Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jesse ran along the familiar pathing to the temple, behind them were Jesse's gang, or preferably, The NEW Order of the Stone! Pretty neat, eh? But it doesn't matter at the moment, what matters is that they need to find Ivor before he gets tired from traveling all these portals that go far and beyond their imagination!

" IVOR!- GET BACK HERE, YOU HAD ENOUGH FUN FOR A DAY, DAMNIT!!!- "

Jesse exclaimed, panting just a bit before quickening their pace, seeing that Ivor had already climbed up the vines and went near the portal again... Oh boy, here we go again!

" Ugh, you should've just kept that Portal Atlas to yourself, Jesse! Now he's going to keep on running around with that thing in the air like a trophy waiting to be snatched! "

Petra huffed in annoyance, she had enough of adventures for now, if they had to go on for more because of this brewer of an idiot? Oh, she's absolutely losing it.

" Hey, hey- Less talking, more catching up to, maybe...!?- "

Lukas swallowed a bit nervously before climbing up the vines in which Olivia and Axel had already climbed up on...

" C'mon! He shouldn't have gone too far, we gotta get there before he makes a bigger problem! "

Olivia yelled, looking at them from above as both Axel and Olivia waited for them, since they didn't know much about what could be behind the portal, they had to wait for them, they couldn't rush in without knowing what's behind the portal.

" Coming!- Hold on...! "

Jesse groaned before climbing up the vines, along with Petra following behind them, eventually getting to the second floor of the temple and running into the portal...

— Skyblock Island!

As they entered... It seems as though the creatures had disappeared, which seemed to make Jesse raise a brow in slight confusion before being abruptly pulled down by Petra, who seemed to be in a not so great mood, making them yelp in surprise as they fell from the platform, making Olivia and Axel flinch and gasp in surprise before Lukas patted Axel's shoulder.

" It's fine!- There's water at the bottom, see you there, guys!- "

Lukas jumped from the platform quickly, going after Jesse and Petra, making both Olivia and Axel look at each other before swallowing nervously, following them all as they both jumped off...

— The... Void?

Even as he stayed truth to his words it seems to have scared the crap out of them... A lot, which honestly... Perhaps he could've given them a bigger warning, but dude, they were rushing a bit too much, he couldn't exactly warn them when they could accidentally lose sight of both Petra and Jesse, who were pushing through the crowd and immediately walking towards the portal, making Lukas shake his head before helping the two get up and rushing to get to them...

" Hey, guys?- guys! Wait up, please!- "

— Meanwhile: with Ivor...

As Ivor looks around, looking for a peculiar white haired lady who had caught his interest, he paused, noticing a strange portal at rhe end of the corridor... Now, he was no stranger to new things, but this...? Oh, it sounded like...-

" ADVENTURE! "

Ivor beamed in excitement as he ran over to the portal, not noticing Petra and Jesse having teleported behind him as they tried to settle from their mind going haywire before getting it together before moving out of the way before they could get crushed by the rest of the gang who appeared from above, falling down altogether as they groaned and grumbled in pain...

" There!- We have to stop him now before he gets in a more worse scenario! "

Petra grunted before shaking off her exhaustion as she ran towards Ivor who was at the end of the corridor, making Jesse sigh in exhaustion, but what could be do? He could only shake his head as he ran after Petra... Lukas and Olivia followed next as Axel slowly got rid before pausing as he realised they weren't waiting for him, he got up immediately before sprinting after them...

" This seems interesting! Who knows where this could've lead me to this time? An island full of treasures? Mysterious cases?- More adventures!? Oh, I am so in it now! "

Exclaiming in excitement and astonishment, he used the Enchanted Flint 'n Steel, lighting up the portal as it gave off this strange glow, enchanting him and his eagerness as he reached out to it...- But then suddenly, his moment gets interrupted by a familiar yelp of one... Then another, and another and another!- and as soon as he turned around...- He was met with a force that pushed him inside the portal, yelping in surprise as they were all pushed into the world... And luckily, along with the Portal Atlas and the Enchanted Flint 'n Steel in Ivor's inventory... Just hopefully, do they manage to see the sudden outfit change when they wake up next time...

Chapter Text

It was all a blurr for a moment... From when Jesse thought that they were going to die- In the next second, they could've sworn they heard a voice...

" ... -AY!!... -Can this...!?- "

... A very, loud one, that's for sure. Just where did they and their friends ended up in this time? Jesse wondered... 'Where exactly are they?' They stirred and groaned as they made an attempt... Trying to wake up before eventually-

"< Tick, tock. >" ... Huh?

As Jesse opened their eyes, the blinding light from inside the building distracted him for a split second before noticing... A man? A Guy?- Whatever... What's more worrying is that this guy clock for a head and fire blazing ontop of the clock. They both took a moment as they stared at each other before Jesse yelped in surprise as they sat up straight and immediately backed up...

" W-WOAH, WHAT THE!?- "

Jesse had to be dreaming... He was surrounded by unfamiliar people, some seemed curious, amused, or just didn't even reacted much!- ... Well, except for this... Bright yellow-haired person...?-

" HALT!!! Dost thou perhaps know where they are?- Or do thy not realise who they're in the presence of?!- "

She beamed in excitement, leaning in closer, dropping her huge lance to the ground as she stared at Jesse intently, creeping them out...

