#|| test muse. lazarus

[cinnamunspice]

THE STATS:

physical appearance

Very dark brown hair, in certain lighting, it may look black. She is Arabic and Chinese. 5'8'', curvy and has a very sweet and soothing voice (honeysuckle like!) despite her very stiff and formal choice of words. Clothes? Designer, or handmade. Makeup? Always flawless.

gender / sexuality/ birthday /age

female. demisexual. may 15th. she is played around fourty years old as a default, physically, on this blog-- unless we are writing pre-damian and in 70s/80s detective comics world. then i'll have her physically around 32.

the link to the talia!tag

ON THE RECORD:

THIS IS A TESTING MUSE ! STILL UNDER DEVELOPMENT !

I am still reading through her storyline, but as of right now her interpretation is pre-m*rrison personality/design and excluding of death of the maidens. P.S. as I am continuing to tweak damian's introduction that honors his past, but is reconciled with talia's previous history and personality-- please be patient with me! the MOST IMPORTANT thing is that we are following the Son Of the Demon and his conception was 1000000000000000% consensual. Ras's Al Ghul had intercepted the adoption attempt, and began to raise Damian in secret- on his own. By the time Talia had realized what had happened, she decided to return to her father and try to mitigate/lessen the damage and trauma that young Damian would endure. This would better align with memories of talia via tomasi's son of batman series, where she played a more sympathetic and active role as she tried to plan an escape for both of them.

if you want some resources talking about the very unfortunate r*cist turn talia's character has been taken to post 9/11 comics, and how her character's original origin should be taken (cw: mentions of SA): here are a few things.

I'm super open to her interacting with literally anyone, but I ask that no one treat her as a mustache twirling kind of villain. It can be easy to, because a LOT of more recent comics has portrayed her as such-- so if you want to base something off their previous interactions lmk, and we can work something out

SHORT BIO:

Talia Al Ghul is the Daughter of Ra's Al Ghul (Aka The Demon's Head), and a high ranking member of the League of Assassins. He is an ecoterrorist and dedicated to saving the planet at the very cost of the humans that live within it. He is also in possession of the famed Lazarus Pits.

She has operated as both an anti-hero/anti-villain who is consistently torn between her loyalty to her father, and her love of her life: Bruce Wayne. She believes in the mission of a more natural world, but has also shown to value life, and it often puts her at odds with many people.

She's gone to college in Egypt to study medicine. She's operated as a 'right-hand' woman to Ra's operations in the League of Assassins, she's been CEO of Lex-Corp, she was the one to dunk Jason into the pits and train him into the Red Hood, she is the biological mother of Damian Wayne, she has blown up infinity island….. She's like barbie, to me.

ABOUT THE LAZARUS PITS:

I understand that depending on the writer, on the 'plot holes' needing to be solved, or just the series-- the Lazarus pits origin and means has changed a bit. By default, I will be resorting to artificial pits that have been made from various poisonous chemicals that have the ability to prolong life expectancy/stop fatal wounds and to 'bring back the recently parted'). This is not a fix-all. If you want more details and comic recs on where I'm basing this off, feel free to DM me!

#›› talia . ❝ born from dark water: daughter of the rain and snow. ❞

[tracidant]

Apparently The Muse had more to say...

Found, pt. 2

Dick pulled into the Cave with Jason, actually Jason, alive, on the back of his bike. He knew he had at least two hours to run some tests and verify it was really Jason before Bruce got back. Blood, hair, dna, everything showed it was Jason.

Except Jason himself.

He hadn't reacted to anything back at the cave. Hadn't said anything. Just sat there staring at nothing as Dick ran his battery of tests. Dick kept talking, mentioning names, places, cases, anything he could think of, but nothing.

Now that he was convinced, he felt confidant to let others know. He didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. He'd start easy.

"Hey Alfred. Can you come down to the Cave please?"

"Of course, Master Dick. Did you eat? I can bring cucumber sandwiches. Or there's some leftover chicken if you wish."

Well if anything was going to trigger Jason's consciousness, it'd be Alfred's cucumber sandwiches. They weren't really good, but they tasted like home.

"That'd be great. Enough for two." He looked at Jason. "Maybe three. And some chips please."

"Of course. Do we have a guest?"

Well, not technically since Jason lived there, but...

"Yes. An important one. A pretty shocking one too."

Jason had moved. He was in front of one of the cases of spare Batsuits. He was staring at the symbol on the chest.

"Do you remember Batman?"

Nothing.

"Do you remember when you first met him? You tried to steal his tires. That took some serious..."

CRASH!

"Oh my word! It can't be!"

Dick had never known Alfred to drop anything. Jason didn't even flinch at the sound.

"It's him, Alfred. He's near-catatonic. He's said our names, but that's it."

The old butler absent-mindedly picked up the tray and sat it on the nearest desk. He walked over to Jason.

"Master Jason?"

No response. Jason had opened the case and was tracing the bat symbol.

Dick shrugged. "See what I mean?" He walked over to the food tray and grabbed two of the sandwiches that didn't fall on the floor. He handed one to Jason who took it and began eating. He continued tracing the bat symbol with his other hand.

"Do you know what that symbol means Master Jason?"

Jason stopped and looked down at his sandwich.

"Tea. Cu...cucumber sandwiches and tea."

"Would you like some tea?"

No response.

Just then, the sound of the Batmobile.

"Let me prepare Bruce, Alfred. Keep Jason over here for now." Alfred lead Jason back to the Medbay area, behind the screen.

Bruce got out of the Batmobile, and saw Dick standing at the entrance to the vehicle area.

"What's so important you couldn't come out and assist me? That damn Condiment King is causing trouble again, plus I want your input on this Drake kid. He wants to be Robin."

"Hello to you too. I have news that's a bit more important than mustard on the Batsuit, Bruce."

"I hate the smell. Plus it may be laced with something. I need to get this checked out."

Bruce started to walk into the main section of the Cave, but Dick blocked his way. Bruce sighed. "Ok, so what's up?"

Dick took a deep breath. "Ok, so you know how sometimes people come back from the dead? Like with Ra's and his Lazarus Pit or Superman after Doomsday or Green Arrow coming back?"

Bruce removed his cowl and put his hand on his son's shoulder. He spoke softly. "Dick, if you're thinking about finding a way to bring...to bring Jason back..."

"Bruce, what if he was already back?" Dick said quietly.

Bruce was silent for a moment. "I...how?"

Dick could practically see the gears turning in Bruce's head.

"Wait. Where is he, Dick? Is he here?" Bruce pushed Dick out of the way and headed into the main part of the Cave. He spied movement in the medbay area, and headed that way.

Dick tried to stop him. "Bruce, just wait. Let me explain."

But Bruce didn't care, and shoved Dick forcefully enough that he nearly landed on his ass.

Bruce ran around the wall separating the medbay from the rest of the Cave and saw him.

Nearly silently, "Jason?"

Jason's head snapped up, and his eyes grew wide. "Bruce."

Bruce grabbed his son into a tight hug. Jason latched on just as tightly, tears streaming down his face.

Bruce finally released Jason and stared into his eyes. "How, Jaylad?"

Jason still had tears running down his face, but he was smiling now. He reached out and touched the bat symbol on Bruce's chest.

"Bruce. Bat. Bruce. Home."

Dick came over and stood by the two, tears in his own eyes. "He hasn't said much. A few words. This is the most animated he's been since I found him. Physically he seems fine, and yes. I ran all the possible tests. It's him or a damn good copy."

"We need an MRI and a CAT scan. He may have some sort of damage from his...from before."

Alfred scoffed. "Perhaps right now what Master Jason needs is rest."

But Bruce was already setting up the MRI.

"Ok, Jaylad. Hop up on here, lie down, and we'll get a look at you. See what's going on inside your head."

Jason did as he was told, not looking away from Bruce the whole time.

"If you don't remember, it'll be loud. Let's get these headphones on you. Ok, we're just gonna slide you in now, and I'll..."

And then Jason screamed. Loud enough to rival Black Canary's Canary cry.

Bruce slid the tray back out, grabbed Jason into a hug, and tried to calm him.

"It's ok, Jay. We won't do that. It's ok."

Jason finally calmed down, but he wouldn't let go of Bruce for several minutes.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said quietly, "Dr. Thompkins has an open MRI that may be less traumatic for Master Jason. I fear his ordeal has probably made him a bit claustrophobic. Understandably so."

"Tea."

Everyone looked at Jason.

"Are you thirsty, Master Jason?"

Jason nodded.

"Perhaps you should come upstairs with me and we'll get you some tea while Master Bruce changes out of his uniform."

Jason looked at Bruce with a worried expression on his face.

"It's ok, Jaylad. Go with Alfred, and Dick and I will be up in a bit. I think he has some cookies up there too."

Jason reluctantly followed Alfred. Bruce turned to Dick.

"Where exactly did you find him?"

"By the cemetery. Judging by his clothes, I, God, I don't even want to say it, but I think he dug his way out." Dick shivered as he said it. "But I thought you had alarms on his coffin."

"Yes, but for someone breaking in, not out. And how did he come back to life anyway? Anything else you recall?"

"No, but I think we should check the gravesite tomorrow."

They both turned at the sound of Jason's voice.

"No."

He was standing in front of his memorial case. They walked over.

"I thought it best to not try to pull him away."

"That's fine, Alfred."

"No." Jason repeated.

"Jason, do you remember this? Do you remember being Robin?"

"No."

"That was yours, Jay. You loved being Robin. Dick was Robin before you."

Jason shook his head. "No."

The three other men looked at each other,, confused.

Jason spoke more forcefully than he had since he'd come back.

"No more. No more Robin."

#jason todd #bruce wayne #dick grayson #batfamily #batman and robin #batman #robin #nightwing

[dementedspeedster]

🚼dove pls give me a thad and jason baby. i need 2 see it

Accepting || send me a 🚼 and a ship I’ll use a doll-maker to design what I think a child between our two muses would look like.

@desmuerte (A test tube child be upon ye!)

Alex 'Al' Thawne/Todd (He/Him or They/Them; They don't strictly give a damn and like the fluidity.)

Alex is definitely a rough around the edges and willful sort of kid, the sort who tests, bends, and skirts around the rules, and tests limits. They're definitely going to have run ins with the cops in their youth, but it's typically because they're doing what they think is right. Alex is the sort to get into fights to help people, to break rules and laws in order to help those who need it or right some sort of injustice or unfairness.

Alex would be trained in that cutthroat style of fighting of Jason's and would have some access to the Speed Force. Enough that it makes their fighting style a bit more dangerous with his quick reflexes and faster attacks. Thanks to Thad's speed and maybe any lingering effects of the Lazarus pit from Jason, they would be a very fast healer (around Thad's level were small cuts and broken bones begin to instantly mend).

This kid is absolutely going to stress out Thad at times and definitely play havoc with his blood pressure because they're just as smart, conniving, stubborn, and willful as he was in his youth and keeping track of him is going to be difficult. Jason please tell him to relax.

Overall, they're a bit of a troublemaker, the type to question authority, (they're also absolutely going to be well read with these two as parents), but overall they're a good kid.

#ask #desmuerte #I do love their name because A. It lends to the androgyny/gender fluidity but also because it means 'to defend' which plays off #the meaning of Jason's name which means 'to heal' #and I like the contrast of having a sort of rough around the edges personality paired with softer meanings. Sorta like the potential #to do good in their own ways is always there. #-shakes you- I need to know what kind of parent Jason would be #fankids

[menxyouxneed]

Active Muses

So thought that I would make a little thing here to share some additional details and it will be easier than making a active tab on my muse page. Again as I've said in multiple places I love crossovers!

Marvel: Thor, Captain America, Ahura Boltagon, Dylan Hall (OC) DC: Aquaman, Seg-El, Oliver Queen GoT: Damon Lannister (OC), Gendry Baratheon, Balerion (OC) HP: Godric Gryffindor, Harry Potter, Teddy Lupin, Vladimir Krum (OC) Star Wars: Jacen Solo/ Darth Caedus, Revan DW: The Doctor, The Architect Mythology: Poseidon, Hades, Hadrian Turner (OC), Nikolas (OC) Supernatural: Ragnar (TVD OC), Lazarus (OC), Sebastian King (OC werewolf), Tristan Clark (OC Vamp), Kai Sandor (OC Phoenix), Nathaniel Howard (OC Nephilim), Luca Wright (OC Werewolf), Asmodeus OC: Jacob O'Neill, Benedict Cousland, Ezekiel Parker, Kelly Burkhardt, Max Granger, Prince Christian, Amelia Carter, Scott Moore, Dwayne Moore, Chris Moore, Tyler Motgomery, Liam Montgomery Test: Master Chief- John-117 (Pablo Schrieber), Onyx Team Leader Lieutenant - Aron-236 (Tom Hardy)

#active muses #muses

[keithhoward]

[ 🎵 ] is there a specific song or songs you associate with your muse? why is that?

[ 💛 ] how empathetic is your muse? how compassionate are they? is this something people expect from them, or are people surprised when they find out how compassionate or empathetic they actually are?

[ ✨ ] what aesthetics or symbols do you reference when writing your muse? are these backed up by canon, if your muse comes from a canon? is there any specific relevance to these choices?

🎵- A couple I like for him are Soup is Good Food by Dead Kennedys, You’ve Got Another Thing Comin by Judas Priest, and The Liar’s Club by Amigo the Devil for his R iteration specifically

💛- He has a generous streak but he also tends to be such a dick about it it’s hard to see. He’s also pretty self-centered, so while he may relate to someone he’ll still put his needs above their own. He’s not very good at dealing with emotions, his or other people’s, even if he likes you he’d rather not get very in-depth on the whole feelings thing. Come to him with tangible problems instead.

✨- I’m not at the level of writing in RP to be able to incorporate stuff like that haha, in my fic there’s some biblical references to Hell and Lazarus. Hell because he has lines in canon about it and what it means to him, and Lazarus because fellow test runs for bringing someone back from the dead 🤝

#ask memes ;

[incogniiita]

{ ✴ }   ︎——   ❛ NOX. ❜  door closes with a quiet click as lazarus greets the other.  the quiet murmuring and soft music downstairs being zoned out into the background.  office now quiet with an aged yellow glow.  steps are slow as lazarus makes his way around his desk, hands balancing upon the crowded tabletop.  illusioned dark blues now fading to their usual gold as gaze raises.  a hand briefly motioning to the free chair in front of the desk.  ❛ you look like you have something on your mind. ❜  / @sevenswcrds​​  liked for a test muse starter !

#sevenswcrds #|| test muse. lazarus #|| thread. nox & lazarus #(i kNOW YOU ONLY ASKED FOR ONE BUT HECK HAVE TWO BC LAZ IS JUST /HERE/ KSHDBFKSHDF )

[liquid-luck-00]

Truth / Lies

Bio!Dad Bruce

Bio!Dad Masterlist ~~~ Ao3 ~~~ First ~~~ Previous ~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette slipped out of the apartment early the next morning. She ran through the city, the early morning air stung her skin, waking her up more with each step.

