#meditrina au

[starrycassi]

Meditrina — a nimona au.

They ran away.

Ballister took nimona, took his one and only friend in the whole world, and ran away with her. She agreed to do so, because it was too much. They were both tired and sore and hurt and the kingdom was not the place for them to get better

They would come back, someday, Nimona promised. If Ballister couldn't, then she would. Come back to the kingdom and tell them, tell them everything of someone was willing to listen. But a little break wouldn't hurt — some time, some time to rest, some time to lick their wounds.

They leave, and sneak out of the wall. They walk, and walk some more, and settle in a small village. It's called meditrina, and it's full of life and nice people and magic, and yes, there may be one or two murderous assassins around, but Ballister is still a knight at heart, and he invests his time in protecting the place, and Nimona is happy to follow his lead and maim some people on the way. They get a cabin in the middle of the woods. They go to the market every month and offer help where it's needed. It's a bit boring and draining, but they're both happy.

So it's not really surprising when, a year and something after they move in, there's a knock on their door. The villagers come by sometimes, asking for help, offering jobs, bringing gifts, or simply showing up to say hi. Nimona loved the kids, the kids loved Nimona, and no one seemed too keen on killing them — even if she refuses to stop changing in front of everyone and their mother.

What is surprising is who knocks on the door. He looks tired, and his hair is a long, tangled mess. He comes with teary eyes and bandages everywhere, pleading for forgiveness, asking for help. A dog keeps him company — a beautiful, big, golden retriever. It suits him, really. Ambrosius fucking Goldenloin, and his golden retriever.

[scarabiaa]

Royal AU With My OCs

I don't know why but I was in the car thinking about them in a royal AU so here it is >:3 also yes, royals are supposed to be related but screw that, I'll put them in the roles they fit most

A kingdom and a queendom with the mention of other places, that's the most backstory I'm gonna say teehee here are their roles

Lumi Kiona:

There are two options for her. The first option is that she is an royal scholar that got a promotion to become the queen's advisor. She would be seen as the advisor that knows everything. She's also caught up on a lot of stuff in the queendom and she's usually the one ensuring that the queen doesn't do anything dumb in her free time.

The other option for her is to be the heir to a crown in another queendom. She, however, had to be taken away from there because she was to be protected until she was old enough to rule without corruption from the enemy. This would also correlate with her role as an advisor, so she'd be the missing queen turned into an advisor for another queen.

Meditrina Rosas:

The queen. She's the one that had the crown handed to her because of the amlunt of stuff she's done in comparison to others. She is the one stepping forward to make all of the decisions. As ruler of her queendom, she makes sure that everything that must be done properly is done. She is known as the beautiful queen, yet her moniker as "the merciless queen" is not a lie. She has hired spies to go after the enemy and she does not hesitate in doing anything. Her course of action is always right, thanks to her advisors.

Of course, because she is the queen, she also gets to have time for herself. Supposedly, as queen, she is to take a king regent. She doesn't think about that because she is focused on being a good queen to her subjects. It does not mean, however, that she hasn't seen one of her advisors talk with the prophet about arranging something with a neighboring prince.

Gale Diebin:

The jester. As the jester, he is allowed to walk around with one of the royals in order to provide entertainment and of course, he chose the fire prince to entertain. In the public eye, they are merely the jester and the prince but behind doors, they are best friends.

Because they're best friends, Gale covers for the prince a lot in multiple things. If the prince wants to leave in the middle of the night without any bodyguards, he has to make an excuse. It's not amusing to him, but it is to the prince. He hates it but all for his best friend and for staying in the castle. However, it would not kill the prince to get him some of the queendom's famous chef's food while he's visiting. It's the least he can do for having Gale cover for him, right?

Ignis Colina:

The prince of another kingdom. He will never get the crown, unfortunately, but he doesn't need it. He doesn't want it either, he's too busy trying to have fun with his royal jester. But it doesn't mean that the team of advisors aren't furiously trying to do something with him so he makes a point of avoiding them at all times.

He likes to visit the queendom. He'll sometimes arrive at the queen's window and his jester covers for him while he's on his visits. As long as he will never get the crown, he can afford visiting somewhere else. His visits are frequent and it's a cute little scene up until the jester arrives and tells him, "WE GOTTA GO, STOP YOUR FLIRTING!" He's a good prince, I promise.

Iris Tartal:

Spy. She is part of the Black Rose Delegation, a group of spies that serve the queen and ensure that they are always in the shadows, protecting her and anyone else as deemed necessary. Her delegation does not have an official leader, but she's the one consistently risking her life to get information from the enemy. She's also better at making weapons than any of them.

She's good at making weapons so when she's not doing spy work, she's inventing stuff. This is why Iris is considered the treasure of the queendom, her inventions have contributed to the progress of it. She's also written several books under a code name. Her other pasttime is spending time annoying the chefs by stealing their sweets.

Navin Eitel:

The king of his own kingdom. He has recently gotten the position but the poor boy is terrified of being king. He doesn't know what to do or how to go about anything, which is why when a queen reached out to him kindly, he completely freaked out. Later on, he realized that she just wanted to give him advice.

He starts to get the hang of it after a while, but he's still nervous. He isn't as big and powerful as most kings but he's very smart and full of wits. He studies constantly and engages in conversations with his advisors to see how he can be a better king to his kingdom. There is no one who dislikes him, at least publicly.

Blanca Rosehearts:

Knight. In this AU, she's the princess that got bored of being the princess so she ran away to a queendom where she would never have to sit down and rule. She would much rather have that crown handed down to her younger sibling while she went out to protect someone else. As a knight, she grew in ranks and then she was to make her own Order of knights. Named the Order of Sapphires, she is in charge of that area of knights. They are the best of the best, trained under Blanca. She is the Knight Commander of this order and she tells everything to Valkyrie, who is the highest rank in the military.

Blanca refuses to have the title of princess stuck back to her so she does everything in her power to ensure no one sees her as the pretty princess. She wants to be a knight and she is one of the best knights, working hard to live up to her rank. She's also the knight that belongs to Colette.

Colette Laruvi:

Of course, she is a princess. She has been the one who has had to be protected her entire life, especially since there was a little incident when she was little and almost got herself killed. Titus ended up saving her, thus him becoming her bodyguard. She's not involved with the politics of the queendom as much as the queen is, but she is not ignorant.

