Admittedly, you thought perhaps your wardrobe could do with a bit less black.

The small city you were in bustled with activity. The advent of summer brought sunny days and the fabric of your skirts started to burn under the hot gaze of the sun. You much preferred travelling at night, but when looking for jobs it was best to hear what people said during their daytime shopping. Gossip traveled far.

Your last stop was a small village. Not much to look at, and you hadn't expected to be paid so handsomely; but clearing the town water supply earned you respect, gratitude, and enough coin to keep you comfy for a few months. You didn't have to work, but traveling was fun and kept you occupied, so you listened to the gossiping men and women in the shopping district

As you stood in front of a shop contemplating if you should invest in a lighter colored outfit, you heard something good.

"I heard the Germa kingdom wasn't doing well," an old woman said. There were two of them, one in a bright green hat, the other with such a thick pair of glasses you weren't even sure if she had eyes under there.

"Nonsense. The last time you said that they annexed two countries," the woman in glasses said.

Germa 66 was as notorious as it was violent, and boy, did that sound interesting.

"It's different! I hear the people are getting sick! A mix up with some-" she looked back and forth, then crossed herself, "-foul spirits."

Your ears practically twitched at that. That sounded exactly like your business, or at least something you could take advantage of.

"That's a load of nonsense; there's no such thing," the other woman scoffed.

"I'm telling you I saw a grim at the church last week!"

Their voices grew fainter as they walked away from you, but you heard enough. With a little bit of investigating, you'd probably be on your way to Germa 66. First, you would do a little bit of shopping. If you were going to do some work, you might as well stock up. You looked a the light blue skirt of the dress in the window. Maybe some new clothes would be a good idea. You had to make a good impression on the king.

As you shopped around, you listened on for any other juicy tidbits that might help you build your case. Of course you already had some knowledge of the vicious kingdom. The royal family was a group of ruthless, detestable people from what you'd heard. The king himself, Judge Vinsmoke, was infamous for beheading the four previous kings of the area that predated Germa 66. All at once, while they begged for mercy. You could do some good work, but conning the king because he was a bastard of a man sounded like fun.

You found out there were five royal children while you picked up some black heeled boots, that the queen died years ago as you picked through crystals, and that apparently they held a funeral for the third son as you got your tattoo touched up.

"Turns out he wasn't actually dead," the woman said as she outlined the eye on the back of your neck. "Don't really know the details though."

All in all, once the sun started to go down you had some flattering new clothes, a replenished stock of supplies, and a good idea of what the morals of Germa 66 were like.

There were none.

It'd a be a few days flight to Germa 66, so you decided on a bit more recon before setting off. On the way into the city you'd been shopping you'd spotted a sidhe, and there was no better time to mingle. A faerie owed you a bottomless bag anyway.

The hill was easy to spot, even in the city. A few residents warned you from going there but once they got a better look at you they scurried away. A witch was the last person who needed help dealing with spirits. Things could get rowdy every now and then but you didn't endure your Dami's training to be pushed around by the otherworldly.

You walked up the grassy sidhe as the sun descended, eventually disappearing behind the earth. A few wisps of color and laughing spirits were out, twilight being the perfect time for them to crossover. As the moon rose up you noticed a few figures milling about the top of the hill that weren't there before. There were your people.

When you reached the peak you saw a few familiar spirits along with some more menacing ones. You avoided the reaper and moved toward the animal spirit. They were some hulking mass of white fur and claws, everything but their sharp teeth covered by fluff.

"Ah, you again," they said. "Looking for work?"

"Information." You passed them one of the many bags you were carrying and they took it, parting it with large hands.

"Mmm, very nice," they said. They tucked the cloth bag into their fur and you didn't think too hard about how. "What are you sticking your nose into this time?"

"Germa 66. Heard there's some commotion there."

The reaper hovering nearby didn't seem to like what you said, and your soul was nearly theirs for the taking with how bad they scared you, moving in front of your face with otherworldly speed.

"Germa is mine," they hissed. You grit your teeth to keep from screaming your head off because, gods. "I won't share the sweet, sweet death spreading through the land."

You didn't know what they were talking about but you weren't keen on getting in their way. Reapers really weren't your cup of tea. Or anyone's cup of tea, but most people couldn't even see them. You were just lucky enough to be able to see the reaper and feel like you were gonna shit yourself when you did.

"No, no…" you stammered, "I just, I'm not going to stop people from dying, I-" You needed a moment to gather yourself. "I was just, going to take advantage of the king."

The reaper hovered in front of you, staring you down with eyeless sockets. After a few moments of shit wrenching silence they finally nodded and put a little bit of space between the two of you.

"There's too much death there for me to risk a witch going there to fix things," the reaper said.

You nodded shakily and raised your hands in surrender. All you wanted was some extra money and to fuck with someone who didn't deserve the power they had. Or something like that.

"I just wanted to know what was happening there," you said.

The reaper backed off a little bit and you let yourself breath for just a moment.

"I heard they were working with spirits," you said, attempting to convey you weren't going to do anything to stop them with the fear in your eyes.

You paused, trying to think of what to do next. "I'm just trying to take advantage of the chaos."

The reaper tilted its skeletal head from side to side and ran a bony finger over the scythe blade.

"A noble cause," the finally said, and you tried not to collapse in relief. "There was some spirit work. I can...taste the residue. Very dangerous things left their mark on the royal family. Brings in bad luck, makes my job," the reaper took in a deep breath they didn't need, "easy."

"Ah," you said, struggling to find your words. "Sounds interesting."

"Where do you hold dominion?" the reaper asked.

