#genderbent sanders sides | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

virgils-screams · 2 years

Text

The Fae And The Puck | Moxiety

A/N: this was an experiment fic to see if I could write a piece without using their names

Requested by a close friend :)

Prompt: Virgil is a Faerie that wilts anything he touches....except for Patton for some reason?

If you're familiar with the welsh lore on Faeries then to help you imagine what they look like Virgil is charcoal and amethyst colored and would be from the unseelie court, (but he doesnt act all evil) , Patton is a mushroom faerie.

Patton is blind.

Patton and Virgil are genderbent, and Virgil is referred to as Fae or Faerie, whilst Patton is referred to as tiny Faerie, sprite and Puck.

_______________________________________________

It was in a flash that the tiny Faerie was seen, nimbly sifting through the landscape, picking at herbs and the like. It never looked at what they were picking, an unfocused gaze accompanied the sprite looking creature.

It never looked at her, and to be fair the cursed fay didn't mind. It was expected.

The birds sung and flew about the sprite girl, and her shoulders visibly relaxed. A smile graced her features as she looked upwards with no certain destination in mind. She reveled in the sunlight that broke through to meet her.

It was then, that the taller of the two decided to leave, better that than to stir up trouble. As she turned to walk away, the other called out to her.

"Where are you going?" A breathy voice called.

The fay stood still, turning to look at them again, to see who she was talking to. She found the other looking in the general direction of where she stood, smiling softly. Their frost covered eyes staring uncertainly at them.

Truth be told, the wretched fay was hesitant to speak. They didn't want to risk defiling sprite in anyway possible, as silly as it may seem. The sprite wasn't deterred by the response, or rather, lack thereof, and began walking towards her.

The taller of the two backed away, and the shorter one stopped walking, head cocked to where her ear was pointed at the latter.

The sprite frowned, but continued forward, hand outstretched as if showing her the way. The sprite stopped feet from the fay, and bent to pick something up.

Before she could process what the puck was doing, goats-beard was shoved into her hand, causing her to back away, dropping the gift. The fay stood there, mouth agape whilst the flower wilted away.

She looked up and chose to stare at cap of the girls mushroom, if the sprite could see her, she'd see uncertainty swimming across her features. The fay could however, see the sprites face out of the corner of her eye, and the unbridled sadness that she bore at the death of a flower.

"You shouldn't have done that." She knew her voice sounded somewhat intimidating, but she didn't rightly care. The sprite didn't seem to notice she was in danger, and her demeanor faltered none.

The former stepped forward. "It's alright," she reach out to touch the other, and as soon as their skin met, the Fay hissed and jolted backward.

"Do you have a death wish?!" She sneered. Voice sounding barely above a breathless whisper.

The sprite did yank her hand back, and upon the feel if her palm she showed the cursed fay the unmarred skin left behind.

The fay was awestruck, lips parted slightly. The sprite took another step, but the latter had turned and hurried away, leaving a tiny trail of wilted plants in her wake.

Barely a fortnight had passed, the charred fay had noticed the fortnightly visits the little puck had been growing accustomed to. Some nights the sprite would hum a soft melody, fireflies danced around her at times. It was an exquisite experience.

This night, however, was the faerie with the cursed touch, who had been humming. She watched nature buzz around her and she found it mesmerizing how the world didnt need her, the evil she represented, or anything else she brought. Sure, it made her, but as she could see it also prospered without her.

She sat with her right leg folded beneath the other, and she sighed at the length of wilted grass beneath her left outstretched leg. She found it incredible that the sea of greens before her made a bleak, inky, amethyst mess. Made for destruction rather than the gift of creation.

While the thoughts spread in her mind like wildfire, she failed to notice the puck walk up to her.

Only when the sprite hummed along with the fay, did she even notice.

She stopped humming and stared at the puck, something that was similar to abhorred horror written on her face. Unbeknownst to the sprite, of course.

"What are you doing?" It came out lighter than she wanted, borderline gentle.

The other pause, turning to stare at nothing. "Im humming?" She smiled.

Still tense, she chose her words carefully. "Why are you here?" The fay watched with meticulous care at the others response.

"Is.." The puck adjusted her untrained gaze to match the sound of the others voice. "Is it strange.... To say I find you interesting?" Each syllable that left the sprites lips sounded like a windchime, a beautiful collection of sounds.

"Everything I touch wilts away." She responded bitterly.

"Yes," the sprite nodded, "and yet, from the feel of it, the fields are still green, and the rabbits bound free." She inched closer, sitting down. "Not to mention, when you touched me I was fine." She let out a breathy chuckle.

Dumbfounded, she remained silent for a while. Before finding her voice again. "Won't you be in trouble for even speaking to a thing like me?" It was rhetorical, even a blind woman (pun intended) could see the answer.

"Well, then, make it worth my while." The puck slide herself into her side, head resting on the faeries leg, hugging it.

