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darkdevasofdestruction · 4 years ago

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Smoke and Mirrors ~ Sesshomaru x Reader

(( You’ll have to excuse me if I make any lore mistakes. I watched/read InuYasha 7 years ago and I forgot a lot of stuff, but I’ve been thinking about this story idea for a while...So here we are. ))

“Father? Why are we here?” a young Sesshomaru asked his father, Toga, the Lord of the Western Japan, Leader of the Dog Demon clan. “You are my son, Sesshomaru, and some day, when I will be no more, you will be the new ruler of this place. Everything you see with your eyes, and far beyond the horizon, every living being and every inch of land, will be under your rule.” Inu no Taisho began his explanation to his young son, who resembled him so much. “That is a lot of responsibility you are putting on my shoulders, father.” the boy spoke in a calm voice. “Such is the burden that a Lord must bare, and for that, I apologise. However, this is our duty, and our people must live in peace.” the older man nodded, putting his hand oh his son’s shoulder. “What is it that you want to say, father? I can sense there is something bothering you.” his father smiled softly at how perceptive and witty his flesh and blood is. “Yes, you are right. What I wanted to inform you is that, as you know already, soon enough, you will have to marry, and I have found you a suitable bride. She is the daughter of the Lord of the Northern Japan, the Leader of the Fox Demon clan, and the man I trust the most in my life. He is a brilliant Warlord and his people are thriving, his land has not seen War in centuries, and we agree that together, this country will be much safer.” Toga explained his reasoning and it seemed that the young one sketched no expression on his deadpan face. “I see. When are we going to see her?” was the simple reply he uttered, which left his father with wide eyes, clearly not having expected that. “In a week. She is very young, and the marriage won’t happen for a long time, but we believe getting to know each other would prove to be beneficial...And we truly hope you will get along as well as I and her father do.” the Dog Demon lord smiled down at his son, who could only nod and hum in agreement. “We shall see.” Sesshomaru muttered, before turning around and leaving back inside his home.

A week passed by faster than the breeze of Spring, and so, Inu no Taisho took his son, Sesshomaru, on a journey that lead to the Northern Kingdom, to the Clan of the Fox Demons, and much to the young one’s surprise, there were a ton of unbelievable phenomena happening all around him, that made him get ready to strike, but his father could only chuckle in amusement, clearly unphased by all the trickery.

By the time they stepped up in front of the Castle, they were greeted by a tall man with long, red hair like the blazing fire and striking green eyes that would rival the beauty of a forest. And on his face, there was a very annoying and mischievous smirk that seemed to greatly irritate the young Dog Demon for his smugness and aloof aura he radiated.

“Toga, my old friend, marvelous seeing you again! It’s always such a great pleasure having your companionship, and now, you brought your mini-you!” the man took a long drag of his pipe, letting out a puff that oddly resembled a fox jumping around playfully, before the nine tails, long and red, spread open like a fan of fire behind him, and stepped down the stairs to greet them. “Kasai, it is as you say, always great seeing you. This is Sesshomaru, my son. Sesshomaru, this is Kasai, the Fox Demon Lord I told you about.” the white haired man grinned at his best friend, who gave of a sly grin and bent down from the waist, looking into the boy’s amber eyes. “My, Toga, I believe this young one is going to surpass you in looks, strength and maybe even wit too. I bet Y/N is going to love you in no time. Maybe even put a smile on this cold face of yours...” Kasai hummed teasingly as he pinched the boy’s cheek, which made him glare and slap his hand away. “Sesshomaru, be more courteous!” his father warned, but the red haired man only laughed in amusement, shaking his head and putting his hands inside the opposite sleeves. “Worry not, my friend, he was right to do as he did! Now, if you wouldn’t mind, follow me to the tea room. Y/N is a bit shy so she is still with her mother, doing her hair.” he started walking ahead, only to be greeted by two red haired beings, one mature while the other much younger, yet both wearing rich, pink kimonos with intricate embellishments of gold, their hair mostly let loose, to fly with the wind, but the upper part was held with gorgeous flower ornaments.

Unlike the man in cause, however, their skin was much paler and had natural red markings, fit for being the Nine Tailed Kitsunes from humans’ tails and paintings and their eyes, as green as Kasai’s, yet much more piercing and richer than his.

It was clear to Sesshomaru that women of this clan, perhaps only the nobles, or maybe all of them, had much more delicate and beautiful features than men did, and now, he could understand why humans seemed to fear yet adore the Nine Tailed Foxes so much.

The look they gave you with those jade-like eyes seemed to go right into your soul, leaving you naked, exposed, to the whole world to see and read, only for you to want to beg for more of this seducing charm of their.

It was no secret power, it was just beauty, and they knew how to glorify it, from young to old.

“Ah, look who we have here! My darling, you look radiant! Here, here, this is Toga, my dear old friend, and this little one is his son, Sesshomaru.” the man planted a soft kiss on his daughter’s forehead, before putting his hand on her back, encouraging her to step in front of the two new men. “It’s great finally meeting the man who accompanied my papa on so many adventures. I am Y/N, it’s a pleasure.” the young one smiled shyly, bowing her head slightly to show her respect for the two visitors. “My, she’s so adorable! And she has such an angelic voice! She truly resembles her mother more than you, Kasai!” Inu no Taisho gave a mirthful laugh that strongly throughout the forest. “Toga, Toga, always so nice with everyone! How is Inukimi, I haven’t heard from her in a while! Is she a bit jealous that cute, little Sesshomaru looks more like you than her?” Moeru put her hand to her mouth, humming in amusement. “Moeru, darling, let’s get Toga inside for tea and let the children get to know each other and have fun. I’m sure they couldn’t care less about our adult conversations.” Kasai suggested, putting his arms around both his wife and best friend, guiding them inside.

After a few silent seconds between the fox and dog demons, the girl cleared her throat and raised her head slightly, to meet to boy’s golden eyes, giving him a playful smile.

“I heard you will be staying over for the night. Is that true?” she asked, already knowing the answer, and yet, wanting to play coy. “It is.” he answered in a monotonous voice. “Twilight is going to appear...Come on, let me show you something.” Y/N extended her hand for him to take. “Where are you taking me?” the silver haired boy asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Shh, wait and see! It’s a secret place.” she giggled, before running even faster than before, which surprised the older boy who could barely keep up with her. “It’s a secret no more if you tell it.” he pointed out, as soon as they arrived at a lake. “I keep no secrets from my fiance.” she chuckled, before sitting down at the base of the willow, dipping her feet in the warm water. “I see.” he looked down at her, a tad uncomfortable and unsure, as he sat down next to her. “Do you want to know what makes this place so special?” she asked him, with a soft smile on her face. “Sure.” he replied, as more of a mutter. “This is a human tale, and it goes as follows - Every Twilight, the Lake of the Princess is graced by the presence of a maiden, the nymph of the lake, Limnades, more beautiful than any man has ever witnessed in his life, and she comes here to bathe, for the water is magical and it sparkles like diamonds, making her skin flawless and delicate, just like a flower. At midnight, she emerges from the water, as fairies come to robe her, and she walks upon the sheen of the mirror water, dancing in the moonlight, to the tune of a flute and the wind rustling and dancing with the falling leaves and cherry blossom petals. Some call her Sakura, while some say she is a Will’o’Wisp, and yet, nobody knows the truth.” she told him the story that has been passed down from generation to generation, only in her clan. “Are all mortal tales so absurd?” Sesshomaru scoffed at the girl’s story. “Yes, they are, but don’t you think they hold a grain of romanticism to it?” she chuckled at his apathetic reaction. “What is the real story behind it, then?” he faced the girl. “Well...It’s all much simpler, really. The truth is that the only magical thing about this place, is its beauty. The moonlight is so powerful here that, since the lake is surrounded by big trees, it looks like a silver mirror...And the fairies are just ordinary fireflies...We have plenty of those, thankfully.” she grinned at him in amusement, as he nodded in understanding. “And that maiden, nymph or whatever she is?” he asked, wanting to know the whole truth. “About that...” she giggled mischievously, before springing up and taking a leap towards the middle of the lake, which startled the boy...Only to see her floating. “How...?” he asked as he jumped to his feet, looking at her in wonder. “It’s one of our many tricks, Sesshomaru. This Lake is the place where the Princesses of the Fox clan bathe. We all have a love for fun, art and beauty, so of course we use our illusions to make everything as perfect as possible. We know a variety of dances, we all wear luxurious clothes, no matter our ranks or titles, and of course, we all know how to play at least one instrument. We have so many festivals, so we all have a lot of fun!” she explained, twirling around, letting her nine tails spread around in a fan of fire, just like her father did, greeting them. “So humans can’t differentiate between a Kitsune and a Naiad. Clearly, one cannot expect much from them.” calming down, he leaned back on the old tree, watching her with a certain sparkle of curiosity in his eyes. “That is not wrong...However, I find this naivite and innocence quite...Silly and amusing...If not, easily exploitable. Humans are creative and superstitious, therefore, we have all these silly stories, rituals and myths about ever little thing.” she said, getting back on the ground, sitting where she did just before. “You and I have very different views on these mortals, clearly.” he scoffed once again, looking away. “Mayhaps you just have too many emotions stored up inside your heart. Take some time from the world, focus on yourself, and relax. Look at the sky, appreciate the myriads of shades and colours it is painted with, and listen to the lullabies and hymns the nature is singing to you. Come on, Sessh. Sit down, breathe and enjoy life.” Y/N looked up at him with a sweet smile, as she held his hand and urged him to sit down next to her once again. “Does anyone in your clan take themselves seriously?” he gritted his teeth for a second, before sitting down next to the girl, only sparing her a glance with the corner of his eyes. “Only when necessary. Life is beautiful and it’s meant to be lived and enjoyed, and sometimes, it’s the little, insignificant details that matter - Those that are often overlooked...For example, were you born with your markings? I noticed you your father doesn’t have the same crescent moon on his forehead as you do...And your side lines are different in number and colours.” she asked, leaning on his side, putting her chin on his shoulder. “I was. All nobles have different markings...And the crescent moon is from my mother. You?” he felt himself warming up a bit to the girl, that he asked about her without even realising. “We aren’t born with them, they start appearing, only to girls, with years going. As you see, mine are still pale, but my mother’s are a brilliant shade of red. They reach that colour when we reach maturity, which is a sign we can marry. And...They are always different, depending on our personality. My mama is more gentle and soft...I’m more playful and mischievous.” she closed her eyes for a few seconds, before turning them on again. “That much is obvious.” the silver haired boy nodded, as if he already realised that long ago.

Giggling in amusement, she took out a leaf, and with a poof of smoke, Sesshomaru found himself with another version of himself leaning on his side, which made him look at the fox demon with an unphased look on his face.

“Fascinating power...If only you would not forget the leaf on your head.” he smirked, taking off the leaf from her head. “What?!” she gasped, which only made her turn back to herself, her green eyes widening like a little, surprised fawn. “It is rather weird seeing myself in front of me...It would be rather entertaining to see a successful trick like this, without forgetting the leaf. A very deadly weapon as well.” he informed, giving her the leaf back. “Is this how you do your tricks?” “Yes...I have a ton of leaves with me at all times...Ahh, I was sure I took out the leaf this time, how miserable!” she sighed, pouting, which earned a soft chuckle from the boy. “You are young, Y/N. Much younger than me still. There is enough time for you to stop forgetting that leaf...And to show me when you’ve perfected it.” he put his hand on her head, patting it. “Ehhh~? So that means you can’t wait to see me again! What a pleasant coincidence~!” she grinned teasingly, leaning o him. “Don’t push your luck.” he shot her a look of warning, but she obviously didn’t care.

Instead of replying, she got her hand inside of her kimono, taking out a flute and she began playing a magical melody that she learnt from her mother, that has been passed down through generations from her grandmother and so on, yet nobody knows who created it and how long has it been since someone was first taught it.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, letting the back of his head rest on the bark of the Willow, allowing the song to create an atmosphere of complete bliss and serenity, and as the Sun set down, disappearing so that the Moon could take its place. The Moonlight was creating the illusion of diamonds floating, dazzling on the sheen of the mirror-like water, while the fire flies were flying around like small Will’o’Wisps dancing together in the gentle Spring breeze.

For the first time, so far, the silver haired Dog Demon princeling understood what it’s like to relax and take in the beauty of the moment, and for the next 500 years, he has been courting her, in his own way...Albeit not too often, for they were both very busy with their training and life in general, for they will be Lords, after all.

Unfortunately, this serendipity didn’t last too long for either of them, for Sesshomaru’s father went to another woman, a human that he loved and even had a child with...A half-demon...And in return, to keep them safe, Toga died, and with that, Kasai’s heart as well, for his best friend perished in vain.

As soon as Inu no Taisho died, Sesshomaru couldn’t be the Lord and reign with an iron fist, for he was still too young and inexperienced, despite the fighting he had done by his father’s side, which lead to a riot in both the Northern and the Western parts of Japan...

And Kasai died protecting his people.

From fear, Moeru ran away with her daughter, away from the mess, from the enemies, from the ill-will, from the bittersweet memories, from all the danger that wound cause her little Y/N any harm, so they took refuge to the Southern Lord, who gracefully welcomed them and offered his condolences.

It all went down in a flash, but her mother died from suffering so much over her husband’s death, leaving the poor girl all alone in this world, a young maiden out there, fighting to regain her birth right and take down the people who took away her lovely family from her, and killing them with no mercy or second thoughts, she managed to get the throne back, and now, she was the Lord of the Northern Japan and nobody dared go against her again.

She wasn’t sure how many centuries passed since she had a normal day, back when things were so much easier and when she could properly enjoy the beauty and art that her people had ingrained in their blood since the beginning of their making.

Nobody dared get on her territory without her consent, knowing they would get crushed by her and her blazing Fox Fire...

That is, until a silver haired boy with fluffy ears and a few companions come by, seeking shelter, and cause a commotion, as expected of them, and as they started fighting the intimidating guardians of the land, a luxurious woman with long hair, burning like the Twilight Sun, her long, nine tails spreading around her just like the flaming sky, her jade-like eyes piercing them like the harshest wind blade. Her face, despite the seductive, almost Geisha-like look, given by her pale skin and red markings, held a cold ruthlessness that seemed to drain the blood from the humans’ faces.

As soon as the half-demon took out his large sword and did a wind attack, the girl jumped on it, crouching down on the other end of the blade, her hands inside the opposite sleeves, looking at him with a taunting smirk.

“What’s your name, kid? What kind of animal demon are you? I have seen no half-demons in a very long while...Or, well, one that looks as cute as you, that is.” she giggled mysteriously, earning an angry growl from him. “What’s it to you, huh?! Why do you care about us?! They attacked us first!” he swung his blade again, only to get burnt by her fire, his sword kicked out of his hand, far away, and him, flat on his back, with her foot on his neck. “You are on my territory. My kingdom. Without permission. State your business and I will decide whether or not to forgive your intrusion...For your crew doesn’t seem to be harmful.” her voice became much darker and harsher, putting pressure on his neck. “We are sorry for the intrusion, miss! We are looking for shelter, we didn’t know this was your land. We are all human here, clueless about most of the demon business. My name is Kagome, this is Miroku, Sango...That is Inuyasha, and these are Shippo and Kirara.” the brunette girl in a weird attire spoke with feign confidence, making Y/N’s eyes widen slightly, leaving the half-demon and going to her, bending down slightly to get to her eye-level. “Kagome, Kagome...Who is behind you, bird in the cage? Yes, I always told him, humans are interesting indeed...And you look at that, you have a little Fox demon with you, how adorable...But you’re so tiny...Can you even transform, little one?” she asked the kid who stood with a shy expression on the brunet’s shoulder. “O-Of course I can! Look, I can be even you!” he tried to sound mature, transforming into the woman in front of him...Only for her to start laughing mirthfully. “Perfect transformation! ...Except for the leaf.” she grinned, picking the leaf from his head. “Ah...! Damn it, I was sure I took it off! I always forget to do take it away!” he whined in disbelief. “Don’t worry, little Shippo. When I was young like you, I used to forget the leaf all the time. Well... Stopped after meeting someone...But that doesn’t matter now.” she chuckled, letting the kid jump in her arms. “When you are so many centuries old, you tend to forget about the little mistakes you used to do when you were just a little snowdrop.” Y/N’s voice was so much calmer and gentler now, soothing like a mother’s lullaby to her child, and her voice seemed to ease everyone in the crew as well. “Tsk...Maybe you’re not such a bad chick. Since you asked, I am a Dog Demon. Why are you so interested in that?” he scoffed, still glaring at the woman as he got up on his feet. “You...Are a...Well, that explains it, you look so much like him...” she muttered, looking away into the horizon with a nostalgic smile. “Him? Someone who looks like InuYasha...?” Kagome’s eyes widened in realisation. “The only one who comes in mind would be...Sesshomaru...?” Sango questioned, unsure of herself. “I wouldn’t have expected humans to know someone like Sesshomaru. I haven’t seen him since before InuYasha was born and I was just a child. How long has it been...800 years ago maybe?” Y/N gave a satisfied, kitten-like smile, earning shocked gasps from everyone. “Well, we know him because he attacked InuYasha...But how do you know him for so long?” Kagome asked, blinking in curiosity. “Oh, well...I am his fiance.” she laughed, very amused at them falling to the ground in shock. “When we were both children, our fathers wanted us to marry, so from our marriage, the Northern and Western Japan would be united and peaceful. They wanted no more wars and disputes, so this was the perfect idea. They were best friends, so they had absolute faith in each other...” she explained, guiding them towards her castle. “Wait, so...What happened?” Shippo asked from her shoulder. “...Inuyasha was born.” she muttered, looking down for a few seconds, then back up ahead. “Huh?! What the hell do I have to do with that?!” he spit out in annoyance. “Your father died to protect you and your mother. Because of that, there was no more Lord in the West, so Sesshomaru had to do something about it, and with that, wars and riots started happening in the West, trying to overthrow my Clan...And my father died to protect us...Which means I haven’t seen him in over 200 years. I’m not blaming you, obviously, but I use some things as year bornes to remember things chronologically. Immortality can get confusing and tedious sometimes.” she laughed, a natural, mirthful laugh, just like her father used to, as she showed them inside the castle. “Woaw...So, that means you are the Leader of the West?” Kagome asked, very excited. “Yes, I suppose I am, and have been for quite a while. Took a while to take back my throne from those usurpers, but...None is alive to tell the tale of betrayal. Anyway, if you want to stay over, you will have to join me for a cup of tea and tell me the reason of your journey together and your personal stories. You are all incredibly different and unique...There must be something that brought you together.” she flashed them a mischievous smirk, before welcoming them inside.

