the Blue Lantern ring would choose him! But he's given up on hope. He has no hope left in him anymore. The ring chooses him, but he refuses the call. He thinks that the ring made a mistake and is wrong in choosing him. He insists that someone- anyone else should take and use it. But the rest of the rogues shrug it off and agree that he should use it. It just doesn't really suit any of the other rogues, and even to them, the way that Harvey used to inspire hope in people is obvious.

Because of all of this, Harvey just retreats into himself and Two-Face has to pick up the slack. Two-Face insists that they should just forget about Harvey, give the Blue Lantern Ring to someone else, and give him the Red Lantern Ring instead. The rest refuse, and so Two-Face is stuck with trying to make due with the Blue Lantern Ring, but they don't exactly work the most harmoniously together. There's clearly a compatibility issue going on here.

Of course things are rocky as the team tries to figure the powers of the rings out, figure out who works best with which of the rings, and they struggle to work together as a cohesive unit.

But eventually, it's time, and the team has to confront and fight against the Joker. While there is promise at first, soon they realize that it's a losing fight. When all seems to be lost, Two-Face steps off to the side and pleads for Harvey to fight with them. But he still doesn't want to help. He believes that it's truly hopeless. And it's here that Two-Face drops all of his pretenses and bravado and really talks to Harvey.

It's here that Two-Face admits that he still holds on to hope, and it's because of Harvey. He would never admit this any at other time, but he believes in Harvey. He holds onto hope for Harvey's sake. Harvey may have given up a long time ago, but Two-Face still believes that he will get better. He believes that their future will be kinder to them. He believes that one day, Harvey will stand tall as a figure that can inspire give people hope again. Because Harvey gave Two-Face hope. Two-Face hopes that one day, the world that won't be as cruel to them. Even though he had been shoved into the dark, Harvey still made Two-Face believe in a future that would be kinder to them. Harvey may not believe in that future anymore, but Two-Face is here to protect Harvey until the day Harvey is ready to come out and inspire people again. Two-Face can't do this alone. He's much better at inspiring rage or fear in others. But it was the Blue ring that chose them. No one else can do this job. And it's because of Harvey. He always did have this annoying habit of inspiring hope in others, after all.

After having this little pep talk, Harvey finally decides to come out, and fight! Because of this, they are able to turn the tide of the battle and kick the Joker's ass!

So yeah... Blue Lantern Harvey gives me emotions. >.<

#blue lantern #green lantern #batman #batman rogues gallery #two-face #batman rogues #harvey dent #gotham rogues #two face #batman villains #twoface

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runjumpkauf · 26 days ago

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The Amazing Dream About Where Caine Into My Home

(This Is The Sequel Of "The Amazing Dream About Episode 3". So Refer tumblr.com/runjumpkauf/758128076344475648/the-amazing-dream-about-episode-3.)

Hello, Hello, Hello.

I Had A Dream Again. But This Time, I Had A Very Unique & Impressive Dream. As You Can Tell From This Post Name, I Wasn't Just Dreaming About Watching A Video; Caine Actually Appeared In My House!

I Don't Know How He Got In, But Somehow Caine Came Into My Home.

For Reference, I'm Born In California, San Diego. I've Lived There For 29 Years.

Anyway, Let's Begin.

I Bought Two Jack O' Lanterns, I Named It: "Priceless Pumpkins, Jimmy O' Lantern & John O' Lantern" For Collect Some Treats! With This, I Got Strawberry Candy, Banana, Hoverchoc, Dips & Chips, And Coconut Milk!

And I Left Them On The Edge-Corner Of The Shed. And Went To Bed. I Fell Asleep Without Any Problems And Roughly Hours Later....

At That Time, I Woke Up To A Strange Sound Inside My Table.

"I Don't Think I Heard Wrong...." I Said.

And Then I Opened The Desk Lid! (Look It Up If You Don't Believe Me!)

And What I Saw Was A Waving Yellow Rainbow, Shining Like "Fractal Noise".

As I Started-To-Stared At It, And Realized That's I Dreamin'.

Suddenly, Caine Come Out In Front Of My Head, And He Said:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

I Was More Started-To-Startled Than I Stared "The Angel", So I Fell Backwards And Almost Crack My Numbskull.

And I Looked At Caine And Tried To Say:

"Caine, Is That You?? What Are You Doing In My House?!" But Caine Spoke Much Faster Than Me, Like An Pack Of Mouse!

"THIS IS UNFINISHED YET!!!! I Know You Really Want You Snaps The Adventure, But I Have To Finish! Whatever You Do, Don't Go In There. Please!!!!"

I Felt Like These Words Were Sniped At Fans Who Were Want Only New Episode Of "The Amazing Digital Circus", And That's ME! So My Complexion Turned Chlorinated, My Lungs Almost Felt Like They Were Suffer-O-Cating, And My Heart Started Being Faster!

I Tried To Say Again:

"Why Would I Do That? I Can Wait As Long As I Can!!!"

But When I Finished Sayin' This, Caine Has Already....Disappeared.

And I Went Back To Bed, But "Curiosity" Kept Begging Me To Go Back To The Desk. So, I Couldn't Resist The Urge, And Decided To Just Go Inside The Lid. And That Too As Quietly I Possible.

After The 4th Attempt, I Finally Succeeded!

Inside The Fractal Noise, I Heard Someone Putting Down A Tray. And In Front Of Me Was A Door Leading Into A Spudsy's.

youtube

Yeah, You're Right. Where The Jax Goes To Do "Minimum Wage Labor" Until Eventually!

I Walked Into This Glorious Place. And As Expected, It Was Filled With Full Of Guests And Customers! I (Completely) Ignored The Batches Of C&Gs, And I Concentrate My Head And Headed To The Counter.

As You Can See From This V.D.O. (short for Virtual, Dexterous, and adventurOus.) Jax Was There And Showed Signs Of Indifference.

I Looked At The Menu, And Ordered The "Spud Burger", In Combo! Because I Love Food Made Of Spuddery Spuds, And I Had Never Saw This Before. I Mostly Ate Cheeseburgers With French Fries. (Or German Fries)

I Sat Down At The Table And Waited For The Burger I Ordered & Served, And After A Minute, Dinner Is Served!

And A Tiny Longer Than Some 4 Seconds Later, As I Was Delighting A Savoring The Taste Of Spuds, I Realized That Table Was Feeling Strange.

I'm Wondering If This Table Also Had Lid. So, I Gently Opened The Table Lid. And I Was Right. There's A Fractal Noise!

youtube

(This Is Why I Call Rainbow To "Fractal Noise".)

And Eventually, I Enter To Fractal Noise!

And I Fell Somewhere Again. It Looked Like A Passageway. I Think It's A Passage Made Of.....Iron, I Guess. It Felt Empty, Voidy, And Strangely Scary.

I Ran Front The Passage, And When I Came Out Of This Gray Passage, What I Saw Was What Be Baseball-Stadium-Shaped Thing.

In This Place, Everything There's Absolutely-Totally-Literally Achromatic. Only White, Gray, And Black. Or Maybe It Could Have Been Nothing But Gray.

I Don't Remember Which One Is Right, But What I Do Know Is That It Felt Psychologically Scary.

There Were Mannequins Sitting In The Stands And Congregationing The Cheers, And Some Of Them Were Cheering While Holding Banners!

When I Saw That, I Thought That Was What These Mannequins Were Waitin' & Cheerin' For The Players To Enter This Stadium, So I Sat In The Stands. Even When I Stepped On The Floor, There Was No Footsteps.

I Said I Sat In The Stands. But Exactly, There's No Place For Me To Sit. So I Took Out My Anger On Mannequin, And Right Then, I'm Sucked Into The Mannequin.

