#lavender-hemlock

[fright-designs]

delicate 🌱

featuring foraged bones 🦴

[outeremissary]

Probably the last round of Art Fight attacks for the month. I loved doing all of these so, so much- and I'm so excited to have been able to see another Kingmaker player out there too!!

(sorry to anyone getting tagged a second time, Tumblr did NOT like the first post for some reason)

Bastion and Azathoth - exmeowstic ( @exmeowstic )

Charlie - SpicyTofuRamen (Insta)

Callisto - bigmeandragonlady ( @bigmeandragonlady )

[thecupidwitch]

Day of the Week Magickal Correspondences:

Monday

Planet: Moon

Tarot: High Priestess, Moon

Color: white, light blue, gray

Stones: moonstone, pearl, fluorite, amethyst, quartz, sapphire

Herbs: moonflower, jasmine, gardenia, white rose

Influences : astral realm, clairvoyance, creativity, dream work, emotions, family, fertility, healing the home, illumination, inspiration, intuition, love, prophecy, protection, psychic ability, travel, truth

Tuesday

Planet: Mars

Tarot: Strength, Wands (5, 6)

Color: red, orange

Stones: carnelian, ruby, bloodstone, garnet, red jasper

Herbs: basil, ginger, blak pepper, patchouli, holly, dragon’s blood, nettle, thistle, thorns, wormwood, hawthorn,

Influences : power, war, courage, agression, revenge, hexes and curses, distruction, ambition, sexual identity, sex magick, self confidence

Wednesday

Planet: mercury

Tarot: The Magician, Wheel of Fortune, Pentacles (8)

Color: blue

Stones: Agate, citrine, aventurine, sodalite, lapis, hematite, emerald

Herbs: lavender, rosemary, fern, cherry, licorice, poppy, mugwort, plantain, apple, fennel

Influences : communication, arts, change, mental power, education, divination, psychic power, divination, wisdom, knowledge, traveling, spiritual enlightenment, mischief

Thursday

Planet: jupiter

Tarot: Pentacles (ace, 9, 10)

Color: royal blue, green and purple

Stones: amethyst, sapphire, turquoise, lepidolite, sugilite

Herbs: cinnamon, sage, nutmeg, melissa, clove, honeysuckle

Influences : money, business, manifestion, justice, healing, abundance, luck, fidelity, honor, justice (legal matters), leadership, loyalty, prosperity, relationships, well-being, success

Friday

Planet: Venus

Tarot: Empress, Lovers, Cups (2)

Color: pink

Stones: rose quartz, pink tourmaline, moonstone, jade, peridot, emerald, ruby

Herbs: red hibiscus, rose, lavender, rosemary, jasmine, blue lotus, violet, birch, sage, ivy

Influences : beauty, emotions, fertility, friendship, happiness, love, passion, pleasure, sexuality, wisdom

Saturday

Planet: Saturn

Tarot: Temperance, Swords (knight, 2)

Color: Black, Gray (dark), Indigo, Purple (dark)

Stones: onyx, obsidian, smokey quartz, jet, pumice

Herbs: myrrh, moss, thyme, basil, hemlock, nettle, peppermint, pomegranate, hyacinth, mallow, juniper

Influences : banish, binding magick, death, protection, freedom, justice, karma, banishing, uncrossing magick, hexes and curses

Sunday

Planet: Sun

Color: yellow, gold

Tarot: Chariot, Sun, Wands (ace)

Stones: citrine, sunstone, pyrite, gold, goldstone, carnelian, orange calcite, tiger’s eye, amber

Herbs: sunflower, chamomile, calendula, marigold, bergamot, oak, rosemary, oregano

Influences : accomplishment, action, ambition, attraction, authority, beauty, confidence, creativity, energy (solar), fame, freedom, friendship, goals, personal growth, healing, hope, illumination, justice, leadership, light, protection, spirituality

tip jar

[moonchildstyles]

hemlock

oleander part two: sneaking away to see harry, y/n learned more than she bargained for

wordcount: 16.7k+

—————

The blunt of (Y/N)'s teeth sunk into her bottom lip, holding back the lingering smile that wanted to curl her features. More than once, she peeked through her lashes to the darkly dressed figure sauntering through the apothecary. 

True to his word the last time they had met, Harry returned to the apothecary sooner than usual. It had only been a pair of weeks since she had seen him previous when she was being carted away from his castle. He had been on her mind since, hoping he wouldn't wait the usual two months before she would see him perusing the shelves once more. 

The second that she had seen him step over the threshold of the front door, her heart fluttered through her chest in a rattling beat. A lopsided curl made a home on his own features, but they both stayed quiet. 

They both knew they couldn't exactly boast about their clandestine meetings. Their encounters were unspoken secrets that they could now share in fleeting glances and small smiles. 

It was seemingly harder than ever to keep her eyes to herself and her feet behind the counter this time. That alluring draw of him had been elevated that much higher now that there was more of that connection forged between. More than once, before falling asleep, she sent herself sweet dreams with the final thought of just how concerned he was, reaching for her when she woke up after the storm. 

As if knowing exactly what was on her mind, Harry flicked his gaze over his shoulder to her. She didn't turn away in time, instead allowing her skin to warm when his eyes grazed over her skin. 

He was the first to break the contact before he absently reached for a bundle of lavender sprigs and started towards the counter. They both knew he didn't really need anything new, but shopping for more was the perfect excuse to share space once more. 

"Did you find all that you were looking for, sir?" she asked, repeating the same script she had always given him when he dropped his purchase on the counter. 

"I did, thank you," he smiled, canting his head as he watched her take her time checking him out, "The weather has been rather intense lately, don't you think?" 

She had her head down as he spoke, though she didn't mask the smile that bloomed across her features. She knew what he was getting at. "Definitely. The storms have been unlike the previous years. I had a bit of trouble a few weeks ago during one of the thunderstorms, but I'm doing much better now." 

"Good. I am happy to hear that," he drawled, his voice thick like the velvet she remembered glazing over her skin when she woke up in his castle. "I hope the weather stays stable for a little while longer, as I'm planning on throwing a dinner party in the coming weeks."

(Y/N) perked up, her meandering fingers slowing. "Really? A dinner party?" 

"Yes," he cemented, linking his dark eyes with hers in unwavering contact, "I am planning on it being an intimate affair, only a few in attendance. I do not have the specifics planned out yet, but invitations will be sent out in the coming weeks." 

She really hoped she was picking up on the correct message he was passing along, and it wasn't just her dreamy heart that told her that she would be one of the few receiving an invitation. Her lungs squeezed at the thought of rejoining him at the castle, even if it included the prying eyes of others. 

Collecting herself, she passed back the lavender bundle. "I am sure it will be wonderful, sir. I can't imagine you would plan anything less than flawless." 

"We will have to see," he started, dropping coins on the counter without having to be told the price, "I expect it to be perfect as long as the right guests show up." 

Another meaningful glance was shared between them. A slight quirk appeared on his lips. 

"Until next time, (Y/N)." 

Blinking with a flutter of her lashes, she swore she felt her skin warm despite the low temperature of the shop. "Until next time, sir." 

Using the window beside the counter, (Y/N) watched him head straight towards a midnight carriage drawn by bone-white horses. Pulling over the cobblestone, the coach headed straight back towards the castle, no other stops made.

—————

The rickety stool under (Y/N)'s feet wobbled some as she stretched to the tips of her toes. Her breath was stuck in her throat each time she felt that small stool creak under her feet. No matter the dropping of her stomach every time her stability tottered, she kept up her task of hanging the herbs from the lines criss-crossing through the apothecary. 

Just as she took another twined bundle of lavender from her basket, intending to add it to the row that needed a few more days of drying before being added to the shelves, a knock sounded on the front door of the apothecary. The sound took her by surprise, her balance waning with her hand over her head and toes stretched in her boots. 

The door was unlocked, right? The shop had been open for hours; there was no reason to give a knock to the door.

Nonetheless, (Y/N) carefully climbed down from the stool. Looking towards the door, she saw an unfamiliar, pale face looking through the glass. The sight had a zip of fear going up her spine, her hand fluttering up to rest on her throat. The man on the other side of the door didn't have any reaction to her fright, his features set in expressionless stone. 

While she didn't recognize this man, there were small details that she could also see in Harry. This man had pale skin, and dark eyes. He looked to be impossibly still, stuck in a moment in time. 

He could clearly see her through the glass, a surefire sign that the shop was well open and ready for customers. Still, he stayed out in the late morning dew, patiently waiting for her. 

While there was no way he hadn't caught her reaction, (Y/N) still tried her best to school her expression into something pleasant. Moving across the shop, basket of lavender at her hip, she opened the door for her new patron. 

"Good morning," she greeted, feeling the touch of frigid morning air grazing her skin, "How may I help you, sir?" 

Ignoring her initial question, he only asked, "May I enter?" 

Taken aback, she floundered over her response. "Um—I—" she stumbled. She'd never had to invite a customer in while the shop was open. Collecting herself, she bowed her head as she opened the door wide enough for him to make it through, "Yes. Please, come in." 

He moved deftly over the floor, barely making a sound on the floorboards. "You are Ms. (Y/N), right?" 

Giving a fluttering blink of her eyes, (Y/N) nodded her head. "Yes, I am." 

The man silently pulled out an envelope from his jacket before passing it off to her. Cautiously taking it from his grip, she tried not to appear as curious as she felt when she peered down at the elegant letter now in her hands. 

On the front, in glimmering, burnished gold lettering was her name scripted in looping font. Just the weight alone was enough to show just how important this correspondence was, as if the hand-delivery wasn't enough to give away as much. Only for the fact she still had an audience, (Y/N) refrained from slipping her finger under the blood red wax seal enclosing the flap.

Instead, she tucked it behind her back before looking up towards the footman. 

Only, he was gone. 

She just barely caught him on his way out, the length of his dark hair fluttering behind him as the bell above the door tinkled. The sound was decidedly quieter than when she had pushed the door open herself to let him in. She hadn't even heard him cross the space, the floorboards giving nothing away under his footfalls. 

There was no chance to say anything to him—thank him for the delivery, ask him who the letter was from, anything at all, really. She was unable to catch even what direction he disappeared in, only knowing that she was now alone. 

A grin plucked at her lips at the thought. 

(Y/N) didn't waste a second before she was pulling out the letter once more, wanting to open it as soon as possible while she had the privacy. 

Allowing her eyes to peruse over the gorgeous stationery, she could see the faint flecks of shimmer in the ink used to spell out her name. The wax seal was a vivid red color, embossed with a bold S wreathed in thorns. Doing her best to keep the wax intact, (Y/N) carefully picked at the edge to flip open the flap. Inside, a folded letter awaited on another piece of rich stationary. 

Her breath was stolen as she unfolded the paper, looking over what exactly had been so important to be delivered directly to her hand. 

It was an invitation. 

The ink was the same burnished gold, accented with filigree style line work across the edges. There was a texture to the page, (Y/N) unable to keep from running the pad of her thumb across the page. It was luxurious—the kind of correspondence she figured nobility would have the privilege of receiving. And, it was addressed to her. 

A week from today's date, she was requested to be present at Harry Styles' home for a dinner party in celebration of the turn of the season. The same party he had told her about a week prior. 

There was no doubt she would appear mad to any onlooker that dared to peer through the windows into the shop, seeing as how she was grinning down at the letter. She had hoped this was what Harry had been telling to her without actually saying it—that she would be invited to his home for this dinner. Her heart sped up behind her ribs, her breath shorting in her lungs at the idea of rejoining him at his home. 

Without permission, a squeal escaped (Y/N)'s lips. She couldn't help herself as she twirled her dress fanning around her ankles, as she pressed the letter to her heart. 

There was no doubt she was mad now.

—————

(Y/N) had been riding high all day after her special delivery, only for the comedown to have her face planting into the earth. 

There was another body found. Another young woman laid to rest in the woods with her throat ripped out and no blood left in her body. 

The village was submerged in shades of blue for the rest of the night, including her father by the time he made it home. He had gone out with others of the town to help carry the woman back to the village in hopes of giving her a proper burial with her family. 

He had been practically silent since he scaled the stairs of the apothecary, joining her in the flat above. His energy was hard to ignore, even if her mind continued to wander more than once to the letter she had spent hours memorizing when she had been alone. She had been so excited when receiving the correspondence, but now that giddiness had to live alongside that simpering grief the rest of the village had slipped into. 

There was nothing but the sound of cutlery clinking against their chipped flatware, dinner nothing more than a warming stew and the last of the summer vegetables that had been harvested. Her father saw their home through unseeing eyes, as he couldn't seem to focus on one space for too long before he was flitting to the next. (Y/N) matched his silence, keeping to herself in hopes of allowing the night to pass quickly. In the morning, hope would be restored to her neighbors and she wouldn't feel so out of place still feeling excitement for her invitation. 

"What is that?" 

Blinking with a flutter of her lashes, (Y/N) checked back into the unexpected moment. "Pardon?" 

Her father's eyes were fixed over her shoulder, towards the kitchen where the leftovers of the stew were simmering on the tiny stove implanted in the space. "What is that?" 

Twisting in her seat, she tried to follow his gaze. "There are some leftovers if that is what you are wondering—" 

"No," he cut her off, pushing his chair away from the table before stalking towards the kitchen. 

At the last moment, she realized what exactly had caught his attention. 

During the hours she had been left alone while he aided the village in bringing the young woman in the woods home, she had read and reread and reread the invitation as many times as she could. She admired the gilded writing, the exquisite seal, and every luxurious detail. She had left it out on the counter while she cooked, leaving it in arm's reach. 

That was where it still sat. 

That was where her father was headed. 

For the first time, she felt fortunate for her father's aching joints and the long hours he had been on his feet—even before the trip to the forest. He was moving slow enough for her to jump up and cut him off, as if she were joining him in finding whatever he had fixed his attention on. 

"This?" she asked, plucking up another piece of mail that the Wayfields had sent along with Margret the day previous. "It is only a recipe from Mrs. Wayfield—for her potato soup and the bread with the bubbles she's so skilled at making." 

She waved the envelope for her father to see, though it was decidedly less ornate than that of the one she was currently hiding behind her back. If she could, she would have crossed her fingers in hopes of him falling for her ruse. 

He blinked as he took in what she was trying to pass off as the same piece of mail that had the wax seal and glimmering writing. "There was another letter, (Y/N). Where is it?" 

Her palms began to sweat. Her father would not be happy to know she had been requested by the Count, especially not on a day like today when he had undoubtedly spent plenty of time with those who accused Harry of being a monster. 

"I do not—" 

"What are you hiding behind your back?" 

"Nothing." Her response came too quickly. Her father's eyes narrowed. 

"(Y/N)." 

"It is really nothing," (Y/N) tired again, digging up any kind of excuse she could, "I was doing inventory for downstairs, and—" 

"(Y/N)," he said once more, his voice edging into something sharp and steely. Now wasn't the time, he was telling her. "Let me see." 

She only swallowed, keeping her hand stuck behind her back. 

Everything happened in a vacuum then. Time was ticking with her heartbeats while staying still in the middle of the kitchen. It didn't take much for her father to reach around and grab the letter, ripping it out of her hands before she could even tighten her grip.

There was panic sifting through her veins as she saw him look over the letter, the flap roughly pulled open with the letter folded open with careless fingers. She took quick strides towards him, intending to pull the stationary right out of his hands, to keep him from damaging the page any more or looking over the invitation. There was barely a fight, her father raising it out of her reach with his gaze hardening more and more with every word he read. 

"This is from him? And, you are trying to hide it from me?" he seethed, looking to her with blazing eyes, "After everything that has happened today, you are trying to protect him?" 

A lump sat heavily in her throat, (Y/N) attempting to swallow around it through her eyes never left the letter that was above her head. "It's not like that, father," she tried to argue, "You know he has nothing to do with all of that. It is only a dinner party; I think he is trying to get to know us more, and he knows me from shopping downstairs, so—"

"How do you know?!" he boomed, breaking for the first time (Y/N) had seen since her mother's passing. "How do you know he has nothing to do with the dead girls? How do you know he doesn't have everything to do with it all, (Y/N)? You think it is safe to attend a dinner party at his dungeon? You welcome his advances knowing all that you do?!" 

(Y/N) was rooted in her spot, listening to the tirade her father bubbled off. There was nothing she could say, nothing that could satisfy him no matter how carefully she picked her words. 

"I know he is a well-off man, (Y/N)," he continued, taking her silence as response enough, "But you do not know him, no matter what you have been telling yourself. You daydream, and romanticize, and let your head wander too far from reality. How can you find reason enough to think it is safe to attend a party at his home? Have you already forgotten what you saw in the woods? Do you realize how easy it would be for you to join them?" 

His words stung. He had always had a problem with her active imagination, the willingness she had to let her mind wander and come to the prettier conclusion, the softer avenue. Is that what she had done with Harry? Was that the missing piece? While she was wondering what it would be like to glide across a ballroom in his arms, feel the soft of his lips over her cheek, what the swirls of his curls would feel like between her fingers, the rest of the village was seeing the sharpened teeth and soulless eyes of a beast. Was she really that naive? 

"I have not forgotten about that night, (Y/N). I have not forgotten about the night you were missing, either—wherever you truly were." 

Dropping her gaze to the floorboards, (Y/N) felt her eyes sting. 

While she knew he couldn't have been completely accepting of her lie, this was the first time he had acknowledged that her word hadn't been completely true. 

"I am not letting the next body we find be yours, (Y/N). You are not going to that dinner party, do you understand me?" His command was emphasized with the sound of paper crumpling in his fist. He was ruining her invitation. 

(Y/N)'s tongue was too dry for her mouth, unable to form a single word. 

In a blurry moment, she was aware of her father stretching across the space, throwing the stove door open to reveal the small fire confined to the space. He tossed the letter in, the seal melting and slopping off the page while the paper singed and blackened at the edges before ashing away. 

"Do you understand me, (Y/N)? Look at me, and promise me you will not go." 

Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the page burn away. How could she have let this happen? 

"Do not take the last of my family away from me," her father pleaded, finally seeming to break through the cloud in her head. 

"I will not go," she agreed in a distant voice. "I understand." 

When her father wrapped his arms around her, (Y/N) wanted to reciprocate with her heart though she could only do so with her arms. 

—————

(Y/N) crawled on her hands and knees, ignoring her designated companion for the afternoon, as she weeded the herb garden. Lucy chattered away behind her as if they both didn't know (Y/N)'s head was miles away.

In her imagination, she was at the grandiose castle that no one else in her village had seen the way she had. She was there with the kindest man she had ever met, the man who cared for her in the middle of a storm when he could have kept moving and abandoned her to her own devices. She saw him when he rushed across the hallway, panicked that she might not be as well as he thought. She saw him as he positioned himself between her and the group of rowdy men spilling out of the pub. Those small things were more than she was sure he even knew, actions that someone who was practically a stranger wouldn't do unless they had a good heart. 

She pinged between the castle, and back to the kitchen of her flat. There, she saw the way her father's eyes had blazed at her, anger boiling under his skin as he reminded her of what he had to lose should she end up one of those in the woods. She saw hints of the mourning man she had met after her mother's passing and her sister's departure. In the end, she knew he was nothing more than a scared father, seeing danger where she didn't. She had never seen him like that before. 

Was she truly so blind? Her father was scared enough to shout and holler at her, keep her from ever spending a second alone, while she couldn't find a single clue as to what would make him think as much when it came to Harry. If she were being honest, she found him to be a better man than her sister's husband, and yet her father had been more than happy for Arabeth when she announced her engagement. Was her head truly so high up in the clouds that she could miss something so terribly wrong with Harry? 

More than once, despite promising to her father that she wouldn't attend the dinner, she had considered what it would be like to go anyway. Though that thought never made it too far as soon as she remembered just how easily information like that would spread through the village—everyone was too nosy for their own good and would love to share a sighting of her up at the castle despite her vow. Besides, as dumbfounded as she was when it came to the aversion some felt to Harry, she couldn't deceive her father any more than she already had.

She loved and cared about her father, even if they were on the opposite sides of so many debates these days. He worried about her beyond reason at times, but she had to understand him. Even if that meant skipping out on the dinner party and going against the romantic heart sitting in her chest.

"Right, (Y/N)?" Lucy bubbled.

"Right," (Y/N) blindly answered, blinking out of her head. She didn't have a single idea of what exactly she was agreeing to, but it made Lucy happy. 

She had given the right answer.

That was all that mattered.

—————

Twirling around on ornately beaded shoes, (Y/N) looked up in wonder at the castle walls covered in gorgeous, hand-painted patterns. Her dress fanned out around her like creamy frosting on a tea cake. From steps away, she could feel Harry's eyes on her as she traipsed around his home, adoring each and every detail she found. 

"There is more, if you are ready to move on?" he offered, bouncing his eyebrows as if to tell her that she definitely wants to be ready to move on. She couldn't imagine what else he could show her on this tour that could top the places that had already blown her mind.

Nonetheless, she placed her palm in his offered hand, biting back a smile at the feel of his cool skin. 

He guided her through the halls until they hit the back door. Outside, a garden awaited. Trees full of dripping wisteria greeted her, the lilac shining like the moon above. Lines of honeyed foxglove and velvet roses drew the boundaries around a perfect lawn. He pulled her along with him to the middle, beams of moonlight highlighting the pale shade of green he had dressed in for the occasion.

"Dance with me?" he asked her, coal eyes adoring over her features. 

All it took was a nod of her head before she was pulled towards him, a symphony striking up without warning. 

He twirled her through the grass, fallen wisteria petals kicking up around her gown, the roses swaying as if reaching out to touch them. Harry looked like a prince, complete with soft hands and a tender smile. 

After twirling enough to get a giggle in her chest and head turning, Harry pulled her to his chest, settling down. 

"I have missed you so, darling," he crooned, lips by her ear, "I fear I can no longer wait such stretches between seeing you—I don't have the strength to deprive myself." Looking up at him, she saw deep shadows cast across one half of his face while the other was bathed in the pastel light of the stars. "You take up more and more of my mind everyday." 

An easy grin took place on her lips. He thought about her as much as she did he?

"Kiss me, darling." 

Eagerly stretching to the tips of her toes, (Y/N) didn't hesitate to pucker her lips. She could feel the tip of his nose grazing her own, skin chilled against her heat. 

The faintest brush of his lips against hers, lashes fluttering—

Breathing in a gasp, (Y/N) was pulled from her dreams. Despite her stilted breathing, her heart had never been so steady in her chest.

While she tried to never read too much into her dreams, she couldn't help but to feel as if this night had been a sign. She had just decided that tomorrow night, she would stay home as usual, skipping the immaculate dinner at the Count's home, only to find herself touring his grounds in her dreams. 

She was supposed to join the fray tomorrow, she cemented. She would find a way to keep the event from her father, from the nosy neighbors, anything to keep the night from souring. 

So many variables sung through her, asking how at all she would make it up to the castle without an escort, how she would even skirt past her father in the first place, how, how, how. (Y/N) ignored them all for the time being, instead allowing a smile to settle on her features as she laid back. 

This time tomorrow, she would hopefully be in his arms.

—————

"Goodnight," (Y/N) pleasantly chirped, accepting her father's hug and kiss on the forehead. 

"Goodnight, love." His parting words were the last she heard from him before they both retreated to their separate bedrooms. 

The moon was bright in the sky as she closed the door to her bedroom. With her window open just a crack, there was little sound tittering through the village. The only vestiges of the busy Friday came from the tavern down the block that was just beginning to gear up for the night. 

While the prospect of others milling about the center of town was a worrying obstacle, (Y/N) was grateful for the kind of cover their presence would offer. The dinner party was set to begin in an hour, and she was going to have to sneak through town and up the winding path to the castle. 