She sometimes goes into the public under a disguise because she wants to see everything, and she drags Titus along with her. Blanca sometimes goes with them and they're chattering about the best foods in town and the best designs that there are. She enjoys the bustling outside rather than staying indoors all the time.

Titus Verano:

He's a bodyguard to Colette. He protects her alongside Blanca, the only difference is that Blanca is a knight to Colette is specific events and he is her bodyguard full time. They have gotten really close yet he's the one trying to stick to protocol around her, even though she constantly keeps dropping hints. He is also dragged around into difficult situations constantly, against his own will.

He's a great bodyguard because he's really intimidating from his height alone. He's been Colette's bodyguard since the age of 10 and they've been childhood friends since she has little. She confides in him and he watches over her. He is not the bodyguard of any other royal, he is specifically put as Colette's.

Astro Basilico:

The prophet. It's surprising, but every royal household in a magical world has a prophet. He is the one that has studied the stars to the point where he is known throughout every land as the Golden Prophet. His prophecies almost always come true. Fortunately, he is not possessed by any kind of spirit, so it's not as though he will spill a prophecy at dinnertime. But when it is urgent, he will say it.

He is also a duke, in more royal terms. So you can imagine the reactions of everyone when they realize that their duke can also do prohecies for them. No, he cannot read your palm or do tarot readings, he can do rock readings though! He'll throw rocks at the ground and decipher them, they're super accurate too, it's terrifying.

Valkyrie Xenaria:

She would have been put as a commander of her own army, but after being the top in all her classes and the reason why the queendom has not fallen, she had a rank that no one else had received, courtesy of the queen. This rank was established as the Sovereign Chief Commander, also called the SCC for short. As the SCC, her job is to ensure that all of the areas of the military would report back to her. All disturbances would reach her.

She is in charge of the knights as well, making sure that their training regime is especially altered to ensure that the highest protection is given to the royals. Valkyrie is aware of everything that goes on around her at all times and everyone knows that her word is practically law. No knights are to train different than what she was said, no moves are to be made against the enemy, nothing is done until Valkyrie has chosen what the best course of action is. After all, she is the one who had to take a different rank because of how good she was at what she did.

Onyx Nysalis:

Head chef. He's incredible at cooking and he's the one that ensures that the royals have nothing more than the best to eat. As the head chef, he's also the one making sure that not only the royals eat, the knights get to eat just as good food. The spies? He prepares special food for them and always leaves little notes on the food.

He's the kind of chef that actually makes lunch boxes for the knights and spies and they always have cute notes inside of them. The royals don't even dispute this with him, they think it's a great touch. Onyx is highly respected as the head chef and even though he can take care of himself, there's a silent pact amongst everyone to protect him at all costs.

[linawritesocs]

💓💟 for meditrina and roland please, you choose if you want to make it in the same drabble >:D

.. so i don't apologize for the yandere!roland drabble.. LISTEN I JUST WANTED TO SPICE IT UP A BIT. and yes, i did in fact write a drabble for the mediland amusement park au because i thought it's too cute.

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

"i think we're done for today! do you need anything else from me?"

roland's shift at the mediland ended a few hours ago, but he still stayed because he needed to make sure avery is doing his job well and.. not fighting the kids. he was the one who recommended avery to meditrina, so yeah, he didn't want her to be disappointed in both him and the younger boy.

for some reason, meditrina didn't answer and she just.. stared at roland. it looked like there were no thoughts in her head at all.

"is there something on my face?" roland touched his cheek. "or maybe i did something wrong? please tell me, and i'll fix-"

"NO!" meditrina realized just how loud she said that and used her normal voice, trying to hide just how embarrassed she feels right now. "n-no, i mean, you did well today. thank you for everything, you can go now."

roland sure felt relieved once he heard that he didn't do anything wrong. but he still couldn't understand why meditrina looked at him like.. that.

"ahaha, i'm happy to hear that!"

but he wasn't brave enough to ask meditrina about it. he knew that he has to leave, meditrina looks very tired, she most likely stared at him because she was annoyed with him and wanted him to leave her alone.

".. um, i'll see you tomorrow then! and you did well too, you know that?"

there he goes again. why is this guy so kind and thoughtful? meditrina doesn't even like kids that much, he's the one who always plays with them, helps them and he's patient with them even if they cry, grab his horns or try to take his eyepatch off. but he still thinks that meditrina is the one who does the most work here.

and what was she supposed to say to that? just accept it? she will probably look arrogant and selfish if she does.

.. why roland is still here anyway? didn't she just tell him to leave?

no, actually, why is he walking closer to her?

"i think i told you that you can leave now." meditrina tried to stay calm, but she was LOSING HER MIND at that moment. she just hoped that roland won't notice how nervous she is right now.

"w-well, the thing is, i stayed here not only because i had to watch over avery-kun, but also.."

meditrina noticed that roland was just as nervous as her and he was fidgeting with his hair, trying to calm himself down.

".. i wanted to spend more time with you. i wanted to help you, and i wanted to make your job at least a little bit easier today."

how can he- HOW CAN HE JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT? HOW IS SHE SUPPOSED TO REACT? KEEP ACTING LIKE THAT AND SHE JUST MIGHT KISS YOU.

wait. what if he means it in, like, a platonic way? or he just respects her a lot?

yes, that's probably it. roland can't be in love with her, meditrina is his boss and why would he have a crush on her in the first place?

meditrina was about to say something, but she forgot what it was, when roland suddenly gave her a quick and light kiss on the cheek.

"let's do our best tomorrow, okay, meditrina-san?" he smiled at her, and meditrina got a feeling that he winked as well, but she couldn't tell because of the eyepatch.

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

".. what did you do to him, roland?"

"why do you think i'm the one who did this to him? meditrina-san, you know that i'm not even from nrc, why would i think about hurting a nrc student when the relationship between our schools is already this bad?"

"WELL, YOU SURE DID USE YOUR UNIQUE MAGIC ON ME, A NRC STUDENT, SO WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU COULD DO TO TREY?"

roland did use his unique magic on meditrina, making her invisible to everyone except him. they couldn't hear her voice, they couldn't touch her, it's like she stopped existing for them.

but she still existed for roland.

"why do you think i used my unique magic on you?" he stayed calm, as always, but there was something wrong with that calmness of his. it's almost like he didn't care about anyone else except meditrina. she was the only one who existed in his world and he was the only one still able to see her and hear her.

