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rocksandrobots · 2 months

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PotP Ch 54 - Christmas With The Krampus: Part 3

"Hey, thanks for helping out on such short notice," Tadashi said.

"Oh no problem, buddy." Fred's voice came over the phone. "Minimax and I were getting bored anyway. Christmas is never as big a deal as Hanukkah at my house. The only thing going on is the neighborhood lights display contest."

"Your Mom's in full-blown socialite mode?" Tadashi asked, already knowing the answer.

"Totally. Monster hunting is way more fun than tea and crumpets."

"There's no monster, Fred," Varian yelled over Tadashi's shoulder into the phone.

"Just let us know if you or Minimax see Vigor," Hiro added, ignoring his brother.

"Ten-four!... or is it four-ten... Either way, MiniMax and Fredzillia are on the job!"

Tadashi hung up the phone as the three of them entered the near-empty shopping mall.

Most of the storefronts were closed, only a handful of people roamed the food court, and a sign on the door said that the shopping center was operating at half-hours for the holiday. So they had only about an hour left to look for clues.

They made their way to the top floor, hoping that perhaps Vigor was just hiding inside, maybe wrecking one of the other window displays for the fun of it, only to have that hope dashed once they reached Canardist's emporium.

The door was ripped off its hinges and the inside of the shop was completely trashed.

"Still think there's no monster?" Hiro asked.

"Anyone could have done this," Varian replied, though with slightly less confidence than before.

Tadashi picked up a scroll off the floor and frowned. He couldn't read it.

"Varian, I think we need to keep more of an open mind here." He cautioned. "I mean, you and Canardist come from a world where fairy tale princesses are real and magical curses are a thing. Why can't this Krampus exist too?"

"Because..." Varian huffed but didn't finish his thought as he picked up an amulet hanging from a shelf. This one with Corona's royal seal on it.

"Because you don't wanna admit that you're wrong." Hiro finished for him.

Varian shot a glare at him, but couldn't deny it.

"What do you know about this Krampus? What do the legends actually say?" Tadashi asked.

Varian shrugged. "Not much. He's supposed to be Saint Nicholas's helper. While St Nick rewards good little kids with toys and sweets, the Krampus collects the souls of bad children and tortures them for their misdeeds."

He shook his head. "It's just a story parents tell their kids to get them to behave. Like with the Sandman who brings nightmares or Zhan Tiri and his shadow soldiers. None of it's real."

Hiro and Tadashi shared a look but didn't press for more details about the other horror stories that Varian had mentioned.

"Look, let's just run with the premise that all stories are based on a kernel of truth," Tadashi argued. "Like with Troy and the Iliad... exaggerated no doubt, but based off a real place and presumably a real war... With that being the case here, what would a real Krampus be like, you think?"

Varian gave the proposal some serious consideration. "Well, I guess... if he was real, he'd be some type of creature... just an animal."

"And what would a large wild animal do with a pet monkey?"

"Eat it," Hiro said, almost immediately. It was the most logical conclusion.

The other two boys grimaced.

The Varian shrugged again. "Well, nasty way to go, but what can you do? Who wants to break the bad news to Canardist?"

Tadashi stopped him from walking away. "Hold on. We can't just let a six-foot animal run around the city eating people's pets, and possibly attacking people themselves."

"How did he even get into this world?" Hiro asked.

"That would be a question for Canardist," Tadashi answered. "In the meantime, we have to hunt down this Krampus and capture it."

"And what do we do with it after we've caught it?" Varian asked. "I can't send it back. The portal isn't working the way I need it to."

"We'll figure that out once we find it... the only question is, how do we find it?"

"I have a bio-reading of the creature," Baymax responded.

"Really? How did you get that?" Hiro asked.

"It is shedding." The robot pointed at the floor and indeed there was hair everywhere.

"Great work Baymax.' Tadashi patted his creation on the shoulder. "Let's go suit up."

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

"Behold!" Minimax pointed down below into an alley, "There goes our psychic primate pal!"

Fred followed his faithful sidekick's finger and sure enough, spotted the chimpanzee running frantically down the road.

"Hey guys!" came Fred's voice over the intercom. "We found Vigor!"

"He's still alive?' Varian asked skeptically, as he held onto Baymax's arm tighter. The robot was carrying all three of them as they flew through the air, with Hiro and Tadashi riding on top and Varian cradled in his arms; having lost at rock, paper, scissors.

"Not for long," Hiro replied as he studied the scans through his helmet interface. A red dot was racing across the city map. "Whatever it is that tore up the store is heading straight your way Fred... and it's fast."

"Don't worry. We're on it." Fred assured them and was gone.

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

The superheroes found poor Vigor cowering in the corner of an alley.

"Hey buddy, it's okay." Fred coaxed the frightened animal. "You're safe now."

"Yes, no fiendish foe will do you harm while we're around," Minimax added.

The chimp came out of hiding and cooed in recognition when he realized who the armored men were.

He waddled over and hugged Hiro around his legs. A predicament that Hiro absolutely was not comfortable with.

"Yeah, th-that's right... we're here to take you home." He awkwardly said as he tried to gently pry the monkey off of him.

That's when an ominous shadow fell across them.

Everyone turned as one to see the Krampus snarling at them.

It was a towering nine-foot-tall, from its claws on its hind legs to the tips of the horns on its head. It was covered head to toe in dark fur and its bottom jaw had two protruding tusks. It slobbered drool as it growled like a dog, and Hiro could have sworn that its eyes glowed red.

Vigor howled in fright and quickly scrambled away and up the side of the building before anyone could stop him.

The monster took after him just as quickly.

The boys could feel the wind rush past them as the creature leaped up towards the roof, like how a car whizzing by might blow away the papers in your hand.

"Ok... take note... the Krampus moves very fast," Tadashi said, pointing out the obvious as everyone else stood there stunned.

Hiro shook out of his stupor first.

"Quick Baymax, after them."

He hopped onto the robot's back just as Fred swung himself up onto the roof. Minimax wasn't far behind as they rocketed into the air themselves.

"Do you see where they're heading?" Varian's voice came in over the intercom.

"I've already lost sight of them," Fred replied.

"They've turned down 2nd Market St." Baymax calmly stated.

Hiro followed Baymax's finger and his heart sank as something large and furry ducked into the subway.

"Oh no."

"What's happened?" Tadashi asked.

"They just went into Memento station."

"Don't worry, we'll head them off," Varian answered as he fished the portal magnets from his coat.

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

Varian and Tadashi exited the portal just in time to see everyone rushing towards the nearest exit, screaming and panicking as they went.

In the middle of the waiting platform, now on all fours and sniffing the ground with its pig-like snout, was the Krampus. It seemed totally disinterested in the frightened crowd as it poked about the various discarded presents and groceries.

"Soooo...what do we do now?" Tadashi asked as they watched the beast get a pair of candy cane-printed boxers caught on its nose. It took a second to shake the offending underwear off before it went to gnawing on the wrapping paper that it had been packaged in.

"Well.... umm..." Varian's mind raced as he tried to rationalize the impossibility before him. "it's... it's an animal, right?

"R-right?" Tadashi agreed, unsure what Varian was getting at.

"So how would you capture a really large animal?"

"No clue," Tadashi replied, never taking his eyes off the monster as it now decided to eat a forgotten Christmas ham.

"Well how would, like, the rangers catch a bear or a lion?"

"Tranquilizers, but we haven't any-"

Varian snapped his fingers. "Sleeping powder!"

He then started to search his pockets and harness... only to slow down as he realized that Tadashi was right. "I'm out of sleeping powder..."

That's when the Krampus finally took notice of them.

Both boys gulped as the creature let out a snarl.

Varian began to scour his pockets even more frantically. "H-hold him off while I try to make a new batch of sleeping potion."

"What am I supposed to do? Wave a red flag at him like a bullfighter?"

Varian didn't answer as he screwed the top off a chimball full of blue liquid.

You could not see his eyes behind his visor, but it was clear that Tadashi was rolling them as he pressed a button on the side of his helmet and disappeared from view.

This was enough of a surprise to slow the Krampus down, as it stopped stalking towards them.

A moment later a roll of sparkly red wrapping paper, discarded by its owner in their flight from the station, lifted itself off the ground and seemingly hung in the air as if by magic.

"Here boy, toro." Tadashi whistled as he waved the paper in front of the creature.

The Krampus howled and rushed towards the sparkly paper. Tadashi barely had time to move out of the way as it grabbed the cardboard tube and bounded away, ripping the paper to shreds in a frenzy.

"Well, there goes that idea."

"How's it going?" Hiro breathlessly asked as he, Fred, and the two robots finally ran inside.

The Krampus stopped immediately and focused its attention on the newcomers.

Heroes and monster eyed each other for only a moment as Hiro realized his mistake. Then the mass of fur and muscle was bounding towards them at top speed before Tadashi could even shout a warning.

Everyone scattered, only for the Krampus' jaws to clamp around Minimax's foot at the last second.

The robot yelled as the monster shook him back and forth before throwing him into the air. Fortunately, being a robot, he was only momentarily disoriented as opposed to being hurt.

While the heroes were busy checking over their friend, Vigor screeched wildly as the monster took chase after the monkey once more.

"No!" Hiro screamed, too late, as the Krampus overtook the poor animal.

The creature let out a victorious howl, and then, to everyone's astonishment, it gave Vigor a playful, sloppy lick of its tongue and bounded away barking. Vigor made a chittering sound, like the money equivalent of a laugh, and happily chased after the monster.

"Awe, how cuuuuteee!" Fred squeed while everyone else stood there dumbfounded. "They've been playing tag this whole time."

"It kind of acts like a giant dog," Hiro observed as he tilted his head in thought.

"Wild dogs can still be dangerous though." Tadashi reminded him. "We need to capture him and take him someplace safe."

"Got it!" Varian shouted triumphantly as he held up a chimball. Before he could throw the sleeping powder, however, the police barged into the station.

"Chief Cruz!" Hiro rushed toward the lead officer in relief. "We need to find a humane way of cap-"

"We're already on it." Cruz interrupted, shoving him aside. "You kids need to clear out of the way so animal control can take care of this."

"Kids?" Hiro quietly questioned, but he was ignored as some of the officers whipped out a tranquilizer gun.

The Krampus let out an inhuman scream as the dart embedded itself into its leg right above its paw. He started to hiss and growl as it tried fruitlessly to shake the painful splinter off. Vigor gave a worried whimper, unsure how to help his friend.

Unsuccessful in removing the dart, the Krampus then turned his attention towards his attackers, lowering on his haunches as if to pounce like a cat. Fortunately, Baymax was able to grab the creature before it could jump upon anyone.

As the robot and monster wrestled each other Cruz was already ordering his men to shoot again.

"Be careful of Bay- Red Panda," Hiro advised.

"I'm not concerned for your pet robot right now." Cruz snapped."If this next tranquilizer doesn't work then we may have to put the poor creature down."

Hiro frowned, not only at Cruz's dismissal of Baymax's safety nor even that the officer was considering lethal force, but the Chief of Police was no longer talking to them like they were vigilantes underfoot but speaking down to them like they were children... like they were the same kids he would take out to ice cream once a month.

However, the worrisome thought that they might have been discovered was banished from Hiro's mind when the Krampus broke free of Baymax's grasp, dogged the second dart, and ran down the railway tunnel.

"Blast," Cruz muttered.

"Don't worry. We'll track him down for you." Hiro yelled as he ran towards Baymax, happy to have an excuse to get away. He and the rest of the supers were already half way down the tunnel before Chief Cruz could protest.

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

Varian was the one to find the creature first. The Karmpus was huddled in an alley whimpering as it licked its wound. He snarled as Varian approached.

"Easy now...." Varian said softly as he inched his way forward. "Easy... I'm not going to hurt ya."

For a moment he thought the Krampus would run away again but it stumbled as soon as it tried to put weight upon its paw, and then promptly laid back down with a huff.

Varian untied the bandanna from around his neck, poured some sort of substance on it from his chimbag, and cautiously sat down next to the monster.

"Here... let's see what we can do about that paw..."

He pulled the tranquilizer dart out and the creature howled, but before the animal could even think of hurting him, Varian had wrapped the wound up with the bandana.

The Krampus seemed confused by such an action and sniffed curiously at the piece of cloth around his paw.

"It's just some chlorhexidine." he explained, though he did not know if the monster could understand him or not. "It should help ease the pain and sterilize the wound."

All the Krampus did in reply was to sigh and lay his head on Varian's lap, pinning him to the spot.

Varian resigned himself to his fate as a pillow and absentmindedly began to stroke the beast's fur.

"I know... San Fansokoyo is new and exciting and so full of amazing things to see, there's friends to make and wonderful inventions to discover... but it's also sometimes scary and unfamiliar.... with its own dangers... different from Corona's, sure, but they're still there... hiding just under the shining surface.... and you'll need those friends to help you avoid them, and they will cause they really, genuinely care about you... but... but.... it's still not home......"