There was no way she was going to make it on time, given the fact she had to wait to ensure her father was truly asleep, ready herself to attend such an event, and make the trip sans carriage. It wasn't an impossible list of tasks, she just hoped that she would still make it in time for dessert. 

Creeping across her room as quietly as possible, (Y/N) tried to prep herself as much as she could without alerting any of the creaky floorboards or sweeping too quickly through her room. She couldn't be sure exactly what her father could hear from his quarters. She couldn't risk him entering and finding her going against his direct wishes of staying away from the castle.

It wasn't until the only blinks of light came in the form of twinkling stars and a sliver of the moon, that (Y/N) was both ready and almost positive that her father was well asleep. She couldn't be completely sure of the latter unless she waltzed into the bedroom and saw him asleep with her own eyes, leaving her to assume the snoring she heard wasn't just an elaborate ruse on his part. Having raided her closet, attempting to find her most lavish of pieces, she was left in a plain purple dress with small beading here and there—it was the same gown she had worn to her sister's wedding, though it was nowhere near as ornate as what she could remember of Harry's estate. She hoped she would still be found acceptable at least. 

Donning her cloak, she took the first step in her plan. Every move she made was calculated and careful as she pried open her window enough to slip through. Dangling her feet over the edge, she felt around for the small ledge offered underneath her window from the sloped awning that wrapped around the building. It wasn't anywhere near stable enough to hold her weight for long, but it was enough to help her down before skirting towards more stable avenues. 

Her skirt caught on the sill for a lingering moment, keeping her from landing as gracefully as she had hoped on the textured ledge. With the heels of her boots clattering against the side of her home, (Y/N) cringed with her eyes crinkling closed. She could feel her heart in her ears, pumping against the confines of her throat as she waited for the slam of her father's door. Long, laborious moments passed before she realized with flooding relief that she had garnered no attention; her father was still well asleep and the patrons of the pub kept up their own noise down the street. She allowed herself then to carefully slide down the uneven awning on her bottom, until she could safely hop down to the soft soil at the back of her home. 

The landing was nowhere near graceful, but it was silent. Straightening up and brushing off the debris that landed on her gown, (Y/N) allowed a small sense of accomplishment to take her. For her first time sneaking away, she had done alright for herself. 

Peering at her herb garden instinctively, she could make out the gaze of her moon-eyed black cat. The kitten played with the bugs floating around, stopping for a moment to match (Y/N)'s eyes. 

A small smile perked over her lips. She could only take this as a good sign—she was doing what she was meant to tonight. 

The first few strides away from her home were done as quietly as possible, with her head down and hood of her cloak on. There was nothing going on in her head other than the hope and prayers that she would make it out of this without being caught. She wished the most pleasant and calming dreams upon her father, anything to keep him deeply in his sleep. 

It was when she had cleared the block of her home without a single person spotting her that she had picked up the pace. The event had to have started at least a half an hour ago, and she had to hustle there if she wanted to experience any of the get-together before the festivities ended. If she was quick, she could make it to the castle within the hour. 

That was if the dark didn't scare her off first, of course. 

That juvenile fear followed her on her trek, breathing down her neck enough to push her into bursts of jogging over the path until she felt as if she had outran her invisible enemy. More than once, glancing towards the woods that weren't that far from the path, her active imagination was sparked, showing her all the things she hoped she would never truly see. 

Forcing herself to keep her focus, (Y/N) did her best to keep her head down and attention placed on the tail end of the party she was eager to catch. Working over the steep hills and sloping declines, she attempted to push herself to go as fast as possible while still keeping her breath in her corset. Every time she looked ahead, she allowed a small celebration knowing that the castle was looming closer and closer with every pace. 

As time ticked on and a bead of sweat dropped down the back of her dress, (Y/N) could only hope she made it in time and wasn't turned away despite the disheveled state she would no doubt turn up in. 

Her legs pumped harder at the thought.

—————

(Y/N) didn't have much memory tied to the lawn of the castle from the last time she had visited. She wasn't even conscious during the arrival, and her departure had seen her entirely wrapped up in Harry himself. This left the sight of the foliage around the otherwise dreary exterior quite the sight. 

As if she had conjured it herself, Harry had what could only be described as a grove of wisteria trees surrounding the grounds. Lavender petals swept across the ground, leaving what emulated a floral moat around the castle itself. From down in the village, she couldn't glimpse any of this, their forest having cut off sight of the magnificence. It was along the facade of the home that she saw long flower beds filled with the gaping mouths of foxglove stalks, blood red roses with thorn laden stems, and bushels of small white flowers growing from purple spotted stems. Hemlock, she knew them to be called—another poisonous variant Harry had unwittingly planted. 

Out front, there wasn't a single carriage or horse awaiting its master's arrival. She wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but maybe the evening was going to drag so long that everyone's transportation had been shooed away for the time being. 

Scaling the sloping hill that led up to the grandiose entrance of the castle, (Y/N)'s huffed breath created small puffs of white in front of her. Despite the chilled temperature, she was still overheated rom her strenuous trek all the way up. 

Approaching the door, she gave herself a moment to primp over the details of her appearance. Pulling her hood from her head, she attempted to smooth out her hair, hoping the twine she had holding back specific strands could hold for a bit longer. Dabbing at her features with the neck of her cloak, she tried to eradicate any sweat that had prickled her features. Though she knew she was dressed nowhere near as nicely as she figured Harry's other friends would be, she still brushed her hands down her dress in a final act before raising her hand to knock at the door. 

Her heartbeat stilled in her chest as she waited. 

When she first heard the click of the knob on the other side, she immediately straightened her posture. 

While there wasn't much she could expect, given there was nothing there for her to compare this evening to, (Y/N) definitely hadn't anticipated having Harry be the one to greet her. After finally meeting one of his staff, he had thought the footman that had delivered her invitation would be the one to deal with the menial task of welcoming her in (or shooing her away). 

Instead, she was gifted with the sight of Harry in an all black getup. The only pops of color came in the form of a forest green cravat and the hint of rouge on his lips. She shied away at the thought of the flush coming from the mouth of a young woman. His skin was just as creamy as she remembered, the planes of his face cut and severe. Nonetheless, when he looked at her, softened edges jumped out, gentling even his dark gaze. 

Making an effort to keep herself from floating over to him as if a moth to a black flame, (Y/N) rooted herself in her spot. "I am so sorry I'm late," she offered, her voice a bit watery and uneven, "I hope you can still accept me, despite the hour." 

The smile that had filled her dreams bloomed across Harry's features, his rouged lips acting like rose petals. 

"You are not late at all," he told her, eyes bright and dazzling, "I could never start without you, my guest of honor." 

(Y/N) felt flushed as he welcomed her in with a flourish, bowing out of the way as if she had any right to that caliber of greeting. 

"Guest of honor?" she asked, stepping over the threshold with shy paces. If she had known as much she would have ran less and dressed nicer. 

"Did I not tell you?" he smiled, shutting the door behind her as she untied the neck of her cloak, "I thought I had put that on every invitation." 

"I think it may have slipped your mind," she told him, playing along with his game. 

Shrugging, he gave her a roguish smile, taking her cloak only to throw it across the back of a lounger planted in her foyer. "It may have." Sidling up next to her, he offered his arm for her to take. (Y/N) settled her hand in the crook of his elbow, biting back the fluttering grin that plucked at her lips. "I suppose we have time for that tour now that you're here, right?" 

Instead of following right after him, (Y/N) turned to him with confusion knitting her brows. She knew he had to be a bit unconventional given his reclusive status, but she figured he knew better than this. 

"But, your guests. Should we not join them for dinner?" 

Amusement lit up his features, shatters of green appearing in his irises. Dipping his chin as he looked at her, he whispered, "May I share a secret with you?" 

(Y/N) couldn't help but to fall into a conspiratorial role with him. She had hoped she would earn a chance to learn everything about him. "Of course, you may." 

Harry huffed a laugh at her intrigue. Ducking his head, he positioned his mouth by her ear. He was close enough she could feel a chill radiating from his skin, his breath fanning across her own. 

"I only invited you." 

Rearing back, (Y/N) felt both flattered and bewildered by his admission. "But," she started, searching his eyes for any kind of tease, "I thought this was supposed to be a party. It's not much of one if there's only me." 

He gave her a shrug, shoulder bouncing with her hand still settled in the bend of his elbow. "Why would I invite others if I am only wishing to see you?" 

Flattery won out over the bewilderment she felt then, a shy smile taking her features. The only way she knew she wasn't dreaming was the degraded state of her dress—she always dressed herself immaculately in her imagination. 

"I am especially happy I could make it, then," she decided, peeking up at him through the fan of her lashes.

The feel of his gaze tracing over her face had (Y/N) straightening her posture with a tickle going down her spine. It was if he were taking note of everything, keeping her expressions to himself for later. A pleased smile plucked at the corner of his lips at whatever he found as he dropped his gaze down her neck. 

"I am, too; more than you know," he shared after a heartbeat, collecting himself before setting his gaze forward. He bobbed his arm under her grip, edging her towards the grand. "Shall we?" 

Though she felt a touch of deja-vu, finding herself in another predicament where she was unchaperoned with Harry at her side once more, (Y/N) was beginning to no longer care what even her father would say should he catch her. No wonder Harry kept to himself and did as he pleased—it was rather satisfying. 

With the silence their only companion, she nodded her head. 

"We shall." 

A dazzling smile spread over his lips. 

—————

(Y/N) was enchanted as she traipsed through Harry's home, her hold on him being the only thing keeping her from being lured away by whatever trinket or art piece that caught her eye. He pointed things out as they went, allowing her to fawn over the grandness he lived in. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a fond smile on his lips as he watched her. Though she didn't have an exact idea of what it was like to go on a promenade through royal grounds for a courting date, she figured this is what it felt like. 

His home reflected his personal taste for dark colors and luxurious details. Vases full of the purple blossom she had found out front lined the halls, mixing with the musk of the familiar herbs she sold to him. Deep greens seemed to be the running theme through the color scheme, allowing any other hue to emulate a bloom through the brush of the forest floor, or the night sky peeking through the canopy of trees. There were rooms upon rooms shielded behind heavy walnut doors, no less than a handful down each hall he took her to. There were too many for (Y/N) to keep track of, though Harry seemed to know exactly what was behind each door without a moment's thought; even when she swore they had been turned around and looped in a circle, he knew just where they were with a description of every hidden room. 

With the sheer amount of space he was showing her, Harry didn't have time to show her every single room, to push open the door and introduce her to the space, instead offering the highlights as they went. (Y/N)'s favorites came in the form of a budding library (the walls were complete shelves along with freestanding cases that cozied up a sitting area in the middle; the shelves held enough books to keep anyone busy for over a year but there was still room to grow, giving the possibility to read for a lifetime when full), an adorably grey tea room, and a painter's studio set up for portraits. Even with those spaces that took (Y/N)'s breath and sparked a world of imagination, her most preferred spot was the newly erected structure out behind the castle. It was a greenhouse, he'd said. An entire home the size of her own flat with the sole purpose of nursing and growing any and every kind of plant. 

"It's a budding interest of mine," he said when they had stopped to admire the glass-paneled house through a stretching window of the castle, "You've inspired me." 

It was like he knew that would have her blood warming and her teeth sinking into the pillow of her bottom lip. 

Soon enough they turned down a hallway familiar to (Y/N). This was the same wing that housed her room he boarded her in during the storm. 

"Remember this?" he prodded with raised brows, taking her down the walkway. 

Tipping her head back, she set her sights on the ceiling. Above was the same muted floral mural that had been painted across the rest of the castle ceiling. With her eyes following the thorned vibes through the different blooms, (Y/N) absently nodded her head. 

"This is where my room is." 

It wasn't until she heard his huffed laugh that she realized what she had said. Her eyes rounded out in horror with embarrassment warming her skin. 

"I-I'm so sorry—I misspoke—"

"It's alright," he soothed her, flexing his arm under her hold, "You are the only guest to have ever stayed in this room, so it is yours in my eyes as well."

Harry led her towards the chambers, pushing open the door as if it was another new space for her to explore. Inside, it was just as she remembered, thick velvets and cozy furs. Another bouquet of flowers was delicately perched on the table as if in wait for her. The only difference came in the ornate wardrobe that was now pushed against the wall in front of the four-poster bed. The doors were wide open, showcasing whatever hung inside though from where she stood, (Y/N) couldn't see a single stitch of what it was. 

"Go take a look," he told her, dropping his arm as he urged her forward. 

Without the anchor of his body, (Y/N) drifted towards the open wardrobe, her hands a bundle at her waist. When she saw what exactly had been showcased inside, she felt her jaw fall into a gape. 

Hung up on a satin wrapped hanger was the most gorgeous gown she had ever seen. The fabric was glimmering and slick like silk, redder than anything she had ever seen—as if the fibers had been dyed with fresh blood. The skirt was full, layers of crinoline underneath though the overlay still draped and folded atop the filler. The bodice was a stiff corset, cut with scooping neckline that made (Y/N) want to blush at what it would look like on, tapering straps holding the whole garment upright on the hanger. She kept herself from reaching out to turn the dress, though she wanted to know if she really did see the edge of a bow stationed at the waist for it there was even more dress to be fawned over.

"What do you think?" Harry prodded, his voice closer behind her than she remembered. 

She kept her eyes forward, on the crimson masterpiece. She could only imagine how long it would take to craft something so stunning. 

"It is gorgeous," she sighed. Shaking herself out of her reverie, she turned to look at him with a pleasant smile on her lips. She wasn't here as the guest of honor to give out her fashion advice. "Just like the rest of your home," she recovered as if she hadn't been standing, staring at the dress for a handful of minutes, "Breath-taking." 

His pale lavender lids were on display as he looked at her through the fan of his lashes, a huff of laughter falling from his lips. "Thank you," he told her, "But, what about the gown?" 

"Oh," she sounded, happily taking the excuse to lay her eyes upon the dress once more. Was it possible more of the skirt had unfurled, as if the fabric was closer to that of a blooming rose than a stationary garment? "I've never seen anything more beautiful," she shared honestly, "It would be impossible to find anything to compare." 

"You won't have to worry about that," he mused, stepping around her to pull the hanger from the rod. "Since this one is yours already." 

(Y/N)'s jaw dropped at his declaration. Her eyes downturned as she took in the full of the gown, unsure of what exactly to say to such a claim. 

"I-I," she floundered, unable to find her words, "I'm sorry?" 

Harry looked genuinely pleased with her reaction, proud of himself for finding something she clearly loved so much. "I had this made for you," he told her, presenting the gown to her as he held it up, "When I decided that I wanted to invite you over, I figured I couldn't exactly celebrate my guest of honor without a gift. I hope I didn't assume too much, but I thought you might even like to wear it this evening." 

She had been struck speechless as she listened. Not once had she ever received a gift so grand, so gorgeously outside of her means. 

"But, please," Harry continued when she didn't give an answer, his expression falling some though he tried to hide it, "Do not take this as something you have to accept if you do not want it. You look wonderful already—heartbreakingly so, if I'm honest—and I do not want to force you to change if you'd rather not." 

Unable to hold back her own plume of laughter, (Y/N) shook her head. In what world would her refashioned nightgown look heartbreakingly wonderful? As she had said before, there was nothing that could compare to this dress. 

There had to be etiquette that came with accepting a gift of this caliber, but (Y/N) preferred to use her ignorance to her advantage at the moment. It couldn't be considered too offensive if she loved something he had made just for her. 

"I love it," she reiterated, sneaking a cautious hand out to trace her fingertips over the silken fabric, "I would love to wear it tonight, Harry." 

He brightened immediately at her acceptance, relief touching his features now that he was no longer floundering over his present. "I'm glad," he cemented, laying the garment on the edge of the bed with a flourish, "I will give you a moment to change before we start for dinner, if that's alright?" 

While the draw of the gown was significant, (Y/N) kept her eyes on the man who had given it to her. A giddy smile was on her lips as she looked up at him. With this gift, she would almost look as if she belonged at his side—it would make sense to see her on his arm to a stranger's eyes. 

"Thank you, Harry."

Bowing out of the room, he stopped to tip his head to her. "It is my pleasure, darling." 

—————

Having had enough practice with tying her own corsets and stuffing herself into various dresses for church and other village-wide occasions after her sister moved away, (Y/N) didn't take much time to change into the crimson couture. She had lingered over the process a bit, savoring the feel of the expensive fabric and the novelty tying system on the back (there really was a bow at the bustle, too!), but she had been more excited to meet with Harry once again. Once she had the dress adorning her body—the piece a perfect fit—, she had spotted a few extra pieces lying around the wardrobe that she couldn't help but to use to her advantage. 

A pair of beaded red slippers were snug in the corner of the wardrobe, levels above what she currently had on her feet and had trekked up to his castle in. On a shelf built in above the rod the dress had previously been hung up on, were a pair of long white gloves—the kind (Y/N) could only picture on a princess. She couldn't help herself as she drew on the gloves, the satin glimmering alongside her dress. Using the twine she already had in her hair, she tried to twist her strands into something more elaborate to match her new attire. When she finished, she had settled on an updo, keeping everything out of the way as to show off the gown in its entirety. 

Looking at herself in the mirror, (Y/N) had never seen herself in such a light. The scooping neckline of the dress showed off more skin than she knew a woman could even show in public, the swells of her breasts pushed up and swelling over the corset. The skirt draped itself over her form, creasing and folding in waves that flourished out before hitting the ground. Turning to the side, she could glimpse the bow that had been fastened to the bustle of her dress, a detail she loved more than she had thought. Her gloves came up to the mid of her bicep, the addition making her feel more regal than she had any business to. She felt the only thing missing was a rouge to be swiped over her lips and a red flush to her cheeks. 

Leaving behind her now designated room, her rudimentary gown left behind in a puddle on the floor, (Y/N) half expected Harry to be stationed across the hall from her like the last time she had emerged. Instead, she found herself alone in the stretching corridor. Her heels clicked over the floor as she made her way down. 

While she had already had an eyeful of the space the pair of times she had been escorted down this same hall, she still found something new to look at with every turn of her head. If not for the fact Harry had to be waiting for her on the other side of the castle, she could have luxuriated for hours here. 

Traipsing through for the first time on her own, (Y/N) noticed small details she had overlooked in Harry's presence—particularly the lack of staff. Other than the footman she had seen a week prior, there didn't seem to be anyone else here with Harry despite the size of his home. She would have figured there was a team of people, different departments and leads that would have been tasked with taking care of the grounds, the different wings, everything. And yet, she seemed to be the only beating heart around. 

Perhaps he wanted to have privacy for the night, she figured. Harry definitely was the type to request something of the sort. 

Retracing her steps until she found the same set of grand stairs Harry had escorted her down after she recovered from her fainting spell during the storm, (Y/N) was proud of herself for navigating the maze that was this castle. Just as she crested the mezzanine before the final set of steps to the ground floor, she caught sight of her waiting prince. 

Harry seemingly hadn't realized she was there as she caught him cozying up to a familiar black cat. She could hear the low murmurs of his croons to the moon-eyed kitten, petting his fingers under the scruff of her neck while she leaned into his touch. (Y/N) couldn't contain her own coo once she saw him press a kiss between the cat's ears. 

With that, he realized he was no longer alone, having been caught doling out affection to what (Y/N) had previously thought to be a stray. 

"(Y/N)," he started, gently setting the kitten down back on her paws before she scurried away. He still hadn't looked at her as he brushed his hands down the front of his coat, "I am so sorry. I hadn't realized you were—" 

His words were suddenly stuck in his throat when he cast his gaze upon her. 

(Y/N) have never seen him at a loss for words before, his dark eyes wide with mouth in a soft gape as looked at her. While she had felt his eyes on her before, this moment was different than what she had experienced prior. It was as if his hands were on her, fingertips glancing down her throat, sweeping over her collarbones and cleavage. Her bare skin was chilled where she swore she felt his eyes linger, goosebumps awakening. Was this how he felt when she looked at him? Could he feel how drawn to him she was? Was her romantic heart too high up in the clouds as she assumed that he could experience that similar warm chest and twirling gut that she did when she saw him?

There were intentions behind his eyes—more than what was acceptable for him to say out loud. 

"You look... I don't think there are any words that could describe how you look right now, actually." 

Despite the shy peal of laughter his words elicited from (Y/N), he was thoroughly serious as he spoke. The sentiment only made her heart flutter in her chest.

"Thank you," she smiled, descending the stairs. Harry didn't hesitate to offer her his arm when she reached the landing, pride puffing his chest when she took it without question. "I hope it's alright I'm using a little extra I found in the wardrobe." 

"It is more than alright," he beamed at her, dazzling smile to match the fractures of green swimming to the surface of his coal eyes, "Everything in there is yours now." 

"You don't mean that," she laughed off, diligently following him as he brought her to the dining room. 

"The whole wing could be yours if you asked," he countered, his offer seemingly serious despite his grin. 

Before she could argue, he pushed open a grand door, leading her into the dining room. Inside, a long table sat at the center of the room. Ornate candles lit the space, showcasing hints of gold and shining onyx among the otherwise muted room. On the table was a feast (Y/N) had never seen the likes of before. 

Meats, cheeses, wines, and breads were placed all throughout on pristine china. Steam rolled off the dishes in alluring waves, like the smoke from a candle freshly snuffed. How his staff had pulled something off so elaborate without making a single noise, she couldn't comprehend, but she wasn't about to start asking questions in the face of greatness. 

"My goodness," she murmured. Looking at this spread, she was suddenly grateful that she had taken such an exhaustive route up here. She had all the room in the world to try everything in front of her.

"I was unable to ask for your favorites before tonight, but I hope you'll find something to your liking," Harry prattled, much too modest given the sight before them. 

"I have no doubt," (Y/N) responded, allowing Harry to guide her to an empty chair at the head of the table. 

Once he helped her settle in, he took his own seat on the opposite end of the table. "I hope you don't mind," he started, a goblet in hand already filled with a deep wine, "But I told my staff to take the night off. We'll have to serve ourselves, but this way we'll have more privacy." A beat passed before a furrow appeared in his brows. "Unless you would prefer their presence. I know this is our first formal meeting, so..." 

"No, no, it's alright," she waved him off, not feeling the need to have others present while she dined with him. Besides, she would hate to have been promised the night to herself only to be called back. "I think we'll be able to keep a handle on ourselves."

(Looking down, she just missed the way Harry looked at her with his dark eyes gleaming and a shrewd curl to his lips at her words).

While it was surely odd for Harry, (Y/N) didn't mind serving herself—she did it every day, anyway. With her eyes bigger than her stomach, she couldn't help but to overfill her plate with the way she wanted a bite of everything. Before she knew it, there were three different cheeses, more kinds of dinner bread than she knew even existed, and helpings of figgy chicken, creamy potatoes, and rosemary scented greens. If she could get away with it, she would be grabbing seconds. 

Flicking her gaze up when she realized just how rude it must be to be so engrossed in her meal when her host and sole company was just across the table, she found his eyes already on her over the rim of his wine glass. The crystal just barely hid the amused curl of his lips. 

"I apologize," she mumbled, dropping her gaze though she could still feel his eyes on her features. 

"No need," he said, waving her off, "I'm glad you want to try everything." 

Eased some, she picked up one of the gleaming silver forks complimenting her place setting and began picking at her food. "Do you have any favorites?" she questioned, feeling a bit silly to be asking what his favorite food was. 

He shrugged in response, canting his head some as he raised his wine glass. "I tend to favor the wine at a dinner party, if 'm honest." She watched as he took another sip, the deep red color seemingly staining the crystal. The center of his lips even seemed to take on the dye, emulating that tint of rouge he had started the night with. The wine lingered in the bowl of his glass, seemingly thicker than any spirit she had seen before. "I'd rather hear about your favorites, (Y/N)," Harry said, tipping his head towards her with his features lit up with the amber candlelight. 

