I'm Knot Scared (M/M) - June 11 NEW!
You build some terrific characters, and the plot continues to deepen. This is way beyond my usual fare but I'm certainly enjoying what you've done and looking forward to wherever you take us.
[mention]NeedControl[/mention] [mention]wataru14[/mention] [mention]KidnappedCowboy[/mention] [mention]Pup Wingletang[/mention] [mention]MountainMan_91[/mention] [mention]DeeperThanRed[/mention] [mention]Bradstick[/mention] [mention]gag1195[/mention] [mention]MaxRoper[/mention] [mention]Guardianbound[/mention]
"Howie was a sweet boy, of course. I don't think he ever knew how much of an effect he had on my Jerry. It wasn't long after he started tutoring him that Jerry ended up nearly at the top of the class!" Mrs. Goldwyn beamed, finally stopping to sip some coffee after a thirty-minute speech about her son's accomplishments.
Jules sighed. "That's very nice, ma'am."
"Oh, sweetheart, it's Leticia."
"...Leticia."
"As I was saying, I think Jerry had a little bit of a crush on that boy. He came out, and he wouldn't tell me about what boy he was planning on taking to the prom, but a mother knows these things. In any case, I can only hope they ended up running away together or something."
"...you're remarkably calm about this, uh, Leticia."
She shrugged. "Should I be driving myself insane with worry? The police are on the case, right?'
"Uh, right. I had better go. Thanks for the coffee, ma'a- Leticia."
Jules sighed, glaring at Bayard and Kenny. "Neither of you wanted to come in and get me?"
Bayard smiled softly. "We figured you'd want enough time to really get in there."
"So what'd you find out?" Kenny asked.
"Well, the only thing of use is that apparently Jerry held a torch for the other missing boy, Howie." Jules recalled. "And apparently, he's won every single award known to man."
"Ooh!" Kenny bounced a little on the balls of his feet. "Howie's dad said his son had a big crush on Jerry but never told him!"
Bayard shrugged. "Travis seemed only to be good friends with them both."
Jules nodded. "So... if Howie really is the link - maybe their crushes on each other were what the ghost picked up on!"
"If it is a ghost." Kenny added reasonably.
Bayard frowned. "How would we replicate that effect, hmm?"
"No idea, but we still ought to tell the others."
Kenny nodded. "Let's get up to the hill house."
Mack knew this was something legitimate from the first spell tag that was set down. Even Brady and Derek had been shocked at the effect. Brady had barely tacked it to the wall when Mack became conscious of a visible darkening of the whole area. Despite the sun being clearly high in the sky, it seemed to have rusted over, bathing everything in strange muted brown tones. The door leading outside slammed itself shut almost angrily, and instinctively Mack knew it wouldn't open for them until the presence was gone.
"This is... this is unheard of!" Brady yelped. "We don't even get this reaction from poltergeists!"
Mack crouched backward into the corner of the room, his eyes flickering to each mode of entering the room - the windows, the open doorways. "Put another one up. Move in a pentagram formation."
Brady looked briefly impressed.
"Are you crazy?" Derek challenged, but Brady already was moving. He moved across the room, tacking up another spell tag. Mack imagined a hazy white beam of light connecting the two, and pointed to Derek.
"Another one. Put it-" He was interrupted by the house itself seeming to tremble, the window shutters banging of their own accord against the glass, the doors throughout the building slamming over and over. "Put it beside that door!"
Derek did so, and Mack visualized the connection as a V between the three tags. He himself put up the next one, right up on a windowsill.
And that was when the center of the room warped, glowing with ethereal green energy. It didn't look like Travis' description. This was not a figure that was manifesting, but an angry shapeless mass of crackling electricity. Derek grabbed for the tag to complete the pentagram, but the thing sent out a tendril of green energy that became an ink-black chain that started wrapping around him, attempting to mummify him and drag him closer. Mack roared, running directly across the room, leaping over the table to grab the chains, pulling back with immense strength to keep Derek from being pulled into the mass of energy.
Seeing his friend taken care of, Brady snatched the final tag off the floor and completed the pentagram formation. Instantly the mass of green power followed the sudden flow of energy, briefly forming a solid star-shape in the air before dispersing. The ink-black chain crushing Derek turned to black fog that dissipated, and everything was returned to normal.
"What the hell was-?" Derek started, only for Brady to cut him off.
"The reason the spell tags provoke a reaction is because they're so agitating they can summon a spirit against its will. It increases its power, makes it really angry. But most spirits aren't this strong normally. We just gave it a huge temporary boost."
Derek glanced at Mack. "How'd you know the pentagram would work?"
"Apotropaic magic. Pentagram is one of the oldest protective symbols. Figured it couldn't hurt." Mack shrugged, quickly checking Derek's skin for marks or burns.
Brady shuddered. "Well, at least we know it's a spirit and not some kind of illusion magic. Judging from the sheer power of it, it's a wraith. They're kind of an evolution of a normal ghost - they get fueled by the legends about them and regain a new consciousness. Most ghosts aren't actually sentient - they're manifestations of lingering emotions. Wraiths can think and actively hunt."
"Well, you do know how to exorcise them?"
Derek swung his arm. "Let's move out of here." He continued as they all marched out. "We can't seal them away. The only way to deal with those assholes is to lure them out and blast them with holy water or other purifying elements."
"Well, hopefully Kenny and the others know how to lure out our wraith." Mack sighed.
"Speak of the devil." Brady chuckled, pointing to the three figures walking up. "Let's smoke this bastard."
"Howie was a sweet boy, of course. I don't think he ever knew how much of an effect he had on my Jerry. It wasn't long after he started tutoring him that Jerry ended up nearly at the top of the class!" Mrs. Goldwyn beamed, finally stopping to sip some coffee after a thirty-minute speech about her son's accomplishments.
Jules sighed. "That's very nice, ma'am."
"Oh, sweetheart, it's Leticia."
"...Leticia."
"As I was saying, I think Jerry had a little bit of a crush on that boy. He came out, and he wouldn't tell me about what boy he was planning on taking to the prom, but a mother knows these things. In any case, I can only hope they ended up running away together or something."
"...you're remarkably calm about this, uh, Leticia."
She shrugged. "Should I be driving myself insane with worry? The police are on the case, right?'
"Uh, right. I had better go. Thanks for the coffee, ma'a- Leticia."
Jules sighed, glaring at Bayard and Kenny. "Neither of you wanted to come in and get me?"
Bayard smiled softly. "We figured you'd want enough time to really get in there."
"So what'd you find out?" Kenny asked.
"Well, the only thing of use is that apparently Jerry held a torch for the other missing boy, Howie." Jules recalled. "And apparently, he's won every single award known to man."
"Ooh!" Kenny bounced a little on the balls of his feet. "Howie's dad said his son had a big crush on Jerry but never told him!"
Bayard shrugged. "Travis seemed only to be good friends with them both."
Jules nodded. "So... if Howie really is the link - maybe their crushes on each other were what the ghost picked up on!"
"If it is a ghost." Kenny added reasonably.
Bayard frowned. "How would we replicate that effect, hmm?"
"No idea, but we still ought to tell the others."
Kenny nodded. "Let's get up to the hill house."
Mack knew this was something legitimate from the first spell tag that was set down. Even Brady and Derek had been shocked at the effect. Brady had barely tacked it to the wall when Mack became conscious of a visible darkening of the whole area. Despite the sun being clearly high in the sky, it seemed to have rusted over, bathing everything in strange muted brown tones. The door leading outside slammed itself shut almost angrily, and instinctively Mack knew it wouldn't open for them until the presence was gone.
"This is... this is unheard of!" Brady yelped. "We don't even get this reaction from poltergeists!"
