#GAHAHA I need to sleep

[moriartyluver]

FALSE LOVERS CHAPTER XXIV

"THIS IS THE REAL JACK....JACK THE RIPPER."

"The real Jack..!" James exclaimed in surprise. "You mean to say that the killer wreaking havoc in Whitechapel is an imposter?!"

"Exactly," Moran affirmed. "The moniker was originally used by the old man for more than 50 years, ain't that right instructor?"

Jack laughed "as if I would know! I never cared for silly titles like that!"

"Don't act dumb, old man! You're old enough to know these things!" The colonel furrowed his eyebrows as he yelled in annoyance, only to be shushed by (name) who put a finger to her lips, signalling to stay quiet so they wouldn't wake William "It the reason why William called you, no? Because of this psycho killer that's using your moniker himself." Moran said in a slightly quieter voice.

The blankets on William rustled "That's not quite the reason, Moran." He said, waking up from his nap.

"You awake already, William? Shouldn't you be getting more rest?" Moran suggested with a hand on his hip

"He would've rested a lot better if you're loud voice didn't wake him up," (name) glared, taking William's blanket and folding it aside as he smiled gratefully at her. She sat down beside him, a hand on his arm as William continued.

"How could I continue sleeping when the instructor is here? It would be disrespectful to him and all of you." He said with a usual polite smile. Someone so used to experiencing rudeness like (name) — who had now grown to expect such behaviour for either her gender or ethnicity or both — had found it almost endearing.

Now that she had drawn her attention to it, William was usually incredibly polite, even when it was not deserved. He always seemed to be so respectful to everyone and that gentle smile had radiated a comforting beauty she couldn't bare to tear her gaze away from.

The instructor kneeled as (name) was snapped out of her trance-like state, gazing (arguably) fondly at the blond. "It has been too long, Master William." He said "It would be a tremendous honour for this old fossil to be of use to you once more."

William gave him a flustered smile which (name) mentally cursed him for. "No need for such formality, Instructor...just call me 'Little Will' as you always do. I know it was you who pinched my cheek whilst I slept."

'If he knew that the old man did that, did he also?—'

The instructor laughed heartily. "Gahaha! Nothing ever escapes you does it? Never changed, little will!"

(Name) had occasionally thought of how William may have been like before they had met, although not often. In the eight years the couple had known each other, and quite closely one might add, he had changed a bit.

(Name) had noted he had grown much taller since their youth. He was above average height as a 16 year old but his baby like face always made her laugh a bit when she was a teenager. Now it had slimmed down although he did look rather adorable but the rest of the time, he would wear that teasing smile that (name) couldn't help but feel flustered by. His physique had likely remained the same, although slightly more muscular with all the combat involved in being the Lord of crimes. From what she had seen, he was toned despite still being on the slimmer side..his voice had also changed, it was slightly deeper and very attractive now...

Without warning, (name) had smacked herself in the face in an attempt to regain her composure. She internally screamed at herself to stop thinking such thoughts about a mere man. She had also internally screamed at her past self for making the foolish decision to attempt to prove the infertility rumours wrong. She should've known nothing good would come out of that.

"Are you alright, (name)?" Josephine asked. (Name) hadn't told her of the recent encounter so she was bound to be confused. Honestly most things (name) did confused her.

(Name) chuckled nervously, noticing the blank looks she was receiving from the other members. "There was a fly." Although she clearly seemed unsure about that. "Please forgive me for my disruption..." she muttered

"What's the old man doin' here anyways?" Moran said shortly after

"Ah yes," William said, his expression turning serious "As you may know, not only has the killer in Whitechapel been using the instructor's only moniker as his own, he also has been intentionally announcing it to the newspapers. Just as I was about to contact instructor Jack regarding this information, he took the initiative and contacted me through a telegram." The instructor stood up with a small smirk "Instructor Jack wished to lend us his help in disposing the imposter killer who is using his name. This, he contacted me. The crime consultant."

William turned to his subordinates, continuing his explanation "It was for that reason that I requested you to retrieve his knives from the bank. I trust there was no problem in the retrieval."

"No problem at all. Right, Bond?" Moran said, looking knowingly at the shorter man.

"Yes, not at all."

Moran leaned against the armrest of the sofa, his arms folded "but why use an old moniker of some fossil who the world had forgotten? Who is this killer trying to fool..?" His eyes widened in realisation, opening his mouth to explain his theory. "Aha! The paper says he only targets courtesans, right? So maybe he's getting rid of all the courtesans so there wouldn't be any left for the real—"

Moran was cut off by a harsh smack from the Instructor, like a parent disciplining a child. (Name) observed with a blank stare. "Dammit Moran! Why do you always have to silly the conversation with your moronic ideas?!" He scolded him like a little boy.

"Ow!! Stop hitting me!!" The colonel whined.

"I like this instructor already," Josephine whispered to herself

"What makes you want to eliminate the killer, Instructor?" Fred chimed in, turning the old man's attention away from Moran.

"I admit, I hold no attachment to that abomination of a title.  But I can't let the world remember me as a psychopath who murdered helpless women on the street for no reason either. Before I kill him, however, I need proper preparation. That is why I need little Will's help." The instructor explained

"I see. That is a good reason." Louis  commented

"That's right my boys! It is only common sense to clean up after yourself!" The instructor said with a chuckle before Moran opened his mouth to spurt out some nonsense again.

"Says one of London's worse womanisers.."

"Woman...?" The instructor muttered, ignoring the insult. "Ah yes! Speaking of women! I heard there are three women working for you now, little will..."

"Don't bother with (name). She's off limits old man. Can't be going for William's wife." Moran said as (name) frowned. "And the brat's much too young for you." He finished, gesturing to Josephine who her rolled her eyes

The instructor scanned the noblewoman, then turned to William beside her with a smile, like a proud parent to their child. "My, you've grown so much, haven't you? So this must be the lucky lady."

"(Name) (last name), a pleasure to meet you. I've heard great things about you, Instructor." (Name) flashed a smile and held out a hand to shake. Despite being so old, Jack gave a firm handshake, almost enthusiastic.

She had heard William singing the instructors praises any time (name) would (subtly) compliment her husband's combat skills. (Name) herself had been taught personally by both parents, mainly her father, so she hadn't had an 'official' instructor as a child. Her parents had insisted on it at one point but from what the young girl had seen, her fathers combat skills were far more superior than any teacher she could learn from.

"Oh I've heard just as much about you, lady (name). Little Will seems to adore—" the old man was cut off by William clearing his throat. His cheeks were dusted with blush. The instructor smirked but changed the subject promptly "Moving on, I also heard there were two others, namely a Miss Irene Adler..it's a shame, I don't see her, I was planning on having some fun with her.."

Bond raised his hand, drawing the instructors attention to him. "Ah, that would be me," he said "The woman, Irene Adler, is dead. I am now James Bond. Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir."

Jack stroked his bearded chin "A pretty boy disguise..eh..that explains it. Well.." he muttered before smiling brightly "I imagine you would need help to learn how a real man behaves! What day I help you with your study tonight in the bedroom, Mr Bond?"

"He's as shameless as ever.." Moran whispered to nobody in particular.

Bond turned to Louis to whisper "he mentioned study, what kind of study?" He asked curiously

"You wouldn't know it Mr Bond, being a new member. After the Moriarty Mansion was burnt down, is brothers stayed at Lord Rockwell's mansion for a time," Louis said, recalling the familiar memories "That's how we met Instructor Jack who was working for their family at the time.."

Louis had explained to Bond their first meeting with the instructor during the trio's stay with the Earl of Rockwell. After William had explained their wish to learn how to 'defend themselves', the instructor, after a short examination ending in a young William holding a rifle, had agreed to train the brothers. It had brought (name) some minor satisfaction to know that although her husband was skilled, she probably would have been able to win against him in a sparring match throughout the entire time they had known each other despite on sparring once.

"Including Mr Moran, we're only able to do what we can today thanks to Instructor Jack." Louis explained once he had concluded his anecdote.

Bond nodded with an admiring smile "I see..so Mr Moran's  famous ways around women was inherited from instructor Jack as well.."

The instructor laughed once more "Ghaha! It was I who turned that muscle-brain into a true lethal weapon of war!" He exclaimed proudly. "Moran! Be sure to treat Mr Bond with care, got it?!"

(Name) heard Moran audibly groan as he rolled his eyes like a teenager being scolded. "Fine, fine..we always lose track of what we're talking about with this waffling old man, I swear. Can we get back on topic?" Moran asked rhetorically. "I still don't understand how this killer knew of the title 'Jack the ripper', and why did he choose it?"

"The answer is obvious Moran," the instructor said, stroking his white beard between his thumb and index finger.

Moran's dark eyes widened "What? You don't mean..?!"

Jack spoke, wisely and sophisticatedly. "There are so many possibilities I don't know where to start."

(Name) let out a small chuckle while Moran groaned in annoyance.

"That just means you have no idea either, ya bloody coot!!" He yelled insultingly

William, from beside (Name), interjected between the two. "We will only know of the killer's true intent and his relationship with the instructor after we find him." He said calmly " We must eliminate this fake 'Jack The Ripper as soon as possible...and clear Instructor Jack's name. What's more..." William trailed off, a noticeable dramatic habit the blond had as his wife observed. She watched his eyes narrow, an alluring feature despite the terror his gaze could invoke in the eyes of wrongdoers. "As instructor Jack has said, we must find those...who are taking advantage of this chaos to prey on the weak and bring them to justice."

During the 19th century, the east end was where the underclass of London gathered, which consisted mostly of vagrants, courtesan and urchins. Even within the East End, the Whitechapel district housed around eight thousand citizens without specific addresses. The district was often ridiculed as a den of thieves and criminals, so much so that it was said that if there were an unsolved crime in London, one could easily find the culprit amongst the slums of Whitechapel.

The victims of the series of murders, the courtesans, though fearing for their life, had no choice but to continue to sell their bodies in order to survive - much like Josephine Evans did prior to being taken into Ashfordshire's so-called 'care'

"Couldn't I have dressed up as an old woman or something? This dress is unbelievably uncomfortable. The corset is much too tight and if I were seen wearing such fuss and frills, I think I'd be a laughing stock in high society," (name) complained as they walked through the dark alleyways of Whitechapel. She had already gotten a few disturbing looks from the occasional nobleman who was only in the area for the most inappropriate of reasons "It's much too revealing for me.."

"You don't have the right face for an old woman though," Josephine commented. (Name) never thought she'd ever feel jealous seeing someone wearing rags and tattered clothing, but it seems she was wrong about everything with the Lord of crime.

"I understand I'm meant to take that as a compliment, but I'd much rather wear anything than this." (Name) said, gesturing to her pink dress. She caught William looking at her briefly as he turned his head from in front of her, then furrowed her eyebrows, pointing a finger at her husband in an accusatory manner "What are you looking at?"

William looked somewhat surprised, —he had simply been admiring her appearance as usual— then smiled innocently as he looked up and down her figure, before looking into her enticing (eye color) eyes, bending his neck down slightly as they made eye contact.

"You look pretty in pink."

(Name) could feel herself heating up instantly, stuttering as her brain attempted to formulate a witty response while Josephine snickered from beside her, the rest of the group equally amused by the situation. She clenched her jaw with an irritated huff and continued walking, adjusting her bodice as they all exited the alleyway.

"Whitechapel hasn't changed much from when we were here last.." William said, pulling the edge of his hat to shield his scarlet eyes. He turned behind him. "Follow me, to the old garden."

(Name) had rarely been to Whitechapel. In fact, she could probably count on one hand how many times she had walked these streets. As they would wander around the slums, she'd let her eyes wander too. Women stood at street corners, dressed much like herself; children chased each other around, happy despite being so malnourished and wizened and wrinkled men would throw judging and cautious glances. Had they been there after sunset, it would be very likely to find well dressed noblemen sneaking around, carrying money for any women that would catch their fancy.

"Huh..so this is the slum where Will and Louis grew up in?" Bond commented curiously. "It's different from what I was told."

Moran's dark eyes landed on Bond beside him. "Yeah...this is where they lived before the Moriarty family adopted them." He said.

Lady (name) had watched William as he walked a few steps ahead. Many wouldn't notice, but there was a very slight change in his demeanor that only she could probably detect. Of course, as his "partner" of some sort, a "colleague in crime" if you will, (Name) knew that William was sensitive in regards to his unfortunate childhood. She had partially discovered that the boy she knew was not quite who he said he was. (which made (name) particularly embarrassed after making many rude remarks, generalising him as a stuck up noble despite being of a well breed status herself, she could be quite hypocritical and ignorant to her own behavior sometimes.) But she hadn't known of his past beyond the mere legal documents she uncovered along with her deductive abilities, until a couple of years ago when William had, after an uncharacteristically sentimental encounter in which (name) caught her newly wed husband drinking for the first and last time considering he was never the time to ruin his organs by drinking excessively, that was more his elder brother's job.

That, however, is a story for another time.

"I hope their old home's still there. I'd like to visit it." Bond said in a hushed tone.

Moran shook his head. "Not possible.. William said that place is long gone now."

"That's a shame-"

Before Bond could say another word, though, gun shots filled the air, disrupting the bustling chatter of the streets.

"A gun shot...!" Moran exclaimed

"No shit, Moran." Josephine said, gesturing in the direction of the sound. "It's close!"

Within seconds, the group had rushed to a crowd of people, stood where the gun shot sound had come from. Police officers from Scotland yard followed suit, watching as the underclass men of Whitechapel held their rifles in the air, aiming threateningly at the cops.

"Take a walk, ye bleedin' Yard dogs!" One man yelled atop several crates "We don't need yo' kind 'ere muddlin' up the place!!"

Multiple men stood behind him, each holding some sort of weapon themselves. There were crates stacked like a wall, as if guarding Whitechapel from the 'enemy', their enemy being the policemen from Scotland yard. The men in navy blue uniforms whispered amongst themselves, planning on a method to regain control of the area and its citizens, much to the anger of the men by the crates.

"That's right! Whitechapel has its own militia!" They continued to yell "We can take care of this murderer on our own! We don't need you Scotland Yard here!!"

"The air seems tense.." The Instructor muttered amongst the commotion.

"Why are the Whitechapel blokes chasing the coppers away? Don't they want to catch Jack the Ripper?" Moran questioned

The officers eventually spoke up in retaliation. "We will not leave until we have caught this foul murderer! It is our duty to return peace to Whitechapel as is yours!"

"Duty?! Dont' make me laugh!! Where was your sense of duty when we needed help before?!" The vigilantes argued back "You Yard Dogs never even considered us citizens! We're nothing to you!"

'Ah,' (Name) thought as she observed the riot beside William who narrowed his eyes. 'The neglect of the police to 'unimportant' cases has caused some sort of social unrest..no doubt the riots will only continue, even if Jack the Ripper is caught..'

"That's not true!!" One officer stuttered

The vigilante from earlier scoffed. "Piss off! We can handle Jack on our own!"

"Calm yourself man," a stoic voice came from behind.

"Mr Woods! It's the Scotland Yard they're refusing to leave!"

A blond haired man with a short beard and wide stature, quite intimidating, emerged from amongst the crowd of vigilantes. He had almost commanded silence over his comrades, so (Name) assumed he was the ringleader.

"You tell 'em off Mr Woods!"

"The Yard only wants to catch this murderer, same as us." Woods said "I see no problem in letting them help us."

While Mr. Woods had gave a short speech to the constables, asking for support from the Yard to catch the killer aswell as allowing the vigilantes to use weapons to fend off Jack The Ripper, the group had snuck off in an attempt to pursue their own investigation.

"The Whitechapel folks sure seem up in arms about this.." Moran commented, peering behind a wall to watch a group of officers. "You can't blame 'em... This case has been a much talked about topic across the city, if not the whole country."

"And the presence of the Yard is certainly not making things better..." (Name) added. "If only they could realise that they're common enemy is this fake 'Jack the Ripper'.."

"This theatric murderer is playing with fire..he has turned Whitechapel into a battlefield." William said with a nod. It was as if the two could communicate telepathically sometimes, as they had both been simultaneously formulating a plan to expose this killer and his intentions. "One wrong move, and the power will shift in an unpredictable way.."

"We should split up here then, shouldn't we?" Josephine suggested. There was an even number of people and although she had wished to follow Fred and Louis to Scotland Yard, she would be glad to have been in a pair with (Name).

William nodded, a smile flickering over his features. "Indeed.. In that case, (Name) and I shall investigate the crime scene."

His wife narrowed her eyes, forming a deathly glare, promptly followed by a frown from Josephine and a chuckle from Bond.

"And why must I go with you?" (Name) asked in annoyance "This is a serious matter, William, I hope you're aware."

"I never said it wasn't, (Name)." William said, almost serious enough for it to be convincing that there was indeed no ulterior motive. (Name) rolled her eyes. "Surely you're not afraid, my love? I'll be there for you to cling to, rest assured, darling."

"You are truly aggravating," She insulted, the tips of her ears slightly warm, with anger of course... nothing else, before hearing a whistle come from behind.

"Geez, you two," Moran teased obnoxiously as he leaned against a brick wall beside Bond, annoying (name) further as she grew more flustered by the second "Get a room, would you? I'd hate to say this knowing how...physical...you two can be, but we are on a mission, y'know?"

"-Enough..!" Scoffing, (name) negotiated. "Fine, William, Josephine and I shall go investigate whilst the three of you-" She gestured to Jack, Bond and Moran. "Will go survey the courtesans, preferably without flirting with any of them." She said, eyeing the noirette

Moran looked quite offended at that last statement. "What ya lookin' at me for? The old geezer's right there!"

"Oh please." The instructor rolled his eyes at the younger man "I have the ability to control myself around women, no matter how tempting, unlike you, Moran."

