#my Rook has two hands and one was supposed to be for Spite and I feel Robbed

[midnightwind]

all the people mad about Lucanis' romance, I get you

I understand now

we were Robbed

[thewardenisonthecase]

Moments in Between - Chapter 2

Lucanis Dellamorte x Grey Warden!Rook

Chapter 1

Read on AO3

Chapter Summary: Rook and Lucanis talk about abominations and coffee.

A/N: Trigger warning: Rook has some nightmares that involved her past abuse, and while not explicit, I think it's still good to warn. Also, Lucanis has some suicidal ideation thoughts.

Anywways, slowly weaving my rook's backstory in this.

In her dreams, she was still in the Gallows. 

In the confines of her room, where she was all alone and yet, had no privacy. 

They came at night, always at night, while everyone else slept. Like shadows, they entered her room, holding her down. 

She could only hear her labored breathing, a hand harshly covering her mouth. Other hands, thousands of hands, held her legs and arms, and pulled up the sleeve of her robe, exposing her arm. 

The darkness of the room was soon repelled by the burning, bright light of the fire. She could not see their faces, covered by the heavy metal helmets they wore. Through their visors, she could only see two unblinking white dots where their eyes should be. 

A voice echoed in the room. 

‘Magic is a curse only fire can cleanse.’ 

. 

Rook woke up with her forehead drenched in sweat, her bangs clinging to her face. With shaking hands, she slowly got off the couch she called bed and got dressed, ignoring the throbbing on her arms. 

She preferred when she had nightmares with darkspawn. Those were easier to handle. 

After spending some ten minutes untangling her hair, and putting it up in a ponytail, she made her way outside her room. It was hard to tell the hours in the Lighthouse, as it seemed to always be daylight, but she decided it was time to go visit Lucanis. 

. 

The only known way to separate a demon from its host was to kill the host. 

The abomination. The word felt like poison on his tongue. 

It wasn’t even supposed to be possible. Lucanis was not even a mage and wasn’t that what the Chantry preached? That’s why mages were dangerous, for they were the ones susceptible to possession. 

But with enough blood magic everything was possible. 

The good part of sleeping in the pantry was the lack of mirrors. He wouldn’t have to look at what he became. 

Maybe it was for the best that Caterina was gone. She wouldn't see the mess he was and he wouldn’t have to suffer with her disappointment. 

Lucanis sighed. There was that one voice in the back of his head, the one that didn’t belong to Spite, but to himself. The one that looked at his daggers and told him that there was a way to get rid of the demon. 

It would be better this way, wouldn’t it? Save everyone the trouble and end this suffering. 

The knock on the door brought him back to reality, as he noticed he had spent the last few minutes staring at the wall. He shook his head. 

Maker, he needed some coffee.

“It’s me, Rook.” 

“Come in.” 

The Grey  Warden entered, and by the circles under her eyes, she hadn’t had a good night of sleep either.

“You asked for time.” She said “Is this long enough?” 

Standing up from the bed, he looked up at her, putting his hands on his hips. “Yes, my head’s clearer.” He said, trying to convince himself.  “Though I would kill for a decent cup of coffee.” 

“Have you? For coffee, I mean.” 

“Not today.” 

A silence entered the room, and Rook shifted the weight between her feet, avoiding eye contact. 

He wasn’t surprised. Everyone was always uneasy with abominations. 

“You have questions. Might as well ask them.” 

To his surprise, she asked him about the job, if he was comfortable being volunteered into it, how he had been trapped by the Venatori. 

And though he answered her sincerely, he was confused. He had a demon possessing him. Why were they talking about the spirits within the Lighthouse? 

Lucanis frowned, as she finished telling him of the Caretaker. “You haven’t asked about Spite.” 

 “I haven’t.” 

“Why?” 

“I don’t have anything to ask.” She put it plainly. “You’re an abomination. We hired you to kill an ancient elven god. As long as you’re still human, I don’t plan on shaking you with a knife to get rid of a spiteful demon. Besides, between you and me, I don’t want to take my chances against a master assassin.” 

Lucanis blinked slowly, baffled. “So…you do not care that I am possessed?” 

“I do care, I just…” She sighed. “Look, it’s early and I don’t have time to talk about abominations. But if there’s anything you think we should know about Spite, we could help you with it.” 

He nodded. “He’s stronger when I sleep. So…I try not to do it much.” Lucanis took a deep breath. “No one was in the Ossuary by choice, not even the demons. We both did what we had to, to get out of there.”

He remembered fighting it - the Venatori, the intrusion of this spirit in his body. But worst of all, he remembered accepting the deal. 

“We have all…done things we regret for the sake of survival.” Rook looked at him and then looked away. “It’s part of living, I think.”

Lucanis tilted his head, trying to make sense of this woman. Who in the Maker’s name was this casual about abominations? 

She must have noticed confusion written all over his face, as she soon asked “Although, it is unheard of for a demon to possess a regular person.” 

“I’m skilled with a blade, but I promise you: without Spite, I have the magical talent of a brick.” He said, and Rook gave a small chuckle. “There must be some difference between a demon deceiving their way into a body and being forced into one. Only Zara knows for sure.” 

Rook sighed. After a moment, she said “If you ever have a problem with it…”

“Leave Spite to me.” He told her. “If he’s trapped in this world, he has good reason to fight for it. For now, I must honour our contract.” She nodded. “Gods, magic, politics…hmm. Things are going to get bloody.” 

“They already are.” 

. 

“Why in Andraste’s name are you making coffee at four in the morning?” Rook asked, as soon as she entered the kitchen and found Lucanis awake. 

“It helps me stay awake.” He gave her an amused look as she walked past him and entered the pantry. “Besides, what are you doing here?”

‘I had a nightmare and needed food to comfort myself’ Rook thought to herself, as she crouched to look at the larder. 

In the years since she left the circle, she found that sweets always helped. Not only for the taste, but to also keep her awake and prevent another nightmare. 

Instead, she said “I don’t know, I just woke up with a craving.” She moved the food in the shelves around, looking for something, until she sighed and looked at Lucanis, who was leaning against the doorframe, drinking his coffee. “But what I want isn’t here. Shameful.” 

He raised a brow. “And that would be?” 

“Chocolate. Or caramels. Anything sweet, really.” 

“A visit to the market would be good.” Lucanis took a sip from his cup and then made a face of disgust. “Whoever bought this coffee does not know the love of the Maker.” 

She smirked. “But you’re still drinking it?” 

“It's that or nothing.” 

Rook chuckled, slowly standing up. When she turned around, she once again noticed the bed inside the pantry, and decided she would finally ask about it.  

“You know, we have more comfortable rooms, and basically infinite space. So, why, uh…”

“Why does the trained assassin prefer a quiet, unassuming spot with good choke points?” 

Rook stared at him in silence for a moment. “Remind me to never enter here without knocking first.” 

He smirked. “Besides, I’m closer to the coffee.” 

“You know, you’re starting to sound like you’re addicted to it.” Rook chuckled and walked up to him. “Well, I think I’m gonna head back to my room.” 

She got outside the pantry, but before she reached the door, Lucanis said “Wait. Before you go…would you mind answering a question?”

He sat on the table and she shrugged, pulling a chair across from him. “Sure.” 

At least talking to someone would be better than her plan of just staring at the fish in her room. 

Lucanis looked at his drink before saying “That other day, you acted so…casually about me being an abomination.” He looked at her. “But you’re not rivaini. I can’t help but be confused.” 

“You’d rather I treat you like a monster?” 

Silence entered the room as he did not answer her question. She sighed.

“Look,  I get it. I’m a mage. I grew up in a Circle. Being scared of abominations should be one of my biggest fears.”

“But it isn’t.” 

“No, not anymore.” 

“Why?” 

How could she be scared of abominations, if it had been one who allowed her to escape the circle? Who had led her to where she was now?

Rook hesitated. She was not about to tell a man she saved a few days ago about her whole life story. 

She gulped and replied “Someone, a long time ago, once told me that if one retains their humanity, then they are not truly an abomination.” She looked him in the eyes. “It’s the cruelty and madness that makes one an abomination. But if you remember who you are…” 

Lucanis stared down at his drink, before he looked at her again. “I…thank you, Rook. For clarifying.” 

“Of course.” She stood up from the chair, leaving him to his thoughts. 

. 

If one retains their humanity, then they are not truly an abomination.

The phrase echoed in Lucanis’s head for the following days. The more he thought of it, the more he struggled. Even if Rook believed that, he could still see the worriedness in the eyes of others. Harding had even threatened him, should something happen. He couldn’t blame her for it. 

He shook his head. This was not the time to think about this. Caterina was gone and Zara still lived. Lucanis had much work to do, but at least Illario had intel on her.

But first, it was about time he did some shopping for the Lighthouse. 

“Treviso…I had barely time to look around when we returned from the Ossuary.” He told Rook, as the two walked around the market. He had asked her to come along - in part because it was good to have another person around, in case something went wrong. 

And because Rook was good company. Besides, she had already helped him escape, so it made sense for her to know about Zara. 

“Does it feel any different for you?” She asked. 

“In some ways more than I expected, but then…perhaps it’s me.” 

He hadn’t expected to come back to an occupied Treviso, but the fact that the markets stayed the same brought some comfort. Lucanis walked up to a stand decorated with plants. 

“This one.” He told the shop owner, handing them a coin.” 

“A potted plant?” Rook asked with a lifted brow. 

“For Harding’s garden. Spearmint is supposed to calm bad dreams. It’s good for desserts, too.” 

She nodded, and they continued walking. “So, you and Illario are cousins?” 

“Yes, but we’re both like brothers really. Caterina took us both in…a long time ago.” He turned to her. “What about you? Do you have a family?” 

“It’s…complicated.” She sighed. “But I do have the people I consider family.” 

Lucanis nodded, not wishing to press further. Instead, he stopped at another stand. “Here’s the place. Bellara mentioned a Dalish seafood recipe she wanted to make.” 

As they began walking away, Rook said “The Demon of Vyrantium is grocery shopping for the team?” 

“I told you we needed to go to the market any time soon. I’m killing two birds with one stone.” He smirked. “Besides, have you seen what you all eat? It’s a miracle you didn’t all starve before you hired me.” 

That made Rook laugh as they continued. Then, she said “Back to your cousin…when we met, it didn’t seem like Illario and Caterina were that close.”

“It was hard to be close to her. Even for me…and I was her favorite.” He admitted. From the corner of his eye, he saw Rook opened her mouth to say something, but then chewed her lip, stopping herself. He continued ahead. 

“Here’s a good selection.” Lucanis inspected the fruits, grabbing them, giving small taps to figure which ones were freshest. “Neve only eats fried fish. You’d think a detective would have discovered scurvy by now.” 

“Is that everything on the list?” 

“No, but we don’t have much time left. We should go meet Illario before he gets himself in trouble.” 

She hummed, following him. However, before they reached the meeting location, she stopped by a stand, giving the man a coin and turning towards Lucanis.” 

“You can’t buy something for everyone but yourself.” She handed him a knife. “Here, this is for you.” 

He inspected it and almost gasped “A wyvern-tooth dagger?” He asked, wide eyed. “I loved wyverns as a boy. Caterina would never let me have one of these, though. Thank you.”

Rook smiled. “Of course. Now, we should get going, yeah?” 

. 

“Finally! And you brought Rook.” Illario said as soon as they arrived. 

“Is that a problem?” She asked as she sat down.

He smirked and winked. “Never. You’re the one who brought him back.” He turned to his cousin. “For a moment, I thought you might  leave me here all by my lonesome.”

