&. 𝙁𝘼𝙄𝙏𝙃

exposed and vulnerable like this the title has never felt more like a ruse. slayer. she feels like a child playing dress up in her grandfather's clothes, trying to fill shoes that don't fit. that will never really fit. fingers almost reach for the holster at her back until she remembers. once again wishing to be armed. but what use would her weapons have in this darkness, this fog? where it was just her and the voice that's haunted her dreams and nightmares since the massacre.

“ i'm not afraid, ” she rages, sounding more petulant than defiant. phantom fingers crawl along her arms and she resists the urge to uncurl her hands to wrap around herself. like clockwork she whips around in search of a phantom stalker, the voice too close and too far away to put her at ease. noise of disgust leaves her lips when she finds nothing and no one. “ but perhaps you're the one who's afraid. why else would you hide in the fog like this? ”

it's foolish, she knows, to poke and prod at her prey. she's never been one for mind games. prefers to throw herself into the hunt until she can take her shot. but this is a different game, one she doesn't know how to play. she can't wrap her mind around why she was lured out here, why she of all people he chooses to speak to now. it's a game, a voice in her mind that suspiciously sounds like her own says. he likes to play with his food before he eats it. isn't that what she is now, an unfinished meal? prey instead of the hunter?

her weapons are useless, but the twitch of her fingers, the inclination to reach for them buried deep in the blood of her instincts remains fresh. she is left baren without them, left to rot in the feeling of what if ... and will continue its rumination of Him, within the dark winding caverns of her mind. even then, it will be useless. there is no rhyme nor reason to the fog, the dense burden carried on shoulders devote: her, to the people that beg with widened eyes and she must capture the hurt within them. him, an animal readying for the feed. a race to know this pain, the one mixed with her perfumed scent.

the moments he is honest with himself are rare, rarer than passing moments of sublimity in barovia. if he were to be honest, to seize a moment of human within, the weakest of the races, words would twist in a form of enjoyment. of her presence, a chittering bird that knows it's gilded within a cage, and fights, thrashes, against the bars anyways. it is a losing game, an always-losing game. as by design, he never plays when there is risk of a different outcome.

in the blanket of the mist, a cheshire cat grin grows, in the heart of it all the vampire lord awaits for her to speak, allows her to prance in the forest. a buck that barks, ignores the quake in its bones. but he does not strike said quarry despite his advantage, the martyr wishes to see 'the thing' she has been hunting. and it is so inclined to give it to her. a sign of respect, hawkers exiled in desolation, desperation, alike.

he appears, solid and sparing, behind her. she'll have to be quick enough to turn and glance up at the red eyes that bore down at her neck. he trusts she will be. ❛ dearest doe, would you like to hear my fears? do you wish to be one of them? ❜ it would be far too easy to subdue her. sedate her and drag her to his castle. but he needs her to work harder than that, fight harder than that. he needs to see how far she'll go.

❛ here i am. ❜ voice as cool and slick as ice. sharp and deadly, inviting. ❛ you despise my theatrics so? you wish to bite and dig your claws into something of the flesh? lucky for you, i am in the mood to grant the wishes of my people. ❜

can i pull yo pants a lil lower or whatevr tf the lyrics are

based off a scraped concept of the underworld being a bathhouse bc thats crazy we couldve gotten moist jinu

Digging through her memories for him is like poking a hot iron into her skull still. It's not the most unpleasant experience ever, but it was rather distracting in the moment.

"With you? Hm." Kseniya clicks her tongue at him, a shake of her head following. That's what he kept forgetting:

"It wouldn't be a long reign. I've told you before exactly what would happen," Maybe Enver just wants to hear it from her own lips? "I will kill you last since you're my favorite. Not even will the Black Hand save you. He'll be too besotted with the idea of a conquered Faerun to care that your death would mean he rules no more. Then it would just be a stalemate between The Bone and Dread Lords." Kseniya uses her hands to prop herself back on his desk, taking up space in the same way a displacer beast will lay where it wants to.

A few items hit the ground, but she doesn't move, gaze locked on whatever horizon line she's imagining.

"No more kills to be made and no more decay to create. An end to all things."

