#soft binah comfort is good

[binah-beloved]

when you're feeling sick, Binah holds you close. she runs a gentle hand up your back, your head in her lap as she gives your shoulder a careful squeeze, a soft hum of affection leaving her. if she must get up, she drapes her heavy coat over you to keep you warm, returning moments later with a hot cup of tea so she can gently massage any aches and pains away.

it seems an Arbiter's touch can be as gentle as it is destructive.

[sleepy-chesed]

angela x s/o with anxiety and autism headcanons

i got a request by binah themselves for hcs about angela with her s/o who has anxiety and/or autism so

anxiety:

angela is surprisingly patient with people she loves. she tends to only be strict or condescending when it comes to work, but in this case she would keep her s/o safe, and tell them comforting words when they get overwhelmed

angela shows her affection physically. if you’re ok with it, she’ll shower you in affection and comfort

or optionally, if her partner is overwhelmed or touch-averse, she’ll use her calmest voice to reassure 

she cares about the comfort of her partner more than her work. she’ll set aside time just to make sure you’re ok

in public, she’ll stop you once in a while to ask if you’re doing well, if you need a break, or you’re scared

if separated from her partner, she’ll send texts frequently, reassuring you and letting you know how much she loves you

she can detect discomfort easily in people. she might pull you away for a minute during something to ask if you’re ok. she genuinely cares and will try to help

she’s very patient with her partner, never getting mad or disappointed. she knows you’re doing your best and that’s all that matters

autism:

she likes when you stim. she finds it cute and she’s happy you’re excited or having fun

she’s neurodivergent herself, so she can relate to certain aspects of autism and pick up on it quickly so you dont have to explain it all too much

she tries to keep her voice quiet and soft as to not startle you, and will do her best to prevent loud noises

she can either be quite cuddly if you want. if you don’t like physical affection, she can show it in other means to whatever degree you’re comfortable with

she’s a very good listener and loves hearing you talk about your special interests for hours on end, and will ask questions about it. she thinks it’s interesting and loves hearing about it!

she tends to have a routine for the day without much change, so you never get confused or nervous about changes to routine

she hates autism $peaks (as does everyone in lobotomy corporation)

[paladinwife]

Binah and Mirabelle Headcanons

Just like the Gebura ones I did. Lobotomy Corporation spoilers ahead!

Mirabelle was actually an employee of L-Corp and survived the attack by Garion on it. Binah doesn’t actually remember seeing her, however.

So really, their first meaningful interactions would have been after Binah was made into a sephirah. Mirabelle initially caught Binah’s attention because she wasn’t really afraid of her, as well as the fact that she was one of the few human employees in a position of importance. Of course, she thought it was just that - interest.

Mirabelle interacted with her fairly regularly, perhaps more than she needed. Still, Binah wanted to observe her from a distance.

Mirabelle managed to wear through her just due to her persistent compassion. Mirabelle is good at reading Binah even with her cold expressions, and Binah can’t really remember the last time anyone else treated her like a person.

Mirabelle had to initiate a lot of affection, because Binah struggled with processing her feelings and the fact that someone was being kind to her. She also struggled with the affection itself, though she also didn’t want Mirabelle to stop.

Eventually though, Binah managed to accept her feelings enough to recognize that she wanted Mirabelle as hers and pursue her. Binah actually initiated their first kiss.

Mirabelle is not part of the Extraction Department but is often sent on behalf of her department to deal with her. Binah has been open about her desire to “poach” her and bring her to Extraction with her - not to be cruel and make her do extraction work, but to have her around more often.

Binah will turn down her more murderous side somewhat around Mirabelle... unless Mirabelle mentions someone hurting her. Mirabelle often has to talk her down because she hates the thought of someone hurting her little doe.

Also, she often refers to Mirabelle as “little doe”. It was a habit from when she first took interest that she just never dropped.

She’s willing to make tea for Mirabelle and Mirabelle only. No one else gets any. 

Binah seems to fluctuate between not being very comfortable with physical affection and being very touchy towards her. It depends a lot on how she’s feeling.

Speaking of touch, Binah has a little bit of a thing for how warm Mirabelle is. Just how it feels to hold her, or how her skin feels. It reminds her that she’s still full of life, and how fragile she is compared to her.

Long story short it’s a dichotomy between soft and warm Mirabelle, and cold and murderous Binah who hasn’t felt any warmth like hers in a long time.

[everything-lobotomy-corporation]

I really enjoyed the male sephirah comfort post. If it’s not too much of a bother can you do the ladies?

This ended up kind of long, oops, so I put it under a readmore. I hope you like it! - Vanilla

Malkuth

When you walk into her office, she chirps at you like usual, almost too busy to notice how terrible you feel.

The first spare second she gets to really look at you she stops dead in her tracks, though–and before she can work through her surprise at not noticing the moment you stepped in, she abandons her work to fuss over you. 

She asks if you want something to drink, she drapes a blanket over your shoulders, she takes out some comfier pillows and pads your immediate surroundings with them… it’s almost like protocol.

When she’s deemed your general surroundings to be comfortable enough, Malkuth sidles up beside you and then she asks if you want to talk about it. She’s an attentive, meticulous listener; she handles your problems, if you permit her to, in a sort of process that’s like something out of the manual for mental stress and damage management, but she’s earnest in her desire to help you.

