#diamark

I rlly like this ship

I've legit just been binge reading fanfics of these two

My fave was the one where Diana was a vampire, it was so cute

But I also drew this because someone got on my nerves so I'm trying to get on their nerves by drawing this. I'm one of the pettiest people I know ngl.

Mark’s birthday art has pink flowers

None of Mark’s birthday arts had pink in them before

Diana’s hair colour is close to the colour of the flowers

Summary: Mark loves his wife more than he loves his baby and his motel. However, when guests come to stay at Mayhem's Motel, he pays close attention to them. He especially pays attention to Damon, who is currently searching for his missing childhood best friend. Note: Reverse: 1999 AU (Spoilers for Route 77 Event), (potentially) OOC Mark Word Count: 14,056 A/N: Diamark R:1999 AU based on these prompts, specically prompt 21 ("Are those handcuffs?") and prompt 171 ("License and insurance, please."), woah... Sorta the prequel to this Casseva one shot if anyone cares...

the scariest stories are the real ones

Mark is on a walk with his baby. He sees someone limping in the distance. He approaches her to see what is wrong. When he is closer, he sees that this girl is around 17 years old with a round face, an up-turned nose, pink hair that went to her waist, doe-ish pink eyes. Her braided hair is a mess, and her dress is ripped. She has bruises all over her, and she doesn't look like she has slept in days.

Mark has never been good at talking, but before he can leave, and she has spotted him. He clears his throat and asks, "Are you okay?"

The answer is clearly no. The girl doesn't seem to take offence to it, though her voice was heavy with sadness. "Do you know somewhere I can stay for the night? I-I don't have any money on me, though..."

Mark does not help people a lot. He especially doesn't help people after he started taking care of his baby who required so much attention. Yet, when he looks into her eyes full of unshed tears, he feels captivated by her. If the dirt on her face is washed off and she becomes a little happier, she would be the prettiest person he has ever laid his eyes on, even though she already is so beautiful.

He hates people that offer their help because the person asking is attractive, but he decides that he will be a hypocrite and invites her to his motel.

At the motel, he takes her to one of the free rooms. She goes into room 214. Before she enters, she makes the brief comment, "214 is Valentine's Day. It's a nice holiday."

Mark has never celebrated Valentine's Day. He never had a romantic partner, a friend, or a family who cared for him. He is about to agree with her anyway, but as usual, he does not say it fast enough, and she is gone. He does not let himself mourn the lost opportunity because he needs to get her clothes. He only has his own clothes to give her.

When he comes back to room 214, he hears running water from the bathroom, so he leaves the clothes on the bed. He knocks on the door and tells her to call him with the phone when she is done so he can give her food.

When he brings the food to her, he sees his clothes are a little too big for her. He's taller than her, so the shirt goes a bit to her thighs. The sleeves cover half of her hand like paws. The pants are what look the most natural on her. Now that she's cleaned up, with her hair cascading over her back like a waterfall, she looks better now. He was also right about her looking prettier.

As she eats, he wonders if he should ask what happened to her. He does not want to push her, but the woman is so mysterious. He wonders if this decision will kill him, as that is what happens to characters in horror stories. That can make for an interesting song, if he can live long enough to finish it.

He figures he has the right to know one thing about her. "What is your name?"

She looks up. She's confused for a second before she realizes what he's asking. "Oh! My name! It's... It's, umm..."

At her hesitation, he tells her, "I'm not going to tell anyone about you."

Mark thinks about bringing up one of his horror stories. In his hometown, the children would gather around a fire during summer and autumn nights and share scary stories. If he was lucky, he would go, but he always knew he only went because the others knew his stories were the scariest, and they wanted to see if their friends would get scared. He never minded it because it was one of the only times he felt like he belonged, but in the morning, he was back to being the arcanist freak who knows weird stories and needs his songs to use his arcanum.

He does not want to scare her away.

"If you're on the run from someone," he says instead, "your secret is safe with me."

She stares at him for a few seconds. Then, a brief, small smile appears. It makes her look even friendlier than she already does. He wonders what a bigger smile that lasted longer would look like on her.

"My name is Diana. Diana Venicia, 17 years old," she says. "You are?"

"Mark Berskii, 18," he answers, "but I also go by 'Mayhem.' Because we're in Mayhem's Motel. Which is my motel..."

"Can I call you 'Mark?' It's a nice name."

It is actually a boring name, but he feels honoured she thinks that. He nods.

"What is your baby's name?" she continues.

As his baby rustles, Mark holds his baby closer to him. "My baby doesn't have a name. An arcanist thing..."

She shrugs. "I don't think arcanists are weird. I'm a human, but I have an arcanist friend. He can use his eye to see things you normally can't. Not ghosts, but clues and stuff. It runs in his family, so a lot of them do things like detective work. We grew up together, and even though we're not best friends, he's still always there to help me."

"Will your friend be coming?"

"I don't think so. I live in a small town that doesn't have any phones, so I can't contact him through there, and he started travelling, so I don't know where he is right now..." Her shoulders hunch in on herself with every word.

Mark glanced to his baby. His baby is calm, so he takes it as a sign his baby likes her. "You can stay here."

"Really?" Her eyes meet his. "Is there something I have to do?"

Mark does not know why he is being so nice to her, but he does not want to deny her anything. "No."

Diana waits a second. Then, she gives him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Mark."

Her voice, so much stabler than before, makes his boring name sound like it's a beautiful name anyone should be honoured to have.

"It's nothing...Diana."

Her name sounds so pure, untouched by the cruelty of humanity. She has clearly gone through something, though. Again, he wonders what it could be.

After some registration, Diana is allowed to stay in room 214. Mark wonders how long she will be staying here. He is beginning to hope it will be for a very long time.

. . .

Mark's baby sobs against his chest. Despite being an arcanist, someone who could manipulate energy, he wasn't the strongest. He had no music. There was no way he could fight off these Critters.

When two women arrived, he was grateful. They did look a bit weird—one had grey ends in her black hair, and the other was dressed as what he assumed to be a cheap pilot costume—but he didn't mind. He didn't have to say much. He looked at them once, and they knew they had to help him.

Mark had managed to calm his baby down by the time the critters were gone. To the women who helped him, he said, "Thank you..."

"What are you doing out here?" the one with grey ends asked.

"I was looking for anything that would interest my wife." He smiled at the thought of her.

She frowned as she looked around. "We're in the 1990 Texan desert..."

"My wife finds beauty in even the mundane. I like to collect things for her."

"I think you should stay near home," the pilot said. "It's way too dangerous out here."

The one with grey ends looked at her. "We'll have to go. I'm sorry, sir, but our driver—"

"Your driver? He probably left by now," noted Mark. "Most people do. They hear horror stories here..."

The pilot crossed her arms. "He better not leave. Where are we even supposed to go here?"

He hated self-advertising, but his wife encouraged it. He needed people in his motel, after all. "My motel is nearby. Mayhem's Motel."

"Is that your name?" the pilot asked.

"I am...but you can also call me Mark." His wife calling him his name flashed in his mind. How he wished he could hear her voice right now.

"Our driver was scared on the ride here..." the one with grey ends muttered. "Mister Mark—"

"You can just call me 'Mark,' but if you want to be formal, my last name is Berskii."

"Mark, if our driver isn't here, where is your motel? We might not have money or our IDs..."

"That's okay. I met my wife by letting her stay at my motel for free." He patted his baby when his baby started to stir.

"I think we're going to go to our car now..." The one with grey ends nudged the pilot's arm.

"I can walk with you," Mark offered, thinking that would be what his wife would say. "Then I can walk you to my motel."

The pilot one nodded. The one with grey ends looked uneasy. That was how most people usually felt around him.

. . .

A few days pass. Diana is healthier, which makes her insist on helping Mark around the motel. She looks determined with a confident smile. Mark can feel his heart skip a beat whenever she looks at him like that. He wonders if his baby pressed against his chest can feel his heart race too. If he puts his baby to sleep and holds Diana close enough, she may be able to as well.

Mark discovers that he cannot say no to her. She has been wearing his clothes for the last couple of days. As much as she looks nice in them, he wants her to feel comfortable, so he washed the dress he found her in and sewed it back together. He also has bought new clothes for her. She's wearing one of the new ones right now. Knowing that she is wearing clothes he picked for her makes it feel like there are butterflies in his stomach.

Diana helps him wash the dishes. He has put his baby down to try to give her his full attention. The floor is still stable, so he knows his baby isn't angry.

