Puck And Demona From One Of My Favorite Gargoyles Episodes

"And a Hunting We Will Go"

Summary: Someone does some fishing. Some very expensive fishing.

Words: 1,191

3/4

Warnings! Animal Death

~Beep!~

~Beep!~

God, someone please shoot me! 

~Your call may be put on hold~

Elisa couldn't help but roll her eyes.

The disembodied, dial up music on the other end of the line almost made her see red. Two hours, two damn hours! She's been on hold since four in the afternoon! 

‘Come on, come on, dammit, let's go already!’

~Beep!~ 

~We're currently busy at the moment, but a representative will speak to you shortly~ 

~Beep!~ 

‘Shortly my ass!’

The music played again, like a hellish melody.

'I hate tax season. Hate it!' Bored, Elisa snagged her pen tapping it harshly against the kitchen table. 'Next time I'm hiring some smuck to do this shit' 

'If I can afford' 

The tapping stopped for a minute.

~Beep!~ 

~We're currently busy at the moment, but a representative will speak to you shortly~

'I'll make it fit'

Somehow.

Another twenty minutes past before someone finally, finally picked up the damn phone. But, despite the blessing the call just added to her frustrations.

"....how many dependents did you say you have again…...?" 

Her lips tightened, doing her best to not snap- "Three. Three kids" she can't remember how many times she had to repeat that now.

This was stupid, beyond stupid. She just wanted the call to end for god's sake, the man over the phone kept droning on and on, in a hush wispy, barely audible voice about tax deductions or something, it was very obvious that he hated his job and sounded like he wanted to be anywhere, but on the phone with her.

It was like pulling teeth. 

One by one by one.

Sitting on the couch watching Teletubbies with the kids was starting to sound like heaven right about now.

After a while, her mind drifted. ‘Whoever wrote tax laws ought to be shot.’

She heard something squeak in between the irritated tapping and clicking of her pen. Ignoring it, she leaned against the kitchen chair before switching the phone to her other ear.

Another squeak. Sounded like wet shoes sliding against a tile floor.

She ignored it again, clicking her pen.

'I need a drink after this. Maybe I can raid Xanatos stash without him noticing'

~Squeak~

'Ugh, what is that?!' but she didn't feel inclined to worry about it. The castle was riddled with strange noises. It used to freak her out, but she had gotten used to it over the years. And besides, she wasn't the only resident lurking around.

~Squeak~ 

"Maza, a word if you may" Elisa rolled her eyes again.

"I'm busy Xanatos, bother me some other time" 

“I believe it may interest you”

“You can’t hide from Fox forever Xanatos”

“I’m not, but this isn’t about her”

~Squeak~ 

'Okay! That was getting annoying!' she snapped around her chair to level Xanatos with a glare and find the source of that ungodly sound only to stop and freeze.

Xanatos was drenched head to toe. His characteristic ponytail was undone. Hair was in his eyes, slopped around his shoulders and he smelled like fish and algae.

He looked completely disgruntled. Which was also rather uncharacteristic. And the jacket of his suit was missing.

"Wha-?" 

"Hi, Auntie Lisa!" 

Then she looked down. 

Two giddy kids were tucked under his arms. Alex's eyes gleamed, shined really, his long dark, red curls stuck to his face. And there was Aodh, wrapped in Xanatos' jacket, not giddy, or mischievous, but unperturbed as she munched on a half-eaten koi fish.

They were a wet mess.

The crunch of bone and flesh invaded the quiet for a second.

"They raided the koi pond" 

As if the half-eaten koi fish didn't give her a clue. Elisa didn't know whether to laugh at the spectacle before her or sigh. Wasn't Owen watching them?

"You didn't say we couldn't play in it, dad!" 

"Please tell me that wasn't expensive"

"The pond's fine. The fish on the other hand-" Xanatos glanced at her daughter, he seemed almost amused despite his obvious veil of exasperation "well I'll leave that to your imagination" 

'Well, isn't that just peachy' Everything in this building was outstandingly expensive to suit Xanatos opulent tastes. He's right on that matter, she didn't want to imagine what that fish might cost her, if he were a pettier man. 

"Why do you have a Koi Pond just laying around anyway? Inside a building. Where anybody can just trip and fall in it" 

"I like the aesthetic." 

"Sure." Right. Of course.

"It's not like I expected two troublesome kids to try and make it into their personal fishing spot." 