They told the Kitsune about the destruction of the Shikon no Tama, which shocked her, until she found out about this Naraku who is creating chaos everywhere and destroying the peace and harmony of the world, that was already in shambles enough as if was.

Easily agreeing to help them with anything they needed, she made plans on how to aid them while also taking care of her kingdom, which was her priority, first and foremost.

She thought awhile on what the best course of action would be, and protecting the West from threats like Naraku was the best course of action, and thus, despite going on an aimless journey, she found a treasure that she would have never expected to stumble upon.

A little girl, brunet, wearing an orange kimono and walking barefoot, humming a cute little tune and picking berries, while a green gremlin, half her height, was nagging her with a greatly annoying voice that she paid no mind to.

Y/N leaned on a tree, watching the scene with a smile, realising that he was no harm to her - surprisingly, that is - Until their peace was destroyed by a numerous gang of large and fearsome demons ran towards them, growling, clearly wanting to mangle and eat them.

Tsk-ing in annoyance realising that the little demon was close to useless, despite the fire-breathing staff he had as a weapon, he was trembling even more than the frightened young girl, which lead Y/N to take action. With a speed that could barely be caught with the human eye, she made her claws elongate and easily slashed through the enemies without even the littlest effort.

When she was done with the group of thugs, Y/N stepped in front of the scared little girl, crouched down to her level, and pet her long brunette hair, giving her a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry, they are gone now.” she spoke in a soothing voice, making the girl quickly wipe the tears brimmed in her eyes, and returning a sweet smile. “Miss, you were amazing, you saved us! Thank you so much!” her voice was so adorable and filled with glee and gratitude. “I’m glad I was here when needed. What were you doing here? There is no human village around. You saw what happened just now, and that this gremlin here is rather useless, as you saw. Not to mention, staying around a demon is pretty dangerous in itself.” she giggled with a shady smirk, making the girl laugh as well. “Oh, but I’m not alone, and I’m not afraid of demons! Lord Sesshomaru saved me and took care of me! He always protects me, but now, he was away to investigate, so he let Jaken take care of me.” as soon as the girl mentioned that familiar name with such leisure, the Fox girl’s jaw dropped to the ground in shock, her green eyes widened as never before. “You...You said...Sesshomaru...? He’s here? Really?!” the woman jumped to her feet, as if electrified, which made the green gremlin shriek at her. “It’s LORD Sesshomaru for you, you filthy wench! How dare you address him with such disrespect?!” his voice was grating her brain so bad that she was barely stopping herself from kicking him into the horizon. “I will speak to him however I please. I gained that right long ago. About five centuries ago, in fact.” she spoke in a smug voice, crossing her arms, digging her claws into the material of her kimono, clearly waiting for the Dog Demon to return.

And return he did, and much faster then she expected, descending from the sky gracefully, his amber eyes holding the same harsh and cold gaze, as he hurried and examined the woman that seemed to hold no hostile will.

“Lord Sesshomaru, you’re back! This lady saved us from a bunch of ugly demons that tried to eat us!” the little girl ran to the man with a wide grin, which made the Fox Demon put her hand to her mouth, stifling a chuckle. “I see. I thank you for saving Rin’s life, despite being a demon yourself.” he walked in front of her, obviously trying to analyse her. “Lord Sesshomaru...Is that what they call you, even now? And what are you, Lord over nothingness? Wandering the world for two centuries in a journey to find yourself, while I had to fight with blood, fire and tears to regain my throne from the usurpers. If I didn’t know better, Sessh, I would say you have become rather...Lazy?” Y/N she gave him a mocking, seductive look, letting her nine tails spread around her, circling him and occasionally turning around. “I don’t quite appreciate the greeting you are giving me, Y/N.” he spoke in a deadpan voice, although she knew he was anything but annoyed as he wanted to be seen. “I did not quite appreciate you not coming to see me in the last two hundred years, you know? You weren’t there to see my markings turning red, either. And on many other occasions. And now...No hugs, no kisses, no affection? That is rather pitiful from you, my darling.” she chuckled, jabbing at him to see how far she could push him. “D-Darling?! Who do you think you are?! What gives you the RIGHT to speak like that to Lord Sesshomaru?! I will make you pay for your impudence!” Jaken ran to hit the woman with her staff, but using on of her tails, she tripped him, making Rin laugh at his misfortune. “She is Y/N, Lord of the Fox Demon clan, ruler of the West. She has earned the right to speak so freely with me.” the silver haired man informed the two, not taking his eyes away from her green eyes that enticed him as always. “You are forgetting another very important title~.” she stepped forward, leaning her elbow on his shoulder, reaching her other hand up to boop his nose. “...And my fiancee.” he grumbled, catching her wrist before she could do what she pleased. “WHAAAAAAAT?! L-Lord Sesshomaru...Why have you never told me you were married...?!” Jacked started crying rivers, while Rin was cheering, extra happy. “I did. Many years ago, when I was trying to escape the pressure of the Lord of the East to marry his daughter.” Sesshomaru spoke, barely bothering with his lackey. “Awww, so you thought of me, how adorable! I am flattered.” she chuckled, hooking her arm to the man, who didn’t seem to protest...Too much.

They started walking, looking for a place to camp for the night, Y/N putting the wood on fire for Rin to roast the food, so when the Twilight started creeping, she started looking around for a lake to bathe, and thankfully, she did. Discarding her outfit, she stepped in the cool water, shivering a bit at the temperature difference, before relaxing and taking out her flute to play.

She hasn’t played since the last night she saw him, and now that she has him close to her again, she can feel at ease playing again. Without even realising, she played the tune she played for Sesshomaru when they first met each other.

The lake wasn’t as beautiful as the one back home, but the moonlight was just as silver, the water was just as crystalline and the fireflies were glowing like little fairies...Just like home.

In the middle of her song, she heard the ruffling of bushes, which made her jump to her feet in full alert, her tails wrapping around her to hide her naked body. Easing her fears, glowing from the light of Mother Moon, Sesshomaru walked towards her, not sparing her a glance until he got to the water to his waist, approaching her, as she stepped back, looking away with a blush.

“Uhm...Sesshomaru, hello. What...Are you doing here?” she gave a nervous chuckle, pulling her tails closer to her body. “I came to bathe, just like you. Do you have anything against me being here?” he pushed her with his words, looking at her with that intimidating gaze of his. “No, of course not! You can bathe here too, obviously.” she flashed a quick, embarrassed smile that disappeared as fast as it came. “You are blushing. Are you...Flustered, by chance? Is my presence here making a Fox like you nervous, per chance?” he teased her, barely able to contain his smirk of amusement. “...A bit.” she muttered, taking another step back. “You act completely different from earlier. Not very Fox-like of you, is it?” he teased her, getting in front of her, lifting her chin up to look at him. “We are indecent...And you are my fiance. We haven’t...Seen each other before. You can’t blame me for feeling nervous.” she muttered, averting her gaze from his. “You worry too much.” Sesshomaru let out an amused breathe, before leaning in, brushing his lips to hers. “I missed you.” he ushered, as he kissed her softly.

It felt like the time stopped for the girl, she felt like lightning struck her and the energy was surging through her bloodstream, blushing even more as she melted into the kiss and let herself feel, kissing back with more passion and fire, resting her hands on his shoulder to bring him closer to her. Her tails seemed to have a will of their own, slowly uncoiling themselves from her body, and wrapping around his, staying glued together, skin to skin, feeling ablaze with every touch.

“How did you end up so far away from home?” he asked, brushing his fingers through her long, fire hair. “Your brother and his little group of friends found their way in my territory. They told me about this Naraku foe they must defeat, and the destroyed Jewel...And I I thought that if I killed him, he would be a threat to my people no more...Moreover, they mentioned seeing you a few times, so it was worth trying to find you...I missed you as well, dearly.” she sighed, looking down, resting her head on his chest, enjoying the warmth she was feeling from his embrace, after so long. “You don’t have to worry anymore, I’m not going to disappear again. They are right, Naraku is a threat...That we will eliminate. When this is all done, we will be able to fulfill our parents’ wishes. We will have peace, and...You will be the most beautiful bride.” his voice was soft, just as back then, many years ago, when he was courting her. “I will wear a pink kimono, not the boring white one. I have style, clearly...Although I’m not sure pink suits me too much, considering what an intense shade of red my hair is. There’s no contrast.” she smiled, purring softly as he started playing with her hair. “It suits you very much...Although I am curious why you always chose this particular colour...Even now, and back then, when I first laid my eyes upon you and your shyness was just as it is now.” he asked, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Because it has always been my mum’s favourite colour since she was little...And she also married in a pink kimono. I guess I felt connected with this, just like I was with her.” she grinned nostalgically, which in turn, earned a soft smile from him as well. “I see. Then we will do as you wish.” he nodded, putting his hand or the back of her head, pulling her closer to him. “Sessh...?” Y/N looked up at him, her eyes glossy and warm, like that of a fawn. “Yes, Y/N?” he muttered, looking down at her. “I love you.” her voice was so soft and gentle, yet filled with so many emotions. “I love you as well, Y/N.” after a brief silence, Sesshomaru answered, ignoring the wall of coldness and properness that he instilled in himself. “Let’s defeat this Naraku and go home.” she leaned her head back on his chest, looking as relaxed and content, just like back then, when they first visited the lake. “That, we will. I promise.”

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my-name-is-apollo · 5 years ago

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I know this has already been discussed many times, but was Artemis a lesbian? Wasn't she supposed to be a virgin goddess?

So this is not an simple topic to talk about. It's hard to apply modern sexualities onto ancient figures. Especially in this case. And of course, one is free to make their own interpretations. But I can talk about how it is in the myths.

You're right about Artemis being a virgin goddess. There's this whole arguement of "a virgin was someone who was just unmarried!" and while, yes, that is technically right, they're forgetting that for the greeks, an unmarried girl was not supposed to have sex either. So virginity eventually meany a girl who hasn't had sex. Some might say that only penetration was considered as sex, hence Artemis could have had sex with a woman and still stayed a virgin. Yes that could have been the case, but we have evidence that she didn't have sex or want it.

Homeric Hymn 5 to Aphrodite 6 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) :

"Nor does laughter-loving Aphrodite ever tame in love Artemis the huntress with shafts of gold (khryselakatos); for she loves archery and the slaying of wild beasts in the mountains, the lyre also and dancing and thrilling cries and shady woods and the cities of upright men.

Lucian, Dialogues of the Gods 16 (trans. Fowler) (Greek satire C2nd A.D.) :

APHRODITE: Let them pass too, because they are grand. And why do you never take a shot at Artemis?

EROS: Why, the great thing is that I cannot catch her; she is always over the hills and far away. But besides that, her heart is engaged already.

APHRODITE: Where, child?

EROS: In hunting stags and fawns; she is so fleet, she catches them up, or else shoots them; she can think of nothing else.

And Sappho herself, who's so famous for loving woman, wrote

Sappho, Fragment 34 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric I) (C6th B.C.) :

"Eros, loosener of limbs, never approaches her [Artemis]."

So, it's pretty much clear that she didn't want romance or sex. And that's how I see Artemis too. But I admit there are some times when it looks like she might have loved her companion romantically (Britomartis, for example) but it was pushed aside as platonic because two women in love didn't sit well with men in ancient greece. In that case, okay go ahead and make her romantically attracted, but don't limit it to girls. Because she canonically loved Orion. It's very clear because they both had decided to get married. So going by myths, wouldn't she be biromantic? Why erase that? If it's your headcanon or an AU then fine, you do you. I have zero problems. But stop claiming that Artemis is a lesbian in Greek mythology and invalidating others who see her as aroace. (this especially relevant to the PJO fandom. So many of them got mad when RR said that he interprets Artemis as aro and ace. They jumped on him saying how she's a lesbian icon and how he robbed them of representation. Please, it's spelt out in the hymns that she was uninterested in sex and romance. That's a reason she has been seen as an ace icon for years. It's not lesbophobia)

Lastly, about Artemis' hunters: A lot of people think see her as a lesbian because she lived in the forest with a group of nymphs. But I hope they know that those nymphs were mostly very young girls (in one hymn to Artemis, they're 9 years old). They are with Artemis because they've not reached the age of marriage. Because it was Artemis' job to protect girls of that age. So the idea of Artemis having a gay paradise with her nymphs in the woods is uncomfortable to me. (although, I believe some of her companions like Callisto, Britomartis were older).

TLDR; according to poets, Artemis didn't feel romantic or sexual desires. But if you're going to make her romantic, remember that she fell in love with a man too.

#Artemis #Greek mythology #Greek gods #Like y'all #If you're going by the myths #She's clearly not into sex and has shown attraction to a man #Why are some people so aggressively claiming she's a lesbian?

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skrltwtch · 5 years ago

Text

The Cat

Prompt: The most wanted woman in town has announced that she’ll only marry the one who can open her front door with the key around her cat’s neck. Many men try to hunt the cat down, chase and trap it, but to no avail. The cat is simply too quick, smart and clever, and always finds a way to evade and avoid them. You are the first one to figure out the obvious: Do not chase the cat. The cat is befriendable. Get the cat to trust you, to genuinely enjoy your company, and you can hang out with the cat. You may eventually be allowed to touch the cat. The cat will freely let you take the key.

Secondary plot twist: The woman is a shapeshifter. She is the cat. (Source of prompt in link at bottom of post.)

Word count: 1,840 words

Author's note: This is more of a little tale starring George as the lead and you as the mysterious woman, as opposed to a story about George MacKay the Actor. I kind of had Jack Marrowbone's look — and nothing else about him in that movie — in mind while writing this.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

‘Let’s play a game! I will grant my hand in marriage to the person who succeeds in taking this key off my cat’s neck and unlocking my front door with it. Oh, won’t that be such fun?’

Only she can pull off such a stunt. She has put the village under some kind of spell, and I am one of its victims. One of the more prudent ones, at least, in the sense that I know well enough that I’ll never be able to win her heart. She has an entire village of men to choose from, most more remarkable than I in looks and/or calibre. I am but a simple baker of average frame with blonde locks that wishes for no kinship with a comb and blue eyes that gleam with neither transcendental allure nor immense potential; unless she were an ardent consumer of bread and pastries, I have nothing to offer her. I simply admire her from afar, pine for a connection that is real only in my wildest dreams.

No one quite knows what it is about her that sees a constant line of suitors supplanting her shadow whenever she comes into the village. That is to say, she isn’t not beautiful, neither is she not gracious. She keeps to herself mostly in her quaint cottage on the edge of the village. Her isolation and magnetism have made her the subject of many a fevered whisper: she is a witch, an enchantress, a nymph. Despite what one may think, the women of the village don’t resent her for the effect she has on their eligible male compatriots. The wedded men remain capable of remembering their vows in her presence. In that vein, her paramours are on equal standing: single, virile men who want to have the unhaveable.

Her game has sent the men into a frenzy. It’s amusing to see adult males chase after a cat, one just as unassuming as its owner. They hunt it, as if it were game. They harass it, as if it were a nuisance, an obstacle to their perceived prize. They seek to capture it with elaborate traps. They line the fishmonger’s pockets with gold for her finest catch of the day. It’s all for naught. The cat is, they’ll never admit to themselves, smarter than them. The days pass. She continues to wander around the village without a ring on her finger. The cat continues to taunt the men with its presence, parading the key around its chest like a gibe at their failures. It’s curious that they are never seen together.

Me? I don’t try. I’m not presuming myself to be above this endeavour. I do slip into reveries about emerging victorious every now and then. But see, the other men had never grown up with cats. The thing with cats is, you don’t try. You don’t try to get it to do what you want. You don’t hound a cat. And, as with all living things, you certainly don’t antagonise it. So, I bide my time.

That day soon arrives. As a customer leaves, the cat makes a mad dash into the bakery, maintaining the balance of two beings inside. It glides over the counter, its tail a hair’s breadth away from toppling the display of sourdough bread, and seeks refuge behind some boxes. Shortly after, Edward, its tormentor for today, it seems, enters and calls for the cat. Edward is a cheesemaker, with whom I interact solely out of business necessity. Our families go back a long way, our trades intertwined with one another’s. I do so long for someone else to assume the mantle from Edward.

‘Where is it? I saw it come in here,’ he says.

‘It’s behind here with me,’ I say, ‘but I’ll be damned if you dare make a scene on my premises.’

‘I can respect that.’ His response takes me aback. It seems I am not a contender, much less a threat, in this game of cat and mouse. Edward’s never been one to mince his words. ‘That cat will have to leave eventually, and when it does, it’ll be mine.’

‘Good luck, Edward. Goodbye.’

‘Goodbye, George. Thank you for having the good sense not to participate in what would be a futile endeavour for you.’

There it is.

I wave at him. He doesn’t reciprocate. It doesn’t matter: watching his outline fade into the distance and out of my sight for another day will never not be the highlight of our interactions.

I feel a warm presence weaving in and out between my legs. I kneel down to meet the cat’s gaze, two yellow diamonds set onto a doll-like face coated in pure onyx. I have wondered on occasion if some of the men’s malice toward it arises from the mere virtue of its colour. How preposterous, I imagine them thinking, that something as divine as she should possess such a vile creature. I offer it my finger. It gives it a tentative sniff. Two. Then it turns its head so that my finger is on its cheek, and it starts rubbing it. Its eyes are closed in contentment; its throat rumbles with soft purrs.

‘Did Edward hurt you?’

‘Meow.’ A once-over confirms it.

‘Are you hungry?’

‘Meow.’

I take that as a yes. No one has ever answered otherwise to this question while surrounded by MacKay creations. I grab a pumpernickel bagel from the counter, tear off a chunk, and lay it at its feet. As it eats, a metallic glint almost blinds me. The key. It calls to me. What’ll happen if I reach for it? What’ll I prove to Edward, who is patrolling the street outside, waiting for the chance to resume his reign of terror? No. I won’t. I don’t.

I speak to turn my attention from the small sheet of metal that’s turned the village upside down: ‘Are you having fun being the centre of attention? She must be relishing the peace, not having men fawn over her for the first time in a while. Is that why she hasn’t been visiting lately? I don’t fault her. It must be exhausting,’ I say, as I continue to ply it with bits of bagel.