The fay could feel the smile that the sprite had, and to her credit, the puck was interesting too. No one had ever behaved this way around her, which made her curious. With a bit of hesitation, the fay let her hand rest on the pucks side.

She drew a breath and looked back out across the field. "I'm not gonna change what I was doing, you know." The faerie was stubborn, that much was clear if the tone in her voice was anything to go by.

"I never asked you to."

_______________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed💜

Words: 974

A/N: How the fic played out is actually inspired by a scene in Outlander season 6, where the siege is taking place and Claire finds comfort by laying her head down on Jaime and he soothes her by rubbing circles into her back, I am absolutely in love with that scene- :)

Tag list {you can ask to be added or removed}:

@reiney-weather @helloidkwhatimdoing-0 @hedgiehoggles @autumnpleaves @from-the-gall0ws @skylar-pansexualnerd19 @emo-sunshine42 @xoaningout

#sander sides #virgil sanders #patton sanders #sandersides #genderbent!Patton #genderbent!Virgil #blind!patton #faeries #faerie au #moxiety #patton x virgil

11 notes · View notes

zanderz-zidez · 2 years

Text

New au time!

It's a youtuber au! Ro, Re, and Jan run a travel blog channel called 'Trio Travels'. Pat and Logan are married and have a channel dedicated to tutorials, everything from cooking to advanced math. Virginia is a gamer and also streams.

Feel free to send I asks asking about this, I might also write some oneshots for it

Patton, he/him

Logan, he/him

Virginia (Virgil), she/her (trans mtf)

Janus, they/them (nb)

Rosa (Roman), she/her

Remus, he/him

Ships: dukeceit (established), logicality (established), prinxiety (not yet)

Picrew link:

#this is not replacing my adoption au #you xan still send in asks for that #thomas sanders #sanders sides #roman sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #janus sanders #human au #half genderbent au #picrew #picrew link

22 notes · View notes

doreomilkshake · 2 years

Text

Ngl, I’m rlly vibing with my genderbend sides art. Especially Valerie.

<33

#sanders sides fanart #sanders sides #dorambles #art #digital illustration #virgil sanders #genderbent sides #genderbend

5 notes · View notes

ace-the-fox · 2 years

Note

Ok so the idea is basically a fem/genderbent human sanders sides au (because it's me asking lol) and 3 girls are just out for a walk one day, these girls are Virginia, Louis and Patty (not related to our ongoing series, I'm just lazy with names) and while they're out for their walk they find a girl laying in the grass, they think she's dead, they call for an ambulance and turns out she's not dead but she was attacked very viciously, when she waked up she has no memory, like none at all, full amnesia, the only clue to her identity is the name tag on the uniform she was wearing "Robin", the uniform doesn't have a company name or logo just the name tag, they can't just leave her at the hospital so they take her home to the large house they all share (rich families), you can decide what happens from there. Wow, this is a lot, good luck lol

FINALLY I CAN ANSWER THIS-

Uh, yeah, here's your overdue fic. Other request will be filled... at some point in time... :,)

Memory - Part I (a sanders sides fanfic)

There were a lot of things Virginia expected to see on a nightly walk. Streetlamps, grass, houses. The moon, especially. She loved the moon. But anyways, there were a lot of very simple things to expect from a very simple night out.

A dead girl out in the grass somewhere was not one of them.

It was Louis, the most responsible out of the trio, to speak first. "Check if she's breathing before we do anything else," she instructed, almost eerily steadily. Patty nodded at her, and bent down next to the still girl's form. Just as she went to check for any sign of life, the other girl's eyes shot up so quickly Virginia felt her heart nearly burst out of her chest.

She was clearly hurt. The other girls could see the blood, scrapes and bruising even in the dark. She clearly had some difficulty moving. Patty gently stopped her as she tried to sit up. "No! No, no..." she mumbled gently, putting a very light, comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just lay there a moment, we'll call an ambulance for you. Can you tell us your name?"

The girl paused. They could all see the gears turning behind her eyes. After a few unbearably long moments of silence, the girl screwed her eyes shut. "I... I don't know," she admitted. The trio gave each other a few looks, but Patty immediately went to reassure her. "Don't worry," she grinned as casually as possible. "I'm sure it'll come to you in a bit. Just relax for now. You're in good hands, and I'm sure you'll be in even better hands when the professionals come!"

She was clearly still uncomfortable, but managed to relax at Patty's comfort. The woman had always had a knack to make everyone feel better, regardless of the situation. Her control and ease even had an effect on Louis and Virginia, keeping them significantly more calm than they were at the time of seeing this strange girl.

The ambulance thankfully arrived not long later. They took the injured girl, as carefully as they could, off the ground and onto the ambulance bed. As they weren't friends or relatives, any the trio were disallowed from getting into the ambulance themselves. But that couldn't stop them from walking back home to Louis' car so they could drive to the hospital themselves. They just wanted to ensure she was okay, even if they didn't even know her name.

