#it's fascinating compared to how much she brightens up everyone's day and loves making friends with each place she goes to

[fangaminghell]

The " harem" would still be a thing in the fantasy au, especially because Imani's a bard here. What kind of bard are you if you don't catch the heart of your audience? Even if by accident?

[helliontherapscallion]

pspspsp can I just request an immortal reader who's life is just dull/sad as hell since they've seen their loved ones leave or die in front of them so many times

but when they meet SBI or anyone, their life just suddenly brightens up? (Platonic and it can be any type of fic!)

(A/N): I got waaaayy too carried away with this. Star god reader my beloved (also, I’d imagine that your cloak looks like this guy’s but on the inside with the outsides being any color of your choice (credit goes to original artist))

If you want more god!reader content with the dream smp, @wooloo-inc has a really good series about a male!nature god!reader (aka, the god of dilf collection)

In the beginning when DreamXD created you (which if you think about it, that makes him your father, but I digress) from stardust and meteorite shards, you were a ball of fun loving sunshine (well, starshine?)

You loved watching over all of humankind, admiring their determination and bonds with other humans (both romantic and platonic)

Your older brother, the god of the moon, told you about how they viewed you and you were amazed

“Oberon?” You ran up to your older brother and tugged on his cloak making him hum in question, not looking up from his parchment scroll. “What- what do the humans think of me?”

He scoffed and glanced at you with his lily white irises, “why are you on about them again? They are lowly creatures compared to us, filled with greed and misfortune.”

“They worship us and that’s how you speak of them?”

“(Y/n) believe me, you have not seen the brutality they are capable of. War, famine, greed, plague, genocide, it’s all something you have not witnessed before. You have only seen the good in those things.” 

“But Oberon, I wanna-” he lightly smacked the side of your head, “use proper English. We are gods and you will behave as such.”

You huffed, “I want to know about how they view us! I do not care about the bad things they have done! Plleeeaaassseeeeeee Beri?” You willed the stars that constantly gleamed in your eyes to shine brighter as you fluttered your eyelashes at him. He may seem like he hated everyone and everything (especially his siblings), but he had a soft spot for his youngest sibling. He just stared at you for a bit before he sighed and shifted in the massive throne so that you could hop up onto his lap. With a wave of a slender pale hand, he conjured up various images of humans with stardust gazing at the stars and the moon with carefree swipes of his hand. 

“They view us as… poetic of sorts. They compare us to romance,” an image of two human males kissing then gazing into the stars laying down on a cliff came into view, “fortune tellers,” an image of the Aquarius and the Capricorn constellations popped up making you squeal in happiness. He chucked and changed the picture to a mother and son standing over a grave looking up in amazement at a shooting star, “and most importantly, as a sign of hope. 

“They see us as complementary, the moon and the stars cannot be as beautiful without the other. We hold the power of the night and everything it touches, (y/n). This is our kingdom, do not forget that,” the image changed to the moon surrounded by stars and swirling blues and purples of nebulas.

You looked at the images with awe, absorbing every word that fell from his mouth. “Beri?” He once again hummed, his deep baritone voice sending vibrations along your back. “Will we be together forever?”

His lanky arms wrapped around your much smaller frame, “for all of eternity. The moon is nothing without the night sky and all of the stars it holds.”

Centuries passed and your fascination with humans only grew from there

When you eventually asked if you could meet a human Oberon reacted angrily and forbade you from speaking of humans again in your shared palace, worried for your safety

When he caught you attempting to sneak out, he locked you in your room for months on end

Humans wondered why the stars hardly appeared in the night sky anymore, forming the theory that they had somehow angered you

They prayed to you more and more, begging and groveling for forgiveness

They left more offerings at shrines

You heard their every word, feeling your heartbreak with sorrow and guilt for your lovely humans

You snuck out of the palace that night determined to make it up to the humans

You quietly snuck past the main room where you and Oberon used to sit on your thrones together and control the night. The large doors were cracked open showing your older brother watching the night with boredom. As you passed, his voice startled you, “I just cannot stop you can I?”

He appeared in the doorframe looking at you emotionlessly, his eyes glinting with hidden pain. “Do you realize how cruel of a place that world is? How cruel humans are?”

“I do not care, brother! They are in anguish because they think I am angry with them! Because you locked me in here!”

“I have told you time and time again, they are ruthless creatures. Humans are constantly clashing with their own kind for the slightest bit of power, they’re greedy creatures! Have you forgotten what happened to Arachnia?”

A shiver went down your spine at the mention of your fellow deity. She wanted to be with humans but they stripped her of her grace and virtuosity, torturing her when the moon would rise. That is the reason spiders attack humans in the night when the moon and stars show themselves and are dormant in the daytime. However, that did not deter you. 

“I have not forgotten what happened to Arachnia, her tale fills me with grief. But not all humans are like that! They are compassionate, loving, and sweet creatures deep down, each and every single one of them!”

“They were not showing compassion or love when they tore Arachnia limb from limb! When they languish in riches while millions die around them! What part of that is compassionate?”

“Sure they do bad things sometimes, but have you forgotten the love they hold for each other? The determination and hope shining from within them when they pray to us? Have you forgotten that?”

“THEIR ACTIONS ARE NOT JUSTIFIED IN ANY WAY!”

“AND OURS ARE? YOU ARE BLIND, OBERON. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CRUELTY THE GODS HAVE SUBJECTED HUMANS TO? WHEN OUR FATHER TOOK YEARS AWAY FROM THEIR LIFESPANS SOLELY BECAUSE THEY STOPPED WORSHIPPING HIM AS OFTEN AS THEY USED TO? WHAT PART OF THAT IS JUSTIFIED?” 

He just stared at you with angry irises and his chest heaving before he ran a hand through his long ivory hair and turned around, the flowing white cape flowing wildly behind him with unseen air. He walked back into the observation room and back to his throne. Without a second glance to you, he worked on the transition of power between the sun and moon. You could imagine your sister Aelia grinning brightly as she rose the sun for the day.

“You are to never return here if you step foot out that door. You will still have control of your duties of the night. However you will never return. Do not come back groveling for forgiveness when I have given you constant warnings of their cruelty. If I see your face show up here, I will make sure father smites you down. Now get out of my sight.”

You huffed and whipped around to the front entrance, the stars that constantly twinkled and the nebulas that constantly swirled in the inside of your cloak illuminating the white floors below you as you ran. You left the palace without a second thought, leaving your old life behind in favor of spending it with the humans.

When you came crashing to the Earth in a shooting star, you were amazed by the beauty of it up close and in person

It was everything you expected and then some

You heard the humans cheering and thanking you in their prayers when the stars returned brighter than usual

You being completely enamoured by all of the humans, even if they recognized you or not you loved them all unconditionally

You set up a little cottage in the tundra where you could see the night sky clearly with the occasional aurora borealis 

From the roof, you controlled the stars

The tales of you defecting from the heavens was a popular one, and you became somewhat of a symbol of the hope that humanity should hold for themselves and compassion

Occasionally sending shooting stars over humans you knew were stargazing

You have met many lovers, friends, and even your own adopted kids over the next millenia, all of them accepting your immortality and everlasting duties

But it’s all the same in the end: they come, they leave, and they die

With each death of your loved ones, you could feel your will to keep going dissipate

The stars grew dimmer gradually in the night sky

The humans gradually stopped worshipping you as you disappeared from the night skies

You became a distant memory for elders to tell children 

Disappearing from the face of the Earth for a few centuries when you could not take the constant deaths any longer

Nobody knew where your cabin laid so you were undisturbed for centuries on end, left to your grief

That was until a knock sounded at your door

The knock startled you out of the comfort of your bed. Reluctantly, you left the warmth of the multitude of blankets and donned your cloak to hide your unkempt appearance. When you passed the mirror hanging in the hallway, you could see that your face was shrouded by darkness with the exception of a single glint where your eyes were caused by the lone star that was a constant reminder of your position. Before you fell into a deep depression, the stars would illuminate your entire face if you put your hood up. 

You opened the front door without a care in the world. If the beings on the other side were humans that would take you away and torture you, you didn’t care. You’re long past the point of caring for your own well being.

On the other side was a man of average height and long shaggy blond hair pulled into a slick ponytail. He was dressed entirely in green with a green and white striped bucket hat placed on his head. Past you would’ve been cooing at the object, but now you dully looked at the man in front of you. You glanced behind him and your eyes widened at the huge black wings sprouting from his back. You know who he was the second your eye caught the black feathers; he was the Angel of Death.

“Hello, Angel of Death.”

He tried to peer into your shrouded features, only seeing two pinpricks of light where your eyes should be. He gave you a friendly smile, brushing off the snow that gathered on his shoulders. “(Y/n), the God of the Stars and the Night Sky. Giver of compassion to the human race, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Why are you here? Last time I checked, my last lover died centuries ago.”

“Yes, my condolences. They were lovely when I guided their soul to the afterlife.”

“You still have not answered my question, Angel of Death. Why are you here?” You grit out the last sentence through a clenched jaw. He has no right to talk about them when he assisted in taking them away from you. Him and your cousin, the Goddess of Death Kristin. They took everybody you loved away from you. You knew that their deaths were unavoidable since they were human and you were immortal, but you still couldn’t help but resent them.

“The Goddess of Death sent me. The God of the Moon and the Goddess of the Sun sent her a request to send me to check on you.”

You stared at him for a few moments before you saw him shivering slightly and sighed. You always had a soft spot for humans, even if the being in front of you was not a human in the slightest. He reminded you of an old friend. You stepped aside and gestured lazily inside the house, “come in.”

He started to visit more and more over the next century

He eventually befriended you about half a century into the visits

It was extremely difficult to do because of how guarded you were, but he managed to break you out of your shell

You realizing how kind he was and how much he cared for you

You quickly came to the realization that he was immortal as well after reading up on the Angel of Death

After another fifty years, he became your best friend

You both opened up and comforted each other about everybody you both lost over the years

When he adopted Technoblade and then Wilbur not long after Techno, you were extremely hesitant to get close to them

Even going as far as telling Philza that you thought that it was an extremely bad idea

Mortals always end up leaving in the end anyways, it’s best to avoid the endless cycle of hurt that came with having mortals around

You told him about your own adopted children that have died over the years

You refuse to meet them, cutting off all communication with Philza for a year or two

Eventually meeting his three adopted kids when you reluctantly accept a dinner invitation one day

You attempted to appear cold and uncaring, but your love for humans (especially baby humans) shone through when an infant Tommy started to play with your cape

It seemed that the stars and the moving nebulas within the fabric entranced him

From then on whenever you visited Philza, you always held Tommy until he was too old for you to do so

Becoming very attached to the blond with your strong innate parental instincts

You introduce Techno to mythology, sharing stories of your personal interactions with certain gods and entities throughout the years

You teach Techno how to cope with the voices as you constantly hear multiple prayers to you from humans at the same time

You arrange a meeting for Wilbur with the Goddess of Music when he asks you about her

Arranging for her to start giving him lessons in exchange of a favor that will be cashed at a later date

You help raise all three of them, often taking them off Philza’s hands for a night or two 

Their favorite activity with you is watching you raise the stars and turn the sky dark

They always loved to watch you move the stars and summon shooting stars for them

The stars gradually returned to your eyes and a constant ecstatic smile slowly became synonymous with your face again

Humans started to worship you again when the stars in the sky became brighter

You became your old self again after centuries of feeling lost 

To repay them for everything they’ve done for you, you decided to rearrange the stars for one night 

One night of having a different star pattern couldn’t hurt 

Sure, it’d make a few theories pop up among the humans, but those are fun to overhear sometimes

The young boys and Philza behind you watched in awe as your eyes started to glow brightly and you slowly moved your hands gracefully raising the stars with the moon, your cloak starting to flow with nonexistent winds. They’ve seen you raise the stars thousands of times, but it never ceases to amaze them. It was just so… entrancing. 

You broke into a slight sweat and started to move the stars from their original positions in the sky. Shaking slightly, you pushed back against the strain and slight pain that it brought you. You’ve never done this before, so you really didn’t know what you were expecting. You felt someone put a hand on your shoulder.

“What’re you doin, mate?”

“Uh Dad?”

“Not now Techno. Mate, are you alright?”

“Dad, look up. They’re rearranging the stars,” Wilbur breathed out.

You could hear Philza gasp slightly as he watched star after star move until they locked into place. There in the twinkling night sky was each of their names gleaming brightly in small lettering. When you were done, you fell into a kneel onto the ground and rubbed at your aching head panting lightly. 

You could hear the boys around you panic slightly as you regained your breath. As you heard them approach you you looked up at them and smiled, the stars gleaming brightly in your irises. “Do you like it?”

“Y-yes but gods, (y/n) are you alright?”

“I am fine, but stars, I have never done that before. Are you four ready for stargazing?”

“That was so pog, (y/n)! How’d you do that?”

“I hold the power of the stars and the night sky in my hands. My brother once told me that the night is our kingdom.” You laid down onto the grass and took off your cloak to cover up a shivering Tommy and Wilbur next to you. You sighed as you thought about your siblings; you wondered how they were doing. 