Last night was a whirlwind and she didn't let herself think about it. But now she was.

Three months, almost four.

She has only known she was a Wayne for four months.

If this had happened sooner. She shuddered at the thought, yet it still flitted across her mind. She would have married her brother had this happened sooner.

Would she have recognized Damian from the 10 seconds she spent looking at his photo that day. No, she wouldn't and that thought terrified her. If it happened before then, she wouldn't even know she had a brother.

Would Bruce have recognized her, maybe, but then again that was assuming he knew what she looked like. And knowing what and how this happened, they wouldn’t have even met until after the fact.

She didn't even realize she had made her regular circuit until she was back in front of their apartment building. She opened the door and made her way up.

Hopefully Tim was gone, and they wouldn't need to explain last night.

She opened the door and there was not only Tim, but also Dick, Jason, and Bruce. At the table was a statuesque Damian.

"How much did they get out of you?" She tentatively asked.

"They threatened to call Manhunter." Was his answer.

Okay they know nothing, but oh no, oh no, oh no. She sat next to Damian turning into statue number two.

"Mini, the two of you disappeared last night what happened." Dad tried to stay calm, but his patience must have been tested by Sol already.

"Two truths, one lie." She side eyed Damian.

"We were in Nanda Parbat." Damian started.

"We avoided one mind numbing wedding." Marinette continued.

"The order has a larger moral back-bone than the league."

"You two aren't seriously playing this game to stall, are you?!" Tim seemed close to a mental breakdown. Then again, he hasn't slept in a week, so them disappearing may be the straw that broke him.

"Nanda Parbat and the league are tied so 1 and 3 are true." Jason figured.

"I would agree if this wasn't the second time, they said they avoided a wedding." Tim sighed.

"But it doesn't add into any of the others." Dick added.

"This morning their excuse was they were avoiding a wedding." Tim supplied.

"The truths are 1 and 2." Dad spoke definitely.

"Care to fill in the rest of the class B." Jason scoffed.

"Mini looks down for a fraction of a second when she lies, and she didn't when she said 2. Leaving 1 or 3 as the lie. Damian doesn't have a tick but using what he said 1 is true." He explained.

"There is no way for them to make that round trip in such a short time." Dick thought aloud. "Unless the order is filled with magic users. Meaning it is possible. And kidnapping kids could count as a lower moral backbone."

"Okay, so you're right, but kidnapping isn't the reason the League has a larger moral compass." Marinette assured.

"Do we want to know why the League of fucking Assassins has a larger moral backbone than an order of supposedly good magicians?" Jay was the one to speak the question on everyone's mind.

"Well if not saying or attempting to stop marrying two underage people is any indication." Damian scoffed.

"I honestly think it was their idea in the first place." Marinette mused aloud.

"Please for the love of god tell me you two weren't the ones getting married." Tim finally put it together.

"We avoided one hell of a headache inducing wedding. What do you think." She confirmed exasperated.

In a second (4) Errors could be seen on the faces of their family.

"Mini how long will it take to get to the league with Kaalki?" Dad was the first to recover, but his voice was eerily level, scarier than his even tone as Batman.

"Instantaneously, but someone who knows it better should be the one opening the portal." She responded quickly.

"Give the glasses to your brother. Damian open a portal."

Neither of them put up a fight, doing exactly as they were told. Not 20 seconds later all six of them were back in the middle of the League of Assassins following a clearly pissed off Bruce Wayne.

Thank kwamii that everyone else seem to know exactly where they were going in this compound because she sure didn’t. She walked right next to Damian the entire time and they were both watching their fathers back.

Twist and turns one after another and they finally came to what she can only describe as a throne room. When she saw the piece of shit that is Damian's maternal grandfather once again.

"Ra's." Was all her father stated. It is no exaggeration when she says that the color drained from that man’s face. She apparently wasn’t the only one contemplating exactly what had gone down last night. And the inevitable reaction of her family. What she failed to notice however, but her father didn’t was next to him was the same monk, still there. "Name." He ordered.

"Su-Han." He still spoke with dignity, but fear crept into his voice and stance.

"What the fuck did you try to do to my kids." Bruce growled in that instant she stopped breathing.

"Holy shit did Bruce just..." Jason stage whispered to Dick. However, she still couldn’t breathe and just watched the exchange. If she didn’t know her father’s rule to not kill, she would think he would be about to kill both Ra's and Su-Han, but she did know that rule. She’s pretty sure her father my break it though.

---

Bruce immediately was in a state of shock.

As Batman he had contingencies and plans in place for everything and anything. But this, this never was a probable scenario ever.

Once his shock faded, he saw red, he was absolutely livid. Children, his children, were almost married, for what. A feud that neither knew even existed.

"Mini how long will it take to get to the league with Kaalki?" His voice was dead even, attempting and failing to keep his anger in check. Thank God Hawkmoth was no more.

"Instantaneously, but someone who knows it better should be the one opening the portal." She responded quickly.

"Give the glasses to your brother. Damian open a portal."

Mini handed Damian the glasses, who immediately opened a portal. He walked through with his kids in tow, but he did not stray from his warpath. He found Ra's and another man, who wore the symbol on Mari's box.

"Ra's." Was all he said, knowing he had the man's attention the moment he entered. He showed no attempt to be bored. or uninterested. In fact, if it didn't seem impossible, Bruce would go so far as to say he was scared. He then looked over at the second man. "Name." He spoke again.

"Su-Han." He still spoke with dignity, but fear crept into his voice and stance.

"What the fuck did you try to do to my kids." Bruce demanded.

"It is not like you to visit." Ra's seemed to dance around his question.

"Why my kids?!" His voice rose and patience dwindled. So much so he didn't notice his two youngest slipped out of the room. While the older three seemed to be eating cookies and pastries, watching the show.

"Them being related was an unforeseen factor." Su-Han answered. "For there to be peace the two organizations needed to be unified."

"And both of you rubbed your cumulative two brain cells together and thought marrying two kids together is a valid response."

It was Ra's turn to speak. "Both of your children happen to be the next in line to command both respective organizations. Marriage was simply a contract between the two individual organizations to maintain peace. Although that failed to occur."

"Why did marriage come before I don't know, a god damn Peace treaty." He stopped to breathe.

"Given our history." Su-Han tried to make a point, but he didn't let him.

"You want history, I hear they have been around since the time of the Ancient Egyptians and the Ancient Babylonian Empires."

Both men stood there seemingly trying to formulate any response that could work. “Marriage was the most reliable method to promote unity between the two.”

"Bullshit, you both wanted something quick and easy." An explosion was heard in the compound, sending Ra's into a fighting stance. "You both wanted to make it their responsibility to keep the peace. And when it would fail you would use it as an excuse to return to fighting one another."

A full minute of pure silence when no one so much as moved drawled on. Until the doors opened, and in walked his children, as a fox and a horse with two Kwamii in front of them.

"Are you two the ones responsible for the explosion?"

They looked at one another, then back at him. Damian was the one who answered. "Yes."

"What did you four do?" He asked, although he only did so more out of obligation than curiosity.

"We may have destroyed all the Pools of Miracles." Tikki flew forward and answered.

"You destroyed the Lazarus Pits / Pools!" Was shouted by Ra's and Su-Han.

"Yes, so it's magic cannot be further twisted." Mari stood firm.

"And for the monks to stop using it to extend their lives." Damian added.

"Can I spite them now?" A cat Kwamii he never met before asked him.

"I should be more disappointed, but I'm not." He sighed. "Go on ahead."

"Pigtails your family is the best." The cat cheered. "Now for you two."

The best way to explain what he did was that he phased through each of their hearts and floated on back. The entire time he were a grin that rivaled the cheshire cat.

"Plagg, what did you do?" Tikki tentatively asked.