They arrived at the hospital, miraculously finding where she was, even with little knowledge of who on earth this girl was. Apparently, her name was Robin, as noted by the paramedics. It was on a nametag that the girls hadn't noticed due to shock, and even so couldn't read in the dark.

They found her in that hospital room, surprised to find her awake. Semi upright. Her bed lifted by her head at a 45° angle. Louis padded in first, quietly. Robin nearly jumped at seeing her there. "Who... are you?" she asked slowly, her voice quiet and horse.

Louis responded calmly, in her usual near monotone, so as not to frighten the poor girl any further than she clearly was. Hell, she was putting Virginia out of a job for being on guard. "I'm Louis. And this is Virginia and Patty. Very close friends of mine," she introduced herself. "We're the ones who found you. We just wanted to come see if you were okay."

Robin's lips pulled themselves tightly into a false smile. "I'm good," she nodded. But the smile immediately faltered, before fading away entirely. "I'm not, actually," she confessed, dejectedly. "Apart from the whole 'got beat up by a group of thugs' thing, which, by the way, ouch, I... don't know anything."

She gripped the blanket on her hospital bed, hands shaking. She was staring wide eyed at nothing in particular. "I only know my name because it was on that stupid name tag. Before the run in... nothing. My memory seems to have wiped itself clean. I don't know my own address, favorite colour, family members... anything." Her voice wobbled with emotion on the last word. Within seconds she was in hysterics.

Patty, always the emotionally sensitive, immediately scooped her into a hug. She said nothing, just rubbed her back as she let out all her darkest emotions. Virginia and Louis, much less emotionally sensitive, just watched awkwardly. Not knowing what to do.

"Thank you," Robin sniffled, after pulling back from Patty, wiping under her eyes with her fingers. "All of you. Truly. God knows what might have happened to me if you all hadn't found me." She smiled gratefully. The other three nodded politely. "Would you like us to leave you alone for a moment?" Louis suggested. "We'll be just outside the door." Robin nodded at her silently.

Louis ushered the other girls out of Robin's hospital girl, where the girl was still sniffling quietly, even after calming down significantly. They all stood in the hallway outside the room, looking at each other.

Surprisingly, it was Virginia who spoke first, who hadn't spoken since they found Robin at least an hour ago now. "She should come home with us," she blurted out. Her friends looked at her in shock. Virginia immediately averted eye contact, looking at the floor and fiddling with her sleeves in a flustered manner. "I... I just thought," she murmured carefully, "since she doesn't have any family she can remember, we could take her in for a bit. Until she finds out a bit more about herself and finds where she's meant to be. I mean, we are rich..." She laughed awkwardly.

Louis furrowed her brow in consideration, before shrugging her shoulders. "Virginia's right," she stated. "It would be the right thing to do." Patty clapped her hands excitedly, despite the situation. "Ooh, new roommate!" she gasped, excitedly. "And we can help her find her memories, like a murder mystery."

"Alright, calm down, Patty," Louis smirked, winking at her slightly. "We're just taking her in for her comfort and safety. Though it would be nice to help her with her amnesia in some way too." Patty beamed. They all nodded amongst one another.

And that was where the mystery unfolded...

#sanders sides #fanfic #genderbent #virgil sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #also you don't have to send another ask with a prompt like our other running fic #i have more developing ideas for this one on its own #but if you have a prompt for the next part send an ask if you so please #whatever works for you lol

2 notes · View notes

ashtonisvibing · 2 years

Text

welcome to a lil series i like to call...

✨sanders sides icons✨

....... pspspsps come here fellow fanders-

lil series i'm gonna do because making these icons is fun and stuff. and we're starting off with patton!

chose the rainbow flag with the bonus stripes because i feel like patton would want to use the most inclusive flag possible (note: didn't use the version that includes intersex because i know not all intersex people are apart of the community). asexual because i am asexual so therefore everyone is asexual. and unlabled because i feel like, while yes he is technically gay, he also probably just wouldn't put a lable on his sexuality. he loves men and that's good enough😌

gonna show off remus and logan in a bit, but i also wanna note that there will be other patton icons, because i legit have three other versions of him (one is a "genderbent", one is a human au, and the other is just a different patton in the mindscape but far more depressed-)

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #sanders sides art #sanders sides fanart #ts patton #patton sanders #patton sanders fanart #fanart #digital art #art #artists on tumblr

3 notes · View notes

writingstothevoid · 2 years

Text

Twilight but it’s gay and they’re in their 20s (title bending): Chapter One

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Rating: T

Relationships: Logan/Virgil/Roman, Logan & Patton

AUs: genderbent (lesbians), human au, vampires and werewolves; Vampire!Virigl, Werewolf!Roman

CW: spiders, food, arguing

Ao3 Link:

Summary: Logan Berry, a graduate student working to get her doctorate in biology, is forced by her mentor Janus Sanders to go on vacation for the summer under the guise of getting to practice her trade before the school year begins again. Janus gets her a place at an old friend's -- Patty Enache's -- home in Romania and the trip goes wonderfully at first. The people are nice, especially Patty who immediately takes Logan in as her own, but there's something about the woods surrounding the town that seems to be keeping everyone on edge. Ever-stubborn, Logan is determined to explore the woods and document everything about them, but when she finds an old manor within its depths, she learns that there's something much bigger going on than small town superstition.

