Rosemary @rosemarygrayson - Tumblr Blog

Mason always hated shlepping out to the city to get his new prey. If there was a way to do it without leaving his cabin, he’d choose it in a heartbeat.

When he first laid eyes on the woman up for auction, he was honestly a little dissapointed. She was a tiny little thing, looked like she’d break down crying in the first five minutes. He didn’t necessarily mind the crying, but it made the hunt painfully boring if it was from the get go.

As soon as the bidding started though, she proved the first impression to be wrong. Her choice not to answer at all was encouraging, so he put in the first bid. Quiet he could work with. Quiet could hide. Especially a little thing like that.

The other two bidders were not quiet. At first he could sort of tolerate it, or at least ignore their comments well enough to focus on the task at hand. But after the woman in the chair’s one definitive answer piqued his interest and he upped the amount a bit, the other two started bickering almost non-stop. When Mason met the gaze of the quiet woman, he decided to end the show right then and there. He could afford it, and in that moment, he found it hard to put a price on the sound of those other two shutting the fuck up.

The payment process was simple and quick, especially since he always paid in cash. Since he’d escalated to his full budget all at once, it was even quicker than usual; he just handed over the entire box to them and had them count the bills.

And then Mason was off. He drove her all the way back home in his truck, then parked and carried her the last stretch. She was easy to carry, lighter than previous years’ prey. But that would work to her advantage out here. Still… her clothes left something to be desired. She wasn’t dressed for the mountain cold, and he certainly wasn't about to let such an expensive purchase freeze to death the first night. He’d already set up all the traps before leaving—he’d found out the hard way years ago that it had to be the day of, lest another creature fall into the traps meant for the person he brought home. So he still had some time to change her into some of the smaller clothes he had lying around. They weren’t a perfect fit, but they’d definitely get the job done better than the stuff she had on. He folded those clothes and placed them in the corner of his cabin, unwilling to waste the fabric no matter how flimsy it was.

Finally, Mason got together a bag of some essentials for her to bring with her to further ensure she didn’t die the very first night, then brought her out to the middle of the forest and set her down, waiting for the drugs to wear off and her to wake up.

rosemarygrayson

Admittedly, it was pretty cold. As Kaori stood hidden amongst the trees and did a quick sketch of the clearing, she was grateful for her upbringing. She could imagine that someone unused to mountain weather would be in Hell right now.

She moved quickly and quietly; keeping all of her senses on high alert. Twice, she caught sight of him in the distance and was forced to back pedal through the forest. It was a bit annoying to have to do it while working on this map (daylight burned quickly this time of year), but her only choice here was to work around him or die, so.

Eventually, the sun began to set, and Kaori knew she was going to have to shift her focus. She'd sketched out a decent portion of the surrounding area, though there was a chunk of it that was still missing...Hmm.

Around her was nothing more than the sound of nature transitioning into nighttime, which she took as an indicator that her hunter might also be settling in for the night. Just to be certain, she climbed up again, and located the cabin. The lights were on, and she could see his giant silhouette in the window.

So the monster had a bedtime? Good to know.

She put thirty minutes worth of distance between herself and the cabin before finding a big, long, dry stick. The stars were out now, and with them the temperature was dropping rapidly. Using her fire starter and the stick, she made a torch, and used it to light her way.

While exploring around for a place to sleep, she spots a pathway she hadn't noticed in the daytime. Following it, she finds herself in a gloomy little swamp. Immediately, she feels a sense of serenity wash over her. Stepping closer to the water, she notes that the ground here is softer and wetter than the rest of the forest. All of the wood and leaves are too damp so she doesn't bother gathering kindling from here.

Still, this place had plenty of big bushes and a large, if mossy, hollow log she believes she can fit into. She looks around the swamp, feeling relaxed for the first time since she woke up. She kneels down next to the water, and, after brushing away some of the algae, she noticed that at the bottom of the swamp was a large pile of bones.

“!” Cool~! She wondered how they all ended up down there. Was there an alligator in there? Maybe some of the animals down there had gotten sick on some bad berries and became delirious? Wandered into the water and drowned? And who's to say those were just animal bones? There was a good chance at least some of the pile belonged to a human. After all, there was no way The Creep had only just started his little hunting people as prey nonsense, right? He seemed way too self assured and calm.

Regardless, there was something about the swamp that brought Kaori peace. She felt compelled to stay here for the night, and sat on the log so she could fish out the trail mix from her backpack and have a bit of it. There was plenty left for tomorrow by the time she couldn't stop yawning.

Deciding on the log, Kaori pushed out any plants, rocks, critters, and bugs and then pulled herself inside after putting out the torch. She used the backpack as a pillow and did her best to ignore the cold....

---

She woke up an hour or so before dawn, and crawled out of the log with a big yawn. She's a mess, her hair and clothes with moss and mud all over them. She doesn't really mind, certainly not with all of her other problems. She shakes her head and scratches at her hair to free it of bugs, and then finds a spot behind a tree to pee besides.

Sometime later, she’s finished the map, and is about to leave the swamp so she can start a fire when she catches sight of her captor off in the distance. Quickly, she hides in a bush and watches him. She sees him stop just on the outskirts of the swamp and give it a look over. Somewhere to her left, an animal sprints across some leaves. He takes notice, but instead of coming into the swamp to investigate, he walks along the perimeter; firmly refusing to step over an invisible line that separates the dry dirt from the swampy mud. Because he won’t come in, he doesn’t notice her in the bush at all, and eventually moves on once he catches on to a different sound in the forest.

Huh.

What was that about? ---

Kaori finds herself walking alongside the river she’d found yesterday. She washes her hands and face near the most active part of the waterfall and gathers water in her cupped hands to drink. Ice cold and refreshing~ She can see salmon in the river, and decides to catch one so she can leave the trail mix as an emergency ration. Rudimentary spears aren’t difficult to make, and soon enough she’s got a large stick with a pointy tip to use. Approaching the river, she catches sight of the sun hitting something metal; hidden beneath the fallen leaves. On edge, Kaori, nudges the end of the spear closer to the object, and nearly jumps a foot in the air when the bear trap she’d just activated snaps shut on the spear.

After catching her breath, she realizes that she’s got no other choice but to drag the trap out of the area. The snapping sound had been incredibly loud, and she couldn't risk him coming to investigate, only to see that the trap had been triggered but was empty. What if he reset it somewhere else and she wasn't as fortunate? No, better he not have access to it. Despite it being a giant pain in the ass, Kaori lugged the bear trap all the way back to the swamp and hid it amongst the bushes. She snuck back carefully to the river, keeping an eye and an ear out for the man and thankfully spotting him heading towards the large clearing.

Back at the river, she caught a salmon with the spear. She decided to risk the fire, since eating a fish raw wasn't the best decision health wise. The second it was cooked she started eating it, powering through the heat. She was about to be a responsible camper and out the fire when an idea struck her.

This was his forest. His land. Even if she didn't have to give a damn about it burning to the ground, surely he did? Surely he'd come investigate a smoke pillar if she left the fire going, right?

Time for an experiment.

Gathering her things, Kaori added some branches to the fire and left it unattended. She found a hiding spot that was as far away from the campfire as possible while still being able to see it. Then she waited.

---

When he arrives, she watches him put out the fire and look around for her in a state of disbelief. Haha! He searched the area, eventually noticing that his bear trap was missing. Hopefully he didn't have another one ready to go, but she had no way of knowing that just yet.

Eventually, he left the area, and Kaori decided to enact another experiment. She made her way to the other end of the forest, and lit another fire. When he dutifully arrived to put it out, she grinned to herself.

With this, she could control his movements.

And with that realization, a petty little idea came to her...

#wishfuldecay #ic #hunter's prey #tpofverse

nervousfoxboy

Ren listened intently to everything Rosie said about each of her friends, commenting here and there on the quality of Aaron's or Marcia's work as she showed them to him. To his pleasant surprise, it seemed like he actually did have something in common with each of them...sort of.

Aaron was skilled with make-up, and while he couldn't do the kind of stage make-up Aaron seemed to excel at, he did know the basics well enough to conceal the marks on his face for years. Marcia had interest in photos and film, and while he wasn't an expert in that by any stretch of the imagination, he had developed something of an interest for video over the past few years. Chris, despite having no common hobbies or interests with him, was the one Ren probably related to most. Quiet and still figuring himself out...he could defintely relate to that.

After thanking Rosie for sharing the info about her friends, Ren and Rosie had dinner and finished a bit more packing before washing up and heading to bed. Ren woke to the next day to the sound Rosie talking to (presumably) one of her friends on the phone. He tried to feign sleep a bit longer as she headed into the bathroom, but dropped the act as soon as the door closed.

Rosie's announcement after leaving the bathroom snapped Ren out of his thoughts.

"Wha-what?"

Even if she had established some things he had in common with her friends, he did not fell prepared to meet them so soon. Then again, would he ever feel prepared?

"I-I mean cool! I should uh...go get ready!" He quickly headed to the bathroom to wash up, get dressed, and apply his make up. Once done, he took a deep breath, hid his ears and tail, and exited the bathroom with a smile. It only faltered slightly when there was a knock on the door.

rosemarygrayson

Marcia wasn't deterred.

