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walpywalpy · 1 year ago

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WhiteRose Week 2023

Day 1: Night of the Body Swapping | Body Swapping

Weiss woke in a cold sweat as her breath exited her lungs rapidly. She holds her head in her hands and calms down. ‘What a nightmare,’ Weiss thought to herself. She looks at the dark dorm room surrounding her, but the perspective that she’s used to is…different. She was high up and overlooking the dorm. “Did Ruby drag me into her bed without me noticing?” she groaned to herself. Her eyes flew open as the voice that exited her lips wasn’t hers. She touches her hair and notices that it’s dramatically shorter.

“Weiss!” someone whispered. Well, not someone. It was Weiss’s but it didn’t come out of her. Weiss carefully dropped down and saw herself, panicking. “Who are you? Why do you look like me?” Weiss’s body pleaded.

“I’m Weiss. You called me,” Weiss said.

“WEISS?!” Weiss’s body exclaimed.

“Quiet you!” Weiss hushed. “Who are you?”

“It’s me. Ruby,” Ruby explains.

“Wha- why are you in my body?” Weiss shouts out.

“Shh!” Ruby hushes and Weiss hushes her back. “Okay, let’s calm down and figure out what’s wrong.” Weiss takes a deep breath and sits down on her bed.

“Okay, question,” Weiss says. “Did you dream anything? I had a nightmare and woke up in your body.”

“I did,” Ruby answers as she sits on Weiss’s bed. “I dreamt of being tied up. By a grimm and…someone.”

“I was dreaming the same thing,” Weiss says. She looked at Ruby and her blue eyes reflected the moonlight at her. “It’s bizarre talking to you like this.”

“It is,” Ruby mumbles. “Do you think our taste in food changed too?”

“What? No,” Weiss rejects. Ruby giggles and Weiss pinches the bridge of her nose.

“What if we go to the cafeteria?” Ruby suggests. “We can talk there without bothering Blake and Yang.”

“Good idea,” Weiss responds. She smirks and leans back on her bed. “I think the change in our bodies made you smarter.”

“No, it didn’t. I’m not as pompous anyways,” Ruby teases, and Weiss eyerolls.

“Whatever. Let’s go to the cafeteria.”

The halls of Beacon were quiet. Weiss latches her arms around Ruby’s.

“You scared?” Ruby whispers and Weiss shakes her head.

“Of course not. I can handle monsters. A hallway is barely comparable,” Weiss claimed with a pout. Ruby rubs Weiss’s hand gently, causing Weiss’s breath to soften on Ruby’s cheek.

“Feels weird hugging myself,” Weiss admits.

“Maybe you should do it more,” Ruby says. Ruby stops on her trail and thinks of something. Something so childish and stupid that she blushes. “Hey, this may sound weird but can we try something?”

“Later,” Weiss yawns. “I wanna get this done and get to bed.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ruby mumbles as her blush subsides.”

They arrive at the barren cafeteria and Ruby remembers the food fight they had the semester prior. It seemed so long ago, but she could still feel the feeling of her team by her side, fighting for one reason and one reason alone: to have fun. Ruby now understood every movement her team would make on the field and she feels that the fight helped immensely. She also understands Weiss on a deeper level. Maybe even more than herself. Ruby catches herself staring at Weiss. Well, really at herself. Something about seeing Weiss’s expression on her face added to it. She understood how Weiss was feeling at the moment, despite it being outside of her own body. That feeling was something Ruby usually feels from Weiss and it made her heart thump. Maybe, just maybe Weiss would let her use this whole situation as an excuse.

“What do you think is occurring, Ruby?” Weiss asks as she takes a seat at one of the tables.

“I’m not sure,” Ruby admits. “I’ve read about a lot grimm, but I’ve never heard of one that can swap bodies.”

“Maybe it’s a semblance?” Weiss asks. “Semblances tend to be more unorthodox than grimm.” Ruby ponders for a bit, tapping her finger on her lower lip.

“It could be. Maybe it’s a new first-year who isn’t used to their semblance.”

“Maybe,” Weiss responded. Weiss groans and lies down on the cafeteria bench. “Why us?”

“I don’t know,” Ruby admits.

“This was a waste of time,” Weiss complains. “Let’s just ask Ozpin tomorrow.”

“Can we still try the thing I have in mind?” Ruby blurts out.

“Sure,” Weiss groans. “What is it?” Ruby twiddles with her fingers and takes a deep breath.

“You said you aren’t used to hugging yourself but there is something that we can do now that we can never do later.”

“What’s that?” Weiss asks.

“Well you said you don’t hug yourself often…so when do you think we’d ever get the chance to kiss ourselves again?”

Weiss blushes as her feelings that have been brewing within the past two semesters come to a boiling point. “F-fine. Just for curiosity's sake,” Weiss whispers. Weiss wraps her arms around Ruby’s neck and looks into her eyes. “This is weird,” Weiss says as she stares into her own eyes.

“It is,” Ruby whispers back. Weiss grabs Ruby’s chin and inches herself closer. Ruby could feel Weiss’s breath on her face. Ruby stares down at her lips. “You ready?” Ruby asked in a hushed whisper.

“I suppose so,” Weiss replied as her heart pounded a mile a second. She wrapped her hand around Ruby’s head and gently pushed her into her lips.

It was bizarre for Ruby. On the one hand, she was panicking because she was finally kissing Weiss. On the other, she was kissing herself as Weiss. Weiss didn’t dare think like Ruby. She focused on what she was kissing: Ruby’s soul. No matter the body or reason, being able to kiss who is essentially Ruby is a dream come true.

And she wanted to make sure it was spectacular. Weiss ran her hand down Ruby’s back and brought her waist closer. Ruby laid her hands on Weiss’s shoulder. She closed her eyes and took it all in. Weiss ran her fingers from the top of Ruby’s scalp down to the tips of her hair. Weiss pulled away, but not before she gently bit Ruby’s bottom lip. “Well that was…nice,” Weiss admits.

“One more?” Ruby proposes. Weiss leaned in for another kiss.

This kiss was shorter, but it was still just as soft and passionate.

When Ruby pulled away, she looked at Weiss and saw blue eyes instead of silver. She gasped and looked down at her clothes. “We’re…back in our bodies,” Ruby says. Weiss runs her fingers through her hair and, sure enough, she was back.

“What happened?” Weiss asked, and Ruby hugged Weiss.

“I don’t know…” Ruby whispered.

Ruby tightened her hug slightly and began to think. “Ruby…” Weiss whispered. Ruby turns red and lets go of her hug.

“Sorry. Was I holding you too tight?” Ruby asks. Weiss shook her head and clung to Ruby’s hands.

“No,” Weiss admits as her face grew red. “I liked it actually…I just…” Weiss groaned and let go of Ruby’s hands. “Forget it.” Weiss began to stand up to leave.

“Weiss, wait.” Weiss stopped and sat back down. “I want to admit something.”

“What is it?”

“I…used this to try to get a kiss from you…” Ruby admits.

“You did this?” Weiss breathed out.

“No!” Ruby yelped as she turned into a deep crimson. “I had nothing to do with the body-swapping! But I did use it for a kiss.” Weiss looked at Ruby, who was hanging her head low with her hands held together on her lap. “I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry…”

“Put your head up. That’s no way for a leader to show herself.”

Ruby lifted her head and was surprised by Weiss’s lips on her own. Ruby’s eyes flew open as Weiss pulled away with pink cheeks. “If you ever want a kiss from me, just ask,” Weiss breathed. She stood up and took Ruby’s hand. “Let’s go. We need to get sleep before class tomorrow.”

“Yeah…” Ruby says dumbfoundedly. Weiss smiles and kisses Ruby’s cheek.

#rwby #whiterose #white rose #rwby weiss #weiss schnee #rwby ruby #ruby rose #whiterose week 2023 #whiterose week #rwby fanfiction #rwby fic

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ashyronfire · 1 year ago

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Red Sky at Morning || Chapter 29: Tell Me No More Stories

Title: Chapter 29 - Tell Me No More Stories Rating: M Characters: Grimm, The Grimm Troupe (including OCs), The Radiance

Warnings: Introspect-Heavy, Found Family, Pre-Canon, Time Travel Fix-It Adjacent, Grey-and-Grey Morality, Torture, Aftermath of Torture, Dismemberment, Graphic Depictions of Violence, The Author Likes Gore

Summary:

“Atlas says you’ve improved.” She looked at Pyre, then turned back to say, “Greatly. He keeps talking about wanting to fight you in the Nightmare. He says he feels like you are crippled here, even with your magic.”

Author’s Notes: In the interest of making this available to more people after AO3 crashed, I'm gonna put the chapter itself under a cut as well. Right now AO3 is up and probably fine -- but just in case. :>

CURRENT CHAPTER || READ FROM THE BEGINNING

The Second Cycle - Mulake

Grimm shared in the child’s memories.

There was more to it than just seeing. While he did look through its eyes, he could not describe it as simply viewing. Whenever Pyre brought the child back to the camp, its experiences came flooding back to him like a tidal wave. Every little scratch, every touch, the whispered words, the affection. The spell that bound the child to the charm also bound the charm to Pyre.

Their lives were woven together, kindling to flame and the ash that remained in their wake. He was terribly attached to the hybrid already. Sparring with him was going to be… an experience.

And they had an audience.

Pyre did not seem to mind. He looked very calm as he stepped into the makeshift arena. It was a particularly large grassy field that the Troupe had helped clear out the night before at Grimm’s suggestion, so that the grass was shorn short for ease of viewing and any rocks lingering around were removed to avoid unintentional injury. Pyre had shed his usual cloak in favor of bracers that protected his arms and legs, and a chestplate in crimson that matched Grimm’s own natural coloration. He’d brought with him an elegant nail inlaid with a webbed pattern that brought to mind a damselfly’s wings; the engravings ran from the pommel all the way to the tip, giving the optional illusion of angles to the shape. It was a curved longtail; that, it seemed, was Pyre’s weapon of choice. Grimm did not fight with one at all. He was not that kind of fighter. He was a magician. But Atlas was trying to teach him to fight without the use of his flames.

Against Atlas, that was going terribly. Pyre, he hoped, would prove to be another story.

“Are you sure you do not want to arm yourself?” Nightshade asked him. She had a new set of daggers in sheaths at her side; she held one out for him to look at. “Atlas is adept at forging; he’s been –”

“He is?” Grimm asked, puzzled.

“Yeah,” the moth answered. “He’s been making weapons for all of us. He made Marra the most wicked scythe I’ve ever seen. Alula has a long nail, Atlas has his axe – that thing’s heavier than I am, by the way – and he even gave Reed some daggers like mine. He’s been teaching Mist to use a staff, too. Mist doesn’t really like blades.”

Making weapons for everyone but him, it seemed. He’d known Atlas used an axe, although he’d never bothered with weapons when fighting Grimm. He rarely needed to. He had the physical advantage.

He handed the dagger back. He had a staff, made elegantly by Marra, but he considered it to be more of a show piece than something for actual use. He’d be devastated if it was damaged in combat. All he actually used when sparring was his claws. Maybe he should learn to do more, but it was a rather redundant thought right before a sparring match.

“He never told me he was a smith,” Grimm observed; he glanced into the group assembling around them. Every Troupe member was present, but what fascinated him the most was that Mist was perched near Fae and ignoring everyone else entirely. And he had something over his head: a piece of filmy fabric held in place by woven bands around his mask. “When did our butterfly become so fond of the flashier twin?”

“Fae’s been teaching him about butterfly culture, actually,” the moth hummed. “Pyre gave him that veil. Apparently, there is a lot about butterflies we did not know.”

Did not remember, more like.

He knew, instantly, that veils had significance. The memory came flooding back, unbidden: wearing veils was a social symbol among their kind. Different colors denoted different things. Black was, traditionally, mourning, but adorning it with gems meant that the wearer was of considerable status. The twins did not wear veils, despite being half-butterfly, but clearly, they knew the importance of them.

He did not often think about such things. Who they were before the Troupe was of no great consequence to Grimm. They were his people and he was fond of them as they were. It should have occurred to him, though, that Mist would want to know more about where he came from. Especially since they were both the very last butterflies left in the world of that particular tribe.

Grimm would speak with him after the fight. Not just because he wanted to know what Fae was teaching him, but he also wanted Mist to know what memories he had from Luster. That had felt like a forbidden topic for so long, considering how young the butterfly was when he’d joined them, but…

Not anymore.

Mist was not young in truth now, and he would never be old, either.

“I like his veil,” Nightshade continued. “He’s very fond of it. It belonged to their mother, the twins. Pyre seemed to like that it was going to someone who would take good care of it. That it would be worn for eternity.”

That fit. Pyre was a sentimental creature.

“Speaking of him,” the moth continued. “He brought back the little one. It’s mean of you to send the baby away. Do you not realize how cute little-you is?”

He knew. He even agreed, strange though it might have been for him to admit.

“It is better,” Grimm told her.

“How is it better? You are a part of this family, you jerk. You need to remember that.”

It was better because he wanted to be more than he was. He wanted to be a thing apart. He wanted to learn from others, to take in their experiences, to –

To what?

To fix the holes in his heart, ever glowing like his eyes? To fix who he was, in hopes that he would become someone more worthy of the love that people offered him? Perhaps. Or maybe he was projecting. Maybe he just wanted to look into the mirror and like the person looking back at him.

(Time. Time would give him that.)

“Root for me,” Grimm asked of Nightshade; he twitched his tail and smiled behind his mask. “Your husband beats me up often enough. I need something to assure me that I am not totally hopeless.”

That was eerily close to how Cross had once described him and, inadvertently, it dug deep into an old wound. There was a time when those words would have paralyzed him. He did not think Cross would ever be a wound that fully healed. He saw the snail in everything. But Grimm was surprised to find that while it did feel a little like being slapped, the sharp ache to his heart faded. Atlas was not Cross, and Atlas meant it as a compliment, in his own way.

(And Atlas hadn’t given up on him, either. Stubborn moth.)

“If I manage to win, I will grant your husband’s wish,” he told her. “I will let him find out what it is like to fight the real me.”

“Can I watch?”

His tail playfully undulated to the side. “Perhaps.” But likely not. He did not like disrupting dreams, but he would make an exception to challenge Atlas in the Nightmare. He wanted to let him see exactly how right he was… because he was correct: in the real world, he was crippled, bound by mortal laws, tied to a physical form. He was not physical in his own world. He wasn’t anywhere close to crippled there.

He'd enjoy that fight immensely. But only if he managed to win. Only if he managed to prove that he could. Otherwise, what was the point? To lose to Atlas, as he had so many times before? No, thank you.

Grimm turned and crossed the field. The clearing was good enough for a normal spar. Pyre met him in the middle of it, and the child left the hybrid’s shoulder to fly over to him. He held one hand up and stroked its wings before sending it to settle on Nightshade’s lap (Complain less, moth).

“Are you sure that you are up to this?” Pyre asked him. “Iris told me you’ve been taking her venom. If you are not well…”

How sweet.

“I assure you that I am fine. Do you intend to use magic?” Grimm hummed, turning his head to the side. At Pyre’s nod, he said, “Then I will, too.”

“I would hope so.”

“Are you ready, my friend?” Grimm asked, with Pyre nodding again, and then he offered a flourishing bow, one wing spread at his side. “Then dance with me,” he purred. The lilt in his voice was impossible to miss. Musical.

He did so like to put on a show.

Pyre did not bow back, though he did hesitate (as though considering doing so – perhaps he’d never seen anyone bow in combat, considering that he had so little experience in it in a less life-or-death situation?). He launched forward with a slash, and Grimm teleported away with a soft ‘pop’ – which was perhaps not the most charitable response, but he was not about to be hit while he was being polite.

Rude, Pyre. Very rude.

He reappeared on the other side of the hybrid, who had whirled to meet him. Pyre raised his nail to parry Grimm’s clawed slash and then struck downward. Grimm danced out of the way of it and swiped again, and –

There was a tempo to it, wasn’t there? He’d called it a dance, and fighting was a dance. One-two step.

(Did practicing with Atlas have a similar flow? You slice, I slash. You back up, I step forward. I retreat and you close distance. Was it always like that?)

The sound of metal hitting his claws was loud. They reverberated and felt numb to him. He needed to get better protectors for them if he was going to use them in physical combat, he realized.

Slice. Parry. Scratch.

Rhythm. There was a melody to each movement and he hummed quietly to himself to match it. Pyre no doubt heard him but did not question what he was doing – which was kind of him, as Grimm did not know.

What he did know was that Pyre failed to dodge one of his attacks, and his claws ripped through his shoulder nastily.

Lost the tempo. Fell out of step. The next two hits landed soundly: one-two scratch.

(Give him a minute to get up.

Would a real opponent? No. But it wasn’t a real fight.

He’d drawn hemolymph first.

But he wanted to win. He wanted to win.

He wanted to win fairly. Give him a minute.)

Grimm scurried backwards, giving Pyre more space. The hybrid leapt back to his feet and then –

Threw his nail across the field. That was unexpected. Grimm dodged out of the way of it, only to be sliced on its return as magic propelled it back to its owner. He felt the wound gape in his side over tender scar tissue.

One-two slice.

He dodged. He parried. He moved like he owned the ground, and Grimm was surprised to find that he felt like he did. There was something incredibly satisfying about keeping the tempo, keeping to the melody, like – like –

Left. Right.

One-two scratch.

(You slice, I back up. I fill the distance with my own claws.)

He landed more blows than he took, but Pyre’s nail managed to nick his wings in several places, and at least once on his arm. It was good practice, even as his fingers started to numb from using the length of his claws to block attacks.

(They were going to be so, so sore.)

Every time one of them fell out of the tempo, they took a hit, he noticed. There was synergy between the two of them, and as long as he continued to hum along to it, he… didn’t falter.

Dirt kicked up under scuffling feet as Pyre dashed at him, both hands clenched on the hilt to swing the blade down, and the reaction was instant. Grimm jumped and landed, squarely, on the edge of the blade. He perched, crouched, fingers on one end and feet under him; his claws came up, then, to catch the hybrid’s face; Pyre’s grip on the blade faltered under his weight, the nail hitting the ground, but Grimm himself did not fall, levitating in the air.

Fire danced from his fingertips and flared, blindingly bright, right in Pyre’s eyes.

“Live up to your name. Burn for me.”

As he spoke, Pyre hissed and half-screamed, stumbling back and clutching his face. That was almost enough to make him feel guilty.

Almost.

Grimm skittered backwards, essence spirals trailing in his wake and he stopped far enough away to avoid a counterattack.

He could end it now. He could –

That thought was interrupted by fire igniting underneath him. Unlike his own flames, which were undeniably scarlet, Pyre’s were a rich orange that seared up like a vortex. If he was anyone else, he would have been screaming as his wings shriveled in the heat.

Instead, he called magic into them. His intention was to use them to wrap up Pyre, to disable him, but that was not what happened. No, as if of their own accord, his wings shot into the ground, burrowing serpentine beneath it. Flames rolled down his back, trailed over the extended lengths, and exploded out of the ground directly in front of Pyre, sending him careening into the air.

…when had he learned—

In the middle of a fight was not the best time to think about the fact that his wings seemed to have taken on a mind of their own; he could analyze it later.

He teleported, then, and when the still-blind hybrid hit the ground, Grimm landed on top of him, claws wrapping around his throat, piercing shell a little.

Pyre coughed. His throat spasmed between Grimm’s fingers. “You’re fast,” he panted. “And your fire is nasty. I relent. I need – I need –”

“Alula will have a salve for your eyes,” Grimm answered, releasing his throat. “You seared my wings.”

“You started with the fire.” Pyre coughed and brought his hands up to his eyes, his nail falling to his side. “Going for the eyes. That is a bit dishonorable—”

“It’s fucking brilliant, actually,” came the brusque correction. Grimm looked up to see Atlas approaching, one hand held out to the fallen twin. “Where the fuck is that when you fight me, princess? Where is this jumping on blades and dodging by a hair’s breadth instead of getting punched in the guts like you like it? Where the hell is any of this coming from? I’ve never seen you do most of that.”

One-two slash.

Pyre took Atlas’s hand and sat up. “Brilliant or not, my eyes –”

“You’ll be fine.” Atlas did not sound sympathetic at all. Grimm had thought that he and Pyre were friends. Or… at least friendly? “Alula will fix you right up.”

Pyre looked incredibly unhappy.

(Pyre was a bad patient, Grimm realized. As bad a patient as Grimm himself was. Even if he was fond of Alula – and he clearly was – he was not relishing the idea of being doted on. Grimm felt some sympathy for that. Good luck.)

The child rose from Nightshade’s lap and flew over to daintily land on Pyre’s shoulder. It mrrr’d quietly, bumping its head into his chin, and the annoyance on the twin’s face dissolved away immediately.

“Your father is a bit mean,” Pyre told the child, to Grimm’s quiet laughter. The hybrid leaned down conspiratorially. “I forgive him, though. Even if you and I are more alike right now than usual. Both of us blinded.”

“It can see,” Grimm corrected. “Through my eyes.”

The little buzz of wings told him that Pyre was aware and did not care. Dissociating the two of them, father, and child, seemed to be preferable. Easier for him to process, perhaps.

Pyre patted the child’s back and looked sideways at Grimm. “Next time, you will not get a chance to use such underhanded tricks. Think of something more clever.”

He was very hung up on it being ‘underhanded.’ Grimm was of the opinion that winning was more important than honor, to some degree.

