⋯

The air feels stuffy. Their chest feels tight, it's hard to breathe. It's cold, wherever they are, and piercing eyes shine through the darkness, reflecting against the obscure, distant lights of the moons.

Moons?

It's tempting, but they can't turn their head to look towards the sky, locked instead on those eyes. They were almost black, mirroring the eternal night that had enshrouded the figure. The only way they knew they were there was that moonlit glisten, along with the burning sensation tracing the tattooed contract on their shoulder. It stings, the miniature ghost-like drawing branding into their skin all over again.

"Careful Sulli."

The voice feels hollow, digging phantasmal talons into the crevices of fragile human minds, pinning Sulli to where they stand.

"You still have a promise to keep."

Sulli's eyes shoot open, arms pushing up from the table as they shove into a sitting up position instead. Peaceful silence surrounds them, although, near their feet, Erlik's head raises, looking up at them with large, mournful eyes in response to the sudden movements. They're in the library, winter rays of late afternoon light beaming through the window, streaming stretched shadows across hardwood floors. It's quiet, and there's no trace of that voice, or that looming, haunted presence. Sulli can't even feel the burning eyes on their back, the glare that had once made every hair on their body stand up straight.

Sighing, they pinch the bridge of their nose, reaching down to ruffle Erlik's head, keeping their voice soft. "I'm alright. It was just a dream - I guess."

Beside them, an open book on Fae mythology - Sulli guessed they must have just fallen asleep reading about it all. Unsurprising considering what a week it'd been.

One week, since they'd been shot. Since they'd discovered their friends had been missing. Since they'd lept off a cliff and landed amongst two mermaids, one of which was the crown prince. Since they'd woken up in the hospital, made a police report not only on the Dublin Devil, but also on the seven still missing students of Cork College. And only two days since they'd convinced the school board to temporarily certify Erlik as an emotional support animal for their safety. At least until they could get the paperwork sorted out, and hopefully they wouldn't need to do that. They'd find them.

God, after a week like this, they're pretty sure they need to get a prescription for high blood pressure.

Smiling to themselves at their own stupid joke, they glance back towards the open book, tugging it across the table to be back before them. It's got a pretty hardcover, aged with green leather and ivory inscriptions. The librarian advised against removing it from the building itself, but they were allowed to read it here as long as they might like. The late December light glittered through the windows, casting fading colors over the edges of the empty tables.

It was rather empty here, but it's not surprising. Who wants to come to the library on a Friday night in college after all? Still, they don't doubt the study rooms would be full by now, scheduled up or picked up by those who forgot to plan ahead.

Where was I?

They'd spent much of their free time here - either here or in the woods, where they thought they'd ended up originally when making the contract. Erlik was great company, especially since the shooting. It was fortunate that they could now return to their housing now that the whole crime scene thing was taken care of, although admittedly, the plaguing memory wouldn't be leaving their head any time soon.

For right now though, it didn't matter. They had to find them before it was too late. The Devil of Dublin had mentioned a boss, so it was pretty obvious that their friends were still in danger. If no one else was going to look for them- or take the necessary steps to find them, then they had too.

Grimacing, Sulli pushed to his feet, ignoring the spilling pain that ran down their side. Fortunately, the bullet wound wasn't that serious. They'd been shot, sure, but it could have been a much more extensive process, and Sulli didn't have that kind of time.

Their friends didn't have that kind of time.

Pulling the book towards them, they glanced through the pages, skimming them in breaths. Not anything incredibly helpful, most unfortunately, a lot of warnings on how to keep Fae away. Sulli needed to do the opposite of that. Whatever was haunting them, admisit their dreams, the fae that had left that tattoo embedded in their shoulder, they needed to talk to them.

How do you get a fae to come to you?

Some kind of summoning circle might work, but Sulli didn't have a whole lot of time to worry about how much they could end up fucking that up, and only end up in worse shit than they already were. No, they needed to talk to a particular Fae, the one that still lingered in the frequently occurring nightmares.

I wish Kelsey were here.

For a lot of reasons, really. Not only would Kelsey know what to do, but he'd know what to tell Sulli. As encouragement, as comfort, as kindness- anything. He just had that kind of voice. Sulli doesn't want to think about the fact that they might never get to hear it again.

