little red wasn’t sure how long they’d been asleep for. it was a much needed rest for all of them, &. she was proud of yang for staying strong enough to pull them the entire way. once they were slowing down ruby woke almost instantly ; silver gaze foggy with exhaustion until she was able to collect her bearings. ‘ blake, ‘ ruby glanced over to the sleeping feline she’d been slumped against. when she didn’t stir, ruby tried again. ‘ blake, we’re here. ‘ she tried a little louder.
panic settled deep within rosebud’s chest well before she even realized it. her breaths quickened, one hand reaching out to grab blake’s shoulder &. gently shake her. ‘ blake. blake. ‘ were tears really brimming moonlit irises ?
shes a huge pillar in the system. the primary caregiver, headspace helper, etc. tied with parker as the oldest alters in the system.
she started off as a warm, comforting presence without human form. as they all got older she took the image of harveys mother (if she was stable and caring). shes not an introject (very different personalities) but shares a lot of characteristics.
she comforts those who are in distress (especially while fronting). her aura is like stepping into a warm building after being outside in the cold. she can move alters out of front in emergencies when shes near front, but gatekeeper isn't her main role. the littles all live at her house in the headspace.
harvey has heard her voice in his head many times, but brushed it off as internal monolog/just weird (he did always find comfort in it though... something nostalgic he couldnt place about her voice)
" ⎯⎯⎯ but , like , how am i supposed to sit across your parents all weekend and act like nothing's wrong ? aaron , i don't think you get it , i'm not used to being around people like that , i don't know what they've heard about me , what they've seen ! i don't want to go , please ⎯⎯ please don't make me , tell them i'm busy , or - or sick , or whatever . anything ! tell them anything , please aaron ! please ! " @cocaleaf
Can you imagine an episode where Rio goes on a ‘mission’ with the girls. It would be so chaotic like I’m imagining Rio with the girls when they went to get Au Jus. He would be so exasperated the whole time and Beth would be trying to cover their terrible decisions the whole time
the thought of kinger x og digital circus reader and being together after everyone has left like erghhh yes. it's not like this affair with queenie being there no no no, it's when you two could only depend on yourselves together. this would never happen in real life with this dynamic until it had come to desperate measures. *claws screen
i don't even think it's romantic or platonic, it's just another option of love that blossomed. yes this is just a rambling thought cause im lowkey losin it
SOMEONE WORTH LIVING FOR
synopsis. you end up in the digital circus, for who knows how and why, but at least you have your friends right at your back right? right.
wc. 2,004 words 14, 521 chars | genre. angst, comfort | cw. angsty with a fluffly end comfort
support ! ko-fi
you've got mail ✉ ! hai anon!! thank you for the request!! agh, not my proudest work because i'm pretty rusty with writing angst, i might rewrite a drabble for this because i'm not quite satisfied, i still hope you guys enjoy this though! :)
One day, you were just a normal developer, doing normal developer stuff. And suddenly, when you were in some kind of circus. The place was like an oversaturated kids' cartoon, with large blocks of different shapes and colors scattered, a checkered floor that stretched out at each corner, and a giant stage that made you feel small as an ant.
Your name, memories, gone. You can't recall them, and $h!t you can't even swear in this place. As much as you wanted to escape this cartoon realm, unfortunately, there wasn't a way. No door, no magical wizardly way, no way to flee. And to add insult to the injury, it seems like you were the first ones to test this digital world.
Even though you don't do anything to recall, you can only recognize your colleagues, who look like abstract characters. They're in new forms; if it wasn't for their unique personalities, you wouldn't be able to identify them. But still, you can't remember their names and instead call them by their circus names.
When you arrived at the digital circus, you immediately panicked. I mean, who wouldn't? You were confused. How did you end up in a place like this when you were just.. what f#c$ we're you doing?! Your hands pull your head, and it is stretched to an exaggerated degree, making you feel more anxious when you realise you could pull yourself apart.
While you were having a panic attack, your attention was pulled by two distinct characters, two chess pieces that were seemingly talking to each other. And for some reason, you distinguished who they are. It wasn't a 'oh, I remember what your name and who you are!' type of recognition; it was intuitive, like feeling a connection with your long-lost sibling. It's a stretch example, but you get the gist.
With trembling legs, you slowly creep your way over to the pair. Your unidentifiable body huddles between the two, and fortunately, they knew who you were, by intuition, too, of course. And there were several others, in forms that looked like a child's toy, and a set of dentures that was talking to a dog who stood on two legs? What the hell?
Nevertheless, you were relieved that you were with people that you knew in the real world, at least that's what your guts told you.
"We wish we could remember your name." The queen chess piece said, a queen to be exact. She had feminine features and a silky ruby robe, and the king chess piece that accompanied her had the same attributes but just more masculine and less tan.
The woman's motherly voice and the other's reassurance soothed your chaotic nerves.
As Caine pretends to pay attention to the dog, he nods, pretending to listen. And immediately after the humane canine stops its yap, he energetically zips to the perplexed newcomers. He's apparently the host of this colorful place; he somewhat reminded you of your old projects.
He skillfully brought out his cane and used it to summon a lettered slot machine. And each one took their turn, hesitantly gambling their names and accepting the randomised word no matter how wacky they sounded.
The ringmaster looked so proud of himself and removed the machine. "And with that out of the way! Let's get you guys to do something exciting!" He says before snapping his fingers and disappearing somewhere you have no idea of.