He would ask Atlas if he was wrong about. But it did not sound like he was.

A real enemy would not ask permission before wounding someone, after all.

“I want to keep records.”

Grimm lifted his head to look over his shoulder. Mist stood in the entrance to the tent, arms folded, the short veil that Pyre gave him covering his face, and his wings were twitching slightly at his lower back. Usually when they moved, it meant that he was agitated. His voice alone gave that away, though. Mist sounded positively distressed.

Grimm had meant to talk to him, he had – he’d just… put it off, in part because of dread, in part because of being busy.

“Fae has been teaching me,” Mist continued.

“Has he?” Grimm hummed. He’d noticed the two of them together while he was dueling with Pyre; he’d retreated to his tent after the fight to let the hybrid and Alula have some alone time, for his own injuries were superficial by comparison. He did not ask where Fae went after the fight. The older twin was still something of a mystery. He’d taken to Mist immediately, but not to Grimm.

“Yes. About butterflies. About my culture.” Mist sat on the end of the table, pulling his knees up to his chest. “I didn’t know that our people have an oral tradition of storytelling, or that – that some of them keep complex recordings of every culture they visit. Nomadic. Like we are.” He took a long, shaky breath. “We are bad at being butterflies.”

Perhaps.

“So you want to keep records of the kingdoms we’ve visited, then?” Grimm asked, his tail coming up to undulate behind him. He was fiddling with the enchantments on a hilt not unlike the one he’d made for Iris. “What is stopping you?”

“I want you to, too.”

Ah?

He’d been keeping records for a long time. Ever since his first life. He’d started keeping them after Cross – at an off-hand suggestion from Nightshade. They were wrapped scrolls and bound into shellwood or silks to form books. No one in the Troupe had ever seen them. He did not intend to speak of their existence, either.

“Have you seen my handwriting?” Grimm teased. “It is barely legi—”

“You carry on my brother’s legacy. You owe him this.”

Oh, Mist was pulling no punches, was he?

Grimm turned his head to the side and then exhaled. This was bound to come up eventually, he thought. He’d learned of butterfly culture from Luster’s memories. Though it had been so long (how long? Centuries?) he could recall the events of his first body’s life with absolute clarity. In many ways, it was almost as though he and Luster had become one. The others did not remember him – including Mist. Mist knew of him, but could not recall Luster’s face, Luster’s voice, anything about him. All that he knew was what Grimm deigned to tell him.

He'd thought that kinder, once, but –

Maybe it was not.

Butterflies, as a culture, had oral traditions: they told stories around their campfires every night, for their children and for their adults. Legends. Myths. Some were invented on the spot and some were passed down. They performed music for one another, too, and he could not help but wonder if his fondness for it was at least in part fueled by Luster’s. They’d invented string instruments (was that why he’d picked one?). They existed in small packs and traveled. They never stayed anywhere too long. And they kept intricate, highly detailed chronicles, scrolls and books.

Mist was right. Butterflies were nomadic the same way that the Troupe was. Were they really all that different? But the tribe that he and Luster hailed from was different, because they’d settled in one place. They’d devoted their existence to the worship of the void at the shores of the great swell of darkness. Their people adopted Alula and Nightshade’s family and the others that had come with them. When they died, they threw themselves into the void sea as an offering, to return to the nothingness from whence they came. And when they became adults, they partook of it, ingesting it to forever be dying.

Luster’s past was poisoning him, slowly. The void did not give back what it took.

“ – please, I know, but—”

Speaking. Ah. He’d – he’d missed part of that.

“Come again?” he asked. Mist gave him a funny look. “I was thinking about what you asked.”

“I was reiterating that… bad handwriting or not. You’re the last of my people. Other butterflies exist, but you’re the last of my kind. Our kind, really, you’re one of us, but –”

“No, you had the right of it,” Grimm corrected. “Your people. I am a thing apart and I am not the god that they worshipped.”

He’d been thinking the same, though, that while he’d long abandoned Luster’s body, he had a responsibility to uphold his memory. In many regards, he considered himself a living tribute to a people long deceased: the last will and testament of a culture long gone. With that in mind, did Grimm not think that it was a good idea to preserve all that he knew, in case he himself forgot? In case he, himself, faded?

(He, who could not die?)

But…

He was not sure that ripping open that scar was the best of ideas. Mist did have a right to know. He did have a right to learn about the culture that he’d come from, the people he’d left behind. Alula and Nightshade would want to know what they’d lost, too. The problem was that poking a festering wound risked letting them remember it, and they’d given their memories up willingly to him in order to escape them.

(They are not the same people that they were that day on the banks of the void sea. They have grown. They are not alone anymore. No longer are Alula and Nightshade barely adults who’ve lost everything that they’ve ever loved. No longer do they have nothing left in the world but each other. They have you. They have Marra, Atlas, Mist, Reed. They may even have Iris, Fae, and Pyre. They are not alone. Will it hurt them, truly, if they should get those memories back?

Do you want to risk it?)

“You would have me record your people’s history, as Luster knew it, then?” he asked Mist; he let his tail flick to the side. “You may remember things that you would rather forget. Reading it could bring back the memories you gave to me. I cannot promise they are lost forever. If you stare too far into the dark, you cannot be surprised when eyes meet your own. Is that a risk you would be willing to take, my friend?”

Mist may have looked like a child but treating him like one would be disrespectful. Even if it felt kinder to hide from him the things that Grimm knew would hurt. And they would hurt.

Those were not memories that he would enjoy having.

That culture was dead, but they’d suffered in their dying. They were hurt, tormented, purged like a sickness from the earth by his sister. She’d burnt them away with fire. In their dying moments, they prayed to a god that did not answer and might not have even existed.

The void did not feel. It was a vast reservoir of power, yes, an endless fount. And it felt nothing at all for their problems. What care had it, when in the end all would return to it eventually?

The butterflies of that tribe worked hand-in-hand with the snails who worshipped the void’s magic, who were fixated with understanding its very nature. Cross was one such snail, and Grimm – Grimm had his memories, too. They’d intrinsically understood the nature of the void, of Soul, and of the beast that slumbered near that sea, whose blood flowed cerulean and could heal any wound.

Where there is death, there must also be life. All things in balance.

“I need to know my history. I need to know where I came from,” Mist told him, his head bowing. “I want to be a butterfly in truth. Right now I’m just… a strange moth at best.”

“The Moth Tribe has a very similar outlook on history. They do not tell stories as much, but they do keep records. Butterflies and moths have ever been two sides of the same coin. One flies in the day and the other under the cover of moonlight, but you are not that different of creatures.”

Mist fluttered his wings, agitated. Grimm lifted one hand to brush his fingers over the butterfly’s mask. “You know your history. You know your past. You are yourself. You have ever been. What you remember is your truth. What came before is what you left behind.”

That got him a slanted look, a slight glare, and Grimm smiled, a squint of scarlet behind the mask, and then he said, “But I have given you warning enough. I will grant your request. If your heart breaks at the history that you learn – for it is not the most pleasant story to tell, why else would you have given it up? – that is not something I will be held accountable for. Do you agree?”

He could deny Mist nothing.

He’d promised Luster, once upon a time, to look after his brother. Keep him safe, happy, give him the life that he deserved. He might not have always succeeded at that, but he was trying to get better, and if nothing else, he deserved acknowledgment for the effort.

Grimm was trying.

Mist shook his head. “I… I agree. I won’t blame you. But you can’t protect me forever. Not from everything.”

So sayeth he. That would not stop Grimm from trying.

Alula’s tent smelled heavily of medicine: a little bitter, with the heavy stench of alcohol only barely disguised by floral notes found in the soaps and cleaning agents. She combatted that scent with candles and her sister’s herb sticks, but there really was no way of ‘fixing’ it. She cleaned wounds. She kept the majority of her tent sterile. She was always soaking utensils. If she was in the process of taking care of someone or had recently, it would always be particularly pungent.

He found it comforting.

It was the dead of night, well after the sun had set. Pyre had retreated to one of the empty tents, with Fae and presumably Iris, and strangely, Marra was not with Alula. She was by herself.

He found her wiping down one of the chairs. Probably where she’d sat the hybrid down when she treated his eyes. Grimm had waited a few hours to give her plenty of time quite intentionally, but –

“The eyes were a vicious move,” the moth scolded. “In a real fight, the right choice. We really must teach you the difference between that and a spar, though.”

“He will heal, will he not?” Grimm asked curiously. Alula leveled him a disapproving stare from behind her mask as he crossed the threshold to sit on her table. He perched like he owned it. She always looked annoyed when he did that – which was, of course, why he did it. “And it gave you an excuse to give him medical treatment. Should you not be thanking me?”

“He’s as awful a patient as you are. Barely sat still once his sight returned. Kept insisting that he had things to do. And do you know, I considered pinning his wings to the floor.” She sounded so exasperated; he was deeply amused.

Grimm pulled his legs up and crossed them underneath him. “I might have been a little mean on purpose. I might be… still upset on behalf of Marra.”

That declaration earned him the most withering look. She pulled her mask off, stepped over in front of him, and yanked him down by his horns to meet his gaze. “Then you should be dropping firebombs in Marra’s eyes as well, because they are as much in the wrong as –”

“Lulu, I am on your side on this. I told them to talk to you,” he interrupted. “Do not berate me so.”

“Stay out of it then.” Her tone was sharp. Disapproving. And exhausted. He immediately felt guilty.

No. It was not his business or his place to tell Alula what to do with her relationships, and never would he presume to do so. She deserved to be happy, whatever it took, and if that meant being with Pyre instead of Marra… he would try to understand. He was attached to the dragonfly, she knew that, but he was also becoming very fond of Pyre. It was a complicated situation.

And she was right. It had nothing to do with him. He was not at all in a position to tell her what to do with her life. But…

He brought his hands up to catch her face and pulled her closer to press his forehead to hers.

“I want to see you happy, mama.” She was not his real mother but she was close enough that he was willing to fake it for her. “If it makes you feel any better, I promise that I will not say anything to Pyre, nor will I try to sway any of your decisions or Marra’s. I simply told them to talk to you. To make choices with you, instead of excluding you. That making them on their own without you involved was an injustice to you.”

The moth sighed and brought one hand up to scratch his horns. The shell was a little loose there, over the ridges where they tapered, and her claws gently dislodged some of the shedding bits. It chased away the itch, so he leaned his head into the touch instinctively.

“They did talk to me,” she told him. “For all the good that it did. It is Pyre that they need to talk to. But you stay out of it. And stop bullying Pyre because you’ve got a favorite. Marra would not want you doing that, either.”

She was right, he knew.

He laid his head against hers, closing his eyes slowly.

“I want them all three to stay with us,” Grimm told the moth and Alula laughed. “Oh, stop. It is not because of the twins at all. They are… an added bonus. For you and for Iris. But she is the reason I want them to stay. She is, not them.”

That made her somber up a little.

“She reminds you of your hurts.” At his nod, Alula continued, “And what you’ve overcome. What you have survived. That’s a poor reason to want to keep someone, though. You shouldn’t offer unless you have a better one than that. Iris deserves to be more than just a monument to your pain. She’s a living, thinking person, with feelings and hurts of her own. You’re not the only one who has suffered.”

He knew that. He did. She was right, though, to say it. Just because he was aware did not mean that he was consciously thinking about it at all.

“And you.” Alula’s words drew him sharply out of his thoughts. “Mister chronically single, wants no relationships, needs no one else, happy-by-myself. When you are in a committed relationship, then and only then do you get to start trying to give me or anyone else advice on that matter. Do you understand me?”

He laughed. She was right. He did not want any kind of relationship of that nature. He was not exactly ‘happy,’ but he did not want to give his broken and damaged heart to anyone else.

Better that he be alone than ever subject someone else to the storm that was his entire being. His was a soul on fire, burning forever. No one else needed to sear.

“Yes, mother.”

#ashe writes #red sky #rs chapter #hollow knight #hk fanfic #hollow knight fanfic

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strykingback · 1 year ago

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RESCUE MISSION EVENT- ATTACKING THE ARES

Note- This is just a drabble that takes place during Phase Two of the Rescue Mission. Anyone participating may feel free to have their muses react to whats happening through dash commentary, but cannot reply.

_____________________

OST: Arrival of Rescue

"Corvette Runners one, two and three. You guys are cleared to land over." Ace would say over the comms. "Copy that, Liberation. Thanks for the escort." the lead Corvette runner would say with all three rescue ships landing on the snowy land of Balders Island along with the Liberation.

"Eros. Just made it back with the Corvette Runners how about you guys?"

"We're just entering the base now. Thankfully it seems that all seems quiet on our end. Looks like the enemy must've retreated deeper into the base. Outside things look okay I would say keep watch for-. Wait hold on, something is entering Balders Islands airspace..?" Eros said.

"Well... it seems that the Atlesian Military has decided to get themselves involved.... this time with their pride and joy of an airship. Putting it on screen now for you Ace." Guangxian would say over the comms with one of the outer cameras revealing the ship.

"Thats the Ares. Atlas' pride and fucking joy of an dreadnaught class airship right there..... and if that is there then. FUCK ME! An enemy must've sent Atlas a serious distress signal! Guangxian what weapons onboard the Ares am I dealing with?"

"Lots of railgun cannons, machine guns, missiles, and plenty more.... the only thing I can say to prevent any further damage and this one I would say is very serious coming from me. Only disable the weapons.... and dont destroy the whole ship. If that thing goes down then Atlas is going to lose the one warship that could easily repel a MASSIVE grimm horde." Guangxian said.

"Well you heard the man, Ace! Thats your new orders. Get it done mate. Out." Eros would say ending the communications with Ace, while the pilot looked ahead of what was to come......

"Glad I did record that final message video for you ma and sis....." Ace said smirking a bit, gripping the controls of the Liberation tightly. "Come on old friend...." he said with the mechs eyes flashing a bright green.

"LETS SHOW THESE ATLESIANS WHY THE LIBERATION WAS FEARED BACK IN THE DAY!!!!!"

Ace would shout, moving the Liberation to take to the skies and launch itself out into the air, the sky being the only limit. While his mind focused on what was to come....for the Atlesians they were unaware of what was heading their way.

OST: Liberated Pride.

Aboard the Ares the admiral looked at the sky ahead upon the bridge. "Sir, we should be nearing Balders Island soon....dont you think its weird for the Solitas Liberation PMC to be sending a distress signal about a massive Grimm Horde attacking them?" A captain asked the admiral while he turned around.

"Captain, there is nothing to fear. After all if it is a massive Grimm Horde then that is what the Ares is for. Plus should the time come it was built for such a thing to handle anyways." The Admiral responded, until a light beeping noise was heard.

"Sir! We have an enemy inbound... and its just one!?!" An operator of the bridge said.

"Put it on the screen now!!!" The Admiral barked quickly, with the operator putting the "enemy" on screen showing the Liberation flying directly at the Ares. "What?! Thats the Liberation!?! What would Brumel's own war machine be present here!?!" The admiral said listening to everyones shock and horror about the mech that left Atlas embarassed.

"Everyone cannons up! If anything its just a mere specter and after all.... things have changed and Atlas has advanced..... just like Brumel.....and if it is an enemy...... we shall shoot it down. Atlas Endures!!!!" The Admiral said with everyone rushing to their positions on the cannons ready for the fight that was to come.

"Vanguard at the ready! Backlines be sure to check our six in case of any enemy bogeys!" The captain of the Ares spoke while the Admiral looked ahead.

"Alright, Liberation.... lets put on a show!!!!" He said moving the mech towards the approaching vanguard of Atlesian ships. Which he activated the twenty millimeter cannons aiming at the weapons and nothing else beginning to fire at them while air dashing left and right to avoid any enemy lasers and gun fire which would become disabled. As the first three airships were disabled.

"Sir! We lost all our weapons!!! Damn that thing is fast.... just what did Brumel upgrade this thing with!?!" A captain of the vanguard force said with shock with the admirals eyebrow furrowing because of it.

"Vanguard fall back! Everyone get those weapons ready and be prepared to knock that thing out of the air. Also if it does manage to knock out our weapons... lets let the Hero of Atlas take care of it...." he spoke crossing his arms.

Finally back with the Liberation, the mech would fire out another shot from its cannons striking the last of the weapons of the vanguard before flying towards the Ares. In which in response many many lasers, railgun cannons and missiles were being shot at the mech to try and knock it down. Some hits were grazes, and others were near hits..... for Ace he knew full-well that if one of those things managed to get to him.... it would be game over....

"Come on! At least try and give me a damn challenge!!!" Ace would say moving the Liberation across the fight, pulling the controls down to fly the mech into the air while his teeth gritted.... trying to not let it get hit by any rail guns or grazes. With Ace pressing a few buttons quickly to change the cannons into missile launchers on the Liberations wrists.

Immediately Ace's semblance kicked in finding three weakspots..... as he had to fly the Liberation... INSIDE THE ARES. "Fuck.... of all places. I just need to disable those weapons and then everyone can be safe." Ace said to himself, but a little smirk came onto his face. However, how can one say he is ready to die without knowing that he is. Which he would fly the mech towards one of those weak points on the side while still being trailed by enemy fire until flying towards a door which Ace aimed both missiles at blowing it open and flying right in carefully.

"Sir!! The enemy has entered the drive block!!!!" An operator shouted.

"What!?! Activate the internal defenses! We cannot let that demon of hell destroy the drive block!!" The Admiral said with the automated defense systems inside the dreadnaughts driveblock firing at the Liberation, with the mech firing back at the defenses just to get to one of the weapon drives....

and lo and behold. One of the weapon drives were insight as Ace pressed the trigger on the joystick firing a missile at it, rendering the first weapon drive silent.

"Sir! we lost the starboard weapon drive!!!!"

"Impossible!!! And the internal defenses in the drive block!?!"

"Weakening sir! The Liberation is tearing us apart from the inside!!!!"

"S-Such a beast..... theres no choice. To kill a beast we need one of equal strength! Tell Colonel Cordovin to get the Prometheus ready to mobilize! We need her out there now!!!" The Admiral shouted immediately commanding to get Cordovin out there.

Next another two Weapon Drives were destroyed with Ace on the inside smiling as if he was enjoying this. Almost like he found the perfect piece ever.... even if it has a lot of strength on the inside there is always a weakness on the inside. "Stern and Portside weapon drives have been destroyed!!! We'll be sitting ducks if he goes after the bow weapon drive" An operator said.

"There is no reason to fear. I shall deal with the threat myself... do tell me the vermins location. I know the pilot all too well..." Cordovin said on the operators comms.

"He's... headed back outside just a few minutes away from you Colonel...."

"Good because rats like him.... deserve nothing more but punishment!!!!" Cordovin would say launching the Prometheus out from its hangar and towards Ace which the mech would boost from the tunnel and towards the outside sliding to a halt ready to blast off.

"Good... all I now need to do is get back on ground. Even with the Bow Weapons still active they would not want to risk wanting to just launch any missiles at the Corvette Runners. But inside...the defenses were quite nothing. Lets get on out of here and get back." Ace said moving the Liberation as the engines were about to launch out until a laser swipe came out of the blue forcing Ace to pull the Liberation back.

"What the fu-!?!"

"Captain Ace Hughes, You are not such a villain that I thought you would be.... nay. You are no more than a mutt to me!" Cordovin would say with the Prometheus landing her mech on the ground as it seemingly "glared" at it's opponent.

"No, even further you are beneath me. just nothing more but vermin!" She would say with the visor coming down upon the Prometheus' "face" as she launched it at the Liberation.

"FUCK YOU CORDOVIN!!!!!" Ace would roar in return as the Liberation launched itself at the Prometheus with both mechs swinging a punch at eachother as the force caused both mechs to launch backwards and onto the ground with both shooting at eachother causing significant damage to each other as Ace immediately moved the Liberations left arm more forward for the interchangeable cannon to change from its missile mode to its 20 mm cannon mode. Firing a shot at the Prometheus which Cordovin attempted to fly out of the way but was struck by it staggering the mech.

In which... as she hit her head against the console a slight trick of blood was coming down from her forehead. "What... no no... this is merely nothing to me!!!" She said, looking at her mechs camera visual to see the Liberation rushing in with Ace roaring from the speakers. "Out of my sight vermin!!!!" She said using her laser swiper to swing the Prometheus laser weapon in front of her as the effect took place causing the Liberation to lose its left arm and even staggering the once powerful Brumelian weapon.

"Fuck..... me...." Ace said with his helmet being cracked and if it was not for him putting the left arm of the Liberation up in time... the core/cockpit would have been badly damaged and he himself being wounded as well..... still he did do his best to minimize the damage....

"So thats what you are huh!?! Some shit pilot who is just a relic of the past?!?! I bet you didnt even find a purpose to live yet haven't you?! Not happy with that position you were given despite all that boasting about wanting to be a general!?!?!" Ace shouted which for Cordovin she gritted her teeth at that insult.... being reminded of that damnable ceremony and how her pride soared.... but she had to kill to get to where she wanted to be...only to be shafted at the last second....

"You... dare! insult me for that you- Ack!!!!" She would shout feeling the force of the interchangeable mace striking the Prometheus which she attempted to counter it with a laser swipe but failed as the arm holding it was cut off from the extreme blunt force. With Ace moving the Liberation to charge in.....

"SAY GOODNIGHT! YOU RELIC OF THE PAST!!!!!!!"

