#I really sorry that fang and Ivan are not there I promise I love them I just ran out of room beside somone has to stear the ship

[miraculous-sunflower]

doing it for the views

Alya knew Lila was lying. Like come on, Jagged Stone never had a kitten, he had Fang, his crocodile! And why would you openly state that you are best friends with one of the Heroes of Paris? Lila was bad at lying. But Alya didn’t care. When she posted the interview she did with Lila, she got SO many views. More than anything else she had posted! Alya knew Lila had so many “connections” so this could be her big break, leading into her reporting career, even if Lila was lying. It wasn’t like anyone was going to find out...

“ALYA! SHE’S LYING! Why can’t you believe me? You’re my best friend!” Marinette cried. I know she’s lying, girl, but this is helping my career. If you knew, you’d understand. I’m sorry, but for now, I have to act like she’s telling the truth, Alya thought.

Alya took a breath and responded to her claim. “Marinette! She’s not lying! You’re just jealous because of how close she is to Adrien, and jealous of all her connections! You’ve got to stop!” All of their classmates agreed with her, brushing off Marinette’s attempts to warn them as jealousy.

Marinette gasped. She thought Alya was being ridiculous not believing Lila, but now including her crush on Adrien? Marinette broke. She was done being categorized as being mean because of Adrien! “Wow. I thought you’d believe me. But I guess I was wrong. All of you don’t believe me! Even my oldest friends.” She glanced at Nino and Kim, who looked away guiltily. “If you don’t believe me, fine. Believe the liar.” Marinette walked out of the room, just as Lila strolled in.

“I saw Marinette looking mad. Is she alright?” Lila asked in a faux sweet voice.

“She’s just being jealous of you because of Adrien. She’s so annoying!” Alix grumbled.

“I know! Can’t she be considerate of all of Lila’s disabilities?” Rose cried.

“Oh no, was she fighting with you guys about me? I can’t believe I’m wrecking your class apart! Maybe I should just leave...”

“NO! Lila it’s not your fault that Marinette can’t see how great you are! We are willing to sacrifice our friendship with her if it means sticking up for you.” Lila hid a smirk.

Alya couldn’t believe how low her class was. They just believed Lila over Marinette! They were playing with her feelings! How could they! ______________________________________________________________________________________

NO WAY. 10,000 VIEWS?! Alya though as she scrolled through the LadyBlog. She checked on the interview of Lila she posted, and BAM! 10,000 VIEWS! Alya loved to bask in compliments and fame, so she decided to look through the comments...

dolphinlover8726: ummm, this isnt true

ladybugxcatnoir: ladybug’s best friend? ha, as if

peterparkerfan_12: xd her lies are almost as bad as trump-

totally_ravenclaw: hold up, jagged stone never had a kitten...

miraculous_sunflower: this is false information. please take it down, ladyblogger

Many of the comments were like that, but who cares? Lila’s lies weren’t hurting anybody. Maybe I could wait until I got an internship. Then I could spin this whole story about how Lila was lying the whole time, and I, Alya Cesaire, aka the Ladyblogger, unveiled them! That would make me even more popular, Alya thought. Oh, she would get popular all right, just not in the same way... ______________________________________________________________________________________

“How was your day, Alya?” her mother asked. Alya, watching the news intently, was hoping for scoops of celebrity gossip.

“It was good,” she absently replied. Her eyes were glued to the screen as Nadja Chammack’s show had just appeared.

“Don’t be bemused! It’s just the News! This is Nadja Chammack on ‘Face to Face’. Let’s start off with our most recent story. The LadyBlog, which used to be a blog dedicated to the Heroes of Paris, has fallen. The Ladyblogger has been posting false claims about a girl, Lila Rossi, saying that she rescued Jagged Stone’s kitten, when he has never had one. Now, helping us clear the claim, joining us now is internationally-known rock star, Jagged Stone! Hello, Mr. Stone. “

“Hello, Nadja, and call me Jagged. Now, what’s about these stories I’ve been hearin’ about a girl saving my kitten?”

“Well, Jagged, it’s posted on the LadyBlog that this Lila Rossi has saved your kitten on an airplane turmar, as well as claiming that you’d written a song about her. Are any of these statements actually true?”

“Kitten?! Haha, that girl is a bad liar. I’ve never had a cat, only Fang ove’ here. And writing a song about her? That sounds weird. A 30-year old man writing a song for a 15-year old? I’ve only written a song for Ladybug, and that’s because of how awesome she is! ” Jagged responded.

“On the topic of Ladybug, Lila Rossi has also claimed that she is best friends with her. Any comments?” Nadja asked.

“There’s no way Ladybug would befriend someone like her! Whoever this Lila chick is, you’re a horrible liar, and the Ladyblogger has messed up a whole lot. Anyways, I got to go, love. Good-bye, all of my beloved fans!” Jagged waved dramatically.