"Concerts, basketball games, musicals, boxing matches, stuff like that? Movies, arcades, bowling alleys, skate parks, picnics, clubbing, drag shows-" She listed off a number of fun activities, making it painfully clear that he'd stumbled into a den of extraverts.

Rosie piped in helpfully.

"Ren likes cartoons and video games~"

"Cartoons? Like what? Bluey?"

"Like Pokemon!"

Chris perked up at this, and spoke gently to his girlfriend.

"That's anime. Arron's been getting into it."

"Ooooh~ You're right he has." She eyed Ren up again, and smirked to herself. "Oh he'll eat you up won't he~?" It wasn't a malicious look in her eyes, rather, a mischievous one.

Eventually, Rosie called everyone over so they could eat breakfast together.

---

When Arron arrived, the packing had begun, and he barely got into the apartment before launching into a story about how the couple in line in front of him at Starbucks had nearly filed for divorce right there over the barista making a mistake on the husband's order.

Arron himself was a very striking fellow, as Ren would have seen from his pictures. Skin like milk chocolate. Big brown eyes with flecks of hazel that caught in the light. His hair was dyed a vibrant pink and had been braided, along with matching hair extensions, halfway down his back. His ears were pierced; two earrings on each ear. He wore a black turtleneck, slate grey jeans, black boots and a gorgeous burgundy coat.

The very first thing he did was great the girls with hugs and cheek kisses, setting down a series of colorful looking frappes and lattes and then pulling Chris into a side hug as he continued his story.

"So the poor girl is in tears at this point, and the impatient asshole actually whips around to get the rest of us to agree with him and honey you know me if there's one thing I love it's a chance to insert myself into someone else's bullshit and teach a lesson. So I-"

At this point, Arron paused in his story, having caught sight of Ren for the first time. He took a moment to process the young man in front of him, much to the amusement of the other people in the room. Rosie took mercy on him.

"Arron, this is Ren. Ren, this is Arron."

Arron rebooted, and made his way over to Ren with a charming smile. He was the second tallest person in the room, after Chris, so he was quite a bit taller than the fox. He offered a hand.

"Pleasure's all mine~" He said genuinely. Once his jacket was off, he got to work helping pack. Maybe fifteen minutes in, with his superior hearing, Ren would pick up on a hushed conversation Arron was having with Rosie

"Excuse me, my dearest, most wonderful girl. You could have warned me that your new friend was exactly my type. I could have dressed to impress."

"Arron you look like a model 99% of the time. Besides, I told you you'd like him. Isn't he a cutie~? Just...He's going through a rough time right now."

"Bad break up?"

"Something like that. Just be extra nice, okay~?"

"Not a problem~"

#ic #nervousfoxboy #a helping heart #renverse

nervousfoxboy

His ears perked when she offered him a piece of cake, happily taking a bite and moaning softly at the taste. Putting the food into her mouth was even more enjoyable —he didn't take his eyes off of her, even for a moment.

Once Rosie returned to their little nest, she got in his lap, causing him to give her a slightly flustered smile before cuddling up to her.

Asking if he wanted to make out with him was, at this point, a pretty silly question. They'd already kissed, after all. But then why was his heart racing at the thought?

'Making out' was different than just kissing. He'd never actually done it, but he knew it required more. After nodding, he moved closer, and decided to start with what he knew. Maybe she'd take the lead? Surely someone as pretty as her had made out with people before.

He placed his hands carefully at her shoulders and leaned in to press his lips against her, just as they had a short while ago. She was just as warm and soft as before, but now she tasted of cake too. It was a heavenly feeling.

After a moment of savoring the kiss, Ren slowly parted his lips, tentatively moving his tongue to her's as if asking permission to enter.

rosemarygrayson

Rosie let him in; tilting her head until the angle was perfect. Her hands slid under his sleeves, rubbing sensual circles along his warm skin with her fingertips. She led without complaint; teaching him wordlessly and encouraging him with gentle moans. The fingers of her left hand found their way into Ren's hair at the base of his neck. She held his head securely as she leaned her body a little more flush against his. Her breasts pressed against his chest; soft and large and pretty impossible to ignore~

She'd gone into this little make out session fully intending to allow him to get as handsy as he wanted, and she demonstrated this by guiding one of his hands to her butt.

"You're really beautiful~" She whispered, in between breathless little kisses.

#nervousfoxboy #ic #stradeverse #lion's den

nagadoctor

Sano had never really lost hope when it came to finding his brother—he couldn’t afford to, not when accepting the possibility of his death was unbearable to even consider. While he was never truly lonely, especially not since getting engaged to Annabelle, it always felt like there was something missing when Akira wasn’t around.

Despite always believing he would find Akira, it nonetheless came as a surprise when his private investigator arrived at the house one day with good news. Sano had to reign in his own excitement, wary of letting his hopes get too high for this specific lead. After all, he couldn’t begin to fathom why Akira would be staying at some remote village without contacting him all this time. Unless he wasn’t able to…and that brought up a lot of other troubling questions.

But one thing at a time.

The travel conditions were not ideal by any means, but with the war still going on, it was the best that could be expected. The conductor in particular was a strange man, though much of that was likely due to the multitude of health conditions Sano assumed he had. Why else would all of his attempts at communicating with the man fall so flat? Their lack of interaction really seemed to point to more than a language barrier; he only even knew the man’s name was Gugong from his woodworking companions on the train. Part of him wanted to help the man in some way, but it was clear Gugong was looking for no such thing.

Sano was grateful for the food, transport, and little conversation he got, but by the time he arrived at the ‘Town on Gorkhon’ (he was unable to get a real name for it from his companions that spoke), he was more tired than he had been since medical school.

His first impression of the town was relatively positive, though the sheer amount of children playing around the train station without any supervision seemed odd. Perhaps that was a cultural difference. In any case, cultural barriers were the least of his worries—he’d only been able to learn the basics of Russian before coming here, and unsurprisingly, none of the locals spoke English. Making his way into town and learning more about his surroundings was like pulling teeth, but Sano worked through it as patiently as he could. He was grateful to have the patience returned by enough people to get him where he needed to go.

rosemarygrayson

Truth be told, Vincent had been waiting for something ‘important’ to happen to him soon. After waking up before the sun and eating breakfast, he had been sought out by Sabha and brought outside to the Steppe where she had given him a prophecy and a bit of advice Sitting cross legged in the field of seemingly endless grass beneath the old woman who was standing and staring out towards the horizon, Vincent listened well.

“I sense troublesome times are coming...” Said Sabha, who had been with him since his rebirth two years prior. A mysterious woman, both respected and feared by the Kin and the townspeople. Depending on who was asked, she could be described as a guide, a teacher, a motherly figure...or perhaps a mysterious, sinister, inhuman creature that can not be trusted. For Vince himself, Sabha had helped him learn how to function within the walls of the Termitary, and was one of the first handful of people to fully embrace him as Kin. In all of their meetings, she had never once steered him wrong and Vince trusted her implicitly. “There will be many hard choices to make...And some losses that can not be prevented...” Concern settled like a pit at the base of his spine.

“Is...There hope for us? At the end of all the trouble?” She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath of Autumn air and exhaling it through her nose as she rolled her head back.

“Hope? ...Perhaps. Death? Undoubtedly...It will come down to a handful of individuals...And most importantly, the choices of our malen'kiy korol.” Our prince. “I ask of you to support his choices as best you can. His birth was a special one. He is a child of both Earth and Stone. A bridge between they, who take, and us, who survive. But, he needs capable allies in this coming storm. And you will serve him well.” Though his mind was buzzing with curiosity regarding what this storm entailed, Vincent was already nodding in agreement. He loved the Kin as though they were his own flesh and blood family. If supporting the prince would keep them safe, he could do anything for them. Pleased, Sabha nodded, a tiny smile breaking through her expression of detachment. “Be brave, child. And be loyal. You will make us all proud, as you have many times before.” Vince couldn’t help but beam with pride; determination swelling in his chest.

“There is one more thing.” Oh? “In two day’s time, all of the main characters will arrive one at a time, with the storm yipping at their heels. Before that...There will be one more. Another soul. But his journey is unrelated to theirs...For now at least. He will be of particular interest to you.”

“What does he want?” Asked Vincent. The wind picked up, flowing through the wheat colored grass and causing colorful Autumn leaves to dance around them. Sabha looked down at Vince, a knowing glint in her eyes.

“Something only you can provide him.”

nervousfoxboy

To his relief, she accepted his hug, pulling him closer almost immediately. Ren tried to comfort her as best he could while she cried, quietly finding solace in the closeness himself. When Rosie finally spoke, her request caught him off-guard. He’d prayed at home during New Year’s with his family growing up, but he sincerely doubted Rosie was suggesting they start bowing or clapping. How did prayer work for her anyway? She mentioned the floor and a rosary, the latter of which he only had a vague idea about from TV shows. All the same, he figured it would comfort her to pray with her, and maybe he’d find some comfort in it too. Ren folded his hands the way she showed him and closed his eyes.