She swings her interlocked ankles together at a slow tempo, gazing back at Enver with furrowed brows. Kseniya could see it now, clearly... a world flooded in blood.

No one would win. Certainly not him.

"I will repay Orin... to return her the favor she did for me." Kseniya finally gives him an answer, gaze focusing once more on the man before she leans forward slightly.

A subtle cast of Sending:

he will do whatever it takes to rule this land: under the burdensome, guiding black hand, seeking through whatever means necessary to gain the advantage. when he was young, he was going to be nothing. going nowhere. sold as a child from the hands of cobblers to slave away at raphaels house of hope. there, in the dungeons alone, as a child, abused and tortured by its keeper. when he would cry, because of the shit hand that was forced upon him, the beatings would get worse, the blood drawn heavier, the mindless pain would grip every sense of the young boys body until there was nothing but oblivion. this would be his life, and he learned to stop crying.

that was supposed to be his life, it was supposed to be his forever. until the stupid dungeon keeper took his eyes of his chains for moments to long. the stupid dungeon keeper wasn't aware that the young boy, tending to the dust and muck in the hallways was mapping each inch of this house of hope. and wasn't fatally aware that he snuck his way into the room of portals, returned to the material plane with nothing but the rags on his back. he wished he could have seen the punishment the cambion passed along. to make up for it, he makes sure to see each of his own punishments he enacts. he always loved being apart of the dirty work.

and he knows of her plans. where he would be nothing but the last man on this plane, and when that happens, him too, would have his fate sealed. it would be only them, facing each other in their destruction, their blood mixing together on the shifting soil of the ground in which one of them would return too. he knows this. and he likes hearing her repeat it. enjoys seeing the way her features contort into a mixture of pleasure and comfort. ❛ a rather bleak future. i can only take solace in knowing orin is going to get everything she deserves. ❜

he falls silent now. staring her down, splayed across his desk, listening as she speaks. she enters his mind, tells him of her demand. he smiles.

He had a bad feeling about this job. His gut warned him the group wasn't the crowd he should associate with - even for something as petty as transporting a package. That's the lie they fed him at the beginning - he quickly realized they just needed one naive idiot they could screw over when the job was done. And he fed right into it from desperation of quick credits to allow himself a break. What he didn't count on was meeting a group of idiots willing to smuggle spice across the galaxy. That was how he crossed paths with a mandalorian. What luck he was drawing these days. He had given the group a reasonable warning - time to surrender themselves.

Almost everyone felt brave enough to take on one of these warriors. Connor had chosen what he felt was the smarter route, setting his blaster down and holding his hands up. "Surrender," was the only thing he uttered; the word lolling around like he seldom used basic. This was a call of poor judgement, and he was willing to pay the price for it. Connor's good eye studied the other briefly. He broke contact the moment it was time to move, muttering under his breath in Sykrix about the time he'd have to face if he was allowed to live. To anyone unaware of the language, it sounded sharp - deep rumbles that reverberated in his chest, and hisses that could be mistaken by a predator angry for it's lost spoils for the night. To anyone that had an ear, there was strange pronunciations. Like a lisp unable to quite be trained out.

he could use a decent payday: and it's been a while since he's found a client, any clients, with jobs that held a hefty sums of credits. nowadays, he very rarely lets jobs catch him anymore; the derelict, sullen faces of crime bosses filtering through the smugglers moon to find him, or sending a missive pinging directly to his ship. this time now, with the empires hold on the galaxy, his name and armor known to anyone worth anything, he searches for the jobs that pay, the jobs that are worth it. and that, is rarer now. been rare since the disappearance of the jedi's. no use for bounty hunters anymore that high up the chain in imperial ranks, when they have their own slaves to command, the red blades. annoying, the lot of them.

there's always hiccups here and there on jobs. always someone trying to get in the way, though, he never cared to understand why. money, reputation, revenge ... could be anything. but it always ends the same ━━ just like tonight does, package of spice in tucked under his arm, the rest of this measly crew dead at his feet, the smell of his blaster filtering under his helmet. and there's one left, one that had the sense to put his weapons down, raise his arms and wait for fett to call the shots, just like how it should be.

