#miss dulciana

[loaflovesdoodling]

FINALLY AAAAURGHAGAHAGSG BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS IN THE LAST FOUR DAYS JUST FOR THIS I'M GOING TO CRY

time taken: 15hrs

program used: Ibispaint X :33

[sinners-in-paradise]

What was I going to say...? What was I going to do...?

It seems I'm just... so awfully lost...

Give me... a moment... Just a moment...

Ahem! Welcome, traveller! 'Tis only appropriate we take this time to set the stage for you, hm? Let's meet all the pieces on our little board.

Let's start from the very beginning...

–––

Name: Celeernyx

Once the queen of Halcandra and a Hero of Yore, Celeernyx was a loving but firm soul who was essential in the first defeat of Void Termina. However, a certain someone soon grew jealous of her and the other Heroes, and desperate for power, orchestrated the downfall of each of them until only Cele remained. Devastated, Celeernyx’s shattered mental state was an easy target for an ancient, malicious artifact known as the Master Crown. Once it had taken her mind and wiped out her kingdom, it decided she was of no further used to it, and swiftly executed her.

Cause of Death: Shattered.

–––

Name: Dulciana

A joy to everyone who knew her, Dulciana lost both of her parents at a young age and was raised by less than adequate caretakers. To escape from the pressures of her everyday life, Dulci often spent time under a favorite maple tree. The course of her life took a turn, however, when she met a handsome young demigod, and eloped to the wilderness with him. The two lived happily until Dulciana succumbed to an unknown illness, ripping her from her lover’s grasp forever.

Cause of Death: Unknown terminal illness, likely genetic.

–––

Name: Guinevere

Though originally an ordinary child, Guinevere (remembered fondly as "Gwen") was corrupted into a demon beast of sorts by Nightmare at a very young age, and upon escaping from his grasp struggled to present as an ordinary girl. Despite her odd appearance and tendencies, she found happiness in joining the GSA in her adult years, after which she was wed and had a single child. Though details are maintained private from the public, an official statement from the army indicates that she attempted to turn against it and was executed for attempted homicide by her partner.

Cause of Death: Blood loss from major lacerations.

–––

And that’s everyone!

Wait….No, something’s not right…

No, this isn’t right at all…

–––

Ah! Of course! I almost forgot!

–––

Name: Dero

A defective dark matter that wished to take no part in Zero’s evil schemes, Dero became a wandering hero, sworn to protect those in need. Though not the brightest, Dero was determined to keep everyone around him safe. Kind, chivalrous, and an expert in the blade, Dero gained renown as a great hero until…..

Until…….

Cause of Death: The willow tree is beautiful this time of year, isn’t it?

–––

Well, seems we have that out of the way. What was I to say next...?

Ah, that's right!

Welcome to hades, dearest.

–––

Credits:

Celeernyx by @moon-mage

Dulciana and Ades by @loaflovesdoodling

Guinevere by @camachine

Dero by @monsterhatdoodles

Art and writing by @camachine and @monsterhatdoodles

–––

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

(???)

[shockwrites]

Hard Liquor

Author’s Note: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Series: Original

Pairing: Faye/Theo

Length: 1733 words

Rating: Safe (although there’s like a hint of a lewd undertone at the end)

There was enough tension in the air that one could almost cut it with a knife.

Faye mentally cursed herself. She hadn’t given herself enough time to prepare for this moment. That much she came to terms with as she quietly sat at the dining table, watching helplessly as her current boyfriend of hardly a few weeks was faced with the height of apex predators. A beast in virtually every sense of the word, glaring down at the poor rabbit with the subtle ferocity of a predator stalking its prey:

Her mother, Hortense Dulciana.

To this very moment, Faye hadn’t the slightest idea how the news of her and Theo’s newly founded relationship had traveled so fast. Those cursed words were etched into her brain: “Perhaps you could introduce me to this Theo character”. It was said with no sort of figurative tone whatsoever. Hortense wanted to see him and now. Her heart skipped enough beats that she wasn’t entirely sure it was still beating.

Theo had been all too eager to meet the woman. Oh, how naïve he was. Faye watched in horror as her mother’s greeting came in the form of a piercing gaze that all but shattered the remnants of the bunny’s eager curiosity into anxiety fueled terror.

Hortense was much larger than her daughter in terms of height. She was much more slender and serpentine than her daughter and her horns were much larger and…demonic looking. Her onyx scales held a darker shade, imposing her presence among the lighter yellow and bronze shades of the restaurant. Even her scarlet dress was striking amid the vibrant gold colors.

Her stone cold expression bore through Theo like a firehose through a sheet of paper. Faye was almost certain that the waiters were avoiding their table on purpose. Not like she could really blame them. All Hortense was doing for the past ten minutes was scrutinizing the poor rabbit, as though he was about to be the main course should he do so much as blink.

“So…” The dragon’s voice was sharp and to the point. “Chasing after mammals this time, Faye?”

“M-Mother!” Faye tried to sound chastising but it merely came out as a feeble whine.

Not once did she take her eyes off of Theo, meagerly and just barely managing a skittish smile. Hortense did not look impressed. “Well? Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”

Theo finally managed to feel his heart pounding in his chest. “O-oh! Right! Right!” He cleared his throat, hoping to keep his voice from cracking any more than it just did. His suit felt stuffy and strangling. “My name is Thaddeus-ThEodORE! It’s-it’s Theodore Miss-ah Ma’am!” His ears flopped as he was overwhelmed by just how tiny he felt.

Oh boy.

Faye winced. She felt that one more than he did.

The alpha predator furrowed her brow, resting her muzzle on her intertwined fingers, still sizing up her prey. “Well then, Thaddeus.” Another wince, this time from the both of them. Neither party was going to forget that little slip. “Might I ask how you met my daughter?” Hortense’s gaze shifted to Faye who shrank from her foreboding glare. “I would have guessed that Faye would be withered and decrepit before leaving her precious books.”

“We uhh…met at a party, actually!”

“A party?” She asked with a somewhat surprised tone. “I didn’t think a rabbit could be someone of the upper class.”