The Krampus gave a sympathetic whine.

"You're probably missing the snowy pine forest that you grew up in... aren't you boy?"

Another little whimper.

"And maybe even... even your old friends and your own family?"

Suddenly Varian wrapped his arms around the hairy beast and gave him a desperate hug.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, "I'm sorry, I don't know how to get you back. I've tried and I've tried... and no, I don't want to leave everybody, but... but.... but Dad...."

The Krampus nuzzled his arm in comfort.

"Oh, what are we going to do?"

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

"Cantet nunc io, chorus angelorum;

Cantet nunc aula cælestium,

Gloria, gloria in excelsis Deo,

Venite adoremus

Dominum."

The rest of the gang found Varian and the Krampus in the alley and much to their surprise he was singing a Christmas carol while gently petting the ferocious animal's head.

Said creature was contently purring in his lap. Which sounded more like a motorcycle idling than a furry friend expressing contentment.

Vigor cooed with delight and ran to meet them, throwing his arms around his new friend.

"Well, we finally caught him... now what?" Tadashi asked.

Varian only looked up at him at a loss and shrugged.

"We.... we have to try the portal again, I guess," Hiro said hesitantly, rubbing his forehead in thought. "I know it's not ready yet, b-but it's not like we can keep him hidden in the city."

Varian shook his head, and with some effort crawled out from under the huge beast and stood up. "It isn't just that that portal is broken. We don't even know where to send him to. We're talking about the entire world here. We can't just dump in him Corona, or the middle of the ocean, or 17th-century Istanbul... The point is... We need an energy signature to find where he actually lives, and I've no idea where we would get that."

"Well if we can't send him back, what do we do? Turn him over to Cruz and the animal control?" Tadashi asked

"I don't know if they would know what to do with him either," Hiro said.

"Maybe put him in the Zoo?" Fred suggested.

"They wouldn't know how to take care of him. It's not like mythical creatures are their specialty."

"I know!" Minimax shouted. "We can make him our new team mascot!"

"Great idea!" Fred joined in.

"Oh no... nope" Tadashi shook his head. "For starters, we have way too many exotic pets as it is, and secondly we wouldn't know how to take care of him either."

"I think we may have to ask Carnardist." Varian finally admitted. "She knows more than she's telling us."

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

"Oh, Vigor!" Carnardist cheered with glee as she smothered her long-lost pet with kisses. "Oh, I was so worried. Thank goodness you are unhurt."

As the happy pair were reunited, Hiro made sure that the blanket they had thrown over the Krampus remained in place.

They had called the cafe and asked the older woman to meet them back at her shop, and the supers had to think of a creative way to keep the inter-dimensional monster hidden from the rest of the shoppers; as few as there were today. The best they could come up with on such short notice was a shopping cart with a quilt hastily thrown over it.

Varian awkwardly coughed to gain the lady's attention.

"Yes, malchick?"

Varian ignored the unwanted nickname.

"You were right about the Krampus."

Making sure that no one was looking into the shop window he pulled the cover off.

Carnardist screamed.

"No. No. It's okay. He won't harm anyone." Varian tried to calm the frightened woman down.

It wasn't until Vigor hopped out of her arms and went to hug the creature did she stop panicking.

"See? He's a nice daemon." Hiro encouraged.

"The only problem is we don't know how to send him home," Fred explained.

"And we know you have a portal." Tadashi chimed in.

Carnardist eyes grew dark and she slowly straightened to her full height, even though she was several inches shorter than the teenage boys before her.

"Is that so?"

"Oh stop pretending." Vairan huffed. "You don't want to share your tech with us, then fine. The least you can do is put this guy back where you got him."

Carnardist folded her arms. "There are other ways to move between worlds than your portals malchick, and they require far more than just flipping a switch. I can not 'send him back'. I can not send anyone anywhere."

"Then how did you get here?" Tadashi challenged, ignoring Varian's flabbergasted expression.

Carnardist seemed to relent at this and walked over to a box full of scrolls that had tipped over. She picked one up. "This is the incantation for opening the door." She made to hand the parchment over to Tadashi, before quickly snatching it away. "But! It will not lead you to where you want to go. The window does not open to another world, but a pathway between the worlds."

"A pathway between worlds?" Varian echoed slowly.

"A dark place... an eternity of nothingness that is very difficult to traverse. Only populated by the remnants of dead universes, lost to time eons ago."

"The void," Hiro said softly as realization dawned on him.

"Even if you know where you are going," Carnardist continued. "and know the markers to find, making the journey would require much preparation and immense fortitude. Are you sure you can face such dangers?"

"No problem," Fred said as she finally handed over the scroll to Tadashi. "We're heroes! After battling supervillains, killer robots, and literal monsters, how hard can a little old trip through negative space be?"

"There are things hiding in the dark that are far worse than monsters." She softly warned.

This gave everyone pause. Yet Carnardist would not allow them time to consider her words fully.

"Now get that hairy brute out of my shop!" she yelled, shooing them out the door.

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"Arrggh, where is that toothbru-- Ahhhhh!" Krei stopped packing and let out a girly high-pitched scream when he came face-to-face with a towering beast with horns.

"Sorry to bother you Mr. Keri." Varian waved apologetically as he poked his head around from where he was standing behind the Krampus.

"But we kind of need to ask you a favor," Hiro added as he stuck his head around the opposite side.

Tadashi followed suit as his head popped up from behind the monster's shoulders. "Do you think you got room at that animal reserve for a very rare and exotic inter-dimensional demon?"

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"Baby raccoons!" Honey Lemon squeed when Varian showed off his newest pets.

She giggled and cooed over the tiny creatures as she scooped one up to cuddle. "What are their names?"

"Well there's eight of them, so I thought we could all name one," Varian answered.

"You're seriously not thinking of keeping all of them," Wasabi complained.

"No, Krei is going to keep them on the forest reservation," Tadashi answered.

"But we get to visit them whenever we want." Varian cheered.

"Them and Mr Krampus," Fred added.

"Mr. Krampus?" Gogo asked.

"You had to be there," Hiro answered.

"I'm going to name mine Ferdinand." Honey Lemon announced. "He just looks like a Ferdie."

Gogo knelt down and gently petted one of the babies that was crawling around. "Jane." was all she said.

"The Pacific Northwest raccoon is also known as Procyon Lotor Pacificus" Baymax stated simply.

"Ummm... that might be a bit too wordy for a name, Baymax." Varian gently suggested. "Why don't you call him Lotor for short?"

"'Lotor' it is then."

"Can I call mine trash panda?" Hiro asked.

Varian made a face. "Come on... at least be original."

"Fine... "He randomly pointed to one of the unnamed critters. "That one is now Garbage Breath."

Varian rolled his eyes in defeat. "Okay, then we'll call her by her initials, GB."

Hiro gave a smug smile in approval, but still wouldn't go near the wild animal.

"I'm calling mine Menace." Wasabi huffed.

"That's a cool name." Fred obliviously agreed as he lifted up another raccoon and nuzzled its nose. "And this one can be The Mega Awesome Raccoon Killer, aka M.A.R.K."

"What about you Tadashi?" Honey Lemon asked.

Tadashi screwed up his face in thought. "I think I'll call mine... Rei.

"Did you really just name it that because it starts with an R?" Hiro asked deadpan.

"Yup," he proudly admitted.

"And I'm naming mine Hypatia!" He picked up the last cub, still ignoring the mother who hissed at him from under the 'den' made of a tarp and cardboard boxes. "Isn't she adorable?" He cooed as he scratched her ear.

Ruddiger then climbed upon his shoulder and licked his kit on the forehead; pet and owner shared a proud smile.

#varian #tangled #bh6 #hiro hamada #tadashi hamada #rapunzel's tangled adventure #tangled the series #big hero 6 the series #big hero 6 #ruddiger #vigor the visionary

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bee-snail · 1 year

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Honestly, just because of that disgusting creep Ch**rio I headcanon Varian growing taller than the Baron or the Stabbingtons.

is this tall enough for you

#have you ever watched attack on titan?#NOT GONNA LIE GUYS #I'VE BEEN GETTING SO MANY ASKS REQUESTING TALL VARIAN #i am so sorry y'all #maybe i will do a real tall varian drawung someday #but i do not wish to mingle in the tall varian controversy #therefore #Attack Titan Varian #this is what your requests led me to make #have i made a monster?#i love him BWAHAAHHAHDHSHF #IM SOBBING #i think I'm gonna incur the wrath of the varian fans #tts varian #tts rapunzel #tts fanart #you can tell im scared because of my lack of tags AHDHSFHHSS

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justakidicarus · 4 months

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I’m actually really tired of most AU’s in certain niche’s rn on Ao3

Just like, super tired of specifically the “Jaded Protagonist” trope.

You see it in every single Deku travels through time (or in every time travel AU period)

You see it a good deal of Varian in/during Season 2 AU’s

You see it in most Tommy SBI found family books.

The Jaded Protagonist has just gotten too edgy to me. When every time the character is just biting the heads off everyone else and striking out on their own despite everyone trying to understand and help them, who ch tends to be most of the drama and often leads to OP characters (Especially with Deku) its just not enjoyable to read for me. I understand that this might just not be for me and other people may enjoy these more serious characterisations but it just makes the book feel more bogged down and hard to get through, as the sheer amount of miscommunication these jaded characters bring is the main driver of conflict

I am especially talking about the countless Jaded Izuku fics.

Miscommunication in general has just become so overused and stale to me that it makes a boring plot. X character keeps saying ominous things like “You couldn’t change anything anyway even if you did know so I won’t tell you,” and then we find out that if the characters did know then they absolutely could have helped. It makes me mad at the characters for their decisions and a bit mad at the writer for choosing this of all things as their main plot drivers.

I want more X character time travels to the past but instead of being an edgelord they are a dork who keeps forgetting key details not for plot reasons but because they aren’t relevant in their time and it stresses everyone out.

For example:

Adult Izuku (ArsenAll) on the bus ride to the summer training camp with class 1-A just chilling and chatting happily with the Dekusquad about funny little anecdotes when he mentions Yuga doing an underground mission and suddenly startles so badly from his seat he nearly falls out but Uraraka catches him. The entire bus looks at him as he whirls around and starts profusely apologising to Yuga. No one can tell what exactly he’s apologising for but Yuga is getting steadily more pale.

“Yuga I am SO sorry I completely forgot about the whole- y’know THE THING I mean it really hasn’t come up or been relevant since like- first year but that’s really no excuse and you’ve probably been super stressed about it and I haven’t even mentioned it or thought about it and I can’t even really fix it rn cause it’s a pretty private matter and I don’t really want to share personal details with everyone but you kinda really need to know and argh I am Super Duper Sorry!”

Just like, funny stuff like that instead of angsty going of on his own and destroying every threat with zero help. Enough of the Jaded Protagonsit, bring some light into this dark and dreary atmosphere and environment. We should aim to make our readers laugh not groan in agony from our characters emo attitudes.

#my writing #enough with the angst #my hero academia #dsmp #time travel au #jaded protagonists #tts varian #rant post #rant

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aladyofgoodtaste · 4 months

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A Court of 'It's giving beauty & the beast' and 'Except you can't tell which one is which'

Spring is rotting away. Not just its Court but across the lands as well. Without it, there can be no new beginnings, no rebirths and nature itself will cease to a halt. And thus Fates dictate that a human and a broken Fae must create a miracle together.

Tamlin thinks that the Mother is cruel for the salvation of his home requires another human’s help while Juno curses whatever entity that Isekai’ed her into this shitty ass book series.

AO3

Chapter 3: We’re getting rid of toxic masculinity with this one

1 down, 6 more to go. In the meantime, Lucien & Tamlin re-ignite their bromance

CH 1 | CH 2

The most unimaginable horror has struck within the Inner Circle of the Night Court.

Everyone who is important has gathered outside the River House's healing room, finally waiting for the doors to open. No one would admit it, but they’ve all been counting down the hours, and when they turn to days, the worst starts to sink in. Ultimately, the High Lady puts her foot down and orders them to start taking shifts. Each of them has a role to play in this Court; thus, they can’t simply abandon it.

Today marks the third day since then.

When Cassian drops by after breakfast for his shift turn, he’s surprised that almost everyone is standing guard before the door. “Any news from Madja?”

“She did the impossible,” Azriel replies against the wall. He had the night shift and, thus, was the one who called everyone to be present. “Madja somehow manages to pull Amren from the brink of death despite her… injuries. She’s now been put in an enchanted sleep to stabilise her.”

