#it's far less strange than whatever the hell these three got going on

[iguessitsjustme]

So you're telling me

that this man was able to pull these three ladies

at the same time and marry two of them and keep the other as a mistress?

That man? I've seen dirty socks on the sidewalk with more sex appeal.

[elsecrytt]

Kinktober Day 5

Prostate Massage | Blindfold | Cages

Pairing: Satoru Gojo X Reader

Warnings: noncon/dubcon, yandere/controlling behavior, drugging, captivity, panic attack

He’s missing again.

This is more surprising than one might think – Gojo, for all his whimsical tendencies, doesn’t typically slack on exorcizing curses.

It’s why they think he’s just going off the grid for a bit to take care of some other business – goodness knows he drags in enough sorcerer children to the school.

But it’s been a while, and no one’s heard from him.

If he had meant to defect, he would surely have done it when Suguru Geto was still alive. So this must be another fit of arrogance, running off and doing whatever he pleased. It was annoying, but who could stop him? He was, after all, the strongest sorcerer in the world.

Certainly, no one was expecting to find Satoru Gojo in a cage inside your basement.

You’re not a sorcerer, after all. No one Satoru knew or had ever known would even know your name, much less where you live and that Satoru was with you.

You don’t even bother visiting him for the first few days. There’d be no point. He’d try to convince you this was a bad idea (it probably was) and to let him go (you absolutely could not, not under any circumstances). He probably wouldn’t lie – you never thought him to be the type, even if his life were truly on the line – but nothing he said would be of any use to you.

He’d already said enough when under the influence of those helpful substances you slipped him. You’d gone through a few before you found one that made him pliable enough to repeat the words you needed.

A binding vow. One that would keep him here, and keep him tame, for as long as you wanted.

Oh, you’re sure he was terribly confused for those first few days. Wondering what kind of curse or curse technique had him trapped in there. Poor baby was probably bored to death, too, if anything you knew about him was correct.

But it would take a while to get to him, to get him to the place he needed to be. And you had all the time you needed.

After all, good things come to those who wait.

You open the door, a thrill in your heart at the thought of just how excited Satoru Gojo is going to be to see you.

The worst part is, you’re right.

Satoru’s been stuck in here for three days now. He is, frankly, bored. Worse than bored. He’s sort of going insane.

It’s not like he needs to use the restroom, or even eat. Sorcerers – anyone who could use reverse curse technique, really – had ways to suspend bodily functions and stuff like that, for use on long missions, in extreme environments, or domains with weird effects.

So, no. He’s not hungry, or thirsty, he doesn’t need to use the restroom. That’ll catch up with him eventually, of course, but it’s not a problem right now.

The problem right now is that someone was powerful enough to trap him in here, had some weird power that stopped him from escaping, but they just. Left him.

All. Alone. In the dark. Even with the six eyes, it was dark in here. He can tell where the door is, but the light level is far beneath what a normal human could see. There’s almost no sound. No cursed energy at all. Nothing interesting in the room to stare at, nothing moving.

It was a weird, surreal sort of experience, for about ten minutes. Hard to tell even how much time was passing. Just the sound of his breath and the thoughts knocking around in his head. He didn’t get time like this often, didn’t just sit down and think. It cleared his head in a strange way – no more migraines, no more constant analyses from his six eyes, no more reverse curse technique constantly healing his brain.

Like taking off a weight he hadn’t noticed was there to begin with. He felt lighter, so many physical demands suddenly lifted from his body. A breath of fresh air.

Fresh air got old pretty fast, when most of his thoughts kept coalescing on Why can’t I use my curse technique and What the hell is going on? At first, there was even fear, too – he wasn’t totally crazy – but after that?

This is just boring. He’s never been so bored in his entire life. His brain feels like it’s rattling in his skull, waiting to drop out the next time he tilts his head. Satoru is about ready to start banging it against the bars just to have something to listen to.

So when you open the door, light suddenly flooding in from a crack (it’s bright enough to make him wince, with his eyes), Satoru Gojo is entirely focused on you, in an instant. Taking in every single detail about your body, your voice, your cursed energy and cadence.

It’s amazing, how much you can learn when you pay attention.

He learns that you’re not a sorcerer. That he’s not kept here by any curse technique or tool – rather, it’s by a binding vow. One that only you can release. You’d drugged him through his infinity using a knockout gas and gotten his half-conscious self to repeat specific words to make the vow.

He learns you think you’re doing this to help him, save him.

“I just don’t think you’re that strong. I mean, it was easy enough for me to get you like this, right? And I’m not a sorcerer at all.”

His eyes are fixed on you like shattered sapphires. You’re insane – you must be – but it isn’t every day some insane person manages to get one over on him.

Maybe the reason you were able to get this far with him was because you were so crazy.

“For your whole life, you’ve had to be strong.” Your eyes soften; he can discern your features on a microscopic level, the tiny flecks of warmth and concern, “But you aren’t. And you don’t have to try anymore. I’ll protect you.”

Something weird twists in his guts.

There’s lots of kinds of crazy in Jujutsu sorcerer. He’s no stranger to it. But this kind of crazy? He’s never seen it before.

Love is the most twisted curse of them all.

And that is what you tell him, that you love him. You continue by telling him all sorts of funny things – that you’re taking care of him now, getting him back on track, this is for his own good, yada yada.

It’s definitely crazy person speak, but it’s new and refreshing that it’s directed towards him. And maybe because it’s so novel and fun, he goes ahead and sits back and enjoys it.

Like, he tries to tell you he’s important. People to protect, students to teach, all that stuff. You just dismiss him, tell him he’s weak, tell him he doesn’t know what’s best for him. He wasn’t meant for sorcery – his life will be better, now.

(Somewhere in the back of his head, he realizes with a belated horror, that this is what he sounds like to other people.)

 It’s funny, though, it is. He laughs at you (you smile, though, because you’re delusional like that, even if you can tell he’s mocking you), at the thought that he could be meant for anything but sorcery.

And hey, it’s not like he’s got anywhere to be. Anywhere he can be. He’ll give it a try.

Although it’s not so much a try as endure the very carefully calculated daily plans you lay out for him. You’ve got a lot of free time – probably some work-from-home position – and a lot of money, too.

(Great taste in body wash also. Amber and honeysuckle or something. He’ll have to remember it when he gets out of here.)

The room he’s in is special in that it’s painted a gentle off-white color, and sparsely decorated. His little cage is large enough to fit him just sitting down, tall as he is, and it’s large enough for a cot in the corner. It’s kind of cozy, he’ll admit, in a camping kind of way.

When you send him to bed – yes, like an actual child – he finds out the cot is a lot softer than he’d expected, some kind of memory foam he’s never tried. The sheets are extra cooling, the pillow feels like a dream, the room is pitch black and chilly. It only takes him a few minutes of moody contemplation to start drifting off after he lays down.

Sleep training, you’d called it. Satoru’s pretty sure he’d be offended if he actually knew what it was.

“You have your healing powers, sure,” (when he’d interrupted you to tell you it was reverse curse technique you’d paused and waited out his explanation like a champ), “But there’s no substitute for a good eight hours of sleep, Satoru.”

Your voice is stern and laden with something he can’t quite get, but it doesn’t matter anyways. He’ll be out soon.

It’s interesting, lying down inside the cage. This room is so small. It’s all fitted just for him, perfectly sized to leave neither empty space nor squeeze him too tight. His world is reduced to this cage and the things you choose to put in it.

He’s quick to complain about the boredom, but you don’t mind his whining. You actually hook up several game consoles to a small TV set carefully placed at head height for him, sitting up, with controllers you hand him through the bars.

“I’ll have to limit your screen time – it’s not good for your eyes. It’s probably even worse for the six eyes. So I’ve got a collection of books here, and an e-reader, so you can get anything you want. Oh! I’ve also brought some puzzles.”

Yaaawwwn. You don’t even flinch at his exaggerated expression of boredom, promising instead to find more complex puzzles online to entertain him. Rubik’s cubes, jigsaws – these things bored him. He put everything together right away.

You find a puzzle made in braille, one that has to be put together by touch. Brain teasers that required out-of-the-box thinking… you’d even brought him a jigsaw puzzle with a mixed up image printed on it, one that couldn’t be put together by the visuals at all. He had to hand it to you, that was neat.

There’s almost an amusement in watching how diligent you are about finding things to entertain him with. The video games, the books, the puzzles, some TV, too. He’s half worried that you stole his collection of movies, but it turns out you just have some streaming services. It’s fun enough to kill time. Human Earthworm 4 really was garbage.

You laugh when he tells you so. Your defense of the dumb movie is that it was half-parody (you are correct), and he tells you with a sniff that you have no taste, and you laugh, and his stomach feels funny.

Clearly the isolation is getting to him, if you feel like decent company.

He takes meals with you, too, and you’re particular about them. No more mochi for breakfast and dinner, no more coffee at all actually – “It’ll interfere with your rest,” – instead, you make him eat ‘real food’.

Complete, home-cooked, admittedly delicious meals. They’re all way more palatable than most things he eats, all foods he likes, he ends up liking… at first he didn’t want to try, but you’d dangled so many sweet looking deserts over his head – specially made mochi, fresh souffles and macarons, carefully crafted crystal candies.

Ugh, you know way too much about him. And you look so pleased with yourself, too. He wonders if you make them yourself – so he asks, and watches your face blush lightly, watches you smile, eyes softening as you look at him in that way he doesn’t get.

Isolation. It’s getting to him. Definitely.

“And of course, I’ll be here to allow you socialization time. We could play games together, or if you want, we could read the same books? Or just talk, if you like. I’m not letting you out, but I’d be happy to hear about your life from before, your likes and dislikes. You can make requests, too!”

Normally he’d be all like “No way, creepy kidnapper,” seriously. But to be honest, he’s kind of looking forward to a chance to pick your brain.

You seem all too happy to oblige. Delighted that he’s taking an interest in you, which is kinda cute and pathetic, since it’s totally not what’s happening. He just wants to know how the hell you got to be so fucking weird.

“I think love makes us all a little crazy, don’t you? As for why I love you, Satoru… well. I couldn’t pick only one reason. Suffice to say, I’m really happy to be talking to you now. It probably sounds weird to you, but being around you just these past few days has been awesome for me. Being around you just brings me so much joy. I want to make it good for you, too!”

Yeah, to be honest, it’s really weird how accommodating you are. You let him out for bathroom breaks at regular intervals – he’s still not sure why you put him in the cage at all –

“Oh, the cage? That’s for your benefit, not mine. Obviously this room is locked. But I think you… it’s difficult to explain. But your awareness of the space around you is warped somehow. I constantly see you nap in awkward places, sit or lean in positions that would stress your body out, zone out from your surroundings. I think it’s important to reset your senses.”

It’s creepy at this point. Or it would be, if it hadn’t blown wayyy past that part.

He likes that you don’t press him much. You just confess your love and go on about your day. No expectations, no freak outs. You’re crazy but you’re obviously not so crazy you think he loves you back. You just think you’re trying to do the right thing by him, which is like, really sweet, in a super weird and demented way.

Satoru had already decided that he doesn’t want to go after you once he gets out of here. You’re not malevolent, even if some distant part of his mind knows that people are dying while he’s chilling out in here.

No, you’re just lonely, and you’ve somehow attached yourself to him with this completely delusional idea that you understand him on a deeper level, and you wanted to protect him. Wasn’t that sweet? The cutest thing?

He can’t really bring himself to be mad at you. Not when you’re probably the only person on earth who’s ever thought this about him, who tried to do something about it. And it’s a damn good try, he’ll give you that.

The cage really isn’t that small. It’s comfortable in here, actually, it’s nice. It’s simple and easy in a way that would be boring if you didn’t give him company, entertainment, meals. The bed is so easy to fall asleep in, he has more energy waking up, he’s happier,

He gets where you’re coming from. You’re still totally insane, of course, but he sees the idea behind it. It’s not the space that he’s in. It’s what’s happening in that space.

It’s his time. And you seem to have so many ways to occupy it.

He starts thinking about you more and more. It gets weirder. He runs into you fresh out of the shower, no clothes on, watches the blush on your face and feels himself –

No. No, no no. It’s not a big deal. It’s whatever. He knew you were crushing on him. You’d made absolutely no secret of your feelings, and he knows the attraction is there, he can tell.

So maybe he sneaks in a hand job or two during these lonely nights. Purely for fun. It’s your fault for not stimulating him enough!

Are you watching on camera? That’s what all the stalkers do. You’re totally a stalker, you know way too much about him. You have all his skincare, shampoo, and conditioner in the bathroom.

You’re totally watching him. He licks his lips while he jerks himself. If he listens hard enough he can hear your breath in the other room.

(Turns out you’re all the way down the hall, but he’s got the six eyes, not the six ears.)

He could put on a show for you, even. His dick gets harder at the thought. He wonders if you’ve thought about this. If you watch him in the cage touching himself. If you want to be in here with him. In the room, or in the cage.

Would you want to touch? The thought absolutely tickles him, has him twitching in his hands, licking his lips. Would you want him so badly? You’re so dedicated, so diligent about his welfare. He could just imagine your pretty lips opening right up, how hot and wet your mouth would be, how those eyes of yours would look at him, always so full of care and affection.

Your hair looks soft, silky even – what would it feel like in his hands? Are you so crazy for him you’d let him fuck your face, or would you guide him through it, like you guide him through everything?

A pulse, another pulse, throbbing in his fist. Your hands would be smaller, softer. What would they feel like on his bare skin? He’s gotten more skin-to-skin contact these paste few weeks than the past ten years. What would you feel like on him? How would you touch him, where?

How would you look at him? He thinks of your face – of your eyes when you smile at him – he feels a squeeze –

When he cums, he does it with an exaggerated moan, head tilted back, lips wide and open. Spurting all over his hand as he makes a little blissful sigh.

He looks up, where he imagines a camera might be, eyes half-lidded. Smirk fighting to tear his lips as he closes them around his fingers, licking them clean.

Maybe you weren’t watching, but that doesn’t stop him. Not from giving you looks the next day.

There’s something in his chest. Wobbling around. Something knocked loose. He finds himself waiting for you to visit, impatient between meals. Demanding. You give, and give of course, but you never give any indication that you’ve seen what he did.

Actually… that was probably his way out.

He tries to proposition you, of course. Lays it on thick. But you hesitate to accept. You blush, and he thinks cute, he thinks he’s got you, but you act like you’re too good for him or something, like you’re not sure if you really want to be with him.

Like you’re too good to be seduced by him? When you fucking kidnapped him in the first place? You don’t want to come in here in the cage you put him in?

It makes him acidic. The rattling in his chest feels like the rattling in his head, only, his tolerance has gotten so much lower.

It’s not long before he snaps at you.

“What?” He says cruelly, words escaping him without his will, “You didn’t think I liked you or anything, did you?”

There’s something mean in his voice, something awful that curdles in his chest. He brandishes it like a sword. Swinging at you, carving sorrow over your features.

“You fucking kidnapped me.” The words come as a surprise even to him, but it was true, wasn’t it? “I’m not here willingly. You’re keeping me here against me will, you’re not helping me. Did you think I’d forget?”

(He can’t even convince himself of that lie. He knows he’d forgotten.)

You look at him, something strange in your eye.

“…If you want to leave, then leave.” You say, and he feels it, like the click of a lock, the crunch of a shackle. How the Binding Vow unwinds in an instant. “I’m not going to drag you back. It’s pointless to keep you here if you hate it so much.”

He tells himself he darted straight out. He didn’t hesitate for a single moment.

But he can’t tell himself that he didn’t look back. That would be too blatant a lie.

He tries not to think about the look on your face, empty and indifferent. He tries not to think about how it felt like a knife to his chest.

And just like that, he’s back. And –

“Gojo? About time you showed up. There’s several special grades waiting for you to exorcise. Where the hell were you? Okkotsu has barely been able to help out your other students.”

His students. His precious students, the ones who needed him, the ones he was preparing to take over the Jujutsu world –

God, the world is so big, isn’t it? It feels so vast and massive now, like he’s suddenly stepped into the shadow of a terrible monolith, blocking out the sun. It doesn’t feel like the first daylight he’s seen in weeks. This light is blinding, like a shadow convalesced.

“Gojo, do you hear me? I’m sending Ichiji over with the car.”

And there’s a sinking feeling in his chest, dragging him down in a way he normally doesn’t feel. This isn’t something that bothers him. For the life of him, he can’t figure out why.

He likes fighting. He likes sorcery, and he’s good at it. Exorcizing curses, beating curse-users to shit. It’s fun. He’s so strong that it’s not a risk anymore, just something to do with his overpowered abilities, and that’s cool. He’s not afraid, not in any universe.

So why does the voice asking him when he’s going to go kill these curses fill him with a sudden, inexplicable nausea?

Why does the thought of having to do this again, all over again, always on repeat, have the pit of his stomach burning? Like there’s a pressure on his shoulders that he knows he can’t relieve.

Satoru knows he has to do this. He’s the only one who can. Other sorcerers are weak – many of them would die. For some of these special grades, it’s him or nothing, with the lives of regular civilians on the line.

Each thought sends his stomach churning. He has to. He has to. He has to do it he has to go he has to he can’t avoid it. Today and tomorrow and the next day, too, over and over and over again.

The sky – it’s so big. So massively big, so wide and yawning, he feels like he’s falling into it. His head is pounding, information flooding back through his senses. One special grade, two, three or four – he has to teleport to them, exorcise them. He has to teach his students. He has to report to the elders. He has to – he has to – there’s so much, so much to do –

The six eyes are screaming at him, the sky is screaming, light burning into his retinas it’s too bright. Too fucking bright out here.

His legs carry him to a nearby wall. He’s leaning against it, now, breaths coming heavy and labored.

And then, it comes. He’d only been half expecting it – part of him still probably thought he was invincible, untouchable.

And he’s right. Nothing is touching him. It just feels like his skin is crawling for no reason. Pins and needles, electric adrenaline racing through every last nerve fiber in his body.

He’s simultaneously too strong and feverishly weak, collapsing against the wall. Gravity feels like it’s pulling harder, off balance, only it shouldn’t be. He should be fine, he should be able to move his limbs however he wants, they shouldn’t feel gangly and overresponsive and desperately twitchy.

His heart shouldn’t be trying to beat itself out of his chest. His lungs shouldn’t feel like they’re on fire. He shouldn’t have alarm bells going off his head, his limbs burning hot with too much energy and not enough.

Between ragged breaths he catches a faint, familiar scent, warm like sunlight –

“Satoru?”

It’s – it’s – it’s you, you’re back, and something awful in his chest jumps with irrational delight, a weight shifting on his shoulders, almost lifted. He tries to control his racing pulse, stammer through your name –

A mind, indifferent gaze meets his eyes. It freezes him in place. All his anxiety swinging on a precipice.

“Is something wrong?” A voice that betrays no emotion, no affection, no hidden longing. No I missed you, or I’m happy to see you, or I hope you weren’t lonely while I was gone.

He’s going insane, he must be going insane, but with all the adrenaline shooting through him, limbs trembling, he’s barely able to keep himself upright against the wall.

“Don’t – don’t you – ” Insane, insane, he knows he’s delirious while he’s saying this, why is he saying it, but his body is acting on his behalf, mind paralyzed with fright, “Don’t you want me?”

How could he sound so – needy? So forlorn? You’d fucking kidnapped him, he should be afraid, he should be angry, if anything.

(Maybe that was his fault from the beginning. He’d never really been quick to anger. Never been one to fear others, either. Deep down, the only thing that had ever hurt him was being left behind.)

Even the six eyes cannot discern your tone, “I don’t want someone who doesn’t want me. I tried to make things work with you. You didn’t want it.”

He didn’t, of course he didn’t, you were keeping him fucking captive. He knows this, the information is there in his mind, but his body won’t stop shaking. The sky is too big, the street is too broad, too many bodies, too much cursed energy, every object in every direction overwhelming his senses.

It feels like a migraine. It feels like his legs are about to give out under him, no solid earth to be found. Too big it’s too big he wants to go –

“Unless… you want to come back?”

Satoru knows he doesn’t. He knows the answer is no. He knows that you fucked him up, that this is a consequence of your captivity directly, that he should be able to overcome this if he just bears with it –

I don’t want someone who doesn’t want me. I tried.

“Please,” His voice says without his permission, “I want…” To go home. Take me back. Don’t leave me.

Relief floods the entirety of his quaking form as soon as you smile.

“Of course, Satoru,” Your eyes soften, and against all rationality, he feels like he’s made the right choice, “Take my hand. Let’s go home.”

He’s messed up, this is messed up. He’s better than this! He isn’t stupid, he knows what you’re doing! He has the six eyes, for fuck’s sake, he’s the strongest sorcerer in the world!

You’re not strong, Satoru. You only think you are, and I understand why. The whole world has been telling you this forever. But you aren’t, and that’s okay. I’ll protect you.

He doesn’t have to be the strongest sorcerer. Not if he doesn’t want to. He can go back where it’s dark and comfortable and warm, and he can be Satoru Gojo, your cherished pet.

He looks at you, six eyes blinding him, headache burning though his skull. He thinks of how close and soft and safe that place was. How you stayed with him for hours and hours on end. He never had to be alone.

Nothing has ever felt as right as your hand clasped with his own.

[utilitycaster]

Hi! Because I genuinely do love your take on things and every time I read through them, a new perspective that I had never even considered before makes itself known to me. So, I wanted to ask! Since Twitter (unsurprisingly) already got its hands on this discussion:

What are your feelings on the Mighty Nein being the ones to handle the Weave Mind over Bells Hells? Because for me, I always sort of knew that BH were going to be the ones to defeat Ludinus no matter what. It’s what they’ve been building up for.

However, some people say the M9 aren’t deserving of handling the Weave Mind because that was an antagonist made specifically for the Bells Hells. So, I was interested in seeing your thoughts about this (strange) discussion.

Hi anon, thanks!

I think it's great to have the Nein go after the Weave Mind, and I think, like most takes from the Twitter CR fandom, this is fucking stupid.

Given that Matt is the DM, and he's like "hey, I'm going to have a Trusted NPC call in the Mighty Nein to deal with the Weave Mind" I think the argument that the Weave Mind was made specifically for Bells Hells is not, in fact, true. The Weave Mind is an antagonist who was introduced with Bells Hells' campaign, rather like how Ludinus Da'leth is an antagonist who was introduced with the Mighty Nein's campaign and who has been the nemesis of Beau and Caleb in particular, and yet Bells Hells will be going after him in this scenario (and, to be clear, I think this is fine; I've expected Bells Hells to face off against Ludinus in the end).

I would be interested in understanding if the motivation here is "I wish the Nein were going after Ludinus and Bells Hells were going after the Weave Mind" which I think is far less interesting given that Ludinus has been such a consistent enemy of Bells Hells as well but at least I can puzzle out a not terribly intelligent but consistent sort of logic in it; or if this is a "I wish the past two parties weren't involved in this campaign at all" argument in which case, far too late for that; or if this is someone who specifically doesn't like the Mighty Nein throwing yet another tiresome and embarrassing temper tantrum on Twitter. But my opinion doesn't change; I think it's far more satisfying to see Bells Hells take on Ludinus than the Weave Mind, whom half of them haven't even met.

More generally, the idea of "doesn't deserve to fight the Weave Mind" is stupid on another level. I understand why people talk about which actual play character they wish to get the final blow on a particular enemy, even though dice will ultimately decide this. When it lines up - Vax with Thordak, Yasha with Obann - it's immensely satisfying. But you do not need to be the most wronged person to make meaning of a How Do You Want To Do This (FCG and Otohan being an obvious case here). Technically, the Volition deserves to fight the Weave Mind more! Half of Bells Hells hasn't even encountered the Weave Mind in any capacity! Braius and Dorian haven't been to the moon! Sometimes, you're fighting because it's part of, for example, a three-pronged plan that needs three separate simultaneous strike forces. Bells Hells can't do all three at once despite having claims to each of the targets unless they split up. Would you rather the parties split up in a mix of each? Because I'm not opposed per se but that could get pretty confusing all around. And if we're going to step out of the Watsonian argument that in-world, they can't do all three at once, see my next paragraph to address the Doylist "but Matt didn't need to set it up this way" one.

I am on the record as loathing the whole "it's their table and you can't criticize it because it's their game" bullshit. You can do so. You can do so even if there are very good reasons for their choices. You're always entitled to your own opinion and as long as you're not harassing people, it is morally neutral to say "this piece of fiction/art/whatever didn't do it for me," end of sentence. With that said. It's fine if people wish Campaign 3, like Campaigns 1 and 2, were more exclusively focused on one party's adventures rather than the all-hands-on-deck story that it is. But it is that story, and pretending this wasn't the result of a number of intentional choices by Matt and the cast and various collaborators is profoundly stupid at this point. I had my complaints as well, early on, but the time to get over this was episode 1, when Orym and Fearne and Dorian and Bertrand showed up with their ties to EXU and C1. Or it was episode 6, when Laudna revealed her connection to Delilah. Or episode 35, when that connection to Keyleth was leveraged. Or episode 50, when Beau and Caleb appeared; or Episode 51, when multiple past PCs were present at the solstice; or Episode 66, when we further met with Keyleth; or Episode 86, when Sending came back on and both Caleb and Jester spoke to the party; or Episode 92, when we cut back to the Crown Keepers; or Episode 94, when Essek showed up; or Episode 99, when Downfall began. If you're still holding on hope now in the endgame, I think it's too late. That's not the campaign this is, and it never was, and you can wish that you had something more self-contained like Campaign 1 or 2 but with Bells Hells, but that's all it is - a wish, unfulfilled.

[frozenjokes]

worst scarian ever. the redscape is cute though

Mumbo was acting.. strangely.

Now, Grian’s sense of perception was definitely warped, he was quite aware of that; he knew he had something to prove. After the mortifying ordeal of Mumbo finding out about the first murder attempt- which- how in the HELL did he not know?? Is violent stabbing and screaming a friendly mermaid gesture?? Whatever, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter.

Actually, yes it did matter, because mortifying was not nearly a strong enough word to even scratch the surface of how agonizing the following conversation was. Grian would truly rather peel off all his skin and dive into a pool of salt than give Mumbo the play by play (through Etho) of how exactly that had gone down, as if Mumbo wasn’t THERE, as if Mumbo hadn’t BIT HIM- If Mumbo didn’t think Grian was trying to kill him, then WHY-

It. Didn’t. Matter. But yes, Grian did feel as if he had a little something to make up for, so he’d spent an awful lot of time at the cove for the past couple days, today being number three. Scar had something come up at work, so it was really the perfect opportunity for Grian to be here alone with Mumbo. Well. And Etho, who had decided to hang around apparently, but really Etho had so little of a presence that Grian tended to forget he was there unless Mumbo asked for translation help, but those moments were few and far between given that Grian and Mumbo weren’t really talking.. Hell, Etho talked to Mumbo more than Grian did, but in fairness there was no language barrier and they kind of seemed to be getting along and Etho never tried to kill Mumbo so that probably helped make things less awkward.

Grian was fishing. He always fished, it wasn’t weird for him and Mumbo to not interact for hours at a time. It was normal. Normal. Felt bad though. Didn’t feel good at all! Especially when Mumbo was making some sort of shrine for Scar.

At first, Grian had thought it was some sort of act of spite. He’d come around the day after the disaster to see a small but certainly noticeable pile of colorful and/or oddly shaped pebbles on the beach; anyone would have been curious! But when Grian had gone to check it out, Mumbo had burst onto the shore (which was TERRIFYING by the way, Mumbo was massive and fucking fast, like getting rushed by an alligator), not hissing, but looking defensive regardless, fins and hair on end, you know. Enough to get Grian to shuffle back, that was for sure.

“Gift. Scar.” That’s what he’d said. Mumbo had said it quite a few times actually, as if Grian wouldn’t have understood, and you know, all of the everything combined, Grian was feeling a little bit insecure. He backed off, of course, Mumbo obviously didn’t want him to mess with it. He gave Mumbo some space, considered leaving altogether, though, since he was already kicking himself for not bringing some sort of peace offering, he decided to stay and fish and hopefully catch something good to (waste) give away instead of sell. And that was a good decision! Since fishing here pretty much sucked, Grian got to sit with his casted lines for a good while, relax a bit, come to realize Mumbo hadn’t deviated from his normal behavior (staring, menacingly), and take a deep breath, knowing this was probably fine.

Mumbo was more active without a broken tail, but he seemed to be enjoying Grian’s company, at least as much as usual. At Grian’s first catch, he had a question, pulling Etho out of a bush to have it answered and subsequently scaring the shit out of Grian- he hadn’t even realized Etho was there- it’s not like he said hello! But Mumbo had wanted to know what Grian did with the fish if he wasn’t going to eat them, which was a fair question, and Grian couldn’t help his amusement wondering how long Mumbo had been curious; curious enough to drag a very whiny Etho from his hidey hole, clearly.

Grian had told him, but Etho abandoned ship once Mumbo started asking questions about money and unemployment and capitalism, and they had swam off together, Grian left unable to give his gift.

Though, in between bothering Etho and staring unblinkingly at Grian, Mumbo was also going back and forth from the shore, depositing new rocks in his pile. He seemed to spend hours just sifting through pebbles near the water line, which he didn’t need to break eye contact with Grian to do by the way (scary), finding something satisfactory, then dropping it with the others. Grian had thought it might be a passive aggressive act- after all, Mumbo didn’t stop staring at him most of the time he was looking through rocks, but this idea was cemented for him when he stopped fishing to ask Etho, and without missing a beat,

“Yeah, he probably hates you.”

Grian had not felt very good about himself on the drive home that day.