“There you have it! The LadyBlog has indeed been posting false claims, and Lila Rossi is a liar! Next up on Face to Face, we have Mirelle Caquet joining us to talk about the hardships of being a weather girl! Stay tuned!” Nadja concluded. Alya went pale. _______________________________________________________________________

Alya went into class the next day, and sure enough, the class was eerily quiet. Lila looked like a ghost, her face as pale as a sheet. The whole class looked angry, sans Marinette and Adrien.

“Alya, you saw Face to Face yesterday, right?” Alix asked.

“She lied! Lila lied about everything!” Rose cried.

“Yeah, I did.” Alya replied calmly. She was going to explain the situation to her classmates, and of course they’d understand why she was doing this, and maybe they’d help her spin the story to make it seem like-

“WHY DIDN'T YOU FACTCHECK?” Alix yelled, clearly furious with the situation.

“Let me explain. Don’t get mad, but I knew Lila was lying,” Alix growled, and many other classmates gasped, “But hear me out. I only kept posting her lies on the LadyBlog because of the views. I knew if I wanted an internship, I’d have to do anything to start up my career. You guys understand right?” Alya obliviously said. “YOU’RE ALMOST AS BAD AS ADRIEN NOT KNOWING MARINETTE HAS A CRUSH ON HIM!” The class blurted out. Adrien looked shocked, and Marinette gasped and turned a shade of red that shouldn’t be possible.

“Whaaaa…” Alya was confused. What did she do?

“You could’ve warned us that they were lies, Alya!” Rose sniffled.

“You only thought about yourself, not us!” Mylene attacked.

“Guys, I was doing it to help my career! Also, it wasn’t like her lies were hurting anyone!” Alya retorted.

There was a period of silence, until a confident voice flowed through the classroom. “They hurt me,” Marinette said. She calmed down about the whole crush thing, but her face was still tinted with the slightest shade of pink.

“Lila threatened me the day she came back from her supposed trip. She said that she would take all my friends and make me lonely,” Marinette left out the part about Adrien, “And I guess she was right.” Marinette turned to a confused Lila. “Thank you, Lila. You’ve shown me that my friends don’t trust me. I now know who my real friends are.” She glanced at Adrien timidly, and was relieved when he sent a timid smile back. Long before Lila’s exposure on ‘Face to Face’, Adrien took back his “take the high road” advice as soon as he heard that Lila threatened Marinette. He tried to tell his classmates, but they’d never listen to him. He helped Marinette out as much as he could.

Marinette sat back down, but not in her usual seat. She went and sat next to Adrien, who looked at her, shocked for a second, then took her hand in his.

Everyone was shocked when they learned what Lila did to Marinette. Alya started, “Girl, I’m so sorry! If I’d known she -”

“It shouldn’t matter if you knew or not. You should’ve believed me, but you didn’t. Our friendship is broken. Permanently.” Marinette stated.

“WHAT?! WHY?!” Alya demanded.

Marinette sighed. Alya truly was oblivious to her actions. “First of all, you acted like you didn’t believe me, which hurt a lot. Second, you only acted like you believed her because you wanted views on your blog! You don’t get it, Alya! Your actions cost you consequences, and I’m not sure if you understand that.”

“Bu-but,” Alya tried to stutter out, but Adrien gave her a look that mimicked his father’s.

“Lila hurt us too. She gave us false promises. She told Kim that she knew Michael Phelps, and that she’d put a good word in for him. She told Nathaniel that she’d introduce him to that super famous manga artist in Japan.” Ivan pointed out.

The class understood Ivan’s point. Alya gasped. She never really thought about it that way. I mean, nothing hurt her!

“Marinette, we’re so sorry. We understand what our actions did to you, and we apologize. We understand that you’d want some space to yourself right now.” Alix said, and the rest of the class nodded.

Marinette smiled. “Thank you for understanding. While you’ve lost my trust in you, I’d like to build up our friendship again. Alya, on the other hand, I’d like to talk to you.”

The class smiled back, and sensing Alya’s anger, shuffled out of the classroom, with Adrien leading the way to leave the two girls alone to talk. Lila blinked, and also strolled out.

“C’mon, Mari! What did I do! You understand that I only pretended to believe her because of the views, right?!” Alya started out.

“Alya, you understand, do you? Lila hurt all of us. You made a bad decision not telling the class as soon as you found out, and now you’ve lost all their trust in you. You should have told me that you knew, and shouldn’t have been so selfish about your own career. I can’t forgive you for what you’ve done. And I don’t think I can ever build up our friendship again.” Marinette walked through the door frame.

“Goodbye, Alya.”

At that moment, Alya knew she messed up. She knew she lost the LadyBlog, and her reputation was damaged, but worst of all, she lost her best friend. She only did it for the views.

