#i made all the demons kirin | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

owlwithanapple · 6 months ago

Text

Bird & Fox

Chapter 12

Nightwing & Fox make a bet.

You returned home stood at the entrance take off your shoes. Kirin went to room and slept on the bed. You went to the kitchen get a bottle of beer sat in the living room to drink it. The first sip felt so refreshing. It had been a long time since had a beer and now finally had a drink. Why did you drink? Actually, you were worried because of the situation you had just with Mr. Wayne, and you couldn't help lecture Damian.

You looked down at the bottle in your hand blurted out "family..."

It was so suffocating to be alone at home and think about all sorts of things. You couldn't bear the pressure, put on your equipment turned into Kitsune and ran out with a few bottles of beer. You reached a high place found a good place put the bottle and sat down. You pushed the fox mask up to reveal your sweet lips and started drinking. Everyone's life has its own story, including you and your family. There is a tragic past.

Should it be fate or reality? You witnessed your parents being slaughtered to pieces, and your only hope, younger brother, could not escape their clutches. You were the only survivor who was rescued by SHINOBI. You saw them killing all the demons until only one head was left. From then on, you followed their footsteps into the future. It is your great fortune that you see the light from the brutal abuse.

You want to forget your family and those demons. You keep saying that you have forgotten them, but can't do it. Even though they have been killed beyond recognition, their faces still vividly imprinted in your mind. The scene at that time still in your memory. A sea of blood enveloped you, the sound of pain kept lingering in your ears. The young self was tied up with ropes and cut all over by hot knives.

The funniest thing is someone handed a knife and told you to stab the demon to end your hatred. Unbelievably, your resentment and pain disappeared. You returned the sharp and powerful knife to that person. You didn't do it. Maybe your heart was dead and couldn't be cruel to those demons, or didn't want your hands stained with your family's blood.

"Won't it be lonely to drink alone?"

You turned and saw a person, his feet stretched in the air, his hands on the ground, step by step, walking towards you. You put down the bottle looked at him with a confused look on your face, although the mask covered you. He turned back and stood beside you with an elegant posture. You saw the tall and slender figure was Nightwing, his behavior made you speechless.

"Excuse me, what are you doing, knight?" You said with a smile.

He sat next to you, his back straight, his legs swinging. "I saw you here alone, so I came to check on you because I was worried. What's wrong? You look depressed."

You shook your head. "Nothing serious."

"If you don't mind, you can talk to me. I also have something on my mind want to talk with someone." Although he told you calmly, his tone was a little heavy.

You bumped him with your shoulder. "Knight you skipping work?"

He bumped back. "Knights guarding the city also get tired and want to rest."

You took a bottle of beer opened and handed to him. "Not talk about it first, drink it, it's low in alcohol and you won't get drunk."

He was chuckling. "Thank you."

You poured a mouthful of beer and swallowed it. You heard Nightwing also take a sip. The two of you very close, shoulder to shoulder but not touching each other, just quietly accompanying each other. Nightwing's attitude turned into a quiet person because he sad, and he didn't flirt with you as charmingly as before. You are also a chatterbox in daily life, but you want to be quiet when you are worried.

You poured beer into your mouth and found that it was a bit unsatisfying. In desperation, you planned to go home and continue drinking. You stood up with the empty beer bottle to leave. You walked a few steps turned around to see Nightwing was still there. You ignored him left directly, threw the few bottles into the trash can. You clapped your hands. Although you wore gloves, you had to pay attention hygiene habits.

You looked up at the sky into the distance, a feeling of worry surged in your heart. Although you couldn't see Nightwing's expression just now, but vaguely feel he was sad. You didn't want to meddle in other people's business. After all, you two were not familiar with each other's lives, and you couldn't say nice things for no reason. But, you just couldn't let him be alone and depressed.

You quickly returned to the place found that there was no one. He was no longer sitting there. You felt a little regretful for not saying goodbye to him. The feeling of worry might be an illusion. Since he left, there was no reason to stay here any longer. You took the step to leave, someone behind you quietly reached out pull you. You quickly looked and saw it was Nightwing.

He smiled and walked towards with an expectant attitude. "Why did you come back?"

You shook your shoulders and acted nonchalantly, pointing to the sky. "I came to see the night view."

He shook his head with a sly smile. "Haha, are you kidding me?"

You tilted your head looked at him. "How dare I? I don't want to provoke you."

He smiled. "You did provoke me."

"Huh?" You were confused.

He approached and held your arm. "Then can I expect something from you?"

Nightwing POV

Memories-

The day before the business trip, Bruce asked me to help attend some work events, and needed to go out of town for a few days. I knew Bruce was too busy with work, so I accepted his request. At that time, he handed me two plane tickets, and I thought Babybird could help me. So I went to his room, I knocked on the door he opened and asked me to come in.

I saw his bed was full of books. Since he came to the manor, there are more books in the house because of his love of reading. I took a book from his bookshelf and read it. The books he read so profound that I doubted my life. I put the book back sat on his bed. Although he complained and told me to get out, he still didn't drive me away and let me lie on his bed.

I sat up and saw him reading very attentively. "Babybird, are you busy recently?"

He read the book but didn't ignore my question. "Very free, except for patrolling and training at night. What?"

I forced the plane ticket on him. "Work with me! It can only be you!"

He was surprised. "What!? Are you crazy?"

"Bruce gave me some work, I need you to help me with some. Please, Babybird." I looked at him with a pair of pitiful eyes.

He shook me off and avoided my pitiful eyes. "Why must be me? You know I'm not good dealing with those upper-class people. Flattering is not my strong point."

I put my arm around his shoulders. "Why? Can't bear to leave your girlfriend?"

He looked at me with a blush. This was the first time I saw the cute side of Babybird. "Fuck. How many times do I have to tell you! Pure friendship!"

"How about... I tell her that Red Hood who kissed her lips through the helmet is Jason Todd?" I took the opportunity to bully him.

He snatched the plane ticket and pointed at my face with a fierce look, "Damn it! I'm warning you! If you dare to tell anyone, I'll kill you!"

I hugged him happily, "My dear brother, I love you so much!"

He tried desperately to break free from my embrace, "Damn it! Let me go!"

I searched for his luggage and found it. I took out some decent clothes from his closet. Of course, suits are indispensable for entertaining those upper-class people. Babybird is strong and tall, Bruce always prepares clothes that fit his size for him. I put all his things neatly in the luggage.

I thought of his crush, and I reminded him, "Babybird, remember to tell her you are on a business trip. Otherwise, she will be worried."

He was surprised, but because of what I said, he took out his phone obediently, "It's not your turn to teach me how to do it."

Babybird has a rather irritable personality and temper, but he still has a gentle and considerate side, especially with the girl he has a crush on. He won't introduce me to her, and I'm so anxious that wanted to secretly go and see who the lucky girl is. When Red Hood kissed her, I was too far away to see her face clearly.

"Hey, when are we leaving?" I heard Babybird ask.

"Leave tonight and arrive tomorrow." I answered.

He jumped out of bed "What?! Tonight! What time!"

So we quarreled for a long time that day, and finally succeeded in convincing Babybird to go on a business trip with me. Of course, he kicked me a few times, and my butt was numb. After, there still some free time, so Babybird dragged me to clean up his messy room. I sorted all the books in order, and he was checking the contents of the luggage.

After ready, he and I dragged the luggage to downstairs together. I saw Bruce in the lobby waiting for time, and Alfred greeted us. Bruce was surprised when he saw Babybird, his reaction was normal because he rarely interfered with Bruce's work. But when Bruce saw Babybird, his face was full of happy smiles. This is what I expected, living like a family.

We learned that Alfred would take us to the airport, Bruce would drive himself because the flight times were different. Before leaving home, Bruce and I hugged each other before getting in the car. I put Babybird's luggage in the trunk of the car, then opened the door of the passenger seat and sat in to wait. I happened to see Babybird and Bruce talking, after the conversation, they hugged each other. What a warm and beautiful picture.

On the fourth morning of the business trip, I woke up and stretched in bed. I heard the sound of snoring, from Babybird who was sleeping soundly in another bed. He must be exhausted, because had to face things he didn't like and was not good at in the past few days. Talking business with those upper-class people really couldn't escape the fate of being forced to drink. Thanks to him blocking for me, I could stay sober and rational.

My phone suddenly rang, I quickly took it and ran to the balcony, fearing I would wake up Babybird who was sleeping soundly. After I got to the balcony, I looked back at Babybird lying on the bed. It was great that he was not woken up by me, so I was relieved. I was worried about Babybird but forgot to press the answer button and the call was hung up. I found it was my friend Wally West calling, I called back immediately.

As soon as I called, Wally answered immediately, "You are too slow to answer my call."

I sighed and smiled said, "Wally, you are too fast. What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Are you working?" Wally asked suddenly.

"I'm done. What?" I said casually.

Wally said excitedly and expectantly, "Do you want to have breakfast together?"

I laughed. Wally West is the Flash himself. He is the kind of person who is always available. His lightning speed can move around the world quickly. When I was working as Nightwing, sometimes took a lot of rides with him, riding on his back. Thanks to my friend who is fast, he always appears in the first time to help me a lot, and I have successfully escaped many crises.

"I'll send the location now. Meet over there."

"No problem, I'll be there in a few seconds!" After saying that, he hung up the phone.

I returned to the room, washed up, and changed into casual clothes. I took a piece of paper wrote a note saying "I'm going out for breakfast" and put it next to Babybird's bed, then left the room. I left the hotel walked to a nearby restaurant, which was not far away only took three minutes to walk. Suddenly, a flash of lightning flashed in front of my eyes, and in that instant I was standing at the door of restaurant.

As I expected, I looked to the left saw a man with dark red hair who was about the same height as me. "Very punctual, Wally."

He winked at me, "Of course."

We both walked into the restaurant and chose a suitable seat to sit down. I flipped through the menu ordered a simple breakfast and a cup of coffee to refresh myself. I returned the menu to the waiter, and about a minute later the waiter brought the drinks to us. I finally understood why Tim liked coffee so much. The aroma hit me in the face, couldn't stand the charm of coffee.

"You work alone?" Wally suddenly asked.

I shook my head "Nah, I came with my brother."

"Which brother?"

I laughed and said "Jason. Unbelievable."

He looked at me in surprise "Indeed."

I put the cup to my lips and took a sip then put it on the table "Free today?"

He nodded "Yes, I was bored. So I came to see you."

His answer made me laugh so hard. Wally is a great guy who teases me. It's very comfortable to be with him. He's the kind of guy who can come whenever I need him. There were several times I couldn't pass the game, and he showed up at my house after I called him. Sometimes Tim and Damian were surprised by Wally's sudden appearance and disappearance.

Wally swiped his phone and showed me the news "Hey! Hot news! Look!"

I took his phone to see what news could make Wally excited. I read the content bit by bit, and my eyes widened instantly. The title said Robin and the fox mask Gotham Runner joined forces to fight criminals. It's unbelievable that Damian acted alone during my absence, the most unbelievable that he fought criminals with her. But I didn't expect Kitsune to fight criminals. I thought she would be an enemy.

"I'll go Gotham City one day to spar with her~" Wally smiled evilly.

I looked at the news, reading it carefully one by one. I found her style of doing things very simple, like last time she chased the robbers. Obviously, we were both chasing the same target, but she chose not to join forces and solve it herself. I can't see through her, and I don't know which side she is on. Bruce said talk to her first to find out about her, but she is really hard to understand and control.

"Hey. You still there?" Wally snapped fingers in front of me.

I woke up "Oh! Sorry! I was thinking."

"But, do you know which side the fox mask is on? Batman will investigate her if messes around in Gotham City like this." Wally suddenly asked a question I couldn't answer.

I crossed my hands in front of my chest and shook my head "Batman sent me, I don't know her. She is very mysterious, I can't get her, and she avoids sensitive questions."

"I understand." He nodded.

I shook my head and blurted out "The so-called woman's heart is like a needle in the sea."

Wally was silent and asked carefully "Hey, you still can't let her go?"

I returned the phone to Wally, looking embarrassed "You mean Barbara?"

Wally nodded, his expression looked worried "Is there another Barbara?"

Barbara Gordon, my ex-girlfriend, Batgirl. She was a young, smart and lively girl. The appearance of Batman inspired Barbara to embark on the road of fighting crime, and she soon began to cooperate with Batman and me. She became Batman's most important assistant. I gradually fell in love with this smart, kind and lively girl, and then I had many romantic relationships with her.

I sighed and shook my head, saying in a cold tone, "It's a thing of the past."

Wally took a sip of his drink, "The next one will be better."

I laughed and exhaled, "The next one... I haven't figured her out yet."

Wally was surprised and excited, "Is there really a next one? Who?!"

I woke up instantly, and I was thinking about Kitsune in my mind. I quickly clarified with Wally, "No, no, no, really."

Wally laughed and pressed my shoulder, "Then figure her out."

"Damn... Let's eat first, I'll tell you next time." I started to eat breakfast.

After finishing breakfast, I went to the counter to pay then walked out of the restaurant. On the way back to the hotel, I blinked and arrived at the hotel entrance in an instant. Wally said goodbye to me and disappeared like lightning. I stepped into the hotel and waited for the elevator. I took out my phone to read the news about Kitsune. Her side of fighting criminals attracted a lot of attention.

At that time, I didn't take her down in time, and was caught off guard by her counterattack and electric shock attack. I thought about it for a whole night, I turned into Nightwing again to look for her in the night, but I couldn't find her. Her appearance was mysterious, she appeared randomly and disappeared out of thin air. She didn't seem like a neurotic person. When I talked to her alone, I felt that she was a very smart and rational person.

I put my phone away stepped into the elevator. As the elevator went up, Kitsune's voice and figure kept surrounding me. Her mystery and words attracted me to think about her all the time. Could it be... I looked up saw the bright lights in the elevator. It was too bright, I closed my eyes lowered my head. I shook my head tried to make her fox mask disappear from my mind.

But I couldn't do it….She was still in my mind. "I should go check it out."

End of memories -

Y/N POV

What's going on now? Nightwing seems to be a little off. His aura been strange since we met just now. He talks nonsense and you have no idea what he wants to say. He expects something from you. Is he going to make you an alliance? But you are really not interested in such things. Or he drunk from the beer just now? It's even more impossible. That was the low-alcohol kind.

"I didn’t have anything to expect." You blurted out after laughing.

"That's hard to say." You can hear that his tone is a little arrogant.

You sighed and tried to shake off his hand, but it didn't work as you wished. To be honest, you are not someone worth expecting. You can't be someone who is idealistic. It's like being driven away. "Really, I didn't lie to you."

He pulled you and you threw your body towards him. You could feel the fluctuation of his breathing at such a close distance. Your bodies even pressed against each other, and you didn't know what to do. Suddenly, he whispered in your ear, "Maybe you think you are not worth my expectation, but I look forward to seeing you every day. Today I finally found you."

"Why did you find me?" You were confused and curious.

"Hehe... I just wanted to see you, nothing else." He said with a smile.

You were confused by him and a little angry didn't say it directly. You don't like the kind of vague words, and you are the worst at analyzing such situations. "Tsk, I thought you wanted to say something."

He lifted your chin up with his fingers "What's wrong? What do you want me to say?"

He is indeed quite good at flirting, you can't help but laugh out loud "Oh Knight, you really don't learn your lesson."

He was confused by what you said "Huh?"

You give him a small electric shock, and he immediately pushed you away took a few steps back. "Hahaha! You are careless for being so close to me!"

He opened his arms with a smile on his face "Are you serious? I want to give you a hug, it's a waste for you to interrupt the romantic mood like this."

You laughed out loud, he was so funny. He knew he would get shocked by you, but he still dared to approach you. It's bad enough that he didn't learn his lesson, he was still joking. It seems that he has cured all the bad mood today, you are really laughing now. You stole a glance at his expression, he was confused but the smile on his face was very sweet. You are very happy with you are doing now, he opened his arms took the first step towards you.

You shook your head slightly at his gesture, "If you don't want to be shocked by me again, you'd better stay away from me."

He smiled confidently and said, "You can try, I believe I can bear it."

You laughed so hard that your stomach cramped at his every move. You backed away step by step, trying to get away from Nightwing's clutches. It seems that tonight is a good time for flirting. It's rare to see you so happy until forget yourself. You stepped back and woke up because you missed a step. You knew you were about to fall from a high place. You were so excited that you forgot you were on the edge of a high place.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Nightwing ran over and grabbed your endless hand. If you let go of his hand, you definitely would really fall. Your hoodie was blown by the wind, revealing a head of bright white long hair fluttering in the wind. To conceal your identity, you dressed yourself in another way before changing into your equipment to prevent yourself from being exposed.

He pulled you into his arms held you tightly. You leaned against him, feeling a little overwhelmed. You felt his hands trembling, and he looked very scared and helpless. He held you tightly with one hand, and gently touched your white hair that fluttered in the wind with the other hand. After calming down, he approached your face, when you thought he was going to take off your mask, you heard him say, "I caught you."

You saw a confident smile on his face, and you asked, "What will happen after you caught me?"

He smiled shyly, "There is no future now. But …. When you came back to me just now, I believed there would be a story between us in the future."

"How do you know we will have a story?"

"I have been staying here since the first time I saw you. I am waiting for the day to meet you. Today I met you, and you came back to find me."

You shook your head, "Coincidence does not mean we will have a story."

"Then why did you come back to find me?" he suddenly asked.

"I said, I came to see the night view."

He laughed softly and took a deep breath, "You are stubborn."

"I thought you were praising me, thank you."

Although there was a mask between us, your eyes were looking at him, and your hands which had nowhere to put, were around his neck, "I had a lot of fun tonight. And thank you for saving my life."

He nodded, "Me too. Thank you for staying with me."

You both let go of each other at the same time, and for some reason he looked regretful. You walked to the edge and stood on it, letting your dazzling white hair fly in the air. You looked towards the distant sky, suddenly Nightwing pushed your shoulder to make you face him, then held your waist high and spun you in circles.

"What are you doing! I thought you were going to push me!" You pinched his cheek.

He laughed and breathed a sigh of relief, "Haha! You're doomed if you turn your back to me."

You were so light that he could easily pick you up with one hand, and the other hand held you so that your knees rested on his abdomen. Since you were taller than him and could look down at him, you put your hands on his shoulders to prevent yourself from falling. "Knight, you are so mean, you surprised and delighted me."

He couldn't hold back his smile and laughed, "You too. We are both like this to each other."

You held his cheeks with both hands and stroked them lightly with your fingers, "You are so funny. I hope we won't become enemies in the future."

He smiled slightly, "Then let's not be."

You shook your head, in fact, there was no smile on your face. Because you didn't want to become enemies with Nightwing. Your heart was heavy but

still maintained an optimistic tone and said, "It's easy to say, but you know it's hard between us. Neither of us can’t guarantee any changes between us."

Your words hit him so hard that he fell into deep thought. He carefully put you down, and you just looked at him without saying anything. Every word you said secretly carried some truth that he should know. You both from different worlds and different concepts. You don't expect him to stand on your side, because you know clearly that you can't guarantee either side.

He turned to you and blurted out "I believe in us."

You were surprised, your heartbeat accelerated, you turned your back to him at a loss, and waved your hand perfunctorily, "Hahaha, I don't believe it. You know it."

"I know I believe in you, and you trust me too. Otherwise, you wouldn't feel at ease leaning on me, you know you can get rid of me easily." He said it suddenly, and you couldn't respond to him. You are wary of everyone, and you are afraid he knows your momentary slackness. You clenched fists and closed your eyes to suppress your emotions. Why did he appear today to disturb your mood.

