#fae2

[schokokokatze]

Quick recap: Proud and Whip had five more children after Whip was cursed to be a demon-like fairy, even though she was already remarried to Mask at the time. Feared, first of those five half-fairies, lives with the Hunters (everybody does these days), the other four (Dream, Flame, Winter and Free) live here.

Proud got noticeably older. She also is the town hussy and has affairs with Skinny, Spike, Trust and Night, a fact I slightly hate. But I suppose everybody needs a talent and hers is pleasing dudes.

Dream, a girl with lovely horns, and Flame, who hates the outdoors and loves the cold, are both fairies. Flame is also inherently dysfunctional, since hating the outdoors with their minuscule hut is ridiculous. He’ll probably start digging underground and live in a cave once he’s allowed to call the shots.

Free, Proud’s youngest non-fairy child, also grew up. Since this family wasn’t strange enough already, she’s started having visions and thus is exactly the prophetess Guardian is pretending to be.

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Dream: “Hey Winter! Winter! Didn’t you say you were cold?”

Winter: “Yeeeeees ...?”

Dream: “I learned a really nice, new trick, here you go! Should work really well, you’re such a hothead.”

Winter: “Buwaaaaah! Hah. That ... actually wasn’t as bad as expected. You really need to be more careful, Dream, what were you thinking!”

Dream: “Wait for iiiiiit ...”

Winter: “What?”

Dream: “Wait for iiiiiiiiiit ...”

When Winter started spitting fire, Dreams eyes lit up. Free didn’t like their tricks very much and she always cried and went to the darkest corner and dreamed about far-off horizons, but Winter was different. Winter, after a short period of being pretty cross, would eventually start laughing about it, which was much more fun. While Winter calmed down, however, it would be a good idea to hide, since Winter had figured out that grabbing Dream by the horns prevented her from making herself smaller and flying away. Winter also could bite and pull hair, when she was angry.

Dream: “Gotta pee! Dad, you got this, right, byyyyeee!”

Whip: “Ungrateful child. Ungrateful for the sister that doesn’t cry. Come now, Winter, I’ll make you new clothes and help you with your hair. Come, come, I’ll make it better. Sensible Winter child. You should not be angry. Anger grows. Never be as angry as I am.”

Winter: “I’ll pull out her wings! That stupid little she-dog!”

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Proud: “What are you doing with this boy, Whip? You can’t just ... oh gods, you’re Ice. You’re Skinny’s kid.”

Whip: “He came to attack. Make a name for himself, surpass his brother and get all the attention for once. Itsy, bitsy baby boy feels left out and so he comes to slay the fairies. Don’t you boy?”

Ice: “... yes, lord.”

Proud: “But ... what have you done to him?”

Whip: “Mh. Magic. He can go home, eventually. He’ll even get a nice gift. He won’t remember, either.”

Proud: “Whip, let him go. He’s only 16!”

Whip: “No. He can go when I say so. I am chief here, not Star’s and Wish’s little boy! I see you. You worry more for Skinny’s devotion to you, than you worry about this child, and you like to obey their chief more than you like to live with me. You regret being here.”

Proud: “... I do. I should be sorry. After everything we’ve been through ... but my children are scattered throughout the village. They curse my name for being with you instead of them. Maybe it’s time I wake up and realize they’re right.”

Whip: “So you leave.”

Proud: “I ... I guess I am. If you can find it in you, send this kid home as soon as possible. I don’t know what he’s done, but this is ... cruel.”

And so Proud, after almost 40 years, left her first husband for the last time. Since she was now homeless, she came to the city hall to spend the night there, in hopes of schmoozing her way into another’s house. Ice was decidedly less lucky.

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Winter: “... thanks for inviting me to your festivities, lord.”

Might: “Lord? What’s th- ... you know what, don’t worry about it. Just call me Might. Our mother has recently ... returned to the village and she speaks of you a lot. I was very curious. I’m glad you could come.”

Winter: “Well ... I knew I had more brothers and sisters.”

Might: “Lots more! We’re the largest family in the tribe, actually.”

Winter: “Oh! I didn’t know that. Your house is really very beautiful. There is a hut, my parents built it for me, but I’m too small to live on my own, dad says.”

Might: “Well, he could be right. Although you seem like a capable girl, you shouldn’t want to leave your home too soon. Such wishes can be dangerous. For example, this isn’t my house. My house burned down. This is Grip’s and Spade’s house, that’s Spade over there.”

Winter: “He has a very nice dress. I ... this is were Grip lives? It’s so nice!”

Might: “Wait. You know Grip?”

Winter: “Oh. You didn’t know. But I ... yes, I know Grip. He sometimes visits, but he’s always very nice, very polite, so dad never gets angry at him and they don’t do any magic that hurts him. He doesn’t come often enough. I think he said that people live with him and his friend now because they lost their home. Dad complimented him for it. That’s you?”

