𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔢𝔡

when she approached, for a moment, josiah couldn't remember how to breathe. she was beautiful, the layer of grime washed away and her hair sleek, still wet as it curled slightly down her back. everyone wore white there, but seeing her in it... his heart hurt, and his head buzzed, until he realized she was speaking.

josiah blinked, taking a moment to finish catching up mentally to what she said. " i don't like keeping you there, you know. " a frown accompanied the words, but he had to clear his throat first when he spoke, still tripped up over how ethereal she looked. " but honestly, it was better than my first idea. " a shrug, but no explanation into what he meant. " where else could i keep you? you'd run away before you saw, before i made you understand... and then you'd never know. "

remy would never know she was the destiny for this place - for him. that she could bring them all together, be his pride and joy, the glittering gem at the head of the table with him. her presence would heal the unrest among his followers, her dry humor would liven up the severity. josiah had seen her, he'd watched her. remy hadn't been happy, not the true way she could be here.

at his vague statement about the basement being better than his first idea, remy wrinkled her nose slightly, a bit of a frown tugging at her lips — almost mirroring josiah's expression without even realizing. she honestly didn't think she even wanted to know. and she couldn't really answer on where else he could keep her. because josiah was right. if she felt she had a chance to escape, she would take it. also seemed unlikely that josiah would just let her slip away so easily, and not try to bring her back. for whatever purposes he felt that needed her here, on the compound.

there's a slight hesitation when josiah holds out his hand. despite all the strides they seemingly had made today, with him actually letting her out of the basement for the first time since he had brought her here. and truthfully, anything that kept her upstairs for a bit longer couldn't hurt. right? besides. remy had been hearing him talk about the compound for weeks. she couldn't pretend she wasn't at least...a little curious about it.

witchcraft | FOREST WITCHES

𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞 𝖋𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖞𝖙𝖆𝖑𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖘 𝖆 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖞 𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌. 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞 𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖙𝖍 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖜𝖘. . .

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧focusing on erotic horror, monsters in the darks, the killers that lurk in shadows. open to all things of the macabre. dash && discord friendly. penned by ghost, 30+, semi-selective. ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊🕷

(  dialogue  prompts  taken  from  the  batman  (2022),  directed  by  matt  reeves.  feel  free  to  edit  and  change  as  you  seem  fit.  ) 

❛ two years of nights have turned me into a nocturnal animal. ❜

❛ it’s a big city. i can’t be everywhere. ❜

❛ fear is a tool. ❜

❛ the hell are you supposed to be? ❜

❛ i’m vengeance. ❜

❛ what does a liar do when he’s dead? he lies still. ❜

❛ happy fuckin’ halloween. ❜

❛ i wish i could say i’m making a difference, but i don’t know. ❜

❛ the city’s eating itself. maybe it’s beyond saving. but i have to try. ❜

❛ you’re becoming quite a celebrity. ❜

❛ have a shower. ❜

❛ if this continues, it won’t be long before you’ve nothing left. ❜

❛ if i can’t change things here, if i can’t have an effect, then i don’t care what happens to me. ❜

❛ you’re not my father. ❜

❛ some fresh berries there. ❜

❛ oh, this guy’s hilarious. ❜

❛ get out of here. you hear me? or that little suit’s gonna get all full of blood. ❜

❛ take it easy, sweetheart. ❜

❛ boy, you’re everything they say, ain’t ya? ❜

❛ you got a lot of cats. ❜

❛ i have a thing about strays. ❜

❛ you’re not safe here. ❜

❛ i can take care of myself. ❜

❛ hey, why am i starting to feel like a fish on a hook? ❜

❛ boy, you’re a real sweetheart. ❜

❛ look at me. ❜

❛ that’s one of the guys i got into it with the other night. looks like i broke his nose. ❜

❛ is bruce wayne making an actual appearance? ❜

❛ serial killers like to follow reactions to their crimes. ❜

❛ you have to keep up appearances. you’re still a wayne. ❜

❛ i’ve been trying to reach you. ❜

❛ i’m giving you a chance. no one ever gave me a chance. ❜

❛ it can be cruel poetic or blind. but when it’s denied, it’s violence you may find. ❜

❛ if you are justice, please do not lie. what is the price for your blind eye? ❜

❛ since your justice is so select, tell us which vermin you’re paid to protect. ❜

❛ is this how you get your kicks, hon? sneaking up on girls in the dark? ❜

❛ what the hell is this? good cop, batshit cop? ❜

❛ no habla español, fellas? ❜

❛ jesus. his next victim is bruce wayne. ❜

❛ wasn’t sure i’d see you again. ❜

❛ was it worth it? compromising yourself for money? ❜

❛ who are you under there? what are you hiding? are you just hideously scarred? ❜