" H-Hey!- Back... huh?- "

Just as Jesse reached for their sword, they find that the sword had... been dis-enchanted. Swallowing nervously, they looked back at the person just in front of him, who appears to have listened to someone before backing off, grabbing her lance back with an awkward expression on her face...

" A-Ahem... Mine apologies, new associate of ours! Manager Esquire had just told me to get off of you, and- "

" W-Wait, who's... 'Manager Esquire'...? "

Jesse interrupted the very positive and energetic lady, making her pause as she looked at them, but just as she was about to speak, a white-haired woman stepped in, humming before speaking.

" That's enough, Don Quixote. Our... New associate wouldn't probably appreciate a loud voice next to their ear, appreciatedly. "

The woman hummed, making 'Don Quixote' pout before staying quiet, thinking a bit before nodding.

" You... You are in LCE. Preferably in the headquarters as they call it. "

Straight to the point...?- Wait, Jesse shouldn't be worried about that, where are their friends!?-

" Hold on, where are my friends?- What did you guys do to them!? "

Jesse frowns, holding the dis-enchanted sword out, pointing the tip towards the white-haired woman, making her sigh as she stared at him with disinterest. And in the moment, the clock-headed guy steps in, looking like they were panicking a little... And yet all Jesse could hear was just a bunch of ticking and tocks from the clock-head, yet somehow- The woman seemed to understand before nodding.

" Faust believes you could make the contract with him, right away... It will be easier for you and Manager to communicate easily. "

... Faust...- Who here is Faust anyway?- Jesse couldn't process the information before the guy with the clock-head eventually walked up to him and held their hand out... Despite the distrust that Jesse had, they couldn't help but place their hand in his...- And just then, a slight yell echoed inside of Jesse's head, making him and the clock-head guy tense, this guy seemed to be as if they were in pain but didn't expose it to the newcomer...

"< ... Hello? >"

A voice mumbled in Jesse's head, making them pause in surprise as they looked around before someone cleared their throat, walking up and beside the clock-head guy... She looked tough, maybe even terrifying if they were to get on her bad-side?-

" Executive Manager is responding to you, newbie. "

She frowned, her face darkened as she stared down Jesse, who seems to be just as afraid as she's making them to be before the clock-head placed a hand on her shoulder.

"< Outis... It's okay- They're probably just shocked right now, please don't make it seem as if you're going to interrogate them. >"

The woman tensed up a bit before sighing as she lowered her head and stepped back...

" ... I sincerely apologise, Executive Manager. "

Huh... So it seems like the clock-head is the Manager of the team, maybe...? The guy shook their clock-head before glancing back at Jesse, who still seemed to be confused before nodding.

"< Hello...- I apologise for the uhm, minor inconvenience... I'm Dante, your manager from now on, I believe you're the new associates that our guide has taken in?- >"

Dante seemed... Nice, despite the crazy looking head and the fire on top, they actually seemed a lot more calmer than the rest in this room, that's for sure...- Save for those two, the one with long hair and a guandao for a weapon and that... 'Don Quixote' girl- Wait, Jesse's supposed to ask about their friends, not get distracted with this... Weird team! ... Although... New associates...? It does spark their curiosity.

" ... Ahm... Y-Yeah...?- "

Jesse nodded awkwardly, hoping that they wouldn't beat him up for lying when they find out... Awkwardly standing there before a woman with a bob-cut hairstyle scoffed, smoking a cigarette as she spoke.

" You. R.O.L. "

She scoffed, glaring down at Jesse like they had insulted her personally, making Jesse tense in slight surprise before a boy just nearby cleared his throat a bit before awkwardly translating...

" You... Reek of lies- H-Hey, that's a bit too mean for a new associate of ours, don't you think, Ryōshū?- "

The boy frowned, looking at her before looking back at Jesse with a slight smile... Which would've totally been fine if it weren't for the halberd he was wielding.

" S-Sorry... She's a bit... Scary at times, but I hope you and your friends get used to her after a while of working with us!- I-I'm Sinclair, by the way... "

Sinclair smiled, offering a polite smile at Jesse before Jesse takes it as a slight hint that both him and themself were on okay or maybe even good terms!- ... Wait, speaking of friends- Where DID they put his friends in?

" Uhh... Yeah, you too... O-Oh and, where exactly are my friends?- "

Before anyone else could answer, a tall, well-built man walked in, a blank face upon the man as he paused before speaking.

" Your friends... Are troublesome, annoying to calm down while waiting for you to wake up. "

The man spoke bluntly, not even showing a hint of annoyance on his face... This guy must be quite the master on poker faces, huh? Kinda makes Jesse interested... But Jesse couldn't help feeling a bit bad, how long have they been out anyway? Hopefully not long enough to make it seem as if they were dead-

" Ah, hey, c'mon now, I'm sure they were only like that because they were worried for me! "

Jesse frowned, making the man pause before humming. Shaking his head before speaking again.