#alya salt #lila salt #lila exposed #class salt #class sugar #adrien has a spine

[ko-chan-the-blueberry-donut]

Everyone Loves Marinette Part 9

Here’s the next installment! Sorry it took so long!

To address the questions, yes, all the couples are together, but they also want Marinette too.

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML

------------------------

If there was one thing Fang was known for, it was being spoiled. Jagged supposed he had himself to blame for that one, but Fang was so cute and scaly with big ol’ puppy eyes he couldn’t resist giving into the urge to shower him with attention.

Though right now Jagged was cursing his tendency to spoil the reptile.

“Come on, Fang. You gotta take the costume off. It stinks.” Jagged beckoned Fang, who was stubbornly hiding beneath a table where Jagged couldn’t get to him. The croc made a noise of protest, snuggling even further into his ham costume.

Jagged sighed, pulling out his phone to dial his trump card. He hoped he didn’t wake her up with how early it was, but he really needed to wash Fang’s costume and give him a bath. The reptile’s been wearing it for weeks!

“Hey! Sorry! Can you come over? I know it’s early but, well, Fang’s not taking off the costume you made for him again... Sure! Thanks—you’re the best!” Jagged ended the call, relieved he would be getting reinforcements.

Fang snickered as he huddled under the table sneakily. He must have won—his comfy ham costume would not leave his body any time soon if he had anything to say about it. It was made with very soft material and not only that, it smelled like his favorite girl!

“Fang?” her voice called, and Fang could hardly believe his ears. He danced excitedly under the table, immediately coming out of his hiding place to greet his favorite girl.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng laughed gleefully when Fang ran into her arms. She immediately began giving him scratches in his favorite spot.

“You’re such a ham!” Marinette chortled as Fang rolled onto his back to expose his belly. Marinette looked stern, hands at her hips. “You need to take the costume off, Fang.”

Fang shook his head, preparing to go back into hiding, but Marinette was faster, and she tackled the croc. Despite being trapped, Fang relished in being in his favorite girl’s arms. She gave the best hugs just like Jagged!

“I’ll help give you a bath if you let us wash it.” Marinette promised, and Fang’s ears perked up at having a fun bath with both Marinette and Jagged. As if willing this whole time, the croc let Marinette easily remove the ham costume and Jagged winced at the smell before tossing it to an attendant to wash.

“Thank God—your extra bathing suit is set out for you, Marinette. We knew this big ol’ lizard wouldn’t give in unless you came over.”

“Of course.” Marinette smiled, scratching Fang in his special spot. Then she yawned, wincing at the time. “So, I guess it stunk really badly for you to call so late—or rather early.” She remarked. Jagged looked apologetic.

“Yeah, couldn’t sleep with the smell. You know he likes to wear your costumes everywhere.” He said. Marinette giggled, waving it off.

“I’m flattered he likes them so much. The ham one seems to be his favorite.” She said.

“Probably because he is a ham!” Jagged barked a laugh. They separated to get changed into their bathing suits and soon Fang was dancing towards the tub for his bath with his two favorite people.

------------------

The sun had risen, Fang basking in its rays as Jagged and Marinette relaxed after bathing him. Marinette was practically family to Jagged by this point, with all the designing she did for him and his fondness for her. Fang couldn’t help but follow his master’s lead and become quite attached to the young girl.

Marinette soon came over and gave him lazy pets as she listened to Jagged’s rants about his insufferable manager. Fang was sure he was in heaven, feeling himself being lulled to sleep.

But before he could fade completely, the gentle caresses stopped, and Fang was suddenly roused from slumber, wondering where Marinette went. He caught her scent at the door, saying goodbye to his master, who was eager to get some shut eye. Fang didn’t want her to leave. She should stay and give him pets and scratches! What was more important than him?

“See ya later, Marinette! Have fun at school!” Jagged yawned, forgetting to shut the door from fatigue as Marinette hurriedly left so she wouldn’t be late for school. Fang made a noise of displeasure, wondering why she needed to leave. His catlike eyes narrowed, sniffing her out and following where she went off to, determined to get his belly scratches.

He followed her all the way out of the hotel and into the streets of Paris, unperturbed by this development. Maybe he should try to get Marinette to live with them? That way she could spend all her time with him and Jagged! Jagged was lonely at times without Marinette and Penny to keep him company, and Fang knew it would make them both happy to have Marinette—their family—live with them.

People screamed as he passed by, but he ignored them, too busy tracking his favorite girl’s scent. He soon came across a building where her scent was the strongest, and hurriedly made his way inside, tail wagging at the prospect of finding Marinette for belly scratches.

Voices grew louder as he came closer to her scent, and Fang soon entered the room where her scent was the freshest, dancing when he caught sight of the pigtailed girl. The croc wasted no time and ran to climb on her back, licking her face.

“Wha?! Fang? What are you doing here?!” Marinette gave a startled yelp and everyone else in the classroom screamed in horror at their precious Marinette being mauled by a crocodile.

