│ 🌫️ PARAS ❞ gaz dellacroy, natalia dellacroy, oscar dellacroy, irene dellacroy, seth dellacroy, luciana potenza, harley dellacroy, rowan dellacroy
│ 🌫️ PARACOSM ❞ eternal labyrinth
│ 🌫️ WORD COUNT ❞ 1,444
╰──────────── 🤍
Was gonna write about Cali meeting Rowan’s family for the first time, BUT it would’ve been a little complicated. The joys of having your paras go to an alternate reality for fun. THEN it was gonna be more infodumpy. And now it’s just a one shot of Seth acquiring a small child.
Technically a rewrite, since I did write about this scenario before, but that was back when Egyptian & Norse mythology was still part of this paracosm and obviously things have changed since then.
You know the drill. Not proof read or edited.
Seth knew he was in trouble when his parents called for him. Not serious trouble, hopefully, but trouble nonetheless. He swallowed, trying to push away the knot forming in his stomach. He was a grown man. For all he knew, his parents were just announcing that they were moving to the countryside.
Satisfied with the thought that their summoning of him probably had something to do with their retirement, Seth opened the door perhaps a little too eagerly, given what actually ended up being on the other side.
There were his parents, naturally, sitting next to each other. His brother, Oscar, and his wife, Irene. Harley, their son, was notably absent, though as he was only two, they probably opted for a sitter instead.
In the middle of the couch was Luciana.
It had been more than a couple months since he had seen her last. Really, he should’ve been more concerned that he hadn’t heard from her as of late. Then again, the two never had consistent contact with each other. Seth was sure he wasn’t Luciana’s only sexual partner.
“What are you doing here?” He asked. Luciana adjusted the ball of cloth she was holding. It was then that he realized — “Is that a baby?!”
Luciana gave a nervous look to Natalia, who returned with a glare before sighing and turning to Seth. “Yes. Luciana has reason to believe it’s your child.”
Seth wished he was sitting down. He should’ve moved to do so, but all he could do was stand there with a blank look on his face. “What.”
His mother raised her hand to stop him from saying more. “Nothing is confirmed yet. We will do a DNA test, and if the results say that you are the child’s father, then—”
Oscar cut their mother off, throwing a packet onto the table. “He is. I already checked.”
Natalia glared at him. “I told you, we were going to wait until—”
“I’m a detective, Mom. I had to know.”
“Don’t blame him,” Gaz said. “I asked him too.”
Before Natalia could scold both of them, their words finally sunk in for Seth. “Wait, you knew?!” He glared at Luciana. “You thought you had my child and you went to my parents?!”
Luciana shrunk, averting his gaze. “I wasn’t sure how you’d react. You always avoided the topic of having a family.”
“Yeah, a family with you.” Seth spat out.
“Enough!” Natalia exclaimed, regaining control of the room. “What’s done is done. Seth, honey, sit down. You look like you’re about to faint and I’d rather you have a short fall if that’s true.” Seth did as he was told, choosing to sit as far away as he could from Luciana.
Gods, he knew he should’ve been more careful when fooling around with her. He knew it. It was always in the back of his mind: wear protection, make sure she was taking birth control. But neither were the type to be cautious about anything. Maybe that’s why they never progressed farther than friends with benefits. Not that Seth minded, the benefits were enough for him. He didn’t particularly care for that lovey-dovey couple shit most chased after their whole lives.
Natalia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I think questions are in order.” Luciana looked offended, and opened her mouth to say something before Natalia continued. “No. You kept my son’s child and my grandchild a secret. If you wanted privacy, you wouldn’t have come to us.”
Luciana seemed to accept this. Long enough for Seth to ask the one question his mind could think of right now: “Why didn’t you just…”
“Get rid of it?” He nodded and she shrugged. “Realized too late. Gestation period is different for Halflings. It only took four months for me. By the time I realized, he was halfway cooked.”
Seth’s eyes softened. “It’s a boy?”
“I haven’t named him yet. I thought—” She looked up at him. Somehow, Seth felt bad that there were tears forming in her eyes. “I thought maybe you’d have a name in mind.”
“If I had time to think about bringing a child into this world, I might even have several. We can — I’ll decide on a name later. After you’ve explained yourself.”
Luciana scoffed. “What else is there to know?! I got pregnant and had your son. That’s the full story.”
“You didn’t say why you came back,” Irene piped up. She had barely said a word, aside from the occasional whisper to Oscar. “While I’m sure we…appreciate you telling us, there must be a reason for doing so.”
She blinked. “Ah, haha,” laughing awkwardly, she looked around the room. “Isn’t wanting my sweet boy to know his dad enough?”
“No,” Seth said. “If you really didn’t want him, you would’ve given him up for adoption. Or, I dunno, figured out a way to abort him.”
Luciana closed her eyes and sighed. “Fine. I want you to take him. And, y’know, some money.”
There it was. Good ol’ Luciana.
“Hang on,” Gaz said. “What do you mean ‘take care of him’? And where’s this talk about money coming from?”
“Since I found out so late, I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. I’m low on funds due to medical bills and needing to pay some friends back.” She paused. “As for ‘take care’...I—I don’t want this baby. I never wanted to be a mother.