An involuntary shudder ran through them, and Sulli tore their eyes from the script, pain throbbing in the back of their head. Instead of dwelling too heavily on the unhelpful piece of literature, Sulli reached for Erlik's leash, leading them both from the sacred hall of history.

"Sulli!"

Líadan.

A shorter young woman, shorter than Sulli even waved to them. from down the path from the library, her books clutched to her chest as she hurried to catch up to them. Silver-grey hair caught onto the drowning rays of sunlight, pressing the colors deeper onto the horizon as she reached him. "Sulli, I've been looking for you."

"Oh, sorry Lía, I've been in the library most of the day."

"On a weekend?"

"It's only Friday, I have time."

She shook her head, tattooed hands clutching the books she must be returning. "Glad I caught you then, you wouldn't believe the day I had. Wait for me? We'll go for a pint or somethin' after." she pressed her lips together "Maybe some tea instead, you look tired."

"I'll wait." Sulli can't help the swell of some kind of normality like they're anxious for it. There's guilt too, that swallows down their stomach as she disappears into the doors.

Sulli knows.

In the back of their head, they know that they can't run off of energy drinks and willpower. At some point they're gonna need to sleep, they're gonna need a plan. A real one. Right now the only plan they had was to find and interrogate the fae that gave them the tattoo in the first place. Of course- Sulli's never interrogated fae before. They're not even sure if human tactics would work on them.

Probably not.

Erlik beside them whines again, sitting impatiently, and nudging the hanging hand beside him. Sulli bites back a smile, moving their hand to instead scratch his ears, just behind them. It's nice to have Erlik honestly, it's good company, and a very gentle reminder of their friends.

I'm sorry.

If Sulli finds them-

When Sulli finds them, they'll tell them that. I'm sorry. Because they are sorry. They're sorry for leaving, they're sorry for being scared all the time, they're sorry they couldn't stop this. Even if they are only human, there's this deep residual guilt that they should have, they could have, done something.

"I'm back!" her voice is bright, sing-songly almost as she steps out, stretching her arms above her head. "I thought about it, tea might be best. I don't know how far you should walk on that leg of yours anyway Sulls."

They smile at the nickname. Sulls.

"My place or yours?"

"Oh- uh, whatever's closer. Yours probably."

Líadan smiles, pulling at her tattooed hands to crack the knuckle. "Mine it is then." she reaches over, patting Erlik on the head, he seems to bloom at the attention. Much like Yaşru typically did being followed by all his admirers. Sulli smiles again, despite themselves, at the thought.

"How was work today?"

"Busy." Lía groans as she walks, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can't wait for you to come back next semester. I'm drowning over here." her demeanor lightens after a moment, waving it off. "Not really though. It's busy but I don't mind so much. How's the wound? Have you decided if you're gonna get the scar tatted over yet?"

"If I do it won't be for a while."

"Fair enough." Two pairs of eyes flicker over the windblown trees, admiring those kissing rays of light as they falter. It should be a clear winter night tonight, Sulli can't decide if that's a bad omen or a good one.

I really don't know enough, do I?

"Speaking of tattoos, I've been meaning to ask you about yours. The ones on your arm. I didn't give you those, are they new? They look really well done- and completely healed, which is awesome. You get them done at the same place you got your shoulder?" She laughs, it's not the prettiest laugh they've ever heard, it's one of those contagious one's instead, where you hear it, and you just can't help but giggle along too, even if it wasn't all that funny. "You finally gonna tell me or you're still trolling with that fae shit?"

You have no idea, Líadan.

Still, Sulli can't help but brighten all the same, shaking their head "I'm not telling, I have to keep some secrets, don't I?"

"Asshole."

"Brat."

"Sulli, c'mon, don't be a gatekeeper. I really do wanna know."

"Are you even tall enough for tattoos?"

"Woah there Sulls." She mock frowns, crossing her arms over her chest, "I have more than you do, and you know it." Pseudo-scolding overlaps her voice, but it's easy to tell she doesn't mean it. She never does. She can't hold a scowl for the life of her. "Alright, alright- I won't press. But you gotta let me touch up that ghost on your shoulder. I could add a little something you know. Like stars- or little ghost stitches, it's just a ghost right now. What's it for again?"

"It'll be for you when you die." Sulli grins, and her frown deepens at their comment.

"You gonna get one for all your friends then?"

