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baksterly · 10 months

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“call it fate, call it karma”

part two

18+

part one masterlist

Pairing: GhostFace! Ellie Williams × fem!reader

Summary: Last school year, tests, exams and.. murders are all you think of. But what happens after the killer starts to be interested in you?

A/n: Just a little reminder that I write this fic mostly for myself so yeah.. The title is based on the song "Call it Fate, Call it Carma" by "Strokes"!

Word count: 2.6k

Warnings: smoking, drugs, mentions of killing, blood, swearing, stalking, chasing, murdering, (maybe smut, but not in this part), think that's all?

Tag list?:

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Your morning was hard. The sun blinded your eyes as you sat on the edge of the bed. Chris has taken you in for a while until things calm down. The phone in your hand vibrated with a quiet notification sound. A hand moved closer to your face, your eyes narrowed as you read the small letters on the screen: “Zoe: gm y/n!! how's it going? me and…”. A message from Zoe provoked you to take the phone with both hands.

Sighing heavily, your left hand reached for the bridge of your nose, rubbing your already tightly closed tired eyes. You grunted, removing your hand and opening your eyes slightly, twisting your head back towards the other end of the bed. Chris slept peacefully there. Let it not be at her house that a student of a neighboring school was killed, but she slept without hind legs. You decided not to wake her up and wait for her to wake up on her own. Turning your gaze back to the window through which the overcast sun burst. It was light outside, but the clouds were pitch gray. Such a nasty and dreary shade of gray. Looking at it, you wanted to forget everything in the world and, with your head wrapped under the covers, fall asleep as soon as possible. Instead, you unexpectedly stood up and walked into the living room.

Quietly passing through, you reached the armchair, silently sat down, took the remote control and turned on the TV without hesitation. You immediately turned off the sound so as not to wake your friend. Aimlessly scrolling through the channels, you stumble upon a news station and .. is this your house? Yes, this is a report from the scene of the murder. As soon as you began to move away from thoughts about yesterday's event, it was as if you were shown everything again on purpose. You felt so fucked up, and your eyes began to fill with tears

*notification sound on phone*

The first thing you thought was that it was Zoe who wrote that she and Jessie were almost there, but what you definitely didn't expect was a message from Ellie Williams. Your eyebrows furrowed and for a while you just looked at the screen, trying to understand what she could write. You even thought that maybe she had the wrong number, but still you decided to stop your guessing and click on the chat with a new notification. You forgot that her number was written in your phone and .. there was a puppy smiley next to the name. The number was written down on the very day that after her game you went to the infirmary due to her inattention.

On the one hand, Ellie did not say anything that could embarrass you, or cause such emotions that you experienced at the moment when you turned off the phone and literally threw it towards the sofa opposite. Your palms covered your reddened face.

“She knew I was at every game she played?? And what did this "for me" mean?! Does she know that I look at her the most during the match? It can't be, it's impossible! How does she know that..” Thoughts raced through your head at the speed of light, and anxiety only grew. “No, don’t make it up, she just said it out of politeness, nothing like that, yes. But she wanted to write to me after all this!! Was she thinking of me? It means something? No, she was just bored .. Cheerleaders constantly walk around her, most likely she really wrote out of being a good friend, like her offer to hang out”. And on that final thought, your attention was caught by footsteps and a loud yawn that came from behind you.

Sleepy Chris left the room. She stopped a couple of meters from you, pulling one hand high up, stretching, and the other automatically covering her mouth from a yawning. A second later, she did a little morning exercise, turning her head and straightening her shoulders, after which she moved on and sat right in front of you with a greeting that was almost whispered due to her sleepy state.

-“Good morning hon” she said, pulling out her phone to see what time is it. Then her gaze lifted and focused on your tired face. You looked at Chris, waiting to hear something.

-"How do you feel?" she asked. There was a strong sympathy and maybe even sadness in her voice. Her eyebrows slightly raised and closed, making her look more worried. She silently looked at you, waiting for an answer and crossed her arms over her chest.

-“To be honest, I feel really shitty,” you breathed in, then laughed nervously. You did not know how to explain what you felt in that second, but you knew one thing for sure - you were not well. Your slightly reddened from rolling tears, plaintive eyes dropped to the floor.

Such an abundance of stress did not allow you to keep in yourself one tear that quickly rolled down your cheek. Your hand immediately reached out to erase the wet trace with your fingers, simultaneously wiping your nose and sniffing. Chris of course noticed this, she looked at you without taking her eyes off.

-"Oh no, baby, don't.." Her words were so tender that it brought two more tears. From a relaxed sitting position, you leaned your chest against your knees, covering your face with your hands. Chris immediately jumped up from her seat, vases you on the sides of your face and knelt in front of you to be at the level of your eyes. Her hands gently lifted your head, your palms lowered, revealing your face, which expressed only complete despair.

-“Hey, look at me, I'm with you, shhh,” she muttered, approaching your ear. Her hands moved to your shoulders, and then closed on your back, pulling you into a strong hug.

Your trembling voice abruptly interrupted the sound of your sniffing nose:

-“I just don’t understand why me, why now??”. Chris pulled away from your face, looking straight into your eyes that had so avoided her.

- "I know bunny, this is extremely unfair.. You don't deserve this, this is all very wrong, I'm so sorry.. but we can handle it! Do you hear?”

She firmly grabbed your shoulders as she rose from her knees. Your eyes went up with her.

-"We'll get through it, I know that for sure!"

You laughed softly, sniffing again and wiping your wet eyes with your wrist.

-"Yes, I hope.. I need time to accept it.. We all need it." You smiled again and Chris smiled back at you.

-"That's my girl!"

Three knocks on the door interrupted your sentimental moment and your friend immediately went to the door, while you actively began to wipe your face on the T-shirt you were wearing.

-"Hey sleepyheads!!!! Rise and shine!!"

-"We brought you breakfast!!"

Zoe and Jessie canceled out all your anxiety with just one appearance.

- "Hi guys, come in" Chris met them. The guests immediately began to look around for you. You thought that your eyes were no longer so red and your face did not look teary, but as soon as the eyes of your friends finally found yours, sympathy immediately appeared on their faces.

-"y/n, hii- oh no, are you crying??" Jessie's worried voice sounded, who, while holding bags of food, jumped up, and putting all his things on the sofa, came to hug you.

You immediately stood up to greet your friends and to make sure he was comfortable and didn't lean over. Jesse squeezed you into a strong hug and you felt someone hug you from the side too.

-"Don't worry y/n, we'll help you, everything will be fine" came the words of Zoe, who kissed you on the forehead. You stood like that for a couple more seconds, after which you were released and you silently exhaled.

-"Hi guys, thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me, I could not wish for more, y’all are simply the best" you said through a smile that appeared as imperceptibly as tears protruding from the edges of your eyes, but this time they were only tears of joy.

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Friends spent the whole day with you. In addition to food and groceries, they brought school assignments. Even in this situation, you have not forgotten the school curriculum. And no wonder. You worked so hard that forgetting everything in a couple of days would be simply unforgivable! Therefore, you have allocated a couple of hours for homework. It began to gradually get dark outside the window, by that time you all had already had dinner and decided to drink cherry beer. You never liked to drink, rather to try, but without noticing it, you poured yourself more and more all this time. Friends noticed this, but they felt it was right to let you forget a little and relax. They understood how hard it was for you and did not want to break the buzz.

At this rate, at 7 pm you were already a little drunk, not enough to stagger when you stand, but enough to stop filtering and distinguishing between what you say and your own thoughts.

-“Do you guys know Ellie? Elia Williams?” you suddenly asked what made everyone at the table make an inquiring expression on their faces.

"Isn't that the girl who plays for our rugby school’s team by any chance?" asked Zoe.

-"Yeah, it's her," you replied, shaking your head positively. And just as you wanted to tell them something about her, your phone vibrated once again during the day.

*one new message from “EllieW🐶”*

- “Wow .. remember the sun, here is a ray, as they say ..” Everyone listened carefully, waiting to hear who wrote to you.

-"Everything is fine? Who’s that?" Chris asked. Every time you received a notification or someone called, Chris listened carefully and clarified who it was, she was very afraid that some anonymous person would write to you again and therefore she was very vigilant. After a little thought, you answered that it was nothing special, some kind of spam, but you didn’t immediately put the phone down, wrote something in response, only then putting the phone on the table.

-"So what's up with this Ellie?" Jesse asked impatiently. Was he angry? His annoyed tone surprised you, even though you knew Jesse had some prejudice against Ellie.

And not only to her. Jesse cherished you very much, he was like an older big brother to you, so he tried to protect you from unwanted people in advance before they could enter your life.

-“Oh, yes, I just remembered, nothing else” you quickly replied, as if you remembered her from scratch. Everyone except Jesse ignored your strange behavior, brushing everything off for cherry beer.

A chat with Ellie was all you could think about now. Everyone switched to the next topic while you had a moment of happiness.

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Literally five minutes later, Zoe and Jessie left, it was already late and the work week was not over yet, so they did not want to stay up late. You went to change and warned Chris in advance that you would be out for the next couple of hours, you need to go and pick up a couple of personal items from the house that you need. Of course you lied. The truth was that Ellie had already arrived and was waiting for you around the corner. Your friend reacted absolutely calmly, she understood that it was necessary and did not stand in your way. She was not one of the inquisitive friends. In this matter, you have always been easy with her.

You said goodbye to Chris and went out on the threshold of the house, closing the door behind you. Ellie wrote that she would be waiting nearby and the number of the car. You walked a couple of meters forward and trampled on the spot and looked around you saw her, after which you immediately headed towards her. Ellie stood leaning on her car. The tattooed hand that caught your attention again wrapped around her waist while the other brushed the joint away from her soft lips.

-“Hii !!,” your voice didn’t sound drunk, but rather tired and cheerful at the same time, which contradicted each other.

Turning her head to the other side, her eyes met the floor, she quickly exhaled a cloud of smoke and said hello:

- “Sup, long time no see hahah” she joked, hinting at yesterday's party, which you also managed to forget about by the way.

-“Yeah, I miss you already,” you replied. You wanted it to sound like a joke too, but your words came out a little sincere than you thought, which made Ellie a little blush.

-“So, are you ready for a ride and adventure??” she asked, looking directly at you into your eyes.

-"Hell yeah!!" You answered, raising your hands in fists in the air and rejoicing that you still accepted and trusted her offer ...

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Part three in process…

#ellie x reader #ellie the last of us #ellie x you #ellie x y/n #tlou ellie #ellie tlou #ellie x fem reader #ellie smut #ellie williams #ghostface!ellie #ghostface!elliewilliams #the last of us au #the last of us

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h3k3t · 5 months

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖊𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖌𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖙

❥ 𝕽𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖉: ɴᴏ ❥ 𝕾𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞: ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪꜰ ɢᴏʀᴛᴀꜱʜ ᴅᴏᴇꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴅᴍɪᴛ ʜᴇ ᴍɪꜱꜱᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴀʟʟꜱ ᴏꜰ ʜɪꜱ ʀᴏᴏᴍ ʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴀʟʟ ʜɪꜱ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴏᴍꜰᴏʀᴛ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ. ❥ 𝕻𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌: ᴇɴᴠᴇʀ ɢᴏʀᴛᴀꜱʜ x ꜰᴇᴍ!ᴅᴀʀᴋᴜʀɢᴇ // ᴇɴᴠᴇʀ ɢᴏʀᴛᴀꜱʜ x ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ꜰᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ❥ 𝕲𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊: 🇦🇳🇬🇸🇹 ❥ 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘/𝕹𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖘: ɴᴏ ʙᴇᴛᴀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ (ꜱᴏʀʀʏ), ɪᴛᴀʟɪᴄɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴘᴀʀᴀɢʀᴀᴘʜꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ꜰʟᴀꜱʜʙᴀᴄᴋꜱ ᴀʟᴄᴏʜᴏʟ ɪɴᴛᴀᴋᴇ, Qᴜɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴀᴅ ɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛɪꜱꜱᴜᴇꜱ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ, ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ɪɴᴛɪᴍɪᴅᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ɢᴏʀᴛᴀꜱʜ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴛᴜᴅʏ

Night had fallen on the city of Baldur’s Gate, and though darkness now draped the sky, the narrow streets of the city began to light up with the stars: inns, small taverns where the modest workers went to spend an evening drinking a pint of cheap beer, playing dice with friends or getting lost among the breasts of some curvy whore; the windows of modest apartments, climbing in the stone and concrete structures of the city were open, an attentive ear could hear the screams and shouts of children, the sound of plates filling with boiling soup or falling into a thousand pieces on the floor followed by the angry barks of the mothers or the gasps of a clumsy young housewife. In the narrow blind alleys there were dull sounds of fists and moans of pain, smell of blood and piss, while a thief escapes with his dirty hands and a few piles of gold coins that he had just taken off the corpse of a corpulent squire whose name nobody will remember. This was the beating heart that beat alive in the city of Baldur’s Gate, life flowed and ceased with the speed of a breath, today you were there, tomorrow…only fate and the gods would know.