Mack crouched backward into the corner of the room, his eyes flickering to each mode of entering the room - the windows, the open doorways. "Put another one up. Move in a pentagram formation."
Brady looked briefly impressed.
"Are you crazy?" Derek challenged, but Brady already was moving. He moved across the room, tacking up another spell tag. Mack imagined a hazy white beam of light connecting the two, and pointed to Derek.
"Another one. Put it-" He was interrupted by the house itself seeming to tremble, the window shutters banging of their own accord against the glass, the doors throughout the building slamming over and over. "Put it beside that door!"
Derek did so, and Mack visualized the connection as a V between the three tags. He himself put up the next one, right up on a windowsill.
And that was when the center of the room warped, glowing with ethereal green energy. It didn't look like Travis' description. This was not a figure that was manifesting, but an angry shapeless mass of crackling electricity. Derek grabbed for the tag to complete the pentagram, but the thing sent out a tendril of green energy that became an ink-black chain that started wrapping around him, attempting to mummify him and drag him closer. Mack roared, running directly across the room, leaping over the table to grab the chains, pulling back with immense strength to keep Derek from being pulled into the mass of energy.
Seeing his friend taken care of, Brady snatched the final tag off the floor and completed the pentagram formation. Instantly the mass of green power followed the sudden flow of energy, briefly forming a solid star-shape in the air before dispersing. The ink-black chain crushing Derek turned to black fog that dissipated, and everything was returned to normal.
"What the hell was-?" Derek started, only for Brady to cut him off.
"The reason the spell tags provoke a reaction is because they're so agitating they can summon a spirit against its will. It increases its power, makes it really angry. But most spirits aren't this strong normally. We just gave it a huge temporary boost."
Derek glanced at Mack. "How'd you know the pentagram would work?"
"Apotropaic magic. Pentagram is one of the oldest protective symbols. Figured it couldn't hurt." Mack shrugged, quickly checking Derek's skin for marks or burns.
Brady shuddered. "Well, at least we know it's a spirit and not some kind of illusion magic. Judging from the sheer power of it, it's a wraith. They're kind of an evolution of a normal ghost - they get fueled by the legends about them and regain a new consciousness. Most ghosts aren't actually sentient - they're manifestations of lingering emotions. Wraiths can think and actively hunt."
"Well, you do know how to exorcise them?"
Derek swung his arm. "Let's move out of here." He continued as they all marched out. "We can't seal them away. The only way to deal with those assholes is to lure them out and blast them with holy water or other purifying elements."
"Well, hopefully Kenny and the others know how to lure out our wraith." Mack sighed.
"Speak of the devil." Brady chuckled, pointing to the three figures walking up. "Let's smoke this bastard."
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NeedControl
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Ho Shit, [mention]Volobond[/mention], how do you manage to only hype up my anticipation with each new chapter?! 
That almost-mummification certainly has me hoping for more soon!
That almost-mummification certainly has me hoping for more soon!
Brady says it's a wraith, and I want to believe him. He is the expert after all. But the information from Bay, Jules and Kenny tells me it might be an incubus of some sort, if it was indeed preying on the lingering romantic/sexual feelings of the two boys. I'm now very worried about Bay and Derek... if they want to replicate what happened with Jerry and Howie, they've got the perfect couple for it. Or perhaps this will reveal some secret crushes amongst these guys...
Also, Mack is sketchy AF! Claims to be ignorant about magic and spells, but pulls out the word Apotropaic like it's nothing. I will figure out your secrets Agent Mack! I know you are involved somehow!
Also, Mack is sketchy AF! Claims to be ignorant about magic and spells, but pulls out the word Apotropaic like it's nothing. I will figure out your secrets Agent Mack! I know you are involved somehow!
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Guardianbound
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Yes, mega suspicious. Hopefully the team will be able to deal with this entity, whatever it is. I'm worried Mack will turn on them along the way though. Can't wait for more.
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KidnappedCowboy
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[mention]gag1195[/mention] is right...
Watch out for Mack!
Watch out for Mack!
[mention]NeedControl[/mention] [mention]wataru14[/mention] [mention]KidnappedCowboy[/mention] [mention]Pup Wingletang[/mention] [mention]MountainMan_91[/mention] 1 [mention]DeeperThanRed[/mention] [mention]Bradstick[/mention] [mention]gag1195[/mention] [mention]MaxRoper[/mention] [mention]Guardianbound[/mention]
"Travis' mom didn't have much to say about the boys, but she did know a bit more about the house." Kenny said, glancing nervously up at the attic from the backyard where they all stood. "Legend has it that way back in the day, the house's occupant vanished one day without explanation. A concerned neighbor went up to the house after they realized they hadn't seen the man in a while and found him hanged from a tree on the property."
Jules frowned. "We don't even know if the entity in the house is even related to this death. It could be another force that moved in."
"Judging from Travis' statement, the thing is acting enough like a ghost to either be one or be mimicking it."
Mack tilted his head. "Why would it mimic a ghost?"
"For the likes." Brady joked. "But seriously, amortal supernatural entities tend to evolve due to belief or faith."
"Amortal?"
"A lot of supernatural creatures are technically mortal - they generally obey the rules of our world and are biological in nature. Think unicorns, griffons, mermaids, strigoi, that sort of thing. Then you have your humans with supernatural powers or of supernatural lineage. But there are entities, like demons or spirits or wraiths, that are either undead or not... on the spectrum of mortality. So we call them amortal."
"Ah."
"So, for example, there are dullahans, headless horsemen. Dullahans by themselves are just an amortal creature, but the Headless Horseman
of Sleepy Hollow, with the legend and that story and the movie and the TV show, is a far more powerful being, because more people believe in it."
"I see. So you have a run-of-the-mill ghost and then you have THE ghost of Hill House or something."
"Exactly."
"Either way," Jules snapped. "The entity is operating on ghost rules, which means it derives power from stuff related to what it was occupied with in life. Did Mrs. Cooper say why the occupant, uh... passed?"
Kenny squeezed his eyes shut to help him recall. "Uh... he was in love but didn't think she loved him back. They found her on that tree a few weeks later."
"That's it!" Derek cried, startling them all. "So the ghost ends up feeding on Howie and Jerry, who loved each other but didn't know! So it IS a wraith."
"What if we're wrong?" Bayard frowned. "What if it's not a wraith? What if it's an incubus or something?"
"It seems to fit the MO." Derek replied. "An incubus tends to take human form, use dreams to lure a single target. It's not usual for them to go for two boys."
"Two boys that obviously weren't generating any sexual energy." Brady added.
Mack sighed. "There's just one problem. The spell tags give the wraith too much power when they draw it out. How can we reliably summon the wraith if we don't have any unaware unrequited lovers?"
Brady grinned wickedly. "You just leave that to me, my witch apprentice."
Jules looked hopefully at Brady, ignoring Mack's bark of laughter. "You have an alternative?"
"You could say that. I just need the rest of you to start getting the equipment ready. Uh, Mack, why don't you help me out and the others can get set up."
Jules shrugged and walked off with Kenny and Derek while Mack moved close to Brady. "How do you deal with these entities?"
Brady smirked. "Kenny really came in clutch for us and designed this Ghostbusters-type machine meant to contain the energy of an entity like this. I enhance it with the old-fashioned method of magic circles, herbs, and spells, and we have a pretty-foolproof containment system."
Mack's eyes narrowed. "I'll admit I don't know you that well, but I know you don't have any spell that's going to summon a wraith. You're just mixing more of the herbs we ground earlier."
Mack received a wink in return from the witch. "Magic isn't all spells. Sometimes magic is simply analysis."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that Kenny has held a torch for our fearless leader for years now, and I'm fairly certain Jules is clueless enough to not have noticed, and to believe that his own crush on the baby of our family is unrequited." Brady explained.