Ace would roar out.... but finally Cordovin could only remember her training being made fun of for her size, being shafted by the military she loved oh so-dearly, and that fool of a father... which on the back of the Pometheus something opened up as it flowed and hummed with energy. No... that was something else....which when Ace noticed it at the last second.... that was the power generator on the Prometheus..... was flowing with one thing....

Fusion Energy...

"OUT OF MY WAY VERMIN!!!!!"

Cordovin shouted with the assault pulse being released causing massive damage to both the Liberation and the Prometheus but also to both pilots inside their mechs... as inside both were showing signs of exhaustion.

Inside the Prometheus, Cordovins right eye was bloodshot, her body already being stabbed by some debris from both the Liberation and the Prometheus.... while blood rolled down her eye and head even more than ever....

Within the Liberation Ace's helmet was fully broken shards of glass pierced his skin and thankfully none hitting his eyes as he was stabbed by some debris and such with hints of light coming through from outside showing that the cockpit was damaged.

Finally both sides felt a hint of sweat hit the floors of their cockpits, with Cordovin being the first to make a move.

"FIRST IT WAS MY OWN FATHER WHO COULD NOT SEE THE POTENTIAL WITHIN ME WHICH I GLADLY PUT IN A FALSE REPORT AND WATCHED HIM DIE , THEN IT WAS THAT SAME MACHINE YOU PILOT THAT HAUNTS MY VERY DREAMS TO THIS DAY! THEN THOSE FOOLS AT COMMAND NOT SEEING MY VERY STRENGTH!!! I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL UNDERFOOT!!!!" Cordovin roared shooting some missiles at the Liberation as she took a deep breath..

"I AM ATLAS!!!!!!!!"

Cordovin would scream at the top of her lungs with everyone on board the bridge being shocked what they had just heard from her..... how hard she worked fro them.... and how she could easily steal the fire from someone and claim it as their own.

Which Ace moved the Liberation out of the way while he panted coughing up some blood. "Oi Liberation... give me everything right.... All of it.. I want to see our friends again and live...." He said gripping it tightly... while Cordovin was left astounded to hear Ace speaking to his own mech. Which she would smirk knowing he was about to die...

but inside the Liberations cockpit Ace hit a red button that said.

THE HELLHOUND OF LIBERATION...

The mechs eyes would change from its greenish color to a deep red... flashing at Cordovin, causing her to visibly flinch at the sight with her panting becoming uneven.... and her hands trembling...

"LETS END THIS, LIBERATION!!!!!!" Ace roared out with the whirring of both fusion reactors inside reaching its limits as Ace was being exposed to the radioactive particles...as the Liberation would get in a battle ready position releasing a howl that sounded like a beast.

That alone made Cordovin remember why she feared that mech and how it needed to be slaughtered here... which finally... both mechs moved at the same time.. with the Prometheus throwing away its weapon and grabbing the laser swipe weapon... and with the Liberations remaining arm opening up something as its hand would sink back....

"URRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

Both roared in unison as with the Laser swipe being released once the distance was closed Ace would move the Liberation out of the way despite the damage to the face and cockpit the Fusion Lance would launch and make contact with a furious explosion sending Cordovins mech flying back as she coughed up blood ..... "NO! NO! IMPOSSIBLE!!! I CANT LOSE!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAGHHHH!!!!" she would say with the core exploding..... as Cordovin was rendered silent.....

Ace would immediately do a vital scan as thankfully...... the core systems of the Prometheus acted quickly to ensure the safety of the pilot.... by injecting her with some nanites to help stabilize her... courtesy of Brumel. He would finally pant as he pressed the button deactivating the Hellhound of Liberation mode before coughing and vomiting for a bit.. a side effect of being exposed to the Democritus Particles.. even if it was for a moment.....

"Lets... get out of here...." He would say flying the Liberation out of the area and past the now damaged Ares and its Vanguard despite not killing anyone. "Admiral.. the Liberation is retreating should we-"

"No. Send out a medical crew to receive our traitor..... and a report to General Ironwood. Turn the ship around we are returning to Atlas." He said..

Back with Ace he looked out at the sky.... with the Liberation slowly making its descent to the Island where the Corvette runners were....."Aaaah.... I wonder... if mom and sis... are cooking..." He said to himself fainting as the Liberation landed... before falling to the floor its eyes flashing down while medical crews worked to get Ace out of there.....

#[Event: Rescue Mission]#[The One With False Pride- Cordovin]#[The Hellhound Pilot- Ace]#[Every Hero Has Its Story- Drabble]#tw: long post #tw: blood

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kelleah-meah · 1 year ago

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General Plans for Fall 2023

Like last year, I've made plans for the fall season. Even though I've been trying to slow down and engage in slow living more, it does look like this autumn is going to be anything but boring.

So this list is great for providing a guide for what I would like to do, but it's not intended to be a comparison of what I should be expected to do. Rest and balance are always the goal now as my holistic health takes a greater priority in my life.

Just as a reminder, even though I have the rest of September, October, November and the first few weeks of December to do these, some of the stereotypical autumn activities that you might see on social media aren't on it.

For example, apple picking is no where on this list because I'm not a fan of doing labor for free and calling it "fun." I just want to eat the apples. I don't want to pick the apples. But otherwise, I think you might like most of the suggestions below.

September

Celebrate the Autumnal Equinox 🍁 ✅

Slow cook a meal in a crockpot 🍲

Bake an apple-themed dessert (e.g., apple crisp, apple pie, apple brown betty) 🍏 ✅

Go for a bike ride in the park 🚲 ☑️

Mabon-themed tarot reading 🃏 ✅

Give myself a facial with an autumn-themed face mask 🧖🏽‍♀️

Work on my jigsaw puzzle 🧩

Put on some music and paint what I hear and feel 🎨

Donate clothes to a local charity, homeless shelter or refugee center 👚

Go for a walk in the park and enjoy the changing of the leaves 🍂 ☑️

Visit a coffee shop and hang out there while reading or writing 🥐

Spend a rainy day inside reading a book 📕

October

Read the poem "October" by Robert Frost 📖

Do Inktober challenge (draw, paint, or sketch every day & share it) 🖌️

Hang Halloween wreath 🥀 ✅

Put together 5 Dark Academia outfits and share them on social media 🧥

Enjoy Halloween candy without guilt 🍬 ✅

Go for a bike ride in the park 🚲

Binge-watch Penny Dreadful, Grimm, What We Do In The Shadows, or The Sandman 📺

Make my own pizza night 🍕

Make Rice Krispie treats (Don't know why, but these always feel very autumn-y to me. I think it's the marshmallows.) 🤤

Go for a walk in the park and enjoy the changing of the leaves 🍂

Attend a harvest or fall festival 🌻

Cook homemade soup 🥣

Paint my fingernails a dark color (e.g., black, blue, purple) 💅🏼

Take a road trip to Salem, MA 🚗

Visit occult / metaphysical shop ☠️

Enjoy some hot apple cider & hot apple cider donuts 🍎

Go on a guided ghost walk 👻

Try hot chocolate at 2 restaurants or cafes where I've never had it before ☕

Cook a pot of chili 🌶️

Bake bread 🍞

Wear something orange 🧡

Go stargazing 🌌

Make s’mores 😋

Watch autumn or horror-themed movies throughout the month 🎃

Dance to Allhallowtide playlist 💃

Do a Samhain-themed tarot reading 🃏

Celebrate departed loved ones, friends and family during Allhallowtide (Halloween, All Saints' Day, and the Day of the Dead or All Souls' Day)⚱️

November

Donate to a local food bank 🥫

Visit a university campus and take photos at the height of the leaves changing 📸

Spend a rainy day inside reading a book 📕

Cook homemade soup 🥣

Visit an art museum (Chagall, Paris exhibit at the Hall des Lumieres) 🖼️

Shop for Christmas gifts 🛍️

Put on my most comfy pajamas and spend the evening watching retro/classic/scary films 🎥

Cook a hearty stew and experiment with the ingredients 🍲

Bake bread 🍞

Take a long scenic drive in the countryside on a crisp, sunny day 🚙

Put on some music and paint what I hear and feel 🎨

Make s’mores 😋

Go see a play 🎭

Visit a coffee shop and hang out there while reading or writing 🥐

Volunteer for a cause or community event ⛑️

Bake an apple-themed dessert (e.g., apple crisp, apple pie, apple brown betty) 🍏

Go on a group hike 🥾

Celebrate Thanksgiving with my family 🦃

Eat popcorn while enjoying a movie (at home or at the cinema) 🍿

December

Treat myself to some new thick wool socks 🧦

Cook a pot of chili 🌶️

Bake bread 🍞

If I feel sick or under the weather, enjoy a hot toddy 🥃

Spend a rainy day inside reading a book 📕

Make Rice Krispie treats 🤤

Put on some music and paint what I hear and feel 🎨

Eat popcorn while enjoying a movie (at home or at the cinema) 🍿

#autumn #fall #fall 2023 #autumn 2023 #i love fall #i love autumn #automne #plans for the season

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strawberry-cowmilk · 3 years ago

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the brothers' reaction to mc telling them her father s*xually abused/harassed her

-> brothers x mc

-> angst (with comfort)

Mc is female, this is not proof read.

a/n: Hey! It's pretty obvious from the title, but this post deals with heavy topics. Please stop reading if (parental) sexual abuse/ harassment makes you uncomfortable. I'll keep it vague what Mc's dad exactly did, you can think of that yourself.

Also: If you or somebody you know is the victim of sexual assault, do not hestitate to call your national or local hotline, or reach out to somebody who can help you or them. Remember, what happened to you is not your fault, nor did you deserve it.

Content warnings: sexual abuse and harassment, trauma, crying, strong language, flashbacks, vague torture mentions (Satan's part), vague lesson 5 spoiler (Beel's part)

-----

Lucifer

Time seemed to stand still as Lucifer just processed what Mc just told him. That vile man, how dare he?

'I'm sorry, Lucifer. I had to tell you. Sometimes I remember what had happened and-' the human started tearing up, and the eldest brother immediately led her to sit down somewhere.

'Shh, Mc. Those times are over now, and I won't let you go back to him.' Lucifer's voice was as gentle as a feather falling from the sky. 'Do you want some water? Can I hold you?'

Lucifer listened to every word Mc said about her father as he held her in his arms while she cried her little heart out. Yes, rage was boiling inside of him, but he kept it together. Her father would feel his wrath the next day.

'I- I don't wanna cry over him... he's not worth it, b-but...' Lucifer hushed her again. 'My dear, you're being so strong right now.' he softly stroked her head. 'Will you tell me what exactly you think causes you flashbacks? I want to get rid of your triggers.'

Lucifer burned everything that might remind Mc of her dad in the garden. The demon even told his precious human to tell him whenever she was remembering stuff so he could take her to the music room and calm her by playing the piano for her.

Mammon

Sadness washes over him as he hears the news. How could a father do such a thing to his own daughter?

He tried his best to fight the tears, but he broke down when he saw Mc crying too. The human hugged him and pressed her face into his chest. 'Ma- Mammon, I'm sorry I made you c-cry...'

The demon instantly embraced her back. 'No, you didn't do nothing.' Mammon pulled himself together and rocked his Mc back and forth in his arms. 'Your dad's a huge dick, but the great Mammon's here to protect ya now!'

The next few weeks after having found out Mc's dad sexually abused her, the avatar of greed left little notes around the human's room that said sweet things. Like 'You're worth more than all Grimm,' and 'You're the best at being gorges!!' Mc would laugh lovingly at that one because of the spelling mistake Mammon made. She sometimes even wrote him notes back and hid them in his bags.

Leviathan

Mc and Levi were casually playing a game when the human got reminded of her past trauma. There was a cutscene in-game depicting what had happened to the human before, and she just accidentally blurted it out with the third brother next to her.

Seeing his precious Henry cry like that, Leviathan shoved all awkwardness aside and carefully pulled her into a hug. Then, he realised Mc might not want to be touched right now, so he let her shaking form go. 'A-ah... Sorry...' the avatar of envy stammered.

Mc looked into the demon's orange orbs. 'P-please... hold me again. I- I felt s-safe.' Levi blushed, but shoved his shyness away once again for his lover's sake.

Leviathan cradled Mc in his arms until she had calmed down again. During the whole thing, he couldn't help but feel useless. Was there something he could have done to have prevented the human's father from doing... that? Can he get rid of all triggers?

The third born didn't exactly know what to do, other than comforting her. He mostly communicated with his lover about what she thought might help her, but he knew he had to do one thing for sure. That is to send Lotan to flood Mc's dad's house.

Satan

First reaction? How dare that man, he must pay. Second reaction? talk to Mc.

'Mc, sweetheart. I want to hug you, will you tell me where your boundaries are?' Satan's voice was as calm as can be. He had actually read about these topics in books, but never expected his Mc would have to deal with them.

The avatar of wrath honestly expected Mc to tell him she did not want to be touched right now, but he was wrong. 'Y-you can do whatever you want...' she said between sniffles. Satan sighed, struggling to keep the anger towards Mc's dad hidden. 'Mc, your boundaries are your rights. You can tell me what you don't like.'

This. These words felt very foreign to the human. The man who was supposed to teach her this stuff violated his position, but Satan didn't. It felt weird. So she said nothing, she just cried a little bit. And the fourth born felt his heart break.

Satan then decided to kind of test where the human would draw the line in a very careful way. 'Hey, can I brush my finger against your arm?' he started out small, until Mc eventually told him she was okay with being held.

The next day, after Mc had calmed down, Satan made his way to the human world. He made sure to bring Lucifer's special equipment, so Mc's father could feel his full wrath.

Asmodeus

He honestly has some experience dealing with such things himself. Asmo spends a lot of time in clubs, and sadly, he or his friends would get assaulted or harassed.

When Mc told him, and was reliving the moment, they were in the living room. So, Asmo carefully led her to her own room, where nobody would walk in.

The fifth born listened to every word Mc said. 'I- I don't know why I'm remembering it... It's been years a-and now suddenly...' The human hadn't thought about the event in so long, she thought she had recovered. But, this 'relapse flashback' threw that hope in the trash.

'Oh honey, it's not a reset. It's part of processing it.' Asmo spoke gently. 'Can I hold you?' Mc nodded. 'Yea, but no too much touching...' she replied. The avatar of lust got a little closer to her and slowly draped an arm over her shoulder. Thankfully, the human didn't flinch at the contact. 'Is this okay?' he asked just to confirm. Mc nodded again, and even held Asmo's free hand with one of her own.

The following days, Asmo made sure to remind Mc how much he loved her, and that she has control over her own body. He would do silly little things just to make Mc gradually more comfortable in her skin again. 'Baby! I found blue eyeliner at Majolish! Wanna see what it looks like when I color my brows with it?'

Beelzebub

He is very shocked to hear what Mc had to go through, and he does not understand why in the three worlds her father would do sonething like that to her.

But now, his main goal is to help Mc feel a bit better. As somebody who dealt with trauma himself, Beel knows he can't fix the damage that has been done, but he can make it easier to deal with and minimize triggers.

'I'm so s-sorry... it's just, I- I saw that vase a-and my dad has a similar one an- and I-' Mc didn't even get to finish the scentence before the avatar of gluttony had thrown the vase into a nearby trash can.

'It's gone now, are there more things that remind you of him?'

He won't touch Mc or get too close to her unless she initiated the contact.

Beel understands the shock from remembering a traumatic event may stick around for a while. So, he goes to the local supermarket very often to buy some of Mc's favorite snacks and comfort food.

Belphegor

Suddenly, he is fully awake.

Loses control over his emotions for a while and turns into his demon form in rage. But, ge quickly changes back after he noticed he scared Mc.

'I'm scared Diavolo is going to send me back t-to him.' the human confessed. No way in the Devildom is Belphie going to let that happen.

'I'm not going to let him at all cost, even if I have to tie him up, and Lucifer locks me up again.' the avatar of sloth promises.

Belphie believes Mc will calm down a bit after a nap. So, he lets the human lie down on his bed. He doesn't get in it with her, even though he wants to. It was clear Mc did not want to be touched right now.

'Would you rather sleep in your own room?' he questioned as he sat down on the floor next to the bed. Mc shook her head. 'This is okay.' she replied, her voice a little creaky. Belphie's eyebrows furrowed. 'Alright, try to go to sleep.'

The seventh brother did not leave Mc's side until she would wake up again. When Mc would feel well enough again, you bet Belphie travels up to the human world to teach her father a lesson.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me angst #obey me x reader #obey me scenarios #obey me x mc #obey me imagines #leviathan #lucifer #mammon #asmodeus #beelzebub #belphegor #satan #f!mc #tw sa

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mymommykinkismywholepersonality · 3 years ago

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<Spending the night with Mammon and praising him and stuff, Mammons's like "O-of course you would wanna please the great Mammon!" And reader just agrees and keeps praising him while making a complete mess of him.

I'm depressed and horni so I needed something soft to cope :,)>

"Can't believe Beel did that, what a knuckle head." Mammon grumbled, unfolding the futon next to his bed.

"The house took some damage but I'm mostly relieved no one got hurt." you sigh falling back on Mammon's bed and inhaling deeply. To your dismay it didn't smell as strongly of him as you would've liked, frowning you realizing he must have changed the sheets.

"No one got hurt? Ha! That won't be the case if you keep me up all night with that foghorn snorin' of yours!" Even with his back facing you, you could hear the smile in his voice. Honestly he was a loud mouth and greedy (duh) but he had a heart of gold. At least for those he cared about, and you were lucky enough to become one of those special people.

"Hey golden boy, can you come here for a minute?" Sitting up you patted the spot next to you. Confused but without protest he granted your request asking you what was wrong. "I'm really grateful you let me stay with you Mammon, and giving me your bed none the less."

"Well I wouldn't make you stay with Beel after the incident, you must've been pretty scared. But don't sweat it human, you can pay me back later. Man you're so lucky that THE Great Mammon is so generous!" You felt your heart squeeze at his signature laugh. Feeling mesmerized you didn't realize you were leaning in so close until you saw his face explode with color.

"W-w-what are you doing human!" Contradicting his panicked face he didn't pull away giving you that boost of confidence needed to take action.

Without hesitating you pushed him back onto the bed before straddling him. "I know Luci chewed you out pretty good but you didn't deserve that, I wanna make it up to you and thank you. Do you want me to?" Slowly you began to grind right above his crotch.

"I-um. I- Uhh" The color slowly started to spread down his neck and to his ears while he desperately tried to think of answer.

Of course you'd seen him flustered before but this was a new level! It kinda suited him so you decided to tease. "You what? You gotta use your words if you want me to keep going baby boy." You leaned down and crossed your arms on his chest, noses now almost touching. The poor boy still seemed to be in a daze so you tugged gently at one of his strand of hair before rolling it between your fingers.

"I mean o-of course! I'm the great Mammon after all! S-so I suppose if y-ou're short on grimm I can accept this payment instead."

You moved your hand from his hair to his cheek softly caressing it. "What a merciful debtor, I'll give you my best, someone as great as you deserves that and nothing less. Let me take care of you." You pecked his lips giggling at how he tried to sit up to get more, gently stopping him.

Sliding his jacket down his arms,you made sure to kiss the top of each hand as they slipped out of it. Next you untucked his shirt and ran your hands gently under the hem before slowly sliding it up his torso. As you scrunched up the fabric you leaned down to trail kisses over his stomach, not leaving an inch without feeling the warmth of your mouth. By the time you got to his nipples he was shifting underneath you grinding his bulge into you and letting out breathy whines but you let him, moving your attention to his brown nubs.

As you spent more time on the sensitive spots his whines became more audible but he didn't complain, instead he arched his back so you could have more access. After you made sure each nipple would be sore the next day you continued sliding his shirt upwards, holding his arms over his head a bit like cuffs. Keeping his arms in that position you started leaving marks along his neck, on his collar bones, and even one on his jaw.

Grinding back down on him you moved your mouth next to his ear. "You're such a pretty boy for me Mammon, being so good. Letting me take care of you." After leaving a mark under his ear you continued your praise, "You're such a good boy, aren't you my good boy?" Finally looking at his face, you felt your core throb. His cheeks were flushed, lips swollen but open letting out short pants, shining from drool, and his eyes were glossed over and wide looking at you with so much warmth and affection. "Mammon," you repeated finally getting his attention. "Aren't you my good boy?"

He quickly nodded in agreement. "Yes! Yes! 'M your good boy! Please, please, keep going! I'll be good still! Promise!" He sounded so beautiful out of breath and desperate for you to continue. Fortunately the urge to spoil him was stronger than the one to tease him.

"Relax darling, I'm gonna take care of you, don't worry your pretty little head ok? Just be patient for me." You said reassuring him, removing some hair that had begun sticking to his forehead. He nodded again, eyes still trained on your every movement.

Sliding your hands up, slipping the shirt off completely, you held his wrist and began to kiss them. You reveled in the needy moans he let out as you harshly sucked on one. Finally you kissed each of his palms, tickling the skin. "Good litte boy, making so many pretty sounds. Can you help me and get these out of the way bubs?" After you unbuttoned his jeans, Mammon quickly raised his hips trying desperately to be rid of his woven confinements. Being just as eager you decided to pull his underwear and pants down in one go, revealing his hardened cock.

"L-like what you see?" Still panting he managed a prideful tone avoiding eye contact. You couldn't help but admire your handy work; skin flushed, covered in marks and sweat, pupils dilated, dick dripping, and hands pulling the sheets off the mattress.