Inside Of Mannequin Was Filled With The Developing Code. I Know, Like, Ten Big, Motion Codes. Voice Filters. Sound Adjustments. Pose Directions! Whatever. There'm So Unbelievably Pointed Right Here.

That Was Amazing To See Evidence & Intelligence Of Caine Putting Effort Into The Adventure. So, I Decided To Hacking For Something New!

1. I Raised The "Sound Adjustment" Part To 100%.

2. There's Also "Mannequin Color Coordinate", And I Hacked The Brightness Coordinate And Increased From 64 To 100% Too!

3. Believe It Or Not, There's Also "Smell Condescending" Too. So, I Coordinated "Smell Of Victory". But It Was 100% Already.

4. And I Changed The "Monograph Settings", There In My Own Way. Although It Is Only A Dream, This Gives The Members The Energy To Joy. Well, Except Jax. He Wants Only Violence. He Shouldn't Slaughter The Mannequins With Baseball Bats. It's Disgusting Just Thinking About It.

5. Also, I Volumalized The "Voice Filters". Because I Want Mannequins' Voices To Be Louder Than The Additional Voices, So I Did That. I Also Changed The "Cheer Sensor" To Hype Mode.

And I Tried To Change Everything Else, But When I Finished The Fifth,

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!!!!"

Caine Come Out In Front Of My Head, Again! It Was Even Frightening Than A Nightmare I Has When I Heard Lightening As A Li'l Boy! (It's Not A Metaphor. It's Literally That Much.)

I Tried To Say Something Again, I Was Too Shock-Prised That I Had No Idea What To Say Something! So I Had To Listen To Him.

"Why Are You "DESTROY THE NPCs" I Created With So Much Sincerely Care?! I Can Multipliate (I Think He Spell Wrong Of "Manipulate") Your Mood Until You'll Say "WOW!" I Tried So Hard To Do That, But Why Did You Change It Like This?!!" Caine Said.

I Gave Caine The Advice.

"Caine, I Know We'll Have To Wait For Your Exciting Adventures To Be Finish Your Work. But You Have To Try Something New To Get Noticed, And Also Attentioned By More Peoples."

But I Was Too Shocked That My Lips Were Shaking, So Caine Couldn't Understand What I Said At Once.

"I Mean, Caine, I Know We'll Have To Wait For Your Exciting Adventures, But You Have To Try Something New. Because It Makes More Peoples Get Noticed & Attentioned In Your Creation. Like Blitz In The Sanctuary, Or Discover Lab Of The Lost."

When I Said It Summation, (Because Of Lazy) He Understood.

"Thank You For Giving Me What's On Your Mind! Mr......Uh, What's Your Name?" Caine Said.

"Alan. Alan Bobby Sinclair." I Said.

"Thanks For Letting Me Know, Mr. Alan! I Knew You Want New Adventures! But Unfortunately, I Don't Have The Authority To Trun Fans' Ideas To Concrete Plans. So I Can't Use Them." Caine Said.

But I Was Tryin' To Ask That The Adventure Become More Massive And Grand To Make Some Members More Ultra-Entertained, But It Seems Like He Focused On "LIke Blitz In The Sanctuary, Or Discover Lab Of The Lost." So, I Said:

"I Mean, You Have To Learn To Adventures Be Spectacular, Impressive, Brilliant, And Especially, Fantastical. People Trend To Want "Something NEW" At Least Once. I Know You Can Do Even Better!"

"Wow, It's Acceptable. Okay! Next Time Or Someday, I'll Do That!" Caine Said. I'm Very Glad That He Accept My Feedback.

"And It's Time To You....." Caine Said.

"BAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!"

After I Hearin' This Caine-ious Scream, I Heard A Sound Of Fingersnap. It Sounded Very Vividly.

And When I Came To, I Was Waking Up From This Fractal Dream.

I Usually Waking Up Around Average 6:20 A.M. But Perhaps Because I Had The Deep Adventure In My Dream, I Slept Longer Than Usual! 8:44 A.M.

I Think I Have Created The Memory That I Will Never Forget For My Entire Life. I Guess I'll Have To Create "Friendiversary" For Caine & Me!

P.S. https://www.glitchprod.com/thewackywatch

P.S.2. For Your Information, Even Though I Definitely Ate "Spud Burger" In My Dream, I Was Still Full For Some Reason.

(Not A Playstation 2)

P.S.3. This Post Took Me Over An 3 Days To Be. For Real.

(Not A Playstation 3)

#the amazing digital circus #caine #fractal noise #gather the gloinks #candy carrier chaos #the mystery of mildenhall manor #spudsy's #pomni #jax #zooble #kinger #gangle #ragatha #glitch productions #glitchworx #adventures #series #runjumpkauf #check it out at glitchworx

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i-fondued · 2 years ago

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Ghost | Sinners in Secret - Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - The Clubbing Incident

Pairing: Cardinal Copia x Reader/Sister of Sin x Papa “Terzo” Emeritus III

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Plot, smut, etc. See AO3 for full list of tags!

A/N: Here is the next chapter! I'd like to add I've never been clubbing before and what I know of it is what you see in movies. Also here is the offical playlist for this chapter, I forgot to add that LOL

Chapter One - HERE

Chapter Two - HERE

Chapter Three - HERE

Chapter Four - HERE

Chapter Five - HERE

Chapter Six - HERE

Chapter Seven - HERE

Chapter Eight - HERE

Chapter Nine - HERE

Chapter Ten - HERE

Chapter Eleven - HERE

Chapter Eleven and ½ - HERE

Chapter Twelve - HERE

AO3 - HERE

The clock on the mantle over the fireplace chimed eleven times, signaling the hour, but I was too excited to even notice how late it already was.

After a private dinner in our rooms, which had been the suggestion of Saltarian who stated Veritas was still fuming from earlier, we had begun to get ready for our night on the town. Terzo had taken over entirely and what had originally been planned to be just a quiet dinner in the city with a little night time sightseeing had morphed into clubbing well into the morning hours. This also meant Terzo had sent out a ghoul to do all the shopping he thought of since neither Copia or I had packed anything appropriate for clubbing.

“Amore, you better hurry up.” Terzo called from the bedroom as I dressed in the bathroom. He’d wanted me to surprise me with their outfits and Copia with mine. “We need to pianificare la nostra fuga and soon!”

“Okay, okay!” I laughed, heart thrumming at the excitement of our plans. I took in my outfit and couldn’t help but hum appreciatively at the choice Terzo had made. It was so far out of my comfort zone but even i had to admit that I looked good, blush staining my cheeks.

I was wearing an incredibly short black latex dress, so tight to my curves it looked almost painted on. It had a mandarin collar with a keyhole over my chest to show off the ample cleavage the skin tight latex caused. Hanging from the collar and settling in the center of the keyhole was a silver grucifix. I wore thigh high latex boots, the heels just high enough to show off my legs but not enough that I would break my ankle. I wore the same long, dangly grucifix earrings I’d worn the other night but left all other jewelry off. I’d pulled my hair back into a slicked back ponytail and did my make-up for once. I kept my lipstick a deep red and my eyes smokey with a dramatic winged liner.

My white iris still threw me off and I had to keep pausing when my reflection would startle me. The three of us hadn’t spoken about it, content to just soak in our small victory but Copia and Terzo had reminded me a few times that we would eventually have to talk about it.

“Alright, I’m ready…let's get to sneaking.” I giggled, stepping back into our rooms as I smiled sheepishly before my eyes focused on the two men waiting for me.

Terzo was standing in front of the fireplace, back towards Copia who was sitting in the wingback chair from the other evening. He was leaning slightly on the mantle and my mouth went a little dry looking at them both.