Logan watched as the taxi took off in the direction of the distant mountains, leaving her standing in the middle of the small village with one bag slung over her shoulder, another on her back, and one more resting on the ground by her feet. She sat for a moment, simply taking in her surroundings and allowing herself to breathe for the first time in the last 48 hours before planning her next move. Between 10 hour flights, once-a-day buses, long train rides, and paranoia-inducing taxis, Logan felt completely exhausted. Still, it could not be understated how beautiful the land around her was, with its towering mountains, lush forests, and (her personal favorite thing) low levels of human activity. Janus knew her too well and had reassured her that there wouldn’t be many other people there, just her and the environment.

Logan abruptly realized that she had been standing in that same spot for far longer than would be considered normal and started towards the address Janus had given her. People stared as she walked, but she supposed it was only normal -- she was a stranger in a relatively small town and she knew from bitter experience that anything out of the ordinary was subject to curiosity and suspicion in such places. She held her head high, briefly making eye contact before looking around for the building she would be spending the next few months in.

After a bit of searching, she found it: Brutăria Mamei. With a deep breath, Logan opened the door and headed inside. “Hello?” she called out.

Bumping and clanging sounded from where she supposed the kitchen was before a short, plump, middle aged woman stuck her head out of the door across from Logan. She had blonde hair sprinkled with gray, light blue eyes, and the laugh lines of someone who never stopped smiling.

“Oh! Yes, yes hello, dear,” the woman said, hurrying behind her counter. “How can I help you?”

“I, uh,” Logan replied, shaking her head to try and regain her senses. She was a graduate student for god’s sake! She could handle a little exhaustion. “I was told that I would be staying here for the next few months. By Janus?”

The woman visibly brightened even more at the name, “Oh, Janus! So you must be Logan. It’s so nice to meet you, dear. Janus has told me so much about you.” She came out from behind the corner and approached Logan who put her hand out to shake. Instead, the older woman hugged her, leaving her floundering as she tried to figure out the appropriate response to such an action. It didn’t help that she found herself flushing slightly at the thought of her mentor’s praise. Janus Sanders was a tall, ethereal woman with dark skin, black-and-gray dreads, and amber eyes that pierced your soul. Combine that with her wit, charm, and impeccable fashion sense…well she couldn’t be blamed for having a small crush on the older woman. It had been particularly bad at the start, but now that she knew Janus more their relationship had become one of familiarity and shared intellect only occasionally filled with mild idol admiration.

Logan snapped back to reality (she must really be tired to be going on such tirades) and focused on the woman in front of her who had finally released her from the hug.

“Call me Patty, dear. Patty Enache,” the older woman held Logan’s hand in a gentle grip.

“Logan Berry,” she responded, reaching up to squeeze Patty’s hands with her own. “Though, I guess you already know that,” Logan added sheepishly.

Patty smiled kindly at her, “You must be exhausted. Here, let me get you settled in.”

And with that, she swiftly locked the front door and led Logan through the kitchen door to a separate part of the building where a flight of stairs took them to a second story. The upstairs consisted of a small landing containing nothing but an old rug, lamp, and three doors, two in front of the women and one off to the side. Patty opened one of the front two, allowing Logan to look into the room and see its furnishings -- a full-sized bed, wooden dresser, and small vanity. All and all, it was a quaint, comfy looking room, though Logan knew she would take just about anything right now so long as she could sleep.

“I get up early to make breakfast every morning, but I understand if you need to sleep in this time. Still, you’re always welcome to come down at any time. The store typically runs from a little after dawn until evening. Side door leads to the restroom. Please make yourself at home and come get me if you need anything,” and with that, the kindly woman disappeared back down the stairs.

Logan stared for a moment longer before finally entering the room and gently shutting the door behind her. With a carelessness uncharacteristic of her, she allowed her bags to fall to the floor with a thunk and barely slipped off her shoes and glasses before climbing into bed. A voice nagged in her brain telling her to change and brush her teeth before she began sleeping but the pure bliss of laying down on a soft bed weighed her down and kept her from doing anything at all. Logan’s thoughts idled as she drifted off to sleep in record time.

It was daylight when Logan next awoke. She rose sluggishly, trying to get her brain to start up after running on empty for so long. Her thoughts began to consolidate and she began the process of coming up with a mental to-do list as she did every morning to keep track of the things she needed to do throughout the day. First on the list: figure out what time it was. Logan picked her glasses up from the side table where she haphazardly left them the night before and, after a bit of searching, dug her phone out of her crumpled jacket pocket, revealing the time to be about ten in the morning. The screen was noticeably free from any notifications which Logan pointedly ignored in favor of finding something to satiate her newly discovered hunger.

