#yayy new character unlocked

[rainbowsandwhumperflies]

The Winged Servant - drabble

Notes: okay you might've noticed there was no poll last week to vote for this week's chapter. That's because I love Dakota too much and didn't want to keep them to myself for any longer and no one was voting on the option for Ryan to meet his only ever friend. Ryan is 18 here, about two years before he ever heard Onyx's name. Speaking of which, Onyx is not here, and neither is any other whump content. This is whatever the opposite of fanservice is, where the author is clearly the only one who cares

content warnings: super corrupt Rao monarchy, that's pretty much it, this is not even whump

masterlist

“I have dinner for you, Your Highness,” someone said from the doorway, and Ryan glanced up to see a person who, sure enough, was holding a tray of food. But it wasn’t Jayden, and Ryan had told Jayden to bring him his food.

“Where’s Jayden?”

“He’s busy.”

HIs eyes narrowed. “He’s never too busy for a direct order from the royal family. What the fuck did you do?”

The servant cocked their head to the side. “Apologies, Your Highness. I asked if I could do it instead. I didn’t realize this meal delivery was so important to you.”

“... Why?”

“Because you don’t tell people things like that.”

“Why did you ask to do it, dipshit.”

They grinned. “Maybe I like seeing you, Your Highness.”

“Is that right? You like seeing me, and you like being a smartass, and you like pissing me off?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe,” Ryan repeated sarcastically. “Fine. Bring me my food, and take a few bites so I know you’re not poisoning me, and you can get out of my hair.” That wasn’t as safe as he was supposed to be. But there were still four more complaint forms to go through before he’d have time to care.

“I sure hope you weren’t poisoned,” the servant said, setting the tray down and picking up a cracker. “This would be a really stupid way for me to die.”

This would also be a really stupid way for them to spend their time living—it’d be faster to just let Jayden, a close, trusted servant do his job—but Ryan didn’t point that out.

Ryan also didn’t point out the way that the crumbs clung to their sparkling lip gloss. That was the reason he was staring at their lips, because it was distracting, but it’d be rude to point it out. So he kept staring at their lips.

~

They were at the next dinner party. Not serving food at the party, either, getting served food, which meant that they were not a servant. “Dakota Lake,” they were introduced as, though their younger sisters kept calling them Kota. And while Ryan hadn’t noticed them posing as a servant, he would have recognized their sisters. Only eight years old and already, the two had a reputation for being the castle menaces at every single event. And… he supposed that if he thought about it, their mom had been working there for a few months now, an important enough job that her family was considered nobility.

Dakota didn’t seem entirely focused on the dinner party, which was disrespectful enough in and of itself that Ryan started to get pissy. But clearly they weren’t the only distracted one, or Ryan would have been able to recognize them before they’d delivered his dinner four days earlier.

They ran right into the prince later, balancing three plates of what had been turkey before it became a mess on his suit. “I’m- shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“You’re not a servant,” Ryan blurted, making Dakota pause in their reach for paper towels.

“... No, Your Highness. What?”

“You’re not a servant, and you brought me food last week. I want to know why.”

They laughed breathlessly, brushing Ryan’s shoulder off with a napkin. “Christ. I told you, didn’t I? I wanted to see you.”

“No one wants to see me.” That wasn’t exactly how those words were supposed to come out, but they were true regardless. Prince Ryan wasn’t known for social visits.

“Really, Your Highness? No one?” They handed their dirty plates off to a servant passing by, apparently deciding that they’d done enough cleaning and the servants could do the rest. “Do you get out much? Lots of people think you’re nice to look at. How did you recognize me, anyway? You were so focused on that paperwork—barely looked at me.”

Ryan blinked slowly.

Lots of people think you’re nice to look at.

He wondered if lots of people included Dakota. He wondered why that mattered. He wondered if it was relevant at all that he’d recognized Dakota based on the sparkling lip gloss that they were wearing, the lip gloss that the bread crumbs had stuck to when they’d delivered the food.

“I remembered you because it’s weird fucking behavior to intercept a direct command from a prince just because you wanted to see him.”

“Do you want me to piss off? I will if you want.”

Not particularly, Ryan realized, which came as a surprise to himself. He had always hated the dinner parties. Cardan hated them, too. Really, the only people who liked them were noble families who needed to feel important and appreciated, and Ryan wasn’t in the mood for appreciating people.

But Dakota had made the poor decisions that they’d made, and they’d done it without apparent motive. That made them an unsolved mystery. And a mystery was much more appealing than the dinner party.

“I forgive you,” Ryan decided, and Dakota snorted as if he’d made a joke.

“Okay, Your Highness. Thank you.”