If it makes you feel safer, she lets you sleep on the couch in her office, promising to join you as soon as she can.

After she’s made sure you’re all right, she finishes up her work; feeling satisfied for having been able to help you, and just a little happier to have you with her here in general.If taking care of you was a point on her checklist, it would no doubt be one of her favorites.

Hod

The first thing Hod does when you step into her office, no matter what, is ask you how you are and how your day was.

So when you reply a little less… good, than usual, it worries her immediately.

She sits down with you and asks if you want to talk about it; she listens to whatever you want to say, and sits with you in silence if that’s what you prefer.

If you don’t mind, one thing she’d like to do for you is to lay your head in her lap, so she can gently stroke your head, so she can hold your hand, so you can be lying down somewhere soft and comfy… and if she’s being honest, being able to dole physical affection out like that makes her happy too. No matter what, you’re still her number one priority, though.

Any work she had that night is put on hold for you, no questions asked. If something especially urgent comes up, and if it’s something you would prefer to being left sitting alone, she takes you with her; your hand firmly grasped in hers the whole time. (She might get flack from Yesod, she says, but she’s sure he’ll come around to understanding.) 

When you’re grounded, Hod feels grounded too, so when you’re feeling under the weather she wants to help you as much as she can. 

Geburah

Geburah is really, really bad at dealing with this kind of thing. She notices immediately; it’s not like she focuses too hard on the paperwork with you around anyway, but the emotion that hits her first is panic.

It takes her a second to pull herself together, but as soon as she does she still feels kind of awkward about this. She starts by asking you what you’re upset about. She’s a bit pushier than the others in this respect. If something or someone in particular has got you down she can focus on solutions; on how she can take care of those things so it’s less likely to get you down again. If it’s nothing in particular, though, then… well, she flounders a bit. But Geburah is nothing if not willing to listen to you vent. She asks you if there’s anything else she can do, too, just because she wants to make sure she isn’t missing anything. 

She can’t help but think of you as fragile when you’re upset, just because she’s unsure of how to deal with these situations–so if you want physical contact, you’ll have to speak up about it. If you do, though, she gives it to you unflinchingly. 

Geburah’s office isn’t exactly comfortable, but she’s willing to swallow her pride and go to the Welfare Department to get/borrow anything you might need or want to feel safe with her.

Because she does want you to feel safe with her. So even if it’s not her forte, she tries her best to comfort you. 

Binah

Binah notices pretty quickly if something is bothering you. She quietly pours you a cup of tea, sends a clerk to fetch some snacks to go with it, and then she just asks what’s on your mind. She’s kind of pushy, too. Just because she thinks it would be silly to tiptoe around an issue you have, if any.

She gives her advice and her reassurances plain and simple. She is outright with her thoughts if she thinks you did something wrong, but will try to be gentle about it even then. She does care for you, after all. (Even if it takes a bit of effort on her part to admit it.) 

If talking about it (or not talking about it, if it can’t be helped) doesn’t do the trick, she thinks instead of things to do that might distract you, or amuse you. Something to take away the pain even if only for a moment. 

…Even if those things are not entirely by-the-book, you find, as she offers to take you into Nothing There’s containment unit so the two of you can play fetch with it. Or perhaps you would prefer going on a little vacation with the use of the perception filter? She’s not had much experience messing with it, but surely it won’t be too hard to just change the look of your surroundings…

Binah is confident in her ability to protect you and keep you safe. Nothing messes with you on her watch. Her ability to keep you happy, though? To navigate more… personal, or emotional interactions? Maybe not so much, but she’ll definitely try with you.

+ Angela

When you walk into your office that day it’s not your office anymore; it’s an atrium. The moon hangs high over the glass roof, and the lush flora and foliage is lit by little lanterns hanging from the trees. 

Angela noticed your mental state, of course, before you came back, and prepared this, thinking you might like it, or that maybe it would help calm your nerves at least. 

Of course, it’s a simulation, so the wind in the trees is just the ventilation in your office, and though the ornate table in the center of the garden looks like it could be real wood, it’s actually just your desk. If it’s not to your liking, she’ll ask you what you want to do, and do whatever is in her power to make that happen. 

She asks lots of questions, because she likes the idea of learning how to take care of you; otherwise she spoils you a little, partially to see how you’ll react, and also because she wants to. 

Angela thinks at first that it isn’t necessary to ask you what’s wrong; she has eyes everywhere, after all. But then she realizes that sometimes it’s important for people to vent. So she listens to whatever you want to say, if anything at all. She asks before giving you her two cents on anything; she considers asking before dealing with these issues directly to be very important. She knows how delicate the mind can be, and doesn’t do anything before knowing for sure it won’t make things worse.

If you want to simply rest, or to not talk about what’s weighing on you–she doesn’t question it. 

She asks if you would rather be alone. If you tell her yes, then she backs off, with a gentle reminder that she will be here if you need anything. If you wouldn’t mind her company, she gladly stays by your side, thinking about how odd it is how much just having someone–or having someone in particular–can change things, and she finds herself sincerely hoping she could lift your mood in some way.

[theshatteredrose]

This Can’t Be Normal… (Guardian Chronicles) - Etrian Odyssey Untold 2 Fanfiction

Summary: Flavio had just wanted to ask Lynus how scared he should be about Chloe making friends with the Pinkettes. He was not expecting to be crash-tackled and forced to hide in a bathroom with a skittish gunner and a survivalist he didn't even know...