"What's the fun in telling you now. Plagg cackled. With that they all left, back to Paris. Never mess with his kids, because one they can God damn take care of themselves and two, he may not kill but he will supervise if even one of them is hurt.

~~~~~~~~~~ Taglist: @mochinek0 @justafanwarrior @abrx2002 @ranger-gothamite @fantasiame @moonystars14 @mochegato @bigbeautifulandfullofsugar @maribat-is-lifeblood @iglowinggemma28 @miraculous-ninja @talutah0 @vixen-uchiha @danielslilangel @witchsblackfox @pawsitivelymiraculous @lizziejay @marinettepotterandplagg @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @dast218 @sassakitty @miyla-lokidottir @lilkymilky @tazanna-blythe @tired-butterfly @lozzybowe @smolplantmum @queencommonsense @loopingtangent @chez-pezeater @paintedhope7 @technicallyburninggarden @meme991001 @wannajointhecrabcult @melicmusicmagic @trippingovermyfeet @greatcatblaze @fidget-eep @miraculouslydumb @iamablinkmarvelarmy @laurcad123 @hauntedwintersweets @fc-studios @fusser90 @madking-warqueen @buginetye @little-lady-bird @thebooki3h @iamabrownfox @galla02006 @syrencall @gimpedmercy

#dc x miraculous #dc x mlb #maribat #mlb x dc #ml marinette #batfam #marinette #miraculus ladybug #bio! dadbrucewaynemonth2020 #b ! dbwm2020 #bio!dad bruce wayne #marinette wayne #miraculous x dc

[hopelikethemoon]

Starlight || (Ezra x Reader) || {Moonbeams}

Title: Starlight Rating: PG-13 Length: 4,000 Warnings: Angst, mentions of medical procedures, mentions of pregnancy, brief conversation about abortion, and some more angst.  Notes: Casual reminder that I do not write stories with plans in mind, I simply let the muses guide the story as I write. I’m fortunate that my mind litters in allusions and foreshadowing that I can pick up on later. This is one of those chapters where a lot of foreshadowing comes full circle. I’m super nervous that this chapter will lose my readers, but I’ve simply allowed the story to flow how it wanted to. Also shoutout to anyone who gets the extremely obscure British history reference in here.  Part ten of the Moonbeams series.

Taglist: @princessbatears @djarin-junk @absurdthirst @hdlynn @legally-a-bastard @opheliaelysia @heather-lynn @sabinemorans @crazinessgraveyardsandcartoons @pedrospunk @maybege @chews-erotically @katlikeme @lose-eels @youmeanmybrain @theindiealto @irishleesh93 @seawhisperer @hdlynn @demigod-dragonrider-schoolidol @theindiealto @grapemama @roxypeanut @kochamcie @kiwi-the-first @hellomothermoon @soft-fanfics @spacegayofficial @storiesofthefandomloversreblogs @kindablackenedsuperhero @goblinqueen95 @nominalnebula @wheresthewater @letmybabysleep @hayley-the-comet @corrupt-fvcker @i-ship-it-ironically @mrsparknuts @the-feckless-wonder​ Hopefully I got everyone! Please message me to be added, comments to be added get lost in my activity.

Leaving Lykaois hadn’t been nearly as difficult as previous departures with Shiva accompanying you back to the Block. Not to mention having a way to communicate with Ezra when you were off-world really softened the issue of distance. You could go to sleep listening to him read to you, just like he was laying beside you in your bed. 

The only real downside to returning to the Block was Shiva all but forcing you to visit the medic. You felt fine. You really did. But apparently dying, coming back to life, and losing your memory warranted an immediate visit to get poked and prodded by the resident medic on the Block. 

It wasn’t as though you could tell the medic you were visiting because you had mental confusion related to dying. So you made up some excuse about feeling fatigued after being off-world. That wasn’t even a lie, technically. 

The medic tutted quietly as she scanned through the results on her datapad, “Were you aware that your stim was deactivated?” 

“What?” You jerked your head to the left to stare at the woman. “What do you mean it’s deactivated?”

She glanced up at you briefly before looking back at that datapad, “A high voltage of electricity can sometimes cause the system to malfunction. Have you had any incidents during transport repairs?”

You felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over you. The only shock of electricity you had received had been before going to Ay-7 and Quinn—

“Well, this is different.” The medic stepped around the examination table with a perplexed expression. “The stim appears to have reported back to the manufacturer that it was disengaged due to expiration of the client.” 

“Not because of an electrical current?” You questioned, your fingers curling around the edge of the table. 

“It appears the stim registered a time of death just over a month ago.” The medic’s brows furrowed together as they looked up from the chart. “Were you sexually active during this period?”

“Uh, yeah.” You blinked, shaking your head. “I was.” 

“Out of an abundance of caution, I would like to run a few more tests before we reactivate your stim.” She passed the datapad to you, “In the event that you have conceived due to a faulty stim, rest assured the corporation will billed for the termination of your pregnancy. You can just sign right there and we can handle that quite simply following a positive—“

You were quick to cut her off, “That won’t be necessary.” You couldn’t actually think that far ahead and if — and it was a huge if — it had occurred, you weren’t going to jump to that decision before telling Ezra. 

“Alright, then select here.” She scrolled the screen down to a line that declined immediate intervention. “Sit back and relax. The test services AI will be with you shortly.” She offered you a kind smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing to be concerned with.”

What the hell were you going to do if you were pregnant? 

Your hand drifted down to your stomach. Could you be? It wasn’t as though you and Ezra were the least bit careful — you thought your stim was functioning after all. There had never been any reason to be careful. 

Thank the gods it hadn’t started malfunctioning before Ay-7. But you were probably working yourself up over nothing.

What if Ezra didn’t want it? In the past few months with him, children had never come up. Not to mention what you had learned about Sybil and Cora’s situation. 

The door opened and the AI bot rolled into the room. You hated getting tests done at the clinic. Some of the missions you were assigned to would require full health panels before shipping out — you should’ve been used to it by now. 

The bot took a vial of blood from you and started processing it within the hollow of its artificial chest, while commencing with various body scans. 

“The medic will return shortly to provide you with results.” The bot’s grainy voice informed you, before it wheeled out of the room. Leaving you all alone with your thoughts again.

Could you even handle having a baby on your own if Ezra didn’t want any part in it? If things went sour with Ezra, you’d have to work your way back into the program and that wouldn’t be possible while pregnant.

If worse came to worse, you could probably find some kind of work on Ay-7. 

It felt like an eternity before the medic returned to confirm that your anxiety wasn’t entirely misplaced. “Well, it would appear that in the short window of time between the malfunction and now, that you have conceived. Based on your hormone levels, I would safely guess implantation took place within the last two weeks. You’re in the very early stages of pregnancy.”

You weren’t even entirely certain you could understand the medic. She was speaking words, but you couldn’t really hear them. 

“Should you and your partner choose to terminate, you have a few non-invasive options at this stage. I can provide you with a resource file or you and your partner can come back for an appointment together.”

“He’s off world.” You told the medic, resting your hand on your stomach. “Did everything look normal?”

“It’s too early to detect any defects with your fetus. While you do have slightly higher than average iron levels, it isn’t anything to be concerned by.” She assured you. “If you have any questions, you can login through the portal and get answers from one of our aides.”

“Thanks.” You said quietly as you slid off the exam table. When Shiva had convinced you to get checked out at the medic — this was the last thing you had imagined. 

Pregnant. 

You had never imagined yourself as a mother — not really. The program was a dangerous situation to be in, at the best of times. Pregnancy would’ve made you vulnerable and worse, it would’ve meant being vulnerable with someone who would’ve just screwed you over in the end. 

Ezra wasn’t like that. But in reality, his situation didn’t really allow him to be like everyone that came before him. You knew where he was, you could come and go as you pleased, and you were his only connection to the world beyond Lykaois. 

You had all of the control in the relationship. But this — this might’ve been more than he had bargained for. It was more than you had bargained for. 

You’d had only a handful of months together, if you cobbled the days together and now… 

How would Ezra react? You couldn’t picture him as a father. Even if the situation hadn’t been dire — if he wasn’t trapped on the moon, if there weren’t those that wanted to hurt you… Would he want to bring life into the world? 

There was very little good in the galaxy. You knew more than a few people who had made sure that they could never bring life into the world. 

You didn’t even know if you wanted it. It was such a fresh concept. A terrifying one at that.  

Shiva looked up from the engine part they were reconfiguring. “There’s our Lazarus. How’d it go at the medic?”

Your hands went to your hips as you stared down at them, “Well…” You started. “My brain seems to be fine.” 

“But?” They looked up at you, tossing a wrench aside as they got up. “There’s a but in there. What is it? Did you get fleas? Sexually transmitted disease?”

You snorted, “I definitely caught something from Ezra.” 

Shiva’s brows furrowed together, “Caught what? Like the curse or…?”

You grimaced a little as you tried to find the right words to explain your situation. “Apparently my stim malfunctioned after whatever the guardians did to me and… I’m in the very early days of pregnancy.”

“Oh, sweet Yrica’s left tit.” Shiva swore. “Are you serious?” 

“How early are we talking?” Quinn questioned as he strolled around the corner, his brows knit together with concern. 

Your head snapped towards him, “What are you doing here?” You looked back at Shiva. “What is he doing here?”

“He’s in a bit of a rough patch.” Shiva shrugged. 

“I’m avoiding a collector.” Quinn admitted, before his gaze fell to your stomach. “Back to the kid you’re gestating.”

“I wouldn’t be standing here talking about it if there was even a chance that it’s yours.” You snapped. “I’m about a month, I guess. It happened after I died…”

Shiva grimaced, “Not the post-death side effect I was expecting. What are you going to do?”

You rubbed at your forehead, sighing heavily. “I’m going to go back early and tell Ezra.” 

“Can’t you just com him?” Quinn questioned. 

You glared back over your shoulder at him, “I think it’s a face-to-face discussion.” You looked back at Shiva then. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s dangerous.” They admitted. “If what you told me about Proctor’s family is to be believed, then you might be giving birth to a werewolf.”

Quinn crunched loudly as he bit down on a crisp, “Does that mean you fucked the beast or does it just happen regardless?”

“Quinn.” Shiva sighed. 

“What? Her life is a mess and I’m amused.” He hoisted himself up on the side of a fuel barrel, eating another crisp from the bag he had been snaking from. 

“That’s not what happens with the beast.” You corrected him, before continuing. “It’s possible Cora was born a werewolf because her mother is. Maybe it won’t be the same for me?” 

You couldn’t even believe that you were having this conversation. 

Shiva clicked their tongue against their teeth. “I think your best bet is to go back to the medic and have it terminated, get your stim recalibrated, and move on with your life like it didn’t happen.”

“I’m telling Ezra before any of that happens.” You ghosted your hand over your stomach. “He deserves to know. He’s already lost so much, I’m not going to add to it.”

“What if he doesn’t want anything to do with you or it?” Shiva questioned. “Ezra seems like a good man, but we both know they can be shit.”

Quinn cleared his throat, “I would be happy to pretend your kid is mine. Not that I have much to offer.” 

“Thanks.” You rolled your eyes. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m good.” 

“And you’re certain about the timing?” Quinn questioned, tapping the heels of his boots against the metal side of the barrel. 

“One hundred percent.” You assured him. 

“Good. I really didn’t want to add child support to my debts.” Quinn shrugged dramatically. “I mean, it would certainly be a sacrifice I would be willing to make—“

“Why are you still here?” You questioned, picking up Shiva’s wrench and chucking it in his general direction. “Get out of here.” 

“Easy. Easy.” Quinn tsked. “Pregnant women aren’t supposed to be stressed.” 

“My stress would be relieved if you took a quick trip out of an airlock.” You shot back. “Can you make that happen?”

“Such hostility.” He laughed, crunching down on another crisp. 

“When are you leaving?” Shiva questioned. 

“As soon as I can pull my things together.” You rubbed at your temples. “This wasn’t in my plan.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” They reminded you. “You have options.” 

“Trust me, I know.” You sighed, worrying at your bottom lip. “It’s just a lot to think about.” You gestured to your stomach. “I feel like I’m going to wake up any moment.” 

Shiva stared at your stomach, “How do you feel?”

You shrugged, “Like it’s any other day.” 

“And they’re certain?” 

“Unfortunately,” You tugged your satchel off your shoulder, swinging it around to grab your datapad out. “I have everything right here. Blood test confirms it. They can’t do too much more until I’m further along.” 

“Do you think it will be like it’s dear furry father?” Quinn questioned, tapping his heels against the barrel again. “Are you going to have a werewolf fetus wiggling around during the full moon?”

That made your stomach turn. “I don’t know.”

“Hey,” Shiva grabbed your arm. “We’ll figure this all out together.” 

You smiled a little, “Thank you.” 

“Do I get a thanks?” Quinn questioned, a little too jovially. 

“Fuck off, Quinn.” You seethed. “Why are you still here?”

“I enjoy being a thorn in the side of my acquaintances. I’m also broke.” He shrugged. “Shiva’s letting me crash until things smooth over with a few connections.”

You gave Shiva a skeptical look. 

“I like strays.” They walked past you to grab the wrench you had thrown at Quinn. “He’s occasionally useful.”

He grinned and gave you a thumbs up. “All jokes aside, I do recognize our ship has long since left the port.”

“There was never a ship.” You grumbled. “It was an escape pod. A badly banged up escape pod.” 

Quinn wiggled his brows, “Ah, but you took that escape pod frequently.”

You rolled your eyes again, giving him an annoyed expression, before turning your attention back to Shiva. “Why?”

“He’s amusing.” They nudged you in the shoulder. “And you know it’s true.”

“Unfortunately.”

“So how do you think Ezra will react?” Quinn questioned. “I couldn’t really get a vibe from him.”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” You admitted, folding your arms across your chest. “We’ve never discussed children. We’ve never discussed what could’ve been situations.” You touched the spot on your arm where your faulty stim was. “We thought we were covered.” 

“The oldest story ever told.” Quinn quipped. 

Shiva finally looked annoyed, “Can you grab the manifold? It’ll be in the engine room somewhere.” 

“Trying to get rid of me?”

You both turned to him with an in unison, “Yes.”

You sank back in the pilot’s seat, stretching your legs out in front of you while you waited for the com to connect. The connection buzzed a handful of times and you wondered if Ezra was dealing with the side effects of the full moon. 

On the last buzz of the connection, he picked up. 

“Sorry, moonbeam. I was in the fresher.” He drawled out, his voice just as warm as it was when you sat right beside him. “And as tempting as it is to use the com panel in the fresher…” 

You laughed softly, chewing on your thumbnail as you tried to keep your tone as casual as possible. The last thing you wanted to do was to blurt out what you had to tell him. 

Not that you could even think about the situation without feeling like you wanted a black hole to open up and swallow you whole. 

“Did you hear me?” Ezra questioned. 

“Sorry, yes.” You exhaled slowly. “Sorry.”

“You alright?” 

“Just tired,” You lied. “And as tempting as it is to hear all about your time in the fresher, I’m not really in the mood tonight.”

“What are you in the mood for, little lamb?” 

You rubbed at the crease between your brows, “I could really go for a quiet evening with some quality cuddling time.” 

Ezra chuckled softly, “My bed feels rather empty without you.” He sighed a little. “What’s got you feeling down?” 

“Nothing in particular,” You answered easily. “It’s just been a really long day. How have you been?”

“Alright.” He sighed a little. “I felt like this month was harder, you know? We managed last month and I had something to focus on. I’m a bit sore.” 

“Sounds like you could use a quiet evening too.” 

Ezra hummed. “It would certainly make things easier.” He was quiet for a moment before he added, “Are you sure you’re alright, moonbeam?” 

“I will be as soon as I’m back on Lykaios with you.” You propped your chin up on the arm of the chair. “Which may actually be sooner than planned.”

“What?”

“I got everything together quicker than I anticipated.” You told him with a slight smile, even though he couldn’t see you. “I’m a few hours out.” 

“That’s certainly a welcome surprise.” Ezra said warmly. “And what do I owe this surprise to?”

“I might miss you.” You teased lightly. “And I…”

You both fell silent for another long moment. 

“And you, what?” Ezra sounded nervous and you didn’t blame him.

“Nothing.” You told him as you flipped on the autopilot and transferred the com connection to your datapad. “I want to wait until I get there.”

Ezra hummed curiously, “And you’re certain all is well?” 

“Well, I managed to track down a book of Herrick’s poems for you.” You told him as you meandered down the corridor to your quarters. “Quinn sent along a book of Byron’s poems he had. I’m not sure what message that sends.”