Seth laughed. “Money. Typical. Is that why you didn’t get rid of him? So he could be a bargaining chip?”
“No, I—”
“Save it. I know you, Luciana. You only care about yourself.”
She shifted in her seat. “Th—which is why I can’t take care of him…?”
“Are you serious?!” Seth yelled. Oscar put a hand on his arm, perhaps a touch too firmly to keep him on the couch. Seth was thankful, for he felt ready to leap over and slap her.
“Please,” she pleaded. “I can’t take care of a kid.”
“And I can?!” Seth snapped. “Luciana, you can’t just throw this on someone!” She looked down at the child, avoiding Seth’s glare. He sighed, running a hand through his hair to try and calm himself. A hard task, it seemed. His mind could barely form a coherent thought.
Thankfully, his mother seemed to have thought this through already. “Luciana. You understand that if you give the child to us, you won't see him again?” Luciana blinked. “If you stay, then you and Seth would have to work out a custody agreement. We are willing to work with you on that. Gaz and I will even provide funding for you to repay your debts. But if — and only if — you stay and take responsibility.”
The room was quiet for a while. Luciana looked to Seth, as if to plead with him. He just glared at her. She looked down at their — his son. Seth knew the child was solely his when Luciana sighed. Her slowly moving to put the infant in Natalia’s arms was only confirmation.
She didn’t say anything as she left the room.
Oscar and Irene politely excused themselves, their presence as moral support no longer needed. Part of Seth wished they stayed. Maybe then this moment wouldn’t feel so…real.
“Save it,” he said when his mother looked at him. “I know what you’re thinking. I don’t want to hear it.”
Natalia hummed. “Well, if you already know what I want to say, then there’s no point in repeating it. Would you like to hold him?”
“Gonna have to at some point.” Seth mumbled, switching seats so he was closer to them.
Babies always looked relatively the same to Seth. They were small and wrinkly, with smushed faces and minimal defining features. And yet, there was something oddly endearing about the one he was currently holding. Maybe because he had some of Seth’s DNA, and Seth was, naturally, a handsome man. But as far as babies go, he didn’t mind staring at this one a little longer.
“I know it’s still sudden, but do you have a name in mind?” His mother asked. “It doesn’t have to be permanent. We can change it when all the paperwork is filed properly. But just for tonight, I’d like him to have a name.”
Seth thought, staring at his child’s unopened eyes. He never thought about having children. Thinking of names for someone that would likely never exist seemed like a waste of time. “Rowan sounds nice,” he said aloud. His parents nodded in approval.
He looked down at his son. At Rowan. “That was probably the easiest decision I’ll ever be able to make with you, isn’t it?”
I don't think I've properly talked about Josephine. Oh well. All you need to know is that she's the Goddess of Time & kinda sucks. Mainly I think this just kinda serves as background for as to how/why Emory is Cheshire in FF, especially given the fact that he clearly doesn't enjoy it.
Not proofread or edited.
It started — as did most things — with a house. A haunted house, mind you. Not that it made things much better. In fact, it only made things worse.
But for Emory, he was used to it. Used to the cold spots, the creaks and groans, the odd stains that showed up from time to time. Some would call it creepy. Others, unlivable. Emory just called it “home”.
Though he had lived there for longer than anyone would care to track, some would rather he move on from the old manor. One such person just so happened to be interrupting his mid-afternoon nap outside.
Emory felt a weight on his back. It was light, but clear that someone was laying on him. Another animal, most likely.
“You’re stuck.”
He knew by the voice alone who it was. “Hello Josephine.” Emory opened his eyes to look at what form she took. A white rabbit. “It’s been a while. How are things?”
“Bor-iinggg!” She groaned, pressing more of her rabbit weight on him. “Come play with me.”
“I don’t ‘play’.”
“Bullshit,” she said, “you play with those kids all the time! And don’t even get me started on how you act with this house.” Josephine scoffed. “It’s like you don’t even like me…”
“I don’t.” He replied, attempting to stand so she would get off of him. “We’re opposites, we’re not meant to get along.”
Josephine frowned, sliding off of his back. “That’s not true. Life and Death were married.”
“You are aware that their situation is partly why I’m here, correct?”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, bad example. What about the twins? Order and Chaos. They get along.”
“Lucien and Vincent were originally Humans. It doesn’t count.” He began to walk away in search of a new napping spot. Josephine’s only other argument would be Eloise and Ketrill, and those two weren’t exactly known for getting along.
Josephine hopped after him. “Okaayy, so the others got tricky shit going on. But we’re Time and Space! We gotta stick together.”
Emory stopped, sighing. “Why are you here, Josephine?”
“I told you. I want you to come play.”
“Play what,” it was always like pulling teeth with her. “You games aren’t what I typically find amusing.”
“No, no, you’ll like it this time! I promise!” Well, she did come all this way.
He sat down. “I’m only listening because it’s polite.” Josephine quite literally jumped for joy. He rolled his eyes.
“Okay, okay, SO — I found this universe that bleeds into the others in an interesting way.” She paused. Emory said nothing. “The inhabitants are fairytales.”