AN: This turned out a bit longer than anticipated. Don’t take this too seriously ^^ I just felt the need to write something light-hearted and fun, so I hope you enjoy reading~

~*~*~*~*~

Flavio ascended the stone stairs to the second floor of the inn. He knew that Lynus’ room was located a few doors down from the stairs, and he wanted to ask the medic a few quick questions about…a certain group of pink-haired girls.

As a survivalist, he felt it was important to get a handle on what he should expect to deal with. It probably won’t help with the humiliation factor, but he should at least have some kind of idea what to expect, right? And maybe he could get some tips on how to avoid them?

The sound of pounding feet, akin to someone running or in a desperate hurry, pulled Flavio from his musings and caused him to lift his head up to look in front of him. A blur of someone wearing a forest green coat skidded around the corner, somehow managing to stay upright despite their speed and sudden change of direction, and immediately returned to a sprint.

They made eye contact and Flavio vaguely recognised him as the Guardians’ gunner, Macerio, before Macerio suddenly skidded to a stop next to him and…

Flavio felt the wind knocked out of him when Macerio literally crash-tackled him around the waist. His back hit something behind him, a partially open door probably, with a loud thud and he landed on the floor with an equally loud crash. He uttered a loud ‘oof!’ when something landed on top of him.

The weight atop of him abruptly vanished and Flavio drew in a sharp breath of air as the sound of a door slamming shut rung through his ears. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment as he lay sprawled on the floor with his arms outstretched on either side of him.

Ok, first; ow! Second; what the hell?!

Flavio sat up and clutched his stomach as he stared in utter bewilderment at the brown haired gunner who was frantically engaging the lock on the door. "W-what are you-?" he wheezed.

"Shhh!" Macerio hissed at him as he pressed his back against the door and tilted to the side as if to hear whatever could be on the other side. "She's coming."

Flavio was about to ask who would be so feared that Macerio would crash-tackle him through a partially open door and into god know who's room when he heard a soft tinkling of...bells? Wait, he had heard that sound somewhere before. What was it…?

“Macerio~”

Ah, that was right. Binah. She had chased Macerio through the inn when he had first encountered the gunner. Who of which dove into his room to find shelter. Did he have the habit of ducking through any partially open door he came across in his desperate attempt to avoid the pink-haired troubadour? Ok, sure, Flavio could kinda understand his fear, especially now that Chloe seemed to have made friends with Binah, but wasn’t crashing into someone else’s room rude? Not to mention dangerous?

…Maybe that was a risk he was willing to take?

Good god, what kind of trouble was Chloe going to be dragging their guild through now?

“Macerio~ Come out, come out, wherever you are~”

That sounded more haunting and scary than he thought possible, especially coming from a young girl.

Despite being incredulous of how dangerous the situation truly was, Flavio unexpectedly found himself holding his breath in fright as well when that scarily cheery voice and tinkling of bells suddenly stopped just outside the door.

“Hmmmmmmmm,” came an ominously drawn out hum before followed by a loud, disgruntled huff. “He’s not here. Ugh, so rude! Whatever, he’s gotta come out of hiding eventually!”

Macerio winced and covered his head with his hands as he cowered, and Flavio couldn’t help but grimace in sympathy for the gunner.

“Chloe? Your guildmate is around here somewhere, right?”

Flavio felt his eyes widen as he subconsciously tensed. Chloe? She was out there, too?

“Yup, Flavio should be close by.”

Gah, she was out there, too! Wait, him? She was going after him?!

“He’ll be our next victim, then~” came a girly giggle.

Victim?! She wasn’t even attempting to hide her evil plans for him!

Flavio was torn between feeling utterly bewildered and utterly terrified as he sat numbly on the floor, listening to the sound of footsteps and tinkling bells as they faded from hearing range. Finally, he couldn’t hear a thing. Only silence.

Macerio breathed out a huge sigh of relief and slump against the door. “That was too close…” he muttered under his breath.

Now that the, ah, threat was gone, Flavio’s ribs and stomach started to ache, and he rubbed them subconsciously as he turned a pointed gaze at the gunner. “Look, I know she’s scary, but was this really necessary?”

Macerio immediately sat up straight and bristled as he pointed a finger in his direction. “You should be thanking me! They were after you, too!”

Yeah, well, his back and ribs weren’t feeling too thankful at the moment.

“Thanking you?!” Flavio shrilled and bristled at the same time. “You literally crash-tackled me into someone else’s room and probably fractured a rib or two in the process!” He then paused when he realised that, yes, they were indeed in someone else’s room.

Oh crap…

“W-whose room are we in anyway?” he asked as he subconsciously hunched his shoulders, almost afraid to look around in case he found someone standing just behind him looking utterly pissed.

“Ours,” a familiar voice unexpectedly answered.

Macerio immediately perked up at the sound of the voice and his gaze turned to look over Flavio’s shoulder. “Lynus?” he questioned before he sagged against the door in utter relief. “Axel, oh thank god.”

Flavio quickly turned to look over his shoulder as well to find his gaze locking on with that of a familiar violet-eyed medic. He had to admit that he also felt a surge of relief upon seeing Lynus smile at him with friendly amusement.

