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#also i love wererat boy
hbyrde36 · 7 months
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Chapter 9!
Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter
Clandestine meetings at the Waffle House
ao3 link
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8
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Steve merged onto the highway at the first possible opportunity. It served the dual purpose of getting them as far the fuck away from that cemetery as possible, while also getting them to their meeting on time.
“I’m surprised you didn’t want to stay back and try to kill as many of those things as we could. You’re usually more worried about leaving innocent bystanders in the line of fire and all that.”
“Well for one thing, Brenner is controlling them somehow, so I don't think they’ll go too far without orders. Alsooo…” Steve trailed off as he dialed a number on his cell, allowing the call to connect to the car since he was the one driving. 
“Preternatural investigations hotline, how can I help you?” An overly perky voice answered when the call connected.
“Hi, I'd like to report a pack of rabid ghouls at Thatcher’s cemetery.”
“Oh my, that is serious. Can you give me your name and a few details, sir?”
“Sorry, I might lose you, I'm about to go through a tunnel and..”
Click.
Nancy snorted. “You think the PD will be able to handle all that?”
Steve offered her a half shrug. “Hopper knows what he’s doing. Maybe if we’d have had a flamethrower or something we could have made a dent in their numbers, but otherwise they would have overwhelmed us in no time.”
-
Within 15 minutes they were pulling up to park in front of the Waffle House. Steve hadn’t really thought about it at the time, but the wide panoramic windows of this place left the diners inside kind of exposed, especially at night. He supposed he’d have to trust that if the wererat king was comfortable enough to suggest this location to meet, he must have thought it was safe. 
The bell above the door dinged as they entered the restaurant, and Steve quickly scanned the occupied tables for a familiar face, realizing a little too late that he had no idea what Gareth looked like in human form. 
He gently coaxed a little bit of his power to the surface of his mind. He didn’t really know what he was doing when he tried stuff like this. He was comfortable enough with raising the dead, obviously, and he knew he had a little immunity from vampire shit even before Eddie got his hooks in, but he also knew deep down that he had other abilities too, one’s he mostly ignored, and he could probably sense the wereanimal’s energy if he tried. 
Steve just…didn’t love that part of himself. It all felt a little too woo-woo to him, unreliable, intangible. He preferred to work in the physical world. You see a vampire, you kill it. Shotgun, silver blades, stake and hammer, you can feel what you're doing with your bare hands, and see if with your own eyes. He might have to start getting used to more of the mystical stuff though, because the way things were going in his life, he would need all the leg-up he could get. 
The magic flared to life, or that’s how he imagined it in his mind's eye, like a flame. He immediately sensed the presence of two supernatural beings in the corner of the room. Unfortunately, he sensed them a little too strongly, likely due to the boost he got from his link to Eddie, and it threw him quite literally off balance. Nancy steadied him with a strong grip to his upper arm, and he smiled at her inbashful apology. 
Every eye in the place was on them then, and Steve cursed himself for not practicing more. If he lived through this he’d have to find a teacher or something. Maybe Wayne would be able to help, of course that would mean being willing to explain about the whole human servant business. A problem for another day.
The two boys in the corner were looking right at him. Both had short to medium length brown hair, and slightly mischievous eyes, and yea they were definitely adults in the technical sense, but they reminded Steve too much of the kids he used to babysit for him to call them men in his own head. 
Steve tilted a nod in their direction and moved towards the table, knowing Nancy would follow.
On their approach, the taller of the two boys stood, extending a hand to each of them in turn. “I’ll spare us all the embarrassment of you trying to guess, and just tell you that I’m Gareth. I’m aware that you’ve only met me in rat form. This is my partner, Will.” 
The other boy, Will, offered them each a small shy smile and a wave, while he kept himself tucked tightly into his king’s side.
“This is Nancy, she’s working with me on this particular..project.”
Gareth waved them to the chairs on the other side of the table as he took his own seat.  Will, in an overly formal gesture considering they were in a hygienically questionable 24-hour diner, waited for everyone else to be seated before taking his own chair. It reminded Steve that Gareth was not just the leader of the wererats, he was their king, and maybe that distinction meant something more than he knew. 
Before they could get down to business, a server came by to ask if they were ready to order. Steve wasn’t sure if this would be that kind of a meeting, but when Gareth and Will each ordered a coffee and a meal, he and Nancy followed suit, neither having eaten all day. That was the moment Steve realized he didn’t feel the ravenous hunger that had been plaguing him recently. Was Eddie not pulling energy from him anymore? Had something happened to him? No, that didn’t feel right. Steve got the sense that he would know, somehow, if Eddie was dead. Maybe the vampire finally felt guilty about the whole thing. It didn’t matter, Steve reminded himself, Eddie was still a bad guy even if he felt bad for what he’d done. 
When the waitress finally walked away, Gareth asked, “So, what is it you think I can do for you, Harrington?” 
“I was hoping to convince you to lead us into whatever secret passageway you used to enter that basement room where you found me under the corroded coffin.”
“Not to be too blunt, but why would I do that? What's in it for us?” Gareth said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. 
“You hate that Billy has power over you, right?
The rat king nodded.
“Show us the way in, and we’ll take care of that little problem for you.” Steve didn’t know Gareth that well, but he knew what it felt like for someone to have power over you, and he was willing to bet that the wererats would do anything to get rid of the master of the city.
Gareth tilted his head side to side, making a little show out of considering his offer. “You already know where he is. Just get in yourselves.”
“We can’t just waltz in the front door. Even in broad daylight, especially in the daylight, Billy will have guards there. We’d be killed on sight.”
“Hmm, true enough. How do I know I can trust you? If you fail, and he finds out we helped, me and my people will be in an even worse position than we are now.”
The waitress appeared, balancing a tray of coffee mugs and forcing them to put their conversation on hold. Steve smiled at the woman gratefully and sipped at his cup. He’d been tired enough on his own after waking from his too short nap, and his fatigue had only gotten worse with the fading adrenaline from the fight with Brenner’s ghouls. 
Nancy took the opportunity to speak up when their table was left alone again. “I know you don’t know me, and you barely know Steve, but this is what we do, and we’re damn good at it. When I say I can promise you we will end the master of the city, I mean it.”
Gareth subtly sniffed at the air as he looked her over, considering.
“I can only get you in there, we can’t help any more than that. I can keep the small rats and my people from coming to Billy’s aid for a while, but we wouldn’t be able to fight him beside you. His pull on our kind is too strong.”  
“That's no problem.” Steve was quick to comment. “Just sneak us in and we’ll do the rest.”
“Okay. I'll do it.” Gareth agreed.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, Steve. There's a part of me that truly thinks I'll be sending you to your deaths. If you survive this, I'll be shocked.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence there, Gare.”
The rat king blinked at Steve for a moment, and then burst out laughing. “When do you want to go in?” He asked.
“Tomorrow, after sunrise” He didn’t want to waste any more time. 
Gareth raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting them to want to get to it so quickly. “I like you, Harrington, I hope you don’t die.” 