"What's holding them back?"
Brady shrugged. "For Kenny it's shyness. Feelings of inadequacy. For Jules it's a little more complicated. He knew Kenny's dad. I, uh... I'll explain later."
"Is this wise? Us entering the house and triggering some undealt-with feelings?" Mack wondered skeptically, glancing at Kenny, who was staring at Jules' back as the older man hefted a large camera out of the house, his muscles flexing.
Brady sighed. "At least their drama will be put to good use. I'm pretty sure Derek and Bayard know what I'm thinking, and with you in the loop, you can help us out too. Once the thing is summoned, it'll target Kenny and Jules primarily, but we'll all be on the chopping block. Uh... you sure you're not a witch?"
"Not as far as I'm aware."
"Well, then how did you know about apo- atrop- apto-"
"Apotropaic magic." Mack smirked as he helped finish the word. "Anthropology was my major in college, with a focus on religion and ritual. Believe you me, the guys in my frat teased me about that, but hey. Even if I didn't use it at all in my career for nineteen years, it's paying off now. I also know a lot about demons, folklore, and I wrote an essay on modern witchcraft that ended up getting published."
Brady chuckled. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any hotter."
Derek glanced over from tinkering with a strange box consisting of a mesh case with a more solid box inside of it. "Are we ready, fellas?"
Brady nodded. "Yeah, I think we are."
Mack shrugged, glancing around one more time before they all filed into the house.
"Travis' mom didn't have much to say about the boys, but she did know a bit more about the house." Kenny said, glancing nervously up at the attic from the backyard where they all stood. "Legend has it that way back in the day, the house's occupant vanished one day without explanation. A concerned neighbor went up to the house after they realized they hadn't seen the man in a while and found him hanged from a tree on the property."
Jules frowned. "We don't even know if the entity in the house is even related to this death. It could be another force that moved in."
"Judging from Travis' statement, the thing is acting enough like a ghost to either be one or be mimicking it."
Mack tilted his head. "Why would it mimic a ghost?"
"For the likes." Brady joked. "But seriously, amortal supernatural entities tend to evolve due to belief or faith."
"Amortal?"
"A lot of supernatural creatures are technically mortal - they generally obey the rules of our world and are biological in nature. Think unicorns, griffons, mermaids, strigoi, that sort of thing. Then you have your humans with supernatural powers or of supernatural lineage. But there are entities, like demons or spirits or wraiths, that are either undead or not... on the spectrum of mortality. So we call them amortal."
"Ah."
"So, for example, there are dullahans, headless horsemen. Dullahans by themselves are just an amortal creature, but the Headless Horseman
of Sleepy Hollow, with the legend and that story and the movie and the TV show, is a far more powerful being, because more people believe in it."
"I see. So you have a run-of-the-mill ghost and then you have THE ghost of Hill House or something."
"Exactly."
"Either way," Jules snapped. "The entity is operating on ghost rules, which means it derives power from stuff related to what it was occupied with in life. Did Mrs. Cooper say why the occupant, uh... passed?"
Kenny squeezed his eyes shut to help him recall. "Uh... he was in love but didn't think she loved him back. They found her on that tree a few weeks later."
"That's it!" Derek cried, startling them all. "So the ghost ends up feeding on Howie and Jerry, who loved each other but didn't know! So it IS a wraith."
"What if we're wrong?" Bayard frowned. "What if it's not a wraith? What if it's an incubus or something?"
"It seems to fit the MO." Derek replied. "An incubus tends to take human form, use dreams to lure a single target. It's not usual for them to go for two boys."
"Two boys that obviously weren't generating any sexual energy." Brady added.
Mack sighed. "There's just one problem. The spell tags give the wraith too much power when they draw it out. How can we reliably summon the wraith if we don't have any unaware unrequited lovers?"
Brady grinned wickedly. "You just leave that to me, my witch apprentice."
Jules looked hopefully at Brady, ignoring Mack's bark of laughter. "You have an alternative?"
"You could say that. I just need the rest of you to start getting the equipment ready. Uh, Mack, why don't you help me out and the others can get set up."
Jules shrugged and walked off with Kenny and Derek while Mack moved close to Brady. "How do you deal with these entities?"
Brady smirked. "Kenny really came in clutch for us and designed this Ghostbusters-type machine meant to contain the energy of an entity like this. I enhance it with the old-fashioned method of magic circles, herbs, and spells, and we have a pretty-foolproof containment system."
Mack's eyes narrowed. "I'll admit I don't know you that well, but I know you don't have any spell that's going to summon a wraith. You're just mixing more of the herbs we ground earlier."
Mack received a wink in return from the witch. "Magic isn't all spells. Sometimes magic is simply analysis."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that Kenny has held a torch for our fearless leader for years now, and I'm fairly certain Jules is clueless enough to not have noticed, and to believe that his own crush on the baby of our family is unrequited." Brady explained.
"What's holding them back?"
Brady shrugged. "For Kenny it's shyness. Feelings of inadequacy. For Jules it's a little more complicated. He knew Kenny's dad. I, uh... I'll explain later."
"Is this wise? Us entering the house and triggering some undealt-with feelings?" Mack wondered skeptically, glancing at Kenny, who was staring at Jules' back as the older man hefted a large camera out of the house, his muscles flexing.
Brady sighed. "At least their drama will be put to good use. I'm pretty sure Derek and Bayard know what I'm thinking, and with you in the loop, you can help us out too. Once the thing is summoned, it'll target Kenny and Jules primarily, but we'll all be on the chopping block. Uh... you sure you're not a witch?"
"Not as far as I'm aware."
"Well, then how did you know about apo- atrop- apto-"
"Apotropaic magic." Mack smirked as he helped finish the word. "Anthropology was my major in college, with a focus on religion and ritual. Believe you me, the guys in my frat teased me about that, but hey. Even if I didn't use it at all in my career for nineteen years, it's paying off now. I also know a lot about demons, folklore, and I wrote an essay on modern witchcraft that ended up getting published."
Brady chuckled. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any hotter."
Derek glanced over from tinkering with a strange box consisting of a mesh case with a more solid box inside of it. "Are we ready, fellas?"
Brady nodded. "Yeah, I think we are."
Mack shrugged, glancing around one more time before they all filed into the house.
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NeedControl
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Dammit, I was so excited to find out who got tied up and gagged with gooey ghost tape next! Well, I'll just be even more eager for what the next chapter holds, especially with this installation's revelations! 
Can’t wait to see what the next chapter has in store.
Great characterization and banter. And I adore the supernatural angle. Can't wait too see how the boys' plan plays out!
I need to be more careful, I think Mack is on to me. BUT... It's very convenient, isn't it? His majoring in anthropology, focusing on rituals and religion, then going on to publish essays on witchcraft and demons... This man is walking occult knowledge, sniffing around extremely occult environments! How could he not be involved!
I was worried about Bay and Derek, but this chapter now makes me worried about Kenny and Jules! I don't want anything bad to happen to any of the guys on the team! Also, Brady is letting his attraction to Mack cloud his judgement! Mark my words, Agent Mack is up to something, and I fear that it won't end well for this team of hunky investigators!
I was worried about Bay and Derek, but this chapter now makes me worried about Kenny and Jules! I don't want anything bad to happen to any of the guys on the team! Also, Brady is letting his attraction to Mack cloud his judgement! Mark my words, Agent Mack is up to something, and I fear that it won't end well for this team of hunky investigators!
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Guardianbound
- Centennial Club
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I hope Brady knows what he's talking about. Seems kinda dangerous to let some entity go after your teammates on purpose when they're still unaware of what this entity really is and the extent of its power.