He wasn’t alone, though. Axel was there, too. Though there were two beds in the room, they were both occupying the one. Axel was sprawled out on his back atop of the bedsheets with a couple of pillows propped up behind his head. And Lynus sat on the edge of the bed, close to the bedhead and were Axel was lying. He was curled slightly towards him and it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that Lynus had been previously running his fingers through Axel’s hair.

Flavio couldn’t help but notice just how…comfortable yet intimate they looked together.

Lynus suddenly tilted his head to the side, regarding Flavio with a sense of curiosity. “You all right there, Flavio?”

“A-ah, yeah,” Flavio replied stiffly before he gave the medic an embarrassed smile and shifted to face him fully, but still sat on the floor nonetheless. “Wasn’t expecting to be tackled like that, but other than that, I’m fine.”

“That certainly was an interesting entrance,” Axel commented as he peered at them through one eye, a half smirk of pure amusement on his lips.

Macerio managed to flush and bristle at the same time. “Yeah, w-well, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Both Lynus and Axel laughed softly, but good-heartedly nonetheless and Flavio couldn’t help but marvel at how easy-going the two were. If a guildmate tackled someone into his room before slamming the door shut in a panic, he would be asking a million questions and demanding swift answers. Something like that didn’t happen every day!

No, wait, maybe it did for the Guardians?

“You're welcome to hide out here,” Lynus said with a knowing smile before he shook his head slightly. “But please keep your voices down. Axel has a headache.”

Macerio quickly stood to his feet and pushed away from the door to walk into the centre of the room. “What happened?” he asked with genuine but subtle concern as he looked over at Axel on the bed.

Lynus smiled reassuringly as his hand sought out to play with the red strands of Axel’s hair. “Zeryn and Simmons had a bet to see who could ride a raptor the furthest.”

Flavio honestly found himself deadpanning at the explanation. Really?

Axel grunted in pure disgruntlement and a scowl appeared on his face. “I will murder those two one day, I swear it.”

“Yes, yes,” Lynus chuckled softly as he turned his full attention toward the red-haired landsknecht and began to soothingly run his fingers through his hair. “You can murder them after you've gotten some sleep and rid yourself of this headache.”

Flavio felt as though he was intruding (which, technically, he was), but he was also somewhat fascinated by the gentle but strong bond that Lynus and Axel shared. There was no nervous jittering, no awkward or shy smiles or conversations. They were so comfortable, relaxed with one another, uncaring of who or what was in the room with them.

…Could he reach that level of comfort with Fafnir…?

Flavio shook his head violently to rid himself of that train of thought and cleared his throat in a desperate attempt to prevent those feelings of frustration and disappointment from rising in his chest.

“Quick question; how screwed am I really now that Chloe has made fast friends with the Pinkettes?” Flavio asked bluntly as he looked at the two on the bed.

Lynus blinked at him before he shared a glance with Axel and then the two of them simultaneously looked at him with nothing but pity in their gazes. “...You'll be in our prayers,” Lynus said.

Flavio’s shoulders drooped in defeat. “I was afraid of that.”

A strange sound, like that of a grunt of exertion, suddenly rung through the room. They all fell silent as they glanced around, sharing confused glances. Axel suddenly sat up and abruptly pulled Lynus toward him, manoeuvring him over his lap to the other side of the bed, where he pressed him against the wall. He then slid off the bed, purposely positioning himself between Lynus and the open window.

Flavio felt a bubble of alarm in his chest, brought on by Axel’s reaction. He was about to take to his feet as well when someone hastily, and rather swiftly, scrambled in through the window from outside and practically threw themselves into the room.

Wait, weren’t they on the second floor?

“Ryker?” Axel questioned before he sighed and slumped back down onto the bed, immediately relaxing his defensive stance, and clutched at his forehead in an agitated manner. “The fuck, man?”

The man with blue hair and dressed in the garbs that were similar to that of a survivalist, scrambled across the table that was situated under the window and skittishly backed away. “Only window that was open,” he said as he clutched at his left elbow as if it was painful in some way.

Lynus sighed as he noticeable relaxed and scooted away from the wall. Instead of sitting on the edge of the bed like he had done before, he positioned himself onto his knees and leaned against Axel’s back, his arms slipping around Axel’s neck comfortably and rested his cheek on his shoulder. A small smile found its way onto Axel’s lips and he lazily tilted his head to the side to nuzzle his cheek against Lynus’ hair.

…They were really comfortable around each other, weren’t they?

“Are you hiding from Darrell again?” Lynus asked idly to the survivalist.

The survivalist (Ryker was it?) winced and tightened his grip on his elbow. “Yeah, well, you know what he’s like with me. Too damn protective for his own good. For heaven’s sake, it’s a grazed elbow. Ok, so I entered the labyrinth alone, but it was to the first floor! Christ, can’t I even do that?”

“Dude, no good hiding here,” Macerio suddenly said, cutting the man off mid rant. “Binah's circling outside like a FOE.”

“Oh course, perfect, just what I needed. Shouldn’t have gotten out of bed today,” Ryker mumbled. “Speaking of bed, if Darrell gets his hands on me, he’s likely to tie me to the bed again.”

“So didn’t need to hear that…”

Flavio was stunned into silence once more. D-did this kind of thing happen often around here? Or…just around the Guardians themselves?

“Ryker!” a voice suddenly bellowed from outside the window. “I know you’re in there somewhere!”

Ryker jumped a foot in the air before he lurched forward to hide away from the window and darted behind Flavio. “Oh shit oh shit oh shit!” he muttered aloud under his breath.