Please, if anyone is up there, look after that poor woman. And….please help us get home. Or…out of here anyway. Help Rosie get home.

To his surprise, Rosie spoke her ‘wish’ aloud. Was he supposed to do the same? Well, it seemed rude to interrupt her now. He continued silently on his own, opening his eyes only once to check on her when she started speaking in another language. Was that part of it too? Ren quietly went back to his own prayer until he felt her arms wrap around him again.

Rosie seemed to take his reassurance well, and he was glad to hear that it was more Strade than her own pleasure that distressed her. Of course, Strade was usually the problem.

“Not you though. Never you.”

Ren smiled. Despite her earlier reassurances that she wasn’t mad about the night’s events, somehow these five words were what truly confirmed it for him. It really felt like she was saying ‘I don’t see you as a problem.’ And that was new—a soft, safe, warm, and happy feeling. He never felt like that, not even with Strade. As he gazed into her soft, gentle eyes, Ren suddenly felt overcome with the desire to kiss her. He started moving toward her lips, only catching himself at the last second to plant the kiss on her cheek instead. After tonight, the last thing he wanted to do was force something—anything on her.

After their talk, they rested together for a bit before he had to slip away back to his own room. Once he was back in his nest of blankets, Ren drifted off, thinking of Rosie’s reaction to that kiss. Had she known what he was about to do?

----

The next few days were relaxing, with most of his time spent cooking, playing video games, or spending some secret time with Rosie. As usual though, it didn’t last. A few nights later, just as Ren was drifting off to sleep, he heard heavy footsteps come up the stairs and down the hall to his room. His mind raced—should he look up when Strade came in, or would that encourage him? Should he act like he was asleep, or would that annoy him? He’d learned a lot about Strade since coming here, but it was almost impossible to read his current mood without even seeing him. Either way, the fact that he was up here at all was probably not a good sign.

In the end, Ren remained frozen in place, eyes closed as he heard the door open. For the next few seconds, he barely dared to breathe. Then the door closed again, and the footsteps moved back down to the other side of the hall. Ren barely let out a tiny sigh of relief before realizing that Strade was probably going to Rosie instead. Newly tense, he strained his ears to hear anything that might clue him in to what was going on. He heard the faint sound of a groan, the low rumble of voices, and a familiar laugh. But no screams—that was a good sign, right?

After falling into an uneasy sleep, Ren got up to check on Rosie the next morning, only to find her looking back at him from under Strade. Relief washed over him as he gave her a small smile and left as quietly as he came.

----

During package delivery day, Ren was surprised to see packages for Rosie alongside his. It was largely clothes, both functional and just plain pretty. He smiled and nodded at the outfits she showed off encouragingly, but was very mindful of the fact that Strade was watching too. He didn’t dare tell her how absolutely gorgeous she’d look in each one.

Later that same day, Doctor Kojima came over for a routine visit. Rosie went first, so Ren took a seat on the sofa to watch quietly until it was his turn. Unfortunately for Ren, Strade got bored of doing the same pretty quickly. Suddenly, Strade had an arm around him, pulling him flush against his slide as he started playing with his ears. Physically, it felt just as nice as it always did, but any chance of relaxing was ruined by the increasingly eager expression Strade had fixed on him all the while. Soon enough, Strade’s hands wandered under Ren’s shirt, and his teeth moved perilously close to his ears. He could feel Strade’s breath pick up, his grip tighten…

"Strade, I could finish healing her foot."

Never in his life had he been that relieved to hear Dr. Kojima’s voice. Both Ren and Strade looked over toward him but only Strade seemed to know what on earth he was talking about. Strade’s hands slid away as his attention shifted to the other two, leaving Ren to silently wonder what the heck 'glowly hands' meant.

It didn’t take long to find out.

Ren watched in wonder as Dr. Kojima literally healed Rosie’s wound the rest of the way, seemingly by magic. As it turned out, literally by magic. Could he always do that?? He’d known from the moment he met the man that Dr. Kojima wasn’t entirely human, but he still didn’t know what he was, and certainly didn’t dare ask. Rosie had no problem asking all sorts of questions though. Dr. Kojima didn’t seem to mind either; in fact, he almost seemed to enjoy it.

Ren’s check-up went about the same way it always did. Dr. Kojima commented on his diet after doing some bloodwork, doing so in such a way that Ren felt compelled to mutter an apology. It wasn’t that it was scolding per se, and certainly not angry, just…disappointed, maybe? Either way, Ren's response was completely ignored. Other than that, Dr. Kojima checked his vitals and examined some of the more newly-healing wounds for infection. The whole appointment was markedly quieter than Rosie’s.

Once he was done, however, Strade talked enough for the both of them. Ren slipped out as soon as he could to help Rosie in the kitchen, trying to tune out the conversation Strade was having with Sano, especially when it started to focus on him and Rosie. To Ren’s surprise, Rosie gently shooed him out of the kitchen, leaving him to head to his room and wonder what she was up to. Some sort of surprise for him surely, but what?

Soon enough, the smell of chocolate, pasta, shrimp, and something dairy—cream maybe?—made its way up to his room, and he realized she was probably making dinner for them to share. While the gesture was certainly appreciated, he couldn’t help but continue to wonder why they weren’t making it together like usual.

He perked up eagerly as soon as Rosie came back upstairs, but again, she surprised him by not opening the door.

“Ren, dinner’s almost ready~ Do me a favor, okay? Don’t open the door yet. Put on whatever you have that’s nicest.”

“Oh uh…okay!” Whatever he had that was nicest? Ren thought back to her recent purchases. Maybe she was looking for something formal?

But he didn’t own anything like that! Most of what he had in his room was T-shirts, tank tops, shorts, and that one pair of pants and long-sleeved shirt for the colder days. Since the latter two items were more pajamas than anything else, he decided to go with whatever else had the least stains and tears. In the end, he chose a simple black V-neck T-shirt and knee-length dark tan shorts. Unfortunately, he really had nothing for his feet, but Rosie tended to go barefoot too, didn’t she?

Not long after he heard Strade’s car drive away, Rosie came back up with yet another unusual request: keeping his eyes closed while she ‘set up’ something in his room. Ren shut his eyes obediently.

“Alright, come in.”

He sat there quietly, eyes closed but ears fully alert as he tried to figure out what she was doing. He heard the soft clink of plates and glasses, he heard furniture sliding along the floor, he heard her leave and come back with some additional piece of furniture, and he heard….was that Persona 5 main menu music? But then he heard the soft sound of her navigating the menu options. The song that played next was one he recognized from the date scene when you maxed out your relationship with a certain character.

And then it all clicked into place. The secret meal, the pretty outfits, whatever she was setting up right now…this was a date. An overwhelming mixture of excitement and anxiety twisted together in his gut. The closest Ren had ever been to a real date was…actually, he really didn’t want to think about that right now. But a date with Rosie! He’d dreamed about it, sure, but never in a million years did he think he’d get to actually do it. Ren felt his heart racing when Rosie finally came over and led him to his feet.

"Okay~! Open your eyes!”

After taking one last deep breath to try and calm himself, Ren opened his eyes. His mouth fell open less than a second after, and for a moment, he just stood there gaping at her in absolute awe.

Of all the beautiful things she bought, he was 99% sure that dress was not one of them. Or at least, not one he remembered seeing. His eyes trailed down her figure quickly at first, taking it all in, but moved back up more slowly, pausing completely at her chest before making their way back up to her radiant smile.

"You...you look..."

"Amazing~"

For a split second, his gaze moved to his desk. It was set for two—each place with a glass of juice and a bowl of creamy shrimp pasta. His eyes moved back to her.

"You made all of this for…” he almost said ‘me’, but caught himself, “...us?”

“Heh~ Yes, I did.”

Ren tensed up a bit as Rosie walked closer, his heart hammering violently in his chest. The moment he felt her hands around his though, it began to slow.

“I hope you like it,” she continued. “It’s a date~”

He’d figured that much out by this point, but hearing her actually say it made his heart skip a beat.

“Yeah…”

“I love it~” All at once, he was overcome with the same soft, warm, safe feeling he’d had a few nights ago before kissing her. “Thank you, Rosie~”

Rosie leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Ren~ I like you. I'm falling in love with you.”

Despite everything, he hadn’t expected her to say that, not so overtly. As he gazed at her with surprise, his ears twitched. Holding her this close, he could hear her heart racing—feel it too. Was she as nervous as he was? That was…strangely comforting, actually. He took a shaky breath.

“I…”

"I feel the same way. I have for a while now, you're..." Ren took another small breath, trying to figure out how to put all his feelings to words. “You're the most amazing person I've ever met."

Rosie gazed back at him with big, watery eyes just before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into another hug. Her hair smelled like a field of flowers. A moment later, she pulled back, smiling at him once more before slowly moving toward his mouth. Ren leaned in to meet her half-way, just as eager as he was terrified.

And then their lips met.

In movies, first kisses were always full of loud excitement—exploding fireworks and rising crescendos. But this was quiet and warm, like sinking into a bath after a long day. All the fear and anxiety from before melted away as he lost himself in the delicate, soft feeling of her lips.