“I will gladly move the stars themselves for you four. You are my family.” There was a stretched out moment of comfortable silence as you five watched shooting stars blaze by. Eventually, you saw an aurora borealis materialize above you. Furrowing your brow, you looked at it in question. They don’t appear this time of year, so why-

“Aelia,” you breathed out as you watched the greens flow above you. She must’ve sent a gust of solar wind your way. 

“Isn’t Aelia the Goddess of the Sun?” Wilbur asked you.

“Yes, she is my oldest sister. She must have redirected the solar winds over here.” 

“Damn, what’s with the gods changing everything tonight? You guys need to fuckin chill.”

“Tommy!” Philza scolded and was about to continue before he heard you start to laugh. They’ve only heard you genuinely laugh only a couple of times, so the sound that left your mouth immediately brightened the mood. 

“Yes Tommy, I suppose we do need to ‘fucking chill’.”

“You swore! Fuckin pog,” Tommy cheered to himself as the others looked at you in slight shock at your words. If you’re being completely honest in all of the years you spent alive (which is since basically the beginning of time), you’ve never sworn once. You were raised differently than that. When you realized that the others were staring at you, you smirked at them. The stars twinkling and giving your eyes even more of a mischievous glint, “what? Have you never heard a god swear before?”

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[gotnofucks]

Congruence

Written for @holylulusworld 10k follows challenge!

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Reader, Loki x Reader

Trope: Love Triangle

Summary: Stephen and Loki want you. You are confused. Wong is an angsty person.

Words: 4.5k

Warnings: None? Strong language, I think. Fluff and bad English (not my first language)

A/N: This is my first time writing something like this so please bear with me. Also, I’m a sucker for happy endings so…yeah.

MASTERLIST

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Wong was losing his fucking mind. He was one more broken vase away from cursing in Vedic Sanskrit and spent every hour cursing Thor for sending his miscreant brother to live at the New York Sanctum. He could have gone to Hong Kong, or maybe London where he would have fit right in with that English accent. But no! He had to send him here in New York with Wong and Stephen and you.

You had been living at the sanctum for only two months when Thor literally dropped Loki here. Wong and Stephen had been sitting in the living room when the ceiling cracked open and someone fell from the sky with a resounding THUD. Loki had looked up from the floor with utter contempt in his face at his brother who landed solidly on his feet.

“Hey there, doctor!” Thor bellowed, patting Stephen roughly on the shoulder and gave Wong a bear hug.

The sorcerers had stared at the two Asgardians with absolute shock on their faces until Wong exploded.

“Can you please for fucks sake use the door like a normal person!? Every time you are here you break something! The ceiling for god’s sake! Do you have any idea how much time and effort it takes to repair that?”

Thor looked at the ceiling with no remorse while his brother dusted himself off.

“Can’t you just, you know, reverse time with the stone and fix it?” Thor asked, taking a seat without being offered one.

“What are you doing here? And why, if I may ask, is your brother here?” Stephen asked rolling his eyes. Thor made the occasional stop at the Sanctum from time to time just for the fun of it. Banner bet him 10 bucks it has a lot to do with Wong being recently single, Stephen disagrees and says its because their kitchen is always stocked with Pop Tarts.

“Ah, you can keep my brother” Thor said nonchalantly, stretching his legs out and being comfy in his chair.

“Excuse me? Who the hell do you think you are, trying to treat me like an object?” Loki spat.

Before Thor could retort, Stephen banged his hand on the table. “I have no plans to keep your brother, Odinson. Pray, take him and leave. And while you’re at it, put some money on the table for the ceiling. We may have magic, but we don’t use it to put splintered wood back together.”

“You must keep him doctor, for the good of the nine realms.” Thor said, raising his hands slightly in resignation.

“Have you started another war already?” Wong asked curiously, eyeing the God of Mischief who looked about ready to stab his brother.

“He hasn’t, yet. But I’m leaving Midgard for some time and Valkyrie doesn’t want him around. They will end up killing each other by the end of the week. He’s got magic, you can make use of him here. Hell, make him fix that ceiling.” Thor said.

Loki was seething at having been treated like a naughty child while the adults talked around him. They hadn’t let him utter a word in his defense and he doubted it would matter if they did hear him out. Whatever, he didn’t want to stay with Valkyrie either. Before Thor dragged him here, he’d switched all her alcohol with fruit juice. She would be spitting fire for days and he was safer here. And so, it was decided that Loki would stay at the sanctum until Thor returned. What he would do here remains to be seen. Stephen wasn’t pleased with the situation, but he’d rather Loki stay here than cause some other world ending event that would drag him and other Avengers out to clean up his mess later.

You were in the library when this weird turn of events was happening, so you hadn’t had the chance to meet Loki yet. You were a new recruit at the sanctum, chosen personally by Wong who felt they needed more than just two sorcerers to protect this place. Until then you were under training with both of them and were still getting your feel of this space. You had so far met no one other than your two mentors so you were rightfully surprised to stumble on man wearing green cape and eating your cereal in the kitchen. You stopped in your tracks and looked at him curiously while he did the same, chewing slowly.

“Y/n meet Loki. He’ll be staying with us for some time”, Wong said as ways of introduction. Wong adored you since he saw you in Kamartaj and had you brought here as soon as your preliminary training there was over. You were still very young, only in your 20s, so you brought with yourself a light and life that had previously been lacking in this sacred place. Ever since you came here, the sanctum had flower vases in almost every room and soft music could be heard at odd times. You didn’t take long to adjust to your life in New York and often forced both Stephen and Wong to eat something other than take out. You laughed and smiled and brought with yourself a woman’s touch to this dreary place. Wong wasn’t the only one affected. Stephen, who had initially been very against the idea of another sorcerer in the sanctum warmed up to you quick enough. So warm in fact that Wong could almost call it affection.

“Hi Loki, does your cape float too?” You asked and sat across him, pouring some cereal and milk into your bowl. Loki stopped eating and bent his head a little to the side, curious.

“It doesn’t.” He said at last.

“That sucks, I love flying cloaks. Stephen’s cloak – I call it Levi – loves to take me on rides. If your cape were a sentient too, maybe they could have been friends. Everyone should have friends, even clothes.”

Loki was looking at you with a small, amused smile.

“I can enchant it for a few hours; however, it won’t remain animated forever.” Loki said. He didn’t like talking to strangers, but you were so sweet, so unafraid of him that it pleased him. You had no awkwardness when you spoke, and no note of hatred in your voice, something that didn’t happen often in his conversations with people.

Your eyes brightened and you launched into a discussion about animation enchantments, something that the masters at Kamartaj had steered clear off. They were very adamant about how to use magic, and walking furniture was somewhere they drew the line. Loki’s magic was very different to yours and it fascinated you. This was how Stephen found you, deep in conversation with an amused Loki who looked at you softly. He scowled.

“What’s happening here?”, he asked, coming to stand behind you.

“Did you know it’s possible to morph your body in someone else’s completely? Solid illusions!”, you prattled on.

“Of course, I know, I just don’t use it.” Stephen said and took the seat beside you.

“You never said! You’ll teach me?” Your eyes were bright as you asked this, and it was with great restraint Stephen shook his head and said no. He found it difficult denying you anything and if he ever admitted it to himself, he would say he’s fond of you. Very fond.

Your face fell at his denial.

“You won’t teach me? Why?”

“Some magic is too advanced for you right now. We’ll build it up and maybe someday I’ll teach you, although I’m not fond of it. Some magic is just…silly.”

Loki was looking at your exchange with a small smirk and as you lowered your face in dejection, he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table and looked straight at you.

“I can teach you.” He said and watched your eyebrows raise before a small smile formed on them. You looked happy until you remembered your mentor sitting beside you and looked at him with a forlorn expression. Stephen’s hands clenched and he resisted the urge to mash Loki’s face in his cereal.

“Like hell you would! I’m her instructor and the only thing you’re doing is staying out of trouble.” Stephen said, one hand leaning over the back of your chair, a gesture not lost on Loki.

“Didn’t Thor say I could be of help here? Well, this is it. I could help teach Y/n and we can compare notes on our magic. Wouldn’t you like that, Y/n?” Loki asked you in a sweet voice and you nodded eagerly, eyes pleading with Stephen to agree. You looked so earnest, so willing to learn, that Stephen couldn’t find it in himself to say no. He wanted to, he wanted to shout that he will teach you all you needed to know and more, that he is someone you can rely on. But he simply said yes.

Throughout this whole conversation, Wong, who was busy cooking hadn’t said a thing but if the stiffness in his shoulders was to go by, he was not a happy man. He knew some shit was about to go down, and lord did he not want to be a part of it.

From that day, what happened in the Sanctum was something Wong could only call an over glorified dick-measuring contest between Stephen and Loki. They did all but whip their tools out and boink each other on the head with it.  

It started from little things like teaching you something new and praising you about it. You loved to have your work being acknowledged and would blush a deep red at being praised. Loki had fumed for hours watching you and Stephen work and you giggling with a red face as Stephen told you what a good job you had done. In retaliation, Loki started teaching you enchantments and when you got them right, he would pat your hand and tell you that you were a good girl. That blush, and the glare he received from Stephen was a treat.

It didn’t stop with academics. The men started vying for your attention in the kitchen, each trying their hardest to win you over with more and more complicated dishes. Wong put his foot down when Loki made a Nutella sandwich that was a foot high and dripped with toasted marshmallows that took hours to scrub off. Stephen had laughed outrageously when Wong scolded Loki, telling him to clean up his mess and if he ever did something like this again, he’ll be using his toothbrush to clean the sanctum. Stephen stopped laughing however when Wong turned to him with a spatula in his hand. “And you! You’re banned from cooking too. I can’t go shopping every day to get you ingredients because you want to make Y/n pastries and pies and stupid Turkish delights three times a day. Out of my kitchen! Now!”

The antics continued, more often than naught resulting in skirmishes between the two men which in turn resulted in a lot of broken vases, furniture, and in some rare events, bones. They fought over who you spent more time with, smiled wider at, and laughed harder at. It drove Wong crazy, an unfortunate bystander to the playground tricks of two boys fighting over a toy. But you were more than a toy, that he could tell.

You weren’t oblivious to what was happening. You were young, not naïve and so you spent your days very amused. You didn’t mind this attention, far from it in fact. Two very handsome and powerful men, for reasons best known to them, were trying their best to impress you. It made you giddy and feel wanted, but also confused because while you weren’t in love with either of them, you didn’t think you’d be able to choose one when the time came for it. Surely, they can’t keep doing this forever and will one day give you the ultimatum to make a choice. You dreaded that day because with each passing day, with each sweet gesture and praise, with each hug lasting a little longer and each eye contact being a little hotter, you were reminded that with choosing one you would lose the other. That didn’t seem like the happy ending you wanted.

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Loki was at his wit’s end and knee deep in books and ancient relics. He had scrounged every storeroom and tome trying to find what he wanted to no avail. His hair was disheveled from running his hands through it too many times and he wished you would braid it like you’d done a couple nights ago. What had begun simply as an amusing prank to show up Stephen Strange ended up being a true gamble in the game of love. He didn’t really expect to start liking you like this. Sure, you were different, and he acknowledged that fact within minutes of meeting you. But he didn’t know that he would seriously start considering his intentions towards you. At most he had hoped he would find a friend in you, but he didn’t just want to be a friend anymore. He wanted you with your tinkling laugh and ability to cast spells far above your level. He wanted to see you defend him against Thor and to tell you stories of Asgard as you took a walk through New Asgard by his side. He wanted you so bad and he’d be damned if that red cloak wearing second rate wizard took you from him.

“What in the world are you doing?” Wong asked as he entered Loki’s room to find it strewn with books and odd ornaments. Loki was sitting on the floor looking quite frustrated, and well, a little pathetic.

“I can’t find it. I’ve searched almost every book and every relic you have here. I can’t find it!” Loki moaned. Wong didn’t know what he was looking for, but he felt a small spark of pity for the god.

“What are you looking for?”

“Aladdin’s lamp”

There was a pregnant pause in the room.

“Excuse me?”

“Aladdin’s lamp. Y/n was talking about how Strange’s cloak – Levi as she calls it – would have loved having the flying carpet as his friend. And I asked her about this carpet, and she told me it belonged to the Genie who came out of Aladdin’s lamp when rubbed. I want that lamp so I can ask this Genie fellow to loan me his carpet”

It was a tough battle between laughing and patting the god on his head like a small child. Wong fought the impulse to do either and sat down on a chair after depositing the books on it on the table. “You won’t find it here”, he told Loki whose head shot up at this.

“Why not? Is it at some other sanctum? London?”

“It’s…nowhere.”, Wong said and raised a hand to stop Loki from interrupting. “Aladdin is a fictional story, so is the lamp and the genie and the carpet. Y/n loves reading about them and watching the movie adaptations. She likes to see how morals have interpreted magic.”

Loki’s mouth dropped open and for a moment he looked about ready to cry for having wasted so many hours searching for something that didn’t exist. Then, he miraculously started laughing.

“Norns! This woman drives me up a wall! She mentions one thing and I just want to do that for her. I’m not even mad at her or myself, just disappointed that I’ll have to search for something else to get her now. What the hell happened to me?”

Wong looked at a man who was very nearly, if not already in love with you. He didn’t like Loki very much, but he didn’t want this man to go through a heart break either. He would have to talk to you, soon.