He stood behind you, holding your hands tightly, and leaned his head on your shoulder. "I know we can't guarantee what the future will be like. But I want to make a bet with you, and I hope you are willing to make this bet."

You shook his hand off, interrupting his ambiguous conversation. "Oh~ my knight, to be honest, I really want to believe you. I don't know what you want from me by saying sweet words to me. I guess it may be Batman who instructs you to do this and you arrest me."

He opened his mouth to explain himself, but you shook your head refused him with a gesture. "You want me to bet, but unfortunately I can't accompany you. I don't want to have an irreparable relationship between us."

He grabbed your arm. "Are you unable to accompany me or you afraid?"

"It's better to let me go, knight." You looked at him.

He said with a smug expression, "Dump me or shock me. You can do it."

You looked down and muttered, "Fuck you."

He lifted your chin to face him, "Since you didn't fight back, I can take it as yes."

You put your other hand on your waist and said, "Knight, you want to bet without seeing my face, you are at a big disadvantage. What if I take off the mask it turns out be an old woman?"

He was amused by your words, and then nodded in understanding, "It's true when you mention it."

"So don't bet. Neither you nor I want to be disappointed." You exerted a little strength to break free from him.

He held you tighter, but didn't hurt you. You saw him smile confidently, and you didn't understand why you couldn't get rid of him. Your heart was also led by his sweet words, and his every move kept disrupting your pace. You tried to calm down, but you were attracted to him and couldn't control your emotions. This is what you fear the most, and it's hard to change once it starts.

"Kitsune, I dare to challenge everything and willing to take risks for you. I said there is a story between us, as long as you are willing to bet, it will start."

"Knight, how brave are you to take these risks."

"Because I believe in you, I am willing to face it."

You hesitated for a moment, but decided to reject him decisively "I'm sorry."

"What are you afraid of?" He let go of your hand.

You touched the hand he let go, and you could still feel the warmth "I'm more timid, that's all."

He stretched out his hand, and his expression was no longer smiling but steady "Please, let's start as friends, okay?"

You look at his hand, your real thought is hold his hand tightly. But you dare not take the first step. You are a coward and choose to retreat. "It is better for us to keep some distance."

You walked past him, and he suddenly said, "At least I won once."

You turned around and looked at his back. "Huh? What do you mean?"

He turned around and said to you, "Just now. I believe you will come back to find me."

You laughed out loud, "Knight, I said I came to see the night view."

He shook his shoulders, "Whatever you say, I will prove it to you. I always believe that there is a story between us. Just wait and see, Kitsune."

You were silent and replied, "We are not destined to be together."

You heard the name he gave you, and your heart was happy but you couldn't be happy. You left the last words and disappeared, you didn't want to stay with him. You afraid more emotions would make you fall into the abyss and couldn't extricate yourself, so you chose to escape or give up on him. You covered your hair with a hoodie and wandered alone on the streets in the middle of the night until the last moment before going home.

Nightwing POV

After she left, I stayed in the same place. The place where I met her, but there was no her around, only me. I don't know why I want her so much, I didn't see her face with my own eyes but my heart was moved by her. It wasn't as good as I imagined, she kept rejecting me, no matter what I said, she was afraid.

After meeting her, I have been thinking about her and all the details of her. Since then, I have been missing her every moment, and I don't know why. Until today I saw her again, I was sure of the meaning of this relationship. I took the first step because I wanted to be sure and confident of my choice. That's why I wanted to make this bet and bet on our lives.

I thought about it for a long time, and I was worried about her. She was right. What would I do if she was not my ideal type without the mask? But I never thought of giving up on her because of her appearance. She may not be beautiful, but I have seen her helpful actions several times. She gave me the feeling of being a trustworthy and supportive friend, but I stepped into the threshold of love.

After some communication and body contact, I wanted to love her more. She was originally a girl with a very charming and mysterious personality, but gradually I found that she was actually more timid than I thought. When she was confident, she was not bound by constraints and allowed indulge herself.

I found that her weak side because of emotions. She did not dare to try but chose to retreat. This further inspired me to take the first step with her, and it seemed that it would take some time for us to accompany each other.

I sat on the edge muttered to myself, "Kitsune... who on earth are you that can fascinate me so much."

Chapter 12 End.

If you have any ideas, don’t be shy. Just leave a comment below. Your opinions would be valuable and will be added in story. ♥️💙

AO3 Chapter 12

AO3 Bird & Fox by owlwithanapple

Tumblr Other Chapter

41 notes · View notes

love-sapphirerose · 8 months ago

Text

Kirinmaru: Redeemed Villain

Despite riku, the tree of ages, osamu kirin, and some others think, I really didn't see kirinmaru as the villain, more like zero, konton, totetsu, tokotsu, jakotsumaru, and kyuki.

Character

In the original, Naraku was the main villain everybody hated and the reason that he was despised because he had the elements that made him a great antagonist, something that kirinmaru completely lacked as he barely had a personality.

Kirinmaru is a daiyokai while Naraku was a hanyō who eventually ended up becoming a yokai at the end.

Naraku is a sadist who enjoys inflicting emotional pain on others, Kirinmaru seems to prefer granting swift and quick deaths to his enemies. The emotional pain that Kirinmaru causes others comes more out of a failure to account for collateral damage or consider the emotional well-being of those around him in his drive to fight the strongest foes he can.

Naraku would often bring the fight to Inuyasha's and sesshomaru's groups through allies, people he had tricked, or his incarnations, whereas Kirinmaru only acted when provoked such as when he was told the prophecy of his death or when towa, setsuna, and moroha were close to his ship. kirinmaru's incarnations, lieutenants, and zero battled against towa, setsuna, and moroha on their own initiative, not under orders to kill them from above.

The ones under Naraku’s command were often incarnations whose hearts he removed and threatened with death to ensure their obedience while the demons under Kirinmaru’s command are completely loyal to him with the exception of osamu kirin, riku, and Kyūki. While Naraku never cared about the lives of his incarnations and was willing to threaten and abuse them and would kill them if they failed or tried to betray him, Kirinmaru is apathetic towards his subordinates but he does at least acknowledge that anyone who serves under him must be a powerful warrior and while not above disciplining them himself, he was never shown to outright abuse his followers.

naraku rarely trusted anyone except for byakuya and kanna with anything including information, moments before her death, as he especially didn't trust hakudoshi, the infant, and kagura. While kirinmaru was too trusting as he didn't know osamu kirin, riku, and kyuki weren't loyal to him and easily betrayed him. naraku was very smart and calculating as he went all the way to mount hakurei to properly remove his heart after a failed attempt and nearly dying by sesshomaru and inuyasha's hands and defeat kikyo and knew when he created hakudoshi and the infant and knew that they were going to betray and kill him. kirinmaru was smart but he wasn't smart like naraku and wasn't calculating with others as he charges ahead without thinking.

Naraku would seldom resort to physical combat, relying on his barrier to protect him and his miasma to kill his foes. Kirinmaru not only fights directly in combat but lives to give his all against worthy foes.

While Naraku would flee from battle if the tables were turned Kirinmaru would stand, fight and fall even when fighting opponents stronger than himself, like Tōga.

Naraku saw himself as superior to all beings, human and demon alike, and especially despised hanyōs while Kirinmaru is at best apathetic to most beings. While he does hates humans and hanyōs, he still acknowledges the ones who gain his respect, such as the likes of Inuyasha, Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha.

Naraku was cowardly and preferred to trick and manipulate others to fight his battles for him whereas Kirinmaru would openly face his opponents in combat.

Naraku would often take advantage when his enemies were weakened whereas Kirinmaru was insulted by this notion, preferring his enemies be at their strongest when he fights them as seen when he orders Riku to take medicinal herbs to his arch-rival Tōga.

naraku rarely lets his guard down as he always has his barriers and miasma while kirinmaru lets his guard down as he gets stabbed by his incarnation riku and towa and drugged by a human method by his other incarnation osamu kirin.

Whereas Naraku sought the Sacred Jewel and its power for himself Kirinmaru gave the Rainbow Pearls he had to his lieutenants and seemingly had no desire to retrieve the ones that were taken or the ones in possession of Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha.

Didn't act like a villain as seen during most of his appearances in season 1, kirinmaru was on his ship reading, sitting down, sleeping, and looking up at the sky.

Despite the Tree of Ages stating that Kirinmaru was power-hungry by wishing to warp time itself to his will, it was noted by Myōga that Kirinmaru was content in only ruling the Eastern Lands, which was supported by the fact that he left Tōga to govern the Western Lands in peace for years, with him expressing shock that Kirinmaru would be trying to rule the Western Lands and desires to warp time to his will and stating that he isn't the type to go this far.

Sure, kirinmaru tried to hunt and kill moroha once when she was a baby but soon gave up on it.

2. Nerfed

Kirinmaru should have been far more powerful than Naraku, yet he was nerfed for every fight with Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha. Why? To skip over a huge opportunity to develop Kirinmaru’s character and just claim he’s holding back.

I really wish Kirinmaru would’ve blocked Riku’s sneak attack with ease and just completely annihilate him. They spent the entire season 1 building him up to be a powerful daiyokai and to see him get stabbed and almost beaten up by a shihanyo and a hanyo is quite anti-climactic.

I understand that there was Toga and Sesshomarus blood/demonic energy involved but Kirinmaru coming out unscathed would’ve hyped an epic showdown in season 2 but what a way to completely disregard a character that was supposedly on par with Toga.

But the idea of a hanyo and a shihanyo squaring up against a great demon like kirinmaru and actually holding their own is still ridiculous. They, Towa especially, have not had nearly the amount of training with their abilities to have earned that battle. The girls are awfully overpowered. kirinmaru could have killed riku with ease but they may have wanted him to wound kirinmaru so towa, setsuna, and moroha would have a fighting chance.

Inuyasha had a deep story about the struggle of being half. He was an outcast from both sides, and his strength was limited by his half human heritage despite being the son of Toga. Sesshomaru bested him in most of their battles, and the only reason Inuyasha didn't die was because he allowed him to live. Inuyasha got stronger primarily through wielding and mastering Tessaiga's many forms and through making strong and useful allies. His demonic form, though it helped them get out of a few scrapes here and there, was a hindrance and a danger to himself and everyone around him.

In comparison, these girls have been kidding around for a whole season 1 and are now using their demonic energy like a super saiyan or jojos power up.

In season 2, kirinmaru was battling sesshomaru like equals but gets injured by towa's, setsuna's, and moroha's attacks and gets easily pushed back by osamu kirin.

3. Easily Persuaded

naraku was a master manipulator as he tricked many characters in the series including sesshomaru and kikyo while kirinmaru was easily manipulated by sesshomaru, jaken, zero, and even by his own incarnation osamu kirin.

4. Sudden Change

In season 2, kirinmaru was mostly received a character change. In season 1, you've noticed that he doesn't like grapes when eating one but in season 2 he's seen happily eating them.

In season 1 and a little bit of season 2, kirinmaru was disgusted by zero using rin as a human shield and didn't attack his rivals and enemies' love ones to hurt them but in episode 47 he went against his word.

In season 1, kirinmaru was an honorable daiyokai who was naive to an unstable and overprotective father.

5. For Plot

In season 1, we see in episode 23 that kirinmaru sees the grim comet through osamu kirin and in season 2 he wants to destroy it but the creators wrote that he wants to destroy it to be known as the strongest by humans, even though he despises them.

they tried to make kirinmaru have villain qualities during his fight with riku and rion by making rion stab riku.

we see kirinmaru show up to fight or start conflict.

Ex.

kirinmaru appearing before riku, towa, and rion to fight and accidentally blinding riku.

kirinmaru showing up and demanding sesshomaru to come out before battling inuyasha, kagome, and moroha.

kirinmaru battling riku and rion and kidnapping rion to go to the modern era.

kirinmaru and sesshomaru having a final battle and loses.

In episode 46, kirinmaru gets easily drugged by a human method.

Unlike naraku and his group that were easily off especially in the final act, only one person was brought back which sadly was riku.

6. Osamu Kirin

osamu kirin, who barely appeared in the series, was suddenly the villain of the last episodes of season 2.

osamu kirin has convinced himself that he is god's gift to humanity. osamu's whole situation is pretty hilarious, except that he's now in way over his head and has made the very bad decision to take on not just Kirinmaru, but probably also sesshomaru and inuyasha, and all other yokai out there, who he thinks need to be wiped out because rion died, even though she died at the hands of a hanyo not a yokai. As osamu is overzealous but confusing as he wants humanity to know about demons instead of being folklore yet he wants to kill them, even though rion is a yokai as well.

In the end, osamu kirin gets easily killed by riku and towa only to come back and emotionally tortures rion before getting permanently defeated.

7. Riku

He is one of the most awful characters in yashahime as he's more of a villain like zero. The creator of yashahime wants to disgustingly pair him with towa at the start of his debut but yet only wants to kill people he loves which includes zero and towa.

riku gave us a bad excuse on why he hates the 4 perils, even though they serve kirinmaru and zero, and manipulated everyone and themselves for them to be killed for the rainbow pearls.

riku taunted homura by touching tamano and evil smirking while homura burned himself alive.

Riku was very scheming and manipulative in Season 1, but he was not really punished by it back then; literally nothing that he did affected negatively his relationship with the people he cared about.

In this season, I expected the things he did in the past to come back to bite him in the form of drama between him and Towa, but it didn't happen. Towa didn't find out how involved he was in everything that happened to her family, and the bits she did find out she really wasn't bothered about.

Despite characters calling riku handsome he really just weird and ugly, I strongly dislike riku's appearance as they didn't put any thought into it from his awful hairstyle, face, and attire and in season 2 they changed his attire and eye color from green to lavender to turquoise.

Unlike kagura, riku had no reason to kill and/or betray kirinmaru. kagura was forced to serve naraku and couldn't really leave his side but before riku betrayed kirinmaru, he was free to do what he wanted to do and had a life of his own.

After he killed zero, riku cried but instantly got over her dead within seconds.

I don't understand why the creators of yashahime made riku sickly in love with towa as he knew about her before she was born but I guess that they wanted create a romance for the main character just like Inuyasha and kagome, a pairing I strongly hate.

I really wished they kept riku dead and somehow brought back kirinmaru.

8. Rion

For most of rion's appearances that she's cruel and bitter at kirinmaru and wants to stop him, wants to redeem zero, and wants to die.

rion wants kirinmaru to kill but wants zero to live, even though zero wants to kill towa, setsuna, and moroha for revenge on toga.

Rion can't let go of her resentment towards her father for keeping her in a cocoon in Mount Musubi for 600 years. That resentment is preventing her from moving on to the afterlife. She's a disgruntled spirit - not an evil one. She thinks that she is the only one who can fix the situation with her father. Her situation is very similar to Kikyo's situation.

At episode 47, when towa, setsuna, and moroha, rion suddenly realizes that she still held affection for her father and wants him to stop fighting.

Instead of convincing kirinmaru to move on in life, rion decided that she wants him to die with her so they can join zero together.

rion knows how to fight as we see her and riku fight kirinmaru but she doesn't fight back when it came to sakasa, the hanyo that killed her, and she had the flute sword. But they had towa sacrifice her body to rion so she can face her fears before she dies.

The only thing I don't like about rion's design is her hairstyle and the length of it.

9. Zero

In season 1, she looked more like she was the big bad of the series than Kirinmaru, who didn't even act like the villain.

Zero possessed much more of a threat to our main characters, as she is responsible for the forest fire that separated Towa and Setsuna and indirectly separated Moroha from Inuyasha and kagome. She's done various other things, blackmailing Sesshomaru by cursing Rin. She feels very much that she had the same level of connection that she had that the same connection Naraku did with Inuyasha.

zero's back story as well seemed uninteresting and confusing, having feelings towards Toga, and when he dies her love for him drives her to kill his descendants. She could have become more interesting as the series progressed. If the rainbow pearls sealed away her emotions, then why is zero taking revenge on toga's descendants and got angry at sesshomaru's mother.

But that was not the case, as when season 2 aired, is when Zero started to run down downhill by gathering the rainbow pearls, for revenge, kidnapping towa, and basically holding rin's life hostage, and it all ends in episodes 36 and 37.

To start with, Setsuna learns from Rin that she must save Zero to stop the curse from killing her. Really wished we knew that before. Thanks, Rin, which leads into the next episode.

At this point, Zero has been emotionally torturing Towa for the entire night by reminding her of her sadness and suffering, and is pretty much trying to get Towa angry enough so that she can kill her, and in doing so kill Rin. She's almost successful when Setsuna shows up, shows Towa the dream butterfly, and suddenly Towa loses all the anger she has towards zero in a matter of seconds.

towa then thanks zero for what she's done and it is really annoying. zero prepares to kill herself and Setsuna cuts the thread of fate tying Zero to Toga and she removes the curse from Rin and commits suicide by Riku as she tells kirinmaru that he's also going to die.

All of these in a matter of minutes, they make Zero, this threatening and uninteresting villain and rendered her more pathetic. They had to give her a redemption arc when she's been the most villainous character in this sequel. Kirinmaru felt more like an obstacle the same way Koga was in Inuyasha. But this, this was so dumb, and when I was watching episode 36 and heard what Rin said, I knew what this was leading into but it was so much worse when Towa thanked her for it. She really didn't need to thank the person who separated her from her twin sister and tried multiple times to kill her, sister, and rin because it's just wrong.

The creators of yashahime couldn't even give zero an actual conclusion that fitted with her character, and she's forgiven so easily. You didn't see Inuyasha thanking Naraku for setting him and Kikyo against each other and killing Kikyo, Sango thanking naraku for killing her village and controlling her kohaku, and miroku thanking naraku for cursing his bloodline. Could you imagine how messed up that would have been?

I also don't like her character design and hairstyle as just like other characters they didn't put any thought into it.

10. Death

It was cringe and lazy.

After kirinmaru loses to sesshomaru, he tells sesshomaru to kill him, gets sent to the grim butterfly, weakly watches rion get tormented by osamu kirin then reconciled, apologizes to towa, setsuna, and moroha before setsuna cuts his and rion thread of fate, and get suck into the amatsumikaboshi then rion told him that they will join zero before they fly away.

11. Appearance

There's something's I love about kirinmaru's appearance and there's also what I hate about his appearance, one of the things I love is his shirt and I hate his armor but we all know with other characters they didn't put any thought into the designs. I really dislike his hair and the style of it.

#anti hanyo no yashahime #anti yashahime #anti princess half demon #kirinmaru #anti osamu kirin #anti riku #anti rion #anti towa #anti towa higurashi #anti sesshomaru #anti miroku #anti sango #anti kagome #anti kagome higurashi #anti kagome x inuyasha

13 notes · View notes

princess-of-the-corner · 7 months ago

Note

So, are you still taking MonsterMHA Asks? What is everybody?

YES

So this is basically trading powers for Magic and Monsters SO

Gonna start off with the Complicated™ bits before going into what everything is.

The Complicated stuff is the AfO/OfA and Izuku-Tenko situation!

AfO and Yoichi are both Fae.

The OfA passing-down-power thing is a powerful Fae Deal made between the users and passed down. Some users were various other monster species.

Now for the Izuku-Tenko situation. Basically, Changelings!

AfO wanted to yoink Tenko to use for his plans because he's a petty bitch like that. But he /is/ Fae he has to obey by the nature of Fae and trade something. So he creates a child of his own to trade for a different child.

He puts the Changeling Child in Tenko's room, the child's magic working to make him resemble the other, and takes the real Tenko. But he's also still a petty bitch so he decides to try and kill the family via house fire.

This doesn't entirely work because the Changeling Child wanders off. He's found by Inko, and imprints on her as a mother-figure almost immediately, his still-active Magic causing his features to switch from looking like 'Tenko' to looking like if Inko was his real mother.

