⤷ *. ALTARBLED

it's a struggle to play this part. they'd gone so long without having to keep up any pretense about what they were to one another. this ? this was one of the harder things he'd had to do in recent years.

his own eyes trail over where she'd said the assailants were, trying to keep an eye on the situation. and then it happens, the guns drop slowly as they take the bait. it was almost too easy but he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

⠀⠀﹛ ♰ ﹜ — ⠀The second he moves , illusion of HELLFIRE begins to falter ; the focus she'd kept wrapped tight around their assailant's mind slipping just enough for exhaustion from BLOOD LOSS to begin pulling at her limbs , knees threatening to buckle beneath her entirely . Barely able to catch herself using the wall , one sharp inhale is then dragged into burning lungs ; vision remaining locked on aggressor despite beginning to swim .

⠀⠀Despite blood humming loud in her ears and adrenaline becoming the only thing that kept her half way upright , ears track the practiced efficiency in every step he takes ; the sound of a body hitting the ground echoing through the room before she finally pushes herself upright again .

⠀⠀❝ SAM . . . ❞ she calls out , tone upon speaking his name UNCHARACTERISTICALLY filled with concern ; whether it be for him or herself a detail neither had the time to be bothered by .

⠀⠀WEAKENING , the second attacker is already starting to twitch against the remnants of her hold , fingers jerking near the previously discarded weapon . Swallowing back another wave of dizziness ability coils tighter around his mind regardless of the toll it takes on her own .

🗡          — marceline's words sung with the kind of restraint served with a brand of maturity that should be admired however , ichiro showed no such consideration. he was too selfish , too antagonistic ; he liked to push and push and push until he got the desired result , regardless of what his words burnt down in their wake. so , leaning in ( a considerable amount given the height difference between them ) to lower his voice , he murmurs :

⠀⠀⠀﹛ ♰ ﹜ — Fully aware that sex was the only time they were ever truly HONEST with each other ; she isn't phased by his segue , Inchiro always preferring VULGARITY over vulnerability . Despite wounded pride , she resigned herself to being nothing more than USEFUL a long time ago ; bait willingly taken despite knowing better if it meant keeping him AROUND .

⠀⠀⠀⠀❝ Careful , one might think you MISSED me , should you continue talking like that . . . & we both know that isn't what you mean , is it . ❞ she dares to bite back , ashen blues sharp as they gaze up at him through thick lashes while palm comes up to press flat against the apex of his chest before slowing descending mere centimeters at a time .

ororon blinks once, then twice, the faint nightsoul markings across his body now softly glowing. he looks like a surprised cat after being shown something particularly startling, and in almost any other circumstance it would be very amusing, but ororon goes back to toying with the chain, keeping his motions subtle as he stares openly at marceline.

"...i mean, i just did what i had to. everyone did, and a lot of people still died." while considerably better than what could have happened if it were not for the awakening of the six heroes and the aid of the archon and il capitano, the death toll was still considerable, grief spread across the land like a drab tapestry. "but, it could have been a lot worse--a lot more people could have lost their lives."

⠀⠀⠀﹛ ♰ ﹜ — ❝ Unfortunately , people die all the time ; thus is a repercussion of WAR &. disagreements . ❞ she states , words likely sounding more CALLOUS than she'd intended them to despite the TRUTH of them .

⠀⠀⠀Having witnessed COUNTLESS battlefields littered with bodies belonging to those she once broke bread with ; attachments weren't easily made , allowing herself to bear the weight of those she didn't know likely more than the potential harbinger could BARE - the Tsaritsa not considering Marceline , or ANYONE , for their EMPATHY .

⠀⠀⠀Unlike her , he was not raised a soldier but thrust into the role of one due to necessity ; a nod accompanied by a SIGH of understanding offered before bag full of produce is placed down as she prepares to make this brief interaction last LONGER .