"Ah-huh" 

"Nor was I prepared for one of them to actually eat the koi fish" 

Elisa smirked a little "Oh really, and here I thought you were always prepared for the impossible" 

He looked disgruntled again. The shock faded, but damn did he look miserable.

That suit had to be worth more than anything she's made in the past five years. She can't help but snicker-

-who would've thought that all it took for him to lose his cool was a bunch of unruly kids.

Karma was beautiful in its own way.

"Can I have my own Koi fishpond then, dad?" 

Xanatos refined from a sigh.

"I'll think about it" 

"Yes!" It definitely wasn’t a yes, but Alex interpreted it as one.

“David!”

There was something akin to fear in his eyes “Ah,” he cleared his throat “In the kitchen, dear.”

Fox walked-waddled into the room; they saw her belly before they saw her “Are you hiding up here again-” Xanatos turned around on instinct.

“Hi, mom!” Alex waved.

Fox blinked a few times before she broke down into hysterical fits of laugher.

“Fox, please” she had to hold onto the threshold to hold herself up.

“He fell into the pond trying to fish the kids out” Elisa supplied as flatly as possible. Fox snorted.

“I did not fall.”

“Had a nice swim, David!?”

“I guess you now know what it feels like to swim with the fishes, huh, Xanatos?” Elisa couldn’t help herself. Fox had a conniption fit.

“The children could’ve drowned”

Now both women were laughing.

“I can swim, dad, Aodh too, you know that, and Puck was with us.” Corrected by a child.

“Speaking of Puck-Owen, where is he?” she asked in between fits of laughter.

“He scampered off, after I-collected the children”

“Left you for dry, huh?” Elisa got the impression that he wanted to roll his eyes at her. But forced himself not to for whatever reason. Instead of saying anything he placed Aodh gently on the floor. The sudden jostle of movement hardly interrupted her eating.

“We’re still playing, dad!” Alex protested.

“Both of you need a bath” he squirmed out of his father’s grasp “Alex.”

“We can take a bath together! Come one, Aodh!” he grabbed her fingers, and dragged her along. Aodh simply followed without much fuss towards the baths. Alex knew the castle like the back of his hand, as he led them away.

She was still eating the fish.

Elisa shook her head; hopefully, that was the extent of today’s excitement-

~Beep!~

‘You’re call has been disconnected’

Dammit.

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Gargoyles COLORS by Nexxorcist

Just did the colors for this Gargoyles piece by Eric Canete.  Lines: Eric Canete [link]

I keep thinking about a situation where Goliath has to carry Xanatos and them both being disgruntled about it. Goliath would probably carry him by his foot, let him dangle a few thousand feet in the air out of spite, but he'd preferably carry him by his throat.

In one case I can see Xanatos milking the experience for all it's worth, constantly trying to get under Goliath's skin to see how far he can push him under the circumstances.

"Don't you think that's a bit dangerous, dear"

"If he drops me, I win. And Goliath knows that"

"So, Goliath work out often?"

"I will drop you."

"And here I thought we kissed and made up"

"I will make sure you fall on your head"

"Ill probably be dead before I hit the asphalt"

"A pity."

Fox and Elisa find the scene freaking hilarious, though Elisa does try to talk Goliath into dropping the smug bastard; just to give him a little scare.

Rewatching Gargoyles

Astrakhan Nature Reserve, Russia by Fedor Lashkov

Storyboarding the opening sequence of Gargoyles for a class assignment! I watched the sequence a couple of times and wrote down the beats before jumping in. I stopped at 40 sec though, but I might come back and do the rest of the sequence if I have time. Alas, back to my grad project/portfolio!

- There’s so much water. It looks like a sea. 

- What’d you expect after all that rain? I’ve gotta get out of this place. Someday I’m getting on that train.

SPIRITED AWAY (2001) dir. Hayao Miyazaki

Very Rough Draft

Goliath x Elisa/GoLisa

Title: Effeuillant la Marguerite( she loves me, she loves me not)

Summary: Happens after the Awakening series. Goliath learning to come to terms with Demona's abandonment and his developing feelings for Elisa.

"Why the long face?"

They were high above the clouds. Nothing new, not all that interesting, at least not for him. But, he watched Elisa constantly kept nervously glancing around, checking to make sure she wouldn't fall from the railing up above. 

"There's nothing to be afraid of. If you fall, I'll catch you" 

Elisa frowned before looking at him with bright, brown eyes "easy for you to say, you've got wings!" 