A small curl tugged at her lips then. It was an interesting feeling, being so drawn to him and finding comfort in his presence, then remembering that he didn't even know the color of the rainbow she preferred or the season she thrived the most under. Trivialities didn't seem so important when there was that innate need to be around him. 

"What do you want to know?" she preened, unsure of where to start when it came to herself. 

The reflection of the candlelight emulated stars in his eyes as he fixed his gaze to her. His eyes felt like a pair of hands on her body once more. 

It was only when he flicked them up to match her own, that he spoke again: 

"Everything." 

—————

"... I had never seen my sister so mad at me before," (Y/N) laughed, setting her chin in her hand, unconsciously leaning towards Harry from where he relocated to sit at her side. 

The dinner part of the evening had ended some time ago, (Y/N) satisfied with her fill while Harry nursed his never-ending glass of wine. The attention had shifted then, turning to any anecdote of information he could pull out of her on his quest to learn the everything he requested to know about her. Soon enough the space between served to be too much for either of their liking, ending with Harry sidling up beside her, taking one of the unoccupied seats at her side. The intensity of his gaze was unwavering as he listened to anything and everything she had to say, unwilling to miss a single detail no matter how minute the story it was that she shared. More than once (Y/N) had attempted to redirect some of the conversation to him, only for him to casually mention the kinds of travels he'd been on and the people he'd met before he brushed it off in favor of hearing more of her voice. She wondered if he even knew just how intriguing he was, how fascinating his own stories would be to someone like her, who had stayed in the same village all her life. 

"I could imagine," he smiled at her, the cut planes of his features having melted down into soft curves and rounded edges, "You sound like you were a little terror." 

(Y/N) was prepared to counter his teasing remark when the echoing chime sounded from the grandfather clock stationed at the head of the room. The heavy gonging detailed out the time having turned into midnight—much later than (Y/N) had anticipated staying out when she had snuck out at nine. 

Her shoulders fell when she realized that her night had to be coming to an end soon.

"What is wrong?" Harry asked, picking up on the decline in her expression. 

"It's getting very late—later than I thought," she started, turning to him with regret ready on her features, "I won't be able to stay much longer if I don't want anyone noticing I'm gone." 

Harry finally seemed to pick up on the time then. She had shyly shared with him earlier that she hadn't exactly gained permission to join him for the evening, and had still gone anyway, making it so her cover for the night had to be pristine should she want to keep herself out of trouble. 

"I suppose it is rather late," he mused, a pinch appearing between his brows as he stared at the clock, "But, we still have some time, don't we? I don't know if I'm ready to send you home yet." 

The flattery went straight through the ladder of her ribs and to her heart as she listened to him. While she knew better than to linger longer than what she could handle, she knew she wasn't ready for the evening to end either. 

"I just do not want to scare my father again, not after I had disappeared during the storm." 

"Was he very upset?" he asked, concern in his eyes when he turned to face her. 

(Y/N) rolled her lips between her teeth. It wasn't a particularly light topic bringing up the reaction her neighbors had when it came to him. "I hadn't told him that I was with you that night, but I think he knew anyway. There are some... gossips in the village that I think tried to convince him that you had hurt me or tried to keep me away from home." 

His brow creased further at her words. "I am well aware that there are some... unsavory attitudes present when it comes to me and the fact that I don't associate much with the day-to-day of the village and that there have been concerns when it comes to what is being found in the woods, but," Harry paused, his gaze intent on hers with the shattered green of his eyes floating in his irises, "You know I would never hurt you, right, (Y/N)? I care about you—more than I probably should, but the last thing I would ever want is to bring you harm." 

She was not the person that needed to be convinced of his intentions, (Y/N) having seen the genuine concern in his eyes when she woke from her fainting spell, having felt his soft touch, having heard the gentle way he spoke to her as if she were a wounded animal. She knew where his intentions lied and she felt safe within them, but she was still taken aback at the clear set of his eyes, honesty lining his features. She had never doubted him before, but now there was no room for any kind of counter argument that could wiggle in the back of her mind. 

"I believe you," she told him, her voice a sudden whisper as if sharing a secret not to be heard by the walls, "I know you better than they do, and I'll trust your intentions over any rumor. I trust you." 

Harry's eyes rounded out as he listened to her, taking in her genuine take the same way she had his. 

"Thank you," he smiled, matching the soft volume of her voice. Glancing once more at the clock, Harry stood to the full of his height with his hand outstretched towards her, "I don't want to land you in any trouble, but if you have some extra time to spare with me, there was one more place I wanted to show you before the night is over." 

She didn't have to think before she was placing her palm in his, the chill of his skin leaving no other effect but goosebumps on her own. 

—————

(Y/N)'s heels clicked on the glossy, black floor under their feet as Harry escorted her to a grand set of double doors they had initially passed by during his tour. He held a proud smile on his lips when he pushed the door open, the hinges gliding without a noise.

Stepping over the threshold, (Y/N) was drawn in by the sprawling ballroom inside. It was the kind of space that would fit in perfectly for royalty, she thought as she fawned over the sparkling floors and high ceilings. Green and gold accented the space, more flowers spilling out here and there. The walls were elaborately furnished with filigree and art, mirrors strategically placed as if the space didn't look big enough on its own. 

"I've never actually used this room before," Harry murmured, following after her as she took in the space. 

"How could you not?" she answered in awe, twirling around in search of every detail, "I would host parties every night with something like this." 

There was amusement in his tone when he responded, "I think it's rather obvious that I didn't care much for other's company—except for you, of course." 

Her skin warmed at his words. He was teasing her again. She didn't know what to say, only biting back a shy smile as she settled on her feet, turning to find him already looking at her with a clear gaze. 

"I was hoping, before the night is over, that you might dance with me." 

Harry offered her a pale hand, his features softened in wait for her response. 

She didn't have to think before she was placing her palm over his, fingers curling into a hold. "But there's no music?" she said, canting her head. 

Pulling her towards him, Harry matched her gaze. "That's nothing to worry about," he shared, his voice suddenly a low secret between the two.

While (Y/N) didn't exactly understand how he was going to replicate any music without a single musician present, she didn't have time to ask before he was placing a firm hand on her waist and clasping their joined hands in a stiff hold. Instinctively, (Y/N) settled her own hand on his shoulder falling in line with his moves. 

(Y/N) was far from well versed in the proper moves needed to pull off any kind of elaborate routine, but as she looked into his eyes, she didn't need to think before she fell in line with Harry's guidance. After only a moment, the clacking of her heels the only noise, suddenly the ballroom was filled with the delicate singing of a violin and thrumming keys from a pianoforte. 

She wanted to turn her head, to see if there was a hidden stage that she had missed, but she held her gaze steady with Harry's. A dazzling smile pulled at his features, his hand squeezing at her waist as he twirled them around. 

"Better?" he murmured, his voice mixing with the music. 

She could only manage a nod of her head, her own lips beginning to curl to mimic the set of his own. 

Taking a deep breath into her lungs, (Y/N) dropped herself squarely in the moment. This was everything her romantic heart had always desired: flourishing music while she twirled in a gown made only by the finest hands, a handsome, heart-fluttering partner at her side. Poems were written with the sole purpose of attempting to put into words what the feeling she had in her chest was like. Paintings were made depicting the light that came with dancing with one's beloved. Her own dreams urged her to find something like this in her lifetime. 

Time stood still where she was, feeling the cool weight of Harry's hand in her, and the effortless gliding he evoked from her. The music swelled and dipped, taking her through the seasons with Harry twirling and holding her every hour. It could have been days that she stayed there, her eyes fluttered closed with a quiet smile on her face, and she would have barely realized. 

Blinking her eyes open, she saw Harry looking down at her. This was her one—the man in her sonnet, the one in her portrait, who she'd seen in her dreams. 

"I wish I knew what the inside of your head was like," he told her, drawing her away from him only to twirl her in a swirl of crimson. He brought her back to his chest, his hand on her waist slipping to loop around the curve—highly inappropriate though (Y/N) wouldn't dream of stopping him. 

"It is nothing special," she shied away from his words, turning her head as he led them around in the ballroom in a structured circle.

"I doubt that," he said, dipping lower until his lips were at her ear, "You are nothing less than absolutely special, (Y/N)." 

Harry drew her away from him once more, holding his hand up above her head as she was twirled. As she spun, she just barely caught her reflection in the gilded framed mirror hung on the wall. The slash of her red dress caught her eye first, bright against the deep green and dark shades splashed throughout the space. 

But the most jarring part of the sight was the fact that she was dancing alone. 

Harry was nowhere to be seen in that small glimpse, her hand holding nothing but the thin air. 

Before she could truly catch any kind of detail, she had been spun away and back to Harry's chest. 

Not even a single heartbeat of time had been missed while (Y/N)'s skin erupted into goosebumps. What an odd trick of the light, she thought. She must have had more wine than she initially figured.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked, keeping her firm against his chest though now there was a cream between his brows. 

Shaking her head, (Y/N) cast that glimpse out of her head. It wouldn't have been that hard for him to blend in with the rest of the ballroom, she argued, with the way he was dressed in all black. 

"Yes, I'm alright. Just a little dizzy, I think," she laughed, tightening her hold on his hand. If she really was growing that dizzy and the effects of the wine hitting her that hard, she was going to have to make a real effort to stay upright. 

"Stay close, darling," Harry murmured, "I've got you." 

(Y/N) all but keened at his words, doing as he said and happily staying close to him with the planes of his chest pressing against her corseted breasts. The music reached heights and valleys around them, the strings of the violin singing in a tenor (Y/N) had never dreamed of hearing so smooth. She was transfixed in the moment, twirling and stepping, allowing Harry to guide her every which way. Even when her inadequacy showed, he kept his hold on her strong, catching her through the stumbles with a small smile as if a promise to keep that misstep between them and this empty ballroom. 

A gasp left her lips when Harry stopped them only to fluidly dip her backwards with his face hovering over hers. He held her steady with his arms turning into steady bars around her back and her own looping around his neck. Her gasp turned into a fluff of giggles leaving her throat, never having felt anything like this before. Harry laughed with her, lingering in that stance as she dropped her head back, extending her neck with her eyes closed. 

Time stood still then, (Y/N) luxuriating in the feel of faux-floating in his arms. She swallowed when she felt the icy touch of the very tip of his nose skimming the column of her throat. She felt her lips stretch into a dreamy smile as she cracked her eyes open.

To the side of them, hanging from its gilded frame, was the opulently large mirror she had peeked at a handful of minutes prior. This time, when she peered at her reflection, she could no longer deny what she had seen before.

With her eyes wide, (Y/N) saw herself hovering in mid-air, no other soul present in the ballroom. There were indents in her dress where she knew Harry was holding her, where her skirt flared around their feet and had been pushed back by his legs. But she was the only one seen in the reflection.

Her mouth dropped into a gape, a quiet gasp falling from between her lips. 

"(Y/N)?" he started, righting her position as she went stiff in his arms. She couldn't tear her eyes off of the mirror, watching as the space around her interacted with her with phantom hands. "What is wrong? What are you—" 

In that moment, though she could only see him from the corner of her eye, she figured Harry had to have caught on to what she was seeing—or not seeing, really. 

That pause in the universe as they danced finally resumed in that moment, the trance broken. (Y/N) scrambled out of his arms, dropping her own from around his neck as she stepped back. Her heels clacked over the floor, her skirt dragging. There was no more music tinkling through the space, only echoing silence. 

A pinch knitted her brows together, her head tipping as if she could catch another angle and suddenly see Harry in the glass. 

"D-Do you see it, too?" she whimpered, hoping against all odds that she wasn't losing her mind right now. What was in that wine? 

"(Y/N)," he started, stepping towards her with the movement echoing in the silent hall, "I can explain." 

That had her whirling around in her spot, decidedly moving out of reach from. His response was far from reassuring. 

"What?" she sounded. What was there to explain? All he was supposed to tell her was that yes, he saw his reflection missing too, but that mirror had always been faulty—he was working on fixing the issue, it was nothing for her to worry about. 

This time when she looked at him, (Y/N) swore Harry's eyes had grown darker. The smatterings of green had shied away, leaving only the coal-like expanses against his pale skin. 

He was real, right in front of her. She felt the planes of his body, the strength of his grip. She had seen him through the village, let him hold her, she had seen him interact with others as well. Why couldn't the mirror see him? 

"A-Are you a ghost?" (Y/N) choked out, feeling as crazy as her question sounded. Mary and Ethel would be proud of the nonsensical explanation her brain had handed her. 

When she saw him roll his lips between his teeth, gaze flitting past her and towards the mirror at her back, (Y/N) felt her spine stiffen.

"Not quite," he started, expression grim, "It's complicated." 

While she hadn't exactly had a preferred response in mind, she figured it would have been better than a simple declaration of it’s complicated. (Y/N) began backing away from him then, clarity entering her mind in a chilling sweep. 

Her head had been so in the clouds, luxuriating amongst the swelling music and fanciful notes. She had been too preoccupied with everything Harry, the way she was drawn to him, keening under his attention and mooning over every word of flattery he gave her. Now, details began to fall into place. 

His skin, in her hand and pressed to her chest—even through layers of clothing—was cold. She had never given it much thought, just assuming that he was one of the few that ran colder than others and took the chills easier. Now, she could only see the pale pallor of his skin and the temperature and wonder how easily he would fit in with the corpses found in the forest. His eyes were always so dark, (Y/N) barely unable to differentiate the center from the iris, only when she squinted and took the time could she pick out the shades of green inside. Normal people didn't just... lose their reflection. Mirrors caught it all, no matter how dingy or foggy. Harry was invisible to the glass. 

Her eyes dropped to the center of his lips where the pillows housed a small tint, red and warm. 

"What are you?" 

When he took a cautious step towards her, (Y/N) all but stumbled back, itching to keep the current chasm of space between them. Harry stopped where he stood then, dropping his gaze from hers. 

(Y/N)'s heartbeat sounded in her ears while she awaited his response. 

"It is... hard to explain," he answered, "Can I show you something that might help? My library—I can show you there—" 

Drowning out the rest of his words over a rush of blood pumping through her body, (Y/N) stared at him. Her insides twisted as he took in more and more of him. Her father had always said that with her head so far up in the clouds, the fall was going to shatter her when it happened. It appeared that fall was happening now. 

Was he really a demon like the church women said? Was he the predator that committed those heinous acts scattered about the woods? Warnings had been everywhere: the way she was drawn to him like a moth to a singing flame, the way he reeled her in wish his unmatched beauty, and the way everyone around her seemed to know better. She had willingly walked into the lion's den, though there was no telling what kind of beast had truly laid claim to the territory. She was nothing but a stray bunny, a lamb separated from the flock, that had witless fallen into a trap. 

"(Y/N)," Harry said, his voice cutting through her whirling thoughts, "Please. Don't be afraid of me." She watched his throat bob as he swallowed, his features tight with shining eyes. "I promised you, remember? That I would never harm you. You said you believed me." 

Despite how disconnected she wanted to be, (Y/N) felt something in her chest crack as she listened to him. She was scared and confused, overwhelmed by the unknown that was standing in the room with her, but there was still the person she did know there as well. And that person looked heartbroken. 

"I just don't understand," she whimpered, fearing the volume of her own voice. 

A spark returned to him then, hearing her response. "I can explain," he said, stepping away from her towards a pitch black chaise lining the wall, "Give me a moment, and I will explain as much as I can." 

She was sure she was meant to take his lead, joining him on the velvet cushion, but her feet didn't allow more than a drag. She wanted to understand him, but she could understand him just fine without crawling in his lap. Instead, (Y/N) followed him far enough to watch as he took his seat from where she stood a meter away. 

"(Y/N)—" 

"Tell me," she started, her voice bursting through before she had given much permission, "Are you—... You're not human, are you?" 

Her words hung in the air between them, echoing through the too big, too silent ballroom. She didn't need to hear him to know what his answer was. 

"No. I'm not."

Harry had his eyes fixed on her, watching for every reaction she gave. (Y/N) wished she could have been stoic like the elder women of the village, or less reactionary like her sister, instead she was an open book doling out every reaction on a silver platter for him to consume. While she had been expecting as such, her head would never—could never—comprehend the answer he gave. 

"I am what is called a vampyr," he cautiously continued after a moment.

With her mouth agape, she watched him, waiting for more of an explanation than some unknown word. 

"What does that even mean?" she peeped when he said nothing more. 

This time, Harry avoided her eyes as he searched for the right words. He leant forward in his seat, placing his elbows on his knees as he dropped his gaze to center on the glossy floor. Only if he peeked through his lashes could he see her. 

"It means," he started, a heavy breath pushing his lungs to expand, "That, I am dead. But, I am able to be among the living." 

The edges of (Y/N)'s vision began to swirl as she tried to comprehend what he was so simply serving to her. 

Dead. 

Harry is dead. But, here he was, living and breathing, blinking with his heart steady in his chest, right in front of her. 

She breathlessly tried to ask for more information, though barely any thought came from her mouth. "Wh-W—Dead?"

Flicking his head up, Harry hesitantly matched her eyes. "My heart no longer beats, but, still, here I am," he offered, tone gentle and forgiving, "I don't know how it's possible, but I've been existing this way for a long time. I don't understand it either, (Y/N)." 

Her lungs felt stunted as she couldn't help her own eyes from dropping to his chest, where any normal human's heart would be pumping blood through full veins. She thought, if she waited long enough ,started hard enough, that she could prove him wrong somehow. What if Harry had it all wrong, that he had been convinced by someone—something—that he wasn't like anyone else? Here she could prove to him (and herself) that his heart was beating and he was alive and everything she had slowly been putting together was nothing more than the effects of too much wine and an overactive imagination. 

Alas, there was no bold evidence that his heart was hammering against his chest as hers was. Instead, he was silently still, skin pale and chilled. 

She fell to the ground then, her dress fanning around her form with her hands limp in her lap. Looking at Harry with pleading eyes, she wanted nothing more than for this to be a cruel joke. 

"Bu—Harry?" 

Rolling his lips between his teeth, Harry closed his eyes, unable to continue watching as she crumbled under the weight of the truth. 

"I-I'm sorry, I don't have any answers on why or how," he started, feeling as pained as she, "All I know is that I woke up this way after a night I can't remember, and have been attempting to figure it out since." 

She canted her head, observing him as he sat with his eyes shuttered. "But you... You don't look dead?" 

This seemed to be the wrong question to ask as he dropped his head, leaving (Y/N) from gleaning anything from his expression. "There are things I need to be able to maintain myself or I would wither away like any other person, but..." 

"It's complicated?" (Y/N) finished for him, feeling the lame weight of the explanation on her tongue. 

Harry nodded his head, keeping his gaze down. "It's complicated." 

(Y/N) base level instincts wanted her to run, bolt from the castle and make her way back home in a puddle of tears and seek out the shelter of her father. Harry's half-explanations and full deceptions should be enough of a warning sign to compliment the red flags others around her had seen and pushed her to acknowledge. 

Despite it all, as she sat, watching him wrestle with his speaking his own words as much as she was hearing them, she made no move to leave. Maybe she hadn't completely crashed down just yet, because she swore the longer she sat here, streaks of intrigue and curiosity sparked through her head.

Besides, through the muck and the revelations slowly sweeping over her, a near silent thought in the back of her head reminded her that he promised he'd never hurt her. If he had truly wanted to harm her, he would have done it by now, right?

"What do you mean that it's complicated?" she asked before she had even given permission for her thoughts to float around the room. 

"I have had to do things—things I am not proud of—to be able to stay alive—or whatever I am. But, I am trying to move past them and grow into something more," he told her, his words turning into a plea as he finally matched her gaze, "I promise I am different now." 

That base instinct inside of her triggered a gut feeling (Y/N) couldn't ignore. Flashes of the woman she found in the woods blinked through her memory, her nightmares intermingling with the grotesque sight. 

"The people in the woods," she murmured, unsure of what she wanted out of bringing this up. She wasn't asking, but she hoped Harry had an answer for her, though she feared what that might be. 

Harry looked to her with a clear gaze, his shoulders sloping in defeat. He looked pained as he fought to pick out the right words for her. "That is not me," he told her, though he looked far from finished, "But, it's who I used to be. I have not done... that in a very long time, but Mitchell—m-my footman—he-he's trying to learn. He doesn't know how to contain himself yet, but he will." 

Vividly, (Y/N) could recall the sight of the bloodless corpse, all color leached from the woman's features. The frayed column of her throat, ripped out of the way in favor of the flesh and muscle underneath. The woman had been deliberately stowed away, carefully placed after being mauled and used until she had nothing left to give. The memory warped until Harry was standing over the woman's body, blood cascading down his mouth and soiling his clothing

A shudder wracked down her spine.

She remembered thinking just how impossible it would be for a human to do what she had seen. 

"You've done that to others before?" she whispered, fearing how badly her voice would crack if she attempted anything louder. 

Hanging his head in shame, Harry nodded his head. "It's been almost a hundred years, but yes." 

A hundred years. 

Harry on the outside was a young man, not the kind of person that spoke of decades of his life out in the world. He showed no age, and yet, he didn't hesitate before offering a number. 

She had thought it was wild just how much he seemed to have travelled while being so young. 

(Y/N)'s world turned on its head then. She must have really downed the wine during dinner. Maybe even the scent of the wisteria and the foxglove had worked its way into her brain and was taking more and more of her sanity. 

She had to leave. 

Stumbling to her feet, (Y/N) swallowed around her dry through, her breathing coming in concerning puffs with her corset tight around her torso. 

"I need to go," she told him breathlessly, "I-I—I'm sorry, I need to leave." 

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and started out of the ballroom. She needed space, this castle was too small, the walls too tight, the corset digging in too deep. She had made it just to the double doors before she was aware of Harry's presence behind her, his steps silent over the floor. 

"(Y/N), wait," he pleaded, "I can explain everything, I-I promise. I've never had to explain to anyone who didn't already understand, but I'll learn, please give me a chance." 

Her pacing never wavered as she burst out of the ballroom, hustling through the winding halls and gloomy decor until she found herself heading towards the front door. The pounding of her feet over the glossy flooring matched that of the beating in her chest, her ribs sore and lungs aching. 

Just as she placed her hand on the door, aiming to push it open and allow herself to spill into the night, a cold hand on her shoulder stopped her. 

"(Y/N), wai—" 

Twirling around, (Y/N) startled with a gasp ripping through her throat. On instinct, the vision of the corpse in the woods in the back of her mind, she cupped her hand over her neck as if that could stop him from ripping it out. 

Harry's hand dropped from her shoulder immediately, his gaze dropping to where she had protectively clutched her throat. Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession, a whimper involuntarily dropping from her lips. 

He crumbled at the sight, despair washing over his features. (Y/N) didn't know what to do as he fell to his knees, looking up at her with glittering eyes, more and more shatters of green appearing. His fingers clutched at his waistcoat, skin turning bone white from the strength. 

"(Y/N)," he almost cried, "I—You have to believe me. I would never hurt you, you know that. Please, please don't be scared of me." Glittering tears pooled in his eyes. "I am more devoted to you than I think I even realized, I would sooner sacrifice myself than let anything hurt you. Please, just... I don't want to frighten you, I'm sorry." 

She was rooted in her spot as she heard his pleas over the rushing of blood in her ears. Under her palm, she could feel her pulse thrumming in her neck. 

What kind of predator was he, to crumble and bow before his prey? No vulnerability could be shown during the hunt, even from the most skilled of hunters. And yet, if Harry were the lion here, the one stalking and waiting for the moment to strike, he was doing a poor job of keeping the upper hand. With the way they were positioned—(Y/N) with her back to the door, knob under her other hand, and Harry at his knees before her,—she could easily escape before he had a chance to do anything more than to grasp at her gown before the material inevitably slipped from his hands. 