Once they pulled back, Ren's gaze held nothing but love and adoration as she held his face in her hands, then kissed him again. It was just as nice the second time.

“Ren~” she cooed, touching her nose to his. “What a cute, fluffy boyfriend I've found~"

Boyfriend. Boyfriend boyfriend boyfriend boyfriend boyfriend.

Ren giggled, wrapping his tail around her. That made her his girlfriend too, didn’t it?

"What a gorgeous, soft girlfriend I’ve found~" he replied as he moved in for a third kiss. He let this one linger a bit longer than the others, savoring every second before finally pulling back and giving her the most confident smile he’d ever had since setting foot in this house.

“Shall we~?”

rosemarygrayson

"We shall~" Rosie pulled Ren over to the desk and took a seat in front of her pasta. She waited for Ren to sit before putting her hands together in prayer and shutting her eyes with a smile on her face. Inside, she was full of contentment, relief, excitement and gratitude.

"Thank you for bringing us together. Though we find ourselves in a sea of torment, so long as Ren and I are together, there is a little oasis of peace, even here. I promise to get out of here with him, and to live well, and find justice for the souls lost. I pray for our happiness. Both in general, and together~" ❤️ She opened an eye and looked at him, regarding him affectionately. She was a little surprised to see that he was already looking at her, but she didn't mind~ "Amen." Dinner was scrumptious, and rightfully so, she'd poured love into each part of it. While eating, it was hard to keep her eyes off of Ren. "How is it~?"

"Amen~" He waited until she took the first bite to start eating, but then dug in, though his eyes rarely strayed from her. "It's amazing~ I think this is the best pasta I've ever had." Pleased, Rosie reached out a free hand to hold his, which he took eagerly.

"There's cake too~ Double chocolate." His eyes widened a bit at the sound of that.

"That's literally my favorite flavor of cake~ Once we're done, do you want me to bring it up?"

"Help me bring the dishes down. We'll load them in the dishwasher and then cut ourselves cake~" Strade had definitely seen her preparing it, not to mention the fact that he'd bought the ingredients himself. Sooo, as much as she wanted to keep all of the cake for herself and Ren, she'd have to save Strade some undeserved deliciousness. "Then we'll come back up here, and enjoy cake and kisses~ Sound good?" He nodded, looking extremely pleased with that idea.

---

Rosie made a pitstop to her room, grabbing all of her pillows and some blankets too. Now that she knew Strade was willing to buy her things, she was considering a few other necessities, like a nice thick comforter~ She set up a little cozy nest for them, and then sat down next to Ren, who had both of their plates. She wrapped his tail around her lap, and the blankets around both of them, and snuggled closer, taking her share of cake.

"What's that cute thing the characters in your manga say before dinner?"

"Itadakimasu~" He answered, and Rosie followed suit, taking a bite. "Mmmm~" Chocolate was such a cure for the soul~ She watched Ren's expression eagerly as she chewed, and was pleased to see that he was really into the cake. After swallowing his bite, he turned to her and said; "This is incredible!" He snuggled against her. "You're amazing~" Rosie's eyes rolled back for a moment, and she was drunk on the straight hit of serotonin that was the combination of literal sugar and Ren's metaphorical sugary sweetness~ Fucking Hell she wanted to eat him up next~ After a pause, he looked back at her with a softer, almost shy expression. "You know, there's another phrase that doesn't really come up in anime a whole lot...."

"What phrase is that~?"

"Aishiteru. It means...well. Technically it just means 'I love you,' but it's not really the same as in English. My mom said it was 'daisuki da' yori ōkī, bigger than even really liking someone. I always wanted someone I could say that to." He gave her a big smile. "And now I do~"

"!" That was a lot to take in, but in the best sort of way. Wasn't he being way too cute?? How was this even fair? Leaning in, she gave him a big kiss. What else could she possibly do? "Mi piaci così tanto~" She touched her nose to his and nuzzled, wishing things could stay just like this~ With much hesitation, she pulled away from more kisses to get back to the cake. Rosie was in the middle of commenting on how interesting it would be to grow up in a house where there were four languages being spoken at any time, when she suddenly gave herself a light face palming.

"Ren...We're huge dummies." Naturally, he looked confused. She tucked her fork into what was left of her cake and held it up to his mouth. "I was so caught up in first date bliss I forgot cheesy romance 101. Aaah~" It was a quiet sort of bliss to feed him, and when it was her turn to be fed, Rosie was hard pressed to look away from Ren for even a moment. With their plates cleared, she left the nest just long enough to place the dishes on top of Ren’s desk to be dealt with later. She moved the blankets aside for a bit, just long enough to get back under them. Instead of sitting beside Ren, however, she sat right on his lap, straddling him. She wrapped the blankets back around them and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You wanna make out~?” Even if it might seem a little silly to ask now, after they’d shared many kisses, Rosie was determined to get the clear and enthusiastic consent Ren deserved~

#Stradeverse #ic #Lion's Den #Nervousfoxboy

wishfuldecay

Rosemary's expresion made it difficult to regret the decision he just made. Even after she left, those bright and gentle smiles stayed with him like a warm glow of sunshine lingering on his skin after going indoors. But such a warmth was always ephemeral, and soon enough, he was left with the cold realization that he let her walk out the door.

He let her go.

Lawrence sat on his bed and stared at the new number in his phone for a while. It was his last connection with her, and likely the only way he'd be able to reach her again. He switched to Vince's number, staring at on of their recent chats and wondering if he should ask for help with the situation sooner than later. This was, after all, much more difficult than just burying a body. Once she went to the cops, it was going to be a whole mess of things that stressed him out even just think about. He switched back to Rosemary's number.

"....."

rosemarygrayson

Stepping back inside Lawrence’s apartment filled Rosie with a clashing mixture of both anxiety and peace. Anxiety, of course, because she was once again in the home of a man she knew had the capacity to kill her. But there was also peace, because with Lawrence came reminders of the river, of the blissful nothingness that awaited her on the other side. This particular version of Lawrence seemed to be really trying this time, the scale tilted more towards ‘friend’, rather than ‘enemy’. Rosie slipped off her shoes near the front entrance and began putting away groceries while Lawrence got to work sliding and turning his eight locks into place. For the most part, she’d gotten him non-perishable items, though, since discovering that his fridge did actually work, she’d brought a few fruits and vegetables, some microwavable meals, and a little cake as well~

She heard Lawrence approach the doorway of the kitchen and was keenly aware that he was watching her. She kept him in her peripheral vision while she worked and was pleased when he offered to help her. His cabinets were a bit out of her reach, so she put him to work putting away anything he wanted to store there. To her slight surprise, he had a question for her about the audition, which she answered with a hopeful tone of voice. Top fifteen was pretty dang good, especially for a dead woman! Actually, she’d never had a conversation about her passions with Lawrence before. He was an artsy guy, maybe she could invite him to watch?

“Do you like ballet, Lawrence?” His answer was ‘no’, or rather, ‘not really’, and she couldn’t quite keep the disappointment from showing on her face and in her body language. Fortunately, he seemed to have misspoken, and took a moment to collect his thoughts. Rosie left him alone while he did so, setting up her burger and fries on a plate, and pouring her soda into a glass in the meantime. Eventually, he tried again.

“I've…never really seen one before. I never really had an interest because…I've only been to the theater once, for a play. A-and it wasn't a great experience. Too many people.” She had to concede that that definitely made sense. She smiled at him in a sympathetic way, but he continued. “But if it was… you dancing…I'd like to see it.”

“!” What the heck? That was adorable?? Rosie couldn’t help but be a little charmed by the offer to try, to make an exception for her. Her expression quickly melted into a sweet one of gratitude. “The stage at the Austen Theatre has those balcony seats where you can sit by yourself or with a friend~” She suggested, carrying her food over to his desk and setting it down. On the way past him, she let her fingers graze gently over his arm. Gentle affection~ “I’m glad you feel that way because I’d love to dance for you~” Popping a fry into her mouth, she had a thought. “What sort of stories do you like?”

"Stories?" He paused a moment, thinking. "I like small stories. Not in length, exactly but...focused ones, I guess. Ones you can sit with and get to know a few characters. I like stories about death that focus on those dying, but not in a tragic way. Soft...quiet decay." He moved to sit down on the bed, still looking pensive. "I like stories with that aren't just about good versus evil. I like stories that don't rush, that aren't afraid to let you sit and experience them. Maybe that's why I like dance...I've never seen one live."

Thinking of some movies or books to recommend him, she munches and listens. Gloomy, but poetic! "Do you prefer tragic endings?"

"No. But there are some stories I think are supposed to be tragic that I don't...really think are. I don't like when the hero dies for someone else. It feels..." He trails off, trying to find the word, but coming up short. "....well. It takes more courage to live, anyway."

She's enjoying this conversation. Asking Lawrence about art was the right idea. "Hm~ Have you seen Phantom of the Opera? What do you think? Aesthetic gold or overhyped~?"