⠀⠀⠀❝ Guilt is POINTLESS though me saying that won't take it away . ❞

𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙎𝙃𝙀 𝙃𝘼𝙎 𝙏𝙊 𝘿𝙊 ? his already cold blood suddenly feels frozen. they clearly stiffen, onyx gaze filled with obvious signs of fear and uncertainty. he wears his heart on his sleeve, or what's left of it at least. cold fingers curl until his nails are digging into soft palms. it's chilly today, windy too. wind roars through the drafty worn down church behind him. felix simply wants to run back inside and curl under a blanket. they just want to be left alone. a threat ? not the first time he's been asked that.

❛ n - no !! i'm not a threat . . . this is where i live. ❜ his tone remains serious, a hint of worry behind it. the last time someone had busted their way into the church, they had gotten hurt. ❛ who sent you here ? ❜

⠀⠀﹛ ♰ ﹜ — ⠀She'd seen FEAR before , & hadn't let herself be moved by in in a long time ; the inability to sever emotions DEATH for someone in her position yet hesitation causes hand to twitch . Deep breath is taken through nostrils whilst slate blue gaze rolls beneath now closed lids , the very morals they had attempted to snuff out aiming a crosshair at the back of her head .

⠀⠀⠀❝ How do you survive , then . And be HONEST or things will look very bad for you . ❞ she states , eyes firm as they open and look to him .

⠀⠀⠀ KINDNESS & patience were two luxuries she could not afford , most in her position not taking the time to small - talk which meant duration of assignment alone could be TELLING ; a death sentence for BOTH of them .

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⠀⠀﹛ ♰ ﹜ — If she was annoying him , GOOD . Despite having no direct connection to those who scarred her , the man standing before her still donned the cloth she'd spit on given the chance regardless of where loyalties lay : FAITH or lack - there - of never her own to have . Well aware her anger was misplaced , she can't help but smirk in spite of herself every time the smallest gesture of irritation graces those handsome features at her expense .

⠀⠀❝ Marceline Solène Baptiste , father . ❞ she offers exaggeratedly , as if offering CONFESSION by giving her full name , ❝ Call me Marceline . . . Celine . . . just not 'Marcie' unless you want to get on my bad side . ❞ is warned , despite him already nearing that territory due to association alone .

⠀⠀ABOMINATION , or something holy , she wonders as she reaches up to take his hand , Marceline straightening to her feet before brushing off any dust she might've gathered from sitting amongst church steps ; a question most elicited upon crossing her path — a childish need to discern how they'd view her upon discovering that what seemed HUMAN was anything but , something else all together . A demon to some , ANGEL to others .

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒  𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓  𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃  𝐓𝐎  𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍?   Cryptic,  he  thought,  casting  her  a  sidelong  glance  as  they  moved  through  the  corridor.

Panic  rippled  through  the  fortress  —  controlled,  but  present.  Guards  barked  orders,  boots  striking  metal  as  they  kept  civilians  in  line.  Wriothesley’s  gaze  tracked  the  formation  automatically,  assessing  spacing,  exits,  and  weak  points.  Her  next  comment  confirmed  it.

❝  No.  Only  once  -  a  long  time  ago.  ❞  His  tone  was  even,  but  his  eyes  shifted  briefly  upward,  toward  the  unseen  surface  above.  ❝  During  the  Flood.  When  the  Primordial  Sea  swallowed  the  city.❞  A  pause.  ❝  I’d  prefer  not  to  repeat  that  experience.❞

One  of  the  guards  approached  quickly,  saluting  and  requesting  confirmation  of  orders.  Wriothesley  listened,  gave  a  short  nod,  and  dismissed  him  with  a  quiet  directive.

⠀⠀⠀﹛ ♰ ﹜ — ⠀Simply along for the ride , she figures any misstep now would be met with IMMEDIATE defense ; a disadvantage when attempting to gather intel that would make this visit & provided assistance WORTH the time . She wasn't the type to involve herself in things unnecessarily , the less attention drawn the better ; but she wasn't exempt of having MORALS either .