“Unfortunately, we’re both still covered in your fucking turkey. Come on, I’ll let you borrow some of my clothes if you need some.” They had other options, actually. Like asking literally any of the people employed here for clothes. But they hadn’t said “lots of people think you’re nice to look at” to the people employed here.

“Okay,” Dakota agreed with a soft smile. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

~

taglist: @kaleidoscope-of-thoughts @toyybox @fuckcapitalismasshole @rainydaywhump @jay--o

@risk606 @cepheusgalaxy @fourwingedwriter

ps: I'm tagging you all because this is very much the universe that The Winged Servant takes place in. However, all this stuff that happens to Ryan before he meets Onyx is pretty much irrelevant to the actual plot. And not whumpy. And there will almost definitely be more of this because Dakota is my favorite ever character. So if you don't want to be tagged for this stuff lmk ^^

[tommybaholland]

Hii can we have a fic where Nanami reacts to you bringing a stray cat home? uwu you can add other characters too!! Yayy <3

when their s/o brings home a new friend

featuring: kento nanami and megumi fushiguro

this is such a cute idea! thank you for requesting and enjoy :)

nanami

another clap of thunder rolled as you struggled to unlock the apartment door with your free hand, the other trying to keep a steady hold of the cat as you tucked it slightly in the side of your jacket to keep it warm. it mewed at the sudden shift, wiggling around slightly in your hold. 

“shh, it’s okay. see? we’re here now,” you consoled as you finally unlocked the door and entered the entryway. you kept the cat in your arms as you put down your bag and removed your shoes.

“is that you, darling?” his voice called from upstairs.

“yes, i’m home!”

you heard footsteps starting to descend down the stairs.

“welcome home—“

“wait, um, i’ll come up to you,” you offered hastily.

“oh, alright.” 

you tried to keep the cat quiet as you climbed the stairs but it mewed every few steps, giving away your surprise to him. 

“what’s that noise, sweetie?” he asked as he poked his head out from the upstairs railing. 

“um,” you stuttered before climbing the remaining few stairs to meet him on the top level. you opened your jacket up slightly to show him what you were carrying in your arms. “i found it outside and it looked like there was going to be a bad storm. poor thing was cold and scared. can we let him stay here?”

he kept his eyes on the small animal, noticing the pretty calico pattern on its fur. while he loved that you had a big heart and were willing to save an animal, but he wasn’t sure that this was the best idea.

“honey, i love you but i don’t think this is good for us right now. we don’t have any supplies or much time to be able to take care of it.”

you frowned down at the animal, who was seemingly calmer and snug in the crook of your arm. he was making good points which is what made you the most upset. 

“so what should we do?” you asked him, wanting to hear his opinion. 

“we should take it to a shelter. it’ll get the care it needs there and eventually, someone will adopt it and give it a more permanent and safe home,” he explained. 

suddenly, thunder crashed from above followed by heavy rain. you looked at him with a solemn expression.

“do we have to take him now?” 

his face softened. “no. he can stay the night and we’ll take him tomorrow morning.”

you nodded. “thank you, ken.”

he pulled you into a tight hug. “you’re welcome, sweetie.”

“um, you’re squishing him,” you remarked as the cat squirmed in your arms. 

“oh, sorry,” he replied, pulling you away from him a little. 

“would you like to pet him? he’s very friendly,” you offered. 

“sure,” he agreed, reaching out a gentle hand to pat the cat’s head. the cat closed its eyes, a sign that it was enjoying the attention. 

“aw, see? he likes you,” you pointed out, smiling at the interaction.

he smiled back at you seeing that you were happy with the animal. however, he knew it deserved a proper home where its owner would be around to take care of it. sometimes the two of you barely had enough time for each other. he was projecting that tomorrow would be hard. 

you gave a little leftover rice from dinner to the cat for food and set up a cardboard box with newspaper inside for a makeshift litter box. the cat seemed happy enough, being fed and warm and given attention by someone. it seemed to be good at entertaining itself and found a ball of your socks to play with.

 when it was time for bed, it came over and jumped up onto your side. you were worried that nanami wouldn’t allow him to sleep with you but seeing as the cat was already settled, he let the cat stay on your side with you. 

the next morning, he woke up to an empty bedside with no sight of you nor the cat. you must’ve gotten up to give him something to eat again. he got up and went downstairs to find you out on the deck, watching the cat play in the small yard area. you hadn’t noticed that he had entered the room so he decided to standby to watch you. 

the cat eventually came back over as you called him. 

“you’re such a good boy,” you praised, picking him up and holding him in your arms. nanami listened carefully as you kept talking to the animal.

“i hope you find a good home with lots of food and toys. you’re very pretty and so cute and sweet so you’ll probably have no problem getting adopted, okay? i think the other cats at the shelter will love you, too,” you reassured while hugging it close to you. 

he smiled to himself as he listened to you talk to it as if it were a child going to their first day of school. however, his heart ached for you, knowing that you would be upset for giving up the cat. 