It looks up at me, and it sizes me up and down. Its head cocks at what it’s registered in its mind’s eye. Of course. How rude of me. ‘I’m George,’ I say.

It rubs its head against my outstretched hand.

‘Nice kitty.’ I give it the rest of the bagel and lead it to the back door, through which it can avoid that scoundrel Edward and find safe passage home. ‘You can bring it back for her. Your mistress. Then maybe you can let me know if she liked it.’ I smile wistfully. ‘We’ve never actually met.’

‘Meow,’ it promises, then runs off.

Over time, more and more people quit the quest — Edward included. The unhaveable isn’t as appealing when it becomes haveable at the expense of hard work at best and deep gashes at worst. Her increased bouts of absence, too, seem to have made people’s hearts become less fonder, as if her glamour is wearing off. In contrast, the cat and I grow closer. We bond in my bakery. Then it stops coming to visit. I worry over whether it’s because someone else has succeeded. I work up the courage to go to her house. Seeing the cat play in her garden, the key still around its neck, fills me with relief, and I pick up from where I left off here in the grace of her garden. Oddly, she is never around when the cat’s there.

I make it special baked goods no one else has or will have access to and tell it to keep some for its mistress. I never find out whether she likes what I bake, but the cat definitely does. I tell the cat about myself in the hopes it’ll tell its mistress about me. I play with it using toys I buy from Christopher the merchant; he is happily married and has never shown interest in her. The men who gave up have spurned me for not taking the key when I’ve had ‘so many’ chances. They talk among themselves. I know what they say about me.

The truth is, I don’t know what’ll happen if I do take it. The cat and I have befriended each other. Will it think lesser of me for taking the key? Will I think I was befriending it under false pretences? It’s silly, I know, to care this much about what a cat thinks. But I suppose the cat is an extension of her. I feel so close to meeting the woman I’ve adored for the longest time, the woman who I knew in my gut from the moment I laid eyes on her is my soulmate. Sometimes I sneak glances into the house to see if she’s there, watching this. The cat redirects my attention to it when it catches me doing this, and I’m all the happier for it.

‘You’re lucky,’ I say to the cat. ‘You get to be with her while she doesn’t know I exist. I’ve loved her since I first saw her in the village. It’s foolish to feel like this about someone you don’t know, doesn’t it? But I know she’s kind and patient and has a good soul, and I know my heart flutters every time I see her.’

The cat jumps onto my lap. Its yellow gaze burns into me. It’s right. I don’t know what I was thinking, pouring my heart out to a cat. ‘You just want rubs,’ I say, and I’m happy to oblige.

It turns itself over, exposing its belly to me. I feel … honoured. In all our time spent together, this is the first time it’s done so. I slowly reach for its belly. When there is no sign I’ll lose my livelihood from what I’m about to do, I stroke it generously, fervently.

Then it uses its paws to nudge my hand toward the key.

I stop. ‘Are you … sure?’

‘Meow.’

I repeat my question. My hand has found itself an inch away from the key.

‘Meow.’

If it says so.

I undo the chain the key is on.

Suddenly, I am blinded by a white light, and — the air starts to smell of roses. It is a familiar aroma. I don’t need to use my sight to know why that is. But I don’t understand.

‘Hello, George.’

Before I can answer, I find myself in the kind of embrace reserved for lovers. My lips press up against hers, and I feel my world fall away in bliss. The warmth of her skin is unlike anything I ever felt. It’s magic. Pure magic. And now I understand.

‘We will have the rest of our lives to know each other better, love,’ she says, smiling, her eyes shining yellow under the sunlight. ‘Now, would you like to come in?’

#george mackay #george mackay x reader #george mackay imagine #george mackay fanfic #mine

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panlight · 5 years ago

Note

Since you like the idea of there being a variety of different supernatural creatures in the storyverse, if you could change the type of creature the Cullens were, what would they be? I can imagine like Carlisle being a spirit. Maybe Rose and Esme are Women in White. Or one of them is and the other is some type of nymph? Alice is a fae let's be honest. Jasper could be a Reaper. And I see Emmett as a Jinn.

Actually I liked that there weren’t too many different types in Twilight, because at a certain point I find it hard to believe that humans/human society wouldn’t know about the supernatural if there were so many different kinds. Vampires and werewolves I can sort of buy, because they look mostly human most of the time and they don’t have any magic that can manipulate the human world (okay, well, some vampires have powers can can to a certain degree, but no one is getting turned into a frog or something). If witches and fairies and mermaids and whatever else were also in the Twilight world, I think the world building would be a lot different and supernatural creatures would have to be a known thing to a certain degree--the secrecy, IMO, just wouldn’t work. THAT SAID, if there were different sorts of creatures in the Twilight world. There is actually a legend of a Lady in White ghost who haunts a park in Rochester NY, but the theme of loss and grief seems to suit Esme more. Rosalie with her vengeance and vanity might fit the Lady in Red ghost more, as these ghosts were thought to be victims of objectification in life and were often stuck on earth because of their own deaths, rather than grief over someone else’s death. Either as witches would also be fun. Alice would be some kind of fae, or an elf or a pixie or something. Tiny, mischievous, seemingly benign but can turn dangerous, and magical. I’m tempted to have Carlisle and/or Edward be some sort of angelic something, fallen or otherwise. I also like the idea that Carlisle is just immortal, nothing else, that one of the witches his father killed cursed him to never die, but otherwise he is human. I could also see Emmett as like the most chill and laid back Frankenstein’s creature type thing like, ever? Like “Wait, you cobbled me together out of a bunch of dead bodies and brought me to life with science?” “. . . yes. I’m sor--” “THAT’S AWESOME!” Or a werewolf. He’d have so much fun as a werewolf. Jasper just kind of has to be a vampire, I think? He’s the most vampire-y Cullen so it just fits. Otherwise I guess a zombie? But one of the smarter, faster varieties to capture that vampire vibe.

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mermaidmafia-official · 5 years ago

Text

{PART III: THE BLOODMOTHER}

written by: @bebemoon

outfit ref: i can’t draw to save my life, but i tried ! so, here is ysa’s eros costume for the ball- metal armour chest strap, pearls and gold harness, four diaphanous trains/veils hemmed in white feathers to mimic eros’ wings, golden armlets and thigh band. bow and quiver of arrows for good measure. yoni-out, as promised.

tag list: @interluxetumbra @ayzrules @vampirkaninchen @blubbingbeautifully

[PESTILENCE IS A REDHEAD]

"Cyborée told me what you and Yinmei want to do."

Poppy's jaw was set. She never seemed more like a child, standing there barefoot and fuming after being informed that she was disallowed from attending Greggor's party.

The Bloodmother used her foot to kick aside the tantrum-made wreckage covering the floor of Poppy's bedroom. Splintered wood, ripped bed clothes, down feathers, shredded books, shattered and bloodied glass. Even the brand-new chandelier was hanging by a thread. The entire room was completely destroyed.

Poppy stood amid the chaos with her hands behind her back, an arist displaying her work in a gallery. She, not unlike her dwelling, was in disarray. Her hair was unbrushed, her eyes wild. Her clothes were ripped from being caught up in the swing of a firepoker- which was rested in what was left of the bed.

Ysabelle sighed, her eyes roving the walls now denuded of their golden Chinoise panels. The remnants lay curled and crumpled on the floor. "Do tell," she muttered, distracted.

Poppy tightened her teeth. "You're planning to put me to sleep. Just like Amare."

"Oh, I would never," replied Ysabelle. "If you were unconcious, who would be here to cause me endless inconveniences?"

Poppy died a child. Of course, she had existed well past her teen years, but she was frozen in the mindset of a fifteen year old. She still threw tantrums when she didn't get her way, and whatever she wanted, she took without a moment's thought. Years with the Coven, and Ysabelle felt it was for nothing. Nothing had settled her. Poppy didn't care any more for her sisters than she did Paulette Maminot.

And, with Ysabelle's agedness apparently catching up with her, she couldn't see herself tangling with Poppy any longer.

The girl shook her head. "No, you can't," she said, her voice cracking. "You can't."

Ysa said nothing. Her dark eyes were pinned to a dark red stain on the rug underfoot.

"You can't," Poppy repeated, low. "If you even try, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Ysabelle finally gave her gaze to the redhead, but she did not lift her voice. She turned her body slowly. "I am curious."

The girl looked away, her jaw clenched.

"Threaten me, Popelina?" said the Bloodmother, her voice soft yet unholy. In a blink, she was before the girl, taking her pallid face between her thumb and forefinger. Her nails dimpled the flesh of Poppy's cheeks. "My eyes have seen much and I have faced grotesqueries no one, certainly not you, could imagine."

Poppy remained still, her eyes downcast from the Bloodmother's.

Ysabelle could overlook certain things, but to be threatened by someone she had moved heaven and earth for on more than one occasion, had threatened the survival of her Coven-

It was like being spit at over and over.

"A spoiled brat with the cognitive capacity of a pond leech, I do not fear," said Ysa, and she released Poppy's face, leaving behind a pair of thin lacerations that healed over almost immediately. "Do not forget, I rescued you from under the Shiveleys. And all you have done since to repay me is routinely step out of line."

Poppy's face was pinched with distaste over being handled. She eyed Ysabelle but wisely kept silent.

Ysa turned away, her mind already made up. "You have your wish," she said. "Get dressed."

Though she was not looking at Poppy, she could feel the tension lessen. She said, "You mean, I can go to the ball?"

"Yes, you can go."

Poppy was baffled into a few beats of silence. Then: "Why-"

"Oh?" Ysabelle lilted. "Shall I explain myself to the likes of you?"

With the prospect of a little freedom looming near, all defiance had melted away. The response was quick. "No, Mother."

The Bloodmother went to the bedroom door and knocked to be let out by Zammurad who had been keeping a watchful eye on Poppy over the past few days.

Before Ysa left, she told the girl, "I will send someone to fetch you."

[A LITTLE PARTY]

The night deepened, and the Coven, in all their costumed finery, gathered in the garden to travel as one.

By flight, it would've taken some time to reach Lord Greggor's island. Therefore, the method of travel was a simple step through space and shadow, through a world known only to the half-dead. And, in a blink, where once the Coven of Bilitis House had been standing together in their own frost-ridden gardens, they now stood on a broken stone terrace that was being gently lapped by the night-black Adriatic.

Even over the din of the sea, the sounds of string music and lifted voices could be heard. Beneath the salty air, an unmistakable, redolent scent.

Ysabelle, in the (un)dress of the god Eros, gathered Lia to her side and led the group up a set of ancient steps to a loggia where shadows moved here and there, appearing and disappearing in pairs. Hushed voices tickled the ears of the undead.

Beyond the loggia, the moon lit a courtyard of spindly trees and a massive, ornate fountain where dozens had gathered in mirthy spirit. The smell of blood was strong there, and already much of the Coven was moving away from Ysabelle, drawn towards the fragrant scarlet waters spilling from the mouths of stone fish and the breasts of nymphs, staining the white stone tiers dark. Vampires were swimming in the fountain, splashing in it, screaming delirious in it, unaware of all else around them.

Even Lia, her butterfly wings shivering on her back, was being lured away, but Ysabelle held her close to her side. The blood fountain was nothing, she was certain, compared to whatever was to be found within Greggor's villa.

Once they passed through the courtyard, only Zhang, Poppy, and Pixie remained with Ysa and Lia. The five stepped through a stone archway and into another walkway with worn mosaic floors depicting bloody rituals and bacchic scenes of debauchery, most of which was so perverse as to not be suited for the eyes of...well, anyone. And the awful string music swelled in their ears as they neared a marble terrace with rows of Ionic columns, lit with warm light spilling out from within the villa.

In the light of the lavish villa entrance, a raving cacophony of raised voices and hellish strains met them first, followed by the overwhelming scent of blood. But that was to be expected.

Then the wide open spread of the banquet hall, brimming with warm-lit bodies in outlandish, ancient raiment and one or two wearing comically-costumey minotaur heads (and not much else along with it). Dancing, mostly, but there were quite a few...feasting, as mortals were present. Most of their young eyes were unfocused and wild. Drugged, Ysa guessed.

To the living present, the villa must've smelled terrible.

At the head of the only table was the host, Lord Greggor in the animal-skinned attire of Dionysos. He could not be missed for his girth was not something at which any mortal could survive. Nonethless, he was ivy-crowned and glittering in golden baubles, surrounded by his surviving brides (who were all dressed as nymphs in airy chitons). Two of the women were carrying around amphoras of blood to serve the guests, while another pair bore golden trays of what could only be desribed as "viscera" for their husband.

Ysabelle leaned into Lia so that she could hear her over the noise. "I need to speak with Greggor," she said into Lia's ear. "Stay close to Zhang."

Lia only nodded. Her bright eyes were all over the place, attempting to take the entire scene in.

Zhang, on the other hand, appeared as through she would've much rather plucked out her own eyes than spare a moment to watch over Lia. But she would do it if she had to, at the Bloodmother's behest.

Ysa mouthed a quick "thank you" to her friend before taking hold of Poppy's wrist. "Come," she told the redhead. The music was screeching insistantly now.

"We must greet our host."

[SEND IN THE WOLVES]

As Ysabelle led Poppy through the crowd of revelers, Poppy's head swiveled every which way- her senses pulling her in every direction.

"Why do I have to greet him?" Poppy asked, raising her voice as they slid through a tightly-packed group of Vampires.

Ysa pretended not to hear.

They reached the table, and Greggor spotted them immediately. He chortled, setting his belly into motion, and seemed to have an epiphany. He gave a small hand signal that apparently released his wives from his side for they all stepped away as Ysa and Poppy came forward. The brides left the hall together, tittering excitedly among themselves.

"My Lord," said Ysabelle pleasantly. "Eros greets you."

Lord Greggor regarded her costume and chuckled again. Then: "My Lady is daring as ever."

Ysabelle brought an openly beumused Poppy forward, ignoring Greggor's comment. "Lord, I heard of your recent loss," she said, pressing her hand over her chest to indicate her sympathy. "I wanted to offer mine and my Coven's condolences."

Greggor's grin slowly faded into an expression of profoud wistfulness. "Morbida, you mean," he said on a sigh. "She was...a disappointment. You must know how difficult it is to find true companionship at our age. I suppose we had little in common, but...she never gave me a proper chance. I had to do what I did."

"Anyone who would treat you so poorly deserves their fate," Ysa lied. "If there's anything I can do to help-?"

The corpulent Vampire brightened immediately. "I am searching for someone new, to take Morbida's place in my heart and mind," he said. His beady eyes did skip to Poppy but only for a moment. "If you know of anyone suitable...?"

Ysabelle feigned a little gasp. "It's fate, my Lord," she pronounced, indicating Poppy at her side. "Popelina would be perfect for you. What do you think?"

"Mother," Poppy uttered sharply, clearly panicked. She could not outright reject him. Greggor's ego would not stand for it, especially before all of his peers- there would likely be violent reprecussions if she spoke against him.

Lord Greggor beamed, ecstatic. "Eros indeed. Do you know, I was just thinking the same," he laughed. He beckoned Poppy with his swollen hand. "Come, come, my dear. Come stand next to me. Let us get to know one another."

Poppy hesitated, but helpless, she eventually did as she was told.

Ysabelle regarded the pair with false softness. "A match if I ever saw one," said she, spreading her hands.

She did not intend to give Poppy over to Greggor, she only wished to frighten the girl into better behaviour in the future. Before the night was out, she would perhaps see that some things were worse than being put to sleep for a few years.

Greggor motioned to one of the trays left behind by the brides, and Poppy, indignation colouring her aura, leaned over the table to take up a handful of gore to feed the Lord with her own hands. It was an upsetting scene for anyone to witness.

Ysa turned away as if to leave the table, but Greggor called her back.

He said, "You might want to stay put, my Lady. I have a surprise that I think you might enjoy. My brides are fetching them now."

Out of politeness, Ysabelle remained at the table while Poppy continued to feed Lord Greggor. Surprises, she did not care for.

Across the hall, she could see Lia who was being twirled by a mortal, and by the looks of it, it was not anything the mortal wished to be a part of. She twirled and twirled, her butterfly wings fluttering prettily behind her. Then, without warning, she snapped at his throat.

At the same time, a terrible stench was growing. And there was a sound that would set any Vampire on edge.

Ysa wasn’t the only one to hear and smell it. Almost everyone was craning in the same direction now- towards the back archway the brides had disappeared through earlier.

The music continued on.

And a moment later, the brides were back, but not alone. In a display so strange, Ysa could not have concieved of it in her most diabolical nightmares, the Lord’s cackling brides appeared holding thick silver chains at the ends of which were thickly muzzled Wolves. Five, all together. Restless and tugging at their restraints, but impressively, being tightly controlled by the brides, some of whom were at the reigns of more than one Wolf. The biggest, for instance, seemed to be limping, but was still being held by three women.

The Vampire and mortal crowd responded instantly by backing up, murmuring sharply and cursing among themselves.

“What is this?” Ysabelle demanded.

Greggor bellowed in laughter. “My friends!” he shouted jovially. The music stopped then. “A treat! You see my brides captured these fellows on a hunt- and I thought I might share their triumph with you all!”

A smattering of applause followed that, but for the most part, the Vampires were wary.

Sensing this, Greggor added, “Come, come, my friends. There is nothing to fear- these dogs are wrapped securely in silver! Pathetic, aren’t they?”

Some agreement went around the room.

“Tonight,” sang Greggor, lifting his arms with some doing, “we take the mutts’ heads!”

At that announcement, the Vampires roared with approval. The music and dancing started up again.

The brides went to chain the Wolves in the courtyard so that they could be observed by the guests.

“And how fortunate,” Greggor added to Ysabelle, “to have the fabled Mother of Wolves present for such an important event.”

Ysa watched the prisoner Wolves being paraded through the hall, being hissed and laughed at...

No good would come of this.

#C O M P L E T E #btr #btr: story #fanfan's writing #btr: the bloodmother #btr: ysabelle #please please please enjoy and PLEASE let me know if this messes with anyone's plans #i can change anything needed !

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pvntherz · 6 years ago

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Run Boy Run, Running Is A Victory

Title Inspo: Run Boy Run by Woodkid

A/N: I got really deep into this chapter and wanted to get it done super fast. It's mostly a setup chapter and part 5, 6, and maybe 7 are a bit more interesting. Also, this chapter focuses more on Kitty!

