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eagehaunting · 3 years

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Mystery March 2021 day 8: Home

I used today as an excuse to write out a little something on how Lewis took possession of the mansion! I hope you guys enjoy!

Lewis wasn’t sure how long he had been in this mansion. If he could focus enough to estimate, probably a few days, if worse came to worse, probably months.

And yet, he still hadn’t cleaned... Lewis turns a corner and takes in the long, dusty corridor. The many rickety doors stared back at him mockingly. The rugs hissed as they crunch under his shoes. The peeling wall paper threatened him with every step that he took.

“Lewis, what are you doing?” Comes a voice to his left, shocking Lewis out of his exhausted stupor and bringing him to look at the wall- more appropriately, the portrait. The woman with fine purple curls- Faust- stares back at him pointedly. “Well?”

“I... I wanted to get out of my room,” he admits, before his eyes wander to the mildew forming beside the portraits golden frame. “But now I remember why I didn’t want to come out.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. I know it seems difficult now, but it’ll become easier. I promise.”

His frown deepens, and Lewis sighs miserably while leaning against the wall across from her. “I know.. I just don’t think I’m ready.”

“Why’s that?”

“I haven’t gotten a hand on my powers. Not yet, ” Lewis admits, chewing on his lip. Faust rolls her eyes, but props her elbows on her frame. Even though she couldn’t poke her head out far enough, Lewis understood the sentiment.

“Lewis, look at me.” He drags his gaze to meet hers. Faust’s eyebrows soften, and she heaves a gentle sigh and leans out a bit more, letting her curls fall out and touch the dirtied ground. “Being dead is tough, trust me, I know. Being in your shoes is also hard, and I can’t imagine how much it’s hurting you to deal with what happened.” The almost condescending tone- something Lewis knew he was imagining - made him flinch, averting his gaze to the painted tree in Faust’s background. He almost regrets sharing all of his backstory with her, and if he knew she would have this tone most days, he would have kept his mouth shut.

“The house is ready to accept you, and so are all the occupants. We will stand behind you every step of the way.”

Lewis grimaces, but nods. There wasn’t a point in fighting her right now. He had a good feeling all of the other portrait ghosts would be on her side too. It only makes sense. Lewis did accept the role as the new owner... he just had to take control, let his power manifest.

Now if only it wasn’t so hard.

Clicking her tongue, Faust straightens up. “Worry not, Lewis. You don’t have to do it this instant, the moon is still out and clearly you aren’t in the right state of mind. Now...”

A distant familiar clacking of metal grew nearer. As two suits of armor step into the entrance of the hall, they cast Lewis a worried look. One that Lewis doesn’t return, instead opting to glare at the stained rug.

Faust continues, “I think it’s time for you to go back to sleep. We will figure your abilities out tomorrow.”

Lewis follows the guards up the steps, and then up another. The wall paper, bricks, and windows full of moonlight blurs together until it accumulates into one door. His door. Leading to the single highest room in the entire mansion.

The guards take their stand on either side of it, nodding to Lewis carefully and not waiting for him to nod back before stilling.

“Thank you, sir Clive, sir Ranveer.” Lewis murmurs, pushing open the door and stepping in.

The room is simple, despite the elegant state one may expect. An old, wooden bed frame, scratchy wool blankets and a silk top sheet. Light pink curtains that flutter in the open window. Lamps on either side of the bed that didn’t actually turn on.

His room, and yet far from it.

Pulling the blankets aside, Lewis crawls into the bed, nestling his face against the pillow and pretending like he couldn’t smell the light stench coming from it.

Tomorrow he will take hold of his power, and he will make this mansion his home.

His home, for him and all the spirits already residing within it.

Lewis’s eyes moisten as he falls into his ‘slumber’. Praying for no nightmares.

“Im going to take the lower path, why don’t you two take the other... don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine! I have Mystery.”

“Dont cling to Lewis too much Ar...”

The moss and slimy green walls reflected like a million eyes. All watching. All staring.

Even as Lewis peered up at his own hand, clutching his torch, knowing what was to happen... he wished more than anything that he could simply turn around.

His stomach drops, his blood runs cold. The sudden halt broke his fall, his spine bent oddly and digging behind his bellybutton.

Cold. Cold. Yet so hot.

Empty. Yet rushing. A river, but still. There was so much light at first, and then it was so dark. Growls, howls, screams of every kind...

Loneliness.

All he wanted... was for them to come back. Save him.

Of all the memories Lewis had to revisit, why did it always have to be this one?

There was still gaps, such as the moment when he hit the spike, and when he forced himself up. How he even did it, Lewis wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t focus on that when the gaping wounds in his chest filled with with and stung from the cold.

His legs still ached from the stillness and the fatigue, and from the exhaustion of being awake despite dying. He wobbled far, tracing his dead fingers along slimy walls and against currents of chittering laughs. Then the constant thought. A mantra. Over and over. Come back for me. Come back, please.

Wake him up from this bad dream.

If only he accepted that it wasn’t going to happen...

He didn’t know where he was going, nor how long he was going to walk, but Lewis didn’t stop until he was face to face with a tall metal gate that shined unlike the eyes in the walls.

The rusted lock doesn’t break, but Lewis pushes through like jelly.

The staircase was a nightmare. Transitioning from cave stone to proper granite the higher he ascended. All while the prickling sensation of being watched crept up his back and urged his weak and heavy body to move faster.

Lewis ‘wakes up’ up with a shallow gasp. Eyes wide, he pants. Slowly turning his head, a layer of sticky sweat clings to Lewis’s face. He wipes it away and peels back the blanket, crawling out of the bed as the lingers of his ‘dream’ fights to hold the forefront of his mind.

His friends... they still haven’t come back for him. The guards would have alerted him if they returned to the cave, and Lewis would have been rushing out the doors if he heard the familiar engine.

They weren’t here. Lewis isn’t sure why he kept expecting them to suddenly show up.

Pushing himself to move, Lewis hops into a float and drifts to the door. Figuring that he may as well show that he has a grasp on some of his new abilities, now he just needed to realize what his main skillset was.

The guards lead him down the flight of stairs, past the library, and the office, and to the largest room in the mansion.

The living room was filled with an air of elegance, even if covered in dust and mildew. Several portraits line the walls beside the mighty fireplace, and leading to it was two long couches and an even longer coffee table. Book cases sat in between the tall windows, and smaller spaces left unused seemed to act as their own mini lounge, with a smaller bookcase, chair, table, and lamp.

Lewis compared it to a community center before, but now it felt like a stage.

More guards file in behind Lewis, with Sir Clive and Ranveer taking their positions behind him. He could feel a heavy, although gentle pat on his back from Ranveer.

After that, the dozen or so smaller, formless and colorless ghosts fly in and take their seats on the cushions.

The fireplace before him seemed to smile at him. With its decorations acting as its wise and considering eyes.

A line of sweat slides down Lewis’s cheek. Now wasn’t the time for stage fright, but his legs lock up in their floating position. He inhaled slowly.

“Psst.”

Glancing over, Lewis catches the soft, affectionate smile on Faust’s face. She tilts her head. “You got this.”

Lewis balls his fists, ”Do I? I really didn’t expect everyone to gather for this...” he admits.

“We know.” The portrait of the priest, Father Zachariah, responds. He gives Lewis a stern look, reminding Lewis to stand straight. “We didn’t want this to be a private affair. If you are really taking over this mansion like you said you would, then we have to right to partake in your awakening.”

“Aw jeez, give the man a break, will ya?” Another portrait, Terri to wrestler reaches out and fists some of Zachariahs robe, glaring at him. “Can’t you see he’s nervous?” He then says, throwing out his hand in a grand gesture toward Lewis, who shrinks back slightly.

Tamaki, the attorney, rolls his eyes dramatically and pinches his brow. “Lewis, I can assure you this isn’t a judgment, quite the contrary. We knew that it would have been hard for you to do this on your own, so we are providing an ample amount of support throughout the activities. Do you understand?”

He nods, unsure how else to respond, although the exhaustion made Lewis want to join the spirits on the couch and take a long nap.

The two portraits of shadows, Haseeb and Ameena, also nod in tandem. “Yes, Lewis. Infact, since you enjoyed music, we wanted to bring out the excitement.... I hope you’re okay with that.”

