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whirl-whump · 3 months

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The Werewolf Pt 1: The Capture

[A/N: I have more planned for this whumpee! I will make a masterlist and pin it when I finish the next part. It's hard to believe, but things will actually get worse for the poor guy, hehe.]

CWs: werewolf whumpee, nudity (nonsexual), blood, manhandling, injury, dehumanisation, it as pronouns, dog attack, death threat, knives -------------------------------------

The rooster crowed. On a misty, frosty morning, Oscar woke with blood in his mouth.

Panting into the grass, he waited for the pains of his transformation to fade. His muscles and tendons should relax into their old form soon. But the pain didn’t leave, not entirely. There was a sharp, clenching pain deep in his right thigh that only got worse as the adrenaline wore off.

Despite the bone-deep aches, the man managed to carefully lift his head and look behind him. He hissed: the unmistakable shaft of an arrow, gone clean through the meat of his thigh. Shit. At least the bleeding seemed to have stilled for now.

The wolf must have been desperate and hunted something it shouldn’t have. And now here Oscar lay: wounded, naked, and still goddamned hungry. Whatever he had caught must have been small. Stupid animal couldn’t even hunt properly.

He looked around, but couldn’t place the clearing he was in. He wasn’t looking forward to stumbling around in the forest searching for his supplies, but he needed something to dress the wound with before he removed the shaft. Thank small mercies he healed faster than most humans.

With trembling arms, he pushed himself onto his elbows. Without his fur, he was shivering in the cold, which made his thigh flare up with a pulling pain. Oscar grunted. He wondered if he could even bring himself to move like this.

Then, his ears picked up something distant, but not distant enough: barking dogs and yelling voices. An animal-like panic gripped his heart. Wound be damned, he would have to try!

The werewolf scrambled to his feet, only to slip in the wet grass and fall down on the hard ground with a painful crash. The noise got closer.

For once, the man wished the animal inside him had stuck around longer. It was stupid and dangerous, but at least it was better at getting away. On his hands and knees, Oscar made a valiant but vain attempt. All he managed to do, was release more of the scent of his fear into the air.

The dogs breached the clearing, barking triumphantly.

Oscar curled up and covered his neck with his hands. It was a horrid way to go, a distant part of him thought. But without his teeth and claws, the dogs would make work of him, if the arrows wouldn’t.

The barking got so loud. He heard their paws rush through the snow, and closed his eyes-

A sharp ear-piercing whistle blew, and the paws skipped to a stop. A harsh voice called.

“Heel! Back boys, heel!”

Oscar could feel the frustration from the animals, so close to their trembling prey. He kept his eyes closed in fear, but their panting sounded like they were big. No doubt spit was dripping from their jaws.

A sharp prick grazed his heel, and he yelped.

“Bexter! Bad! Heel!”

The dog gave up on his half-hearted attempt and retreated.

Another set of footsteps approached, running.

“Why’d you call them back?”

“Some poor sod got attacked, I think. They must have smelled the wolf on him. Sir! You alright?”

Was he talking to him? Was he “sir”? That had been a while. Especially while naked in a field. It was so shocking he struggled to find his words. The second voice answered for him.

“Does he look alright to you? Wait...”

He seemed to see something. When he spoke again, it was low and angry in a muted way.

“That’s my arrow.”

Dead silence settled across the field.

Oscar dared to open his eyes. Thankfully the way he was curled up concealed the worst indignities, but it didn’t hide the arrow sticking from his thigh. Nor the blood that covered his face and arms.

The first hunter finally caught on that that blood wasn’t his.

His eyes turned cold as ice.

“You got it in its hind leg, didn’t you.” he asked the other hunter, a broad man with heavy brows. The man nodded.

Any hope of pretending to be a victim faded. Werewolves were rare, but not unheard of. They tended to get rarer when they were caught and dealt with.

Covering himself with one bloodied hand, Oscar tried to raise the other in a placating manner.