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Stephen fancied himself a step ahead of Loki because he had known you a little bit longer, but if he was being honest, there wasn’t much to go by. His insecurities had a lot to do with that, for he believed you would prefer Loki, a handsome man over a scarred man like him. But you had never mentioned anything about his slightly trembling hands. You had taken to his life without a hitch and so seamlessly blended into a routine with him, Stephen felt like you had always been a part of his life. He couldn’t remember when you’d started helping him tie his robes, or necktie when the occasion called for it. He couldn’t remember when he’d started eating home cooked meals instead of takeout at the deli Wong preferred. One day he was living without you, and the other you had taken over every aspect of his life and made it ten times as beautiful. He didn’t know if he could go back to living life as he did before you, and he’d be damned if some green-bean god tried to take you away from him.

“I am going to regret asking this but what are you trying to do?”, Wong asked Stephen who was standing in the middle of his meditation room holding his cloak. Well, holding might not be the correct term. Dancing…with his cloak.

“I am teaching Levi how to waltz”, Stephen said and continued to guide the piece of fabric through the leg movements. Wong watched this with morbid fascination before sputtering incredulously.

“Why?”

“Y/n loves to waltz and as I don’t always have enough time to indulge her, I’m teaching my cloak how to do it so it can keep her company. You’ll do that won’t you, Levi?”

To Wong’s utter astonishment the cloak seemed to nod and was almost elegant in his movements. For a good few minutes Wong watched this scene before sighing. Smitten, both of them. Absolutely wrapped around your finger and most definitely on their way to fall in love. Stephen was his best friend and he looked so happy since you got here, it warmed Wong’s heart to finally see Stephen smile and be genuinely happy.

He really really needed to talk to you and ask you whom you planned to be with, if any of them at all. This is exactly the sort of drama Wong hated and he was sure no matter what you said, someone was going to get their heart broken.

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You were going to do it. You were going to do it today and tell them your decision because you couldn’t take it anymore. The hostility between Loki and Stephen was getting on your nerves and you couldn’t spend a minute in one’s company before being interrupted by the other. In the end, you just left them both, hence losing the joy of both their presence. And poor Wong. You could see him trying to summon courage for what you knew was going to be a very uncomfortable talk. The past few months Loki had lived here had been the best and worst months of your life. But now that things were starting to affect not just your friendship but also your academics (because both your instructors ended up attacking each other and spent two days in the sick bay), you needed to make a choice. So, you did what you did best and got to baking.

“It smells like Valhalla here, Y/n”, Loki said as he watched you work.

“Why won’t you let us see what you’re making?” Stephen asked, trying to look around you but you glared at him and he sat down again.

“Will you both for god’s sake ask the important question? Why the hell are we wearing these outfits?” Wong grumbled.

You looked at the three men seated around the table in Harry Potter robes, each holding a handmade wand and pointy hat you’d forced them to wear. They had protested and whined (I’m not a witch for Norn’s sake!) but had given in easier than you thought. You really did have them wrapped around your little finger.

“Could you wait for like two minutes? This needs to be perfect!” You chirped and got back to your tray.

“I’m too old to be doing cosplay”, Wong said with a huff.

“Shut up”

It took you another ten minutes to perfect your stuff, a tray lined with identical muffins with Hogwarts logo and the sorting hat on top. Picking it up you sat it down on the table before the three men and then sat down yourself.

“These are the sorting muffins but with a twist”, you declared. Loki looked on with interest. He’d watched and read all the Harry Potter books and movies at your behest.

“I hate this, and I hate twists. The last time I saw a twist was when this one-”, Wong pointed at Stephen “-annoyed a cosmic being into accepting defeat. I still get nightmares about that”

“Oh, don’t be so dull Wong. These are compatibility muffins. We don’t need sorting, we’re already sorted. You are obviously a Ravenclaw because you’re the librarian, Stephen is of course Gryffindor because Levi is red, similarly Loki is Slytherin because that cape is definitely a Slytherin green. And I am a Hufflepuff because I am the best.” Your speech did not have the jubilant response you expected, and you crossed your arm with a deep disappointed sigh. Stereotypical as your sorting had been you expected something more than blank faces.

“So, what are these muffins for?”, Stephen asked.

“We all take one and see what color filling we find. The person whose house we get, that’s the person we’re most compatible with.” Now you had your expected response. Both Loki and Stephen sat at attention eyeing the muffins critically, trying their hardest to guess which one had the yellow icing in the middle. Beside them Wong groaned and facepalmed. Of all the ways for you to choose a partner, trust you to play a game of luck involving a children’s fantasy book. He was regretting putting that talk off now.

“So, if I get blue…” Loki trailed off

“Yeah, you and Wong can go make out in the corner” You answered. “But of course, Wong must get green too you know, or you’d have to find another Ravenclaw. Consent is important after all”

It was the dumbest shit you had ever come up with. You knew it, everyone else knew it. But if this was how it was supposed to go so be it. Everyone ignored Wong’s complain of ruining a good desert and set out to choose their most perfect muffin. They were all identical to the last crumb, and it took an annoyingly large amount of time for both your suitors to choose their pieces. After they had deliberated and finally chosen their muffins, you casually selected one and motioned for Wong to do the same.

Finally, with muffins in all your hands and eyes full of anticipation and trepidation, you all took a bite.

Stephen’s face broke out in a grin as he showed off his bitten muffin with a yellow center. That smile however turned into a frown as Loki showed a yellow centered muffin too. Wong, feeling utterly stupid showed his red centered muffin and then all eyes turned to you. With a straight face you turned your muffin and-

“Motherfucker!”, Wong cried and with his head in his hands began laughing and crying simultaneously. Loki and Stephen looked stunned, staring open mouthed at the two-colored center of your muffin. Red and green.

“What?” They both said.

“I can’t choose. I just can’t. That’s not who I am.” You said and looked them both straight in the eye, hoping they’ll see reason in what you’re saying. “How do you choose between two people who love so much? You can’t quantify that feeling, you can never tell if its greater for someone or not. Call me a coward or a bitch, I don’t care. This is the truth. I love you Stephen. I love all your music references and stupid movies you make me watch. And I love you Loki, with that English accent and your horrible cooking. I love you both and I am here if you’ll have me. This is what I can offer you, because I sure as hell can’t break either of yours heart.”

You didn’t know what was going to happen. You hadn’t exactly meant to drop the L-word, but well, it was true. You couldn’t break their hearts, so you put the ball in their court and allowed them to break yours instead. It was much better than going through with the pain of choosing one of them, especially when your heart beats simultaneously for two. You braced yourself for rejection, because sharing a person you love is never easy. But if you have to share it with a person you hate, well, its almost impossible.

Loki and Stephen looked at you and then at each other. They seemed to be having some sort of wordless conversation and the longer they remained silent, the more you felt like you’d made a mistake and lost them both. Finally, they nodded at each other and then looked at you.

“I hate this second-rate wizard”

“I hate you too, green puny god”

“But we love you more.”

You blinked once and then again. It took a minute to register what they said but then you were flying and the next second you were in their arms, one man at your front while the other at your back. Sobs whacked your small body as the tension of past few months left you in your lovers’ embrace and you could finally breath easy. You pulled away and looked up with a tear stained face at Loki and Stephen, a watery smile that they reciprocated.

“So, we can finally have sex now after months of violent foreplay”, you remarked making them both laugh and pull you in their arms again. This was it. This was your safe space, your heaven.

Wong was forgotten as the three embraced and he was as baffled as he had ever been. Only you could have pulled off something so crazy. He was so glad he almost joined the group hug himself. No more broken furniture, no more shouting and no more messy kitchens. Life could go back to normal. As soon as he said that thunder rumbled outside and the ceiling cracked, depositing Thor in front of them wearing his armor and red cape.

“What’s happening here?” He boomed, looking around as if he hasn’t just vandalized their home again.

“You’re such a Gryffindor!” You cried, still delirious with joy and hugged Thor who had till now never met you. “I need to shave my whole body!” And saying this you ran away leaving the men staring at your back.

“Who’s that? And what’s a Gryffindor?” Thor asked, sitting at the kitchen table, and stretching his legs. He spotted the muffins and picked one up, taking a huge chunk out. It was blue from within. Both Loki and Stephen turned to look at a red-faced Wong who was cursing in Sanskrit.

“Looks like Banner was right. I owe him 10 bucks”, Stephen laughed.

[sepublic]

Here's a new one! So may I ask what your take would be if Kipo were to meet any of the 3 amphibia girls? I mean Kipo, Anne, and Sasha all got Fruncles. But this is mostly an excuse to talk more about Kipo! We need more discourse!

           Well dang, that’s something I never considered! Although it’s worth noting that Grime is a TOAD Uncle, not a Frog Uncle… And this distinction apparently means a lot to the people of Amphibia, given how they have an entire caste system revolving around this difference in species!

           Getting into Kipo herself, and how she’d react to Amphibia in general… She’d take to it naturally, obviously! She’s already met Talking Frogs… She already eats Cave Moss Lasagna and bugs and worms back home in the burrow! And as terrifyingly dangerous as Amphibia is, it’s probably not THAT different from the surface… Knowing Kipo, she might not even notice a difference if she were to be suddenly teleported from Earth to Amphibia! Her first assumption would likely be that she’s on another continent, or somewhere else in the United States, but that’s about it!

           And, this fact segways into Kipo meeting Anne… I think one of the important things to consider is that Kipo has no shame! She isn’t necessarily insecure… She had a VERY loving and supportive father, who encouraged Kipo’s interests in science and astronomy and so forth! Her friends Dahlia and Asher were good people, and really, it seems there was no reason or cause for any kind of ‘bullying’ that would lead Kipo to suppress who she is! Well, besides the whole thing about being Half-Mute, but that didn’t come up until VERY recently in Kipo’s life, and so far, the people she’s met have been supportive! Sans Wolf, but that barely lasted and she’s a child dealing with legitimate PTSD, so it’s understandable!

           I think Kipo would simultaneously be much more ‘wild’ for Anne as a friend, someone who’s a lot more upfront and wears her heart on her sleeve… But she’d also vouch for Anne’s confidence as a person! She might hear about how Anne was afraid of fully expressing herself back home, and… Kipo wouldn’t really get the anxiety because it seems culture in the Human Burrows has progressed past that sort of thing. She DOES live in the future, after all. But like Mulholland-Song taught her, you may as well live it on your sleeve who you are, and embrace that! Besides, Anne’s reasons for not ‘fitting in’ are definitely a lot tamer than Kipo’s… Not that Kipo would ever compare, of course!

           Kipo is a VERY supportive and encouraging person, she’s going to tell Anne to be who she is and not care! And as for Anne’s situation with Sasha, well… More on that later- But for now, Kipo and Anne would get along just fine! Kipo’s more openly-feral attitude would help Anne embrace the cultures and norms of Amphibia, more quickly than she already did back in Season 1… In general, they’d be enthusiastic sisters with one another! Kipo would be an AMAZING outlet for Anne’s growth, and the two of them would get into whacky hijinx… Sometimes Kipo reins in Anne, sometimes it’s the other way around!

           Then, we have Marcy! As I’ve already said before, Kipo is a nerd and proud and embracing of it… It’s going to be like Luz and Marcy! Kipo is going to be the PERFECT friend for Marcy, the two of them would stay up all night discussing science and whatnot! They’d be talking about their hyperfixations to one another, Marcy listening intently and fascinated by Kipo’s discussions of what Lio taught her, and Kipo is just so INTERESTED in Marcy’s talk of videogames and RPGs, she’s never gotten to play those sorts of things as a kid! And Marcy’s eyes twinkle and brighten up, as she invites Kipo…!

           It’s going to be amazing. They’re nerds and 100% neurodivergent. Marcy will have had past reservations about being a nerd, about being definitely autistic… And Kipo’s going to say, who cares?! Lio and the Burrow community were always supportive of that sort of thing, she’d get Marcy to proudly indulge in being neurodivergent, in being a nerd! Kipo would be fascinating to Mar-Mar and vice-versa, because they’re people who can ramble on about science for hours and understand each other, they’ve even got plenty to teach one another! Kipo’s going to be SO fascinated in Amphibia’s culture, how it differs from those of the Mod Frogs as a more expansive civilization with a proper past… Marcy will happily answer, and Mutes! OH Marcy is going to be having the time of her LIFE studying Mutes, freaking out over them, inevitably stimming and asking questions at a thousand miles per hour as Kipo happily answers each one and keeps up without blinking an eye!

           Kipo and Marcy are nerds, they’d indulge in one another’s passions and interests, and there’d be a certain special understanding between them, a unique one… At least, more unique than most relationships with other people already are! There’s going to be a connection… Kipo’s going to introduce Marcy to Lio, HE’s going to encourage and indulge in Marcy’s hyperfixations! Kipo’s going to spend all day working with Marcy on her Creatures and Caverns campaigns, playing videogames… Discussing the history behind the tech, the little ways the programming comes together! It’s going to be great.