Because the Child ran away and looks different, no one clocks him as 'Tenko' anymore. Tenko is presumed dead by fire, the Child is assumed to be abandoned. Inko takes him in and names him 'Izuku'.

This leads to some later fuckery because the Changeling Deal is not complete, as Izuku didn't replace Tenko, and now he never can because he's crafted the identity of 'Izuku'. But both Izuku and Tenko have claim to the name 'Tomura Shigaraki' or anything where the wording is about AfO's child.

Anyway! All the other fuckery of who's what:

the rest of 1-A

Katsuki - Werewolf (newly turned. Like literally had a single Full Moon before UA)

Ochako - Bakeneko

Shoto - Demon/Angel hybrid (Yeah basically for all the Todorokis just imagine their same Fire/Ice but with this nonsense)

Kirishima - Dragon

Mina - Slime

Denki - Frankenstein's Monster

Iida - Pegasus

Tsu - Merfolk

Sero - Arachne/Spidertaur

Momo - Selkie (Bear Variant)

Jiro - Human/Witch (Bard)

Fumikage - Harpy (botw-style rito tbh)

Eimi - Living Shadow

Hagakure - Ghost

Koda - Gargoyle

Ojiro - Tsukumogami of a Wing Chun Wooden Dummy (think Velveteen Rabbit)

Sato - Human/Witch (Potionmaker)

Aoyama - Sphinx

Himiko - Shapeshifter(sometimes also called Changeling but different from Izuku) and afflicted with Vampirism.

Shinso - Siren

(I still don't have anything for Shoji so RIP)

Other UA students:

Tetsutetsu - Dragon

Pony - Unicorn

Mei - Gremlin

Teachers:

Aizawa - Gorgon

Present Mic - Banshee

Midnight - Succubus/Incubus

Vlad King - Vampire

Nezu - Former Witch's Familiar, now a Witch himself.

All Might - Human-turned-Fae via OfA Contract.

Bonus characters:

Eri - Kirin(Dragon/Unicorn hybrid)

Lady Nagant - Human/Witch (Necromancer), formerly The Grim Reaper

Hawks - Erote, currently The Grim Reaper

#bnha monster au

9 notes · View notes

cymorilcinnamonroll · 1 month ago

Text

Holy Diver: A Gay Lucifer x Beelzebub Dark Fantasy Romance (Paradise Lost Fanfiction) PART 1

(Read Part 2 Here)

I flexed my white muscle and moved as one with my katana, picturing Minoan bulls to leap over as I flayed Lucifer’s cheekbone from its sinew. He was heady with exertion, looking like a scraped up, bloody Jude Law as devil-may-care Bosie in Wilde.

But Lucifer was always a snake – ready to strike – and he took his broadsword and met my steel – tempered in fire, a thousand carnivorous folds of singing metal – and sparks ignited as we cascaded into a series of cuts and slashes, fileting each other.

“I draw your final blood, you owe me a beer,” I teased, nicking his shoulder lightly – just a paper cut, letting the linen-like flesh and gold hair of my master, owner of my heart – Lucifer – quiver atop the paper crane edge of my katana.

The droplet spilled in the air as I shoved him with a mighty push down, my steel-toed boot digging into his chest as I captured his scapula-blood on my thumb.

Lucifer smirked, turning into a white albino serpent with emerald eyes that curled around my sword, bleeding as his scales plied up my katana. I licked the stolen bloody drop, then guided the shimmering serpent onto my pale limbs, letting Lucifer idly twist and thread around my fly wings – hardened keratin against a body that would put Asmodeus to shame – and brought the White Serpent to my lips.

We kissed deep, and I bit the White Serpent, tasting his heart in his throat. The Green Language of the Birds filled my ears like a panoply of spring. Suddenly, Lucifer turned back to man, corvid-winged, his bronze ampoules of curls spilling across my arms, to my groin, as we threaded together as Serpent and Fly.

Spent, we gathered our clothes at the dojo, showered, then polished our blades with some whetstones Mulciber had forged for us eons ago from adamant. Mine sparkled with iodized black, Lucifer’s was pale as the moon.

“A beer,” Lucifer grinned. He extended his lace-like hand, sharp talons abroad, and took his palm in mine. We ambled out of our chalet into Dis City proper, walking the long gardens and Pleasure District to our favorite restaurant – Tantalus’ Spoon. Cursed by the gods as he was, we made Tantalus cook, but never could Tantalus touch, taste, or eat his dishes. The lust and wicked longing old Tantalus stewed and simmered and reduced into his mad cuisines would have pleased even the most discerning gourmand.

We ordered two Kirins from the young qilin waitress, and the other Hell After Hours crowds filled in quietly – Samael and Lilith crowded the back with their brood, flirting over a game of dice with blood at stake – craps it looked like – and Moloch and Tanit shared some Sherry and read the New Yorker.

“Nice fiction this week, Bee,” Moloch drawled, adjusting his black-red curls. Tanit winked at Lilith, motioning her to bring Lilith’s newest baby to her, letting her rock on Tanit’s lap. They cooed over the baby, and Lucifer joined them, letting the brown-haired boy ride hobby horse on his lap.

“Who wrote it?” I said, lighting a Tareyton. The cig tasted like Demon Est Deus Inversus, a peated whiskey Michael had made last century that turned out particularly good. Christmas presents from Heaven always pissed me off – join us Fallen Brothers, celebrate the Golden Boy Christ – but the angels did good spirits.

We were all incorporeal, after all. Spirits in spirit enspirited.

Moloch frowned. “There’s something odd in the paper, look at this,” he said, motioning to the Times feature: a man of the book with prominent jowls, a pate of slick white hair, and gray eyes that shimmered like G-d.

“’Top Exorcist of the Vatican Claims He Will Drive Beelzebub Out of America’s Billionaire Heiress,’” Moloch read.

Samael sniggered. “The fuck. You’re touching a human?”

I bristled. “Elodie and I have our arrangement.

Lucifer gave a laugh like a wolf. “One of your consorts misbehave, husband? And she dialed Daddy Pope. How fucking hilarious.”

Elodie. Elodie. Elodie. A rich brunette of archaic, refined breeding, old Manhattan money, half Rockefeller lady of the hour, half Nigerian heiress. She was one of my favorites. The fuck had she done now? Elodie had always been an occultist with a tendency to scare easily – I delivered showerings of golden fortune and money and goodwill to her, men and models and Silicon Valley shit to play with, rare, limited edition jewels I had Mulciber handpick and Mammon summon on black market mines and deliver to Elodie’s designer’s door. I even got Elodie a private retreat to Socotra for some Burning Man-adjacent tech fest. Socotra all to herself didn’t come cheap.

And the sex? Of course she was addicted. But addiction could scare Satanists, frighten occultists, or send the demonolaters running to the holy hills. Weaving into their sinew like I had Lucifer earlier, melding a blot of ink of my verdant black soul with Elodie’s tiny spirit spark, crushing her to iced clarity with my mandible?

Perhaps she has found G-d. I probed her feelings with my mind – Elodie was praying the Rosary. She had shut off our psychic line.

“Excuse me, I’ll take care of this matter,” I said. “Least I need is Michael on my ass.”

Especially if I wanted what I’d been coveting all year: his newest peated whiskey: Sol Invictus. Aged in cambion blood barrels. Add in some of Aphrodite’s womb yeast and it was promised to be:

Impeccable. A treasure. It was the only bloody thing getting me through a crumbling real estate market in Pandemonium, my muckraking drunk Secretary Eve screwing everyone and writing Carrie Bradshaw style tell-alls in the yellow pages, and fucking Metatron complaining about the backup of souls in Limbo. It wasn’t my fault Penemue had roc flu. The roc had been shipped here illegally from Jahnna. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I straightened my lapel.

Exited Hell

And debuted in Elodie’s kitchen.

I eyed what was in the penthouse atop Central Park: bare bones. She was one of the eccentrics that refused kitchen staff or servants. Fancied herself a Bohemian. Insisted on Soylent Green and micro-micro-micro wheatgrass dishes. But she needed food. I took flour and two eggs, made a mound of fresh pasta dough, took a knife and wine bottle to roll and separate it, and made spaghetti aglio et olio with the dull, boring ingredients she had in her state-of-the-line kitchen.

Tantalus would lose his shit at the wasted grace of space.

“Honey?” I said, my voice sweet as Elodie ambled in, her eyes bleary. She was dressed in silk and chiffon.

She froze. “Bee.”

“Miss me? I made us dinner.”

She frowned, her rich, luscious brown skin and model-thin frame with the height of a caryatid standing in stark contrast against her amber-earth curls.

“I told you to leave me alone,” she said, amused. “I’m fasting. It lengthens the span of your telomeres.”

“You can’t afford to skip a meal.”

“Sigh. Fine, Bee… it smells delicious. What can I do for you?”

“First, wine,” I said, summoning a Malbec. It would cost the firstborn of a multimillionaire. Not my finest vintage by far, but I wasn’t trying to overpower her. Gentleness and subtlety, and a smile, were weapons of mediation too.

Everything, in the end, was warfare games.

She settled like a bird across from me in the minimalist, blue kitchen. She ate like a she-devil.

“God I’m hungry. Maybe I should give up Goop.”

I kissed her neck, massaging her shoulders. “You’d look marvelous with some curves, and you look marvelous as you are now. But I don’t want you losing weight. My human is precious to me alive. Dead… you cannot enjoy Tblisi.”

“True!” she sang, suddenly energized, and kissed me. I noticed the Barbara medal on her necklace.

“Praying to a saint?”

“Virgins, martyrs, Lilith and Mary, who gives a shit,” Elodie smiled. “I want to see how powerful you are. I called in a favor at the Vatican. This penthouse is booby trapped with the most powerful relics, Solomonic Seals, and anti-ether wards. There’s even a true nail from the Cross. You’re mine, Bee. My toy.”

“Ah, I see.” I gently separated myself from her, hopped onto the table, and sat cross-legged, parting my platinum-bordering-on-white hair from my eyes. “You want to cage me.”

“You’re wasting your time in Hell. What is the point of Hell and Heaven, of Lucifer and God, Bael? You’re old – older than God. Older than all that. We could do good work here in Manhattan. I could use your magick for my charities. Marry me, ignore me, I don’t care, but binding you has its uses.”

My eyes were laser focused. I probed the Cabalistic trap. It was airtight, with some room for negotiation.

“But what would you get out of that, Elodie? I don’t see the point,” I mused.

“What is the point of life, when even fucking Socotra is mine to myself?” She sighed, slumping to the ground, toying with the Saint Barbara medallion. “I’m oh so bored, Bee. I figured, if I caught you… you, who had caught me first! I’d – I’d feel something.”

“And? How do you feel.”

“Empty.”

I gently let myself down from the table and sat beside my charge-turned-attempted-kidnapper. “So, you fancy yourself Lady Solomon. Did I ever tell you how empty he felt too? Solomon trapped me as well. And he died bitter and ruined, his kingdom in waste.”

“But he was Wise. I want Wisdom.”

“You have it. Grace. Refinement. Work. An education. Toys that would cost the Gross Domestic Product of Korea.”

“And it matters fuck – ALL!” Elodie burst. She tore her Saint Barbara apart and tossed it into her artfully decorated, sickeningly expensive Boho chic living room. It landed on some pashmina.

“I’m afraid, Elodie, that even a King of Hell cannot give you meaning in life. My Father neither.”

She sighed, sobbing. “I tried everything. Retreats in Iquitos on aya. Dancing in Ibiza on peyote. Sex with street performers. Submitting my poetry to The Paris Review – I pulled all the strings my family had, and the editor said, in her most eloquent way: Elodie, you’re unpublishable. What’s the bloody point?”

I smiled, savoring what might well be our last conversation. “Then my work with you is fulfilled.”

She shuddered. “What?”

“You realize that all the magick, the powers of Heaven and Hell, the world’s most addictive sex with archons and archdemons and scoundrel human poets, riches and fame and the world as your toy, are nothing without love.”

“I love you, Bee.”

“I’m training wheels, Elodie Okowa. I have to set you free now. You have a good heart that I have fostered. Girlchild, you are twenty-three. It’s time to find yourself without the trappings of the occult and richness. Here,” I said, summoning her soul gem from my dark recesses. It was amethyst-pink, and I hung it on a silver chain atop her brown breasts, set in an adamant bee. “My gift to you. Our contract is done. You no longer owe me offerings, blood, sex, worship, anything. You have my favor forever, Elodie Okowa. I adore you, and I am proud of the woman you became. I will always help you. But it is time to fly on your own wings.”

Elodie startled, touching the elegant soul gem. “You’re – you’re setting me free from our blood pact?”

I laughed. “You want to know the truth of it Elodie, finally?”

She nodded, fearful yet enchanted, leaning against me on the floor as I stroked Elodie’s shoulder.

“Soul pacts aren’t real, my dear. Demons are cultivators of mortal souls, tempering them like steel. Like a katana, finely melded, beaten, folded over and over again, until it is strong as adamant. You are one of my many blades, Elodie. And it’s time for you to wield yourself in the moral, righteous matter you see fit. A final parting gift for you, my soul daughter.”

There were tears in her eyes, and Elodie sat in wonder as I rose in my fine dress, then pulled out of my private collection in the netherworld the katana that I had spent years crafting for her. I hung it on her wall, letting a bit of the metal poke through from the sheathe to reflect my smile back at her.

That blade? It was some of my finest work.

“I love you, Bee.”

“I love you too, Elodie. Let me help you up.”

“Kiss me, please. Our final seal.”

I did. We went to get coffee at a local diner, our favorite spot. She made no mention when I stepped over the iron, ancient nail by the threshold and the foot of my flesh burnt, smelling like smoldering patent leather, melted muscle, and charred bone.

I told her many things. Things I tell all souls in time – some earlier than others. She was a fine woman, my Elodie, and I was amazed and proud of the long life she lived after that night and the works of greatness Elodie did – but above all, the fine wife Elodie found and the children they had together.

And me?

I got

Sol Invictus

That year.

“This is his best yet,” Lucifer murmured, in a Santa hat, as we shared two glasses by our fire – celebrating Christmas for the first time, well, ever.

“Yes, Michael surely did work a miracle.”

The grime of the neon lights of Dis City’s tech district was a pink and green metropolis on rainy pavement. Beings of all realms flittered like flies underfoot as salarymen and career women waded through the grit of the asphalt. Imps scurried about as the ghosts of the dead went about delivering pizza and wine.

“Hard day?” Lucifer asked, resting his motorcycle at the stoop of my office. I liked to work in remoteness, in a boarded up little back-alley desk where I could meet with lost souls, those in need, and arbitrate and heal them of their addictions and problems. I administered therapies and medical regimens – alongside my friendship – in my practice as a Jungian psychoanalyst and psychiatrist that dealt in Afterlife trauma and confidence issues.

I didn’t want abused souls coming into the gold and adamant metropolis of my main office, the trappings and edifice dripping finery from starry, pinnated columns, and feel ashamed for being small. Father knew I had been made to feel small in my life, eons before the Great Reconciliation. I understood what it was to be crushed as beetle under the heel of those mightier, marching over your keratin towards progress.

“I met with Hua,” I said quietly to my husband Lucifer, dusting my tan trench coat and black loafers with a lint brush. I stood in the door of my therapist’s office and locked the padlock, pocketed the lint brush into my etheric carryon bag – invisible to the naked eye – and took the band of the bag of Chinese takeout Lucifer had for us to share. I smiled. “You got me lo mein and chow fun. My favorites. Thanks, love.” I pecked him on the cheek.

Lu’s navy business suit stood dark against his blond cowlick and golden stubble. His eyes burned like blue brands under his wire-rimmed glasses. “Hua… the one from the latest caseload. The sweatshop fire?”

“The one.”

“Funny how mortals don’t realize they all come to Hell to process their trauma, sins or not. We are simply Sheol, the purifying fires of the grave, with love enough for those departed…”

“To carry them up to Heaven on our faith, yes,” I smiled, and we walked back to our quiet little flat on the corner of Rue Merlebleu and Chambeau Mélange. We unpacked the Chinese food and changed into athleisure, Lu in gray sweatpants and a black turtleneck, I in all-white loungewear.

“Hua’s hard,” I admitted. “I feel like I’m making no progress.”

We ate in companionly silence, then settled into marital bliss – worries of the hard day’s labor temporarily forgotten.

Hua Lee met me the next day in my office of homely colors, greens and blues, with polished stone accents in muted blacks and grays. I prided myself on having constructed from scratch the all-natural wood and moss interior, with a clear burbling automatic creek flagging the floor over a meditation set I had constructed last year to give my patients more happiness and cultivate a sense of peace.

My patient sat drawing in the sand meditation garden, nine years old. She had long black, beautiful hair, and a shimmy of limbs that danced like a tiny singer, like she’d be at home doing the lindy hop with a pack of spiders.

“What are you drawing, darling?”

“A dragon!” Hua smiled, looking up at me. “Mr. Kwan is so kind at my auntie’s home. I wish mom and dad were here, but I’m glad they’re watching Jiehong on Earth. I – I wouldn’t want my baby brother to be alone. It’s nice Auntie Chao found a husband in the Afterlife. I’d be lonely without Auntie Chao and Mr. Kwan.”

I noticed the impressive scales in the sand garden’s drawing, the solar beast’s breath of hot ramen noodles, and it giving the audience a thumbs up.

“The dragon seems happy, Hua. Last week, it didn’t look as, well, enthusiastic.” I smiled, giving her some blocks. “Can you make it in 3-D?”

“I’m happier than I was last week, I guess,” Hua acknowledged, biting her lip. “School is great, and my best friend Tahirah and I like to get custard after math – we didn’t have American frozen custard in Chengdu, but Auntie Chao’s mooncakes really can’t be beat, Mr. Bee.”

Hua made the impressive dragon out of the PlayMobil, then added a princess riding it in a sparkling green ballgown. “Ah hah! A dragon and his fearless knight!” For an extra touch, Hua gave the dragon a lightsaber, and princess knight a sword. “I’m happier, these days, Mr. Bee. Truly, like you said – the afterlife heals, and though I miss mom and dad and my little brother, I know I’ll grow up here.”

“You can be anything you want in the Celestial Realms, once you come of age, Hua. In fact, I have an idea.”

Her black eyes lit up like polished onyx pearls. “Oh? An adventure? I love our adventures.”

And that was how I phoned her darling aunt and guardian – Chao Kwan, né Lee, and asked if I could take her niece on a field trip.

“A real dragon!” Hua said, amazed, as I flew her in my arms to Michael’s dragon ranch on the outskirts of Texas’ shadow side. We had stopped at a Buccee’s earlier and I had bought her some brisket and one of the mascot plushes. Hua grasped Buccee Jr. in her arms and spread her hands like Kate on the Titanic as I carried my patient through thermals of air, letting my fly wings ride the warm currents.

Michael waved below, saddling up the Clay Dragon – a shining yellowish-gray wyrm mare – with a saddle and stirrups suitable for a tiny, scrawny nine-year-old (and her plush.)

“Popsicle, Hua? I see Mr. Bee has decided to take you on another adventure.” Michael smiled, his long, Southwestern-styled attire (he loved cowboys and the Wild West), black hair, tan skin, and crinkled smile showing with glimmering white teeth. He was barbecuing a pig in a smoker and hoisted a plate onto the table for Hua and me.

“Oh, Mr. Mike, yes! Did you make me the pulled pork and elote again?” Hua begged, rushing to hug Michael. He lifted her in his golden arms and twirled her around.

“Of course! Have you been a good girl, my darling?” Michael said. He winked at me. “I have another bottle of Sol Invictus, Bee, for bringing me this angel made flesh.”