Adrien wasted no time in trying to pull the giant reptile off of her, but Fang was having none of that and growled at Adrien fiercely. He did not come all this way for scratches to be pulled away from his favorite girl!

Adrien narrowed his eyes, and quickly raced out of the classroom yelling “I’ll get help!”

Meanwhile, the rest of the class prepared to wrestle a crocodile for Marinette. However, Marinette surprised them by waving a hand.

“N-no! He’s fine! He’s just a big spoiled baby!” Marinette reassured them, giggling as Fang’s licks were ticklish. “He’s Jagged Stone’s pet croc! He wouldn’t hurt a fly!” Marinette told them. Regardless, the class looked apprehensive.

Suddenly Chat Noir burst into the classroom, ready to take on the monster attacking his princess. He tackled the beast, making Fang yelp and they both rolled away from Marinette. Fang caught the familiar scent of the boy who was trying to pull him away from Marinette in the first place and he prepared his tail, smacking Chat Noir in the face hard.

Chat Noir’s head whiplashed, and everyone winced at the sight. Fang didn’t make it any better when he outright sat on the fallen hero, smooshing him with his weight for good measure.

“Fang! No! Bad crocodile! Get off of Chaton right now!” Marinette ordered. Fang gave a disgruntled whine before obeying, making sure to step on Chat Noir extra hard for good measure. It was a miracle the boy was still conscious.

“Princess! Are you okay?! Did that monster hurt you?!” Chat sprung up and examined Marinette for any injuries. He would turn that croc into a purse if he harmed one hair on Marinette’s head! Fang growled, looking offended at the notion he would dare harm Marinette, but Marinette scratched him lightly, calming the beast.

“I’m fine, Chaton!” Marinette laughed, separating from him gently. “It’s just Fang! He’s Jagged Stone’s! He must’ve followed me here after I gave him a bath!”

“You give Jagged Stone’s pet a bath?!” Nathaniel blinked.

“Well yeah, this ham here doesn’t take off his costumes unless me and Jagged bribe him with baths together.” Marinette shrugged, continuing to pet Fang, not noticing all her classmates stiffen.

‘Jagged Stone is dead to us.’ They thought. How dare—that—that pervert take baths with their precious Mari!

“We’re going to report him, girl!” Alya announced. The others nodded in agreement.

“How appalling! I can’t believe Jagged Stone would take baths with a teenage girl.” Lila hissed. She swore she would wreck the rockstar’s reputation.

“No! No! We’re wearing swimsuits! It’s not perverted, I swear!” Marinette realized what they were getting at and rushed to defend someone she considered family. The class didn’t look convinced. Marinette sighed. “Jagged Stone is like my uncle! He would never do something like that to me!”

“He better be.” Ivan said, his eyes narrowed.

“Or else he gets a fist to the face.” Kim added.

“Or I run him over with my blades.” Alix chimed in.

“I’m more than happy to sick Markov on him too if he hurts you, Marinette.” Max promised. Marinette smiled.

“That’s very nice of everyone but really, there’s no need! I’m safe!” Marinette reassured them. Just then, Miss Bustier came in and gave a scream at the sight of the crocodile in her classroom snuggling up to her favorite student. Marinette rushed to calm her, “It’s okay, Miss Bustier! It’s just Fang! He must’ve followed me here.”

Miss Bustier held a hand to her chest, feeling her heart pound erratically, eyeing the beast. The reptile appeared docile, too busy getting pets from Marinette, and she mentally sighed—clearly she should’ve brought wine to school today after all…

“Well… if you’re sure.” The teacher then eyed Chat Noir. “Chat Noir, is there a reason you’re here?”

Chat jolted, his face erupting into a blush.

“S-Sorry ma’am! I just thought Marinette was being attacked so I rushed over! Please excuse me!”

Miss Bustier sighed, rubbing her temples as Chat Noir exited the classroom in a hurry.

“Alright, everyone, take your seats. Today’s lesson will be—”

“Hi! Sorry I’m late.” Adrien came hurrying in. Fang gave him a spiteful glare, growling moodily, and Miss Bustier sighed even louder.

“Marinette, please tell the crocodile not to eat the other students.” Miss Bustier said tiredly. Marinette was shushing Fang, who begrudgingly left Adrien alone. “Now everyone please take your seats.”

Everyone hurried to their seats and Fang completely shoved Alya out of the bench, snuggling up to Marinette.

“Hey! You scaly asshole! That’s my seat!”

Fang growled again, showing teeth and Alya backed off.

“On second thought, I’ll sit in the back today…”

If crocodiles could smirk, Miss Bustier was sure the darn reptile would be beaming.

Yes, she clearly should’ve brought the wine bottle to school today…

---------------

Felix simply blinked at the scaly croc snuggling up to Marinette as they sat in the bakery. Honestly, he supposed anything to do with Marinette shouldn’t surprise him anymore, but it still manages to do so every time.