“Speaking of which,” Faust pipes up, leaning out of her frame and narrowing her eyes at the spirits sat on the couch. “Weren’t you all supposed to grab your instruments? Where are they!”

The colorless ghosts jump and flash past Lewis in one synchronized movement, before rushing back just as quickly. Returning with old violins, cellos, flutes, clarinets, and trumpets. Two more lag behind, with a cymbals, and one final one dragging something heavy. He turns, eyes widening as a singular spirit drags a *piano* from a closet he didn’t remember being there.

”Hold on, I’ll help you.” he says before realizing he was moving, that is until he floats past to the other side of the piano and bracing itself underside. Only for the spirit to send him an anxious look.

Oh.. it’s probably too heavy for them to also lift. Lewis spots the mini orchestra and waves them over. ”We need more hands, come over here and help up.”

Abandoning their instruments, several more spirits rush and brace the other side, allowing the piano to be lifted and carried earlier.

“Yeah you deadbeats! Why do you need his command to get a move on?” Terri calls, anything but cruel however. Deadbeats... that’s an interesting term. Lewis faintly ponders as he sets the piano down, before going to retreat the stool.

At the same time, the living rooms doors open, and the puny skeletal gardener drags in the painter spirit.

“Rye! Thank you for fetching Elora.” Tamaki says.

“Oh eff off,” Rye responds, plopping down on one of the chairs and sinking down. “I was busy trying to save up my energy for tonight’s show. You want there to be flowers, right?”

Flowers?

“Yep, thats why the windows are open. Let’s wait until Lewis is prepared however.”

”N-no need to wait, I’m ready now,” Lewis squeaks out, clearing his throat as he turns and takes in the grumpy strawberry looking gardener.

Rye bobs their skull and spins away from him, “Fantastic.”

She raises her arms, and in a swift motion, glows the same ripe red color as her dress. All at once, the windows are swarmed with vines. Green foliage spilling in, connecting across the ceiling, draping and tangling amongst the curtains, and wrapping around the stone busts on the bookcases. It happened so fast that Lewis couldn’t react. Instead he gaps up at the magnificent display, watching as floral arrangements burst, forming meticulously designed patterns along the entire room.

When he finally tears his gaze away from the display, Lewis is met with calm, expectant smiles.

“Ready whenever you are, bucko.” Rye pats his arm and reclaims her seat, leaving him in the center of his imaginary stage.

Now, his anchor beats twice as fast, almost overwhelmed by all of the effort, all the eyes sim directly at him.

Pressing his finger tips together, Lewis wets his lips. Several heads tilt as they wait.

Clearing his throat, Lewis lowers his head,”... I’m sorry. What am I supposed to do first?”

Faust gasps lightly, the first to realize their crucial mistake. Ignoring Terri’s chiding, she clears her throat.

“Of course, Lewis, the first thing we need you to do, is concentrate on your internal thoughts. As you do, try to figure out which emotion or feeling is more prominent.”

A single note plays from the deadbeat sat at the piano, followed by the violin, and a growing hum from the others who hadn’t begun to playing. Lewis’s heart skips a beat, and he bites his lip as he closes his eyes. The piano continues, the notes floating through his mind and striking chords that were far from forgotten.

A new set of voices fill in the emptiness between notes, running alone side the piano and dancing along with the violin. A flute begins, and Lewis sharply inhales.

He loves music, he always has, it always made him want to dance. Grab the first person in arms length and pull them close, whether it be the waltz or a swing, it filled him with warm laughs that always spread across his face in a smile. A familiar tingle fills his arms, and Lewis is sure that he can feel Vivi in front of him, swaying as they listened to the music. The warmth grows as she fills his minds eye. Her soft scarf tangled in between them, how her skirt swirled and swished as she spun and dance, leaving him warm in the face and his chest full of bubbling warmth.

Warmth. He felt warm.

That certain warmth fills his hands, tingling at his finger tips and running along his scalp.

The room smelt faintly of decay and staleness, but a memory envelopes him, and Lewis is in his families kitchen. Dancing in place and singing at the top of his lungs with his sisters twirling around him. Cinnamon, garlic, sugars and herb fills his nostrils. The lavender and sweet floral in the air elevating the smells of their garden which he pranced through many times during the warm summer nights. The bonfires, the flare of heat from the oven, the thick humidity in a late evening as Lewis arm wrestles with his much scrawnier friend.

The warm spreads up his elbow and all along his back. Before Lewis knew it, the singing, the music grew loud, amplifying as more instruments add to the mix, and as his own voice joins them. A crash of the cymbals becomes the splash of the beach, and the laughter chittering along with it.

His heart races, and the warmth becomes hot and exhilarating as he recalls the endless nights of fondness. Of redness in his cheeks from drinking alongside his friends, on his tongue as he taste tests his fathers latest recipe, and the swell of pride upon seeing Cayennes first ballet recital.

Pride, love, happiness.

Spastic notes become fireworks. Blasting, rocketing, exploding across the night sky. It becomes the crash and crackle of buildings as he and his friends rush from burning buildings, away from spirits whose voice booms too loud. The warmth spreads to his legs, in the ache of running, carrying his friends over his shoulders in a desperate need to escape. As his heart burns in the terror of thinking they were hurt. In wanting to slam his fist into the fiends face for daring to threaten his loved ones.

The guards dance with him, metal clacking and sparking. Lights spot the area as Lewis shoots out his arms and pulls one in against his chest to spin in tandem, before releasing them in a dramatic flourish.

Anger, fear, the need to protect.

His friends, his family.

The loves of his life-

Lewis opens his eyes, and the passion fueling his movements die in an instant.

His hand glows, his arm flaring. A line of fire burns away from him, pink and flaming and just as excited as he was. Gasping, Lewis tears himself away, slipping and hitting the ground. The music screeches to a halt all at once. Everyone freezing.

“Lewis, are you okay?” Faust calls out, gripping her frame as if she were going to rip herself out of it. Concern warping her face, along with the other portraits, the ghosts, everyone.

“You were doing good!” Terri says, “don’t tell me you got cold feet!”

Tamaki nods in agreement, “it’s truly delightful to see you smile for once. I was worried we would never see it.”

Shoulders tense, Lewis’s eyebrows furrow.

That... was him?

Baffled, Lewis holds his hand in front of him, and sure enough his palm was glowing. He tenses the muscles, and he jumps as a small flame puffs out at him.

”I- wait, seriously? I did it?”

“Yes, you did. Marvelous work, Lewis.” Zachariah hums approvingly. The warmth- embarrassment and concern- floods his chest, before Lewis is smothered by smiling deadbeats swarming him in a hug. Curling around him and nuzzling their formless heads against his.

His legs twitch as Lewis rises, floating naturally instead of jumping this time, and becoming upright.

Everyone is smiling at him, faces warm and bright with delight. Warm with the same sentiment, that it was time to make this his home...

He knew it, they knew it, that had to be the entire point of everyone gathering. Not to help him, but to watch him accept them as his new family... leaving his old.

Leaving his family, and his friends...

Faust is the first to speak, eyes crinkling. “Are you ready?”

What about Vivi? Arthur? How is he going to be there for his sisters? How can he keep his friends safe if he can’t be there for them. He can’t abandon them. Because they won’t abandon him. They wouldn’t. They’re coming back for him.

”No. I’m not.”

The disappoint was clear by the stilted air. But no one argued with him. The deadbeats had sunk, their instruments hitting the ground in shock, before being lifted up and taken back to their proper places. The vines retreat and retract, and quietly, the spirits all left the living space. Even the first place seemed to grow cold, if that was even possible.

Lewis didn’t say anything to the portraits when he left the room and raced upstairs to his tower of solitude. The same thought racing through his head again and again.

They’re coming. They will.

Soon. Soon...

Soon...?

Feeling trapped and terribly homesick, Lewis crawls under his blankets. His eyes sting from moisture that shouldn’t accumulate in the sockets, but he wipes them away anyway. Pulling the blanket over his head, Lewis curls into a ball.

Why did it hurt so much reject them? Why did it hurt so much to hold off for so long?

What was he expecting? For Arthur and Vivi to pull up in their bright Orange van and pull him out of the bed, pull him into an embrace, and into the van. Whisk him away so he can embrace his mami and papi, kiss his sisters and tell them how much he missed them.

Why was he even holding out hope? They arent coming back! Why would they...