As she stumbled towards the stairs, she continued to develop her list. Breakfast and shower were certainly up there, followed by unpacking. Then she figured she ought to check out the town properly, considering it would be her place of residence for the next three months. Only the sound of Patty’s voice knocked Logan out of her thoughts and forced her to realize that she had made it into the kitchen downstairs. The aforementioned woman was standing in a pastel green apron, obviously in the middle of some bakery chore and awaiting some sort of response.

“Pardon?” Logan asked, embarrassed that she had gotten so lost in thought. Nevermind the fact that it happened frequently, she knew that social rules dictated that she keep her focus on the here-and-now and she didn’t want to make a bad first impression with this woman.

Patty smiled (she did that often, didn’t she?) and repeated herself in a way that lacked the annoyance Logan was so accustomed to, “I was just asking if you were hungry, dear,”

“Oh,” She was getting frustratingly flustered at a simple kindness, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Now, now, dear,” Patty ushered Logan towards a small room adjacent to the main kitchen which featured a small dining table decorated with pretty white lace, several old-fashioned lamps, and a similar shade of pale green wallpaper to the baker’s apron. “None of those formalities. There’s no need for them here.”

“Yes… Patty,” Logan said, still observing the area. It went back farther than she thought, opening up to a sitting room with a similar flowery aesthetic to the dining room. With a quick glance at Patty, she finally sat down in the chair that would allow her to keep her back to the wall while still observing both the kitchen and living area. She wasn’t paranoid, necessarily, she just liked to know what was going on at all times. In order to maintain the proper social order, she needed to know who was around her at any given moment, so this was the most logical spot for that goal.

Patty came out a few minutes later carrying a plate full of pastries, bacon, and eggs and a glass of water. “I wasn’t certain what you’d like, so I just grabbed a bit of everything. Wait!” She abruptly stopped. “Do you have any allergies? Dietary preferences? Drat, I forgot to ask beforehand,”

Before the baker could continue to spiral, Logan stepped in, “Don’t worry. This is perfectly fine, I promise. More than I was expecting, if I’m being honest.”

The worry left Patty’s face, making Logan feel a relief she didn’t expect, and that smile of hers reappeared once more, “Nonsense, dear. I may have been in too much of a rush to remember to ask first, but I did know beforehand that I wanted to make sure you have a good time here.” She set the full plate in front of the student. “And that includes a good breakfast.”

Logan looked down at the plate and then up at Patty once more before manifesting a polite smile and picking up her fork to eat. The baker grinned brightly and then hurried back to the kitchen, leaving Logan on her lonesome. That was just fine by her, though. She liked to be alone, a fact that many people didn’t seem to fully understand. She wasn’t just okay being alone, like most people assumed, but instead preferred it and would often reject offers to hang out in any capacity in favor of time spent alone. It had lost her a good number of potential friends, but for as much as she’s given up for the sake of fitting in, her time never was one of them.

Almost absently, Logan began to sort through the food. Everything looked good and she desperately wanted to not upset Patty, but she als couldn’t bring herself to eat certain things. Bacon, for example, was one of her least favorites in the breakfast food department due to its texture and high fat concentration. Still, she took a small bite to prove that she appreciated the older woman’s efforts. The eggs were a pleasant scrambled that she knew would be perfectly adequate, so she instead moved onto the pastries. With her fork, she gently opened up the ones that had some sort of fruity filling, digging out any pieces of fruit she found within. With that complete, she finally and efficiently went about the rest of breakfast without issue.

With the same hesitation she always used in unfamiliar situations, Logan popped her head into the kitchen to see if Patty had any guidance for her. Not finding the kindly baker, she decided to take matters into her own hands and quickly washed her dishes before heading to her room. One shower and unpacking session later, Logan was back in the kitchen in a clean shirt and jeans, her dark hair tied back in a ponytail and glasses fixed firmly to her face. A cursory look into the store front revealed Patty managing the counter while a couple customers sat scattered at various tables. The older woman looked up at the sound of the opened door and sent her a smile.

The student glanced over at the customers and found them to be looking back at her. She knew being new in a small town was subject for attention but still she found herself growing a bit uncomfortable. With a shake of the head, she forced her attention back to Patty, “I was just going to go check out the town if that’s all right.”

“Of course. Let me just put my number in your phone so you can let me contact me if you need to.” Once that was over with, Patty gave Logan one last hug that left her floundering before finally allowing her to head out.

The town was busier during the day than at whatever godforsaken time she first arrived. People walked around, looking into the various buildings and chatting with one another while children chased each other through the streets, dressed in loose summer clothing decorated with dirt and grass stains from time well spent outdoors. People certainly still stared at Logan, but the buzzing environment distracted many and forced the rest to at least remember their manners.