“Macerio! I will find you, I swear to god I will!”

Macerio also jumped a good foot in the air before he, too, started to panic. “Why won’t she leave me alone?” he whimpered.

“The bathroom,” Lynus unexpectedly said around a chuckle.

“Right!”

The next thing Flavio knew he was in the bathroom, crouched on the floor with his back against the door of the room with a survivalist he didn't know on the right of him and a gunner who was all but trembling in fear to the left of him.

Definitely not how he imagined his day would turn out when he got out of bed this morning.

Why was he even here?

The blue-haired survivalist next to him suddenly stuck out his hand to him, as if he wanted to introduce himself with a handshake or something. “Ryker,” he said simply.

Choosing to simply go with the flow despite the absurdity of the entire situation, Flavio shook his hand and introduced himself in turn. “Flavio.”

Ryker gave his hand a firm shake before releasing it to cradle his elbow again. “What you in for?”

Unexpectedly, Flavio felt a wry smile slip across his lips at the question. “Teammate teamed up with the Pinkettes and seems to be on a matchmaking frenzy.”

“Dude.” The way Ryker said that, it was filled with nothing but sympathy and empathy.

Despite just how ludicrous everything was, Flavio felt a chuckle of genuine amusement bubble up from his chest. “Yeah.”

“I'd rather deal with Darrell than those girls.”

“They've already got Hrothgar.”

“No one is safe, huh?”

A sharp knock on the door of Lynus and Axel’s room caused the three of them to plunge into a sudden silence. Flavio felt both Macerio and Ryker tense on either side of him, and he found himself briefly wondering just what he had done in life to result in him hiding in a bathroom of someone else’s room. Who did he manage to piss off to get to this point?

“Hello, Darrell,” Lynus was heard greeting after he opened the door.

“Where is he?” a gruff voice asked.

“Who?”

“You know who.”

Ryker grabbed the brim of his hat and pulled it down over his face. “That’s Darrell’s voice,” he muttered.

“I thought you said you're rather deal with Darrell?” Flavio couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Not when I don't have to,” Ryker retorted sharply in response. “He's a decent guy normally, if know-it-all asshole, but he's dangerous when he's in doctor-healer mode.”

He must be if Ryker was desperate enough to climb in through someone’s second story bedroom window and hide in their bathroom.

“Tell that idiot that hiding is only delaying the inevitable,” the voice that must belong to Darrell said sternly. “I will not hesitate to tie him to the bed again.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him that,” Lynus said in a pacifying manner before there was the sound of the door to his room falling shut and the lock engaged.

Well, one down, right?

“How long are we expected to hide here?” Flavio asked as he looked over at the gunner to his side.

“For as long as it takes,” Macerio replied bitterly, but with a strong sense of stubbornness all the same.

Oh, joy…He better find a way out (without it resulting in pure humiliation) before Fafnir came looking for him. That would lead to a different type of embarrassment.

There was another sudden knock at the bedroom door, softer this time, but they all fell into a tense silence nonetheless.

“Are they all hiding in here?” a somewhat familiar voice asked, causing Macerio to perk up and utter a sound of relief. “Binah's helping Hanna in the kitchen, Darrell has been called back to the hospital, and the one named Chloe has wandered back to the restaurant with her guild.”

Macerio abruptly jumped to his feet and threw open the door of the bathroom. And Flavio and Ryker followed, Flavio sheepishly, while Ryker still appeared skittish. Macerio immediately flung his arms around Lirit’s neck, the orange haired troubadour only partly surprised, but patted his back in a sympathetic manner as Macerio mumbled into his shoulder.

“Best make your escapes while you can,” Axel said idly as he flopped himself back down onto his bed.

That sounded like a good idea.

Though, he…was reluctant to tell Fafnir and the others what had transpired here. He certainly wasn’t going to tell Chloe.

Instead of approaching the door like the rest of them, Ryker chose the window. “Good luck, boys,” he said as he gave them a quick salute before he clambered through window and disappeared from view.

…What’s the deal with explorers and windows around here?

As Lirit guided a still skittish Macerio out of the room with an arm around his waist, Lynus turned his attention to Flavio and gave him a soft, but somewhat amused smile.

“Like for me to escort you back to your room?” he unexpectedly asked.

For a moment, Flavio felt indignant. It was bad enough that he had been crash-tackled into Lynus’ room without warning and then forced to hide in his bathroom, but asking the kind medic to actually be his bodyguard to protect him from a small group of pink-haired girls was beyond humiliating. He was a trained survivalist, for heaven’s sake. An explorer and a member of the Midgard Library. He could handle himself. No need to drag Lynus into it.

However...

“J-just for insurance, yeah?”