“Please. You think I’d ever pass up Café Pietra’s coffee?” 

“You see, Rook? My cousin’s all stomach and no heart.” Rook gave him an awkward laugh, not sure how to react.

Lucanis turned to her. “Don’t mind him. Illario cannot appreciate anyone but himself.” Then, he changed the subject. “They serve a specialty roast here: Andoral’s breath. Bitter and sweet, like a kiss goodbye. You should try it.” 

“Bitter’s good. Chocolate is better.” She told him. 

“Sweet tooth?” His cousin asked and she nodded. 

“They have cioccolata calda. It was my favorite drink as a child.” 

Rook raised a brow. “I think you’re shaming me, but I’ll order it if it has chocolate.” 

He chuckled, and the three were suddenly silent. After a moment, Rook asked “So…is there a reason we’re not talking about Illario’s information?” 

“We’re still being spied on.” Lucanis said calmly. 

“No.” Illario told him. “The last one just left. Couldn’t handle your coffee talk.” 

“Oh.” Rook said, now realizing why they had spent such time on the subject. 

“So. You have something?” 

Illario nodded. “The Crows I sent after Zara have picked up her trail. They say she’s gone to Vyrantium.” 

Thinking about Neve, she said “I have a friend who’s very good at finding people.” 

“Caterina was First Talon. This is Crow business. We can handle it.” Illario said harshly, and Rook regretted speaking up, lowering her head. 

“Apparently not. Your lead is no good, cousin.” 

“You have better information?” 

“We’re compromised. There’s no other way Zara could even touch Caterina. You need your eyes here. In Antiva.” 

Rook bit her lip, leaning back in her chair as the two men argued. Better to stay out of it.  

“Zara would never be foolish enough to stay. Not with you out for blood.” 

“Of course she would, if the Crows are protecting her here.”

Illario turned to her. “Rook, reason with him, would you? He’s being paranoid.” 

She frowned,  “You just told me this is Crow business.” 

“I am not being paranoid!” Lucanis intervened. “She came after me. She came after Caterina. She’ll come for you, too.” 

She saw Illario’s jaw clench in the slightest before he took a breath and said “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll clean house, all right? Leave this to me.” He abruptly stood up and walked away. 

Rook turned in her chair, watching him go. “Is he leaving?” 

“Of course he is. Illario always caves under pressure.” Lucanis sighed. 

She looked at him sympathetically. “We’ll focus on Zara. I’m not letting her get Illario or get away with all this, I promise.” 

“Don’t promise, but thank you.” As soon as he said that, their drinks arrived. He took the coffee cup, swishing it in his hand, before inhaling it and sighing. 

Rook raised a brow and smirked. “You said that blend was ‘bitter and sweet, like a kiss goodbye’. Then how would a first kiss taste?” 

He answered without thinking, as if he had thought about it before. “Honey and lavender cream. Sweet, intriguing…” Lucanis looked at her. “And you? How would you describe it?” 

Rook looked down, cheeks reddening with embarrassment. “Can’t describe something you’ve never had, can you?

His brows raised, surprised. “So, you’ve never…” he left the question hanging in the air and she shook her head. 

“It’s not like they allowed us to spend much time alone with other mages in the Gallows.” 

“What about your time as a warden?” 

She smirked. “Have you ever smelled a warden after they killed darkspawn? It’s a mood killer.” She shook her head. “Besides, it’s not like anyone took an interest in me.” 

His head tilted to the side. “And you didn’t have any interest in someone?” 

“There’s just never been…well.” She looked down again, sighing.  

“In matters of the heart, one must be discerning.” He said, and she wondered if had much experience with relationships. 

Surely, he had more than hers. 

“I guess…when it’s right, you know.” 

Lucanis nodded. “I always thought that to live fully, is to live truly. But even before I was captured, my life was not really my own. So much had been determined for me.” 

“Don’t I know that feeling.” Rook took a sip from her drink. “Still, you must have found time for a little trouble along the way, to know this much about kissing.” He gave her a small laugh, and suddenly feeling emboldened, she added “And…if you didn’t, I’m sure I can find you some now.” 

“We’ll see. You don’t know how much trouble I can handle yet.” He smirked. “How’s your cioccolata calda?” 

“Just sweet enough to intrigue me. Ready to head back to the Lightouse?” 

“I only need to buy one more thing in the market.” 

Rook lifted a brow but nodded. He had said he wasn’t done shopping. After paying the bill, the two returned to the various stands, and Rook waited while Lucanis bought whatever he needed. 

Once he returned, he handed her a small bag. 

“What’s this?” 

“Caramels. For your sweet tooth.” 

She quickly opened the bag and grabbed one, swishing it around in her mouth. “They’re my favorite, I haven’t had one in so long. Thank you.” 

He gave her a small smile. “Now we can return to the Lighthouse.”

[macklemorrigan]

initial veilguard thoughts under cut

biiiiiig momma SPOILERS

it's complicated!!!!

the thing is, i enjoyed myself playing it, ya know? i had fun discovering the world of northern thedas. seeing tevinter, rivain, antiva. i enjoyed getting to experience a different side of thedas than we have the last three games.

ill need another playthrough to fully get it, i feel like i need to make different choices to see just how much choice matters in this game. i feel like i got the "good" ending with relative ease.

this game felt like it was holding my hand through it, trying to warn me that i'm about to have to make a choice. a choice? in a dragon age game? well will there be consequences?? will you tell me explicitly what those consequences will be so i don't accidentally make the wrong choice in this role playing game where i'm roleplaying a character? like i get it... but running in blind and discovering the outcomes is half the fun.

i like rook. voiced protags always have a sort of "them"-ness that has to underlie everything regardless of dialogue choices. i think rook suffers that more than other protags in the series, but like i said, i like them, so that was fine for me.

hated the varric twist. hated it. hated it down. varric was mostly nothing the whole game anyway. unless i missed something major, he only had like a couple cut scenes. he felt ornery anyway, so idon't feel like the twist is justified by some big role he played in rook's story. very clearly they were relying on the players already existing love for the character. which works on me a little!!!!!!!! in the moment!!!!!!! but ill cry to almost anything with a moving musical motif transfixed behind it. might have been an interesting twist if he turned out to be a spirit that watched varric and took his shape or something. i don't know, man... just - anything - other than the "and he was dead the whole time" dead horse.

combat in a dragon age game fun confirmed????? that being said, it got boring after a while and as usual some fights overstay their welcome. also a two companion party???? when so much approval is dependent on bringing them with you, and with party composition being as important as it is in higher level difficulties, that was a bummer. i enjoyed the difficulty of combat but i felt like i couldn't keep it high or else i would lose out on content with companions.

speaking of companions, i liked them for the most part! unfortunately a lot of them felt 1 note as did a lot of their content. i didn't feel like i learned very much about them outside of what the moral of their story was supposed to be.

character quests... i liked hardings, i liked davrins, i liked emmerichs and that's it. i wanted to like bellara's, i felt like there was so much potential. how is a storyline about a forgotten one boring???

i saved minrathous so lucanis was hardened. ill have to do another playthrough, but i feel like i missed out on a lot of lucanis' character because of that, which i don't like. i don't mind if it affects the characters relationship to me (ability limitations, character approval penalty, cuts off romance option), but i got no bonding scenes with him, no interactions with spite. i had to drag his speeding ass along every adventure just to keep his approval up, and even then, at the end of the game i still feel like i barely knew the guy. i never got the chance!

i have more thoughts but this actually got more negative than i wanted so im gonna stop. like i said, i had fun. i hope if anything it breathes new life into the fandom and franchise. i will enjoy making rook and co content soooo much i know it im just waiting for my tablet to charge so i can share her with you. okay thanks if you read this far bye

[capri-ramblings]

I don’t know if you’re still doing requests but if so, I reallly liked the not wanting a child one with Vil Leona and Malleus. Could you do it with Lilia, Rook, Azul, Floyd, and riddle? If you have time? If that’s too many people than just Azul, Rook and lilia. Only if you’re able to. Thank you. Have a nice day. 💖💖💖

Oh boi this was challenge but I love how it turned out! Sometimes when writing dialogues for the boys,I hear their Japanese voices and the struggle of needing to find the English equivalent to that hurts my braincells 😂😂 I'm looking at you, Floyd (눈‸눈) Lmao but really,I enjoyed writing this, so thank you for requesting this! Hope you all like it as much as I do ♥️ imsorryriddlegotangstyandimblackbutlertrash

Warning; Toxic relationships and mentions of physical abuse

Lilia Vanrouge

- He's planned this the moment he realized he wanted to be with you! Children are a hassle, true, but the thought of being the father to your child made Lilia want to run in circles.

- He was aware of how you often avoided the question though,and unlike Malleus, he was more patient as he slipped in small hints and tested the waters. Seeing which part of the topic took you off.

- Lilia, ancient and wise, believed that if he pushed you the wrong way, nothing good would come out of it. You'd be unhappy and an unhappy mother would lead to an unhappy child, and that's the last thing he'd want.

- Lilia sees the image of him standing beside you with your three children almost every single time he looks at you, and he knows happiness is key!

- So,he pampers you and he studies you. Every single reaction you give him, he digests it then analyses it and finally forms an approach.

- The two of you were in his manor's library when he went into the conversation, and as he expected you were trying to divert the whole topic.

- "I'm practically a child myself, I don't think I can handle such a responsibility...I'm sorry,Lilia" You hung your head low,averting his gaze when he came up beside you.

- Lilia was always hard to read. He wore the exact same expression most of the time and even when he's in a whole other mood, it doesn't show.

- When he intertwined your fingers with his though, a slight sense of relief washed over you and a small smile curved on your lips when Lilia pecked your cheek.

- "But little lantern, having small candles beaming through the manor would be pleasant in a way wouldn't it? I'd especially spend more time here with them" His voice was so soothing then, you could never have sensed the sourness in it at all. The way he simply and casually carried his aloof air around you, and had you feeling a sensational warmth from the way his hand held yours.

- You were clueless to the fact he was spinning you into a web. One you'd never be able to escape from.

- "And think of the things you could teach them about your world! Or how anyone can do anything despite having no magic"

- "Doesn't that bother you though? Our children not having magic?"

- The word 'Our' perked his ears. Lilia smiled, feigning an innocence you were too naive to see was rehearsed.

- "It doesn't. Any child from you is magic already."

- "You say that, but you could have children as strong as Malleus if I wasn't a simple human"

- Ah, that's when Lilia's plans ticked perfectly.

- "It's because you're human I want to have children with you,little lantern"

- "I'm here with you now because despite being considered someone defenceless against mages, you've proved yourself to be just as capable as the next student, even more so actually! You're a mystery,my love bird. Don't you see that?"

- You didn't. Of course not. You came from a place where magic was a fairytale, nothing but fiction. Twisted Wonderland was a place you had to struggle even more to be able to have your own footing and none of your trials were easy.

- He saw you as someone so special despite that? Your heart clenched at his words.

- And that's how he gets to you. He doesn't try it once and forces you into it when you refuse. No, Lilia simply keeps pushing.

- He'll make you feel as if you were no different to him or the other Twisted Wonderland residents who wielded powers you can't.

- His words would coo in your head whenever you doubted that a child of yours would do well in this version of the world.

- "They'll have you as a mother after all. Strong and reliable,they won't have any problems you couldn't fix!"

- "Bullied? You wouldn't allow such a thing in the first place"

- "Imagine them having eyes just like yours. Maybe then you'd be able to see how fiery your spirit is!"