Terzo was wearing a black sheer dress shirt, billowy lantern sleeves that came tightly to his wrists. I could see his chest hair, dark and thick, as it traveled from his chest down his stomach and past his navel where it disappeared behind his trousers. The front had some pleating details and at the collar was a large pussy bow. He wore high waisted trousers with a thick leather belt and they were made of some sort of silky material that was loose through his hips and thighs but started to tighten to his calves towards the bottom before they were tucked tightly into a pair of black boots. He was wearing black silk gloves and he’d kept on his Papal paints, hair slightly ruffled but not in his face beyond a strand or two. Again he wore his black diamond stud and grucifix earring as well, him and I matching without thinking.

“Ah, Amore. Hai un aspetto fantastico, Tesoro.” Terzo crooned as he came over to press a soft kiss to my temple. “How about il Cardinale, eh? He cleans up well, no?”

Slowly I turned my gaze to the other man in the room and my cheeks flushed at the sight of him. Copia’s eyes locked with mine, the heat clear in them, as he stood. Copia had been dressed in what I’m sure would look simple in comparison to Terzo and I but fit his personality far better that anything else, I had to give terzo credit there. Copia wore a black dress shirt, the first few buttons undone to expose his chest and his chest hair. He wore dark trousers that were just as tight as his formal trousers from the night before, dark leather belt with a small silver chain connected from the first belt loop to the one closer to his hip. He also wore a leather harness around his shoulders that connected together between his shoulder blades.

I’d be lying if I said my mouth wasn’t watering at the thought of these two men. Copia’s knowing smirk made my thighs clench and I tried to think of a good excuse to use to convince them to stay here and fuck me till the sun came up.

“Hai un aspetto incantevole, Topolino.” Copia purred as he took my hand and kissed my knuckles, his mustache ticking my over sensitive skin.

“Come on, you two. We need to sneak out of here, pronto!” Terzo chuckled, taking my free hand and tugging us along.

The man was like an over excited toddler sometimes and I couldn’t help but smile brightly at him as he tugged me to the French doors leading into the hallways.

Quietly as we could, which wasn’t saying much since we were all dressed like we were going to a goth vampire rave, we made our way from the dormitories to the main building and towards the side entrance where Terzo had said there was a ghoul waiting to drive us into the city, that way nobody had to worry about getting us back from the club.

“Come, we have to hurry.” Terzo teased but Copia’s hand shot out and snagged both of us, pulling us back around the corner as the sounds of someone heading up the hallway became clearer.

Realistically all three of us were, or in my case were becoming, senior clergy. We could come and go as we pleased. But part of me knew that we had a few folks who would go to great lengths to get us in trouble, even if it was something as silly as sneaking out of the monastery and without a papal guard with us for Papa. Especially after the last time he was here and caused a huge mess at the Vatican.

I peaked as subtly as I could around the corner and had to hold in the groan of who was heading in direction. Cardinal Veritas apparently had taken the night patrol for the dormitories, Sister Caterina walking with him as they spoke softly. I couldn’t hear them but judging by their faces we didn’t want to get caught out at almost midnight. Veritas looked like he was sucking on a lemon and Caterina looked like she was about to cry. Suddenly they paused and I could just barely make out what they were saying.

“I understand your frustrations, Brother, but is it not enough what we have now?” Caterina sighed, ringing her hands slightly. “We’ve lost the battle, they will be bound and there isn’t anything either of us can do.”

“It is my birthright, sorellina, you may be willing to step aside and lose Terzo but I am not willing to put aside what should have rightfully been mine.” Veritas hissed, rounding his fury on his sister who jumped slightly at his outburst.

“I-I didn’t want to lose him,” She mumbled as they walked towards the hallway opposite where we were hidden. “Our goals, our dreams…they were not the same. Funny how that changed when he found his Prime Mover .” She sneered at my title, I rolled my eyes. I almost felt bad for her…almost.

“We will make them see, mark my words Sister.” Veritas said ominously before they were out of sight and too far away to hear what they were saying.

We waited a few minutes, I was processing what we’d overheard, before Terzo started to tug me along again. Copia was hot on our heels.

“Come, Tesoro. Do not let them distract you from our celebrazioni, si?” He chuckled, tucking his arm around my waist as we stepped out into the side entrance where a black SUV with tinted windows sat waiting for us.

“Papa is right, Stellina.” Copia purred in my ear as Terzo opened the car door for me. “Tonight is about us, celebrating us.”

…

After a surprisingly quick drive where I was glued to the window, taking in as much as I could in the inky black darkness of the night, we pulled up out front of a very old stone church. I could see the line of goths and punks wrapping around the building behind the ropes, all of them dressed in various outfits similar to what we were wearing. Copia had stepped out of the SUV first, turning and offering his hand to me. I smiled and thanked him, pressing a little kiss to his cheek as I stepped out of the way for Terzo.

Once he stepped out it was like someone woke all the people in line up, all of them suddenly shouting for Terzo. I stepped closer to Copia out of instinct before taking both their arms. This was going to be my future, I couldn’t keep shying away from it. As we walked up to the bouncer, Terzo worked the crowd with his cheeky smiles and spoke fluent italian.

“Ah buonasera Papa, Cardinale!” The bouncer greeted us, massive smile on his face. “Sono passati parecchi anni dall'ultima volta che vi ho visto qui.” It has been several years since I last saw you here

“Marcos, divertente vederti qui, non pensavo che avresti ancora lavorato qui. Pensavo che alla tua ragazza non piacesse questo posto?” Funny to see you here, I didn't think you would still be working here. I thought your girlfriend didn't like this place? Copia greeted him with a handshake and a genuine smile. “Siamo in città per affari ufficiali del clero, ma Terzo ha deciso che dovevamo festeggiare.” We are in town on official Clergy business, but Terzo decided we needed to celebrate

“Non lasciare che ti trattenga, entra. Sono sicuro che il manager sarà felice di vedere che i suoi clienti preferiti sono tornati!” Don't let me hold you up, come in. I'm sure the manager will be happy to see her favorite clients have come again! The bouncer laughed, holding the door open for the three of us. Terzo followed behind Copia and I while blowing kisses to the crowd outside.

I gasped at the interior of the space, clearly once an old church had been given a second life now. The feeling was dark and seedy, the pulsing beat reverberating in my chest as the strobe lights flashed and the red glow of the overhead lights tinted the people around us, the back wall where the altar used to be was now a massive DJ stage, the stain glass windows illuminated from outside causing the stage to have a sort of ethereal glow.

The main worship area had all pews stripped from it and instead was a massive dance floor packed with bodies. On either side underneath where there was a mezzanine level, were two massive bars with large cages holding women who were dancing along with the music. There was a massive staircase to our right that was roped off with two bouncers standing there to block folks from just heading up to where there was a VIP section on the level above us.

“Papa, Cardinale, Sister.” A woman’s voice pulled me from my wandering gaze. The woman was shorter than me but you wouldn’t know based on the massive heels she was wearing. She wore a latex dress, just as form fitting as mine but stopped just at her knee, it was a nude color so at first glance I thought she was naked. She wore a leather body harness over it and smiled warmly at us. “We’ve been expecting you, I’ve set you up in the VIP lounge tonight.”

“Ah, Manager, it is so nice to see you again.” Terzo crooned, leaning around me to press a kiss to the woman’s cheek in greeting. “However I think we would like to jump right into the fray so to speak.”

“Excellent, Papa. Please let me know if you need anything, I’ve set you up with VIP bottle service for the floor and for your booth upstairs. Enjoy your evening!” With that she sauntered away, heading upstairs herself.