there was a faint breeze that kissed her skin as she walked a step behind alistair.  the vibrant hues of fall leaves surrounded her— beautiful trees of red, orange and yellow. she had always learned to appreciate the sight. after the events of her capture, she knew that many would have thought that she'd spend her days in her head, wishing to keep distance between her and every other living creature. shams was exposed to the world and its senses in every possible way, but she had learned to make use of it. that was her nature, after all. her magic was no curse, truly. if anything, it seems to stop before her. she can smell it now. it envelops her: rich and intoxicating, a blend of home and something darker, more primal. she used to fear the sensation, but now it is a sweet tingle spreading through her body. and as she stands here now, she can feel it coursing from her head to her fingertips, settling deep in her core.

his words make her raise her head, but she doesn't answer immediately. she stops as she turns to face him. the woman's expression was unreadable for a moment before softening into something no one has ever been able to place, but she likes to call it positive defiance. her eyes scanned his face.  ``     well, yes.     `` she hums, head tilting.  ``     why shouldn't i? i've been blessed with a life that offers me more than just stability. saying that it's my duty to take care of others is the least i should be doing.     `` there's a pause as she turns to continue walking. it seemed like such an obvious answer, but the mage understands why others may be more careful with assisting others. her father had once thought she simply did these trips out of pity, but she truly did it out of understanding. truth was, she had intentionally gone out of her way to find specific places where others may not be able to receive the help they truly needed.

he almost laughs: through gritted teeth and a tense jaw of course, strained and low. it would sound something akin of a groan, added with the way the templar rubs at the back of his neck, eyes quickly flickering away from the woman that trails behind him. the question he has parted to her is not one of animosity, though there is the looming black shadow that follows his every steps: the green whip of envy, the choking hazard of judgement. he asks out of curiosity yes, but to pass his own rationality builds his only inheritance in his chest, the ingrained workings of the chantry ever grips his soft beating heart. he knows they should help, must help all in need, in the face of the blight and what is to come. he knows what is right, where the chantry has failed the people, this land, him. he knows his shortcomings, understands the power of the wardens, how quickly they can succumb to death, but that they must continue onwards in spite of it all. he knows this, but he wishes he didn't.

it is then easier, to impart the nervous laughter that bubbles out of his tiers, shrugging and looking a little stupid. duller than most, that is where he shines. everything about her makes him nervous: the grace in her speech, the poise in her movements, how defined and confident she is in herself. as if she knows each molecule that struts through her body by name, as if she can see what the future holds just in the palm of her delicate hand. the purity of her strength produced, the purity of flesh and how nature conditions itself around her. he is nothing, if not lucky to be in her presence, and for her to entertain the ramblings of a stupid man. ❛ that is the silver lining of the blight. it brings people together. ❜ then a moment where he pauses, tilts his head. ❛ one good thing. you know, despite all the rest of the horrors. the many, many, many horrors. ❜

as if he's trying to warn her, or something of the sorts. but she is already situated, steadfast and headstrong. goodness is something one must create. she stares him down and it takes him a second to think, another second to swallow thickly, and then another to finally open his mouth. ❛ right. riiiight. right. you're right. i suppose ... i suppose misplaced goodness can cause a lot more damage. than doing nothing. sometimes. i suppose. ❜ he clears his throat, rips his gaze away from hers and wishes so dearly she would stop looking straight through him. has he always been this easy to read? ❛ no! no. uh, no. i will come with you. better stay together you know, stronger in numbers. ❜

her feet ache in these boots.  they’re a cheap supplement from arron of the emerald grove  :  traded from a handful of daggers pilfered off goblin corpses and sturdier than the slippers she’d been wearing upon her abduction,  but still thin enough that she can feel the terrain and every gods damned pebble that prods into uncalloused flesh.  ( druid soles, for certain  — so the wearer might maintain connection to their beloved earth, despite their clothing  ).  the sun’s position tells her they remain a long ways off from camp break,  despite the rests they’ve taken whenever shadowed outcrop has allowed it,  and yet she yearns for her bedroll.  as if this whole event were only a nightmare,  and she might wake again in the soft down of her bed, morning come through her window and the illithids a faraway nothing.