“Fairytales? Like Cinderella?”
She nodded. “Yeah, yeah! Well, not exactly. They’re kind of like ‘em. If they didn’t start their tales yet.”
“Interesting. Though I don’t see why you’d be interested in them. I don’t recall you using the Library often.”
“I’m getting to that! And I did so use the Library, you just didn’t like what I did!”
“A library should be for reading, not parties — oh, nevermind. Why are you telling me about this universe? Trying to apologize?”
“Pft. I got nothin’ to apologize for. You took Death’s side, so I took Life’s. It’s only fair.” He hummed in disagreement. This whole mess would be a lot easier to sort through if she and Vitalis weren’t working together. “We’re supposed to be impartial anyway, remember? I haven’t told Life anything about all of this.”
True…though, Emory had other reasons for disliking Josephine. “If you’re just going to waste my time—”
“He says to the Goddess of Time.” He glared at her. “Fine. I made a deal with one of the inhabitants and now everyone is trapped in a Time Loop. Isn’t that fun?!”
“What?!” Emory shot to his feet. “Josephine, we are not supposed to interfere with—-”
She waved him off. “Oh, please. You talk to people here all the time. I mean, you live in this spooky manor for crying out loud! Excuse me if I want to live a little.”
“Trapping people in a Time Loop is wrong and you know it.” He scolded. “Their minds can’t comprehend the repetition — they’ll go mad!”
“All taken care of, dummy. Like I said, they’re fairytales. Each loop is just them going through a different version of their story with no memories of the previous one.”
“That’s horrid,” Emory replied. He began to walk away. “This is far outside the realm of what we should be doing. Leave that dimension alone.”
Josephine huffed. “Gosh, you’re impossible.” She complained. Then sighed. “Alright, I didn’t want to bring it up, as it was none of my business and your self-appointed job, but Order is there, too.”
Emory froze. He turned to look at her. “What?”
“Yeah. On an island with some fairies.”
“Why didn’t you say this earlier?”
Josephine shrugged, ears twitching. “You always say it’s not my place, to stay out of whatever Life and Death are doing—”
He took a step forward. “Our pantheon is scattered throughout the multiverse. I have gone to great lengths to track them all down — and you thought it ‘wasn’t your place’ to tell me?!” She shrank back .
“...You said I always make a mess of things…”
“Because you do.” Emory sighed. None of that mattered now, though. He needed to find Lucien. Fast. “But fine. I will look over it, just this once. Take me there.”
The small rabbit was back to her unbearably chipper self. “Oh, yay! You’re going to love it there, I promise.”
Short little thing about Emory and how RoseWood haunts him as much as he haunts it. Not proof read or edited </3
RoseWood Manor is haunted. Anyone who spent more than five minutes in the place could figure that out. Those who stayed longer, the more permanent residents — one would be correct in assuming that they were the reason for most of the manor’s haunts.
Majority were only Ghosts. Poor Souls who somehow died in the manor, forever wandering its halls in search of an exit.
Others were stronger: Poltergeists. None knew more fame than Myriam — Mary, as the public now knew her. Haunting mirrors instead of the halls, she quickly earned a reputation for being violent, with those that summoned her ending up with gruesome deaths.
Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Emory couldn’t help but chant her name every time he walked past a mirror. Not that he would ever say it out loud, of course. Talking to Myriam did nothing but upset him. And even if he did wish to speak with her, finding a mirror his height was exceedingly difficult. He often had to jump onto the bathroom counter or find someone’s vanity to check his fur. Neither of which he did often. Not anymore.
When he first got turned into a cat, all those centuries ago, Emory was near obsessed with gazing at his reflection. Hours were spent just looking at himself, dissecting his appearance detail by detail. His whole body soft and squishy. Far more flexible — that took some time to get used to. As did walking on all fours. Going from a human to cat body was…an adjustment, to say the least. Now, Emory found himself with the opposite problem: if he were to gain a human body now, he’d have a hard time refamiliarizing himself with all the bells and whistles that form would contain.
But his newfound enjoyment of mirrors came to a close end. Like all things, it was Myriam’s fault. One too many times has she caught Emory off guard whilst he was trying to groom himself…Such things were better left to someone more qualified.
Unfortunately such a person was hard to find due to RoseWood’s ever-revolving residents. Daniel did what he could, as did Richard on the rare occasion he visited.
But there was always Delilah.
His dear little sister also haunted the manor’s grounds. Emory tried to avoid her, though unlike Myriam it was not out of hatred: it was out of guilt. He couldn’t protect her. He was too reckless, and thanks to his actions, his sister was killed.
Emory could never decide if her memory issues were a blessing or curse.
A blessing, for she didn’t have to remember the pain of dying. Didn’t have to remember Myriam’s betrayal of them both. Didn’t have to remember how Emory failed her.
A curse, for he couldn’t talk to her. She did not remember who he was, not fully, and couldn’t comprehend what she meant to him. She no longer remembered their parents, what it was like when they died. How Emory tried to care for her afterwards.
There were rare times where Delilah would say something, do something, or even just had this look to her — and for a moment it felt like his sister was with him again.
