Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

you know, you wouldnt expect a ghoul named after a weather phenomenon to be scared of said phenomenon. but here he was, tail tucked between his legs trying to keep his shit together.

it was late in the evening, the sky rolling with black and grey and blue as a storm blew in from the south. the ministry had already shut its windows, the water ghouls gathering out in the courtyards, chittering away to themselves excitedly. the fire ghouls had tucked themselves away in the den, cuddled into a pile of warmth and distinct lack of moisture.

the air ghouls were scattered across the ministry, some on the balconies enjoying the cold winds quickly howling through the spires, others gathered with the water ghouls, talking in little clumps and excitedly staring at the approaching clouds.

one air ghoul however, huddled himself into the most secure feeling part of he ministry, the archives. dense shelving, warm, gold light, couches with ornate pillows. this was his set-up. not out there, where the wind and rain battered the windows and shook the trees.

his tail coiled around his thighs anxiously as he attempted to act nonchalant, a book about herbs and medicinal uses of algae resting in both hands.

the only other person in the archives was a singular cardinal, sifting through a pile of astronomy and astrology books, sorting through them and scribbling down illegible notes every few minutes. Storm kept his dark eyes on his book, but was cautious of the other man. he did not want to act strange in front of a cardinal.

when the thunder started, Storm nearly dropped his book. the Cardinal looked up from his messy pile and smiled, noticing the tense posture hat has suddenly taken over the big ghoul trying to look comfortable on a couch.

"are you alright, big guy?" he spoke from over his table, letting a friendly smile grace his face. he had lip peircings, and Storm's eyes shifted over them as his attention shifted.

"Ah, yes, thank you." he mumbled, shoving his book higher to hide the grimace on his face. he would usually be confident, perhaps even cocky at times, but during any type of storm he was reduced to an awkward, snivelling little kit.

"You know, the other air ghouls have been whispering about this thunder season for months. they say that this particular storm will last a good two days. that's quite a while for you to be holed up in here, huh?" the Cardinal, not particularly used to being so chatty, spoke softly, his voice barely carrying in the damp environment of the archives.

"I'm Cardinal Sorren, and you must be Storm. I hear alot about you from the rituals. they say you are an excellent performer and a fan favourite." he grinned, shifting in his seat to straighten his posture. Storm perked up a little at this, his pride in being a band ghoul overtaking his attitude towards the approaching clouds.

"Ah, thank you!" he smiled over his book, finally looking Cardinal Sorren in the eyes. "It's nice being able to leave the ministry to do the shows... although I do miss the dens quite often..." his voice carried well over the expanse of he library, his low baritone settling pleasantly in he Cardinal’s ears.

"May I come sit closer? i dont want to keep shouting like a silly bird over the desks." Sorren stood up from his place, gathering a few of the open books and making his way over to the couch across from the ghoul after getting a nod of confirmation.

"what's a cardinal doing in ye archives, huh? I thought it was a siblings job to do the sorting." his tail flicked as he raised a brow, even if Sorren couldn't see it beneath his mask. the vibe was felt, however, and Sorren laughed.

"well, I dont exactly have much to do since you band members are back from tour, and have been for a while. no setting up, no putting things away. what, can a guy not study some astronomy around here?" he chuckled at Storm's blank look, picking up one of the leather bound tomes that were sat on the table in front of them. "Here," he slid the tome over, pages open to a diagram of constellations and what they mean. "this is Orion. the most visible and recognisable part is his beld, and his sheathed sword. do you see it?" Storm nodded. "and above where his head would be, a cluster forms a red Cape and hood. isn't that just gorgeous?" he grinned, placing a ink stained finger on the page.

"i dont look up to the stars much..." he placed his own book on the couch, leaning over the table and looking at the pictures.

"There is a telescope in one of the courtyards of the west wing, you should visit sometime." he nodded his head in the direction Storm assumed the west wing was, his eyes staying fixed on his tomes. Storm simply hummed in agreement, making a mental note to perhaps go and see what this cardinal was fussing about.

conversation didnt exactly continue after that, both of them instead falling into a pleasant, borderline awkward silence as Sorren flicked through page after page of study and Storm read through his book slowly.