"Baby boy, you're so gorgeous. So pretty, so good. You really are. I'm gonna make you feel even better now, ok?" Quickly removing your clothes, except your bra, you positioned yourself over his erection. As impatient as you were he never answered so you took his chin in one hand, other gripping his shoulder. "Love, I need you to use your words."

"I-I want this! Please Y/n! I need this! N-need you!" He pleaded grabbing your wrist with both hands. Smirking into the kiss you'd pulled him into, you finally sank down onto his length. The warm contrast to the cool air making him moan loudly; with that, you entered his mouth, completely dominating the kiss. Even though you were as close as you could possibly get, Mammon still moaned for more in-between kisses. It was really hot, he wanted "more" and yet your tongues were intertwined, chests rubbing against each other, his cock inside you, these thoughts prompted you to slowly move your hips, grinding on him.

"Mammon, you're such a special boy. You're so strong, and clever." You panted out between pulling yourself up and down his cock. Halting your movements and clenching around his length you grabbed his face, forcing eye contact. Even if you hadn't been clenching around him before the way he was looking at you would have changed that. Resting your forehead on his you gazed into his teary eyes. "You're my precious boy, don't forget that ok?" The poor boy was so overwhelmed he just nodded before bringing you into another kiss. It was long but more slow and romantic, by the time you separated your hands were tangled in his white locks. Still catching your breath you began moving up and down again with his hands gripped onto your sides.

You didn't know how long it'd been, caught up in the feeling of his dick, and hands, and gaze. But before you knew it he was warning you of his oncoming orgasm. "G-gonna cum y/n! You're ma-aking me c-cum!" His tongue fell out after he managed to pull himself together enough to be coherent.

"Aw, good b-boy. Good job telling me. S-so, proud of you." After you finished your sentence Mammon let out a whiney moan, nails digging into your hips as he thrusted up into you. The sight of him coming undone brought your orgasm and as you were finishing he was still riding out his high.

After his grip had loosened on you, you pulled yourself off him. But as soon as you were off him, he was on your lap, legs and arms wrapped around you while he nestled his face into your neck. You were still in a daze so you both sat in silence listening to the other catch their breath. "Th-thank you Y/n." He whispered quietly into your neck.

Fingers finding their way to his hair you gently start to massage his scalp. "No thanks necessary Mammon, it was my pleasure. And besides, I meant everything I said, you really are so amazing. I'm glad I can be here with you." Slowly you two fell asleep, futon forgotten.

#dom reader #sub character #sub obey me #sub! obey me #obey me #sub mammon #sub boy #om! mammon #mammon x reader

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nalgenewhore · 4 years ago

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margot

elide x lorcan + margot (new child), modern au, domestic fluff + meeting the children, word count: 2345

He parked behind her car and Lorcan slowly turned the engine off, but not the vehicle itself. He didn’t move to get out, only glanced at her quaint two-storey home.

It suited her, the simple layout and lush garden taking over the front yard. There were seemingly rows and rows of box planters, growing various vegetables and fruit bushes. On the porch, there was a swing he could picture her sitting on, rocking back and forth with a book in hand.

The lights were on and Lorcan looked up, seeing the light on behind the dormer window, too.

He exhaled slowly and rubbed his palms over his thighs, his hands shaking.

He was meeting her daughter tonight and Lorcan didn’t think he’d ever been this nervous for anything in his life.

They were supposed to have dinner at six. Lorcan looked at the clock, which told him that he was early – thirteen minutes, to be exact. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the headrest, trying to stay calm. He remembered being introduced to his mom’s girlfriend when he was young and how nervous he’d been then, scared that his mom would forget about him and his sisters like his father had when he met his now-wife.

The ringing of his phone startled in the pure silence of his truck and he picked up before he knew who was calling. “‘llo?”

“So… are you planning on staying in your truck for the rest of the night? It’s lovely, but I don’t think Margot wants to eat there.”

Lorcan chuckled raspily and looked to the side, seeing Elide standing behind the large window. She waved at him and he huffed another laugh. “I’m early, Lee. I was just… waiting.”

His girlfriend hummed, “You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“Obviously,” he replied drily. “Wouldn’t you be?”

Elide laughed lightly, “Probably. Just come up already, will you? She’s been looking forward to this all day. She changed her outfit three times and told her friends she was meeting you tonight.”

“Really? You aren’t just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Of course not. Now,” Elide said, “stop being a little wuss and come in. I’m pretty sure she’s been watching you from her room.”

Lorcan’s eyes snapped up to the dormer and the curtain quickly fell shut. He grinned gently. “Ok. I’ll come up.”

“Bon. Je t’adore.”

“I love you too,” he told her. They both hung up and Lorcan turned his car off. He climbed out, shoving his hands into his pockets. He’d asked if he should bring something for Margot, but Elide told him she’d probably think he was trying to bribe her. Lorcan had commented that she was just like her mother then and her pleased grin had warmed his heart.

Lorcan walked up the stone pathway, his gait slow, but his steps long. He walked up the steps, of which there were only three, and knocked on the door, taking a step back as he waited for it to be opened.

A moment or two later, Elide opened the door and smiled at him, “Salut, mon cher.” She stepped out and cupped his face, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. Lorcan squeezed her waist once as she pulled away. “Come in.” She pushed the door open wider to let him in.

Lorcan paused to take off his shoes and hang his jacket up. As he did, he eyed Elide, who was wearing a figure-hugging black cashmere sweater and a midi skirt – black with small red flowers. Her hair was in a simple twist and she wore the single ruby necklace he’d bought for her birthday in June, four months ago.

Elide took his hand and walked him to the kitchen, gesturing him to a barstool. Lorcan sat down and tapped his finger against the butcher block island top. She noticed his fidgeting and hid her own nerves by checking the pot-au-feu for what seemed like the thousandth time. Margot was a… particular child. People often told her that her daughter was just like her.

She turned back and poured them both glasses of wine. She took a sip of hers and walked around the island to the stairs. Before she left, she kissed him once more, longer and slower than the last. “Ça ira, oui?” Elide patted his cheek and walked to the stairs, her hips swinging side to side.

His dark eyes watched the stairs. His heart pounded harder and harder against his chest.

“Margot, viens ici, ma p’tite, s’il vous plaît."

From the second floor, Lorcan heard a little voice call back, “D’accord, maman!” A pair of footsteps ran across the ceiling and clambered down the staircase.

Elide faced Lorcan and grinned, winking once. Behind her, a child appeared. She stopped and continued on slowly, her angular eyes on Lorcan. A pair of round glasses sat on the tip of her button nose and she pushed them up with a single finger. Her hair was dark, thick, and wavy like her mother��s, but cut into a short bob with bangs. “Hello.”

“Hi,” Lorcan said, not sure whether he should stand or not.

Before he could, the child marched across the floor and stood in front of him, staring wordlessly. She wore a pair of fern green corduroy overalls and a lavender cable knit sweater, matching the headband she wore. “Are you dating my mom?”

He raised his brows and nodded, “Yes, I am.”

Margot climbed onto the stool next to him and crossed her arms, looking at him suspiciously, “For how long?”

“Mm… a year, almost.”

Her eyes were perceptive and probably too knowing for an eight-year old. “Hmm. Do you love my mom?”

Lorcan chuckled and glanced up at Elide, who smiled supportively. She really is just like you. “Yes, I love her very much.”

“...ok. That’s good.” She stuck her hand out, “I’m Margot.”

His hand dwarfed hers as they shook hands, “It’s nice to meet you, Margot. I’m Lorcan.”

Elide grinned fondly at the interaction and moved to the kitchen to pour Margot something to drink. She set a glass of water down in front of her daughter and leaned her elbows against the counter, resting her chin on her fist.

“What do you do for your job?”

Lorcan put his glass down and clasped his hands, resting his elbow on the island. “I’m a doctor.”

Margot’s eyes widened, “Really?” Her brows shot up and she whispered, “Do you get to cut people up?”

He chuckled, “Sometimes. I’m a trauma surgeon.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion and she cocked her head to the side, pushing her glasses up again, “What’s that?”

“Well, when there are big accidents, we bring the injured people into the emergency room and I…” Lorcan looked at Elide, deciding on a less gruesome version of ‘I patch them up so they don’t die’, “figure out what’s wrong with them and then I fix them so they’re stable. After that we can send them to specialists.”

“That sounds cool.”

“Yeah? It’s kinda scary sometimes, but I like it.”

“Mom tells them that scary things can be good, though,” Margot told him, nodding her chin. Lorcan smiled, delighted by her… precociousness. He’d never met a child who truly fit the term like Margot did. “Do you like to read books?”

He nodded, “I do, but I don’t get a lot of time to read.” Lorcan glanced at Elide, who was struggling to reach plates from up high. He stood up and went to her, resting his hand on her lower back as he hardly had to stretch his arm up to fetch them. Elide looked up at him and bit her lip, wanting to kiss him, but knowing that the extremely observant Margot was watching them.

She settled for picking invisible lint off of the collar of his shirt. Lorcan’s eyes glittered with quiet joy and he pressed his lips together, looking back at Margot. Elide stepped away first and waved her hand to the bread sitting on the counter, untouched. “Um, le pain, est-ce que tu peux le cut it?”

He laughed quietly at her mixture of the common tongue and the Blackbeak dialect of Ironteeth. “Yeah, ‘course.” Lorcan washed his hands and dried them before picking up the bread. He put it on the island and glanced at Margot, pausing at her wide wide wide eyes. “Is… something wrong, Margot?”

She had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye. Margot fixed her glasses, which were surely too large for her. “T’es très, très grand.”

Lorcan frowned slightly, turning to Elide, who snorted and covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed. She waved her hand, “She- she said you were really, really tall.”

He looked back at Margot, whose cheeks were furiously red. An amused grin stole across his face and he leaned across the island, whispering, “It’s ok, Margot. Your mom is just really small.”

Margot giggled and her blush faded, but her eyes – monolid like her mother’s – sparkled with delight.

Elide looked over at them suspiciously, popping her hand on her hip. “What’s going on over here? Conspiration and the like?”

Lorcan gasped dramatically, gesturing between him and Margot, “Us? Conspiring? Against you? Please. We would never, would we, Margot?” He looked at her and winked before schooling his face into neutrality.

Margot copied him perfectly and looked at her mother, blinking calmly. “Jamais, maman.” Elide just rolled her eyes and went back to what she was doing.

“So, Margot, do you like to read?” Lorcan pulled the drawer open and took a serrated knife out for the bread.

She nodded, “Yeah, I read a lot. I like it when it’s quiet.”

“I like quiet too. Are you reading anything right now?”

“Yeah, my aunt Manon got me The Sisters Grimm and I like them a lot.” Margot reached over and took the heel of bread, making sure to keep her fingers away from the sharp knife. She picked at it and told him about the adventures of the sisters, long-lost descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose books of so-called fairytales were actually history books.

They set the table together and Margot made sure that the utensils were perfectly neat. She took her seat at the table and swung her legs out as Elide served them all bowls of the hearty stew and Lorcan carried their bowls to the table. He and Elide sat on the opposite side of Margot.

They ate together and Margot went back to questioning Lorcan.

“Where are you from? My mom is from Perranth.”

He swallowed his bite of food, “I’m from a small town in the Northern Isles.”

“Where’s the Northern Isles? Is it in Wendlyn?”

Lorcan tilted his head to the side, “No, we’re not part of Wendlyn or Doranelle. We’re all the way up north.”

“Are you near the arctic land? I bet it’s cold there.”

Subtly, under the table, Elide reached for his hand and slid her fingers through his. Lorcan ducked his head for a moment to hide his smile. “It can be pretty cold, but we’re still pretty far away.”

Margot picked up her glass and had a sip of water, “My aunt Asterin told me that sometimes it’s dark all the time and sometimes it’s always sunny, but I don’t believe her since she likes to play tricks on people.”

Lorcan chuckled, “Well it is true.” Margot snapped her head up, gasping incredulously. He grinned. “In the winter, it’s dark all the time and in the summer, the sun’s always up.”

“How do you sleep in the summer if it’s sunny always?”

“We have special curtains and blinds. You get used to it,” Lorcan told her.

“Well I think it would be cool to have sun all the time.” Margot ate a bit more and tucked her feet behind the legs of her chair. “Do you have any pets?”

Lorcan nodded, “I do. I have a Husky and her name is Tallulah. D’you like dogs?”

“Sometimes, but I like cats better.” Margot glanced at Elide and addressed Lorcan once more, her tone cautious, “Can… can I meet your dog one day?”

“Yeah, if you want.”

The eight-year old beamed and Elide squeezed Lorcan’s hand.

The rest of their meal went by quickly and Margot helped stack their dishes above the dishwasher. She waved her hand for Lorcan to follow and he did after shooting Elide a hopeful look.

She likes me, right?

Her wide grin was answer enough and they dutifully followed Margot to the living room. She directed Lorcan to the velvet wingback chair and her mother to the couch. Elide sat in the corner closest to him as Margot selected a movie and took the seat next to Elide, her eyes on the TV screen.

They watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Margot helpfully commented on the various fantastical creatures and beings, while telling them about her favourite character - Lucy, of course.

Near the end, she started to nod off, falling asleep against Elide’s side.

Elide lowered the volume, but didn’t dare turn the movie off, knowing that Margot would wake up the second it stopped playing. She held her hand out to Lorcan, who took it and kissed the back of it.

Eventually, it ended and Elide carefully got up, gathering Margot up in her arms as well. The child’s head rested against her shoulder. Elide looked at Lorcan, whispering, “Wait here. I’ll be back soon.”

He nodded and stayed still, his heart almost cracking as Elide murmured something gentle to Margot.

“Maman,” said a hoarse voice. Margot slowly lifted her head and pushed her glasses up to rub her eyes. She peered over Elide’s shoulder and waved shyly at Lorcan, who smiled back at her. “Maman, j’veux lui revoir.”

“Ah, oui? Vas-y, dit-lui.”

Margot looked at Lorcan, whose heart started to thunder against his ribcage. “You can come over again.”

Lorcan grinned, “Really?”

She nodded shyly. “Yeah, if you want to.”

“I’d like that.”

<3<3<3

an: new baby, new baby, new baby !!

translations: Bon. Je t'adore: Good. I love you (romantic) Salut, mon cher: Hello, my dear. Ça ira, oui: it will be fine, yes? Viens ici, ma petite, s'il vous plaît: Come here, little one, please D'accord, maman: Ok, mom Le pain, est-ce que tu peux: The bread, can you [cut it] T'es très, très grand: You are really, really tall Jamais, maman: Never, mom Maman, je veux lui revoir: Mom, I want to see him again Ah, oui? Vas-y, dit-lui: Oh, yeah? Go ahead, tell him

@mythicaitt @eyllweambassador @schmlip-scribble @the-regal-warrior @ladyverena @shyvioletcat @alifletcher2012 @tswaney17 @ourbooksuniverse @flora-and-fae @thesirenwashere @queenofxhearts @maastrash @mynewdreamwasyou @cursebreaker29 @empress-ofbloodshed @b00kworm @hizqueen4life @silversprings98 @amren-courtofdreams @jadeaffliction @superspiritfestival @sanakapoor @ireallyshouldsleeprn @spyofthenightcourt @thegoddessofyou @more-espresso-less-depresso-xx @claralady @neonhellas @darlinminds @readingismyonlyhobby @autophobiaxx @myshadowsingeraz @firestarsandseneschals @elriel4life @always-in-a-daydream @jlinez @ladywitchling @mariamuses @darklesmylove @adelzd-bookblr @rowaelinismyotp @sassyhobbits @swankii-art-teacher @januarystears @flamingveritas

#i mean she isnt a baby but u get it lolz #i do have her complete backstory n parentage all planned out if u guys want to learn.#elorcan #elide x lorcan #elide lochan #lorcan salvaterre #margot lochan #isa writes #nalgenewhore

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wu-sisyphus-gang · 3 years ago

Text

Motion Sickness Chapter 7 Snippet

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

I’d like to say that I’d been perfectly on guard and ready for the attack. I mean, I‘d told Ruby how the bandits were doing what they were doing. Setting lures and manipulating the Grimm. We hadn’t been subtle either, though.

Ruby playing ping-pong in the sky didn’t detract at all from our presence. She literally flew around, and we’d made no attempt to hide our attempt to save the village. We couldn’t. That made us obvious targets.

All that aside my semblance glows in the dark, and I’d been consciously trying to activate it while riding. We were just taking a mellow pace to try and get back to civilization, so I wasn’t doing much more than steering and thinking.

It suddenly worked and I just sort of lit up in the dark. Georgia jerked Ruby awake before I could do anything. “Huh- whats-“

My semblance is anti-stealth. If camouflage could collide with something and destroy itself and become pure energy, it would be my semblance.

She made out the blue blur that must have been me and woke up quick, “is something bad or good happening?”

“I-“

Then I got shot.

I was falling off the horse which was taking off someway. I was going to land flat on my back and my chest stung, too. The Titania plating was more than tough enough to take the bullet through my aura without fear of breaking, but not enough to not hurt.

Whoever fired had a friend that also tried to shoot Ruby, but she just burst into petals with a flare of aura and took cover behind a tree. Georgia, pre-spooked, may or may not have taken off in the direction of Indiana.

I’m not sure. My head cracked against a rock hard; hard enough to concuss or kill a normal person, even. I just rolled with it and found a tree to hide behind. I swept my sword from my back and stood with the sword tip down and my body hidden behind the tree.

“Are you hurt?” She wondered. “It wasn’t high power, or MA based.”

I shook my head. Twelve percent. Maybe ten, based on the discomfort. I peeked my blind and the tree lost a lot of itself in a small explosion of wood. I might have lost a few percent, too. If I wanted to use my semblance, then I’d need to use it before the power faded. Peeking out into the dark again, I saw nothing, however.

“How fast did your semblance activate that time?” She wondered. I guess we were the only ones in danger, so she felt confident enough to chat.

I shook my head. “I think I can charge it.”

“Oh, really? That’s useful.”

“Huh?” I was checking my chest to make sure I really was all good. Sometimes Aura was hard to believe. I glanced over.

“Oh, I just thought you were trying to keep me asleep again?”

“In a gunfight?”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Ready?” She was waiting on my mark. Poised with Crescent Rose ready to snap into place.

I folded my weapon, slipping my left arm into the shield and drawing the sword free. I swept out from cover with Ruby, perfectly synchronized. Humans and animals usually responded to audible stimuli faster than visual ones, even still I didn’t say anything as I leapt out of cover. Ruby was in perfect harmony with me regardless and she was already prepared to use me as cover to fire out.

We gazed out into the dark in a shower of petals and I held my sword up to extend a soft blue glow. We received no fire and perceived no targets in the dark trees. Therefore...

We were already mid ambush on this position.

I whipped around in time to be thoroughly jabbed at by three quick stabs of a small and fast dagger. The girl behind it wore a simple tunic and dark olive skin with some visible even darker tattoos.

She slashed at me and I stepped back, trying to make some space. I heard Ruby call out behind me, likely engaging my opponent's friend.

I leveraged my shield between us, but she jumped off it and backflipped above me. I watched the eighteen-centimeter blade in her hands fold inwards like a fan or accordion. She let it roll across her fingers like she was reversing a butterfly knife and its form became that of a jagged pistol.

She shot me twice more as she twirled over me. A confident grin like she'd killed a thousand idiots like me roaring on her face, which may be the case.

I turned around, grabbed Crocea Mors with both hands over my head and whipped it at her. It caught her at the pinnacle of her leap in the center of the blade and it slammed her into the ground nearly ten meters away.

It was immensely satisfying to watch a deep green crackle come over her. It was hard to fake that. I'd done something to another hunter.

I didn't get to soak it in, because it became clear why Ruby was being kept busy while I was keeping up. We were outnumbered.

Ruby shouted out again, something very helpful that I couldn't interpret without our connection. With it, I was able to spin around and meet the butt of a spear. The man behind it knocked me back and reversed the weapon.

It was shorter than the longest reach of Crescent Rose. He was also shorter than me by nearly ten centimeters. Maybe more. He was also at least ninety pounds lighter and much less broad across.

I was able to avoid his attack but all it did was force me back into the range of the girl with the green aura in purple. Her light blonde hair was held back into a tight ponytail. To keep it out of her eyes, I imagine.

She had the glow to her that all people with aura had that made them stand out. The hue of her eyes. The shine of the hair. How she backflipped and kicked me in the face before burying her blade at my collar bone.

It bounced off my aura and armor and I heard Ruby call out and the last opponent, a girl in mostly white and brown with pale skin and red hair, flew by. She slammed into a tree next to me hard enough to shake it.

She slumped down with blue aura pouring over her and she lay without moving.

The dude turned around only to eat lead from Ruby's gunfire before she was on him. The purple girl shouted the dude's name and I dashed towards her while she was distracted. I got my shield between us before she could rip any more of my aura out.

She tried to regain her advantage, but it was already lost. She rushed me but I'd had practice with similar ranges of weapons with Ren and even some other people back at Beacon not worth mentioning.

I was ready for her to go low and I predicted her movement with my shield. I slammed it into her face. I took my sword in both hands once she was air-born and lashed out in two hits. The first one knocking her up, the next bashing her out with both hands. I ended it with a shout.

She landed on her back and pushed herself away from me. I watched her land back next to her friend with black hair.

