#if she learns a favored snack she will always bring those along with whatever new food item she's been snacking on lately

[dragonsongmakhali]

Makhali!! Makhali would love to be friends!

She'll climb onto countertops like some sort of raccoon but she will also always bring snacks so hopefully that makes up for it!

4. Do they have a best friend? If so, how did they meet? If not, have they ever/why never?

I honestly need to do more development for friendships outside the scions (which everyone has heard about/knows about so not exciting to talk about really)

So if someone’s oc wants to be friends with Eisha….

[wishingforatypewriter]

How would be the relationship of baby Yukihira with his parents, brother and grandparents? I remember you mentioned that she would be Senzaemon favorite great-granddaughter

Baby Yukihira and Souma

As a little girl, this child is her father’s shadow. She wants to go everywhere he goes and learn all the Yukihira-style recipes. She would be in literal tears whenever he traveled overseas without her. Because Souma is soft for her, he ends up bringing her along more often than not, and the staff at all his restaurants know her really well. 

Because she’s the youngest heir and doesn’t have the god tongue, she is sometimes overlooked by those that surround the Nakiri family and the culinary elite at large. To offset this, Souma always paid special attention to her, and often brought her to the Sumiredori Shopping District to get spoiled and loved on by the grandmothers. He never lets her get down on herself or feel unspecial. 

When baby Yukihira looks back on her childhood, what she’ll remember the most is laughing with her father, watching him cook, and sharing snacks. Souma is absolutely everything to her, and everybody knows it. (It’s actually kind of strange for Souma because he thought she would favor Erina like her brother does) 

Baby Yukihira and Erina 

As a young girl, Erina  had dreamed about having a daughter, about long tea parties dressed in ballgowns and elegant white gloves...yeah, not this child. Erina learned quickly that the life of the sheltered ojou-sama was not for her daughter, and had no desire to force it onto her. Erina and baby bond mostly over cooking. Her little girl is a sponge when it comes to culinary knowledge, and she wants to learn everything Erina can teach her. 

Even though Erina always supports her dishes, baby Yukihira knows her mom’s god tongue is very particular, and she wants to make food that she truly loves (and would love even if it wasn’t made by her only daughter). She actually worries about her mom and her brother quite a lot, and the thought of them motivates her to become a better chef. 

Erina was so grateful that she didn’t pass the god tongue down to baby Yukihira. She wants to give her daughter the kind of unrestrained happy childhood that she never had and allow her to find her own path. 

Baby Yukihira and Raiden

Spoiled little sister alert! This child can actually get her brother to give, buy, or make her whatever she wants in this world (when he’s around anyway). She gets so annoyed whenever he goes more than a few months without coming home and has been known to call him at any time of day to ask what she had done to be abandoned by her only brother. 

Despite her theatrics, Raiden is constantly sending his sister videos of his travels and telling her about the new dishes he found or created. She’s never had the same level of wanderlust as Raiden, but the videos let her live vicariously through him. 

Baby Yukihira will never test an experimental dish on her brother. When she was four or five, something she cooked made him sick, and she swore from that day forward she would only give him her best. Raiden has tried to tell her that he’ll try anything she makes, but this girl is insistent. 

Baby Yukihira and Jouichirou

Jou spends a lot of time with this small one while Souma and Erina are dealing with their restaurant empires. While Jouichirou bonded with Raiden by taking him overseas, he and baby Yukihira spend most of their time at the diner. She picks up some distinct mannerisms from working there, and she ends up reminding her grandfather a lot of Grandma Tamako.

Working with her grandfather at the diner was what first got her thinking about bringing elite gastronomy to the common table. She realized that this is what her grandfather had been doing for years without naming it. She challenges her grandfather about the menu, and always argues when he says things like “People at a diner don’t want to eat this or try that.” She usually gets her way in the end. (Souma marvels at how brave his daughter is; he never would have tried anything like that when he was a kid)

Baby Yukihira and Mana

Like Erina, Mana is relieved when it’s confirmed that she doesn’t have the god tongue. Although she wishes the child would conduct herself in a way more befitting the daughter of an old and powerful family, she is glad that baby Yukihira won’t be burdened in that way. 

When she comes around, Mana tries to get this child more interested in tradition and history. She dresses her up in elaborate kimonos and  jewelry and geta sandals, and baby Yukihira endures it because seeing Grandma Nakiri is a rare treat. When she’s old enough, this child takes to calling the WGO headquarters every so often to ask after grandmother’s welfare (she worries, and she knows that Erina does too, even though she’s too stubborn to say so).

Baby Yukihira and Senzaemon

Every time baby Yukihira is going to see her great-grandfather, she brings him a new snack. The literal highlight of his golden years is watching this little one dig around in her kiddie purse and pull out a bag of chips or a snack cake from a different part of the world. 

In return, Senzaemon will make her one of the dishes from his childhood and tell her stories about the early years of Totsuki and all of the great generations. He tells her about when her grandmother was younger than she is, and about the dish his late wife would make whenever it rained. He tells her that if anyone can save her grandfather (”no, the other one”) it’s her, and that she should try when she’s old enough. 

He tells her these stories because she’s the great-grandchild who is most interested in lazy afternoons filled with idle conversation — who doesn’t care to try and impress him. He also tells her because she’s the youngest in the family and when he and his children and grandchildren are gone, she’ll be the last person left to tell their stories. 