"How does your arcane skill work?" she asks.

"I need music," he tells her. "Humming works, but singing is the most powerful. Depending on my song, I can manipulate my surroundings."

"That's interesting. How do you make your music?"

"I don't know. I just need to be inspired first."

"By what?"

"Horror stories help me the most."

"Anything specific?"Mark shakes his head.

"I don't like horror," Diana admits, "but could you tell me one? A story that inspired you."

Mark has been going through an art block. No horror stories have inspired him recently, so even though his arcane skills work perfectly fine, they don't feel right. It will only feel right when he makes new music and uses it for his arcane skills.

Mark wants to please Diana, so he tells her a short horror story. "There was once a couple that had an emergency and needed to leave their young daughter home alone. She was well-behaved, and they had a loyal German Shepherd, so the parents were calm when they left. The girl was excited, since this was her first time being home alone. Since her parents weren't here to tell her no, she went outside while it was night. She went to the town. Thre weren't many people around. She saw a notice from the Sheriff, warning about recent burglaries. She became scared and didn't want to keep going. She walked carefully back home. There weren't any suspicious figures.

"When it was time for bed, she called her parents to let them know everything was okay. Her parents said they would be back in the morning, so she went to sleep. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, she was awakened by the sound of dripping water. She called for her German Shepherd and stroked its fur. The dog licked her hand, like it was saying everything was fine. She went back to sleep. In the morning, she found her German Shepherd lying in a pool of blood. The dripping sound had been its blood pouring onto the floor. A giant Critter lay nearby, covered in bite marks. It was then that she realized that a monster had broken in last night, and that it must have been the cause of those disappearances. The only question that remains is if was it her dog that had licked her hand in the night or the hungry Critter."

Diana has turned the sink off. Her full attention is on him. He feels like he a child again. It is better this time, though. It is Diana who had asked him for a horror story.

Diana turns her attention back to the sink. She laughs, light and nervous. "That was a little scary... Where did you hear it?"

"I made it." It is far from his favourite horror story, but it is one he holds close, as it is the first he shared to the children in his neighbourhood.

"It's good."

"Thank you."

Diana's eyes wander around. Her posture is stiffer. She scrubs the dishes with more force. She has a tight smile that tries to look natural. He wants to touch her face and see how stiff and natural she actually is. Her reaction and face are so beautiful.

The ground shifts beneath him. Diana doesn't notice, but Mark does. He has to excuse himself to see his baby. In the crib, his baby cries and cries.

Mark picks his baby up. It cries in his arms so loudly that if someone comes to complain, he will not be surprised. He loves his baby, and he will do anything for his baby, but it is also the reason he had to leave Diana. There is a chance he likes being with Diana more than he loves his baby, and his baby is forcing him to stay away from Diana by crying in his arms.

Mark lifts the baby and throws his baby onto the ground. There is silence. It only lasts for so long until his baby starts laughing.

. . .

Just as Mark thought, the women's driver had driven away, leaving their belongings on the side of the road. As he walked them to his motel, he said, "What are your names?"

The one with grey ends spoke. "I'm Eva Tsunaka, the timekeeper of the Saint Pavlov Foundation. This is Cassidy Amber, a member of my team."

"Hey." Cassidy waved.

Mark had heard about the Saint Pavlov Foundation. They were an organization working to keep the peace between arcanists and humans. He asked them, "Are you here on a mission?"

"We're supposed to meet up with an editor from UTTU," answered Cassidy.

"The magazine for arcanists?" replied Mark.

"Yup," said Cassidy, "and we're looking for their editor named Eloise Taulner. She's got a swan for a head, and she's got a swan's neck, but the rest of her is a human's body. We haven't seen here, though."

Mark held his baby closer when his baby started to move.

At Mayhem's Motel, he helped them check in. After they paid in cash, Cassidy asked, "Hey, do you know if there's an armament factory nearby?"

Mark glanced at her pilot-like outfit. "You want a plane?"

"Yeah, my plane got taken for some repairs. I really want it back."

He nodded. After looking through one of the drawers, he hands her a map. "Be careful. It's dangerous at night."

"I'll be fine!" Cassidy studied the map. She shot a smile at Eva. "Stay safe, Eva!"

Cassidy left. Eva glanced around the room. Mark stared at her. She noticed and looked away.

"You're looking for someone?" When she nodded, Mark said, "A mercenary named Damon Maitsu is staying at this motel. I thought he was an officer or something. The ones that say things like, 'License and insurance, please.' But he only wanted a room."

"That's nice," Eva replied.

"Anyway, Damon came here the night before yesterday. Room 210. He's looking for his childhood friend. She went missing a few months ago."

"Thank you for the suggestion, but I doubt—"

The ceiling began to tremble. A surge of arcane energy came from above. Mark sighed. "Damon fights a lot with another girl here. Her name is Wenona."

Mark walked up the stairs to the second floor. He noticed Eva was behind him. Her room was on the second floor too, so it didn't surprise him. It would be best if she stayed behind him anyway.

On the second floor, two figures were down the hall. One said, "Aren't you supposed to be generous? It's just switching rooms."

"That's Damon talking," Mark told Eva. "I think he got into a car crash when he came in. He looked a little roughed up, but it sounds like he's doing better. He needs sleep, though. His friend wouldn't like knowing he doesn't sleep much to focus on finding her..."

"Why does he want to swap rooms?" Eva questioned.

"I don't know. If he wants to swap rooms with you, call the front desk. I'll try to help."

"Why don't you help now?"

"No one asked."

A female voice was heard from down the hall. "If your room is bigger and better than this one, I can consider it."

"Wenona, room 218," Mark told Eva.

"It's impressive that you can remember all your guests and their room number," she said.

He shrugged, adjusting his baby in his arms. "You'd remember Wenona too."

"What does that mean?"

"That's Wolfgang Akire," Mark said as a hagard man exited one of the nearby rooms.

Wolfgang's eyes were cloudy. He ignored him as he muttered about the mirror. It was such a shame his current room was the only free one when he arrived.

Mark's words got the attention of Damon and Wenona. The two approached him. Damon spoke first. "I want to swap rooms with Wenona."

"Then do it," he said.

"I want to see Damon's room first," said Wenona.

"All rooms are the same size and have the same furniture."

"So I don't have to switch rooms?"

"Why do you want to switch rooms?" asked Eva.

Wolfgang made a rasping sound, interrupting whoever was going to answer. He sounded like he needed water. His wide eyes were trained onto Eva. "Timekeeper?"

Eva stepped back. "Do I know you?"

His expression twisted. "Eva Tsunaka?"

"Yes, that's me..."

He pointed an accusatory finger towards her. His voice shook. "I saw you in the newspaper. The vacuum bomb... Did you see the explosion? You saw the explosion. You made it happen! You dropped the bomb! You murderer! But there was no justice. You were congratulated and given medals. Disgusting... Why were you rewarded for murder?"

Mark glanced at Eva. She had taken another step back. He glanced at the other two. Damon furrowed his eyebrows. Wenona looked at her nails.

"Meanwhile," continued Wolfgang, tangling his hand into his unkept hair, "I'm stuck in this motel in the middle of nowhere..."

In the brief silence, Eva slowly said, "I just found out your name was Wolfgang because Mark said it. I never met you before..."

His knuckles turned white from how hard he clenched them. "Of course you don't know me. But I'll get the truth out. I'll expose your crimes to the public! That monster in hiding, that swan-headed monster, that one inside the mirror..."

"Wait, swan-headed?"

"Stop," Wenona instructed Eva. "He's crazy. There is no use talking to him."

As if he wanted to prove her point, Wolfgang exclaimed, "I should've known it was all fake! If they're giving out medals for killing people, then I should have one too. That shiny medal..."

Wolfgang stepped towards Eva. Damon moved in front of her with his shotgun out. Wolfgang still lunged at them. Damon hit him on the back of the head with the back of his shotgun, knocking him out.

A man who had gone crazy is perfect for any horror story. That trope might have run dry, but the possibilities that came with it were still endless. If only he had a story to go with it...

Mark was brought out of his thoughts when Eva said, "Wolfgang said he saw a swan-headed monster. Mark, that might be the girl I'm looking for."

"He's delusional," Wenona said from her comfortable position away from the violence that had just unfolded but close enough to see it all. "He's been like that since he arrived here. He spasms, twitches, barely pays attention to his surroundings... I don't know who you're looking for, but don't take anything he says seriously. Anyway, Mark, I agree to switch rooms with Damon."