"Like I said I'll catch you" 

"So like parachuting without a parachute" she mumbled, not sounding all that reassured by his insistence. He did not know what a parachute was.

"A what?" 

"A parachute, its uh, um" she lifted her head in thought, tapping a finger against her bottom lip "it's like a large blanket that you tie to your back so you don't y'know-die." 

"I see, so you fly with it" 

"More like glide, like you do with your wings" 

"I see." 

He gazed over the railing, down below, his eyes grazing over all the lights and towers made of steel and glass, and the horseless carriages that zipped across the streets, though they varied in size, they all looked the same from his spot in the clouds.

It was still very hard to get used to.

All the lights, all the noise and commotion, even during the nightmare hours nothing stopped, the world kept going. Elisa had told him this place-New York, was known as the city that never sleeps.

It was a fitting phrase. Everything was always awake, always conscious that it nearly gave him a headache if he focused on all of it for too long. It ached for the quiet shore by the ocean side.

There in his free time he would walk and let his mind wander as he watched the ocean lap at the shore. His angel of the night would be by his side enjoying the quiet between them, in this solitude. It was their world and their world alone.

"You're frowning again?"

He didn't move to look at her. He wasn't sure what to say. To convey how he felt or how in a way she'd understand. Would she understand?

"Something on your mind?" 

"This world is rather loud, noisy. Sometimes it's hard to hear my own thoughts" 

"Oh?" She laughed a bit, it was an airy, lighthearted sound. It wasn't exactly mirthful, but it was not nervous either. He did not know to quite label it "I get it. It takes some time to get used to all the chaos." 

"Does it bother you?" 

"Hm? No, not really. I actually like all the noise" 

"Why?" 

"I don't know-" she pauses "I guess maybe I like it because it doesn't make me feel so lonely. Lets you know that they're still people out there. That despite everything, the world's still going. And that at least some things are still in one piece" 

"You feel lonely?" He'd argue that it was almost impossible to feel lonesome in all this array of life and light. Yet, did he not feel the same?

"Lonely?" Elisa shrugged "not particularly. I'm pretty used to living on my own. It'd be ridiculous after all this time, wouldn't it" 

"You don't have any family?"

"Of course!" She smiled "I have my younger siblings and my parents." 

"You don't live with them?"

"No, we all left the nest. Beth, my little sisters studying up at a college in Arizona. And Derek's a cop like me. And both my parents are retried"

It was all very strange to him. 

The separation of family.

"Gargoyle clans always stay together." 

"You don't leave the coup?"

"You mean the rookery. After we reach a certain age then yes, but that doesn't mean we leave Wyvern"

"So, you guys never left Wyvern? Like ever?"

"No. Why would we? It is-was our home."

"So, you guys didn't travel much huh?"

"No, that was far too dangerous to stray far. My time was always wrought with war and unrest. Not exactly a wise time to go milling about. Plus, where would we go? The humans at the castle hardly tolerated my kind, I doubt the humans after them would be far more welcoming" 

"You know I had to ask-"

"Yes?"

"If the humans hated you guys so much, why did you stay and protect them?" 

"Because it is our duty. The humans protect us during the day and we do so during the night. The humans only feared us, because they did not understand us. I would not give into hate because they chose to do so out of ignorance." 

"That's a rather benevolent way of thinking" to Elisa she thought the situation, or deal, pack, or whatever it was, was a rather lousy one. None of it seemed fair in any way. Their services were repaid in contempt. None of that was right. But, she didn't dare voice that sentiment out loud. Elisa got the feeling Goliath wouldn't take kindly to that, so she kept her mouth shut.

"It is what I was taught" then he stopped and considered it for a moment.

"What would you have done?" 

"Leave" 

She had his full attention now. A small shiver rode up her spine at the intensity of his stare.

"Why?" 

"Why wouldn't I?" Elisa entwined her fingers gazing over over the steel towers and glass buildings "I guess don't have any kind of desire to stick around where I'm not wanted" 

"What about duty? You said it yourself that your job was to protect and serve" 

"Well, yeah" she says "but, y'know big guy, you can't protect people who don't want to be protected and you can't serve people who don't want to be served. There's a limit to how much you can do. Relationships are supposed to be equal, there has to be a give and take on both ends. If one person is doing all the taking and the other is doing all the giving-how is that fair?" 

Enough. I’ve seen what I need to see. Me too. She’s my co-pilot. 

Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket in PACIFIC RIM (2013)