- Lilia knows you all too well. Your lack of joy when talking about children came from the fact you were afraid you couldn't be good at it. Poor thing, being constantly dogged at by Crowley to run errands that drained you with exhaustion and confronting people who thought magic made them powerful. It's no wonder you feel numb from it.

- Oh,but no worries. His plan is perfect, and plays well for both of you.

- You don't want a child because you feared it being neglected? He'll just change that image of yours.

- On the day, you wake up to the sound of a baby crying and realized it was simply from a dream, you swear you've never felt so empty before. So, incomplete.

- Lilia doesn't bring up the subject of children for a while and it makes you anxious. Did he not want them anymore? Did your constant refusal made him give up on that? Give up on you?

- Your thoughts would run wild until you find yourself wrapping your arms around Lilia, teary eyed and apologizing as if the words had been burned into your throat and you desperately wanted it out before you lost your voice.

- And Lilia being the ever so gentle,ever so understanding lover, would hold you. Cooing to you as he plays with your hair softly.

- He'll ask you what was wrong, the hue in his gaze shifting when you stare deeply into them and you'll shed tears.

- "It's okay,my sweet" He coos, smiling, despite your sorrow weighing down the room. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

- Lilia takes the long route to having children but it's all worth the wait when he sees you smiling lovingly at the newborn child in your arms as you gesture to the five year old next to you to come see their younger sibling.

- "Mommy,look, same eyes as you!" Cheered the child, and you perk up at the sight. Lilia was right, children were perfect remedies to a tired soul.

Azul Ashengrotto

- The thought of children,at first, terrified him. It'd be like trying to leash two more Floyds, wouldn't it? But then Jade mentioned that having children was similar to having a contract and something just clicked in his head.

- If he impregnated you, it'd be harder to run from him, right? And when he was truly a father then you'd have to look up to him to care for both you and the child, right?

- Of course! How didn't he see this sooner? What a fool.

- Azul would be hellbent on wanting a child and he'd try his hands at it multiple times, and was equally disappointed each time since all you ever did was refuse.

- "Kids are too hard to handle. We'd both be busy, and I don't think even Jade would have time to juggle them around when we can't." You sounded so bitter, so disapproving. It made Azul feel all dejected, as if you were just disgusted at the thought of having his seed inside of you.

- From then on,Azul starts to mope. His cool composure slips from time to time and it gets too often that Jade has to handle most of the clients. He'll pull a face when you ask him what's wrong and harshly tells you to leave him alone

- He's hurt,but he doesn't want to say it and he frustratingly tries to wrap his head around a plan to make his desire come true, playing out multiple routes in his mind to find a weak spot he could probe you with.

- "Why don't you want a child?" Azul asked you this right after closing Mostro Lounge. There's a hint of sorrow in his blue gaze when you come to meet it, and you wonder if you were too blunt with your answer.

- You shifted on your feet, something you did out of habit, and Azul took note of how out of place you seemed.

- "Cause I don't think either of us are ready?" You answer and in a split second, Azul's sorrow sharpened into irritation and you could just feel how badly that answer set him off.

- "Was that supposed to be an answer or a question?"

- "Azul, I don't want to fight over this." You reach out a hand to place on his shoulder, but he slapped it away with surprising speed and the hit leaves you slightly stunned. He'd never hit you before.

- "It's someone else isn't it?" He asked, almost a murmur. The way his gaze seemed to latch onto you then gave off an unsettling feeling.

- "You're seeing someone else,aren't you? That's why you don't want to have kids with me."

- "Azul,what are you��"

- He moved swiftly, but when his hands came to grip you by your shoulders, his nails sunk into your skin and his lips snarled at you.

- "Who is it? Tell me or I can't promise I won't hurt you right now." His rage practically frothed and you found no words to compensate for your lack of comprehension of the situation.

- "I don't care if it's Jade or Floyd. I'll take out anyone who wants to take you away from me!"

- Your lips parted,to speak perhaps, but Azul silenced you with his spiteful stare.

- "You're mine, aren't you? Why won't you just admit it? Why won't you just accept me already?"

- You thought the pain was from the words he threw at you; Sharp it resembled a hit from a whip,but then your vision had blurred and you were coughing up dry air it made your lungs hurt to take in anymore. Then you felt something run down the side of your lips, and only then did you realized Azul had thrown you right across the room and the wall collided against your body.

- There was a scream, so filled with frustration it wrecked your entire being you had to curl up in a ball before a strangled whimper came from your lips.

- "You're taking everything from me" Azul said, his still gaze watching your crumpled form. He sounded distant as if he wasn't really there, yet when he came over to cup your face with his hands, he had felt so real it hurt to look.

- You were so broken in his grasp then, he was sure you didn't even know where such anger came from, then again Azul was always aware of how reluctant you were in your relationship. You were with him only because he stirred you up in a contract. You never really did loved him as much as he loves you.

- The rising pleasure of being able to make you go through at least a portion of the pain he had to go through was surprisingly pleasant to have.

- He laughed before pulling your face close to his,nose almost touching. "Look how beautiful you are when you don't run your mouth or fight back", the words came in a coo yet you shivered from it.

- "I could make us the happiest couple in the world,you know. Our children would be the best among the best." Azul placed a lingering kiss on your lips, the scent of your blood edging him on. When you weakly tried to pull away, he gripped harder and bit your cheek until it bled and you were letting out small whimpers.

- "Don't cry,my sweet small seashell. If it hurts, I'm here for you. I'll make everything okay again. So, stop crying,I don't want our night of conceiving to be filled with tears."

Rook Hunt

- "Little Lamb, aren't you well enough to give me children?"

- You were merrily drinking tea when this question came out of the blue.

- Rook stood behind the chaise you were sitting on, his arms gracefully enveloping you in an embrace as his breath grazed your skin. He smelled of the forest right after rain, and his words left you rather stunned.

- "In the letter I received from Vil, he and his small hare were planning on having children of their own", he bent down slightly, enough to place a kiss on your cheek before he went around the chaise and faced you. The smile he wore rivalled the morning sun itself.

- You tried to collect your thoughts, tried to piece up the right words to tell him that you simply did not want children. In the end though,you decided it was better to just come out and say it.

- "Rook—"

- "Yes,my love?" His eyes seemed to beam, and Rook's eyes always beamed but this time, it was as if he had been playing the scene of your children running around the halls of his manor the entire day. Mesmerized was the word you'd use to describe it. Your chest tightened at the thought of breaking that dream of his. But you had to tell him...This was something you truly didn't want.

- "I don't want children,Rook." Blunt and precise, the words came from you without hesitation, and in that piercing second that held the room in silence, Rook felt his heart sank into the metallic jaws of disappointment. A mighty bear caught in the savage claws of man's horrid trap.

- He blinked. Once, then twice. By the third blink, you were already regretting your refusal and desperately searched for a way to amend for it.

- Unfortunately for you,Rook had already taken great damage, and as a result, he completely shrugged off your comment.

- "It would be splendid, wouldn't it? I would teach our sons to hunt and our little princess would have an entire garden built for her!"

- "Rook, didn't you hear—"

- "Yes! I can see it already! Our family would be such a joy to have!"

- You stood up then, exasperated by how delusional he sounded. You knew he didn't like the answer you gave him but to just pretend as if he hadn't listen! Just when you were about to turn on your heels to speak your mind,Rook stood as well, swiftly without a sound, and with the strength of a seasoned hunter he gripped you firmly by the waist and hoisted you up into the air.

- Your scream lodged in your throat and blood rushed to your head. Instinctively you held onto his hands, but when your eyes finally locked onto his, the deep-set emerald of his gaze turned luscious and vicious all at the same time and your words lost their volume.

- His lips curled, deliberately coy. When he lowered you and pressed your lips against his, your body flinched.

- "You'll give me good children,won't you?", he murmured before another kiss stole your breath again.

- "My precious dove, you'll make a fine mother."

Floyd Leech

- "Nee,nee, little shrimp,let's have kids,okay?" Floyd threw his arms around you as casually as always but the words he had said with the same amount of casualness was what staggered you on your feet.

- His sharp teeth bared,lips pulled into a grin, Floyd eyed you with great interest.

- You returned it with a terrified look.

- "No." You blurted out before even thinking, and Floyd frowned faster than he had grinned.

- "Why?" Flat and practically monotonous, his question sent a chill down your spine and you bit your lip out of habit.

- Floyd had always been unpredictable, mostly because he acted on how he felt rather than thinking it through first, and that's how you saw this whole situation. Maybe someone had said something, or maybe he met up with Cheka and somehow thought it would be nice to have kids, but he didn't really meant it. Right?

- "Nee,why don't you want kids?" He repeated his question, inching closer to you as you tried to avoid any physical trigger that would set him off. The mer-male had a tendency to bully you whenever you showed him any hint of feeling inferior to him, and that often ended with Jade having to tend to the 'love marks' he left behind on your body.

- "Why do you want kids anyway?" You shot back, minding how your tone sounded while still seeming firm. "They take up a lot of time you know? I'd have to pay more attention to them than to you"

- At the statement, Floyd arched his brows. The distant look in his eyes told you he was having a thought before his expression turned lax.

- "That's okay, I'll be there anyways so it's no big deal"

- "What?"

- "Hm? I'm telling you it's okay,little shrimp. Even Jade said he'd help around if it gets too much"

- He snaked his arms around your waist,pulling you real close to his chest until he could squeeze you tight.

- "It'll be fun,won't it?"

- Your body reacted before you could even comprehend anything, and it was only after you heard the dull thud of Floyd's back hitting the wall did you realized you had pushed him away.

- "You pushed me" He said this so softly, you thought you only heard it in your head but then he lifted his gaze and the mismatched orbs held such malice, your stomach lurched.

- "Floyd,I'm sorry...I didn't mean it, I just—"

- "Shut up. You're really pissing me off. " He elicited the words,each enunciation cut into sharp edges of glass scraping against your skin you wanted to close your eyes and run away from the whole thing.

- But with Floyd,if you ran, it meant you'd already lost.

- "What's with you? I ask all nicely and hug you and stuff, and you're pushing me? Jade said you didn't like kids but I told him that if it was with me you'd definitely say yes, cause after all, you're my little shrimp right?"

- You opened your mouth to speak, to say anything to avoid him having a tantrum, but Floyd let out a low growl and cut you off before you could.

- "Ah,I'm annoyed now. You should've just said yes but now...Now,I want you to come here"

- He opened his arms, the look in his eyes a spiral of aggression that shredded through your nerves.

- "I said come here,___, or you're gonna make me even more angry"

- You hated the way your body reacted to him. How it felt like you were a ghost in your own body as you watched yourself obey him.

- The coldness of his embrace had tears brimming your eyes and you pressed your face into his chest as if it was an instinct. An instinct to protect yourself.

- Floyd eased into your desperation, arms closing around you as he held you in his grasp. He was smiling but it was bland and it was meant to scare you.

- "Aha, you're crying! Aw,did you think I was gonna hurt you,little shrimp?"

- You shook your head,hands gripping onto his shirt as Floyd patted your head playfully.

- "Ah,it's cause you went and made me mad, right? Hahaha! You're a funny one,little shrimp. Always getting yourself into things you can't handle"

- Floyd then cupped your face with both hands, a feverishly possessive look in his eyes.

- "But,If you're really sorry you'll have to show me,okay?"

Riddle Roseheart

- Funnily enough,the suggestion of having children was brought up by Cater, and it had taken both you and Riddle off guard.

- Though, unlike you, Riddle saw it as an enlightenment. He adores you and acknowledges you to a great degree and so when the thought of being a father to your child crossed his mind, everything changed for him.

