#lilith elfman

[hernakedmuse]

The Cullens left Forks in New Moon, and they headed up to Ithaca, New York, an upstate autumn paradise. What if Edward did go with them? He was starting his senior year where he meets the sarcastic and interesting, upbeat and melancholic cheerleader who just happens to be a witch. Lilith Elfman is the black swan the Odile, she's naturally seductive and hardly smiles and guards a heart easily bruised, Edward describes her beauty different than Bella's, instead of a sweet and innocent, regency beauty, Lilith's beauty is dark, mysterious, syballine, she is mystifying with a petite stature and hourglass figure with curves too developed for a typical high school student. Her chestnut hair is like glass, falling like a silk curtain down her back and a forehead hidden by perfectly trimmed bangs, her head is oval and painted with wide and very full lips that are naturally rosy colored but often glossed and outlined, her eyes are very catlike and hooded, taking on a rich and pure hazel shade, accompanied by long, sweeping dark lashes, and placed below suspicious and perfectly plucked eyebrows. Her nose is in the center and uniquely Slavic and haughty, her neck is long and swan-like despite her arms and legs being short, but those short legs come with strong and shapely thighs Edward couldn't help but notice. Her smell is right away a dead ringer of a witch, she has the earthy, sulfur, and sage scent but there was something more enticing, like peaches, rosewood, and hazelnut, and it disturbed Edward that for the first time there was no bloodlust just lust.

Lilith is often accompanied by her black cat familiar, Pyewacket, will he and Edward ever get along?

[fromthepinnacle2thepit]

𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 - 𝒚𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

pairings: copia x reader

summary: its yule! one of the biggest celebrations in the ministry. drinking, dancing, worshiping the unholy father. but of course, something else seems to be on your mind…a certain papa. maybe he has you on his mind too?

rating: mildly spicy, VERY MILDLY, otherwise pure fluff and comfort

author note: ITALIAN TRANSLATIONS ARE AT THE BOTTOM BTW!!

Snow fell around the ministry, and the world was dark. It was as if the rooms inside the ministry had taken all the light from the world and stored it inside it’s deep unholy walls, filled with sin and the children of the dark.

But tonight? Tonight was a night of celebration. The world outside was a void, only filled with the noise of music and laughter from inside. Snow fell around the trees, covering it in a blanket of white and quiet. Lights from the stain glass windows left a kaleidoscope of colors upon the frosted and snowy earth. Footprints from the Siblings and those who traveled for the celebration marked and trampled some of the newly-fallen snow. In summary, the world outside was currently a wasteland of cold barren trees, but inside was a world of joy.

It was Yule.

A night where many came together, where Siblings danced and thrived under the eyes of the Dark One. A night of blissful sin and devotion, of love. And of celebrating the earth, the returning of the light and the cycle of the land.

Currently for you though, it had begun as a night of distress. You had paced around your room, searching for some kind of clothing to where. It was…irritating. For a night that’s meant to be so full of happiness, it seemed to bring much misfortune to your wardrobe. Eventually, you were able to put your complaining to a ceasing as your eyes laid upon a perfect thing to wear. Something you had purchased a long while back, that had slipped your mind and your field of vision by disappearing into the back of your closet. You thought it was very fitting for the theme of tonight and for the general spirit of things. And you looked..well let’s just say you were very satisfied with how it made you look. You had completed every other aspect of your look for the night, and decided to head on down to join the merriment.

You opened the door of the room that was your haven, and stepped out into the hallway of the ministry. A wall of what you could only describe as Yule hit you. Noise flooded your ears, filling them with the sounds of dancing, laughter, talking. Of course some shrieks of joy, singing, and running was mixed in. You inhaled and you felt the warm air which was filled of the smells of food and incense. And then of course, your eyes took in the rest. Decorations had been sprinkled all over the walls and you were sure that the center of all the festivities was absolutely drenched in them. You smiled to yourself as you began to watch, appreciating how festive they managed to make things look while still maintaining a dark-ish look, a gesture to the general beliefs in the Abbey.

As you walked through the halls, you saw strings of tinsel covering paintings, a ornament hanging off of one of the fingers of a statue of Lilith, and a upside-down star on top of a tree covered in dark red lights. As you came closer and closer to the giant room that held the main party, you were able to identify it as Frankincense. Candles flickered on the walls as you walked through the hallways, making things dimly light but still bringing you comfort. And it wasn’t too dark, as you could still see Siblings running in each and every direction as they prepared for the ongoing celebration. You were happy you were finally able to settle and go revel in the spirit of things. Well, not really settle, knowing the rowdiness of everyone from the Ghouls to even the Clergy on holidays.

As you were thinking, you had lost track of the time, and were surprised to see that you were already in the great big room that held so much excitement. The rest of the building had simply passed before your eyes before you could realize it.

Songs played on a speaker, and Siblings danced wildly. Though some danced slowly and rather…sensually. You chuckled to yourself as you walked over to a group of Siblings you’d grown fond of. Your eyes scanned over the crowd of members of the Abbey, and some of the Clergy. You watched, amused, as Dew chased Swiss by the food table. You wondered why but decided to stay out of it, though you were always entertained by their rambunctious behavior. Phantom seemed to be sneaking around with a few of the Ghoulettes, while other Ghoulettes were dancing. You saw Sister Imperator standing by the long table in the front, meant for the higher members of the clergy. Such as herself, the Cardinals, and of course…Papa. She seemed to look over the room as well, and you followed her gaze. A few small fires (all safe and meant purely for decoration) were scattered through the room, like little fire-pits. You hoped none of them had been started by Ghouls. Dark red ribbons flowed upon the walls, some green and black joining them. Other dark and gothic- and somehow Yuletide- decorations joined them. The entire room looked perfect. You looked back to Sister Imperator and watched as she turned to another member of the clergy, looking frazzled and concerned. You walked a little closer to her table, pretending to be watching what was now a wrestle between Dew and Swiss, and heard her say something along the lines of “Papa” and “where-?”

Ah. So that’s what it was. Papa. You couldn’t blame him for being late, all with Sister’s impossibly demanding schedule. You were friends with Papa. With Copia. You wished the two of you could talk more, but with the extremity of Sister’s demands, there wasn’t much time. So, you found a way. The first time you truly met was in a walk around the Abbey. Well, outside the abbey. You had been walking around with a book, the whether had been chilly and you were ready to head inside and take shelter deep within the comfort of the library. But the sudden warmth you had felt was not from the solace of inside the Ministry, but instead, Papa himself. You had talked to Copia a few times before he became Papa. You’d helped him when he’d dropped his books once, when you’d found one of his lost rats, when you’d randomly asked him how he was once or twice. He’d always been so sweet, so endearingly awkward. But when he bumped into you outside that one day, it felt as if for the first time, he truly saw you. His nose had been in a book as well, and that’s how the accident had come to happen.

