Archive of Our Own

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The sun was setting on a long summer day that had been filled with nothing but laughter and fun. For most everyone, that is.
Fourteen skeletons were on their backs in the dirt outside a large building, panting as if they had experienced the most grueling training of their lives.
Except, it wasn't training. It was a family reunion. Not theirs, or any other monster they knew either. No, it was their dear friend's, whom many of them were already growing crushes on, though none of them had admitted it yet.
Just yesterday, while she was over for dinner, she'd asked them all if they would like to come to the reunion as her guests. Many of them were unsure if it was polite, considering a family reunion was usually defined as only having family invited.
Apparently her family was different. If any of them felt that someone they knew was close enough, they could invite them. Their motto was, "the more the merrier" when it came to gatherings like this.
So, they agreed. Unaware of the horrors to meet them.
See, what they didn't know was that not only was her family unreasonably huge (talking as large as the Bunn's huge), but nearly every cousin and sibling were under the age of twelve. Which, wouldn't be such a bad thing if they weren't all determined to play with her, and with them by extension.
So all day, all fourteen skeletons were dragged around, dealing with the ultimate chaos that was the children of her family. Not once, even during meal times, did they get a break.
They still don't understand how she was able to eat with an infant held in one arm, a toddler clinging to the other, a child on her back, another in her lap wanting bites of her food, another braiding her hair, and twins constantly wanting to talk throughout the meal.
None of the skeletons were able to handle the children, no matter what they did. Their methods only working for all of five minutes, maximum, before they incited chaos once more. And those who tried to enforce order were met with dire consequences.
Wine was the first to experience their wrath when he attempted to go totalitarian on them. His strict words and tone were met with water balloons, paint, and slime. His outfit ruined, and stuck wearing his swim shorts for the rest of the day.
Even the ones who tried to go along with them couldn't keep up. Passion being the first to fall victim as he somehow got tied up and hung upside down like a pinata due to a trap that some of the kids set up for their "modern warfare game."
The quieter of the bunch, like Coffee and Bear, were also subjected to their torture. Primarily in the form of being caked with makeup and being swarmed by all the kids that wanted to be tossed in the air due to how tall they were.
Bun only got out of that last bit because the kids, despite their insanity, were surprisingly considerate of the fact that he needed a cane. Didn't prevent them from dragging him around and even stealing his glasses at one point.
They didn't even listen to their parents, which was baffling in itself. Until the guys realized that, as a unit, the kids figured out that they could pretend that they couldn't hear and escape due to how many there were and all the racket they were making.
It's easy to lose one child in a crowd of them.
The only person they seemed to listen to was their friend, who was the eldest "child" amongst them.
And she didn't rule with an iron fist either. She let them be chaotic. At first, they thought she was a pushover. Yet, whenever any of them got overwhelmed or overstimulated and needed a minute, she would say a few words, and they'd be left alone. Not for long, but it still mattered.
She was a god in this house of horrors.
"That was good work! You all did great!"
Her sudden and booming voice made many of them startle into sitting up, though many remained completely still, groaning as their response.
All of them were beyond spent, but her? She was standing there, peachy keen as can be, without a hint of exhaustion in her features. Just a bright smile that honestly made all of this worth it, even if they still couldn't understand how she was perfectly fine.
She had it the worst as the kids' favorite.
It really is insane how she could handle her entire family of raving lunatics all on her own. And yes, it's an exaggeration, but still. How could they have that many kids!
Though watching her, hands on her hips, broad smile, and golden rays of the setting sun illuminating her figure, they couldn't help but relax. Today may have been hell, but it was also a hell of a bonding experience.
Though, for a select few, like Red and Cash, a certain thought made their smiles turn into smirks.
At least now they knew that if she got with all of them, then she'd be able to handle having a large family with them.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was unnervingly quiet in the castle. Not a peep to be had outside of Nightmare's own breathing, which he only did to produce some semblance of sound.
He despised complete silence; it made the liquid hate that coated his body shift uncomfortably. However, all his "minions," as they'd taken to calling themselves, were off on missions.
Leaving him utterly alone.
Nightmare had tried to distract himself from this fact by doing paperwork and planning future group events and missions. A futile effort as he only continued to shift with unease. Unable to take another moment of this personal torture, he opened a portal to a familiar AU and left the castle.
This place used to be plagued with negativity. So much so that it was bleeding into nearby universes. He and his brother, Dream, had to perform a team effort centuries ago to get it back to stable levels. It'd been relatively peaceful since.
Even so, Nightmare would still visit on occasion. There was this Japanese Maple tree at the top of a hill that looked over the neighboring town. It had become his little haven, where he could sit and just be.
The last time he'd visited was nearly a century ago.
The acknowledgment made him realize that the woman he'd grown close to so long ago was probably gone by now.
Just as this place was a haven, it had a guardian of its own. She had planted the tree as a child and deemed it her personal safe place far before he did. It was only about six feet back when they met. Now, it stood four times taller, growing far beyond expectation.
Nightmare stared up at the scarlet leaves, reminiscing on the soft moments he had shared with one of the few humans he had actually perceived as a friend.
She had never cowered at the sight of him, nor had she ever shown discomfort from his mere presence. Many who were not plagued by intense negativity tended to avoid Nightmare, not that he blamed them.
He radiated negativity, so if you didn't have your fair share that he could consume, or if it wasn't something you were used to feeling, then it could be disturbing to be around him.
Yet, she still approached him with a smile. He could never tell if she had suffered enough to be comfortable enough around him through his senses alone, but he guessed as much by the look in her eyes.
It didn't show often, but there was a haunted gleam that often lingered when certain subjects were brought up. Not that they talked often. The two had normally taken to simply sitting in each other's presence.
Sometimes, though Nightmare would loathe to admit it, they had even taken naps together at the base of the beautiful tree.
The surroundings brought him peace, and she brought him comfort. Without words, her gestures and gifts were enough to make him feel adored in a fashion that was previously unfamiliar.
It had honestly scared Nightmare. So much so, that he had avoided returning before he became swarmed by his responsibilities and the time he spent with his makeshift family. Resulting in him being unable to have a moment to return, until now.
The knowledge that he had left, without a word, and now he'd never see her again made his soul ache in a way that's equally as unfamiliar as that emotion she used to bring out in him.
He placed his hand on the trunk, thumb gliding across the bark as he stared aimlessly, attempting to process what he was feeling.
When a twig snapped, Nightmare instantly tensed and turned towards the sound, his tentacles poised to strike at the possible threat.
Yet the sight before him made his single cyan eyelight constrict with shock, his tentacles wilting.
"It's been a long time."
Her voice was a shock to his senses. There, Nightmare's friend stood, not having aged a day. Her brown hair flowing in the wind, and the sunlight illuminating her amber eyes which practically glittered as she stared at him. Her smile was soft, if not a bit uncertain.
Silence fell over the two as they stared at each other, processing the sight of one another. Nightmare was the first to focus, taking a step back as his soul beat erratically in his chest.
"How are you alive? You should be long dead."
She blinked and scoffed lightheartedly, placing her sun-kissed hand on her hip.
"Well, hello to you too, Nighty."
He grit his teeth, ignoring the cyan flush to his cheeks at the nickname he had missed coming from her lips.
"Don't dodge the question!"
The smile and the light slowly faded from her eyes, her gaze shifting to the town in the distance before returning to Nightmare.
His eyelight was practically trembling in his socket, and his tentacles twitched and snapped erratically behind him. The only signs of how truly shaken he was at seeing someone he was sure to be dead, alive.
Most would perhaps be glad that someone they cared for was still alive despite the odds, but Nightmare wasn't most people. Instead, he feared what it could mean.
He had seen a lot of horrors that could preserve the life of someone who should've been mortal. And sure, there were positive and neutral reasons for why someone's life was halted in time, but Nightmare was a pessimist. He couldn't help but to think the worst.
So when her smile turned pained, and her amber eyes became shadowed, he already knew he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.
"I'm immortal, Night. Cursed, really. Simply put, I can't die. No matter how much I may want to."
His eyelight constricted, tentacles swaying with agitation as he clenched his fists.
"You were cursed?"
Her gaze became haunted as she stepped closer, putting her hand to the tree as if she were grounding herself.
"This world used to be plagued by such intense evils. It was then, that someone I had once loved, cursed me to live forever. And they only gave me one way out…"
Nightmare had to force himself to settle, though he could feel the itch of destruction at the tips of his fingers. The more she spoke, the further he was filled with malice for what was done to her. Something that will disturb him once he returned to his senses.
"What is it?"
His words were laced with a growl, and it seemed to bring her out of her distant memory. A small smile spread across her lips. He couldn't understand how she could smile, especially after she spoke.
"I have to kill my soul bond."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