“W-Well ahh…I was actually…” Theo was starting to lose his nerve as he ran through the possible responses to his next sentence in his mind. All of them ended in tragedy. “I was…one of the waiters…”

Hortense scoffed, leaning back in her seat with an unnerving smirk. “I see. So did the deed happen, hm? Did you consequently recite a line from one of her little romance novels?”

“Well n-no, you see,” Theo stammered.

“Did you miraculously bump into her as she was trying to leave?”

Faye internally groaned. Was she planning on embarrassing her for the entire night?

“Or perhaps,” Her reptilian eyes gave a side glance over at Faye who was just short from banging her head on the table, “Were you stuck with her after she drank herself stupid?”

Faye’s eyes widened. Suddenly she had trouble swallowing the lump in her throat. She made a quick glance at Theo who had just as much difficulty responding as she did. Their struggle suggested the obvious answer, yet Hortense patiently awaited the confession, as though she would gain some sick satisfaction out of it. With the chips down, Faye prepared to fold, not wanting her boyfriend to take this heat on his own.

Fortune smiled on her that night.

“Are you prepared to order?”

The table glanced over the clearly nervous fox who had appeared to draw the short straw among the rest of the waiters. Faye had never been so happy to see a waiter since the day she met Theo.

“Yes!” Faye called out a bit too loudly. “The Caesar salad, please!”

“T-Tomato basil tortellini broth, please.” Theo recited perfectly after running the words through his head more times than he could count.

The mammal waiter did his best not to make eye contact with the remaining patron. “Gin. Please.” Hortense hardly bothered shooting a glance at the meek fox.

“R-Right away!”

Faye could tell he couldn’t wait to walk away. Not that she’d blame him.

The guy doesn’t know how lucky he is.

--

Not even the sounds of utensils tapping porcelain could quell the uncomfortable silence at the table.

It was like the most stressful game of chess. All responses had to be considered with the utmost care and preparation. With every misspeak or slip of the tongue, Hortense’s judgments grew.

“You say you are a waiter, hm?” The dragon’s sharp tongue once again spewed its venom.

Theo swallowed a spoonful of soup, ensuring that there were no chances of him choking. “Not just waiting actually! I do a lot of odd jobs on the side!” He was all too excited to bring that up.

“Odd jobs…” She replied in a disinterested tone, as though now was her first time hearing the term and she couldn’t bring herself to care for it.

“Yes! Catering, bartending, you name it!” Theo tried to chuckle jovially but ended up awkwardly clearing his throat for the umpteenth time instead.

“…Interesting.” Hortense took a sip of her wine. Her focus alternated between the couple. She set aside her now empty glass of wine. “Well, I suppose that’s all I needed to hear for tonight.”

Faye blinked stupidly. “Err…Mother?”

“My eldest daughter, inheritor of her father’s fortune, gotten herself drunk and latched on to a working-class prey mammal in her splendor.” She called for their waiter to refill her glass. The fox quickly responded, only to have the bottle snatched from his palms without a second thought. He attempted an interjection but Hortense’s man-eating glare immediately reassured him how much he would’ve regretted it. “That’s quite enough that I have the ability to care about regarding this matter.”

Faye and Theo exchanged looks. She was just as speechless as he was.

“Mother, I…I don’t understand.”

Hortense sighed in impatience. “For someone so bookish, you have a surprisingly hard time grasping the simplest of answers, Faye.” The larger dragon took another swig of her wine. “Your personal life and what you do with your time is of little concern to me. If you wish to spend your time encouraging whatever fetish those novels have you hooked on, then so be it. I was merely curious to see what manner of romance novel cliché could capture your eye of all things.”

Faye didn’t take too kindly to her relationship being dubbed as a “fetish” but she didn’t quite have the willpower to talk back to her mother, especially now that the longest dinner she’d ever suffered through was now seemingly drawing to a close. Theo remained quiet and awkward, unable to tell if he was supposed to say something right about now.

“I must admit, however, you’ve surprised me, Theodore.”

Theo’s ears perked up in response, surprised to hear his name being called properly after that slip-up moments prior. Not once did he think he’d be able to receive an approval from her throughout this entire night. Lord, was he ecstatic to be proven wrong. “I have?”

Hortense nodded, cooly leaning back in her chair and looking towards Faye. “I’m so used to whatever weak-kneed fling or floozy that your sister brings home. This is the first one that actually managed to keep in their seat before the main course.” She gave a congratulatory clap that unsurprisingly felt disingenuine. “Impressive work. Especially for you, Faye.”

She was far from convinced that was a compliment but at this point, she’d take anything she could get.

--

The slog through Faye’s apartment was more exhausting this time around.

Faye plopped face first atop her couch, flicking off her high heels with a drained groan. Theo followed suite on the spot next to her. For the next few minutes, the world was in peaceful silence, free of the stresses and anxieties that plagued the couple moments prior.

“…I still feel her judging me.” Said Faye’s muffled voice.

Theo lifted his head and turned to his girlfriend. “Is she…always like that?” He spoke before his brain could filter himself. He didn’t want to seem rude, talking about someone’s mother. Even after that.

“Mhmm.” She finally felt the need to raise her head. “On a good day if you can believe it.”

Theo chuckled. “Oh man. Well hey, we got through it didn’t we?”

“Mmm.”

“And with some semblance of approval right?”

“Define approval.”

The rabbit smiled warmly before entwining his fingers with her’s. “Well…she knows that this – we’re a thing that’s happening. That was the whole point wasn’t it?”

Faye paused for a moment before answering. She had to admit that she wasn’t exactly expecting her mother to be over the top ecstatic about her love life. In truth, this possibly did turn out to be the best case scenario. “Yes…I suppose it was.” A slight grin reached Faye’s muzzle as well.

“That’s the spirit.” Content, he lied on his back. “So what’s next?”

“Oh,” Theo had barely enough time to react before Faye was suddenly hovering over him, her dress already falling past her shoulders, “I have a few ideas.”