The door to a bedroom opened, slightly startling a couple of servants busy preparing the bed for the night. Their silent and tense gazes were aimed at the figure of their master, who simply said: "Out. I want to be alone" and that was enough to make them run away as fast as feathers in the wind. The man let out a long sigh, the last echoes in the corridors finally being silenced as he closed the door, his shoulders slumping, his stance becoming softer as he strode unhurriedly towards a dresser where he stood. a mirror. Enver Gortash looked in the mirror and with disappointment observed the reflection of his face: the portrait of tiredness, of a man who moved forward by inertia and pure survival instinct. It had never bothered him to surround himself with pompous and boring squires, organize meetings and, when necessary, parties or banquets to forge political and commercial alliances; No, Enver Gortash was a man who never took his eyes off his goals, and if he had to walk through shit, Gods, he would do it with his head held high and without looking anywhere else but towards the horizon. But in the last period something began to weigh him down, making the voices of his subordinates and his allies excessively loud and echoing while he held conversations, when instead it was only a strange buzz infesting his ears and then he sought comfort in the noise, and the cycle began again like this every day. The man had often found himself excessively disinterested, so much so that he wondered what the hell he had talked about for an entire hour with that nobody in front of him, realizing that he had simply observed them without any glimmer of attention. A weight was added to the inattention, initially metaphorical, then he would have sworn that at times he felt his heart becoming as heavy as armor and descending to the underworld, taking him back to the House of Hope…then he understood, he understood what was gripping him so much that weeks and Gods...Gods! The anger was so great that Bane's favorite follower had been tempted to blaspheme even against the same divinity that had raised him from the sea of mud and fire where he had lived, but in which in his adolescence he had learned the greatest pain and exhausting that can kill a man more than death itself: Loneliness.

The man clenched his jaw, while his calloused hands adorned with his gold gauntlets rested wide on the wooden and lacquered surface of the chest of drawer, a vain attempt to support himself and prevent his heart from falling into hell again that evening. He closed his eyes and lowered his head like a prisoner ready for the executioner's blade that would cut off his head, and with extreme punctuality the pain came, hitting him in the chest and then in the head filling it with a myriad of dangerous emotions: sadness, anger, pain, regret, remorse and then resentment and then anger again, and anger again, a blazing fire that squeezed his throat and then burned it, while his fingers closed into fists, scratching the chest of drawer with the tips of the golden claws…emotions all triggered by lack, and the lack was born from a feeling that Gortash was certain he had eradicated root and trunk from his soul: Love. And just as darkly as the clouds were blotting out the moonlight over Baldur's Gate, an almost primal scream escaped Gortash's mouth as he slammed his hand into the chest of drawers, and then with both he mowed away every piece of paper and object carefully placed on it, causing it to spill to the floor and every single noise to echo in that damned room that had now become too big and too empty for him. The man breathed deeply to suppress the beast within him, hidden by the layers of the mask he had created for years as he climbed the ranks of society. Lord Enver Gortash, a man of charisma and stubbornness, cunning and ruthless with those who were no more useful in the design of the great plan than him. No…the truth was that now he couldn't look at his real self in the mirror, the real him, the scared, lonely child he had always been and would be until he died. Enver Gortash was not afraid of hell, he had already been there; His greatest fear was being alone again now that he understood what it felt like to feel less different and twisted in those dangerous lands he now called home.

The man brought the thumb and forefinger of his right hand to the bridge of his contracted nose in a displeased expression, breathed again, and when he reopened his eyes he looked at the mess he had made around him, he sighed, disappointed in himself and his lack of control, but then he remembered that this was his room and no one other than him was present to observe and judge him. His dark tired eyes fell on a small metal object, hidden among the various fallen paperwork and the inkwell knocked over on the ground together with the pen. The invoice was recognizable to him at a glance, as he crouched down to take it and observe it with intensity. Crafted in his Steel Watch, what he held in his hand could have been mistaken for a high-class woman's elegant compact, sure, if one hadn't noticed the peculiar pair of buttons on the back of the object no smaller than the palm of his hand.

He watched it, watched it for what seemed like a good minute, then got up and took it with him as he sat down in one of the armchairs near the already lit fireplace. He prepared a full glass of his favorite liqueur, that night he needed it to be able to survive and gain a few hours of sleep in peace without voices in his head. He undid his shirt and carelessly threw his coat to the ground, while his gold gauntlets were abandoned on the same table where there was the crystal vial full of liquor and the glass half full. He took a deep sip, contracting the muscles of his face from the fire that ran down his esophagus into his stomach, and immediately felt the pain shooting through him slightly. His attention shifted again to the small object, a contraption, a prototype that he was working on, but he wasn't sure he would create a patent for it…it was still too crude, he always said. Yet he hadn't resisted that day, he was dying to show her, to share that silly little invention of his with the nearest and dearest. He took another sip, while with a long breath he closed his eyes trying to find the courage to press that button, while the memories of him assailed him. Without wanting to, he tightened his grip on the object, as if he was looking for a hand to help him save himself from that painful fall, but then his palm quickly extended, for fear of breaking even that thing which was so insignificant for him until a few weeks ago, but that now, for Gods' sake, he would kill someone with his bare hands if it broke.

He looked at it a little longer and licking his lips nervously, he cursed himself and before fear blocked him again he pushed one of the two buttons on the back of the device.

"ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ?" a female voice registered inside him, he said, while a distant mechanical noise made it clear that he was turning the object in his hands.

“ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴏᴛʏᴘᴇ…ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ɴᴏɴꜱᴇɴꜱᴇ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ʙᴜᴛ ᴡᴀꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ” Gortash's voice echoed in the distance from that thing.

“ɪ ꜱᴇᴇ…” the female voice said confused, pretending to be impassive. There was a moment of silence. “ꜱᴏ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ? ᴏʀ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴡᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ'ꜱ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴀʟʟ ᴇᴠᴇɴɪɴɢ?"

Gortash smiled wistfully as he listened.

“ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅᴇʀ” he replied distantly, satisfied when she couldn't understand what her inventions were for and he had to explain them to her.

An amused laugh escaped the girl. “…ᴀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ?”

“ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴ ᴏꜰ ᴜꜱ ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴀʏ, ʙᴏᴏᴋꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴɴᴀʟꜱ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ʙᴜʀɴᴇᴅ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴᴛɪɴɢꜱ, ᴀ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ʟᴏꜱᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴀᴠᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴᴛɪɴɢꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴄᴜʟᴘᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ ʀᴜɪɴᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʀᴀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴀᴅ ᴡᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ…” Gortash explained “ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ɪ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏꜱᴇʟꜰ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪᴍᴘʀɪꜱᴏɴ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ'ꜱ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ɪɴꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴀ ᴍᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ. ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇ"

There was another chuckle from the girl, this time in disbelief. “ɴᴏ...ɪᴛ'ꜱ…ɪᴛ'ꜱ ɪᴍᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ” she said uncertainly.

"ᴏʜ…ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ᴏꜰ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ꜰᴀɪᴛʜ" Gortash said confidently. “ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɴᴏᴡ ʜᴇ'ꜱ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ…ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀʏ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘᴏꜱᴛᴇʀɪᴛʏ?” his tone was ironic and teasing, but the girl remained silent thinking about it.

“ᴜᴍ…ɪ ᴀᴍ ʙʜᴀᴀʟ'ꜱ ᴄʜᴏꜱᴇɴ. ʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʟᴛ ᴏꜰ ʙʜᴀᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ—” but she was interrupted by Gortash who seemed almost exasperated by her.

“ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴅꜱ, ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴇ, ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴ ꜰʀᴏɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ʙʜᴀᴀʟ” he said but not reproachfully “ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡɪʟʟ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟꜱᴇ. ꜱᴏ ꜱᴀʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɪɴꜱɪᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɢᴏᴇꜱ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ" There was a moment of silence and then a sigh from the girl before speaking again.

“ɪ'ᴍ ʟᴀɴᴏʀ…ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟᴀɴᴏʀ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ. ɪ'ᴍ ᴀ ʜᴀʟꜰ-ᴇʟꜰ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴇᴅ ᴛɪᴘꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ" there was a laugh from both of them, a little embarrassed and then more spontaneous.

Gortash smiled wistfully in his chair. Lanor…His Lanor. Not even the most powerful curse or spell in all of Faerûn would make him forget the face of the woman for whom he would burn the whole world if necessary, and the only one in all his sad and turbulent existence who seemed to understand him, completely, having managed to slip with the same fluidity of a drop of water into the cracks of his adamantium armor and watered the arid field that had become his heart…if he had ever had one before.

“ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ? ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴇꜱᴛ?” his recorded voice asked.

“ᴏʜ ɢᴏ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟʟ, ᴇɴᴠᴇʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏʀᴅʟɪɴɢ ꜱᴘᴇᴇᴄʜᴇꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ…ɪ'ᴍ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴀʙᴇʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ" the girl said, huffing impatiently.

“ᴏʜ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ…ᴍʏ ᴅᴇᴀʀ” Gortash's voice came closer and there was what sounded like a kiss on the lips “ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴋɪʟʟ, ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ ꜱᴇᴇᴍ…” there was a moment of silence as if he had been holding back from saying something totally sinful “ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴀᴢᴇ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍɪʟʏ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴜʟʟ ʙʟᴜᴇ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱʟᴏᴡʟʏ ꜱᴛᴀʙ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. ᴀ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ"

“ɴᴏ…ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ꜱᴀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ” the girl said almost immediately “ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜ…ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ʙᴇ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ" she whispered and for a moment there was silence.

Gortash stared into space for a long moment and the pain didn't take long to arrive, like a dart in his chest, while he still remembered the taste of the half-elf's lips when she had kissed him with an almost disarming delicacy, compared to the many times in which he they were indulged in nasty and lustful nights, when they seemed to eat each other while exchanging kisses and caresses. He remembered her beautiful eyes, adorned with heavy dark crimson makeup, smeared just enough to make her look sensual and lethal, as if she had painted her pale face with the blood of her enemies. He remembered the calloused pad of his thumb caressing the contours of her colorless, chapped lips, engraved with some strange ritual scars with a runic and grotesque appearance. He remembered that strange glimmer of restlessness, in her usual impassive and fearless attitude, something that night was disturbing her…

Gortash took another large gulp of liquor, groaning at the instant burning in his throat, in a vain attempt to drown out his guilt. He turned the device back on, pushing the button, playing the recording a second time, as if he didn't want to remember what happened next.

"ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ?" “ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴏᴛʏᴘᴇ…ᴀ ɴᴏɴꜱᴇɴꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ” “ɪ ꜱᴇᴇ…ꜱᴏ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ? ᴏʀ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴡᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ'ꜱ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴀʟʟ ᴇᴠᴇɴɪɴɢ?"

But even as the man tried to escape his demons, the voices on the recording overlapped with those in his head.

“Do you really have to go?” Lanor asked, uncertainty mingling with her mask of callousness. Gortash didn't seem to get it.

“How eager…It's rare to see you so in need of my company, dearest” he said with an almost mocking chuckle, as he caressed her pale cheek with his golden knuckles, before heading to take his coat and place the device elsewhere. Lanor seemed really disappointed by that answer, but once again, Gortash was too busy to notice. "Unfortunately I just can't leave my guests alone, this evening is decisive, I may have the consent of one of the richest families in Baldur's Gate…If I succeed, my ascension will be imminent and the Ravengard will finally be out of the picture."

“…I see” she replied, biting the inside of her cheek, then sighed, her impassive, disinterested façade returning to her place. She would have to fend for herself like she always had, before she met Gortash.

“So, shall we meet up later? There are some things I would still like to…discuss with you,” Gortash said as he headed towards the exit. Lanor seemed lost in thought, she blinked several times and then turned to him and said: “Fine, don't be late”

Gortash tightened his hand around the mechanical object as he operated it a third time, closing his eyes, now red and irritated, perhaps from tears, perhaps from the heat of the fireplace, perhaps from the strong taste of the liquor…he no longer knew, his senses were becoming blurrier, his vision less clear, as he took another sip and restarted the recording for the third time.

Lanor never arrived at Gortash's office, he waited until late at night for her, with a sad and confused grimace framing his slightly wrinkled and tired face. She was always on time, usually he was the one who was late… He thought that perhaps something had kept her in the Bhaal temple, after all she was the chosen one, surely there was a logical explanation for everything. They would meet in the morning, as usual, Lanor would come to him, as always, entering through the window like a stray cat, covered in blood perhaps, and her gaze full of adrenaline oxymorized by her detached and cold attitude.

No, she didn't show up that morning either, nor the following morning, she had disappeared…as if she had never existed.

“ᴇɴᴠᴇʀ…” Lanor's voice echoed weakly and uncertainly from the mechanical contraption “…ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴍᴇ ᴏʀ ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ, ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ɪ ᴘʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴜᴛᴛᴏɴ” there was a moment of hesitation and then a sigh:

“ꜱʜᴇ ɪꜱ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴇɴᴠᴇʀ, ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ…ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ, ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴡᴀʟʟꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ. ɪ ᴛʀɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʀɴ ʏᴏᴜ…ʜᴏᴘɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢʀᴀꜱᴘ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴɪɴɢ…ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ ʙᴜꜱʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀꜱᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴘʟᴀɴ.”