She just couldn't understand. How could they be so cruel, so accusing? She'd never done anything to them; she'd hardly even interacted with them since she'd moved back home.
The most she'd ever done was have the occasional pleasant conversation with Blue when she ran into him. Any other interaction with his brothers was brief and unpleasant as they'd only glare, sneer, or make snide remarks.
And now, they were accusing her of attacking one of their brothers. She didn't even know which one, but still! Why her? What about her even gave that impression! She hadn't done anything!
She should've avoided them like her sister said.
Her beloved twin, who had always made sure to protect her, had warned her against interacting with their new neighbors. She hadn't listened, wanting to form an opinion of them for herself.
And this was the price. Threats, both verbal and physical, being made against her. She was utterly terrified, confused, and frustrated. Who were they to accuse her without any sort of proof! She didn't do anything!
The pouring rain completely drenched her, hiding her tears amongst the drops that slid down her face. Cuts and bruises littered her body as they continued to threaten her. It wasn't all of the brothers, just three, but that didn't make them any less dangerous.
She had been walking home when they grabbed her, dragging her into the nearby woods so they could "have a few choice words" with her. Which apparently was speaking cryptically about her causing serious injury to… she believed they said his name was Stretch? Emphasizing their rage by inflicting damage to the places that wouldn't be obvious.
By this point, she could barely hold herself up, knocked on her ass in the mud. Her only support being the trunk of the tree at her back.
The one in red smirked, summoning a sharpened bone, and aimed it right at her thigh.
"this'll teach ya to mess with one o' us."
Her eyes widened, before closing tightly, bracing for the inevitable pain. Yet, it never seemed to come.
"wha' th' fuck are ya doin'?!"
The rage in the red one's voice made her slowly open her eyes, shock painting her features at who was protecting her.
It was Blue, and although she couldn't see his face, his posture was tense with anger.
"ME?! WHAT DO YOU THREE THINK YOU'RE DOING!"
The taller one in purple scoffed as he glared at Blue.
"us? are you kidding! she hurt your brother! she nearly killed him!"
Her eyes widened at that. He'd nearly died? What happened, and why did they think she did it?
Blue continued to stand in her defense while her mind spiraled.
"NO SHE DIDN'T YOU DUMBASSES!"
The third, which was also tall and wore a rust orange, was indignant at the truth being yelled at him.
"but Stretch said-!"
"I KNOW WHAT HE SAID, BUT SHE DIDN'T DO IT! NOW GO THE FUCK HOME BEFORE I HAVE TO CALL THE GUARD ON YOUR ASSES!"
The three seemed to be in complete disbelief, betrayal and fury etched into their skulls before they grit their teeth and vanished.
With their disappearance, Blue's tense body relaxed, and he slowly turned to face her. There was a tense moment of silence before she broke down sobbing.
Blue immediately kneeled in front of her, his face pinched in pain. His hands hovered over her chest, a light green glow coming from them. Even as she felt her injuries heal and the pain fade, she continued to sob.
"I- I would nev- never hurt-!"
A soft shushing sound came from Blue, one of his hands coming up to brush her hair behind her ear and hold her face in a form of comfort.
"I KNOW, I KNOW. IT'S OKAY NOW. I'VE GOT YOU."
His words only made her sob harder, his face scrunching in emotional pain at the sight. When his hands stopped glowing, he pulled her close, holding her tightly to his chest.
"You-" she gasped, trying to breathe through the tears, "You believe- m…me?"
He sighed, caressing her head with one hand while the other remained secured against her waist as he held her.
"I KNOW YOU BETTER. YOU'D NEVER HURT ANY OF US."
The fact that at least one of them believed her, the one who had been kind enough to actually speak with her, filled her with so much relief that she sagged in his arms. It was instantly replaced with dread when Blue growled.
"YOUR SISTER ON THE OTHER HAND, IS MORE THAN CAPABLE."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"NO."
"Oh, come on!"
"NO, WE ARE NOT DOING THAT."
Heels clacked against marble flooring, followed by the slapping of sneakers that rushed to keep up with the other's strides.
"But Edge-!"
An imposing black cloak glided through the air as the tall skeleton adorned in black with red accents turned to face what was supposed to be his sidekick, but was more so an annoyance.
"DO NOT CALL ME THAT WHILE WE ARE WORKING! ONLY MY TRULY VILLAINOUS NAME SHOULD BE UTTERED FROM YOUR LIPS WHILST WE ARE SCHEMING. DO YOU UNDERSTAND!"
The woman, whom he didn't know the true identity of, placed her hands on her hips and proceeded to address him with sarcasm and sass.
"Oh, my apologies, Lord Doom."
Despite the clear disrespect, Edge nodded with approval and continued to march towards the lounge portion of his lair.
"I really do think we should destroy a building sometime! At least!"
Edge sighed, irritated that she continued to propose such actions.
"WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS, ERODICA. I AM FAR BEYOND AIMLESS AND MINDLESS DESTRUCTION!"
The scowl on Edge's face was prominent, as he absolutely despised his sidekick's moniker. Not only did it sound like the word, "erotica," which is a word for unsavory content, but it was also a pun for her abilities. Truly foolish if she wanted to take any of her opponents by surprise, yet she refused to change it.
Then again, their opponent's expressions when they misheard her name was truly amusing in and of itself, so he tolerated it.
Erodica had a truly destructive and horrifying ability, which is why he recruited her. Anything she touched would erode into nothing.
Her control of it was astounding; capable of manipulating the speed at which the subject disintegrates, and being able to stop the process at will. Even now, she was working on being able to erode her targets simply by glancing at them.
Truly a villainous sidekick, if Edge were truly so villainous. However, it was all a ruse. A ploy that he and his brothers concocted to keep real villains from "encroaching on their territory" and prevent true destruction and chaos.
They had once faced genuine cruelty by their own creator when they were young; when they were mere experimentations. Never again would they allow themselves to be victims, nor would they allow anyone else to share any semblance of a similar fate.
It is why he, and a few of his brothers, posed as villains, while the others posed as heroes destined to 'defeat' them. The sidekicks, whether they be human, monster, or hybrid, were none the wiser though. Otherwise they could reveal the truth to the public, or those belonging to the 'villains' could put it upon themselves to take on the villain mantle.
Erodica was a hybrid; her powers born from her human half. He knew not of what she was capable of with her magic. A fact she kept hidden. However, Edge presumed it had something to do with how she figured out his true identity.
Fortunately that revelation didn't obscure her opinion on whether he was a true villain or not.
There was a sigh from behind him, clearly one of exasperation.
"Look, I get it's all an act, but if you don't start destroying shit then there's going to be doubts."
Edge abruptly halted, turning swiftly in a way that his cloak added some dramatic flair to his false rage. Behind the mask was sudden terror. Had he truly been a fool to think that she had been oblivious this whole time?
"WHAT, EXACTLY, ARE YOU IMPLYING?"
She rose a brow, as if asking if he was serious in asking her that. Then she stepped forward and lowered her voice. Whether to add dramatics of her own, or to actually give them some semblance of privacy, he didn't know.
"I know you better than you think, Edge. If you truly want to sell this schtick, then you have to step up your game. Your actions have to have some form of consequences, even if it means you'll help save the people you hurt the moment you're a civilian again."
His sockets widened, disbelief etched into his skull. She was supporting him? And how well did she actually know him? Clearly far more than he initially believed.
What she was insinuating, though, held far more weight than her knowledge about him. Considering her abilities, and her seemingly genuine excitement when it came to destruction, he worried that what she'd want would lead to casualties.
That he would have to get blood on his hands.
"THEN WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?"
The words were spoken through gritted teeth, unsure if he even wanted to hear what grisly suggestions she'd make.
Yet she surprised him once again as she lifted his cloak in her gloved hand, shaking the fabric half-heartedly in his face.
"Well, for one, you have to lose the cape. Not only is it a hazard, it's completely cliché and drab. No one can take you seriously."
He was absolutely offended that she had dared called his glorious cloak "cliché and drab." Had she no taste?
"THIS IS A REFINED CLOAK!"
"It's a glorified cape."
She dropped the fabric before patting his cheekbone twice, making him flinch back in shock that she would dare behave so casually and actually touch him.
"And two? Just find some buildings owned by corrupt individuals, destroy them in your fights or make them your target to begin with, and then provide the real victims legitimate places of work or shelter in your civilian form. You don't have to kill anyone, and you can stick it to those who can still be classified as villains in their own right."
A wicked and conniving smirk spread across Edge's teeth, absolutely delighted by the scheme she presented to him. It was clear now that the two of them had the same goals in mind, and that she would make a tremendous asset; contributing far greater than he ever believed.
"EXCELLENT IDEA, MINION. COME! LET US DETERMINE WHO WILL BE OUR FIRST 'VICTIM.' NYEHEHEHE!!!"
"Minion? Really?"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Morning came like it did every day, but there was no sunlight or birds singing to tell her it had arrived. No, her notification came in the form of a blaring trumpet sounding over the loudspeakers, reminiscent of what you'd hear in those military camp movies.And even though she woke with a start, soul pounding in her chest from the fright, she still smiled, clapping her hands against her face to amp herself up."It's a new day! Let's go!"These were the words she'd tell herself every morning in order to give herself even the slightest bit of hope. It was needed, when you're trapped in a place such as this.It went by many names. The world called it, "The Sanctuary." The monsters and family that visited called it, "The Facility." The government referred to it as, "The Containment." But the victims? The ones who are kept here? They call it, "The Camp."Which doesn't sound so bad, until you realize it's a reference to concentration camps.Sapphire was one of them. Her and many others experienced a phenomenon known as "The Transfiguration" not long after monsters emerged; about three years or so. The mountain they came out of? It exploded, literally.A shockwave of magic blasted across the world, having been pent up for far too long. Those with even a semblance of magic in their souls, transformed into monsters to accommodate for the excess.It wasn't pretty or painless like many stories often depict these sudden transformations. It was gruesome, messy, and many people died in an emotional and magical self-destruction due to being attacked during the process.Those that survived were forced into containment until monsters convinced the world, and the U.S. government, that they shouldn't be caged, but nurtured. A scientist named Alphys was the face of it all and managed to get them to build a place where those victimized by the transformation, labeled "Mutants," could learn about their new bodies, magic, and eventually go home.And by all accounts, that's what happened the past seven years. To the outside world, everyone either got to go home, or are still working on managing their magic. Hell, they even started doing buddy programs. Of course, some monster subspecies are extinct, so they have to work with what they can, but still.Sapphire was part of the skeleton genome, which was super rare, but not extinct. That didn't mean she became part of the buddy system, though.See, if you had no one. no family, no friends, nothing before the transfiguration happened, then you were stuck. Didn't matter if you were a common or an extinct genome. The humans, influenced by fear and the hope for power, kept these individuals locked in a whole separate area of The Camp.Just like the monsters before, they were sealed underground. Stripped of any contact with the outside world, and ripped away from any source of identity.Many Mutants had some memory issues after turning, and The Camp used that to their advantage. Naming the unfortunate ones, and even those who remembered their names, after numbers and letters, like they were simple experimentations. And truly, they were.Sapphire, like every other Mutant down here, got her name from those she learned to consider her family. She was named for the deep blue that made up her eyelights and magic.She took their word for it; there were no mirrors down here.Regardless, she still made an effort to "look nice" as she pulled out a fresh white gown and changed. It didn't matter that she didn't need to bathe or change since The Camp was kept sterile, Sapphire still enjoyed the small acts that gave the illusion of still living a normal life.Of course, these delusions were always thwarted the moment the guards and scientists entered.Before you ask, they can't fight back. Not with their magic, at least. Alphys had provided the technology to repress magic back when this all began so Mutants would have an easier time adjusting without their emotions forcing their magic to go out of whack.Of course, that technology was altered to become shackles for those unfortunate enough to be in The Camp. Sapphire was always stuck with three. One around her neck, and the others on her wrists. Although, when they performed rather invasive or torturous experiments, they had to put two more on her ankles due to the magic spike from subconsciously trying to defend herself.Today must have been one of those days as the guards instantly restrained her and the scientists placed practical shackles to her ankles. They then installed the muzzle and chains, to ensure that she wouldn't fight at all.A consequence of her nearly killing a guard attempting to rape one of the girls that she deemed a sister.Totally worth it.This place may drain the hope out of so many, but Sapphire refused to despair. It was a promise she had made to herself, and to all those she considered her family. Her hope kept them alive.If there was no hope, then there was only death.Sapphire was tired of death.She took deep breaths, psyching herself up for what was bound to be horrendous experiments. Even going so far as to prepare fantasy scenarios to disassociate with in the event it was too much to be present in the moment.The only time that really happened was when they tried to perform reproductive experiments though. They always failed, on account of her not having any sexual organs. That didn't stop them from trying though.While she was in the halls, waiting for the elevator that would take them to the lab a couple floors down, she saw a few of her adoptive siblings; most were still children. Their faces were ones of fear and concern, but she made sure to smile.It did not reassure them.Just as the elevator opened, there was an explosion that shook the walls and made the ceiling crumble. Guards were dashing down the halls, weapons drawn, and Mutants were screaming and cowering or running.The moment that her guards left her to take care of whatever was happening, Sapphire rushed to the children, scooping them all up in her arms and on her back with her tail. They hung on for dear life as she prowled, looking for the rest of her adoptive family.It was as she entered the "lounge" area that she saw the cause of the commotion. A skeleton monster in a black jacket with fur, a rust orange sweater, sweatpants, and combat boots was absolutely annihilating all the guards within his sight.Occasionally, through the dust clouds, she could see at least two others. One was massive, but more round than lanky. Their distinctive features were their single bloated scarlet eyelight and jagged hole in their skull. They were causing just as much carnage as the first.The last was shorter than both of them, and looked somewhat of a mix between them. They were skinny, but had a rounded skull. They held a boned whip in their hand, holding up their scarlet bandana to their face to avoid breathing in the debris as they scowled.Sapphire was stuck staring, having never seen another skeleton monster, let alone any monster without inhibitors in years. It was only when they began to stare back, the chaos temporarily ceased, that she realized that she had lingered too long."THERE SHE IS-"The pleased tone in the shorter one's voice instantly cut off as the dust finally settled, putting her and the children on full display. The sight of them causing all three of them to growl, which only made her growl protectively in return as the children whimpered with fear.She would protect them with her life."MUTT, BEAR," the other two perked up at being addressed, "OBLITERATE."The two of them grinned wide and maniacal, if not utterly wicked, before vanishing completely out of sight, startling Sapphire and causing all the kids to scream with fear.When the smallest one began to approach, he waved his hands in a calming motion and tried to use a soothing tone despite the grate in his voice."It Is Alright. We Will Not Hurt You. If You Will Permit Me, I Will Guide You All To Safety."Sapphire stared at the small skeleton for a long while. Her brain said to not trust him and to stay on guard, to fight. Yet her soul, her instincts, told her to follow him, to trust him. Still, she couldn't abandon her family."Others..."Her voice was laced with a growl and the word could hardly be uttered, a result of the muzzle and her being so on edge and protective. He seemed to understand as his eyelights glazed over the many children draped over her body and held within her arms."They Will Not Be Left Behind, I Assure You."Sapphire knew nothing on how to use her magic or anything involving monster culture or abilities, and yet she still knew that he was telling the truth. She could feel his intent, and despite not knowing that, she chose to trust him.As he guided her past the rubble to a broken and mangled steel door that had been painted to blend with its surroundings, he continuously soothed both her and the little ones. It was reassuring and made Sapphire feel safe.When they reached the doorway, Sapphire could already smell the fresh air that led beyond. The only unfortunate bit being that it led to a massive staircase. Who knew how many floors up they'd have to go.It was pointless to worry as the skeleton summoned the skull of some creature. It was large enough that she could easily sit on it, which was the plan, apparently."If You Wouldn't Mind, Please Take A Seat. He Will Carry You To The Top Of The Stairs To One Of My Comrades. His Name Is Cinnamon."The skull lowered, humming pleasantly in a sort of growl. Sapphire stared at it for a moment before turning to the skeleton.On account of her hands being occupied with kids, she struggled to growl out a single word while nodding in his direction. "Name…?"He seemed surprised, then enraged as he looked at her face, before settling to resignation and sorrow."I Am Milord. Hopefully I Can Hear Your Introduction Once We Get That Egregious Muzzle Off Of You. Along With Those Other Atrocities." Sapphire shrugged, not really too stressed about them. She's had most of them on for so long that it was practically second nature.That seemed to displease him, but he said nothing as she climbed on the skull the best she could. It was a bit difficult with her hands full.Once she was settled, one of the kids, a goat monster, peeked shyly out from over her shoulder."We call her Sapphire, sir."Milord perked up, giving the boy his best attempt of an appreciative smile despite the circumstances."Thank You For Telling Me."The goat boy blushed and hid again behind Sapphire's shoulder. With that, Milord sent them up the shaft of the stairs.Once they were out of sight, his expression darkened. It seemed he and his "brothers" had more work to do than they initially thought.They were going to rid this place of every cockroach they could find, and enact extraneous torture upon the vermin that dared to operate such a heinous facility.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was four in the morning when Emily got the call paired with an S.O.S. text. Her heart was pounding as she rushed to get dressed, assuring her housemates, whom she'd woken with her running around, that she'd be okay on her own.
She drove as fast as possible, foregoing the speed limit and taking every shortcut she could to avoid a stop sign or a red light.
When she made it to the park that was designated as their emergency pick up, she didn't even bother to turn off her car before stumbling out of it and leaping at the two souls she was worried sick about.
Passion and Charm took her worried embrace and subsequent mother-henning as she carefully looked them over. Satisfied that there were no physical signs of distress, she dragged the two to her car and drove to a nearby 24-hour bistro.
Once they were seated and hot chocolates were ordered, she stared the two down, waiting for an explanation for what happened.
Charm was the first to speak, "Miley came home drunk, and tried to get into our rooms. she… thought we'd be willing to 'have some fun,' and when we weren't, she tried to break in. i teleported us to the park when she actually managed to break the latch."
Emily's eyes widened in horror, cursing under her breath as the hot chocolates were dropped off. She didn't get a chance to speak after the server left since Passion vehemently cut in.
"I'm Not Giving Up. I-"
"Then you're a damned idiot."
"Emi!"
"It's true Charm, and you know it. Passion, I get wanting to see the best in people. Especially because of what you've been through. It's one of the few things that gives you hope, but looking for it in people who are only ever going to want to harm you is a fool's errand. Keep trying, and you're going to get hurt."
The ceramic mug in Passion's hands creaked from the strain of his grip, his glare at the chocolate liquid inside making Emily deflate, scratching at the back of her neck. She knew that being blunt could be a double edged sword, but it was the only way to get through sometimes.
"Look, I don't mean to be harsh about it. I just… I don't want to get another one of these calls or texts, and go to the park to find either of you beaten or-" her breath caught in her throat as her eyes wrenched shut in pain. Her clenched fist thumped gently on the wood of the table as she opened them again, looking tired.
"Why don't you guys move in with me? You can even try to bring Cori, gods knows what Miley's put her through, and whoever else you think wants or needs out of that house. Bear and Bun have already settled in, and they look so much happier, relaxed. I… I just want you all to feel like that. To not have to look over your shoulder, waiting for the next shoe to drop."
Charm and Passion genuinely looked baffled despite the fact that she's offered this several times before. Maybe because they never thought she was serious, even if she'd set up all these measures in case they were in trouble and constantly checked in on them.
To be fair, Miley was Emily's niece, who was raised to be her little sister since they were only two years apart. It was hard to believe, in the beginning, that they would be against each other. Especially because, in monster culture, you always stuck by your family.
The two's interactions continued to prove them wrong.
Although Passion and Charm hadn't arrived yet, they'd heard the stories of how Emily used to live with Miley, Cori, and the guys. The three girls, as family (Cori being their cousin), had lived in the house together. Then Miley invited the Classic, Swap, and Fell brothers to move in as her boyfriends. The Swapfells, Horror, and them, the Lust brothers, didn't come till later.
Only Miley and Cori were aware of the machine, Emily never having found out somehow. Even so, the story went that after the Horror brothers arrived, some big fight happened, and Emily left with them. She'd apparently tried to get some of the others to come with her, including Cori, but none did.
She never failed to continue to offer the invitation every time she visited.
When she met the Lust brothers, she'd seen the same signs of mistreatment that they gave the Horror brothers, and that's how she'd gotten them to agree to contacting her if anything went wrong.
They didn't use it the first few times something happened, but after growing to trust her, they did. This was the fourth time just short of two months.
The behavior was escalating. Even with them living in a smaller home built on the property after so many pairs arrived.
Emily had even called the cops once, though they did very little other than filing a report. She'd said that it was small victories as it had given Miley an official record of assault and battery.
But that was besides the point. Should they move? Should they leave that toxic environment behind? Charm desperately wanted to, but he would refuse if Passion chose to stay. It was the reason that many of the others stayed despite wanting to leave.
Monsters do anything for their family, and they never leave them behind.
So Charm looked to his brother, and Passion looked back. Passion was conflicted. He'd thought that, after escaping such a vile universe that only ever mistreated him and his brother, even put their lives on the line at times, that things could be better. He didn't want to believe that there could be dangers in a world that was so much more tame than their own.
And staring into Charm's eyelights, how desperate they were, Passion realized that Emily was right. Such delusions of hoping for something that wasn't there was a fool's errand. If he wanted to be happy, to avoid a toxic life, then he'd have to remove himself and his brother from that situation.
However, he refused to go alone.
"Alright," Charm instantly perked up, practically glowing with the hope of freedom that Passion realized that he'd been denying him, "However, Give Us A Couple Days. I Would… Like To Attempt To Take Some With Us."
Charm appeared shocked and confused, but Emily just smiled, utterly relieved to hear that he'd finally accepted.
"Bring as many as you can. I have all the room in the world."
The two looked to her, confused and unsure.
"what do you mean, sugar?"
She chuckled, pulling out her phone. Now that the danger and anxiety had passed, she looked far more relaxed and exhausted. The two were painfully reminded that it was nearing five in the morning.
"This is my, and soon to be your, home."
She turned her phone around and the two's jaws dropped; Passion's to the point that it clattered on the table, making Emily laugh as he scrambled to reattach it.
"wha- that's insane! how did you-"
"My family's rich. The only reason Miley, Core, and I lived together was because it's tradition for the parents to give one last 'allowance' after their kids graduate college and not help them financially for the next five years to see if they can manage it responsibly. Miley suggested we live together in order to save funds, though the house is technically in Cori's name."
"Pardon My Language, But How Fucking Much Was Your Allowance For You To Be Able To Afford That?"
"Huh? Oh, no, that's not my allowance money. I invested that. I bought the house with the money I earned from work."
"what in stars do you do, sugar?"
Her brows furrowed, looking to the two in confusion as she pulled back her phone, typing on the screen.
"Did you guys seriously not know?"
When they didn't answer, she turned her phone back around, and the image, once again, made their jaws drop.
"I'm the founder and CEO of 'Dynamic Needs and Nest Retreats.' You know it, right?"
Do they know it? Is she serious?
Sure, they technically didn't get here until a few months ago, but every monster knew and raved over DNNR. It's a massive building where the first floor is the store that sells whatever any monster needed to soothe their ABO dynamic, while the upper floors were practically a hotel. Monsters could rent a room during their heat if they have nowhere else to go and need privacy.
The business began within six months of monsters having emerged six years ago, and with Emily being twenty-four, that would've made her-
"You Were Eighteen?! How In Stars Did You Manage To Afford To Start-!"
"I did say I was rich, right?"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The world could be a dark and scary place, but this world, the world of the island, was a million times worse.
She'd ended up here after a series of events she could hardly recall, and had been attempting to survive since.
It was easy to lose track of the days when your focus is entirely on survival, but she was sure that she'd been here no more than three days. Even so, she was certain she wouldn't manage much longer.
Not for a lack of food, water, or shelter, but because of what roamed the island.
Predators unlike anything she'd ever seen stalked this place, and soon, they would find and devour her. Because they weren't ordinary creatures. No, they had magic.
She'd seen magic back home with monsters, but these creatures were anything but. From what she could tell, they had no sentience beyond what basic animals did. They only cared about eating, sleeping, protecting their territory, reproducing, and hunting.
What made things worse was that she was certain there were some creatures that were an odd mix of monsters and the creatures on this island. She saw one before, briefly, before instantly concealing herself. She knew better than to stare and risk getting caught.
Still, she'd seen it. The top half was of a skeleton, and the bottom was of a spider. The sight had reminded her of the monster romance novels that circulated before actual monsters emerged. If she remembered correctly, they were called driders.
And now, she swears she's being stalked by something similar. Not quite a drider, but some sort of hybrid none-the-less. She could hear its movements, slowly and carefully wading through the foliage.
She held her hands to her mouth and nose, trying to keep her breathing slow, calm and silent. One wrong move, and she'd have its attention, and she'd be dead, she was certain.
What felt like hours were only seconds as the sound of movement slowly faded away. She waited even longer in the relative silence to ensure it was gone before finally removing her hands, sighing in relief.
As if the universe wanted to mock her, immediately a figure towered over her hiding spot, their body looming ominously over her.
She stared, terrified. The top half was of a skeleton, like the drider, but the bottom half was of a snake. Their scales a bright orange accented by yellow, a pattern she'd never seen before. Though what did she expect? Nothing was familiar here, not even the plants.
It moved so that its top half came closer, its face hovering mere inches from hers. Fear had made her paralyzed, stuck staring at his bright orange lights for eyes as her body trembled.
When his tongue came out, glowing and orange and certainly not made of muscle, she whimpered and closed her eyes. All she felt was a slight tickle to her cheek before a masculine voice made her open her eyes in alarm.
"follow me if you want to live."
She was shocked to say the least, and rather than accept or deny his proclamation, she instead blurted out the loudest thought in her head.
"You're not going to eat me?"
He smiled, amused, as he shook his head, coils shifting so he could be more comfortable.
"nope. same can't be said for everything else though. so, you coming?"
She looked over his large frame, feeling uncertain. This could be a trap, and even if it wasn't, could she even keep up? The guy was massive, and if he was anything like a snake, like his lower half suggests, then he could be rather fast.
He seemed to have caught on to her silent concerns as he offered his hand to her.
"i can carry you, if you want."
There was no way to prove that she could trust him unless she went with him. Even so, she still hesitated. Her mind a whirlwind as she contemplated what could be worse. Being guided into the mouth of a snake that apparently could not only speak, but speak English, or be eaten by something that is more than likely going to tear her to shreds before she could even comprehend she'd been found.
She supposed the snake skeleton, a lamia of some sort?, would at least be able to swallow her whole if his upper half worked anything like a snake.
So, she slowly took his hand, making his smile more lax and proud. He guided her out of her hiding space, as it was rather cramped, before lifting her up into a bridal carry. Her surprised face and matching squeak made him chuckle.
"it's easier this way. oh, and, you can call me Stretch."
He'd already started slithering away to who knows where as he introduced himself. She didn't know why, but having a name to the face made her feel calmer. As if he was actually willing to help her since he had even bothered to share his name with her.
"and yours?"
She snapped out of her thoughts, staring up at him as he focused on the path ahead, before returning the favor and introducing herself.
"I'm Melody."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Screeching cries echoed loudly as Cash attempted to take his kid home from the amusement park. Well, his adopted kid since he had no idea where the tiny skeleton monster came from before they were dragged into Classic's world, but still.
Tempus was around four or five years old, and he had bright lilac magic. He also had a huge attachment to Cash, which is why he took him to the park alongside the other guys and their adoptive kids. Yet, Tempus was the only one crying about leaving.
Cash had no idea what to do. Black was usually the one to scold or soothe Tempus. Cash on the other hand was usually defined as the cuddle buddy, and he'd tried that. Tempus just pushed himself out of Cash's hold and cried harder.
He looked to the other guys, but they seemed as lost as he was. And the other kids were too tired to step in and try to cheer him up too. Hell, Allura, Bear and Bun's two year old daughter, was fast asleep in Bear's arms.
Cash tried to do soothing shushing noises like Black would, but it wasn't working, and all the screaming and flailing of limbs was starting to overstimulate him.
He wanted to scream.
But then, like an angel swooping in from above, a young woman placed a hand on Cash's shoulder before picking Tempus up and tossing him in the air. By the second toss, Tempus went from crying to laughing.
She started to walk towards the exit, signaling subtly for the others to follow as she blew raspberry's against Tempus's cheeks and hands while continuing to toss him in the air every now and then. The screeching cries easily becoming happy squeals.
As they passed the exit and made it to the parking lot, she tickled at Tempus's ribs while using a light and playful voice as she talked to him.
"Are we happy? Hm? Are we happy now?"
He squealed again at her tickling, yelling, "Yes! Yes!" repeatedly until she finally relented, sitting him on her hip as easily as if he were her own.
When she turned to face Cash, allowing him to finally get a good look at her, he could practically feel his soul swell. She looked just as angelic as her actions.
"Sorry for up and grabbing your kid like that. I saw you were struggling and wanted to help."
She gently twisted her body back and forth, subconsciously lulling Tempus into a sleepy state now that the last of his energy was spent from playing with her. He was starting to lay against her, hand clenching her shirt by her breast.
"no, no, i needed the help. i've never taken him out without my bro before. not really built for tantrums, you know?"
She hummed, slightly bouncing Tempus until he fell right to sleep, then she went back to swaying.
"I understand. Tantrums can be overwhelming, especially if you have no idea how to help or stop them. Fortunately for both of us, this lil guy was just tired and needed to get the last of the sad feels out about having to leave. Believe me, some tantrums can't be stopped through action. You can only let them feel the feelings and provide comfort if they ask until they're done."
If skeletons could pale, Cash would've. The mere idea of that was awful, and Bear and Cinnamon nodding along sagely as if they've experienced it before only made Cash more relieved that he hadn't experienced that before.
He may like kids, but he gets easily overstimulated and overwhelmed. If he had to handle a tantrum like that, he was sure he'd break down along with the kid.
Once she was sure Tempus was knocked out, she carefully passed him over to Cash so the two could go home. Cash had already waved the others goodbye, who had came in their own cars, the angel waving goodbye with him.
With Tempus secure in his arms, he nodded his head in thanks.
"thanks again. i don't know how you did that."
She smiled playfully, "Did what? Ease his tantrum or pass him to you without waking him up?"
Cash chuckled softly, walking to his car with her alongside him.
"both. and, um, could you…?"
He gestured to the car door, his hands a bit occupied.
"Oh, sure."
It didn't take long for Cash to place Tempus in his car seat and buckle him in. The door was left open as the two continued to talk, Cash leaning on it for support.
"so, do you do this sort of thing for a living, or are you just naturally good with kids?"
"Heh, both. I grew up with kids loving me, and I took babysitting and after school care jobs growing up. Now, I'm a full-time nanny. Or at least, I hope to be. I recently graduated from college and have been working as a substitute teacher while trying to find the right family."
Cash perked up at this. They didn't really need a nanny. At least one of the guys was always home for Allura since they didn't want her in daycare, and the rest of the kids were in school. But even so, he knew that they all still struggled with the whole childcare thing.
All of them became fathers around the same time, about a month or so before the machine dragged all of them to the Classic's place. And it'd only been a couple months since then. They may have an idea of how to take care of kids since the underground was sort of an open community, not to mention the tips they got from Toriel and Asgore, but that didn't make them experts.
And sure, you don't have to be an expert to raise a kid. But this wasn't just one kid, it was several. All of them in varying ages and personalities and requiring different needs that they were struggling to keep track of.
Having a nanny could be a real asset to them, and would probably benefit the kids too. Especially the ones that keep asking if they'd ever get a mommy.
Red had honestly been debating wooing a girl just so he could fulfill that little dream of theirs. And although a nanny wouldn't be a mom, it'd be close enough.
He just had to convince the others, which he doubted would be very hard. Though, he supposed, he'd have to see if she'd be up for it first.
"how about working for my family? you met about half of my brothers and some of the kids. Tempus already seems to like you, and you wouldn't have to pay for room and board."
Her eyes widened with surprise, not having expected such an offer despite previous events.
"Really? Are you sure?"
"positive. i'd just have to talk to my bros about it and probably schedule an interview for you to meet them. then, if they like ya, there'd probably be a second interview to see if you get along well with all the kids."
She was practically beaming, "Oh, that would be wonderful! Here, let me give you my number."
She pulled out a pen and a small notebook from her bag, scribbling on it before tearing a page out and handing it to him. It had her number, and her name written just below it.

XXX-XXX-XXXX

Angel

Heh, well he'll be damned. Not only does she look and act like and angel, she's literally called one too.
He chuckled and waved his hand, indicating that he wanted her to hand the notepad and pen over. When she did, he wrote down his own number and name.
"text me anytime. i tend to be a bit forgetful concerning keeping others in the loop."
She happily took the paper, immediately typing the number into her phone, which just made Cash all sorts of pleased.
"Okay! I look forward to hearing from you! Get home safe!"
She waved at Cash, most likely walking off to her own car. Content, he shut Tempus's door quietly and went to the driver's side. The moment he started the car, he heard a familiar ding. Pulling out his phone from his pocket, he chuckled at the little text.

(6:33pm)

Even if things don't work out, feel free to call me anytime if you need help with the little guy!

