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A black-cloaked figure hurriedly entered the large, ornate mansion door, laughing through gasps as seven similar figures squeezed through the entrance, falling over one another as they groaned. The leader of the group didn’t seem to notice the chaos, dancing around the lobby of the huge, vampiric mansion before stopping in front of a coatrack, taking off his cloak.
“It’s great to be back, isn’t it, boys and girls?” He chuckled, asking the group in a thick Italian accent, before throwing his cloak onto the rack and looking around the room.The man, revealing himself to be the famed Cardinal Copia, smiled as he excitedly pranced over to his favourite red antique Victorian chair, sitting in it, closing his eyes and sighing for a moment; happy to be back within his abode after such a long time away. Once he had finished reminiscing, he jumped up, looking back at his friends with a gasp, plump lips beginning to curl into a cheeky smile at the ridiculous situation his pets had gotten themselves in, — uproarious laughter soon following.The Cardinal appeared to be a good 50 years old with odd, down-curved black makeup around his heterochromatic green and white eyes, light time-faded freckles, many a wrinkle on his aged face, pointed ears, well-kept sideburns, a pencil moustache and distinguished, slightly-messy greying black hair. He wore a nice, tight black suit with an intricate grucifix on the right breast, and to top it all off, a medium-sized, multi-pointed black cape with gorgeous red lining and a silver, winged clasp at the chest.As Copia laughed at the group, they finally began to pick themselves up from the chaotic pile and, minus the theatrics, began to take off their own cloaks. Underneath the black fabric revealed devilish creatures in black suits wearing horned, silver half-masks, pointed ears, long arrowed tails and sharp animalistic claws. These strange, humanoid creatures were known as Ghouls, — loyal minions and pets to the Clergy.Once the Ghouls got their shit together, they began to smirk, bearing sharp fangs as they glanced at one another with a knowing look, before charging towards the laughing man, playful growls and laughter echoing through the mansions’ main room as they tackled the now squeaking man to the blood red carpeted floor, sitting upon him.
The man smiled as he looked up at his captors, before reaching up to boop one on the nose with a chuckle. The Fire Ghoul, nicknamed Phoenix, shook his head with a ‘purrowl’ before quizzically tilting his head at his Master.
Copia grinned at the cute Ghoul, thinking back on how he had always found their subtle catlike movements so very endearing, even before his fated role as future leader of the Clergy.As the man stared at his pets, he noticed their pointed tails swishing back and forth, a sign of happiness for their species that he had not seen in quite some time. He then proceeded to pull them in closer, blushing a little as he hugged them. “I love you Ghouls...” he squeaked out, the Ghouls replying not with words, but with deep purring.Thirty seconds passed and the man cleared his throat, speaking up in a semi-stern voice as he gently pushed them away with a laugh, “okie dokie, that’s enough of that!”
The creatures all began to whine before moving off of their prey, allowing some room for him to stand. As Copia got to his feet, he smirked, staring down at the upset faces of his pets, all sprawled out on the carpet in differing, annoyed poses.
“Oh come on... what is wrong with you lot?!” He exclaimed, a confused look spread on the man’s face. The Ghouls looked at each other with a sigh before jumping to their feet and standing in a perfect, horizontal line in front of the man, a sad air filling the room.
“Sorry, Master...” they all spoke simultaneously, the Ghouls clearly dejected by Copia’s lack of mutual affection.
After a few seconds, one of the smaller males finally spoke up with an awkward shrug, stepping forward towards the man who continued to stare confusedly.