But that didn’t exactly feel right. It felt right when Grian was hating himself on the drive home, and it felt right when Grian spent the next few hours self righteously angry despite it all. How was he supposed to know mermaids were sentient! Technically he was just doing his job! Fishing! And the medical bills from that bite injury had torn through his savings- insurance was a bitch right now- he really needed to find a job, and it’d have to be minimum wage if he couldn’t get his act together yesterday, but-

And it had felt right when Grian was laying in bed, wide awake in a spiral of doom, wondering where the fuck his life had taken him, what he was even doing, the time he was wasting, the people he was hurting. The type of soul sucking avalanche of self-loathing and despair, the kind that knocks you face flat, that waits until you’re on your hands and knees to slam back down, shattering against your head, your back, your knees, everything you need to have a hope of standing. The hopeless helplessness that makes you angry, that gets you into trouble, that has you saying things you don’t mean, throwing fists you can’t force yourself to want to stop.

(The kind of feeling that beats you down, spurs you on to make mistakes, gets you arrested, and if things couldn’t possibly get more miserable, your good friend has to pick you up, pay your bail, and bring you home. Stay the night when he doesn’t trust you to be alone, but you can’t tell him how it all went wrong, because you’re still upset about a boy, and that’s pathetic, isn’t it? It’s all you think about when you’re drunk, you worthless load of horseshit. You just have to talk to him, but you can’t, you can’t do it, because whatever you have now, it’s less terrifying than what could be, even if every snide word stings like hooks under your skin. “You have a lot going on,” Jimmy says, and maybe it’s true, but you’re still upset about a boy.)

But the next day, when Grian was feeling normal, Pissy Petty Mumbo definitely didn’t seem correct. For one, Mumbo was so confident? He wasn’t acting angry at all, and with everything that had happened between them, it was becoming increasingly clear that misunderstandings were going to happen and holding grudges was more than useless. Mumbo seemed content, if not a little awkward, but despite his protectiveness of the pebble pile, Grian just didn’t get the sense there was anything spiteful about it.

Etho, on the other hand, was a lot more.. edgy. Grian wasn’t really sure he’d ever seen Etho be relaxed, but this was different, his fins flattening at the mere mention of of the rocks, glancing left, generally acting quite twitchy- Grian wasn’t sure what was up with him, but he was pretty sure Etho wouldn’t be so affected if Mumbo was just being petty to a guy he didn’t even particularly like (which Grian also felt normal about).

On day two, there were fish on the pile. Mumbo had seemed really disappointed when Scar hadn’t shown up by Grian’s side (Grian had a lot to feel normal about lately), and even tried asked where he was, which, took a bit of back and forth for Grian to understand, but he hoped ‘Money,’ a new word Mumbo had learned yesterday, would be answer enough.

It proved not to be when Mumbo went to Etho, asking him why Grian sold Scar and what that meant, and Etho cackled loud enough to startle the birds above from their perches. After Grian pestered Etho for a translation, Mumbo swam off to who knows where, and Etho escaped from Grian in a similar fashion, though instead of going deep, he simply waited until Grian started fishing, emerging afterwards to steal fish off Mumbo’s pile.

“I don’t think those are for you,” Grian called, but Etho didn’t look back, only giving Grian a short flick of his tail.

“They’ll go to waste if they just sit in the sun all day. Mumbo won’t notice.” Given that Etho took and subsequently tore into every fish on the mound, Grian doubted that.

“The pile looks like it’s doubled overnight. Did Mumbo even sleep? What’s with this, anyway?”

Etho’s fins lowered, twitching as he cast Grian a cautious glance, “A petty gesture, probably.”

“He’s real committed, isn’t he? This feels like overkill.”

“This is perfectly normal behavior.”

“Didn’t you say if mermaids don’t care for each other they just don’t interact anymore? Mumbo isn’t avoiding me. Why would he make some sort of grand gesture just to get back at me?”

“Maybe you and Scar have infected him with whatever virus makes you all nasty and hormonal, don’t think too hard about it.”

“Hormonal?”

Etho was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. “Doesn’t work like that.”

“Does it not? Why do mermaids do that then,” Grian gestured vaguely to the pile, as well as the fish Etho was devouring off of it, “Never seen that before. Feels excessive, doesn’t it? Mumbo already gave us his gift, didn’t he? What’s the deal? Do you know? Does it have something to do with what you said when-“

“I was very clear and it has nothing to do with that.” Etho spoke so fast that Grian could hardly process one word after the other, but he didn’t get the chance when Mumbo suddenly breached the surface, furiously whistling something sharper than Grian had ever heard it. Etho shot up, then immediately retreated (unsuccessfully).

Grian watched the two of them flail around in the water for a while, just to make sure there was no blood, then returned to his fishing, mildly amused.. and then a little disturbed. What exactly had Etho said to Mumbo while trying to communicate Scar’s message? It wasn’t meant to mean anything, that was just Scar being Scar, verbal affirmations and all that. Even if Etho had successfully delivered the message, did Mumbo understand? Though, given how weird Etho was acting, he probably didn’t say exactly what he had intended. Why didn’t he just clear the air? Was he embarrassed or something? That didn’t feel like a good enough excuse.

Someone should do something about this. Before it went too far, of course. Poor Mumbo was being completely misled! (Don’tthinkoftheimplicationsDon’tthinkoftheimplicationsDon’tthinkoftheimplications)

Though, given that Mumbo was protective of his gift pile and Etho had already ticked him off today, Grian wasn’t trying to get chased around as well. He would simply wait until tomorrow to tell Mumbo that Scar didn’t love him.

And so here he was, tomorrow! Standing right next to Mumbo’s pile (which had grown threefold since yesterday) with the mermaid’s rapt attention, though, maybe those flicking fins were more a sign of irritation.

“Grian, no.” Hm. Definitely irritation. But Mumbo clearly didn’t feel the need to come out of the water, so Grian felt secure for now.

“Mumbo, Scar doesn’t love you.”

Mumbo stared, blankly.

“Scar doesn’t love you.”

“Gift, Scar.”

“No, he doesn’t love you. Stop trying to court him.”

“Stop,” Mumbo repeated the word, mulling it over like it was something he recognized, “Stop Grian.”

“I’m not after your rock pile, Mumbo! Scar doesn’t love you! You can not mermaid date him because he’s not mermaid interested! He’s actually just flat out not interested, but we don’t have to get into that. Well. Actually, that might not even be true, but I’m not getting into it right now because I know Etho is hiding around here somewhere.” Grian paused. “Etho! Get out here and tell Mumbo that Scar doesn’t love him!”

No response. Not that Grian expected one. God, why was Etho so weird and stubborn!

“Grian,” Mumbo got his attention, but whistled something when Grian turned his head before continuing in English, “Annoying.”

Grian gaped. Surely Mumbo didn’t know what that meant. Well. Maybe. His extremely pleased looking body language said otherwise. “Who taught you that!?” Well Grian knew, didn’t he. “ETHO! If you don’t tell Mumbo right now that Scar doesn’t love him I swear-“

“I tried,” Etho said meekly and Grian hardly heard him, though given the other was so quiet, Grian still wasn’t sure where he was hiding, “No use, I’ll only make it worse.”

“What did you tell him!?”

“I told him Scar likes cool rocks..”

“Why did you tell him that!?”

“He asked!”

Mumbo couldn’t have looked more delighted if he tried, twirling in little circles where he stood in the water, probably assuming Grian and Etho were arguing about the newly learned word, though, Grian would be hard pressed to be mad when Mumbo was making trills like that. God, despite how terrifying Mumbo was 90% of the time, that particular noise was so damn cute, like it wasn’t coming from a ten foot long sea monster.

Grian huffed, definitive, “I’m calling Scar. Actually, no I’m not. You’re calling Scar. Etho, call Scar.”

Grian heard rustling in the brush, though still no sign of Etho. “I am not doing that. No way.”

“Yes you are!”

“I’m not.”

“You- where are you?”

“Do you want to get bit, Grian?”

“Do you want to pay my hospital bills?”

“I feel no remorse, and you can’t prove it was me.”

Grian groaned, making sure he was extra loud and extra obnoxious so Etho would know he was not happy, however, this didn’t seem to convince Etho to pick up his phone. “Fine then! I’ll do it,” he huffed shortly. Etho did not grace him with a response. This sucked. Etho sucked. Why did the only mermaid-human half hybrid on the planet have to be such- so- difficult! Grian didn’t want to call Scar! But he would. Someone had to clear this up! Eugh, service out here was so spotty.

Grian fiddled with his phone until he landed on Scar’s number, having to call a couple times to even get ahold of Scar; turns out when someone says they’re busy with a work issue, they’re actually busy-

“Hello there, G! What’s up?” Scar sounded a bit out of breath, but there was no urging to his tone, no rushing Grian into saying what he needed to say so Scar could get back to work. He was always like that, Scar was. Always making time for anyone that approached him, friend or otherwise. There were no hints of bitterness to his voice today either; maybe Scar was too winded to remember his dead set promise to be unbearable. Well, Grian knew he was busy, so he wasn’t going to waste time with formalities.

“Scar, Mumbo thinks you’re in love with him and’s trying to court you with a massive pile of colorful rocks and various other gifts. Etho must have mistranslated something the other day, or Mumbo got confused, I don’t know, but Etho refuses to clear this up! If you have a spare hour after work- I don’t know, you’re just better at talking to Mumbo than I am. You might be able to fix this.”

“Oh! How- Where did he get that from?” Scar laughed, not sounding nearly as distressed as Grian felt, “Wow! That’s crazy! That’s really cool! You think he’s interested?”

“I- Scar- I mean, yes, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to mess around with his feelings if you’re not.”

“I might be! You said he’s getting me a bunch of cool rocks? I love cool rocks! I bet there’s all sorts of crazy ones down deeper in the lake that we can’t reach, don’t you think so? Do you have a picture? Oh, actually, don’t send me a picture, I want to be surprised! I don’t know when I’ll make it over, but it might be late, so don’t wait for me!”

Grian gaped at his phone, unable to speak as Scar rambled on, only interrupting when he regained his tongue, “Wh- What do you mean you might be interested?”

“Uh, Grian,” Scar laughed like it was obvious, in that tone that Grian couldn’t stand, “That’s like, the coolest thing in the world. You’re telling me you wouldn’t be interested? One, Mumbo is awesome! I love Mumbo! Two, you wouldn’t want to kiss a mermaid? Seriously? I don’t think so!”

“Scar!” Scar seemed to think Grian’s grand exclamation was quite funny, and Grian’s head could only spin while Scar laughed. “Scar! We- Mumbo- How do we even know he has lips! Do they- I doubt they even do kissing, and with the mustache- his hair is sharp! There’s no way that would be at all pleasant!”

“Grian, Grian, you’re thinking too literally.”

“You said you wanted to kiss Mumbo!”

“I did not say that. However, I would if I was at least 80% sure he wouldn’t eat my face. With teeth, I mean. Fierce, isn’t he? Are you really telling me you’ve never fantasized about kissing a mermaid, come on, G. You’re a whole fisherman! Hmm.. I wonder how this would work? A relationship, I mean. I guess I could ask Etho. What do you think a mermaid date is like?”

“What- What does being a fisherman have anything to do with-“

“Oh,” Scar interrupted him, almost dreamy sounding, “The pulling on your line to mess with you, stealing your catch, getting you all worked up until you make the mistake of marching right into the water to give him a piece of your mind! He catches you off guard then, rears up, traps you right where you stand, talking to you all smug, he might even threaten to eat you, but you’re witty, you can talk yourself out of this, and also you’re both pretty into this-“

“Okay, enough of that, enough-“

“His hands are in your hair, yanking your head back and exposing your neck, and you’re scared, but at the same time, he’s looking at you and you’re looking back and suddenly being so helpless in his arms is feeling a lot more heated-“

“SCAR!”

Scar laughed, full and infuriatingly delightful, only stopping once he caught his breath, sighing deeply, “I love when you get like this, silly thing. Alright, I do have to skedaddle now, I’ll see you later?”

Grian’s mouth dried, physically unable to respond.

“Grian,” Scar hummed, voice dropping to something more serious, while simultaneously carrying no weight at all, “I’ll see you later?”

“I- Sure. Maybe,” was all he could manage. ‘Probably not’ was left unsaid.

“Great! Bye bye then!” Scar’s cheerful lilt returned, wasting no time before he hung up, leaving Grian in a silence that couldn’t be anything else but completely baffled. Fucking. Uagh. Scar. Unbelievable. Unbelievable! Grian was not seeing him later, at the beach or anywhere else. Insufferable!

***

Mumbo wasn’t sure what the humans were doing on the shore, but he didn’t like it. It was late, much later than they usually lingered, but Mumbo had been so excited that Scar had stopped by, wondering if Grian had asked him to carve out a little time for Mumbo in the later day. Etho had said something cryptic that made this seem like the case, but then again, with Etho you could never be sure.

It was great at the start! Scar had been delighted to see him and impossibly overjoyed by all the nice rocks Mumbo had gathered. Mumbo wasn’t exactly sure what qualified as a ‘cool rock’ to a human, so he’d brought together all sorts of shapes and colors and sizes, and studied Scar intensely as the human sifted through the collection, noticing how he favored the smaller ones, as well as the kinds that shimmered or were a particularly vibrant color. But all in all, Mumbo was extremely pleased when Scar was preoccupied until dusk, though he seemed mostly uninterested in the fish Mumbo had caught for him, which was a shame. Etho had said as much after stealing time and time again, but someone had to feed the human! The two of them hardly ate anything at all, especially Grian, he was so small.. Speaking of Etho actually, Mumbo had offered to hunt for them as well, but every time they outright refused, preferring to take from Scar’s offering instead, the bastard.

Mumbo had actually asked Etho for advice, needling for information on what human relationships were like, but they were supremely unhelpful, saying all sorts of contradictory things in regards to how Scar felt about Mumbo. And maybe that wasn’t their fault; the more Mumbo spoke with Etho, the more the two of them came across concepts Etho struggled to translate, but sometimes it was difficult to parse between Etho just being cryptic on purpose or a message being distorted by translation issues. Etho sure didn't clarify!

When the sun was setting and the two humans started to act oddly on the shore, Etho had abandoned ship altogether, retreating for the first time from his spot on land into deeper water. Mumbo had tried to ask them what the humans were doing; were they fighting-? This looked different than a normal human fight.. Etho had only mentioned something about a fight for dominance and the two humans being abnormal and privacy, those two have no concept of privacy, so really, Mumbo was left with more questions than answers. But Etho clearly hadn’t thought the humans needed to be stopped, Etho just didn’t want to be present, though Mumbo didn’t consider them to be the responsible type.. He figured he should at least supervise.

The humans kind of looked like they were tearing at each other’s faces..? That couldn’t be right, there was no blood, but they were quite focused on the task at hand, which in Mumbo’s opinion, looked anything but friendly. He supposed if this was some sort of contest between the two of them, it wasn’t meant to be friendly at all, but the idea conflicted with the way they were touching each other, light and gentle and- oh, no, nevermind, they were not being gentle anymore. If humans only had better defenses, Grian certainly wouldn’t be able to pull on Scar’s hair like that! Truly, humans were evolutionarily challenged.

“Mumbo’s watching,” Mumbo perked up when Grian said his name, though neither of them were paying him any mind regardless.

“Does that bother you?” Scar asked, and he looked pleased? Maybe? Was he winning? Grian certainly didn’t look happy.

“Yes. And I’m cold, so let’s take this elsewhere. Your car.”

“Why not your car?” Scar said, seemingly just to be contrary, and Grian snorted.

“If we’re doing anything, it will be in your car. That’s that.”

“God, you’re bossy.”

“And you’re needy.”

“Maybe..” Scar trailed off, pressing his forehead to Grian’s in a tender looking gesture before standing up and sending the other human toppling into the sand, “I’ll be waiting, then! Have fun hauling all your shit to your car. Fishing good today?”

“No.” Grian huffed, brushing away sand.

“It never is,” Scar mused, looking content as he made toward his comparatively much smaller bag. Mumbo was pleased to see them stop fighting, and even more pleased that Scar accepted so many of the rocks Mumbo found, taking them with him as he walked into the brush. But Scar did turn around before he left, smiling at Mumbo before giving a simple wave of his hand. Mumbo returned the gesture, though it felt odd on his limbs. But regardless of any awkwardness, he saw joy in Scar’s expression, which lit something similar in Mumbo’s own heart. How easy it was to please Scar, wasn’t it. How good it felt regardless. Maybe Mumbo could say concretely that he liked Scar; perhaps relationships were meant to be shared with those who made your fins flutter. Hopefully Grian didn’t kill Scar in a show of dominance or whatever before Mumbo could explore this further.

[edupunkn00b]

The Gremlin and His Pocket Protector

Photo by Sean Bernstein via Unsplash

[ AO3 ] - Rated: G - WC: - CW: mild language - written for @ashtonisvibing in the Seasons Skirmish

Remus asks his brother's best friend to be his date at his roller rink birthday party.

“Hey, Pocket Protector! Wait up!” Remus called from the top step. Logan looked up just in time to catch him sliding down the banister separating them. He landed with a thud inches from Logan's feet, chains adorning his jacket clanking against the battered collection of buttons and patches that covered most of the worn leather.

“You are aware I do not even wear a pocket protector, correct?” Logan bit back a more acerbic reply as he glared at his best friend’s strange brother.

“Yeah,” he said, smirking back as though nothing could matter less than reality. “Your point?” Remus leaned in, one hand pressed against the wall just over his shoulder. The stream of students leaving that floor’s lecture halls flowed around them, parted like the sea by Remus’ shock of bright green hair topping his 6’4” frame.

“What do you want, Remus?” he inched toward his left, eyes searching for a break in the traffic for his chance to escape this conversation. He’d long ago gone through all the stages of Remus Avoidance: ignoring, shouting, even tattling when they’d all been back in grade school together. 

Unfortunately, the endless tenacity that had somehow gotten Remus into the same university as his inarguably superior twin was just as easily directed to his apparent favorite pastime: annoying the hell out of Logan.

“I want you to come as my date to my birthday party, of course!” Remus said, shoving a crumpled version of the invitation he’d helped Roman design into his hand.

Logan blinked up his’ manic smile before staring down at the gold foil invitation. “Your…”

“My date, yeah,” Remus nodded, squeezing in a little closer as a gaggle of freshmen moved behind him, nattering away about an upcoming final. “You’re going, aren’t you?”

“Yes, of course I’m going!” A flash of irritation, too strong to hide, sharpened his tone. Remus didn’t seem to notice. Or care. “I am co-hosting the event.” The green-haired gremlin just nodded, smiling with too much teeth. “For your brother.”

“Oh, I know that,” he cackled, half-heartedly punching his shoulder. “But he’s got his own date already. I want you to be my date.”

“I am not attracted to your—” The lie died on his lips. Well, it wasn’t a complete lie. He wasn’t attracted to Roman.

Thankfully, Remus was too distracted, staring up at a commotion on the landing above them. He briefly imagined he’d heard Roman’s voice, but his wish for an easy escape from this conversation he was in no way ready—would never be ready—to have was just that. A wish.

“So is that a ‘yes?’” Remus asked, smiling back at him.

“No, that is a ‘no.’” Logan said firmly, holding his books close to his chest as he worked his way into the crown leaving the building.

“But I’ll see you there!” Remus called after him, giddy with whatever scheme he’d devised to harass Logan further.

Logan didn’t bother to answer and instead moved with the crowd out to the Quad and off to his next class. He barely noticed the invitation still gripped tightly in his hand.

~

Remus grinned as he watched Logan maneuver his way through the throngs of slow-moving students. “It’s never going to work,” Roman said from the landing above, leaning over the railing to be heard over the midday tumult.

“Of course it is,” Remus countered, hoisting himself up and over the railing before taking the stairs up, three steps at a time. He shrugged, still smiling, at his brother. “He’s gonna be there, isn’t he?”

“He’s throwing the party!” Roman cried, eyes wide. “And since when do you actually like my friends?”

“Ew, I don’t,” he laughed, heading down the stairs and toward the door where Logan had just escaped. Roman followed, too much of a nosy bitch to let him get far. When the door swung open to release a squad of jostling frat boys, Remus caught just a glimpse of Logan’s raven hair out on the quad, shining in the sun. “Just that one.”

~

Heavy bass pounded inside the roller rink, muffled but not silenced by the door Logan let close behind him. He leaned against it, the June night air cooler than he’d feared. Or maybe it was just cooler outside compared to the muggy heat of fifty of Roman and Remus’ closest friends bouncing off of one another inside the crowded venue.

At least Logan had been able to convince Roman to limit the guest list with a Pairs Event theme. Even if it meant he would sit out most of the skating. But that was satisfactory. Logan had had his fill at actual skate competitions back in high school.

All things considered, the party wasn’t bad and there were parts Logan genuinely found enjoyable. It seemed Remus’ big plan had been to stand him up—Roman’s chaotic twin hadn’t bothered to show up for his own birthday party. Logan sighed and leaned a little heavier against the door. All the more reason to ignore the little spark that danced through his mind whenever he spotted that tuft of neon green.

A giggling couple approached, side-walking up the steps toward the entrance. Their mocked-up ‘competitor’ bibs half-hanging from their backs, the taller of the pair carried a large bottle partially hidden in a brown paper bag. They paused as they drew nearer, the large ‘Emergency Exit Only’ sign above Logan’s head making for a nice deterrent. He’d chosen his spot carefully, deactivating the alarm for a guaranteed space for air when he needed breaks from the party.

“Couples figure skating begins in fifteen minutes, if you’re ‘competing,’” Logan told them, tapping his watch. Roman’s muted voice buzzed through the gap under the door, his words unintelligible but his excitement palpable. More than likely, he was making the same announcement inside. “Roman’s crafted a secret prize for the winner.”

“Oh, thanks, Lo!” they cheered as they clomped past, taking the long way back to the main entrance. They stumbled slightly, leaning on each other until they turned just out of Logan’s sight.

“Thanks, Lo Lo,” Remus purred, too close to his other side.

Logan jolted, pivoting away too fast for Remus’ outstretched hand. His toe stop squeaked against the floorboards and he glared up at the wayward brother. He'd shed his usual motorcycle jacket and tight ripped jeans and was dressed instead in a long-sleeved green shirt under a deep blue denim vest and matching pants. A bit of sparkle flashed in the denim. It reminded Logan of his old skating competition clothes. What the hell is he playing at? “Where have you been? The party— your— party started over an hour ago!”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” he cooed but didn’t move closer. One hand was tucked behind his back, the other hand the railing next to them in a death grip. “Did you miss me?” he asked with a grin, eyebrows dancing in a spot-on imitation of Andrew Scott’s Moriarty.

“Of course not.” Of course he didn’t miss his vaguely derogative nicknames or how he stood too close or stared into his eyes when he spoke. “Roman was looking for you.”

“Eh,” Remus shrugged, his smile falling into a smirk. “So why are you out here? Looking for me, too?”

“No.” Logan looked out over the side parking lot. This vantage point specifically wouldn’t allow him to watch for the approach of Remus’ car or the entrance to see him slither in late to his own birthday party. He couldn’t look for Remus here. “But you are correct,” he muttered. “I should return.”

He turned and side-stepped upstairs. He was half-way up the flight when he noticed the lack of Remus’ skates tromping behind him. Logan looked over his shoulder and Remus had barely moved. “Are you not going inside?”

“Afraid you’ll miss the chance to skate with me?” Remus smirked back. Logan crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. He was certainly not going to entertain the idea just to have Remus play some trick in front of everyone.  “Don’t get your pencils twisted. I’m coming.” He inched forward, one hand still gripping the railing. “Well, not yet, anyway. That would be rude without my date.”

“I’m not your date,” Logan reminded him, frowning at his remark. He waited another long moment and listened as the music shifted and Roman’s voice again filtered through the cracks between the exit doors. “If you wish to see at least some of your birthday party, we should return.”

“Oooh, ‘we…’” Remus laughed, sharp and bright. His smile had gone a little brittle and though he’d slid a little closer, he’d still not joined Logan on the stairs. He would have to let go of the side railing to get any closer, and he seemed… intent on keeping hold of it. Almost as though…

“Remus?” Logan asked, stepping closer. “Remus do you not know how to roller skate?”

“I can skate,” he insisted, hand still wrapped around the rail. “I’m just… just a little rusty.” Remus’ smile finally cracked and he looked up. Logan remained silent. “Fine!” he said, letting go of the railing. Remus slid closer to the first step, perhaps a little wobbly. He reached for the bannister and stepped up to the first stair. “I’ll show you. I’ll just—”

His words cut out when his front wheels spun out, toe stop catching on the edge of the step. His back leg shot out and he slammed to his knees, arms spread and revealing the small wrapped package he’d been hiding behind his back. The box skidded across the floor, a corner of the silver-starred paper tearing.

“Remus?” Logan hop-skipped down the stairs two at a time. He landed near him just as Remus was pushing himself up to sit, back propped against the railing to which he’d been clinging to. “Remus, are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Pocket Protector,” Remus muttered, looking away and brushing the dust off his knees. “Just go in. I’ll…”

Logan had sat beside him and stretched to reach for the small box. “You dropped your present for Roman.”

“Not for Roman,” Remus said, barely audible. “”S for you. If you don’t want it…” He shrugged, the bravado, the teasing, the confidence in his voice evaporated into the night.

“For me?” Logan turned the small package around in his hands. Remus had wrapped it in deep indigo paper and had apparently stamped a star pattern over the finished gift.

Remus shrugged. “You didn’t hafta get me anything this year.”

“Your gift is inside at the party,” Logan said, setting aside the gift and his curiosity. “I wouldn’t bring Roman a gift without one for you, as well.”

“Why?”

Logan didn’t have an answer for that so instead he shifted to face him. “Why did Roman ask for a birthday party at a roller rink if you can’t roller skate?”

“Brotherly love?” Remus’ laugh was hollow. Roman’s voice boomed through the building again, even louder this time. “Dick move, yeah.” He waved Logan on. “You should go in. He is your best friend.”

Logan pushed himself up to one knee and waited for another laugh, another smirk, another ‘Nerd!’ 

Remus was quiet and still wouldn‘t look at him. Logan pushed to his feet and turned his foot, bracing himself. He reached for Remus’ hands with both of his. “Not without my date,” he said.

Remus’ head shot up, eyes narrowed. “Getting me back for the time I put isotropic polymers in your chem lab final?”

Logan dropped his hands. “I thought that was you!” The music inside the rink shifted into a fanfare and Logan let out a slow breath. “No. I will not exact my revenge for that event tonight.” He crouched and took Remus’ hands, then stood, skates braced against each other as he helped him to his feet.

“Tonight,” he said, his own smile matching Remus’ tentative grin. “Tonight let’s show your brother how much of a dick move that was.”

“You really are my Pocket Protector, aren’t you?” Remus laughed.

Hands still wrapped around Remus’, Logan pushed his right hand back as he pulled the left closer, spinning the taller man until he faced the wall. “Tomorrow, you should watch your back.”

Still laughing, Remus nodded. “You got it, nerd.”

-----

Full gift exchange series

[1moreff-creator]

Trying to figure out the Ace "murder" method

Hey, it's me again!

Seeing the great reception to my Arei murder theory (which, in case you missed, has an important second version (adult warning for Arei's BDA) and a less important third post, and beyond), I decided to try and figure out a method for the Ace murder attempt from episode 6. That and I have a sorta friendly theory rivalry going on with thebadjoe-

Seems like a fun challenge. Let's get into it!

Truth Bullets

Before the murder:

After:

1- Ace's body and wounds: Ace's body is sitting against a wall, slumped over. His neck has what seem to be three slice-type wounds across the front. These are the only visible wounds we know of. His face is angry, but this being Ace, it'd be weirder if it wasn't.

2- Bloodstain on the wall: There is a faint bloodstain just behind Ace's neck. Notably, this is the only trace of blood outside of Ace and the wires.

3- Lone wire: Because I clearly didn't have enough thinking about ropes and pulleys in the other murder, this one involves a wire! That's practically just a sharp rope! Notably, there is blood around a huge chunk of the middle of the cable, and a bit on one of the sides.

4- Wire taped to the fan: There is another piece of wire, wrapped around and taped to the broken ceiling fan. There is blood on the end of the wire not connected to the fan. The roll of tape used is right there. Fun fact, the tape actually dissappears from the background in the middle of the investigation, as pointed out by thebadjoe. Eden took it. This has more to do with the other murder than this one, but it's something to consider.

5- Broken fan: The fan on the right (door view) is broken, and on the ground.

6- Moved benches: Two benches have been moved from their original position. The one on the left is just moved to the side, while the one on the right is toppled over next to Ace. Notably, it's under the broken fan, meaning it must have toppled over before the fan got there.

7- Stool: There is a stool.

I have genuinely no idea where the hell this thing came from. It wasn't in any of the second floor rooms, or any of the first floor rooms we've seen. Was it in storage?

??????????????????

Hey, how fucking far did they drag this thing?! I have to imagine it was somewhere else, as there are actually a few doors which have never been opened, such as in the laundry room.

Whatever, no one cares. There's a stool, let's live with that.

8- Broom: There is a broom. I really hope they didn't get this from storage as well.

9- Toppled over weight rack: The weight rack has been moved closer to the... lifting bench thing, and now lay sprawled across the floor. Yeah, I got no idea about gym terminology.

10- Isolated weights: There are two small weights off to the side. Yep, they sure do exist.

11- Non-functioning fan: The fan on the left isn't moving (I know you can't tell from the picture, but trust me on this). This is especially strange, as we see the same fan moving the next day when Teruko and Rose go to the gym, despite the other fan still being gone.

12- Clean pull-up bar: The tape which was around the pull-up bar since the first day the second floor opened has disappeared.

13?- ???: So, uh, I got no idea what's going on in this general area. Apart from the bench press bar apparently disappearing, there seems to be a whole ass chunk of a mirror missing, which makes absolutely zero sense. It almost looks like someone took a bite off the damn thing, but I don't think anyone here eats glass, not even MonoTV. I imagine this is an animation error, but I'll point it out anyways in case it's somehow important.

14- Rose's account: During her painting session with Nico, her turpentine went missing.

