He had wandered into the party later than he had anticipated.
The man cursed himself slightly when he finally did enter, slightly embarrassed with himself for not updating himself on the newer and modern technologies humans had seemed to come up with in the oddsome years he had been away from this dimension.
But he had only been away for nearly... what? 25 or so years...? How did things change so fast? How did they go from landlines and blocky phones and beepers to handheld devices that had access to nearly limitless knowledge within a few presses of their fingertips?
As he slowly made his way past groups of teens on their little glowing rectangles, he couldn't help but look over their shoulders and inspect the new technology further. He watched with awe as they chatted away with nothing more than a few scrolls of their thumb and posted pictures with a few taps around the small screen.
Conversations with people from the palm of your hand? Platforms to connect to the entire world? He was almost impressed; there seriously had been some major improvements since he had been away.
But as he continued past a booming speaker, he realized that not all change had been necessarily good. He was slowly finding out that music changed, too.
He didn't know what genre was currently blasting in his ears from all around him, but he knew he didn't like it. It was nothing like the records he remembered having; there were less synthesized beats and electric hip-hop melodies and more skillful violin runs and steady piano chords.
He waded through the people scattered across the room and the dance floor, trying his best not to bump into anyone accidentally. It was slightly hard to move around with all the strobe lights flashing around making his head spin. He didn't think he would have been affected so badly, but then again, he wasn't himself at this moment. If he wanted to blend in with these people, then he would need to use his human form, no matter how much weaker it was.
As he slowly made his way to the snack table, he helped himself to a cup of soda, eying the bottle cautiously as if it was poisonous. It might as well have been: why did it have so much sugar?
"They all have beyond average sugar content," he muttered under his breath, twisting the bottle caps to get a better view of their labels. A couple of people beside him gave him an odd glare, having heard his comment. He fell silent, and in the end he settled on a bit of Coke, not even bothering to grab a cookie or brownie; if the sodas were much too sweet for his liking, he could only imagine the food.
"If only they had tea," he moped to himself, cautiously sipping his soda. "No wonder why humans die so fast, they're practically poisoning themselves with these sweets."
But he wasn't there to contemplate where humans had gone wrong in their development, nor was he there to mingle with the people of Gravity Falls. As much as he adored observing humans and partaking in their little festivities and whatnot, he was there on a mission: he was going to find the source of his fire.
He had taken it upon himself to visit countless dimensions since that day he had first learned of the presence of a twin flame. He left Ashgar in charge of things back at home (as if he needed to even delegate anything in the first place; the small imp was always ever-so-helpful) and left for the neighboring dimensions soon after. The reaction had been so strong, so the source had to be close, didn't they?
Yet, so far, he had come up with nothing but insuccess; all attempts only resulted in random run-ins with weaker demons at best and nothing but ghosts or imps at worse.
But, when he first arrived in Gravity Falls, little ways into the woods but rather close to the homely little town, he had been a little more hopeful. Not even a second within the realm had his senses picked up on an immense amount of energy— something most closely associated with a rather powerful demon; potentially exactly what he was looking for.
He was certain the person with his fire was somewhere within the dimension— within the town. What better place to look than this party?
The timing couldn't have been more perfect; there was no way he could miss this demon now. The only problem was trying to pick out who they were from within the mob of townspeople.
Well, there was more than one problem, if he were to be honest.
Just what am I to do when I do find the one with my fire?
He was a little more than confused in hindsight. He didn't understand how someone had his fire in the first place. He didn't just go around dimensions granting creatures a portion of his powers; most of his time was spent in his home dimension. He wasn't necessarily a large figure back at home, but with his modest title of one of the few Lords within his twilight colored world, he definitely had his fair share of responsibilities.
So just how did this creature harness my black flames?
The tall man kept wandering through the party, keeping himself confined within the four walls with the noise and cheer of the current festivities. The person was close; they had to be amongst the partying citizens.