“Le mie scuse, sorella! Stai bene?- Uh- Are you alright?” he had said, his face scrunched up in concern as he picked up his book, and yours as well.

“Yes Papa, thank you, I’m so sorry for the accident. Are you ok?” you asked quickly, unsure whether to smile or put on a face of worry.

“Sì, sì, grazie! No need to apologize, I’m- um, molto bene. All okie dokie.” he said, and you couldn’t help but smile at that. It was amusing that the Papa of the entire Dark Church, the leader of all the followers of the Dark One, used the saying “okie dokie”. You couldn’t help but quickly be enamored with his more than awkward charm.

You two had discovered you were both about to head to the library, and decided to accompany each other. You two had smiled as you entered the library, and he had quickly needed to disappear into a separate realm of literature and unholy works, while you had found a nice cozy corner. Since then, you two had found each other often in the library. Sooner than later, you two had begun to sit with each other. Not always talking, but sometimes just sitting them and enjoying each other’s presence. While you had spent time reading, lost in your own worlds, you quickly discovered that less of that time in your mind was lost in the worlds of the books, but more-so lost in your thoughts of him. How his mismatched eyes flitted over words, taking in all types of languages and symbols you couldn’t dream of knowing how to understand, how sometimes he sighed and tapped one of his fingers against the wooden table you two frequented when he was frustrated with some part of the scripture he was reading. How soft his gaze could be, and other times how hard. You took time remembering how when he was a cardinal, how the swish of his cassocks sounded in the hallways. Before you knew it, you were enraptured with him. With how he was as a whole, and in all the little moments when you could see all the different fragments of who he was.

Once, as you two had been sitting at your shared table, as you were looking over the words on the book that had barely held you attention until then, you wondered what he would think of what you read. You thought about all the different pieces of literature you had read in the past while you two had been doing this, and realized a number of little parts that instantly brought him to mind.

The next day, you hadn’t gone to the library at your shared usual time. But instead, you had given a book to the librarian (who had been watching the two of you and decided you were bound to fall in love) and had asked the librarian to give the book to Copia when he came in. She happily agreed and thanked you for coming in so often, and you were on your way.

He had come in, and had been confused as to where you were. He had been handed the book by the librarian, who gave him a smile. And suddenly a tradition was made. You two left books for each other all the time. Genres varied, and notes were left between the pages. You had come to know each other quite well, but you only wished it could be closer. Not just physically, but you longed for him. His presence. All those things you admired while he was reading and so so much more.

As you realized you’d been staring at Sister Imperator while thinking about Copia, you shook yourself out of your thoughts and went to get a drink. You wondered where he was. There were few windows in the huge room that weren’t decorated with stained glass, but through the few clear ones, you could see a heavy snow. It gave you a strange feeling, snow. A feeling of significance. Like loneliness mixed with an intimate comfort. You only wished that a certain Papa was here to share the feeling with you, here in the candlelight room full of both darkness and pure warmth. He always knew how to make you feel better, how to make you feel like suddenly the only people in the world who truly mattered in the moment was you two. He made you feel like your entire existence was burning with passion.

Suddenly, something caught your eye. It was moving in a part of the dark hallway outside the great big room. Seemingly hiding. You got curious and though you hoped you wouldn’t miss Copia’s grand entrance, though you doubted he was the type to really make one. You started moving towards the shape, pausing to survey the room one last time, as if Copia could suddenly pop out of the shadows- not that it would be uncharacteristic for his role in the Ministry. But as you settled upon the conclusion that he was simply not there yet, you decided to head to odd shape in the hallway. Your senses felt stripped of the delight of the party as you stepped back out into the dimly halls which felt as if you’d just been in them, even though by now, it had been a while since you’d been in them. You peered into the darkness ahead of you, not being able to tell if there were any shadows if it was simply the movement of light from the candles which lined the walls. However, as you grew closer you could see that there was in fact a shadow, and it was moving. It wavered for a moment, and you tried walking slower, so whoever it was wouldn’t be able to hear your footsteps and flee the privacy of the hallway. Though the shadow started moving away and you sped up, so did the shadow and it disappeared from sight. At last, you rounded the corner with one last burst of speed and saw..

…Copia?

Yep, it wasn’t just a trick of the eyes. Your unholy Papa was right there in front of you, standing in the hallway, hiding from the annual Yule party.

“Papa?” you called out, and he froze. His back was to you, and he was tense. Though, a second after you said it, he seemed to relax a little bit, as if hesitant to fully let himself relax. But as he turned around and saw you, his entire posture seemed to melt. His eyes softened and suddenly he looked so calm and natural in the candlelight. It flickered prettily across his face, illuminating his eyes so mesmerizingly, and shining off parts of his outfit. He looked like the flame of a candle himself, he had a quiet air of excitement and gracefulness. A slight smile took over his face as you two stood facing each other in the hallway. It had been a while since you’d had a rendezvous in the library or an exchange of a book, with all the holiday preparations and ceremonies.

“Sorella,” he said “You…sono ipnotizzato.”

You didn’t know what that meant, of course, so you simply smiled. “Yes, hello, Copia.”

He took a few steps towards you, but waited. So you took some.

“Mi dispiace, ero...I was hiding from the party. Not uh, not the most noble thing, eh?” he said,

“It’s quite understandable really,” you replied, and he gave a breath, a kind of sigh, and a emotion not unlike relief spread across his face.

“È così? Well, yes, I suppose so, sorella. What are you doing? Out here, I mean.” he replied, and you couldn’t help but smile at the way his Italian accent weaved throughout his words, and how Italian words spilled through more often than not. You found it enchanting. He was enchanting.

“In a way, I was looking for you. I mean, I was wondering where you were, and then I saw a shadow down this hall and decided to go figure out what was going on and here we are really!” you responded cheerfully. You couldn’t ignore the way it felt like your senses were on fire right now, it felt like every breath couldn’t come fast enough and it took all of your might not to practically implode with glee.

“That does make sense. Sì, vedo.” he said and you saw his eyes drift back down the hallway which was behind you, leading into the room of the party. You turned and looked back at it too. It looked so much more inviting now that your beloved Copia was here. Suddenly you had an idea. You took his hand, and decided to put all your doubts aside for a moment.

“Come with me. Back to the party, I mean. We can go together, it’ll be nicer to have you there, and we can hide from Sister Imperator together. And…it would be nice to spend some time with you. I’ve missed you. Plus I’m sure I’d make much better company than Sister Imperator would make if you were to go in there and get swept away by her.” you suggested, with a chuckle at the thought of Sister Imperator and all her flustered pestering.