Word Count: a little over 1000 words.

💚💙💟

Hermes was always an expected guest in the underworld, she was pretty much everyone's big sister or child in some fashion. Hermes treated the souls of these dead like she treated the living, she was always among them. The only difference was that she didn't have to appear human. Regardless of her appearance, she did indulge in gossip with some of the souls.

Which is why she sat at a dining table with several souls drinking some cheap watered down wine. Hermes didn't speak much, but she was a good listener. She took note of everything all the souls had said. Even if it wasn't super important, everything counts.

"You should've seen the way they looked at each other, it's so obvious they're in love."

"A few days after she arrived, the queen bought Persephone a toga."

"That's nothing! I heard the queen hand made Persephone a hair clip!"

Hermes' ears pricked up as she smirked. "If you don't mind me asking, do either of you have any idea what Persephone's hairpin looks like?"

The souls murmured and then spoke up, "It's a simple black comb, but the design is beautiful. There's gold design on it and there are some flowers at the end of it. I'm not sure what kind of flowers they are but they still grow near the palace, you'll know it when you see it." They all spoke in unison, it was strange, but they didn't argue over any details which meant they were all on one accord with what they were saying.

Hermes put down her coat and smiled. "Thank you, ladies, but sadly I have some business with my auntie." The women all noticed the smirk that played across Hermes' face. It usually meant Hermes was about to cause some trouble. The women couldn't help but shake their heads as Hermes ran off to who knows where.

Hermes sped around the underworld until she found her auntie in her usual position, hunched over working on some stupid paperwork Hermes couldn't begin to understand, "You're really stuck in a rut without her."

"Shut up, I've seen the way you get without your little nymph friend." Hades chuckled as Hermes took a seat next to her. "Anyway, what trouble have you been causing with the souls?" Hermes mocked gasp and all Hades could do was roll her eyes.

"Why can't I just come to bother my aunt without good reason?" Hermes huffed and crossed her arms. "But since you must know, I'm curious about how much you miss Persephone?" Hermes watched as Hades face seemed to soften.

"I miss her so much already, but I'd feel guilty having her in the underworld," Hades sighed and put down her quill. "I want to see her again, but I have no reason to visit her and I don't want to ruin any of her time with Demeter." Hades huffed out again and looked down at them unfinished work underneath her, "I need to take a break, I'll be back in an hour or so."

Hermes frowned as she watched her auntie walk away. It was rare for Hades to talk about her emotions especially when they were related to her love life. "That's it, I have to do this, for my auntie," Hermes whispered to herself as she quickly stood up.

Hermes quickly ran out of the palace and toward the exit of the underworld. Being the goddess of travel had its perks, being one of the fastest gods in all of Olympus was fun. She could technically be in two places at once if she ran fast enough, she could always manage to get first pickings at dinner, and a bunch of other small things. Another perk was that she was the goddess of thieves. Stealing anything she wanted was a breeze and no one could ever prove she did it which always came in handy.

Hermes stopped as she stood in front of Demeter's farm, it was huge. There were at least 4 floors. It would be a challenge breaking in and it'd be a challenge to get out. Multiple ways of getting in and even more ways of getting out. There was a window, but she couldn't tell if anyone would see her go in. Even if there was they'd pretend not to notice her, she was a goddess and there was nothing they could do to stop her. After a bit more thinking, Hermes went for the easiest option. Dash up to Persephone's room, look for the hairpin, snatch it, and…that's as far as she's gotten.

It works. Hermes sneaks into Persephone's room no problem. It smelt sickeningly sweet. There were flowers in almost every corner of the room. Luckily, that made finding the hairpin the easiest thing in the world. There it sat on Persephone's nightstand in the middle of a flower crown. Hermes quickly snatched it before anyone could realize she'd run through the farmhouse.

The return to the underworld was easy. Hermes didn't even have to deal with Hecate nagging her about leaving realms and coming back so quickly. Hermes greeted the souls as she ran by and made her way toward the palace. "Hades! Auntie! You'll never believe what I found!" Hermes slides as she stopped. "I found Persephone's hairpin on the way out, you have to return it to her!" Hermes was expecting Hades to be overjoyed she found the hairpin and happy to have a reason to visit Persephone, but Hades wasn't happy at all.

"You stole that, didn't you?" Hades watched as Hermes curled into herself and bit her lip.

"No." Hermes was normally a good liar, but the crack in her voice was a dead give away to everything she'd done. "Okay, yes I stole the hairpin, but now you have a reason to go see Persephone!"

Hades sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Look, thank you for trying, but you'll have to return it yourself. Demeter won't let me anywhere near Persephone," Hades sighed looking at the hairpin.

"Come on, you'll never know unless you try!"

Hades glared at Hermes. "Alright then, I'll try but we'll do it my way!" Hermes whimpered hearing the cold tone in Hades' voice. "You'll come with me and apologize for stealing it. I'll take any time I get alone with Persephone. Deal?"

Hermes sighed, "Deal."

#anne boleyn #katherine howard #catherine of aragon #catherine parr #six the musical #jane seymour #anna of cleves #six #six musical #six: the musical #hades and persephone au #parrlyn #boleyn x parr #parr x boleyn #becca.pdf

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supremebathroomlord · 5 years ago

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👄 + all the seven. All of them. Jason, Piper, frank, Hazel, Annabeth, Leo and Nico. (I know he’s not part of the seven but listen. Yes he is)

"Alright, let’s start with Annabeth because she’s my girlfriend and I love her and oh gods she’s going to kill me for disappearing on her like that. Again. Wise Girl’s my anchor, y’know? Keeps me steady. I know it’s kinda cheesy but we’ve got each other’s backs - I couldn’t have survived everything I’ve been through if she weren’t there beside me. She’s a badass and I still kinda can’t believe she likes a dork like me. Plus with her help I might actually not fail miserably at school!”

“Jason was a really cool dude. I mean we clashed sometimes (it’s a Big Three thing - horrible tempers, generational beef from our dads, plus the ability to make natural freaking disasters. Families fight is all I’m saying.) but in the end we made a good team. Big Three solidarity and all that. He went through a lot of unfair crap throughout his life because the gods apparently think we’re their toys and I can really relate to that. He was a Roman demigod but he knew how to piss off gods like the best of ‘em. I miss him.”

“Piper was probably the one out of the seven (eight?) I got to know the least. She’s a real badass, though. Mad respect to anyone who can bluff their way out of a bad situation. Saved my life a couple times. Doesn’t like talking about her family which I totally get. Hope she’s doing okay. I think Coach Hedge and his cloud nymph wife are staying with her and her family? Yeah, I got nothing.”

“Frank can turn into an elephant. Anyone who can turn into an elephant is cool. He’s a child of Mars who’s a world-class jerk (a jerk I beat up when I was twelve, thank you very much. Well, Ares. Gah, this Greek-Roman thinng is confusing.) but I try not to hold jerk parents against their kids. I’m also technically his great-great-great-plus a thousand uncle? And his….second cousin? Why did the gods have to have such a confusing family? Look, when I told Tyson Frank was a descendent of Poseidon he basically adopted Frank into the family and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Also I refuse to let him live down the goldfish thing. Look, I love you dude, but a goldfish?”

“Hazel is like a little sister to me. She’s got her whole metal detector thing going on plus she actually rides Arion which makes her super badass - yes, all the women in my life are badasses. That’s because they’re awesome. Also according to the internet (which I can now use) Arion is technically my brother?

…

Yeah I’m going to forget I read that. Gross, Dad. Anyway, Hazel saved my life a bunch and I’m really proud of her. I really miss those Roman numbskulls.”

“Ah, Captain and/or Chef Valdez, the second most sarcastic scoundrel to to sail the high seas! He also makes dragons and tacos, so you really get the whole package. Seriously though, he’s a great dude. Tries to keep things upbeat. Although if he makes another Aquaman reference I’m going to chuck him into the ocean.”

“Nico….I’m really glad he’s on our side? That dude can be scary. He’s had it really bad though, what with the being gay in the ‘30s and ‘40s, losing his mom, time travel weirdness, losing his sister, having Hades for a dad….I don’t blame the kid for being mad at me (although I think we’re cool now and personally I really like not having skeletons chase me). He seems to be doing better these days and his boyfriend, Will, seems to make him happy. I’m proud of the kid for getting to where he is now. I know what it’s like to be angry at the world and it can break you. Like I said, I’m really glad he’s on our side. Mostly because he’s in a much better place now but also because I think his dad wants to kick my ass and I like my ass where it is.”

#smallblueboyscout #((sorry its a long one but its percys friends he has opinions))

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wh47-7h3-un1v3r53-15-m4d3-0f · 6 years ago

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BNHA Supernatural AU

I finally got around to it! I already had it planned but i kept putting it off!

Aizawa Shouta: A potions master/alchemist

In the anime, Aizawa’s quirk is mostly combat-based, which is reflected in the class. His position as an underground hero also helps since potion masters, while mostly support, can be assassins like Aizawa. He uses his potions, like his quirk, offensively in situations where it would be better used as defensive. He has way to much pride for that shit. He uses his potions as bombs and traps instead of healing like a potion master normally would. For this, he is very respected by the few people that know of his existence since he’s kinda a hermit. The alchemy part is just more scientific side of potion making, for those who don’t know. And let me clear this up before people start yelling at me. NO, Aizawa is not a witch, wizard, or mage in any way. There are plants that gained magical attributes by being in a close proximity to, or being cultivated by magical species. He uses these magic plants in his potions and mixes them to get a desired effect. It’s a lot like chemistry or cooking really. sorry for schpealing.

Yamada Hizashi: A siren. It’s the only real magical creature with voice related powers.(i know Shinsou has a voice-related quirk to but i got something in mind for him). Sirens are supposedly beautiful men and women with hypnotic voices that lure sailors to their deaths but singing about the one thing they truly desire. Of course, the beauty of most sirens is only on the surface, as they can turn ugly and fish-like when royally pissed. Most sirens are cold, vain, and only care about themselves. When Toshinori was travelling by ship somewhere, his ship wrecked and he was found by Hizashi’s pod(a group if sirens). He was the only one that didn’t want to drown or eat Toshinori, so in the dead of night Hizashi took him back to the main land, and came on land with him. After years of never really talking to anyone but Toshinori, the lovable goof introduced Hizashi to his best friend Aizawa. It immediately became his new favorite hobby to bug Aizawa about EVERYTHING. He’s but Toshinori to, but the blodne was very tolerant since he was already dealing with a very young and very curious Izuku.

Yagi Toshinori: The greatest wizard of the age, and role model to many young mages and warriors. After years of helping people, it was getting harder to preform bigger feats of magic, but he kept going. On the side, while not travelling, he found a family in the Midoriyas, a mother and son who the father had abandoned after finding the baby didn’t have his mother’s angel wings. Yes i made Inko an angel, well half-angel, but only cause it fits like heck. Smooches from me for the mido-mom. He helped a young Inko raise Izuku while teaching him magic to be his successor. The rest is history.

Kayama Nemuri: A SUCCubus. You know why. Her backstory is basically she tried to get into Aizawa’s pants after happening upon his hideout for thst sweet life energy, but got bitch-slapped but a tired as hell potions master instead. Is still actively trying to get into Aizawa’s pants as a joke, and so she can make sure we won’t cheat in Hizashi. She need to protecc loud tol bean.#protecctheloudtolbean.

Shuzenji Chiyo: A healer mage. A healer mage, for those who don’t know, are practitioners of magic that focus on medicinal spells and potions. I could’ve made her a nymph but decided against it since nymphs don’t fucking age.

Todoroki Enji; The vampire king. I fucking hate myself for giving the asshole this much power but it fits the character to well. And cause Rei would be a boss ass queen if he didn’t shatter her mind and sanity, causing her to give Shoto his scar. Fuck this dude.#Reideservesbetter. Anyway, he runs the kingdom of the vampires and seems like a just and fair ruler to his subjects. But under that ruse is a monster. A monster that has mentally and physically tortured, beaten, and ruined the lives of his family. He tried to kill Izuku when he found out he and Shoto were a thing. So a big fuck you to this guy. I also may have made Hawks his right-hand man cause Hawksdeavor, but mainly cause i just don’t like hawks. He’s a avian like Tokoyami in this AU.

I’m done. I’ll do the villians in another post. Have a good day and if anyone form BNHA ever happens to read this, tell Endeavor i said fuck you.

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adscititious-cacoethes · 8 years ago

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Petrichor (6/12)

Pairing: Eventual Trevor C./Reader; other background relationships Chapter: 6 of 12 Warnings: Swearing, Geoff’s Still Extra, Poor Jeremy Continues to Know Nothing, (mostly) Shameless Pining, More Books, The Single Best Joke I’ve ever Written, Mica and Mariel and Tyler all make appearances, vampires and werewolves and things that go bump in the night (PG-13) Word Counts: Chapter: 4,509 Total: 22,587 A/N: Thanks again to those of you who replied with nice things to say! It made my heart feel warm and fuzzy. Don’t be afraid to contact me if you want to chit-chat about this! We’re halfway there, everyone! Woo!!! Reminder that this has a bunch of supernatural-y stuff, and also that this would not have seen the light of day (pun intended), if it weren’t for @chefgeofframsay. P.S. - Feedback would be cool P. P. S. - sorry if any chapters end kind of weird, this was written as one long thing and then I decided to break it up. Previous|Next

Not long after your discovery, business picked up again, with people coming in on their way home from work. It was also starting to dip into the evening, so more of the Non-Normal clientele were starting to come in. Two of your regulars wandered in around six, on their way home from where they worked together. They were both on the shorter side, and you knew the moment they walked in by the way that Jeremy tensed and his head lifted a little bit, the smell of their magical blood probably flooding his senses.

“[Y/N], sup?” The woman, Mariel, said to you as soon as she could see you through the shelves, while you watched her companion, Tyler, do the handshake-chestbump-brohug thing with Blaine. You smiled and waved.

“Hey, Mariel, how’s it going?” You asked her, and she sighed, shaking her head.

“Idiot back there bet me I couldn’t stomach troll food. Got a cookbook for that?” She asked voice lowered a little bit even though there weren’t any Normal humans in earshot, and you watched Jeremy relax a little bit out of the corner of your eye once he registered the genuine friendliness of your conversation.

“Uh, maybe? Third floor in the back has cookbooks. I don’t know if I have any troll ones, though. You may have to settle for stone giant, although most of those recipes involve eating rocks.”

“I’ll eat a rock, I don’t give a fuck.” Mariel said with a smile, turning and heading towards the hall that housed the stairs.

“C’mon, asshole!” She shouted to a still-chatting-with-Blaine-by-the-door Tyler, who immediately started jogging her way.

You noticed a girl in the trashy romance novel section stop and stare at Tyler’s ass, and you focused to See if Tyler was attracting her. Sure enough, she was the dull, unassuming and barely-there gray of a human, so you turned to Tyler. His aura was a bright rosy color. Hmph. Must just actually think the asshole’s attractive. You thought to yourself, watching as Tyler’s red and Mariel’s bright, grass green got close enough to touch and become a yellowy color at the touching edges as they walked down the hall together.

“Who were they?” Jeremy whispered as soon as they were down the hall and out of sight. You crouched down next to his chair.

“Mariel and Tyler. Uh, forest nymph and incubus. No, they’re not dating, they’re friends and regular customers. Typically, when someone goes upstairs either Blaine or I go up with them, yanno, to prevent stealing and deviousness and stuff, but we don’t bother with regulars.” You explained quietly, very aware of the human woman nearby, who had resumed looking at the romance novels. Jeremy nodded and returned to his book.

A while later, after both human woman and Mariel and Tyler checked out (they wound up going with the stone giant cookbook, as well as one on raw meat dishes catering towards werewolves), Jack wandered back to the cash register.

“Hey, Jeremy? Ryan’s on his way, so get ready to go.” Jack said, and Jeremy nodded. You pulled a big canvas bag from a shelf behind the register and helped Jeremy load all of his books into it.

“[Y/N?]” Jeremy asked, and you hummed, carefully placing Ghosts and Undead: A Guide for Dummies into the bag, trying to Tetris everything in.

“Can I read this one, too? I know it was the one you were reading earlier.” He asked, and you looked up, seeing The Sight: The Ultimate Guide for the Seer in his hands. You furrowed your brow, realizing that you had put it with Jeremy’s books instead of back on the shelf where it belonged once you had realized that Lindsay was a valkyrie.

On one hand, you could See, and it was a thing that not many people could do, so it would be nice to talk to someone else about it. On the other hand, half of the things Ashley wrote about in that book you couldn’t do, like Predicting, Scrying, and Dream-Walking, so when Jeremy inevitably came to you, asking questions and wanting to talk about those things, you would have to admit that you couldn’t do them, and that might be awkward.

The look of sincere curiosity on Jeremy’s face is what swayed you, and you slowly nodded, reaching out for the book and tucking it into the bag.

“You might want to talk to Geoff a little bit about it, unlike the other ones I gave you, it assumes that you know some stuff right off the back. It’s more of a science book for scientists instead of a science book for students.” You warned him, and he nodded, picking up the heavy bag like it was nothing and swinging it onto his shoulder.

A few minutes later, at exactly eight PM, the bell on the door chimed and you could see the tall figure of Ryan walk in. He talked to Jack and Jeremy for a few minutes, before the other men left, and you skirted the counter and strode to meet him.

“Hi, Ryan.” You said, giving a little wave.

“Hello. Who’s that?” He asked, pointing to the corner where you saw a gently snoring Blaine star-fished in a chair.

“Oh, that’s Blaine. He’s my employee, who’s currently sleeping on the job, I guess.” You said, laughing and moving to wake Blaine up.

“Blaine, wake up, you have to meet Ryan.” You urged, shaking his shoulder. The blond woke up with a groggy groan, but stood up and offered his hand to Ryan nonetheless.

“’m Blaine.” He mumbled and blinked a few times as Ryan laughed and shook his hand.

“Ryan.”

“You’re the other one of the guys who helped my girl here out, right?” Blaine pulled you into his side with his arm around your shoulders, ruffling your hair with his other hand. You quickly swatted it away and smoothed down your hair.

“Uh, yes, that’d be me.” Ryan replied, still snickering at Blaine.

“Good.” Blaine yawned as he responded, leaning heavily enough on you that you had to use your wings to keep the two of you upright.