15- Teruko's account: "[Ace] stayed unconcious for much longer than can be explained by blood loss or asphyxiation." Teruko believes this means Ace was likely knocked out with Rose's turpentine. Now, why she believes this when turpentine inhalation cannot cause unconciousness, only vomiting and nausea at worst, is beyond me. But since no one ever corrects her, I believe turpentine just... works differently in the DRDT universe.

16- Banging noise: Shortly before Eden and Teruko entered the crime scene, they heard a strange banging noise which came from the gym, followed by a clattering sound. This noise is... definitely strange, and in fact, I struggle to say what exactly it was. Since it doesn't match anything perfectly, I guess it must either be the weight rack toppling, or the fan falling. Also, this noise must have been caused by Nico, as no one else ran out of the gym afterwards.

17- Nico's missing cloak: Nico's usual cloak (that's what it's called, right?) is nowhere to be seen. Where the hell it went is a fantastic question, but the fact they don't have it in the first place could mean a lot of different things. Also to note, Nico doesn't have any blood on them.

I believe that about covers it. Let's see what we can manage. Also, I apologize in advance if it seems like this isn't very structured, I'm doing the best to explain my reasoning step by step.

What was Nico doing?

This may seem like an odd question to start with, but it's actually one which gives way to one of the most fundamental truths of the crime. One which I need to establish before getting anywhere in terms of theorizing. No, I'm not about to claim Nico didn't try to murder Ace, It's something else.

The answer seems obvious at first: they were clearly killing Ace, right? Well, not so fast. Nico was standing quite far from the body, yet holding a wire covered in blood. It almost looks like they just stumbled into an already established crime scene and were just investigating. Some claim this means Nico wasn't the one who set up most of the crime, but we have to remember this line:

Charles: But did you not intentionally try to make a serious attempt on Ace's life? Answer honestly.

Nico: Y... Yes...

Nico admits to, at some point, having tried to kill Ace. Of course, this isn't conclusive, but there is actually something else which makes me believe Nico might be the sole culprit of this almost-murder. A piece of evidence I haven't seen anyone mention in detail before.

The isolated weights.

What's the issue with this weights? Well, there are three truths which make them particularly strange.

1- The fact they're isolated means they were likely involved in the murder method.

2- They are decently far from any other piece of evidence.

3- They are neatly stacked on top of each other.

The fact they're neatly stacked means someone put them like that intentionally, yet they were clearly involved in the murder method. However, if they were involved in the method, how are they this far from everything else?

Well, let me answer those questions by raising others in return. Why is Ace so far from the wires, and why was Nico holding one of them? Why are the weights the only thing in the room which seem to be placed intentionally, when everything else is all over the place? When did Nico lose their cloak? What did they do to make that banging noise?

All these questions lead me to one answer. Nico wasn't actively trying to murder Ace when Eden and Teruko entered the scene, they were cleaning the crime scene. This could include moving Ace's body around, screwing around with the wires in a way which broke the fan, and, the important part, instinctively stacking the weights on top of each other. Maybe because Nico was getting bothered by the general mess of the room, or something like that (I know I would try to put some order in the room if I was nervous), and the weights were the easiest things to move around.

Whatever the reason Nico had for moving the weights, the point is, they did. This movement clearly didn't have anything to do with the actual method, as again, the weights were pretty far from everything, so it seems to me like they were just sorta "cleaning". And the reason everything else is in disarray is because they weren't done when Teruko and Eden got there.

Of course, you may be unconvinced. You may have questions like "why didn't Nico check Ace was dead dead?". But I promise, this will all make more sense as I explain further, so for now, let's assume Nico was cleaning the crime scene.

What does that mean? It means the position of most of the objects in the room could have changed between the time the attack was carried out, and the moment Teruko and Eden entered the gym.

With this possibility in mind, let's take a deeper dive into some of the evidence.

Two Wires on a Bird

(Wait, that's not how the song-)

Now, as you may remember, there were two pieces of wire in the gym; one by itself, and one taped to the fan. A lot of people assume these two were pieces of the same wire, which was broken when the fan went down, probably.

However, I do not believe this is the case. Remember, these wires are metal. From what I could find, their black color could imply they may be aluminum or iron, for example. These have, scientifically speaking, a fuckton of tensile strength. You would need a force of no less than an elephant stampede to break that with tension alone. They can be broken, quite easily with enough effort and tools, but not easily snapped.

No, I believe the answer is much simpler. There were always two wires; there was never an unintentional breakage. If these two things were ever one solid piece of wire, the would-be-murderer must have separated them before they set up their scheme, with whatever they could find. Maybe there could be tools in storage? Not too important.

But, beyond stealing the turpentine, is there really any evidence the killer really thought the method through with that much anticipation? After all, there is this line:

Veronika: Is this what you were envisioning when you tried to kill Ace? That the trial would happen like this, but with Ace instead of Arei dead?

Nico: I didn't... I never thought about it... I...

If Nico is the sole culprit as I'm claiming, doesn't that line mean there wasn't much forethought on Nico's part?

Don't worry, I'll explain that line later. For now, let me show you that the almost-killer absolutely planned the method in advance.

Broken Fans, Broken Hearts

One of the evidence pieces which confused me the most at first was, without a doubt, the non-functioning fan on the left. Why the hell isn't it moving? It's not the other fan falling, as we see the fan on the left working independantly the next day. Clearly, something happened which broke this fan, and it may have broken the other one as well.

Now, I looked through Google to see how ceiling fans work, see if I can figure something funky out. As a quick and oversimplified explanation, they run a current to create magnetic force which moves a rotor which moves the blades. From this, I thought of maybe using magnets to screw them up, but there aren't any magnets we know of in DRDT. I looked into Nico's laser pointer, but that also went nowhere. Despite the lack of evidence of its use, J's remote was the only thing I could think of for a while.

That is, until I realized one fundamental truth:

I'm an idiot.

The answer is much, much simpler. And it comes from one important question. Why is the tape on the fan facing the ceiling?

Most people, myself included, see a stool, tape, and tape on a fan, and assume the killer used the stool to reach the fan and put the tape there. But the problem is, that would only allow you to place the wire on the underside of the blades. And I'm pretty sure the fan wouldn't do a cartwheel in midair to land upside down.

No, what the tape's position implies is that the killer had access to the upper side of the fan's blades. This means they were likely able to bring the fans down before the murder, and put them back later. However, it's very likely they wouldn't be completely able to fix them, explaining why the left one isn't moving.

I'm not sure how they'd do that, and it sorta relies again on tools from storage, but it doesn't quite matter. There's no point in taping a wire to a fan unless you want it on the fan, aka close to the ceiling, so the killer must have put them back. They likely did this way before the murder, though that raises the question of why the tape would still be there in that case. I do have an explanation, but it'll have to wait for now.

The fact the killer had this ability to take down and somewhat fix the fans makes the left fan's state trivial. They would just take it down to break it, like they did the fan on the right. Of course, the question is why.

I have two answers. The boring one is that the almost-killer thought having one fan moving while the other was broken would be suspicious, and would make Ace more cautious than just seeing both fans broken.

The more fun answer, but one I don't think makes much sense, is that breaking the fans could make the turpentine more effective. Keep in mind Teruko says it is inhaling the fumes from turpentine which can cause unconciousness, and the fans, moving the air around and stuff, would make it harder for the fumes to really be effective... somehow? Again, impossible to know from real life turpentine, as it doesn't work the same as in DRDT. There are a decent bit of inconsistencies with this answer, but eh. As long as Nico could conceivably believe it would help, they may do it. The killers don't have to always know exactly what they're doing.

Alright, Murder Time!

Now that you know how my brain interprets most of the evidence in the crime scene, it's time to get to the actual method. Just so you can get a taste of the insanity required to come up with something which is at least even slightly believeable, here's a highlight reel of the silliest ideas I seriously considered at one point or another!

-Using the broom to beat the shit out of a fan like a piñata.

-Putting the fan on the treadmill and making it run. Don't ask me how this would work.

-Creating a yoyo with the wire and the isolated weights. I almost wanted this one to be true.

-Creating a weird garrote thing with the wires and the weights.

Alright, got it out of my system. Let's actually start now.

The first thing we have to look at is the blood on the wires.

This is, hands down, the part of the crime which drove me the most insane. We need to somehow figure out a way to have blood on quite a bit of the end of the fan-wire, a huge chunk in the middle of the lone wire, and a bit on its right side as well. All of this, while only leaving injuries on the front of Ace's neck, and not the back.

The simplest way to do this would be to "drag" the bloody parts of the wire across Ace's neck, but the question is how to "dodge" the parts which aren't bloody. If you try to think about this for yourself, you're gonna notice this is a lot harder than it seems. The bloody part on the middle of the lone wire is long, but the one on the right is small. Additionally, you have to somehow figure out a way to bloody up the end of the fan-wire, which comes with the problem of "where the hell even is Ace to have his neck cut by this thing".

The first thing I figured out is that the end of the fan-wire was likely attached to the middle of the lone wire, the latter doubled over the point of contact.

(My art is back with a vengeance)

The lone wire could have even been tied around itself to triple over itself, if the length was still too long for the killer's taste. This would also help to explain the multiple injuries on his neck.

However, the problem with this is that goddamn little bit of blood on the right of the lone wire. It can't be solved by just dragging Ace a bit further, as there's a part of the wire which isn't bloody. This took me a while to figure out. In fact, at one point I was close to calling it quits, and just leaving that bit of blood unexplained.

But then, it came to me. A noose!

If the killer made a noose with the wire (let's assume that's possible), and Ace was dragged along the base of the noose, but not the noose itself, then the point of connection would leave a bloody part of the wire which would appear separated from the rest once you extended it out.

(The main takeaway from this "drawing" is the noose, don't worry if you don't exactly understand the triple over thing. After all, I'm not even sure it was actually used)

Of course, now we have to ask ourselves why in the hell is the killer making a noose, then having Ace's neck drag across the base of the noose. The first thing which comes to mind is putting the noose around something, something like the pull up bar. That's sorta the only object near the fan I could see this working with. And we know the other end of the wire must have been on the fan.

This all points me to a theory I was already cooking up beforehand. The killer may have used gravity as a weapon, letting Ace's body lean on the wire as it tenses and untenses to slowly slash at his neck. This is sorta the system I'm envisioning.

Obviously the drawings aren't to scale.

Now, if we miraculously (and it really would be a miracle) get this to work, it could explain those damn bloodstains that stumped me for hours. It could also explain the meaning of those isolated plates: if you manage to secure them to Ace's chest, they would weigh him down in such a way that his neck would press harder on the wire, causing more damage. I'll get to the way I believe it's possible the killer secured them later, but for now, this is the gist of my idea.

Now, there are a significant amount of questions and concerns you may raise just by seeing this, so let me address those.

The first concern you may have is the length of the wire system. Keeping in mind the fan-wire is atteched to the end of the blade, it would practically be impossible for this system to work if the fan spins all the way.

For the fan to actually spin automatically and not break anything, the "fan-out" position must exist only when the blade with the wire is as far away from the pull-up bar as possible. With how large the fan is, the end of the wire would be somewhat over the treadmills, maybe a bit closer to the door. The problem is, as the fan spins and the wire "tries to slack" (remember, Ace's neck pressing against it would mean it never fully slacks), it would end up practically touching the floor by the time the blade gets closer to the pull-up bar. Not to mention the issue of Ace's weight possibly fucking with the fan's automatic spin. In other words, it's impossible to create this system if the fan is spinning on its own.

...The sharper of you will have already realized why that argument doesn't work. It's not a problem, because the fan isn't spinning on its own. We established it earlier, remember? The fan was likely broken before the murder attempt even formerly began. That means the fan is spinning manually.

Perhaps that piñata idea wasn't so far off after all, we just needed a gentler touch. Using the broom and probably the stool, the almost-killer would be able to make the fan move on their whim. And this means there's no reason for them to make the fan do full revolutions. If they just move the blades back and forth a little bit, they would be able to "straighten" and "slack" the wire system however they wanted, and wouldn't need the system to extend all the way to the other side of the room. In fact, they would actually want the system to be as short as possible while still reaching from the fan to the pull-up bar, since that simplifies the positioning of Ace's body, as you'll see later.

But before we get to that, I have to answer something else. This method, you may have noticed, wouldn't exactly leave the deepest wounds, would it? I mean, it could definitively cause bleeding, but the wounds would likely be quite shallow, unless the wire is ultra sharp. It seems like a pretty bad murder system if it only leaves mostly superficial wounds.

Except, who told you the wounds weren't superficial? Remember, Ace didn't actually die from this. And although I'm no expert in anatomy, I believe any neck wound would be fatal if it's deep enough. Thus, whatever the method used was, it could only leave shallow wounds.

That still raises the question of why the killer would do this, but I'll get there. For now, let me give you a sneak peek: I believe the attacker knew Ace didn't die from the wire attack. Intriguing, right?

And if you're worried about the amount of blood being too much for shallow wounds, don't worry. As I said, I believe Teruko and Eden ran into the crime scene a while after the crime actually happened, so Ace must have been bleeding for a while. And I'm no forensic expert, but I believe people who are alive bleed faster than corpses, since the heart is still beating and all that. Essentially, there's a lot of blood only because Ace has been bleeding for a while.

Now comes the hardest part of the visualization, and frankly, the one thing which really makes me doubt whether or not this is possible. With the two benches found on the crime scene, you have to play jenga with them and Ace's body in a way which makes sure his head reaches the pull-up bar in the "fan-out" position, and which doesn't run into issues holding his body up in the "fan-in" position. Considering the height of the pull-up bar, I think the best way to do this would be placing the benches parallel to the wire, and Ace's body kneeling perpendicular to it. You might also want to put a space in between the benches for the knees to bend forward, but I'm not sure.

(Not to scale)

Again, I know this is hard to visualize, and probably harder to pull off, but I don't think it's completely impossible. If anyone has better ideas on how to put the benches, I'd love to hear it.

Now, the sharper of you would realize a problem. As Ace's body flops onto the wire, it's likely going to get pulled forward, but it would also likely slide down towards Ace's chest. That's a problem, since his wounds are only on his neck. However, I have a possible solution for this. You know how I said you could secure the isolated weight plates on Ace's chest to make him press harder onto the wire? Well, if you secure them high and well enough, with tape for example, they might be able to stop the wires from sliding down.

The unfortunate part of this is that we can't be sure if there was any blood on the weights, which there likely would be in this case, since Teruko didn't check them closely. But the bigger issue here is the tape itself: where'd it go?

Well, I'll answer that question with another question. How is there no blood on the floor? Under this method, gravity would make at least a fair bit of blood fall to the floor. There's no way Nico cleaned it up, so how?

Well, if you don't want a liquid to stain a floor, what can you do? You can drape something over the floor so that gets stained instead of the floor. And this is how I plan to explain Nico's missing cloak. Their cloak was draped over the floor in the place where the blood would fall, as to avoid staining the floor with blood. Nico later removed the cloak from the crime scene, possibly leaving it in the dress-up room or somewhere else for the time being.

Now, that sounds ridiculous. Why would Nico leave the crime scene so early? Is there any actual evidence they left at some point?

Well, actually, there is. It's the other place where blood should have been in this method. Since Ace's neck must reach the base of the noose, it would touch the pull-up bar and stain it with blood. Or rather, it would stain the tape on the pull-up bar with blood. The tape which is also missing.

Before.

After.

In fact, this missing piece of tape is extremely important evidence for my theory. The fact it's missing means the pull-up bar was involved, possibly being stained with blood. It also means the culprit took evidence out of the crime scene, which helps explain why Nico is missing their cloak. It also gives credence to the theory the killer taped the isolated weights to Ace's chest, since one missing piece of tape could imply two missing pieces of tape. And- hey! That's why the roll of duct tape is still there! They didn't need it for the fan, since that set up was likely done before the murder attempt as established earlier, so they must have used it somewhere else!

Oh yeah, it's all coming together.

And with this, as you've noticed, we've sorta already arrived at my conclusion on the culprit. Since I believe Nico's cloak was involved in the setup, but was later removed, I firmly assert Nico is the sole almost-murderer. After all, even if the killer knocked out Nico and put them in the crime scene or something, there would be no reason to discard their cloak, and if Nico took it out the gym after waking up, there's no reason to return until they tell someone else about the body.

At this point, I should also address the hidden quote I know is gonna be brought up. Like with every character, if you inspect element on Nico's page you get a hidden quote, which in their case is "why should I own up for the mistakes someone else made?". That makes it sound like they didn't do this, but keep in mind, Nico did confirm having attempted to kill Ace, so I don't think it makes sense for the mistake to be "tried to kill Ace". I actually think this line could be a lot darker. I think this line could imply Ace made the mistakes being referred to, and Nico feels as though they don't have to own up for that. Like, "Ace was the one who fucked around, I just made them find out". Though I am admittedly biased towards evil Nico interpretations, so I can't be sure. Also, this could be about something from another chapter entirely.

Now that we sort of have an idea of how the attack could have gone down, we have to start thinking of the clean up. Unfortunately, this part of the plan wouldn't leave many clues behind, so it's largely speculative. Also worth keeping in mind, I believe this started a while before Teruko and Eden even arrived at the second floor.

The first order of business is taking Ace's body out of the mechanism. They would need to gently let it lean on the wire until the fan wouldn't turn anymore, before quickly stepping off the stool and going over. I'll explain why they're so worried about the body later, but for now, trust me bro. They would push the body off the wire, moving the benches to maneuver better, but their movements are sort of sloppy. This results in the rightmost bench falling over, and when they push Ace up against the wall, they do so haphazardly, leaving behind a small blood stain behind his neck. This is unfortunately the only explanation I have for the bloodstain on the wall which still fits all the other evidence. I say unfortunately because it's a sorta odd explanation for something I would usually consider quite important, but I've had enough trying to explain the blood on the wires, I'm not gonna worry too much about this little thing.

After making sure the body is off the wire, Nico would want to take care of the most incriminating evidence first: their bloodstained cloak. They would probably roll it up into a ball to carry it, though I imagine they may wipe some of the blood off the wires as well. After all, it's the one piece of evidence which can be directly be linked back to them. Since they just took the body down, they would also pick up the evidence closest to them; the bloodstained tape on the pull-up bar and the tape and weights on Ace's chest. They decide to leave the weights in the gym for the time being, and carry out the cloak and the pieces of tape, likely leaving them somewhere else on the second floor. I think one of the changing rooms in the dress-up room is the likeliest spot, or the trash can. They were later planning on disposing of it in a better way, I imagine, but I don't think they wanted to leave the body alone too long, since as I said, they may have known Ace was alive.

Timeline-wise, it's hard to say how much time passes between Nico going out and into the gym, and the moment Teruko and Eden meet in the dress-up room. Especially because part of my other theory is that Eden was actually doing some stuff on the second floor at this time. So here's how I see it; when they return to the gym, they put the weights they had just sort of left there one on top of the other, probably move the stool a little, but most importantly, they start trying to figure out a way to take down the wire system. They initially try things like untying the noose or undoing the knot in the middle, but they're worried about blood getting on them or getting cut by the wire. This hesitation on how to take the wire system down is what explains the time difference between the start of their cleaning and the moment Eden and Teruko get there. I am deeply aware this isn't a very satisfying answer to that issue, but I don't think it's too outlandish, especially since Nico is clearly not in the greatest mental state.

Eventually, they decide they're not going to take the wire system down carefully. To avoid getting blood on themselves, the best way would be to rip out the entire system all at once. I imagine they looped the wire around the broom, and pulled hard in one direction. Do it well enough, and I believe both the noose and the knot between the wires would come undone. However, in doing this, Nico also accidentally knocked down the ceiling fan. This causes the banging noise Eden and Teruko hear.

However, Nico doesn't think anyone else is nearby, and thus doesn't worry about the noise. They just pick up the lone wire (by the parts which aren't bloody), which had flown towards them thanks to their broom trick, and stretch it out... because they felt like it. Yeah, I'm not really sure. But I know a lot of people do weird things to calm themselves when nervous, and Nico is not thinking straight. Fixing up the wire could be something they felt compelled to do without logical reason. I hope this makes sense to you as much as it makes sense to me. Regardless, this is what Teruko and Eden catch them doing. Nico runs away, and probably picks up their cloak on the way as to at least have the slightest argument for their innocence. Since the lone pieces of tape are there, Nico probably picks them up too.

That's basically it for what happened, though you may have noticed there is one piece of evidence I never mentioned. That being the toppled over weight rack. However, there's a pretty simple explanation for this, one I have to give credit to thebadjoe for. Essentially, it's possible the weight rack was moved by Ace to train. If he was bench pressing, it would make sense for him to bring the weight rack closer to the... bench press bench? You know what I mean. And then, when the killer attacked them with turpentine, the rack was toppled over in the struggle. There's unfortunately no way to confirm this, as in the ep 11 flashback, Ace is in the gym but the weight rack is not next to the bench press bench. This doesn't disprove anything; Ace could have just been doing literally anything else. But it unfortunately doesn't confirm anything either.

So, there we go! A series of events which more or less explains all the major evidence in the scene and is (hopefully) physically possible! The bloodstains on the wires were a major pain, to the point I will gladly take anything that explains them more or less satisfactorily, and the missing tape on the pull up bar convinces me I'm (hopefully) in the right track.

... Yeah, so there's still a problem.

Hey, OP, what the fuck?

So, once again my "method before motive" way of theorizing arrives at an extremely complicated system which seems to have no purpose at all. If the fan really is broken as I claim, then there's no way for this to be a remote murder, and a lot of this is just unnecessary. Like, why not just cut Ace's neck with the wires using your hands, the way God (MonoTV) intended? And what the hell did I mean when I said Nico started cleaning the crime scene despite knowing Ace was alive?!

So, here comes the most speculative part of my theory. The reason for the method. Initially, one would assume a system like this would be used to get away with the murder without being caught, like most murders in... well, murder mystery stories. However, remember that line I brought up before? The one where Veronika asks about the trial, and Nico claims to have never thought about it?

I think they're telling the truth. I don't think the purpose of the system is to get away with the murder at all.

And it all comes back to the concern I raised about superficial wounds. Like I said, this system seems odd because it wouldn't be able to cause anything but some shallow cuts. But, what if that's the point?

What if Nico designed this method specifically so it wouldn't kill Ace?

That sounds insane, but think about it. If Nico tries to cut Ace's neck with the wires just by using their hands, it's possible they would get over-excited and accidentally cut too deep, killing Ace almost instantly. If that's not what they want, then it would make more sense to set up a somewhat automatic system which runs less risk of cutting too deep. Maybe.

But, didn't Nico confirm they made a serious attempt on Ace's life, like they told Charles? Yes, but they weren't done.

I believe it's possible Nico wanted Ace to wake up after receiving his neck injuries. That way, he'd be weakened by the blood loss and the pain, but still concious when Nico actually killed them. Under this interpretation, Nico wanted Ace to die knowing Nico was stronger than him, not just by using turpentine and cheap tricks, but just in a straight up fight (though with the handicap of the injuries).

Is that too sadistic? Arguably yes, but we still don't know how far Nico's anger is capable of taking them. I'm probably biased since I am a Veronika kinnie at heart, whose love for a character only increases the more evil and fucked up they are. Still, trust me when I say I went insane trying to figure out any method which could explain the fucking bloodstains on those wires as well as everything else, and this one is the best one I've found so far. It's all I have, I gotta work the characters around it somehow, and this is the only way I can think of.

Nico waiting for Ace to wake up also answers a lot of the basic questions of what the hell was going on when Teruko and Eden entered. If Nico really made a serious attempt on Ace's life, why are they standing so far without confirming Ace is dead? Because they know he's not, and are waiting for him to wake up.

The biggest issues I see here (besides the sheer insanity of the idea) are:

-This method still really isn't that reliable at not killing. However, it doesn't have to be; Nico just needs to trust it more than they do their own hands. And the trust Nico has on their own hands could actually be very little knowing how insecure they is about a lot of things. Not a great argument, but it's there.

-If Nico didn't think of the trial at all, there's no reason for them to take the cloak and tape out of the gym. This is admittedly a much more pressing issue, since a lot of my theory hinges on them doing this. My best answer is that they were working mostly on autopilot. Not actively thinking of the trial, but still knowing in the back of their mind that they would have to hide they did this. It's not great, but it's an answer.

-We don't have evidence Nico even had another weapon on them. If Nico wanted to kill Ace after he woke up, they would have likely brought a weapon with them. However, counterpoint; we know they must have had at least one possible weapon, the turpentine bottle. It's a pretty shitty weapon, but break it open and it would be effective enough. Additionally, the fact we don't know where that thing is implies Nico could have been hiding another weapon, but I'm hesitant to claim this, because again, no evidence.

Overall, I think these holes aren't too big, and considering I'm expecting to get lots of things wrong here, I'm comfortable enough with my answer to put it out there for peer review.

Closing Argument

-During the afternoon, the culprit had to get two custom weapons for their plan. One, the turpentine, they stole from Rose during a painting session. The other, Hu's wire, they simply asked for with some vague excuse, as they had a good relation with her.

-Once they got the wire, they split it into two and went to the gym, a while before the victim arrived. They also brought a stepstool and a broom. With them, they took down the rightmost fan, and ductaped one of the wires' end to one of its blades. They managed to put the fan back up, with the wire hidden on top of the blades. However, the fan didn't spin anymore. The culprit also broke the other fan with a similar method, so as to not make the victim suspicious when they entered the gym.

-The culprit waited until the victim entered the gym for their regular nighttime exercise session, likely after feeding the fish in the relax room.

-The victim, Ace, wanted to do some bench pressing, so he brought the weight rack closer. They didn't notice anything amiss, until the culprit entered the gym.

-With a rag filled with turpentine (maybe; it's impossible to know how people in the DRDT universe would use turpentine as a sedative), the culprit ambushed Ace. Although there was a struggle which knocked over the weight rack, the culprit managed to get Ace to inhale enough turpentine to knock him out. Now, the culprit could have just killed Ace then and there, but that's not what they wanted. They wanted to prove themselves stronger than him, or simply to make them suffer for what he had done to them. In any case, they wanted him to be seriously injured, but not dead by the time the turpentine wore off. Since they couldn't trust their own impulses, they wanted to use a more hands-off method which would ensure Ace would be in serious pain, but not die until the culprit could make sure he felt it.

-Working quickly as nighttime approached, the killer used the broom and stepstool to spin the rightmost fan's blades so as to get the wire taped to it to fall down.

-They tied a noose around the pull-up bar with the other part of the wire. They possibly made the wire triple over itself, and attached the fan-wire to its middle. They also put the non-noose end under the noose on the pull-up bar, for extra stability. For Ace's body, they used the roll of tape to attach two small weights from the rack to Ace's chest.

-With the wire system now hanging slack, like a vine, between the fan and the pull-up bar, they moved the benches under it. The killer also wore a cloak, which they took off and draped over the floor around where they believed the blood would end up.

-They dragged Ace's body to the benches. They propped him up there on his knees, letting his neck press down onto the wire system, specifically a part of the fan-wire. Once they made sure he wasn't going to fall, they quickly made their way to the stepstool, grabbed the broom, and got on it.

-With the broom, they moved the fan's blades manually, not too fast, but with some strength. The wire system pressed hard on Ace's neck, starting to cut his neck as it straightened. Ace's head tilted as this happened, and he started to lean towards the pull-up bar. As his neck dragged over the rolled up lone wire, various shallow cuts opened in his skin. Ace's head touched the pull-up bar's tape, staining it and the base of the noose with blood.

-The killer then slowly allowed Ace's body weight to press on the wire as the fan slowly spun in that direction, the speed controlled by the broom. The wires didn't fall to his chest because of the weights, as well as the slow nature of the descent. His blood stained every spot of the wire his neck dragged across, including the end of the fan-wire.

-The culprit repeated this one or two times, enough to feel as though Ace was sufficiently hurt for their purposes, but not so much they felt he'd die before waking up.

-When they were done, they gently let Ace's body lean on the wire as far as the fan would allow, before dropping the broom and hopping off the stepstool.

-They quickly ran over to Ace, pushing him off the wire system before it could do any more damage to him. In doing this, the bench he was kneeling on fell over, and Ace's body slammed on the wall next to the pull-up bar. The culprit managed to keep him in a sitting position, but the impact with the wall had left a small bloodstain behind Ace.

-The culprit moved the benches a bit to maneuver better around the gym. They took the bloodstained tape off the pull-up bar, retrieved the weights and tape from Ace's chest, and got their cloak off the floor. They used the cloak to wipe a bit of the blood off the wire system, though since it was already covered in blood, some still remained. Not enough to drip off and make a noticeable change on the floor, though. The killer left the weights off to a side in the gym, and ran off with the tape and cloak. They likely hid it somewhere nearby, like the trash can in the hallway or the changing rooms of the dress-up room.

-They came back to the gym at around the same time Eden went to the second floor (this is related to my other theory, don't worry too much about it). They began waiting for Ace to wake up, but their desire for cleanliness guided them in the tense situation. They started trying to figure out a way to take down the wire system without risking injury and without getting blood on themselves.

-A few minutes later, as Teruko went to the second floor and met with Eden, the killer figured out a way to take down the system. They grabbed the broom and wrapped a clean part of the fan-wire around it, before pulling with all their might.

-Several things happened at once. The noose and knot in the point of connection came undone instantly, and the lone wire flew towards the entrance. However, the strength of the pull also took down the fan from the ceiling, making a loud banging noise which could be heard from the hallway.

-The killer didn't think there'd be anyone on the second floor at the time, so they just continued their clean up effort as they waited for Ace to awaken. They grabbed the lone wire by the non-bloody parts and stretched it out, just as Teruko and Eden entered the gym.

-Upon seeing the two girls, the culprit panicked. They dropped the wire and ran away, but still had the sense to quickly pick up their cloak and tape just in case.

-The culprit's plan was to wait until Ace woke up, and in his weakened and pained state, kill him with the bottle of turpentine or some other weapon they had brought with them. And they would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling girls!