“I-it just felt good to be close again after so long...” The shy Water Ghoul, nicknamed Rain, tilted his head with a small, lopsided grin as he tried his damnedest to get his Master to understand their plight in as few words as possible, too nervous to speak any further.Copia suddenly furrowed his brow, closed his eyes and tried hard to think about the situation at hand, and what might be worrying his little minions. He searched his mind until it flashed with images of the busy Ritual circuit they had all just been on. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the floor, instantly knowing exactly what the Ghoul had meant. “I worked my loves to the point of such attention-starvedness? And I didn’t even notice it..? — Me. The man who believes in equal pleasure? Fuck...” He scolded himself in a whisper as an embarrassed blush slowly covered his freckled cheeks, his face turning from confusion to slight anguish, guilt filling the man from head to toe.Copia sighed before looking right at the Ghouls, determined to make things better. “I am truly, truly very sorry for ignoring you, my beloved Ghouls...” He finished before bowing in apology, tears beginning to well and drip onto the carpet as he closed his eyes tight, grimacing as he fully expected his lovers to reject his apology and fuck off, leaving him alone with his guilty thoughts.As The Cardinal continued to bow in their direction, the Earth Ghoul, nicknamed Mountain, walked up right next to Rain, put his hand on Copia’s head and slowly stroked the messy, greased-up hair of his Master.
“It’s okay, sir.” The Ghoul said reassuringly as Copia opened his eyes, looking up at him from bowing position before straightening up, Mountain’s clawed hands moving to caress the man’s red, tear-soaked cheek.
The rest of the Ghouls, captivated by the loving sight before them, slowly began to surround The Cardinal one-by-one, bringing him into a huge group hug.“Thank you, my Ghouls.” Copia squeaked out as he smiled and closed his eyes again, cherishing this moment with his odd little family.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Cooopiaaa, oh Cooopiaaaaaa~” a wavering voice echoed through The Cardinal’s bedroom, shattering any calm the old man may have had, and with a groan he woke up, sighing as his gaze met the grinning ghostly figure of his arch nemesis Papa Emeritus the Third, mere centimetres away from his exhausted, freckled face.“Emeritus.” His tired voice croaked out.
The handsome, youthful-looking ghost continued to grin down at the mess of a man, “Sooo... where the Hell have you been, ya old coot?”
Copia almost spat in the ghost’s face, ”I’m ten years younger than you, you fucking dolt!”
“Well, to be fair...” the ghost laughed, gesturing at all of him, mocking the poor, stressed-out, greying fool.
Copia growled before giving an answer through gritted teeth, “I’ve slowly been going mad, travelling all around this Country for months straight cooped up in a fucking tour bus with seven loud and horny Ghouls, all while playing sold-out Rituals that YOU of all people could never have accomplished! Capische?!” He then sighed, turning over and cuddling up underneath his warm covers, hoping the floating nuisance would go away.After a few seconds though, he spoke again, this time in a much more somber tone, “You’ve come into my life, started what feels like a nuclear war, and just as a cockroach would, you came out unscathed... so please, do us all a favour and fuck right off.”
Some silent moments later, Copia peeked over his freckled shoulder at the ghostly man lounging casually in the air above him, eyes closed, seemingly unphased at the jabs Cardi just took at him.“Y’know,” the spectre started, face stern as a glowing eye stared deep into Copia’s soul, “I wouldn’t be such a dick if you just let me have my way...” Emeritus smiled menacingly before quickly spinning his ethereal body around, detaching his head and holding it within his gloved hands, waiting for a reaction.
The Cardinal simply sighed, sitting up as he rubbed his temples. “You are an aggravating little troll, you know that, right?”