You observe everyone, and they were still quite puzzled about how, why, and where they were, but the thought that succumbed to all of them, including you, was the way of escapism.
The rest of the days followed, and you couldn't quite count on how many days would pass; even if a moon and sun were floating in the false sky, they were always present together. Caine had you and the rest of the circus members participating in his 'adventures', he would call them. They were activities that kept everyone's brains active, and it's not like you had anything to do; you always joined them by tagging along with the romantic pair.
As the days prolonged, you grew close to them. You admired how they were always there for each other. But something dark lingered in the back of your mind, escape. Are your friends missing you? Were your family worrying their ass off about you? Were there missing papers plastered everywhere with your face on them?
There were times you spiraled in your room, which was decorated according to your avatar. But somehow, something clicked in a conversation you had with Kinger.
During another crazy adventure that had quite a strange objective, you were walking next to Kinger while most of the others headed on, and Queenie was somewhere observing the digital bugs Caine had just added. Your demeanor had obvious changes as time passed. Quite frankly, Kinger had an observant eye for such things.
"Are you feeling okay? You seem changed." The wooden man asks, his eyebrows contorted with concern. You didn't say anything, your shoulders just slumped, serving as an enough answer for him. "Ah," Kinger says in realisation, and turns his head to observe the brightly colored surroundings that contrast with how you felt.
He then returns his gaze to you, "It's about this place, isn't it?" No, he wasn't surprised, not one bit. Everyone's always been thinking of carnival; despite how frenetic it looked, it was miserable. You can't eat or drink, except to just feel the sensation of it; you don't get tired, you can't die, but feel all of the pains of digital obstacles, and worst of all, there is no exit door.
You pivoted your head at him slowly as if you were in physical pain, without any words, he still understood you. Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes, which caused you to mask them with anger. "This d@#m sun, making my eyes sweat." You complain as you wipe your eyeballs harshly
Kinger snickers but returns to his serious self, "I've struggled with adjusting to this place, too, you know. This form, the way the laws of physics here never made sense, and the fact that we can't return to our normal lives." He lets out a sad, deep sigh. "Your feelings are always valid, but fixating on them is no use. Destroying yourself over unfortunate matters is not worth it."
The chess piece places his floating hand on your back, comforting you. "We have to accept it. We will always miss our past lives, it seems we'll be stuck here for who knows until when. That's why we need to move on, and.. live. Live for you, and appreciate the ones we have right now." His voice sounded like a million hugs you needed. You instantly wrapped your hands around him, as the waterworks flowed while you thanked him endlessly, muffled by his clothing.
And from then on, it just clicked, slowly but surely, you moved on from the concept of escape and enjoyed what you had. Emphasis, what. you. had.
You then watched Caine as he put another abstracted member into the dark pit.
"We're running out of humans!" The pair of dentures said, almost showing concern for the lack of humans. "Don't go abstracting on me!" And there he goes, teleports away, leaving you and Kinger, who had the traumatized faces of losing almost everyone they know and love but themselves.
You're forever in Kinger's debt for the advice that made you resilient-minded, and everyone else surrendered to a darkness of desperation and turned into dark colored beings full of multi-colored eyes that would go haywire at anyone or anything in their sight.
First, it was Scratch, the first one to ask Caine for a way to escape, but received no proper answer. That's why he was the first one to abstract; he fixated on the thought and desire for an exit that he started to lose himself, literally. Everyone was bewildered at what had happened! But the rest of the members didn't learn; in fact, it sped up their way to abstraction.
After Caine left, you and Kinger turned to look at each other in sync. "What now?" You say, voice echoing in the emptiness of the circus. For the first time, Kinger stayed silent, only looking at you with eyes that shone with hopelessness.
The digital land felt deserted, and walking anywhere felt depressing. It used to be filled with hearty laughter and endless chatter. But everything comes to an end, as they say, even if the people had immortal lives. Your heart felt voided as that state of the circus, it was dreadful to take a step, knowing that its sound would reverberate.
You spent the rest of your days with Kinger, who else would it be? Definitely not Caine, he can't understand how human emotions work. Kinger seemed quieter, and his emotions were duller. And, Kinger changed; he's quieter, and his emotions dulled. But it didn't stop you from not wanting to be by his side.
From then on, you two were inseparable, unfortunately still depressed as hell. (lol) Caine still had adventures for you to do, but it never filled the whole inside your hearts. You and the chess piece depended on each other. For warmth, presence, and... everything. And out of the blue, he made a pillow fort, unsure why he made one, but as long as he felt safe, right?
One night, you had a terrible nightmare. So terrible, you woke up at midnight, with your hands turned into black abstract ones that glitched immensely. Out of panic, your little legs sprinted to your savior, who needed help himself. When you arrived at his little hut, he handled you with care as if you were a fragile china doll.
Because of that incident, you started to sleep with him. Sometimes you were at his fort of pillows, or he'd be in your room. You supported each other so much. No, it wasn't that you wanted each other romantically or platonically. There was no compulsion to help each other; it was simply because you both wanted to.
During one of your daily mournful walks. You ponder how many days, months, and years have passed. With no proper calendar, there's no way to count; it definitely has been a while. A long sigh leaves your mouth before peeking at the kinger, who was in his own thoughts.