[ want me to carry you? ]

when astarion speaks,  his words roll down her spine in slick revulsion.  she looks up,  made aware now of how far she lingers behind the remainder of their travel party,  and though she scarcely lacks the energy to regain their huddled security,  seladon answers his query with a snarl.  she remembers the knife.  the feel of his arm wrapped around her shoulders,  dragging her into the dirt and holding her pinned to his chest while the blade  —  too,  too sharp, and ice cold against her heated skin  —  comes to rest at the hollow of her throat.  sometimes,  she finds herself wondering if he would have actually killed her.  if he won’t yet still. 

he's better at this than he'd like: trekking through the forest, through mud and broken timber, an expert of debilitating conditions. overcoming and adapting, as all he knows is how to survive. how to maneuver through nature and not disturb it, keep close to the trees to prevent the sun (the warmth of the bright, beautiful sun) off his skin for as long as possible. suppose he has an advantage or two: elf blood pumps through the lithe body of someone who's been on the hunt for years. though the city remains less of a challenge, his body has always been able to take a beating. though, perhaps he's simply in a good mood. bulbous worm and all, at least he can taste his freedom. so close to eating it whole, the delicious aroma of what his life could be like, all in the daylight, never having to hide with the rats again.

❛ darling, you shouldn't lie. it does not look good on you. ❜ he returns the snarl, a grimace flashing across his perfectly painted features. construed and constructed just exactly how he envisions. differing from her however, is the sound of a chuckle releases through his lungs, shows off how little he is burdened by their surroundings. then the slow rise of his eyebrows as his gaze meanders towards her once more, an easy smile added, the haughty tilt of his head.

he can find some solace here: in the acrimony in her tone. the way it almost makes his shoulders flinch. the act of protest, accusing him of lacking any sense of adult responsibility. like he would bring a kid to a fight like this (he would and he has. but she doesn't need to know the details). how she looks to him, to his empty side, to the dead around them, as if it was all the same sort of bleakness she was expecting. like the gray in his armor is the same gray of the clouds, the heavy rain split seconds from wringing out onto them. he lowers his head after they catch eyes, and he is never sure if she actually knows she's staring right at him, right through him, or if she just gets lucky each time. he doesn't want to ask.

HELMETLESS DIN DJARIN!!!

😭😭😭😭😭😭

this is no chance meeting , is it , [ name ] ?

take back your homeland .

what if i were to help you reclaim it ?

that's not the worst of it .

we have another problem .

what did i tell you ? quiet as a mouse .

will you just listen ? i'm trying to tell you there's something else out there .

the bear is unpredictable , the man can be reasoned with .

come away from there , it's not natural . none of it .

it's obvious , he's under some dark spell .

you'll be safe here tonight ... i hope .

we grow in number , we grow in strength .

death will come to all .

there are others like you ?

you're running out of time .

a darkness lies upon that forest .

i would not venture there except in great need .

go now while you have the light .

this forest feels ... sick . as if a disease lies upon it .

something moves in the shadows unseen , hidden from our sight .

if our enemy has returned , we must know .

i would not do this unless i had to .

you've changed , [ name ] .

you must stay on the path . do not leave it . if you do , you'll never find it again .

is there no end to this accursed forest ?

we're going around in circles , we are lost .

the sun . we have to find the sun .

we're being watched .

they're growing bolder .

not just a thief , but a liar as well .

i myself suspect a more prosaic motive .

i have seen how you treat your friends .

you turned away from the suffering of my people .

a hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf . i'm patient . i can wait .

did he offer you a deal ?

shh ! there are guards nearby .

you were supposed to be leading us out , not further back in !

are you mad ? they'll find us .

please . please , you must trust me .

this is not a nice place to meet .

why now , [ name ] ? i don't understand .

a human sorcerer could not summon such evil .

in our blindness , the enemy has returned .

the enemy is preparing for war .

i started this . i cannot forsake them , they are in grave danger .

you want me to cast my friends aside ?

i think we've outrun the orcs .

we've no weapons to defend ourselves .

do it again , and you're dead .

what makes you think i would help you ?

no doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed .

oh , come on - enough of the niceties .

i would like to know who you are . and what you're doing in these lands .

we need food , supplies ... weapons . can you help us ?

