#fan-apprentice

whos obssesed with the arcana lately? who could it be? certainly not me. uh-hu. nope. never.

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Pairing: Muriel X Briar (Apprentice by @amnesia-moth) Genre: Fluff, Romance, Lime Rated: Mature because of suggestive parts in the story

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a/n: Finally, the first piece from my giveaway! I was very happy to write for Briar who is an absolute sweetheart, and I loved writing this piece of her together with Muriel! Thanks at @amnesia-moth for the chance to write this, and I sincerely hope it’s to your liking too ♥ (Please check her out, she’s an amazing artist and a real fun person to talk to!) Thank you for being so patient, and helping me out to get all of Briar’s fact right, I really enjoyed our talks! ^-^

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The moment, the creaking door to the small forest hut opened, Briar found herself engulfed by the smells that reminded her of home. Like a subtle, soft blanket wrapped around her shoulders, the mix of myrrh, dry wood, and a lit fireplace welcomed her, next to the tall, hulky Muriel, whose face softly blushed as he saw her. "Oh," he mumbled, and Briar couldn't help but chuckle at his lovable awkwardness.

"'Oh'? Is that all I get after not seeing me for a few days?" she teased him, and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Despite his meager words, his expression clearly showed the affection you could only expect from someone happy to see her, and Briar felt her heart swell too as she found herself back in his arms after a week of missing him.

"Sorry," she mumbled into his chest while his arms wrapped around her in response, keeping her snug against him. "I've been so busy, going back and forth between palace and shop…" The understanding hum rumbling in Muriel was enough of a reply for her, knowing he wasn't that big of a talker. But his hand was so tender, brushing over her back comfortingly, just what she needed after all this stress.

"I didn't mean to leave you hanging for so long, though," Briar admitted, eventually releasing and being released from the hug, Muriel stepping out of the door frame to let her go inside. Muriel could be gentlemanly if he wanted, after all, and at least for her, he was happy to invite her inside.

"You did what you had to do. I know you are busy," he mumbled as she slipped in, bringing the filled basket inside too. Clearly, yet for a reason unknown to her, he had not expected her, wood chippings covering the floor in front of his bed, the table filled with tiny wooden figures and whittling tools, as well as more of the shavings. Ever since she started staying over more, Muriel had been more careful to clean up behind himself and create a better environment for Briar. But by the amount of wood everywhere, and furs thrown around instead of placed around the fire or on his bed, she could only assume he didn't expect her to show up anytime soon.

Briar brushed aside some of the clippings to put down her basket, passing the table and leaning down to pet Inanna, who wagged her tail, immediately rolling to her side to get some chest and stomach rubs too. Licking Briar's arm in return and whining happily, the magician couldn't help but smile at the wolf's affection, much more honest than Muriel's. "Missed you too, Inanna," she hummed softly, and the wagging intensified some more as if Inanna understood her loud and clear.

With the wolf letting out the sound of a satisfied sigh, Briar let her be, though Inanna followed, wanting to be part of the action. The moment Briar turned around, she caught Muriel shoving some wood clippings under the bed with his foot, immediately stopping when he realized she caught him, causing her to snicker. "Going back on old habits, are we, Muri?" she mused, and he huffed, rolling his eyes as he grew even redder after being busted.

"I should have… cleaned," he admitted eventually, scratching his cheek. "I didn't know you were going to come back soon… Thought you might've gotten bored with coming out so far into the woods…"

"And missing out on the chance to meet up with you?" Poking his nose with her finger, Briar passed him, retrieving the one singular broom he had and a bucket to fill with the lost wood shavings. "Never!" she declared, handing him the bucket as she began sweeping the floor. "We can always just do this together, right?"

His response was a quick and positive hum. However, Briar didn't miss the slight embarrassment in his eyes still, knowing that ever since the two got a lot closer than they were before the whole ordeal with the Devil, he had started to work harder on himself and his habits to make her happy. One of those habits was only cleaning when necessary, and instead making sure his hut got a good sweep ever so often, providing Briar with a space to relax and feel at home too. Clearly, he must have missed her a lot if he fell back into just leaving the chaos as it was instead, and feeling a bit sad about that, Briar was glad that the two got to laugh as they cleaned, the wood dust tickling their noses and make them sneeze in turns, gaining even more chuckles from both of them.

*slowly crawling into Arcana fandom with fan-apprentice*

redesigned an old oc to match her with Lucio as a love interest.