But then the moment would pass, and it was just another Ghost looking at the strange cat inhabiting RoseWood Manor.
And yet, despite all of this, she still sang while she brushed his fur, just like she did when he let her help him get ready for church.
If someone had told Emory back then that he would be living in a haunted house as a cat, he wouldn’t have believed them. Not that he would be blamed. A haunted house is one thing. Being turned into a cat due to your own arrogance was another. Combining the two seemed impossible. Here he was, however, amongst the poor lost Souls that were now forced to live within the manor’s walls.
Emory supposed that he, too, could be considered a lost Soul, in a way. He was no longer in his original body. The manor was the closest thing to a home he had now. There was no family to mourn him — Delilah hardly remembered and Myriam took great pleasure in boasting about what she had done to him. The only difference between him and the other residents was that he’s a cat, free to leave RoseWood’s grounds in search of something better.
Though Emory knew — as did all the Spirits — that he would wind up back within the manor’s walls sooner or later. He could leave for as long as he’d like, but he’d always haunt RoseWood.
There was nowhere else he could truly go, after all.
Context: This happened recently in Hunting Grounds where they are all furries and stuck in a Deathgame Scenario. I'm skipping the HG![Name] cause it drives me insane in longer Text.
Continued from: Distrust
----
There was something so comfortable about being hunted. Weaving through the Underbrush, slipping on soaked earth, vaulting over stones. It conjured up fond memories, of a different time in a different forest. Of getting caught and dragged back to a calm home, warm food and exotic animal trivia.
A screeching trill reminded Shal that ey did not want to get caught this time. Ey slid under a half downed tree, then turned onto an overgrown, paved road. Followed it to what used to be a concession stand, using eys momentum to climb up to hide on the opposite slope of the roof. Giving em a moment to breath, to regroup, to think.
It had all unfolded rather quickly. The actual setup was still a mystery as Shal had come to the situation late. The Koi confronting Whoever Pigeon and Whatsherface Squirrel over...something. Anything. It didn't matter.
What mattered was the moment their faces had turned into something unnatural. Limbs splitting off their bodies that shouldn't have been there. That is when Shal had jumped into the clearing, tagged the two...non people to get their attention and quickly started this chase.
Now ey quietly cursed emself for getting involved. Not getting involved in Player Bullshit had been his entire strategy in this game. Alas ey had seen Captain still limping, still avoiding to put full weight on that bitten leg. And well, Shal was fast and knew the area.
The snarling had come too close for comfort, so ey slid off the roof and ran back between the trees.
Ey followed natural paths while considering where to go, where to shake them. The Tower Slide was too far away. Roller Coaster, tempting with the high trees around it's skeleton. Yet the marten wasn't entirely sure ey could outclimb whatever those creatures were.
An odd sound disrupted eys thoughts. Dampened through the greenery and ever present rain, but unmistakenly the screech of rusted metal moving against itself. Strained noises coming from grown over loudspeakers.
Curious Shal turned on the remnants of another paved road. Let it lead em to whatever decayed attraction had come back to life.
The Front of the Darkride depicted a Dragon flying down to eat the entrance, while also currently being eaten by decay and greenery. Where there should have just been a black hole leading inside, Shal could see that the back of the Building had collapsed, turning the whole thing into more of a tunnel. Near the roof the Dragon's wings were screaming against the rust holding them in place.
The light blue scaled hand waving em in wouldn't consciously register until a lot later, but it still worked, prompting the Marten into a Sprint.
A shout came from somwehere right as ey was about to get inside: "Duck!"
Instead ey dropped on eys knees. Which was good as it made Shal slide under the metal wires taut right where eys Torso and Head had been just moments prior. It was also bad cause while the Entrance was suspiciously free of larger debris, eys legs still snagged on the chipped flooring. Also having to get up and back to speed would take time.
Behind em, Shal heard wires snap as eys pursuer got wrapped up in them, and changed eys plan. Grabbing at the floor tiles the Marten managed to maneuver the slide towards the remnants of a pillar. The plan was to use it as a pushing off point, use the wire confusion to evade the creatures and dash back out.
As ey turned to see where to go, a former pigeon head rolled past em.
Captain was still finishing the swing that had decapitated their former Gamemate. In the same motion xe turned, threw the...Sword? No, thinner. The other Koi Player caught it easily and, with the same fluidity, stepped over to where the squirrel had fallen after getting tangled up and rammed the sharpened steel rod into it's head.
"What the fuck?!"
They both looked over, down on where Shal was kneeling and unsure if chase was now over or if ey just changed Pursuers. The quiet calm on both their faces made the Martens tail poof refelxively.
After a beat, Captain visibly relaxed. Xyr stance shifted as xe put all weight on the "hurt" leg and said, conclusively: "We're even."
I'm using the prompts to write, explain, draw, or just daydream more about the first events or facts that come to me when I see the word. Some things will be longer or higher quality than others, so please bear with me a lil bit. I gotta post lore somehow..