I looked over at Copia who looked smug but anxious and I took his hand, squeezing it as I leaned in to yell in his ear.

“You don’t have to dance if you don’t want too.”

“Si, si…I know. Let us get a few drinks and then maybe I will join…” he laughed sheepishly and tugged on Terzo’s sleeve, gesturing to the roped off VIP bar on the ground floor with his head. Terzo got the message and the three of us walked up to the bartender, a man wearing only a bondage harness and black leather trousers.

“Three tequila shots!” I called out, handing him the black credit card I’d been told to use for emergencies. Clubbing and liquor counted as an emergency right?

Quickly the three of took the shots as the man poured them, sticking three lime wedges on a napkin in front of us. I turned around facing the boys with a cheeky grin.

“To our first hurdle, one down and six rituals to go!” I cheered, a goofy smile on my face as I clinked my shot glass with theirs before throwing it back with a grimace. The liquor itself was smooth as it slid down my throat, sucking on the lime wedge before flagging the bartender for another round.

“Amore, take it slow. We will be here for a while, why don’t we have a few drinks first, no?” Terzo teased, his gloved hand running up and down my bare upper arms as he called out into my ear over the pulse of the music.

“But shots are faster and I need liquid courage for this.” I grumbled, a blush staining my cheeks. “Copia, what would you prefer?”

“I think one of us needs to keep a clear head just in case, Topolino. One more shot for me and I think I will stick with scotch for the evening.” Copia spoke as he leaned against the bar, though he looked casual I could read the tense muscles in his back.

“Why don’t you scope out a spot for us in VIP while I let Papa drag me out to dance, find a good spot to watch us.” I offered, he looked a little more relaxed and nodded before heading towards the stairs up to VIP.

“You are very kind to him, Amore.” Terzo purred in my ear as he curled around me, one hand settling on my hip as he held the shot in front of my mouth. “He may not join us now, but give him some time to warm up and he will come back to you, trust me.”

“I think watching us will be all the invitation he needs.” I mumbled as I leaned my head back on his shoulder, turning to his ear as I spoke. “Let’s do this shot and you can show me some moves, old man.”

“Ooh, stai chiedendo una sculacciata stasera, marmocchio.” You're asking for a spanking tonight, brat. He chuckled darkly as I turned in his arms and took the shot from his hand. I threw it back while maintaining our gaze, my eyes heavy with lust as the strong liquor started to work its way in my system. “Come, let me show you these moves…”

Terzo threw his shot back quickly, taking my hand and leading me out onto the floor of writhing bodies. The dance floor was packed with people, the heat and air thick, making me almost feel like I was moving through a pulsing body of water. Somehow Terzo and I made it to almost the middle of the floor, moving our bodies together with the bass of the music. I followed his movements, facing him at first with my arms around his neck as he wrapped his around my waist. I swayed my hips to the beat as he pulled me close to him, the other bodies around us pressing closer as we began to move with the push and pull of the crowd around us. Like the movement of the tides, Terzo and I swayed together. His hands guided my hips against him as we bounced to the sound of the music, feeling almost entranced between the thrumming bass in my chest and the dark heat of lust in his eyes.

In the pulse of the strobe, Terzo’s mismatched eyes were locked on my face. His white iris looked like it was glowing, I was mesmerized by him as we both began to sweat from the wall of heat around us. Terzo’s hair was slightly hanging in his face as he gripped my hips roughly and spun me around to grind against him. I gasped and leaned my head back against his shoulder as he held firm my hips and refused to let me move away. I felt his cock against my ass and I couldn’t help the shudder that ran down my spine as I writhed against him, dancing to the pulsing beat.

Terzo’s hands started to wander as I matched my movements to his own, the heat of his body and hands bleeding through both his gloves and the thin latex material of my dress. The flashing lights were disorienting and adding in the liquor running through my veins I had to close my eyes so I didn’t feel like I was spinning.

“Stai bene, amore?” Terzo’s voice rang in my ear over the deafening beat.

“I’m fine, just sensory overloaded I think. I never did anything like this before…” I laughed as I reached behind me to cup the back of his head. He pressed open mouth kisses to my neck and I moaned, the sound absorbed by the beat of the music. “Terzo…”

“Amore.” He purred into my skin, his hands running up my sides from my hips to my waist before cupping my breasts as he swayed against me, groaning in my ear as my free hand reached back to cup him over his trousers.

He grunted and thrust himself into my palm, my mouth going dry as his thumbs pinched my nipples through the latex dress. I gasped his name, turning my head to bury my face in his neck. He smelled of incense as always but also something earthy, something so unique to him. I couldn’t help myself as I pressed kisses into the skin of his neck, biting down as one of his hand slipped between my thighs for only a second, sucking and leaving a love bite. He hissed, swearing under his breath as we continued to rock to the beat, before he chuckled darkly.

“Look up, si?” Terzo groaned, hands returning to my hips as I bucked back against him.

I did as I was told and gasped at the slight of Copia watching us from the VIP area, leaning on the railing with a dark smirk. Even in the low light of the club I could see his eyes locked on Terzo and I as we ground against each other. I couldn’t help the whimper that slipped past my lips as one of Terzo’s hands wrapped around my throat, the other teasing my clenching thighs as we danced. His hand gripped the thin exposed section of skin between my thigh high boots and my extremely short dress. Copia’s smirk slipped from his face as he watched Terzo bite my neck, sucking a love bite mark right under my ear. I gasped, arching my back and tugging on his hair.

“Terzo, please.” I gasped, eyes slipping closed as his fingers slipped upwards and just barely brushed against my clenching cunt. “What if someone sees us?”

“Pensi che me ne frega un cazzo, Amore?” Terzo chuckled in my ear, nipping the lobe before speaking again. “Let them enjoy the free show if they want…”

We danced for what felt like hours, Terzo groping me and grinding his cock against me. I felt him edging me so much I was shaking in his arms, panting and writhing like I was on the verge of coming undone in the middle of the dance floor. Twice our personal bottle service came and brought us another round of shots, taking the glasses with them as they went. I felt pleasantly drunk, floating on the edge of too much and not enough alcohol in my system. Just enough to make me think I could dance as well as the cage dancers but not enough to make me throw up.

After the second round, which was actually Terzo and I’s fourth round in total, I had looked up to where I had spotted Copia before but he was gone. Puzzled, I tried to look around for him but Terzo spun me in his arms to face him, pulling me close as he grabbed my ass and we writhed against each other. Without warning he crashed his lips to mine, a strangled gasp coming out of me as our teeth clacked together. His tongue was in my mouth instantly and I fisted his shirt in my hands as I swallowed the strangled sound he made. His hands gripped my hips in a vice, grinding against me as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss.

“You naughty girl, Sorella…” Copia’s voice purred in my ear, I jumped as I pulled away from Terzo and looked over my shoulder.

Copia had a slight flush to his cheeks, eyes slightly glassy from the liquor he’d been drinking, but he also had a cheeky smirk as he watched Terzo and I dance. He curled around me, hands gripping my hips as he pulled me away from Terzo and back to him. Terzo stepped closer, tucking a leg between mine and grinding it up against my core as Copia shifted my hips back and forth with the beat. I let out a groan, head falling back to rest against Copia’s shoulder as the two of them puppeteer my body like a marionette. I had already been close but now I was panting and arching off of Copia while Terzo whispered filthy things in my ear.