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Thoughts have plagued her for months; ones that weren't hers. She's not entirely sure how many voices there were, but they were all masculine in pitch, that's for certain.
In the beginning, she thought that she was simply talking to herself and embraced it, but gradually, she realized that these thoughts were producing all on their own, as if she were hearing voices in her head.
They'd warn her, help her, try to converse with her, but after realizing that she wasn't conjuring them, she didn't feel safe answering anymore. Aloud, that is. Strangely, these voices couldn't hear her thoughts.
Then she'd tried to ignore them, but they wouldn't stop talking no matter how hard she tried. There was concern, sadness, fear, anger, desperation and so many other emotions that laced each of their voices. Still, she refused to respond.
Until she blew up.
She absolutely lost it because they all tried to speak to her at once and it was overwhelming. Not to mention, absolutely infuriating. She was trying to live her life, trying to convince herself that she wasn't crazy, but they had to make it increasingly harder.
She had a mental breakdown, and the voices got quieter after that, resigned almost.
But they didn't stop.
Eventually, she tried asking the internet through an anonymous account for any possible answers to her problem. Or at least, for a way of identifying them. The only thing she was willing to try being the spiritualist on account of not wanting to be committed to a psych ward.
It didn't take long for her to find spiritual and metaphysical shops, though it did take a bit of time to find the right person to consult. He was a medium, capable of speaking to all sorts of beings from deities to ancestors to spirits and so on.
When the two sat down to start the consultation session, he nearly immediately laughed in amusement.
"What? What is it?"
Her anxiety was palpable, desperate for an answer at this point. He simply looked up at her, his eyes trailing to either side of her as he answered.
"Don't listen to me, listen to them. They've been trying to tell you from the start but you've closed them out! You have to open up to the reality that they're real and not just part of your imagination."
Confusion twisted her face and dread dropped in her stomach, unaware of the floating astral projections of several skeleton monsters who were watching her eagerly with anticipation. Desperately, they hoped she'd finally trust them instead of assuming they were mere figments.
"So… you're saying that I really do have skeleton monsters for soul bonds from another world?"
The medium watched as the skeleton astral projections lit up with excitement, many of them nodding at him in hopes of him confirming what they've been trying to convince her.
"Seems like it! Congrats by the way. It looks like you've got a lot of people who care about you."
She stared at him, wringing her hands as her body was filled to the brim with nerves.
"Can you see them?"
He nodded, taking a closer look at them now that their attention wasn't on him.
"Oh yeah. You've got… what? Fourteen?"
One of the skeletons' projections squealed, his scarf flowing in a non-existent wind as he excitedly declared, "MORE!"
This made her jump and the medium roar with laughter. He hadn't been this entertained in ages.
"My advice? Learn to astral project, then you'll be able to see them with your own eyes. Until then, actually listen to them. Don't do everything they say, as you are your own person, but quit shutting them out. It's not good for you or them."
Several expressions of gratitude were said to the medium by the skeleton astral projections, making the poor girl stuck with them flush with embarrassment.
It looks like she wasn't crazy. Whether she'd remain sane was yet to be determined. After all, they could be rather maddening.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Souls, as many monsters knew, were the culmination of one's being. Humans weren't as aware, since they thought souls were obscure before monsters returned, but they at least knew of this concept.
Yet soul bonds weren't as known to humans. Many confused it with their term "soulmates," which wasn't even close to being the same thing.
Monsters form a soul bond with someone they want to be connected with for the remainder of their existence, someone they loved with all their soul.
Almost always these bonds were romantic in nature, though some were certainly platonic. Regardless, if a monster felt that they had found this person, or people, they do a ceremony that either reassures them of their choice, or makes them step back and contemplate further.
Many monsters referred to the ceremony as "the scales" on account of the two or more parties weighing their relationship. This happens by all parties involved summoning their souls and then exchanging souls so that you could feel each other's pure being.
This will allow those involved to feel the other's feelings concerning themselves, see into aspects they've yet to share or kept hidden, understand each other's traumas better, and so on.
If it's what you expect or more, then usually it's followed by a period of more serious courting and personal bonding leading into intentionally forming a soul bond. Otherwise, if there's things that one or more feel need to be addressed or find to be unacceptable (like a dark secret) then the relationship either falls apart or there's a period of adjustment, learning, and adapting.
Which is what made Cinnamon so nervous. He was certain he'd found the one for him. So certain, in fact, that he was willing to do the ceremony behind Vanilla's back.
And not for any insecure reason like thinking that Vanilla wouldn't approve, or that he was scared Vanilla would scare her away, or believing that Vanilla would steal her from him.
And no, it wasn't because his and his brother's variants arrived either. That happened long before Cinnamon met her. No, the answer was plain and simple.
He was a greedy bastard.
Cinnamon knew well and good that his girlfriend was poly, and he was fine with that. However, he knew that the moment she met his brother and their variants, she'd fall for at least one of them or vice versa.
Which meant he'd have to share her near immediately after forming a relationship with her.
So yeah, he kept her and their relationship a secret for the mere sake of getting some personal bonding before any of them could slip into her heart. Not that he'd mind if she dated any of them. The issue was time and proper bonding, and he wanted that deep connection before introducing her.
Hence the ceremony.
Cinnamon truly believed that his girlfriend was the perfect partner and wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. He could already see himself making a family with her. He only hoped she felt the same.
The two of them were sat on her bed, completely alone with the lights out. It was best to do this in the dark so you could properly admire each other's glow.
Taking a deep breath, he made sure that this was really okay with her. All parties must consent before doing the ceremony, and he was anxious that she didn't properly understand. Even though she always took every monster custom and viewpoint in stride.
"ARE YOU CERTAIN? YOU WILL BE EXPOSING YOUR SOUL, YOUR ENTIRE BEING TO ME. THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS?"
A lax smile graced her lips, never one to get too stressed over anything. She was so calm and reassuring, the perfect compliment to his overthinking and anxiety.
"I'm sure, hun. I'm looking forward to this bringing us closer together."
Cinnamon felt a strange mix of hot and cold in his soul. The warmth born from affection due to her trusting that this would end well, and the cold from dread that once she found out about the real reason for him not introducing her to his family yet, that she'd be upset.
Still, he nodded, nerves all throughout his body as he eased his own soul out of his chest. The white inverted heart with a red-orange sheen bobbing gently over his hand. Likewise, she conjured her own soul (something he taught her) which was a bright cyan heart with blue swirls mixed in, rotating leisurely over her hand.
Appreciation and adoration made his soul shine brighter at seeing hers, finding it so very beautiful.
She giggled, which only made his soul shine brighter in embarrassment at the sound, realizing he'd been caught staring.
She didn't say anything about it though. Simply offering her soul to him, and he easily followed. Both held their own souls in their right hand, gently sliding them into each other's left.
Near immediately, Cinnamon was swarmed with emotions, thoughts, and memories. He saw that she kept no secrets, felt that she loved him with all her soul, and thought that it was cute how he wanted to monopolize her for a bit before introducing her to his brother.
That last one eased him out of the deep dive into her being, focusing on her as he slowly retrieved more information from her soul.
She was smiling, heavily amused, but before he could comment on what was certainly making his cheeks glow, that amusement turned into surprise and intrigue. Cinnamon almost didn't know why till he could already feel the question that soon tumbled from her lips.
"There's versions of you and your brother from across the multiverse that live with you?"
Cinnamon didn't need to answer verbally, his soul doing all the talking as his anxiety spiked. Even if she found his greediness adorable, he doubted that she would react positively to the new information.
And in a way, he was right. She didn't react positively, or negatively for that matter. No, she simply hummed in thought, shrugged, and said, "Okay."
He couldn't believe it, and that must've shown on his face as much as it echoed in his soul.
"You know I'm a nerd, and the multiverse isn't restricted to science. There's a million examples of it in media alone. It's not such a bewildering subject."
Moments like this, where a new piece of unexpected information was discovered about each other, continued for several minutes. Both parties assuring the other that nothing was wrong with it.
For Cinnamon, this mainly came in the form of her being a witch. It wasn't like she hid the signs with her altar, spell jars, trinkets, and whatnot being out in the open. However, Cinnamon did need some clarification on what separated a witch from a mage. Mainly because he knew his family would be less than thrilled if she was basically a mage and wanted to be prepared for any inevitable negative reactions or behavior.
Fortunately, the two weren't the same at all, even if they use similar words in what they do such as "magic," "curses," and "spells."
When the two felt they had learned all they needed, they repeated the earlier motions, except they returned each other's soul in the other's right hand instead of left.
Cinnamon was extremely excited, already planning future dates and when he'd introduce him to his family. However, a sound of insecurity snapped his skull up immediately. He had never, ever, heard his beloved girlfriend be uncertain before.
The culprit became obvious as he followed her line of sight to her soul. There, in the center, a small white light began to form in the center.
"Cinn? Is this normal?"
She honestly sounded a little scared, which only made Cinnamon wrought with fear himself. After a quick glance at his soul to make sure nothing similar was happening to him, he tucked it back into his body and shuffled closer to her with worry. His hands hovered above her own, which were cupped as if she were trying to hold water.
"NO, I DON'T THINK SO. AT LEAST, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE, BUT IT'LL BE OKAY! I'M HERE AND WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT! DO YOU FEEL ANY PAIN?"
"No- No. I don't. I just feel… a little tired? And a weird mix of elation and terror. Like I'm too exposed and need to protect something, but… not myself?"
Cinnamon nodded along, not quite putting the dots together as pride occupied him. She was getting pretty good at reading her own soul lately, which was a feat in and of itself for humans who had chosen to lose contact with it altogether.
It wasn't until that little white light shaped itself into an upside-down soul, fitting snugly in the absolute center of hers that it hit Cinnamon like a truck. Both their eyes widened at the sight, very aware that a soul, a monster soul by the looks of things, had made itself at home in her own.
The fear that was in her eyes faded, uncertainty replacing it as she looked up at the very shell-shocked Cinnamon.
"Is this… Is this a soul bond? Did we make one on accident?"
No. He wanted to tell her no, but he was frozen. Soul bonds visually take on the form of strings between the souls, not this.
This had an entirely different meaning, and for Cinnamon's life, he couldn't figure out how in the hell it happened.
When he felt her hand on his sleeve, her eyes staring at him with worry, he knew he had to tell her. He only hoped that they could be each other's pillar as they processed this rather than both crumbling down together.
"NO, LOVE. YOU'RE… YOU'RE PREGNANT. WE SOMEHOW MADE A BABY."
Her eyes widened, staring off as she seemed to process that information. Eventually, she smiled and laughed in shock."Well, fuck. It's unexpected, but I won't complain. Certainly sooner than I would have liked, but hey, the universe works in strange ways. I'm sure we'll figure things out. Though I'm certain your brother, Vanilla, will faint when he finds out."
That slap of reality made Cinnamon groan and bury his skull in his hands, a single word growled out between his fingers.
"FUCK…"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

If you've every been a mega fan of anything, you've probably wanted to shift realities or transmigrate into that world at least once. It's why there's self-insert fanfiction and those art trends where you draw yourself in certain worlds.
There's even a common trope known as isekai, though many just call it transmigration. And in case you've been under a rock, the basics of the trope is that the main character dies somehow and wakes up in the body of a character in the story or game or whatever they just interacted with or love with all their soul.
And Delilah and Courtney are victims of such a trope. Delilah even more so than Courtney. Why? Because the poor girl knew nothing about the world they were in except for three things.
One, it's a really weird mix of medieval and modern. There's modern tools and transport and whatnot (even if it's tweaked by the fantasy genre), but there's a medieval caste system and all around structure of life.
Two, the place was filled to the brim with magic and monsters. Delilah herself even woke up in the body of a hybrid, something she's been struggling to manage with all the new magical features she didn't know how to entirely control. Courtney was lucky enough to stay human, but she wouldn't stop moaning and groaning about it.
Three, and perhaps the most annoying bit of all, her best friend Courtney was obsessed with the male leads of the story like fans are to celebrities. Girl practically worships them and it's an insane struggle to not get their attention or end up on their bad sides.
Especially since the two of them had to end up in the bodies of the villainess and her cousin.
Courtney was, most unfortunately, the villainess. Though, Delilah supposed, her adoration of the male leads, who were all skeleton monsters, mind you, could be excused as the villainess's unrequited obsession.
Delilah was the cousin from another country, and outside of the simple label that gave her, there was apparently no other information on the girl that Courtney could remember. Mainly because she was killed off at the beginning of the story as a result of one of the villainess's plans going terribly awry.
Thankfully that wouldn't happen now, since Courtney had no plans to stop the skeletons from apparently getting with the female lead, whoever that was, but still. If her damned friend won't stop doing absolutely ridiculous stunts in order to see "the precious beans" and "otp" then they were gonna die!
Take now, for instance.
They were at a lavish party they couldn't avoid as not only would it be suspicious, but Courtney wouldn't let them stay home. Delilah couldn't care less what it was for, but knew that those skeleton male leads were here and so was the female lead. Apparently this was supposed to be her first appearance.
Now despite Courtney having complained about being human, she shut the hell up once she realized she could use magic. Lucky for her, she mastered it easily. Not so lucky for Delilah, cause she's been a real pain ever since.
Especially because Delilah still couldn't figure out her own magic for the life of her. All she knew how to do was not burn things.
Oh yeah, Delilah was, apparently, part human and part fire elemental. Not to mention, part skeleton, a fact she refused to let Courtney know since she knew her friend would freak out.
Anyway, the royal family came out, a family of goat monsters, and when the young princess appeared, as it was her debutante, Courtney practically buzzed with excitement. Delilah watched her friend like a hawk, absolutely wrought with nerves of what she would do.
But of course, due to her lack in proficiency with magic, Delilah failed to stop Courtney from using her own red tinted magic to trip the princess on the last step, resulting in her being caught gracefully by one of the skeleton princes.
Oh, and another thing, there were weirdly a lot of royal families in one kingdom. Apparently they share districts? Make that make sense.
Regardless, the sliver of red magic was easily noticed, and of course the biggest and most terrifying skeleton decided to take it upon himself to confront Courtney as the dumbass didn't even try to hide the fact she was responsible.
This skeleton was labeled Cedar, and he was one of, if not the, eldest of the bunch. He had gone to war a few years back and had lost his right eye and got a hole in his skull for his troubles.
At least he won though, or so Courtney says.
Anxious and frustrated, Delilah ran her fingers through the flames that made up her hair. They were orange with purple streaks, and showed off her soul colors.
Whatever that meant.
But with the hulking skeleton approaching, she had to move quickly. As casually as possible, she stalked over to stand before her friend, shielding Courtney's body with her own as she adjusted her emerald gown as if she didn't have a care.
Her eyes raised to meet the skeleton so much taller than her. A single, scarlet bloated eye in a black void meeting a purple and an orange eye, each shining from black scleras.
The one thing she liked about her new body; she had heterochromia.
A growl of displeasure rumbled in the large skeleton's chest.

"move…"

Delilah stood firm, unwilling to budge.
"I apologize, your highness, but I will not. Your intent is wrathful, and I would rather not have the princess's celebration become an unpleasant event over something as menial as a stumble that you believe my cousin caused."
Her voice was steady, calm, certain. If the princess really was the female lead that Courtney had been raving about, then he would listen if he didn't want to ruin her debutante.
And she was right, but she didn't expect his hand to grip her wrist tightly, wrenching it up to be in his line of sight. The bone would have felt uncomfortable and foreign, if she didn't have a tail made of bone and doused in dim flames hiding beneath the many layers of her skirt. Currently, it was wrapped snuggly around her thigh.
"if her behavior escalates beyond harmless… pranks," she was surprised he used that word to describe what happened but would take it, "then maybe i'll have to give her a hand to teach her a lesson."
Delilah could read between the lines. He was threatening to cut off her hand if Courtney stepped out of line.
But it wasn't needed.
"That won't be necessary, your highness. I'd lock her in her room before she could even conceive such a thought."
Cedar stared, long and hard at Delilah before his scowl shifted into a grin. The grip he previously had on her wrist became slack as his hand slid down to hold her own. Then, in what she assumed he did simply to be polite, he leaned down and kissed the back of her hand.
Now that sensation was foreign to her, not that she disliked it.
"good to hear. less work for me."
He stood, releasing her hand altogether before giving her a slow nod, his gaze never wavering from hers for a moment.
"have a pleasant evening, my lady," his eyelight finally shifted to Courtney behind her, whom Delilah was sure was smirking, and became menacing in an instant, "duchess Cordelia."
That was Courtney's name here. One of the few good things, since Delilah could still call her Core. Though the fact he didn't use a title for Delilah or her new name, suggested that he had no idea who she was.
Well that was unfortunate. So much for possibly getting a clue.
With that, Cedar left, returning to his brothers who had been watching the scene from afar while occupying the princess.
Once they were out of earshot, the tension eased out of Delilah's shoulders as she sighed.
"Well, that worked out great."
The sarcasm was lost to Courtney as she squealed and giggled to herself. This made the flames on Delilah's head blaze with rage as she slowly turned to face her "cousin."
Her eyes, hair, and even her body glowed with her fury. She stalked over to Courtney, glare smoldering and teeth grit.
"And what, pray tell, has got you all fucking giddy?"
Her words were quiet so that only Courtney could hear, but the hidden wrath in them was made obvious.
This didn't affect Courtney in the slightest as she continued to squeal as if she were fangirling, though thankfully she kept her voice down.
"Oh my stars! I knew she wasn't going to get with all of them but ahh!!! Dee! Cedar likes you! He flirted with you!"
Delilah rolled her eyes. She doubted threats of dismemberment counted as flirting, but her friend was never all right in the head so she honestly didn't care if she thought that the menace was interested in her. Not like it was true.
And yet, it was. At least, Cedar found her intriguing enough. So much so, that he continued to sneak glances at her. The faint flash of something long and tail-like in nature hidden beneath her skirts when she scolded her cousin only made him that much more interested.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"You have to tell them!"
These were hushed words that Coffee overheard as he headed down the stairs towards the kitchen. It was the middle of the night, and he'd gotten caught up on one of his art pieces. He was planning on getting a snack before bed, but was practically glued to the shadows as he witnessed the argument below.
Beyond the railing he was hiding behind were two individuals in the living room, one male and one female. Both were recognizable to Coffee.
The female was his and the rest of the skeleton brothers' friend. She had entered their lives a couple years ago and made a habit of sleeping over and vice versa. The male was her older brother, whom they all met rather recently but bonded with pretty quickly.
Regardless, he knew that the two were fighting lately, but he had no idea why. Everyone was curious since the two were as thick as thieves before.
"You know I can't! It would change everything-"
"That's the point!"
"And not in the good way Bart! Most of them are deep into their relationships! Two of them are engaged and one of them recently confided in me that they think they found someone that they'd be okay having kids with! Do you know how big a deal that is? If I tell them, everything will come crashing down!"
Coffee's sockets widened, clenching the banister tightly. What were they talking about? What could be so horrible that it could make their relationships crumble?
Not that Coffee was in a relationship, but Wine was, and so were most of the house. Was she really keeping a secret so horrible that it would decimate their happiness?
And why was Bart so hellbent on revealing it?
"I know Gen! But it'd be even more cruel to never tell them! What if they do have kids? They'll start to age! Rapidly in regards to the ones dating humans! Are you really going to let them die without telling them?"
"Yes! They're happy! They don't need to know! I would rather deal with the consequences than ever tell them! Especially if it's only going to result in pain!"
Gen was practically desperate, trying to convince her brother to see her side of things. He wasn't having it. Steam was practically coming out of his ears; he was seething.
"They deserve to know! And if you won't tell them, then I will!"
He started to stomp towards the stairs, and pure fear reflected in her eyes as she grabbed his arms, pleading with him.
"No! Bartholomew, please! Don't tell them!"
When he ripped his arm from her grip, she stumbled back and Coffee could feel his soul pound in his chest. Despite being eaten alive with anxiety concerning this supposed secret, he was genuinely worried that the altercation would turn physical.
Yet he didn't lay a hand on her, simply continuing his march towards the stairs. Coffee was afraid he'd have to teleport away, but Gen's exclamation made him halt in his pursuit.
"Why do you even care! It has nothing to do with you!"
He whipped around so fast that Coffee thought it was inhuman, but that couldn't be right. They were human… right? Wait, was that the secret? That they're not human? But how would that ruin their relationships?
"Are you kidding me? It has nothing to do with me?"
"Yes! If you hadn't stuck your nose where it didn't belong last week, then it'd still just be my burden to bear!"
Bart practically growled with his frustration and rage, getting back in her face.
"Goddamnit Genevieve! We're all we have left after becoming immortal! So how is it not my goddamned business that you finally found your fucking soulmates! That you're practically killing yourself inside just so they can be happy with anyone that isn't you!"
There was a sudden silence after that exclamation, far louder than all the rest. Bart didn't keep his volume in check, and the pure intensity of something so soul shaking made Coffee instinctively step back.
He stumbled, his foot going down the next step, but he managed to catch himself on the railing. The two faced him immediately, but Coffee's gaze was solely on Gen. Tears were in her eyes from her brother's outburst, but seeing Coffee there, they began to stream down her face.
"Did you hear that?"
Her voice was so broken, so scared, desperate to be told that he hadn't. He couldn't reassure her, too overwhelmed by what he'd just heard, his skull twisted in agony before he teleported back to his room.
Her sobs of despair following him into the void and continued to haunt him in his room despite being so out of reach that he shouldn't be able to hear them anymore.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Dark grey clouds filled the sky, looming ominously as they rumbled softly with thunder. It was bound to storm at any moment, but that didn't seem to matter as a young woman stormed out of one of the nicer houses in the neighborhood.
She trudged towards the sidewalk, going down the street with her arms crossed in a vein attempt to stop herself from trembling. Her throat burned, and she didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry.
She had no intention of stopping or going back to the joint party thrown for herself and her newest roommate; apparently their birthdays were in the same week. The newbie having come from out of nowhere a couple weeks ago.
Yet, when one of her skeleton roommates, and whom she had previously thought was her friend, teleported right in front of her, she was forced to stop.
She glared up at Vanilla, his ridiculous bara size thanks to him being a boss monster making him a practical brick wall.
"Move."
He scoffed with frustration and confusion, refusing to let her pass.
"i don't get it. why are you being like this?"
She guffawed, feeling the full force of the sting in the back of her throat as she took a menacing step forward.
"Are you kidding me? Why don't you actually try to put the pieces together? You're supposedly a genius after all, aren't you? Use that big boy brain of yours and tell me why I'm reacting this way because of the so-called party you threw for me."
It took him a moment but when he seemed to figure it out, he practically scowled with bewilderment.
"are you serious? this is about the cake? i know it's not your favorite flavor but-"
"For fuck's sake, Vanilla! That's not the point!"
Her furious yell was accented by a righteous clap of thunder, silencing him immediately.
"I wouldn't care if the cake wasn't my favorite as long as it was something I liked! And even if it wasn't, anything would've been be better than something I'm fucking allergic to! But no, because it's her favorite, you all had to get it!"
Vanilla's sockets widened in shock; they'd all completely forgotten that she was allergic to lemon. Too focused on how their new roommate would react. How could they have forgotten that? They'd made sure to remember ever since she mentioned it a year ago. How the fuck did they forget?
"And don't even get me started on the gifts! Again, I wouldn't have cared if they were things that you guys had thought I'd like or something. But no! You remembered all the things I told you guys I'd been wanting lately, and gifted them to her!"
Her voice cracked as she screamed the last part, tears that she'd been holding back finally streaming down her cheeks. It caused a pang in Vanilla's soul, and as he listened, he continued to be confused by his and the others' behavior.
She was right. Those were things she'd asked for, not their new roommate. So why had they done that? His skull felt fuzzy trying to figure it out, and it throbbed if he tried to force it.
"sweetheart-"
"NO! You don't get to call me that! None of you get to call me anything other than my name from now on! Because this is the last straw! I'd been dealing with your guys' strange behavior for weeks and I'm done."
Vanilla could feel the breath he didn't need pitch, his soul feeling as if it were being constricted. Her hysterical screaming and borderline sobbing practically broke him. Thunder roared above them once more, rain pouring down from the sky, instantly soaking them.
She was panting, the rain giving her a cooler head and making her feel numb as she re-crossed her arms.
"I'm leaving. I won't be sleeping here tonight."
Desperation clawed at Vanilla as he tried to reach out, the mere idea of her staying anywhere else, of her leaving for even a short time, devastating him. But she stepped out of his reach, staring at him with a resolution and determination in her eyes.
"In fact, I'm moving out. Expect my things gone by the end of the week."
She didn't even give him a chance to respond or react, maneuvering around his body to continue her trek down the street. For a moment he stood, frozen with the knowledge that she was removing herself from their lives. Forever. Then, he turned, yelling her name with everything he had.
But he was too late. She was already gone.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was a late night at the club, music pounding and the floor shaking from all the wild dancing. There were seating areas all around, left mostly unoccupied as people flooded the bar. At one in particular, sat two skeletons.
One was looking around, charged with nervous energy. The other tapped at the table impatiently, unable to do anything until his companion found what he was looking for.
This came in the form of a young woman who strutted in with her friends. She stood out, at least to them, as she had adorned herself in skeleton themed attire. Her crop top having a rib cage, her shorts having a bone chain hanging off them, the leggings underneath also having bones depicted on them, and even her jewelry and shoes matched the theme in some respect.
When the fidgeting skeleton saw her, he instantly pointed her out despite there not being a need to.
"there! tha's her!"
The latter rose a browbone and sighed. He couldn't believe that he was helping his friend get laid. Though to be fair, it seemed like he was actually interested in this one rather than simply trying to "jump her bones" so to speak.
Still, he couldn't help but give him some grief.
"REALLY RED? HER? DO YOU HAVE SOME WEIRD FETISH OF FANTASIZING THE BONES UNDERNEATH BECAUSE OF HER CLOTHES, OR IS THERE AN ACTUAL SUBSTANTIAL REASON FOR WHY YOU'RE ATTRACTED TO HER?"
Red scowled, his cheekbones briefly flushing his namesake.
"fuckin' hell man! is tha' what ya really think of me?" he scoffed, playing on the offence, "nah, it's not that. though gotta admit, she looks good covered in bones."
His companion would, in fact, not admit that. At least, not out loud.
"THEN WHAT, PRAY TELL, HAS GOT YOUR MAGIC IN KNOTS ABOUT HER?"
Red huffed, not wanting to waste time talking about this, but he knew that his buddy wouldn't help unless he gave him a substantial reason. Hell, only reason he managed to convince the guy to even come to the club was because he'd shown some vulnerability of actually crushing on this chick.
"cause she's a confident, sexy, badass."
When the skeleton narrowed his sockets, Red groaned and went on.
"okay, look Milord," he gestures to her again, "see her? she's dancing like no one's watchin'. her moves are sexy, and she can pull of some really fuckin' sick tricks. not to mention she don't take shit from nobody. once saw her judo flip a guy that touched her ass."
As soon as Milord got Red to start talking, it was like he couldn't get him to stop.
"she'll drink ya under the table, and not just with human alcohol, but monster too. she'll happily show off her assets with the type clothes an' some of her dance moves, but leave everything else to your imagination cause she still covers near everything but 'er midriff. chips n' salsa is usually what she gets for her munchies, but when she gets a burger or fries she drowns that shit in mustard. and don' even get me started on-"
"YOU'RE RIGHT, I DON'T WANT TO GET YOU STARTED. IN FACT, SILENCE YOURSELF. YOU SOUND LIKE HER STALKER."
Red froze, avoiding eye-contact with Milord, who only narrowed his gaze suspiciously at the action.
"YOU HAVEN'T BEEN STALKING HER, HAVE YOU?"
Red grumbled out his answer, but Milord still heard.
"well, not exactly. haven' followed her home or anythin'."
Milord sighed deeply, rubbing his temple as he could feel the beginnings of a headache forming.
"OKAY, LISTEN CLOSELY. THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO."
With that, the two sat there for the next half hour as Milord instructed Red on how exactly he was going to get this mystery woman's number and possibly schedule a date with her.
And yes, Red had no idea what her name was.
When Milord felt that he had gotten his coaching engraved into Red's skull, he sent him on his way to the woman, who at this point was conveniently hanging out at the bar.
There was an empty stool next to her, and Red took the opportunity to take it. Milord nodded his approval from where he sat, watching their interaction closely.
Although he couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, he gauged how well the interaction was going by their body language and facial expressions. It was easier to observe the woman's face as she had turned so her back was leaning against the bar while she drank her beverage.
A few minutes passed before the two rose and she waved him goodbye with a smug grin on her lips. Red, on the other hand, looked positively dazed as he returned to his previous seat. Milord felt disturbed when he realized that he was giggling to himself like a giddy schoolgirl.
"WELL? DID YOU STICK TO THE PLAN?"
His voice snapped Red out of his headspace, looking dumbly at Milord.
"huh?"
Ticked, Milord made sure to emphasize his words this time.
"DID YOU. STICK. TO THE PLAN?"
Slowly, ever so slowly, a bright red blush climbed Red's skull until it fully engulfed his face. Absolutely mortified, he burrowed his skull into his bulky jacket.
"fuck… i've really got it down bad… i was literal putty in her hands…"
Milord was this close to strangling him, but took a deep breath to prevent himself from committing murder.
"DID YOU AT LEAST GET HER NAME? FOR STAR'S SAKE, PLEASE TELL ME YOU AT LEAST GOT THAT."
The still blushing skeleton nodded, but he didn't speak until he had cooled down enough that he didn't feel the need to hide anymore.
"Morticia. 'er name is Morticia."
With all the patience in the world, Milord gave Red a blank look.
"ARE YOU CERTAIN THAT IS HER REAL NAME AND NOT AN ALIAS?"
He seemed confused, not sure where Milord was going with this.
"yeah? why?"
"DID SHE GIVE YOU A LAST NAME?"
"uh…" it took him a moment to remember, "Addams. pretty sure she said it was Addams."
A loud smack echoed as Milord facepalmed harshly, on the verge of seething.
"YOU COMPLETE IMBECILE."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

