#the thought of those chains dangling has me ready to jump through the roof while in a spread eagle pose for him

[justaaveragereader]

YALL I GOT SOME VERY INAPPROPRIATE TO SAY😀 ! When I say I want him to chew on me like a piece of bubble gum with that grill in, I’m talking Hubba Bubba, Double Mint, Juicy Fruit. Y’all hear👂🏼 the sound of that..? THE SOUND OF ANOTHER DAY GOING BY WHERE PARK SEONGHWA IS BIAS WRECKING ME.

[jinxthequeergirl]

The new hero on the block (pt.1)

Peter Parker x reader (mentor! Doctor strange x student! Reader)

Summary: you never really looked up to any hero growing up until two specific hero's changed that

Warning: none

Note: ok imma be straight up with you guys this is the written version of a comic sorta thing for my spidersona so is this going to suck? Yes! Am I gonna regret writing this series? Hell yes! Am I praying this goes well. Yup! So enjoy!?

~~~~~~

Living in New York was something you didn't really enjoy as much as you did when you where younger.

Though things where easier back then. You didn't have to worry about much as you did now.

You huffed and pulled yourself onto the top of the building putting those thoughts aside and looking at the shorter building below.

You pulled a grappling hook from your bag and swung it onto the ledge of the building and pulling it securly in place.

You pulled your hood over your head along with your cheap smiley face mask over your face. Though the bright yellow color was faded by now along with the upwards smile you recently went over it with a perminate marker going over the eyes and marking the smiley face a frown.

You pulled your bag over your shoulder before grabbing the rope and leaping off the edge swinging yourself to the building. You planted your feet firmly on the side of the building next to the window and pulled yourself up the rope to reach the window better.

Hey what you up to?

You looked at the message that poped up on the screen of you phone from Peter.

Nothing much! You?

You tucked your phone back into your coat pocket and set work opening the window.

It opened with a solid click and you pushed it open and stepped inside softly.

Your phone went off in your pocket again and you crouched down to read it.

Not much either...hey I was wondering if when I was finished with the internship tonight you wanna grab something to eat?

You smiled at your phone and hovered your fingers above the key pad ready to respond until a loud sound caught your attention.

You shut your phone off and dove behind a large case. The lights came on momentarily causing you to cring.

There where heavy footsteps from across the room followed by a sudden shutting of a door then the lights went out. You exhaled releved and peered around the case looking past the multiple others finding no sighn of a person.

You got up roaming around the room you entered passing an assortment of cases. You stoped to look at a red cape in one of the cases stepping back so your reflection would fit it.

You smiled from under your mask making heroic poses in it for a bit before remeberong what you where doing.

The place was huge and everything in it looked ancient. You stroled over to the large book case on the other side of the wide stairs.

The moon was the only thing illuminating the building at this point. It's light flooded in through the large round window at the top of the stairs. You passed it slowly stopping seeing a large book sat on a table in the light.

You pulled it off the table and tucked it into your bag. Books sold for a fair amount but from the looks of it that's all you where going to get was a handfull of old books.

It was a rule for you to never take anything from a case it was to obvious that someone took it if you even got past opening it. Lose things like change,books,jewlery, etc. Where the only things you stole. They sold for good money and the person rarely knew what was missing.

You sighed picking up a piece of metal with two holes under it. You looked at it placeing two fingers on it and punching the air. Assuming it was a pair of poorly made brass knuckles you shrugged putting it in your bag with the book next you picked ul a clearly used plate and looking it over. You didn't want to be doing this stuff. You had too.

Your Mother got involved in a bad bussnies in hopes to make your family more money. In turn she went into bebt with her "bussnies partners" and lost everything and went on the lamb leaving your family to deal with her problems. She was found dead a week after leaving.

You where the only one able to take care of your family or the only one willing to. Your dad did work as much as he could be he spent so much time collecting the money and building it up to pay them he forgot to take care of you and your little brother.

So when a job was only enough to pay for grocers that lasted a week you resorted to plan B. Which was what you where doing now. Though you loved your family it was hard to go home to nothing most nights.

Your dad worked both earily in the morning and late into the night only coming home in the afternoon while you where at school. And he sent your brother to spend time with your aunt most days.

So Peter offered you the world it seemed And May was more than willing. She set up your own room in there apartment in case you wanted to stay with them. You did most of the time. They felt like the only good left in the world. And they where the only good left in YOUR world.

There was a sudden pownding on the front door down stairs. You jumped placing the plate back down on the table and running across the room to the window you entered. The door that had previously shut swung open letting the yellow light of a lamp bleed into the blue light of the moon. You jumped out the window and grabbed hold of the rope and climbed up it in time to see the whole building light to life.

You groaned and fell flat on the roof remembering Peters text.

You pulled your phone out and hurried back to his apartment.

Ya know that sounds great...I'm actually on my way over now, see you then?

...

:)

You ran down the back ally of Peters apartments and stuck your mask in the hidden compartment of you backpack. You scaled up the diet escape finally tapping on his window.

"Hey there parker!" you grined at him as he opened the window and you slithered through. "You can come through the front door you know." You shrugged pulling your shoes off and carrying them out of his room. "I know...but I don't want to ask for a key and I don't want to deal with your neighbors...they judge me."

"Oh they do not!" may smiled at you from the kitchen. "Hi may!"

She made her way to you and hugged you. "Oh here. I know you didn't ask for it but you need one at this point." She dangled a key in front of your face. "Wow...thanks!" you grinned at it.

"So where are we eating?" you asked her heading to your small set up of a room and dropping everything.

May looked at Peter urging him to tell you something.

"Oh uh well may actually has plans so I thought maybe we could go out?" you put the key on a necklace chain and hung it around your neck and smiled up at him. "Of course!"

"Cool...cool ok! So like around 9:00?"

"Sure!"

Peter smiled and left your room allowing you to change into something better. You shut the door and sat on the bed pulling your coat and hoodie off and pulling your bag in front of you and rumaging through it to find the book.

You flipped through it a bit before getting up to grab a sweater from your dressers. Your room was small a bed sat in the middle of it and a dresser sat across it along with a book shelf on the oposite wall and a few small house plants littered a few spots. It wasn't much but it was more like home than home really was.

