#tazdani

getting paid?? to draw fanart of your fav couple from your fav podcast??? it’s more likely than you’d think!

a request from @sasparillalock on patreon! 

Danbrey Week Day 1: Pumpkin Patch or Haunted House

"I really don't think this is a good idea, Aubrey," Dani says as she stares up at the decrepit house in front of their small group.  

"It'll be fine," Aubrey says, waving a hand in front of herself, dismissively. "It's probably just an abomination that's pretending to be a ghost or something."

"If it's an abomination then shouldn't Ned and Duck be here to help instead of us? No offense, Jake." 

"None taken" He shrugs. "Mama said we just needed to get in, get info, and get out so that y'all could go in later and fight whatever is in there. So, as long as we don't stick around too long we'll be fine. 

"You don't know that," Dani says, annoyed.

"Hey, hey. Don't worry!" Aubrey slings an arm around Dani. "I'm here. I'll protect you and make sure you're safe!" 

Dani turns to her and laughs, smiling softly at her. "You're going to protect us with your big big muscles?" 

"Well I don't have a lot of those, but I do have a lot of magic!" Aubrey snaps a finger and a flash of flames flies from her fingertips into the air. "And, if all else fails, we can always run away." 

Jake makes an overly exaggerated face. "Can you two stop flirting for, like, two minutes?" 

Aubrey immediately pulls away from Dani, face flushed. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." 

"We're just friends, Jake," Dani says, looking anywhere, but at Aubrey.

Jake rolls his eyes.  "Whatever. C'mon, we're not going to find out anything out here." 

He then turns to the decaying house and starts leading their trio towards the front door. 

Aubrey has to admit, something feels a bit off. Usually, Mama gave them instructions in person, but Jake had been the one to tell her this time around. He then told her that he'd called Duck and Ned and they were both busy so the three of them had to go instead. Which was fine... 

Except that now she has to pretend like she is a professional to impress Dani. 

As a pretending professional, she should probably be leading them, but Jake knows more than either she or Dani do about this situation, so that wouldn't make sense.  But, maybe the next time she has a chance she could show off. 

Yeah! 

Aubrey picks up the pace so that she can be close behind Jake. 

It is somewhat dangerous getting to the front of the house. The ground is torn up and chunks of concrete are overgrown with grass. The steps up to the front porch aren't much better. One of the steps is caved in and another looks like it might crumble at any moment. 

Jake goes to the door and tries to open it, but finds it locked. He curses under his breath and then turns to Aubrey and Dani. "Do either of you know how to pick locks?" 

"I do!" Aubrey says, rushing forward. She reaches into the black fanny pack she'd brought along and digs out a few of her make-shift lock picking devices. She squats down in front of the door and makes quick work of the lock and, before she knows it, the door is swinging in. 

Jake lets out a low whistle. 

"That was fast," Dani says, impressed. Though there is a tinge of concern in her eyes. "How'd you learn to do it so fast?" 

Oh right. Picking locks isn't a common skill. Especially for law-abiding citizens.

"Would you believe me if I said it was for magic tricks?"

"I wouldn't," Jake says. "I was around Hollis long enough to recognize the difference."

Aubrey laughs awkwardly. Neither of them really needs to know about some of the lengths she had to go following the night she left her house. 

"Anyways, haunted house anyone?" She said as she pushed the door open. 

There is no light inside, but what light shines in from the windows reveals the hallmarks of an abandoned house. Unknown debris, litters the entryway. Broken furniture is upended in what was once the living room. And, to top it all off, graffiti covers every available space on the wall.

"You know what? I'm good," Dani says.

Jake groans "C'mon, Dani! It'll be fine." 

He walks into the house, dragging Dani behind him. Aubrey brings up the rear, the floorboards creaking loudly as they venture inside. 

"It was going to be, but you've jinxed us Jake!" Aubrey admonishes. She reaches over and knocks on the wood exposed on a nearby wall. "Gosh. How many times do I have to tell you to not do that kind of stuff?" 

Aubrey is about to take a step, but there is an answering knock further inside the house. All three of them freeze in place. 

"You know what?" Aubrey says, voice much higher than usual. "I think Dani has a point." 

"I told you!"

The girls turn around just as the door slams shut behind them. 

"Shit. Jake, we have to find another way out—" Aubrey cuts herself off as she finds one Mr. Coolice missing from their party. "Jake?"

Dani immediately glues herself to Aubrey's side, threading her hand tightly in her own. So tightly Aubrey's pretty sure that she is going to lose feeling. "Don't you dare let go of me, Aubrey Little." 

"Y-yes, ma'am." 

"M-m-maybe there's a back door?" Dani says as bravely as she can. 