           Like Anne, Kipo’s also going to be someone who helps Marcy keep her head and mind open… Kipo’s very much a more socially-oriented, people person. Marcy’s going to admit that she has difficulty talking with anyone else that isn’t Kipo, Sasha, or Anne… And Kipo’s going to say that’s okay, that it’s understandable if eye contact isn’t a thing for her! The way I see it, if Marcy doesn’t have a name for a lot of her autistic habits and stims, Kipo certainly does and she’s going to make Marcy EMBRACE that part of her identity, instead of feeling shame! She’ll tell Marcy Wu that it’s okay that she doesn’t readily, instantly make friends with everyone else, the way Kipo or Anne do…

           Kipo is more than ready to introduce Marcy to her other friends, and she’s going to give her pointers on how stand tall and be confident! And as for Marcy’s loneliness… Like I said, Kipo’s going to encourage Marcy to make other friends. I think Wolf, Benson, and everyone else will get along just FINE with Marcy… And speaking of which, I think Marcy is someone who would be incredibly fascinated in Kipo’s Half-Mute nature, and ALSO be supportive of it! If Kipo ever feels down and like a freak, Marcy tells her that she’s the coolest person in existence… And that’s without being Half-Mute, being partially Mega Jaguar just cinches the deal! She’s going to nerd out on Kipo’s Jaguar paws, help her figure out how to control herself…

           In general, Kipo will be a GREAT person for Marcy! She’s going to teach her to be more open about who she is, to unapologetically embrace that… Tell her it’s okay to not be the most readily-sociable person! These two will be utter nerds who get to nerd out with one another to the fullest extent, everyone else is going to groan when they start ranting at several miles-per-hour about the latest hyperfixation or science subject, and that won’t stop these two!

           As for Kipo and Sasha… Well. Kipo doesn’t have the MOST experience with these sorts of toxic, manipulative friends… The closest she has is her brother Scarlemagne, but he was a bit more up-front and wearing it on his sleeve about his intentions. He certainly wasn’t trying to trick Kipo, and throughout their interactions, there was this sense of Kipo having the emotional power over Hugo… And then of course, we find out she had the logistical power as well, thanks to Mulholland!

           Sasha is definitely much more of a confident person than Scarlemagne. A lot of the time, she doesn’t even consider or self-reflect if people will hang around her or not… While Scarlemagne is VERY fussy about if he can trust people and this manifests almost literally in his pheromones’ ability to control others and have them be completely honest; Sasha takes people for granted! She doesn’t realize she’s lost them until it’s too late… And unlike Scarlemagne, she won’t default to violence and bloodshed! At least, so far… Not to compare trauma, but Scarlemagne has definitely been through worse and has a lot more reason to be aggressive, amidst him having enabled this behavior through his attempted take-over of Las Vistas! Sasha is ALSO someone who is planning to conquer Amphibia alongside Grime…

           But the thing about her is that she HAS Grime- She can trust him, and vice-versa! They didn’t expect one another to be close friends and allies, but they’d die for one another without hesitation! Sasha’s ultimately a MUCH more confident person than Scarlemagne, and that can lead to her being less paranoid and self-reflecting because she isn’t constantly checking herself. Not to mention, while Scarlemagne is someone who is used to rely on brute force first, as someone who was always in a position of weakness beforehand…

           Sasha has ALWAYS been in a position of power and privilege. She’s never really had to worry about being on the lower-end of a power imbalance. As a result, she’s someone who’s very much used to using honey instead of vinegar, she’d rather avoid conflict and assume the best of others, that if somebody made a mistake- It was just that, a mistake!They didn’t REALLY mean to defy Sasha, they have her best interests at heart inherently! She’s much more willing to forgive and forget, but inevitably, she’ll also have a line that’s going to be crossed somewhere…

           Scarlemagne and Sasha are definitely fascinating characters. They’re not very easily open to others in the emotional sense… Sasha puts up the façade of this, but in the end, she doesn’t really connect much with her ‘cronies’ and ‘minions’. She has a VERY select friend-group of people she’s truly open with… But even THEN, there’s a certain distance between Sasha, and Anne and Marcy! And especially with Toadcatcher as of late, Sasha is someone who’s going to hide her feelings behind blunt, brute force… She’s someone who’s feeling her friends slipping away, and she’s probably going to become more like Scarlemagne, and default to obsessive control not just of others, but Amphibia itself, just to feel safe!

           …So when it comes to Kipo and Sasha interacting, this is definitely going to be an interesting one. Kipo’s going to recognize a lot of familiar story-beats, here and there… But she’s also going to see Sasha as someone who still has a lot more confidence and manipulation than her brother. Sasha is someone who could likely get to Kipo more easily than most, come across as way more trust-worthy… Without really meaning to or considering this with malice, Sasha is someone who could try to assert control over Kipo.

           But the thing about Kipo is- She’s a healthy person! She’s had postivie friendships before, she KNOWS what a healthy relationship is like… So while she may initially allow for some of Sasha’s ‘eccentricities’ at first, it’s going to become obvious to her that Sasha is toxic, and manipulative. Kipo is someone who will readily stand up to Sasha and defy her, call her out… And Sasha is going to VERY surprised. Depending at what point in her development that Sasha meets Kipo… I can see her taking a moment to self-reflect. Or, maybe she feels that precious threshold being crossed, and tries to lay down her authority…

           And alas, Kipo isn’t having it! Kipo’s going to be open, blunt, and honest in her own way, that this isn’t how friends should act, and that even IF Anne and Marcy are Sasha’s best friends and vice-versa, there’s still a lot of room to improve! And Sasha’s going to be shocked and taken aback, she’s going to brush off Kipo… And I think inevitably, she’s going to cut ties with Kipo and go off and do her own thing. There’s no need to make herself more uncomfortable by arguing with Kipo, Sasha prefers to avoid conflict! And Kipo, well…

           I think Kipo would let Sasha go, at first. But she’d also consider how Anne and Marcy are doing, and how THEY need help. Respecting boundaries is important and all… But sometimes, people need help. Sasha might see Kipo being kind to Anne and Marcy as a threat, and force her friends to choose between her and Kipo… There’s going to be a LOT of discourse. But in the end, Sasha is going to listen when she sees her friends turn to Kipo’s ‘side’… And if this is pre-Amphibia, ideally this is an environment where she can at least feel safe in reconsidering her actions, and opening up.

           Speaking of environments, I think Kipo would also take a while… But she’d get Sasha to appreciate and be more open-minded towards the Surface, as well as Amphibia! Sasha might be surprised by Kipo’s Half-Jaguar nature, but amidst everything else… She’s just going to take it in stride, as much as she already does. She dismisses the Frogs as ‘just slimy frogs’, yet Sasha clearly interacts with the Toads and treats them as actual people, with all of the little quirks and eccentricities that come with navigating social relationships! And her bond with Grime, well…

           …It’s obvious that Sasha KNOWS that non-humans are still people. She’ll most just bring it up whenever she’s trying to convince someone like Anne to get back to her side, to choose between her loyal, childhood friend, VS some strangers who are also gross and slimy frogs! But in the end, I doubt Sasha has any particular prejudice against non-humans. There IS a bit of an issue with seeing Amphibia as a place to ‘take over’ and ‘have fun’ in the beginning… But as of Toadcatcher, I think Sasha has somewhat matured in recognizing Amphibia fully as a functioning place and society, and not some adventure RPG to play around in like Marcy would. It’s a place with stakes and consequences.

           So, Sasha will be taken aback by Kipo’s half-jaguar nature, but ultimately, I think she’ll express more intrigue and interest than anything else. She’ll definitely ask a lot of questions, though be less concerned with the scientific know-how, and more how Kipo’s abilities could help the two of them… But Kipo is to strong-willed and confident, and knows better. She’s not going to fall for any of Sasha’s bad ideas.

           Really, Kipo is going to take ONE look at Sasha… And Anne and Marcy, as post-Toadcatcher, and she’s going to immediately tell that these girls are unhappy. That they have concerns, but also they clearly miss one another and want to be back together. Kipo is VERY much a problem-solver, as most scientists are by nature… So she’s going to ask a simple yet obvious question, of why can’tthey be friends again? There’s clearly a past to work with, a desire to get back together… So what, REALLY, is the problem?

           Kipo’s not going to take any of Sasha’s excuses. She’s going to get right to the heart of the problem, while Anne and Marcy admit more quickly that she has a point, and take her side in reaching out… And Sasha Waybright, she is NOT going to respond well, at least not initially! There’s a reason why she’s associated with Brawn while Jock Anne is Heart, and nerdy Marcy is Mind… Sasha is someone who’d rather punch her way through her emotions, close them off, and close her eyes as she shuts her ears and starts singing literally anything to drown out the noise. She’s going to drown herself in literally anything else before she gets to the heart of the problem…

           But in the end, this is Kipo we’re talking about here! Sasha did well against Yunnan with Grime’s help, but ultimately Kipo is someone who could very easily overwhelm her in a fight. She CAN turn into a Mega Jaguar after all, although this is an ability she has to wield with tact and precise care… Regardless, it’s basically going to be that meme of someone running down a hallway while a T-posing phantom chases after them, except it’s Kipo who’s after Sasha and she’s telling her to confront her fears and insecurities and actually open up for once! And Sasha’s going to be shutting her eyes and ears and insisting she can’t hear Kipo, not at all!

           Kipo isn’t dumb, but at the same time, she’s got a LOT of overwhelming positivity that’s inevitably going to get through Sasha’s barriers. The thing about Sasha is that I think she IS considering reconnecting with Anne and Marcy, but on her own terms… She’s going to inevitably cave in. Sasha isn’t Scarlemagne, who is much more insecure for a reason. Sasha will have Grime as someone she can fall back on, and with her past friendship with Anne and Marcy, and the idea that SHE hurt them, not the other way around (which again relates to what I said about Sasha being on the upper-end of the power imbalance), not to mention she never killed anyone…

           She’s going to begrudgingly accept Kipo’s advice, or at least humor ONE request to meet with Anne and Marcy and talk things out. It’s going to be hard and embarrassing, and Sasha will be digging her heels into the dirt the whole way through. But Kipo will be ELATED, she’s going to praise Sasha for taking this important, momentous step! Kipo is a girl with a lot of patience, if she can get to Scarlemagne’s heart and change him to some degree, even if he DOES mess up in the end… Keep in mind, Scarlemagne’s final scene had him more intrigued about Kipo’s willingness to sacrifice herself for her friends. She obviously changed him…

           Sasha isn’t as scared as Scarlemagne, that makes her a lot less dangerous and more reasonable. She’ll hesitate on saying sorry because she didn’t do anything wrong, but Kipo’s gonna give her a stink-eye. And when Kipo is DELIGHTED to see Sasha finally say sorry for once, she’s going to smother her in a hug… And then it’s a carrot-and-stick approach for Sasha, where the stick is Kipo being disapproving and unhappy, and the carrot is Kipo being happy, supportive, and offering friendship and love! Sasha is NOT immune to this girl.

          If anything, I can see Sasha developing a soft-spot for Kipo, like she does Grime… Especially since they’re both friends who don’t have to worry about a power imbalance between them, who won’t hesitate to call the other out, and help them reflect on their actions! Sasha will trust Kipo as someone who can rein her in, as someone who is on equal standing and can’t be as manipulated or hurt… I can only imagine how GRIME will react to all of this! But hey, Kipo got to Jamack. Jamack’s technically a Frog, but. I imagine a Jamack and Grime interaction would be interesting, especially with the background context of both knowing Kipo as a person- Especially if Kipo helped Sasha become happier!

           Otherwise, I can see Sasha trying to be closed-off whenever she’s caught up in Kipo’s antics. Trying to be too cool for school, but Anne, Marcy, and Kipo aren’t having it! And on another note, I feel like Kipo would try introducing Wolf to Sasha… Or at the very least, bring up her experience with Wolf; She knows how to deal with someone who is afraid of losing the people they have and going a bit too far to keep them, so Kipo will be able to navigate Sasha’s issues this way. Perhaps Wolf and Sasha could form a friendship, but maybe not; Sasha is a bit prissy compared to Wolf’s more blunt attitude and lifestyle. But then again, Sasha is also learning to be quite the brawler herself…

           Either way, Wolf is someone who Sasha will REALLY have to learn to be emotionally-open around, if she ever wants to be Wolf’s friend! It’ll be intriguing, to say the least. Maybe the two could connect on hiding from their emotions through being tough and ruthless, while also having that shared soft-spot for Kipo! Maybe they never QUITE get along, but Wolf and Sasha at least bond over a mutually-shared goal of making Kipo happy, and they’re fine with maintaining their relationship on this sort of professional ground.

           It’s definitely going to be a LOT of fun… Not to mention, Marcy whole-heartedly going along with Kipo, following in her footsteps, thinking of her as the coolest person to exist! Anne is having a bit more trouble keeping up, but her and Kipo bond over being much more sociable people, and quickly form a lot of in-jokes between them! Kipo and Marcy will get into hijinks and shenanigans, especially with Marcy working to catalogue and record data on Kipo herself and her Mega-Jaguar capabilities… Anne is going to freak out and go Mom-mode, telling them not to get into trouble; And Sasha will stand to the side, too-cool-for-school as she mutters something about those girls getting themselves killed, but really, she’s enjoying it too!

[lamiasluck]

Just Making Sure

Summary: News of Eric's shop has officially spread to all of Dark's gang. While a new shop opening isn't exciting news, what is confusing is how Bim described him. Innocent and good? In this town? Too unlikely, no one believes him. So Dark assigns a spy mission to King to find some dirt on Eric, or, more specifically, assigns a mission for King's squirrels. After all, who would grow suspicious of a troop of adorable squirrels?