Arthur killed him... Lewis’s arms shake and he grips the blankets. Arthur shoved him off that fucking cliff with a smile on his face. He should be grateful for anyone to accept him into their family.

He wanted to slam his fist into his gut, to direct the pain from his aching chest. Lewis wanted his eyes to stop stinging.

But he couldn’t. Home was where they were, and he has been thrown away.

Lewis fell into a half sleep, living through the same memory of his death again and again. Watching as his nightmare loops with his life being torn from his grasp with a single push.

That one moment of inaction, the one second of trust. And now?

Lewis is dead.

The memory looped for a fifth time, with Lewis desperately searching for an escape from the grip of reality, when the universe finally gives him one.

An engine. It’s not loud, and it rattles lightly. Lewis pops awake, disoriented from the jarring switch from the cave to his bed, but he disregards it.

Tearing the blankets, an adrenaline thrashes through him. Warmth, heat, rocketing through him. It burns his soles as the impossible dangles right in front of him.

It can’t be, is it really them?

Are they here for him?

Lewis’s anchor skips a beat as he almost falls down the first set of steps. Before he hits the steps face first, his body vanishes in a burst of flame and reappears with a running start at the bottom. The halls wake up with the pound of his feet and his heart, and Lewis forgets that others lived on this decrepit mansion as he races to the main stairway, leading to the front door.

He expects specks of blue, yellow, and white to meet him there. For smiles to spread across their face as they run to swallow him in a hug.

Lewis freezes. Heart going still. Heat draining as he takes it in...

There’s four people, who he hardly recognizes, except for the role they were trying to play as they whisper amongst themselves.

”This place wasn’t here a few days ago.” “do you think it’s a trap?” “Do you think anyone’s here?”

Paranormal investigators...

They start to wander, poking at the busts and pushing open doors, unaware of Lewis staring at them.

It’s not them, his friends aren’t coming.

Now strangers are in ... in this mansion, disturbing the people who have been nothing but kind to Lewis.

The need to protect returns, strong and lashing as his fists ball up, tears stinging his eyes.

Teeth grinding, heat pools into his hands, and fire spits out like sparks of electricity. Finally grabbing the investigators attention as he stomps on the first step. The fire crackles, leaving a singed footprint in its place, but Lewis doesn’t care. Focusing on the bug eyed look of the four intruders who back away in mounting terror as the flames rise.

Breath coming out in hisses, Lewis growls. ”Get out.”

It was enough to send the four scrambling for the door, the engine roaring again as they undoubtedly piled in. Just in time for the suits of armor to clamber behind him, looking around in shock until they see him.

The furious gaze didn’t die upon seeing them. No. Except Lewis turns away from them and floats to the bottom step, theres a strain on his body that extinguishes the fire in his hands, but that didn’t matter.

Lewis rounds the corner, leaving a trail of smoking fire pits in his wake.

Until he’s stood in front of the fireplace, the hearth that he was instructed to simply light it to accept his place as the homes new owner and protector.

His first family protected him, but his loved ones ended his life. Now it’s his turn to ensure the safety of the only family he may have left.

Lewis’s arm wavers as he lifts it up, a ball of fire burning his palm and spitting in every which direction as he glares at the fireplace, whose glass doors open wide.

The flame shoots out, and upon making contact with the bricks and wood, the entire mansion lights up in a magical blast. Transforming peeling wallpaper to freshly striped, strewing chandeliers in every room it could fit, burning away the rot and leaving the floors warm and spotless.

Everything around him changed in an instant, but Lewis doesn’t see it.

His anchor hits the ground with a soft clink, hot to the touch and wet with tears.

#lewis pepper #msa #mystery skulls animated #mystery march 2021 #eage fanfic #does any of this makes sense? beats me #I’m lowkey out of spoons lolll #Portrait ghosts #ocs

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star-and-the-motherverse · 3 years

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Chapter 3 - Earth and the Lost Soul

The Butterfly Who Lost Her Wings

Word Count: 3981 | AO3 Mirror | Previous | Next

Summary: Marco returns to Earth and sets out to right a wrong.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* ☾ *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧

A rift in space opened up in the Diaz family’s living room. Marco emerged from it a second later, dimensional scissors in hand. He was exactly where he had intended to land, in the middle of his living room. But only when the portal had disappeared did he realize that he hadn’t fully thought that decision through.

His mother, Angie, immediately noticed his arrival from her standing place in the kitchen. “Marco, you’re home!”

A cold wave of dread washed over him as he caught sight of his mother’s unknowing smile. She threw her arms around him in a hug, but he was completely lost in his thoughts, dismayed by his realization. I’m going to have to be the one to break the news to everyone in Echo Creek…

“Welcome home.”

“Hi, mom.” Marco tried to politely excuse himself to his room, but Angie wasn’t about to let him go so easily.

“Did you get everything figured out with Star?” she asked, letting up on her grasp. “I know she didn’t leave on the best terms.”

He turned around slowly, opting to stare at the wall behind her instead of making eye contact. “Actually… can we talk about it later? I’m really tired.”

Unfortunately, Angie was smarter than that. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m tired,” he repeated. “I’m really, really tired.”

“Marco?” She could only repeat her son’s name as he turned his back and ascended the stairs without responding further. “Marco!”

He shut his bedroom door behind him, trying to listen through the door. When he was certain that his mother hadn’t followed him in an effort to demand answers, he slid down the wall to a seated position on the floor and sighed heavily, his exhaustion finally starting to catch up with him.

His phone in is pocket was being bombarded by incoming messages, now that he’d returned to a place with cell service. He remained there on the floor for several moments before he was able to convince himself to look through his notifications. There were a lot of unread messages from his friends, mostly Jackie. As he was attempting to read through them, he was bombarded by several new texts from Janna.

Janna: yo diaz

are u home yet?

u better answer me

Because of course Janna somehow knew that he was back on Earth. He supposed it really wasn’t all that surprising, once he thought about it. I’m not sure if I’m in the right headspace to put up with this right now…

Marco: Yeah I am, how did you know that?

Janna: not important

ur gf has been harassing me bc u werent responding

next time maybe give some notice before u disappear?

Guilt flooded over him. She had every right to be upset with him, as far as he was concerned. Everyone did. He was the one who left without notice, and aside from a parting message to Jackie—apparently she had still tried to contact him anyways—no one else in his immediate friend group had known where he was.

Marco: I’m really sorry

I didn’t mean to be gone as long as I was

Janna: save your sorries for your gf dude

u cant just disappear for a week w/o warning and pretend nothings changed. shes got every right to be mad if she is

i kinda do too, lucky for u im not the grudge holding type

did star come back with u or is she like staying on mewni or whatever

Marco collapsed backwards onto his bed, defeated. His phone fell out of his hand, currently of little concern to him, now that he was so lost in his thoughts. There’s just no escaping this, is there? Everything had always been about Star, and everything still was about Star. Just as suddenly as she had crashed into his life, she was gone, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, about how the last thing she’d thought to do before disappearing in that explosion was to apologize.

A piece of his world had went with her, and he couldn’t help but feel that he was somehow responsible. There had to have been warning signs, right? Should he have done something differently, or done something sooner? “I hate this,” he murmured aloud, burying his face in his hands. “I hate this…”

Star probably hates this, too, he admitted inwardly. She always did everything in her power to be a positive force in people’s lives. The last thing she’d want is for everyone who cared about her to be moping around. I really hope she knew what she was getting herself into…

He finally spared another glance at his phone.

Janna: ???

Marco: Sorry

I don’t know if I want to talk about it right now, if that’s ok

Janna: yeah sure

if things are awkward between u two now thats ur business, not mine

jackie isnt mad at you fr that btw

Marco: For what?

Janna: uh

at the party?

Oh, right, Marco grimaced. Just before she left for Mewni—and subsequently vanished—Star had confessed her feelings for him in front of everyone at their end-of-the-school-year celebration. Even now, he still couldn’t help but hold some resentment towards her for how hasty that decision of hers had been, especially when she knew he was dating Jackie.

It was almost like she knew that was the last time she’d ever see him, and that her true feelings had been a weight on her chest that she could no longer bear to keep bottled up.