Their food arrived shortly after they finished making arrangements to meet in the city at dawn. As it so often does, the act of sharing a meal let the small group relax around each other a bit more than they might have otherwise. The only exception was Nancy, who remained quiet throughout. It didn’t surprise Steve in the least, she was one of the most private people he knew, and for good reason, though he was sure she was listening intently to every word the others shared. 
Gareth told the story of how he and the younger boy met. He had just won a fight against a challenger to his crown, and Joyce, Will’s mom, was the nurse who patched him up. Luckily, Will had taken his older brother’s place in assisting her that day. The two boys took one look at each other and the rest was history. 
Steve didn’t have much he was willing to share by way of a personal life, but he happily told a few stories about his years babysitting back in his hometown, finally letting slip that Gareth and Will reminded him of his young charges, a fact that made even the shy boy laugh. 
“Not to give too many of our secrets away, but we’re older than we look.” Gareth said.
Steve couldn't help but to tease them. “Oh I'm sorry. Here I was thinking you were a young spry 20 year old. What is it then, a decrepit 24, 25?”
“I’m only 35” Will said with a little smirk. “But,my king is…” Before the boy could finish, Gareth slapped a hand over his mouth. 
“You know it’s rude to share a man’s age!” He gasped with exaggerated offense.
Steve gaped at them. “You can’t be serious.” 
Jesus, he was younger than both of them. He tried to wrap his head around that fact as Gareth chuckled. “A little tip for you, Harrington, wereanimals age slower than humans. Don’t underestimate one of us just because we look young.”
“Duly noted.”
-
When all was said and done, Steve and Nancy decided to go back to her hotel in the city to get some rest before the morning, agreeing that it was the safer option than Steve's house with Brenner still on the loose. 
Her room housed only a single king bed, which would have been awkward with any of Steve’s other exes. The fact that it wasn’t was a testament to how nonexistent romantic feelings were between the two of them. Steve enjoyed his first dreamless sleep in far too long, and woke rested and refreshed. If he also rose with a vague sense of disappointment, he chose to just push that feeling way, way down. 
-
The meeting place wound up being, more specifically, behind a dumpster in an alley next to a restaurant, which was fitting, and sort of hilarious, Steve thought, considering they were about to be led underground by giant rats. 
Gareth and Will were there, which surprised Steve. He had assumed the king would put some lackey’s on the job. He was further surprised when the middle aged woman who joined them turned out to be Joyce. Steve took an instant liking to her, she was very friendly and simply exuded kindness. 
She toted along a backpack with her that, when he saw the first aid symbol on the outside, Steve realized must hold medical supplies. The wererats were clearly planning on him and Nancy getting hurt today, at the very least. He decided to view the gesture in a glass-half-full kinda way. If they were planning on administering medical attention, that must mean they think he had a chance, right? No point in bandaging a dead man, after all.
There was one more addition to their group, an older boy named Jonathan who quickly identified himself as Will’s older brother. It seemed this was a family affair. 
All present and accounted for, and heavily armed in the case of Steve and Nancy, Gareth led the way down through the cellar doors and into the basement of the building. From there, they entered the city’s sewer system through a grate near the floor. Steve grimaced as they sloshed through the foul liquid in the dark and tried very hard not to think about how gross it all was. 
Now that they were in the tunnels, Gareth, Will, and Jonathan all transformed into their rat forms, only Joyce remaining human. Their senses were stronger this way, that much Steve knew, and it would be helpful for getting the group where they needed to go. 
It didn’t take as long as Steve expected to reach their destination, only about an hour or so. The trip could have been made quicker if they’d been willing to run, but there seemed to be an unspoken agreement amongst the group to try and splash as little as possible, for obvious reasons. 
Gareth approached an opening, not unlike the one they had used to gain access from the other building, and waved Steve and Nancy closer. 
“The Corroded Coffin’s basement is through there. We’ll wait down here in the tunnels until dark. If you’re not out by then, I'll assume you failed. If you do manage to kill Billy, I'll know, and we’ll come out to help you if we can.”
Steve nodded at him and yanked on the grate, it was loosened just like the other one. The bars were meant to be welded in place, but someone had come along and cut it free. It could be propped up to give the illusion, but pulled away easily. 
He went through first, not knowing if the room would be occupied, though Nancy tried to pull rank as the better shot. The opening was small and close to the floor, and they had to all but crawl to get through. 
On the other side, Steve stood up and started across the room, coming to an abrupt stop as he stared at a point on the wall.
“What is it?” Nancy asked, hackles up.
“This is where Chrissy died, chained to the wall like an animal.” Steve’s voice broke.
Nancy clenched her jaw. “I’m sorry, Steve, really I am, but we can’t afford for you to be distracted right now.”
It would’ve been easy to get mad at her, in fact he wanted to. Anything to stave off the tidal wave of sadness and guilt that was building up inside of him for failing to save the girl.
But Nancy was right, and there was no reason to take it out on her. He did his best to push it all deep, deep down, to be dealt with at a later date. He felt like he’d been doing a lot of that lately, and he wasn’t looking forward to the day when he finally had to unpack it all. 
“Sorry. I’m good now. Let’s go.”
Steve took the lead again, quietly tiptoeing up the stairs and out to the hall. Luckily, the door wasn’t locked. They would have had to shoot the handle off otherwise, he realized, and that would have entirely defeated the purpose of the sneaky entrance. 
He peeked around the corner, shocked to find the immediate area deserted. The vampires would be asleep for the day, but still, he had expected someone to be lurking. Heather at the very least should have been around here somewhere. She was Billy's servant after all, and as a technical human she wasn’t a slave to the sun like he was. 
The pair took their time traversing the halls and checking doors until they finally found the coffin room. Each box sat on a little stone dais to keep it up off the floor. They were all different, some larger, some smaller. A few were made of natural wood, stained and adorned with cheap brass fittings. Others were painted and polished to a high shine, more like the modern one’s Steve was accustomed to seeing. 
They went for the closest box first. Nancy covered him with her shotgun as Steve opened the lid. He didn’t know this vampire’s name, but recognized him as Chrissy’s overly enthusiastic dance partner from that first night at the club, the one who had looked so perturbed when Steve evaded his mind tricks. He was also present for the debacle in the small graveyard the night of the freak party, and was definitely on Billy’s side of things.
Steve drew a long silver knife from its sheath and readied himself to plunge it into the thing’s chest. That, and a few twists of the blade would shred his heart. A shotgun would be easier, but it would also be messy and loud. He’d have to cut the head off at some point anyway, so the knife would be getting used tonight one way or another. 
Nancy stopped him with a hand on his elbow, before he could strike. “I might have an easier way. Have you ever used silver nitrate?”
Steve hesitated, lips pursed.“Like, from the movie Blade? Does that work?”
Nancy rolled her eyes, pulling a small vial of silver liquid and a syringe out of an inner pants pocket to show him. “Yea it works. Any idea how old this one is?”
“No more than a hundred.”
“Better go for a full dose then.” She filled the syringe, leaning over the body as Steve covered her with his own handgun full of silver bullets. 
