#tempt me pet

[sirrentxt]

Something about Luis leaning into Virgin Mary more than Jesus and God himself. Something about her being associated with holiness, hope, conversion of a sinner and motherly love.

His mother, absent; a memory, a tale, not so different from the knights and the dragons, save for the things that—Grandfather claims—carry the imprint of her fingers, the things that had the pleasure to witness the gentleness of her hand, years past. To Luis, she's family, familiar, a stranger, a ghost; a blurry figure in the eye of his mind. No pictures, no paintings, just his Grandfather's words: you have her eyes.

Luis being taught that, even if they say otherwise, God's love is conditional; but having Grandfather, more so than the Priest, be the source of information about Holy Mary. And never having Grandfather imply that her love is conditional. Luis believing that even if he's abandoned by God and His son, the Mother will be there for him.

Grandfather telling little Luis that his mom is watching over him alongside the Holy Mother. That even when mom can't watch over him, Mother Mary can, and she does, and she always will.

Her love isn’t religious, in his eyes. It’s purely motherly.

You can't love her more than Jesus did, Grandfather says to him one day, in passing. Luis thinks it a challenge, and loves her even more.

The drastic difference between God (Father; Allfather, paternal, proud, unreachable, mighty. God give me strength and God bless and God be with you. Conditional love; hate for the sinner. The one to exile, condemn, abandon) and Virgin Mary (Mother; maternal, gentle, caretaker. Present in households, a symbol of hope, protector of hearth. Unconditional love, no matter the weight of the sin, no matter what happens—watching over her children)

Luis' life, where God exists mainly in the church, in the prayer, in the concept—but Mother Mary is present, and in every house; somehow, or more so, even in his house, the house where no mother reaches out to her for strength and guidance, for protection from evil, because there is only two of them here; he and Grandfather.

In this house, she fills in the blanks.

When he's older and push comes to shove, it's not God or Jesus that he keeps close to his heart. When he thinks himself a sinner, a lost lamb, when the gifted cross no longer gleams around his neck, resting instead in a dusty drawer under ink-stained notes—it's the silhouette of Holy Mary that keeps him company, engraved on a ring he got, in a subtle reach for faith, off a man at the flea market. It's Holy Mary's image that he turns towards the wall on the nights when men pass through his sheets. It's her that sits patiently in the back of his mind, the corner of his kitchen, even though no prayer leaves his lips, other than the sinful ones he doesn't dare repeat in the light of day—they're not for the ears of the Mother, and they're not for the ears of God.

He might be His child, and still he picks Mother over Father.

pet project: meta // luis, on holy mary

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

beautiful women named "Flash Flood Warning" and "Severe Weather Alert" are contacting me <3

[unholyglitch404]

Y'know, there's literally no situation where "feminine products" is a better alternative than just labeling the period section either "menstruation products" or "period products", and I'm tired of pretending this game of dodgeball is even remotely rational.

[sysig]

Bunnies and piggies (Patreon)

[lexithwrites]

james x regulus - club confession that no one asked for

Not being able to touch him was torture. It had been for years, but some reason at this very moment, in that club, it was worse than ever. James wasn’t sure if it was because Regulus was sitting directly across from him so he could look into his eyes whenever he glanced around, or the eyeshadow he had on that made him look even more beautiful, or the insanely tight jeans he knew Dorcas had forced him into. Whatever the reason, it was killing James. He could barely stand to look at him because he was worried everyone else would see the lust pouring off of him. James typically tried to hide his infatuation for Regulus, mostly for Sirius’ sake. He didn’t think his best friend would kill him exactly, but he doubted he’d be overjoyed. It was his little brother, after all. He had every right to be protective over him, even with James.

“Want another?” Evan nudged James’s arm and he glanced up. “Day dreaming?” He grinned.

“Fuck, sorry. Yeah, sure. Thanks mate.” He smiled up at Evan as he collected a few glasses and stepped out of the booth. Barty quickly followed, as he always did, and everyone thanked them for the round they were sure to bring back. “Hey, you wanna dance?” James leaned over to the girls who had snuggled up in the middle of the booth together. 