All good! Thank you so much for requesting ♥

⚜ XXIII.) What is your MC’s theme song? 

The song that best shows Susanne’s mindset and her story is “Almost there” from Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog), as Susanne too has put her mind on a goal after the story, and works towards that tirelessly, despite many people telling her to take a break and day off, have some fun. But she’d never put that before her jobs, and every day she gives her best to make a step forward even if she has quite a few setbacks!

⚜  VI.) Is your MC combat proficient? Where or whom did they learn from?

No, Susanne is not exactly combat proficient, but she learned a thing or two from living on a farm. That is: How to use uncommon things as weapons. People should never underestimate a good pan or how intimidating pitchforks can be. She also knows how to fend off geese and goats. The later has come in handy throughout the game :’D

⚜ XIII.) If your MC was feeling down, what’s one meal that would lift their spirits? What about it brings them positive vibes?

It would definitely be cakes and pies, preferable homemade and still warm with a nice glass of milk. It reminds her of all the good things that happened in her childhood like celebrations and birthdays. And her mother would slip her sweet pastries when she wasn’t feeling her usual chipper self, so eating cake, Susanne will channel those good memories and happiness she always felt seeing cake, immediately lifting her mood!

Aspyyyy!! Thanks for asking :3

⚜  IV.) How did your MC and their LI first profess their feelings for one another? Was it a slow burn? Love at first sight?

Definitely wasn’t love at first sight, since she went sober into the Rowdy Raven first when she met him, already drunk. She thought he was a strange guy until she ended up singing sea shanties with him (without knowing the text) and drinking until the early morning. He brought her home despite both of them being severely wasted, and that was the beginning of their relationship.

The had quite a few setbacks, with Susanne having to find out that the guy she liked and shared drinks ever so often, sharing worries between each other back then already, was a wanted murderer. And then he broke up with her when they finally kissed, making her feel like an idiot and betrayed.

The day they spent together was the first time that Susanne actually felt like there could be something between them and that they both have similar feelings, and had enough courage to pursue this notion. It was unlucky that it didn’t end well. However, before that, they still had been on that awkward level of affection, where even a small touch of their hands made both of them flustered, so it was a necessary insight for her, learning she really did like him more than just hanging out with him because he was fun.

⚜  V.) What would your MC do for their LI after they come home from a long/bad/hard day? What would their LI do for them?

For the days that Julian comes home completely worn-out and in a rather bad mood, she learned to read what he could need from her, giving him his space if he needs it. She’ll pop her head into the study after he settled in, bringing some coffee and dinner for him, kissing his head, asking if he wants to talk some. Sometimes he does, sometimes not, in which case she leaves him be until he crawls into bed to hug it out. She also got better at massages for her lanky doctor, to knead out those bad stress knots in his shoulders and back when he’s just feeling exhausted, lending him a lap to sleep on with her hands brushing through his hair as he complains his worries away.

There are only ever two things that could really catch Susanne with a bad taste, which one, is bodily exhaustion, which Julian in return has also countered with foot/leg massages, oftentimes tickling her until she is laughing so much, ultimately feeling better from it, catching some good sleep and snuggles with him afterwards. The other is if someone insulted her or laughed at her efforts that day, or if her work wasn’t appreciated. That’s when she needs a good hug and some pep-talking, Julian making sure to go way over-dramatic to make it clear just how great she is doing and how little other people’s words mean and can actually do. He, more than once, has also helped her out when she couldn’t handle something herself, making himself out as quite reliable, so she can trust in his words more than anyone elses.

⚜  XIV.) Does your MC hog the sheets? Does their LI? Is it a battle for sheet dominance?

Susanne hogs the one, slim blanket they have, which was never meant for both of them, keeping it for twenty minutes before waking up to pull it back over Julian. In that half-asleep effort, she’ll turn around to cuddle up to him, bodies functioning as an additional blanket, when he hugs her back in his sleep, the blanket eventually completely disappearing from them! They often end up just needing each other since the nights can be pretty warm still!

⚜ XVI.) Who are your MC’s closest friends? How did they meet? 

Susanne had no real, good friends back in her hometown, just her siblings and parents mostly. Also, Barbara, the Cow.

Pre-story, Susanne’s best friends were Asra and Muriel. Still, after the resurrection, Susanne and Asra did eventually drift far apart due to him constantly being away and her feeling as if he was letting her down. She only remembered Muriel much later, and the two rekindled their friendship, but not as intense as before the plague from Susanne’s side.