" ... I suggest you walk in and reassure your friends, they look as if they're going to tear someone out if they don't get the reassurance of you being alright in our sight. "

He hummed before the long-haired guy just earlier chuckled softly.

" Ah?~ They seem to be really protective of Jesse, how kind! "

He chuckled before Don piped in again, a beaming smile on her face as she spoke...

" VERILY INDEED, HONG LU!!!- Such courageousness could never be found in such an honored group of friends together...! "

She sniffed before bringing out a white napkin from her coat, wiping away her imaginary tears as if she just witnessed the most greatest thing that has happened in her life, making Jesse sigh in slight disbelief before nodding, walking into the room that the man had just left through... Jesse could hear them talking, some slightly annoyed, some slightly worried...

" Hey, what's up guys?- "

Jesse spoke up as they entered through the room, pausing as they noticed their friends sitting on a couch, accompanied by five other people... Petra paused in surprise before getting up and walking over to Jesse, the others took notice of Jesse after Petra got up, following her.

" Jesse! There you are!- We were all worried sick about you, you idiot!- "

Petra frowned, crossing her arms as Jesse chuckled awkwardly... The others seemed to be relieved as they saw Jesse, who appeared to be fine. Axel sighed in relief as he stared at Jesse before he started teasing them...

" Oh, thank god, you're not dead after all, Jesse... You looked like you were dying just earlier, y'know? "

Axel chuckled before Olivia rolled her eyes, sighing as she shook her head... Ivor and Lukas just stood nearby a bit awkwardly but not unfond of the group as Jesse rolled their eyes playfully.

" Oh, c'mon you guys... I won't go down without a fight, y'know? "

Petra raised a brow in slight suspicion before sighing as she smiled, nudging their elbow as she spoke...

" Hey, well, at least you're back from your deep sleep... "

And as they all gathered for a slight warm-hearted reunion, one of the people who watched over the group just earlier just quietly scoffed in annoyance.

" Oi, this weird reunion is ticking me off, how come we've never been told of them new associates? " (I cannot do this right, mb heathcliff lovers...)

One of the male associates questioned, the orange-haired woman beside him sighed as she rolled her eyes at his question.

" Just shut up and let them have their moment... "

She grumbled before sighing softly. And eventually, as everything settled down with Jesse and his gang and their conversations, They'd walk back into the other room where Dante supposedly was. With Dante finally introducing themselves to Jesse's friends and introducing the 'Sinners' under his command. Some of the sinners were a bit scary, some were approachable... And well, the rest of them were alright, to say so!

"< And now that has been settled... I do not recall getting any of your names, may we perhaps know? >"

Dante asked, staring at Jesse and their gang while the gang and Jesse hesitated before looking at each other and nodded.

" Uhh, sure! Doesn't hurt to share our names, yeah? I'm Jesse, Mayor of- "

Jesse would start off before suddenly getting cut off by Olivia, who was smiling awkwardly as she covered their mouth...

" Ah, don't mind them, silly guy likes boasting about such ridiculousness, y'know? I'm Olivia! "

She smiled before letting go of Jesse, who just looked back at her in slight annoyance before whispering quietly to Olivia.

" Hey- Psst, what the heck was that all about, Olivia?- "

Jesse seemed annoyed, while Olivia seemed to be a bit more serious.

" We can't just tell them anything, Jesse!- Who knows what kind of people they are? What if they're a threat to everyone?!- You have to understand where I'm coming from, Jesse!- "

Olivia frowned, making Jesse hesitate before sighing as they nodded, seemingly agreeing with her point.

" Alright, alright... No revealing things about our own life, fine. "

They paused before glancing at the others, as if silently telling them to do the same thing before they all nodded... Eventually, Lukas stepped up next, looking albeit awkward as he spoke.

" ... Right, I'm Lukas, uh... Jesse's friend, if you hadn't known yet... "

Lukas awkwardly introduced himself before getting their shoulder patted on by Axel, who was chuckling at the moment.**

*" Hey, no need to be so scared around them, they're our... uhh, workers? Associates?- Ah, whatever, I'm Axel, by the way. "

Axel introduced himself as he leaned a bit on Lukas, making him pause in slight surprise before attempting to push him off... Making Petra chuckled in amusement before introducing herself to them all.

" Heya, the name's Petra, and that old man in the back? "

Petra pointed at Ivor, who was somewhat hiding in the back, pausing in slight surprise as he had been mentioned by Petra.

" His name's Ivor, he might seem like an old grumpy man to you all, but eh, he's actually pretty friendly when you get to know him better. "

Petra smirked playfully all while Ivor rolled his eyes and looking away, all while Dante was nodding taking in their names as they nodded once more...

"< Jesse, Olivia, Lukas, Axel, Petra, and Ivor... A pleasure to meet you all, really... I might sound a bit odd for this but whatever. >"

Dante shook their head, looking like he giggled just now before reaching a hand out to Jesse...

"< Welcome aboard on the Mephistopheles, new sinners. >"

Dante welcomed them, making Jesse pause as they stared at his hand before smiling back at him, holding his hand and shaking it lightly... They were officially part of the Limbus Company, temporarily for now, that is.