You pulled a shirt on not taking your eyes from the book. Illustrations of the brass knuckles you lifted littered the page along with people wearing them and step by steps on how to use it. You pulled the brass knuckles out and slid it onto your finger and followed the steps.

You waved your arm in a side circle multiple times until sparks appered.

"(y/n)!?" the Peter knocked on the door before coming in you quickly tossed your bag into the corner and the book And ring under your pillow.

"Yea?"

"Ready?" you nodded sliding a pair of shoes on and grabbing your jean jacket and followed him out.

As you followed him to the resturant all you could think about was the book.

[kimjoongs-main]

all hallows eve

↬ “i usually advise the weak-hearted not to visit the Weeping Willow. the apothecary is quite...stubborn, for lack of a better word. don’t get me wrong, renjun’s a talented herbalist and is highly skilled in his line of work. the villagers are without a doubt grateful for his services! the issue is...we’re not quite sure he feels the same. if you must, then pay him a visit. otherwise, i would just order from him indirectly like the rest of us.”

meet the other residents of Wisteria

A royal blue building with moss growing on the roof, a royal blue building with moss growing on the roof, a royal blue buil—here it is!

Breathing a sigh of relief, you finally stumbled upon the apothecary’s shop. A large sign hung from the roof shingles with the words The Weeping Willow written on it in smooth, black paint and outlined with an iridescent gold shimmer. The shop itself was quite quaint and rather charming on the outside. Surrounded by an iron fence, with only a tiny gate separating the rocky dirt road from the smooth stone pathway, the Weeping Willow was definitely a sight for sore eyes.

Carefully unlocking the gate, you stepped foot on the stone trail that led to door of the shop. However, as soon as the tip of your shoe came in contact with the stones, a glowing red light seeped out from the edges. You jumped back, letting out a sharp squeak as the stone continued to glow. Soon after, the other stones nearby began to glow as well with different shades of reds, greens, blues, and yellows. The iron gate shook rapidly before it slammed shut, lock placing itself back through the hole and tightening. The window shutters flew wide open, pounding against the walls of the building with fervor, as if it had a mind of it’s own.

You gripped the woven basket tightly in your hand, inching backwards slowly, ready to make a run for it at any given time. You didn’t really know what was going on, but you were certain of one thing.

This wasn’t an ordinary apothecary shop.

As the edifice continued it’s frightening theatrical display, you failed to notice the willow door gradually opening little by little. Pale, dainty fingers wrapped around the edge while glaring amber eyes peered through the tiny slit, shifting back and forth between the illuminated stones and the panicked newcomer cowering behind the front gate. The hidden figure’s mouth turned down into an unappreciative scowl, a soft growl escaping from the depths of his chest and up through his parted lips.

“And to what do I owe the displeasure? Do you not realize how early it is?”

Confused as to where the sudden biting tone came from, your eyes frantically scanned the perimeter of the area, until they finally locked with the burning yellow orbs peeking through the doorway. You audibly gasped at their overwhelming intensity, causing you to choke on your next words.

“U-um w-well I was...I was j-just—“

“Spit it out already! I do not have the time for this.”

“I was...I was told you’d be open this morning,” your words faded towards the end, and you feared the thought of having to repeat yourself once more. However, it seemed your words managed to reach the obscured figure’s ears. His eyes made a rolling motion and you heard a soft scoff leave his lips.

“And who told you that?” he grumbled.

You gulped. “The innkeeper at the Harrownight Inn, Mark L—“

“Mark Lee, of course. I should have known.”

He clicked his tongue in disapproval and all at once, everything stopped.

The stones lost their dazzling glow, the window shutters ceased their incessant pounding on the walls, and the gate opened with a chilling creak, inviting you to once again make the daring cross over from the safety and familiarity of the dirt path to the uncertainty and perplexity of the stone trail. Still shocked from your past experience, you hesitated placing your foot down on the same stone that caused that terrifying chain of events to play out, that is until you heard a frustrated groan come from inside the shop.

“Either you hurry up and get inside or else I’ll slam this door in your face. Your choice, my dear. Make it quick.”

Determined to not make him annoyed with you any further, you simply disregarded your inkling sense of fear and raced inside, the door promptly shutting behind you. Once you arrived within the confines of the shop, you took the time to take in your surroundings.

Despite the rising sun shining its dazzling light upon the earth outside, the interior was rather dim and gloomy. Silk curtains covered every single window, and the only source of light provided was a single flame atop a bed of chipped logs.

The snarky figure, who you presumed was Renjun, the apothecary Mark told you about, was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he vanished into thin air upon your entrance into the shop. The only sign of life you could see was a baby calico kitten, snuggled up on a leather couch by the fireplace. The golden hazel tone of her fur was enhanced by the warm flare of the candlelight.

Entranced by the kitten’s adorable appearance, you could hardly restrain yourself from walking over and gently running your fingers through it’s silky smooth coat.

“Well, aren’t you a beauty?” you mused quietly to yourself, smiling widely as the kitten purred and nestled it’s tiny head into the palm of your hand. You could practically feel your heart swell with adoration.

“Her name’s Luna,” a hushed, yet firm voice rang out, startling you enough to yank your hand back and twirl around to find the source of said voice.

You didn’t have to look very far because standing directly in front of you, was the young man you presumed to be Renjun. He was covered with a beige brown cloak, similar to your own, and adorned fingerless, leather gloves around his delicate poised hands. A single chain hung from his neck with a luminescent sapphire blue charm dangling in front of his chest. Shifting your gaze back up, you were shocked to see just how...juvenile he looked. He couldn’t have possibly been any older than you or Mark, perhaps even younger.

As you continued to observe him, you couldn’t deny his undeniably refined beauty. A petite, elegant face curtained by strands as black as the night sky. The slope of his nose, the deepness of his eyes, the curve of his lips, all factors that contributed to the apothecary’s ethereal appearance.

However, you noticed something different about him this time. His eyes. No longer were they the burning gold you had witnessed them to be only a few moments earlier. Now they had calmed down and faded into a familiar, earthy brown. But that was not all. There seemed to be lingering traces of amber speckled across the edge of his iris, or perhaps your own eyes saw it as an illusion, merely a reflection of the burning embers flying off the crackling flame. But you knew for certain, there was something else concealed behind it.

“Are you just going to stand there and gawk at me all day, or are you going to sit down?” Renjun’s snarky tone snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Oh, um..yes.”