The clouds outside continued to rumble and spit spires of fire, but Storm felt less inclined to dig his claws into the leather of the couch for a form of stability. maybe having company during rough nights wasn't so bad after all.

as the night grew long and siblings of sin shuffled through the halls and rows of books, Sorren placed his book down in front of him, sighing. "I think we both have beds to get back to, dont we." he smiled gently, stretching his shoulders after being hunched over his books for so long. his blonde hair was toussled after he had ran his hands through it so many times, and he looked weary.

"it is late, isn't it..." The ghoul mumbled, glancing over to the grand clock that stood against the wall in a far corner. a crack of faint thunder echoed the the stone, and Storm grimaced. maybe company wouldnt be too horrible in bed, but he doubted any of the other air ghouls would be indoors in this 'wonderful weather'. crazy bastards.

"if you have need of anything, I actually have a space to myself in the west wing. im often near the telescope if you need me." Sorren spoke softly, standing and brushing himself free of non existent dust. "that is, if you would like to see me again. it was pleasant having you here while I researched." gathering his books, he began his way to the door. "i suggest you head out soon, the archives are restricted to ghouls past a certain hour." his smile faded as he said that, but Storm didnt have a chance to see it before Sorren was already out the heavy wooden doors.

the night was fitful and sleepless for storm, the thunder and rattling of the walls kept him taut and alert, his tail coiled around his thigh tightly once again. only one more night of this, and the storm would pass.

Chapter Text

The next time Storm ran into Cardinal Sorren was two days later, the evening after the storm had finally passed. There were leaves and branches strewn over the courtyards, and even a few of the rooving tiles had become loose and were hanging from a single nail. The Cardinal had been making his way through the halls, arms full of tomes and bundles of herbs only Satan knew what they were for. Sorren was practically walking blind, his face obscured nearly completely by a thick round of some flowering, dried plant. Storm grinned under his mask, making his way over to the poor guy.

“Need a hand there, Cardinal?” he spoke softly, but even then, it still startled the blondie. That same bundle of dried… something fell off his teetering pile of supplies and he groaned.

“You cant do that to a man, what if I was one of the Papas and you had given me a heart attack, huh? You could have the death of a Papa on your hands!” he trailed off, leaning hazardously in order to eye off that bundle of herbs now laying by his feet sadly “Would you grab that for me and pop it on top? Pretty please?” The ghouls rolled his eyes, tail flicking as he grabbed the herbs and reached to grab an armful of whatever he could take off Sorren.

“Here, let me grab something. I’m currently not tasked so you can steal me for a couple of hours.” He grinned over his small stack of books, nodding his head in the direction Sorren was heading. “Lead the way, Cardinal.”

“If you say so, but only if you are certain you don’t have anything else to do. I have quite a long job ahead of me this evening. So if you are willing to stay, that would be such an immense help to me.” His voice was soft as he began his walk to the west wing, Storm trailing behind his as his tail swayed gently. This would surely be an interesting afternoon, and only Satan knew what this particular Cardinal even got up to.

It did not take long to arrive at the room that the clergy had dubbed the ‘observatory’, if one could even call it that. It was simply a large window with a tel escope perched in front of it. A balcony had been installed a few centuries ago, and the only reason that the telescope was out there was the fear that the foundations were almost older than primo, and would collapse if so much as a bird landed on it. Sorren placed down his herbs on a bench before placing his tomes and encyclopedias on a low table, then gestured for Storm to do the same thing.

“What are the herbs even for, boss?” the ghoul huffed as he placed them down, brushing off a few stray leaves that had stuck to his uniform. A few stubborn rosemary leaves refused to fall off, so he left them with an annoyed flick of his ear. Sorren looked rather sheepish as he beaconed Storm to get a little closer. As he approached, the Cardinal whispered.

“Don’t tell anybody, but they are purely for decoration.” He grinned, looking rather smug. “They make my space look more… lively instead of just being a place of work. Plus, it makes the space smell absolutely amazing.” He pointed to a bundle of sage that was tied to a rung of a ladder placed in the corner. “That one there? That’s for when the vibes are off and I need a refresher. I usually get a fire ghoul to do it and I leave the space, I’m sensitive to smoke and whatnot.” He stepped back towards the shelving on the opposite wall to the ladder covered in herbs.

“And nobody questions the amount of herbs missing from the drying racks?” all Storm got in return was a sly look, hinting to the fact that there had been questions asked. ”Oh so they’ve questioned, but not the right people, huh? I didn’t take you to be one who steals.”