Noticing a few concerned looks from constables around the corner, Josephine had grown tired of the petty arguments from both William and (Name) as well as Moran and the Instructor.  If the old man was to stay as Albert had mentioned briefly before leaving for work that morning, this could become a regular occurrence. As for (Name) and William, she internally prayed one of them would be brave enough to confess to the other sooner or later.

"Alright ladies, that's enough bickering." The brunette said to the four, taking (Name)'s hands in hers before she could strangle William. "The more we chat, the more this knock-off Jack the Ripper schemes to kill, alright? Might aswell get going."

Bonus

"...so Moran got his womaniser tendencies from the Instructor then?" Bond commented

(Name) smirked  "Daresay he's surpassed the master from what I've heard...how many women have you been with again, Moran? Was it 20...no that's much too low...56 I think..?" She trailed off in faux ignorance.

Moran rolled his eyes "You're much worse than me anyways, I swear you've been with twice as many men as I have been with women." He said sharply.

(Name) glared "It's not that high.."

"28 is a high number, especially for a woman," Moran pointed out

"Alright, but a lot those people weren't even all the way and most of them were solely for the sake of missions or blackmail..at least half were from when I was a teenager, so it isn't that strange," (name) defended

"also it's 29 now."  She added as William choked on his tea.

A/N: I literally didn't know how to end this chapter but first update in like over a month!! I've already said this but college has been screwing me over and I've been quite sick recently but I pulled through so it's fine. Honestly been dreading reaching chapter 25 because shit just goes downhill from then hehehe. The angst levels are gonna go much higher soon >:)

#—false lovers 💋 #moriarty the patriot #william james moriarty #william moriarty #william moriarty x reader #yuukoku no moriarty #mtp william #moriarty the patriot x reader #yuukoku no moriarty x reader

[ikeromantic]

Rumors and Bad Tidings

A Chevalier Michel fanfiction. Approx. 2800 words. This scene takes place in Chapter 11-12 of the main route and is told from Chevalier’s POV. Part 11 of a series.

First: Bravery Becomes Her

Previous: The First Wound

Chevalier lay at the edge of dreams. Awake enough to be aware of his room and the woman in his arms, but asleep enough to forget for a moment that he was a prince and she, the Belle. The soft moment did not last long. 

With a gasp, the Belle slid out from the sheets. Her face was frozen in the lines of surprise. 

Chev watched her with equal parts annoyance and amusement. Surely she could understand that after spending the night in his room, another hour or two would hardly matter. 

“I’m so sorry Prince Chevalier! I - ah!”

He pulled her back into bed, burying his face in her soft hair. “Quiet. Or I’ll smother you.” His grumbling morning voice had the intended effect. With her pulled tight against him, his eyes drifted closed and the sweetness of his dream felt only a little ways away. Still within reach, if he only -

“What are you doing?” 

Chevalier refused to dignify her squawking with a reply. It was hardly his fault that she suddenly didn’t want to snuggle after spending hours in his embrace. He would enjoy what was left of his morning. He would -

The door flew open and slammed against the wall with bang. A few books slid off the table and landed with a thump on the ground. Clavis stood in the open door, smiling as he always did, and for perhaps the first - no, second - or third? - time, Chev seriously contemplated murdering his brother.

“Morning Chev! Your charming brother has come to wake you, so you,” he paused, noticing the Belle, “should,” he paused again, this time for a breath. His jaw twitched with what was most likely held laughter, “thank . . .”

“Good morning, Clavis,” Belle said into the momentary quiet. She was clearly trying for a normal tone of voice, but there was an unnatural tightness to it. A current of nerves she didn’t have the experience or talent to cover. 

Clavis continued smiling, his eyes practically glowing with malicious glee. He took in every detail. The way Chevalier’s leg had slipped over Emma’s, the lack of space between Chev’s chest and her back, his hands clasped around her . . . 

The Belle cleared her throat. “It’s not what it looks like. I swear!”

Clavis continued to stare. Chevalier could see the slight tremor in his throat. The giddy, shallow breaths that flared his brother’s nostrils. And then Clavis could take it no more. He burst into peals of laughter. An unprincely guffaw. 

“Hahaha, gahaha - oh - oh I never - I never expected to walk in on - ahaha, on something like this!” He was laughing so hard he could barely speak. Tears pearled at the corners of his eyes. 

“Clavis,” Emma said, sounding miserable and desperate now, “please listen to me! Just listen for a minute!”

Chevalier could have told her to save her breath. His brother was terrible at listening. He released his hold on the Belle and she scrambled out of bed as if it was on fire. 

“Nothing happened! Clavis, listen! I just - I came by to drop off some books and I fell asleep here!” She was almost in tears. 

“Get out.” Chevalier sat up, his gaze settling on Emma. He pretended not to see the way the morning sun haloed in her mussed hair or how precious she looked as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. He didn’t have the time or the luxury for this infatuation. “Go.” And that came out more gently.

The Belle picked up her things and practically ran from the room without even a goodbye. 

Clavis didn’t take his eyes off Chev. “What an unexpected turn of events.”

His body language made it clear he was terribly pleased, even as he was surprised. Chevalier felt a spike of unease. The little rabbit was involved now, as he’d warned her last night. But it did not please him to see the delight in his brother’s eyes.

“I have three hours before we need to meet with the border delegation. Why are you here?”

“Oh? Sad I upset your little morning cuddle?” Clavis waited for a response, but Chev didn’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, he began to dress as if this were just another normal morning between them. After a drawn out moment, Clavis went on. “I thought you would want to discuss a piece of information I came across last night. But if I’m disturbing you . . .”

Chev threw him an icy stare. “Stop wasting my time.”

Clavis sighed. “You are never any fun.” Then, without more of his ridiculous taunts, he gave his brother a concise breakdown of what he’d learned. It was not good. 

“Assemble the faction. We have work to do.”

“Then you’ve forgiven me for interrupting your little tryst?”

Chevalier snorted. “Your imagination runs wild.” He put as much disdain into the words as he could muster but the twinkle in his brother’s eye did not dim. 

It took time for him to dress and eat, time he begrudged himself bitterly. This wasn’t a time for idleness, but he couldn’t have gone faster even had he not needed to care for such banalities. The other members of his faction were scattered through the city and had to be brought in, which took time. 

And of course, Clavis used the opportunity to ensure the rumor of where the Belle spent her night burned like a wildfire through the palace. Chev expected as much, but it was interesting to map where the rumors started and how they were being spread. It could have come from the maids or Rio, who must have noticed that Emma didn’t return to her room last night. But it was his brother, confirming Chevalier’s suspicion that Clavis was plotting something specifically involving her. 

He thought through the possible advantages and benefits to Clavis as he waited for the meeting to begin. Parsing his brother’s plots were an amusing past time, and he was fairly sure he understood the goal by the time his faction members arrived in the office. 

“So what did you want to talk about,” Luke asked without preamble. He was so artless and blunt in his demeanor that at times Chev found him refreshing. Regrettable as a prince, but easy to work with at least.

Nokto was leaned against a bookshelf, studying his fingernails as if bored. And Clavis rested his hip on the windowsill where he could easily see the expressions of his brothers and keep an eye on the courtyard for new arrivals and exits.

Chevalier didn’t see the point in delaying his news. He glanced at each of his brothers. “We have confirmed the particulars of Obsidian’s new weapon.”

“New weapon? This is the first I’m hearing about it!” Luke’s green eyes widened. 

Clavis, smiling as always, replied. “That’s because you arrived after this investigation began. We weren’t trying to leave you out of our little circle of friends.”

“Pffft. I don’t know if I’d call any of you my friends.” Nokto laughed as he looked up for a moment from his hands.

“Good point.” Clavis laughed brightly.

Chev hated this interplay. The lack of focus. It annoyed him and yet, he’d come to expect it. So much so that he would have been disappointed if they’d stuck to the topic at hand. Thankfully, Luke wasn’t easily distracted, unless honey was involved.

“That doesn’t matter. Just - what specifically is this new weapon you’re talking about?” Luke leaned forward, his rough scarred hands on the desk.

Nokto answered, still pretending to boredom. “Long story short, they’ve developed a new state of the art black powder weapon. A gun.” He paused and met Luke’s stare. “Have you ever seen a gun?”

The red head frowned, a line creasing his brow. “Sure, I’ve seen one. But guns are pretty useless, right? I mean, it doesn’t hit where ya aim it. The range is short as heck, and it’s real slow to load.”

This was interesting from the youngest prince. Chevalier’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. The average Rhodolitian, even the average soldier, knew little of guns. They were not used here and rarely seen in border skirmishes. He would have to find out what exactly Luke had been up to in the years before Sariel brought him here. 

“I mean, that’s what I’ve heard from the knights in the palace. The sword is still the way to go in battle . . .” Luke trailed off uncertainly.

Nokto nodded. “Until now, yes.”

Chevalier sighed. “By my estimate, the guns Obsidian is currently developing are a vast improvement on the old models. The kind of improvement it should take a century to discover. They have better accuracy, range, and load time.” He did not need to say what that would mean in war. Such a gun would devastate their best troops. 

His brothers all looked grim, except for Clavis whose smile did not waver. 

Luke straightened and took a step back. “Are you - are you serious?”

 “They sure live up to their reputation as a military nation,” Clavis chuckled. “I think the age of knights on the battlefield may be over, don’t you?”

Nokto tilted his head thoughtfully. “I think our knights might be forced to retire.”

“If that happens, our nation will be inferior in every way. Obsidian will dominate us in resources, equipment, and military force. Even with allies, our chances of victory would be slim.” Such a development meant far more than that. It represented an entirely different kind of world. One in which Obsidian held the power. Chevalier would not allow Rhodolite to become a vassal nation. 

Luke shrugged. “Ok. So . . . what do we do?”

And here was the risk. The gamble. The bet that could not be lost. “We get the jump on them before their new guns can be used on the battlefield.” Chevalier smiled coldly. “With Benitoite and Jade, we’ll invade and assume control of their weapons manufacturing facilities and principal military headquarters.” His wintery gaze held each of his brothers’, “We will weaken them technologically and physically. We will destroy the means of weapon production and the technique.” 

This plan was by no means full-proof. They may not drive deep enough into Obsidianite territory to get at the right military facilities. There could be copied schematics hidden elsewhere. Or troops already armed with the new weapons, standing ready to decimate their armies. But it gave them a better chance than any other option Chevalier could see.

“And with Benitoite and Jade involved, Obsidian won’t be likely to retaliate,” Nokto added, showing again that behind his clownish facade their was a perfectly sharp mind.

Chev nodded. “And at the conclusion, we’ll force a peace treaty between the four nations.”

“Wait, wait! So what you’re saying is, we’re going to war?” Luke looked stunned. 

“How perceptive.” Chevalier’s eyebrows twitched up for a moment though he maintained a glacial calm.

“You can’t be serious!” Luke lunged forward, slamming his palms against the desk. His face was twisted with old hurt and fresh anger. He clearly fought himself as he tried to stay calm. “That’s - that’s excessive!” 

It was easy to forget how large their youngest sibling was. Up close like this, Chevalier was forcibly reminded that even the bumbling sleepy bear could be dangerous when roused to anger. He showed none of this in his body language or expression though.

“Excessive?” Clavis chuckled. “Chev doesn’t know the meaning of the word.”

Nokto nodded. “You can say that again.” He glanced from Luke to Chevalier. “It’s a valid decision either way. And I’ve got no objections.”

“I’m not going to get in the way of something so entertaining.” Clavis laughed again. 

Luke’s jaw clenched. “There’s nothing entertaining about it! If we go to war, a lot of people are going to die!”

“Most likely. What of it?” Chevalier fixed those burning green eyes with his icy blue ones. 

“How can you be so - “ 

Chev leaned forward, golding that hot glare. “If we don’t go to war, our country is finished. The only question is when - not if - we act.” He did not need to add that no matter what course they chose, deaths were inevitable. The only real question was how many? How many lives to preserve Rhodolite? 

Luke’s jaw snapped shut and he made a sound deep in his chest, a growl of discontent. 

Nokto took a step forward, his shrewd gaze narrowed. “King Highness, if we want this to be effective, we’re going to have to get the consent of Leon’s group too, right?”

Clavis sighed. “Our tender hearted brothers won’t want to agree to a war so easily.” His smile widened. “Oh! I know! Why don’t we wait for the Belle to make her decision first?”

“Good plan. The king has a right to make decisions on military matters.” Nokto waited for Chevalier to weigh in.

Luke shook his head, still furious but in control of himself. “King Highness isn’t the Belle’s only option.”

“Pffft.” Nokto grinned. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that. King Highness had a fun evening with the Belle in his room last night.” He paused, then added meaningfully, “All night.”

This had a startling effect on Luke. He drew back, eyes widening, his lips forming a voiceless question.

Chevalier felt a flicker of annoyance. One, at the idea he would need to seduce the Belle to prove he was the best choice. Two, at his brother for bringing this up. The Clown wasn’t attempting to taunt him. He approved - and that made it even more irritating. 

Before he had decided what to say though, Clavis spoke up, laughing. “He kept saying how uninterested in the Belle he was! Then he made a move on her before anyone else!”

Arguing or getting angry would only encourage this nonsense, Chev decided. He let out his breath and didn’t respond to the teasing. After giving the princes a moment to collect themselves and refocus, he continued. On topic. 

“Supposing I did gain the authority of king. Who would be sensible enough to listen to my orders?”

“No one.” Clavis and Nokto spoke in the same breath, giving each other bemused glances.

“And nobody,” Luke added unhelpfully a beat later.

Nokto grimaced. “Leon, Jin, and Licht are all beasts with fangs to varying degrees. So King’s orders or not, if they hear something they don’t agree with, they will fight back.”

“I’d expect as much.” Clavis shrugged. “I mean, we’d do the same if the tables were turned.”

Chevalier would have liked to disagree, but he had a hard time imagining himself as anything other than king. And he would never follow an order he did not see a benefit to Rhodolite in. And that was the rub. He could see the benefit in this but they wouldn’t. They would see only the cost.

“So what was the point in even suggesting it?” Luke’s voice interrupted his musing and brought Chev back to the conversation at hand.

“Indeed.” Chevalier gave a brief nod, then glanced around the room once more. “We have precious little time to waste. Best have your fun while you still can.” He stood, signaling an end to the discussion. There wasn’t much left to talk about, not until he’d sorted how best to bring the other faction on board. 

He left the office as if he had someplace to be, but his steps only took him to his private library. To the peace and quiet there, where he could read and think without interruption. 

Today his books brought him little comfort. There was no answer in them that told him how best to proceed. Nor any hint that there was a better way. If Rhodolite waited, Obsidian would attack them at full strength, new weapons in hand. His soldiers stood no chance against that onslaught. And there was no way Obsidian would not attack. Nor any path he could see to persuade them. There were only methods of delay . . .

If there were no alternatives to war, he thought, then there must be solutions to bring allies to the same conclusion. As King, as Prince, he considered how he might best make his case. The very need to was annoying. Wasn’t the whole point of having a king to bring the nation under one authority? And that was the point of the Belle, to decide who would carry that responsibility.

Just thinking of her, even in the midst of his frustration, brought her face to mind. Her smile. Her calming presence. Chev could still remember the way she felt in his arms. Fragile and soft and lovely. The smell of her hair, the way it tickled against his chin. He wished she was here now. 

But it was best that she stayed away. Best for her safety and reputation. He had to handle this on his own, alone as a brutal beast must be. There was no space in his life for the craving of comfort, nor could he afford the vulnerability.

Next: Reading, Interrupted

#ikemen prince #ikepri chevalier #chevalier michel #ikepri clavis #ikepri nokto #ikepri luke #otome guys #otome #fanfiction #fanfic #fluff and drama

[gaybananabread]

Not sure if you’re still taking Owl House prompts, so feel free to ignore!

but if you are I love the idea of Ler!Stringbean trying to cheer up Luz ;w;

Omfg Stringbean is adorable! Note that I have no idea what's gonna happen after Thanks to Them, and that the facts I use are completely made up.

Lee: Luz

Ler: Stringbean

Summary: Luz is getting stressed with planning their next step. Stringbean helps cheer her up.

Warning: Owl House spoilers! This is a tickle fic, so if you don't like that, scroll away!

It was night, the moon's light shining on the Titan's Skull. Luz was wide awake, going over every possible plan in her head. The group was going into the castle tomorrow. Every one seemed like failures.

If they were gonna defeat the Collector, they needed a fool-proof, solid plan. Whenever she thought one would work, a flaw would worm its way into her brain. She would cast the plan aside, thinking up a new one. The cycle repeated for over two hours.

"Gah! Why is this so hard!" Luz wasn't very loud, but it was enough to wake Stringbean. She was sleeping nearby, curled up in Luz's hat. She flew over, rubbing Luz's arm with her head. She pushed her away, going back to her thoughts. "Not now Beanie, I'm busy."

The snakeshifter wasn't taking that for an answer. Luz was obvious stressed, it was late, and she needed some cheering up. She shifted into her dragon-ish form, nuzzling and scratching Luz's belly. The girl pushed at her, immediately bursting out into giggles.

"Hehehehey! Beheanie, get ohohoff!" Her palisman kept skittering around, going up to her ribs and armpits. "StrhihiHINGBEhehean! QuhihiHI IHIHIT!" Luz put a hand over her mouth, trying to dampen the sound as much as possible. She didn't want anyone waking up, especially to her getting tickled!

Hearing that her companion was getting tired, Stringbean made her way up to Luz's neck, nuzzling the sensitive skin for a final act. Snorts adorned Luz's giggle fit, making the whole scene ten times cuter.

"Gahaha! *snort* Beheheanie! *snort* Tihihickles!" After a minute or two of adorkable tickling, Stringbean climbed off the girl, flying into her lap. Luz giggled, rubbing the ghost tickles from her neck. When the feeling subsided, she picked up her palisman, holding her at eye level.

