the queen bee 👑

the sound of melissa's voice, soft and quiet, brought a smile to jean's face — blue eyes flickered over to the other girl, joy flashing there. it was always nice to hear melissa speak.

around jean, she is safe to do so — there was no chance of her powers affecting her, not with the mental shields that jean has up — but it was understandable for melissa to be wary.

after all, jean knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed by powers beyond your control.

“ okay, ” jean replied, hand reaching for melissa's, “ what did you have in mind, pretty girl? ”

the crimson that tinted melissa's cheeks in response to the compliment made warmth blossom in jean's chest. how often had melissa heard compliments like this before? ones with no strings attached, with no sense of expectation around them? ones that were entirely genuine in their sincerity? jean can't help but wonder.

But the Professor found her; and with him, other people who introduced Melissa to the idea that she wasn't alone in being a mutant. It was still hard to believe that humans wanted the brunette not only sharing a space with them, but actively listened to her. For a spirited and sociable woman like Melissa, the idea of making friends and finding a circle of trusted connections once more was almost a dream.

But to meet Jean there... Now, that had been a miracle.

The compliments were still a novelty that made her blush every single time; she had been used to be called nice things by boys at school before, but they hadn't been like Jean (so beautiful and confident, not to mention kind); and thinking back on these occasions, she wasn't too sure she hadn't accidentally influenced that. But Jean was incredible - the strongest telepath she had met after the Professor, and her voice did nothing to the redhead.

Melissa was no malicious siren taking sailors to their deaths; next to Jean, she was just a harmless songbird. It filled the younger female with hope, adoration and no small amount of affection for the other student who had not only welcomed Melissa with so much sincerity, but also worked hard to have the newcomer feel like there was a home for all mutants out there.

"I..." Melissa hesitated, eyes darting around before finally settling on her senior's face. Jean was so good, so nice that it made her heart ache in the best way possible. It felt almost selfish to keep asking things of Jean, but once the younger girl started, she couldn't find it in her to stop, "A picnic, Jean? Remember that day when we were out by these woods outside the city to train so nobody could hear us? I thought it was so lovely, the sun was shining just right. I thought maybe... We could go back there, take some food? I did bake some cookies last night in case you happened to be free today, but I got some extra stuff too."

Melissa was almost out of breath by the time she finished saying it all; it dawned on her that she sounded like an excited toddler over something so mundane, and the blood rushed to her face again. However, the younger mutant fought the urge to hide her face and instead squeezed Jean's digits tenderly, offering the redhead the best smile she could muster after such a big request.

(  dialogue  prompts  taken  from episode one: faith of  the wolf among us (2013),  developed  by  telltale  games.  trigger  warning  for  dark  themes.  feel  free  to  change  as  you  seem  fit. )

❛ if you can’t afford to look human, you’re going to the farm. it’s as simple as that. ❜

❛ fucking hell. see? this is what i called you about, sheriff. ❜

❛ so, what am i walking into exactly? ❜

❛ get the fuck out of the way before you get the axe again. ❜

❛ look, i'm not leaving until i get what's mine. ❜

❛ hey! if you can't be nice, i'm gonna make you wait outside. ❜

❛ it's just little misunderstanding that turned into a real shit show. don't worry. you saw all the best bits. ❜

❛ i let you slap me around for a while. you're lucky i'm not charging extra. ❜

❛ look, this is just the start of a shitty night for me. i just need the money he owes me, then i can go. ❜

❛ my name's whatever you'd like it to be, handsome. ❜

❛ sorry, sheriff. wouldn't want to add any difficulty to your night. ❜

❛ seriously. i need to know if you're okay. ❜

❛ i know you're fucking in there. come on out, you fucking dog. ❜

❛ you alright back there? i mean... your eyes and the teeth... you're not supposed to do that, are you? ❜

❛ hey, do you like my ribbon? ❜

❛ beautiful... ❜

❛ i feel like we've met before... ❜

❛ we all sort of knew each other at one point. but things change, i guess. ❜

❛ stop. we don't have to make any more of a thing out of it than it already is. ❜

❛ stop changing the subject. if you don't answer my questions, i can't help you. ❜

❛ how much was it he owed you? ❜

❛ i'm guessing it'd be bad for you to show up empty-handed. ❜

❛ he hit you. he needs to pay for that. ❜

❛ just... take the money, okay? ❜

❛ you got me out of a bad situation back there... thanks. ❜

❛ meet me back at my office, then. ❜

❛ it's a little late for an office visit, sheriff. i'll swing by your apartment. ❜

❛ you should get cleaned up. you look like shit. and i don't use that term lightly. ❜