“Sento il tuo odore da qui, Amore.” Terzo purred, his hands cupping my cheeks as he tilted my head to look at him. I panted and smiled at him warmly. “You’d drive these little boys crazy if they only knew…”

A blush stained my cheeks as I looked around us, most people were locked together just as much as we were. They were oblivious to what we were up to just next to them, but there was a set of two pairs of eyes in our direction. They were behind Terzo, how he even knew they were looking at us I’d never know, but they were dancing with two pretty girls. They weren’t looking at the girls though, no they were locked on me. I gasped as Terzo pressed open mouth, wet kisses to the keyhole spot over my cleavage. I looked away, my hands running through Terzo’s hair and pulling him against me. I hummed in pleasure and groaned as the tight pull behind my belly button became sharper and sharper, orgasm close as I shook in Copia’s arms.

“Who do you belong to, Sorella?” Copia hissed in my ear, gripping my hips tightly and holding me still as my thighs clenched against Terzo’s. I whined, so close to my orgasm I felt my cunt clench painfully, which earned me a sharp spank on my ass.

“Y-you…you both.” I panted in his ear as his hand curled up to tilt me to look up at his hooded eyes. They were dark and possessive, my heart thrumming in my chest at the look he was giving me. “Only you two.”

Terzo’s thigh slipped further between my legs and I hissed at the feeling of the silk sliding between my legs, but I felt Copia groan behind me. He ground his hips forward against my ass and I knew Terzo had managed to graze his knee against Copia’s cock, the wicked grin on his face giving him away.

“Let her have her reward, Cardinale. She has been a very good girl, no?” Terzo argued for me, a sly smile on his face as he rocked forwards against us with the pulse of the music.

Both Copia and I writhing against one another, I was panting as my hands came to grip Terzo’s collar. I tugged his lips to mine roughly, tongue slipping into his mouth as he slipped a hand into my ponytail and tugged on it playfully. I gasped, sucking his tongue into my mouth and matching my playful flicks of my tongue to the beat of the music. Copia meanwhile was back to guiding me against Terzo’s thigh, grinding his cock against my ass with every rock of my hips. Between the liquor in my veins and the heady feeling on the dance floor I was so close, trembling while I was pinned between my lovers.

“P-please.” I begged, lips grazing against Terzo’s as Copia leaned forward and teasingly ran his teeth against my pulse point. “I-I can’t…”

“Be a good girl, Sorella. Vieni per tuo Papa e il Cardinale.” Terzo crooned, hand coming to take over on my hips. He rocked me faster against his thigh as he rocked against me.

“Sì Sorella, vieni per le tue consorti.” Yes Sister, come for your mates Copia’s voice was gruff as he groaned against me, sinking his teeth into my pulse point as I came undone in their arms.

Terzo pressed his lips to mine as I cried out in bliss, swallowing the sounds as I arched and rocked through my aftershocks in their arms. I felt boneless as I floated there, swaying vaguely with the bass. Both men chuckled as they murmured sweet words of affection in my ear, pressing gentle kisses into my overly sensitive skin. As the pulse of my heart began to return to normal, Terzo slipped his leg from between mine. I stumbled slightly, Copia catching me and I smiled reassuringly.

“Amore…my pants…” Terzo caught my wrist to catch my attention. I looked back at him puzzled for a moment, he was laughing hysterically as pointed to a dark stain on his upper thigh. “Now I will constantly smell like you per la sera.”

My face was bright red and before I could say anything Terzo was distracted by the bottle service girl, who was coming to see if we needed another round. I leaned to Copia who had his hand steady on the small of my back.

“I-I have to go to the bathroom,” I called, leaning back against him to shout in his ear. “I’ll be right back. Order me another rum and coke?”

“Of course, but I think we will need to head back soon. I for one would like to get some sleep before Imperator and the older Emeritus family members arrive.” Copia said before leaning closer to me. “Besides, I have plans for you when we get back to the Monastery, si?”

That was all the motivation I needed to get my ass in gear, an excited smile on my face as I nodded enthusiastically.

“I’ll meet you by the door in five minutes? You wrangle Terzo.”

“Four minutes, and if you are not there I will come looking for you.”

“Oh, is that a threat, Cardinal?” I teased, tugging on his shirt collar before he snatched my hand, pressing a kiss to the inside of my wrist.

“È una promessa, Amato…”

…

I felt like I had been waiting in line forever, but finally I was able to use the bathroom. I had freshened up as best I could after grinding against Terzo’s thigh and a thrill went up my spine as I stepped out of the woman’s bathroom and into the long dark red hallway.

At first there wasn’t anyone as I shuffled my way down the corridor but when I came towards the bend before the short opening to the main club I had to stumble backwards slightly or I would have slammed into a pair of guys who were blocking the hallway.

“E-excuse me.” I stumbled slightly, not trusting the way they were looking at me.

They looked to be in their early to mid twenties, both dressed in black dress suits. One had dark hair, long and pulled into a bun at the nape of his neck; the other had short sandy blond hair. Both were looking at me like I was their next meal and they hadn’t eaten in a few days.

“Una bella ragazza come te non dovrebbe perdere tempo con un paio di vecchietti come loro.” The dark haired one spoke first, leaning on the wall in an attempt to look sexy that just reminded me of a movie villain.

“I-I’m sorry I don’t speak Italian.” I spoke, my tone slightly wobbly as I sobered quickly and fear settled into my veins like ice

My hands were shaking slightly as I tried to peek around them to see if anyone was coming this way. Copia had said if I took too long he would come looking for me, surely it was longer than five minutes right? I realized they were still speaking with me and I looked back at them

“He said why you bother with them, you need someone young to take care of your needs, eh?” The light hair one purred at me, taking a step towards me. I took a step back and tried to not corner myself so I could run back to the woman’s bathroom if I needed too.

“I don’t need anyone to take care of my needs, I’m all set.” I hissed, standing up straight and glaring at them both. Neither of them seemed put off by my attempts to deny them what they wanted.

“Come Principessa, let me show you what a young man can do better si?” The dark hair one spoke again, moving more towards me.

I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as my back just barely brushed against the back wall. I could see down the hall to where the bathroom was and nobody had come out yet, someone would come out right? I could feel the lump forming in my throat as I thought about screaming.

“I said I’m all set.” I snapped, slapping away the blond one’s hand as he attempted to snag my wrist.

“I even ignore the fucked up eye. Unless it is a contact, no?” The dark haired one purred, smirking as his hand reached out to cup my cheek. I slapped his hand away too, mind reeling as I thought about the best escape route.

“Leave me the fuck alone.” I hissed, attempting to shove past them and down the hall to the main area of the club where I could at least attempt to get help or find my companions.

“Come, do not put up a fight, uccellino.” He chuckled darkly, the blond one doing the same. His hands brushed against my upper arm in a soothing motion and I flinched away from him.

“Don’t touch me!” I spat, side stepping them both with a furious look on my face. “If you try and touch me again you will regret it.”

“You put up this much fight for the old timers?” He joked, stepping with me to block my path. “Beautiful girl like you deserves better, no?”

“They are twice the men you boys will ever be.” I spat at him, he opened his mouth leaning in to speak to me again but I heard another voice in the hall.

“Credo che la signora abbia chiesto di essere lasciata in pace, ragazzi…” I believe the lady asked to be left alone, fellas...

Terzo’s voice felt like a lifeline and I had to hold back the sob that hung in my throat as the two men stepped slightly towards him. I could see him standing only a few feet away, a predatory gleam in his eyes and a wicked smirk on his face.

“Vaffanculo, nonno. Nessuno ti ha chiesto di essere coinvolto qui.” Fuck you, grandpa. Nobody asked you to get involved here. The dark haired one spat, as he stepped towards Terzo.

“Sfortunatamente per te, il fatto che tu stia minacciando la mia amata significa che in realtà devo farmi coinvolgere.” Unfortunately for you, the fact that you are threatening my beloved means I do in fact have to get involved . Terzo sighed dramatically, winking at me before turning to the two younger men.