“Ask Mr. Bee if I’m good!” Hua said, a feral child, ravaging the pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and buns with her tiny limbs and blunt teeth.

“Excellent,” I said genially, hoping my therapy would work. I put the Sol Invictus – my favorite of Michael’s peated whiskeys – into my etheric storage chamber that went to Lucifer and I’s private palace resident and country estate, out in the boonies of Hell. “Thanks, brother.”

“Welcome,” he smiled, slapping me on the shoulder. We hugged as we usually did and set in for a pig picking. Michael took the small roasted sow down from the smoker, and then we ate, listening about Hua and Tahirah’s adventures.

“And then, Auntie Chao said: Hua and Tahirah, clean up the dog poop, or I’ll make you walk her a thousand miles to get the hyperness out of you both!”

Hua laughed, joy settling into her. I remember when her body had Fallen into my outstretched soul web – a fast fashion factory fire, her parents praying over her limp body, tiny Hua charred to the bone. I had wept egregiously, knitting little Hua’s starflesh body back together with my restorative powers – what little magick I still possessed of my once great majesty as Baal Hadad, Canaanite lord of fertility, health, thunder, lightning, and war. The Fall had only affected gods, at first: Astarte to Eve, Marduk to Michael, Nergal to Samael – and my beloved Attar to Lucifer – but as human beliefs grew into Abrahamic fashions, so did the Afterlife.

When the first human had Fallen – oh, the weeping and wailing of Heaven and Hell! Oh, what a broken world. We had fought, faction upon faction, some granted salvation, others mercy – G-d driven insane…

But, that was before the Great Reconciliation.

(A small shudder passed through me as I remembered being trampled by Michael’s flaming foot, myself stinging his heel, bitter-winged my soul.)

It was not just “demons” who Fell, after all… and the workings and currents of the chthonic Afterlife had little sense to them, running on Mother Nature’s instincts and Darkness’s Chaos. That all souls came to Gehenna to seek immortality in the purifying fires of Sheol, well, that was one of G-d’s greatest mysteries.

So Humans Fell, in turn. All before they could

Ascend.

But here was Michael, smiling at me – us not at war ever again. My brother winked, knowing I was remembering. “You did well to raise the dog so kindly,” Michael told Hua, stroking her hair. “Now, Hua, what did Mr. Bee say about dragon mares?” We settled her into the harness and saddle, looped Hua in, gave her the reins, and took her out for a walk on the Clay Dragon’s back.

“Feel the rhythm of the flight. It comes from the song of your heart,” she repeated, eager. “Let’s go, girl!” Hua cried, taking off at a gallop on the Clay Dragon mare.

I was fast on her heels, flexing my wings and flying after her. I led the nine-year-old through gentle aerial exercises on her dragon… and then, it was time for her Trust Fall: the core event.

“Are you ready to see if you can fly too, Hua?” I shouted.

She nodded yes. “Yes, Mr. Bee. I have created my own song of the heart, like you taught.”

We put the dragon mare back to stable and went to the human flight ring – where Michael and I taught all souls their own power.

Michael held out a water of life vessel, sprinkling it on Hua’s forehead in a baptism that carried the scent of lilies and song of G-d. “Alright, little lady, show us what you’ve got, Hua – and high five!” my brother encouraged.

“Remember, Hua, I’ll be there to catch you,” I said, helping her up onto the dive board over the foam pit. I waded into the foam blocks as she scaled the gymnastic equipment.

Hua’s black pants, Hello Kitty tee shirt, and gold skin shone in the sun of Texas’ fall. She began to sing, opening her lips, a honeyed tune flowing from her verdant voice. It made me want to weep, but Michael and I steeled ourselves, for this was a time of joy! – and watched Hua leap.

Fire licked her shoulder blades, then dragonfly wings sprouted as her soul ascended to immortality, and her halo winked on like a shining lunar disk. I was gazing at her own personal circlet of moon, watching the brilliant blue bottle dragonfly wings weave in and out of the air in syncopation with her limbs.

“Mr. Bee! Mr. Mike! I’m finally immortal like Tahirah, my doggie, and Auntie Chao. Like the immortals, I can fly!” Hua grinned, giddy, darting in and out of our arms. Michael took to the sky on his own snowy owl wings and I on my fly, and we wove dusk pink in with the fall air, helping the sun set.

“Thank you, boss,” Chao said as I dropped her niece off. “I’ll make you and your husband mooncakes!”

We hugged, my employee in happy tears, and I gave Chao and her family a bonus for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

“God, are these delicious,” Lucifer sighed, eating a lotus root paste mooncake on our stoop as we watched children play soccer in the alley.

“Like home.” I finished my red bean one.

“Oh? Yes, you are my home, Baal.”

Attar-called-Lucifer nestled into my arms. We cheered on the kids, then shared another bottle of Sol Invictus – Michael had rewarded me with a whole case.

Hua had passed on at seven – she’d been my longest ward. Typically, souls reached immortality in a few weeks.

Her soul was stubborn. Resilient. Breathless.

Brilliant.

Michael and I had poured all our resources, alongside my stellar employee and head draftswoman and office manager, Chao, into healing Hua.

And it had paid off, her soul aging like

the finest of peated

whiskey.

“To Hua!” I raised my glass.

“To Hua,” my husband dear and darling said, and we drank deep of it, then deep of each other

that

night.

Eve chewed on her persimmon hair, a capped pen behind her pale pink ear as she answered my phone. My secretary was, as usual, inebriated, her Louboutins on the chaise lounge as she slinkily answered Samael on my old rotary phone – never out of fashion - in a houndstooth coat and black velvet dress.

“Oh yes, Sammy, your new horse is how big? Sturdy? Easy to ride?”

I sighed, clenching my fist around my fountain pen as I went over this year’s upcoming Halloween tax amendments. Halloween was the biggest festival in Hell, and Lucifer and I had promised to show Gabriel his first time celebrating it a grand time. After Michael and I had cultivated our friendship since Sol Invictus – that brew Michael’s first palm leaf offering to Hell in a literal handbasket – relations between Hell and Heaven had thawed from their usual Seventh Circle ice.

But Eve and Samael could be a problem.

“Oh yes, Sammykins, I can work with a mount that big –

“Eve, dear, can you get back to work?” I called. She was, despite her flirtations, the best worker I had, by far – even more organized than Lucifer himself.

She hung up the phone, smiling, a manila envelope in her hands. “I have a surprise for you, boss.” The redheaded first woman plopped it down across from my secretariat, a Seal of Caligrosto in red wax inked on the front – the Morningstar stamp of approval, and royal seal of Lucifer and Beelzebub Morningstar, King and Prime Minister, First Family, of Hell.

I raised my iced platinum eyebrows. “You didn’t, Eve. That’s impossible. Is this what I think it is?”

She winked, her green-blue eyes and freckled, creamy skin and wide curves kindly. “Gabriel’s passport expedited with Metatron’s approval? Why yes, as Adam works for Michael in Heaven doing exactly what I do-

“Minus the cheating.”

She laughed heartily – a witch’s cackle. “Is it cheating if it’s Biblical? You know Samael, Lilith, Adam and I have our ways.”

“Eve, the humans these days have a word for that: Polycule. But fuck, Eve – how did you finagle that bastard Metatron’s approval?”

Metatron: iced, gray-haired miser of Heaven. My mortal enemy. He had taken pleasure in torturing during the Harrowing, when Lucifer and I suffered with Hell’s sins for thousands of years. Michael had cried.

Metatron? Laughed. It was true, demons could be cruel.

But certain angels were

Crueler.

“You know I fucking hate him. How, Eve? He’s been set against me inviting Gabriel for a year, ever since I told him Lucifer and I celebrated Christmas for the first time.”

“Let’s just say I have a vested interest in reuniting Heaven and Hell, boss. Not all of us want the Apocalypse, after all.” She poured some Cabernet Sauvignon for the both of us and lit a Virgina Slim on a black cig holder like Audrey Hepburn was fond of.

“I’m glad I can count you on my team, my star Employee of the Month. Shit, expedited passage of an archangel, only the finest employee in the Hellopolis could match that.”

She winked: “A favor earned is a favor done, and a boss pleased is more bonus for me to spend on my houseplants and wine collection.”

Lucifer listened as we made ramen from scratch, me regaling him with Eve’s genius.

“She’s dynamite. Be careful, Bee.” Lucifer smiled, then boiled the handcut ramen in salted water. I fried an egg and the fixings.

“As if Gabriel isn’t. You invited him, darling. What to do with a fireball angel on the biggest shutdown party in the Afterlife, high and drunk in the bowels of Hell, when our citizens go on a bender for the month of October?”

Lucifer smiled like a fat housecat, all elegance and artful distress gone in a moment of sheer glee: “It will be nice to have my favorite brother as our guest for a month.”

We cuddled on the couch and watched Golden Girls. Then, we just watched Girls.

“I think you’re Jessa, Bee.”

“Fuck you.”

“Want to? Fuck me?”

“Always.”

Gabriel’s black hair and gray eyes were wide with glee as he ate pumpkin cotton candy. “Shit, this stuff is stickeh. Itsah all over my faceh.” He got some in his wings. I conjured a handkerchief embroidered with the Morningstar seal and cleaned him up. “Thanks, buddy! Jee willeckers, Hell at High Noon, Harrowed in Halloween, Hallowed by a Heavenly Arrival.”

“I take it the heavenly arrival is you, Gabe,” Lucifer smiled, riding his white Ferrari down I-666 past the Styx. The beach houses and red crystal waters bobbed on the sandy tide, red from iron deposits that made the fish healthy and delectable, and sunsets pink as wine.

I had given dear old Gabriel shotgun after picking him up at the airport with cotton candy – he had always had a sweet tooth, and his grumpiness at the cramped morning flight between Heaven and Hell – half of Hell’s residents lived in Heaven, half in Hell, depending on if they wanted a more pastoral, ‘cottagecore’ life of the wildness of Gan Eden, or city of wonders and madness of Hell, where every pleasure existed, for a price. The ether separating the Seven Rings of Hell from the Seven Spheres of Heaven was so thick and clotted as blackish blood that only the dead souls of the Red Baron and his ilk of bushwhacking World War I and II pilots could fly the aircraft, ensuring limited supply of flights, cramped spaces, and an airsick Gabriel.

Oh, how his tune had changed when Lucifer pulled up with beach supplies and a white Ferarri decked out in Beetlejuice garb.

“Yes, deario brother, I’m the Heavenly Arrival in Heavenly Attire,” Gabriel sang, whumping Lucifer on the back. We pulled into our beach house at tropical Emerald Bay, where the gley made the water greenish and jewel-toned, which the fish were adapted to, and we unpacked. The season in Hell and Heaven mirrored each other, our summer in winter, their winter on the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, and we moved in a cosmic dance of fall and rebirth in spring. “Who wants to barbecue? Watch out, boys, I’m a grill master and sasser.”

“Sure, Gabe,” I smiled.

We cracked a Riesling open – Gabe liked girly wines – and made some shitty drinks that would please a sorority sister. It was the first of October, and Gabriel was ready to party.

A month of debauchery followed: floats and parades, drinking Asmodeus under the table, mud wrestling between me and Gabriel to see who owed who a rack of lamb, craps and pong and arcade games… karaoke, which I slayed at, the lead singer of my own garage band.

Still, Gabriel outdid me on his horn, in the end.

When November 1st came, and we sent Gabriel back in style, my shrew Secretary Eve looked at me knowingly, grinning coyly.

“And, how did my hard work pay off?” she asked.

I smiled at her, a hard hug on her petite form escaping my limbs – I hated showing feelings at my main job as Prime Minister, reserving it for my private psychoanalytic practice – but Eve deserved one. I even kissed her on the cheek, though I certainly didn’t ‘swing’ that way with Hell and Heaven’s fairer sex (except with living mortals, of course. On that count, all demons were omnisexual.)

“Gabriel invited me and Beelzebub to him and his dear old husband Mike’s cabin for Christmas.”

She laughed in joy, hugging me, wine and cigarette smoke on her breath: “And like that, thanks to a muckraking Secretary Eve, Hell and Heaven enter new ground – a parlay.”

“Yes, Eve, it seems we do.”

“I always knew you’d do swell with hosting Gabe, Bee. You doubt yourself too much.”

I smiled, pouring us some more Cabernet. “Was it my panic attack choosing cotton candy flavors for the airport pickup?”

She nursed her wine, paused to inhale a cig, then smiled bemusedly: “It’s the care you put into your charges, cultists, friends, family, and city, Bee. Your empire. It is as much your Empire as Lucifer’s, the Morningstar Kingdom, the City of Dis. You are perhaps it’s kind master. You’re the best man I know, Baal.”

“Thanks, Astarte. Say, Samael’s at the door.”

“Teehee, oh, he has roses!” she said, peering over my desk at the entrance. “Time to go, Bee!”

I squeezed her hand, then ambled my way back to Lucifer’s arms.

“You smell of Eve’s perfume – stealing kisses?” Lucifer teased as he greeted me with a peck on the lips at the door.

“Ugh,” I jerked myself out of my dress clothes, naked as G-d made me. “She reeks of Dior Gris – always covers my austere office.”

“Maybe she’s getting back at you for making her do everything in Lotus Notes and a rotary phone.”

“Touche, Lucifer,

Touche.”

I was rotting in an abyssal sea, wounds eons deep, my fly mandible and carapace of wings and flesh twisted, mutated, abandoned.

Try as I might, I couldn’t move my broken limbs. My husband Lucifer – then lover – was comatose beside me, face caved in by Michael’s sword.

The tides of Hell assailed us, and I watched hell maggots eat away at us, unable to move, unable to budge, voice stolen, mind screaming in pain as the wicked winds of the Seventh Circle assailed us. A frozen lake and fallen feathers began to grow from our refuse, and that was how the Lake of Fire and Blood was formed. Lucifer’s fire, my ice.

I woke in a sweat, screaming, as the maggots that had once made their home in my limbs wormed their way into my nightmares. My cries rose in time with the downpour of iron rain, and Lucifer startled, his six white wings of swan lurching.

Instinctively, Lucifer clutched me protectively, his fangs biting into his bottom lip, drawing silver blood. I curled around him, shuddering, my mandible nesting at the joint of his arm. He ran his violinist fingers through my long, platinum hair. Fire grew in my belly as I thought of the Harrowing.

“I was back There too, love,” Lucifer sighed, he my anchor against the night. Lightning pierced the sky as storm lamia wreathed the air under Vepar’s lead, bringing healing rains that would fill the reservoirs of the Sixth Circle and replenish the water supply. “Another wicked dream.”

“Yes, dear, another wicked dream,” I echoed; he licked my tears. We kissed, and I drank the bloody drops of black from his lip. He bit down on my tongue, piercing it, and we drank the healing ichor of each other. “Coffee, Eve lent me some Virginia Slims. I’ve grown to like them.”

“Yes, Bee,” Lucifer smiled, putting on his horn-rimmed glasses as we dressed in robes and slippers low enough to let our wings rest comfortably. “It will soothe.”

We held hands in the highest penthouse in Hell, in Dis City – our working apartments, far from the country outskirts where our palace and estate was – and admired the gleaming metropolis we had created together over the ages. “Are you ready to leave for Heaven tomorrow, for Michael’s cabin in the Shamayim, to spend Christmas with him and Gabriel?” I asked, swallowing the hazy memory of fear. Wicked dreams, indeed.

Lucifer squeezed my hand, then kissed my cheek – he was quite tall, but I was taller. “Of course, Bee. I’ve been looking forward to it all winter. It’s always hot in Hell, never snows like Gan Eden. I would like to see my old orchard.”

“Ah yes, the apples.”

“Yes… Michael says he tended them well, and Eve waters and prunes them with Adam daily.”

“Yes, I am sure they are majestic.”

“It has been so long since we have been allowed to roam Gan Eden – Heaven – on pleasure, not business reined in by Metatron’s asinine rules.”

Neither of us made mention of G-d’s living corpse:, blind, deaf, and dumb atop the Throne, that Metatron divined from with the holy flame of the Shekinah. Some things were better left unsaid, and Lucifer sacrificed much of his blood, sanity, and sleepless nights ruling from Erebus, making the black refuse of Hell into ether and matter that would grow crops, water, food, air, life, and make a hell of a home, or a home of Hell.

We went to go exert ourselves in the dojo, then made our usual eggs and toast for breakfast and played Mario Kart and watched anime, before a busy day at the Hellopolis. I brought my limited-edition Lord of the Rings trilogy omnibus to read at lunch, and Lucifer stole my worn copy of the Silmarillion from my nightstand. Sometimes, in secret, we roleplayed Mairon and Melkor…

“How is Hua, darling?” I asked her aunt Chao, my office manager. Eve and Chao were chatting by the water cooler as I helped myself to an espresso.

“Wanted me to give you this, boss,” Chao smiled, her rosy cheeks broad and jolly. Chao fished in her purse for a carved wooden fish on a leather thong, clearly evidence of an elementary school project. “In Hell, fish bring luck, as you teach us all at Soul Orientation, Bee, when us souls arrive. Bend your tall-as-fuck head down, and watch the mandible.”

I did, and Chao ran her firm, strong hands cross my hair in a motherly fashion – (and I had always longed for a mother, but for us sorry lot of angels and demons, we never had one) – parting it to tie the necklace into a slipknot.

“I love it, Chao. Tell Hua thank you.”

Eve smiled, pensive. “I have a feeling we will all need the luck, Bee.”

Lucifer and I took the Red Baron’s jet to the Shamayim. Gabriel was bouncing on his heels at the airport, corn dogs in hand as he rushed to hug us. Michael smiled widely, staying back with a trestle for our luggage, which Gabe helped eagerly carry.

“Christmas! Christmas! Oh, the holly and the ivy! Brothers, WELCOME TO HEAVEN!” Gabriel sang, magicking a string of holly crowns from his pocket for me and Lucifer, placing them on our heads before we could protest.

“Thanks, Gabe,” I smiled. Lucifer winced. Some wounds were still fresh.

“I love it,” Lucifer said. “Greenery. A tree. The best gift Earth has to offer.”

“That’s what I always say,” Michael smiled, and we departed for their cabin.

There was much mirth, drinking, snow men, and aerial snowball fights to be had – and, of course, beer, alongside National Lampoon’s Christmas – at Michael and Gabriel’s cabin.

Christmas morning came around, and Michael handed us our presents.

I got his new whiskey – Copernicus. But Lu?

Lu got apple seeds

From his old Tree.

Lucifer, not able to help it, sank to his knees, and was wracked with sobs – heretofore forbidden from visiting his old Orchard of Life, though Eve and Michael always sent him updates and pics and logs on text, and had set up etheric cameras so my husband could watch his precious apple blossoms, squirrels, and deer.

I rushed to him.

Michael hugged him, and Gabriel did too. We all held him.

“I thought you could grow a new orchard, Lu,” Michael said kindly, proud. “We love you.”

I touched my necklace, pensive like Chao had been.

Would I need it, luck?

“I can really go to my old orchard?” Lucifer asked Eve and Michael as we ate in a little slice of Italian coast in Michael’s favorite harbor in the Shamayim – the one bit of pocket of summer in Gan Eden. Michelangelo spent his days here, carving immaculate sculptures that never even graced Italy in the 13th Century – he was Michael’s personal artist. I admired the sea naiads frolicking that towered over Heaven’s Gate above the Lake of Memories Michelangelo had carved, with fishermen hauling in the day’s catch below their giant embrace, and souls that chose old age as their favorite appearance ambling about with spaghetti, gelato, and art supplies (Michael taught still life classes, after all, and his was the Heaven of Artists. Also, the most idyllic retirement-style community for old souls at heart.)