Patty’s bakery sat on the edge of the square and was one of many buildings lining the streets. Everything from clothing boutiques to restaurants to grocery stores buzzed with life as people went about their business. At the center of the square was a park-like area where the greenery was allowed to run as wild as the children who played in it. In the distance, towering mountains covered in forestry surrounded the small town, giving a comforting, if isolated, feeling to the whole place.

Logan spent the rest of her day exploring the town. If there was one thing she hated most it was not knowing things followed closely by having to ask for help, and that included asking for directions so she worked to make sure she knew her way around, if not with ease then at least with certainty. By nightfall, she felt satisfied that she had gotten her bearings and was happy to return to Patty’s for dinner. She didn’t necessarily have to -- she made sure to exchange her currency in one of the cities she traveled through to get there -- but as Patty was her only connection to this place she felt most comfortable in the baker’s home than any restaurant. It also helped that the woman had such a motherly persona, one that Logan would be hard-pressed to admit she felt drawn to.

The next few days continued in similar fashion and a rhythm slowly developed between the two women. Patty would wake up exceptionally early to prepare for the morning rush. Logan would follow soon after (she always was an early riser) and would offer to help out which would be met first by polite denial followed by gracious acceptance. The two would work together, Logan doing whatever chores she could while Patty worked her magic on each pastry and attempted to teach the scholar her ways with mitigating levels of success. Then Logan would eat breakfast by herself before heading off to explore the town. Once she felt comfortable with the layout, she moved on to the actual purpose of her trip: studying.

See, when Janus first suggested a trip to Logan, the young woman had denied her vehemently. She was in the final stretch towards getting her doctorate and she couldn’t just stop everything to take a vacation. At that, Janus had pursed her lips the way she always did when she had to solve a particularly challenging puzzle and reminded her that she could always study abroad. A back and forth that lasted for several weeks insured, but Janus was nothing if not relentless and before long Logan had caved on the condition that she would continue studying during her stay. Janus agreed, and here they were.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise when Logan left particularly early one morning, a small drawstring bag filled with journaling materials, snacks, and precautionary measures fit on her back and headed for the woods that surrounded the town. She hadn’t gotten the chance to explore that area yet, in large part because all the locals seemed to avoid it like the plague. Though they were all nice enough, there was an air of superstition that hung over the town that even Logan picked up on. Any mention of the woods would be met with avoidance at best and hostility at worst and it didn’t escape her notice how few people ever seemed to go outside at night. She was sure there was more to it, if she were ever so inclined to look, but she never was great at picking up cues and though she was sure they had good reasons for their beliefs there was no way she was spending her entire summer away from nature. Her major was biology, afterall, and the call to explore and document had dominated her since she was a child.

The few people she passed on her way to the forest’s edge were friendly at first, but as it became clearer where she was going they began to watch her warily, not bothering with any sort of greeting. Logan ignored it all. With the determination of someone who refused to listen to anything as trivial as warnings, she marched across one last clearing until she stood before the looming trees.

The forest was even more beautiful up close. The trees varied greatly, from all kinds of tall coniferous to the wide reaching oak and beech. They cast such a canopy over the ground that even in the daylight the forest was heavily shaded. Beautiful flowering plants could be seen within the darkness, doting the green with purple, white, and yellow. Excitedly, Logan pulled a pen and notebook out from her bag and began to jot down notes on everything she could see. Once satisfied with her preliminary writings, she looked into the forest, trying to decide the best route to travel. The nature of the town’s superstitions meant that very few people traveled into the woods, giving Logan no obvious path to go down. Rather than risk getting lost within its depths or damaging a potentially delicate ecosystem, she decided to walk the edge, observing the border between wilderness and civilization and looking out for any sort of path along the way.

By the end of the day, Logan had made it through her supply of snacks and water as well as a significant portion of the wood’s edge. She had even marked down various spots on a map where she could potentially enter, setting herself up for the next few days. It was all-in-all a successful day, despite the constant feeling of being watched by curious and worried townspeople (and sometimes, not townspeople at all. But Logan knew that these woods were filled with creatures of all sorts and even if she couldn’t see them, it was only natural that they would be watching her).

Logan arrived back at the bakery well into the evening, the closest thing to a genuine smile on her face as she walked through the empty storefront towards the back. A true smile began to appear for just a moment as she spotted Patty sitting at the dining room table, but the stricken look on the older woman’s face soured her joy instantly.

“Patty?” Logan called out, concerned for the motherly figure.

“Why were you near the woods, Logan?” Patty asked, her voice unusually quiet and flat. Logan stopped dead in her tracks, defenses rising for the first time around the baker since she arrived.

“I was… exploring?” Logan offered, her thoughts getting increasingly frantic as she attempted to explain herself. “I am studying to be a biologist and though you’ve made this trip incredibly comfortable and pleasant, my original goal was to get some work done for my doctorate. This place has some incredible old forests and--”

“Logan,” Patty said firmly, cutting off the scholar. At the panicked look on Logan’s face, the older woman sighed and softened, “Kiddo, I know you want to explore. But this place…it can be dangerous. You’re completely safe here in town, but I don’t want you exploring those woods any more.”