"Rest in the lobby while I clean your rooms," said Mark. "Eva, can you go to your room alone?"

"Of course." Eva headed to her room.

As Wenona headed downstairs, Mark watched Eva leave. She paused midway and looked behind her. Mark met her gaze.

Damon took his attention by saying, "Don't clean it. I need it the way it is for my work. And check on Wenona. She wouldn't stop shaking."

Mark watched the emerald light sparks in Damon's left eye until Damon turned his back on him as he entered room 218. Mark turned to look at Eva, but she had already entered her room.

. . .

Diana asks Mark if he likes the flooring and wallpaper of the motel. He tells her it is the only wallpaper he has. She tells him, "They remind me of my home."

Mark has never had an opinion on the wallpaper and flooring, but now, he adores them.

"Do you want anything else?" he asks her. "To remind you of home?"

Diana always purses her lips a little when she thinks. She does that now. "No, nothing. Except for food, maybe, but you don't know how to make it."

"I can learn," he argues.

"You can. It shouldn't be too hard, but I don't know how to cook it, so it's okay."

"Do you know how to cook?"

Her smile is embarrassed. "If I'm being honest, no... I told you a little about my childhood friend. If I'm hungry, he always tells me I'm an idiot for not knowing how to cook, but he always makes me food. That's our relationship, really. I do something that gets me in trouble, he scolds me for it, but he'll always help me in the end. I try to do nice things for him more often than not to try to even it out. I think I do a good job."

Mark does not know her childhood friend's name, but she makes him sound like an angel. He is sure her childhood friend is far from that.

"I can cook for you too," he says, trying to keep his voice steady.

"I know, Mark, and thank you. You've been doing a lot for me. How about—"

"Everything is already done," he interrupts. "You can relax."

"But—"

"I found the book you said you liked. It's in your room. On the bedside table."

Diana's eyes slightly widen. "Where did you get it?"

The book is from a dead woman's luggage. She has a lot of books he thinks Diana will like, but he will not give them all to her so fast. Giving them slowly means he gets to see her excited smile more often.

"It was supposed to be a surprise," Mark tells her.

She smiles. "It was one! Thank you so much! I think I'll read it by myself now, but after, how about I read you some? You said you liked horror, and this story doesn't include it, but I could do it."

Mark knows that if Diana had not told him that she likes the book, he would have hated this books. Since he knows that she likes it, he likes it too. He has considered reading it to be able to talk to her about it, but hearing her tell him a story is a lot better. He thinks about reading in bed, cuddled up with Diana as her smooth voice tells him a story only she can make sound interesting.

"That sounds nice," he says.

Diana leaves to read her book. With the wallpaper and flooring reminding her of her home, Mark can learn to make her favourite foods to make her as happy as being gifted the book did. Maybe if he does enough, Diana will be happy here. He would hate it if she is not. Her smile is too pretty to hide.

Mark will have to think about this later. The floor is unstable, which means his baby has woken up from the nap.

. . .

Mark was thinking about what Damon said about Wenona shaking. Grace wouldn't like it if she came back to see Wenona starved, but Wenona also didn't eat much. Mark decided to try to give her an apple anyway.

Wenona, who had made herself comfortable in her new room, scowled at the apple. "Are you mocking me?"

Mark held his baby closer to his chest as his baby started to rustle. "My baby is trying to sleep..."

"I don't care about your baby," she said in a quieter voice. "Don't mock me."

"I'm not mocking you," he said. "I'm only taking care of you, like what Grace said."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, Grace put you to this..."

"I'm only—"

"I don't care. Get out of my room, and tell whoever is prank-calling me to stop."

"What prank call?"

"I don't know. The phone rang, so I picked it up. I heard some taps. I hung up, but find out who it is and tell them to stop bothering me." She sighed, then turned her attention to her sharp nails.

Mark left the apple on the table. He hoped that when Grace came back, she knew that he tried to cooperate with Wenona. He put his hand on the doorknob, then stopped. "There's a service outage, but the internal phone lines are okay."

"I don't care."

Mark left. He considered finding Damon, but he might be busy. Cassidy was still outside, so he knocked on Eva's door. When she opened it, he repeated what he told Wenona about the service outage.

Before he left, Eva said, "I received a phone call just now."

"Did you hear tapping?"

"Yes, actually."

"I'll handle it. Do you need anything else?"

"No, thank you..."

Mark moved away as Eva closed the door. He waited, then he used his arcanum to enter through the red door. She sat by herself, her hands in her lap as she stared at the red walls. The crib next to her was empty. She didn't turn to look at him.

"Were you calling the others?" Mark asked.

She didn't reply.

"You shouldn't be doing that," he continued. "A woman was driving home alone at night when the radio broadcasted news of a local kidnapping. Then, her phone rang. At the same time, in her rearview mirror, she noticed a car rapidly speeding towards her. The woman was scared. She couldn't answer her phone now. The car behind her was after her, and she had to focus on driving to make sure her hands wouldn't shake the steering wheel.

"The driver kept chasing her. The woman, thinking the driver was harassing her, got angry. She swerved, ramming into the other vehicle. The driver was shocked, and he drove away. The woman sighed in relief, thinking she had finally shaken off the car that was following her. But what she didn't know was that a kidnapper had been hiding in her backseat all along. He had been unable to act due to that car, but now was his moment to strike."

"6/10," she said. "It has potential, but it's a little basic. It's based off old urban stories, right?"

Mark wasn't sure if he appreciated hearing feedback on his horror stories, but he agreed with her on this one. "Stop calling the others. You're bothering them."

The swan-headed girl shrugged. "I'll think about it..."

Mark nodded. "Thank you, Eloise."

. . .

Diana has bought flowers seeds for the motel. She says the motel needs more colour. Mark agrees with her because she is always right. She grows them like normal. He is certain these flowers are growing faster and have brighter colours than normal flowers.

She wonders if she should buy more. He tells her she can buy anything she wants, and he will pay for it. When she asks him what kind of flowers he likes, he looks at her beautiful eyes and answers, "Pink ones."

She smiles. "Those aren't a kind of flower, silly! I mean things like roses, tulips, sunflowers..."

"What's your favourite flower?"

"You're going to copy my answer."

He nods.

"It's okay to say you don't have one," Diana tells him. "I'll find pink flowers for you, though."

Mark feels like he should have an answer, though. He rocks his baby as he decides to research flowers later to have an answer for her. He hopes that whatever flower he picks will be one Diana really likes.

Just like how Diana really likes the lunch Mark has made for her. She says it reminds her of home. He is more than happy with her words.

. . .

A woman came in with the hood of her long coat tugged low, covering her face and body. Mark, standing behind the front desk, nodded towards her. "Hi, Grace."

"Is a redhead pilot staying here?" Grace asked.

"Cassidy Amber?"

"I think that's her name. I saw her in the armament factory. I told her my real name. She started questioning why I was here, so I lied to her and said I thought some kids were trying to steal the plans, which made me say the military organization stationed here, Zeno, stationed here started evacuating a month ago."

"Does she know about Wolfgang?"

"How he used to be a Zeno officer? I didn't tell her, so if she knows, it's not because of me. Isn't that soybean sick in the head or something, though? At least he's not drinking in the bar like that other Zeno soldier here, I guess... Oh, yeah, I also told her about the Order of Enlightenment. Said it was an occult society that was very active and was praying in the bar. She went there."

"Is that all?"

"Just thought you should know. The phone call line things are down, so I thought I should show up."

"They were fixed a little before you arrived."

"So I wasted my time. Great..." Her head moved towards the stairs. "How's Wenona?"

"She doesn't eat much, but she's fine."

"Good enough for me. May the Sufferer watch over you." Grace left.

Mark's baby started to cry. He held his baby close. His baby didn't like Grace. It seemed covering her body didn't do anything to make his baby like her more. Although, he wasn't sure if Grace was hiding her body for herself, Mark's baby, or Mark himself.

Mark went upstairs to get a bottle for his baby, but he saw Wolfgang in front of Wenona's room. He went back down the stairs and called her.

. . .

It is the middle of the night when Mark gets a call from behind the front desk. He picks it up. On the other end, Diana asks, "Mark, if you're not busy, can you come to my room?"

Her voice sounds small and vulnerable. If she is pushed too hard, she may cry. It makes his heart ache, but at the same time, a giddy feeling comes through him.