"Maybe I should. That'd be cool." Sulli's voice trails off, mind wandering down the dark, dreading path. If they were going to get a tattoo of their friends to honor them- what would they be? Something with their culture probably. They'd appreciate that, wouldn't they?

"Hey. Have you..gotten any updates from them? Madden and stuff?"

"...No. Nobody tells me anything." Sulli doesn't really blame them. They're not a close relative, they're just someone who met these seven kids at the beginning of the semester- and really haven't been in contact with them much the last month. They just happened to be another kid almost killed by a serial killer.

A statistic.

"I miss them."

"I know you do Sulli." She reaches for their hand, squeezing it gently before swinging it as they walk. They know it's not romantic. Lía doesn't have a romantic interest in people in general. Especially not them. "They'll be okay."

"What if they're not?"

"Since when did you become a pessimist?"

"It's hard not to be at a time like this." That gets another soft squeeze, and quiet thought as their steps fall in tandem against the cold stone walkways. Whispering trees set a soft ambiance to the evening, distant wind chimes ringing as the final classes begin to let out. "What do you think would be good? If I did get a tattoo for them?"

"I don't know." She looked up to the sky, hazy blue quickly settling against the contrast of the painted sunset. "You could get more ghosts, you'd have a whole graveyard then, on your shoulder." She doesn't laugh, the joke feels morbid and heavy. "Sorry."

"I asked." And they had. Between them, Erlik whines at the heavied atmosphere, but Sulli's thoughts whir in their head. They could get a tattoo for each of them- one that matched their abilities, perhaps. Fire for Magnus, maybe a wing for Cassie, an owl for Addi, a flower for Julian, water- maybe a wave, or a crown of some kind for Madden. A coffin, just for the joke of it for Yaşru - or perhaps they should get a little skull and bones, since as far as research has gone, there's some connection to death and necromancy there, much like a vampire. And for Kelsey-

Well.

Kelsey might actually have a tattoo. He mentioned doing contracts, or at least having the ability to do them. Sulli guesses most Fae have that ability. Would doing a tattoo in their name mess that up? Or something? They're not actually sure about the whole rules of the faywild thing- but they're pretty sure it's a good idea to not fuck with it. Kelsey might end up coming after them if they make an accidental contract, besides-

Oh.

Oh.

Wait a fucking second.

What happens if you do fuck with a Fae contract tattoo?

The question shines through their head, piercing those dark, heavy clouds, and it must show on their face cause Líadan is staring at them like they're a madman and they just grew a tail. "Uh- Sulli?"

"Lía. I changed my mind. I wanna do something with my tattoo. The ghost one."

Her eyebrow perks up, still absently swinging their hands as she turns to face him completely. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Adding something to it- something, anything. It's boring, you're right."

"Why Sulli, you're not talking about doing something reckless now, are you?" Her grin is right back though, where it usually is on her face. "Cause I would never ever endorse something like that."

Sulli's grin grows to match hers, "Of course not. Obviously, I've thought this through completely. For months, actually."

"Yeah, that's what happy to hear. You're not some impulsive teenager anymore." she winks gripping their hand tighter before tugging on their hand "C'mon, I got some stuff at my place, we'll get you some adjustments on that little ghost you got. You know Sulls, half my tattoos were impulsive too."

Oh Líadan, you've got no fucking clue.

Cause Sulli does know this is impulsive. But honestly, they're running out of time, and out of options. They've got to have something to go on, and if this is all they got, they're gonna have to run with it.

It's not a long walk to her apartment and that pain that seemed so adamant earlier feels lingering now, kissing down their side in waterfalls and brushed winds. It's the adrenaline of having something, of genuinely discovering something that could get them somewhere. Could do something that mattered. It's a real step in the direction Sulli wants to go down- maybe not the right one, per se, but the one that will lead them back to their friends. The people who were so desperate to keep them safe, they forgot to watch out for themselves too.

It doesn't matter anymore. Sulli is going to get them back. And it might as well be the last thing they do, 'cause they're not stopping until they're six feet under. They'll crawl if they have to. Sulli's scared of death, but they're much more fearful of what could be happening to their friends, and knowing that it could be their fault.

Did I lead them right to you?

It doesn't matter now. It's too late for that- and Sulli should have known it was too late to back out after Samhain too. They're smarter than that. They've always been smarter than that. It's hard to accept your whole life changing right in front of you, your entire reality crumbling in an instant, but it's much more difficult to get through life without a support system. Without people around you who care, and Sulli made the mistake of picking between those two choices.