And yet, at the same time, his resentment felt unfair. He had no way of knowing when these feelings of hers had actually emerged, but Star never stopped trying to help him get Jackie’s attention. Even once they were finally dating, Star still went out of her way to include both of them in her lives however she could. As much heartache as it likely caused her, she must have valued their friendship over everything else, if she was able to force herself to put up with it for such a long time.

Conflicted feelings about Star aside, he still had overwhelmingly negative memories associated with that party. He preferred to forget about it where possible.

Marco: Gee, thanks for that, Janna

I’d almost forced that party out of my recent memory, but now it’s back.

Janna: sorry lol

Marco: Why would Jackie be mad at me about that? Star having feelings for me doesn’t change anything

Just wondering why you think that

Janna: i dont, im just repeating what she told me

and she told me she wasnt mad at u, sooo

i dont think shes mad at all tbh? that was a week ago anyways

go talk to her urself dude, im no therapist

Marco: Alright

Thanks, Janna

Janna: no prob

Though he did feel a bit guilty for withholding the truth of the situation from Janna, he swore to himself that he’d be honest about what really happened as soon as he felt able to. Janna was a mixed bag, and even though they were friends—at least, I think we’re friends?—he had no idea how she was going to take the information. He wanted to give himself time to come to terms with it all before trying to explain it to his and Star’s friends.

He had some things he needed to take care of, first. There was someone that he needed to apologize to, more than anything. Hopefully she was home.

His door creaked open, and he slowly made his way back down the staircase. His mother looked up from the book she was reading on the couch, her eyes lighting up with concern. “Marco?”

“I’m gonna go see Jackie,” he said quietly.

“Okay…that’s okay.” Angie stood up and crossed the room to stand in front of him cautiously. “Just… if you need to talk, I’m here for you, sweetie.” She extended her arms in an offering for a hug.

“I know.” He accepted her gesture and rested his head on her shoulder. “I just need to talk to her first.”

He headed out to the garage. It didn’t take long for him to wheel his bike out of the garage and suit up. He never really felt like taking his bike out was all that notable. Nothing would compare to when he tried to teach Star a couple months back, but she—

No, stop it, he told himself, shaking his head as if it would help unscramble his thoughts in any way. Stop thinking about her.

He was sure that the last thing Jackie needed was for him to suddenly show up on her doorstep in tears, especially when he had already done such a terrible job of communicating with her during his impromptu trip to Mewni. His only message to her about the entire situation had been incredibly brief.

Marco: I’m going to Mewni to make sure Star is okay. It sounds like something bad is about to go down there. I’ll be back soon, I promise. Love you

If he could go back in time a week, he would have done a better job of explaining himself. But it’s too late to worry about it now. I just need to focus on the present.

Once he’d shut the garage behind him, he headed off in the direction of Jackie’s house. His gaze rarely lifted from the street, and he couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with any neighbors that he passed, out of fear of encountering someone who’d ask questions or demand answers.

It almost felt like some of the color in his life had been leeched away. The only thing that didn’t look any more faded to him was the moon, which was painted a vibrant and shadowy red, slowly climbing its way out of the magenta-colored morning sky—wait, what?

Marco rubbed his eyes fervently in an effort to snap himself out of it, but it didn’t work. No, his fears were completely correct, and he found himself staring up at the Blood Moon, hovering behind the clouds. It wouldn’t be visible for much longer before it sank behind the trees, but the fact of the matter was that it was here. It was still here, lingering in the background like a silent menace. A shudder ran up his spine as he watched it, unable to look away.

The front wheel of his bike suddenly collided forcefully with the curb, threatening to launch him over the handlebars. Miraculously, he managed to plant a foot on the ground to prevent himself from landing in a heap. He let out a trembling exhale as he stared up at it with an intense gaze.

Okay. Why it’s here isn’t important. You’re here to see Jackie, he repeated in his mind, over and over in the hopes that it would stick. She’s worried about you. You haven’t spoken to her in a week. You need to apologize.

With one last fleeting glance at the moon, he backed his bike away from the curb and continued down the road towards Jackie’s house.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* ♦ *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧

“King River has returned.”

Moon’s gaze snapped up from the book on dimensional travel she had been scouring through. Even if she had publicly said that returning Star wasn’t first on her list of priorities, that didn’t mean that she was about to drop all of her efforts. As she viewed it, her status as as queen was an entirely different person from herself. Queen Butterfly was the one who would look after the kingdom, and Moon was going to find a way to contact her daughter. But hearing the news of her husband’s return reminded her that this situation was far too great in scale to look at it in such a black and white way.

“Is he alright?” she demanded, standing up.

The guard nodded. “He appears to be, yes.”

Moon let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in. “Thank goodness…”

She left her notes behind and quickly followed after the guard. It was a slightly unusual scene that she walked into, as there were several large eagles perched around the foyer. But her husband was there, too, and that was all that mattered to her in that moment.

“Moon-pie!” he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her. Their common formalities were forgotten as both of them rushed towards each other and met with a tight hug in the center of the room. “I’m so glad that you’ve returned safely.”

“And I you,” Moon murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I didn’t know how much more of this I could take...”

He pulled back from the hug to hold her hands instead. “You know, you really had me worried, leaving so suddenly!”

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, because I do! But if you and Star had to leave so quickly, it must have been serious...”

She’d sworn to herself that she wouldn’t cry, but her composure was betraying her. “I’m so sorry,” she repeated, her voice choking up on the last syllable.

River frowned in concern. “Did something happen?”

“I-I tried— but I didn’t— Star, s-she— I couldn’t...” River brought a hand up to cup her cheek, and she met his gaze with sad, watery eyes.

“Moon-pie?”

She lurched forwards and buried her face in his shoulder, holding him close as tears began to flow freely.

The few knights that were left in the room lowered their heads and excused themselves from the room, granting them both some privacy.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:* ☾ *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧

After a very brief internal pep talk, Marco was finally able to convince himself to knock on Jackie’s door. As anxious as he was to see her, he tried to focus on the floor as he waited, in the hopes of not overthinking anything.

When the door finally opened and he was face to face with her for the first time in an incredibly long week, he felt a grin take shape on his face. “Hey, Jackie—“

“Marco!” She darted forwards and caught him in a tight hug. “God, I was so worried about you, doofus!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m the worst.”

“No you’re not,“ she argued, holding him tighter. “I saw your message… but I sort of hoped you brought your phone anyways, just in case.”

“I can’t exactly get cell service on Mewni. Earth phones don’t work there,” he reminded her, chuckling halfheartedly. She laughed too, and it managed to brighten his smile a little. There was something comforting and familiar about hearing her laugh.

“I know! I know, it’s just… you left without much of a warning at all. First Star, and then you… you guys really scared all of us.”

“I’m really sorry. I should’ve talked to you first. I didn’t mean to make you worry so much.”

“It’s okay, Marco. I know you didn’t mean to.”

A beat of silence passed as he tried to think of what to say and she patiently waited. Where do I even start?

“Do you think we can go sit down and talk about everything? It’s… a long story.”

“Yeah, of course!” She nodded and beckoned him through the door. “Come on in.”

He followed her upstairs—after a brief hello to her parents—and took a seat in her desk chair. She sat down criss-crossed on the foot of her bed and looked at him expectantly.

Jackie was the first one that dared to break the temporary pause. Her voice was cautious. “I take it that something bad happened?”

Marco was surprised by her forwardness. “W-what?”

“I can tell you have bad news, Marco. Well, either that, or something exhausting happened. I can see it in your face.”

“Oh, uh... yeah, your first guess was pretty on point.”

Jackie frowned sympathetically. “I may not know much about this Mewni stuff, but hey, I’m probably easier to vent at than a brick wall, right?” She leaned forwards and put her hands in her lap. “So lay it on me.”

“...How much do you want to hear?”

“Tell me as little or as much as you want to. If it’ll help you feel better, I want to hear it.”

But there’s so much that’s happened! “Gosh, where do I start?”

“The beginning, maybe?”

Marco nodded, and, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself, he began his story.

“Well... there’s always been a bunch of monsters from Mewni that kept coming after Star. Their leader was named Ludo. He wanted her wand, but him and his lackeys are pretty incompetent, so they never managed to take it. Not until this guy named Toffee came along.”

“Toffee? That’s a weird name…”

“Yeah, I don’t really understand Mewni’s naming conventions, either,” he laughed. “Maybe it’s a normal name there. I mean, to be fair, most of Star’s family is named after celestial bodies, so it’s probably not that weird.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s fair.”