[abzzz3]

Let Me Prove You Wrong (Part 13)

Pairing: Loki x reader

Summary: The reader is tired from all the work she has been given, but there is a reward in place from Odin for all the work she has done.

Word Count: 2,262

Warnings: None

The days that followed made you tired and weak by the end of each day. When Odin said you would be ‘on call’ to help any of the staff you thought that meant occasionally having half a day or whole day to yourself, but so far that hadn’t happened. The sun was only just starting to rise and you were already at the markets to buy some food for the palace.

“Good morning darling, what can I get you?” A sweet older lady asked you, with a smile

You smiled and walked over to her, list and wicker basket in hand. The stalls were just starting to be fully operational and only a hand full of Asgardian people were trickling in towards the main square where all the stalls were set up.

“Can I please get two dozen eggs and four containers of strawberries?” You asked politely and handed her the coins you had been provided

The morning went on like this until you were able to find all the foods you needed and you started the walk back to the palace. It was only about 15 minutes, but even in your new Asgardian clothes people made you feel uncomfortable. They knew you were from Midgard and knew you were here because you found something you shouldn’t have, but they didn’t dare ask you, or even talk to you.

“Lady (Y/N)”

You turned around and saw a dark skinned man in golden armour, though it was different from what the guards wore. You assumed he was of a higher ranking.

“I’m just heading back to the palace now to help the cooks with breakfast” You simply said, expecting him to be making sure you weren’t running away or wasting time, but instead he chuckled.

He had a deep laugh, as if it came from his chest rather than his throat.

“I am not here to escort you back. I am Heimdall, the Gatekeeper.” He explained

This shocked you but now knowing who he was, you liked him even less

“So you’re the one who decided not to tell Odin about Loki’s progress. And you’re here, rather than at the end of that sparkly bridge. You’re clearly not good at your job.”

You turned back around and continued walking towards the palace, to signal that that with end of the conversation.

“Would you like to know why I didn’t tell the All father?” He asked, falling into stride with you, easily

“I don’t particularly care”

“I believed the All Father would interfere and bring Loki back here, removing you from each other and forbidding Loki from ever seeing you again”

“Stop making excuses”

“I see how happy you make him, how you are the reason he began changing. He changed for you”

“He was already becoming a good man before he met me”

“But you were the final piece he needed to go the whole way”

You didn’t say anything more, your mind was reeling from the information Heimdall had just provided you. You didn’t know now whether to like him or not and that lead you to wondering, are you selfish enough to thank Heimdall for keeping Loki away from his family? Would you have wanted him to tell Odin about Loki’s progress if you knew what the outcome would have been?. These thoughts circled your mind as you farewelled Heimdall and continued moving forward towards the palace. You cared for Loki so deeply that the thought of never seeing him again hurt even now, when that wasn’t an immediate concern. That’s when you realised the sick, twisted answer to your questions. Yes. You would have been selfish enough to ask Heimdall not to tell Odin. You would have made up excuses, like how there was still progress to be made, the Avengers were starting to need him around and want him around, but the truth was you just didn’t want to give him up.

The realization made you sick and you vowed never to speak or think of it again, as though you would have sacrificed whatever feelings you have for Loki, in a heartbeat, for the chance for him to be with his family again. You reached the kitchens and put everything away or out on the bench if it was needed for this morning’s breakfasts.

“We were starting to think you had gotten lost, girl” The head cook spoke without looking up from her dough

“Sorry, Heimdall wanted to speak with me. I tried to keep it short, I knew you were waiting”

“Strange man, that Heimdall. Good, but strange” She muttered to herself and excused you from any more work for the rest of the day, unless she needed anything else. The large kitchen was bustling with activity, staff from all departments of the palace either helping or finishing their own breakfasts. You slipped out of the door and into the quiet hallway, still able to hear all the movement and talking from inside, though it was muffled now.

“Good morning, darling”

You snapped your head to the side and saw Loki standing there in all his ethereal glory. How could you ever justify denying him of this? He was in his element, gold cape and all.

“Someone is a bit dressed up” You commented, smiling and walked over to him

“The tailor had to make sure it was still the right fit before tonight” He explained, a small chuckle escaping his lips “I guess I just forgot to take it off”

“Tonight?” You asked, wracking your brain to remember if Loki had told you what was happening tonight. You couldn’t think of anything though, which wasn’t surprising as you had barely spent any time together, falling asleep by sunset most nights, while he was at dinner.

“It’s a solstice banquet tonight, they happen a lot rarer here and when they do it’s a sign of good things to come” He explained

You nodded, a little salty that you were missing another meal with him

“I have good news though” He added, a hopeful smile now appearing on his face “Odin has agreed to let you join us for this feast”

You stood there shocked; the idea of Odin ever being that nice to you was an impossible concept to you, like the cure for cancer. It was never going to happen in your lifetime.

“How? What did you say?” You asked

Loki laughed “I simply asked him. The staff have been reporting to him each day about your activities . . .” That didn’t surprise you, but it still annoyed you “. . . and they have all said lovely things about your work. This is his way of giving you a reward.”

“Like a dog.” You snapped

You saw Loki’s smile falter for a moment at your words, he knew you were beginning to dislike being everyone’s lackey.

