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apparentlyaswarmofbees · 4 years

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The Obey Me Brothers and Undatables vs An Insect/Arachnid Loving MC

I find it amazing how many people find it disturbing that I just love some insects and arachnids (not more than birds but still, insects can be both cute and cool even when they manage to terrify me so I can't help but love them lmao).

It's so cool how insects are actually the most dominant species in the world even before humanity existed and will most likely still be even after humanity ceases to exist, of course some of them actualy spread disease and such but it's not all of them and the mosquitoes that do spread it are females and they are just sucking your blood to feed their babies and the males like flowers over your blood, I actually don't like all spiders but I love tarantulas with all my heart although I can't say the same for wasps, they are evil but they can be so cool I have so many mixed feelings and cockroaches can be so adorable specially the forest/wild ones, have you ever seen them eat fruits??? They are so cute! And don't even get me started on how a d o r a b l e beetles are-

Lucifer vs Ladybug

Taking strolls in the Castle's garden when you are accompaning Lucifer in his work are very common.

Just taking a fresh breath of the Devildom's air in between breaks with you by his side powers him up like crazy.

Now that being said, he doesn't really appreciate losing your attention to a little, colorful, bug crawling on one of the flowers in said garden.

"Lucifer, look! It's a ladybug! It's so different from the human world!"

That is true, ladybugs in hell were brighter in color and had a toxin in their bodies that- Oh wait

"Don't touch it!" Lucifer grabbed your hand in realization "haven't you learned anything about bright colors in nature? The toxin in their bodies can melt your skin off!"

He really didn't expect your eyes to get even more shiny.

"Ladybugs in Devildom are both bright and dangerous??!! I'm so jealous!"

With that, he became both exasperated and more in love with you.

Does this have a relation to the fact that you love him and his brothers even thought they are demons?

He is definetelly giving you a brooch in the shape of a ladybug later

Mammon vs Cockroach

If you think this man didn't scream like a plate being scratched with a fork when he saw a cockroach in your bedroom, you are wrong.

I mean, okay, he was on the floor and the thing just decided to crawl up to his head out of nowhere.

He jumped over the table so fast it probably has beaten a world record.

"Aw! It's a baby cockroach!"

It's true, it was very small compared to adult ones, but Mammon didn't care.

"STOP FAWNIN' OVER THOSE CREATURES FOR ONCE AND KILL IT ALREADY!!"

And of course instead of killing it you just raise your eyebrown at him while scooping the thing up with a paper.

And of course you needed to bring it really close to him just to watch him squirm before you decide throw it out of your bedroom's window.

He definetelly will ask you to wash your hands before comforting him even if you didn't even touch the cockroach directly.

Leviathan vs Dragonfly

You cannot tell me dragonflies in Devildom are actually very few and actually have the size of a small dragon.

It all happened on the day you and Levi got lost in the forest searching for a raven that stole his just purchased phone charm of a game that he was currently addicted to.

Both of you were looking for a way out when you heard an extremelly loud buzzing noise from somewhere in the woods.

Of course both of you followed the sound because first, you just know that must be one big ass insect since it sounded almost like a helicopter and you had to see it, and second, Levi suddenly forgot all about the charm (and being lost) and started rambling about how 'it couldn't be! Is it really-!'

And that is how you guys found his new Henry.

A giant, navy blue, shiny dragonfly, that was currently eating the Raven you and Levi were searching for.

Let's just say Levi got his charm back and both of you got a free ride to the House of Lamentation.

Satan vs Spiders

Where there are old books, there are spider webs, and where there are spider webs, there's at least a 50% chance there are spiders in there.

So you can say Satan was quite familiar with the eight legged creatures, although he never really paid them much attention.

That is until he found they were of your interest.

You will never see someone start to give spider names, treat them with courtesy and have small talks with them faster than with this man.

Getting a book from the House of Lamentation's library and there's a web in the way along with a resident spider? "Excuse me, I will have to disturb you a little, I hope you don't mind a bit of damage to your home"

He is reading and suddenly sees a spider dangling down from a web string right besides him? He is definetelly letting it land on his hand just so that he can show it to you.

One day he even choses to read a book in his berdoom that a tiny spider was standing on. The sight of the tiny thing crawling around the pages as he reads it and explains some things out loud is so precious to see.

Asmodeus vs Scorpions

Of course, what would suit the Lust Demon better than his own patron?

That is until you teach him that there are more than just one type of scorpion, and there is one type that has really big claws and a thinner tail that are usually pretty big in size.

Why would learning that be a bad thing, you ask? Instead of stinging its food, it actually grabs it like a crab.

So yes, the day Asmo held one and didn't use his charms, it pinched him.

Needless to say, it was chaotic.

Leaving the fact he is never approaching those kinds of scorpions ever again, he coos a lot at you while you coo at the small scorpions.

If you tell him the fact that they are his patron just makes you love him more, he will be so happy he will be squealing for the next 5 minutes.

He has definetelly taken a few dozens, of pictures for you while holding one or more scorpions.

His followers in the devilgram were surprised at how even while holding that thing, Asmo still looked amazing.

Scorpions definetelly became sensation in Devildom after that.

Beelzebub vs Flies

Again, nothing better than his own patron.

If he didn't have to swat them off his food that is.

He has definetelly eaten some accidently.

"Look! I managed to make it crawl up to my finger without scaring it!" you say.

"That is cool. But you should probably wash your hand." He replies.

He's right, wash your hands if you ever grab onto flies.

He finds it really cute that you like insects, and it makes him tingly on the inside when he remembers that his symbolic creature is an insect itself.

Don't hold back on asking him to change into his demon form more often, he is very happy to do it.

He starts paying more attention to insects and flies in general after he finds out how much you love them.

How big their are, their color, where he saw them, what were they doing, if they tasted good.

And then he proceeds to tell you all about it.

He is very cute.

Belphegor vs Butterflies

It's not that he attracts butterflies, no. But he actually likes them, finds them cool even.

Did you know some butterflies disguise as another type butterfly because that type is actually not very tasty to eat so the animals stay away from them?

And how many of them have patterns on their wings that look a lot like Owls and again, it makes animals stay away from them?

And the whole symbolism of life, death and rebirth around them? And the fact that the larvae eating everything around them reminds him a lot of Beel?

Belphie definetelly likes butterflies and you cannot tell me otherwise.

So when he finds out you love insects? Oh he is definetelly taking you to the best butterfly watching spot either in the Devildom or the Human World.

It's specially cute when he falls asleep and one lands on his face.

He definetelly had a minor heart attack when he woke up to the sight its wings but he will never admit it.

Also definetelly grabs it and puts it on you instead.

It's counterproductive as you end up looking too cute for him to handle.

Solomon vs Beetles

I mean beetle fights.

You thought you liked insects, just wait until you see this man cheering on a beetle like an excited kid.

Also finds it hilarious when one just yeets the other away.

And because now you are there to feed more into his love for beetles, one day he casts a spell on two of them to make them big enough to ride and just showed up outside your window like:

"No time to explain, get in the beetle"

Because of safety measures, no, you guys didn't have a giant beetle fight.

But you did ride them around the Devildom forest at 2am.

You thought it would be an insane ride with lots of adventures

But you guys just ended up star gazing while laying on them.

He forgot to turn them back to their original size and they scared a few of the residents of Devildom.

Simeon vs Mantis

Warning: it's a big goreish

When you introduced the praying mantis specifically to Simeon, he was immediatelly in awe.

And then you proceeded to show him how they can have many shapes and forms, be it as leafs, tree branches, and others.

And he was so intrigued!

But then you gave him the more, specific details.

Like how they can feast on their prey while they are still alive.

And how it actually can attack small birds such as humming birds, eating their brain tissue through their eyes.

And how the females practice a cannibalism ritual, feasting on their partners after mating.

That's when his writer self came to light.

What I mean is, he was now both horrified and extremelly inspired.

Simeon can be scary sometimes.

Diavolo vs Ants

If you can find ants in every nook and crany around the world, you cannot tell me you can't find them in hell.

If they are able to travel the sea just by being taken along with baggage on accident, they have definetelly come to hell the same way, specially black crazy ants.

So honestly, I wouldn't find it surprising that Diavolo would have at least one big colony of ants he takes care of.

But he didn't have it until you pointed out why ants were awesome to him.

"They don't eat the leafs, they are farmers and what they eat is the other tiny creatures that decompose the leafs" "they can go to extreme lenghts to find their food and they have a real good teamwork, often they don't eat right away but instead bring the food back to the colony to feed the young" "Some ants that live in tropical weather that rains a lot, such as the amazon, can swim! And they do it together in big, ant, nests!"

Needless to say, he was intrigued.

Such tiny creatures are able to eat other insects much bigger than them? And they love sweets?

They actually like their homes clean and throw their trash into the very corner of their enclosure? Their bite can actually hurt a lot even to creatures gigantic copared to their size such as humans??

He had his own personal colony the very next day.

Barbatos vs Bees

This man definetelly has his own share of appreciation for bees even before you told him you like insects.

They are very good helpers in the garden, their honey can be used on a extremelly big variety of both food and health products along with their wax, and honestly, they're just so fuzzy and cute.

If you want to get a rare laugh or chuckle out of him, make bee movie references.

He will just stop in his tracks and cover his mouth as he tries not to laugh.

You could almost make him spit his drink if you do it while he is drinking something.

And you can't tell me this man can't make bee related puns with a straight face. It's unbeeliveable

Aight, imma head out

(This was basically an insect/arachnid appreciation post and I have no regrets)

#Obey Me #Obey Me!#Obey Me! Shall We Date?#obey me headcanons #obey me imagines #obey me scenarios #Obey Me Lucifer #Obey Me Mammon #Obey Me Leviathan #Obey Me Satan #Obey Me Asmodeus #Obey Me Beelzebub #Obey Me Belphegor #Obey Me Solomon #Obey Me Simeon #Obey Me Diavolo #Obey Me Barbatos

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monster-bait · 3 years

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Monster Match: Landry, NB Monster x F Human, SFW

For @ghostlystitches, my 3rd place contest winner from waaaaaay back in August! Thanks so much for your patience, I can’t wait for Landry and the choir to make their return in Cambric Creek!

There was a universal truth to working in the service industry, one that not many people outside it understood: everyone who’d been doing the job for more than a few months possessed a customer service voice. Whether it was poised and polished, bubbly and enthusiastic, or steadfast and calm, The Voice had little bearing on the person to whom it belonged; gave little insight into one’s personality once they were off the clock and safe at home, far away from the food service or retail or call center way of life.

You were no different: friendly and professional, you handled customers with ease, chatted easily as people checked out, and always had a ready smile. The fact that you hated crowds and grew anxious at the thought of evenings out was not something the customers at your job would be able to guess, but you still sighed a small breath of relief upon clocking out each day, eager to be home with your cats and fuzzy socks.

There would be no respite that day.

As you walked across the shopping plaza’s parking lot, your stomach clenched with nerves, and a familiar tightness wrapped around your chest. Your heart was beating just a little bit faster than it had been an hour earlier, and a slight ripple of nausea replaced the giddy relief you normally felt as you went home each day. It was Thursday, the most anxiety-inducing day on the calendar, when you would leave work and go straight to the Nocturnal Worship Center, a non-denominational church for a subset of the community’s residents.

Your work friend Greska had gotten it into her head that it would be so fun! to join the Cambric Creek community choir several months earlier, changing her availability at the store almost immediately afterward, meaning she no longer worked on Thursdays with you. She hadn’t been on time to a single rehearsal since. You’d been unsurprised when she’d texted that afternoon, letting you know she’d not be able to make it to rehearsal that night; knew she’d already lost interest in the choir and would likely be announcing her intent to quit any day now.

I really hate Thursdays...

Being a human in Cambric Creek was hard enough. You loved your multi-species neighbors, had made good friends and enjoyed the varied clientele at work, but you still tiptoed, worried that you’d inadvertently say or do something to offend someone, finding it easier to exist at the periphery of friends groups at work and school. The community choir was a distillation of everything that made you nervous: a large, noisy crowd of big personalities, wannabe divas and social butterflies, and your heart would be in your throat each week as you made the drive.

The parking lot would already be filled with cars by the time you arrived, werewolves and lizardfolk and tieflings hustling in, neighbors and friends calling out greetings and socializing in the aisles beneath the big, domed ceiling of the non-denominational worship center, moonlight winking down through the glass overhead. Instead of comfy clothes and cozy socks, you would be in your work clothes for hours more, in particular your Thursday work outfit—one you always spent a bit more time and care picking out, attempting to be as cute as possible when you arrived at the choir’s home, a task which seemed impossible after a long shift.

“Mi mi mi mi mi mi miiiiiiiii….”

Landry’s rich voice reverberated off the wall to your back as you carefully stepped up the risers, taking your place beside them. As usual, you were unable to repress your smile as they belted out the arpeggio.

“Did you ever notice how self-absorbed this exercise is? There’s no you, no us. It’s all about meeeee!” They belted the last syllable once more, and you ducked your head as you laughed, lest they see the heat that stole up your neck. You enjoyed singing, it was true, but you enjoyed the company of the Thursday night rehearsals more. “As if there weren’t enough inflated egos packed in here!”

As if to prove their point, a turban-wearing harpy in the row ahead let out a window-rattling operatic warble, her voice piercing in the upper notes. You huffed silent laughter as Landry lifted a webbed hand as if to say see?!

You would be lying to yourself if you pretended even for a moment that your crush on your green-skinned section-mate wasn’t the reason you were determined to stick with the choir, despite the absence of your friend. Always chipper, always smiling, choir rehearsal with Landry had simultaneously become the brightest and most worrisome spot on your weekly calendar, as you fretted over saying the wrong thing or being too awkward, talking too much or not enough, seeming too eager...but the week’s worth of anxious over-thinking would wash away once you saw the small, pointed teeth revealed by their bright smile, and the hour-long rehearsal would seem only minutes long, leaving you free to bask in the afterglow of your crush throughout the weekend, before you began worrying all over again the following week.