Then, when you and he reach the enormous stage, an unexpected thing happens. Another character pops right into the middle of it; she seems to be a ragdoll with bright red hair and has a button for one eye. She spawned in with a quiet 'pop!', and she was panicking, similar to when you first arrived.
"Uh, can anybody hear me?" She asks, but the air can't talk or respond, so the chess piece replies instead. "I can, are you.. okay?" He voices with uncertainty, as his brows bend. Your head whips over to him, and you are shocked that there was a possibility that another human could come in here.
The ragdoll stares at him, confused. "U-uh.. who are you? How can I take this headset off?!" She cries out while pulling her red curls with all her might. Oh boy, then Caine appears, eagerly zooms to her, and leaves at the excitement of making new adventures for the new guest, adding more anxiety to her panicked state, which causes her to walk off the stage.
Immediately, you and Kinger run up to catch her. Thankfully, Kinger had faster legs and caught her in his gloved hands. "H-how do you get out of this..?", "We.. don't know," you say as you support her weight on her back. "But it'll be okay." The chess piece and you say in sync, and you turn to look at each other, and smile weakly for the first time again.
Maybe this, or she was something to look forward to; someone to guide, and someone to live for.
Editing took me longer than expected but now it's time for part 4!
Title: Prairie Song - Part 4
Rating: E
Word Count: 5.1k
Overall CW: Period typical behavior, misogyny, violence, gore, character death, animal death, explicit sexual scenes
Chapter Warning: None
Summary: Your father has once again forbade you from leaving the ranch to go on the months long cattle drive your whole family used to take part in; it’s been that way since your mother died…So like every year since, you find yourself alone on the ranch to tend to the cattle that didn’t go to auction and the rest of the farm animals. But something isn’t quite right amongst the trees on the far side of your grazing lands, and the animals are growing wary.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
The next few days came and went without incident and for a moment you wonder if everything that had happened was some sort of dream. But the bruises on your body and the skulls and bones on your mantel (and one still beneath a bucket in the barn) very much proved that everything had in fact occurred.
You hadn't seen the creature since the night you had the panic attack, nor had you found any more gifts left out for you. And truth be told you were surprised to find yourself beginning to miss the odd company.
You sigh and look at the marks around your neck; they are still fairly noticeable, with molted greens and blue staining your skin. Luckily the bruising on your face had gone down and it was only a light yellowing against your cheek bone; in a day or two it would be gone.
You glance down at your blouse and grip the neckline pulling it further up your neck. You have other blouses that have much higher necklines and as you continue to examine yourself in the mirror you find that if you were to wear one of your high neck blouses completely buttoned up you could safely cover any signs of the marks at your throat.
At least if you can cover up the most glaring marks you can finally take the extra horses into town and get some supplies as well as drop off some eggs for Lily.
You start to think through exactly what you'll say to the Sheriff when you get into town, when you hear a knock at the front door.
“Damnit.” You curse and nearly knock over your glass of water you had perched on the dresser while you had fussed with your appearance.
Another knock.
“Miss Y/n?” It's Jack and you curse, you can't let him see the marks and you don't have enough time to change into a high collared blouse.
“Shit, shit, shit!” You hiss and grab your shawl, wrapping it tight and high around your neck. “Be out in a minute Jack!’ you call out.
You hope the fading marks on your face are not super apparent, maybe he'll mistake them for dirt…unlikely.
You pat your hair down and try to look presentable, or at the very least not suspicious and you power walk down the hallway towards the stairs.
“You alright in there Y/N?” You hear him ask as you near the door.
“I'm coming! You got bees in your bonnet, or somethin’?” You reply and swing the front door open, hand on your hip as you gaze at the young man on your front porch.
“Sorry, usually you're out this time a day doing chores, I was a bit worried when I didn't catch sight of ya.” he says, tipping his hat.
“Am I not allowed to go in an’ grab a glass of water after bakin’ in the sun?” You huff.
Jack seems to shrivel at your terse tone and you realize you're being overly prickly towards him.
You sigh and lean against the door, giving him a much softer look than had been previously on your face.
“Sorry, just a lil’ bit cranky. Dun mean I should be takin’ it out on you.” You reply and Jack gives you a small smile.
“Dun need to go apologizin’ Miss Y/N, I get that it's a hard time of year for you, cattle drive and all.” He says and you're happy that Jack is at least an understanding fellow in that respect.
“Jus wish I was out there.” You nod your head in the direction of the grasslands.
“The call of the wide open sky is surely somethin’” he agrees and turns to look out reverently.
Out of the corner of your eye you see movement, and you nearly gasp when you see the creature crouched down by the chicken coop, hens pecking completely unperturbed around his feet. He's watching you, or rather you are certain he's watching Jack.
“Jack.” You say quickly and he turns back to face you in surprise. “Why don't you come in and take a seat, I'll make some coffee an’ I'll get you a basket of fresh eggs to take home to your ma.”
“You don't have to trouble yourself, I was just stoppin’ by to make sure you didn't need anything. Since you hadn't dropped by town in a bit, “ He says with a smile, but you grab at his elbow (the one not in a splint.)
“Nonsense, I'm sure your ma would like some eggs and I promise you I make a mean pot of coffee, brewed strong.” you pull at him and he stumbles inside at you cajoling and insistence.
You glare out across the lawn to the chicken coop where your guest still watches and you wave your hand at him in a go away motion mouthing a “Git”. Jack was certainly not going to end up on the end of his wicked blade.