-The missing cloak, paired with the suspicious lack of blood on the scene; the turpentine theft during a painting session with Rose; the motive to kill Ace in this manner; their actions and presence in the crime scene; all paired with an admission of guilt. The method shows only one person with the ability, opportunity and motive to attempt such a heinous murder: Nico Hakobyan, the Ultimate Pet Therapist!

Conclusion

Is this conclusion perfect? By no means. Nico's actions are still extremely erratic and hard to explain, not to mention how difficult it would be to physically get the method to work. However, it's an answer which I feel sufficiently explains all the evidence in the crime scene, which is shockingly difficult. Those damn bloodstains, man.

Still, I imagine I've gotten quite a few things wrong, so this is more a starting point than a final answer. I just think it's solid enough to put out there and get second opinions on it.

Thanks for reading all the way to end! I would give you a cookie, but I'm afraid it's impossible through a screen. Have a good day!

[doctorstrangereview]

0034: Slightly off the beaten path bonus: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2

Cover Date: 1965 On-Sale Date: June 1, 1965

Travelling outside of Strange Tales for a moment, we go to Ditko's and Lee's more famous creation, Spider-Man. Doc and Spidey finally get to meet and it's more than three panels of Doc's ghost breaking up a fracas between Pete and Flash. While the book's cover advertises the story's title. Doc himself is nowhere to found on it. While I'm sure Spidey was selling far more books at this time, I doubt an image of Doc would have lowered sales. The cover is unimaginative with some imaged of our star in various poses against a yellow background. The splash page, however, is quite delicious.

After a lovely splash of Spidey amidst Ditko weirdness and Doc and Xandu duking it out in the background, our main story begins with Spidey flitting about a peaceful New York City feeling about "as useful as a can of dinosaur repellant." The peaceful status can't remain for long because the only luck Pete has is bad luck and he's always got be down and out. It wasn't as bad back in the old days as it is now, but Petey never gets ahead.

We change scene to man walking by a bar with several of the patrons being thrown THROUGH the door. We know this because Ditko draws us several pieces of it flying along side the unlucky dudes. Our mystery man walks into the bar. He seems to have found what he's looking for. On a side note, this bar seems entirely patronized by men. Our mystery man makes the two men still standing an offer. What the hell was Ditko trying to imply here?

The two very well built ruffian dudes, with crew cuts and tight shirts (really Ditko?) politely refuse the offer with a warm "Git lost creep!" The one dressed like The Sandman (that's the Flint Marko one, not the dreamlord one) reiterates his polite refusal when he realizes the mystery guest is still present. And we finally see what the dude looks like.

Seriously?! A monocle AND a funky mustache AND a funky goatee?! This one's straight out of the generic super-villains handbook. His offer of work is met with Maynard G. Krebs level of refusal and they both crack up! (They look a little alike. Were they meant to be brothers or cousins?)

Our well muscled ruffians' mental capacity doesn't quite match their muscles. Xandu (we've finally learned his name) hypnotizes them with little effort. Ditko fills the next page with Xandu having his new helpers demonstrate what beasts they are. They then follow him home. I guess Xandu's Grindr profile says he takes in-calls.

Once at his magic-y hideout, Xandu explains the mission to the trouble twins. I'm not sure why since they're hypnotized and won't understand. Lee and Ditko do love their characters to spout out exposition to no one. While this is going on we get to see Xandu in his full splendiferous costume. Holy crap, it's green! What is it with Ditko and his green coded villains?

The TDLR of this is Xandu has half a wand and Doc has the other half. Whoever has both is all powerful. "Now, my lovely little muscle bears, it's up to you to steal the other half from Doc and make me the true, big bad!" He sends them out with a big pair of eyes hovering over them. I supposed it's a bit less obvious than Mordo's giant, floating head. You'll notice the muscle bear not dressed like the Sandman has acquired a fetching gold pouch hanging from his neck. It's not explained and disappears later on with no clue as to it's whereabouts.

Doc, while attempting to extract magical secrets from an ancient borsht recipe, is surprised by the sudden arrival of a pair of well muscled strangers. There isn't evidence they broke in, so maybe Doc is still failing to lock his doors. Or maybe they did break in and Doc was so hungry for magic borsht he wasn't paying attention to loud banging and cracking. Whatever they case, Doc's about to have his butt handed to him. Doc attempts his tried and true lots of fake Docs illusion, but Xandu's creepy floating eyes see through it.

This is honestly rather embarrassing for one of the world's foremost sorcerers. But it is what it is. The bears smash cabinets until they find the other half of the wand and take their leave, via the roof. By a fortunate coincidence, Spidey happens to be swinging by. Peter may be a genius, but his knowledge of architecture is limited as he calls a dormer, a skylight.

Ditko then has the muscle bears engage with Spidey for a couple of pages and they proceed to mop the floor with him as well. They even tear apart his webbing. Never fear! Spidey has put one of his patent pending spidey-tracers on one of the bears and can track them back to the gay bar Xandu's secret hideout.

Back at base, Xandu has assembled the Wand of Watoomb and can begin his mustache twirling in earnest. Xandu starts playing with his new toy by opening a bunch of Ditko portals.

He spends the rest of the page looking in on Doc and causing more property damage in the Sanctum Sanctorum. Spidey has tracked him down and is about to confront Xandu. He's inside Xandu's hideout. Xandu doesn't seem to be any more security conscious than Doc. Anyone and everyone gets in. Xandu immediately starts to blast away at Spidey using the wand and has stormtrooper accuracy. Spidey, being a practical bug webs Xandu's face. Xandu drops the wand and whines about not being able to see. Not taking this lying down, he spouts an ominous spell and we get our first invocation of Satannish. Our supremely powerful hell lord won't show up in person for a couple of years, but he gets his first mention here.

Another Ditko portal opens and starts to gobble up our web-slinger. Spidey is still in practical mode and figures he needs some insurance to make sure Xandu comes and gets him. All accompanied by the usual Spidey wit. Spidey should have been in 8-Mile!

Ditko obviously took a great deal of effort and pleasure in the next panel. It's wonderful, just like the title of this story.

The trouble bears soon follow to retrieve the wand and hilarity ensues. Meanwhile, back at the Sanctum, Doc has finally regained consciousness. He uses the All-Purpose Amulet to track down his assailants. He's about to confront Xandu who is helpfully guiding his thugs get the wand back from Spidey in the other dimension. No longer having the element of surprise, Doc start to pummel Xandu. Just in time, another Ditko portal opens with the Spidey and his pair of muscle bear dancing partners. Xandu grabs the wand from Spidey changing the balance of power.

Now Doc is up a creek and he knows it.

Doc flies away to give him some time and goes ghost. He finds Spidey who is still being menaced by the bears. Doc has great idea! "Spidey, why don't you electrocute them?" Using a conveniently located loose, live wire, Spidey does just that. Amazingly, this doesn't kill the pair. Instead they are free from Xandu and really, really tired!

The trouble bears go off to rest, or go into a k-hole and Spidey is free to help Doc. Spidey goes back to Xandu's hideout and Doc gets physical again and follows. Doc and Spidey use a two-pronged magical and physical attack to throw Xandu off balance.

Doc manages to knock the wand out of Xandu's hands while Spidey webs them up to prevent him from getting it back.

Doc drains the wand, claiming the threat of Watoomb exists no more. The wand somehow gets its power back and returns in the future. For good measure, Doc gives Xandu's mind a non-consensual mind probe to find out how he got his half of the wand and then wipe his mind. This also doesn't last as Xandu, monocle, mustache, goatee and all will return multiple times to menace both Spidey and Strange. Doc pledges his eternal friendship to Spidey and departs. Spidey has a clever quip of his own.

This is a great team-up! Ditko's two characters finally come together. It's Spidey's magazine and his story, but Doc has an equal role, unlike his previous crossovers with the Fantastic Four and Thor where he was more of a background plot device.

Placing this in Doc's timeline is a little difficult. It was published during the Dormammu/Mordo arc and there isn't much room for a side adventure between those installments. Doc's cloak still has the red border so it should be before Strange Tales #136.

Xandu starts out as a formidable villain. He's equally arrogant as Doc, isn't afraid to use his abilities and doesn't hold back. Sadly, like most Marvel villains who aren't Doctor Doom, Xandu becomes more of a buffoon with each subsequent appearance.

Overall, I think Ditko really enjoyed plotting and penciling this installment and the love shows through. He doesn't take any obvious artistic shortcuts. The story is tight and there is very little "why the hell did he do that?" going on. There is on unfortunate Doc characteristic pervading this story. There are no women! Spidey doesn't even pass a female on the street. Ah, well. Maybe my bear jokes were a bit closer to reality than I suspected. It's fun. Enjoy this one!

[dastardlyobnoxious]

My time with Pathfinder: Kingmaker (P.2)

Heavy spoilers for Pathfinder: Kingmaker below, didn't initially plan on this being a three-part post so apologies for that and any cohesion breaking it causes. Part one: https://www.tumblr.com/dastardlyobnoxious/718604715975426048/my-time-with-pathfinder-kingmaker-p1?source=share This part will cover my views on each of the companions prior to Act Seven (excluding Linzi) Ensuing text dump below, but thanks for reading this intro blurb.

My Companions. This'll be a brief overview of the companions and just any general thoughts I had on them and their quests prior to Act Seven, if it seems somewhat disconnected it's because it is.  (The benchwarmers) Starting with Tristian I was never sold on him even before his betrayal. I knew he was beloved among other players but I wasn't interested in romancing him and even with his super useful rest ability both Linzi and my player character largely dealt with any serious buffing or healing I needed. So when it came to his quests? It'd be something I have to revisit as his two stand-out moments are his betrayal and his argument with Jhod during the Bloom. 

On the opposite end of characters, Jaethal was easily the most evil companion, and for someone whose alignment didn't really mesh with my player character on top of her undead status and strangeness when being healed, it largely led me to dismiss her altogether. When in reality her quests were really fascinating, this pull and push of power versus morals with the penultimate build-up being Jaethals rejection of her Deity and being smited for it. When she died it wasn’t a huge blow to my team, but it was shocking with the click of a button she went from standing there to being a stain of blood and at least she redeemed herself? I don’t know if I’ll use Jaethal unless I’m going for some sort of evil playthrough but alignment be damned she was entertaining. 

Moving on, Harrim fell into this odd spot as a companion for me, originally he filled my fifth spot as his blessing buff was useful alongside being another front-line fighter, but the way I specialized him became a significant problem, I’d made him into more of a fighter then a cleric on top of his low Mobility/Dexterity making him quick to die even when buffed to all hell with Blur or other support spells. Making replacing him with Ekundayo an obvious choice, and like his character class I think I largely fumbled whatever story was going on with him. Unintentionally inciting his rage against Torag and leading him down a path of bitter madness, I always felt like I slipped up somewhere along the way, really just unsure of what I should say to someone so entrenched in Groetus. This is more just a gripe but I swear for a high priest even when he was max level he’d always have a low-resolution rate, frankly I don’t know if I ever really want to deal with Harrim again for someone you meet so early on I’m just not a fan of him? The end comes for us all eventually I guess. 

Then we have Nok-Nok, another character who I think I kind of put on ice and shot down a lot of his companion quest ideas just because it was chaotic as all and went against my alignment. Unlike Harrim though Nok-Nok was very fun, and even when he was making problems for me, who can hate a Goblin Jester? He’s someone I definitely plan to use if I ever replay Kingmaker. 

Then we have Jubliost, someone I wasn’t a huge fan of at first, from his snarky attitude to his less than careful world choice his bluntness read almost like a bitter or rude person when in fact by digging into his quests that isn’t true. From his endearing curiosity and motivation to cure the bleaching (a rather debilitating and sad way to go out) while exploring and writing about all he can. When he got so close to his award, I encouraged him to give it to Xae. It only felt right, as her existence as a ghost who could never return to her home was far too sad a fate for someone. I never really used him, on account of me not liking AOE/splash attacks until late in the game alongside not specializing him correctly.

Regongar is the last of the benchwarmers, and he’s kind of tied to the hip with Octavia for a lot of his quests. He's brash but beyond being a tad too flirtatious I never had much problem or desire to get to know him. Hearing about his and Octavia’s roots that’d led them to eventually escape the Technic League and blossom into their independence is what I admire most about him. 

(The main cast) Speaking of Octavia, like Regongar I’m happy she found her roots and was surprisingly able to reconnect with no strings attached, her abilities as a rogue-wizard mix made her into a really good marksman. Ended up probably agreeing with her and Linzi the most on kingdom management issues just because of how progressive they both were on social issues. 

Ekundayo and his wolf are second to Amiri in terms of how useful they were to my team, often nailing his ranger shots for high damage and destroying trolls. Moving on from the past and not letting rage consume yourself is the central idea of Ekundayo’s companion quest and while I wonder if things could’ve been different at the very least he isn’t vengeful or hateful any longer. Elina’s extremely obvious crush on the guy who clearly isn’t ready for romance makes me both sad and hopeful for Ekundayo’s future. Not forgetting Ekundayo’s wolf, half the reason he’s so good is because that wolf of his is the best of tanks and like Elina, Ekundayo has no clue what to do with them. 

Moving onto Amiri, her reconciliation of the past and focus on bettering herself for the future just made her an instant favorite and probably the strongest member of my crew constantly receiving some of the best gear. Her brash and upfront nature makes this really sincere and helpful character that I can’t underpin as anything but great. She isn’t stupid and breaks that idea of a barbarian being an inherent moron with the reforging of her blade as a story of complicated emotions and feelings in a largely sexist traditional group. When said group tries to execute her for being different, the one positive person in her tribe Nilak is a reluctant friend and compatriot. A lot of emotional baggage and tension reveals itself when Amiri first finds the Six Bears tribe in the Stolen Lands and a lot of that tension is only resolved because Amiri cares about Nilak and regardless of how poorly they treated her the ghost tormenting the clan because of her cannot stand in her mind. So, off she goes to confront it ultimately sacrificing herself instead of someone else being resurrected and being awarded for her bravery. Frankly, I doubt there’ll be a campaign of this game without Amiri if I can help it; her companion line is hands down my favorite of the companions. 

Last but not least Valerie, in a strange way, ended up being my favorite companion. With her high AC and tank-like nature always having enemies target and fail to strike her as they ate the party's damage and while her attack strength wasn’t the best if anyone was suited for the job of rushing ahead it was her. Her stoic nature as a fighter and diligent follower of the law is in constant conflict with her proclaimed beauty and past as a child raised to worship Shelyn. It’s a past she wished to not look back on, wanting people to value her as a fighter and person first and foremost not as some artistic piece or muse. It’s upsetting for her when her past demands she returns to face worshippers of Shelyn and artists harassing her because of her beauty. So much so, that when Linzi and others who merely mention art seem to offend and enrage her, intervention is the only thing that can be done. Early on in the game she received a scar after beating a certain obnoxious Shelyn follower in a fight and wore it as a symbol of pride until that pride for said scar turned into a confused mix of resentment and reflection. I think by the end of the companion quest line Valerie ended up better off, Shelyn healing her scar, and the intervention of the Shelyn followers ending as peaceful as one could expect. Valerie seems to find herself and at least find some respect in the pursuit of art. It’s hard to put into words what Valerie’s conclusion as a character was, it’s a complex emotional issue that she struggled with throughout Kingmaker, and it made her a stronger person in the end. Part Three: https://www.tumblr.com/dastardlyobnoxious/718899022820261888/my-time-with-pathfinder-kingmaker-p3?source=share

[black--sun]

Ichigo does the math, hashing out the implications of the word three easily enough. “Not a chance,” he responds, shutting that line of thought down before it has time to blossom into a full blown question. 

It’s such a strange sensation. Kisuke looks almost like he always did to Ichigo’s eye. Like he hadn’t aged. Maybe a little more tired. That smile a little more weighted. The sudden nostalgia reaches up from his stomach like a fist to tangle up his guts. It’s like stepping back in time, and the reminder that there’s no going back is as sharp as glass shards under his ribs.

Except Kisuke is watching him. He narrows his eyes back. It wasn’t even the first time he’d been sized up as critically as day old, sale bread. Like a necessary purchase but not a pleasant one. “That’s what people do when you haven’t seen them for ten years.” It could be more or less, he’s already rebelling against all the math he’s using today. He’s still meeting that look, when Yuzu chimes in with that offer and Ichigo’s eyes shift to her. 

It’s been a long time since he’s felt the need to be nice just for the sake of it. But Yuzu is different, stronger like that, he supposes, keeping all those little politenesses squirreled away inside her for better days. Ichigo stopped clinging to all the things he used to think the world was made of in the first week. But he likes that she hasn’t. He wants that for her. He finds a smile, even if it’s a dry, pitiful thing. “Sure.” 

It reminds him he's hungry, but all three of them are always hungry. 

His eyes switch to Karin before he bothers to acknowledge Kisuke’s offer. Though his brow furrows lightly as he takes in her posture— the way her arms fold around her like a blockade, attention fixed like she’d rather not acknowledge he’s there or hasn’t noticed. It sends another prick of worry stabbing deep into his lungs as he wonders just what they had to be saved from. The inspection leaves him chewing the inside of his lip and working his teeth.

His attention finally moves back to Kisuke.

He doesn’t want to sit. His instincts are hard wired by now, and they say to grab his sisters and get the hell out. 

But he bites that back. He’s been outvoted. Clearly. He can already tell. Ichigo doesn’t like it, but he moves anyway.

He doesn’t bite. No. She should know better than that. Anyone can bite. Even his sisters when pushed. “He just hasn’t bitten yet.”

But she’s finally looking at him, and it leaves him experiencing a small flood of relief as he folds to sit himself between Kisuke and Karin. It leaves him far too close for comfort or propriety, not to mention it’s transparent as hell. Whatever. It makes it that much easier to glower directly in Kisuke’s line of sight. 

“I thought you got kicked out of the family.” He doesn’t waste time mincing words. It’ll just take that much longer to finish this visit. Except it occurs to him that he doesn’t know that’s true at all. They stopped seeing him. For all Ichigo knows, they might’ve been the ones kicked out of the family. They aren’t even family technically.

What does he even know about Kisuke? Ichigo liked coming as a kid. The place had seemed magical. Lots of spaces to hide in and explore. He pushes out a breath, forcing his eyes to his sisters again. It’s harder than it should be to look away when he’s sitting within reaching distance of a man his parents didn’t trust. 

He chews the inside of his lip and pushes out a breath, letting his gaze shift to the pond they’re so enamored with. It’s been a while since the two of them got to enjoy simple things. “Seemed bigger when I was a kid.” Except it’s a mistake to open his mouth, because it’s suddenly on his tongue to say they killed them. Someone— His mom and dad and Shiro. Except he chokes it back down, burying the words down in his throat until it hurts and he can feel them sear into his brain, because he can’t not think them. But there’s no way Kisuke doesn’t know, and Ichigo doesn’t want to do that to his sisters so fucking out of nowhere. He gets it now. Why that pond is so fascinating. Ichigo swallows and feels a headache bloom behind his temples as his stomach twists.

It’s quiet here. “They were being followed?”

Ah. Noise at the front? That would, he expected, be Ichigo. Kisuke noticed Yuzu's attention perk, and listened keenly himself. By all accounts it would seem they had the visitor he'd been hoping for. "It does sound as though your brother's here!" Karin sat, disaffected, still watching out the large open window that looked out onto the courtyard, arms wrapped around herself despite the encouraging look he gave her.

He shifted in his seat, manifesting a wide grin as he turned to face the doorway toward which footfalls stomped ever closer. "Ichigo!—"

But the latter burst in on them like a tidal wave of orange agitation, drowning out his greeting with a blustering insinuation.

"Well I was going for three—" His chastised expression managed to be both simultaneously wounded and apologetic. "My my, how you've grown..." His eyes were now cannily sizing up the teenager, comparing notes and doing checksums, and drawing more than a few conclusions. "...into a quite a mature young man..."

"Onii-chan!" Yuzu interrupted, beckoning Ichigo to join them. "Have a seat! We've just been relaxing and watching the turtle in the pond. Oh—there was his head! Did you see it? Oh, he went back under... would you like a drink? They have juice!"

Kisuke turned a doting smile at her, chuckling. "I'm afraid your sister's made herself so at home here she's playing hostess," he remarked. "But the invitation still stands—though you certainly needn't. Please, it's been so long since we've had a visit—won't you join us?" He stretched out a magnanimous arm and waved his hand downward, gesturing toward a space beside them.

Karin smirked, at last turning and breaking her silence. "He doesn't bite," she added. "I can vouch for that."

[red-letter-imagines]

Tokyo Revengers Head Cannons #1: You Give Him an Eskimo Kiss (Draken, Ran)

Ryuguji “Draken” Ken:

🐉 You’re chilling on his breaktime, having just finished sharing a homemade meal.

🐉 He’s lounging, halfway into a food coma, with an arm slung around your shoulders while you nuzzled into his side. He’s still in his overalls, and smells a little like grease and his drugstore sandalwood perfume.

🐉 His slowing breaths bring a smile to your face, and you look up at him. He’s beautiful like this, eyelashes casting shadows over his cheeks and lips parted slightly.

🐉 Yet you sigh; he still has some work to do, and he hates closing up late. 

🐉 So, being the amazing person you are, you decide to remind him. Your mouth opens to call out to him, but just as your vocal chords prepare, an idea hatches in your noggin.

🐉 You’d seen a child do this to their parent on the way here. The term escapes you, but it involved rubbing the tip of your nose on the other person’s. It melted your heart, and you figured with Draken’s tall and pointy nose, it was a walk in the park. 

🐉 You crane your face up to his, and with bated breath, touch your nose with his and slowly shake your head. 

🐉 His eyes fly open, and you nearly fall off the couch with the strength of his shock. You whisper an apology and try to explain yourself, but he’s bug-eyed and...blushing?

🐉  He stammers, asking what the hell you were doing to him, and you tell him he has to go back to work, else he sacrifices his sleep. Turning a little red yourself, you narrate the series of events that led up to this point, avoiding his eyes.

🐉  Once your little tale comes to an end, you peek from under your lashes to see Draken still pink in the cheeks, but the edges of his lips were twitching.  

🐉 Before you can ask, or maybe apologize, he roughly runs his fingers through your hair, mutters that you’re too adorable for his heart sometimes, then plants a kiss right atop your head. You’re practically a stoplight by the time he gets up again, and relish in the soft fluffy feelings that little gesture brought to your heart.

Haitani Ran:

☠ He and Rindou had gotten themselves into a brawl yet again. This time it was some cheap-shots who wanted to usurp their positions as kings of Roppongi. 

☠ The fight didn’t last very long, but one of them managed to land a punch, the knuckles ripping a ridge across Ran’s cheek. He took care of the dude with a swift whack to the temple and sent the bastard skidding across the street. 

☠ Much to his amusement, his baton left an imprint on the guy’s forehead, but with how the cold night air bit at his open wound, he thinks he should’ve swung harder. Honestly, the shit Rindou gave him for actually getting hit-in the face, no less-stung more. 

☠ As they weaved around neighborhoods, the streets gradually became familiar and Rindou kindly points out that your apartment building is around three blocks away. 

☠ Since it was closer, and neither of them really wanted to travel far at 2 in the morning, the brothers knock on your door with absolutely no consideration of you actually being asleep. 

☠ Ran fingers your doorbell with all his might, while Rindou raps his busted knuckles against the wood. The younger brother actually left bloodstains on your door, but you’d only find out through a concerned neighbor the following day. 

☠ Footsteps stomp towards them, and Ran mentally prepares himself for the beast that is a half-awake you, while Rindou remains blissfully unaware of what’s about to come. That pissant was more trouble than he’s worth. 

☠ The door slowly creaks open, revealing you with purple eyebags and a bedhead that could’ve passed as a (h/c) lion’s mane. The brothers freeze, and you glare at them for approximately 30 seconds before gesturing for them to come in. 

☠ As could be expected, all the lights are off with blankets haphazardly tossed on the back of your couch. What Ran didn’t expect soon enough, however, was the stacks of abused papers and textbooks atop your coffee table. 

☠ Only then does he remember that you have college entrance exams coming up in two days. Suddenly, all of your in-phone complaints flooded his conscience, particularly rants about how sleep-deprived you’ve been for nearly two weeks, hence why you’d been skipping out on date nights. 

☠ His heart drops, and now his chest hurts more than the gash on his cheek. He turns to you trudging to him with a first-aid kit, one you had jokingly decorated to look like that of your favorite zombie shooter. The “Haitani starter pack”, you called it. 

☠ Whatever mirth that memory conjured was quickly crushed when you sit him down and open the kit. Christ, you’re probably worse off than they are. Your half-open gaze could barely focus on his face, and in your clouded state you’d forgone even turning a light on. 

☠ Rindou’s blessedly silent, a fleeting thought suggesting he might’ve fallen asleep already. Sighing, he reaches over to flip the switch on your floor lamp and winces when you squint even more. His whispered apology isn’t answered, and his brows droop. 

☠ The smell of disinfectant stings his nostrils, followed by a hotter burn on his injury. Resisting the urge to hiss and dodge the offending cottonball, he opts to take a good look at you. 

☠  Behind the fatigue and drowsiness in your eyes, there’s flecks of worry and confusion. Despite how many fights they got into on a regular basis, it’s a rarity to have them come home scathed. Their arrival must’ve frazzled you quite a bit. Ran curses himself and the cosmos to have aligned this with your currently stressful lifestyle. 

☠ Silently, he reaches for your vacant hand with both of his, rubbing your knuckles slowly. You finally reciprocate his gaze, and he sees it morph into crystalline forgiveness. It radiates from your eyes like starlight, and it only dug his mistakes deeper in his heart. How did he deserve you?

☠ Strangely, you put down the now-pink cottonball and frame your hands on his cheeks. He’s quick to nuzzle the uncut side of his face on the plushness of your palms, closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them up to your soft smile. 

☠ His heart stutters, and his ears start to heat up. Your descent to his face is slow, and inch by inch he burns this image of you in his mind. He keeps his eyes open, curious as to what you might pull, but then...

☠ The tip of your button nose tickles his pointed one, and his composure crumbles like a dry cookie. He becomes a literal stop sign: stiff as hell, and all red up top. 

☠ His gaze refuses to break yours though, and Ran thinks to himself that maybe this wasn’t too bad, after all. 

[lizard-shifter-noms]

Still Subject To Change Chapter 4

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Hello! sorry for not uploading last week but i was away on vacation and i couldnt bring my PC which has all my writing.

but heres chapter 4!

i wish all of you a wonderfull weekend and have fun reading!

asks /anon are still on btw so feel free to ask whatever

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It had been two days now since we escaped from Maringand and Arthur had almost completely healed aside from a slightly crooked nose.

He also had kept his word about not telling Rikaad about how he actually escaped, which I was glad about.

We had gotten a lot closer to the mountain in the time we had walked even if i still thought that if i carried all of them it would have been faster but so far the only one that had never actually willingly climbed into my hands was Rikaad, and he made no sign of ever wanting to do that.

It was fine that he didn’t, 

I just wish walking after them didn't feel so awfully slow.

It did make sense that i was able to walk a lot faster than they were seeing as my legs were taller than them, 

none of the humans even reached up to my knees.

At the very least we were now very close to the mountains and I could see Wyrmhurst mountain in front of me, only a few minutes walk away and I realized for the first time how steep it actually was.

I marveled at the fact that something Steeper as a barn roof didn't just collapse in itself, which also presented the question how the fuck anyone was supposed to climb this thing.

The narrow woods surrounding us weren't any help either as I got stuck more and more often in the branches as the trees got bigger the farther we traveled and Rikaad had to patch my shirt twice now. 

In short, this sucked, a lot.

We probably would have to go around it a bit to see if there were any less dangerous places to climb.

But maybe we got lucky and the first place we found was at least somewhat climbable.

Expecting either more Forest or just a wall of stone,  I was surprised that we suddenly emerged in a little clearing that had a big Oaktree stump that went up to be over my head,

and surprisingly an askew hut that had been directly embedded into the cliffside of the mountain.

Judging by the smoke coming out of one of the three chimneys it was even inhabited. 

“Who the fuck would live out here of all things?”

Arthur had apparently seen the smoke too, and I did have to give him right on this. 

This was out in a Forest that was widely regarded as dangerous and deadly as proven by the fact that I had to fight off at least three more manticores in the two days we had traveled.

At least most of the Wildlife left us alone due to my size but it was still annoying, and mosquitoes did not care how big I was so they were the major annoyance anyway.

But it was still strange why someone would live out here of all places.

“No idea maybe they got banished or something,  i think we should just leave it alone”

I really didn't want to mess with someone that had survived out here, human sized no less as indicated by the hut.

If someone could survive out here they probably had a lot of skill and I wanted to keep my hide intact a bit longer.

I didn't want to walk backwards in case one of the humans was right behind me so instead I turned my head around to scout the area, Rikaad doing the same, trying to figure out where to go to not intrude in this place.

Suddenly I heard an unknown voice from somewhere above me and I looked around to locate it.

“What do we have here? Humans? This far out and traveling with an Ardua no less, how strange”

I could not find where the voice was coming from, it sounded like it was above me somewhere between two big trees and I hoped that I was still the only giant here.

I didn't know if I could fend off an actual one and I'd rather not test that.

And what the hell was the voice even talking about? The human comment made sense but the rest not so much.

Feeling Robin hide behind my leg I decided to respond to the voice and see if it was hostile or not.

“Who are you? What do you mean by that? And where are you? I don't like talking to disembodied voices”

The other two humans had also shifted to stand closer to me, likely not wanting to suddenly find themselves face to face with a possibly hostile being.

“You can call me Oakley, and I'm right here, you have to look up to the tree young Ardua, i'm right in front of you on one of the branches”

Hearing the voice who introduced itself as Oakley say that they were in the tree in front of me, I tried my best to actually find them, 

but I couldn't make out anything.

It seemed even the others couldn't see anything either judging by Robin's reaction.

“I can't see anything? Are you sure that you are there?  Or are you messing with us?”