- "Children would be nice" He said,voice a soft lull as he nuzzled into the crook of your neck. The two of you had been laying on his bed all day, Riddle claiming his fellow dormmates had made his day stressful as always.

- You were running your fingers through his hair when his question struck a cord in you,yet you opted to keep your thoughts to yourself.

- Riddle was a rather conflicting partner to have. Unlike the other yanderes, he wasn't at all aggressive or wholly dominant when he began his recession of obsessive love for you, at least not all the time. When Riddle admitted his feelings for you, he had laid himself bare.

- Gentle but clingy, he latched himself onto you as if you were stitched together, and due to the lack of childhood his mother deprived him of, Riddle found great comfort in the way you handled him with such an understanding and loving attitude. Sure,you had your days when you let loose your tongue of sarcasm but that was also an aspect about you he adored.

- "Don't you think so,____?"

- Riddle called you by your first name now rather than your title as supervisor, he didn't have a nickname, said it was all just too stuffy for him. Plus, the way your name rolled so lusciously on his tongue, satisfied him.

- "I guess" was your answer, and somehow despite how casual you sounded Riddle couldn't help but to hear a slight hint of disapproval in it.

- Still, he smiled when he looked up to you and let out a gentle laugh.

- "Our children would surely be an outstanding batch, won't they? I'd teach them how to use their magic and if one of them can't, they'll have you" He sounded so genuine, so soft. It hurt you to inwardly disagree with him.

- You weren't really fond of kids but you were also not the type to admit it out loud, afraid that people would look at you badly if you did.

- "Hmm, you don't seem like you're excited..." ,His voice a gentle coo,Riddle pressed his body against yours,his lips lightly caressing your skin. You arched your back and a small laugh escaped him.

- "Doesn't the thought of having children makes you want to try it?"

- If your silence didn't set him off, the way fear swirled in the hues of your eyes did, and like a switch, Riddle clasped your throat with his hand, a snarl scrunching up his expression.

- "Answer me when I talk to you,____."

- You let out a strangled gasp,your hand coming up to grip his wrist only to feel it burn instead

- Riddle's gaze shifted,clear blue eyes resembling a flickering flame.

- "Don't touch me. If you even move from this position, I'll rip that head off of you faster than the March Hare himself."

- You flinched at his words,eyes shutting close as your chest throbbed in panic. This was what you were avoiding, yet ultimately failed to notice. His moods shifted so profoundly after all, it was like treading on Alice Liddle's stubbornness.

- "I... I'm sorry!" You managed,half a sob and half a plea. Despite his hands looking so fragile, Riddle's grip was like an iron clamp, and somehow his skin seemed to burn into yours.

- "If you're sorry, then why am I still angry,___?" Riddle laughed, "Why do I still want to punish you?"

- You broke into tears easily after that, hopelessness coursing through your veins and warping your features.

- This broke his heart as well, Riddle now knew the answer he was waiting for. You didn't want children with him.

- Near tears himself,Riddle released his grip on you, letting you fall onto his mattress and curl into a ball as he sat there, kneeling before you. He watched as you let out an agonizing sob and called his name,for what reason he wasn't sure. He didn't know if you really loved him or not. You probably stayed because you feared him as well like most people did. But he loved you,he really did. If the world he lived in was a twisted Wonderland, you were his salvation, his home.

- "I'm sorry,___",he said after tears had stained his own cheeks and his heart weighed him down and his chest felt like exploding. He inched closer to you before gathering your trembling form into his arms and burying your face into his chest.

- "I'm sorry I hurt you. I won't do it again,I promise" He held you so tight, you couldn't even grasp enough air into your lungs,but you held onto him nonetheless.

- "I don't like hearing you cry" Riddle murmured in-between sobs, "I love you,___. I just wanted to show you that I do"

- He repeated those words like a mantra, and you fell deeper into your sorrows, as if you shared a single heart with him and the pain the two of you felt somehow had mixed together until you were unable to tell them apart.

- Love with Riddle was maddening,it really was. It was like diving into a rabbit hole. Endless.

- "I love you too, Riddle. I'm sorry for making you mad"

- "I don't care about that anymore" Riddle held your face in his hands,cheeks flushed when you leaned close to kiss his lips first. "I don't care about children or anything. I just want to be with you"

- You smiled. "Maybe having a few wouldn't hurt,if it's yours,I'll be okay,won't I?"

- He pressed his forehead against yours, chuckling, "Yes,my Lady"

[airitouttwst]

Do you, um, have any headcanons about Ace's big bro? 😳 Share?? Please??

A CRASH COURSE ON ANIPOLA 101

[Courtesy of @bobaryn​. I’m finally bringing my shit-simping of Anipola to Tumblr huhuhuhuhuhuhu)

Hi, anon! Sorry it took me some time to answer this (༎ຶ⌑༎ຶ), but I had to collect my thoughts because of the powerful brain rot that I inadvertently inflicted upon myself when I was going through my powerpoints ueeeeeeee (ಥ﹏ಥ)

For the sake of being attentive and mindful to spoilers to personal stories, lemme just put the data underneath the line wwww. There’s nothing NSWF btw wwww. We can save that for another ask? BAHAHA (I’ll get k-worded)

Okay, okay, game time, game time (✪‿✪)ノ

(The following information below has been cited informally via CSE-style; for the ones without citations at the end, those are purely headcanons of Anipola mostly as a sibling to Ace and my inane simp-talk about him. This is not in any way meant to be academic.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who is Anipola?

Anipola is the slang and informal reference to Ace’s older brother. 

Not much is known about him in canon.

Exceptions being [1]:

He is an alumni of Night Raven College.

He is 7-years older than Ace Trappola.

He was sorted out into the Heartslabyul Dormitory.

He has been not only a thorn to Ace’s side but also one of the prominent guiding lights during his childhood and younger adolescent years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEADCANON 1: The “Annoying Older Sibling”

When Ace was younger, Anipola had blown out all the candles of his birthday cake and woah did they have a huge fight over it www [2].

Furthermore, during another one of Ace’s birthdays, Anipola brought out a really cool watch and showed it to Ace who’d believed it was going to be his [2].

Anipola: “Psyche, just a joke hahaha. Here, have this other gift. Just kidding~ That’s empty toooo—wah! Hey, no, don’t pull my hair!”  < (The dialogue is just my headcanon to what happened wwww).

From this we, can suppose that Anipola may also have a trickster characteristic and you expect to be teased by him. And, hey, maybe he’ll even pull some pranks on you sometimes? (人◕ω◕)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEADCANON 2: A “Mentor” to Ace

Anipola is very good with magic tricks, especially card ones, and has displayed this during Ace’s birthday parties [2]. Furthermore, he’d taught Ace a few tricks with the sole exception of card tricks—here, Anipola stubbornly refused to teach Ace who eventually learned how to do it himself by attentively watching his brother’s hand movements [3].

As harsh as this may sound, this could also be taken in as a lesson. Anipola could have wanted to teach Ace to be able to be somewhat independent, having him hone his skills for copying techniques and fleshing it out into Ace’s current ability right now as shown by how talented he is with imitating Rook Hunt’s example of speaking in the language of moles after just being demonstrated once! [3]

From this, we can assume that Anipola is good with his hands ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) and really just wants Ace to be the very best version of himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEADCANON 3: In spite of being a thorn in Ace’s side, Anipola is a really good older brother

Ace has explicitly mentioned of how happy and proud Anipola had been when he’d learned that Ace had been accepted into Night Raven College and even into Heartslabyul [1].

He’d given Ace some advice such as: “When you’re lying, mix a bit of truth in it” and also on the best spots as to where to stay when skipping classes—the courtyard being a prime example [4].

From this, we can see a bit more of Anipola’s cunning and sly attitude that Ace himself could have been influenced by. Take note that I’m NOT saying that Ace himself is a carbon copy or Anipola or vice-versa, since the two are their own characters and have their own personalities and struggles. What I’m saying that Ace could have found Anipola to be his role model, even if he would deny it, and Anipola, in turn, has a significant amount of trust in Ace to not get himself into too much trouble (e.g. fail a year because of so many absences from class) with how he’s encouraged Ace’s truant behavior. Also, he just wants his younger brother to have a generally good time while in school. He’s a good older brother UEEEEEEEEE ╥﹏╥

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEADCANON 4: Close with his family

I don’t have solid enough evidence for this, but it has been mentioned that the Trappola Family have little competitions at home (like with card tricks) [2], and this could signify that the family has relatively good relations with each other. But I don’t want to assume just yet, with the lack of evidence.

BUT I DO WANNA SAY THAT UEEEEEEEEE MY BRAIN IS ROTTING AT THIS THOUGHT UEEEE. I LEGIT SHED SOME TEARS FOR THIS BECAUSE CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE?!?!? THE TRAPPOLA FAM JUST DUKING IT OUT, ALL SERIOUS LIKE BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANNA LOSE, AND THAT’S SOOOOOO CUTEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! б（＞ε＜）∂ I WANNA ATTEND THAT COMPETITION TOO UEEEEEEEEEEEE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reference List: 

[1] Ace Trappola’s R School Uniform [2] Ace Trappola’s SSR Birthday Suit [3] Ace Trappola’s SR Ceremony Robes [4] Ace Trappola’s SSR Dorm Uniform

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A simple Laundromat’s Thoughts:

Thank you for tuning in to such an embarrassing thing (´﹃｀) HUHUHUHU but this is what I generally feel about Anipola. 

I’ve only ever seen him in fanarts or fanworks, showcased in a way that he might have been his time’s Heartslabyul Dorm Leader, a Jack of Hearts version, one of the motivators to have Ace betray NRC (Ace betrayal is merely a theory and not canon! www), demon version, him in his NRC days, generally being a good older brother, visiting Ace during the Halloween event, and visiting Ace during the VDC competition. One thing in common is that he has the same eyes as eyes and, 96% of the time, has the same shade of hair as him.

But, most importantly, all these talented artists have illustrated him in such a handsome way and, to all of you, thank you. You’re all amazing and god, do I just slave away for your works. When I’m more stable in the future, I’d like to be able to commission you for your works or even send payments to you because (ಥ﹏ಥ) they’re all so beautiful holy shit.

In any case, the people in the discord server I’m in get to see me get utterly wrecked by just a single mention of him in chat or even a fanart of him UEEEEE. I’m very very grateful for the server, though, since I get so much food from there (´﹃｀). If ever Yana-sensei gives him an official character design, I’d grovel over and scream until my throat is hoarse—but for now, though, I’m safe and in despair because HNGHHH ANIPOLAAA

Oh oh! If any of you know any Tumblr people who post or like Anipola, pls feel free to message me ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡

[kireon]

Store Bought Hero

x-posted from my writing account as well as my author blog.

If natural heroes didn't work, store bought was fine too.

At least, that's what you keep telling yourself. It becomes a mantra as you peruse the discount racks at your favorite clothing store that definitely does not start with 'K'. Setting aside the whole ‘escaped from the lab you were created in’ thing, you haven’t noticed any serious differences between natural heroes and the lab created ones ('store bought', as they say) except for the whole income disparity thing.

Oh, and the sponsors.

Everyone knows natural heroes shopped at Gucci and their sidekicks at Macy's, bare minimum, they simply must be outfitted with the best at all times if they are to be known in the world. You can hear the professor from the labs’ rant clear as day even fifteen years later. While you definitely like a select group of brand name items? You have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and a gigantic fucking load of student loans on your back.

No rich parents, tragic enough backstory, or sponsors for you: a 'store bought'.