"because when i tried to talk to lumi, she couldn't hear me, when i touched iris, she didn't feel it, my friends can't see me and they're wondering where i could be when i'm standing RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM! you told me about your unique magic before and it feels like you used it on me!"

meditrina felt confused, scared, but most of all, she felt betrayed.

"why did you do it, roland? you told me before just how much you hate your unique magic and you think that it's disgusting, so why would you use it on me? i thought we were good friends, i trusted you, roland! why did you-"

meditrina suddenly felt sharp pain and she looked at her right hand that was bleeding even though meditrina couldn't possibly hurt herself right now. and then she looked at roland, who pointed at his right hand with the index finger of his left hand and it looked like he was drawing the exact wound meditrina got.

ah, so he decided to not only use his unique magic, but his other magic abilities as well. which also was weird, because roland used his magic only for gardening and he said that his magic is too powerful and he doesn't like using it.

but again, he said the same thing about his unique magic and look where they were now.

"this is exactly why i did it, meditrina-san. we were good friends. not lovers, just good friends. and i'm sorry for being so greedy, but i felt like being your friend wasn't enough for me."

it's fine, it's not a serious wound at all, meditrina can heal herself easily. but why is she still so anxious?

is it because she knows that roland can hurt her much worse and right now he's just playing with her?

"well, now you've definitely lost the chance to ever win my heart." meditrina wasn't planning to give up just yet. but she needs to come up with the way to fight this guy.

and the thing is that they both know a lot about plants and she told roland about what she can do before.

so this fight is going to be very long and very painful.

"if i can't win it, i'll simply take it!" the way roland acted right now reminded meditrina about that childhood friend of lumi. are all rsa students like this? if they are, then they have no rights to say anything about nrc students being "scary" and "evil".

meditrina really wanted to punch roland right in his face, but when she was going to do just that, roland took her right hand and kissed the wound that he caused himself.

wiping the blood from the wound off his lips, roland looked right into meditrina's eyes.

"if you want to fight me, do it, i'd love to see what you're capable of. you're a talented and strong person and i know it. but remember, that if something happens, no one will see what i've done to you and no one will hear your screams. i'm still using my unique magic right now, hehe~"

[minaminokyoko]

A collection of all my Harry/Murphy ficlets, AUs, and drabbles. It’s named after the fact that I am basically the Queen of the Harry/Murphy trashpile and this is my landfill for all my HarriKarri garbage. But some of you don’t know me, so let me outline the contents of the trashpile. The earlier chapters are fics I’ve crossposted on my blog here, but the others are AO3 only since I didn’t want to spam the TDF tag with my nonsense.

Subtle - Thomas has a “subtle” Christmas gift for Harry (and Murphy.)

A Very Dresden Thanksgiving -  An AU version of one of Harry's first family Thanksgivings. It's AU because in this universe, Charity's son named after Harry is infant age and not the age he is in the timeline of the series shortly after Cold Days.

Side Effects -  Murphy discovers some unusual side effects while sleeping (literally) with her new boyfriend Harry.

Body Swap -  An April Fools' spell gone horribly wrong. Or, right, if you ask one stupid wizard.

Murphy’s Bad Day -  Exactly What It Says on the Tin.

Movie Night -  Harry and Murphy at the movies. Set in 2010.

The Shirt -  A random rainstorm bears surprising fruit for Harry Dresden. Pre-Changes.

Movie Night II -  It's movie night and Harry knows just what to take his former-cop girlfriend to go see this summer. Post-relationship. Same continuity as Movie Night Part I.

Wedding Traditions -  Harry and Murphy suffer through one of the most embarrassing wedding traditions, but maybe it's not all bad.

Shiny -  Harry, Thomas, and Maggie should never be allowed to watch Disney movies.

Moonlight and Meddling Vampires -  The plan was set. Thomas Raith was going to get Harry Dresden and Karrin Murphy to prom one way or another. Dresden Files high school AU, but bite-sized.

Noise Complaint -  It turns out Harry and Murphy's union has some unintended consequences.

In Vino Veritas -  A reverse AU scene of the short story "Last Call" in Side Jobs. What if Harry found Meditrina first and Murphy walked in on them?

Escape -  An alternate version of Dead Beat, where Harry actually did realize what Murphy was trying to ask him when she came over to tell him to "water her plants"--that she needs an escape route from something she's not ready to face.

When Harry Met Murphy -  Just a headcanon about the day after Harry and Murphy bumped into each other for the first time on that bridge in "A Restoration of Faith." Loosely canon-compliant.

Kiss - The first time we see Harry and Murphy kiss is in Proven Guilty, but that's not the first time they've ever kissed aka Three Kisses Before Proven Guilty

Possessives -  In which Murphy's grammatical slip-up speaks volumes.

Reflections -  A mirror image of Harry and Murphy from the multiverse theory.

100 Days, 100 Nights -  Two missing scenes between Harry Dresden and one of the only people on earth who knows Karrin Murphy as well as he does--her mother, Marion.

Home for the Holidays -  Murphy takes Harry home for the Thanksgiving holiday. It goes about as well as expected. Post Skin Game.

Kiss (Part Two) -  The three off-screen kisses before Proven Guilty...but from Murphy's perspective.

Broken -  Karrin Murphy gets a Denarian coin. Post Small Favor, pre Changes. AU.

Of Grave Importance -  In the aftermath of Grave Peril, both Harry and Murphy are struggling to pull themselves out of a downward spiral. But maybe they can make it together. Pre-Summer Knight. Harry and Murphy POVs.

Fumble -  Harry and Murphy get physical. It's definitely harder than it looks. Pun intended. Post Skin Game.

Update, as of 7/11/18:

Taste:  Murphy unknowingly ingests love potion while helping Harry chase down a suspect. Consequences abound. Post Proven Guilty, pre Turn Coat.

Tried and True: Harry and Murphy are out of town on a case and have to spend the night in a hotel in the middle of nowhere.  There is only one bed. Well, of course there is. Takes place before Small Favor.

Church Bells:  After a nightmare, Harry's got something on his mind involving Karrin and ringing church bells. Post Skin Game.

Steady as She Goes: Something's different in Casa de Dresden and Thomas wants to know what it is. Post Skin Game drabble.