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Mack kept his eyes roving around the room, definitely not too excited about facing down a wraith. He agreed that the entity was likely a wraith, but honestly... considering how Derek He felt a little more comfortable hearing the squeak of his leather jacket and gloves - they were custom-tailored to him, and in addition to looking good, they also served as a protective influence - the presence of residual life force from the animal material was known to disrupt the more delicate supernatural processes, such as possession. Clad in leather, Mack knew he would be an unlikely target for inhabitation by some kind of spirit - and were that not enough, Mack's torso was decorated with protective symbols, spells of his own design incorporating parts of a thousand different traditions. Still, seeing as none of the others seemed to have donned a similar kind of protection, he wondered if these investigators even knew about these methods.
Mack had not been strictly honest about his career post-college. An alumnus from his fraternity had introduced him to a friend of a friend, and Mack has slowly become part of an agency much like Jules' operation, but far more... discreet. The government was perfectly aware of the existence of the supernatural, and Mack's career had consisted of containment, rehabilitation, and above all, maintaining secrecy. Mass hysteria and panic were the last things needed, and the incorporation of magic or of unnatural creatures in warfare or in science was something to be prevented at all costs. So Mack, under the guise of a private security firm known as Solomon Securities, worked his way up to the leading body of the agency tasked with handling global supernatural security, and acted much like a fixer would, keeping things secret, covered up, and explained away.
Most pseudoscientific amateur 'ghost hunting' operations were either frauds looking for a big break into TV, or could be easily laughed out of any credible science journal, but sometimes... there were agencies set up by people like Jules Patterson, and they were dangerous. As they gained experience and reputation, they came closer to upsetting the delicate balance Mack and his colleagues had helped to maintain, and so they had to be either absorbed or dissolved. Mack preferred recruitment, and hoped he would not have to resort to more unpleasant methods of bringing these boys into the fold. They might even be an asset to the Department.
But that was IF they were able to successfully get rid of this entity - and Mack was starting to think these boys were in over their heads.
Brady's eyes were glued to Jules' back, and he had instructed Derek to keep an eye on Kenny. He really did hope he was right about this wraith business, even if certain doubts were kicking in. But no matter what this being was, Brady was certain the Cage would work. He had complete faith in Kenny's technological prowess... although he was feeling nervous about just having to wing it on putting the entity into the Cage.
And as he was thinking this... he noticed that Kenny had vanished.
"Oh, shit." Brady breathed, glancing around. "It's started! Kenny's missing."
Jules whirled, nearly slamming the Cage onto the ground. "What?"
Brady shot Mack a look, as if to say "see?" before looking around. "We need to prepare. We can't separate - the wraith has to come to us."
"And how exactly do you plan on ensuring that?" Derek scowled, before glancing at Mack, who was tacking spell tags back up, one on each side of the doorway into the kitchen from the living room of the house. "What are you-"
"It'd work better with salt." Mack sighed. "But if we cordon off the thresholds of the other rooms, we can hopefully encourage the wraith to travel the way we want. Better hurry, before it starts arriving. Seal off the thresholds leading out from the room with the stairs - except for the one into this room."
"How do you know it'll come from-" Bayard began, only to be cut off by Jules.
"Because of Travis' testimony. He said that the thing came from upstairs."
Mack groaned as the boys all ran off to tack up a different threshold. This wasn't Scooby-Doo, where the ghost turned out to be an old white guy who wanted to con people out of their land. And right at that moment, the lights began to flicker, and an unearthly hum filled the air.
"Mmmmmmmmmm! MMMMMMMMM!"
Derek was the closest to the stairs, and the one to witness the mummified figure descending, illuminated in a pale blue glow. He recognized the planes of Kenny's face, tightly wrapped in what looked like extra-wide silver duct tape, leaving no patch of skin uncovered. He moved like a puppet, operated by the tape itself, tightly bound enough that he could barely struggle. His legs were even taped together, so he floated along, toes barely scraping against the hardwood.
"Quick! It's coming!" Derek bellowed, and charged back behind the threshold he had spell-tagged, leaving him inside what looked like a study. Unfortunately, his yell had attracted the wraith's attention, and it piloted Kenny towards Derek instead. "Oh shit. It's coming for me!"
Brady groaned, ducking back into the foyer to avoid the gaze of the ghost - although technically it didn't seem to have eyes at this point and was just haunted tape. Why Derek thought his loud voice was an asset in these situations, he'd never know. Brady reached into the special utility belt he had procured for field work, and grabbed a handful of crushed amber powder. He blew the dust towards the tape wraith, creating a glittering golden cloud in the air. Only for Kenny's body to whip around, tendrils of tape moving and shooting out from his arm towards the witch.
Brady yelped, stumbling back, tripping over a stray wood panel from the dilapidated house and watching bands of tape curl around his ankles, banging his bones as they clapped together, and below and above his knees, nearly crushing his balls between his thighs - at the same time, tape bound his wrists and then looped around his torso, pinning his bound wrists to his waist.
Derek roared and leaped onto Kenny's back from the safety of the study, refusing to let his friend be captured. Though this stopped the onslaught of tape before Brady could be gagged, the witch saw the silver tape trapping him fade to the same kind of solid black mass that had covered Travis' mouth, rendering it unremovable except by the defeat of the wraith. Derek, meanwhile, tried to get off of Kenny, only to realize the tape was shifting and wrapping around him as well, faster and faster, sealing him in place, wrapped as he was around Kenny's torso, the wraith from the outside now having the appearance of some horrible golem.
Mack groaned and grabbed Brady, dragging him by his underarms into the kitchen. "The spell tags won't stop the wraith, just discourage it. Your best chance is if we make ourselves better targets."
Jules was powering up the cage as Bayard prepared to hold it open. The wraith was on its way and had already disabled three of them. But it seemed the entity had become wise to their tricks, because it waited in the main hall and extended its arms once again, shooting out tendrils of tape, forcing the two men to abandon the cage to avoid the projectile restraints. Jules rolled out of the way, but Bayard was struck by the tape. It pinned the man's arms to his sides, quickly wending down his body.
Mack groaned. "Sorry about this." With that, he rolled Brady into the living room and darted in himself, snatching the cage in one hand and running out of the other end of the room.
"What the hell? Coward!" Jules roared in outrage, but the wraith turned to Brady as the onslaught of tape at Bayard finally ended, the tape transfiguring into jet-black chains wrapped tightly across Bayard's body, links even passing between his lips and gagging him. Bayard let out a gagged yelp as he tipped over onto the ground, merely a struggling worm wrapped in chains. Brady's scream of panic was cut off as more tape enveloped him, turning him into a shiny black cocoon, limbless and featureless, only able to fruitlessly writhe.
"Mmmmph!" "MMMMMM!" "Mmmmmm..." "Gurrghhhhh!"
Jules was surrounded on all sides by bound men, now piloted by the wraith's energy. Bayard whimpered as the chains constricted around him, and Brady fruitlessly twisted as both were lifted into the air by their bonds, boxing Jules in.
"I'm gonna kill you for this, Mack!" Jules growled, watching the bound beings carefully for any sign of attack. And at the instant Bayard's form began to move, chains rattling to ensnare him as well, Jules once again rolled neatly, forward, easily tumbling back to his feet.
Jules ran, hearing the gagged moans of his friends growing louder as they pursued him, and on some instinct, he ran up the stairs, two at a time, legs pumping as though he were running a marathon. Only to find Mack, up in the attic, the Cage set up in front of him and him having the nerve to look, of all things, casual.
"What the hell, man?"
"I'll explain when we're out of here. Now either let the wraith grab you or confess."
"Confess? Confess what? What the absolute FUCK are you talking about?" Jules snarled. He was loathe to turn his back on Mack, but upon hearing the moans growing louder, had no choice.