“Please (Y/N), Lady Sif has already agreed to help you find an outfit”

“What’s wrong with this?” You gestured to your current dress, which had pure gold stitching and designs along the sleeves and up the sides of the legs

“Those are working clothes darling. You will swoon at the real dresses at your disposal for tonight, and they would be nothing compared to your wedding dress” Loki explained, before catching his words at the end “I mean hypothetically, Asgardian wedding gowns are the real beauties of female fashion here” He tried to explain, but it didn’t do any good as you were already blushing. Had he thought of you in a wedding dress? No way, you had only been a couple for just over a month now, even with Midgardians having shorter lifespans we didn’t generally think about marriage until at least a couple of years.

“Okay, I’ll go. When am I meeting Lady Sif?” You agreed, changing the subject

“At midday, she has training in the mornings and will freshen up before meeting you at your room”

You nodded and smiled, this could be fun, you thought to yourself.

The morning you were able to spend with Loki was nice and calm, as you both sat in the gardens while snacking on fruit and Loki teaching you how to read his favourite books. He was so nervous to show them to you, which you totally understood. Showing someone your favourite books was similar to opening yourself up to them, you could tell a lot about someone from their favourite books and music and art work. Trying to understand them though, meant you couldn’t analyze them and try to learn something new about Loki, which you were fine with. It was just nice to be in his company.

“Ah, Loki, I see you’ve already gotten yourself comfortable” You heard a female say

You looked over and saw a beautiful lady walking up to you both, long hair falling down her back.

“Lady Sif, it seems I have. It’s good to see the garden hasn’t been destroyed by the warrior three’s games while I was away” He greeted, standing up

‘Oh please, we both know you start those little games and watch chaos ensue” She replied, rolling her eyes

Loki chuckled and motioned to you, as you stood up

“How times have changed. Lady Sif, this is (Y/N). I thank you again for your help in this matter”

You shook Sif’s hand and smiled at her and she smiled back, greeting you

“I’m doing the girl a favor, no man should be trusted to select a woman’s outfit” She called over her shoulder and led you away.

You looked over your shoulder at Loki, who was chuckling as he sat back down to continue reading.

“You truly have changed him for the better” Sif commented, with a side smile at you

“Have you two always gotten along?” You asked, curiously and a little jealous of how easily she could laugh and joke with Loki

She scoffed “Good heavens no, we used to despise each other half the time, and the other half we didn’t really care”

You nodded, smiling as the pair of you walked out of the palace and towards the expensive district of shops. You were lead into a small shop, with glass windows covering the front wall and golden painted words on a hanging sign, which would be the name of the shop, but being in Asgardian you could only understand a few syllables.

“Lady Sif, it’s a surprise to see you in here” The shop keeper greeted

“It’s not for me Erling, I have Lady (Y/N) here, who needs her first banquet gown” She explained, nudging you forward for the elderly man to assess you and greet you

“It’s wonderful to meet a friend of Lady Sif. Tell me; is this gown for the Solstice banquet?” He asked you

“Yes it is, I must tell you though, that I have no money to pay for a gown” You replied, hastily adding that you have no money

The old man just waved his hand “Oh, pish posh. I’ll just add it to the palace tab-“He began to say

“Price Loki has asked that you add it to his personal tab” Sif interrupted

This got the man’s attention and he looked at you surprised “You must be very special to the Prince. He’s only ever paid for something with his own money once with him. It was for a gift for the late Lady Frigga, gorgeous pair of earring that she wore every day after that.” He commented, you could see the sorrow behind his eyes as he continued speaking, but a smile on his lips as he remembered the fond memories of Lady Frigga and Loki’s gift

“Anyway, let me pull out some gowns for you and see what you think. Please take a seat, ladies.” He said, snapping back into his cheery self, which you guessed was his usual mood.

You looked over at Sif, surprise on your face “Loki is really paying for this?”

She smiled back at you “Yes, it’s his first gift to you so he wanted it to be something extravagant, which is totally unexpected for him. He usually gives sentimental gifts.” She answered, when our attention was suddenly brought back to Erling bringing in about six gowns in protective bags, all hanging from a rack.

“Let’s start with these, ladies”

The next couple hours were spent trying on dress after dress, commenting on what you did and didn’t like and what did and didn’t suit you. By the end, both Erling and Sif believed they had found the perfect first banquet dress for you, while you would have been happy with any of the choices. You felt like a princess in all of them.

“Thank you Erling, you’ve been wonderful and I’ll be sure to come back if I ever need anything else” You thanked him, opening the front door

“I have a feeling that will be a lot, Lady (Y/N). I look forward to seeing you again” He called, from behind the counter as you walked out.

“Now, let’s go get a bite to eat and then I’ll help you get ready at sunset. How does that sound?” Sif asked

You nodded excitedly “That sounds great, we can get ready together in my room, if you would like”

You were now getting giddy with excitement and she could tell, though politely didn’t say anything. This was probably a regular occurrence for her and the warriors three, who you had learned about while in the shop. Either way, you were happy to possible have a friend here, besides Loki.

@thricethechrises @marvel-fan-queen @staringmoony @arielletheavenger @lokilvrr @fire-in-her-veinz @mimijim09 @kayleighfreeman @yearbody99 

[kaylewiswrites]

Drunk WIP Week Day 3 - The Forgotten Grave Society

For those of you who haven’t heard me yelling about this for the past three days, I’m shrugging off the burden of trying to look like I know what I’m doing, and introducing my WIPs the way I do when I’m drunk and excited. 