Nancy unceremoniously jammed the needle into the vampire’s neck and depressed the plunger. The body began to twitch, startling Steve, but it fell limp again after only a minute or two of spasms. He stared at it, waiting for some sign that the creature was really dead. When it didn’t seem like anything else was going to occur, he finally took his eyes off of the body to look at Nancy.
“Is that it?” He asked, sounding more than a little disappointed.
“Pretty much, yeah. Why, what did you think was going to happen?”
“I don’t know, just, something more than that I guess?”
Nancy crossed her arms over her chest. “You were expecting him to blow up, weren’t you.”
“I absolutely was expecting that. Yes.” Steve grinned.
She shook her head but smiled back at him. “You’re an idiot, Steve Harrington.”
“Maybe, but I'm still cutting his head off before we leave here. I’m not taking any chances.”
“Suit yourself.” She shrugged. 
The next coffin they checked was empty. It probably belonged to one of the murdered vamps, Tommy maybe, or at least that’s what Steve told himself. Surely it was too early in the day for any of them to be awake
The next was similarly unoccupied, and then they found Neil. 
Again Nancy had pointed her gun at the casket while Steve raised the top. He curled his lip in a snarl when he laid eyes on the monster’s face. Not only had this piece of shit bespelled and threatened one of Steve's friends, but he bore half of the responsibility for Chrissy’s death. He almost regretted doing it like this, when the vampire was all but helpless. A real, god's honest fight would be much more satisfying to his craving for revenge, but it would also be needlessly risky.
This time, it was Steve who loaded up the syringe. Nancy had advised that at Neil’s age they should do two full doses of the liquid silver just to be safe. Steve stuck the needle deep in his neck, quickly administering the first shot, anxious to refill it. Before he could so much as pull the needle back out, however, Neil sat up, eyes still closed as if he were half asleep. The move would have sent Steve sprawling to the ground, but as the vampire surged upwards, he gripped Steve by the throat, lifting him clear off the ground.  
His ears started to ring as he fought to think through the panic of having his airway cut off. He grabbed on to the vampire's wrist with both hands, pulling to take as much of the pressure off his neck as he could. He kicked his feet, trying desperately to dislodge himself, but Neil’s grip was like a vice, and it became clear that Steve wouldn’t be able to get free unless he chose to let go, or died. Fuck. 
Nancy appeared suddenly on Steve’s other side, the only vantage point in the room that would give her a clear shot without risking him. She aimed, and fired nearly point-blank into the side of Neil’s head. Red fluid splattered across Steve's face, and immediately the hand that had been holding him up let go. He crumpled to the ground, sucking in greedy gulps of air as he wiped the  blood from his eyes. 
So distracted by his own situation, Steve didn’t realize for a moment that Neil hadn’t entirely gone down. His head was a red mess of meat and bone, but his body hadn’t quite gotten the memo yet, and it was grappling hard with Nancy as she tried to gain enough distance from the thing to get another shot off. 
Though he was still a little lightheaded, with spots dancing across the edges of his vision, Steve waded into the fray, carefully slicing through the air with his blade to capture the thing’s attention. He got a few good cuts in and it was distraction enough to give Nancy time to line up her shot. 
“Steve, move!” She howled.
He didn't need to be told twice. Steve threw himself down and to the side. He even put his hands over his head for good measure. Nancy’s second shot rang out, deafeningly loud in the enclosed space. He hadn’t even registered the sound of it the first time. Steve shuddered, realizing how close he must have been to passing out to have not noticed. 
Her bullet hit home, going straight through Neil's chest and out the other side, leaving an impressive exit wound. Finally, mercifully, the body fell limp to the ground. He was dead, permanently this time.
Nancy pulled Steve to his feet, scanning him top to bottom.
“How are you holding up?” She asked.
“I’m fine.” He said, voice rough from the damage to his throat. 
She stared at him silently, unblinking.
He sighed. “It looks worse than it is. Come on, let's get this done.”
Steve limped to the front of the room, where the final three coffins were placed. The one in the center, a glossy black lacquer number with gilded handles, had to belong to Billy. Not only because it was the fanciest of the bunch, but because the two that flanked it were wrapped in heavy chains with small crosses dangling from their links like some sort of twisted charm bracelet. 
He could tell Nancy was considering blasting a hole through the side of the box with her shotgun, anything to avoid another jack-in-the-box style surprise, but even if she did it would never be a killing blow. 
Steve approached the coffin, holding his breath as he lifted the lid. He wished he could say he was surprised when he looked down to find nothing but white satin, but he wasn’t.
“Looking for me?” Billy drawled from the back of the room. 
He and Nancy turned towards the voice at the same time, both lifting their weapons to eye level on instinct. 
“You didn’t really think at my age that I needed to sleep off the entire day still, did you?”
Steve gulped audibly. Up until he saw Neil’s form move in the daylight hours just a few moments ago, he had thought that. 
“Aw, it seems you still have so much to learn, Harrington. Why don’t you put those silly little guns down and we can work this out.”
“There’s nothing to work out, Billy.” Steve said through gritted teeth.
“Sure there is! Look, I know I killed your girl. I would say I was sorry about that, but I don't like to make a habit out of lying. As far as I see it, now that you’ve killed my father, we’re even! Trust me, I don't even mind that you took him out. Saved me the trouble of doing it myself some day.”
“Don’t move.” A female voice said suddenly to Steve's right. 
He glanced over to find the human servant, Heather, standing behind Nancy, holding an old fashioned pistol to the back of her head. Her arms were already in the air, and Heather snatched the shotgun from her with her free hand, tossing it to the floor. 
“You better drop your weapon too, Steve-O, wouldn’t want Heather to get nervous and shoot your pretty friend there by accident.”
Steve glared at him, but dropped the gun and the knife he was holding to the ground. He had other knives on him, they could have those. 
Brenner appeared in the doorway behind Billy. He didn’t look particularly happy to be there. 
“Oh good, you’re finally here.” Billy snarked, not turning around but still clearly addressing the man. ”Be a good boy and help Heather check these two over for more weapons.”
Brenner scowled at the back of Billy’s head, but quickly crossed the room to do as he was told. 
Heather started to frisk Nancy, while Brenner approached Steve. 
“Does he know what you’ve done?” Steve whispered to the older man.
“Shut up.” Brenner hissed as he kicked Steve’s legs apart, doing a much more thorough job at searching him than Steve had been expecting. 
He couldn’t be sure if Heather had found all of Nancy’s goodies, but unfortunately, Brenner had found all of his. Even the small knife that he liked to keep tucked in his boot was now living in the other man’s pocket.
“Would you like to see what we’ve been up to while you two were busy sneaking around and killing my father?” Billy asked.
Steve didn’t respond, it wasn’t like he had an actual choice in the matter, so why entertain the vampire with an answer?
“You really know how to take all the fun out of things, you know that pretty boy?” Billy huffed. “Escort them to the basement.” He commanded the two lackeys.
Steve and Nancy found themselves being roughly pushed out into the hall, and he didn’t need three guesses to know where they were going. Back to the same fucking torture chamber of a basement room he was becoming all too familiar with. He wondered if they ever called it a dungeon, it was a fitting name for the awful space.