“If you keep that up, Chaz is going to call you out again for not harmonizing. Do we really need a repeat of the great a Capella nightmare of two weeks ago?”

They huffed dismissively as Chaz, the eccentric vampire in charge, began to tap a pencil on the music stand before him to call the chattering group to attention. Your audition may have been good enough for the 1980’s fashion-loving choir director, although you were fairly certain your status as a human made up for what you lacked in musical talent, and that Chaz deliberately spaced his less-than confident choristers, strategically placing them adjacent to those who had talent to spare…like you and Landry.

“Please! What’s he gonna do? We’re the backbone of this whole row, he’d be lost without us!”

Your laughter was hidden behind your folder of music as the vampire ahead banged the music stand against the stage, finally earning the choir’s attention, and fire once more heated your neck.

I love Thursdays…

“The front row favorites were talking about going to the Sidecar after rehearsal. You’re coming, right?”

You froze, missing the note you were meant to be writing in your music, your entire body seizing in panic. It wasn’t until a webbed hand reached over, turning the page before you that you snapped from your stupor, your voice joining the first note half a beat behind. You knew a large portion of the choir gathered together after rehearsal each week, but you’d never joined them. Perhaps if Greska would have been there, perhaps if you were a part of any of the existing cliques which comprised the choir, if you didn’t feel so awkward…besides, it wasn’t as if you’d ever been invited by any of your fellow choristers.

“You’re not really going to leave me alone with these vultures, are you? You know I’m liable to say something about the out-of-tune second row if you’re not there to mind me.”

The Sidecar was a speakeasy-style pub, dimly lit and trendy with an expansive cocktail list and entirely intimidating. You’d never been there and couldn’t imagine yourself confidently strolling through the doors alone.

“You can follow me if you’ve never been there before. C’mon, you know I can’t be trusted alone.”

They wouldn’t be alone, you thought immediately: Landry was fun and funny and friendly towards everyone, and surely wouldn’t have a problem slipping in with the larger group.

“Please? Pleeeeease? I really don’t want to go if you’re not coming, but I’m parched. I’ll shrivel up like a blue-raspberry fruit roll-up if I don’t get something to drink right after rehearsal.”

A smart-assed retort about the nearly-full water bottle beside their chair danced on the tip of your tongue, but as you raised your head to deliver it, their wide, golden eyes held you spellbound, imploring you to give in. You felt suspended in time, like a prehistoric bug in amber as you admired the angle of their jaw, the slight sheen on their blue-green skin, the tightly sealed gills at the side of their neck. When your eyes wandered back to theirs, the golden orbs shimmered with hopeful expectation.

“Sure. We don’t want you getting into too much trouble. Look what happened the night of the harvest jamboree concert.”

Chaz was tapping the music stand as the piano started up, the elderly beetle woman who provided the accompaniment hunching over the keyboard with her multiple arms, and you were unable to bury your face in your music as you flushed. You scarcely recognized the confident voice that had come from your mouth; you were surprised with the way you’d responded, but pleased all the same, and you realized there was an unexpected benefit of possessing The Voice.

“I never met my father, but you can’t miss what you don’t have, you know?”

You nodded sympathetically, crunching into another of the fried zucchini sticks from the basket between you. They would have been better with a touch more salt, but your companion had a low tolerance for sodium, and you were happy to go without.

The Melted Meeple hummed with energy and people, as it always did on Saturday nights, but the tabletop gamers kept to their own parties, leaving plenty of open booths and tables toward the back half of the establishment, and you enjoyed the happy energy within. You’d blurted the question over their heritage, unable to tamp back your curiosity for another week, and to your relief, Landry had laughed.

“Well, my mom is a human. My parents met while she was studying abroad, and she came home with a hell of a souvenir! Although I must say, I’m way better than a t-shirt.”

Your face flamed, regretting asking so personal a question, but Landry waved away your flustered expression. “None of that. I was the only amphibious kid in the family, so that meant I won every swimming contest. I’d go to the river with my cousins and we’d mop the floor with the other kids. Now I live in a nice neighborhood where there are some folks who look like me, I have my own pool, and I sing in an awesome choir. No regrets!”

There was a ridged fin that moved down the center of their head like a punkish hairstyle, mirrored by the delicate fanned membranes of their ears...you already knew from casual bumps and touches that their skin was silky smooth, if not a touch rubbery, and you wondered what their long, webbed fingers would feel like moving over your skin, or entwined with yours…

“You’re right,” you agreed, watching them drain the last of their drink. “You’re much better than a shirt.”

That first night at the Sidecar had been as awkward as you’d feared, but Landry had stayed by your side and had lamented how fussy and complicated the bar menu was as they walked you back to your car once the choir members started to disperse. When the plans buzzed around rehearsal the following week, they hadn’t needed to beg again, and your dislike of crowds was slightly mollified as you walked into the speakeasy together, your taller companion’s hand resting lightly on your back.

“Let’s go somewhere else this week,” they’d whispered as Chaz addressed the tenors of the second row, the third week after that first post-rehearsal meetup. “That place is too dark and crowded. I thought that gnoll was going to climb into my back pocket last week.”

Somewhere else had been the Melted Meeple, then the Black Sheep Beanery the week after, and a dim sum restaurant that served bubble tea the week after that. A full month had gone by, and then another, you realized, two months of Thursdays, and somehow your stomach had stopped clenching in anxiety by Tuesday each week. The Melted Meeple had been your favorite of the spots you’d visited together, and you’d been the one to suggest it that night. Landry’s golden eyes had glimmered as they nodded happily, straightening to attention when Chaz lifted his head, signaling the group to attention once more.

Your weekly post-rehearsal outings had become the most looked-forward-to event on your weekly calendar, and when you’d once been overcome with anxiousness, a giddy elation seemed to carry you into rehearsal each week, and you were amazed by how quickly the time had seemed to fly.

“You know, there’s going to be a dinner after the Snowdrop Festival concert, we’re not going to be able to wriggle out of that.”

“That’s fine,” you allowed, laughing at their screwed-up expression. “You know, if you keep carrying on about the second row, that gryphon is going to assume you’re jealous.”

“Oh, you take that back! The audacity!”

You weren’t sure who this girl was, as you dropped your head back, unrestrained laughter pouring out of you. You weren’t sure who she was, but you liked her, you decided. Liked the possibility that perhaps your feelings weren’t completely one-sided after all. You’d wondered, a few weeks earlier, when Landry had talked around the gnoll sitting in front of you, evading her questions about that evening until the choir was called to attention, wrapping a cool, webbed hand around your wrist the moment the rehearsal ended, hurrying you down the aisle and out the door, before whooping into the night air that you’d escaped and were free to do what you wanted.

“We’re going to the dinner, and that’s that.” You watched as they rolled their eyes, sighing dramatically.

“Fine...what about Saturday?”

“Is there a rehearsal on Saturday?” You felt a prickle of panic that you’d forgotten to schedule something, for you definitely had to work Saturday afternoon, and had nothing else on your schedule…

“No, no...dinner, on Saturday? Are you free?”

The sound of other patrons playing their tabletop games suddenly seemed very far away, and wind rushed in your ears. Were you free Saturday night?

“I think I am,” you answered guardedly. “W-why? Is there something special about Saturday?”

“Yes. It’s not a rehearsal night.”

You bit your lip as Landry smiled broadly, giving you a glimpse of those small, pointed teeth. You wondered what their kiss would feel like; if their skin was always cool to the touch, and if they liked cats. “I work in the afternoon, but I’m not busy at all that night.”

They slipped on the knit hat you’d made them as you left the noise of the Meeple behind, their head fin popping adorably through the opening, and your heart felt close to bursting when long, cool, webbed fingers threaded with your own as you moved through the chilly night.

“Perfect, then. It’s a date.”

You’d reached your car by then, but you made no move to open the door. “A date.”

“A date.” Their lips were cool and soft against your cheek, and the heat that flooded your skin was enough to make the cold night air seem balmy. “A date,” they repeated once more, a bit softer, squeezing your hand before releasing you to open the car door.

You had learned to love Thursdays, but you were certain, as you pulled into the night, your skin buzzing where they’d kissed you, that Saturdays were about to become your new favorite day.

Next up is Alder the Ghillie Dhu’s revisit & then my first and second place contest winners! For exclusive Cambric Creek stories every month, smash subscribe on my Patreon!

#Exophilia #monster lover #enby monstey #non-binary monster #monster match #monster matchmaker #terato #amphibious #monster x reader #monster x human #monster x female reader

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damianwaynerocks · 4 years

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Zuko & the Waynes - Chapter 3

Batfam/ATLA au

Description: Prince Zuko, pre-finding Aang, falls into Gotham City. After being adopted by Bruce Wayne, Zuko finds himself enjoying life in this strange world. Zuko Wayne has a family who loves him unconditionally. Zuko Wayne is a hero, saving the innocents of Gotham City every night. But Zuko soon finds himself at the center of a plot that threatens to destroy not only this new world he's come to love, but also the world he's trying to leave behind.

A/N: okay, so the members of the titans and young justice team are different in this au.

Young Justice: Tim Drake (Red Robin); Cassie Sandsmark (Wondergirl); Kon/Conner Kent (Superboy); Bart Allen (Impulse)

Titans: Dick Grayson (Nightwing); Koriand'r (Starfire); Garfield Logan (Beast Boy); Rachel Roth (Raven); Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle); M'Gann M'orris (Miss Martian)

Chapter 2 | Masterlist

Chapter 3:

"So, you remember the plan?"

"Yeah, we got it," said Cassie into her earpiece, having to raise her voice to be heard over the pouring rain outside. "Don't worry about us, we're fine."

"Good to know," Tim responded into the comlink.

It was the night of the auction. Zuko was wearing a black suit while Cassie was wearing a red dress. Both had their masks on. Kon, also known as Superboy, was sitting in the driver's seat. He was acting as their chauffeur, and was there as backup in case anything went wrong. Zuko rolled his eyes as he heard a slurping sound in his com link, presumably from Tim taking a sip of coffee.

"That was gross," Kon sighed. "Don't do that."

Tim ignored him. "Proud of you both. Remember, if the wrong person gets their hands on the magyntite, not even Superman will be able to stop them." He paused. "No pressure, though.”

"Wow, you're great at pep talks." Zuko adjusted the mask on his face, making sure it hid his scar. "You ready, Cassie?"

"I was born ready," Cassie responded with a grin. "Now, let's go, Henry."

"After you, Larissa." Zuko grabbed an umbrella and stepped out of the self-driving black limousine they'd borrowed from Bruce. He went around to her side of the vehicle and opened her door for her. Cassie looped her arm through his, muttering a thank you as Zuko raised the umbrella above both of them. They walked into the casino.

Just inside, a bouncer stepped in front of them. "How tall is the eagle's wingspan?"

"That means do magic," Tim said through the coms.

"Uh," Zuko's mind raced as he tried to think of a spell on the spot. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" he finally said, and a ball of fire appeared over his closed fist. The bouncer nodded, and unhooked the red rope, allowing them to step inside.It was bright and loud and flashy, and Zuko had to stop for a moment to get his bearings.

"You good?" Cassie whispered, placing a hand on his chest to steady him. "It's okay. Let's just go downstairs, follow me." She gently led him towards the back of this casino. Tim had told them that there was a staircase behind the bathrooms, and the basement was where the auction was taking place.They walked past the doors that said 'men' and 'woman' and opened the third door, revealing stairs going down to a concrete basement. "You okay now?" Cassie asked as they began to descend.

"Yeah," Zuko grunted. "I'm fine." They walked down a dark and damp hallway, a stark contrast to the bright lights and clean floors of the upper floor. The reached a huge room with a wrap around balcony overlooking the bottom floor. Many people, all wearing masks, were crowded together.

"It's about to start, Mr. Henry," Cassie said. "Let's go sign in." The pair walked through the people until they reached the stairs leading to the bottom floor. Arms still linked, they walked down the stairs.

"There's a ton of people here," Zuko mused. "I wonder what they all want to buy."

Cassie shrugged. "Drugs. Artifacts. Who knows."

They made their way to the middle of the throng of people and sat down in two of the chairs. The auction started soon after, and the words the auctioneer was saying sounded like white noise to Zuko. Finally, twenty minutes in, Tim's voice in his ear made Zuko flinch. "Magyntite is next," he said. "Be ready."

Sure enough, the man held up a silver briefcase. "Magyntite!" he yelled. "This drug is like Kobra Venom! Bulk up your muscles, lady and gentlemen. Do I hear... two million?" Zuko raised his hand and the same time another man did. The man glared at Zuko, who did the same.Back and forth this happened, Zuko and this man trying to get the magyntite. In the end, though, Zuko and Cassie got it for $45,000,000.

"Holy crap," Cassie breathed as they walked back up the stairs. "That man wanted to kill you."

Zuko hummed. "He isn't the only one."

Cassie gave him an amused look."Is that so, Sir Henry?"

"Indeed it is, Lady Larissa."

Golden eyes gazed into blue for a second, both having small smiles on their faces.

"Yo, you guys get it?"

"Uh, yeah," Cassie replied, breaking eye contact. "Yeah, we're heading back now."

Zuko's face reddened. He hadn't felt any feeling similar to that since Mai, when he was thirteen. He shook his head to clear it. Don't be stupid, he told himself. Don't even go there. No chance of that happening.

"You good?" Cassie asked, raising an eyebrow under her mask. Zuko cleared his throat and nodded a little too quickly.