If you like assholes, superpowers, camping, and people who almost get along, check out Day 1. 

If you like slow burn lesbian romances, political intrigue, ragtag groups who come to love each other, and deserts, try Day 2. 

If you like empowered middle school girls who start to see dead people, then congrats, you are, temporally, in the right place. 

The Forgotten Grave Society

Premise:

Today is easy. The world building is like, nothing. 

TFGS takes place in a small town in a small state, where life on the seaside brings in tourists, and also, sometimes, ghosts, apparently. (I am really liking excessive commas today, aren’t I?) The story begins in the small town on the mid-Atlantic on the first full day of summer vacation, in a graveyard that is commonly overlooked. 

Characters:

Marcy: Here’s a girl who looks average, not tall or short, tan or pale, large or small, and has not one single physical feature that makes her stand out. Bank robbery is Marcy’s backup career, since so many people overlook her. But her personality makes up for the middle ground that she exudes: All or nothing. 

She’s either trashing her room, or organizing everything by color. She cooks gourmet meals or rips cold rotisserie chicken straight from the fridge with her hand. To her coaches annoyance, she’s unable to figure out jogging. You can’t just sprint and walk, he tells her. But she doesn’t really get it. 

Marcy spends a lot of time in her own head, and it’s very, very easy for her to miss where the conversations around her are going, while she takes a side path down another road, and by the time she brings up something she founds there, everyone else is miles away. She got laughed at a lot because of this, and now rarely talks with all of her track friends. 

Talents include: running, jumping, getting A’s the three times a year she studies, cooking, and being brutally honest without meaning to be brutal. 

Ava: Ava was born the cutest child you had ever seen. Perfect brown ringlets in her hair, cherubic round face and rosy cheeks, innocent freckles underneath her big round eyes, everyone just adored Ava from the moment they saw her. And then she opened her mouth. 

Ava hates having high expectations held over her head, so she’s learned how to dash them as soon as possible. On the first day of first grade, the teacher called on Ava to introduce herself first, (since she would obviously become the teachers favorite, by the look of her). Ava stood up on her chair and gave a loud, scientific description of how babies were made. She’s been a class clown ever since. 

Known talents are: Causing a scene, making fart noises, disrupting the class. She hides the real ones: sculpting and casting, non-fiction reading, getting under Marcy’s skin (ok, maybe she doesn’t hide that last one)

Ronnie: Everyone knows Veronica is going to become some big engineer or bio-chemist or astrophysicist. Her grandmother was the first black professor at the Marine Biology Department that’s housed in their small town,  so she knows she’s got big shoes to fill. 

But the truth is, Ronnie doesn’t know what she wants to do. She hates that question. You know what she likes? Reading. She likes reading her text books and science theory books, and she likes reading cheesy romances, too. She likes conducting complicated experiments, sure, but she gets just as much pleasure out of the simple steps of her skin-care routine. She relishes in routine and anything she breaks down into small rituals she can. Making a sandwich. Programming a robot. All straightforward if do it one step at a time. 

Talents include: almost anything STEM related, designing inventions, choosing cute outfits, memorizing song lyrics, and coming up with really cool club names.

Plot

Its the first day of summer, and three very different girls from different classrooms and different friend groups somehow find themselves in the same graveyard. 

While there, they realize that a lot of these graves are like, really, really old. People aren’t putting flowers out for them like they do for the new ones. The girls decide to remember those graves for them, and thus the club is born. 

They spend the whole summer hanging out in a graveyard, cleaning stones and making bouquets of definitely-not-stolen-from-people’s-yards flowers. But when it’s time to go back to school, they feel themselves being torn apart by clubs, friends, and work. When they meet in the graveyard again to try to figure out what to do about this, they see a ghost. 

Of course ghost-seeing powers would kick in in September and not June, they think, but discovering the supernatural is real IS a good motivator for spending more time with each other. The Forgotten Grave Society decides to be both about sitting around graves eating snacks on warm summer mornings AND solving ghost problems so they can move onto the next life/afterlife/whatever you believe in (this book takes no assumptions into what happens after the ghosts leave). 

A short snippet is under the cut if you’d like to read! I’m always open to questions, comments, and critiques, so don’t be afraid to give your thoughts. I’m tagging @aomory for this post. If anyone would like to be tagged in more Forgotten Grave Society stuff, let me know! The WIP page is here. 

"Do you think they know?" Ava asks after two weeks of remembering. It's early July, hot and hazy, and humid enough at 9 in the morning that all three are planning on battling tourists to take a dip in the ocean later in the day. They remembered a woman that day, Elizabeth Holson, who died in 1931, and now they're eating lunch in front of her grave. The three girls sit with identical bags of salt and vinegar chips (on sale) and fruit cups filled with syrup. “What’s we’re doing, I mean.”

"You're asking if we believe in life after death," Ronnie responds.

"Well, I guess it's implied," Ava shrugs.

"No." Marcy shoves some chips in her mouth.

"Well, that’s decisive," Ava snorts.

"It seems like a natural, human response to death for me," Marcy states. "Think about it. You see someone die, you realize that one day you will too, and you panic. The idea of nonexistence terrifies people. So they say, no, when you die you go to somewhere better, where you're always young and your whole family is there, or all your stuff is there, or you come back to earth as something else. It's either that or admit that you and everything you know is temporary and unimportant to the world as a whole."

"That's logical, I guess," Ronnie admits. "But I like the idea that something comes next."