“Yeah!” Pandora beamed and took James’ hand, tugging him out. “Come on.” She nodded at the other girls eagerly and it wasn’t like they were going to pass up the opportunity to dance. “Everything okay?” Panda tilted her head up at James and he shrugged. “You looked a little far away.”

“Just been thinking, that’s all.”

“Don’t hurt yourself.” Lily teased and he pulled a face at her. “Is everything alright, though? You’re not usually this quiet.”

“I just…I wanna tell him.” James sighed and the girls stopped just short of the dancefloor. “Is that bad?”

“No!” Mary quickly jumped in as Marlene and Dorcas joined them in their little circle. “I think it’s very brave, Jam. Just…how are you gonna do it?”

James snorted. “No fuckin’ clue. Should I even be telling Reg? I should be going to Sirius first, right?”

“What, like getting his blessing?” Marlene smirked and James rolled his eyes. “It’s what it sounds like.”

“I think it might be a good thing to talk to Sirius but…” Dorcas rubbed James’ arm. “Don’t treat it like you’re asking for his permission. Regulus will hate that.” She had a point. James didn’t want to be doing anything behind Regulus’s back, after all. “Talk to him first, because at the end of the day it’s between you two. No one else.”

James sighed, briefly looking over his shoulder at their table and seeing Regulus looking right back at him. He swallowed. Dorcas seemed to notice and she squeezed his arm, a sign of comfort. “Do you want to ask him to dance instead, hon?”

“I don’t think I’m that brave, Cass.” 

“Sure you are.” She shrugged, then turned to the girls. “We’re gonna go to the other side of the dancefloor and you, sir, are gonna go talk to him. Or dance with him—”

“—or makeout with him.” Marlene interjected and her girlfriend playfully tugged on her shirt. 

“Just go, James.” Dorcas laughed and she kissed his cheek for good luck, the girls all heading away from him. James smiled at them all and turned back around. He could feel the bass reverberate through his whole body as everything seemed to move in slow motion around him. Just ask him, what’s the worst that can happen? 

Regulus put his drink down when James came back and he cocked his head to the side. “Already fed up with dancing?” He asked. 

James licked his lips. “Actually, Reg—”

“Drinks, drinks, drinks!” Barty chanted, slamming a glass down in front of each of the boys with a wicked grin. “I’m gonna go shag Evan in the toilets so no one come in, alright?”

“Barty, that’s disgusting. You’re in public.” Regulus scoffed. 

His best friend shrugged. “Fine, maybe just a handjob. Ev probably wouldn’t wanna get his knees dirty anyway.” He winked and clapped James on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you two alone, then.” When Evan wasn’t carrying a tray of drinks, Barty tugged him away, and James cleared his throat. 

“Is he always like that?”

“Unfortunately.” Regulus smiled a little fondly and James’ chest ached. “Since we’re on the subject of shagging, have you seen Remus and my brother? They wandered off after you and the girls did.” James looked around and shook his head. “Great. Everyone’s just…having a great time.” Regulus sat back and took a long swig of his drink and James took a selfish moment just to watch the way his adams apple bobbed when he swallowed.

He wanted to lick it. Christ, Potter. 

“Everything alright?” He slid in beside Regulus and picked up a glass that he assumed was his—rum and coke, double—and took a sip. Yep, definitely a double. 

“I’m fine. Go dance.” 

“No, I—I don’t wanna dance right now.”

Regulus raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “You seemed pretty eager a minute ago.” James sighed and rubbed his face. “You don’t have to sit here with me because you feel sorry for me—”

“I don’t.” James said quickly and Regulus finally looked at him. “I want to sit with you. So, can you please tell me what’s wrong? I wanna help.” He always wanted to help. 

Regulus didn’t say anything for a moment, just looked deep into James’ eyes. So much so that James started to feel a little shy. No one looked at him like that, just Regulus. 