“Blaine, get off, you asshole.” You shoved at Blaine’s side, and he reluctantly complied, laughing.

“Why don’t you go home, dude? We’re going to be open late tomorrow and you came in early because of the Glitter Bomb Duo. I’ll close up and stuff.” You offered, and Blaine grinned at you.

“Well, if you insist…” He trailed off, looking innocent but he was already scooting past Ryan and heading toward the door.

“Fuck you, Blaine.”

“Love you too!” He called as the door slammed shut behind him.

Which left you with Ryan, who was staring at you with a strange expression on his face.

“Alright, well, let me go through and close up and stuff and then we can head home and whatever?” You offered, but Ryan continued to look at you like you hadn’t spoken at all.

You stood there a minute longer, before sighing inwardly and walking around Ryan to close the blinds on the windows and switch the sign to “closed” in the door. You were halfway to the stairs to make sure that the upper floors were void of customers when Ryan finally spoke.

“I’ve been trying to figure it out, but I give up. How do you and him – Blaine – do it?” Ryan asked, and you turned to see him walking through the rows of shelves toward you. You rose an eyebrow, fixing him with your best what the fuck are you talking about face.

“Do what, Ryan?” You asked, once again starting to walk towards the back hallway after he got within a few feet of you.

“Well, he’s a centaur, right? That’s what Michael told me this morning.”

“Uh-huh. So?” You said, urging him on while popping your head in the women’s restroom to make sure no one was there. You knocked on the door to the men’s room and did the same.

“So, you’re fae. Body types are completely different. Makes it severely improbable. Unless! Unless he can still pop a boner while shifted to look like a human. Is that how you two do it?” Ryan’s voice had an edge of excitement and curiosity in it.

You spluttered, nearly tripping over your own feet, and then you started coughing. You could feel your face turning beet red.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. I can’t – shit, Ryan! Did you – did you really think we’re together? Blaine’s my best friend, sure, but he’s like an annoying brother more than anything. I don’t know how his centaur junk works and now you’ve put the mental image in my head! I’m scarred, scarred for life!” You half-shouted, slamming your hands onto your face and rubbing your eyes.

Ryan, for his part, managed to look sheepish.

“Well, from what Michael told me this morning, and your behavior, I thought…” He trailed off, and you ascended the first could stairs before turning around so that you were eye-to-eye.

“Blaine is my best friend. I explained that to Michael this morning, but I guess he didn’t believe me. He’s gross and not my type. I’m not in a relationship right now, at all, Ryan.” You weren’t quite sure why you added that last part (you absolutely knew why and his name started with T and ended with ‘revor’), but Ryan seemed to get your point, nodding and rubbing the back of his head.

“Alright, point taken, sorry. But in my defense, it’s Michael’s fault.” Ryan retorted, part-apologetic and part-accusatory, his hands up in a gesture of innocence.

“Okay, whatever, it’s fine. Just – please don’t tell Blaine, he’ll never let me live it down.” You sighed as Ryan nodded, and the two of you swept through both the second and the third floors, making sure no one was there before returning back to the ground floor. You grabbed your things, did a final sweep of the main floor, and then locked up. You started down the sidewalk towards your apartment, but Ryan grabbed your arm to stop you.

“Nuh-uh. None of this ‘walking’ shit. It’s getting late, we’re driving.” Ryan said, gesturing to the nice-looking but still nondescript black SUV before jingling some car keys in his hand. You sighed, a little disappointed that you didn’t get your full amount of “exercise” for the day (and, more importantly, didn’t get to stop at your favorite ice cream parlor, located exactly halfway between your store and your home), but followed Ryan into the car regardless. As you buckled in, you heard your phone chirp from your purse.

[From: Trevor 3:15:15 PM] If any of the boys give you trouble, let me know.

[From: Trevor 8:46:01 PM] Hey, Ryan says you guys are heading back to your apartment now. Geoff wants to know if you can give him some semblance of a schedule for when Books & More Books is open. I told him what you said, that you didn’t really have one, and his response was “well make one!”

You smiled to yourself, not noticing that Ryan had glanced at you, smiling a secret smile of his own.

[To: Trevor 8:47:10 PM] Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays we open earlier and close around 7 or 8-ish. Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays we open around 12 or 1 and stay later, usually until midnight. Sundays is a wild card.

[To: Trevor 8:47:57 PM] Also, apparently Michael told Ryan that Blaine and I were dating? Even though I made a point to call Blaine my best friend so that no one assumed we were dating? Cause that’s like, gross, Blaine’s like a brother? So that was awkward. If you could yell at Michael for spreading lies and slander, that’d be great :)

You tried your best to phrase it like you were joking and not really all that mad, but judging by Trevor’s immediate response of “I’m gonna fucking kill him”, you had missed your mark. You spent a couple minutes going back and forth, trying to reassure the man (read: dark-haired, tall, handsome, adorable, nice man) that it was okay, and you didn’t really mind all that much, and that it wasn’t the first time that you and Blaine had been mistaken for a couple (although it was the first time someone had asked how the two of you would have sex – that thought sent an unpleasant shudder down your spine just recalling the conversation), but Trevor wouldn’t budge on the matter.

Sure enough, when you and Ryan were safely back in your apartment and Ryan had checked to make sure no one was there and you were making spaghetti, your phone started playing “Highway to Hell”. Confused, you looked, only to find you had gotten a text from Michael:

[From: Cool Guy Jones 9:12:32 PM] Sorry for telling Ryan that you and Blaine were dating, even though I didn’t actually say the words “[Y/N] and Blaine are dating”. Ryan read into it the wrong way, I guess. See you tomorrow!

You sighed and changed Michael’s contact name (but kept the ringtone, because it was actually pretty funny) before sending a response.

[To: Michael 9:15:42 PM] It’s fine, just provided a really awkward conversation. Sorry if Trevor jumped down your throat about it, I’m not actually super upset as long as Blaine doesn’t find out.

As an afterthought, you took a picture of Gus, grumpy as ever, sleeping in the bright pink castle you had bought for him back when you thought he was a girl (then you did some research on the type of fish he was and came to discover that only boys are that color), and sent it to Michael without context.

Michael sent you back about seven middle finger emojis, accompanied by a “Fuck you.”

Unfortunately, after dinner you realized you had forgotten to ask Blaine for your air mattress, but Ryan didn’t seem to mind, just asked for a blanket and told you that he was “Used to sitting upright” with a creepy eyebrow wiggle.

Ryan’s fingers brushed against yours, and you couldn’t help but notice that while Trevor was cool to the touch, Ryan was positively frosty, which was slightly disconcerting and although you knew quite a bit about vampires, you weren’t sure which one was “correct.”

The next day was more of the same. You got up, showered, texted your mother good morning (her and your father were taking a day trip to Milan, which made you jealous, but she promised to bring back souvenirs), dragged Ryan to the grocery store with you (you remembered the coffee, secretly hoping that Trevor would be coming over again soon and resolutely ignoring the little voice in the back of your head that kept telling you that he was babysitting you and it was his job), and drove down to the store with him a little after lunchtime. Shortly after the two of you arrived, Michael and Lindsay came to relieve Ryan of his duties, Michael wearing normal clothes, but if you looked close enough you could see that not all of his makeup had come off fully, and when the light hit his hair right, you could still see specs of glitter. Blaine showed up around one-thirty, arms laden with the box that contained your air mattress, as well as the pump to fill it with. Michael went out with Blaine to go put it in his car, stating that he was going to be taking you home tonight, and as you watch the two of them chat as they walked out the door, you couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Michael driving you home implied no Trevor. You turned to go back to the register to scan in more inventory that you decided not to do yesterday and nearly ran face-first into Lindsay.

“How’s it going?” She asked, bright smile on her face, and you could See her rainbow aura glowing brightly around her.

“Uh, alright. Do you know if y’all have found out anything?” You asked, running a hand through your hair. For all of the time you’ve spent with Ramsey’s crew (which you had found out this morning from eavesdropping on Ryan while he was on the phone that they called themselves “AH”, whatever that means), you hadn’t heard a single thing about what was going on.

“We’re going through all of your father’s recent cases, seeing if anything or anyone seems particularly suspicious and malicious. We also pulled records of every case your dad’s done that has involved fae, Seelie or Unseelie. From what you and Ryan and Trevor told us, the Unseelie who attacked you doesn’t seem to be the leader…”

“But an Unseelie’s right hand man is always and Unseelie, yeah.” You finished for her when she trailed off.

“We’ve got our whole support crew, plus anyone else we can spare, looking into things and following leads and shit. So far, we’ve got a couple of maybe’s, but nothing just yet. The good news is, our pile of no’s just keeps getting bigger and bigger!” She said brightly, which made you smile.

Around five o’clock, Lindsay was traded out for Jeremy, who said that it was supposed to be Gavin but Gavin had forgotten that he and his girlfriend were supposed to be going on a date tonight. Jeremy had a backpack on, so you assumed that meant that he was going to be staying over with you in your apartment tonight, but when he opened it up, it was filled with some of the books you had given him the day before.

“Michael,” He asked, when there was a lull in customers, the only two in the store being upstairs with Blaine, “Michael, the things you can do is terrifying to me. I had no idea you could literally just turn me to ash if you wanted to.” You managed to stifle your laughter, but Michael did not, nearly doubling over. Jeremy turned pink, immediately hiding his face behind the copy of Your Inner Demons, Explained: A Beginner’s Guide to Hell and its Occupants that he had been reading from.

“Jeremy, I’m not a strong enough demon for that.” Michael said, finally, after he had calmed his laughter.

“Yeah, but if you damned some more souls you could!” Jeremy insisted, staring up at Michael earnestly, which just caused Michael to dissolve into giggles again.

Around six-thirty, Blaine went down the street to the diner at the corner of your block (owned by a sweet elderly couple of nereids) and brought back dinner for all. Your phone chirped while the four of you were crowded around a coffee table near the front of the store, and you pulled it out of your pocket to take a look.

[From: Trevor 6:54:21 PM] Hey, hope your day’s going well! Sorry I can’t come visit, Geoff and I are working on some stuff.

[To: Trevor 6:54:58 PM] Yeah, it’s been great! Nothing particularly interesting to report. Hope “stuff” with Geoff goes well!

You tried to school your face to “mildly interested”, but you could tell you hadn’t quite succeeded, if the suggestive wiggling eyebrows that Blaine gave you when you looked up from your phone after locking it and shoving it back into your pocket.

A little while later, you were sitting next to Jeremy by the register, you flipping through The Care and Keeping of Yacumama: A (Mostly) Complete History of Sea Monsters while he had moved on to Wolves! Were?: A New Wolf’s Guide to His Inner Beast. Jeremy was telling you about how he just learned that once he’s more experienced with his wolf-side, he’ll be able to Change at will, no matter the time of the month, when the bell above the door chimed and a loud, “What’s up, you fucks?” was shouted into the room.

“Hey, Mica!” You called, registering but not paying attention to the way Jeremy stiffened. He’d been doing it, probably subconsciously, every time someone new had walked in that didn’t smell at least vaguely familiar, and you were fairly certain Jeremy would’ve never experienced someone like Mica before.

A woman that was browsing cookbooks gave Mica a glare as she waltzed past, but Mica paid her no mind, instead just pulling you up from your chair and sweeping you into a hug.

“Girl, I missed you!” She exclaimed, and you laughed into her shoulder as you returned the hug.

“Missed you too, how was Egypt?” You asked as you pulled away.

She laughed, and her sparkling golden aura glittered as she moved, “Oh, it was wonderful. Father sends his love, of course.”

“And of course, you told him I send mine?” It was more of a statement than a question, and when Mica nodded, you could almost see the outline of a lioness’s head in her aura around her face.

“Of course.” She agreed, before finally turning to look at Jeremy, who had abandoned his book in favor of staring up at the two of you.

“Oh, Mica, this is Jeremy. It’s a long story, Blaine or I will fill you in later, but I’m being babysat until further notice.” You explained as Jeremy rose and stuck out his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Mica.”

Mica gracefully took Jeremy’s hand within her own, “Pleasure’s mine.”

“Blaine’s upstairs if you want to go say hi. We’re staying open late tonight ‘cause it’s Tuesday, so if you want to just go up there and man a floor for a while, be my guest.” You informed Mica, and she nodded before heading off towards the stairs.

“Mica’s a friend of yours, right?” Jeremy asked once you sat back down.

“Yeah,” You nodded, “she’s one of my two friends. She was visiting family in Egypt for the past couple months, so I’m happy that she’s back. Blaine just doesn’t cut it when you want to talk about girly stuff.”

“So, uh…” Jeremy trailed off, looking around a bit before dipping his head towards you and dropping his voice to a whisper, “she’s not human, right?”

You let out a breathy laugh, “Nope. Want to hazard a guess?”

“I don’t know…it’s hard to tell, especially since she’s been in Egypt for a while. She smells, old and like, sandy? I feel like that’s offensive to say, for some reason.”

“No, you’re right. How familiar are you with Egyptian mythology?” You asked, and Jeremy lifted his head to meet your eye.

“You’re fucking with me.” He said, deadpan, but there was wonder shining in his eyes.

“Nope. You, my man, just met Sekhmet, lion-headed warrior goddess, also a goddess of healing. She prefers Mica, though, and if you act like she’s royalty or whatever she’ll fucking destroy you.” You said, smiling at the way Jeremy’s eyes lit up and then darkened with fear.

“Holy shit. Is everything real?” He inquired.

“Nah, no such thing as unicorns. That’s bullshit.”

Once the sun went down and the number of non-human beings skyrocketed, things got a little bit busy, but they settled down near midnight, and you, Mica, and Blaine did a sweep of the building, making sure that everything was clean and no one was still there before you locked up for the night. Blaine and Mica broke off from your group, deciding to head down to a nearby bar for some drinks, and Jeremy also departed, tell you that he’d see you tomorrow, backpack still laden with books.

That left you and Michael, sitting silently in the car as the radio played softly in the background.

“So, how’re you doing?” Michael asked finally, about halfway to your destination.

“Alright.” You said, toying with your phone in your hands. You had been checking it periodically all day, and had not gotten a single text from Trevor since dinner. You tried to hide the disappointment that was threatening to pull up from somewhere deep in your gut.

Michael hummed, tone disbelieving, but didn’t say anything. You were thankful for that.

When you got back to your apartment, and the normal drill of whoever you were with checking to make sure your apartment was “clear” before you walked in occurred, you were dragging your feet. All you wanted to do was fall face-first onto your bed, but you helped Michael push your furniture around and blow up the air mattress first. You were halfway to your room when you remembered that you hadn’t fed Gus yet.

“Hello, Gus.” You said quietly, so that you didn’t disturb Michael playing games on your couch. You dropped flakes into the tank for your grumpy little fish, and nearly yelled out in shock when a second blue fish darted up to the food!

“Holy fuck, Michael, come here!” You said, and the taller man was at your side nearly instantaneously, looking around wildly.

“What, what?” He demanded.

“I have two fish!” You pointed at the tank, where, sure enough, grumpy little Gus was eating while a new fish swam around him in circles.

“Why does that matter?” Michael spit, but he was watching the fish just as intently as you were.

“Michael, I don’t have two fish, I only have one Gus.”

Michael’s eyes went wide. He looked to you, and then back to the fish, and then to you, and then he dunked his hand in the tank and pulled out both fish, dropping them on the floor. One of them, Gus, just flopped and spluttered, but the other one immediately started glowing and you and Michael watched as the second fish transformed into a sopping wet Gavin.

Michael immediately started howling with laughter, while you bent down and scooped up Gus, apologizing to the poor fish and setting him back inside his tank. Gus seemed to give you a side-eye, so you put in a few more food flakes as atonement (even though he was supposed to be on a diet).

“What the fuck, Gavin?” Michael yell-laughed, dragging Gavin up from the floor. You ran into your hall closet and grabbed some spare towels, bringing them back and giving them to Gavin, who thanked you and immediately started drying his hair and face with one, the other wrapped around his shoulders.

“I bloody get called back to the penthouse in the middle of my date with Turney, and so I came back, and it turned out that it was something Matt could’ve bloody well fixed, so I called Geoff an arsehole and he started giggling. Told me not to be such a ‘grumpy gills’, an’ the next thing I know, I’m in a bloody fish tank!”

Michael, who had calmed down enough to listen to Gavin, started laughing so hard you couldn’t really hear it any more, face beet red and head thrown back.

“It’s not funny!” Gavin shouted at him, but he was smiling, too, so you were pretty sure he didn’t mean it.

“It’s fucking hilarious, Gav. Come on, let me call Jack or someone to get you home.” Michael said, and you retreated to your room.

#rt reader insert #ragehappy #trevor x reader #trevor c x reader #rt imagine #modern fantasy au #supernatural au #this chapter is cut weird so that it didn't go too long #just like how this one and the last one should be one super-long chapter but that's like 10k words and i was like nope lets break that up

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midnightstarsky · 8 years ago

Text

VS Cartel AU Chapter 2 Part 1

This is my cross-over fiction of vatanim sensin and the narcos history/tv show. This is the first part of chapter 2. I hope you guys enjoy this!

Note: I don’t own any of the VS characters or narcos characters. These are characters based loosely on history so I any similarities are due to that.

All of these parts can be found under vs cartel au tag on my blog, where you can also find gifs and previews for the story and narcos show. And you can find a mash up trailer.

Hope you enjoy!

This one takes off where chapter 1 ends, hileon arrive in Greece and get into a bit of trouble; Vasili makes his first appearance.

content warning: This is a cartel fic, so there will be mentions of violence and drugs from this point on from the story. So canon typical violence for a show like narcos is to be expected.

Chapter 2 Part 1

Magical Realism

Athens 2017

The beautiful green landscape against the deep blue sea, it was beautiful. With the mountains rising high above the waves, it was awe-inspiring and majestic. It truly looked like a land where the myths of Zeus and Poseidon could come to life. Where Demeter brought the harvest, and Aphrodite was born from the water. A land where Morpheus was thought to bring dreams, dreams that could inspire people to the greatest heights. It could create dreams of being an Olympian, to be the finest athlete in the land. These lands could inspire people to become the greatest thinkers or writers in the world, to push the boundaries of reality and thought.

And these lands could inspire people like Vasili to become billionaire entrepreneurs, just not from the taxi company he apparently ran successfully. He only had three taxis, each apparently bringing in around 10 billion dollars a year. No, Vasili’s fortune came from his successful cocaine producing and trafficking business.