There was another silence, and for a moment it seemed as if Lanor was struggling to keep her voice steady, as if her fear were eating her, like a mouse knowing it had no escape.

“ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪғ ɪ'ʟʟ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴛʜɪs ɴɪɢʜᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪғ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ ᴋɪʟʟ ᴍᴇ. ₭łⱠⱠ ₥Ɇ ł₦₴₮₳₦₮ⱠɎ! sʜᴇ's ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴇ! ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴇ…" now the girl's tense breathing could be heard, she was in a hurry to leave, time was running out "ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ, ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ…ʙᴇ ᴡᴀʀʏ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀʟʟʏ, ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘʟᴀɴ ɪꜱ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀɴᴅ…ʙᴀɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʜᴀᴀʟ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴜꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ɴᴏ ᴇꜱᴄᴀᴘᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʀᴀᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ᴛᴡᴏ ɢᴏᴅꜱ...”

The recording then ended abruptly. A message for help, before she mysteriously disappeared who knows where, perhaps dead, perhaps still alive, who knew… But if Lanor was still breathing, why hadn't she returned to him? Why this silence? Why all this?! These questions would not have received an answer, just as that message would not have received an answer, Gortash had already lost consciousness long before. His brain had turned off, drowned by alcohol, and crushed by tiredness and remorse, sitting in his armchair, while the small tape recorder lay on the floor, under his hand dangling from the armrest.

#enver gortash #enver gortash x dark urge #enver gortash x tav #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #angst #one shot #heket works

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reinekinthos · 5 months

Text

fine milkers — about sirius, obsessing over her moony's tits (pt.2) pt.1 here

lesbian wolfstar | hogwarts | getting together | it will definitely get explicit.

—

“She's so beautiful Jamie, her hair smells like… apples. How can her hair smell like apples?”

Sirius might as well have hearts beating out of her eyes. Jamie lifts hers to the ceiling in a silent prayer for fortitude as her best friend keeps talking. “Her tits... they are so—“ big. Sirius doesn't finish her sentence. Instead, she makes a vague vulgar hand gesture around her chest, as if she is holding onto two Bludgers.

Jamie wrinkles her nose but can’t help but laugh. Remus' breasts are huge, and Sirius has wanted to get her mouth on them for a long time now. This is not new information.

Sirius wails.

“Don't laugh at me!” Sirius leans over the table, smacking the side of Jamie’s head. “How could you be so cruel to your best friend? Have some sympathy— I'm in love with a straight girl!”

Jamie outright cackles at this. “You daft pillock.”

Sirius is not a daft pillock, thank you very much. Jamie Potter's just a bitch.

“What about Moony makes you think “this is a heterosexual woman”? Are you blind?”

Sirius narrows her eyes into a disdainful stance. “What are you talking about?”

Jamie shrugs. “Moony is a lesbian. Everybody knows. Probably even McGonagall,” she pretends to think for a second. “Kreacher too.”

Sirius makes a face. “How would Krea—Moony is not into women. If she was, Binns would have looked for a Sirius Lupin when he called the roll earlier.”

“You are so embarrassing,” Jamie informs her. “It’s been years, just ask her if she wants to shag already.”

Sirius kicks her.

It is not just a physical thing. Sirius loves Remus. Loves her patience. Her maturity. Her unperturbed calm. Her unwitting eroticism. Her unearthly, lunar beauty. Her secret, hidden pain. She loves Remus. She wants Remus.

Sexually, obviously. But there's… a strong romantic component to that want, too. She wants to date her. To take her to Hogsmeade and hold her hand. To stargaze together. To blow her a kiss from the pitch after a successful Quidditch match. To cuddle her. To fall asleep in her arms.

It's not just about wanting to shove her up against a wall and get a hand inside her knickers.

“Okay, fine, ask for her hand in marriage already!”

When Jamie opens her mouth to add something, Sirius can only imagine it will be another lie, Binns scoffs from the other side of the room and Sirius doesn't have the strength to pretend to not be guilty.

The professor, with an irritated expression on his face, swings his arm to point in their direction and says, “what are you doing there in the last row, laughing?”

He pronounces the word “laughing” with the same tone someone else might use to say “torturing half—bloods” or “summoning evil spirits”.

Since Sirius can't be bothered to answer, it's Jamie who stands up to speak. “Well, Professor, it’s true that we were laughing. You should know that we were laughing because, in fact, we found the subject we were discussing amusing, but there was nothing life-threatening or legally actionable in our amusement, I assure you...”

Sirius can see three rows ahead Remus slapping herself in mortification.

James is still talking. “… Now, it’s clear to me as to anyone else that has been laughing loudly and uninterruptedly for the entire class period that this might suggest that we were being inattentive, or insolent, or even cheerfully moronic, but I myself find that a bit of drollery in this austere context does the heart good and therefore, necessarily, only deepens the joy of learning. As for the relationship between laughter and the Second Goblin Revolution…”

He doesn’t let Jamie complete her thought. Binns barks: “Cut it out, Potter!” and luckily the bell rings.

Remus waits for them leaning against the wall outside the class with her trademark expression of disapproval. It makes her look like a disappointed mum.

Sirius giggles at the thought. If Remus was a lesbian, they would be already married and Remus would be pregnant with their third child — Sir Padfoot III Lupin Black.

“Had fun?” she asks when Sirius approaches her and presses her forearm against the wall above Remus' head. Remus' hair is in a high bun with a few pieces framing her face delicately. So pretty, Sirius thinks, absolutely besotted.

Too bad Remus is probably thinking that she is a buffoon.

“Not really,” Sirius says, trying not to blush at the way Remus peers up at her through her thick, dark lashes. Sirius plays absentmindedly with a tear in her skirt. “We were talking about you.”

“About me?” Remus gives her a sidelong glance, and Sirius giggles.

Remus' lip twitches at the sound. Sirius reaches out to poke her waist playfully before settling back onto her previous position; as they lounge lazily in the hallway the students split up towards their next classes. Sirius watches Jamie wink at her suggestively as she leaves for practice with Mary and Marlene.

Sirius hums, barely acknowledging Jamie's antics to not encourage her. “Prongs think you’re a lesbian. Don’t worry, I told her you aren’t.”

Remus stills and Sirius looks around to see if someone casted a freezing charm. “Why would I worry?” she shifts, turning her head towards Sirius and staring curiously.

“I know you’re not homophobic or anything, I didn’t mean it like that,” Sirius rushes to assure.

Remus looks conflicted for a moment. “No, I mean,” she says slowly. “Why would I worry? It’s true.”

Sirius lets out an awkward laugh before the meaning of her words actually hit her and she freezes as she is.

“Huh?” she asks dumbly.

“I am a lesbian,” Remus says slowly again, like when she had to explain to Sirius how muggle currency works.

“What?”

“I’m a lesbian,” Remus repeats. No one moves. “I don’t hide it.” The way she says it makes it sound like she thinks she's quite obvious about it.

Her eyes remain on Sirius' frozen face until they hear a student scream somewhere behind them.

The student can die, for all Sirius cares right now.

“I— I didn’t know?” she stares silently at Remus wondering what she's thinking. Her ears have gone pink and her chest goes up and down gently with her breaths. Sirius has to force herself not to stare at her tits.

Suddenly she feels like their entire friendship has changed, she sees everything through a different lens. It all has a different context now.

A lesbian? Remus is a lesbian? Sirius could have been worshiping her body this entire time, but she hadn’t been? Granted, being a lesbian didn’t mean Remus reciprocated her feelings, but still!

She could have been seducing Remus this entire time and what was she doing? Calling her tits fine milkers?!

“I—I thought you knew and that you have been just teasing me about it,” Remus says.

Sirius shakes her head but says nothing.

Remus sighs. “Listen, it changes nothing. I know you were just joking— it’s not like I've ever taken it seriously...”

It changes everything.

“… Or taken you seriously.”

Sirius can’t think of a good reason they’re not scissoring instead of having this conversation. She exhales sharply.

Finally Remus smiles tentatively and says: “Alright, I’m glad we had this talk.”

Sirius feels a bit like she’s floating but she nods nevertheless.

She covers her eyes with one hand as Remus leaves. She thinks of her challenging look as she repeated “I am a lesbian” as if she was waiting for Sirius to do something about it.

Well, Sirius feels the inexplicable urge to do something about it; to grab Remus’ hand, drag her in their dorm room, throw her down onto the floor and eat her alive.

Sirius swallows, her eyes huge.

She wants to yell it at Remus right now, hey guess what, I love you, but she can’t do it yet. Can’t do it like this, as Remus is walking away down the hallway and they can clearly hear a Gryffindor shooting hexes at Snape. Jamie, probably.

She rubs at her eyes, lets the warm feeling in her chest pool outward. Yeah, she knows what she has to do.

Despite making a life-altering decision, nothing much changes over the next few days. Sirius goes to class as normal, but she feels a lot farther from the emotional mess she’s been before.

Something different has begun sparking in her chest after an undetermined period of time. It takes awhile for her to pinpoint what it is, and when she does, she blushes like a stupid.

It’s excitement.

There’s nothing wrong with being excited.

She’s looking forward to declaring her undying love to Remus, and that’s normal. Well, not entirely normal; Sirius envisioned a few concessions that she will never recount, even under threat of death, but still. It’s mostly normal.

What do people do to show their affection? Sirius is tempted to search for answers in the library, but she doesn’t think her pride would ever recover.

She’s a simple woman. Remus knows this. And there’s no way she would be able to misinterpret the gesture of Sirius showing up with chocolate.

When she goes to Jamie for advice, her best friend laughs in her face, reminding her that she has been gifting Remus chocolate since they were eleven. It won’t take her anywhere.

Sirius wants to do something nice. A little bit romantic, maybe, if she dares to use the word. Something to show Remus how much she cares.

Jamie is more practical, seduce her, she tells her. “She already knows that you love her. You transform into a dog for her. What’s missing is seduction.”

Seduction?

Seduction.

#wolfstar #lesbian wolfstar #sapphic #sirius black #fem sirius black #fem remus lupin #reinekinthos writing #remus x sirius #marauders

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mask-of-prime · 10 months

Text

VG: No Laughing Matter

Patrols ended rather early for the past few days. No unrest, no having to fight anyone. It was pathetic. Suspicious, come to think of it.

Shabaha had a hunch that the silence would lead up to something, something that would erupt. She didn't understand why Vitani couldn't see it. In fact, she didn't understand why Vitani wouldn't regard her at all, lately.

Ever since patrols became vacant and slow, Vitani's been making use of her off-time by spending it with Tiifu. She even socialized with Sauti, the wild dog under her and Tiifu's temporary guardianship.

The lovey-dovey stuff and all the other changes to Vitani's personality made Shabaha sick. She made sure she finally let Vitani know that, one day.

The exchange of grievances exploded into a nasty fight. In speaking to Vitani's face over the constant distaste she'd held for a long time, Shabaha risked pushing her friendship with Vitani even further apart.

Shabaha didn't want to believe the irony. She didn't want to believe that she was being rude. Tiifu's corruption made Vitani think Shabaha was being rude. Tiifu made Vitani soft.

Though... she still felt bad. She didn't want to believe it, but it wasn't a lie.

Maybe she was needlessly sabotaging Vitani and Tiifu's relationship, like Vitani had told her.

Shabaha hated watching Vitani turn the other way, heading to the Ponya. It felt like Vitani would be turned away from her like that forever.

Maybe she deserved it... As Shabaha's eyes filled with water, she felt a cackle erupt, she clamped her mouth shut with a paw before heading the other way.

____

Vitani spent her evening with Tiifu feeling listless and inattentive. She couldn't identify the feeling to either be disbelief with Shabaha, or regret for driving her away.

Tiifu picked up on this, aware of the disagreement between the pair of friends.

“Did you ever think that maybe Shabaha wishes you could treat her like you treat me? You treat me really different from the Guard.”

“They can handle the rough talk. We grew up that way.”

"But for how long?" Tiifu's voice grew firm, "Vitani, if the Guard doesn't have support, who knows if everyone will stay together."

"What is this, therapy?"

Vitani's ears swung back. Oof.

"Wow..." Tiifu sneered, utterly impressed.

“What I meant wa --"

Tiifu stepped closer, "You know, it's the constant jumping to conclusions that's really divided up your Guard. Now you're doing it to me. Is this what makes a fair leader?"

"How would you know what a --"

"First you make assumptions about Tazama, now Shabaha. You don't think maybe your Guard needs to be heard out, first?"

Vitani continued to sputter until it came to a halt. The only form of leadership she knew was 'swing first and ask questions later', to be unforgiving and presumptuous. She had lasting problems from that exact leadership from her mother.

Maybe with the next generation, things had to change... ____

It was dawn, a while before patrol would start.