“Amato? Che cazzo, da dove vieni?” Beloved? What the fuck, where did you even come from?

Terzo ignored them and held his hand out to me, nodding comforting as I stepped around the two men and towards my companion. “Come, Sorella.”

“Sorella? She your Sister?!” The blond one said, horrified look on his face as he looked at Terzo and I.

“She is my paramore, my Sister of Sin. My Prime Mover. You will show her respect.” He spoke, eyes dark and white iris flashing dangerously. I snatched his hand and started to pull him away from the men, desperate to get out of there and grab a few drinks for the road.

“Sorella del peccato? Oh, sei uno di quei pazzi satanisti, vero?” Sister of Sin? Oh you're one of those crazy Satanists aren't you?

I didn’t know what came over me, a rage so strong I could taste the copper on my tongue as I whipped around and my furious gaze locked on them.

“Do not speak to Papa Emeritus the Third like that…or of Lucifer.” I spat, my head starting to hum on the edge of a headache. “You will not speak of our Dark Lord like that again, or mark my words you will lose your tongue.”

“What could you possibly do about it?” The boys laughed and I clenched my fists.

“Amore…” Terzo’s voice cut through the low buzzing sound I felt in my head but I couldn’t get the rage to dissipate. Another voice slipped into the fray, one I could have sworn I’d heard before.

Protect my flock…heed my power, Prime Mover…

“I-I will…” I mumbled, Terzo fixing me with an odd look as I took two steps towards the boys.

“Ah you finally make your decision, uccellino?” One asked, a smirk on his face. I smiled sweetly.

“I did.” I purred as I pressed my hands together in mock prayer. “Nema.”

I knew something was up by the way their eyes widened in fear, both taking a small step backwards. It wasn’t till the buzzing sound filtered away that I heard the unearthly growl from behind me. Looking over my shoulder I felt my heart spudder as I realized what I had allowed to happen.

“Sorella…what did you do?”

“I’m protecting our flock, Terzo.” I mumbled, dazed and stepped back towards him as an unmasked ghoul slid forward between the men and I.

Carefully I reached forward, putting a hand on the ghouls shoulder and spoke softly to them. Their head whipped around to look at me with wide glowing eyes. Part of me was terrified but another understood that this ghoul would never hurt me; unmasked or not.

“Your name is multi-ghoul, you will serve me, yes?”

“Yes, your eminence.” Their voice was rough as they materialized a mask, a silver one like all the ghouls had, and pulled it on to cover their face. “I am yours…”

“See boys? Lucifer shares his power with all who ask, as long as they are deserving…” I crooned, tilting my head as they looked at me like I had lost it. Maybe I had, I felt drunk on power I didn’t quite understand just yet. The multi ghoul growled as he crouched low and close to me, protective stance.

“Omega…” Terzo called softy, the low lighting in the hallway flickering slightly before another ghoul materialized next to us. The boys were shaking in fear now but I ignored their eyes. “Please escort this new ghoul back to the monastery, si?”

“Yes Papa.” Omega spoke, their voice deep and level as they put a hand on the newest ghoul. My ghoul, I shuttered as I felt what was clearly anxiety but not my own. Multi was looking back at me with primal fear in their eyes, I nodded calmly.

“It’s alright. You’re safe with us now…” I tried to reassure them, smiling and nodding as Terzo put his hand on my shoulder. “As soon as I can I’ll come find you, okay?”

They nodded at me before looking and growling at the outsiders before Omega whisked them both away in a void of black. The two boys who had tried to take advantage of me were shaking and looking back and forth between Terzo and I. They scrambled, shoving each other as they tried to slide around us.

“Do remember next time you try to mess with us Satanists, boys! Some of us have a direct line to the big man.” I chuckled, pointing to my white iris. “Some of us are his favorites…”

Without another pause they booked it out of the hall, leaving Terzo and I standing there staring at each other. His chest was heaving and he looked almost furious…almost. I blushed bright red, ringing my hands together and looking away from him.

“I-I’m sorry I don’t know what came over me I-!” I started before Terzo spun me and slammed my back into the wall before crashing his lips against mine.

I gasped at his rough handling of me, back arching off the wall as he drove his tongue into my parted lips and teased my own. He pressed his entire body weight into me, taking my wrists and pinning them above my head so I couldn’t escape him. I whimpered into our furious kisses as he slipped his leg between mine again and I rocked against him. I moaned and rolled my body against his as his free hand gripped my hip so tight I thought I would bruise for sure.

“I lose you both for one minute and this is how I find you…” Copia’s voice made me jump, pulling back from Terzo’s aggressions and blushing bright red.

“Copia I-” I started to speak but Terzo put a hand over my mouth, silencing me. I pushed against his grip on my wrists but he was stronger than he looked and I ended up just glaring at him as he spoke to Copia.

“Non so come abbia fatto, ma la sorella ha evocato un ghoul.” I don't know how she did it, but Sister summoned a ghoul.

“Un demone? Senza alcun aiuto rituale?! Ma non è…” A ghoul? Without any ritual help at all?! But that's not…

“Possibile? Lo so, eppure l'ha fatto lo stesso. Avremmo dovuto discutere del segno di favore prima di fare qualsiasi altra cosa.” Possible? I know and yet she did it just the same. We should have discussed the mark of favor before doing anything else.

“Sai che dovremo dirlo a Saltarian, vero? Per non parlare di Imperator, si?” You know we'll have to tell Saltarian about this, right? Not to mention Imperator, yes?

“La festa è finita, vero?” The party is over isn't it?

“Afraid so, Papa.” Copia sighed before looking at me, a smirk on his face but serious in his eyes. “You, Topolino, are going to have quite a lot of explaining to do when we get back to the Monastery.”

Terzo took his hands off my mouth and wrists and I couldn’t help but pout as we walked from the club.

“I would have thought that of all people, you two would have thought the fact I summoned my own ghoul was cool…” I knew I must have looked childish as I slid into the SUV that was waiting for us, sitting in the middle of the back seat.

“Sorella…” Copia started before Terzo took my chin and tilted it towards him.

“It was one of the sexiest things I have seen you do, Amore, and I have seen quite a bit.” He chuckled, I blushed and looked away slightly. “However, ghouls of this nature…they are supposed to be summoned in a controlled environment.”

“What do you mean by this nature?” I questioned, Terzo looked over to Copia with a question in his eyes. The Cardinal sighed before taking my hands and pulling my attention to him.

“When one is given a mark of devotion, there is a trade that is made so to speak.” He sighed. “You give Lucifer proof of loyalty, one that all can see whenever you open your eyes, as a gift he gives you someone just as loyal to you. Your own ghoul.”

“But the church has so many, surely not everyone has their own.” I pushed.

“True, many of the ghouls that are summoned are done by the clergy or even the current Papa for the Ghost Project. But for senior clergy, it is a final test of loyalty.” Copia spoke, eyes almost unfocused as he looked at me. “But for some like…Papa, his brothers and…because of the mark of loyalty…”

“We have our own personal ghouls, Amore.” Terzo finished, a small encouraging smile. “It is something that comes normally after a rite of ascension, so you are skipping steps here.”

“You had called for a ghoul named Omega…is he yours, Terzo?”

“He is. He is part of the Ghost Project too, but he is my true companion ghoul. He feels as I feel, I feel his feelings sometimes too.”

“And you Copia? Who is your ghoul?”

Copia’s face turned dark and he wouldn’t look at me, stumbling and muttering something before Terzo took over for him.

“Ah, the Cardinale…he…well…he was unable to summon his ghoul at his rite of ascension.”