You quickly took a seat on the creaky, old chair by the work table. Renjun was standing on the opposite side, hands carefully lifting vials of vibrant and desaturated substances up to his face. He inspected each one with the utmost attention to detail, turning the vials over in the palm of his hand and holding them up by the cork. Once he deemed a substance to be satisfactory, Renjun then placed the vials inside a large baleen basket. He proceeded to do this for a few more minutes, and when he ran out of vials to inspect, he covered the basket and carried it over to a large shelf, putting the basket of vials on the bottom. He stood up straight, briefly dusted off his cloak, and made his way back over to you.

Renjun pulled up another chair from the side of the room and positioned it on the opposite side of where you were sitting. He plopped down with a soft thud, breathing out an exasperated sigh as his fingers gently tapped on the edge of the table. He flicked his hard gaze up to you. If looks could kill, you would definitely be six feet under right about now.

“So what exactly is your reasoning for being here so early in the morning, pray tell?”

“I’m seeking a remedy to help treat my cuts and bruises.”

“...That’s it? That’s all you came here for? With how early it is, I assumed you needed something more...” he paused, searching for the right word, “...substantial.”

You raised your eyebrows. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Renjun chuckled dryly at your offended tone, and you could have sworn you saw a flash of emerald appear in the middle of his pupil. “Calm down, my dear. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

He peered over my shoulder and clicked his tongue twice. Almost immediately, a flash of orange and black whipped past your face and landed elegantly in his lap. Luna pawed gently at Renjun’s thigh before resting her head upon it, soft purrs leaving her tiny body as her owner absentmindedly stroked her fur.

“It’s just...you’re one of the few customers I’ve had who actually comes here seeking the correct treatments,” he sighed. “You see, people like to stop by and request remedies that far exceed the degree of their ailment. I once received a customer who requested a full jar of Full Moon Drops to relieve his minor stomachache.”

Seeing the confusion appear on your face, Renjun was quick to explain. “Full Moon Drops should be used sparingly. Once the victi—I mean, the diseased, consumes a drop or two, they should feel the effects happen within a moment. Unfortunately, those drops can become quite addictive the more you consume them, and the more you consume, the more susceptible you are to hallucinations...and quite possibly even death if you were to go that far.”

At that, Renjun smiled sinisterly.

A flash of red.

“However, if that were to happen I certainly wouldn’t be the one to complain. This world has become far too crowded, don’t you think?”

An indignant sound left your lips at this unexpected question, causing the young apothecary to snicker.

“I’m only joking, my dear. All of my customers...dead,” he spoke solemnly, but you detected a hint of malice underneath. “I wouldn’t be able to make a living. Imagine how dreadful that would be for me?”

You remained silent, perturbed at the slightly horrific direction this conversation took. You almost regretted refusing Mark’s offer to walk you here himself.

What a foolish choice on your part.

“My apologies, things went a little dark there, didn’t they?”

Renjun sighed once more before he abruptly leaned forward, gazing deeply at you with narrowed eyes.

A flash of green again.

“You said you needed something for your cuts and bruises, correct?”

A meek nod.

“Would you mind showing me where the injuries are so I can get a good judgement of their extremity?”

Obeying his request, you slowly lifted up the sleeves of your cloak, revealing an array of scarlet lines and speckles of violet and indigo shades. Renjun gingerly reached out and wrapped his fingers around your wrist, bringing your forearm closer to his face to get a closer inspection. His other hand ran over the cuts, immediately retracting once he hears a soft hiss sound from you.

After a few more moments of complete utter silence, Renjun finally frees your wrist and rises from his chair. Luna is quick to scurry off his lap before she falls, her little paws trodding across the wooden floor and back to her former resting spot on the couch.

Your eyes stay glued on Renjun’s form, watching him move about the shop, up and down the shelves, inbetween the tables, and under the hanging herbal plants. Not once did he cease his movements, even has he spoke to you.

“I’m not too worried about those bruises. They’ll heal on their own in a few days. As for the cuts—“ he momentarily stopped, reappearing from behind a row of shelves with a round container and a roll of bandages in hand. He returned to his seat in front of you and place the items down the on the table.

“This here,” he held up the round container “is Tree Sap Salve. It helps with healing minor cuts at a faster rate and leaves the skin with a stronger layer, so that even someone as clumsy as you will not be able to inflict minor wounds on yourself again.” He smirked, but continued.

“Massage the salve on your wounds twice a day, once before you go to bed and once after you wake up. Wrap them in these bandages to ensure that the salve won’t rub off. Keep doing this and I guarantee those cuts will be long gone in a few days.”

As soon as he was finished explaining, Renjun hastily wrapped up the items in a nude satchel and pushed it over to me.

“How much do I owe?” you asked, moving to receive my coin purse from the inside of you cloak.

Renjun stared at you for a moment. Then a small, almost genuine smile appeared on his lips.

A flash of yellow.

“You said Mark sent you, yes?”

You nodded.

“Well then, in that case your purchases are on me. You’re welcome.”

“Are you sure? But—“

Renjun raised up his hand to silence you. “Before coming here, he also probably told you to remind me to eat, is that right?”

Surprised at how he knew, you simply moved your head up and down. Renjun smirked again.

“I thought so. Well, when you return to the inn, make sure to tell him that I already had a hearty breakfast with Jaemin earlier this morning. I’m sure that will get a...reaction out of him.”

“What kind of reaction?”

The apothecary chuckled jovially. “Let’s just say...Mark and Jaemin don’t walk the same path. The less you know about their relationship, the better.”

You took his warning into consideration, but couldn’t help being curious as to what he meant.

Deciding to feign ignorance about it for now, you reached for the satchel and slung it over your shoulder. You raised your hand to Renjun in a farewell, and he reciprocated, although rather blandly.

Before you could walk through the willow door, you were stopped by Renjun’s voice.

“Where are you off to next, my dear?”

“Wherever my feet take me, I guess.”

He quirked his eyebrow at your vague answer. “I see. If I may, I’d like to provide another warning.”

You waited patiently.

“Stay away from the castle by all means. Trust me, you do not want to get roped into whatever ridiculous scheme that pompous little brat comes up with.”