He'd had plenty of better—easier—opportunities to hurt her. Tonight alone, when he dipped her low, neck on display, as they danced in the ballroom, he could have easily made her into one of the many found in the woods. Instead, he had held her carefully, skimming his nose over the skin in an affectionate touch before pulling her to his chest. Countless times prior—the night in the storm, when she had slept so soundly in that bedroom, the night walking alone through town—he could have stolen her away without a single soul to witness. 

Instead, he had cared for her. He put her somewhere safe to wait out the storm and sleep off her panic. He had ensured she hadn't walked home alone in the dark with a rowdy tavern bubbling with drunk patrons. He had treated her like royalty all night, never once looking down on her should she not know the proper etiquette. Even now, he was pleading with her to please understand him, that he had never wanted to simply scare her. 

For a moment, she wished she could have seen what this looked like to a spectator. She wanted to know if all of her emotions were seen as plainly on her face as she felt them in her chest. The comedown was gradual and mind-clearing, but Harry stayed right where he was, patiently awaiting any kind of response she could give him.

(Y/N) had the upper hand here. 

Lowering her hand from her throat, her shoulders dropped into a declining slope. Unpinching her features while her lungs evened out. 

"I am overwhelmed, I think," she told him, swallowing down the thick lump in the throat, "And, confused. But I believe you." 

Relief came over him at once, his posture slumping as he collected himself. A beat passed before he rose to his feet, exhaustion touching at his unblemished features. 

"Thank you," he breathed, looking at her with a clear gaze and unguarded expression, "I understand. I was confused once too—it's not easy to comprehend." Wetting his lips, he tipped his chin with the downturned eyes of a scolded pup. "Perhaps, I can ready the carriage for you to make it home, and rest for the remainder of the night. And, if you are still open to seeing me again, I will give you whatever answers I have to anything you want to know." 

Too many trains of thought were passing through her head at the moment, keeping (Y/N) from giving him a clear answer. While she was sure right now that she wanted to know everything about what he was and who he was, explore the half-truths she had learned, there was no telling what kind of clarity the morning would bring. 

"Okay," she answered quietly, not wanting to give anything more away until she knew more. She made a move to step around him to which Harry caught on and allowed a wider berth for her to pass. "Let me change, and then I will be ready to leave." 

"You don't have to do that," Harry stopped her, his sullen expression returning with delicate heartbreak, "The gown is yours. You can keep it." 

When she offered him a small smile, she could see the pieces of him mending back together. "I think this may be a bit hard to travel in and hide from my father, that's all," she told him, shooting her palms over the skirt, "I will have to come by to collect it another time." 

It was like watching the sunrise the way a smile bloomed over Harry's features, dazzling and hopeful.

"Another time, then."

—————

From the carriage ride, to trekking back to her room, and finally settling in bed after doing her nightly ritual, (Y/N) had been left alone with her thoughts. 

No one had caught her, that much she knew from the fact her father was still snoring in the other room and the tavern was still bustling with no attention paid in her direction. At least, she didn't have to worry about that. That way, her head could be filled with endless questions. 

No matter how scared she had been in the moment at the castle, (Y/N) knew that she was never in any real danger. She didn't understand Harry and who he was revealing himself to be, and she doubted she ever truly would, but she knew in her heart that he was never going to harm her. The kind of man that would rather sit and speak, drop to his knees with words of devotion, couldn't be that much of a monster, could he? 

Confusion muddled her thoughts. Every time she reassured herself, she heard glimpses of the word Dead wrapped in his voice, detailing out just how his heart was still in his chest. She saw the memory of the dead woman in the woods, and the countless others she had been spared of seeing with her own eyes. While he may not be the culprit of these bodies, he had been once. 

It was an odd thing, the curiosity she felt. 

She wanted to know him. She wanted to be close to the man that she had met and practically courted with these last weeks. She wanted that man and had allowed her heart to stake a claim on him. But, she was confused with the part of him he shared tonight.

Staring at her ceiling, (Y/N) attempted to reconcile everything she knew. 

Those two facets of him could both be true, she thought. He could be the kind of creature that had done things she didn't want to fathom, while also being the kind of man that she had sought out and had embraced her in those small ways. Tonight, she had feared a threat that had been brought about by the unknown and the lack of understanding she had around him, but never once was the real Harry the thing that had frightened her. 

She could be comforted and confused by him at the same time, too. 

A rustle from the herb garden had (Y/N) tentatively peering out her window. 

Amongst the leaves and bundles was the moon-eyed cat. The same one that she had last seen in Harry's arms. 

She was going to speak to him again, she decided. There was more she had to know about him and her heart wasn't ready to shy away from him yet. 

—————

when the flower of hemlock is consumed, it can poison the lungs and cause death through suffocation.

ahhhhhh! the ballroom scene was the first thing that came to mind and inspired me to write this whole piece so that was a lot of fun to come together and I really hope you guys like it! thank u sm for reading, sorry for any mistakes, and if you have any ideas or whatever you want to share please sent them in!

[astrolovecosmos]

The Planets & Random or Obscure Associations

~Sun~

Creativity, vitality, head of state, the father, games, yellow and orange clothing, articles of value, jewelry, gold, brass, power, diamonds, citrine, topaz, jasper, amber, rhodochrosite, mistletoe, almonds, citrus, succulents, sunflowers, fevers, heart, back, spine, grapes, walnuts, rice, chamomile, frankincense, juniper, saffron, marigold, rosemary, rue, palaces, towers, luxury.

~Moon~

Eternal, cycles, silver, aluminum, pearls, moonstone, opal, selenite, chest, glands, lymphatic system, nervous system, emotions, mother, ancestors, nurture, rebirth, tides, baths, ocean, brew, boat, sap, willow trees, succulents, pale color plants, white flowers, cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, melons, shellfish, pumpkins, lakes, fountains, ports, fishponds, pools, springs, sewers, dairies, toys, reflection, blankets, objects of comfort.

~Mercury~

Communication, journal, pen/pencil, any writing tools, wings, phosphorous, mercury, agate, tiger's eye, brain, nervous system, eyes, respiration, thyroid, speech, hearing, intellect, vehicles, money, bills, paper, books, pictures, parties or social gatherings, scientific instruments, butterflies, messages, mail, hazel, mulberry, myrtle, seeds, aniseed, dill, fennel, lavender, liquorice, marjoram, parsley, valerian, hazelnuts, beans, mushrooms, pomegranates, carrots, celery, libraries, schools, markets, fairs, public spaces, tennis or badminton court, studies, banks, bowling greens, offices, blue, white, or light colored flowers.

~Venus~

Love, relating, lust, high-quality fabrics, copper, bronze, sodium, malachite, tourmaline, emerald, rose quartz, kunzite, sapphire, pastels, throat, kidneys, lumber region, art, music, aesthetics, social life, fashion, jewelry, wine, pleasure, alder tree, fruit trees, paint, ash tree, birch, pomegranates, early flowering, daisy, mint, marshmallow, meadowsweet, mugwort, plantain, tansy, roses, thyme, vervain, yarrow, potatoes, strawberries, wheat, sugar, nectarines, ballrooms, bedrooms, dining room, gardens, fountains, wardrobes, theaters, looking and feeling good.

~Mars~

Lust, conquest, desire, flaming sword, red things, fights, iron, brass, bloodstone, carnelian, cinnabar, pyrite, magnetite, ruby, garnet, hematite, muscles, reproductive organs, blood, kidneys, immunity, heat, action, arms, pepper, sharp instruments, cutlery, attacks, scissors, weapons, physical intimacy, bites, stings, scalds, burns, accidents, hawthorn, pine, thorns, cactus, aloes, anemone, arnica, belladonna, garlic, ginger, hops, mustard seed, nettles, wormwood, chives, onions, leeks, radish, rhubarb, tobacco, labs, furnaces, distilleries, bakehouses, ovens, smiths, butchers, fields, anger, passion, self-focus.

~Jupiter~

Expansion, optimism, religion, religious sites, tin, seduction, turquoise, chrysocolla, topaz, citrine, jasper, liver, pancreas, pituitary gland, sciatic nerve, excess, abundance, prophecy, philosophy, knowledge, universities, foreign travel, luggage, honey, oil, silk, fruit, distinct clothing, merchandise, horses, domestic birds, gambling, indulgence, entertainment, oak, dandelion, sage, endive, chervil, asparagus, figs, churches, temples, palaces, altars, courts, mansions, woods, orchards, winery, cornucopia, connecting with the soul.

~Saturn~

Limits, boundaries, father time, lord of death, shadows, lead, iron, steel, calcium, asbestos, sulphur, diamond, onyx, calcite, skeleton, spleen, skin, teeth, nails, joints, structure, crystallization, old age, blockage, anything dark, wool, heavy materials, agriculture, wheelbarrows, spades, farm houses and buildings, cold, laws, aspen, blackthorn, buckthorn, cypress, elm, toxic plants, hemlock, henbane, belladonna, hellebore, barley, beetroot, safflower, parsnips, spinach, deserts, woods, valleys, caves, church yards, ruins, coalpits, sinks, wells, mud, institutions.

~Uranus~

Eccentrics, mavericks, invention, genius, revolution, change, trends, disruptive science or tech, uranium, magnesium, lapis lazuli, sapphire, aquamarine, azurite, chalcedony, electricity, neon lights, plaid, nervous and circulatory system, pineal gland, chaos, violence, upheaval, astrology, steam engines, coal, machinery, coins, baths, fishponds, dangerous places, computers, magnets, quantum physics, research, welfare, humanity, hypnotherapy, railways, banks, gas, psychiatric hospitals, offices, hospitals, dispensaries, fortified places, chemicals, mingled/mingling, spirit and matter.

~Neptune~

Illusions, veils, diffuse, deception, water, oceans, mysticism, enlightenment, artistic pursuit and understanding, zinc, potassium, amethyst, fluorite, jade, sugilite, coral, aquamarine, pineal gland, lymphatic and nervous system, spine, mental processes, addiction, psychoses, disease, photography, music, substances, gas, religion, poetry, mimicry, chameleon, anesthetic, telepathy, empathy, dancing, psychic gifts, places near water, hospitals, places of healing, jeweler, painters, brewers, musicians, visionary.

~Pluto~

Power, influence, darkness, new life, what's hidden underneath, seeds, volcanoes, deep earth or ocean, bury, explosions, eruptions, abduction, plutonium, smoky quartz, obsidian, jet, pearl, deep reds, reproductive organs, the unconscious, nuclear, transformation, death, birth, rebirth, underworld, riches, earthquakes, big business, murder, detection, detective, invisibility, sneak, enforced change, hidden places, underground, drains, sewers, radioactive places, the occult, black magic, sacrifice, renew.

[ad-caelestia]

Botanicals by purpose [long post]

Attraction: adam & eve root, agar, allspice, almond, aloe, althea root, ambergris, angelica, apple, apricot, balm of gilead tears, basil, bay laurel, bee pollen, benzoin, bergamot, bistort, blackberry, bladderwrack, blue violet, buckeye, catnip, cedar, chamomile, chickweed, clover, cloves, columbine, cotton, cowslip, damiana, deer's tongue, dill, elecampane, eucalyptus, evening primrose, frangipani, gardenia, henna, hibiscus, honey, honeysuckle, hyacinth, iris, jasmine, job's tears, juniper, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena [vervain], licorice, lobelia, lovage, mandrake, marigold, marjoram, may flowers, morning glory, mullein, myrtle, nutmeg, oak, olive, orange, orange blossom (neroli), orris root, parsley, passion flower, peony, periwinkle, pineapple, plumeria, safflower, sassafras, strawberry, sweet bugle, sweet pea, thyme, tonka bean, tuberose, vetiver, wheat, yellow dock, yerba mate, ylang ylang 

Banishing: basil, betel nut, black pepper, black salt, cayenne pepper, chamomile, cactus, cloves, dragon's blood, elder, garlic, heliotrope, horehound, juniper, morning glory, mullein, mugwort, oleander, onion, rosemary, rue, sage, sea salt, st. john's wort, thyme, tobacco, vinegar, wood betony, yarrow flower 

Beauty: avocado, beet, catnip, chamomile, evening primrose, flax, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, henna, lady's mantle, lemon, lilac, lucky hand (orchid root), magnolia, maidenhair, myrtle, orange, orange blossom (neroli), orchid, pea, prune, rose, sunflower, violet, yerba santa 

Binding: agrimony, buttercup [crowfoot], calamus, hydrangea, ivy, knotweed, morning glory, skullcap, snapdragon, solomon's seal, spanish moss, spiderwort, vinegar, witch hazel 

Cleansing/purification: angelica, anise seeds, black pepper, cayenne, cedar, citronella, cloves, coconut, dragon's blood, fennel, fern, frankincense, garlic, ginger, grapefruit, guava, honey, horehound, horseradish, hyssop, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, lemon verbena [vervain], lime, marjoram, melon, mesquite, parsley, peppermint, pine, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, sea salt, solomon's seal root, tangerine, thyme, turmeric, vinegar, yucca 

Confidence: basil, bergamot, bindweed, cardamom, cedar, celandine, cinquefoil, coconut, cypress, dogwood, ginger, grapefruit, honeysuckle, motherwort, nutmeg, orange, orange blossom (neroli), sunflower, tobacco, yarrow flower 

Courage: acorn, allspice, basil, bergamot, blue violet, borage (starflower), cardamom, cinnamon, citronella, cloves, clover, columbine, dragon's blood, eyebright, fennel, frankincense, garlic, geranium, iris, ivy, mullein, musk, mustard seed, oak, pokeweed, ragweed, raspberry, rose, rosemary, st. john's wort, sweet pea, tarragon, thyme, turmeric, yarrow flower 

Creativity: citronella, dragon's blood, fig, lavender, lemon verbena [vervain], orange, pomegranate, rosemary, tangerine, valerian, wild cherry bark, willow, yellow pepper 

Cursing: angelica, asafoetida, bayberry, bindweed, blackberry root, black salt, bladderwrack, bloodroot, blueberry, boneset, chicory, chili powder, cinquefoil, cloves, cramp bark, dragon's blood, hemlock, henbane, jezebel root, knot weed, lemon, lemon verbena [vervain], lime, mace, mandrake, mullein, mustard seed, myrrh, belladonna (nightshade), onion, patchouli, poke root, poppy seed, rue, spanish moss, slippery elm, stinging nettle, sumac, tormentil, vetiver, wormwood (absinthe), yew, yohimbe bark 

Divination: almond, angelica, anise seeds, arrow root, basil, bay leaf, catnip, cedar, cinnamon, cinquefoil, clary sage, cloves, copal, dandelion, elder, frankincense, garlic, hazel, holly, honeysuckle, iris root, lavender, lemongrass, lilac, maple, meadowsweet, mugwort, myrrh, nutmeg, onion, orange, parsley, peppermint, pine, pomegranate, poppy seeds, rose, rowan, safflower, sage, sandalwood, star anise, sunflower, thyme, uva ursi, willow, wormwood (absinthe), yarrow flower 

Dreams: anise seeds, bay leaf, buchu, catnip, chamomile, cinquefoil, damiana, dandelion root, elder, goosegrass, grapes, heliotrope, hibiscus, holly, hops, hyacinth, jasmine, lavender, lemon verbena [vervain], lovage, mandrake, marigold, marjoram, mimosa, mugwort, mullein, onion, peppermint, rose, rosemary, sage, st. john's wort, star anise, thyme, valerian, violet, wood betony, yarrow flower 

Energy: allspice, aloe, amber, angelica, belladonna (nightshade), black walnut, carrot, centaury, cherry bark, coffee, cowslip, cramp bark, daffodil, damiana, dragon's blood, fig, frankincense, ham, hawthorn, lovage, mint, oregano, paprika, parsley, peppermint, red pepper, sage, sandalwood, spinach, sunflower, tangerine, vanilla, walnut 

Fidelity: cardamom, chili pepper, clover, cumin, hydrangea, licorice root, magnolia bark, olive, rhubarb, rye, vetch, yerba mate

Fertility: acorn, apple, banana, barley, birch, bistort, cabbage, carrot, celery, chickweed, cucumber, cyclamen, daffodil, egg, fenugreek, fig, ginkgo biloba, grapes, hawthorn, hay, hazelnut, ivy, lily, mandrake, mistletoe, mugwort, mulberry, mustard seed, myrtle, oak, olive leaf, palm, parsley, patchouli, peach, pomegranate, poppy seeds, pork, prickly ash bark, rhubarb, rice, rye, sesame seed, shave grass, squaw vine, walnut, watercress, wheat, yellow dock, yohimbe bark 

Happiness: anise, apple, azalea, banyan, bee pollen, beech, catnip, cherry, cumin, cyclamen, fern, geranium, hawthorn, honey, honeysuckle, hyacinth, jasmine, lavender, lemon, lily, lily of the valley, marjoram, meadowsweet, orange, orange blossom (neroli), palm, peach, persimmon, quince, rose, saffron, st. john's wort, witches grass (dog grass) 

Healing: adder's tongue, african violet, agrimony, allspice, almond, angelica, apple, arrow root, aspen, balm of gilead tears, barley, bay leaf, bayberry, belladonna, blackberry, calamus, carnation, cedar, chamomile, chia, chickweed, cinnamon, cotton, cucumber, cypress, dandelion leaf, eucalyptus, fennel, feverfew, flax seed, gardenia, garlic, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, goldenseal, hops, horse chestnut [buckeye], ivy, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena [vervain], melon, mesquite, mint, mistletoe, myrrh, olive leaf, peppermint, persimmon, pineapple, plantain, plum, potato, raspberry leaf, rose hips, rosemary, rowan, rue, saffron, sage, sandalwood, sassafras, saw palmetto, spearmint, thistle, white willow bark, willow, wood betony, yarrow flower, yerba santa 

Hex-breaking: asafoetida, bamboo, chili pepper, datura, galangal, holy thistle, huckleberry, hydrangea, mimosa, nutmeg, papaya, peony, pokeroot, prickly ash bark, rue, squill, thistle, toadflax, true unicorn root, vetiver, wintergreen, witches grass (dog grass), yew, yucca 

Invisibility: aconite (wolfsbane, monkshood), amaranth, black haw, cherry bark, chicory, fig, heliotrope, poppy seeds, sow thistle, tansy  

Legal matters: buckthorn, calendula flower, cascara, celandine, galangal, hickory, lovage, marigold, skunk cabbage, tobacco 

Love: acacia, allspice (pimento), apple, apricot, avocado, balm of gilead, barley, basil, beans, beetroot, bloodroot, buttercup [crowfoot], cabbage, cardamom, celery, cherry, chestnut, chickweed, chili peppers, cilantro [coriander], coltsfoot, copal, corn, cornflower, daffodil, dates, dogbane, dragon's blood, elm, fig, gardenia, geranium, ginseng, grapes, henbane, hibiscus, high john, honeydew, hyacinth, indian paintbrush, job's tears, juniper, kiwi, lady's mantle, lavender, leek, lemon, lemon balm, lemon verbena [vervain], lettuce, lime, liverwort, lobelia, lovage, maidenhair, mandrake, mango, maple, marjoram, marshmallow, meadowsweet, mint, mistletoe, moonwort, mullein, mushrooms, myrrh, myrtle, nectarine, nuts, orange, orchid, orris root, pansy, papaya, parsley, pea, peach, pear, peppermint, periwinkle, plum, quassia, quince, radish, raspberry, rose, rosemary, rue, rye, saffron, southern wood, spearmint, spiderwort, st. john's wort, strawberry, sugarcane, tangerine, thyme, tomato, turnip, vanilla, vetiver, willow, witches grass (dog grass), wood betony, wormwood (absinthe), yams, yarrow, yerba mate 

Luck: acorn, agrimony, allspice (pimento), anise seeds, arrow root, bamboo, banana, bay leaf, cabbage, calamus, caraway, carrot, cassia, chamomile, cinnamon, corn, cotton, daffodil, dill, dragon's blood, fern, frankincense, galangal, hazelnut, kumquat, lucky hand (orchid root), nutmeg, orange, parsley, pear, peppermint, persimmon, pineapple, pomegranate, poppy seeds, red clover, rose, rue, star anise, strawberry, sunflower, vanilla, vetiver, violet, yarrow flower 

Manifestation/power: acorn, bamboo, balm of gilead, bergamot, black haw, carnation, cayenne, cedar, cinnamon, cinquefoil, club moss, dittany, ebony, echinacea, frankincense, gentian, ginger, goldenseal, lady's mantle, mastic, mugwort, myrrh, rowan, sandalwood, st. john's wort, star anise, sunflower, witches burr, wormwood (absinthe) 

Meditation: acacia, anise seeds, angelica, chamomile, copal, cypress, dittany, eucalyptus, frankincense, jasmine, lemon verbena, lotus, mugwort, myrrh, nutmeg, parsley, patchouli, red willow bark, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, thyme  

Mental clarity: amber, basil, cardamom, cloves, fern, eyebright, ginkgo biloba, lavender, lemongrass, mulberry, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, spearmint, willow 

Mental power: caraway, celery, coffee, eyebright, fenugreek, grapes, hazelnut, horehound, lily of the valley, mace, mustard, periwinkle, raisins, rosemary, rue, sage, summer savory, spearmint, vanilla, walnut, watercress, yellow pepper 

Peace: aloe, apple, apricot, basil, blueberry, brussel sprouts, celery, chamomile, cilantro [coriander], coffee, coltsfoot, cornflower, cucumber, cumin, fig, gardenia, heather, hyacinth, jasmine, kola nut, lavender, lemon verbena [vervain], lettuce, lily of the valley, lime, magnolia flowers, maidenhair, marigold, meadowsweet, myrrh, myrtle, narcissus, olive leaf, orange, orange blossom (neroli), oregano, passion flower, passion fruit, pea, pennyroyal, peppermint, plum, rhubarb, rose, sage, skullcap, sweetgrass, tobacco, tuberose, valerian, violet, willow, ylang ylang 

Prosperity/wealth: alfalfa, allspice, almond, banana, barley, basil, bay leaf, beef, bergamot, blackberry, bladderwrack, cashew, chamomile, cinnamon, cinquefoil, citronella, coltsfoot, comfrey, dill, eggplant, fenugreek, flax, fumitory, galangal, ginger, goldenrod, goldenseal, grains, grapes, green pepper, high john, honeysuckle, horse chestnut [buckeye], hyssop, irish moss, jasmine, kumquat, lavender, lemon verbena, lucky hand, mandrake, maple, marigold, mint, moss, myrtle, oak, oats, onion, orange, patchouli, pea, peanut, pear, pecan, pine, pineapple, pine nut, pineapple, pomegranate, poppy seeds, red clover, rice, sesame, snakeroot, spinach, tangerine, tomato, wheat, woodruff 

Protection: acacia (gum arabic), aconite (wolfsbane, monkshood), acorn, african violet, aloe, amber, angelica, anise seeds, ash, bamboo, barley, basil, bay leaf, belladonna, bergamot, black haw (devil's shoestring), black pepper, blackberry, blessed thistle, bloodroot, blue violet, blueberry, boneset, brimstone (sulfur powder), buckwheat, cactus, calamus, calendula, carnation, caraway, catnip, cedar, chia, chives, chrysanthemum, cilantro [coriander], cinnamon, cloves, clover, coconut, comfrey, corn, cotton, cramp bark, cranberry, cumin, curry, cypress, dandelion root, datura, devil's bit, devil's claw, dill, dogwood, dragon's blood, ebony, elder, eucalyptus, fennel, fern, feverfew, fleabane, foxglove, frankincense, gardenia, garlic, geranium, ginger, ginseng, heather, heliotrope, henna, hickory, high john the conqueror, holly, horseradish, irish moss, ivy, juniper, kava kava, kelp, lady slipper, larch, larkspur, laurel, lavender, leek, lemon verbena [vervain], lettuce, lime, lotus, mandrake, marigold, marjoram, marshmallow root, mimosa, mint, mistletoe, mullein, nutmeg, oak moss, olive leaf, onion, papyrus, peat moss, peony, pimpernel, pineapple, plantain, quince, radish, raspberry leaf, rhubarb, rice, rowan, rue, sandalwood, saw palmetto, sea salt, slippery elm, snapdragon, solomon's seal, spanish moss, spearmint, st. john's wort, straw flower, sunflower, tangerine, thistle, valerian, venus fly trap, violet, witch hazel, wood aloe, woodruff, wormwood (absinthe), yerba santa, yew, yucca 