Scars: A companion piece to "Church Bells." Sometimes Murphy has nightmares too. Post Skin Game.

Love & War:  It's really not a good idea to threaten Karrin Murphy where a certain wizard can hear you.

Hardhearted:  Thomas wants to get to know Murphy better. He bites off a little more than he can chew. Pun slightly intended.

What Mirrors Don’t See:  What if the infamous Dream from Chapter 14 of Skin Game had happened to Karrin Murphy instead of Harry Dresden?

Mischief Managed: Harry and Murphy track a serial killer on Halloween night. Murphy's feeling a little mischievous this year. Pre-Changes.

Mischief Managed II:  The sequel to "Mischief Managed." Turnabout is fair play and payback is a bitch.

I Won’t Dance: Harry and Murphy have to scope out a perp at a masquerade ball, but Murphy doesn't know how to do the waltz. Fortunately for them both, Harry does. Songfic, sorta.

The Wolf: A warlock traps Harry and Murphy and tries to turn Harry on Murphy. Emphasis on try.

Mambo Italiano: Harry heads to see a witness for a case and get the surprise of a lifetime.

Superconductor: Three times when Harry unknowingly turned Karrin Murphy on (and one time he did notice.)

Midnight Sun: Dresden Files Thor: Ragnarok AU. 

Perchance to Dream: What would life be like if Harry Dresden's dreams came true? Post Cold Days, pre Skin Game.

The Truth: The aftermath of "Perchance to Dream." Murphy's POV.

Eavesdrop: Marion Murphy happens upon Harry and Murphy at an...inopportune moment. Drabble. (No explicit squick, I promise.)

Stay: Few things in this world are as terrifying as Karrin Murphy with a cold. Luckily, Harry Dresden is a brave enough wizard to take care of her anyway.

By Any Other Name: Harry reveals his Name to Murphy. It has an...interesting effect on him. Post Cold Days, but pre Skin Game.

Four Letter Word: Three times Harry and Murphy said "I love you" before Turn Coat (and one time when it was implied). Drabbles.

The Cat and the Canary: Murphy gets turned into a cat. Crackfic/Fluff mashup.

Cheers: A new recruit arrives to the S.I. department and immediately learns a thing or two about Harry Dresden and Karrin Murphy.

Twerp Sweating: Harry Dresden and Henry Rawlins have a little chat about a certain blonde cop. Takes place somewhere between Blood Rites and Dead Beat.

Only Time Will Tell: Maggie Dresden meets Karrin Murphy. Inspired by Zoo Day.

Animals: Mouse's musings about Harry and Murphy. He's a hound with a plan. Inspired by Zoo Day.

Father’s Day: Harry, Murphy, and Maggie celebrate Harry's first official Father's Day. Post Skin Game.

Hazardous: Genderflipped Harry and Murphy are on assignment looking for a chupacabra. Pre Changes.

The Soulgaze Part I (Harry): Harry and Murphy finally Soulgaze. Post Skin Game. Two parter. Murphy's POV.

The Soulgaze Part II (Murphy): Harry and Murphy finally Soulgaze. Post Skin Game. Two parter. Harry's POV.

Hope you like these! If you don’t, well, you know where to find me.

[starrycassi]

This whole thing is settled in my Meditrina AU (that I poorly explain here)

Ballister walks into the tavern, with a pink snake draped all over his neck, his shoulders. Nimona likes this way of transportation better, and it adds to the whole "villain" look they're supposed to be going for in this new town.

Niccole — the bar keeper, owner and founder, grins at him, her silver tooth shining with the last sun rays of the day that managed to sneak their way in through the few windows of the place. She is one of those women, the ones that are as beautiful as the few stars that are starting to show up in the pink sky outside, and Ballister has learned to enjoy her company, even with her sour humour, her pranks and horrible habit of taking everything left unsupervised. Everyone in the town has a couple of bad habits, and he's no exception.

One of them is the tavern itself.

"Blackheart, baby! And my favorite menace!" Opening her arms to invite him in for a hug, she quickly started pouring his favorite drink into a cup, smiling ever so lively. "I was wondering when we we're gonna find your body, honey. Rumour had it, you were dead, or kidnapped. I knew, baby, I knew you wouldn't go down that easily. I even bet on it, believe me. I'm going to turn so rich in a couple of hours"

He gave in, hugging her. Nimona switched from his shoulders to hers, barely hissing to say hi. She's tired. They just came back from running an errand, after all.

One of Niccole's habits is betting, too. This one Ballister finds ridiculous. Anyone who's willing to bet against this woman is surely stupid.

"Well, we're a bit harder to take down than that, Nic. But I'm glad to know you believe in us"

He sits down, and takes a small sip of the glass in front of him, tasting it for some second, making sure that it feels okay. Niccole's mostly kind, but you can never really trust people.

"Oh, baby. Anyone who loses a limb and gets up from that is someone who doesn't go down easily" Laughing, she lifts up her skirt, beaming at the wolf whistles that some people give her, allowing everyone around them to take a peek at her prosthetic leg, a beautiful, glittery, pink, piece of art that Ballister made for her. Then, she turns around and starts chatting with Nimona in a language Ballister doesn't understand, spitting words quickly, pouring in some more orders.

The bar's not full, but the tables around them produce a never ending background noise of voices and laughs.

After pouring another glass for another customer, she wips her hands in her skirt, tying and untying her long, brown hair in a low, loose ponytail, and rests her elbows on the wood surface that divides them, finally ready to get down to what she really cares about: gossip. Nimona turns into a bird, and hides himself on Niccole's hair. They're awfully close to each other, both always happy to cause chaos.

"So, baby..." she started, licking her lips. "Tell me"

"About what, Nic?"

"Oh, don't play with me, boy. You disappear and close your doors for two whole weeks. Not even the girls managed to get a word out of you. What were you up to, you rascal? Any important situations going on with the shelter?"

She looks worried, for a second. Ballister squirms uncomfortably on his seat. There was a big, unbelievable situation, actually. A blonde, six feet tall situation.

Trying to get Ambrosius to actually speak to him with clarity, convincing Nimona to let him sleep in, taking care of Ambrosius's wounds, making sure that Nimona actually didn't kill him, cleaning out the spare room on the cabin and scrambling together to make it comfortable, adapting to the sight of fucking Ambrosius Goldenloin everyday... It all took two weeks, and the room is still too unpleasant, Nimona still seems to be on the edge of murder everytime Ambrosius's around her, and Ballister still isn't really sure of how he feels about this whole thing.