“I think I know.” You rolled your eyes. “A different little lamb.”

He sighed heavily, “Are we certainly Quinn’s clever enough to make that connection?”

You snorted, “Touché.” 

“I would actually be impressed.”

“It’s not unlikely,” You shrugged, kicking off your boots and sinking back onto your bed. “He used to be really obsessed with British history.” 

“Interesting.” You could practically picture him grinding his teeth. “How long have you known Quinn?”

You thought for a second, “Early into the program. He’s just always been around.”

“And you never—“ 

“He doesn’t belong in the same box as Alia or Mars.” You assured him, “He was just a nice way to scratch the itch. You know?”

“Yeah.” Ezra sighed. “I suppose I can give him credit for owning Byron in the first place.” 

You laughed, snorting a little at how begrudgingly he said it. “I miss you.” 

“I miss you too.” He murmured. “Are you in bed?” 

“I just laid down.” You told him, laying the datapad on the bed beside you. “Only one more sleep before I’m there with you.” 

“Why are you coming back early? Don’t get me wrong, I’m elated, but… your hesitation earlier is going to keep me up tonight.” 

“It’s something I’d prefer to discuss when I’m with you.” 

“Wait, does this have to do with your trip to the medic?” Ezra questioned. “Did Shiva make you go?” 

“It’s related to that.” 

“Is something wrong? Fuck.” Ezra hissed out. “Moonbeam, just tell me. I’m going to worry an ulcer into my stomach before you arrive.” 

“I wouldn’t call it wrong.” You sighed a little, trying to resist the urge to cry. You didn’t actually know if he would think it was “wrong”. He might. 

“You can tell me.” His voice wavered. “If the guardians have hurt you, I’ll rip them limb from limb.”

“Ezra, please calm down.” You said lightly. “We’ll talk about it soon. I promise it’s not as bad as you’re thinking. I’m fine and I’ll be fine.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t want to lose you because of something I could’ve prevented.”

“You’re not going to lose me,” You assured him. “This is why I didn’t want to have this conversation over a com-call.” 

“Only a few more hours,” Ezra sighed again. “Right?” 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything at all…” You raked your hands over your face. “All of this is new for me.”

“It’s new for me too.” Ezra drawled out. “I still think I’m going to wake up and discover it was all an elaborate dream.” 

“All of it?”

“Just you.” 

“I feel the same way.” You admitted as you rolled onto your side. “I expect to wake up on the Block, ready to ship out somewhere. It doesn’t feel real most days.”

“I hate when I have to let go of you.” 

“I hope you don’t ever let go.”

Ezra scoffed, “I could never.”

“Are you in bed?”

“Yes, I’ve returned to my dreadfully lonely bed.” 

“Did you get dressed after your shower?”

 He chuckled, “I thought you said you weren’t in the mood, my sweet little lamb.”

“What? I want to picture what I’m missing.” It was a nice distraction at least. You wouldn’t have to worry about questions about anything. 

“What’s the point of putting clothes on when you’re alone?” Ezra questioned, his voice a little raspier. 

“Well, I’m fully dressed.”

He tsked quietly, “How disappointing. Then again, you were fully dressed in my bed when you—“

You groaned dramatically, “It’s not my fault that you smell so good.”

“I could say the same. It drives me crazy, moonbeam.” His breath caught in his throat. “We should sleep.” 

“I’ll be there soon.” You promised him, smiling sadly at the datapad. There was no way you were going to actually sleep, your anxiety wasn’t going to allow that to happen. “Ezra?”

“Mhm?” 

“I love you.”

“Oh moonbeam, I love you too.” He said warmly. “And I plan to count the moments until you are safely in my arms again.” 

You switched screens on the datapad, “I am five hours out.”

“Would you be adverse to me coming upon your arrival?” Ezra questioned.

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t.” You say the datapad back down beside you. “I’ll see you soon, Ezra.” 

“Until the morning.” Ezra whispered. “Sleep well, love.” 

You stared at the datapad, even after the line went dead. There was a part of you that wished that you’d told him what you wanted to tell him, just to pull the bandage off and find out what he thought without being there. 

How were you supposed to guess what his reaction would be to discovering that was going to be a father? 

The man had lived alone for five years, keeping himself away from everyone who was like him. He feared losing the last vestiges of his humanity. He warred with wanting you to stay with him and wanting to cut you loose. He loved you, but did he love you like that? 

And for that matter, was this what you wanted? 

This romance with Ezra had been a whirlwind, but it had been different than any love that came before. You spent hours on end with him, cooped up in your transport or his and you never got bored. There was never a moment where you found yourself ready to leave, you never wanted to. 

When you thought you loved Mars, you loved him in small doses. It was intense and all-consuming, but you always needed to come up for air. Alia… You would have willingly drowned in your love for her, but she always needed her own space. 

You recognized that this might be too much for him. He couldn’t escape from you, not really. You came in and out of his life, but he was fixed in one spot. 

But neither of you seemed ready for your time together to end. If you were at his transport before you left to return to the Block, he would always follow you into yours and spend another hour with you before reluctantly parting ways. 

It was different. 

Maybe he could feel that invisible string connecting the two of you. The one that always felt drawn taut when you weren’t with him. The sensation that always drew you back to Lykaios. 

But would a child change all of that? Shiva may have been right. You could’ve gone back to Lykaios without having to worry about any of this. Though, what would you do if one day Ezra did express his desire to become a father — a possibility that was taken from him by the curse and by you. 

You just had to hope that things would sort themselves out. That he would understand. That his love for you wouldn’t falter. 

#ezra (prospect) #ezra x reader #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal ezra #ezra (prospect) x reader

[baldwin-montclair]

Baldwin’s Nightingale (Part 17)

Characters: Baldwin Montclair/OC

Timeframe: After the S1 Finale, TV Show canon MOSTLY with some S2, Shadow of Night and Book of Life.

Summary: Alisha learns that there’s more to her nature than she initially realised and a surprising death of an adversary brings its own problems.

Tag requests: @christi14 @poemfreak306 @pookie-cleary @hofficoffi @stormyheart326 @wonderlander594 @madamquacklemore @thereadersmuse @kynthiamoon @she-who-is-named-katie @ordinarymom1 @fuzzyflowervoid @maybelightning @lady-lazarus-declermont

The Story So Far

———

Baldwin remained silent as she spoke, listening intently to the torrent of pent up worries regarding her sudden linguistic abilities.

He only moved to gather the bedcovers around her shoulders when he sensed her temperature lowering from the high of their previous exertions.

“It’s an old building,” he explained his actions when she stopped speaking in surprise, “I don’t want you to be cold.”

She took a deep breath, in part because of the length of time she had spoken but also to defeat the tears stinging her ducts, touched by the tender gesture.

“Thank you,” she gave him a faint smile, clearing her throat, “but that’s everything up until now, I didn’t even realise you had been speaking...Italian?” She asked.

“Yes, although it was a slightly archaic version. I spent a lot of time in Florence in the late 1500’s.” He mused.

“So, what do you think this means?” She asked, her eyes brimming with hope that he had an explanation.

“Not to discount your distress or concern,” he asked before lightly stroking his knuckles over her cheek tenderly, “as they are both clearly very real, I simply ask for clarification, is that the total measure of your stress at this moment.”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll be glad to alleviate it,” he looked relieved, an expression that confused her, “there’s nothing wrong with you, nothing in you has changed, you are a daemon.”

“What does that have to do with it?”

“My brother hypothesises it has to do with the daemon’s innate drive to communicate,” he started, “he discovered that daemons have an instinctual proficiency for understanding more than their native tongue. I suppose this is the first time I can be grateful for his little sociological study, if only because I can use it to reassure you.”

“But, I never had a talent for languages.”

“Apparently you do.”

Alisha opened her mouth to argue but the sense in his words reverberated in her mind. In truth, she hadn’t really tried before. Any language classes in school were so boring they all blended into the other subjects she had no interest in.

Which was all of them.

Trying to differentiate one experience from another in high school usually just led to a dull grey haze.

She looked away sheepishly, feeling the rising warmth of her cheeks.

“It’s not widely known, at least not at a confirmed scientific level, there’s no reason you should have known this, so there’s no reason for being ashamed of it.”

“I still feel like an idiot for not realising sooner,” she shook her head, “you already have a crisis on your hands with the vampire killing.”

“It’s real enough to upset you so it’s real enough to be a problem.”

“You have more important things to worry about.”

“Not more important than you.”

She nodded but still averted her eyes.

“Alisha,” he spoke quietly, “you are my wife, not my servant, my underling or my employee, you can share your concerns with me, it doesn’t matter how major or minor you deem them to be. Do you understand?”

Somehow, Baldwin knew that the inhale of breath she took was not to affirm her understanding but to protest.

Before she could give voice to her disagreement, he cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her attention.

“Tell me that you understand.”

“I understand.”

Upon receiving the answer he wanted, his own attention wandered down to her lips and he leant down to press a soft kiss there.

His domineering manner fired a predictable impulse within her, one which prompted her to return his kiss with fervour, pressing her body into him.

Baldwin’s hand moved from her chin to the side of her neck as the other slid up her back to hold her firm against him.

“What’s this?” He asked between kisses as she moved to straddle his lap.

“Don’t think you can handle not being in charge for a while?” She teased, pushing him down onto the mattress.

“I am always in charge, little nightingale. You should know that.”

“Maybe, but I’m sure it’s not everyday that Baldwin de Clermont is put on his back.” She clasped his hands in hers and leant forward, kissing him whilst moving his hands over his head and pressing them down onto the mattress.

“It isn’t but I am exactly where I want to be, the view is exquisite.” He countered, allowing his gaze to sweep her naked form in admiration.

“If I let you go will you take over?”

“I haven’t yet, have I?”

The intimation was clear, her position over him was a temporary allowance, but an allowance nonetheless.

“I don’t know if you’re allowing this because you trust me or because you don’t perceive me to be a threat.”

“My dearest wife, you are very much a threat,” he chuckled, “in two thousand years there has been no-one as capable of distracting me so thoroughly. I think you could convince me to destroy empires, if you were so inclined.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she giggled, releasing his hands to lightly drag her fingers down his chest, “I was told that vampires are part wolf, is that’s true?”

“We do have some shared traits.” He admitted.

“The hunting and the growling?”

“Does it bother you?”

“The growling bothers me, but not in a bad way, I find it actually kinda hot!”

“Is that a fact,” He placed his hands on her thighs, “what else ‘bothers’ you?”

“You’re the vampire, can’t you tell.”

“Of course I can but I like to hear you say it.”

“Why?”

“Because you get the sweetest blush in your cheeks when you discuss intimate things,” he cocked his head to the side and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, “yes, just like that.”

“Do I,” she teased, biting her lip as she shifted to sink down onto him, slowly, less to torture him and more to let herself accommodate his size in the unfamiliar position.

“Yes,” he groaned lightly in triumph, sliding his hands up her back as he sat up, “and I need to be closer to admire it.”

He murmured, moving to wrap her legs around his waist, somehow deepening himself within her, making her shudder with the sensation.

“A compromise?” He suggested, brushing the hair from her shoulder to place a kiss there.

“I knew you couldn’t help it.”

She kissed him, moving slowly, gradually finding a rhythm that kept them as connected as possible.

“You’re always so warm,” he observed with wonder.

Baldwin steered clear of warm-bloods in terms of intimate partners. There was too much risk of exposure if they weren’t a creature and too high a risk of manipulation if they were.

Vampire sex tended to be a much more competitive event with both sides vying for dominance and that definitely had its advantages in terms of satisfaction.

This was different, even for him.

The blood rushing to bloom under the skin of her cheeks and chest irradiated his entire being with intense heat.

He had previously observed that her sweet apricot scent became stronger when they made love but again, there was something else he sensed, something even more overpowering yet somehow hidden.

Instinctively he knew it wasn’t the result of the mate bond and yet it was also something that he had sensed before.

He swiftly chided himself for allowing his mind to overpower the moment that he had been craving whilst they were apart.

Growing more bold, she leant back, bracing her hands on his thighs and using the extra leverage to increase the tempo.

Initially missing the direct contact of her chest against his, he could not object to the sight of her body pulled taut before him.

He effortlessly moved to support the small of her back with his hand as the other rested on the side of her neck.

He reached up and stroked his thumb across her bottom lip, subtly suppressing a groan when she opened her mouth and closed her lips around it, sucking whilst keeping his gaze.

With the digit sufficiently lubricated, he reluctantly withdrew from her welcoming mouth and swept it lightly across her clitoris, feeling her clench in an attempt to keep building the high he was pushing her towards.

“Very good little nightingale,” he praised, “hold it for me, until I say you can let go, can you do that?”

“As you command my lord, my husband,” she sat up, again bringing her body flush against his and kisses him deeply, “my king!”

The growl that escaped his throat tested her resolve, it was so deep, primal and rippled straight through her core.

“My apologies, sweetheart.” He rasped.

In an instant, she was on her back.

Despite the contrition and show of dominance, he caught her gaze, looking for any indication she was uncomfortable or displeased.

Instead, she gave him an enthusiastic nod to continue.

Baldwin leant forward, his lips just ghosting over hers as he reached under their pillow and produced the sewn favour she had made him as a wedding gift.

“Bound by your heart to my will?”

“Always,” she replied instantly, “just tell me, what is your will and I will happily obey it.”

Baldwin’s gaze fleeted around their bed for a brief moment.

“There’s a bedpost just behind your head, reach behind you and feel it.”

“Got it!” She grinned, in the heat of excitement and anticipation.

In reply, he proceeded to tie her wrists together around the post with the favour.

When he was satisfied that she couldn’t move away, he again rejoined her on the bed.

“If I have to leave for a short while again, it is this scene I want in my head,” he entered her again, “you are completely bare to me, open and honest.”

His motion was deliberate and slow, almost reverent, especially in the way he admired her body.

“I am yours, all of me.”

“Yes, you are,” the almost animalistic, possessive nature of his words somehow spoke to a dangerous and hidden part inside her heart.

He resumed his attention to her clit, gradually slowing his strokes as she grew closer and quickening after letting the impending climax fade.

“Please,” she whined after the third trip to the edge and back again.

“Anything, ask for anything my darling and it’s yours, you need only ask!”

“Let me, please?”

He shook his head with a tut.

“Be specific, let you do what?” He leant down, taking her nipple into his mouth before releasing it and blowing his cold breath over the puckered flesh.

Erotic talk was not her forte, it felt fake and vaguely pornographic to her. But she was desperate, he was challenging her and he wasn’t giving in for anything less than a spirited plea.

“Let me cum,” she blurted out, “please.”

“Such a polite little thing but still such a sinful mouth,” he teased.

“Baldwin-“ she pleaded, desperation in her eyes and he knew he could not deny her longer, not when she gave that look.

“Sweet Nightingale, you can fly, go on.”

The release was all the more powerful for the brief denial that she didn’t even feel him release her wrists from the bindings.

Still, he must have because when her senses returned, he was placing the tenderest kiss on first one then tying the favour around the other in a bow.

“Now, I want to please you.” She moved to sit up but he shook his head.

“I’m sure you will but I am not done with you yet.”

“But-“ she protested.

“Consider this a teachable moment,” he kissed her lips, then between her breasts, “you begged me to let you, what was the word?” He teased, his kisses trailing down her stomach.

“I can’t say it now.” She blushed furiously and he stopped to look up.

“Trust me, you will, teachable moment, remember,” he settled between her thighs and licked a light strip over the still sensitive bundle of nerves, “be careful what you wish for.”

Alisha woke up to find the bed empty, the sound of hushed argument coming from the lower levels of the chateau.

A short time later, a decidedly annoyed Baldwin returned to their room as the sound of a departing motorcycle echoed back down the large driveway.