Despite her best efforts to keep calm, Logan felt her indignation flare. She hated being told what to do, especially in a way that could come across as condescending. She knew Patty was coming from a good place and was only trying to help her, but still her anger grew.

“I know how to take care of myself,” she began. “I have been doing this for a while, you know. I’m not just some tourist getting myself into trouble.”

“I know you know, dear. Anywhere else I wouldn’t be worried. But that isn’t the problem here.”

“Then what is?” Logan snapped. Patty jerked up, finally making eye contact with the younger woman. Her mouth opened but nothing came out and after a moment she looked away once more.

“Look,” Logan tried desperately to control the frustration seeping into her words, “I appreciate you trying to help me. You’ve been very kind to me, giving me lodging and food and I couldn’t be more grateful. But if you can’t even give me one good reason for why I should give up all of my plans for this summer, possibly jeopardizing my future, then I see no reason to follow your advice.” She softened, “I promise I’ll be careful. I can take care of myself.”

Patty continued to stare at the floor, her hand covering her mouth. After a few moments of nothing from her, Logan huffed out a breath and headed up to her room where she collapsed onto the bed, emotions running high. She didn’t want to argue with Patty. As much as she’d loathe to admit it, the woman had quickly become almost like a mother to her. But she never did well with people trying to control her, especially without proper explanation. And like hell was she giving this up now, town superstition be damned.

The next few days were incredibly awkward between both women. Though Patty was back to being friendly towards Logan, it was clear that a wedge had formed between them. For her part, Logan left early each morning to continue her research and came back late in the evening to ensure that she spent as little time with the baker as possible. But despite her indignation, she still had yet to actually go into the woods, opting to stay on the edge instead, reasoning that the choice was the most logical one and definitely had nothing to do with Patty’s disapproval.

A week into this new normal, Logan came home to the eerily familiar sight of Patty sitting at the dining room table, her head in her hands. Despite herself, Logan felt a pang of worry and guilt and found herself unable to leave the older woman there.

“Patty?” The baker looked up at her.

“Oh, Logan,” she responded, rubbing her eyes.

“Are you all right?” Logan pressed, which Patty waved off.

“Yes, I… I’m alright. I’m just…” she trailed off, a look of guilt appearing on her face that raised such alarm within Logan that she rushed over to the woman, who held onto her. “I’m sorry, Logan. I’m just so worried about you. You aren’t familiar with this place, these people, and I just wanted to protect you.”

Logan pursed her lips, but let Patty continue, “You are an incredibly strong young woman and I should have treated you like it.” She hesitated. “I still strongly discourage you from going any deeper into those woods. There are dangers there, ones you couldn’t even imagine. That being said, I know I cannot stop you and I don’t want your time here to be spent in turmoil.”

Logan considered her words. “Thank you, Patty. I’m sorry as well. I let my temper get the better of me and reacted a bit harshly.” She pulled back a bit, letting a firmness appear in her voice, “But I came here for a reason. Part of it may have been to get away, but the main reason was to explore. To learn on my own terms. These woods are fascinating and I cannot simply quit doing what I love.”

The older woman bowed her head, “I thought you might say that. Very well, then. Just…if I ever ask you to do anything for your own safety, I beg you, please listen to me.” sensing the younger woman’s protests, she pressed on, “I won’t try to force you to stay away from the woods. But if I ask you to do something else, like take something perhaps a bit odd with you, please listen.. I want to keep you safe, however I can.”

The conversation ended much like their last one, with both women staring at one another. This time, however, Logan conceded, sighing, “All right, Patty. I will.”

For the first time in a week, the baker smiled and pulled Logan into a hug, “Thank you, dear.” The scholar fumbled for just a moment, but she was slowly getting used to Patty’s mannerisms and hesitantly hugged her back. “Of course, Patty.”

The next day Logan awoke early, even earlier than Patty for once. Though she tried to go back to sleep, her thoughts were soon consumed by those woods. Now that the issue with Patty was settled (sort of), it was all she could think about and she figured it was about time she gave into her urges. Quietly, so as not to wake up the baker, Logan gathered together a mix of scholarly and practical supplies before getting dressed in a t-shirt, jeans, tennis shoes, and ballcap. After heading downstairs, she also gathered a couple water bottles, snacks, and a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich for lunch. Satisfied with her work, she grabbed some leftovers from the day before for breakfast and nearly walked out then and there but memories of the conversation from last night stopped her. Patty had explicitly asked her to allow the baker to give her some advice, and while she wouldn’t technically be breaking that promise to leave early, she had just gotten back on good terms with the older woman and didn’t want to ruin that.

With a sigh, Logan sat down and ate her breakfast, knowing she wouldn’t have to wait long for the baker to wake up. Sure enough, the baker was downstairs before she finished eating and was clearly surprised at the reversal of events. The surprise didn’t last long, however; a glance at the scholar’s outfit and bag told her everything she needed to know about the situation. Her face grew tense and she let out a sigh before making her way into the kitchen, not a word said. Confused and a little anxious, Logan watched as she dug through various drawers before finally approaching the scholar and holding the items out towards Logan.