"Of course," he says calmly. He hangs up the phone. He uses his arcanum to enter the red door to put his baby down for a nap before he goes to Diana's room.

Diana is wearing one of the nightgowns he has gifted her. This one is long and white. She sits on the edge of her bed. Her hands are clasped in her lap. Her hair is falls straight down her back. Her posture is perfect, but her head is ducked down, hiding her worried face. The moonlight coming in from the window gives her an unearthly look.

She is so beautiful.

Diana notices him. She says, "I'm sorry for bothering you so late—"

"You never bother me," he says.

She takes in a deep breath. "Can I ask for a favour?"

"You can ask for anything."

"I-I... I had a nightmare. I don't want to be alone, so..." Her voice breaks off.

"I can stay with you," Mark answers.

Her shoulders relax. "Thank you..."

Mark sits on Diana's bed next to her. He makes sure she is under the blankets, even though she does not want to lie down yet. She holds his hand. Her hand is soft and delicate. He is scared to hold it too hard in case he hurts her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mark asks her. "Your nightmare?"

"No," she says. "I know you're busy—"

"I'll always make time for you."

"I know, and thank you. I really am grateful. And if that's really true..." Diana looks away. He wants to turn her head to face him, but she sits up. "When I was younger, I had a lot of different ways of dealing with nightmares. One of them was going to my childhood friend's house. He was annoyed by how I woke him up in the middle of the night, but he read me a story to keep me focused on something else. Sometimes, I would fall asleep while he was reading, and I would wake up to either find him asleep, or he was still reading."

"Do you want a story?" He tries to think of a story that do not contain horror. The closest one he has is how he became a father, but even that has some horror elements. He wishes he could think of a good one so he will be better than her childhood friend.

"I don't want one," she says, though it could be unfortunately, "but... One thing that always helps me is a hug..."

Mark hugs her. Diana buries her head into the crook of his neck. She takes a deep breath, steadier than the last one. She melts in his arms. He keeps her close to him like how he does with his baby.

This is the most Mark has touched Diana. It feels wonderful to hold her. He knows her nightmare has something to do with why she was hurt during their first meeting, but he will not demand answers. He is a patient man, at least when it comes to her, and for now, his only want is to memorize how it feels to hold her and wonder when he will be able to do this again.

. . .

There was the sound of a gunshot on the second floor. Mark went there. Wenona was standing in the hallway. Wolfgang was on the ground with a bullet wound on the side of his head. His body was limp and twitching, and there was a pistol in his hand.

Wenona's eyes spotted Mark. "I didn't do this."

Mark didn't reply.

Eva had come out of her room. Damon was behind her with his shotgun. Eva looked over the crime scene. "What happened?"

"He pulled out his gun and shot himself in the head," recounted Wenona. "But I didn't do anything. We all know was already crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if Eva gave him a hallucinogenic..."

Eva narrowed her eyes. "Why specifically me?"

Damon knelt down next to Wolfgang's dead body. "Gunshot residue, powder burns near the wound, gunpowder particles on his fingers... Wolfgang Akire died from a gunshot wound. The bullet was fired from the pistol in his hand and went straight through his skull."

"That's what I said," muttered Wenona.

Damon's voice raised a bit. "This is a Zeno pistol, Wenona."

"So? If you're thinking of accusing me, you should know that I don't work for Zeno."

Damon stood up. "Prove it. What happened?"

"Please don't waste our time," added Eva, standing next to him.

Wenona scrunched her nose. "You put a lot of trust into your left eye, Damon. I can understand why, considering your arcane skill, but can I recommend getting glasses or something similar to help you see at night? Your eye doesn't work as well in the night. Isn't that why your car crash happened?"

Damon's expression hardened. "Are you going to answer?"

She looked at Mark. He stared at her as he rocked his baby.

She looked back at Damon. "I suppose, as long as my name is cleared... Wolfgang came to Mayhem's Motel a little after I did. Ever since he came here, I would see him pacing around the hallway all the time. I was getting sick of it, and I was finally done with it a few days ago. I thought I could handle Wolfgang myself, and I also thought I could solve this without violence, so I asked him what was on his mind to ease him into the conversation. Then, he started screaming at me to get away from him. Mark stopped him. Right, Mark?"

He nodded.

"Wolfgang stopped pacing the hallway. Today, I found a letter Wolfgang had slipped under my door. He apologized for his behaviour. I was questioning if I should move past this when Mark called me. Right, Mark?"

He nodded again. "Wenona wondered if it was dinner time. It wasn't. I was asking if she was having more problems with Wolfgang. He was looking through the peephole of her door."

"Do you still have the letter?" Eva questioned Wenona.

"Of course not," she said. "It's somewhere in the bin of my room."

Damon went to retrieve it. Once he returned, he read out loud, "'Dear Miss Wenona, I want to apologize for my behaviour in the hallway.' That's all it says. How did he know your name?"

"How am I supposed to know? Maybe he heard it when Mark or my friend called me."

"Friend?"

"I can make friends, even though I doubt that can be said about you..."

"Other than knowing her name, it sounds fine to me," said Eva.

Damon didn't blink. "This looks like a woman's handwriting."

Wenona huffed. "Judging people's gender based off their handwriting? It's 1990. You should be a little more progressive."

"Wolfgang's handwriting is a little feminine," said Mark. "I saw him write when he first came into the motel."

Damon's eyes didn't leave Wenona. "Even if that's true, why were you at the scene of the crime?"

She looked away from him. "I was hungry."

"You get room service and a free meal a day."

Wenona stayed silent for a second. She mumbled, "I'm not eating whatever else Mark has to offer..."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Did anything else happen?"

"After Mark called me, I stayed in my room. After some time, he knocked on my door. I think it was around 15 minutes ago. I knew I shouldn't have, but I opened the door. He tried to force his way into my room, but I closed the door before he could. He started accusing me of being with Zeno and trying to make him drop his guard so I could turn him in. Then he started talking about a plan, but I don't know what that was. He said didn't make the plan, didn't execute it, and didn't press the button. He only exposed it, but from what he said, I think they, probably Zeno, want him dead.

"Then he accused me of working with Eva. Eva, I don't know what you did to make him hate you, and I have no shame in saying I would have asked, but before I could, he started talking about a perfect heavenly realm above us. I tried to get him to go away, but after telling me my plan was doomed to fail...he shot himself," she said in a quieter voice. "Now, we're here."

Mark sighed before Damon could ask the many questions he definitely had. "There's so much blood, and it's so hot. It will smell soon..."

"You should get rid of these carpets," suggested Wenona. "I've been meaning to tell you this light colour makes stain and wear so easy to see. Try choosing a darker one next time."

"My wife likes the flooring and wallpaper." He glanced to the floor. "But I guess I'll have to buy a new carpet. Maybe I can find one like this..."

Eva stepped forward. "Can I ask you a question, Mark? Damon and I have been...looking around."

"For his childhood friend?"

"Yes, that... I started to wonder if you ever had a guest who looked like or claimed to be the Manus Vindictae."

"Manus Vindictae..." He said the words slowly. "What is that?"

"It's a dangerous arcanist group. Most dress in black and blue, some drool, and most can't speak in full sentences."

"Like a baby." Mark rocked his baby that was dressed in white blankets. Maybe he should switch to black or blue, perhaps both.

"Sure... They all wear masks shaped like hands," she added. "Have you seen any?"

Mark looked up from his baby. "My wife likes blue. She sometimes wore it. She avoids black. It's too sad for her, but she looks good in all colours and shades. She's the only 'guest' here that wore blue. Wenona's wearing black right now—"

Wenona moved her arms to cover herself, but it would be hard to do so when most of her clothes were black.

"—but she never wears blue. No guests here wear both. And no one wears hand-shaped masks."

"You could get your point across faster if you don't talk about your wife," muttered Wenona.

Mark didn't reply to her. "And... Evil organizations are usually secret. I don't think I'd know if one stayed here..."

"Take me to his room," Damon instructed Mark. The barrel of his shotgun was pointed to Wolfgang's corpse.

"You can go by yourself," he said. "It's room 214. It's where my wife used to stay. She has a soft spot for Valentine's Day."

Mark adjusted his baby in his arms. Wenona muttered to him that she was going for a walk before leaving. Eva and Damon seemed to be in a new conversation, so Mark headed downstairs. His baby was getting fussy.

. . .

Mark has gotten more clothes for Diana. He makes sure the dresses are long, but today, he finds Diana looking at herself in the mirror of her room with the skirt of her dress hiked up. Scars and bruises crawl up her legs.