He tilts his head at you and you fix him another hard stare before turning to walk inside and closing the door tightly behind you.
You hope he doesn't take any of your chickens.
“Looks like you've been keepin’ the place nice and cozy.” Jack says as he takes a seat at the kitchen table.
You get to work with putting the kettle on and pouring some coffee beans into the hand crank grinder.
“Not much else to do other than takin’ care of the animals.” You reply, trying to sound nonchalant, but you keep thinking about the creature prowling around outside. You hope he'll catch the hint.
Jack drums his fingers somewhat nervously on the table, it's been awhile since he's just relaxed in your presence within your home. Most of your interactions now that you're grown have taken place outside or in public spaces.
“Hope it ain't too boring out here, you're always welcome to come and have dinner at ours if you are in need of company.” He knows that you won't take him up on that.
The room grows quiet, with only the sound of the kettle coming up to temperature filling the space.
“Went out huntin’ the other day.” You say after a moment, breaking the awkward silence. Jack perks up at that and gives you a soft smile.
“Get anything good?” He asks as you pour the boiling water over the beans.
“Got two nice rabbits and a grouse.” You reply, watching as the coffee steeps.
“You always was good with that rifle.” he gives a little chuckle and scratches at his cast. It should be coming off soon, but he’d still have to spend some time rebuilding the strength in that arm.
You smile at the compliment, Jack was one of the few men that took notice of your aptitude with a gun and didn't take it as a threat or some silly passing fancy you had taken up to impress men (or scare them off).
“Thank you, we should go huntin’ sometime.” You reply and go to grab the coffee cups from the cabinet.
“I think you'd run circles around me miss Y/N, a smart man knows when he's beat.” He laughs and you return the sound brightly.
“Well at least you’s is smart.” You grin and pour you both a cup of coffee. “You want any sugar? And I got some fresh milk from this mornin’”
“You know I gotta sweet tooth.” He replies and you nod.
“From what I recall you basically take your coffee as a sugary sludge.” You spoon sugar into his cup and put a small splash of milk into yours.
“I’ll let you know I have excellent taste.” His eyes twinkle with mirth and you laugh again.
It's moments like this that remind you of when you and Jack were kids and you could just relax with each other and not worry about the idea of relationships or the pressure of them.
You sigh contentedly and bring the coffee over to the table, setting Jack’s down in front of him, ready to tease him some more about how he takes his drink.
Jack stiffens and makes a small sound, immediately you are on high alert.
“What's wrong?” You ask, your mind quickly going to your odd companion outside as you turn to face the window.
“What happened to your face Y/N, it looks like it was bruised somethin’ awful.” He asks, breath a little shaky.
Shit.
You were hoping that the yellowing across the side of your face wouldn't be noticeable, but you had gotten too close to Jack when you leaned down to give him his coffee and now he's spotted it. You have to come with something fast and make it believable.
“Oh this?” You do your best to sound nonchalant about it. “Was out in the pasture earlier this week and the girls were startled somethin’ fierce.”
Jack watches you eagle eyed as you sit down and lean against your palm.
“There was a big ol’ king snake, slitherin’ around in the grass and when I went to grab it one of the girls spooked and her noggin’ knocked right into the side of my head.” you tapped on the side that had the bruises. “Knocked me for a loop it did.”
That sounds believable enough you think.
Jack stares at you, scrutinizing you like a bug under a kids magnifying glass and you begin to worry he hasn't bought your lie.
“Y/N you gotta be more careful, what if it wasn't a king snake?” He says finally and you have to stop yourself from breathing your sigh of relief out loud.
“I ain't dumb Jack, I know a king from a rattle.” He flinches at that.
“I didn't mean to imply, ‘s hard to tell sometimes, ‘specially if the grasses is tall.” He shrinks a bit in his seat.
“‘m careful about all the critters that walk, crawl, slither or fly out there.” You take a sip of your coffee, your mind back on the creature.
“Did you at least call for the doctor?” He asks and you wrinkle your nose at him.
“Looked worse than it was, just iced it for a few days and took a little bit of Laudanum the day after.” You think back, maybe you should have actually taken some Laudanum, probably would have helped a bit, but you hated the lingering feeling of it.
Jack sighs, leaning back in his chair.
“I'm surprised you haven't given your poor pa a heart attack yet.” He replies and takes a swing of his drink and grimaces.
“What? Not sweet enough for ya?” You laugh and he goes to spoon more sugar into his cup.
“Tryin’ to poison me over here with bitter coffee.” He replies.
“What can I say, I told ya I make it strong.”
—
Jack stays a little while longer, having a second cup of coffee and a biscuit, it's late afternoon by the time he gets up from the table and you make your way back to the front door.
You hand him a basket of eggs and while he adjusts his hold on them, looping them over his bandaged arm, you take a peek outside to make sure your new friend isn't waiting for you in plain sight. Luckily it looks like he's wandered off and you walk out onto the porch, Jack in tow behind you.
“Thank you for stopping in today, it was… nice.” And it was, you give him a soft smile and he returns it.
“Glad you were open to receiving guests.” He replies, tipping his hat.
You look over to his horse that he has out by the cattle trough and then back to the basket of eggs on his arm.
“Shoot, you need some help? I can hold on to those while you get on your horse.” you say and he smirks.