“Well,” Copia said, and was lost in thought for a moment as he looked at you, then back at the party, then back down the hallway he was heading originally. “Ok, sorella. I would..er, well, yes I would like to go. With you.”

With those words, you lit up inside, a thrill going through you. Apparently, you lit up externally as well, as suddenly you felt a large smile on your face, and Copia chuckled, sharing the smile. You had let go of his hand, but you held it out again, ready to ask another question.

“Well then, Papa! Or, Copia, shall we?” and you let you hand hang out in front of you. He looked at it for a moment, and slowly, but a hand covered in a leather glove, into yours.

“Yes, sorella.” he said, looking from where your hands joined, up to your eyes. Your face lit up again, and you turned back towards the greatly lit room at the end of the hallway. With your hand in his, you begun walking towards it.

“Per te, gentile sorella. Sempre e solo per te.” he said, following you. His eyes reflected candlelight as you led him through the hallway. You only heard a little bit of his Italian words, and you didn’t understand them, but you didn’t recognize their significance. What you were focused on at the moment was the feeling of his hand in yours and the thought that you might get to spend the rest of this wonderful evening with him.

After a moment of reveling in the delight your senses took in being around him, you two were finally in the midst of the Yule celebration. Now that Copia was here, it felt as though your eyes allowed you to take in more, to experience more. You smiled as you looked over the room, trying to find a place where you and Copia could relax, away from the prying eyes of Sister Imperator. Yet your eyes stopped when they reached an ice statue you hadn’t noticed before. It was…a rat? You turned to Copia, your eyebrows raised and a smirk forming on your face. Copia looked at your face and it’s meaning registered in his mind, so he followed your gaze and a wave of realization washed over him when he understood.

“Ah! Si, the ice rat! A uh, nice touch, si? My idea, of course.” he said, and his childlike excitement sent a wave of comforting warmth through you. Oh Copia, dear sweet Copia.

You decided to lead him to the dance floor, where people were still dancing in all types of ways and styles.

You held out your hand to Copia again but he shook his head.

“No, sorella, I couldn’t. Non lo so..I don’t know how.” he quickly stated.

“That’s ok! Follow my lead!” you said, and before he could reply, you pulled him in. Into your arms, and into the mob of dancers. You couldn’t see it, but he both looked at you with immense focus, as he was trying to concentrate on what on earth to do. Yet the look of concentration wasn’t alone, it was accompanied by a look of awe. He thought you looked so beautiful.. if only you could know.

You two whirled along. You knew some people were watching, as you were dancing with Papa for Lucifer’s sake. You knew that on other nights, the feeling of all their eyes would’ve made you uncomfortable. But this time, you could barely recognize the fact that they were even on you in the first place. You were more focused on the unholy man you were absolutely enamored with. You smiled as he slowly began to get the hang of the dance. Within an instant, your feeling of happiness was overpowered by the feeling of pure thrill that was caused by the feeling of his fingers tightening comfortably against your waist, and his gloved hand meeting yours as the music carried on. He gazed at you with a look that captivated you. A smile, an intense one, but it wasn’t a smirk. You hoped for a moment, you prayed to the Fallen One, that maybe, just maybe, it was love. Out of nervousness, you began to talk.

“You know, I would’ve thought you’d have loved tonight! I was surprised when I saw you in that hallway!” you said, trying to speak louder than the music. After you said your thoughts though, you began to understand and realize more of why he might’ve preferred the quiet. You wouldn’t have minded the quiet either. As long as it was with him.

“Oh! Huh, ehehe, why do you think that, sorella?” He says, chuckling at the way the world is spinning around you two, at the joy of the moment.

“Well, because all of the partying!” you say, but quickly you realize how mistaken that statement is, and how you meant something so different.

“Huh? Cosa intendi?” he asked, very very confused, hoping you didn’t misunderstand his personality, his flirting as something different. Though he realized- to his dismay- you had not realized his flirting. It was funny though, because he had not realized yours.

“I’m sorry, that came out very wrong. I just meant that it seems like the kind of holiday celebration you’d appreciate. The closeness, the gift giving, the pretty dark decorations, snow. Oh! And the worship.” you all say, and he loves watching you talk. You watch his face as you say the words too, trying to soak up every single detail of how he processes your words.

“Oh..si, the worship, eh?” He says, quite awkwardly. Worship. Devotion. Giving your all, wishing for the all of another thing. What he felt for you.

You gave him a confused look, “Yes Pa- Copia. Worship.”

“Cara mia, the only thing I’m worshipping tonight is you.”

Your eyes grew wide with that statement, huge. You took in the man in front of you, and you felt your heart soar- did you hear him right? The music was so loud, you couldn’t tell. But the way he was looking at you, dear Satanas. You’d give yourself up at the alter if it meant feeling his soul collide with yours. A loud noise startled you, and the music shut off. The culprit of this interruption? Ah. Of course. Sister Imperator. She stood behind the very long table in the middle of it, facing everyone. She was the face of independence and organization. Oh no, she had a microphone. You felt Copia’s body way lightly next to yours and you realized your hands were still intertwined from the dancing. The thought that the two of you were still touching was seared into your mind. It burned your very existence. Should you pull away? You felt one of your fingers twitch and cursed yourself mentally. He looked over at you and you saw his eyes were also wide. Sister Imperator lifted the microphone to her mouth and the entire room held it’s breath.

“Siblings, Ghouls, Clergy, and others! Welcome to our annual Yule festivities! We thank each and every one of you for attending and giving devotion to the Dark One with us..”

Sister Imperator’s speech went on, but Copia was too focused on you to truly listen to it. Did you hear what he had said about worshipping you? Wait..no. His face burned red as he realized you might’ve taken it in a..different way. A sexual way. That you might’ve thought he wanted you that way. Did he want you that way? Well he knew the answer to that, but did you know the answer to that? Oh Lucifer. He cursed himself for how clumsy he was with his words. He felt himself grow warmer as he thought of how you might think of him now. But he hadn’t meant it in a sexual way. Well, he could mean it that way. If you wanted to- but still it was very early for that- but. All of his thoughts were a mess and jumbled together. He just meant he wanted to appreciate all of you. Give you his all, his devotion, his love. And maybe, have you return that? Though the more he thought about it, the more he realized how unlikely it was. And the sinking feeling he had begun to feel grew more until it took over his every emotion. He reluctantly let go of your hand, and you looked over at him, with a sad face. Wait, a sad face. He was so confused, highs and lows surrounded every thought in his head.

After a minute of blocking out Sister Imperator’s speech, and thinking, he decided that this was Yule, the celebration of the returning of the light, and of the Dark One. That he must have hope.

Little did he know, you were thinking the exact same thing.