[loaflovesdoodling]

Pleiades pleaded, as the Dollmaker's dagger dug deeper and deeper into his back, cutting right through his yellowish-colored flesh, golden blood spewing out, he had no way of fighting back, and stabs to the pancreas wouldn't have been enough to shut his cries up anymore.

Leaving him absolutely motionless.

The warrior could feel costant hits on his vertebrae, like a hammer on a nail, it was terrifying, disturbing. painful. His consciousness started fading away. All he could do... was look back.....

...and scream his heart out.

A.F.T.E.R.M.A.T.H.

Finishing her job, she fleed the scene, forgetting her dagger deep inside his back. It was now 2AM. Pleiades coughed, grunted, making a strong effort to roll over on the cold, wet grass. He wanted to spend his final moments of consciousness facing the stars. His only sisters at the moment.

He knew he couldn't die. But he was still scared. Limbo was near. He didn't want to go to sleep. Especially for that long. He tried to inbreathe sharply, but was cut off by violent coughs. He didn't have the energy to even cry. The warrior kept his eyes open, and finally stopped struggling.

"He art not replying... he art not reachable... Just what hast thou gotten thyself into, mine brother..?!" Dero muttered to himself, scurrying across the dirt and rocks. His five eyes curved, expressing concern and frustration. His mouth partially covered by his grey-ish neck fur that now messily stuck out his cape.

Pleiades should've been back from the bar an hour earlier. His phone wasn't available and nobody who was still awake had heard from him. The dim light of the first quarter shone upon the forest, attributing to it a feeling of gloom and dread. It felt like a circle of darkness that only condensed and reduced the already miniscule amount of air. It was obscure, claustrophobic, haunting.

"PLEIADES! WHERE ART THOU, MINE FRIEND?! PLEIADES!!"

The Dark Matter called out loudly.

Still, no response, until he came across peculiar footsteps leading to a trail of golden blood. And he knew exactly who that belonged to.

Running in that same direction, he found himself even deeper inside the forest. Scurrying along, he again yelled: "PLEIADES?? I HATH BEEN LOOKING FOR THEE FOR SO LONG!! WHY ART THOU NOT RESPONDING TO MY CALLS?!" and, again, no answer. His worry only grew with the overwhelming suspense and quiet, that was so long as the moment he picked up on the putrid odor of flesh and venous and arterial fluids. He followed the scent, and finally saw Pleiades.

There lied on the earth Pleiades. Motionless. Cut up and down by the sharp blade that now emerged from his stomach. His eyes open, gazing into the nothingness. His chest flat, not a puff of air leaving his nostrils or mouth.

Dero's eyelids grew apart in shock. He gulped, then shakily exhaled, stuttering as he hurried to his injured sibling:

"..h-how....... wh...at..?"

"P...Pleiades, can you hear me.. ? ..PLEIADES..?!"

"nonononononononono.... no... NO!! Please, please hang in there... STAY STRONG..!! PLEASE..."

"just... just... please just..."

he fumbled with his words, as he bit into the knight's torn cape and lifted him over his shoulder, now noticing the handle of the seemingly familiar dagger on the other side of him, buried far inside his spine; the Dark Matter hicked in frustration and worry:

"just give me a sign... please.."

it was then that, as he cradled him, out of Pleiades came a wispy breath, and there he knew. He was still alive.

"Hang in there, mine brother. Hang in there." he whispered, before hurrying out of the forest, following the same path he used to reach it.

It was another night of work at Cookie Country's Medical Center, as Henri fixed his gloves and face mask, making his way across the white-tiled hospital corridors. Just then, he stumbled across Casipan, who was pushing a medical cart to another room. They looked at eachother for just a second, before Henri acknowledged:

"Do you need help with that? I wouldn't mind performing an extra operation tonight."

"Ah, uh, no, thank you! I was actually just putting these back."

"Oh! Alright! Tell you what, I'll go get us both something refreshing to drink, I was gonna buy another water bottle anyway."

"You're way too kind. Here, let me pa--"

"Nonono, I insist!"

"Fine, but I owe you one."

"Haha, now don't be ridiculous. I'll be back in just a minute."

"Sure."

Casipan joked:

"I swear, more than just a water bottle, we'd need some coffee! It's such a quiet night here today that I might just fall asleep!"

to which Henri replied by chuckling. Until--

"HELP!!!! SOMEONE HELP!!!! PLEASE, WE REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE!!!!!!!!!"

Dero cried in a muffled voice, barging into the hospital's hall, still carrying Pleiades.

Henri and Casipan looked at eachother with concern and determination and nodded, before hurrying towards the sound.

"Good Void...." Casipan froze upon discovering the source of panic, as Henri immediately ran past him to help, making him follow along.

"Casi, don't worry about this, I'll handle it. Just please go get me a stretcher." the creature nodded before running to the hallway once again.

"You were very brave, Dero. You were very brave--... Please take a deep breath now..." The doctor empathically encouraged, as the Dark Matter inhaled and exhaled rapidly from worry.

"...He will make it. I'm sure he will. Pleiades is a very strong man. He will make it."

"..I...shan..'t......'ve..... all..ow..e..d.......h...im....to....g..o.....d..ri..nk.....alo..ne....." he blurted out in-between each intake of air. Henri placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed its thumb on his face in a fatherly manner, before repeating, once again:

"He will make it."

Casipan reached the three of them with a stretcher before him. Henri quickly thanked him, before setting Ades onto the ground, crossing the unconscious warrior's four hands.

The medic adjusted the sheets and unfastened the straps, before bending the stretcher's metal legs and pushing it down to the floor. On the count of three they both lifted Pleiades and secured him on the hard mattress, then mounting the legs and wheels once again, before rushing to the ER, while Henri looked back at Dero one last time.

He could only sit (im)patiently in the waiting room as the hospital staff made calls to everyone else. Most of them couldn't reply. It was an ungodly hour, after all. Call after call, Dero's only thoughts were of how that could've happened, and why. Part of him was worrying about Dolly, too, but he knew she was safe at his sweet fiancé's house.