He stuck out like a sore thumb; while others were cheering and dancing without a care in the world, there he was, sneaking around in the background, nearly flush with the walls as he scanned for the demon in disguise. He was positive he was garnering glances from the more astute people of the party, but as he kept walking around in circles (a square, really), he was slowly losing track of the energy that had drawn him to the party in the first place.
It had just... vanished. As if someone had blown out a candle; snuffed out a small flame. It was there one moment and disappeared in the next, leaving him with a sudden chill.
"Where on Earth...?"
He paused for a moment, clutching his red solo cup tightly. No... the energy wasn't gone, not completely. It was just in a different place. A much farther place. They were on the move.
He could still feel something. It wasn't as strong as it was previously, but the demon was still within this specific plane of existence.
"They must be out in the woods," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "They must have sensed me and tried to leave."
The man swiveled his head around the room for what felt like the fifth time that night, looking for an exit. There appeared to only be one: the same door he— and everyone else at the party— had entered through. But based upon the steady influx of people still battling to get through the door, he figured that it would be best to look for another exit.
But first, he thought, stopping by a speaker. The deep bass mixed with the high-pitched melody made his jaw clench and head buzz. He could feel those human eyes throb within his skull, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. I have to get away from this... "music."
Amber eyes spotted the staircase in the corner of the party room, leading up to the rest of the house. With a small sigh of relief, he made his way to his only exit, eager to leave all the incessant noise and clatter of the festivities behind him.
He discarded his cup in a nearby garbage pin, sticking his hands in the pockets of his shorts as he made his way up the stairs, trying to look as casual as possible. The Coke he had left a bad taste in his mouth, and he couldn't wait to return home for some tea. He hoped that Ashgar would prepare some in advance; they were always incredibly insightful. It was just one of the things that made the demon so incredibly grateful for them.
The thought of freshly brewed tea and a whistling kettle brought a small smile to his face as he made it into a small adjoining hallway leading away from the party.
He was grateful that the hallway was empty, and as he continued down the narrow passageway, he couldn't help but notice the frames littering the walls. They were very sparse to begin with, but what little were displayed held a small and happy family. Most photos depicted an older man— much older than his human form— in front of the house. Very soon, however, two brunette children made their appearance alongside the man.
He thought the pictures seemed more recent; the frames appeared a lot newer than the rest.
Reaching the last frame before the hall opened out into a parlor, his eyes caught them out on a fishing boat. This time, he noticed a new addition to the family: a slightly taller ravenette, only held so closely to the family by the younger children.
"Siblings, I presume," he mumbled to himself, a little smile pulling at his lips. "Adorable."
He was always enamored with humans: they weren't like other creatures, and they definitely weren't like other animals in this realm; they knew what awaited them. They were very familiar with the idea of Death, and despite what some might swear by, they were virtually clueless to what came after their life ran out. But despite this, they lived their simple and otherwise meaningless lives to the fullest. And after millennia of watching generations upon generations of humans continue living this way, he had grown attached.
It started out as interest, but soon turned to endearment. They did the most pointless things for fun; they moved their bodies to steady rhythm and beats, they harmonized with others and broke into warm giggles whenever they found something even remotely funny. They pressed their lips against others to express love, embraced for comfort, and water could spill from their eyes in either sadness, happiness, or anger.
He didn't understand it at first; he didn't know how such insignificant creatures— compared to himself— could only have a fraction of the experiences he had, but still appeared to be so much happier than him. The question mythed him for eons, until he decided to try his hand at the "human experience."
And what an experience that was.
His time reminiscing was cut short when realized he had wandered into an open parlor. It was a classy little thing— a decently sized room filled with a few stuffed game heads on the walls. Upon closer inspection, they didn't even appear to be real.
"The stitching is... subpar," he muttered, walking up to a stuffed deer head. At least, it used to be a deer head. There were horns— very similar to his own— stitched at the very top of its head. He let out a little chuckle; it was mildly amusing.