“Don't you worry none Y/N, watch this.” he confidently strides towards his horse, and you decide it looks a little silly to see a man dressed as a cowboy, strut so boldly with a basket of eggs hanging off one of his arms.
You watch as he grips the saddle, foot in one of the stirrups and swings his leg over the back of the chestnut colored mare. You are actually pretty impressed he is able to do it with such grace with his arm and basket of eggs.
“Well I'll be, seems like yer gettin' along just fine.” You say with a smile as he brings his horse over to you.
You step off the porch and give the animal a pat on her muscled shoulder.
“You'll be back on the trail in no time.” You add and he smiles.
“Can't wait to get this thing off my arm, it's been itching somethin' fierce.” He replies.
“Well you be sure to stop by when you do and show me how gross it looks afterwards, all skinny and pale.” He rolls his eyes at you.
“Imma make sure I work out in the fields and at least get some nice color to it before I even think of showing anything to you.” There is no venom in his voice, only a light joyful tone, and you're sure he'll stop by and show you how weird it looks after the cast is removed.
“Get home safe Jack and tell your mother I say howdy.” You say and he tips his hat to you again.
“Will do miss Y/N, you mind those hard headed cattle now.” this time you're the one to roll your eyes.
You watch as he trots off down the long drive of your property, making sure that a certain someone doesn't come out of nowhere and ambush him.
When he's out of sight, you make a beeline for the chicken coop, ready to confront the being that's been hanging around your farm.
However when you get to the small building you don't see him anywhere. You do however find a few crushed eggs which you assume are his doing and the chickens are happily pecking at some sort of nuts that you've never seen before.
At least he only ruined a few eggs and didn't become a fox in the hen house.
You search the horse barn and hay loft, and then the area around the cow fencing, but he's nowhere to be found. You're a little disappointed but at least he had the good graces to give you your space when you wanted it.
You almost wonder if he's sulking somewhere and that makes you laugh; a seven foot something creature all pissy because you told him to leave you alone.
“Behavin’ like a jealous cowboy.” You laugh to yourself and go about doing the chores and cleaning up his mess in the chicken coop.
—
You don't see him during the night nor do you see any telltale signs of him in the morning, not that you're worried, you've just started to expect his presence.
The marks on your face were even lighter this morning and you decide today is the day you'll go into town and bring the horses to the Sheriff and Lily some eggs. Besides Jack believed your story, if the Sheriff or anyone else managed to notice the nearly faded bruises surely they'd believe that a cow just headbutted you in the face.
You realize when you get to the horse barn that it's going to be a bit odd managing the extra horses and you hope they are at least somewhat behaved on leads as you start to tether them all together. You had already made the decision to keep the one mare, and you had given her the name Maple since she was already sweet as maple syrup. She looks awfully sad that she isn't included in the lineup, but you are more inclined to believe that's because Penny is coming with you and she adores Penny.
The horses are better behaved than you expected and you still can't wrap your head around how such good creatures could have been owned by such rotten men. At least they are free now too and you're sure they are going to live much happier lives.
___
You get quite a few stares from the townsfolk as you ride in with your extra horses in tow. You're not one to come into town too often anyway, but everyone knows that your family certainly does not have three extra horses you'd be parading around.
You can see Mrs. Jameson watching you from the window of the general shop as you pass by and you tip your hat cheekily to her. You can practically hear her annoyed huff as she turns away from the window.
From your perch on Penny you can see that the Sheriff is out and about town; sitting with his boots kicked up on the banister beside the outdoor seating at Luke and Lily’s restaurant. He looks up at the sound of horse hooves, coffee cup tilted towards his lips, ready to drink, before lowering it and giving you a smile
“Well howdy there miss Y/N.” he says and you dismount from Penny once you're only a few feet away from the horse ties at the restaurant front. “Looks like you got more company than usual.” He nods to the other horses
“Sure do, Sheriff, that's actually why I came into town today.” you reply smoothly and rope Penny off and gently usher the other horses over to the watering trough.
Sheriff Nelson pulls out the chair beside him and motions for you to sit down, which you do.
“You want somethin’ to eat? Somethin’ to drink?” He asks and you shake your head.
“I'll probably get something for the ride home, but I already had breakfast.” you say and he nods moving to take a sip of his coffee.
“So how'd you find yourself in the possession of these fine animals?”
You realize that you're going to be lying to a man of the law and you're certain if there is a Hell, you're going to it.
“To be honest, I dun even have a clue.” You start to weave your tale. “Woke up two mornings ago and they was just meandering around in front of my house.”
Sheriff Nelson waits for you to continue and it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.
“They looked a bit worse for wear, covered in mud and it took me a little bit to get them to calm down. Not sure what they been through but it certainly didn't look good.” Damn now you were making it sound like there was some sort of danger out in the plains (not that there wasn't) but now you were making it sound like it was at your doorstep (which it had been).
Your companion lets out a hum and observes the horses. You really hope he buys the story; Jack is one person to lie to but Sheriff Nelson is smarter than Jack, smarter than most people.
“Sounds like they ran into some trouble, no signs of the riders?” He asks and you shake your head.
“I dun wanna make assumptions.” You big fat liar. “But with the state they was in and the way they was behaving…can't be anything good.” That much was certainly true, you had one of their riders skull in your barn under a bucket.
the sheriff hums again and you have to keep yourself from holding your breath.