“So… is he just living here now?” Felix asked. Marinette laughed.

“Oh no! I’m going to take him back with Luka and Juleka later. They’re the only ones that Fang likes besides me, Jagged, and Penny. I guess it’s because they remind Fang of Jagged.” Marinette mused, petting Fang. The croc sighed in bliss at the attention.

“Oh... I guess we’ll have to cut this short.” Felix tried not to show his disappointment. Marinette looked shy.

“Actually, I was hoping you could come with us? It’s fun talking to you and I’d hate for it to cut into our hanging out time.” Marinette requested softly. Felix’s lips quirked into a small smile.

“Of course. Sounds like fun.” He reassured her.

After all, he could never refuse her.

#marinette dupain-cheng #marinette cheng #everyone loves marinette #jagged stone #fang #adrien agreste #marichat #adrienette #felinette #marinette x harem #marinette x everyone #miraculous ladybug #ladybug #chat noir #ml #ml fic

[waeziverse]

Royal Punch (chapter 8)

“Okay…” Nora took off her glasses and cleaned them. “This is on me. I should have seen this coming and I didn’t warn you.”

Ivan looked at the plants that had ruined his windows and slowly retracted themselves, like some sort of snakes that returned to their cave. “Yeah, I would have liked to be prepared for this.”

“Honestly, I never thought this would happen. Dimi’s mother wasn’t a plantmancer, neither was her grandmother.”

“So, Dimi can create plants? Why is she attacking us.”

“She is not. Well, not exactly, it’s a defense mechanism. It takes a toll on her body and drains her for energy as her body adjusts to her new power. And if she becomes TOO tired and even falls asleep, she will have a hard time waking up again. And as a defense mechanism she will unconsciously create plants to guard her.”

“Okay, but how do we stop this mechanism?” Ivan asked.

“First thing first, we need a way to be prepared for when the situation escalates. NO, Ivan, the situation hasn’t escalated just yet.” Ivan closed his mouth, he hated it when Nora answered his questions before he got to answer them. “Your house being the home of a plant octopus is small potatoes. Plant magic is rare, but it is also very powerful. One of Dimi’s ancestors, queen Dornröschen, spread terror and destruction-“

"What in tarnation happened here?!”

Nora and Ivan turned their attention toward the old satyr Sunmut who had picked the absolute worst day to drop by for a visit. The old goat looked as if he was about to have a stroke as he stared at the plant monster that had made its home in Ivan’s house.

“Um.” Ivan couldn’t say anything else as he tried to come up with an explanation that did not involve the words it, is or complicated. “Well, sir, you see-”

“A wizard did it.” Nora interrupted Ivan before he made a bad situation worse.

Sunmut looked at the house for a moment. Then he looked annoyed. “Those dang humans! You would think the orcs had done something about that cursed lot!” Then he looked at Nora. “Ah, no offence, young lady.”

“None taken.” Nora scratched the hat that hid her pointy ears and the fact that she was an elf. Once the old creature had left, she turned her attention toward Ivan. “As I was saying… Queen Dornröschen spread terror and destruction since no one stopped the defense mechanism in time. Her plants grew bigger and bigger and it became impossible to try and save the castle. But there is another problem: Dimi’s young body is not ready for magic of this size. It takes energy and stamina, part of why she falls asleep, and if it goes on for too long, she might actually die.”

“DIE?!”

“Yes, OR she will be stuck in there for at least fifty years. So we have more than one reason to do something quickly. The plants will grow and try to get out of your house. When they do, we must cut them down.”

“Alright.” Ivan pondered for a moment. “Then we need backup.”

“Ivan, no one can know who Dimi really is!”

“Don’t worry, I trust her with my life. I will be back as soon as possible, man the fort till I’m back.”

Nora wanted to protest as the minotaur ran for the so-called backup. The short elf looked at the chopping stump where an ax had been left on. She took the ax and looked at the house. “Don’t mess with me!” Nora yelled half-heartedly. The whole house creaked, making the elf take a step backward while tightening her grip on the ax.

***

Aura tied the griffin Hothoof with a rope to the fence. The big animal was displeased by this but accepted it since it respected the sphinx as it’s “pack leader”.

“I know you don’t like not being allowed to fly around as you please.” Aura stroke the giant half-bid-half-lion animal as one would stroke a cat. “But you can't fly properly with a damaged wing. But the nice faun doctor will come and have a look, then you will get back in the sky with the others in no time.” The griffin purred as Aura rubbed it on it’s beak.

Once Aura had made sure the rope was tied properly, she went to take a look at two of her other griffins that flew over her farm.