With a sigh, you eye a sequined leotard and run your hand up and down the rough fabric. There is something satisfying about the way the colors shift from a too shiny silver to a lurid cherry red. You like shiny. You like shiny an awful lot, as a matter of fact, and that's how you got yourself into this entire mess in the first place.

"How was I supposed to know the stupid anklet was his downfall?" You grumble as you tear yourself away from the sequined nightmare. Restraint isn’t something that comes easily but you’ve had years to practice. A half-hearted paw through the racks of clothing marked at sixty-percent off or more reveals a pair of dark red pleather pants that might just make a good costume base.

"It's not like I walk around with my weakness in plain sight."

It wasn't even a decent anklet either; not even sterling silver or real diamonds or brand name. It was a cheap nickel plated piece of flash and the rash it gave you still itched even a week later. Some sort of curse for the unwary, or so the hero had claimed when you'd given it back to him a day later.

You neglected to inform him of your nickel allergy during the confrontation.

Well, maybe not wisely. You might have been able to get some sort of financial compensation outta him for the damage done to your skin. The rash and blisters did look really awful when he’d caught up with you and he looked horrified when he saw the results.

Heroes had that whole ‘do innocents no harm’ thing, after all.

You'd rather die than admit to anything so common as a nickel allergy, so you accused him of having a curse put on it. He ate up the accusation and used it to his advantage, as they all do. In exchange for falling for the good old fashioned sob story that was your life-- lightly embellished, of course--you had to become his sidekick as penance for your (petty) crimes. Also to completely remove the effects of this nonexistent curse.

After all, you were in ‘dire need’ of a good role model, yadda yadda yadda. You’d stopped listening to his moral prattling about the same time he tried to invoke the ‘daddy issues’ card. The last time someone had pulled that shit on you, they woke up woozy, confused, and completely unaware of the clown makeup as they walked out (pantsless) into the busiest part of the city. Waterproof makeup at that.

Just as a little extra “fuck you” to prove a point; you don’t like doing more than petty retaliation if you can help it.

You can be quite nasty, after all.

In the end, Hero McDadguy puffed up in his usual self-importance and gave you an entire fifty bucks towards a ‘basic’ costume and sent you on your way with a time limit. He was currently busy getting some frothy concoction at that one coffee shop just around the block. Far enough away that it’s a test of trust and boundaries but close enough he can close the gap and probably haul your ass in if he needs to.

The added caveat that you weren’t to embarrass him with your costume choice makes you want to do it even more. The only thing holding you back is the fact that you do have to wear the costume. In public.

Petty and spite take a backseat to pride and self-preservation.

Not like he was one to talk. He had that whole ‘90s cyberpunk meets Dad-on-Tropical-Vacation’ theme going on. Fanny pack, socks with sandals... the works.  You’d rather go to jail than try to figure out how to replicate, keep in theme with, or otherwise find something to compliment that mess.

You mutter that very thing under your breath while you snag a few promising pieces-- and the leotard because fuck self-control you deserve something nice-- off the rack and head for the dressing room to start trying things on. Twenty minutes of posing in the mirror in varying outfit combinations later and you ignore the request for 'photo evidence' of you behaving and call your oldest child instead.  

“Hey, what’s the name of that one bird that steals shit?” You ask as you shimmy into a pair of leather shorts with sequins on the ass. You’re definitely about ten pounds shy of ‘Juicy’, as the flashy hot pink word on your butt says, but this could very well be the start of something amazing.

“Maybe you wanna be more specific unless you want me to read descriptions for the next ten years?”  

Nat is much like you; level-headed, brilliant in school but woefully under challenged, and has the same smart-mouth that had gotten you slapped through a wall once or fifteen times in your early life. You would never lay a hand on your kids regardless of how mouthy they get with you and so have to find other methods of curbing their attitudes when they get too out of line.

There’s a lot of yelling and someone sounds like they’re on the verge of tears in the background. A muffled Nat’s voice tells them to ‘calm the hell down, it’s fine’ before they come back on the line.

“What’s all that about?” You ask as you sift through the tops for something that would go with it. This opportunity might be a wash with how little luck you’re having. Might be time for Plan B- especially if there’s a problem with the kids. Your hand lands on a peacock blue-and-green number that doesn’t look bad but isn’t quite what you’re looking for. Ugh.

It’d clash with that highlighter orange from Mr. I Sweat Burberry Cologne.

Your middle child’s voice is loud and clear on the line now. “If you buy those shorts I am putting myself into the Child Relocation Program and you’ll never see me again.”

You consider it for a moment. Mortal embarrassment of your thirteen year old or being a slightly less fashion disaster than you feel. Tough decision, really. You feel yourself smile after letting Morgan sweat it out just long enough.

“Clean the kitchen and I’ll consider it.”

The quintessential teenage shriek of fury and angst comes loud and clear through the phone. “I knew you were going to say that! You’re the worst!”

Some parents prayed against having a child born with precognitive powers. While annoying to deal with, it’s also a lot of fun to use against them. It makes parenting interesting and more of a game to see just which future the kiddo wants to avoid- or get away with. “

You feel your smile widen at the range of futures said kiddo has likely foreseen. You’ll have so much fun with this particular set of visions and using it like baby photos against them. “So did you clean the kitchen?”

“Duh!” A most indignant tone.

You laugh. You can’t help it. “Put Nat back on the phone.”

“Promise me you’re not buying those first.” Stubborn and firm. A bit of desperation there too. Not quite ready to beg but not all that far off either.

The way they say ‘those’ makes you laugh all over again. “I’m not buyin’ ‘em, don’t worry.”

“And that weird guy isn’t buying them either?”

Damn it. “Nope. He won’t buy them either.” So much for that idea. Maybe you could-

“No stealing them either!”

Double damn it. “Fine, fine; the shorts stay in the store.”

“Thank you.”

The phone goes back to your oldest. “So, about that bird?”

“Jackdaw, Magpie, Corvids.” You hear scratching of pencil on paper. Homework? At, you check your phone, two-seventeen in the afternoon on a Saturday? Your eyes narrow suspiciously.

Who is it you’re talking to and what have they done with your child?

“Corvids? Like crows and shit?”

“Yup. And no, I’m not a body snatcher.”

A grin. “Sounds like something a body snatcher would say.”  

Jackdaw didn’t have that something you were looking for. Didn’t roll off the tongue the way it needed to in your head when you imagined some Big Bad Villain spotting you mid-villainous speech. Corvid didn’t either. Crow wasn’t hitting any notes either.

Raven was absolutely taken by no less than eighty-three variations in your city alone.

Rook had some fun possibilities if you had actually bothered playing and learning chess. (You can’t; you can’t sit still or pay enough attention for that shit and you own that.)

Your eyes fall on the silver-and-red sequined leotard again.

You hear your prophecy cursed child screech in despair in the background and the younger two who have gathered to watch the show tell them to shut up.

Nat, ever patient and ever your child, smiles on the other end of the phone. “I think that’s the one, Magpie.”

Magpie... yeah, you like the sound of that one. Magpie it is. “It’ll make a good base; is Morgan--”

“McFreakin’ Losing It? Yep.” You can hear the sounds of pencil scratching against paper again. Curiosity overrules any possible ‘do not need to know’ that you and Nat sometimes stumble into.

“Okay, I’ll bite; what are you doing?”

“Fulfilling the prophecy as foretold by the ancients long ago.” if Nat’s voice were any drier, they’d be dust in a forgotten tomb. “I’m designing the rest of your costume so you’re not a total train wreck and Morgan can die quietly.”

“You’re my favorite.” You say as you gleefully stuff the leotard-- you’ve tried it on twice and know it fits like a dream-- back on its hanger and wiggle out of the shorts. A wiggle that almost ends badly for you, at that, and you can hear the brats laughing at you in the background as Morgan probably mimics how you just about bit it in the dressing room.

“Remember that when I inevitably try your patience in all of forty-five seconds.” Nat hangs up on you and you feel nothing but pride in the way these sassy children have grown up under your less than skilled thumb. You’ve not been the best parent or even the best role model. It’s funny what unresolved childhood issues and bad habits will do, but damn it you have given it everything you have up to and including your favorite line of ‘do as I say not as I do’.

That is your right as a parent, goddamn it, to use that line and they can pry that right from your cold dead fingers.

They’re all good kids. They’re going to end up heroes in their own right with or without superpowers. That, above all else, is all you want for them so that they’re twice as capable as you’ve ever been in your life. Lab created and thus ‘store bought’ or natural born; it doesn’t matter and it never mattered to begin with.

Heroes are heroes in the end and the world could always use another helping hand as it spins through another chaotic cycle.

Your phone beeps and you glance at the text message.

Black thigh high socks. Get two pair. Amazon sucks for deals rn.\

U r not my fave >:(

You scowl and wish the walls would burn as you unfold the crumpled bills at the register. You don’t need Morgan’s gift of prophecy to know what that text message says and yet, like a fool, you look down at it anyway.

There’s a photo of all five of your grinning children holding up score cards. All of them holding 10s.

All of them dressed in Hawaiian shirts.

You have never felt so betrayed in your whole life.

[jbbarnesnnoble]

Where the Moonlight Shines (Part Two)

Summary:  You’re a junior deputy in Hope County, Montana when things go to hell in a handbasket with the local cult. It’s months before help arrives in the form of the Avengers, taking you down a road you never expected.

Features: Violence; Depiction of torture; Murder; Mind control

Pairing: TBD

Series Warnings: Canon typical violence; depictions/mentions of torture; depictions/mentions of brainwashing; will add more as they become relevant

Notes: This part contains the death of a minor, mentions and depictions of torture, discussion of mind control, and canon typical violence

We meet the Avengers in the part while exploring a little bit of what Rook has gone through

This is a crossover between Far Cry 5 and the MCU

Word Count: 4302

You lost count of the days. They all blurred together. You had been taken by John first when you were stirring things up in the region. John Seed, the baptist, the one meant to make you confess your sins. You had refused time and time again, until one day you didn’t. It was torture, literal torture. While you healed at an accelerated rate compared to others, you refused to heal yourself, refused to reveal what they already knew. You had sacrificed yourself for Joey, day in and day out. You didn’t want her to suffer, not when you knew you could handle it, handle the pain.

“Are you ready to confess, Deputy? Ready to say yes, to be freed from your sins?” John asked, his tone calm. You glared at him. You hated him, hated how he drew out the word ‘deputy’ every time he spoke to you. It had become a routine. You had bruises still healing from where he hit you, cuts that were still bleeding, in spite of your accelerated healing.

“Confess what? That I was just living my life, doing my job until you and your family came in and fucked everything up?” you asked. You knew that would enrage him. You were past caring. You were chained to a chair and your words were your only available weapon.

“Your hubris, your pride, your wrath. I know what your sins are, my dear. But do you? I don’t enjoy hurting you. No, no. But I must. Because, you. Must. Confess. You must atone, and the path to atonement is paved with pain,” he said as he paced around. He went to his toolbox. You loathed it. You craved the sunlight, the fresh air, anything other than the dark bunker that stank of blood and death. You refused to flinch as he moved toward you with the ice pick. He had figured out you healed fast. As far as you knew, it was the one thing keeping you alive, the one thing that kept him from killing you outright aside from whatever orders he had been given.

You refused to scream as he drove the ice pick into your leg. He knew how to maximize the pain without causing you to bleed out. You refused to give in until he threatened Joey again. In the end, he marked you after you said yes to save Joey once more, ‘wrath’ had been tattooed across your chest before the flesh was ripped from you. You had forced yourself not to react as he did it, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing you in pain. It took everything you had not to scream out.

