A Lady & Her Fox

He was used to the biting cold.

The night air, however? It felt odd in his lungs. Not horrible, not choking—strange, compared to the air down in The Underworld.

Zagreus stood beneath the stars, unfamiliar as they were. He stared up at them like someone who wasn't entirely certain that he was even allowed to. After centuries of staying to The Underworld, before the curiosity of the surface got the better of him, he'd always dreamed of seeing the stars, the moon beaming down upon him with her silvery grace.

Even with Persephone's encouragement and Hades's stating that he minded not if Zagreus visited the surface, the fact he could only be out at night bothered him immensely. Still, if it was truly the only way—he was grateful for the loophole in The Moiroi's fate.

After the longest time...he finally noticed someone nearby. How long had they been there? Were they afraid? Confused??

It startled him a little...but he settled quickly, and the question was quick to spill forth without any consideration that they might have been a little frightened to see a God up on the surface.

In her hand is a peculiar item that reminds him of a compass, but it looked modified in some way, she holds it securely. Her figure is mostly obscured by a cloak, green to blend in with the forest, and lined with an animal pelt for warmth.

A pristine white fur collar lays across the shoulders of the coat- …it moved. The collar was no collar but rather a white fox lying across her shoulders. It had a regal air about it, looking at him from its vantage point they were about eye level. Its eyes… were an almost unnatural ice blue.

She gives him a nod and a small smile, a little confused but encouraging.

“Yes, Vinur minn, we do, or as far as I know we do.” She assured. “First you have seen them?”

Something about the woman before him was striking.

Beautiful, yes, in a way that honestly reminded him of the Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis. In the sense of the presence she gave off, with also the touch of an animal companion to top it off...though, he'd honestly never seen a fox up close. Much less one that was all white with the most gorgeous eyes he'd come to see on a critter.

It also wasn't common that he'd come across a woman who was taller than him...but The Prince merely supposed there was always a first time for everything.

Still, he cocked his head slightly upward at her, the dark braid that his own mother insisted on doing (Persephone was hardly ever wrong; it helped with the length of it, keeping it out of the way) swaying slightly in the cold, autumnal air.

"Something like that, yes...usually, around this time of the year, i don't frequent the surface as oft as when mother leaves for the spring. So, at times, the memory eludes me...at least, until I'm back up here again. If only for the purpose of wandering," Zagreus quietly explained, "Unfortunately, the night is roughly the only time i can be out and about...the sun and I...we've never agreed. Not even when i was a boy..."

Although it looked as if he didn’t need much help, he looked comfortable in her eyes. She couldn’t help but see the wanderlust in his eyes, a sentiment she shared in her youth, one that led her on many adventures. Perhaps that’s why she feels a sort of kindred spirit with this one.

“Wandering, hmm?” She couldn’t help but chuckle slightly, it was warm, approving laugh. “Following the compass in our chest are we vinur min? Good, so long as you remember the steps you take you will never be truly lost.” She gives him another look.

“The moon is far kinder anyway, at least in my opinion, it’s always held a gentleness I cannot describe… although the sun is not necessarily…” she trails off muttering something in a language unknown to him. “unkind… it can be overwhelming. It shines upon everyone with the kind of light that many cannot handle… the moon is merciful.” She leans down slightly her voice softening to a whisper. “She lets you keep your secrets.”

“Do not feel ashamed for speaking your mind, I’ve grown fond of stories.” She assured him before answering his question shifting her feet and straightening back up. “I am here as a promise to a friend. I try to hold myself to my word as much as possible, you see, and I’ve promised to help him regain a great part of him that was lost.” She explained.

“We go many places looking for these… pieces you can call them.” She reaches a hand up petting the fox on the head, it leans into her touch but acts like she’s annoying it. “So, I suppose we’re both wanderers.”

He was used to the biting cold.

The night air, however? It felt odd in his lungs. Not horrible, not choking—strange, compared to the air down in The Underworld.

Zagreus stood beneath the stars, unfamiliar as they were. He stared up at them like someone who wasn't entirely certain that he was even allowed to. After centuries of staying to The Underworld, before the curiosity of the surface got the better of him, he'd always dreamed of seeing the stars, the moon beaming down upon him with her silvery grace.

Even with Persephone's encouragement and Hades's stating that he minded not if Zagreus visited the surface, the fact he could only be out at night bothered him immensely. Still, if it was truly the only way—he was grateful for the loophole in The Moiroi's fate.