⠀⠀⠀Tending to two birds with one stone , as the saying goes , in assuring no one gets hurt during the malfunction going hand in hand with gaining ACCESS without the usual suspicion that follows a stranger in a cloak , seeing as she was being HELPFUL rather than HURTFUL ; a quick way to building TRUST .

⠀❝ & what , pray tell , would you have me do ? Follow you around like a baby bird does its mother ? I'm just as useful on my OWN as I am in company , and I know this place decently enough . You're the BOSS . ❞

he can't suppress the affectionate, endeared, yet mildly annoyed groan he lets out, even if it's a bit muffled by the noise of the gathering around them. " what, you've never snuck out before just 'cause you could ? we'll figure it out when we get to it. once we're out, we're free either way; free to fuck around and find out, as they say. " lierre rolls his eyes, though the smile on his face is enough of a clue to tell her that his annoyance is entirely fabricated, just for the sake of being a little dramatic. it's one of his many talents, after all.

" like i said. if we get caught, i'll take the fall. you don't have to worry about a thing. throw me under the bus when dealing with your king, if you need to. it ain't somethin' i'm not used to at this point, y'know. " the prince admits, raising an eyebrow as he knocks on the table with a punctual, but muted thud against the cloth and wood beneath it, he sighs with exasperation. at least he's sufficiently intoxicated before making a possible mistake. but all the same, it's a mistake that feels undeniably good in the making. those are the kind he excels at participating in, the kind that always land him in the news for one reason or another. the ones that are always the most fun to find himself embroiled in.

" let the presses gossip if they want. at least we'll know the truth of what's goin' on, and we can tell the people that matter our side of things, right ? " of course, he can't deny that he's not already dreading the lecture he'd get from his adoptive mother, the queen, genevieve. she always did have a knack for making an average form of discipline sting a little more than usual. whatever, it doesn't matter. " look, if you don't wanna go, then i can't exactly force you. but... " he polishes off his drink, setting the empty glass on the table with a quiet tap. " i'm merely informing you, passively, that i... " of course, he's being as coy and non-committal as possible. that way, nobody can explicitly say things were planned. " will be outside. "

with that, he stands from his chair, quietly excusing himself to the scant prying eyes of those around him. anything to get away from these vultures that call themselves royals. he just hopes miss marceline will be kind enough to join him in... getting some fresh air. that's all they're doing, after all. that's all anyone needs to assume they're doing.

⠀⠀﹛ ♰ ﹜ — ⠀Despite being of LITTLE enough concern to go temporarily unnoticed ; punishment remained inevitable should anyone come to realize she had VANISHED . They wouldn't care where she had gone , of course , concern rooted in the court's demand for OBEDIENCE to the crown ; fact she was even considering his offer a sign that hers was beginning to WAVER . Standing to LOSE more than she'd gain , something about the promise of temporary FREEDOM , shone brighter than any amount of expensive & GAUDY jewelry adorned by the nobles waiting for her to screw up.

⠀⠀Curious gaze follows his retreating visage as idle hands begin clearing away the half empty wine glass he had left in his stead under the guise of due diligence . Utilizing the excuse of DUTY , she downs the contents upon withdrawing behind closed doors in an effort to stifle any remaining hesitation before setting empty receptacle aside & following in his footsteps . It isn't until she takes in the sight of him under the full moon that she realizes what she did could be considered SALACIOUS , should he find out , putting ones lips to a vessel that once beheld another's bordering on an INDIRECT KISS .

⠀⠀Far too ashamed to meet his eyes , and praying the moons shadow hid the rosy hue obtained through embarrassment and slight inebriation , her usually silent footfalls are intentionally made heavier as to alert him to her presence rather than risk startling him . Not usually caring whether or not someone noticed her presence , & used to going unseen ; something UNFAMILIAR made her want to ensure the opposite when it came to him .

⠀⠀⠀ ❝ I hope I didn't make you wait long . . . I needed to work up the courage via libation . . . ❞ she speaks lowly , as if sharing a secret , ❝ Why you chose to propose this to ME of all people , however , still has me curious . ❞