In this world there's Bara monsters, Average monsters, and Bitty monsters. The first two categories are pretty diverse and can take relative care of themselves on the surface. However, the last group, the Bitties, didn't have a lot of variety in the traditional sense, and struggled to protect themselves since coming to the surface.
When they were all underground, they had operated perfectly. Kinda like "Zootopia" but with monsters (and a lack of racism). But on the surface, things were harder. A lot of humans didn't care for monsters and often targeted Bitties because of their size.
And sure, there were Bitties that could change size or had an equal amount of magic to even Baras, but not all of them were fortunate enough to have those abilities.
So, the Bitty Buddy System was born.
Large condemned buildings that used to be a Kmart or something were turned into gated and enclosed neighborhoods and communities for Bitties to live in either permanently, if they so choose, or until they get a buddy. Though you could usually tell which building was for which type of Bitty based on the sign out front.
The Buddy System was often compared to the Adoption System with how the individual willing to be a buddy must go through several background checks before they can even enter the building, and then through a series of interviews in the event they don't click with anyone at the Buddy Center closest to them. Granted, if there are many Buddy Centers, they could always visit multiple before deciding whether to do the interviews or not.
It's very unlikely that anyone would get roped into the Buddy System.
Unfortunately for Ivy, her best friend since diapers, Zach, did just that. He'd found out about the Buddy System after the two moved into the area a couple months back and signed them both up without her knowledge.
Ivy was completely oblivious to Zach's scheme until they'd gotten their approval letters the day before. And now, the two sat in his car in the Buddy Center parking lot.
She didn't want to go in; socialization of any sort not being her forte and it's honestly a miracle she's even kept Zach as a friend for this long.
"Come on Vee. I know it's scary meeting new people, but I think this will be good for you! You can make a friend, and won't be alone in that stupidly large house of yours."
Ivy whined, doubtful, as she held her knees to her chest. The two may have moved here together, but Zach lived in the city with his boyfriends, while she lived in the house her aunt left to her that's further out in the country. It was a lake house, and it had an absurd amount of rooms considering it was the family's vacation home till she passed years ago.
Zach turned in his seat, his seatbelt already off, making sure not to touch her unless she gave him permission. Ivy tended to not like being touched by those who upset her, and he didn't want to make her feel worse.
Still, the way she tried to hide behind her knees made his heart ache with guilt as he bowed his head.
"Hey… I'm sorry that I did this all behind your back, but I knew you wouldn't have done it yourself, even if I asked."
She didn't respond, but she did finally look at him, watching him as she propped her head up on her knees.
"I also know you only moved out here because I did."
She flinched at that, and his words came out rushed in order to reassure her.
"Which is fine! I don't mind, and I know it's because you're scared of losing me. Which I also get, but Ivy, at some point you have to be brave enough to make new connections. I want you to be happy, and you can tell me all you like that you're already happy, but I'm not blind. You're lonely, but you're too scared that someone is going to hurt you like everyone else has."
She whimpered involuntarily, flinching as she tried to keep the tears from her eyes. He wasn't wrong, but that didn't make the truth hurt any less.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. These Bitties? They're monsters. You've been studying them, right? Because of your interest in magic?"
Ivy hesitated before nodding slowly.
"Then you know that no matter how they act on the outside, it's their intent that matters. Because they're made of hope and love and want to be hurt even less than you do. So come on. Let's try this."
His words struck a cord, and Ivy's body loosened as she thought things through. Yes, she was terrified of being hurt, but if monsters were anything like they claimed, then they'd be more terrified of emotional pain than anyone. If anyone in the world would understand her, it'd be them.
Taking a deep breath, she released her legs, sat up, and slowly reached for the seatbelt buckle. There was a short moment of further, dazed thought before the resounding click of the seatbelt being released sounded.
Zach smiled brightly, relief absolutely wading through his soul. In truth, he wasn't planning to get a buddy. He only wanted to be able to go in with Ivy and help her find someone, multiple someones if they were lucky, to be her friend and fill that empty house of hers.
And maybe even the void in her heart.
It didn't take long for the two to exit the vehicle and head inside, though the security measures did take a good minute. It was on par, if not more so, with airport security.
Once inside, the wonders of the Buddy Center were laid before them.
The ceiling was made of reinforced, bulletproof glass, allowing the sun to illuminate the space and provide the trees growing inside their energy. These trees were spread throughout the large building, save for the center, which looked like a bitty-sized lake. It was the size and depth of a pool, but in the shape of a circle.
There were canals connected to the lake, rope bridges between the trees, and walkways both bitty sized and average sized. The larger walkways made sure to not cut through the homes or any area where there was bitty activity.
Since it was their first time here they had a guide that walked them throughout the Center, explaining the types of monsters they had and what sort of accommodations they would need if either Zach or Ivy got along with them enough to become buddies.
She also explained that they did have a few size-changing types and Boss types. Boss types being the ones whose magic was on par with an average or Bara sized monster. However, she wasn't allowed to inform them of who those were unless they decided to buddy with one.
Apparently there's been some cases where someone sought out one of the two types in hopes for free labor in their homes rather than looking for a roommate.
Two hours passed before the tour ended and they were allowed to free roam; by then, they stuck out like sore thumbs.
Ivy felt supremely uncomfortable being stared at so intensely, and so Zach suggested sitting at the lounge area at one end of the bitty lake, further away from the community areas and closer to a more baren park area.
As she eased her way down to sit in the grass, her legs bent to the side, she could hear a soft splash in the water. When she looked up she didn't see anything, so she continued to adjust, making sure the long skirt of her dress wasn't tucked awkwardly.
But then she heard a soft splash again, and when Ivy looked at the lake, she squeaked in surprise at the two individuals that were mere inches away from her, practically on the shore.
Their upper half were of skeletons, and although she couldn't quite see their lower half, she was certain that they were a pair of leviathan types that the guide had mentioned earlier.
"hey."
"HELLO THERE!!!"
Ivy hesitated before giving a little wave, her nerves turning her smile awkward. The two didn't seem to be bothered though.
The smaller one with really pale blue eyelights introduced himself first. His low tenor paired with the soft tone made it somewhat difficult to hear him. Even so, the calmness to it eased some of the tension out of her body.
"'m Vanilla. i'm a sea turtle leviathan mer."
The taller one introduced himself immediately after, his voice clear as day with how boisterous he was.
"AND I AM CINNAMON! I AM AN OCTOPUS LEVIATHAN MER!"
Ivy tilted her head, confusion twisting her features. She'd heard of the leviathan types, but why mention they were mers? Weren't they the same thing?
"what's wrong?"
She hesitated, before moving her hands, signing her question.

"Is there a difference between leviathan and mer?"

Surprise painted both skeletons' faces, making Ivy fidget nervously. She was a selective mute, and although the guide had assured them that sign language was one of the many languages taught here, that didn't mean that all the Bitties knew it.
"OH! YES! IT MEANS THAT WE CAN ALSO TAKE ON LAND FORMS. I BELIEVE HUMANS HAVE A MULTITUDE OF MEDIA DEPICTING THIS, RIGHT?"
Cinnamon answering her question without any fuss or any loss of the previous energy made her feel just a touch bit relieved. It was honestly a miracle that she hadn't clammed up yet.
Ivy went to nod, but before she could, she felt something land on her head, something relatively sharp scratching at her, but gently. Still, it greatly startled her, and she could feel her heart pounding as she froze.
"THAT'S RUDE RED! GET OFF HER THIS INSTANCE!"
She had no idea who this Red was, but she desperately hoped that he wouldn't hurt her and that he'd get off her head like Cinnamon demanded him too.
"nah. think i'll take a nap up here."
She could feel her stomach twist with anxiety as she felt the stranger move around until she was certain he was either laying or sitting on her head.
It wasn't until another figure appeared right in front of her face that she realized she'd been staring pointlessly up at her head as if she would have any hope of seeing the intruder.
There, flapping in front of her face, was another skeleton that somewhat resembled Cinnamon, but he looked more sharp around the edges. Not to mention his wings, skeletal talons, and skeletal claws.
His wings were pitch black, and his arms were crossed as he retained eye-contact with Ivy.
"GREETINGS HUMAN. I AM EDGE, A CROW AVIATION TYPE. MY USELESS AND LAZY BROTHER, WHO HAS DECIDED TO RUDELY TAKE PERCH ON YOUR HEAD, IS RED. HE IS A CARDINAL AVIATION TYPE. I WOULD PROMPTLY REMOVE HIM, BUT THE DISGRACE HAS DECIDED TO TAKE A NAP, AND HE IS THE TYPE TO LATCH ONTO HIS 'NEST' IF ANYONE WERE TO TRY TO REMOVE HIM."
Basically, if Edge tried to drag Red off her head, Red would dig his talons into her scalp on pure instinct.
Ivy slowly nodded in understanding, and Edge appeared pleased. Although a scowl took over his features as she suddenly felt something wrap around both her wrists.
Startled, but too scared to move too abruptly in fear of Red possibly latching to her skull, she slowly lifted her hands to find two more Bitties resembling skeleton monsters, except their lower halves were those of snakes.
The one wrapped around her left wrist, again, resembled Cinnamon and, likewise, Edge. The scales of their snake half were primarily a dark pink accented by a more pastel pink.
"Well Hello There Sugar. I'm Passion, A California King Lamia Type. It's A Pleasure to Meet You."
Ivy could only nod, not even sure if she could use her hands to sign anymore. She glanced to her other side, towards Zach in hopes that he could see that she was getting surrounded and genuinely was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the touch and attention. However, he was also occupied by a slew of bitties. Though none of them were skeleton types, weirdly enough.
Now that she thought about it, why were only skeleton types approaching her?
Feeling some movement on her right wrist, her eyes darted from her friend down to the other snake skeleton wrapped around her. Their scales were primarily purple with lavender accents.
"hey there, beautiful. i'm Charm, a lavender hognose lamia type. think we could steal some of your time too?"
Ivy had no idea what to respond with, let alone how, but Edge prevented her from having the chance to anyway, flying over and getting into a heated argument with Charm. Similarly, Cinnamon seemed to be in a tiff, or at least a loud discussion, with Passion. Vanilla had taken to just watching Ivy idly, and she took that opportunity to dissociate.
She may seem calm on the outside, but she was freaking out inside. She wasn't used to being touched by strangers, let alone approached by so many at once. And yes, they were being very kind, for the most part, but that didn't just make her anxiety and fear vanish.
The sudden padding around in her lap snapped her out of her dissociation. She looked down, briefly forgetting that there was a Bitty on her head. However, the slight pressure of claws digging into her scalp was a quick reminder.
Still, she had managed to glimpse who was in her lap. It was, yet again, another skeleton type. Except, they had wolf ears and a tail. They resembled the taller ones, and it wasn't long before another skeleton, resembling the shorter ones, stomped over to be within her sight.
"HUMAN!!! I AM MILORD! A BLACK WOLF BEASTMAN TYPE! THAT LAZY EXCUSE OF A BROTHER OF MINE IS MUTT, AND HE'S A RED WOLF BEASTMAN!"
His introduction was said aggressively as he continued to stomp closer.
"NOW, IF YOU EXCUSE ME, I'M GOING TO DRAG HIM OUT OF YOUR SKIRT!"
With that, Milord began tugging at Mutt, who was dead set on remaining in her lap to nap. Her fear of the fabric ripping, along with everything else going on, caused her to whimper, and that instantly brought all their attention to her. Even Red had woken, peering down from her head, sockets narrowed.
"wha's wrong?"
Her eyes widened at the sudden closeness of the unfamiliar skeleton, but the question brought a sense of hopelessness to her. She had no way of moving without risking hurting someone, or herself, and they seemed more interested in utilizing her body in some way than actually communicating with her.
A whine escaped her throat as her eyes watered, sniffling softly from being far too overwhelmed and having no way to communicate that.
"get off her. now."
Vanilla had been the one to give the order, and near everyone was in a rush to leave. They'd huddled to either side of him and Cinnamon, standing at the shore.
They watched as she began to flap her hands with frustration, tears continuing to pour down her face. When flapping didn't seem to be enough, she held the skirt of her dress down over her lap with one hand and aggressively tugged at the fabric with the other.
She kept whining, though they could tell that it was either in frustration or involuntary based on her facial expressions.
Eventually, she stopped fidgeting with her hands, clothes, and hair and her shaking hands attempted to sign.

"sorry… too much… at once… too much…"

She had to take deep breaths in an effort to calm down, hiccupping a couple times because she was still crying.

"kept touching… barely know… you… barely know… me…"