AU: Magic au, every ego has magical powers and familiars

Characters: King, Eric, Bim, Dark, and a few other egos

Words: 1844

Read on AO3!

-

“He could be a spy,” Google said nonchalantly.

Bim slammed his hand against the meeting table. “I will bet money on this. He’s just some random innocent guy.”

“In this town? Doubt it,” Illinois laughed. “I’ll take you on that bet though, I could use a new hat.”

“Your luck’s gonna run out, Illy.”

The point of this meeting was to discuss future schemes and new targets. Dark didn’t expect it to derail like this. One passing comment about the new potion maker, that’s all it took, and now they were at a point of no return. Curiosity was a dangerous emotion, or incredibly annoying in this case. This potion maker, Eric, would be a topic of focus for the time being. It’s not every day one man grabs the attention of an entire gang, for good reasons, at least. However, this unorganized talk was getting tiresome.

Dark folded his hands and placed them on the table. “Bim, you’ve met this man once.” His searing voice immediately silenced the group. “How can you know his intentions?”

Bim shifted in his seat as he thought about his next words carefully. “He’s so… innocent? I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’ve seen wannabe spies before. He doesn’t seem like one.” As he continued he furrowed his brows and looked more and more fascinated. “He’s a good guy, and pure-”

“As pure as the driven snow?” Dark cut him off, staring at him with an analyzing gaze.

Instantly Bim caved under the pressure. “Well, yeah, I… I guess so?”

“Then there’s something he’s hiding. No one here doesn’t have blood on their hands.”

The group fell silent, uncomfortably so. Dark reveled in their unease, however, Wilford broke the silence before the feeling could sink in.

“I met him the other day! He’s as sweet as candy! As pure as a newborn puppy!”

“Though he acts more like a kicked one…” Bim raised his head again. There’s the confidence again. “I don’t know why he acts like that, maybe it was something I did?”

“It was definitely something you did,” Dark sighed.

Wilford hummed. “He acted all nervous around me too.”

“Then it was something you both did.” Dark cracked his neck, standing up and glaring at everyone. “Clearly this meeting has gone awry. If you all want to spend your time with your infatuations then so be it, just don’t be surprised when your latest sweetheart reveals his true colours.”

“I’m telling you, this guy’s as innocent as I say he is,” Bim murmured.

Dark walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Alright then, Trimmer.” His grip tightened. “You hold onto that notion.” He looked at King from across the table, who flinched and looked back with fear. “King, follow me, I have a job for you. We’re going to investigate.”

-

A soft hum was the only sound within the quiet shop. Eric was taking the time to water his plants and herbs. For once, the day was peaceful, downright pleasant even. Either that or Eric was always anticipating some sort of chaos to happen. His day could go from zero to a hundred quickly, he had to take advantage of any peaceful moments he could capture.

Tulip watched unblinking as he worked, nose twitching in anticipation. Eric sighed with a fond smile and carefully picked off a leaf of basil. Within seconds it was gone, munched away by a ruthless Tulip.

The day continued as such. As far as Eric could tell, today was a normal day. Slow business can be a saving grace sometimes. It meant no one could interrogate him or make him brew up another harmful potion. Speaking of potions he took the time to restock his shelves, he spent most of his time in the backroom with his ingredients.

Unbeknownst to him, there were spies amongst him. Very tiny spies.

King’s familiar, Princess, lead the charge. A cluster of her most trusted squirrel subjects followed her chittered commands, jumping from tree to tree. She differed from the other “commoner” squirrels, of course, she had elegance.

A grey blur glided between the trees. Being a flying squirrel had its advantages, Princess landed onto the shop’s roof without any trouble, her loyal troops following suit. They positioned themselves accordingly, perching onto windows to spy on their target.

Eric was in the back room stirring his next concoction. A pinch of ground herbs, a sprig of enchanted flowers, and a touch of love and care. Also magic, lots of magic. Too preoccupied with the task at hand, he didn’t notice the sounds of little paws skittering nor the quick shadows of passing spies. Not that it damned his soul or anything, the plethora of spies was growing bored of his uneventful routine, staring at the peaceful scene.

By how Dark worded the mission made it seem like the squirrels would see Eric kill someone. Hours passed and now Eric was reading by a table in the main shop. It was even a cute light-hearted book. Princess huffed and scratched at her ears. Her troops were resting in a nearby tree, far too bored to spy any longer. She wasn’t going to give up that easily. Now perched on the windowsill that gave a good view of the entire main shop, she watched diligently.

Her view of her target was abruptly blocked by a mass of white fluff. A bunny jumped up onto a nearby shelf next to the window, not noticing her presence yet. That moment was short-lived, however. The second the bunny noticed her it was chaos.

“Tulip?!” Eric jumped to his feet as Tulip ungracefully leaped from the shelf and dashed towards him. He looked at the window and saw Princess hideaway a second too late. “W-What’s that?” he questioned out loud.

Casting one more look at his poor familiar cowering, he cautiously made his way to the door and stepped outside. Princess pressed herself against the wall to hide, though that didn’t help her cover, none of her troops were around to help either. They had a silent stare off for a moment, then Eric’s eyes brightened and a small smile appeared on his lips.

He cooed softly at Princess and looked back at Tulip, who was still cowering. “It’s okay! Come on, it’s just - just a squirrel.” A much different squirrel than he was used to, much tinier, round, and curled into a ball and staring at him with big curious eyes. Quite eye-catching, and utterly adorable.

Tulip still wasn’t convinced and continued to hide under the table. This was normal behaviour for the bunny, especially in this town, her nervous habits became amplified. Though, to be fair, both her and Eric were always on their toes in this town. However, Eric could never be scared of such a cute animal. He hummed to himself and went back into the shop, walking into the backroom to get something.

Princess tilted her head as she was abandoned. Soon after, Eric returned with something in his hands. Perhaps he was about to reveal that evil side Dark told her and King about. Was she about to find out the harsh way?

A handful of sunflower seeds were placed on the windowsill. Then, Eric walked back inside to comfort Tulip, managing to pick her up and hug her. Princess hopped up and looked at the seeds with suspicion. Well… she was getting hungry from all the spying.

“Aw~ See, Tulip? The squirrel’s not gonna hurt you,” Eric reassured as he watched the squirrel feast on the seeds. He turned Tulip in his arms until she could see how harmless Princess was. The sight calmed her down slightly, her and Princess locked eyes for a brief moment before the squirrel returned to eating.

For once, Tulip felt calm. On the flip side, Princess’ worries about Eric being evil vanished more and more with each seed she stuffed in her mouth.

Eric giggled and gently placed Tulip on the shelf in front of Princess. Only a window separated the two.

“W-Will you be - be okay, Tulip? I’m gonna, um, I should get more seeds.” Eric left and Tulip watched the squirrel eat with a sudden burst of confidence. Another squirrel, one of Princess’ troops, popped up to have a share of the food. Then another, then another, then another… A small cluster of squirrels gathered on the windowsill now. All of them looked like an average squirrel compared to Princess, and all of them made Tulip’s confidence falter.

Princess allowed her subjects to have their share of the feast, glancing back into the shop. She caught sight of Tulip in front of her, ears flattened to her head and shaking slightly. Yet, Tulip stayed planted in place, staring at her with determination. Even with the window in the way she could understand what the bunny was doing. Facing her fears.

Now that was a mindset royalty could appreciate.

Before Tulip got too overwhelmed and hopped away, Princess tapped her paw on the glass to get her attention. As a sign of respect, she nudged her head against the glass and bowed the best she could. She’d love to give her new bunny friend a hug, but this damned glass was in the way! So she settled with the next best thing.

Tulip stilled and twitched her nose. Slowly, but surely she hopped closer and nudged her head against the glass.

“Aw~!” Eric nearly dropped the seeds he was holding. “You made a friend!”

The seeds were the last thing on Princess’s mind right now, though they were a welcomed luxury. Her new friend will make for a great subject.

-

“I told you,” Bim sneered at Dark.

The meeting room had an air of confusion to it, with quiet murmuring amongst the egos. Dark paid no attention Bim’s snarky gaze, instead looking at King while he spoke in a smooth, albeit frustrated, tone.

“You better not be lying to me.”

King cowered in his chair. “I’m not-! They didn’t find anything!” His crown was off and resting on his lap, temporarily housing Princess as she also cowered. “Eric’s really nice, he took care of my squirrels…” he trailed off with a small smile on his face, though that was quickly wiped off by Dark’s exasperated attitude.

“How did he end up here?” Dark questioned out loud.

“I don’t know,” Bim shrugged, “but he’s here now, and I think he doesn’t know what this town really is.”

Fascinated, that was the emotion that spread through the awkwardly quiet room. Not many believed someone so good waltzed into this town. Then again, perhaps they were too used to their vile ways to acknowledge the possibility of someone pure near them.

‘There must be something he’s hiding.’

That thought crossed everyone’s mind. A puzzle just waiting to be solved. A puzzle that they were going to figure out, one way or another.

It didn’t matter that this “puzzle” was going to be scared out of his wits, what mattered was finding out answers.

[such-fun]

Fic: Half As Much    Loki x Reader 1/1

Half As Much

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Spoilers for: Thor: Ragnarok and Doctor Strange

Summary: Asgard hadn’t been your home since Loki fell. Now you call New York City and it’s Sanctum home.

Tags: @markusstraya @ivertha @buckybass @ageekybookworm @deadlywinters @petlaufeyson  @poseidon29 @thephenomenonalkingofthebrogues @barnesandrogery

You weren’t sure quite how long you had been on Midgard. Time had taken on new meaning since you found yourself drawn to the Sanctum and it’s masters.

 On Asgard, one had little regard for time and it’s awing power. It’s hard to notice it’s effects when you lived as a god and endured for millennia. But time was precious here. Something to be manipulated and folded and twisted to your desire.

 You imagined Loki would have found it fascinating. After getting over his inherent disregard for all things mortal.

 “You look pensive,” Stephen commented, and you granted him a rye smile.

 “A familiar look to be sure,” you mused. He was an interesting one, this Doctor Strange. Equal parts magic and science made him a puzzling subject to study.

 When you first arrived at his doors, you were tempted to dismiss him. You were, after all, a sorcerer who spent over a thousand years in the tutelage of some of the greatest teachers in Asgard. Frigga had been more than just a mentor, she was the closest thing you had to a mother. The day she became your mother in truth had been tumultuous but even in her worry she had welcomed you into the family.

 Yet here you sat, on a far off world, a fallen queen. Motherless. Husbandless. But not quite alone.

 “I find myself remembering today,” you sighed, tired and resigned. “Something feels wrong. Or right. I can’t make sense of it.”

 “You sense danger?” Strange wondered, on alert. He had learned very quickly to trust your intuition.

 “No?” you replied, unsure of yourself. “No,” you added more confidently. “I sense…a reckoning. An end. And possibly a beginning.”

 “How ominous of you,” he half smiled and you gave a small laugh.

 “I am nothing if not incredibly vague.” His rich chuckle made you smile.

 Life after Loki’s fall had been turbulent and confusing. You grieved, taking comfort in Thor’s offer of a shoulder to cry on. But soon the truth emerged, of Loki’s heritage, his betrayal, his attempt to destroy Jotunheim and even his own brother.

 The Allfather had been kind after all had been revealed. He knew of your love for his troubled son. And that’s what he was, Odin’s son. Blood did not make a family.

 You were technically one of the family now. Loki, having assumed the throne as the Allfather laid in the Odinsleep, had said that the King needed a Queen. That the people needed a Queen. That he needed you.

That had been the tipping point.

 Duty had always meant little to you. It was easy to be dutiful. It required little work or thought. But when Loki whispered his need for you at his side…you were unable to refuse his plea.

 You always wanted to be needed. To actually be wanted. And despite all your flirtations and dalliances with the younger prince, you never truly thought he meant those loving words he would murmur while you were entwined.

 His silver tongue had stilled. You felt truth in his words. And you would forever feel betrayed by them now.

 Loki lusted for power. He loved his mother. And he used you.

 While the royal family counted you as one of their own, Thor your most fierce protector, the people had turned. You were no Queen, simply an untrustworthy remnant left behind by the would be King. You were unwelcome outside the palace.

 So you asked Odin permission to leave. You brought shame on your people. And no matter how hard he, Frigga, and Thor fought to convince you, you felt you had no place on Asgard.

 You had found refuge in Kamar-Taj when Loki appeared again. You wandered outside the Sanctum to stare at the news coverage. He looked a shell of his former self, hair grown long and wild, face gaunt and pale. It was the picture of him, chain and muzzled like an animal, that sent you back to the shelter of the village.

 That was not the Loki of old. There would be no reunion. There was nothing left to reignite.

 Your move to New York City was Strange’s doing. He was it’s new Master, the new Sorcerer Supreme. You had developed a kinship. You shared secrets of the Asgardian masters, he taught you how magic truly made you one with the universe. You were unwilling to let go of the one friend you had in this world.

 You didn’t know what became of Loki. You could have discovered the answer easily, but you couldn’t bring yourself to ask. He was no longer the boy you held in your affections.

