"His Dark Materials", by Philip Pullman.
"One moment several things are possible, the next moment only one happens, and the rest don't exist. Except that other worlds have sprung into being, on which the did happen.", from The Golden Compass.
"The first ghost to leave the world of the dead was Roger. He took a step forward, and turned to look back at Lyra, and laughed in surprise as he found himself turning into the night, the starlight, the air... and then he was gone, leaving behind such a vivid little burst of happiness.", from The Amber Spyglass.
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His Dark Materials AU
Arctic Explorer!Billy Russo x Arctic Explorer!Fem!Reader
drabble under the cut
“Don’t.” You cry out, stumbling slightly on the carpet as you leap towards Billy. His eyes widen in surprise as you knock the glass from his hand. He grasps hold of your forearm, squeezing it painfully and his dæmon lunges towards yours. He towers over you, looking at your wide eyes, then at the closet you had jumped out from.
“You were spying on me.” He hisses, his eyes dark and filled with suspicion.
“I wasn’t.” You protest instantly, trying to wriggle out of his grip with little success. His panther dæmon, Clementine, has your own dæmon pinned under her claws. As Billy raises a brow at you, your defiant expression falters and you sigh. “Okay I was.”
His stare is hard and unreadable as he looks at your face. You continue to tug against his hold, and your rabbit dæmon, Angus, twitches under Clementine’s paws.
“Russo,” you whine slightly, frown deepening as his grip on you remains tight. “You’re hurting me.”
“Good.”
You huff in response to his dismissive tone.
“Some thanks for saving your life.” His own frown deepens in confusion. He doesn’t loosen his hold on you, even as he asks,
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw the Master tip powder into the decanter of your Tokay.”
He shares a look with his dæmon, before glancing at the decanter of amber liquid, then at the glass you had knocked out of his hand when you had lept from the closet.
He releases his hold on you, and you slump into the chair behind you. Billy sits back in the chair he had been occupying before you had interrupted his moment of peace. Clementine removes her paws from Angus, and he hops up into your lap. You press your fingers into his soft fur, taking an unsteady breath as you process the last few minutes.
Angus grumbles about the audacity of dæmon’s these days, and a small smile flickers at your lips in response to your dæmon’s complaints. You know he’s more offended that he couldn’t fight Clementine off. Despite his appearance as a rabbit, your dæmon had always had more courage than you did.
Clementine pads over to Billy’s side, settling by his feet to watch you warily. He pats her on his head briefly, though that does little to ease the suspicion in her eyes.
“How did you get in here?” Billy asks you.
“Why does the Master want you dead?”
“I asked first.” You sigh. Talking with Billy was always a struggle.
The two of you were rival researchers, always pitted against one another, vying for more funding for your respective expeditions. You had heard Billy was holding a talk in the Retiring Room of Jordan College - and you weren’t invited. So, you had planned to hide in one of the old closets at the back of the room during his talk.
“I grew up in the college, raised by majority of the scholars here. I know this place inside and out.”
“That doesn’t explain how you got here.” You shrug lightly, looking down at the carpet.
“Came in through the window.”
Amusement twinkles in his eyes, as he looks between you and your dæmon still cuddled up in your lap.
“Through the window?” He muses, a small smirk tugging at his lips as he imagines your little rabbit dæmon attempting to keep up with you as you clamber over the slanted roofs of the college. Noticing his gaze on your dæmon, you straighten yourself before jutting your chin in his direction.
“Yes. Now, why was the Master trying to kill you?”
The amusement fades from Billy’s eyes, and he leans forward to rest his elbows against his knees. Clementine looks up at him, her head tilted as she says in a low voice,
“Tell her William.”
Billy sighs in response to his dæmon’s words, running a hand over the stubble adorning his chin to stop himself from observing the frown on your face.
“I’ve found proof.”
“Of what?”
“Other worlds, parallel universes, everything we’ve been searching for.” You hardly notice that you’re holding your breath, then he says the most important word. He whispers it, entrusting the knowledge to you, and you only. “Dust. It’s real.”
»»---------------------►
Billy Russo Tag List: @blackbirddaredevil23 @restingbitchsblog @tiredbeebo @rafaelakelley @theysayitscrazy @hummelmi @nyx2021 @skybridgerton @dragon-of-winterfell @profoundme444 @misstimeless @booksandbenbarnes @blanchedelioncourt @chickensarentcheap @katedrexel
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Wenvier Bingo - Daemons
Dæmons were the physical manifestation of a person’s soul. They took the form of animals and in the modern age, there were competitions amongst children to shift their dæmons into the most fantastic animal they could think of.
Wednesday took the challenge more seriously than most, she was able to shift her dæmon, Nero, into an elephant.
When she was irritated, he would turn into a scorpion.
There were rumors she had witch blood when Nero often turned into a bird.
Xavier had an affinity for animals, and so his dæmon, Elf, seemed to shift on the hour. He loved to cuddle cats, dogs, frogs, and even snakes.
Everything was friend shaped to him.
No one could explain how his dæmon once shifted into two puppies.
Wednesday and Xavier met by chance, their dæmons had run off and started to play with one another.
When Nero turned into an elephant, Xavier had never wished so hard that it was socially acceptable to touch another person’s soul, he wanted to hug the dæmon so badly.
Charmed by his restraint and enthusiasm for cuddles, she offered herself as a replacement which he gladly took.
When they reached adulthood, most who knew them thought it odd that Nero ended up being a dog and Elf a hairless cat.
But Xavier loved an independent and confident woman, while Wednesday loved a happy and loyal cuddler.
Bingo Card Below the Cut
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