But as he continued to survey the room, he realized he had run into another new problem.
"I didn't think this place would be so... big," he said, running a hand through his hair. He rolled his shoulders back, biting his lip in a frown. "The energy is getting even further... I need to get out." But right as he finished, another spasm ran through his body, shaking him violently. He was more familiar with that one: his fire was once again used by the being in this dimension.
"I have to find them," he muttered, shaking his head slightly to ground himself again.
Deciding to try his luck— "I'm a demon, after all," he had muttered, looking at his options of passageways off of the parlor— he took a left, hoping to end up finding a door. But after another right turn, he was slowly learning that he was lost within the shack.
"This is ridiculous," he said, when he found himself in another narrow hallway, the music from the party getting increasingly louder. "How did I wind up back here...?"
It was mildly embarrassing to say the least; he, a demon, got lost within a measly shack? Was he really that out of tune with human spatial awareness?
"I'm beginning to remember the hindrances of this physical form," he sighed, knocking on the wall gently. Had he visited the dimension without it, he could freely move about the house without anyone noticing. But no, he just had to amuse himself and quell his curiosity by mingling amongst humans.
"Curse my inquisitiveness," he said, though he spoke with a smile. He couldn't help himself; they were just so fascinating!
"I'm sure if I keep going forward, I'll find another bend that will lead to—"
"HALLO THERE!"
The man nearly jumped out of his skin, instinctively moving against the wall. The frames and paintings hanging from the wall rattled slightly as he slammed himself between them. His fists clenched, steady at his sides, readying to pounce forth at a moment's notice.
He looked down, spotting a young girl staring back up at him with a wide and kind smile. While the long, brown hair was styled with a neon color bow instead of the headbands he had seen before, he was still able to recognize her as one of the children in the pictures among the walls. A smile cracked at his lips, and he shook his head slightly, embarrassed with himself for being so startled.
"Little one," he laughed warmly, running a hand through his hair, "you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry about that!" She said, giggling slightly herself. "My siblings say I need to stop sneaking up on people. I'm Mabel!"
She stuck out a little hand. He took it, his smile mimicking her own. "Inigo," he said smoothly, bowing a little bit to meet her level.
"Ooo!" Mabel cooed, her eyes lighting up. "That's a cool name!"
"I'm pleased you find it so," he laughed slightly.
"What are you doing all the way over here? The party's back there."
"Oh, well, you see," he started, scratching at his neck. "I sort of..."
"Got lost?"
"...Yes," he admitted with a small chuckle.
"Let me guess: you were trying to find the bathroom?"
"Actually—" Inigo paused for a moment, lips pressing in a thin line. He hadn't noticed it before, but the presence he had been trying to track was... was getting closer? It definitely wasn't as far as it appeared to be before. Were they coming back to the party? The shack?
"Y-yes," he finally answered. "Obviously I took more than a few wrong turns."
Mabel laughed. "Don't worry, you aren't the only one. My brother found someone about to go into the kitchen," she pointed behind him, presumably in the direction of the room. "At least you didn't go all the way back there! C'mon! I'll take you to the one closest to the party."
"Thank you, Mabel," he smiled. But as she began to lead him back down the hall, his eyes wandered around; he might not be able to interact with anything above this plane, but he could still see. And right now, he was certain there was something out there, slinking around the shadows as they made their way back to the shack and out of his sight.
As the two made their way to the bathroom, Mabel struck up small talk, asking about the party and other things of the like.
"You know," she said suddenly, "I haven't seen you around town that much. I mean," she added quickly, when she noticed his eyes widened a bit, "I'm still meeting people, but I've recognized most of them from stores and stuff in town. Or even the Mystery Shack."
"I'm not from here," he answered quickly. "I only came for... work. I saw the party advertisements in town, and figured it would be a nice way to unwind."
"Heck yeah it is!" Mabel cheered, a skip in her step. "I'm glad you're enjoying it!"