“Sirs, I-I don’t know what I did, b-but I swear-”

He didn’t get to finish before the first hunter clicked his teeth and sharply called his dogs to action.

“Fetch!”

Scrabbling was no use, and Oscar cried as the dog descended on him. Like the well-trained animals they were, they could fetch prey without destroying it. But their sharp teeth dug into his arms and the meat of his shoulders with an iron grip. Oscar knew that even with his fast healing, it would take days before he was recovered.

If he had days to live, anyway.

Dumped before the feet of the hunters, the broad one held a knife against his throat, and he froze.

“We ought to kill it, for what it did.”

His colleague chastised: “The duke will judge that. It isn’t our place. Just truss it up.”

Oscar was too scared to even swallow, as his arms were tied behind his back. He tried to make his trembling lips cooperate long enough to speak. If he wouldn’t be killed yet, there was time to bargain.

“I-I am sorry for whatever I killed, I promise I can work to repay it, please-” The handle of the knife knocked hard against his temple, and spots danced in his vision.

A rough rope was tied around his neck, and he was pulled to his unstable feet. Fire spread from his wound all the way to his toes whenever he put weight on his bad leg, and he struggled to stay upright. His eyes were stuck to the forest floor, fear and shame making his heart pound in his ears.

“Please, I’m a man now,” he begged. “I know I have to answer for what I did, but please, can I have something for the cold?” He couldn’t even bring himself to voice the shame of how he looked. But when he glanced up to gauge the hunters expression, he found no mercy.

“Don’t look like much of a man to me,” the broad one sneered, and that was that. Dignity shouldn’t be high on his priority list anyway.

The hunter that controlled the dogs had second thoughts, though.

“There’ll be women at the estate. Let’s give it something.”

“Fine, but it’ll get yours.”

The hunter seemed less enthused about the idea now, but he couldn’t back out. With a grumble, he took off his cloak and roughly threw it over Oscar.

“Thank you-” Oscar tried, but the man shut him up by shoving his shoulder. Oscar cried out from the pressure on the bitemarks and would have fallen if it weren't for the rope around his throat. The hunter snapped at him.

“Shut up! I’ll have to burn that damn thing now. Let’s just go.”

The dogs nipped at his heels as the humans pulled him forward, and with ice cold feet and a growing pit of dread in his stomach, Oscar was dragged to his fate.

#hehe my first post im excited!#my writing #my work #whump #whumpblr #nonhuman whumpee #werewolf whumpee #fantasy whump #nudity (nonsexual)#blood cw #manhandling #injury #dehumanisation #it as pronouns #dog attack #death threat #knives #if i missed anything please let me know!