Feyre bursts into a grateful sob, to which Rhysand immediately brings her into his arms. Elain claps her hands to thank whatever deity out of there for their mercy. Prince Varian slumps hard on the couch. Mor sighs in relief though her expression is still troubled, while Cassian’s tensed shoulders are lax just a bit. It was at that moment the doors finally opened. The Night Court's most trusted and capable Healer emerges. Her ancient figure appears weary as if she’s aged another decade.

“How is Amren?” Rhysand instantly inquires.

Madja sighs, exhaustion creeps into her very bones. “Alive, for the better or worse. Your Second-in-Command’s healing magic can no longer support itself so I had to siphoned most of mine. I did whatever I could to straighten every broken bones and patched up any excessive internal healings.”

“How bad is she?” This time, it’s brave Feyre who asks. The rest of their courtiers are content to follow their lead and listen attentively.

“I won’t mince words, High Lady. Throughout my years as a Healer, this is one of the most horrifying cases that I’ve ever seen.” Madja begins with a look of disgust, and it chills Feyre. “From what I can tell from Lady Amren’s injuries, she was thrown off the House of the Wind’s stairs that it utterly mangled her body. Then there’s an issue with the internal tears on the lower half of her body. There’s no way to say this, but she was violently gang raped, beaten and healed continously; the bruises, semen and handprints were obvious enough. Lastly, she was burned alive; perhaps as an effort to dispose the body? If that’ was the case, the perpetrators used a large quantity of alcohol because the scent lingered. Unfortunately, I can only managed to heal the scorched marks on her legs and arms. The face was too severe for me to do anything but mend Lady Amren’s nose and eyes.”

Elain’s face is green with nausea. She quickly excuses herself for the bathroom while the rest struggles to accept Madja’s report. Feyre and Varian are beyond stricken - the prince runs into the room, inconsolable. Mor is sick to her stomach, and Azriel and Cassian close their eyes; such violence shakes even them.

“Thrown off the 1000 steps, beaten, raped, healed and burned alive,” Rhysand repeats emotionlessly, his face tight. “In that order?”

Madja inclines her head. “Yes, High Lord.”

“Thank you. For updating us and everything. Please do whatever else you can to help Amren recovered.”

The Healer bows and returns to the healing room. To continue the treatment and console Varian. The doors shut once more, and that’s when Feyre pitifully exclaims, “How in the Mother’s name could this have happened!? It’s Amren! Amren, for goodness sake! She’s the second most powerful among us after Rhysand!”

Azriel grimace. “I’m still investigating it,” He was the one who found Amren a couple of nights back. The sight of her became his most recent vivid nightmares lately. “By all accounts, this doesn’t make sense. Amren hasn’t left her apartment at all ever since she got her hands on a rare magical tome. We all are aware of it; she could barely hold herself back from bragging about it.”

“And she personally wards her apartments,” Cassian reminds them, brows furrowing. “No one should be able to enter without her explicit consent or if it’s one of us.”

This new mystery doesn’t bode well for any of them, especially Rhysand. If someone as powerful as Amren could be assaulted right underneath his nose, it means his position as a High Lord is faltering. Not to mention their security risk is now at an all-time high. Velaris should’ve been completely safe from outside threats and with Azriel’s constant presence and shadows, the city is basically assassin-proofed! Doubt begins to seep in. “I’m afraid there’s a powerful enemy roaming within Velaris as we speak,” Rhysand announces, making everyone’s attention turn to him. “Since Amren is my Second, I’ll personally take over the investigation, Azriel. There’s something else I’d rather you look into in the meantime. For now, no one goes anywhere alone. We need to make it a habit of telling each other where we’ll be going from now on. Feyre darling, it will set my heart at ease if you stay here and close to our son. This is the safest place in the entire Court.”

Feyre nods, and a fierce sense of determination burns in her. “I’ll have Elain stay close. It’ll be good if Nyx is familiar with her aunt. Speaking of which, you need to inform Nesta of the situation, Cassian. I know she’s been making progress with her Valkyries, but it’ll be better if you and her could live her for a couple of days until our unknown threat is dealt with.”

“Of course. I’ll fly Nesta in as soon as I can.” Cassian replies.

They easily divide themselves up afterwards. Cassian wastes no time flying back to Illyria for his Mate. Mor joins Madja and Varian in the healing room. Feyre goes to find her sister and son. That just left Rhysand and Azriel who reconvene in the High Lord’s private office.

“How are you feeling?” Azriel asks as soon as the door shuts behind him. He studies Rhysand’s features carefully.

“Unease? Concern? Take your pick, Az.” Rhysand sighs. “Amren has always been untouchable. To find out that she was debased like this…” He trails off, unsure how to say it. If this new threat could easily assault his Second, then it won’t be long before he’s next in line.

“It’s a horrifying wake up call for sure.”

“Amren will pull through; she always has. In the mean time, we can hand this sick bastard on a silver platter when she wakes up. Now, tell me about the leads.”

Azriel’s head slightly jerk to the side, breaking off eye contact. It’s as if he’s ashamed, and that couldn’t be right. “The shadows whisper a lot of things but nothing reliable lately. All I know is that Amren was reading when the attack happened. The layout of her apartment remains just as she left it. Whoever this is, stealth is their utmost speciality. Ward manipulation as well.”

Rhysand runs his fingers through his hair, he can feel frustration bubbling up. “Right. That’s better than nothing. Although investigation is not my strongest suit, perhaps I can detect some foreign magic among her hoards.”

Azriel silently wishes his brother all the best of luck. “And what do you want me to do?”

“Your newest assignment is the Spring Court. I want you to look around for a bit; figure out what Tamlin and his new Mate are up to. She mentioned a strange word during the High Lords' meeting. I’m worried if it might be some kind of weapon.” Rhysand explains, deep in thought. He truly thought he had seen the last of Tamlin, content with the belief that the pathetic High Lord would waste his days away in exile. For him to appear with a Mate in his arm sends off every alarm bell. He’s certain that Tamlin is planning something insidious once more.

“Understood. What do you want me to do about his Mate?”

Rhysand recalls what Feyre said to him. “For now, don’t show yourself to her. She’s human. Feyre dislikes her attitude when she tries to warn the female about Tamlin. She’s ungrateful, rude and strange. It sounds like she and Tamlin make the perfect pair.” He snorts. He can’t imagine any female that can put up with Tamlin, Mate or otherwise. If only he Winnowed earlier…

The two continue discussing the finer details of Azriel’s new mission for about 2 hours. Once the Spymaster is properly debriefed, Azriel excuses himself. He’s about to seek out Mor first before leaving the River House, only for a voice to stop him:

“Is it true? Does Tamlin have a Mate?”

When Azriel slowly turns around, there’s Lucien. He’s dressed as impeccable as well, with his red mane in a ponytail. “Doesn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to eavesdrop, fox?”

“Why would I bother to eavesdrop on your very important meeting with Rhysand?” Lucien counters, rolling his eyes. “I just came back from the Wall and wanted to confirm something. Rumours has it that the High Lord of the Spring Court made an appearance during the latest High Lords meeting with a human. Is it true?”

“…It is.”

Azriel watches as an indescribable expression takes over Lucien’s face. He glares at him. “It would be unwise for an emissary of the Night Court to meddle with the affairs of other Courts.”

“Is that a threat, Spymaster?”

“Take it as a friendly warning,” Azriel suggests. Unlike the rest of the Inner Circle, Azriel is still incredibly wary of Lucien, and like hell, will he ever underestimate this Fae when there are still so many things that they don’t know about him. Especially with his intention on Elain, no matter what he claimed. “The situation is becoming dangerous. You wouldn’t want to end up on the other end of someone’s pointed finger.” The implication is clear - any suspicion activities or behaviours from Lucien would mean his newest living quarters to be in the dungeons. And with that, he stalks deeper into the House. Done with the conversation.

Lucien’s mouth presses into a thin line.

He knows what happened to Amren and hears of the monster hiding in the city. Personally, staying in Velaris and keeping the populace ignorant is a horrible idea. Still, he has a feeling that Rhysand wouldn’t announce anything just so he could maintain any semblance of control when in reality, anywhere is safer than the Night Court right now, and Lucien has always been a survivor against all odds. The Spring Court and its High Lord were once his home and friend, and now with such deep bad blood running between them, would he survive Tamlin once more?

He makes his decision.

“When the curtains call the time, will we both go home alive? It wasn’t hard to realise. Love’s the death of peace of mind.” Juno sings using the broom as a makeshift microphone. She’s currently cleaning the master bedroom. Or at least she was.

Today marks the third day since Tamlin disappeared.

She tries not to feel guilty, it’s a feeling akin to slimy tar. She did nothing wrong! She told him about her powers as soon as she got the hang of it and was genuinely honest when she said she would never use it maliciously against him. That should be enough to prove that she’s not like Amarantha… right?

Juno sighs and stops sweeping. Having a conscious can be a pain in the ass sometimes. No longer in the mood, she strides over to a wholly intact dresser where her phone is blaring Bad Omen’s playlist. “Shit, 60% already? And my power bank is dead AF. I really need to stop using my phone so much.” She mourns the inevitable loss of her screen time. Should she start journalling whatever notes she has about ACOTAR somewhere? No, no - she doesn’t want the deal with the risk of it falling into the wrong hands. At least her phone is password-protected. Oh! That reminds her, she needs to have another serious talk with Tamlin about protection against Daematis and she has just the most hilarious contingency plans!

“A man needs his space. That’s what they always say, right?” Juno muses to herself. She’s torn between searching out for Tamlin and staying in the manor. The magic has been returning to him nicely ever since Tamlin has been training and taking care of himself again, so she’s not worried about him (and she doubts she would ever be, to be honest). “I guess I can give him one more day. We really need to start tackling the Rot soon, though. Democracy is way overdue.”

Suddenly, there’s a sharp ripple in the air, and Juno finds herself no longer alone.

“He was right…”

Juno props her arm on the broom and the other one on her hip as she greets this stranger. “Red hair. Cute eye. Handsome face but not as tall as Maedhros. You must be Lucien - now this is a surprise.”

Lucien tilts his head. “Tamlin told you about me?” He didn’t expect that. He fully resigned that whatever friendship they had before had become painful memories - even the good ones. Lucien also didn’t expect such nonchalance from Tamlin’s human. But Feyre was also once a human. That was a painful lesson Lucien had learnt.

“No.” She beams. “So what brings you back to the Spring Court? Finally missed your bestie?”

She’s strange, evidently so. Lucien has never met a human this blasé, as if she has no care in the world despite that he just came in out of nowhere. Has she gotten used to Prythian and, by extension, Fae-kind? Feyre’s initial hatred of them makes her transition period difficult, not to mention that her life was in danger the moment she killed Andras. Another ghost of the past that Lucien will forever carry. “Curiosity leads me here,” He decided and carefully looked around. The manor is still in a horrible state of disrepair, but judging from the broom, she and Tamlin have been cleaning up. The thought oddly makes him relieved. “You know my name but I never did catch yours.”

“It’s Juno. Just Juno. If you want to talk to Tamlin then you’re out of luck. He’s been wandering somewhere for a few days now. I would play the part of a good host and offer you tea or some shit but we don’t have them right now.”

“No, that’s alright,” Lucien hastily replies, his hand raised to stop her. He’s not sure if he even wants to see Tamlin again just yet. “Thank you for the offer. I just…” He shuts up, conflicted with his wants and emotions.

The human female hums. “I can hazard a guess that you weren’t just curious about little ol’ me. You want to know how Tamlin is doing. Some guilty conscious perhaps? Now that’s a bitch and a half. Well, you can either help me clean up as we wait for the Beasty to return to his lair or vamoose back to whoever you came from. I’ll update Tamlin that you drop by. Heh. I always wanted to use that word - vamoose!”

“You’re unlike any human female I’ve ever met in my travels,” Lucien can’t help but admit. Fascinate and wary at the same time. “The way how you carry yourself and speak are foreign to me. How did you ended up in Prythian?”

Juno throws her hands up. The broom clatters on the floor. “Fuck it if I know! Now are you staying or what? I could use some handy air magic to move the rubbles.”

Lucien supposed he could discover what Tamlin had been up to through his Mate. If he’s lucky enough, Tamlin won’t return for a few more days.

“Sure. Where do you want me?”

“The wing where you guys kept that Mayo Muncher, Yoghurt Yoddler - whatever. Tamlin gave me the green light to do a total makeover when I asked so you’re gonna be my sledgehammer.”

“Did… did you mean Feyre?”

“Sorry! I keep forgetting her name. Now let’s go! I’ll answer any questions you got. Seems that’s a trend with you Faes.”