"Of course! How couldn't I? Especially when I have such a warm and welcoming hostess?"
Mabel smiled pridefully, showing off her braces. She nodded her head in enthusiastic agreement.
After another turn, the two found themselves entering the same hallway Inigo had first ventured through after leaving the party. He could now hear the muffled music much clearer, but was relieved to find that it had died down slightly.
Mabel seemed to notice too, a little frown settling on her face. "Aw, the party's probably winding down."
Before Inigo could answer, a door opened. The two looked up, watching as a tall teen dressed in black quickly left the room and climbed back down the stairs to the party. He glanced their way once, which only encouraged him to hurry away faster.
"Oh perfect! Robbie's out, so now the bathroom's free—"
The two paused, as the bathroom door opened once again, this time letting a shorter girl out of the room. It took Inigo a moment, but he recognized her as being one of the other siblings in the photos.
Unlike the boy who walked out before her, when she caught their eyes, she froze.
Inigo's eyes widened slightly. He might have been out of touch with humanity, but he wasn't an idiot. There were... certain implications that came from the two leaving the bathroom right after each other. But that wasn't any of his business; he just couldn't help thinking that they were much too young. Granted, everyone was much too young in his eyes.
He wasn't going to bring any attention to it, but Mabel caught on nearly as fast as him.
"OH MY GOSH!" Mabel screamed, nearly tackling the older girl. She pulled at her clothes, bouncing on her heels like a spring. The little bow in her hair jumped wildly with her. "Were you in the bathroom with Robbie?"
Inigo could see the girl pale violently, panicking quite visibly. "No no no no no no!"
As the girl continued to explain her situation, Inigo was able to get a better look at her. Though she only stood a few inches older than her sister, there was an air of maturity that made up for any height she might have lacked. She was dressed differently from the few pictures he had seen of her, and looked incredibly disheveled. His amber eyes caught the green of pine needles and leaves stuck in her hair. She was starkly different from Mabel; dark black hair and piercing grey eyes that peered nervously from between bangs. He couldn't see much of her eyes, but the more that he tried to get a better look at them, the more they seemed... familiar.
Her eyes, he mused silently to himself, a sad smile pulling at his lips, they look so much like... like hers.
He quickly shook that thought out of his head, instead choosing to focus on that demonic presence he had been so eager to find. Though, at this point, he wanted to focus on anything else that wasn't her. It was still close, but it wasn't in the shack. At least, not that he could tell.
They're probably outside. Maybe they realized I'm also within this dimension.
Finally, after a moment, he spoke up. "I'm sorry, but is there where the bathroom is, Mabel?"
The two finally paused, looking back as if forgetting he was even there in the first place. The older girl scanned him up and down, her eyes narrowing slightly. Inigo could feel her scrutinizing him to the highest degree; almost as if she was analyzing him under a microscope.
From her inquisitive gaze alone, he could feel his breath hitch. The way she was examining him almost made him fear that she had figured out that he wasn't exactly the human he was parading around to be. It only made it feel more uncomfortable when their eyes met for a split second; he was torn between thinking that she had someone learned of his secret and how similar her cold gaze was to hers, especially when she had gotten mad with him when they lived together.
He turned away quickly, slightly paranoid that her eyes were seeing right through him.
"Um, who's this...?"
He barely heard her question before Mabel cut in suddenly, answering his own previously: "Oh yes it is! Sorry, we're in the way." She moved her sister and herself, moting to the bathroom with a sleeve.
He considered introducing himself quickly, but with a quick nod, he excused himself into the bathroom, ignoring both the sudden fear that the girl's gaze had instilled in him and the face of the woman that bubbled to the back of his mind at the thought of those piercing eyes.
Y/n's eyes narrowed, following him until he closed the door. There was something... out of place about him. She didn't know what, but it was obvious he wasn't originally from the town.
Maybe it's the shirt, she thought, but quickly realized that it was silly. Although, besides herself and Stan, she had never seen anyone as dressed up as that man, even if he was just wearing a striped polo.