“darling?” he spoke softly, trying not to scare you. 

you turned around with the cat still in your arms. “oh, good morning, ken. are you ready to go?”

he figured you just wanted to get it over with. “yes. let me put a shirt on and we can go.”

you nodded, offering him a half-smile before turning back around. he went back upstairs to grab a simple t-shirt from the dresser, making up his mind. 

you were already waiting for him in the entry area, the cat waiting patiently next to you. 

��okay. you two look ready,” he commented. “do you know where the nearest pet store is?”

you looked up at him with a confused look. “pet store?”

“yeah. we have to get him cat food, right? he can’t eat rice forever. and he needs other things like a proper litter pan and i think...cats wear collars, right?”

you looked at him in awe, standing up. “so we can keep him?” 

he rubbed a hand behind your head, smiling. “he’s welcome to stay as long as he likes, sweetheart.”

you hugged him tightly around the waist as tears of joy came into your eyes. “oh, thank you so much, nani. i promise i’ll take good care of him.”

“anything for you, dear. i love you so much,” he replied, leaning his head on top of yours as he hugged you back. 

you pulled away from him, wiping away some tears before turning back to the cat. “did you hear that? you get to stay here!”

the cat mewed in response as you picked him up to hug and kiss him in your arms. you turned back to your wonderful boyfriend. 

“he says thank you, too.”

nanami chuckled, stepping closer to pet him on the head. “he looks happy here and you look happy with him here.”

“i am,” you validated. “we have to start thinking of names.”

“we can think of some while we’re out,” he proposed while grabbing your jacket for you. 

“it sounds like we’re expecting a baby,” you joked. 

he chuckled but little did you know, he had already thought about that several times during your relationship. owning a cat together could be a good start. 

megumi

“okay, now you have to stay quiet while i-- oh, here he comes,” you whisper yelled to the small animal that you were currently hiding in the bathroom. 

“megumi?”

“yeah, it’s me. how are you doing?” he asked as he fully entered the house and coming over to give you a welcome hug. 

“good but, um, there’s something i need to show you,” you confessed.

bang, bang, bang. 

you both turned to see the bathroom door banging against the frame, obviously signaling that something was trapped inside and wanted to be let out. 

“would whatever’s in there have anything to do with it?” he proposed. 

“it has everything to do with it,” you confirmed. 

“there’s not a curse behind there, right?” 

you giggled. “no. no curses. however, i’m not exactly sure what you’ll think.”

you put your hand on the knob and turned it slowly when a small black fur ball pushed through the open door. it was a little black cat and could not have been older than a year. it went up to megumi and began rubbing itself up against his legs. 

“so you found a cat?” he asked, stepping away from it.

you nodded. “i think it got separated from its family or mother because it was crying. that’s how i found it.”

he shook his head, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “well, you know we can’t keep it, right?”

“why not? he can’t survive on his own,” you pointed out.

“y/n, you know i don’t like cats. and do you even know that it’s a boy?” 

you shrugged. “just a guess.”

you picked up the cat, holding it in your arms. “but look how precious he is, megumi. how can you say no to this face?” 

you pouted while holding the cat out to him. he leaned forward with his arms crossed over his chest. 

“no,” he said with a scowl. 

“please, babe? i promise i’ll take care of him and if he’s that much of a bother, i’ll find him a new home. please, please, please, gumi?”

you tugged on his shirt lightly at you gave him your most pleading look. 

he grunted, looking away from your face. “fine but just keep the place clean.”

“thank you! i love you so much,” you said, giving him a kiss on the cheek before hugging him tightly around the waist. 

megumi went on with his life as normal. as the week progressed, he noticed that you were trying to make the cat feel comfortable while it was here. he would often summon his demon dog, just for some company as well as you trying to take care of him like he was a real dog. 

he watched as you played outside with his demon dog with the cat trying to join in as well. about an hour later, he came back to see you sitting with the dog laying next to you. he couldn’t spot the cat anywhere until he saw something stretch out from the belly of the dog and realized it was the cat laying up against him. he decided to not release the dog back into a shadow for a little longer. 

unfortunately, you would have to leave sometimes for work, leaving megumi alone with the stray cat. he didn’t think that it would be much of a bother until the cat jumped up onto the couch, presumably looking around for something. megumi looked up from his book, watching the cat.

“they’re not here right now. now, go play,” he shooed. however, the cat had other ideas. it decided to climb into his lap, disrupting megumi from his reading. 