⟻ Day 31 — Celebration ⟼ Word Count : 485
Donis hosted a huge Halloween party and even got to use his aunt's enormous house, which gave him much more space to accommodate for more people. This is probably the biggest "project" he's ever done, mostly on his own too, and it turned out so good. I guess this is what happens when you invite all of the wealthy and famous people you know…
WHAT AN INVITATION..
Yo Yo Yo! You’ve been invited… to Donis’ Halloween Bash!!!
Where ??? The super fancy home of Janice Oviah
When ?? October 31st (duh)
Time ?? 6 PM - UNTIL IT'S OVER
Listen up!! I’m throwing a Halloween party that’s gonna be legendary. The Janice Oviah is letting us take over her beautiful house, so come in a costume that’ll have you lookin good but can also survive some serious party action.
Bring a friend (or more) so we can make this thing even bigger and just be ready for whatever happens!! Trust me, it’s gonna be insane. There’ll be snacks, strong drinks, and a whole lot of stuff I probably forgot to mention, but you’ll find out!
This is the Halloween party of the year, and if you’re not there, you’re gonna miss all the good stuff and drinks. SO SHOW UP AND LETS DO THIS!!!
By yours truly,
Donis Oviah / The Master of Halloween…
HIGHLIGHTS..
A big ice sculpture in the shape of a pumpkin at the entrance.
Butlers dressed as a ghost roaming around with random, very strong drinks for everyone.
Small Halloween themed rings and other jewelry are laid out as gifts for guests as they leave.
SO many unexpected +1 guest show up!! So many big people in one house..
A lounge area for guests to chill out and relax between all the action. Turned into a big smoking area…
A party guestbook where everyone can write notes, jokes, or compliments about each other and what not
A costume contest with prizes for the best, worst, and most unexpected costumes. (+ a weird bit of the “Fashion Police” )
Horror themed bite-sized foods that are easy to grab as things went on.
Themed rooms set up for photos.
Someones costume causes a little latex allergy moment for a very unlucky guest..
A few people show up with the exact same costume idea, led to some funny moments surprisingly.
SOMEHOW… Paparazzi sneaks in, but the hired photographers figure out fast enough and kick them out.
Lost Phones everywhere.
SMALLER NOTES
Reign helped with the setup but left once the photographers arrived. He wasn't trying to get caught in anything. (he did come back for a few drinks though)
Nori flew out. Actually, a good few amount of people flew out..
Donis switched costumes about four times throughout the whole night. The most notable was his Mario cuz he matched Meil's Luigi.
At least 70% of the guests left completely wasted, and a few even stayed overnight. Donis offered a small breakfast to anyone who got stuck staying overnight.
I'm using the prompts to write, explain, draw, or just daydream more about the first events or facts that come to me when I see the word. Some things will be longer or higher quality than others, so please bear with me a lil bit. I gotta post lore somehow..
⟻ Day 30 — Haunted ⟼ Word Count : 180
I find it so funny that the Prale Islands are labeled as this super haunted and scary when, in reality, it's just the government hiding the fact that they've discovered literal gods (entities) there. They’ve gone to such great lengths to get people off the islands, a whole team to watch the waters and everythingggg
The haunting rumors started when someone mentioned that during the wars, when the land was still called “Retreat Island” and what not, it was a popular refuge… Because it was a further island ofc… Apparently, “it had the highest number of people and deaths” but this doesn’t actually make sense??? You’d have to go around the entire country just to find these tiny islands if you were coming from anywhere else. No one seems to care about the facts of the haunted rumor because people don’t really care about the islands at all- They just see them as possibly haunted, protected land, probably to keep it clean or something..
Technically.. it might be haunted?? I mean the souls of those entities are on it soooo?????
Summary: Venice suddenly finds her safety in danger as a long-hidden secret of hers gets revealed and spreads like wildfire…
Warnings/Tags: Transphobia (outing, threats of violence, deadnaming, and misgendering), brief mentions of violence and death, sexual humor
Word Count: 3,378 (Goddamn, this came out way longer than I meant it to-)
My heart pounded in my ears as my feet made a similar motion against the pavement, propelling me forward. My throat and nose burned from how long I’d been running, but the steadily growing angry group behind me didn’t show any signs of slowing, so I didn't have much of an option.
The blood rushing in my ears drowned out all the yelling behind me, allowing me to hear my own frantic thoughts. How the hell did this happen? I was so careful! And for this to be their reaction? I don’t even know these people!
I found it really fucking weird that they went from not even caring that I existed to despising everything about me because S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to randomly put me on blast. No. Not S.H.I.E.L.D. Him.
“I know you know where she is,” Though his voice came through over my phone from a hidden number, I recognized the sound of it just fine. John Walker. “Tell me where Nevermore’s hiding out, or I’ll take your file to the tabloids.”
“Fuck that.” I spat. “I’m not saying shit.”
“Fine.” Click. And that was where that conversation ended.
To tell the truth, I wasn’t really scared of him leaking my file on Earth. I didn’t live there anymore, anyways. Besides, if Nevermore could handle people hating her from across the galaxy, I was sure I could, too. But, I never would’ve anticipated a story so small to make it all the way out here, let alone for a small group of people I didn’t even recognize to blow it out of proportion.