[no-white-knights-blog]

Halo - An Etrian Odyssey Novel (Chapter 13/50)

Notes: I low-key fail at keeping schedules, I’ve been pretty busy in my real life so I haven’t been near Tumblr in a while, currently there’s a massive forest fire that’s threatening to send my entire town evacuating if it gets any worse, so that’s terrifying, but while I have the time, I’ll post a few chapters of Halo.

~~~~~~~

“Amnesia,” Nirim repeated, watching Vien from the corner of his eyes before focusing his attention back across the table to where Sage was sitting, shoulders hunched a little and a sheepish expression on his face as he poked at the scrambled eggs on his plate.

“That’s right,” Emery clarified, leaning back with a mug of tea in his hands, “He can’t remember much of anything besides being a survivalist.”

“And my older brother,” Sage added, looking down, “Kind of. I don’t remember his name though, and whenever I try to think about him all I see is this blur,” he lifted a hand and rubbed his forehead, “I don’t know if my memory is just messing with me, but I think I remember there being five other people in my old guild, and a beast companion. That’s all, though.”

“It’s good you’re remembering some things,” Dyria offered, “and it’s good those things aren’t scaring you.”

“I guess,” Sage smiled softly, turning his head to look at the protector beside him, “I’m just happy I don’t have to be alone in this.”

Dyria smiled back, and Emery smirked against his mug as the two just stared at each other. Vien had been leaning one elbow against the table, chin sitting in his hand as he fed himself breakfast, but his eyes were now locked on Dyria and Sage, squinted a little like he was confused about something, until he dropped his fork and smacked his hand against the table, jerking to his feet.

“Ahhh!”

Emery leaned off to the side as Dyria and Sage jumped further away from each other and they all looked at Vien in utter confusion.

“What’s wrong with you?!” Iliad demanded, “It’s too early for this!”

“I need to talk to Binah!” Vien said, spinning around and tripping over the bench he’d been sitting on, hitting the floor before scrambling to his feet and straightening his shirt, “I’m fine, that was fine. Binah!” he ran from the room with his guild staring after him, and Nirim slowly turned to Emery.

“Does he do that a lot?”

“More often than you’d think,” Emery admitted, “Though I can’t imagine what happened this time.”

“Who’s Binah?” Nirim asked, and Emery smiled.

“His mini me. She’s a pink haired troubadour who stays here at the inn. When they first met they kind of just clicked, and they hang out a lot. Gossiping and making trouble for explorers. I figure Vien knows more about Lagaard than the rest of us do simply because he spends so much time with that girl.”

Nirim was outright staring at Emery as he talked, before slowly looking away with a hum, “What’s she like?” he asked, and Emery pulled his mug away from his lips to mix around the tea leaves.

“She’s sweet, but I’ve only ever seen her a few times when I went looking for Vien. Haven’t talked to her myself, but I think she’s part of the Guardian’s Guild? Or at least she’s affiliated with them somehow, maybe related to one of them,” he shrugged.

“I heard a bit about that guild while I was at the bar,” Nirim said, looking around the room before his eyes stopped and he nodded, “You can tell which group they are because of their beast companion.”

Sage leaned back in his seat to look, gasping a little, “Oh, it’s the white tiger who was comforting me the other day!” he said, beaming, “Ah, I’m glad he lives here! I can say thank you to him later.”

Dyria bit his fork, his eye twitching as he looked over to the table across the room where the massive beast was lying at the feet of a brown-haired gunner, “That thing…”

“What’s wrong with it?” Iliad asked, and Sage laughed a little.

“He doesn’t like Dyria.”

“I always thought you were good with animals,” Emery said, and Dyria just glared off to the side.

“You’d think.”

“Don’t be rude,” Sage scolded, turning back to his breakfast, and smiling, “The Guardians are really amazing though. It looks like they have a lot of members.”

“Including that annoying fucking gunner,” Iliad grumbled, “Gunners are so pointless, especially when you already have a survivor in the guild. What’s the purpose of having two long range fighters?”

“Excuse me?” Sage arched an eyebrow, and Iliad waved a hand.

“You’re fine, you’re training me.”

“Every explorer in a guild is essential, even if there are doubles of a certain class,” Nirim argued, and Iliad dropped his fork onto his plate before pushing it away, glaring directly at the ronin.

“Gunners are psychopaths. I might be fine with you and Sage joining, but if there ever comes a time where a gunner wants to join us, I’m crossing the line,” he threw his napkin onto the table and stood up before storming away from the table and out of the dining hall.

Sage gaped after him before his eyes fell to Emery, who had a solemn expression on his face as he stared down at his tea, then turned to Dyria, who looked even worse, “H-he didn’t mean that, right?”

“It’s not his fault,” Dyria argued softly, “One of the bandits who raided our home and killed our mother was a gunner. He’s just a little bias is all,” he lifted a hand to rub his eyes, “That whole thing affected him back then, it basically defines him, and I wish I could help somehow, but… I can’t just fix his trauma because I’m his brother. It’s something he has to grow up and deal with on his own. All I can do, all anyone can do, is just be here for him.”

“Well… at least he’s doing better around me, right?” Sage offered, “And he seems at least a little open to Nirim joining us. Even if he is a little bit biased against gunners, I’m sure there’s no way that could get him into any trouble. I mean, we can keep an eye on him, what are the odds a gunner would want to join us anyway? We’re kind of a small and unimportant guild. I’m sure the Guardians get more requests to join than we ever will!”

Dyria dropped his hand from his face and nodded, “Yea,” he smiled at Sage, “Thanks.”

The four of them stood up and started for the door when they were finished with breakfast, but Sage stopped when he felt something soft nudge his hand and looked down, smiling at the large beast companion and crouching down so he could be eye level with the intelligent eyes of the tiger, scratching behind his ear.

“Hello again,” he greeted, and Dyria grumbled.

“Come on, Sage, we should go and plan our next trip into the Labyrinth.”