Diana makes eye contact with him in the mirror. Mark doesn't look away, absentmindedly rocking his baby in his arms.

"Mark," she says quietly, "do the scars look weird?"

"No," he answers without hesitation. "You look beautiful."

She frowns. "You're not lying? There are more scars on my body that you can't see right now. Mainly my torso..."

"I'm not lying." A thought enters his mind of touching each mark on her body. He wants to trace each scar from start to end and make endless loops around them bruises. Diana's body is undoubtably a work of art, and even the marks on her body can't change that.

Diana stands up straight. She lets go of the skirt, and it falls over her legs, covering the marks. She continues to look at Mark through the mirror. "I always wanted to go to the beach, but women who go there show a lot of skin. If I show my skin, all the scars will be exposed. What will others say...?"

Mark feels annoyed at the thought of others finding Diana disgusting, but at the same time, he is happy that he will be able to admire her by himself. He does not mind sharing, but it is always nice to have something or someone, in this case, to himself.

Since he must answer her to please her, Mark says, "If anyone judges you, say I abuse you."

Diana whirls around. "Mark, don't say that! That's not something you can just say! You're not a bad person—"

"I don't mind being seen as a bad person for you." Mark knows he is a bad person anyway. Everyone has told him that as he was growing up. As honoured as he is that she thinks otherwise, Mark being a bad person is only the truth.

Diana is stubborn, furrowing her brows. "I don't care about that! Just... Don't ever say that again! You've done so much for me, and I won't let anyone see you as a bad person."

Mark doesn't say anything. Diana is so generous and kind, getting so upset over others seeing Mark for what he truly is just because she believes he is better than that. He doesn't know what he has done in his life to deserve her.

. . .

"Can I tell you a story?" Mark asked Eloise.

"Okay," she said.

"A young couple was driving to a party. They were having fun until the girl remembered some news she had heard earlier that day: A man known as the Hook Hand Slasher, called that because his right hand was a metal hook, had escaped from a mental institution and was roaming the area. They were scared, but they wanted to continue having fun. They turned on the radio to their favorite station. Soon, they forgot about the Hook Hand Slasher. They were driving steadily, but suddenly, their old station wagon broke down in the middle of the road.

"Fortunately, they had some tools. They decided to try to fix the car. However, they found that they couldn't. Being alone in the middle of the road made them think of the Hook Hand Slasher, and they became scared again. The boy went to the nearest gas station for help, while the girl stayed in the car. She grabbed a baseball bat from the trunk for protection. Before he left, they agreed that the boy would knock on the car door three times when he returned. The girl was nervous the entire time she was alone. Not long after, she heard knocking. After three knocks, she heaved a sigh of relief.

"But then there was a fourth knock, then a fifth, then a sixth. She realized something was wrong. She took the baseball bat with her as she left the car. When she got out of the car, she saw someone grinning and walking toward her. Summoning her courage, she swung the bat and knocked him out cold—only to realize it was her boyfriend, returning from the gas station."

"4/10," Eloise decided. "It's far-fetched, but it's amusing."

He frowned. "It's not supposed to be amusing..."

"I know, but I thought it was."

"Are you ever affected by horror stories?"

"No. Being with UTTU has made me seen a lot. Simple horror stories don't scare me much, or make me feel uneasy." Eloise glanced around the room like she was searching for something.

Eloise was so unlike his wife. Something about Eloise reminded Mark of her, most likely how soft they both were with their words—though his wife's softness was a lot more pleasant—but his wife had clear reactions to his horror stories. Maybe it was the swan head, but Eloise was too much like an editor. It was good for her job, but he didn't want an editor.

Mark left Eloise soon to go to the front desk. His baby had become restless after Wolfgang's suicide. As he tried to calm the baby down, he called Grace. When she picked up, he asked her why a Zeno officer might be so angry with Eva.

She answered, "With the permission of the Saint Pavlov Foundation, the timekeeper of the Saint Pavlov Foundation, Eva Tsunaka, worked with Zeno to make a vacuum bomb and kill one of the powerful leaders of Manus Vindictae. A video of it got leaked, so Zeno officers were pulled out of the region. If that soybean went into hiding and was so pissy about the timekeeper being here, he's probably the one that leaked it."

Mark's eyes went to the window. It was dark, but he spotted familiar red hair. "I think a guest needs help."

"May the Sufferer watch over you." Grace hung up.

Mark, with his baby now calm, exited the motel. He tapped Cassidy's shoulder from behind. She flinched, her fists ready for a fight, but relaxed when she saw him. "Oh, hey..."

"How was your trip?" he asked.

"I got my, uhh, plane back, so it's fine..."

"You look pale..."

"Because you sneaked up on me."

"Sorry..."

Mark didn't add anything else. Cassidy asked, "Where's Eva?"

"I turned on the lights for you," Mark said. "In case you couldn't get back. It's not just for you, though. I keep them on for my wife so she knows she can always find her way here, to safety. I don't know if she ever knew, but I did. Before her, I never turned them on. My baby never got lost. But you might."

Cassidy crossed her arms. "Are you part of the Order of Enlightenment?"

Mark held his baby to his chest. "I hate it when they come here. They make a mess... They hurt my baby, but most importantly, they hurt my wife. Only one of them can keep these...these criminals under control."

Cassidy was clearly fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Are they here?"

"Of course. She made an offer I couldn't refuse."

"How much did she pay you?"

"I only ask for money because it's standard for motels to. Otherwise, I would never want money from anyone."

She groaned. "Screw this! I'm not wasting my time talking to you anymore! I'm gonna find...find..."

Mark started humming his wife's favourite song. He watched Cassidy blink, her expression becoming less angrier with each one. He watched as she fell to the ground, asleep.

. . .

Diana has asked to talk to Mark in her room. Mark goes without his baby. In her room, she sits him down on her bed and says, "I want to tell you the story behind how you found me."

Mark nods. He focuses solely on Diana. He holds both of her hands firmly and meets her gaze. She holds his hands tightly, staring at them. She is shaking.

As much as he loves the idea of knowing everything about her, he wants her happy. "You don't have to tell me if you're not ready."

She looks at him with a more determined look. "I am ready. I want to tell you my story because you deserve to know, after everything you've done for me. I-I'm a little nervous, but I practised. You'll get the whole story. Well, you'll get everything I know. Which isn't a lot..."

"It's okay. Take your time."

Diana looks at their hands again. She takes a deep breath. "So, I'm a little...impulsive when it comes to helping people. I've always wanted to see people smile, but sometimes, I don't think about the consequences of helping them. Like how if I help some merchants sell their goods, I won't have time to study for my test the next day. My childhood friend scolds me whenever I do that, but he always helps me out in the end, like teaching me everything I need to know before the test begins. Sometimes, he helped me cheat. If he was there that evening, he would've stopped me, but since he wasn't, when a neighbour told me his cow had escaped and went out of town, I immediately offered to help.

"I searched far for the cow, but I'm not stupid. I didn't go far enough to get lost, but that didn't matter. A group of people dressed in black and blue with weird masks that looked like hands approached me. Before I could say or do anything, they attacked me. I-I think they knocked me out somehow, because..." Her voice broke off as tears filled her eyes.

Mark wants to hold her, but she holds his hands too tightly for him to let go. He moves closer to her instead. "Do you want to stop talking?"

"No. No, I can do this." Diana blinks hard and few times before she continues. "They knocked me out and kidnapped me. When I woke up... I don't remember a lot. I'm sorry—"

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"I know... But anyway... My memories are fuzzy. All I remember is that I found out my kidnappers are arcanists, and they were doing some sort of experiment on me. I think there were others, but I never saw any of them. I-I don't think I can tell you in detail what happened or else I'll start crying"—she sniffles—"but I got out by myself. I found an exit, and I took it. I had nothing on me except my ripped clothes, and I didn't know where I was. I felt so tired, but I wanted to live. I kept walking to find something, but I found nothing for so long that I thought I was going to die."

She had a small smile. "But then I met you. I was worried you might kidnap me, but I figured I've gone through enough that whatever you might've had planned would be nothing. I'm so lucky that you're so kind to me."

The horror story Diana has gone through sounds like the perfect horror story. In the back of his mind, an idea for a new song starts to form, but the story feels incomplete. Mark forces it to stay away because even though this is perfect for a new song, Diana was hurt. She deserves the world and more, and these cruel people want her for their sick experiment.