“Anyways, Toffee kind of showed up out of nowhere, and we could tell that this was a lot more serious than what we were used to with Ludo.”

“You didn’t ask anyone for help?”

“Star’s not exactly the type to ask her parents for help, so no, we just kind of dealt with it ourselves.”

Jackie pursed her lip. “That sounds like a really bad idea.”

“In hindsight, yeah, definitely. We had no idea who this guy was.” Queen Butterfly made it sound like he’s pretty infamous, he remembered, silently wishing he had asked for more information on Toffee when he had the chance. “He’s the only one who ever managed to take the wand. He kidnapped me, and then he tricked Star into—“

“Excuse me?!” She interrupted, somewhat outraged. “You got— you can’t just gloss over that!”

“But this isn’t about me!” Marco protested. “I’m perfectly fine now, so it’s no big deal.”

“If you’re that calm about literally getting kidnapped, I’m not sure how comfortable I am with you going to Mewni all the time...”

“It’s not a regular thing, I promise!”

“Okay, okay,” she sighed in defeat. “Fine. What happened there? Besides the whole hostage-taking thing.”

“He used me as blackmail to make Star destroy the wand.”

“I thought you said he wanted to take it?”

“That’s what we thought, initially,” Marco admitted. “He had Star use this really weird spell that set it off like a bomb. The whole castle blew up, Toffee included. We thought it killed him, but… well, it obviously didn’t. He came back.”

Jackie furrowed her brow, thinking for several moments. “Not to insult your storytelling or anything, but I’m really lost.”

“Yeah, I’m, uh... kind of skipping over a lot. Sorry.”

“It’s okay... I know there’s a lot to go over, probably.” She glances around her room once before an idea came to her. “Wait! What was up with the night of the school dance? In the graveyard, when that weird little bird dude showed up.”

“That’s Ludo,” Marco explained briefly. “Long story short... when Star tried to destroy the wand, it actually split it in two. Star kept the first half, and Ludo had the other one. That night in particular was when he stole the spellbook from Star.”

“What does that Toffee guy have to do with this?”

Marco tried to recall as much as he could about the days prior to Star’s disappearance, but the fact of the matter was that he hardly knew anything about Toffee’s involvement with the whole situation. There was obviously a lot more to it, far beyond his own knowledge.

“That spell Star used must have put him inside of the wand. For some reason, she used it again, and she got caught in the blast that time...” He took a pause, having a hard time thinking about those that few moments before she disappeared. “Toffee got out. Wherever the spell put him, it put her in his place. I think that might have been his plan all along.”

He was leaving out a lot of the details—he could tell from the slideshow of emotions on Jackie’s face that she knew his explanation wasn’t quite lining up—but frankly, he could hardly make sense of it, either. Even if he had visited Mewni several times now, everything about it and its magic was otherworldly. He couldn’t imagine how crazy it sounded to someone who had never even been there.

It wasn’t that unlike the Neverzone, in that way, though Mewni was certainly a lot less intense. A few things had stuck with him once he left—mostly learned skills, like how to drive a dragoncycle or wield a katana—but all the rest of his memories of that place had faded in a matter of weeks. He supposed it was time shenanigans of some sort, but it was still weird to him that he had acquired these skills when he didn’t remember practicing them at all.

Jackie had remained silent, mulling over his words. In the temporary break in conversation, Marco went on, saying, “Apparently this guy has been involved with Star’s family in the past, but I don’t really know how.”

Finally, she spoke up, offering an idea of her own. “Can’t someone use the same spell, or something? Anything at all?”

Marco shook his head. “I don’t think it’s that simple. The wand seems to be broken for good now, and I think that’s the only way to get to where she is.” He stared at the floor as he was reminded of just how dire this situation was. “She’s trapped in a dimension that no one can get to, and… I can’t tell if that’s worse.”

Jackie immediately dipped her head in understanding, and her sadness was apparent on her face. “Gosh, this really sucks.”

“That’s a heck of an understatement.”

“You were there when this happened? I can’t imagine how hard that was.”

He nodded once, averting his gaze from her when he felt his eyes begin to tear up again. “It should be so easy, but it’s not… everything that could have possibly gone wrong did go wrong.”

Despite his efforts to hide it, Jackie was quick to notice his defensiveness. “Hey... come here.”

He hesitated for several second before finding the energy to move. When he got up, she stood as well and met him halfway in a hug.

“I-if I had known that was the last conversation I was going to get to have with her,” Marco mumbled, his voice never rising above a whisper, “I, I wouldn’t have just let her leave without—“

Wordlessly, Jackie pulled him in tighter, resting her head against his shoulder. “I know,” she murmured. “I’m so sorry.” Marco could tell from her tone of voice that she was upset, even if she wasn’t really showing it in the same way he was.

In that moment, he felt awful for subjecting her to all of it. She and Star knew each other, of course—it was hard for anyone not to be charmed by Star’s infectious personality—but he wasn’t sure if him dumping all of the information on her without warning was a fair way to relay it. I hope she doesn’t feel guilty about what happened.

Nobody should have felt responsible. Not Jackie, not Janna, not Marco. It felt awful to admit it, but Star had been a victim of bad circumstance, and that was all. It wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t supposed to be a mind reader.

A shudder went up his spine. But why do I feel so guilty?

“I’m so glad you’re here, Jackie,” he said, attempting to redirect his thoughts.

“And I’m glad you’re back,” she replied. “I’m so happy that you’re safe.”

At least he didn’t have to wake up for school tomorrow. That was something he didn’t think he could manage.

#star vs the forces of evil #svtfoe #marco diaz #janna ordonia #moon butterfly #river butterfly #motherverse #tbwlhw #immersive

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emospritelet · 5 years

Note

HC prompt 40 - "I dont think he/she would want that for Christmas." Feel good Sprite!

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

AO3 link

Ogilvy took a sip of his brandy, letting it spread over his tongue with mellow, fragrant heat and traces of caramel and nutmeg. He glanced towards the door through which Belle had disappeared, and held the image of her in his mind, head turned slightly, eyes flicking across to catch his briefly as she left. He smiled to himself, his heart slowly shedding itself of grief and anguish as it swelled with his love for her. She seemed a little taken aback by her welcome; he supposed that he and Doc had been somewhat effusive in their greetings, and Alice was - well, Alice - but he hoped that she would soon settle in, that she would feel part of the family. Doc picked up his own glass, swirling the liquid in it as he stared off into space.

“It’s almost as though no time at all has passed,” he said quietly. “She looks very well, at least.”

“She’s perfect,” said Ogilvy softly. “Perfect. Just as she always was.”

“I suspect she thinks we’re all unhinged.”

“Yes.” He took another sip of brandy. “We should try to be a little calmer in her presence. I find I can’t help myself.”

“Indeed,” agreed Doc. “She’s every bit as intelligent and brave as she ever was. I was almost bursting with pride when she told me about her experiences at Girton. I must write to Professor Magus about her; I know the man a little.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.” Doc took another drink. “Considered something of an outsider by the elite due to his background, unfortunately, but an excellent fellow. Very knowledgeable.”

“Good.”

There was silence for a moment. Ogilvy swirled the brandy in his glass, the bowl cradled in the palm of his hand, inhaling the fragrant scent of it before he took a sip.

“Pity about the stone,” mused Doc. “It’s clear she doesn’t have it herself, so that’s another dead end we didn’t need.”

“We got her back,” said Ogilvy. “She’s home. That’s what matters.”

Doc put down his glass and pushed his glasses up his nose with a sigh.

“I’ll try and See something,” he said. “Perhaps tomorrow.”

“It’s Christmas Eve.” Ogilvy’s tone was dry. “The children won’t let you have a moment’s peace.”

“Well, that’s true.” Doc took another drink. “You’ll have to entertain them, then.”

“Leave it a day or two. Now she’s back with us, perhaps something will turn up.” He turned the glass in his hands absently, a faint whiff of brandy reaching his nose. “Perhaps things will be as they ought to from now on.”

“Perhaps,” said Doc, and licked his lips, eyeing him shrewdly. “And if not? What if we can’t find the stone?”

Ogilvy hesitated, thumb rubbing over the well-worn gold band of his moonstone ring.