[xennariel]

Grim Aria - Chapter 1

I’ve decided to post the first three chapters to my novel publicly, not just the prologue, so enjoy! If you like this story, please consider supporting me on Patreon? I’m posting my novel as a monthly serialization on Patreon, posting a new chapter for patrons every month!

This is also posted on FictionPress and AO3!

Prologue

Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Horror Rating: T for violence, swearing, and gore Summary: Xennariel Revenlyr is an Ankhari, a race of demon from a world known as Shadira. After tragedy strikes her people, she feels she has nothing left to live for but vengeance for her family. She decides to dedicate her life to finding and killing Chiron, the Lord of the Chaos Demons and the man that is responsible for her family’s deaths.

Due to events beyond her control, Xen finds herself trapped in an unfamiliar place that she later discovers is our world, a world dominated by humans that are unaware of the existence of other dimensions. She spends the next eight years futilely trying to find a way home, thinking she needs to get back to Shadira in order to kill Chiron. But maybe she doesn’t need to go that far to find him after all.

Begrudgingly accepting the help of a young man who seems oddly interested in the paranormal, Xennariel faces challenges, unexpected enemies, and attempts to cope with past trauma while trying to find a way home. Through it all, she refuses to give up on getting back to Shadira, regardless of the attachments she might be making in our world.

--------

Chapter 1

The crisp night air brought in a chill from the North and Xennariel tightened her cloak around her shoulders. Thunder rolled in the distance, getting closer with every crash. The trees around her swayed in the howling wind and strands of her long azure hair flew about, becoming a tangled mess. She lifted the hood of her cloak over her head and struggled to tuck her hair under it.

A little more time. Just a little more time was all she needed. The weather had changed unexpectedly as soon as she began her hunt, but she wasn’t going to let it stop her from catching the shadow demon she was tracking.

How exactly these lesser demons were getting into this world was a mystery she very much wanted to solve. If she could find out where they were getting into this world from…

Thunder boomed again, this time much closer, just as Xennariel caught up to the shadow demon she’d been hunting. It was an ugly thing, floating horizontally off the ground with no visible legs, just dark mist dripping from its elongated torso. It appeared to be made entirely of dark smoke, its outstretched, spindly arms the only truly solid thing about it. Where its face should have been was shrouded, its eye sockets hollow, mouth full of jagged, razor like teeth. Xennariel could make out the trees through its body. The shadow demon would be hard to spot to anyone that didn’t know what to look for.

“Go, Shakuran,” Xennariel muttered.

The wolf at her side took off in a blur of silver and blue. He rounded about the shadow demon to trap it between him and Xennariel, who swiftly dashed forward when it tried to flee, corralling it back toward Shakuran. Shakuran snarled and snapped at the lesser demon and it reared back, mouth opening to let out a high pitched screech, its jagged jaws dripping with dark mist and saliva. Xennariel and Shakuran closed the gap between them until the shadow demon had nowhere to run. Xennariel conjured a ball of shadows in her hand that crackled with blue and purple lightning. She threw it at the demon and it fell with a howl to the ground, writhing and twisting in pain.

Xennariel smirked at the shadow demon, standing over it and placing her hands at either side of the demon’s body. She slowly dragged her hands apart, eliciting an even louder scream from it as she tore away its life energy. After a brief flash of light, the shadow demon disappeared in a puff of smoke. Xennariel held its life energy in her hand, a ball of dark mist floating inches above her palm. Tossing it in the air, she leaned her head back and opened her mouth to devour it, taking a deep breath and licking her lips. It was the first soul she’d eaten in years and she could already feel herself growing stronger again. She didn’t know how demons from her world were suddenly finding their way to the one she was currently stuck in, but it was working out in her favor.

“Well, that’s taken care of. Let’s go back, Shaku. I’m tired.”

They trudged back to the house just as it started to rain. Xennariel slipped in through the side door with Shakuran right behind her. Once inside, Xen removed her cloak, hanging it on the coat rack to dry. Shakuran shook, spraying water all over the entryway and Xennariel glared at him. He brushed past her, ignoring her scowl, and ascended the stairs.

“Rude, Shaku,” Xen grumbled.

Taking her shoes off, she followed him up the stairs to dry off and get some much needed sleep.

-------

Xennariel groaned and yawned, groggily sitting up in her bed. She threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side, feet landing on the plush rug covering the wooden floor of her room. She wriggled her toes and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. Shakuran lay at the foot of her bed and cocked an ear, one eye opening to watch Xennariel stand and stumble toward the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Warily, she stared at herself in the mirror while she brushed her teeth. She looked terrible. The young woman who stared back had bags under her eyes, matted hair, and pasty skin. The current shabby appearance of her human form was a testament to how terribly she had slept. She dreamt of her past again. It had been a while since that memory manifested itself in her nightmares, but when it did, it always made for a restless night.

Sighing, she spat out a mouthful of toothpaste, rinsed out her mouth, and began attempting to remove the tangles from her hair. It had gotten long, now falling almost to her waist. When she finally managed to free her hair of all knots, she put a blue contact into her right eye, then looked herself over in the mirror once more. She reached up to the black, leather choker around her neck with a large silver hoop dangling from it. A silver chain was connected to the hoop, winding its way around her shoulders and back. Her hand fell from her neck to the chain, tugging at it a bit. It was impossible to remove, enchanted as it was, but it never stopped her from fidgeting with it anyway. Sighing, she dropped her hand back to her side, nodded in satisfaction at her appearance, and left the bathroom to change out of her pajama shirt.

Shakuran was awake when she walked back out into her room. He stood and stretched before stepping down off the bed without even needing to jump. He had grown so much since they woke up in this world eight years ago, yet Xennariel had barely grown at all. Despite being seventeen years old, she wasn’t much taller than she had been as a kid. It was something that annoyed her and she wished she knew what had stunted her growth. She had her guesses, but none of it explained why Shakuran still grew up normally.

“Well Shaku, I’m off,” Xennariel said with a yawn, scratching the wolf behind his ears as she walked past him.

Her bedroom was located on the third floor of a log home. The upper floors were used as living space for the family she was staying with and the bottom floor was a cafe and coffee shop run by said family. The couple that had found her all those years ago had a son who was older than her and they all had rooms on the second floor. When Xennariel came to stay with them, they gave her the attic space, fixing it up with a bathroom, window seat, and French windows that opened up to a rooftop deck. It was a nice setup and Xennariel was certainly not complaining about having a roof over her head and a comfortable place to sleep. The rustic and nature inspired atmosphere of the house, as well as the fact that it backed up to a dense forest, made her feel at home, which was a definite bonus.