“Fuck you, Walker…” I breathlessly growled, fighting the burning in my lungs to keep my pace.
But, it was getting harder to stay ahead of the group. My running only seemed to spur on their anger, and they started throwing things at me. Glass bottles shattered by my aching feet as they yelled vulgarities at me. Overwhelmed, I felt tears spring to my eyes. I thought I was going to be sick.
“Leave me alone.” The plea left my mouth in a faint whisper.
Suddenly, I noticed the path under me switch from pavement to gold, and I looked up to see a familiar set of gates, blurred by my own tears. The Allfather’s Mansion.
I choked out a sob of relief as I rushed for the gates, magic opening them for me as I passed through. I willed myself to ignore the burning in my legs in order to put some distance between me and the group before throwing my whole body against the double doors of the mansion itself, falling inside as they opened for me.
Whatever lively conversation was taking place in the foyer stopped the moment I hit the floor, choking and gasping for air. Nevermore, Aerith, Giffany, Thor, and Loki froze, expressions of shock crossing every one of their faces.
“Oh dear.” Loki, though visually concerned, managed to keep his voice low and even. “Is she alright?”
“Venice?” Thor’s naturally loud voice practically echoed off the walls.
“Oh my god!” Aerith clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Woah,” Nevermore raised her eyebrows.
“Venny!” Giffany rushed over, dropping to her knees to wrap her arms around me.
I wrapped my own around her, burying my face in her shoulder as the sobs that have been threatening to escape me finally wracked my body. “Please…” I choked out. “Help me…”
The rest of the group finally caught up, gathering around us.
“Dude, what happened?” Nevermore sounded like she was at a loss for words.
I couldn’t form any myself. I just kept uncontrollably crying into Giffany’s jacket. I felt so pathetic, but she kept her hold on me, gently rubbing my back.
“Maybe let’s get her a little more comfortable first.” Aerith chimed in. “Like, in a chair instead of on the floor?”
“Right,” Giffany gently helped me to my feet, and the group parted to let me and her get across the room. I hid my face in my hands as we passed by, humiliated by the mental image of my own horrifically blotchy and tear-streaked face.
Giffany helped me sit down before moving behind me to gently massage my shoulders. “There we go. Better?”
“A little…” I murmured, my crying finally quieting down so I could speak.
“Yo, you should make yourself useful and get her some water.” Nevermore clapped Thor on the shoulder.
“Please.” Aerith glared daggers at her, and I almost laughed at her attempt to remind her older sister of her manners. Almost.
Suddenly, Frigga frantically rushed into the room. “The gate! They made it through the gate! There’s so much hate in their hearts…”
The entire group shifted uncomfortably before Nevermore sarcastically commented. “Well, that wasn’t ominous at all.”
As if on cue, the double doors flew open, and the group that was chasing me earlier burst inside. Aerith squealed in surprise while Thor and Loki instinctively stepped in front of me.
Nevermore’s quiet sarcasm quickly shifted to loud shouting as she dramatically pointed at the group. “Y’all put too much faith in that gate, bro! We need to put some locks on that door!”
One member of the group stepped forward, a visibly furious man with a vein at his temple that seemed just about ready to burst. “Hand him over!”
Thor’s head whipped around to face Loki. “What have you done this time, brother?”
Loki was oddly silent. Not even a snarky quip left his lips as he silently glared at the group.
“We don’t want him!” The man spat. “We promised to let him go ages ago.”
“You know these guys, Loki?” Nevermore raised an eyebrow at him.
Still no response from him. Nevermore grew visibly uncomfortable at his continued silence.
But, the man brought everyone’s attention back to him, leaving her no chance to press further. “We’re looking for Victor.”
A sadistic grin curled at his lip, as if he enjoyed the very act of saying the name I never thought I’d hear again. It made my stomach churn.
Nevermore grew visibly annoyed. “Who the hell is Victor?”
“Do you live under a rock, or something?” A low, dark chuckle escaped the man as he slowly pointed me out, his finger seeming to burn me like a spotlight. “Him.”
A silence so heavy I thought I would asphyxiate fell over the room as everyone took the time to process what he was saying.
“Ohhh!” Aerith’s gentle voice broke the silence. “I get it! This is all just a misunderstanding.” She giggled, shaking her head. “We don’t know a Victor, but that’s Venice. I could see how you’d make that mistake, though, since they’re both ‘V’ names. But, she’s Venice. Ven-ice. Like the city in Italy, if you’ve ever been. I haven’t, but it’s a country back on Earth.”
Thor joined in on her laughter. “Well, that settles that, then.”
Neither me nor Loki, Giffany, and Nevermore shared their relief. I swallowed back the bile threatening to rise in my throat. Giffany, the only person in the room who already knew the full extent of my secret, began to breathe shakily as she continued to rub my shoulders. Meanwhile, Loki’s glare at the group was unrelentingly piercing. And, I could practically see the gears in Nevermore’s mind whirring as she looked between me, the group, and Aerith.
Finally, the realization seemed to dawn on her. “I don’t think this is a mistake. This is some calculated fuckery.”
This only seemed to confuse Aerith and Thor.
The man scoffed and approached Nevermore, getting in her face. “You’re really gonna protect that abomination?”