"I had a guest over" is all he can come up with, shrugging. It wasn't unheard of, for him to take in guests before they were delivered to the shelter.

"Oh, really?" Niccole arches an eyebrow, and screams for one of her employees to come out and cover her. She jumps over the bar, her long, colorful skirt, turning into a blur, and she sits down in the stool next to him with the agility of a cat. She's fully invested on this, now. "And why didn't you tell, baby? I would've gotten you some food. The others would've done something, too"

Ballister is aware, now, of the fact that he manages his emotions very poorly, but he wasn't that self aware a year and some months ago, when he crashed in this town. Alcohol seemed like a good coping mechanism, back when he moved in. He's generally doesn't get easily drunk, but when he does, he gets loud, talkative.

So, half the town has heard a lot of things about his past. And Ambrosius. A lot about Ambrosius, actually. A lot. Specially the arm chopping situation.

"He's not a shelter guest, Nic" he tries to explain, looking at the door to avoid her green eyes. He can't help but blush with embarrassment at the fact that he's been avoiding her for two weeks to take care of his arm chopping ex. "He's more of a... personal friend, I think. He's supposed to join me here, actually"

Her whole face lights up, and she shrieks, hugging him, giggling. When she lets go, she throws her arms up in the air. Nimona gets out of her hair and flies out of a window, probably too exhausted to keep dealing with people.

The errand was a specially tiring one. They went in a shopping spree with Ambrosius, because Ballister's heart couldn't handle seeing him wearing his clothes anymore.

Ballister fought bravely in the Institute. He was top of his class. He went days without rest, without sleep. He worked out untile he passed out. He ran miles until his legs gave up. He's still sure that there's not a single activity more energy consuming than going out on a Goldenloin shopping spree.

Niccole doesn't allow him to bask in memories, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Finally!" She exclaims, talking to the roof. "Thank you, goddesses! I knew it, baby! I'm so glad you're getting over that golden dick boy! You're moving on!"

He stutters, blushing even more, trying to explain to her that the golden boy and his new roommate are exactly the same person. She doesn't let him, cackling with childish glee.

"You're way too good for that asshole, love! Goddess, wasn't I interested in girls only, I would've asked you out myself so, so long ago" Gasping loudly, she starts fumbling with her hair, fixing her shirt. "Oh, my, he's coming, you say? Should've told me before! I look so bad, in these rags. I would've cooked something for your new lover, honey!"

"He's more of an unwanted and unexpected addition to my household, Nic..."

"Oh, I call my girl that, too. Don't worry about a thing, dear. I'm just happy that you're finally meeting new people. We should organize a party, tell me his name so I can- "

The door opens, and all of the sudden, the sounds in the tavern dies down. Meditrina is a small, secluded town, where everyone knows everyone. Foreigners are quite common, since they're really close to a big city, but they usually stick to the main trail and the few hotels around it.

So it's understandable, that everyone stares suspiciously at the cloaked figure that comes in the Arcoiris Tavern, a place not even the locals frequent, known for being a house to various criminals and outlaws. They stare at the golden hair peeking under the fabric, at he way the man covered by it is hunched over himself, aiding himself with a simple-looking cane. Ballister goes stiff as a plank.

"That's him" he whispers to Niccole, gulping. Ambrosius looks good, with his new clothes. Well, he always looks good, it's just refreshing to see him in something tht actually fits him for the first time in what feels like forever. "That's my guest"

She blinks once, twice, and awaits for the "mysterious man" to approach them. Ambrosius walks in quickly, making a beeline for Ballister once he spots him. It's dark outside now, and his face is light up only by the lanterns perched everywhere. He's still unbelievably handsome, unfortunately. And so stupidly stubborn. He's late only because he refused to go home without buying a new pair of golden earrings, and now there's a pretty pair of teardrops hanging from his ears, catching and reflecting the low lights around them.

"Oh, Bal, sorry, I'm late. I didn't really understand the directions you gave me..." He starts, looking actually apologetic. He's already forgiven. For everything. "I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it, really" Ballister cuts in. Ambrosius apologizes a lot, lately. It's a but tiring. "Look, she's the friend I told you about. Owns the bar"

Ambrosius smiles at Niccole as soon as he's introduced to her. It's the practiced, charming one. She responds with her best grin. The one she gave Ballister when he started coming in, almost a year ago. He offers her a hand, and she shakes it excitedly. Everyone in the bar is staring, eager to get some new gossip.

"I'm so happy to meet you!" Says the woman, breaking the handshake to hug Ambrosius, as if they're long lost friends. "I'm Niccole, Niccole Oakes, by the way. Feel free to ask me for anything. Ballister's friends are mine, too"

Ballister can't stop the next words that are said after that. He can't stop catastrophe.

"Oh, well" chuckles Ambrosius, looking put out by the fact that they're still hugging, but managing to keep his nerves out of his voice. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Ambrosius, Ambrosius Goldenloin"

He can't stop the chaos that the tavern turns in after that, either.

[starrycassi]

Shelters and the trio.

Hi so you I want everyone to know that in my heart Ballister opens up an orphanage/shelter in every single reality and every existing universe. Canon? Ambrosius pays and bribes his way through every single legal necessity as soon as the idea arises while Nimona makes sure to help with the construction of it/the actual logistics of having actual people live there because mister golden wallet has no real concept of money. The Meditrina AU? It's literally one of the main parts of the plot. As mere humans in our current economy? That man is sweating and working his way through it with fundraisers (and Amber's money. Might as well). Royalty AUs? Done. That one courting AU? that's his final request.

Ambrosius feels guilty about having so much undeserved money (that he kinda wants to give to Nimona because technically his family's whole fortune exists because of here but she refuses to accept because what the fuck is money, actually), Nimona needs to do something after the wall falls to try and keep himself distracted from everything going on and reintegrate in society because they haven't been in an actual society for a long long time. Ballister's best years were lived at the institute, even if it fucking sucked, because he finally learned about the commodity of having three daily meals and decent beds. They take in mostly kids, and it starts small.