Vitani could hardly sleep. Awakening early, she spent her time formulizing how she would go about addressing her fight with Shabaha. She dreaded -- yet very much expected -- things to get physical. They were both scrappy by nature, and sparred often.

Blinded by deep thought, Vitani didn't notice another lioness standing her way. She bumped into her.

It was Shabaha, uncharacteristically awake just as early as Vitani. Normally, the Bravest would sleep in and have to be forcefully woken up every morning.

Looks like this would have to be handled now. No better time.

Vitani's eyes met with Shabaha's. They were quite red from restlessness, and... an emotion she never showed. Today was going to be shocking.

"Shabaha. I --"

Her eyes then made their way down Shabaha's body. She noticed new scratches along the Bravest's forelegs and head. The Fiercest closed her eyes briefly. She knew too well what happened.

Resisting the urge to find a reason to be mad at Shabaha, she instead paced herself. She had to start slow and gently, practicing the suggestion Tiifu had made.

"I just want to know, are you jealous of what Tiifu and I have?"

“No. No, I’m not jealous.” Shabaha sighed, “I was never jealous. I’m happy for you guys, actually. It’s just…”

Suddenly, Shabaha began to chuckle. Vitani was disturbed.

“Everyone's always changing in front of me!” she cackled, “Like? That's how I know they're gonna leave. Happens every time!“

The Bravest’s voice cracked from laughter to choking up as she realized the weight of what she said.

Vitani shook her head, incredulous.

“What do you mean everyone leaves -- W-Why are you laughing?”

Shabaha snickered, “‘Cause it’s not a big deal, okay? I’m fine!”

“You just drop some of the most off-putting stuff and you brush it off as a joke. I’m finally starting to get sick of it. You gotta take this ser --”

“WELL, MAYBE I DON’T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT!”

Vitani was disturbed, to say the least. She had to wonder how many times Shabaha's characteristic laughter meant she was truly in turmoil. She had to attempt support if she wanted to resolve this.

"Why don't you want to think about it?" the leader inquired, "You can tell me, now. You don't have to be afraid to let anyone know. We don't have room for dishonesty in the Guard's friendship. It'll break us apart if we keep lying to each other."

Shabaha sighed in agitation, "I just... didn't wanna bring anyone down or make 'em feel bad for me. I just... push it to the back of my brain whenever it comes back up."

"What are you pushing back? If I know the Bravest lion in the pride, I know she'd want to conquer the most frightening challenges, like she always has."

Shabaha sighed in deep thought. She couldn't keep building this big lie anymore. The mask had to come off. For bravery.

"Okay... The reason I've been such a jerk about you and Tiifu is, that... I'm scared you'll leave me. We've been best friends for years, I don't want you to change forever and forget me. I've always been afraid of everybody leaving me. I never wanted anyone to know I was afraid, though, or else I'd be rejected. Been this way my whole life..."

...

In the dry, barren hills far from the Outlands lived a lioness and her cub.

This lioness was rather unusual, for she spent most of her life alone. She was ousted by family and by other prides for her selfishness and mental instability. Not truly caring about her life, she'd gotten into lot of trouble that had gotten her to where she was, such as antagonistic behavior, promiscuity, and abuse of intoxicating substances.

One day, she ended up bearing a cub. She gave it a chance to change her life. She gave it milk, she kept it close by, and she groomed it time to time, yet she still found herself unstable as she pushed her child away at times, and even yelled at her to 'be quiet'. Her child didn't realize this was abnormal, as the lioness was the only other creature in her life, beside a few dangerous critters the cub would pick from the ground.

Speaking of danger, the cub always found herself in a predicament without her mother noticing. Her mother would be turned away or absent, preoccupied with herself either way. It's this normalization of danger and not having anyone to stop her, save her, and tell her 'no', that led the cub to grow up to be who she was now.

The lioness, while distant and spacey most of the time, eventually grew ever agitated and annoyed with this cub. The runt would talk her head off and try to climb on her, and no matter what stunt she pulled, she turned out fine.

The little roach just wouldn't die...

...

"Then, one dry, hot day in the badlands, I earned my name..."

...

The lioness basked under the scorching sun. She didn't have a plan. Was she to find shelter? Water? Die? Who cared? She didn't care. "Hey, Mom! I held another scorpion yesterday! It only stung me a little bit, though. Oh! Also --" Like she has done many times, the older lioness abruptly got up before the cub could climb atop of her and play. The young cub, thinking her mother to be playing, continued to follow her. "Hey, Mom! Guess what I did today, though! I picked the legs off of another spider. Different one from last time, it was kinda --" The cub felt herself being shoved back by her mother's hind foot. She looked up. The older lioness seemed to be staring off elsewhere. Maybe Mom was looking which way to go... The cub continued to blabber on. In a desperate attempt to escape the noise and attention, the lioness trekked through the calm, algae-filled river. The cub was still beside her, but at least the water was cool and refreshing. A pair of membranes blinked away at the bright green algae, revealing a disturbed pair of eyes belonging to a Western crocodile. A low growl became a bellow as the beast emerged from the river. "You looking for some trouble, ladies?" he said, "You'd better have a good reason to wake us from our slumber!" The two lionesses frantically clambered out of the river and onto a nearby rock. The mother lioness knew that awakened crocodiles meant no more sleep, and only food to get through the dry season. The lioness looked down at the cub. She grinned big. This was the happiest Mom looked, the cub thought. She must've found the way out! Suddenly, the cub was lifted by her ankle, dangling over the river full of chomping teeth. For once, the cub felt genuinely terrified.

...

"My mom called me this word meaning 'target'. Because, before I knew it, I became one for the crocs..."

...

As the newly-named Shabaha slipped through the jaws of the hungry float, she lost sight of her mother in the middle of the calamity. The cub eventually escaped, just pulling herself unto dry land. Her fur was stained green as she was completely soaked. Shaken. Realizing she'd escaped, though, pride filled Shabaha as she called to her mother to report she faced a new challenge. However, as she looked around, her mother was nowhere to be found. Her smile fell. Pretty soon, her heart pounded out of her chest as panic set in. Hours passed as she continued to search the area for her mother. Waves of patience and panic filled her throughout that time. She let it sink in: Mom was gone, and she wasn't coming back.

The cub suddenly began to sob sharply as she grabbed her head. She doubled over into a meltdown from an influx of emotions she couldn't identify, pounding and scratching at her head. She loudly bawled into the air and the sky, all alone. She couldn't understand why she was angry with herself, but it felt like her fault. She shouldn't have been scared of the crocodiles. Her cowardice is why Mom was gone. Shabaha never frowned again. From this day, forward, she was all smiles, no matter what drove her mad. Laughter erupted from the cub as she rocked herself out of much-deprived comfort. A laugh that would get her into much trouble in the inhospitable Outlands over the years. ...

More uncontrollable, maddened cackling in present day ensued, until it slowed to sobs.

"I spent a day -- maybe two, just wandering alone through the badlands, hoping maybe, just maybe my mom could just pop out from out of nowhere, changing her mind." Shabaha sniffed, "But, then Kasi and Imara and Tazama found me, one day, all off to find a prosperous land they were all planning to seek refuge in because their homes were in ruins."

"...and you all came to the Outlands." Vitani finished, remembering the day she met her future Lion Guard.

"Yeah, we were off on our projectory to the Pridelands, heh. Then your mom told us the Pridelands were a no-go till your bro would take over."

Vitani gave a short, courteous smile that soon fell. Zira's big, convoluted lie was a lot to think about, she deliberately pushed it aside to let Shabaha finish.

"But, yeah... your mom saw so much in me. An instant replacement for that empty part of me my mom left. Your mom became a role model for me as soon as she let us in and gave us a place in the pride..."

... The group of preteens who would eventually become known today as Vitani's Lion Guard introduced themselves as soon as Zira cared to know what their names were. She was pleased to have such young, teachable recruits. After assigning roles to the others, a certain plucky young lioness was next. "And what's your name?" the striped lioness inquired, staring the cub down. "Sh-Shabaha!" the cub awkwardly, yet enthusiastically beamed. Zira suddenly grinned, "Let's challenge the meaning of that name, shall we?" Over the years, Shabaha would be employed in tasks no other animal in the Outlands could face. She was the one they called when it came to relentlessly chasing down even the most difficult of targets, aiming accurately for the killing blow. She was the bravest animal in the Outlands, and the one of the most feared because of it. ...

Shabaha's face fell from pride to sorrow.

"But, then, Zira didn't last long either, and when that happened, everything changed again. Everyone's relationships changed, we were meeting so many new animals, a bunch of Outsiders left to find themselves after that unification ceremony, and... I almost left too."

"I remember that."

"Yup. I almost never became your Bravest. Though... I'm not sure if you still do have one. Not now, now that I told you all of this."

"Shabaha," Vitani's voice became firm, "there's nothing braver than facing something you've been pushing away your whole life. I've never been more certain of choosing you as my Bravest until just now."

"You... You don't think it takes away from -- Like, it doesn't change anything about me?"

"Being honest with yourself is an improvement, if anything." Vitani smiled warmly, "I think we both learned that, actually."

"Feels good, and scary, I think. It was a good thing to do, but I'm still afraid it'll change how everyone treats me."

"It might." Vitani confirmed bluntly, "But, we're all changing. For the better, actually."

Shabaha noticed this, too. Not only could she see changes within herself by reliving the very days that made her who she was, but she saw Vitani change, too. It wasn't easy, but she could see it was better to grow than to keep rehashing the past.

Tiifu ended up being right, in a way. Vitani did need to spread this attitude to her Guard. ____

Later that evening, Vitani decided to borrow the pride's time for an important announcement:

"...We are no longer under my mother's leadership. Things will be different from me. Changes being that I will listen to your needs, instead of pushing you harder. I love my mother dearly, but keeping everyone together is what matters. It's been a goal from the very establishment of our Lion Guard that I wanted to make things better with the Pridelanders, I want us to grow from our mother's departure from the Circle of Life."

The Guard smiled, especially Imara, Kasi, and Tazama, who had always felt Zira's old ways were wrong. They were proud to see Vitani grow.

"My leadership before made for a dysfunctional environment between my Guard, and I wrecked our reputation with the herds. I will practice patience for the needs of others," Vitani glanced towards Shabaha, "and the option to be discreet in consideration of other animals' privacy. I want the Guard to follow my example under my leadership, and grow from the past."

Shabaha didn't show it much, but she felt warm and fuzzy inside. She never knew how nice it felt to be heard and respected until now.

Meanwhile, Simba and Kovu smiled at Vitani's promise to grow better than the generation before, having taken the philosophy to heart long ago.

"I'm just really making sure you can trust us." Vitani's voice shook, truly anxious.

"We do, honey." Nala confirmed, "You've been working really hard."

"As we've told you before, you're not alone in your mistakes." Simba added, "When I became king, I had trouble with the herds' trust, myself."

Vitani smiled shyly, relieved the older adults weren't displeased with her, as she normally expected.

The lions ended the announcement with a supportive, rallying roar.

Vitani's decree could not come at a more dire time. The current Lion Guard needed compassion now more than ever to prove to the herds that they were not what Ngurumo twisted them to be.

There was no longer a need to fight fire with fire -- at least... not too much fire, knowing Vitani's unique powers. ____

((Author's Notes: I'll be honest, outside of a brief fear of my family members not making it back from traveling somewhere and imagining them dying alone far away from home stemming from events where a lot of pets I had/knew died around that time, I've never really dealt with abandonment issues beyond that. Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria, an emotional dysregulation condition that often accompanies ADHD, however, has many overlaps with abandonment issues as they are both socially and emotionally-oriented, and checking many boxes for RSD was actually the ultimate way I realized I likely have ADHD. Basically I kinda plugged my adverse RSD experiences permanently affecting my life into Shabaha's abandonment/rejection issues as best as I could. So... if anything seems innaccurate about the way I wrote about abandonment issues in a character because I used what might possibly be too different of an issue, I apologize.

I headcanon Shabaha to have the hyperactive form of ADHD (whereas I likely have the inattentive form). She acts on impulse with little to no foresight, such as saying hurtful things without thinking about how they would affect someone, spontaneous vocalizations (funny noises or inappropriate laughter), a tendency to fidget, subjecting herself to outrageous stunts, people-pleasing tendencies (in her case: hiding her sadness with humor), and emotional dysregulation when it comes to rejection and/or abandonment. Her hyperactive ADHD is exacerbated by childhood neglect from her mentally-unstable mother. The particular child neglect Shabaha faced as a cub was complete emotional and physical disconnect from her mother, so Shabaha grew up without anyone telling her "no" when it came to danger, normalizing otherwise adverse experiences for her, and a dark way that she earned her spot as the Bravest. Her neglect continued in the Outlands in a way, giving her no healthy place to maturely express emotion.

Shabaha's actually my favorite Lion Guard member to write about, and is the one I had the most headcanons for. I apologize if I gave anyone a bad impression of her in earlier literature, her constant scoffing and belittling Vitani led up to this. This is not an excuse for her behavior, but rather an explanation. She is not a villain at all, but was definitely a recurring conflict until now.