She cringed, quietly gagging before remarking. “Your breath smells like something crawled into your mouth and died. No, wait. I’ve smelled death. This is worse.” She gagged again, louder this time, as she took a step back from him.
“I don’t want any trouble…” My friends whipped their heads around to face me, shocked that I’d managed to speak coherently for the first time since I got here.
“Nor do I.” Everyone in the room jumped at the sound of Frigga’s voice, having forgotten she was even there. “Not in this house, and not with you.” She slowly approached the group, sharp eyes narrowing at their wordlessly appointed spokesman. “I have no interest in repeating history today.”
I shared a wide-eyed glance with Nevermore. What could Frigga have possibly meant by that?
“Neither do I.” The man scowled. “That’s why I’m not letting you keep this one. So, stay out of this, bitch.”
“Hey!” Nevermore shouted.
Aerith shared in her sister’s disapproval, frowning at him. “You could be nicer, you know!”
“Are you all out of your minds?!” The man seemed to glow red with rage. “Do you not see how unnatural this is?!”
Nevermore raised an eyebrow at him. “You live in a kingdom with magical demigods and blew your hot ass breath into an elemental being’s face, but you draw the line at this?”
“Idiot.” Giffany muttered.
Both of their responses to his blatant ignorance pulled a small smile from me.
“My patience is running thin.” Frigga scowled. “Leave this place at once before I allow Nevermore to settle this with her preferred method.”
“Or don’t.” A sinister smile stretched across Nevermore’s face as she cracked her knuckles. “I haven’t made a decent killing in a while.”
“You’re all being ridiculous!” The man huffed.
“We’re being ridiculous?” Giffany frowned.
A loud bang at the top of the stairs made us all jump, and we turned to see Odin at the top of the stairs, tightly gripping his golden spear, Gungnir. “What is all of this commotion?”
The group immediately bowed their heads once they saw him. He may not have been the king of this place anymore, but everyone sure as hell still treats him like he is.
“What granted you the courage to make trouble with my family once again, after I forbade you from returning to our presence the last time?” Odin’s voice seemed to be twice as thunderous as Thor’s. Like father, like son, I guess… “Sew your seeds of chaos elsewhere, if you must, but I’ve made it clear that we’ll have no part in it.”
“B- but he’s not related to you!” The man cowered.
Aerith raised her hand as if she were a student in school. “Excuse me? I still have no idea what’s going on.” When everyone shot her odd looks, she slowly lowered it, cheeks glowing in embarrassment. “Not the time. Right. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sure who you may be referring to,” Odin continued as if Aerith had never interrupted. “But, everyone I see in this room—besides you ruffians—is dear to each other in one way or another.”
Giffany wrapped her arms around me, resting her chin on my head. “It’s true~”
I gently smiled as her movement sent the smell of her perfume wafting to my nose, and I leaned into her touch, whispering, “Thanks, Gif.”
“So, it would do you well to leave.” Odin continued. “Before this little affair gets physical, and you learn just how far they’ll go to protect one another.”
“But-” The man started.
“LEAVE THIS PLACE!” Odin banged his spear on the ground, the resulting sound making us all jump again. “I WILL NOT REPEAT MYSELF AGAIN!”
“Tch!” The man turned, waving for the rest of the group to leave before bumping shoulders with Nevermore as he rushed out. “This isn’t over!”
“Bitch!” Nevermore grabbed her shoulder, scowling at him as the group left.
Odin watched them go before silently turning and leaving the way he came.
Frigga gently smiled at the rest of us. “Let’s hope they have the sense to heed the Allfather’s warnings this time.” With that, she turned and ascended the stairs after him, the group murmuring their thanks and byes to her.
Once she was gone, Nevermore was the first to turn her attention back to me. “You okay?”
“Y- Yeah. Yeah…” I looked down at my hands, burning with shame as everyone looked back at me. “Sorry for leading those guys here.”
“We’re just glad they didn’t end up hurting you, or something.” Aerith paused before asking. “They were looking for you, weren’t they?”
“Yeah…” I sighed.
A heavy silence fell over us, interrupted only by the sound of Loki’s boots against the floor as he approached me.
He took a knee in front of me, resting a hand on one of my knees as he finally spoke for the first time since I first got here. “I do hope you didn’t take their intolerance to heart.”
I weakly smiled at him. “Of course not. It’s not that easy for someone to hurt my feelings. I guess I was more so worried about my hide.”
“So, um…” Aerith spoke up again. “Can I ask what happened now?”
I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at her cluelessness, but I couldn’t find the strength to meet her eye. “Walker gave me a little call, looking for Nevermore. When I didn’t tell him where she was, he outed me.”
“Son of a bitch.” Nevermore muttered to herself.
“Why the hell would he do that to you?” Giffany held me tighter.
“It was only a matter of time, I guess…” I frowned.
Nevermore shook her head. “You shouldn’t have had to risk that for me. That’s fucked up on so many levels.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I slowly shook my head. “Like I said, it was bound to happen.” I paused, my gaze returning to Loki. “But, uh, did you know those guys?”