“I - I don’t know,” he admitted. “Perhaps there’s another way to wake her. We never had to try before.”

Doc took a sip of brandy, smacking his lips, his expression speculative.

“You could try kissing her,” he suggested, and Ogilvy gave him a flat look.

“When I’m a stranger to her? Emphasis on strange? She’d slap my face, and rightly so.”

“I didn’t mean right away…”

He sighed wearily, letting his head roll back.

“Let’s get her settled in first, let her grow comfortable here,” he said. “Perhaps she’ll feel the bond, as you say. Perhaps not.”

It hurt to think that their bond might be broken, but in his heart he didn’t believe it. He could feel the pull towards her, the physical tug of her soul on his, the overwhelming urge to wrap his arms around her and feel the warmth of her against him. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the last time he had held her. The memory led to less pleasant recollections, and he shoved the images away before his mind could bring them into sharp focus, make them real, give them life. He took a swallow of brandy, the heat in it making his eyes water.

“You should try to talk to her as much as you can,” added Doc. “If anyone can restore her memories, it’s you. I have a feeling we’re going to need her sooner rather than later. We only just managed to deal with that fire wraith, remember?”

Ogilvy winced, rubbing at his thigh at the mention of it. The burn had been excruciating, and the scar would always be with him.

“I don’t want to alarm her by being over-familiar,” he said. “I think I may already have done so.”

“I’m not suggesting that you confess your eternal love and ask her to marry you immediately,” said Doc dryly. “Just get her - accustomed - to talking with you about everyday things. You have the excuse of checking on the children’s progress, after all. And I’m sure she’ll want to explore the library.”

“Yes.” Ogilvy put down his glass, sitting back in his chair. “We can certainly talk of books. She has an interest in science, so I could show her the telescope.”

“Good. Good plan.” Doc ran his hands over his face. “And on that note, I think we’ve left Alice playing hostess long enough. Shall we go through?”

Belle had finished her tea, listening as Alice chattered away about the house, the servants and the surrounding area.

“Of course, you’re probably used to dramatic sweeping driveways and enormous gardens,” said Alice, having finished talking about the hothouse in which she was attempting to grow flowers. “I’m afraid we’re far less grand here.”

“Oh, I think it’s a beautiful house,” said Belle hastily. "And the park outside is very lovely. You must show me the hothouse, I’d love to see your flowers.“

Alice beamed, evidently pleased with her praise.

“Well, I certainly hope you’ll be happy here,” she said. "It’s so nice to have another woman in the house. The servants are dear things, but they tend to treat me like I’m a proper lady, not a guttersnipe in a silk dress.“

Belle smiled, and set down her cup.

“Forgive my inquisitive nature, but you must have felt a little out of your depth when you first arrived,” she said carefully. "I was wondering if there was any advice you could give me when it comes to dealing with the children. I suspect they’re in a similar frame of mind.“

"Well, they’ve been here a couple of months now,” said Alice. "But yes, they still have some way to go before they settle down completely. I should think they probably know things you wouldn’t expect, and yet won’t have the knowledge that children born to this life would have, if you take my point. I know how that’s how things were for me, anyway.“

"Yes, I can imagine so,” said Belle thoughtfully. "I’ll bear that in mind.“

"Nicholas told me very earnestly that he intended to give Doc the old cat that lives down by the river as a Christmas present,” said Alice, shaking her head. "Covered in fleas it is, and half wild, but it lets Nicholas pet it, so he thinks it’s the best cat in the world. Doubt that Doc would agree - it would probably tear up the couches in the library within a day. I don’t think he would want that for Christmas.“

"I imagine not.”

“Try to talk Nicholas out of getting the cat, if he mentions it again,” she added. “I think I managed to push his attention onto peppermint creams, but you never know.”

Belle bit her lip in amusement, and looked around as the door opened and Ogilvy and the Professor entered. Alice straightened up with a smile.

“Here they are,” she announced. “Right on time, just as we’ve had the last of the tea. I could ring for more, if you like.”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Ogilvy sat in the chair opposite, fingers hitching the knees of his trousers as he lowered himself into the seat. “I trust you’ve been making Miss Marchland welcome?”

“Of course,” said Alice pertly. “I’ve been telling her all about your excursions and how you promised to take me with you next time you go.”

Ogilvy sighed a little, sitting back.

“I’m not sure we’ll be going away anytime soon,” he said, and Alice huffed.

“See?” she said, turning to Belle. “I knew they’d say that!”

“Perhaps in a few months,” added Ogilvy. “If we’re called away, that is.”

Alice grumbled into her cup, and he turned his head towards Belle. There was something in his gaze, something that warmed her and made her feel at ease, despite the lingering, wistful sadness in his eyes. She recalled Ivy saying that he looked as though he had lost someone, and wondered who it had been.

“Miss Marchland, you expressed an interest in seeing my telescope,” he said. “There’s a little cloud tonight, but not so much that we couldn’t see some of the constellations, I think. If - if you wanted to look, of course.”

“Oh, I’d be delighted!” she said at once, putting down her cup.

“Alice, would you come too?”

“Yes, alright,” she said, setting her empty cup on the tray and getting to her feet. “I suppose that would be proper, wouldn’t it?”

Ogilvy’s mouth flattened a little, but he stood, tugging restlessly at the cuffs of his shirt.

“I’ll go to bed, I think,” announced the Professor. “Bit of a headache.”

“That’ll be the brandy,” said Alice, and swooped in to kiss his cheek as he tutted at her. “Goodnight!”

Belle said goodnight to the Professor, following Ogilvy and Alice from the room and up the staircase. They went along the corridor and up another, smaller flight of stairs to where the hallway was narrower, the decor not quite so fine and the gas lamps dimmed. Ogilvy didn’t seem to mind, leading them along the corridor to yet another set of stairs. The hallway at the top was narrower still, a thin strip of carpet cutting some of the noise of their feet, the floor creaking a little as they walked to the heavy door at the end. The room beyond was tall and long, with deep red walls and a shining wooden floor. Belle thought they were at the end of the house; the windows opposite jutted out from the rest of the room, forming a crescent. A single lamp on a nearby table gave out a faint glow, and skylights in the ceiling either side of the tall windows let in the pale light of the moon, shining on the largest telescope that Belle had ever seen. It was a beautiful thing in polished wood and brass, mounted on a heavy stand and pointed upwards at the glass panel of the skylight, and she sucked in a breath.

“Oh!” she whispered. “Oh my goodness! It’s - it’s enormous!”

She rushed forwards excitedly, gazing up the broad, polished length of it, but Alice hesitated.

“Actually, Papa, I think I’ll go to bed,” she said. “I’m a little tired, but you should show Miss Marchland the stars, since you’re here.”

“Ah.” Ogilvy glanced at Belle. “Well. I’m not sure Miss Marchland would be comfortable with that.”

“Oh no, I’d love to,” said Belle, at once.

“See?” said Alice lightly, and kissed Ogilvy on the cheek. “Goodnight.”

She smiled and ducked her head, walking swiftly from the room, and Belle turned back to the telescope, hearing Ogilvy approach behind her.

“Would you - ah - would you like to take a look?” he asked, and she spun on her toes to face him, clapping her hands together.

“Oh, please!”

He smiled, lifting a hand.

“Allow me.”

Belle stepped out of the way, and he bent to look through the eyepiece, adjusting the angle of the scope with careful fingers. She watched curiously, noting how precise he was, how measured. She wondered what his interests were beyond astronomy, and made a mental note to ask him. Alice had told her of his supernatural investigations, and while she retained a high degree of scepticism on such matters, she was intrigued to find out how he viewed such things, given his interest in the sciences. Perhaps the contents of the library would contain some clues. She cast her gaze up the length of the telescope again.

“Is it a reflector?” she asked. “I heard they were using silvered mirrors now that give a much clearer image than the old refractors.”

He straightened up with a tiny smile on his face, and what she thought was a gleam of admiration in his eyes. It made her belly tighten pleasantly.

“Yes, it is,” he said. “I used to have one of the old refractor models, but this is much better for viewing distant objects. Take a look; you should be able to see Orion.”

Belle bent to look through the eyepiece, gasping as the night sky appeared to jump into her vision. The stars of Orion’s belt made up a bright line, and she could see other points of light scattered around.