"You know what I mean! This entity feeds on unspoken requited love. You've got a love you haven't told someone here about, and it ain't me."
"Fuck you."
"I'm giving you a chance to solve this on your own, otherwise I get all the glory for it. Come on. No one will hear but me and you and the wraith."
Jules nearly shot a retort over his shoulder, but the wraith had arrived. With the combined bulk of Kenny and Derek, it could hardly fit through the door, Bayard and Brady floating behind it. Jules twisted up his features, knowing he only had two options, and both of them involved trusting Mack...
He opened his mouth, and...
Mack kept his eyes roving around the room, definitely not too excited about facing down a wraith. He agreed that the entity was likely a wraith, but honestly... considering how Derek He felt a little more comfortable hearing the squeak of his leather jacket and gloves - they were custom-tailored to him, and in addition to looking good, they also served as a protective influence - the presence of residual life force from the animal material was known to disrupt the more delicate supernatural processes, such as possession. Clad in leather, Mack knew he would be an unlikely target for inhabitation by some kind of spirit - and were that not enough, Mack's torso was decorated with protective symbols, spells of his own design incorporating parts of a thousand different traditions. Still, seeing as none of the others seemed to have donned a similar kind of protection, he wondered if these investigators even knew about these methods.
Mack had not been strictly honest about his career post-college. An alumnus from his fraternity had introduced him to a friend of a friend, and Mack has slowly become part of an agency much like Jules' operation, but far more... discreet. The government was perfectly aware of the existence of the supernatural, and Mack's career had consisted of containment, rehabilitation, and above all, maintaining secrecy. Mass hysteria and panic were the last things needed, and the incorporation of magic or of unnatural creatures in warfare or in science was something to be prevented at all costs. So Mack, under the guise of a private security firm known as Solomon Securities, worked his way up to the leading body of the agency tasked with handling global supernatural security, and acted much like a fixer would, keeping things secret, covered up, and explained away.
Most pseudoscientific amateur 'ghost hunting' operations were either frauds looking for a big break into TV, or could be easily laughed out of any credible science journal, but sometimes... there were agencies set up by people like Jules Patterson, and they were dangerous. As they gained experience and reputation, they came closer to upsetting the delicate balance Mack and his colleagues had helped to maintain, and so they had to be either absorbed or dissolved. Mack preferred recruitment, and hoped he would not have to resort to more unpleasant methods of bringing these boys into the fold. They might even be an asset to the Department.
But that was IF they were able to successfully get rid of this entity - and Mack was starting to think these boys were in over their heads.
Brady's eyes were glued to Jules' back, and he had instructed Derek to keep an eye on Kenny. He really did hope he was right about this wraith business, even if certain doubts were kicking in. But no matter what this being was, Brady was certain the Cage would work. He had complete faith in Kenny's technological prowess... although he was feeling nervous about just having to wing it on putting the entity into the Cage.
And as he was thinking this... he noticed that Kenny had vanished.
"Oh, shit." Brady breathed, glancing around. "It's started! Kenny's missing."
Jules whirled, nearly slamming the Cage onto the ground. "What?"
Brady shot Mack a look, as if to say "see?" before looking around. "We need to prepare. We can't separate - the wraith has to come to us."
"And how exactly do you plan on ensuring that?" Derek scowled, before glancing at Mack, who was tacking spell tags back up, one on each side of the doorway into the kitchen from the living room of the house. "What are you-"
"It'd work better with salt." Mack sighed. "But if we cordon off the thresholds of the other rooms, we can hopefully encourage the wraith to travel the way we want. Better hurry, before it starts arriving. Seal off the thresholds leading out from the room with the stairs - except for the one into this room."
"How do you know it'll come from-" Bayard began, only to be cut off by Jules.
"Because of Travis' testimony. He said that the thing came from upstairs."
Mack groaned as the boys all ran off to tack up a different threshold. This wasn't Scooby-Doo, where the ghost turned out to be an old white guy who wanted to con people out of their land. And right at that moment, the lights began to flicker, and an unearthly hum filled the air.
"Mmmmmmmmmm! MMMMMMMMM!"
Derek was the closest to the stairs, and the one to witness the mummified figure descending, illuminated in a pale blue glow. He recognized the planes of Kenny's face, tightly wrapped in what looked like extra-wide silver duct tape, leaving no patch of skin uncovered. He moved like a puppet, operated by the tape itself, tightly bound enough that he could barely struggle. His legs were even taped together, so he floated along, toes barely scraping against the hardwood.
"Quick! It's coming!" Derek bellowed, and charged back behind the threshold he had spell-tagged, leaving him inside what looked like a study. Unfortunately, his yell had attracted the wraith's attention, and it piloted Kenny towards Derek instead. "Oh shit. It's coming for me!"
Brady groaned, ducking back into the foyer to avoid the gaze of the ghost - although technically it didn't seem to have eyes at this point and was just haunted tape. Why Derek thought his loud voice was an asset in these situations, he'd never know. Brady reached into the special utility belt he had procured for field work, and grabbed a handful of crushed amber powder. He blew the dust towards the tape wraith, creating a glittering golden cloud in the air. Only for Kenny's body to whip around, tendrils of tape moving and shooting out from his arm towards the witch.
Brady yelped, stumbling back, tripping over a stray wood panel from the dilapidated house and watching bands of tape curl around his ankles, banging his bones as they clapped together, and below and above his knees, nearly crushing his balls between his thighs - at the same time, tape bound his wrists and then looped around his torso, pinning his bound wrists to his waist.
Derek roared and leaped onto Kenny's back from the safety of the study, refusing to let his friend be captured. Though this stopped the onslaught of tape before Brady could be gagged, the witch saw the silver tape trapping him fade to the same kind of solid black mass that had covered Travis' mouth, rendering it unremovable except by the defeat of the wraith. Derek, meanwhile, tried to get off of Kenny, only to realize the tape was shifting and wrapping around him as well, faster and faster, sealing him in place, wrapped as he was around Kenny's torso, the wraith from the outside now having the appearance of some horrible golem.
Mack groaned and grabbed Brady, dragging him by his underarms into the kitchen. "The spell tags won't stop the wraith, just discourage it. Your best chance is if we make ourselves better targets."
Jules was powering up the cage as Bayard prepared to hold it open. The wraith was on its way and had already disabled three of them. But it seemed the entity had become wise to their tricks, because it waited in the main hall and extended its arms once again, shooting out tendrils of tape, forcing the two men to abandon the cage to avoid the projectile restraints. Jules rolled out of the way, but Bayard was struck by the tape. It pinned the man's arms to his sides, quickly wending down his body.
Mack groaned. "Sorry about this." With that, he rolled Brady into the living room and darted in himself, snatching the cage in one hand and running out of the other end of the room.
"What the hell? Coward!" Jules roared in outrage, but the wraith turned to Brady as the onslaught of tape at Bayard finally ended, the tape transfiguring into jet-black chains wrapped tightly across Bayard's body, links even passing between his lips and gagging him. Bayard let out a gagged yelp as he tipped over onto the ground, merely a struggling worm wrapped in chains. Brady's scream of panic was cut off as more tape enveloped him, turning him into a shiny black cocoon, limbless and featureless, only able to fruitlessly writhe.
"Mmmmph!" "MMMMMM!" "Mmmmmm..." "Gurrghhhhh!"
Jules was surrounded on all sides by bound men, now piloted by the wraith's energy. Bayard whimpered as the chains constricted around him, and Brady fruitlessly twisted as both were lifted into the air by their bonds, boxing Jules in.
"I'm gonna kill you for this, Mack!" Jules growled, watching the bound beings carefully for any sign of attack. And at the instant Bayard's form began to move, chains rattling to ensnare him as well, Jules once again rolled neatly, forward, easily tumbling back to his feet.