“Was that Gallowglass?” She asked sleepily.

“Unfortunately it was.” He sat on the edge of the bed.

“Is everyone okay?” She asked, the worry evident in her voice.

“Everyone who matters is fine, the one person who isn’t is Peter Knox, a witch and a fairly powerful one.”

“What happened to him?”

“Killed by a vampire. Luckily I have an alibi and as omnipresent as the witches believe me to be, it would be impossible to both kill him in London and satisfy my wife here, all at the same time.”

“In that case,” she yawned. “you must be innocent because I can barely move.”

“Is that a good thing or-“

“Definitely a good thing .”

“Alisha-“ he started, his tone contrite, “we need to-“

“Return to Sept-Tours, I know,” she stopped him with a comforting smile, “I’ll go get ready.”

“Thank you,” he placed a kiss on the top of her head, “for being so patient with me.”

“I know who I married.”

It was a day later that she finally saw him, having been locked in meetings with his Knights, the other de Claremont’s, hunting.

Alisha barely even heard the door open as she repacked her overnight bag, just in case.

“Did you find Miyako?” She asked, turning to look at Baldwin.

The vampire had left before they arrived, a fact that had greatly aggravated Baldwin.

“I spoke to her, briefly,” he nodded, offering nothing more, clearly in his ‘War General’ frame of mind.

Alisha approached him carefully, stopping to place a kiss on his cheek.

He looked down at her and for a fraction of a moment, his stony expression cracked.

“Baldwin, I think-“ she started.

“The grounds aren’t safe,” he interrupted instead, “stay within the walls of Sept Tours.”

“Alright.”

He looked away for a moment, his mind clearly fixed on something.

“But there’s something else,” she prodded.

“Hmm, yes, I forgot to ask, do you know when Michael found out about the murals? I don’t think he would have trusted Peter enough to discuss it with him. If they plan on pinning it on us, I’d like to at least have an alternative suspect.”

“Well, I know Michael was not in the Congregation when he took me in and if he dropped off the map like Christina said, that was at least twelve years ago.”

“You moved in with Michael after your parents’ death, yes?”

“Yes, I already told you that, our first date, I know a lot’s happened since but it was only a few weeks ago.” She teased.

“I remember, of course, I am sorry.”

“Baldwin, that was a joke, you have a lot of spinning plates. I understand that.”

“You really are too good to be true.” He placed a gentle kiss on her temple and headed to a side table to pour himself some wine from a decanter.

“This is a sample from one of my - sorry - our Tuscan vineyards, would you like to try it.”

“Of course I would but, word of warning, I’m not good with wine. I’m afraid my critique won’t be more sophisticated that ‘good’ or ‘bleugh’.” She warned, taking a seat at a small table.

He chuckled a little as he approached, placing a glass of wine in her hand.

“Thank you.” She took a drink and nodded, “hmm, oaky, earthy, freshly cut lawn-”

“Okay, point made,” he gave her a smile that was almost sad.

“No, but wait, I’m getting subtle notes of tyre fire,” she took another drink, “hot air balloon-“

“Be serious, for a moment.” He asked.

“Fine. It honestly tastes a bit metallic but other than that, perfectly fine.”

“I didn’t mean the wine,” he placed his hand over hers, “you know that I love you and would do anything to protect you?”

“Yes, I think you said that you would protect and adore me.”

“And what was your obligation in return?”

“That I would love and obey you,” she noted that he was avoiding her gaze.

“Baldwin, what is it?”

He stood, collecting their empty glasses and placed them on a table, his back to her.

“Michael disappeared out of the blue, he just left one day, but that was two years ago, not fifteen.” Baldwin told her evenly.

“No, he was in New York, with me.”

“He had a secure posting at Cambridge University in England, he was well celebrated in his faculty until one day he just fell off the face of the earth.”

“So, what are you saying? If only the last two years are possible, everything that I remember from before that...“ she trailed off.

“We could find no trace of an accident at the time you said, not one with the surname Black, or caused by a drunk driver.”

“I-I don’t-“

“Alisha, if you can give me any details about your parents that will help narrow it down.”

“There are photos of them in my home, in New York-“

“Yes, I had them sent over for you,” he nodded towards her small frames on a table, “go look, tell me what you see.”

“These are my frames...” she picked one up and turned to look at him, “but what is this symbol, where are my photos?”

“Do you not recognise the symbol?”

“No, I, wait-“ she realised, “it’s the same one on my violin but why are they in here, where are the photos that were here?”

“We don’t believe there ever were any.”

“I’m sorry, we?”

“Sarah and Emily,” he answered carefully, “it looks like a binding spell, perhaps even a memory spell.”

“I thought only witches could be spellbound, not daemons.”

“You couldn’t be spellbound as a witch, because you’re not one.”

“Exactly, I-“

“Nor are you a daemon,” he interrupted, “Alisha, you are not a daemon either, Marcus was checking the effect of the solution you took, comparing it to DNA profiles from daemons in their study, yours does not match theirs, or witches, or vampires, or humans.”

“This’ insane, I’m a daemon, of course I am, what else could I be?”

She swayed, a sudden fatigue started lapping at the edges of her mind. Baldwin was there in an instant to steady and lead her to sit on the edge of their bed.

The feeling was sickeningly familiar, when Christina had drugged her with vampire blood to get her to safety.

The metallic tang of the wine suddenly made sense.

“Baldwin, what am I?” She asked, hoping to play off her realisation of her husband drugging her as understandable panic about her situation.

She had to get away, not knowing how or why, all she knew is that she had to escape from him in that moment.

“You are my wife, that’s all that matters right now but you must tell me,” he framed her face in his hands, a genuinely earnest look on his face, “is there anything about your past, about your parents that you have not told me?”

“No,” she answered truthfully, “everything I know I have told you already.”

He nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer and answered in a language she did not recognise.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he noted her confusion, “it is a quote by a very old friend, it means ‘those who are sincere are always in a state of worry’, I never realised how true that was until now.”

The fatigue seemed to be spreading more slowly than before, evidently, Baldwin gave her a lower dose in order to interrogate her before she passed out. Still, the undertow was pulling stronger with every passing moment.

“Can I have some water, please?” She asked.

“Yes, of course.” He got up to retrieve the filled, and iced, water jug Francois had brought to the room.

With his back turned, she bolted for the door, opening it a crack before his hand pushed it closed.

“Those are stone steps,” he cautioned from behind her, “you wouldn’t make it to the ground floor before passing out and the fall would kill you, that’s not happening.”

Her shoulders sagging in defeat, she leant her head against the heavy oak door.

“You drugged me.”

It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact, a recrimination.

“I had no choice, please, come lie down.” He placed his hand on her arm but she wretched it from his grasp.

“Let go!”

She backed away from him, unsteadily.

“Alisha, listen to me-“ his calm, measured tone was infuriating.

“You betrayed me.” She hissed.

“Never,” he answered firmly, “I promised to protect you and that is what I am doing.”

“By knocking me out cold, how do I know any of this is even true, its all just your word and now I know how much I can trust that.” She swayed, taking another step back when he moved forward.”

“Don’t touch me!”

“When you fall I will catch you, I really don’t care how you feel about that! I will not let you get hurt.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I need you to trust me and if believing that what I say is the truth will convince you then I am sorry to do this, knowing it will hurt you.”

“How much more could you possibly hurt me?”

“By asking you,” he sighed, “Alisha, tell me the names of your parents?”

She laughed at the ridiculous assertion that she wouldn’t be able to and opened her mouth, fully expecting herself to speak their names, as though on automatic pilot.

But there was nothing, no names, no faces.

It was as though waking from an extremely vivid dream, those first few seconds of confusion and disbelief that what had happened was not real.

It had to be real, she was there, she felt it.

A whooshing darkness clouded her senses, accompanied by the sensation of floating.

She fought to stay present for no other reason than sheer defiance.

When she managed to open her eyes again, she was on the bed, a comforter pulled over her as Baldwin sat in silent contemplation by the bed.

“Baldwin-”

“Sweetheart,” he took her hand in his, “I promise that everything will be well, and in time, you will understand why this was necessary. On that day I will beg for your forgiveness but right now, I will do what I must.”

She shook her head, willing herself to yell, scream, fight but she had lost the battle and the warm lure of unconsciousness was proving hard to resist.

“I will see you soon, my little nightingale.” She faintly heard him speak before feeling a light, cooling kiss on her forehead.

Gallowglass looked between the heavy locked door and Baldwin as the older vampire outlined his instructions.

“It’s easier to contain her in a few rooms on the same level than in my tower.” Baldwin explained.

“You’re asking me to be the lass’ jailer, ‘easier’ really doesn’t come into it.”

“I’m not asking you anything,” Baldwin answered coldly, “I’m telling you to keep her contained in those rooms, she is not to leave, no-one is to go in, save Francois for meals.”

“I imagine they will protest at her being kept a prisoner.”

“If they do not wish to reside here under those conditions, there is a simple remedy for that.”

“Marcus has given them sanctuary.”

“And I don’t intend on revoking it, but it does not mean they get to dictate what happens while they are here.”

“And what if you can’t find out where she actually came from, what will you do?”

Baldwin froze him with a glare and turned to leave.

“If you’re considering what I think you are, just know that not only will I not do it for you, I won’t let you do it either.” Gallowglass called after him.

“There is no record of her existing before two years ago, her memories are a constructed fiction, she can speak and read languages that she has never learned and is not any creature that still exists today. Now, if someone plans on using her to try to destroy us-”

“Then they will not have to lift a finger, because If you kill her, it will destroy you.”

Baldwin stared in response.

“Under protest,” Gallowglass added with a visible exhale, “I will do as you command, I’ll keep her safe.”

Baldwin gave a definitive nod.

“Thank you, I-“

“Even from you, if I have to,” Gallowglass added, “because I could not bear to be under orders of the sort of monster killing that lassie would turn you into!”

Baldwin glanced at the locked door before leaving without another word.

#baldwin montclair #a discovery of witches #adow #adow baldwin #adow fic #adow baldwin fic #baldwin’s nightingale #baldwin de clermont

[jacensolodjo]

I... honestly don’t know if I got into Shane’s mindset properly here but whatever. And I never feel like I fully grasp Jack but. Look. I wrote a Thing with them ok?? I tried lmao *Tony Stark I think I did okay.gif*

------------------------------------------

Jack had said she wanted at least 10 minutes of solo fight time. So Shane had no choice but to wait on the hill in prone, sniper rifle at the ready. She doubted she would actually fire a shot before Charging down the hill towards Jack. Patience was not at all Shepard’s strong suit and everyone knew it. Especially Jack. Shane was starting to wonder if Jack was teasing her, testing her. 

And showing off. She was showing off. They both did, they both cajoled each other into higher and higher kill counts. If they were going to kill something, let it be Cerberus fuckheads, had been the logic from the get go.

Shane watched, half-disbelieving, as Jack literally ripped the spine out of a Nemesis. As the other biotic was turning to look at the hill, Shane quickly pulled the trigger. Jack flinched, just a little, as the bolt slammed through a heavily armored Centurion that had been barely a foot away, right at the brain stem. Guess I gotta tell Anderson disconnecting the computer still works, Shane thought. 

“So your way was cleaner,” Jack shrugged as she spoke over the comms. 

“I’m hurt y’think that’s why I did it,” Shane remarked back, rolling her eyes even though there was no way Jack could see it. 

Shane really wasn’t the sniper of the crew. She could do it, but she hated it. And her original classification had always meant her CQC was top notch. And had only grown after Project Lazarus and finally getting the go-ahead to be called ‘Vanguard’ rather than ‘Adept’. 

“Yeah well, still got another minute solo,” Jack said dismissively before turning to walk back into the fray. She had lured a good number of them out of the building but Shane was sure there were quite a few waiting for them inside still. 

Shane tapped the side of her helmet, swapping frequencies. On her last mission she had managed to snag the frequency codes that most of the lower-level Cerberus troops used. It was far easier to eavesdrop on them that way than trying to get EDI to hack into their system. And at the moment, she didn’t even have the Normandy nearby. The two biotics had taken a simple shuttle to this simple planet for a simple kill Cerberus mission. 

“We need backup! Repeat: backup! Subject Zero and Commander Shepard are here!” a frantic voice was screaming. A little late, Shane mused, but she didn’t much care if they got backup or not. It would just put her on more even footing with the scoring. 

“No backup, you are ordered to evacuate. If you stay there you will be signing your own death warrant. Do not engage Subject Zero or Commander Shepard,” a calmer, cooler voice replied. Shane wracked her brain. trying to pin down where or if she had heard the voice before. 

“But we need backup to cover the escape! We’ve lost a quarter of our defenses already! Our troops are saying they haven’t even seen Shepard enter the fray yet!”

“Then enjoy dying.”

“Banes, you can’t--”

Banes?!?! That was it.

“Armistan, I’m a little offended. Why shouldn’t I have some fun on y’company’s dime?” Shane broke in, unable to stop herself even knowing it meant they’d realize she had their frequency and everything else. 

“Commander Shepard, this is not the first time you’ve interrupted my work,” Banes said coolly. 

“An’ the first time I did wasn’t the first time y’Cerberus fucks sicced a Thresher Maw on me.”

“Ah, so you did learn about Akuze. A shame that memorial didn’t turn out like it should have...” 

“Fuck you!” Shane instantly felt her biotics activate around her. “I’m going t’ fucking rip your head off your fucking body y’piece of scheiße!”

“Now, now no need to get nasty,” Banes chided, still cool as a damn cucumber. Why the hell were Cerberus men always like this? Always knowing exactly how to just make her even more mad!?

“Once I’m done here, you’ll see how fuckin’ nasty I can really be,” Shane growled, standing up. She surveyed the area in front of her. Jack had gone inside. Damn. She had gotten distracted yelling at Banes. Holding back a sigh, Shane instead Charged down the hill and past the carnage Jack was responsible for.

“I look forward to it. Troopers, change to frequency gamma. This has been a wonderful chat, Commander Shepard, but I’m afraid it ends now.” 

“I’m not done with you!” she didn’t care if the frequencies had already changed. She’d get him eventually. He had to know that. 

“You are for now,” Banes said before a very soft click. Shane growled again but then turned the frequency back to the one she shared with Jack.

“Where the fuck are you?” Shane demanded, a lot harsher than she meant. She was still riled by her conversation with Banes. Dammit. She thought of apologizing but knew Jack would likely just wave it off. 

“I could say the same damn thing, bitch! What, were you daydreaming out there?” at least Shane could count on Jack not much caring if Shane was a little curt. 

“I eavesdropped on them. They’re trying to evacuate instead of holding the area,” Shane explained, running at her max speed while following the trail that she knew would lead to Jack.

“Uh huh. You did way more than eavesdrop,” Jack said. Shane honestly didn’t know why she thought she could ever fool Jack. Jack knew what Shane was going to do before Shane even thought it. 

“You would too if you heard fucking Banes on the line using your number,” Shane returned before finally sprinting around a corner to find the meat of the action once more. 

“My nu-- oh, fuck that! That’s hardly--” but Jack stopped speaking to instead fling two Guardians at a wall, smashing them into pulp within their armor. 

“Hardly worth gettin’ pissy over?” Shane asked mildly, Charging right past Jack to fire off a short burst from her stolen Mattock into a line of troopers. 

“Well, kinda, yeah. But... thanks,” Jack admitted, before flinging a Phantom into the air. Shane smiled to herself before peppering the Phantom full of holes as it rotated in mid-air. 

In all honesty, Shane was glad to hear Jack wasn’t reacting as badly to ‘Subject Zero’. She was healing. But that wasn’t going to make Shane suddenly shrug about the use of the moniker. Especially from Cerberus. 

“Also, it was kinda half-selfish anyway. Banes was responsible for what happened to Kahoku’s men. He sicced a fuckin’ thresher on me when I went to look for the missing troops,” Shane continued, seeing no point in pretending it was all selfless caring of Jack’s ‘feelings’ 