Magnificent animals, but difficult to raise. They needed freedom to fly, but you also had to make them respect you enough so they wouldn’t fly away. Only after you had made them understand who was in charge could you try and make them like you. The fact that Aura had three grown griffins that liked her said a thing or two about her abilities with animals. Then again, she had worked with them ever since she had left the army as a young girl and moved to the kingdom of Nesredna. She had worked from the bottom as stable-girl till five years ago where she could finally afford starting her own farm near the village of Jadedale.

She was quite happy that she had picked Jadedale for several reasons.

One of these reasons actually came, half an hour before he had promised to come.

“Ivan!“ Aura smiled as she waved at the minotaur who came running as if something was on fire. “Relax, you came way to earl-”

“Aura, I need help!” The giant bull-man looked terrified. “You have to come with me to my house! I will explain later.”

Aura did not hesitate and transformed to her beast form. “Hop on, I will fly you home.”

Ivan hopped on the back of the sphinx and the creature lept from the ground. She flew to Ivan’s home as she saw something that looked like a tentacles coming out of the doors, windows and holes that the thing had made in the house. And it moved it’s “arms” with red thorns left and right as if it was desperate to get out. She recognized Nora who looked like she tried to attack the things with a household ax. Nora looked up and noticed them. “FINALLY! I’m just about to get a heart attack here! Dimi has become worse.”

Aura looked at the insane scenario as she was about to land. She had just reacted on Ivan being terrified. Now she began to wonder what was going on as she saw the problem.

“Wait, I’m sorry, WHAT?!” Aura turned back to normal and looked baffled at Ivan. “Dimi is a what now?! What the hell is going on?””

Ivan sighed. “Okay, how do I explain this… You remember when the orcs conquered the kingdom?”

Aura shrugged. “Sure, that happened. And life went on.”

“Remember how we were told the human king Pater had gotten captured?”

“Um… yes?”

“And do you remember that the king had a daughter?”

“Ah, yes? Sure, her name was Dama-something-something.“

"Dimicatio.”

“Oh, right. Dimicatio. Kinda sounds like a fancy version of Dimi’s-” Aura paused herself as her eyes grew wide. “Dimi… Dimi…” The lion-lady pointed at the garden nightmare. "Dimi?”

“Yep.” Ivan groaned as he pointed once again at his plant-infested home. “Dimi. Long story short, now she does human magic without controlling it.”

Aura looked at the house. Then she looked at Ivan.

And then she punched him on his right arm.

“OUCH!?“ Ivan rubbed his arm. “What was that for?”

“You lying rat!” Aura growled at Ivan. “You told me she was your god-daughter!”

“She is my god-daughter!”

“What? HOW!?”

“It’s complicated.”

Aura made a terrifying and VERY angry face at the bull-man. “I AM SICK AND TIRED OF YOU COMPLICATED BULLSH-”

“Ahem.”

Ivan and Aura turned their attention toward the short person who looked tired and sweaty who dropped the ax. “Sorry to interrupt.” Nora said. “But can this… thing wait till after we got Dimi out of that mess? Preferably before the townspeople arrive and start to ask questions.”

Aura sighed. “So is she even Dimi’s aunt?”

“I’m not even human.” Nora took off her hat, revealing her pointy ears. “Long story, can wait. What is important now is that I need time to figure out how to solve this mess. So we need to cut down as much of that plant as possible.”

“So you need me to do some gardening? Not a problem.” Aura stretched her arms as she rocked her head left and right. She gave Ivan a glare. “When this is over, I’m gonna have a word with you, Mr. Minotaur.”

Ivan sighed and shrugged. “That’s fair.”

The winged stout lion-woman went down on all four and was moments later replaced with the human-faced winged lion-monster that roared as it charged toward Ivan’s house. One of the vines tried to strike her as if it had been a gigantic whip, but Aura simply buried her razor-sharp teeth into it and shook it violently as if she were a dog pulling a rope. And she DID pull, she pulled the vine so hard that she ripped it off. As several smaller vines attacked her, Aura’s claws appeared on her massive paws as she went nuts on her botanic foe.

Nora was stunned as she watched from a distance. “She is bad-ass!“

Ivan smiled like a love-sick idiot. “I know… But what do we do about this? How do we… wake up Dimi? Would that be enough?”

“Indeed it would and the solution is somewhat simple yet almost impossible.” Nora put on her hat again and looked rather annoyed. “Dimi just needs a true love’s kiss.”

Ivan looked at Nora with disbelief written all over his face. “Sorry, what?”

“You heard me. As I said, the plants are a defense mechanism. She is tired and weak and feels very vulnerable. So a kiss from a loved one will make her feel safe and calm her down… And yes, it sounds odd, but that’s human magic for ya. It’s something that should not be a problem since a parent who loves their child can provide said kiss. But-”

“But Dimi’s father is in prison, COME ON!!!!” Ivan lifted his fists threatening toward the sky. “GIVE ME A BREAK!”

Yeah, and I doubt the orcs will let Pater out for a few hours if we ask them nicely. So, we have to get that kiss another way. So…” Nora coughed. “Do you know if Dimi is… dating anyone?”