Jules ran, hearing the gagged moans of his friends growing louder as they pursued him, and on some instinct, he ran up the stairs, two at a time, legs pumping as though he were running a marathon. Only to find Mack, up in the attic, the Cage set up in front of him and him having the nerve to look, of all things, casual.
"What the hell, man?"
"I'll explain when we're out of here. Now either let the wraith grab you or confess."
"Confess? Confess what? What the absolute FUCK are you talking about?" Jules snarled. He was loathe to turn his back on Mack, but upon hearing the moans growing louder, had no choice.
"You know what I mean! This entity feeds on unspoken requited love. You've got a love you haven't told someone here about, and it ain't me."
"Fuck you."
"I'm giving you a chance to solve this on your own, otherwise I get all the glory for it. Come on. No one will hear but me and you and the wraith."
Jules nearly shot a retort over his shoulder, but the wraith had arrived. With the combined bulk of Kenny and Derek, it could hardly fit through the door, Bayard and Brady floating behind it. Jules twisted up his features, knowing he only had two options, and both of them involved trusting Mack...
He opened his mouth, and...
I knew it! I knew Mack was up to no good- said it from the start! I'm glad Jules and the others are starting to see the agent's true nature, even if it may be too late. I don't like the idea of these guys being forced to work for Mack, or else. I hope they are smart/savvy enough to get out of this...
Speaking of, I voted for Confess his crush. If it even has a chance of succeeding, then I think Jules would try it. If it doesn't work, he'll get captured by the wraith anyways, but if it does work, he might just save his friends. Besides, I'm a sucker for the "reveal true feelings during a moment of life and death/desperation" so I need Jules to shout out his feelings lout enough for Kenny to hear. I need that emotional fallout and those awkward conversations to arise!
(Also, I definitely had a dream last night that this story got updated, and my dream came true. I promise to use this power only for noble purposes!
)
Speaking of, I voted for Confess his crush. If it even has a chance of succeeding, then I think Jules would try it. If it doesn't work, he'll get captured by the wraith anyways, but if it does work, he might just save his friends. Besides, I'm a sucker for the "reveal true feelings during a moment of life and death/desperation" so I need Jules to shout out his feelings lout enough for Kenny to hear. I need that emotional fallout and those awkward conversations to arise!
(Also, I definitely had a dream last night that this story got updated, and my dream came true. I promise to use this power only for noble purposes!
)I'm on the edge of my seat! Tension! Drama! Intrigue! There are a few of my favorite things...
Seeing the wraith's taste in capturing hunky heroes, is it wrong to root for it? Yes? No?
But things look dark for our heroes unless Jules breaks down and follows Mack's plan. I just hope that him opening his mouth isn't a cue for the wraith to whammy him with a gag. Just kidding, I hope it does that.
Seeing the wraith's taste in capturing hunky heroes, is it wrong to root for it? Yes? No?
But things look dark for our heroes unless Jules breaks down and follows Mack's plan. I just hope that him opening his mouth isn't a cue for the wraith to whammy him with a gag. Just kidding, I hope it does that.
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Guardianbound
- Centennial Club
- Posts: 707
- Joined: 2 years ago
Would it be bad if I wished that the wraith would get Mack too? The tendrils wrapping around his leather clad body and silencing him with multiple layers round his mouth 
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DeeperThanRed
- Centennial Club
- Posts: 964
- Joined: 6 years ago
I'm not sure what to think about Mack at the moment. On the one hand, he was dishonest about pretty much everything. But he just might be the only one who can get them out of this mess.
I voted for Jules to submit because I love drama and I kinda want to see him being rescued, haha.
I voted for Jules to submit because I love drama and I kinda want to see him being rescued, haha.
25-year-old bondage enthusiast who likes cute guys, underwear, and bondage, preferably together.
You can reach my list of written work here: https://www.tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?p=38808#p38808
You can reach my list of written work here: https://www.tugstories.com/viewtopic.php?p=38808#p38808
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NeedControl
- Centennial Club
- Posts: 350
- Joined: 4 years ago
- Location: Jerusalem, Israel
- Contact:
So much salivating right now! 
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KidnappedCowboy
- Centennial Club
- Posts: 976
- Joined: 5 years ago
- Location: USA
- Contact:
Nice to see the update, [mention]Volobond[/mention]!
So, Mack holds all the cards for Jules.
I voted for Jules to confess, because the wraith will get him no matter what, methinks!!
So, Mack holds all the cards for Jules.
I voted for Jules to confess, because the wraith will get him no matter what, methinks!!
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Camguy2050
- Forum Contributer
- Posts: 28
- Joined: 5 years ago
- Location: brisbane australia
i am really liking this one
[mention]NeedControl[/mention] [mention]wataru14[/mention] [mention]KidnappedCowboy[/mention] [mention]Pup Wingletang[/mention] [mention]MountainMan_91[/mention] [mention]DeeperThanRed[/mention] [mention]Bradstick[/mention] [mention]gag1195[/mention] [mention]MaxRoper[/mention] [mention]Guardianbound[/mention]
I'm so disappointed! I was all set to post this chapter, but then I lost all my work and had to start over from scratch
Jules growled with rage. Mack had put him in a corner. But why? There was something more going on here.
Mack had lied to him from the beginning. At their first meeting, he had assumed that Mack was a potential investor, and the revelation that Mack worked with the government had thrown him off guard. It went from a meeting about investment in the Agency to possible recruitment by the goverment? Something was wrong.
Mack displayed a surprising level of knowledge about the supernatural, and Jules doubted a college course on myth and legend was truly the source of this. And thus, a different explanation occurred to Jules - Mack wasn't really a businessman in the private sector. Mack must be a government agent of some sort, and was basically headhunting them. He must have been part of the Department.
Jules was not as ignorant of the government's knowledge of the supernatural as Mack may have supposed, because Jules was supernatural himself. Not like Brady, who was a bona-fide registered witch, but in his own way, he was more than human.
Jules was born in 1920, perfectly human, until the year 1945. He had enlisted for World War II with his best friend, Adam Hebert... Kenny's great-grandfather. Adam and Jules had been on furlough in France, and while they were in the countryside, Adam stepped on a circle of toadstool mushrooms - a fairy ring. As soon as his foot hit the first mushroom, Adam was magically compelled to dance along the line of mushrooms, unable to stop. And the moment Jules attempted to pull him from the ring, a forest sprang into being around them, thick trunks and boughs filled with vibrant gold and viridian leaves shot into the air. Thick branches grew in place around Jules, carrying him off of the ground, pinning his arms behind him and his legs in place.
An incredibly tall and beautiful man entered the clearing, and Jules for a moment assumed he had passed into Heaven and was witnessing the approach of God. That assumption was dispelled when the tall man kissed him instead. Jules had yelped, his mouth opening in shock, but the man shoved a vibrant red apple into his mouth as a makeshift gag. It was then that Jules realized that this must be a fairy, a fairy king. The king held a grand feast in the forest clearing, with Adam still helplessly dangling as entertainment, and Jules thrashing wildly when the fairies cut away his uniform and played with his naked body. It had taken decades after that for Jules to realize that he had in fact, enjoyed the feeling of helplessness, the sense of pride that they were fascinated with his powerful muscles.
Jules had been able to convince the fairy king to let him and Adam go when the king removed the apple to steal another kiss. And Jules had felt safe, knowing that while partaking of fairy food was a surefire way to be trapped in their realm, he had not actually eaten the apple.