Nimona took one confused girl home one day, she couldn't find her mom and she was hurting and Nimona didn't really think it through. Turns out the kid's mom's leg broke in the whole Monster Mess and Nimona feels so guilty that she refuses to let the kid go and Ballister is mortified to find out his sidekick with a literal random child in the tower but everything works out and the mom is thankful.

Then, Ambrosius wants to help a kind young girl who's parents are trying to get engaged off as soon as possible because they heavily relied in the director's favor and they want her to marry rich with literally anyone (but specially with him, the openly gay and very much already engaged guy) and he finds out that brute force and blue blood isn't enough, and sometimes people need to be taken care of and need a place to stay. He saw many raids, as a knight. They take the parent and the child out the abusive home and the abuser goes to jail. He never actually understood what happened after that. He never dealt with the aftermaths of independence, with the trauma and the grief and the depression, not until the kind young woman turned into a ball of anxiety, unsure of her future and begging for a place to stay.

Ballister always dreamt of it. That's what he wanted at the institute, at his home, in the streets, in the tower. He's the only one that actually lived in a place like that before, and he's the only one that actually knows how good causes can go to hell so quickly — money that disappears, kids that get abused, victims that get blackmailed. He slept in those incredibly thin mattresses with even thiner sheets and he ate that fucking disgusting oatmeal. He knows what the do, and, for the first time in his life, he has both the authority (provided by his not-at-all-spoiled fiance) and power (courtesy of his not-at-all-sketchy sidekick) to do so.

The wall will fall, let it. They have a new kingdom to build. A better one, a safer one.

[minaminokyoko]

In Vino Veritas: A Harry/Murphy ficlet

A/N: What if Harry had been the one to find Meditrina first in “Last Call” from the Side Jobs anthology? Just a little AU idea I had. Crossposted on AO3.

There weren’t a lot of things that could still scare me—or that I will admit to, anyway—but one of them was knowing that the temptress who was peddling enchanted mead that made people violent and crazy was somewhere with my best friend, Harry Dresden.

 I aimed a kick at the door—the good, strong kind you see in movies that almost never works, but it can be done with the right gumption—and it lurched open. I found myself in plush room with a wet bar and furniture.

 And a dark-haired woman currently straddling my best friend.

 She fit the description Harry had given me earlier—shoulder-length hair so dark it had blue highlights, and even from behind, she was beyond voluptuous. That sensuous body curled and uncurled itself over Harry’s upper body, her hips gyrating over his, and from the look of things, he didn’t seem to mind all that much. His hands were anchored over her waist and I could hear low, happy groans of pleasure slipping out of him between kisses.

 I clicked the hammer back on my gun.

 The woman pulled back finally and craned her neck, fixing me with green-gold eyes that glittered in the overhead lamplight with malice and seduction. “Well. Someone likes dramatic entrances.”

 I shrugged. “Go big or go home. Get off him. Slowly.”

 The woman smiled and didn’t budge. My grip on the gun tightened. “You must be Murphy.”

 I stiffened. Uh-oh. I glanced at Harry. His brown eyes were cloudy and dazed with lust. He looked blissfully intoxicated. The expression made me shiver. It was so odd on him. It left his features too vacant of their normal emotions: good humor, anger, passion, confusion, the works. Harry’s face wasn’t the type for mindless happiness. It also meant she’d gotten through whatever mental defenses usually protected him from this kind of tampering, and he’d told her I was coming. Dammit.

 “Yeah,” Harry said, hiccupping slightly, his grin wide. “That’s her alright. God, she’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

 I blinked. Twice. Uh. That was new.

 “Beautiful is a bit of a stretch,” the dark-haired woman sniffed. “But I can certainly see the appeal.”

 “Maybe you didn’t hear the part where I said get the hell away from him,” I snarled.

 She clucked her tongue, but this time, she slithered out of Harry’s lap and onto the couch next to him, though she carded her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck. He leaned into her touch, still blinded by whatever had been either on her lips or in the mead. Shit.

 “Now, now, no need to be jealous, dear Murphy,” the woman said. “I fully intend to share the wizard with you over a pint.”

 She glanced at him. “Harry, be a dear and invite your lovely friend over for a drink.”

 He nodded and slid to his feet with a smoothness he’d never possessed. Harry Dresden was a lot of things, but smooth certainly wasn’t one of them. He was used to being the biggest, tallest thing around. A walking Redwood. He moved carefully at all times unless someone had hit him pretty hard.

 This version of Harry did not.

 He walked towards me almost gracefully. There was something in the motion that made a part of me want to react to him on an instinctual level. Not fear. I’d all but conquered that over the years on the force. No, this was…troubling. Because I was having a hard time concentrating on the evil bitch who’d drugged him and not concentrating on how utterly masculine and sexy that un-Dresden walk made him look, with his dark hair all mussed and his cheeks flushed and his lips pinker than they should have been.

 Oh, boy.

 This was going to be a long night.

 “Murph,” Harry said in a sing-song voice. “The mead’s really good. Even better than Mac’s ale. You gotta try some.”

 I set my feet as he strode closer. “Harry, concentrate. You’re stronger than this. Snap out of it.”

 He cocked his head to one side. “Snap out of what? I haven’t felt this good in years.”

 I offered him a wry look. “Yeah, exactly. You’re a miserable bastard when you want to be, remember? She’s tampering with your mind. You need to break free of whatever spell she’s got you under.”

 “And do you know why that is, Murph?”

 “Supernatural tart juice in her lips?”

 The woman scowled at me. Petty pleasure spread through me.

 He shook his head. “No. ‘Cause I’ve never told you the truth.”

 “Which is?”

 His chin lowered and he hit me with a gaze that almost rocked me back in my tennis shoes, it was so goddamn sexual. “That I’m absolutely fucking crazy about you.”

 My heart did its best imitation of the Tazmanian Devil playing a drum solo. Hot blood rushed up my neck and swallowed my entire face. No, Murphy. Stop that. Stop every last bit of that thinking in its tracks.

 “She’s in your head, Harry,” I said once I’d regained the ability to talk. “She’s making you think these things.”

 “No,” he said softly. “She’s not. And I think you know she’s not.”

 I licked my lips. “Harry—”

 “I’ve wanted to kiss you since you left for Hawaii.”

 My eyes widened. Shit, shit, shit. Shitfuckgoddamnmotherfucker. Stop him before he says something else stupid, Murphy.