Relevance and themes to Pride Month: While not explicitly explored here, I headcanon Shabaha as Aromantic/Pansexual (funnily the opposite of Kasi's Panromantic/Asexuality). She has no interest in intimacy but will try different experiences with different people. Because Shabaha's not a very critical thinker and struggles with empathy, she unfairly and irrationally projects her Aromantic experiences onto Vitani. As for her Pansexuality... well... my stories are PG-13 the oldest so her sexual experiences are not gonna be exhibited onscreen lol. Also, while a homosexual couple's relationship is being challenged in this story, it's not out of homophobia, but out of Shabaha's jealously, unstable relationships, and fear of change.

But anyways, while it may no longer be June, it's still Pride Month in my heart lol. Interestingly, July is Disability Pride Month, celebrating those living with disabilities and advocating for a more accommodating societal infrastructure. I presume it also covers neurodivergence and learning disabilities, if so, Shabaha's ADHD being explored here is fitting.))

#The Lion King #The Lion Guard #Vitani's Guard #TLK #TLG #Shabaha #Vitani #Tiifu #My Art

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tvseries-writings · 2 years

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Something went wrong

Prompt: A mission goes wrong and the reader is seriously injured ... the consequences change her life and the only thing that comes to her mind is to drive away any person. Including her girls.

TW: blindness, heart problema

Wandanat x reader

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The human body is frighteningly easy to broken; we use it in all possible ways, every day with a sword of Damocles pointed overhead, the hand of time passing, getting closer and closer to the time when it all ends. We take it for granted too many times, our body ... its resistance and all that it has to endure given our recklessness. Hell, your body has every right to object. You're surprised it didn't do this before. Although it was inevitable, however, you could only be upset and feel, well ... betrayed, when it abandoned you completely and you found yourself on the ground, no longer certain and with every single limb that seemed to be made of concrete, too heavy to be moved even partially. It took just a moment of inattention, one like many others in the past but with a decidedly devastating ending. You heard Natasha and Wanda scream your name as your head collided with one of the many cars parked along the street. It was a beautiful day, until it wasn't and your world went dark .…………………………………………...............................

A small moan leaves your lips as you wake up; you try to move your body but all you can get is pure pain and you decide to stop. "Hey, detka ... stop, you'll hurt yourself" You recognize that accent even after a billion years; you turn to the Sokovian and give her a small smile. "Hey Wands" Your voice is hoarse, so hoarse that a few seconds later Wanda a glass to your lips, making you sip some water before letting you lie down again. "You can take the bandage off, what is it ... whatever I have on my eyes please?" I want a kiss but I'd rather watch my beautiful girlfriend as I receive it . ” The amused smirk on your face quickly disappears as Wanda sobs and her hand quickly reaches your face. She strokes your cheeks and you can feel her crying as it comes towards your eyes. "I'm so sorry y / n " Wanda sobs a little louder and you are about to ask her what she means but the door opens with a thud, making you wince and a familiar scent invades your nostrils. "Dorogoy, you are awake, " Natasha says with evident relief in her voice. Despite the affection in her voice, you also hear a poorly concealed worried tone from your girlfriend. You hear them whispering something but you can't understand a single word and the bad feeling you had starts to grow more and more until you can't stand it anymore. “Nat, Wanda, what's going on? » The truth is a bitter friend and whoever said it… fuck, had a fucking right. They sit on the bed and tell you what happened; how that gorilla Fisk threw you into a car and you hit your head so hard that you had a seizure and caused you a brain hemorrhage that damaged your brain irreparably and, in particular, your vision. You would probably never see again. You stand still and listen, gripped in a vise by your girls while the awareness of what your life would have been and how changed, from that moment on, runs over you like a truck. Your heart starts beating hard, so hard that you don't hear their voices screaming your name or Wanda 's hand on your chest trying in every way to calm you down; your body can't handle any more stress. The beeping of the machines increases, dominated only by the worried voices of your girls calling the doctors and trying, at the same time, to calm you down but whitout fortune. And then, as the doctors walk into the room, your body decides it's had enough. …………………

It wasn't easy to adjust to your new life. It wasn't at all and despite the countless times you've been told it wasn't going to be easy ... well, you didn't really believe it would be that hard. “ Hey, how are you feeling today? » Jemma strokes your arm. You turn your head to where you heard her voice, giving her a smile. “ Shit, Jem, like the last six months. » You shake your head, embittered. You have no special powers or abilities, you were a spy but without sight ... without sight, you are nothing. Nothing. Not an Avenger, not a SHIELD agent Jemma sighs, knowing her she will be shaking her head. The biochemist removes the stethoscope from her neck and listens to your heartbeat. For six months now, he has been checking both your brain reaction and your heart condition. The reason? In addition to having lost your sight, fate had also wanted to grant you other physical problems, including a nice cardiac arrhythmia that had exempted you from any kind of sporting activity or not. You can't help but be shit. “ I can't even imagine how difficult it is but you are not alone; you have me, Daisy, Natasha and Wanda; they ... " " I'm a burden to them Jemma, I can't be an Avenger or a spy anymore, I can't do practically anything alone ... I'm useless Jem " Your voice is little more than a whisper and the pain in your words leave the stethoscope to hold you in a hug. “ Honey, you are not a burden. Even if you are no longer an Avenger they love you and want to take care of you; Natasha called this morning, again, and Wanda sent you a dozen messages ... You've been avoiding them for six months y / n, they're worried and this doesn't even make you feel good and it doesn't make them feel good " You know that what Jemma is saying is the truth, man if you know. With the loss of sight you have also lost a piece of your heart. Maybe it's honeyed to say but that's what you felt when you decided on any bridge with Natasha and Wanda and with the Avengers and the SHIELD. You even ignored three or four phone calls from Fury but you couldn't have done otherwise, you were better than you. And you were right, you're still sure you made the right choice but, at the same time, that doesn't mean it didn't make you feel bad. And Jemma knows it, she reads it in your face and the same thing goes for two of the people who love you the most in this universe. The two Avengers are no longer the same since they "lost" you. “ I did it for them Jem, they'll get over it ... they probably did and even if they haven't already, it's still the right choice. You can't convince me otherwise. » Damn, you don't believe your words either but you have to convince yourself, you don't have many other options after all. « Y / N ... y / n, calm down. Breathe… you have to breathe » You don't realize you are hyperventilating until Jemma puts her hand on your chest, right above your heart, inhaling and exhaling loudly to try to get her breathing to follow you. It takes a minute decision for your breathing to settle down and your heart to turn a crayon on a regular basis. " I'm sorry " You whisper. You feel a gust of wind, a sign that Jemma is strictly shaking her head. " No, don't apologize for that, you can't control it ." Jemma puts her arm around your shoulders, hugging you in a comforting hug. " I love you y / n but you really have to start taking care of yourself " " I ... I'm doing it, my way"

………..

You remain silent, there is too much of it in your apartment since you kicked out Wanda and Natasha, without giving them any kind of explanation and simply changing the lock on the door. Not that they didn't want to be able to enter anyway, if they wanted to. But despite your trying with all your strength to get away from them ... you did not succeed and - above all - you did not forget them. It's useless to keep lying to yourself, you still keep touching the other side of the bed, looking for their warmth and feeling your heart sink into your chest as you relive the same nightmare every time you wake up, every damn day. But it's your fault and it's useless to feel sorry for you. You sigh, running your fingers over your face, brushing your still closed lids as you push back a sob. You get on the bed, put your hand against the wall on your left and stand up. You follow the wall, your fingertips being hampered by the friction between the skin and the rough wall. Your hand stops against the door jamb and you walk through it, walking forward and counting exactly ten steps before turning left. Another 37 steps and you arrive in the kitchen; you touch the edge of the counter with your right hand, following its delicate lines until you reach the refrigerator. Ever since you lost your sight, you have had to adapt. After refusing the help of anyone who cared about you, leading them to walk away - what an idiot you were - you memorized exactly 'where' exactly 'what' was in your small apartment in downtown Brooklyn, counting the liabilities you would have. had to do to move from place to place. It hadn't been easy. It hadn't been at all. You have tested the wall more in those months than any other living thing in its entire life. ………………………………………..………………… «Good morning y/n » A voice you haven't heard in a very long time makes you stop suddenly. Although the former killer spent years eliminating her Russian accent, you can actually still hear it under that American accent forced by the Red Room. “Natasha, what are you doing here? » You hope that the butterflies in your stomach, just hearing his voice, won't show in your facial expression. " I was supposed to come here a long time ago, we both had to. " You frown; a confused look flashes across your face as you struggle to understand his words even though they make absolutely no sense to you. «Good morning detka » Wanda's broken voice reaches your ears and forces you to back away towards the wall behind you. Or at least you think there is the wall behind you, considering that at the moment, for the amazement, you would not be able to even remember where the bathroom is. Natasha jumps forward and grabs you by the arm, making him stop. “ Hey, be careful. You were about to go against the table » Natasha looks worried; you feel a shift to your left and a second hand rests on your back. « Detka ... we are sorry to be swooped in this way but we are worried, we love you and coming here was the only way to know how you were, to see you. You have not answered our calls or our messages since ... » The redhead does not finish the sentence, there is no need. You all three know what she is referring to; that day is imprinted in your minds. In yours, like the worst of your life.

You take a deep breath, biting your lip subconsciously as you remain silent. You don't know what to say, you would like to run into their arms and let yourself be rocked gently but you promised.

You promised yourself that you would let them live their lives without you, without an additional burden.

Damn y/n, we love you, why are you pulling us away? We want to be by your side.”

No, you know you are. They know that you are a burden to them, they must know. Damn, you gotta kick them out now before your stupid fucking heart forces you to run into their arms. "You must leave"

You say in such a cold tone that you surprise yourself, but you don't hide very well.

You hear Wanda gasp and Natasha let out a very loud sigh. « Y/n… please don't walk away again. You can't go through this alone, we are here for you »Wanda whispers and tries to get closer again but when she sees that you are about to leave again, she stops.

Natasha shakes her head, her gaze turns into a pissed look, and before Wanda can even try to stop her fury, the Russian starts talking. “ No, you won't be acting like shit with us again. Wanda cried so fucking many times, I cried… you ignored us for six months! Fuck y / n, fuck it. "

Natasha's pain, badly concealed under anger, makes you tremble. Your heart begins to beat fast, your chest tightens as your breath gets shorter and shorter. Fuck, Jemma told you it could happen but fuck, you didn't think it would actually happen. And right in front of the two of them. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Natasha's fury subsides when she sees the irregularity of your chest rising and falling. Wanda approaches you with a snap and when she sees that you are not walking away, her concern increases.

" Hey, detka, are you okay? What is happening?"

Her voice comes muffled to your ears; you stretch out your arm looking for any contact with the Sokovian, a foothold to lean on and as soon as you find it, you collapse in her arms clutching your chest with a grimace of pain on your face.

"Is it the heart? Y/n, it’s the heart? " Natasha kneels in front of you two, placing two fingers under your chin and pushing against your vein to feel your pulse. Her fears are confirmed when she feels how fast your heartbeat is. Too fast. « Черт, Ты идиотка (fuck, you're an idiot)… Wanda calls an ambulance! She is having a heart attack "

The Sokovian hugs you in her arms, in a panic, while with shaking hands she dials 911 on the phone before speaking to the operator.

Chest pain intensifies; the voices of Natasha and Wanda call you screaming but you no longer hear anything. Darkness is the only thing you keep feeling as you lose consciousness, your body leaving lifeless in Wanda's arms.

Your last thought is that you wished you could stay with them one last time and apologize… but you won't be able to do that anymore.

Thanks for reading! You know I love you right? Two stories in two days… wow. If you want to support me, comment, like and reblog. Have a Great day!

Taglist: @mmmmokdok @chaekhan @lightwhoranoutoflight @snowdrop1026 @ultroncanpegme @houseofaharkness

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cassynite · 1 year

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WOTR Companion Meme: Vonzi

@dragonologist-phd‘s original meme here!

Name: Kallesto Voness (Called Vonzi)

Race: Human

Class: Oracle--Wave Mystery, Blackened Hands

Appearance: A dark-skinned woman with a solid, curvy build and an afro of curly black hair. She wears clothing in blues and purples, in styles that are similar to the southern ocean-faring countries like Sargava, but cut for clolder climates. Perpetually wrapped around her shoulders is a large fluffy wool wrap. Her most striking features are her eyes--which are large, bulging, and flecked with light like a starry sky--and her hands, where her fingers have blackened as if exposed to extreme frostbite.

Favored Weapon/Equipment: Her magic, which tends to be focused on frost spells. Uses a crossbow if needed, though she has disadvantage. Will wear light armor if she wears any at all. Will often also wear gloves, as it makes it less painful to use her hands.

Top Skills: Use Magic Device, Knowledge (Arcana), Persuasion

Alignment: Chaotic Good

General Personality:

Vonzi has two states: the Delirious State and the Lucid State

Her Delirious State is distant, inattentive, and forgetful. She is not fully aware of herself or her surroundings, and finds it difficult to concentrate on the present situation around her--this does not prevent her from being a powerhouse of offensive cold magic when needed. In conversation, she speaks little and sometimes will not make a lot of sense, muttering phrases or fragments of sentences to herself. She will often struggle to understand or speak in a conversation.