But he could not help swallowing the juices that trickled into his throat for those hours Adam was forced to dance, and Jules had his mouth around the apple gag. And so, since 1945, Jules had never been able to get drunk, had never experienced an illness or frailty of any kind, and for the intervening seven decades, had aged imperceptibly slowly, and now, at the age of 102, still felt like a twenty-five year old man. And though Adam had made him the godfather of his son, Jules felt alienated. Set apart. Since he no longer aged, he dove into studies, learning anything and everything he could of the supernatural. And yet, the government already seemed to know. He received an official document exempting him from the census, from jury duty, from holding public office, and ordering him to keep quiet. The only place he was allowed to write his true date of birth was on his taxes.
This was also why Jules had been so reluctant to admit his feelings for Kenny. He was an honorable man, and he found it shameful to have such feelings for the grandson of his godson, the great-grandson of his best friend.
It was this thought that brought him instantly back into the present. Because however Jules had felt, that was when he could not be sure of reciprocation. His frenzied dreams of Kenny binding him even more tightly than the fairy king had, of gagging him and strapping him down and claiming him and taking him in turn, which usually ended with Jules stroking himself off after an abrupt awakening; those times he had not-quite-innocently had Kenny test all manner of restraints on him...
Even if he wanted to keep it hidden to spite Mack, he couldn't keep it down anymore.
"I love you, Kenny!" Jules shouted, expecting something to happen. The slowly approaching tape golem to lurch backwards, bested by the power of love, perhaps.
But nothing did.
Jules stepped back, glancing at Mack. "What happened?"
The tape golem began to move closer, animated tendrils of pitch-black tape creeping closer.
"He can't hear you!" Mack realized. "His head is wrapped in tape. The love needs to be admitted from both ends."
"Damn it." Jules growled. Although it pained him, he looked at Mack. "What do we do?"
Mack's eyes flashed with surprise for a split-second before he nodded. "You need to get close to the tape monster - it might open up if it thinks it has you."
Jules nodded, charging forward - he knew Kenny was the first one wrapped, and the main part of the tape golem's body, so he moved for the center. Mack ran with him, and when the wraith shot its tendrils of tape at them, Mack leaped over Jules, taking the brunt of the impact. To his credit, and Jules' respect, Mack fought like a demon against the tape, even as it wrapped around him with astonishing speed. But Jules realized that Mack was indeed right. The tape beast's chest opened, as if the tape was reaching for him to embrace him - and Kenny's tapegagged face was revealed to him.
"Kenny! I l-MMMPH!"
Jules had slowed just enough for a strip of tape to slap around his mouth, cutting off his confession. And with Mack finally wrapped up (though the tape was still curling around him for a second round), more tape was heading his way. Jules roared with effort and pulled forward, wrapping his arms as far around the tape beast as they would go, and slamming his gagged mouth against Kenny's, closing his eyes and making it quite clear that this was a kiss.
"Mmm mmr mrrr, Mmrmmmph." Jules mumbled, and he saw Kenny's eyes widen.
And suddenly... the tape began to glow. Lines of green light, jagged like hairline fractures, spread across the tape and it began to dissolve in motes of green light, Brady, Bayard, and Mack crashing to the floor and Derek slipping off of Kenny's back. Kenny himself fell forward, but Jules simply held him, until the tape over their mouths vanished and they began to kiss.
"Huh. Guess we didn't need the ghost cage after all." Derek chuckled as Bayard crawled over to him and slumped down in his arms. "You took care of it, boss man."
Jules broke the kiss and glanced at Mack, who was smoothing out his jacket, his hair mussed, finally ruining that consummate professional look. It made him look more approachable. To Jules, at least. "Actually, I guess... gotta hand it to Mack, this time."
"No love for Brady?" the witch smirked. "This was my plan."
Derek and Jules scowled at him.
Kenny smiled dreamily at Jules before looking over into the corner of the room - sitting where no one had been a moment previous, were two unconscious young men. One in a Spartan costume, the other dressed as Spider-Man. "Look, that's Howie and Jerry! Travis' friends."
Mack nodded. "We'll get them out." he pulled his phone from his pocket and began texting. "However... there is a matter which we have to discuss now."
"You're not exactly a private sector agent, huh?" Jules smirked, savoring the impressed look Mack wore. "You're part of some government department meant to take care of supernaturals."
"And cover up their existence." Kenny added.
"And you were trying to decide whether to recruit us or stop us."
"Stop us?" Derek frowned. "Like, kill us?"
"Nothing so dramatic." Mack chuckled. "If your performance had been deemed unsatisfactory, we'd have bought out your business, redirected you into different fields, ensured you weren't trying to regroup."
Kenny smirked. "If our performance 'had been' deemed unsatisfactory... does that mean that we did good?"
Jules and Derek both opened their mouths to correct him and say 'well' instead of 'good', but in one movement, both Kenny and Bayard handgagged them, respectively.
Mack smiled. "So, I suppose there's one question I have to ask. Are you willing to join the Department, and continue our work protecting people from the supernatural?"
Jules tilted his head. "I can't say I completely agree with your methods and your cause, but I'm not leaving my team. We'll put it to a vote. All in favor of joining?"
Kenny and Brady lifted their hands immediately, followed by Bayard, and more slowly, Derek. Jules begrudgingly lifted his hand too. "The 'ayes' have it."
Mack smiled. "Welcome aboard, agents. I look forward to continuing our work together, but first. The least favorite part of the job for nearly all employees...
"Paperwork."
I'm so disappointed! I was all set to post this chapter, but then I lost all my work and had to start over from scratch
Jules growled with rage. Mack had put him in a corner. But why? There was something more going on here.
Mack had lied to him from the beginning. At their first meeting, he had assumed that Mack was a potential investor, and the revelation that Mack worked with the government had thrown him off guard. It went from a meeting about investment in the Agency to possible recruitment by the goverment? Something was wrong.
Mack displayed a surprising level of knowledge about the supernatural, and Jules doubted a college course on myth and legend was truly the source of this. And thus, a different explanation occurred to Jules - Mack wasn't really a businessman in the private sector. Mack must be a government agent of some sort, and was basically headhunting them. He must have been part of the Department.
Jules was not as ignorant of the government's knowledge of the supernatural as Mack may have supposed, because Jules was supernatural himself. Not like Brady, who was a bona-fide registered witch, but in his own way, he was more than human.
Jules was born in 1920, perfectly human, until the year 1945. He had enlisted for World War II with his best friend, Adam Hebert... Kenny's great-grandfather. Adam and Jules had been on furlough in France, and while they were in the countryside, Adam stepped on a circle of toadstool mushrooms - a fairy ring. As soon as his foot hit the first mushroom, Adam was magically compelled to dance along the line of mushrooms, unable to stop. And the moment Jules attempted to pull him from the ring, a forest sprang into being around them, thick trunks and boughs filled with vibrant gold and viridian leaves shot into the air. Thick branches grew in place around Jules, carrying him off of the ground, pinning his arms behind him and his legs in place.
An incredibly tall and beautiful man entered the clearing, and Jules for a moment assumed he had passed into Heaven and was witnessing the approach of God. That assumption was dispelled when the tall man kissed him instead. Jules had yelped, his mouth opening in shock, but the man shoved a vibrant red apple into his mouth as a makeshift gag. It was then that Jules realized that this must be a fairy, a fairy king. The king held a grand feast in the forest clearing, with Adam still helplessly dangling as entertainment, and Jules thrashing wildly when the fairies cut away his uniform and played with his naked body. It had taken decades after that for Jules to realize that he had in fact, enjoyed the feeling of helplessness, the sense of pride that they were fascinated with his powerful muscles.
Jules had been able to convince the fairy king to let him and Adam go when the king removed the apple to steal another kiss. And Jules had felt safe, knowing that while partaking of fairy food was a surefire way to be trapped in their realm, he had not actually eaten the apple.