Eve checked her iPhone – my secretary was quite happy to be free of my rotary phone and office attire – she was in a red checkered sundress, peach lipstick, and straw sunhat. Eve smiled tenderly, squeezing Lucifer’s pale, elegant hand. “Of course, Lu. Metatron doesn’t control everything – we just give him busy work. Christ and Michael are mostly in charge, just like you and Bee in Hell.”

I winced. “I hate him. Metatron, I mean. Such a fucking ass.”

Michael laughed softly. “And I think his feelings are mutual. You two are too set in your ways, Beelzebub. Stolid, conservative, obsessed with soul economics – inflexible. Unbending.”

“The solid wood breaks, the green wood bends,” Eve said. She loved to misquote the Tao Te Ching, fancied herself ‘spiritual.’ Usually, I thought it cute.

But now it irritated me. Her and Michael assuming everything was swell and easy.

“I loathe him too, admittedly,” Lucifer murmured, scrolling on Eve’s phone to view his favorite orchard sparkling in snow, winter berries ripe on bushes as cardinals, robins, and sparrows harvested the ripened red and seeds. “But I need to see my Garden.”

“Then bend,” Michael said kindly. “Nobody wants the Apocalypse, Lu.”

I smoothed Lucifer’s Italian linen shirt. He looked like Lestat, and I was Louis, my husband’s blond hair dangling in spirals, his sharp smile against fangs. I kissed his hand, and he kissed mine. Finally, we were in the Garden of Eden – Lucifer’s old estate and orchard, where he had planted the wine bushes of Baruch and apple trees of Knowledge and Life long ago.

We sat in a little awning, under an angel statue, snow ripe on the land, bundled up in pea coats and stomping black combat boots, black jeans on underneath. We liked to match our clothes.

“It’s like being home, Bee.” He cried softly, in joy, taking pictures of the animals and plants with his phone. “Eve said I could garden.”

“It is your Garden, Lu. And Lu?”

“Yes, my love?”

“Anywhere you are, is my home.”

We embraced, tended the bushes with clippers, cleaned the graves of the angels that had died in the War – it was a veteran’s cemetery park now, where mystical poppies bloomed in autumn when the veil between Immortality and Eternity was thinnest, and those of the Great Far Beyond could stretch their mysterious hands across the Void to nudge their brothers of times long forgotten, harvest hearts, and friendship.

For all of them – we remembered. Asmodeus, Moloch, Samael, Gabriel, Michael. Me and Lucifer. Even Metatron.

We did not let our fallen brothers fade, and Michael and Eve still tended Veteran’s Park – once the Garden of Eden – and led field trips of Heaven and Hell’s children to teach them why we should never

War

Again.

“Do you think it was worth it?” Lucifer said distantly, tone icy. He got the faraway look in his eye that meant his torment and past Harrowing was haunting him.

I leaned down and nestled my head in the crook of his shoulder, then kissed his neck, biting slightly – not enough to raise blood. He moaned, leaning into me as I stood behind him, and we threaded our hands across each other.

I turned him to me, reassuring – “What, Lu, my angel?”

He winced. “I am no angel, Baal.”

“To me, Attar, it does not matter. Angels, demons, gods. Who gives a fuck. You’re beautiful.” I kissed him, and we fell together like fire and ice, kissing, plucking, fucking – Eve had cleared the schedule and closed down Veteran’s Park to give us time together for an amorous escapade, as we had done in Lucifer’s Garden long ago.

When I was inside him, cock heavy with seed, Lucifer looked up to me and smiled, cried. He kissed me hungrily as I pumped, fucked, and worshipped him – sucking on his nipple, running my claws and mandible down his treasure trail and chest.

“It was worth it for this. Carnal delight.” He said in my embrace as I climaxed in time with him, panting.

“Hyup – what? Eve’s fruit? Giving humans souls, virility and fertility, giving them immortality? Ha – ha – ha. Fuck Lu, you’re beautiful -”

He silenced my moans with kisses, rolled me over so he, smaller and tender, was atop me, a golden dove on Lady Esclarmonde’s Cathar tomb in the French Alps. He began to sing, once Heaven’s lead vocalist, a tender B’shem HaShem. I cradled him, staring up at the snow falling from the cloudy sky.

It steamed on our naked flesh, the snowflakes, and I thought

That I

Could see G-d.

Elodie had asked me to be her birth doula, a perfumed, red wax sealed letter arriving from her summoning circle on my Hellopolis desk. I smiled at the picture she attached – her and her wife, Alicia, and Elodie pregnant through a donor. Her stomach was just beginning to show:

“Dearest Bee, my oldest friend,” the letter began: “I have found myself with a little Bug, as I was once your Brood. Please, do me the honor of being Godfather and birth doula of my beautiful daughter: Bailah. P.S. – I’m writing a novel about you.”

My eyes steamed with tears at my beautiful foster-daughter, the purple bee gem shining proudly on her brown breasts above a white sundress. It was summer, then winter, then summer again, and in time, my daughter had courted Alicia, married, and was now

With child.

“What a marvelous idea Elodie had,” Lucifer said happily as we ate at Tantalus’ Spoon, putting on Hedwig and the Angry Inch with my garage band later that night. I was dressed as Hedwig, black-white wig on, bustier attached under a sparkling net dress, pink go go boots and perfume.

We performed, and Samael and Lilith applauded the most of all. Eve and Adam sat at the back with their gaggles of children playing – basically four wedded parents to the Broods of Heaven and Hell.

“Brava, Bee!” Eve crowed, giving me flowers. Asmodeus smiled, lazing idly in Eligos’s arms. They poured me some wine, toasting me.

“To the garage band!” the Demon of Lust and Wrath said, his dark blond hair shining, and Eligos gave me a lei.

“I didn’t know we were supposed to wear Hawaiian shirts and shorts after the performance and we got out of the drag,” Lucifer sulked, dressed in a three-piece navy suit.

“Huh, well, I told you this morning,” I said, amused.

He undid his cufflinks, looking at the pineapples on my t-shirt. “Well, I was playing Baldur’s Gate and saving Karlach.”

“Ah.”

My meeting with Metatron was not going well.

Metatron’s gray hair and beard were brushed with fine oils, he looked like an old image of G-d. “Well, Bael. The taxes just won’t do. We need more capital gains tax on the markets of Hell.”

I grew icy, anger rankling my stomach. I gritted my teeth, arranging my manila folder of records. I took my elegant hands and turned to the graph showing bloating on the stock market in turn with the moves of more souls from Heaven to Hell: “Souls prefer, on average, the modern amenities of the Underworld, Enoch.”

“Heaven is austerity. Pure. We cannot modernize, we are pastoral, tourist-destination laden. It’s how we thrive, in tune with nature. If we raise the capital gains tax on expatriates, we can deal with the inflation.”

“And trample Hell’s stock market, yes? Fuck you sincerely, Enoch.”

He bit his lips, frowning. “My name is Metatron, oh Bael of Rot. I am the ascended prophet. I shed that name when I became the Lord of Hosts, Right Hand of G-d-“

“We all know your G-d is as much corpse as the Emperor of Warhammer 40k.”

“The fuck is that, Bael?”

“A – a tabletop game – oh fuck you Enoch, I do not agree to the trade!”

He cursed me out too, and soon we had drawn our swords, my katana against his broadsword, and were dueling as demon and angel. He pierced my flesh, I skinned his shoulder. Anger! Hatred! O Empire of Hell I must defend, against the swollen indolence of Heaven. I pummeled, toppled him, got him in a bloody Half Nelson, then kicked his shin in.

Metatron groaned, slumping. I wiped my hands off on my pants, then magicked away the mess – careful to let the blood show still in my triumph.

“Wait, help me, Bael – HACK. Is it – hack – really so bad for Hell to suffer in honor of the righteous Paradise, Heaven?”

I fixed my briefcase and put my hair back in a ponytail, my mandible tasting his fear on the air. “It would starve Hell’s lower classes, as I explained, Enoch. Do not test me again.”

Metatron, before I could react, ambled over and stabbed me though the back. It was my turn to slump to the floor. He took my briefcase in his angry hands, stormily threw my phone, Tareytons, Elodie’s invitation of miracles – to the Devil a Daughter – and stamped them under his flaming feet. He scowled at the burning invitation.

“Fuck, the letter, fuck you!” I couldn’t stand, could stand, up, fuck, barf, up, damn you, Enoch.

“I’m reporting you to Michael for this infraction. I know he and Eve hope we can stop the Apocalypse. I hope, for the sake of my sword through your cock and bladder, it happens, Fly.”

I grabbed the burning letter, but Metatron summoned Godsfire, and burned me to a husk, castigating me with every curse in the Bible. Psalmic ones, wrathful ones, an angel

Scorned.

I bled, burnt, and wept, thinking back to Elodie’s iron nail that made me feel utmost pain.

Even those that loved me

Hurt me.

(Gladly, Father G-d?)

Fuck

Metatron.

Elodie was waiting for me at a luxe Prenatal Yoga studio that Paris Hilton loved in Chelsea. We got lox bagels beforehand then went inside, my platinum hair bunched back in a messed, artful bun, my gray workout clothes on against my icy skin.

“Bee,” she hugged me. “Thanks for being my doula, and Bailah’s godfather.”

“Of course, Bug,” I said happily. My soul-bonded goddaughter was a fine, sparkling woman: her and her wife Alicia had started a wildlife action nonprofit that protected cloud forest in the Amazon, something she had fallen in love with on a volunteer trip. She was using her Nigerian heiress and Rockefeller money well.

Elodie’s brown eyes sparkled like black movie glass, and her lips were done up in a beautiful shade of plum paint. She was plump and pleasing, and I gently wiped some of the garlic cream cheese from her lip with my elegant handkerchief Abaddon had embroidered for me for my last birthday on April 21st. I forbid even Lucifer from celebrating, but everyone always insisted on tiny gifts.

Metatron’s anger haunted me, but I erased it from my mind, having told no one of yet another dangerous encounter with the blasted Voice of God.

I would not let him harm any of my humans, or my citizens.

Not even let Lucifer have a go at him.

Metatron: abrasive, testy, conniving. Me: plotting, quiet, conservative, fastidious. We were always like fire and oil, combusting. In truth, I craved I and Metatron’s weekly fights.

Blowing off steam is always, shall we say, pleasant.

“Breathe in, lower your pelvis, hold for five seconds, then push. Have your partner position you,” the yoga instructor said, a cute Asian woman with a whip of black hair and pink sports bra.

I helped Elodie into the position, my strong mind probing her uterus to Bailah’s soul: Bailah was joyful in the uterine fluid, her soul spark dancing in time with Elodie’s heartbeat.

There was nothing I loved more on Earth, Heaven, or Hell than children like Bailah and Hua!

“Thanks, Bee. You’re amazing,” Elodie smiled as we got cappuccinos afterwards. “Say, Bee, do you think, um, well… oh God, maybe I shouldn’t say it.”

She looked nervous, her face flinching. She toyed with her goddess braids. I steadied her hand in mine, squeezing.

“What is it, dove?”

She lowered her onyx eyes: “Well, erm, do you think I’ll be a good mother? As good a parent as you are to your soul-bond charges?”

I softened, remembering raising Asmodeus, Belial, Jophiel, and the other archangel-gods in Pagan Heaven – before the Angelic Gene Corruption, and we became angels – then some of us Fallen, hellbound.

“You’ll be a wonderful mother to an adamant daughter, Elle.”

I toasted her with my coffee silently, and Elodie smiled, and we

Drank

Deep.

“So, you’re basically having a daughter,” Samael smiled, eating a lemon meringue donut he had baked for me and Lucifer after inviting us over for a barbecue in honor of Lucifer’s birthday on the Winter Solstice. Almost a year had passed, and Elodie was due in a month. “That’s wonderful, Bee.”

“Yes, well, little Bailey – Bailah’s nickname - will be my goddaughter, technically,” I smiled, warmth flooding my bones and mandible. I carried around a miniature photo of her sonogram everywhere, took Elodie to all her appointments, cooked with Alicia in the kitchen every day to satisfy Elodie’s pregnancy cravings, was working on a set of wings for my little human angel –

And Lucifer was carving an oaken cradle.

Lucifer grinned, licking the lemon curd with his forked tongue – it got on his golden stubble: “I’ve never seen Bee this happy, Sam.”

“Oh, fuff! So much merriment, and I feel left out – Sammy stopped celebrating our births ages ago!” Lilith laughed, ribbing her husband. Her green eyes, olive skin, and black-purple curls under velvet horns and above ruby lips shone in the Tiffany lamplight like sin.

Samael ribbed her right back: “Lily, we have a brood of a hundred a day. And I cook you everything.”

“Heh.” Lilith licked some chocolate cookies she’d baked, then foisted them onto my husband. “Happy eleventy eleventh birthday, Lu.”

“Oh yes, you always insist on Eleventy Eleventh birthdays,” Samael laughed.

“It’s a nice tradition,” I said amenably, my husband and I, just like Samael and Lilith, Tolkien nerds. When we LARPed, Lilith was Eowyn and Samael was Elrond. Eve liked to be Galadriel, and Michael was Celeborn. Adam, well, took photos and handed out the weapons. I loved to be in Sauron armor I custom blacksmithed, but Lucifer was too lazy, and ordered Mulciber to forge his – he was more into woodwork.

We had broken our roleplay of Mairon and Melkor finally, out, in public…

“To Lucifer’s Eleventy Eleventh! I mean, uh, Melkor’s!” Lilith cheered, fixing us a round of espressos.

We all blew our party streamers, then Samael cut into a vanilla ice cream chocolate fudge cake.

We ate the leftovers later that night in our palace by the fireside, our new dog – Naberius – a hellhound par excellence, basking by the smoldering woodstove.

“This is fucking divine,” Lucifer said mid-bite.

“Good birthday?” I asked.

“They’re always wretched,” he sighed. “I hate growing old. I think I have wrinkles.”

“Lucifer, you’re immortally 24.”

“Pah.”

I held his face in mine, gazed intently at his flawless skin, then kissed his brow: “You’re a vain creature, Heylel ben Shachar.”

“And proud,” he said bitterly. “Hell needs more glory. Sometimes, I ache for my spear, to go toe-to-toe with Michael again. Say, you think he’ll at least spar me for some territory, some of Purgatory’s outskirts by the Cedar of Lebanon transplants? I could bribe Eve with more of my strawberry plants from our yard to make the arrangements-

“Chavah is my Secretary, not yours, Lucifer. Talk to Chao. If so, I’d have to fight Michael’s number two, the cotton candy fiend. The sugar high that archangel carries alone might make me drunk.”

“Gabriel oh Gabriel, blow your horn!” Lucifer laughed, then pounced on me. “No, Bee, if I am the most beautiful angel, then you are the most splendid demon.” We sank into each other like wine in a glass, and made love to each other’s

Hell.

The sparring match was arranged in a fortnight, and I almost missed it in case Elodie was going to break her water, but she still had two weeks left. Chao drank some Aquafina and was dressed in a pantsuit, and Eve was marking the ground in chalk, while Lilith, CEO of Hell’s Business Department, held an official List of Barter:

Michael flexed on the side, in golden armor. Gabriel was in silver, winking at us. I had my katana, Lucifer his spear… for shits and giggles, we were in our Silmarillion armor.

“Okay, up for negotiation is the Cedar Grove of Purgatory. Lucifer wants to garden in it, and says Michael is using the wrong manure.”

“He is,” Lucifer said solidly, brushing back his blonde cowlick, golden muscles twining: “It needs more phosphate.”

“I prefer less,” Michael opined, then lit a cigarette. “I yield nothing.”

“I claim everything,” Lucifer called. “Get in the fucking cage, Mike.”

“Sure thing, little brother.”

“I was first, twin.”

“But I’m taller.”

They laughed, then got in the ring. Chao set off the bell: “Testosterone-addled combatants, engage!”

Lucifer fell on Michael with swift fury, stabbing. Michael took his burning sword in a cutting motion and steel, ether, and spark met in blazing combustion, Lucifer’s swan feathers against Michael’s owl. Michael’s black hair and tan skin shone in the dusk of Heaven, a plum sky above as snow fell outside the facility in Gabriel’s riverine Sphere.

“I yield!” Michael said as Lucifer wedged his Satanic, Paradisiacal spear deep into the flesh of his left thigh, then wrestled Michael into a Half-Nelson. Michael’s gold blood spilled out, mixing with Lucifer’s silver. “Care to crush my head, brother?”

“That’s blasphemous,” my husband teased. “Alright, Mike – if Bee wins against your second, best two out of three, I get my trees.”

“Yes, well, they are still my trees as of now, brother.”

They shook hands, healed their wounds, then exited the ring to watch their husbands.

Gabriel and I’s match barely lasted five minutes – he was distracted by the cookies Chao had brought, and had a bulging belly of oatmeal chocolate chip.

“Sorreh,” Gabriel said to Michael, face stuffed again mid-seconds after the match.

Michael looked baffled: “Honey, why did you stuff your face before the match?” he hugged his husband Gabriel.

Gabriel choked on crumbs: “Hungreh.”

“Ah.”

Elodie’s water broke at five past midnight on Sunday, January 1st, 20XX.

When I held Bailah in my arms? All the suffering – of the Fall, of long hours poring over soul returns and property law at my desk, my fights with Metatron… even the old days when we had to carry out Father’s torture of souls, before he sunk, blind deaf and dumb, in an eternal metaphorical barrow?

All my Exile, my Fall?

Was worth it.

Bailah gazed up at us with newborn blue eyes, and I ran my fingers through her beautiful brown locks.

Elodie smiled, sweating, holding Alicia and Lucifer’s hands.

I set our baby Bailah upon Elodie’s beautiful brown breast to nurse, and picked out the baby dragonfly necklace I had spent nine months fashioning in my blacksmith studio, enchanted with a drop of me – Beelzebub’s – Fly blood to give them life:

“A gift of my soul to my goddaughter,” I said, weeping with tears of joy.

Elodie cried too, tired, ecstatic, and Lucifer smiled through tears.

I put the necklace on Bailah, settling it upon her tiny stardust flesh.

Like it, she shined.

Girl and Fly Out Drinking (Eve Interlude)

My boss Beelzebub was irked. He took his fountain pen and elegantly scrawled with his albino hands atop the morning’s ledgers: tax returns for Dis City, immigration papers, votes for the next Duke – all that was legal passed through the Prime Minister of Hell’s desk. But his mandibles under his icy platinum hair perked, tasting the air in disdain.

“Morning, Bee,” I winked, handing him his cappuccino. I took my flat white to my desk next to him. It read: “SECRETARY CHAVAH.”

“Morning, Eve. Darling – you’re late.”

I deflated, my strawberry blonde hair and freckles reflected in his Gucci glasses. Bee was in a Valentino dress casual outfit and gray slate Doc Martens with graffiti designs of little yellow lemons, a black streak in his long white hair. As usual, avant garde.

“Sorry, boss. Last night was hard. Adam spent forever going over the water main systems of Heaven’s Fourth District. And my rhubarb pie burned.”

Bee smiled, making a vermouth on the rocks – too early on Earth to imbibe, but it was always drinking hour at hand in Hell. He extended it to me as he poured a twin one for himself. “Sounds stressful, dear. Here, to soothe you. Fuck, these returns are taking forever. The Rent-An-Imp service Aym runs is operating on the black market – I need to deal with him.”

“Fucking Aym,” I smiled, clanking my glass with his. We worked in the belly of the Hellopolis, past Penemue’s Soul Return Department, past Samael’s Justice Department, even beyond Dumah’s Department of Hellgriculture, where he always put tacky redneck pictures of him riding his thunder dragons with AK-47s on the fucking hallway walls. Bee and I always joked about the idiotic pics. Trashy, tacky shit.