"Me? I'm great. Splendid. Never been better!" he babbled. "Oh Agni, I bet Kon is going crazy! Uh, let's go see him!" He linked his arm with Cassie's and half-led half-drug her through the club and out the door.

"And the lovely couple returns!" Kon cheered as Zuko opened the door for Cassie. "I missed you! Tim told me I couldn't listen to my podcast because I had to stay alert so I've been bored out of my mind."

"Oh, poor baby!" Cassie mocked. "Do you need a massage and a nice cup of tea?"

"I do, actually."

"Too bad, Superbrat."

Zuko looked out the window. He missed his uncle's tea.

Only 11 more months.

___

The next morning, Zuko, Duke and Damian were at the table eating breakfast. Zuko was about to put a piece of bacon in his mouth when he felt eyes on him. Looking up, he frowned as he met Duke's eyes. "What?

Duke's eyebrows were furrowed in disbelief. "Dude, it's 7:00 in the morning. Why are you already dressed?"

Zuko blinked. While the others were in their pajamas- Duke in an old t-shirt and shorts and Damian in his silk robe -Zuko was in jeans and a Ralph Lauren button-up, his hair in a topknot. He would've put shoes on, if it weren't for Alfred's no-shoes-in-the-house rule. "I'm used to getting up at dawn and getting ready. It's what I've done for three years."

Duke shook his head. "You're making me feel like a slob, Zu."

"You will not feel that way for long," Damian spoke up. "For I hear Drake coming down the stairs."

Sure enough, Tim walked around the corner, staggering to the table. He was in an over sized black Superman shirt and his boxers with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. His long hair was a mess, and the circles under his eyes made it look as though he had been punched in the face. Alfred pulled out a chair beside Zuko, a cup of coffee already in his hand. Tim stumbled towards the chair, looking as though he was about to pass out. He sat down in the chair slowly, and Alfred immediately put the cup of coffee in front of him. Tim blinked slowly, before picking up the coffee and bringing it to his lips.

"Well," Duke chuckled. "I no longer feel like a slob."

Damian wrinkled his nose, scoffing at Tim. "You are a disgrace, Drake. Have some self respect." Tim stared at him owl-eyed in response.

"Just give him like ten minutes," Duke said. "Anyways! So I heard you went on a mission last ni-"

"Master Duke!" Alfred interrupted him sharply. "Might I remind you the rules of breakfast?"

Duke seemed to shrink into himself as he answered in a small voice, "No vigilante talk at the breakfast table." Alfred nodded in approval before going back into the kitchen. Duke turned back to Zuko. "Later."

Zuko hummed in response.

As soon as breakfast was over, Duke ran to Zuko excitedly. "So!? How'd it go?"

"It went fine," Zuko replied. "I mean, we went in, got the stuff and got back in the car."

"That's it? No fights?"

"No fights."

"What about Cassie? Any emotions?"

Zuko coughed, his eyes widening. "What!? No! Don't be stupid!"

Duke laughed. "Dude, you're gonna have to get better at lying if you want to join the business."

"Which could start right now, if you want." Zuko and Duke whirled around to see Bruce holding a cup of coffee. "You've been here for a month. You can fight and you're smart. You're welcome to start training today, if you want."

Zuko's jaw dropped. "Uh, yeah! That'd be great!"

Bruce smiled."Fantastic. Go get changed into something comfortable and we'll start."

Zuko practically sprinted to his room, but before he could change, his phone chimed.

Cassie Sandsmark: good morning doofus

.Zuko grinned in spite of himself.

Zuko Wayne: good morning!

Cassie Sandsmark: how'd you sleep?

Zuko Wayne: great but i don't know if tim slept at all he's barely alive right now

Cassie Sandsmark: sounds like tim

Cassie Sandsmark: so when u joining the hero business

Zuko Wayne: right now,, I'm about to start training

Cassie Sandsmark: YAY TELL ME HOW IT GOES

Zuko Wayne: of course

Training, Zuko decided, was difficult. It'd been a month since he'd started, and while he was improving, he was sore and sick of computers.

"If I have to break another one of Tim's codes, I'll kill myself," he groaned, flopping on to the couch beside Damian, who nodded.

"Every time Drake speaks, I want to kill myself." Zuko eyed him wearily.

"That's harsh."

"Such is reality." Damian flipped to the next page of the book he was reading. "So, your first patrol is tomorrow?"

Zuko grinned."Yeah. I'm so excited." He sat up, cracking his knuckles. "Gonna be a blast."

"Are you finally adequate at lying?"

Zuko winced. "It took me a while but yeah, I got it."

"Good. We cannot have you exposing our secret." He looked up from his book. "Christmas is next month. Pennyworth instructed me to inform you that he needs a list of what you wish."

Zuko groaned. "I have no idea what I want."

"Well, figure it out," Damian replied. "Because if you do not, I'll have to listen to the complaining."

It was the night of his first patrol. Zuko turned to the mirror. His suit was a black kevlar lined jumpsuit with an obsidian utility belt and combat boots of the same color. There was a blue bat symbol across the chest, and a demon-type stage mask of the same color on his face. He looked at the blue gauntlet on his wrist and flexed his arm.

Dick whistled lowly. "Lookin' sharp, Zu."

Zuko grunted in response, but he couldn't stop the corners of his lips from twitching upwards.

"Good to see you suited up," Bruce said as he saw his son. He turned to the Bat Computer and typed something in. "Alright. Nightwing and Robin, you take the east side. Red Hood and Black Bat, you take the west. Red Robin, you take south. Blue Spirit and I will take north."

"You got it, boss man," said Jason with a mock salute. At that, the vigilantes headed out.

"Remember," Bruce began as he and Zuko got into the Batmobile. "Code names in the field." Zuko nodded.

"I won't forget, Batman."

"Good to hear, Blue Spirit."

After a few minutes if driving, Oracle spoke. "Croc is robbing a store on the corner of North and Order," she said. "Blue Spirit and Batman are closest."

"We're on it," Bruce said, and sped up.

They reached the corner in five minutes, and jumped out of the car. "Croc!" Bruce yelled.

A huge reptilian humanoid turned toward the voice, and smiled. "Batman!" he chirped. "And who's this?"

"Blue Spirit," Zuko said stiffly.

Killer Croc chuckled."New kid to destroy? I love that."

Croc rushed him, snapping his jaws viciously. Zuko jumped into the air, doing a flip over the creature. Fire blasted out of his elbow and he punched Croc in the snout as he turned.

Croc stumbled back. "Igniting your elbow to increase the force of your punch? Smart. Not smart enough." He ran towards Zuko again, claws outstretched, moving at inhuman speeds. Zuko ducked under his claws and gave an uppercut with the same advantage into his stomach. Croc was thrown into the air by the force. Before he could land, Zuko sent a blast of fire at him, engulfing him in flames. Croc screamed and fell to the ground, charred and smoking.

"He's still alive," Bruce said gruffly. "Not bad. I'll call Gordon." Zuko's chest swelled with pride, but he simply nodded.

"There's a robbery at the R&D center of Enterprises," Oracle said suddenly.

"Blue Spirit and I are going to check it out," Bruce answered.

"10-4," Dick replied. "Call if you need backup." Bruce grunted in response and, gesturing for Zuko to follow, jumped back into the Batmobile before speeding off.

"R&D?" Zuko echoed what Oracle had said earlier. "What's that?"

"It's the Research and Development Center," Bruce replied. "It's where we store Batman Inc. tech that's still in production."

"Oh."

“That's right. If anyone succeeds in getting their hands on what's in there-"

"-They'll get their hands on everything." Zuko bit the inside of his cheek. "It's fine. We can do this."

A hint of a smile ghosted across Bruce's lips, so small that Zuko wasn't sure if it'd even been there in the first place.

The Research and Development Center of Wayne Enterprises was primarily used to develop advancements in technology. These advancements ranged from more effective cancer treatments to new engines for vehicles.The blueprints listed the building as being eight stories. Unbeknownst to the majority of WE's employees, there was a basement. A basement hidden far below the actual building, so far below than an express elevator was needed. This basement was where the technology for Batman Inc. was developed.

Unlike the secret basement of Falcone's club, this basement was in pristine condition. It had a hospital feel to it, with white flooring, walls, and ceiling.

Bruce and Zuko had just grappled down the elevator shaft was landed at the end of one of the basement's hallways."The only alarm that's been triggered was the entry alarm," said Bruce. "The rooms where the... merchandise are kept have separate alarm systems. Can you tell me what this means, Blue Spirit?"

"The intruder either doesn't know what exactly is down here, or they just haven't managed to get into the rooms yet." Zuko frowned. "Wait, if they figured out this place was here then that means they definitely know what's down here. So then they haven't found the location of the 'merchandise.'"

"And you believe that to be the most probable scenario?"

"Well... yeah. I mean, unless they managed to bypass the alarm system. But that's impossible, this place is un-hackable ever since that incident with Ra's al Ghul. The security system is invincible. Right?"

"Rule of thumb, Blue Spirit," Bruce grunted, raising his arm closer to his face to he could activate his gauntlet. "Nothing is invincible. Everything has a weakness. Some are harder to find than others, but the only thing that is truly invincible is God Himself. And I don't think He would have any reason to break into Wayne Enterprises."

"Okay, but they tripped the alarm when they came in," Zuko pointed out. "So they must not have been able to hack the system."

"Unless they want us here."

Zuko sucked in his teeth. "So that's what you think? This is a trap?"

"It isn't a trap if we know about it," Bruce countered. "Here, I'm pulling up the motion sensors." Sure enough, the holographic screen coming from the gauntlet showed motion in room 121.

"Is that one of the rooms?" Zuko asked.

Bruce nodded."Yes." He and Zuko started to run in the direction of the before mentioned room. "There's very dangerous technology in there. We need to stop this intruder now." The two were sprinting, taking twists and turns through the winding hallways until Bruce stuck his arm out, signaling for Zuko to stop. In front of them was room 121, the door ajar.

"Holy crap," Zuko whispered. "They hacked us."

"They hacked us," Bruce echoed. "And now they're going to pay. Manuever 13. Be cautious." Bruce rolled a metal ball into the room, and it exploded into smoke Using the smoke as cover, Zuko and Bruce dashed into the room.

Using the heat signatures to see through the smoke, Zuko jumped forward, swinging down his broadswords in arc. His eyes widened as they hit air; the person had disappeared."What-" he broke off as someone landed a hit to his spine. Zuko whirled around, kicking out at his attacker, yet his foot hit air as the assailant dodged again.

"A teleporter?" he muttered. A laugh hit his ears, and the assailant landed another hit to the back of his head. Zuko tried to return the hit with one of his own but, of course, he missed.So far, Zuko noticed, they were teleporting closely around him. They were staying in close proximity with him. It would be hard to deduce where exactly they would strike, unless he limited their options.

Zuko stomped on the ground, and a ring of fire flared up around him. The attacker led out a gut wrenching scream as they were caught in the flames.He caught a glimpse of a person in a black suit clutching their arm before they teleported above his head, aiming a dropkick above him.

But Zuko had anticipated this. He grabbed their leg from above and slammed them on the ground. They landed with a crack and coughed.

"You just broke my spine, you asshole," the person wheezed. They were still now, and Zuko could see she was a girl with long brown hair in a wine-colored robe.

Zuko gulped, forcing down the rising panic at the girl's words. "Maybe you shouldn't have tried to break my skull."

The girl shrugged. "Just following orders."

"Who are you!?" Zuko snarled. "Tell me! Who are you and what do you want with this technology!?"

"Well, if you must know," the girl said, pain evident in her voice despite her calm tone. "I am but a servant of The Lady of the Dual Skies."

"The Lady of the Dual Skies?" Zuko echoed. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing's taken," Bruce said as he crossed his arms from where he stood behind Zuko. "Nothing has even been tampered with. You clearly weren't looking for anything here. So what did you want?"

"The Lady does not permit me speaking with anybody but you." The girl was speaking directly to Zuko, not sparing Bruce a glance. "She has something she wishes you to know."

Zuko narrowed his eyes behind his mask. "And what would that be?"

The girl grinned wickedly. "She says she'll see you soon."

With that, a portal opened up under the girl and she disappeared in a flash of purple light.

101 notes · View notes

queen-scribbles · 5 years

Text

Small Price to Pay

Started with wanting to fic when Heodan saved Adi outside the back door to Clîaban Rilag, kinda spiraled into something a lot bigger. WHOOPS. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I REGRET NOTHING

---

The journey to Clîaban Rilag was uneventful, and would have been downright pleasant if not for the intermittent rain showers. Even those could have been worse, as it was still warm enough to keep them from being truly uncomfortable, and none lasted long. The true threat to their progress--and once or twice their safety--proved to be Adela’s curious nature. There was just so much flora and fauna in the Dyrwood she’d never seen in Ixamitl, she veered off the road for “just a quick look” more times than she could count. Most of those times resulted in no more than a few minutes lost each, but one disturbed a pair of wood beetles, young things and easily dealt with, and not far past the Dyrford Crossing, she started for a patch of tall-stemmed flowers only to have Kana yank her away by the back of her dress--just ahead of the lunge from a stelgaer she hadn’t seen. It was not happy to lose an easy lunch, and put up a decent fight before Aloth and Pallegina managed to kill it.

“Perhaps it is better we keep to the road, ac?” Pallegina asked with a pointedly raised brow as she wiped her sword blade clean on the stelgaer’s coat before re- sheathing it.

“Sorry,” Adela said with a sheepish smile. “There’s just so much that’s new here, and these are so pretty...” she gestured toward the flowers. “But I have been slowing us down and would hate for any of you to get hurt ‘cause of me.”

“We’re used to buildin’ in time for you to explore,” Edér consoled, shooting her a wink. “An’ no harm done, right? Now c’mon, we can make a couple hours’ progress ‘fore it starts gettin’ dark.”