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kazuyumi1412 · 1 year

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Detective Light Novel

~~~~~

Chapter 3:

Hands Stained with Blood & Blame

[Trigger Warning: Nightmare sequence involving a dog attack and blood.]

Everything was pitch black. There was nothing in sight, and walking got him nowhere. Gray wondered where the hell he was, looking around in an attempt to find something that could help him figure it out.

Well, it wasn’t long before he figured it out. Frankly, he wished that he hadn’t.

He was in hell.

His company? The Hound that attacked Cordelia.

“G-Good boy…” he stammered, backing away slowly. “Stay right there…”

The dog stared daggers at Gray, its teeth bared and letting out a low growl. Its eyes appeared almost like black voids, and the red stones on its collar appeared to be oozing blood. Gray wanted to make a run for it, but the Hound seemed even bigger than it was earlier.

“Please, go away,” the silver-haired brownie pleaded. “I promised I wouldn’t cause any trouble.”

The Hound didn’t seem to listen, letting out a loud howl and summoning more Hounds from the darkness. Gray froze up, then turned tail and ran for his life. The Hounds gave chase, pursuing him through the void.

I’m dead! I’m DEAD! Gray sprinted as fast as he could, his breath burning his throat. He stumbled over his own feet on a few occasions, but he kept himself upright, trying his hardest to get away from his pursuers. “I know I don’t belong ‘ere! Stop remindin’ me!”

Suddenly, the ground dropped out from underneath him, sending Gray into a freefall. Awaiting him at the bottom was the open mouth of a Hound, and the voices of the damned wailed in his ear. All he could do was scream, wishing for a painless death.

~~⚖~~

“GYAH!”

Gray sat up with a jolt, his breath escaping him in short, shallow bursts. Everything was so vivid. He could still feel the hot breath of the Hounds on the back of his neck. He quickly patted himself down, making sure that he was not, indeed, dead. He still wore his suit, minus the green vest and frilly bow. He didn’t exactly have anything resembling pyjamas on his person.

“Oh god…” he mumbled. “Fought that fing was gonna bite my ‘ead off…”

“Are you alright?” Cordelia asked.

Gray looked in the direction of her voice, but was caught off guard by how close she was. “Gyeh!” - he scrambled backwards a bit, falling off the makeshift mattress that was prepared for him - “Gah!”

She immediately backed off. “S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, Gray.” - she offered her hand, helping Gray to his feet - “There you go.”

“Fank—Thanks.” - he cleared his throat, trying to reorient himself - “I’m sorry about that. I hope that I didn’t wake you up, Ms. Cordelia.”

“It’s alright. I was awake anyway.” - she sat down on her bed - “Anyway, are you okay? You looked like you were having a bad nightmare.”

Gray straightened himself up. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me, Ms. Cordelia.”

“You can just call me Cor, y’know. That’s what Remi and Ms. Adeline call me.” - she leaned forward - “And besides, I don’t think I couldn’t worry about you even if I wanted to. You did nearly get killed by that thing…”

Gray let out a sigh, sitting back on his bed, which was nothing more than a small pillow and a spare handkerchief. “I’m sorry… Because of me being there, you got hurt. And now you’re offering your home to me practically on a silver platter.” - he embraced himself, bringing his arms close to his chest - “I just hope that I can do enough in return to make up for all of this…”

Cordelia scooted closer to her bedside table, where Gray’s makeshift mattress layed. “You know… You sound a lot like Remi.” - she looked over at her brother, who was sound asleep in the bed right across from her - “He was kind of obsessed with the idea of paying people back whenever they were nice to him. Ms. Adeline told him that it wasn’t worth his time to stress out over how to pay someone back. Sometimes, people do nice things just to be nice!” The silver-haired brownie stayed silent. “But anyway, what I was actually going to say first…” - she looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her fingers - “It’s alright if you’re scared of the Hounds. I am too. They look cute, but those suckers can be mean!” - she chuckled a little to herself - “I sounded a little bit like Ms. Adeline there, huh?”

Gray let his arms drape down, resting his hands on his lap. “I never really understood why the police thought that they were a good idea in the first place. I mean, they’re huntin’ dogs fer people! They shoulda expected somefin’ like this.” Cordelia didn’t respond, simply looking at him. Gray noticed this and immediately quieted down. “U-Um… Is there, uh, something wrong?”