You two longed for each other. Must unbeknownst to you both. And soon enough, you both had tuned back in to the speech, as you both processed it was nearing it’s end.

“May this holiday of Yule bring you many joys and connections with our Unholy Father! Nema. Let the festivities continue!” Sister Imperator said. Just as she lowered the microphone from her mouth, and was scanning across the room, her hawk-like eyes finally landed on you two.

“You.” you both saw her mouth from across the room, and your eyes grew wide. You turned to Copia and saw as his eyes widened as well, and he tensed immediately. Suddenly his eyes began to move and you looked back over, to follow them. Sister Imperator had begun to move across the room, and was heading towards you two. And she certainly did NOT look like a ray of sunshine at the moment.

You grabbed Copia’s arm and tugged on his sleeve.

“Copia, go, go!” you said, and begun to pull him along with you. You both raced out of the room, your hearts beating heart, and people parting to watch you two. You entered the hallway and heard Sister Imperator yell something behind you two, but all you could do was laugh. And laugh hard. Suddenly Copia began too. And you kept running, hearing the clacking of her heels on the stone floor a ways behind you two. In all the excitement, you hadn’t noticed that Copia had moved from your grip, and put his gloved hand in yours. You raced through the hallway, making it echo with laughter and your footsteps, running past random Siblings, the occasional pair of people who had abandoned the party to make out in the hallway, you both ran past statues and paintings, through more hallways and past many doors. Before you knew it the sound of Sister Imperator following you two had faded away but either you didn’t notice or you didn’t care. Copia didn’t seem to acknowledge either of those, he was laughing too. Suddenly, you two came to a pair of huge doors. You both slammed into one, and it opened.

A wave of cold hit you, along with a large amount of beautiful snowflakes. You stumbled into the snowy outside world, still laughing. And Copia stumbled with you, always willing to follow. You gazed around as you laughed, then suddenly turned to Copia.

“Come on!” you said, and began to pull Copia along again. He followed and you both raced in the snow, almost tripping, but feeling too free and happy to care. You stopped when you both reached a calm area. The sounds of the party were barely audible. You were by a small cemetery that was on the grounds, surrounded by trees. But you were still close to the Abbey, it was all so connected. You slowed and caught your breath. You looked over at Copia, who to your surprise, was looking at you. He looked happy and free, more carefree than you’d ever seen him. He looked hopeful, and at the same time- hungry.

Much to your surprise, he began moving towards you, the snow falling around you both made it seem all the more important and beautiful. He reached you, and for a split second, it seemed as if your souls really were colliding. Not on the alter as you’d imagined earlier, but here. In the cold snow, in a world of your own with him.

His lips quickly connected with yours as he decided to collide with you in a different way. He wanted you, in any way you would give yourself, he would take any and all of you. His hands came up to your face, as if to cradle it, cherishing every single mark on your skin, admiring how every snowflake looked upon you. He seemed to worship you. As he’d said. You felt worshipped.

This was what he had meant. He moved his lips against yours and he reveled in the way that your body was against him, making him feel warm despite the frozen world around you two. Like you had thought earlier, right now, you were surrounded by a world full of darkness and at the same time, the most comforting warmth. With his arms around you, and a unspoken promise of worship, you felt that feeling the snow had given you before. A feeling of loneliness and significance, an intimate comfort. But this time it wasn’t loneliness, it was love. It was the feeling of having the world all to yourself, with the one person that truly mattered.

So the snow fell around you two, as the world seemed to excuse itself from your minds for a while. Leaving you two to bask in the cold air of winter, on the night of Yule, and simply, wonderfully, and wholly, worship each other.

Authors note: hello! i hope you guys enjoyed this! i plan on making more copia fics very soon! take care of yourself!!

i’d like to give credit to: @gggoldfinch for all their hard work and their amazing fic: Cemetary Gates!! Some themes in this were greatly inspired by their work, and their fic is by far the best Copia x reader I have ever read!

the grucifix artwork is done by the one and only: @gothdaddyissues

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Italian Translations:

Le mie scuse, sorella! Stai bene? - My apologies, sister! Are you ok?

Sì, sì, grazie - Yes, yes, thank you

Molto bene - Very good

Sorella - Sister

Sono ipnotizzato - I’m hypnotized

Mi dispiace, ero - I’m sorry, I was…

È così? - Is that so?

Si, vedo - Yes, I see.

Per te, gentile sorella. Sempre e solo per te. - For you, kind sister. Always and only for you.

Non io so… - I don’t know…

Cosa intendi? - What do you mean?

Cara mia - my dear

[ozu-teapot]

Films Watched in June 2023

Beatrix | Milena Czernovsky / Lilith Kraxner | 2021

L'immoralità (AKA Cock Crows at Eleven) | Massimo Pirri | 1978

Wilczyca (She-wolf) | Marek Piestrak | 1983

Cool It, Carol! | Pete Walker | 1970

The Punishment | Pierre-Alain Jolivet | 1973

Forbidden Zone | Richard Elfman | 1980

Kotch | Jack Lemmon | 1971

The Moon Over the Alley | Joseph Despins | 1976

Look At Life: Coffee Bar (Short) | Uncredited | 1959

Secrets of a Door-to-Door Salesman | Wolf Rilla / Jonathan Demme | 1973

Freeway | Matthew Bright | 1996

Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby | Matthew Bright | 1996

But I'm a Cheerleader | Jamie Babbit | 1999

Bold = Top Ten Five

Some notes: Guys, I think it’s over. For now at least.

[myopic-chihuahua]

Say what you want about Corpse Bride but the songs in it are BOPS. 

[stefano-gargiulo]

𝐿𝒾𝓁𝒾𝓉𝒽'𝓈 𝒮𝑜𝓃𝑔..."Teatro San Ferdinando di Napoli", Orchestra San Giovanni.Paure ed incertezze... ma poi, tutto si tramutò grazie ai vostri applausi in sicurezza e gioia

[sweetmemories2606]

Dangerous Game (Gruvia and NaLu fanfic) Chapter 5

I am so behind on posting this one here, sorry about that. I hope people still remember this story, but in case you need a reminder, here's the basic info:

Title: Dangerous Game

Pairings: NaLu and Gruvia (main), Gajevy, Miraxus and MesCana (minor)

Summary: While Natsu wonders about all the times he failed to protect Lucy, Gray worries about the dangerous game that he's been playing. Who will have to pay the price for his decision to leave Juvia behind?

Timeline: Avatar Arc (SPOILERS if you haven't watched the first 8 eps of the Final Season)

Genre: Angst

Word Count: around 12000 words (all chapters)

Links: Chapter 1 (NaLu focused)  Chapter 2 (Gruvia focused)  Chapter 3 (NaLu focused)  Chapter 4 (Gruvia focused) , Chapter 5 (Miraxus focused)

Also, if you want to read ahead: Chapter 6, (Gajevy focused) Chapter 7 (MesCana focused)

I hope you enjoy! 