I glanced back. Ruby was dancing circles around the poor guy, out-speeding and out-ranging him. Slowly picking his aura off in large tan chunks.

I rolled my wrist with my weapon over the one with my shield and the two clicked together into the massive broadsword. I pointed it down at the two girls. The girl with the purple tattoos didn't get the memo and was fumbling for her friend’s sword but she only looked up to meet the lowered business end of Crocea Mors.

I clicked my tongue. She met my eyes and must have known I wasn't kidding because after just a moment of consideration, she dropped it.

"Jaune!" I whipped around. Ruby's enemy had left the fight. He abandoned it and ran straight at me, some desperate jailbreak but…

I stepped forward and swung. My semblance… I didn't realize I'd gained it.

"Don't-" Ruby finished her eyes wide.

I stepped threw him and across the other side. I turned around.

I watched as the boy fell apart.

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Killing someone was something new for me. The cold Titania edge glided through first aura then muscle and bone as I swung in a tremendous cross slash. I stumbled with it. I expected to meet resistance, instead I just went through.

I imagined it was cold. I couldn't feel it beyond the padded wrapped handle. The cold night air was constantly drawing warmth from my fingers like a giant heat sink. I actually felt that lessen, as the weapon moved through him. I had so much time to think.

I stumbled through the falling puddle of person. The spine and ribs were splintered and crushed. His upper body rolled around trembling in the gravelly mud and soft grass. His legs twitched behind me on the ground while he shuddered and gasped one horrific choking last.

I was hardly looking at him, I was staring at Ruby and she was gaping down at the body. I flinched, feeling scorched just being so close to the target of her dread. The sheer frost against my soul wilted me in a way that not even my mother's harshest glares could. I wanted to destroy it, but I was the source of it. The cold was me. I turned back to his compatriots.

I knew far better than to underestimate them. Unarmed or not. Woman or man. I'd gotten my ass kicked before.

They panicked when I stepped towards them, which was expected. Big dude, bloody sword, evidently homicidal. Yep.

I took two steps and halted at the sight of the terror on their faces. My emotions were ablaze, roaring in my chest, but my mind was stunned and muted.

Ruby was beside me in a scattering of petals, her hand on my chest. A gentle crimson touch. Her lips were tight but her eyebrows were wide. Bright eyes pleading with me, something desperate in them.

My indignancy over their reaction faded slightly, I mean, they did shoot me. My face, I realized, was twisted into something awful. My skull roared in a way I wasn't super comfortable with, clashing with the feeling of victory I deserved and the rush in veins. My heartbeat hammered in my ears for a terrible moment and I thought the sum of it all would drive me mad if I wasn't already.

My indignancy didn't fade entirely.

Ruby's gaze was so full of concern that I could barely hold myself together. I swept a hand through my hair, rubbing the whole of my face hard. The motion broke our eye contact and I felt her recede in the direction of our prisoners.

How dare Ruby empathize with a dog like me, honestly? As though something like her could empathize with something like me. The sheer audacity brimming in those eyes made me want to lash out, but against what?

I always meant to kill them; whoever was responsible, that is, but I hadn't wanted to get my hands dirty for real. It was inevitable upon retrospect. I'd need to kill again, too. Probably here soon. That wasn't really what scared me.

I… wanted to, too.

Ruby would understand what had just happened. Any sane person would. However, even the gore and the trauma of shredding a mortal coil with my own two hands didn't actually shrink my rage towards Cinder one iota.

I wanted to do it again.

I wanted to guide Crocea Mors through Cinder Fall's body. I wanted to watch her life fade. I wanted to feel it in my hands when I unwound her. I was hungry for it in a way that kept me up at night with an empty stomach.

That desire to make someone end felt gross. As gross as any of the bodies I had seen or… or made myself, I guess.

The sight of the guy with his staff was far, far easier than having to gaze at Ruby again. If I really felt so bad and gross, then why was I doing it anyway? How could I face her? Could I look at her and say this was an accident and then… then when I made my move, whatever that meant, what could I say?

I wanted to talk to her about it, too. I wanted to tell her how I felt. I wanted to tell her that every single day it ate me a little more.

Surely only she could save me, least I sink, though if she saw what I really was, would she still rescue me?

"Jaune," her soft voice returned me. "Jaune, I need you." I woke up from my stupor.

Ruby and the music were waiting for me to face them. She was right. This was no time to lose focus. Who was to say this trio was alone? They almost certainly weren't.

I focused my disgust and self hatred on the problem at hand. I felt like an ocean that was as still as a lake.

"Look you have no idea who you just killed, alright." The girl with the dark tattoos began.

I blinked, "well yeah. You shot me in the dark."

Silence reigned.

"Well Khagan Branwen isn't the sort to forgive people killing her people."

"Branwen…" I murmured, absently, trying to think.

"What did you just say?" Ruby spun her scythe off her back. The edge, a razor to the waking girl's neck. "What was that name? Branwen who?"

"Branwen, Branwen." The girl insisted. "Raven Branwen."

Ruby's face twisted into something awful. Something like disgust filled her as her nose twisted and she glared downwards. She put a round in the chamber.

"Khagan?" Ruby wondered.

"Branwen as in…" I struggled. "Qrow Branwen?"

Skepticism turned sideways in the kneeling girl's eyes. They flicked from Ruby's weapon up at me. "You know the Khagan's brother?"

"I thought she was Khatun Branwen," Ruby refocused.

"No, not anymore, not since the black-out. Maybe before."

"Jaune, uh, a little pow-wow?"

I bent down and grabbed the bandit's pistol. Her eyes followed it, as I collapsed it and slid it into a belt. It was actually well-made. Not Ruby Rose(TM) quality but the way it folded couldn't be cheap.

We stepped back, I matched Ruby's distance away from the prisoner. "Aunt Branwen?" I wondered. She glanced behind me at the captive.

"No. Not Aunt Branwen. She was-ugh- I wanted to..." She squeezed her hands tight at her side. "She was Dad's first wife."

"Oh."

"She abandoned us after Yang was born. She went here and started a horde of bandits." She snarled. She just spat the words out.

"Um." I just blinked.

"What do I do Jaune?" She reached out and grabbed my shirt.

How in the fuck could I possibly know?

I opened my mouth and stopped. Ruby looked up at me. I felt the tip of something press against my head.

When I got off the ground my head was ringing. I wasn't in a lot of pain. Well scratch that. The inside of my head pounded like an entire xylophone being struck at once over and over.

The girl with the gun… her weapon had a twin.

I realized, dazed. It was a sort of black flash when it happened. The point blank shot immediately dropped my aura to red and activated my semblance at the same time. It threw me forward and made me splay against the ground.

I lost sight of Ruby as the force tossed me but I am fairly certain I heard her gun fire again accompanied by the girl's arm twice more. One final crack of Crescent Rose, then there was silence.

I picked myself off the dirt with a groan, but I pulled my weapon into my hands and stood up. "Ruby?" I whipped myself around. I blinked a few times fast. My vision wasn't clearing.

At all.

I rubbed the back of my head, that would leave a bruise. Right above the occipital lobe, too. I really liked that hemisphere, two.

Vague grey shapes I distinguished using aura rather than with any means of light. I felt beyond myself in the ways Ren had showed me. I wasn't one half as good as him. I barely made out colored blurs before me. Mostly red and fading green on the ground but… no distant blue?

I expected a distant blue by the vaguish tree, there was nothing, though. "Jaune? Are you alright?"

"That's a hard maybe?" I gave, squinting. "The prisoner?"

"She's alive. Probably stable." Ruby judged for me.

"The other girl?"

I felt as much as saw the blur turn around. "Gone. A semblance, maybe?"

I nodded. I watched my own power fade, my aura turned to its usual dull grey and yellow, the charge wilted. There was nothing to spend it on and so it left. It took my breath with it as my gauge fell to empty. I felt exhausted and swayed on my feet.

Ruby caught me. My vision completely going. "Ouch," I confessed. "The horses?"

"They'll find us, you goof." She shushed. "I'll set up camp and secure her. Rest for a bit, alright?" I didn't have much choice. My head in her lap and her fingers against my forehead and through my hair and in my scalp was like a narcotic. I couldn't even try.

She cooed, running my hair through her fingers as darkness descended over even those details my eyes made out. "I'm sorry Jaune." She whispered, hands cupping my cheek.

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If you're enjoying these snippets give my fanfic Motion Sickness a chance.

-WG

#rwby #jaune arc #ruby rose #lancaster #ruby rose x jaune arc #motion sickness

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o-pandora-o · 5 years ago

Text

Cat MC

Please bear in mind some spoilers in the game and in the event (The Devil’s Riddle).

You were looking for a book Satan asked you to find inside his room and accidentally you were tripped on a big book with a cat cover and suddenly….. You turned into a cat……How would the demon boys react?

Please bear with my writing this is the first shit I’ve done I’m so sorry if it’s bad.

Lucifer:

You were going outside Satan’s room to find help and you saw Luci roaming in the hallway. You made a small cry and he noticed you.

“Did Satan keep a cat? no worries I shall just open this matter to him” he said with a serious look on his face.

He was going to go away until you put a paw to his shoe. He made a glare and you fought his glare with a louder cry and so he replied “This cat got nerves”

“No can do, I do not own you nor I do not want any problems with any of my brothers so go back to Satan’s room now” When he left, you followed him to his room “this cat really got nerves to follow me here” he said.

Suddenly he got a call from Diavolo asking for an urgent meeting with him.

“If you really want to be with me then so be it, it seems you like me more than my brother, but I have matters to attend to.” he pats your head and you let out a small cry (saying like a goodbye or something).

You decided to sleep on his bed while waiting for him.

He came back when it’s already midnight.

He saw you on his bed curled up like a ball (you were turned back to normal)

He put a blanket to cover you up and placed a small peck on your forehead.

“Being a cat was fun” he heard a small mumble from you as you turn on the other side.

Mammon:

All right, you tumbled on this boi while he was looking for goods inside his house to sell.

You made a loud meow as you are stopping him from stealing goods

“D----AAAAAH!” Mammon screamed the top of his lungs.

“Who dare meows at THE GREAT MAMMON!” he says as you rolled your eyes at him. “Ooooh maybe I can sell this ca—OUUUCH!“ you hissed and lightly bit his hand as he picked you up “I was joking! Joking I tell you! Sheesh this cat” he put you down.

“So where is yer owner cat?” he asked, you rubbed your fur onto him and put your paw on his foot.

“That’s right! No one can stand THE GREAT MAMMON! Look you are already fascinated by my greatness” he said while you rolled you eyes.

“I have an idea!!” He took you and put you on top of his bed “Stay there till I get back!” he took a picture of you using his D.D.D.

You didn’t know he posted a picture of you while with the description “LOST CAT CONTACT MAMMON THE GREAT p.s give 10000 Grimm as reward”.

Yep, Mammon will be Mammon.

He came back late, it seems he had gone to the casino “TODAY’S MY LUCKY DAY! I WON THE JACKPOT WOHOO NOW I CAN BUY THOSE SHOES AND SUIT, it seems you are a lucky cat after all!”.

When he was busy counting Grimms, it was already midnight. Suddenly pink smoke was covering you and he saw it “Wait what’s happening?!”he said as the smoke was cleared he saw you.

“MC! You were the cat?!”

“Yeah it was me! Thanks for letting me stay in your room though” you said

“That’s right! Haha! The GREAT MAMMON always to the rescue haha” sweat drops

“I gtg to my room, I’m so sleepy cya Mammon thanks again!” you said as you left.

Bonus:

Early in the morning you came to Mammon’s room while you said “Mammon! Why did you post me being lost in exchange for grimm?!”

“Uh I can explain you see, I forgot to delete it and bye!” he said as he run off of bed.

Leviathan:

“Is that what I think it is?” he mumbled as he was supposed to be going out to refill his rations

Sucre Frenzy’s lead member recently had a jet black cat, which was similar to the color of your fur.

“Nah maybe it’s just lost, wandering in the house” he said while he left to buy 2 months’ worth of food.

You saw and heard what he said so you decided to go to his room and wait for him.

You were looking around the place until-

When he came back he saw you looking at Henry 2.0 and he thought you were going to eat him “NONONONO! Don’t eat my one and true friend!” whilst you gave him a quizzical cat look.

“AHHH! I got no time for this, I should open up the new Multiplayer game I bought aaaaah where is MC? Damn I need to play it now” he said while preparing his newly bought game, he messaged you in his D.D.D waiting for an answer. You went to the other controller and pressed play.

“Wait what that was for MC! I should restart this” when he was reaching for the menu button, you put your paw on his arm. ”Wait are you telling me not to restart?” you cried out a meow.

You played the new game with him and he was amazed, “Woah this cat is amazing it can play games! I’m gonna name you Henry 3.0!” and you gave him a doubtful look while you continue to play the new game he bought until midnight.

You landed the final blow to the last boss on the game and when Levi turned around pink smoke was covering you.

You were turned back into human! “OMG MC you were a cat? lolol so cool”

“This is my magical power! Lunaria, Wisteria, Primrose, Peony! Through the power of the flower I’m pretty as can be! I’m the magical mysterious MC!” you said as you pecked his cheeks.

“Watch out! I might steal your heart!” you wink leaving him flustered.

Satan:

He was looking for you inside his room, he was going to tell you that he found the book that you were helping him find.

“MC?? Hey MC? That’s weird, I swore she said that she was inside my ro—“Satan couldn’t finish his sentence when he found a small black cat lying around with his books.

“How did you get in here. Are you hungry? Do you want some food?”

Satan was excited he looked like a smol boi waiting for his Birthday present.

After a day full of feeding you, taking care of you and even took pictures of you like a cat mom flexing he decided that it’s time to set you free.

“If you stay here for too long your owner might be missing you”

You brushed your fur against his leg and he knelt down and brushed his hand on your head.

“Well I guess you could stay it’s pretty dark anyways”.

Satan carefully picked you up and took you to his bedroom and he put you down beside his pillow and let you fall asleep.

Not that he totally forgot about you though

When you both woke up it seems like you were back to normal and you saw Satan smirked.

“Good morning my lil kitten” definitely knows that you were the cat.

Asmodeus:

You went out of Satan’s room hoping to get help from someone and suddenly Asmodeus hurryingly going out of his room.

You followed Asmodeus while crying out a small meow. Apparently, he didn’t heard your cry for help.

He went to your room (as you followed him there) “MC! We need to go to the ma—oh she isn’t here” when he stopped you let out a loud cry and he finally noticed you.

“Awh what are you doing here? Were you lured here by my charm?” he said

“My, my, you have such a nice fur compared to other kitties seems like you also got the charm! And it doesn’t look like you don’t shed too much fur! I have a great idea! I’ll take you to the mall with me, you will be my new pet! Let’s share our charm to the entire world!” he said as he picked you up and took you outside.

After a day full of shopping, salon, taking pictures, and buying more stuff, you both went home before curfew.

He went to have some dinner while you run off to your room.

After dinner he was busy taking his stuff out of the bags you two bought

On midnight he noticed you were not in his bedroom, he went to search for you and seen you on your room “Oh little princess why are you in MC’s room? Speaking of MC I didn’t even see her during dinner and she isn’t even here.” and suddenly pink smoke was covering your body and suddenly you were turned back to normal.

“I never knew you could be a majestic cat MC,waaaah I really missed you” he said that while cuddling you.

“Now that I’m here why don’t we sleep in your bed?” you saw him smirk.

“No funny business alright? Being a cat is really tiring!” you said to him.

“Alright, alright! Just let me hug you” he said. “Fine” you replied while he pecked your lips and went to bed.

Beelzebub:

You hid from everyone until it was late night. You were hungry so you went to the kitchen hoping to find some food on the table but you were unlucky enough to find none.

You saw some unopened chips on the countertop so you jumped and grabbed it using your mouth. You tried to open the chips with your claws and your mouth but you failed.

Beel saw you in the kitchen and said “Do you want this? Hmm I don’t really know if chips are good for cats though”.

You nod and he opened the chips for you, you thanked him by crying out a meow.

When the chips was open you bite some and gave it to Beel, “Oh thanks” he replied as he pats your head.

As you two were eating, the clocked reached midnight.

A magical pink smoke appeared around you. You were turned back to normal.

“Wha- MC I didn’t know you have the power to turn into a cat!” Beel said as he kept eating chips.

“No wait I don---ah why bother btw thanks for the chips“ you pecked his cheek while you went upstairs to sleep.

Belphegor:

You were in shock of what happened and decided to ask your S/O, Belphie for help. You went to his bedroom to see himself napping as usual.

You did everything you can, meowing, hissing, carefully scratching his bedside, pouncing on him, putting your paw on his nose, and still nothing.

Nothing can wake up this boi

You gave up and tried to wait for him to wake up but you fell asleep beside him instead.

Cue Beel going to his room and found you two sleeping “Cute” he said.

After 2 hours Belphie woke up and saw a cat beside him. At first he was shocked but eventually he stroked the cat’s fur lightly not waking it up and soon began to sleep again.

You both woke up the next day with you lying down on the cold floor well at least you ain’t a cat anymore eh?

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maddiethebull · 5 years ago

Text

Lucifer (Obey Me!) - Prompt #9 - “I could quote a thousand poems, but none can describe what I feel.”

Lucifer was stressed. He had been looking over Mammon’s grades, which was bad enough, then he got to Levi’s grades and practically lost his shit. He sat in his room alone leaning back into his chair with his hands covering his eyes. If he saw the letter F again that day he felt like he would just start screaming. As he sat there being a) stressed about his brother’s grades and b) worrying about his brothers a knock on the door retrieved him from thought. He opened it and there you were, standing in your most comfortable oversized sweater and your favorite leggings. You looked like calm embodied as you offered Lucifer one of the cookies you had freshly baked. He looked like distress embodied as he loomed over you and just took the entire plate.

“Woah, is something the matter?” you asked. He silently nodded and pointed to the papers on his desk.

“Oh, that explains why you need all of those cookies, though Beel might have a different opinion,” you joked, trying to make him feel better. The hint of a smile graced his lips. He sighed, trying mentally to release some of the weight on his shoulders.

“I thank you for the cookies, MC, and Beel is to know nothing of this.”

“Do you want to take a break? I was supposed to go to this new cafe with Ma-”

“UGH.”

“With mYSELF yes, all… alone. By myself. And I was wondering if you wanna join us- me I mean me, you want, yes?” you added a giggle on to your trainwreck of a proposal. You were so adorable to him, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Indeed,” he chuckled, “I want yes.”

You two left for the cafe (as you rapidly texted Mammon to not come along if he wanted to live). Once you got there, it was pretty full, but seeing as you were with the second most powerful demon in Devildom, you guys were allowed to skip the line that ran around the quaint brick building.

One very scared teenage demon spoke from behind the counter like a deer in the headlights,

“Good a- afternoon Mister- Sir- Prince Lucifer, what would you like to order?”

In a baritone voice he replied, “black coffee,” and handed the kid money for the order. Even though you knew he wasn’t trying to, he exuded the most intimidating aura. The cashier’s voice cracked,

“And you, Ma’am?”

You gave the poor kid a sweet smile and a twenty grimm tip, “Hi, I’ll have a hot chocolate, please.”

Lucifer noticed the kid relaxing a little as he was taking your order. He tried dumbing down his intimidating nature, thinking, ‘I’m not that scary. Surely, not everyone can exude kindness like you, MC. I’m not scary, hmph.’ Though he was making fun of your caring and soft nature, it was the thing he admired about you the most. He thought you could bring all of Devildom to their knees with that precious smile alone. He felt so different from you, if he smiled it would most definitely scare whomever received it; he didn’t not like that, but around you, he hated it. Every once in a while, he wanted to make people feel the way you make them feel, the way you make him feel -- all… mushy. Ugh, you even ordered a hot chocolate, which was arguably the cutest of drinks! He frowned as the two of you went to the other end of the counter to wait for your orders. He looked at you tenderly, you were smiling and bobbing up and down in anticipation. He stood stagnant with his eyes focused on only you, as far as he was concerned, you two were the only ones in that crowded cafe. You whisper-cheered as your hot chocolate was handed to you and he grabbed his from where it was set on the counter.

You sat at a small two-person table by the window.

“We already know I’ve had a less than fortunate day, so, how was yours?” he asked.

You replied, “Oh, it was here and there. I’ve been feeling sort of down lately, so I didn't do much other than bake those cookies. Overall, it was okay.” You looked down at your drink.

“I’m sorry to hear that, what’s been bothering you?” He was slightly shocked, you looked perfectly cheery the entire day. In fact, you always looked so happy.

“Mmm, It’s nothing much, really, so don’t worry about it,” You added a smile to make it believable. But, what was bothering wasn’t just nothing. It was him, Lucifer. Lately, he’s been so stressed and irritable, you couldn’t talk to him much as a result of that. On top of that, you didn’t know that it was his brothers he was frustrated with and you began wondering if it was you he was irked at. Your mind was set at ease knowing that you weren’t the cause of his unpleasant feelings so right now, you just wanted to make him feel better. You wanted to spend more time with this Lucifer, not cranky Lucifer.

He didn’t believe you, but he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by asking more about it so he nodded and politely sipped his coffee.