“Wonder if it's got somethin’ to do with those bandits, but ain't heard nothin’ about them in a little while.” You catch the sideways glance he gives you and you feel your heart starts to race.
“Think they roughed up the riders? I would think they'd take the horses too.” You respond, trying to remain calm.
“Never really know with outlaws, maybe somethin’ went south for them too.” He sips his coffee and you wonder if he can see the sweat beading at your brow.
“Well either way, I can't take care of three more horses, I got enough going on as it is.” You try to steer the conversation in a different direction.
“No, I don't suppose you can.” He chuckles and gives you a grin. “Even with most of the herd gone you still gotta lot on your plate.”
“That's for sure, and with the weather gettin’ colder that means more grain and hay I gotta feed.” He bobs his head and turns back towards the horses.
“Well they appear to be in good health, an’ looks like you cleaned them up nicely,” he says.
“Couldn't let the poor things stand around filthy, they looked miserable.” you reply and the Sheriff gets to his feet, setting his empty cup on the small table beside you.
He walks over to the horses, making sure to give Penny a gentle pet on the nose and sneaks a sugar cube out of his pocket for her before approaching the others.
The three other horses watch him with mild interest and don't seem upset when he comes to inspect their coats, manes and hooves.
“They’re a well behaved bunch,” he gives the dappled gelding a pat on the haunch.
“I was surprised too. Felt almost bad bringing them into town.” You reply, that at least was also true.
“Well I'm certain they'll find good homes, might even keep one for myself.” He says as he comes back around to take his seat. “Were you looking for payment to be forwarded for them?”
“Oh no, they ain't even mine, wouldn't seem right.” You shake your head quickly. “Jus’ want them to go to places that will appreciate them.”
The Sheriff nods at this.
“Well I can put them up in the town stables while we get them sorted out, and just in case their owners come looking for them…” he pauses and you bristle but he just gives you a little smile “But it doesn't sound like that will be happening.”
You carefully let out a breath and return his smile.
“Thank you Sheriff Nelson, this is certainly a weight off my shoulders.” You reply, slumping down in your chair with a sigh.
“Just doin’ my job.”
You sit in silence for a while and you realize you feel almost sad that you are going to be saying goodbye to the three horses before you.
“Well I should get back to work, and get these beauties over to the stables.” your companion says after a moment. “Let me at least get you something for your troubles from Lily.”
You wave him off but he's already getting to his feet.
“Least I can do with you having to bring them all the way here and feedin’ them.” he laughs and walks inside the restaurant before you can protest any further.
As you wait for the Sheriff to come back out you can't help but mull over your thoughts. Your fairly certain Nelson has some suspicion around your story, but he's never been one to pry, especially not with you. You definitely feel bad having to lie to him, he's a good man and a good Sheriff.
You hear the jingle of the bell at the restaurant door and you turn to see the Sheriff walking out with a small brown bag and a cup of coffee. He sets the items down in front of you and you unabashedly open the bag and peer inside.
Three freshly baked blueberry scones.
He goes to step off the porch
“Wait, ain't you takin’ any of these?” You motion towards the bag and he smiles, continuing to untie the three horses.
“One for here, one for the road and one for home.” He replies, your heart warms.
“You're gonna give me a sweet tooth just like Jack’s, Sheriff.” You fold the top of the bag over, trying to keep the pastries as fresh as possible.
“A sweet tooth ain't that bad, one of the joys of life.” He says.
“Until all your teeth fall out.” You reply and he laughs, beginning to lead the horses away.
“You stay outta trouble miss Y/N.” He pauses for a second before continuing. “If you ever need anything, even if it's just to shoot the breeze you know where to find me.” With that, he's on his way towards the town stables.
“Thank you Sheriff Nelson!” You call out after you gather yourself and he waves at you over his shoulder.
You sigh and slump back into your chair, your eye catching the cup of coffee and bag of scones.
Slowly you unwrap the bag again and pull out one of the scones, pulling the steaming coffee closer to you as well.
—
Your strange visitor didn't show up during your evening chores either, and you are starting to wonder if he's moved on. It's not like he's beholden to you or your land, you remind yourself; but you still can't help the feeling of disappointment settling in your gut.
You try not to dwell on those feelings as you go throughout the rest of your night.
It isn't exactly chilly tonight but you decide to rekindle a fire in the hearth. You probably should just keep the fire going from now on since colder weather is bound to set in and stay soon.
You settle down on the floor in front of it in your night gown; before you a small saucer with one of the scones the Sheriff bought you and a mug of milk.
Again it brings back memories of childhood, sitting here like this…you sigh and take a bite of the scone, relaxing into the still of the night and the warmth of the fire.
Outside you hear a soft rustling, like careful footsteps and you perk up, turning your head to listen in more. It sounds like the floor boards of the porch creak and then everything is quiet again.
You stand up and go to look out the window, but you're fairly certain you know who it is.
Outside everything is calm, the cows and horses are quiet, not a soul in sight, but you know someone is out there.
You grab your shawl from the couch, scone still in hand as you walk quickly to the front door and pull it open. You peer out but like at the window everything is as it should be, except for the presence you are now aware of on the roof of the porch awning. You walk out onto the porch and take a bite of your pastry.
“Jealous cowboy finally came back.” You're not sure if it's smart to tease him but you hear him click softly in response. “Truth be told, I thought you might a run off.”