Unbeknownst to Lucien and Juno, Tamlin returns on the same day. Having had enough of wandering aimlessly and with nothing but the Rot as far as he could see, he made peace with more things in his life. While moving forward is incredibly difficult, he owes it to himself and his Court. It’s not about redemption, but finding means where you can be at peace in life. That there’s a viciously petty goddess in human form living with him for the foreseeable future. All in all, not a lot to work with, but it’s high time Tamlin starts somewhere. With that newfound determination, he made his way back home. When he passes through familiar landmarks, he can hear loud noises from somewhere in the manor.

Panic grips his heart. His every thought turns to Juno.

Still in his beast skin, Tamlin leaps inside and rushes to the wing where the walls incessantly haunt him and old paintings he couldn't bear to destroy nestled in various corners. When he notices the redhead beside his human, Tamlin’s claws immediately dig into the ground, grounding his tracks. Lucien immediately spins around and places himself between Tamlin and Juno, flight or fight instincts taking over. His eyes widen when he realises that it’s the High Lord.

“Tamlin? You’re back! We didn’t expect you.” Lucien greets hesitantly. He glances at Juno, who nods before stepping aside.

The Beast transforms into a Fae. Despite wearing a set of loose white shirt, a pair of brown pants and long blond hair wild, Tamlin is ever the picture-perfect image of a prince. “Lucien. Never thought I’d see you again.” His eyes glance at Juno. He doesn’t know what to feel when she shakes her head.

Lucien, for the record, scoffs. “The feelings mutual. The last time we spoke, you were more beast than Fae. There was nothing that I said that could get through you.”

Tamlin takes a step back, his hands ball into fists. Seeing his reaction, Lucien ducks in shame.

“Ok. Y’all need some real talk,” Juno decided, eyes shifting from the two of them. “Get it out of your system but please don’t destroy anything, alright? It’ll be a bitch to clean up afterwards. Actually, wait. Go stupid, go crazy; if this entire wing blows it, it’ll be easier for us to build something new!” She gives them a thumbs up and skedaddles without looking behind.

“Your Mate is something else.” Lucien says in apropos of nothing. “She’s not the kind of female I imagined for you.”

Tamlin sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. He wants to correct his once best friend that the Mate thing was just a ruse so that they could easily dupe the other High Lords and their own Mates, but since they no longer have that trust between them, he instead replies, “Did she forced you to help her moved the rubbles?”

“In exchange for information,” Lucien answers without shame. “Though it were mostly about her. I sensed that she speaks the truth but then again, I’m not Morrigan. It doesn’t help that most of her words makes no sense to me.”

“It’s just how she is,” Tamlin settles instead—his demeanour changes, opting for a more serious stance. Slipping into the role of the High Lord has long become his second skin. “Though the fact that an emissary of the Night Court not only trespassed into my home, he was also in close proximity to my Mate. That’s a crime that deserves death. Did you forgot, Lucien?”

The redhead slowly shakes his head, sorrowful, given his history. “Never, High Lord.”

“Then why are you here? Did Rhysand send you?”

“No. No, Tamlin. I came here on my own accord.”

“Why!? Why now and not… not before!? Not after you left me for good!”

“I just need to know that you’re doing alright!” Lucien shouts, his voice thick with despair. “You were my friend, Tamlin! You gave me a place, a home, when I lost everything I knew! I will never forget what you did for me. And to me. You lost yourself so quickly that no matter what I did, I couldn’t reach out to you anymore. I tried, Tamlin; I did! But you were so hellbent on drowning in your emotions that I could hardly recognised you. And then after what Feyre did to the Spring Court ever after I told her that we needed you as an ally - ”

Tamlin swallows roughly. Feyre was the breaking point, shattering whatever he had left - pride, reputation, respect and a long-time friend. But it wasn’t all Feyre’s doing in the end, was it? He’s mature enough to admit that. Mother, what a situation they find themselves in. “I’m sorry.”

Lucien’s jaw is instantly on the floor, gobsmacked. Go big or go home, Juno muttered that once when she tried - and failed - to follow Tamlin’s easiest recipe for a lemon cake.

“I’m sorry. I-I regretted hurting you the most. You were a good friend to the very end. May you found someone worthy of your trust and affection.” A knot untangles in Tamlin’s heart. A burden released finally. It doesn’t matter if Lucien refuses to accept his apology. It’s a closure that he never knew he needed. Though he feels slightly lighter, he’s also tired. When will he truly be free of exhaustion?

“Thank you,” Lucien says when he finds his tongue again. “That means a lot to me. Is your new growth thanks to your Mate?”

“Please, that woman is many things. Vulnerable conversations isn’t one of them.”

“Ah. I reckon she’s a handful?”

“That’s a gross understatement…” Tamlin mutters. He clears his throat awkwardly. “If you’re not here on Rhysand’s orders then it’s not safe for you to be here, Lucien. His paranoia knows no bounds.”

Lucien nods. “Watch your back, Tamlin; your Mate’s too. I fear a new threat is upon us. Oh, and you didn’t hear this from me but a certain Spymaster might be lurking around soon. Remember; you didn’t hear it from me.”

The thought of Azriel snooping around, looking for his weaknesses and potentially sabotaging what they’re trying to do should enrage Tamlin. Instead, he’s not bothered by it. Not anymore.

“I appreciate the heads up. My Mate will handle it.”

Azriel lands in the middle of a forest of the Spring Court.

The moon hangs high in the night sky. It’s not as pretty as the canvas above Velaris.

It’s dead silent, Azriel notices. Even the nocturnal animals are nowhere to be found, which kicks the Spymaster’s heightened senses into overdrive. He purposely avoided landing anywhere near Tamlin’s manor as a precaution; better to play it on the safe side in case the High Lord is roaming around in his Beast form. He tried asking Elain if she Saw anything out of the ordinary, but all she gave him was Tamlin and Juno cooking dinner together. Azriel couldn’t imagine someone as feral as Tamlin to be so domesticated, but he wisely kept that to himself. He thanked Elain for the trouble, though.

The dry leaves crunch underneath his boots as Azriel emerges from the looming forest. The shadows that dance behind the trees whisper all sorts of things to him:

“Sick. Sick. The lands are so sick.”

“One with us. The Beast is one with us.”

“The young can no longer grow.”

“The winds of change carries vengeance with them.”

Concerning but not useful at the moment. He scrutinised his surroundings; nothing but a barren wasteland as far as the eye could see. The landscapes are hardly recognisable that for a brief moment, Azriel wonders if he’s even in the Spring Court. Everything is either dead or dying.

Azriel begins his reconnaissance as methodically as possible - taking in every detail he can see before making his way to the manor, mindful to keep to the shadows in case of any surprises. Unfortunately, one surprise did catch the Spymaster off guard.

He was so focused on the world around him that he failed to notice the thick tree stump 3 steps before him, causing Azriel to slip and fall hands first into a pile of animal faeces. It’s still warm. He curses his luck; he’ll never salvage his pride again if Cassian and Rhysand know about this! He quickly regains his composure and flies to the nearest lake to wash off. It didn’t take long for him to find it.

The lake's surface is murky grey, intensely so even when reflected by the moonlight.

“Azriel… my sweet boy. Will you turn around and look at your mother?”

He stops washing his hands. Blood runs ice cold as he realises the gravity of the situation.

“My son… can you hear me? Please, just… turn around so I can see how much you’ve grown.”

His leathery wings tuck close by instinct, a habit of curling himself small so he could fit on his mother’s lap when he was a boy. Azriel’s body shakes as it takes his entire willpower not to turn around.

“Azriel? Oh, sweetheart; I forgive you for abandoning me. You just need to TuRN aRoUND.”

More voices from all around him. More Bogges closing in on the Illyrian - surrounding him. The very air ripples with malignant intents. The hair on the back of his neck raises in alarm when he feels phantom claws running down his arms. A mockery of his mother’s hug. This doesn’t make sense! He thought that there were none left in the Spring Court!?

“Azriel… are you going to be just like your father? Turn around if you still love me. Turn around!”

He can’t fight the Bogges. Not in their intangible form, and acknowledging them will mean instant death. Shit, shit! He needs to fly away; he needs to retreat -

Cold, wet hands suddenly grab his. He instinctively jerks away, but it’s too late - a swarm of deranged water-wraiths cackled as they drag him to a watery grave. Sinking and sinking and sinking, the surface is getting farther and farther away as the wraiths attack a struggling Azriel. They claw his face, gnaw on his legs and dig into his torso, tainting the already filthy water with blood. He manages to draw his sword, but his swings are slow as they cut through water while the monster deftly dodges his every attack. Some even mocked him. When a pair begins pulling at his wings, panic and pain set in. His brain asks him a question: Die via drowning or consumed by Bogges?

Azriel chooses neither. With a powerful burst of his wings, the pressure pushed the water-wraiths away just enough for him to swim back up and into the sky. He has to retreat - he needs to - his injuries are too deep, and one of the Water-Wraiths manages to claw him in the eye. He can’t heal on land where the Bogges await their meal.

It’s with deep shame that Azriel fly back to the Night Court. His mission is abandoned for now.

In the manor in the distance, Juno watches the speck of black dot vanish between the stars. She raises a glass of water in his direction.

“Better luck next time, Ass-riel.”

#lady writes #fanfic #acotar #anti ic #anti sjm #pro tamlin #modern girl in prythian au #cw: rape #cw: violence

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chrysochroma · 3 months

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Febuwhump 2024 Masterlist!

@febuwhump i made it babeyyy! thank you so much for organizing this, i had a lot of fun!!

Total Word Count: 25,212

Day 1: helpless - “show us some good entertainment"

Hermitcraft, Teen, 1.1k

TW: blood, violence, broken bones

Day 2: solitary confinement - within your walls (desire, desire, till there’s nothing left of me)

Hermitcraft, Teen, 2.4k

TW: Kidnapping, Torture, Human Experimentation, Temporary Character Death

Day 3: ALT 4: human weapon - These are the Glorious Days (TGD) Ch 1: Slice, Come Paradise

Generation Loss, Teen, 1k

TW: Major character death, Blood, Flashbacks

Day 4: ALT 1: human shield - Starting With Them

The Owl House, Teen, 1k

TW: Possession, blood, violence

Day 5: rope burns - Black skies change to blue

Tangled the Series/Varian and the 7 Kingdoms, Teen, 1.3k

TW: Blood, Injury, Rope burns, Tourniquets

Day 6: “you lied to me” - Everything Moves Ch 1: So many angles, so many lines

Varian and the 7 Kingdoms, Teen, 1k

TW: crying, yelling, betrayal

Day 7: suffering in silence - TGD Ch 2: I give you the Judgement of God!

Generation Loss, Teen, 1k

TW: Dissection/surgery, Derealization, Graphic description of dissection

Day 8: “why won’t it stop?” - Kill The Rabbit (KTR) Ch 1: Eclipse

Original Work, Mature, 3.4k

TW: Arson, Death, Derealization, Panic Attacks, Scars, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

Day 9: bees - Futurum Ch 1: Humanity

Original Work, Teen, 1.2k

TW: Death

Day 10: ALT 9: lightning strike - Sacrosanctity

Original Work, Teen, 1k

TW: blood, lightning, cult ish

Day 11: time loop - KTR Ch 2: Waxing Crescent

Original Work, Mature, 3.2k

TW: Murder, Blood and Violence, some Very distasteful discussion of suicide

I just realized that i forgot to make a tumblr post for it but its too late for that now so

Day 12: ALT 6: immortality - In a Tulip Field (Tulip) Ch 1: Always More

Original Work, Teen, 232

TW: discussion of death

Day 13: “you weren’t meant to get hurt” - Everything Moves Ch 3: So many ways to see the sunrise

Varian and the 7 Kingdoms, Teen, 1.2k

TW: Violence, injury, crying

Day 14: blood stained tiles - Neon green and scarlet red

Danny Phantom, Teen, 857

TW: Dissection/vivisection/surgery, self loathing, bad parenting, blood

Day 15: “who did this to you?” - Rusty Repair Kit (RRK) Ch 1: A Bright Red Poppy

Hermitcraft, Teen, 658

TW: Mourning

Day 16: came back wrong - “You don’t remember?"