❛ it's okay. i'll be fine. you've done enough. really. ❜

❛ you're not as bad as everyone says you are. ❜

❛ see you around... wolf. ❜

❛ look, i've got an hour of paperwork ahead of me and i've already had to deal with one asshole tonight, so just— ❜

❛ you're out pretty late... ❜

❛ you can't be too careful these days. ❜

❛ thank you... for trusting me. really. i appreciate it. ❜

❛ what a night... ❜

❛ got a smoke? ❜

❛ i take it all back... this is why everyone hates you. ❜

❛ so... everyone hates me? ❜

❛ "it is better to be feared, than loved." you know who said that? ❜

❛ they fear you more than anything. you ate a lot of people back in your day. ❜

❛ i thought we were all supposed to have a fresh start here. i can't change the past. ❜

❛ who'd you get in a fight with? ❜

❛ i was doing my job, believe it or not. ❜

❛ i'm sure you were shitty to everyone you came across tonight. ❜

❛ will you shut up? ❜

❛ these walls are paper-thin... ❜

❛ we need to be careful. we'll talk outside. ❜

❛ there hasn't been a murder in fabletown in a long time... ❜

❛ all the more reason we shouldn't start a panic before we know what's going on. ❜

❛ you can see that someone didn't just toss her here. she was deliberately placed... for us to find. ❜

❛ what kind of monster would do this? ❜

❛ i found a trail of blood. ❜

❛ if anyone's to blame, it's me. you don't need to be yelling ❜

❛ instead of trying to assign blame, maybe we should figure out how to catch the fucker who did this. ❜

❛ do your job, sheriff... or we'll find someone who can. ❜

❛ well, that could've gone better. ❜

❛ oh, he doesn't like people smoking in— never mind. smoke away. ❜

❛ i probably should've listened to you. ❜

❛ wasn't gonna say i told you so. ❜

❛ that was an 8 on the asshole scale. asshole scale... that doesn't sound right. ❜

❛ tarot is a backwards art. i wouldn't put too much stock in its wisdom. ❜

❛ the longer you talk, the longer this takes, so just stand over there and shut up. ❜

❛ if you're gonna say something, out with it. ❜

❛ it's been the hottest summer in years, so why would you be making a fire? ❜

❛ i shot myself in the heart... thought i'd be dead by now... hurts like hell. ❜

❛ i know how it looks, but i had nothing to do with that. ❜

❛ come on. i'm bringing you in. ❜

❛ you almost looked peaceful. except you're lying in a dirty alley. with an open wound on the back of your head. ❜

❛ every time i think I'm getting a handle on what's going on... things just get more complicated. ❜

❛ it feels like we're always a step behind. ❜

❛ be honest with me. who do you think did this? ❜

❛ you look tired. ❜

❛ you're doing your best. it's all anyone can do. ❜

❛ not the advice i imagined hearing from you. ❜

❛ i... um, just be careful. please. ❜

❛ i'm being nice, so try again. ❜

❛ don't let him tell you what to do. you're your own woman. ❜

❛ i'd just like some help, then i'll be out of here. ❜

❛ don't lie to me. it'd be bad for everybody. ❜

❛ call me a liar, and it'll be bad for you. ❜

❛ how about i buy you a drink? ❜

❛ how about you keep your drink and piss off? ❜

❛ i know you're an asshole, and you're not wanted here. how's that for what i know? ❜

❛ i don't want to be here. you don't want me here. the sooner you answer my questions, the sooner i'll be out of your hair. ❜

❛ come on. you know why i'm here. ❜

❛ i'm a piece of shit, okay, i know that. but i didn't kill her. ❜

❛ i didn't realize you were the bitch of the bitch. ❜

❛ that all you got? ❜

❛ if you run, it'll be worse. trust me. ❜

❛ you said you wouldn't hurt me! ❜

They dabbled in the same vein of work it seemed. Her version was to ease the ones who felt they still had a mission, incomplete with their lives. Possession ran along a similar line. Some spirits he had withdrawn from others were the ones that refused to surrender their foothold in the living world. Melissa didn’t enjoy grounding them, nor did Hannibal. They were best to be at peace and grant such deliverance to their host as well. “And those that wish to stay? I suppose some find peace in that.” His eyes roamed over his kitchen, wondering if those spirits that she had spoken of knew of their past life. If they didn’t, were they content with mulling over this space with him in it?

He had encountered no darker presences in the house; no cold pockets in the hallway, no doors that resisted, no particular corner that the cat refused to enter. His stomach made itself known again, a low insistent sound, as the soup’s heady scent pushed into every corner of the kitchen. His fingers found the collar where he had left it on the table, and he turned it idly with his fingertips.