“I’m mad because everyone has someone.” He finally said and James frowned. 

“What do you mean?”

“Remus has Sirius. Evan has Barty. Dorcas has Marlene. Don’t even get me started on whatever Mary, Lily and Panda are because I have no clue. I don’t ask questions.” James had actually been rather curious about that himself. He had noticed the little touches and smiles and looks the three of them were giving each other. Did that mean anything? “It’s just very suffocating sometimes. To be surrounded by couples when you’re not in one yourself.”

James smiled. “Well, it’s not like I’m in one. Just as single as you.” 

“Oh, thanks.”

Shit. “I didn’t mean—”

“Why are you single, James?” Regulus blurted out, making him go still. “You could have anyone in this club and you know it. So why don’t you ever hook up with anyone when we go out?” 

James' mouth suddenly felt very dry and he grabbed his drink. “I don’t know.”

“Bullshit.”

“Why am I on trial for not seeing someone?”

Regulus sighed. “You’re not, I just don’t understand why you’re wasting your time.” He looked down and James tried to follow his gaze. He looked sad. 

“I didn’t realize I was.” James replied. For a while, Regulus didn’t say anything, and the two sat there in silence with the music thumping around them. James wondered if he’d said the wrong thing, or if he should have even come over at all. It seemed like he was just constantly bothering Regulus every time they were alone and he hated it. He didn’t want to be thought of as a bother, especially not by Regulus. 

Eventually, when Regulus did look up, his face was something unreadable. “You think I don’t see the way you look at me, Jamie?” 

James had never felt his heart skip a beat before, not once in his whole life, but he felt it then. Jamie. No one had ever called him that before. It sounded good coming from Regulus, rolling off of his tongue. It sounded sweet…sexy. James cleared his throat.

“Look at you?”

Regulus scoffed. “Don’t act dumb. You’re not dumb. I see, James. I see everything. And I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at me and you’re just…why are you wasting your time?” 

Oh, that stung. 

James rubbed his thighs and let out a sad, defeated laugh. “I think I should go. I’ll stop wasting your time.” As he began to get up, he felt a hand suddenly grip his bicep and James looked down to see Regulus with a completely different expression this time. He looked desperate, almost regretful. “Reg—”

“I meant—fuck, I meant you could be with so many other people, why—” Regulus must have realised how hard he was holding onto James’ shirt and he pulled his hand back. Then it hit him. 

“You think me liking you is wasting my time…because what, you don’t think you’re good enough?” James asked incredulously. “Regulus,” he sunk back into the booth and turned serious, “I’ve liked you for years, I mean Christ, I’ve never even thought about anyone else. It’s actually embarrassing. And all the others, they—”

“Everyone else knows?” Regulus interrupted and James bit his lip.

“Uh…maybe?” Regulus paused and then he started giggling. Fucking giggling. James could have kissed him. “Don’t laugh!”

“I’m not, not at you, it’s just…I thought everyone knew I liked you.” James’ eyes went wide and he blinked in disbelief. 

“You like me back?” 

Regulus rolled his eyes. “Don’t make me say it again. Obviously I do, James. Obviously I do.”

“It wasn’t obvious to me.”

“Then you’re very unobservant aren’t you?” Regulus raised an eyebrow and James wondered if he meant that as challengingly as it came across. “You really haven’t seen how I act around you?”

“And how is that?” James moved a little closer to him across the seat. Regulus noticed that; he swallowed. “What, no comebacks? No insults?”

“I’m not going to insult you.” 

“You usually do. You love it.”

Regulus smiled. “If it’s deserved. You are an idiot for not knowing, though.”

“There he is.” James smiled back at him and the two just looked at each other. They were quite content doing it; no words needed to be exchanged. And then James could have sworn he saw Regulus’ eyes flicker down. “Regulus—”

“I can’t stop thinking about you.” Was his choked out response and James wanted to touch him so bad it hurt. “I…wanted to stop. You’re Sirius’ best friend and I didn’t want to make everything weird but I can’t…James, I can’t stop.”