“Ah, damn. S’e’here?” Jack asked as the pair finally reconnected to storm down a hallway. Jack had heard the tale of woe many times when it came to Akuze, but the Kahoku mission was new. Though Jack never really cared about learning new things about Shane, in that she didn’t actually go asking, it was only natural to learn more at ‘surprising’ times. They couldn’t possibly talk about each other’s 20+ years of life in the galaxy and still have time to kill some Cerberus fucks. It wasn’t hidden history, just history they hadn’t brought up yet. The reason they worked out so well is they had no expectations of such. Their histories had to come up organically, not after playing 20 questions. They bonded because their trauma was shared, the same people had caused them both a lot of pain and torment. In different ways, sure, but still the same people.

“Nah, I dunno where he is but he definitely isn’t here. The way he said things it seemed like he was already on a ship away from here,” Shane admitted. It was a disappointment but it would be rectified. 

“Well, you and I both know there’s no Cerberus fuck in the galaxy who can hide from us for very long. You wanna go after him, you know I’m fucking there,” Jack said, not even sounding out of breath yet. Shane had to admire her resilience. 

“Yeah, I know. Let’s finish up here then we’ll worry about Banes,” Shane said, offering a slight smile at the other biotic. Jack smirked back then as one they literally leaped into the next battle. 

#femshep #jacqueline nought #subject zero #jack x commander shepard #femshep x jack #femshack #Текст #otp: biotic bitches #my writing #me: slides in on V-day with femshack while sipping a Starbucks #long post

[talltales]

pair:   jaebeom / reader desc:   'i love you,' she thinks         and it's just like old times words:  2.4k+ rated:  14+ genre:  romance notice: attempts at fluff thanks: to christine, for helping me get this far gifted: to chloe. happy birthday baby!! this is all for you.

            —YOU COULD BE HAPPY; I HOPE YOU ARE                 YOU MADE ME HAPPIER THAN I'D BEEN BY FAR

                                    it takes no less than three lifetimes to get it right.

- one -

winter is a breath away. it descends on the last remnants of autumn with grace; the leaves fall away in the mornings, and the stars glimmer all that much brighter in the dusk. she longs for the sun, for the afternoons when it lingered long enough to cast the skies in brilliant tones of gold.

“your meal is prepared,” comes a muted voice from her side. the handmaiden stands outside the sliding doors, her hands clasped loosely at her front. it is an old, familiar posture; one she had to unlearn as the eras passed, from one rebirth to the next.

in her first, she’d been his servant. he lingers at the ends of her memory, nameless. but in all her lifetimes, she has never forgotten the warmth of his fingertips.

quietly, she rises to her feet and offers the girl a faint smile.

“thank you,” she murmurs as she passes, because she recalls the feeling of callouses on the tips of her fingers and the dizzying sensation of walking on eggshells, “you are dismissed.”

with her permission, the girl vanishes down the corridor.

and she turns to regard the opaque screen; steps close until the bottom is pressed to the tips of her toes. this era is all too similar to their first. a feudal one filled to the brim with dirt, tears and ruin. the lords squabble over land and the power that it promises. and despite occupying this delicate body for sixteen years, she is unaccustomed to living in their midst, not as a servant but as part of them; their flesh and blood.

respected. adored. and it means nothing, when he is still out of reach.

her pulse flitters about like a caged bird. she is aware of his presence in inexplicable ways—as if he is the gravity that keeps her bound to earth. maybe it’s the other way around, since she is the one that always remembers.

he is inside.

she opens her eyes—unaware that they had even fallen shut—and steps beyond the threshold. the table set before her is heavy with dishes and fragrant cups of tea. a waste, since she is eating alone.

with a sidelong look, she examines him. ever silent, he adjusts the sword tied to his hip and—if possible—straightens even more. the metals on his uniform glimmer in the candlelight and this, she thinks, is the closest he’s ever been to the man she met many lifetimes ago.

even as a common guard, he easily takes command of her attention.

“milady,” he greets her, a deep timbre that resonates with memory so fully that her breath catches. if there is anything that has not changed, it is the sound of his voice.

if he notices the faltering of her movements as she kneels before her table, he doesn’t comment. her nameless guard is a stoic man, self-assured and able. she feels his gaze fall upon her back; feels the afterglow of it on the curve of her neck.

“what is your name?” she inquires, keeping her eyes fixed on the spread before her. carefully, she picks up her utensils and takes her first bite. it is a delicious waste of effort and precious resources.

when she looks back, he is thoughtful—seemingly weighing the merit of answering. the twin moles perched over his eye shift with the furrowing of his brow.

“haejin,” he says, after a minute.

but that isn’t right.

though it should be something that she expected, when her name has changed more times than she cares to count.

“haejin,” she tests it out on her tongue, finding it unfamiliar but not entirely unpalatable, “thank you for sharing.”

he appears to be at a loss for words—either for the ease with which she speaks to him as an equal, or the way her eyes sparkle with humor.

“you’re welcome, milady,” he breathes out, lips quirking into the smallest of smiles. it is a first, for all the time that he’s trailed after her, as silent as her shadow, and just as close.

it takes weeks to draw forth a real smile and this, she concludes, is what trying to bleed a stone must feel like.

haejin-ah, she calls him when they’re alone, just to watch the flush of his cheeks in the cool sunlight. she takes pleasure in disarming him—peeling away the layers of consternation that make him seem much older than he really is.

it is startlingly easy to make him blush.

she makes him laugh, eventually. three months into their unconventional friendship, she tells an off-color joke and witnesses the gradual shift in him. his shoulders shake before the sound erupts from his lips—full of mirth, tinged with disbelief.

she thinks she could live the rest of her wasteful life with this man.

when he is sent to the front lines of her lord father’s campaign and dies in the dirt, haejin is given a perfunctory mention for his efforts. his body is buried in the countryside with no marker.

somehow, she manages the journey back to her chambers before she falls apart.

- two -

like lazarus, he rises again.

but this time—thankfully—he is no soldier.

he is a watchmaker. it is by coincidence that she stumbles into his orbit. but it is no accident when she enters his small shop, accompanied by the jingling of bells over her head. the telltale fluttering of her heartbeat confirms his identity before he turns from his small desk and gives her a welcoming smile.

the sign on the door tells her that his name is jaehyun.

“hello,” his glasses are perched low on his nose—tiny things made for his work. he raises a hand to take them off and sets them aside, before rolling his sleeves to his elbows, “what can i do for you today?”

there are the faintest hints of wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. it has taken longer than expected to find him, though it isn’t for lack of trying. he is as beautiful as he’d been at nineteen; her haejin had died young—

this iteration of him, her nameless lover, has lived a fuller life.

his wedding band clinks against the counter.

too late.

it’s hard to tell, he may be in his late thirties. maybe his forties. she’s twenty-two, and this, she thinks, is why she missed him this time.

“i have a pocket watch that i would like you to look at,” his hand turns palm up, ready to accept the broken thing. she pulls it from the pocket of her dress and sets it within his grasp. “it’s very important to me.”

he nods, “i’ll take care of it, miss—”

“just miss is fine.”

he is undeterred.

she busies herself with flipping through the paper folded in front of her, though her eyes register little more than the gleam of silver wrapped around his ring finger. for his part, he takes just a moment to examine the item—some old thing she’d picked up at a thrift shop—while humming a tune under his breath.

his melody matches that of the soft jazz emanating from the record player in the corner.

“good news,” he says, and his eyes crinkle at the edges as he grins, perhaps playfully, “i think i can save it.”

she longs to grow old with him, just once.

“how much will it cost?” running her fingertips along the edge of the paper, she maintains a steady focus on the man as he pauses, turning to consult a ledger sitting on his desk. he sings to himself while flipping to the first page, where several prices line the left side of the paper.

he turns back and runs a hand through his hair. his forearms flex with the movement.

she inhales deeply around the knot in her throat. those hands will not touch her, not in this lifetime.

“6,000 won,” he answers, and her disbelief must show clearly, because he laughs—and her world tilts sideways, because it has been too many lifetimes since she’s heard the sound.

silently, she laces her fingers together and prays for strength.

“that’s ridiculous,” through her lashes, she observes him; this joyful and familiar stranger tucked away in his little shop, unmoved as the world passes him by. he belongs in this time.

she does not.

“maybe, but i won’t charge you more,” he sobers, examining her with an intensity that makes her think—hope—that he recognizes her this time. that this time, he’s fallen into her orbit.

“why?” her curiosity prompts her to ask the soft-spoken question. all the while, she swallows her expectations before they swell. the edge of the counter presses into her stomach as she leans forward, “why would you do that for me?”

“because you seem sad, miss,” he says, and it is an effort to stifle her sigh. instead, she hums; manages enough of a smile to visibly set him at ease.

“well then, i have no choice but to accept.”

forty minutes later, she leaves him with a quiet thanks and a like-new pocket watch dangling from her fingertips. the chain clinks, the clock ticks, and she walks away from the humble shop on the corner without looking back.

her eyes close, without permission—

she dies a little inside.

- three -

time, it appears, is dragging him further away from her with each of his rebirths. their little piece of the world is now something bigger; interconnected in ways she’d never dreamed of.

but the internet, she muses, is no substitute for the magnetism of the physical world.

too often, they are separated by decades and continents—

and always, always by the spectre of death.

this time, however, he finds her. and this time, she chooses to keep close, but to leave him be.

her heart is weary, after so many lifetimes.

“is there any way that i can ask a favor of you?”

for a moment, she wonders if it is now—when she is holding onto the last vestiges of hope—that his soul at last recognizes hers. then he laughs, shuffling a hand through the hair at his nape.

quietly, she places the pile of folders she is holding onto her desk. he waits patiently for her full attention, watching her sort through ungraded tests and quizzes with all the enthusiasm of a dead man approaching the gallows. when she’s satisfied with the controlled chaos that is her workload, she turns to face him—leaning against the desk with her arms crossed loosely over her chest.

“what can i do for you, jaebeom?”

this time, his name feels right.

he starts at the question, appearing to snap out of his own thoughts—smiling a bit sheepishly, at that. ”ah, sorry. i was wondering if i could get your help on that astronomy exam coming up...” his gaze drops to the stack of manila folders behind her, “but i can understand if you don’t have the time.”

quietly, she regards him. he is the closest echo of his first soul that she’s ever seen. shy and kind, a little strange—if the stories about him having five cats are to be believed—but the focus in his eyes is haejin. the dexterity he utilizes to twirl his pen between his fingers is jaehyun.

he is whole, this time.

“i don’t mind,” her lips curve into a smile before she thinks about it, taking note of the way he releases the breath that he looks to have been holding, “relieved?”

and jaebeom blinks at her, face reddening faintly as he shuffles his bag further onto his shoulder, “yeah. i’m not sure i’d pass this class without your help.”

“what a flattering lie,” her hand lifts, brushing away the remnants of autumn leaves clinging to his jacket, “you’d be fine.”

his eyes follow the movement, before he reaches out to tug her wrist.

“and what better time than now?”

faintly, she wonders if it is at all appropriate to follow his lead—to let herself walk down the path that he’s laid at her feet. the click of her heels echoes down the hall as they emerge from her office—a closet that the teachers assistants get shoved into while doing the busywork of their superiors.

he glances over his shoulder at her, before turning and walking backward through the otherwise empty corridors, “would you mind if we grabbed something to eat? off campus.”

she resists the urge to smile.

cute.

humming, she feigns deep thought. her fingers dance across her chin as she observes him from the corner of her eye; perhaps unconsciously, jaebeom wrings the hem of his shirt with his free hand. it strikes her, how similarly her young lord had looked when he’d asked her to sneak away with him—

and their journey has come full circle.

“if you treat.” it’s a tease, but he nods just the same.

- last -

“sirius is actually a binary star, you know.”

of course she does, but she refrains from commenting—he is half-awake at this hour, face partially buried in his pillows. his mind is expelling the random facts he’s consumed in the past three months like material from a dying star, “yeah?”

“mmm,” he tilts his head, contemplating her with half-lidded eyes. she suspects he’s on his way to a deep slumber; though the sun shines brightly over his shoulder, warming the sheets pooled over their laps, “it’s the brightest star in the night sky, but there are actually two components.”

this time, she indulges him—reciting his notes with a soft smile.

“sirius a, the brighter star, and its white dwarf companion, sirius b.” quietly, she reaches up to run her fingers through his hair.

he leans into the touch, exhaling as his eyes fall shut, “right.”

it makes sense, that he would be the brighter half of their binary system—that it is her, chasing after him with quiet determination.

they slip into a comfortable silence, and she listens to the steady sound of his breath; feels it fanning lightly across her face. the sun is setting at his back, outlining his features in shades of muted gold.

what a beautiful boy, she thinks.

when his eyes open, hazy—his cheeks dusted in pink—she realizes that she’s spoken aloud.

jaebeom dips his head as his smile grows, pressing his face into the sheets in a poor effort to hide. she watches with equal parts humor and awe, love-struck by the glimpses of her old love in the crinkling of his nose.

“i’m not a boy,” he mumbles, and she hums; bites back her laughter.

“i know.” she touches his cheek lightly, pressing her forehead to his, “i know.”

i love you, she nearly says, but it isn’t time yet—

she comforts herself with the knowledge that now, they have all the time in the world.

#jaebeom fanfic #jaebeom au #got7 fanfic #got7 au #label: viii

[ruination-fangs]

Tales of Asteria, Chapter 4 Raven’s Scenario: Strands of the Truth Stages 4-6

there is no good place to cut this between 5 and 8... these scenes are loooong

Stage 4: Faint Tremors

Scene 1:

Rain continues to pour on the road to Almeria. Norma thought the weather might be better outside the city, but there's been no letup, so they take shelter to see if they can possibly wait it out.

As they wait, Elize hesitantly asks about Norma and Raven's business. Norma explains that they take all sorts of requests, from detective work to helping people move. Teepo thinks it sounds cool, and Norma agrees; they get to put all their skills to the test to solve difficult problems. Raven points out, though, that in reality that's not really how it works, and Norma admits that actually most of their jobs are things like cleaning houses or walking dogs. It's no dream job; it's dreary work. Life is tough and reality is cruel. But it puts food on the table, so she can't complain too much. She just wishes there were more big flashy cases for them to solve.

Raven is more skeptical about big flashy events, and notes that there's none of that because Schongreiss is at peace. Norma praises Lady Lazarus for that, though Raven maintains that even Lady Lazarus isn't omnipotent. There are cases like Elize's, after all. Norma gets a little upset at him talking like that, but cuts off when Elize mutters Lazarus's name. When Norma questions her, both she and Raven go quiet.

Norma then asks what Elize wants to do when she finishes school. That's so far off that Elize has never really thought about it. Norma suggests that she could come join their company, if she wants. The more the merrier, and with extra hands they can take on more work. Raven thinks they're managing fine with just the two of them, but Norma insists that they could get more done with more members - plus Elize is cute, so she'll attract more customers. Raven doesn't disagree. Elize isn't sure, but Norma reassures her (to Raven's dismay) that they'll have Raven handle all the hard stuff, and they can do the rest. Elize says she'll think about it.

Then Elize asks why they started the business. Raven doesn't seem to remember - it just kind of happened. Elize points out that the two of them get along well, and Norma quips that it's more like they can't get away from each other. According to Raven, that's how relationships usually work; Norma says it's also natural, then, that they would become friends with Elize.

Elize is surprised to hear them call her a friend. Norma says of course they're friends, all four of them, and gets Raven to agree that they're "something like that."

Raven starts to ask Elize something, but then changes his mind, saying it can wait until the next opportunity. In any case, it doesn't seem like the rain is going to stop anytime soon, and it might draw out things they wouldn't normally encounter. Monsters aren't all that uncommon on the highroads.

Teepo hates monsters, but Norma tells them not to worry; if they do come across any, Raven will take care of them. She reassures him that she might help, if she feels like it, which Raven doesn't appreciate.