i'd wager there are ways to enter that town unseen .

for that , you'd need a smuggler .

there was more he could have told us .

i don't care what he calls himself , i don't like him .

we don't have to like him , we just have to pay him .

i've been bled dry by this adventure ! and what have i seen for my investment ?

if you value your freedom , you'll do as i say .

folk in this town are suffering .

you'd do well to remember ; we know where you live .

it's a small town , [ name ] , everyone knows where everyone lives .

who would have the nerve to question my authority ?

you promised us weapons .

death ! that is what you'll bring upon us .

have you forgotten what happened to [ name / location ] ?

let us not be so quick to lay blame .

join us when you're healed .

[ name ] , you belong with the company .

i belong with my brother .

we have no time to wait , we're on our own .

the evil that is hidden here ... i command it reveal itself .

you have keen eyes , [ name ] .

let all those who doubted us rue this day !

i know these walls ... these halls , this stone .

i do not know what you'll find down there .

it never ceases to amaze me . the courage of hobbits .

if there is in fact a live dragon down there , don't waken it .

come , now ... don't be shy . step into the light .

there is something about you , something you carry .

there you are , thief in the shadows .

i did not come to steal from you .

do you think flattery will keep you alive ?

what else do you claim to be ?

truly , you are mistaken .

you have nice manners , for a thief and a liar .

i know the smell and taste of dwarf .

they are drawn to treasure like flies to dead flesh .

did you think i did not know this day would come ?

you should leave us .

and go where ? there is nowhere to go .

the dragon , it's going to kill us .

i kill where i wish , when i wish .

my armor is iron , no blade can pierce me .

i need you to distract the guards .

time to do what , to get killed ?

yes , i'm afraid . i'm afraid for you .

you're not yourself .

the darkness is coming ... it will spread to every corner of the land .

you were only ever a means to an end .

i will not part with a single coin . not one piece of it .

your reputation precedes you .

you have no equal on this earth .

i think our little game ends here .

so tell me , thief ... how do you choose to die ?

we've given him the slip .

there may be a way out .

it's our only chance , we have to try .

i've heard tales of the wonders of elvish medicine .

that was a privilege to witness .

i will not die like this . cowering . gasping for breath .

if this is to end in fire , then we will all burn together .

perhaps it is time i paid them a visit .

this isn't their fault !

you care about them , do you ? good . then you can watch them die .

i am taking back what you stole .

you will take nothing from me .

i laid low your warriors of old . i instilled terror in the hearts of men .

this is not your kingdom . these are dwarf lands .

revenge ? revenge ?! i will show you revenge !

i am fire . i am death .

please just be honest with me.

oh, please explain how this is my fault.

please don't look at me like that.

please, let's not do this here.

for once, could you please stop pretending?

please just kiss me, i can't stand it.

please don't walk away from this.

all you have to do is say please.

please, i dare you to try and stop me.

please don't tell anyone i said that.

i said please, so technically you have to say yes.

please tell me you brought snacks.

please don't take this the wrong way.

please, i've waited so long to hear you say it.

i said i'm fine, please just drop it.

please don't lie just to make me feel better.

please don't judge me for what i'm about to do.

please just let me help you.

if you love me, say it. please.

just stay here with me all day. pleaase?

please don't ruin this for me.

please just leave me out of it.

tell me you love me ... please.

can you please slow down?

please tell me there's still a chance.

can you please just get some sleep?

please, i don't want to lose you again.

i'm not asking– i'm begging you. please.

please don't make fun of me.

i want you to leave. please leave right now.

please, it's nothing.

i don't like to beg, but... please.

pleaase? i promise it'll be fun.

tell me it's a lie. please.

come on, please? just this once?

please don't jump to assumptions.

please, [ name ], just stay here.

you promised ... please.

please. i need you to trust me.

please don't go.

i know i don't deserve it, but please forgive me.

please, let me fix this.

did i hear a 'please' in there somewhere?

please. one more minute, that's all i'm asking.

oh please, as if you've never done it.

don't ask me to choose. please.

please don't tell them where i am.

saying 'please' over and over won't change my mind.

please? ... pretty please?

please don't make me beg.

please tell me i'm wrong.