"You're very brave," Mark tells her as calmly as he can.

"That doesn't matter. The more important thing is that you saved me from dying. If you need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask. I don't know if I can do everything you ask, but I'll try. I'll never be able to repay you for saving my life, so I'll always be indebted to you. I know you're not greedy enough to take advantage of me, but maybe you should be a little greedy. I really want to make you as happy as you make me. Thank you for everything, Mark."

Diana smiles. It is smaller and shyer than her usual ones, but it is genuine. Her grip on his hands has loosened, so Mark lets go to cup her soft face. She leans into his touch.

"You can stay here for as long you want," he tells her. "This can permanently be your room."

Her laugh is short, yet it is light and sounds lovely. "I'm robbing a guest of their room when I'm not even paying, but I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm not lying," he adds.

"I know."

"You're always safe here."

"Thank you for that."

"I'll never let anyone hurt you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Diana's face has moved closer to Mark. He is unsure who moved closer, and he is unsure who closes the gap between them. All he knows is that her lips are now against his. The kiss is gentle.

Diana has gone through a lot. As much as Mark loves stories like that, he wants Diana to be happy with him here. He will protect her here at Mayhem's Motel, like how a husband protects his wife.

. . .

Someone called the front desk. Mark picked up and immediately heard Wenona's voice. "I was eavesdropping on Damon and Eva's conversation. They found some hair belonging to Damon's childhood friend in Wolfgang's room, and they heard some swan ask for help. Then they found me, and they discovered I'm part of the Manus Vindictae with Grace. I'm going to feed myself while I'm out here, but I'll be back before Grace is."

Wenona hung up. Mark hoped Grace wouldn't get upset if she found out about this.

Mark turned to look at the stairs when he heard footsteps. Damon was walking down with heavy steps. He placed some cash onto the front desk.

"Eva says I have to pay for breaking a mirror," he said, avoiding eye contact.

Mark frowned. "Which mirror...?"

"The one in the room of Wolfgang's bathroom."

Mark froze. He almost dropped his baby. He forced himself to begin rocking his baby to give his mind something else to focus on. Quietly, he asked, "Did you hear a voice?"

"A voice?"

"Did you?"

"Just because I don't sleep a lot doesn't mean I hear voices."

"But did you?"

Damon didn't reply for a second. He stiffly said, "It's none of your business."

Mark took that as a yes.

"Whose voice did you hear? Your childhood friend's?"

He looked startled, so although he didn't answer, that was another yes.

"What's your childhood friend's name anyway? You never told me."

He hesitated again, but he answered. "Diana Venicia. She's 17 years old with a round face, an up-turned nose, pink hair that goes to her waist, and doe-ish pink eyes." He narrowed his eyes. "Have you seen her? I think she was a guest here."

"I forget a lot of the guests after they leave. Names take up too much space. A guest left a little bit ago, and I already forgot who that was." Mark pushed the money back. "I'll clean up the mess later. Keep the payment."

When Damon left with his money, Mark held his baby close to his face. He stared at his baby's face, taking note of its appearance. He blinked hard, taking a deep breath in. Then he called Grace.

"Damon broke the mirror in room 214," he told her.

"What am I supposed to do?" she responded without any care in her voice.

"Is there—"

"No. There is nothing anyone can do now. May the Sufferer—"

Mark hung up. He closed his eyes again and tried not to cry.

. . .

Mark now knows how to make all of Diana's favourite meals. He loves seeing the happy look on her face when she sees it. He wants to discover more dishes that can be her favourite once she tries it. Diana is still 17, but once she is 18, they can get married. He will have a lot more time with her to find out her favourite meals that way.

They are washing dishes together when Diana tells Mark, "I've been thinking about finding my way home."

Mark looks up from his baby. He holds his baby against his chest, ignoring the way his baby scratches at having the brief nap ruined.

Diana sees the look on his face. "It's okay. I'll come visit you at Mayhem's Motel."

"Visit?"

"It will depend on when I'm free. I might be able to stay here for a month if I'm lucky, but I'll always come back to you."

That is a lie. Whenever someone leaves this area, they never come back. Diana will be no exception. She will leave Mayhem's Motel, then she will leave this area, and she will not look back.

"Where do you live?" he asks, his voice calmer than he feels. "Is it near?"

"I don't think so, but I live in Texas. When you look at the bigger picture, Texas isn't that big of a place."

Texas is a place where thousands of people lived. Mark is going to lose Diana. She is trying to leave him. She is no different from everyone else.

Mark holds his baby in one arm. With the free arm, he wraps it around Diana's waist from behind. She stops washing the dishes.

He puts his head on her shoulder. "When I was growing up...not a lot of people liked me."

She puts her hand over his. "I wish we lived in the same neighbourhood. I would've loved to be your friend."

"I would love that too, but I'm not used to people caring about me...like how you do. And I'm not used to feeling this way about anyone..."

She puts her hand over his. "Feeling what way?"

"I want you, Diana. I want you here with me." He wants to make her his wife.

"I'll come back," she says. "I promise, I will. I'll even introduce you to everyone. My family, my friends... They'll all love you."

No one Diana knows will love or like him. No one ever has. Not even his baby does. Diana is the only one who has seen him as someone worthy, but her views will be corrupted by the others around her. She is too perfect for him, but he is too selfish to let her go.

Mark is greedy, so he kisses Diana. Because he is greedy, he will also find a way to keep her here. His wife will be with him forever.

. . .

Mark went to the red door of room 707. Eloise was in there and was putting a phone down. The curtains swayed like a pulsating heart.

Before he could question her, she said, "I talked to Eva and Damon. I told them this motel has some supernatural life force, and that I'm trapped in this red room. A gun shot something..."

"You can talk through the phone." Mark glanced to the door. "Can you get out?"

"If I could, I wouldn't be here." After a second, she added, "I saw Damon before. I was on the sidewalk after being dumped there by my previous driver. He didn't let me in. Apparently, he came back for me, but you already took me here... He asked if I saw a girl that was 17 years old with a round face, pink hair that went to her waist, an up-turned nose, and doe-like pink eyes. I told him I did. I thought she was shopping because she had a basket with her. Her...her name is Diana."

Everything was falling apart. Mark sighed and asked, "Can I tell you one more horror story before you go? I fixed the last one."

She nodded.

"A young couple was driving to a party. They were having fun until the girl remembered some news she had heard earlier that day: A man known as the Hook Hand Slasher, called that because his right hand was a metal hook, had escaped from a mental institution and was roaming the area. They were scared, but they didn't want to miss the party, so they turned on the car radio and tuned in to the local news station. The host reminded them that the Hook Hand Slasher was still at large, and the last sighting was on the road they were driving on.

"They were driving steadily, but suddenly, their old station wagon broke down in the middle of the road. Fortunately, there was a gas station nearby. The boy suggested he went there and ask for help. Before he left, they agreed that when he returned, he would knock on the car door three times. The girl stayed in the car alone, overwhelmed with anxiety. Not long after, she heard the sound of knocking. After three knocks, she sighed, relieved. But then came the fourth knock, then the fifth, then the sixth.

"The girl was terrified. She stayed where she was, locking the doors and spending the whole night in the car. The next morning, she was found by the police. As they took her out from the car, they told her not to look back to avoid further trauma, but she couldn't resist glancing over her shoulder. Then she understood. The sound she had heard the previous night was indeed her boyfriend knocking, but it wasn't his fingers—it was his toes. His body was hanging over the roof of their car."

"9/10. The ending feels cheap."

"I'm never going to get 10/10 with you..." Eloise was so unlike his wife. Mark should've never gone the lengths to try to keep her here.

Eloise looked at him with her swan eyes. "You seem sadder than normal."

The windows rattled gently.

"Do horror stories power your arcane skill?" she questioned.

The windows rattled more.

"My baby wants me," he said. "You'll be leaving?"

"I hope so..."

Mark exited the room. He saw the pool of Wolfgang's blood, but Wolfgang's corpse wasn't there anymore.

He sighed. "I told you not to eat things off the floor..."

His baby cried in his arms.

"It's okay. I'm not angry..." Mark rocked his baby and walked away.

. . .

Diana finds beauty in everything. Mark finds this adorable, but since he needs to convince her to stay, he needs to make her want to. Even though they live in the Texan desert, there are still many things that can be found here. Diana was one of them. Something in here should interest her.