“Leon, wake up,” Hilal shook him gently.

He blinked his eyes open and yawned, “What is it? Are we there?”

She nodded her head, “We’re close, look how beautiful it is.”

Leon leaned closer to her to glance out the window and gazed down at the mountain ranges coming into view.

These beautiful mountains hid about fifty labs, each lab set up as a small town with over 200 people working and guarding the areas. These labs were where Vasili was producing about 10,000 kilos of cocaine a week, and with each kilo of cocaine selling for anywhere in the range of 50,000 dollars to 150,000 dollars, considering foreign exchange risk, traveling costs, and the fact that the farther the cocaine got the more Vasili made; Vasili was making about 80 million dollars a day.

Yeah, you heard that right.

CevVas Cartel was bigger than most fortune 500 companies.

Leon glanced as his wife looked out the window, her eyes watching the beautiful landscape coming closer in her view. He smiled as he admired how her eyes matched the blue of the sea, how her loose messy hair from the flight made her look like a beautiful nymph ready to run across the forests below. Better yet, she looked like a fierce Amazon ready to go on a hunt, her hair messy from the wind and her blue eyes shining in eagerness.

He chuckled, Hilal would probably roll her eyes if he said that out loud.

She turned towards him and smiled shyly, “What? Do I have drool on my face?”

It still surprised him how shy she could be about her appearances, he didn’t know how many times he had to tell her she was beautiful before she finally got it into her head. Her stubbornness really could be frustrating at times, most times.

He shook his head as she grabbed her purse and brought out her small mirror.

“I look like a mess, Leon,” she muttered disapprovingly, “You should have at least told me my hair looks like a bird’s nest.”

“I think you looked wild and beautiful like a forest nymph or better yet an Amazon,” he said cheekily.

She shoved him before combing her hair so it at least didn’t look like she had spent the last ten hours sleeping upright, “Stop it, you’re not being cute. It’s too early and it’s been too long of a trip for me to be charmed by your version of flirting, which consists mostly of just telling me long Greek myths that take forever to tell me about the beautiful and strong women that remind you of me.”

He pouted but she just rolled her eyes at him.

“Why can’t I use my heritage and my love of literature to tell my wife I love her?” he protested.

“You can, it’s just you love to really draw out your stories and I need coffee to be patient enough for another hour-long comparison of how I remind you of Hippolyta,” Hilal snapped back but her eyes twinkled with amusement.

“It’s Smyrna and most women would love their husbands to spend so much time waxing poetic in their favor,” Leon pointed out.

“Not when their wives feel gross and anything but beautiful and need caffeine to function,” she returned.

“You look beautiful to me,” he said as he leaned forward to kiss her, “Like the beautiful Artemis, a fierce huntress and the goddess of the moon.”

Hilal pushed him lightly away, “Yes, because my name means crescent moon, as you never forget to remind me through your extensive moon inspired poetry. It’s getting old, Leon. And cheesy.”

“You know you love it,” he returned as he leaned in again for a kiss, but she placed her palm on his chest and pushed him back once again.

“Hilal,” he whined.

“We’ve landed,” she said sternly.

Sure enough, they were on the runway slowly making their way towards their terminal. Finally, they stopped and the passengers could stand and get their things.

Hilal gathered her things as Leon grabbed their two carry-ons before they made their way out of the plane.

“Welcome to Athens, we hope you enjoy your stay,” the stewardess smiled as they passed her.

“I will as soon as our fathers are dead,” Hilal muttered under her breath.

“Hilal,” Leon hissed as he glanced around, “What if someone heard you?”

She scoffed, “Nobody heard me, and nobody knows who we’re talking about or who we are. I’m sure it’s fine.”

Here’s the problem with that, when you’re the most powerful men in the country, it’s not that hard to buy off airport security to alert them if any suspicious Americans enter the country. I didn’t learn it until a little later, but from that moment on I was on the radar of my father. He knew the moment I had entered the country, and later I would learn that he knew exactly why I was there.

Hilal and Leon approached the immigration desk where a young man looked him up and down.

“Passports,” he ordered.

When they handed their passports to him, he glanced briefly at Hilal’s before eying Leon. Hilal glanced up at Leon but he just shrugged.

“You have a Greek last name,” he noted.

“My parents were Greek,” Leon said easily, “My mother moved us to the States when we were young.”

“You have a familiar last name,” he noted, “In fact, some would say you have a very old and famous name.”

“I don’t know anything about that, it was my father’s name and he died when I was young,” Leon lied easily.

“Hmm,” the other man replied as he read over their immigration papers.

In the year since we’d learned about the CevVas cartel, we had also come to learn that our mother had changed our last names when we were young. No doubt she had chosen something unique or chic, mother always had a flare for the dramatic. I wouldn’t realize why the immigration officer had been so surprised at my last name, of what that name meant in Greece. Apparently, Agent Fatma hadn’t considered that information pertinent to the mission.

As it turns out, she was very wrong on that score.

Leon relaxed a bit and leaned into Hilal, “We’ll have some coffee in no time.”

Hilal whispered softly, “I’m not so sure about that.”

He glanced back at the immigration officer to see him reading over his papers for the second time.

“It says here you are going to work as a janitor in the embassy. That’s interesting, I could swear that there was another janitor for the embassy coming through here,” he noted with a dry smile, “Your embassy must be quite clean then.”

Leon gave him a proud look, “You can bet on it, we keep a tight ship.”

“Right,” the man answered.

He was now looking over Hilal’s paperwork, but he didn’t ask any questions. He glanced up at her briefly as he studied her passport and her work visa so she could work at the local hospital in Athens. As Leon had made a request for his wife to join them, the DEA had arranged with the Greek government to find her employment so that she could be productive in Greece and not go mad from boredom. Hilal may have put her foot down to follow Leon to Greece, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be idle while he completed his mission.

“I’m sorry, but you seem to be missing one of your forms,” he finally said.

Hilal’s eyes widened, “That’s impossible, they’re all there.” “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you’re missing some information. We need to make sure you have the qualifications to work this job,” he explained.

Hilal was glaring at him, “That’s ridi…”

Leon cut her off, “What do we need to do?”

“My boss can help you, let me take you to his office and get him,” the other man explained as he picked up their papers and passports and lead them away.

They were lead to a small office with a line of cushioned seats and a tv, the immigration officer leaving them to find his boss.

Hilal flopped down and frowned as Leon took a seat across from her, “This is bullshit, Leon. My papers are fine. I rechecked them and even had our immigration lawyer check them, your DEA supervisors even reassured me that there wouldn’t be an issue…”

“Hilal, I’m sure they’re just being cautious,” he reassured her.

She crossed her arms and huffed, and while Leon would normally find it adorable, he could see how tired and strained she was. It hadn’t been a small thing to ask her to move their lives across the world even if Hilal was just as adamant that he should accept the assignment to take down the CevVas Cartel. Leon still felt guilty asking this of her, so he was endeavoring to humor her more often.

He was trying, really.

Leon reached into his bag and grabbed a book, “Here, reading always passes the time.”

She sighed but grabbed the book, “Thanks.”

He smiled softly before he leaned back and closed his eyes, “Wake me up when someone shows up.”

Leon fell asleep to the sound of Hilal turning pages and her soft breathing.

“Leon,” Hilal hissed as she shook him, “Wake up, you’ve been asleep for an hour, they’re still not here!”

He blinked his eyes open and managed drowsily, “What?”

His wife was furious, “It’s been an hour and no one has entered that door, Leon.”

She stood up suddenly, “I should give them a piece of my mind…” Leon caught her by the arm, “Hilal, don’t cause a fight with the immigration officer, we don’t need to cause a fuss here. Just be patient.”

She jerked her arm away but either she saw his point or she was too tired to argue, because she dropped down on her seat and scowled at him.

Leon sighed and rubbed his eyes, “Hilal, I’m sorry.”

She ignored him to glare at the floor instead.

He frowned before glancing around and seeing the tv.

“How about some tv to improve your Greek?” he teased.

Hilal huffed, “You know my Greek is fine, better than yours probably.”

He leaned forward, “I doubt that, love. Your Turkish is better than mine, I’ll give you that, but that’s because your mother spoke it to you and had a tutor teach you on weekends.”

“Your Turkish is nonexistent,” she retorted.

“But my Greek is still better than yours,” he insisted.

She snorted, “Hardly.”

She leaned forward, “Don’t forget, that I took six semesters of Greek, four of those semesters we shared the same class and I seem to recall scoring higher than you in each of those years.”

“It’s so adorable that you remember beating me in that class, did you take those classes just to catch my attention?” Leon said slyly.

“You’re impossible,” Hilal responded quickly as she glanced at the tv to avoid his smug gaze.

She stood up and turned it on, “Let’s see if there’s anything of interest on.”

The tv showed a huge crowd receiving cash as a female reporter came into view.

“He’s an entrepreneur, a self-made man who has come from modest origins in this very town of Thessaloniki to become a billionaire. And now he gives back to the people, becoming a modern-day Robin Hood.”

A grinning man walked into view as the crowds broke into cheers.

“I’m proud to stand by this incredible man, the Robin Hood of Thessaloniki, Vasili,” she practically sang as she smiled adoringly at the man beside her.

The crowds went mad, holding up signs with his image and name, chanting his name over and over as the man of the hour raised his hand and waved.

“My God,” Hilal managed.

“They don’t even know he’s a drug dealer,” Leon voiced for her.

His wife turned to him, eyes wide, “Robin Hood of Thessaloniki? Really?”

He whistled, “Look, Hilal.”

Hilal glanced back to see Vasili and the female reporter passing out thick wads of cash to members of the crowd. Other men standing near Vasili were doing the same.

Vasili was essentially handing out hundreds of dollars to each person there, no wonder the crowds were chanting his name. He was buying the loyalty of everyone in that crowd.

“How can people just stand there and accept his money like that, money from poison, money that people were killed for,” Hilal said disgusted.

Leon had read enough of similar situations to offer insight, “It’s one of the poorest areas in Greece, and where poverty and corruption go hand in hand, it becomes easy to buy people off. People need to survive, Hilal, at a certain point they don’t care what they have to do to ensure that survival.”

His wife’s gaze hardened but she wasn’t given a chance to respond when the door opened.

Leon and his wife immediately stood up as Leon turned the tv off.

The immigration officer entered behind another man, clearly the boss they had been expecting for the last hour.

“Forgive me, there were some issues I had to handle,” the man said shortly.

Leon grabbed Hilal’s paperwork, “Look, my wife and I have checked and rechecked these immigration forms for her before we even got on the plane, can you please just take care of this for us. I’m sure everything is there.”

The man interrupted him, “I need your passport.”

Leon eyed him as Hilal handed him their passports, “Here.”

The man simply flipped through the two passports before handing back Hilal hers, “Just his.”

“I don’t understand,” Hilal was confused as she glanced at Leon.

But the other man cut her off as he went over to the copier, “I just need his, ma’am.”

Hilal frowned and hissed at Leon, “Something is strange about this.”

Leon took her by the elbow and shook his head, warning her to keep quiet. She pursed her lips and watched as the man scanned Leon’s passport.

He finished and took the paper, setting it aside. He then handed Leon his passport and gave him a sly smile, “Welcome to Athens.”

What a welcome.

#vatanim sensin #hileon #hilal x leon #vatanim sensin fanfiction #vs cartel au #hileon fic

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killiancygnus · 8 years ago

Photo

Serendipitous Melody 11/?

Summary: Everyone has dreams. You might dream of becoming an astronaut or teacher, or you might want to become a doctor and save as many lives you can. Emma Swan’s childhood dream was being a singer. But with life getting in the way and never finding the courage to overcome her fears, she never had a chance to follow it. That is until a little push from her friends lead her to cash on an opportunity; and, who knows, she might even get more than what she’d wished for.

Rated: T

Word count: ~3.0k

A/N: Wow I’m actually updating on time, what is this sorcery? Anyway, I am still working on chapter 12. The muse has been pretty rude lately and uni is keeping me busy. Like a lot. If I don’t hit the athor’s block wall for the umpteenth time, I’ll probably manage to post it in two weeks, but after that I can’t guarantee updates every fortnight. I’m a very slow writer sorry. I hope you’ll stick with me. As always, huge thanks to @the-reason-to-sail-home and @londonsbridge, my woderful friends and betas, for helping me with the editing and to all the CS Writers’ Hub ladies.

Tagging some friends: @villains-happy-ending, @stardusted-nymph, @allisonchameron, @kmomof4, @hencethebravery, @katie-dub, @captainwiley, @irishswanff, @thejollypirate, @dassala, @imhookedonaswan, @ofshipsandswans, @legendofthephoenixcs and @mahstatins

If you want to be tagged too let me know :)

Links: Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 / AO3

As soon as they got back inside, Emma started shivering from the cold, while two matching puddles of water were forming at her and Killian’s feet.

“Why don’t you go take a shower?” he asked, noticing how tightly she was holding her jacket to her body in an attempt to warm up a bit, “I’ll find you something to wear while your clothes dry up.”

“There’s no need. I’ll be fine,” Emma shrugged him off, even though the trembling of her body betrayed her.

“I insist. You’ll just get a cold if you don’t warm up.”

“What about you?” She followed him upstairs to the bathroom, their shoes squeaking on the floor.

“No need to worry, Swan. I’ll just change into something warm,” Killian reassured her, stopping in front of the bathroom, “I’ll leave you to it then.”

After muttering a thank you, Emma watched him walk in what she supposed was his bedroom for a few seconds, before going in the bathroom and closing the door behind her. She was too cold to care about what it looked like, but she couldn’t help notice how big the room was. Two large glass walls illuminated the room, both next to the shower which was situated in between them in front of the sink and a large mirror. A bathtub was placed in an alcove on the left. Emma quickly stripped off her wet clothes and placed them on the bathtub, neatly enough so that they wouldn’t wrinkle.

Not being able to resist the comfort of heat much longer, she stepped inside the shower. Stifling a moan, she let the warm water fall on the top of her head. After enjoying the effect the water was having on her warming skin, Emma quickly washed her hair and body using a couple of bottles of soap she found in the shower. She futilely tried very hard not to think much about how weirdly soothing the scent of his shampoo was. Not wanting to make Killian wait for too long, she quickly finished up rinsing her hair and then she stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel before tiptoeing in front of the mirror.

She looked flushed. But that was surely only because of the hot water, and not because of anything else. After all, why would it bother her if her hair now smelled exactly like Killian’s? That would be ridiculous. The flush reddening her cheeks and chest was totally just because of the warm shower she’d just had. Or was it?

“Emma?” Killian knocked tentatively, starting her from her thoughts, “I’ve just heard the shower go off. I have some clothes for you.”

“Coming!” she said quickly drying herself up a little so that she wouldn’t make a mess. However, her damp hair still drizzled some water on the immaculate floor as she padded up to the door.

After taking a moment to secure the towel around her frame, she unlocked the door and faced him. He was standing in sweatpants and a navy blue t-shirt that did nothing to hide his toned chest just inches from the door. A pile of clothes was balanced on one hand, as the other was busy passing a towel through his damp hair making them stick up in every direction.

Killian’s eyes widened and roamed down her body. They dropped to fixate on the clothes he was holding, when he noticed the blush on her cheeks, the tips of his ears turning red.

“This is all I could find,” he said, extending his arm but not daring to look at her in the eyes. “The hairdryer is in the cabinet under the sink if you need it.”

Emma thanked his as she took the clothes he was offering her.

“I’ll be downstairs fixing us something for lunch for when you're done.”

Emma nodded, giving him a small smile before closing the door as soon as he walked away. Taking a quick look at the clothes, she was surprised to see he gave her a t-shirt that judging by its size was one of his and a pair of leggings that definitely didn’t belong to him.

Well, that’s weird.

“Ah, Swan! Right on time. Lunch is ready,” Killian announced as soon as he saw Emma enter the kitchen, wearing a t-shirt that was way too big for her, his t-shirt, with a few rebel gold locks escaping from the messy bun on top of her head. Trying not to delve much into the thoughts that started to fly in his head at her vision, he swiftly put two steaming bowls of tomato soup, next to a plate with grilled cheese for the both of them. She was beautiful, but they were friends. That’s all they could be for now, possibly forever.

He noticed her gaze following his movements with a furrow between her brows, as if she were wondering how she could help him but at the same time realising there was nothing else left to do. When her eyes landed on the grilled cheese on the table, though, her lips curved up in an excited and goofy smirk as she trotted to her seat.

“Like what you see?” Killian wiggled his eyebrows, watching her in amusement as he sat down at the other end of the table.

“I love grilled cheese.”

“Oh, is that so?” he teased her, “Your excitement was only because of food and not because of the dashing rockstar who cooked for you? I’m hurt!”

“Well, maybe a little bit of both,” Emma admitted, a bright smile forming on lips at the sight of his pout. “But mostly for the food.”

“How rude. This is the last time I cook for you,” Killian replied, offended, making Emma almost choke on the spoonful of soup she had just taken.

“No! Please. This is so good. You are such a great cook.”

“Hmm…” Killian hummed, watching her concerned face in amusement before giving in, “I accept your apology, my lady.”

“Good.”

They ate in silence for a while, both too hungry to engage in conversation, but there was no awkwardness at all. It was just the two of them having lunch at his house, on a lazy day off work, and to be honest he would get used to it without any problem, were anything ever going to happen between them.

“Tonight your audition airs on national television, as you know, and we are supposed to watch it together, so we can discuss it. You can stay, if you want, so we could watch it here. I mean, your clothes won’t get dry anytime soon and it seems the most practical option we have,” he suddenly announced, the tips of his ears reddening in embarrassment as soon as he realised he was babbling.

“If it’s not a problem for you, then okay.” Emma smiled. God, how he loved that smile.

“It’s not,” he reassured her quickly. “I quite like spending my time with you.”

“Yeah I quite like it too.”

“So,” Emma started, nonchalantly, as she got up to help Killian put the dishes in the dishwasher. “Do you wear women’s leggings on a regular basis or what?”

Killian looked at her confused, but when realisation struck he smiled a tight, sad smile. “They were of someone who was very close to me once. I found them at the bottom of a drawer. I hadn’t even known they were still there.”

“Oh.”

Stopping mid movement, a last bowl still in hand. Tilting his head on a side he asked, “Have you ever been in love, Swan?”