In the awkward silence, you looked around the cafe and your gaze settled upon a set of bookshelves. One book in particular caught your eye. It was a collection of poems by Lord Byron. ‘This is a good way to change the topic of conversation,’ you thought. You pointed to the bookcase,

“Hey, my favorite poem is by him,” you say excitedly before getting up to grab it. Lucifer’s eyes followed you, just seeing you made him feel better, you weren’t scared of him. At least, he presumed you weren’t intimidated by him. Luckily he was right. You came back with the book and eagerly searched through it’s pages to find your favorite poem.

“Here it is!” you turned to Lucifer who possessed a guileful smirk as he studied your features.

“Read it to me,” he said while maintaining his smirk.

You blushed then smiled, “okay, I-I’ll read it. I’ll read it really good! Yeah! I mean, I’ll read it very well!” You shuffled in your seat, cleared your throat, and began,

“So, we’ll go no more a-roving

So late into the night,

Though the heart be still as loving,

And the moon be still be as bright.

For the sword outwears its sheath,

And the soul wears out the breast,

And the heart must pause to breathe,

And love itself have rest.

Though the night was made for loving,

And the day returns too soon,

Yet we’ll go no more a-roving,

By the light of the moon.”

(‘So We’ll Go No More A-Roving’ by Lord Byron)

“It sounds rather sad to me, I’m surprised that you would call it your favorite, MC.”

“No, it's not sad, it's endearing. It's about growing old with your love. The subjects of the poem are older; though their bodies aren’t as strong as when they were still young, their love persists in its strength. That’s why it’s my favorite.”

He gave it thought. He smiled gently,

“I took it in a way that the subjects of the poem wish they were as energetic as when they were young. The way you described it, it’s quite beautiful isn’t it, hm?” ‘As bright and beautiful as you.’ He took a sip of coffee, “I also know my fare share of poetry.”

“Oooh, what’s your favorite?”

“I can’t say that I have a favorite, really, I just enjoy many different pieces.”

“Hmmmm, well, what about the first poem you like that you think of? You know, like one that describes how you’re feeling now or whatever.”

He paused for a moment to think. His deep red eyes that held such intensity were softened by the warm yellow light that shone onto them. He felt so soft looking at you. ‘I can be gentle too, I’ll just say what I’m thinking and I will have no regrets. Yes, Lucifer, you can do this.

“MC, I could quote a thousand poems, but none can describe what I feel when I’m with you.” He said it so calmly, as if it were common knowledge, how could he be so poker-faced right now? You felt a hot blush rise to your cheeks.

“Lucifer! Don’t make fun of me,” you said, burying your face in the ends of your too-long sweater sleeves, trying to hide how hard you were blushing.

‘It worked! Yes!’ He spoke with a joyful bump in his voice, “I don’t understand, I would say that’s a compliment.”

“A- and that wasn’t even an answer okay,” you said still too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.

He pondered for a moment, wondering which one he should say.

“Okay, how about this one,

“When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

(Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.”

(‘Sonnet 29’ by Shakespeare)

You blushed even harder, which you didn’t know was possible. “You can quote Shakespeare?? Just like that? From memory?!”

He laughed, “of course, can’t you?”

“Oh, I see how it is,” you chuckled out. He laughed even more, a deep, bellowing laugh that struck you to your core. He looked so wonderful like this, so very wonderful.

The rest of the afternoon and most of the evening was spent going over various poets and writers and even classical musicians, and at one odd point, different types of frogs. While he knew more about it all than you, you held your ground against him in knowledge and that filled him to the brim with joy. Maybe you two weren’t so different after all.

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BONUS: The original layout of the story:

The Damnit, Mammon, Grade schoolwork, hes stressed, you come in, you start chatting, you make him feel better, he doesnt want you to leave his side he plays some music, this sounds like cafe music, you wnat to go to a cafe, he decides to go with, you make fun of his coffee choice (black coffee), you get up and search the you read a poem aloud to him (so well go no more a rvoing by lord byron) He saiys the Line, you roll your eyes but your heart is full, he takes you to the desert, youre in an rv, he starts cooking meth, you are jesse pinkman, he his walter white, this is breaking bad.

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Thanks for reading!!! 💙💙💙

162 notes · View notes

lunanightingaleart · 4 years ago

Text

So Lucky To Have You

This is going to be an Oc x Canon Fanfiction, if you aren’t comfortable with that do not continue reading. Otherwise I hope you enjoy and maybe Heart and Reblog if you wish <3

Start At Chapter 1

Chapter 3

“Congratulations on all of our students at Beacon Academy, and welcome each and every new team of Huntsmen and Huntresses.” The students began to applaud, new students excited to be there and older students welcoming the newbies. With gloved hands, Lillian clapped with a soft smile on her face as she let it sink in. She was at Beacon Academy, learning to become a huntress to protect the world and fight back against evil. She felt kind of like a superhero in training.

“Well, that was quite the ceremony.” Looking to her Team Leader Travis, she excitedly nodded.

“Yeah, honestly it felt pretty inspiring. Oh, by the way. I’m Lillian. We never really got to introduce ourselves before the ceremony.” She offered her hand to the Red Panda Faunus, returning his friendly smile and gladly shaking his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Lillian. I still can’t believe I’m part of a team. I hope it’s alright that I’m the leader...especially for what I am.”

“For what you are? Come on man.” The student named Ryker spoke up, arms crossed with a colder look in his eyes.

“We don’t care that you’re a Faunus. You’re our team leader, that’s the important part here. So, make sure to act like it. Alright?” Travis blinked, shyly nodding with a smile.

“Of course, thank you!” While heading out of the crowded room, Lillian curiously looked to her third teammate, who before this stayed completely silent.

“Hey, I’m Lillian.” The boy covered one of his eyes with snow white hair, but just underneath the bangs she noticed signs of scarring. She couldn’t quite see it all, but it looked a bit like claw marks.

“I’m...Varian.”

“Nice to meet you Varian~! I’m glad to have you on the team. We all may be strangers now, but I bet we’ll get along just nicely.” Varian stared at her for a moment, before his eyes moved to the floor.

“Do you really think so? All of us?”

“Of course~! Teams have to work together you know. By the time we all graduate, we’ll practically be family~!” The word family seemed to make Varian smile, a rose colored tint forming on his cheeks.

“That sounds nice.” While walking out with her team, Lillian caught a glimpse of quite the group of people. There were plenty of teams that held all sorts of unique and eye-catching people, but this one really caught her eye more than the rest. A very pretty girl wearing a white cloak, and beautiful silver eyes. A blond guy who seemed to hold the sun in his hands, not to mention the puns she could actually hear from where she stood. The next two seemed related, twins maybe. Both wore black hair and crimson eyes and carried a look that said they were uncomfortable here. As if they didn’t know what to do about their current situation. Seeing the weapon carried by the boy twin though made her stare for a moment. It stood out, something about it she couldn’t quite place. She really liked it though.

“Hey Lily, are you alright?” She heard Travis’s voice, but her eyes didn’t leave the group. It was when her eyes suddenly met the boy’s crimson ones that her face matched in hue and she looked towards Travis.

“Yeah! Sorry, there’s just so much going on.”

“You look like a tomato.” Ryker pointed out bluntly.

“Aw, it’s alright Lily. Let’s check out our dorm while we can. Figure out sleeping arrangements.”

“Yeah, okay.” Lillian glanced back over her shoulder once more towards the group, this time there was no doubt the boy had caught her, as he was now staring at her curiously. She felt her face flush, and shyly waved with a friendly smile. He didn’t move, and instead his gaze was brought back to his team who had gotten his attention for something. With that Lillian followed her team to their shared dorm room.

~~~~

A few days pass and classes are starting up smoothly, well...mostly. It seems the teachers are having a fun time trying to keep some of the teams from misbehaving. A few were just troublemakers, others just seemed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Lillian had no idea where He played in this, but hearing the laughter of multiple students and then seeing a blur of someone disappear down the hallway gave her a bad feeling. Peeking past the corner, the blond kid from team STRQ was laughing and fist bumping a few kids.

“Oh man Tai that was hilarious!”

“How the hell did you get him to wear the girl’s uniform?”

“Apparently he’s never worn a school uniform before; told him it was a Kilt and that it was totally normal.” Lillian stood there for a minute, thinking before turning and following where she saw the blur leave to. That Tai kid probably didn’t mean it to be bad, but it was Mean. After a few minutes she noticed a closed door with the lights off, but could hear the slightest of grumbles from inside.

“I shouldn’t have listened to him, what was I thinking!? Raven was right…” Standing at the doorway, Lillian pressed her knuckles to the door and knocked a few times. Silence. She knocked again a little louder.

“Go Away Tai.” She swallowed softly.

“It’s not Tai…are you okay?” There was silence once again. This time he seemed to pretend he wasn’t in there.

“...Hey, what that Tai kid did was really mean, but I don’t think he meant it that way. I think he’s just an idiot.”

“...Oh yeah? And how would you know? Are you friends with him or something?”

“Not really. I share a couple of classes with your team. You’re….Qrow, right?”

“...Yeah, that’s me. Who’s asking?”

“Oh, I just want to make sure I got it right. It’d be a little embarrassing if I called you the wrong name. Talk about a horrible first impression. Um...I’m Lillian, by the way.” After a minute or so of silence, Qrow spoke up.

“So what did you follow me for? A picture? Trust me, I’m sure you can talk to a few kids and find plenty of them.”

“Oh no, that’s not it. I just wanted to come make sure you were okay. You seemed upset.” An audible scoff came from the room.

“You don’t say? You must be some kind of wizard.” Lillian slowly sat down on the ground, seeing the small crack under the door. Pulling out her scroll, she opened up an app to play tic tac toe, and then slid it under the door.

“Wanna play? You can go first.”

“...I’m not….good with games.”

“Well lucky for you Tic Tac Toe isn’t really a game of stakes, just some X’s and O’s on a grid.” Lillian sat patiently in front of the door, before the sound of movement peaked her interest. Suddenly, the scroll slid back under the door, a game started. Lillian smiled and took her turn, sliding it back under the door. It was like this for several rounds, content silence growing between the two as game after game was played. Most of the rounds were tied, but it seemed to lighten the mood.

“Told you I’m not good at these kinds of games.”

“That’s okay, to be honest the game was just an excuse to keep you company.” A soft chuckle came from the door.

“You’re pretty stubborn.”

“Yup, as a mule. My ma says that’s my best quality.”

“Heh, I don’t know. It’s pretty annoying.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” Some more movement was heard, but this time it was followed up by the unlocking of a door. Lillian pulled herself from the ground, patting off her uniform skirt and waiting to see the voice from the other side of the door. There he was, the boy with eyes like rubies and hair like a black bird’s feathers. He was wearing a combination of the girl and boy’s uniforms, a button up top and a skirt that came to his knees in length.

“Look I know I look stupid..”

“Not really.”

“...What?” He looked to Lillian as she shrugged.

“Would it be weird if I said you had nice legs?”

“Coming from a complete stranger? Absolutely.” She rubbed her head apologetically.

“Coming from the girl I just played Tic Tac Toe with for an hour? Not as much.” He seemed to smile, and something in Lillian’s chest jumped. She offered her hand to him, shyly smiling.

“I’m Lillian, Lillian Violette.”

“Qrow Branwen. So, you really think I have nice legs?” She giggled and nodded a bit.

“Yeah, not many guys can pull off a skirt. You make it work.” For the first time, she heard a real chuckle out of him. She felt she did an almost impossible feat for some reason, and she felt an overwhelming feeling of pride and joy watching him smile.

“Thanks.”

“Not a problem. So, you wanna play a game that isn’t a free app on my scroll? Maybe some video games?” He seemed hesitant, rubbing his neck while leaning on his heels.

“I ugh…”

“Or if you’d like I can help you get back at Tai for being a jerk.”

“...You know what? I’ll take you up on that.” Lillian smiled brightly and began to walk with him down the hall.

“By the way, sorry that I stared at you at orientation. I saw your weapon and I was really impressed.”

“So that Was you! I thought you looked familiar with those purple eyes of yours.”

“Yeah, I noticed your weapon can transform between a sword and a scythe. That’s really cool, the scythe part reminds of of The Grimm Reaper.” He suddenly seemed to gain a sparkle in his eyes.

“You Know about the Grimm Reaper!?”

“Of course, she’s amazing!”

“I know! I actually designed a lot of my weapons based on hers! She’s so cool. You’re the first one to really recognize it.”

“What can I say? I’m a fan, and I can identify good taste.” The two continued to talk weapons on their way back, and anyone who laughed or openly made fun of Qrow ‘Somehow’ slipped and fell. It seemed Qrow was noticing it, but didn’t ask why and almost looked embarrassed about it. Throughout the day, it turns out lots of other female students agreed with Lillian that Qrow had nice legs and totally made the skirt work.

“What’s with girls and my legs anyway~? I’m starting to think I really Do have nice legs~”

“Trust me, if a bunch of different girls are all agreeing and no one has said otherwise, it’s one hundred percent true.” A genuine chuckle came out of him as they went on the hunt for Taiyang. After some time, and asking a bunch of different students, they eventually figured out just where he was. Peeking passed the corner, Lillian watched as Taiyang was attempting to get to know Qrow’s twin sister better (failing miserably might I add). Humming to herself, Lillian turned towards Qrow with a soft smile.

“Do you want to see something that I can do?”

“Ugh…?”

“It’s nothing too bad, just promise me you won’t go around telling everyone. I want to keep my semblance on the down low.” Qrow hesitantly nodded and watched over Lillian’s head as she seemed to begin focusing on the scene in front of her. He picked up on her mumbling under her breath as she seemed to whisper to herself. Tai who was attempting to pose coolly while talking to Raven suddenly lost his balance, taking a few steps back only to step right into a mop bucket left a few feet behind him. With a loud sploosh and ting Taiyang was now on the floor sitting in a puddle of soapy mop water, and a student holding a mop now seemed very unamused. Raven however, for the first time Lillian’s ever seen, cracked a smile and covered her mouth quietly laughing to herself. Qrow’s eyes widened and felt his chest tighten. Pulling his eyes from the scene he pressed his back to the wall they were hiding behind and let his mind race with thoughts. What was that? Was that her semblance? Does she have bad luck like him? Was that even possible? If they were both bad luck would that man their semblances combined could be even Worse than usual!? His heart began to pound in his head as he began to worry himself into a path of no return. Lillian turning with a proud smile only dropped it instantly when she saw how he was taking it.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t think you’d react like that! Oh god, um he’s okay! I promise I don’t use it to hurt people or anything, it’s okay!” Qrow looked to her with disbelief.

“It’s okay??? IT’S OKAY!?” He didn’t know how to react, running his fingers through his hair and now staring at the floor.

“I mean, yeah...I have control over it so it’s not anything bad. I just have to be mindful of what I think.” That’s what made Qrow freeze suddenly. Control over...what?

“Control…? You have...control over your bad luck?” Lillian’s brows furrowed at his words.

“Bad Luck? Is that what you think it is?”

“So you...don’t have bad luck semblance?”

“What? No! No no, did you think? No, my semblance is a little different from that.” Qrow seemed to instantly relax, still a slight tremble in his chest as adrenaline still ran through him.

“Then...what was that?” Lillian looked around, before slowly taking his wrist and leading him down an empty part of the school. With the shell shock he was still recovering from he sort of just let her lead him wherever. Once they were completely alone, Lillian leaned against the wall and let out a soft sigh.

“My Semblance is...well we call it Mischief. You know how there’s always those low chance possibilities of something happening? Like tripping on nothing, or getting an extra prize in the cereal box. You know, very rare but still possible options that can happen? A lot of people put them in the category of good luck and bad luck because it seems Luck has some sort of say of the possibility of it happening. Well, in a weird way I’m...in between? I don’t have overwhelming luck, good or bad, I can sort of...make things happen. As long as it’s a possible thing that Can happen with the given circumstance I can Make it happen. But I have to know enough about it to make it happen. Like how Tai fell in the bucket. I saw a student mopping, saw him trying to impress Raven, and recognized the imbalanced pose he was doing while talking to her. It all came together like a child’s puzzle piece. I can’t do it all the time, but stuff like that is the easiest way. I prefer tripping since it’s always very possible for someone to lose their balance or just trip on air.” Lillian watched Qrow’s expression of disbelief, feeling herself become worrisome and embarrassed.

“I know it’s weird, trust me I know…”

“Yeah...you’re right that is weird..” Looking down Lillian seemed to softly grip her arm.

“...Weird’s good.” Perking up, her eyes met with his ruby ones, and her cheeks matched in color.

“Y-Yeah?”

“Yeah...Honestly it’s kind of cool you have control over that. It’s like you have control over Fate in a way.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I have to see it to have any control over it. So if someone sneak attacks me and I don’t have any location on them I can’t do anything. It’s pretty much a ‘I Either Have To Be There’ sorta thing or a ‘I Have To Know The Person Pretty Well’ thing.”

“So you’d be able to make something happen to me even though you couldn’t see me?”

“I mean, if I knew enough about you and whatever you were doing along with where you were. The best I could do is make you trip.”

“Still...that’s kind of both cool and freaky.”

“Yup, heard the freaky one before. Cool is new, thanks.” The two relaxed around each other, finally smiling this soft almost trusting smile. After a few minutes of silence, Lillian cleared her throat and touched her incredibly warm neck.

“So do you...wanna go play some video games?”

“Sure, you’re not gonna cheat by making my controller stop working are you?”

“Cross my heart.” They began walking back down the hall in silence. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Qrow glanced over towards Lillian. She was only up to his shoulder in height, and only now did he notice the weapons wrapped around her hands that resembled retracted claws in a box over her knuckles.

“Hey so um...are you gonna ask about...my semblance?” He felt incredibly stupid for bringing it up, and almost instantly regretted it. What if she was afraid of him or would treat him differently after knowing? Glancing up at him, Lillian gave a soft patient smile.

“You don’t have to tell me. Semblances are really personal parts of you, and while others are very open to telling everyone they meet about it, I can understand not wanting to do that. If you want to tell me you can, but I’m not going to make you if you aren’t comfortable with that. So, it’s okay. Just, you know, don’t worry about it. I’m sure one day it’ll come up, but we don’t have to rush it. We did just officially meet today.” Oh that’s right, this girl and him Did just technically meet today. They’ve had classes together, but never really talked. Besides it’s only been at most a week since all this started. Weird. How come he was already so...relaxed with her? Still, he was glad she didn’t push the idea of him telling her his semblance. She seemed to understand enough that some things needed to be kept personal. At least until there’s a strong enough bond. What was he saying? He was only supposed to be here until he was a Huntsman and then go back to the village with his sister. Bring back the knowledge of Huntsmen and Huntresses. Nothing else.

“Hey, I’ve got a few different games to choose from, got any favorites?” Her voice brought him back, and his eyes met her as a sideways glance.

“I um...I don’t...know…” He trailed off, embarrassed to admit he doesn’t know much about this place, or video games for that matter. Technology is still really jarring to him.

“Oh, I gotcha~! Let’s start out with something easy then, a fighting game should work. It’ll be a one on one sort of game. Like sparring, but virtually. Come on I’ll show you.” This girl was really patient with him, and reminded him of his team. Summer and Tai mostly. Qrow smiled and followed Lillian’s lead, ignoring the girls complimenting his legs and the guys laughing about Taiyang who was now walking through the halls with very soaked pants. Once they got back to her dorm that she shared with her team, he awkwardly found himself meeting all of them. He recognized them from his class, now that he thought about it. It wasn't often a Faunus was made a team leader, not to mention the entire group seemed to have a strange unspoken rule between them. Like a bunch of older brothers protecting their little sister. He could feel the faunus's eyes on him the entire time, and it made him even more uncomfortable. It was only when Lillian quite literally kicked them out of the room and set up the video games that Qrow began to relax. The rest of the day they tried different games, Lillian teaching Qrow the controls and basic rules.

"Hey, Nice~! You're getting the hang of it!" Qrow sat confused as the screen said he won. He literally had no idea how he won, but it was exhilarating. Looking to his left, Lillian smiled and laughed having a good time. The bright smile reminded him of a flower in spring. He felt his face warm as he forced himself to look away.

~~~~

With each passing day Lillian began to find herself getting more at home. All these different students are all looking to do around the same thing, becoming stronger to help the world be better. To fight the evil in the world and save the innocents. Months go by and Lillian has really gotten the hang of the classes, not to mention she finally feels as if she really gets her team. They were just getting back from a mission when Lillian looked throughout the crowd of students all coming back from missions and classes.

“We should probably go and tell the professor about the outcome of our training mission.”

“You should probably tell Lillian that.”

“What??” Travis turned only to see his teammate Lillian gone. Lillian was zooming through the crowds of people and jumping to get a better view of the crowd. With her height it appeared she was drowning in the amount of students, hopping to keep air in her lungs. She could kind of see them, with each hop she could locate them and then get closer.

“Qrow~!” The ravenette stopped mid step, about to follow his team to lunch when he heard the familiar voice. Looking behind him he stared towards the ocean of people.

“Qrow, you coming?” Tai called out, but Qrow didn’t move. He saw a sudden head pop up from the waves and a small smile formed.

“In a second.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited for the head to pop up once again, but closer. They made eye contact with one another and that seemed to cause more of a smile. When Lillian noticed he was waiting for her she sped up, crawling out of the crowd and stopping just a few feet from where he stood. She caught her breath, and smiled looking at him.

“Hey…” He smirked a little.

“Hey~ Welcome back~”

“Lily~!” Summer ran over and wrapped her arms around Lillian quickly. She laughed and wrapped her arms around her in return.