The hospital felt so quiet, he could've sworn he could hear the time ticking by with triggering low speed. The air was getting tense.

Ten minutes felt like an hour. Twenty felt like five. It was so maddening he eventually lost track of time, until, a while later, Twilight showed up, panting, as if they just ran a marathon.

"WHERE. IS. HE."

Dero looked over with his head down and his spine curved, completely ashamed. Despite how much he tried, the only thing he could force out of his mouth were mumbles and messy stutters.

Twilight looked at him with a defeated expression, before taking a seat and leaning on him.

"what even happened..? Why..?!"

"I'm sorry I hath not been there for him."

"I-It's not your fault, I just..... I don't have any words.."

"He'll be okay......... I know he will..........." Dero tried to convince himself, trying to drown out all those horrible thoughts.

"I hope so....... I really hope so, Dero."

They waited.

It was 3:37AM when Selene unexpectedly entered the hospital with a look of concern and confusion, walking slowly across the main hall until she spotted her two other relatives, then running in their direction.

"SELENE?! You should be asleep!!! What has gotten into you?!?" Twilight Knight rebuked, worried and dumbfounded.

"Well, I could say the same thing about you!! I don't even know why I came here!! Blossom just started crying in the other room and I went to check her out. Apparently she has a bad feeling something happened, and then I just... saw you were both here, and I decided to reach out to you. And, before you ask, you forgot to turn off your location." She explained as a worried and tired Blossom sat over her head, being only slightly hidden by the silvery fuzz of her antennae, but just enough that they had only noticed her now that she was being mentioned.

"Poor thing...." Dero whispered, then walking closer to the girls and kneeling down, offering Blossom his head, on which she climbed.

It was then that Selene had noticed the stains of golden blood on Dero's cape, freezing in shock then and there. Twilight checked in on her:

"Selene? Selene, are you okay??"

"Hello???"

They waved their hand in front of her face, before flicking their fingers and sternly calling:

"SELENE!!!"

And that yell was sufficient to remind her of how Farron used to catch her attention, except, it was usually followed by a slap or hit. She braced herself, but... the slap never came. Instead, a few gentle pats on the head.

"Everything alright, sis?" TK whispered soothingly.

".. mmyeah, yeah.... it's all good...."

"You sure?"

"..yeah..."

And, just then, they looked at her, before hugging her tight, and explaining.

"Pleiades got attacked. He was really badly hurt and.... unresponsive."

Her heart sank. Did she hear that right? Blossom started crying even more, inconsolable. Dero tried to soothe her like a father would with his baby, but, to mostly no avail. Selene almost started tearing up, mumbling:

"..bu..t..... I... th..ought.....A..des.......was............ I-I..thou..ght..... "

She always knew him as a strong and invincible man, so how could've this..?

The clock ticked. It was 3:46AM when, finally, the door to the ER was opened. They all ran torwards Casipan, the only doctor that came out of that room in that moment, sprinting across the hallway.

"Mister Casipan!"

"I'm sorry, Selene. It's a matter of mere seconds here and it could all be over."

He apologized, quickly walking past them.

The coldness in his tone suddenly reminded Twilight of how their mother used to treat them. They knew Casipan meant no harm, but, instinctively, they placed themselves before Selene, shielding her. She squeezed her brother's hand. They scuffed and backed down, wrapping her once again in a comforting embrace.

Dolly woke up feeling strangely lonely.

Usually, she would go to Dollmaker's room and wake her up for consolation, but, for some strange reason, it felt dangerous to do so tonight.

From under the pillow came out Alden, her guardian angel. With a soft and empathetic tone, he warned her:

"Dolly."

"Oh! Mister Alden!"

"I fear something... really bad happened to Pleiades.."

"Oh no..! Did he accidentally swap lunch with a stranger, and eat cabbage, and have an allergic reaction? Mister Pleiades doesn't like cabbage..."

"No, no... it's something far worse than that, sweet child.... I admire your innocence.."

"Did he stub his toe?"

"He got hurt.. that's certain...."

"Oh no! Is he okay?"

"I'm sorry for saying this... he's not okay. I don't know how much time will pass until you see him again."

The Doll got silent. Looking down. Pleiades was hurt?? Maybe that's why she felt lonely.

No.

Dolly doesn't want to be lonely.

Dolly wants to see Mister Pleiades again.

She's not going to be alone. Not again.

She immediately started rummaging through her toybox, looking for something, anything that could help. Until she found it.

A plushie Pleiades had gifted her for Christmas: it was in the shape of a cow, a baby pink color with yellow and blue splotches on it. Inspecting it closely, she found exactly what she needed.

A string of blue turquoise hair, trapped inside one of the two black button eyes. She carefully pried it free, before placing it on her bed as a working surface and taking out her crochet hooks. Now she would have her brother by her side for at least a little longer.

3:49AM. Twilight was hugging Selene tightly, as Blossom Slept, tucked inside Dero's cape collar, with dried tears on her cheeks. He simply shielded the small Waddle Dee with his head as a sign of comfort. Then he suggested to the other two, whispering: "why doth thou not head outside a few minutes for some fresh air while I wait? It could take thy mind off things, I'm sure."

"You're not coming?" asked the older moth.

"Afraid not. I would prefer to wait here anyway, just in case. Besides, she art resting so peacefully...." he replied, looking down at Blossom.

"Y'know... you remind me of how she would be with Ades. She's only slept so soundly with him...." Selene noticed.

"He.... he's going to be okay........... he would not leave her.. or us.." he replied.

"Alright... let's go, Selene." interrupted Twilight, guiding her to the hospital's parking lot.

"Full moon."

"It's.. haunting." they clenched their fists.

"The stars are so luminous, too...." Selene shuddered, recalling the night in which she ran away from the Mapop clan. The moon shone bright, the stars did too. It was all too familiar. Twilight put a hand on her back, patting it as comfort. They needed to be strong for the others, now that Ades wasn't there. They would have been the one to 'suck it up', and they didn't know if they could do it.