Malevolent Podcast, Teen, 642

TW: yelling, swearing

Day 17: hostage situation - I’m Gonna Win Ch 1: I’ll be Bloody and Bruised

Traffic Life, Teen, 100

TW: Defeathering, Violence, Reference to past trauma

Day 18: too weak to move - Thrill of the Chase

The Magnus Archives, Teen, 162

TW: Violence

Day 19: “please don’t” - Everything Moves Ch 2: To keep the pulse alive in you

Varian and the 7 Kingdoms, Teen, 594

TW: Yelling

Day 20: ALT 7: last words - Tulip Ch 2: Those Who Remember

Original Work, Teen, 187

TW: Discussion of death

Day 21: unresponsive - “All you have is your fire"

Traffic Life, Teen, 100

TW: Unconscious

Day 22: “you weren’t meant to be there” - I’m Gonna Win Ch 2: I’ll be Laughing Alone

Traffic Life, Teen, 200

TW: Yelling

Day 23: presumed dead - Tulip Ch 3: For Them

Original Work, Teen, 181

TW: Discussion of death

Day 24: “i’m doing this because i care about you” - Molten Gold

Traffic Life, Teen, 959

TW: Kidnapping, Flashbacks, References to past trauma, Fire powers, Yelling

Day 25: ALT 5: CPR - Make a mercy out of me

Hermitcraft, Teen, 200

TW: Drowning, Burns, Crying

Day 26: “help them” - Boogeyman

Traffic Life, Teen, 100

TW: Violence, Betrayal, Lying

Day 27: left for dead - RRK Ch 2: Bloodstained Gears

Hermitcraft, Teen, 842

TW: Violence, Blood

Day 28: “no…not like this” - TGD Ch 3: Hail His Majesty!

Generation Loss, Teen, 100

TW: Panic, Yelling

Day 29: not allowed to die - Success

Traffic Life, Teen, 100

TW: Panic, Suicidal thoughts

#writing #creative writing #febuwhump #febuwhump 2024 #masterlist #masterpost

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vulpes-fennec · 1 year

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The Fae Equality Initiative (Ch. 8) 🌊

Summary: Tarquin, High Lord of the Summer Court, has sent ripples of shock throughout Prythian with his plans to eliminate discrimination against Lesser Fae. When the Night Court is invited to send a delegation to Summer Court, Elain Archeron can’t wait to show everybody what she’s capable of on her first official Inner Circle assignment. Little does she know that Tarquin has also recruited Lucien Vanserra’s assistance…

In this chapter, Elain and Lucien go on a lil sushi date in Adriata 😊

Read: Ch 1 | Ch. 7 | AO3

Velaris libraries were often dimly lit by small green lamps of faelight, filled with dark wood and jewel-toned cushions. Nesta and Feyre called it cozy. Elain felt “eye-strain” was a better descriptor.

But it was a different story at the Summer Court. The library section of the Summer Palace was illuminated by the enormous windows providing beautiful views of the sea. Even the colors of the walls themselves—white, pale green, and light blue—mirrored the moods of the ocean. The sun reflecting off the water threw rippling, translucent ribbons across the ceiling, making Elain feel like she was in an underwater cavern.

Her stomach was delightfully full from breakfast with Balthazar and Varian in their little suite: a delicious bread made with bananas, a drink of coconut “water” (not as sweet as juice, but not as creamy as milk, though Varian said coconut “milk” existed), savory stewed black beans, and a fresh fruit called pineapple.

Balthazar had made plans with Sona, the Spring Court water wraith, and Jaime, a Day Court scholar. Something about resolving tensions between Fae species, he had said. “Do you want to join us, Elain?” the Illyrian male had asked.

Elain had politely declined, for she planned to research the origins of the High Lords and Prythian’s magic at the palace library. Oh, and she wanted to find books related to Seers, as well. The librarian, who had webbed hands and slightly scaled silver skin, graciously directed Elain to the nonfiction section.

Elain picked up two thick volumes and wandered through the tall shelves of tan, weathered wood for additional light reading. The Summer Court had huge sections dedicated solely to the tropical plants that flourished in the heat and humidity. She couldn’t wait to visit Adriata’s botanical gardens.

Suddenly, a vibrant red flashed in between the spines of Coconut Cultivation 101 and Caring for your Coral Reef. Elain’s breath caught as she did a double take, realizing that Lucien was walking down the corridor, holding a small stack of books.

Lucien?!? What is he doing here? Elain hadn’t seen him since their little chat in the garden two nights ago. He hadn’t sought her out, either, and she’d assumed he spent his days avoiding her. After all, she’d been a crying, foolish mess in front of him. What kind of male would want to deal with that?

Yet her heart leapt with excitement at his handsome face. Elain crept discreetly around the bookshelf, watching as Lucien settled down at a large table. Despite her rational thoughts urging her to keep her distance, Elain was fascinated at how Lucien moved with grace, carrying himself with the poise of a lord.

But Lucien hadn’t seen her yet. So Elain tried to discreetly draw his attention by strolling down the aisle and past his table. Her relaxed demeanor belied the fact that she was holding her breath.

Eye contact with Lucien’s mismatched eyes had his golden eye flashing like a bolt of lightning. The brilliance of the metal eye made Elain far too timid to plop herself down in front of him. So she dipped her head in quick acknowledgement, before sitting down at the next table over. Elain opened her book, still acutely aware of the male sitting several feet away from her.

Lucien was definitely glancing over at her in between pages of his book. She could tell from the tell-tale click of his eye and ripple of his red hair. But Elain herself was unable to concentrate: the words swam around the page, she read the bottom of the page before the top, she couldn’t—

“My lady.” A thrill raced up Elain’s spine. Lucien had walked over, and was gripping his books apprehensively. “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

“No! No, not at all.” Her voice sounded high-pitched and awkward.

Elain’s legs trembled under the table with anticipation as Lucien took a seat across from her. With his tan breeches, loose white shirt, navy jacket complete with nicely creased lapels, and his flaming hair tied in a low ponytail, Lucien reminded her of those swashbuckling, handsome pirates from romance novels. She could easily envision him gripping the helm with those broad, tanned hands. Regally looking over the horizon with the spyglass. Slashing a curved sword in defense of treasure.

Concentrate, concentrate, she told herself. But after rereading the paragraph again, she took another quick glance at Lucien. And what he had in front of him. Human-Fae Collaboration: A Short History. Scythia Politics. Spell-cleaving Techniques.

Having Lucien across the table from her had Elain’s stomach twisted in knots. How could someone look good while reading?!? From the way his red hair gleamed molten in the daylight to the soothing clicks of his golden eye, every detail pertaining to the male commandeered Elain’s full attention.

Elain held herself with ladylike stiffness, acutely aware that Lucien would notice every sigh, every page-turn, every yawn she made. This was her first time sitting in close proximity to him, for such a prolonged period of time. I have to look studious, so I don’t annoy him with my fidgeting, she fretted.

Three hours passed by, and Elain still wasn’t sure if she’d absorbed anything from her books. She could see that Lucien hadn’t made much progress either—he was still stuck at the first quarter of his book on spell-cleaving techniques. So much for a productive morning of research.

“I think I’m done reading for the day, my lady,” Lucien announced abruptly. “Please excuse me.” He stood up with a casual stretch.

He’s leaving? A foreign sense of panic seared through Elain. “Oh. Erm…I’ll come with you!” she cried. Lucien merely dipped his head in acknowledgement. Elain felt like a frazzled fledgling bird as she hastily got up, following Lucien to deposit her books on the librarian’s cart.

“Are you eating anything for lunch?” Elain blurted out as they exited the library. Gods, what a silly question to ask! she realized, feeling even more foolish. Of course he will be eating something if he’s having lunch!

“I…yes. Perhaps whatever is available in the palace kitchens,” Lucien replied with uncertainty.

The cogs of Elain’s brain were going haywire. Why would he ask to sit next to me if nothing was going to come out of it? He’s not even looking at me as he walks away! Is this it?!?

Elain gulped. It was unspeakable for proper ladies to ask gentlemen to share a meal. Yet, she found herself stammering, “If you don’t have any plans…I was wondering if you could give me a tour of Adriata. And we could…could get some food together?”

Lucien halted his steps, his expression unreliable with his back to her. Elain wrung her hands anxiously, waiting for his answer.

“Of course, my lady.” Elain smiled with relief at his affirmation. Lucien gave her a wry grin. “Have you ever tried sushi?”

***Lucien***

Elain’s pale skin had been flushed with excitement as they made the journey across the water, and Lucien had found her very pretty in her flowy pink dress. Lucien from a week ago would have never imagined sitting down with his mate for a meal in the Summer Court. He’d taken her to the homely sushi restaurant he’d frequented after the war with Hybern. It was a hole-in-the-wall type of place, but the food had always been fresh and the restaurant owners were kind.

“Is sushi related to fish?” Those were Elain’s first words to him as she scrutinized the menu. Ah, shit. Lucien forgot to take into account that not everybody liked fish, especially raw fish.

“Yes, it’s a dish you can find in the seaside cities of the Summer and Dawn Court,” Lucien explained. “It’s…it’s raw fish, actually. Served in rolls of rice and seaweed, and with other condiments.” Elain’s brown eyes widened at his descriptions.

“But if you don’t want to eat raw fish, there are still plenty of other things on the menu,” Lucien said hurriedly. “There’s soup and salad.”

“No, I can try sushi. I just don’t know what to get…I suppose I’ll have what you have!” Elain closed the menu and gave him a shy smile that made his heart inexplicably flutter.

“Alright, then.” Lucien called the waiter over and ordered two rolls of sushi, a fresh fruit bowl, and two sashimi sampling platters. The fruit bowl was a precaution, since Lucien was pretty sure Elain was pretending to be excited about sushi out of politeness. Awkward silence fell between them again. Elain was looking everywhere but him. And Lucien had refilled his water glass twice already, since he resorted to sipping on it when he didn’t know what to do.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why were you reading about High Lord history?” he broached. Talking about books seemed to be a safe subject.

“Ah…I wanted to understand how magic manifests in the Fae. I know some are more…powerful than others, and the delegations said that the degree of power was tied to one’s social standing,” Elain explained hesitantly. As if she was carefully choosing her words before she spoke. “I’m also curious about how High Lords are chosen.”

She took a delicate sip of her water. “What about you? I saw that you were reading about the humans?”

“Yes. I was born after the Wall was created. Jurian…he offers interesting accounts, but I wanted a broader picture of the human and Fae relations. So far, Vassa and Tamlin have been open-minded about new ideas, but I’ve noticed many instances of mistrust between humans and Fae.”

“Were you being serious about extending protections and rights to humans?”

Lucien blinked. “Of course I was. Why would I not be?”

“Feyre said that you weren’t very fond of her when she first arrived at the Spring Court. Because she was human,” Elain objected.

Lucien’s metal eye twitched. What else did Feyre tell Elain about me? Hopefully nothing too questionable. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “That was a long time ago. I assure you that my…sentiments have changed since then, my lady.”

Elain assessed him with her warm brown eyes. Lucien half-wondered what she saw in him, what she was thinking about. He knew that his mate had feared—perhaps even hated—the Fae when she was human. And he himself had found humans pathetically weak and not particularly bright up until a few years ago.

How ironic, then, that the Mother made the two of us mates. That I now live amongst the humans, and Elain lives amongst the Fae.

“I haven’t been human for some time, but if you need any input regarding humans, I’m available to offer some,” Elain finally said.

Is she extending an offer to collaborate? Elain implied she felt something towards him during their chat several nights ago, but she also made clear that she wanted to wait before making any decisions regarding their mating bond. The way she put her foot forward today—from her invitation to eat lunch together and now her offer to assist him—puzzled Lucien. Should I dare let myself feel hope? Lucien wondered. Hope that Elain is trying to know me, that this mating bond mess will one day work out?

“Thank you, my lady. I’ll be sure to ask for your input on my findings.” Lucien paused, then added, “if you have any questions about Prythian…well, I’ve been to all seven courts and I am happy to answer them as well.”

“Good, because the book material is very confusing to me,” Elain confessed with a slight blush. Lucien suppressed the urge to reach over and cup her pink cheeks, which looked tantalizingly soft and squishy.

His thoughts were thankfully broken when the waiter brought out the food. Elain’s eyes widened as she took in the vibrant red, pink, and orange slices of raw fish. “What’s the black thing on the outside of the roll?” she asked curiously.

“It’s seaweed,” Lucien said. “But don’t worry, it’s not the kind you just find on the beach. It’s specially farmed and treated.”

“So this is just raw fish?” Her doe eyes were large as she inspected the details of the dish. “I’m sorry if this sounds ignorant, but how do they make sure there aren’t any parasites in it?” Elain lowered her voice so that the other patrons wouldn’t hear.

“This is your first time trying sushi, isn’t it? Don’t worry, the fish is very fresh and it’s kept chilled to prevent decay. As for any potential parasites, they treat the fish with a simple spell that will kill off any potential parasites.” Lucien glanced at the big fruit bowl. “Of course, you don’t have to eat it. I got this fruit bowl—”

Before he finished his sentence, Elain picked up a piece of red tuna and popped it into her mouth. She chewed it delicately, her big eyes darting back and forth as she analyzed the fish.

“How is it?” he asked cautiously. Lucien waited for her to blanch, or worse, start gagging in revulsion.

But Elain swallowed and blinked. “I like it,” she said, with a hint of amazement in her voice.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. What kind of fish was that?” she asked curiously.

“Tuna,” Lucien replied.