 Stephen didn’t know of your connection to the god who destroyed New York. He didn’t push you to reveal your past. At least not after his initial volley of questions. Everyone had secrets, saved for only the most intimate connections.

 As your mind wandered, Stephen’s became laser focused. You recognized the expression on his face as concern. And fury.

 “What is it?” you inquired urgently, sitting up rigidly at the library desk.

 “Trouble,” he said with a quiet roar. And he called you ominous. “Stay here,” he demanded before departing swiftly as his cape gave a decisive snap to attention.

 “Well that’s not going to happen,” you muttered with a roll of your eyes. You may not have been one of the regarded warriors of Asgard, but you were no wilting flower. You and Loki had trained side by side both physically and in sorcery.

 You followed his levitating form to the study in 177A Bleecker Street.

 “…All right, Wizard. Who are you? Why should I care?”

 You froze at the familiar voice. It couldn’t be.

 “…I have some questions for you. Take a seat. Tea?”

 “Thor?” Your voice shook and you reluctantly shed a tear. It had been so long since you had seen family.

 Halfway lowered into his seat, Thor stood with lightening quickness. Turning,  he saw you and his face brightened with his wide smile.

 “It has been too long!” he boomed as he reached you in two strides, pulling you into a massive hug.

 You buried your face into his neck and hair, lingering in his comforting embrace. He felt like home.

 “You know each other, I take it?” Stephen interrupted, bemused.

 “She is my sister!” Thor announced, and it tugged at your heart. Still family after all this time. “By choice if not by blood.”

 “Then you know Loki,” Strange frowned in disillusionment, turning to Thor. “I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world. Your adopted brother, Loki, is one of those beings.”

 “A worthy inclusion,” he admitted with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm.

 “Then why bring him here?” Stephen demanded. You blanched.

 “Loki is here? And free?” you shook your head in shock.

 “We’re here to find my father,” Thor said softly, giving you a sympathetic eye. His father, you noted, not their father.

 “So, if I were to tell you where Odin was, all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?” You looked at the Doctor incredulously.

 “Promptly,” Thor promised.

 “Great! Then I’ll help you.” Stephen clapped his hands in agreement.

 “You knew Odin was here and said nothing?” you turned on him.

 “I have to tell you, he was adamant that he not be disturbed,” he tried to smooth things over.  “Your father said he had chosen to remain in exile,” he turned back to Thor.

 “My father is no longer in exile. So if you could tell me where he is, I can take him home,” Thor bargained, you could hear the strain in his voice. He was so tired.

 “He’s in Norway,” Stephen replied bluntly, “waiting for you.”

 “All right,” Thor nodded, “I suppose I’ll need my brother back.”

 “You’ve had him trapped?” You whispered.

 Strange shrugged nonchalantly, circling his hands and opening a portal.

 Loki, in all his glory, came falling out, landing with a thud into the Sanctum floor with a shout.

 “I’ve been falling for thirty minutes!” He growled, twisting his head to glare at Stephen.

 “You can handle him from here,” he said dismissively.

 “Handle me?” Loki snarled, pulling himself to his full height. “You think you're some kind of sorcerer? Don't think for one minute, you second-rate...” he threatened as he unsheathed his infamous daggers.

 “Enough!” you intervened, stepping in front of the fuming god of mischief.

 Loki stopped short, his wide eyes deceiving his suddenly passive expression. Loki always took strides to hide his true feelings. You weren’t surprised to see his face go blank at the sight of you. A small part of you hoped fora more passionate reaction, but you never truly expected it. “So this is where you have hidden yourself all this time.”

 “You’re one to talk, Liesmith,” you fired back. Thor took a pointed step to the side. Stephen watched in that intense way of his.

 “I did not flee to another world, one full of mortals and mediocrity,” he sneered.

 “No, you just let yourself fall into oblivion,” you reminded him. “You fled, same as I.”

 “And tried to rule Earth,” Thor added in helpfully. You snorted incredulously. Loki glared at the blonde. “And later faked his death.”

 “Are we done comparing so-called crimes?” you crossed your arms angrily.

 “He also exiled father,” Thor jumped in again with a raised hand, as if asking his turn. “And impersonated him on the throne.”

 “Will you stop ‘helping’?” Loki hissed in irritation.

 Thor held up his palms and shut his mouth, much to Loki’s relief.

 “How exactly do you know each other?” Strange asked suspiciously. “Thor did call you his sister, after all.”

 “She is my wife, you talentless ape.” The Doctor looked dismayed, and you found that it hurt to disappoint him so.

 Loki finished glowering at Stephen and turned his anger to you once more. “I demand the room,” he declared decorously and Strange choked down a huff of frustration.

 “This is my Sanctum,” he reminded you all.

 “Then you know your way around. Kindly find the door,” Loki said through clenched teeth. “You too, brother.”

 “I suggest we give them a moment,” Thor mock whispered, putting a hand on Stephen’s shoulder to lead him out. The Cape of Levitation smacked his hand away. You overheard Thor wonder, “Is there anything breakable in there?” as he escorted a very reluctant Strange out of the study.

 “Why are you here?” Loki pressed.

 You took a moment to finally take a look at him, now that you were without company. He appeared much improved, even stylish in his black suit, though you still preferred his leathers. But you supposed he would be, considering he was fraudulently living the life of a king.

 “You came looking for your father. I came looking repentance,” you stated frankly.

 “And what could you possibly have to repent for?” he jeered. “Being lover to a monster?”

 “Being complicit in the betrayal of the crown,” You jabbed back. “Did you think only you were held responsible for your actions? I assure you it was not so. The people saw me as a traitor. And the Allfather looked at me in pity. We thought you lost to us. I saw no reason to remain a pariah in my own home.”

 “I can’t imagine how that feels,” he snapped. “Did you even mourn before you fled to your half-rate, so-called enchanter?”

 “He’s not mine,” you rolled your eyes. “And we grieved. Thor was inconsolable. I—I lost the man I loved.”

 “Such sentiment,” he said in disbelief.

 “You may be incapable of feeling love for anyone but your mother, but I am not.”

 “She’s dead,” you could hear the actual sorrow and regret in his voice. “Thor let her die. Didn’t you know?”

 “I’ve had no word from Asgard since I left,” you stammered slightly. “I’m so sorry, Loki.”

 Whatever anger you had was absent in the face of this news. Frigga had been a mother to you as well and you felt her loss acutely. Part of you resented Odin, exiled on Midgard and couldn’t even break his secrecy to tell you the Allmother was gone.

 “She wasn’t my real mother,” he tried to wave away your concern, but you took a step forward and held his face in your shaking hands.

 “She was your mother in every sense of the word,” you cried. “And mine as well. Don’t belittle her memory like that.”

 Loki, struggling to keep his composure, allowed himself to bask in your touch.

 “What happened to us, Loki?” you allowed the tears to stream down your cheeks. “We were more than lovers, we were friends. You meant the world to me. You may have not felt as strongly but I thought I meant something to you.”

 “You think me so unfeeling?” he lamented.

 “You haven’t shown me different,” you sighed, dropping your hands. “All the times love slipped from your lips there was a smirk, a look. Something to tell me it wasn’t true. At least not all true. They call you Silvertongue for a reason. You lie so prettily.”

 “You never believed me?” he appeared almost contrite.

 “Once,” you revealed. “When you asked to marry. But then I realized what you said,” you smiled sadly. “You needed me. Not that you loved me. Or even wanted me. Just need.”

 “Just?” he lamented.

 “Need is different than love. You know this,” you chided him. “It’s desperate. Need makes you use people. Love makes you selfless. You would do anything for them. You were always too selfish to be selfless.”

 “I’ve changed,” he argued, threading his hands through your hair and holding you almost fiercely.

 “You masqueraded as your father to steal the throne,” you denied him. “That isn’t change. It’s just more lies.”

 “I’m trying,” he countered, a near manic glint in his eyes.

 “Are you?” you implored. “Or are you behaving because Thor made you?”

 “Truly,” he exclaimed, bringing you close and resting his forehead against yours. “I am not the same man you called Silvertongue. Not completely. I am flawed, resentful...vulnerable, and a bit of a fool.”

 “A bit?” you allowed yourself to smile.

 “But of course,” he returned with that grin that always made you a little weak in the knees. “I’m also dashingly handsome and wickedly charming.”

 “That you are,” you murmured so softly he almost didn’t hear you.

 “Come with us,” he entreated.

 “Loki…” you drifted off cautiously.

 “We are here to find Odin,” he continued in a near rush of words. “To restore him to the throne. Things will right once more. The people no longer fear me, nor would they fear you. We can begin anew.”

 “Because you still need me?” you wondered out loud.

 “Because I want you with me,” Loki replies openly. And for once you saw no trace of that beautiful liar from before. “Because I love you.”

 “Gods, you are wickedly charming,” you both couldn’t resist a laugh.

 “Is that a yes?” He studied your eyes anxiously.

 “Let’s find Odin,” you gave in with a watery smile. “And take things from there. Husband.”

 Loki, filled with genuine hope for the first time in centuries, pulled you into a gentle but loving kiss.

 “One question,” he muttered between kisses. “Can I be the one to tell the useless children’s magician that you’re leaving?”

[fox-household]

Act 4: Education and Moral Standards, Chapter 2

Alright, this one took even longer, I know there’s definitely a pattern here. But this sort of got delayed with personal issues, life stuff, school work and now the end of the school year is coming up, so yeah. While I’m not sure how the length of this chapter really compares to the others, but because of the fact that school is going to get harder soon and my feelings when it comes to progress, I’m going to start trying to post shorter chapters. One of the worst feelings I get is that since I haven’t posted anything for ages, I feel like I’ve made no progress at all, it really pains me sometimes and since I’ve been holding myself to some sort of standard of length, it feels daunting to write a new chapter even if the length probably isn’t as much as others do. Anyway content shouldn’t be lessened overall, just there will be a larger number of chapters. Thanks for being patient, hope it was at least 2% worth the wait if even that.  FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO

Asgore The ten-minute drive was completely silent for the most part, all the goat child had to do was listen to the rumblings of the engine and Alphys make a few comments as she drove in her car, which the other two secretly found quite cramped compared to what they were used to. The light green Volkswagen had probably only been bought since the small stature of the owner was the only thing considered in the thought process of the buyer. Asgore continued watching all the familiar buildings go by, day after day he had seen them, yet despite this visual familiarity, he probably only knew about under half of them and what was inside. All these buildings had history, with people who ran it with their own fascinating stories to tell, tragic backstories to tales of luck and fortune, anything was possible within his ignorance and lack of knowledge, he much preferred it that way. The truth would only leave him one conclusion, no room for imagination, where was the fun in that? ‘’So Asgore, anything we should know about the school? Any warnings that we should be aware of?’’ The child turned his gaze from the window and looked to the skeleton in the front passenger seat, leaving a small moment of thought before answering, ‘’Not really, it’s pretty normal I guess. Got a pair of buildings to split the large amount of year levels, it goes P-12. So there might be a decent few people there… otherwise just talk to the people you need to talk to and get out.’’ Asgore’s words were slow and deliberate which appeared to amuse Sci slightly judging from the way he let out an amused huff, ‘’Fair enough. I’m sure it won’t be that bad buddy, everything’s going to be ok.’’ The backseat passenger didn’t appear too convinced, ‘’Well, we’ll see shall we?’’ The car took a sharp right turn and the three of them ended up leaning in the other direction before straightening up again. ‘’Alright, how about this, we go out and do something fun later tonight, something just a little different?’’ This seemed to intrigue both Alphys and Asgore, the goat tilted his head slightly and watched the skeleton while the driver gave a small glance, ‘’Th-that does s-sound nice, d-do you have something in m-mind?’’ ‘’Yeah, like maybe we could go out tonight and get some sweets? Brighten up the mood a little bit. Would something like that please everyone? I’ll even shout for us all.’’ The other two looked at him, both with a smile, Asgore found it was him that was going to speak for the both of them. ‘’Alright Sci, I’ll hold you to that, sounds like a plan. Better not forget buddy’’ He chuckled lightly, a happy smile appearing on his face, ‘’Guess I have something to look forward to now’’. The child’s gaze returned to the window, except this time it was in higher spirits, deciding to now focus on the potential positives of this experiences, whatever they maybe. Eventually the vehicle reached their destination, turning into a carpark outside a large brick building with multiple floors, windows and even a bit of a garden around the edges. Looking from the outside the place seemed a bit unremarkable as the building didn’t really have any decorations or any sort of grand design on it’s exterior and the yard around was just paths and grass for the most part, at least on the side they were on, if it wasn’t for the size of the place there might’ve been a slight question to how much money they actually had. The trio left the car and looked up at the closest building, the silence being broken by Sci, ‘’Uh Asgore, is this…. It?’’. The goat seemed the be in happier spirits now, some of his usual energy being rejuvenated, ‘’Yes of course it is, this is the high school building, you know, 7-12?’’ He crossed his arms and shook his head slowly, ‘’Although I assume you’re talking about the lack of uh… colour and variety? Well we personally think they decided that design doesn’t matter for high schoolers, like all people only care about the facilities, if you head over to the primary building, it looks quite colourful and child friendly.’’ Asgore shrugged and with putting his hands in his jumper pockets, he started to walk towards the front entrance to the school. The other two followed behind, letting him lead the way, ‘’I-it’s uh a l-little bigger th-than I th-thought it would be… do a lot of p-people come to this school?’’ ‘’It holds a good number, a thousand maybe? I’ve never really thought about it before, but there’s enough that I don’t really know everyone, probably don’t take my word for it at all’’. The entrance held a little above ground level, access being restricted by up by stone stairs or a ramp that came from the side, above the glass-wood doors was the name of the school in a bolded, fancy font that he hadn’t ever really cared to co ’McConville Academy’ They went to the front desk at first and signed in at a record book, being greeted by a middle-aged turtle monster who asked the adults a few questions about who they were, a suspicious tone pervasive throughout, they both deemed it was fair enough that they questioned two random people that just had wandered into the school. After a few minutes and one explanation from Asgore about why they were here, they were free to go on their way. Alphys looked at a crumpled piece of paper that she’d been gripping onto, ‘’S-so it s-says here th-that, um E-English is first i-in l-like fifteen m-minutes? You know wh-where to go?’’ Asgore nodded, ‘’Yep, second floor, room 14. Honestly not to bad for a second-floor room. The teacher I suppose isn’t to bad either.’’ ‘’You like English kid?’’ Sci’s question prompted a small shrug from the prince leading them, ‘’English is fine half the time, I think I do ok. Depends on what we’re doing I suppose.’’ Being led by Asgore, the group arrived at a classroom with seats outside it as an obvious station to wait. They sat down on the chairs that were closest to the door and remained silent, thinking to themselves. Asgore looked at the other two, Sci seemed as calm as ever but Alphys on the other hand seemed more nervous than usual, the way she had her hands together twitching and tapping made him worry a little, was she going to be alright, did she realise she didn’t have to do anything except listen? The seconds waiting there turned to minutes until finally a pair of adult monsters left the classroom and they heard a yell from inside for ‘’NEXT, COME IN!’’. They obliged and ended up finding what amounted to a mostly empty classroom, all the chairs that were normally there could be found stacked up at the side of the room, the tables were nowhere to be seen, the windows showed back out to the front of the school, the entrance they came in quite visible from their elevated position. The main attraction, made obvious by being the only thing of note, was the teacher’s desk with four chairs in the front of it, the desk itself was recently cleaned and had nothing except for a small stack of paper and a nameplate that matched the large name written on the blackboard on the wall behind the desk. ‘’Mr Breve’’ Although the blackboard included underneath it ‘Music and English Teacher’. The teacher himself was sitting behind the desk, a Shyren cladded in a white t-shirt, leaning backwards on his chair and humming a slow tune to himself. As the three of them took their seats, he decided to get the opening word in, his voice having some sort of song like rhythm to it. ‘’Something seems off here… one of you may be a skeleton yet, none of you are Doctor Gaster, you are the same Asgore right? Or has there been a mix up?’’ The Shyren’s tone didn’t portray any worry or annoyance as he moved forwards so his chair and himself were properly upright, looking between the visitors. ‘’O-oh uh, n-nice to meet y-you sir, we’re umm… stepping i-in for G-Gaster, he couldn’t make it sir.’’ A sympathetic smile came across the teacher’s face as he watched the female monster fumble her words, ‘’Well that’s a shame, but no worries, I’m just as happy to meet you two. Oh and please, don’t call me sir, just call me Breve’’. Now getting up from his chair to give a handshake, both taking the handshake one after the other. ‘’A-Alphys’’ ‘’Sci’’ ‘’Oh lovely, may I also implore your relationship with this fine young man here? Why you have taken him instead of the good Doctor?’’ Sci gave a shrug, deciding to take this question for the two of them, his smile being a calm one, yet his eyes seemed to be approaching half closed, as if he was just going to fall asleep in a few minutes. ‘’Yeah I guess we’re mostly just friends, at the moment acting guardians I suppose you could say, right?’’ Concerned looks were given towards Sci by the other two as he looked over, but nothing was said quite yet about his tired expression, ‘’Uh y-yeah, we’re his g-guardians.’’ The child spoke up now, his tone rushed as his desire to get things moving along, ‘’So shall we talk about how well I do in English, we’re in here for that reason after all.’’ Mr Breve gave a relaxed sigh and smiled, ‘’Guess you don’t want to be here long huh? Well let’s begin shall we?’’ He brought his hands together and stretched his fingers, making a cracking noise. Using the next few moments of silence to his advantage, he thought about what he was going to comment on first. ‘’Well I suppose to start with negatives… the kid’s not that great at analysing things, just seems to struggle with it… disagree?’’ Realising the question was pointed at him, the goat shrugged dismissively, ‘’Yeah, I mean I guess, don’t really get it honestly, really hate trying to figure out those persuasive articles.’’ Asgore started to smile slightly, his eyes bringing a slight spark of hope, ‘’But I am improving right Mr Breve? My marks are getting better I’m sure of it’’. A kind smile approached his lips, ‘’Yes you are, I think with a little effort you’ll get there… and let me tell you guys, he doesn’t slack on the effort that’s for sure. Real hard worker this one.’’ With that the goat seemed quite happy and prideful, looking to the other two now, Alphys appeared to be happy with that at least, while Sci seemed… almost asleep? ‘’Also Asgore here is quite skilled at writing his own stuff, like stories or even argumentative pieces sometimes. Also, surprisingly, this trooper here is quite the poet, he has a way with words that help portray emotions and sometimes even make you feel things, probably one of the only ones in my class that doesn’t mind when poetry comes up. Even with those argumentative pieces, while he maybe weaker when it comes to using logic, reason and some of the more nitty gritty stuff, he makes fine work when it comes to making you care, making you actually want to agree with him through feeling. All in all, for what he lacks in some areas, I believe he well makes up for in others… anything you would like to add Asgore or even anything you two would like to ask? Man, the compliment part is so much more fun the other stuff. ’’ Asgore beamed at his teacher, ‘’No sir, I’m good.’’ The lizard monster shook her head, giving a smile, ‘’N-no I th-think that’s g-good to h-hear. Thanks s-so much f-for seeing u-us’’. ‘’No thank you for coming in, always appreciated. Also here, catch, can’t leave without the complimentary treat.’’ Mr Breve pulled out two things out of his desk, one being a small chocolate in a blue and silver wrapper which he chucked to Asgore, another being a bouncy ball which he started to throw up in the air once he was leaning back in his chair. ‘’Oh, by the way, I don’t know if you guys knew but Asgore doesn’t actually have to be present for these interviews, you could’ve just left him home, you guys seem pretty chill, so I’ll let you onto a little secret. Bringing the student always makes things just a little more awkward, or at least to me it does.’’ Asgore and Alphys had already got out of their chairs by this point, both looking surprised, the prince a little more than the other. ‘’Wh-what? But I thought it was mandatory, isn’t that why I’ve always had to come?’’ The monster let out a chuckle, ‘’Nah my dude, it was Gaster who was making you come. A real scary time usually, like you guys are cool because you’re chill. But he’s always so serious and down to business, can tell he’s calculating every negative I feed him… the guy could just learn to calm down you know, or at least put on a smile? Maybe he needs a soothing song once in a while… but you didn’t hear this from me alright?’’ Asgore giggled and let out a very amused expression, ‘’Your secret is safe with me Mr Breve, trust me’’ ‘’Also uh, can you make sure you guys take your friend with you ok?’’ The two suddenly became aware of a snoring noise coming from the room and they both could only give puzzled and concerned looks towards their now fully asleep companion, his bones rattling slightly with each breath. ‘’Hey Sci, is something the matter?’’, Asgore closed the door behind him after letting another family into the classroom, now they stood in an empty school hallway. Sci mumbled something inaudible before speaking, he had the type of tone that someone would make when they were trying to brush off a situation, ‘’Yeah I’m fine sorry, j-just not feeling great, maybe I’m getting sick? Would you mind if you let me freshen up or something in the bathroom?’’ ‘’Y-you s-sure you’re going t-to be ok? Th-this doesn’t s-seem r-really n-normal… a-also do y-you need Asgore t-to show y-you where to go?’’ Alphys watched him, no one could tell what doom bringing possibilities she was going over in her head. ‘’Nah I’m fine, don’t worry, I um think we passed one on the way here?’’ The skeleton in a manner that made it seem like he was in a rush, started backing away from them. ‘’R-really… I g-guess I didn’t n-notice it, w-well you stay safe I suppose’’. ‘’Make sure to give us a call if you need anything alright, don’t want you to be our school’s first injury from falling asleep.’’ With a surprisingly hearty chuckle, Sci gave a thumbs up and walked out of view. The remaining two looked at each other. ‘’Hey uh Al, you think he’s actually alright?’’ Alphys stopped her a moment and thought for a second before answering, giving a faint smile and the goat a slight ruffle of his hair, ‘’I hope so, b-but wh-whatever happens, w-we’ll m-make sure to w-work it out.’’ She gave a small sigh and a bigger smile towards Asgore, ‘’Y-you can g-go you know? Do wh-whatever you w-want, wander a-around, I’ll t-take care of th-this ok?’’ The boy crossed his arms with a suspicious gaze, ‘’Are you sure? I mean you’re going to be all by yourself and you don’t know this school… sounds like you could use a guide’’. ‘’N-no, no, d-don’t you worry about m-me, I’ll uh f-figure it o-out, I-I j-just don’t want t-to drag you a-around. Plus i-if all y-your teachers are like h-him, than things sh-should be fine.’’ ‘’Well at least head to the front office and ask for a map, take a picture with your phone or something, that way you’ll know where to go…’’, Asgore grinned and grabbed Alphys in a hug, ‘’…thanks Al, you’re the best, you’ll go great… just uh watch out for the art teach alright? She’s a little full on.’’ The scientist was smiling just a moment ago, giving a tight squeeze, before worry went over her face. ‘’U-uh full on in umm wh-what way?’’ The response she got from that question wasn’t exactly what she was hoping for, a chuckle and an ominous ‘’Oh you’ll see.’’ 

[isroselalondebisexual]

What about ASPECT trollswaps? So Rose Serket, John Nitram, Dave Megido, and Jade Maryam *Jade Maryam the Jade blood wow*

Heehee! Jade Jade sounds fun ^_^

Rose Serket, raised with moderate wealth and a piece of shit spider lusus. I think Rose would start out killing other trolls for her, but hate it, and would resent being forced into doing someone else’s dirty work. I think it would… probably eventually result in Rose killing her lusus, to be entirely honest. She can kill people on her own just fine, she doesn’t need Spidermom to protect her, she doesn’t want Spidermom around telling her what to do and forcing her to kill people who she doesn’t know and who very very likely don’t deserve to die just to feed some lazy spider who’s too awful to go get her own food. Definitely a traumatized girl, as it goes. Angry, resentful of the world and life in general, puts out a “cool n deadly” persona that is also “i’m smarter than you, I’m tougher than you, I’m cold and aloof and untouchable, don’t fuck with me” when in reality it’s mostly just constructed out of her trying to find a sense of control in the world, and not wanting to have to deal with people being mean to her. She’s moirails with Jade, who tries her hardest to gentle Rose down and remind her that she’s just a kid, that life’s not fair and that cruelty should never be the norm. Rose starts out resenting her, resenting her “help” that Rose is certain Jade is giving with disdain, but Jade is no quitter and Rose wants to be loved, wants that assurance that she’s valuable and there is kindness in this life for her, and the two of them end up with an incredibly strong moirallegiance in which they help and love each other, despite a hard and rocky start. They tell stories of how it was difficult, but worth it. She’s still the Seer of Light, so her role is still to foresee the most fortuitous outcome, which she throws herself into full-throttle, converting her anger and resentment with the world to the relentless pursuit of the Light, of making things go RIGHT for once, seizing the control that her role allows and delighting in the way that she can now affect her reality, things are no longer being done to her, but she’s got the power to change the timeline with her sight and her actions and her words. Probably wants to solve all the puzzles and treasure maps on her own, and grows frustrated when she can’t just magically foresee the solution. The solution is “ask your friends for help you dumbass” and so she must begrudgingly ring up John or Jade or Dave to come help her with this goddamned treasure map, pirates are stupid anyways, who came up with the theme for this planet it’s dumb why are there compasses in the sky that doesn’t even make sense grumble grumble. A pissy, ready-to-stab-things-with-needles kind of girl, a bit of a know it all and a bit of a showoff, untrusting of other people’s intentions but ultimately brought around by the love of her sweet moirail and eventual-alien-soulmate-Kanaya. So, pretty close to canon Rose, just angrier and with a different origin story.