A huff in response followed by something that sounds very much like grumbling. You chuckle a little at that, a reaction that seems so very …human.
An idea pops into your head and you turn to go back into the house.
“Stay right there, got somethin' for ya.”
It only takes you a minute, the item you were looking for in the kitchen bread box.
You walk back outside with the second scone in hand and walk out into the yard until you can see him over the awning. Again he's crouched down, observing you curiously.
“Here, it ain't a rabbit, but Lily sure knows how to make a darn good scone.” You hold your arm out, hand raised as high as you can towards the porch roof.
It takes him a moment but he slowly shuffles closer to the edge of the awning until he perches on the precipice. You stand up on your tip toes, trying to bring the food stuff closer to him, wobbling as you do.
“Come on there, take it, m’ arms gettin’ tired.” You say to him and wiggle your arm a little.
He reaches down and you feel his large clawed finger brush against yours as he takes the scone from your hand.
You fall back into the heels of your feet and watch as he curiously turns the pastry in his hand. He gives it a small sniff and tilts his head, chuffing at you.
“You eat it.” You bring your own scone to your mouth and take a bite. You briefly wonder if maybe he can't have anything but meat but you watch as he mimics you, taking a small bite.
It's odd to watch him eat, his mandibles shiver and move slightly like an insect would, as if attempting to hold prey. You realize it should probably scare you, how incredibly different he is, but you find yourself continually fascinated by everything that he is.
He makes a small sound and you're not sure if he likes it or not, but he takes another bite and you smile and take another bite of your own.
You decide to sit down on the steps of the porch, him looming directly overhead as you both continue to eat in silence. You watch as his tendrils of what you assume is some sort of hair sway gently in the wind and you wonder what they feel like.
Almost as if he can sense your eyes on him (he probably can) he gazes down at you, clicking softly. You wrinkle your nose up at him but quickly turn your attention back to your food, you know it's not polite to stare, especially when someone else is eating.
Even after you finish your scone and brush the crumbs from your lap and lick your fingers, you sit in the quiet of the night. You're sure by now your companion has also finished his food and is relaxing as well. It's nice, just sitting here, not having to converse (you're not even sure if he can talk but he seems to understand you somewhat) and just enjoying the quiet company.
You're not sure how long you sit, but when you let out a long yawn and your companion responds with a curious click you realize you had better get back inside. Your nights were becoming too long with him around now and your sleeping schedule would surely start to suffer soon.
Still…You just wanted a few more minutes…
You prop your elbow up against your thigh and rest your chin on the heel of your palm as you blink slowly and contentedly out at your property.
You close your eyes for a moment and when you do you can focus in on the soft sound of his unique purring.
You smile, you like that sound.
“‘M glad you came back.” You say more to yourself, but above you you hear his purring grow deeper.
Tim Drake had encountered many odd things in his life and yet as he was stopped on his walk home by what could only be described as a retro anime villain he was possibly the most baffled he had ever been.
The woman, a strangely tall lady with an obnoxiously large hat that cover part of her face and wore a tight black dress with gold accents, was ordering around dozens of men in the exact same suit, with sunglasses and the same hair cut. She even had one of those long cigarette holders.
The only reason Tim didn’t think they were clones or a literal copy and pasted image like in old animated shows was because their faces, skin colours and bone structures were all slightly different.
Tim was getting his phone out to take photos of the woman and the giant crates of… something being pushed around into trucks when he felt something in his pocket that he knew shouldn’t be there.
He pulled it out and found what could be best described as a wand. It had a white handle around seven inches long with a love heart shaped base of gold and a red ribbon around the base that had two big tails still slightly tucked into his pocket still. The top of the wand was the same gold in a big love heart with a red gem, possibly ruby, in the middle. Again a ribbon was around it but smaller tails and a bigger bow.
Tim stared in utter confusion.
Then, when he was starting to get back on track of what he was doing, a voice echoed inside his mind.
Yes. You are perfect.
Naturally he went straight to slamming up his mental walls but the voice, a rich tone that was so deep it had to be male, just kept going.
You may not understand yet, my dear Timothy, but you will change the world for good. Have faith in me, I wish only to guide you.
Tim dropped the wand and, ignoring the new rouge, just started to walk away.
This was too much.
He had to get to the cave and run test, make sure he wasn’t going crazy or had gotten possessed. Could it be a hallucination? Crane had gotten out recently and he was known to pawn off the more boring test he did that didn’t play into his love of fear.
Maybe Ivy? She adored hallucinations and watching people squirm, though she didn’t really attack Tim Drake anymore because of his contributions to Climate Change and helping fix the Gotham water.
Maybe it was-
Timothy.
-a god or goddess he had pissed off. Lord knows he had done that before and it wouldn’t be surprising if he did it again without even realising. Hecate really didn’t like him, come to think of it most of the Greek gods didn’t.
Timothy, you are about to be stabbed.
Okay that sounded important.
Tim dodged just in time as the woman behind him quickly ran right up to him as quick as Slade or any other enhanced human. Her nails had grown to be seven times as long as they had been and were aiming straight at his head.
A bit of his hair got cut as he moved, meaning they were unnaturally sharp.
Tim cursed under his breath and got ready for a fight, trying to find his panic button.
The voice spoke as he began a battle of fighting the woman and ignoring her strange rambling.
You know what you need. The wand. Grab the wand, Timothy.