“It’s not overtly fishy to me. The texture is odd, but it’s quite soft. And the cold temperature is also refreshing in the heat,” Elain commented thoughtfully. “It was strange at first, but I think I’ll get used to it. I like eating fish, anyway.”

Elain is a chatty female. Lucien realized he liked that. He liked that a lot, actually. “Did Feyre ever tell you I could catch fish with my bare hands?” he asked, amused. It was a bit of a brag, but he couldn’t help himself.

“She didn’t. How does that happen?” Awe briefly flashed across Elain’s face.

“Lots of practice, my lady.” Perhaps I can show you one day, Lucien added silently. If she would have him. If they could return to the Autumn Court without being hounded by his family.

As Elain dug into another piece of fish—this time, it was salmon—Lucien found the way she jumped into new things extremely satisfying. Her eager expression, with her bright chocolate brown eyes, slightly parted pink lips, and blinking dark lashes made something in Lucien’s chest twinge.

“You’re more open-minded to new things than I thought you’d be,” he observed.

“I’m not a picky eater! I’ve wanted to travel to the continent for most of my life,” she replied somewhat defensively. “It’s only natural that I would want to try new things. Get out of my comfort zone.”

The continent. Lucien wished he’d known that before, otherwise he would have bought her some souvenirs from his travels with Jurian and Vassa.

Elain is interested in traveling too? To think of all the places we could explore together…Lucien made a mental note to casually share some stories the next time they talked.

“Is that why you’re here?” he asked.

Elain looked at him, confusion warring in her doe eyes. “I-I thought I should initiate getting to know you? But if you don’t want to then…I’m s-sorry. I must have misunderstood.” Her voice had grown small.

“Oh, no. No,” Lucien stammered, his heart racing. So Elain IS trying to get to know me better! For some reason, that small piece of knowledge made him feel giddier than a child opening Solstice presents. “I only meant, is that why you’re part of the Night Court delegation?”

“Oh, yes. I did want to get out of the Night Court.” Elain blushed, realizing her misunderstanding, that perhaps she may have said too much. Her eyes lighted on the small dishes of condiments. “Anyways, what is this?” She scooped up a bit of the green paste, eager to change the subject.

“I don’t think you should do that, my lady,” Lucien warned. But it was too late.

Elain had boldly taken a rather large chunk of wasabi into her mouth. Exactly three seconds passed before his mate gasped at the inevitable stinging sensation that traveled up the bridge of her nose. Elain flapped her hands in a panic, downing gulps of water while her eyes watered. Despite the sympathy Lucien felt for her, he couldn’t help but laugh at Elain’s ridiculous expression.

Resources linked here!

Read: Ch. 9

Notes: After devoting December to Feysand Month, one-shots, and Secret Santa...I'm back! Thanks for sticking around to read!

#elucien #elucien fanfic #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #acotar #acotar fanfiction

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climbthemountain2020 · 3 months

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Hope of Spring - Chapter 19

Find this also on Ao3

Ch. 18 here :)

Penny was looking out over the snowy-peaked mountains of Velaris, wondering how the stars managed to shine so brightly here all the time, when she got pelted in the head with a snowball.

“Ow.” She whipped around to Nesta, grinning happily at her with hands behind her back. Penny brushed the snow out of her hair and stuck out her tongue.

“Are you coming inside or not, dumbass?” Nesta asked, hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. Penny returned her smile and walked over to grasp Nesta’s outstretched arm in hers, swaying a bit as the fae wine reminded her it was still swimming delightedly through her veins.

“It’s pretty out here, dumbass. I’m sorry if I wanted to take in the sights while I visit.”

“You’re literally here twice a week. Do you not see the sights often enough? There’s chocolate indoors. And dirty books. And an army of tiiiiiny baby pegasi that may or may not be making an appearance later. It is obviously the superior location.” The two wound through the halls of the House of Wind until they reached the private library. Gwyn, Emerie, Mor, Elain, and Nuala were already there, draped over various couches and pillows, treats everywhere, with a fire blazing in the massive fireplace.

“No Feyre today? I thought Amren and Varian had the kids?”

“They do,” Nuala chimed in. “So Feyre is taking the time to sleep.” She grinned. The children of the Night Court were absolutely wild, and the High Lord and Lady notoriously took every break they could to squeeze in a nap or other activities when they had the chance.

Penny grinned and plopped down in a mountain of pillows next to Gwyn and the fireplace, picking up a plate of macarons and shoving a sparkly purple one into her mouth.

“It’s fucking cold outside.” Penny forced out through a mouthful of sugar. “This fire is nice.” Emerie tossed a pillow that hit her smack in the face.

“Chew with your mouth closed, you heathen,” Mor teased, easing an arm around Emerie’s back, draping it over her wings. “Were you raised with beasts?”

“No, just one that she currently lives with.” Nesta joked, earning the same pillow thrown at her in retaliation.

“Rude.” Penny laughed. She’d never really had girl friends, not like this. In the two months since the High Lord’s meeting, she’d begun coming to Velaris twice a week for training with the Valkyries, as well as the occasional dinner and girls night. At first, she had been nervous to join a circle of so many close-knit friends, but they invited her in as one of their own and she’d found she fit right in with them. In a group so large, there was rarely a chance to feel left out or unnoticed–and someone was always prying about wedding plans.

Penny had been content to simply drag Tamlin to a temple and wed him as soon as they’d returned from the summit, but Feyre and crew had caught wind and decided that absolutely not. So, here they were now, a girls’ night a week away from a wedding ceremony. All the plans had been checked and double checked, the dresses and flowers purchased, the food planned, and the guest list finalized. Penny was just ready to be married, having already been mated for months. It all felt rather like a formality at this point, but Tamlin seemed so excited that she could let him have this. She had already planned on forever, but it was nice to see him looking forward to something with such vigor.

She’d never ask, but she got the feeling with how much effort Feyre had put into the planning of everything, that this was her way of silently making up for the past. She knew Tamlin’s last wedding had not exactly panned out, what with her being the runaway bride, so she was doubling down efforts to make sure this was exactly the kind of wedding he’d always hoped for. Penny could deal with that. In fact, the thought alone warmed her heart, and she missed him suddenly.

Training with the Valkyries had been eye-opening and body breaking. She hadn’t known exactly what to expect, having been doing strength training with both Tamlin and Cassian before, but the first day with the girls had just about split her apart. These females meant business, and now, two months later, Penny was proficient with more weapons than she’d ever known had existed before. The camaraderie had been an added bonus that filled her with joy at every turn, and she knew that she’d forged a lifelong bond with these people.

“Penny, when are you going to cut the ribbon? If you do it before your wedding, you could always wear it in your hair.” Gwyn was always pushing her in that quiet yet fiery way. Penny had learned quickly that people took Gwyn’s shyer nature and immediately underestimated her abilities, making her deadly and efficient. It was no wonder that she and Azriel made such a good pair.

Penny leaned back over the pillows, stretching. “Well, shit. Let’s go do it now.”

Mor shrieked. “Ah! Yes! Now?? Like right now?”

“Yes, right now.” Penny jumped back up. Emerie did the same and stumbled.

“But we’ve all been drinking.” She cackled, righting herself.

“Okay, so if I can’t do it, no one will remember. Perfect.” She giggled and began towards the hallway that would lead out towards the large balcony and training ring. “Fetch my sword, Master at Arms!” She laughed uproariously, vaulting over the couches. Nesta sprinted ahead to grab the swords and set up the ribbon, and the girls all filtered out together.

“What are the odds I do this without injuring myself?” Penny mused as she walked outdoors.

“Non-zero,” laughed Elain lightly, pulling the soft blanket she’d brought out with them to cover her belly, now showing very prominently through all her dresses.

Nesta handed Penny the sword and said “Okay, Valkyrie. Show us what you’re made of.” She stood back with the others, crossing her arms and waiting with anticipation.

Penny sidled up to the arch holding the ribbon, positioned herself and the sword, and closed her eyes as the cold breeze fluttered around her, tossing her hair around her face. Though these were just the drunk antics of friends, she knew how important this moment truly was in her heart. If she failed, she could always chalk it up to a night of drinking and try again another time. But she would not fail.

Penny kept her eyes closed and breathed deeply. Almost nine months ago, she’d been another person in another world. Someone directionless and lonely. She’d longed deeply for the push to be something more–to make all those motionless years count for something. She’d found that meaning–or, rather, that meaning had found her. With this incredible group of people, with Tamlin, she had healed. All the different broken pieces of her, scattered to the wind for so long, had been forged into something new, something stronger. And all these wonderful souls had filled the gaps and made her so much stronger than before.

She was a friend, a mate, a warrior. A Valkyrie.

She opened her eyes and, before she could second guess herself, she slashed lightning-fast across the arch. At first, she thought she’d missed it entirely, but then the ribbon fluttered delicately to the ground beneath the arch.

Silence. Utter silence.

Then nothing but screams and shrieks filled the air as all of the females crashed into her, forming a massive, jumping pile around her. A chorus of You did it! We knew you could! One of us! That’s our girl!

The tears came unbidden to Penny’s face as she grasped onto these people who she cared so deeply for now.

“Oh, Penny, don't cry.” whispered Nuala.

“I am just…so incredibly thankful for all of you. Thank you.” She bowed her head and held them all closely, grabbing onto as many of them as she could hold. They surrounded her as the flapping of great wings filled the air above the ring. The girls split apart as Cassian and Azriel let the night air catch their wings and drop them slowly down, and Tamlin and Lucien appeared in the sky above the wards and slammed down to the landing.

“What are all you lovely ladies doing out here so late?” Cassian asked, strutting over to throw his arms around Nesta and kiss the crown of her head as she leaned in.

“Penny cut the ribbon!” Elain said proudly, picking it up off the ground and pressing it into Penny’s hands. She looked down at it as if she still couldn’t believe it herself. Tamlin’s hands came to gather around hers, holding the ribbon with her.

“My little Valkyrie.” He kissed her once. Twice. “I’m proud of you.” She looked up at him, his eyes staring deep into hers.

“Did you and the boys have fun training?” She elbowed him. She loved that he found such companionship within the Night Court now. He and Cassian, especially, had become close in the past months. She knew he’d been sorely in need of male friends, and every time he came with her to the Night Court, she knew his heart opened just a bit more. They’d appointed a small court at home to help when they left for a day or two at a time, and she could tell the time away was doing him good.

“Yes, though Rhys bailed early to go home and ‘sleep’.” Azriel raised an eyebrow as he said the words. He leaned down to whisper, not so quietly, into Gwyn’s ear. “Maybe you and I should go to sleep, too, love.” Gwyn squeaked, turned the brightest of reds, slapped him on the chest, then grabbed his hand in hers and pulled him towards the house.

“Night, everyone!” She shouted behind her, as she and Azriel ran into the house like giggling children.

“A house of teenagers, I tell you.” Lucien grumbled, halfheartedly. “Though, we should probably head to bed, as well. Elain has an appointment early tomorrow. Nesta, do you mind if we stay in the room here tonight?”

“Not at all, if you don’t mind an earful. You know you share a wall with them now.” She shot a pointed look back at the house. “Amazing there aren't any more bat babies running around this city.”

“You’re one to talk.” Penny laughed. “I’ve stayed here enough to know better.”

“I don’t want to hear a word out of you, Miss Briggs.” She shot a look at Tamlin and pointed. “You, too, you great beast.” He laughed and shrugged, lifting his hands in mock surrender. “You are all, of course, welcome to stay here, but I will be heading to bed. Rhys said he and Feyre will be coming up early tomorrow. He found some additional books in Helion’s library that he thought we might be able to look through for more information.”

They’d been doing a great deal of research on everything from her powers, to Vassa’s curse, to Death Gods and more with very little to show for it. Most of what they found was poorly researched and even more poorly translated, but they pushed forward in hopes they would find anything helpful before war was upon them.

Elain had had another vision of the battle with Koeschi alerting them that he was using a human army, Lord Nolan’s army specifically, as well as cast offs from Hybern. Her vision had shown snow on the ground like Penny’s first vision, so they knew the time was coming soon. After the summit meeting, it had been determined that Vassa would send word when she was summoned back to the lake, and that would be the signal for all the courts to converge into the human lands.

Penny hadn’t managed any more visions of the battle, though she’d seen the original vision four more times. Past that, all her visions were of scattered, scrambled, inane things that no one could make sense of. Sometimes, she’d have visions of events that had already occurred, but that wasn’t very helpful to anyone. She’d seen the second task that Feyre and Lucien had faced Under the Mountain once, much to everyone’s displeasure. She’d also witnessed a vision where Azriel, Cassian, and Rhys were chased through the woods of Illyria as children for prodding a sleeping beast. That one, at least, had been funny.