“I think that’s Gemini,” she observed, eyeing a constellation to the north east. “They seem so much closer than I’m used to! I’ve never seen them like this before. It must make stargazing such a pleasure.”

“Certainly better than the naked eye,” he agreed, from behind her.

Belle tried to identify some of the other stars that she could see, but was finding it difficult.

“I need to brush up on my constellations,” she said, with a sigh. “It’s been some time since I read about the stars, and I appear to have forgotten much of what I did read.”

“The library has some excellent resources,” he said. “I’d be delighted to show you.”

“Thank you.”

There was a moment of silence, and Belle let her gaze roam over the portion of the heavens that the telescope had opened up for her. The stars gleamed, points of bright bluish-white against the velvet black of the night sky.

“I always felt, when looking at the stars, how insignificant life can be,” she said softly. “Imagine if the stars could tell what they have seen. Our lives must seem so short to them. Like mayflies. A fragment of time from birth to death, leaving nothing of note behind.”

She heard Ogilvy shift behind her, as though he had moved a little closer.

“I was once told that mortal life was meaningless,” he said. “That it’s merely a time to suffer through, in the hope of what comes after. But I don’t believe that.”

Belle straightened up from the telescope, glancing over her shoulder at him.

“Sounds a rather medieval outlook,” she remarked. “I don’t think I believe it either. If you’ll pardon the comparison, it sounds very like what Lady Ella told me of marriage.”

Ogilvy smiled at that.

“I believe Lady Ella didn’t have the happiest of marriages,” he said. “I can understand her bitterness towards the forces that trapped her there.”

“The life of a woman in today’s world seems nothing but duty and forbearance,” she sighed. “I can’t help wondering if that will ever change. Or if it was ever different.”

“Long ago, perhaps,” he said. “And I hope things will change in the future. In the meantime, we must do what we can to make the best of it.”

“I suppose that’s true,” she said thoughtfully.

“A life filled with love is never wasted,” he added. “Never meaningless. Yes, life can be short, and brutal and painful, but it can also be a thing of beauty. Given the right experiences.”

“You’re a philosopher, Mr Ogilvy,” she teased, and he rolled his eyes a little.

“That’s a complicated way of saying ‘world-weary’,” he said dryly.

“Hmm.” She pursed her lips, amused. “A philosopher and a cynic.”

Ogilvy barked a laugh, looking away for a moment.

“Well, I’m certainly cynical, I’ll admit that,” he said. “And you, Miss Marchland? No doubt you are eager to see the best in everyone you meet.”

“Well, I try to,” she acknowledged. “I suspect that makes me naive. You must despise me!”

She grinned at him, and he returned the smile.

“On the contrary, I envy you,” he said. “I wish I had such faith in my fellow man. There is nothing poetic about the death of innocence.”

“Change is necessary for growth,” she countered, and his smile grew wistful.

“Perhaps you’re right.”

She turned back to the telescope, bending to look through the eyepiece again, but the clouds had rolled in, hiding the stars from view, and she made a noise of vexation.

“Undone by the weather, it seems,” she remarked.

“There’ll be other nights,” he said. “May I escort you downstairs?”

She straightened up, turning to him with a smile.

“I suspect I’ll need all my wits to deal with my first day tomorrow,” she said lightly.

“Well, it’ll be Christmas Eve,” he said. “I suggest you use an hour or two in the morning to get to know the children, then take the rest of the day off. They’ll be too excited by the thought of decorating the tree to be of much use in the classroom. They can start their schooling in a few days.”

“Hmm,” said Belle, clasping her hands at her waist. “Perhaps you should have asked me to start in January. You won’t get much of a bargain by taking me on before Christmas.”

Ogilvy smiled, the light glinting on the lenses of his glasses.

“Not at all,” he said. “I believe I’m getting everything I could possibly want.”

He gestured to the door, and Belle took a last, long look at the telescope before heading back to the hallway and down the stairs. Their feet echoed a little on the treads until they reached the first floor, where thick carpet muffled their steps. Belle glanced to the side as they walked, but Ogilvy had his head bent a little, as though he was lost in thought, and they almost passed her room before she realised where she was.

“I’ll bid you goodnight then, sir,” she said.

He glanced up, blinking rapidly before seeming to realise she had stopped a pace or two back from him. Turning slowly on the toes of his shoes, he faced her, fingers unconsciously turning the moonstone ring again.

“There’s no need for such formality,” he said. “You don’t need to call me ‘sir’.”

Belle swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.

“Then - then what should I call you?” she asked, her heart thumping a little. “It’s - it’s not as though I’m one of the family. Sir.”

Ogilvy gazed at her for a moment, then shook his head.

“No,” he said abruptly. “No, of course not. Forgive me, I have no desire to make you uncomfortable. I find - I find some of the rules we have to follow in this age somewhat stifling, at times.”

Belle smiled a little.

“I think Miss Alice would agree,” she said. “She’s asked me to teach her, nonetheless.”

His mouth twitched, his eyes crinkling a little at the corners.

“Well, I wish you the best of luck with her,” he said, and gestured towards her door. “Please do ring the bell in your room, and someone will come to help you dress. Goodnight, Miss Marchland.”

He bowed his head again, and turned sharply on his heel, walking swiftly away. She watched him go, and he disappeared through a door further along, a sliver of golden light spreading into the hallway before being cut of abruptly by the closing door. Belle shook her head, reaching for the handle of her own door. A very odd family.

#hey nonny nonny #fic: homecoming #sprite's festive ficlets #rumbelle fic #ogilvelle fic #my fic #rumbelle #ogilvelle

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mysidewriting · 7 years

Text

Through the Storm

From the start --> Previous chapter

Chapter Four:

The walls of Professor Oak's lab were lined from ceiling to floor in thick books. Titles ranging from things relating to the overall population of Kanto, to specific species of Pokémon. Large machines whirred in the background and an interesting assortment of the native beats wandered the lab, aiding assistants with their work or just lounging in corners.

The man himself was short, square faced, and entirely grey. He welcomed me ceremoniously with a large grin and a steady handshake. His hands were so raw with callouses that I felt as though I needed lotion after simply shaking hands.

He directed me towards a side room of the lab where some thick binders sat on a round table. I could tell by the scribbled words on the cover that Oak's work laid between the plastic. He promised my time here wouldn't be mostly reading and would actually include some hands on experimenting and sampling of the Kanto population, but for today it would be most beneficial for me to read as much as possible.

So that's what I did nearly all day. Sat at that round table with my nose in binders full of research findings and questions. As monotonous as it was, the content was shockingly interesting and exciting so I never got too distracted or bored.

Towards the end of the day I moved on to the last binder, a significantly thinner piece of research than the ones I had worked through. The cover was black and speckled with gold, a sheet of paper with a drawn rune on the front sparked my interest.

The index held nothing other than Pokémon names and page numbers, nothing I recognized at all. Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mew, and MewTwo.

Articuno, currently believed to be sleeping somewhere in the depths of sea foam cave, was one of the three legendary birds. An ice and flying type and that held unspeakable power. I wondered if it was any stronger or even stronger than Lunaala or Solgaleo. Not much information was in the research about the ice bird, and not much was in there for the other two birds either.

Zapdos was last seen in the power plant near Pewter City and Mt. Moon. It was an electric flying type and was known for striking lightning with each beat of its wings.

Moltres, the fire and flying type bird had not been seen anywhere other than the sky in the last ten years. Its location was completely unknown, and its presence was feared by many. The bird was almost entirely covered in flames, much like the Phoenix spoken of in old mythology. Despite the fact that its location was unknown, researchers speculate that it was living in a tropical environment such as the orange islands not far off the coast of Kanto.

The final two Pokémon covered in the binder had their sections merged and not much information had been provided for either of them. I'd just started reading about the psychic type, Mew, when Oak entered and informed me it was time to head home for the day. He was surprised to see I had gotten through nearly everything and agreed to let me finish the last section tomorrow.

Green had invited me to stay at house for the whole week I was supposed to be in Pallet and working with his grandfather. I thanked him repeatedly, and promised to repay the favor in the future. The guest room was made temporarily mine and I unpacked all the contents of my backpack into the empty dresser, washing my dirty clothes in his basement. I met his younger sister, a girl who sparked no resemblance to the narcissistic man whatsoever. She was shy and quiet, only two years younger than me.