Mechanics-wise, delirious state causes her Wis and Int to lower but her Cha to increase.

Her Lucid state is that of a cavalier easygoing woman, one with a witty sense of humor and a matter-of-fact attitude that lets her carry her burdens with far more tact. She is deeply self-confident in herself and her abilities and tends to dislike showing weakness in front of others--her delirious state is a vulnerability she hates showing. She will tell the truth when she thinks it matters, but will also lie for fun about things she doesn't think matter, and what she thinks matters might be different than what a KC values.

What traits/values do they admire?

An ability to stand up to and question authority; in that vein, a willingness to put value on individual's lives and helping those who would not otherwise provide material benefit as a reward. Personality-wise she's drawn to people who are willing not to take themselves too seriously and have a sense of humor about things, as well as people who are confident in themselves and what they stand for.

What traits/values do they disapprove of?

Blind loyalty to any organization, including religion, makes her wary, as she believes all hierarchal organizations are inherently corrupt. Cruelty disgusts her, whether it be self-serving and pointless or borne out of zealotry. Showing a lack of curiosity about the world and the people around them, being overly judgmental, or just being like a stick-in-the mud is likely to irritate her.

Also, while it's not something that will stop her from being friends, being overly deferential or self-deprecating is something she has little tolerance for.

Are they affiliated with any deities?

Explicitly she is an atheist, and shows a distrust toward all organized religion. However, though she no longer remembers this, her quests reveal that her family (or at least her mother) worshiped the entity that gave Vonzi her powers, and she possibly worshiped them as well.

What do they think of their role in the Crusades, and of sharing the Commander’s Mythic powers? What are their reasons for joining the commander’s party?

Vonzi is neutral to the Crusades and their place in it. She is introduced in her Delirious State and barely knows what the Worldwound is, let alone cares. Becoming lucid shows her expressing concern over the danger to the public the Worldwound poses, though she tends to express it in a very cavalier way ("Yeah, a giant demon hole is a problem"). However, she distrusts the Crusade as an institution and will warn a KC that if there isn't corruption on some level of such a large movement, there definitely will be. She doesn't particularly care one way or the other about the fact that she is companion to its leader, however.

Vonzi's attitude toward the KC's powers will be largely positive except in a few mythic paths, as she directly attributes them to her lucidity and ability to function.

Vonzi joins the party as a consequence to actions she no longer remembers taking, and remains due to instincts or half-remembered memories that tell her she either knows the KC (which the KC will refute) or that being in the Crusades is important for some reason. She's looking for something, and thinks that the KC and whatever she's searching for are intertwined. Her main motivation for remaining in the Crusades is to find out what she wanted in the first place.

Who are their friends among the other party members?

Ember: Ember's one of the only people who never gets irritated at Vonzi’s blunt and self-confident attitude, and will often converse with her normally regardless of if she is delirious or lucid. Vonzi enjoys Ember’s can-do attitude and her determined joy, finding it refreshing and an outlook that she philosophically agrees with--life might be shit but getting upset over it won’t change anything, so you might as well find hope.

Arueshalae: Like Seelah, Vonzi wholeheartedly believes that Arue is genuine in her attempts to become better and therefore sees no issue in befriending her and treating her like anyone else. She does struggle to understand Arue’s struggle--she genuinely thinks “just don’t be evil” is sound advice--but is tolerant and encouraging of Arue’s desire to learn more about mortals and trying to be better.

Seelah: While Seelah's devotion to Iomadae is something that Vonzi finds tiresome, her relaxed demeanor is one that Vonzi enjoys. As long as they don't talk about anything too serious, they got along just fine.

Sosiel: Sosiel's Andoran background is something Vonzi is interested in and she enjoys talking to him about ideals, of which they share a lot of commonalities. Sosiel's better about not being preachy about his religion, though he will still irritate Vonzi when he tries to pry into her past or the cause of her mysterious illness in an attempt to heal her.

What about rivals?

Daeran: While Vonzi thinks Daeran is hilarious and "actually sort of self-aware, for a noble," she ultimately finds his contrarian nature hollow and doesn't get along with his overt selfish nature. Daeran enjoys Vonzi's sense of humor and her usual easygoing nature but as soon as she expresses her usual life philosophies he starts to tune out; even if they share disdain about the Crusades and religion it's for different reasons and Vonzi's anarchist leanings are good for a laugh to him and nothing more. They can joke in banter but ultimately Vonzi writes him off as a spoiled, self-centered noble with little redeeming qualities under the surface.

Camellia: Camellia dismisses Vonzi early on in the game and will openly question why her presence is considered more of a help than a hindrance. She will also, conversely, insinuate the Vonzi's delirious state is an act she puts on to hide some dark secret. Vonzi, when delirious, will avoid speaking to Camellia outright; when lucid, she will be very straightforward with the fact that she doesn't like Camellia, but is willing to work together. She doesn't have to like her coworkers, after all. Cam just needs to leave her the fuck alone. When Camellia's secret is revealed, she tries to bond with Vonzi over dark pasts and entities that require so much of them, but Vonzi will tell them they are nothing alike.

Lann: I don't think Vonzi and Lann dislike each other necessarily--Vonzi appreciates Lann's sarcastic sense of humor, and when lucid they get along. However, Vonzi gets very irritated by Lann's self-deprecation streak, finding it self-pitying, and there will be several encounters where she basically tells him to get over himself, and he gets angry and defensive--he's allowed to think he's ugly, because he is, and he's allowed to joke about how short-lived and awful his life is because that's all true. And Vonzi retaliates by letting him know that they've all got it bad, he isn't special, and also he's moaning so much about how no one will ever want him, well that's less to do with his appearance and more to do about how he won't shut up about how ugly he is. You want people to see you as a hotshot? Act like it! Fake it till you make it, bud. (This would occur over several resting banters, ending with her apologizing, "Not for saying it, because it's true. But I shouldn't have said it that way. You're a good guy, you just have to see it in yourself.")

If Lann's quest is completed with him successfully pulling off his plan, there will be dialogue where he and Vonzi will reconcile and become good friends.

Regill: Regill sees Vonzi as an unknown factor with too varying a skillset--her delirious state, in his mind, is an active liability. He treats her with less contempt and wariness than Arue, but not a whole lot less. He'll often vocally wonder why the KC is allowing someone so clearly out of control of their own powers to assist the Crusade. For her part, Vonzi will be rather accepting of Regill's censure, but how much of it is out of actual agreement and how much of it is sarcastic, "Yup, I AM a menace, yet I'm still here and there's nothing you can do about it, neener neener" depends on if she's lucid or not.

Are they on any councils? If so, what sort of advice do they give?

Vonzi will show up for the leadership council--"show up", not "was invited," because she somehow finds out about the meetings and ends up crashing the sessions, much to the annoyance of Captain Harmattan. Her leadership advice basically comes down to recommending the KC be open and transparent about their leadership abilities to dispel dissent. She'll also make not-jokes about keeping an eye out for inherent corruption within the upper ranks; to be quite honest the Wary just sounds like the beginnings of a classic power grab to her. But what does she know?

Where do they hang out in the Defender's Heart? Drezen? In the Abyss?

Defender's Heart: Near Vissaly and the injured. Ambient dialogue when the KC comes near would have Vissaly asking Vonzi diagnostic questions about her state of mind.

Camp to Drezen: Around the edges, close-ish to Seelah

Drezen: Near where the Ziggurat/portal to the Azata court is.

Abyss: Around the campfire near Sosiel and Trever.

What are their idle animations?

Delirious: Rubbing her ears, hunching down and holding her head in her hands, looking around as if she hears something or is confused about where she is.

Lucid: Rubbing her neck, lifting one foot up placing it back down again, massaging her hands, swaying from side to side.

If they’re taken to Areelu’s lab, what is their dream?

Vonzi's dream is pretty sad--even if her act 3 quest is completed before the lab, Vonzi's dream is deeply incomprehensible to an onlooking KC, like a splash of watercolor around her rather than a concrete scene. There are some vague almost-images, sometimes--a farm, maybe, a giant bush of blue and purple flowers. Laughter--some that sounds almost familiar, and sometimes that of a stranger's. A shadow of a child, running along the edges of the vision. Sometimes other figures, which a completed-quest KC might interpret as Vonzi's sisters. The only thing constant and clear is the sky: the purple of high dusk, and yet covered in stars like salt on dark linen.

When asked what she saw, Vonzi will admit she can't really remember.

Do they advise the commander to abandon or keep their mythic powers?She will strongly advise an Angel or Azata to keep their powers--they're clearly not of the Abyss any longer, and it helps them with their goals. They've certainly helped her, literally made her sane, and she can't imagine the KC causing the kind of harm Iomadae is worried about.

"You're joking, right? I don't know, personally I think the powers that have literally given me back my sanity might be good, actually. Go nuts! I've got faith in you no matter what you decide."

If the KC is a trickster, Vonzi will urge them to go legend, equating the mythic path to her own sense of unreality when her sickness untethers her--it's not nearly as fun as it seems, and the KC will lose sight of themselves. She will even say that while the power has allowed her some lucidity, it also makes it even harder for her to stay in the here and now, and she doesn't want to lose herself--or the KC to lose themselves either.

If the Commander is a demon or a lich, Vonzi will consider the power as doing more harm than good--either by being so focused on their own power that they do not care what happens to others, or by thinking the only way to truly gain the power needed to stop the Worldwound is by dominating others' wills (demon and lich, respectively). She will urge them to go Legend.

If the KC is an Aeon, Vonzi will admit to being torn. On one hand, the power of the Aeon is changing the KC in ways she doesn't like, and she's worried about them. However, she understands that becoming a full Aeon could do more than even Iomadae could do to fix what is wrong. She will ultimately tell the KC that they will know what is best, but to ask themselves if they are truly willing to sacrifice everything to walk this path--because that is what their power will demand of them.

How/when do they join the Commander’s party?

Vonzi can be found near the base of Iomadae's statue in the Market Square, collapsed and surrounded by a puddle of what looks like black ink, except strange pinpricks of light emanate from the dark liquid like stars. The tieflings trying to break free their friend nearby will comment on her presence, saying they had nothing to do with whatever the heck happened to her but also that no demons have come near this area since Deskari first attacked. The scrawny tiefling (the one you can help free from the rubble) can be asked about her once he is free, and he'll tell the KC that she just appeared out of thin air right before Deskari attacked, to tieflings shock, and had collapsed. He doesn't know where the inky stuff came from.

The KC can approach Vonzi at any point, triggering a cutscene. She will be unresponsive, both to physical attempts to wake her and to healing, if the KC is a healer. However, the strange wound on the KC's chest hurts looking at her, and the KC can reach out with the strange power to connect with Vonzi. This causes her to wake up. She is shaken and barely responsive; the KC can only ask a few questions before a group of demons attack. Vonzi takes one of them out immediately with a blast of cold, and fights alongside the party to take out the rest.

Afterward, Vonzi can be asked questions again. She's slow to respond, and doesn't have a lot of information. She knows her name is Vonzi. She was here in Kenabres for...something. Something important. But she doesn't remember what, anymore. She doesn't know what the black liquid is. She doesn't know why she's so injured. The KC can then tell her where the Defender's Heart is, and she will offer her services and her magic as thanks for the KC waking her up. If the KC agrees, she becomes part of the party.

Do they have any specific comments or interactions during the main quest (EG volunteering to go to Leper's Smile, reacting to the Queen firing the KC, etc.)

If Vonzi is present during the second attack on the Gray Garrison, when the KC first gains a level in mythic power, she will have dialogue before the fight with Minagho that shows her first shift from her delirious to her lucid state, which the KC can note as her seeming far more clear-headed than before. Afterward, she has dialogue when KC first comes to the camp at the beginning of Act 2 as a formal introduction to her lucid state.

A lucid Vonzi will volunteer to lead the soldiers in Leper's Smile, probably with a comment about how bugs don't like cold much.

Vonzi will be kidnapped during the gargoyle attack; she'll be the last companion found, right before the chapel, encased in black ice that has surrounded her as well as a group of gargoyles. The KC touching the ice will cause it to break, freeing the gargoyles to be fought; Vonzi will be in her delirious state but insist on coming along to fight.

Describe their companion quest:

In Act 2, after Leper's Smile, Vonzi will request to accompany the KC the next time they go scouting. While she's felt much better and more clearheaded ever since the attack on the Gray Garrison and dealing with the wardstone, she is now feeling antsy and out of touch, unable to concentrate. She's worried she's slipping back into the state she was in when in Kenabres. The KC can also note that she's looking far worse, and is distant and distracted. She's hoping that some fresh air away from the camp, as well as concentrating on scouting, will help shake off the cobwebs in her mind, and she doesn't care where the KC is going as long as they go somewhere.