"You, little missy, are a trouble maker!" Stringbean stuck out her forked tounge, earning a boop. Luz sighed, nuzzling noses. "I can't stay mad at that face! So unfair!" She shifted back to her snake-like form, flying over to their make-shift sleeping area. Luz followed, sleepy from the tickley silliness.

She laid down next to the others, Stringbean snuggling into her side. Comfort and happiness radiated from the pair. Luz fell asleep with a smile on her face. Whatever happened tomorrow, they would face it together, as a family.

#toh #lee!luz #ler!stringbean #ticklish!luz #toh tickle #sfw tickling community #tickle fic #tickle #the owl house tickle #the owl house #toh luz #toh stringbean #toh fic #toh season three

[intheticklecloset]

Midoriya and Iida #7?

Order Up! Happy Hour Event CLOSED

~~~

“Midoriya, give that paper back to me this instant or I swear I’ll never speak to you again!” Iida snapped, trying to snatch his notebook back from the smaller boy but failing spectacularly despite his height and speed advantage.

Deku frowned at him, a little hurt but understanding his friend was speaking from a place of exhausted frustration. “You need to take a break, Iida. You’ve been working on this for five hours. You didn’t even eat dinner.”

“I’ll eat later,” Iida replied, but at that moment – as if sensing they were discussing the possibility of food – his stomach let out a loud growl. They both went quiet for a minute. “I’m fine. I’ll eat when I’m done with this.”

“No,” Deku replied firmly, surprising the class rep. “You know you’d be doing the same thing to me if our positions were swapped. Take a break. Just an hour. Eat something, drink some water, and you can come back to it later.”

“I can’t stop—”

“Iida, we’re worried about you.”

That gave the bespectacled man pause. “You are?”

“Yes!” Deku leapt on the hesitation, plowing forward before Iida could slip back into his stubborn mindset. “You haven’t been sleeping well all week, you’ve been kind of snappy, and today after class you came right up here to start working on this paper that isn’t even due until two weeks from now. And you skipped dinner. This isn’t like you, Iida. We’re worried.”

Iida blinked, absorbing the information. It was true he liked to be as on top of things as possible, but he hadn’t necessarily intended to get the entire paper written the same day it was assigned. Plus, if he was being rude and worrying his friends…

“I’m…I’m sorry, Midoriya,” he said at last, taking his glasses off to rub a hand over his eyes. He hadn’t realized how strained they were until now when moisture sprang to them without his consent, making it look as though he were about to cry even though he was more angry at himself than upset. “You’re right. I need to stop for today. I’ll come downstairs and eat with you right now, I promise.”

Deku set the paper on Iida’s desk, knowing he’d won the battle, and hugged him gently. “Don’t worry. We know you’re stressed. We’re not mad.”

Iida started to hug him back, but jumped when he felt fingers digging into his sides. “Ah! H-Hey! Whahat are you – don’t dohoho that!”

Deku grinned up at him, still hugging, tickling him lightly. “Relax. Turn that frown upside down, or you’ll only make us worry more.”

“Okay, okahahahay! I – I’m smihihiling! Midoriya!” Iida giggled despite himself, squirming in his smaller friend’s hold. It felt so good to laugh for the first time in days. “Gahaha! Izukhuhuhuhu!”

Giggling as well, Deku released him and took his arm, dragging him to the door. “Come on, Iida. Food, water, rest. That’s what you need. Let’s go.”

Iida couldn’t help but smile at the way Deku was taking charge in his stead, looking out for him when he wouldn’t look out for himself. “Thank you, Midoriya.”

#fanfiction #tickle drabble #quick prompts #coffee shots #happy hour event #bnha #mha #deku #iida #tickling #ticklish #tickle #self care

[lillianlunas]

Hi I’m kinda dr@nK rn lmao o so ignore it ift you want pfftftty

Oh also TW: abuse kinda but not really I just kinda metntion I was in an abusive relationsssss omgg

I guess you can say that Victor and Yuri have a relationship that I very much desire. They’re very healthy, they communicate, they meet each other half way, they try and understand each other without crossing any lines or being toxic, and they just love & care for each other deeply. They push each other to become better, they have fun together and you can tell they’re so effortlessly happy together. I want that so bad. After being in 2 abusive, but different, relationships I’m definitely going to be pickier when it comes to my future partner. I honestly don’t deserve any less because I really put my all and tried my hardest to make the people I love happy. I have so much love to give, I still have so much of me to give too but I definitely gave it to the wrong people. I just want someone to look at me the way Victor looks at Yuri like he put the stars in the sky.

#Hhhh #this is about me #I’ve been watching a LOT OF YOI #I just love them #so very much it’s wild #LMAO tags this about me #ooooooo yes #GAHAHA I need to sleep

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Albedo brainrot you say? Allow me to be of service!!

Albedo is actually one of my favorite characters! He was the first five star I actively tried getting when I return to playing Genshin impact. I really loved his event soooo…

You’re in the teapot with Albedo because he’s finally getting rest and you’re not letting me do shit. He’s been working day and night, focused on his project, and you refuse to let him bully his body any further. So you’re taking care of him!

Also because you refuse to eat another sunshine sprat.

He’s grateful, truly. But honestly he wants you to cuddle him. There isn’t a lot of moments where he’s all clingy like a certain fatui member we all know and love. So he voices it out and you drop everything.

… literally.

“Did you just?”

“No and if you bug me about I’ll retract from cuddling.”

“No no, that’s cruel. Humans are made for affection and denying one such needs—“

“—shshsh, just cuddle and sleep.”

Don’t even get started when you found out he had a twin. Personally, I enjoy the headcanon that Albedo introduced everyone to the failed prototype Bedo as his twin.

“Yeah, I have a twin.”

“Wh—“

Eula, Amber, Bennett, and the Traveler are side-eyeing the twin. But after sometime they get use to him. But you??

They purposely mess with you. Like— Albedo covers his mark and you’re in this awkward mess of “should I approach” bc you never know. He’s why you have trust issues /j

Overall, it really funny sometimes. Because they be in two places at once but not everyone will know they’re twins. So you have to clear up misunderstandings but half the time you play along with it.

“‘Bedo? I thought he was the Thousand Winds temple?”

“But I just saw him in Windrise? Does he have a twin??”

“A.. twin?? No,” but he does and that’s why pranks with him are the worse.

But overall, Albedo ensures you’re okay and there’s no boundaries crossed. Sometimes he doesn’t realize it but when he does he’s slightly panicking. Are you mad? Upset? Are you— oh you’re not… okay. That’s good!

Communication? A bit wonky but sometimes you just gotta bonk him and he’s all “fine, okay, I’ll go sleep”

(Overall; Albedo is 10/10 to be with)

- 🍄

ALBEDOOOOO MY BELOVED MY DARLING LAD

GAHAHA HIM AND HIS "TWIN" (i believe a lot of people call him Rubedo? correct me if i'm wrong of course) MESSING WITH YOU A BIT OBVIOUSLY BUT IF YOU GET UPSET ALBEDO'S GENUINELY APOLOGETIC- also his twin and you forming a sibling-like bond because you're pretty chill with him!!! you include him in stuff and Rubedo is so so grateful and knows that you n Albedo will be so good for each other <33

Albedo seems like the type of person to just come up from behind you and silently wrap his arms around you when he needs a hug. he doesn't say anything because he doesn't know WHAT to say, but luckily you've known him for long enough that you know exactly what he needs even if he doesn't know himself <33

also clingy/touch-starved Albedo agenda.

#genshin impact #genshin albedo #albedo #chit chat #🍄 anon #SQUISHES HIS CHEEKS #oh oh and also you hugging him in Dragonspine and him being like 'warm.........' #he's clingy and if he gets corrupted? oh buddy you best BELIEVE it's going up by 10000% #he never knew he was touch starved till you hugged him and he went oh....... oh this is nice...... #albedo hours!!!!

[chockfullofsecrets]

D20 Fantasy High: Making Room

(Read on AO3)

Rating: Gen

Summary: She grunts, presumably shoving at him and not having much success given Fabian’s triumphant snickering. “I said make room-”

Riz pries himself up off the carpet, thinking of moving to help her, when Fabian lets out a startled squeak. Everyone goes quiet.

Fig leans off the bed with truly devilish glee in her tiefling eyes. “Guys, he’s ticklish.”

The Bad Kids try to plan a sleepover, Fabian needs to learn how to share, and Riz is maybe starting to get the hang of this whole friendship thing.

Wordcount: 2.1k

A/N: not to be entirely into D&D on main, but - hey, look, it’s another cool D&D campaign XD shoutout to @hypahticklish for expressing enough interest in this fic to make me want to write it <3

Loose spoilers for the end of Fantasy High Season 1, beware!

---

Riz thinks he’s really starting to get a handle on this whole friendship thing.

Solving a mystery and getting thrown in jail and killing a dragon together aren’t exactly reproducible results, which kind of sucks, but - hey, the six of them are friends now, and they’re hanging out in Fabian’s room on a summer evening, and it’s novel enough to feel like a solved case all on its own.

What’s less satisfying is the amount of missed work they have to catch up on if they want to start as sophomores next year; no one bothered to worry about bringing them homework while they were in actual prison, but all their professors sure seem to care about it now. He gets the feeling that at least part of it is Aguefort trying to keep some degree of respectability after everything that happened with Goldenhoard, but any attempt to reason with him thus far has gotten nowhere but wild-eyed stares and increasingly obtuse lectures on chronomancy and time management. And sure, Riz prides himself on being able to untangle obscure information, but he’s not touching that with a ten foot pole.

They’re all sprawled out on Fabian’s floor, working through assignments with varying levels of fervor ranging from Adaine - actually working with a stack of textbooks nearly up to her shoulder next to her on Fabian’s desk - to Kristen - texting Tracker with a lack of stealth that makes Riz want to grind his teeth a little, even more so than the way she goes bright red and giggles every time her crystal pings - when Fig groans and rolls onto her back.

“You know what?” she says to the room at large, throwing her arms wide. Her hand knocks into her bard notebook, somehow both dusty with disuse and covered in scribbled ballpoint pen sigils. She flips it neatly in the air and elbows it away in Adaine’s direction, earning a half-annoyed yelp. “We should have a sleepover.”

Half of them blink uncomprehendingly, but Kristen drops her crystal in a sudden rush of excitement. “YES,” she shouts. Gorgug, propped against the wall next to her and dozing off over barbarian meditation manuals, startles. “I can show you guys so many cool camp things! We just need a bunch of different colors of yarn and some sticks and - yeah, we can probably skip the holy water to keep the sinners away-”

Riz has - he’s had sleepovers before, if Penny coming over to babysit and finding him crashed out on the couch after a night of reading old case files from his mom counts. He reaches up and straightens his cap, trying to make it look smooth. “Hey, Fabian, do you have coffee here?”

“Wait, wait, hold on a minute.” Fabian, sitting against his giant bed, waves dramatically for all their attention. He looks them over once he gets it, self-importantly adjusting his eyepatch. “Yes, The Ball, we have coffee, we’re not peasants - but sleep over where? Did I miss that part?”

“Uh, here?” Fig says, flinging herself upright. “You’re mom’s super hot - uh, cool, I bet she’d let us do anything.”

“Stop calling my mom hot!” Fabian yelps, glowering for a moment before his chest puffs with familial pride. “Well, we do have at least five guest bedrooms that we could house all of you in-”

“Oh, I don’t need a bed,” Gorgug says hastily. “I’d probably break it, I can just sleep on the floor.”

“Yeah, Fabian, no,” Kristen interjects, gesturing with her staff. Gorgug scrambles to remove the cups they’ve been drinking soda out of from her path. “We’re all supposed to hang out in the same room, that’s kind of the point!” She frowns a little, zeroing in on him. “Have you. Have you never been to a sleepover before?”

Riz hasn’t quite gotten around to making a conspiracy board of how all the specific issues of their messed up childhoods overlap, but he can read the way Fabian startles indignantly loud and clear. “Of - of course I have!” he blusters. “I just - why the fuck would you share a bed if you didn’t have to?”

Adaine scoffs. “Fabian, your bed is enormous, I think we could all fit on it with room for the Hangman left over.”

“No, it’s not!” Fabian scrambles up, chin still raised haughtily, and throws himself bodily on the bed - judging from the way his ankles hang off the edge, he’s starfishing out as far as he possibly can. “I’m - see, I’m a growing boy, I need my space! Cathilda says so.”

Adaine, having claimed the only chair in the room and therefore being the only one at eye level with the mattress, cranes her neck and laughs. “Fabian, you’re covering less than half of the bed. You can just say you’ve never been to a sleepover before, you know.”

Fig stands up and launches herself onto the bed too, landing heavily with the zippers on her leather jacket clanking behind her. “Yeah, you just have to - oof - make room-”

She grunts, presumably shoving at him and not having much success given Fabian’s triumphant snickering. “I said make room-”

Riz pries himself up off the carpet, thinking of moving to help her, when Fabian lets out a startled squeak. Everyone goes quiet.

Fig leans off the bed with truly devilish glee in her tiefling eyes. “Guys, he’s ticklish.”

The room erupts into chaos - Fabian shouting denials, Fig cackling evilly, and Kristen shooting up and banging her shins against the bed before scrambling around to Fabian’s other side. Riz hops up on the desk next to Adaine just in time to watch each of the other girls seize his outstretched arms and start to mercilessly tickle his armpits.

“GAHAHA - no, no, stoHOP-” Fabian flails helplessly between the two of them, still trying to sprawl out over the bed. He manages to wrench his arm free from Fig and shove her away even as he shouts with laughter. “Seacasters are not - ahaaa, haaAA - I’m not ticklish!”

“Oh, yeah?” Kristen taunts. “Then why are you laughing, you - ohshit-”

They’re trying to wrestle him down, but he’s too strong for Fig and too dextrous for Kristen. She lunges for him, red hair flying behind her, and falls straight into his lap.

Fabian catches both of Fig’s wrists in one big hand and uses the other to poke triumphantly at Kristen’s belly, sending her into a fit of cackling giggles. “Aha!” he exclaims triumphantly, struggling into a sitting position. “A Seacaster cannot simply be rousted from his territory!”

All of them know better than to say anything about his dad by now. “Gorgug, come help us hold him down!” Fig demands instead, kicking at Fabian with her platform boots and making him yelp in pain.

Gorgug pulls his headphones all the way off his ears and straightens just enough to take in the tangle of the three of them, looking dubious. “Are you sure? That sounds kind of mean.”

“It’s not a problem if he’s not ticklish, right, Fabian?,” Fig retorts. “And he’s breaking sleepover code by hogging the bed!"

Kristen, still laughing uproariously as she fails to save herself from Fabian’s tickling fingers, somehow manages to shoot Gorgug a pair of finger guns. “Get him, Gorgug!”

Gorgug still looks a little confused - Riz can relate - but he gamely climbs to his feet. “Well, okay.”

He pauses to knock gently on the bedframe, sighing in relief at the heavy thunk that echoes back. “Oh, cool, that’s pretty strong.”

Fig yelps as Fabian lets up on Kristen and starts prodding at her belly instead. “Gorgug, come on!”

“Oh, right,” Gorgug says, and sends the mattress an entire inch to the left as he scrambles on.

“Hell yeah!” Fig cheers as Gorgug climbs on the bed and sweeps Fabian up in a restraining hug. “Sig Figs solidarity!”

Kristen squirms out from between the three of them. “Hey, I’m here too!”

She flops down with a breathy sigh and hugs herself, grinning widely as she catches sight of the identical what-the-fuck expressions that Riz is pretty sure he and Adaine are wearing. “Ugh, I haven’t been tickled in forever.”

Adaine makes a considering sound as Kristen twists back to the battle royale happening behind her. Riz looks over at her, catches one of her ears twitching under the attention before she looks back. “I don’t think I’ve ever been tickled,” she murmurs, a little shy.

Penny’s tickled him before, and maybe his mom when he was little, but yeah, it’s been a while. He shrugs. “You think you’d like it?”

There’s another cry from the bed, and both of them whip around to look. Fig’s looming over a thoroughly trapped Fabian now - just barely, even with her horns - and wriggling her fingers evilly with gleaming eyes. “Are you going to say you’re sorry for breaking sleepover code?”

“There’s - there’s no sleepover code,” Fabian sputters, but he’s grinning sheepishly even as he squirms against Gorgug’s hold. “Gorgug, man, come on, you can’t just betray a fellow member of the Bloodrush team like this!”

“Oh - uh -” Gorgug looks pleadingly at the both of them. “But I’m in the Sig Figs too - does that mean one of you guys is going to be mad at me?”

Fabian barely blinks. “Yes.”

“YES,” says Fig, even louder.

“Oh, come on, you two.” Kristen sits up between Fig and Fabian, poking at both of their sides and cutting their protests off as they suck their lower lips between their teeth with identical wide-eyed looks. Then, with a curious tilt to her head, she reaches around to tickle Gorgug’s side too, grinning as he squeaks. “There are no sides in a tickle fight, everyone knows this.”

Riz forgets that Kristen has three little brothers, sometimes. It’s easy to, until she starts playing peacekeeper between the rest of them.

“Where are all these rules coming from?” Fabian questions indignantly. Adaine makes a sound of agreement next to Riz - is she writing these down?

Oh, who’s he kidding, he’s probably going to ask her for a copy afterwards.

Fig smirks. “Well, I think the person with their hands free should get to enforce the rules. Like so.” She reaches for the thin tank top Fabian’s wearing and scribbles her fingers over his belly, crowing in delight as he shrieks. “Not ticklish, huh? Who’s ticklish now, bitch?”