However, the most interesting development was that Penny was retaining more and more powers between contact with the magic of others. She had fire power almost constantly now, and even when she wasn’t focused in on Elain’s powers, she would have small, fragmented visions of things. She recorded each and every vision she had, nonsensical or otherwise, and she shared them all with the Inner Circle every time she came to the Night Court.

Penny and Tamlin had gotten used to staying at the House of Wind when they visited, having become so close with Nesta and Cassian. And the house adored them both, too. When they returned to the room, it had already drawn Tamlin a warm bath with cedarwood oils, and had turned down thick, soft covers for Penny, with a brand new book and cup of tea on the nightstand.

Penny sighed contentedly. Thank you, house. She settled in with her book, sipping her tea until her eyes grew heavy and she laid down. A bit later, she felt the bed dip behind her as Tamlin blew out the candles and lay down behind her, curled tightly to her back. He wound an arm around her waist and pulled her gently back to his chest, breathing deeply with his nose tucked into her hair. She was so close to sleep, so she let herself remain still and quiet so she could drift gently off tucked against him. Then, quiet as a whisper on a breeze, Tamlin spoke into the darkness.

“I can never repay you for what you’ve given me, Penny. This is a life I never dreamed I could have. I love you.” She let the love flow down the bond and embrace her warmly. In that moment, with the hallowed ribbon resting on the bedside table and her heart resting behind her, Penny knew that this was the adventure she’d prayed for.

______________________

When Penny and Tamlin came down to breakfast the following day, Rhys and Feyre had already arrived with large, dusty tomes in hand, and the house had provided a massive spread of food. As people filtered in to sit around the table, Penny grabbed a pastry and shoved it into her mouth. She’d slept hard, though she’d had a few restless dreams that felt like visions, and hadn’t wanted to remove herself from the warm bed or her mate this morning. She kept seeing bloody hands grasped, fire engulfing them both, and shadowy figures darting around them. She felt a little like her head had been filled with cotton this morning, and she wasn’t looking forward to mountains of research. The pastries and hot tea helped, at least a little.

Penny pulled her legs up to her chest in a chair and stretched to pull a large book that appeared older than the mountain itself to her. “Have you found anything interesting yet?” Rhys shook his head.

“I just started looking through them last night, but no, nothing new.” They’d been searching the last few months for any history of someone with powers like hers, trying to see any additional advantage they could possibly have. They felt they knew about as much information as they were going to get about Koeschi. At this point, they were just preparing as best as they could, and looking for any additional loopholes to help them.

They all sipped their tea and ate breakfast as others came and went as their morning’s allowed. A few times, one of them would pause and write something down, but it was all mostly things they’d already come across by this point. After a few hours, and once Elain and Lucien had returned with a clean bill of health for her and the baby, Rhys sat up a bit straighter and shuffled the pages on his book, which caught Penny’s attention.

“Find something?” She asked, tiredly, stretching her arms far above her head and allowing her back to pop satisfyingly. She slumped over onto Tamlin, who also closed his book and leaned back.

“It’s not exactly like your mirroring, but it is sharing power. It’s somewhat like what happened with Feyre and I when we repaired the cauldron. I can barely make out the translation, but it looks like it’s a process of combining magics.”

“Sharing, or mimicking? As far as we’ve seen, I don’t share or take anything, I just copy it.” Rhys nodded, running his hand over his jaw. Feyre came up behind him and leaned over his shoulder to read.

“This seems more like someone borrowing power from someone they trust, so not exactly the same.”

Feyre put her finger to the page and read aloud. “When one has exhausted all of their own power, their carranam can yield their power to them.” Rhys hummed in response, pointing further down the page.

“This isn’t like Penny, though. See? It says here that the power given does not manifest in the receiver as the giver’s power. It only bolsters the receiver’s own power.” Penny deflated, and everyone else at the table seemed to lose the wind in their sails, too.

“Well, it may be a dead end, but it’s the closest we’ve gotten. I can keep checking,” Feyre offered. Penny pushed back from the table.

“I think my eyes need a break. Plus, we need to get back to Spring soon. The last minute planning has me meeting with people all day at this point.” She rubbed her eyes. “Is it alright if I take the book I was reading? I can try to double down on research home.

Rhys nodded, eyes still on the old book he flipped through.

“We’ll see you both in a few days.” Feyre offered, smiling warmly. Tamlin gathered the book Penny had been reading and tucked it under his arm, leading them back to their room to grab their things. As they left the room, he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Don’t worry, Penny. We’re going to find something. There’s still time.”

For everyone’s sake, she hoped so.

_________________________

Penny snuggled farther into the blanket Tamlin had wrapped around her as she scooted closer to the blazing fireplace in their room. It had been substantially colder upon their return to Spring, reminding them in no uncertain terms that the battle with Koeschi was nearing every day.

She thumbed through the old book aimlessly, flipping through the same few pages that she’d already read over and over. She could hear Tamlin rustling around in the study down the hall, so she shut the book, stood, and concentrated on winnowing onto his desk with a smirk. His startled yelp told her she’d been successful.

“Remind me why I taught you to winnow if you’re only going to use it to scare me half to death?” She laughed at his startled expression, leaning in to give him a kiss.

“Come to bed. If I read any more today, my eyes might fall out of my head.” She slumped back onto the desk dramatically. Tamlin let his fingers ghost across her neck as her eyes met his. He trailed them down her collarbones to her chest and rested them over her heart.

“You found something, didn’t you?” Penny’s eyes filled with tears and her lip wobbled as she caught it between her teeth, nodding. Tamlin gathered her in his arms at once and winnowed them to their bed, holding her to him closely.

“I saw it yesterday. I brought the book hoping it was a mistake. I don’t think it is.” Her breathing turned ragged as the tears streamed down her face. “A Death God can only be defeated by power a match to their own. I think it’s me. I have to get close enough to get his power to kill him.”

To his credit, Tamlin held her and nodded, stroking soft caresses down her spine as she heaved.

“Tam, I’m scared. I don’t want them to know, but I’m so afraid. What if this was the sole reason I was sent here? I don’t want to die.” She clutched his shirt in her fists and sobbed. “I don’t want to die. I want to be with you. I want to be old and happy centuries from now. I know it’s selfish, but I haven’t had enough time with you yet. It’s not fair. It’s cruel. I’m finally happy for the first time in my life, and it’s all going to be taken away.” Deep cries shook her body as she curled into him, unwilling to let even a breath of air separate them.

He stroked her hair, kissing her and sighing. “Penny, I will support you no matter what you choose. We can go tell Rhys right now what you found, if that’s what you want. Or, we can burn this book, claim we lost it in the wedding preparation chaos, and no one has to know.” She gave a hollow laugh and wiped at her eyes.

“It’s the right thing to do. It is. But I need to be sad about it first. I just need to mourn the possibility that this beautiful, wonderful life might end before it ever really gets a chance to begin.” She gasped in a rough breath. “I will be devastated if this was all the time that was given to us. But I am thankful for even that.” She looked up at him. “I will always be grateful for this time with you. Even if it’s all we got.” He leaned down to kiss her, slowly and sweetly and thoroughly.

“I love you, Sunshine. No matter what you choose, I love you. That love is not, nor has it ever been, conditional. But if you die, I will go with you.” Her eyes shot up to his.

“Tamlin, you can’t possib–” He held a hand up.

“Let the magic choose someone else. I never wanted this. All I have ever truly wanted is you. There is nothing worth staying for if you aren’t with me.” She closed her eyes as she let the tears drip from her lashes onto his chest.

“We’ll tell Rhys in the morning, then.”

“Until morning, then, sweetheart.”

#a court of thorns and roses #acotar #tamlin #tamlin x oc #elucien #tamlin oc #feysand #tamdemption #gwynriel #tamlins hea #hope of spring

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hybrix-hijinx · 2 years

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🌺 favorite poetic quote from Varian Stone!!!!

So the answer to this one teeeeechnically isn't published yet so here's the next best thing(s)

He squinted hard at Varian, all hard-earned wisdom and speculation. "I owed her," he said carefully, "Some of the best years of my life. You don't just get something like that, Varian, someone like her. When you find them- if you're lucky enough for even that much -you don't just leave them behind."

(CH 1 - Varian Stone and the Wasteland Mirage)

It starts like this.

There is a boy on the streets of a war-torn planet, shaggy and discarded, darting underfoot sly and quick to survive. He does not have parents. He does not have a home. He does, however, have a name.

At six years old, Hugo DuPont stands face to face with the big, mean world, and survives.

(CH 5 - Varian Stone and the Echoes of Truth)

#varigo #not art #detective varian stone(tm)#up to hijinx #writing ask game

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tangledtheseriesdaily · 4 years

Photo

Varian + Tv Tropes

#tanglededit #rapunzeledit #disneyedit #animationedit #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #tvtropes #mine*#ch: varian #multi

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pluviophile-bookworm · 4 years

Text

An attempt at Varian in a more realistic style. This is the first time in a long while that I draw without a reference photo - and the first time I've tried to draw something in a different style from the original. Hope it turned out decently anyway.

#tts #rta #tangled the series #rapunzel’s tangled adventure #tangled varian #ch: varian #varian tts #varian tangled #varian #rta varian #rta fanart #tts fanart #jnk #art #fan art #fanart #queue're bigger than that

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rocksandrobots · 6 months

Text

PotP Ch 53 - Christmas With The Krampus: Part 2

Hiro awoke with a start when something heavy and furry jumped on his stomach, and then jumped off.

"oooofff"

Winded, he sat straight up and saw Ruddiger scurrying out of the room and down the stairs. The raccoon was carrying a dead fish in its mouth and Hiro almost gagged as the raw fishy smell started to fill the room.

Hiro rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the stench; his window was open from where the pet had crawled inside, so that helped. He looked again at the clock by his bedside. It was still four in the morning.

He huffed in frustration and tried to go back to bed.

Only to roll over onto a puddle of cold, wet saltwater that had dripped off of the fish.

Disgusted, he sputtered and sat up again.

That was it!

He got out of bed and stormed after the striped pest.

He found the raccoon in the hallway balancing on one of the heavy picture frames, fish still in its mouth. He wiggled his tail and then took a flying leap toward the foldaway ladder that led to the attic.

Hiro rushed to grab the picture before it hit the ground, while Ruddiger snagged the rope used to pull the ladder down with his paws.

Hiro watched the troublesome pet hang there for a moment as he replaced the fallen portrait.

"Can you not make a mess wherever you go?" Hiro asked in annoyance.

He was ignored of course, as the raccoon's weight started to loosen the ladder and it lowered itself to the floor.

Ruddiger let go of the rope and hopped onto the stepladder in one fell swoop before it even touched the ground, never losing hold of the prize in his mouth.

Hiro reluctantly decided to follow.

He lumbered up the steps and with some effort lifted up the trap door to the upper room, the one that Ruddiger had so nimbly slipped through only moments before.

It took a moment for Hiro's eyes to pierce the darkness.

"Ruddiger?" He whispered as he scanned the small and dusty room piled high full of junk that created ominous shapes in the shadows. Finally, his eyes rested upon a small furry shape that was moving in the dark.

However, it wasn't the friendly family pet that he found.

No sooner than did Hiro turn his head to look at the creature than the creature stopped moving to look at him.

It had fierce yellow eyes that seemingly glowed in the dark, the half-eaten fish was in its paws, and its striped tail flicked in annoyance at having been interrupted during its meal.

The human and wild raccoon stared at each other for only a moment, seemingly unsure of what to do.

Then it hissed at him!

Hiro's eyes widen at the bared teeth. He gulped and slowly retreated from the room, daring not to look away as he did so. He gently closed the trap door, hoping not to scare the creature into attacking, and then bolted down the hall as soon as he was sure the coast was clear.

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

"Tadashi..... Tadashi!"

Tadashi was jostled awake by Hiro's terrified whispers.

"You just couldn't wait could you." He yawned and rolled over.

"No, you don't understand. There's a raccoon in the attic."

Tadashi paused, confused. "Ruddiger?"

"No, not Ruddiger. Come on."

Hiro tugged on his sleeve and Tadashi relented. Thinking to grab his cell phone from the nightstand, he followed Hiro into the hall.

His little brother anxiously waited at the foot of the latter as Tadashi opened the trap door to the attic.

He used the flashlight on his cell to scan the room.

The light landed on a blonde raccoon, just as Hiro had said.

It hissed at him and Tadashi slowly backed away from the sharp teeth.

That's when he noticed the other furry mass writhing under a tarp next to the fearsome creature.

"Well? Do you see it?" Hiro called out to him.

"Yeah... and 'it' ain't the only thing up here."

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

A tear of happiness threatened to spill out of the corner of Varian's eye as he looked upon the scene before him.

Eight little raccoons were huddled together on a tarp in the attic. They weren't even old enough to open their eyes yet as they crawled around whimpering for attention.

"I'm a Grandpa." He sniffed with joy.