“O-oh.” Was all I could reply, longing to reach out to Copia but he refused to look at either of us. The rest of our ride back to the Monastery was silent, all of us tangled with our thoughts.

When we pulled into the side driveway, the sun was already coming up. Some siblings were starting on the earliest morning chores, receiving the daily delivery of food and supplies when we stepped from the SUV and made our way inside and back to our rooms. I wasn’t sure if it was the looks on Terzo and I’s face or the waves of anger and hurt pouring off of Copia but nobody stopped us the whole way.

“I am going to go lay down in the other room.” Copia said simply, pausing to press a kiss to my temple. “Congratulations, Amore. I am very proud of you.”

“Y-you aren’t going to come sleep with us?” I asked, a lump forming slightly in my throat as I spoke.

“No, Topolino. I need some time, si?” He smiled softly but it didn’t reach his eyes as he slipped from my reach, down the other hall and into one of the spare bedrooms.

I felt the tears beginning to pool in my eyes as Terzo led me towards our bedroom.

“Come Tesoro, let me get you ready for bed, si?” He sighed as I nodded sharply, fighting the tears back. “The Cardinale? He is…sensitive about this, yes?”

“I-I didn’t know…”

“I know, he knows this too. He just needs some time, Amore.” Terzo sighed sadly, as he helped me sit on the edge of the bed. “Come, let me help you get out of these clothes.”

He tugged my boots off my sore feet, tossing them to the side and helping to pull the latex dress off me. As he handed me my nightgown, I pulled it over my head and clenched my fists.

“If you need to cry, then cry, Sorella. It will not help to hold it in.” He whispered as he came over to me with a wet hand towel, dabbing at the remnants of makeup on my face.

I felt a few tears slide down my cheeks but I refused to let them flow freely, shaking my head like a child. Terzo sighed again but finished helping me take off my makeup, letting my hair down from its ponytail and tucking me into bed. I watched him from my spot in the middle as he took all his own clothes off, wiping his own face with the same towel he wiped mine off with before sitting on the edge of the bed and tossing his jewelry onto the side table.

He slipped under the covers with me, wearing only his underwear and gave me a small smile with his arms open wide. “Vieni qui, mio amato.”

I wriggled forward into his arms, burying my face into his chest and inhaling the scent that was so uniquely him. Even as he rubbed my back a small part of me longed for the warmth of Copia settling in to sleep behind me. I felt my throat constrict as I tried to form the words to speak.

“W-will he always be upset with me about this?” I whispered as I wrapped my arms around Terzo.

“I do not think so, Amore, but I cannot say for sure when he will move on from this…”

It was then I felt the dam I had built up over the last few months of everything going on crack and as one tear became two, more and more leaks appeared in the dam till I was openly sobbing in Terzo’s arms. He shushed me and soothed me as best he could, his hands running up and down my back but I was so pent up and exhausted I couldn’t stop crying. Eventually I did drift off, the soft sound of Terzo humming in my ear soothing me enough to let the exhaustion of the whole trip catch up to me.

#Ghost #the band ghost #cardinal copia x reader #papa emeritus x reader #papa emeritus iii x reader #terzo x reader #copia x reader x terzo #copia x terzo #copia x reader #Cardinal copia #papa emeritus lll #papa terzo #terzo emeritus #my writing #sinners in secret chapters #Spotify

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apocalypticavolition · 1 year ago

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Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 12: Woven in the Pattern

For the first time in this let's read, Perrin pushed Egwene out of the tag prompts, which must mean it's time for an Egwene chapter! If you don't want more spoilers for the whole Wheel of Time series than that, stop reading.

For this chapter, we begin with the Flame of Tar Valon. This chapter is about Egwene and Nynaeve's journey with the Aes Sedai caravan, so naturally we're gonna get lots of Aes Sedai stuff.

Egwene stopped, wide-eyed, too shocked even to think that she was surrounded by Aes Sedai. An attempt on the life of the Amyrlin Seat. It went beyond thinking of.

It's fun how Jordan remembers his POV's limitations. We know damn well that Amyrlins have dealt with assassination attempts before, but Egwene's a starry-eyed country bumpkin who has just found herself with a chance to get cloistered so of course she thinks no one would kill off the leader of her new organization. She'll learn better soon!

Her eyes came to rest on Egwene and Nynaeve, piercing eyes that seemed to Egwene to be seeing everything about herself that she wanted to keep secret. Egwene took a step back, then caught herself and dropped a curtsy, wondering if that were proper; no one had ever explained to her the protocol of meeting the Amyrlin Seat. Nynaeve kept her back straight and returned the Amyrlin’s stare, but she fumbled for Egwene’s hand and gripped as hard as Egwene did.

Good to know that in addition to neglecting the boys, Moiraine was neglecting the girls too! Egwene does really well when you consider how she doesn't get the special attention that the boys do. And of course Nynaeve is just like "Eff you mother I'd spit in your face if it wasn't undignified" while also being "Oh shit Egwene let's hide." Egwene's closeness to her lets us see her duality better than we can from Rand's eyes or frankly Nynaeve's own.

Nynaeve, riding alongside, shook her head. “Rand will be all right. He has Lord Ingtar and twenty lances with him. In any case, there is nothing you can do about it. Nothing either of us can do.” She glanced toward Moiraine; the Aes Sedai’s trim white mare and Lan’s tall black stallion made an odd pair off to one side by themselves. “Not yet.”

Likewise, Nynaeve sees Egwene better than she'll let herself admit, since the narration hadn't mentioned Rand since the beginning of the chapter. I continue to regret that she never got a chance to confront Moiraine about crap. It makes sense that her motivations moved on but don't even try to tell me it wouldn't have been awesome.

Lan came once to the tent Egwene shared with Nynaeve, taking the Wisdom into the night a little distance away. Egwene peered around the tent flap to watch. She could not hear what they said, except that Nynaeve eventually erupted in anger and came stalking back to wrap herself in her blankets and refuse to talk at all.

What is Lan even doing at this point? What is he saying to her? Is it just a heads up that he and Moiraine will be dipping out at any point? Is it some weakness on his part where he's trying to both be the brooding loner and get some action on the side and Nynaeve is just not interested in the emotional whiplash he's offering her?

She glanced at the lantern hanging at the highest point of the tent, and the flame rose a little higher. Egwene thought she felt something, thought she almost saw something about the Aes Sedai when the flame grew brighter. Moiraine had told her that one day—when she had more training—she would be able to see when another woman channeled, and to tell a woman who could channel even if she did nothing.

I honestly didn't remember this milestone in Egwene's growth and even though she's growing right on track I'm going crazy at the slowness of it all. Also: Verin's got them good subtle test skills, you know?

“Moiraine has . . . I mean, Moiraine Sedai has been giving me lessons,” Egwene managed.

Presumably this must be more than the one Rand eavesdropped on, so Moiraine hasn't been totally negligent here. I guess it's not fair to say she didn't prep Egwene just over addressing the Amyrlin since for Moiraine it was a complete surprise that she showed up and then things immediately went to shit.

Almost always they have built up walls to keep themselves from knowing what it was they were doing, and those walls interfere with conscious control. The longer those walls have to build, the harder it is to tear them down, but if they can be demolished—well, some of the most adept sisters ever have been wilders.

And yet no one ever managed to build a wall as effective as Nynaeve's, which turns the standard rules of the One Power on their head - or seem to, at least.

“Well, Moiraine has never believed in telling anyone anything they did not need to know. Knowing serves no real purpose, but then, neither does not knowing. Myself, I always prefer knowing to not.”

This is an absolutely incredible thing to say considering what her knowledge has brought her. Take what you want and pay for it indeed.