4AM. Dulciana sat on his bed. Trying to hold his hand as best as she could while the surgery carried on. Her heart was beating so fast. She wanted to cry. It was so painful seeing him like this. The ghost leaned forward and kissed his forehead, reassuring him, although unconscious, that she would've been there until he'd be back home safe and sound. And now she wouldn't ever leave his side. Not for one minute. Not for one second.

"I love you, StarBright."

4:10.

4:12.

4:15AM.

Henri finally opened the doors to the emergency room, Dero called the others.

The doctor sighed, before delivering the news:

"Sir Pleiades is not waking up."

their hearts were about to be crushed, imagining the worst, but he continued:

"We checked his pulse. His heart is still functioning perfectly fine."

"Although. His time of redevelopment is uncertain and therefore undetermined. We'll just have to pray he awakens as soon as possible."

Henri then reminded himself:

"This is the weapon we found stuck inside his torso. the cuts on his body all seem to match the length and width of its blade." he handed over the Seam Ripper.

"If you have any idea to who this might belong, your help would be greatly appreciated." he looked at Dero, who now appeared shocked and guilty.

"When could we visit him..?"

"Tomorrow. We still ought to move him to a safer, more comfortable and hygienic room. I suggest you all head back home to rest. I'll call you as soon as I can." he gave the usual fatherly smile, and so they silently walked back.

"Do not worry. He won't be alone. I'll be right beside him."

7:40AM. Fylass woke up. The chimera took a big stretch, before sleepily rubbing their eyes and checking their phone on their nightstand, and noticing they had a voicemail that was not yet read. Upon listening, the words they heard made them drop their phone on the floor.

"Hey Fy. How are you doing? Listen, this might really upset you. But Pleiades was brought to us tonight. He was fatally wounded, and... agh..... he's... he's in a coma."

Dero belongs to @monsterhatdoodles

Dollmaker and Dolly belong to @ilikesillythingswooo

Twilight Knight belongs to @that-fanperson-meg

Casipan and Selene belong to @moon-mage

Henri and Fylass belong to @george228732

Sir Pleiades and Blossom Dee belong to me :))

[loaflovesdoodling]

okay this took like a week to make and it is so embarrassing HELP GSJSHAJSGS

HAPPY ... SUPER EXTRA ULTRA DELUXE LATE VALENTINE'S DAY WITH GIJINKA DULCIADES 👍

[loaflovesdoodling]

CRYING SOBBING SCREAMING YES SHE IS YES SHE ISSS AAAAAAUUUUUAAGSHGSGSHS I AM OKAY I AM BREATHING NORMALLY MY HEART IS NORMAL. I AM NORMAL. I AM NORMAL. I AM NORMAL I AM NORMAL I AM NOT NORMAL I'M ABSOLUTELY NOT FUCKING NORMAL I'M CRAZY I'M CRAZY I'M CRAAAAAZYYY OHHHH MY GOD

She is a Disney Princess to ME

Dulciana belonts to @loaflovesdoodling

[loaflovesdoodling]

Part Four:

Pulchritudo vitae

He had waited in the hospital for two nights in a row. Sleep was the very last of his worries, all he wanted... no, all he NEEDED was to see her one more time.

He was praying to every higher power he could think of, impatiently tapping his foot up and down, so rapidly he couldn't even feel his body from the waist down anymore.

Finally, medics opened the door to the Emergency Room. His eyes lit up with hope,

however,

that spark immediately faded, as the doctor approached him, looked down at his seat and shook his head:

"There's nothing more we can do. You may speak to her one last time, she doesn't have much left. I'm sorry."

Ades stood up from his seat and looked back at the doc in utter disgust. Before closing the door behind him he heard;

"...we did all we could."

entering the room and taking off his mask, he was eerily greeted by the heart-shattering noise of a heart monitor and a respirator. There was a chair right next to her bed, to its left, under the monitor; he took a seat.

staring at her delicate face was like plunging a crystal dagger deep into his heart: she looked so calm and oblivious.

He took her right hand in his, rubbing circles on its back, letting her know he's there for her right up until the very end.

she lightly opened her eyes and turned her head torwards him, smiling sweetly.

"Ades..."

"yes..?"

"...I'm sorry I made you..--"

"shh.... please, don't. I told you I'd always be there for you, remember..?" his voice was breathy, almost as if he whined instead of speaking.

"one thing..."

"yes..?"

"..when they bury me... I want to sleep under the maple tree.." she politely requested

"...sure.." he smiled softly; even in her final hours she was still the Dulciana he knew.

"....and... take my ring.... I want you to have it... so I can be with you at all times.." 

he nodded, still holding her hand tightly.

"so.. could you... promise me.. one more thing..?"

"..anything for you, flower bud."

"...Will you take care of and love yourself just like how you did for me..?"

she gazed into his eyes.

"....I will... I will, Dulciana...."

"that's more like it, hehe..."

Ades was about to say something, but he was alerted by the sudden change of rhythm coming from her heart monitor. It went fast, then too fast, then it slowed down once again...

...but it wouldn't stop slowing down.

"remember I'll always love you dearly..."

"!!--"

she moved her hand over to his cheek, he held it up with his:

"....goodnight, Pleiades..."

and then,

silence.

he looked up at the monitor in terror, his eyes wider than ever.

a flatline, and then, a black screen.

he looked down, her eyes were still open, but her skin was otherworldly pale, almost greenish.

she was gone.

Pleiades raised his head, now using both his hands to hold up the one she once used to fondle his cheek, as he looked down in horror, feeling endless tears form in his eyes, and, eventually, he gave in.

he buried his face in her stomach, covered by the sheets,

the only sound that came from that room were now sonorous gasps, quiet sobs, whimpers.

[loaflovesdoodling]

3:30AM this will probably be the last Ades drawing of the year wohooo

hot man.

bonus gijinka dulciades doodle underneath ;))

they kidth <33

[loaflovesdoodling]

Dulciades doodles because fuck self control

I might have a problem.

[loaflovesdoodling]

uhh. horrible 3AM dulciades doodles. yeah. um -clears throat-

they're just friends I swear

[sinners-in-paradise]

Chapter One: A Hero in Paradise

Masterpost

Chapter written by @monsterhatdoodles

–––

The willow tree swung in the wind.