"Exactly my point."

"We learn about heaven in Sunday School. I'm going to go ahead and believe in that. It sounds the best."

"In science we learn that matter can't be created or destroyed, only changed. Maybe that happens when we die."

"What do you mean?" Marcy asks. "When, like, a flower dies, it's just gone right? It'll break down into nothing." She gestured at the dead flowers still sitting in front of their first grave. What remains of them are shriveled and dark.

"You're right about it breaking down, but not into nothing. It's releasing carbon dioxide into the air, bugs and larvae and fungi are eating it and turning it into energy the same way we do with food, releasing it as waste, which continues to break down further. All the different parts that made it a living flower are separating back into nature. Remember the Periodic Table? Everything in the universe is made up of those elements, and nothing can ever be added or subtracted."

"So a human body does the same thing. If it's not cremated, it breaks down into it's elements," Ava follows. "What does that have to do with an afterlife?"

"You're body breaks down, but your body isn't the thing that goes to heaven, right?"

"No, it's your soul."

"Exactly. So if nothing can be removed or added from the equation, I think we might be reincarnated."

Ava chews on the tiny plastic spoon that came with her fruit cup. "You're assuming that a soul is made of matter."

"Everything else is."

"But then wouldn't we be able to see it? Feel it?"

"The air around us has mass, but we can't see it, and can usually barely feel it."

"Wouldn't it have to be made of some of your elements?" Marcy asks. "Someone would probably have noticed it by now."

"There could be different molecular constructions that we don't have the technology to detect, a new isotope we haven't thought to look for-" She realizes she’s lost them. "Science is growing every day. Sometimes impossible things are just things that haven't been explained yet."

"You've been thinking about this for a while?" Marcy asks.

"No. Not until Ava just asked."

"This is what we get, making friends with the smart girl," Ava laughs. "So. What's your theory's answer to my question? Do you think these people know what we're doing?"

Ronnie thinks for a moment. "I doubt it. That would imply that they are somehow omniscient about anything that is connected to their past lives. Do you guys have any memories of your old graves?"

"That's a weird thought," Ava shudders. "And no."

Marcy shakes her head.

"Which means that people, or most people, disconnect from their old life when they start a new one. Or it means that my theory is wrong," she chuckles.

"So if you two don't think they know, why are you doing this?"

"I don't think it matters if they know or not," Ronnie says.

"It's like when you do someone a favor,” Marcy says before chugging the syrup from her fruit cup. “If it's important that you take credit for it, then you're not doing it for them. You're doing it for you."  

"Wow. Such kind words from the girl that split open Hannah Bover's lip over a boundary dispute."

"Her foot crossed the line, that shot shouldn't have counted-"

"So you elbowed her in the face?"

"I like doing it," Ronnie cuts in, knowing how long Ava could keep Marcy on this track. "It's peaceful, and it makes me happy. Do we need a reason?"

"Maybe we're subconsciously afraid of being forgotten, so we're trying to remember everyone else. I know I want people to say my name after I'm gone. Everyone deserves to continue existing,” Marcy says with a shrug.

"So Ronnie comes for herself. Marcy comes for them."

"Who do you come for?"

Ava wraps her arms around her legs, as if she were cold. "Neither of your theories allow for ghosts."

She avoids their eyes, and looks very un-Ava-like all of a sudden.

"Do you come for ghosts?" Ronnie asks in the most neutral voice she can manage.

"No," she says defensively. "I mean, I-I didn't. I like doing this, and- just- wouldn't it be cool? If they were watching us, from the shadows, appreciating it?"

Ava becomes more and more nervous as the silence stretches on. Finally, Marcy smiles.

"You're assuming that they're all nice."

[ghostmartyr]

Fic: A Terrible Idea [4/?]

Fandom: Attack on Titan Title: A Terrible Idea Author: Immi Rating: PG-13 Summary: Ymir’s pursuit of the hot cheerleader was meant to stay strictly lustful. But it’s a high school AU with a ship tag, so you know, fuck that. Notes: Thank you wiki for caring more about Sannes’ partner’s name than I did.

Segment summary: Ymir continues her contribution to the story’s title.

I II III

Schools liked to act like they cared about their students.

They didn’t, but try explaining that and the loudest thing for miles would be some school counselor asking why it is that schools suck, and sweetheart, are you being bullied? Meanwhile five periods went by, and everything of educational value was lost. Finding that upsetting was considered grounds for another session a week later. Because wanting to talk about feelings was so normal.

Ymir had her doubts that anyone believed that. Including the counselor. What really mattered was that if she ran off and did something scandalous, no one could say the school hadn’t put in the bare minimum token effort to prevent such behavior.

Looks were everything. With that checked off, the freedom to do whatever the hell you want rang.

Historia got that. One more infernally attractive factoid about her. Ymir was still working her way up to being whatever the hell, so hot cheerleader’s current shtick mostly involved her phone— but damn if she didn’t make the most of it. While a grand total of no one pointed out that the school goddess was about as interested in them and their anything as any real god had to be.

It was all about appearances. Historia’s went way further than her skirt length, which was the multifold brand of luck that had people on the other side of the planet dying for the sake of balance.

Ymir knew all about appreciating a master at work. She spent most of her time being one.

So when the school set out neat, orderly guidelines about where their beloved sheeple were allowed to be during lunch hour, whatever. If they wanted to pretend they had a say in where the cool kids sat, Ymir was willing to work with it. All it took was finding the right prop.