 I shut my eyes for a second and then leveled a death glare at the woman. “Leave him alone or I’m putting a bullet through your skull.”

 She shrugged and spread her hands. “I have done nothing but shown him the desires of his heart, Murphy. He has embraced them, along with that of the gods.”

 “Yeah, speaking of which: you’re going to trash the magic booze and turn him and everyone else affected back to normal, or I’m putting your wiggly little ass in the ground.”

 She laughed. “Mortal authorities. You’re so confident, aren’t you?”

 “And you’re so arrogant, Meditrina.”

 The smile vanished at the use of her name. I bared my teeth in a grin. “Sorry, lady. I read. Now make your choice. Fix him or die. You have three seconds.”

 The gesture was tiny, almost invisible, but I saw her first finger on her right hand twitch, and Harry stepped into the path of my gun. I immediately swung the barrel away from him. Drunk with magic or not, I wouldn’t shoot him.

 “Murph,” he chided me. “It’s not hurting anyone. Not permanently.”

 “Harry,” I said in a measured tone. “Step aside. Or I’ll make you.”

 He grinned wolfishly and waggled his eyebrows. “Is it wrong that I kinda wanna see that?”

 I started to snap at him, but then I glanced all the way up into his face this time. He had his back completely to her.

 And then he winked at me.

 He didn’t lift his hand high enough over his shoulder that Meditrina could see it, but he pointed a long finger to the upper right corner of the room. I saw a long, unlit rectangular light that hung by a chain.

 “C’mon, Murphy,” Harry drawled, drawing closer, his baritone voice deepening, and from this close, it did…things…to me. “One little taste won’t hurt.”

 He mouthed, “Now!”

 I aimed and fired.

 The chain snapped loose and the light swung down in a perfect arc and smacked Meditrina dead in the temple. She didn’t even get a chance to cry out. She flopped over on the couch, unconscious. The light swung back and forth, smacking the wall nearby and shattering glass, before going still.

 “Nice shot,” Harry said, turning to check out my handy work.

 I lowered the gun…and punched him in the stomach. Hard.

 “Gah!” the wizard cried, tossing an alarmed look at me. “What was that for?”

 “You were faking the whole time?!” I screeched. “I thought she’d melted your brain or something, Harry. For God’s sake, I was about to shoot her.”

 He rubbed his stomach. “I had to sell it until you got here to help.”

 I arched an eyebrow and placed my free hand on my hip. “Oh, so it was part of the plan to have her all over you, then?”

 He had the grace to blush. “Well, that part I hadn’t anticipated, but…yes.”

 I eyed him. He squirmed. “What? I had to take one for the team. You’d have done the same.”

 He paused. “Wait, let me just picture that for a second—OW!”

 I hit him a second time, in a spot above the first one, and stomped over to Meditrina’s limp form, cuffing her and grumbling insults under my breath. “This is why you’re not a cop, you blundering, stupid, sexist, reckless oaf.”

 “Alright, alright, I’m sorry,” Harry sighed, rubbing his second sore spot. “But you have to admit it’s kind of cool that I fooled you.”

 I rolled my eyes and dug around for my phone to call for a pick up. “Hardly. I was concerned for your safety. I didn’t actually believe what you were saying.”

 I paused as his words flickered through my mind again. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since you left for Hawaii.” Again, my heart did the Tarantela. He’d been acting. Right?

 Somehow, I think he knew what I was thinking, because I glanced at him, and he had this soft expression on his face, one he rarely let me see. Harry was always honest with me about anything he could afford to be, but sometimes…sometimes he looked at me like that, and the only word for it was longing. I knew it all too well.

 Sometimes my face looked like that too.

 “I’ll, uh, start rounding up the booze,” he said rather quietly, all traces of humor gone. “Thanks, Murph.”

 He turned his back on me and headed for the door. I shut my eyes, cursed myself, and called out to him.

 “Harry!”

 He stopped and glanced at me over his shoulder. I offered him a fond smile.

 “Hurry up. I owe you a drink.”

 He smiled and nodded. “You’re a hell of a dame, Murphy.”

 “Pig.”

 FIN

I’m not going to stop writing this shit until I get a confirmed canon sex scene and relationship, Jim Butcher. Do you hear me, you bastard?!

[sir-ballister-boldheart]

Please you can't stop there 😭 I want to WITNESS the chaos with my own eyes. Did Ambrosius even make it alive out of the tavern? I NEED to know 🤣

This whole thing is settled in my Meditrina AU (that I poorly explain here)

Ballister walks into the tavern, with a pink snake draped all over his neck, his shoulders. Nimona likes this way of transportation better, and it adds to the whole "villain" look they're supposed to be going for in this new town.

Niccole — the bar keeper, owner and founder, grins at him, her silver tooth shining with the last sun rays of the day that managed to sneak their way in through the few windows of the place. She is one of those women, the ones that are as beautiful as the few stars that are starting to show up in the pink sky outside, and Ballister has learned to enjoy her company, even with her sour humour, her pranks and horrible habit of taking everything left unsupervised. Everyone in the town has a couple of bad habits, and he's no exception.

One of them is the tavern itself.

"Blackheart, baby! And my favorite menace!" Opening her arms to invite him in for a hug, she quickly started pouring his favorite drink into a cup, smiling ever so lively. "I was wondering when we we're gonna find your body, honey. Rumour had it, you were dead, or kidnapped. I knew, baby, I knew you wouldn't go down that easily. I even bet on it, believe me. I'm going to turn so rich in a couple of hours"

He gave in, hugging her. Nimona switched from his shoulders to hers, barely hissing to say hi. She's tired. They just came back from running an errand, after all.

One of Niccole's habits is betting, too. This one Ballister finds ridiculous. Anyone who's willing to bet against this woman is surely stupid.

"Well, we're a bit harder to take down than that, Nic. But I'm glad to know you believe in us"

He sits down, and takes a small sip of the glass in front of him, tasting it for some second, making sure that it feels okay. Niccole's mostly kind, but you can never really trust people.

"Oh, baby. Anyone who loses a limb and gets up from that is someone who doesn't go down easily" Laughing, she lifts up her skirt, beaming at the wolf whistles that some people give her, allowing everyone around them to take a peek at her prosthetic leg, a beautiful, glittery, pink, piece of art that Ballister made for her. Then, she turns around and starts chatting with Nimona in a language Ballister doesn't understand, spitting words quickly, pouring in some more orders.