Dero swung with it.

The hero’s stab wounds were deep. Multiple. Fatal. His blood dropped down, watering the tree as it stood alone in the fields of hades. Dero slowly drifted with the wind, tied upside-down up from the tree.

The deformed dark matter’s long, black body was caked in blood. His cape was tattered and torn. His four spider like legs were limp, wrapped in red string.

A pale blue reaper yawned, and snapped his fingers. Dero woke with a snap.

“Ah! You’re up!”

The reaper seemed bored, but chipper.

“I’m Papi, and long story short, you’re dead.”

The only response was sobs. Papi began to feel a little awkward. He fluttered his wings to shake off the feeling.

“So, uh…. Welcome to the underworld, buddy! Your final resting place. Hades, if you will. You’re going to be here for a while. Forever, actually. There’s no escape.”

Dero continued to sob. He began to struggle violently against the red string holding him. Papi looked around before continuing.

“Yeah…so…that’s a bummer. But on the plus side, you never have to eat, drink or sleep again! Or pay rent! Isn’t that great? You won't age either. Time's real funky here.”

Dero began to choke on his own tears and blood. Papi tried to avoid eye contact.

"I’m sure you’ll make plenty of friends here. Probably. I can’t really tell much about you other than that you can cry an awful lot.”

Dero finally was able to choke out some words between his sobs.

“Please…. Help me…”

The light blue reaper fiddled with his hands.

"Yikes... er.. sorry. Can't help you with that, buddy. Boss strung you up like this for a reason. I can't go against its orders. You know how it is."

Dero's sobs became louder, riddled now with helplessness and despair.

"Listen, I gotta go. Lotta more dead people to deal with. But before I go, I feel like I should mention that hades, it, uh... does things to your body. Bad things. You'll see."

Dero shook violently.

".....Bye."

With that, the light blue reaper vanished in a flash, leaving Dero alone, cold, and suffering.

Weeks (or at least, they felt like weeks) passed. Dero spent the time wailing and sobbing. He spent the time thinking of his friends.

He thought of Ades, who's advice he'd always ignored. He thought of Wisp, who just like him, was fooled by her guise. He thought about Dolly, who was now left alone in her grasp. And he thought about her. Even now, that memory was so beautiful to him.

–––

"This place just goes on forever, doesn't it?" Gwen growled indignantly. The purple, round felian fiddled with her ponytail, irritated. The scar across her chest had been itching recently, and she wasn't in the best of moods.

"Well, I think these fields are very pretty." The gentle voice that replied came from a frail but beautiful woman. Dressed in a hospital gown, she looked over the fields and sighed. Her white hair rested above lavender eyes that were firm, but full of kindness. A long tube stretched out from her hand and unraveled into nothingness. Small orbs of spirit flame flickered playfully around her.

"Right, Celeernyx?"

The halcandrian behind Dulciana was slightly startled. Her green hood and dress, stained by the black ooze that covered her face, drifted slightly in the wind as she turned to the woman. Her cat like ears, wrapped in the vines extending from her wretched crown, twitched slightly as she looked at Dulci with perpetually tearful eyes.

"Oh? S-sorry, I was distracted. Yes, t-these fields are beautiful.."

Her voice was sad; scratchy and distorted.

"You're both delusional. The sooner we get out of here the better." Gwen replied before moving onward hastily. Dulciana let out a small sigh and followed.

Gwen liked these two, even if they were a bit too slow paced for her liking. The grey haired woman was far too peppy for the situation she was in, and the Halcandran kind of freaked her out with the whole melting face thing. But the three had been together for a while now, and Gwen would rather suffer a million deaths before she let another family of hers down.

Suddenly, Gwen stopped. She turned to the others with a face of slight discomfort.

"Do you... Do you two hear that?"

Dulciana stopped and listened while Cele tilted her head in confusion. Gwen listened to the sound, and as she was able to slowly distinguish what it was, a chill ran down her spine.

"It... It sounds like sobs."

Dulciana looked around for a moment, before pointing to the distance. "There," she said, her face somber. She was pointing to large willow tree in the distance. Its leaves were blood red and its trunk was stained a starch white.

The trio carefully approached the tree. The sobs got louder. Cele looked around the trunk of the tree for the source, only to find nothing. Suddenly, she felt a drop of liquid hit her newly grown wings. She looked up and let out a small gasp. A slender figure was hanging from the branches, his blood and tears dripping to the floor.

"Dear Nova..." Cele moved swiftly out of the flow of blood. "Who.. who is that?"

Dulciana thought she recognized the shape, but she wasn't to sure at this distance. She prayed her theory was false. "Whoever this is, we need to help him." She looked at Gwen. "Do you think you can climb up there?"

Gwen shuddered. Something about the figure seemed familiar to her too, but in a much different way. She didn't want to get closer to... whoever this was.

"M...Maybe they deserve to be up there..." Gwen tried to think up further excuses, but was cut off by a voice from the figure.

"Please.....H.....Help....M....Me........"

As much as she hated to admit it, Dulciana recognized that voice from her time watching over Pleiades. She shut her eyes, her teeth clamping together.

"Gwen. Get him down. Now."

Gwen groaned. She slowly climbed up the tree. Her claws sunk easily into the bark, allowing her to climb to the figure. They seemed to be sharper as of late.

The closer she got, the more uncomfortable she became. The figure struggled as she approached. The stab wounds he bore seemed all too similar to hers. She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach.

“He….lp…..m……m…..e…….”

The poor creature was crying, slurring over its own words. He must have died horribly. As Gwen got close, she saw that the figure seemed to have several large sewing needles stuck in his back. Gwen’s stomach churned as she cut each red string one by one. She tried her hardest to avoid looking at Dero’s bleeding body.

Eventually, the last string was cut, and Dero fell to the soft blood-soaked grass below. He let out a miserable, pathetic cry as Dulciana went to help him up. Her worse fears were confirmed. It was Dero, after all. He began to whisper a name Dulci was all too familiar with.