"Who was he?" She asked again, lowering her voice to a whisper. She wanted him to introduce himself, but Mabel would have to do.
"His name's Inigo. He got lost finding the bathroom, so I had to help him."
"In... Inigo? Really?"
"Yeah! Isn't it a cool name?"
"Yeah. I guess...?" Her eyes flickered back to the door, as if expecting him to be waiting and staring back. It sounded a tad familiar, but it was so out of place that she figured that it was probably a name from one of her friend's rpgs that was mentioned in passing.
Mabel noticed. "What's up?"
"No, no, nothing. He just... seems a bit out of place, I guess."
"He told me he isn't from town. He's here for work."
"Ah, that's what it is."
Mabel giggled. "You're already sniffing out foreigners."
Y/n laughed slightly, until the two girls heard a flush, followed by the tap. Soon enough, he came back out. He looked between the two of them, kind smile in place.
"If it's not too much to ask," he began, closing the door behind him. "Could you perchance lead me to the exit? I'd rather not go out the same as the admission."
Mabel nodded, but Y/n could see the quick flash of hesitance in her eyes. She wanted to get back to the party before it ended, and it was written all over her face.
"I'll lead you out; I'm healing back to my room anyway," Y/n volunteered, flashing a knowing nod to Mabel. "You go back to the party. Find me when it's done and I'll tell you about... the thing." She motioned to her leg.
Mabel nodded quickly, giving Y/n a quick hug as thanks before disappearing down the stairs and back into the party, once again absorbed by neon lights and blasting music.
Y/n turned back to the man, unsure on how to introduce herself, let alone if she should in the first place.
Well, it's not like it's a long trip to the door. She was in no way starting up small talk with him; she was too tired to.
"Come on, it's back through this way," she said, heading back down the hallway. However, as she took a step on her injured foot, she wavered slightly. The numbness was slowly dying down, instead replaced with a sharp ache that made it hard to put her entire weight onto it. With a silent curse, she tried to hide her limp as she continued down the hall, the tall man behind her.
But of course, as observant as ever, Inigo immediately noticed the odd behavior. He quickly noticed the uncoordinated foot, and his eyes caught the edge of a bandage from beneath the hems of her jeans.
"Is your foot alright? It appears to be injured." He quickly came to her side, ready to hold her up if need be.
"I'm fine," she mumbled, a little apprehensive on how fast he had moved. She shied away from his outstretched arms; even if they were for aid, she had no intention of using them. "Just a little limp, nothing I can't handle."
"Are you sure?" He asked again, concern evident in his tone. His eyes quickly flashed from her face to her leg, arms still held out in case she were to fall over.
Y/n couldn't help but make a face; who was this man? And why was he treating her like... well, like a child? She felt like a baby, struggling to take their first steps as their father stayed close behind, ready to catch them at any moment if they were to fall over, lest they get hurt.
"Yes," she answered, rather roughly, rolling her shoulder in an attempt to get him to back away. He caught on, stepping away from her with a quick apology. He dropped his hands to his sides, allowing them to reside in his pockets.
With a curt nod, Y/n continued down the hall, trying to subtly use her elbow and the wall as support. She tried to make it appear as natural as possible, but Inigo had long since caught on. He remained quiet, and despite all urges telling him to help her get to a chair or something to sit on, he instead trailed behind her, slowing his own strides in order not to surpass the injured girl.
How did she hurt herself? Poor child.
Despite her faulty leg, the two made it to the door rather quickly; mostly because Y/n was dying to shower and get all the nettles and pines off of herself and out of her hair.
She opened the door, letting the tall man step out. The sigh of relief that left his lips and relaxed his shoulders didn't go unnoticed; Y/n couldn't help but smirk at the sight. It seemed she hadn't been the only one who was itching to leave that party.