“Look again”

This time I could actually make something out, but only because it was moving, having blended in perfectly before due to standing absolutely still.

The figure that showed itself was wearing a dark green patterned cloak that hid most of their other features.

But I could make out the Pointiest ears I had ever seen poking out from between hair that had the color of oak bark, 

and strangely bent legs with weird birdlike feet that had two of their toes bent backwards to grip the branch the figure was sitting on better.

After a second I could also make out a sort of tail swaying behind them that was split into two at the last part showing that their skin was the color of Stripped oak wood.

If they had not moved I would never have been able to tell that they were there.

My brain decided to toss any possible answer I could have given away at the sight of this…man? But luckily Rikaad had an idea how to respond.

“Alright that's very impressive, are you the one that lives here? If so we are sorry to intrude we do not mean to and will leave as soon as we figure out the direction we need to go in”

Oakley cocked his head to the side and I noticed his eyes were a piercing shade of yellow, like those of a hawk and I couldn't help but feel uneasy looking into them.

“Where are you going? I might know the way, and you are welcome to stay for a bit especially since it's been forever that i have talked to someone who didn't throw stuff at me”

He was right, he lived here after all and knew the area better than us so just asking might be the easiest way and the invitation didn't sound too bad either, it was going to be dark soon.

But we did not know this guy, he could be dangerous and thus far we hadn't even seen what the entirety of him looked like.

I noticed that his gaze had suddenly fallen onto the cursed bracelet on my arm and was watching it intensely with his striking yellow eyes.

“Ohh you found it! I've been looking everywhere for this trinket after someone stole it a few years ago!”

He suddenly pushed the cloak behind him and swooped out of the tree and I could see that he did not have arms, instead there was a pair of leathery batlike wings in the same color as his skin flapping to keep him in the air.

Having something akin to a giant bat suddenly swan diving to my face I instinctively put my arms up to shield myself.

For a moment nothing happened but suddenly I could feel the bracelet being stripped away, but no pain, it seemed that he had managed to get it off somehow without hurting me.

“HEY! WHAT THE HELL”

He had flown to sit on the tall stump, the bracelet was held in his tail by wrapping it around the trinket and he perched there like a content Magpie.

It took a few more seconds for his words to register in my brain but before I could say anything the others had already responded, with Arthur shouting loudly.

“YOU MEAN THAT'S YOURS?”

And Robin making a worried face while Rikaad seemed to calculate the best way to not fuck things up.

But Arthur had a point, if it was his he could probably fix the curse!

I had expected to shrink as soon as the bracelet was off but that wasn't the case apparently.

I Wasn't sure if he actually knew how to lift the curse, But asking if he could help wouldn't hurt.

“If that is yours” I pointed at the trinket  “can you fix this curse then?”

He seemed confused at my question so I decided to elaborate.

“This thing turned me into a giant and i would like to be normal again”

For a moment he seemed to actually listen before I heard a strange chattering sound and it took me a few seconds to realize that it was him laughing.

“HEKHEKHEKHEK, that's not a curse! It works as intended! It's not my fault you don't know how to use it! Which is weird, seeing as you are Ardua you should know.”

I understood exactly nothing of what he had just said, what did he mean this wasn't a curse? He had called me an Ardua twice now, whatever that meant, and why should I know how to use it? I've never seen such a thing before this month.

Apparently Robin agreed with my thinking as he asked.

“What's an Ardua? And what do you mean it's not a curse?”

I had no idea what that word meant, but if it was just another word for Bastard I would punch something, preferably Oakley.

Oakley however just stared at me with an incredulous expression,  like he couldn't believe that I had absolutely zero idea what he was talking about.

“You ARE Ardua how do you not know? If you weren't the bracelet would have killed you the moment you put it on your arm”

Well that was not reassuring at all,  and I still had no idea what he was talking about aside from apparently being a specific race of elf? Well half elf.

The others looked at me weirdly and I grimaced at them, as if I Had any idea what was going on! I didn’t understand jackshit either.

The birdlike man once again cocked his head to the side and then walked over the top of the stump where he stood sidewards like gravity didn't really affect him.

Weird fucker but i wanted answers so i was at least going to listen for now.

“Since apparently I know nothing about this, could you maybe explain it? Im sick of not knowing what the fuck is going on with me right now”

He turned his head weirdly and winked me closer.

I very reluctantly got slowly closer glancing back at my fellow travelers who also looked a bit mistrusting, a tiny bit curious but still wary.

“Hold out your hand i'm going to put the bracelet back and show you”

I wasn't sure whether i trusted him or not but so far he hadn't hurt any of us and he seemed to know something about it so it might be my chance to go back to normal.

“Wait just one second”

Ignoring his confused gaze I scratched all over the area where the Trinket had been as I wasn't able to do that for some time now and it had started to get annoying.

Slowly holding my arm out he put the Bracelet back over my wrist where it once again shrank until it fit perfectly against my skin.

For a few seconds nothing happened then Oakley swiped his tail over the gems and I suddenly had the feeling of falling forward.

Trying to catch myself I put my hands out in front of me just as I landed on the grass, but something was wrong.

Somehow I did not feel bipedal anymore, and looking back to my human companions I could see various stages of shock and disbelief on their faces.

There was silence for a few seconds before Robin shouted with gleaming eyes.

“KITTY!”

What.

Looking down on myself I could see paws where my hands should be, and even worse was that they were covered in green fur and looking at my back showed that there was even more fur on my new now quadrupedal form with a tail swishing behind it.

What. The. Fuck.

There even were some plants growing on my fur covered back which made even less sense.

“Oakley what did you do??? Turn me back! This isn't normal”

The man in question just stared at me with a huge grin on his face and started flapping around me like an oversized bat.

“Come on, just because you didn't know anything about it doesn't mean it's not normal, but i'm not really surprised you know nothing about it i had believed the Ardua to be extinct”

I could see out of the corner of my eye that Rikaad had sent Arthur and Robin to get a bit away and was now aiming his crossbow at the flying form of Oakley.

However with the way he was flying it was impossible to get a clear shot, at least not without also hitting me.

“I don't care! I just want things to go back to normal! Give me my human form back!”

Did I REALLY want things to go back to normal? After all, the time I had been a giant I had been the least lonely since basically forever.

But i still preferred having hands as the lack of them made it difficult to catch the flying fucker and swiping with paws just wasn't working well.

So not being able to use my hands I instead snapped at him with my teeth missing him barely and causing him to cackle again.

“HEKHEKHEKHEK see? You already fit your new form! Let's see if you can catch me!”

He was now flying even faster around me and acting like an annoying bat so I snapped at him again, making my teeth clack against each other.

“rrrRRRRRrrrrr get down here you fucker!”

He was flying higher so I tried to jump but missed again,  temporarily forgetting about the humans I had come with as I tried to get Oakley out of the sky.

Surprisingly the four legged form wasn't that hard to control and I could move just as well as when I had been a half human half elf.

At some point Oakley landed on the tree stump and stood sideways on the wood like gravity did not bother him at all, two of his toes bent back to grip the bark.

He kept out of reach from Rikaads crossbow too, smart fucker.

“Look, you are the only one that thinks this is funny but I hate it! Can you please turn me back? This sucks and i miss having thumbs”

Oakley stopped grinning and walked down sidewards the length of the stump reminding me of how crabs moved.

This guy just got weirder and weirder but at least he seemed done with his bullshit for now as he moved near the bracelet again.

For the first time I could really see him up close and noticed that his wings had three fingers on top with only two being long and having a membrane for flying as well as that his knees were bent with what seemed to be an elongated ankle.

He Swiped his tail over the bracelet and I had once again the feeling of falling, but only this time I really did fall, on my face.

Due to being a four legged creature before I fell face first into the dirt, but now I was human sized again.

Finally! I was back to normal! And looking up at Oakley he had cocked his head again, probably wondering why I was still lying on the floor.

“I gotta teach you how to use that thing, this is just stupid how come you don't know anything about it?”

Oakleys weird energetic behavior was gone for a moment but before I could respond anything I was yanked off the ground into a hug, startling me badly as I wasn't used to interacting with something my size anymore.

My brain froze up for a moment before I registered a red mop of messy hair next to my face burying into my shoulder.

The one that had yanked me into a hug was Robin and I hugged back after a few seconds, still a bit out of the loop.

I was touching someone my own size! This was awesome!

And Robin interacting with me like this meant that we were friends, right?

I hadn't really allowed myself to consider the three humans as friends before, I had been a Giant after all and as such couldn't go near any city ever again.

Being back at human size i noticed that Everything looked weird now,  like it was too big as i had gotten used to everything being smaller than me but i couldn't complain.

I was back to normal after what felt like the longest week and a half or so of my life and I was able to actually do mundane stuff again!

Someone patted my back and tried to yank both me and Robin into a standing position and I had to let go to avoid falling over again.

Looking directly and face to face into Arthur's eyes was weird, and awkward considering what had happened three days before so I turned around to talk to Robin only to see Rikaad.

He was taller than me now.

And I had definitely been right in being scared of him. 

He was rather buff, not overtly so that it would restrict his range of motion but I was sure he could throw me pretty far.

Also looking up at someone was strange and seeing those icy gray eyes up close did not make it better as they seemed even more intimidating now.

“Are you alright? That was… weird, especially that green creature you turned into for a bit”

At least Rikaad was friendly even now but I agreed that it was weird.

“I'm fine, really it's just weird being small again everything seems… bigger”

It was a lame answer, I knew that but my mind was still reeling with the fact that I was back to normal so I didn't care if my answers made sense.

“How did you turn into that green thing? I've never seen such a thing before”

Arthur had a point, apparently this weird bracelet could do more than turn me into a giant and Oakley knew how, I probably should ask him how and besides, it was his anyway and I should give it back.

“Can you turn into the green kitty again? It looked soft”

I looked at Robin confusedly, why would he call that green beast i had temporarily become a kitty?.

“What on that green thing looked like a cat to you???”

“It had paws and a fuzzy tail, also your ears flicked funnily”

That wasn't really enough reason to call it a ‘kitty’ though, but as long as he wasn't scared of it I wouldn't correct him.

And it was probably time to give the trinket back to Oakley, he'd be glad to have it back, after all it had been stolen for long enough that the corpse of the thief had rotted to the bones.

“I should probably give this back to Oakley now, it's his after all”

I tapped the metal accessoire to show what I meant. 

Rikaad leaned over, ending up sort of looming over us and I tried not to be bothered by the fact that I wasn't the tallest anymore.

“He did mention that it belongs to him, so i Believe returning it to its rightful owner is the best thing to do”

I nodded at them and turned to walk over to Oakley who was once again standing Sidewards on the stump.

This man did not care for Gravity huh.

Ignoring that he seemed to take offense to the existence of gravity,  I went over to him again to return the trinket to its owner.

Glancing back for a second the few meters I had already walked,  I saw Arthur ruffling Robin's ginger locks and Rikaad smiling at them.

I wondered if I could have such things too? I was back to normal now, but my normal still contained the fact that I was a Bastard and not wanted in any of the Kingdoms.

Ignoring those thoughts for now I held the arm with the Bracelet out to Oakley, I still didn't know how to get it off myself after all and needed his help to get it off my wrist.

He reached for it but then seemed to have a different idea.

“Keep it”

I was baffled, he'd just give me an enchanted…whatever…Bracelet?

But he said that it was his. 

Why would he give it to me now? A Bastard of all things.

Apparently my stare showed my confusion as he smiled at me.

“I cant use it, if i where to put it on i would die from incompatible magics, also it doesn't fit over my wings,  and i really don't know how i would even wear it so giving it to the only one i've ever seen that actually CAN use it is the best decision here”

I stared numbly at the weird… Fae? Whatever he was he seemed to be an alright guy if a bit of an annoyance at times.

But I did need to know how to use it, even if it was an awesome gift it would be useless if I didn't know how it worked.

“Thank you! But uhh, how do I use it? You moved too fast to see what you did so can you show me?”

He stood up straighter adding at least an inch to his height and tilted his head to the left before nodding.

“Ah yes it would be smart if you actually knew how to use it, after all it won't be of much help if you don't”

He walked a few steps away from the stump, probably to avoid damaging it should I grow and I followed suit, glancing behind me for a second.

The Humans were talking among themselves but repeatedly looking over at me, probably out of concern and I gave them a thumbs up to signify that all was well before turning back to Oakley.

“So, first off that's not a curse but rather a genetically tied Enchantment for Beings that are called Ardua, and you can only use it if you are a descendant from one of the original otherwise you just die”

“So I could have died back then??? Why would anyone design it like this???”

He shrugged.

“Defense mechanism is my best guess but i'm not all knowing, so let's continue”

I nodded numbly,  A defense mechanism did make sense so he was probably right.

“I have never seen an Ardua in person before, only drawings in various scriptures some of which were as detailed as having entire biological sketches but that's not important, well unless you need a doctor because your organs are kinda nonsense to humans”

Well I was very aware of that.

“I get what you mean i know my anatomy is kinda fucked, besides i cant go to any human doctor anyway they'd kill me”

He looked a bit concerned but continued anyway.

“That's horrible but moving on to the matter at hand, to change between form you should take a good look at the embedded gems”

Holding my arm up to my face to inspect the gems closer,

The only thing I could see for now were the five inlaid green gems. 

I didn't even know what type of gemstone they were let alone how they would help me shift into a giant or that green thing Oakley had called an Ardua.

The five gems were spaced rather evenly with three forming a single line down between the ornaments from top to bottom and two more stuck between even more of the big ornament to the sides.

I didn't really see what I was supposed to do, press them like buttons?

Trying that didn't work so I looked back at Oakley for help.

“You have to turn the gems, like a gear and the direction decides what form you are going to take”

He put his hands on the magic trinket and slowly turned the darkest green gem at the top of the three row counterclockwise.

Before I could react I had grown back into a Giant at about the same speed he had turned the Gem.

“YO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?”

Looking behind me I could see my human companions looking confused and Arthur had apparently been the one that shouted as his hands were still half raised to form a speaker over his mouth.

“I'm fine! Oakley is showing me how this thing works, don't worry!”

I waved the arm with the bracelet to show what I meant.

They seemed to calm down a bit at that and went back to listen to whatever Robin was Rambling about, frequently turning to check on me.

Turning my attention back to Oakley i Bent down so he could reach the Bracelet again.

“Try turning it in the opposite direction as long as it's the same gem you are fine”

Taking his advice I slowly turned the dark green gem in a clockwise rotation until I couldn't turn it any further,  and after about a second shrank again to my normal height.

“Oh this is actually pretty awesome! How do I turn into the green thing?”

A huge smile had plastered onto Oakleys face and I could see two sharp fangs poking out, even longer and sharper than mine.

“You turn the other one, the one at the bottom, it works just like the top one”

That made sense, but what function did the other gems have?

“What do the other gems do? Don't tell me this thing has MORE forms to turn into”

“No it doesn't have more forms than that, the two gems on the sides are for stabilization if i read correctly and the Rhombus shaped one should be the one that draws in power from the environment so it is usable”

Man, this guy knew a lot about this even if he had said that he'd never seen one in person. 

Deciding not to question it for my own sanity I tested the Ardua form out again by turning the lighter green gem on the bottom.

After a second I was back in the Four legged form of the Green beast that Robin had called a Kitty.

The form itself wasn't so bad actually, i felt like i suddenly had more muscles, probably to support the Quadrupedal form.

Now that I had a bit more time to inspect this form,  I gave myself a lookover.

I had sturdy legs that were like everything else covered in thick green fur, paws that had sharp looking white claws and i knew i had to be careful with those as well as a fuzzy tail with a tuft of lighter green fur at the end and for whatever reason there were literal plants growing on my back.

The plants were mainly Daisies and Dandelions but had a few violets and lots of other plants strewn in,  most of which I recognized as edible or at least not poisonous.

“Why do i have-”

“ it's earth element magic so in not surprised about the plants, It's even funnier when you realize that it lets you photosynthesize like one too”

“Photo-what?" 

The word seemed familiar, Like Id heard it before, Then it clicked.

"Wait, you mean because I'm like a plant I don't need to eat? That would explain why i never felt hungry”

He nodded, affirming my thoughts and I had to admit never having to eat was absolutely great! I wouldn't have to steal food ever again!

“Just remember to drink enough, don't want you drying out do we?”

I nodded as things made a lot more sense now where before that was only confusion.

And now I knew how to use it!

That was awesome! It meant that I could switch between forms whenever I wanted! I could-

I still couldn't go back to Kamerasca.

It was only logical really, I was still a bastard and being able to turn into a green monster wouldn't help to show that I was as much of a person as everyone else there.

I doubted that the three humans I had befriended could do anything about it as they weren't even full Guards yet.

“Oi what's got you down so suddenly?”

Oakley had apparently sensed that something was wrong as he tilted his head again reminding me of a bird.

“I just remembered that I can't really go back to…. any Kingdom really, I'm still an unwanted bastard and they would probably kill me on sight if not worse, but i don't want to roam the woods like some mindless beast either”

Oakley wasn't human either so he would probably understand, After all, he lived all the way out here on the mountain.

“Ah I see, yeah humans do that, they don't understand something and immediately stamp it as a bad thing that has to get rid off,  i've seen it countless times so if that's the problem you could live here? Some company would be nice”

I looked around the clearing that he lived in, it was a nice place and he had an actual house so I wouldn't have to sleep in a cave or something and it was protected by the woods and mountainside, 

a good place really.

But I couldn't leave the humans to go back on their own, what if more beasts appeared? So far the manticores hadn't been that hard to get rid off, i had just kicked them across the map but they were smaller than most monsters so defending themselves was going to be a challenge.

Oakleys offer was good, very good even but I had promised to get them back so I would do that. 

I could still come back here later after I had brought them to Kamerasca.

Making my mind up I turned back to Oakley and twisted the gem to turn back into the smallest form which was a bit difficult given that I now had an extremely short thumb that was half covered in fur.

“Can I come back later? I do want to take your offer, i really do, but i promised to bring them back to Kamerasca and i still plan on doing that”

He nodded and tilted his head back into a normal position shuffling his wings a bit closer to his body.

“Keeping promises is important so of course you can come back later! This isn't a one time offer i'm not an asshole so take your time,  i'll still be here even in a week or two, no need to rush”

I was relieved to hear that, but we still didn't really know what direction we had to go in to get to Kamerasca.

“Say, do you know the way? To Kamerasca i mean we got kinda lost”

He nodded and rummaged for a second in his green patterned cloak before taking out a round metal object.

“Here this will help, you just have to go south south east then you should find it and to get back to me just go north north west”

He Handed me the metal thing and I could see that it was an extremely well made compass in an expensive looking hull that seemed to be made out of actual steel.

“I- Thats- Thank you! That's really useful! But it looks very expensive, Are you sure you want to give that to me?  You already gave me the bracelet”

He nodded and fished out at least three more of the compass out of his cloak, all held together by a thin but sturdy rope.

“I have lots of em, giving one out isn't gonna do anything to me, now you should probably get on the move i'm sure you can cover some ground until it's dark, it's only midday after all”

He was right, we had spent the majority of the morning here and still had plenty of time to cover some distance.

Walking back to the Humans I saw that Robin had once again made about a dozen flower crowns and planted some on the head of Arthur and was About to put one on Rikaad’s head.

Rikaad bowed his head in front of the smaller boy who then slowly put the flowers on his head.

It kind of looked like a coronation and  had to smile, it was kinda funny that Rikaad just let Robin do whatever.

Suddenly Robin's head whipped around and a huge smile plastered onto his face as he saw me.

“Donovan! Do you want a flower crown too?”

He held one up that was made of lots of daisies and I nodded.

“Sure! You are good at making them”

He carefully put it on my head and it fit perfectly.

“Oakely showed me how to use the bracelet and gave me a compass so we could find Kamerasca”

I held up the metal object for them to see and I could see Arthur face light up at the prospect of getting home soon, while Rikaad was as professional as ever even with the flowers on his head.

“That is very good news, i say we pack our belongings and start moving”

Rikaad had already put his small bag over his shoulder and tossed Arthur his as i was now unable to put it in my pockets as a human sized being.

Oh wait, I could fix that, but I probably should ask first to avoid scaring them half to death by suddenly shifting.

“I could go Giant again and carry those? Oakley let me have the Bracelet so i can shift whenever”

At the mention that I was now able to switch forms whenever I wanted Robin's eyes lit up and he bounced a bit on his feet.

“Can you turn back into the green kitty? It looked so cool!”

All of us gave him a weird look and he pouted before grabbing some more of his flower crowns.

“Maybe later, i don't have pockets in that form”

Going a few steps back I turned the gem and grew back to about thirty feet tall give or take as I had nothing to actually measure myself with.

“Ayo what the hell, this is really weird”

“Arthur you literally have seen this before if anyone should freak out about this it would more likely be me”

Rikaad was right, he'd never actually seen me shift before whereas Arthur and Robin have as they were there when I first grew into a giant.

Robin seemed completely unbothered by it, just smiling and holding his multitude of flower crowns.

Speaking of flower crowns, the one he gave me had stayed on my head till now but was still normal sized so when I moved my head a bit it slid down my front where I managed to catch it.

It was way too small now to properly wear but I probably could put it on a finger.

The only finger it fit on was my pinky finger but I put it there nonetheless even if it would probably fall off soon.

Picking up the bags and stuffing them in my pockets, I took out the compass again only to realize that it was too small to properly read now.

One of the smaller men would have to direct us then,  but I pondered who I should give it to.

Probably Rikaad, he seemed the most responsible of the three and I was sure he wouldn't end up accidentally destroying it.

So bending down again I held my hand out to him, presenting the comically small looking item to him.

“I can't read it, it's too small right now can you lead with it? Oakley said we had to go south south east to get to Kamerasca”

He carefully took it and held it up to his face, determining which way to go.

“I will try my best as a navigator, for now we have to go back into the woods across the clearing”

He started walking in the direction he had pointed at a few seconds ago and all of us followed him.

As we went past the stump Oakley was still standing there waving.

“Safe journey! I know the woods can be a pain in the ass sometimes!”

He was grinning hugely and suddenly Robin went up to him with his dozens of flower crowns in hand and put one on his head,  This one contained some daisies and violets but also some nice yellow buttercups before he ran up to me.

Oakley looked confused for a second and touched the crown, going a bit cross eyed from trying to look at his own head but went back to smiling immediately, showing off his fangs.

“Thank you! What pretty blossoms! I wish you well, little human!”

I could swear that his tail was subtly wagging behind his cloak but chose not to comment on it,  and everyone else just said their version of bye and waved.

We crossed the threshold of the trees and I turned around one last time waving at the weird nonhuman.

“See you Donovan! I will try to find the scriptures about Ardua so when you come back I can tell you more!”

He spread his wings and flew up into the air and out of sight towards his little hut where he disappeared inside.

“What did he mean by that? Do you have to come back to return the compass?”

Robin looked up at me confusedly, right, I hadn't told them that I was going back here once I brought them to Kamerasca.

“Oh right, since going back to… any Kingdom really,  is a bad idea as i’ll just be killed im going to come back here after i bring you guys to Kamerasca”

He suddenly had a downcast expression and looked at me with sad, pleading eyes and i felt a pang as i realized yes this is my friend,  and i was going to have to leave him for my own safety.

I knew it was for the best but I couldn't help it, the feeling of loneliness would be back even when living with Oakley i knew something would be missing.

“Do you have to? Maybe we can convince the guards that a giant would be great for the troops? Or just have you protect something? Like a field or-”

“Robin you know that's not going to work, the King would lynch us all”

I looked to Rikaad who had spoken, his face stoic and focused on the path forward.

“I don't know what exactly the kings problem is with fae folk that he hates them that much,  but i do know that just because some Guard apprentices want to convince them that what they believed to be dangerous for their entire lives won’t make them change their minds”

He was of course right, but I did wonder what could lead to someone hating on an entire species this badly.

I would never know, and I would also never have to see him, which I was glad for as I didn't want to be scrutinized by such a hateful mind.

“Soooo we just go home after all this and then what? Go back to normal? I don't really think i can do that after this weird misadventure”

Arthur had a point, what WOULD i do once this was over? Live with Oakley sure, but what would I do? Just sleep? 

I couldn't really steal there as the only one around would be Oakley and he'd know who it was.

“I don't know, but for now getting you back to Kamerasca is the best option, the woods are no place for humans”

The slowly healing and scarring over wounds from the manticore on Arthur's side proved that on its own already,  but combined with the fact that they didn't even know what plants were safe to eat and which ones would kill them it was a recipe for disaster.

I was very aware that only my presence as a Giant kept some of the smaller creatures away so I would make sure to stay big to protect the smaller humans.

The short conversation had left us all in a slightly bitter mood as we all realized our collective time together was coming to an end soon.

After about half an hour someone did break the silence.

“I think we should look for a place to camp overnight”

It was once again Rikaad breaking the silence with the suggestion of doing something completely reasonable, so we did just that and ended up setting the camp under some trees.

Putting some logs into a heap for a fire after I scared off some other weird creature that looked like someone had crossed a badger with a squirrel I made sure to stay close to the others in case there were more.

As the sky grew darker and no more creatures appeared I layed on my side, as close to the humans- no, my friends as I dared.

It was weird, actually considering someone as a friend after being so long alone but i couldn't say that i hated it.

Still, feeling Robin sleepily snuggle up to me as the night grew a bit colder I knew that I'd miss being with people.

I still was going to go to Oakley after this was over but he was a weird hermit and i only went because he was looking for more information on Ardua and i didn't want to be completely alone in the wilderness, Any company was better than none.

Falling asleep next to the smaller body of Robin i was sure Rikaad and Arthur could handle the first shift watching,  switching between sizes had made me more exhausted than I had initially realized and walking hadn't helped that at all.

I knew if something was the matter they'd wake me up or just shout loudly, besides both of them could hold their own pretty well, especially Rikaad.

I slept until about midnight, a deep dreamless sleep that was interrupted by Rikaad poking at my elbow, it was now my turn to take watch.

The silence of the night was weird, nobody spoke and was even trying to be extra quiet as the other two went to sleep, 

leaving me and a Quietly complaining Robin in the pale moonlight.

It was colder now, not as cold as those first few nights but still a bit chilly and I guessed it was because of the missing sunlight that would have warmed the earth at day.

Just sitting there in the silence of the night was weirdly calm, 

and even a bit relaxing.

Feeling something slump against my leg I looked down to see that Robin had fallen back asleep and was using me as an oversized pillow.

I debated whether or not to wake him up but ultimately decided against it.

If he was this tired i would let him sleep, besides I could keep watch over the camp myself.

After about two hours it was starting to get really boring, so to keep me from falling asleep I decided to mess with the Bracelet.

Gently moving Robin to lie on the Floor i went a few steps away to avoid waking anyone or accidentally destroying parts of the camp.

I wondered that since turning the gems once around themselves was what let me shift what would happen if I only turned them halfway.

Would I just shift anyway? Or stay as I was? Only one way to find out.

Hesitantly and slowly I turned the bottom gem about halfway before I stopped.

For about a second nothing happened, then I felt my muscles and bones shifting again.

But not as much as they would have to turn fully into the Ardua.

Inspecting myself I saw that the only things that had changed were that my nails had grown into claws and I had the lion esque tail swaying behind me.

A twitching motion out of the corner of my eye also told me that my ears had grown longer and were covered in greenish fuzz, and I wondered what my face looked like now.

Sadly I did not have a mirror but I could feel that my fangs had grown a  tiny bit and were poking over my bottom lip.

It was kinda funny and I wondered what else I could do.

So I went to turn it again only to find that I couldn't turn it further than it was.

Oh fuck.

I really hoped I hadn't just somehow managed to break the thing.

Frantically trying to turn either of the gems fully did not work and I had to accept that I was now stuck in this weird half form of beast and man.

Of course leave it to me to break it on the day I learned how to use it.

At least I still had opposable thumbs even if I was sure that the entirety of my hair had a greenish tint now.

Panicking was not gonna help me, and I was sure I had at least another two hours to figure out how to fix this.

Trying again and again to turn either of the gems in the direction they were supposed to just proved that they were stuck very thoroughly.

I even tried turning the other gems that did not really have anything to do with the two main gems, hell I ended up pressing them like buttons too hoping that would somehow fix it.

In the end it was all futile and I was still stuck being a fuzzy half man half beast.

Since fixing it didn't work even if i had tried for over an hour to revert back to normal  realized it would be day soon and the others would see that i had fucked up.

For a brief moment I wondered if I could keep it a secret but the fact that my ears were now even longer and fuzzy as well as the tail would give it away immediately so that was not an option.

I wondered how exactly I should tell them that I was now stuck as a giant, again.

I bet Arthur would either laugh or hate it, maybe both, and Robin would love the fuzzy tail.

I couldn't predict how Rikaad would react though and I kinda dreaded telling him, he was still the one i knew the least about, and he was the scariest too.

At the end just telling the truth was probably the best option but I would put it off until someone asked, maybe I got lucky and no one would question it more than to point out that I had a tail now.

And after that I could go back to Oakley and ask him for help.

I just hoped he wouldn't get angry about it but from the short amount of time i had known him it was more likely that he would cackle at me and then fix it.

Glancing over the sleeping forms of the humans I felt myself grow a bit sad again but shoved the feeling away. 

I could be sad when I was alone again and on my way to Oakley’s home.

Well my home also in the near future, which was weird to think about so i didn't.

Tossing some more logs into the fire and sitting back down next to it I stared at the moon.

It was strangely peaceful, aside from that weird creature from before nothing else had tried to come close, probably afraid of the giant that guarded the smaller humans.

It would now only be one or two hours until sunrise and I could see that my breath came out as small puffs again, indicating that it had once again gotten colder over the course of the night.

I tossed a few more pieces of wood into the gently crackling fire to make sure the others wouldn't be cold.

Then I went back to just staring at the surroundings, 

keeping an eye out for everything that might dare come close and tossing wood on the fire when I saw it got smaller.

As the sun finally began to rise and I felt the first sunbeams hit our camp Rikaad got up, startling me with how he could just awaken at this exact time while everyone else would have continued sleeping.