“Say, Beelzebub, you think the drudgery of office work in Heaven and Hell was G-d’s intention all along? Ineffable bureaucracy,” I mused.

“Hmm, I suppose a dog returns to its vomit.” Bee smiled slightly, half-moon glasses shining atop his austere cheekbones, like he was cut from ice. “Say, Eve. Let’s get dinner today. Lucifer says I should socialize more.”

I smiled, shaping my red painted nails into finger guns, then pretending to shoot him: “Attaboy, Bee! Getting out of the office and out of board meetings! I’d love to.”

The day passed in its usual fashion – President Lucifer’s speech, Prime Minister Beelzebub taking votes, the Dukes and Kings debating, Judge Samael presiding. Dumah even handed out beer cozies from him and his wife’s side hustle – black camo, eugh. All in all, terrible day.

I found myself fumbling a Pilsner into a beer cozy as we waited for the 6:00 clock dismissal alarm to blare off when the President, Lucifer, pulled it – The Devil Bee’s husband and eternal burning flame.

My boss rose, fly wings and elegant architecture of his bones standing out in contrast under the harsh fluorescent lights – some fucking building code required the hideous flashers. I preferred soft incandescent, and Bee? He loved the Zenn Buddhist darkness of Yin.

Bee lit a Tareyton as he idly played with the light on his desk: ON/OFF, ON/OFF, ON/OFF – I drank each time he let his nervous habit happen.

“Hmm, maybe I could help Adam with the Heaven’s water main systems if you like, I need to sweat-

I tossed Bee a Corona, his favorite. “Beer, then dinner, boss. Beer and dinner. No busywork, you crazy Fly.”

“Ha.” There was a sheen of sweat on his brow. “Right, Eve. Dinner. I could use a steak.”

We idled our way over to Positano on the Amalfi Coast, magicking our way across dimensions. The seabirds spanned a cerulean summer sky, and I got sea bass and pasta at Riviera, and Bee got his aforementioned steak.

“Fuck, it’s perfect,” Bee sighed, smiling, disguising his fly appendages. I had noetically magicked a green sundress and peach straw hat with a rose decal, gold slingback heels dangling from my tiny feet, and white tote bag slung to my side.

Bee lowered his shades, lit a Tareyton, and smiled. “Marriage is hard, ugh. Lucifer says he is doing well, but as the week grates on with this damn problem with Aym’s Rent-an-Imp black market deals… Lu thinks he’s going to have to use ‘Executive Perdition.’”

I froze in my spot. “On Aym? A demotion?”

Bee’s pale lips thinned – his strangely handsome, oddly angled face pursed. “Yes, well… I think it is necessary. Judgment and Punishment, and Efficiency and Passion, are the Laws of the Morningstar. And yet…?”

“And yet, Aym is one of your best friends.”

Bee smiled sorrowfully. “Yes. Thanks for listening, Eve.”

“No problem, boss. No problem. Don’t blame yourself Bee.”

“For what?”

“Any of it.”

“Aym is –

“The War. The Fall. I prefer Knowledge, after all.”

He smiled, genuinely – we all had ancient ghosts haunting us. Tenderly, Bee reached for my hand. I squeezed his, smiling.

“Hey, let’s get dessert,” I said.

“You’re a good friend, Eve. A lion among ladies.”

“And you’re a spider among flies, Baal.”

We walked off hand in hand, girl and her Fly, back to our husbands, back to the TV and domesticity, one in Heaven, one in Hell. We had a friendship that spanned Edenic generations.

Girl and Fly, out drinking.

4 notes · View notes

bread-elf · 1 year ago

Text

This is a post that's primarily directed at people who have known my character Jiroki for a long time and know of her family.

Recently I've been undergoing through some negative life events (I won't talk about it here but my dms are open if anyone would like to know, but ultimately I am ok), and it's made me heavily reconsider my priorities in life. I still intend on rping on my free time as a hobby, but I am undergoing some changes with my character for the sake of my mental well being.

So for those that would like to know what changes, details are below.

First and foremost, my character is no later mated, and she is no longer engaged either or in any relationship. I am having her previous mate dead, he doesn't rp on my server nor am I rping on his anymore, and it's better this way. Her mate, who is a demon hunter named Aztook, is going to be considered dead. The player has not been active since bfa, and their separation will leave an opening for the chance to him to possibly be alive if he were to return, but as it stands that is unlikely.

Jiroki was engaged to Jason Helsong, but because of what I'm going through irl that is not something I can go through with. The player is incredibly supportive and one of the most amazing person's I know, and he is understanding.

We agreed for them to go back to casually dating and we may revisit their romantic story in the future, but at this time I don't want Jiroki to be in any form of relationship. The occasional fling may be fine as a change of pace for me, but my game time has already been reduced drastically since I been focusing on my life, and I'd rather not hold anyone back from rping freely.

Jiroki has four children that she's given birth to, and quite honestly I had considered retconning them entirely, but I don't think I can do it. So I've decided to make them older older they are (as of right now in Dragonflight the oldest who are twins would be 9), and they'll all be sent off for apprenticeships. The Kirin Tor, the druids in Val'sharah, the Tian Monestary, the Explorer's League, etc. Perhaps in the future I may rp them as adults, but at this time it has become more burdensome then it's worth to keep them involved in the story.

Jiroki may even move from her home in Pandaria to elsewhere. I haven't decided where yet, she does own a cabin in Grizzly Hills, so that may be what happens.

I had considered writing short stories for all these changes, but frankly I just couldn't make the energy for it. A lot is going on for me and there's too many memories as is associated with Jiroki and the events I'm going through, so I may even dabble in new character concepts or just focus on other games.

But I'll still be around and doing rp events that I'm already involved in, and still plan on sparkling with all the lovely Tarts. If you took the time to read all this I am genuinely happy at your investment, and will reassure once again that I am safe and ok. Maybe not mentally, but physically yes. Thank you for your time.

20 notes · View notes

bestnarutoduo · 1 month ago

Text

Here we are with two separate polls, and a whole lot of interesting choices.

the first Poll is eight Jutsu's that you all selected which i have separated from more well know/popular jutsu's to give them a better chance to shine. I have also made sure to avoid putting popular characters such as Kakashi or Madara into that first poll to hopefully avoid the issue of them beating out characters/jutsu's with smaller fandom's.

Poll One: Left side

Heavenly Prison Fire Sword Vs Ball of Light Technique

Double Black Panther Vs Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning

Poll One: Right Side

Heavenly Weeping Vs Lighting Release: Double Lariat

Choju Giga/Super Beast imitating Drawing Vs Secret Technique: Insect Sphere

The second poll will have all other jutsu's/characters, and as most people can tell has some of the more well know or beloved jutsu's and characters. so it should be a rather interesting poll (though i hope both bring in lots of people to vote because all of these jutsu's are interesting and deserve to be voted on)

Note: I realized as i was making this post that i put '1000 years of death' in two spots. I have corrected this in the list below, and will correct it for the next post focused on this poll. I promise

Second Poll: Left Side

Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu Vs Amaterasu

Little Toe Attack Vs Susanoo

1000 years of Death Vs Hiraishin

Water Dragon Vs Shadow Possession

Hirudora Vs Adamantine Sealing Chains

Kirin Vs Acrobate

Indra's Arrow Vs Death Controlling Possessed Blood

Mind Transfer Jutsu Vs Dynamic Entry

Second Poll: Right Side

Summoning Jutsu Vs Kamui DShuriken

Eight Gates Vs Chidori Senbon

Bijuu Bomb Vs Purple Lightning

Lightning Beast: Tracking Fang Vs Summoning Jutsu: Tracking Fang

Shikotsumyaku Vs Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven

Shadow Clones Vs Black Lightning

Chodir Vs Hokage Style Sixty-Year-old technique

Amenoteijikara: Chidori vs Sabaku Sotaiso

#Best Jutsu poll #Best Jutsu Polls #This took so much effort #I'm sorry it took so long #school is kicking my butt this month

4 notes · View notes

velveteenshadow · 4 months ago

Text

"Love Isn't Blind" - Marave

I don't share my Maribat x MLP art enough over here but that is about to change!

I have a hard time drawing people so I'm slowly making MLP versions of Maribat characters so I can properly do some art of them. This is a much comfortable way of drawing for me.

This one was inspired by a prompt from an in-server event from the Timari Coven Mafia discord. Go check them out! There's also the Maribat Menagerie discord where rare pairs of Maribat live that I tend to live in and got the ship idea from.

I made Raven a hybrid with strong changeling vibes to capture how she tends to hide her demon side and will try to come off as "pure" as possible. The white of the alicorn illusion is to represent her white version of her costume. All of the colors on her true form come straight from her comics.

She is a hybrid of changeling, hippogriff, and kirin. During the brainstorming process, a friend mentioned being a chaos being and I like the backstory idea being that Raven would be the spawn of a pure breed Alicorn and a chaos being. The genetics would allow her form to be a rather orderly chaotic.

List of characters I currently have (as of this post) in MLP form

Marinette

Tim

Jason

Juleka

Chloe

Raven

If there are any characters you want to see my take on in MLP form, please feel free to let me know in the replies or reblogs! I really want to get to Adrien and Zoe done so I can make Tim/Zoe and Jaydrien art.

#maribat #mlb x dc #maribat rare pairs #dc x mlb #mlp #mlp art #Maribat x MLP #Miraculous Ladybug x MLP #DC x MLP #marave #maribat event #Maribat Menagerie #ttt 2024

3 notes · View notes

lethargarian · 11 months ago

Text

2023 Books Wrapped

"'I want to, very much,' the little prince replied. 'But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand.'"

" 'And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.'" - Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"'When I look at Kirin, I see only him, a bright light in the darkness. When he looks at me, he sees only the darkness.'" - The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea, Axie Oh

"'I didn't know the inner me was hungry,' I said to Art. That's because it already starved to death." - Pop Art from 20th Century Ghosts, Joe Hill

"She was saying something, Max often wondered what. He for some reason imagined himself to be standing just out of frame, a child of four, staring solemnly up at her. He felt that she was raising her hand to wave him back, keep him from wandering into the shot. If this was so, it was reasonable to believe she had been caught forever in the act of saying his name." - Abraham's Boys from 20th Century Ghosts, Joe Hill

"Whereas I had no clear picture of myself, and was always looking to others, watching them intently, both longing and fearing that I would catch some clear sign of who they saw when they looked at me." - Voluntary Committal from 20th Century Ghosts, Joe Hill

"It had felt like the first breath I'd ever taken, to tell him everything." - The Gentleman's Guide to Getting Lucky, Mackenzi Lee

"Where we start doesn't have to be where we end up." - The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, Mackenzi Lee

"It is not a failure to readjust my sails to fit the waters I find myself in. It's a new heading. A fresh start."

"Some fear the demons, and some learn to live with them."

"But I will do my best to keep walking out of the darkness." - The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks, Mackenzi Lee

"' To win back my youth there is nothing I wouldn't do -- except take exercise, get up early, or be a useful member of the community." - Oscar Wilde and the Vampire Murders, Gyles Brandreth

"Should I tell you that when we're apart, your body comes back to me in dreams? That when I sleep, I see you, the dip of your waist, the freckle above your hip, and when I wake up in the morning, it feels like I've just been with you, the phantom touch of your hand on the back of my neck fresh and not imagined? That I can feel your skin against mine, and it makes every bone in my body ache? That, for a few moments, I can hold my breath and be back there with you, in a dream, in a thousand rooms, nowhere at all?"

"You were talking with Nora and June, happy and animated and fully alive, a person living in dimensions I couldn't access...I thought, this is the most incredible thing I have ever seen, and I had better keep it a safe distance away from me. I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire." - Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston

"'Real men wear floral when trespassing'" - a good girl's guide to murder, Holly Jackson

"'Fuck them all,' Gillian would say, her beautiful little nose in the air as the boys made spooky goblin noises when the sisters passed them in the hallways at school, on the way to music or art. 'Let them eat dirt.'"

"Sometimes it takes a good while before anyone in a house realizes what has happened. People want to ignore what they can't understand. They're looking for logic at any cost." - Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman

"Did you tell your best friend his crush was a cannibal?" - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins

"The mix of awe and anger and the realization that the world was large, and beautiful, and sometimes so overwhelming in its wonder that is was impossible to drink it all down at once." - A Court of Wings and Ruin, Sarah J. Maas

"I'll bet you didn't know there were so many simple tools to help you poop better! All it takes is for you to start using them, little by little, until they become part of your everyday routine. Then, you won't know how you lived without them. Like I said before, knowledge is power, and in this case, knowledge is poop power in action!" - The Power of Pooping, Nurse Wong with John Rietcheck

6 notes · View notes

tonguetiedraven · 2 years ago

Note

Bonrin Au where Rin is a cat-shifter that follows Ryuuji around bc he's head over heels in love with Ryuuji?

I actually have Ryuuji return Rin's scenting/cheek rubs in a lot of my fics, and works with a lot of Rin's quirky behavior, returning it where he can and adjusting to accept it when he can't (like he can't loop his tail around Rin's, but he can pet Rin's tail when it loops around him.) :) they're fun little quirks that I think he'd pick up because he knows it feels like love to Rin.

But, with @marble-wolf's help, I have a cat sidhe Rin fic to fill these both :D

And a snippet:

Ryuuji slid the door to his small temple open and stepped out, tilting his head towards the sky and enjoying the warmth on his face. He could hear a tatarimokke calling from the trees and spared the bird feeder a glance, confirming there was still enough food there for the day.

The bowls by the monk hall were empty though, which meant there was likely to be a few thirsty and grumpy demons wandering around in search of breakfast.

It was a little strange to think of this as breakfast since he’d already been up for hours at this point, but he’d only met a few demons that got up before noon. Even his fellow temple member didn’t want to get up before noon. Though Shima could hardly be described as devout.

He wasn’t even sure where his friend was currently. Probably sleeping under a tree or trying to entice one of the shrine maidens next door out on a date. Ryuuji was going to have to spend his evening removing another curse if that was the case.

Regardless, Ryuuji made his way across the yard, greeting the demons that stirred around him, whistling a greeting to the tatarimokke and aosagibi. He gave the hell hound and kludde a scratch behind their ears, and dodged the shougorou’s swinging mallet tail and pat it on its gong back, sending a loud noise through the temple grounds that woke anything else up.

Joukahi-ji was quite possibly the strangest temple around here, but it had been and was Ryuuji’s home, and he loved it. Cursed or not. It had always been the roles of the Suguro’s to watch over the old buildings, and thanks to the kirin blood in his family, all the demons that wandered onto the land.

His grandfather had insisted they get rid of the creatures, but Tatsuma had snuck them in, and by the time Ryuuji had come around, there had been more demons than people. A trend that had continued until it was just his family and Shima. (Shima who had more or less wandered in and simply not left.)

The demons tended to be friendlier, so Ryuuji had no real complaints. They did eat a lot though.

Ryuuji went into the dining hall that was mostly empty (Ukobach was chattering away in the kitchen and didn’t seem to notice Ryuuji come in.) He snagged the cat food and dog food and brought it back out, filling up the bowls and wondering if a trough would be a better option as he was greeted with a chorus of excited noises as they dove into the meal.

Konekomaru ignored it and jumped to his shoulder with an excited “Bon!”

Ryuuji reached up to scratch his chin. “Hey, Neko. What’s—”

There were two new cats. Ryuuji would bet money on it. (If he had any.) A white one with a thick and beautiful coat and the most vibrant of blue eyes, and a rustic brown one with soft teal eyes and a few black spots on his handsome face.

The tiny horns had Ryuuji suspecting cat sidhe’s. Young ones judging by the single tails. At least they weren’t ancient as Kuro and his millenia old self.

“Hello,” Ryuuji called softly, not wanting to frighten them, but wanting to know if they were here for a meal, aggressive, or just curious. “I don’t think I’ve met either of you. I’m Ryuuji Suguro, and this is Joukahi-ji.”

The brown cat shuffled back a step, ears folding and the white cat's tail lifted in a hook as he stepped curiously closer.

"Hi! I'm Rin. And that's Yukio." Rin the cat sidhe introduced with a flick of his tail.

The place had radiated a peaceful, welcoming aura and he was already happy they had stopped. (Ryuuji, huh? Fitting.) The many demons had just watched them carefully and the guardian of the place wasn't looking at them with ill-intent. Actually his eyes were gentle and the demons were flocking to him, hanging off his arms and nipping at his legs affectionately.

Ryuuji crouched down, hardening his shoulder with some scales as Konekomaru dug his claws in to keep his grip, and offered his hand to the new cat sidhes.

“Welcome to Joukahi-ji. You’re free to eat and drink and explore. Just don’t go in to the temple. It’s blessed and will probably hurt your paws.”

The cat sidhes didn’t look sick, so he wouldn’t have to worry about them spreading anything, and aggressive cat sidhes didn’t tend to be this… tiny. Or maybe Kuro was the only one that went enormous when he was angry. He’d warn his mother about the new demons anyway.

Rin bumped his brother encouragingly. "We can stay! Come on Yukio, don't be shy."

Rin trotted the couple steps closer to the guardian of the temple and sniffed at his fingers. Ryuuji smelled like thunderstorms and the burning wood that temples liked to use and something spicy and a hint of something like the purest lake waters.

Rin decided that was alright and set his head against Ryuuji's palm, scraping his horns gently against the skin and rubbing his cheeks against him.

Ryuuji felt a small thrill at the gentle scenting and acceptance, just like he always did. Humans avoided him like the damn plague but he could win the trust of something as dangerous and wild as a demon, and that was something. (And sure, it didn’t hurt that his demon blood was a kirin and their scent was like rolling out a welcome mat to demons.)

“Rin,” the other cat called. “Be careful!”

“Yeah,” Ryuuji said, meeting Rin’s blue eyes (he’d never met a blue-eyed cat demon) “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want. Just let me know if there are any more of you, and don’t attack the other demons that live here. If they’ve got my scent, they stay here.” He scratched Rin under his chin. “The guy with pink hair also lives here. And my ma, but she smells like me.”

Shima probably smelled a little like him, but he mostly smelled like death. (And that wasn’t actually his fault. Yamantaka just put off a hell of a stench.)

Rin looked back at Yukio. "He's nice !"

(It wouldn't be the first time they were attacked by cruel demons or people but Rin wasn't getting anything bad from Ryuuji.)

"I won't attack anybody." Rin batted at Ryuuji's fingers playfully and looked up at the other cat demon on Ryuuji's shoulder.

"Hello," Rin greeted.

Konekomaru’s ears flicked back momentarily. “Hi,” he returned. Then he nudged at Ryuuji’s cheek. “Bon, he smells kinda… weird.”

Ryuuji straightened back up and gave Konekomaru’s cheek a scratch. He couldn’t smell anything weird, but Konekomaru also smelled like smoke so it was hard to smell anything past that.

“There’s another cat sidhe,” Ryuuji said, deciding not to touch the smells weird thing right now. “Kuro. He’s…” Ryuuji had no idea where the cat sidhe was. Probably napping with Kuro as watch. Lazy bastard was always bribing the cat sidhe into watching for Ryuuji or Torako.

“He’s probably somewhere. The forest and the inn mark the edges of our area. You can talk to me about any questions.”

"Okay. Thank you!" Rin chirped and again looked back at his brother. "Yukio is shy."

Rin sniffed at the monk's robes and set a paw on his knee to lift up to nose at the other cat demon. (Rin hadn't ever seen one like that before. Actually… he didn't know what a lot of these demons were.)

Konekomaru leaned down a little nervously. Ryuuji didn’t comment on the flicker of orange fire that rolled down the kasha’s back.

He didn’t think there was a reason to be worried about them. Yukio was slowly inching closer, seeming to take some courage from Rin and the fact that nothing violent had happened yet.