"Thank you for your help," Inigo smiled, nodding slowly. His eyes flickered around wildly, trying to spot the presence that appeared to be getting stronger. They were close now— he could swear they were right on top of him— but he just couldn't spot them. They always appeared to remain out of sight.
"No problem," Y/n answered, gently leaning herself against the door to ease the burden on her leg. "Hope you enjoyed the party."
He laughed, but it was more polite than it was happy. "Yes, I did. Now, I wouldn't want to hold you from it."
Y/n couldn't hide the slight grimace that squinted her eyes and pulled her lips into a tight frown. "Mmhmm."
Inigo chuckled; "I take it you aren't a big fan of it?"
"Y-yeah, what gave it away?"
"Well, if those leaves in your hair are any sign, I take it you weren't even there for most of it." He reached over, pulling one out of the mess of black. He swatted it to the floor.
"Shit," she muttered, reaching up within her own tangles to grab what she could. She didn't think it was that bad. "I'll take care of the rest of them in a bit."
Inigo's nose scrunched up slightly at the use of profanity; he had never found the point in it. But he held his mouth shut.
"I'm sure you will—" He paused suddenly, realizing he had never caught her name. Not even Mabel had said it in passing. "Um, I don't believe we were ever introduced?"
"Oh right." Y/n let go of the door knob, leaning on it to steady herself enough to offer a hand. She wasn't expecting him to ask for her name, especially if this was probably the last time she would ever see him; he did say he wasn't from the town. She made sure that her flannel covered the scarring on her palm before offering it rather lacklusterly.
Inigo noticed her hesitation and decided— for her sake— to introduce himself first. She seems to be the reserved type, he thought, reaching for her hand. Not too unlike myself; completely different from that sister of hers, though.
But as he grabbed her hand, his name died on his tongue. A sudden and strong surge of energy ran up his arm, a buzzing tickling his skin and settling in his chest. His eyes widened; this had never happened before. Especially with a human.
Y/n felt it too, thought much more extreme. It was like she was suddenly dropped; her stomach flipped and a wave of adrenaline ran the entire length of her body, causing an involuntary shiver to trickle down her spine. Her hand clutched his tighter accidentally, and a sudden warmth was settled within their palms; a warmth familiar to the both of them.
That's the warmth of my—! Inigo's mind began to race. This child has it?! How?
But before any of them could utter a word, it was over. Within an instant, everything was back to normal; the handshake was nothing more than... well, a handshake.
What the fuck was that? Did I burn him too? Y/n considered asking him if he too had felt it, but decided it against it in case it only made her look insane.
But by the looks of it, it seemed Inigo was just as puzzled as she was. He quietly gaped at their hands still clasped in a shake, carefully scanning the girl up and down. He didn't understand.
Y/n averted her eyes and cleared her throat, realizing that he wasn't going to be speaking anytime soon without a friendly reminder that they were still in the middle of an introduction.
"S-sorry," he finally stuttered out, trying to hide the foreign tone behind a nervous chuckle. "I'm—"
"Inigo...? Right?"
Oh, so Mabel did give her my name, he thought. He gave her hand a gentle shake nonetheless, afraid that anything too rough would recreate the odd occurrence from moments prior. "Yes."
"I'm Y/n," she shook his hand slightly, relaxing the steel grip she had accidentally grabbed at him with. Trying to play off the experience naturally, she let herself smile slightly. But when she pulled her hand away, only to realize that Inigo had tightened his grip.
She looked up at him, only to see him blinking quietly, deep in thought. Moments passed in silently, Y/n watching as his expression changed from puzzled to confused before finally settling in... skepticism? Eventually, his brows furrowed and he cocked his head to the side. "I'm sorry, I think I might have misheard you. You said...?"
"Y/n. Y/n P-Pines," she answered a little sharper, seizing the opportunity to pull her hand away. She rolled her shoulder apprehensively as the man continued to stare at her blankly. It was like he was seeing a ghost.