“You’re just jealous he likes me and not you,” Sage said, sticking his tongue out at the protector before smiling at the tiger, humming when he noticed he had something clamped in his mouth, “What’s this? Did you bring me something?”

The tiger parted his mouth and dropped a few long-stemmed red flowers into his hands, his tail flicking as he looked up at Dyria, who went rigid as Sage awed and held the flowers up, “He brought me flowers!”

Emery nudged Dyria with his elbow, “Bro, you’re losing to a cat.”

“They’re so cute,” Sage laughed, taking one of the flowers and breaking the stem off so he could tuck the flower behind his ear, then hugged the beast companion around the neck, “Thanks so much. Next time I’ll bring you something.”

When he stood up he frowned, looking around in confusion, “Where’d Dyria go?”

Emery shrugged with his hands, looking fully amused, “He was muttering something about stupid cats and flower carts, so I don’t know.”

Sage turned to watched the beast companion trot back over to the table where he’d come from, then smiled at Emery, “Hm, well, we have things to do anyway, don’t we? We can just wait for them to come back,” he held out one of the red flowers, “Want one?”

Emery just covered his face and laughed, shaking his head and turning, “You really have no idea what you do to that man, do you?”

“Hm?” Sage pouted a little, following the medic out of the dining hall and out into the entry of the inn, “What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing,” Emery hummed, “You’ll figure it out.”

“I wouldn’t have to if you told me yourself,” Sage pointed, and Emery shrugged, his smile falling when the front doors opened.

A rough looking explorer was standing in the threshold, a rather glazed and drunk look in his blue eyes as they panned around the entry expectantly. His hair was brown, but he wasn’t wearing any armor that could easily define which explorer class he was.

When his eyes fell on Sage they widened and he stalked forward, grabbing the protector by his shoulders and squeezing enough to make him squeak a little as he pushed himself right into Sage’s face, “I found you! Finally!”

“H-huh?”

~

Loud noises like slamming doors always made Iliad jump, because they reminded him of the gunshot that made his mother fall back, coughing blood as his father ran forward to help her while she struggled to speak, eyes on Iliad as she yelled at him to run and hide. He didn’t, not for a long time, he just stood there and watched as the bandit with the gun stepped further into the room and hit his father, knocking him away for his companions to deal with as he aimed down at the female protector and pulled the trigger three more times.

Iliad only ran when the gunner’s dark eyes raised to him, heading for the barn so he could hide in the giant pile of hay to wait for Dyria. It was the sound of a gun that made him fall forward and cover his head, even though he didn’t get shot, he was too scared to move, and the group of bandits bared down on him with leering faces and flying fists.

Damn it, he hated it, all the nightmares he pretended never happened, feeling like he had to act tough and unafraid when someone started yelling pointlessly or slamming glasses and doors, the loud boisterous laughter that made his head ache from the memories, bad enough that he had to tangle his fingers through his hair and yank on the black locks, eyes pinched closed as he willed everything back to the lowest depths of his memories so he could focus on something else.

He had to get out of the inn after that conversation, so he just left for a walk, scuffing his shoes against the cobbled ground as he made his way down the streets towards the center of town where he knew a pretty fountain was set up. It was normally vacant and quiet, as most of the citizens were either at the bar or park, so Iliad felt relaxed enough to go alone, dipping his hand into the cool water that was being spewed from the mouth of a koi fish.

A few minutes here and he would be calm enough to return to the inn, completely pretending as if the conversation about gunners hadn’t even taken place, hiding all of that and just going back to the way he normally was. It wasn’t his fault, really. Gunners were just psychopaths. Why… why would anyone do that to someone…

Iliad turned away from the fountain when his heart rate was back to normal, stepping away to head back to the inn, but a sudden call had him pausing and rolling his head to the side in curiosity, going rigid when his gaze fell on the explorer stalking towards him. He was decently tall with dirty blond hair and dark red eyes, and he was dressed in the common gunner gear, which is precisely why Iliad scowled before turning away to walk off.

“Hey, hold up!” the gunner called before starting to run, grabbing Iliad by his arm when he was close enough and pulling him to a stop, “You’re a survivalist!”

Iliad cringed and snarled up at him, “So?”

“You should fight me!”

[binah-beloved]

Idea I got after reading the Abno!Binah post: Sometimes, for one specific agent (you), the work has an even higher chance of a good result, and rarely even DECREASES the meltdown meter. In addition, if the Abnormality's favored agent is in danger, the odds of a breach go up sharply until said agent is safe, with actual breaches caused by this tending to result in the Abnormality fighting against whatever caused the agent to be injured. "And so the bird vowed she would protect the traveler, and wished they could understand."

a breach from this new Abnormality always ends in carnage. there's little in regards to safety or the reduction of collateral damage, and almost always at least half of a department ends up dead. yet you've lived through every one of this Abnormality's breaches, no worse for wear. anything potentially and actively harming you is crushed into a stain of viscera on the floor instead. the creature never stops until the surrounding area is quiet, just it and you and perhaps a terrified coworker or two. it looks at you, afterwards. after it has exhausted the seeming crave for slaughter and blood. without a sound the Abnormality turns away and walks back to the containment unit, allowing the agents to seal it off from the rest of the world with no complaint, only a faint sense of satisfaction

that's if you're uninjured