Despite his reassurance, Adela cast a guilty look at the dead stelgaer. Sure, no one had gotten hurt thanks to her--this time--but what if there had been more than one? A full grown stelgaer was nothing to sneeze at, and even alone this one had come uncomfortably close to both Kana and Heodan. If it had help...

Adela shuddered and twisted the ring that encircled her index finger, nails dragging over the inset blue stones. But it had been alone, and none of her friends had so much as a scratch, and what had turned her into such a worrywart? She glanced over her shoulder at the kith following her lead and a blush climbed her cheeks. She knew what. Or, rather, who. But that was ridiculous, just a silly crush, and he was plenty capable of taking care of himself-

She tripped over a wheel rut in the road and was sharply reminded getting distracted was a bad idea. Better to pay attention now and let her thoughts run rampant after they made camp. When no one would get hurt as a result(unless, maybe, she was the one cooking).

Edér was right; they pulled a couple more hours of travel from the day before shadows reached telltale length and they made camp in a meadow. Edér volunteered to make dinner, which meant there was nothing required of her until her shift at watch. Adela pulled out a book, as usual, and tried to read, as usual. But tonight her thoughts kept drifting to the crouching stelgaer, Kana’s hand twisting in the fabric of her dress to yank her out of the danger, Edér’s loud whoop as he’d charged forward to take the brunt of the threat.

I really need to be more careful, she chastised herself, tracing the lettering of a chapter title with her fingertip before she resumed the attempt at reading. Instead, she remained so lost in thought she didn’t even hear the approaching footsteps and started slightly when Heodan sat next to her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked without preamble.

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” Adela asked innocently, letting the book lay against her lap as she looked up at him.

He nudged her book. “To start, you’ve been on the same page for five minutes, so clearly you’re distracted. Given that you’ve also been far quieter than usual for the past couple hours, it seems a safe bet something’s wrong.” He gave her a faint, crooked smile. “If you want to talk...”

He knew her entirely too well, and Wael’s eyes, it wasn’t fair(no matter how warm it made her inside). Adela tried to smile. “Well, you know me, I always wanna talk.”

“About what’s bothering you,” Heodan clarified, running one hand through his hair and leaving it an even more tousled mess than usual.

She hesitated a beat, but it wasn’t like this was some deep, dark secret or anything. “I just feel bad my curiosity put all of you at risk. I do love learning and experiencing new things, but I’d hate for someone else to get hurt in the process.”

“Considering you’re the one who was almost pinned by a hungry stelgaer, I’d say your curiosity came a lot closer to hurting you than any of us,” he pointed out wryly, playing with a frayed spot on his shirtsleeve. “We don’t want to see you get hurt, either.”

She snorted and flipped the book closed so she could brace an elbow against the cover and rest her chin in her palm. “Guess the only solution’s for me to be less curious, huh?” Somehow...

“No.” From the way Heodan’s cheeks colored, he maybe hadn’t meant to say it quite so vehemently. He dropped his gaze to his sleeve, picking harder at the frayed spot and biting his lip. “Even assuming you could be less curious, that would be...” He sighed, glanced sideways to meet her gaze. “The world needs kith who are curious, Adi. Who question and explore and learn everything they can about anything they can. They’re the ones who preserve history and bring progress. Kith like you are...” His gaze dropped back to the ever-growing hole he’d picked in his sleeve. “Well, rare. And for you to curb such a part of yourself, especially such an important part of yourself, out of fear would be a shame.”

Adela huffed her bangs out of her eyes and sighed, even as her heart fluttered. “I just don’t want you, any of you, getting hurt for my sake.”

He shrugged. “The Dyrwood itself is dangerous, not to mention this... quest?... we’re on, you being excited about new flowers or ancient ruins is less likely to put us in harm’s way than most of the things we deliberately seek out. And I feel relatively safe in saying we don’t mind chasing off the occasional extra stelgaer, or steering you away from a bog.” He nudged her shoulder and smiled encouragingly. “It’s what friends do, isn’t it? And it’s a small price to pay for... for letting you be you.”

Hound’s teeth, her face was so warm the blush had to be showing through her fur. Adela straightened, her hand moving to pick at the carved lines in her necklace pendent, tracing the details of the elephant as she tried to think of a response that was both coherent and not too revealing.The sunset light glinting off the sliver band around his pinkie kept distracting her; its purpose likely to be called upon if she wasn’t more careful. After several long seconds of struggling silence, she decided simplicity was the order of the day and smiled at him. “Thank you, Heodan. That... means a lot.” Especially from you. She knew any of her friends would likely say the same, but, well... he was the one she worried about most. What with her feelings and everything they’d been through together.

Heodan smiled. “You’re most welcome. Now...” He grimaced self-deprecatingly at the hole he’d made in his sleeve. “I should probably go see what I can do about this.”

“Alright,” she nodded, reluctant to lose his company but unable to think up an excuse for him to stay. “Good luck.”

He chuckled as he stood. “Thank you.”

Adela watched him walk away before returning to her book, soul now settled enough she could at least concentrate. Funny how easily he managed to do that.

---

The evening remained uneventful, and the few lingering clouds even cleared up, giving them a clear view of the stars as the sunset faded to the deep purple-black of night. Between the three of them sharing watch duty, Adela drew the last slot, which meant she got to catch some sleep before essentially just being a slightly earlier riser than usual. She was almost as pleased to have drawn that watch as Edér was to have avoided it--”Just ‘cause I can drag myself outta bed before the sun doesn’t mean I like doin’ it”--and came awake easily when it was her turn. Things stayed quiet, as they had all night, so by halfway through her watch, she had wandered out into the meadow and collected several handfuls of the deep pinkish-purple flowers growing nearby. It was an unfamiliar one to her, but the waxy blossoms were only slightly smaller than her palm, with slender but tough stems, making them perfect for weaving into a crown. Which she did, the movements such habit by now she didn’t even have to take her eyes off the surroundings as she worked. By the time her friends pulled themselves awake shortly after sunrise, Adela sported an expertly woven circlet of pink-purple blooms and was braiding the stems of the leftovers into a small bouquet.

“Kept yourself occupied, I see,” Kana said with a toothy smile and a nod toward the circlet.

“Gotta have something to do that didn’t take too much of my attention,” she said cheerfully. “I can make these in my sleep, so it seemed a good choice.”

“No arguments here,” Kana chuckled.

Adela giggled as she tucked the small cluster of extra blooms in the end of her braid. “So glad you approve.”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Edér chipped in, still yawning. “Look right nice on you. Whadda we got for breakfast? Everything comin’ today, I wanna face it with a full stomach.”

She couldn’t blame him for that, but, “Nothing fancy. I figured the earlier we got moving the better, so traveler’s bread and jerked venison.”

“Nothin’ wrong with that,” he grinned and helped her divvy it up.

They packed camp as they ate, and were ready to start within an hour of everyone being awake. Part of her hated to rush them, but with the early start, they could reach Clîaban Rilag, do what they needed to for both Edér’s sake and following the Leaden Key, and be headed back toward Dyrford inside a day. Given how much they had to do, that was for the best. Though she did hope they had time to explore a little. Surely there was a lot to be gained just from looking around an Engwithan ruin. She could leave everything where it was and still learn so much.

As they set off on the last hour or so of travel to the ruins, she caught Heodan looking at her with a smile tugging at his lips and couldn’t help but smile back. “What?”

He nodded toward the flower crown. “I see your mood’s improved.”

Adela chuckled as she instinctively brushed her fingers against the petals. “It has. Mostly thanks to you.”

He shook his head. “I think it far more likely that it’s just hard for you to stay gloomy for long.”

“Well, true as that may be,” she said by way of tacit concession, “what you said last night definitely helped.”

Heodan smiled again. “Happy to help. Your curiosity isn’t a weakness, or a danger, and I’d hate for you to view it as such.”

“I don’t,” she assured him, playing with the tail of her braid. “But I am gonna try to be a little more careful. For all our sakes.”

“That’s fair,” he chuckled.

“And appreciated,” Aloth chipped in from nearby.

Adela wrinkled her nose and her ears twitched back. “I am really sorry for the thing with the oozes, but I didn’t know what kind of reach they had, and this is about my fifth time apologizing in two weeks-”

“Adela, I wasn’t referring to anything specific,” he interjected before she really got going. “Just general relief you’ll be more careful, even if just a little.”

“Oh.” Said something about how guilty she (still) felt that that’s the first place her thoughts went when Aloth commented on her being careful. She rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah. I know it won’t remove all our risks, but at least I won’t be adding to them.” She paused a beat, then played with a loose wisp of hair as she asked. “Oh, didja finish transcribing that spell you were working on last night?”

Aloth nodded, and the conversation almost seamlessly swung to the spells both of them were learning and still wanting to figure out. Somewhere in there, Adela noticed Heodan had wandered away and felt vaguely guilty she hadn’t really finished her conversation with him. But, really, they’d said everything important, she’d have plenty of time to talk to him later; it wasn’t as if either of them was going anywhere.

---

It wasn’t really a surprise when they caught a glimpse of the Glanfathan hunters clustered in front of the looming doors to Clîaban Rilag, just confirmed the importance Adela had already suspected it held. They gave the knot of kith and beasts a wide berth, and instead fanned out to look for detritus left from the battle fought here during the Saint’s War. She’d help Edér first--if she could--and then worry about how to handle venturing into the ruins themselves.

“Hope we don’t get mistaken for looters again,” Heodan commented with a mirthless smile as he helped Adela check through an overgrown tangle of weeds.

“Saw them, too, huh?” she side with a wry laugh.

“They’re hard to miss,” he deadpanned.

“Considering we do actually need to go in there,” she grunted, straining to reach something shiny trapped in the roots of the weeds, “they’re closer to correct than the ones who attacked the caravan, but I’m aiming to disturb as little as possible inside. Ah!” Her fingers closed around curved metal and she yanked free a Readceran heraldry talisman. Unfortunately with no traces of soul essence lingering, but at least it confirmed there were still things here to find.

“Do you really think that will be enough for them? Assuming they even believe you?” Heodan asked quietly as they moved toward the stream that flowed through the clearing.

“Based off our previous experience?” Adela looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Why d’you think I’m putting off talking to them? Part of me’s hoping there’s another way in,” she admitted as the group forded the stream. “But one thing at a time. We’ll worry about that after we find something to help Edér.”

“If we can,” the farmer interjected in a disgruntled mutter, kicking a rock. “Don’t look like there’s much left, Adi.”

“Don’t give up so fast,” she admonished cheerfully. “There’s still plenty of ground left to cover.”

Edér grinned. “You’re such an optimist.”

“Yep,” Adela chirped, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “Also, I just have a feeling we’re gonna find something.”

“I’ve learned not to argue with your intuition,” Edér said with a grin and a shrug as he went back to looking.

“Do you really?” Heodan whispered.

“‘Course I do,” Adela whispered back. “I wouldn’t lie just to make him feel better. We’ll find something, you’ll see.”

And they did; a Readceran standard crown that sang with hints of a soul very similar to Edér. They’d had to fight some looters for it, but given the men proved to be anti-Eothasian zealots, and attacked first, Adela found it hard to be terribly broken up over their deaths. Especially not when she saw the hope in Edér’s eyes as he stared at the standard crown.

“Is that...?” he started, before letting the words trail off, as if it were too fantastic as a concept to even voice.

“I feel Woden’s soul on it, yes,” she confirmed with a smile, brushing dirt off the metal sun’s rays. “But there isn’t enough for me to Watch. We’ll take it with us, next time we visit Dunryd Row maybe one of the ciphers can help.”

“Sure. I think I got room...” Edér slung off his pack and opened it. It took a little rearranging, but the standard crown did fit inside. “Thanks, Adi. Now that you’ve managed one thing that should be impossible, guess that’s next?” He jerked a thumb toward the looming ruins, moss and vines covering the walls.

“It is the other reason we’re here...” Adela sighed. She really wasn’t looking forward to talking her way past the Glanfathans guarding the doors.

“You know, Adi,” Kana began, as if sensing her reluctance, “there a door here as well.” He pointed and she a double take, staring at the section of wall that caught his attention.

Sure enough, hidden by plant growth, she could vaguely see the outline of a door. “Good eye, Kana. One problem...” It was Adela’s turn to point, drawing his attention to the collapsed bridge and the gap between them and the door. “How do we get across?”

“We could just jump,” he half-shrugged. “It doesn’t look to be more than four or five feet, shouldn’t be hard to clear.”

Adela bit her lip as she sized up the gap. He was right; it wasn’t that big. Kana could easily clear it, Edér, Heodan, and Pallegina would be fine as well, and even Aloth was likely tall enough it wouldn’t be a problem. She was the only one who might have trouble. She’d jumped over streams almost that wide before, though. Granted, with the deep ravine the bridge had spanned, the stakes were higher than simply getting her clothes wet. The alternative, however, was trying to navigate a conversation with the Glanfathans guarding the main door.

“Alright, worth a shot,” she said.

Heodan and Aloth frowned almost in unison. “Are you sure-”

“It’ll be fine,” Adela cut them off with a wry smile. “Easier than negotiating with the locals, anyway.” Neither seemed to have their worries assuaged, but they didn’t protest further. “Who’s going first?”

“I’ll do it,” Pallegina volunteered in the same moment Kana started to raise his hand. She smirked, and made an ‘after you’ gesture. “It is your idea, aimico.”

“Very well,” Kana chuckled. He took a couple steps back to gain some momentum, pushed off the edge, and easily cleared the gap. His feet skidded a little on the lichen-slicked stone, but he regained his balance quickly and gestured for them to join him before turning his attention to clearing off the door.