The bar's not full, but the tables around them produce a never ending background noise of voices and laughs.

After pouring another glass for another customer, she wips her hands in her skirt, tying and untying her long, brown hair in a low, loose ponytail, and rests her elbows on the wood surface that divides them, finally ready to get down to what she really cares about: gossip. Nimona turns into a bird, and hides himself on Niccole's hair. They're awfully close to each other, both always happy to cause chaos.

"So, baby..." she started, licking her lips. "Tell me"

"About what, Nic?"

"Oh, don't play with me, boy. You disappear and close your doors for two whole weeks. Not even the girls managed to get a word out of you. What were you up to, you rascal? Any important situations going on with the shelter?"

She looks worried, for a second. Ballister squirms uncomfortably on his seat. There was a big, unbelievable situation, actually. A blonde, six feet tall situation.

Trying to get Ambrosius to actually speak to him with clarity, convincing Nimona to let him sleep in, taking care of Ambrosius's wounds, making sure that Nimona actually didn't kill him, cleaning out the spare room on the cabin and scrambling together to make it comfortable, adapting to the sight of fucking Ambrosius Goldenloin everyday... It all took two weeks, and the room is still too unpleasant, Nimona still seems to be on the edge of murder everytime Ambrosius's around her, and Ballister still isn't really sure of how he feels about this whole thing.

"I had a guest over" is all he can come up with, shrugging. It wasn't unheard of, for him to take in guests before they were delivered to the shelter.

"Oh, really?" Niccole arches an eyebrow, and screams for one of her employees to come out and cover her. She jumps over the bar, her long, colorful skirt, turning into a blur, and she sits down in the stool next to him with the agility of a cat. She's fully invested on this, now. "And why didn't you tell, baby? I would've gotten you some food. The others would've done something, too"

Ballister is aware, now, of the fact that he manages his emotions very poorly, but he wasn't that self aware a year and some months ago, when he crashed in this town. Alcohol seemed like a good coping mechanism, back when he moved in. He's generally doesn't get easily drunk, but when he does, he gets loud, talkative.

So, half the town has heard a lot of things about his past. And Ambrosius. A lot about Ambrosius, actually. A lot. Specially the arm chopping situation.

"He's not a shelter guest, Nic" he tries to explain, looking at the door to avoid her green eyes. He can't help but blush with embarrassment at the fact that he's been avoiding her for two weeks to take care of his arm chopping ex. "He's more of a... personal friend, I think. He's supposed to join me here, actually"

Her whole face lights up, and she shrieks, hugging him, giggling. When she lets go, she throws her arms up in the air. Nimona gets out of her hair and flies out of a window, probably too exhausted to keep dealing with people.

The errand was a specially tiring one. They went in a shopping spree with Ambrosius, because Ballister's heart couldn't handle seeing him wearing his clothes anymore.

Ballister fought bravely in the Institute. He was top of his class. He went days without rest, without sleep. He worked out untile he passed out. He ran miles until his legs gave up. He's still sure that there's not a single activity more energy consuming than going out on a Goldenloin shopping spree.

Niccole doesn't allow him to bask in memories, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Finally!" She exclaims, talking to the roof. "Thank you, goddesses! I knew it, baby! I'm so glad you're getting over that golden dick boy! You're moving on!"

He stutters, blushing even more, trying to explain to her that the golden boy and his new roommate are exactly the same person. She doesn't let him, cackling with childish glee.

"You're way too good for that asshole, love! Goddess, wasn't I interested in girls only, I would've asked you out myself so, so long ago" Gasping loudly, she starts fumbling with her hair, fixing her shirt. "Oh, my, he's coming, you say? Should've told me before! I look so bad, in these rags. I would've cooked something for your new lover, honey!"

"He's more of an unwanted and unexpected addition to my household, Nic..."

"Oh, I call my girl that, too. Don't worry about a thing, dear. I'm just happy that you're finally meeting new people. We should organize a party, tell me his name so I can- "

The door opens, and all of the sudden, the sounds in the tavern dies down. Meditrina is a small, secluded town, where everyone knows everyone. Foreigners are quite common, since they're really close to a big city, but they usually stick to the main trail and the few hotels around it.

So it's understandable, that everyone stares suspiciously at the cloaked figure that comes in the Arcoiris Tavern, a place not even the locals frequent, known for being a house to various criminals and outlaws. They stare at the golden hair peeking under the fabric, at he way the man covered by it is hunched over himself, aiding himself with a simple-looking cane. Ballister goes stiff as a plank.

"That's him" he whispers to Niccole, gulping. Ambrosius looks good, with his new clothes. Well, he always looks good, it's just refreshing to see him in something tht actually fits him for the first time in what feels like forever. "That's my guest"

She blinks once, twice, and awaits for the "mysterious man" to approach them. Ambrosius walks in quickly, making a beeline for Ballister once he spots him. It's dark outside now, and his face is light up only by the lanterns perched everywhere. He's still unbelievably handsome, unfortunately. And so stupidly stubborn. He's late only because he refused to go home without buying a new pair of golden earrings, and now there's a pretty pair of teardrops hanging from his ears, catching and reflecting the low lights around them.

"Oh, Bal, sorry, I'm late. I didn't really understand the directions you gave me..." He starts, looking actually apologetic. He's already forgiven. For everything. "I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it, really" Ballister cuts in. Ambrosius apologizes a lot, lately. It's a but tiring. "Look, she's the friend I told you about. Owns the bar"

Ambrosius smiles at Niccole as soon as he's introduced to her. It's the practiced, charming one. She responds with her best grin. The one she gave Ballister when he started coming in, almost a year ago. He offers her a hand, and she shakes it excitedly. Everyone in the bar is staring, eager to get some new gossip.

"I'm so happy to meet you!" Says the woman, breaking the handshake to hug Ambrosius, as if they're long lost friends. "I'm Niccole, Niccole Oakes, by the way. Feel free to ask me for anything. Ballister's friends are mine, too"

Ballister can't stop the next words that are said after that. He can't stop catastrophe.

"Oh, well" chuckles Ambrosius, looking put out by the fact that they're still hugging, but managing to keep his nerves out of his voice. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Ambrosius, Ambrosius Goldenloin"

He can't stop the chaos that the tavern turns in after that, either.