“Hey,” James cupped Regulus’ cheek and the other boy’s lashes fluttered. Jesus. “I can’t either. I haven’t for so long and I don’t want things to be weird either, but, if we both like each other…it doesn’t have to be weird. It can just be us.” 

Regulus slowly nodded. “You look really good tonight.” He touched the shirt James had on—some silk maroon thing that Remus had lying around, he’d give it back eventually—and his smile grew. “It’s like you’re trying to torture me.”

“It’s how I’ve felt all night, too.” James laughed and he put his forehead to Regulus’s. For another moment, neither spoke, but then James felt a hand on his thigh and his breath hitched. “Reggie—”

“I’m not good with being in public like this.” He said softly and his breath made James shiver the moment it hit his cheek. “I wish…we were somewhere else right now.”

“We could be.” James said without thinking and something shifted between them. It was different, and they both knew it. James swallowed as Regulus looked into his eyes with that piercing gaze that melted him inside and out, and he nudged their noses together. “If…only if you want.”

“I want.” Regulus breathed. “Jamie—”

“God, the way you say that—” James nearly whimpered; it was almost pathetic if it didn’t get the reaction it did out of Regulus. The other boy stared at him and then he finally, finally, closed the distance between them. 

Regulus kissed like he was desperate, struggling for air and James was oxygen. He kissed hungrily, greedily, and seemed to forget that they were in public. James loved it. He felt addicted the second their lips touched and he grabbed Regulus by the back of the head and by his waist so he could tug him closer, closer, closer. If that was even possible. He’d have him in his lap if he wasn’t sure Regulus would stop him. Maybe he could if they were alone. He moaned into Regulus’ mouth at that and tilted his head so he could trace over Regulus’ lower lip with his tongue. He wanted to taste every inch of him and savor it, devour it. He wanted Regulus all to himself, now. No one else in this club was going to touch him, or James would break their hands. 

Eventually, Regulus pulled back so he could breath and he squeezed his eyes shut to try and gain some ounce of control. When he looked at James again, he looked hungry, and James rubbed his hip. 

“Come home with me.” James whispered, lips brushing against Regulus’ cheek. “I can talk to Sirius, he can just deal with it.”

Regulus let out a breathy laugh. “Is that so? You suddenly took charge.”

“Right now, I don’t care about anything but you.” James admitted. “I just…fuck, Reg, I’m dying here.”

“Why?” Regulus bravely touched James' inner thigh and he watched James shudder. “Oh, love. You really are desperate, aren’t you?”

“You’re evil.”

“Not to you.” Regulus shook his head. “I’ll be so good to you, James. Just like you’ll be to me, won’t you?” James nodded his head. He’d crawl across this club floor if Regulus asked him to right now. He was under his control, his command, and god did he love it.

“Can we please go home?” James whined and Regulus grinned, looking wicked. He’d won. 

“Who's going to tell my brother? Or the others? They’ll get worried.”

James snorted. “I think they’ll know exactly what we’re doing.” But Regulus still took out his phone and texted someone, presumably Pandora, before grabbing his drink and downing it in two gulps. “We’re really going?”

“You’re not getting out that easily.” Regulus smirked and he stood up. James hated how far away he felt and he stumbled to his feet after him. “You’re like a puppy.” Regulus teased him, sliding a hand down to intertwine with James’.

“I can bark for you, if you like.”

“Please don’t. I’m not into that kind of roleplay.”

James’ eyebrows shot up. “What roleplay are you into?”

“Just shut up and take me home.”

[anarcho-masochist]

The practicality of having a stable income vs my desire to do nothing but read and write

[soilem]

sometimes i wonder what it is that makes my day so much better when i see a cat…

[risingsunresistance]

i love jerry being mayor

[skeletalheartattack]

do you have any pets in your life (don't have to be yours i just wanna see aminals..) :0

hi jack :) can you watch this while i go smoke

[antisocialxconstruct]

oh NO.......... there are vintage long snout puppies 😨

noooooo look at them they're so cute 😭😭😭 look at the mom and her big gentle brown eyes!!!!