His muttering is interrupted by a sound nearby, which frightens Elize. Norma hopes it's a person and not monsters, but when Raven goes to investigate, he comes up with nothing. He decides it was probably just an animal, and they finally continue on their way. But after Norma and Elize head off, relieved, Raven murmurs that he hopes it was an animal; something certainly seems to be out of the ordinary.

Behind them, a voice wonders if it's “still too early.”

Scene 2:

Night has fallen, and the rain has finally died down. The group sits around a campfire in the woods. Norma hopes they're in for some sun soon, but right now it's still too cloudy to see the stars or moon.

Elize has been sound asleep in Norma's lap ever since they finished eating. Norma contemplates what in the world happened to her. She seems to be a shy person, but even beyond that, she acts like she's scared of something; when they met, she was shaking like a leaf, and not from the weather. Norma wonders if she ran away because someone was chasing her or something.

Raven listens in silence, and then suggests maybe it's the White Lions she's running from. They do seem to be on a manhunt in the city. Norma is indignant at the implication that Elize might be a criminal, but Raven doesn't truly think that's the case. She seems like a normal girl.

Norma agrees, but still, something definitely happened to her. Unfortunately, it seems she doesn't want to tell them about it. Raven muses that everyone has things they don't want to talk about.

He gets up then, claiming he's going to gather more firewood. By himself in the woods, he sighs and mutters that he could just ask her, but for some reason he's uneasy. There should be no reason for him to think so hard.

Back in the city, Claw notes that the rain has stopped, though they're still facing the threat of another downpour. A knight approaches to tell him they've obtained an eyewitness report concerning the whereabouts of a suspect. They're finally on the trail.

Stage 5: Elize’s Confession

Scene 1:

As they continue down the road, the rain finally seems to have stopped.

Norma says a prayer for the weather to hold out until they get to their destination, and Teepo repeats it. She tries to get Raven and Elize to join in too, but Raven says no god would want prayers from an old man like him.

In the midst of complaining about how much of a downer Raven is, Norma stops because she hears something in the distance. Elize hears it too, and thinks it sounds like drums. Raven says there's a town called Namza in that direction. He was thinking that they should make a pit stop in town anyway to restock their supplies, so he suggests they go check it out.

When they get to the town, they find a festival in full swing. Norma asks Elize if she wants to look around, but Elize is concerned that they don't have time to waste. Raven insists that, even aside from the festival, it might be best for them to stay the night and replenish their food. He reassures her that they'll leave again tomorrow. She'll get home soon, so she can spare one day to have some fun, right? Norma joins in, saying that the day will pass in a flash while they're enjoying the festival. Elize relents and agrees to go, just for a little while, and Teepo dashes off.

Norma dances away to the music. She’s good at it, and the villagers cheer her on. Raven comments that she seems to have really won over the townsfolk, but then notices how quiet Elize has been. When he asks if she's not enjoying herself, she stutters that she is. She likes seeing everyone bright and smiling, but it makes her a little nostalgic. Scenes like this used to be common, but now she's not sure if she'll ever be able to go home and spend time laughing with her friends like this. Raven reassures her that she'll get back to her town and they'll welcome her home with open arms, but Elize isn't convinced. She's afraid she already might not have a home anymore.

Norma pops up, surprising both of them. She only heard the last part, but she says Elize is just at that age when the worrying starts. It was the same for her when she was young. Raven argues that she's still young though, and Norma chides him for derailing the conversation. She tells Elize she's always welcome to ask either of them for advice if she wants, and Raven agrees.

Elize is still unsure, but Norma insists there's no need to hold back. The world is full of different people, and even old men like Rayray can find their way as long as they doggedly keep living. Raven thinks her choice of example is weird, but he agrees that most problems have solutions. If Elize ends up with no place to go, they'll create a place for her. Norma assures her that if she needs anything, she can come to them. She's absolutely welcome to come join their business.

Elize thanks them for always encouraging her, though Raven shrugs it off. He suggests they pull themselves together and get back to the festival, and Elize and Norma are eager to follow. This time Raven dances too, and they urge Elize to join them.

Norma pulls Raven aside to point out that Elize is finally smiling, and that Raven looks like he's having fun too. He doesn't usually get involved in other people's problems, but he's actually very kind to Elize. Raven is a little surprised, but Norma thinks it's true, even if he didn't realize it. Teepo tells them to come back so he and Elize aren't dancing alone, and Norma goes, but Raven stays behind to consider what Norma said. Then he's struck by "that strange feeling again." Whoever is following them keeps getting away, and Raven is getting concerned.

Scene 2:

That night, Raven remarks that for a relatively small festival, it was fun. Elize thanks Raven and Norma for that, but notices that it's getting cloudy again. Despite Norma's prayers, Raven suspects it will rain again tomorrow. Norma herself is already at the inn, having gone to rest as soon as the excitement ended, to Raven's chagrin.

The village is a lot quieter now that the festival is over, which makes Elize a little lonely. Raven isn't bothered; all good things have to end, after all. Elize goes quiet then, and Raven asks what's wrong. Hesitantly, Elize asks why Raven helped her when they first met. Raven claims it's a man's duty to help a pretty girl who's stuck in the rain; he's a gentleman, despite his looks. The remark falls flat, and Raven laments not having Norma to play the "straight man" role for him. More seriously, he suggests that if Elize is bothered by something, she could always talk to him about it.

Teepo encourages Elize to tell him what's wrong, and Elize relents. She haltingly explains that she was too afraid to tell them before, but the White Lions are chasing her because they suspect her of being a criminal. Raven mutters to himself that she really might be the person Claw was talking about. To Elize, he remarks that she's a pretty mild person for a criminal. Elize insists that she didn't do anything, and Raven reassures her that he and Norma believe her.

He would like to know why they're chasing her, though, and Elize says it's because she knows something she shouldn't. On the day of the founding festival, she accidentally wandered into the palace. Of course she tried to leave right away, but she thought she'd be in trouble if she got caught, and she got lost while she was trying to avoid being seen. She ended up in a dim basement, where she found Lady Lazarus.

She was relieved to see the empress, but suddenly there was a scream and a weird noise. Then Lady Lazarus said, "You foolish criminals... But do not worry. I will save you." After that Elize heard no more screaming, just terrifying silence. She admits that she doesn't want to have doubts about Lady Lazarus, but she's scared. She's convinced that Lazarus did something horrible to the criminals.

Raven doesn't understand how this makes Elize a criminal. Elize explains that she ran from the palace, but she couldn't get what she saw there out of her head. She was scared, and didn't know what to do because she couldn't tell anybody what happened. Then she heard that her teachers and friends were being informed about suspicion of a criminal in their midst. That's why she decided to go back to her hometown.

Elize doesn't know what or who to believe anymore. She finds it strange not to trust the empress, but she wonders if what Lady Lazarus is doing is right. Raven is a little alarmed by the question and doesn't have an answer, but he says he can empathize a little. Elize thanks him again for helping her; if he and Norma hadn't been there, she never would have made it this far. Plus, she's had fun, and she's happy they think of her as a friend.

She starts to ask if they'll come with her, but Raven cuts her off and says that's enough for today. It's time for her to go to the inn and rest. Elize doesn't understand why she suddenly has to leave, but Raven says it's adult time now, and tells her to run along and get some sleep. Reluctantly, Elize and Teepo go back to the inn.

Alone now, Raven notes with frustration that Elize has seen Lazarus use her power. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this.

Stage 6: Outstretched Hands

Scene 1:

Norma wakes up feeling refreshed after having fun at the festival, and wants to be enthusiastic about setting out for Almeria... except that it's raining again. She's upset that her prayers yesterday didn't work, and blames Raven for not joining them, although she relents when Teepo defends him. Still, she hates the rain. Elize offers to let them wait out the bad weather at the inn, since she's already caused them so much trouble, but Norma reassures her that she's done nothing wrong. (If it's anyone's fault, it's still Raven's.)

Raven is with them, but he's been staring into space all morning. Norma yelling in his ear finally gets his attention, and she asks if he's ready to go. He says yes, but he hasn't been paying attention to the conversation. Exasperated, Norma asks Elize if she knows what's wrong with him. Elize starts to say that he abruptly started acting strange last night, but is cut off by a scream from outside. Villagers are yelling that there are monsters in town. Norma and Raven leave to go help, telling Elize to stay put.

Scene 2:

Everything goes quiet, and Elize and Teepo wonder if the monsters are gone. Elize is worried about Raven and Norma. She could help if anyone needs healing, so they decide to go check on them.

Outside, it's still raining, but Raven and Norma are nowhere to be seen. Before Elize can find them, a monster charges at her, and a stranger cuts it down just in time.

He asks if she's hurt. Elize says she's fine, and Teepo thanks the man, but he continues to stare at her. When she asks who he is, he mutters about how "your memory is also..."

???: ...I want to ask you a few things. Do you... Do the names Tear and Sorey sound familiar to you? Elize: Tear... Sorey...? I'm not sure, but... I don't think I've ever heard them. ???: Well then... Do you have any memory of a world covered in crystals? Elize: Crystals...? What do you-

Norma and Raven return then. Elize apologizes for leaving the inn; Teepo explains that she was just worried. When they see the stranger, Elize tells them he saved her from a monster. Norma begins to fuss over Elize's well-being, and when she tries to thank the stranger, he finally introduces himself as Veigue Lundberg. He's glad he happened to be passing by, though Raven raises an eyebrow at the "coincidental" timing.

Now that Elize is in safe hands, Veigue starts to leave, but Elize asks him to wait. She thinks that if he's looking for these Tear and Sorey people, they might be able to help, though she's less sure about the crystal landscape. Veigue tells her to forget about it, even when Elize worries that this is something important to him and suggests he ask Raven and Norma too. Raven is intrigued and pressures him to stay and talk, especially about the crystals. But Veigue insists that it's nothing, so Raven changes tack and instead asks him how he knew Elize's name.

Veigue goes silent. Raven is right; Norma calls her Lil E, and Teepo calls her Elly, but no one has called her Elize except Veigue himself. Norma is confused. Veigue insists there's no point in explaining any further, and tries to leave again, but Raven attacks him first. Norma and Elize are shocked, and Raven explains that this man is a criminal. Confusing people with lies, telling this ridiculous story about crystal worlds, knowing Elize's name without being told - plus, Raven is sure someone has been following them.

Elize puts together that the noises they heard on the highroad must have been him, but doesn't understand why. Raven suspects he's after Elize. He doesn't know what Veigue wants, but it doesn't matter; Lady Lazarus's orders were to stay away from the criminals.

Veigue isn't surprised at their reaction. He pleads once again with Elize to remember, but she doesn't know what he's talking about. Raven promises to protect her, and tells Veigue that if he leaves quietly, they might be persuaded to overlook this incident. Norma disagrees; they're supposed to capture him, or at least report it to the White Lions. Either way, they won't let him near Elize, and a fight ensues.

Scene 3:

Norma and Raven are surprised at how strong Veigue is. It's too bad, Raven thinks, that that skill is wasted on a criminal.

Veigue asks again if Elize really doesn't recognize him, or remember anything. She's confused and upset by his desperation, and Norma instructs her not to listen to him. Raven tells him to give it up; she can't remember what she doesn't know.

Veigue relents and puts his sword away. When Raven asks if he's done, he says he simply wants to return Elize's memories to her. He's sorry that he scared her, but he has no intention of hurting or deceiving anyone. He only wanted to find a good time to have a conversation.

Norma reminds Elize again to ignore him, but Veigue goes on. He understands that she's forgotten him, but he could never forget her - her strength, or her courage to confront her fears for someone else's sake. He asks, even if she doesn't remember him, can she remember his vow? He told her she wasn't alone; as a person facing the same crystallization crisis as her, he would walk beside her. Just as she thinks fondly of Milla, there's certainly someone out there who's thinking of her.

As he recites the words, Elize seems to recognize them, and her vision blurs. Norma and Raven are frustrated at how Veigue insists on continuing to make things up, but Elize latches onto Milla's name. For some reason, her head is filled with images of things she's never seen. Everything continues to blur. Raven is concerned, while Veigue tells her not to be frightened - it's just her dormant real memories. The blurring stops, and suddenly Elize remembers that Milla was crystallized. Veigue reminds her that she was on a journey to save someone important to her, and that's how she met everyone, himself included.

Norma begs her one last time not to listen, but Elize remembers her own words: "...I've decided. I won't be scared anymore. I'm going forward with Veigue and the others." Veigue is pleased she remembered, but suddenly Elize tells him not to come any closer. She knows she's heard his words somewhere before, and this Milla person was important to her... but she doesn't understand it. She's confused about what's real and who she is, and she feels like she's lost herself. Veigue reassures her that she's still the same person, but she pleads with him to let her go. She doesn't want to be a criminal.

Veigue says again that he understands her confusion, and he knows that his words hurt her. But there are people she wanted to save, too. The real Elize wouldn't want to live like this. Norma and Teepo yell at him to stop tormenting Elize, but Veigue refuses. He made a promise, and even if she doesn't remember it, he won't break it. He can't just let one of his precious comrades go.

He offers Elize his hand, and reminds her of something else he said once: "Don't carry this by yourself. When you're paralyzed with fear, just take my hand." Elize starts to repeat the words, and is struck by a zapping sensation. 

Suddenly she remembers how Milla treated her like a little sister, and how Milla wasn't there because she was crystallized. Norma and Raven don't understand what she's talking about, but Elize is certain now. She remembers vowing that she would get Milla and everyone back. She and Teepo both remember who they are and what they're supposed to be doing.

Raven is silent. Norma frantically questions him about what just happened; all Raven says is that things just got bad.

#tales of asteria #raven (tov) #elize lutus #norma beatty #veigue lundberg #translations #yeah i never actually read the third chapter sooo......

[realitybleeds-a]

 🎰 😏

send me 🎰 and i’ll randomise our muse lists and give the first five as possible connections !  /  accepting

for context i just randomized your ocs because im not familiar with many of the canon muses, i hope that’s ok!!

rafe montaigne - xaphan

ok straight off the bat this is my favourite just cause monster hunter and a demon? there’s literally so much to play around with especially if they’ve been Aware of each other for as long as rafe has been a hunter.

jane 'eleven' hopper - muriel

lowkey highkey i love that el keeps collecting mother figures and i feel like this could be very interesting, considering el is currently Bad with emotions LMAO

eli cardale - niles ambrosia

so for context eli was a medical student who investigated gaining superpowers through near death experiences, did a physical test on himself, and now has fast healing / can’t die? the experience warped his perception of everyone else with powers in relation to being extremely catholic. i feel like eli could have stumbled across niles while on his murder spree and they maybe became acquantices albeit extremely strained ones? idk this feels like it has potential so lmk what u think!!

lukas henshall - oisin mccarthy

im not entirely sure how these two would meet But i think it could be chaotic in a fun way mainly because lukas comes from a very strict science background and meeting a fae would just be. blue screens JFHSDJ

jesse faden - lazarus germanicus

she’s extremely used to weird eldritch horror shit and beings coming in from different dimensions so if she found out lazarus was a demon she’d just go. yeah that tracks and keep going with her day. she does work for a government agency that investigates and covers up weird supernatural events so they could meet that way if lazarus decides to cause problems on purpose.