One by one, her other companions followed without incident. Heodan did pause to shoot her a wordless look of concern, but Adela met it with a reassuring smile. It was sweet that he worried, but it would be fine. She could do this.

Even if the distance seemed to double when she looked at it with the knowledge she had to jump across that.

You can do this, she told herself firmly, and then backed up for a running start. Before she knew it, she’d covered the ground and was pushing off what remained of the bridge abutment. Just as her feet left the ground, her flower crown started to slip, and she instinctively grabbed for it with one hand.

She did make it across, if just barely. But before relief for that fact had time to register, the stone under her feet shifted and cracked and she pitched backward with a yelp. The depths of the ravine were rushing toward her, there was nothing to grab-

A hand closed around her wrist, and she jolted to a wrenching stop just below the lip of the bridge, heart pounding and tears stinging her eyes from the sudden stress on her arm.

And a sharp grunt of pain that wasn’t from her echoing in her ears. Her head snapped up to look, and her gaze locked with Heodan’s wide blue eyes. Pain and raw fear were competing for dominance in his expression, his face almost as white as his knuckles as he tightened his grip on her wrist.

“Don’t let go,” he managed between gritted teeth.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” The attempted joke came out brittle and shaky, terror of what almost happened still sharp in her mind--sharper when she looked down and saw just how dizzyingly far she could have fallen.

“Adi, Adi don’t look.”Heodan’s fingers flexed and his voice caught her attention upwards once more. “Don’t look,” he repeated softly, and she nodded.

The few seconds before Edér and Kana reached down to help her scramble up seemed to take an eternity, but Adela did find herself on solid ground once more. Hoedan had released her arm soon as the others had a good grip, and when she was steady on her feet, he was the first place her gaze went.

He was sitting curled forward protectively, jaw clearly set tight as Pallegina felt at his shoulder. She paused in her examination and turned toward Adela.

“Are you alright?” she all but demanded.

Funny, that’s what I was about to ask him. Adela nodded, letting out a shaky breath. “Really, really rattled, maybe a few bruises” --she rubbed her wrist--”but otherwise fine.”

“Sorry,” Heodan managed, gaze fixed on her hands.

Adela snorted. “That’s a new one; never had anyone apologize for saving my life before.”

“No-” He tried to sit straighter, uncurl the arm held close to his chest, and stopped with a sharp breath. “I-If I hurt you...”

“I’ll live,” Adela chuckled wryly. “Literally thanks to you. Bruises are nothing, small price to pay. I’m more worried about you.” She started to rest a hand on his arm, but yanked it back when the barest touch made him flinch. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll get out of the way.” She backed up a step, glancing toward where Kana and Aloth had resumed clearing off the door. Maybe I should help them...

Pallegina muttered a frustrated comment in her mother tongue, then, “I think it’s dislocated. Fortunately, that is not hard to fix. Edér?”

“Yeah?” He pushed away from the rocks he’d been leaning against.

“I will need your help.”

“Sure.”

Adela ears twitched and she started to move further away, feeling more like a hindrance than a help.

“Adi.” Heodan caught her arm with his good hand. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Wish I could say the same,” she replied softly, flicking a glance to his shoulder.

“It’s not that bad. I’ll be fine,” He flashed a crooked smile. “And it was worth it, anyway.”

“Aw, ain’t that sweet,” Edér drawled, shooting them both a knowing smile before she had a chance to reply.

“That’s not what he meant!” Adela said hastily, fur ruffling. How hot was she blushing? Obviously Heodan hadn’t meant it... the way Edér was implying. No matter how badly she might want it, that wasn’t the case. Was it? No, Adi, don’t get your hopes up, we’ve talked about this. “It’s just ‘cause we’re friends.”

(But if that was the case, why were Heodan’s ears red? And where’d that flush creeping up his neck come from? Probably just embarrassment, right? Like hers.)

Edér just grinned. “Sure, friendship’s sweet. Whadidja think I meant?”

Adela rolled her eyes. “I’m going to go help Kana.” She didn’t want to watch what was about to happen, anyway. It would just make her feel guilty for something that wasn’t truly her fault.

Between the three of them, she, Kana, and Aloth(mostly Kana) had a good portion of the door clear by the time Edér and Pallegina finished fixing Heodan’s shoulder(and even if she wasn’t watching, that hadn’t been fun to listen to, either). With the overgrowth cleared and any decorative carvings recorded, the... less physically gifted members of the group got to hand Edér a prybar and let him and Kana try to work the door open.

Adela perched on a rocky outcropping near where Heodan sat as they waited, watching him flex and test the previously injured arm. “Everything alright?”

He nodded, rocking his wrist back and forth. “Relatively. It’s still sore, but that’s to be expected, isn’t it? I’m sure it’ll be fine.” He caught her skeptical expression and chuckled. “Really, Adi, it will.” He gave a lopsided smile. “And look on the bright side; it wasn’t because of your curiosity.”

“You still got hurt,” she shot back. “How is that a bright side?”

Heodan shrugged. “It’s not that bad. And you didn’t.” He raised a brow and nodded in her direction. “You did lose your flowers, though.”

“Oh.” Adela raised a hand to her hair. She hadn’t even noticed. But the crown of pink-purple blooms was indeed gone, vanished into the depths of the ravine when she fell. “Small price to pay.” She pulled her braid over her shoulder, grinned when she saw the small bouquet still securely tied at the end. “And I still have these. Heodan...” She rested a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”

He smiled shyly. “Small price to pay. You’re my friend, and I’d hate to lose you.”

Her heart fluttered. Stop that, Adela scolded herself. He literally just said friend. But hearts were funny things, and hers didn’t much feel like listening right now. “So...” she began, resting her chin on her palm and glancing toward the doors that were just beginning to edge open under Edér and Kana’s efforts. ”What do you think is in there? Aside from, probably, another one of those machines the Leaden Key’s using to make life difficult.”

Heodan laughed. “I couldn’t even begin to guess. But we’ll see soon enough, won’t we?”

Adela cocked her head. “I will. But don’t you think it’s better you... stay out here?” So you don’t get hurt again...

“Adi.” He shot her a curious look. “Isn’t the point of me... following along on these adventures to help you? Can’t do that very well if you’re in there and I’m out here, can I?”

“Heodan, much as my area of expertise is not medicine, even I know you’re supposed to rest as part of the healing process for dislocated limbs.” She pushed to her feet, making them roughly eye level, and crossed her arms as she tried to stare him down.

“It was only partially dislocated,” Heodan countered(he was nice enough to stay sitting). “It went right back in joint with a little nudge, and it’s just sore now.” As if to demonstrate, he reached out with that hand and playfully flicked at her bangs.

Adela felt a smile coming despite the worry that gnawed her mind, but bit it back. “Yes, and it might not stay ‘just sore’ if you make it worse by stabbing things.”

“A compromise, then,” he offered, glancing toward the rest of their party as the doors opened. “I will keep the... ‘stabbing things’ to a minimum and focus more on disarming traps and such that we find. How’s that? We’re not splitting the group, I’ll be there if you need me, but be doing lighter work and try my best to stay out of fights so I don’t overwork that arm.”

She bit her lip as he looked at her expectantly. She did want him along, she just didn’t want him getting hurt again. Of course, it wasn’t necessarily that much safer out here, with the Glanfathans guarding the main door just barely out of earshot. “I.... guess that would be alright. And I’ll try not to let my curiosity run away with me in there.”

“A tall order,” Heodan said with a smile, pushing to his feet and pulling his pack back on--with just the tiniest wince as the strap went over his injured shoulder. “Sure you can manage?”

“Not at all,” she laughed, “hence the try.”

All jokes aside, she mused as Edér and Kana hauled the doors open wide enough for passage, We really will need to be careful in there. There’s probably a lot of nasty surprises to be found, if I know anything about the Engwithans. And I’d hate for any of them to get hurt because I just had to look at a fresco or invention or something. ....Especially him.

Reining in her curiosity was a small price to pay for her friends’ safety. And as she accepted the lit torch Edér offered her and led the way into the ruin, Adela decided it was one she was happy to pay.

#queens fic #adela tecali #heodan #pillars of eternity #heodi #(sorta)#let's put it in their tags anyway #otp: here in my heart #stars rewritten au

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minimickzy · 6 years

Text

Betelgeuse || Peter Parker

Where you get trapped in a Ally with Spider-Man for eternity

Characters: Peter Parker x Reader

Word count: 1508

Warning: death (you’re a ghost), dark humor? mugging

AGE 17/18

a/n: this is a Beetlejuice AU 3 part series, I uh, it’s really somethinG and i;m kinda proud so it would mean a lot if y’all would read it <3 PLEASE LEAVE SOME FEEDBACK or let me know if you want to be tagged!

Nothing had ever happened to you as you were walking home before. It was sometimes a bit windy or maybe you’d step to hard and splash yourself with a puddle, but nothing worth noting. But if course that wasn’t the case tonight or otherwise there wouldn’t really be a story to tell.

It was dark out and all you could hear was the traffic slowing making its way down the block. It was so loud that you didn’t even hear them coming. A few men pulled you into a ally, one held his hand on your mouth to stop you from screaming.

You kicked and twisted your body as fast and hard as you could, if they were going to mug you or worse than you sure as hell weren’t going to make it easy for them. The struggle suddenly stopped when Spider-Man, the queens local hero, showed up on the spot. He pulled two of the guys off of you and started to fight them. You took your foot and dig your heel into the man’s own foot causing him to wince in pain and giving you a second to break free of his grasp and run down the alley. Before you made it to the street you heard a loud ringing noise and felt a sharp pain hit the middle of your back.

That was that. You woke up face down on the pavement. Semi warm liquid pressing your clothes against your skin. You felt light headed which you guess made sense as you seemed to have lost a lot of blood. You could remember some of what happened. At least enough to come to the conclusion that you had been shoot in the back by one of the muggers. But it seemed to be morning? The bright sunlight blocking your vision so how had no one found you?

You used the wall to help yourself to your feet and quickly looked around the alleyway before your eyes landed on the red and blue heap on the ground near a dumpster. “Hello?” You called out but the pile didn’t move. You made your way towards it slowly and then tapped it with your foot. No response. You tapped it again and this time a groan escaped it’s lips.

You jumped back, “shit, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” He rolled over to be face up towards the sky. There were two bloody spots on his chest, both looked deep- probably caused from gunshots. “Oh my god! Shit shit shit! Help!” You were near hysterics. He started to try and get up and upon seeing the light bleedthrough the wounds, you screamed, “There’s a hole in you! You have TWO holes! Oh my god, I DO TOO!” You pointed right we’re his heart should have been, in its place a hole that you could see straight through. He looked down and let out a yelp.

You took a step back and felt your heel catch on something before you feel back down to the ground. You huffed as you looked for what you tripped on. It seemed to be a book. You picked it up and read over the cover sending new fear through you. “What?! What is it?” Spider-Man asked, “it- it says the handbook for the recently deceased. Which means we’re dead. We’re dead!” “That doesn’t make any sense.” You glared at him, “and us having fucking holesin us does?” “Well no.” You groaned before laying back on the ground.

“I’m gonna go and get help.” You sat up and raised an eyebrow at him, “who do you think can help us?” He completely ignored you and took off yelling towards the street. “Hey wait!” You stood up and started after him but as soon as he went past the sidewalk he vanished. “Shit! Hey? Where are you?” You yelled but there was no response. The people on the street just Kept walking by, they didn’t even flinch.

It was near dark again before Spider-Man fell back into the ally way. “Welcome back.” You said as he stumbled over to you, “did- did you see that? That giant worm thing.” “I don’t- no I didn’t. You’ve been gone all day.” “What? That was like two minutes.” You shook your head, “look the suns setting.” “Wow.” He sat down next to you on the wall. You watch as his expression changed from confusion to Exception. “Then what’d you do all day?” You shrugged and pointed to the mirror you had set in front of you earlier, “look, no reflection. I thought that was kinda cool, also no one can hear or see us. I smashed a bottle and then a women screamed and ran away so they can hear that. Oh and this.” You pulled out a newspaper that someone had dropped. The headline read: Local Student and Spider-Man shot dead in Queens.

“It didn’t say who you were though. Said the Avengers and family decided it would be best to not reveal the identity of the fallen hero.” You smiled at him, “really, it said that? It said I’m a hero?” You chuckled at his reaction to the word. “Yeah. But tell me, who are you spider-man?” He looked to you and then back to the paper. “I’m sorry but that’s a secret.” You laughed, “We’re dead! Who am I gonna tell?” You could almost see the gears turning in his head. “I guess you’re right.” He reached up and pulled the mask from his face. He was slightly younger than you’d expect, you had assumed his voice was just high. He had soft eyes and almost curly chocolate brown hair, cute. “My name’s Peter.” “(y/n).” “Nice name.” “Thanks.”

The two of you sat in a heavy silence. You could hear the city around you but it seemed muffled, or maybe just far away. “Can ghosts sleep?” You asked half-heartedly. “We can find out?” He slide himself away from the wall and laid his body on the ground. “I hope we can, I feel exhausted and I’m really hoping I don’t feel like that for eternity.” You added mirroring his actions.

You woke up to Peter pacing in front of you, the Handbook for the Recently Deceased in hand. “Morning.” He jumped a little startled by your voice and then sat down right in front of you. “Okay so I know you just woke up but i was reading and- Listen to this Geographical and temporal perimeters. Functional perimeters vary from manifestation to manifestation! Like this book is insane! Did you go through it?” You shrugged. “The second rule is the living usually won’t see the dead. I put it down after that.” He nodded but you could tell he wasn’t actually listening and insead quickly reading through the pages.