“Pleiades….Pleiades you were right… I’m sorry.”

Dero passed out, his blood still flowing onto the grass below.

[loaflovesdoodling]

hehehehehehe even more dumb doodles @ school hehehehehehehehehehehe I will never stop

today I serve you the two idiots themselves trying to dance. as a treat.

[loaflovesdoodling]

OK, HEAR ME OUT

BUT IT'S ADES SINGING TO DULCIANA AS THEY SLOWLY DANCE UNDER THE MOONLIGHT.

... I'LL GO GRAB SOME NAPKINS TO WIPE YOUR TEARS.

[loaflovesdoodling]

POV: your the girlfail with his very silly date :)) (Look at your bill)

SCREAMING SCREECHING WAILING SQUEALING CRYING BAWLING KICKING MY LEGS GIGGLING SCREAMING CRYING BAWLING SCREAMING CRYING SCREECHING PULLING MY HAIR JUMPING AROUND AHAHAHSJSOSHSWKSNDKWJWJAJSJSJAHAHSSBJSABISABSKHSJSSJSHDNSJDBSJSHSKSJANSJDBAKSHSNSKDONAJAHGSJSOAJADIEBWJSMFJWOAJSJDBAHZKKXBSJSJAJDHSIABWNSDJHSAKSBXHAMDNSJAKXHQJSBSNSDJSHAISJANDBFNFKSHABSNDJSJANDHDIAKWBDHDJSNSJSH

LOOK AT THIS. LOOK. AT. THIS. LOOK. LOOK AT IT. LOOK. AAGAGAGHAGAHAHHHASHSBS SHE'S SO SILLY OMFG BESTIE TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TY TYSFMMMMM AGAGAHAVSGAFAFAHSGAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA TYSFM I LOVE THIS I'LL HANG IT ON MY WALL 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[sinners-in-paradise]

Chapter Two: Victims in Paradise

Masterpost

Chapter written by @camachine

[This chapter contains graphic descriptions that may be disturbing to some readers.]

–––

Seeing as Dero was incapable of moving properly, the group decided on carrying him to a sheltered cave and treating him there. His wounds seemed to be more emotional than physical once he had been pulled down from the tree, but he sobbed and wailed as if dying regardless. Ironic.

"His name is Dero," Dulciana explained. "He's Dark Matter... surely you recognized that, Cele?"

She nodded. "He's not... dangerous... is he?" she fumbled.

"No, not at all. I knew him from my time watching over dearest Pleiades... They were good friends, and from what I know, he was the sweetest thing. A knight, and a very noble one at that. Perhaps not the sharpest knife in the drawer... but he was so full of joy and goodness. It's awful to think of how he could've gotten in this situation."

"A knight. Hmph," Gwen mumbled to herself. "Seems he was stabbed to death..."

"I know it's a delicate thing for you, Guinevere, but it's best if you're as cooperative as possible. We don't want him to feel unwelcome."

"Unwelcome?" she asked reluctantly. "We're welcoming him?"

"If he wishes to accompany us, I don't see why not."

Eventually, they finally stumbled upon a dark, damp crevice along the edges of a large cliff, which was fortunately just large enough for the four of them and a small campfire. While Guinevere tried her hardest to make sparks with two rocks and Celeernyx watched her idly, Dulciana tried her hardest to clean Dero's stab wounds and explain his situation to him.

"It seems you've died, dearest," she told him sweetly. "I'm sure you already knew. It happens to the best of us."

There was no reply. If Dero had something to say, he was too shaken to say it.

"He's unsettled," Celeernyx mustered. "O-Of course he is. He-e's surrounded by a b-bunch of dead wo-omen."

"How'd you die? From the looks of your wounds it was something real nasty," Guinevere asked him casually.

"Gwen!" Dulci snapped at her. "If we're unsettling him now, you're going to make him have a panic attack!"

"Tis... tis alright..." Dero finally mumbled. "Tis alright."

"Huh. So he can say more words." Gwen smiled. "It'd help us plenty if you could a tell us a bit about how you died, dearie, seeing as you and Dulci here seem to know each other a bit. Maybe we can help you by... well, we'll get there. And it might affect how you end up in the end, similar to Cele and her wings."

"End up in the end? Wings?" he asked her nervously.

"I don't want to think about it too hard or explain it either. Again, we'll get to it when we get it. I... eh... I think we have time. Go on."

"Oh! Uhm... I..." He paused, hesitant to bring up the fatal incident. Simply thinking of the moment, of his raspy, tired breath, of the pooling blood, of her satisfied gaze... it was too much.

"I wast fatally wounded. In combat, I mean," he said. "I art a knight. And I... I wast stabbed to death by an enemy. By a horrible beast. That's all." It's not a lie per se, he figured.

Though Dulciana suspected he might be twisting the truth ever so slightly, none of her friends doubted him, and as such she decided to keep her mouth shut. Best to avoid conflicts, she thought.

"Thank you," she said softly. "That must've been a rough memory for you. I appreciate your openness." She cleared her throat. "How about we introduce ourselves to you, as an icebreaker? That way you can get to know us and how we died."

"O-Oh! An introduction! Of course," Dero said quietly.

"You already know me... Miss Dulciana, yes, Dero?" she told him. "I was engaged to my dearest Pleiades, remember? But I died of health complications when I fell ill. At the very least I passed on with my true love by my side." She sighed dreamily. "Your turn, Celeernyx."

"O-Oh! My turn! Right!" she said. "Oh... m-my name is Celeernyx. I was a Hero of Yore. Right. I helped seal away... V-Void Termina. And... and... my crown... you see m-my crown, right? It.. it t-took my mind. And it turned i-into something horrible... something really horrible. I... I was a queen. I loved my pe-eople, I think. And I... I failed them. I-I... the crown... I destroyed everything. And then I saw light... I saw mysel-lf and what I had done. Wha-at the crown had done. I felt myself growing w-weaker and weaker and then I sh-shat-tered."