Psychic abilities: acacia (gum arabic), ambergris, anise seeds, arnica flowers, bay leaf, bistort, bladderwrack, borage (starflower), buchu, butcher's broom, calendula, camphor, celery/celery seed, cinnamon, coconut, damiana, deer's tongue, eyebright, fish, galangal, honeysuckle, kava kava, kelp, lemon balm, lemongrass, lotus, lovage, marshmallow root, mulberry, mugwort, mushrooms, myrrh, rowan, saffron, sage, star anise, tuberose, uva ursi, wisteria, yarrow flower, yerba santa 

Relaxation/calming: basil, blue violet, cauliflower, cedar, chamomile, cucumber, cypress, hops, hyssop, juniper, kava kava, kola nut, lavender, lemon balm, lily of the valley, lime, mandarin, mugwort, narcissus, orange blossom (neroli), parsley, passion flower, rose, tuberose, skullcap, st. john's wort, valerian, vanilla, ylang ylang  

Spell-breaking: ague, angelica, asafoetida, bamboo, basil, bay leaf, benzoin, boneset, brimstone (sulfur powder), burdock, chili pepper, cinquefoil, comfrey, datura, frankincense, galangal, garlic, geranium, holy thistle, huckleberry, hydrangea, iris root (orris root), lemon verbena [vervain], lilac, lily, lucky hand (orchid root), myrrh, oak moss, onion, oregano, patchouli, rue, safflower, solomon's seal, st. john's wort, stinging nettle, squill, thistle, toadflax, turmeric, vetiver, willow, wormwood (absinthe), yarrow flower 

Strength: balsam, bay leaf, beef, bee pollen, blessed thistle, borage (starflower), broccoli, calamus, calendula flower, camphor, carnation, cedar, cinnamon, dates, echinacea, endives, fennel, fig, gentian, ginger, heliotrope, high john, irish moss, leek, lime, marjoram, milk thistle, mulberry, oak, oak moss, orchid, oregano, parsley, pennyroyal, pine, pine nut, red peppers, saffron, sow thistle, spearmint, st. john's wort, stinging nettle, tangerine, tea leaves, thyme, tobacco, vanilla, willow, wood betony 

Success: angelica, apple, basil, bay leaf, benzoin, cedar, cinnamon, frankincense, garlic, ginger, high john, lemon balm, lemon verbena [vervain], lucky hand (orchid root), marigold, mistletoe, mustard, myrrh, oak, onion, sandalwood, solomon's seal, st. john's wort, strawberry, sunflower, valerian, vetiver, wood aloe 

Wisdom: acacia, acorn, almond, angelica, bay leaf, benzoin, cassia, cinnamon, cinquefoil, elder, frankincense, goosegrass, hazelnut, honey, iris, lilac, milk thistle, mulberry, peach, oak, sage, solomon's seal, sunflower 

Wishes: bamboo, bat's head root, bay leaf, beech, black walnut, blowball, buckthorn, dandelion leaf/root, dogwood, ginseng, job's tears, lotus root, peppermint, pomegranate, sage, sandalwood, spearmint, star anise, sunflower, tonka bean, walnut, willow

© 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺 𝙰𝙳-𝙲𝙰𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙰

[the-mortuary-witch]

DAY OF THE WEEK MAGICKAL CORRESPONDENCES

MONDAY

Planet: Moon

Tarot: High Priestess and Moon

Colours: white, light blue, and grey

Stones: moonstone, pearl, fluorite, amethyst, quartz, and sapphire

Herbs: moonflower, jasmine, gardenia, and white rose

Influences: astral realm, clairvoyance, creativity, dream work, emotions, family, fertility, healing the home, illumination, inspiration, intuition, love, prophecy, protection, psychic ability, travel, and truth

TUESDAY

Planet: Mars

Tarot: Strength and Wands (5 and 6)

Colours: red and orange

Stones: carnelian, ruby, bloodstone, garnet, and red jasper

Herbs: basil, ginger, black pepper, patchouli, holly, dragon’s blood, nettle, thistle, thorns, wormwood, and hawthorn

Influences: power, war, courage, aggression, revenge, hexes and curses, destruction, ambition, sexual identity, sex magick, and self confidence

WEDNESDAY

Planet: Mercury 

Tarot: The Magician, Wheel of Fortune, and Pentacles (8)

Colour: blue

Stones: agate, citrine, aventurine, sodalite, lapis, hematite, and emerald

Herbs: lavender, rosemary, fern, cherry, liquorice, poppy, mugwort, plantain, apple, and fennel

Influences: communication, arts, change, mental power, education, divination, psychic power, divination, wisdom, knowledge, traveling, spiritual enlightenment, and mischief. 

THURSDAY

Planet: Jupiter

Tarot: Pentacles (ace, 9, 10)

Colours: royal blue, green, and purple

Stones: amethyst, sapphire, turquoise, lepidolite, and sugilite

Herbs: cinnamon, sage, nutmeg, melissa, clove, and honeysuckle

Influences: money, business, manifestation, justice, healing, abundance, luck, fidelity, honour, justice (legal matters), leadership, loyalty, prosperity, relationships, well-being, and success

FRIDAY

Planet: Venus

Tarot: Empress, Lovers, and Cups (2)

Colour: pink

Stones: rose quartz, pink tourmaline, moonstone, jade, peridot, emerald, and ruby

Herbs: red hibiscus, rose, lavender, rosemary, jasmine, blue lotus, violet, birch, sage, and ivy

Influences: beauty, emotions, fertility, friendship, happiness, love, passion, pleasure, sexuality, and wisdom

SATURDAY

Planet: Saturn

Tarot: Temperance and Swords (knight, 2)

Colours: black, dark grey, indigo, and dark purple 

Stones: onyx, obsidian, smokey quartz, jet,  and pumice

Herbs: myrrh, moss, thyme, basil, hemlock, nettle, peppermint, pomegranate, hyacinth, mallow, and juniper

Influences: banish, binding magick, death, protection, freedom, justice, karma, banishing, uncrossing magick, hexes, and curses

SUNDAY

Planet: Sun

Colours: yellow and gold

Tarot: Chariot, Sun, and Wands (ace)

Stones: citrine, sunstone, pyrite, gold, goldstone, carnelian, orange calcite, tiger’s eye, and amber

Herbs: sunflower, chamomile, calendula, marigold, bergamot, oak, rosemary, and oregano

Influences: accomplishment, action, ambition, attraction, authority, beauty, confidence, creativity, energy (solar), fame, freedom, friendship, goals, personal growth, healing, hope, illumination, justice, leadership, light, protection, and spirituality 

[pupsmailbox]

NATURE ID PACK

NAMES ⌇ abelia. acacius. aciano. aini. alder. alfie. almus. amaryllis. ame. antonio. archer. arthur. ashe. ashley. aspen. asper. aster. aveline. aviv. azalea. basil. belle. benedict. berry. bloom. blossom. bluebell. brook. calix. calla. carli. carline. carly. carolina. carrillo. cassia. cassiopeia. cedar. cherie. chun. cider. cira. cirrus. clover. coral. cordelia. crescent. cynthia. cypress. cyrus. dahlia. daisy. daphne. douglas. dune. echo. eilir. elara. elm. elowen. elyana. enon. erica. ester. everest. everett. evergreen. ewan. fauna. fern. finn. finnley. fleur. floor. flora. florian. florise. flower. flynn. forest. forrest. glen. gracie. gunner. haru. haruhime. haruki. hawthorne. heather. hemlock. honey. hyacinth. ianthe. indigo. ione. ipomea. iris. ivy. jaskier. jasmine. jasper. juniper. kalina. kallie. karolina. karoun. kath. kelda. ken. kingsley. lake. lavae. lavender. leilani. lennox. lente. lief. lilac. lily. linnea. lotus. lucinda. lucky. lucy. maayan. madeline. maggie. magnolia. maple. maren. mari. marian. marigold. mars. mary. maud. mauve. meadow. miles. momo. moss. mossie. mossy. moxie. muna. narcisow. nimbus. noi. oak. oasis. oleander. oybahor. pandora. pearl. pebble. pege. petal. plum. poppy. pınar. quanlian. quill. river. rosa. rosalie. rosalind. rose. roswell. rue. rune. saem. sage. sakura. san. sky. sol. star. story. strider. striker. summit. sunny. sylvia. sylvie. tasnim. terra. thistle. thorn. thorne. tree. udaberri. vasanta. verna. violet. waipuna. wells. westley. willow. wisteria. wisty. wren. yuki. zephyr. ziedonis. zinnia.

PRONOUNS ⌇ amaranth/amaranth. aster/aster. bee/bee. bee/bees. bless/blessed. bloom/bloom. bloss/bloss. bloss/blossomself. bud/bud. camell/camell. camellia/camellia. carnati/carnation. chirp/chirp. ci/cir. cloud/cloud. colum/columbine. columbine/columbine. comfort/comfort. dais/daisy. dawn/dusk. dew/dew. dog/dogwood. dog/wood. ey/em. fe/fer. fer/fern. fern/fern. field/field. fir/fir. fleur/fleur. flor/flor. flor/flora. floral/floral. flori/florid. flow/flower. flower/flower. freesi/freesia. fruit/fruit. fuch/fuchsia. garden/garden. grass/grass. green/green. grow/growth. hawth/hawthorn. hawth/thorn. hi/hits. hib/hibiscus. honey/honey. hy/hys. hya/hyacinth. hyacin/hyacinth. h✦/h✦m. ir/iris. jas/jasmine. jessa/jessamine. jour/ney. laven/lavender. le/leaf. leaf/leaf. leaf/leave. lil/lily. lotu/lotus. lu/luna. mag/magnolia. mar/mar. matcha/matcha. misel/mistletoe. mo/moth. morning/morning. moss/moss. mossy/mossy. narc/narcir. narcissus/narcissus. nature/nature. orch/orchid. pe/peony. peace/peace. peak/peak. per/peri. peri/periwinkle. petal/petal. pi/pix. picnic/picnic. plum/plum. pollen/pollen. pop/poppy. prick/prick. pur/purple. qu/quest. rain/rain. rhod/rhode. ros/rose. rose/rose. sa/sap. sage/sage. sakura/sakura. scent/scent. se/ser. shine/shine. shroom/shroom. sh✦/h✦r. si/strike. smile/smile. soft/soft. sol/solar. spikes/spike. spring/spring. sprout/sprout. star/star. stem/stem. sun/sun. sun/sunrise. sun/sunset. syr/syringa. tea/party. tea/tea. thist/thistle. thorn/thorn. th✦y/th✦m. tul/tulip. vi/vier. vi/viol. wi/wild. win/winkle. wind/wind. wister/wisteria. yucca/yucca. zinni/zinnia. ☀️ . 🌱 . 🌳 . 🌷 . 🌿 . 🍎 . 🍏 . 🍵 . 🐝 . 🐞 . 💐 . 💐.🌷 . 🕷️ . 🦋 . 🦟 .

[cryptidclaw]

Cryptidclaw's WC Prefixes List!

Yall said you were interested in seeing it so here it is! 

This is a collection of mostly Flora, Fauna, Rocks, and other such things that can be found in Britain since that’s where the books take place! 

I also have other Prefixes that have to do with pelt colors and patterns as well!

Here’s a link to the doc if you dont want to expand a 650 word list on your Tumblr feed lol! the doc is also in my drive linked in my pined post!

below is the actual list! If there are any names you think I should add plz tell me!

EDIT: I will update the doc with new names as I come up with them or have them suggested to me, but I wont update the list on this post! Plz visit my doc for a more updated version!

Animals

Mammal

Badger

Bat

Bear

Beaver

Bison

Boar

Buck

Calf

Cow

Deer

Elk

Fawn

Ferret

Fox

Goat

Hare

Horse

Lamb

Lynx

Marten

Mole

Mouse

Otter

Rabbit

Rat

Seal

Sheep

Shrew

Squirrel

Stoat

Vole

Weasel

Wolf

Wolverine

Amphibians

Frog

Newt

Toad

Reptiles

Scale

Adder

Lizard

Snake

Turtle

Shell

Birds

Bird

Down

Feather

Albatross

Bittern

Buzzard

Chaffinch

Chick

Chicken

Coot

Cormorant

Corvid

Crane

Crow

Curlew

Dove

Duck

Dunlin

Eagle

Egret

Falcon

Finch

Gannet

Goose

Grouse

Gull

Hawk

Hen

Heron

Ibis

Jackdaw

Jay

Kestrel

Kite

Lark

Magpie

Mallard

Merlin

Mockingbird

Murrelet

Nightingale

Osprey

Owl

Partridge

Pelican

Peregrine

Petrel

Pheasant

Pigeon

Plover

Puffin

Quail

Raven

Robin

Rook

Rooster

Ruff

Shrike

Snipe

Sparrow

Starling

Stork

Swallow

Swan

Swift

Tern

Thrasher

Thrush

Vulture

Warbler

Whimbrel

Wren

Freshwater Fish 

Fish

Bass

Bream 

Carp

Dace

Eel

Lamprey

Loach

Minnow

Perch

Pike

Rudd

Salmon

Sterlet

Tench

Trout

Roach

Saltwater fish and other Sea creatures (would cats be able to find some of these? Probably not, I don't care tho)

Alge

Barnacle

Bass (Saltwater version)

Bream (Saltwater version)

Brill

Clam

Cod

Crab

Dolphin

Eel (Saltwater version)

Flounder

Garfish

Halibut

Kelp

Lobster

Mackerel

Mollusk

Orca

Prawn

Ray

Seal

Shark

Shrimp

Starfish

Sting

Urchin

Whale

Insects and Arachnids

Honey

Insect

Web

Ant

Bee

Beetle

Bug

Butterfly

Caterpillar

Cricket

Damselfly

Dragonfly

Fly

Grasshopper

Grub

Hornet

Maggot

Moth

Spider

Wasp

Worm

Trees

Acorn

Bark

Branch

Forest

Hollow

Log

Root

Stump

Timber

Tree

Twig

Wood

Alder

Apple

Ash

Aspen

Beech

Birch

Cedar

Cherry

Chestnut

Cypress

Elm

Fir

Hawthorn

Hazel

Hemlock

Linden

Maple

Oak

Pear

Poplar

Rowan

Redwood

Spruce

Willow

Yew

Flowers, Shrubs and Other plants

Berry

Blossom

Briar

Field

Flower

Leaf

Meadow

Needle

Petal

Shrub

Stem

Thicket

Thorn

Vine

Anemone 

Apricot

Barley 

Bellflower

Bluebell

Borage

Bracken

Bramble

Briar

Burnet

Buttercup

Campion

Chamomile

Chanterelle

Chicory

Clover

Cornflower

Daffodil

Daisy

Dandelion

Dogwood

Fallow

Fennel

Fern

Flax

Foxglove

Furze

Garlic

Ginger

Gorse

Grass

Hay

Heather

Holly

Honeysuckle

Hop

Hyacinth

Iris

Ivy

Juniper

Lavender

Lichen

Lilac

Lilly

Mallow

Marigold

Mint

Mistletoe

Moss

Moss

Mushroom

Nettle

Nightshade

Oat

Olive

Orchid

Parsley

Periwinkle

Pine

Poppy

Primrose

Privet

Raspberry

Reed

Reedmace

Rose

Rush

Rye

Saffron

Sage

Sedge

Seed

Snowdrop

Spindle

Strawberry

Tangerine

Tansy

Teasel

Thistle

Thrift

Thyme

Violet

Weed

Wheat

Woodruff

Yarrow

Rocks and earth

Agate

Amber

Amethyst

Arch

Basalt

Bounder

Cave

Chalk

Coal

Copper

Dirt

Dust

Flint

Garnet

Gold

Granite

Hill

Iron

Jagged

Jet

Mountain

Mud

Peak

Pebble

Pinnacle

Pit

Quartz

Ridge

Rock

Rubble

Ruby

Rust(y)

Sand

Sapphire

Sediment

Silt

Silver

Slate

Soil

Spire

Stone

Trench

Zircon

Water Formations

Bay

Cove

Creek

Delta

Lake

Marsh

Ocean

Pool

Puddle

River

Sea

Water

Weather and such

Autumn

Avalanche

Balmy

Blaze

Blizzard

Breeze

Burnt

Chill

Cinder

Cloud

Cold

Dew

Drift

Drizzle

Drought

Dry

Ember

Fall

Fire

Flame

Flood

Fog

Freeze

Frost

Frozen

Gale

Gust

Hail

Ice

Icicle

Lightening

Mist

Muggy

Rain 

Scorch

Singe

Sky

Sleet

Sloe

Smoke

Snow

Snowflake

Soot

Sorrel

Spark

Spring

Steam

Storm

Summer

Sun

Thunder

Water

Wave

Wet

Wind

Winter

Celestial??

Comet

Dawn

Dusk

Evening 

Midnight

Moon

Morning

Night

Noon

Twilight

Cat Features, Traits, and Misc. 

Azure

Beige

Big

Black

Blonde

Blotch(ed)

Blue

Bounce

Bright 

Brindle

Broken

Bronze

Brown

Bumble

Burgundy

Call

Carmine

Claw

Cobalt

Cream

Crimson

Cry

Curl(y)

Dapple

Dark

Dot(ted)

Dusky

Ebony

Echo

Fallen

Fleck(ed)

Fluffy

Freckle

Ginger

Golden

Gray

Green

Heavy

Kink

Knot(ted)

Light

Little

Lost

Loud

Marbled

Mew

Milk

Mottle

Mumble

Ochre

Odd

One

Orange

Pale

Patch(ed)

Pounce 

Prickle

Ragged

Red

Ripple

Rough

Rugged

Russet

Scarlet

Shade

Shaggy

Sharp

Shimmer

Shining

Small

Smudge

Soft

Song

Speckle

Spike

Splash

Spot(ted)

Streak

Stripe(d)

Strong

Stump(y)

Sweet

Tall

Talon

Tangle

Tatter(ed)

Tawny

Tiny

Tough

Tumble

Twist

Violet

Whisker

Whisper

White

Wild

Wooly

Yellow

[flowers-of-april]

april showers bring may flowers: prompt list

I wanted to make a flower-based April writing prompt challenge, so I did. Flower meanings are sourced from this book on flower meanings

PROMPT LIST 1: Daisy: Innocence 2: Lilac: First Love/Reminiscence 3: Violet: Modesty 4: Anemone: Forsaken Love 5: Oleander: Caution 6: Honeysuckle: Devotion 7: Poppy: Eternal Sleep 8: Laurel: Glory/Victory/Success 9: Orchid: Elegance/Beauty 10: Petunia: Anger/Resentment 11: Iris: Valour 12: Heather: Luck/Protection 13: Fern: Magic/Secrecy 14: Oak: Bravery 15: Tulip: Love Declaration 16: Magnolia: Dignity 17: Pansy: You Occupy My Thoughts 18: Lavender: Distrust 19: Mistletoe: Surmounting Difficulties 20: Queen Anne's Lace: Sanctuary 21: Protea: Transformation 22: Myrtle: Love 23: Hyacinth: Please Forgive Me 24: Nettle: Cruelty 25: Hemlock: Death 26: Dandelion: Divination/Fortune-Telling 27: Mint: Consolation 28: Jasmine: Amiability/Cheerfulness 29: Rue: Regret 30: Lily of the Valley: Return of Happiness

ALTERNATIVE PROMPTS Bouquet 1: Apology Hyacinth: Forgiveness Bluebell: Humility Peony: Bashfulness Olive Branch: Asking for Peace Bouquet 2: Courting Blush Roses: Blossoming Romance Cornflower: Hope in Love Sweet William: Gallantry Honeysuckle: Devoted Affection Bouquet 3: Marriage Roses: True Love Ivy: Fidelity Myrtle: Hope/Love Dahlia: Commitment/Eternal Love Bouquet 4: Bitter Ends Datura: Deceitful Charms Tansy: Hostility Thistle: Misanthropy Wormwood: Bitterness Bouquet 5: Regret & Sorrow Asphodel: Regrets to the Grave Azalea: Fragility Snowdrop: Consolation/Hope Rue: Regret Willow: Mourning

The only 'rule' is to please have fun. You may tag "flowersofapril2024," if you'd like, and I'll reblog anything I see. If you feel like filling these prompts on AO3 then "Flowers of April" or "Flowers of April 2024" would be a suitable tag. You may also submit to the FlowersofApril2024 collection on AO3

[wilderness-of-thoughts]

Before:

"kill me..." Gojo was now moaning in his pink pajamas on the fluffy pillow you had prepared for him on the couch. Good thing most of the doll clothes fit him.

"With great pleasure. So, hemlock, arsenic, or maybe we should go classic and I'll slit your throat?" You asked, searching the cupboard for something that would serve as a blanket.

"Yhhhhh y/n! This day is the worst! I'm little and I had to bathe in a pot! And now I'm wearing half-plastic Barbie pajamas. I'm suffering here! Hey! Look how bad I feel!" he had been complaining for some time now. You looked at him, lying on your biggest, favorite pillow, fresh, clean, maybe not yet full but you'll fix that in the morning. Drama Queen is not enough. Gojo is the Emperor of Dramas.

"Yes, yes, you have it the worst. Right. My poor little Satoru Gojo. Be glad that I am the only one to witness your despair." saying this you put a piece of cloth on him so that he could cover himself with something at night.

Your eyes were closing by themselves, so with the last of your strength you started to walk towards your bedroom. After a short "good night" - to which you received no answer - you went to sleep, tapping your face against your beloved teddy bear. Maybe it was childish, but you lived alone and you didn't have to explain your strangeness to anyone.

Gojo couldn't sleep at that time. Insomnia was one of the silent curses that even the Chosen One suffered from. He knew there was no point in complaining since no one was listening to him, he wasn't able to go to the temple himself. Well, he was able to, but he doubted he would find anything new there. So he had to wait for you. Condemned to the functioning of your body. He even thought you weren't taking it seriously, but he knew that it's not true.

And it's not like he didn't appreciate it. But no one ever taught him to thank you for anything. Especially since part of your job was to serve him.... I mean, help him. It's like thanking a store clerk for being so kind as to stand behind the cash register. That was his reasoning. Why should he thank you for doing what is your duty?

Insomnia.

Campaigning in the tap was hellish torture. The rustle of curtains moved by a slight draft aroused in him the desire to kill. At his apartament he had a blindfold and earplugs and lavender oils, and at a critical moment even sleeping pills. Sleep for the Strongest is a luxury.

You were already snoring.

Another incentive to go on a killing spree.

You snored.

Insomnia.

Drip drip.

You snored.

Drip drip.

You snored.

Drip drip.

FUCK!

Not even half an hour of this torture had passed and Satoru had enough. He was tossing and turning on his pillow, cursing the universe under his breath for existing. After another few hours, which in reality were minutes, he stood up with a bang and sighed loudly through his nose. He had enough.

He didn't know what to do, but he knew he had enough.

You were woken from your sleep by a quiet murmur, then a bang, and then another murmur. You frowned, slowly lifting your eyelids. You were still sleepy.