Some people, like Porco’s delinquent friend, went old school and paid in full for their gear. No one was going to mess with the kid who brought a knife to school when that kid was Annie. As long as good ol’ cousin Levi wasn’t around, she had a permanent hall pass with edges sharp enough to kill a man. Several, if the rumors had any truth to them.

Porco needed to hang around better influences.

Ymir went classic.

She tucked a manila folder under her arm and went right out the front gate.

Very official, very unlikely to get the cops called, and innocuous enough that the idiot in the suit didn’t so much as glance up when she snapped a picture of him lighting up a cigarette on school grounds. All-star dad had some intense thoughts on what he’d do to them if they ever got their phones confiscated, so Pieck had charitably donated hers to the cause.

Ymir, primo messenger girl on a mission, didn’t waste her time on the private eye spiel begging to be played out. One hour a day, she got to share a room with an undersexed goddess. She wasn’t going to offer more of her precious seconds up to the altar for cheap drama. Any was bad enough.

Keeping the folder on obvious display, she walked across the parking lot.

The suit, peasant name Ralph (he wore a nametag. A collar must have had too much dignity), didn’t catch on fast. He looked up seconds too late to change his fate, Ymir sliding easily into his hazy view. His shiny silver lighter glinted in his hand like it knew it was never going out of style. Ralph scowled like he knew he couldn’t say the same.

“School’s that way, kid.”

This was going to be a fucking treat.

“Smoking’s really bad for your health,” Ymir said, keeping up a smile for her new friend. She drew Pieck’s phone with a flourish, flicking over to its latest digital addition. “Maybe not as bad as this, though.”

Ralph’s scowl added a pulsing vein or two, and a swell of panic. Ymir sat back on the beautifully waxed hood of the nearest car. His car. This guy had never had a bright idea in his life, thank fuck. Ymir made a show of craning her neck to examine the evidence. “Would you look at that. Right in front of the school sign. Way to earn that street cred.”

Never let it be said that the Reiss family hired people who couldn’t understand blackmail.

With what they got up to, that was probably one of the top things they looked for, even if they neglected things like enough common sense to avoid lawbreaking when they were on the clock.

Ralph looked like he was rediscovering the part of him that was okay with murder. “What,” he asked, “do you want?”

Ymir grinned at her new bestie. “You’re Historia Reiss’ driver, right?”

----

If there was anything you learned from sharing a house with a jock and his helicopter brother, it was getting up at the crack of dawn for things that made no sense.

“Hey, Historia!”

Ymir was finally finding it in her to forgive them for that.

The early morning sun flattered Historia’s figure just as well as the other times of day, perfecting her halo hair and bringing new light to the sheen of sweat cheerleading practice always gifted her with. All the shifting hours brought out were fifty new shades of gorgeous, and a touch of drowsiness to go with the death in her eyes.

All while she waited by the locker room instead of heading in. Because when Ymir said her name, she stopped. Easy peasy lemon fucking squeezy.

Like the smile Ymir felt stepping up with the butterflies. She kept a lid on it. There wasn’t much she could do about a person being a walking aphrodisiac, but if she was going to return the favor, she couldn’t go around with dopey hearts in her eyes. Major turnoffs like that were why Porco was still a virgin. She was on the charm and swag track, not the loser romantic track.

Dialing it up a notch, she winked at Historia and held out the fruits of her labor.

“Thought you could use a pick-me-up before school,” she said. “A pretty girl like you should always have something to snack on.”

One vending machine granola bar, as sponsored by Ralph. Cheap, probably not poison, and most importantly, something that Historia liked that wasn’t her phone. Other options included watered down sports drinks and vitamin water. Ymir was now the proud owner of a list of acceptable flavors for every consumable Historia tolerated—along with the confirmation that servants were basically paid stalkers. Bunch of creeps.

Historia took the candy bar with a hesitation so slight it belonged in a casino. Points to Ralph.

“Do you blackmail people often?”

Fuck Ralph.

“It’s more of a trading favors deal,” Ymir said. She sprawled a hand on her hip. “I offer to cover for someone, they owe me, I let them know how to clear the debt.” Nowhere in the process was procuring a new debt mentioned. That little thing the Reisses should seriously consider screening for was supposed to keep that from happening.

Schooling her expression like a boss a few pay grades behind the light of her life, she kept the next conversation piece relaxed. “He told you about it?”

Historia shrugged. “He thought you were trying to poison me.”

She peeled back the wrapper and took a bite of granola.

Blue eyes left laser etchings in Ymir’s pupils, and just what the fuck. What the fuck bound this person to a human body, and could she get its number next. Hell, she should have bargained with Ralph for Historia’s from the start. Maybe her to-do list needed an upgrade from its one item generalization.

“Not,” Ymir said, “my first plan for your body.”

Historia bit off another piece. Ymir’s shoes dug into a crack in the pavement. Blinking was slowly earning an urban legend tally. There really was something about those damn eyes. They weren’t so bleary now. There was almost a spark looking back at her. Art appreciation wasn’t a course Ymir had plans to bother with, but this moment was making it rain college credits.

“You could have asked,” Historia said abruptly.

Ymir’s eyebrows popped up. It took a Herculean effort to remember that they were back to talking about the Ralph factor and keep her mouth from going full lewd. She should have gotten a drink while she was at the vending machine. “What, you? You take requests?”