She shuffled down the stairs to the door that lead to the second floor from her room, opening the door and stepping out into the dim hallway. It seemed her adoptive brother wasn’t awake yet. Typical. They needed to open the cafe in less than half an hour, but he was still off in dreamland, probably expecting Xennariel to do everything, as usual.

Xennariel descended the staircase to the main floor and flicked on the lights. The main entry to the living portion of the house was across from the stairs and she meandered through the foyer toward the kitchen when a muffled thump on the other side of the door caught her attention. Furrowing her brow, she crept to the front door and listened. The sound came again so she unlocked the bolts and flung the door open only to have a blond man fall over the threshold and almost land on top of her.

“Ow,” the man yelped, rubbing his head as he stood up again. “Oh, so you are home. Thanks for finally letting me in.”

Xennariel gaped at her adoptive brother, Jesse Rousseau. His blond hair was mussed, his clothes wrinkled, and, judging from the bags under his green eyes, he must have slept terribly. He shouldn’t have been outside at this hour. She thought he had been asleep in his room upstairs.

“What the hell? You weren’t even home?”

“Met this chick last night and she invited me to her place and well, ya know, I just stayed there. She was hot.”

Xennariel sighed and leaned on the banister behind her, covering her face with her hands. Of course he was with a pretty girl. He could never resist chasing tail. It was infuriating, especially when she was left to do everything by herself. His parents were off touring Europe for his mom’s modeling career and he was supposed to be in charge of the cafe. But every day, he’d go off with some girl or his friends and leave the running of Blue Rain to Xennariel and the small staff that worked for them. She could handle it. That wasn’t the problem. The issue was that she had so many more important things that she needed to be doing.

“Well good,” Xennariel huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re home and awake so you can actually help me with the cafe today.”

“Aw, c’mon Maggie,” Jesse groaned, using the name Xennariel had given when his family first found her. When they asked her name, she had given her middle name, Megari, out of caution. They misheard her, but she never bothered correcting them. “Cut me some slack.”

“Cut you some slack? You never do anything! You’re the adult here. Ya know, the one that’s supposed to be in charge? You’re so lazy. Just do your job.”

“I don’t need a little brat like you telling me what to do.” Xennariel kicked him in the shin for his jab at her height and he doubled over to hold his leg. “Ow, hey!”

“I wouldn’t have to tell you what to do if you wouldn’t shirk your duties.”

She turned and stomped off to the kitchen to resume her morning preparations. The swinging door that led to the cafe from the kitchen flew open as she stormed through.

It was always surreal to see the cafe so quiet. The lingering scent of coffee hung in the air. With the curtains drawn, only a meager amount of sunlight filtered in, casting streaks of light over the booths and tables stacked with chairs. The steady hum of the ice cream and soda machines behind the bar were the only sounds to be heard other than the door flapping behind Xennariel. It was peaceful and she wished she wouldn’t have to ruin it by dealing with customers all day.

Xennariel unlocked the entrance to the cafe and opened all the windows to let in as much natural light and fresh air as possible. Blue Rain was notorious for getting stuffy when it got busy. Just as she turned her back on the door to start pulling chairs off of tables, the door opened. It jingled as it hit the little bell hanging above it, grabbing Xennariel’s attention.

“Maggie!” A girl with short blonde hair pranced into the cafe, her blue eyes bright and focused on Xennariel. “Good morning!”

Xennariel breathed a short sigh of relief. Leave it to Amy to show up early on a Saturday to help set things up even though she wasn’t scheduled until later. She and Amy became friends a year or so after Xen was adopted by the Rousseau’s. They were the same age and met in school. Amy was sad when Xennariel ended up testing out of high school, but Xen wanted to focus on getting back to Shadira rather than wasting her time with unnecessary human schooling. When Amy came looking for a part time job last year, she was hired right away for her spunk and enthusiasm and Xennariel was grateful she would have someone to talk to while working. It made the work days pass a little faster.

“Hey, Amy. Mind helping me out with setting up the tables?”

“Sure! Let me just put my stuff down.”

The multicolored bracelets adorning her arms clinked and jingled as Amy practically skipped over to the long bar at the far end of the cafe. A piece of the wall was cut out behind it connecting to the kitchen and Amy tossed her purse through the hole. It landed with a thud near the dining table Xennariel and her adoptive family used for personal meals. Grabbing an apron from behind the counter, Amy wrapped it around herself and got to work helping Xennariel pull chairs off the tables.

“Zak’s coming in today right?” Xennariel asked as they set the tables with silverware and glasses.

“Mmhmm, should be here soonish, I think.”

Zak was the part time cook for the cafe and had come in with Amy to apply a year prior. It was an easy job for him to handle while he went to college a few towns away and he just so happened to be a fantastic cook. The three friends were the ones that ran the cafe while Jesse was off galavanting around town.

The two finished setting up the cafe just in time to open. Blue Rain was a favorite spot for the locals and, as expected, morning regulars showed up just as Xennariel flicked on the ‘open’ sign.

Zak showed up half an hour late with profuse apologies, his jeans covered in ink stains and his brown hair looking as if he hadn’t combed it that morning.

“Dad messed up the computer systems at the shop again,” Zak sighed. “It took a while for me figure out what was wrong and get things up and running.”

He donned an apron and got to work in the kitchen right away. They were lucky no one had ordered any food yet. Just coffee. Lots of coffee. It was actually what Blue Rain was known for, even with a menu full of delicious food options.

In such a small town, everyone seemed to know everyone and familiar faces trickled in throughout the day. It was just another boring Saturday until a small group of tourists walked in. A blonde teen immediately caught Amy’s eye and she spent the rest of the day talking to him as often as she could.

Zak noticed Amy chatting with the boys at the booth in the corner and he sighed, his brown eyes staring off in distant longing. Xennariel caught Zak staring at Amy and wondered when Amy would ever notice his feelings for her or find a boyfriend she could actually stick with for more than a week. Xen was rooting for the former, but with Amy, who she dated seemed to be completely random and based entirely on sudden puppy love on her part. She fell in love hard and fast and was always broken hearted when she eventually realized how superficial the relationships actually were. Zak sighed and turned to get back to work.