                                   ----------------------

                             Chapter 5: Searching For Her

                                       March X792

A lone figure walked along the forest, forced to take slow steps because of the snow. They were covered by a dark blue cape, hiding them from the world. Although, there wasn't anyone else in the forest.

After a long time, they found themselves standing before a large tree that was actually a house. With a relieved sigh, they made their way towards it and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" An angry yell was heard.

The figure removed her hood to reveal long, wavy hair as white as snow and big blue eyes. Gently, she answered. "It's just me, Porlyusica. Will you let me in?"

She was met with silence before another voice spoke. "Mirajane? What the hell are you doing here?" It was the person she had come here for. Laxus.

Mirajane had learned a few days before that he wasn't as okay as everyone had thought. Instead, the bane particles which he had inhaled in his attempt to save Magnolia had never left his body and continued to damage his organs.

Now aware of this, Mirajane had decided to try to help him, thus she had come all the way to Porlyusica's cottage where he had been staying for the past 2 weeks-much to his displeasure.

After being welcomed in and briefly chatting with Laxus and Porlyusica, she asked how she could assist. The healer informed her that the only way he could improve was for the particles to be fully removed, but that had proved impossible.

Having recently taken over all the demon gates from Tartaros, Mirajane suggested one of them should be able to do this. While Laxus was not in favour of her taking such a risk to save him, Porlyusica reminded him that he would die otherwise.

"This isn't your choice to make." Mirajane argued. "I came here to help you and I will do so, regardless of the risks."

                                   ----------------------

                                       June X792

With Laxus healed, the only issue remaining was the unspoken feelings between them, which neither was willing to discuss as of yet. Instead they resumed their friendship as it was before the war against Tartaros, neither willing to take the next step.

They kept on like this for 3 months while staying at Blue Pegasus' hideout since Laxus had previously joined said guild and wished to return after he was healed.

The Thunder Legion and Blue Pegasus members certainly did not help them keep this charade, for they kept teasing the two despite their protests. Evergreen and Bickslow wasted no opportunities commenting on Laxus' feelings for Mirajane, Sherry and Jenny always made it clear she should make a move and even Itchia brought up the possibility that they were secretly dating at times.

"Will you just quit it?" Laxus yelled after they were teased again, making everyone silence. "There is nothing going on between us, so stop trying to pretend there is."

"But Laxus..." Evergreen tried, but was interrupted.

"Instead of trying to force us into a relationship, you should figure out what you want from Elfman." Laxus continued.

Her face paled at his words. "That's none of your business!" She snapped.

"Doesn't feel nice when people get into your business, does it?" He raised a brow.

Before the conversation could go any further, Sherry and Ren came into the hideout, looking nervous. "Mirajane, you have visitors."

The woman in question frowned, confused. Who could it be? After thanking them for warning her, she quickly left the room, eager to get away from the tension.

Once outside the hideout, she was surprised to find Jellal and Doranbolt-or was his name Mest?-standing in front of it, looking nervous. "Hello. It's been a while." She offered them a smile.

"Mirajane." Jellal greeted her with a nod. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

"We need to talk to you about something important." Doranbolt spoke, tense.

"What is it?" Mira asked, concerned. Is something wrong? Why do they look so unsettled?

Instead of answering, Jellal suggested that they distanced themselves from the hideout since they didn't wish for their conversation to be heard by the Blue Pegasus members nor Laxus' dragon slayer hearing.

Once they were at a safe distance, in the heart of the forest where a long time ago the battle against Grimoire Heart and Jellal's revival had occurred, Doranbolt finally told her why they were there.

He mentioned that they had been searching for her for quite some time because she was the only one who could help them.

"Help you with what, exactly?" Mirajane asked.

Mest proceeded to explain his undercover mission at the council and how Makarov had instructed him to keep an eye on Alvarez. Then he mentioned how Angel, now known as Sorano, had warned him of their plan to send Lilith, a demon from the books of Zeref, to infiltrate Fiore.

Jellal noted how he believed that Mirajane could help them track Lilith since she was familiar with demons. He also highlighted how important this was since Lilith could be gathering sensitive information which would harm Fiore in case of war.

                                   ----------------------

It didn't take much to convince Mirajane to help. She easily agreed to join them in their search, thus they waited outside the hideout while she said goodbye to her friends and packed a small suitcase.

Laxus, who had disappeared while she was talking to everyone, showed up while she was packing. Without much time, they had a brief conversation about her leaving, the mission and his-barely concealed-concern for her safety.

He also thanked her again for saving him all those months before and let her know that if she ever needed his help during this mission, she should call him. Mirajane was surprised when Laxus presented her with a cellphone, Warren's new invention, but she gratefully accepted the gift.

They shared a rather awkward hug as she wondered if perhaps this was a good time to tell him how she had been feeling for a while. Unfortunately, he pulled apart before she could decide and left her with another goodbye.

She watched him leave the room, suddenly cheerless as she realised it might be a long time before she had another chance. However, there were bigger priorities at the moment thus she finished packing before going outside to meet Jellal and Doranbolt.

Their journey to find Lilith began that day and they were later joined by Meredy and Cobra- who now referred to himself as Erik. Over the course of their mission, Mirajane got to know all of them better and learned about their pasts, present and hopes for the future.

Neither member of the group expected that it would take them so long to actually find the demon, but 3 months passed and though they had searched almost all of Fiore, Lilith's trail remained cold.

After Mirajane received a letter from Lucy about Fairy Tail's reunion, she decided to briefly leave the group. What she didn't expect, though, is that this would be the answer to their quest.

                                   ----------------------

After watching Juvia threatening Lucy's life, and listening to her dialogue, Mirajane quickly figured out that this must be Lilith.

Knowing that the demon was in fact possessing the water mage made things more complicated because this meant she couldn't directly attack it without harming her friend. Thus Mirajane took some time to think of a solution while simultaneously contacting both Laxus and Crime Sorciére.

Unfortunately, the situation soon became even worse once Lilith trapped Natsu and Lucy. Though Mira wanted to help them, she quickly realised that the only way was for Juvia to take control back.

Gajeel and Gray seemed to think the same for they began encouraging the water mage. Mirajane was actually surprised when Gray confessed his love for Juvia in front of everyone, but relief soon filled her once the water mage returned.

When she apologised, though, Mira was back to worried and once she realised what Juvia was about to do, she screamed. "No, Juvia!" I can't let her die!