You got up and became curious of your surroundings. You noticed that someone had started a memorial for yourself and Spider-Man. You weren’t surprised for the outpouring of love for Peter but you were taken aback by the amount of things there were for you. You were just a no one walking too late at night in the wrong place, You didn’t deserve all this. You watching as more and more people brought Flowers and small gifts to the allies entrance.

You sat at the edge, there wasn’t much to do as Peter was reading and the ally was empty except for trash and sometimes a few cats or rats. You realized how much you wanted to go home, see your family and friends again. Be in your own room with your own stuff. Watching the people walk by hand in hand or laughing, it hurt a little to see something you’d never have.

Just as all the sadness and anxiety set in about truly being trapped here forever, a flyer found it’s way, blowing through the street, right into your hands. “Bio-exorcism? Hey, Pete. Come look at this.” You heard him shut the book and walk over to you, “what is it?” You pointed at the paper in your hands and started to read off the words, “Betelgeuse, The bio-exorcist. Troubled by the living? Is death a problem and not the solution? Unhappy with eternity? Having difficulty adjusting? Call Betelgeuse.” Peter furrowed his brows, “Thats is? There’s no number or instructions?” “Nope.”

Peter took the paper out of your hands and looked it over a few times, “are you not happy- is there something wrong?” He looked slightly offended. “Peter, it’s just that we’re stuck in an ally. Don’t you miss your family? Or your friends?” He shrugged, “I’ve been trying not to think about it.” You scoffed, “you can’t not think about something forever.” “I can try.” He ran his hand through his messy curls and took a deep breath. “Look, I say we give it a few more days, we can try to make sense of this book and then if we don’t get anywhere we can call the beetle guy.” You gave him a tight smile, “thank you.”

General taglist

@marvels-queen-bee @paigeyisme @littleblue5mcdork@mystxrieux @dannnyphantomm @properparker @flopobrien @utautattooedghoul @commondazy @safehaven1097 @macymafia @pinetree111@thekidsofneibolt @mcheung0314 @notnotnotnotkayla @bigbilliamdenbro @iaiabear

Peter Parker Taglist

@make-yourownmemories @light-up-shawn @savethebabyseals @marvelswebdesigner @caipurniia @basicmarvelbitch @marauders-trash-forever

#peter parker x reader #peter parker fanfic #peter parker imagine #peter parker fluff #marvel imagine #mavel imagine #tom holland imagine #fanfiction #fanfic #imagine

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sockablock · 6 years

Link

Jester’s Chapter has been heavily revamped, and now sits at 4,793 words (from 1,116-ish, holy goddamn). Please give it a read, the lovely blue girl deserves it!

_________________________

From Where We Came (Ch. 1, Jester)

Jester sits in her room, alone.

Out the western bay window, she can see ships and boats bobbing on the gleaming waves of what Mother calls the Lucidian Ocean. Mother knows the names of everything, even the things that Jester has never heard of before. Sometimes, when Mother comes to visit, she lets Jester climb into her lap and together, they name everything they can see in Jester’s view of Nicodranas. The huge domed building is the temple of the Storm Lord. That winding path is the Silver Road. That little store with the thatched roof and smoking chimney is the Menagerie Coast Pastry Shop. Jester has tried the deserts from there many times; when she is good, Mother will bring her their doughnuts and cakes, as well as gifts from a place called “the beach.” There are many good things to find on the beach, according to Mother, especially during her long walks with the people that like to come and take her away from the house. Jester’s bureau sports a growing assortment of these presents: giant clam shells or spiraling conches or obsidian mussels or bone-white starfish. She loves collecting the things Mother brings, and hopes one day, she can walk along the sand and find them herself.

Until that happens, though, Jester will settle for giggling from up, up in her room, out the window at beautiful carriages and the tiny shapes of sailors and merchants in the distance. She wonders if all people are so tiny like these, and if she and her Mother are the only big people there are. She will have to ask Mother this, when she comes to visit again.

_________________________

“This one is you,” says Jester, “see your dress? I mixed the red and the blue paint for that color. Do you like it?”

Mother lowers the hairbrush and peers over Jester’s horns. “That’s very pretty, dear,” she says. “But what is that shape behind us?”

“Oh, that’s Father!” Jester says cheerfully. “Except I’m not sure what he looks like, so I just drew it sort of blurry, and then you could pretend it’s him.”

Mother sets the brush down. “Why don’t you hang on to this drawing, dear? You could use some art in your bedroom.”

Jester’s brow furrows as she looks around the room. There are pictures tacked up along the walls and on the wardrobe and scattered across her desk. “Are you…sure? I have an awful lot already.”

She tries to lean around to see her mother’s face, but the older woman has already gotten up and is heading toward the door. Before she leaves, she turns to Jester and says, “Keep it, dear. If you hang it up here, I can come into your room to see you and your art at the same time. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“…of course, Mother.”

Later, Jester will think long and hard about the expression that had fixed itself on Mother’s face. It had been a smile, she thinks, but not quite.

_________________________

Tonight, she can hear Mother singing through the wall. She is not sure how to describe it. The song feels like satin sheets, like slowly twirling candlelight, like the sound of a petal falling, and the draw of a warm summer night. It is the most beautiful sound that Jester has ever heard.

Strangely, though, there is something else there too. Almost…almost an afterthought of sadness. Like the lilt of emptiness. Or the knowledge that this time is the last. For Jester, it feels like the door to her room being closed.

_________________________

Sometimes, even when she promises, Mother won’t come to see Jester for a very, very long time.

This happens more as Jester gets older. Mother will stop in every two days, or three, or four or five or six, and when she does come in, it’s only for a little bit. She will ask if Jester needs anything, if Jester would like some desserts, if Jester wants new books or if she needs more paints. And then the door will close, and she will leave, and Jester will sit in her room alone.

_________________________

There’s a little sliding part in the wall between Jester’s room and Mother’s. She is not allowed to open it by herself, for reasons she does not understand, but every day at morning and at night, a meal is pushed through. Jester does not know who brings it to her. She catches glimpse of them sometimes, only their hands, but that is enough to send Jester’s imagination spinning. Their skin is not the same color as Mother’s or as Jester’s, but a sort of odd peach. Their fingers are more wrinkly than Mother’s, and look much more weathered. Jester spends a lot of time wondering about who they belong to.

But Mother forbade her from speaking to the other person, so Jester obeys. She always listens to what Mother says.

Mother also says that she is in charge of keeping the room clean. Mother calls this a “responsibility,” and acts like there’s some kind of big importance to the menial nature of straightening out the blankets and fluffing the pillows and picking up her toys and pushing the wastebasket out every week. That’s the only time Jester gets a glimpse of whatever it is that’s beyond her walls. Mother drills into her head that she must first listen for movement outside, or voices, and if nobody is there, then she is allowed to crack open the door and slide the basket through. Mother usually brings it back when she checks up on Jester the next morning, although sometimes she forgets, or sometimes it takes her a while to visit again. And if Jester is bothered by the little pile of wrinkled papers or soiled napkins or everyday scraps that occasionally accumulate by her desk, she does not show it. She doesn’t want Mother to think that anything is wrong, or Mother might get angry and stop visiting. Jester does not want that to happen.

_________________________

Books with pictures are important to Jester. She does not know what an eagle looks like, since one has never flown past her window before. She isn’t sure what a chandelier should be, since her room is only lit by glowing lanterns at night. She’s never seen a horse as more than a tiny dot weaving through the streets.

And though she does not know this, Jester would not even be able to say what a human would look like. Or a half-elf. Or orc, or halfling, or full elf or dwarf or dog or cat or snake or bird or butterfly or beetle or worm or—

Sometimes Jester will prop open a drawing next to the mirror, and try and imagine herself like one of the creatures from the pages. Would her horns be gone, then? Would her ears point like this? Would her arms be shorter and would her skin be cream-colored?

Of course, it’s not nearly enough. There are so many other questions. What kind of warmth does the sunlight shed? What kind of caress does the wind bring? What sort of kisses does the rain give? What does the grass whisper? What does the sea sing? Jester does not know. The world outside is stories from Mother and scratchings in books and the slow, distant crawl of the tiny world behind window.

She wants to go outside. She wants to go outside. She wants to go outside.

_________________________

Jester gets older. Mother starts making sure she keeps up with her studies, even if they’re about boring things like math and science and history. Their rare times together are filled with Mother listing off her spelling mistakes or tutting at her arithmetic errors or sighing when Jester hits a wrong note.

She misses the fun. There’s only so much entertainment that drawing the same city skyline can bring, even if she changes up the color of the sky and adds sparkling, rainbow-colored dragons soaring overhead. Sometimes she’ll throw all her blankets onto the floor and roll around on them. Sometimes she’ll rearrange the books on her shelves, and then take them all down and then rearrange them again. Sometimes, she tosses her owlbear into the air and catches him again. Sometimes she runs around the room and hides under the bed and presses her face against the glass of the window. But she never, ever makes a sound. That is the worst thing Jester can do, and Mother gets very angry when she does.

When she does, it hurts. And mother yells and rages at her for being too loud, too disruptive, it’s dangerous if anybody hears Jester, then Mother can’t do her work and she can’t have any clients and Jester, you’re being ungrateful and you’re being a pain and I’m going to have to spend more time away from you to make up for this and you’ll have to be alone. If you keep it up, you might have to be alone for a long time. A very, very long time. that what you want, Jester? Do you want me to go away forever?

No.

Then you must be quiet, she will say with steely eyes. Nobody can know you are here.

_________________________

Jester does not like the men and ladies she can hear wandering through their home. They get to listen to Mother sing in person more than Jester does. They get to go to Mother’s fancy parties, and Jester imagines they can wear the fanciest of clothes and have the nicest of jewels and come and go whenever they please. And they love Mother, they love her so much. Often, Jester is worried that Mother loves them too. And that one day she will decide to go away with them, instead of staying here in the house.

Jester hates them.

But Mother insists that they are very nice people, and more than that, they give her all the money that lets Jester have nice things. And Jester—whose entire life is a smiling Mother who brings her beautiful dresses and lacy ribbons and shiny rings and silk sheets and a glittering inkwell and lovely toys and the huge bay window and one, gorgeous room—understands.

And continues to make no sound.

_________________________

Now, every time Mother comes to see her, every time, Jester will ask the same question.

“When can I go outside the room?”

“One day. When you’re older. Don’t worry so much, dear.”

_________________________

When the food tray comes, Jester takes a deep breath and prays that Mother will not hear about this and says, to the pair of hands that slide the panel open, “Hello! What is your name? My name is Jester. How are you?”

There’s a sharp inhale of breath. Then the tray is pushed through and the panel slammed shut.

And, unfortunately, Mother does hear about it.

_________________________

This story has a very interesting plot. It’s about a young girl with beautiful golden hair who’s locked away in a tower by a horrible witch. One day, a man in shining armor comes and she lets her hair down and he climbs his way into the tower. Then together, they escape, and the girl is free and they live happily ever after.

Jester reads it many, many times.

_________________________

She can hear Mother laughing through the walls, thick and sturdy as they are. There is another voice in the bedroom. It says something in a low voice, which makes Mother laugh the harder. Then there is only breathing, sporadic and shallow and loud. There are other sounds. Jester knows them all already. She puts her pillow over her head, mindful of her horns, and tries to go to sleep.

_________________________

Jester is much older. Or she thinks she is, anyways, but Mother still gives her the same nonchalant answer. So finally, she decides that tonight will be the night she leaves her room. It’s a hard decision for Jester, who is terrified of ruining things for her and Mother, but she can hear singing next door, a song about a young girl lost at sea. This means that Mother is singing to only one person, and will be busy all night. It’s the perfect chance.

She squeezes stuffed animals beneath her blanket in a tiefling-shaped bundle. Then she moves to the wardrobe. She knows, from things that Mother says sometimes, that not everybody will be alright with her horns and her tail. They are jealous, she assumes, but she is wise enough to know that jealousy can be a dangerous thing. So she pulls her nicest blue cloak over her head, and tucks her tail into her skirt even though it’s kind of uncomfortable. She slips on some brown boots and ties her little pouch onto her belt.

She snuffs out her candle, and closes the door gently.

_________________________

The first thing she sees is a hallway, with plush carpets that are deep and red. There are strange figures lining the walls, white and grey and Jester figures that these must be statues. She wants to stand and admire them. Maybe whip out a pen and add to the artwork. There are paintings hanging too, gorgeous all and little cards mounted beside them announce what they are of, and who made them. Jester wants to stop and read every one.

But she did not come here to stare at pictures. She has been doing that already for all her life. She sees a drop in the railing, and stairs beyond that. She makes her way over.

The second layer of the house is more confusion. More art, some plants, tables and chairs and cabinets full of plates. Even with her darkvision, it’s hard to see anything clearly in the low light. Besides, that’s still not what she wants. Eventually, moving as silently as possible, she sees a large, large door. The golden dial-lock on it makes a faint click. The handle turns.

Jester slips out into the night.

_________________________

The first hour had been wonderful, better than anything she could ever have dreamed up herself. The glowing strings of lights between the colorful buildings had looked like stars, and there were people—huge, tall people!—milling about and laughing and smiling at every corner. Some were human, some had the pointy ears that meant they were elves, and some of the shorter ones Jester figured were halflings. Or dwarves. She wasn’t sure how to tell the difference, there.

The sun was gone, so she couldn’t scratch that off the list, but the moon shone brightly overhead, which made Jester feel warm on the inside for some reason. The breeze felt incredible. The air could be alive! And the cobbled path under her feet felt more solid than carpet ever would. She skipped down the streets, ignoring those who gave her strange glances, and carried on her merry way.

At some point, she bought a doughnut off a man who looked very confused about the five gold she had paid him. She was told by a nice lady that her dress was pretty. She had stopped and smelled huge red flowers growing by the side of a building, and had watched golden birds flit across the evening sky. A nice stranger in a long cloak like hers pointed her towards “the beach” when she asked, and she skipped along under the faint warm glow of the streetlights, until she got there.