Closing time came around after what seemed like forever. Xenariel bid her friends good night after declining their invitation to hang out, claiming she was too tired. She trudged up the stairs to her room, noting that Jesse wasn’t home again as she passed the dark hall. That slacker would get an earful the next time she saw him. His parents were such nice people and how they managed to raise such a jerk was lost on Xennariel.

She reached the door to the refurbished attic and opened it, climbing the stairs into her room after locking the door behind her. It had been a long day, but she had an even longer night ahead of her.

Just because she was trapped in a world run by humans didn’t mean she wanted to be. When she wasn’t blending in, she was researching ways to return to Shadira, her world. The place she belonged. Things like walking around in a human form, refraining from using magic in the presence of others, and keeping Shakuran out of sight, were getting tiring. Drawing suspicion was the last thing she wanted though, so she went about her days pretending to be human and used her nights to try to find a portal that would take her home. It was a shame she never did master that form of magic. She would have gone home years ago if she was able to activate portal runes.

Shakuran greeted her as she reached the top of the steps. She rubbed his head and he pushed close to her, enjoying getting his ears scratched. She snagged a book from out of a drawer in her night table and scanned the runed cover to make sure it was the one she wanted. Opening the French windows, she stepped onto the cushioned window seat, careful not to knock any pillows off, and climbed out onto the rooftop deck with Shakuran right behind her. Two plush armchairs sat under an awning stretching out from above her windows. She dragged one of them over to the edge of the deck so she could sit and look out over the backyard while she read, into the darkening forest beyond. It was relaxing to simply sit out on that deck, the sounds of birds and crickets filling the air, the sun slowly dipping below the horizon, making way for the moon and stars to dot the sky above her.

If she closed her eyes, it almost felt like she was home.

Movement just inside the line of trees before her caught Xennariel’s attention and she leaned forward a bit, eyes narrowing as she watched and waited to catch sight of whatever it was. Shakuran’s ears perked and he too moved to look in the direction of Xennariel’s gaze, his body tense, eyes alert. A low growl reached their ears and a shadowy figure darted past their line of vision. They sprang to their feet, Xennariel leaping to the ledge of the rail that surrounded the deck, crouching for a moment before leaping off the roof. She landed gracefully on her feet and darted at an inhuman pace toward the forest. Shakuran followed her a moment later and they disappeared into the treeline.

------

It was a lovely, cool evening for a jog, yet Loki’s loose t-shirt still clung to the sweat on his back. He had been running for over three miles already. It was inevitable that he’d work up a sweat. That didn’t mean it was any less uncomfortable.

Pausing to wipe his brow with the sweatband on his wrist, he quickly resumed his nightly jog, passing all the familiar homes and streets on his path. As he neared the end of his route, he paused for a moment again to pull his too-long dark hair into a tighter ponytail, glancing at the forest several paces away. It must have been something in the air that night, but after taking a swig from the water bottle clipped to his sweatpants, he decided to press on. Another few minutes of running before heading home couldn’t hurt. It was a beautiful night and it felt like a shame not to enjoy it a little longer.

Loki continued jogging down the path into the forest. With the sun almost gone from the sky he couldn’t spend too much longer in the woods or he would never be able to see to get back, but the night’s breeze pulled him in, pushed him forward. He breathed in the refreshing air, the scent of pine and cedar filling his nose. It always felt good to be out of the house for any amount of time, but nights like these were what he lived for. If he was lucky, maybe he would even stumble upon some kind of paranormal activity. It seemed like the kind of night for that sort of thing.

The forest ahead of him lit up, suddenly. What appeared to be purple and blue lightning flashed through the trees and vanished just as soon as it appeared. Loki stopped in his tracks and blinked. His staying out late had actually payed off. There really was some kind of strange thing going on in the woods that night. He grinned and took off toward where he saw the lightning, hoping he wasn’t too late to catch sight of whatever it was that caused it.

What he stumbled upon was unexpected to say the least.

A girl stood over a cloud of smoke on the ground. She was small, but even in the dim light Loki could tell she wasn’t a child. Her eyes glowed blue in the twilight, the right more dimly than the left. Her long hair, azure from what he could make out, flowed and billowed out around her, like the smoke pooling at her feet. She wore a silver sleeveless trench coat that buttoned in an almost oriental style in the front, the inside of which was a deep purple. Loki had never seen a style quite like it. A teal turtleneck stuck out from the coat’s scooping neckline and a choker with a chain attached to it rested over the turtleneck’s collar. Black pants and shoes completed her ensemble with black fingerless gloves adorning her hands.

The chain around her shoulders was an odd thing for a person to wear and it drew Loki’s attention, the light glimmering off the silver metal as the girl cast her magic. Why would she wear something like that? Wasn’t it uncomfortable? At her side was a large canine looking animal. He would have called it a wolf if its fur had been normal colors, but it was blue and silver, like the girl, and Loki wondered if his eyes were just playing tricks on him.

It was then that Loki noticed the smoke on the ground was moving erratically and wasn’t smoke at all, but some kind of creature. It screeched as the girl ripped something out of it, the sound so loud and grating Loki needed to cover his ears. He cringed and moments later it was abruptly cut off, the creature evaporating in a puff of mist and smoke.

The girl then proceeded to eat whatever it was she pulled out of the thing in one gulp, a satisfied grin on her face.

Loki took an involuntary step back.

The sound of leaves and twigs crunching under Loki’s feet alerted Xennariel and Shakuran to his presence and he gulped as they turned to face him. His violet eyes met her glowing blue and he faltered, unsure of what to say or how to proceed.

Xennariel mentally cursed herself for not noticing a human watching her until it was too late. Lying her way out of this one would be impossible.

“You’re not human,” was all Loki could lamely manage to say. She certainly looked human, but no human could use magic like she had.

Xennariel smirked.

“Gee, what gave that away?” She noted his expression and her grin turned wicked. “Am I scary?” Loki’s eyes widened as she smiled back at him, head cocked slightly to the side. It was creepy and he shivered.

“I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous at all...” he muttered. Taking a deep breath, Loki composed himself as best he could and cleared his throat. He was treading on thin ice, but nerves alone weren’t enough to make him turn tail and run. There was an opportunity here and was going to take it. “Wouldn’t you try to keep that a secret, though? You were making quite the scene out here. I saw your magic or whatever it was all the way back at the entrance to the woods. Not a very effective way to keep people from noticing you.”