Emeritus simply shrugged his headless shoulders, smirking at the man before him. “The afterlife is a boring cesspool of nothingness, I gotta get my fun somehow, — and you, my dearest friend, are fun.“ he chuckled before disappearing into thin air, his wicked laughter echoing throughout the mansion.“Finally...” Copia yawned, lying back down to continue his well-deserved slumber.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
With a loud yawn, The Cardinal woke up, turning over to check the time on his alarm clock. “Ah, so it’s the middle of the night?” He mused, feeling oddly awake for somebody who had only a few hours ago been pestered by an annoying spectre.“Oh well.” He whispered to himself as he jumped out of his warm bed, quickly grabbing his dressing gown to cover his cold, naked body.The man opened his bedroom door, glancing out into the large hallway, stopping for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once he had gotten his bearings, he began to slowly make his way down the hallway, heading to the kitchen to get himself a drink.“No!!” The Water Ghoul’s tear-filled eyes shot open as he screamed out, waking in a cold sweat. Ever since he told his Master how he really felt earlier that day, the Ghoul had been having vivid nightmares of being abandoned, left alone with no one to take care of him. Rain sat up in his bed, holding his head in his hands as he tried to stop the tears, little droplets falling on his onesie pyjamas.Copia squinted his eyes, “Hmm... which shall I have?” He asked himself, holding two different bottles of wine in his hands. After a few seconds, he shrugged, opening them both up and pouring the red liquids into his favourite cup before closing the bottles, stowing them away. The man, wine in tow, walked out of the kitchen, sipping at his drink as he made his way to the main room, whistling as he walked. Once he had found his favourite chair in the darkness, he placed his drink on the coffee table and sat down, closing his eyes.Rain huffed, lifting himself up and off of his bed, walking to his bedroom door. He took a deep breath before opening it, being careful to look around before he quietly dashed towards the main room, bounding over any obstacles in his way as his tail whipped behind him in the fast breeze of his inhuman movements.As the Ghoul stopped in the middle of the main room, he froze in place, staring at the figure in his Master’s favourite chair.“O-oh no...” he whispered, stuttering to himself as he hoped to Satan that The Cardinal hadn’t noticed him enter.The figure opened his eyes, squinting into the darkness, “Rain, is that you?”The Water Ghoul whimpered before answering. “Uh-uhm...” he swallowed, unable to get any words out.Copia tilted his head, worried for the little Ghoul. “Is everything okay, my love?” He asked as he adjusted his sitting position to lean his body forward, closer to the nervous boy standing before him.Rain whimpered again, stomping his feet with a soft growl as his mind raced too much for him to do any else.“Woah-woah-woah...” Copia started, standing up quickly as he walked over to the troubled Ghoul, placing a comforting arm over his shoulders, squeezing him close.“You don’t need to speak if you do not want to, you know this.” The man spoke softly, reminding the Ghoul to be easy on himself.Rain exhaled, nodding in agreement before turning to look the man in the eyes, giving him a quick peck on the lips.“Thank you.” The Water Ghoul whispered, hugging Copia tight with a relieved smile.A blush covered The Cardinal’s freckled cheeks as he hugged back, closing his eyes as he sighed, “It’s my job to protect you, my Ghoul. No matter what.”After a minute or so, Copia ended the hug, holding Rain’s shoulders as he looked deeply into his eyes. “Now.” He started, “Do you promise to be nicer to yourself?” He smiled softly before adding, “Don’t worry though. Even if you cannot promise, I’ll always be here to help.”The Ghoul spoke up with confidence, “I’ll try my hardest, sir.”Copia exhaled, relieved to have heard those comforting words. He then booped Rain on the nose before heading back to his chair, petting his lap. “C’mon, let us hang out.”The Ghoul blushed as he grinned from ear to ear, racing over to the man he loved, quickly cuddling up to him with a deep purr.The Cardinal then wrapped his arms around Rain, holding him tight as he closed his eyes, falling asleep once more.