“You - ahaha, haaa, fuck - anyone’s ticklish when they’re being restrained!” Fabian insists through panicked laughter, wriggling for all he’s worth. Riz squints - maybe it’s just the rogue homework he’s been doing lately, but it looks like Gorgug’s not even holding him that tight.

He shrieks again as Kristen bounces excitedly and reaches for him too. “Nonono, NOHOHO - Kristen, ahaha! You said - eheheee, stop - you said no sihihides!”

“These are your hips, Fabian. And no sides doesn’t mean you can’t gang up on people,” Kristen sticks her tongue out in concentration, squeezing at one of his hips and then the other. “Hey, say you’re ticklish.”

“What? No - hahaha - shit, shiHIHIT-” Fabian starts to really thrash under their teasing - Riz catches him elbowing Gorgug neatly in the gut, but their barbarian absorbs the blow like it’s nothing. Riz tries not to feel jealous and doesn’t entirely succeed.

Kristen smiles beatifically from cheek to freckled cheek. “The truth’ll set you free, brother.”

Fabian shakes his head frantically, catching sight of Riz and Adaine by his desk through teary eyes. “The Ball - The Ball, help me, this isn’t - ahahaha, nonoplease - it’s not fair!” he pleads through the widest smile Riz has seen on him so far, which is saying something. “Don’t you care about justice?”

Fig looks over at them too, now, hair slipping from her braid and fangs on full display as she beams. “Yeah, you two, get over here or you’re next! You’re missing out on the sleepover fun!”

“Oh,” Adaine says uncertainly. “I didn’t know this was part of it.”

She looks over at Riz - not that he knows any better, but he’s absolutely not going to cop to it. “Oh, yeah, tickle fights,” he blusters. “Definitely part of sleepovers. To, uh, tire everyone out.”

Adaine looks out of the window at blue skies just barely starting to blush pink and gets a small, quiet grin on her face that he can’t help but return. “Oh, okay,” she says. “Riz, are you ticklish?”

Oh. Oh, no.

Riz stiffens. It doesn’t seem like anyone else has heard Adaine’s question, maybe he can get under the bed before any of them notice -

He. He could, is the thing, he’s an awesome rogue, but - out here seems pretty fun too. “That’s more of a hands-on investigation thing,” he shoots back, and leaps for the bed before she can catch hold of him.

He is, after all, an investigator first and foremost, and there’s more room to be made on that mattress.

#tickling #dimension 20 #fantasy high #riz gukgak #fabian seacaster #figueroth faeth #kristen applebees #adaine abernant #gorgug thistlespring #chocfic #i really don't know why i decided to start with writing all six of them but uhhhh i hope the characterization is okay?

[a89x54vs]

Take care of Yourself

This is a tickle fic, feedback is accepted as long as it’s done in a respectful way.

Being the eldest member, Jin had a responsibility for the group, yes, Namjoon was the leader, but that didn’t mean Jin didn’t take care of the others.

Right now Jin was making dinner even though he was really exhausted from the days activities and the other members had insisted on take out.

So Jin was alone in the kitchen quietly preparing dinner when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“And you say I’m the one that overworks”

Jin recognized the voice immediately and turned around to see Namjoon behind him giving a slightly concerned look.

The eldest let out a small chuckle and replied:

“You’re still the first one on that list you know?”

Namjoon returned the chuckle “I know, but still, you should take a break hyung”

Jin shook his head “I still have to finish dinner”

The elder was about to continue cooking when he was thrown over the leader’s shoulder, who began walking towards his room.

“You need to sleep hyung, we can simply order take out”

Jin was about to refuse when he was laid on his bed, the touch against the soft mattress was nice but he was still stubborn.

“I’m not tired Namjoon, so you can’t make me rest”

The leader expected that answer so he straddled the elder’s hips.

“I knew you wouldn’t relent so easily, so you leave me no other choice” Namjoon began squeezing the older’s hips.

Jin completely forgot about that tiny detail and he jumped at the sudden hit of sensations.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA NAMJOHOHOHOHON WAHAHAHAHAIT”

“Oh come on hyung, don’t tell me you forgot about your incredible ticklishness” The leader chuckled as he now spidered the older’s tummy.

“NAHAHAHAHAHA NOHOHOHOHO DON’T TEHEHEHEHEHEASE MEHEHEHEHE” Jin pleaded, his hands on the leader’s shoulders trying to push him off.

“Why are you pushing me hyung? I thought you love this” Namjoon asked with a raised eyebrow, his hands now scribbling the elder’s sides.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA THAT’S A HUGE LIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIE PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE” Jin squirmed from side to side, not like that helped.

“Yeah whatever you want to believe hyung, I know the truth” Namjoon said with a chuckle, placing his thumbs on the older’s lowest ribs and making circles on them.

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA NAMJOHOHOHOHON DON’T DO THAHAHAHAHAHAHAT” Jin screeched, how did the leader find out that method?

“Don’t do what hyungie?” Namjoon asked as if he wasn’t wrecking the elder.

“GAHAHAHAHAHA JOONIHIHIHIHIHIHIE DON’T TICKLE MY RIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIBS” Jin laughed, trying to get away.

“Okay hyung, if that’s what you want” The leader said before shooting his hands towards the older’s hollows.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA *squeak* NOHOHOHO *squeak* PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE *squeak*” Jin blushed and tried to bite his lips without success.

“Please what? Oh right, please continue” Namjoon chuckled and dipped a finger onto the elder’s belly button.

“GAHAHAHAHAHA *squeal* JOHOHOHOHON *squeal* I CAHAHAHAHAHAN’T *squeal*” Jin arched his back as he cackled.

“Cootchie cootchie coo hyungie” Namjoon teased, quickly scratching the older’s lower back.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA *snort* NOHOHOHOHO *squeal* NAMJOHOHOHOHON *squeak* IHIHIHIT TICKLES *snort* IHIHIHIT TICKLES SO MUHUHUHUHUHUCH *squeal* GAHAHA *squeak* I CAHAHAHAHAHAN’T *snort* BWAHAHAHAHAHA *squeal* JOONIE *squeak* MERCY MEHEHEHEHERCY *snort*”

Namjoon finally let the older go, now satisfied with the answer, he got off his hyung and said:

“Well, it’s done, rest hyung, I’ll order food”

Jin gave him a smile and a nod, it was nice to rest after a long day after all.

#bts tickle #bts fic #lee!jin #ler!namjoon

[teshamerkel]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 10] (19 Pages)

<< First | < Previous | Next >

Team Scarlet takes on their first mission as Seekers! Unfortunately, it isn’t quite as exciting as Tobias would hope. 

-

When Tobias blinks awake, chasing away the heavy fog of sleep, it’s brighter than it should be. He lifts his head from his nest, frowning. What time is it? Yawning, he glances over at Nia, seeing her still curled up fast asleep. He stumbles to his feet, stretching, and makes his way out to the room’s main quarters.

The sun is up.

Tobias freezes, blinking at the faint sunlight coming in through the gaps in the walls. He always wakes up at dawn, so it shouldn’t be this late! Was he that tired from yesterday’s training? The charmander hurries back into the alcove, shaking Nia awake. The riolu grumbles and tries to bat him away with a paw.

“We’re late, idiot! Get up! All the good missions are gonna be taken!”

Tobias gives her one more shove before scrambling to get their bag and items together. They need to go! Where’s Maggie? Why didn’t she wake them up?

Tobias hefts the bag onto his shoulder and turns to Nia, growling when he sees her still asleep. He uses all the strength in his sore muscles to completely roll the riolu out of her nest. She yelps, sitting up with wide eyes and lopsided ears.

“W-What?! What’s happening?”

“We’re late!” Tobias says, waving her to the doorway. “C’mon!”

He bolts into the hallway and hears Nia stumble and bump into the wall with a quiet “Ow!”

“Great Entei, you’re slower than a snorlax! Come on!”

Nia runs out after him, eyes wild, and he takes off down the hall of the medical ward.

“W-What time is it?” Nia asks, sounding like she’s still shaking off the last bits of sleep.

“A lot later than it should be!”

“Are we still gonna drop off my scarf so we can dye it?”

“No time! We’ll do it when we get back!”

They quickly patter down the steps of the tree, making good time. If only they hadn’t woken up so late!

“What about food?” Nia asks between breaths.

“Later!”

Nia makes an unhappy sound, but doesn’t stop. At least they still have the bag packed from yesterday and don’t have to stop to restock. By time they make it to the bottom floor and up to the E-rank mission board, they’re both panting hard. There are only one or two other teams wandering around and leaving for missions, and Tobias hurries to skim through the board’s listings.

Nia searches as well, pointing at a mission. “What about this one?”

Tobias follows her claw and scoffs. “Two other teams already have that one. Look at the serial numbers in the bottom corner. The psychics update them every hour when a team takes on the job.”

“S-So no?”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “There’s no way we’ll catch ‘em and finish the job first.”

Nia nods, and they continue looking at the listings. He can’t believe this—so many of them are already taken! Surely all of them can’t be, right? Tobias searches the papers, increasingly frantic.

“Oh! What about this one?” Nia asks.

Tobias looks at the mission, noting first that there aren’t any other teams listed for it. Great! What’s the job—

Oh. Oh no. Not that one. Anything but that one. Tobias quickly skims through the other missions one more time, hope slowly crashing and burning. Finally, Tobias, groans and hangs his head. Fine. That one it is.

__________________________________________________

“S-So why is this guy so awful? The job said we just need to harvest his berry trees for him, right? And pick up branches and stuff? That doesn’t sound too bad.”

Tobias, stalking through the undergrowth ahead of the riolu with a scowl on his face, only grumbles, “You’ll see. Old guy’s super weird.”

Nia doesn’t answer, probably focusing on traversing the path through the woods. It’s a bit overgrown, but Tobias wouldn’t usually mind since it prolongs the time until they reach Hadley’s place. However, he can’t help eyeing the foliage they pass, brushing his hands along yellowed, too-dry leaves. He hates rain, but it’s been far too long since it rained anywhere near the Haven. It makes him nervous about a forest fire breaking out, especially with the uptick in natural disasters. This much woodland in every direction is a deathtrap in a drought, especially since there are so many grass and bug types living in the area. Fighting off a shudder, Tobias tries to smother his fears. There are hardly any fire types near the guild—aside from him—so that’s good, at least. They’ll be fine. Rain has to come soon.

Soon enough, Tobias recognizes the little hut ahead of them through the trees, and he’s not sure whether to dread the upcoming tasks or feel relieved for a distraction from his concerns. A nice garden of flowers lines the dirt beneath the hut’s windows, and with the sun shining through the trees the whole place looks rather quaint.

“Oh, this is lovely!” Nia says, stepping out of the woodline. 

“Thank ya, sprout.”

Nia yelps and jumps away, and even Tobias flinches at the sudden deep, raspy tone. Hadley has somehow appeared right behind them, as if he materialized out of thin air. It would be impressive for a golisopod to move so silently in the middle of the forest if it wasn’t so unsettling.

The golisopod continues as if he didn’t just scare the daylights out of them. “I do try my best, even if those darn yungoos pups won’t stay out of my garden.”

“Mr. H-Hadley?” Nia asks, voice shaky.

Tobias supposes Hadley would look intimidating to someone who had never met him. He’s giant, even for a golisopod, easily seven or eight times their size, old but still heavily built. Scars line his shell and despite the patchy sun hat on his head, his blunt claws and armored appearance give him a warrior-like look.

“Aye, that’s the name, lass!” Hadley says. “What can I do for ya? You here for battle lessons? My cake recipe? You can have it over my empty shell! Gahaha!”

Nia tilts her head, looking rightfully confused. “U-Um. No, sir, we’re here about your, uh, berry trees? You put in a mission request? We’re from the guild, and—“

Hadley squints at the riolu and crouches down an inch from her face, not commenting on how she leans back with a squeak.

“Do I know you? My memory’s a bit spotty nowadays.”

“N-No. Uh, sir. My name’s Nia. I’m new here.”

“Ah.” The golisopod leans back. “Where ya from? The Bylur mountain range? Ghatha?”

Nia shoots Tobias an uncertain look. He shrugs. “U-Uh, no. I’m um. I was actually a human, before?”

The golisopod stares at Nia. And stares. Just as Tobias is about to say something, Hadley tips his head back and roars with laughter. Nia jumps.

“Oh, I like you!” He says, tapping the nervous riolu on the snout with a single long claw before standing and trudging away. “Come along then. There’s work to be done.”

Nia blinks, as if unsure of how to react.

“Told you he’s a weirdo,” Tobias mumbles, following Hadley. Nia scurries after them.

“I need you two to harvest the berries from the trees around my home, and pick up any fallen branches ya find along the way. In return, I might be able to offer you an interesting tidbit of knowledge about humans, miss Riolu.”

Nia straightens up, smiling. “Really?!”

“But you’ll still give us the other rewards, right?” Tobias asks. He didn’t come here just for Hadley to spin tall tales to Nia.

“Rewards?” The golisopod stops, squinting his eyes and looking up into the trees. “What did I say I had?” Tobias opens his mouth to snap out an answer, but Hadley waves him off. “We’ll figure it out later. Enough gibber-gabber! I need this done before those spinarak kids come back.”

“I thought they were yungoos?” Nia whispers. Tobias, busy massaging his temples to ward off the headache he feels coming on, just shrugs. Heck if he knows.

Hadley finally stops by two large baskets. “Here ya go. Use these to gather the berry crop.”

“Those are almost as big as us!” Tobias protests. How in the world are they even supposed to pick them up?

“Eh? You two want to be Seekers, right? Buck up! You’ll have tougher battles than with a couple o’ baskets!”

“But—you don’t—ugh! Whatever! C’mon, let’s hurry and get this done so we can leave.”

Tobias marches over to one of the fruit-heavy trees, sizing up the bark and digging in with his claws. When he thinks he has a strong enough hold, he begins hauling himself upwards. In just a few moments, he reaches the lowest branches and carefully plants his feet on the bark as he stands. He looks down to see Nia watching from the ground, brow furrowed.

“U-Uh. Do you want me to come up too, or..?”

“Stay there so I can throw the berries down to you.”

Nia nods, eyeing his footing with obvious concern.

“I’ll be fine,” He says, rolling his eyes. “Drag the basket over and we can get to work.”

The riolu hurries to follow his instructions, grabbing the giant wicker basket and dragging it across the grass to the shade under the tree. Tobias nods and turns to begin picking. The quicker they get this done, the quicker they can go home and look forward to a better mission tomorrow.

Tobias plucks the purple and yellow chesto berries from their stems, cradling the spiraled fruit before turning and dropping them into Nia’s waiting arms. He snaps at her to be careful when she drops one or two of them, casting a glance at Hadley’s hut, not even sure if that’s where the golisopod had wandered off to. Who knows what the old coot would do if he saw them messing up.

The work is boring and tedious, silent but for the quiet rustling of the trees and the sounds of forest Pokémon. Still, as long as Hadley stays out of their path, Tobias supposes he can handle it. It’s not the worst thing they could get stuck with. Within the hour, Tobias is finished with one tree, passing down the last of the berries before carefully moving on to the next tree. He doesn’t even realize how glad he is that Nia is doing her job silently until she speaks up.

“S-So, uh...what’s your favorite kind of berry?”

Tobias pauses, persim berry in hand, to scowl down at her. “Why?”

She shifts on her feet, shrugging. “I-I just thought we could get to know each other better. Y’know, since we’re partners now, a-and we aren’t too busy to talk.”

Great. The last thing the charmander wants to do is join in on Sharing Time. Just to shut her up, he goes back to work and calls out, “Rawst berries.”

There’s a beat of quiet that Tobias prays will last, but instead Nia says, “O-Oh! Those’re the minty blue ones, right? The way they taste reminds me of chewing gum. Um. A human thing, I think.”

Tobias doesn’t offer a response, focusing on his work. Nia only waits another minute or two, tops, before she asks, “What about music? Wait, do you guys have music or—“

“Of course we have music,” Tobias snaps. “Just not a lot of musicians at the guild. And I dunno. Stringed instruments, I guess.”

“That’s awesome! I, uh, grew up around a lot of country music, I think. I’m pretty sure I did, at least. I-I’m not sure what my favorite type of music is though, since I can’t really remember much. I’ve been trying to remember some of the songs I liked as a human. Will we ever run into any bands or musicians?”

“Probably.”

Another blessed moment of quiet, but Tobias doesn’t trust it. He can feel irritation bubbling in his gut, can feel himself growing tense and angry. He knows it’s coming. Any second now.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Arceus, Nia! Why does it matter?” Tobias snarls, turning to look down at the riolu. Her ears pin back and she ducks into herself, not offering an answer.

Tobias feels a prick of guilt for yelling at her, but just huffs out a wisp of smoke and goes back to business. From then on the two work in silence, Tobias passing down the berries and Nia taking them while somehow managing to avoid his eyes. He will not feel bad about it. He refuses to. Why is she so nosy, anyways? They aren’t friends. Their relationship is more that of...business partners. Yeah.

The pair work in a tense silence that feels out of place among the soothing atmosphere of the shade-dappled woods. As the sun travels across the sky, they move from tree to tree, slowly gathering all of the berries from the trees surrounding Hadley’s land. They’re on the second-to-last tree, Tobias picking away at the cheri berries and resisting the urge to snitch one, when he turns to drop the berries and sees Nia completely distracted. She’s staring into the small puddle at her paws, head tilted. Tobias squints, trying to see what’s so interesting.

“Hey, heads-up.”

Nia startles, looking up at him. “Oh! Sorry!”

Tobias drops the berries down to her waiting arms. Curious despite himself, he asks, “What were you looking at?”