By this point, her breaths were more rapid and deep. Her body was shaking, hands now clasping her shoulders as she tried to ground herself.
Zach seemed to have finally noticed as he rushed over to her. He didn't touch her, but he did help guide her through her grounding techniques. When she eventually calmed down, Zach apologized, and the two left.
The Bitties that he had been interacting with had dispersed near instantly, but the skeletons remained together. They waited until Zach and Ivy were out of sight before conversing.
"That Was An Absolute Disaster."
"YOU THINK, PASSION? YOU ALL SHOULDN'T HAVE CROWDED HER LIKE THAT! AND YOU SHOULD'VE COME OVER SLOWER! WE HAD A PLAN!"
"tha's easy for you ta say, Cinn. you and your bro got to meet her first!"
"AND WE WERE RIGHT AFTER, RED! DO NOT ACT AS IF YOU WERE NOT THE CATALYST FOR THAT IMPROPER TOUCH FEST! I AM MOST DISAPPOINTED AND WILL BE SURE TO PUNISH YOU FOR THAT HEAD NEST STUNT!"
"heh, someone's in trouble."
"YOU HAVE NO ROOM TO TALK YOU LOUSY MUTT! IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT SHE WAS ALREADY OVERWHELMED AS IT WAS BEFORE YOU WENT AND CRAWLED INTO HER LAP! TRUST THAT YOU WILL BE RECEIVING AN EVEN WORSE PUNISHMENT FOR PUSHING HER OVER THE EDGE LIKE THAT!"
"yes Milord…"
…
"moving on from our egregious choices-"
"like you're one to talk, Charm."
"shush Vanilla. what i'm trying to say is, i know we all think she's perfect," they all nodded in agreement, "and i'm certain the others will agree. now we just gotta get in her good graces to buddy with us!"
"think that boat's already sailed, bud."
"nah. don' sweat 'Nilla. i could sense her intent when she was signing earlier. she wants to get to know us. just got a lotta baggage and needs ta take it slow."
"IF YOU'RE RIGHT, MUTT, THEN WE NEED TO MEET THE OTHERS AND MAKE A FULL-PROOF PLAN IMMEDIATELY! I REFUSE TO LET OUR HORRIBLE FIRST IMPRESSION REPEAT ITSELF! FOR I AM THE GREAT CINNAMON!"
"heh. you're so cool bro."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Wrath. Pure, unfiltered wrath could be felt for miles. Everyone could sense it, making them uneasy, scared, and they didn't even know why.
Nature reflected the atmosphere; storm clouds forming ominous shapes as thunder roared and lightning of a multitude of colors flashed in the dark depths, not yet making contact with the earth.
The wind howled something unnatural, and the trees creaked with their force. Birds and other animals remained silent, bringing an uncanny element to the danger that could be tasted on the very air.
Sharp taps of a violet nail on stone was the only sound to permeate the relative unnatural silence. Long, black, sheer sleeves made of an amalgamation of fairy dust and dragon wing membrane traveled up the source's arms, extending to a luxurious but deadly gown.
The back of the skirt was long, reaching her ankles while the front only went as far as her knees. Woven in the fabric were vicious black dragon scales that glistened purple in the dim light.
The bodice resembled melded ivory metal, but it was the product of the melted fangs of a dragon. Its bones were melded to the bodice to create morbid detailing that accented her figure.
Her black hair, once a glorious and intricate braid that reached her feet, had been chopped away into a crew cut.
Amethyst eyes stared menacingly out into the horizon, stewing in her own fury as she waited for the inevitable invasion on the castle balcony.
A long and grating creak disturbed the boiling silence, a skeletal figure standing in the doorway as he leaned against an intricate cane. A gift and necessity after having obtained a limp; a casualty from his participation in a recent war.
He took a deep breath, adjusting his glasses that only remained on his skull due to magic alone.
Everyone else had left the castle, knowing what was to come from the queen's wrath. He was the only soul that remained.
"Are You Certain You Wish To Do This?"
There was no acknowledgment that he had spoken. It made the tall skeleton glower as he stepped forward, crossing half the room before stopping and speaking again.
"I Know What Happened Is Painful. Grief Always Is. But You Cannot Allow It To Rule You, To Influence You To Hurt Others. It May Seem Impossible Now, But One Day, You Will Be Okay Again."
That last line, or rather, those last five words, made her nails scrape against the stone harshly, creating sparks.
"No, I'm not okay. I will never be okay again."
The skeleton's expression became pained, twisted with exasperation.
"Then What Is The Point? Why Wage War Against My Brothers? Why Claim That I Am A Hostage Despite Being My Savior? Why Do You Seek Carnage; To Annihilate My Kingdom Until There Are Only Ashes?"
She took a deep breath, turning slowly, her amethyst eyes boring into him. He could feel his bones locking up, her gaze boring into his very soul.
"Do you truly wish to know? Do you wish to throw away my final act of kindness? My attempts to spare you from the truth of what your loathsome brothers have done to earn my ire?"
She stalked towards him, and despite the height he held over her, he felt so small as her eyes blazed with magic.
"Allow me to enlighten you, then, Hyperion. My son, my sole light in all the confusion and trials I had to face, did not die in a mere accident. He was murdered. By your brothers."
Hyperion gasped, stumbling back, but he managed to catch himself on his cane. Still, she stalked forward again, not allowing him to escape from her billowing rage.
"They did not believe that I had saved you. After all, how could the most wicked and cruel queen, with her bloodthirsty and savage dragons, allow one of the kings of the neighboring kingdom to live? So, what do they do? They ambush my son's carriage, bringing him home for the summer from the academy, looking forward to seeing his mother and beloved friend-"
She shoved him harshly, her emphasized words and action implying that she was referring to him. He fell back, unable to catch himself this time as he landed harshly on his coccyx. Her eyes jabbing at his soul, enveloped with horror and guilt, pinning him as if he were her prey and her the predator.
"And killed him in cold blood. There was no mercy. His death was prolonged so that he could feel unfiltered agony, as a message to me. That my son's suffering was how they felt, and they merely wished to return the favor."
Glistening in the light of her eyes were tears, a single one streaking down her cheek, dripping off her chin and landing on Hyperion's hand.
"He was a child. He was only a child. He was only six years old!"
The screech of despair, of wrath, of a lack of understanding for how they could commit such an unimaginable horror echoed in the barren room, slamming into Hyperion with the cruel reality. Pale pink tears streamed down his cheekbones, a hand clasped to his mouth as he tried desperately not to be sick.
Her chest heaved and her body shook as she tried to compose herself. A cold numbness taking over as she no longer stared at him, but through him.
"I'm so tired Hyperion. When I woke up here, I thought I could change things. Just spend some time raising and loving my child, take care of my dragons and people, and avoid conflict as much as possible."
An emotionless scoff of a laugh billowed from her chest as she actually looked at him again.
"You know, I was going to leave you to die. I knew nothing good would come out of interacting with you. But… he wanted to help, and I knew that if I left you to die, that I'd be the villainess that I was trying to prove I wasn't. So, I saved you."
A sob escaped Hyperion, his body trembling from the knowledge that this was, inadvertently, all his fault.
"And for that one act of good, I lost my son. The only person who was on my side; the only one who believed with all his little heart that I was what I claimed; a good person. His hero."
She turned, leaving Hyperion to break down against the wall as she slowly strolled back to the balcony.
"So, I'm tired. I'm tired of trying to change the story. I'm tired of trying to survive, to live. I'm tired of trying to find my happiness."
Her hand returned to the stone top of the balcony, her violet nail beginning its tapping again.
"And I'm tired of being anything other than the villainess."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Game night, a staple in the skeleton household that helps in forging bonds and has been gradually causing less physical altercations and disputes.
There's a numbered list of all the games that have been suggested since the first game night, earning more with each week. Games only get removed if they're universally disliked by the household. Otherwise, they remain, and they use a random number generator to decide what to play.
Tonight, fate has deemed truth or dare to be the first game. They'd been at it for about half an hour now, the rule being that you couldn't pick one or the other more than twice in a row before having to switch.
Cash had done dare twice now, so when Blue picked him, he was forced to go with truth.
"WHAT WAS THE STRANGEST THING YOU'VE EVER HEARD?"
Cash blinked lazily, not expecting such a vanilla and non-invasive question, but he supposed he was grateful. He hummed thoughtfully, leaning back on his hands as they were all sat in a circle on the floor.
"strangest thing I ever heard… gotta say it was from a girl i met in the woods a little past the property line."
Black furrowed his browbones, interest snagged as he leaned forward.
"WHAT WAS A GIRL DOING SO CLOSE TO THE PROPERTY LINE? THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER HOUSES OUT HERE FOR MILES."
Cash shrugged, seeming unbothered by that little detail.
"dunno. she was sittin' on a fallen tree in a black dress when i saw 'er. i was curious so i sat with 'er. i… can't really remember much else about 'er looks though."
Black's sockets narrowed with suspicion. It wasn't like Cash to forget, but then again, it highly depended on when this meeting took place. If it wasn't long after their arrival, then he was probably dealing with withdrawal and recovery, which could explain it. If not…
"'nyway, she said she was glad i made it okay. that she hoped 'the others' had an easy trip too and that 'the rest' would be able to get here without much trouble."
Red scowled, looking a little weirded out.
"th' fuck's tha' supposed ta mean?"
Cash shrugged again. Although he found it strange now, he didn't really feel that bothered by her words when the conversation occurred.
"then she blushed a lil and said she couldn't wait to 'fficially meet all of us. but then she looked all sad and said, 'if you manage to find me.'"
"WAIT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? SHE COULDN'T WAIT TO MEET US OR SOME OTHER GROUP?"
Blue interjected, befuddled. If this was the first, and perhaps only, time meeting this girl, then how did she know about them? Was it even them they were referring to?
"she meant us," Cash spun his finger to subtly gesture to the circle of skeletons, "and then she got up and left."
Black scowled, growling his displeasure.
"AND YOU JUST LET HER GO?"
The others were getting tired of Cash's shrugging and nonchalance to something that truly sounded very concerning as he did it once again.
"was processin' for a second. went to follow not even five minutes later, but she was gone."
"gone? a human can't just vanish. unless they have magic…"
Cash shook his head at Vanilla's hypothesis, still the picture of unbothered.
"nah. there wasn' any traces 'f the stuff. she simply disappeared."
"SO THE ONLY THING WE KNOW IS THAT SHE WORE BLACK AND IS A CHILD?"
Edge sounded frustrated at the mere thought of such knowledge, but Cash finally reacted as he sat up, his arms propped on his knees and hands hanging over his lap.
"wha? she's an adult, not a kid. what gave you that idea?"
"YOU SAID 'GIRL' NOT 'WOMAN'! OF COURSE I WOULD PRESUME IT WAS A CHILD!"
Cash snickered, only making Edge bristle more.
"ya know 'girl' can apply to all ages of the female gender, righ'? jus' like boy can?"
"WHY YOU LITTLE-"
"GUYS, COME ON, LET'S NOT FIGHT."
"BLUE IS RIGHT! WE MUST NOT SCUFFLE AND GET DISTRACTED! THERE IS A YOUNG WOMAN POSSIBLY WANDERING THE WOODS THAT APPARENTLY KNOWS US! THAT SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OF OUR DISCUSSION."
Cash waved off Cinnamon, shuffling around until he was standing, hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket.
"no point. haven't seen her since. guessin' she won' show till after 'everyone' gets here. whatever that means. i'm gonna go generate the next game."
Without a word, Stretch rose to follow him, knowing full well that Cash would just keep spamming the button until it landed on a game he liked if he wasn't being supervised.
And despite the resuming silence, a presumption, a theory if you will, began to form between the skeletons.
This person, whoever she was, knew three things.
When each pair arrived.
That they're from another universe.
And that, supposedly, more of them are coming.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Grand Hall was decorated lavishly, and everyone was dressed extravagantly. It was truly a party for the elite, which was to be expected when it was a private viewing of a recently discovered ancient magical artifact; set to be displayed in the sole Monster & Mage Museum in the world, stationed within Ebott City.
Two figures stood in the corner, sipping champagne as they scouted the place. The female, dressed in a glittering, sunset orange mermaid dress with gold, off-shoulder sleeves, angled her body so it wasn't obvious that she was speaking to her companion.
"So, what's the plan here Lee?"
Her companion was androgynous, adorning a black suit with a forest green tie and pocket square. Their hands were decorated with golden rings and their ears held drooping silver earrings encrusted with emeralds.
"I don't have one."
She turned to them so fast that she nearly spilled her champagne, eyes wide with apprehension as she kept her voice low in a whisper.
"What! But-"
"It's not that big a deal-"
"You always have a plan!"
"Well this time I don't, okay!"
"Why not!"
With her back to the intermingling crowd, she was able express her panic openly to her literal partner in crime. Well, is it really a crime if you're just recovering your stolen property?
"Look, I haven't mingled with monsters before, okay! I don't know what to expect from them!"
She gaped, disbelief abundant as exasperation made her whispered tone pitch up a little.
"What do you mean you haven't mingled with monsters before!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
"Lee!"
"I just haven't! I've only been in Ebott for three days!"
"And in all that time you haven't spoken to a single monster? Are you serious!"
Despite being in the same boat as Lee, she didn't need to justify herself since she'd only arrived in Ebott that morning, and she's been occupied with planning since.
They'd been sent ahead to do recon on the location of the party and the one hosting. Clearly, they neglected the second half of their assignment.
Lee squirmed, their face pinching awkwardly as they expressed their discomfort.
"Ugh, stop staring at me like that! I was scared that they'd know we have magic since we have alignments like them!"
Her eyes widened, teeth gritting as she tried desperately not to lose her cool.
"And you're only telling me this now?"
It looked like they were going to reply, but then their face quickly turned lax as they placed their rhetorical mask on.
She was about to question them on it when she heard a deep voice behind her.
"Pardon Me, Miss. I Do Not Mean To Intrude Upon Your Conversation, But I Could Not Help But Notice You From Across The Hall. If I May Be So Bold, Could I Have A Moment Of Your Time? Perhaps We Can Get To Know One Another."
She turned to find a relatively tall skeleton with a round skull, sharp teeth, two slash-like scars over his left socket, the only one with a deep red eyelight, and adorned in a wine-colored suit with a black ascot and handkerchief.
Ironically, and perhaps luckily, this was the host of the party this evening. She knew nothing about him but his appearance, but that was all she needed as she took his hand, concealed in a sleek black glove.
Placing on her own rhetorical mask, she plastered an honored smile as she retained eye-contact.
"I would be honored…"
"Wine, My Dear. And What May I Call You, If I May Be So Bold To Ask?"
She giggled softly, allowing him to guide her towards the tables that had mountains of gourmet food arranged beautifully on them.
Lee better get to work getting that artifact while she kept the host distracted.
"I think I much prefer the endearment you've already so graciously gifted me with, Sir Wine."
His chest practically rumbled as he chuckled.
"Anything To Please The Gorgeous Lady. Although You May Drop The Formalities. I Would Far Prefer For Us To Be More Familiar."
He offered another flute of champagne, taking her empty glass and placing it on a passing waiter's tray. She took the glass with a grateful smile that turned teasing.
"Anything to please the handsome lord."
The two exchanged glances as they clinked their glasses, sipping at the contents. The air between them was warm and strangely intimate. Beneath the mask, she was filled with nerves that only grew as she picked up his scent.
It was immensely faint, most likely because he was wearing scent blockers, unlike herself. Though Lee was bound to be wearing some due to their fears. The fucker.
And although she couldn't be sure what Wine's scent was, she knew for sure what his alignment was.
He was an Alpha.
Her heart picked up, eyes drifting back to his as she swallowed her sip of champagne. What she saw made her breath hitch and his smirk widen.
His gaze was practically smoldering, a desire so deep and primal that it practically burned her.
He was going to eat her alive.
But before he could sink his not-so rhetorical claws in her, the lights went out.
It was time for a heist.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The silence was heavy as the majority of the skeleton household sat in the living room. For the past week, their roommate and long-time friend had locked herself in her room. The rare times anyone had seen her step out to sneak food or use the facilities, she instantly tugged the hood of her jacket further over her head and ran back to her room.
Each passing day only made them more concerned; agitated, in some skeletons' cases. In hopes to finally get some answers, they sent their living lie detector up to talk to her. So when they sensed the magic indicative of a teleport, they perked up.
Stretch appeared in his usual beanbag, groaning as he practically melted into the seat. That didn't bode well for the others.
"So? What Did She Say?"
The soft but tense words were muttered by Bun, who couldn't stop wringing his hands.
Stretch heaved a sigh before sitting up.
"okay, listen, she wasn't lying, but i'm not sure if it's because she believes it to be true or if it's actually happening."
Many of the skeletons leaned forward with anticipation.
"she said… that she's been growing animal features whenever her emotions get outta whack; specifically ears and a tail. they go away after awhile, and they seem to be random, not the same set or anything. she's got no control over it and she's scared."
There was pure silence as the information was being processed, but after about a minute, Edge stood abruptly before storming towards the stairs.
"THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS!!! SHE AVOIDS US, MISSES WORK, AND WILL CERTAINLY BE KICKED OUT OF HER CLASSES IF THIS PERSISTS, AND ALL FOR SOME MEASELY DELUSION? I REFUSE TO CODDLE HER FURTHER! WE'RE DRAGGING HER TO THE HOSPITAL TO BE EXAMINED IMMEDIATELY!"
The others rushed to follow after him, his words sparking panic. Not that they disagreed that maybe something was wrong, but completely dismissing her and threatening to drag her to the hospital, a place humans can hardly stand at the best of times, was going to result in a disaster, at best.
However, none were able to stop Edge before he first tried the doorknob, and when that didn't work, he kicked the door down.
A shriek of fear came from the bed, and when Edge's eyelights darted to the source, he was startled by the sight. Everyone else must've been too, as it suddenly became silent.
Upon their friend's head were large, brown bunny ears that were perked up with fright. Her chest was heaving up and down, and her eyes darted over the lot of them with fear and mortification.
She stumbled off her bed, and in the process they got a peek a the bright white fluffy tail that was poking out of her sweatpants.
"What the hell!"
She yelled at them, frantically trying to pull her hood up, but the ears were too tall, and it seemed to hurt when she tried to bend them enough to fit. She whined as she continued to fail, on the verge of hyperventilating with how much she was panicking.
Stretch shoved his way through the crowd, shoulder-checking Edge on his way. The skeleton didn't complain or retaliate, deflating as he knew he deserved the slight.
Carefully, and with soft words, Stretch approached her, reaching for her face. He'd reach for her hands, but he didn't want to risk hurting her from trying to forcibly pull her hands away from her new rabbit ears.
"hey… it's okay. everything's okay. just breathe, bumblebee. breathe…"
His hands slid along her cheeks, holding her gently. The contact stopped her eyes from darting all around, instead focusing entirely on his yellow-orange eyelights. When his voice trailed off, telling her to breathe, he gently placed his forehead against her own.
The contact made her breath stutter, but the proximity forced her to focus on his own breathing. Deep and slow did his chest rise and fall, and it didn't take long for her to follow along.
Near immediately after her breathing was stable, she began to sob, collapsing in Stretch's arms. He reached to caress her head, but stopped as he didn't want to risk touching her ears and hurting her. He settled with rubbing her back with soothing circles.
He guided her to her bed so they could sit; Mutt, Cash, and Coffee already there and waiting to provide further comfort.
The rest could only stand in the doorway or some other place in the room, either giving their silent support or standing there awkwardly.
When she had calmed down enough, there was a long conversation where she detailed how and when this all had started.
The morning after her twenty-fourth birthday, she'd felt off, but ignored it. However, it didn't take long for her to realize that something bizarre had happened. She had gone down to see what Cinnamon had been making for breakfast, and when she saw it was her favorite, her excitement spiked.
This was when dog ears and a tail, specifically golden retriever, had spawned on her body, but Cinnamon's back was turned, so he hadn't seen anything. Everyone else who could've been up were out back doing their morning exercises, so no one saw as she fled back to her room.
From then, anytime any of her emotions spiked, some form of an animal tail and ears would simply appear and not disappear until an hour, at least, had passed.
So far, bar the two already mentioned, she'd experienced gaining the features of a polar bear, raccoon, deer, horse, lion, and squirrel. Two were from close calls she had with the others, but the rest were products of her anxiety, nightmares, or from being unable to keep her emotions in check while trying to occupy herself.
"It's so embarrassing! I can't control them at all, and they're so darn sensitive!"
She sighed, leaning back against Coffee and Cash, who were behind her, while Stretch and Mutt were on either side of her.
By this point, the ears and tail had vanished, since over an hour had passed with their discussion.
Coffee wrote on his notebook, tearing out the paper and handing it to her when he was done.

I think you looked adorable though. Bunny ears suit you.