The day you broke, the day you said yes, was burned into your memory like no other experience through all of the things that had happened since the night of the attempted arrest. It plagued your dreams when you managed to sleep. The scene twisting into something more horrific each time.

You almost wished to be back in the bunker now. You had figured you had been there for a month, maybe a little longer, before you ended up breaking out and getting away. You had spent time in John’s region stirring up trouble as a ‘fuck you’ to the man before crossing the Henbane River to deal with Faith and her bliss. Bliss. You hated the stuff. It was a potent hallucinogen.

She had ensnared you in it. You had almost lost yourself in it before Tracey found you. An adrenaline shot was the only way to get you out of it. Faith had shown you destruction, had shown you Joseph’s supposed vision. You still hadn’t been able to get Burke away. Part of you wasn’t sure you wanted to. You blamed him for lighting the powder keg that set it all in motion while Joseph insisted it was you, always you. You were the harbinger, the one who set it in motion with one simple action. You headed for the Whitetails after being pulled from the Bliss. You knew torture awaited you in Holland Valley and you didn’t want to know what would happen if you ended up deep in the Bliss again.

You met the Whitetail Militia when you made it to the Whitetails. You knew Tammy Barnes didn’t trust you one bit. Not at first. Not until you and Jess Black killed the Cook.

“That didn’t feel like I thought it would,” Jess admitted as the two of you scavenged the site where the Cook had set up shop. He had killed her family. Jess had suffered at his hand. You placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned toward you, not meeting your gaze.

“Look at me Jess,” you said. For a moment you thought she wasn’t going to, until she lifted her head up, her eyes meeting yours.

“I don’t know what I expected,” she said.

“Revenge rarely does what we think it will. You think you’ll feel stronger, that you’ll feel vindicated, that the suffering you went through, it won’t matter anymore because the boogeyman who hurt you is gone and can’t hurt anyone anymore. Truth is, revenge doesn’t change shit. You still went through hell, kid. You still have to heal. Maybe it’ll be a bit easier now. Maybe it won’t be. But he won’t hurt anyone ever again,” you said.

“I won’t rest easy at night until the son of a bitch responsible for this all is dead and buried,” she said.

“Which one?” you asked.

“All of them,” she said.

Jess was young. She was strong. She had seen far too much for her age. She was there when you had been caught by Jacob’s Chosen the second time. You had told her to run after Jacob’s warning came over your radio. For once, she listened to you. You had felt an arrow pierce your leg and the next thing you fully remembered was waking up to see bodies around you, blood on the ground at the bottom of a steep drop. It was the game Jacob played. You weren’t sure what it was then, but he triggered something in you, and after that things went blank. You never remembered what it was, not until you’d been in the Whitetails for long enough that it became clear. He let you go. You knew that. Of the three Seeds who ran the regions while Joseph hid away on his  island, Jacob was the scariest.

For the past three months, you had been at the mercy of Jacob. It had been five months since the botched arrest. He was your nightmares in human form. You dreaded seeing that music box. You dreaded hearing the opening notes of ‘Only You’. Whatever he had done to you, that song triggered it. You had learned to comply before he needed to use it. It was easier that way and you hated it. Absolutely hated it. He had toyed with you, letting you escape after each trial before bringing you back. He still used it when he had a specific task for you, one he didn’t want to risk your non-compliance on.

Eli was one of those tasks. Eli led the Whitetail Militia. The militia were a key part of the Resistance in Hope County. Jacob had intended to kill you after you killed Eli, but he had changed his mind. He had called Eli your sacrifice. But he wasn’t. You were a means to an end. The only one in his mind who could kill Eli. What better way to demoralize the Whitetails than to lose their leader, demoralize the Resistance than to have their savior, their leader be the one to pull the trigger.

The real test came with Ryan. Sweet Ryan. Your baby cousin, the son of your aunt, Rae-Rae. You wondered if having you kill Ryan was some sort of sick retribution. You swore you’d die to protect Ryan. He had been holed up safely with some Resistance members after the death of Rae-Rae at the hand of some Peggies who wanted Boomer, their dog.

Ryan was barely a teenager. Where Eli was a sacrifice, Ryan was the true test once Jacob decided he still had a use for you, that your purpose hadn’t just been to demoralize the Whitetail Militia, that you were not as weak as he had thought once Eli was out of the picture. And that was a dangerous thing for you.

“Cull the herd,” Jacob said. You stood, your body not your own. The only thing you saw was a faceless body, almost like a mannequin. A target. You didn’t hear the screams. You didn’t hear Ryan’s happiness at seeing you turn into horror as you turned your gun on him. One shot.

As he hit the ground the red haze receded. Your eyes widened when you saw him. You ran toward him, tears stinging your eyes.

“Good job, pup. I’ll be calling for you soon,” Jacob’s voice came over your radio. You sobbed as you held Ryan, his breathing slowing to a stop.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” you cried, his blood staining your clothes and your hands. You found a shovel by the garage. You had swung by Rae-Rae’s on your way from checking in on the Rye’s. Kim was pregnant and you worried about her, especially when they decided to stay in Hope County. Rae-Rae’s had become a have for you. Your haven now became your hell, a reminder of what you did. You buried Ryan next to his mother, moving a heavy rock to mark it,  along with a piece of wood you carved his name into with your knife. Boomer found you there, along with Sharky Boshaw, who was one of your closest allies.

“Shit Dep, what happened?” Sharky asked, kneeling beside you. You just shook your head as he pulled you into a hug.

You knew you could no longer go to the militia after that day. They understood it wasn’t your fault, but you knew your continued association would only put them at risk. Tammy had tried to talk you out of it, mentioning her distant cousin, that despite what had been done to him, he was still a hero. For all the suspicions she’d had about you at the start, Tammy Barnes trusted you, even after everything. But you didn’t trust yourself.

You stopped trying to escape, trying to run. You had learned the consequences after the first few times you attempted escape, attempted to assert yourself. It had taken weeks for the bruises to fade and the injuries to heal. Your accelerated healing could only do so much, especially when you were being starved. No food meant little energy, and it took a lot of energy to heal.

Jacob knew what your powers were and you were always by his side. You hated it, hated him. A few run ins with the Resistance had you healing him, even if it was the last thing you wanted to do. You were determined to make it out of this, no matter the cost. Jacob had you go with a patrol that morning and you took your chance to run after wrestling a weapon away from one of his Chosen, his most trusted soldiers. You found a car that worked and sped off to Rye Aviation.

You felt relief as you saw the familiar sign. You pulled up and parked the car. The sound of you arriving had drawn someone out of the house.

“Dep? Oh my god, Dep it’s really you!” Nick said as he approached the car with a gun drawn. Nick Rye was an ally, a friend. He owned the airfield and provided air support for you, when you weren’t being held captive by the Seeds. You knew it wasn’t a fluke that let you get away. If you had managed to get away, it was because Jacob let you. The realization didn’t sit well with you.

“It’s me. I’m home,” you said softly. You knew you looked beat up and broken. There was no way you didn’t. It seemed like everyone was there. Kim was there, looking like she was going to give birth any day now. Hurk was there with Sharky Boshaw. Sharky. One of your favorite people since everything started. Even if he was a wanted pyromaniac before everything kicked off, he was a useful ally, funny too. Grace Armstrong, the army sniper you’d helped out. Adelaide, who was Hurk’s mom stood with her favored boytoy of the moment.

“Good to see you Rook,” Grace said.

“Good to see you too,” you said. You found yourself pulled into hugs, saying hello to the people you hadn’t seen in so long. You were home.

“Had me real worried for a second amiga,” Sharky said.

“Yeah. I know,” you said, taking a sip of the beer that had been handed to you once everything settled. It may have been the end of the world, but damn, if there wasn’t a stockpile of alcohol to throw a party at the end of it.

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

One month later, Upstate New York

The Avengers were gathered in a conference room. Fury had arrived at the compound that morning with an urgent briefing.

“We’ve received word from the US Marshals that one of their agents, Cameron Burke, has been reported missing. He was meant to arrest Joseph Seed six months ago,” Fury said.

“Five months and they haven’t heard from him? Why are they only now doing something about it?” Natasha asked.

“That’s where things get strange. The Marshals received his resignation two days after the arrest was supposed to happen. Burke had been insistent on bringing this Joseph Seed in and then wanted to drop all charges and resign. The Marshals office is such a mess and Seed considered such a low level threat that they brushed it off. Until now. New information has cropped up,” Fury said. The team looked at the information in front of them. Profiles on the brothers, on people associated with the Project.

“Where do we come in?” Steve asked, arms crossed. This didn’t seem like something that warranted the Avengers involvement.

“Records show Hope County has become a dark zone. No communications in or out of the county except by specific encoded communications locations in four different locations. After the Marshals requested the help of the Avengers, we tapped into the communications and we’ve been able to intercept radio traffic. There’s a war going on in that county and Joseph Seed is determined to win it. Project at Eden’s Gate is a doomsday cult with Joseph Seed as their prophet. We have reason to believe he has gotten his hands on weapons of mass destruction with alien origin,” Fury said.

“There’s a catch, there has to be,” Tony said.

“From what we’ve gathered, Joseph’s brothers are his so called heralds, along with a young woman by the name of Rachel Jessop, who now goes by Faith Seed. According to intercepted transmissions, youngest brother John is called the Baptist and is responsible for getting confessions out of converts, whether they’re willing or not. We don’t know what that entails.

Oldest brother Jacob is former army, served in the Gulf War. He runs their defense and we have reason to believe he’s using some kind of mental conditioning.

This so called Faith is manufacturing a potent drug called Bliss. We have no idea what it’s effects are. When you enter the region, you will need to proceed with caution. Radio chatter indicates they have an enhanced individual in the region. They call her Rook. We don’t know much, whether she’s working for the Project or the Resistance. The messages are confusing. But treat this Rook with caution,” Maria said. The team sat in silence, contemplating what they had just been told.

“Do we know if Hydra is involved?” Natasha asked.

“We don’t know for sure. They had to get those weapons from somewhere. If not Hydra then there is another threat we need to be on alert for,” Fury said. The team sat in contemplation for a moment.

“What do we need to prepare for? Do we have a contact?” Steve asked.

“Be prepared for anything. You leave in three hours. We have a contact in the region, Hurk Drubman Junior. He’s a little...rough around the edges but he’ll be able to give you a run down if you can find him,” Maria said. Bucky’s head snapped up. Drubman, why did that name sound so familiar? A photo of the man in question was brought up on the screen. Bucky squinted at it. He cursed under his breath when he made the connection. Of course it was him.

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

The Avengers touched down at an airfield. A man greeted them with a gun that he lowered once he saw who they were. He still kept his guard up as the group approached. Steve introduced himself and the team.

“Nick, Nick Rye,” the man said.

“Do you know where we can find Hurk--,” Steve was cut off by the sound of an explosion and laughter.

“Drubman? Yeah, he and his cousin are here. What’re you looking for him for?” Nick asked as they walked toward the house.

“We were told Mr. Drubman would be able to assist us,” Natasha said. She was taking in the surroundings. Smoke rose in the distance as a statue stood smoldering. They were led into the house. It seemed like a party was going on.

“Some might says it’s distasteful to celebrate the death of someone, but they’ve never met those damn Seeds,” Nick said.

“They’re dead?” Natasha asked.

“John is, the so called baptist. Dep killed him today after...anyway, the important thing is that fucker is dead as dead can be and the people he was keepin’ prisoner are free. Joey Hudson is restin’ up. Damn Peggies had her for months,” he said.

“Peggies?” Wanda asked.