“Forgive me if this sounds stereotypical .. but do you work from a giant book that is placed on a podium?” Since putting down roots here he had never encountered such a concentration of unusual people in one place, each one stranger and more specific than the last. And yet he felt more at home in this small town than he ever had anywhere else on earth. More than Rome, more than the rectories of his early postings. Perhaps it was this reason alone that he had not taken any of the Vatican’s requests to venture too far away from the area. Every assignment that required a flight had been quietly refused. He filed his reports and gave them no reason to press the matter; his work here was demonstrably active, and he was never without something to report.

But their connection was not one-sided; the witch merely chuckled in a lighthearted manner, not at all offended by the ideas or beliefs that Hannibal nurtured about her kind. At her side, the pumpkin soup simmered softly, the aroma of the vegetable becoming increasingly entrancing for a hungry soul like the exhausted priest following his demanding day at work.

"Not at all times - but yes, we do have a very ancient grimoire that has been in the family for generations. It is a gorgeous item, to be honest; many witches before me added their own spells or recorded their thoughts. It is one of my most prized treasures - shared with my twin sister, of course."

Melissa moved again, slowly finding her way around Hannibal's kitchen to fetch a pair of bowls and gingerly serve the soup, but not before she sampled her own cooking with an humming sound of approval. The brunette picked a couple of spoons from the drawer, handing Hannibal his dinner and finding a chair to claim for herself, ready to join the priest for the last meal of their day.

"Bon appétit," she said in perfect French, but not yet digging in. Melissa's honeyed eyes observed him for a moment, as if taking Hannibal's figure again in that unique condition where he looked both priest and common man, the symbol of his faith something so utterly fascinating to see when it was cast away.

"Would you like to come visit? I know I have been imposing on your hospitality, but I would be more than glad to have you over at the Addams manor," she suggested, quietly studying Hannibal's expression to that offer. "My brother-in-law and sister would be delighted to have you and I could show you a day in my life, if you would be interested."

SCULMASK: indie / priv / sel / Atlus multimuse Exploring grief, death, the pain of loss and how it never truly leaves you; depression, anxiety, confronting your true self and coming to terms with it; isolation, belonging, finding justice in an unjust society

Various things spoken in an adventuring party pt. 3

It had been a tease, maybe even a joke: What if they get caught and have the whole world's attention on them. Not intentionally, god no. Tohru isn't interested in getting caught, not out of boredom nor out of some potential thrill he can't be assed to delude himself into. Maybe aspects of life are boring the fuck out of him, but he's not about to do something stupid that'll keep him from his wife.

But despite it being a joke, she catches him off guard with her reply. Sincere, no amount of sarcasm to be found tucked inside that perfect smile or adoring eyes of hers. For a brief moment, he simply gazes at her, then a grin curls his lips as he leans in to kiss her. "You can still catch me on my back foot, hm?"

He huffs a soft laugh when he pulls away. The knife in his hand has dropped blood onto her jeans, and he knows she won't be mad, but he also knows how much she really likes these ones. "Aw, shit. Sorry, Mel. I'll get you a new pair, okay? Go on, step back for a second." So much for their plan of not getting blood on them this time. Spur of the moment crimes tend to see this happen, though, and that's why they carry bleach on them. It'll fuck up her jeans, but at least the blood won't be identifiable.

Once a vulnerable victim in his hands, Melissa knew that he would never turn his back on her now. Tohru had seen the worst in the hostess - the malice, the jealousy, the violence - and chose to embrace it all instead of sending her to the precinct in handcuffs. There would never be another human being who could see her so profoundly, beyond the masks worn for the customers and colleagues alike - Melissa didn't need to hide and it made it all so delightfully... True.

In a world of lies, their love was the only thing that mattered.

"Please, Tohru - it's nothing," she replied, voice sincere; Melissa knew he didn't mean to stain the jeans and, besides, she had been a little closer than ideal. She couldn't help, though - Tohru was so good at what he did that Melissa felt like a clumsy child in comparison. It had been nothing short of a miracle that he caught her before anyone else in the force - otherwise, instead of a getting a husband, the brunette would have found herself behind bars for life.

"Can you teach me?" Melissa asked, hovering over his left shoulder and bending her body down to get a closer look without stepping in too close - she was the textbook definition of an eager student, not at all impressed by the blood, the gore or even the questionable thing about murdering another, "Should I twist my wrist in a certain way or is there a pressure point I'm missing? It's so hard to the take these off," she huffed, sounding a bit frustrated. Her career as a hostess had been very useful for the most unhelpful things only, such as eating elegantly from a fruit platter or pouring sake in a certain way.