It went wrong, so very wrong, when she a merchant saw her leaning over his cart. She had thought it would be funny if she mixed around the trinkets and shiny baubles that were just lying there, not doing anything! She wasn’t stealing, she was just trying to cheer him up! But the man, hornless and tail-less, had not believed her. She could remember the anger in his eyes, the way he called her “little devil,” and the fear that churned in her chest when he picked up a large wooden stick from behind his stall and started moving closer. For a moment, his tangled black hair was beautiful deep red curls and his clenched teeth were pointed and the stick was a candlestick and Mother was very, very angry with Jester and she didn’t mean to do it, she just tripped in her room and please, Mother, I promise I’ll be good I’m sorry I’ll be quiet—

—and now Jester refuses to let a sound escape her. Her cloak is lying on the bed, ripped. It had gotten caught on something as she was running back to her room, from the scary man and his scary friends and something else pounding in her tired little heart.

She wants to try and comfort herself with a song, but knows that if she wakes anybody up next door, Mother really will be angry with her. She can never know that Jester had been outside her room, let alone outside the house. So Jester buries her face into a stuffed owlbear and shakes in the quiet.

And then a warm hand gently touches her on the shoulder. She almost flinches away, hard, but the gesture is so comforting and so peaceful that she finds herself relaxing slightly.

And then she hears a voice, lilting and calm, echoing in the back of her mind.

What a dick he was, eh?

She looks around, holding the owlbear close to her chest. “…hello?” She whispers as quietly as she dares.

Hello, Jester.

Her voice is barely a breath on the wind. “How do you know my name?”

I know a lot of things. I am a god.

Growing excitement makes her voice quiver. “A god?” she asks. “Like the Storm Lord or the Dawnfather or the Annoying Mistress or the—”

She breaks off when the stranger starts chuckling. Oh, that’s a good one. I’ll remember that one. No, I’m not a god like they are. And before Jester can get disappointed the voice says, I’m a different kind of god. I’m not looking for servants or worshippers. I’m just looking for a friend. And you seem to be someone who might also want a friend.

Jester’s eyes widen. “I do!” she says just a little bit louder than she intended, “I want one really badly. Will you be mine? I have lots of toys and books that we can share, and oh, I can tell you all about today! It was very, very cool, mostly.”

I’d like that, says the voice.

“What should I call you, if we’re going to be friends?”

How about…the Traveler?

Jester beams, though she still isn’t quite sure where to look. “It is very nice to meet you, the Traveler,” she says quietly. “Would you like to hear about the flowers I saw today?”

Why don’t you show me? A soft breeze stirs through the room, and a little, leather-bound sketchbook that had been lying on Jester’s desk briefly flies open. A charcoal stick rolls off a nearby shelf, and bumps into it.

I hear you’re a very good artist, says the Traveler.

“I am!” Jester whispers excitedly.

She rushes over to the desk, dragging a cushioned stool to the space on her right so her new friend can watch her draw. And as her charcoal darts across the blank pages, for the first time in a very, very long time, Jester sits in her room. And she is not alone.

_________________________

“And then he died!” Jester says, waving her hands in the air. “Just like that! And he was the main guy, too!”

The Traveler makes a sound of surprise that isn’t entirely surprised.

“I know!” says Jester, not noticing that last part.

And then what happened?

“Well, that was the end of the book. But you won’t believe who comes back in the second book!”

I think I might have a guess. But why don’t you tell me anyways?

“Oh, I’m going to.”

_________________________

“What do you look like?” Jester asks. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, of course, I was just wondering,” she hastily amends.

Would you really like to see? asks the Traveler. Because, if you really want to, I can show you.

“Oh, yes! Yes, I really would.”

That night, Jester dreams about a tall figure in a verdant cloak. It’s not exactly what she was hoping for, but it’s amazing all the same. She does notice their forest-green eyes; it’s like peering into the woods and seeing the trees blink back at you. Perhaps unsettling to some, but Jester has no fear of the unknown. It’s all unknown to her, anyways.

_________________________

“You might look good in purple,” Jester suggests. “Oh, and with some pretty bows on your sleeves!”

There’s a disembodied chuckle. Maybe, but I think green is just my color. Don’t you?

_________________________

Hey, isn’t it stuffy in here?

Jester thinks for a moment. “It’s always like this,” she says.

Right, but why don’t we go and get some fresh air? I know some great places.

Jester bites her lip tentatively. “Um…I know I’ve been outside before, and it was really cool, but it was also a little bit scary. I’m not sure if I want to go back for the scary parts.”

There’s a brief silence, and Jester is suddenly afraid she’s said something to make the Traveler mad. She’s very afraid that they’re so mad they won’t talk to her anymore.

But then the Traveler says, What if I gave you a way to protect yourself?

Then she would go outside, Jester reasons. Then she wouldn’t have any reason to be afraid.

_________________________

You’re a tiefling, yes?

“Yes.”

Your kind has some pretty incredible innate abilities that you can use for defense and offence. Hasn’t your mother ever told you about them before?

“No. Not ever, actually.”

Well, this is called ‘Thaumaturgy.’ It’s good for distractions, and a good place to start, I think.

_________________________

Jester learns it. She also learns that she’s resistant to some types of damage, that she can use magic for calling down fire and for healing herself and for hurting the people that hurt her first.

_________________________

Do you want to try going outside?

“I don’t know. I mean, I really, really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I’m still a little scared. It’s just…it’s just that I know I can do magic, but it’s different than holding a sword or having a dagger even though I don’t know how to use those. It’s just nice to hang onto something, and magic is words buried in my brain.”

Brief silence. Then, I think I know what you’re talking about. Why don’t you go to sleep tonight, and maybe check under your pillow in the morning. But don’t look until then. You need to have faith for this to work. Do you have faith?

“Oh, yes, I do!”

You have faith in me?

“Yes! Absolutely, yes.”

Then in the morning, alright? Not until the morning.

_________________________

Ready to go?

Jester shrugs her cloak on and steels herself. “Ready.”

_________________________

The moonlight still feels calming when it washes over her. The cobbles still feel solid. The breeze still tickles pleasantly, and the doughnut-man actually looks rather excited to see her. And if anybody gives her any odd glances, and if soldiers shoot her undeserved glares, she mentally recites the sounds of her spells and grounds herself with the metal circle hanging around her waist. She likes to rub her thumb around the edges and think about the Traveler. And whenever she calls out, they answer.

Mother notices when Jester stops asking about going outside. She clearly isn’t sure what caused the change, but it’s a relief all the same. She was getting rather tired of Jester’s pestering. And if Jester doesn’t seem as desperate for her attention anymore or as needy as she used to be, Mother doesn’t mind. In fact, she’s delighted. The girl has finally grown out of her childish inclinations.

_________________________

Jester reaches a hand out, but her fingers pass through the other girl.

It’s only an illusion, I’m afraid. But it’ll give you somebody to talk to even if I’m not around.

“I love it! I love it so, so much!”

_________________________

The shopkeeper stares at her in confusion. “Didn’t I just see you come in? You did a loop and then left, didn’t you?”

Jester stifles a giggle. “Nope, not at all.” Then she flicks her wrist, and her illusion walks straight through the door and silently stands next to the man. Jester gives him a friendly wave and turns to leave. Just as she exits she hears a scuffling sound as he turns, and laughs at his sharp shout of surprise and startled, “What the hell?!”

_________________________

“And then they fall in love! Isn’t that so beautiful? Oh, I love this book.”

It’s quite a tale.

“I still think the guard should have been the one to fall in love with him. They had so much chemistry!”

Sometimes love works in odd ways, doesn’t it?

Jester considers this. “Yes,” she agrees. “Like how Mother says she loves me, that’s sort of odd, isn’t it?”

Yes, it is.

“Don’t worry. It doesn’t bother me anymore. I have you, instead!”

_________________________

The Traveler is always with her. Even when they are busy and don’t answer right away, even when they spend a few hours doing other things and even when they suddenly drop a conversation, Jester has faith that they are still there. That they are still listening. And that when they say they will be back, and when they say that Jester can tell them anything she wants, they mean it. They really, really mean it.

_________________________

Oh, are we sneaking out again, tonight?

Jester slings her coat onto her back and pulls her satchel off the bed. “You bet,” she says. “There was a very uppity-looking lady at the tavern last time, and I think she could use some fun.”

I always like the way you think, Jester.

_________________________

Mother still comes around. Once in a while. But now the infrequency of her visits and strange layer of awkward ice between them does not matter at all.

_________________________

“I’ve got a new idea for a prank,” declares Jester.

Oh? And who might this one be featuring?

“You know that guy Mother is seeing now? Lord Robert something something?”

There’s a delighted laugh. Oh, yes. I know him.

“Well, get ready, because that disguise spell you taught me is really going to get some use tomorrow.”

_________________________

Jester packs in a frenzy. There are clothes strewn across the room and her travel sack is already half-full and there’s not enough time to get all her things, all her things

“Hurry, Jester! They’ll be here any minute!” Mother says. “You need to hurry!”

“I know, I know, I am! I am, I really am!”

Her mother sighs deeply. “Yes, yes I know. But please, go faster.”

_________________________

“Why would you do that?”

Jester bites her lip. “He deserved it,” she says.

Her mother does not argue this. “But now you can never come back to Nicodranas.”

“I can find somewhere to go. Maybe I will find Father.”

A barrage of emotions mars her Mother’s face for just a moment. “Maybe. Be safe, Jester. I do not like you leaving now.”

Jester could say something about how all she ever wanted was to leave. About how she is sure that Mother did not want her in the house in the first place. Something about how running away is better than being locked away. But she does not. Instead, she hugs her mother and lets the fingers run through her hair one last time.

“I love you, Jester.”

“I love you too, Mother.”

_________________________

This story has a very interesting plot. It’s about a young girl with navy hair who’s locked away for a very long time. One day, a voice creeps into her mind and she does something to a man in a girdle and she lets her Mother down. Eventually, she escapes, though not at all in the way she’d think.

Jester did not expect this story.

_________________________

She sits atop her new horse. “I lied,” she says to the air. “I don’t know where to go.”

And what about that other part?

Jester does not answer. Instead, “Traveler, where should we go?”

Maybe head down to Port Damali. There’s all sorts there. That might be a good place to start.

She nods. “Alright!” Then she takes a deep breath and pushes a smile to the front. “Port Damali awaits! A new adventure for me and you!”

Indeed.

The sun brings a soft sort of warmth. The wind caresses her hair, and in the distance the sea sings of a new day. The world around her moves, and her horse’s hooves clop against the firm cobbles of a well-traveled cobblestone path.

#critical role #fic #fanfiction #jester #the traveler #campaign 2 #from where we came #huuuuge revamp of the whole deal #text #fanfic

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deliiverance-blog · 6 years

Text

* ― ANA DE ARMAS ?? no, that’s just DIANE STRYKER !! she’s the TWENTY FIVE year old daughter of WILLIAM STRYKER, and is, in addition to being an UNDERGRAD there, the current JOURNALISM TA at paragon academy. i hear she’s BENEVOLENT & INTUITIVE, but tends to be pretty DIFFIDENT & MELANCHOLIC. her file says that her power is PSYCHOSOMATIC ILLUSION MANIPULATION. you can check out her pinterest HERE and read her stats page HERE !!

can we speak in flowers? it will be easier for me to understand.

SECTION ONE OF THREE: BULLET POINT HISTORY

allow me to introduce you all to my sad girl daughter, miss diane jael stryker - born on august eighth, 1992, to a pretty well known father and an unknown, even to her, mother. her mom was a mutant. this only came clear, later, to both her and her father - but way back then, colonel william stryker DIDN’T know that, and her mother wasn’t about to say. everything that transpired between them was born from some sort of necessity. she had never meant to love him, but she DID, and from that love had come diane.

she was only three months old when her mother disappeared from her life, forever. she had always thought that maybe, just maybe, love would save her husband. that if it all came out far in the future that she was a low level mutant then perhaps by then how much he cared for her would drown how much he despised her kind, and with the knowledge of what his wife was, might change his life’s mission. she was, like many women who think they can save a man that’s too far gone with nothing more than softness, wrong. housecleaning one day, she came across the files her husband kept stored away in his office - a place she had very rarely ventured before - and it wasn’t until she went through those cases, with their pictures, and their details, that she knew EXACTLY the sort of man he was, and just how beyond saving he was, to boot. there was nothing for it, and she ran - but she left behind diane. she lacked money, and resources, and that special maternal bone that meant that you would do ANYTHING for the fruit of your womb. she couldn’t handle a child. and stupidly, maybe, she thought that if she did turn out to be like HER, then william would never harm a hair upon her head.

william saw his wife’s disappearance as delayed cold feet. he didn’t know about her being a mutant, or what she had seen, so he had no reason to think otherwise. she had rushed into marriage and their new baby, always a bit on the sickly side, had been the last straw - she had run off and abandoned them both, nothing more. when he told diane of her mother, he made sure to sugarcoat it. he told her that she had loved her. that she’d come back, someday, when she was ready. he tried not to upset diane.

in fact - since she was human, william did a lot of that. diane was his little girl. his only child, his legacy, and with no reason to hate her, he didn’t. against what anyone might have expected, the main advocate for death to mutants was the WORLD’S BEST FATHER - diane’s words, once, not mine. they shared a lot of time together. he made sure that she learned manners and how to act - girls should speak only when spoken to, and they should have a deep respect for their elders - and had a deep sense of faith. they attended church twice weekly, when he was around, and when he wasn’t, she instead attended with her grandmother - a sweet old woman getting on in age, who cared deeply for her granddaughter.