But you began trying to channel without anyone there to teach you any control at all of what you do. I know you don’t think you’re very far along, and you are not, but you are like someone who has taught herself to run up hills—sometimes, at least—without ever learning how to run down the other side, or to walk. Sooner or later you are going to fall, if you don’t learn the rest of it.

It's a little sad that Egwene actually got a good - if horrifying - education and this never really paid off because seeing Egwene slip up would have been quite interesting. I guess she probably would have died or something though so it's for the best! She's much too fun to kill off this early.

Egwene thought, Can she know about Rand? It isn’t possible. She’d never have let him leave Fal Dara if she even suspected. But she was sure she had not imagined what she saw.

Pseudo-bookends in Egwene and Verin's first and last interactions both involving Verin sharing very different secrets in very different ways. It's also funny in that Verin will shortly ditch the party to go join Rand.

Nynaeve’s hands tightened on her skirt, and she looked at the tent flap again, frowning. Finally she gave a short nod and settled back down on the floor. “I suppose I might as well,” she said.

Nynaeve hates veiled social threats and not being able to yell at people, but she's absolutely dying to learn this stuff too, even if she's uncomfortable with it.

It was slow, but Moiraine had said it would come more quickly with practice. Inside herself, she was a rosebud, red petals curled tightly. Yet suddenly there was something else. Light. Light pressing on the petals. Slowly the petals unfolded, turning toward the light, absorbing the light. The rose and the light were one. Egwene and the light were one. She could feel the merest trickle of it seeping through her. She stretched for more, strained for more. . . .

Is this very lightly sexual? I'm a pervert who can find sex imagery in just about anything, but I feel like... there's something here.

Is it just me?

Did I mention that novices do chores? They wash dishes, scrub floors, do laundry, serve at table, all sorts of things. I myself think the servants do a better job of it by far, but it is generally felt that such labor builds character. Oh, you are staying? Good.

Am I wrong to think that if Verin had been able to spend two straight weeks with Nynaeve, she would have had her block gone after the first week?

Egwene was sitting, watching the other two between her yawns. The night had grown late, well past the time she would usually be asleep. Nynaeve wore a face like week-old death, her eyes clamped shut as if she never meant to open them and her hands white-knuckled fists in her lap. Egwene hoped the Wisdom’s temper did not break loose, not after she had held it this long.

It will and it will be awesome, but can we all appreciate how hard that Nynaeve is trying? She spends the whole time talking about how little she cares and how she's totally leaving Mat and Perrin behind at Fal Dara any day now not interested in being Aes Sedai but dammit she's trying so hard and it's probably extra miserable because she's being judged by strangers and it's not coming anywhere near as easily to her as stuff has in the past.

“I—I was angry.” Nynaeve spoke through trembling lips in a bloodless face. “I heard you talking about a breeze, telling me what to do, and fire just popped into my head. I—I didn’t mean to burn anything. It was just a small fire, in—in my head.” She shuddered.

Nynaeve's lack of control of her emotions is quite interesting in that it's very male-coded: she's not randomly hysterical, she just gets pissed under circumstances when most people would be able to stay calmer and when the consequences of that anger bite back at her she gets overwhelmed.

Alviarin was as cool and businesslike as a merchant come to buy wool and tabac, surprised that Nynaeve was part of the lesson but accepting, sharp in her criticisms but always ready to try again.

Alviarin is clearly a much more deep cover kind of Black Ajah. You get just the tiniest little hints that she's not awesome, but where Verin overworks the girls (which may have just been Verin being Verin and not any Darkfriend assignment to try and sabotage them) and Liandrin does stuff we're about to see, she completes the assignment as expected.

Alanna showed too much interest in Rand and Perrin and Mat for Egwene’s comfort, though. Especially Rand.

Alanna is a rapist...

Liandrin sat fingering her red fringe and taught little, and reluctantly at that. She questioned Egwene and Nynaeve as if they had been accused of a crime, and her questions were all about the three boys. She kept it up until Nynaeve threw her out—Egwene was not sure why Nynaeve did so—and then she left with a warning.

Where Verin and Alviarin both handle their Aes Sedai cover stories correctly, Liandrin can't even be bothered with that. Sadly, one of Egwene's character flaws comes to light here: she's so good at blending into the culture she's in that she forgets how to question its authorities when she's not supposed to. Nynaeve did the right thing.

Egwene was sure it was the Aes Sedai’s questions about Rand that had made her start dreaming of him, that and worrying about him, about whether he and the others had had to follow the Horn of Valere into the Blight.

Props to Liandrin (and possibly Alanna) for triggering Egwene's latent powers. Timelinewise, Egwene has her Rand dream the night before Ingtar's party arrives at the abandoned village.

“What? Oh, it’s you, child. Moiraine is gone. And your friend, Nynaeve, is already out on the River Queen. I had to bundle her onto a boat myself, shouting that she would not go without you. Light, what a scramble! You should be aboard, yourself. Find a boat going out to the River Queen. You two will be traveling with the Amyrlin Seat, so mind yourself once you’re on board. No scenes or tantrums.”

Egwene isn't the worst judge of character though, since her conception of Anaiya as someone who could be quite ordinary seems to check out by the woman's dialogue.

“First Moiraine vanishes with Lan, then Liandrin right on Moiraine’s heels, and then Verin, none of them with so much as a word for anyone. Verin did not even take her Warder; Tomas is chewing nails with worry over her.”

More likely he's chewing nails with worry over himself, fearing her absence will get him in trouble.

First there had been a man with a mask over his face, and fire in place of his eyes. Despite the mask, she had thought he was surprised to see her.

Ish almost certainly was! Dude was just getting used to having to share T'A'R with the Terrible Twelvesome again and now some innkeeper's daughter is spying on him? Dude was probably pissed for a week.

His look had frightened her till she thought her bones would break from shivering, but suddenly he vanished, and she saw Rand sleeping on the ground, wrapped in a cloak. A woman had been standing over him, looking down. Her face was in shadow, but her eyes seemed to shine like the moon, and Egwene had known she was evil.

T'A'R: I know you're not remotely trained at this kind of thing yet, so have a metaphor for babies: You're seeing Rand being stalked by a psycho Darkfriend. This symbolizes how Rand is being stalked by a psycho Darkfriend. Is this too complicated for you? Maybe I should label the woman "Lanfear" so you know that she's a symbol for Lanfear?

Her later dreams get a lot more esoteric, that's all I'm saying.

Then there was a flash of light, and they were gone. Both of them. And behind it all, almost like another thing altogether, was the feel of danger, as if a trap was just beginning to snap shut on an unsuspecting lamb, a trap with many jaws. As though time had slowed, and she could watch the iron jaws creep closer together.

Many jaws indeed. Ishamael, Fain, and Lanfear all fucking with Rand entirely at cross-purposes, each of them with their own methods and agents.

You may be a Dreamer. It is a small chance, child, but. . . . We haven’t had one of those in—oh—four or five hundred years. And Dreaming is close linked to Foretelling. If you really can Dream, it may be that you can Foretell, as well. That would be a finger in the Reds’ eye.

"Imagine how useful you'll be for the Blue Ajah if the Wheel has given you a gift to help us prepare for the dangers ahead! We can throw a party every week with banners on every floor of the tower reading, 'Fuck the reds!' unless your Foretelling says it's a bad idea. I'm sure that's all that your power could be good for."

Get it together, Anaiya!

Hold on, you wool-headed idiot. If you get yourself killed before I can get you out of this, I will skin you alive.

Best Egwene thought of the book, possibly the series. We'll see.

Next time: What if Trollocs had fighter jets? It's not shitty AU fanfic by some weirdo with a hard-on for military specs, it's canon!

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