Shakuran let out a soft growl and Xennariel narrowed her eyes, practically growling herself. Any trace of humor was gone from her features.

“I could kill you where you stand.”

“But you won’t, right? That’s why you’re hunting those things instead of people, isn’t it?”

Loki was gambling with fate by bantering with, well, whatever she was. But meeting her could prove to be to his benefit. He had always wanted to be a part of the supernatural world. His father had books on the paranormal, magic texts that Loki couldn’t make heads or tails of when he was younger. It was fascinating and he wanted in on all of it. This girl could potentially offer him that. If he played his cards right...

Xennariel huffed and put her hands on her hips.

“Listen, if you so much as hint to anyone of what you’ve seen tonight--”

“I won’t,” Loki interrupted, his voice shaking with a tinge of fear and excitement. “As long as you let me go with you on these little adventures of yours.”

Xennariel blinked and furrowed her brow, wondering what exactly this human was thinking. Blackmailing a demon? Did he have no sense?

“Why would I possibly want to negotiate with you?”

“Because I can help you. I have connections, particularly with the military and law enforcement and research facilities across the country. If you want to hunt creatures like that smoke monster or whatever it was, it could make things easier. Not having to hide or worry about trouble with the law is pretty convenient.”

Loki was getting excited. Was he really doing this? Could he really pull this off? He wasn’t positive, but he sure as hell would try. Hopefully she wouldn’t kill him.

“How the hell could you have connections like that?”

“Well, it’s through my father, but they know me and trust me, no one wants to upset my father, so people will do whatever I say.”

Xennariel stared at him with a skeptical look and sighed. If that really was true, she could have access to areas where portals might be open. Access to information that could help her discover where these other demons were coming from. He might have been bluffing, but he very well might have been telling the truth. If the latter was true, could she really afford not to take him up on his offer? If it turned out that he was lying to her, she would kill him and no one would be the wiser. What did she have to lose?

“All right, all right, fine. I accept your deal. I do this,” Xennariel waved around her and at the ground where the shadow demon had disappeared, “whenever I happen to spot a shadow demon lurking about or whenever I hear about strange things in the area, which happens somewhat often.”

“Shadow demon? Is that what that thing is called?”

“Yeah. It comes from another world, as do most other ‘supernatural things,’ as you humans call it. That’s all you need to know.”

“I see… so, uh, where do I meet you when I want to join you?”

Xennariel huffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. She didn’t really want to tell him where she lived, but she didn’t have much of a choice at that moment.

“The Blue Rain Cafe, you know where that is?”

“Sure, I’ve seen it before.”

“Meet me there whenever, I guess. More often than not, I’ll be there.”

“Okay, but… why would you be in a place like that? Hiding out, or...?” Xennariel shot him a murderous glance and he raised his hands in a placating gesture. “All right, uh, until next time, then.”

Loki nodded at Xennariel, sent a wary glance toward Shakuran, and jogged off the way he had come, silently hoping the girl wouldn’t change her mind and send that huge dog of hers after him.

[everlark-your-own-adventure]

Mockingjay Manor - Ch 5

Chapter One /// Chapter Two /// Chapter Three /// Chapter Four

Last week found our foursome exploring a creepy attic filled with sinister birds. Thankfully, common sense prevailed in the vote, keeping Katniss and her sweet cinnamon bun Peeta from being separated.

The always incredible @norbertsmom steps away from her posts of adorable puppies and cuddly kittens this week to amp up the spooky for chapter 5. A word of warning, while we’re still comfortably in T territory, this chapter could be a little scary for the sensitive among us. Reader discretion is advised.

As always, you have 48 hours to vote (in the comments or reblogs, NOT in the tags!), until Noon EDT on Thursday, September 28th.

I turn back to Jo, but I can already see that she knows my answer.

Before I can even open my mouth, Jo smirks. “Don’t worry about it, Brainless. You go with Loverboy. I doubt his muscles are as good against an intruder as my switchblade, though.” She stomps over to Finnick and grabs his arm. “Come on, handsome,” she demands as she starts to drag him off into the darkness.

“Hold up, Jo,” Peeta says as he grabs her wrist. She turns and glares at him, but before she can let loose a vulgar response, Peeta continues, “I think we should all stick together as we walk toward the other end of the attic. I just feel better if I have Katniss next to me where I can see her.” He gives Jo that endearing smile that always works on me, the shit.

Jo raises her eyebrows and mumbles, “Good idea.” She releases her hold on Finnick, who rubs his wrist and shakes his head with a smile.

I have to hide my chuckle as we work out our plan of attack. We decide to form a chain with Jo on the end closest to the outer wall, Finnick next to her. He may be good to take on anything or anyone we come across, but without his flashlight app, he’s not much use right now. I’m between Finnick and Peeta, who is closest to the interior wall.

We walk toward the other end of the attic, sweeping our lights back and forth in front of us so we don’t trip on anything. None of us speak; I for one am holding my breath, listening for a clue as to what else may be hiding in this attic.

The sounds of the birds behind us are fading, but the knocking is getting louder the closer we get, and the stench of dirt and stagnant water morphs into the musky stink of wet animal fur. Some other creature besides birds must have taken up refuge in this attic from the storm.

In the distance, my light picks up a shiny rectangular object. I stop and point my phone light directly on it. “Guys,” I whisper. “Do you see that?”

“Looks like a stainless steel work bench,” Peeta replies.

“Yeah, something out of a science class, maybe,” Finnick adds, and he’s right. The closer we get the more we can see. On top of the bench is a microscope surrounded by various other pieces of equipment I have no name for, along with a few large syringes. Above the table is a row of lights with wires hanging limply down the side.

Peeta picks up the wires and shines his light down to the floor. “Looks like someone was using a generator up here,” he says as he points to the square that is a shade darker than the rest of the floor.

We each shine our light around what appears to be a makeshift laboratory complete with a filing cabinet and shelves of glass beakers and test tubes.

“Whoever owns this stuff this is getting evicted right along with their creepy birds,” I say and I realize that it’s finally quiet. “Hey, I don’t hear them anymore.”

“And the knocking has stopped, too,” Peeta adds.

“Thank fuck,” Jo says and I can’t agree more.

Jo starts rifling through the filing cabinet, while Peeta and Finnick go through the drawers under the workbench.