Might: “I’ll be damned. He never said, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, it’s not as if he actually still cares what people think of him. That’s me and my brother, yes. Our brother, I should say! You’re very sharp, Winter. It’s good to have you here. You need to visit me more often.”

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Random pictures of Wren screaming at Free that she should die and Whip playing tag with Winter in his undergarments, because mood whiplash is my jam.

Whip is actually a really nice dad when he’s not being a horrible, magic monster. The four kids that live with him adore him, while feeling pretty “meh” about their mom. It’s kinda sad.

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And so Proud went to the temple to convince High Priest Quartz to let her stay. She hadn’t had any romantic encounter with him, which made things a lot more difficult. When she couldn’t flirt as if there was no tomorrow, and eventually end up in bed ... what could she actually talk about?

Proud: “The temple has grown huge, since I was here last. You must be loaded.”

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Whip: “You see, you came here wanting to slay. To hunt. Don’t you feel stupid now?”

Ice: “Yes, lord.”

Whip: “You wanted to prove your worth, yes? A true warrior, like your father. Is it what you are?”

Ice: “No, lord. I’m a naked worm, writhing merrily on your hook, lord.”

Whip: “... hm. Head inside. Let Flame play with you for a bit. Children are lonely when they’re not allowed to leave. Since you came here so ready to be played with ...”

Ice: “As you say, lord.”

Ice got up. He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help any of it. His body moved, obediently marching into the tiny hut. The fairy behind him barely seemed to notice. There were holes in the walls, the whole building seemed cobbled together by a shattered mind, but it was surprisingly hot inside. So much so that the draft from the gaping holes was a welcome relief.

Right up until the moment when the boy-fairy started ‘playing’ with Ice. By his demeanor, Ice could tell that the boy really thought it was a game. It was fun, making Ice feel so cold he thought his teeth might fall out, making his eyes water and his skin crawl. Taking his ears and pulling at them until he wanted to scream, scratching his skin with pointed claws. Ice couldn’t fight back, just stand there, moan and shiver in an overly comical fashion and let the child abuse him. Because he couldn’t help it. Because his lord had looked through his eyes, into his soul, and he had put his hands on it. His lord had forced it to strip naked, laughed at all of Ice’s insecurities and all the petty fantasies that had brought him here in the first place. His lord had pushed his soul down, further and further down, and had filled the void with himself. His lord was everywhere. Every time his lord spoke, something inside Ice broke open and spilled nasty, sticky and pitch-black feelings of self-hatred into his mind. When his lord commanded, the worm could only weep and obey.

“You’re funny!”, the boy exclaimed and hugged him tightly. The kid was weak. Weightless. It would have been easy for a warrior to fight him off, but Ice was no warrior. He was a worm. He wanted to cry, but couldn’t. He smiled. He couldn’t help it.

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Proud: “Skinny! A sight for sore e- ... that ... that’s a ... it ... what.”

Skinny: “Thank that wretched demon of yours! Ice came home just before dawn, stumbling and carrying this thing. He only says he doesn’t remember, hasn’t uttered another word yet. Explain this to me, Proud!”

Proud: “... I have never claimed to understand Whip’s magic, Skinny. From what I could tell, Ice came to the fairy hut in order to ... prove himself worthy of being your son. Whip wasn’t amused.”

Skinny: “And this ... this ... thing? Can I leave it in the damn snow somewhere, or will your demon come to kill me then?”

Proud: “He hasn’t come to kill you for enjoying my company, but I think if you murder any ... creation of his, he might be a tad angry, yes.”

Skinny: “What has he done to my son, Proud?”

Proud: “Nothing that should leave lasting damage. From what little I know of Whip’s abilities, he’s most likely done something he calls ... doesn’t matter. What matters is, it’s purely in his victim’s mind. It’s probably very scary and painful, but he makes sure they can’t properly remember, so they don’t dwell on it too much. Let your son rest, let him recover, don’t try to force him to remember anything. It wouldn’t be helpful and it would just make everybody involved even more angry.”

Skinny: “Uh-huh. And what is this little beast?”

Proud: “... it’s a fairy. If I interpreted his babbling correctly, he can make exactly one of these, but he can’t look after it himself for ... some reason. This is not a half-fairy like the two I had, this is a pureblood. It’s as strong as Whip himself. Nobody asks you to raise it, Skinny, just bring it through the first few days and then leave it by their hut, along with several offerings.”

Skinny: “He kidnaps my son and I thank him for it, is that it?”

Proud: “... I suppose this is a bad time to ask you to take me in?”

Skinny: “Wait, you left him? But ... take you in, are you mad? My wife would ... she’s sharp, you know, she’d realize ... look, you are still beautiful and so ... so ... delightfully twisted, but ... no. Try the temple. Yes, that’s good! Try the temple!”

Proud: “Alright. Might not be a bad idea.”

Skinny: “... and next time you have the time, might I ask ... could you do that thing with the honey again?”