❛ i told you, baby. i can take care of myself. ❜

❛ do you know who i am? ❜

❛ i could see the fear in your eyes, but i didn’t know how to help. ❜

❛ i could teach you how to fight, but i wasn’t equipped to take care of you. ❜

❛ you needed a father. and all you had was me. ❜

❛ i never thought i’d feel fear like that again. ❜

❛ come on, vengeance. let’s go kill that son of a bitch. ❜

❛ listen to me. don’t throw your life away. ❜

❛ don’t worry, honey. i got nine of ’em. ❜

❛ whatever i know, whatever i’ve done, it’s all going with me to my grave. ❜

❛ i just ordered a slice of pumpkin pie. ❜

❛ my life has been a cruel riddle i could not solve. ❜

❛ i know now what i must become. ❜

❛ if only you knew how long i’ve been waiting for this day. for this moment. ❜

❛ god. look at you. your mask is amazing. i wish you could’ve seen me in mine. ❜

❛ you and i both know i’m looking at the real you right now. ❜

❛ i told you, we’ve been doing this together. you’re a part of this. ❜

❛ we didn’t do anything together. ❜

❛ this is not how this was supposed to go! ❜

❛ oh, you’re really not as smart as i thought you were. ❜

❛ what’s black and blue and dead all over? you. ❜

❛ i can already see things will get worse before they get better. ❜

❛ people need hope. to know someone’s out there for them. ❜

❛ one day you’re on top, the next… you’re a clown. ❜

❛ gotham loves a comeback story. ❜

❛ riddle me this… the less of them you have, the more one is worth. ❜

❛ don’t you ever just say hello? ❜

❛ you know this place is never gonna change. ❜

❛ the bat and the cat. it’s got a nice ring. ❜

immortals in love with humans who die (◡‿◡✿)

immortals in love with humans who die and become reincarnated (◡‿◡✿)

tw: guns

taking residence in the corner, arms crossed, the bulk of his shoulders caved inwards, josiah watched keenly. eyes glazed, goosebumps raised on his arms, and his legs ached - but it was all a numb rumble in the back of his mind.

there was so much blood. why? his stomach sank, teeth grit together as doc hummed out his inspection. stitches... doc moved, and he got his first real look a the injury, and his upper lip pulled back. hissing in, josiah grappled for a moment with the weight of this horror - he was no stranger to blood, but having it coat his treasured remy was a sight that burnt itself forcefully against his eyelids. haunting him.

the door barely had shut, before josiah was pushing from the wall, and covering their distance in two long strides. he could feel the sense of defeat that radiated from her, filling the room with stale air.

" i'd do anything to protect you. " he finally said, standing at her bedside, one hand resting gently on the edge of the mattress. " with me, i could ensure you never get harmed like this again, but i can't if you run. " there was sorrow in his tone now, just... tired. sad.

a different josiah than the one he normally curated for her. one a little more raw, rough on the edges, rubbed into jagged, jaded shapes on stone-written lines across his face. one that allowed, for once, his eyes to speak for him. emotions had flooded his hazy hazel hues. everything he couldn't say was a butterfly kiss against his lips, but the words stayed swallowed like bile.

" please trust me to take care of y- " the words were lost as the door reopened, and the nervous blonde and the doctor rejoined the pair with a bright smile.

doc extended out a mug, and josiah accepted it with a small grateful smile. " for you, " the doc said softly. " warm yourself up. " josiah nodded slowly, the appreciation showing in the smile offered. with his free hand, he came to clap a hand on the doctor's shoulders, holding his gaze for a moment and giving a squeeze.

then it was back to business. " alright! " the doc chirped, a snap of latex against his wrist as he gloved up.

grey eyes meet his, expression softening as she watched his face. this was truly an unknown side of him. seeming genuinely concerned, and nearly panicked on her behalf. the two seemed to have a whole conversation without saying a word, although she wasn't quite sure what was being said there. remy finally getting some of an understanding of how deeply he seemed to care for her. which was a feeling she didn't really know what to do with. but, somehow...this emotional rawness seemed to actually bring her some comfort.

but before remy can ponder his words much further, or form a response through the fog that seemed to settle in her mind, the door reopens. and doctor victor returns, followed by the blonde woman remy had seen peeking through the door several minutes earlier, rolling a small cart with medical supplies. doc hands josiah a mug of something steaming, taking a moment to say something to him that she didn't quite catch. josiah clapped him on the shoulder, moving back over to the wall.