Her cheeks flushed as she read the message, and suddenly there was a loud poof! sound along with fluffy, cloud-like pink smoke that appeared. The four skeletons closest to her coughed and waved the stuff away.
When it faded, it revealed a wolf tail and ears that weren't on her before. Her face was flushed, covered by her hands, the note Coffee wrote sticking out between her fingers.
Mutt smirked, tugging the note out from her flimsy grasp, making her squeak and try to snatch it back as he read it. Bellowing laughter resounded in the room once he was done, making her cheeks a darker shade of pink.
"if this is all it takes to fluster ya an' give us tha' reaction, then i personally love this new trait of yours."
Her red wolf ears pinned pack on her head as she whined with embarrassment, but Cash wasn't fooled by the distressed sound, as he could feel her tail hitting his side as it wagged. He was sure Coffee could feel it too.
"you're really weak to praise, aren'tcha? should i start calling ya a good girl?"
His grin was smug, and it only made her whine more as she buried her face in her hands again.
"Stooooop."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Not for the first time, she wished she could use magic as she stared up at the top shelf at the book store. The book she had been searching for sat there, mocking her for her short height.
She glared at it, knowing that she'd either have to climb the literal shelves, as there were no step stool or ladder, or find a tall enough employee to help her.
And awkward social interaction wasn't in the cards for her today. Her omnivert self decided to exude more introvert energy today.
She continued to glare at the book, willing it within her mind for it to fall off the shelf, even though that was impossible. But when she saw the book pull out of the shelf by a mere inch, she blinked in shock, disbelieving.
That was a trick of her mind, right?
"didja just use magic?"
The gruff voice redirected her attention to the end of the aisle, where a stout skeleton stood. He was wearing a graphic rock band long-sleeve shirt, black ripped jeans with a gold chain hanging off the belt loops, a large black jacket with fur lining the hood, sneakers, a leather collar with gold spikes, and fingerless leather gloves.
She went to compliment his clothes, half her closet resembling his style, when his hands grasped her shoulders almost desperately.
"ya just used magic!"
Shaken, literally and figuratively, she grabbed hold of his arms to keep herself from falling. It was a wonder she hadn't stumbled.
Her wide oak brown eyes connecting with his bright red lights that acted as eyes in his sockets. Fear in her gaze, and something intense and primal in his own.
"What are you talking about!"
"don' act dumb! i saw yur eyes light up!"
"What?!"
She had no idea what he was talking about! Her eyes lighting up? Isn't that a phrase used when someone's super happy? Even if she was happy instead of glaring daggers at the book, what did that have to do with this!
Before he could say anything more, an employee had arrived, and upon seeing the assault, yelled at him to stop. Almost immediately he let go, eyelights becoming pinpricks before he vanished in midair, shocking both her and the employee.
However, the employee was quick to snap out of it, checking her over and asking if she wanted them to call the police.
"No… I- Can you please just grab that book up there? I'd like to buy it and go, please."
The employee wasted no time, and even gave her a half-price discount for what happened. It was really sweet, but she just wanted to leave.
As she went to her car, she swore that she could feel eyes on her, making her hair stand on end. She tried to keep her movements casual, but she couldn't help looking over her shoulder and wherever she swore she could feel the gaze coming from.
When she reached her car, she wasted no time in climbing in and driving home. The entire time, from the walk to driving off, Red had been watching her. Eyelights focused as he snapped several shots on his phone.
He made sure to get a clear image of her face, car, and license plate before sending it to Mutt with a text asking him to look into her. The other skeleton simply sending a thumbs up emoji in response.
That's what Red liked about Mutt; he didn't ask questions.
His hands were practically shaking, his magic rushing through his bones as his soul beat erratically. Humans couldn't use magic, not anymore. Not since the barrier broke, at least. The consequence for such great magic that went against the laws of nature being that it was stripped from the rest of humanity.
A relief, considering they didn't have to worry about the kid Resetting or for any other humans to suddenly learn how to use magic now that the barrier broke and magic was practically flooding the world again.
So there were only three ways that she, a human, or someone that looked human, could use magic.
1: She was one of those rare surface monsters that was able to hide amongst humans due to their illusion magic, hiding skills, or shapeshifting abilities.
Doubtful, really. They may resemble humans, but they're still monsters. Which meant they didn't have soul traits. When Red Checked her, she definitely had a trait, though he didn't get a good look at which one.
2: She was a human monster hybrid.
Also doubtful, unless she grew exceptionally fast or her monster parent was a surface monster. Both were unlikely. The first because monsters only emerged six years ago, and she was clearly in her twenties. The second was even more unlikely because surface monsters mostly stuck to themselves and avoided Ebott until the barrier broke.
3: She's from another universe.
The most believable option despite it also being highly unlikely. It would've had to have happened after the barrier broke for her to have kept her magic. Which begged the question…
Whose AU is she from? How had they not realized she came through? And why the fuck did she look so familiar?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was midday on a Saturday, and she was in the middle of pulling the weeds from her garden when there was a sudden splash and an exclamation of shock that had her on her feet in seconds.
Coming around the side of the house, she was mortified to see one of her neighbors, a skeleton monster, absolutely drenched in multicolored water that was most certainly staining his clothes.
The boisterous laughter coming from above a clear indicator of the culprits to such a distasteful prank.
Tearing off her gardening gloves and dropping them on the grass, she rushed over to her neighbor, looking him over despite him being much taller than her.
"I am so sorry! Henry! Haddock! Get your butts down here!"
The laughter instantly stopped, and she swore she heard Haddock curse. The sound of the upstairs window closing told her that they were either going to listen, or they were going to hide.
They knew the consequences if they avoided her call, so she was certain they were on their way.
That settled, her hands continued to hover over who she was certain was one of her neighbors as she'd seen a few skeletons also gardening and working on other projects a few houses down.
"I swear I'll reimburse you in any way I can. Do you think the dry cleaners would be able to get out the stains? If not, just tell me how I can make it up to you."
Guilt ate away at her as she witnessed the skeleton sigh, giving up on even trying to wipe off the residual water that was still dripping down his form.
"IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. THOSE PRANKSTERS ARE THE ONES TO BLAME, AND ALTHOUGH I DO NOT CONDONE SUCH HIJINKS, THEIR AIM, PRECISION, AND ADVANTAGE POINT WERE COMMENDABLE. I HAVE NO DOUBT THEY WOULD BE EXCELLENT MARKSMEN."
There was a pause as she processed that very bizarre end statement before he continued as if there were no pause at all.
"OR BASKETBALL PLAYERS."
The stark difference between the two examples forced an unexpected laugh out of her. He seemed surprised by her reaction, but it seemed to have helped him to relax as the tension in his shoulders faded.
"Sorry, didn't mean to laugh. Those were just so different! But, yeah, my sister plans to put them in basketball camp this summer. They're looking forward to it."
He didn't get a chance to reply when the door to the house opened and two preteen boys, twins, ran outside, taking a place on either side of the woman. They looked between her and the skeleton, trying to look remorseful, but their twitching lips gave away how badly they wanted to smile and preen at their handiwork.
"Boys, I'm disappointed. I want you to apologize to Mister…"
"SNIPER."
She rose her brow, and the boys snickered, but she moved on from the strange name quickly.
"To Mister Sniper."
Haddock, as usual, was the first to try and weasel their way out of facing the consequences of their actions.
"Oh come on Aunt Cece! Do we have to? It was a harmless prank!"
She scoffed, gesturing to his outfit. From the few patches that were spared from the prank, it was clear that he had been wearing a very nice white button-up shirt, black slacks with suspenders, gentlemanly white gloves, and a red tie. Everything but the pants had been stained, though she was sure the pants still sustained damage.
"You ruined his clothes! I'm half tempted to take the funds to fix or replace it out of your allowance and spending money for the week!"
The two looked aghast at such a possibility, Henry now trying to do damage control, though he did so poorly.
"It was just dyed water! We've done worse!"
She placed her hands on her hips, gaze stern as she stared the two boys down. It wouldn't be long till they would hit their growth spurts, so she had to use this move as often as she could.
"That isn't any better! You two shouldn't be doing anything that could harm others or damage their belongings! Now apologize, properly."
They both pouted and grumbled, but then actually took a good look at their prank victim. Not only were his clothes stained, but even his bones looked like they had become a victim of the dye.
Their expressions became sheepish before they bowed their heads, apologizing in unison. Sniper didn't look too upset, thankfully, and told them practically the same thing he did to her.
"I APPRECIATE YOUR APOLOGY. LIKE I TOLD YOUR AUNT, YOUR AIM AND ADVANTAGE POINT WERE EXCELLENTLY CHOSEN. YOU HAVE TREMENDOUS SKILL."
They beamed, not expecting to be praised, but he wasn't finished.
"HOWEVER," their smiles instantly dropped, "YOUR AUNT IS ALSO RIGHT. USING SUCH SKILLS TO HARM OR UPSET OTHERS IS UNACCEPTABLE. IT IS A WASTE OF TALENT. YOU SHOULD FIND OTHER WAYS TO UTILIZE IT."
The boys looked to each other, actually contemplating his words, which surprised her, but she wasn't going to complain. If they stopped their pranking, she knew it'd be a weight off her, and her sister's, shoulders.
"Alright boys, go inside and wait for me in the living room. I'll be giving your punishment here in a minute."
The two huffed, but did as they were told. Once the door was shut, she sighed, the disappointment and stress weighing her down a bit.
They'd been doing so good lately. They hadn't acted like this since before her sister divorced their father. She was well aware that it was a way for them to vent their frustration and anger, so something must be bothering them. She'd have to have a talk with them and figure it out.
"Sorry, again, for them."
Sniper waved off her apology.
"LIKE I SAID BEFORE, YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME."
"Still, I would like to compensate you somehow. Can I at least pay for the dry cleaning?"
"I AM AFRAID THAT GETTING ALL THIS OUT WOULD LIKELY BE IMPOSSIBLE."
"Then, can I at least pay you back for the outfit?"
He laughed a rather attractive and oddly cute "Nyehehe!" before smiling rather smugly down at her.
"I AM AFRAID THAT THE TOTAL WOULD BE FAR OUT OF YOUR PRICE RANGE, BUT I APPRECIATE THE SENTIMENT."
Not lingering on that shocking bit of information, she bit her lip as anxiety began to build in her chest.
"Well… is there anything I can do?"
He looked her over; evaluating his options, she'd imagine.
"HMM, DO YOU BAKE?"
She blinked, surprised.
"Pardon?"
"DO YOU BAKE? I HAVE QUITE THE SWEET TOOTH, AND THOSE OF MY FAMILY WHO CAN BAKE ARE NOT GREAT AT IT. AND ALTHOUGH I COULD BUY MY FAVORITES FROM ANY OLD STORE, I HAVE BEEN CRAVING SOMETHING HOMEMADE. SOMETHING MADE WITH LOVE, CARE, AND HOPEFULLY FROM SCRATCH, IF YOU ARE CAPABLE?"
For the second time today, he made her laugh with shock. He seemed to have picked up on that, as he grinned as well. He waited for her to settle down before inquiring again.
"WELL?"
"Sure! I don't mind. I'll make you sweets anytime. Do you have any requests?"
He didn't even hesitate, the eagerness in his tone hinting at how long he had been craving this particular dessert.
"CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, IF YOU WOULD."
She smiled, assuring him that she would make it whenever he'd like, which was apparently Tuesday evening. And yes, she had to reassure him that it'd be no trouble.
The two exchanged contact info, she apologized once more for his clothes, and then they went their separate ways. Though both were secretly looking forward to when they'd meet again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Darkness blanketed the world as the moon steadily took its place in the sky. Most people utilized the night to rest in order to face the next morning, but two in particular used its cloaking properties in order to sneak onto someone else's property.
The two skeletons kept silent, initially teleporting into a yard before stealthily making their way to one of the house's windows that radiated light coming from within.
Blue was on one side of the window, and Bear was on the other. As the first attempted to get a glimpse inside, the second grumbled his displeasure.
"why are we doing this again?"
Blue shushed him, peeking inside and into the kitchen, where he watched a young woman baking. Based on the way she swayed, he was certain she was listening to some sort of music.
Before he could attempt to ease the window open in order to be sure, Blue felt himself being dragged to the side, nearly yelping at the force.
Bear glared down at him, waiting for an answer to his question. The only reason he was here was because he'd caught Blue sneaking out while grabbing his midnight snack. The fact the otherwise colorful skeleton was dressed in all black sent alarm bells in his mind, but Blue refused to elaborate until they were already here.
Once they'd arrived, it didn't take Bear long to realize that they were in the yard of one of their neighbors who lived further in the woods than they did. Which only made him more suspicious.
And to be truthful, Blue was starting to look like a creep, and Bear wasn't going to just watch him stalk the young woman even if he didn't know a thing about her.
Blue huffed at the look Bear was giving him, lowering his voice in a whisper to make sure they wouldn't be overheard.
"Look, I Saw Something The Other Day, And It's Been Bothering Me Ever Since. I Just Want To Be Sure That I Wasn't Seeing Things, And Then We Can Go Home. Promise."
Bear rose a browbone, still relatively suspicious, but knew that Blue wouldn't make a promise over something unless it was important. So, he reluctantly released Blue's arm and allowed him to return to the window to spy on their neighbor.
"so, what exactly didja see?"
Blue waved away Bear's words, too focused on the woman on the other side of the glass. Bear huffed in response, sitting down in the grass and leaning back against the side of the house.
Hours passed slowly, Bear following after Blue before settling and resting whenever she apparently went to another room in the house. It wasn't until about three in the morning that Blue gasped, startling Bear awake from his dozing state.
Blue's sockets were wide, eyelights pinpricks as he stared in shock. When Bear rose to his feet, glancing past the window, he understood instantly why Blue was so dead-set on spying on their neighbor.
There, instead of a fleshy human, was a female skeleton monster; the likes of which he'd never seen before.
She was much taller than she was before, and Bear wasn't sure if her height rivaled Bun's or not. She stretched, almost like a cat, and the six skeletal protrusions coming out of her back extended in a stretching motion too.
They were almost like tentacles, except tentacles weren't made of bone, so what would they technically be called?
Horns were based at the forehead section of her skull, curling over the top and ending near the nape of her neck.
Glittering navy ecto, like stars in the night, formed hair that stopped just above her bone tentacles, just below her shoulder blades. That same ecto forming the curves that filled out her clothes and made her shine like the night sky.
Her teeth were sharp, predatory as she sighed with relief at the end of her stretching. Just as she turned to look out the window that they were peering through, Bear snatched Blue's arm and teleported them back to their living room.
The both of them were on their knees in shock, Blue in a more panicked state as he gasped and heaved, his breathing erratic.
"the fuck was that? the actual fuck was that!"
Blue rolled, landing on his back, staring at the ceiling in disbelief. Bear would mimic him, but his magic was too buzzed for him to stay still. Instead, he paced, trying to wrap his mind around what they just witnessed.
"She's… She's One Of Us… She's A Skeleton Monster…"
"are you kidding? that was no skeleton monster!"
It couldn't be, right? It was just, so different and bizarre looking and-
Boy was he one to talk…
Bear groaned, gripping his skull while also trying not to tug at the edges of the gaping hole. He'd been steadily losing the habit of tugging on it and his empty socket. But damn did he really want to right now.
Blue sat up, looking exhausted.
"But She Was. Maybe Not Like We're Used To, But Maybe It's Because She's Some Sort Of Hybrid? Based Off Her Human Camouflage, It Wouldn't Be Surprising If Her Parents Could Do The Same Along With Their Parents And So On. Stars, We Could've Looked Similar If Our Parents Managed To Stay On The Surface Too."
Bear's pacing slowed as he took in the information. It made sense. Though it begged the question on how the fuck she could camouflage in the first place. And why hadn't she said anything?
Blue slowly stood, still a bit out of it as he trudged towards the stairs.
"I Believe That Is Enough Shock For One Night. I'm Going To Bed. We Can Talk More About It And Tell The Others Tomorrow."
Bear wasn't ready for the conversation to end, but he could understand where Blue was coming from. Exhaustion weighed heavily on his shoulders too. So, without further argument, Bear began to follow him.
"yeah, alright. night, Blue."
"Goodnight Bear."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sans has a lot of pet projects. Most of which he didn't even start, let alone know what they were for. Rather, he picked them up before Alphys could, and kept that bit to himself. Every device, every machine, they were all stored secretly in his basement.
Primarily because despite being Alphys' friend, he didn't want her finding out about the projects and trying to insert herself into the process of figuring them out. These were for him, and him alone.
Well, for him, his brother, and their close friend.
Not that Sans ever really intended for anyone other than Papyrus to know about the stuff in the basement, but she just made him feel safe, like she was someone he could trust. Besides, it's not like she ever touched anything or asked any questions beyond, "What does this do?" to which his answer always was, "i dunno, let's find out."
She simply checks in on him and gets him to eat and/or sleep whenever Papyrus failed to. Not that he intended to ignore his cool and amazing bro, but sometimes it takes an outside perspective to realize how deep you've fallen into the rhetorical rabbit hole.
Tonight was such an occasion. Sans wasn't sure how many days he'd been down here, but he knew it was one too many when she came down the stairs with a fond exasperation.
"Come on, time for a hot meal and a warm bed."
Sans hummed at the thought, realizing now how much his 'stomach' hurt with hunger.
"did'ju cook tonigh'?"
His speech was a bit slurred due to the sleep deprivation, but he still managed to wobble his way over to her open arms. She chuckled, holding him steady as she began to guide him towards the stairs.
"Yep! I made homemade chicken pot pie."
Sans hummed happily, able to practically taste it already when he remembered he hadn't tested his latest project yet. The reminder made him drag his feet, trying to turn around as he reached weakly for one of the devices.
"wai'… gotta… test it…"
He slumped in her arms, energy quickly being lost. When she went to protest, he gave her his signature skeleton puppy-dog eyes. The large and round eyelights begging and pleading as he whined instantly made her melt.
"Oh… Alright."
She sat him down in one of the nearby chairs and approached the machine he pointed to, looking over it curiously.
"Okay, what now?"
He gestured vaguely to the right, his skull propped up on the back of the chair.
"press th' gween booten."
She giggled at his slurred speech, finding it rather adorable, and pressed the green button without thought of what it could do or if she should take any safety measures considering it was a test.
Within seconds, the machine whirred to life and began to glow slightly. She watched with intrigue, as Sans observed, practically half-asleep until the unexpected happened.
A clawed arm suddenly came out of the machine, grabbing hold of her within seconds. Her exclamation of shock instantly woke Sans, and as he actually processed what he was seeing, he scrambled to stand up.
His panicked movements caused him to trip and fall flat on his face, forced to watch as a rod protruded out of the machine, extracting her soul by force. She screamed in pain, and the sound alerted Papyrus upstairs, who rushed down into the basement.
He had turned the corner just in time to witness her soul being forcibly turned upside-down before a blinding light encased the room.
The loud whirring of the machine powered down, and there were a few mechanical sounds to indicate that the metal arm and rod were returning to the inside of the machine.
When Sans and Papyrus could finally see again, they were flabbergasted by the sight before them.
Their friend was on her knees, staring at her hands like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her clothes were barely covering her body, and she trembled quite audibly.
Sans didn't even bother to get to his feet, practically crawling over to her as fast as he could. Papyrus was far too stunned, frozen where he stood by the stairs.
Sans' hands hovered over her body, magical droplets of sweat forming as he continued to panic.
"fuck! shit! i- i didn't know; i swear i didn't know! i'm sorry! i'm so sorry!"
Tears pooled at the edge of Sans' sockets as he took her hands in his. The texture familiar and foreign because he wasn't holding human hands, but skeleton ones.
The machine had turned her into a skeleton monster.
"but it's going to be okay! we can fix this, i know we can! i promise i'll do everything i can to-!"
Her hands, which had once been limp in his hold, now held his gently. Her eyelights, a beautiful mix of green and cyan, stared into his pale blue ones reassuringly.
"It's okay, Sans. I'm okay. You can breathe."
He hadn't realized that he'd been holding his breath, and when he finally took a gulp of air, he started sobbing. He grabbed hold of her, hugging her desperately as he repeated apologies over and over again.
She wilted, saddened that this was causing him so much grief as she held him securely, rubbing his back as she whispered comforting words.
Admittedly, this was a huge change, and she was struggling to process the sensory differences alone, but she honestly wasn't upset. Weirdly enough she felt more… at home? comfortable? in this new body.
So when Papyrus finally shuffled over, his eyelights practically screaming how sorry he was, she gently pulled away from Sans.
He silently fought against this at first, increasing his grip on her, but when her hands slid to his cheeks and she nuzzled his forehead, it calmed him down enough to let go.
"I'm okay guys, I promise. I actually feel… at peace? I don't know how to word it but… it's like I'm at home? Like… this was how it was always meant to be."
Despite her initial questioning tone, she was more confident by her end statement.
The two of them stared at her in surprise, not at all expecting that of all things to come out of her mouth. They were expecting body dysmorphia, crying and yelling, and blaming them, at the very least. Horror and nausea, maybe even a panic attack or existential crisis at most considering most humans generally got queasy when they saw their own bones.
Her body shivered roughly, and her teeth chattered as a result. Her hands leaving Sans' face in order for her to wrap her arms around herself.
"Th-Though I'm really c-cold. Can I have a- a blanket, please?"
Almost like magic, her question made them both move. Papyrus picked her up without hesitation, making her yelp in surprise, while Sans sped walked ahead in order to open the door for him.
If she was okay with her new body, they weren't going to tell her otherwise, but they knew that adjustment was going to be a long road ahead. Especially when she didn't know how to regulate her temperature, summon ecto, and everything else that was tied with being a skeleton monster.
As Sans closed and locked the door to the basement, another machine began to hum softly as it slowly booted on. It was more circular compared to the initial device, and was structured as if you could walk through it.
At the gaping hole that acted as the "doorway," sparks began to fly as the machine whirred ominously before slowly powering down once again. Yet, the console nearby blinked, a message printed on it in bold letters.

Portal will open in:

74:21:03

74:21:02

74:21:01

74:21:00

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Birdsong drifted past the windows, putting a rather chipper spin on the light shining through and into Stretch's sockets.
He groaned, not at all ready for it to be morning. He'd gotten absurdly drunk last night with the guys, and had an obscene headache.
Yet, as he rolled and buried his skull into the plush pillows, he could feel the pain ebbing away, sighing in relief. But, as he settled, he realized something.
The pillow had a pulse.
Slowly lifting his skull, it took him a moment to process that what he'd been laying on was not a pillow, but in fact, breasts. Plump, succulent breasts that practically taunted him.
Cause those weren't his girlfriend's. Her chest was more than average, sure, but they weren't this large. As the pieces were fitting together, his gaze slowly trailed up her body until his eyes made contact with her face.
That was certainly not his girlfriend.
It was their neighbor.
Shock electrocuted through his body, causing him to scramble back and ultimately fall off the bed with a yelp.
His neighbor sat up, startled awake by his actions and sound of distress. She stared, bleary eyed, as he got to his feet, apologizing over and over. She could hardly process his apologetic ramblings until they turned into self-deprecating statements.
This woke her faster than coffee, as she shuffled to the edge of the bed and grabbed ahold of his hands to keep him from hitting his head; an action he was doing as a form of self punishment.
"Hey, it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."
Her voice, despite the scratch from having just woken up, was soothing. Still, Stretch couldn't believe it, sniffling as he tried desperately not to cry.
"b-but, i cheated on her… all because i got stu- stupid drunk!"
Her brows furrowed, confusion twisting her face.
"What are you talking about?"
Now it was his turn to be confused.
"did-didn't we… sleep together?"
Her body slackened, realizing that he didn't remember anything from last night.
"No, sweetie. You tried to teleport home, but ended up in my living room. I was going to walk you over, but you passed out and I barely managed to catch you, let alone carry you to the bed. I was going to sleep on the couch, but you had an iron grip on my hand, so we just ended up snuggling all night."
Stretch sniffled, even if there was no snot in the hole that made up his nose. Relief hit him like a truck and he fell to his knees, exhausted. His near breakdown did nothing for his migraine, groaning deeply. Cradling his head after she let go of his hands.
Her gaze was full of sympathy, and she proceeded to do all she could to help him feel better. From food, a mix of monster and human, to monster candy, to herbal tea specifically designed to help, and so on and so forth.
Once Stretch was calm, content, and no longer in agony, he bid farewell to his neighbor and walked the few steps back home.
It was surreal, being that cared for. Not that his girlfriend or brothers couldn't be caring, but… it was different. And, he admittedly missed it. His mind running rampant with ideas of how they could care for one another and be a source of comfort.
Guilt clawed at his soul. He shouldn't be fantasizing about scenarios that bordered between the romantic and platonic concerning anyone that wasn't his girlfriend.
Even so, as he entered the living room to his home, eyes locking with the twisted expression of his girlfriend, he wished he was back over at the neighbor's.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was late, or early depending on who you asked, when Black came home from work. This wasn't unusual, as he tended to perform all-nighters more often than not. Even so, Cash always made it a point to wait in the living room until he got home for that extra peace of mind.
When the tell-tale sound of the front door softly clicking shut reached Cash, he lazily turned around to look over the couch. When he opened his mouth, no words came out, sockets widening in bewilderment.
There was nothing notably wrong or different about Black. His suit was pristine, like always, and despite the fact he should be exhausted, he showed no outward signs of it. However, his hands didn't hold his usual briefcase; rather, it was floating behind him.
Instead, his arms were occupied carrying a young woman in office attire. Deep in the throws of sleep if she had yet to awaken despite being brought here.
The sight in general was baffling, but the soft look in Black's eyelights only made Cash's jaw drop. Speechless, he could only watch as Black carried her carefully up the stairs to his room.
Black was aware of every move he made, determined not to stir her from her sleep. Using magic, he opened his door and pulled back the blankets on his bed; her heels slipping off and floating down to the foot of the bed, and her blazer unbuttoning, slipping off, and folding perfectly before being placed on top of his dresser.
Left in her button-up long-sleeved top, pencil skirt, and pantyhose, Black placed her in his bed with all the care in the world. His magic pulled the blankets up, tucking her in as he gently brushed the hair out of her face, her bun having come undone in the car.
Affection bloomed in his soul when she sighed softly with a smile, clearly content. Assured that she would be nothing but comfortable tonight, Black grabbed himself a change of clothes and entered his personal bathroom.
Hardly five minutes later, he exited, wearing silk plum pajamas. Putting away his dirtied attire, he checked on her one more time before silently leaving the room.
When Black returned downstairs, he was unsurprised to find that Cash was still sat at the couch, still processing. Without a word, Black joined him, waiting for him to ask his questions.
"bro… who- or rather what- was that?"
Cash looked so lost, and maybe even a little hurt if Black had to take a guess. He understood. They normally told each other everything. The first secret between them had been Cash's addiction, and Black supposed that the guest upstairs would be the second.
The wounded expression on his brother's face born from having thought that his addiction would have been the first and last.
Black sighed, massaging his temple as he leaned against the arm of the couch.
"SHE IS MY PERSONAL ASSISTANT. FOR AS LONG AS I'VE KNOWN HER, SHE'S BEEN AN EXCEPTIONAL WORKER, GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND."
He paused, a rueful expression taking hold.
"I THOUGHT I HAD KNOWN HOW MUCH WITH HER TAKING NOTE OF ALL MY HABITS, PREFERENCES, AND WORKING BY MY SIDE UNTIL I LEFT FOR THE NIGHT. BUT… I WAS NEVER TRULY AWARE UNTIL A MERE HOUR AGO."
Black took a deep breath in order to settle his thoughts, which were screaming at him about how oblivious, idiotic, and unknowingly cruel he had been. He only wanted to state the facts, to be logical. The emotions could come later.
"I AM ESPECIALLY LATE TONIGHT BECAUSE HALFWAY HOME, I REALIZED I HAD FORGOTTEN MY PHONE. I TURNED AROUND, AND WENT BACK TO THE OFFICE TO RETRIEVE IT. WHEN I ARRIVED, HER CAR WAS STILL IN THE LOT. IT CONFUSED ME; SHE HAD DRIVEN OFF BEFORE I DID. I ALWAYS MAKE A POINT TO SEE HER OFF. YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS IT IS FOR WOMEN, ESPECIALLY HUMAN WOMEN."
Cash nodded, following along despite not quite understanding where this was going.
"WHEN I WENT INSIDE, I FOUND HER HUNCHED OVER HER DESK, SOUND ASLEEP. HER PHONE WAS ON, AND IT HAD A TIMER FOR AN HOUR. PAPERWORK SURROUNDED HER ALONG WITH PERSONAL NOTES. I WAS CONFUSED, CERTAIN THAT SHE WAS FAR AHEAD OF HER WORK, SO WHAT WAS SHE DOING?
"THAT WAS WHEN THE JANITOR PASSED, AND INFORMED ME THAT SHE HAD BASICALLY BEEN LIVING IN THE OFFICE AS OF LAST MONTH. HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO KNEW BECAUSE HE WAS THE ONLY ONE TO EVER WITNESS HER RETURN AND STAY THE NIGHT. IT MADE SOME SENSE, AS I PUT SOME PIECES TOGETHER. THE KITCHEN AREA BEING MORE STOCKED THAN BEFORE, HER UTILIZATION OF THE OFFICE SHOWERS AND LAUNDRY WHEN I ARRIVED EARLY ENOUGH TO CATCH IT, HER EXCUSE USUALLY BEING THAT SHE HAD SPILLED SOMETHING ON HER PERSON SHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING. I DIDN'T EVEN QUESTION IT, WITH HOW CLUMSY SHE COULD BE."
Black's browbones furrowed, a scowl taking shape as the emotions began to build over the logic.
"HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO BLIND? LOOKING BACK, IT WAS OBVIOUS SHE HAD BEEN STAYING THERE. AND WHEN I INVESTIGATED HER OFFICE, I FOUND CHEAP PLASTIC DRAWERS AND OTHER STORAGE PIECES HIDDEN, CONTAINING CLOTHES, TOILETRIES, AND THE LIKE. SHE HAD MADE HER OWN SECRET LIVING SPACE. THERE WAS EVEN AN AIR MATTRESS, BUT THE BOX HADN'T BEEN OPENED, SO SHE'S CLEARLY BEEN SLEEPING AT HER DESK EVERY NIGHT.
"I LOOKED FOR THE JANITOR AFTER THAT, INTERROGATING HIM FOR MORE INFORMATION. ACCORDING TO HIM, HER ROOMMATE DEEMED IT APPROPRIATE TO KICK HER OUT SINCE SHE WAS HARDLY EVER HOME AND WANTED TO CONVERT HER ROOM TO A GAME ROOM FOR HERSELF AND HER BOYFRIEND. SHE HAS BEEN STAYING AT THE OFFICE AND LOOKING FOR AN APARTMENT SINCE, AND THAT IS NOT EVEN THE WORST OF IT."
Cash was baffled. He knew humans could be cruel and crass, but seriously? Kicking her out just so they could make her room a place to play games? Do they not care that they essentially made her homeless? And what could be the icing added to this fucked up cake?
"ONE OF THE OTHER COWORKERS, AN OPORTUNISTIC EGOTISTICAL BASTARD, DISCOVERED THAT SHE WAS LIVING IN THE OFFICE, AND DECIDED TO BLACKMAIL HER INTO DOING ALL HIS WORK. EVEN GOING SO FAR AS TO CLAIM THAT HE CAN TAKE ON MORE ASSIGNMENTS FROM OTHER COWORKERS, ONLY TO HAND IT OFF TO HER. SHE HAS BEEN SO SWAMPED WITH WORK, THAT SHE HAS HARDLY BEEN ABLE TO SLEEP, LET ALONE LOOK FOR A NEW DWELLING OR PROPERLY TAKE CARE OF HERSELF."
The outrage Black felt was mirrored in Cash. The two of them furious that anyone would do such a thing when personal achievements were so important back in their underground. They were the only means of protection and proof of worth, and for someone to take credit for someone else's hard work made both their magic boil.
The rage drained from Black as heartache took hold; physically drooping and forcing Cash's rage to be replaced with worry.
"I DEMANDED TO KNOW WHY SHE HADN'T THOUGHT TO TELL ME, OR WHY HE HADN'T TOLD ME HIMSELF. I HAD NEVER BEEN FACED WITH SUCH PITY, WHICH HELD MY TONGUE AS HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T WANT ME TO KNOW. SHE WAS WELL AWARE THAT I WOULD TRY TO ASSIST HER, BUT DIDN'T WANT TO BURDEN ME. AND DUE TO OUR CURRENT PROJECT BEING OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE, SOMETHING I STRESSED OFTEN, SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BRING UP THE COWORKER DEBACLE AND CAUSE ISSUES OR DELAYS. SHE INTENDED TO TAKE THE ENTIRE WORLD ON HER SHOULDERS JUST SO IT WOULD NOT BE UPON MY OWN."
Black sighed deeply, digging his fingers into his face as he grappled with all the emotions that had forced their way past his logical wall.
Cash shifted, trying to find a way to word his next question. He understood the guilt, the rage, and so on, but he didn't understand why his brother would bring her here and not to a hotel or something. The house was a safe haven, not only for them, but for the others. To bring her meant that she held far more significance than Black had said.
"what… is she to you?"
Violet eyelights stared aimlessly at the question, attempting to process and analyze his feelings. Black wanted to be able to properly convey them, something he'd been struggling with.
"SHE… IS MY FIRST THOUGHT IN THE MORNING. THE ONE WHO MOTIVATES ME TO DO MY BEST, EVEN WHEN DEALING WITH THOSE I'D RATHER NOT. SHE MAKES WORK, AND THUS LIFE, BEARABLE. HER SMILE, HER LAUGH, HER EYES, HER TOUCH, HER VERY SOUL… IT CONSUMES ME. SHE IS… EVERYTHING I COULD EVER WANT AND MORE."
Silence reigned; Cash staring at Black, and Black coming to a realization that he never even thought of before. Too occupied by the hecticness of life to consider what had been growing in his soul.
"you love her, don't you?"
The tone in Cash's words was undiscernible, and to be honest, Cash wasn't sure how he felt about his own question. No doubt he'd be happy for his brother if he found someone to love, but the knowledge that he had kept this person to himself, and never shared anything about her until now was painful. Cash had never felt so dismissed and out of the loop in his life.
In a way, it brought a new perspective in regards to when Black found out that he'd been taking drugs behind his back.
Black, at the question, became dazed. He asked himself, was this love? Or was it simple intrigue and appreciation with undertones of affection? He thought back to when she was in his arms and tucking her into his bed. The way that his soul swelled and affection enveloped him.
So, he certainly felt romantically about her, but could he classify it as love? Or was it a simple crush? He only knew her office self; he had no idea what she was like when the weight of work wasn't pressing down on her.
Could she be a whole other person, or was she essentially the same? She'd told him snippets of her life here and there, but it wasn't a baseline for anything that he could go off of.
"I… DON'T KNOW. I FEEL ATTRACTION AND AFFECTION, THAT IS FOR CERTAIN, BUT… I DON'T KNOW HER OUTSIDE OF WORK. HER PERSONAL LIFE COULD PAINT A VERY DIFFERENT PICTURE TO HER WORK LIFE. CAN I CALL IT LOVE IF I DON'T TRULY KNOW HER?"
Cash went to say something, though he wasn't entirely sure what. Should he reassure him? Comfort him? What was he supposed to do?
"THAT SAID," Cash closed his mouth at Black continuing, "I BELIEVE I AM GOING TO MAKE AN EFFORT TO GET TO KNOW HER, AND BECOME SOMEONE SHE DOESN'T FEEL GUILTY TO RELY ON. STARTING WITH PROVIDING HER A PLACE TO STAY."
Cash blinked, surprised by the one-eighty. One moment, he was contemplative and deep. Now, he was energized (despite the shadows beneath his sockets) and plotting.
"where are you thinking of putting her?"
When that sly grin crept across Black's teeth, Cash should've known what he was about to say. But as evidenced by tonight, Black could still be unpredictable.
"WHY, HERE, OF COURSE."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"so, has anyone else figured it out?"
The crickets were chirping, and the porch swing creaked softly with every gentle push that the human made, their feet firmly on the ground. Charm, who had snuck out in order to speak to them, eased his way into the swing, sitting comfortably next to them.
Their voice was husky, a strange but pleasant mix between masculine and feminine. Charm was used to their strictly masculine pitch, but he supposed that this was a sign of their trust. To allow the magic to steadily fade away, just for him.
"Nope." They chuckled softly, resuming the rocking that had briefly paused when Charm sat down. "No one's ever figured me out before. You were the first. I still can't believe it sometimes."
A comfortable silence formed, allowing Charm to recall the past three months. He and his brother had come through the machine, and when Charm saw them on the couch, he couldn't help but flirt with them.
The others had looked at him funny, and the human was even relatively surprised, but it was when Charm had asked, "what pronouns do you use, beautiful," that really set off the other guys.
Red, for some odd reason, acted personally offended as he yelled at him that clearly they were a guy. But Charm wasn't paying too much attention to the grumpy skeleton. Rather, he was focused on the human stranger that just drew him in.
They had responded with a casual smile, but their eyes hid underlying uncertainty.
"I'm Russell, but you can just call me Rus. I use he/they pronouns."
Charm had tilted his head, a tad confused as he took an unnoticeable deep breath.
"oh, really? are you transitioning?"
Red only seemed to blow up further, supposedly coming to his best bud's defense. However, Charm knew then, as that uncertainty turned to fear and he felt a slight prickle of magic increasing, that 'Russell' was not only a mage, but a girl.
And don't get him wrong, he did initially think that Rus was in the middle of transitioning and didn't want anyone to know. Passion even agreed, trying to get Charm to drop it. But… as Charm continued to observe them, he became more and certain that Rus was only pretending to be a male.
And it was eating at them.
So, Charm had confronted Rus about a week later, gently trying to convince them to talk to him about it; even going as far as to say that he knew who she really was. And yes, he did use 'she'. He wanted to know how the word would affect them.
Rus had grit their teeth, looking so conflicted, before telling him, "Regardless of what you believe you know, what makes you think I'd confess to anything when I hardly know you?"
They'd made a point, so Charm had made a tremendous effort to gain Rus' trust. Three months later, he was told to meet them on the porch after midnight, when most everyone went to bed or to their rooms.
And now, considering their answer so far, it seems that this secret is so tight lipped, that not even their closest friend, Red, knew.
What were they so afraid of?
Rus angled their torso to face him, their arm resting on the back of the swing. When they spoke, it was slightly more feminine than androgynous.
"How did you find out anyway? It was practically on sight and I can't figure it out."
Charm chuckled, honestly feeling a little shy about this as he admitted one of his and his brother's little quirks.
"i can smell your pheromones; so can Passion. it's a quirk we got thanks to the… circumstances of our universe."
Their eyes widened and they gripped the back of the swing tightly.
"That's terrifying. Thank god no one had that little quirk back home."
Charm perked up, interest piqued at Rus opening up more. In all the time he'd spent getting to know them, they never once mentioned their family or home.
When Rus saw his interested expression, they chuckled, the sound closer to a feminine twinkle of bells, and Charm realized that this was their true voice.
"You look like a kid! That eager to find out my secrets?"
Their grin was teasing and Charm shoved their shoulder playfully, making them laugh. Charm was starting to treasure the sound. It was so different compared the baritone he was used to.
"not my fault i find you so intriguing. also, hun, i have to ask. what pronouns do you want me to use right now?"
Their laughter faded, and they pursed their lips with thought, as if warring with themself.
"I… I think I'll be okay with you using she/her. But only when we're alone. Please. I… I'm not ready for the others to know."
He nodded with understanding, waiting patiently for her to tell her story at her own pace. Charm could be rather patient, especially when it concerned something so important.
She took a deep breath, gaze determined as she turned to face the backyard, watching the fireflies.
"I'm not from this universe, but I didn't come through the machine either. My mother used the last of his magic to send me here. He knew it'd take his life, but he wanted me safe, no matter what."
Already able to sense the confusion without having to look at him, she continued.
"Where I'm from, females are extremely scarce. They were practically a dying species for both humans and monsters. Oh, and monsters never got sealed underground. Mages were more concerned with preserving life than fearing the power monsters held.
"Anyway, using a mix of magic and science, they figured out a way for male humans to be able to have kids. Monsters didn't have to worry about that since they could have kids no matter the gender, but as you know, humans aren't that lucky. Regardless, the word 'mother' adapted with time to no longer refer to a female parent, but the parent that carried the child to term."
She tilted her head in Charm's direction, "You following along so far?"
He nodded, so she continued.
"Whenever a female was born, no matter the species, both the government and the King of monsters would rush to claim them. Despite the fact both species could still reproduce, they were both desperate to make the female population increase. So, any females they claimed would be raised until the point that they could carry children without detriment and then…"
She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart. Charm could feel his bones growing cold, already having an idea of what she was about to say.
"They would make them into broodmares... No one agreed with this practice; no one wanted their child to essentially have their autonomy stripped from them. Home births became more popular, and carrying mothers would rarely get an ultrasound unless they were certain that if their child was female, that they wouldn't be reported immediately.
"My mother was a boss monster who 'worked from home.' In reality, he helped families with female children go into hiding. My father is a human mage who worked in pediatrics, and he had managed to hide the fact that he had bought an extra ultrasound machine to smuggle home. He helped my mother by doing ultrasounds for anyone too scared to go to the hospital. You can imagine the way his stomach dropped when he found out my mother was carrying me."
She sighed deeply, guilt seeded deep into her heart. She knew, logically, that it wasn't her fault she was born, let alone born female, but she still blamed herself for burdening her parents with so much danger just because she existed.
Charm, despite being aware enough to place a hand on hers in a gesture of comfort, was still reeling over the fact that she was a monster human hybrid. A boss monster human mage hybrid, at that.
How the fuck had none of them noticed that?
"My parents raised me as a boy, but never failed to remind me that it was out of necessity and that I was a girl. You'd think I'd have an identity crisis, but it was more the occasional slip up as a kid and nothing more. I imagine it had to do with how I'm part monster and can feel intent. It helped to diffuse the confusion.
"They also taught me how to use my magic to not only alter my appearance, but also my voice. Magic suppression lessons were part of the package, since they didn't want anyone to know how strong I was. It was meant to be my trump card in the event I was found out. Which, I unfortunately was."
She gripped Charm's hand tightly, rage, betrayal, and sorrow swimming in her eyes.
"I was eighteen. I'd been dating this one guy for a little over two years. My parents loved him, and after we graduated high school, he had proposed."
A shock reverberated through Charm's soul, almost pained. He hadn't expected for her to have had loved someone so deeply before, and he knew by the way that she grit her teeth that this love story didn't have a happy ending.
"I thought, if I was going to spend the rest of my life with him, that he should know what I really was. Hybrid, female, and all. I was so nervous but so optimistic at the same time. I was sure that he'd love me anyway; that at most, he'd need time to process. But within an hour of telling him, we had the government and the Royal Guard at our door. They broke down every door and window, even the ceiling, in an effort to reach me first.
"My father kept them at bay with his magic, while mother called upon the deep and powerful magic in his soul to perform a spell so demanding that it would reduce him to dust once it was cast. I don't know how he found it or even knew it, but it was void magic. Except instead of traveling across a single plane, it crossed through multiple. Essentially, it created a portal that cut through the multiverse."
Charm couldn't help but gape. The machine, which could only bring about two or three souls through at a time, required months of charging with both electricity and magic before it could be used. Sometimes the power output was so great it caused outages and a temporary depletion of magic in the atmosphere. And she was telling him her mother cast such a spell in a single moment with his magic alone? Just how powerful was he!
His continued gaping and floundering brought an unintended smile to her lips, amused at his reaction. It took the edge off the heartache, but it still consumed her soul.
"Once it formed, he took me by the shoulders and told me to go live life as myself, without fear. To stop hiding, embrace myself fully, and find a love so great that it would make the Angel jealous. Then he gave me a hug, and I could feel him… disintegrating-"
Her voice pitched as she tried not to cry, and Charm pulled her close into his arms. It was an impulse reaction, to provide comfort, and he was scared she'd reject him. Fortunately, she melted in his arms as she cried softly. He caressed her hair, though there wasn't much since she still physically presented as male. It made Charm realize that despite trusting him enough to reveal these secrets to him, she still felt paranoid about being discovered.
No wonder she reacted the way she did when he first confronted her about it.
"He- He told me he loved me. Dad- he didn't get the chance. Mom had to push me through the portal before he complete- completely turned to dust. The last thing I saw was mom's smi-ile, warped by how he turned to du-ust as it formed, and dad being pinned to the- the ground with guns and magic weapons aimed at his skull. Then… I was here."
She sniffled, mostly calm now. The only remnants of her sorrowful emotions being the hiccup in her breathing and the tear tracks on her cheeks. She used her jacket sleeve to wipe them away carefully, erasing all trace of them. She blinked a couple times before smiling at Charm.
If it wasn't such a heart wrenching smile, Charm would've been convinced that she had never cried at all.
"This and that happened, and after a couple years I met Red and have been living with them ever since. Though, between you and me, Edge was the one who dragged me into living with them. He called me Red's 'emotional support human.'"
She snickered, as if she were trying to bury the depressing feelings with happier memories. Charm knew it wasn't healthy, but he wasn't going to push. Not tonight. She'd already bared her soul enough.
"no way, grumpy edgelord?"
The snicker evolved into a giggle as she leaned against the armrest of the swing. When she went to open her mouth, the door to the porch opened, and as if they had spoken of the devil, there was Edge.
When the taller skeleton caught sight of her, he made an odd gesture that confused Charm, but it must've meant something since she stood up. When she spoke, the baritone pitch sent a shock through his system.
"Well, duty calls. See ya tomorrow, Charm."
He stared at her, bewildered to how it could have become a masculine voice again so quickly when it had taken at least five minutes to become feminine. Was that another sign of how paranoid she was of being found out? Damn it, he really wished he could talk to Passion about this.
Charm watched them leave before teleporting to his room. He laid there, staring at the ceiling for hours, trying to figure out how to help Rus. He was on the verge of passing out when he heard his phone ding.
Bleary-eyed, he unlocked his device, staring at the text he got for a solid minute before it processed.

(5:57am)

I didn't get a chance to tell you, but my real name? It's Rustina.

Curious, he searched up the name in order to find its meaning. Names were important in monster culture, and he wanted to know what her parents thought of her. There were many meanings, but the two that popped up the most was 'red' and 'strong woman/warrior.' It made him smile.
His phone dinged again.

(5:59am)

Please delete the previous text. I don't want anyone to see.