“S’what we call members of the Project. Project at Eden’s Gate, PEG, Peggies,” Nick said. The group looked at Steve. Realization seemed to cross Nick’s face.

“Aw hell, your lady back in the 40s was--” Nick started to say before Natasha cut him off.

“Agent Carter was named Peggy yes. And she was a hell of a lot more than the Captain’s lady,” Natasha said.

“Right, right, sorry,” Nick said, looking properly admonished. He led them to where everyone was gathered and made introductions. It was time to plan.

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

You excused yourself from the room, feeling overwhelmed by how many people were there. You knew it was only a matter of time before Jacob was going to call you back. He was bound to be furious. You knew when he let you go he didn’t think you’d get that far, didn’t think you’d kill his baby brother. You may have escaped but you knew it was because he let you, a sick game of cat and mouse. You jumped when you heard a floorboard creek on the porch. It was Wanda Maximoff.

“Sorry, I did not realize someone was out here,” she said.

“It’s fine, you’re fine. It was just...overwhelming in there,” you said. She nodded.

“You...you are not okay,” she said.

“My home is under siege by a murderous doomsday cult. I’ve been tortured, shot at, almost killed, and held captive by them and I’m currently engaged in a cat and mouse game with the Project. Yeah. I’d say I’m not okay,” you snapped. You took a breath. She had nothing to do with it. Guilt set in.

“Sorry...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” you said. She touched your arm and you flinched. Touch that wasn’t inflicting pain was something you were adjusting to.

“You are dealing with a lot,” she said. You nodded. The two of you sat in silence for a bit. Your thoughts drifted to that morning. John had crossed the line and you made your final move against him. You had hoped you could subdue him, take him alive, make him face justice for what he’d done. But that wasn’t how things went.

“Face it, Deputy. Joseph is right. You cannot change that,” John taunted over the radio. You were chasing him down in a plane. You knew it was only going to end one way.

“Want to bet?” you asked. You managed to damage the wing of his plane enough that it went careening out of the sky. You hadn’t anticipated him having a parachute. You landed Carmina and took off on foot in the direction you’d seen John descending in. A firefight ensued and he was leaning against a car while sat on the ground.

“I never thought it would go this far, you know,” he said, his breathing labored.

“Is this your deathbed confession?” you asked, your gun trained on him.

“We both know...if you wanted to save me right now...you could Deputy. You’re just...as much of a monster...as I am. At least I acknowledge my sins,” he said.

Wanda sat beside you, a comforting hand on your back, rubbing circles as you lost yourself in your thoughts. You glanced at her.

“What if, what if there are no winners here? What if we’re all just monsters masquerading as heros?” you asked her. She tilted her head to the side.

“You worry about the destruction and pain caused by your hand,” she said. You nodded. She sighed.

“I’ve been there too. If we don’t do what we do, the outcome may be worse than if we do something. It isn’t you’re fault you’re in this position,” she said. You nodded. The two of you sat in silence for a while longer before standing up to go back in the house.

You walked into the house to see an interesting scene. Bucky Barnes and Hurk were stood in opposite corners. Bucky had a gun aimed at Hurk, who just had a wide smile on his face. Clint Barton had a bowl of popcorn he was sharing with Nick, Jess, and Grace. Kim was glaring at both men. Steve had stepped between them while Natasha and Tony seemed to be taking bets on what would happen.

“I knew it! I knew the Winter Soldier was after me!” Hurk yelled. You wondered what you had missed while you were outside talking with Wanda.

“What the hell is going on in here?” you asked. Everyone turned toward you.

“Hurk being Hurk,” Kim said. You sighed.

“Hurk go...blow something up with Sharky. Stop agitating someone who probably knows five hundred different ways to kill you without using a gun,” you snapped. You loved your friends, you did, but god, did they do stupid things sometimes. You smiled a little to yourself. A small shred of normalcy in the chaos.

After getting the Avengers set up and settled, you gathered the Resistance core around the fire outside. The Avengers were surely resting or making their own preparations. You’d be discussing a game plan come morning.

“What’re you thinking Dep?” Nick asked.

“We need a contingency plan. There’s no way Jacob doesn’t call me back. Sooner rather than later. For our sake, I hope it’s before we make any plans with the Avengers. I don’t know what I’m like when I’m under, not fully. I remember bits and pieces,” you said.

“What are you getting at Dep?” Grace asked.

“If it comes down to it, you need to take me out. I won’t be in control. I try to fight it, but it’s hard. I haven’t been able to snap myself out of it,” you told them.

“No, not happening amiga. We’re not killing ya,” Sharky said.

“Sharky. You may not have a choice,” you snapped.

“There’s always a choice!” Jess yelled.

“Would you keep it down? We don’t need to be alerting our guests to our plans here. Not this one,” you said, glaring at her.

“Rook, what you’re asking us to do,” Nick said.

“It’s a sacrifice. I’m a weakness. You need to cull the herd,” you explained.

“Cull the herd? Sacrifice? Weakness? For fucks sake Rook, do you hear yourself? You’re spouting off Jacob’s rhetoric!” Jess said. You ran a hand through your hair and started pacing, unaware of the person listening in to the conversation going on. Bucky Barnes lurked in the shadow, eavesdropping on what was going on. It wasn’t that the Avengers didn’t trust the Resistance. They wanted all the information they could get to plan their attack. They knew there was no keeping the Resistance out of the fight. This was their fight, not the Avengers. They had been the ones keeping hope alive for six months.

“It doesn’t matter. If you don’t take me out...I don’t see people, Jess. I see targets. I see targets I need to take out. I don’t...I can’t hurt you, any of you. And if you don’t take me out the first chance you get if I’m not in control, I will hurt you, or worse kill you,” you said, your voice breaking.

“I’ll do it,” Grace said.

“Grace,” Nick said sharply. She held her hand up.

“I’m the best shot we have. I don’t want to kill Dep. But if we have to take her out. We have to take her out. She’s right. You have all seen and heard what Jacob does to people. Once he hooks his claws into her, getting her back will be damn near impossible if she can’t fight it off,” Grace said.

Later that night when you were patrolling the perimeter when you heard it. The opening of ‘Only You’ before you heard Jacob telling you to return to the Whitetails. You had no choice but to listen, finding another car and driving to where Jacob was waiting.

[aboredoverlord-blog]

Chess Pieces.

One drip. Two drips. Three drips. Big drip. One drip, two drips, three drips. Big drip, pause, repeat.

A never changing rhythm, a constant that torments us every single moment of our forgotten and broken lives, as we stare at the leak above our head to not stare at each other, to not remember who we are and hope that as some point we'll be graced with an end that was taken from us since years ago; if not, with a new beginning that will finally allows us to break free to this prison that we cannot escape by ourselves, as our bodies are as rotten and broken as our cores and souls.

We were meant for greatness once, or so we believed; her honeyed words, so gentle and kind, coated our eardrums and quieted our inner voice of reason telling us that it was far too good to be true, while our plight blinded us from anything that could have warned us of how the one we saw as a saint was nothing more than a miserable bitch in sheep's clothing, a witch that only saw us as guinea pigs for her experiments, hunting those like us down as she knew no one would come searching for us.

Plagued, ostracized, abandoned beings that for a reason or the other were pushed away from their families and society itself. A perfect target for someone who wanted to experiment upon life and test how much they could play god without no one, not even the patient itself, complaining or without any repercussions. And alas, we wanted it, there was no doubt. We asked, we pleaded to be saved, some from illnesses and some from hunger, some from thugs and some from their own kind, seeking an escape, a savior.

How ironic that now we're all here, wishing for a death that might take years to come, trapped in cells hidden away from sight and mind, locked with bars and magic, cast-away much like we were at the beginning of this facade, without even the grace of forgetting who we are, who we were supposed to be. Even insanity would be a grace at this point, a place where to hide until our bodies would cease to 'be' – anything but being able to remember. To remember it all.

But no. We sit here like string-less puppets, with our mind filled with grief and spite. With hands and feet we cannot move, as they're either incomplete, broken or rotten depending on what we are...no, what we were made into. Like the First Rook, a dwarf that dug out of the protection of his underground citadel in search of new ways to forge metal – attacked on sight by a human patrol without even an explanation and left to bleed out as they laughed and patted themselves on the back. I wonder; is his hatred and grief fueled more by how his peaceful greeting was met with an arrow in the eye? By how his belief that humans couldn't all be evil was shattered the second he met one? Or by the fact that, were he able to move, he could fix at least a few of us? His forger's soul restlessly burning with desire to be able to help the few that welcomed him like a family, but forced to observe how Second Rook – a sentient “automata”, or human-like golem, that was paired with him and created with the soul of a withering dryad which only guilt was to stand between some young nymphs and another human patrol?

What about First and Second Knights? Brother and Sister, elves who betrayed the demon lord, escaping during the early days of his empire right before he corrupted their kind into the demons that are now? They were good fighters, once part of the royal army's elite; Spear and Sword master respectively, combining martial skills with their kind's natural magic prowess to become fearsome paladins. But the Monster Lord never forgot, even if the elves believed that it did; and once their guard dropped, the brother found his gut pierced by a knife, while his sister was held back and forced to watch as they tortured him. Hours passed before he didn't breathe anymore, with screams and pleads falling on deaf ears as even when clearly clean from all corruption, elves were still seen as allies of the Monster Lord. And when they were done with him, they moved onto her...or at least, tried to, before someone appeared to help them.

A hood, a staff, and hands. Many, many hands, appearing from pools all over the walls and ground, aggressively taking hold of the attackers and pulling them in who knows what abyss but gently holding both siblings in their warm embrace. Yellow eyes looking at them, a voice echoing in that street's corner with a suggestion, and then darkness, light, a pact made and bodies changed with magic that we all grew to hate.

For him, he became an undead centaur, with his upper body now being nothing more than a living armor which gazed upon the world with red glowing eyes and struck the enemy of the witch with a cursed weapon, rejoiced to still be able to fight alongside his sister.

But for her...she had to pay an high price for such services, one she wasn't even told about. Gifted a new sword and told that she could live once more with her brother under that castle's roof, she was ecstatic, now having both a place she belonged and her brother still alive at her side, even if now with a new body.  But at every swing, the sword revealed more of its true being, slowly corrupting its wielder until her body looked much like one of the demon's and her mind simply couldn't not care less. More power meant that she could protect her brother even better, so it was fine if that meant to be corrupted, right? Even if he was worried, even if he told her to drop the weapon, she refused, wanting to protect him, to stop anyone from repeating what she could still see in her mind, all those hours of torture, those screams...she had to. And she was happy to give her soul to the sword if that was needed.

And yet, even such sacrifices weren't enough, the two not even graced with having a common cell, separated and left to die or rust in this damp hell. Him, silently trying to maintain an hold of himself, unable to speak and make her know he was alright. And her, which at first yelled for hours for his brother, cried day and night, now able only to lie on one side, deprived of the sword that addled her mind and able to remember and feel everything she did. Did she lose her mind already? Or was her body all that was corrupted permanently?

...And did the witch need that sword, or is this too some weird, disgusting experiment she's subjecting us all too, to see how much our mind can take? Is she still even alive? Does she remember us? Will we ever see any kind of light before we'll eventually cease to be? So many questions I cannot answer, but maybe that's my dest...no, OUR destiny. To be abandoned, hated, betrayed...Forgotten.