Historia shrugged again, popping the last bit of the bar into her mouth. “Yours, maybe.”

She turned around and walked into the locker room.

Ymir stood still and transcended.

Next

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 41 – Announcement and News

After their brief meeting, it turned out thankfully Rael was faithful to the word he gave Frankenstein upon his request for the human researcher’s time.

The following day Frankenstein got to see Yuhyung’s face in the monitor, which he was tremendously grateful for.

‘I have just one more sip or two to go until my flask is completely empty. I should fill her up as soon as I get back.’

Last night he skipped drinking his tonic, opting to save it. Thus he had to struggle to keep his eyelids open as he gave his greetings, feeling as if he were lifting eyelashes made of steel.

“Long time, no see, Mr. Jang. I’m terribly sorry for sudden request for communication. And I must apologize yet again for cutting straight to the point. Simply put, we have a problem with the modem you installed.”

Yuhyung, who was grimacing as if he were in a meeting with a highly annoying and demanding client, was instantly stupefied, before he emitted a voice that was slightly, miserably hopeful.

“You don’t mean the modem was destroyed, do you...?”

“I’m terribly sorry to say this, but yes. It was destroyed. We haven’t figured out the exact cause, but your modem is now completely useless.”

After relaying to him the summary of what happened, Frankenstein rubbed his fatigue-stricken eyes, and Yuhyung inevitably became the one to talk first.

<In that case, there’s only one way... I must go fetch a spare. That modem is a must-have part for this project.>

“Is there really no other way? Do you have to return to Korea?”

<I’m afraid so.>

“...Guess it can’t be helped. Rael will gladly escort you back to Korea if you ask.”

Yuhyung was still speechless, but Frankenstein neither queried nor reprimanded him.

Because there he was, sacrificing his time and effort for a project like none other, and even before reaching the final stage of the project, a machine part that he painstakingly perfected was gone, forcing him to start from the very beginning.

And regrowing a forest is never easier than setting it on fire.

“I know this is disappointing – and I am so very sorry this is all I have to offer you – but please, don’t give up. Very soon it will all be over. Very soon.”

“...You’re right.”

“Now good luck. I hope you’d have a safe trip to Korea.”

“...Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Frankenstein saw how Yuhyung was withdrawing a communicating device before the monitor flashed off; the man was apparently well-aware of the magnitude of the situation.

*****

Around the time those in Korea learned that Yuhyung is coming back, some of them were met with a visitor, as unwelcome as the most hated boss at workplace.

“Miss Lunark! It’s been so long! Good to see you again.”

“I already knew that you talk a lot, but I’d expected you’d have gravity in your heart. I guess not.”

“Haha, sadly I can’t say that you’re wrong.”

Tao grinned as he scratched the back of his head, and Lunark saw how there was light glowing very subtly behind him.

There was nothing extraordinary about the lighting equipment, but Lunark did not stop peeking at it.

‘That’s something so much like Frankenstein. Which applies to more than the handful of stuff in here.’

Currently, she was seated in Frankenstein’s house, along with Tao and M-21.

She ran into them as the men were on their way back home, and upon hearing that she will not stay long, Tao suggested she should follow them to their home, not far away.

Lunark was initially petrified when she was invited to Frankenstein’s house, but she said yes. She could bet there is nothing funny lurking at the said house; if she were to turn down the offer, they would definitely raise their eyebrows.

She was told that Raizel will be late, enjoying the company of his human friends; however, she was left unoccupied in terms of the reason why Takio was absent.

And she was not desperate to find out why.

Tao, even though he was smiling kindly, was seemingly afraid that Lunark would want to discuss Takio’s absence. He decided to bring out the main topic of their meeting right away.

“Anyways, what brings you here? Is there anything we can help you with?”

Tao was not being rhetorical, but Lunark fell silent.

She kept deliberating on her way whether she should provide them with what she had, for the original owner of the products was residing here.

Nevertheless, she concluded that it would be safer to hand them over; they would know how to control them as well as their owner.

‘And hopefully by now they have devised a controller or some sort. They should have – I mean, Frankenstein trusts them with his back. So they surely...’

Then Lunark almost bit off the tip of her tongue.

It was partially inevitable, since she was facing his family, but she ended up thinking about a certain blonde-haired gorgeous man.

She promised Muzaka that she will watch herself regarding her feelings, but in spite of much restraint she placed upon her heart, she could feel the walls of her heart fast-crumbling to dirt.

‘Perhaps I gave words I could not keep.’

Did you even plan on keeping your words in the first place?

As much as she wanted to shake her head violently, Lunark could only clench her hand tightly in an endeavor to keep herself focused before she spoke nonchalantly.

“There’s something I have to show you.”

She pulled out a briefcase she had been hiding under her cloak.

Tao and M-21 lost their composure a bit upon checking that the briefcase was quite voluptuous, yet their face for now hinted only curiosity.

“I found this a few days ago at Crombel’s dispository – and you know what dispository is, right? Oh, wait. I didn’t tell you this, did I? One of our current tasks happens to be discovering and shutting down Union facilities, especially those possessed by Crombel. But there happened to be someone who would already get ahead of us and finish the job for us.”

“Is that true?”

“Yep. But on the day I found this, I finally came face-to-face with that rat. Her codename was Kespar, she said.”

Kespar...?