To Inigo, it almost was like he was seeing a ghost.
Y/n...? He kept thinking, his thoughts beginning to race in his head. He could hear his heart beating loudly, blood rushing in his ears as he finally registered the name.
As in... as in my...? No, no, it's a coincidence; it has to be! But... she has her eyes; the same beautiful gray. And...? He was close to stumbling over, the conclusion he was reaching so powerful enough to make him light headed and sweeping his legs out from under him. He had never felt so human.
Inigo remained frozen in front of her, hand still outstretched, moving slightly towards her. Y/n moved away, trying her best to shoo the man away so she could finally close the door. She saw his fingers flex slightly, as if they were going to grab her. It was obvious she needed to say something if she planned to get rid of him anytime soon.
"Hey, uh, I'm sorry but I gotta go, so—"
"Oh yes!" Inigo answered suddenly, finally putting his hand down. He took a step back off the porch, despite every fiber of his being begging him to stay. Conflict plagued his body; a battle between his intensely brewing emotions and his ever-reigning logic. He wanted to lunge towards her— grab her and make sure she was real— but he couldn't; not when he wasn't even sure if it was really her.
No, it is her! His thoughts screamed. It's her! Don't let her go, not when you just got her back!
"S-sorry," he finally choked out. Have a goodnight, Y/n." His voice died in his throat, his eyes not leaving the girl in front of him. He didn't want to leave. Inigo had to know; he had to know if this was real— if the girl before him held the same fire his being was comprised of.
Y/n nodded, eyes once again scrutinizing the man in front of her. She had already pushed the handshake towards the back of her head, but she felt as if she was going to have a harder time getting this vivid character out of her memories. He was like a completely different person from who she had met moments prior.
What got into him? She couldn't help but wonder.
"Yeah, have a good night."
The door closed, and Inigo watched as Y/n ventured back into the shack. And with her, a piece of himself.
"It's her," he whispered to himself. Maybe it was his thoughts and overwhelming feelings, but he seemed to be convinced. A shaky laugh left his lips, a hand running through his hair. A surge of foreign emotions flowed within him, making his head dizzy.
It was weird— it was one of the things that made him feel alive as a human, but right now he could do without them. He would much rather prefer to be within his ethereal skin when he learned this information; it would at least hit him when he was with a level head and muted emotions.
"It has to be her."
The eyes; the hair; her reserved nature; the handshake— that warmth was my fire; of course she would have it! She's—!
"It's my little girl," Inigo whispered to the wind, a smile pulling at his lips. His hands cupped his face as he continued to struggle to quell the bubbling emotions erupting from within. He wanted to shout it to the heavens; rejoice that he had learned that his little bundle of joy was still alive, living with a family that loved her nearly as much as he did. But, there was a certain sadness that came with the realization, and for the first time that night, his smile turned into a deep frown, lips trembling. His eyes went blurry, and, before he knew it, warm tears began to run down his cheeks.
"My little Princess is still alive," he breathed out quietly. That alone should have overjoyed him; all this time, he thought she had died in the same fire that took his love's life. But there was another glaring issue, one that troubled him greatly.
"But... she doesn't even know who I am."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey guys! I'm officially on winter break, and even tho I am taking a winter class, I should be able to have an easier time writing for y'all!
This was another fun chapter to write, mostly because I finally got to write more about Inigo. He's gonna be fun hehehe
Also, in case anyone missed my little announcement, Ashgar is in fact nonbinary and uses they/them. It was something I had been thinking about more since I'm planning ahead for when they become more apart of the plot, and I wanted to change it. Just wanted to mention it here too in case someone missed it and was confused lol
Also also, I know I said I would a little doodle of a scene from last chapter but the new FNAF has been keeping me well occupied LMAO. Dw I'll have it by next chapter I swear. Drawing backgrounds with trees is hard for me :(
With that being said, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Happy holidays to those who celebrate, and I'll see you in the next year
See ya next time :D
-Cipher