The bishops too had no regard from that witch. One was a human from the Mountain Guard that anyone would mistake for a warrior given her physique, but that instead was one of the best mages of the troop that tackled the mountain. Depending on her far too much, no one noticed in time how taxing it was for her to maintain the spell that kept everyone safe from the chilling colds of the mountain, maybe thanks to how obstinately she hid such thing...not until her battered body and exhausted mind faltered and failed to fend off an attack from a Yeti, at least. Grabbed, crushed in his hand and then tossed down the mountain as the horrified eyes of her comrades lost her in the snow and mist, she gripped onto dear life as her body was ripped in bloody pieces from artic wolves, attracted by the smell of blood and more than happy to find a free meal in such a cold wasteland.

But once more, as if it was observing the situation and waiting for an opportunity, here was the hooded guy, bringing hope to someone who could only gurgle and choke on their own blood.

A nod was all he needed, taking her willing soul and bringing it to his master, already prepared to slot it into a body of her own concoction, similar to what humans would call 'angel'. Oh, how happy the mage was to be in such body, unaware of how it was nothing but a mix of various creatures' body parts, just cleaned and carefully altered to not look so different to one another. She was now so close to be just like one of Humana's servants that she couldn't believe it! Her behavior reflected this too, her actions trying to imitate the immense kindness of such creatures, wanting to be one in mind and body...but the hooded being's teasing was all it took to bring back her more combative, fierce personality.

An angel with a warrior's heart, an homunculus abomination which still lies to herself, thinking someone will come to help.

The Second Bishop instead was something more complex. An attempt to combine multiple souls into one, to see if their powers would mix and match, or if they would collide and break. That's what it told us at least, as we had no knowledge that a second bishop ever existed 'till we were trapped here. How long as it been here? How much longer than us had he to endure this prisony? It's calm behavior makes us think he is long gone, thought even now people could ask him and he would try to give us words of hope, attempting to keep us from fully giving up even when it itself has been victim of this abandonment without even being given a chance to shine, unlike us...

Apparently, the result was something that the witch didn't anticipate, with the souls fusing into a completely new one, but without maintaining all of the powers she hoped it would. Instead, much like a natural birth, his attunement to Magic and Willpower, depended on which 'soul gene' was randomly picked to be the dominant one. As for his looks, he seemed to be a human being, thought a long, blue and scaly tail came out to those monk-like garbs. A dragon-kin, the dwarf once spouted after observing the being's maw, to which the Bishop simply replied with a vague agreement. How exactly did the witch find a soul or body of such a being, it escaped everyone's grasp. Was her reach that wide? Or did she travel in places unknown to us? More question to the pile, never to be answered.

...Standing here, day after day, I could finally crack down on why she picked each and one of us. 'Rook', 'Knight', 'Bishop'...each and all of us were picked because our skills were greater than those she defined as 'pawns' and because we just...fit so well with our respective chess piece. The Dwarf and the Automata were picked as they were the 'towers', sturdy and powerful beings capable to withstand the most punishment, alongside being useful both fighting in the front-lines or fortifying the back-lines with their crafting skills. To no surprise, the Automata's belly could double as a makeshift forge, allowing the dwarf to repair and craft things on the go. The knights were the main front-line, powerful and fearless, capable to move around the battlefield and frighten it with sheer skill and power. Little would be more scary than an the living armor centaur and his corrupted sister fighting in the enemy lines. The bishops...If I met the monk first, or was told that the 'First' Bishop was actually the second one...How stupid was I? I cannot even excuse myself for being blinded, as I was the one called the 'Queen'. It was so obvious...!

...Maybe, maybe I was blinded. Maybe I just wanted to go back at the time where I used to actually being a queen? Was...Was I so greedy to condemn myself to this life simply for that reason?

I...I was, wasn't I?

I speak of 'we', I speak of 'us'. But it was I who was the most blinded. Blinded by that Monster Lord, speaking of how he could fight those humans that betrayed our trust and almost destroyed the elven kingdom, able to stand only thanks to the actions of those who live in the ocean. I wanted revenge for my fallen brethren, I want the humans to suffer as each family of each soldier under my reign did. Attacking us with those...those weapons...even bringing such a reviled sword! Our magic could do little under the rain of metal they tossed at us, and what little it could do it would be cut down by that disgusting 'Sage of War' that stood in front of their army and that sword, cutting away first our magic and then our lives. I never felt so much hatred in all my hundreds of years I reigned as the monarch of elves. Never, never I wanted someone dead so much. It was so...guttural, such a crude and utterly overpowering emotion that it fogged my mind, my judgement, everything else. I cut ties, I cut relationships, I cut lives I thought were guilty of such results.

And the Lord knew.

When he came, promising me what I so eagerly desired, I thought little about the catches such a pact would have. Make him my king, allow him to take power. I could see his power, I could see how he could bring us to the revenge we craved. But I couldn't see through his lies, becoming his willing prey with him feeding first from my despair and then from my actual body. And I still remember, I still remember in every single detail how happy I was during our 'honeymoon', a few days after the official marriage. I didn't mind giving my very body to this being, if it would bring our kind to the revenge we wanted. Anything I had was expendable as long as my people could feel safe and the human kingdom was brought to its knees.

Of course, when I saw the 'handsome' elf turn into a mess of pulsating flesh, gazing eyes and disgusting veins, locking me into my bedroom and slowly turning the room into a makeshift stomach, I knew that when he said 'making my body his', he didn't meant it sexually, but literally. And even without any part of it, I can still feel the pain, the burning sensation and... and...

And his echoing, frightening laughter as he saw me cry and melt into nothingness.

…

…...And yet.

Even then, when my soul was collected by that hooded being, which broke inside the room at the very last second, stealing it away from the Monster Lord, I couldn't see straight.

And once more, another slimy mouth whispered all I wanted to hear.

And once more, I fell for lies I couldn't see through, becoming what I am now.

At this point, my title of Queen is nothing but an ironic label that will dangle over my head forever, remembering me of what I was, what I lost, and how little I deserved such a title even if I was one all those years. My name, my body...nothing remains, but that title, to haunt me until what's left of the mana powering my body will dissipate.

And I guess I have to double down with my compliments towards the witch's ways to twist the knife in one's wound, as the body she chose for me was one of a string puppet. Though I guess I can't but blame myself on that, can't I? Pulled around like one of such, unable cut the strings those liars used to move me around, and unable to move now that both consider me nothing more than a broken doll.

To forever remain forgotten, to listen to that never changing drip.

One drip. Two drips. Three drips. Big drip. One drip, two drips, three drips. Big drip, pause, repeat. One drip. Two drips. Three drips. Big drip. One drip, two drips, three drips. Big drip, pause, repeat. One drip. Two drips. Three drips. Big drip. One drip, two drips, three drips. Big drip, pause, repeat. One drip. Two drips. Three drips. Big drip. One drip, two drips, three drips. Stone breaking, pa--- Wait.

I hear something new. Am I hallucinating? What is this noise? So loud, slamming against the ceiling. Like an hammer hitting a nail, but much harder, much louder, much..

The plan wasn't exactly the most elaborate, nor the less silent. Surely there could have been better ideas than bringing a platoon of orcs inside his old master's inner chambers and just hammer away at the floor with maddening fervor. But Libitus wasn't one to use 'smart' or 'elaborate' plans when simpler and effective ones were available, especially when such plans would require breaking an incredibly complex seal on the secret walls she found in such room, while the floor was already damaged by the scorching fires of years ago, a fire that burned away more than just the furniture and lives of his ex-master's servants.

“Are ya sure, Boss?” Asked one of the orcs before he began, the hooded being nodding. “Yea. If anything happens, I'll get you all out of here.” He replied, pointing at the black pools around each orc's feet, a precaution he took to make sure their lives wouldn't be at risk simply for one of his whims. He knew that something was under there, he could feel the traces of magic leading there. He didn't know what would be there, but there was something, and that was enough. All that belonged to his Ex-master had to be taken and brought to Libitus' new base, less said master might get them back when they needed them.

“What do you think is under there, Sire?” The goblin leader asked him, standing as his side like always. “I don't know, but for such a seal, it has to be powerful.” He replied, adding something right away. “Thought I don't understand. Why putting a seal on a fake wall, but not on the floor leading to that same room?”

“Maybe she didn't expect orcs hammerin' away at it?” The goblin replied with a snicker, leaning onto the wall and crossing his arms. “Either that, or it might have faded away. Yer said she doesn't come here in years, right? Don't they need to be renewed now and then?” At those words, Libitus rolled his glowing yellow eyes at first, but nodded after a second. It made sense, thought why would the other seal still be active, then? Such a question was left unanswered as soon one of the orcs, with a powerful blow, broke a hole in the floor. It was small, almost the size of a fist, but Libitus found it to be enough and raised his hand to stop them all before walking towards it. The goblin followed, immediately kneeling to check inside that hole and clicking his tongue after along look. “Tsk. Dark as a moonless night in 'ere. Ya sure ya want to go down alone, sire? Doesn't look saf- aaaand you're already doing it.”

The frustrated goblin could only watch as his king melted into a pool of black goop, slowly leaking out of that hole and into the room. After a few seconds, enough of it passed through to allow Libitus to reform himself, raising his staff high and casting a small spell to create an artificial light. A grunt could be heard from above, the goblin not expecting that and being blinded for a second. “A'ight, what do you see, sire? Anything useful?” He asked, receiving no response. “...Sire? Still alive down there?”

A faint 'no' came after  few seconds, causing the goblin's worry to grow tenfold. “Sire?! W-What's down there? Do we need to break a bigger hole?” His agitation was matched by the orcs' own, already bundling up around the holes, their weapons in hand. Luckily, Libitus replied again, this time explaining himself a bit more.

“...I found more than artifacts, Vort.” He spoke, his voice having a pinch of...anger in itself. “Much more. ...Contact base, tell them I want all crafters, all healers at the ready. We're gonna need them.” The goblin leader was confused, but nonetheless stood up and grabbed his speaking globe, following the orders to a T. Meanwhile, Libitus moved towards the jail containing what looked like a broken doll, breaking the bars with ease and kneeling once at its side.

“...I'm sorry.” He spoke, grabbing the hand of that unmoving being, her eyes being the only thing that proved there was still life in that body. “...I'm bringing you out. We're going to fix you.” At those words, she could see her eyes moving away, as if refusing. Was she scared? She had all rights to be, he thought, but he shock his head. “Not to 'her'. To a better place.” Her eyes didn't move, still not believing that this was real. Not until his next words.

“She betrayed me too.” He spoke, his hands holding hers. “...And I didn't know. I thought...” He shock his head, pushing away his thoughts. “Nevermind that, there's time for explanations. First, I'll have to bring you all home.” Standing up, he reached for his staff and tapped the bottom of it on the ground, pools beginning to form around all the broken and incredulous beings in that room. Only one spoke, however, with a tone as gentle as a draconian growl could be.

“You've finally come. We've been waiting, Libitus.” A small metallic sound echoed as the monk crawled to the bars of his cell and held onto them to pull himself up, years of mana starvation making him weak. “...I'm sorry, Vuthic.” He answered, but the monk shock his head. “You're here now, as I thought you would, eventually. That is enough, at least for me.”

“Sire, who're yer talking to?” The voice of the goblin caused Libitus to raise his head, breaking the conversation with the captive Monk. “...Old friends, Vort. We're going home, now. There's a lot to do and to say.”

And with that, orcs, goblin, captives and Libitus slowly slipped inside those pools of darkness, portals towards a kingdom away from the eyes and ears of Demon Lords, betraying mentors and other interlopers – but more than anything, away from that prison and it's drips. The 'queen' still unable to grasp the situation. Was she being saved for real this time? He...was the hooded boy after all. The being that saved her soul. But also that gave it to the witch. But he spoke of how she betrayed him too and...

Could she...finally hope once more?