APRICITY // technoblade x reader DISCONTINUED

23 - Ideas and Inspiration

The walk seems shorter than it was last time, but you can't tell if that's because you know where you're going or if it's because Niki has joined you, Wilbur, and Techno today. Her bright, bubbly laughter and sweet personality have completely charmed both Wilbur and Techno by now, and the four of you spend the entire walk locked in friendly banter.

The only time your laughter fades is when you glance over at Techno, only to see him already studying you with a small smile on his face. You smile back at him, sweet and private, and he can't quite hide his smile or blush by glancing away.

The tingling in your chest warms you for the rest of the walk.

You arrive at the Haveneaux manor when the sun is still high in the midday sky, glinting off of the towering gates that seem more welcoming than foreboding now. Chancellor Puffy herself greets you at the door, Dream by her side.

"Good morning!" Her smile is as wide and genuine as ever, her eyes bright and alert. Her outfit today is an elaborate layering of light leather armor, red fabric, and linen, and her wide sleeves billow as she gestures for you to enter. Dream greets you with a friendly wave, and he falls into step beside his mother as they lead you deeper into the manor.

They guide you into a sitting room area, filled with couches and a crackling fire in a hearth. On a table in the center are a steaming pot of tea and some snacks.

"Make yourself comfortable," call Dream as he beelines for a plush armchair.

You follow suit, dragging Niki and Techno to sink into one of the deep, comfortable couches. Puffy slumps into one across from Dream, her cloud of hair fluffing up above the back of the chair.

Wilbur meanders over to another loveseat, sprawling out as well. "So, Chancellor Puffy. We have some... new developments."

"I've told you before, Wilbur. Call me Puffy. You're a guest in my family's home." She glances around, seemingly double-checking the space, and her eyes flash green for a moment. "We're safe, nobody should be able to hear us. We can hear outside, but any sound that we make will be kept within this room."

Beside you, you feel Techno's posture relax. "Thanks, Puffy. For the news, how do I even start?" he runs a hand through his messily braided hair. "Last night, Y/n noticed something off, at probably three or so in the morning. Ranboo was in the garden. Something seemed wrong, and she was worried, so she woke me and we went to investigate. We found Ranboo in the center of the hedge maze, with a glowing green gem and a circle of runes that wasn't there before. He wasn't himself— I think he was being controlled— so we...incapacitated him. He was fine when he woke up, but he had a blank spot in his memory."

Puffy frowns from the depths of her plush chair. "I don't like that at all."

"Me neither."

"Do you have a drawing of the rune circle?"

"Actually, yeah." Wilbur produces a sheet of paper from his bag and passes it to Puffy. "It's very similar to the one in the Camarvan Library vault, albeit much smaller and slightly weaker."

Puffy strokes her chin as she scans the page. "I don't like this. Whoever's doing this has not only been dabbling in memory magic, they've been much more than dabbling in ancient mind manipulation."

"That's what I thought too," Techno points out. "Doesn't narrow down our culprit, though, because while a lot of hybrids have longer lifespans than humans, a regular human could have just gotten their hands on a book from a few centuries ago."

"I don't know... This isn't just old, it's pretty powerful magic." Puffy pushes herself off of the chair and begins to pace around the room. "Almost powerful enough that for someone to be both educated enough and magically gifted enough to successfully use these rune circles, they'd have to be..."

"Shit. They could be a Magister." Techno rubs his temples. "That could be... that could actually potentially end up really badly."

Puffy nods in agreement, her face drawn and pale. "Not to mention what would happen if word got out to the citizens... There would be unrest and the people would feel unsafe and paranoid, even if it turns out not to be true."

"Which likely won't even happen," Techno says slowly, eyes narrowed. You can see him thinking, and his eyes flick around the room like he's searching for something. "The rune circle in the hedge maze was fairly permanent and elaborate. That wasn't a one-off event, that was done by someone trying to get at someone in our house."

"The runes in the maze... the one in the vault...the connection between the two..." you whisper, counting off on your fingers. You see Techno's eyes widen as you come to the conclusion at the same time. "Me. It's me. I'm the one consistent variable."

"They're not getting you." Techno grabs your hand, lacing your fingers together. His eyes are fierce as he looks at you. "They won't, I promise."

"But what happens if they don't? I don't want them to hurt Ranboo again, or Niki, or Wilbur, or, or... or Gods forbid, hurt you! Everyone means so much to me, and I refuse to let them get hurt on my behalf."

Techno pauses, sucking in a breath. "Then you understand why I don't want anything to happen to you."

You feel some of the tension release from your shoulders, and you lean against Techno. "...Maybe I do."

He squeezes your hand comfortingly.

"Before we even deal with that," Puffy muses, pausing in her pacing, "We need to find out who wants to get to you. We already know that the Camarvan Library attack and the one on Techno and Wilbur's home were connected. But does that tie into the attack on Snowchester Library?"

You purse your lips. "Likely, but I don't know how. What were the details of the attack?"

"It happened soon after midnight. Similar scenario to the attack on Camarvan, nobody was awake, not even wardens or guards. One of the wardens was woken eventually by the noise, but it took two wardens and five guards to take down the maleficts that were created in the aftermath of the main one's attack. The director was found dead as well, and his axe was found nearby. The grimoire was the Eye of the Beholder, a powerful Level Eight scrying text from the thirteenth century, and it corrupted several other grimoires during its rampage."

You frown. There's something there, a thread tying the two together, but you can't place what it is. It feels just out of reach, like a shelf that your fingertips can't quite graze.

You shake your head. Maybe it'll come to you later, but for right now it's just frustratingly close.

"I don't... there's definitely something connecting them. It's obvious, but I can't figure out what." You sigh in frustration, and Techno tugs gently on your hand. You lean over onto his shoulder, bumping your head into his side.

"We'll figure it out," Techno reassures you with a soft smile.

"Speaking of figuring things out," Puffy announces, placing her hands on her hips. Her eyes glint with victory. "I have an idea of how to get all the high-level sorcerers and warlocks of L'Manburg into one place at one time. I'm going to host a gala!"