“Summer~! Good to see you!” Lillian excitedly talked with team STRQ after not seeing them for a week, happily joking with them and catching up.

“So hey we were heading to lunch, want to head over?”

“I’ll actually meet you guys there, I pretty much just ditched my team to come say hi. Gotta report our mission to the professor.” Summer, Tai, and Raven all left towards the cafeteria, but Qrow stood there patiently waiting.

“So, how was your mission?” Lillian smiled and took a step towards him.

“It was...interesting.”

“You’re telling me!” Lillian jumped and took a step back when her teammates appeared behind her.

“This girl is crazy! Leaped onto the back of a Goliath Grimm.” Varian spoke with a huge grin. Qrow’s eyes widened and looked to the now embarrassed Lillian.

“I might have fallen out of the tree-”

“It was incredibly dangerous and she almost got seriously hurt.” Travis spoke with arms crossed and tail swishing.

“Buuut because of that Ryker was able to identify it’s weak spot and we took it out no problem. It looked amazing!” The two began to argue about whether it was super cool or dangerous, and Lillian took a step towards Qrow. Qrow looked at her with a still astonished look.

“Did you seriously leap on a Goliath?” Lillian rubbed her neck with a red face.

“We were hiding in the trees, a branch snapped under me and I panicked. I didn’t want to fall straight down so I leaped forward and used my semblance to land on it’s back. Then I was basically bull riding this Grimm while my team had to basically save me.” Qrow had to suppress the chuckle imagining her riding this wild grimm like a bull.

“Only You~”

“Well we need to go report to ole teach, you coming Lily?” Lillian looked between her teammates and Qrow, indecisive.

“Ummm…” Ryker appeared behind the two and set his hands on his teammate’s shoulders.

“Can’t you see she’s obviously wanting to talk with Qrow, alone? Come on, let’s go. He led the two away as they complained about being dragged away, Lillian was blushing heavily, staring awkwardly at the ground as all the students now seemed to spread out and leave them alone in the hall. There was a silence between them for a while, before Qrow finally chuckled and closed the space between them.

“They’re a handful aren’t they~?” Lillian smiled softly.

“Not as much as a handful as you~” Qrow playfully scoffed.

“Brat~

“Takes one to know one~” Lillian wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, Qrow held her close for a second, just sighing.

“So was Ryker right? Do you have something to talk about?”

“Well, I didn’t know if it was time..” Qrow pulled her away a bit to look at her. She sighed and bit her lip.

“I know we’re trying to keep this...on the downlow, but...there’s that dance coming up…” Seeming to understand, Qrow looked to the side.

“I don’t know...I’m not really into stuff like that.”

“I know, we don’t have to go as a couple. I just thought it might be fun. It’s your choice though.” Qrow hummed a bit, shifting his weight a bit.

“I’ll….think about it.” Lillian nodded.

“I appreciate you doing that, no matter what the outcome.”

“Yeah yeah, come here~” Lillian laughed as Qrow held her and spun her a bit, lifting her off the ground and burying his face in her shoulder. It had been a solid week since Qrow had even seen her, let alone hold her. It was a good thing though, so his semblance couldn’t affect her as much. Not to mention that mischief semblance of hers helps immensely. He wondered if it was about time he told her in detail what his semblance even was. It was only three weeks since they secretly began dating, but the fact he got in a relationship without telling them seemed a bit selfish. He bit his lip, just holding her for a moment and sighing,

“Is something wrong?” Shit. He grumbled a bit and pulled away to look at her.

“You’re way too perceptive.” She stuck out her tongue.

“Come on, what’s wrong?” Staring into her sparkling purple eyes he couldn’t help himself. For the past several months she’s been there for him when he needed it, and hasn’t asked for anything in return. She never tried to fix his problems, and never asked for too many details if he was uncomfortable or didn’t want to talk. She was just there for him. He couldn’t keep hiding this from her, she didn’t deserve it. While in thought, Qrow moved some of her hair from her face while still staring into her eyes,

“...I think it’s time I tell you in detail about my semblance.” Qrow walked with Lillian to a more disclosed location, just in case anyone walked in on their conversation. Qrow felt more comfortable this way, and Lillian was willing to make sure he was comfortable for this. She really was thoughtful to him. Qrow brought Lillian to the empty classroom they first met at and sat with her on the floor. He began to go into detail about his Bad Luck Semblance, how dangerous it was for him to be around anyone for too long because he couldn’t really control who it affected. Anyone in a general radius of him would possibly get affected by him, and that scared him when it came to his friends or her. When he finally finished he was holding his head and refusing to make eye contact with her. What if she became afraid of him? What if after he told her all this she decided it would be best that they stayed away from each other? He was so scared, trembling a little in place.

“Guess you could say I’m a Bad Luck Charm.” His voice shook a little, and that instantly scared him more. He was already so attached to her that the idea of her rejecting him for his semblance tore him apart. He waited for it, waited for her to apologize and leave him behind. Instead however, she gently reached for his trembling hand and held it.

"...Did I ever tell you...about the first time I ever experienced my Semblance?" He blinked and looked up towards her, shaking his head a bit.

“No, you never did…” She gave a saddened smile, squeezing his hand a little tighter and sighing. Her usually calm and joyful demeanor was gone, she looked so upset. Using her free hand she ran her fingers through her hair, now her turn to tell a story.

"When I was young, a bunch of kids used to mess with me a lot. Always these boys pushing me and pulling my hair. Knocking down my block towers, you know the stereotypical boy messing with girl stuff. Everyone would always say it was normal and that I should just ignore it. Well...one day...I can't remember just Why I was so angry. They did something that just finally made me snap." Lillian glanced up at Qrow, only to lower her eyes again in shame.

"Mind you I didn't know much about Semblances let alone how to control it. I didn't know what mine Was, but that's besides the point. I told the kid I hoped he would get hit by a bus. And I really meant it at the time. They laughed it off and went on with their day, and I was grumbling and finding myself able to see it vividly. Of course I was a kid so I was thinking of it like a kid would. Stick figures basically being flattened and getting back up. I..." She swallowed a lump in her throat, her eyes darkening.

"The next morning I went to school, and I saw him riding his bike, he lived pretty close by so his parents didn't mind him riding to school by himself. A school bus was speeding down the road and didn't seem to notice him. The kid jumped out of the way and rolled into a ditch just seconds from getting flattened. His bike was destroyed and my entire class stared in shock as this kid I threatened yesterday almost died...my Semblance did that." She seemed ashamed of her words, biting her lip in silence now. Qrow couldn’t believe what she was saying. She almost killed someone with her semblance? Lillian? The sweetest girl he’s ever met almost caused a child homicide?

“It wasn’t the last time either. Whenever I got angry and thought harmful things it caused them to happen. Teenage bullies falling down the stairs, kids getting bit by wild animals,...” Lillian’s eyes darkened.

“...A Grimm appearing in town and causing havoc to a group of teens….” Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she began to grip her own arm.

“I had to learn to control it. I was so scared every single time I ever caused something like that to happen. It wasn’t like bad luck where it just happens, I could control it...and I hurt people because I couldn’t stop myself from wanting them hurt. I’ve worked on it since I was a kid, but there’s always that fear that I’ll get really mad and can’t control myself. Or that I’ll let my mind wander and I’ll accidentally hurt something I care about…” She looked shamefully towards the floor, Qrow staring at her awestruck. He never thought, even for a moment, that someone like her would even remotely understand what he felt. Without even thinking, he reached up and began running his thumbs across her cheeks, drying the tears from her face. Looking back up to him with tear filled eyes Lillian sniffled softly. She looked so vulnerable. He hated it, seeing her cry and look so helpless. He wanted to see her smile, laugh, make snide remarks whenever she wanted. That confident sweetheart that he had grown to know and care for. Leaning closer, Qrow wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. The two stayed like that, embracing each other in silence for a while. When they finally let each other go, they left the classroom holding each other's hands.

“...Hey, so I’ve thought about it.” Lillian looked towards Qrow confused.

“Let’s...go to that dumb dance together. If you still want, that is.” His face was red as he spoke, staring ahead and attempting to avoid eye contact with her. Her eyes sparked at his words, a genuine smile forming on her lips.

“I’d love to…” He nodded shyly and walked with her to the cafeteria for lunch.

“How do you think they’ll react?” He chuckled.

“Better be positive, otherwise they’ll have to hear from me~” She giggled, leaning closer to him as they walked.

#rwby #rwby fanfiction #rwby oc #rwby qrow #uncle qrow #qrow branwen #qrow x oc #oc x canon #Lillian Violette #So Lucky To Have You #Chapter 3 #Beacon Days

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zwei-the-penguin-with-a-pen · 5 years ago

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‘Second & Sebring’

Ruby Rose packed up her briefcase with the tests she would spend half the night grading. Hopefully, this rowdy batch of future Huntsmen and Huntresses knew which Grimm was which and they would all pass with flying colors. If nothing else, that would make the grading move faster and leave Ruby with more Weiss time.

Ruby loved her job as a professor at the new Beacon Academy. Rebuilding the school didn't take all that much time once the people of Vale had set their minds to it. Grimm weren't as much of a problem as they once were, what with Salem eradicated, but the occasional spike in the monsters population still needed to be controlled. That's where Ruby came in, teaching the bright young minds and training the bodies of the next generation of demon slayers.

"Professor Rose..." She heard a voice call her name. She looked up from her desk to see a handsome young boy that had bright orange hair with a black streak in it. He looked at her through bright pink eyes.

"Yes, Mr. Valkyrie?" She responded. Being a professional was still an adventure for Ruby. She'd much rather scoop the kid up and hug him, as she'd known him since he was born. She tried not to be on a first name basis with any of her students if she didn't need to be, but Heimdall Valkyrie was the son of two of her friends.

"Would you mind going easy on Lotus's test? She's been restless lately with redesigning her weapon and it's all she can do to stay awake some days..." The shy boy asked her. He was forever looking out for his kid sister.

"I'm certain Lotus did just fine, Heimdall. You guys are Ren and Nora's kids, after all. Ren won't let you guys fail at anything you try." Heimdall grinned at his teacher's response and thanked her.

"That's something else I've been meaning to ask you..." He sighed, pointing to the small figures on Ruby's desk. "These two... They were Mom and Dad's partners when they went to school here, right?" Ruby's face fell at the question. Heimdall or Lotus was bound to ask it sooner or later.

"Yes, they were. The boy was Jaune Arc, a fantastic fighter and friend. He didn't come from much, and he kind of cheated to get into Beacon, but he fought harder than anyone else did. The girl was Pyrrha Nikos. She was a world-renowned fighter before she ever even came to Beacon. She was shy in spite of her fame, but she was a wonderful friend and a beautiful soul. And everyone at Beacon had a crush on her." Ruby chuckled at the thought of that. She fondly remembered her eyes turning to stars at the very sight of Pyrrha.

"Do you know what happened to them?" Yeesh, kid. Always with the difficult questions.

"Well, kid, they both ran headlong into battles they knew they couldn't win. At the Fall of Beacon, Pyrrha went after the woman who led the attack, and she was pretty much a god when Pyrrha got to her. You know the Maidens story, correct?" The orange haired boy nodded, mentioning that it was one of his favorite fairytales. "Well, the Maidens do exist. Or they did. No one knows if they're still around, seeing as the great evil has been defeated. Anyway, Cinder had just become the Fall Maiden, but Pyrrha went after her anyway."

Ruby held back a tear. "I watched her die, Heimdall. I was rushing to help her, but I was too late. A similar thing happened with Jaune. He made a mad dash for Salem in our last battle, but he never even got close. She summoned a horde of Grimm that devoured him." She rubbed her eyes to stop the tears. "The last words I heard him say were, 'At least I can see Pyrrha now'... and then he was gone."

"Wow, Professor! I can't believe you've been on so many great adventures! I'm sorry those horrible things happened to your friends, though." Heimdall sympathized. Ruby grinned at her student and honorary nephew,

"It's a hazard in our line of work, kid. More of my friends died, and even more of them lived through endless horrors, but we defeated Salem and lived to tell the world about it. What more could we ask for?"

"Wow, my parents were with you and your team?"

"Yep, them and Jaune, and some others, too. We made a fantastic team, really. Especially my girls," She grinned and pointed to the photograph on her desk. "We were called Team RWBY, and we were not what you'd call the best team at Beacon by any means. But we found a family in each other, all by ourselves. It was little and broken, but it was good. Is good, I mean." She picked up the photo.

"This one here is my sister Yang. We had the same dad, and the same mom raised us. Yang had a different... I think 'vessel' is a good word for Raven." Heimdall laughed at Ruby's remark. "Yang lost her arm in the Fall, but she and Blake destroyed the creature responsible. She's the one with the dark hair and cat ears. They were married shortly after that, and now they've got family of their own."

"So the girl with the white hair... isn't that Weiss Schnee? She's famous for reforming the Schnee Dust Company after her father ran it into the ground." Heimdall mentioned. He was always very studious. You could tell he was Ren's child.

"Yeah. He was a miserable man. Holding my scythe up to his neck is still one of my crowning achievements." She laughed as Heimdall's eyes widened.

"Were you the one that killed him?!"

"Well, he shouldn't have slapped my wife in the face and tried to attack her!" Ruby huffed defiantly. "But no, I didn't kill him. Weiss and I had our fill of beating him, and then we threw him into the mines and let the faunus have their way with him, Lion King style!" She grinned at the idea. "And then I married the girl of my dreams! But only after my team and I defeated Salem."

"You're so incredible, Professor Rose! I'd love to meet your team sometime!"

"Well, I'm sure you'll meet us all someday. Anyway, I'm going home now. See you next class, Nephew. And I promise I'll go easy on your sister... but only because you asked nicely." She grinned at the boy as she shooed him out of her lecture hall and locked the door behind the two of them.

"Rough day, Flower Pot?" Weiss asked Ruby when she arrived at home. Ruby showered Weiss with hugs and kisses.

"GROSS!" The small girl with white hair tipped with red yelled at them, making fake gagging noises. Ruby smiled and scooped up her favorite tiny human.

"Shut your cute face, Pyrrha Schnee Rose!" Ruby told her, hugging and ruffling her oldest daughter's hair.

"HOW DARE YOU!" The kid protested, trying and failing to escape her muscled mother's embrace.

"To answer your question, wife dearest, I had a wonderful day. And then Ren's son came and asked me about Pyrrha and Jaune." Ruby released her daughter, who ran off into another room. Another kid, smaller with bright crimson hair, appeared from the restroom.

"Hey, Ma!" The girl told Ruby as she reached into the fridge. Weiss shoved her away and closed the door.

"You JUST had a snack, Penelope! Dinner will be done soon!" Her mother protested. Penn grimaced and crossed her arms but accepted her cruel fate. She hugged Weiss and Ruby.

"Your mama's cooking is amazing, Penn! I certainly can't wait to eat it!" Ruby bragged on her wife. Penn smiled as she ran off to her room. "So, Mama... when are we gonna have a boy?"

"One of these days! Please don't make me name him after Jaune," Weiss joked. Ruby grinned.

"Niko Arcana Rose... That sound good?"

"It's an idea. A bit better than Penelope Summer." Weiss jabbed. Ruby huffed.

"Hey, I carried 'em so I named 'em! You just did the fun parts!" She fired back. Weiss rolled her eyes and tended to the meal she was cooking, sipping coffee from a wine glass for some reason. Oh yeah, all the coffee mugs held plants and/or science projects for the kids.

Ruby sat down in her lazy chair, leaning the head back and relaxing. 'Have I made you proud, Mom? I'm sorry I haven't been to visit lately. School's been pretty wild. I'll make my way there soon enough though. I love you.' She silently prayed. Pyrrha ran by with something shiny in her left hand. "Pyrrha, honey, what is that?"

"A knife," the little human answered. Ruby sped over and snatched it away.

"NO! Just because you're named after Pyrrha Nikos doesn't mean you can get all stabby! You're still too young for weapons, honeybun!"

"If I can help it, you'll always be too young for weapons..." Weiss injected from the kitchen. "Food's ready by the way! Kids, your plates are on the table!" The two kids rushed to the table and sat, waiting for Mom and Mama to fix their own plates. The four of them sat to a nice dinner. Ruby could not be happier with her life.

\/\/\/\/\/

Day 9: A Character Ten Years in the Future.

Had a long and rough day yesterday, so it’s late. I kinda used Day 10′s prompt too, so maybe I’ll see what the WRW prompt is today.

Anyway, Professor Ruby Rose has a talk with Heimdall Valkyrie, then goes home to Weiss and their kids.

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rachywritessomething · 5 years ago

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A Writer’s Decade in Review

2010

I literally started this decade writing about werewolves and I’m not even ashamed. I had to throw the story away because the main character’s name was Paul and people thought it was a dedication to the kid in the grade under us who murdered his stepdad. (It wasn’t)

2011

I finished the Inheritance Cycle and went through this ugly lull where I didn’t want to read. It was the beginning of the end of my voracious reading era and I just didn’t know it. I also got an iPod touch for Christmas and I downloaded all five ASOIAF books onto it. I was fifteen...

2012

I started the year by reading all five ASOIAF books in one month. I burned out so badly from it that I couldn’t bring myself to read like that for years. I began writing a story called The End on my iPod touch and lost the whole thing when I dropped it off the roof of the house.

2013

I wrote the very first draft of The Assassin in an old Spanish notebook with “Spainish” scribbled out on the cover. I also finished writing The End and The Thief by hand and started on The Rogues. I purchased the first volume of Spiderman Comics at the comic shop three blocks from my house and read them all in less than three hours. I swore my allegiance to Spiderman.

2014

I finished writing The Rogues in my notebook. All notebooks are currently in a banker box in my attic, waiting to be burned. In addition, I discovered Supernatural -I watched eight seasons in one month- and by extension, SuperWhoLock and Tumblr. (This comes back in, trust me) I managed to write the second draft of The Assassin on my school iPad.

2015

I let my friend read printed chapters of The Assassin as I completed them in draft three. This was the year I paid to copyright my story. I graduated High School and... I began to dabble in fanfiction. Such masterworks included Supercatural -where they were all cats- a very in-depth Supernatural/Grimm crossover, an OC insert story for a friend of mine, and a vaguely Destiel fic called New Americana. I also did NaNo for the first time with my story The Vampry King.

2016

In an attempt to get back into “serious” writing again, I deleted my Wattpad and eventually my Tumblr. I wrote out my fourth draft of The Assassin and started my second draft of The End. For NaNo, I wrote The Giant War; it was from this bout with NaNo that I discovered I could write 7k words in a day, and during the climax of The Assassin that I hit a new marathon writing record with 2k words in an hour for three hours.

2017

I started the year by being hired for my first wiring internship for an art company. It was during this year-long adventure that I cultivated my writing skills and discovered the art of editing. I met Christopher Paolini at a book signing tour for his coloring book. I finished the second draft of The End and a second draft of The Thief. I also did a short excursion on YouTube that was... entertaining. Sometime that year, I made a new Tumblr for myself and here I am.

2018

I moved to Madrid at the beginning of the year and used my five months in Europe to focus on adventure as opposed to my grades. (It all worked out in the end) In this time, I managed to write a fifth draft of The Assassin and in November, I wrote Nui’yoktak for NaNo, beating my day record with over 7.5k words and overall word count record. Aside from The Assassin, it is the only story I have available to read.

That was the year my grandfather, my favorite storyteller, died. On the day of his death, I wrote five words. You bastards also made one of my posts go viral the week of his funeral and honestly, it gave me and my family a lot of entertainment. Viva La Keybard!

2019

This year, I have done a light revision of Nui’yoktak, a heavy revision of The Assassin, and have gotten through most of the third draft of The End. (Oh, and I graduated college with a BS in Economics, went for a cruise on an aircraft carrier for three days, rode a train from Norfolk VA to Boston MA during which someone died, and became an aunt.) For NaNo this year, I worked on The End and I beat my day record by writing 8k words. I hit 70k for that month, and 20k of those words went in the document in the last four days.

So what of it?

I’m going to look fondly on the 10s not as the decade that I became a storyteller or writer because my stores have been in my head for a very long time. No, this was just a... productive decade. I discovered what stories I’ve prioritized and looking back just makes me curious to know how far I’ll go in the Roaring 20s!

#a year in review #the 10s #am writing #am writing fantasy #writblr #2020 #a decade in review

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texanredrose · 6 years ago

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Dishonored: Prologue

A commission for @araneavalon. and another ultra rare pair. Set in a Dystopian AU where Atlas won the Great War.

The Rose and the Wolf

Winter Schnee sat at her desk, pouring over reports from all over Mistral. Among the troubling reports sat a score of Grimm attacks throughout the southern part of the territory, resistance fighters harassing the northern supply routes, poor weather cutting off the eastern bases due to high water levels and broken bridges, and civil unrest in the west- luckily, she kept an iron grip on the central part of the region, or it would be entirely lost by this point. Fourteen years of service in the Atlesian military had provided her the proper skill set to deal with such consistent headaches, of course, but it still provided a challenge.

One made more difficult every day the resistance remained active.

A sigh left her lips as she stood, running a hand over her face and turning to look through the tall windows just behind her, overlooking the city. After resoundly defeating Vale and Vacuo during the Pacification some eighty years ago, Atlas had slowly started to exert more control for the benefit of Remnant. Even now, she could see the touches of her homeland present in the architecture, combined with the local Mistrali designs. Although an ally back then, even Mistral needed the guidance only Atlas could provide, and she’d served as the territory’s commanding officer for five years already.