Daisy was a Pokémon groomer with a magic touch, not even my still rambunctious nidorina could act disorderly around her. She was calm and didn't react negatively when I asked if she would groom Type:Null, she only asked where it was from. We had tea together and talked about various things, she told stories of Green when he was younger and more annoying than he was now.

Later in the day, as the sun was falling beyond the horizon and the rattata scurried around in the shadowed grass for scraps, Green came back to the house with another guy in tow. They were both covered in dirt and debris.

"Cinnabar is uninhabitable, in case either of you were wondering." Green said as he tossed his dirty jacket into a corner of the living room. His sister rose her eyebrows in annoyance at him but he shrugged it off. "That volcano eruption destroyed everything."

"That's not surprising." Daisy stated bluntly, still gazing at her older brother with a look of aggravation. "The news said the eruption was huge."

"Eruption?" I questioned, gaze falling on the other guy who was shucking off his own jacket and hanging it up on a rack.

"Some volcano under Cinnabar Island blew up two months ago. Red and I wanted to see if anything from the city made it." Green explained, referencing the new guy. Red the champion of Kanto, oh.

"So that old mansion and the fossil lab are just destroyed?" Daisy asked.

Red nodded disappointedly.

"That's a lot of scientific research and history lost." Daisy complained, setting her cup of tea down on the side table. She stood from the couch both of us had been sitting on for the past few hours and scooped up Green's dusted jacket and Red's as well. "You should have taken Moon with you, though." She said as she left the room, likely taking the jackets downstairs to wash them.

"We'll take you with us when you’re finished with gramps's stuff." Green said with a beaming grin in my direction. "We're going to explore Seafoam Island with you."

Seafoam! That was where the ice bird was thought to be located, excitement gripped me and I grinned back to him. "You better take me with you!"

The three of us, excluding Daisy. Went out to the backyard where Green released half his team to wander and stretch before being in for the night. Red did the same and I gazed in awe at his bulky charizard and somehow intimidating pikachu. Green half forced, half requested me to release lycanroc and Type:Null so Red could see the rare species of Pokémon from Alola. I obliged and had to stop Null from ramming into Green's arcanine out of intimidation. Kai was preoccupied showing off to the two men staring at her with amazement.

Red wasn't much for words, as I learned when attempting to ask him about his training regimen. He'd just shrugged and pointed to Green - who then explained that they trained off each other for the most part. The only thing he did say was 'sure' when Green asked him if he wanted to watch some movie before calling it a night. The Pokémon were left outside while everyone in the house nestled into the living room to watch some cheesy flick about team rocket.

After it was over I told them about Alola's former Team Skull. How there was nothing all that scary about them aside from some crazy crap with Pokémon from another dimension. Both Red and Green stared at me like I was insane, I just shrugged. I wasn't really allowed to talk about ultra space or the ultra beasts with anyone other than those who already knew about them.

M//I met the champion of Kanto!

H//REALLY?! Ooh what's he like?

M//quiet haha //he's got a real scary looking charizard and pikachu

G//pikachu?

H//yeah why not a raichu?

M//idk and he wouldn't tell me if I asked

L//I've met him before too! He's very quiet, but very nice //I've heard that Kantonian Raichu aren't as strong as Alolan.

G//odd.

M//Gladion, the Null you gave me tried to fight Green's Pokémon for no reason hahaha

G//you brought it with?

M//yeah!

H//I still want one 😒

G//There's only two.

L//Moon's is much cuter than yours, Bub. 😝

G//Okay?

L//she also saved me life so

M//you wouldn't have died! Just probably broke something.... haha //also she?

H//HOW DID SHE SAVE YOUR LIFE? Why did you almost die!!!!

G//What did you do....

L//Moon and I found a weird cave and explored and I almost fell off a cliff 😅

G//Moon, that's exactly what I told you not to do...

M//this was before that though! //And I guess Null is just a girl now, ok haha

H//LILLIE DONT GO IN THERE AGAIN! You either Moon what the heck?

M//I want to go back though

G//D o n ' t. I swear to Arceus, Moon, do not go back.

Mew was apparently the first decedent of the god Pokemon, Arceus. The first Pokémon that created every other Pokémon? Something like that, the way the research was written it was hard to understand what they were trying to explain. Either way, it was rarely seen but apparently whenever it did appear in front of someone it was very playful and loved to play tricks on people.

Mew was the only other Pokémon known to use the move transform, where it took on the image of another beast. Ditto, the man made Pokémon, is such thought to be a failed attempt at recreating the legendary mew.

Mewtwo, was a more successful attempt to create a clone of Mew, for research purposes. Drawings were scattered throughout the pages of Oak's work. Depicting a humanoid figure with a long tail and two spinal cords. The lab it had been created in was destroyed with 180 casualties and almost all information about the man made creature was destroyed in the exploding lab. It used telepathy to speak with humans according to the information that had been saved... only eyewitness testimonials to its power... of those who survived, all believe it was Mewtwo who had destroyed the lab - killing all the professors and assistants.

The Pokémon had escaped and was now in hiding somewhere, likely in Kanto.

I want to find it.

The rest of the day was spent surveying the wildlife just west of Lavender Town. Oak provides both of us and a small group of assistants a helicopter ride to the area. I searched for growlithe and tried to tag at least two girls and two boys with trackers.

The only thing I could think about while looking at all the growlithe was my father's pet of the species. I struggled to focus on counting the population as my mind drifted to wonder about my mother's wellbeing.

I would have to call her again, check up on the whole situation.

Most of the work I did with Oak was relatively similar to the things I did the first two days. I learned a lot about the native species of Kanto, and helped to put away some new found information about some rarer species.

I'd explored the safari zone very thoroughly, seeing Pokémon that couldn't be seen outside of the 'playground' as easily, at least in Kanto. I certainly recognized a lot of them from Alola. We studied the interactions between humans and Pokémon by interviewing with various trainers, people with pets, and businesses that used Pokémon for various tasks. I helped a few of the assistants to put together a quick report on our findings. I got a chance to explore Mt. Moon much more thoroughly then I had when I transversed it myself. Finding some new areas and tunnels that I hadn't seen when I was only looking through the caves.

All of the time spent traveling across Kanto had exhausted me by the final night of my week with Oak. I'd spent most of the time after what Green had deemed 'work' for me, just lying in bed and listening to music. Recounting all the different things I'd done and seen already was amazing to me. I still had another five months to do similar things and I couldn't even imagine what events would unfold as I traveled and met new faces and Pokémon.

I was packing up my things from the borrowed dressers when Green suddenly burst in the room, a bag over his own shoulder. "One more day with gramps, huh?"

"Yep!" I passed him a small smile, "thanks for letting me stay here."

"You kidding, kid? It was a joy." He chuckled, "You’re always welcome to stay with Daisy and me."

"Thanks! Maybe I'll come back then. Maybe I'll come by every week." I joked. I stuffed a tightly rolled up ball of undergarments into my bag, hoping the man standing in the doorway wouldn't notice.

"Uh, let's not over use my generosity here." He affirmed warily, his eyebrows low and judgmental before realizing I was only kidding. It was quiet for a moment before he spoke up again, his tone taunting. "So you know what this means, right?" He said with a sly expression on his face. Sliding around the doorway so he was officially in the room, leaning against the wall.

I stared at him quizzically, "no, what?"

"Seafoam Island soon!" He half sang, the sound falling into more laughter.

I actually jumped with excitement, dropping my bag so nearly all the contents spilled out. "Oh! Right! I want to find that legendary bird in there."

"Ha! Fat chance." His voice was loud enough to make my ears ring. "It's nearly impossible to get to the bottom of the caves."

I returned a sly grin in his direction, "I can make it down there."

His hazel eyes rolled, over dramatic. "Sure, sure."

Note: So this is kind of a super uneventful chapter and I apologize for that. I may just post chapter five later today, to make up for that. To continue off of that... Could you guys let me know what you think of length for these chapters? I'm conflicted about how much to post at a time. :c So two things - do you guys want chapter five tonight/tomorrow? (Next chapter is posted!) and what do you guys want to see with length for chapters? (For reference, this chapter was around 6 pages long. Chapter three was a whopping 13-14) Thanks!

#gladion x moon #fanfic #lonashipping #gladion fanfic #pokemon #romance #adventure #Hau x Lillie #through the storm #through the storm chapter four

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