I wander around, not really focusing on anything. My mind is stuck on the question of why would anyone set up a lab in the attic of an abandoned home? Surely not Uncle Haymitch. In his letter he said he closed up the manor and walked away after his first wife died. Someone else then, definitely not Aunt Effie.  The thought of Effie, with her long manicured fingernails and designer dresses wearing a lab coat and working a Bunsen burner makes me chuckle. Certainly her wig would catch fire.

My light catches on a row of what appears to be boxes along the interior wall. Each one is covered by a white sheet. I reach out to pull one back when Jo calls out, “Guys, come have a look at what I found.”

We gather around the filing cabinet as Jo reads from one of the files. “Subject M has been successfully modified. After several avian variations,” Jo looks up from her reading, “I guess we now know where those creepy flying things with hair and teeth came from.” She laughs, then continues, “This is the first genetic modification of a mammal that has survived the gene modification process.”

“What kind of weird shit was your uncle into, Everdeen?” Jo asks.

“This isn’t my uncle’s stuff,” I sputter. “He was a technology guru, not some mad scientist. He didn’t even like birds. He always complained about the geese when we went to the park.”

I turn to Peeta, pleading with my eyes for him to believe me. I don’t care what Jo thinks, but I don’t want him to think I come from a family who would do such things.

Peeta just smiles down at me and hugs me close.

“Don’t worry, Brainless. I’m just messing with you,” Jo says with a laugh. “These reports are signed by a Dr. Coriolanus Snow. Ring any bells?”

“Nope,” I reply, but Finnick cuts me off.

“Coriolanus? His name is Coriol-anus, ha ha. What kind of name is that?” Finnick jokes.

“Very funny, Finnick,” I reply as we all chuckle. Leave it to Finnick to lighten the mood.

“If he was experimenting on animals, I think I know where he keeps his subjects,” I add as I point my light back over to what must be cages under those sheets by the interior wall.

“Holy shit, brainless,” Jo says as we approach the cages. “You think there are some freaky altered animals in these cages?”

“No way to know without pulling the sheets back,” I point out.

I reach out toward the first cage, but Peeta pulls my hand back. “Do you really think that’s a good idea, Katniss?” he asks. “We don’t know what’s under there. Maybe we should wait and call animal control.”

“I don’t hear any noises, so I bet they’re empty,” Finnick adds. “Hey Jo, shine your light this way, will ya?” he asks as he walks past me to pull the first sheet back with a flourish.

We all look inside, and Finnick points out the obvious, “See empty. What’d I tell ya?” He proceeds to pull back the sheets off the next few cages, all of which are also empty.

“Well, something made that loud knocking sound,” Peeta reminds us.

“Must have been a branch on the roof,” Finnick suggests as he pulls off another sheet. He moves onto the next cage but Peeta stops him.

“Finnick, I would move away from the cages. Look,” he says as he points his light into the cage. The door is bent inward, hanging precariously on only one hinge. “Something very big made that kind of damage. What’s that at the bottom of the cage?” He shines the light down on some kind of red substance.

“It looks like a patch of fur that was ripped out of something,” Finnick adds with a slight tremble to his voice.

“Probably one of the mad doctor’s failed experiments,” Jo suggests. “Let’s see what else is in here.”

Finnick slowly reaches for the next sheet, but he pulls his hand back and turns back to face us. “Do you guys hear that?” he asks, his eyes wide.

“What?” Jo snaps. “You whining?” she asks as she points her light in his face.

“Hey,” Finnick complains as he raises his hand to block the light.

That’s when I hear it, a low rumble coming from the last cage left to be uncovered.

“Shhh, I hear something,” I tell them as I take Peeta’s hand. “It sounds like a growl.”

“Maybe we should get out of here,” Peeta suggests. I’m about ready to agree when Jo speaks up.

“Pull the cover off, Finnick. Let’s see what’s making that sound.”

Finnick looks to both Peeta and I, but then leans forward to pull the sheet off the cage before jumping back.

Inside the cage is a snarling wolf-like creature with silky waves of blond fur and glowering green eyes are unmistakably human. Dangling from its collar is a tag with the letter W inlaid with jewels.

“This must be his successful experiment,” Jo suggests as we all start to back away.

As we do, my eyes never leave the wolf-like creatures as it snarls and snaps at us, shaking its cage as it tries to get at us.

“Didn’t that report say it was subject M?” I ask. “That’s subject W, probably for wolf.”

“What do you think the M stands for then?” Jo wonders aloud. We hear an answering knock from just beyond the makeshift laboratory.

Peeta, Jo and I turn our lights in that direction and I feel my blood run cold. There, banging the open door of its cage is a large monkey with orange fur. Its fangs are bared and hackles raised. Its claws are as big as Johanna’s switchblade. It bangs the door of its cage making the same knocking sound we heard earlier.

“I think we somehow stumbled onto the island of Doctor Moreau,” Finnick tries to joke, but it falls flat as we back away from the mutts.

Jo already has her switchblade, but the rest of us each grab something from the laboratory to use as a weapon. Finnick grabs a pronged pole that must have been used to control the animals. He twirls it around like a baton, pointing it menacingly at the monkey creature who hisses back at him. Peeta grabs the microscope. It looks pretty heavy, so it could come in handy if the mutt gets too close. I wish I had thought to bring my bow with me, but I settle on one of the large syringes.

We continue to back away, afraid to take our eyes off the monkey mutt, but we can’t keep going back without looking where we are going. “I’m going to turn around to lead the way back,” I tell the others just as my phone light begins to dim. “Damn, my phone is dead too.”

“Great, now we’re down to two lights,” Jo grumbles.

“Katniss and I will face the way back to the stairs,” Peeta offers.

“Jo and I will keep an eye on Rafiki back there,” Finnick adds.

“Sounds good,” Peeta and I both agree as we lead the way. The toys scattered across the floor come into view, so we are getting close to the birds and the way out. I start to breathe a sigh of relief when a loud bang comes from below. I jump and Peeta tenses beside me as the birds start shrieking and squawking and flapping their wings.

“What was that,” I whisper. Louds steps and the flicker of a flashlight tells us that someone is coming up the stairs.

“Someone’s coming,” Peeta whispers back. “They’ll know we’re up here. I left the door propped open with a chair.”

What should we do, confront the intruder or hide?