On Mark's walk, he finds a person. She is his height and wears clothes that are too formal for where she is. She doesn't look lost or hurt, but the last time he has found a person out here, it was his wife, so he will be nice to her.

Mark approaches her. "Are you lost?"

With her teal eyes, the woman glances towards Mark's baby. He pulls his baby closer.

"Do you know where Mayhem's Motel is?" she asks.

He nods. "I can walk you there. I'm the owner."

"Mark Berskii?"

"Yes..." He wonders if he will change his last name when he marries Diana, or if she will take his last name. A hybrid of their names is also a possibility. All the ideas make his heart race, but he does not let it show. "Who are you?"

"My name is Wenona," she says. "I need to talk to you. I know about Diana's kidnapping."

Mark takes a step back. "Are you one of her kidnappers?"

"No," Wenona says, "but I know them. They're called the Order of Enlightenment."

The name sounds familiar. Mark is certain one of the guests talked about a cult that is called that. They have moved to a town that is a few hours away. They are getting closer to Diana.

Before he can say anything, Wenona says, "They want Diana. They're going to take her from you whether you want to them to or not. You could try to fight them, or you could do this the easy way."

"The easy way?"

"They know how to make Diana stay with you forever."

He blinks. "What?"

"They know you like being with her," she continues. "They can find a way to keep her with you forever."

Mark stares at her. Wenona acts bored and annoyed. She is repeating things she has been told. She wants him to say no.

"What will happen if Diana stays with me forever?" he asks.

Wenona is clearly resisting an eye roll. "She'll be with you forever."

"Will she feel pain?"

"Emotionally, probably. Physically, she can, but it should be easier protecting her after the Order of Enlightenment are done with her than it is protecting her now. Her physical pain will be over with shortly anyway."

Mark has told Diana he will protect her. He can fix emotional damage, but physical ones will take longer. If he agrees, Diana will be with him forever. She can be happy. He can be happy.

"What does the Order of Enlightenment want to do?" Mark asks Wenona. She does not look pleased at his answer, but he does not care about her.

. . .

After his baby calmed down, Mark returned to where the red door was hidden. She saw Eva and Damon making a clear attempt to get inside. Mark stared at them until they both realized he was watching.

Damon's gaze was sharp. "How do we get to room 707?"

Mark continued to stare.

He scowled. "Don't play dumb, Mark. The girl Eva's looking for might be in that room."

Eva nodded as well, although her focus was still on the wall where 707 should be.

Mark continued staring.

"Your silence means we can't negotiate." In Damon's left eye, a glimmer of emerald light ignited.

There was no reason to help his enemy, so Mark began, "Three."

"What?" said Damon.

"Two," said Mark.

"Your mind games don't work on me," he said.

"One."

Damon blinked. The emerald light in his eye was gone. The scowl changed to a frown. His wide eyes darted around the room. "Who turned the lights off?"

Eva's attention was finally off the wall. "Damon, the lights are still on."

Damon fumbled out Picrasma candy from her pocket. Eating it explained why he could use his arcane skill so often. The candy fell from his grasp.

Eva picked it up from the ground and handed it to him. She looked a little tired, like she already had the conversation that eating too much Picrasma candy is bad.

Damon ate one candy. Then, he ate a second, then a third. He muttered, "My vision should be 150% rnow. Why can't I see?"

"You eat too much candy," said Mark. "My wife would've told me that if I ate that."

Eva turned to him. "Who exactly is your wife?"

Mark ignored her. "This is embarrassing, Damon. You're supposed to be able to see everything, but now, you're blind. Diana... If she saw you, destroying your eyesight when—"

Damon shot his gun. He missed Mark, but his baby started crying. Damon cursed under his breath, while Eva asked, "What made that noise?"

"My baby's scared of guns," Mark explained.

She stepped back. "That doesn't sound like a baby's cry..."

"Okay, but Damon tried to shoot me." Mark moved his baby in his arms to uncover his chest but keep the baby far away enough to not get shot. "You can try again, but you won't find room 707 if I'm dead. Eloise, Di—"

"Don't you dare say her name!"

Damon was ready to shoot again. Eva put her hand on Damon's arm, pulling him back. She said, "Mark, we need to talk."

"My baby wants to meet you."

She frowned. "Your baby?"

Mark looked down at his baby. "If your hands are clean, you can hold my baby. Isn't my baby cute?"

Without hesitating, Mark gave his baby to Eva. She gasped. "Oh! It's... It's..."

"Cute?"

"It's a baby alligator, a baby chameleon, and a human fetus all in one..."

"So cute?"

Eva grimaced. She continued to hold his baby, but she kept his baby as far away from her body as she could.

"My baby controls everything in this motel," he said. "You saw how Wolfgang's body disappeared?"

"We found a note Wolfgang wrote... He said he saw something in the mirror—"

"The one Damon broke?" Mark's lips pinched into a thin line. With a hint of pride, he said, "My baby ate Wolfgang's body."

He wondered if his baby would eat their bodies next.

He could tell his baby was taking Eva far, far away. Her dreams might be scary, including all her worst fears. The song that could be created from it might be strong, but Mark was more interested in the man next to him. He stepped on his foot when Damon tried to reach for Eva and get her to let go of his baby. Even in darkness, he still managed to be heroic. He wondered if Diana thought she would always see this side of him.

His baby wasn't only working with Eva, though. Damon was currently being affected. He watched his mind fall into his own nightmare until someone said from behind, "You're busy."

Mark turned around to see a girl that was 17 years old with a round face, pink hair that went to her waist, an up-turned nose, and doe-like blue eyes. He nodded towards her. "Hi, Grace."

She looked at Damon. "That's the soybean that shot the mirror? Less impressive than I thought... Where's Wenona?"

"Come back when it's less busy," he said. "Wenona will be here. Succubi are loyal like that."

Grace looked between them all. "You better be telling the truth," she spat out before she left.

Mark didn't care if Wenona was here or not. He still had these two to play with.

. . .

Diana clings to herself as she sobs. Her entire body shakes, and she cannot stand, curling up on the floor instead. Mark stands perfectly straight as he watches her. He is thankful his baby is asleep in the crib.

"You promised," she sobs. "You promised you would protect me!"

Mark looks only ahead of him. "I am. When the Order of Enlightenment is done, you won't hurt anymore."

"You promised I was safe here! Y-You're a liar! A monster! I hate you so much!" She still clings to him.

Mark crouches in front of her. He cups her face and kisses her one last time. Diana tries to pull away, but she gives up. She has accepted her fate. She will be okay.

Mark tells her this. He adds, "I love you."

Diana cries again.

The members of the Order of Enlightenment take her. Mark has kicked out all the other guests for this, so it is only him and Wenona. They sit in one of the rooms. He wants to go to his baby, but Wenona wants him with her.

"I told you I'm a succubus, didn't I?" she asks as she inspects her long nails. "My owner can show they have control over me with a toy robot. Grace has it. She wants me to stay here for a little."

"Why?" he asks.

"I don't know. I never get told anything unless it's to kill someone..." She grimaces.

Mark thinks about Diana. She is going through a lot of pain right now, but it will be better soon. She will be happy. When that day comes, he will have the Order of Enlightenment to thank. More specifically, he has Grace to thank. Keeping Grace's succubus here is Mark giving his thanks.

"You can stay here for free as long as you want," Mark says.

Wenona doesn't look up from her nails. Since Mark, in Diana's eyes, has broken his promise with Diana, he wonders if Wenona thinks he will break this promise.

. . .

Mark watched as Eva and Damon came back from their nightmares. Eva immediately glared at his baby and demanded, "What is this?"

"A lot," he answered, "but my baby is a baby, and I think my baby likes you. I can show you the best room here now."

Mark took his baby back from her. As he rocked his baby, he hummed a tune, and a red door appeared. It was room 707.

"So you took an unknown arcane consciousness that took the form of a motel yet also existed as a baby in?" questioned Eva.

He nodded. "Eloise is in here."

A gun pressed against his back. He didn't have to turn to see Damon's left eye was glowing green. "If I see even a scratch on Eva, I'll shoot you and your baby."

Eva put her hand on the doorknob of room 707. She was about to open it, but Mark interrupted her. He said, "Don't forget Cassidy."

Eva pulled her hand away from the doorknob. "Where is she?"

Damon pushed Mark with his gun. Mark lead them to the room Cassidy was sleeping in, room 203. He opened it, but it was empty.

Eva rushed to the window and looked out. Mark and Damon join her. Cassidy was sitting below. Her eyes were exhausted, but she still waved when seeing Eva.