"Why... t-that's awful, m'lady! I mean... My queen!" Dero fumbled. "As a knight, I can only imagine how awful it must be to fail that which I serve... Thou hast mine sincerest condolences."

Even now, he's so loyal and over-the-top, Dulci thought. It was endearing, in a way, and it was relieving to hear that, though upset, he wasn't unhealthily panicking about what he was hearing. It seemed as if he had come to a certain degree of understanding about his current state and the people surrounding him.

"Now you, Gwen," she said. "Tell Dero about yourself."

"Hmph. Right. Well, my name is Guinevere King. Or... not Guinevere King. I'm not sure if I'm still comfortable with the surname. I was transformed into a monster type as a young child by an entity commonly known as 'Nightmare'. You've heard of it?"

Dero nodded. "I wouldn't have guessed thou were a monster if thee hadn't told me, though. Thou... ehm... Thou art very beautiful."

She blushed at the comment, her face going slightly red beneath her fur. "Well, you wouldn't be the only one to think that. A-About not being so recognizable as a monster, I mean," she said nervously. "I've always been a bit odd, but when I escaped Nightmare and tried to live a normal life, I went unnoticed as what I was by my peers. I... I fell in love, like a normal girl. And I got married and had myself a son and I got a job as a soldier knight and I was happy. And then..." She trailed off, carefully picking out her next words. "My partner found out I was a monster. We were in bed when he took his sword and slashed at me... completely unprompted, I mean. I tried to... defend myself with my spear. For a few minutes, we scuffled, until he finally caught me with the blade and twisted it inside. I screamed and begged and eventually, he released it in a flurry of blood. And you know, it was scary, right? I could see the edges of some organs beginning to peek out, and still my body wasn't giving in. I think he was scared too, maybe, because the next thing he did was to hack at me again and again and again, until I could barely breathe and I had collapsed into his arms. It's so strange, because I wasn't worrying about what was going to happen to me... I was worrying about my son. I don't know. I think... I think my husband thought I was dead, because I had stopped screaming and I was covered in our blood and guts and my eyes had started glossing over, and I wish I had been, because then he took my body and started wrapping it up in our bedspread." She paused to take a deep breath. "I think... I think he might've done something else to me, but I can't remember, because I was barely lucid. And once the bedspread had covered my mouth, I really couldn't get any air into my system at all, so I pretended I was falling asleep and blacked out to the smell of my rotting insides. The end."

Dero stared at her wide-eyed, his eyes tearing up. Eventually, a sob escaped his throat.

"Gwen! Now look at what you've gone and done!" Dulci snapped at her.

"What?! You told us to tell him how we died!" she said very matter-of-factly.

"You didn't have to be so graphic about it!"

"Art exists to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted," she shrugged.

"You are not art."

"My... My husband's cheesy poems would care to disagree."

"He stabbed you to death," Cele pointed out.

"I can't believe he would do that!" Dero sobbed. "Why would... why would he hurt thee like that?! J-Just because of thine monstrous blood?! THINE OWN LOVER!?!”

"Now, now. It's all in the past," Dulciana told him comfortingly. "That one really got to you, hm? Guinevere's not usually like this, I can assure you..."

"That's awful! That's so awful!" he wailed.

"Dulci's right. Don't fret," Gwen sighed, growing melancholic herself. "It hurts me too, but there's not much I can do for now. It's best to let it go, forgive and forget... even if it's really, truly hard. I... I'm sorry if I made you 'sad'. I know you were stabbed to death too. Maybe I was too harsh."

"I... I art sorry too," he said. "I art sorry. Tis horrible. I wish I could make it up to thou, make it up to all of thee."

"Dero, you don't have to–"

"But... but there art nothing we can do. We're dead," he sighed. "We're... We're dead!"

"It is i-inconvenient," Cele sighed. "But... We're plotting to return to liv-ving world, soon!"

"Cele! Too early!" Gwen told her.

"Well... I suppose there's no use in hiding it now," Dulciana said. "Dero, I am uncertain of how long you've been in Hades. I don't think you've heard of much of this but... there are rumors." She lowered her voice. "Of course, these rumors have existed for... a very long time. But local legend states that there is a way for dead souls to return to living world, if temporarily. I suspect it has something to do with the current ruler of Hades, which can drift between worlds... but of course, we'd have to be unfathomably powerful to channel this... we'd have to gather power, yes?" She rubbed her temples anxiously. "It's all very unclear at the moment, but I know there ought to be a way for me to see my dear Ades again... and we have two powerful knights and a Hero of Yore on our side! Surely it cannot be impossible."

His eyes widened. "We... We can attempt closure? We can go back?"

"Maybe," he heard a rough, strained voice say behind him. "But I wouldn't try it if I wanted to maintain my sanity."

He swerved around to get a look at whoever had interrupted the conversation, making a quick, burning pain shoot through his body. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't... that.

A slim, goopy figure had emerged from what he assumed to be a puddle of paint on the ground. Its abnormal pinkish silhouette vaguely resembled that of a woman with long, drooping hair, but it was so disfigured that it could barely be recognized as such. This was made even more unsettling by its multiple glowing yellow eyes and its slim, golden mouth, which appeared like a slash across the middle of its body. Fortunately, this was mostly covered by a thick purple scarf wrapped just below the mouth slit and a large, floppy hat placed upon its head.

"You couldn't even hear me appear behind you, and you expect to best death itself?" It let out a shrill screech, which he assumed was a laugh. "You have so much to learn about this god-forsaken place. You're fresh meat, aren't you?"

"Who do you think you are to barge in on us?" Gwen asked her, lifting her spear from the ground.

"...An overlord!" it cackled. "Who else?"

Witch's laugh, Dero thought. He doubted whoever this person was was up to any good.

But more importantly... What the hell... no... What in hades was an "overlord" supposed to be?

[loaflovesdoodling]

hhh as a last tiny thing for Halloween (and Spooky Month as a whole) here's silly Ades and Dulci as Jack and Sally because I didn't have time to finish outlining this before I went out :'))

ok nice I finally finished this ugly shit going eepy now I only slept from 3-5am yesterday night goodnight everybody