otherwise it crouches to be closer, examining the cuts and bruises littering your skin. its head jerks in a shake as black wings abruptly wrap around and cocoon you away from anything that could cause you further harm. it's warm amidst the feathers. hundreds of golden eyes blink silently at you, wide and watching and peaceful but slightly frantic. the beast's claws run over your head, petting your hair and attempting to lull you to sleep. it's easy, after all. here is comfortable, safe, as it makes soft coos to you that no one else can hear, detached from anything and everything else. the Abnormality's feathers rustle slightly when you finally do drift off, in her arms, where you're supposed to be

you wake up, and always, your wounds are gone and healed

[binah-beloved]

Distorting reader x Binah because reader is just so done with having to keep fighting people in the library that's probably way out of their known calibre (to themselves) to fight. (They can win, just that it's a fear of death and people who are supposed to be much more powerful than them) :> (probably a lot of self doubt on reader's part)

Please please please please please please please please please please please please

Binah first faces you with her nerves steeled and expression calm, the warmth she feels for you carefully concealed and packaged away in favor of her usual methodical battle prowess. this wasn't a time to get emotional- no, her first priority was to calm you down, to pull you away from the clutches of your Distortion. she does not permit any assistant librarians to join her. this fight is hers alone, as she clashes and flicks her fingers, sending chains and fairies towards you, and finally, like always, she stands and observes your chained, corrupted form

not strong enough.

she hears your monologue with a blink, the words despairing and forlorn

not good enough. can't fight.

her breath catches slightly as the blood in her veins begins to chill

can't protect them. can't protect her. death and pain- hurts, hurts hurts-

Binah's dark eyes shine, a single tear sliding down her cheek as she walks over and embraces you- horrifying, distorted, suffering you- and you don't resist. instead you collapse into her arms, the Patron Librarian of Philosophy unperturbed by the sudden weight as she holds you and whispers, soft murmurs of comfort, reassurance, longing- anything, flowing from her lips

when she looks up again, she's cradling a quiet, unconscious body, flecks of blood rimming your wrists where she had to chain you, and Binah simply holds you close to her, shielding you from everything and everyone that would even think of causing you pain

you're getting a week's rest, at least.

[binah-beloved]

Binah loves it if you're physically soft. it's such a contrast from her own cold, toned body, and a wonderful one in her eyes. softness makes you warm and comfortable, all that much better to hug and pull close to her chest. she can still pick you up no matter what. being an ex-Arbiter doesn't mean she's weak by any means. she enjoys lightly squishing or laying on top of you, using you as a soft pillow, or tugging you onto her lap and idly kneading her hands against your shoulders. softness is something Binah has little of, so she loves that you're the way that you are, no matter what, as you already bring such light and happiness to her life.

this applies to Queequeg too. and Outis for good measure because i like her.

[binah-beloved]

do you think warp corp would give their employees the privilege of first-class seats to spare them? It seems that the employees already knows how it really operates, but maybe warp corp simply doesn't care and puts them into the main cabins anyways

the employees would simply avoid the train at all costs, W Corp assumes that they know already. so Binah sits in the normal cabin when she boards after you, already preparing for the ordeal ahead. she splits her two blades- one for her, one for you- and for the first several years you live that way, together, always by each other's side. she comforts you, when your head aches and you feel like dying, having always been good at keeping her wits about her. early on she begins to hug you, wrapping her arms around you and pressing her weight against yours, and it grounds you to reality. you also comfort her, seeing the way minute trembles of exhaustion run through her body, invisible to everyone else. your hand slips into hers, fingers brushing against her cheek as Binah lets out a soft, weary sigh, and you hold each other

you hold each other when the others start going mad, Binah's hands covering your ears and blocking out the screams and laughter. you hold each other when another passenger skewers Binah's shoulder with a blade, patching up the wound amidst your gentle touch and her quiet, grateful thanks. you hold each other when you lose an arm, Binah reassuring you that it will be reattached when everything ends, her voice steady and soothing as always

and you don't stop holding each other, when 1000 years becomes a mere few seconds, your bodies and minds restored as you look across the station and find each other again

[binah-beloved]

(lor good ending spoilers below)

after the final reception ends with the hrad's enforcers leaving, and the library is banished to the outskirts, you immediately rush to Binah's side to tend to her injuries and comfort her. after all, she'd done the same for you after every prior reception you handled

oh, you're terrified.

see, this is the first time you've seen her truly injured. she's told you about her first near-death experience, the almost imperceptible stiffness on her shoulders lost on everyone but you. you had merely given her hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance, watching her slowly exhale and give you a subtle smile. her hand is elegant and strong and covered in scars of all sizes, and she laces her fingers with yours in a firm, unbreakable grip

but now, now when you see her bleeding and unsteady on her feet and still looking at you with that small, soft smile, your heart shatters like glass and you rush over to support her, as she's done so many times for you. Binah chuckles, breath coming out short and clipped as you help her sit on the floor, her hand raising slowly to cup your cheek and wipe away tears you hadn't even noticed

"Hush, birdie. It'll be alright."

you sob and cling to her, unable to stop staring at the wounds inflicted by that other Arbiter, the one with short hair and an unbearably smug smile, carefully wrapping them in gauze as you would for any other employee. Binah merely sighs, somehow content, leaning her forehead against yours. she insists on tucking you in her cloak so she can wrap an arm around your shoulders, hugging you close with a gentle murmur and a kiss on your cheek. you're finally away from that wretched City, that horrid district, together