"I've heard of it. But I've never seen it since I didn't want to go to a theater...I guess there is a movie though, right? What do you think of it?" She adored it. Pleased as punch, Rosie launched right into telling the story.

"It's about a woman who works at a famous opera house. She gets a chance for a lead role when the ghost haunting the theatre scares away the prima donna. She wows everyone with her voice because she's been getting singing lessons from an angel sent to her by her deceased father. As it turns out, however, her angel and the Opera ghost are the same man." She's been telling the story with all the tonal mystique and intrigue it deserves and is clearly having fun doing so. She’s only egged on when Lawrence starts to look genuinely interested.

"The Phantom of the Opera is a disfigured musical genius, living in the catacombs beneath the Opera house. He fell in love with Christine, and he uses whatever means necessary to make her a star. A childhood friend of Christine's comes back into her life, Viscount Raoul, and he immediately falls for her, wanting to rekindle their old connection and charm her. The Phantom becomes jealous." Likewise, her tone becomes sinister. "While Christine and Raoul become engaged in secret, the Phantom shows his hand and kills one of the cast members, hanging him from the rafters."

"Now that they know he isn't fooling around, he uses his influence to force them to perform an opera that he wrote, where he sneaks onto the stage to dance and sing with Christine. She realizes it's him and unmasks him. He flies into a rage! He grabs Christine and forces her into the catacombs with him, determined to never let her go again. Raoul follows and the two of them sword fight. The Phantom wins, and he's about to kill Raoul, but Christine declares that she will marry him, and live with him, and love him, if he lets Raoul live. She kisses him, to seal her choice, and the fact that she's giving up everything for him shakes him to his core."

"Despite it breaking his own heart, he lets them both go, vanishing into the darkness, the only hint of him being a single rose left on Christine's grave decades later." Finished, she looks at Lawrence with a big grin. "What ’cha think?"

".....wow." He's silent for a moment or two, taking it all in. "I'd....go with you....to a theater to see that. In balcony seats." Rosie beams at him, feeling for the first time that maybe there was a chance of a real connection between them, beyond the River, and certainly being killer and victim.

"I'll see if there are any showings coming up~"

Vincent Metzger was already hard at work when Lawrence was due to clock in. There were two big orders to fill, followed by three more small ones that he'd tackle after lunch. He was holding a conversation as he lifted a two-hundred-pound sofa by himself and carried it into the eighteen-wheeler. He paused, his nose picking up a familiar scent.

"Whoop~ There he is." His co-worker, Dan, peeked out the window.

"Sure is. How do you do that?"

"It's my superpower~" said Vince with a grin. He left Lawrence alone to clock in an get settled before heading over to him. "Hey~ We're in for an easy night."

#wishfuldecay #ic #lawrenceverse #tightly woven

The Sand Plague Returns

The curtain rises on a quaint village nestled deep within the Russian steppe. The season is mid-Autumn. The skies are tinted with a hazy hue of yellows, reds, oranges, and browns. Pollen travels on the breeze; the musky scent of twyre and blood and Earth. The sounds of village life are ever present at this time of day. The braying of cattle and the joyful screams of children. The barking of dogs and mewling of cats. The birds that have not quite begun their pilgrimage to warmer climates hang around in tall black trees full of colorful, dying leaves. It's still warm. The turning point from late sunshine to early moonlight has yet to transpire.

A cargo train chugs along the track that connects the village to the city over hundreds and thousands of miles away. It takes five days to ride from there to here, and the train only comes every two weeks on top of that. There are very few human passengers seated among the goods. This isn’t a train meant for people, and as the vehicle travels further and further into rural territory, the ride becomes rockier and less pleasant. Two men are sitting on a wooden crate as they talk about why their lives have led them to this quiet town. The older man is here to deliver an order from the city. He works for a company that handcarves chairs and tables, and he’s here to bring them to the customer. The younger man, a doctor in his late twenties, is here for a very personal reason. Though he does not share the full details with his companion, the story is such:

#The Sand Plague Returns #Pathologicverse #ic #nagadoctor

A Full Blown Affair

[The Auction House]

For the most part, Celia Lede’s attention was rapt; taking in the details of the presentation and immediately identifying any flaws that needed to be worked on before the proposal could even consider being moved into the next stage of development. She wasn’t writing any notes herself. Instead, the sound of a pen moving deftly across a notepad was a constant source of reassurance for Celia that her personal assistant was jotting down every word with the speed and precision of a seasoned court stenographer. Celia’s body language was that of a calm, confident professional, breezing through another day in the corporate kingdom she’d helped nurture into what it was today. Deep inside of her heart, however, there was a thunderstorm brewing. It had been two weeks since Celia’s visit to the Auction House that was owned by her favorite ‘Midnight Streamer’. A trip that had ultimately ended in failure for her, despite the months of effort it had taken to secure her slot in the first place. It took concentrated effort for her to keep her thoughts on something other than that little blue booth and everything that connected her to it.

Three years ago...Three years since the first ‘little incident’. Her first foray into truly forbidden territory. After years of pent up frustrations and declining sanity, she’d finally gone for it. She’d taken a life. It had been disgustingly simple to do, all things considered. Asking a naive, doe-eyed intern to follow her inside to help her move something. Taking him through the building via a route that missed the eyes of any cameras. Bringing him into a building that no one used anymore and making up some bullshit about how the delivery men made a mistake and were too lazy to come back for the packages. Bashing him over the head with a hidden fire extinguisher and climbing on top of him with a knife in her hand while he convulsed in pain. Stabbing him over and over and over and over again. Wrecking his body until parts of his flesh resembled little more than pulp. Being more aroused than she’d ever been before in her entire life. Bringing herself to orgasm over his mangled corpse. Collapsing next to what was left of him and feeling truly content for the first time in a very long time.

#ic #A Full Blown Affair #tpofverse #nervousfoxboy

nervousfoxboy

It took Ren a moment to figure out what Strade meant by ‘see if she’s like you,’ but once he realized, his ears fell, and his mouth curled into a frown.

Strade knew this was something Rosie was sensitive about, so of course he would take a jab at her over it. There wasn’t much Ren could do with his feelings of anger and frustration though, so he tried to focus on holding the poor woman’s legs open. It was hard not to watch Rosie’s fingers slip into the other woman’s pussy, working their way in and out until they were coated in what little lubrication there was. It clearly did nothing for the woman though, and the string of obscenities she started throwing at Rosie only made him cringe more.

When Strade pushed Rosie on top of the woman, Ren let out a small gasp and let go of her leg—not that it mattered at this point with Rosie on top of her. For a horrible moment, he thought Strade was about to drill into Rosie, but instead he just pressed the back end of the tool between her legs.

Rosie’s moan shot right thought him, causing his face to flush ever-so-slightly. And it only got louder when Strade tugged at her hair. Just as he started to become aware of the warm feeling pooling at his groin, the woman Rosie was on top of practically hissed at her. When he shifted his gaze to look, the expression she was giving Rosie was absolutely withering.

Oh.

A fresh wave of hatred washed over him, one so potent that he kept his gaze away from Strade just in case. He was doing this on purpose! Of course he was.

rosemarygrayson

After her bath, Rosie had crawled under her blankets and waited in the dark for what felt like an eternity. She listened to the sound of Ren leaving his room and entering the bathroom for his own bath and trusted him to listen out for Strade before coming to see her, which she was strongly willing him to do. Eventually, she heard his voice outside of her door, and she couldn’t help the needy way her own voice cracked when she responded. He closed the door behind him and Rosie started moving her pillow and blankets out of his way. Once he was in reaching distance she pulled him as close as possible and wrapped herself around him. Absolutely miserable, she moved his stupid collar as out of the way as she could so she could tuck her head under his chin. Fresh tears welled up in her ears as she clung to him. She whimpered whenever she thought about the woman in the basement and what they’d done to her.

Ren held her tightly, letting her cry, and tearing up a bit himself. After a moment or two, he started to rub her back and gently wrapped his tail around her after adjusting the blankets to cover them both. Rosie shut her eyes and focused on Ren. She listened to his breathing and his heartbeat. She appreciated the smell of his body wash and the softness of his skin. She enjoyed the fluffiness of his fur. Ren...

"R-ren we have to....We have to pray...Ren..." It vaguely occurred to her that she might have been asking too much, after all, Ren hadn’t mentioned being particularly religious. Thankfully, he seemed willing to try.

"How...how do we do that?"

"W-We should be on the floor but...Let’s just do it in bed this time...Ugh...I wish I h-had my rosary." She was fortunate to have not taken it with her to the diner the night she’d met Strade. Not only would her Grandmother’s rosary have been destroyed in the kiln, Strade would have even more ammunition to use against her for psychological torment. She really, really, really, had to hide her religion from him; it was up there with ‘my friendship with and crush on Ren’ on her list of things she couldn’t let that lunatic know about. Rosie put her hands together and had Ren do the same. She snuggled closer once they were both ready. “Just make a wish, Ren.” Best to keep things simple. “Ask God to take care of that woman. And...To open up a path home for us.” Ren made his wish in silence, while Rosie whispered her prayer under her breath. Though she started in English, she eventually transitioned to Italian. She was trembling as she prayed, her hands clasped together tight enough to be uncomfortable. When she’d reached the end of her prayer, she wrapped her arms back around her friend. “I’m so sorry he did that to you...” She whispered. Ren, arms wrapping back around her in return, blushed a little as she spoke.