[mbat]

i dont like talking about when im making something while im making it because i feel like it ends up making me put pressure on myself to then put said thing out into the world as a finished project and for it to be worthy of being put out into the world

but thats stupid because i make it entirely for me and its always so self indulgent and it doesnt matter if its good or not lol

and anyway all this to say im finally writing something again and its so self indulgent and its so fun and it feels great

like instead of dragging my feet and getting distracted im looking up at the clock like 'ah fuck, how has that much time passed? what do you mean i need to get off and sleep?'

its such a relief. i feel like something keeps stopping me from just making things these last few years, so when i finally do, i feel like i can actually breathe. my hands were made to create, and i feel it every time i finally do.

[puppyboycy]

Bad news folks: local puppy boy rumored to be in heat cant touch his drippy boy cunt right this second

[malleleothreesome]

i wish i could have a silly little day on tumblr but I have to read my 80 page HOA document to see if the boomer condominium overlords will ALLOW me to get my new dishwasher (that i bought on black friday like a true, miserable adult marching towards death) DELIVERED AND INSTALLED on the 23rd as expected or if I have to cancel the delivery because there are too many rules for me to abide by and my soul is simply too tired to jump through the necessary hoops to comply.

[bhaalsdeepbat]

Astarion refers to the other spawn he intends to create as his children and I personally HC it more like his consort spawn eventually plays the role of brood mother to whoever the favored "children" are for eternity. like they recreate a fucked up family unit. romanced player and the children have to compete for scraps while he spoils whoever his romance partner is. and the cruelty of it is that Astarion's consort has all the gifts to be in the sun, but Astarion now wants an eternal night for all of the children he intends to make (and force to live in the shadows).

[teecupangel]

Once upon a time in the quaint village, there lived a young mail courier. He was known for his unwavering dedication to his job, delivering letters and packages with a smile to every doorstep. One day, an urgent message arrived at the village, instructing him to embark on a long journey to a distant town where a crucial post office awaited.

The mail he carried was no ordinary mail; it held the hopes and dreams of the villagers, connecting loved ones and spreading joy. The journey to the post office was not an easy one, as it spanned through vast meadows, dense forests, and treacherous mountains. However, he was determined to fulfill his duty, knowing that the letters in his bag held significant meaning to the recipients.

With a firm resolve, he bid farewell to his family and set off at the crack of dawn, his loyal horse carrying him through the countryside. Along the way, the courier encountered various challenges, from wild storms that soaked him to the bone to a broken bridge that forced him to find an alternative path.

As the days turned into weeks, he faced moments of doubt, but he never faltered. The thought of the smiles on people's faces when they received their letters and packages kept him going. Each night, he would rest under the starlit sky, reading letters from his own family for encouragement.

On his journey, he met fellow travelers who shared their own tales of hope and love, making him realize the profound impact his job had on connecting people's lives. With newfound determination, he pressed on, even through the darkest of nights and the coldest of days.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the sight of the town appeared on the horizon. Exhausted but elated, the courier and his horse made their way through the bustling streets, guided by the townsfolk who welcomed them warmly.

The post office in the town was a grand building with ornate architecture, a symbol of communication and unity. As he entered, he handed over the carefully protected mail, knowing the importance of each letter entrusted to him. The postmaster was grateful for his perseverance and dedication, acknowledging the role he played in bringing happiness to so many.