Tao’s lips moved as he soundlessly mumbled the name.

“I couldn’t capture her; she used our young warriors as hostages. But at least I didn’t let her take over the dispository, and thanks to that I could find these. Now that I think about it, fortune was surely playing in our favor that day.”

That was when curiosity upon Tao and M-21’s countenances was turned into questions.

Just what could be so great about whatever is inside the briefcase, to make her employ the term “fortune” and run all the way here with her tasks put behind?

Then they realized the briefcase was too big to simply hold documents.

Lunark opened the case and unleashed before them a full set of clothes – white shirt that would expose a good amount of cleavage, black pants, and sharply shaped trench coat of red and black.

Judging by the size, there was no doubt they were designed for a woman.

It was not something they were expecting to witness, yet they were thinking the costume was somehow familiar. So they could merely roll their eyes, before Lunark caught what was whipping up in their heads and turned the coat to show its back, causing their faces to stiffen in a second.

The back of the coat was engraved with red and black emblem that resembled a triple-headed dog.

“Is this...?”

“That’s right. This is the outfit Yuigi used to wear when she was part of Cerberus. A Cerberus outfit serves as advanced battle suit during combats – you should know that. You should have seen for yourselves.”

Does this mean we’re looking at Yuigi’s weapon as we speak?

Tao and M-21 lost their words as they met each other in the eyes.

Regardless, Lunark stuck her hand back into the briefcase.

“Here.”

“...What’s this now?”

“Check it out.”

Lunark crossed her arms as a sign that she can wait, as M-21 and Tao flipped the first page of the file she handed.

Not long after, their faces were distorted to maximum.

“...Is this true? All of this?”

“Of course it is. What do you take this for? A work of fiction that needs review before publication? I’m a busy soul, you know.”

“But... Why would you show this to us?”

“So you will hold onto it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Our land is not safe enough for this thing. We don’t really have the right person to serve as the keeper. Not to mention we suffered a raid by Union’s weapons against heads of noble clans. And I figured it’d be safe to leave this with you just in case. You can decide on the day of the revelation; I believe you can choose the perfect date.”

Tao and M-21 froze awkwardly, halted in their attempt to jump from their seats, as this was the first time they learned about the Union’s recent invasion of werewolf realm.

They understood what Lunark was implying: if Yuigi decides to become a sword against them, and if they fail to subdue her, they should make good use of the contents of this file.

That was when M-21 felt something was off, and he did not hesitate in pointing it out.

“Since you are giving both the dossier and the weapon, does this mean you decided we don’t need to take her out? If you determined Yuigi will never get to put on her suit again, you would’ve destroyed it right on spot. Isn’t that right?”

“Anything worth taking should be taken, especially at a time like this.”

Lunark shrugged, undisturbed, and rose from the sofa.

“You leaving?”

“I’d thought I told you I won’t be staying long. I mean, the master of the household isn’t here, so I should be courteous and leave before the Noblesse arrives.”

Lunark nodded after hand-ironing her cloak, and M-21 and Tao stood to be hosts just as courteous.

But devils will always hear when their names are spoken.

After a clutter of noises and voices entered four boys and girls.

“Hi, Mr. Chairman!”

“Good evening, mister!”

“Uh... Hey, guys! Speak of the hour! Whatcha doing here?”

“We wanted some snacks, so here we are! You don’t mind having us, do you?”

Tao stuttered that they are most certainly welcome, while M-21 swiftly pushed the suit and document into the briefcase.

At the same time they glanced where Lunark was positioned, but she was already hidden outside, at the terrace that had its door open, right on cue when she heard Shinwoo and his gang stepping inside.

‘So they’re the ones the Noblesse has befriended at school?’

Lunark peeped into the window, at the living room with M-21 gone with the briefcase and Tao chatting with children as he got ready to work at kitchen.

She had been curious about what Frankenstein’s family does when they are free from their Union-affiliated duties, particularly at the end of the day away from school.

‘So this is what it’s like.’

The night was getting old, but everything looked as merry as it could be, people walking back and forth between kitchen and living room, exchanging laughs and chatters.

Raizel, poised upon the sofa with his signature blank face, was donned in graceful tranquility.

Tao was beaming, and M-21, back before anyone knew and stiff as always, was nevertheless reciprocating every single word posed at him.

‘Is this what Frankenstein would have looked like? Laughing and talking to those ordinary children, enjoying days so very ordinary, so very far from battles or experiments?’

Then Lunark reminded herself that she could not remember the last time she saw Frankenstein smiling, whether for the sake of manners or for the sake of his infamous devilish sneer.

If only I could see him smiling just once...

‘..Damn it. Not again, Lunark.’

She shook her head with a bit of annoyance, before her eyes crossed upon something: a single shadow with exceptional, one-of-a-kind sublimity, absent mere seconds ago.

She lifted her head to meet Raizel’s serene, otherworldly blood-red eyes.

(next chapter)

And at last, I give you Raizel. XD Originally I planned to give more screen hours for Shinwoo and his gang and feature Ye Ran campus for one episode or two. However, I decided to take such scenes out, as this fic centers on relationship between Frankenstein and Lunark, so I won’t get into much detail on the school-affiliated parts. And I personally believe it is better to give no details at all than details too scarce. You probably would’ve guessed, but next chapter will take place with the conversation between Lunark and her future in-law(?) lol. Please stay tuned to find out more!