It was too late. Juvia had already stabbed herself before anyone could reach her. She let out a gasp before removing the bloody dagger and throwing it on the floor. Her face showed pain and sorrow, but also relief once she looked back at Gray.

He was the first to reach her, having ran so fast that even Jet seemed impressed. Mirajane watched, still in shock, as the ice mage held onto Juvia as her body gave in.

"No, please no." He kept mumbling while his hands desperately tried to stop the blood flow.

"You idiot! What the hell did you do?" Gajeel yelled at her, trying to take a step but Levy stopped him, placing a hand on his arm.

"Let Gray talk to her first." She told him gently.

"But I…." He looked back at the water mage in anger but also fear. Mirajane felt sorry for him. He doesn't deserve to lose his best friend.

She glanced around, looking for Wendy, who could surely heal the water mage. She was busy helping Lucy, who lay unconscious in Natsu's arms.

"Come on, Lucy." Mirajane overheard him plead. Poor Natsu. He must be so worried.

"She'll be okay." Wendy reassured him.

"I was supposed to protect her." Natsu lamented, frowning deeply.

"Don't." Juvia's plea made Mirajane look back at her and Gray. She noticed that he was about to use his magic to stop the blood flow. Why is she telling him not to?

"But Juvia..." Gray protested.

"I'm sorry." Juvia's hand reached for his hand. "I just wanted...to be free..." A pause. She coughed a bit, which reminded Mirajane of Laxus. I need to save her too…

"And you will be." Gray told her as he squeezed her hand. "We'll find another way."

Mirajane really hoped they would, but time was running out. Checking her phone again, she was disappointed to find no messages. Why aren't they answering? She started panicking as it became increasingly clear that she would have to figure this out on her own.

[thenightling]

What is the best vampire movie you have ever seen? I am in desperate need of some good ones to quench my thirst. Lol I apologize for that joke XD

Hehe.  I love the pun.   I like cheesy things.

1.   Dracula (1979 version).   This version of Dracula is one of the few romantic incarnations of Dracula that still seems to enjoy what he is and isn’t suicidal.  I chose to believe he faked his death at the end.   Also the Mina character (renamed Lucy) is delightfully aggressive and Laurence Olivier plays a fantastic Abraham Van Helsing.

2. Bram Stoker’s Dracula.   Though this version is more faithful to The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen than it follows Bram Stoker’s novel it’s the only version to leave Quincey Morris in tact and still the most faithful film adaptation to date despite the added love story between Mina and Dracula. And that odd origin story they gave for Dracula’s vampirism. 

3.   Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula.  This film can be found on Youtube for free.  It stars Rudolf Martin, who also played Dracula in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode Buffy vs. Dracula.  It’s surprisingly respectful to the history while also implying Vlad the Impaler became the famous vampire after death and actually works as a very good prequel to most recent (within the last thirty years) adaptations of Dracula.

4.   Fright Night (original 1985 version).  If you love eighties music, traditional vampires, and loving homages to classic Hammer Horror and Dark Shadows I strongly recommend this movie.   You don’t see too many serious modern vampires able to turn into a bat, wolf, or mist anymore and it’s just a fun movie.  Also Roddy Mcdowell played Peter Vincent (a sweet homage to both Peter Cushing and Vincent Price) masterfully.   You see excellent and well portrayed character growth and I highly recommend it and even it’s 1988 sequel, Fright Night: Part 2.  I miss the traditional vampire powers to summon storms and change form into a bat, wolf, or mist and age and de-age at will and most of those lost powers make an appearance in this movie but not in the 2011 remake which lacks heart and passion on the part of the film makers behind it.  

5.   Lost Boys.   Much like Fright Night this is a fun eighties movie.  Like Fright Night it has an excellent soundtrack and humor with the horror.  The sequel’s not very good but the third one is decent.  Not as good as the first but decent.  

6.    Interview with the vampire.  Despite what Anne Rice hopes I doubt she will ever be able to make a better film adaptation of the original source material than this movie and it’s a shame that a version of The Vampire Lestat was never made by the same people.  If you can find it the San Francisco (NOT the New York) adaptation of the Lestat musical actually works pretty well as a direct sequel.   The San Francisco version of the Lestat musical was never officially released to video but there is a good quality bootleg out there.

7.   Let the Right One In.   An eerie and beautiful platonic love story between a boy and a vampire. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name.  Also it’s far better than it’s awful American remake.

9.   The vampire Lovers.  Despite deviations from the novel and two character name changes this is still a far better adaptation of Carmilla than many other film versions and it does capture the atmosphere and ambiance of the original novel, something few adaptations seem to manage.

10.    Demon Under Glass.  This one is extremely low budget.  It’s so low budget it might as well have been filmed in someone’s basement however it has a very clever premise and a tie-in novel (with twice the plot) by the woman who wrote the script.  It deals with what happens when a kindly doctor is roped into working with the government in regard to studying a captured vampire.  

11.   Scars of Dracula.  This was Christopher Lee’s favorite Hammer Dracula movie to work on and you can tell.

12.   Nightbreed.  Not specifically dealing with vampires the main character does rise from the dead as a vampire who craves blood.   Seek the director’s cut or “Cabal Cut” if possible. It’s based on the novel Cabal by Clive Barker.  And it has a haunting score by Danny Elfman.

13.  Monster Squad.  This is a mulltimonster movie but Dracula is the ring leader and it’s fun.  Another 80s gem.     

Bonus mentions: F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu.  Though I hate that people now think the word means a bald and bucked toothed vampire when it just means vampire.  Vampire The masquerade helped popularize that idea and this movie popularized the idea of vampires burning in the sun, which didn’t exist until the movie.   However, as terrifying as Count Orlock might be, I like Murnau’s Faust better than his Nosferatu.  His adaptation of Goethe’s Faust is very underated and I highly recommend it even if it’s not a vampire movie.

And of course the 1931 Dracula starring Bela Lugosi and the Spanish film also made at the same time using the same sets.  Who can forget those?  And Dracula’s Daughter.  Son of Dracula.  House of Dracula and House of Frankenstein and Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein. (those require watching the other Universal Monster movies first). 

The Subspecies movies.    Cult classics and very under-rated.   Radu (named after the real life Dracula’s brother) is not a sexy vampire but an intriguing one. 

The Hunger starring David Bowie, based on the novel by Whitley Streiber.  

Hammer’s Dracula movies:  Dracula (1958) AKA Horror of Dracula. Brides of Dracula.  Dracula: Prince of Darkness.  Dracula has risen from the grave.  Taste the blood of Dracula.  Scars of Dracula.  Dracula 1972 AD.  Satanic Rites of Dracula (AKA Dracula and his vampire Bride).   

Innocent Blood.   This one deals with vampire mobsters after a female vampire bungles a feeding and has to team up with a cop. 