You really hoped you'd never see this reaper again. "I'm a sea witch."

"Ah, as fate would have it," the reaper sounded so uncomfortably seductive, especially for a being without eyeballs. "The king brought up some sunken pirate treasure. Several billions worth."

"Oh, well that's-"

"And then lost almost all of it in three weeks once a plague hit. So sad, really." The reaper didn't sound sorry.

"Must've been cursed," the animal spirit said. "Or hexed."

"Mmm, either way the tragedy is," the reaper shuddered, "exquisite."

"Mm," you hummed. "I won't intrude." The reaper seemed to like that you wanted absolutely nothing to do with it and floated off. You let out a sigh of relief once they were far enough for you to not think about all of your past regrets.

"There was some spirit work there, not that they mention it," the animal spirit said. "Years ago. It cost the queen her life."

Now that was less terrifying (for you), and caught your interest. "Really?"

"You know better than others not to tamper with what lays at the bottom of the sea."

"Of course, and that's why I'm not hexed," you said. "Tell me more."

The animal spirit sighed, but relented. The package you gave them was just enough to loosen their lips.

The ride to Germa 66 was pleasant. The sun was hidden behind a thick cloud cover, though it likely wouldn't rain until the next day. The kingdom was large as it was ever expanding. It was easy enough to find the palace since it jutted straight into the sky, an iron testament to the King's prestige. It didn't matter much to you, especially considering the circumstances you know had befallen the royal family.

You touched down just past the front gates of the palace, dressed in you new turquoise and black grab, your broom decorated with evil eyes and gems. The guards on duty froze up, fear obvious on their faces as they flinched with every click of your heel on the ground.

"What business do you have here?" one of them asked. It was a fair question, you thought.

"I heard the king was in need of a witch," you said. The two guards looked at each other, then back to you. You just smiled as they silently struggled to make a decision.

"Th-this way," one of the guards said, and you gave them a little bow for their manners. You smirked when they jumped. Nothing was stopping you from walking to the palace gates like a normal person, but why pass up the chance to intimidate some unwitting guards?

You were led into the palace, fear and unease radiating off the two guards. Truthfully you would need some time to cause some harm to them magic-wise, you weren't prepared for much fighting at the moment, but what they didn't know only helped you. The inside of the palace was lavish, all marble and carefully carved stone. There were a few abrasions in the walls, evidence of some violence that wasn't completely shielded by the tapestry it hid behind. You wondered if the damage was recent.

"Do you have an appointment with the King?" one of the guards asked.

You said nothing. This seemed to intimidate them for some reason, not that you were complaining. Showing up uninvited and unannounced wasn't the best way to go about things, but you were a lucky one. The cards told you it would be a good day. As long as you remembered what the animal spirit told you, and what the reaper warned you about, you would be fine.

When you walked into the throne room the King seemed confused, so you were already at the advantage. He was a monster of a man, in reputation, and apparently in stature. He could've been eight feet tall at least, but it wasn't a dick measuring contest. You just needed to keep a clear head.

"Who is this?" King Judge asked, not even to you, but to one of the guards that brought you in.

You didn't wait for the guard to even stammer a reply. "I heard you were in need of a witch," you said.

The King narrowed his eyes at you. "This is a kingdom of science." And that's all he said as if it was enough to discredit you.

"I heard your kingdom was experiencing trouble," you said. He opened his mouth but you cut him off. "A plague over the country, and all for some cursed pirate gold."

There was silence, and the King looked like he wanted to personally paint the walls with your blood.

"Of course, the money you lost isn't the real problem."

"Why are you here?" the King asked. You weren't worried, all you had to do was bluff. You knew more than enough to work your way through this. The guards that escorted you had backed away a bit, leaving you to face off with their bloodthirsty monarch.

"I heard you were in need of a witch," you said again. "I'm here to help for a price, if you'd like."

"What exactly did you hear?" he asked. You could hear the tension in his voice. His fingers were taut against the armrests of his throne. He was pressed. You did your best not to smile.

"Oh it was nothing from anyone under your jurisdiction," you said. "A little...birdy told me that, oh well, I'm sure you already know."

The look on the King's face told you he clearly did, but he wanted you to say it. You smiled against your better judgement.

"If you need assistance I can help. If not, I'll leave," you said.

The guards looked between you and their King. You were calm thanks to knowledge on spirits could give, otherwise you'd probably be wetting yourself.

"We don't need help," the King's words were sharp, "especially from a witch. Do you know what kingdom you're in?"

"The same kingdom whose queen was killed by a mishap with dark spirits, of course."

The silence was deafening, and you knew you had him. You said just enough to warrant your death, but also just the right thing to hold the King's interest.

"How do you know about that?" the king growled. Honestly even if you didn't he just confirmed it. "Everyone involved was killed, and I know you weren't there."

"Like I said, I heard you were in need of a witch," you said. "If you don't need me, I'll just leave."

You even went through the motions of turning around, a grin on your face when the king couldn't see you, and it only widened when he said, "Wait."

"Stay," he ordered, though you knew you were actually the one with the advantage. You turned around to look at the monarch that could very well kill you himself if you hadn't mentioned any top secret information that could destroy his reign.

"You...may stay," he said. He sounded a bit pained, but it worked. "I'll have one of my sons escort you to a room."

You bowed. "I'm glad to be of service."

I'm gonna be 100% real with you guys. I'm only posting this for feedback bc depression has been kicking my ass and the instant gratification of comments might motivate me to get back into writing like I used to. I'm writing this for my own pleasure, or at least trying to, so if you want more, comment and I'll post when I can. If I get far enough into this it'll be NSFW. Cheers.