“O-Oh.” She felt his tail along her back, its presence adding an extra sense of security. “I’m...I’m sorry he did that to you...All of it.” He clung to her. “A-And I’m sorry that I...W-Well...” It wasn’t hard to figure out what he was apologizing for. Even though she’d been aroused by the sight of him at the time, with a clear head, she could see why he’d be disgusted by himself. She nuzzled her cheek against his.

“I’m not mad at you...It’s not your fault. Being here with him is so confusing, a-and the body can be so weird...” She sniffled. “And he’s the one that made you take it out.” She heard Ren let out a small sigh of relief.

“Y-Yeah I...I guess you’re right.” He smiled ever so slightly to himself, if only for a moment, and then looked at her more seriously. “You too though. You don’t have to feel bad about...” Rosie perked up, regarding him with big ol vulnerable eyes. She knew he was referring to her masochism, the thing Strade had seriously used against her tonight. “....There’s nothing wrong with you.” Said Ren firmly. Rosie’s bottom lip trembled.

"I...I wish it wasn't him though...Like...Like if I have to like....Pain or whatever." Was it just the pain? She was scared when he shoved her down, but it also sent a thrill through her. There was something about him pinning her down that she couldn’t get out of her head either. There was a word for it... “I would have had an easier time accepting it if I’d figured this stuff out with a nice boyfriend that got rough in bed, rather than that awful bastard. Then I wouldn't want to die about it..." Ren nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He reached up to dry her eyes a bit. “He’s the problem.” It was nice to hear Ren say that. To know that he understood. Rosie held Ren’s face in her hands and kissed his forehead.

“Not you though. Never you.”

“You think so...?” Ren had such a cute little smile that Rosie thought about kissing him again. Before she could, however, Ren was the one to move closer. Rosie’s heartbeat started going crazy, even when he changed his obvious trajectory towards her mouth and pressed his lips to her cheek instead. “I’m so glad I met you.” He whispered.

Rosie, stunned by the jolt of adrenaline and pleasure that had just shocked her system like a lightning bolt, was at a loss for words for several seconds. A blush spread across her face, and, to stop herself from grabbing him and kissing him and making love to him right now, she buried her face against his chest, gasping softly and trembling in his arms from the effort of self-restraint.

‘Not like this not like this not like this-’ Eventually, she was able to speak. “Me too. Ren~” She chanced a cheek kiss of her own, but then went back to hiding. “I wish we could fall asleep together...” She whispered. Ren nodded, cuddling her close.

"So do I...I'd give anything just to stay here with you all night. But maybe...we can rest for a little while longer." It was the best they could do so long as they were under Strade’s roof. Rosie agreed, and rested against him in silence until she drifted off in his arms. Sometime in the middle of the night, Ren had to sneak out, leaving her to a thankfully dreamless sleep.

----

#stradeverse #ic #nervousfoxboy #lion's den

Scarlette Fever

[The Auction House]

The sound of the engine purring wasn’t what woke her up. Instead, it was the bumpy ride that had jostled her into beginning to stir, which she did with a groan. The drugs were slow to wear off, which resulted in vertigo and nausea as her kidnapper didn’t bother to slow down at all despite being off-road.

“Blegh...” Was all she could say, as the world around her came more and more into focus.

“You up back there?” A distressingly familiar voice shouted to her, sounding excited. “Fucking finally! Oi!! Don’t you dare puke on my bike! You hear me??” Looking up at him, the woman he had strapped down on the back of his quad bike blinked until she could get a good look at him.

“It...Really is you...” She whispered hoarsely. Though she’d come to this conclusion back in the Auction House, she was still shocked to see him here, and dressed like he was staring in Mad Max or something. “Derek...What is going on?”

Scarlette Gauthier; 25, long and fluffy red hair; big blue eyes; youngest daughter of a billionaire. Derek Goffard, the unpleasant man she’d known since he was an equally unpleasant little boy, barked with laughter she could only describe as ‘cruel’.

“How fucking stupid are you? You seriously can’t guess? Figure it out, bitch.” He spat, and then roared with more laughter as he kept driving. Scarlette narrowed her eyes at the back of his head, resorting to her usual tactic with Derek, which was to go full neutral and ignore him as much as possible. He absolutely thrived on attention. Preferably the sort of attention that was the result of causing discomfort, embarrassment, and pain. For years she’d been pissing him off just by refusing to react. Besides, she didn’t need him to tell her what nonsense he was up to this time. She could piece things together on her own.

#Scarlette Fever #ic #tpofverse #OKAY FINALLY THE IDIOT IS YOURS NOW HAHAHAHA #in flagrante delico #gore #noncon

nervousfoxboy

'Nurse Rosie.' Suddenly Ren's mind was flooded with images of Rosie tending to him in a skin-tight nurse's outfit that barely contained her voluptuous breasts and only came down to just past the edge of her butt. It certainly kept him occupied for most of the initial treatment, though once she got to stitching him up, he had to focus a bit more on trying to minimize the noise.

He was pretty practiced with it at this point, and since it was Rosie, he could actually cover his mouth with his free hand without worry. All the same, a few moans and whimpers were inevitably audible through his fingers. Still, she was gentler than Strade, and her movements went more carefully when he made noise rather than less.

The offer to help him bathe was unexpected, to say the least, but he didn’t put up much resistance to the idea. He looked over at her briefly before fully undressing, and felt a small sense of relief when he saw her looking away. Which was ridiculous, she’d seen him naked, but…

Once he was in the water, he looked back up to see her smiling and blushing a little, which made him do likewise. The rest of the bath was absolutely heavenly; the feeling of her fingers in his hair and on his skin, the intoxicating aroma of roses and patchouli, and the gentle sound of her humming a song he didn't recognize made him feel more at ease than he had in a long time. Again, he couldn't help thinking of how different it was from intimacy with Strade, even without the more violent aspects of it. The smallest differences, like that little giggle when his ears twitched against her skin, completely transformed the experience in a way he couldn’t fully place just yet. Even the way she ran her fingers across his bare skin was different; it was slower, more affectionate than hungry. There was no fear or unease to mix with his enjoyment of the sensual touch. When she slipped her fingers between his, he felt his heart flutter.

rosemarygrayson

“Not bad~” He reached forward, tearing the woman’s panties down the middle. “Let’s see if she’s like you after all. Go and check~”

#lion's den #stradeverse #ic #nervousfoxboy #in flagrante delicto #gore #noncon

Hunter's Prey | The Swamp Monster's Bride

[The Auction House]

Beneath a tight canopy of treetops, sitting peacefully on the stump of a tree he’d felled himself, a large, burly mountain man sits and waits for his companion to wake up. Patience was a gift, really, it was, and up here in the mountains, where time could slow down to a crawl, patience was a friend he’d made long, long ago. Curled up on the ground by his feet was a young woman, a tiny thing, sleeping away the precious daylight. He glanced over at her as he adjusted the tension on his crossbow, looking for any sign that she was beginning to stir. Little did he know, she’d been awake for several minutes now.

‘...He’s humming to himself. He’s fiddling with something too, something metal by the sound of it....’

Kaori Saionji; 19. Japanese. Fluffy short brown hair. Possibly cursed. Several hours ago she’d been bought at some sort of underground auction for people. Several hours before that she’d been minding her own business and making her way hurriedly through the crowded city streets. She’d h a t e d it; hated the claustrophobic feeling of being surrounded on all sides by strangers with their leering, judging eyes. It wasn’t supposed to be a long trip into the city either, just a check-up at the hospital that she’d been putting off for literal years. It had taken a lot of nagging from her best friend to pressure her into going, but she’d eventually caved.

“For your health!” Tsumiki had insisted. “You never know what could happen!”

It was after Kaori had left the hospital, clean bill of health in hand and was on her way to the bus that she’d been grabbed by a stranger while passing by an alley. It was tremendously rotten luck for sure. But it wasn’t exactly the first or even second stupidly awful thing that had happened to her, so she could hardly claim to be surprised that it was time to confront yet another challenge.

But back to the present.

Several hours had passed between her time in the Auction House and now. She’d been asleep for most of those hours, thanks to being drugged, so she didn’t know how far away from her house she was. She’d woken up maybe ten minutes ago, and managed to remain still enough that the man who’d bought her hadn’t realized she was awake just yet. It gave her time to get her bearings at least.

Her face and her hands were cold; the mid-November air picking up now and then to nip at whatever skin was still exposed. She can tell that she wasn’t wearing her dress anymore, and was instead in some sort of pants, and maybe a jacket? They were nice and warm at least. Her hands were tied behind her back. She’d been placed on the ground and was lying on the grass. Outside. Thank God. She’d been right that the man who’d bought her was probably the one asking about camping. How deep into the woods were they? Were they up in the mountains? If only she didn’t have this stupid blindfold over her eyes.

.....