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rain was left wandering the deep, dark woods all by himself. Alone in the woods with no one in sight; not even his beloved Cardinal to make it all better... It always ended like this, as predictable as it was terrifying.Despite the Ghoul knowing full well that what he was experiencing was a nightmare his mind had cooked up for him, he just couldn’t help but feel like this was what he had to look forward to in the near future...So he wept. And wept. And continued weeping, until all he could see was an ocean of tears covering the trees and dense brush. The worst part of the whole ordeal was that he usually loved water, it was his element after all... But this was different.As time rushed by, the loneliness he felt began to manifest itself into vivid images of deep-rooted insecurities, floating to the forefront of his mind before fading away in a puff of dark smoke, — moving from the realm of dreams to be used against him in the waking world.The Water Ghoul groaned, furrowing his brow as a feeling of intense dread entered his body. He managed to grab Copia’s dressing gown tight as he pulled himself closer, nuzzling into the man’s chest with a whimper, tears in his exhausted eyes. Despite Copia’s earlier efforts to calm him down, the Ghoul’s soul was still very much tormented; vivid nightmares continuing on just as they had before.Suddenly a huge gust of wind swept through his mind, forcing a large mass of dark smoke to reveal itself above the boy as he screamed, letting himself float to the bottom of the ocean, bubbles as far as his eyes could see before being enveloped by deep darkness.As the situation in the Ghoul’s head came to a boiling point, he quickly whipped his pointed tail around, sending a nearby lamp flying with a loud crash, waking Cardinal Copia up with a sharp gasp.The man’s eyes glowed brightly in the dark room as they frantically searched for the culprit, ready to whoop some ass if push came to shove.“N-no...” Rain whimpered, slowly waking from his troubled slumber, catching the attention of Copia.The Cardinal looked down at his friend with a relieved sigh, eyes going back to normal. “Ah, it was just you...” he whispered as he gently held the shaking Ghoul, petting him with a warm, worried smile.Rain looked up at Copia with tearful eyes. “W-why did you...?” the Ghoul asked in a daze, trying to make sense of what just happened.Cardi simply kissed him on the forehead. “It wasn’t real, my dearest Angel...” he cooed, hoping the affirmation would help ease the Ghoul’s pain a little. Rain simply hummed, closing his eyes again as The Cardinal followed suit.After a few minutes, Rain finally felt lucid enough to speak up. “Y-you won’t leave me, right?” He asked with a soft blush, stuttering a little as he spoke.“Of course I wouldn’t, my Ghoul...” Copia answered, “There is nothing you could do or say that would ever make me leave your side.”Water got himself comfortable, sitting his bottom atop the armrest of his lovers’ favourite chair, legs placed carefully over The Cardinal’s lap as he wrapped his arms around the man. “Thank you... a-again.” He spoke, nuzzling his cheek against Copia’s.Copia simply chuckled at the affectionate Ghoul, turning to kiss him on the cheek before replying, “You really don’t have to thank me for a service I will always provide free of want or need, you know this.”Rain blushed, sighing a little before kissing the man he loved on his plump lips, closing his eyes as he did so.Once the kiss ended, Copia thought for a moment before trying to gain the attention of his Ghoul, “So, Rain?”Rain tilted his head with a soft ‘purrowl’, “Yes, Master?”“Well, I hope this does not come off as uncouth... but will you be able to tell me what’s going on?” the man asked, clearly confused and worried for the boy.Rain frowned, looking down at his feet on the other side of the chair.The Cardinal noticed this action and blushed, worried the Ghoul had taken offence to his questioning, “Ah! I apologise!” he quickly spoke before adding, “If it’s too much for you, you really mustn’t worry. You can tell me on your own terms.”The Ghoul looked back up at Copia with a weak smile. “I’m sorry.” he began, “I just... can’t seem to get my thoughts together?” He sighed, smile fading — a little disappointed in himself.“Oh.” The Cardinal started, “So it is like your mind is not attached to your mouth?” He mused, trying to get a good idea of what his beloved goes through each and every day.Rain nodded, “I-it’s a bit like that, yeah...” he stuttered, looking around awkwardly. It was never easy for Water to speak about his problems, even to the understanding Cardinal Copia.Copia smiled, happy he had made somewhat of a breakthrough with the awkward mess of a Ghoul. “You know I will always love you, right?” He questioned, trying to reassure the Ghoul once more that his love for him was eternal.Rain whined, the negative thoughts racing before he shook his head, quickly squeaking out a messy reply as he looked up at The Cardinal through furrowed brows, “I know you love me! I just can’t seem to wrap my head around why!”Copia sighed, kissing the silly, frustrated boy. “Look, as long as you know it, you don’t need to understand my love for you.” Rain exhaled before hugging the man, whispering in his ear, “I’ll try to remember that... and I love you too, by the way.”