Yeah, no. Theres no way this was real.
Did he get put into an anime? Was this Sailor Moon? As long as it wasn’t Madoka or some other mildly horrifying universe.
Multiverse travel sucked.
The voice, surprisingly not angry or frustrated, seemed to laugh in his mind. It was almost comforting in how warm it was.
Tim, knowing he was outnumbered and that this woman was human, knew he was going to need more than the collapsible bow he had started using already.
Back up would arrive if he pressed the button and yet… dammit he wanted to trust the voice.
Tim manoeuvred until he was able to snatch up the wand that, thankfully, hadn’t been damaged. He dropped his Bo and hoped he wouldn’t regret it.
The handle fit into his hand perfectly and Tim listened for the voices instruction, feeling almost as if the he wanted the voices guidance and approval.
What the hell was happening?
In due time, Timothy. I will explain all. For now, repeat after me.
Tim swallowed the lump in his throat and prayed that he wasn’t about to have some magical girl transformation.
Love and Heart, OPEN!
Oh for fucks sake.
Tim planted his feet on the ground and brought the wand to his chest. The woman was charging at him and yet he felt no fear as his body seemed to know what to do, his hand moving the wand from his chest in the shape of a heart as he shouted out, “Love and Heart, OPEN!”
Then.
Then his vision blurred with sparkles of all things.
Reds and yellows and pinks and whites seemed to surround him as his body began to float just slightly above the ground. The very fabric of space seemed to shift around him.
Light bloomed over his torso, which was notably bare for some reason, spreading out over the rest of his body.
Then, two straps appeared over his chest and crossed over to go around his shoulders, followed by a white bodice with red thrills along the sweetheart neckline. It was a body suit, though one tighter and tougher than he’d expect. Two big puffy sleeves appeared that hung almost impossibly loose around his shoulders.
Next came a skirt, this one thankfully longer than he’d seen in some anime’s, it was frilly as well but went down to the middle to his thighs. The deep red of it matched the straps around his shoulders and chest, though it felt softer.
Then he shot his arms out and these winding red ribbons appeared along his upper arms and down to his wrist, connecting to white gloves.
He did the same with his legs and to his horror a pair of heels appeared. They were by no means short, at least three inches, and concerningly thin. Not needlessly thin, but straw thin, which was still far too narrow for his liking. The tips of the shoes had gold hearts, ones that were matched at the top of the shoe as it grew to go up to his upper knee. The base of the shoe and heels were red but changed to white around the ankle. The gold hearts were then repeated on the white of the shoe as it split and again at the very top.
Tim had thought it was over then and yet more was to come.
His chest was pushed out and a choker appeared on his neck, red like his straps and fit with a little gold charm that strongly wasn’t a heart but a round coin like shape.
The neckline of his bodice on the other hand was met with a big red bow that had a gemstone in the middle that was a replica of the one on top of the wand.
The earrings he barely noticed, simple gold hoops with a red heart hanging off each one. Same with the red heart lipstick, deep red eyeshadow and black eyeliner and mascara, and heart tattoo that appeared behind his neck.
It was his hair that started him the most. While the under shave he had remained and the simple short style didn’t shift, two chuncks near in front of his ears grew longer and weaved into braids that then curled into hearts at the ends. Each one had red ribbons weaved through it, both would reach the ground if he wasn’t wearing heels.
Lastly a crown of sorts appeared, maybe more a circlet. It was gold, unsurprisingly, and wrapped around his entire head before dipping at his brows and having yet another red heart in the dip.
Tim finally, finally knew it was over when his body moved to do a few different poses, one’s Dick would be proud of with how flexible you had to be, and he finished with his one once again planted on the ground.
This time his arms were placed so one hand covered his mouth, a single finger pressed there as if he shushing someone, and the over rested under the elbow with the wand now gone.
The woman thankfully hadn’t had to stop and watch him change and he was able to watch her face shift in horror in real time as he changed in an instant.
Tim didn’t do a flip or jump out the way, he just used her shock to punch her straight in the mouth.
She fell in an instant and Tim was able to turn to her minions.
The first step he took forward had Jim’s tumbling to the ground and groaning in embarrassment.
The damn voice huffed fondly and Tim rolled his eyes before Turing again.
He one the fight without needing to use anything more than his Bo until he found himself bending it with new strength, luckily the voice told him what he could do.
Touch your necklace and say, ‘Cupid, Call Me!’
Tim did and in his hands appeared a spear with a heart shaped blade and yet another stupidly long ribbon around the head. It was white and gold, just as he expected, and fit in his muscle memory just like his Bo.
He beat the minions and then quickly ran off, alerting police and rushing to try figure out what just happened.
The voice hummed happily
I know you would be perfect.
“Who are you? You said you’d give me answers, so talk.”
Hmm, ever a Bat. Alright. I am Agape, symbol and avatar of Love and Heart, and you are my chosen.
Tim groaned and asked how to get rid of his ridiculous outfit.
Agape smiled and Tim felt it on the tattoo that didn’t disappear on his neck.
You didn’t happen to listen to anything she said, did you?
Tim winced.
Agape just laughed and said, fear not, we will be spending a lot of time together, so I will fill you in.
Tim wondered how much time exactly.
What he didn’t wonder about was how to tell his team or family, because he wouldn’t.
No way in hell was he telling anyone about being a bloody magical girl.