For vampire comedies I recommend Love at First Bite, What we do in the Shadows and Dracula: Dead and Loving it.     

TV shows: Castlevania (new animated series),  Dracula: the Series (not the awful NBC series, but the 1990s kid friendly one, it’s weirdly respectful to the novel despite giving Dracula blond hair).  Forever Knight.  And Buffy The Vamprire Slayer.   True Blood’s first few seasons were good but around the Lilith / Billith storyline it went down hill and never recovered.  The “Hep V” storyline was God-awful.     Midnight Texas is pretty good but not strictly vampire related.  And for anime Hellsing and Hellsing: OVA.  

For “So bad it’s good” I recommend Dracula 2 (sequel to Dracula 2000) and Dario Argento’s Dracula or as my friends and I have nicknamed it “Mantis Drac.”  It’s like the Plan 9 from Outer Space of Dracula movies.  And the badly dubbed anime Dracula: Sovereign of the damned (which can be found on Youtube).  It’s meant to be an adaptation of Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula but they couldn’t get the rights to Blade and had to work around him. They also tried to condense years worth of comics into an hour and twenty minute animated movie.      

For comic books I recommend Tomb of Dracula from Marvel.  Morbius The Living Vampire, also from Marvel.  Legion Of Monsters (2010 version).   And Dracula: The Company of Monsters (independent and very good graphic novel series).

For plays I recommend the musical Dracula by composer Frank Wildhorn. It’s pretty much a musical adaptation of the 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula movie.

For novels I recommend the sorely under-rated Dracula books by Fred Saberhagen.  There are ten in all and three short stories.  The first book is The Dracula Tape.  The audio books are available on Amazon and Audible (but sadly not the printed versions except used or digital) and the audio books are brilliantly read by Roblin Bloodworth (I kid you not.  That’s really the reader’s name.).  I strongly feel Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula novels deserve more positive attention than what they get.

And of course other books: Dracula, Carmilla, Let the Right One In.  The first three Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (and possibly Tale of the Body Thief for comic relief), All the obvious staples.   But also try Quincey Morris: Vampire by P. N. Elrod.   

For short stories try Box Number 50 by Fred Saberhagen which can be found in the Saberhagen vampire Tales and the Dracula in London short story collection edited by P. N. Elrod.

I’ll probably think of some better ones later.  My mood about these things changes on a whim.

[rhobi]

in case you weren’t convinced of my undying love for borderlands here’s a list of 80s songs on my phone i associate with each vault hunter and the specific lyric the association kicks in in:

Roland: ‘Just Another Day’ by Oingo Boingo               “My life is on the line when I’m away from home”

Lilith: 'White Wedding’ by Billy Idol              “Hey little sister what’s your vice and wish”

Mordecai: ‘Too Much Time On My Hands’ by Styx              “Well I'm so tired of losing- I got nothing to do and all day to do it”

Brick: ‘House of the Rising Sun’ by The Animals             “Oh mother tell your children not to do what I have done”

------

Maya: ‘Gratitude’ by Danny Elfman             “ Now is that gratitude for everything I've done, or is it something else that’s got me on the run”

Salvador: ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith             “Everybody’s got their dues in life to pay.”

Axton: ‘Under Pressure’ by Queen (ft. David Bowie)             “Watching some good friends scream ‘Let me out!’“

Zer0: ‘Shout’ by Tears for Fears             “In violent times you shouldn’t have to sell your soul”

Gaige: “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics             “Everybody’s looking for something.”

Krieg: The Entire ‘Best of Queen’ Album that mysteriously keeps showing up in the car

(Bonus) Pandora as a Whole: ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns ‘n Roses

[ao3feed-nalu]

It's Their Turn

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Bi5gbX

by Wolfgirl147

There was a chill in the air that night. A chill that turns Lucy (light) into Lilith (Night Moster). As she brews a battlefield, defeating anyone who throws themselves into her path, Fairy Tail fears for the future of their Lucy. Their only hope to defeat her without killing her now is her best friend. It's time for the battle between Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel.

Words: 363, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Fairy Tail

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Mirajane Strauss, Cana Alberona, Levy McGarden, Gajeel Redfox, Juvia Lockser, Gray Fullbuster, Laxus Dreyar, Erza Scarlet, Elfman Strauss, Evergreen (Fairy Tail), Natsu Dragneel

Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia, Gajeel Redfox/Levy McGarden, Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser, Laxus Dreyar/Mirajane Strauss

Additional Tags: Lucy gone Evil, It's Their Turn, Wolfgirl147, Nalu - Freeform, Lucy vs Natsu, Natsu and Lucy Fight, Evil lucy

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2Bi5gbX

[sweetmemories2606]

Dangerous Game (Gruvia and NaLu fanfic) Chapter 7

This chapter introduces a ship which is still rather unknown and certainly underrated: MesCana (or Mest x Cana). Created by @tobethefairybest​, who made me fall in love with it, this pairing is fresh and adorable.

Title: Remembering Her Pairings: MesCana, minor Miraxus, very minor ElfEver

Link: Chapter 1, Chapter 7 Happy reading!                                  ----------------------                             Chapter 7: Remembering Her

                                September X791

"Mest Gryder, your mission is complete." Mest stared at Makarov in utter shock. Then his eyes caught the Fairy Tail mark which suddenly appeared on his shoulder. "What the hell is this?" He started freaking out. "Start talking!"

Makarov explained things calmly. How Mest always had that emblem, but concealed it once he began his mission. How he had erased his own memory to infiltrate the Magic Council.

Mest couldn't believe what he was hearing. Me? A member of Fairy Tail? It can't be.

Makarov noted how he was a good man, so devoted to protecting his guild that he had erased his own identity.

When Mest inquired about the time he had been infiltrating Fairy Tail for the Magic Council, the older man affirmed that's why he had been told not to erase his memories.

It was unbelievable, but suddenly the pieces started to come in. Flashback by flashback, Mest began to remember his life and the mission he had risked so much for. He's telling the truth. But this...is too much...

Makarov watched him quietly, a sympathetic look upon his face, letting the young man figure things out himself. Then his eyes wandered to someone behind Mest, making the latter turn around.

She was standing not far away, probably having heard what they said. Her eyes were widened, a look of pure shock on her face, but there was also recognition.

Cana….Mest remembered her. They had been childhood friends, as close as Natsu, Gray and Erza. They had shared everything for so long, but then he had left and she had been heartbroken.

"Mest?" Her voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Cana..." Mest stared at the woman in front of him in disbelief. I've missed her so much.

Makarov glanced between them with sadness. "I can only imagine how much you two must've missed each other. I'm sorry it had to be like this."