"Good. Good idea."

Neither girl moves an inch. The house hadn't looked that spooky to Aubrey before, but the fact that Jake is now missing colors everything at least two shades creepier. The once merely broken chairs have become destroyed. The worn wood looks as though it would crumble at any moment. And, no matter where she looks, every shadow looks as though there is something waiting to eat the two of them alive.

But, at the same time, Dani is shaking something awful, obviously frightened out of her wits. And who knows what kind of dangers lurk in this house. They have to get out as fast as they can so they can come back with help. And, if Dani doesn't have the strength, then Aubrey would have to.

After an embarrassing amount of time, Aubrey take a few steps into the house. The floorboards creak, but thankfully nothing jumps out at them. Maybe they're safe so long as they stick together? 

She hopes so. 

Dani follows easily enough, but her shaking doesn’t cease. Aubrey's heart seizes knowing how scared her…friend must be. She hates it. So, for better or worse, she shifts Dani's hold to her other hand and brings that arm around her shoulders, sheltering her from whatever dangers might be lurking. 

As they walk further into the house, noises come from above. Dani presses herself further into Dani's side. Floorboards creak and moans echo above, each one more frightening than the next. Aubrey's steps are cautious and she looks in every corner of the room before bringing herself and Dani past the living room.  

As they move further she notices two doors beside each other, both are missing, revealing one set of stairs that go up and one that goes down. The stairs going up (like hell she'd be leaving the first floor) and going down (again, hell to the fucking no) look rotten. 

They need to find an exit on the first floor. Most of the windows are boarded up, though. She could try to burn the wood off, but the liklihood of the hosgoing up in flames is very high. The few windows that aren't don't budge when Aubrey tries them.

Across from the stairs is the kitchen. There are no appliances left, but there is a door on the other side of the room. Relief floods over Aubrey at the sight. They walk carefully forward and, once they are within arm's reach, Aubrey reaches for the door and pulls.

It opens.

"Oh thank god," Aubrey says aloud. 

Dani lets out a sigh of relief.

Aubrey expects a backyard to be on the other side of the door as she pushes it out. But, instead, a cramped pantry and another door greets her. There are empty cans of who knows what strewn about and a couple of lawn chairs. From the lingering scents she'd almost bet that a few teens come out here to smoke pot sometimes. 

Which has to mean it’s safe here, right?

The moment she steps into the small room, though, a cacophony of sounds erupt.

"BEGONE!" A voice, very suspiciously like that of one Ned "Prankster" Chicane bellows both from the small room as well as from a room above. 

Dani lets out a shriek and buries her face in Aubrey's chest. Aubrey, on the other hand, begins to look around with a critical eye. It’s hard to see without any windows to let light in, so she pulls out her phone and shines its flashlight around. There has to be something…

As her light passes over the doorway back into the small kitchen, she finds a small walkie-talkie wedged between the pantry's shelving unit. She wrenches it out of the wall and finds some sort of wire attached to the door handle and the push-to-talk button. It is lax now, but she is pretty sure that when the door had been shut it had been taught enough to allow the party on the other end to hear when they'd approached the door.

"What?" Dani asks, her hold going lax as curiosity takes hold of her.

The walkie-talkie comes to life again.

"RUN! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" 

And, yup, that is definitely Ned "about-to-be-dead" Chicane.

Aubrey pushes the button.

"I think you and Jake had better run before we find you," Aubrey says in the lowest tone her voice can comfortably carry. 

She takes a lot more satisfaction in how quickly two sets of feet scramble down the stairs than she probably should.

Danbrey Week Day 2: Lodge | Forest

It's been a while since they've stayed at the lodge.

It's certainly been more than a few months. Maybe half a year? Nearly a year? Aubrey hasn't really kept track, but it certainly feels like it’s been a long time.

Unsurprisingly, Mama had rooms prepared rooms for everyone who decided to visit this time around. When she gets to Dani and Aubrey, though, she winks as she hands each of them a key and tells them that she won’t judge if they only use one of them.

Aubrey splutters, Dani can’t look at anyone, and Mama leads a chorus of laughter.

Both are pretty mortified, but it wouldn’t feel like the lodge if they weren’t teased at least a little bit. So, when others join in, they let the laughter of their friends wash over them. And share a knowing look with each other when the others aren’t paying attention any more.  

After everything begins to calm down, the residents of the lodge going to their respective rooms, Aubrey finds herself curled up on one of the couches by the fireplace, head laying in Dani’s lap. She knows this probably isn’t the best place to fall asleep. But, between the warmth of the fire, the low voices of her friends as they catch up on each other’s lives, and Dani’s fingers weaving their way through her short curls… She can’t help falling asleep on Dani’s lap.