“I know.” Copia chuckled as he held the Ghoul tight, trailing kisses along his rounded jawline.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was a nice, sunny Saturday afternoon at the Copia mansion, and The Cardinal was in the middle of the pool lounging on a massive, inflatable flamingo, dressed in nothing but a pair of designer sunglasses and flowery, multi-coloured swim trunks, his freckled, slightly chubby torso on full display; a rarity for the awkward man. He smiled, gently petting the Ghoul beside him. Rain had been having a rather hard time as of late, so he chose to be by his Masters’ side all of today. Copia and the Ghoul watched curiously as the others played and hung out in the pool around them, splashing the vampire and his pet every once in a while. The Ghouls were wearing black swim trunks adorned with silver grucifixes as the Ghoulettes wore bikinis in a similar design, their charcoal-coloured bodies glistening in the hot Summer sun from a mix of water and sweat. Cardi studied the playful Ghouls one-by-one, admiring his pets. Fire and Mountain played around in the bean-shaped pool, splashing one another, laughing as they talked. At the very end of the pool, just a little further back from Phoenix and Earth, a buff Aether, nicknamed ‘Basilisk’ for his intimidating stature, was sat on the edge with his legs in the water as he chatted with a floating Multi Ghoul, also known as ‘Swiss Army Ghoul’, who was paddling gently in place, tail swishing back and forth as it made cute little ripples. The Ghoulettes were chasing one another in Copia’s rose garden, running around with large water guns as they giggled, hiding behind the many flowered topiaries as each tried to escape the steady streams of water coming from the other. The Cardinal sighed, closing his eyes. He was so very happy that his family had convinced him to clean up the pool. He really needed this; they all did. There were some drawbacks to the decision though, one being felt by the old man at that very moment in the form of subtle back pain. Ever since Papa III’s ghostly antics scared away all scheduled services Copia had attempted to hire, he had to either do most tasks himself or with help from the Ghouls, — which was an odd experience, to say the least. Life was much easier when they lived with the Clergy, but The Cardinal still cherished the alone time his mansion home provided. His daydreaming was quickly interrupted by a loud, echoing ‘splash’ followed by a scream and some soft, muffled crying. ”HEY!” A gruff female voice echoed through the garden, “you didn’t need to fuckin’ do that!” As Cardi looked up, he could see that the angry woman was who the group called ‘Tall Ghoulette’, and the crying figure was Small Ghoulette, sitting at the edge of the pool, covering her face with her clawed hands. At this point both The Cardinal and Rain had jumped off the pool toy and swam over to see what was going on, staring at the chaos unfolding in front of them. “Uh, should we intervene, Master?” Aether asked, looking down at Cardi from his place atop the pool’s edge. Multi, who was now lounging arms crossed on the side of the pool, simply tilted his head, curious as well. “I am not really sure, Aeth.” Copia started, looking up at the Ghoul, “I wouldn’t want to upset them by butting in, so I believe it might be best to watch from a distance.” Copia finished, locking his gaze upon the fighting Ghouls, hoping he wouldn’t soon regret his decision. “I uh... didn’t mean for that to happen.” Fire said sheepishly as he hid behind Earth, scared of the growling Ghoulette pacing angrily in front of the two. “...I think it would be best if I go check on her first,” Phoenix’s living shield spoke as he moved towards the smaller Ghoulette, leaving him alone with the angry woman.As Mountain walked up to Small Ghoulette she quickly jumped back in the water before looking back at him with a pointed finger. “I don’t want to talk to you, bully!” Her high-pitched voice squeaked out, frowning before crossing her arms in disappointment, tail quickly splashing the water behind her as she fumed. Earth sat down, cross-legged on the soft grass, tilting his head at the Ghoulette. “Do you really think I’d try to hurt you on purpose...?” He asked sincerely. The consensus in the Clergy’s Science Division was that Earth Ghouls had evolved from lesser Ghouls, gaining powerful strength to help build their habitats and survive in the harsh elements. Unfortunately, though, their ancient texts have since been lost to time, so no Earth Ghoul truly knows how to properly control their own strength, Mountain included. “Well... no.” The Ghoulette admitted with a sigh, uncrossing her arms, water spraying a little as her hands hit the pool. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you really did hurt me!” She yelled, frustrated, before turning around to reveal that Mountain had pushed her into the pool so hard that the force had created a large red bruise on the back of her right arm. The Ghoul looked visibly uncomfortable as he looked down, picking at the dirt below him. Tall Ghoulette was pacing back and forth, expletive after expletive exiting her pursed lips. ”That fucking— YOU!” she growled, stopping in her tracks as she saw the mastermind draw closer, walking fast toward him. “So!” She began, grabbing hold of his neck with a clawed hand. “What makes you think I shouldn’t break you right here and now?” Fire shrugged as he stared at his attacker, “I’unno, ‘cuz you love me?” He grinned, clearly not understanding why she was so angered by his actions. The Tall Ghoulette let him go with a loud, frustrated growl. “Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU!” She screamed into the heavens before calming down a little, staring at the prankster. “You KNOW how much your ridiculous pranks frazzle her, and yet you still got Earth to go through with what had to be the worst one yet!” She finished with a sigh. “So, what’s your excuse?”“I... don’t have one”, the tiny male Ghoul answered, staring up at the giant woman as he started to realise just how badly he fucked up. Tall Ghoulette simply hugged the man, kissing him on the cheek before looking deep into his eyes, “I hope you know how much I hate you right now.” Fire simply laughed, “Well you ain’t exactly good at showin’ it.” “Oh, shut up.” The Ghuleh said with a smile before looking over at her fellow Air Ghoul and the mountainous man in front of her. “It seems like things might be going well? They aren’t screaming, so that’s a good sign...” She mused, leaning herself against Phoenix’s shoulder. Fire tilted his head at her with a raised eyebrow, “Does this mean I’m off the hook?” She quickly responded by punching him in the side. “—Then what the fuck am I s’posed to do?” Fire spat, utter confusion spread on his face. “Okay,” she started, placing both hands on his shoulders as she stared into his eyes, “just don’t do this kind of bullshit, — it’s that simple.” Fire furrowed his brow, “Wait... ‘this kind of bullshit’? — Does that mean I can still prank you guys?” The Ghuleh simply sighed, lowering her head in annoyance. “Of course you fucking can! I just don’t want anyone else getting hurt,” she spoke before lifting her head with an exhausted laugh, “you can be such a clueless asshole sometimes, I swear.” “...oh.” he spoke quickly, looking around as if a lightbulb had gone off in his head. He finally realised it wasn’t about the prank itself, but the pain it had helped to inflict. The Ghoulette simply smiled, shaking her head, “Welcome to the realm of common sense, dude.” “I really should not have agreed to the prank...” Earth admitted to Small Ghoulette as he smiled softly at her, face full of guilt. “and I apologise for hurting you, Cupcake.” The small Air Ghoul briskly swam towards Mountain before leaning on the edge of the pool, looking up at him. “Pet names won’t save ya now, bud.” She growled out before grabbing her water gun from the side of the pool and spraying him with a steady stream of water, cackling like a madwoman with a huge smile on her face, clearly feeling better than she was before.The laughter got Fire’s attention, walking himself over to the Ghoulette with a sad, awkward look on his face, knowing he had to apologise. “So...” he started, kneeling down next to the now-drenched Earth Ghoul, who then proceeded to stand up and join Tall Ghoulette a few steps away. “Is everything fine, now?” He asked the Air Ghoul with a tilted head, hoping the tiny girl didn’t hate him. She crossed her arms in a huff, turning her back on Fire, water rippling from the swift movement. Once he had noticed the bruise, he quickly jumped in and swam over to her. “A-ah shit...” he gasped, clawed fingers gently running over the large bruise, making the Ghoulette shiver a little from his touch. “I... fuck. I’m so sorry, Ghuleh... I promise it won’t happen again!” He apologised profusely before she turned around and pounced on him, creating a large splash as she held the boy tight. “Of course I forgive you, dude!!” She squealed, the Fire Ghoul startled by her odd set of reactions. “Wait, really?” He asked, hoping she wasn’t just being nice to him. Small Ghoulette quickly kissed him on the lips, “why would I lie to you?” She smiled before nuzzling close, the Ghoul reciprocating with a soft purr. “...Oh, get a room, you two!” Tall Ghoulette giggled, yelling towards the couple as she leaned against Mountain, who had privately apologised to her earlier. “No no no, please don’t get a room!” Copia chuckled, “I’m thoroughly enjoying the show!” He loudly exclaimed, clearly egging on the public display of affection as the Ghouls around him laughed. The two lovers simply ignored the laughing fools, purring as they continued to happily embrace one another, purrs drowning out the surrounding noise.