"I..." Cana struggled with words. "You...We were..."

"You remember?" Mest asked and she nodded, tears streaming down her face. He couldn't stop himself from crying too. It's finally over. I can come home to her.

                                ----------------------

Unfortunately, home ceased to exist for Makarov disbanded Fairy Tail that very night. While most people were confused, shocked and unaware, Mest knew this must be related to his mission.

He was proven right once the older man explained how there was nothing stopping Alvarez from invading Fiore now. Makarov had thought this was the best way to keep everyone safe in case they did.

He also made Mest promise not to tell anyone, not even Cana, about this threat. Briefly mentioning his intent to go to Alvarez to try and negotiate peace, Fairy Tail's master left before Mest could protest.

The next few months were weird. Despite remembering everything, Mest was unable to reunite with his comrades since each took a different path. Many disappeared, not to be seen nor heard from until a year later.

He was glad that at least Cana stayed. She helped him adjust to a life after his mission and their friendship soon resumed to what it had been before. They even moved in together, choosing to stay in Magnolia.

During this time Mest spent with her, he reflected a lot about the past and future. Now having all the information, he began seeing everything in a new light. That included his relationship with Cana.

Recalling every single moment, he wondered if there was something more to it. Analysing his feelings led to doubt, but also hope. The thought of loving her like he had watched Gray love Juvia or Jellal love Erza felt so right. Maybe I am in love with her.

But he needed to be sure, so he watched and waited to see if she gave any indication of returning his affection in a romantic way.

                                ----------------------

                               January X792

The answer came one night when she came home late at night and they had an honest, serious conversation.

She was very emotional that night, traumatised after being forced to watch her client be murdered in an exhausting mission. Involuntarily, every wound and tragic memory resurfaced. Cana talked about missing her mother, worrying she'd never see her father again, and fearing that he would leave her too.

Mest reassured her he wasn't leaving, voiced his hope that someday the guild could be together again and comforted her as he used to whenever she broke down.

She surprised him with an unexpected kiss. He eagerly replied but once able to think rationally, pulled apart.

Cana stared at him in confusion and slight embarrassment. She apologised, but he dismissed it. "There's no need to. It doesn't have to mean anything."

She sighed, seemingly disappointed. "I thought...you wanted it too."

Hopeful, Mest asked. "What do you mean?"

Cana shook her head. "Nothing."

He watched her begin to walk away. "Cana! Talk to me, please."

"There's nothing to talk about." She told him, bitterly. "You said it yourself, this doesn't mean anything."

He refused to let her go before they could properly talk about the kiss. The conversation that ensued was difficult, but they soon realised that they were on the same page.

After confessing to possibly having romantic feelings towards each other, the decision to try dating was unanimous and they sealed it with a passionate kiss.

                                ----------------------

                                     June X792

After five rather blissful months, they were reminded that the world was still collapsing when Jellal came and informed Mest that Alvarez had sent a demon to spy on Fiore.

Again he had to leave Cana behind in order to eliminate this threat. She was reluctant to let him go, but also understood he needed to. Truth be told, she also had a mission of her own to get back to: tracking down her father.

They said their goodbyes once he walked away from her, both starting to get teary eyed, they thought the same thing. I hope this goodbye won't last for years like last time.

Thankfully, 3 months was all Mest needed to complete his mission. Although he had actually thought it would be less, even with Jellal, Meredy and Mirajane's help, Lilith still evaded them. They worried about what she might be doing, hoping it wouldn't be too late to stop her.

They searched all over Fiore until Mirajane led them to Marguerite where she said Lilith's presence was stronger. Unfortunately, she had to leave them to go to Fairy Tail's reunion, so they were left without the person who could pose the greatest threat to the demon.

Marguerite turned out to be a bust since there were no signs of Lilith. Then, Meredy recalled that Gray and Juvia had lived not far, in Rainfall Village. They made the wise decision of checking out the couple's home and that's where they struck gold.

                                ----------------------

                                 One day later

"What happens now?"

"Now you eliminate Lilith." Mest said matter of factly.

"But..." Gray's confusion remained. "The only way to do that is to kill her host."

"Wait, what?" Erza's eyes widened.

"Are you suggesting that he kills Mirajane?" Lisanna asked in disbelief.

Before Mest could explain, there was a strike of lightning that almost hit him. What the hell?

"If he is, he'd better be ready to die." It was Laxus and the Thunder Legion who showed up all of sudden.

"Laxus!" Mira called his name, appearing relieved, while everyone else was surprised.

"Where have you guys been?" Elfman asked, eyes focused on Evergreen,

"It's none of your business." She snapped.

"I...I didn't expect you to come." Mest told Laxus, slightly afraid of the latter's death glare. He really is mad.

"Mira texted me." The dragon slayer said before turning to her. "Are you okay?"

Her face showed pain, but she put on a smile. "Yes, I'm alright."

"We should finish this quickly." Mest said, noticing her state. Looks like Lilith isn't as weakened as I assumed.

"Finish what exactly?" Freed asked, looking around curiously.

"It's a long story." Mirajane answered.

Mest spoke again. "We can explain things after Lilith is defeated." Using his magic, he retrieved the item they would need. A book. Lilith's book.

"How do you have that?" Mirajane was shocked.

"Doesn't really matter." He explained. "Now, can you trap her?"

After a moment of consideration, she nodded and approached him. He noticed that Laxus watched them with a glare. Is he...jealous?

Cana's look wasn't much different and Mest had a hard time ignoring her. Gotta focus now.

Everyone was silent again while Mirajane put a hand on the book and concentrated. The same dark cloud from before enveloped her before transferring to the book.

"There you go." She panted.

"Thank you." Mest told her, concerned by how pale she suddenly was. She doesn't look good. "You should get some rest now."

"I'm...fine." Mira stepped back, but soon her knees gave in. Being the closest person, he was the one to catch her.

"Mirajane!" There were multiple screams. Laxus moved at lightning speed and appeared by her side.

"I can take her now." His look was menacing, so Mest chose not to argue. Carefully he escorted Mirajane to the lightning dragon slayer.

"Laxus…" She whispered his name, weakly.

Holding her close, Laxus surveyed her worriedly. "How do you feel?"

"Just tired." She tried a smile.

"I'll help her too." Wendy, who was still healing Juvia, promised.

Wasting no time, Mest called the ice mage. "Gray, now it's your turn."

After a moment's hesitation, Gray nodded before rushing towards him.

Taking the book, the ice mage allowed his demon slayer magic to be activated. Within seconds, it had turned to dust, much to everyone's relief.

"She's finally gone now." Many people let out relieved sighs that the insanity was over.

"Good." Gajeel spoke after a moment of silence. "Now you can start explaining things."