“Here,” was all the older woman said as she passed over a silver cross necklace, a ziplock full of garlic, and a few handfuls of rosemary. Logan looked up at her, even more confused and certainly unimpressed. “You promised,” Patty reminded her sternly.

A small fire flared inside of Logan, but she immediately squashed it, not wanting to ruin their recently mended relationship over something as menial (if strange) as a necklace and some weird plants. She quickly shoved the bag of garlic into a pocket on her bag that had nothing else in it (after making sure the baggie was completely shut, of course), threw the necklace on over her outfit, and placed the rosemary in a pocket. “There. Happy?”

The older woman eyed her critically before letting out a satisfied ‘hmp’ and turning back to work on that morning’s meal. Logan joined her moments later, washing her dishes at the sink without a word. The silence continued as the scholar grabbed her bag and began to head towards the door before hesitating right before leaving. She turned around and found Patty staring right back at her. The mess of emotions on the older woman’s face hurt her to look at and she lurched forward, meeting Patty in a hug. The baker held her tightly and the thought that this woman who had barely known her for more than a couple weeks seemed to care about Logan more than anyone she had ever met (except perhaps Janus) made her tear up just a little. Finally, Patty pulled back and looked at the younger woman’s face. “Be careful, Logan.”

For once, the old fire didn’t flare up, and Logan took the baker’s hands into her own, “I will.” She gave Patty a smile that was quickly returned. The two looked at one another as though they were committing the other to memory.

An alarm went off at the stove, calling Patty back to her duties. The older woman squeezed her hand one last time and left her standing by the door, humming as she went. Logan stood a moment longer, just watching, and then went silently out the door as the gentle song waved her bye.

During her preliminary research, she had discovered an abandoned path hidden by deep brush, overgrown grass, and imposing fencing and, being the true scientist she was, she refused to let something as small as “gentle suggestions” keep her from her goals. Of all the paths, this one was the most defined and would be her best bet to staying safe and not losing her way.

Dawn crept over the horizon as Logan reached the fence, illuminating her path just barely. With one last glance at the village behind her, she hopped the fence and pushed past the shrubbery, revealing a faded dirt path that disappeared into the trees. From here, the beauty and colors that Logan could see from the treeline intensified, drawing her further into the forest’s depths.

Without so much as a second thought, she started down the path, stopping frequently to record her surroundings. The forest was strangely quiet, almost entirely devoid of the animal noises that would normally fill such gaps. The oddities didn’t stop there. Though signs of most animals remained elusive, Logan noted that the woods held an unusually high spider population whose webs seemed to coat every other tree. The path was also wellkept despite being (supposedly) out of use for many, many years, as though someone had been using it regularly.

The biggest oddity of all, however, she wouldn’t discover until the early afternoon. After a quick lunch break and rest, Logan had opted to follow the path just a little further before heading back to the village. She had spent much of her time documenting, afterall, and would easily be able to make it back before nightfall so long as she didn’t daddle for too long. As she stopped to observe another type of spider hanging in a nearby tree, something unnatural caught her eye – brick. Curious, she left the creature to its duties and followed the path straight towards the misplaced material.

She passed through an opening in the trees and found a clearing where an old manor sat ominously in the center. The brick Logan had first spotted belonged to the broken-down walls and wrought iron fence surrounding a small courtyard area where a dead tree stood tall. Beyond that, the dark, boarded-up house was as uninviting and ancient as a tomb and just as fascinating.

Without thinking, she took another step forwards, mind reeling at all the possibilities. But as she looked around the abandoned place, her brain began to fight the siren’s call, calling out to her danger, danger. Though she had often been considered reckless, the truth was that her risks were always calculated. The pros and cons were always weighed, the cons always deemed worthwhile. But even she knew that going into an old, decaying building for nothing more than curiosity’s sake was a fool’s errand at best and criminally stupid at worst.

With a last conflicted glance at the home, Logan turned back and began tracing her steps down the pathway. Still, the desire to know, to explore remained, and so she promised herself that she’d bring the place up to the townspeople as soon as she got back. Her curiosity could be saitited from the safety of civilization, where she wasn’t liable to injury or death and help could be reached in a matter of minutes.

Leafy debris crunched underfoot as the spiders watched her exit, too lost in her own thoughts to notice how each one froze as she passed them. How odd, a human daring to approach their lady’s home. It had been a very long time since anyone was foolish or arrogant enough to try, and they couldn’t help but find her…fascinating. Spiders scurried along the forest floor as the human crossed the threshold back to her own kind. Lady Virgil would want to hear about this immediately.

#sanders sides #logan sanders #patton sanders #mentioned:#janus sanders #virgil sanders #vampires #werewolves #platonic logicality #analogince #romantic analogince #spiders cw

1 note · View note