Julian became her new best friend, aka drinking buddy, which they started out being, after the resurrection, and which ended in their relationship, and he’s still the person she trusts in the most. She also grew close to Portia due to her relationship with her brother!

At the end of her story, she has found a best friend in another woman called Calpica, who shares her visions and acts as the manager of Susanne’s fulfilled dream (which I can’t share yet tehe). They met along the way, Calpica searching for her own place of belonging and Susanne sweeping her off her feet and dragging her more or less along into hers!

Alternative universe wise, Susanne is great friends with Orelia ( @vesuviansunshowers ) and Aurora ( @arcane-doodles ), and though there is no canon first meeting, they probably met at the shop, I can imagine (:

We do!! Thank you so much for asking! ^-^ (Look up for 16!)

⚜  XVII.) What Tarot Card do you think best represents your MC?

Susanne is best represented by XX Judgement. She battles her negative past of being just a ‘village idiot’ and having no one besides her family believe that she can achieve something bigger than becoming a farmer in the next generation of her family. She is oftentimes confronted with it still, now that she lives in Vesuvia. There are still a lot of people looking down on her, so it’s hard to find her self-worth. However, with her ambitions and a clear goal, she has everything she needs to fulfill her dream, especially since she works hard for it, and eventually succeeds once she starts trusting more in herself and stands above all that weighs her down!

⚜  XIX.) Does your MC have a familiar? How did they meet? How do they communicate?

Susanne has a familiar named Hubsi! He’s a griffon vulture, and the two met before Susanne reached Vesuvia. Griffon vultures winter in mountain regions, and that’s where Susanne met him.

Since Susanne’s magic isn’t refined as she never bothered working on it, the two can’t communicate properly, but they got used to each other. Hubsi presumably can understand her notions and instructions (if he wants, he has his own mind after all), but Susanne can’t hear him, and Hubsi doesn’t share Faust’s speaking mannerism. (Obviously, Asra’s magic is much stronger, allowing Faust to be able to talk like that) Most of their conversations are seconds of looking into each other’s eyes. It seems like they have a very intense conversation, wrinkles on her face, his feathers puffing out. But they almost always end with a shrug and then loud protests if she doesn’t give him a snack. They do understand each other on a level of heart, but there’s no clear communication going on.

Oooh, thanks for asking for something with her!! Hope you enjoy it :3

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“Come on, Julian, hurry!” Susanne whispered at the doctor, who was giving her a mix of hesitance and insecurity in his gaze. “Normally, it’s you who likes to break into buildings and be a little bit more adventurous,” she reminded him teasingly, swinging her leg over the window frame to make her way inside the house.

Naturally, it was nothing Julian could just let say, biting her bait as he jumped in after her. “You’re right, I AM the more adventurous of us two. That’s why I need to show concern when you go out of your way and suggest something so... improper.”

Rolling her eyes, Susanne pushed down her skirt and corrected her apron while letting her eyes get used to the shallow dark in the building. “It was you, who wanted to come with me...” she mumbled, feeling the tiniest bit of concern herself when she noticed just how run down the old house was. But with an unexpected arm around her waist, she had no time to dwell on it, Julian’s lips hushing over her cheek for a second or two before he resorted to take her hand and pull her along.

“Can’t let my ray of sunshine do everything on her own, can I? What kind of man would I be if I did that?”

“A reasonable one,” she snorted. “If that’s what you wanted, you should have looked somewhere else than the Rowdy Raven,” he laughed, and the two shared a moment of bumping their hips together affectionately before they moved on.

“So, what was it? A book?”

“Yeah, they said it was an old book with a green cover. We can be out in a whiff if we get our hands on it quickly.” Susanne squeezed his hand for a mere second before she let go, approaching the first bookshelf in the hallway they were standing in. “Nothing,” she lamented, trotting after Julian, who was already one room ahead of her. But before she could enter, he stuck his head out of it again, shaking it lightly. “No books, but kitchenware if you’d like that.”

“I could use a new pan,” she thought out loud. “Oh, Darling. We can get you fifty new pans, but keep your hands off the moldy ones in here,” he laughed meekly, pushing her forward into the next room.

“Seems like an office, great!” Julian announced, going to one side of the room to inspect the shelves on it, using the opportunity to pull out every book that was still standing. “Not every person with a shelf has a secret dungeon behind it, Julian,” she mused, knowing exactly what he was looking for. “That’s too bad. If you and I ever move in together, we definitely should get one.”