Deciding she was awake enough to be able to use her brain effectively, she took a deep breath and rolled onto her back, hinting that she’d finally begun to wake.

“Oh!” He said immediately. He sounded very close as he stood up. “Lookit you, already awake.” He nudged her in the side with his booted foot and she turned to look in his direction despite the blindfold. Tch. After a few more seconds of silence, he continued. “Looks like yer about ready, eh?” His heavy footsteps circled her body. She could feel him looking her over, making the judgment for himself that he was satisfied with what he saw. “Now, I’ll be takin’ the blindfold off. Stand up.” Despite her arms being bound, she rolled onto her stomach and moved so that she was on her knees. She was a little wobbly from being on the ground for so long, but she succeeded in standing up. He stepped even closer, looming over her. This close, she could feel some of his body heat. She hated this. “Mmhm. That’s better.” He gripped her blindfold and yanked it off in one motion.

#ic #tpofverse #Hunter's Prey #The Swamp Monster's Bride #WE OFF WHOOOOO

Only One of Them Went Home Alone

In the lesser known streets of Sunset Valley, in a non-descript and presumably vacant office building, a shady group of criminals have set up shop underground. Their business would only remain in this building for the next few months to avoid being easily traced. Though inconvenient, this was a necessary precaution, lest the men behind the operation be imprisoned for innumerable counts of human trafficking and murder.

“This one’s real pretty, boss. She’ll go for a high price.” Reaching down with a hand clad in leather, ‘Cygnus’, a tall, lanky man dressed all in black, takes hold of a young woman’s chin so he can turn her face from side to side and get a better look at her. There are three other men in this room beside Cygnus, and one other woman, currently bound in rope and drugged into a dreamless slumber on the couch. Of the three other men, the one being referred to as ‘Boss’, glanced over at his henchman and chuckled.

“Yes. Both of them are beautiful. You and Aquila did a wonderful job~” Cygnus didn’t look away from the unconscious woman he was admiring, but he did smile at the compliment. On the other hand, ‘Aquilla’, a slightly older man, but still very visibly strong and fierce, raised his glass of bourbon from his place beside the door in thanks. Despite being the shortest man in the room, no one would look at Boss and mistake him as being anything but the one running the operation. A showman’s smile. Intelligent and fiery eyes. Boss had an air of confidence about him that made you yield to his authority. He adjusted the cuff of his sleeve and smoothed out his suit jacket to perfection. Boss was standing behind the chair of another man, ‘Canis’, who was monitoring the active camera feeds as they broadcasted video from their myriad security cameras. For most of the night, the only things of note to come up on the cameras had been the movements of Boss’ crew. However, very soon, there would be three new guests arriving at the Auction House. “Canis,” Boss began. Canis, the largest man in the room by far, made a noise of acknowledgement, not wanting to take his eyes away from the screens. “When our guests arrive, I want you to escort them to their rooms.”

“Yeah, no problem. You know who’s comin’?”

“Two regulars. The Prodigal Son, and the Man That Doesn’t Exist.” Cygnus finally looked away from the woman who’s face he’d been staring a new hole into and grimaced in response to the first nickname. He knew exactly who they were talking about, even if they only came in contact with him once every twelve months. That particular customer had been coming around once a year for several years now and he had never, not once, not been a rude little shit to everyone he spoke to at the Auction House. Every year around the same time his father paid for his son to have a guaranteed spot as a customer. The money was well worth it to be annoyed by some trust fund baby for an hour at most. As for the other man, he was only noteworthy because their cyber digging into him hadn’t turned up any results. There was no social security number, no ID, no birth certificate, no nothing. It had set off about a million red flags when he’d first reached out to them. The only reason he’d been allowed in and back again, was because Canis had been able to track his computer’s I.P. to the mountains, where they’d sent someone to spy and make sure this weirdo actually existed, and wasn’t some undercover cop. “As for the third, they’re a newcomer. I’m excited to meet them~”

“Heh~” Canis chuckled, pleased whenever Boss was clearly having a good time. Catching sight of a car pulling up to the first security checkpoint, Canis stood up. ”Looks like it’s showtime.” Leaning down, he whispered something into Boss’ ear. Whatever it was, the shorter man barely bit back another chuckle and a genuine smile, before motioning that Canis get a move on. Stepping forward and resting his hands on the desk, Boss eyed the cameras and watched as Canis made his way down to the security checkpoint and went through the steps of processing the customers and leading them into the main showroom one by one....

#Only One of Them Went Home Alone #tpofverse #Scarlette Fever #Hunter's Prey #The Swamp Monster's Bride #A Full Blown Affair

wishfuldecay

He woke up to soft, feminine giggling, which was extremely disorienting at first. It wasn't until he opened his eyes and saw Rosemary that the events of the previous night all came flooding back to him.

He responded to her greeting with a somewhat awkward smile as she gets up and heads to the bathroom. Just before she reaches the door, Rosemary paused and looked back at him.

"Would you mind if I made some breakfast?" He stared at her for a good five seconds before answering, as if trying to process the question.

"Huh?"

"Oh um....no."

"I mean. Sure."

With another smile, she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving him alone to start his afternoon. Lawrence slid out of bed and walked groggily over to his plants to begin watering them.

It still felt like a dream.

Once everything was watered, he grabbed a few of his herbs and started some water boiling to make tea. Rose came back out and started looking around the kitchen for ingredients to cook. She wasn't going to find a lot, but he figured she already knew that. Once the water was boiling, he set in the herbs to steep.

But it wasn't a dream.

While she continued to search, he went into the bathroom, used the toilet, and took a quick shower. Once out, he toweled off his hair and tied another towel around his waist before walking out to grab some clothes. He paused a few steps outside the door to stare at Rosemary, who was busy cooking at this point. It smelled like oatmeal.

It was real.

rosemarygrayson

After kissing his cheek to express how greatful she was, Rosie went back to eating her oatmeal.

"What time…Is the audition?" Asked Lawrence. Rosie checked the time before answering.

"It's at six-thirty. If I leave soon I'll have time to go home, shower, change, and grab my dance shoes before booking it to the audition." She thought about things realistically. "I'd wanna get some pajamas and a change of clothes, since I'm sleeping over for a bit~ And obviously I'd bring back those donuts. If I rush I can get everything done and be back before ten." It occurred to her that she could do everything much faster if he drove, but she didn't want to push. "What time do you go to work~?"

"I get in about 11 so....I leave around 10:45. I should be here at 10."

"That's perfect~" She stood up, bringing her bowl to the sink to wash it. "Do you wanna trade numbers~?"

"Trade....? Oh. Yeah. Um." After getting his phone, Lawrence looked down at it, then at her, then down at it, then back at her once more. "What's your number?"

After telling him, she put her shoes back on and asked him for her purse, which she needed if she was going to retrieve her phone, keys, and debit card. He nodded, and retrieved her purse from his closet. It's was still in fairly good condition, which pleased her greatly.

Delighted, she took what she needed from her purse, and was pleased to see her phone has just enough charge to last until she got home to her charger. Then, so long as he didn't seem unwilling, reached out an held his hands in hers.

"Thank you again, Lawrence~ I'll see you tonight at ten~?"

He was not unwilling, though he did seem a little shy, like he didn't quite expect it. He looked down at their intertwined hands a moment or two before looking up to answer. "Yeah"

Stepping outside of his apartment, Rosie reigned in her bubbling desire to jump and cheer and do cartwheels. She gently shut the door. She casually made her way down the steps. She casually made her way down the street. She lasted until he could not possibly see her from his window before she burst into a giddy sprint and ran madly; happily down the street. GOD. Never before had she been so happy to be outside!

Alive!! Alive and free and outside!!

Rosie ran all the way home, up her apartment stairs, and collapsed on her bed where she screamed into her pillows. She looked up only when she heard the concerned and upset meowings of her kitty, which made her quickly get out of bed. Scooping up her small white kitty, Rosie pressed about a zillion kisses against her furry self why she got her something to eat.

"Victoriaaaaaaaaa...I thought I'd never see you again!" Waaah! After many hugs and cuddles, Rosie managed to pull herself away from her cat long enough to put her phone on its charger. Afterwards, Rosie reminded herself that she was on a relatively strict timeline and made her way into the bathroom for the best damn shower she'd ever had.

---

With her overnight bag packed, and a sandwich in her mouth, Rosie texted her best friend to please come by and check up on Victoria for the next few days, as she was going to be out of the city for a bit. Making it to the audition on time, Rosie signed in and did some preliminary stretches while waiting for the director to make her appearance.

---

Dancing always put Rosie in a good mood~ Feeling light and airy as she made her way down the city streets, she nonetheless kept an eye out for any potential kidnappers. Keeping track of the one was more than enough. That said, if she happened to run into Ren, she'd insist that he give Lawrence a call. At nine-thirty, Rosie stood outside of Lawrence's apartment with her overnight bag, a grocery bag full of a few things she'd picked up at the corner store, and some take out for her dinner/his lunch.