Nia gently dumps the berries into the top of their second wicker basket, then turns to give the puddle a perplexed look. “I’m...not really sure. I thought I saw something. P-Probably just the trees.”

Tobias carefully backs down the tree he was perched in. Once he reaches the ground, he takes a moment to look at the puddle, but doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Together, the pair push the giant basket, heavy with the fruit they’d gathered, underneath the last tree.

“Last one, right?” Nia asks, looking around.

“Yeah. Good thing, too. My fingers feel like they’re about to fall off, and I’d like to get out of here before Hadley decides he wants to cut us up for stew or something.”

“Oh! I didn’t even think about your fingers. D-Did you want me to go up instead?”

Tobias gives her a raised eyebrow, gaze flicking down to her paws and back up. “Yeah. I’d like to see you try.”

Nia looks offended. “H-Hey! I used to be a great tree climber when I was human! I taught my—“ She trails off, eyes going vacant and distant. “My...” She frowns, blinking out of her stupor and looking frustrated. “I taught someone! I-I think.”

Tobias snorts, gesturing to the tree in front of them. “Be my guest.”

Nia seems a little uncertain, or maybe just thrown by her moment of amnesia, but then shakes her head. She looks up at the tree’s branches with clear determination. Then, with a quiet “Hup!” she tries to jump up to cling to the bark with her claws, back paws immediately slipping. She yelps as she slides down to land harshly on her tail. Tobias, caught off-guard, barks a laugh.

Nia shoots him an embarrassed look. “That worked better when I had normal feet,” she mumbles.

“Clearly,” Tobias says, throwing himself onto the trunk and hooking his claws into the bark. He propels himself upward, climbing easily to the first branch to perch smugly on top.

Nia looks up at him with a frown, almost pouting. Tobias snorts, then turns to finish the job, plucking at the dull yellow aspear berries loaded throughout the tree’s branches. He makes pretty great time, rushing a bit to finish with the last tree as the sun begins to sink towards the horizon. He reaches out for a far fruit, balancing on a thin branch with some help from his tail. Just a bit further, come on—

His feet slip off the side, and his stomach drops. He flails and manages to slam his arms around the branch, his legs scrambling to get a hold and haul himself back to safety. After a few heart-pounding seconds, the charmander manages to right himself, laying along the branch while he catches his breath.

“Are you all right?” Nia calls.

Tobias peeks open an eye, sharp retort on his tongue. He’s surprised to see the riolu directly below him, wide red eyes staring up at him, body tensed and arms at the ready, as if she were preparing to catch him if he’d fallen. Something about that makes his gut turn uncomfortably. This stupid riolu has no sense of self-preservation. The two of them are about the same size and weight—the only thing Nia would have accomplished was hurting herself.

“I’m fine,” he rasps. He pushes himself back to his feet, gives the booby-trapped fruit a doleful glare, then shuffles back towards the trunk, where the branches are wider. He doesn’t take any more risks, slowing down his gathering time as he plucks the last few aspear berries from the tree. By time he slides back down to Nia he’s calm again, beyond relieved to feel solid ground and grass beneath his feet.

“That’s the last of the fruit,” Tobias says, shaking out his hands. They feel gritty with bark. “Let’s push this over to Hadley’s hut so we can collect branches and get out of here.”

Nia nods and helps him push the basket over to a spot near Hadley’s doorway, then follows him when he goes to collect sticks and branches along the forest floor. The riolu is quiet as they work, and by time they’re finished it’s nearing sunset.

“That’s the last of it. Let’s let Hadley know we’re done so we can head back.”

Nia nods, and they head to the golisopod’s hut. It’s nearly dark inside, so they pause at the doorway, knocking against the wooden frame.

“Hadley?” Tobias calls. “We got your harvesting done and picked up around the place.”

A muted thud sounds behind them, and Nia yelps while Tobias spins around with his claws at the ready. But it’s just Hadley, suddenly behind them with a calm, contented expression. Did he—did he just jump down from the roof? Or the trees, even? Where was he this whole time?!

Tobias decides he doesn’t care enough to ask (he does care, but he knows he won’t get a straight answer anyways). Instead he growls, “We harvested your berries and picked up branches. We’re done.”

Hadley smiles. “Oh! Good, good, youngins!” He shuffles a few steps away, looking around at the trees and undergrowth. “You two did a fine job.”

Nia finally recovers from the fright to smiles proudly at Tobias’ side, and he sighs, crossing his arms. “Good. What about our rewards?”

Hadley turns to them, claws clicking thoughtfully. Then, he perks up. “Oh, yes! I was going to tell you about humans!’”

Nia’s ears prick with interest. “Y-Yes! Do you know anything about them? Or how to get to the human world?”

Hadley laughs. “You sound like you believe those silly old tall tales, too! I have an old friend who still insists she was once a human. Daft gal, that one.”

Nia steps forward, sounding excited. “Wait! Really? C-Could you introduce me to her?”

Hadley looks down at Nia like she’s turned zweilous and grown a second head. “You want to meet Hazel?”

“Yes! Please!”

“Strange one you are. Fine, fine. She does make a mighty fine cup of tea. Last I saw of her she was living in Afon’s Cap, with her daughter and grandkids.”

Nia bounces on her toes, beaming. “Hazel at Afon’s Cap. Got it! Thank you so much, Hadley!”

The golisopod rumbles another laugh and waves her gratitude off with a claw.

“Old man,” Tobias says, reaching the edge of his patience. “Rewards?”

“Ah, yes! Hold on a moment.” The golisopod trudges over to the nearest basket of berries and plucks a couple off the top, turning to hand them over to Tobias. “There ya go. Nice and fresh!”

Tobias looks down at the handful of incredibly common berries he’s holding, biting back a burst of frustrated embers. This is all they’re getting?

“Don’t forget to log your Seeker points now!” Hadley says cheerfully, either entirely missing Tobias’ fury or ignoring it. Probably the latter.

Knowing complaints won’t get him anything more than a scolding or straight-up laughed at, Tobias shoves the berries into their bag and turns to leave. He pinpoints his location relative to the guild, then sets off through the underbrush without a word.

Nia stammers something behind him, probably an apology, and calls out, “Bye, Hadley! Have a good night!” before rushing through the ferns and bushes to reach his side. “Have you heard of Afon’s Cap?” She asks immediately, eyes shining. “Is it close?” She doesn’t even look upset about being stiffed on rewards. She got her precious gossip about “humans” so she’s happy. It makes him angrier.

“It’s not far,” Tobias grits out between clenched teeth. “Half a day’s walk.”

“That’s perfect! Can we go there?”

“If we get a mission there.”

Nia seems to deflate. “Oh. S-So we can’t just go there on our own?”

“We could,” Tobias says, pushing a small branch out of his way. “But we have more important things to do. We need to complete missions and gain Seeker points so we can rise in rank.”

Nia doesn’t answer, and when Tobias shoots her a glance, she looks hurt, arms crossed and eyes downcast. Good, at least he’s not the only one upset now.

“This Hazel lady probably isn’t even there,” he scoffs. “You saw Hadley. Old guy’s not as sharp as he used to be. He didn’t even tell us what kind of Pokemon she is.”

“Y-Yeah, but...” Nia’s voice drops, almost inaudible. “I’d still like to check.”

“Fine. If you find a mission that takes us there, then we’ll look for this supposed ‘human,’” Tobias says, knowing it’s rare for any Afon missions to land on the E-rank mission board.

Nia doesn’t perk up at the offer, just nodding with her tail almost trailing in the dirt. When they’ve almost reached one of the main tunnels back into the guild, Nia speaks up.

“What were those Seeker points Hadley mentioned earlier?“

Tobias snorts. “They’re basically all we’re getting for completing this mission, that’s what. Usually Pokémon give you rewards for helping them out, like that teddiursa and roselia did, but you’re also awarded a certain number of Seeker points. The more points you have, the more respected your team is. It’s how you advance in ranks”

“Oh...So after we get so many points, we’ll go up from E-rank to D-rank?”

Tobias nods. “The first few ranks go by quick, but it gets more difficult the higher up you go.”

“Makes sense,” Nia murmurs.

They finally reach the old hollowed-out tree entrance, and they both climb inside to carefully slide down into the tunnel system. When they reach the bottom, they take a moment to dust themselves off in the crystals’ blue glow before setting off.

“When we get back to the room, we need to input our mission’s success into our badges,” Tobias says, glancing over at Nia to be sure she’s listening. “Got it?”

The riolu nods. “Are you going to eat soon?”

Tobias yawns. “Yeah. I’m starving after seeing berries all day. Let’s get your scarf first and drop it off to be dyed.”

Nia doesn’t object, and the two make their way through the tunnels, past the notice boards, and trudge up the stairs to their quarters.

“They should really install an elevator in this place,” Nia mumbles at one point, a humorous edge to her voice.

Tobias gives her a dry look. “No idea what that is.”

Nia opens her mouth to respond, then hesitates, looking thoughtful. “W-Wait. Are there any, uh...Pokémon that can’t climb the stairs? Who were injured or can’t walk properly? What do they do?”

“We have psychic types who can levitate and teleport them around the guild when they need it,” Tobias says, pausing in his explanation as they pass a jumpluff and a bellsprout. “They get set up with a device that notifies a psychic type on duty when they need a lift.”

Nia looks impressed, eyes wide with wonder. “Wow...”

“What, you thought we’d just kick out any disabled Pokémon?”

Nia winces at his scathing tone. “No! Of course not! I just hadn’t seen anyone l-like that yet, so...”

Tobias doesn’t respond, and they make the rest of the trip in silence. When they reach Maggie’s quarters, the meganium is reading up on some herbal remedies.

“Well hello, you two!” She says, warm voice immediately soothing Tobias’ weary mind. From the way Nia perks up and smiles, it does the same for her.

“Hi, Maggie! How was your day?” Nia chirps.

“Oh, fine, fine. These old bones are still getting me where I need to go! How was your first real mission?”

Nia’s enthusiasm dims. “It was, uh...great.”

Tobias snorts. “Liar. We picked fruit for weird old Hadley. It was boring.”

Maggie somehow manages to look both disappointed on their team’s behalf and scolding all at once. “Tobias, we’ve talked about this—his name is just Hadley. He’s a very sweet Pokemon. At least you got your Seeker points, right?”

Tobias sighs. “Yeah, I guess.” He goes back into their nook, throwing Nia’s scarf out for her to grab as he rummages through their bag for their badges. He takes a second to input their success and watches their Seeker points rise from 0 to 10. Something in his chest lifts proudly despite their awful day.

After putting everything away, Tobias walks back into the main area to find Nia eagerly questioning Maggie about Afon’s Cap, attack scarf in her paws.

“It’s a port town,” Maggie explains as she works. “Well, sort of. It’s a freshwater lake port off of a river channel. Huge lily pads grow there, so it’s named after its founder, Afon. He was a Ludicolo, a Pokemon that grows a lily pad on its head.”

Nia is listening with fascination, and Tobias rolls his eyes and makes his way towards the door. “I’m going to get food.”

Nia cuts herself off, smiling at him. “Oh! Do you mind waiting just a minute?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m starving,” Tobias huffs, heading towards the door. “I’ll see you down there.“

Nia must decide to continue her questioning later, because a moment later she hurries to catch up to him, reaching his side and looking troubled.

“What?” He asks.

“Nothing,” she mumbles.

The two make their way downstairs in an uneasy silence, only stopping to drop Nia’s scarf off with Vera to be dyed a similar red to his own scarf. The leavanny peers closely at the scarf around Tobias’ neck for a few moments, mouthing notes to herself, before waving them off.

They continue down the tree, eventually reaching the cafeteria. Luckily it isn’t too crowded since it’s later than most Pokemon prefer to eat in the evening. As they move to join a food line, Tobias sees a familiar huge shape at one of the tables, eating while surrounded by his tiny charges. Arlo must’ve brought the kids down for dinner tonight.

A heartbeat later, Luca looks up from his meal and notices Tobias. The little shinx bounces up on his seat and calls, “Toby! Hey, over here!”

The charmander hears Nia murmur, “Toby?” but pays it no mind, immediately heading over to the table. He wishes Nia wasn’t here to see him soften up for the little guys, but there’s no way he’s going to ignore them either.

“Hey, Luca. Anything good tonight?”

The shinx grins up at Tobias. “Yeah! They made oran berry pie! Arlo said that if we don’t make him go gray before the meal’s over we can have a piece!”

“That’s awesome,” Tobias says, biting back a laugh. Poor Arlo.

“Hi Toby!” Luca’s sister and brother, Laine and Leor, chime from across the table, waving at him with their tiny paws. He smiles and waves back.

A lot of the other little Pokémon chirp their own excited hellos—the skwovet kit, the zigzagoon pups, the older kids like the petilil bud and the oddish sprout. Tobias patiently and happily returns their greetings, giving them a few fist bumps or messing up the fur or leaves on top of their heads to hear them squeal with laughter.

He almost forgets that Nia is even there until Luca pokes his head around Tobias and asks, “Who are you?”

“I’m Nia,” the riolu says, smiling with a little wave.

“I’m Luca!” The little shinx nearly shouts, sticking out his tiny chest. His siblings and a few of the other children cry out their own greetings.

Nia laughs. “Nice to meet you all!”

“Are you Toby’s friend?” Laine asks.

“Um...” the riolu shoots Tobias an uncertain look, and he sighs.

“She’s my Seeker partner.”

Immediately the children are in an uproar, abandoning their meals to jump up and ask him a slew of questions.

“Whoa, guys, chill! One at a time!” Tobias laughs, hands up in defeat. Nia looks overwhelmed.

“Children!” Arlo bellows, stepping into their conversation for the first time. “No pie unless you settle and eat your food. Tobias and Nia cannot answer you all at once.”

The kids hurry back to their meals with intense focus, clearly willing to do just about anything for a slice of pie. A lot of them still peek up at him and Nia, though, or just push the food around on their trays.

Luca and his siblings don’t even pretend to eat, but they do sit back down, tiny tails lashing. “You two are a Seekers team?!”

Tobias feels proud looking into the shinx cubs’ starry eyes. “Sure are.”

“Awesome! What’s your team name?” Laine asks.

“Team Scarlet.”

Leor breathes a quiet, awed noise, and Luca beams. “That sounds as cool as Xander’s team!”

Nia’s brow furrows, probably trying to figure out how the three know Xander. Tobias barely manages to keep his expression neutral as the luxio is mentioned, biting back a scowl for the shinx cubs’ sake. “They’re Xander’s younger siblings,” he whispers.

“Oh!” Nia looks surprised, glancing between Tobias and the shinx cubs.

Tobias turns his attention back to the shinx kids. “We’re gonna go get some food. Mind if we join you guys?”

They’re better company than Nia, by far. The kids cheer and excitedly call for them to sit down at their table, and Tobias and Nia head off to grab some trays and load them up with food. Even though Nia’s presence is an unexpected and unwelcome addition to Tobias’ dinner with the nursery crew, the meal is nice. Being around the younger Pokemon—the shinx siblings especially—always cheers the charmander up, especially after such a long day.

And tomorrow has to be better.

#pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon #golisopod #pmd seekers of soul #tesha draws #tesha writes #charmander #riolu

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I’m just curious, do you happen to know what Puella Magi Madoka Magica is? And if so how much have you seen?

I watched a few episodes of it 5-6 years ago (up to the point where they went into explaining the blue girl’s wish). 

I have some bad memories associated with Madoka Magica (not a fault of the show itself, just an unfortunate association with an unpleasant event), so I haven’t tried getting back into the show since then.

I did write some snippets based on the few scenes I can (vaguely) recall of what I did watch, though! But with a Twisted Wonderland... twist! Please consider taking a look if you are a fan of both TWST and Madoka!

Puella Magi Madoka Magica x TWST AU

Snippet 1: Make a Contract?

“You there. Make a golden contract with me, and become a magical boy!”

Silver rubbed his eyes, blinked several times, and looked again.

That thing was still there, perched atop a dumpster—some kind of cat-like creature with thick, lilac fur and an oddly small pair of glasses on its feline face. Ribbon-like appendages flowed from its ears, fitted with golden tings, the tips of the appendages tinged black. It watched him carefully through beady grey eyes, seeking a response.

“... I must still be dreaming,” Silver declared, nodding to himself. Yes, that was the only possible explanation as to how this animal was able to speak to him.

“No, I am being completely serious,” the creature mewled, taking a step toward Silver. “Do you have a wish you want to make a reality? I can make it so. All you need to do is sign a golden contract, and use your new powers to fight witches!”

“I need to wake up now, before I’m late for school… again,” Silver continued, lightly smacking his cheeks with the palms of his hands. “Wake up, wake up...”

He veered away from the strange creature and began to speed walk away, hands balled into fists at his sides. Ignore it, ignore it…

“W-Waaaait! Come back here!! Don’t pretend as though I don’t exist!!” the creature wailed, its voice echoing after him.

“Wake up already,” Silver told himself. “Just wake up. This is all a dream. None of it is real.”

Wake up.

Snippet 2: Fact and Fiction

“... er. Wake up, Silver!!”

“H-Huh!?”

His eyes snapped wide open, and he was instantly greeted with a familiar face set against the backdrop of their Class 2-A. The sun poured in through wide open windows, filling the space with light, warmth, and spring blossoms. Students milled around him, murmuring to one another, exchanging gossip and tales of the winter break.

Another day—not a dream, but reality.