Loki softly sighed, glancing away in thought before looking back at me. “Yes. We’re unfortunately familiar.”
Thor frowned. “Mother and father seemed to know them as well, but I’ve no recollection of any of their faces.”
Loki rolled his eyes. “Must I remind you of your past arrogance? Of course you don’t recognize them! You were preoccupied with your own precious affairs at the time.”
Thor uncomfortably shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
I took the silence as an opportunity to press for details. “So, what happened?”
“For the sake of making a long story short…” Loki began. “Ages ago, I was caught altering my appearance. I’d employed that ability countless times, but of course, the one time I had a witness was one of the times I’d decided to alter my form’s gender, as well. The very same group that chased you today didn’t take too kindly to that. Needless to say, I’m familiar with your predicament.”
For a short story, Loki was giving me a lot to process. “Pretty ballsy for them to threaten their prince. Well, princess at the time, I guess. That means you…”
“Don’t particularly align with the rigid concept of gender.” Loki finished for me. “I don’t care much for committing to one identity, in that aspect.”
“Huh, cool.” An understatement for the surprise I was experiencing. Did Loki just come out to me, too?
I caught Nevermore warmly smiling down at us before she spoke up. “Well, while those douchebags are out on the hunt for you, I don’t think I want you out there. You look like you could fit in my pajamas, so I’ll let you borrow a set.”
“Uh,” I nervously scratched the back of my neck. “I dunno, man. I think I’ve bothered you enough…”
“Dude,” Nevermore waved that off. “You think you can bother me? I know annoying. I have this chucklehead for a sister.”
She pointed her thumb towards Aerith, who struggled to mask her laughter with a small frown. “Hey!”
“She’s right, you know.” Giffany gently rubbed my shoulders.
“Hey!” Aerith seemed astonished at her input.
“No, not that!” Giffany laughed. “About Venice staying here! I think you’ll be safe here. And, besides, I’ll come visit you every day~”
Nevermore dramatically cringed. “Have your fun, but if you two get loud in the middle of the night, I’ll gladly drag my sleep-deprived ass over and jump you.”
“Not if we jump your bones first~” Giffany quipped, bringing a laugh out of me.
“Ew!” Aerith covered her ears. “I did not need to hear any of that.”
“C’mon, Gif.” I patted one of her hands with a small chuckle. “Stop traumatizing the pure soul in the room.”
“Fine,” Giffany giggled, letting go of me. “I’ll go help set up your room, then! Thoooor!” She skipped over to grab Thor’s hand and drag him away. “See ya later, Venny~”
“Wow.” Thor mused as he stumbled after her. “She’s got quite the grip…”
“I should go, as well.” Loki rose to his feet, dusting off his knees. “They could use a voice of reason.”
He and Nevermore shared a quick kiss, and I laughed to myself as Aerith dramatically stuck out her tongue and pointed inside her mouth.
As Loki walked off after Thor and Giffany, Aerith opened her arms for a hug. “I should get going, too. It’s getting a bit late. Bye, Nevi!”
Nevermore gently smiled and reciprocated her hug. “See ya, sissy.”
When the two let go, Aerith approached me for a hug of my own. “Be safe, Venice!”
“Thanks.” I patted her back. “Later, Aerith.”
Nevermore and I both waved at her as she left, and the large door slamming behind her plummeted us into a heavy silence.
A silence that Nevermore broke first. “Say the word and I’ll slaughter them all.”
“Not necessary.” I quickly answered. “This is my fight.”
“Technically started by me.” Nevermore avoided my gaze, and I saw a hint of hesitation cross her expression. Maybe even regret. Something told me that the events of today wasn’t the only thing on her mind.
“That’s not your fault.” I sat back down. “You didn’t ask for that asshole from S.H.I.E.L.D. to be on your scent.”
“Still. He crossed a line today.” Nevermore still seemed unsure.
I propped my elbow up on the arm of the chair, crossing one leg over the other as I rested my chin on my hand. “You can excuse them trying to kill you, but you cross the line at transphobia?”
“Yeah!” Nevermore responded, sending us both into a small fit of laughter.
But, she was the first to stop laughing, and I couldn’t help but press for answers. “Is something up?”
She shook her head, seeming to resolve herself to staying silent. But, her burning question seemed to escape her strong defenses as she blurted it out. “Did your transition have to do with me?”
“Huh?” I heard what she said, but her question was so left-field that it caught me off guard.
“Back when you…” Nevermore paused, searching for the right words. “Did you transition because you were trying to be more like me?”
She looked like she was going to be sick, and in that moment, everything clicked into place. Nevermore was so overprotective of me because she blamed herself for the way my life panned out. My past idolization of her, up to my death, left a guilt within her that didn’t fade with my revival. She still shouldered that burden for me.
“Dude.” I rolled my eyes. “I came out way before I even knew who you were.”
Nevermore let out the breath she was holding with a small relieved chuckle. “What the hell am I saying? Sorry, that was a stupid ass quest- Ah!”
As she spoke, I got up and wrapped my arms around her. “Thanks, man. For everything.”
Nevermore hesitated before reciprocating my hug. “Anytime, Ven. Anytime.”