The next time the KC travels with Vonzi after this conversation, a random encounter will occur on the map that forces the party to fight a group of demons who have ambushed them. During the fight, Vonzi will have a breakdown, causing an explosion of power around the party that knocks the demons away in a gust of cold. After she teleports the party, she collapses in a seizure, black liquid with pinpricks of light oozing out of her eyes, nose, and ears. It's a large amount that very quickly pools around her body.

If Sosiel, Daeran, Seelah, or Ember are in the party, one of them will jump in at this point to stabilize Vonzi (in that order if more than one is present). If none are present, the KC has the option to heal Vonzi if they have healing abilities, or use an item if a potion or scroll of Heal Major Wounds or Greater Restore is in the inventory.

If none of these requirements are met, then Vonzi succumbs to her mysterious wounds and dies.

Once Vonzi is healed, the scene immediately cuts back into camp, where Vissaly is examining Vonzi. He will inform the KC that the seizure was not caused by a regular illness, or even a byproduct of some kind of brain injury; instead, it looks like the source of the seizure is magical in nature, some kind of spell that has been placed on Vonzi and is actively causing the condition--and probably her shifting mental state as well. Vissaly cannot determine what the spell is, where it is coming from, or how to remove it; all he can tell the KC is that the strange power they are sharing with their companions is actively healing Vonzi and is probably the only reason she isn't dead yet. Regular checkups and healing can also help mitigate these symptoms and he insists Vonzi visit him regularly moving forward to help with her condition until they can figure out more.

Vonzi herself is little help during this regarding the source of this spell; she not only still doesn't remember anything pertinent, but the seizure has reverted her back into her delirious state, and she finds it difficult to communicate.

Vonzi will remain delirious until the KC gets their next level of mythic power at the Lost Chapel; after that point, their general state will switch between lucid and delirious after several rests, with corresponding buffs and debuffs for each state.

NOTE: If the KC does not take Vonzi with them before the camp is attacked by gargoyles, Vonzi's body will be found during the attack with black liquid seeping out of her orifices and she will be permanently removed from the party, failing the quest.

In Chapter 3, after the key to the Ivory Sanctum is found in Wintersun, Irabeth will approach the KC in a cutscene with Vonzi present, who (currently lucid) was asked to come to the war room. Irabeth will explain that a new civil servant has joined the Crusade, and has specifically been helping to coordinate resources and supply lines to Drezen. She hails from Sargava as a highly recommended businesswoman--she is also, Irabeth had found out when they had met the other day, almost identical in appearance to Vonzi. Irabeth had wanted to bring this to Vonzi and the KC's attention, as this "Viritine Voness" might be related to or know something about Vonzi's past.

Vonzi seems genuinely confused by the revelation. She has no recollection of having any kind of family and doesn't recognize the name of the woman, though that really doesn't mean anything considering the holes in her memory. However, she is also surprisingly unwilling to follow up on this information. If the KC asks why, she says she feels that it just doesn't feel necessary, but this is obviously a super cagey response.

If the KC pushes the issue, pointing out a family member can tell Vonzi about her past, or perhaps know about the spell placed on her, Vonzi shuts down the conversation. "Okay, what I was doing before was a hint--I don't want to meet this Viritine person. Drop it."

The KC can, at this point, seek out Viritine on their own--she will be in Drezen near the soldiers practicing in the yard, near the supply houses (around where Trever can be found). She does look nearly identical to Vonzi, though there are some key differences--she's taller, and looks older, and her black hair is cut short, close to her scalp. She does not have whatever gift Vonzi has, as her eyes are a dark brown, and her hands are unblemished.

Viritine comes across as impatient and intense, with little charm or desire for niceties. She's helping to deal with supply chain issues and even the Knight Commander is just someone distracting her from her job. The KC can try asking her about her past, her life, and where she's from, what her family is like--but after a few questions Viritine, who had only been reluctantly answering before this point, will cut to the chase and ask why she's being interrogated.

The KC can lie about getting to know who works for them, but it requires a high bluff check and even if it succeeds, Viritine is not convinced. The KC can also just explain the truth, that they have a companion named Vonzi who looks like Viritine.

Failing the bluff check or telling Viritine about Vonzi will cause Viritine to get very angry, and she will storm off with little explanation.

Succeeding in the bluff check allows the KC to drag a little more information out of Viritine. She has lived in multiple places through her life, mainly in Sargava, though the last place she lived was in Isger until her mother's death a few months ago. When the Crusade started she traveled north to help with the efforts. Viritine will also reluctantly mention a younger sister, Aerici, and a niece, Laicanis.

After the conversation with Viritine, the KC can return to Vonzi to inform her about what little was learned. Vonzi is uncomfortable and irritated that the KC even bothered to speak with the other woman, reiterating she didn't need to know this. However, if the KC offers to drop the issue, Vonzi will ask for them to just give the information since they already went to the trouble to get it. If the KC told Viritine about Vonzi and informs Vonzi of this, she will become truly angry.

Whether or not Viritine was told the truth, she will appear and interrupt the conversation as either the KC or Vonzi attempts to end it. Viritine is furious, pop-a-blood-vessel furious, either by what the KC told her or about what she found when she followed the KC to Vonzi on a hunch.

She immediately starts yelling at Vonzi, calling her "Kallesto." She accuses Vonzi of playing some sort of ill-thought prank, of being selfish, of abandoning the family. Vonzi will stay silent throughout the tirade, and the KC can at this point step in in various conciliatory or aggressive ways.

Regardless of how the KC jumps into the conversation, Viritine will turn her attention to the KC and ask them if they know who they've been traveling with. She calls out Vonzi as her younger sister, Kallesto, who the Voness family had sacrificed everything to keep safe from the Isger government, who had seen her powers as heresy in a country where worship of all but Asmodeus was illegal. And in return? Vonzi's recklessness had led to the death of their mother. And then, the day after her mother was hanged for her crimes, Vonzi had the gall to leave.

Vonzi will not speak or defend herself during the tirade; at the end, she just walks. The KC can go search for her afterward; the conversation after will have Vonzi not giving a lot of information, but stating that it was important that she leave the family. That seeing Viritine had allowed her to remember enough to know that she'd left them for an important reason and that while the anger was probably deserved, she ultimately feels that her decision is justified even if she can't remember the justification.

The KC can, at this point, urge Vonzi to try and reconcile with her family, tell Vonzi that the KC is there to help if anything is needed, or agree that Vonzi is probably correct in her decision. Regardless, the scene ends.

The next time the KC leaves and re-enters Drezen (or a period of five days passes, whichever comes first), a small cutscene will happen where Irabeth will tell the KC that Vonzi is acting erratic and is demanding to see the KC. Vonzi comes in shortly after, and the KC can tell she's either delirious or slipping into a delirious state; she tells the KC she can't find Viritine anymore and had found out that she'd gone back to Kenabres. She insists that they go after her; under no circumstances should Viritine stay in Kenabres. The KC can ask for reasons but Vonzi will not give them. The KC must either agree to go to Kenabres or disagree; if they disagree the quest fails.

Traveling to Kenabres, the KC can enter the Market Square once more, with a cutscene starting in front of the church where Vonzi was first found and recruited. Viritine will be there, along with another woman described as looking like Vonzi, as well as a child about four years old--Vonzi's second sister, Aerici, and her daughter Laicanis. Aerici comes off as far more even-tempered than the angry Viritine, but is clearly hurt by Vonzi's actions.

They will together resume the argument that started in Drezen, with both sisters expressing anger/disappointment at Vonzi's behavior. The KC can either side with the sisters, urging Vonzi to open up to them and explain her reasoning, or side with Vonzi, noting that the sister seem to demand a lot from her and that they clearly don't know the whole story. Either way, the sisters refuse to listen to the KC's excuses, and Vonzi will tell them to leave the Crusade immediately, that they're not wanted--she will be very cold and downright cruel, which can cause the KC to either agree or intervene. Both sisters will express confusion and anger at Vonzi's behavior.

Then, there argument gets cut short by sounds of shouting and terror--and the subsequent arrival of a group of very powerful demons. Vonzi will freak out and immediately start attackign them with powerful cold spells; the KC and party will join in to help defeat the demons, with the sisters running away.

After the fighting is done, Vonzi is delirious from the energy expended. The sisters return and notice her change in behavior and demand answers. The KC can give a little bit of information regarding how Vonzi's mental state has shifted, which leads Aerici to ask Vonzi to please tell them what is happening.

The KC can ask Vonzi to tell them what is going on; if they have not been supportive of reconciliation or agreed that Vonzi's mindset is correct before now, Vonzi will refuse. Otherwise, she will tell the sisters that she left to protect them, that she didn't want them hurt the same way their mother was hurt because of her. This will cause the family to reconcile.

Alternatively, the KC can continue to support Vonzi's desire not to say anything, saying that she doesn't really owe the sisters anything and the sisters aren't obligated to forgive her. There are some things you can't fix, and this rift feels like it is one of them. This, as well as Vonzi refusing to say anything, leads to the family not reconciling.

After this quest, whether or not Viritine and Aerici are reconciled are not, they join the Crusade as NPC helpers, both providing buffs to Crusade management. Viritine ostensibly helps Dorgelinda with the supply line and rationing issues, while Aerici starts a "comfort circle" with other noncombatants in Drezen to send letters and gifts to soldiers on the front line, giving them a boost in combat.

Both of them can be spoken to in Drezen. They will share more detailed stories of their childhood and the complicated feelings they have toward each other, though what they exactly say will change depend on if they've reconciled with Vonzi.

If reconciled and Vonzi is in her delirious state, one or both sisters will move from their usual spots (Aerici is in the lower quarters near the mongrels, while Viritine is in the marketplace) to next to Vonzi, and will provide additional dialogue if the KC tries to speak to her letting the KC know she's not "feeling well" that day.

Vonzi's Act 5 quest activates after Iz. At the beginning of Act 5, the KC's first conversation with Vonzi will have the KC noting she looks far worse--sallow with dark bags under her eyes, and an unfocused gaze. Even lucid, she starts drifting off more often in conversation. However, if you ask her about it directly, she'll insist she's fine.

After the big post-Iz speech, Aerici will show up and say that something is wrong with Vonzi--the exact speech will be slightly different depending on if she's reconciled with Vonzi or not, but it will basically amount to Aerici attempting to visit the house Vonzi lives in and finding the door won't open, and black liquid is seeping out from underneath the frame.

She will then hand the KC a note, one with a short and simple message: "Thank you for helping me accomplish what I came here for. I tried to hold on until after we closed the Worldwound, but it looks like that won't be possible. Goodbye."

Aerici will insist they immediately go to Vonzi's house; if the KC refuses to, the quest automatically ends and Vonzi is permanently removed from the party.

If the KC agrees it cuts to her house, where the KC can break down the door. They will find the interior in a black expanse with dim lights twinkling in the distance.

When the KC tries reach into the blackness, it will coalesce on the doorstep into the shape of a vaguely humanoid figure with stars twinkling in its form. It will tell the KC that Vonzi is dying--the mythic power had been keeping Vonzi alive for far longer than she should have been able to hold on, and for that it thanks the KC. But the KC needs to convince Vonzi to let go. Otherwise, Vonzi will not survive the night.

The KC can ask questions--what the entity is, what is relationship to Vonzi is, but it will not answer. Aerici will guess that it is Vonzi's patron. The patron will reiterate that Vonzi needs to "go back," and that Vonzi needs to know she "cannot fix this."

The KC can express distrust at the entity's motives but will ultimately have to move forward with what it asks. The KC can ask what needs done and the entity will telll them that they need to "find her where she lies and tell her to let go."

The KC can walk into the house after this point, with Aerici asking the KC to get her sister.

Walking in finds the KC in Vonzi's memories--back when she was Kallesto Voness in truth, the youngest child of a woman who picked up her children and ran away from the community she grew up in when Kallesto was blessed with powers from the stars. There are several scenes the KC has to walk through showing Kallesto as a child, chafing under the understanding that the poor conditions her family has to endure is a direct consequence of her existence and her powers; that her family loves her, but they all might have been better, happier, if she weren't around.

Rigid and controlling Viritine, who expresses her fear and concern through anger; sweet and placid Aerici, who takes until she's married and left the family to sail with a Sargavan pirate to find any sense of identity outside of caregiver; and of course the matriarch Zapphine, whose overbearing nature, paranoia, and intermittent rages are all layered over the overwhelming sense that she had given up everything for her children and would die for their happiness. Vonzi is the one they revolve around, for better or for worse; the one chosen by their mysterious god, the smartest and the strongest and the one destined for greatness.

This information is given in discordant, out-of-order scenes from Vonzi's life, where the KC is forced to watch her interactions before being able to speak to Vonzi, who is able to point them in the direction they need to go to get to her--walk through a door, crawl under a bed, even fall off a cliff at one point, to get to the next scene.