Seemingly not a trace of tiredness on his face he looked at me and did a double take seemingly confused at my new appearance.

Apparently deciding that whatever I did with the bracelet was my problem he left to go wake up Arthur.

Following his lead I went over to Robin and gently nudged him with a finger.

“Robin? Wake up, it's morning time to move”

He rolled over and mumbled something I couldn't understand, if it even was words at all and not just displeased sounds at having to get up.

Trying again to wake him up I rolled him over onto his back telling him again to get up.

“Sun is out, get up we have to go”

He finally blinked owlishly at me before noticing my ears and clumsily getting up.

“Why are your ears like that? Wait, are they fluffy? Can I touch them? Ohh you got the cat tail too!”

As expected he was overjoyed at my new traits and I bent down to let him touch one of my fuzzy ears.

“Fine, just don't yank it or you can carry your stuff yourself”

He nodded and carefully went to touch the fuzz on my half shifted ears with gleaming eyes.

“So soft! It's like the coat of a lamb!”

I had to admit that seeing him so happy about something so mundane made me smile, and having tiny hands gently massage my ears felt weirdly nice, not that I'd ever tell anyone that.

Though we still had to continue traveling, 

I cautiously stood back up much to the dismay of Robin who then opted to try and get my tail in his grip.

Ignoring his attempts for now and holding the appendage just out of his reach, I went to put all of their stuff that they didn't really need for now in my pockets.

Looking over to where the other two humans were standing I saw them checking the compass to make sure we were still headed in the right direction.

At our approach they both turned to us and I could see Arthur's brain stopping to work for a few seconds as he noticed my new features before his expression turned into an amused smile as he saw Robin attempting to grab my tail.

Speaking of that, 

I stopped holding the appendage out of his reach so he could finally grasp at it which sent a weird sensation across my nervous system. 

My brain told me that it was a ghost sensation of something not actually there even though it was.

Yeah this would take some getting used to.

Ignoring Robin as he climbed onto the topside of my tail holding onto it like a baby opossum as I let it rest on the forest floor. 

Looking at Rikaad who had stopped staring at the compass, 

I offered my hand palms up to take their bags if they wanted.

Both of the smaller men handed me their luggage with a small thanks and I stashed it in my pockets to keep my hands free.

“We should keep going, just standing around won't get us any closer to home”

So, following Rikaad we went towards South south east, past places i hadn't seen before.

We traveled for about two more days but something just felt…off.

The closer we got the colder it seemed to get, so much so that it had started snowing overnight again.

And it seemed that I wasn't the only one that had started to worry about it.

“You are SURE that we are going in the right direction? Because i don't think it should fucking snow during Spring!”

Yep, the colder environment had made Arthur a bit more Snarky, 

or at least exaggerated his use of curse words.

“Well yeah, we are going in the direction Oakley told me I don't know why the weather is so weird, maybe it wasn't really the start of spring and instead just a few weirdly warm weeks?”

Nobody looked really convinced at my words and i kinda wished that those Fucks from Maringand hadn't taken the Boarpelt Robin had used to keep warm those first few nights.

At least I still had my handkerchief, even if the roughly woven fabric wasn't exactly thick it was insulating enough to trap at least some warmth.

That and two people fit under it so sharing warmth was also an option even if most of the time Robin was the only one using it.

For Arthur it was Probably pride that kept him from taking the offer to share, as for Rikaad… well I didn't know but it did not seem like he needed it.

Aside from myself the cold affected him the least so he was probably fine, even if it still got colder and colder the closer we got to our destination.

It had gotten to the point where the snow didn't melt anymore even during the day and I let Robin use my Handkerchief as a sort of warm cape wrapped around him.

At least the fuzzy tail had an actual use now as a windshield and source of warmth even if I didn't dare bring it too close to the campfires we made.

Randomly going up in flames was not how I wanted to die.

And so far i had been lucky that no one asked why i was in this weird half form as i still hadn't managed to turn either of the gems fully and remained stuck in this weird form.

On the plus side at least having fuzzy ears prevented them from freezing off my head as icicles.

“How far do you think it is now? Oh maybe you could hold me above the trees again and then I'll see it?”

While Robin's idea wasn't bad I was worried that the now harsher winds would blow him out of my hands.

“I'm not sure, what if you fall? The winds have gotten stronger those last few days and i'd rather not have you break your neck from falling”

He nodded and curled back under the cloth while trying to snuggle closer to my chest for warmth, seemingly not disappointed much.

“Hey, can any of you try to find dry firewood?  Most of it what i found was soaked through from snow”

Looking over I saw that Rikaad was right, the clearing we had stopped had sparse vegetation, with only some sad looking leafless shrubs between the widely spaced tree trunks.

So I went to try and find some Wood to feed the meager flickering embers that Arthur was desperately trying to keep lit.

In the end i did not find much, especially not dry stuff but putting the wet wood next to the fire might make it dry till it was used,  at least I hoped so.

Well not much I could do about it aside from trying to be a good windshield to the humans that had gotten more and more quiet the colder it got.

It really seemed that the weather was putting everyone's mood down a bit, I had also gotten a bit quieter even if the cold didn't really do anything to me.

Best to settle down overnight, my turn to take watch was soon enough.

Curling around Robin on the floor next to the fire I tried to shield them the best I could from the frigid winds until I had to get up again.

Using my own arm as a pillow I fell into a light sleep feeling Robin cozy up to my torso, 

probably an attempt at staying out of the wind completely.

My rest wasn't exactly good as the wind kept blowing strands of my hair into my face.

I probably needed a haircut but I hadn't seen a mirror in ages. 

I didn't even know what I looked like exactly at this point but I didn't really care about such things too much anyway, I'd chop it if it got too long and that's it.

At some point I was woken up from my rather restless sleep by Rikaad who told me that it was my turn to watch now.

As I got up I could see that he settled as close to the pitifully flickering fire as he could and went to go sleep himself.

Positioning myself so that I blocked as much of the wind as I could,  I checked that Robin was still wrapped in the cloth I gave him and gently tried to pull him closer to me so he could rest without the wind on his tiny frame.

Over time the Fire got smaller and smaller despite my best efforts at keeping it lit, but there just was not enough wood so at some point it was just a bunch of sadly flickering embers and a heap of ash.

I couldn't really just get more wood either as everything was soaked and would just extinguish the last embers completely.

I was worried, i knew it was very cold even if it didn't affect me somehow, But the smaller humans were prone to the cold.

Maybe just keeping them in my hands would work? They were warmer than the ground at least and kept the wind out.

Reaching over I picked Robin up, he was cold, very cold.

So cold in fact that he wasn't even shivering anymore and turning him over onto his back showed a pale face with dark blue lips.

Panic settled in my chest as I carefully held my finger onto his chest hoping for anything to show he was alive.

For a few agonizingly slow seconds I thought he was dead, 

but then I felt the chest move, he was still breathing, what a relief!

But if he was this cold then the others would be as well, 

and I had to do SOMETHING to keep them from freezing to death in this bizzare weather.

A small puff of warm air left my lips and I realized I was warm, inside at least, so with a wince I knew what I had to do.

I just hoped I would be able to fit all of them, and that they wouldn't freak out too badly.

Best to get on with it to avoid having them freeze to death.

At least deciding who was first was easy as Robin was the coldest out of the three as he had slept closer to me than to the fire.

So gently lifting him up I carefully set him into my mouth while Picking up Arthur in an attempt to warm him in my hands a little.

I was glad that they had put all of their stuff away before going to sleep as swallowing a sword was not on my to do list and could probably kill me from the inside.

Robin felt like a piece of ice on my tongue and I shuddered, had I really not noticed how cold they had gotten?

Pushing past the uncomfortable coldness of the small human in my mouth I swallowed.

It was awful, the frigid body seemed to drag forever in my throat and I worried he'd actually get stuck, frozen to my flesh.

Swallowing again put things in motion once more and he traveled past my collarbone still way too slow for my liking and Arthur was still an ice block in my hands.

Without waiting for Robin to get all the way down I put Arthur in my mouth to at least offer some warmth in the meantime.

After a few more seconds I felt the frozen form of Robin enter my pouch and I immediately swallowed Arthur, 

and kept swallowing until he was past my collarbone too.

Standing up and intending to get Rikaad to warmth too, I went over to where he was sleeping right next to the sadly glimmering heap of ash that had once been a fire, hesitating only for a moment as I felt Arthur join Robin in my pouch.

Putting one hand over my middle where the small humans were now slowly warming up as a now rather heavy weight I went and reached for Rikaad only to be met with a sword slashing at my fingers.

“YOWCH”

Yanking my now bleeding fingers back I looked to where Rikaad had been just a few seconds before only to find that he was gone.

Oh fuck.

He had probably seen what I did, or at least heard it but he didn't know that it was safe so he must be assuming the worst.

I could feel bad about it later,  for now I had to find him and get him out of the cold.

Where was he? He'd freeze out in the snow!

Looking around I saw a bunch of footprints in the snow leading away from the camp and out into the part of the forest that had a bit more vegetation.

Following him in there was going to be a nightmare, 

especially with how the wind disrupted the footprints causing them to disappear after a few minutes.

Ignoring my bleeding fingers I went after him still keeping my uninjured hand on my middle.

The small humans were still out of it and I could feel one of them sleepily moving, probably Robin.

Since they were alright for now I focused on following the footprints through the forest.

I really hoped I could find him before he succumbed to the cold. 

Explaining to the other two why their friend froze to death was not going to be something I wanted to do.

The one thing the cold was good for was that it stopped my fingers from hurting too much.

The slowly dripping blood felt weirdly hot against my icy skin and I took a second to actually examine them.

They had a clean looking cut over the topside of my pointer, middle and ring finger as well as a tiny barely bleeding scratch on the side of my thumb.

I was fairly certain that if they had been any closer Rikaad would have cut them off, he kept his sword meticulously sharp after all.

Since there was no real damage to my nerves and I wasn't bleeding to death I went back to following Rikaads trail through a particularly unpleasant part of the underbush.

He was fast I had to give him that, and somehow very good at maneuvering through all of the obstacles that the forest had.

I couldn't see him anymore through the denser foliage and at this point was just running after the dents his shoes had made in the snow.

It felt like I was hunting a fox, 

and at some point I thought I had seen him but it was just a fallen log covered in snow that had a vague human shape.

And dragging the smaller humans along in my pouch gave it a weird tugging sensation everytime i took a step and I didn't know what to make of the sensation.

It wasn't awful but I didn't like it either.

Feeling something move in my pouch I stopped running for a moment, worried that the two i had put there would freak out.

I couldn't even tell who was moving in there but I hoped it was Robin and not Arthur.

Arthur would probably punch whatever he could even if he didn't really freak out just to spite me, and out of indignity too but it was not something I was keen on.

The movement stilled for a second but I could tell that whoever it was was awake now,  the weight was holding itself instead of being flopped over.

Then the small form tensed.

“What the fuck? Oh no Oh no… wait… DONOVAN WHAT THE HELL?”

My Luck really was down for today as this was clearly Arthur,

Not only did I recognize his voice but he also managed to kick my liver which was really unpleasant and I hoped he'd never do that again.

“Calm down i'll explain, just give me a second”

Chasing after Rikaad had made me sweat and i was panting a bit,

He was uncannily good at this and I wasn't sure how long I had been following him now but it was getting light out again, probably the sunrise. 

“Dude your heart is going a mile a minute what the fuck happend?

And why is Robin in here too? Where's Rikaad?”

At least he asked some smart questions this time and I could answer most of them as well as ask if Robin was okay.

“The short answer is that you all almost froze to death and there was nothing to keep the fire going, 

Also is Robin okay? 

He was really cold and for a second i thought he'd died”

I could feel him moving at my words, 

likely to check up on Robin and after a few seconds of unusual shifting that sent a weird sensation down my spine the weight of both of them settled a bit more comfortably against my insides.

“Robin is alright! Sleeping like a rock though and drooling on me, not like everything else isn't covered in it already but you didn't answer where Rikaad is, don't tell me he froze”

And there was the part i had dreaded, how the fuck could i explain this without sending Arthur into a fit? He'd kick my organs to pulp.

“Well…uh he kinda… saw me eat you guys and then bolted? He did slash my fingers and he probably hates me now”

Instead of kicking or punching me like I had expected he just slumped even more against the front wall.

“You are an unlucky Bastard you know that? Where did he go? 

He can't just vanish right? Im sure if you can show him that both of us are fine he wont stab you to death”

I really hoped Arthur was right, 

but for now I had no way of knowing until I found him.

And finding him was the problem, 

i had absolutely no idea where he was in this stupid snowstorm.

And the other Problem was that the weight in my pouch was distracting as fuck making it so that concentrating on anything else was hell.

I NEEDED to find a solution, or preferably Rikaad.

For now I would just have to power through, 

I could complain at a later point.

Walking forward again I scanned my surroundings looking for anything that might signify where the Human had gone.

Putting my hand back over the small forms in my pouch made Arthur flinch but he did not say anything and I could tell he was on edge.

“Are YOU okay? You're weirdly quiet but i can tell you're tense”

All of his movement stopped like he had been caught stealing.

“I’m- im fine, when I woke up I thought for a second that everything that had happened since the…Tower…  was just a weird dream so uh, Adrenaline is a bitch i guess?”

He had started fidgeting as he spoke and i felt guilt seep into my heart,

Why did I even think someone would walk away from something like that okay?? Just because Robin was fine didn't mean everyone else would be.

WAS Robin even okay after that? He never said anything about it, 

but if he didn't want to talk I wouldn't pry.

I could feel that Arthur was tense again beneath my hand and layers of flesh with Robin lying half on top of him like a ragdoll.

I tried to think of anything to say, to reassure him somehow but I already told him that it was safe and how it was safe too, 

So what else could I do?

I lifted my hand a bit and softly pressed in on them while I walked, 

still looking for any clue as to where Rikaad had gone.

I could feel Arthur tense even more at the sudden shift of contact, 

still as uneasy as before.

Slowly i pressed my fingers in again this time more deliberately,

I gently put my fingers to the place where I could feel the smaller man's shoulders and pressed down so he could feel it.

he immediately flinched away from the wall like he'd been burned.

Okay I just startled him, Let’s try that again.

I gently set my hand back where it had been before and repeated the action. 

The human flinched and went completely stiff. 

I steadily started rubbing circles, up between the shoulders, 

slowly down the back and up again.

Over time I could feel his muscles loosening up again from staying tense for so long and he gave a defeated sigh.

“All of this is my fault, and DON'T say it isn't! 

I'm the one that ran after you into the woods! 

and if it wasn't for me the King wouldn’t have stuck us in that stupid tower! I'm the reason we're in this mess altogether!”

Before i could retort anything to this absolutely idiotic assesment another voice interrupted.

“Why would you be at fault for those Guards throwing us in prison?”

Robin had woken up, probably due to Arthur talking rather loudly.

And as soon as Arthur realized what he had said out loud in front of the younger boy he was back to being tense again.

“Ah Robin you're awake! That's good! Uhh how are you? 

You were pretty cold, wait, do you know where we are?”

I could tell that Arthur was nervous and he probably did not want to admit his royal heritage to anyone else.

But I was also curious if Robin realized where he was and if I should say anything lest it would freak him out.

“Im okay, and i do know where we are i remember this from last time”

At his last few words he ran a hand along the walls of the pouch making me shudder.

“LAST TIME? Donovan? What's he talking about?”

“I can talk for myself! You could just ask me!”

I could barely follow the conversation as they had started squabbling for space and all the movement was VERY distracting but not exactly unpleasant.

I had to put a hand over my mouth to stop myself from letting out a delighted hum, I REALLY did not want to scare them, especially not while they were in there.

But due to me being distracted I missed most of what they were saying but at least they were moving a little less now.

“Donovan you did what? What the fuck! You can't just eat someone cuz they are annoying you! What the hell man!”

Ah Robin told him about what happened the first time then, Fuck.

“I- ugh can we talk about that some other time? I STILL need to find Rikaad and having you two in there is distracting as fuck! And it's worse the more you move so can you calm down please?”

I received a kick from Arthur at my request but both of them stopped squabbling about.

“For the record fuck you, but you are right i don't know how long a person can last in this cold so you better find him soon”

I relaxed a bit more at Arthur's words going back to looking for the still missing Rikaad.

“Arthur you didn't answer my question, why would you be at fault for the tower thing?”

At Robin's question Arthur tensed up again, his brain seemingly struggling to catch up for a few seconds.

“Oh uhh well- you see- i uhh- Donovan you see anything yet?”

He was really trying to avoid talking about his bloodline huh?

Well that wasn't really my problem but I decided to still answer him.

“I see Snow, lots of it and uhh-”

There really wasn't a lot but i had walked near a low cliffside somehow,

It was only about twice as tall as me with lots of overhangs and-

“A cave! There's a cave! Maybe Rikaad went in there?”

I started walking faster towards the cave, even if i didn't know what i would do if i found Rikaad yet getting out of the stupid wind was already a huge plus.

Ducking down into the small opening, well small to me at least,

I saw nothing but darkness after a few meters but there seemed to be a soft glow coming from deeper inside.

A fire? Was Rikaad taking shelter here? At the moment I was really glad that the two in my pouch had at least stopped arguing, though I could tell that Robin was pouting.

“You guys hang on for a sec ill try to squeeze into the cave”

Going on all fours i heard a,

“Don't get stuck”

From Arthur but i was sure the cave was big enough to fit me,

It was only the entrance that was a bit smaller.

Feeling the weight of the small humans slide and shift to the ‘front’ wall was extremely weird and I bit back another hum.

Basically going on all fours a few meters into the cave it got dark,

Not only from the clouds outside but also because my own body was blocking the light from coming in through the entrance.

Going towards the glow took me around a bend in the stone that continued until the exit was to my left instead of behind me.

A few more steps led me into a bigger chamber that was absolutely overgrown with moss, glowing moss.

I was kinda disappointed that i didn't find a pre built fire pit but that did not mean Rikaad wasn't here, 

it was warmer here than outside and there even was a tiny pond with some dead shrubbery around it.

“Rikaad? Are you here? Hello?”

No answer, but I didn't really expect one.

I started searching everything in here, which included me having to bend down and stand back up multiple times, a task that proved to be very distracting by the two currently contained inside my pouch sliding around all the time and trying to brace themselves whenever it happened.

In short it did not help at all.

The cave was warmer, by a lot actually as the little puffs that had escaped my lips out in the snow had vanished completely so maybe i could get them out?

I would have an easier time searching if they didn't distract me all the time.

I still wasn't sure if it was warm enough but there was enough dead shrubbery and wood to keep a nicely sized fire going for at least a day.

Gathering as much of it as I could I set it in a pile near the little pond that upon closer inspection actually contained warm water.

Very weird, I had heard of geothermal springs before but this one wasn't hot enough to be one, 

maybe it was overflow from an actual underground geysir?

Whatever the case may be i had more important things to do,

Like telling the idiots in my gut that I had to get them out as they were too distracting for me.

Lightly prodding my abdomen to get their attention I waited a few seconds so I was sure they were listening and not still arguing about Arthur not telling Robin stuff.

“Guys? No Rikaad in here but the cave is warm, there's even enough wood to set up camp.

If I let you out, do you think you can handle lighting a fire?”

There was some more shifting and I really tried to ignore the thrill that went up my spine before I heard Arthur again.

“I guess so, why do you mean? You're gonna let us out now? Like right now?”

I nodded before remembering that neither of them could actually see me.

“Yeah having you two in there is distracting as fuck and i need to focus if i wanna find Rikaad, just uhh try not come out at the same time? You'd split me open or something”

There was even more shifting as the two seemed to try and swap places before I got an answer, this time from Robin.

“You sure we should come out? What if it's still too cold? And shouldn't someone stay with you in case you find Rikaad?”

I was pretty sure that the cave was warm enough, and I was also sure that even if it was just one person in there it would still be too distracting.

“Yeah i think it would be best if i went after him alone, i really can't concentrate like this, now whoevers first brace yourself”

Not waiting for an answer I tensed my abdominal muscles, 

slowly bringing a tense little form up my esophagus while whoever stayed behind for now got really squished by the walls of my pouch to the point I was able to make out the individual limbs.

I tried not to dwell on that too much and instead focus on the little body that had just reentered my mouth.

Opening my lips I plucked the small poem of Arthur out who looked not pleased at all.

“For the record, this sucks now let me down and gimme my stuff so i can make a fire”

I carefully set the man down on the moss and rummaged for his stuff in my pockets before giving it to him.

He immediately set on to make a fire, 

pointedly not looking in my direction.

Well I still had to get Robin out who was currently lazily flopped down in the middle of my pouch, Arthur probably did not want to see that.

“Robin? Imma get you out now so uhh prepare yourself?”

I could feel some more shifting and heard Robin let out a small

“Okay i'm ready”

Before I tensed my muscles again, 

sending the living lump back up my throat.

As he reached my mouth I leaned forward and gently slid him out onto my palm.

He blearily looked up at me and I noticed that he looked very tired.

Before I could set him down properly he flopped onto my palm like it was an oversized bed, clinging to my thumb and letting out a weird sound.

“Mrrf”

It kind of sounded like a sleepy cat but I had no time for this right now.

I needed to find Rikaad, preferably before he froze so I set Robin down next to the pond even though he tried not to let go of my fingers and when that didn't work attempted to cling to the still broken bracelet.

I gently pried him off and stood back up while he face planted into the moss.

“I'll be right back, Rikaad can't just vanish into thin air so i have to be able to find him”

“Good luck! And if you come back without him i will burn your pants”

Arthur's attempt at encouragement was a bit weird but it was better than an insult, i didn't put it past him to actually set my pants on fire though.

Walking back out into the snow wasn't pleasant, the wind kept blowing little ice fragments in my eyes and it was hard to see anything at all,

making me stumble over some rocks that were strewn in between the greenery.

This had grown into a proper snowstorm while I was in the cave making finding Rikaad even more urgent.

The worst thing was that i could not use my eyesight to find anything and the snow actually stung my skin making me actually wish that i had the thick fur coat of the Ardua form right now.

But the bracelet was still jammed and in a storm like this it was impossible to even try to fix it.

So I had to suck it up for now and just continue onwards.

Since the storm only had brought more snow it was absolutely impossible and I hoped that Rikaad hadn't already frozen to death.

I wasn't exactly sure how long a human could last in a storm like this with no shelter, so I did something I hadn't done since my mother died.

I decided to pray, while the God Amesimos had NEVER done me any favors I decided that this wasn't for me, It was to find Rikaad alive.

Chanting over and over in my head, please be alive please be alive

While I trudged through the icy environment.

At some point I stopped dead in my tracks, I was very sure I had heard a noise coming from behind one of those Rocks that were scattered about.

I Hoped that I had found Rikaad and not some random animal, 

so I went slowly around the boulder to the side that was more shielded from the wind only to find some footprints leading away from me around the rock.

He was avoiding me by going around the stone and keeping out of my sight, 

He really was a smart man and while I could just jump over the boulder to grab him I was sure that if I actually tried that I'd have my fingers sliced off for good this time.

So around the rock it was then.

Circling it and following the footsteps only brought me back to my starting point, Rikaad always somehow a few steps ahead.

Well my footsteps were a lot louder than his on the crunchy snow so he did have an advantage, 

and I was honestly surprised he had not started huddling in the sheltered area for warmth.

But I knew that nobody would ever see him like that, he was a prideful individual.

And a frozen one if I didn't get him soon, so instead of lunging over the boulder I climbed on top of it only to see a Human silhouette dart away from it across the snowy ground.

Jumping down from the boulder with a loud boom I immediately went after him, if i lost sight of him now i probably wouldn't be able to find him again.

Bolting across the ground I tried my best to follow him even if there were a ton of obstacles in the way as Rikaad apparently insisted on taking the most cluttered route he could.

“RIKAAD WAIT! YOU'RE GOING TO FREEZE!”

I received no response but he actually seemed to run a bit faster now and I had to double my efforts to not lose sight of him.

On the plus side, 

running like this was probably going to warm him up a bit, and he couldn't run forever either so I was bound to catch up at some point.

If i didn't run full force into a tree first.

There were so many things in the way, including rocks, 

trees and some shrubbery.

The only lucky thing about this was that none of the plants seemed to have thorns but the branches whipping my face were bad enough already.

At some point while running after the surprisingly fast human I breached into a clearing that had a steep hill in the middle.

Maybe now I would finally have some luck.

Rikaad was trying to run up the steep hill but with his shorter legs and the snow slipping out from under him he wasn't making a lot of progress.

I sprinted as close as I dared to Rikaad, trying my best to ignore how the cold winds stung at the various cuts from the tree branches.

I slowed down on the last few meters, I did NOT want to trample the smaller man after I had finally caught up to him.

He still had his back to me but I learned from last time that if I tried to grab him he'd slash at my fingers with his sword.

So instead I tried to get in front of him.

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NEXT / PREVIOUS / OVERSIGHT

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Lying (Next) To You (Cassandra Dimitrescu/Reader)

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T+ for violence + language Warnings: Blood-drinking/general vampiric shenanigans Summary: There is no goal other than escape. You want out of this castle, no matter what you have to do, no matter the consequences. At first, the solution seems to lie with one of the very women you want to get away from. But what happens when you find yourself genuinely caring for her? Length: 5,934 words

Merely surviving had never been your intention. From day one in this foul place, this unholy castle, you had strived to escape. No matter what, you refused to allow such dismal grounds to be your grave. But leaving wouldn’t be as simple as walking out an unlocked door. It required manipulation, agility, and the willingness to screw over anyone who got in your way. Even those who you would have once called friends, or the closest thing you had to that among the servants. Was that something you were willing to do? Absolutely, without a shred of doubt in your mind. Someday, somehow, regardless of what it took, you’d get out and never look back. For now, though, all you can do is scheme…

—————————

Three targets, each incredibly difficult to get your hands on, each presenting their own unique challenges. Which would be easiest to charm? You were still debating that answer.

First was Bela: The eldest, most responsible, forced to be the “role model” for her sisters. A bookworm (a trait the two of you shared) who spent a fair amount of her freetime in the library. While not overtly cruel, she was still rather violent, especially in cases where she felt her family had been insulted. However, there were whispers that she had a secret weakness: Anxiety. None had caught her in the open throes of an attack and lived to tell the tale. But she had been overheard, more than once, quiet cries or shaking breaths. Trying to talk to her during one of these occasions could lead to gaining her affection- if you managed to do what no other had been capable of doing, that is.

Second was Daniela: The youngest, most excitable, eager to please and desperate to be pleased. Easily interacted with more maidens than either of her sisters, though not always in a good way. Getting her attention could mean getting pulled into her room in the middle of the night, for some “fun”, or it could mean getting drained of all of your blood. Sometimes she did one after the other. Like Bela, she was a bookworm, though she preferred romance novels as opposed to her older sister’s educational texts. As for her weakness? To you, Daniela seemed to be the definition of “undiagnosed ADHD”. Less exploitable for sympathy than her sister, but possibly useful in helping you trick her. At the end of the day, the largest concern with her was her inconsistent behavior, her tendency to flip moods at the drop of a hat- and a drop of the hat with her could feel a helluva lot like a drop of an axe (onto your neck).

Then came the third… the one you didn’t think was worth the risk, whatsoever: Cassandra. Middle child and acting just like it, she was hungry for her mother’s approval, attention, and respect most of all. Bloodthirsty as could be, with a mean streak eight kilometers wide, the truest monster you had ever met. Even her fondness for the arts manifested in malevolent ways. Supposedly, she painted in blood, and made sculptures from the bones of her victims, displayed proudly in her room as trophies. What could you possibly do to earn her affection? What could you ever be to her, other than a plaything or mid-afternoon snack?... Nothing, you assumed, and so you figured you might as well remove her from your list. Somehow you’d have to make do with one of her sisters. As for which one?... You decided to let fate decide, and go for whomever you found yourself with an opportunity to court.

—————————

Free time was a rare commodity in Castle Dimitrescu. While every servant did technically get one day off every week, it wasn’t uncommon to end up helping with something unexpected, even if one tried to hide away in the private quarters. For you, it was an opportune time to try and get closer to your targets. So far three weeks had passed since your “decision” to focus on Bela and Daniela, without a single interaction with either of them. Still, hope held fast in your chest, as you made haste towards the library. On this free day you intended to read as much as possible. ‘Twas a two-pronged goal: First, you would increase your chances of running into one of your preferred employers. Secondly, you could possibly learn something through what content you consumed, perhaps to be utilized in later conversations.

Or such was the hope. In truth, you did not make it to the library, nor even anywhere close. A quarter of the way there you were interrupted by an ever-dreaded noise; buzzing echoed throughout the hallway, first far off, but getting closer with every second. There was a particular ferocity to the vibrations that you knew meant danger was approaching. According to the other maidens, this was a distinction that everyone learned over time, assuming that they survived long enough. The smart thing would have been to duck away into an adjacent room in the hopes that whatever sister it was would ignore you. But your endgame weighed heavy on your mind, then forced your feet to the floor. For better or worse, you would be in the woman’s path, ready for whatever she may ask of you.

“You-” a voice snarled, as a hooded figure phased out of the swarm and into your vision. Her head was held high, eyes narrowed as they stared down at you, a snarl twisting her lips. Of course it was her. Cassandra Dimitrescu. The one daughter you didn’t want to encounter. Inside, part of you writhes in self deprecation, feeling as if you should have known better. How often did the other two buzz about so angrily?... Well, certainly a fair bit, but nowhere near as much as Cassandra. Fuck, you think, I’m probably doomed. “I’m hungry. Come here real quick,” Cassandra demands, beckoning you towards her with a single finger. In another life you would have blushed bright red at the sight. A life where she wasn’t a vampiric monster, that is.