The small group paraded down the stairs and stood in an awkward half circle.
“Come on out, sweetheart.” Billy called towards one of the dark corners.
There was a soft shuffling sound as something moved in the darkness. Slowly, a small figure with a petite frame and strawberry-blonde hair was revealed under the single dim light that hung in the middle of the room.
Steve sucked in a sharp breath. He should have seen this coming, in hindsight, but this was cruelty beyond his imagining, even for someone like Billy. 
“Chrissy?” His voice broke as he whispered her name, before rounding on Billy and shouting nearly right in his face. “Why?! Why would you do this?!”
The motherfucker smiled like a Cheshire cat. “To torture you mostly, why, is it working?”
Steve raged inside. He wanted to lay Billy out, to spit in his smug face, but he had no wish to set the guy off. Had it only been his own life on the line, he might have risked it, but with Nancy here he had to hold it in. He forced himself to take several steps back.
Billy laughed, so obviously amused with Steve’s struggle to control himself. “Actually, to be honest, I had Martin raise her before you arrived. As an animator I'm sure you’re aware that murdered zombies have a tendency to pursue their murderers, and since Neil landed the final killing blow… let’s just say, I thought I'd give Chrissy here a fair shot to get back at him while he was asleep for the day. Your showing up to witness her impromptu resurrection was just a happy accident.”
Steve gaped, somehow still surprised at the vampire's level of depravity. “He would have destroyed her all over again. That’s…sick”
Billy shrugged. “When you’ve been alive as long as I have, you have to find new and interesting ways to entertain yourself.” 
The vampire’s mouth twisted into a predatory grin as his eyes began to glow with blue fire. Steve averted his gaze. 
“Speaking of which.” Billy continued. ”Drop to your knees and crawl to me, human.”
Steve stared at the floor and braced himself for the pull of Billy’s power, though knew they had cleaned the bite thoroughly. He felt nothing.
The vampire growled, and Steve chanced a look at his face. He looked pissed.
“What have you done?”
“Just a little routine cleaning with holy water.
”I suppose next time I'll just have to keep you with me to stop that from happening. Or, if you prefer, I could make you into one of us. You could take Tommy's place. It’s really the least you can do since your lack of finding the vampire murderer led directly to his death.”
Steve shot a sideways glance at Brenner’s nervous face before he spoke. “I’d die first”
“One way or another that’s where we’re headed, baby boy.”
Chrissy, who’d been hovering near the edge of the group, mostly looking around in confusion, seemed to finally realize where she was. Steve heard her gasp as she ran her hands lightly over a spot on the wall. He watched in agony as she clawed at her throat, clearly remembering the moment it had been ripped apart, and screamed. She collapsed to the floor sobbing.
Steve tried to lunge for her, desperate to offer what little comfort he could to this echo of his fallen friend, but Heather grasped him by the back of his shirt, shoving her little pistol roughly into his ribs.  
“Do you really think i’ll just stand here and watch you torture that poor girl even in death?” Steve snapped, whirling on Heather with a vicious snarl. “You want to shoot me for it? Fucking shoot me then!”
Billy stepped between them, suddenly the picture of cool, calm, and collected. “Let’s just everyone calm down. Why don’t we play a little game.”
“Why?” Steve spat. He didn’t understand why they didn’t just kill him already. Billy knew he was never going to join him willingly. Was he really this enamored with playing with his food?
“Maybe i just want to see how good you really are, besides, if you win i’ll let you comfort poor Chrissy there.”
What other choice did he have? 
“Fine.”
Steve was given back one of his knives and told he was to fight Heather, who had apparently trained in many forms of combat over her years with Billy. The rules were simple. If she killed him, she won. If Steve drew her blood, he won. It almost sounded like a fair fight.
Heather looked like a small, unassuming young girl, but Steve knew now more than ever just how much looks could be deceiving, so he didn't let his guard down one bit as they circled each other.
He was pretty good with a blade, Wayne had insisted on training him heavily with them even more so than firearms, because ‘knives can’t run out of bullets, son’.
Still, Heather was better, and she managed several shallow cuts on both of his arms before he could get anywhere near her. She was fast, and she was toying with him. He needed to find a way to gain the upper hand here, and quickly.
“I know who the murderer is.” Steve said casually, never once taking his eyes off his opponent. For a moment, all movement in the basement ceased except for him, and Heather. 
“What did you say?” Billy hissed.
“I know who killed your vampires.” Steve reiterated.
Martin spoke over him. “Don’t listen to him, surely he’ll say anything now to save his own skin.” 
“Quiet, Martin. Tell me who it is, Harrington, or I'll kill your partner.”
Steve risked a glance at Nancy then, only to find that Billy had stepped up behind her, her hair fisted tightly in his hand. 
He opened his mouth to answer, but Brenner interrupted shouting, “NO!” As he pulled Steve’s own handgun out of his suit pocket and aimed.
The room fell into chaos. Billy dropped his grip on Nancy and appeared in front of Brenner like magic. The man had no time to react before the vampire reached up with both hands and snapped his neck. 
Heather had finally looked away to watch her master work, and Steve used the opportunity to step into her, and plunged his blade deep in her chest. She wasn’t a vampire, but she was tied to one, and Steve was betting she could be killed like one too. 
She stared at him wide-eyed, as she stumbled and fell to the ground. Steve plucked the weapon she’d been using out of her hand and slid it in Nancy’s direction. She caught it, and they both turned in tandem to face Billy. 
The vampire had dropped to his knees, weakened as his human servant lay dying. It was everything Steve had hoped for. He’d been told that a human servant would live as long as their vampire master. Which, if you thought about it, translated to, if their master died - so did they. Steve had thought if that was the case, then maybe the reverse could also be true. 
Billy tried to gather his power, Steve could feel it in the air, but he was too weak for tricks. Nancy made a go for him first, lunging and slashing but unable to make contact before Billy grabbed her arm, spinning her hard into the nearest wall. Steve came at him from behind as he threw her, aiming as best he could for the man’s heart. The knife penetrated his body, but he must have missed the mark. 
Billy heaved himself off of Steve's blade with a grunt, only to be met with Nancy once again in front of him, having recovered quickly from ricocheting off the wall. She jammed her blade down into his chest and he tipped sideways to the floor. Nancy remained above him, holding the knife in place while Steve scrambled for his gun where it had fallen out of Brenner’s hands. 
He leveled the weapon at Billy’s head.
“Nance!”
It’s all he had to say. She pushed with her feet, scooting back on her butt to get some distance from the half-dead vampire. 
Steve screamed as he shot round after round into Billy’s head until the gun clicked empty, and Nancy had to force it out of his hand. He’d lost time somewhere, he hadn’t seen her get up, let alone approach him. 
He blinked at her, and watched as she knelt by Heather's unmoving body to check for a pulse. 
“She’s dead.” Nancy said simply.
The vampire’s body was similarly still. His head was utterly destroyed and Nancy’s knife was still sticking up out of his chest. Steve would want to burn the body to make sure, just as a precaution, but it seemed Billy’s reign of terror was finally over. 