In one of the letters is said: "what would happen if Desmond can turn into Eren's founding Titan form? Doesn't have to be an aot au. I bet it would be very funny lmao XD"

Alright, let’s talk about how we can do this. So we’ll give Desmond the Founding Titan’s powers but keep him in the AC world. (unless someone wants an AOT AU or a Desmond get isekai’ed to the AOT world AU)

So, first, let’s clarify what the Founding Titan’s powers would be now that there’s actually no… you know… Titan in AC (have spoilers for AOT, I guess):

The Founding Titan can create and control other Titans who are Subjects of Ymir. In this idea, you might think that means Desmond should be able to control those with Isu blood but I suggest a different idea: Desmond would be able to control humans in general but the more Isu blood one has, the harder it is to control them. (We’ll get to why we’re changing it this way in a bit). As for the creation part, since we’re not giving Desmond the ability to create Titan (I mean, we could), we’ll make him able to create ‘monsters’ instead. To be more specific: he can manipulate human genes and change them to whatever he liked, although it might be easier for him to change them lightly (like perhaps giving them the ability to access Eagle Vision) or to keep them more human-like (like say… a minotaur or a gorgon or a werewolf… if you catch my drift). This will also be the equivalent of the Founding Titan’s ability to change the body of the Subjects of Ymir (which, when you think about it, Titan creation is a subset of this ability anyway).

The Founding Titan can manipulate memories of the Subjects of Ymir. This means Desmond would be able to change or add or even remove memories of humans, even going as far as give them fake memories if need be.

The Founding Titan can telepathically communicate with Subjects of Ymir so I guess we’re giving Desmond telepathy as well.

The Founding Titan has the ability can influence the past in some way but it cannot completely change the past. It’s a bit complicated so we’ll set this up different with Desmond using one specific device: The Animus.

Of course the Founding Titan can only be used completely by those with royal blood so we’re making Desmond’s Isu ancestor be one of the Titan children of Gaia and Uranus. We actually have two main candidates: Iapetus whose sons were called mankind’s ancestors and we’ll translate it to Iapetus’ children being one of the Isus who helped humans during the war, turning their backs against their fellow Isus. Perhaps one of Adam and Eve’s children would marry one of Iapetus’ sons in this scenario. Another candidate is Hyperion who fathered the three children and lights of the heaven: Helios, Selene and Eos. Of course, we’ll pick Helios as Desmond’s ancestor to further twist the knife of Desmond dying from the solar flare or, if you want to be kind to him, we’ll give him Eos as a symbol of an upcoming dawn.

Now that’s done, we’ll talk about why those abilities might sound familiar…

They’re all ‘powers’ that Kassandra actually sees during her travels. To be more specific, she encountered mystical beings being controlled by Isu artifacts (that may or may not be Apple, we’re not completely certain that the Apple was able to change them or if they’re being used to simply control them after their change, the human experiments of Juno and Aita in Atlantis would point at the latter) which means that Desmond’s Founding Titan powers are powers that Juno and Aita were trying to recreate.

This is why Desmond’s Isu ancestor being Iapetus makes more sense because all of his powers are to subjugate and control humans, not Isus.

And then we come to the power to change the past which isn’t something that Desmond could actually do until he comes in contact with the Animus.

To be more exact, the Animus used by Vidic still holds the POE that he had used to develop the Animus in the first place because it was the prototype. The POE reacted to his Founding abilities that had been dormant until he got into the Animus.

And this is how Desmond would be able to change the past.

By connecting to his own genes, he’s able to contact and even control to a certain degree the actions of the people who share the same Iapetus genes as him.

However, we come to a certain… shall we say ‘snag’ in this idea.

Because Desmond has two different bloodlines that, as far as we know, does not intersect.

Altaïr’s bloodline that comes from his mother and the Auditore-Kenway bloodline that came from William Miles.

This means that we have to choose who would carry the Iapetus bloodline. Of course, it’s me, so you know I’m going to suggest Altaïr but I have another reason other than the fact that I will always choose Altaïr given a choice.

Altaïr is someone willing to make a deal with Desmond in exchange for the safety and happiness of his family. Once Desmond learned of the truth of Altaïr’s future, he could use the Founding Titan’s power to contact Altaïr and to help him change the past in exchange to being Desmond’s ‘prophet’. Using the Founding Titan’s ability to change human composition, Desmond could change Altaïr to be immortal until all their work is finish and Altaïr would agree to it. Desmond’s connection to Altaïr would give Desmond a direct way to change the past, slowly unraveling the entire road that the Isus wished him to walk.