“Well how would you like to explain that you just want some herbs for the walls and to make the dingy observatory less filled with the smell of wet stone and mold.” He mumbled, crossing his arms over the grucifix over his chest. Storm’s uniform was not unlike Cardinal Sorren’s, although less ornate and a simple cassock. It was often compared to the uniforms that the ghouls in Secondo’s era wore, just with the newer masks. He didn’t exactly enjoy how tight those newer uniforms were, and only wore them if he truly had to. Showed off too much of his… padding.

“Wait why does it smell like mold?” the ghoul scrunched up his nose under his mask, hoping that it wasn’t anywhere he had already touched too much.

“The storm loosened some of the tiles in the roof, so there’s been some leaks. And since this wing of the ministry is so old the airflow is bad so all the water has just stayed in the walls. Pretty much the only dry place in the ministry is the archives and the Papal suites. Well you obviously know about the dryness of the archives since you were all holed up in there by yourself.” Storm blinked, sitting himself down on a worn looking couch near the telescope.

“Well, I don’t exactly want to be out in the wind, do you know how much it stings to be hit in the eye with a leaf?” he exclaimed, his clawed hand waving around expressively. He refused to admit he was afraid of a damn thunder storm. He’s a grown ghoul, not some skittery kit.

“Yeah yeah, of course. Aren’t the ghoul dens secure enough for you to not have to bar the windows? Do the ghoul dens even have windows? You know I’ve never been down there.” Sorren began his sorting again, organizing his tomes onto the shelves and intermittently running his fingers through his hair as the conversation continued.

He occasionally got Storm to help with reaching something into a higher shelf when he was too lazy to get a step stool. Sorren definitely wasn’t short, standing at just under six foot, but storm was just that tiny bit taller, and was able to lift up more books that he was. As the evening continued the jobs dwindled as the sunlight did, and Sorren turned to the telescope as the first few stars began to pop into view in the sky. All the clouds from the previous days had completely cleared, leaving a crisp dark sky with only a sliver of a moon to light the faint view of the pond down past the garden.

If one were to look close enough through the windows of the observatory, you could see the sprawling gardens of the ministry. The siblings of sin had said there was a ghoul in the lake, one without legs and instead a tail like an eel’s body. Nobody believed them, but a worn out fire ghoul did spend most of his time down at the lake, either swimming, which was strange for a fire ghoul, or staring into the water from the docks. Storm looked out at the lake, the fading light of the sun reflecting off the water as it rippled from something unseen under the surface.

“Im all done here for the day with sorting and organizing, it’s just some note taking and observations in a couple of hours once the stars are visible.” He adjusted the lense of the telescope, setting up a scrap of paper and a quill. “Unless youd like to stay for that boring experience, this is where I say farewell.” A smile was on his face as he stood straight, turning to face Storm.

“One more question. Is this your job as a Cardinal?” he cocked his head as Sorren shrugged.

“Technically my job is stock taking, organizing masses and making sure all you ghouls and siblings are in line. This is just a hobby of mine since a… friend of mine gifted me some astronomy books. I’m here most nights until about 12. I don’t particularly sleep much.” His pale cheeks flushed at the mention of this… friend of his.

“A friend, huh?” Storm poked, grinning as he stood to round the telescope and peek through the lense. “I may as well stay, if you don’t mind. I don’t exactly want to return to the air ghoul den, those girls are crazy after a storm.” Sorren nodded, adjusting a dial on the side of the viewing piece.

“Well… if you look up to the right, there’s the most prominent constellation in the night sky here in Italy. You can see parts of it even before the suns light has fully disappeared. That’s Orion, and his most visible portion is his belt and scabbard, and his bow. That’s my favorite constellation.” Storm looked, and faintly saw the three stars in line.

“Ah, I see him. The powerful hunter, hm? I didn’t see you as one to be interested in such a thing.” He stood straight and grinned, his eyes glinting as he saw Sorren blush.

“oh so you do know some mythology, I didn’t see you as the type.” He retorted, giving his own soft smile in return.

They pointed out different constellations, talking about the mythology and meaning behind each one. They were quite comfortable with each other now, even if Storm did make up constellations quite confidently. Sorren assumed that’s what added to his appeal. they bantered and stared at the stars into the wee hours of the night, until Storm was sent off before the curfew for the ghouls, leaving Sorren to continue his studies. Or begin them, since they had been so distracted. Maybe Storm would come and harass this strange Cardinal again some night. He knew where to find him.