[08/27/18 09:30 PM] Rosie: (Lawrence! It's Rosie. Please let me in~)

#ic #lawrenceverse #tightly woven #wishfuldecay

A Helping Heart

Last Post | @nervousfoxboy

It made sense that he was hesitant to meet them. Though he'd made friends with…Poor Lawrence…Easily enough, that had been online over a few months, right? It was different when it started online. You didn't have to react 'in the moment'. Watching Ren's expressive face, she could tell that he was frustrated with himself and was pleased when he asked for more information about her friends.

"Aaron's always loved basketball. He plays for the Sunset Valley Dragons!" The Dragons were just a local team, playing for fun against other minor leagues in the state for now, but they had a respectable following online~ "He's into stuff like crystals and tarot, and he got me into it too~ For work he's a social media manager for ah," She slid off of the bed, and dug through her vanity for the make-up she'd used on Ren's face earlier. "Briar Hills Cosmetics. He runs all of their social media accounts."

"And! He does my make-up before performances. He's really good, check it out~" Opening up her laptop, she went to her Facebook and scrolled through her photos from an album titled 'La Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty)'. With the make-up Arron had done for her, she'd become even more beautiful. There was a picture of Rosie and Arron in the dressing room as he applied her lipstick.

"So that's Arron~ Now, you may or may not be thinking, 'hey, why do these photos look so professional and fabulous?'" Even if he hadn't been thinking it, it was certainly true. Every photo in the album looked like it had been taken by someone who knew exactly what they were doing. "That's because Marcia took them! She's a photographer and a videographer. She specializes in weddings, parties and sporting events. And like, check this out!" Going to Marcia's Facebook, Rosie giddily showed off Marcia's art. Apart from the types of shoots Rosie had listed, there were also really cool fantasy themed photo shoots. "She never misses an opening night of mine, and she'll use me as a model whenever she can hehe~" A single glance at her Instagram boasted a healthy follower count, primarily because of the sexy pics of herself and her boyfriend.

"Since he's coming too, I'll tell you about Chris. He's a boxer. I've been to a few of his matches. He's really good~ He's very sweet too, though he might be kinda quiet around you at first. Don't take offense to that, he's still like…Figuring himself out."

If Ren had anymore specific questions, Rosie answered them happily. She quite enjoyed talking about her friends~ After dinner, the duo managed a bit more packing before settling down and getting ready for bed.

---

The next day, Rosie was awoken by a phone call from Marcia, who had gotten up early. She jovially bullied Rosie out of bed, and wanted to know what she was hungry for. Yawning, Rosie headed for the bathroom to get her day started. One shower and a change of clothes later, Rosie was feeling refreshed and ready to jump into day two of packing.

"Ren~ Wake up, Marcia and Chris will be over in thirty minutes."

#ic #nervousfoxboy #a helping heart #renverse

nervousfoxboy

Despite everything that happened, Ren slept soundly that night knowing that Rosie wouldn't try anything so drastic again. And while Strade barking at him to get some pain meds was something of a rude awakening, it was so, so much better than it could have been.

While Rosie helped him downstairs to the bathroom, Ren got some food, aspirin, and a lot of water together as quickly and efficiently as he could. Once Strade got that in him, he was out like a light again. When his and Rosie's eyes met, he knew they were thinking the same thing: Strade didn't remember anything from last night.

Thank goodness.

The next day, while in the kitchen making breakfast, Rosie was a bit…touchier than usual. Not on purpose, he was sure, but it was still a noticeable difference.

When he asked her to get some salt from the high shelf, he felt her hand on his shoulder, followed by her entire body leaning against him as she stretched to reach. He was vividly aware of her boobs squishing against him and...God, what was wrong with him?

When she finally moved back to hand him the salt, Ren tried to smile and thank her as normally as possible, but he could feel his cheeks flushing red.

And it stayed with him for the rest of the day too. He thought about it while eating breakfast, he thought about it while bathing, he thought about it while touching himself in his room that night. She was so warm, so soft.

rosemarygrayson

As Ren reached for the medkit, Rosie was quick to gently bat his hand away.

"Nuh-uh~ Let Nurse Rosie take care of everything~" After closing the toilet lid, Rosie placed a hand on the small of Ren’s back, guiding him to sit down on the seat. She looked over the new damage, and it didn’t take long to conclude that his most pressing injury was on his arm. Running a fresh washcloth under the sink, and then applying a bit of antibacterial soap, she sank to her knees in front of Ren and took a hold of his arm. C a r e f u l l y, she cleaned away the blood from the large wound, as well as any other cuts and scrapes that looked new too. Rosie glanced up at Ren with a big smile; checking on him to see if he's doing alright before giving the clean skin a better look over. Unfortunately, it didn’t look as though they’d be able to avoid the needle today.

"Yeah, that'll need some stitches. Sorry, sweetie." She stands up, prepping the needle and thread after disinfecting the former. Once it was threaded, she had an idea. "Do you want one of his belts to bite on~?"

"Ah...no, thanks. I'm too afraid I'll leave marks on it. My teeth are kinda....Sharp. It's okay though~ I'm used to it.”

Even though all he’d done was give her a reasonable explanation, Ren’s innocent answer sent Rosie’s thoughts spiraling. Ren’s teeth were kinda sharp~ Rosie thought back to the times when Strade had bitten her during sex and the way her body had reacted to it. The way her arousal had spiked and she’d cried out wantonly. She can’t help but to wonder how it would feel if Ren bit into her instead. Those teeth sinking into her skin; drawing her blood, making her eyes roll back and her nails dig into his shoulders-

#LMAO THIS POST GOT OUT OF HAND I'LL WRITE THE NEXT PART OF THE SCENE AFTER REN'S NEXT REPLY HAHAHA #ic #nervousfoxboy #lion's den #stradeverse

nervousfoxboy

@rosemarygrayson (Last Post) It was so surreal...he’d seen Strade drunk before, but never like this. Even in this state though, he would not have dared talk to Strade like Rosie just did, even in jest. Then again, she’d told him he looked like a mess even when he was sober.

When Ren heard his name, he quickly turned his attention to Strade, waiting patiently for him to try and form a sentence. He never did though—he was out like a light. Ah well, a sleeping Strade was always the best kind anyway. He turned to Rosie to suggest they go upstairs and take advantage of this time, only to see her poking at Strade and...

...slapping him??? Thankfully, he really was out cold, but it gave him quite a scare all the same.

Then she started asking questions that, honestly, should have been a red flag for him. It wasn’t that he didn’t know where she was going with this (he wasn’t stupid). But despite the innate terror the idea of an escape attempt filled him with, something about being with Rosie made him feel...braver. So, he answered her questions as best he could without any push back. He watched tensely as she went through his pockets, but got phone all the same. He told her the code he’d used to call Subway a while back, but the code didn’t work anymore. That didn’t really surprise him; maybe Strade remembered something of that night after all? Or maybe he changed his password every so often anyway. Either way, Ren thought that was the end of that...until Rosie Rosie sighed, and reached around him, almost as if...was she trying to turn him over? Ren tensed again, watching quietly.

When Strade’s hand closed around her wrist, he swore his heart stopped. He wasn’t asleep! They were going to die.

Ears pinned against his head, Ren watched in terror, barely even daring to breathe until Strade, by some miracle, simply drifted off again. Much to his own frustration, he remained paralyzed in place as Rosie maneuvered her way out of Strade’s hold. Once she took his hand, he managed to find the will to hurry out of the room. Once they were in her bedroom, he finally let out a sigh of relief. Ren opened his mouth to agree with Rosie, that he too defintely assumed they were completely screwed and Strade had been faking, when her final sentence made him clam right back up again in a stunned silence. After a second or two, he reached out to take her hands and look her in the eye.

rosemarygrayson

“You don't have to give up. I...I don't want you to give up. I just...we need to find something less risky."

To that, Rosie’s heart swelled with rejuvenated hope and affection. Like she’d done many times before, she leaned in to kiss him. This time, however, the intent was different. Had she not caught herself in time, she would have surely kissed him full on the mouth. The realization stunned her, allowing her to course-correct for his cheek just in time. The thought of taking what very may well be his first kiss without his permission, in this hell house where his permission hadn’t mattered in nearly a year, didn’t sit right with her at all. He reacted well, regarding her warmly, and possibly not even noticing what she’d actually been about to do. Which, huh...Why had she wanted to kiss him like that? His next question about getting Strade drunk managed to distract her, but only long enough for her to answer him, and for him to cuddle up with his head under her chin. Rosie held him close; alone with her thoughts while they cuddled.

"..." She fully intended to break them out of here. One way or another, Rosie was determined to walk out of this house hand in hand with Ren. As much as she wanted to go at things aggressively, since passivity wasn’t going to get them anywhere but trapped forever or murdered, she couldn’t pretend that she hadn’t been thoroughly shaken when Strade had woken up on the couch and grabbed her wrist. She’d meant it when she’d said that she would try again for the remote once she calmed down, willing to push through the fear and danger if it meant rescue. Even now, she considered going back down to the living room, risking both her foot and her life, but the young man in her lap was resting against her chest like a heavy weight; keeping her in place.

#nervousfoxboy #ic #lion's den #stradeverse #Good for you ren ufufufu

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