Ghost and the Writer

Avocados

Horses.

They were horses.

Mandy sat in a daze watching four white unicorn foals and four black bicorn foals frolic and run around along with a happy seeming Albus.

Earlier that morning, she had woken up feeling at ease like waking up from a long and endless nightmare and saw that around their bed slept eight little foals - there had been no giving birth thing or anything of the like - they had just-- popped up.

Albus said this was normal for astrals. Well, if this was normal, then what did she have to complain about??

EVERYTHING!

THE HECK!

Why had she mothered four horses? They acted like horses, ran like horses, made horse sounds, and only possessed enough cuteness a foal would have. Albus seemed happy, but-- Mandy felt 0 sense of accomplishment, 0 sense of happiness about giving birth, and her attachment level to these horsies was also close to 0.

She sniffled.

She had slept for two months only to wake up to this.

Mandy felt a sense of warmth appear behind her and a familiar scent. August pulled her into a hug.

"I think I'm not made to be a parent," Mandy said and turned around to bury her face in his chest, noticing that his hair now reached way past his hips. No, it was even longer. It was braided over his shoulder in a way that looked loose, but that too was just a way for it to take up more length.

"Neither am I," August said, hugging her so tightly that it really expressed 'I missed you.'

Mhm. Mandy too held on him tightly. If he had been upset at her, then he certainly wasn't now.

"They are horses," Mandy said, on a proper thought, it would be odd if any of them felt much parental affection for horses.

"For now," August said and let out a breath. "They will learn to shapeshift eventually."

"Like Albus," Mandy added. Right. Those horses were like Albus; they would eventually become cute and pretty. Perhaps her feelings would change then? But who knows about that - for now it seemed like it might just be fine to have Albus look after them - Mandy had no idea how to take care of little horned horses either way.

"Speaking of Albus," August said. "She's a legendary grade pervert - no matter what I tried, she got into anything."

August was that really a thing you said to your lover after not seeing her for two months-- Mandy was envious. So very envious. Dangit, Albus, you lucky--

"Let's do it as well!" Mandy looked up at him with pursed lips and an upset expression.

August froze a bit. "...Are you sure?"

"Let's make a baby while at it," Mandy added. Because, in the end, it frustrated her to no end that August's first kids were with Albus.

Okay. They were horses. Okay, it was out of revenge. But-- but-- but-- Her hands clutched on his shirt as she looked up at him with eyes that were half a step away from tearing up.

"...At least," August said, making a complicated expression. "Let's get married first?"

Mandy straightened out. Huh? Eh-- that was-- unexpected. No, right-- his parents are also supposedly married. How did that even work?

And-- "But I'm a woman with baggage," she said. Well, having four 'kids' already, although horsies-- having one more out of wedlock-- eh, how to say this - Mandy had grown.

"Half of those are mine," August said since Mandy was looking towards the horses.

Okay, they were both with baggage. Horse baggage.

"...Okay," Mandy said, her cheeks starting to turn rosy. "Let's get married then."

"...Okay," August said and took out his phone to text Grisham.

Mandy peeked at the screen from the side.

August: [I need documents for Mandy to get married.]

Somehow seeing that written made her turn even redder. August didn't look much better when she peeked up. Cute.

Grisham: [Congrats! (five celebrating smileys) I will get them ready! Do you need a venue? I have a fake church that looks like a real church. (sparkles and a church symbol in the middle)]

August: [I'll take that.]

Grisham: [Does this Sunday sound good to you? (five bells and hearts on both sides of the text)]

August looked towards Mandy. Mandy smiled and nodded.

August(while completely red): [Yes]

And then Mandy tackled August before he could read the following message Grisham sent.

How could he be so haughty at some times and this cute at others?

August barely managed to drag her to the apartment through fae paths; otherwise-- she would have done something indecent in public. Wouldn't be her first time (cough).

Luckily someone found August's phone. Otherwise, it would be destroyed by the zone property. Unluckily that someone was Tiamat.

And the last message Grisham sent contained the address of the church.

So four days later--

On the way to the venue, August asked - "What's the animal you hate the most?"

Mandy thought about it. "Slugs." Not reading into the question, she asked, "Yours?"

"Pidgeons. They poop everywhere," he said.

Mandy should have read into it.

As Grisham (the heck?) stood by the podium announcing them, Husband and Wife, August smiled and whispered.

"Since we are now married, I guess I'll tell you--

That's when Mandy had a feeling she had heard this line before.

"--if you dump me, you will turn into a giant slug. I cursed your ring."

And when August put her through everything he had done to Albus-- Mandy had a faint feeling of doing exactly that. She also got into it, though, now finally getting the depth and horror of Albus' blush with that hollow look in her eyes. But-- god, WHY? WHY AVOCADOS?? She would never be able to eat them again after this.

Needless to say, their wedding had everyone in it. EVERYONE. But the afterparty was set on the next day, so she only realized the size of that word when they had all gathered by the lake, but-- she had now seen a new world, a new side of August she... didn't know if she wanted to have seen.

And also, by extension, a new side of herself, she didn't know if she wanted to know about.

Albus nodded at Mandy with an understanding look and tears in her eyes. They now both shared that hollow smile and a blush. They didn't need to talk to understand one another anymore. They had both seen that world.

And then August, sensing they were badmouthing him without exchanging any words dumped them both into a barrel of Ambrosia.

And that's how the story of a Ghost and the Writer came to an end, starting a new story of a Titan and a Dryad.

Because in that party--

Mandy multicast five epic rank skills - her skin became pitch black, she grew some extra eyes and some tentacles too and helped August discover a new world as well-- a world he did not want to discover. Or so it seemed. He also got into it and then later shared the same blush + hollow-eyed look with Mandy and Albus.

When Leum and Veri complained that they were left out, the three of them smiled and had those two also see that new world.

In this relationship -- there would be no Avocados.

The end.