She shook her head. “Not really. I’m just glad that I’m getting to know you better!” Cordelia glanced down and started mumbling. “Um… By the way… I’m sorry if I’m offending you…”

He was puzzled at that. “Offending me?”

“You know… Seeing you… The nickname… I kind of panicked when it came to the name, since I wasn’t able to get your actual one before you ran off.” - she gave a nervous chuckle - “Heck, I’ve probably been offending you by accident before we even met!”

Gray rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually…I’m not offended at all. In fact, I’m a little embarrassed to admit the truth!”

The female apprentice tilted her head, almost like a puzzled puppy. “Wait. The truth?”

He let out an awkward laugh. “It’s a little funny, to be honest.” - he looked up at Cordelia - “I…don’t have an actual name.” She wasn’t sure what to say, keeping quiet. “I know. Shockin’, ain’t it? I’ve always been goin’ frough life respondin’ t’ the names people call me. Though…some aren’t all that nice. Neva really got attached t’ any ov ‘em. ‘cept Gray.” - a smile appeared on his face - “I fink it suits me!”

Cordelia was silent for a bit, but a small giggle escaped her lips. “You’re a pretty unique brownie, Gray.”

“Yer—You’re a pretty unique ‘u—human!” - he lightly slapped himself on the head, muttering something that Cordelia couldn’t hear - “Thank you for making sure that I was okay, Ms. Corde… Cor.”

She gave him a gentle smile. “No problem. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask me. I’ll probably be awake anyway.”

Cordelia layed back down in her bed, draping the blanket over her. Gray did the same, trying to get back to sleep. He wasn’t very successful, though his insomnia was attributed more to him cringing at his slip-ups rather than the nightmare that he had.

~~⚖~~

Eventually, the sun started to rise, and there was a knock at the twins’ door. “Up ‘n at ‘em, you three!” Adeline said from the other side of the door. “Breakfast is almost done!”

“Coming!” Cordelia replied. She got up and went over to her brother’s bed, nudging him awake. “Time to get up, Remi. You can’t sleep all day!”

A tired groan escaped his lips. “I’m up…” he replied.

A small laugh came out of her. “How come I’m the one that stayed up all night, and you’re the one that’s tired?”

“You’re going to jinx it if you keep being cocky like that.” - he sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes - “I bet that you’ll pass out before noon.”

“No I won’t.”

“Yes you will.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Yuh-huh.”

Gray piped up. “Um, I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he told them, “but we should probably get ready. Don’t want to keep Ms. Idler waiting!”

The twins knew that he had a point, so they split up, with Cordelia taking some clothes out of an old armoire and heading to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Remington tried to wake himself up a bit more as he retrieved some of his clothes. Gray was pretty much already ready, since he slept in the same outfit that he wore almost every day. Frankly, though, he wished that he had something else to wear once in a while.

“If only I ‘ad some cloth,” the silver-haired brownie murmured. “I could maybe make myself some pyjamas…”

“What’s that?” Remington asked, glancing back at him.

He spluttered a bit. He didn’t think that Remington could hear him! “U-Uh, nothing. Nothing at all.”

“If you say so.” He grabbed his shirt from off of his bed, being a similar colour to the chestnut one that he was wearing the day prior, and slipped his arms into the sleeves. He outstretched his arms and tugged on the cuffs a few times to make sure that the sleeves were straight, then got to buttoning it up. “By the way, are you okay?”

He was a little confused by that. “I’m perfectly fine. Why do you ask?”

“Just wanted to make sure. This is probably your first time interacting with humans like this. I bet it’s a bit of a shock to you!”

“Well… I wouldn’t say that it’s not a bit of a shock. Usually, when people see me, they…” He went silent, seeming hurt.

Remington immediately stopped in his tracks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s alright. I’ve dealt with people prying before.”

He wasn’t sure what to say at first, keeping quiet. “It’s your business. Whether you share it or not, that’s your choice. Either way, if you need someone to talk to, we’re right here.”