Nonetheless, you are quick to obey, masking your anxiety as best as you can. Doing so gets much harder once your gaze meets Cassandra’s, and you see her lick her lips before smirking at you. As soon as you’re within her reach, she’s surging forward, grabbing you by your shoulders, then pivoting, pressing you hard against the wall. You can’t help but gasp at the sudden movements, which only widens her grin. Before you know it she’s running her tongue along your neck. Once more you gasp, this time softer, hating the way your body urges you to lean into her touch. Why couldn’t she simply get straight to the worst of it? Instead she takes her sweet time, slipping a finger beneath the collar of your shirt, slowly, carefully tugging it to the side. When she finally bites, it is terribly sudden. The pleasure comes before the pain, stronger than you would have expected, eliciting a sharp inhale from you that sounds more satisfied than you had intended. Even as a rush of pain follows, you can’t help the red that tints your cheeks.

“Enjoying this, hmm?” Cassandra asks, after licking away at your blood for a few moments, pulling back but not releasing you. Something in her eyes makes you need to respond.

“Y-yes, more than I’d like to admit,” you mumble, barely able to make eye contact. But she seems pleased by this, gently cupping your chin while she looks you over.

“Well then, if you survive… I might just have to drink from you again,” she whispers, before diving right back in towards your neck. This time her touch is far, far softer than before. It feels more like she’s kissing you rather than drinking from you. A strange, irritatingly familiar feeling springs in the pit of your stomach, and you can’t help but make more of those noises she seemed to enjoy so much. Hell, your eyes drift closed as you take in the surprisingly welcome sensation. When they reopen, however, you give a yelp of surprise, spotting a very awkwardly waiting servant. They were blushing, clearly not having expected to come upon this particular sight. Cassandra perks up at your shock, turning to follow your gaze, then giving an uncharacteristically resigned groan. “Damn it, Ava, is it urgent?” She asks, to which the servant gives a silent shrug. “I’ll be done in a minute. Now, where were we?”

Once more she resumes feeding, casting aside all traces of sweetness, sucking on your wound with reckless abandon. Behind her, Ava gives you a thumbs up before turning away. As embarrassing as the moment felt, you were grateful to xer, glad that xe seemed to recognize your desire for privacy. More than that… if xe hadn’t come along, would Cassandra have remembered to stop before your bloodloss became fatal? There was no guarantee either way. Yet xer intervention felt like a godsend, and you made a mental note to thank xer later. Soon enough Cassandra removes herself from you, pausing only to cup your chin for a moment, meeting your gaze with a smirk. Then she was turning away without another word, following Ava to some unknown destination.

A deep breath, then another, more frantic, the familiar sense of panic growing on the edges of your mind. Now that the feeding was over, you were left trembling with all the fear you had been so adamant about not showing before. How close to death had you come? How close were you now? Only feeling slightly more faint than you had earlier, it felt safe enough to assume you would be fine, if only physically. Inside your mind you were struggling with racing thought after racing thought. How the hell am I supposed to do this with either Bela or Daniela? You think, trying to breathe past the lump in your throat. And why did I have to enjoy that so much? They’re nothing more than means to an end, monsters undeserving of my kindness, of my joy. Your only comfort was the knowledge that this may very well have been the opportunity you had been waiting for; but only if you could shift your aim.

—————————

The difference was subtle, almost microscopic, to the point where it took you a full week to notice. But once you had? Everything felt different. You couldn’t spend more than three seconds in the same room as Cassandra without her eyes following you, watching your every move, sending a rush of both fear and excitement down your spine. Meeting her gaze only made her give the tiniest fraction of a smile. As soon as something (or someone) else caught her attention, however, you were forgotten in the blink of an eye. Yet it was nerve wracking nonetheless. This was roughly what you had hoped for, but you had underestimated the mental toll it would take on you. There was no way to tell whether Cassandra wanted violence, something softer, or her usual brand- a cruel mixture of both. Every second spent in her presence was a roll of the dice, a flip of a coin, either one weighted to put the odds against you.

But you persisted. Escape was not a dream, nor a fantasy, nor some far off cryptid. It was inevitable. Again and again you would swallow your fear until you reached your long-sought destination. No matter the cost, you think, no matter the consequences. Over time, that cost, those consequences, would grow. For now, it was a slice of your sanity. Next? More blood, it seemed.

“Casserole wants you to stop by her art studio,” the note said, cursive hand-writing ever-so-fancy and ever-so-difficult to read. Clearly from Ava, the mildly mysterious (but incredibly helpful) castle servant known for never speaking a word. From what you had gathered, xe was a confidant of sorts for the Dimitrescu family, trusted far more than the average worker. Alas, xe was loyal to the center of xer being, and was rumored to be impeccable at preventing escape attempts before they had even started. If you wanted out of this damn place, you knew you’d have to be careful around xer. Hopefully xe won’t interrupt this time, you think, before tucking the note away in your pocket.

Cassandra’s infamous studio wasn’t terribly far from your quarters, thankfully, though you weren’t even sure if you were supposed to arrive at a specific time. What if she wasn’t expecting you until later? Worse, what if she had been expecting you an hour ago? It’s a dangerous thought, one that could easily spiral into something far more drastic, and you try to reassure yourself, reminding yourself that Ava would have mentioned a time if it was important. In the end, you still found your heart racing as you stood outside the room in question. Pausing to take a deep breath, you center yourself, before raising a hand to knock. To your surprise, you get an answer before your hand even gets close to the door.

“Come in already,” Cassandra chimes from inside. Unsure of what terrible fate you were about to meet, you entered the room, somewhat reluctantly. Despite the myriad of unsavory rumors regarding the studio, there were no immediate signs of brutality. At the worst, the space was fairly messy, though not due to any, ahem, “misplaced” body parts. No, just an overflowing garbage bin, a few unfinished projects placed haphazardly wherever they’d fit, shards of glass in one corner, and tile floor splattered with a Pollock-esque layer of paint. In one word? Chaotic. Such was the type of environment that seemed to suit Cassandra best, the sort in which you imagined she would thrive. But you didn’t have time to examine anything as closely as you would have liked to. “Are you going to keep me waiting?”

“No, Lady Cassandra,” you reply, hurriedly, shaking your head to clear your thoughts. Then you’re quickly crossing the room, to what looks like a cross between a storage cabinet and a paint mixing station. In Cassandra’s hands, however, you find something less welcoming than a paintbrush: A needle and an empty blood bag. Well, you think, I guess I know why I’m here. At least there’s only one bag, right? “What do you require of me, my Lady?” While the answer was fairly obvious, you didn’t know the specific steps necessary, and it never hurt to be as polite as possible with the Dimitrescu family.

“Just sit down, roll your sleeves up, look pretty, and stay still. Try not to make any noises this time- as cute as they were last time, I have a headache,” Cassandra explains, gesturing towards the room’s only chair. Ignoring the way your cheeks heated up, you did as she asked, trying to get relatively comfortable. It was somewhat difficult to relax, considering who you were with. “Calm down, pet, I’m only going to hurt you a little. That’s more than I can say for most people who end up here.” Why did she have to use a nickname for you? Weren’t you already flushed enough without her teasing you further? Though your flustering does turn to confusion after a moment, as you wonder how she knew how afraid you were. You were under the impression that you were hiding it fairly well. Noticing your reaction, Cassandra rolls her eyes, before leaning in to whisper in your ear. “I can hear your heartbeat. Normally I’d find this… exciting. But my head hurts and I wanted to finish this damn painting yesterday. So take a deep breath, little pet, and let me take what I need from you.”

Of course she had to say it like that, and put herself so close to you. You’re pretty sure that your heart skips a few beats in response, though Cassandra doesn’t react beyond a hint of a smile, merely returning to her prep work. First step was cleaning your skin. Admittedly you hadn’t been sure if that step was necessary, seeing as the blood was (seemingly) for art as opposed to testing, but it didn’t exactly surprise you. Besides, there was a chance she’d drink the leftovers, right? Next she double-checked that the needle was properly connected to the blood bag, and that the latter was resting securely on a small stand. With that out of the way, it was time for her favorite part.

“Since your heartbeat has slowed down a little… I’ll let you whimper if you want to- but only once. Consider it a reward for good behavior,” Cassandra purrs with a familiar grin. One hand gently cups your chin, while her eyes look right in yours, just long enough to turn your cheeks bright red. The moment ends as quickly as it started. Before you know it she’s turned stoic again, feeling along your arm for a vein. This isn’t the first time you’ve had your blood drawn, but Cassandra takes no time at all to find the perfect spot, likely from a mix of practice and, well, her vampiric nature. It’s not long before she’s gently gripping your arm with one hand, briefly making eye contact before pushing the needle into your skin. Does it hurt? Hardly. Do you take a shaky inhale, hoping to please your employer, the closest to a whimper you were willing to give her? Oh, absolutely. And does she react? Oh, absolutely. Her eyes light up for a second as she bites her lower lip. There’s something else in her expression that you can’t quite read, however.

“Enjoying this, hmm?” You ask, smiling, voice soft in the hopes of not aggravating her headache. It’s a risk, and one that pays off more than you’d ever expect. Cassandra giggles a tad, eying you with the least mischievous smile you’ve ever seen from her. If not for the needle still in your arm, you might have found the moment charming, or even… romantic. But you pushed the thought away as soon as possible, reminding yourself of your one true goal: Escaping. This was a means to an end. Nothing more, nothing less. That’s what you had to keep telling yourself. Even as Cassandra ever-so-gently removed the needle from your arm, even as she carefully placed a bandage over the entry-point, even as she gave you a nod of approval.

“This should last until the painting is done, at the very least. I might need you to make another ‘donation’ next week, though. Except, hmm… your blood is quite nice,” Cassandra says. Her tone is smooth, almost sultry, but her gaze is focused on her work as she starts mixing the blood with… something? You weren’t familiar with this particular artistic process, nor did you want to be. “Maybe I’ll set up a nice schedule for you. Once a month you can be my darling little muse, and once a month you can be a refreshing snack. I’ll even make sure that my sisters don’t do anything that might spoil our fun. Assuming you continue to prove entertaining, that is.” You didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried. In the end you settled for the former, chest thrumming with excitement as you felt yourself getting one step closer to your goal.

—————————

Three months pass by in an easy blur. Just as Cassandra had suggested, you find yourself in her company more often than before. Only twice a month does she take blood from you, for your own safety (which she pretends not to care about), but more and more you find her lounging around where you’re working, obviously by “pure coincidence”. Sometimes she even spoke to you! Teasing here and there, or asking you to do things that she normally did for herself, or scaring you just to hear you make one of your “lovely noises”. Honestly, you weren’t sure whether you were more surprised by how attached she had gotten to you, or by how quickly it had happened. Of course, you didn’t even know if she enjoyed your personality… or just your blood. Either way, you found yourself enjoying her presence more than you’d ever openly admit.

Eventually, when the benefits of your budding “friendship” became more clear, you started to enjoy it even more.

It was early in the morning, right when the castle residents tended to go to sleep, and when the night shift officially ended. Minutes prior you had been conversing quietly with Cassandra, dusting some shelves as you did. Now, with your duties done only slightly later than usual, you were making your way back to your quarters. Along the way you were caught off guard by the sound of distant crying. ‘Twas a sound you’d heard many times before, from many different maidens, but this time felt… different. An odd feeling of sympathy sparked in your chest, and you made the brash decision to approach the source of the noise. When you rounded that last corner, when you made eye contact with the trembling figure, you knew that your kindness could very well be the death of you. To think that you had once hoped for this encounter.

“Who’s there?” Bela Dimitrescu snarls through chattering teeth. She’s moving forward, phasing in and out of swarm mode, reaching a hand out to clutch at your throat. Well, you think, at least she’s stopped crying? More so out of being distracted, instead of feeling any comfort from your company. It’s not a terribly reassuring thought, but it’s soon replaced with a mental string of ???? as Bela pauses, grip loosening as she holds you up in the light. “You’re Cassandra’s new favorite. Damnit!” With that she drops you rather unceremoniously. Then she’s turning her back to you, sniffling before wiping the tears from her eyes. “Don’t tell anyone about this, or I won’t hesitate to string you up, no matter what my sister says. Now get lost.”

Except you can’t force yourself to move. There’s a small piece of you that remembers your original plan, another small part feels a twinge of sympathy, and a majority of your brain sees this as an opportunity. What was a little more risk?

“Would you like me to bring you some tea, Lady Bela?” You ask, attempting to keep your tone neutral, lest she think you were judging her. In response, she turns to look at you slowly, eyes narrowed, thinly veiled rage only outweighed by the remnants of her anxiety. Then she’s stalking forward with cautious, deliberate movements. For a moment she searches your eyes for any hints at your motive. Hoping to ease her worries, you elaborated on your offer, and the reasoning behind it. “I’ve read that holding something warm in your hands, like a mug of tea or coffee, relaxes the brain. I believe it had something to do with mimicking human touch?... Forgive me if I’m overstepping your boundaries, my Lady. I… I felt compelled to ask, to help in whatever way I can.”

“Oh?” Bela hums, the majority of the anger draining from her face. There’s a hint of genuine surprise behind her bright eyes. “Very well, if you say it might… help.” Before you can turn to leave, you hear her clear her throat, and say one last thing. “A little softer than I would have expected from a pet of Cassandra’s.” She certainly had a point. But you don’t bother responding, instead focusing on your self-given task. In the back of your mind, you wonder if you were really Cassandra’s “pet”, or if there was more to your dynamic. Why did you feel so weird about the idea of being a mere “distraction” to her?... Something to think about while you made that tea, you supposed.

—————————

When you assisted with serving lunch the next day, Bela refused to make eye contact, even as you set a plate in front of her, or when you refilled her wine glass. There was a stiffness in the room that you weren’t familiar with. For the most part, Cassandra is more welcoming, giving you a small nod when you meet her gaze. By the time the family is done eating and moves to leave, the sisters are grouping together to speak in hushed voices. While you clean up after them, you cannot help but wonder if they’re discussing the previous night, or if Bela was as adamant about keeping quiet as she had seemed. Regardless, you felt rather good about how the conversation had gone. Hopefully she’s feeling better, you think, surprising yourself. Not that it matters… unless she tells Cassandra, I suppose.

You don’t see her for the rest of the day. It’s a double-edged sword, in a way. On one hand, you find yourself missing her, unused to not interacting with her at all. On the other hand? All the sudden you’re realizing just how involved she’s become with you. Certainly that meant something? Progress towards your eventual goal of escaping? God, you sure hoped so. Thinking about the future, about your plans, lasts you the entire night, thoughts following you all the way into bed. Sleep feels a million years away, and you find yourself staring silently at the ceiling. Unmoving. Damn near unblinking. When there’s the sound of footsteps outside your room, you are more than welcome for the distraction.

“Wake up, little pet,” a voice calls, as your door opens, and someone quickly slips inside. Before you can even sit up, you feel them slide into the bed with you. “It’s too cold in my room. You’re much warmer, aren’t you?” Clearly your darling Cassandra come to entertain herself. Considering how late in the day it is, you feel like you should be upset, and yet you feel yourself daring to wrap your arms around her. For a moment she goes stiff, but she soon relaxes into your touch. “You’re getting so good at knowing what I want from you. Mmm, I think I’ve trained you well,” she teases, shifting onto her back so she can pull you onto her chest. Although you’ve been this close to her before, this is the first time you’ve realized just how cold her skin is. No wonder she wants to sleep with me, you think, blushing at your unintentional wording.

“Fuck, you’re freezing,” you mumble, curling up against her nonetheless. She’s laughing then, without any hint of her usual malice, and you can’t help but laugh with her. When had the two of you gotten so warm with each other? Why did it feel so natural? There’s anxiety gnawing at the base of your skull, threatening to build up into a headache, tugging you away from the softness of the moment. If Cassandra notices, she’s quicker to act than you would have expected. It feels safer to believe that her next actions are a coincidence. Feels… better, when you remember that you are playing her for cheap, that any friendliness is a mockery made for the most bitter of betrayals to come.

“That’s why I’m here, dear. Now hush, I need some rest. With how comfortable you are… I may even let you sleep in,” she teases, before pressing the gentlest kiss to the top of your head. Your throat dries up in response, blush overtaking your cheeks, and you are left unable to speak. The thundering of your heart seems to somehow lull your would-be lover to sleep, while you find yourself growing to love the contrast her chill provides. Somehow, someway, you end up sleeping more soundly than you have in years.

—————————

Another month passes. No opportunities to escape, no grand moves to make in this 4D game of chess, no clever plans to entangle yourself in. Yet you find yourself content. Happy. The work keeps you as busy as ever, but Cassandra often steals you away for her own desires. When she goes to drink your blood, she does so gently, with many soft kisses leading into the big moment. Afterwards she cleans your wound herself, touches as light as a feather, eyes sparkling with unspoken affection. At night, you find her coming to you for warmth almost every day. At first she provides little more than teasing excuses. But in time, she becomes more open, even being so bold as to kiss you on the lips every time, greeting you with quiet “dear”s and “darling”s. It gets to the poin that you cannot sleep without her presence.

Day after day, you find it harder and harder to remember why you were doing this. Was it so bad to enjoy your time with her? Was it so bad to find yourself leaning into her touches, kissing her back, gleefully awaiting your nightly rendezvous with her? Sometimes the thoughts were overwhelming, guilt and shame alike dancing inside your chest. Those days were the hardest to get through. Somehow, again and again, you go to her for comfort. To the very source of your conflict. Every last feeling was driving you towards an inevitable point. A conclusion written in stone, one that had been decided from the very first time Cassandra dug her fangs into your neck.

—————————

Screaming. Horrible, horrible screaming, somehow more pained than that of any maiden you had ever heard, echoing throughout the castle halls, achingly familiar in tone. You had never heard her scream before, and yet you knew that the sound came from Cassandra. Before you can even begin to process your realization, you are thundering through the corridor, towards the noise that rattled your mind so desperately. How could anything possibly hurt her? How often had you seen her push her siblings around, each of them taking hits that could break bones as if they were light shoves? As if the punches tickled? Horror overtakes your thoughts, imagination far worse than reality had any right to be.

When you at last reach your lover, you are frozen in your tracks, eyes wide as can be. There she is, howling with both rage and pain as someone repeatedly slams the butt of a rifle into her head. Behind the fighting duo is a sight you never thought you’d see: An open door. Wide open, enticing, leading straight into the world you had sought to rejoin. You want to leave. God, you want to leave so bad. This is what you have been waiting for- Cassandra has not even seen you yet, too busy grappling with her attacker, movements too slow to be normal. What was wrong? Why were her limbs such a strange color? Was that… frost on her clothes? Or… crystal? Your gaze flickers back and forth between her and the exit, as time seems to pause, memories of the past few months racing through your mind. Goddamnit, you think, this is what I want, isn’t it? Consequences be damned, right? I said I wouldn’t stop for anything.

And so you move, automatically, on autopilot, unable to think about anything other than what you treasured most: Cassandra. One moment you’re standing still in the foyer, the next you’re grabbing a poker from the fireplace. You’ve never done anything like this before, but the movements come naturally, as you surge towards the scrambling pair. In one swift motion you drive the metal rod into the skull of the intruder, hating the sound, hating the splatter of blood against your clothes, hating the feeling of resistance followed by a terrible, terrible give. But the man slumps almost immediately, allowing your girlfriend to shove him off of herself. Still unable to think coherently, you’re throwing yourself into her arms.

“Holy shit, holy shit, oh my god, I- I, fuck. Are you…? Fucking tell me that you’re okay, please,” you ramble, holding the dangerously cold body of your girlfriend close to you, refusing to let go. She’s crying, clinging to you as desperately as you cling to her. But she’s responding in the affirmative. Over and over, saying she’s okay, telling you that it’s okay. Before you know it, she’s the one comforting you.

“Hey, hey, look at me. Okay? Look at me, take a deep breath. If anyone should be freaking out it’s me,” she says, pulling back enough to cup your cheek with one hand. There’s blood on her fingers, making your eyes go wide, but she quickly wipes it off with a scowl. Then she’s caressing your skin again, soft repeating motions perfect for calming you down. “That’s right, see? We’re fine. You’re a fucking badass, darling, and honestly? It’s very attractive.” Now you’re both giggling, you a bit more than her. Because of course she’s flirting right now. It’s an incredible softness. One that you, quite frankly, do not feel you deserve. At first it’s a tiny voice in the back of your head, but it soon grows until it strikes the smile from your lips. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong? Shit, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine, really,” you interject, as fast as you can, ignoring the tears pricking the corners of your eyes. Cassandra isn’t convinced, however, and gives you a pleading look. Knowing that you cannot resist her, you close your eyes, sighing, then admit your wretched truth. “The door. Cassandra, the door’s open. I… I came down the hallway and I saw the two of you and I saw the fucking door and I… I hesitated. I hesitated.” There’s a mighty tremble to your voice, teeth and lips shaking. In the moment, you cannot bring yourself to meet her gaze, eyes instead glued to the bloodstained floor. It’s so quiet that you swear you can hear your tears hitting the tile. The air around you is filled with a looming heartache, a shadow over the two of you, hungry for your tears. But the rage you anticipate from Cassandra never comes.

For fuck’s sake, she pulls you closer. She takes you in her arms, making you rest your head against her chest, one hand gently rubbing circles into your back. Shock makes you unable to do anything other than linger limply in her grip. Thankfully, she has more than enough words for the both of you.

“Of course you did. All you ever wanted was to escape, right? And all I ever wanted was to see how much fun I could get out of you before you betrayed us,” she admits, coolly, as if the words didn’t break both of your hearts. At first, you merely start crying harder, realizing that she had seen through you this whole time. Realizing that all of her softness had just been sharpness covered in sheep’s clothing. Except she’s not done talking. “Now look at us. Couple of idiots who caught feelings. So shut up, because we’re in this mess together, now, and I don’t intend to let you go, understood? You-” she pulls back, looking you right in the eyes- “are mine. Besides… you just killed for me. I think that more than makes up for any hesitance, yeah?” Before you know it you’re kissing her. You’re pressing yourself to her, smiling through your tears, forced to pause to laugh at yourself. How ridiculous had this whole affair been? How had you convinced yourself, for so long, that escape was all you had cared about?...

All this time you thought you wanted out. But at the end of the day… you just wanted to go home. How could you have guessed that you would have found a new home, here, in someone’s arms? Despite the surprise of it all… you couldn’t be happier.

[angry-geese]

Alien Blues

Gojo Satoru x Reader

Warnings: none! sfw. romantic/platonic(interpretable). mainly fluff. mentions of overworking and death, but nothing graphic. gn!reader

Notes: touch-starved Gojo

Word Count: 2.3k

Gojo doesn't get a lot of downtime in his line of work.

It comes with the job. Sorcerers don't exactly work a 9 to 5. This line of work is far from a normal one. Curses don't exorcise themselves, nor do they pick convenient times to show up. He usually has his hands full; be it taking down curses, or dealing with his students. A guy like him really can't take a vacation.

Despite going to the same school—and being only a year younger than him—you didn't meet Gojo until well into your adult life. After graduating, you went off on your own. The typical way of life for sorcerers wasn’t for you. You really didn't want to work with—or under—any of the major clans. At that point, you just wanted to do your own thing. To hell with the school; you’d be fine on your own. And you were.

You spent much of your time exorcising curses across the world, traveling from place to place, not staying in a single town for very long. A lot of it was freelance work. Such jobs were typically frowned upon, or at least looked at strangely. But it really didn't bother you. On your own you were powerful, and an impressive fighter, but you were working in a world that didn't accept you.

So you said to hell with fitting in.

Doing your own thing was the best decision you’d ever made. To this day you’ll stand by that. The jujutsu world is meant for people like Gojo. It demands so much more from you, and in return gives a whole lot less. It demands perfection from you—maybe even more—while he’s the set standard for this perfection. You hold no ill will towards him for it. He didn't make things this way. But it's hard not to envy him at times.

When you came back to the school, you were first assigned a teaching job.

Although you were a talented sorcerer, it was clear from the beginning you weren't meant to be a teacher. Your teaching style was viewed as a bit harsh, as you tended to just throw your students into a situation and let them figure things out for themselves, correcting them where needed. Overall you weren't a bad teacher, but your students got sent to the infirmary often. And by often, it was nearly every day. You just wanted them to be capable. You wanted your students to be prepared. To be the best of the best. How are they supposed to improve if they don't have experience?

To be fair, your students were some of the best in their grade.

For the most part you substitute if needed.

Upon first meeting, he was too eccentric for your tastes. Really, you found him annoying. Your first impression of Gojo was that he was full of himself and out of touch with the world around him. His first impression of you was that you were stuck up and a bit of a bitch.

There wasn't one thing that changed. Maybe he wore you down to the point where you tolerated him. He likes to think it was because of his charming personality. You know otherwise. His charms rarely work on you; if ever. Over time you found yourself less and less repulsed by him. The two of you bonded over harassing Nanami. On your own you weren't much trouble, but when paired with Gojo, Nanami learned to stay out of your way. If you let him. Usually you tracked him down. Your sweet tooth was just as insatiable as his. When you first took up baking, he was always nearby, wanting a taste. You’d drag him along to see new movies or shows or anything you’d think he’d like. He likes co-existing with you. The two of you don't have to even be doing anything. He can sit for hours with you by his side, doing absolutely nothing.

You've gotten to the point in your relationship where you show up unannounced. It's payback for all the times he’s come to your apartment, claiming he has some work for you, only to stay and raid your fridge, conveniently forgetting what he had to tell you. Yes you have scared the absolute hell out of Megumi on several occasions. In Gojo’s defense, he likes your cooking.

He’s not used to having you stay in one place for so long. You’re not used to it either. It feels strange sticking around Tokyo for so long. You hate feeling trapped more than anything. Maybe that’s why you moved around so much. Maybe you’re getting sentimental the older you get. For the first time in years, you feel truly at home. Gojo is one of your closest—if not your closest—friends, and there’s not much you wouldn't do for him.

You guess this is home. The end of the line, or whatever. You don't see yourself leaving for a while.

It's well after dark by the time he gets home.

The place was empty when you got here. Megumi must be out with friends. He's a strange kid. Strange circumstances lead to strange adults—or almost adults in his case. You try not to judge him too hard. You don't have a whole lot to say on his… situation.

He notices your form curled up on the couch, your face illuminated by your phone screen. The tv plays some horror movie you’ve long stopped paying attention to. Your face lights up when you see him.

His hand briefly touches your head, messing up your hair. He looks tired. There's dark circles under his eyes. He was gone for a while this time.

“I brought takeout,” you say, gesturing to the fridge, “I wasn't sure when you’d get home so I put it in there.”

“Did you eat already?” He asks. He makes a note to pay you back for the food later.

“No, I wanted to wait for you.” You say.

A bit of guilt hits him. You really didn't have to wait for him. You know his habit of being chronically late. He says he’s fashionably late, to which you reason he is never fashionable ever. He actually seemed a bit bothered by that one, which only made you tease him more.

Momentarily he disappears into the kitchen, returning with your food. You have his order memorized. There's only a handful of things he’d get anyway. He’s not a picky eater, and usually gets what you get. Pick one of about three things and he’ll probably eat it.

The food is still good even while cold. Gojo talks about his recent job while you eat. He says it was nothing special. But he called Nanami for backup, so you know that’s a lie. He hardly touches his food. Since when doesn't he want to eat? The guy has a pretty impressive appetite at times. Seriously, he could eat you out of house and home.

“Are you done?” He asks.

You nod.

He clears away the empty takeout containers from in front of you, returning the leftovers to the fridge.

When he returns, he sits next to you, throwing his arm over the back of the couch. The leather is an ugly shade. You’re sure if it weren't for Megumi, he would have bought something much worse. His taste—in everything, really—can be tacky. You make sure he knows this. Always have to keep him on his toes. Nanami is right about some things. You never take Gojo’s side for too long.

“You were gone for a while this time.” You say.

A smug looking grin spreads across his face. It's almost enough to make you roll your eyes and groan. “Sounds like you were worried about me.”

Really, you could worry yourself sick thinking about him. It's hard not to. Everyone has their limits, and you constantly wonder when he’ll hit his. Strongest or not; he’s human after all.

“Of course I worry.” As much as you hate to admit it, you care about him. You won't say it. It feels like bad luck to say it out loud.

He knows. He feels the same way. Over time he’s grown jaded and angry with the way things are. He tries not to worry too much about you. This life isn't an easy one, but you can handle yourself. He knows that. Years on your own have proven you're not only a capable sorcerer, but a talented one. The strongest doesn't need to worry about himself, so much as the people around him.

In a weird way he’s proud of you.

You open your arms, instinctively he goes into them.

You pull his head to your chest. He does little to fight against you. Hell, he practically leans into your touch. You take his glasses, setting them on the table beside you. His eyes close when your hands move to his hair, gently pulling it out of his eyes. He’s not quite sure what to do with his arms. Eventually he settles on resting them at his sides. One snakes around your stomach, coming to rest on the fleshy part of your hip. You're awfully comfortable to lay on, he notes.

Your movements are familiar, and oddly comforting. He makes note of the way your heartbeat suddenly drops off, before picking up in pace. From the smell of your shampoo, to the sound of your breathing. He can only describe it as home.

Lots of people will die in this line of work, but he has faith you’ll always be around. You’re too stubborn to die.

Touch in a sense like this is almost foreign to him. Touch in a non fighting context is just bizarre. He never de-activates infinity long enough to get hit. He's had his fair share of one night stands. Hell, he could have anyone he wants. He’s had everything and anything in between. Men and women across the world either want to be him, or be with him. But this—intimacy like this—is strange. The others get kicked out the morning after. But you’ll always be around. He likes to think he’ll be around for you too.

Maybe he’s more touch starved than he thought.

He’s Satoru-fucking-Gojou, a man like him doesn't get touched starved. He feels a wave of shame at his reaction. His face burns. His pride won't allow him to admit how much he enjoys this.

It's the first time you’ve held him close like this. The action is so oddly intimate and it’s not even in a sexual way. Your movements are familiar. He fits so nicely against your chest, he notes.