william wasn’t all conservative white guy in his raising of her, though. she was taught how to fix up cars and how to defend herself. he did normal dad things, like hoist her up on his shoulders, and read her bedtime stories and play hide and seek for a few hours before dinner. when she had her first boyfriend - a little bit later than the norm, because she had attended all girls private schools for most of her life - he even drove them, personally, to the cinema. and when he wasn’t there to do those things, her nana - who was, by the time she was four, living with them - was the best. she taught her how to cook and knit, and would take his place reading her bedtime stores. when her sight failed her, she had taught her how to read enough that diane could take those over. she had a happy life, and she learned everything she needed to, on top of everything he wanted her to.

and when she was older, she learned how to run rallies. diane stryker : the poster child for the next generation of the anti-mutant movement. once she had reached an age he thought appropriate, william would bring her along with him as he traveled across the country, getting her to help out and giving her steadily more and more important jobs until finally, she was running things behind the scenes for him. she was good at it. she knew what to say to reporters, or to talk show hosts. her dad had instilled in her a true fear of mutantkind - and a hatred, too, though at the time she didn’t know that. at the time, she didn’t even know that what she felt was WRONG. diane was never bad. she never said the things she did, or helped out with the things she helped with, because she was evil, and wanted mutants DEAD. she did everything because all her life, her dad had been teaching her to. it just felt like it was right.

and when she found out she was a mutant, her world turned upside down. it really goes without saying that everything she had ever done on top of who her father was made diane a TARGET - and as she was leaving another rally well done one night, her car was attacked by a more radical mutant group. she was dragged from it, towards an suv. she wasn’t sure - and never would be - whether they just intended on holding her for a time as leverage against her father, or whether their message would be her death, but she never found out. her powers manifested. she wasn’t thinking straight so it was all very choppy, that first time - she couldn’t kick them but she wished she could so they felt like she had, etc, etc - but it was enough that she got away, and there was no doubt in her mind about what she was. diane didn’t know what to do. she knew what her father would say - do - and she knew, too, that she had suddenly become everything she had spent her life being told was wrong. with fear in her pure little heart, diane RAN.

a girl like her on the streets could have come across pretty much anyone. things could have been so much worse, in so many different ways, but by the light of god, diane found the underground - and her hero, lorna dane. it’s all a lot, still, and there’s still SO MUCH that diane has to learn. but she’s going to try. and she’s going to be better in the future, i promise.

SECTION TWO OF THREE: HEADCANONS

diane can be fairly tone deaf, still, about mutants. she doesn’t mean to be. there are experiences that she never had, and things she had never learned until more recently, that mean she’s very much a fish out of water, ariel in the little mermaid style - sometimes she shies away from fellow mutants out of the same fear that she used to be gripped by, and misunderstanding, because it’s all just.. so new to her.

her first inner conflict comes as she unlearns everything her father ever taught her about mutants. she now knows, thanks to lorna, thanks to so many OTHER mutants, that everything she had ever done and seen them as was wrong. she’s different now and she feels differently towards her fellow mutants, too, but there are still some lessons she can thank her father for that run deep, and she sometimes fears she’ll never unlearn them all.

her second inner conflict comes with lining up who she thought her father was for all these years and who she has since learned he really is. diane isn’t jaded. she now knows, thanks to the underground, exactly the sort of monster her father is, and some of the horrors he’s inflicted. she knows he’s awful, and she hates him, but... he was never awful to her, and her good memories come to her at the worst of times. diane knows he’s a terrible person. but she also remembers her loving father. it’s difficult.

she always smells like a mix of lavender and tea tree, and no one knows whether that’s her perfume or the bath salts that she uses.

she once owned a 1986 pale eggshell blue volkswagen beetle that she had nicknamed “bug”, and which was the most reliable little run around car that a person could have. her grandmother was the previous owner and it had sat in her garage doing nothing for over a decade by the time diane and her dad started fixing it up, and she sometimes thinks it’s the one thing she should have brought with her.

diane often takes a fancy to random hobbies, and continues doing them for some time before she moves on to the next new idea she gets. the one thing she has never moved on from, though, is art - she’s by no means a GOOD artist ( and she never will be ) but she is an amazing writer with a lot of promise in her future, and she tries her best to illustrate certain moments in her many journals as best she can.

she’s a coffee fiend.

she has never & will never have an up to date phone. even before she ran away with nothing other than the clothes on her back, she preferred older, more classic sort of mobiles - and now, she has a simple black motorola RAZR.

she’s the sort of girl who wears floral / print headscarves tied in her hair every single day, without fail. she always has a new scarf to fashion a little bit differently, and that’s just one of her many quirks, which sets her apart from the crowd. look for the headscarf and you’ll find di.

one thing she gets a lot of enjoyment out of doing is painting her nails. it’s small and silly, but it’s very calming to sit for however long she’s sitting, just dotting a pattern along the tip of her nail (and trust me, there’s always a tip to dot- somehow, her nails aren’t easily broken) or even simply painting them a different color. usually she sticks to white nail polish, but when she branches out it’s usually into pale, calming colors - light green, light blue, pale pink, soft red.

diane is always organized, and always has dozens of things she doesn’t need cluttering up her pack on the off chance that someone else might need them. more than that, though, she’s a girl who has pockets filled with oddities, that range from practical use items - she still remembers the first time she pulled out her multi-purpose penknife set, and everyone’s wide eyed reaction - and little trinkets that you’d think she just forgot to take out of there after buying, such as tiny carved animals, and coins from around the world. she’s a little bit of a hoarder in a sense, never wanting to part from a memory, and by keeping things close to her from certain points in her life, she makes herself feel so much happier - and the things she often pulls out of her pockets in her search for her phone also serve the purpose of causing intrigue among whoever she’s with.

her clothes have always hailed from charity shops and second hand markets - even when she COULD afford better. she doesn’t see the point in spending so much on what she wears when there are items out there worth so much more than what they’re going for, which still look amazing in spite of having been worn a few times in the past. for that reason, a lot of her clothes are a little oversized, and very mix and match - her outfits are always thrown together in little to no time.

she’ll argue, forever, that her sight is FINE - but the fact remains that for things like reading, she really does require her glasses. they’re an old timely seeming pair that do their job, and though she’s been told time and time again how out of fashion they are, she can’t seem to bring herself to change them - just another example of how endlessly attached to seemingly small things she gets.

SECTION THREE OF THREE: WANTED CONNECTIONS

ppl who hate her. they’d be hating for good reason but she’s rly nOT a bad person, so i’m interested in both the idea of ppl who will never like her & the idea of people who hate her now but will eventually like her ok

fr..iends..??

an ex, for fun

idk

#「･ﾟ ☆ ･ * the rose discovers she is an instrument of war ― diane stryker. 」#sidekick.intro

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grawsay · 7 years

Text

ok im just gonna say im holding you to your promises every day im not gonna be on your ass but im not accepting last if you dont live up to your word you'll move from second to third then the past : im serious though even though i didnt do it in a serious way i love you from you head to your toe baby

You Na wait stop What was my word

me im not gonna keep telling you everyday i feel like im the master, you're the puppet we're not on the same page and i get lost for words like chelsea Dummett everytime i see your face

You Ok can we pause the free styling What's my word

me no we can't pause when it comes to us there are no laws im not the boss so stop telling me to instruct you can you read back our conversation before you overthink and it destructs you i feel like an old record player on repeat you asked me some things right before we went to sleep that night when we had that big fight And you brought your A game cause you're the samurai alright im done but that was fun

you So how's it feel Thinking back to the times when to I was like a snack or maybe a meal Now you're steady saying im changing but baby it's just the fantasy becoming real And Your not getting all of me n u don't kno how to deal So I guess rn now I'll take this opportunity to tell u how I feel all the while hoping I don't keep it too real So now I'm in out of being defensive putting up shields Blocking u out And every time we fight I b locking u out Too often finding myself knocking u out Out of your space of being my girlfriend I'm running out of ideas praying to God so he can send N I'm never one to follow with the crowd and keep up with the trend So I can just cut u off and let this just end I'm not sure if this end I will befriend you Cuz I rele love that I get to call u my boo Kno it's not Thursday but I wanna throw back to when we're just kool N All this fighting got me sick but I'm sure it's not the flu Not on the show with the blue dog but I'm looking for a clue You're asking if I care wondering if it's true Got me wondering if u doubt the fact tht I love you And honestly I kno to myself this is just one of them phases Back then u were cool now you're hot like the fire when it blazes And now I'm lost in time checking out spaces losing parts of me on some many misplaces Attempting to control time so I could put a switch on the paces noticed tht we showing each other different sides can't recognize each other like we got different faces But I'm sticking around tryna see this thru cuz I got this feeling with u is where my place is

Me You said you WERE a snack? You ARE a snack I never stopped adoring you so please remember that You dont always tell me whats wrong but always "hey beautiful" every morn And when i get in my feelings i wanna leave this meeting is adjurned That's bad on my part But things were different in the start ANd now all i see are fallacies You saying i was living in a fantasy Got me questioning if you and i were meant to be Or if i'm really a priority I dont doubt you love me i doubt our compatibility And it's killing me How things changed so fast Im struggling to stay relevant but for now im last Last on your mind IT wasn't this way in the past Some days you used to miss so much you were skipping class Some nights you called me more than you were grabbing my ass Not saying i dont like that I have no choice but to fight back You dont see that we're drifting and that's a fact i could go and just walk out and say that's a wrap but you're the best i ever had It's just the change and all this locking out that's got me so mad We're supposed to be growing I'm tired and it's showing But im not giving up as long as the wind is blowing f I know im a bit pessimistic it's my way of being realistic Sometimes i dont understand my own thoughts like it's cryptic I wanna see you succeed i dont wanna see you without me and its looking like that cant coincide coincidentally Baby sit down and think a minute is the relationship in you or are you in it are you all about us or are you all about me? Without the two of us what will this relationship be? i wanna take care of you and you take care of me cant you see i cant always be there phyically but i can emotionally But you said it takes time to rely and i keep having dreams that one of us dies one of us is left to cry and ask why why didnt we give our all when we had time : time is a factor yes but time can't stop us If time is our transportation then we're missing the bus Im not losing trust I have insecurities Loving, trusting relying, opening and getting closer should come to us naturally and i don't mean immediately but once we're losing as the days go by indefinitely that makes me question if we will last or if we're meant to be

You You're never last in my mind and thts something u don't see In the past it was just u and me No work no dance all my time was just free And now those things are here and they got me busy Not showing u attention and affection like before to this I admit I'm guilty But I will always love u even tho I'm not Whitney But I keep asking for u to bare with me I told u what was up u said u understood and deep down I was like yippie Thinking u were in the same page with me But it's clear tht your not You get upset and start saying some hurtful shit and ask me why I'm affected like I'n some kind of robot Doing stuff like tht to u is something I could not Now I'm asking where is the patience u claim u got N I ask myself will this work it's clear it might not Tht particular thought in my head is like somebody pointed the gun to my chest and took the shot And the bullet is in there and damn it's hot Everyday is just another day Tryna hold me cool and breeze it through like a palm tree and sway And It seems like my positivity bugs u like a black beetle like my name was lee swae Wait his name is swae lee And yea I find myself wondering too if it's meant to be And u got some kinda of relationship agenda it would seem to me U wanna accomplish certain things with us so we can grow like a tree But baby u need u to understand u just gota let some thing be Cuz what's kool for u to give and do me not be kool to me Cuz regardless of what u see time is a rele rele big deal to me Certain things I can't just pull of thin air⁠⁠⁠⁠ Cuz for those things got come from within me where they're anything but a thin layer U said there's no one stopping me but me But I'm the biggest obstacle they'll ever be So just giving u what u want just like tht isn't so easy And again and again I've asked h to bare with me U say yea but honestly u can't take it and I can tell cuz every time u get a little more cold icee But I'm trying so hard why can't u see Now bare in mind I said it takes time and not tht it can never be So here I am again feeling stupid now asking u to bare with me Trust me we'll grow just u wait and see But tell me of something u kno thts worthwhile tht comes easy While u think In the mean while I'll ask u to have faith in me So yea here I am again asking u to bare with me But honestly if u can't wait for me to be who I am supposed to be I'm not chaining u down so if u want to leave just go free Cuz time is of essence and it's just not free cuz often time we can hear ppl say it's money And if tht the case I don't wanna rob u Cuz I rele don't wanna see us having a court case on some divorce court boo So if it's just too much then u can just do u But just kno I do love you

me This is not going to get easier i hope you realize You're going to get busier as time flies responsibilities are going to hit you by surprise If im alrady loosing my place in your life then what would the time ahead lies Im asking that you please hear my cry I dont wanna be with another guy I dont see you as a robot You said you would change your status and up to now you did not Stop making these promises especially if you're not down with it if one thing after a next fails how am i gonna keep believing shit You're right it's not a big deal not changing is wont make us less real but it wouldn't take an hour to let the world know that im your girl though And people start observing The things they said start hurting telling me it cause your window is left open shit had me moping You promised to show me off i guess i was hoping i tried to stop bugging you but im not coping all that bottling up it started showing how am i supposed to bare with you when you're not doing simple things i asked you to do You're of the view that you're supposed to hold back and that's true Im trying to be content and not asking for anything big thing you're acting like im asking you for a ring I know you got more to add to the table than you bring Im your queen not just some fling I keep talking and asking but you're not listening That's making me doubt I always say if you can put your dick in my mouth you can listen without me having to shout and sometimes you get frustrated and shout and idk what that's about i love you but if you keep suggesting i leave i will yes i get thoughts but with your suggestions it starts to build the last guy that keep suggesting really didnt want me to stay and im happy we did this today a civil way to say what we have to say i really hope we can work all this out but if you don't claim me and keep suggesting i leave im out

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