"The Manus is in town!" she shouted. "We can't go there."

"Are you okay?" Eva shouted back. "And...are those handcuffs?"

"I'm fine, I guess, but I couldn't sleep at all. I kept seeing these creepy nightmares every time I closed my eyes, and these handcuffs were to try to stop me from leaving. I think that weird owner put them on me... Whatever, just come down here!"

"Let me get Eloise first."

"You found her? Good for you!"

Eva went to room 707. Damon's gun was still pressed against Mark's back. Mark kept rocking his baby back and forth. Since Eva was part of the Saint Pavlov Foundation, there was a high chance his baby was going to be taken away from him soon.

"Can I tell you a story later?" Mark asked him.

"I don't have time for your games," Damon scoffed.

Mark didn't reply, but he knew he would tell Damon his story soon.

. . .

Mark stares at Diana. She is ignoring him.

Mark smiles. He is okay with that. Diana is with Mark forever now. No one can hurt her now.

. . .

The Saint Pavlov Foundation's workers were here. Mark was going to be taken away soon. They already took his baby away.

He was hiding from them for now. Currently, he was looking for Damon. He found him standing by himself, playing with a Picrasma candy. He didn't have his shotgun.

"Are you going to continue looking for Diana?" he asked.

Damon scowled. He didn't look up from his Picrasma candy. "Go back, or I'll force you."

"I won't bother you for too long. I told you I would share with you one more story before we part ways. This one is real."

"I already said I don't have time for your stories." Damon's voice was hard. He glanced over Mark's shoulder.

"It's about how I met my wife," he began. "I was taking a walk when I saw her. She was trying to find a lost cow, but she got kidnapped. She escaped, but now, she didn't know where she was. I offered her a stay at my motel free of charge. She thanked me and told me her name."

"Quite whatever—"

"Her name was Diana Venicia."

Damon's full attention was now on him.

"I let her pick whatever room she wanted," he continued, "and she chose room 214. She said she always liked Valentine's Day. I told her she didn't need to do anything, but she still insisted on helping around the motel. She had such a bright smile that I couldn't say no. I think you understand that feeling. She talked about how you always helped her..."

"What are you getting at?" His voice was wavering.

"I liked being with Diana. She listened to everything I told her, especially my scary stories because she knew I liked them. She also told me about her hometown, which includes you. She never said your name, but I saw the missing posters you had of her. I figured you were her childhood friend a long time ago. But I ignored you and the other people there so I could pay more attention to the little things she liked. I wanted my wife to see this as her home."

Damon finally replied. "Diana is 17. That's considered marrying a child."

"I'm 18, and I never said I married her. Anyway, she didn't tell me what happened to her at the start. When she revealed her story, I told myself I would protect her like a husband would protect his wife. See? We're alike. We both want to protect Diana."

He scowled. "I am nothing like you."

"As much as she liked it here, she wanted to go back to her hometown. I couldn't convince her to stay. People never come back here. I want my wife to be with me, where I can share my stories and see her smile as I make her favourite breakfast. I was sad, but then I met Wenona. She said she was part of the Order of Enlightenment. She revealed that Diana was one of the Order of Enlightenment's experiments."

"An experiment...?"

"The experiment was transferring the consciousness of another person into Diana's body. Diana escaped before the experiment could be completed. They wanted her back, and Wenona was sent to do it.

"I didn't want my wife to go back to the people who traumatized her. I said so, but Wenona said Diana could stay at the motel forever. Members of the Order of Enlightenment would come and perform a ritual. Diana's consciousness would be in an object, and her body would be free for another person's consciousness to go inside it. I couldn't say no to that. She cried so much, but it was for the best."

"She's been here all this time, and you didn't tell me?" It was amusing how angry he was getting.

"There was no reason to. Since you don't know how to perform the ritual, you couldn't bring her consciousness out of the object or put it into a body. Diana was safe and should've been away from all harm, but now, my wife is dead."

From the way his hands clenched, Mark knew he would've already been shot if Damon had his shotgun. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. I just finished a call with Wenona when she died, but if it happened earlier than I thought, then I was with Eloise. Not even my baby did anything. I found out my wife died from you, Damon. Didn't you hear her scream?"

"What?" His glare had changed into a bewildered expression. His voice was still cold and hard, but was breaking into uncertainty. "No, I didn't. I never heard her."

His reaction was beautiful, almost as beautiful as Diana's weakest reaction. "You did. You were running all over my motel with Eva. You were investigating every single room. Obviously, you entered room 214's bathroom. And in the bathroom, you said you said you heard Diana's voice, so you shot the mirror before thinking. And then... Actually, I don't think I need to tell you."

It was so clear they were childhood friends. Damon had an expression that Diana might've had if she heard the story. He looked sick, but unlike how Diana might've reacted, Damon was angry. So angry. If Mark took even a step forward, he might get killed. He felt an itch at the back of his mind. An idea for a new song was in front of him.

He needed to keep talking to discover it fully. "Diana loved her makeup, so I kept her consciousness in the one thing that helped her confirm that she looked gorgeous. But you came and broke her mirror. Without the mirror, there isn't a Diana. You can tell yourself I'm the monster, but the truth is, I never hurt Diana. I wasn't even in the same room when the ritual was performed. You were the one who broke the mirror and destroyed her consciousness. You killed Diana."

Damon's hands clenched his throat. Mark's hands instinctively went to his wrists, but he didn't try to pull them off. He stared into Damon's eyes, full of rage and sickness. He could see tears beginning to form.

It was getting harder to breathe. He choked out, "Diana told everyone that you were always there to get her out of any trouble, yet here you are, being her murderer. Killing me won't make you feel any better. Even if no one knows, I know, you know, and Diana knows. You're a criminal."

Mark was punched and knocked to the ground. Several more came after. Mark felt no pain. He only realized Damon had stopped hitting him when he realized several several staff members from the Saint Pavlov Foundation were with them. While some of the staff kept Damon, now crying, away from Mark again, the others took Mark away.

Part One (I have 15 more but there’s an image limit, so there are only 10 here) (Part Two)

Note: Some of these AUs are quite obviously stretches. Just roll with it…

Ships included (order randomized by a spinner):

Eloise/Diana | Mark/Diana | Mark/Damon | Kai/Eva | Wolfgang/Grace | Cassidy/Eloise | Wolfgang/Eva | Cassidy/Eva | Wenona/Ulysses | Eloise/Wenona

Eloise/Diana

Eloise - A modern-day knight who’s assigned to protect the princess

Diana - The princess who’s ecstatic that her knight is a cute girl

Mark/Diana

Mark - An actor who doesn’t have any motivation to do his job

Diana - A staff member who’s working on the actor’s latest film and is trying to help him

Mark/Damon

Mark - A guy sitting outside late at night, alone

Damon - A burnt-out office worker who just needs someone to talk to

Kai/Eva

Kai - A boy who went into a haunted house on a dare

Eva - The ghost who haunts the house

Wolfgang/Grace

Wolfgang - A boy volunteering to help out during Christmas

Grace - A girl who volunteered to spend time with the boy, but she didn’t know that she had to embarrass herself in front of him…

Cassidy/Eloise

Cassidy - A girl who jokingly told her friend that’s getting into photography to take pictures of her whenever she needs inspiration

Eloise - The friend who has just found her muse

Wolfgang/Eva

Wolfgang - An elf who has lived in the forest for centuries but has needed to come out into society after being forced to leave his home

Eva - A girl who found him wandering the streets, confused, and thought he was a cosplayer

Cassidy/Eva

Cassidy - A girl ready to celebrate Christmas and have fun

Eva - A portrait with the soul of a dead woman who’s been quietly observing her

Ulysses/Wenona

Wenona - A mummy who has been brought to life and remembers everything from before she died

Ulysses - A historian who has to decide if he prioritizes learning about history and potentially never seeing her again, or if he prioritizes the mummy’s, and his own, wishes

Eloise/Wenona

Eloise - A new model that’s doing her best, even though she easily gets flustered around a more experienced—and, in her opinion pretty—model

Wenona - The experienced model that doesn’t know if she’s jealous of the new model or if she wants to date her

Casseva “mentioned” in Eva’s 2026 birthday art with the red hair clip…

Diamark “mentioned” in Mark’s 2026 birthday art with the pink flowers…

Ulywolf “mentioned” in Ulysses’s 2026 birthday art with the purple flowers…