Silver drew himself up, slowly wiping the sleep out of his eyes. “Mm… what time is it?”

“Almost 8 am, silly!” Kalim chirped. He tilted his head to one side, peering into his friend’s face. “Geez, didja not get enough sleep last night? You gotta get your rest to stay energetic, you know?”

“No worries. I just have some… stuff on my mind,” Silver buried his face in the crook of his arm, glancing out of the nearby window.

The sky was impossibly blue and cloudless. Pink petals fluttered in the breeze, lightly perfuming the air. It was serene, peaceful—almost like a dream.

“Mm? What stuff?”

“... That weird thing I saw when I was walking to school yesterday.”

“Ooooh, that!” Kalim scratched the back of his head. “Are you sure it wasn’t just a daydream or something?”

“It certainly felt very real.”

“Maybe we could look for it after classes, then!” Kalim suggested, his eyes suddenly sparkling excitedly. “I’ll bet that stray cat’s hungry! We can try to lure it out with crackers!!”

“Why crackers?”

“Gahaha! Isn’t it obvious? Talking parrots eat crackers, so talking cats must eat crackers, too!!”

“... Pfft.” Silver brought his hand to his mouth in a futile attempt to conceal his chuckle. “You’ve got me there, Kalim.”

Snippet 3: Do I Know You?

“Long time no see.”

He glanced up from his desk, meeting the eyes of the new transfer student. Lilia Vanrouge, he believed, was his name. And such an odd fellow, with his dark hair streaked with magenta, bangs uneven and smile secretive.

“... I’m sorry,” Silver said slowly. “Have we met before?”

“Kufufu. No, no. It is nothing.” Lilia shook his head. “You… remind me of a lad I used to know not too long ago. Same appearance, same voice. It is almost eerie how alike you are.”

“I see. What a coincidence.” He glanced around Lilia to find Kalim raising his brows at him. The rest of the class stared as well, waiting for the new student to take a seat.

“I just wanted to let you know that I look forward to studying with you,” Lilia drawled.

“You didn’t stop by everyone else’s desk to tell them that.”

“Let’s just say that I have a vested interest in you in particular,” The strange student chuckled, a hand to his mouth.

“Okay...?” Silver put on an awkward grin. “Well, welcome to our class.”

“A pleasure to be here with you,” Lilia breathed—and as he passed, he ran a finger along Silver’s desk wistfully, as though deep in thought. But Lilia wasn’t staring at Silver. No—he looked out of the window, and to the vast blue beyond.

Into a dream.

Snippet 4: For Love and Justice

Darkness sprawled out in all directions.

Then…

Decorations unfurled from somewhere within the void. Colors and patterns—warm tones, cool tones, pastel, bright. Polka dots, isometric, lacey, blocked. They fixated on unseen walls, pasting together a mismatched world and misshapen halls.

Walls composed of many textures. Doors that bent and swayed with the slightest touch. Lanterns and streamers that seemed to pulsate with life.

It was like a child’s imagination come to life, but distorted and warped—off in its composition. Less of a dream and more like a collage of them, forming something stitched of many salvaged parts.

What is this? Silver stumbled back, unsure of what to make of his new surroundings.

“Behold, gentlemen—“ Rook threw his arms out, a massive smile upon his face, “—a Labyrinth!!”

“They know, Rook-san. They’re witnessing it with their own eyes,” quipped the creature at his feet. “Show them the important part of the job now.”

“Non, non, Azul-kun! To rush into battle is to spoil the thrill of the hunt!” The blonde clapped a hand over his heart. “One must savor this feeling, just as one savors the feeling of first love!!”

“Ehhh?! I don’t really get what you mean when you say all that stuff… but you said before that Witches are dangerous, right?” Kalim frowned, waving a hand around. “Then we shouldn’t be here too long. I don’t want to see my friends getting hurt.”

“I didn’t think you were serious when you said all of that weird stuff about Witches,” Silver added, “but Kalim is right. We should get out.”

“It is in the depths of a Labyrinth where a Witch hides and bides its time. If left alone, its crude kisses can spill over and taint your world.” Azul sighed. “Rook has come to—“

He stopped, his ears perking up.

“Azul-kun?”

“I sense the witch nearby.”

“Oui. I can feel it too.” Rook turned to his left and nodded. “At the end of this corridor, most likely.”

“With all due respect, senpai How exactly do you plan to fight this Witch?” Silver asked worriedly, looking his upperclassmen over. No visible weapons, no armor in sight.

“Yeah, a Witch sounds crazy strong!!” Kalim chimed in. “You’re not gonna punch it ‘til it gives up, are you?”

“I have my ways,” Rook said mysteriously. “Just you watch—Silver-kun, Kalim-kun.”

With a wink, he produced a golden, teardrop-shaped gemstone. And Rook spun. He spun and he spun, a foot tracing a perfect circle around him.

The circular outline erupted into glittering particles which fell over his body. Ribbons of light streamed out from the gemstone in Rook’s hands, ensnaring him entirely. He broke free of the confines, leaping forward as new fabric materialized over his school uniform.

Long, puff sleeves. Knee-length boots, complete with stockings. A cocktail hat with a large, fluffy black feather. And… a belted wait dress with a flowing skirt.

Rook landed with a soft clack-clack of his heels—but the magic was still not yet over.

He waved his hand in an arc, materializing a row of floating arrows. Then, reaching for his heart, Rook pulled out a glittering bow.

All of this was done with a casual smile.

Silver’s jaw dropped.

… Am I still dreaming?

“Preparations are complete,” Rook announced cheerily as he cocked his bow. “Let the hunt for la sorcière… commence!!”

#twst #twisted wonderland #Azul Ashengrotto #Kalim Al-Asim #Rook Hunt #Silver #disney twisted wonderland #AU #Puella Magi Madoka Magica #notes from the writing raven #twisted wonderland AU #twst AU

[seoultraveller]

I was just about to go to bed when you sent the reply but it made me smile before falling asleep🥰

Okay so I went and did some quick research on my Libra sun and Pisces moon and I’m just shocked- https://i.thehoroscope.co/libra-sun-pisces-moon-an-instinctive-personality/ -it’s just ??? so me!!! It’s crazy wow. The accuracy-

Your reblog on that Seonghwa timestamp had me smiling, it was so sweet🥺 Thank you for reading it again!! It really was a beautiful saying, right??<3

Noooo poor yuyu ;((( I already planned for a happy ending with reader and Yunho so don’t worry😌🥰 maybe Yunho and reader will be a little hurt but nothing bad though!! Your poor heart😭 Yunho is your soft spot so cute🥺 he truly is the best so~

Exactly a bit of angst never hurts ;)) I’ll do my best in not spoiling anything GAHAHA😂 It relives me that you can be patient tho!! Ahhh you did see those messages HAHAG yeah I really wanted to spoil and Ash had to tell me not to🤣🤣 No but literally the desire to spoil was bubbling from within WHEW ! I just have the urge to share it with you but I will hold off hehe

I’m not sure how great I am in building up angst, but I’m really trying to make this a bit heart-wrenching LOL so- sorry not sorry??😬😂 it does got some fluff though!!

Mhmm! I know stealing of other ideas doesn’t happen often, but I just wanted to take the precaution y’know

AHH I love it shhdhf🤣🥰 I’ll welcome you in stalking my page HAHAHA :P omg righttttt!!! I was looking real good this weekend just saying😏🤣

Ah ofc ofc🥺🥺 I hope you had a good birthday, and the least I could do was wish you a happy one<3

Okay I’m definitely doing another spam with pictures of your boys hehehehe

Well, at least I am happy to be able to make you smile before sleeping !! ☺️

I just read through it quite quickly and, yes, you do seem quite balanced. “...don’t know how to hate or hold a grudge.” I cannot relate! You’re good! I’m holding onto something that happened to me when I was 7 😂. But overall 🥺 artistic and instinctive. Reading the whole page got me all soft it’s such a sweet description of your combination of signs. 🥰💕

WOW!! The San pic caught me off-guard, but I welcome it with open arms!! 😂 I miss that kind of hair on him. I know that they go through periods of constantly changing concepts, styles, and hair colors but I- black haired San was a different man for me. Although, I did bias him all throughout “I’m the One” promotions.

It definitely set the mood. Perfect for me to fall asleep to right after reading. I went to start reading the Wooyoung piece that you wrote but fell asleep quite quickly. As in, before I got to the content... I think I fell asleep on the word count. I guess my body just needed to recover from all the cake I had on Saturday. Yeah~ you really must have a good group of insightful friends. ☺️😁

He truly is my soft~ spot 🥺 I don’t even know how it happened, but it did. 🙃🥰 I am glad that Yunho and reader will have a happy ending. It’s what’s deserved!!!

I’m super excited for it, especially after that KD performance, but keep all the details to yourself until you release it!!! I’m mad excited to read it. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Oh! I also understand why you’re taking the precaution, don’t worry about it.

Make me cry! I’ll prepare myself. 🤧😭🙃 lol😂😂😂😂😂

GO GIRL! Flaunt what you got! 🛍🎀🎁🌹🌷💅 I support it. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

🥺🥺 Thank you, again 🥺🥺 💗💕💖

AHHHHHH!!!!!! I remember using that San one for one of my selca days!!! 😳😬 & Wet haired Yunho is a whole cultural reset. I would say take it back, but no~ I want it! I want him!! Yuyu 🐶💙🐶💙🐶 San-Hwa in all white!!! 🙃🙃🙃 I’m going through it! Whenever they style Hwa’s hair like that (top-right) I just want to collapse. That is a look. THAT IS HIS LOOK! and no-one can tell me otherwise! And peachy pink Yunho was I think his best hair color (outside of brown, because I am a dark haired Yunho enthusiast).

That picture spam was so needed 😭😍🥰😩🙏🏾 Bless your soul! Thank you!!

(Me because of that picture spam)

#seoultraveller responds #thorsdreams asks #thorsdreams #dee asks 💝 #TMI but * how badly do I want to make out with Yunho on a scale of 1-10? 15***

[lemonsandstrawberries]

How to Lose and Win / **

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony), MCU

summary: Some mornings are meant to be spent on cuddling and kissing, but somehow not this morning. But if the end they both enjoyed it, why be bothered?

length: 1 349

warnings: brushes on the topic of sex and arousal, but very subtle, non explicit

a/n: inspired by this prompt I wrote for @ticklishwallflower, who I can’t tag, because tumblr is a butt, as a thank you for helping me with my tumblr issues, because I am old and out of the tumblr loop :D this fic is also based on my (very deeply established) headcanon that Tony has an outie belly button, which is his weakest tickle spot, but also doubles as an erogenous zone. I feel like I got myself distracted like ten times while writing this fic, but I hope you will enjoy it! likes, reblogs and comments are needed and appreciated!

——————–

How to Lose and Win / **

"Oh my g-gosh, fahahack… Ahaha!"

"What? Is this bad for you? But I am barely touching you. It is just my fingertips slooowly tracing your skin-"

"S-stop tahahalking!"

Steve listened, smiling from ear to ear. Being quiet was a small price for such a beautiful morning and he was glad to pay it. Tony, on the other hand, couldn't stop giggling and squirming, even if he tried his best to control his reactions.

It wasn't a secret that Steve was a morning bird, while Tony was a night owl. Their sleep schedules didn't match and often collided with each other, resulting in quickly eaten breakfasts and rushed mornings, where affection was still present but too scarce and cut short for their mutual satisfaction. Sunday mornings where a whole different story, when they both woke up at a similar hour, could have a lazy, decadent breakfast in their shared bed and stay in as long as they pleased. Which was happening exactly at this moment.

Steve lay on his side, his head propped on one hand for additional comfort, while the other hand kept drawing light and swirly patterns over Tony's warm skin. Down the sides, between the ribs, along the curve of the belly. Tony, initially keeping his hands casually placed on the sides of his head, currently had them both thrown over his face, hands holding to the opposite elbows, trying to stay still. Lips stretched into a smile, breathed out giggling and a quivering body, covers pulled up just enough to hide the groin but still showing some dark trail of hair. It was easily one of Steve's favourite sights in the whole world.

"Ah- ah- ahahaha!"

Tony's whole stomach jumped and sunk in at the prolonged, slow brushing along his side. It wasn't a single fingertip anymore, but the whole length of fingers pressing down, slightly pushing on his skin and making it cave, before springing up. Tony's skin was soft, very soft, and he was in the perfect between muscled and chubby, having defined chest and arms and legs, while his middle and hips and ass were appropriately bouncy and meaty. Steve just loved that and adored every part of his boyfriend, but his slightly round tummy had a special place in his heart.

"G-gahaha!"

It just took a little clawing of blunt nails at the top of brunet's stomach and Tony kicked his legs rapidly under the covers, causing Steve's heart to grow. Tony was too cute for words and Steve didn't need any, not when he had his fingers and -

"No raspberries!" Tony shrieked in protest, feeling Steve rolling on his lower half and seeing soldier's face leaning in closer to his belly. Steve made a little disappointed puppy sound, just to be playful and follow along. He had no intentions on blowing raspberries on his boyfriend's skin, knowing first hand how sensitive Tony was to that form of tickling and aware of the consequences. Raspberries were good for those kinds of mornings when he wanted to get Tony quickly out of the bed, making him shrill and laugh, and escape away in panic of the raspberry repeating. Steve could think of a better use of his mouth.

"Mhm," Tony hummed approvingly, feeling a kiss pressed near his belly button. That felt nice and the kissing continued, slow and with an opened mouth, lightly nipping on his skin and Tony's toes curled from delight building up. More kisses and a tongue pressed flat to his skin, tasting him and licking long stripes along his stomach.

"Mh- hihihi!"

That was Steve's favorite sound. That high pitched, funny giggling, ringing in his ears. His lips found the small outie belly button and he kept gently pecking the nub, more in a teasing way than proper tickling, enjoying the pouring out laughter. It would be good and could lead to something extremely pleasurable, but Tony seemed somehow more sensitive this morning and started to crack quicker than usual.

"I cahahaan't anyhhmohohore!" Tony called, when the kisses on his outie continued, lighting up all of his nerves with the shimmering, tickling sensation. "Steheheve, stohp!"

Steve heard that many times and almost never listened. He didn't listen this time either, and pulled his well-practiced move, using the very tip of the tongue to lightly touch and wiggle at the top of the protruding nub, knowing how crazy it drove his boyfriend.

"HIHIHIHI!" Tony dug his heels into the mattress, his back arching up and all composure lost. He curled up and wrapped hands into Steve's hair, trying to push the soldier away. "Enoughahahaha!"

The morning was definitely not going in the direction Steve had hoped for. Seemed that Tony was during one of his more ticklish days, when the touch that was measured to be ticklish and arousing, ended more as a ticklish one. Well, the mood was gone and seeing that Tony already ruined his plan, Steve decided to make the most of this situation anyway.

"HAH!" Tony's eyes flung wide open, and a panicked, clear laugh burst out of his throat. "HAHAAHAHA!" Tony howled when a loud and wet and long raspberry was aimed right on his poor belly button. The attack continued and Tony could only laugh and toss, trying to push the stubborn super soldier off of him.

"STOP! AHAHAHA! STEHEHVE!" Tony tried to wiggle away, but Steve had a hold strong on his waist and kept his mouth firmly pressed to his stomach. "Ohkahahahay! You cahahahn tahahahalk again!"

Seemed that it was what Steve was waiting for. With a bright smile, he lifted his head up, while Tony went limp and fell back into the covers, lying flat.

"Fuhahahhaack…" Tony complained weakly, his skin still tingling and head rolled back. He felt Steve moving up his body, but he was too exhausted to react, even when the super soldier lay down, putting his hands too high on his ribs and too close to Tony's armpits for him to feel comfortable and safe.

"That was fun, right?" Steve asked in a sunny voice.

With some effort, Tony lifted his head up, and the look he sent his boyfriend could be only described as glaring holes through someone. "You ruined my fun," Tony huffed out, meaning the light, teasing tickling changing into something unbearable.

"You ruined my fun first," Steve remarked playfully, meaning the interrupted make out time with his favorite belly and ignoring the brief pout running over Tony's face. Not his fault that Steve's technique failed today. "But if that is any consolation to you, I fixed it and had a ton of fun," Steve replied his smile back on.

It wasn't and Tony's forehead creased. "I am glad you had fun because this was the last fun you will be having for a while."

And the smile was gone, replaced by shock and disbelief. Finally. Tony felt a little triumphant over that.

"Oh yeah?" Steve sneered, moving himself up, almost nose to nose with his boyfriend, their bodies lining together. Tony was almost certain that Steve did that to slightly tower over him, their bellies pressed together and belly buttons on the same level and Tony could feel his outie fitting into Steve's innie, and God, that already made him feel unfairly hot and bothered.

"Oh yeah," Tony confirmed in a strong hiss through clenched teeth, pushing the aroused feeling aside. Threatening with the no sex card was a cheap move, but Tony needed a win after what his asshole boyfriend put him through.

"Hmph. Then I guess it can't get any worse."

"What are- NO!" Tony shrieked, when Steve nuzzled into his neck, blowing raspberries after raspberries. The hands he had suspected of mischief from the very beginning, went in motion too, clawing at his underarms and Tony was quickly lost in laughter. "AAHAHAHAHA!"

In the end, Steve only stopped only after getting a promise out of Tony to lift the sex ban, so technically, he lost twice, but somehow losing like that didn't feel like losing at all and what followed could be definitely called a win for both of them.

#stony #steve rogers #tony stark #superhusbands #tony stark is ticklish #tickle fic #belly tickling #belly button tickling #raspberries #tickling #fanfic #fanfiction #**

[donamoeba]

Asahi: And soooo, right then, Mikoshiba-senpai laughed and went, like, "GAHAHA, IT'S MEEE"...!

Makoto: Ooh, so that's what happened?

Ikuya: By the way, who is Mikoshiba-senpai?