"mmmyh-oru? What are you doing?" You asked, barely conscious as you saw the small figure of your superior standing on your bed. Only his eyes stared at you with intensity.

"Nothing. I can't sleep." He replied dryly, like a robot. You yawned and smiled slightly. Sighing heavily, you leaned out to grab a small speaker from the desk.

"I listen to this when I can't sleep" you said turning on speaker. You put the speaker above your head and fell face down on the pillow already returning to the arms of Morpheus. Gojo watched in surprise and waited until someone's low, soft voice, masculine, velvety and clear, came from the speaker. It wasn't an audiobook or a song. It was an asmr affirmation. The voice spoke only praise. How brave you are, how great you are at handling everything, how proud he is of you. The voice said that it knew how hard it was for you and that it admired you for still managing.

Gojo wanted to laugh. A sour laugh twisted his lips and his eyes of contempt landed on you. You're so weak that you're lulled to sleep by praise from a random guy who doesn't really know what you're going through, doesn't know you, and talks nonsense. And yet, his eyes were not deceiving. He looked at you smiling wonderfully sweetly, as a light blush appeared on your cheeks, and your facial expression calmed down. You sighed quietly in your sleep.

Gojo didn't understand. He turned off the speaker and threw it off the bed. He still couldn't sleep and the new discovery about you only made the blood in his veins sicker. Maybe he was wrong to call you? Why did You need to listen to this random anyway. Gojo's voice was much nicer. If you asked him, he would record something like this for you. A lullaby for you. And then he understood. He wouldn't do that if he found out he'd probably laugh at you for months. And Gojo sat on your bed, staring at you intensely, no trace of contempt in his gaze. He watched you with consternation. Why did he want to record something like that for you? Why did he feel sad and... Angry when he realized he wouldn't do it? Why do you even need it to sleep? Why is he thinking about this?

He pinched his cheek. He's going crazy. Still, he didn't get off your bed. He involuntarily curled up next to your pillow, he could smell your shampoo, your quiet snoring no longer annoyed him. It calmed him down. And before he knew it, he fell asleep. It turned out that his lullaby was the sound of your breathing that he focused on.

Morning came too soon, but Gojo hadn't slept this long in a long time. When he got up, you weren't in bed anymore.

"Gojo! Did you destroy my Tap!?" Oh... Fuck.

[ussgallifrey]

(She Moves With) Shameless Wonder | 24

✦ Summary: Your badge clearly said SHIELD consultant, so you weren’t entirely sure where Fury was getting this whole make you an Avenger idea from. But you had a feeling it might have something to do with the recent discovery of an artifact at the bottom of the Arctic Sea.

✦ Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female Reader

✦ Warnings: Canon divergence, dialogue taken directly from Avengers: Age of Ultron, descriptions of injuries, language, momentary jealousy, people talking through their issues like actual adults; references to the Eternals, the difficulties of immortality, and the Lavender Scare; Steve Rogers actively choking on his feelings.

✦ Word Count: 9.5k

✦ Playlist: Here

✦ Cinematic Soundtrack: Here

[Master List]

As they fly over the smoldering ruins of Midtown Manhattan, the city disappears behind them, giving way to towering trees and swaths of gray interstate. Small towns dot the landscape as the jet soars through the clouds, darting between the rose-tinged stratus and cumulus rows. Eventually, all you can see through the windows are the towering Hemlocks and blooming Maple trees of the Green Mountain National Forest.

You haven’t moved from your position beside Tony.

The physical sensation of imaginary eyes on your back keeps you from moving, let alone glancing away from the passing view. Was it cowardly? Perhaps.

But to see a look of disappointment on their faces; on Steve’s face, that would be the worst possible scenario. So, you guard yourself in the only way you can by focusing your attention on the coordinates you are nearing in on.

At least you knew that Sam and Maria were safe. Clint had been in contact with them when you arrived on the jet. They had managed to run to the roof when Rumlow’s gun jammed, allowing them to borrow an older model quadjet and escape. Hill was set to remain in the city, coordinating with search and rescue efforts as well as keeping an eye on the Legion situation while the Stark Foundation dealt with the aftermath of your collective failures.

“Uh, we’re one hundred percent on this, yeah?” Tony questions, dropping his voice to a lower register to keep the others from overhearing.

You glance down at the radar and then back out at the ascending tree-covered hill in the distance.

“Yes.”

“It’s just that, well, I’d like to keep this intact - ”

“Tony,” you force his gaze, “The coordinates are correct.”

He holds up his hands as if to say it’s your funeral. But just before you’re set to land, he pulls the autopilot offline and takes hold of the gears.

“Okay, seriously though.”

You give him a sigh, knowing why he was entirely apprehensive.

Below the quinjet, a few hundred feet down, was a continuous forest. Thick-trunked trees lined so tightly together that the canopy kept the ground itself from being viewed from above. There was nowhere to land, not a clearing in sight. And yet…

Slowly, you ease your hands over his.

“I’m friends with a very nice inventor and a very talented illusionist,” and before you can explain yourself any further, you push the throttle forward.

The billionaire gapes at you, seconds away from calling out for you to stop before the jet passes through a shimmering blue barrier.

You pass over the controls once again, allowing Tony to land the jet -

“Just over there, if you don’t mind.”

He’s wide-eyed, but otherwise silent, as he maneuvers the quinjet through the open field surrounding the imposing white Victorian-style house. You can feel someone’s presence behind you, but your eyes remain glued to the land in front of you.

As the wheels settle into the soft ground and the engines cut out, Tony drops his hands into his lap and turns his chair toward you, blinking owlishly up at you.

“So, you have a number for this inventor friend, or - ”

“Sorry,” you smile. “He doesn’t take personal contracts anymore.”

He gives a light whistle as he moves to stand at last.

“And when you said off-grid, you really mean - ”

“Land-line and solar. Paper records only. Can’t even find the information online.”

“Right,” he claps his hands together before he raises his voice for the rest of the team to hear, “‘Kay, anyone with a phone! Power it off, we’re keeping a low profile - don’t wreck it for us.”

At last, you turn to look at the others. You’re somehow surprised and not surprised at all to see Steve standing there beside you, staring down at you with an indescribable look in his eyes.

One by one, the rest of the team turns off their phones; Clint, Natasha, and Tony, of course; before the ramp drops down into the dew-kissed clover. Thor stalks off first, ready to be as far away from the rest of you as possible. The archer guides the redhead out, followed by Tony who offers a hand to Dr. Banner. Leaving just you and the supersoldier alone in the cockpit.

There’s that look again, resting in his too-dull eyes as he gazes down at your face.

“Come on,” you implore, gently pushing past him. “They’re waiting on me.”

“You’re bleeding. You know that right?”

Pausing just a step away from him, you glance down. Taking in your armor at last, you finally notice the crimson stains weighing down your white dress, the slow-dripping liquid that’s covered your left leg. With a sort of distant fascination, you take in the damage before lifting your gaze.

“I’m fine.”

“Athena.”

“I heal faster than you, Rogers. Didn’t even feel it. Now, come on.”

The supersoldier gulps down whatever words he was working himself up to say and instead silently follows after you, swiping up his go-bag from the bench as you descend down the ramp.

The late afternoon sun casts its golden light upon you all, leaving your skin with a sickly sticky feeling as you avoid the stares of your teammates. Tony’s straining his eyes against the sunlight just to look at the sky over the house, as if expecting to see the illusion at play from down here.

As if Sprite and Phastos would make a creation that obvious.

Past the old hand-hewn fences of a disused animal pen and the patches of wild violets, you make your way up the creaking wooden steps of the porch. The paint has long since chipped away, leaving flakes of the original gray-toned wood underneath the layers of white varnish.

“Uhm,” you finally chance a glance back at the others who have slowly followed after you. “Home sweet home,” you say as you push your shoulder into the unlocked door.

Stepping to the side, you allow the others entry. One by one they file into the old house’s central hallway. They carefully side-step the piles of books and manuscripts, while Clint unhelpfully flicks a light switch on and off with no results. Their movement alone unsettles the dust that drapes itself over every surface, their hands pull away from the walls and the cabinet only to wipe the gray mess from their fingertips.

“So, this is…” Tony draws out the question as he looks around at the strange configuration he’s standing in.

“My mortal residence, yes.”

He gives an unsure nod as if admiring the work of an elementary-aged artist and you suddenly feel even more uncomfortable at the notion of having any of them stepping foot in this place.

“Uhm, I need to go power on the generator. Top two floors have guest rooms; take your pick, nowhere’s off limits. Water should be good to run, it’s well-based. Just… make yourselves at home?”

Pressing past the tight line of people, you make for the front door. Grateful to have proper fresh air gracing your lungs as you break free. You can hear the low chatter of their voices as you disappear, probably questioning how they were supposed to make themselves even remotely comfortable in such a mess.

Releasing a breath riddled with tension, you round the side of the house where the generator box lies, covered with a simple blue tarp. In the distance, on the edge of the property where the grass grows tall and the deer like to graze, Thor stands in reflection.

With no hammer and no cloak, the dressed-down God appears to all the world as a moment of divine solitude. One you have no interest in disturbing.

It takes three tugs to get the generator powered up, and it groans and chugs as the mechanical engine kicks back to life. You can see lights turning on through the dusty window panes. But as you stand there, in the place in between two worlds, you find yourself unable to move.

Inside, the others await their host. Their likely bottled-up hatred and distrust toward your actions and decisions today remains. And across the yard, there stands your fellow immortal with his own list of accusations to throw at you.

Never before, in all your years of existence, have you felt such a massive urge to just… run away.

To disappear, in a flash, back to Olympus where you can hide out with your cowardice. Who were you, Goddess of many things? Today, surely, you were the Goddess of failures.

So, you press away from the house and move instead to rest your forearms against the wooden fence. At least, for a few moments more, this could be your own place of solace. 

The breeze ripples across the long grass, picking up the hem of your linen dress. The warm earth bares with it its own unique scent that helps guide you back to your senses. And, as you gaze down at the silver pendant still dangling from your neck, you take it into your hand.

Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to unclasp the latch, you just stare at the simple facing. Two raised vines twist along the outer shell before coming together at the top, where a single drop of flame shines downward.

You're snatched from your thoughts by the deep coo of Pallas as he soars down to the fence, landing just beside your right elbow.

“Sensed I was in trouble, did you?” you hum as your hand gently drifts up to his head. While your fingers graze over his soft downy feathers, you continue, “I’ve made a real mess of it. Should have listened to the All-Father long ago. Meddling in human affairs only leads to trouble.”

His approach is quiet, but not nearly soft enough to avoid your ears.

You turn to watch him, striding through the clover, haloed by the sun’s golden rays, as Steve nears your side. He’s stripped the upper half of his uniform away, residing in a simple gray t-shirt and his combat pants and boots. He lets out a long sigh as he moves to rest his arms against the fence on the other side of Pallas.

“You keep finding me,” you chide, eyes daring to meet his gaze.

He gives a slight shake of his head, the hint of a smile on his lips.

“Well, you’re hard to miss. Immortal owl and all.”

The bubble of a laugh bursts past your lips before you can even hope to stop it. Your fingers accidentally brush over each other as he lays a careful hand on Pallas’ back. You pull away, inspecting your nailbeds with a sudden fascination.

“I just…” he trails off for a moment as if waiting for you to meet his gaze. And when you do at last turn your head to look up at him, you find the blue of his eyes to be nearly obscured by the bright light of the overhead sun. 

“I didn’t want you to be alone right now.”

You let out a scoff, “I think you’re the only one.”

An arched brow meets your words.

With a shaky sigh, you explain yourself, “I’m the reason the tower is destroyed, why Manhattan is on red alert. I let the mutant in, and Rumlow, and I didn’t stop either of them. Or the Legion bot. Hell, Steve, I let them get away with the Abomination without even a spare thought.”

“I thought Sam and Maria were there with you.”

“They were, obviously,” you push off from the fence, moving to pace the calve-high grass. “But it is my responsibility. My job. What honest use am I right now if I can’t even see a threat when it’s standing three feet away from me?”

At that, you turn, holding your arms out in an exaggerated motion as the anger; the bitter taste of guilt and defeat, coats your tongue. When you’re met with his silence, you pull your arms inward, absently rubbing at your bare skin as you look away from his judging eyes.

“I mean, just look at us.”

You stare at Thor, still standing at the edge of the property line.

“Two Gods reduced to this,” you glance over at the supersoldier. “I don’t even have a plan for you; for Tony. I can’t tell you where Ultron is or what he’s planning to do now that we’re out of sight.”

“And the rest of us,” you continue, “I mean! You and Barton seem to be the only ones stable enough to do anything right now. Tony hides it well enough behind his jokes and his sarcasm, but - ”

“I’m not.”

You blink, words fizzling out in your throat before you can voice them.

“What?” comes the strangled sound from your lips.

Steve heaves a sigh before he too pushes away from the fence and walks over toward you. His hands are balled into fists at his sides and he’s the one avoiding your gaze now.

“I’m not okay. Not after…” he clears his throat. “I saw hell down there today. My own personal hell.”

“Steve - ”

“No,” he holds up a quick hand. “It’s just… I don’t think any one of us is hanging on by much more than a thread right now. Even if we have to be.”

His hand, a warm and gentle weight against the uncertain world currently spinning around you, slides itself against your palm. He squeezes his fingers against yours and you find your feet becoming more grounded to the Earth and your head clearing up as you gaze into his shining blue irises.

“But… I think we can be… alright.”

A soft smile eases its way onto your face for the first time in hours as you look up at the man before you.

“You’re right, probably. Like always.”

“Hey,” his fingers wrap around yours even tighter now. “Don’t blow too much smoke, I don’t have the ego for it.”

While his eyes are fixed upon your face, you find yourself being pulled into a sudden tight embrace. You welcome the pressure, the feeling of security that drapes itself over your body as solace is found in Steve Rogers. His hands settle on the dip of your spine as you find your own arms circling his solid torso.

“Fine then,” you say, voice muffled against his shirt. “If we’re going to even dream of fixing this, I need to talk to Thor.”

At that, he gently pulls you back. A pinched brow meets your eyes and all you can do is shrug.

“I promise this place will still be standing by the time I’ve finished.”

He tilts his head lower, his gaze looking even more severe. You swat at his side.

“At ease, Captain. I know that my performance today speaks of the contrary, but I promise that I do in fact know how to be diplomatic when the time calls for it.”

So, despite Steve’s concerns, you still find yourself crossing the pasture to speak to the God of Thunder. You know that the supersoldier remains on watch, right beside Pallas, in case anything goes awry. But there’s a renewed force to your step as your desire to right the wrongs of the day pushes you forward.

“I think it wise that we refrain from speaking,” he calls over his shoulder before you even make it five feet away from him.

“Where would the fun in that be?” you question as you continue forward.

He turns, and already you can see the desire to fight gleaming in his eyes like a dancing flame.

Instead, you stand beside him, overlooking the valley of the forest laid out before you. The silence sits for a moment longer before you allow the words to come to pass.

“We are not our fathers.”

You can feel the turn of his head as he looks down at you.

“We do not need to abide by the role they set for us. We can, I think, make amends when the time calls for it.”

At this, you turn to face him fully. While his muscles ripple and tense with the memory of where you had just been standing a near hour ago, ready to rip one another to pieces like the times before, you notice the flicker of something else in his crystalline eyes.

“So, in this case, God of Thunder… I’m sorry.”

He sniffs, crossing his arms.

“We are better than mindless fights. Today, many lives could have been lost due to our desire to see battle. The ones we claim to love, those that we desire to protect, their very lives could have been forfeit thanks to our choices.”

His arms drop and a startling look takes place on his usually stoic face.

“I will not deny…” he begins, “That I may have been… brash in my actions. Though I do not regret them.”

“Of course,” you nod, allowing the words to pass. 

While you certainly didn’t agree with the sentiment, it would do nothing to further the conversation if you spoke that opinion.

“Now,” your tone lowers as you get to the heart of the true issue. “I believe that I was not the source of your anger today. Nor, do I think it was Ultron.”

He scoffs, looking away from you, “You speak out of turn.”

“I say only what is obvious.”

Settling a hand upon his large forearm, you force the God to look at you. His guilt-ridden eyes eventually dare to meet your gaze.

“What horrors did you see?”

“Nothing.”

“Now who speaks in lies?”

With a heaving sigh, Thor takes a step away from you. His boots kick through the billowing long grass as he reaches his next few words.

“I had a vision; of things to come,” he turns back toward you, his face open with a strange vulnerability. “I fear I will not find my answers here.”

“Where will you then?”

He scuffs his boot against the dirt, looking away as he answers you, “The Well of Wyrd.” Based on your incredulous expression, he elaborates, “I must seek out the waters where the Norn reside. They will give me the answers that I seek.”

“Fates,” your surmise.

“But better,” he immediately replies, unable to stop himself from comparing your pantheons.

A smile cracks at the corner of your lips as you cross your arms.

“Could your vision not be induced with the aid of some… say, mythical plants? I have several on hand.”

“Now that,” he points, voice raising to something nearly akin to glee. “That does surprise me.”

“I do hate to be too predictable,” comes the familiar phrase.

His smile begins to wane and you realize what is about to happen as the moment itself quickly approaches.

“How long will you be then?”

“You know I can not answer that. The Norn can be… difficult.”

“Well,” you sigh, chancing a look back at Steve. He’s still there by the fence, a furrowed expression on his face. “I can only wish you safe travels then, can’t I?”

“Since ripping one another apart is off the table for the time being,” he agrees with a jovial laugh.

Mjolnir comes soaring across the field, landing in his hand.

“Then yes, My Lady. My time here is done.”

Your gaze hardens, “You will return once you have the answers you seek, though. Won’t you?”

“Ah,” he guffaws. “To be predictable, would be tiring.”

You take a step back, and then another, giving yourself just enough space as Thor lifts his hammer into the air and soars upward in a sudden gust of wind that sends your hair and dress billowing backward.

He disappears over the horizon, cresting the forest’s canopy, before he vanishes from your line of sight.

You remain there for just a moment further before you turn to make your way back to the house. Steve is already jogging across the field to meet you halfway.

“What happened?” he questions, looking from you to the sky.

“He has business to attend to. Answers to seek that he will not find if he stays here.”

His features deepen into a severe frown, “More important than what’s going on right now?”

You give a shrug. Steve might be an understanding man, but the realm of Gods and visions would never be fully understood by a mortal.

“Apparently,” is all you can say in return.

While he doesn’t seem to like the answer you have for him, he nods and walks alongside you through the clover and overgrown grass.

“This is Vermont, right?” he asks after a beat of silence.

“Yeah. Athens, Vermont.”

He stops and you have to turn back to wait for him as he blinks, then laughs.

“You’re kidding me.”

A smile tugs at your lips, “Little on the nose, I know.”

“Very.”

“Hey, the price of land was good in the 40s. I couldn’t complain back then.”

You resume walking, Pallas ruffles his feathers as you approach. Steve nudges your shoulder with his upper arm and you can’t help but turn your head to look up at him.

“How much?”

“How much did it cost, you mean?”

He nods, a slightly boyish smile on his lips as he says, “Yeah.”

It takes a second, as you round the side of the house and near the covered porch, to remember the exact estimate, but it does come to you.

“Think it was… about five dollars for the land itself, thirty in clearing costs, and around fourteen hundred in building and masonry costs. So… $1700, give or take?”

Steve stares at you before his eyes slowly lift, taking in the three-story house, before they drop back down to your face.

“In the 40s?”

“The 1840s.”

He blinks.

You push his shoulder, walking away as you laugh, “Come on, Rogers. You honestly should know better by now.”

From behind, you can hear him making a little humming yeah, yeah I should before he follows after you, up the steps of the porch and back into the house.

While the others have at least moved from the hallway, the sound of your approach has garnered the attention of the billionaire, who sticks his head out of the archway left of the stairs. He leans against the wooden frame, crossing his arms, as he watches the two of you.

“Well, that’s nice. Glad you two can find some humor in the situation.”

Your smile falls from your face in an instant at the abrupt coolness of his words.

“Come on, Tony,” Steve sighs, trying to ease his way past you as if to stand as a human shield in front of you.

“No, no. By all means, laugh away. It’s not like we’re at our lowest point. In fact, let’s break out the good glasses and pop a bottle of bubbly,” he trails off, striding back into the main living room.

Seated on one of the cleared-off sofas, sits Bruce, with a large blanket still wrapped around his shoulders. The sound of Tony’s voice seems to cause an immediate agitation as the doctor clutches his head in his hand.

Tony remains oblivious to his discomfort, however, as he gently smacks his shoulder, “Come on, pal. We’re celebrating our unanimous defeat.”

“Knock it off,” Steve commands, tone low as he fixes his hands on his belt.

“Or, what? You wanna go a round like Blondie and 007? Speaking of, where is Break Point?”

“Gone,” you intone, meeting his dark eyes with a challenge.

His features drop for all of a microsecond before he forces an obnoxious smirk, “Fantastic. You know, this day is really shaping up to be one for the record books.”

“I think,” you start, pushing yourself past the two men to stand beside Banner, “We could all use a break away from each other. And then, when we’ve decided to focus our attention on the actual problem, maybe we can regroup.”

“You know what I think,” Tony starts to say, but Steve pushes a hand against the billionaire’s chest, effectively guiding him across the room.

“She’s right and you know it.”

“Well, just because she’s the Goddess of Wisdom doesn’t mean she’s been actually knowledgable in that struggle today - ” 

You force your attention away from the verbal sparring match, kneeling down beside Bruce instead.

“Hey,” you offer, voice lowered for his benefit.

Slow-blinking eyes meet your gaze from behind a shell of sweat-drenched hair as Bruce peers up at you.

“I’m not a startled animal.”

With a slight quirk of your lips, you reply, “I never said you were. But I can’t imagine that that - ” you spare a look over your shoulder where Tony and Steve are still going at it, “ - is helping the situation. Is there… anything I can do?”

He lets the question mull over for a moment before he moves to sit up.

“Actually, do you have somewhere more… uh, not… you know… isolated?”

Your heart drops, but you nod all the same.

“I might have somewhere more secluded if that’s what you need.”

Bruce nods, “Please.”

You offer the doctor your arm, which he takes with a very careful grasp of his fingers before you haul him up and usher him out of the room. The argument pauses for only a moment as the two men watch you exit.

While you hated the idea that Bruce felt he needed this, you understood that his situation was beyond your personal comprehension. At the Tower, before you even arrived, he had a whole system in place to deal with the aftermath of his transformations. But today had been unprecedented. So, with a weariness in your chest, you guide him out of the house toward the old barn at the edge of the cleared property.

Steve stares at the archway for a moment longer, having missed your entire conversation with Bruce. Even Tony seems a little surprised by your sudden exit as the fight drops from his shoulders and he begins to pace around the room.

He can hear the muffled words you’re speaking to Bruce now, all the way from outside, but he certainly can’t make them out.

“Really has a thing for Bollywood movies.”

The supersoldier turns only to find Tony kneeling down next to a cabinet overflowing with VHS tapes and a small stack of DVDs. He’s holding one in his hand, scrutinizing the cover image before he grabs another, and then another.

Steve looks away, out of respect.

You may have invited them into your home, your home away from Olympus, but that didn’t entitle them to look through your things.

“Hah, would you look at that,” the billionaire grins.

In his hand, he’s holding up a white piece of stationery with a triumphant look on his face. The paper itself has yellowed some around the edges, but the careful penmanship is still fully eligible.

“Aww, to my biggest fan, Minnie - Minnie? Enjoy this free copy on behalf of your favorite actor. All my love, Sri Kingo.”

“Tony, come on.”