Steve made his way slowly over to where Chrissy still cowered in the corner, not wanting to spook her when she was already terrified. He sat down next to her and took one of her small hands in both of his. 
She looked at him with sad eyes, though she was no longer crying. “I’m really dead, aren’t I?”
Steve whimpered. “I'm so sorry.”
She fell against him, and Steve wound his arms around her, rocking them back and forth for a long time. There was so much he wanted to say to her, and none of it was good enough, so he just held her until she was ready to let him go. 
Eventually she pulled back and looked Steve in the eyes. “Can you put me back? I know I'm not supposed to be here, I want to go back.”
“Yea, I can do that.”
-
When Steve returned from laying Chrissy to rest, the wererats had come. Joyce wanted to treat him, but there were still a few things to be dealt with before his work here was done.
Brenner lay in the spot where he dropped, neck bent at a very wrong angle, but still alive. Steve didn’t know much about the magic that had been keeping this man alive, but he did recall an old rule of thumb he learned from a colleague. A spell can usually be reversed by the opposite of whatever is used to feed it. He’d always liked the idea, it had a certain amount of poetic symmetry. The power in Brenner's necklace was fueled by vampire blood, and what’s the opposite of vampire blood? Steve hoped he knew the right answer.
He knelt by Brenners head and held a shaking hand out towards the man’s throat. The necklace had fallen out of his shirt in the fall, and Steve dragged one of his bleeding cuts along the chain, making sure to leave a fat droplet of the red liquid on the cluster of stones that made up the pendant. 
Steve watched the light fade from Brenner’s glassy eyes and felt no satisfaction. He just felt empty. 
Joyce again tried to coax Steve to sit down and let her look him over, but he still refused and told her to check on Nancy instead. 
He felt eyes on his back as he climbed the stairs, but ignored them, he had one more thing to take care of before he could rest.
-
Back in the coffin room, Steve searched until he found a key hanging from a hook on the wall. He unlocked the chains from each of the boxes and dragged them off. He knew who was in the two coffins, he could have left right then knowing that when the sun came down Dustin and Eddie would finally be free to leave their confinement, but he couldn’t walk away. Not yet.
He opened the lid of the first coffin and sucked in a breath when Eddie’s face was revealed to the lamp light. His eyes were closed, and if he wasn’t so still Steve could have believed he was sleeping peacefully, but that sort of stillness wasn’t natural. This wasn’t sleep, this was death, temporary as it might be.
He stared down at the vampire's beautiful face and wondered what the right thing to do was. He thought he could save himself a lot of trouble in the long run if he took care of Eddie now. It would be easy to kill him while he was sleeping, while Steve wouldn’t have to look into those big brown eyes. While he wouldn’t have to listen as those pink lips that he’d become so familiar with in his dreams begged for his life. 
In the end it came down to Chrissy, and respecting her wishes. She wouldn't want this. She had trusted Eddie. He may have let her down as much as Steve had, but maybe he could be there for others, for Dustin. So, he replaced the lid and turned to the other coffin, hoping his decision wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass. 
Dustin, Steve finds, when he opens the other coffin, looks a little more worse for wear than Eddie had. Of course, the younger vampire hadn’t had someone to feed off of while he was locked up. 
He knew he should go, but he couldn't stop staring at the boy’s face. Steve had been to a lot of funerals over the years, where the body of his loved one was put on display, but this was one of his kids. He knew Dustin wasn’t really dead, and that in just a few hours he would rise, and he would feed, and he’d be fine, but it still made Steve's chest tight to see him like this.
He heard the soft footfalls behind him as someone entered the room, but didn’t bother to turn around. He already knew it would be Nancy. 
When she reached his side and peered over the edge of the box, Steve tensed. 
“I hate that he’s done this to himself.” She said softly.
He watched her carefully through his peripheral vision. “Me too.”
Nancy frowned at him. “You can relax Steve, I'm not about to suggest we kill him or anything. I knew him too.”
He believed her, to an extent, but he also knew how much she hated vampires, and it worried him. She might let Dustin live for now, only to come back for him later.
“I’ve spent a little time with him over the past few days, Nance. He’s still Dustin. Almost infuriatingly exactly as you’d remember him, just, with fangs.” Steve explained, trying to keep the pleading tone out of his voice. 
“I know it might seem that way sometimes, Steve, but…”
“No, I'm serious. It’s him, and…you know I didn't talk to him, haven't talked to him since he transitioned. I thought I was doing the right thing, but all I did was rob us both of our friendship. Promise me you won’t go after him.”
“I won’t. I swear. I don’t think Mike would ever forgive me if I did.”
Steve wanted to say, I wouldn’t either, but he didn’t think he needed to.
“What about that one?” Nancy asked, pointing at Eddie's coffin. 
“That is, something I think I'll call - ‘better the devil you know’ - and all that jazz.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing there.” She said.
“Me too.”
-
Steve finally let Joyce treat him after that. The wererats promised to clean up the mess and take care of any remaining Billy supporters. Steve thanked them profusely, and soon he and Nancy were walking out the front door of the theater. He was forced to call Robin to pick them up, no uber or taxi would have stopped for them in their current state.
She picked them up, no questions asked, and she even let him get away with silence until they had dropped Nancy off at her hotel. They parted ways with a hug and Steve thanking her endlessly for her help. She assured him it was her pleasure, and that since the master of the city was in fact killed, she would still be getting paid by her client. If anything she should be thanking him, she assured him.
Once they were alone in the car, Steve filled Robin in on everything she’d missed. They didn’t even pick up his car, he was too tired to drive anyway. They could always get it the next day. 
He was still going over the play by play of their fight with Billy when they arrived at his house. Robin helped him inside and coaxed him right into the bath, sitting on the edge to keep him company and he finished his story. 
“What are you going to do about Eddie?” Robin asked, as she trailed her fingers through the bath water.
“I don’t know. Ignore him until I can find a way out of this mess?”
“Babe, is that, like, healthy?”
“I don’t know, I'm too tired to figure it out right now.”
All Steve could think about was getting out of the tub and falling into bed. He wouldn’t have minded some platonic best friend cuddles either, but he didn’t want to put Robin out even more than he had already. It turned out, he didn’t even need to ask.
“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”
God he loved her.
“Please’
Chapter 10
Author's Note: This fic has two pretty definitive halves, since the au inspiration comes from two separate books. This chapter marks the end of part 1, and puts us at the halfway point of the original plans I had for this story. Now, I'm considering making this into a series to be continued past the end of the main fic. There will be a conclusion of sorts by the end of this, but there will still be so much that could be explored past that. Please, as we continue, let me know if you would like to see more when this main story is over.  As always, thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I can’t wait to dive into the back half of this fic!