Haruka: Oh right, Ikuya, you don't know Mikoshiba-senpai. He's our senpai at the university swim club.

Makoto: And he was also the captain of Samezuka's swim team.

Asahi: So he's someone like Natsuya-senpai when we were at Iwatobi Middle School.

Ikuya: My brother's doesn't say "Gahaha."

Makoto: EH!? The...the lights went off!

Ikuya: It's… pitch black.

Haruka: I think it's way past the closing time of the student union building.

Ikuya: Hmm… it's just past 10pm.

Haruka: The light in this discussion room turns itself off at 10pm.

Asahi: In that case, should we head to our club room and talk more there? We can even sleep overnight there!

Makoto: Ikuya and I are not in the Hidaka swim club, so we really shouldn't, don't you think?

Ikuya: That's right.

Haruka: Well then, should we go home?

Asahi: No way! Let's stay for a little longer! I mean,  Makoto and Ikuya came all the way to Hidaka to see us.

Makoto: Hehe, with the four of us in the dark like this, it reminds me of our training camp in middle school.

Ikuya: Right... that time during summer break when Asahi said "we're doing a training camp for next summer!" and we all stayed overnight at school?

Asahi: That's right! Should we all start telling scary stories, just like we did that night? Since the lights are off and this is the perfect mood for it!

Makoto: Eeeeh, I'll pass, thank you!

Ikuya: Hehe, Makoto, you're a scaredy-cat, as always.

Makoto: Well yeah, but…!

Haruka: It's okay, Makoto. There were many scary stories at Iwatobi Middle school, such as the Seven Scary Wonders, but Hidaka doesn't have them.

Ikuya: Now that you mentioned it, there really were many. Like when you stay at school at night, the bell would suddenly go off, and the ghost of a teacher who died in an accident would appear…

Asahi: Oh yeah, there was that. And if you don't say the magic word, they'll follow you back home, and curse you to death…

Makoto: Heey, Stopppp! No more stories!

Makoto: Hyaaah!

Haruka: It's just the bell. It chimes at this time every day.

Makoto: Fo-footsteps!? Would it be… a ghost…?

Asahi: C'mon, ghosts don't have legs, so they couldn't make footsteps.

Makoto: But… they're getting closer…!

Ikuya: Maybe it's a teacher patrolling?

Makoto: Haru, the magic word, say the magic word…!

Haruka: Magic word… what should I say?

Asahi: I think it's something like...toma..doburi...or somethi-

Haruka: “Tomadoburiranchinburiranti”!

Makoto: AAAAAHHHHHH!!!

Hiyori: I knew you guys would be here. I heard you talking.

Ikuya: Hiyori!

Asahi: Geez, don't scare us!

Hiyori: Sorry, sorry. Were you that frightened? You guys are timider than I expected.

Ikuya: More importantly, Hiyori, what are you doing here?

Asahi: Oh! Could it be that...Toono...you're… already dead? And you became a ghost and came looking for Ikuya? You're definitely the type to hold a grudge forever!

Hiyori: Can you not say such insulting things? Of course I'm not a ghost. I got a message from Terashima inviting me to an all-nighter karaoke, so I thought I'd ask Ikuya as well.

Haruka: Terashima…? Oh, the Archerfish from Shimogami University.

Asahi: Couldn't you have just asked him by texting him? You scared everyone by coming here all of the sudden!

Hiyori: I messaged him AND I called him, but I didn't get any response. That's why I got worried and started looking for him.

Ikuya: Oh…? I don't have my phone on me.

Makoto: Did you leave it somewhere?

Ikuya: Aah… at the canteen where we had dinner, I'm sure.

Makoto: I wonder if the canteen is still open…

Haruka: It's likely closed, but maybe we can still get in.

Toono: Hidaka is pretty big! Not as big as Shimogami though.

Ikuya: The campus at night… is surprisingly quiet.

Toono: Looks like there's no one in the gym either.

Haruka: It's holiday tomorrow, so I guess everyone finished practice early and went home.

Makoto: ...wait, someone's in there!

Ikuya: This reminds me… of the Seven Scary Wonders of Iwatobi Middle School…

Asahi: The Headless Soccer Kid!

Ikuya: That's right, the one about the kid who did basketball drills with his own head…!

Makoto: Like I said, stop telling these stories!!

Toono: Tachibana-kun, you really are a scaredy cat, aren't you? Actually, I also know of this really special scary story! Would you like to hear it?

Makoto: I don't want to hear it!!

Haruka: It's coming over.

Asahi: This is...probably…

Kisumi: Oh? What's everyone doing here?

Asahi: I knew it's you, Kisumi!

Kisumi: Aah! Toono-kun is here, too! I'm really looking forward to the 3x3 next Sunday!

Asahi: What? You guys play basketball together?

Toono: It's my day off from swim club, so yeah, to socialize.

Kisumi: Asahi, you're jealous?

Asahi: Like I would be!

Kisumi: Ooh, so you guys came to find something you left behind. Hehe, it feels a bit like one of those dares you do as a challenge! It reminds me of the Seven Scary Wonders back in middle school~

Haruka: We were just talking about them.

Asahi: And how it's boring we don't have them at Hidaka.

Kisumi: If they don't exist, maybe you can make them up yourselves?

Makoto: Nooo there's no need for that!!

Ikuya: ...what's that sound?

Haruka: Like something is flying?

Asahi: There it goes again.

Toono: Oh? Over there…

Ikuya: Something… just flew?

Makoto: Eeh… is it not a bird?

Asahi: Birds don't fly like that.

Toono: A UFO?

Asahi: Isn't it too small for that?

Kisumi: Oh! Looks like it fell.

Asahi: Alright then, let's go take a look!

Makoto: WHAAAT!?

Asahi: Um...it should be… right around here…

Makoto: That's enough, don't you think!?

Kisumi: Even though we might be the ones to discover the first Scary Wonder?

Makoto: I don't want to discover anything at all!

Haruka: Ah. What is this?

Kisumi: A boomerang?

Makoto: There's a drawing of a kangaroo on it.

Kisumi: Boomerang...and kangaroo...would mean…

Makoto: Australia?

Haruka: Could it be… Rin?

Asahi: He threw it all the way from Sydney?

Ikuya: How is it supposed to reach here? Stupid Asahi.

Kisumi: No wait! Could it be that something bad happened to Rin, and some supernatural force is in works, trying to tell us?

Makoto: Haru… should we call Rin?

Haruka: Rin…!

Kisumi: You're texting Rin?

Haruka: Yeah. ...I've got a reply. He said: "why are you texting me this late at night?"

Makoto: Oh thank god, he's okay…!

Kisumi: But if that's the case, what's the boomerang from Australia doing here…?

Ikuya: Could this be…?

Makoto: Oh, is it Momotarou-kun?

Ikuya: No, I think I know who it is…

Toono: Yeah, you're probably right.

Natsuya: Hey guys, so this is where you are! Oh, that boomerang is mine.

Nao: I'm glad you found it.

Makoto: Natsuya-senpai! And Nao-senpai, too!?

Ikuya: Brother...what on earth are you doing?

Natsuya: What do you mean "what"...I got into an argument with Nao about how to throw a boomerang, so we decided to try it out for real.

Asahi: So you just… started throwing a boomerang… in the middle of the night… at a university you don't go to?

Natsuya: Sorry, I thought there's no one here, so I just…

Ikuya: Brother… what did you come here for?

Nao: He heard from Ikuya that you guys are having a training camp together, so he said he'd bring some snacks over for you guys.

Natsuya: Here. Beer and snacks to go with it!    

Ikuya: We're still underage!

Natsuya: That's just a joke. These are for Nao and me. I've got soda for you guys, don't worry.

Toono: You plan to join the training camp, too?

Asahi: Or maybe he just wants to drink…

Ikuya: It's not a training camp… besides, we're just about to head home.

Natsuya: Really? How boring. By the way, I called you on your phone, but you didn't answer, so I was worried.

Ikuya: We're on our way to retrieve my phone.

Haruka: It seems like he's left it at the canteen.

Nao: Is that the canteen over there?

Natsuya: The lights are off.

Nao: Something is flashing inside.

Makoto: A will‐o'‐the‐wisp!!

Haruka: It's probably Ikuya's phone. Maybe someone's calling him right now. Like Mr. Archerfish.

Asahi: Oh, the flashing is gone.

Toono: I'll try calling the phone, too.

Asahi: It started flashing again.

Natsuya: I knew it.

Makoto: Oh thank god...woah! It's now moving! And it's floating!! If it's a phone, it shouldn't move on its own, or float….right?

Kisumi: So this is the new Seven Scary Wonders?

Ikuya: A will-o'-the-wisp that wanders around a canteen in the middle of the night…

Makoto: Eeeeek!?

Asahi: Oh, it's leaving the canteen.

Nao: Maybe someone is holding the phone in their hand?

Natsuya: You're right. They found the lost item, I'm sure.

Toono: But… isn't that person… laughing maniacally?

Asahi: That's true… there's no need to laugh like that… just because you found a phone.

Ikuya: This reminds me, there's a scary story about a man's silhouette that keeps laughing… it's one of the Seven Scary Wonders.

Makoto:  Eeeeeh! It...it's heading over here…! W-WHO IS IT!?

Sei: GAHAHAHA, IT'S ME!!

All: Mikoshiba-senpai!?

THE END

#free! #free!DF #makoto tachibana #haruka nanase #asahi shiina #ikuya kirishima #mypost #translation #free!official translation #audio

[giftfromthesleepprincess]

Chapter 4–The Widow, the Medicine, and the Poison; Scene 3

Gift from the Princess Who Brought Sleep, pages 139-153

If you traced back the roots of those who ran pharmacies in Elphegort, you would find in most cases that they traced back to people called “shamans”. It was said that many of those shamans had been devotees of the great earth god Held, and that embroidered in the robes they wore was a great tree insignia modeled off of Held’s form.

The original owner of the La Bula pharmacy had apparently been one such shaman, and in the corner of the shop hung a tapestry that depicted said tree insignia.

“Shamans and chemists--the name might have changed, but what we do isn’t all that different,” murmured the owner of the pharmacy, Egmont. “What is different is that I have to join the union to get a merchant’s license, and pay taxes. …Ah, and I guess there’s also restrictions on the sale of poisons.”

Hanne asked what restrictions in particular.

Egmont showed her a notebook he had on hand. “When buying poisonous substances, you always have to record your name and status in this ledger. If you write a false name, that alone could subject you to penal regulations. And then, I can’t sell them to people who aren’t of age or prostitutes.”

“What kind of people have been buying poison lately?”

“Like it says there, almost all of them have been hunters. They use them to make traps and poisoned arrows to catch game with. And then there’s farmers with livestock. Sometimes they buy them to help put down animals that have gotten afflicted with particularly nasty ailments.”

“What about doctors?”

“Like Dr. Felix? Of course he buys some. For use in his research, or to euthanize hopeless patients. But there’s no records of him making any purchases for close to a year...And now he’s fallen ill himself. Sounds like the doctor might need to practice his own trade--though I hope he’s able to make a full recovery all the same. If he dies off then my business’ll be at risk.”

Egmont sighed. It seemed only natural that a pharmacy’s biggest client would be doctors. Losing Marx, the only doctor in town, would have a huge influence on him.

“I was wanting to ask you if Dr. Felix’s daughter buys medicine here too.”

“You mean little Margarita? Yeah, she buys from here all the time. Naturally her business is appreciated, but…” Egmont said, and then sighed again.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Nah, it’s just that she doesn’t buy medicine, she buys ingredients. She says she mixes them up herself. Even though she could do just fine purchasing the finished product without going out of her way like that...No matter how many times I tell her that, she won’t listen.”

“Can someone who’s not a chemist even mix up drugs in the first place?”

“She has a medical license for the time being. There’s no problem with her mixing up drugs in itself. It’s not a crime as long as she doesn’t sell what she makes to anyone else. Under Elphegort’s laws, anyway. I’ve heard things are a bit stricter in Beelzenia.”

So that meant it was legal to make medicines for use among friends and family like Margarita did.

“Why does she mix up the drugs herself?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. …Well, it’s not like I can’t think of a single reason.”

“Which would be?”

“…This is just a guess, but… It might be that she wants to cure her illness,” Egmont said quietly.

“Her illness?”

“Yeah, well, she can’t sleep, right? I think she’s trying to make a medicine that will cure that—something that will make her able to sleep. There are a lot of things with that purpose in the ingredients she buys.”

“Such as…the Greeonion Plateau Rose?”

Hanne put forward the name of the flower that the mayor had showed her in Calgaround.

But Egmont shook his head in surprise. “That’s not a sleeping drought so much as a poison! I can’t sell that to miss Margarita. She’s still just sixteen. I said it before, but I can’t sell poison to someone who isn’t of age. I don’t even deal in valuable goods like the Greeonio Plateau Rose in the first place.”

“Is there anywhere else in Toragay where one could buy it?”

“Nope,” Egmont flatly replied. “This is the only pharmacy in Toragay. If you really want a Greeonion Plateau Rose…Hmm, there might be some in Aceid.”

“…I heard that a woman calling herself a ‘sorceress’ had been coming and going in Toragay lately. Has there been any talk of her selling or giving drugs or poisons to anyone?”

“Sorceress…Ah, yeah there was someone like that here. Some creepy woman wearing a hood in the middle of the day. She was some associate of Marquis Blankenheim, so no one said anything. I was real shocked when the world police said she was some terrible criminal, after the marquis died—Or rather, it actually made a lot of sense. The marquis might have been murdered by her, actually. …Er, the conversation’s gotten a bit away from me. Drugs and poison? I haven’t heard anything about that. If there was I wouldn’t have stayed quiet about it.”

“Has she been seen hanging around anywhere other than the marquis’ ho—”

“What? Are you looking for this woman? People stopped seeing her a long time ago, so I’m pretty sure she’s gotten out of town. As for hanging around anywhere...Actually, now that you mention it…”

It sounded like Egmont had remembered something.

He spin his index finger in a winding gesture next to his head, as though to trace back his memory, and then after a moment of thought he replied, “I did see her walking with Margarita once. They said they were going to the charity institute. But that was several months ago.”

“The charity institute…Got it. Thank you very much.”

“Hey hey, leaving already? While you’re here, you should buy something. You look like you’re pretty tired. It spoils your lovely features. –How about this? If you drink this syrup, it’ll blow your weariness all the way yonder to the Hellish Yard!”

“…Alright, I’ll take one.”

Hanne gave in to Egmont’s prodding and somewhat reluctantly decided to purchase his tonic.

“Thanks for the purchase! That’s 50 Ev!”

That’s expensive!

That was the same price as staying the night in a world-class inn in Aceid.

“Does this thing really work?”

“Yeah! I guarantee it! I drank it myself earlier, but it got me in a pretty big fix--chiefly the lower half of my body! Gahaha.”

Ignoring the pharmacist’s crude joke, Hanne took the bottle with the cloudy white liquid inside and left the shop.

As she headed for the charity institute, Hanne opened the lid of the suspicious drug and poured it into her mouth in lieu of lunch.

…Eugh!

Even if she didn’t have much interest in eating and drinking, that didn’t mean she had no understanding of flavor.

Bitter things were bitter, after all.

…That pharmacist better be prepared to suffer if this doesn’t do anything for me.

.

When she visited the charity institute, a woman with an air of kindness not unlike a divine mother came to greet her.

“Do you have some business here, ma’am?”

Since she’d been asked, Hanne decided to respond politely in kind.

“YES! I! Am! Hanne! Lorre! Of! SCHUBURG NEWSPAPER!”

“Oh my, you’re an extremely energetic one, aren’t you? A newspaper, you say…Are you writing a story on us?”

“That! Is! CORRECT!”

“Very good, you are most welcome here. Please, come in.”

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

--The medicine seemed to be working too well. She’d gotten more energy, but had the feeling that that carried its own problems.

Hanne tried to regain her presence of mind as much as possible, and entered the charity institute alongside the woman.

“Right now the children are having their afternoon nap. So I would appreciate it if you could try to speak as quietly as possible…”

“ALRIGHT! …I will do that.”

As the woman said, on the other side of an open door she could see several young children lying down on cots. Presumably, all of them there were orphans.

Most towns had orphanages like this in them. The majority of them were established by the Sisters of Clarith, and this charity institute was one of them.

“Of course, during its founding we received a great deal of donations from many people.  The one who contributed the most was Dr. Felix. We’re forever in his debt. …Such a tragedy he’s gone the way he has—” said the woman who was, apparently, the director of the charity institute, Rita Flohn, her expression mournful.

Rita had originally been a midwife, and because of that she had known doctor Marx for a very long time.

“I helped bring Margarita into the world when she was born too. …I feel sorry for her. From the moment she was born she’s suffered such hardship, and now on top of that her father—"

“HoLD UP! …Did something happen when she was born?”

“It was rainy that day. Dr. Felix’s wife—Margarita’s mother—realized she was going into labor, and he and I were there to witness it...Everything was going along smoothly. But it was then that the unthinkable happened.”

Rita continued to speak, looking out the window and gazing at the sky.

“Lightning struck near the house. Perhaps you could call it fortunate that it didn’t hit Dr. Felix’s mansion directly. But that wasn’t the case at all for his wife. Her condition took a drastic change immediately after that lightning strike. …When the baby had somehow been given birth to, her mother was already dead. And that baby wouldn’t cry--she wasn’t breathing.”

“And by that baby—you do mean Margarita, right?”

“Yes. I had thought at the time that both the mother and child were beyond saving. I could only stand there in a stupor, holding the silent baby in my arms, Dr. Felix embracing his wife and sobbing. But then—a miracle occurred.”

This time Rita drew close to a small shrine that was nearby. There was a drawer in the shrine, and from there she pulled out a red cloth-like object.

“…Which was?” Hanne asked.

Rita wordlessly handed over the item. It wasn’t just simple cloth. When she looked closer she could see that it had something like cat fur grown thickly all over it. The fur was the same red color as the cloth.