“hey, what are you doing?” he asked. “why am i talking to the cat,” he muttered under his breath. the cat took its spot on his lap, laying down for seemingly good. megumi sighed, thinking how ridiculously needy this cat seemed to be.

he let his hand slowly fall down onto the cat’s back, gently petting him. the fur was very soft and he felt weirdly relaxed from the vibrations of its purrs onto his legs. 

“don’t you think that this means i like you. just wait until they come back,” he warned. 

“i’m home!” you called out before looking around for the cat. normally he would come right up to you but this time, there was no sound nor sight of him. you went upstairs to your room where megumi was sitting in bed. lo and behold, the cat was there, leaning against his thigh as it rested peacefully. 

“aw, i think he’s really taken a liking to you, babe,” you cooed as you carefully crawled into your side of the bed. 

“whatever,” he muttered yet allowed a small grin onto his face. you rubbed his shoulder, you fingers creeping over to the back of his neck as he spoke.

“so i was thinking that...”

“yes?”

“maybe he could stay here with us,” he offered. 

“i think he would like that,” you nodded. “thank you, gumi. love you lots.”

“of course, beautiful. love you more,” he replied, leaning over to caress your cheek for a sweet kiss on the lips. 

the cat stretched below you before rolling over to look up at you. you both smiled down at him. 

“that’s right, my precious boy. your best friend megumi said that you can live here with us!” you exclaimed, petting his belly. 

“i am not his best friend,” megumi clarified firmly. “also, i thought i was your precious boy?”

your face softened as he pouted. “of course you are. you’re my original precious boy who can never be replaced.” 

you picked up the cat and set him down in your lap to squish up next to megumi, who wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pressing a kiss to your temple. 

“i’ll try to love him as much as you do.” 

let’s go crazy for wild card night! let’s see those requests..

[countthelions]

If you have the time, could you tell me more about your DND OC Prior (literally anything you want)? She looks so lovely and cool thank you

did you know you’re an actual Gift, anon, ilu

Prior is a Darling, and like, the First DND character that I've really dedicated time to???

She’s catkin, which is a little cat homebrew race created Before Tabaxi was released. I’ve based her off of The Cat Returns cats, so she’s like three feet tall and ready to brawl. She’s a mom!! has five kids and actually started her adventuring because her two youngest (twins!!) were stolen and the police weren’t able to help her. She’s a merchant originally, so she couldnt search much on her own??? She went to a god (Elliri, god of chance in @tiefighter​‘s homebrew world, Haven) and asks for help to find her kids. So now she’s a warlock and totally bad ass. She’s gotten her kids back (yayy!!) and now she’s adventuring with the group to uhh, basically restore the balance between the new gods and old gods??? I’m not entirely sure ‘cause I keep forgetting to take notes when we get into story

Prior’s the team mom and unfortunately I don’t think fast enough for her to Mom everyone All the time, but she definitely gets some mom time in. She’s friends with like, Every single kid we come across bc she’s three feet tall and Kid Height and they love it. She also is proficient in intimidation so she Yells a lot in battle (free action my dudes) and it makes me happy haha! ahhh, she has an odd connection to Amber?? Cade (the bestest dm) hasn’t fully explored that with us yet, but I am Jazzed to figure out what it means. Her dice are sparkling amber as a reference to that.

I think my favorite goofy thing that happens when I roll dice for her is when we’re asked to roll perception and she always fails-- UNLESS she’s standing up high, then she succeeds. Every single perception check this happens. It’s hilarious.

Uhm uhm, she’s aro I think??? and her kids are from different litters. She’s like the Cool mom that dresses up sometimes and you’re like, “oh, I understand now why you’ve had multiple partners, you’re a BABE” and she’s also raised all her kids by herself. No partner really stuck around, nor did she want them around to raise the kids??? It’s an interesting thing to explore. 

Her eldest son, Asher, tried to go after the twins as well so she had to rescue him too. He’s so sweet and soft and goin’ to school!! And like, hella tall. Prior has to motion for him to get closer when she wants to like smooth out his whiskers and stuff. And her eldest daughter, Net, runs the shop and is a gentle yet firm presence for all the kids. Like Model Big Sister qualities. Her middle child is Comfort, who looks like a carbon copy of her, but her face calico splotches are different. Comfort inherited all her mother’s charisma and is gunna be a beautiful singer one day. 

And her youngest, the twins, Iah and Jada, look!! identical except Iah’s face splotch is a moon. Iah has innate magic that’s just waiting to be unlocked. one day, I’d love to do a campaign with Iah as my PC because he’s a Gift that I’m sitting on like dragon on top a hoard. 

I wanted her name, and her family’s naming scheme, to be based on Puritan naming schemes because I thought it was so interesting??? and I think her name is just,,, so Perfect. 

but yah!!! that’s prior, and I love her so very muchh