While many of these pieces of her life are from the past, some are strange and conflict with what has happened in the story: scenes from Vonzi's life where she apparently joined the crusade alongside her sisters months after Kenabres was attacked, after the KC had led the army to Drezen and retaken the city. This Vonzi has no illness and helps her sisters with reconstruction efforts, with plans to head to Drezen after. There's no indication she has ever met the KC in these scenes--in this version of events, the Voness family fled together after their mother's death, when Vonzi retaliated by killing an entire church of Asmodean worshippers and putting a bounty on their entire heads.

The confusion with these scenes is eventually explained in a scene from Vonzi's earlier childhood; she and Aerici are cooking together when Vonzi stumbles and breaks a figurine that had been on the shelf, ostensibly the only nice and expensive looking decoration in the room. While Aerici tries to comfort Vonzi, Vonzi insists that she'll "fix it," closing her eyes and holding the broken glass sculpture. The world around her warps and turns liquid, then restructures itself; when Vonzi opens her eyes, she's still in the kitchen, but the figurine is back on the shelf, unbroken. There is a puddle of black liquid at her feet, one that Aerici expresses confusion about. Vonzi excitedly tells her sister that she learned a cool new trick with her powers.

Everything seems to be fine, until several hours later when Vonzi collapses, black liquid seeping out of her ears. Her mother helps Vonzi up and demands to know what's going on, but Vonzi can't answer. Eventually, the liquid pouring out of Vonzi turns into a puddle with a slick, mirror-like consistency; in it, Vonzi's patron tells her mother that she must 'go back', or she will die. Her mother, caught between rage and terror, demands that Vonzi do what their god has told them and go back. Vonzi, still seizing, seems to lose her grip, and the world snaps back--she is in the kitchen, with the broken figurine in her hands. She faints shortly after.

When Vonzi awakens, it is to her furious mother, who demands an explanation. Vonzi says that she broke the statue and had just wanted to fix it; she knew how important it was to her mother. And she'd realized that when she concentrates, she can go back in time, though she'd never tried to stay there before.

Zapphine tells Vonzi that she can never, under any circumstances, do that again. Their god has spoken and explained what had happened; Vonzi is too young to use this power, and if she tries to stay in an altered timeline she will die. She cannot make any meaningful changes in the past that will stick, because her powers will slowly crush her mind and soul until she dies or snaps back to the unaltered present she left.

Right afterward, it devolves into one final scene: Vonzi in Kenabres again, with her sisters and her niece. She and Viritine are fighting about how they had to join the Crusade because of Vonzi when the demons that had attacked in Vonzi's Act 3 quest show up. This time, though, unprepared and without the KC's help, Vonzi is only able to protect herself; the rest of her family is killed in the attack.

Vonzi has a breakdown at the deaths, her powers exploding out of her and killing the rest of the demons. She then tries to revive her sisters, without success. After a moment, seemingly numb, she tells their bodies that she will fix this, that she can fix it. And then the world warps and melts again, restructures once more with a puddle of black ink--Kenabres, months in the past, right as Deskari attacks.

The scene ends, and the KC has finally found Vonzi in the middle of a black expanse littered with stars. Her power is a tangible thing here, a weight on her back that is slowly crushing her to death: it was her own spell, her insistence on staying the past, that has caused her delirious state, and what is killing her now.

Vonzi expresses surprise at the KC's presence and thanks them for their help, but saying that she knows she has to die to preserve the timeline and keep her family alive. Dialogue will vary slightly if she reconciled with her family or not, but either way she asks the KC to leave so she can make sure she properly fixes things.

At this point, the dark figure from before will reappear, this time a more coherent silhouette of stars--it identifies itself as an aeon (an Aeon KC will be able to recognize it as a rogue aeon, one that has gone against the natural order), and insists that Vonzi is "too young" to do this properly. That she must return back to her timeline, and let the past go.

The KC, at this point, has three options:

Let Vonzi die: the default, which requires no convincing on Vonzi's part, and can be done whether or not her family reconciled with her or what her relationship with the KC is. The rogue aeon will grow furious and attack; the KC must defeat it, with Vonzi helping. When it is gone, Vonzi dies, and is permanently removed from the party. The KC leaves the house and delivers the bad news to Aerici, who is tearful but understanding; both she and Viritine remain as important NPCs to the Crusade, with their corresponding buffs.

Convince Vonzi to return to her timeline: Requires the KC to have pushed Vonzi to letting things go/not destroying herself for the sake of fixing things in her dialogue and quests, as well as have high trust. She and her family must not be reconciled, and a persuasion check must be passed. If successful, Vonzi agrees with the idea that even if her family is gone, life is still worth living--that there is something on the other side of the tragedy. Vonzi will let go, causing the stars to wink out and fade into darkness. When they fade, the KC will be in an empty room; Vonzi will not be present, and outside, neither will Aerici. Both Aerici and Viritine will have disappeared from the Crusade and their buffs will also be gone.

After a rest, a cutscene will occur in the war room where Vonzi appears. She is calmer, more grounded, and looks much healthier--lucid, permanently. She at first presents herself as a stranger and a new recruit; after the KC tells her they remember her, she thanks the KC for helping her come to terms with what happened and for convincing her to revert the timeline. She asks to rejoin the party, which the KC can agree to or not. There is special dialogue regarding Vonzi with several NPCs, as while the KC's mythic power allows them and the party to remember Vonzi, no one else does. The KC can also talk to Vonzi after this quest to discuss her decisions and her grief.

Convince Vonzi not to let go and accept help from the KC: requires very high trust, the KC to be on a non-evil mythic path, and for the KC to have convinced her in her quests that her efforts weren't pointless even if they came at a high cost. Her family must be reconciled and the KC will have shown her they can be trusted to support her. When Vonzi agrees the KC will use their mythic/legend powers to permanently join Vonzi to the KC's power. However, the patron informs the KC that this will not stop the pain and the delirium brought on by remaining in this alternate present, and that even with their power it will grow worse for her and she will never fully recover from what was done.

At this is done, the stars fade to black, and then the darkness recedes to find the KC in a room with Vonzi lying on the bed, covered in the black tar of her powers. She is barely unable to speak, having reverted to her delirious state; however, she will thank the KC for their help and express gratitude at what they have done for her.

Viritine and Aerici will burst into the room shortly after the KC starts talking to Vonzi and begin take care of her. All buffs they bring to the Crrusade remain and Vonzi remains part of the party, oscillating between lucid and delirious states with corresponding debuffs.

Are they romanceable? Describe their romance quest/scenes if you want!

Vonzi is not a romance option; however, she will sleep with a female KC following her Act III quest. Vonzi makes it clear that she is not interested in any kind of relationship, and the sex is a no-strings attached arrangement; the KC can speak to her more in general dialogue about this, where she admits she just doesn't really see the point of romance. She's got friends, she can get sex if she needs it, and sex with friends in particular is fun. But she doesn't want anything like a romantic relationship with the KC and she will encourage the KC to seek out another partner if that's what she's looking for.

If the KC has romanced another character and slept with Vonzi, while there is no jealousy confrontation, Vonzi will stop sleeping with the KC in Act V, letting the KC know that while she doesn't care about who else the KC sleeps with, it's clear the other love interest does and she's not going to step on anyone's toes. There is no option to continue sleeping with her past this point if another romance is active.

However, if the KC did not romance anyone else and continued the friends-with-benefits arrangement with Vonzi, Vonzi will have special dialogue at Threshold, basically telling the KC that she's sorry she wasn't able to give the KC the kind of romantic relationship that other people could have given her, and that she hopes the KC will find that one day after this.

The KC can respond basically saying that she hopes so as well, or by saying that the close friendship she has with Vonzi is more than enough; this second dialogue option leads to an additional bit of information in the ending slide, where Vonzi and the KC meet up frequently for the rest of their lives and their close friendship is a point of discussion, though whenever asked directly they always deny a romantic relationship. "We're best friends," Vonzi will say. "Isn't that enough?"

What would their ending slides be like?

Vonzi dead, timeline preserved: A small slide regarding the rest of the Voness family, who leave Drezen after the end of the Crusade and mourn the final loss of their sister.

Vonzi alive, timeline reset: Vonzi travels after the events of the Crusade, acting as a mercenary and a bodyguard for travelers that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford the protection--her focus is on families. She will regale her clients with stories of her family now long gone, finally able to confront their loss while still moving forward from it.

If KC chose to leave Drezen: Occasionally, Vonzi will be joined in her exploits by the former Knight Commander, who will share tales of their own travels.

If KC chose to stay in Drezen: Sometimes, Vonzi's wanderings will take her back to Mendev, where she will visit her old friend.

Vonzi alive, timeline preserved: The Voness family settles down in Drezen, Viritine heading a lucrative shipping and transportation business and Aerici starting a daycare. Vonzi, for her part, spends her time helping her sister with guarding shipments in her business, volunteering as a child wrangler at the daycare, and being a menace at The Half Measure during off-nights. Both of older sisters work to take care of Vonzi when her episodes of delirium grow longer and more frequent; Vonzi will always brush off their concerns, saying that the delirious episodes don't even hurt anymore. Besides, the episodes are more than worth it to see her family alive and together.

Ascended: Godhood suits Vonzi. She becomes something akin to a trickster goddess, an enemy to rigid organizations and corrupt hierarchies. If someone is planning on burning down the system, Vonzi is who they pray to.

Timeline reset: Vonzi also ends up traveling, exploring the vast expanses of the planarverse. Eventually, she comes across what she's looking for--the hidden home of the rogue Aeon who was her patron as a mortal. What she discussed with them is known only between the two of them, but after that first encounter Vonzi often disappears for periods of time to visit them.

Timeline preserved: Beyond her usual patrons, there is one group of mortals that Vonzi can always be found reliably helping out--the Voness family. Even after her sisters go into Pharasma's arms after long and fruitful lives blessed by the gods, Vonzi keeps a close eye on Laica and then all her descendants afterward, making sure her family is safe.

True Aeon: In a word where the Crusade never took Vonzi's family away, the Voness clan move to Andoran and settle down in a far more democratically minded society. Vonzi turns her attention to speaking out against the iron hold over common lives that Cheliax still has over its citizens, and is vocally supportive of rebellion groups in the country. Eventually, to her family's disapproval, she goes to Cheliax herself to help with the rebellion's efforts--gone in the middle of the night without a word, silent for years, and believed dead, until she comes home with gray in her hair and stories about the people she has helped the adventures she has had. When her family does not welcome her back, she only smiles and expresses understanding before leaving again, never to return.

True Aeon (memories preserved): [Last sentences of previous slide are replaced with this] Eventually, to her family's disapproval, she goes to Cheliax to help with the rebellion's efforts, stating only in her defense that it would be better for all of them if they had distance from her. Despite her work and the attention it demands of her and her powers, Vonzi still regularly writes to her family over the years, making sure they are all happy and safe, and when they call for her to visit, she makes the effort.

Any other fun facts?

If Lann was recruited but not romanced, and Vonzi reconciles with her family in Act 3, there can be party dialogue activated by speaking with Aerici a few times that suggests she and Lann have been spending a lot of time together--Aerici's late husband was a sailor himself and they had traveled on sea together until Aerici became pregnant with Laica. Lann has, apparently, been asking her a lot of questions about it, and other things as well.

Eventually, party banter will have Lann awkwardly bring it up to Vonzi, who will immediately shut Lann down: no, she does not want to know ANYTHING about what he and Aerici are doing. Her older sister is a paragon of beauty and purity who has never touched a man. She conceived Laica through some kind of divine intervention and, in Vonzi's opinion, that will be how she will stay. She will give Lann a very laid-back version of a shovel talk, though, and warn him to expect to get shit from Viritine for it.

If this ends up activated, Aerici survives, and Lann gets his good ending, his ending slide will reflect that his adventures on ship are always punctuated by trips back to Drezen to visit his wife and adopted child, who both eventually join him on his adventures.

Vonzi describes the difficulty she experiences communicating in her delirious state as like "finding words underwater--they're always two inches to the left of where you think they are."

Provide some dialogue/bark examples!

When clicked on (lucid):

"Where do you need me?"

[When clicked on too many times][annoyed] "What--what? Yes?"

"Fun fact: some of the greatest atrocities committed in history were done by people fighting for a good cause. Why did I bring that up? Oh, no reason."

When clicked on [delirious]:

[Audible sounds of shivering]

"I missed that...what?"

"Where are we?"

Conversation start:

[lucid] Vonzi looks over to you and yawns. "Feeling pretty good today. What do you need?"

[delirious]: Vonzi's gaze is in the far distance, unfocused and feverish. She jerks her attention to you only when you are close enough to touch. "I don't--I'm here. What did you need?"

Conversation end:

[lucid] "Well, don't let me keep you."

[delirious] Vonzi turns her attention back to the far distance, her gaze unfocused.

Skill check success:

[lucid] "Ha, nice."/"Yeah, you're welcome."

[delirious] "It worked..."/"I did it. I fixed it."

Skill check failure:

[lucid] "Well, that sucks."/"I'm not trying again."

[delirious] "No..."/"What...was I doing again?"

Combat start:

[lucid] "Well, let's get this over with."/"You really think you can take me on?"

[delirious] "You won't hurt them!"/ *screaming*