“Somebody suddenly entered the mansion. A strange woman who wore a hooded robe and had a worn-out cat plushie on her shoulder. She silently held a hand over the baby, and then immediately left—when she did, lo and behold! The baby I had thought dead starting wailing as loud as she could!”

Just as Rita started shouting, the sound of children grumbling became audible from inside the room. She hurriedly went towards them, and returned after calming them down.

“…Sorry, I got a little bit carried away. I believe that woman was a messenger of the gods. That the gods took pity on poor Margarita. The fact that she can’t sleep is also likely some sort of divine favor.”

“Did Miss Margarita have any abnormalities after that? …Aside from being sleepless.”

“None. She grew up rapidly and healthily, as though what happened when she was born was just a dream. At first Dr. Felix did a great deal of study towards her insomnia, but ended up giving up on it. She didn’t seem to be having any health problems, so he figured he’d leave it be.”

“Did Dr. Felix dote on Margarita?”

“She was a memento that the wife he loved left behind, so of course he did. He wanted to make her as happy as he could. There in comes the previous Marquis Blankenheim, who he already had social connections to—Lord Kaspar’s father, I mean. He would frequently visit him with Margarita along, and got Lord Kaspar and Margarita acquainted. He anticipated that the two of them would get married someday. There are people in society who say that Dr. Felix got them involved with each other for his own influence, but I don’t think so at all. I believe that to the last everything he did was for Margarita’s happiness.”

Between her idea and society’s rumors, which one was the truth? Hanne had no way to tell. In the end, that was something she’d have to ask Marx himself. On the other hand, even if he woke up and she was able to talk to him, that didn’t necessarily mean what he told her would be the truth. There wasn’t a parent alive who would be happy to admit that they’d only used their own child as a means to an end.

“Of course…I can’t say whether or not it made Margarita truly happy,” Rita murmured. Her eyes seemed to have a faint flare of anger in them. “Lord Kaspar—No, I’ll dispense with the honorifics with him. To speak bluntly, that man was the lowest of the low. Garbage. Spending all his time playing around and picking up other women every day while he had a wife like Margarita around—I’ll say it again, that bastard was utter trash.”

While ranting on she made a move as though to slam her fist on the desk in front of her, but, seeming to remember the sleeping children again, she quietly set her fist down.

It seemed that contrary to Hanne’s initial impression, she was an unexpectedly emotionally tumultuous person.

“My my…Miss Rita. Please calm down.”

While trying to pacify this overexcited woman, Hanne, who was uplifted from the medicine she’d taken, was extremely calm.

“Pitifully enough, Margarita—she’s such a softhearted girl...She became friends with one of Kaspar’s mistresses, and ended up bringing her here to this institute! Honestly, that poor dear—”

This time it looked like she’d start crying.

…What a bother this lady is.

Hanne was the slightest bit annoyed, but even so she had to keep talking to her. She wanted to ask a little bit more about that “mistress” that Margarita brought over.

“What were they doing here?”

“—Apparently she came here to help Margarita. Though it seemed to me she came along somewhat reluctantly. In the end, it was Margarita who did the cooking and served the food to the children, and the woman just left without doing anything. She was a weird one. Wearing a robe, hardly saying anything at all.”

“This woman…Was she really Lord Kaspar’s mistress?”

“Obviously! She was wearing such distasteful deep red clothes! Only a loose woman would wear something like that!”

That seemed a bit prejudiced of her. Speaking of red clothing the mayor of Calgaround had been dressed like that, but Hanne didn’t get that kind of mental image about her at all.

Putting that together with what the pharmacist had told her, the “mistress” that Margarita had brought along was undoubtedly the sorceress she’d been after.

Sorceress, huh…?

There was one thing that piqued Hanne’s interest. The “messenger of the gods” who supposedly resurrected the baby Margarita from death. Assuming Rita hadn’t been hallucinating, then that must have indeed been the work of a “sorceress”.

“Miss Rita. This mistress…Did she possibly have any resemblance to the ‘messenger of the gods’ who appeared when Margarita was born, or perhaps—”

“What are you saying!? That’s impossible! That woman and the messenger have nothing in comm…Well, maybe…she did a little…No! They were definitely different! Their features might have been a bit similar but they were definitely different people!”

“If you keep shouting like that you’ll wake up the children again.”

“That’s fine! Naptime’s almost over anyway!”

“I see…At any rate, you’re positive that the two of them aren’t the same person?”

“Yes. I swear to god! …Ah, now that I think about it, that mistress did come here one other time. She was alone then.”

According to Rita, that was about three months ago.

“She asked me if there was an inn around here. As I recall…that was when…Lord…Kaspar went to Aceid with Margarita. To attend the King’s birthday celebration. Apparently that woman had come here now knowing that the Marquis and his wife were out of town. Ordinarily I might have offered for her to stay here, but I couldn’t help but loathe her. So I suggested a different inn.”

“Where would that be?”

“Uhrm, let me think...”

.

It was the inn that Hanne had stayed at when she first came to Toragay a month and a half ago. She’d used this inn any time she was staying in Toragay since then. The rates were alright and the lady owner wasn’t all that bad. The owner’s son was a sensible man who worked as both a coachman and a postman.

Hanne stood before that inn. She hadn’t returned to spend the night now that the day was wearing long. She was there because, unexpectedly, it was the next destination in her coverage.

A carriage drew close. The inn owner’s son was driving it. When he spotted Hanne there, he stopped the carriage and called out in a good humored tone, “Welcome back, Miss Hanne. Is your job going well?”

“So-so. Are you all done working for today?”

“Nah, I’ve still got a bit to go. I have to take some guests out to the Kihel check station.”

As he said, there were guests sitting in the luggage compartment. From the window she could see two heads. Their faces weren’t visible, but from their heights it looked like they were both children.

“I’ll be seeing you. If you have any other business for me don’t hesitate to give me a holler.”

So saying he pulled on the reigns. The carriage departed, making its way along the main road.

Hanne opened the door to the inn. It seemed the old woman who ran it was right in the middle of making dinner, and the pleasant smell of onion soup wafted to the entrance.

“Mrs. Brigitta.”

Hanne peered into the kitchen and called out the woman’s name.

Facing a pot with soup inside it, Brigitta replied without turning towards Hanne, “Welcome back. You’re early today. I’ll have dinner ready in a bit, so you should wait upstairs until then. I’ll call you down when it’s finished.”

“Ah, actually I have something I want to talk about…But you look busy, so it can wait.”

Brigitta turned around. She was making a displeased expression, but she always was. That was just her resting face.

“I don’t mind. All I have to do now is wait for it to finish cooking.”

“Oh yes? Well then, it’s about a guest who stayed her a while back…Do you know the name ‘Elluka Clockworker’?”

“I don’t recall.”

“I’d heard that a woman in red clothing wearing a hood had stayed here before…”

“—Ah, now that you mention it, I did have a guest like that. I think she stayed the night about three months ago. She used the room next to the one you have now.”

“Was there anything strange about this person?”

“No, not really. Though, she ate up all the food I gave her, and hardly said a word—Thinking on it now, she did forget something here.”

“What was it?”

“Some kind of strange liquid. I thought it was ketchup or something. But it’s been so long since then it’s probably gone bad by now.”

“Are you still storing it here?”

“I put it in our storeroom. It’s there on the left when you get in. If you want to look into it go get it yourself.”

“I will. Thank you very much.”

Hanne left the kitchen and went for the storeroom right next to it. When she looked left, there sitting on the shelf was a small glass bottle. It was filled with red liquid.

She took the bottle in hand, opened the lid, and sniffed it. It didn’t smell like it was rotten, but it had some other scent to it. It was a bit like rusted iron.

--I hope this turns out to be a clue.

It was one of the sorceress’ personal belongings. For argument’s sake, if she were able to find traces of some kind of toxin in this, then it would substantiate the idea that the sorceress had given Margarita poison.

Well then, who should I have examine this?

If she wanted to get this done in a hurry, then Egmont at the pharmacy here in town would do the job. However, if she wanted to get the job done right, then perhaps it would be best to consult a specialist in the field--Puerick Rogzé.

It was too late to go to either of them today. She would take this liquid to one of them tomorrow, and have them look over its composition.

She could hear Brigitta calling from the kitchen. Apparently dinner was ready.

Hanne didn’t fuss all that much over her meals. But it wasn’t like she wasn’t hungry either.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[solartranslations]

Dante 5/5 or 5/6: The Response to Guida Regalo

(Occurs the day after the first part of this event. But, if Seen Through has occurred, then Growing Fool must be completed first)

She’s worried about what happened the other day, but can’t interfere. What is going on with Dante…

~*Scene: Fiore Street*~

Pace: Oh, Ojou~!

❤≪Pace≫ Seems as usual

Pleasure: I found Ojou~!

Person: Luca-chan is celebrating

Arcana: It’s fun being with everyone!

Luca: I saw it, Ojou-sama! It’s wonderful! You’re amazing!!

❤≪Luca≫ Seems excited

Person: Ojou-sama really is amazing!!

Pleasure: It’s wonderful!

Debito: Hey, Luca…she won’t know what you’re talking about that way

❤≪Debito≫ Seems as usual

Person: Luca’s being loud as usual

Daily: I want a siesta

???: I can’t see very well here

Debito: Bambina, we saw Guida Regalo

Debito: I would have liked it to have a bit more sex appeal but…

Debito: It’s great for a first issue

Debito: If you’re going to continued it, then introduce my casino too

Luca: Ojou-sama, it was truly a great success!!

❤≪Pace≫ Seems as usual ❤≪Luca≫ Seems excited ❤≪Debito≫ Wants a drink

Arcana: It’s fun being with everyone!

Person: Luca’s celebrating more than usual

???: I can’t see very well here

Pleasure: It’s wonderful!

Arcana: I hope I can see Ojou-sama continue to grow…

Person: Luca really is loud

Daily: …I want a siesta

???: I can’t see very well here

Luca: …I thought you must have made something that you would want to read yourself

Luca: Just like how you longed to see the outside world, you create anticipation in the people who visit Regalo…

Luca: I’m sure that’s the kind of magazine it will become!

Luca: I’m thinking of preserving all of them nicely starting with this first issue!

Pace: Ah~, but, Ojou~!

❤≪Pace≫ Is hungry

Food: I want to eat some

Arcana: It’s fun being with everyone!

???: I can’t see very well here

Pace: That pesce scorfano acqua pazza!

Pace: Looks super delicious, but they just said that they ran out of ingredients!

Felicita: ?

Pace: Apparently, orders for it really have increased because of Guida Regalo

Pace: It’s great but, there’s people being turned away because they’re short on ingredients…

Pace: Sabine-san said it’s a real shame

Felicita: …

~*Scene: Harbor*~

Dante: Oh, Ojou-san. You came

❤≪Dante≫ Seems as usual

Place: We’re going out to sea, give it your all!

Pain: ???

Daily: There shouldn’t be any problems with this weather

Arcana: Make sure to be careful

Liberta: Ojou! I’m coming today too!

❤≪Liberta≫ Seems to want to go out to sea

Place: The sea!!!

Person: I’m coming today!

???: I can’t see very well here

Orso: It’s basically a patrol again today

Nino: I’ll try not to get too close to you today…

Nino: I don’t want to end up attracting a whale and putting you in danger again…

Dante: Listen up, everyone! It’s time for us to go out to sea!

~*Scene: SS Arcana*~

Dante: All clear on our six!

Dante: Hm? Oh, Ojou-san

Dante: All clear at 3 o’clock too? Understood

Dante: I see you’re getting used to sailing. That’s promising

Felicita: …

Dante: But, the sea is the most frightening when you’re just starting to get used to it

Dante: Haha, unlike Liberta, you’re taking this seriously but…

Dante: Oh. There’s something that I was thinking of giving you

Dante: I’ll give you…this pendant

❤≪Dante≫ Seems concerned

Link: It’s not elegant, but as long as it can protect her

Arcana: Make sure to be careful

Place: ???

Dante: No matter where you go, even if I’m not with you…

Dante: I’m sure this Imperati Falco will protect you

Felicita: !

>I can’t accept this…

(-10 Amore)

>Instead of you, Dante!?

(+10 Amore)

>Don’t take risks you can’t defend against!

(+20 Amore)

Dante: Haha! Oh, don’t be so humble. Just take it

Dante: I don’t think of you as the same Ojou-san who came at me with a flying kick, you know?

Dante: …That’s not what this means

Dante: But…as long as you are a part of Arcana Famiglia, danger will be lurking everywhere

Dante: Isn’t it better to have more ways of protecting yourself?

Dante: Haha! As you can see, I’m a strong one

Dante: There’s nothing for this to protect

Dante: Ojou-san, that’s incorrect

Dante: As long as you are a part of Arcana Famiglia, danger will be lurking everywhere

Dante: No matter what you wish for…

Dante: Yes, just like when you fell into the sea before

❤≪Dante≫ Seems as usual ❤≪Dante≫ Seems nervous

Link: It can’t be that she doesn’t want it! If it’s Ojou-san…

Arcana: Make sure to be careful

Place: ???

Link: Instead of me…

Arcana: Make sure to be careful

Place: ???

❤≪Dante≫ Seems concerned

Link: There’s nothing to worry about

Arcana: Make sure to be careful

Place: ???

Dante: It’s fine. …Ojou-san, I want you to have this

❤≪Dante≫ Seems concerned

Link: I just want peace of mind

Arcana: Make sure to be careful

Place: ???

Dante: Well, I can’t say it’s a suitable look for a young girl

Dante: Your shoulders might get stiff from wearing that as a pendant but…

Dante: I’m proof of its effectiveness. It’ll make me happy for you to hold on to it

Felicita: …

Liberta: Hey, Dante! Ojou!

❤≪Liberta≫ Seems thrilled

Person: What are they talking about?

Place: Being at sea means fishing!!

Liberta: Everything looks fine for now! So can we start fishing!?

Dante: Just don’t get too absorbed in it!!

❤≪Dante≫ Seems as usual

Person: He’s never tense

Place: ???

Daily: There shouldn’t be any problems with this weather

Arcana: Make sure to be careful

Felicita: …

>For fishing…can you catch a specific fish?

(+20 Amore)

>Can you catch some pesce scorfano?

(+10 Amore)

Dante: Hm? Yes, the fishing boats that sail from the harbor usually have a certain fish they’re after

Dante: We don’t when fishing for leisure though

Dante: …What? Pesce scorfano?

Dante: Pesce scorfano?

Dante: …Oh! You mean from Sabine’s acqua pazza!!

Felicita: …

Dante: Hm…so they’re low on stock because of Guida Regalo…

Dante: Yes, they aren’t the kind of fish that you usually catch while on a ship

Dante: But, Sabine mentioned knowing some fishermen…

Dante: That might be the secret of Sabine’s restaurant

Dante: Liberta! We’re aiming for pesce scorfano today!

❤≪Dante≫ Seems to be plotting

Food: I’ll bet on us as men of the sea!

Place: ???

Arcana: Make sure to be careful

Dante: If you can catch a lot of big ones…

Dante: I’ll introduce you to someone who can sharpen Speranza for you!

Liberta: Whaaa!? Really!?

❤≪Liberta≫ Seems thrilled

Pleasure: Really!?

Liberta: Pesce scorfano isn’t in season and it’s not usually caught offshore too…well, I’ll still do it! Dante, don’t forget your promise!!

~*Scene: Harbor*~

Liberta: Wow…we caught a lot!! I don’t think I’ve gotten a bite every time before!! You caught a lot too, Ojou!

❤≪Liberta≫ Seems happy

Person: Don’t forget your promise, Dante!

Pleasure: That was fun!

Orso: Hey, Ojou-san! We can deliver these fish to Sabine’s place, right?

Nino: Let’s go eat some of that acqua pazza they’re talking about too while we’re at it~

Liberta: Oh, I want to go too! Fish you caught yourself tastes the best!! Ojou, come with us!

Felicita: No

Dante: Come on, Liberta. Even though she’s getting used to it, we’ve been fishing today

❤≪Dante≫ Seems concerned

Person: She seems tired

Place: ???

Arcana: I’ll take her home

Dante: Ojou-san is tired. Let her get some rest

Liberta: Ah…sorry. Right, you must be tired, sorry

Felicita: …

Liberta: Hm? You’re not?

❤≪Liberta≫ Seems concerned

Food: Why the pesce scorfano?

Person: Don’t forget your promise, Dante!

Dante: …Haha! I see!

❤≪Dante≫ Seems as usual

Person: She’s a kind girl

Arcana: I’ll take her home

Place: ???

Dante: If you eat some, then there’ll be one less serving of pesce scorfano acqua pazza to go around?

Dante: I think you’re allowed to eat some with pride…but that’s very like you

Dante: Liberta! Be proud of the catch for Ojou-san too, okay?

Liberta: Yup! Got it!! Okay, Ojou. See you tomorrow~!

❤≪Liberta≫ Seems as usual

Pleasure: It was super fun!

Person: Don’t forget your promise, Dante!

Dante: …I’ll walk you to the mansion. You can at least boast about your catch to Luca

Dante: I have some business left to do in the captain’s office…so can you wait here for a bit?

Felicita: !

Claude: Danger is coming for Dante

Claude: As an apology for before, I’ll give you some useful information

Claude: On May 25th, at 8pm, come to the harbor

Claude: But, if you tell anyone about this, the deal is off

Dante: Sorry for the wait, Ojou-san. Hm? What is it?

❤≪Dante≫ Seems as usual

Person: She’s acting strange

Arcana: I’ll take her home

Place: ???

Dante: …You’re bad at lying, Ojou-san. What is it?

Dante: Let’s see…, “Danger is coming for Dante”?

Dante: Gahaha! This is a bunch of nonsense!

❤≪Dante≫ Can't see anything...

Pain: That damn Claude…

Arcana: I’ll take her home

Place: ???

Dante: This is Claude’s, right? He must have given you this as revenge for his deportation

Dante: It’s not something you need to worry about

Dante: Now, you should go home and sleep for today

❤≪Dante≫ Regalo

Place: ???

Arcana: I’ll take her home

Dante: …Let me handle Claude…

~*End of Scene*~

You have one Heart Voice. It can be heard within SPECIAL

(Continue to Dante May 9)

(Back to Directory)

#dante #arcana famiglia #la storia della arcana famiglia #may 5 #may 6 #5/5 #5/6 #solar translations #psp game #translation #releases #fel just eat the fish #you deserve it

[thepeckingconductor]

🎁 some extra sleep for u

Bless yer heart, anon.

I really needed this, gahaha!

#fanmail (asks); #Anonymous