Gray quietly nodded his head. “I’ll…keep that in mind.”

~~⚖~~

Not long after that, Cordelia returned alongside Adeline, who led the two men into the kitchen. The aroma of freshly cooked bacon was the first thing to hit them, but the sight of the filled dinner table nearly blew them off their feet!

“Why’d you make so much?!” Remington exclaimed, staring at the menagerie of dishes on the table.

“I didn’t make that much more,” Adeline noted. “Besides, we have a guest. May as well let you lot eat however much you want!”

He let out a sigh and mumbled. “Hope we won’t have to throw out too much…”

“Aw, don’t worry about it, Remi!” Cordelia chirped. “Whatever you don’t eat, I can eat it!”

“I’m pretty sure that eating all of that isn’t good for you!”

“What? That’s only if we have a lot of leftovers.” - she practically pushed him over to his seat at the table - “C’mon! I’m starving!”

Each of them took their respective seats at the table, though Gray was stuck with the table as a seat for the time being. Everyone grabbed a plate and started serving themselves, picking and choosing from the various dishes on the table.

“When were you able to get bacon?” Remington asked as he grabbed a few slices. “I thought that we couldn’t afford it.”

“Keh!” Adeline said. “You think I was able to get that?” - she nabbed one of the bacon slices and took a large bite out of it - “Mayfield gave it to me. Said it was a gift.”

“Well, that was nice of him!” Cordelia beamed.

Gray looked at the others, being left out of the loop. “Um… Mayfield…?” he muttered.

Adeline pointed at the brownie with the slice of bacon. “Arthur’s a good friend of mine. You might actually know him a bit already.” - she chuckled - “Or rather, you know his cooking a bit. Don’t think I don’t remember about that scone you nabbed from my office.” Gray was a little embarrassed, but Adeline just laughed. “Ah, don’t worry. I’d do that too if there was just a delicious treat lying around!” She ate the rest of the bacon in her hand and went to wash it down with some tea.

Cordelia piped up. “Mr. Mayfield’s really nice! He’s kinda like our dad!” Adeline visibly flinched, trying to keep herself from doing a spit take. Regardless, she ended up in a bit of a coughing fit. “Ah! Ms. Adeline!”

It took her a second to recover. “Cor! Don’t startle me like that!”

“I’m sorry.”

She cleared her throat and set down her teacup. “In any case, I thought that I told you that I view him as a brother. So he’d actually be more like your uncle.”

“But you two go together so well! You really seem to love each other!”

“It’s not in the way you’re thinking, Cor. Trust me.” - she rested her hands on the edge of the table - “But nevermind all of that. We can leave that for later.” - Adeline looked over at Gray - “It’s about time that we talk about the case.”

~~⚖~~

The brunette detective regaled the others on what she had learned in the meantime. Z. Arin Lupin had dropped by not too long after she had started making breakfast, telling her about the repercussions of the Hound incident. While the Hound itself would still be on the force, it and its handler were forced to go through retraining as a punishment. Cordelia let out a sigh of relief, glad that it wasn’t killed just because it was doing its job. Remington, however, was rather bitter about it. It made sense, after all. He was worried about his sister’s safety, as well as that of others that may cross the Hound’s path. Adeline acknowledged their opinions, knowing that they both had a point in their own right.

As for the vanishing vampire, Gray had quite a bit to say.

“I didn’t see who it was at the time, but if there’s any vampires in Lucerna, I know exactly who it is,” he stated. He had set his breakfast off to the side, resting it on a small teacup saucer. “Her name…is Edith Winters. But everyone tends to refer to her as ‘Hyde’.”

“Hyde?” Adeline asked. “As in ‘Jekyll and Hyde’?”

He nodded his head. “It’s because of how different her and her brother are. One on the side of good, one on the side of evil. I’ve heard people talk about how she does bad things for the thrill of it.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

He paused. “Well, not entirely…but I don’t doubt it either. Her actions seem…wild. Then again, so are her friends.” Adeline motioned for him to go on. “They’re known as the troublemakers of The Underground. They constantly get into trouble with humans, and they give Supernaturals a bad name. At least, that’s what I’ve heard people say.”

“What about you? What do you think of them?”