Caught off guard, Emma took her time to answer.

“No,” she muttered, lowering her gaze as if telling him a lie. She didn’t notice the unconvinced look he gave her, as her eyes were by then fixated on the tattoo on his arm. She had never paid it much attention before, but now that she could see it from such a short distance she had to admit it was truly beautiful. It was an anchor, with colourful flowers following the rope coiled around it. The more she looked at it, the more details she noticed. The petals of the flowers, so realistic her fingers itched to touch them to feel how soft they were, the game of shadows they created on the anchor, and the rope, that was actually made of a name repeated over and over, written in a cramped cursive font to mimic the fibers.

When curiosity took over, Emma asked, hesitating a little as she deciphered the name inked on his arm, “Who is Milah?”

“Someone from long ago.”

“Were you two together?” She inquired.

“Yes,” Killian simply replied, “I was about to ask her to move in with me when...”

When voice faltered, he looked away from her, focusing on the buttons of the dishwasher, as if he’d never set one before.

“Bad break up?” she asked him softly, too curious to let the topic drop.

“In a manner of speaking yeah,” he sighed, and when he saw her frown at his reply he added, “She died.”

That wasn’t the answer she thought she would get, and suddenly she felt bad for having been so insistent.

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“You didn’t know Emma, it’s okay.” He reassured her, even though he clearly was the one who ended up being hurt the most by the conversation. It was totally a Killian thing to do, to comfort her when he was the one in need of comforting because of something she had said, and she both loved and hated him for that (Loved? Wait what?).

“It’s just,” he continued, “I haven’t talked about it in quite a while.”

Emma reached for his hand and squeezed it tight. “If you want to talk about it, I’m here. And I’ll always be there and listen, even if you don’t want to talk about it now, okay?”

After a little hesitation Killian said, squeezing her hand back, “Come.”

Nodding, Emma followed him back in the living room and sat next to him on the sofa, their still interwoven hands resting on his lap. Taking a few deep breaths, Killian started talking, absentmindedly tracing circles with his thumb on the back of her hand.

“I met Milah back when my first album got released. As you might know, it wasn’t a hit right away, but it was good enough for me to build a small group of fans. It still wasn’t enough to let me stop doing gigs at pubs around the city though, and that was exactly where we met. She was older than me but I didn’t care about it. She was beautiful, so full of life and always seeking some kind of adventure. I couldn’t help but fall for her.

“After two years together I thought we were both ready to move in together, but I never got to ask her. I had everything ready: her key, a romantic dinner at her favourite restaurant- you know how it is. A couple of days before our date, she came here, knocking at my door at night telling me she was already married, that her husband, the director of one of those tabloids, had asked her to befriend me so that he could get some information and scoops about me to write his articles. She told me she was sorry, that she couldn’t keep it secret from me anymore because she had come to love me.

She assured me that she had never told her husband much about me, except some innocent facts, as what instruments I could play or what were my favourite songs. She begged me to forgive her, but I was too hurt and angry. I felt like I had been played and I couldn’t think straight. I told her to leave, but the roads were slippery from the amount of rain that had been falling since the morning. She lost control of her car and got hit by a truck coming from the other side of the road. She died on impact.”

“That is truly awful,” Emma commented, watching him brush away a single tear that had escaped from his eyelids. She gave his hand a squeeze to bring him some comfort and added, hoping her voice wouldn’t crack up too much, hoping the tears that pooled in her eyes wouldn’t fall, making him so notice how much his story affected her, “I’m so sorry.”

“If only I didn’t tell her to go-” he whispered, “I knew the roads would have been slippery, I knew it would have been dangerous for her to drive so late at night...If only I offered to drive her home-”

She couldn’t hear him blaming himself, holding this burden on his heart on his own, so she reached for his chin and tilted his head, making him face her. “Killian, hey! Look at me. Her death is not your fault. It was an accident. You couldn’t possibly know what would happen, and for all you know if you did offer to drive her back, you could have ended up dead too. I know it’s hard but never think what someone you loved did to you or to somebody else is your fault.”

“But if I didn’t get so angry, if I thought before I-”

“We are only human, Killian,” she said softly, “you can’t pretend to always be rational and in control of your feelings; especially when someone you love is involved.”

Killian stared at her for a long moment, weighing her words up but giving her a curious look. “You know, for someone who has never been in love you are quite perceptive and empathetic.”

“Well, maybe I lied,” she confessed, “maybe I was in love once. Or so I thought.”

“And he hurt you.” It wasn’t a question but she still felt the need to answer.

“Yeah.”

“What happened?” he wondered, bringing her body closer to his, as if doing so he could snuggle the heartache away.

Taking a deep breath, Emma welcomed the comforting presence of his body and started to talk. “After Ingrid’s death, the Nolans took care for me. I didn’t have enough money to go to college, so I helped Graham, the town sheriff, at the station for a little while. He was only a few years older than me and we got along pretty well together. That is until one day, without any warning or anything, he died. Heart attack, probably caused by a heart defect that had never been diagnosed. I didn’t take it well. First my adoptive mother then him; it was too much.

So after a couple of weeks later I run away. With the money I had, I left for Boston where I found a small place to live. There I had two jobs, bail bonds person during the evenings and coffee shop waitress during the day, but it was just enough to pay the bills and survive. I wasn’t happy, per se. I was just living, you know. And then I met Neal.” Emma sighed.

“He’d come to the coffee shop I was working at every morning. We became friends pretty soon, and eventually we got together. I was young and naive and I thought he loved me, besides all the secrets he kept for me. But I really thought I loved him, you know, he was the first person - apart from Ingrid - who saw me as me and made me feel like I could have that happy ending you read on the fairytales when you are little, so I let it slide. A few months after we got together, David tracked me down. He wrote me a letter in which he told me they understood why I left, and that they missed me.

And that’s how we began sending each other letters back and forth every months. When I moved in with Neal, though, the letters never came through again. I tried to explain it in my head in many ways. I supposed it was because he was too busy with his job and moving to LA with Mary Margaret to keep in touch with me, but as the months passed. All I could think about was that they never wanted to have anything to do with me again. I blamed myself for so long. What I didn’t know at that time was that it was all Neal’s fault. He had purposely given David a wrong address, so that he wouldn’t try to steal me away from him. I only found it out later on though, when one day, while my then fiancé claimed he was away for work, the police knocked at the door to search our place.

Apparently he was a thief. He left some stolen watches in our bedroom, and ran away with a girl he had been cheating with for months only after tipping off the police. I got arrested. I stayed behind bars for eleven months before getting out for good behaviour. The day I walked out of that place I found David and Mary Margaret waiting for me to bring me home with them.”

As soon as she finished talking, Emma closed her eyes to try stop the tears and block the memories of her in jail, alone, scared of what would it be of her and the -

“Emma, ” he breathed out softly, the gentle touch of his hands, stroking her cheeks where two lonely tears had fallen and drawing soothing patterns on her shoulder, bringing her back to the present.

Her misty eyes met his blue ones and she smiled to thank him for listening, for the comfort he was giving her, basically for everything he had done for her.

“You know,” he started, the ghost of a lough in his voice, “we are quite the pair, the two of us, Swan. Life reserved us some nasty low blows and we were both abandoned and hurt by the people we loved the most, but you know what I learned in all these years?”

Emma shook her head.

“I learned that if our hearts can be broken then it’s a good thing, because it means they still work.”

Emma studied him for a moment and, as a few bricks of the sky high walls that protected her heart broke down in pieces, she snuggled closer to him, seeking and giving all the comfort they both needed.

#captain swan #cs ff au #cs ff #cs mafia #cs au #my fic #fran against words #serendipitous melody #otp:we'll always find the sun

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thelillykane · 8 years ago

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sweet faerie, heaven queen, dark angel & hollywood startlet ! actually do all of them i love these questions ahsjkfjds

omg ok ilu

sweet faerie: do you feel comfortable around nature? why ?

oh man i think it really depends? but mostly it’s a yes. i just go through like bouts of paranoia bc of my anxiety so i’m always thinking abt how i could be murdered in any given situation #justgirlythings but honestly nature is my shit. when i lived in new mexico i would go on walks when it was snowing or after there was snow on the ground and that’s truly…me. like having seasons (in arizona there is only the sun, melting ur skin off) is my life.

heaven queen: If you had a kingdom, describe what it would look like.

OH MAN does this mean like i’m creating my own kingdom au? bc basically it’s like lots of cliffs and the ocean is there and the waves rock and crash kinda gently but also like yeah they’ll fuck you up and there are always stars in the sky and when you walk barefoot or in socks nothing gets stuck to your feet which is t h e d r e a m also!!! there are cats everywhere living their lives and they all love me and i love them and it smells like rain and fresh baked bread and it always feels like you could submerge yourself into the most random crevice and still be at home and whenever it’s windy ur hair doesn’t fly into ur face and there are libraries with stone steps and art galleries and the softest pink flowers

dark angel: Is there a secret you’ll keep with you until the end of time?

yes. i’ve never been like…fully honest with another human being in my entire life about a lot of stuff and at this point i’ll just keep it that way it’s too much

hollywood starlet: invent a movie where you could be the main character

invent one?? ummmm. i just want to gone girl a man that’s all. actually in my movie au i want 2 be strong enough & ruthless enough & rich enough to personally destroy every man who even thinks about laying his hand on a female. i want a superpower where i can find them and rip their hearts out with my teeth i want to protect all the women

graceful princess: are you capricious ? what do you like to have the most ?

oooh probably but i don’t think i ever do anything abt it

wild witch: if you were to be a wizard, what power(s) would you have?

fuck every man up. also i want to like teleport and stuff and i want to walk through walls just for fun like lol u didn’t respond to my text? catch me floating through ur wall for a week asshole nice try

shy nymph: Do you like it when people flirt with you? How do you flirt ?

i think i’m like flirtatious with a lot of ppl just conversationally but i’ve never flirted w/ another person bc i wanted their # or to get them into bed or anything so i don’t know. and it depends on who is flirting w/ me

femme fatale: How many people have you kissed/seduced ?

LMAO SEDUCED in freshman year i let some guy get to 2nd base with me and kiss me and shit and we never dated & then he messaged me one day and was like “jennie i think i’m in love with you” and i messaged back and said “you’re not” honestly i love myself

rich doll: if you had all the money in the world, what thing would you buy first?

a plane ticket to go visit my best friend in canada. i’m crying thinking abt it.

devilish beauty: post a selfie (or reblog an old one)

listen…i’m 2 lazy i’ll post smth later maybe

famous model: describe your favorite outfit//link clothing you’d like to buy

oh um idk about a favorite outfit but i love dresses that go to my thigh and have cut outs in the back and leggings r my life & i have some great tanktops idk i wear the same six things bc i am a mess

#brendaswalshes #thank u ruby!!! these were so fun #jennie interacts with people

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deruste · 7 years ago

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Lord of light: Rise in the afternoon.