He practically purrs in delight as your fingers brush a sensitive spot towards the back of his head—where his neck and shoulders meet—sighing softly. Goosebumps rise along his exposed flesh. You take note of his reaction, and focus on that spot more, dragging your fingers across his skin. Your nails are getting long, and feel nice against his scalp. His eyes close as he leans into the crook of your neck.

"Do you want to watch something different?" You ask.

His heart nearly stops when your hand moves to cup his cheek. His face is warm. He's a wimp when it comes to horror movies. He says they don't scare him. They do. You’ve spent plenty of night sitting next to him, watching his body tense with terror.

He wasn't paying attention to the tv until now. He shakes his head, but his eyes remain fixed on the ground and not the screen.

"This is fine." He says.

"You sure?"

He nods.

He fights sleep as long as possible, but eventually he'll have to give in to it. You’ll be there long after he’s fallen asleep. Maybe even after he wakes up. His head nods, his eyes struggling to stay open. His breaths even out, his chest rising slowly.

You're not really sure what to do once he falls asleep on you. Your position isn't the most comfortable, but you suffer through it so as to not wake him up. If he’s fallen asleep on you, then he definitely needs the rest. He’s a light sleeper anyway. Any movement would be sure to wake him up.

It’s not long after that his body heat—and the sound of his steady breathing—lulls you to sleep.

You wake up to a blanket haphazardly tossed over the two of you. The tv is off. Two glasses of water are set out on the coffee table, condensation collecting on the outside. Megumi must have come home. Gojo's drool collects in a small pool on your collarbone, which is a bit gross. You use the corner of the blanket to wipe it away. It’s a bit odd seeing him so at-peace. It's rare he even lets his guard down. You rest your chin on the top of his head. His hair is soft, and tickles your neck. The sight of him makes your chest swell with affection. The intimacy of it all is enough to overwhelm you. It's been a while since you’ve cared so much about someone.

It's nice having him home.

He stirs, stretching out a bit like a cat. You card a hand through his hair. He grumbles something in response. Probably a weak “what?” Your joints are a bit stiff from staying in the same position for so long.

“Do you want coffee?” You ask.

He sleepily mumbles an answer—one which you don't understand. It's just as legible as the first. His eyes don't even open. You take it to mean he wants to go back to sleep. You pull the blanket up around his shoulders, tucking it under his chin. The sun is still barely up. You’re not in a rush to get up. You don't have anything to do today anyway, work can wait. If Nanami calls, you’ll just ignore him. You could stay in all morning if you wanted.

And you just might.

Come hell or high water, you’re staying on this couch.

In a bit you should get up and start breakfast. Most of the food in the house is for Megumi, but there should be enough to make something small. Pancakes sound nice.

[perlukafarinn]

sequel to this fic (read it for context. or don’t, i’m not the boss of you). i blame @hermywolf for this.

Things were tense for a while. 

Now, Dean knew why he was awkward. He’d offered himself up as Benny’s personal human juicebox and something in his fucked up, wires-crossed brain had gotten so turned on by the act, he’d been about point three seconds away from grinding on his friend like a sophomore at prom. 

He wasn’t sure what to make of Benny or Cas acting so weird.

Benny, and there was no other way to put it, had gotten really touchy-feely. Dean hadn’t realized how rare a non-violent touch was in Purgatory until it wasn’t anymore, until Benny kept putting his hands on Dean’s body, on his back, his shoulder, even his knee as they sat by the fire pit at night. Every touch casual and yet rife with some meaning Dean couldn’t comprehend, and every single one leaving Dean yearning for more. 

And then there was Cas. When he wasn’t hovering over Dean, constantly appearing between him and Benny, he was lingering somewhere behind them, sour-faced and glowering off into the distance. 

So yeah, tense. 

It was the first time Dean was actually thankful for the unending stream of monsters in Purgatory. The near constant combat didn’t leave much time to worry about anything else. Dean was almost convinced that they could get past this whole episode without mention, given enough time and distance and distraction by monsters.

Then Benny had to go and get hurt again.

It wasn’t life or death this time but it was close enough, a lucky swipe from a werewolf nearly tearing a hole open in Benny’s chest.

Cas got to him first again, heaving Benny to his feet and easily holding his weight when it turned out Benny’s legs couldn’t quite support him. Dean got there second, a few moments later, heart pounding as he surveyed the damage.

He met Cas’ eyes.

“Dean, no,” Cas said, catching on almost quicker than the idea had passed through Dean’s mind. “You don’t need to do this.”

“It’s not that big a deal,” Dean said, face growing warm for reasons he really didn’t wanna examine. “You’ll heal me after, right?”

Cas sighed. “You know I will.”

“He’s right, cher,” Benny spoke up. “Gimme an hour or two to heal, an’ I’ll be fine. You don’t gotta do this.”

Dean ignored him, stepping in close and pulling down his collar. “Shut up and let me help you.”

Benny laughed, low and strained. “If you insist...”

He leaned in and Dean closed his eyes in anticipation, one hand grasping Benny’s shoulder to steady himself. It wasn’t enough, the sudden pain of fangs sliding into flesh sending him stumbling against Benny until an arm wrapped around his waist, holding him still. 

Heat stirred in Dean’s gut and he quickly tried to focus on the pain, on the unnatural pull of Benny’s mouth, on his knees still aching from the earlier fight.

It didn’t work. Somehow, the pain just threw the pleasure into sharper relief. It was all too much; Benny’s warmth against his side, his mouth hungry and insistent, his fingertips digging into Dean’s skin as he tried to pull him even impossibly closer. 

Dean opened his eyes and oh, big mistake. Cas was right there, inches away, still holding Benny upright as he drank his fill of Dean’s blood, staring into Dean’s eyes with a look that might almost be mistaken for hunger.

Dean should have looked away but he couldn’t. He felt trapped, pinned down by the monster at his throat and the divine creature staring him down.

A pained gasp escaped Dean’s lips as Benny pulled away his fangs. He didn’t back off completely though, mouth remaining at Dean’s throat as he carefully licked up every drop of blood. Dean shivered, knowing he should be recoiling in disgust and not fighting off every instinct to lean in closer. 

Finally, it was Cas who put an end to it, grabbing Benny by his hair and pulling him off. “Enough.”

Benny shot him an annoyed look over his shoulder. “Easy there, chief. Can’t a man enjoy a meal in peace?”

He wasn’t being serious, Dean knew. He was just trying to rile Cas up. 

Did that make it more or less fucked up that hearing Benny refer to him as ‘a meal’ kind of turned him on?

“You are not a man,” Cas said, voice low and dangerous. “And Dean is not yours to consume with reckless abandon.”

Holy fuck.

Dean glanced between them as they now stared at each other, Cas all righteous anger, Benny stubborn as a mule. The moment stretched on, tension building, and as Dean was sure something was about to snap, Benny looked away.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered, laughing breathlessly. 

Dean shot him a curious look but he didn’t say anything else, letting go off Dean and backing away. Dean stumbled on unsteady legs but Cas was there in an instant, arm around his lower back and hand raised to cover the wound on his neck.

It was too much, too fast. Dean’s head was spinning, still trying to comprehend everything that had happened in the last few minutes and drawing a blank on any plausible explanation. He felt lightheaded too, the blood loss finally catching up with him, and as warmth poured from Cas’ hand, healing him, all he could think was

Have Cas’ hands always been that big?

*

The third time it happened, it wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination necessary. 

Still, Benny had broken his leg. Even if it would only take a few hours to heal it would still slow them in the meantime. And even if he could still fight in this condition, why make an already difficult situation even worse when they had such an easy solution?

Cas didn’t protest this time. He took one look at Dean and sighed, sounding defeated. “If you must.” 

Guilt stirred in Dean’s chest, strangely enough. “It’s easier for all of us this way, right?”

Cas didn’t look like he agreed. “Let me know when you need me to heal you.”

And he stormed off. Dean watched him go, the guilt growing stronger. Which was ridiculous, what the hell did he have to feel guilty about? Cas healed him without complaint after any other kind of injury. What made this so different?

Dean looked at Benny, who was sitting on the ground with his broken leg, watching the proceedings with an odd look on his face. His expression softened when he met Dean’s eyes.

“I hope you don’t feel obligated to do this,” he said. “You don’t owe me anything, you gotta know that.”

“I know.” Dean swallowed, feeling oddly vulnerable. “I just wanna - it’s not a big deal.”

He walked up to Benny, kneeling down on the ground next to him, straddling one thigh as he tried to find a comfortable position.

“You keep saying that,” Benny said. 

He put his hand on Dean’s waist, steering him closer as if it were second nature. 

“Cause it’s not.”

Benny hummed, eyes hooded, gaze unfocused and hungry as Dean leaned in. “It is to me.”

He bit down, lighting fast, saving Dean from coming up with a response. Dean didn’t bother to silence his whimper or to resist the urge to sit down on Benny’s lap fully, drinking in the touch of him as Benny drank his life’s blood in slow, deep pulls.

He didn’t take much this time, barely giving Dean time to get used to the pain before he was pulling his fangs out again, laving his tongue over the wound to soothe the sting of their exit.

“This isn’t a one-way street, you know,” Benny muttered, lips still pressed against Dean’s neck. His tongue darted out again, licking up a stray drop of blood. “I’m sure there’s something you want I could give in return.”

And Dean didn’t doubt for one second just what he was implying. It was hard to, really, with Benny’s dick growing hard against his ass, feeling impossibly hot even through the layers separating them. 

It was tempting. No one had touched him that way in far too long and Benny was willing, more than. He wanted it as badly as Dean did and they were already half-way there, practically dry-humping on the cold, damp ground of Purgatory.

But… “Cas.”

Benny sighed. Pulled away and Dean missed the warmth as soon as it was gone. “Yeah, of course.”

“Sorry,” Dean said, not really knowing what he was apologizing for.

“Don’t be.” Benny looked up at him, a teasing glint entering his eye. “You know, he wouldn’t have to be a problem. I wouldn’t mind him joining in on the fun.”

A fuse blew in Dean’s brain. He shot to his feet, nearly stumbling over Benny in the process.

“That’s - I don’t -” Dean stuttered. “He wouldn’t!”

Benny gave him a meaningful look, though what meaning was completely lost on Dean, and got to his feet. 

Instinctively, Dean held out his hand. Benny grabbed it, grasping it tight even as he got to his feet, steady as if he’d never gotten hurt at all. He leaned in and Dean didn’t even think, staying perfectly still as Benny kissed him. 

He tasted like copper, blooming bitter on Dean’s tongue. 

“Offer still stands,” Benny said, pulling away with a grin. “If you change your mind.”

Dean stared.

“Now go find your angel and get patched up.”

An order. Okay, Dean could follow that, even if his mind was becoming more of a jumbled mess by the minute. He walked away, going in the direction Cas had disappeared to and finding him a short distance away, standing in the middle of a clearing.

He looked up as Dean approached, opening his mouth to speak but whatever he had to say dying on his tongue. Dean stopped a few feet away, suddenly feeling wrong-footed and uncertain. 

Cas closed the distance between them, slowly walking up to Dean, into his personal space and then closer still. He raised his hand but he didn’t reach for Dean’s neck, for the still-bleeding wound just below his jaw.

Instead, he softly cupped Dean’s face, placing his thumb on his lower lip. Dean froze, breath caught in his throat, heart beating wildly against the cage of his ribs like a frightened animal.

“Did he-” Cas started then stopped. 

He dropped his hand. Dean followed it with his eyes, spotting the dark smear of blood on Cas’ thumb. Dean’s blood, left on his lips by Benny.

Oh.

“Be careful,” Cas said, finally placing a hand - his other hand - on Dean’s neck and healing Benny’s bite. “Behaving recklessly in Purgatory has too steep a price.”

The warning rankled something deep in Dean’s chest. He felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to disobey, to lean in and smear his blood on Cas’ lips like Benny had done to him. 

He ignored it. Reckless or no, Dean wasn’t a complete idiot. He knew a rejection when he saw one.

[vukovich]

peculiar prompt: soulmate au where your dick is the same exact length as your soulmate’s (i guess everyone has a dick in this universe idk 😂) anyways drarry discovering they are soulmates in whatever convoluted way you would like!

Nine and Three Quarters

Summer weddings were an unlikely tradition for a family that ran high to freckles and sunburns, but Harry didn't mind. Usually.

This wedding, though, he'd have just as soon not attended. It wasn't that he harbored any romantic intentions toward Charlie, but seeing him so bloody happy made Harry keenly aware of his own solitude.

Charlie and Constantin fed each other forkfuls of cake and grinned. They were perfectly-matched. Identical white short sleeve dress shirts and gold waistcoats, sparkling blue eyes and mirrored grins as they threatened each other with blobs of icing, much to Molly's horror.

Their matching gold rings felt like an extension of the tattoos on the underside of their left forearms. Charlie's was a dragon, of course. Constantin's was a crouched hippogriff. They were exactly the same size, but different designs and colors.

Forearm tattoos abounded among gay wizards, but it had taken seeing Charlie and Constantin together for him to notice the pattern. A plate of cake floated to his table and set itself down in front of him. He picked it apart with his fork, separating the layers of frosting out from the the cake, then mashed the fluffy cake down into a pellet.

A breathless Charlie flopped into an empty chair next to him and surveyed the wreckage on his plate.

"Got a grudge against that cake?"

"Huh? Oh. No. Sorry."

Charlie slid Harry's cake away, probably for its own good. Constantin and Fleur fox-trotted past, and one of them reached out to ruffle Charlie's hair.

"No date?"

"Nah." Harry licked his fork clean, rolled the bits of cake around in his mouth, and wished he'd have eaten the slice.

"Still doing the playboy thing, eh?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess."

Charlie huffed a laugh. "You guess? What else would you be doing at clubs?"

Harry shrugged again.

"Well, if you get tired of it and want the name of a really good soulmate tattoo artist, let me know." Charlie wiped up a dab of frosting off Harry's plate and popped his finger in his mouth. "Until then, enjoy hunting in the dark."

Charlie rose to leave, but Harry reached out and grabbed him by the buckle on the back of his waistcoat.

"Soulmate tattoos?"

--

--

"But I thought the tattoo went on my arm."

Harry kept his hands in his jeans pockets, just in case the man decided to help him disrobe.

"It does..."

Bushy grey eyebrows rose in speculation, and the man's brown eyes squinted at Harry, unsure of whether Harry was playing a prank, playing dumb, or playing at nothing.

"So why would I take my trousers off?"

"Riiiggght," he said slowly, gently spinning back and forth on his stool. "Why don't you tell me what you do know about soulmate tattoos."

Harry hooked his thumbs in his pockets and looked around the tattoo parlour for clues, but there was nothing but drawings on the walls. Pictures of forearms, too, all with differing sizes of beasts and creatures on them.

"Uhm," Harry started, "they go on forearms." The man nodded and motioned for him to continue. "And... they're... magic?"

The man shook his head and sighed. "The death of gay wizard culture, I swear. I blame that app."

"Wait, there's an app for-"

"Soulmate tattoos are the size of the wearer's dick."

Every tattoo Harry had ever seen ran through his head at once, and he stood slack-jawed for what felt like hours.

The man continued. "And so part of getting one is getting your dick measured. Professionally."

"I... Uh..."

"Men lie on the app. That's why all these boys are running around thinking they don't have soulmates, but older men know better. Back in the day, we'd just walk up to a bloke, line our arms up, and pair off."

Harry looked at the ceiling and tried to imagine a scenario in which that didn't sound both terrifying and oddly comforting.

"Why would you line them up?"

The man stared at him for a long. fucking. time.

"Soulmate dicks match, kid." He grumbled something about the Internet. "Now do you want the tattoo or not?"

"I... Uhm... Maybe later?"

"Suit yourself."

--

There had to be a better way to do this.

Harry balanced on tip-toe, focused on his dick with one eye, and dipped his quill. His tongue peeked out a corner of his lips as he concentrated on tracing around his shaft.

Was the quill angled accurately? Was the nib too far from his skin to be accurate? Was width even relevant?

He let out a held breath and dropped down to his heels. The paper on his desk was an embarrassment.

"Looks like a fucking caterpillar," he grumbled to himself.

Maybe they made enchanted quills for this.

--

The nook of art supplies at Flourish and Blotts was overwhelming, but it smelled good. Needle-sharp enchanted nibs sounded like a terrible idea. Image-grabbing paper sounded equally dangerous. What if he got his dick stabbed or absorbed into a piece of paper?

Someone cleared their throat behind him.

"Can I help you?"

Draco Malfoy met his eyes with a hesitant smile. He looked strangely at home surrounded by paper and ink. He wore a rumpled black t-shirt that advertised in bold white letters "Truth Quills: The Reign of Error Ends Here".

"Uhm... maybe?"

"What kind of project are you working on?"

"I'm... just... tracing something?"

Draco nodded and reached up to grab a pack of nibs just above Harry's head. The Dark Mark on his forearm caught Harry's eye. It wasn't a Dark Mark anymore. The skull wore a crown of red roses, and the snake had been filled in with vibrant yellow and blue markings. Harry decided it looked a bit like a Grateful Dead album cover. But prettier.

"These are good for most projects if you're just starting out."

Draco handed him a plastic box with more thingamajigs than he had any idea what to do with.

"Uhm, okay. Thanks."

"No problem." Draco's eyes wandered down to Harry's forearm and his smile faltered. "Anything else?"

"No, I think I'm good."

--

He wasn't good. He was nowhere near good, and he had black ink all over his dick. Also on his hands, and the table, and the floor, but those were less important.

"Looks like a goddamn Holstein dong."

--

"Alright," Draco said, and his smile was bordering on a smirk. "But what's the reference? What are you trying to trace?"

A dozen dick-shaped things came to mind, and Harry blurted, "A banana."

Draco did not laugh. Not with his mouth. Just with his eyes. His t-shirt today said "Blink Ink: Drier than your ex" in jagged black script.

"Mm hm," Draco squeaked through his nose. "Is accuracy important?"

Harry let out a relieved sigh. "Yes."

Draco cleared his throat and schooled his face. "Here."

He handed Harry a Truth Quill. "That ought to give you an accurate outline of your... banana."

--

"Hot damn!"

Harry held the outline of his cock up to the light. Damned if it wasn't perfect. He laid it face-down on his forearm and frowned. How was he supposed to get it onto his skin?

--

Draco faked a cough and covered his mouth and nose with his hand. "Pardon?"

"I need to transfer it."

"But a backlight won't work because..."

"Uhm... it can't... light can't go through the... other... thing."

Draco's t-shirt today had a frilly, looping font that said, "Nearotica: Almost There."

"Dare I ask what material you're transferring this banana onto?"

Harry focused on Draco's forearm, and the curve of the roses, and the sinewy body of the snake.

"Uhm... leather?"

Draco shot him a challenging look Harry didn't understand. "I suppose you'd want a cautery tool for that."

"Uhm... okay."

--

He wasn't okay. He had two burned dots on his forearm, and a hole in his paper at the base and tip of the outline.

Over a hundred galleons spent, and all he had to show for it were what looked like two mosquito bites that were exactly one penis-length apart.

The hell with all of it.

--

Harry dropped bags of barely-used art supplies on the store counter, and Draco's chin snapped up. He cocked his head and looked at the bags while Harry read his t-shirt: "Thrill Your Darlings: Tropes and Nopes."

"Didn't work out?" Draco asked.

Harry bent down, rested his elbows on the counter, and shook his head. "Can I return it?"

Draco shrugged. "Store credit, since it's all been opened."

Harry buried his face in his hands. "I'll take it in coloring books."

"I'll throw in some markers."

Draco shot him a pitying smile and stood to collect the bags. His eyes caught on the two burn marks on Harry's forearm. He set his elbow next to Harry's and pressed their wrists together.

"Huh," Draco exhaled. He rolled his tattoo against Harry's forearm. The peak of the rose crown touched the mark nearest Harry's wrist, and the snake's tail met the other.

Harry stared at their arms, wide-eyed and panicked in the best way.

"Is it-" Harry started. "Do they, uhm..."

"I... do believe so. If your banana outline was accurate."

Harry gulped. "It was."

"Huh," Draco repeated. "Well, in that case, there's a giant mandala coloring poster I've had my eye on, but it's a bit much for one person."

Harry let a grin spread across his face. "Consider it sold."

[gwynrielsupremacist]

A COURT OF LIGHT AND SHADOWS

Chapter 1: Voices

Read at AO3.

Gwyn's afternoon couldn't get any worse.

First of all, the morning's training had been horrendous.

Three weeks after the Blood Rite, Cassian and Azriel had thought it was time to start practicing again, since according to them, they had made a lot of mistakes that could very well have cost them their lives.

She was still alive, just like Nesta and Emerie, so at least one thing they had done well, survive.

After 3 weeks of not doing any sports, it was noticeable when you came back with all the energy, especially on a day where the sun was literally burning.

She noticed as she did push-ups that morning how her arms were trembling dangerously, the sweat running down the curve of her breasts, soaking the shirt she had worn.

Gwyn had promised herself that she would go out into the outside world.

That year she had made a lot of progress, she supposed she should be ready to enter society again, but no.

After the events in the Blood Rite, what she wanted was to lock herself in the darkest corner of the library, with a good book, and stay there to live.

Obviously, she couldn't do that. But she would have liked it.

With all the sore muscles, having failed almost all the obstacles the two Illyrians put them, showing a regrettable endurance in each and every one of the exercises, she had to go down to the library to have a pleasant chat with Merrill, who did not understand why her performance hadn't been 100% in recent weeks.

"I don't know, Merrill. Maybe because they pulled me out of bed against my will, left me in the middle of a forest full of Illyrians, while I had to fight to stay safe, as well as having to kill people? Maybe because I had never left the library after Sangravah, and I suddenly found myself in the same situation? " She reasoned, trying to control her pulse, having remembered the events in the Blood Rite.

She detested Merrill.

More than anyone else, she hated her. She often thought that life would be so much easier if people like Merrill just didn't exist.

After leaving her a ton of work to do, the female disappeared, leaving Gwyn with about seven books resting in her arms, already numb from the morning exercises.

She ran to the nearest table, relieved when she put the books down, with a thud.

She rubbed her dazed hands, wincing at the pile of books that awaited her to spend hours and hours together.

She had to research one of Merrill's new obsessions, the ancient and forgotten Prythian gods.

"I didn't even know they existed", she opined, opening a random book to a random page, flipping through the contents.

She got dizzy from so much information she did not understand, closing the pages with force, grabbing a cart that was nearby, leaving the volumes in it and going to her room, to calmly read those pages and pages of useless information, and then do a chapter-by-chapter summary for Merrill.

"Great, it's a good way to spend your free time if you love reading junk." She groaned as she carefully lowered the cart down the stairs.

"It is not junk. It is information that may be useful at some point", answered her subconscious.

At least she thought it was her subconscious.

She didn't remember when she had started to hear that voice, just one day it had appeared, and now it was considered the voice of reason.

Everything that voice said, it was true.

"I know, but I don't know how knowing which are the main and forgotten gods of Prythian is going to solve my problems." She attacked, greeting one priestess that came close to her, passing by her side.

The voice fell silent, apparently it had nothing more to add.

At least Gwyn could answer the voice in her mind. It would have been a strange thing to see a person argue with herself.

Upon reaching the room, which was a simple square with a bed, a wooden desk with a wooden chair that had more splinters than wood itself, and a modest closet, also made of wood.

Yeah, in summer the termites would destroy all the furniture if she wasn't careful.

Closing the door with the latch, one of the little luxuries she had on it, she put the books down with a thump, brushing her hands on the skirts of the gown, which was already heavily encrusted with dust.

She thought of taking off that long dress, which after so many washes the initial blue had ended up in an almost invisible gray, but she did not feel like going to the common baths of the priestesses, because every time she went there, they peppered her with questions about the Blood Rite.

And the last thing she wanted to do was talk about it.

So she collapsed on the bed, pulling back the covers and hugging the pillow with one arm, as she got into a fetal position.

"You have to go out, you can't hide in the bedroom all afternoon." It protested, to which she responded very kindly with a growl as she turned, trying to make it understand that she was going to do whatever she wanted.

"Alright then. If you get caught between the sheets and can't get out, don't come running to ask me for help." it threatened.

Gwyn didn't know how she was going to ask for help to a voice. It was disembodied, how the hell was she going to beg for help if she didn't even know what that murmur was?

She rolled over on the bed, rubbing her eyes and exhaling, disappointed.

She hated not being able to get out of that damn room.

She hated her insecurity and her irrational fear.

"It is not irrational, Gwyn." It assured her.

"Leave me alone." She begged, getting it to shut up.

She lay on her stomach, breathing deeply.

She looked at the time on the only clock in the room, located above the closet.

19.36.

It appears that she had a lot of time to do absolutely nothing.

Maybe she was going to pick up a book that Nesta and Emerie were reading.

Honestly, she was dying to sink her teeth into one that had caught her attention. According to her description, a maiden sent by the gods fell in love with her bodyguard...

Determined, she bolted upright, unlocking the latch, happily heading for the book.

There would be time to examine the books Merrill had passed her.

Anyway, she had a lot of time, reading something that interested her was not going to do anything bad to everyone.

With a broad grin, she made it to the fiction book section. She opened one of the books, tucking her nose between the pages, an exhale escaping from her lips when she smelled the wonderful book scent.

Her gaze sparking, she searched for the novel she was looking for.

"Didn't you forget something?" It asked.

She stopped short in the middle of the shelves, alarming a passing priestess.

Bowing her head in apology, she went back to searching, her eyes narrowing as she searched the thousands of spins with her eyes, finding none that bore the name of the book she was looking for.

"I don't have any errands to deliver to Merrill." She snapped, frowning when she finally found it.

It was at the top of the shelf.

She made a long face, standing on her tiptoes, stretching her arm as far as she could as she stuck her tongue out, focused.

"I don't mean Merrill, Gwyneth."

"Mysterious voice, what are you talking about?" The priestess demanded in a tired voice. She did not arrive. Why did they make the shelves so high? It was not possible that someone could reach them.

Although, don't get it wrong, Gwyn adored the voice. It was equal to the voice that we all have within us guiding us.

The problem was that the voice that she had was a little… annoying.

She looked at the shelves next to the floor, no books in sight.

Maybe if she got on them…?

She put one foot on it, skipping little hops as she judged whether the bookcase was going to fall or not.

Realizing that it was unlikely, she lifted her other foot, raising her heels as much as she could while she stretched out her arm, feeling her muscles go numb.

A little more ... just a little more ...

"You remember that your friend Nesta has a mate, right? And that you promised them that you would go to her ceremony?" As soon as she finished the sentence, Gwyn stopped.

Shit.

Seriously, had she forgotten that?

"There is still time… There are five days until the ceremony." The voice tried to calm her down, but nothing was going to do it now.

She jumped down from the shelf, as she began to walk from one place to another, in circles.

She had to go.

She couldn't do that to Nesta.

"I don't even have a dress. What am I going to wear?" Alarmed, she slightly stretched the strands of her coppery hair, thinking of a way to solve all the problems that had suddenly befallen her.

I have to leave the library to go to the mating ceremony.

I have to leave the library to go to the mating ceremony.

The female began to hyperventilate, forgetting the book that she had held less than 3 centimeters from her hands.

That was far more important.

"I can't tell Nesta that I forgot about her mating ceremony. I can't do that to her." Gwyn protested, running her hands over her face, rubbing her temples angrily, forcing herself to search for solutions and solutions and solutions.

But neither of them was going to work.

She had to get out of there, no priestess was going to leave her a suitable dress for the mating ceremony.

But she couldn't go alone. She did not dare to go down to the city alone.

Emerie couldn't help her. It had started the illyrian high-selling season and the illyrian needed the money. She only went to training, then she quickly returned to her store, not staying a minute longer than necessary.

Cassian and Nesta were completely out of the question.

Azriel...

"Ask him." The voice advised.

She needed to name that voice. She could not continue calling it "the voice", that was beginning to be uncomfortable.

"Maybe he can help you get the dress." It continued.

Would it be male or female? Or rather, what the hell was it?

"Are you listening to me?"

She definitely had no idea what it was.

"What are you?" Gwyn questioned, curious as she left the fiction section behind, walking aimlessly through the library.

She loved to wander aimlessly through the thousands of bookshelves, silent priestesses, the whisper of books her only company.

Besides that voice, of course.

"Have you heard anything I've said to you in the last two minutes?" Her voice roared.

"I've heard nonsense, so no, I haven't heard anything." She claimed. "But anyway, you haven't answered my question. What are you?"

"I am everything and I am nothing at the same time."

Now was it was being funny with her?

She rolled her eyes, annoyed "That is not an answer."

"It's an answer if you know how to interpret it." It answered.

She rolled her eyes again.

"Well, at least tell me what I can call you, it's uncomfortable to think of you as 'The voice'" She asked.

The voice fell silent, which she thought meant the end of the conversation.

She decided to head over to her room, assuming she should start Merrill's work, until 'the Voice' answered her.

"Elián"

Gwyn stood in the middle of the bedroom hall

"That is your name?"  She asked.

"My real name would burn your lips if you were able to pronounce it" It replied. "But yes, Elián is my name, and I am 'him', I have noticed how you struggled because you did not know if I was a man or a woman. The definition of gender is much more complicated than that, but it will be enough".

"G-Good." She answered.

Elián was quiet at last, leaving her with her own thoughts, as she opened the door, her own scent of jasmine feeling welcoming.

And the proposal he had made, although obviously she had ignored it, she was not wrong to consider.

Perhaps the Shadowsinger would help her out, aiding her finding a decent dress for her.

She closed the crank behind her, sitting on the small bed, wondering if it would be smart to ask him, risking him saying no, or not asking him and risking not having a dress for the ceremony.

Sighing, she figured she should go to the bathrooms to get the sensation of dust - and the dust itself - off her body, so she grabbed change clothes and headed there, deciding at that moment that tomorrow she would ask the Spymaster if he could accompany her to buy a dress.

Inside her, she could feel Elián nodding his head, giving his approval.

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