“What?” he blinks, pulling the note away from Steve and clutching it to his chest like a rare treasure. “Tell me you’re not the tiniest bit curious. I mean - ” he stands up, holding his hands out toward the room, “How often do we get any kind of insight into this girl’s life? Mythology books aside. Which, did you know she was supposedly birthed from the head of her own father?”

“That’s enough.”

Something entirely dangerous flashes in his eyes as he snaps the words.

Tony tilts his head.

“Man, Romanoff said you had it bad, Cap. But I gotta say, this is quite the look for you. Anyway,” before Steve can even form a retort, Tony’s already smacking his shoulder and walking away. “Better claim a room before all the good ones are gone. Which does beg the question… why so many guest rooms? Little Miss Solo Artist doesn’t strike me as the kind to make friends along the way.”

Steve looks down at the maroon carpet, “None of us are, not really.”

The billionaire’s features sort of drop for a second, before he forces the act of nonchalance back into place.

“Won’t hear me admitting that any time soon,” he says, swiping down to gather his go-bag before he backs out of the room.

With him gone, Steve finally takes the time to look around the living space. It was like a strange amalgamation of time periods all stuffed into one room. It looked far more lived in than the temple back on Olympus ever had. Here there were no halls of marble or columns of gold. Everything was not neat and kept perfectly clean. What a strange dichotomy for the literal goddess who walked among men.

Leaving the room as he found it, Steve returns to the hallway where his own bag lies in a heap. Shouldering the duffle bag, he heads up the stairs. On the second floor, the hall splits off in two directions. He can hear water running somewhere on the right and muffled voices to the left. Looking toward the second set of stairs, Steve ascends to the final floor which holds only silence for him when he steps off.

Under his feet, the floorboards creak. In the sliver of sunlight peaking in through the windows, dust particles dance in haloed rays.

He finds a series of doors, all cracked open, and just chooses one along the right-hand side of the hall.

The room is musty but otherwise tidy. A canopy bed resides in the center of the room with a set of dressers occupying the rest of the space. He drops the bag down on the lilac-colored bedspread before taking a seat on the edge of the bed to begin pulling the rest of his uniform off.

As he yanks his boots free, he glances around at the scarcely decorated bedroom.

A very faint rose-patterned wallpaper covers the majority of the walls. There’s a standing mirror in the corner just opposite of where he’s sitting. And two windows; one overlooking the back of the property and the other overlooking the pasture and pen.

When he stands to begin pulling his pants free, he notices a figure walking across the yard. He nears the window and watches as you walk away from the wooden barn, chancing a look over your shoulder as you go.

A frown forms on his face when he looks back at the barn, realizing, after a beat, what’s happened.

Pulling away from the window sill, he tugs off the pants to his uniform and quickly digs out the spare set of jeans he has stowed away in his bag. For good measure, he switches out his socks as well.

After zipping the duffle closed, he carefully sets it down beside the standing dresser. That’s when his attention falls to two simple wooden frames residing on the lace runner on top of the set of drawers.

He can’t help it as he picks up the one directly in front of him.

He’s transfixed, staring down into your sepia-toned eyes as you look toward the camera.

Dressed in an elegant shirtwaist dress, your arm is carefully resting on the back of the chair where a man is sitting. He’s handsome, with tight-coiled hair and a bright grin as he gazes up at the camera too.

There’s a white flower, pressed and preserved, in between the portrait and glass frame.

Steve tries to set it down just as he found it, his fingers carefully rearrange the lace runner as he takes a step away. The other framed picture is that of a watercolored beach, with the word Caloundra in puffy yellow words above the painted skyline. But his eyes drift back to the portrait.

You look happy.

And while it was foolish of him to presume that your attachment to the human race had only been a recent occurrence, he knew how implausible that was. You even said it yourself, you had been working at SHIELD since Peggy was director. The house was from the 19th century. Clearly, you had people and acquaintances outside of this strange group of superhumans.

So, why does it tug at something in his chest with such a painful grasp when he sees you in this picture?

He wasn’t the first. Maybe that was it. The fact that he wasn’t the only man in human history to have wanted more of your time, to get to know you in such a deep fashion.

“Hey.”

Steve startles back, looking up with widened eyes as you gently push the door of his room open.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to - ” You gesture vaguely at him. “I just wanted to see if you were settled in okay.”

“Yeah, I mean. Yeah, I’m good.”

You give him a little nod as your lips form a slight pout. You’ve changed clothes since he last saw you and he’s grateful to note that any signs of dried blood have since been cleaned away. Steve stuffs his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels.

“Okay, well, I was just doing the rounds. I’m working myself up to talk to Tony.”

“Maybe give it a few minutes?” he proposes, raising his brows in a playful gesture.

Your body seems to sag then as you offer him a tired smile, “Probably for the best, yeah.”

You waltz into the room then before you drop down on the edge of the bed. The exact spot he had been sitting in just moments prior.

“Cronus,” you sigh, shaking your head as you rest your feet on the bed frame, kicking up the frilly bed skirt. “I feel like I’m wading through deep water right now. Like I can barely keep my head up long enough to take in everything around me.”

Well, damn. As if Steve hadn’t experienced that very same thing just hours ago. He bites his tongue instead of unleashing all of that upon you. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if he could put that vision into words yet.

“I think I know the feeling,” he says instead as he moves around the bedpost, taking a seat beside you next to the pillows.

The silence permeates the room for a moment too long as you gaze at the wall opposite you. Steve can see the reflected image you both make in the standing mirror. How close he’s sitting to you, how near your right knee is to his left. How small you appear.

“I have no idea what we’re going to do next,” you admit with a choked sound to your voice as you manage to get the words out.

Steve rests his hand upon yours, imploring you to meet his gaze. 

You do, in an instant.

“We’ll figure that out together.”

He squeezes your fingers tightly for assurance.

“God, even outside of the motivational speeches it seems like you always know what to say,” you laugh with a slight hiccup.

Your fingers wrap around his and squeeze back.

“With you,” he starts. “Words seem to come a little easier to me.”

“I’m not going to ghostwrite your speeches, you know.”

You release his hand just to shove your arm into his side, laughing as you pull away.

He cracks a smile in return, “Would never dream of it.”

Steve finds you to be simply beautiful like this. With your hair in its natural form, free of your helm and armor. Wearing casual clothes and looking at him with such a warm expression he nearly wants to speak the words that have been caught up in his throat these past few months.

But then his treacherous eyes drift over to that picture frame once again as he mentally notes the differences between the woman sitting next to him, right here and now, and the woman smiling for a camera.

Your smile wanes as you follow his gaze.

“Oh,” you say with a lingering sort of melancholy.

Before he can do anything of use to regain your attention, you’re pulling away from the bed to nab the portrait. You drop down beside him once again as you carefully dust off the frame with your thumb.

“I don’t usually do pictures. Anything that could be put into public. Well, I didn’t use to,” you give a little laugh, but your eyes are still locked on the picture. “Now it’s just candid moments caught by reporters and everyone has a camera phone these days.”

He can’t stop himself from asking, “So, what made you change your mind for this?”

Your gaze lifts for just a moment, just so you can share a look before you return your attention to the portrait - to the man seated in front of you.

“Ralph was more convincing than even Tony. We met at the premiere of Singin’ in the Rain at Radio City Music Hall,  March 1952. It was my first week back in the States after being in Europe since… well, for quite a long stay.”

Steve immediately understands what words you’ve excluded. You told him you had been in Warsaw for the reconstruction process. God only knows where else you spent your time in the post-war years.

“Anyway! This guy in line kept trying to strike up a conversation and, Cronus… he was funny. I can’t even tell you what happened in the movie outside of the giant ‘Good Morning’ dance scene. We almost got kicked out for all the gabbing we were doing.”

A strange laugh slips from your lips and Steve can see the exact moment when your emotions take hold.

“He was… he was a really good guy. He was CIA actually, set to become the youngest head of his department from what he told me. Spring of ‘54, he came banging on my door at two in the morning - I lived in Tribeca back then - well. It was the age of McCarthy and Roy Cohn and… he was set to be investigated, but someone at the office tipped him off.”

You give a shrug, “I brought him here, helped him get his papers around and the next morning he was gone. Next thing I know, seven years pass and one day I get a postcard - ” you nod your head at the watercolor beach scene on the dresser, “ - filling me in on the last few years of his life. Got himself a partner, Gary. Became your typical boring officer pusher.”

“I never…” you cough. “We never saw each other again. I mean, he tried. Definitely wanted to. But this,” you gesture vaguely at your body. “I don’t change. And nearly a decade goes by and I look the same? He was persistent though, every few years he’d ask where I was, tell me where he was, ask if we could meet up again. I always had an excuse though. Never could bring myself to tell him the truth.”

Your eyes meet his and Steve can see the palpable sorrow residing in your solem irises.

“That’s the problem, you know. Walking in eternity,” you gaze down at the picture for just a moment longer before you rise up and return the frame to its rightful resting place. You offer him a sad smile as you say, “I get to watch my friends go on and age and, one day, die. I might seem isolationist with my whole refusal to do teams thing,” you laugh. “But I promise you, that’s not the real reason. It just hurts too much.”

Before you can shrug your shoulders, or change the topic, Steve rises from the edge of the bed. He’s staring right down into your eyes with an intensity he can physically feel pounding in his chest as he wraps his arms around you and pulls you into the tightest of hugs.

“Oof, okay. It’s - Steve, it’s okay, really,” you murmur into his chest.

He squeezes you even tighter as he buries his face into your shoulder.

God, what right did he have to feel jealous, for even just the briefest of moments, when the truth of your hidden grief had just been a simple story away? How had it never once occurred to him what your fate was? To have decades and centuries and millennia pass you by, watching the ones around you grow and fade into obscurity.

“I’m sorry.”

He can feel you pull back slightly, but his arms are secured around your waist so you don’t get very far. 

“For what?”

Steve lifts his head just so he can see your face properly.

“For everything, I suppose.”

Your lips quirk up into a small smile.

“I don’t think you need to apologize for anything like that, Rogers. You’re too good of a friend.”

Something halts in his chest, for just a beat of his heart, before it restarts once again. There were so many things he wanted to tell you, to reveal to you. But now was certainly not the time. So, he gives you another squeeze before he fully releases you from the embrace.

“Yeah, I could say the same about you too, you know?” he quips.

Even though his arms are no longer around you, you remain exactly where you stand.

“As much as I miss the anonymity of my past cover. And as mad as I was at Nick and, well, Thor actually, for breaking my cover. It’s nice, sometimes, to know that I don’t have to hide my true identity from you; the team, I mean.”

“But,” you add with a pointed finger. “I’m still not thrilled about the knock-off toys.”

Steve chuckles, tucking his hands back into his pockets, “Try having your face on collectible trading cards. And comics, and lunch pails. And, well, pretty much anything you can imagine.”

Your smile breaks free as you look up at him, “Well, if it hasn’t already been done I’m sure Tony will trademark it soon enough. Ooh, speaking of which - ” you look toward the door, “I should probably…”

“Yeah,” he says with a sad smile.

You make it a few steps away, hand on the door before you turn back to him.

“And Steve? Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.”

With a parting smile, you disappear into the hallway and down the stairs. Steve wants to smack himself as soon as you’re out of sight.

Thor has not returned by nightfall. Not that you were expecting him to, but the others do seem concerned by it. At least Bruce felt comfortable enough to wander back into the house before the stars came out, possibly lured by the smell of food simmering on the stove.

The pickings were slim, considering you hadn’t been to the house in almost a year now. But your pantry had been well-stocked with canned items just for an occasion like this. It was a simple stew, but it would be filling.

Steve’s been hovering close, ever since the encounter with Tony earlier that afternoon. So, you don’t fault the supersoldier when he offers to help out with the meal prepping. At least it was giving you both something to do while you tried to lull over the thought of what next currently circulating through everyone's heads.

Clint and Natasha wander down just before the food is served, both of them appearing rested and clear-headed.

“Smells good,” the redhead comments as she slips past you to grab a bowl for herself.

“I can only hope it tastes half as good as it smells,” you offer in return as you finish ladling up another bowl for Clint.

“I mean, I could kill for a pizza right about now. But I’m not gonna say no to free food,” the archer smirks as he moves to join Bruce and Natasha at the table.

It’s only when the six of you are seated at the table in the kitchen, either inhaling your food like starved animals or too distraught to do much more than push the stew around with your spoons, that Tony begins the dreaded conversation.

“Alright, let’s get it out,” he sighs, pushing away his barely touched dinner. “What’re we gonna do about this?”

“Do we?” Bruce questions, carefully looking up from his bowl. “I mean, do we need to do anything about it? Outside of the scepter, I mean.”

“And the Abomination?” you question.

“The what?” his eyes widen.

Oh, shit.

“No one told you,” you realize.

“Uh, yeah. That would have been… what happened there?”

“Yeah, actually,” Tony interjects, turning an accusatory tone toward you.

You stare down at your food for a moment before you push it into the center of the table, resting your arms upon the wooden surface as you gather your strength.

“Blonsky was spotted in London just after you left. Sam and I went in to deal with him. Legion drones came in and subdued him, which made us think, and assume, that they must have been sent in by Stark - ”

“Which, why the hell would I do that?” he questions with an incredulous voice.

“I made an incorrect assessment,” you fix your gaze upon the billionaire. “We set up a transfer with the acting commander and that was that. But… obviously, we were played. By Ultron.”

“Obviously,” Tony clucks.

Steve drops his spoon, making it clatter against the bowl as he glares at Tony. The billionaire quirks his lips but otherwise keeps his mouth shut.

“Back at the tower, we encountered the male mutant who was working with Rumlow.”

You can feel the supersoldier’s attention on your face, but you choose to ignore it, just in favor of getting the rest of the story out.

“A rogue bot came in, freed the rest, and from there the tower was in chaos leading to its collapse.”

“You saw the other mutant?” Natasha questions around a mouthful of food. With a nod from you, she continues her train of thought, “So, they’re both working with Ultron.”

“Maria assumed they were being promised something from him. Security, protection. I’m not sure.”

“You know,” Clint starts. “For the supposed global peacekeeper he says he is, he’s dealing with a lot of unsavory people. I mean,” he begins ticking off his fingers. “We got Strucker, and an ex-HYDRA member, and two mutants, and maybe… what was his name?”

“The Abomination.”

“Yeah, him too,” he nods. “I mean, either this guy’s wiring is a little screwball or I’m missing something here.”

“But,” Steve clears his throat. “He did gain control over the situation in London, right? And those drones were actively assisting with the injured in the city.”

“Okay, so what’s his deal then? He’s helpful when he wants to be and evil when he doesn’t?” Bruce questions, tone increasing.

Tony taps his fingers against the table for several hectic beats, “Or, Katniss is right. We’re missing something. Something bigger. I mean - ” he quickly stands from his seat, just so he can begin pacing the length of the kitchen floor. “I’m a big bad robot. I want world peace and I think the guys that have been handling it are doing a crap job.”

“He did say he wants to eliminate us,” Natasha adds.

  The billionaire hums, “So, he needs to get us out of the picture. That’s why he goes to Strucker - ”

“To get the information on Klaue and the vibranium,” Steve nods, seeing the picture opening up before him.

“But once he has that information, he doesn’t really need Strucker around,” you begin. “Unless… you need him to do something else for you? I mean, he still has the scepter at this point. But what would he need vibranium for exactly?”

“And where do the terror twins and the other two fit into this?” Clint wonders aloud.

There’s a beat of silence as everyone seems to contemplate the different scenarios.

“A distraction,” you realize. “You’re fighting one battle on one continent, I’m dealing with another on a separate continent. Before we can even regroup - ”

“There goes our meeting point,” Tony finishes.

Bruce huffs, “That’s great and all. Still doesn’t explain why the drones are actually helping people though.”

“Well, if his endgame is just to get rid of us but still remain an actual peacekeeper,” Steve ponders. “He’s got to have his hands in different pools, right?”

“And, uh, back to that global peacekeeper thing,” Bruce interrupts, pushing back in his chair to give himself a little more space from the rest of you. “Why is no one else saying it? He’s right.”

There’s a shattering silence that drapes itself over the dinner as you all stare at the doctor with varying forms of confusion and incredulousness on your faces.

“What?” he questions, a little too loudly. “I mean, he was right. You remember his little spiel at the tower, I’m… the Hulk… it’s a time bomb. You guys look at him and see an ally, but just look at Johannesburg right now.”

“Bruce,” Natasha begins to say, “That wasn’t - ”

“But it was me. All of that was me. And you!” He looks up at Tony. “You already had a failsafe made, just in case. I mean, thank God! Right? But do you have one for all of us, or am I just the special case?”

Tony, disturbingly enough, looks sheepish and nearly guilty when you turn your attention to him. Your eyes narrow at his sudden silence.

Wow. He did have something set for the rest of you.

“Man,” Clint snorts. “Are you actually siding with the thing that tried to kill us today? Cause, not a great take, gonna be honest.”

“Okay. Rage monster; one. Two destructive gods from another realm; there’s two. An assassin, a spy - ”

“Do you honestly want to finish that thought?” Clint’s attitude has fully changed as he now moves to push away from his chair.

“I mean, tell me I’m wrong here! Was today not just a sign of how fucked we are as a team? Raids on empty bases are one thing, man. But when shit is actually on the line, are we even close to being a cohesive force? Cause I don’t think we are!”

“This isn’t helping anything right now,” Steve placates.

Bruce sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“All I’m trying to get at is… what if this guy takes it from here for us? We… hang up the gloves and step away from it. Just… go back to being real people.”

Your eyes immediately land on Steve.

Was that not a conversation you two had shared right after the Battle of New York? The possibility of him ever returning to a normal existence? The man seated next to you would never be able to hang up the shield, to put that part of himself away and be a normal man. No, just like yourself, there was too much fight left in him to ever dream of that scenario.

“Yeah,” Tony grins. “That’s not happening.”

“Well, maybe I’d just like to be able to walk away from this,” Bruce finally admits.

With a knowing sigh, you offer him a gentle look. While you understood where the doctor was coming from with this line of thinking, you definitely could not agree. And you voice as much.

“AI, in itself, is unstable. Even the best-made artificial intelligence will never be superior to a human brain. The way an actual living person is able to connect ideas and things together will never be achieved by a technological form. I mean… look no further than Project Insight.”

At your words, Steve’s face is drawn with instant understanding.

“HYDRA may be different than Ultron, but who and what gets to decide what is or is not a threat? What if one day it decides half the planet is deemed a risk?” The supersoldier questions. “He can just make that call? I mean… we might not be the best suited, or even the most cohesive. But I trust that, in our hands, we will make the right judgment call.”

“Not sure if I could say the same about the T-800,” Clint drawls, glancing at Bruce.

“Okay, still doesn’t answer the main question though,” Tony sighs, rubbing his forehead with a tired hand. “What the hell are we gonna do about him?”

“Well,” Natasha starts. “First things first; we gotta stick together.”

“Yeah,” you agree. “No more splitting up, jumping on separate missions. He’s intelligent and he wants to use our basic instincts to have us go running at the first sign of trouble.”

“Oh, so we’re just going to ignore danger now?” Bruce questions.

You fix him with a look, “That’s not what I mean.”

Steve’s hand settles over your left wrist.

“All I mean by that,” you restart. “Is that we need to focus on the big threat, not the tiny ones. We need to figure out where Ultron - the one with the vibranium and the scepter - is currently. And then we need to figure out how exactly we’re going to take him down.”

“Yeah,” Tony agrees. “Look, he took us down to buy himself more time. With us out of the way and his image turning favor with the public…”

Right, there was that entire side of the situation as well. One you had been aware of, but had been doing your best to ignore. Between the articles about an extravagant party from the Daily Bugle to the reports of drones saving London from a monstrous attack, the true nature of Ultron had never been shown to the general public. And distaste for you and the team had been steadily rising in the aftermath.

“And we still have to assume that he’s trying to access more than just vibranium,” Steve mulls. “Hill said he was trying to go after weapons factories and launch codes.”

“But he hasn’t gotten them?” Natasha questions with an arched brow.

Tony scoffs, “I cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in high school, on a dare.”

Steve fixes the billionaire with a look.

“So, what’s stopping him then?” Clint ponders.

You all sit on that thought for a moment longer.

“Well, something or someone has to be doing something. If he wanted that information, he’d have it in an instant unless something was circumventing him.”

Tony clicks his tongue, “I should probably call someone about that, actually.”

He gestures at the hallway where your rotary phone resides and you ultimately nod your head. You watch him disappear around the corner before the conversation at the table picks back up.

“I’m a robot,” Clint starts. “I want a team of superheroes dead. I have an alien scepter that can make anyone do my bidding, but I also want vibranium.” He rocks back in his chair, pillowing his head with his arms as he stares up at the ceiling. “Why do I need the vibranium?”

“Strongest metal on Earth” you add, chancing a glance at Steve.

The supersoldier hums in reply, clearly stewing over that same line of thinking.

Bruce sighs, pushing away from the table to take his empty bowl to the sink, “Whatever way you slice it, he’s looking for a way to end us. He thinks he’s better than us and that whatever we do, he can do it in an entirely superior way.”

“And he has a robotic army at his disposal,” Natasha adds, kicking her boots up onto Tony’s vacated seat.

The questions simmer for a moment, then two, before Steve raps his knuckles against the table.

“Did you guys notice, when we faced him on the ship, that he was harder to take down than at the tower?”

The redhead nods, “He’d had repairs done too.”

“Yeah, he was way more metal than the last version,” Clint snorts, resting his hand on the back of Natasha’s chair.

You blink, finally seeing the picture coming together from a handful of mismatched puzzle pieces.

“So, you’re saying the bot you faced had been… upgraded?”

Your eyes meet Steve’s as he offers you a nod.

“I’m a superior intelligence,” you say, standing from your chair. “I see what humans and gods and other creatures are doing to try and protect the world, but I know how to do it better.”

You begin pacing as the thoughts blur together into a single line of musical notes, all ringing crystal clear in your head. You follow after the melody.

“But I can’t do it in my current form. I need… I need vibranium. It’s strong, it can go blow to blow with their best. But… I’m still not physically at a point where I can take them down. I need… I need…”

The word slips free from your thoughts before you can speak it.

And as you turn to the others, hoping they’ve caught on to your line of thinking, you find three curious faces looking back at you. But Bruce… Bruce is staring at the framed creatures near the kitchen window.

The perfectly displayed Libythea cinyras, the Xerces blue, the delicate Urania sloanus. Now extinct butterflies that you had managed to find and preserve so very long, long ago.

The doctor’s wide eyes meet your knowing face.

“He needs to evolve.”

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

[faewitchsdeities]

𝕷𝖔𝖐𝖎

(𝙻𝚘𝚔𝚒) ʷʰʸ ᵈᵒᵉˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵏ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗᵒ ˡᵒᵒᵏ ˡⁱᵏᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ↑ ₒ ₋ ₒ

𝕺𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖊(𝖘): Lokee, Luki, Logi, Lukkanet, Locke sprindlar

𝕲𝖔𝖉 𝖔𝖋: Trickery, Mischief, Cunning, and Seduction

𝕾𝖕𝖊𝖈𝖎𝖆𝖑 𝖉𝖆𝖞(𝖘): April fools, July 23rd, Autumn equinox, Loki's Blot, Samhain, Yule, Thursday

𝕽𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘: Son of Farbauti and Laufey, mother of Sleipnir, father of Hel, Jormungandr, and Fenrir, as well as Narfi. PACT BROTHER WITH ODIN. (Not Thor -.-) , Husband to Sigyn and lover to Angrboda

𝕰𝖓𝖊𝖒𝖎𝖊𝖘: Heimdall, (arguably the other Aesir)

𝕾𝖞𝖒𝖇𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖒-

𝕬𝖓𝖎𝖒𝖆𝖑(𝖘): snakes, foxes, wolves, coyote, ravens/crows, horses, goats, flies, spider, ant, seal, salmon

𝕺𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗: Double snake symbol (Urnes), knots, chaos star, hearts, figure 8s, Naglfar, Loki's mask, fishing nets, lightning, earthquakes, the numbers 0, 1, 3, &8, shackles

𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖗(𝖘): red, orange, purple, violet, indigo, black, green, gold

𝕰𝖑𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙: Fire and Air

𝕻𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖊𝖙: Pluto, Saturn, Uranus, Dark moon/waning moon

𝖅𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖆𝖈𝖘: Aries

𝕾𝖎𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖆𝖗 𝕲𝖔𝖉𝖘: Hermes, Lugh

𝕺𝖋𝖋𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘- Singing, dancing, helping minorities and children

𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖇𝖘/𝖕𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖘: aconite amber resin bentgrass birch burdock root cedar cinnamon clove clover dandelion dragon's blood ebony elder hemlock hemp/weed holly ivy juniper lavender mandrake root mistletoe moss myrrh patchouli rue tobacco

𝕱𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖘: Anything sweet- candies chocolates coffee fruits pastries soda/juice drinks sugar etc.. - as well as red foods- cherries cranberries peppers pomegranate strawberries tomatoes etc..

𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘/𝖈𝖗𝖞𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖑𝖘/𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖆𝖑𝖘: acrylic amber bronze clear quartz coins and other cheap random metals diamond fire opal fools gold galena garnet glass gold gold stones grenade lead magnesium obsidian onyx plastic red jasper rutilated quartz silver

𝕺𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗: Incense, shiny things, plastic and stuffed toys, found/cheap things preferred, bunny, snake, fox, and raven imagery, art and poetry, knots, hearts, fishnets, lightning imagery,

𝕴𝖓𝖛𝖔𝖈𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖎𝖓 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖐: Aids in spells with getting through tough, tight, and narrow situations, owning up to your shit, mischief, cunning plans, change, cleverness, creativity, youthfulness and beauty, seduction, androgyny, blessing and sharpening a blade or knife.

𝕬𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊: Tall with a slim/cut muscular body type. Long pretty red hair, green/violet/gold eyes, a masculine yet feminine face and a sharp jaw, said to be one of the most beautiful Jotunn.

𝕷𝖔𝖗𝖊/𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘: ~A cunning trickster who had the ability to change his shape and sex, the creator of lightning, hearth fire, the spirit of life. In the beginning he was a beloved friend and honorary member of the Aesir, but toward the end he became an enemy.. Was/is a companion of Odin and Thor, helping them with his clever plans but sometimes causing them embarrassment and difficulties, though also being any enemy of sorts. Though his father was a Jotunn (a giant), his mother was considered a goddess, thus Loki is included among the Aesir.

-Once cut off Thor's wife's hair and was forced to replace it. He tricked dwarves into a wager for his head if they could deliver wonderful gifts the the gods (including the hair). They made a hammer for Thor, A great spear and a drop-near gold bracelet for Odin, A boat and a huge golden boar for Freyr, and of course new hair made of gold for Sif -Thor's wife. Loki then told the dwarves that the wager said that they could only take his head and that they could not damage his neck. They were enraged but Odin told them that they should have paid more attention when making a wager with the god of trickery. Though Loki was still punished by having his mouth sowed shut so he couldn't deceive for a long time.

-One day someone stole Thor's hammer and left a ransom note, later demanding Freya's hand in return for the hammer that protected both Asgard and Midgard. Loki had an idea though, -much to Thor's dismay- he dressed the thunder god as a bride and took advantage of the giant thief's poor sight. (Also disguising himself as a woman) He tricked the giant, successfully making him think that Thor was Freya. As they ate Thor let out his apatite and the giant said something about his bride having a big stomach. To avoid being caught Loki said that the "goddess" was just eager to consummate their marriage. Thor was furious and embarrassed. The giant got excited and foolishly set the hammer on the table next to Thor. The thunder god took his hammer back and smashed the giant's head, all while still wearing his pretty dress. The gods always had fun talking about the time when Thor dressed up in drag.

-One day a builder came to Asgard offering to make them a wall that they needed. He said he could do it in record time, but that he wanted Freya's hand in return. The gods were enraged by his audacity and said no but Loki convinced them to set a wager- he could have the goddess as his wife if he was able to do the impossible task in an impossible amount of time. The idea was that he would try his hardest but not be able to finish in time, therefore giving the gods a free wall that they could just finish the end of. But the builder had a strong and mystical horse that could lift and carry all the large pieces for him. As the builder got closer and closer to finishing with time still left, the other gods we nervous and angry with Loki- who told them he had a plan. He turned himself into a beautiful mare and seduced the builder's horse, running off to the woods with him, and rendering the builder unable to finish the wall. Enraged, the builder revealed himself as a Giant and was killed, his head smashed in by Thor's hammer. Loki returned much later with an eight legged colt; his son Sleipnir which he gifted to Odin when he got older and stronger- in exchange for the horse's origin to be kept secret.

-It's said that he gave humans lightning to warn them of Thor's loud thunder before it happens, because he knew it was frightening. The swift walker of the skies is the lightning running ahead of Thor's great thundering cart.

-Tricked Baldr's blind brother Hodr into throwing the one thing that would kill the god; mistletoe- right at his chest. He indirectly killed Frigg's son; one of the most beloved god's in all the Aesir. As his punishment his one of his sons turned and killed the other and he was tied to a stone in a cave, by his dead son's entrails- a snake coiled on a stalactite above his face, dripping venom down onto him. Though Loki's wife Sigyn sat by his side and held a bowl over his face to protect him, she had to move every once in a while to empty the bowl, allowing the poison to drip onto his face as he convulsed, causing the first earthquakes in Midgard. It is said that he was to break from his chains and aid in Ragnarock. Baldr's story goes on to describe the burning of his body in a funeral pyre on his ship, Nanna accompanying him. BUT in another version, the goddess Frigg persuaded the other gods to restore Balder to life. She repaid their obliging wizardry with kisses. (THIS IS WHERE THIS IS MY THEORY) if the second ending is true and Baldr is alive, I think that Odin would eventually release Loki under the guise that he either not cause Ragnarok or aid the Aesir instead of what was prophesized. [I haven't really thought that a deity was speaking directly to me until I read this story, it's like I saw it and it came at me all at once like a vision. Just thought I'd include it.])

[highlordofdeeznuts]

The Usurper — Mortal Lands of Prythian Worldbuilding

*Note: This post may be updated alongside the fic.

The Usurper can be found on Ao3 using this link here.

Mortal Lands of Prythian Worldbuilding

Mortals in Prythian live in environments closer to European medieval standards (however they have better hygiene) due to lack of resources and currency 

Most mortals in Prythian live off the land and barter systems 

Currency is still used but less so in more sparsely populated areas

The closer a town is to the Wall of Mist, the poorer the living conditions are

Mortal realms on the neighboring continent are better because they actually have established kingdoms there

Kingdoms trade with Prythian mortals via one seaport in the south of the island 

After the war, the six mortal queens who established the peace treaty also tried to bring back as many mortals as possible 

But the journey is long and expensive, and thousands of people lost their lives at sea due to storms and sea monsters, so the mortals left behind on the island chose to stay despite the poorer conditions 

Mortal lands in Prythian do not have indoor plumbing because no access to running water 

Mortal lands on continent do have plumbing 

Full baths are a two-person job and happen once a week 

Bath house and privy are two separate buildings (usually one-room shacks)  

Privy is wooden bench with hole built over a large tin bucket 

After doing their business, the person brings the bucket outside and uses a shovel to dig a hole out in the woods and dispose of the waste 

Bath house has a small fire pit, a tub, bowl full of soap bars, racks for clothes and towels 

Large water bucket/pan is heated over the fire and dumped into the tub for the person bathing to use 

Usually someone is heating the water and then pouring it in the tub while other person is bathing 

One person can do it for themselves but it’s easier with two people if you want hot water

Tub holds 3-4 buckets of water 

Full baths are done once a week

These include full body washing and hair washing 

Partial baths are done every 1-2 days 

These are just using 1 bucket of water to wash important areas (face, armpits, chest, groin, feet) 

Archeron family water supply

They have a small well behind their cottage that is mostly used for drinking water and laundry 

There is a creek nearby that they use to bathe and collect water from during the summer 

They also have rainwater barrels stored outside the bathhouse that are used during spring/summer/fall 

Snow is collected during winter and melted down for water 

All water must be boiled (for at least one full minute) before use

This is standard in the mortal lands

Plants found during winter – can be grown even in snow 

Spinach 

Onion 

Garlic 

Leek 

Rhubarb 

Broccoli 

Kale 

Cabbage 

Radish 

Turnip 

Apples 

Oranges 

Lemons 

Cranberries 

Pomegranates 

Pears 

Plants found during winter – can be foraged from the forest 

Pine bark, pine needles 

Used for tea

Persimmons 

Rosehips 

Used for tea

Cattails 

Starch from rootstocks can be turned into flour, sprouts can be boiled and eaten as vegetables

Maple sap 

Hickory nuts 

Black walnuts  

Acorns 

Herbs used for cooking 

Basil 

Chamomile 

Chicory 

Chives 

Dill  

Fennel 

Garlic 

Lemon balm 

Mint 

Oregano 

Parsley 

Rosemary  

Sage 

Thyme 

Tarragon  

Herbs used for medicine 

Chamomile – headaches 

Dittany – stomach pain, poultices 

Hemlock – painkiller 

Lavender – disinfectant 

Mint – stomach pain 

Sage – helps with colds

[missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway]

Moonlight & Fang Ch. 2

Divider by @firefly-graphics

Jax

The forest before me seems ever endless, and verdant. Its canopy, an amalgamation of Hemlock, Redwood, and Spruce. The twinkling lights that burst through their crowns allowed for disorderly herbs to grow in the soil below. Quiet vines embraced many trees, and a potpourri of flowers, which were seen occasionally, enhanced the otherwise unchanging backdrop.

A mishmash of beastly noises, most belonging to small creatures, reverberated through the air, and were out of sync with the sound of the wind blowing gently through the trees. There was an otherness to these woods. More so than the tales and legends whispered through the village.

Tales of a Hag granting your heart's desires for a price. That price being a curse placed on your eternal soul. Some curses even passed down through the generations, wreaking havoc to entire bloodlines. 

It is also said that a wolf prowls these woods. Guarding its secrets and devouring any man who so dares to trespass upon it. Their bodies have been either reclaimed by the woods or found in pieces skirting the village's walls. 

So why am I so drawn to them? Why do I catch whiffs of an intoxicating scent like I’ve never smelt before on the wind, beckoning me to venture forth and find its source.

For months I have been tormented by the faint smell of lavender, tuberose and honey. I could ignore the pull no longer. I needed to know who this delicious scent belonged to. Myths be damned. If I am to die in these cursed woods, then so be it. For I know somehow, some way, my destiny lies waiting beneath its dark canopy.

Allowing my senses to take the lead, I wandered. The mouthwatering scent growing stronger with each step I took until I came upon what looks to be a clearing in the trees ahead. Bright sunlight calling to me like a beacon. 

As I step out of the shade, my eyes lock onto a set of amber orbs that are already set on mine. I allow my eyes to feast upon the beauty that is before me. Never have I seen a woman as beautiful as the one that stands mere feet away. 

She is otherworldly, to say the least. Shorter in stature than the maidens I’ve grown accustomed to in the village. With curves, covered in a blood red fabric, that have me thinking the most sinful of thoughts. Her skin looks as if it is forever sunkissed. Her hair is full of wild curls in shades of auburn and black.

I am so stricken by her beauty that I almost miss her speaking to me.

“...brings you to my humble manor, deep in the woods?”

Selene

The man attached to the cornflower blue eyes is a feast for the senses. Not only does he smell divine, but his physique has me subtly squeezing my thighs together. From his sandy blonde hair, shorn at the sides, and short beard. To his strong shoulders and clearly muscular body hidden beneath loose fitting clothes. My wolf and I are both in agreement that we want to know more. Mayhaps the fates have finally brought us someone worthy of more than just a filling meal.

“What, good Sir, brings you to my humble manor, deep in the woods?”

My words seem to have shaken him from whatever trance he was under. He clears his throat and shakes his head before speaking.

“I’m not quite sure you’d believe me if I told you the truth.”

“Try me. You may find that I am quite amiable.”

“Alright.” He clears his throat once more. “I have been haunted by a scent on the wind coming from these woods for months now. I could no longer resist the pull to find where or to whom that scent would take me. So I followed my nose and I wound up here.”

I search his face for any signs that he may be deceiving me and find nothing. “Well, that tells me that this is where you are meant to be. The fates have chosen to test you this day. Are you up for the challenge?” I say. A saccharine sweet smile upon my face.

“I have full faith that the gods are in my favor today. What challenge do you purpose, fair maiden of the woods?” He gives a charming smile back. Confident in his chances.

“If your instincts lead you here. Then a game of chase seems fitting to prove your intentions and heart are pure. I will have until the count of 100 to hide myself in the woods. If you so find me and are able to catch me before the moon rises in the sky I will know that your words are true. But if you so fail, you will become the hunted, and your life forfeit.” 

To demonstrate the severity upon the penalty of failure, I smile wide, running my tongue along my sharp fangs and partially shift my hands into claws, as I give a little wave.

Undeterred by the emergence of my wolf, he gives me a dazzling smile. Showing off his very own set of impressive fangs with a wink. Clearly there is more to this man than meets the eye. 

Intriguing.  

“I accept your challenge. When do we begin?”

“Now. Close your eyes and count to 100. Then come find me.” I wait for his eyes to close and the counting to begin. I circle around him twice before setting off into the woods at a leisurely pace. I could navigate these trees with my eyes closed and I easily form several trails for him to follow. Only one will truly lead to me.

Jax

She thinks that by making me count aloud that I wouldn't be able to hear her gentle footsteps or zero in on her tantalizing scent. She is mistaken and I am more than happy to exercise my tracking capabilities.

Before I open my eyes, I tune in to the sounds of the forest around me. Listening in for the gentle thumping of a heart much larger than any small creature that calls these woods home. Next I take a sniff of the air, noting three separate trails that I can follow. 

Clever minx, trying to knock me off my track from the start. We can’t have that now can we.

Locating the tracks, I quickly deduce that they are decoys. Far too much weight was intentionally placed to throw off a would be tracker. A mere human would fall victim to such trickery. Good thing I am no mere mortal.

I allow my wolf to take over my senses. Acting on instinct to locate my mouth watering prey. I take my time pinpointing her exact location as to give her the illusion she stands a chance at besting me.

As I draw closer to the tree she is perched behind, she spins on her heels. Standing she quickly tackles me to the ground and takes off on a path that I can only assume leads back to the manor. 

She’s feisty. We love that. What wolf doesn't love a bit of chase. 

Watching her form retreat as she laughs into the wind only challenges my inner wolf all the more. Without second thought we give chase, and before I know it, I’m taking her down as we break through the treeline onto the manors lawn. 

I pin her to the ground with ease. A cheeky grin upon my face, my breath heaving in my chest as I admire my well won prize. 

I can’t help but to lean down and scent her, right at the source. A purr escapes my chest as my wolf becomes content that she is the one that has unknowingly been calling to him all this time.

“I knew my destiny would be found today. What is your name, sweet Omega?”

She pauses a moment before answering me. Taking in all of me as I am her. “Selene.”

“Like the goddess. Fitting.” I jest. 

“You have no idea.” She laughs. “And by what moniker do you use other than Alpha?”

“Jax. I may be an Alpha, but to the village I am nothing more than the orphaned stableboy.”

“So you have no knowledge of your parentage?”

“None.”

“Lucky you. Do they know a wolf lurks within their walls?”

“Not that I’m aware of. I’ve kept that part of myself a secret. Learned to control the shift. Best way to keep my head on my shoulders.”

“Hmm. Well, you’ve caught me. What is it you wish to claim in victory.”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I know you feel the pull too. It’s like we’re fated. Your blood calls to my blood like your scent compliments mine. The fact that you haven't shifted and torn me to shreds yet tells me I have a chance. So what say you, little red? Would you like to try me on for size?”

“My, oh my, what charm you have. Be warned. My bite is far worse than my bark.” The next thing I know she is pulling me down and kissing me with a ferocity I am compelled to match. 

She nips at my lip with her fangs. Licking the blood that spills. “Mmm you taste as decadent as you smell. You may be of use to me yet.”

Selene

Before he can think of a response, I use my thighs to roll us over. Sitting precariously upon his hips, I run my hands along his torso. Feeling the bumps and grooves of defined muscle underneath. My wolf is not happy with the barrier that separates his skin from mine. Ripping his shirt open rectifies that situation and I can feel her preening beneath my skin. 

I take a moment to admire the expanse of pale, chiseled and scarred skin before me. That is all he needs to render my beautiful red dress the same fate as his shirt. The ease in which my bodice falls apart in his hands, has me gasping out a laugh. 

He tightens those amazing abs of his, rising into a seated position and teases my exposed breasts with his tongue as he removes the gown completely from my body. He runs his rough, callused fingers along my smooth skin as if he's transfixed by how the setting sun reflects off of it. 

Lifting me off of his lap, he lays me down beside him on the grass. Rising to his knees, he maintains eye contact with me as he unlaces his trousers. I break eye contact, as he begins to pull them down over his thick thighs, revealing his impressive cock. I can’t help but to spread my own thighs and run a finger along my folds, collecting my slick as I watch a drop of precum slide down along his length. 

He groans, fisting his girth as his eyes track each stroke of my fingers as they dance a most familiar cadence against my clit. “I have something far better than those tiny little fingers to bring you the pleasure you seek. I’d ask you to present for me, but I’m smarter than that.”

A tiny moan escapes as I tease my sweet spot. “I submit for no man. Or, wolf.  Actually, no man has ever earned my submission. But you’re welcome to try. You did catch me after all.”

A growl is all the warning I get before he lunges forward, burying his face between my legs and licking me from entrance to clit, gorging himself on my sweet ambrosia. His wolf is clearly at the helm as he pulls my thighs over his shoulders and lifts me off the ground. Practically bending me in half to feast upon the best thing he has ever consumed in his life. 

It doesn't take long before he has me coming on just his tongue. But that is not enough for him, oh no. Driven purely by instinct, he slides his thick fingers inside me, tongue still circling my clit and makes me come undone two more times. 

Satisfied with himself he places my lower half back down onto the grass. Allowing me to catch my breath. Lust blown eyes zeroed in on me as he licks his lips and fingers clean of my essence. This has my wolf preening like I’ve never felt her do before. It seems she finds Jax to be a worthy mate. And I have to agree.

To his surprise, based on the widening of his eyes, I roll over onto my stomach. Raising my hips, I keep my chest pressed to the ground, turn my head to the side, arch my back and present my weeping slit to him. Giving him what no other beast or man has earned. My submission. 

He purrs, inching closer on his knees to run his hands along my hips. He exhibits a modicum of control as he teases my glistening folds with the head of his cock. Doesn't he understand how badly both my wolf and I want him. 

He’s taking his sweet time and all I want is to feel him stretch me open. It’s too much and I begin to beg. “Please. I need you inside me, Alpha. Please.” 

It’s like a switch goes off in his head, as my whimpering hits his ears. He enters me in one strong thrust and sets a pace to rearrange my insides. It’s pure fucking bliss! It’s rough and feral. Leaving a lasting imprint on my body and soul.

I let out a whine as he pulls all the way out. Sitting back on his haunches, he lifts me up, spins me around to face him and impales me back on his cock. I stare at him with glazed over eyes. Head fuzzy and body feeling floaty. 

“Ride me, Omega. Ride me until my knot pops deep inside you. I want to watch you come undone as I fill you up.”

With the aid of his hands on my hips I begin to ride him. Finding a rhythm that has us both vocalizing how good it feels to be joined together in this way. He hand wraps around my throat, applying pressure that makes my pussy clench around his girth. My nails scratch down his back, leaving behind red tracks in their wake. I let my walls down and give myself completely over to the power that is emanating between us. 

I can feel the subtle thickening at the base of his cock. The tale tale sign of his knot about to pop. I lean back, maintaining eye contact as I give him a devilish smile. With a speed he was unprepared for I bite down on the spot between his neck and shoulder, claiming him as his knot pops. Which sets off my own orgasm. Both us succumbing to the pleasure coursing through our veins. 

Without thought, his wolf taking over once me, he returns the claim. Biting my neck in the same location, securing our bond as the moon rises high in the sky.

We dislodge our fangs and lick each other's claims clean of any blood. I take the time to run my fingers along his face. Examining the rugged beauty I find there and committing it to memory, in the event that he too is stolen from me, as were all the important beings in my life.

He runs his nose along mine. Nuzzling into my cheek as his fingers dance along my spine. Whispering against my skin. “You made me yours.”

“That I did.” I lift his face between my hands and look into his stunning cornflower blue eyes. “And you completed the bond by making me yours. Do you regret it?”

“No.” He succinctly states. “Outside of my wolf, all I’ve ever truly known is loneliness. I had to keep him hidden. Could never truly be with anyone while I kept this darkness inside.”

“I understand that darkness well. I couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to have to suppress it. My beast and I are two sides of the same coin. We can’t exist without the other. I am just as bloodthirsty as she. And she is as protective as me.”

“That is why I believe the fates brought me here today. To finally find my balance.” He kisses my lips. “And my mate.”

He lays us down in the soft grass. Still joined together by our mating. Kissing and cuddling as we drift off to sleep under the silver light of the moon.

“Our sweet little red has found herself a worthy mate.” Hecate croons.

“1 of 5 as the stars have divined.” Persephone sings.

“It’s all finally coming together.” Selene beams. 

“1 of 5?” I ask. Unclear of what exactly is going on and why I am being visited in my dreams this night.

“You heard correctly my dear.” The Mother, my namesake, informs me. “The stars have created 5 true mates for you. 5 souls that are destined to cross your path.”

The Maiden in her excitement takes over. “Upon claiming your 5th mate, balance will be restored to the land surrounding the manor and the curses placed upon the village by your mother shall forever be broken.”

“The villagers will no longer wonder about the deep dark woods and you can live in peace. Bringing into the world a new breed of supernatural's that will change the world for the better.” The Crone declares.

“That is quite an undertaking for one wolf. How will I know who is fated for me?” I question. 

“Follow your instincts. Just as you have tonight. Your wolf will never steer you wrong. They will prove themselves worthy without question.” They impart, completing each other's sentences.

“Now return to the land of the living my child. Your mate will be rousing soon.” 

With Selene’s parting words and soft kiss to my forehead, I am awakened to the feel of hard flesh rutting against my thigh and the vibrations of a purr tickling my ears.

“Having good dreams, are we?” I ask husk out. Voice rough from our screams of passion and a deep sleep.

“The best.” He squeezes me closer to his chest. “I found this wicked little she wolf, who did despicable things to my body.”

“Sounds delightful. Don’t let me interrupt.” I tease. Moving to roll off of his chest.

He growls, pulling me closer. He grips my thigh, raising it high on his torso and slams inside me. “You’re not going anywhere, Omega.”

[maglor-my-beloved]

Herb Garden

Characters: Elrond

Warnings: Poison

Many herbs grow in Imladris’ gardens. Elrond tends them himself, grows healing herbs of all sorts, sings the plants to stronger growth, harvests them for teas and salves and tinctures. There are herbs from all across Middle-Earth, traded for from faraway places, even some that once grew only in Valinor.

Healing herbs are needed always, even in times of peace, but some habits of war never die. Between abundances of sage and arnica, lavender and chamomile grow hemlock, oleander, belladonna, aconite, for Elrond knows that peace is fleeting and weapons always needed, and enemies come not always in open war.

Thanks for reading ♡