It's cold in Lía's dorm, and briefly, she waves to her roommate before tugging Sulli into her room, and closing the door behind her. Muffled, from the other side, they here soft, semi-suggestive sounds, and Sulli quickly connects the dots with what her roommate thinks they're up to.

No fucking here, just trying to mess with the fae who made me promise something I don't remember.

Líadan rolls her eyes, "Ignore her. That's Bea, she thinks she's the shit."

"I heard that!"

"Good!" Their friend fires back, sitting on the bed. "I don't actually mind her." She explains, shaking her head, "But we don't get along all that well politically speaking, you could say. She's fine. But we're both plenty fine with the fact we're getting new roommates next year." There's a mutter from the other side of the door, Sulli guesses it's Bea, agreeing with her statement. Lía pushes herself off the bed, digging through a box on the bedside before pulling out a tattoo gun with a grin. "Come on Sulls, don't be shy. Have a seat."

Hesitance bites at their conscience, but the fear that not doing this could be worse than doing it pushes them forward. Sitting on the bedside beside her, she motions for them to take off his shirt. The tattoo is on the back of their shoulder- and most unfortunately, they're not wearing any kind of tank shirt today. Grumbling to themselves, and shoving back any kind of body dysmorphia deep into their chest, they reach back, pulling off their shirt.

"Oh- damn, Sulls. I didn't know you had that going on underneath."

Sulli grimaces, sending his friend a short-lived look, and she seems to take the hint before they shake their head. "You do realize I'm an athlete right?"

"You're also an artist."

"What, I can't be both?"

"No, no, you can just- I didn't expect you to look so muscular"

"Why are you staring at me anyway?"

"I'm appreciating it Sulli. I'm also an artist. It's what I do."

"Funny Lía." Sulli presses their lips together, crossing their arms over their chest. "I'm real lucky I wasn't born with tits."

"Okay, okay, I get it- no comments on your body Sulls. That's fair. I'm just saying- you're much cuter than you think you are."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment? I'm gonna think you're flirting with me in a minute."

"Yeah, cause you know me- you're objectively attractive Sulls. Like aesthetically, no wonder so many people have crushes on you."

"They do?? Like who?"

Líadan raises her eyebrow, checking the tattoo gun, "You've gotta be kidding, I thought you were smarter than that."

"Alright. Can it. I don't want to hear it."

"Lighten up Sulls." She presses her lips together, running her fingers over the tattoo on their shoulder. The ink feels like it's burning for a split second, and Sulli bites down on their cheek to avoid any change in expression as best as they can manage. "So what'd you want anyway? You want like stars or-"

"Stitches. I liked your idea, like little stitches- connecting to the main outline."

"Sure thing Sulli. I hope you know what you're doing."

I don't.

Not at all.

"I do." The lie comes out easily, smoother than it should, before nodding. "Go ahead. I'm ready."

Sulli was in fact not ready.

It stung more than it should. They've gotten tattoos before, obviously, but this hurt like a bitch. The branding, burning sensation was back, like the tattoo itself was being permanently altered, and that throbbing in the back of their head expanded and stretched - like a spider spinning a web over their mind.

Still. Sulli didn't say a word, kept their teeth bitten on their tongue till the backtaste of metal washed into their throat. Something was stirring in their chest, some kind of nauseous, bitter sensation that threatened to claw its way up their throat.

Talk to me.

It was a voice only half their own, prompting, pleading with the fae that they'd made a promise to.

Please, talk to me.

───────────────

WYN

eighteenth chapter!

I am back and better than ever : ) I'm hoping to update much more frequently now (I hope you guys are still active - TvT) but I do love lore, like a LOT, I just haven't had a ton of inspiration lately, but that's what usually happens when you stray from consistent writing, which unfortunately I've fallen victim too.

I've got a lot of updates- I started my work and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, it's awesome. I get to work outside and literally go on hikes for my job.

Anyway, heard wattpad is getting rid of PM's, so if anyone want's my disc, I'm gonna put it right here for you <3 

wynd_flower 

I love you all so much TvT, sorry for taking so long to update, I hope you enjoyed it! Sulli is about to have a breakthrough (hopefully)

Love you lots! Drink water, eat something, take care of yourself pretty please <3