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savaralyn2 · 2 years
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Dungeon Meshi - Beastkin transformation tattoos
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explorerspack · 2 years
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really delighted by how i spent two and a half sessions with absolutely no idea what arcis’s character voice was and then meg was like “here’s a zombie rat-man who speaks common even though that’s unheard of and here’s a secret door with a magic symbol” and oh BOY was i suddenly able to actually roleplay, 
#cha:arcis#c:megadungeon#and that's (my) wizards!#buying lantern oil and talking to a fancy knight guy and hanging out with my party? i got nothing#there's an unexplained mystery???? oh BOY can i talk in character!!!!#i Love when i get to play a character who is unapologetically curious i Love it....#sparrow had a bit of this going on but she was At War so she couldn't lean into it as hard#some of this gets shoved into beck but she's an npc#but arcis sure is curious pleading emoji#she's so frustrated that we couldn't figure out how to open the door...#she sure does want to Know why things are the way they are and what mysteries are being hidden!!! that's her whole deal!!!#i think it's Good when there's 'knowledge as power but also knowledge for its own sake'#and i maintain that i don't really build characters around core conflicts but i sure build them around core tensions#in this case arcis's paranoia and desire to safeguard her own knowledge and mind versus how much she wants MORE knowledge#and how much she's willing to risk to get it! running right down into the basement even though the wererat killed her familiar#the very premise of going into the weeping city at all#leaving the note with her own 'name' on it#the way that when we get back into capital there'll have to be Decisions about who we're going to tell#other people might know things about the wererat! but also if the knowledge is only ours it might be valuable!#and other people might seek to exploit it before we can and if we send people down to that basement they might find the DOOR!#man oh man oh man everyone manifest that i don't get killed by the gray lady i Really like being a Wizard....#i've been working on a unified theory if i make it through tonight everybody's gonna hear me out!
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captainofthefallen · 4 years
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3 for Corda, 7 for Zeph, and 15 for Aurelia ^-^
Thank you!!
3. Who is the closest person to them? The answer to that changed over the course of Corda’s campaign, but as it stands now, her wife Ghazril (actual love of my life, I would die for her and I adore her almost as much as Corda does, 13/10 would make a deal with the Raven Queen and be an accessory to murder to get her back again) and her adopted son Jonas (sweet angel boy. Warforged who was sent to assassinate her but she took one look at him and said ‘all right this is my son now’ and everyone around her knew better than to argue. I would also die for him.)
7. Is there anyone they’d die for? Kill for? Several, in fact. Zeph would pretty much die for anyone in the party at this point, plus her two best friends from pre-campaign. Killing for is a bit more of a gray area--she’d kill someone in a fight to protect her friends, but she wouldn’t kill in cold blood, partially because one of her best friends is an assassin so if anyone needs to be murdered Morana can take care of it. That said, there is a certain halfling wererat who got her friend Bright arrested and could’ve gotten him executed, and she would happily murder him quite gruesomely.
15. What is the best gift they could receive? That’s a tough one for Aurelia, and it really depends on who the gift is coming from. In terms of tangible things, she doesn’t really have a tendency towards items that aren’t useful to her in some way, so probably some kind of item that could help her in a fight (especially now that she’s getting to be slightly more okay with magic). If we’re talking literally anything, she’s the kind of angsty teenager who desperately wants affection and refuses to admit it. Which is made even more fun by the fact that she will only even consider accepting it from certain people (sorry Saphir). Gestures of trust, or showing investment in her fate, have both so far proven to be decently good ways to win her over.
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fluffy-flock · 5 years
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Laith for DANGER, since you mentioned them the other day!
My sweet darling baby boy Laith, yes please
Raw power: ★★★
Laith is actually moderately powerful when it comes to magical skill, and frighteningly good at knowing how the body works and how to make it stop working. If only he applied himself instead of turning into bees.
Formal Training: ★
Laith’s “formal training” consisted of living in a hippie commune where they taught him how to do nature magic and eat mushrooms. The man was not meant to hold a sword.
Combat experience: ★★ 
I need a half star icon so I can put two and a half. Laith is very bad at hitting his target, but when he does hit it he’s pretty solid. They killed a tunnel worm and a bunch of evil cultists and wererats, which is good. But Laith also did not do a lot of the killing.
Willingness to kill:  - ★★★
Small flower child doesn’t want to kill anyone and has ended up making friends with NPC sea hags, a drider, mindflayers, a few beholders, and several crime lords. Wonderful boy. Baby. 
Previous victims: ★★
…All this being said, he’s still had to melt some faces in self-defense, and has gathered a reputation as Laith Paralyn, Godslayer, Master of Flames.(He loves the attention, so it’s okay. We’ve just gotta keep it from getting to his head or he’ll think he’s actually good at this.)
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dawnlion · 7 years
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Here is a list I found on this website (check it out for more information on mythology and folklore!) with very brief descriptions of shapeshifters found in various cultures. Since the wolves in Twilight are actually shapeshifters, not lycans, and these are based on real life stories the Quileute tribe, I thought that in a similar fashion this could be a good start for anyone looking for OCs or AU verses ideas with different kinds of shapeshifters that would bring more cultural diversity to the rpc. Our world is so vast and rich, our fiction should be as well. I hope this helps!
The telling of shapeshifters in myth and legend have been present from as far back as is recorded. It is a common theme in almost all cultures and tales can be found every corner of the world. With that in mind, I have an ongoing list. If you know of something that I am missing, let me know! I’ll keep adding as I find new ones in the hopes of making it as comprehensive as possible.
Argentina : A fox-like werewolf Lobizón or Lobisón as well as Werejaguars know as Runa-uturungu
Brazil : Lobisomem. There are also Boto, a river dolphin that transforms into a boy, and a Uirapuru – a small brown bird that transforms into a boy.
Bulgaria : Vrkolak is a Bulgarian Werewolf that after death turns into a vampire
Canada : Bear Walker is from First Nations folklore of that area. It’s an evil sorcerer who walks around in the form of a bear.
Chile : The Chonchon shapeshifter is a Kalku, or sorcerer that transforms into a mythical bird that announces bad luck. It has the shape of a human head with feathers, talons and big ears that it uses as wings.
China : 狼人 láng rén is the Chinese werewolf. 狐狸精 Huli Jing, a fox spirit which usually appears as a beautiful young woman; most are dangerous, but some are featured as the heroines of love stories.
Ethiopia, Morocco and Tanzania : The boudas is a sorcerer/blacksmith that changes into a werehyena. It often wears an ornament from its human form by which it may be recognized.
France : loup-garou is prevalent in France with the Beast of Gevaudan being the most famous documented case. Then there is the bisclavret which is a werewolf that cannot return to human form unless it can put its clothing back on.
Finland : ihmissusi
Greece : vrykolaka is a catchall word for werewolf, vampire or sorcerer. The word lycanthropy, from the ancient werewolf-king Lycaeon, originated here.
Haiti : loup-garou can change into anything, both plant and animal.
Iceland : A hamrammr (from old Icelandic literature) is a werecreature that shifts into the form of the animal it has most recently eaten. Its strength increases with each animal that it consumes. The current (and more correct) word for werewolf is varulfur.
India : rakshasa or raghosh is a shifter who can change into any animal it wants and is characterized by its large size and color of hair (red or blond). Ancient Indian mythology tells of Nāga, snakes that can sometimes assume human form.