Charm huffed, doing as she asked. He was going to have his work cut out for him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"You think you could go behind my back?! Betray me?! Your own sister! To be a goddamned monster fucker?!"
Furious fists pounded violently against Valerie's bedroom door, held in place only by the lock and her dresser that she managed to slide in front of it. Her heart was beating erratically as she tried to pry her window open, but it was practically impossible with it being super glued shut.
Valerie clamored off her bed, searching her room desperately for something that could possibly wedge the window open. Yet her movements halted as she heard her sister shriek with frustration before stomping off.
Had she given up? Valerie wasn't sure, but now that she had a moment to actually think, she rushed to grab her phone. And although it would've been logical to call the police in this instance, everything told her to call him instead.
She was biting her thumb nail, paranoid as she stared at her bedroom door. The moment the call connected, her heart leapt in her chest with desperation and relief.
"Pap-"
Just as she went to say his name, her bedroom door was struck with a tremendous force that made her scream and drop her phone. Another blow to the door made it splinter, revealing the tip of an axe.
"Are you crazy, Vanessa?!"
Adrenaline vibrated in Valerie's veins as she ran around the room in a panic.
"Oh, I'm not crazy! I'm putting down my sister like the fucking dog she is! Fucking with those low-life beasts! Did you forget what happens when you disobey me?! Let me remind you!"
Each of Vanessa's sentences was followed by a heavy swing that tore through more and more of the door. Her manic laughing only fueling Valerie to move faster, and in a bid of desperation, grabbed the glass orb that Papyrus had glass blown himself in one of his art classes, and threw it at the window.
It shattered easily, the sound turning Vanessa's laughter into enraged shrieking. Her threats only spurring Valerie forward, pushing aside glass with her bare hands as she climbed through, not caring that she was getting cut in the process.
"You're not getting away! This is the night you die!"
Valerie fell to the grass below, slipping in the mud as she scrambled to stand. She could hardly see, it was so dark. But she still knew which way lead to the front of the house, towards the town that lay at the bottom of the hill.
She ran with all her strength, and when she turned the corner, there was light in the distance. A sign of freedom, of safety. As she approached the edge of the hill, she caught a glimpse of yellow from her peripheral.
Instantly, her eyes connected with the figure at the bottom of the hill, running as fast as he could in her direction. Valerie could practically feel her soul swell with relief and love and desperation as she screamed his name.
"PAPYRUS!!!"
His skull darted up, his black and yellow hood falling back to reveal golden eyelights and the most precious golden braces on his sharpened teeth. Her smile was so wide, hope blooming that she was going to get out of this alive, but his eyelights only widened in horror.
An impact so harsh and heavy made contact with her left shoulder. Something sharp but dull embedded itself into her skin, making it roar with heat and pain as she screamed in agony.
An arm wrapped around her neck, practically suffocating her alongside the blinding pain. A giggle so demented and sharp echoed by her ear, her sister whispering a mocking farewell.
"Say hi to mommy and daddy in hell."
Vanessa's arm unraveled from Valerie's throat just before Vanessa planted her foot into the center of Valerie's back and ripped the axe from her body. The momentum pushing Valerie over the hill, briefly airborne before she was caught in familiar arms made of bones.
Papyrus held her securely to his chest, a piercing glare locked on Valerie's twin sister. When she only continued to cackle with glee at what she'd done, one of his blasters materialized, decimating her skull with bone bullets until there was no head left.
No one so cruel should be allowed to have the same face as his dearest Valerie.
Even so, he could feel his soul throb with the strain of having used too much magic. The blaster vanishing in response.
Heated liquid, thick and flowing, filled his hand, and his skull instantly darted down to Valerie. Her face was so pale it was comparable to the ivory of his bones. Her eyes still held the spark of life, but it was fading fast as she stared up at him.
"I'm… I'm so glad… I got to see you… one last time…"
He shook his head vigorously, his eyelights pleading with her to not talk like that. To hold on as he swallowed the nausea and held his hand firmly to her wound. But it was useless, it was far too big, and far too deep, for his mere hand to be enough to staunch the flow.
"I need you… to listen… okay? You have to… stay strong. Never… give up… on you or… what you love. Share… your art. Don't hide… don't run… live, okay? You… have to… live…"
Golden tears ran down his skull, his eyes begging her to stop as his hand, the one not drenched with her blood, held her face. The contradiction of her frigid skin to her molten blood only made his bones clatter as he trembled.
"Promise me… Pap… promise me-"
She began coughing, blood splattering out of her mouth and across her front. The sight was horrifying to him, the sight being a visual shock that she was really dying.
"Please…"
He didn't want to promise! He knew this was her last wish, but if he promised then she was sure to die, wasn't she! He didn't want her to die! She couldn't die! She was his soulmate! They were meant to spend eternity together! She couldn't die!!!
Yet, as he saw that the light began to fade, a sign she only had seconds, every emotion overwhelming his soul laced in the two words.
"i promise!"
His voice was strained and choked, but she still smiled, so slightly. He could see that she wanted to say something, but it was too late. The light was gone.
She was gone.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Monster holidays were few and far in between in the Underground, many lost with time and the inability to perform them beneath the earth. So when they surfaced, many holidays that were considered old felt like new to those who had never experienced them before.
One such holiday was Wish Day. Monsters, and even humans, would go to the shrine of the Angel and make a wish. You could only make one wish a year, and it was said that if it was pure and desired enough, that the Angel would grant it.
Though, the holiday couldn't be properly celebrated for a while as the shrine had crumbled into ruins in the time that they were sealed. It took them two years to rebuild and for the holiday to begin again.
Even so, Sans and Papyrus never got a chance to celebrate. In the years that it took to rebuild, they were handling some unexpected guests that became permanent residents in their lives. Pair after pair arriving until Vanilla decided enough was enough, and turned it into scrap metal.
The holiday, in all the chaos, had been forgotten or barely remembered until this year, five years later, when Toriel had shown up at their front door with two kids who were skeletons. She informed the group that they weren't in the system and had been dropped off at an orphanage in the middle of the night.
Monster and hybrid children, when abandoned, were immediately reported to the Queen, as she made sure they all ended up in homes where they could properly learn their magic. As letting it go unchecked could create catastrophic results.
When she saw that they were skeleton monsters, she was stunned to say the least. So, she brought the two to the skeleton household in hopes of figuring out who the father was. After all, they very well couldn't be anyone else's child. They were the only skeleton monsters left.
It didn't take very long to identify the father, the two locking eyes with him and instantly calling him dad. Safe to say there was a fainting spell or two.
Since then, the two have been staying at the skeleton household; the kids gradually bonding with their new family and the guys steadily adapting to having children in their lives.
When Wish Day was just around the corner, the two had come home, begging to be able to go. They had heard of it before, but had never been able to celebrate.
The guys weren't really interested in the holiday, but the absolute hope and pleading in the two's eyelights brought their father to his knees, the others following soon after.
The little ones cheered, and had been yammering excitedly about it all the way up to Wish Day. It was evening when they finally left to drive for the shrine, since the kids wanted everyone to go together.
And although the shrine was beautiful, they still didn't find too much appeal in it. Not that it mattered, the kids were adamant that they all made a wish. They were so determined to get their way, that they stared each of them down until they made a wish, saving their dad for last.
Red was at the end of the line, magic beading on his skull since he didn't want to disappoint his kids, but he also had no idea what to wish for.
He leaned to his left, whispering to Mutt.
"i dunno what ta wish for!"
Mutt rolled his eyelights, finding the father dramatic. It's not like the kids were going to be able to hear his thoughts.
"just say what ya want. it's not that deep."
Red nodded, psyching himself up as he watched his kids come down the line.
What did he want? Well, it was hard to say. In a way, he'd been happier since the two arrived. They drove him to want to be better, both mentally and physically. Their bonding was slow going since he could be rather awkward and temperamental. Which trust when I say that it took a lot for him to keep calm when he got frustrated with them. If you're a parent, then you'd understand too well how difficult it can be to take a deep breath and regulate your emotions rather than snapping at the kids who are overstimulating you.
But, Red thought he was doing okay. He may not have a mate to share the kids with, but he had the others. His brother especially loved being an uncle; looking for any and every opportunity to spoil them.
But… he also knew that the kids got lonely. Not in the sense of not having friends or family to spend time with. Rather, in the sense that they missed having a mom. Whenever any of them had tried to talk about it with them, they became closed up.
It was like they were conflicted. They didn't miss her, per say, but they missed having a mom. And she was the only mother they ever knew.
Red would happily find someone to be their mother, but it wasn't that simple. They'd been hurt before; he couldn't mess it up and bring someone home that would only destroy that hope in the end.
Not to mention that Red was honestly terrified of committing to someone. Sure, he wanted someone to love for the rest of his limited lifespan, but he was terrified that the person he chose would be a conniving snake. He's seen it; the number of monsters in his own underground dating just to abuse or use them.
He's seen it with humans too; here and in his world. They used and abused just as much if not more so than the monsters did. He didn't want to end up with those "rose colored glasses" that humans often referred to when they were blinded to the toxicity because of their love.
And he didn't want that to result in the pain of his kids.
By the time the two stood in front of him, staring up expectantly, Red had made his choice. Closing his sockets and clasping his hands as if he were praying, he made his wish. When he opened his eyes, he watched with a soft smile as his kids did the same.
With that, Wish Day ended, and they drove home. They ate dinner, and Red tucked the little tykes into bed. Tomorrow was Saturday, and they had a whole weekend of family bonding planned.
Before Red could leave, the youngest of the two had grabbed hold of his hand.
"Dad? Do you think the Angel will make our wishes come true?"
Red smiled despite the weight in his chest.
"i'm sure she will if ya wished with all your soul."
They smiled brightly, snuggling into their blankets.
"i can't wait, then. Night, daddy."
Red chuckled softly, petting the top of their skull.
"night, squirt."
With that, Red left their room, closing the door softly behind him. It wasn't long before he, himself, along with the rest of the household, trudged to their rooms for some much needed sleep.
Back at the shrine though, as the clock struck midnight, the Angel statue began to glow a brilliant golden light. Beams shot from the statue, flying through the sky like shooting stars. The tiny orbs of light phased through all forms of matter as they dropped until they landed upon the souls of those that made a pure wish with everything they had.
As the last one landed, an ethereal voice echoed from the statue.
"Your wishes shall be granted."
Someone, somewhere, woke with a gasp, hand clutching her chest where her soul rested. Fuzzy teal eyelights stared aimlessly in shock as she tried to process the sensation going through her soul. It was like something was bonding to it, and once it settled, there was a gentle tugging sensation.
Rubbing at her ribs, her brow furrowed, she stared out the window and up at the night sky.
"What… was that?"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Mutt took a deep breath, trying to banish his exhaustion and underlying hostility. He had been aimlessly watching tv at three in the morning, unable to sleep, when a bright light manifested in the ceiling and dropped three individuals.They were all monsters, and all women, and all of them reacted in various unexpected ways to  their appearance and himself. He had summoned a blaster on instinct and nearly blew them to pieces before he registered that one of them was a skeleton, which shocked him so badly that his blaster vanished.After some relatively quiet chaos, they managed to calm down enough for him to get them to sit down on the many couches. The three of them sat together, the skeleton between the other two, holding each of their hands."so… how did this happen?"His rusty eyelights drifted across the three of them as they turned to one another before turning back to him."Well, we don't really know?"The woman on the left was the one to speak; a lizard monster resembling a gecko. She had green skin with red patterns. Her eyes were also green, though her large pupils made it difficult to identify at first. She was the tallest of the bunch, almost as tall as him."One moment, we were in a library, looking at a book together, and the next we were here. Looking… like this."The woman on the right was a fire elemental, though Mutt had a suspicion that she was a hybrid with an ice elemental. Her flames were a bright cyan with royal blue accents that matched her eyelights. Even though her body was made of flames, she exuded a chill breeze rather than a warm heat. She was only a couple inches shorter than the first woman.Mutt's brow pinched with confusion, his eyelights roving over them, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with their appearance. At this point, he figured they were from another universe, and this book was some sort of interdimensional portal. Unfortunately, it hadn't come with them. Otherwise, they might've had a way home.Sensing his confusion, the woman in the middle, the skeleton monster and shortest of the bunch, spoke."We were human before coming here."Her hands left her friend's to gesture at all of them as she spoke. Her eyelights were a forest green with amber specks in them; her ecto hair was the same shade of green, with the same shade of amber glistening occasionally in the light of the tv. Sprouting from her head were deer antlers, and before she sat down, he had noticed a forest green ecto deer tail. He assumed she was a skeleton and deer monster hybrid. Though something told him there was more to it than that.Call him paranoid, but he was sure the amber lacing the green meant something.But his focus was more on the fact that she said that they were human before coming here. His sockets widened with shock, and his system was getting tired of the feeling literally rattling him.He knew this could lead to something catastrophic; especially if any or all of them were boss monsters. If there was no magic where they were from, or if there was and they had no ability to use it, then their newfound magic could go haywire with their emotions and cause serious damage.And what if their souls didn't fully transition to monster souls? Does that make them stronger than a hybrid? Stronger than them by default, regardless if they were a boss monster? Mutt wasn't sure, and the endless negative possibilities was stressing him the fuck out.It was far too late for this. His oncoming headache only made him want to sleep. But if he went to bed and didn't tell the others about their guests, or the dire circumstances they were now in, he was certain he'd be dusted. Milord would definitely have his coccyx.So, with the heaviest groan known to man, Mutt dragged himself off the couch and stood."okay, look, we can figure all this out later. it's late, and i need ta tell the others about this. i'd just tell ya ta take a couch and conk out, but i gotta feelin' some of 'em will have more questions for ya. so just sit tight. i'll be back."With that, Mutt teleported, leaving the girls to sit there in an empty room. They looked to each other before the fire elemental spoke in a whisper of disbelief."I can't believe we're in Undertale."

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Another day, another kidnapping.
As usual, I'm minding my business, sleeping, as one does, when I am snatched like candy on Halloween.
The culprit changes by the day, but it didn't surprise me at all when the bag was ripped from my head to reveal the super villain duo, The Dungeon Master and The General. They were the only ones who couldn't wait till the morning to take me as their "hostage."
I use that term very loosely.
Anyway, the two of them had super abilities that complimented each other fairly well.
The Dungeon Master could claim a building or structure as his "domain" and then be able to manipulate it as he pleased. He usually turned it into a giant looming stone castle filled with a plethora of traps. And yes, his moniker is a reference to DND.
The General, on the other hand, could summon a seemingly endless army of skeletal soldiers. I say "seemingly" because I've yet to witness him reach his limit. And no, he doesn't classify as a necromancer because he doesn't use actual corpses to produce his army. He's a summoner, plain and simple.
We were on the roof of the castle, as usual, and I could feel the rays of the rising sun on my back.
Oh wow, the view's pretty nice today.
"NYEHEHEHE!!! BEHOLD! IT IS I! THE DUNGEON MASTER! AND ONCE AGAIN, MY COMPATRIOTE, THE GENERAL, AND I HAVE CAPTURED THE VERY LOVELY ALIZA!!!"
Aww, how sweet. Those compliments never get old.
"MWAHAHAHA!!! THAT IS RIGHT! AND THERE IS NO ONE WHO CAN STOP US!!!"
From kidnapping me in general? Probably not. From stopping you? Well…
"Not So Fast, Evildoers! For We Have Arrived!"
Yep, there they were. The super hero duo that typically fought against these two. Peering past the battlement, I could clearly see Power Up and Dictator in spite of how high off the ground we were. The former was posing rather dramatically, while the latter smirked up at the other two.
If I didn't know better, I'd think Dungeon Master and Dictator were on the wrong sides.
Their abilities didn't compliment each other as well, but they still made a good team.
Power Up's super ability was that the food he ate could give him unique powers. He actually has a little booklet where he writes down what each food does for him, and keeps a plethora of snacks and meals in his dimensional storage. I've even witnessed him pause mid battle to sit and cook something with his portable kitchen just so he could make something that he didn't already have prepped that he felt he needed.
He also has this giant wooden spoon that he uses both as a walking stick when his back was flaring up and as a weapon. It's like a weird mix between a giant hammer and a baseball bat.
Dictator's super ability was that he could literally dictate the actions of others. If he has you in his sight and within a certain range, then he could literally tell you what to do. He often used this to force The General's summons to fight each other rather than himself or his partner.
"Sit Tight Dearest Aliza. You Shall Be Free Of These Ruffians Soon Enough. I Will Not Let You Down."
Power Up gave Dictator a flat look at the end statement, his arms crossing with displeasure.
"We Won't Let Her Down. We, Dictator, We."
I snicker at the light banter, and listen passively as the two groups continue to declare cliché lines. At this point, after a near month of kidnapping, I really wouldn't be surprised if this was all a ruse just so they could spend time with me.
My thoughts are only given more stock when Dungeon Master and The General reveal a lovely table, set up with extravagant sweets and tea after the other two charged inside the castle.
The General guides me to my seat, the two never having bound me in the first place, as Dungeon Master pours the tea. They absolutely pamper me, General pushing in the seat from behind me while Dungeon Master plates some macaroons.
This is the reason why I use the term "hostage" very loosely. Do you really expect me to believe that I'm a hostage when they pamper me like this?
I've honestly gotten used to the pattern, which I'm not sure is a good thing or not. Two villains will kidnap me at some point in the day, sometimes more if the times are far enough apart or they're too impatient to wait.
Then, two heroes will come and "save me" before treating me to something as well, purposely taking time out of their day to make sure I'm "safe." I'm well aware it's a poor excuse to linger around me.
Now, you'd think that I'd know their identities by now, but there's some magic laced into their costumes that prevents recognition of any sort. The only thing that breaks the spell is if you remove the mask, which they've never done, nor have I ever tried to do.
Despite how chaotic my life has gotten due to them, I wouldn't betray their kindness just to find out who's under the mask.
Though sometimes I wonder what would be the catalyst for them to show me who they are, if they ever do.

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It was Saturday afternoon when Edge dragged Mutt down the stairs by the back of his jacket.
"why meeeeee?"
The groan of complaint gained no sympathy from the others in the house. Edge was the least deterred, marching on.
"IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN YOU. NOW STOP YOUR BELLYACHING AND MOVE YOUR COCCYX!"
With the front door wide open, provided by Stretch who was idle on his phone, Edge tossed Mutt out the house and into the driveway, fully expecting him to hop in Edge's car.
"i don' got a belly ta ache though."
Edge refused to rise to the bait, starting the car and giving Mutt an impatient look. Chuckling, Mutt slipped into the passenger side and the two were off.
Once every week or other week, depending on availability, Edge would go to a metaphysical shop on the edge of town. Mutt had been with him the first time he'd gone, and he's been the one to go with him ever since.
Their first visit had been made with the intention of obtaining essential oils for Bun, who had been using them for calming and therapeutic purposes. He'd been ordering them online, but after one too many delivery breakages, he requested Edge to get some from the local shop he'd found online.
What was initially an errand to buy one thing, became an experience where a plethora of items were purchased.
And ever since, Edge has made it a point to return to buy more, dragging Mutt with him. And although Mutt often acts like it's a chore on his part, he actually enjoys going.
When they arrived, Edge reached into the back, grabbing a small bag, before the two exited the car and entered the shop.
Upon first glance, there wasn't a soul to be seen. A soft purr, and the nuzzling against Edge's pant leg proved that the store wasn't as lifeless as initially believed.
A small calico kitten mewed up at him, continuing to display affection. Without hesitation, Edge kneeled down, petting the little darling, who'd grown quite a bit since he last saw her. As Edge cooed, Mutt walked past him, looking around at all the new items that had arrived since they'd last been there.
When there was a bark of excitement, he perked up, grinning broadly as a Corsican dog ran excitedly at him from the back room. Mutt widened his stance, prepared when the large dog leaped onto him.
Praises and pets were given immediately, the dog wagging his fluffy tail happily. Almost in sync, Edge reached into the bag he had brought, and Mutt reached into his jacket pocket. Both of them retrieving treats for their specific animal buddies.
As the animals snacked happily, a young woman came out from the back, reaching to the sky in a stretch as she yawned. Witnessing her dear companions being spoiled by two of her regulars, she smiled and approached Mutt first.
"It's been a while."
She offered a hug that Mutt accepted. When they pulled away, she chuckled at how the dog was happily gnawing at the bone Mutt had given him all too eagerly.
"And I see you two are bribing my pets into loving you again."
Edge hmphed, but he had a smug grin none-the-less as he stood and approached the young woman. She offered him a hug too, and he accepted without hesitation, his reply given mid-embrace.
"THEY WOULD NOT BE SO EASILY BRIBED IF YOU SPOILED THEM MORE."
She gasped dramatically, hand to her heart, and the two skeletons struggled not to express amusement at the action.
"How dare you! I spoil them plenty."
Her grin was broad as she strolled over to the back counter, the two following along.
"Now, what can I do for you two today? Or did you come here just to bask in my presence?"
She rested her chin on the back of her interlocked fingers, batting her lashes at them playfully, spurring a chuckle out of Mutt. Edge only shook his head, a smile fighting to be seen.
"WE'LL NEED BUN'S USUAL ORDER, AND DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT'S CHARGED TODAY?"
She perked up, ducking down before popping right back up with a shining blue orb the size of a marble. She placed it on the counter, tapping it twice, before a multitude of items manifested.
There were a couple statues, both raw and cut crystals, towers, talismans made of bone, jewelry pieces, and a few vials. There were about twenty items in total, and none of them were larger than the palm of her hand.
"So! This is all I have today. You're lucky, I just restocked yesterday. Are you looking for anything specific?"
Mutt gave her a lax grin, Edge already looking over the items carefully.
"we'll know when we see it."
Charged items were what drew Mutt and Edge into coming back to this place, buying more than necessary with each visit.
Well, that, and the animals and owner, of course. But the initial reasoning was the products.
Magic infused items aren't so unknown in the world, and are usually a monster commodity as not many humans practice magic anymore. However, charged items were different. They had a sense of magic to them, sure, but the structure wasn't the same.
It's a fusion of the world's magic and energy, with the caster's essence and intent. Making them stronger and more effective than standard magic items. Very few people, who call themselves Witches, are capable of this.
It's hard to tell the difference between a standard witch, who simply works with the energies of the world, and a Witch, who's capable of manipulating and shaping the world's magic and energy.
However, the most defining factors, other than the fact they can make charged items, is that they exude a scent tied to magic despite having little to no magic wells of their own, and their souls are orbs instead of hearts.
The scent is far more obvious when you can't get into an encounter, and hers was a pleasant mix between cherries and fudge.
Anyway, Mutt and Edge looked over the items intently. Although magic infused items were a mystery unless labeled, charged items practically screamed what they did due to the mix of intent and magic. The energy factors into the longevity of its charge, and the essence is essentially a signature to let them know that she made them.
Mutt grabbed a lapis lazuli crystal tower that would help with sleep and good dreams, a bronze statue of a fox that would ward off pests and predators, and a pendant with a sunstone charm carved into the shape of a lion head that promotes courage.
Edge carefully selected a vial that held water that was filled to bursting with healing effects, a single drop being stronger than an average monster candy or sea tea. He also grabbed an interesting talisman shaped like a dreamcatcher, made of fur and bones, that would prevent anyone with negative intent from passing the door it was hung upon.
When she saw that the two were satisfied, she tapped the blue orb once, and all the items left unclaimed returned to the storage space within.
As she rang them up, making sure to grab Bun's essential oils from the back, which were ordered to be charged with peaceful and calming properties, she looked between the two expectantly.
Edge realized what she was waiting for, and answered the silent question.
"WE DO NOT HAVE ANY ITEMS FOR YOU TO RECHARGE TODAY."
Her brows went into her hairline, she was so surprised. Mutt snickered at the sight and Edge huffed with amusement.
"WE HAVE A BULK ORDER AND WANTED TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT."
Her lips formed an 'o' in understanding, nodding along as she hummed along to the song playing on the speakers. The antique ding of her register rang, showing the price on a holographic display. As Mutt pulled out his wallet, she tapped her chin in thought.
"Well, the only day I'm free in the next week is on Monday. Which, as you know, is the one day that the store's closed. But… I'll tell you what," she dug around behind the small counter before popping back up with a quill and parchment, "if you bring me that Bun friend of yours and an entire black forest tart, then you're welcome to come to my place, enjoy a homecooked meal by yours truly, and get all your items recharged."
She rolled up the parchment, leaning against the counter as she offered it to them.
"What do you say?"
Edge was gobsmacked, the implications running through his skull. Mutt only smirked, taking the parchment as he handed her his card.
"ya got yurself a deal."
Bouncing on her feet, she charged the card, placed all the items in beautiful decorative satin bags, and wished them a great day. The two skeletons, having no further business, took their purchases, pet their respective animal buddies, and went out the door with a wave goodbye.
As they got in the car, Edge turned to Mutt with a scowl.
"AND HOW, PRAY TELL, DO YOU EXPECT TO CONVINCE BUN TO GO TO A STRANGER'S HOUSE?"
"eh, we'll figure it out."

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The List

Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 21
Day 23
Day 24
Day 25
Day 27
Day 28
Day 29
Day 31