remy wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the process of getting stitches — having needed them a few times before over the years. doc rolled over nearby chair, sitting at her bedside. ❛ thank you carol, that'll be all. i'll take care of this. ❜ the woman just nodded, exiting the room quickly once more. the doctor patted remy's knee, above where the wounds were, clearly trying to comfort her. ❛ don't worry. i'm going to give you a shot to numb your leg. when that sets in, we'll get started. ❜

remy just kind of nods, slipping her arms into the sleeves of josiah's jacket. still feeling slightly cold, despite being inside of the building. looking up at the ceiling as doc gets the shot ready, wincing slightly as she feels the prick of the needle in her leg. ❛ very good. that'll take a few minutes to get going, then we'll clean this up. ❜

the doctor takes his time cleaning the wounds meticulously, the sterile smell of the cleaning alcohol filling the room, drowning out the smell of her blood. by this time, remy felt as if her leg has simply...vanished. and the pain had disappeared. luckily, unable to feel it as he worked. draping a sheet with a hole to give him access to the wounds, setting to work stitching her up, humming as he did so.

the brunette keeps her eyes on the ceiling for a few moments, before looking around the room. purposefully avoiding where doc was working away. instead finding josiah, worriedly watching her from against the wall. as the doctor continued to work, remy kept her eyes on josiah, a slight confusion settling onto her face, which seemed a little more pale than usual. as if she was trying to...figure him out. which, in truth, she was. maybe it was the fear and pain of the whole thing, but. remy had actually felt somewhat close to josiah tonight.

trekking through the building snow with her cradled against his chest, josiah kept his jaw hard and his focus on getting back as quickly, and safely, as possible. he wouldn't trip or stumble, steady in his boots and confident on his feet. despite her weight, his arms didn't quiver under the mild burn in his muscles. for a moment, there was only the two of them and his devotion to returning home.

it didn't take long for the reality to settle in, like a warmth that sat low ad then spread across his body. he tingled where they touched, where her blood draining onto his arms, staining his shirt crimson. his steps quickened as his thoughts raced.

this was the closest he'd been to another person in so long.

josiah, ever the disciple of denial and restraint, seemed to lose all resolve for divinity for her. every rule shattered, every universal truth twisted to bend to remy's accommodation. even his cult workings had become about her. preparing his followers for their queen in all but name. there was not a bone in his body that had not been consumed by her.

but, she realizes quite quickly that josiah doesn't seem to be heading back to his home. a building that had become a bit more familiar to her in the increasing freedom he had given her — letting her see bits of the compound. as remy had tried to earn his trust more, so that she could make her attempt to escape. considering how disastrous that had gone, she was just...tired. possibly from the blood loss, the chill, or...something else entirely.

remy looks up slightly from her spot against his chest, as they walk closer to a small building. inside, the walls of the small room they were painted in a sort of faded shade of light green. the room they entered had a meager counter, a handful of chairs, and a slightly chipped mural of the words 'laughter is the best medicine!' with blue skies and the sun shining. tired eyes only have a very brief window to look at her surroundings, as josiah walked them right past the little reception area and down a long hallway. shouldering into a small room with a similarly sort of faded pastel walls, this time a robin's egg blue. laying her on a exam table in the middle of the room, and hurriedly exiting, letting the door close behind him. remy draws his jacket closer around him, watching him leave, eyes taking in the room.

she could hear muffled voices from outside the door, and the sound of his heavy footsteps fading off. the door creaks open, and a blonde woman with her hair in a bun pokes her head in. she doesn't say a word, just seems to be assessing remy from there, with a sort of curiosity. but, she isn't there but a minute or two, not giving remy any chance to react to her presence before scurrying off. moments later, josiah re-entered the room — with a dark haired man in a white lab coat in tow.

the doctor steps closer to the exam table, with a friendly smile. ❛ so. i hear we had a bit of a little tumble. ❜ the doctor's voice seemed...unusally cheery, walking to the sink nearby to scrub his hands. ❛ i'm dr. victor henderson. most folks just call me doc, or doctor victor. ❜ he speaks with his back still to her, drying them, and slipping on a pair of blue gloves. remy was quiet, simply watching him as he moved about the small space. the man gave her a bright smile, that was surely meant to be reassuring, although she didn't exactly feel put at ease. ❛ let's take a little look-see, shall we? ❜

remy winced slightly, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out as the man began to carefully unwind the makeshift bandage, soaked through with blood, and put it in an empty metal pan on the small table nearby. a metallic sort of smell was thick in the air in the small room.