Indonesia (Bali) : Leak or Leyak is a spirit that shapeshifts into humans, animals or objects and will cause mishaps, illnesses or even death.
Ireland & Scotland : The selkies are seals that take off their skins to become human. Dark-haired Celts may have their geneology explained via the selkies. Selkies are helpful creatures who watch over fishermen.
Italy : lupo mannero or licantropo s an Italian werewolf. The “Benandanti’ were werewolves that left their physical bodies behind to become wolves at which point they would go to the underworld to fight witches.
Japan : The most popular werecreatures in Japanese folklore is the kitsune (fox) and the tanuki or mijina (raccoon dog or badger). The kitsune is usually a female, and the tanuki, a male. Collectively, shapeshifters are called henge.
Kenya, Africa : The ilimu is a man- eating shapeshifter that starts out as an animal, but can shift into the form of a man.
Latvia : vilkacis, meaning “wolf eyes” or “werewolf,” is a shapeshifter that is usually evil, but occasionally offers treasures.
Lithuania : vilkatas is the Lithuanian version of the werewolf.
Mexico : nahaul is a werecreature that can turn into a wolf, large cat, eagle or bull.
Native Americans : Many different types of “skin walkers such as the Navajo Indians’ skinwalkers, the Mai-Coh and the Mohawk Indians limikkin.
Native Hawaiians : There are several shapeshifting legends out of the Hawaiian islands including the famous volcano goddess Pele who could shift into whatever appearance she wanted. There are also several shark-shifter legends.
Normandy, France : lubins or lupins look like wolves, but can speak and are very shy.
Norway & Sweden : eigi einhamir (not of one skin) has the ability to change into a wolf by wearing a wolfskin.
Norway & Sweden : Varulv (or varulf) is similar in looks to the traditional werewolf lore. However, the change is not brought on by a bite or blood. In many of the Varulv legends, the creature become a werewolf voluntarily. Usually with the use of a certain article of clothing, such as a belt, like the belt described in old 1582 werewolf story of Peter Stubbe and his Magical Belt.
Panama : Tula Vieja has been and continues to be sighted in Panama on a regular basis. The creature takes the form of a very, very old woman or witch (bruja) with a crow’s foot for a right hand. This child-eating shifter haunts all places dark and dismal, waiting to take anyone back to Hell with her that she can get her claw/hand on.
Persia : The Persians have a creature similar to the Indian rakshasa that pretends to be a harmless animal. It often attacks travelers.
Philippines : is a shapeshifting monster in Filipino folklore usually possessing a combination of the traits of either a vampire, a ghoul, a warlock/witch, or different species of werebeast, or even all of them together.
Portugal : The bruxsa or cucubuth is a vampire-werewolf that consumes both flesh and blood. The lobh omen would be your everyday werewolf.
Russia : There are two types of distinctive werewolves in Russian Mythology. The first, the wawkalak, is a werewolf who has been transformed as a punishment by the Devil whom they have angered. Recognized by friends and family, the wawkalak are not considered as evil or frightening. Unable to stay in any one place for long, the wawkalak are distended to roam from home to home and town to town searching out food, shelter and love.
Russia (Slavic) : Volkolak translates as lycanthrope. This is unusual in that the person can turn into a wolf or bear. Volkolak have been know to change willingly and against their will as a curse.
Russia, Central : The bodark is a Russian name for the werewolf. This type of Russian werewolf is actually a person that chooses to be one and goes through ceremony to force the change.
Scandinavia : The varulv much prefers beer to human flesh. Scandinavia is also home to the berserker (bearskin). There is also the ulfheobar (wolfskin), which is usually lumped in with berserker.
Serbia : The wurdalak is a werewolf that died and became a vampire.
Slovakia : The vlkodlak is transformed into a werewolf by the sorcery of another. It usually shies away from people.
South America : Kanima, a jaguar-shaped spirit that seeks and kills murderers.
Spain : The Spanish werewolf, or lob hombre, prefers pretty gemstones to human flesh.
United States : Native Americans and Native Hawaiians have many different types of “skin walkers” (see above). There are also wererats that are particularly rampant around Pennsylvania. The wererat skulks around at night, and prefers carrots with ranch dressing to human flesh.
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overclockedhololynx · 6 years
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spoiler thoughts on Dice Funk S4: part 4
oh yeah I didn’t even pick up on the cop being white but it’s so obvious now they say it
“I was cool in my dreams, oh wait no, that’s not true either.” hashtag relatable
oh boy disadvantage on everything is a heck of a come down but hey that’s fair
everyone is so terrible at everything I feel so bad for Ed having to babysit these kids
Catarina Brookes more like Catarina BOOKS cause she’s outta there
“Who do you work for?” “Your mom!” Lenora is just the best
ok I’m real in love with the fact that Austin established scar can pretty easy be removed but Graves has decided not to go with that
ahhhhh mention of Lorelai and Akamoras~
also Stellarosa’s legacy has made a real impact (asuming she’s not still alive somehow)
“You’re kind of a disaster.” “Oh yeah that’s my whole scene.” Lenora is just so relatable I feel like I’m being called out
oh shit monk/barbarian I’m here for it holy snot
oh shit medical treatment for werebeast transformations is hella cool worldbuilding
Reese hasn’t even spoken and I LOVE her
Reese and Catarina talking about wrestling is pretty much me talking to my friends who like wrestling
Reese specifically asks if it’s a “girlfriend thing” so maybe Catarina is a lesbian? I’m chill with whatever label she is but I’m always happy for more lesbians
ok ok ok can I smooch Reese? Like real talk?
hey yo medication for all sorts of thing like a Medusa’s gaze and a wererats transformation is so GOOD
I don’t know what reaction to “Cuck Westerley” is better between Skitch breaking down laughing and Lauren’s “excuse me? How dare you.”
Kundey’s stutter only comes out on the word g-g-g-g-game and I’m curious if there’s a reason for that
Austin is so sad at not voicing the cat
“it’s a cat they can not be out thought.”
so Bird is just able to wander around on his own?
fuck everyone’s responce to “where should I senhd your bodies?” is purrrrrrrrfect
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captainofthefallen · 4 years
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OC Interview
Rules:
1. Choose an OC.
2. Answer as that OC.
3. Tag 5 people to do the same Open tag because you’re lazy 
So about six million years ago @queen-scribbles​ dropped me a tag on one of these in case I wanted to talk about a character and so I’m cashing in on that because I want to talk about Zeph (my wonderful amazing air genasi monk who deserves all the happiness in the world who I unintentionally cursed with anxiety worse than mine. Poor darling.) 
1. What is your name?
“Zeph.” She hesitates. “Okay fine technically it’s Zephyr but nobody I actually like calls me that. So if you want me to like you, don’t.” 
2. Do you know why are you named that?
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, because I’m an air genasi and the monks couldn’t think of anything better when I was dumped on them.” 
3. Are you single or taken?
Her annoyance melts instantly as she blushes and ducks her head, almost trying to hide her smile. “Um... taken. Much to my surprise.” 