The path that would end with a noose tied to his neck as the sun burns him away.

And, of course, we have the Founder Ymir being the ‘helper’ of the one who holds the Founding Titan.

And who else will we pick but the Reader?

The Reader who can see the past, present and future thanks to the Calculations but unable to change anything without a ‘master’ to command him.

And the truth was…

The Reader was able to tweak it.

There was a split second when Desmond Miles was able to use his Founding Titan powers.

But it wasn’t when he was first put in the Animus.

No.

It was when he used the device in the Grand Temple to save the world.

In that split second…

The Reader used that time to manipulate Desmond to making him order him.

“I want to live.”

“I don’t want to die.”

“Please… someone… save me.”

He used Desmond’s desperation to live to set everything into motion. He changed the past just enough for Vidic to make the prototype have the POE, making him believe this was the best way to get clearer and more stable memories.

And from that…

The Reader set the third loop.

.

.

Just to clarify:

The first loop: AC canon with the Reader coming to existence

The second loop: Desmond Miles manages to awaken his Founding Titan power when he’s about to die and the Reader used that to change just enough things to make the third loop.

The third loop: the current loop with Desmond awakening his Founding Titan power during his first Animus session and, later on, making a deal with Altaïr to change the past using Altaïr as his ‘spokesperson’.

==== For the Alchemist Section ====

The mail courier’s perseverance traveled as far as his mail and it was now up to the local courier to make sure it arrived in its proper destination safe and sound.

Their little village rarely received mails before the alchemist took residence in the abandoned house up the hill and it had become part of his daily job to bring new mails and take the alchemist’s daily shipment but…

Things had been hectic around these parts. Harvest season was upon them and they had been so busy these past three months because of it. He knew that the mails were being delivered much later than usual but they haven’t heard a complaint just yet which was nice, especially with the heavy rainfall they’ve been getting lately. Everyone was quite worried for their corps.

Still, it was up to him to make sure he was able to deliver the ones that do manage to get to their village and send the ones the alchemist was able to finish in the midst of them helping with the preparations for harvest season.

But…

The chimney’s smoke was red.

The kind of red that reminded him of blood.

The alchemist made the weirdest things whenever they feel like it. The moving clay doll last month was one of them.

So…

He took a deep breath and prepared to knock on the door-

Only to gasp when he smelled the smoke.

It was because he was too close to the house. Even if the smoke was coming out of the chimney and dispersing into the air, it was still quite close.

His body…

… feels so hot right now.

He fell on his knees and began to pant, the heat seemingly coiling all over his body distracting him from the creaking sound the front door always make.

Then…

He felt cold air hit him like a puff of smoke.

And the heat disappeared.

Leaving only embarrassment with the way his body had reacted.

It was like…

“Sorry about that.”

He raised his head and…

… came face to face with a complete hazmat suit that covered the alchemist from head to toe. The only reason why he even know it was the alchemist because of the white and red butterfly brooch that they had always worn, now adorning the helmet of their hazmat suit like it was a hairpin.

“It would be better if you stay by the fence and shout instead. I’ll take my mail and give you my deliveries instead.”

The alchemist made a motion with their hand and he weakly stood, using his courier standard bag to hide his shame as he handed the alchemist the mails he had received today.

“Uuuhh… is it…” He looked behind the alchemist and the entire house looked alright from what he could see.

“It’s just for this week. This week’s…” The alchemist paused for a moment before adding, “… No. Next Monday’s quite special, I suppose.”

“Oh?”

“I’ll have this done later this evening. Please come back by then instead.” The alchemist requested and he nodded.

“Alright. I’ll see you later then.”

With that said, the alchemist closed the door, leaving the courier unable to ask…

If they actually did not see his shame or if…

They simply didn’t care?