It took a bit for Gray to sort through his thoughts. “Personally? I’m not sure. I don’t know enough about them myself to make a good guess. Even though I hear everyone through the walls…” - he let out a sigh - “I don’t know… There’s so much prejudice and bias going around that I can’t make a good decision based on that. I’d have to talk to them myself to be sure.”

This kid… His integrity’s insane. “Well, is there anything that you know for certain? Something that you know is true about them.”

“Well… There is one thing. Ms. Winters…” - he took a breath to compose himself - “Edith Winters is known for attacking people for their blood. Taking people down in the dead of night and biting into them like a…” Gray froze up, shuddering at the thought. Adeline could guess what was going through his head.

“I think I’ve heard of those cases. People being found in the street, looking like they’re drunk or asleep, but really being drained of most of their blood. I’m surprised that none of them were found dead.”

“Her thirst is unimaginable… She’d prob’ly look at me and think that I was some sorta snack for her afternoon tea!”

“It makes sense why she’s the prime suspect, then. With her reputation and being near the area at the time, it’s plausible…”

Gray stopped her from saying anything more. “No, it’s not. She can’t be the killer!”

Adeline was intrigued by his response. “Why not? You just said that she’d think you were a snack to go with her tea.”

“I said ‘probably’, and even then!” Gray seemed extremely serious as he spoke, but he quickly became rather quiet. “I don’t know… I just… I don’t think that she’d kill anyone. I don’t have any evidence to back it up, but…” - he let out a frustrated groan - “I just ‘ave a ‘unch, awright?!” He paused when he realised what he just said and quieted down again. “I-I mean… I have a hunch, even if I don’t have proof…”

What was that? She cleared her throat, trying to disguise her surprise. “Well, we won’t be able to prove anything until we get some leads or get a good look at the crime scene. We don’t have anything to work with other than a possible vampire sighting and your testimony.”

“We can try to find something,” Cordelia said.

“I know. In any case, it’s not like the leads are just going to knock on our front door.”

Not even two seconds after that, they heard a knock coming from downstairs. Cordelia and Gray seemed shocked, while Remington simply looked at their mentor.

“You were saying?” he remarked.

I need to start jinxing myself more often! Wait. That’s a horrible idea. Adeline got up from her seat. “You three, stay here. I’ll go see who’s at the door.”

She scarfed down the last remains of her breakfast before straightening herself out and heading down the stairs.

~~⚖~~

All sorts of thoughts were running through her mind as she headed down the stairs. Was Arin back with more details about the case? Was it Detective Rohel showing up to announce that he’d found the vampire? Was it Arthur popping by for an unexpected visit? Or maybe…

Was it the Inquisition coming for their lives?

Calm down, Adeline. I’m sure it’s not that bad. For all you know, it could just be the mail!

She turned the corner and went to open the front door. However, what rested behind it was something that she didn’t expect. It was a young gentleman in a cloak, with the hood covering his head. His raven-black bangs were swept off to the side, and his clothes were a bit unkempt. In any case, he tried to appear presentable, despite nervously fidgeting.

“Good morning,” Adeline said, more out of habit than anything else. “How can I help you?”

“It is her,” the young man muttered to himself. He straightened himself up and spoke up a bit, though not by much. “Is he here?”

She was quite confused. “He? Do you mean Remington?”

“Not him. I mean…” He lost a bit of his steam, looking confused as he motioned with his hands. “Um… Don’t know his name…” - he motioned to his face - “Speckled face… Kinda pale… This…messy…silver hair…”

She knew almost immediately who he was talking about when she heard that last detail. She lowered her voice, whispering to him. “Why do you want to know?”

He didn’t reply, instead letting out a sigh of relief. “Thank god… Please, can I come in? We need t’ talk.”

What on Earth is this guy going on about? “Not before you tell me why you want to know.”

He seemed to get more anxious by the second. “Look, I can answer when we get inside. Just, please!”

His actions were certainly strange, but the resemblance to the young woman Adeline had run into before was too striking to pass up. Well, it’s not like I can turn away our only possible lead. As long as he doesn’t get near the others… She stepped off to the side. “Fine. But don’t go anywhere near the stairs.”