As one would do in my situation as soon as the rich redhead from new york said I was the son of god. Or was it a son of a god. I threw a tray the muscled surfer as the blonde with gray eyes and Jamaican goat man looked in surprise. I wish to say that I thought it was a bull right there and stormed out like a boss. What I actually must say is that I took the quickest way to the elevator and used the employee key to shut it off immediately. My hand was still shaking on the key still in the control panel. “ What the fuck!” I clapped my hands onto my face. “I threw my best job away.” I should properly chastise myself for thinking about my minual wage job and not the fact that those people were properly from a cult. And not the fun kind. I sat in the corner of the elevator trying to compose myself and figure out what the hell is going on! My hand and face were beadings with sweat and with my hands being over them it started to pooling into them. The door finally opened to the main lobby door. And while I could start talking about the gaudy Greco-roman statues and water fountain with a naked bearded man that looked suspiciously like mister...Adriano, I rather run as far away as possible from those loons. The letter popped into my mind when I said his name and the name on the letter kept rattling in my mind. Oceanus, Oceanus, God damn Oceanus. Why the hell does that name sound familiar! It clung and clanged like a loose bot in a long rusted machine. By the time the frustration stopped, I was in front of the statue of Bossman. The statue aside from some difference in features they looked exactly the same. The biggest difference were horns on the sides of his head that looked like crab claws. Maybe...no,no,no,no,no! I'm not believing those guys just because my boss looks like some statue. I looked at myself and saw the nameplate of the statue which made me anger grow. It had Oceanus engraved with some info on the gold plating. Oceanus, eldest of the Titans, father of the rivers and their nymphs. Most importantly of all the most faithful of the divines. Faithful had a marker adjustment the read “mostly” on the tail end along with “tethy forgive me”. Which sounded uncomfortably like Adriano wife Betty...tethy...betty. The more I sounded it out in my head the more they sounded similar. NO no, I'm not going down that rabbit hole. I went past the fountain and went into the kitchen to get friends help. In most case of poverty like me, no family help and no love for foster homes you learn to make backups when you're found out for running away or being an unsupervised youth in general. My backup is Aigle, I know a weird name but she is the closest thing I have to a friend along with Manual. She was in front of a stove cooking some empanadas. The scent nearly distracted me from Aigle. “Seriously one Blanco was enough to make you quit your post.” She said with a low, harsh voice. Imagine your abuela smoking a 12-pack daily while garbling several pounds of sand and you have Aegle sound and look. Very leathery skin that resembles a burlap sack bleached white with very sharp eyes that sometimes flicker like a predator. She was, as I can best describe a grandmother who fought, lived and breathed war than let herself go a bit except for her arms. She flicked her braided silver hair over her shoulder as I described the loons but didn't mention the camp or the son of a god shit because I didn't even want to think about that bit. “You know those Jesus camps on the other islands. The ones were they force people to submit to Jesus or they never leave. They gave me that vibe.” She shrugged her shoulder at my concern giving me an empanada. “ Seriously they were like PTSD ridden cultist,” I said biting down on my food. “Elio remember the Feminist conference.” I shuddered for a few seconds have Nam flashbacks to a large group of women yelling patriarchy and privilege left and right. I still hear them at night, offer one lady a free drink and suddenly you're running from the convention from a mob paying for later damages. “I don't want to but yes, But these-” she held a hand over my face. “And then there was the congregation of those Haitian Santa Marians.” The sound of several angry priests rattles in my mind as the image of me, Aegle and Manual carrying several snakes away burned itself into my eyes again. The smell of snakes didn't leave my arms for a week. “You were the one who wanted to rescue the snakes.” She gave me an exasperated sigh. “And you verbally assaulted the priests and their faith. You told the head of the congregation that he was a bargain bin pope and his priest’s pedophiles in training. You have a tendency towards-” “Honesty and frankness,” I said earnestly chowing down on another empanada. “ being an assshole, yes.” she gingerly puts a hand on my shoulder as she pulls a fresh batch of food from the oven. “ You tend to assume the worst and then make it worse by reacting according to what you think and not what is not there.” she eyes my messy eyesight, the way my vision darted around to find something to focus on. “You took your pills for the day right?” She chided me. She inspected my face with rigorous perception and urgent worry oozing from a disapproving frown. She was close enough to me that I could count her liver spots. I give a sigh. “I didn't take the pills, they make me slower.” listening to myself it sounded whiny like a kid stomping his foot and crying while his parent was trying not to be mortified. Raised her hands to her face, cupping them in disappointment. “ What did you see?” she held my face gingerly examining my reaction quite closely, her hand felt quite cold and hard for some reason like her leathery skin became part iguana for a moment and her skin flickered green for a moment. I took a breath. “The pale Jamaican had goat legs and you had green skin for a second there.” Her face went stone face stuck in quiet contemplation. For a few seconds, her face went through a gambit of movement. First anger that made her eye go “predator stalking its prey” mode for a second, or what is more vengeful? Then it went more towards sad resignation, a sense of fear that crept into eyes darting every which way. She grabbed me with a pot of food. “What are you-?” she pulled me from the kitchen, the pot swing back and forth as burst through multiple doors. “What else did they say to you?!” Her voice was starting to crack in a panic yelling sort of way. She finally stopped running in a frenzied state and started frantically looking in all directions. After orienting myself I saw we were in the back parking lot of the Hotel, specifically the employee parking spots. It gave me some ideas as to why was Aegle dragging me here. She has no car so in all likelihood with her frenzied state, we might be “liberating” a car. It's also a bit funny that Aegle was reprimanding me for leaving my post but now she is dragging me around in the parking lot looking for a getaway vehicle and I know she is looking for one because she has settled on the “o shit,o shit” look of despair and fear. A classic face in times of crisis most popularized by small black comedians such as Chris Tucker and his upgrade Kevin Hart. “They said some bullshit about me being the son of a god!” it came out angrier than it should but I didn’t care anymore. She didn't seem to hear my words anyway, standing still and staring blankly. I saw a look of pain spike in her cheeks. “Are you-” She began to change. What do I mean by that? Ever seen in some superhero or fantasy stories where there is a shapeshifter that changed seamlessly into a new shape. Remove the seamless part and that was basically what I saw. Through painful, baneful screaming she started to burst through her own skin. Her leathery, wrinkled skin was shedding away making way for hard emerald scales that gleamed what little light that was in the parking lot. Scales popping from the worn skin like long-buried ingrown hairs minus the puss thankfully. I got weirder when I saw what was happening below her waist. Now before you start making a mental image I'm not talking naughty sections. Trust me if I had to trade what I saw with being harassed by a flashing hobo all day I would seriously consider the merits of staring at a random man's dingleberries. Her legs began fusing quite painfully as her screaming suggested into a large snake tail slightly longer than let's say your average lady, so about 5’5 in length. It had a brown splotchy pattern like the boa snakes that are common this side of the island. Faced with this amount of excitement I took the manliest route and passed right there and then. Dreams are weird, at least that's what I'm told. Visions people have at night that might be related to what they did in the day or nothing at all. Never got it as a concept, or at all really. I didn’t know people dreamed until I left home. Before any conclusions are made I do sleep. It's just I see, feel and experience nothing when I do. Imagine endless darkness to what felt a few seconds to you but when you wake and its morning. That doesn't mean I don't get nightmares, by god do I do get nightmares. It's just that for me they happened when I was awake. Imagine little confusion at people talking about there weird dreams while you nothing or the worst nightmare. Thank you, life. As I ascribed, I simply woke from my lack of dreams. The time was early sunset as the clouds were starting to get bloody red in preparation for when they would be drenched of the black of night. I felt a crushing sensation, not enough to harm but enough to know I can’t move without something hard and rough giving me “Indian burns”. Who invented that phrase by the way? I don’t remember any story about a tribe uncomfortably burning peoples arms, trust me my tribe at least had the capacity for much worse. The discomfort was coming from my torso so I gazed downward trying to glimpse what was constricting my movement. Sure enough, a snake tail was pinning me to the corner of a pickup truck, spilling out from the drivers back window. “Oh good your up. I don't have to prop you up.” The tail receded into the driver seat. With that, I could now see that I was in the back of a pickup truck with my stuff from my apartment on the far back while I was behind the driver seat. “Ssshame, I thought you would be sssleeping the whole the trail through like when we first met.” A memory went quickly in my mind of a kindly older women letting a preteen catch a ride in her truck and her giving some pitty by buying some food for the both of them. I looked around again to get specific info on what trail we were on. The path was a very messy gravel road, they are not too uncommon in the south end of the island to some of the lesser villages, meaning...oh no. “We ain't going towards El ponce if you hadn't figured it out. There'sss a ssstop I want to take you to before we do anything elssse.” The voice was definitely Aegle but much sharper and smoother and snake lisp. She always had one but now it was overpowering. “ So how long?” I said, stealing my nerves. I don’t really want to know, I wanted to forget all this happened and wake to Aegle at my bedside saying I caught a bug the knocked me outperform I could deliver the food. I won't deny that but I also didn’t want to be left in any darkness anymore. “How long were you hiding ...this?” I could barely describe what I witness or at least recall it in a way that didn't warrant a similar response. She apparently heard me because the truck immediately stopped hard enough to send me flying if I didn't have an iron grip at the moment. “You know what, ssscrew sssecrets, ssscrew hiding at this point. You remember how to start a fire?” That seemed a bit disjointed but I obeyed seeing as it was my only option for answers. I gathered some dried sticks and leaves from the forest floor on the side of the road the side of the road. Aegle kept a close eye on me with full reptile eyes as she took the pot of empanadas from the back of the truck. Guess my clothes will smell delicious now since they had been right next to it. “Alright, the first question What are you and what am I?” Obvious questions first to anchor everything in a sense of this what normal is now. “You're a demigod, half mortal half divine. I'm a sssnake.” A bit too obvious but at least she still acted the same despite scales. “A bit too quick to lay it on me but is that a good or bad thing?” “Yessss and no”. She sighed. Aaand back to gibberish Again. “Why?” She held her head with an inquisitive hand while stirring the pot over the fire. Her feature became more youthful, my best guess is that since I witnessed was her shedding her skin in the horror film way and the natural way snake actually does. Her skin was still tanned but now inlined with green scales along the edges of her body like natural body armor. All the rest is what you expect from a snake hybrid, Snakes eye slits, flat nose, fork tongue, and fangs. I would properly be sacred if the face didn’t mostly stay the same. Kind but stern, attentive when needed but will bite your head off if you piss her off, guess that's literal now. “Demigodsss, as the name impliesss are the children of the godsss. In your case the greek onesss.” She explained. “There are other ones? Wait what about Jes-” she clasped her scaled hands over my mouth. “Sssaying the names of godsss draw their attention, that or being very attractive. In the cassse of that one.” She trailed off. “Besides the Judeo god is more metaphysssical nowadaysss.” “That explains nothing.” “Quiet! The godsss are a very … whats the word you would use for angry and horney all the time.” She stammered looking the sky with legitimate fear. I start to rattle in my mind all the greek stuff I could remember, it wasn’t much but a few things rattled. “Bangry, so they have children with humans sometimes. How does this apply to me in any way.?” She poured the food from the pot in two small clay bowls and gave one to me. A simple soup with a few pieces of steak takes me back to when she let me travel around with her learning to survive. “ Yesss, that is the big question that I don’t know. If they wanted you for their camp they would have done that when you were younger. Then again since they just got out of combat, they may want to quickly replenish their numbersss.” She jabbed me several times in the chest. “Combat? Wait didn't that Jackson guy talks about a camp.” I Recalled, rising to my feet. “Yesss, Wait for What!.” She shot out from her seat and looked like I just said Hitler came back to life and is marching this way. “Are you sure that his name was Jackssson!” She was yelling now, nearly straight to my ear. “I think so?” I blurted out. Her snake features made it look like she was going to pounce on me and swallow me whole for mentioning that guy's name. “Oh by the light of Heliosss! A sssatyr and Jackssson, must be Underwood and the other one? Did ssshe have blond hair and grey eyesss?” She commanded. She opened her mouth and let her forked tongue waggle in the air. Yeah weird but explainable. Snakes smell by flicking their tongues in the air, it's why they flick it every few seconds. Does Not make it less weird just explainable and in this case, the more explainable bits of weirdness are welcomed. “Yeah and a redhead who likes to draw on her clothes, what's the point? Wait! You know those people!” I’m what you can call the quick-witted sort. For example, if Aigle was a monster that wanted me dead or eats me, should have done it by now so I did not have much to fear from her. Hopefully. Another example if she knew them by name and even as a big snake monster quaked by their mention, safe to say that there either dangerous for both of us or to her. Either way unacceptable. “I have heard storiesss from the mainland of a child of the big three, the main godsss of olympusss. Of a child who fought against all The Fates could throw at him and stand still.” The surfer? Although now that I think about it. I remember the sharpness, the tension in his demeanor. He was playing the fool or perhaps was one but has done things that won't leave his mind. “Their spawn are some of the most powerful, I heard it said that he fought your father sssingle handedly and left without a scratch.” “Not that big of an accomplishment if I don’t my father position in the divine Ma'am.” She blinked twice and starting laughing. “It’sss nice to know that you still treat fairly, even knowing what I'm truly am. Your father wasss… Remember you can tell me to stop whenever you please. I know it's overwhelming and I know how talking about your family tends to set you off.” I trembled a tiny bit, my fist rested on my four head while my other hand was covering it open palmed. I have mixed views on father and only pity for my mother. Aigle gave away he was the divine one between but I didn’t the hint. Gods don’t die. My father was also arrogant enough to be one. Only his swagger was enough to silence a room, his voice could be reading bedtime stories and be frightful, his stare made men turn to little boys in a few minutes. My mother had fear at least. She always found ways to frighten people, whether wanting to or not, whether caring or not. She did as she wanted and there's where my compliments end. “No, if this is my life now. I have no choice in the matter. Tell me everything that is useful to me.” I raise my face to match her, match her reptilian, predatory stare with my own. She slithered towards me and hugs me. The scales poking into my skin. I saw something clutched in her hands. A gleaming necklace. May surprise you but I really like gemstones, they shine and blind those who seek them and when properly maintained don't lose their luster. One of the two places I actually liked working at was a stand selling Taino necklaces. Sure they weren't actual tribal jewelry, they use more wood and lizard/turtle symbols but I could stare at them all day if I wish. I can barely explain why I like them but they do bring a simile to my face. Aigle let me go and held the necklace in front of my eyes. “Thisss isss my gift to you, a form of protection from certain ...dangerousss elementsss thought I am aware of your opinion on cryssstal healing.” I shrugged. “Honestly with everything that happened I believe Superman is properly in the bushes waiting for Wonder Woman to give me several years worth of birthday money.” She snickered at my comment. I still didn't really believe the crystal healing nonsense but she means well. It also looks really nice. “It's not that grandiossse but this will help keep your mind at eassse. If not that then at leassst focusssed for what comesss ahead.” She wrapped the necklace around my neck. The chain was made of lustrous gold on the right, the left of it was silver. The centerpiece, the thing that had the gems, was an inverted pyramid. “So is it just a snake thing your is that a lisp?” “Oh that, I just wanted to know if you're paying attention. Most of my kind has but I got rid of the accent years ago to get better work.” She said matter of factly, Thought it did make sense. “ Being a demigod is very dangerous the more one knows about the more your scent becomes irresistible. Monsters hunt your kind for sport or food when they are aware of you.” “Wait for what?” I was drawing a blank the size of Texas. “Think of it this way, typically you learn you're a demigod late in childhood or at least near puberty end. You start making a magical scent when that happens. Either a satyer finds you and bring you to their camp, camp half blood or your die. Your a….” She spread her arms and let them slump making a clunk sound when the scales of her arms hit her torso. “Special case to say the least.” I start to piece together what I understand. “I'm screwed is what you're saying.” she nods. “Oh most definitely its only because your father laid claim to the island.” I listen, particularly to the last bit. Dad was frightening but taking the isle and battling someone that would a fraction of his age was disorienting. “Again I won't say his name but you will know his place in the divine totem pole. What do you know of the Titans?”

#oc #fanfic #fantasty #demigod #snake woman #titans

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amongushq · 8 years ago

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Welcome to Among Us, RAL! ECATERINA BRÂNCOVEANU ( with the faceclaim of ALIA SHAWKAT ) has found shelter in NEW ATHENS, where we hope SHE will fit in nicely. Please make sure to check the “after applying” section of our navigation here!

Hunters of Artemis being immortal, there’s always a great opportunity for a deep, well-researched, intense backstory and this is exactly what you have delivered with Ecaterina. The immersion into the different time periods shown in her app was excellent, both technically and in terms of writing style. Not to mention the spot-on Artemis and Apollo, who added levity to the whole thing -- thus reinforcing Ecat’s anger, outrage, and trauma. The latter isn’t discarded or handled too lightly, instead becomes an inherent part of who she is while not defining her completely. Her personality shows through both the backstory and sample parts of the application, and we can tell she’s someone the others can count on to fight back and take action. Because of her terrible experience, her opinion of the Recall is logical, a cold rationale we wish didn’t make as much sense. While it makes no doubt more people share her point of view, we’ll be watching as this Hunter tries to wake people up around her, and make her voice heard over Zeus’ order.

AND YOU ARE…?

Somewhere in a small village in Lesser Wallachia, December 13th, 1568

“Have you heard? That gypsy girl Amira is in labour.”

“Gypsy? I thought she was one of those blasted Ottomans.”

“I heard her skin darkened after she copulated with the devil. The child will have skin dark as the night and black demon eyes.”

“Does it matter? That cursed coloured witch is about to give birth. On Friday the 13th. If she survives the birthing, it’s clearly blood magic. God would not spare such an abomination during childbirth unless there were dark power involved. The child won’t last long, that’s for sure. God will damn her and her spawn, may He save us all.”

Amira’s baby girl wasn’t born with ash black skin or completely black eyes, but with light brown skin, a face full of moles and freckles- “marks of the devil!”- and deep, brown eyes. She nor her mother were neither gypsies, Ottomans or witches, but descendants of a family of Arab traders. The father was thought to be a young Wallachian man with a family too ashamed to be associated with “a gypsy whore” or a demon lover. Neither options were right, but no pious man or woman would even consider the father to be the Greek god of music.

The mother named her newly-born girl Ecaterina, a beautiful Wallachian name, in the hope she could blend in easier. It did not work.

Amira and her daughter went on to live in a caravan on the outskirts of the village, close to the woods, far away from the villagers with their sharp tongues and judgy eyes, where Amira could raise Ecaterina in peace, where she could teach her the secrets of nature and the art of palm reading. They might not have been gypsies, but Amira was smart enough to play on their reputation. Tarot cards, palm readings, medicinal herbs, you name it, they had it. And the villagers, despite their gossip and prejudice, couldn’t resist a glimpse into their future or something to delay their journey into an early grave.

–

The same village in Lesser Wallachia, January 4th, 1587

“They’re witches, clearly,” a farmer says to the crowd of people around him. It started off with mostly curious, nosy women and a couple of Godfearing maligners, but slander attracts all sorts of people, quick.

“The girl is possessed by a demon! That’s why she has such accurate predictions. I’ve seen her tremble and black out- a possession! She’s possessed!” a furious woman shrieked, almost delirious.

One by one, people joined in accusations- who cared if they spoke the truth or not.

“They make potions under the disguise of medicine!”

“The girl is a sodomite. And she has the devil’s marks all over her!”

“They can transform into black cats!”

A loud shout pierced through the murmur of the angry mass of people. “They belong in Hell!”

The whole crowd erupted into madness. “In Hell,” they all screamed. “In Hell!”

–

Amira’s caravan burned down the same night. No one bothered to go looking. No prayer for the dead was uttered.

Soon, Amira and her daughter were forgotten.

–

Somewhere in the woods close to the small village in Lesser Wallachia, January 5th, 1587

A list of things Artemis expects to find in the Eastern European woods: wild blueberries, a sizeable deer population, coniferous trees.

A list of things Artemis does not expect to find in the Eastern European woods: her shirtless brother dancing with naked nymphs, a priest in the middle of self-chastisement, a young girl rolling around, groaning in pain.

Unfortunately, the former happened more often than she would like it to. Actually, she should expect it by now.

Finding Ecaterina was a first-time experience. Artemis could smell burnt skin. The girl was covered in dirt and old leaves, letting out deep grunts of pain, breaking out in cold sweat. Even though she undoubtedly was in an immense amount of pain, Artemis could feel the girl’s strength, her determination to die with dignity. The pain didn’t allow the girl to speak, but the Goddess understood. It was a cry of help.

Artemis could use her.

–

“Salutations, sister of mine. How can I be of service for you today?” Apollo was shirtless and glowing, far too happy to be in the presence of an injured human.

“Aide her.”

“No, ‘if you please?’” All he got as an answer was a silent glare. “No? Then let us help this young lady. I can never resist a beautiful damsel in distress.” Apollo crouched down next to Ecaterina and poked her cheek. Again he was met with a glare, albeit this time with more pain in the expression. “Touchy. She shall survive, however. I will tend to the wounds on her back and give her ambrosia, that will suffice. It will stop her physical distress. I cannot prevent scars however. The burn runs deep. What happened, did they tried to burn you at the stake?”

He meant it as a joke, but the girl’s glare and attempt to punch him was a clear indicator that he’d just truck a nerve. As long as he did not hit any literal nerves later. Not that he would, ever. He was a genius.

He missed the times where there were shrines dedicated to him everywhere. Those were the good times. Now they all believed in only One God, who was good and sinless and boring.

–

“I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.”

“Welcome, Hunter Ecaterina. May you enjoy the company of your fellow hunters and always remember the oath you recited.”

–

Bethel, New York, August 17th, 1969

A list of things Apollo expects to see at the Woodstock festival: good music, drugs, Dionysus talking three girls into an orgy with him.

A list of things Apollo does not expect to see at the Woodstock festival: right-wing conservatives, all-black outfits, his sister.

“Yo, sis! What are you doin’ here? And you brought your pretty Hunters too!” He shook his golden curls and gestured animatedly with his hands. Once again he was shirtless, but he was not the only one by far. Apollo was pretty sure he’d spotted a topless girl just five seconds ago. He loved it here.

“Dad sent me to look after you again, and Dionysus. See that you don’t get into too much trouble.” Artemis was wearing a long, flowy dress, round glasses and beads in her hair. He felt the need to document this so he could taunt Artemis with this for the years to come. Her Hunters were dressed similarly, blending in seamlessly with the rest of the hippies. They all were trying to look like they weren’t excited to be there, but most of them failed- their eyes were twinkling, one girl was tapping her fingers on the rhythm of the beat, another one was staring admiringly at the musicians on the stage.

Apollo scoffed. “I’m being a good boy. I’m just enjoying myself. As should you. This is a historical event, so go and be part of history.” He took off his sunglasses and winked at the nearest Hunter, a freckled girl with wild curls in an oversized floral shirt. “Hey, I know you. You’re the girl I helped in the woods. Wanna help me with some wood now?” He waggled his eyebrows and ignored the shouts of protests of Artemis and her followers. “You’re all so boring. Go have fun, sis, if you’re even capable of doing such thing.”

With a short huff, Artemis turned around- in the direction of the crowd, not towards the exit. Ha, Apollo thought victoriously. Got ya. Her Hunters followed suit, except the one he winked to. “Ah, so you are going to help me with my w- no hitting immortal deities, dear. Or anyone, actually. This is a no violence zone.”

The girl sighed. “What did you mean earlier? You helped me?”

“Yeah, I did. When Artemis found you, she asked me for help, and you should thank me, because otherwise you’d be dead by now! Well, I mean, of course you’d be dead by now if you hadn’t been immortal, three decades have passed, but anyhow-“

“You healed me? But you’re incompetent.”

Auwch, that hurt. “Incompetent? What kind of crap is my sister telling you? I’m incredibly smart! I’m a walking work of art. I’m a genius and incredibly handsome, I’ve invented all the instruments and then some, and I’m a true lover at heart.“ He paused to wait for the applause. The girl just raised an eyebrow. "It’s a limerick. I visited Ireland a while ago, and a quick tip, avoid the North. But you see? I’m a genius.”

The girl stared at him, her eyebrows furrowed. She did not look impressed. “You really are as annoying as Lady Artemis has claimed.”

“That hurts, girlie.”

“Ecaterina. Not ‘girlie’.”

Apollo waved her comment away. “Yeah, yeah. Any more questions, Kitty Cat, or are you done?”

She looked ready to yell. Apollo grinned widely.

“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “I am- having these visions. Lady Artemis said you could help.”

“Visions? Like prophecies? Don’t tell me you are my next Oracle.”

“Not prophecies. I just see quick flashes, like someone I know doing something, and then I faint. I excelled at palm reading and tarot cards, however.”

“Hm.” Apollo tapped his chin. He felt like he was missing something. “What else can you do? Music? Healing? Archery?”

“I’m the best archer we have. I don’t seem to have a musical talent, except some basic rhythm. And every hunter heals easily.”

“And when were you originally born again?”

“1568. In Romania- well, Lesser Wallachia at the time.”

“Did your mother’s name start with an A? Arianne or something?”

“Amira.”

Apollo clapped in his hands. “Amira! Right! She was one foxy lady. Well, sorry to tell you, kiddo, but you’re one of mine. Seems like you have an aptitude for divination and that’s what the flashes are.” He spread his arms wide. “Now come and give your father a hug!”

Ecaterina looked absolutely shocked. “You are my father?”

“’Fraid so.”

The realisation was visibly sinking in. When the girl finally understood that he wasn’t kidding- even though he had a great sense of humour- she promptly turned around and walked away.

“That’s no way to treat your father, young lady!” Apollo laughed. Artemis was going to be so pissed when she found out.

#accepted #ecaterina brâncoveanu

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