Ryuuji gave the cats another moment to sniff each other out and stepped back just in time to hear a shriek from Izumo.

So that was where Shima had gone.

Sighing a bit, Ryuuji turned to see exactly why the kudagitsune was shrieking. Izumo tended to do it a lot, for both dire and nonsensical things.

She was too tiny to spot across the yard, so he moved towards the sound. It was coming from the south end of the temple, near the border. Was she in the forest? Had she gone wandering with Shiemi?

He ran towards the sound, trying not to sigh audibly as he did, robes rustling around his feet and making Konekomaru cling more tightly to his shoulder before abandoning ship and jumping to the ground to run beside him. The spectacle shaped red markings around his eyes ignited as he ran, and that made Ryuuji pay a bit more attention to the shriek.

Was there something actually out there?

Yukio watched the tall monk run off and promptly moved to Rin’s side.

“Careful,” he hissed. “We don’t know anything about this place. Isn’t it kind of weird that there are so many demons here?”

"Isn't it a good sign?" Rin asked in return. "Bunch of demons might mean it's safe?"

Rin wanted to follow so he did at a slower pace, curiosity too strong to ignore.

"It seems okay to me." Rin told his worried brother.

Yukio huffed. “You’re just saying that because he fed you.” (He didn’t point out that he’d eaten as well.)

Ryuuji kept running to the border and saw Shiemi standing a few meters away from her tree, nervously waving her flower-laden arms.

“What is it?” he asked, jogging up to her and still not seeing Izumo’s shrieking self.

“Ghouls!” She gasped, spilling a few leaves as she bounced nervously from foot to foot. “She’s too far out. My roots can’t reach her.”

“I’ll get her. Don’t strain yourself.” If they were ghouls, Shiemi could get root rot from them and that was a headache he did not want to deal with.

At least he had Konekomaru. Ryuuji could exorcise the demons and Konekomaru could burn what was left of the bodies.

The stench hit him before he saw the ghoul — a full naberius — lumbering around the trees beyond their border. Izumo had gotten herself halfway up the tree before pausing to hiss and swipe her paw at the demon. She wasn’t any bigger than a squirrel, and she was posturing like she was one of the hell hounds and actually stood a shot of scaring it off.

“Izumo!” He called, drawing her attention and the stitched ghoul’s. “Climb up the damn tree!” He followed his order up with the death verse, quoting the last verse of John and feeling the spark of power leave him and his eyes turn a bit golden as it did.

The naberius lunged for the tree, missed Izumo, and groaned as it was driven from the stitched body and destroyed. Konekomaru dove for the remainder of the corpse, cremating it and preventing it from ever being possessed again.

“I had it!” Izumo shrieked even as she extended her paw for Ryuuji. “I could have taken it.”

Ryuuji lifted her off the tree and took her back to Shiemi. The nymph could handle her.

Rin had arrived to peek between the trees and watched Ryuuji take down the ghoul with wide eyes before watching Ryuuji's interactions with the other demons.

They were interesting. The demons… weren't familiars and Ryuuji seemed to have a good relationship with them.

"You see that, Yukio?!"

Yukio had seen that and didn’t know what to make of it. At least Suguro seemed strong. He went up to Rin’s side and bumped his head against Rin’s. He smelled a little like Suguro. Not a lot, but it was there.

“Why were you past the border?” Ryuuji asked as he set Izumo in Shiemi’s green arms.

Izumo hid herself in Shiemi’s sleeve and peeked out with a huff. “That ghoul. I wasn’t going to let it mess up Shiemi’s roots.” She rolled her eyes like it was obvious. Ryuuji supposed it was.

He turned back with his own huff (more amused than frustrated) and saw the new cat sidhes staring at him.

Rin's tail lifted at being noticed and trotted over. The sun was dancing in the trees' swaying leaves and made Ryuuji look as if he were glowing and he looked fierce and handsome.

(Luckily, cats can't blush.)

"That was cool!" Rin cheered, bounding over a little faster.

Most of the demons here saw him exorcise a rot demon every other day. It was nothing to them. Apparently it was something to Rin though. He almost never got complimented for it, and he found himself blushing a little at the compliment.

He put on a smile and crossed his arms. “Just a naberius,” he said with a shrug. “Not a big deal.” (And then it occurred to him he sounded like Izumo and the smile fell even as the blush darkened.)

Rin sat down and looked up at Ryuuji. (He was so tall.)

"Big demon, big deal!" Rin decided and as Konekomaru crept back over Rin crouched and jumped at him.

Konekomaru, apparently caught off guard, yowled and bolted for Ryuuji, entirely on fire and making him yelp as he got a face full of gray cat. He stumbled back a step, yelping and colliding with Shiemi who steadied him while Izumo laughed.

Ryuuji managed to peel his oldest friend off his face and tried to spit the fur out of his mouth and blink it out of his eyes.

“Neko!”

“Sorry, Bon.”

Ryuuji dropped Konekomaru right back on the ground. He moved a little closer to Rin, dousing his red flames and dipping his head apologetically.

Rin, fur puffed out and barely keeping his own flames away, flattened himself on the floor.

"Did I scare ya? Sorry! I like your flames! I've never seen a demon like you before!" He crept a little closer and stuck a paw out. (He could see Yukio behind him, also puffed out and looking nervous.)

“I’m a… kasha,” Konekomaru confessed, lowering his eyes in embarrassment. Ryuuji frowned at that. Konekomaru didn’t dig up bodies and he didn’t eat people, so Ryuuji saw no reason for him to be looked down upon. He mostly used his flames to burn back some of the rot they were eternally burdened with.

(More naberiuses. He’d have to tell Tatsuma when he got back from the village. His dad was going to have to go burn back down the Impure King.)

"Oh! Okay." Rin didn't know what that was. "I'm a cat sidhe demon thing."

(Yukio hated when he called them that but their lineage was weird.)

Rin looked up at Ryuuji and the other demons watching them. Yukio was moving closer and Rin once again risked a gentle bat at Neko's head.

Konekomaru returned the bat. Ryuuji watched them for a moment and decided they were all probably going to be okay. No one seemed to be visibly not getting along, and he trusted the others to let him know if Rin or Yukio tried anything they shouldn’t.

With that decided, Ryuuji started towards the inn.

#bonrin #bon x rin #ao no exorcist #blue exorcist #my tumblr fics #ryuuji suguro #rin okumura #ryuji suguro #bon suguro #ane #aoex #aoe #bon/rin #bonfire #bonxrin #rinuuji #sugurorin

29 notes · View notes

saphirafoxgirlspost1 · 2 months ago

Text

(Open Rp) The Monkey King: Reborn in "The Sakutopian Fox Princess and The Monkey King"

On the Glorious Morning, The Princess Of Sakutopia, Japan Name "Princess Saphira Lorraina Fox" Who was On the Journey To meet the Oracle At the Temple In the Mighty Forest Mountains.. She Ride Her Mighty Kirin Name "Yuki" The leader and the King of the Herds on the Path to seek The Oracle, The reason Why she was Seeking the Oracle Is because She kept Rejecting alot of Suitors back In Sakutopia, Japan. One By one, Many Suitors are rejected by the princess because their hearts are nothing but greed and Dishonoring, and their Minds Are Power Obsessive and Abusive as well, Mostly they wanted the Throne and treat Saphira Like a "simple house wife, maid, servant, or Much worse of them all.. A Slave", Then her Father Decided to Send Saphira to Seek the Oracle At the Zhen Yuan Temple to tell her Whats Her Future Husband Will be soon and what Future Holds as well. When She made it to the Zhen yuans temple, the two Guardian Deities Came and saw Saphira wearing a beautiful Royal kimono and the beautiful Celestial Fox mask and She said,

Saphira:" Greetings, I am Princess Saphira Lorraina Fox Of Sakutopia and I am Here to seek the Oracle."

Deity 1: "And you've come to stay For the Night as well after Seeking the Oracle?"

Saphira:" Why yes, I must Know what Future holds, you see i was sent From m-"

The Second Deity cut off,

Deity 2:" Your Father, we know. The Master Is Fully aware that your here as well, Your More welcome to Stay and we have a Feeling that Master Tang and Those 3 deity will be arriving as well."

Saphira: "Oh? and who are they?"

Deity 1: " We'll Deal with it, So don't worry about it. Please Follow us."

As Saphira Follows the two Deity as they Guided her to the Nice Luxurious Guest room and She loves it very much and then She thanked them very much as she bows ..and then the two Deity sense that they have arrived, as one of them told her that She can feel free to explore until The Oracle finally arrives in the Form of the elderly Woman, She told Saphira That She is in Terrible Danger and that She will be Cursed By a Demon King Name "Yuandi" the First demon Who will put Saphira Into an Eternal Sleep But She will be Awaken by true loves Kiss From a hero Who was Known as "The Great Sage equal to heaven", Saphira was Shocked that Her Future Husband will be the "Monkey king". Then She asked How would this be possible? But the oracle Answers that Destiny has it's ways to bring Two immortal lovers Together For the good of Saphira's Kingdom.. After the oracle left, Saphira began to Explore the temple while wearing a Lovely Fox Mask and began to Hum and Sings Softly with her beautiful Angelic Voice but little does she know that her Voice Echoes through temple and Nature itself At the center of the Temple, Pigsy Heard Her Voice and realized that there's a Princess In The temple as well along with an enchanted Fruit. Then He began to try to look For Sun wukong to Tell him But He already knows because he too heard Saphira's Voice, So He decided to See who She was and began Following Her beautiful Voice Unexpected By Shapeshift into a bug and Pigsy Turns into a caterpillar, When they Found Her In the Lovely Garden,, The Monkey King Saw the Princess Wearing a Fox Mask but he was curious about whats behind that mask of hers While Saphira Is relaxing and Humming beautifully until.. She saw a green Weird looking caterpillar with a Pig face..when she gets closer, Pigsy Spoke saying "Hiya gorgeous!" Saphira made a Small screams and runs off from the garden saying the caterpillar can talk, She stopped and glance back and pants..She could've swore That this Weird caterpillar can talk, She Spawn a beautiful fan and began to fan herself like she's going to Faint, After fanning herself and began to walk on the boardwalk until She hears the Fluttering of the beetle as she sees the weird Pig face caterpillar again and he Spoke again, trying to flirt at her.. but then saphira Smacked him with her fan and hits the wall as he change back to the original self with a Puff of smoke and she runs off fearfully, While she was running and head to the Big Garden part and She looked around making sure that Pigsy doesn't followed her, When she thought it was coast is clear But She was Followed by a weird Brown beetle but turns out it was the monkey king in the beetle form as she gasp and began to fall backward but She was caught by his arms and he said..

#Open rp #romance #Drama #Fantasy #Monkey king: reborn

358 notes · View notes

trash----panda · 7 months ago

Text

Main cast

Ok so ik i posted some stuff about Dani and such but never explained who he is.

The main cast consists of an immortal family that (mostly) share a last name. Some did not want to give up theirs when adopted.

Newmans are Dani (the main main character) Adam (his brother), Cassity (Cousin), Liam (cousin), Minx Rio(adopted daughter), Boa (adopted daughter), Kit Ortyth (son), Shadow Ortyth (the demon they made a deal with)

Newmans almost never change canonically, maybe a hair style and personality but all listed above are immortal in some way or another. (Canonically Shadow was slain and all except Minx and Kit are mortal now)

We also have important characters for the main cast Dusty and his son Julian (Pixies and Dani's best friends), Richard (his best best friend, a naga) and his husband Pixel (Planaria doctor). As well as Vix (Cursed elf he cares a lot about). Kori (ice giant) and his husband Zane (dragon) and their daughter Boz (elf hybrid) technically take care of Dani like a found family since his was crap. Kirin the harpy is Adam's best friend and really the only mortal he'll go near. The rest of the family prefers seclusion.

Mostly cause of the Chaos gods. These are gods made flesh that roam the mortal world, Asmund of Mind, Vanity of Body, and Jho of Soul. If they are every to come in contact they will form Calamity and ravage the world. But they are honestly too lazy to destroy the world so they just run around playing with mortals. Cass is a demigod from Vanity and has a grudge against Dani but is friendly to Adam. As a demigod he can bypass the immortality and leave actual wounds.

But yah i think that's it, i'll explain more later but these are the important dudes in the story.

#oc #giant/tiny #my ocs #gianttiny #oc roleplay #oc rp #gt writing #my art #my oc stuff #my post #world building #oc's #ocs #original character

4 notes · View notes

owlwithanapple · 6 months ago

Text

Bird & Fox

Chapter 11

Y/N meet Batfam!🎆

Jason POV

"She sleeps upstairs?" I pointed upstairs and looked at Bruce. Is she having a relationship with Bruce? Impossible, there is a big age difference. She just came to Gotham City recently , it is impossible for her to hook up with Bruce so quickly, unless Y/N is very active. I never heard she say dating with who or any friends here.

Wait... Why is it impossible? I don't know much about Y/N, but there are indeed many suspicious about her. She came to Gotham City alone, lived in a good place, no job but rich, a beautiful face, a good and slim figure, and a likable personality.

Could it be what I thought? Y/N and Kirin in the manor, Bruce said she was sleeping in the room. Y/N was here before I came back, could it be what I thought? Damn, what am I thinking about, if she and Bruce in relationship then only can be like that, if not what I thought, then what?

I swallowed the saliva in my mouth, first regained my sanity thought calmly, I wouldn't get a conclusion just by thinking about it, what can I do now is sort out my thoughts and ask Bruce what's going on, it's possible Y/N knew Bruce before coming to Gotham City, why the hell she have to involve Bruce?

"Jason?" Bruce's hand reached out to touch me. My mind went blank and reluctance surged in my heart. I shook his hand away. When I woke up, found that Bruce's expression was worried and confused. I shook my head blinked a few times to wake myself up. My palms were covered with sweat. What on earth was I afraid of?

I brewed what to say, adjusted my mentality and calmed down, then pointed at his face. Frankly speaking, Bruce and I still have a rough period has not been completely resolved. Now it's involved in Y/N's matter. I can't stand this kind of blow, and I don't know how to face the future life. "Bruce, who is she?"

I asked cautiously. The answer to this question would determine what kind of relationship Y/N and I would have in the future. If she was Bruce's partner, it would take me some time to accept it. But if they were in a physical and financial relationship, I really wanted them to stop.

"Jason? Are you okay? You're sweating." Bruce held my shoulders.

"Answer the fucking question! Bruce!" I roared, shocking everyone.

"Babybird..." Dickhead was about to step forward to stop me.

I inadvertently said what I didn't want to say the most. "Please, Bruce….Answer me." I begged Bruce humbly to give me the answer. I knew I was coward , but I finally saw my redemption. I didn't want her to involve my family because there were too many grudges to count.

"Why this annoying guy so nervous all of a sudden?" Demon brat said with a dog-eye look down on people. I really want to beat him up, but I can't do it. I can't calm down yet. If I wake her up impulsively and let her see my unbearable side, how can I save myself?

Bruce saw that something was wrong, he opened his mouth and said, "I met her at the pet clinic, and she helps me take care of Titus."

"Are you not kidding me?" I confirmed it again.

He nodded, his expression didn't seem to be lying, "Believe me, Jason. Really."

"Isn't it your mistress outside?" I don't know why I want to confirm it again to prove there is nothing wrong with my ears.

He was troubled by my question, with a puzzled and wry smile on his face. He showed his embarrassed side. His hands gently held my shoulders. The wry smile on his face made me feel uncomfortable, but he still answered my question calmly, "Absolutely not. Please. Believe me, Jason."

I heard his answer for sure. I put my hands down stared at his eyes. I didn't know what expression I was looking at Bruce with. I only knew his answer was circulating in my mind. With such a simple and clear answer, I breathed a sigh of relief and the fatigue in my body disappeared.

I was stiff and weak. The melancholy in my heart had disappeared. Coming back from business trip was already fucking tiring enough, and there were things related to Y/N. Many contradictions came to my mind. I couldn't breathe. I really wanted to cry. Fortunately, Bruce's answer didn't give me a fatal blow.

"Woof!" Kirin suddenly barked to wake me up. Bruce's hands still on my shoulders. He gently pressed me to tell me that I was okay. Everyone looked at me with concern, except for demon brat's dead eyes. I sat on the sofa with my hands covering my forehead. I couldn't help laughing out loud because of the suppressed emotions.

Demon brat pointed at me with disdain, "This annoying guy's disease recurring?"

I put my hands on my knees looked at him, "You'd better shut your fucking mouth. No one will think you're dumb if you don't speak."

Demon brat approached me with great displeasure, standing in front of me arrogantly, with a look of contempt for me printed on his disgusting face. I hated his arrogant character, just like a devil. I stood up looked down at him, a brat , it was not his turn to point fingers at me.

We stared at each other like enemies, my fists were so hot because I clenched them tightly, ready to punch him in the face at any time, Dickhead inserted between us, he pulled my collar pushed me to the sofa, and Demon brat was pushed aside by him, he said in a heavy tone, "That’s enough."

I sat upright and looked around with a dissatisfied expression. Demon brat finally learned his lesson and stood aside silently. Our momentary impulse caused the house to fall into silence. After Dickhead spoke in a heavy tone, no one dared to speak. They just kept silent.

In the silent house, there was a sound of someone coming home. It was Timbers who came back. He stepped into the living room looked at everyone with a confused face. Usually the house was noisy, but now it was quiet and uncomfortable. "I'm back... What are you guys doing?"

Dickhead took a breath and smiled again, turned to Timbers and pulled him aside. He told him the whole story of what had just happened. Timbers nodded slightly to show that he understood. He scratched his head and thought about how to ease the atmosphere. After all, even Bruce was silent.

Dickhead was usually silly, but as the eldest son, he had fulfilled his responsibility to take care of his younger brothers. When the brothers quarreled, he would try to reconcile, but rarely was his tone as harsh as it was now.

Timbers hesitated but still sat next to me, put his hands on his knees, rubbed his palms together, and mumbled as he was about to speak. The current situation was very embarrassing.

Timbers coughed twice then said, "Hey, why don't you go upstairs and see her first?" I relief and left living room to go upstairs. I walked up a flight of stairs, I was thinking whether it was really her. Because unbelievable, I knocked on the door of the room twice, but no one opened the door for me. I turned the doorknob pushed it inwards, stepping into the dim and quiet room. I approached the bed and saw a girl. It was Y/N.

Her long brown hair was scattered on the bed, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, making her look uneasy. Under her tall but small nose was a cute little mouth with a faint pink color, and her moist lilac tongue licked her plump and sexy lips. Her snow-white collar was half open, revealing her white shoulders and a pair of cute and beautiful feet, which was infinitely tempting.

I slapped my cheeks hard. The sound made me more awake. What the hell am I doing? An exciting picture suddenly appeared in my mind. Seeing a familiar face sleeping comfortably in front of me, how could I have such a dirty thought? I squinted my eyes to make the picture in my mind disappear, but I couldn't help sneak a peek at the lovable Y/N.

She felt different when she quiet, like a kitten curled up in bed. I reached out touch her cheek felt a warm breath. Her body rise and fall of her breathing. This was the second time I could see her face up close. The first time was as Red Hood. She was so tempting. I couldn't help but kissed her through the helmet. Later, she scolded me. Damn, how bold I was to do such a thing at that time.

Y/N POV

"Piak!" A sound made you shudder, and you woke up from sleepiness. You didn't open your eyes at first, but squinted saw it was Jason next to the bed. You remembered he was away on a business trip hadn't come back yet. How come he was next to you and mumbling something, but you couldn't hear it clearly.