Susanne couldn’t help the wide grin on her face. Not like she was excited about a dungeon but moving in with Julian sounded almost divine in her ears. The two of them kept searching for the green book, Susanne picking through a pile on the floor.

Aside from the sounds of their fingers touching everything and the books rustling with the movement, it was pretty quiet. From the one window in the office, the light that broke through the forest outside came in, lighting their way vaguely. “Any luck?” she asked after a while, sighing.

But before Julian could answer, both of them flinched as they heard a loud bang coming from outside the office, their eyes instinctively meeting in a silent question of what to do. ‘The kitchen’ Julian mouthed and Susanne nodded in understanding. Carefully, the two found back together, hands clasped tightly as they exited the office.

With their backs against the wall, they peered into the kitchen, Julian’s head topping Susanne’s as their eyes scanned the area. There wasn’t anything special about it, just moldy kitchenware and some forgotten plates on the counters. There was a table in the middle with a broken chair lying around next to it. Strangely enough, it was quite bright, light coming from the outside, and there were no hints of magic lingering that Susanne could feel.

“Hm, must have been the oldness of this-” The words got caught in his throat as they watched a plate sitting on the countertop fall off it, both of them jumping in surprise. Sure enough, Susanne felt the tough squeeze of Julian’s arms around her as he pulled her along towards the exit in a mad dash.

“Wa- Wait, Julian!”

“Not a chance, we are not doing the ghost hunter act AGAIN!”

“No, stop!” Her hand gripped on tightly to the bookshelf that she could reach for. Surprisingly the old wood didn’t break under Julian’s pull, making the two of them come to an abrupt halt and staggering backwards. Luckily, their adrenaline was high enough to make them quickly take cover and hold their breath. Cowering down behind the bookshelf, their conversation followed in whispers, Julian peering around the wood ever so often, expecting another ghostly figure to appear.

“Susanne, Darling, Dearest, I really don-” Clasping her hands over his mouth, Susanne listened in, waiting if there was any kind of sound. “The book,” she whispered quietly. “Under the table.” For a second, Julian seemed to think before a spark appeared on his eyes and he nodded. She let go of his mouth, and he started to look around, eventually getting up to grab an old painting from the wall and a candlestick that he found standing inside the bookshelf.

Nodding towards her, she got up to follow him, noticing the light shakiness in his grip on the objects and putting her hand reassuringly on his shoulder to let him know he wasn’t alone. Even if he was still scared of ghosts, Julian always played the role of her shining knight, and she couldn’t thank him enough for it.

Together, they rounded around the entrance of the kitchen, warily letting their eyes move from side to side with their backs against the wall. “Oh, Mister Ghost - or Miss Ghost? Do ghosts even have a gender anymore?” he started to babble, Susanne giving him a sharp, “Julian!” for his concentration to which he quickly focused back on the task.

While he stayed on the lookout, she crouched down, reaching for the dark object under the table. Pulling it forward, she was relieved to see that her eyes hadn’t disappointed, the green shining through as she patted off the dust. But right the moment she wanted to show it to him, another clatter went through the kitchenware on the countertops, Susanne jumping to her feet as Julian made an attempt to shield her.

“We are just going to take this book and leave, no harm done! But I am ready to fig-” Even though he sounded heroic as he gave his speech, he didn’t have the time to finish again as the two crossed eyes with their ‘ghost’ for the first time. A small, grey rat peeking out from under a pan. “Oh,” the two gasped simultaneously, giving each other hesitant looks.

Letting out long sighs, the tension fleed their bodies while the rat scurried away, making some more noises. “Well, we got it, no reason to dwell here and sprout roots.”

“Agreed,” Susanne mumbled, pressing the book to her chest while Julian let the objects down on the table and followed her out. He glanced back for another shy second before catching up, helping her jump out the window again and bringing his body outside too. “A rat...” she grumbled, lost in thought. “We got scared of a rat.”

“Sometimes, it be like that, my Love,” Julian chuckled, patting her back. “It only matters that we got the book, right?”

“Right,” she nodded, opening it up in her hands while they kept tracking back their way to the path in the forest. Julian lurked over her shoulder, trying to decipher the writing in it too, eventually shrugging as it was nothing of interest for him. “I hope it was worth the stress of getting it...” Susanne sighed, closing it again and turning to him, linking her arm with his.

“Thanks for coming along, my strong, brave hero,” she teased, pulling him down for a kiss on the cheek.

“Anytime, just let me know,” he chuckled back, turning his head just in time to make a real kiss unavoidable.