The young man practically darted inside, acting a bit like he was being chased. So many questions popped up in Adeline’s mind, but the pieces started to fit themselves into place as she closed the door and drew the curtains closed. The mysterious man sat down on one of the sofas in the centre of the room, still looking rather anxious.

“I’ll ask you again,” Adeline said, taking the seat opposite of him. “Why do you want to know if Gray’s here? What’s your business with him?”

He looked up at the brunette detective. “I wanted t’ know for sure that this place was safe,” he told her. “I heard ‘bout that incident with the Hound. If he was safe, then I’d prob’ly be safe too.”

I knew it. “You’re a Supernatural, aren’t you?”

The young man nodded his head. He removed the hood from over his head, revealing his short, messy hair and a pair of pointed ears. They resembled the ones that Gray had, being rather short and coming to a bit of a sharp point. Adeline froze as the events of two nights prior flooded back to her.

The young man straightened up. “I’m sorry ‘bout droppin’ by unannounced. My name’s Harlow Winters, but most people know me as ‘Jekyll’.”

“Winters…?”

“I’m sorry if I’m causin’ any trouble, but…you were the last one that saw Edith ‘sides those Inquisition guys, and…” - he slammed his hands on his legs - “I need yer help clearin’ her name!”

To be honest, she was still reeling from the revelation that he was the main suspect’s brother, but she tried to compose herself nonetheless. When that didn’t work, she just held up her hands in a “wait a minute” gesture. “Hold on. I’m going to need to have you go into detail about this. Spare nothing.”

“Well…I hope yer prepared for a long story, then.”

Harlow did as he was told, sparing no detail about who he was and why he was there. Edith just so happened to be his younger sister, and the two of them had been living by themselves for some time. However, the way that he had portrayed his sister… Compared to what Gray had told them, Harlow was making it sound like his sister was some sort of angel!

“I know that she’s innocent, but nobody will take me seriously!” he said. “That’s why I need yer help. ‘sides, you’re the only person that saw her aside from those Inquisition people! Maybe you seeing her could give her some sort of alibi!”

Adeline remained quiet for a few seconds. “How do I put this…?” she replied. “What you’ve said completely contradicts what we’ve heard about her. You’re her brother. Don’t you know about what she’s done in the past?”

The light escaped from his eyes, as his tone became sombre. “You think that I wouldn’t know? I’ve seen what she’s been up ta these past few years. Hell, I’ve torn into ‘er because of ‘er stupid actions! Attackin’ people ‘n drainin’ them in the streets! Seriously, what was she thinking?!” - he gripped the fabric of his cloak - “But…she’s been gettin’ better. I know she has. I’ve been watchin’ ‘er this whole time! She’s made me so proud.” - he clutched the fabric so tightly that Adeline thought that he was about to tear a hole in it - “I keep tellin’ ev’ryone that she’s innocent. But because of what she did in the past, nobody believes me. They think that she’s gone back inta old habits… But I know that’s not true! You’ve gotta believe me!!!” Visible tears accumulated in his eyes, and his nose started to run slightly. “Edith… Edith’s innocent. I know she is…”

Adeline had to pause to process everything. He didn’t seem to be lying. In fact, his dedication to proving his sister innocent was astounding. Even so, if she accepted the case… “Do you mind waiting here for a bit? I…need to consult my colleagues.”

Harlow shook his head. Adeline stood up and walked over to the staircase, but as she turned to go up the stairs, she nearly ran headfirst into Remington and Cordelia. Even Gray was with them, standing on Cordelia’s shoulder. She was about to ask why they were there, but they shushed her, quietly bringing her upstairs.

~~⚖~~

The Sterlings led Adeline into her office, closing the door behind them as they went inside. Adeline was a little impressed by their forethought, knowing that her study was the only truly soundproof place in the building. Once they knew that they weren’t going to be disturbed, Remington motioned for her to speak.

“What in the world were you three doing eavesdropping on us?” their mentor asked.

“We were too curious,” Cordelia said. “I mean, a lead just literally knocked on our front door!”

“We heard everything,” Remington added. “I can’t believe that he just showed up like this. It’s broad daylight!”