#fuckingvictus #and if calling out to fear should echo some remark — ( ✧ : answered. ) #this was fun bc most of my muses are like. scifi horror and most of yours are fantasy/supernatural horror? #if that makes sense at all? #the pairings are very interesting AHAHA but let me know if you vibe w these!!

[ariadnelives]

Chapter 26 -- The Assault

[Missed earlier chapters? Go catch up here! Otherwise, welcome back! Oh, and make sure to join our discord server! Chapter can also be found @ ao3”]

Later that day, several dozen heavily-loaded shuttles fell into orbit over Phobos. Ariadne was upset that they didn’t take more time to plan before moving on Dr. Simon himself, but as Spacebreather pointed out, they didn’t have time to stall. If they waited more than a few hours, the cult would have a chance to move him.

Most of Ariadne’s ground forces disembarked about half a kilometer from the facility’s entrance. Several dozen spacesuit-clad armed acolytes were standing outside exactly one of the caves, so the crew figured that was likely to be the door the Zealot was behind.

“Bring the noise, querida,” Ariadne said into her comm and the last remaining ship immediately did several flips in midair and fired off several plasma bolts that, despite the ship’s advanced targeting system, somehow managed to not hit any hostiles. After a beat, she scoffed, “Showoff.”

“You love it,” Spacebreather’s voice returned through the comm. “Get in there and knock these guys out so I can join you on the ground.”

“We’re on our way,” Ariadne chuckled.

“You got five minutes,” Pilar’s voice buzzed back, “and then I stop missing on purpose.”

“Won’t be a problem,” Ariadne replied. “Te amo, terminado.”

“Terminado,” Pilar agreed, and switched off her comm.

“Do you think the Triplets will be okay with Fastwing?” Sasha asked Sweettalk on a private channel.

“Yeah, I mean, you got their chips out, right?”

“That’s not what I mean,” Sasha replied, “I feel like we shouldn’t have brought them with us. We just got them away from these creeps.”

“They wanted to come,” Sweettalk said, “If we can get Dr. Simon in custody I’m sure they’ll want the chance to confront him, and if the shit hits the fan, they’re with the best pilot in the system--”

As if by magic, Pilar took this opportunity to do a showy corkscrew maneuver over the crowd of acolytes, narrowly avoiding several shots from their weapons, and releasing a cloud of multicolored smoke to disorient her attackers.

“--Okay, the second best pilot in the system. If we get hurt, Alicia will get them to safety.”

“Plus,” Sasha added, “I’m betting she does something cool with their hair.”

“She has a gift,” Sweettalk agreed. “Point is, we just convinced your sister it was bad to keep people grounded for their own protection, so we sorta screwed ourselves out of the right to object when the triplets want to come along.”

“Heh,” Sasha laughed. “You know, I only just now got why that’s funny.”

“What’s funny?”

“Just the idea of keeping someone ‘grounded’ in a spaceship.”

“Mm,” Sweettalk agreed, “and now that you’re not grounded anymore you’re actually, you know, on the ground.”

This went on in this fashion for a little while. The rest of the crew didn’t know how grateful they ought to be that Sasha and Sweettalk were speaking on a private channel. There are only so many jokes on the word “grounded” that two people can make before their friends and loved ones feel compelled to intervene, and there is little point in attempting to quantify exactly how far past this point Sasha and Sweettalk went as the crew took their positions and systematically knocked out each of the acolytes guarding the entrance. By the time they had finished, Sasha and Sweettalk were both breathless with laughter from their rapidfire, almost vaudevillian exchange of “grounded” puns.

“Everyone grab one,” Ariadne called out on the public comms.

“Why?” Lefthook replied, “I mean, there’s a limited amount of air in those suites, can’t we just… let the problem take care of itself?”

“We’re sending a message,” Ariadne replied. “Ghostrunner and Spacebreather killed hundreds of their acolytes in self-defense. These guys don’t pose a threat to us.”

“You know they’ll wake up eventually, right?” Lefthook responded, begrudgingly joining the others in hauling the unconscious cultists through the airlocks.

“Once they’re inside, we’ll cut their air lines,” Ariadne explained. “They’ll live as long as they don’t try to go back outside. Once we’ve got Dr. Simon back on Ship Trap with a gun to his head, we’ll contact the authorities and let them deal with these guys.”

Pilar came marching over the ledge with a very large assault rifle slung over her shoulder. “Don’t forget to take their guns, these things are choice.”

“Fair point. Take their guns, we don’t know how many others are in here anyway.”

“Girls!” Alicia called, coming around the corner with her styling kit, “I thought you might enjoy some new hairstyles! I mean, I like a nice bob as much as the next lady but--”

She was left speechless at the sight of the Triplets. They sat together, glowing a slightly artificial blue. Alicia could not tell which of them had been cybernetically augmented. All evidence of injuries had vanished. It was as though all three girls were simultaneously completely organic and completely synthetic. There was something about it that caused Alicia to want to look away on an instinctive level, but she couldn’t.

“What is this?” Alicia finally stammered out.

“Something new,” all three girls mused in a single voice.

“What did you do?” Alicia asked, starting to rush towards them but quickly recoiling, out of fear that they might be contagious, or even radioactive.

“We touched,” they responded, “and understood. This is what we were built for. Evolution. Adaptation. We were designed to grant our father immortality. Our bodies will incorporate anything that facilitates our continued existence, and adapt to survive anything that threatens it.”

“Whatever doesn’t kill you,” Alicia muttered and trailed off. “I’ll be damned…”

“We have to go into the cave with them,” The Triplets responded. “Their plan is going to fail.”

Several minutes and about fifty unconscious and several seriously wounded acolytes later, Ariadne and Spacebreather reached the door to the throne room with Sweettalk and Sasha in tow.

“Stand watch,” Ariadne directed Lefthook to lead the other other troops in the corridor. “Non-lethal force if you can, but if someone’s going to die, don’t let it be you. That goes for all of you.”

“Yes, cap!” The girls replied, and unholstered their weapons.

A moment later, Pilar kicked down the door to the throne room. “ON THE GROUND, ASSHOLE!”

A single acolyte manned a computer terminal that seemed to have no screen and only two silver joystick-like appendages for controls.

“I SAID GET THE FUCK ON YOUR KNEES IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THEM,” Pilar bellowed.

The Acolyte fall to his knees.

“Where is Dr. Simon?” Ariadne asked calmly, “You’re gonna want to talk fast or else my associate is going to find some creative ways to make you glad those robes are already red.”

“He is here!” He whimpered. “The Zealot is all around us.”

“Babe, do I have your permission to start cutting off fingers again if he doesn’t get serious?” Pilar asked.

“I’d listen to her,” Sweettalk chimed in, “Last guy she took a finger from ended up decapitated.”

“He is all around us!” He pleaded. “Please, look!”

He gestured at an ornate golden table near the center of the room.

“Spacebreather, keep your gun trained on his head. If he tries anything funny, see if you can take it off in one shot,” Ariadne slowly started inching toward the table.

“With pleasure,” Pilar stroked the trigger of her rifle carefully.

Ariadne looked down on the table, through the inset glass to what lay within.

Lying motionless inside the table was an unmistakable face with a neatly trimmed gray beard and a straight, pointed nose.

“This is not Dr. Simon,” Ariadne replied. “This is his body. Where is Dr. Simon?”

“Back up,” Sasha asked. “Dr. Simon’s body?”

“Prescott had to tell me something to convince me it was worth it to help him,” Ariadne replied. “This body has been dead for fifteen years. Dr. Simon, on the other hand--”

“--Viable Lazarus,” Sweettalk gasped. “Lazarus, we should’ve seen it all along. They’re trying to bring him back from the dead.”

“I’m only going to ask you one more time before I let my beautiful associate indulge her itchy trigger finger,” Ariadne replied. “Where is the server containing Dr. Simon’s consciousness?”

“I already told you,” the acolyte began crying, “He is all around us.”

“Look at the walls,” Sasha marveled, “Sis, they’re--”

“Databanks,” Ariadne replied, “We’re standing inside the most massive supercomputer in the system.”

“Do we just smash them?” Pilar asked.

“If you destroy the servers, you’ll kill more than the Zealot,” the Acolyte offered, “The databanks are full of lost souls who’ve seen the light of the Red God.”

“What is he talking about?” Pilar asked.

“He’s using a few thousand human shields,” Ariadne was disgusted. “All those people who took a Suffering Test for this wackjob were signing up to be brainwashed. He hollows out their head and fills it with their programming, and their consciousness ends up imprisoned here. If we unplug the whole system, there’ll be no way to restore the people he’s got under his little spell.”

“You, crybaby,” Pilar jabbed the Acolyte with her rifle, “dial this jerk up, how do you talk to him?”

“If he wishes to send messages, he can, but in order to speak directly with him… without ViLaz as a relay, we have to enter the system ourselves to gain an audience with him. There’s a psionic interface--”

“--And how do you go about deleting individual files from this system?”

“I don’t see a screen or a keyboard or else I might be able to hack in.”

“No synthetic computer can interface with His prison,” the Acolyte whimpered, “Only a human brain has the processing power necessary to access the system.”

Ariadne chuckled. “I’d almost admire it if it wasn’t so evil. He’s actually built a computer I can’t hack.”

“So, how do we get in?” Pilar asked.

“Stands to reason that each drive in these databanks contains one consciousness,” Ariadne said, “So, if I can access the system, I should be able to identify the drive with administrator permissions, then all we’ve got to do is yank that one out, take it home, and format it.”

“Patch in, like, connect your brain to this thing?” Spacebreather asked incredulously.

“Have you ever seen a computer more powerful than my brain?” Ariadne asked.

“Yeah, babe, this one,” Pilar snapped gesturing at the entire room made of computer that they were standing in, “it’s absolutely out of the--”

Ariadne very pointedly said nothing at her, which managed to stop Pilar cold.

“There’s no keeping you from doing this, is there?” Pilar sighed.

“I’ll be safe,” Ariadne promised. “In and out.”

“You’d better,” Pilar warned. “If you die, I’m coming after you.”

Ariadne smirked. “You’d better not.”

Ariadne planted a kiss on Pilar’s lips and then got immediately to work.

[menxyouxneed]

New Test muses and Verses!

Dick Grayson/Nightwing

(I’m only halfway through season 1 but I like him)

Younger Odin (FC will be either David Morrissey or Kurt Russell from the Escape movies)

Hades (Have not picked a fc yet)

Prince Christian/David Kelly

Bio: It may sound cliché, but he knew one day he would become the ruler and any sense of privacy was soon to come to an end. his family had kept his face out of the public eye. They did not like all their life in the public eye. Before he come to the world as the next ruler he wants to try and go to university as a regular person. It is a complicated move, but it gets done going to college in America under the name David Kelly to try and live a normal life.

John Evans

Bio: John a marine turned politician. He absolutely hates politics and the assholes he works with. The only reason he keeps up with it is to help those in the armed forces making certain they have what they need. He is a widower wife died of an aneurysm back when he was in active duty. He blamed himself for a lot of years that the stress of him being gone caused it. He has not married since.

Lazarus

Bio: Having religious mother was the worst. Who the hell wants to be named after the first zombie? Anyways he later learned why he was named that. His 'father' was a shifter and took on his father's form with his mother and his father had an accident and was later found dead at a construction site. Now that he is older he can change forms at will to get what he wants answers for an exam or have fun with some douchebag jocks girlfriend.

Balerion ‘Bale the Dragon’s Claw’

Primary verse GoT

Bio: Bale is known as a mercenary, but little is known of the man himself. There are times he runs with a company or there are jobs where he only works on his own. As a mercenary he only has one rule and that is he does not hurt kids. If he is asked to hurt a kid he will likely take the head of whoever asked him to. Likely because he had such a shitty childhood. He blocks out a lot of his past he focuses on the mission and the fun to be had after at the taverns

All the same at least once a year he would have to disappear somewhere remote so he could let himself change without being seen. Many times he would go to his old home in the mountains overlooking Valyria and turn into the dragon he was. Too many people were scared to come within sight of where Valyria was so it was peaceful. Now rumors have reached him that dragons have returned perhaps he would see them again.

(Very long backstory if you want to know more rp with him! )

Secondary Verses:

Marvel or DC- Bale is Metahuman or Mutant that can turn into a dragon

Dragon Age- Bale is Arcane Warrior and can turn into a dragon

Probably my darkest muse if you have trigger warnings of any kind you do not want him:

Maxwell ‘Max’ Granger

Many aliases: Dylan Black-assassin Cole Kennedy-spy

Bio: From an early age Max was learning important skills. four language and two computer languages. His father was a government contractor. A hired nerd. A white hat hacker and Max picked up quite a few pointers from his father before his dad killed himself when max was sixteen. At least that was what he was lead to believe. His mother was former British Secret Service they were originally partners joint investigations. That was when he learned a lot about fighting, weapons, and oh so much more about his parents that were probably classified but she blamed both their governments for her husband killing himself.

Max trained and trained for another five years before he started getting out in the world taking jobs hacking companies to get their proprietary information, or going in undercover to get the information in other ways or slip in a line of code to keep a program or project would work until their competitor could come out with their own. There were kidnappings, assassinations to look like accidents. Anything dark to be done word would get to him and decide if he would take a job.

Verse: Could be a supervillain verse in DC or Marvel or The Boys maybe even working for Vought can’t have a good hero without a villain.

In supernatural worlds could be a type of mercenary hunter to kill/capture different beings.

Extremely selective muse:

Amelia 'Mia' Carter

Alias: Diana

Bio: Mia will punch you in the face if you call her Amelia. She lost her older sister when she was around seven years old and that was hard. Some random animal attack when she was out camping with her friends. Five years later Her parents died in what was called another accident their car going over a bridge and they were swerved out of the way from something in the road. A year later when with her aunt they went to the cemetery when some big thing attacked them. Everything happened so quickly...but that was the past now. Now Mia was a hunter one of the best learning to fight and kill anything that goes after anyone innocent.

Verses for Scott Moore-Bulletproof (basically a super-soldier) , Dwayne Moore- Extreme intelligence(more villain), Chris Moore-Technopath, Isaac Moore- Healing/Killing touch. Could be for DC, MCU, or The Boys

#muses #test muses #verses #I should probably be stopped lol #GoT muse

[curiousobjecthead]

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

 post   3  -  5   songs   that   remind   you   of   your   muse.

▬  EVERYONE WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD - Ninja Sex Party Cover

There's a room where the light won't find you Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down When they do, I'll be right behind you So glad we've almost made it So sad they had to fade it Everybody wants to rule the world

▬ I’M STILL STANDING - SING version

You could never know what it's like Your blood like winter freezes just like ice And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use

And did you think this fool could never win Well look at me, I'm coming back again I got a taste of love in a simple way And if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away

Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid I'm still standing after all this time Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind

▬ MAXIMUM THRUST - TWRP

Boldly we must go For we will reap of what we sow Driven to know What lies beyond

Set a course with Maximum thrust Only we can And we must Man and machine Wanderlust Man and machine With maximum thrust !

▬ NO PANTS DANCE - TWRP

Girl nice to meet you Would you like to let me teach you All the ways I'd like to reach you From the back of the class You keep me guessin', man You're messin' with my lesson plan Your body's window dressing And my heart's made of glass

Sexual tension was what I would like to mention This is like a new dimension And I want it to last It felt like destiny When you began undressing me If this is just love testing me It looks like I passed

▬ SUMMER NIGHTS - Siames

But in my life I never meant to cause no harm Never hurt nobody Just wanna take this chance to fly On this summer night

honorable mentions: After 10 Years - Sim Gretina, Hidden Potential - TWRP, Pour Sugar On Me - NSP, Dirty Car - Studio Killers, Orgy For One - NSP, The Mind Electric, Lazarus In Love - David Bowie & Space Dandy Mash-Up, Footloose, Dream Sweet in Sea Major, Plinky Plonk, Heal Within, Get Busy

tagged by : stole it from the dash yooo tagging : do it. coward

#ᶠʳᵉᵉᵈᵒᵐ & ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵘʳᵉ || tunes #dash games tag .