“What? Ah… I don’t think so?” Ivan did not like the way this conversation was going. Then he took a look at the woman of his dreams fighting a losing battle against the vines from the house with her claws, fangs and guts. “I asked her once, but that annoyed her.”

Nora slapped her face. “You asked a teenager if she was dating anyone?! Ivan, COME ON! YOU SUCK!”

“I was curious.”

“You don’t ask a young girl questions like that. Dear lords, you suck!”

“Nora, that is not-”

“Never mind.” Nora sighed. “Look, I will go to Onyxville and pull some strings, hoping to find an alternative solution to this problem. You must go around town and hopefully find someone who loves Dimi. It doesn’t even have to be mutual.”

Ivan gave Nora a tired look. “Yeah! Big, tall bull-guy walking around and asking people if they love his protégée is a great idea.”

“We have no better options! I’m gonna get myself a horse or something.”

As Ivan watched the elf leave as fast as she could and then took a look at the violent creature that was the love of his life trying her best to fight the plants, he decided that the best place to start would be at Agate’s place.

***

The dwarf woman raised a thick eyebrow at the minotaur at her front-door.

“That’s… an interesting question, Ivan.”

Ivan felt ridicules. “Look, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency. Did she mention to you or your daughter anything about being romantically involved with anyone?”

“Why are you asking? Oh no, is Dimi preg-”

“NO, SHE IS NOT!” Ivan felt as if he was about to explode. “There is a problem, but it’s not… that. But it is important for me to know.”

Agate looked at Ivan. It was clear that it was of the greatest importance to him.

“Wait here, I will get Amethyst.

Moments later, the girl with the fluffy beard stood in front of Ivan and looked up at the tall minotaur.

“Amethyst, you HAVE to tell me, right now, if you know about anyone that Dimi loves. Don’t” Ivan stopped Amethyst from starting a teen girl rant. “I have to know. I can’t tell you why, but I have to know. Please.”

Amethyst groaned. “Mr. Ivan, Dimi is not in love with anyone. Actually, now that I think about it, she gets sort of defensive whenever I wanted to ask her. Not as if she was embarrassed, she just did not want to talk about it.”

“Dammit.” Ivan grabbed his own horns as if he wanted to rip them off his own head. “Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!”

“Right…” Amethyst gave Ivan a concerned look before closing the door. “Have a nice day, Mr. Ivan.”

***

Aura huffed and puffed as she reverted to her humanoid form. Dead plant parts were scattered everywhere as she had gone crazy on the damn thing that was growing out of Dimi. But the plant vines kept growing and the vines she had cut down or chewed off were quickly replaced with new one before a minute had passed. Aura licked the wounds on her arm as Ivan returned. He did not look happy as he grabbed his ax.

“How did it go?” Aura dried her forehead for sweat. “What is it that can… fix this?“

“It doesn’t matter.” Ivan cracked his neck. “I just have to cut down the whole thing to save Dimi.”

Ivan charged toward the thicket from hell before Aura could object. He chopped and slashed like a mad man as he got whipped and got scratches all over his forearms. Aura returned to her monster-form so she could bite Ivan’s collar and drag Ivan away like a mother-cat would drag away a kitten.

“Ivan, stop.” Aura dropped Ivan on the ground after getting far enough away from the house that was more like bricks and wood that somewhat still resembled the shape of a house. “You are gonna get yourself killed.” As Ivan was about to stand up, Aura placed one of her massive paws on his chest and pinned him to the ground.

“My little- I mean, Dimi is still inside. I have to save her!”

“Ivan, I mean it. Stop.” The face of the giant lion monster looked at the minotaur with pity and sympathy. “We wait for Nora, she MIGHT have a solution. I’m sorry, I know you care for that girl as if she were your own, but you can’t do anything besides maybe getting yourself killed.”

Ivan sighed as he stopped trying to get himself free. But then, his eyes widened as he realized something. “Wait… You are right. I really do, don’t I?!” Aura looked confused as Ivan began to laugh in relief. “Aura, you wonderful woman, I LOVE YOU BEYOND BELIEF!”

Aura lifted an eyebrow. “Ah… I love you as well, but what are you talking about?”

“I have a plan!” Ivan looked determined as he stood up from the dirt. “I need you to fly me across the roof. Trust me.”

Aura bent her forelegs so that Ivan could get up on her back while armed with his ax. As they flew above the roof, the plant-tentacles tried to reach for them like a hungry animal.

“Here. This is perfect.” Ivan looked at the roof as if he was aiming for something. “I’m getting off here. Wish me luck!” And then he jumped off of Aura’s back and landed on the roof. Then, he began making a hole in said roof.

“IVAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Aura roared as she landed on the roof as well. Plants began to reach for them and Aura did her best defending her beloved that had apparently lost it as he kept chopping the roof.