Dreams are illusions. You are still in the dream haven't woken up yet. You want to confirm whether it is really Jason, so you put your hand on his face. He looked at you in surprise. You can feel the temperature of his face. The dream so realistic, and you can feel the temperature. This face is so close.

You said in a daze, "You look like Jason..."

He held your hand on his face, and he smiled beautifully, "Hahaha, I'm Jason. Princess, I'm back."

You blinked and got up from the bed to look closer. He didn't step back but closed the distance between you. The distance you two getting closer and closer, as if you were attracted by something. You shook your head tried to wake yourself up quickly. Jason's hand placed on your cheek instead. He looked at you lovingly with a smile and gently stroked your cheek.

"Hey, princess, wake up~" He shook you gently.

You opened your eyes wide woke up immediately "Jason! It's really you!"

He let go of you sat on the bed "It's really me, haven't seen you for few days."

You nodded excitedly, then looked around found yourself in a strange room "Eh? Where is this?"

"This is one of the rooms in the manor."

You blinked because it felt unreal, "Manor... Wait... Jason, why are you here?"

He pointed to the ground "This is my dad's house."

"Your dad? Who?"

He smiled and nodded, "Bruce Wayne. Are you taking care of Titus for my dad?"

"I am indeed helping Mr Wayne take care of Titus... Wait... Who are you? What is your relationship with Mr Wayne?" You were so excited kept talking.

He was embarrassed but soon regained his composure. He crossed his legs and said, "Ermm... Let me introduce myself to you briefly. The Mr Wayne you are helping is my dad Bruce Wayne, and Titus is my brother's dog, and this is where I used to live."

You shouted, "Are you Bruce Wayne's son?!"

He bit his lip, then released it "Yes, that's right."

You pressed his forehead, "Are you sure you're not breaking into someone's house?"

He shook your hand and pointed at the clothes he was wearing, "Have you ever seen someone broke into house look so handsome and wear a suit?"

You shook your head, "No, I only saw a conceited handsome guy."

He snapped fingers, "That's right."

You noticed his collar was a little messy, you moved forward help him straighten it. Something incredible happened again. Since the day you two met, neither of you mentioned each other's families. You had a vague feeling that Jason was conservative and cautious about his own affairs, so you didn't ask too much.

"Sorry, I didn't make it clear at the beginning." He seemed very remorseful and uneasy.

You held his hand tightly. "You are not wrong, no need to apologize. I came here by accident and met Mr. Wayne, that's all."

He asked you cautiously, "Don't you know I am Bruce Wayne's son?"

You shook head, "I really don't know."

"You didn't lie to me?"

You were annoyed and punched him in the stomach. "I will not choose to make friends just because of whose son you are! Do you understand, Jason Todd! Baka Jason Todd!"

He covered his stomach pretended in pain and laughed out loud. "Hey! Did you mean to scold me by the word Baka at the end!"

You made a face stuck out your tongue, "Sou desu!"

(That's right!)

"Hahahaha! Damn! What a bullshit! And what kind of face you do!" He was amused by your face and couldn't stop laughing.

The two of you laughed for a long time. Although hadn't seen each other for a few days, you two laughed happily as soon as met. It seemed you two had been playing for a long time even though only known each other for a short time. You two threw all troubles into the sea and enjoyed happy time together. It was so comfortable to get along with Jason. You were not bound by anything. He would make you happy until you forgot about own things.

You fell on the bed looking at the ceiling. He lay beside you. The smile on his face made him very charming and dazzling. You found Jason always taken care of your emotions. With him by your side, everything seemed easy. You lay on your side beside him and smiled in response. The expression on his face showed that he more relaxed.

He sat up with his back to you, "I'm never tired being with you."

You lay down with your hands on the back of head, "Me too."

He whispered, "It would have been nice if I had met you earlier."

You stood up, "Erm? What did you just say?"

He looked back at you, "I said you were an idiot."

You kicked him off the bed, he dodged your kick with agility, standing by the bed laughing at you proudly, "Hahaha! You're ten years too early to attack me!"

"I'm going to break off our friendship!" You threw a tantrum like a child.

After he laughed enough, he knelt on one knee front of you and held your hands, "Okay, okay, I know I was wrong, don't be angry, okay?" He winked at you after he finished speaking.

"I'll forgive you if you take me for ice cream." You stated the conditions for reconciliation with him.

He held out his pinky finger, "I'll definitely take you, promise."

You hooked his pinky finger, "It's settled."

"Actually, there's something I want to discuss with you, I wonder if you would mind." He suddenly asked you with a hesitant expression.

"Tell me about it."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I haven't formally introduced you to my family yet. Since you are here, would you like to say hello to my family?"

You clenched your fists eyes lit up. "Of course! I'd love to!"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Get yourself ready first. I'll go downstairs tell them and pick you up."

Jason POV

I left the room leaned against the door. I was feeling complicated but happy. It was my ideal life to laugh so happily with her. I could spend my life in a comfortable environment without complicated emotions. I gradually got used the feeling of laughing because of her. Every move she made, made my heart melt and couldn't hold back my smile.

Actually, I felt uneasy when I first met her. I wondered if I could make friends with her because she knew I was Bruce Wayne's son, or because she was the daughter of some family and needed Bruce Wayne's support. Many suffocating and unhappy scenes appeared in my mind. After getting to know her, I found she was not as superficial as I imagined.

After I calmed down, I walked downstairs slowly. Everyone saw me coming downstairs and stood up from the sofa. I saw Bruce looked very worried, Dickhead regained his sunny smile, Timbers threw his laptop aside, Demon brat was still the same as usual but holding Kirin in his arms, and Alfred stood beside Bruce and looked at me.

I looked at them calmly, with my hands in my pockets, not letting them see my nervous and shaking hands, thinking about what I should say, and after being prepared, I decided to introduce her to everyone, "Erm..., the girl upstairs is my new friend. She's the one you guys always wanted to meet."

Dickhead rushed over and put his hand on my shoulder, "Finally!"

Bruce was surprised but smiled again looked at me, "It's really her!"

Alfred smiled silently, "This is what is called fate."

Demon brat said with disdain, "I really want to see that girl's face, she make friends with a jerk like you."

Timbers leaned next to me excitedly, "She is really destined to be with our family!"

Dickhead snapped his fingers nodded to indicate Timbers was right, then pointed at me and Bruce, "First was Babybird's friend, then a guest who helped Bruce! This coincidence is really amazing!"

Bruce stepped forward to stop Dickhead and Timbers who were sandwiched between me. After they separated, Bruce politely asked me, "Do you think it's the right time to introduce her to us now?"

"I just asked her, and she said yes." I told him calmly.

Bruce stroked my hair, "Then can I meet your friend?"

I was relieved to hear Bruce's words. The tension and the heavy burden on my shoulders was gone. This meant it was a good thing. I turned around ran to the room. I knocked on the door, she opened it from inside. Her face was full of sunshine and smiles. I don't know why I felt more confident with her around.

"Have you been waiting long time?" I stood outside the door with anticipation.

She recovered from surprise, "Not yet! I'm still a little nervous... Can you help me check my clothes are neat? Is my hair messy? Is there anything dirty on my face?" She kept making sure that there was nothing wrong with her.

This was the second time I saw her nervous, but in my eyes she was the best girl who was impeccable. I held her shoulders tried to calm her down. After fixing her hair, I said, "You are always beautiful and charming. I can guarantee that. You can go to meet my family without worry. I can help you with anything."

My words made her regain confidence. "Yes! Thank you, Jason!"

I stepped aside to let her step out the room. I walked in front and led her downstairs. I could hear her pace slowing down with each step. I turned around held her hand remind that I was still here for her. She held my hand tightly relieve her stress because I knew she worry about herself.

After arriving in the living room, I asked her to stand behind me and not show her face for the time being. I didn't tell her how many people in my family. I was worried she would lose confidence because of the large number of people. I saw everyone was standing, their faces were obviously looking forward to her arrival. She pulled my clothes, and I took a deep breath and stood aside. "Everyone, this is my friend, Y/N. Y/N, this is my family."

She looked at everyone and bowed to show her politeness. "Hello, I'm Y/N , Jason's friend."

Bruce was the first to step forward l smile at her and hold out his hand to her. "It's a small world, Y/N. Let me introduce myself again. I'm Bruce Wayne, his father. Thank you for being friends with my son."

She raised her hands and shook them in panic. "What a small world, Mr. Wayne. I didn't expect you are his father. I should thank Jason for being friends with me. I've always caused him trouble."

"Hahaha, I believe Jason is willing take on the trouble you caused." Suddenly Bruce said something inexplicable.

"Hey Bruce! I heard you!" I interrupted awkwardly.

Seeing the three people standing behind Bruce, Dickhead pointed at himself excitedly couldn't wait to talk, Timbers joined in the fun with a look of relief and excitement, Demon brat pretended to be indifferent but I saw him stealing glances at Y/N, Bruce stood aside waited for me to introduce the other people.

Before introducing the three people, I introduced Alfred to her first. Because he is one who takes care the family the most. "Y/N, this is Alfred, the housekeeper of this family."

Alfred humbly extended his hand "It's a pleasure to meet such an excellent and beautiful girl like you. Master Todd is really a lucky man."

She laughed "You are flattering."

Alfred shook his head "I am not exaggerating, Miss Y/N. Our family is honored that Master Todd has such an excellent girlfriend."

I heard the word girlfriend immediately interrupted them "Alfred, just a friend! Not a girlfriend!"

Alfred nodded "Oh, I misunderstood, it's a female friend."

I breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Y/N. She stared at me and said "What?"

Fortunately, she a natural naive person. I awkwardly changed the topic, "I'll introduce you to the others."

I took her to the three people. To be honest, it was bit difficult introduce these three people who had no blood relationship with me. After all, our family names were different. We became a family with Bruce because we became Robin. I didn't know how to explain it to her when she asked.

Dickhead the first come forward, so I started with him. "Y/N, this is my brother, Dick Grayson, the eldest son of the family."

Dickhead took the initiative to shake her hand as enthusiastically as usual. "It's nice to meet you, Y/N! I learned about you from Babybird, and today I can finally see your beautiful face in person."

She tilted her head and looked at me. "I'm happy too, Mr. Grayson. But, Babybird?"

"Just call me Dick. Babybird is the nickname I gave Jason." It was a bit awkward.

She laughed softly, her cheeks flushed. "What a cute nickname! Why didn't you tell me your nickname!"

Dickhead pushed me away, pulled Y/N to a place and whispered, "Y/N, although our Babybird looks very manly, he also has a cute side, especially when it comes to you, he is particularly shy."

I saw Y/N holding her chin with her hand "Unbelievable."

Y/N POV

Although Jason couldn't hear the content of your conversation, he had a bad feeling. He rushed over and dragged Dick away. You could hear Jason angrily yelling in Dick's ear, "What the hell did you say to her!"

"Secret!" Dick yelled, and you saw them arguing from the side. Jason kicked him a few times, and Dick dodged smoothly. They didn't really fight, it seemed like they were just playing around. You covered your mouth laughed quietly at the way they got along. You envied having such a lively family.

When you are watching the fun, someone approaches and pokes your shoulder gently with his finger. You look back see him extending his hand to you, "Hello, I'm Tim Drake, just call me Tim, our ages are not much different."

You shake his hand "Nice to meet you, Tim. Are you Jason's?"

"I'm his younger brother." He said politely.

You are surprised for a second, everyone's temperament really different "Wow. If I hadn't seen you all today, I really didn't know Jason had brother."

Tim smiled calmly "Jason doesn't talk about his family all the time."

You nodded to show you understood what he meant. Jason actually similar to you. You didn't talk about your family all the time. You almost forgot about them. Then you saw a little boy holding Kirin on the sofa. You had noticed him for a long time because you could feel his eyes on you.

You said "Kirin! Kocchi yo!"

(Kirin! Here!)

Kirin pricked up his ears looked in your direction. He broke free from the little boy's hand, then ran straight to you excitedly, barked a few times and circled around your feet. The boy expression was a little lost. The son who took care of the dog mentioned by Mr. Wayne should be referring to him.

You held Kirin sat next to him. You blocked Kirin in front of you. "Hello, my name is Y/N. What's your name?" After saying that, you tilted your head to let him see your face. He was a little surprised but didn't show it exaggeratedly.

He retracted his expression and said coldly, "Damian Wayne..."

You handed Kirin to him, "Did you have fun with Kirin?"

"Not bad." He took it and hugged it. He seemed to be a very silent person.

Jason came over and sat next to me. Damian glared at him like an enemy. You were sandwiched between two of them. The atmosphere seemed particularly tense. Is their relationship very bad? Even Jason didn't introduce Damian like he introduced Dick just now.

"Hey, say hello." You heard Jason speak in a serious tone.

Damian looked at you two with disdain. "Say hello then? Say I'm your little brother? Say we're a family? We're not related by blood, don't act so close. It's disgusting."

"Huh?" You were shocked by his words. You clearly heard Damian say they were not related by blood. Then you remembered that their last names were all weird, all different. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake. Only Damian is Damian Wayne. How come they're a family?

"Damian!" Mr Wayne called him.

He returned Kirin to you and stood up. "Father, am I wrong? Why should I admit they are my brothers? Is it necessary to insist on maintaining a good family? We are not related by blood, except you and me."

"Damian, stop it. This is not the thing to be brought up now." Dick interrupted.

"You know I am right. This annoying guy is dead. Why should I admit he is my brother when he comes back?" Damian said.

"Enough, don't say these in front of Y/N." Tim told him calmly.

Damian expressed dissatisfaction. "Why not? Since she wants to be friends with him, she will know sooner or later. Why avoid? I am telling the truth. If Y/N doesn't like it, she can leave our house at any time."

At this moment, you suddenly felt a chill, and a strong fierce breath rushed towards you. You turned and it was coming from Jason. He staring at Damian like a ferocious beast. It was the first time you saw Jason's expression so ferocious and scary, not as gentle as before. Obviously, Damian had touched Jason's pain.

"Y/N, second room upstairs is my room, you should avoid first." Jason pulled your arm.

Damian mocked, "Why? Is it necessary to avoid it? Isn't it better to tell her everything? Or are you very concerned about your past and afraid Y/N will ignore you forever?"

"Past..." You muttered to yourself.

Jason's hand was clenched more tightly than before. He had his back to you but could feel his anger surged. "Y/N, listen to me and go back to the room first."

"Jason..." You worriedly shook his hand that was holding yours.

"I beg you..." His voice sounded very humble.

To be honest, you never mind anything about anyone. For example, no matter how crazy Harley is, you are not afraid to chat and be friends with her. You know very well everyone has their own difficulties and unbearable past, but the past is the past, and it is no longer the present. Even is the fact, it is terrible that Damian would open people's wounds without any hesitation.

You can't hold back your anger, you let go of Jason's hand and walk to Damian. "Your name is Damian Wayne, right?"

He was confused. "What? Want to speak for that annoying guy?"

"Do you hate me?" You blurted out.

He shook his head. "I don't know you, and I have no reason to hate you."

You don't know what Jason has experienced, you can't stand in his position and speak for him. You shook your head with a smile. "Then let me ask you, have you ever been involved in Jason's past?"

When he heard what you said, his expression changed. "It's none of my business..."

"Are you happy to expose someone's wounds?"

He looked aside with an arrogant attitude. "If you want to teach me a lesson, I advise you not to do it."

"Let me make it clear that I'm not as kind as you think. I won't speak for Jason because I haven't experienced what happened to him, and I'm not qualified to speak for him. But at least I won't trample on other people's scars, including yours. It doesn't matter if you want to listen what I say or not. Even if related by blood, but there are more suitable to be family."

Your words shocked everyone, including the fierce Jason who became much gentler after hearing your words. You can no longer feel the fierce aura on him, at least you don't have to worry Jason fighting with Damian.

To be honest, you envy them for being a family. You have always been alone and you can't imagine that there will be someone by your side when you are sad. No matter how hurt you are, you return to home, an empty life, a life without anyone to accompany you. Only a corgi dog Kirin accompanies you.

You looked at Mr Wayne bowed to him politely. "I want to apologize for interfering in your family affairs without permission."

He hurried forward to let you look up. "I am the one who wants to apologize. I didn't expect to make you so uncomfortable and embarrassed."

You shook your head with a smile. "I really don't mind, so don't apologize."

"Miss Y/N..." Alfred said in a low voice.

You hugged Kirin in your arms, "Well... I am really happy to meet Jason's family. Then I go back first, don't see me off." You left a few words and bowed again to express your gratitude before leaving the living room and walking towards the door.

Jason POV

When I was lost, I just wanted Damian to shut up. He and I were the most difficult to get along with. I was really afraid Y/N would never see me again because of my past. At that time, I really wanted to pull her away and let her leave. I didn't want her to see my most miserable side.

However, what she did always exceeded my imagination. Not only she not run away directly, she also confronted Demon brat. She communicated with Demon brat calmly. Every word she said was so sincere that Demon brat was completely speechless and stood there motionless.

"Please wait a moment, I'll take you home, Miss Y/N." Alfred wanted to follow.

I heard Demon brat muttering "TT, a good girl, I feel sorry for her to be friends with a nasty guy."

"Damian! Stop talking!" Tim tried to shut up Demon brat.

I turned to them, and for some reason, I kept smiling on my face. Maybe her words touched me, maybe I was waiting for what she said, she made me less afraid of losing her "Let him say it, Timbers."

"Hey! Babybird! Catch!" Dickhead threw the key.

I caught it with one hand, I understood what he meant and ran away "Thanks, Dickhead!"

Seeing my figure going away, Demon brat blurted out "Why would a good girl like to be friends with a complicated person like him..."

"Personality. They are attracted to each other." Tim said.

Y/N POV

You walked for a long time still haven't reached the gate of the manor. How can a rich man's house be so big? It feels like the end is getting farther and farther away. If known would be like this, you shouldn't have tried to be act cool just now. You would have just let Alfred take you. It's even more tiring to hold fat Kirin in your arms.

Suddenly, the road was illuminated. You stopped and looked behind you. A cool car was moving towards and then stopped behind you. You wondered if you were blocking the car's way, so you stood aside. The car door opened and the person who got out was Jason. You looked at him awkwardly, "Why are you here?"

He took Kirin from you and put him in car, then stood in front of you with his hands in pockets. "I'll take you home."

You felt ashamed for what you just said. "Really, it's not necessary." You left this sentence and walked away.

He grabbed your hand and hugged you without saying a word. Although there was a layer of shirt between, you were so close to him that could faintly hear his heartbeat and feel the fluctuations of his breathing. When you looked up to see his face, he held your head in his hands and let you lean on. You didn't even have the chance to see his face, but you really liked his hug, it was so warm and soothing.

"Sorry, stay for a while, I'll take you back later."

You closed your eyes responded him with a hug "Alright..."

"Thanks for what you did for me."

"I didn't do anything."

"Haha..Fuck..Idiot, you did."

"You're the idiot..."

"Y/N..."

"What?"

"I'm sorry for letting you hear something unhappy."

You pushed him away and held his face with both hands "I'll say it again, listen carefully, I don't mind at all. I just care about you being happy."

He leaned his forehead against yours "I'm almost dead happy to hear you say that."

"Hehe, of course. Oh, by the way, you still owe me ice cream."

"Fuck...I will definitely do what I promised you."

You stepped back "When day you feel ready, are you willing to tell me about your story?"

He was a little surprised but still smiled "Yeah, I promise."

You took his hand "Let's go! Kirin is clamoring to go home!"

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say."

Chapter 11 End.

If you have any ideas, don’t be shy. Just leave a comment below. Your opinions would be valuable and will be added in story. ♥️💙

AO3 Chapter 11 🆕

AO3 Bird & Fox by owlwithanapple

Tumblr Other Chapter

49 notes · View notes