Adeline crossed her arms. “I know. He must have been very intent on seeing us and getting our help. But…” She hesitated, gripping the fabric of her sleeves.

The twins, especially Remington, knew what was going through her mind. “You’re scared that the Inquisition will find out.”

“If all I did was just stand up to that Hound, I’d be on their watch list at worst. But…actively defending a Supernatural? If the Inquisition found out, we’d be killed on sight.” Her throat started tightening as her mind started to race. “It might not even be just us. Anyone that we’ve interacted with… Anyone that we may have spread our ideals to… They’d be buried in shallow graves just like we would. And I don’t want any of that! If we could just keep our heads low, then—!”

Cordelia cut her off, pulling her into a bear hug of massive proportions. For a girl measuring just over a metre and a half, she was strong as all hell! All that Adeline could focus on was how tight of a squeeze she was caught in! Eventually, Cordelia let go, and Adeline had to stop to take in a deep breath.

“Did I hug all the bad thoughts out of you?” the young woman asked innocently.

“For a second, I thought you were going to break my spine in half,” Adeline replied almost immediately. She’d normally sugarcoat it, but the words slipped out of her mouth before she could.

“Good! We can’t have your mind going down the gutter!”

“Okay, but warn me next time you give me a bear hug.”

“Alright~.”

Remington piped up for a second. “Ms. Idler,” he said. “Do you remember what you said when you first made us your apprentices?”

She was puzzled. “What I said?”

“You said that everyone has a right to be heard. That every truth has the right to come to light.” - he pointed to the floor - “Right now, there’s someone that needs to be heard and a truth that needs to be found. If you’re too scared to chase after it, then why the hell are you even a detective?”

His sister gasped at the profanity. “Remi!”

Adeline was rather surprised at the profanity as well, but his words had her thinking…

Why was she even a detective? What was the use in being one if she wasn’t brave enough to help the people that needed her the most?

It finally got her thinking. About how warped everything had become.

“You know what?” she remarked. “You’re right. What’s the use in being a detective that’s scared of a little danger? I’ve made enemies in my life. What makes the Inquisition any different?” - she proudly put her hands on her hips - “Adeline Idler isn’t afraid of anything! Well, except maybe heights, but that’s not the point.”

“So, you’re taking the case?” Gray asked.

“If Ms. Winters truly is innocent, then we may as well give her a fair chance! Nothing’s worse than being accused of something and having no one on your side.”

“That’s the spirit!” Remington beamed.

“Now, go down there and tell that guy that you’re taking the case!” Cordelia exclaimed. She went to push her out the door, though she forgot to open the door first. She was wound up in too much of a tizzy!

Adeline yelled, “Woah! Cor! Wait!” She braced herself, but she managed to stop right before she faceplanted into the door. “Phew…”

“Whoops! Sorry, Ms. Adeline.”

“It’s alright.” - she ruffled the female apprentice’s hair - “Just make sure you know what you’re doing when you’re all excited like that!

Adeline opened the door and headed out, heading down the stairs to see Harlow.

~~⚖~~

Harlow was standing up when she got back down to the ground floor. “What’d they say?” he asked.

The brunette detective rested a hand on her hip. “You can leave everything to us,” she told him. “We’ll prove your sister’s innocence.”

The light returned to his eyes with a vengeance, and he practically tackle-hugged her. “THANK YOU!!!”

“Woah! Hey! I’ve already had enough of this from Cordelia!”

He immediately took his hands off of her, looking sheepish. “Ah! I’m-I’m sorry! I just got too excited…”

A small laugh escaped her lips. “It’s alright. In any case, do you have any idea where your sister might be now?”

“Oh. Um, she’s actually hiding back in Umbra. I’ll go get her as fast as I can.”

“Thank you, Harlow. Your cooperation’s greatly appreciated.” Though we might need to worry about his sister’s cooperation.

Harlow quickly thanked her again before putting up his hood and heading out. A smile crept up on Adeline’s face.

“This is starting to get interesting…”

#original story #kazuwriting #detective light novel #adeline #remington #cordelia #gray #harlow #g/t #giant/tiny #tw dog attack #tw nightmares #cw nightmares #tw blood #cw blood

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