But he could not help swallowing the juices that trickled into his throat for those hours Adam was forced to dance, and Jules had his mouth around the apple gag. And so, since 1945, Jules had never been able to get drunk, had never experienced an illness or frailty of any kind, and for the intervening seven decades, had aged imperceptibly slowly, and now, at the age of 102, still felt like a twenty-five year old man. And though Adam had made him the godfather of his son, Jules felt alienated. Set apart. Since he no longer aged, he dove into studies, learning anything and everything he could of the supernatural. And yet, the government already seemed to know. He received an official document exempting him from the census, from jury duty, from holding public office, and ordering him to keep quiet. The only place he was allowed to write his true date of birth was on his taxes.
This was also why Jules had been so reluctant to admit his feelings for Kenny. He was an honorable man, and he found it shameful to have such feelings for the grandson of his godson, the great-grandson of his best friend.
It was this thought that brought him instantly back into the present. Because however Jules had felt, that was when he could not be sure of reciprocation. His frenzied dreams of Kenny binding him even more tightly than the fairy king had, of gagging him and strapping him down and claiming him and taking him in turn, which usually ended with Jules stroking himself off after an abrupt awakening; those times he had not-quite-innocently had Kenny test all manner of restraints on him...
Even if he wanted to keep it hidden to spite Mack, he couldn't keep it down anymore.
"I love you, Kenny!" Jules shouted, expecting something to happen. The slowly approaching tape golem to lurch backwards, bested by the power of love, perhaps.
But nothing did.
Jules stepped back, glancing at Mack. "What happened?"
The tape golem began to move closer, animated tendrils of pitch-black tape creeping closer.
"He can't hear you!" Mack realized. "His head is wrapped in tape. The love needs to be admitted from both ends."
"Damn it." Jules growled. Although it pained him, he looked at Mack. "What do we do?"
Mack's eyes flashed with surprise for a split-second before he nodded. "You need to get close to the tape monster - it might open up if it thinks it has you."
Jules nodded, charging forward - he knew Kenny was the first one wrapped, and the main part of the tape golem's body, so he moved for the center. Mack ran with him, and when the wraith shot its tendrils of tape at them, Mack leaped over Jules, taking the brunt of the impact. To his credit, and Jules' respect, Mack fought like a demon against the tape, even as it wrapped around him with astonishing speed. But Jules realized that Mack was indeed right. The tape beast's chest opened, as if the tape was reaching for him to embrace him - and Kenny's tapegagged face was revealed to him.
"Kenny! I l-MMMPH!"
Jules had slowed just enough for a strip of tape to slap around his mouth, cutting off his confession. And with Mack finally wrapped up (though the tape was still curling around him for a second round), more tape was heading his way. Jules roared with effort and pulled forward, wrapping his arms as far around the tape beast as they would go, and slamming his gagged mouth against Kenny's, closing his eyes and making it quite clear that this was a kiss.
"Mmm mmr mrrr, Mmrmmmph." Jules mumbled, and he saw Kenny's eyes widen.
And suddenly... the tape began to glow. Lines of green light, jagged like hairline fractures, spread across the tape and it began to dissolve in motes of green light, Brady, Bayard, and Mack crashing to the floor and Derek slipping off of Kenny's back. Kenny himself fell forward, but Jules simply held him, until the tape over their mouths vanished and they began to kiss.
"Huh. Guess we didn't need the ghost cage after all." Derek chuckled as Bayard crawled over to him and slumped down in his arms. "You took care of it, boss man."
Jules broke the kiss and glanced at Mack, who was smoothing out his jacket, his hair mussed, finally ruining that consummate professional look. It made him look more approachable. To Jules, at least. "Actually, I guess... gotta hand it to Mack, this time."
"No love for Brady?" the witch smirked. "This was my plan."
Derek and Jules scowled at him.
Kenny smiled dreamily at Jules before looking over into the corner of the room - sitting where no one had been a moment previous, were two unconscious young men. One in a Spartan costume, the other dressed as Spider-Man. "Look, that's Howie and Jerry! Travis' friends."
Mack nodded. "We'll get them out." he pulled his phone from his pocket and began texting. "However... there is a matter which we have to discuss now."
"You're not exactly a private sector agent, huh?" Jules smirked, savoring the impressed look Mack wore. "You're part of some government department meant to take care of supernaturals."
"And cover up their existence." Kenny added.
"And you were trying to decide whether to recruit us or stop us."
"Stop us?" Derek frowned. "Like, kill us?"
"Nothing so dramatic." Mack chuckled. "If your performance had been deemed unsatisfactory, we'd have bought out your business, redirected you into different fields, ensured you weren't trying to regroup."
Kenny smirked. "If our performance 'had been' deemed unsatisfactory... does that mean that we did good?"
Jules and Derek both opened their mouths to correct him and say 'well' instead of 'good', but in one movement, both Kenny and Bayard handgagged them, respectively.
Mack smiled. "So, I suppose there's one question I have to ask. Are you willing to join the Department, and continue our work protecting people from the supernatural?"
Jules tilted his head. "I can't say I completely agree with your methods and your cause, but I'm not leaving my team. We'll put it to a vote. All in favor of joining?"
Kenny and Brady lifted their hands immediately, followed by Bayard, and more slowly, Derek. Jules begrudgingly lifted his hand too. "The 'ayes' have it."
Mack smiled. "Welcome aboard, agents. I look forward to continuing our work together, but first. The least favorite part of the job for nearly all employees...
"Paperwork."
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NeedControl
- Centennial Club
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- Location: Jerusalem, Israel
- Contact:
Dang [mention]Volobond[/mention], it sucks that you had to start over!
But man, what a good chapter!
Now if we can just get some of these guys back in bondage...
But man, what a good chapter!
Now if we can just get some of these guys back in bondage...
Oooo, I was not expecting any of the others in this group to be supernatural. Jules cuts such a tragic figure with that backstory. I'm always a sucker for the tragic trope of true love separated by time- Even if the love Jules and Kenny have is real, if Kenny remains mortal, it will be a sad or at least bittersweet end. The Elf and his Lover. Ugh! The angst!
I also have to wonder how much Kenny knows. Did his grandfather or great-grandfather ever talk about the experience in the fey realm?
Would Jules risk going back to the fairy king to make his love immortal too?
And of course, what does Mack have planned for his new recruits? Are Howie and Jerry really ok? Did Travis get freed from the tapegag? One case is (mostly) resolved, but it opens up more mystery and angst, and I am living for it!
I also have to wonder how much Kenny knows. Did his grandfather or great-grandfather ever talk about the experience in the fey realm?
Would Jules risk going back to the fairy king to make his love immortal too?
And of course, what does Mack have planned for his new recruits? Are Howie and Jerry really ok? Did Travis get freed from the tapegag? One case is (mostly) resolved, but it opens up more mystery and angst, and I am living for it!
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Guardianbound
- Centennial Club
- Posts: 707
- Joined: 2 years ago
Eternal youth while you watch your loved ones wither away must be quite the torture. Maybe Mack can provide a solution for this?
I wonder what this team of supernatural investigators would do next, it seems they have solved their first case. More bondage loving spirits to come? Journey into fairy land?
I wonder what this team of supernatural investigators would do next, it seems they have solved their first case. More bondage loving spirits to come? Journey into fairy land?
Wow, I had to sign up just to say how much I enjoyed this. The tension was great throughout, and the supernatural elements were really well done. Like many, I had hoped to see Mack get some sort of comeuppance for keeping secrets, but hey, there could always be other missions he has to accompany the team on with assorted bondage perils to fall prey to. -;]
I also thoroughly enjoyed Jules's backstory! Tragic, but with lots of possible story hooks down the line.
I also thoroughly enjoyed Jules's backstory! Tragic, but with lots of possible story hooks down the line.