Hiro only rolled his eyes at that statement, before casting another wary glace back at the mama raccoon in the center of the gathering.

Said mother was silently hissing at the four intruders, but couldn't really move away as she was still nursing four of the babies.

Varian ignored this warning and sat down next to her and the kits. He gently petted the top of her head. An action that so confused the poor creature that for a moment it forgot to bare its teeth.

"And this must be Mrs Ruddiger! I'm calling you Missy for short, how's that?"

'Missy' of course did not voice an opinion either way.

Ruddiger however was delighted to introduce his children to his owner and so kept picking up the tiny cubs and placing them in Varian's lap. Only for Missy to keep snatching them away as soon as he did, but there were so many of them that all three lost count in the confusing merry-go-round.

"Oh, how cute!" Aunt Cass exclaimed as she watched the scene. "Baby raccoons..... in my attic."

This last revelation was spoken with far less enthusiasm.

"So what are we going to do with them?" Tadashi asked.

"Uh, keep them of course," Varian said indignantly, now juggling several of the babies in his arms and holding them close.

Aunt Cass only gave a weary sigh.

"We're seriously not keeping them... are we?" Hiro asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice.

Varian was going to protest again but Aunt Cass held up her hands to stop any arguments.

Then with a forced smile, she said, "You know what... It's Christmas. We'll discuss the matter further tomorrow, but for now, they can stay for Christmas."

"And you're not just saying that because pest control has the day off today." Tadashi quipped.

"They're not pests!" Varian scoffed.

"Let's just.. go open presents! Huh?" Cass interrupted. "How about that? It's already six and we're all awake. It'll be just like when you were kids."

No one really agreed, but the boys followed her out of the attic anyway. But not before Varian had kissed and hugged his newfound pets goodbye.

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

Tensions subsided once presents were passed out.

Varian got a new Swiss army knife to add to his collection. Hiro got a new video game; Mind Smith Trubo: Racing. Tadashi got a gag shirt with a mustache on it, which he loved. And Aunt Cass was opening up the gift the boys had gotten her, right when the doorbell rang.

It was Krei, loaded down with a bunch of presents of his own.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Oh Alister, you're early..."

"Well, you know me... I can't wait to share the joys of the season. For you."

He handed Aunt Cass one of the smaller gifts.

She opened it to find a very expensive pearl necklace inside.

"Oh, Alister... you shouldn't hav-"

"Nothing but the best for my best gal!" Krei winked and then he practically shoved the rest of the presents into the boys' arms.

Each gift was obviously worth a whole lot but all were horribly missed-suited to their recipient.

"Um... thanks..." Hiro said hesitantly as he wondered what he could do with a diamond-crusted shaving kit.

Tadashi however was already formulating plans to sell his online, it was a solid gold tie clip.

Varian however couldn't even tell what his present was.

"It's a wine stopper, made of pure Koa wood", Krei helpfully explained.

"Cool... maybe we should get some wine and test it out?"

"Uh.. how about no." Aunt Cass was not amused. "Alister, this is all very ... thoughtful... of you, but you needn't go to all this troub-

"Trouble? No trouble at all Cass. Why, it's Christmas! And what better time to spoil people than at Christmas? And speaking of surprises..."

Keri snapped his fingers and caters rushed in with steaming platters of food.

"Egg rolls for breakfast?" Aunt Cass voiced in confusion as plates of dim sum sailed past her.

Tadashi leaned over to Hiro and whispered "I told you" into his ear.

Varian leaned against the kitchen door frame and took another sip of his milk tea. Brunch was over with and the caterers were long gone, along with a hefty tip that Aunt Cass insisted on paying, even at Keri's protest.

They had jostled each other trying to reach for their wallets first, each trying to pay the waiters before the other could. With Aunt Cass saying that it was only fair if she'd paid the tip since Keri had paid for the meal itself, and Keri insisting that he would pay for everything as it was his gift to the family.

The end result was the employees of the House of Yank Sing left with double the pay and a nice Christmas bonus while a full-blown argument between their aunt and the billionaire boyfriend had continued on into the family living room.

Currently, the boys sat back and watched as the adults had their 'discussion', not really taking sides and only mildly interested in what the outcome may be.

"I just don't understand why you're so upset, Cass." Krei huffed, bewildered, as he flopped down on the sofa, sweet bun in hand.

"I'm not upset." Aunt Cass snapped. "I just... I need you to understand that all this is too much... Alister, are you listening?"

"M'mmm missming" the billionaire hummed as he took a bite of dessert.

Aunt Cass rolled her eyes and sat in the recliner with a heavy sigh.

Krei hastily swallowed his food. "Oh Cass, you're making a big deal over nothing. I know you don't want me doing everything for you... b-but it's Christmas. It's a special occasion, you're meant to give gifts."

"Alister... I appreciate the thought, really I do, but a gift doesn't have to be expensive or flashy, or-"

She was cut off by Ruddiger snagging the sweet bun out of Krei's hand and running back off to the attic.

"Hey! Give that back you flea-bitten rodent!" Krei yelled as he stormed after the furry thief.

"Are you sure you even want it back after he's eaten off it?" Tadashi asked.

Krei paused in consideration, coughed, and straightened his tie. "It's the principle of the thing."

"There's still plenty more in the kitchen," Varian said, pointing back to the counter piled high with leftovers. They were going to be eating Chinese for a week.

"Oh, that's the other thing that's bothering me." Aunt Cass moaned. "What are we going to do with all of those raccoons?"

"You mean you have more?" Keri asked, dumbfounded.

"Ruddgier just became a proud father," Hiro said, not without a hint of sarcasm. "We have a whole mess of them up in the attic right now."

"Along with one very scary mama raccoon," Tadashi added, taking a sip of his own tea.

"Well, have you thought to call animal control?"

"We're not getting rid of them!" Varian snapped. "They're family!"

Aunt Cass sighed. "Sweetie... they're wild animals. They can't stay here forever, and it's not like you can put them up for adoption."

"You're aunt's right." Keri agreed. "It's not fair to them to keep them cooped up as pets."

"Also just because you tamed Ruddiger doesn't mean you tame all of them," Tadashi said.

"Agreed," Baymax added. "Non-domesticated raccoons can be aggressive, and can cause severe bodily harm and property damage. It is not safe to keep them."

Varian looked to each face present pleadingly. He was losing ground.

"B-but what are the animal control people going to do to them?"

"Well... I'm sure they'll find a new home for them Sweetheart." Aunt Cass reassured. "Maybe a nice tree in the woods or a.. a den of some sort.."

"And just how are we supposed to find them again?" Varian pressed.

"Find them?" Aunt Cass echoed confused.

"They're his kids!" Varian shouted back aghast. "The love of his life! You trying to separate Ruddiger from his family!"

"Actually the kits could have any number of fathers," Krei stated matter-of-factly. "Raccoons aren't monogamous and typically the dads don't stick around."

Varian gave the billionaire a cold hard stare and stiffened a little. "Ruddiger may be the stepdad, but he's also the dad who steps up."

No one knew how to respond to that.

"Maybe... I don't know... maybe there's a zoo or an animal rehab that will take them instead?" Tadashi offered up as a compromise.

Krei snapped his fingers. "That's it! We're building a new wildlife facility in Muirahara Woods! The plan is to eventually open a summer camp as part of the park. The rangers could keep them on the reserve. They can be a part of the wildlife classes. That way you and Ruddiger can go visit them any time you like."

Aunt Cass's face lit up. "Oh, Alister that's a wonderful idea!"

"I know." The rich man smirked; knowing he had just saved the day as she flung her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How 'bout it, sport?"

Varian considered the proposal. "... anytime I want?"

"Sure. Why you can even volunteer at the park if you want. Help take care of them."

Varian bit his lip in thought.

"Sounds like a fairly good deal to me," Tadashi added as encouragement.

"Alright," Varian nodded in agreement. "that might work."

"Great!" Krei clapped his hands and rubbed them together as he always did when planning a new business venture. "Now the crew has the week off for the holidays so they may not be able to pick up the raccoons until after the New Year."

"I'm sure we can manage till then." Aunt Cass assured as she and the kids followed him downstairs.

"Speaking of New Years. I need to head out and pack for my flight tomorrow. Mother is hosting a society ball in Paris, and I 'must attend since I missed the Christmas fundraising dinner in London'."

"Oh, how utterly torturous for you." Aunt Cass teased.

"Yes, the sacrifices I must make to be a dutiful son. I'd far rather spend New Year's kissing you."

Aunt Cass smiled and leaned closer. "I'll blow a kiss your way come midnight."

Hiro made a gagging motion with his hand as their lips touched.

They didn't notice.

Then Krei was gone with another goodbye, and Aunt Cass waved after him as she closed the door.

"Well, that's one crisis averted." She sighed, right before the door was flung open again with a bang!

"Vigor!"

Everyone turned to see the very frazzled Canardist standing in the doorway. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were wild with fear.

"He took my precious Vigor!" She wailed again.

"I'm s-sorry, but who's Vigor?" Was all the dumbfound Cass could ask. "Also for that matter, who are you?"

The boys rushed forward to help the old woman to a chair.

"She's a... a friend..." Hiro partially lied. "Madme Canardist runs a shop in the mall we like to go to."

"What happened to Vigor?" Tadashi said seriously, focusing on the problem.

"The Krampus kidnapped him!"

"The Krampus?" Varian raised an eyebrow as he handed the woman a warm cup of tea.

She downed it in one gulp.

"Who's Vigor again?" Aunt Cass whispered to Hiro, still trying to keep up with what was happening.

"Her pet monkey." He whispered back.

Aunt Cass mouthed both her surprise and understanding with a silent 'Oh' but didn't say anything further.

Varian ignored this exchange. "The Krampus is just a myth. He's no more real than Saint Nicholas."

"You think so Malchik?" came Canardist's cryptic reply, as Tadashi got her another cup of tea. She had regained her composure and now projected the cool demeanor that they were more used to. "After everything you've seen? After everything you know? How can you be so sure that myths aren't real?"

Varian rolled his eyes. "Because, if all those Christmas stories were real, I wouldn't have caught Dad putting oranges in my shoes when I was three."

"Why would he put oranges in your shoes?" Hiro asked.

Varian blinked in surprise.

"Because he was pretending to be St. Nicholas," he said simply, as if this explained everything.

"Why would Santa Claus put fruit in people's shoes?" Tadashi asked, equally confused.

Varian shrugged in exasperation. "I don't know. It's tradition. Why does he put candy in socks here?"

Hiro and Tadashi had to concur that they didn't know why either.

"I'm sorry, but what does this have to do with a... what was it... Cramp... Cramp-us?" Interrupted Aunt Cass, now completely confused.

"The Krampus!" Canardist roared, jumping up suddenly and lurching around to mimic the monster she saw. "A creature of legend, the Krampus emerges every Christmastide to snatch souls away to drag into the underworld! Over eight feet tall, razor-sharp fangs, claws that can render a man in two, monstrous horns, and a smell like sulfur and rotting onions!" She huffed as if remembering an unpleasant memory, and then she sniffled as tears ran down her cheeks once more. "And it has my wonderful Vigor!"

She broke down into more wails.

Aunt Cass rushed to her side and patted the poor woman on the shoulder to console her.

"It's alright..." She soothed. "It's alright. The boys and I will help you find your pet. Won't we boys?"

"But there is no Krampus." Varian loudly whispered.

"I know that." Aunt Cass whispered back. "but it's Christmas, and she's upset. You wouldn't want Mochi or Ruddiger lost out there, would you?"

Varian rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Of course, we'll help," Tadashi confirmed as he grabbed his coat. "It's the least we can do."

"And Baymax has his scanners. We should find Vigor in no time." Hiro told the old lady encouragingly, as he too put on a jacket.

Madame Canardist blew her nose loudly into a napkin that was on the table and gave him a teary smile of gratitude.

"Here let's get you some lunch to go with that tea." Aunt Cass offered as the boys started to head out."Just call if you need us."

"We will!" Tadashi yelled back.

"We'll also let you know as soon as we find your pet Misses Canardist," Hiro promised.

"And we'll prove that there's no Krampus while we're at it." Varian smugly finished as he grabbed his scarf off the coat rack and closed the door behind him.

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

Vigor's breath hung white in the cool air as he panted. He ran on all fours, pulling himself up onto shop awnings, crawling up escape ladders and brick walls, and flinging himself across rooftops in an effort to escape.

He still heard the lumbering footsteps and howls of the monster pursuing him.

He dropped down onto a deserted sidewalk and ducked into an alley. Only to find himself at a dead end.

Cornered, he turned in panic as something large and hairy jumped down to the ground after him.

The monkey's terrified scream could be heard a block away.

#tangled #varian #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #bh6 the series #big hero 6 #hiro hamada #aunt cass #tadashi hamada #baymax

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