4. Have any abilities or powers?
“Let’s see... good at punching things? I learned the other day I’m pretty good at hockey. I can levitate things, and sometimes I can blink into another plane if I can’t dodge something quickly enough.” She shrugs a little, almost bashful. 
[we spent the first hour of our last session playing fantasy hockey; Zeph was the goalie thanks to the monk’s deflect missiles ability. It was delightful. Also indirectly led to her getting asked out which was a plus.] 
5. Stop being a Mary Sue.
She raises her eyebrows. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered you think I’m perfect or insulted you think it’s unrealistic.” She laughs, then sobers. “Really though if you think I’m perfect you’re not looking hard enough.” 
6. What’s your eye color?
“Gray.”
7. How about your hair color?
“Silver, mostly. Think there’s some blue in there.”
8. Have any family members?
She shrugs dramatically. “Fuck if I know. None that I know of. Maybe my parents are dead, and maybe they just dumped me, but either way I guess it doesn’t matter.” 
9. Oh? How about pets? 
Her smile returns. “Well the party has our blink dog, Ptoast. Long story.” She turns around to look back toward the docks, where a water genasi is play wrestling a gnoll. “Cotton Eye Joe doesn’t count, he can talk.” 
[yes we adopted a gnoll. And we named him Cotton Eye Joe. Long story.]
10. That’s cool, I guess. Now, tell me something you don’t like?
“Wererats,” she says immediately. “Especially if they’re in a crime syndicate and frame people’s friends for enough crimes to get them thrown in jail for way too long. Also when people tell me I can’t do something.” 
11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?
“Oh, loads. Pretty much anything I can get my hands on, really. Puzzles, cards, I think I could probably still juggle if I tried.” Her gaze shifts upward as she thinks. “Does fucking with Ptah count as a hobby?” (”Yes,” three voices respond immediately. “Fuck you!” adds a fourth.) “Guess so.” 
12. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before?
She bites her lip. “Sure, I guess. Tends to happen when you get in fights. Got arrested for beating up a tabaxi in a bar once.” 
13. Ever… killed anyone before?
She nods. “Not... much. Some gnolls, some wererats, some weird mushroom things. People... not really easy to get used to that. Though there are a few I’d make exceptions for. And besides I’ve got an assassin and a... well, Ptah, for friends, they can handle it.” 
14. What kind of animal are you?
“Like, what animal would represent me? Some kind of cat, I think? Maybe a tiger. Gods help anyone who suggests I’m a bird.” 
15. Name your worst habits?
She laughs. “Oh boy. Well I overthink things. A lot. Somehow I also manage to be reckless sometimes. And I spend way too much time and effort trying to figure out what other people want from me.” She sighs. “Working on that one.” 
16. Do you look up to anyone at all?
“My friend Bright. Learned a lot from him. About the world, and about me. He’s about the closest thing I’ve got to family, I think. At least until I met these assholes.” 
17. Are you gay, straight or bisexual?
She inclines her head. “Think you missed a few options there, but I’m bisexual.” 
18. Did you attend school?
“Not in the traditional sense, no. I was educated in the monastery where I was raised.” 
19. Ever want to marry and have kids one day?
She laughs again. “Bold of you to assume I even know what I want to do next week.” She bites her lip. “I haven’t really thought about it. I guess I wouldn’t be opposed, but it doesn’t seem... I don’t know. I’m trying to live in the moment right now.” 
20. Do you have any fangirls/fanboys?
She grins. “Does my boyfriend count? I’m kidding. Um... not me specifically, I don’t think. There may be a few fans of our group, since we kind of stopped evil snake people from taking over the government, but I don’t think anyone would have much of a reason to be my fan.”
21. What are you most afraid of? 
She blinks a few times. “Being forgotten,” she says at last. “And... well. No. I think I’ll keep that one to myself.”
22. What do you usually wear?
She gestures to her clothing--flexible, dark-colored pants and a tank top, along with the wraps on her hands. She’s also wearing a dark cloak that sparkles just a bit when she moves. “It’s a cloak of protection,” she says. “Ptah gave it to me, to see how I’d react. I was very drunk at the time (and so was he, to be fair) so I’m a little hazy on the details, but...” She blushes faintly. “Anyway.” 
23. What’s one food that tempts you?
“I love pecan pie. Also, cookies and pastries and such in general are pretty great. Especially Ashyew’s reactions to them.” 
24. Am I annoying you?
She raises an eyebrow, smirking. “Are you trying to? Try harder.” 
25. Well, it’s still not over!
She smiles. “Full speed ahead, then.” 
26. What class are you (low/middle/high)?
She gives a bemused sort of grin. “That’s a very weird question right now. I guess financially we’d probably qualify as middle class at this point, but we were also recently given a villa, so.... No idea. I really have no idea.” 
27. How many friends do you have?
The smile stays. “One more than I thought I did a few days ago.” She thinks for a moment. “Brin and Bright, and Rhede, and the group, are the ones I’d call close friends. Kazimir and the others might qualify, to an extent, but seeing as I wasn’t even sure I was friends with Morana... so about eight.”
28. What are your thoughts on pie?
“Pie is amazing and wonderful. Do you have any?” She sighs. “Thought not. Worth a try.” 
29. Favorite drink?
“Hmm. Never really thought much about it. Alcohol is pretty much nasty, yet for some reason I still drink it.” 
30. What’s your favorite place?
“So far? Aargau. The dwarves have fucking indoor plumbing. And hockey. I really wish we could’ve stayed longer. And not just because I was promised a date.” She thinks for a moment. “I’m also a fan of the rooftop deck at our villa in Kalmar. But overall, gotta be Aargau.” 
31. Are you interested in anyone?
She blushes, grinning widely. “Just a little. If I wasn’t clear up to this point, well, it’s still kinda new. But Ptah is my boyfriend.” Her entire face lights up with her smile as she says it. “So yes, I guess you could say I’m interested in him.” 
32. That was a stupid question…
The grin doesn’t fade. “To be fair to you, I was being a little vague. Don’t worry about it.” 
33. Would you rather swim in a lake or the ocean?
She thinks for a moment. “I haven’t really spent much time in either. Other than that giant octopus, though, I have enjoyed the ocean. Especially if Ash is there as a dolphin or something.” 
34. What’s your type?
She laughs out loud and buries her face in her hands for a moment. “According to my track record of one, it’s dumbass tieflings who don’t seem to ever shut up and who are really fun to get drunk with. If you’re looking for a serious answer... it’s because he listened to me. I... I doubt myself, a lot, and I usually do okay at hiding it but I didn’t need to hide it from him. I could tell him anything, and not only does he not judge me he somehow always manages to say exactly what I need to hear. So...” Her blush deepens. “Yeah.” 
35. Any fetishes?
“If I did, I wouldn’t be about to tell you.” She winks, despite her blush. 
36. Camping or outdoors?
“Can I have both? You mean like... in a tent or under the stars? Depends on the weather. But if it’s clear? Stars. I didn’t retain much of what I read about the stars, but they’re beautiful.” 
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