John Nitram, a soft, relatively poor boy with a lusus who thinks the world of him and encourages him to do his best, but be careful around danger. John’s probably gonna end up a little more skittish than we know him to be, less likely to walk into situations assuming they’ll all work out. His lusus has always loved and taken care of him, but Fairybulldad is a prey animal and that means you don’t really fight your way out of things, you either run or you bring the situation down away from danger. He jokes around, compliments people easily, is quick to laugh, just in general he likes it when the air around him is kept light and friendly, and will work to keep it that way with his own breezy and friendly demeanor. He and Dave are the greatest bros to ever bro, and everyone keeps wondering when the two of them are finally going to just GO PALE already, it’s so obvious to everyone except the two of them. Mutual pale pining? Mutual pale pining. Defo. John probably gets a huge kick out of being able to commune with animals, and will DEFINITELY make them do stupid shit for kicks. Dave has had so many birds fly in through his window at random, inconvenient times. So many. Curse you Nitram!! John laughs it off and to be fair, Dave does really like birds. John also has like, a million friends that he can just sorta cuddle with at any given time. All the meowbeasts and barkbeasts love him. All of them. Is very likely scared of Rose, who is a very cold midblood and like, constantly furious. Danger that way lies. Jade keeps telling him she’s actually a sweetie deep down and John isn’t quite sure if he believes her, so he and Rose have a relatively distant friendship until the Game happens and John gets to interact with her regularly and he finds out that yeah, she is really cool, and she’s FIERCELY loving of her friends, she’s just really really really fucking intense basically all the time always. The two end up hitting it off, just, later in their lives than they did in canon. As Heir of Breath, his role is still one who must embody freedom, freedom from the shackles of their old society, freedom from the restrictions placed on the various castes, and freedom from his own neuroses, which are as multitudinous as ever. Naturally, he cannot accomplish this when acting on his own, and the four of them must still work together to bring out their own best qualities, and each others’.

Dave Megido, lowest financial station but with a cool Kangaramdad who does, by all known accounts, love his child. Probably has a sort of “time is money” kind of outlook and a “spend it while you have it” motto for finances, the fanciest thing he owns is his camera and he loves it to bits and pieces and he takes pictures of everything, starts up a whole series that’s just about documenting beauty in the day to day life of himself and his neighbors. He’s got a HUGE warmblood following, people like him who enjoy seeing great things in little moments that he’s somehow managed to capture on film. He loves it because Dave, as always, Craves That Mineral Validation, and also it’s his own way of fighting back against the system. He doesn’t really think there’s a whole lot he can do, but he CAN do this, and it’s what he likes and it’s how he does it. Has a super big fucking huge giant pale crush on John who always takes the time out of his night to make Dave smile and remind him of how important his friendship is to John and Dave looooooves him he’s the beeeeeeest. The two of them grow up not too far from each other so they hang out regularly and play around and are children together and Kangaramdad and Fairbulldad get along well and it’s GREAT. Dave has a somewhat-normal childhood, as much as “normal” can possibly be on a planet that repeatedly and constantly tells you that your life means nothing and you’re going to die soon anyway. Probably maintains his fascination with death and dead things, probably still has a “dead things in jars” collection, and it’s very likely because he lives in a society that really requires Dave to reconcile with the concept of death and think about it often. It’s always right there, looming behind the corner, and he can ignore it and be scared of it or he, being a child, can engage with it in a frankly weird, but ultimately progressive way. As Knight of Time, his job is to protect the alpha timeline and foster its happening, so he still winds up seeing his own dead body a lot and he still has to be VERY METICULOUS in the time loops he creates, and it’s nasty and awful but he has John around. Tbeh, I think Dave might just forgo his planet’s quest entirely and hang out on John’s planet. Do some puzzles, crack some jokes, like they usually do, only this time in a weird magic Game that is apparently birthing a new universe. He and Rose very likely poke a lot of fun at each other, sorta nudging at “how far can I push” but also “ahaha, I am aloof and unbothered, you cannot rattle MY bones” so it’s just this weird, vaguely antagonistic friendship where they both REALLY like each other and are glad to be friends but sometimes they just can’t resist being little shits. He and Jade are also good friends, Jade making sure Dave is okay and checking in pretty regularly and Dave sending her things he knows will brighten her day and making sure she feels like one of the cool kids too, because she is cool, he thinks she’s so cool and really looks up to her as a person and as a friend and is really glad that he knows her. Eventually Dave meets a surly alien named Karkat and falls ass over heels in love with him and it’s DUMB and JOHN HELP WHAT SHOULD HE DO and oh god is he pitch for Karkat??? Flush???? Should someone come mediate them??? Is he pale for Karkat??? What’s going on he’s feeling so many things for this awful, stupid, beautiful dumb hilarious compassionate-yet-selfish boy John help Dave’s going to die of alien-gay. John pats his shoulder and smirks at him, and then proceeds to relentlessly tease him for his crush on an alien.

Jade Maryam, raised middle class out in the middle of FUCKING NOWHERE (again), with a lusus who loves her. Probably ends up pretty well adjusted, all things considered. She has to fight off zombies, so that’s something, but she gardens and she does her sciency stuff and she’s awake on Prospit and friends with the chess people, so really her upbringing is nigh-identical to that of canon, but this time with a guardian of pretty high intelligence, compared to all her friends’ custodians, instead of a magic dog. The violence of Alternian society probably makes her a little more prone to physical violence as a response to her anger, and she likely has like a million and five rifles, but ultimately I can’t see a whole hell of a lot of difference between Jade Maryam and Jade Harley. Still the Witch of Space, whose job is to bring about the new world and alter the whole of the universe for the good of the people residing within it. Good pals with her friends, dating Rose in pale and acting as something of an anchor for them all, the reliable, solid member that they can all fall back on. Idk if I’ve talked about this often but I associate all of the kids with certain elements and I’ve always pegged Jade for earth. She’s grounded, solid, and focused on growth, and I love her

[gleefully-macabre]

I’m not actually sure where I’m going with this, if anywhere.

A Scanlan/Pike story where Vox Machina never met Pike, taking place after the Underdark.

1/?

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Pike burst out when her great-great-grandfather announced he had contacted a distant relative to arrange a marriage for her.

“You’re of marrying age, young Pike,” Wilhand stated, his stout arms crossed.  “It’s your duty to carry on the Trickfoot line, for Her sake.” He gestured to the small prayer corner, and the statue of Sarenrae, their patron deity.

Pike wilted under his gentle chiding.  “I know, Pawpaw,” she conceded, then immediately brightened. “But all the gnome villages are so far away.  Wouldn’t it make more sense for us to travel there instead of him coming here?”

He chuckled and patted her head.  “Young Grog doesn’t bring you enough tales of his adventures, eh? Want to run off and have your own?”

Pike tried not to grimace at the condescending tone.  Wilhand was several hundred years old, and still saw Pike as a child.  “We could travel with Grog,” she offered. “No one would bother us with a goliath around.”

Wilhand’s smile grew sad, and then vanished entirely. “I know Westruun can be dull, but most of the family has already turned from Sarenrae’s path for us.  And you, Pike. You’re special.  For you to lose Her blessing would be…” His voice cracked and he pressed quavering lips together.

Guilt struck her like a blow.  The story of how Sarenrae changed the course of the Trickfoot family had been told and retold throughout her life.  Yet one by one, each of Wilhand’s children and grandchildren had gone back to the old ways of trickery and thieving.  Pike’s parents had turned to piracy shortly after her birth.  She still dreamed, sometimes, of joining a crew herself and perhaps finding them, even though she had no memory of their faces.  They were most likely dead anyhow. Gnomes did not last long on adventures.

She squeezed his hand. “Grog should be passing by soon,” she said. “Maybe… maybe he can deliver the letters for you?”

Wilhand smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re a good girl, Pike.”

She smiled weakly. If only that were true.

*   *   *

“I’m running out of rhymes,” Scanlan complained.  “Like, bike, tyke, that one Vax won’t let me say anymore.”

Vax grunted from the back of his sister’s pet bear.  He had emerged from the Underdark somewhat worse for wear, with half his foot destroyed. The healers in Emon were occupied in undoing Lady Kima’s paralysis. The state of a thief’s foot meant little compared to the life of a paladin.

It was Grog, of all people, who had the solution.  “Me buddy, Pike,” he’d shouted.  “She been healing things since we was li’l.  Probably grow the whole fuckin’ foot back.”

“Probably charge a fortune for it as well,” Vex muttered, thinking of the heavy purse of gold waiting for them in Kraghammer.

“Grog wouldn’t lie to us, would he?” Keyleth asked, not as quietly as she had intended.

“Not intentionally,” Percy answered.  “But I wouldn’t be surprised if this friend peddles false potions.”

“Then why did we come all this way?”

“No one had a better idea.”

Scanlan plucked absently at his lute while the kids bickered, but inspiration remained out of reach.  He had some idea of what this Pike chick looked like based on Grog’s infrequent stories of his childhood friend.  “She’s a monstah,” he would growl with pride.  Probably another goliath, Scanlan thought, fingers dancing across the strings.  Or an orc. Huge, scarred up from fighting. The only way to earn Grog’s respect was to kick his ass, and Pike was clearly Grog’s favorite person.  Scanlan sighed with much drama, his ennui ignored by the rest of the crew.  He had been bereft of female companionship since Kraghammer. That elf had been a monster in her own right; he was in the mood for something softer.

Maybe Westruun had a brothel.

As thought deliberately adding to the tragedy of Scanlan’s life, Grog led them passed the entrance to Westruun to the outskirts of town, near something called a Bramblewood.  Long practice of keeping up with taller people did not prevent him from falling somewhat behind, and he brought up the rear of the party when Grog motioned for them to stop.  Peering between legs, he caught a glimpse of a house far in the distance, mentally groaning at the thought of so many times more.  Instead of striding ahead, however, Grog leaned his head back and let out a battle roar.   Everyone grabbed for their weapons, Vax slipped from the bear’s back to snatch daggers from his belt, all looking around for whatever Grog spotted that they had missed.

The door to the distant house flew open, and a pale creature darted out, headed straight for them. Grog, his weapons untouched, ran forward with a cruel cackle.

Percy blinked, dumbfounded. “Do my glasses need adjustment or…?”

“No,” Vax replied, stunned.  “We see it, too.”

The house was not so far away as it seemed. Rather, it was small. And the small creature that ran from the building met Grog in the center of the field, leaping into the air and punching his fist in a display so pathetic, her fingers should have squeaked.

Keyleth gestured towards the duo.  “I was not expecting… anything like that.”

Scanlan, for once, had nothing to say.  Not a goliath or an orc or a particularly fearsome dwarf.  Grog’s friend Pike was a gnome.  A lovely, hopefully single female gnome.

He cast Prestidigitation on himself to banish the dust from the road and cursed his sturdy armor.  The burgundy leather was a flashier color than most people preferred, but he had nicer clothes tucked away in his pack. No time to get to them, or get changed. He’d go for Rakish Swashbuckler and hope for the best.

“You can call him ‘Percy”,” Grog said following Percy’s inevitably long introduction.  And, uh… who’d I miss?”

“You saved the best for last, of course,” Scanlan declared, parting the twins’ cloaks like a curtain and stepping into the center of the group before Pike’s startled blue eyes.  She was even prettier up close, he

decided with a thrill.  “Scanlan Shorthalt, the leader of this motley group.”  He bowed with a flourish, stepping closer as he straightened, and slipped his hand under hers. “We’ve heard much of your might,” he said, leaning close and allowing his voice to drop to a honeyed murmur. “But not nearly enough of your beauty.”

“Oh,” she breathed, her eyes wide.  Scanlan was just about to discard subtlety altogether and steal a kiss from those perfect pink lips, but a hand pulled him off his feet by the back of his shirt.

“This ain’t no Lady Favors House,” Grog hissed.  Not in anger, but in explanation, as though trying to stop Scanlan from embarrassing himself. Hah, fat chance.

“I was just being polite,” Scanlan lied.

“You really travel with them?” Pike asked, fascination written clearly across her face.

Scanlan struck a pose, ignoring the fact that Grog still held him aloft. “Why, dear, in my time, I’ve traveled all across Tal’dorei and beyond. I’d be happy to tell you of my travels, perhaps over dinner?”

“As fun as it is watching Scanlan get shot down, I think gangrene has set in.”  Vax held onto his sister while he pulled off his boot, much to her disgust.

“Ugh, brother! Your feet smell terrible.”

“If someone would heal me, it might not smell so bad.”

“Oh, dear!” Pike rushed over to examine the remains of his foot.  Scanlan shot Vax a glare for stealing her attention away. “You’d better come inside.  I might need to pray over this for a while.”

To everyone’s surprise, they all fit in the tiny house.  Grog, ducked in and settled near the fireplace as though he had done so every day of his life. Which, Scanlan realized belatedly, he likely had.

Pike settled Vax on a chair near a small alter in the corner. “Pawpaw’s at the market right now, but does anybody want some tea?  I mean, I can’t actually make tea very well…”

“Foot please,” Vax demanded, sounding very similar to Trinket when he was begging at the table.

Abandoning her uncertain hostess duties, Pike knelt over Vax’s partial foot, took the pendant hanging around her neck into her hands and closed her eyes in prayer.  Scanlan took the opportunity to admire her profile.

To everyone’s shock, after only a few minutes had passed, a bright glow sifted through her fingers.  Pike pressed the symbol to his stump with one hand and held his heel with the other hand when he tried to pull away. A few more minutes passed in silence aside from Vax’s panicked yelps, then the glow faded. Pike sighed in satisfaction and opened her eyes to examine the newly grown foot.

Vex blinked at her twin’s limb. “Wow.”

"Indeed," Percy echoed in an awed tone.  "Well done."

Scanlan said nothing, a thousand verses suddenly running through his mind.  In Pike, he had found something far better than a fling.  

He found a muse.