For the most part, she had a sterling reputation in that regard. Grimm attacks had decreased overall, though packs of the creatures still roamed freely wherever the military didn’t patrol, but the resistance fighters seemed to multiply every time she ordered another strike against them. Like the hydra of Mistrali legend, the resistance proved nigh impossible to kill through the tried and true methods, and all attempts to ascertain their base location ended much the same way: all soldiers killed in action and any potential leads lost with them.

It vexed her more than words could say. Military service proved to be one of the many things a Schnee inherited. Her mother served, her grandfather served- every blood relative as far back as the Pacification had answered the call to protect the people of Remnant. Even her sister joined, once she came of age, and her brother, too.

But none faced such utter humiliation. Mistral never proved to be one of the more stable territories- not under Atlesian military rule nearly as long as Vacuo and Vale- yet that provided her no excuse. Her mother would be disappointed that she’d yet to rout the rabble, even further so by their strength growing during her tenure.

A knock at her door made her wince, noting the moon rising high over the city. At this time of night, the only people who would dare disturb her usually brought awful news. “Enter.”

“Colonel Schnee.” A scrawny young man- hardly fit for military service, truth be told- pushed through the door and stopped five paces away from her desk, snapping off a crisp salute. “News from one of the night patrols. They’ve captured a resistance fighter.”

“Captured? Not killed?” She reached up, massaging at her temple. “I don’t need them alive, Sergeant, I hope you realize that.”

“Yes, Ma’am, but the reports indicate the one they captured is the Rose.”

That caught Winter’s attention, prompting her to turn around. “The Rose? One of the leaders of the resistance?” But then her suspicions grew. “How was she captured? Let me see the report.”

Dropping his salute, he approached the desk and handed over a scroll, allowing her to flip through the preliminary report while he recited what he could from memory. “The patrol chased a group of resistance fighters into a gorge. It appears the Rose remained as a rear guard while the rest retreated but a surprise attack by some Grimm distracted her. The patrol acted swiftly to subdue her during the chaos.”

“Small miracles.” She muttered, confirming the synopsis and nodding before handing the scroll back. “I want her brought to my office immediately. If this really is the Rose, we could potentially extract intel from her. It might be the best lead we’ll get on their base of operations.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He snapped off another salute before scurrying out of the office, leaving her time to organize her thoughts.

This could prove to be a step in the right direction if she played her cards right.

Hitting a button on her desk, she dialed one of her staff officers- it didn’t matter which one, as they all possessed the same level of competence, more or less.

“Lieutenant DeLeon speaking.” Despite the thickness of sleep rounding the edges of her words, the soldier on the other end of the line seemed aware enough- or, at least, cognizant of who she was speaking to- for Winter’s needs.

“Put in an urgent requisition for an interrogation team to be dispatched to our location. No details, mark the file encrypted and top secret.” She paused, mulling over what other preparations she should make. “And put two companies on standby for guard duty starting tomorrow morning.”

“Two companies, Ma’am?”

Her lips turned down at the corners. “Did I stutter, Lieutenant?”

“N-no, Ma’am. I’ll publish the orders right away.”

“See that you do; I expect to have a status report by zero-seven.” Annoyance fueling her, she amended her orders. “And see that you personally inspect the detention cells in the south wing. I want a full report on the functionality of the entire area, same time.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

She would take no chances. If the Rose actually accomplished half of what military intelligence contributed to the woman, Winter would need every advantage she could get before the prisoner arrived. “That will be all, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, Ma-”

Disconnecting the call, she turned back to look through the window. If everything went well- which she didn’t expect, frankly, but would aim for nonetheless- she might be able to finally pacify the region and rid the territory of its rebellious streak by the end of the year. Then, she could turn her sights to the Grimm encroaching on the cities.

All in due time.

The next morning, Winter stood in her office as the sun began rising, tendrils of red and orange streaking across the sky. The reports she requested sat on her desk, including vetting reports for the two companies to stand guard over the single prisoner. All born and bred Atlesians, seeing as the Mistrali troops augmenting their force could hardly be trusted, and Lieutenant DeLeon got reassigned that morning to oversee the guard rotations. At present, she felt akin to staring at a chess board before the start of a match, realizing she had only one option to position her pieces but looking for any room for improvement regardless.

A knock on the door brought her attention to the time.

“Enter,” she said, mentally preparing to come face-to-face with the one supposedly responsible for countless deaths and loss of property under her watch. There were others- the Dragon, the Cat, and the Fox being the most egregious perpetrators- but what limited intel they'd recovered over the years indicated that they took their orders from the Rose.

The head of the snake, about to be brought before her, but still dangerous.

The doors opened, four soldiers marching inside with a person hefted onto their shoulders, still wrapped in nets, chains, and all manner of restraints available to an average patrol. Despite having her body entirely immobilized, her head could still move, silver eyes casting around the office before settling on Winter. A half mask covered her face below her eyes, fashioned into the likeness of some Grimm or other- a Gryphon, if she didn't miss her guess- and red tinged brown hair, matted with mud and blood, framed her features.

“Drop her there.” She nodded towards a rug in the middle of the room. “And leave us. Remain posted outside the door.” Her voice raised, echoing into the hall. “I want this facility on lockdown until I direct otherwise. A full blackout is in effect.”

No one in, no one out, no communication- Winter wanted the Rose to understand that she took the woman’s presence seriously. It might provide her the leverage she needed or appeal to the sort of narcissism she'd expect from one dedicated to bringing more death and ruin to such a dangerous world.

As the soldiers compiled, scurrying out and closing the doors behind them, Winter strode around her desk, keeping her gaze firmly locked on the resistance fighter. Asking outright if she was truly the Rose seemed foolish at best. Instead, she approached, cautiously, with a hand on her saber’s hilt as she crouched.

Beneath the restraints, she could make out the badge- silver with chipped red paint on the inside, the mark used to identify the woman to the other resistance fighters, and fashioned into the shape of a rose.

“So, this is the feared Rose. You've caused a significant amount of trouble over the past five years.” Her gaze traveled up and down the woman’s form, searching for any manner of weapons. Not that she didn't trust her soldiers to do a proper search of a prisoner but the only reason she could imagine for the Rose being captured linked back to some attempt to either assassinate her or launch an attack from within the base. Aside from the tattered red cape and patchwork body armor, though, she couldn't see much, if any, room to hide a weapon. “I must admit, your ability to elude us has proven most troublesome.”

“Colonel Winter Schnee, commanding officer of the Mistral territory and veteran of the Azulen Rebellion.” Those silver eyes shone fiercely, teeming with energy. “Good to finally put a voice to the face of tyranny. You can stop trying to flatter me by the way; I'll pass on the Steelholm Syndrome, thanks.”

Annoyance flared within her but she kept her cool, straightening up and circling the prisoner. “Your fearless facade will do you little good here. Keeping secrets will win you only enemies.”

“As if there are any allies in the first place.” The Rose chuckled, though it sounded bitter. “We can be as civil as you want right now, Colonel. It doesn't wash the blood from your hands.”

“The blood on my hands?” She had to scoff at that. “I've done more to protect the people of Mistral than your lot has; your constant attacks have made it difficult to provide the security the people need and the Grimm attacks persist because of it.”

“You really believe that?” Blue eyes fell on the resistance fighter, her pride prickling at the derision in the woman’s voice. “Of course you do. Naive military fool.”

“You're in no position to be talking down to anyone,” she replied, the hand on her saber gripping it a little tighter.

“Look who's talking.” Although a struggle, the woman rolled onto her knees, sitting up as best she could. “Ever since the Great War ended, Atlas has acted like they're the only ones who know what's going on- how to protect people, how to defend them, when really it's just that Atlas is too scared to let people live freely. So they put people like you in charge, who look down on everyone else, because you're so convinced of your own superiority.”

Resistance rhetoric at its finest, using circular logic that did nothing but attack the Atlesian military. “And you could do so much better?”

“Me, specifically? I’m not the best candidate for the job.” That answer, she didn't expect, raising a brow as the Rose continued. “But people wouldn't fear me. They wouldn't flinch when they see my symbol. They wouldn't curse my appearance like a blight on the world.” Silver eyes flashed with something, not pride but something just as strong. Just as dangerous. “So, that's three for three where I'm the better choice than the Atlesian military. Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, and those are the only kind people like you inspire.”

“I am trying to protect people,” she said, knowing better than to be drawn into such a debate but her pride winning out. “My soldiers conduct their patrols to keep the people of Mistral safe-”

“And how does conformity keep people safe? These patrols- how often are they fighting Grimm instead of arresting citizens for minor infractions?” Rose furrowed her brows, likely scowling beneath her mask. “You allow more variation in your military uniforms than you allow civilians in their day-to-day lives. Anything to indulge your vanity, while denying that same right to others.”

Suddenly, the medals pinned to her jacket seemed heavier than before. As a matter of course, Atlas imposed strict restrictions on the civilian population, from what manner of clothing they could wear to where they could go. But only in the name of keeping them safe; a docile populous didn’t bring as many Grimm. “You expect me to believe something that trite could somehow put people at risk?”

“It's just one part. If you took a step back, you'd see the inequalities too- how Atlesians are treated better, have better options, get more leniency, while the rest of Remnant suffers for it. Don’t even get me started on how you people treat Faunus.” She shifted, the creak and clink of her bonds sounding ominous. “Haven't you ever wondered why the heart of Mistral is the best defended, has the least Grimm casualties, and the most Atlesians? What have you to fear? What worries do you have?”

“I'm trying to save the whole territory,” Winter said, narrowing her eyes at the Rose as her anger began to rise. She lost hours of sleep pouring over details from all over Mistral, trying to improve their defenses and save lives. “And you are trying to tear it apart!”

“No. I'm trying to save a kingdom,” the woman replied, cutting to the heart of the issue. “Mistral was never part of Atlas; your people just subjugated them.”

Slowly, she pushed out a breath, reining in her anger. “Soldiers!” She waited for them to come through the door, never allowing her gaze to deviate from Rose. “Take her to the detention cells. The Lieutenant there will ensure proper lodging for the prisoner.”

As they hefted the woman onto their shoulders again, two figures entered the room- one a welcomed sight and the other sparking her ire.

“Quite the catch, Colonel.” General Cotta stepped aside to allow the soldiers to pass with their cargo. “I'm surprised you haven't sent word back to Atlas yet.”

“You know I detest sending incomplete reports.” She waited until the soldiers and prisoner left the office, the doors closing behind them, before turning her attention to the other person to enter. “It seems there’s plenty of intelligence to be gathered before filing the official report. I’ll extract more soon, then send in the notification.”

“Ma’am, with all due respect, she’s not the most forthcoming.” The Sergeant shrugged, the light catching on the pendant that marked him as a member of the augmentation force- from Vale originally, given the color. “We tried questioning her on the way here.”

“I’m aware.” Walking over to her desk, Winter scooped up the few pages sent ahead of the patrol, briefly glancing over them for some choice phrases. “Tell me, Sergeant Winchester, are you typically this incompetent, or was this particular task simply too much to ask of you?”

Startled by the accusation, he grit his teeth and shot back. “Ma’am, we accomplished the mission well within regulation-”

“Your paperwork says otherwise.” She began to read off from the first page. “Name, unknown, alias, Rose, ethnicity, Mistrali, race, human- how is it in less than five minutes, I’ve ascertained that she’s not from Mistral at all?” Surprise splashed on his features while General Cotta merely raised a brow. “Next, I notice that you divested her of some dust grenades, but every report we’ve received on Rose indicated she uses some manner of scythe as a weapon.”

“Ma’am, she didn’t have it on her-”

“Are you implying that she beat the Grimm to death with her fists?”

“W-well, no, Ma’am.”

“Then explain it to me, Sergeant.” Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me how you, born in Vale yourself, missed her accent. While you’re at it, tell me what else you missed or omitted. And tell me, who are you looking to benefit.”

Fear shone brightly in his eyes as his hands came up, as if warding off a blow. “Ma’am, please-”

“Sergeant Forecastle!” She tossed the report back onto her desk as the man hurried in, snapping off a crisp salute. “Have this man detained immediately, and everyone in his squad as well. I want them held in the west detention cells until they can be thoroughly questioned, and have everything they brought with them searched, immediately.”

Sergeant Winchester began to panic, fear evident in his eyes. “You- you can’t think-”

“Had you been more forthcoming, I wouldn’t be forced to take such drastic measures,” she said, waving a hand dismissively as six of her soldiers came in, four of them keeping their weapons at the ready while two grabbed hold of Winchester. “Either through intentional misdirection or sheer incompetence, you’ve brought this upon yourself.”

“It’s a mistake! It’s just a mistake!” Sergeant Winchester tried struggling, but the two soldiers who grabbed him by the arms allowed him no slack at all, dragging him out of the office until his begging couldn’t be heard.

“Do you sincerely believe he’s aiding the resistance?” The General slowly seated themselves in a chair off to the side, far enough away that Winter could simply ignore the question and return to her work if she so desired but still within the confines of her office.

“Frankly, no.” She set aside the report- which she would have to amend, after conducting her own interrogation- and went about reorganizing the forces she had spread out over the territory. Once the resistance realized their leader was captured, they’d surely mount an offensive- a rescue mission she would ensure failed miserably. “Her accent is hardly pronounced but only Valens are still foolish enough to call it the ‘Great War’. Aside from incompetence, I don’t particularly think there’s cause for concern. Some time spent fretting over it will do him good, though. He’ll be more meticulous in the future.”

“I wouldn’t want to be him right now.” They chuckled, pulling out their scroll and checking a message- likely sent from Atlas command. “His entire squad will be furious. Which, I suppose, is better than being terrified.”

The light joke gave her pause. Perhaps the punishment landed on the side of extreme… but, no, she couldn’t think like that. With the precarious position they occupied, she needed soldiers who would pay closer attention; this provided a lesson, one that needed to be learned.

And no Grimm attack would ever penetrate this far into the city, anyway. She had the full strength of the second division under her command, plus the augmentation units sent from Vale, Vacuo, and even Menagerie. Add to that the Mistrali troops, and she had easily over three hundred thousand soldiers under her command, a third of which resided on the base with her.

A third of the force… for so small an area.

“Lien for your thoughts?” The General prodded.

“Redirecting engineers to build new bridges. Prioritizing which ones need to be built first will be a trial,” she said, hiding away the thoughts for now. “The weather has been as troublesome as the resistance in the past few weeks.”

“There are cells cropping up in the other territories now, too.” They pointed out, indicating their scroll. “Vacuo reports a full platoon lost during an engagement just yesterday.”

“I don’t see what they hope to accomplish.” Stopping for a moment, she looked up from her papers. “Do they not understand that simply complying with the orders handed down is preferable to dying in some Maidens forsaken desert over nothing?”

“To them, it’s not nothing.” Cotta shrugged. “To them, it’s death either way, but one they choose rather than one handed to them.”

“Then they’re fools.” A shake of her head. “There’s nothing we can’t provide if they’d simply let us.” The General’s silence made her pause. “Am I wrong?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Something about their tone concerned her, brows pinching together for a moment before she smoothed out her expression and sat a little straighter. “What brought you by, if I may ask. I doubt this is just checking up on an old friend.”

They’d started their careers at the same time but, while Winter’s lineage provided her with a head start, it had nothing on the pedigree General Terry Cotta possessed. Descended from some of the most critical commanders in Atlas’ history, they could trace their blood back to the Pacification- the ‘Great War’ that the rest of Remnant somehow saw as a struggle between independent kingdoms rather than Atlas asserting its rule over the lesser prepared territories. Like corralling particularly unruly children who had little idea of the dangers the world possessed, it had proven to be a thankless task, and the Cottas were present for every trial and tribulation along the way, much like the Schnees. Except, where Winter’s family excelled at controlling the situation, Terry’s family always seemed to turn things to their advantage.

Yet, now, she found herself envious of that sort of cleverness, because she couldn’t read the look in her friend’s eyes.

“Atlas Command is beginning to… grow concerned.” They waved a hand through the air, as if to dispel the tension that struck her shoulders. “Not regarding Mistral. You’re still in their good graces. It’s Menagerie that’s making the other Generals… worried.” Turning their attention to their scroll, they swiped a finger across it, sending a file to Winter’s. “This symbol has shown up recently.”

Blue eyes glanced down before she sighed. Of course she recognized the white wolf head on a blue field, even if she’d never toured there herself. “The White Fang was crushed years ago. What’s so upsetting about a new group treading on an established name?”

“That’s the problem; we’re rather convinced this isn’t a new group.” Terry’s lips pulled into a frown. “The island itself is small, as far as habitable areas go, but the upside is that the Grimm population is also low. We’ve only ever needed enough troops there to pacify the Faunus.”

“Then what’s the cause for concern?”

They shook their scroll slightly. “All of these? Popped up overnight.”

Looking back down at her device, she began swiping through the images provided and, after the twentieth one, lost count. Some were tacked onto doorways or light poles but others hung from the tops of Atlesian constructed military buildings and guarded areas. A single person couldn’t have accomplished this- not even a handful. “They’re all over the place.”

“Exactly.” Terry passed a hand over their face. “This is obviously a declaration of war and, with as many and as far flung as they were positioned, the White Fang’s numbers fall more in line with the previous group remaining undetected all these years and growing stronger rather than fresh blood adopting an old sigil.”

Winter leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk. With Menagerie to the south of Mistral, any insurrection there would undoubtedly spill across the sea, if word got out. “What are the options?”

“Nothing you need concern yourself with for now,” they replied with a soft smile. “All you need to know is that I’ll be doing an… inspection of sorts. I’ll keep you updated with my whereabouts but, for now, just keep an eye out for that symbol.”

She tried not to let her displeasure show. It didn’t often occur where the Generals at Atlas Command deemed her nonessential for such information but, even at her rank, some things simply fell outside her scope. “Of course. I can assign personnel to assist you, if you’d like.”

“Two squads of Mistrali soldiers will do.” They flashed a smile. “I plan on playing the role of civilian VIP for this mission. They never need know my rank.”

“I’ll make the arrangements at once.” Winter quickly typed out a command, sending it to one of her other staff officers, seeing as Lt DeLeon would be indisposed for quite some time. “Take care, Terry.”

“You as well, Winter. Just let me know when you’ve lifted the lockdown. I’d rather be on my way as soon as possible.” They got up, heading for the door to her office, then stopped. Deliberately, they reached into their pocket and pulled out a small device, designed to interfere with any potential listening equipment in the area. “Is there anything you'd like to say off the record?”

She considered it for a moment. “There's something about Rose. I've… rarely seen that much conviction towards an ideal. If she's inspired her followers to similar levels, I fear we may have another Azulen on our hands.”

Only now, when she could be sure no one heard or saw, would she ever admit to such weakness as fear.

“I have faith in you,” Terry replied, pocketing the device and leaving without another word.

Still, a sense of unease lingered in her gut.

What other secrets might her prisoner be holding? And what trials lay ahead for Remnant?

The detention cell felt more like a broom closet- narrow, long, and lacking any windows. The heavy metal door had a glass pane in it, but some sort of cover denied her a glimpse of the hallway beyond, and the single bulb in a metal sort of cage provided hardly any light at all. It hurt her eyes to look around for long periods of time- but then again, that was the point. Deprive her of her senses, of her sense of time, of every ounce of control she might have, and left to wallow in a crushing silence… Ruby should probably be a bit more concerned about her predicament.

But a smile curled her lips. Despite the lack of sound, she could feel the reverberations of footsteps and doors opening and closing, and it gave her clues. To the amount of people guarding her, for one, but also something she'd suspected all along.

Colonel Winter Schnee, the Wolf of Azulen, an officer with an iron grip and a cold, almost detached sense of the ends justifying the means. Years of subverting the Atlesian occupying force had filled in certain aspects of the woman that proved to be true- blue eyes that saw straight through whoever they landed on, an impassive expression that could be broken but rarely faltered, the posture of one wholly convinced of their own abilities- but they’d left a few things out.

Like the doubt that lurked deep, deep within and the crushing fear surrounding her. Too proud to admit to it aloud, perhaps, but Ruby could see it in the tense line of her shoulders and insistence on placing blame while simultaneously assuming responsibility. Tenacity born out of a fear of failure- a failure that Ruby and her ragtag group of freedom fighters could provide, with just a bit more momentum behind them.

The chains dug into her side, making it impossible to sleep, but she managed to lightly doze. The guards hadn’t bothered to remove her mask- likely too terrified of moving even a toe without the Colonel’s express permission to even consider it- and left her still wrapped up in the devices they’d used to restrain her.

Lifting her head as much as she could, she cast a glance around, squinting to make out the lack of any features on the walls or ceiling- which hopefully meant no cameras.

Rolling onto her back, she closed her eyes, reaching deep within to find that hidden strength that lurked just beneath her skin, the fire of her soul given a form that had all but died out across Remnant. Silver light poured from her eyes, engulfed her entirely, and made the metal brittle- not enough to break, no, she couldn’t tip her hand just yet. Just enough to allow her to breath and shift her arms, allowing her to rest a bit easier. She didn’t expect she’d get much sleep, but ten minutes would be a blessing at this point.

All too soon, she’d be visited by the Colonel again, if she’d read the woman correctly.

That was when the real battle would begin.

#TRR writes #Winter Rose #TRR commissions #Dystopian AU

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