“YES! That’s it!” Ivan succeeded in making his hole to Dimi’s bedroom. He jumped down the hole and saw that Dimi still lied on the bed. Her body was covered by greenery the same way a child was covered by sand when they buried themselves with it on the beach. Only Dimi’s face was still free. A big branch was connected to Dimi that had crushed a hole in the wall that it then moved through. Ivan’s guess was that it was the root where everything else grew from.

But that did not matter. What mattered was whether or not his theory was right. “Please let this work.” Ivan whispered to himself as he took a step closer to the unconscious Dimi. “Please, please, please let this work.”

Then he screamed in pain as smaller vines appeared from Dimi’s “quilt” whipped him and then tied themselves around him. Ivan pulled his arms free as he took another step closer and now stood at the bedside.

Ivan took in a deep breath and then breather out as he slowly placed his lips on Dimi’s forehead.

***

Aura desperately clawed her way out of the vines that had covered her as if they were a cocoon. She growled as she saw a massive branch about to hit her.

And then, it just stopped moving.

Aura studied the thing that had been just about to try and kill her. Cautiously, she stepped closer, sniffing the damn thing. It was completely still.

“AURA!” Ivan yelled from his hole. “Aura, please come help me! It’s all over now!”

The lion-creature smashed the roof above Dimi’s bedroom so a hole big enough for her would appear. The floor creaked as she landed on it. Ivan held Dimi in his massive and bloody arms. The human girl looked as if she was half asleep and sea-sick.

“I feel awful…” Dimi coughed. “And I’m hungry.”

“It’s okay, girl.” Ivan smiled as if he repressed a laugh of joy. “I’m here, I’m taking care of you.” Ivan looked at Aura who looked relieved as she turned to her usual form. “Could you help me get her down to the kitchen?”

***

Dimi devoured the whole bread as if her life depended on it and then attacked the mushroom salad. Meanwhile, Aura and Ivan studied the house that had been ravaged. The ton of plants lied lifeless around. Ivan had removed enough of the green to open his front door. Outside, Nora stood and explained to a couple of the townspeople what she wanted them to think had happened.

“What a disaster!” Sunmut the old satyr looked at the blacksmith’s home with his old weak eyes. “What sort of wizard does such a thing?”

“The cheap kind that refuses to pay his bills.” Nora shrugged. “It makes me sad to speak about my species like that, but humans can be rather relentless as well as petty.”

The gathering of creatures all agreed that humans could be quite petty, especially now after the orc’s takeover.

“I’m so sorry.” Dimi had finished eating and had been told what had happened.

“Not your fault, girl.” Ivan patted Dimi on the head. “All that matters is that you get better, you need to rest as much as possible.”

“Yeah, I have to get ready for next week’s fight.”

“NO. Absolutely not. I won’t let you work for a week, AND I won’t let you fight before at least two have passed.”

“What?! But-”

“No buts. You are benched till I say something else. You could have gotten killed, I won’t let you do anything too energy require for a while and boxing as it is is not harmless even WHEN you are in shape.”

Dimi pouted. “Whatever mom.”

***

They all went to Aura’s farm.

Dimi had been sent to bed after she had to her great annoyance been kissed goodnight by Ivan who took no chances. She slept in Aura’s guest room. In the kitchen, Ivan had just finished explaining everything to Aura.

“And you honestly think it is a good idea to let Dimi get into a fist-fight with an orc?” Aura asked.

“Honestly? I don’t know at this point. She surprises me, she is extremely stubborn and she is actually a talented fighter. And besides, once she reaches the age of eighteen, I can’t tell her what to do. I might as well prepare her as best as I can.”

“That’s not the same as saying that you should encourage her.”

“It gives her hope. I don’t know how I would feel if it was MY dad who was in the slammer.” Ivan sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. But I have been sworn to secrecy.”

“I get it, I get it. Still…” Aura frowned. “You should know that you could have trusted me.”

Ivan nodded, looking ashamed. Then, he yawned. “I better get some sleep. I just lost my home, I have to figure out what to do tomorrow. The forge is still somehow intact, so I can still work… Can we live here? Just… for a few days?”

Aura did not answer right away. Then, she smiled. “You know… the two of you could just… live here. Period.”

Ivan blinked. “Oh?”

“Yes, but I have a condition.” Aura smiled as she stood up from the table. “You have to do it right. You have to get down on your knees and… Well, you can probably guess the rest.”

It took a moment before Ivan realized that Aura was serious. Ivan smiled from one ear to the other as he got down on his knees and grabbed Aura’s left hand and held it as he asked her the question.

#Royal Punch #RP #Ivan the Minotaur #Princess Dimi #Dimi #Dimicatio #Aurauaakarusaank #Aura the Sphinx #Aura #sphinx #minotaur #Nora the Elf #Nora #OC #waeziverse