Little Aether babysitter Dewdrop
Aether was sprawled across his bed, the dormitory a mess. He had a new fang coming in. Typically, ghouls had new fangs come in every few decades to accommodate for any damaged or dulled teeth, but, little aether had one of his teeth knocked out. Dewdrop didn’t mean to injure the guitarist but ghouls, being naturally curious & feisty creatures, tripped while exploring the other ghoul on stage, sending the guitar head straight into the ghoul’s teeth. Aether whined and tossed around in bed, his gums were killing him! He was chewing on everything he could get his hands on, learning the hard way that his fingers weren’t tough enough to not be punctured by his remaining teeth. Pillows, shirt collars, even one of his grucifixes had been chewed apart. The Cardinal, to the sister Imperator’s fury, had even attempted to use whiskey to calm the devil’s aching gums.
His fingers were bleeding once again, he didn’t mind the flavor but it hurt his fingers. He flicked his tail around angrily, almost cat-like, when an idea popped into his little horned head. He hesitantly inspected his leathery tail, running his fingers over its triangular tip. He tentatively took the tail into his mouth, curiously investigating the firm, flat body part in his mouth. For the first time since the fang had begun growing, he was calm. Aether’s soothing was interrupted by a knock on the dormitory door. “Aether? Are you ready for mass?” It was Dewdrop. He had been able to cover for his duties in the archives & in the upkeep of the cathedral but attending mass was required of all ghouls.
Little Aether didn’t even hear the knocking over the bliss of finally having calmed gums. Dewdrop cooed as he opened the door, walking over and petting the creature’s head, earning a purr in response. “Come on, Aeth. It’s time for mass.” Aether, in a mix of pain and the comfort of his tail, wasn’t quite feeling up to sitting through another sermon. He flopped into the larger ghoul’s lap, whining softly. “Do I have a kit in my lap?” Dew asked, playing with Aether’s hair. The kit shyly nodded, not wanting to take his tail out. Dewdrop didn’t typically care for the kit, whether that be literal or mental, but he would still happily care for a ghoul in need.
He got the little kit dressed and walked him to the nave, deciding to sit in the back pews with him. He had coaxed the tail out of his mouth but then couldn’t get him to sit still. “I know it’s uncomfortable but there’s only 10 minutes left! Just sit still for a bit and then you can chew.” Dew whispered. Aether whined quietly, still earning a glare from the being in the pew in front of them.
The little demon managed to sit mostly quietly & somewhat still for the rest of the service. “I’m pretty sure the den is empty. You want me to see if the den mother will let you play in there for a bit?” Dew offered quietly as they left. Aether nodded, fidgeting with his tail.
On their way, Copia placed a hand on Dew’s shoulder. “Cardinal!” Dew exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly. “I noticed a certain ghoul was fidgeting quite a bit during the sermon. Is all well?” He asked, looking at the frustrated ghouls. “A certain oversized kit is still teething from his run-in with my guitar.” Dew said, gesturing to the little guitarist.
A look of fake, but lighthearted, surprise spread across the cardinal’s face. “Oh? Is there a little ghoul amongst us?” He asked, feigning curiosity as he tussled the little ghoul’s hair. Aether purred and hugged the man, accidentally poking him with his horns. He pulled away and smiled before placing his tail back into his mouth. “Thank you, little one.” Copia said before having a boring but quick conversation with the mentally older ghoul.
Dewdrop was interrupted by a tug on his belt. He looked down to find the outstretched claws of a ghoul attempting to climb onto him. He scooped the little creature up, bouncing him lightly as he finished the conversation. “I’ll see you tomorrow night!” He excitedly said.
Aether happily sat in the fire ghoul’s arms, playing with his shirt, until he was so rudely interrupted by Dew shifting him. He was now looking at the cardinal; he quickly hid his face in the other ghoul’s neck, suddenly feeling shy.
Dewdrop nudged him to get his attention. “Can you say goodbye to Copia, sweetie?” The little demon quickly peeked out, receiving a little wave & warm smile on the man’s face. He shyly smiled, tail still in his mouth, and waved back before returning to his hiding place. The man chuckled as he walked off to speak with other clergymen.
After a conversation with the den mother, the ghouls were given permission to use the den. Aether happily played as he chomped his tail, Dew watching him from a rocking chair in the corner. The little ghoul tugged his caretaker’s pant leg and held up a story book. The carer pulled the ghoulie into his lap and cracked open the book. “Once upon a time…”