After the longest time...he finally noticed someone nearby. How long had they been there? Were they afraid? Confused??

It startled him a little...but he settled quickly, and the question was quick to spill forth without any consideration that they might have been a little frightened to see a God up on the surface.

In her hand is a peculiar item that reminds him of a compass, but it looked modified in some way, she holds it securely. Her figure is mostly obscured by a cloak, green to blend in with the forest, and lined with an animal pelt for warmth.

A pristine white fur collar lays across the shoulders of the coat- …it moved. The collar was no collar but rather a white fox lying across her shoulders. It had a regal air about it, looking at him from its vantage point they were about eye level. Its eyes… were an almost unnatural ice blue.

She gives him a nod and a small smile, a little confused but encouraging.

“Yes, Vinur minn, we do, or as far as I know we do.” She assured. “First you have seen them?”

Liminal spaces/ Backrooms dividers

the exhausted

“I can’t sleep.”

“I can’t keep my eyes open.”

“Can you help me back to bed?”

“I’m okay. I’m not even that tired.”

“I don’t remember the last time I slept.”

“I can’t sleep, yet. There’s too much to do.” 

“I don’t want to sleep. I keep having nightmares.”

“I promise I’ll sleep in a bit, just let me finish this, first.”

“Can you help me lie down? I can’t move, I’m too tired.”

“I can’t even think straight anymore… maybe I need to sleep.”

“Of course I want to relax. But, we don’t all get what we want.”

“I’m so tired I can’t do anything, but I’m not tired enough to sleep…”

the concerned

“You keep yawning.”

“Go. Sleep. That’s not a request.”

“If you’re that tired, just take a nap.”

“You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were this tired?”

“Those are some bad bags under your eyes.”

“You don’t have to push so hard. It’s okay to rest.”

“You can barely keep your eyes open, go lie down.”

“I haven’t seen you sleeping in a long time, what’s up?”

“I just had to stop you from toppling over. You’re not okay.”

“With everything you’ve been through lately, of course you’re tired.”

“I heard you thrashing around last night. Nightmares? Is that why you’re so tired?”

“You know, you keep fretting over everyone else, but you won’t even take a second to relax, yourself.”

misc

(doze) : one muse falls asleep on the other’s shoulder

(tuck) : one muse finds the other passed out onto the bed, and tucks them in

(collapsed) : one muse finds the other passed out on the floor from exhaustion

(carry) : one muse finds the other after they’ve fallen asleep on a chair / couch, and carries them to bed 

(cover) : one muse finds the other asleep somewhere other than bed and covers them with a blanket / their jacket

(assist) : one muse finds the other so tired they’re having trouble standing and helps them walk somewhere to lie down

❛  that thing is cursed! don't let it touch you!  ❜ ❛  i'm afraid this is very bad.  ❜ ❛  is there no way we can stop it?  ❜ ❛  do we just sit here and watch them die?  ❜ ❛  you cannot alter your fate. however, you can rise to meet it, if you choose.  ❜ ❛  you must take it with you. please, i want you to have it, so you won't ... forget.  ❜ ❛  don't you even think of thanking me. it was my pleasure.  ❜ ❛  easy there. you don't want to make your injuries worse, do you?  ❜ ❛  i was starting to think i'd done something wrong by bringing them back home.  ❜ ❛  why are you here, if you don't mind me asking?  ❜ ❛  follow me if you wish to learn my secret.  ❜ ❛  how much more hatred and pain do you think we need?  ❜ ❛  if it's me you want, here i am.  ❜ ❛  why did you stop me from killing them? tell me while you're still alive.  ❜ ❛  that's enough! i'm not listening to you anymore!  ❜ ❛  don't be shy. i won't hurt you.  ❜ ❛  you can go wherever you want to. you're free now.  ❜ ❛  you'd risk everything on one last battle?  ❜ ❛  what if something goes wrong and we're stuck here? we can't help you.  ❜ ❛  even if you were a woman, you'd still be an idiot!  ❜ ❛  why can't we stop this fighting now?  ❜ ❛  it's a trap and a stupid one.  ❜ ❛  you know that boy wanted to share his life with you.  ❜ ❛  i'll try and bring you some help! can you hold out?  ❜ ❛  i'll be back! i promise!  ❜ ❛  you'll have to stay here. wait for me. i'll come back for you.  ❜ ❛  it's really you? you're still alive?  ❜ ❛  i was right in the front line. i saw everything. everything!  ❜ ❛  everything started happening so fast. it was like a nightmare.  ❜ ❛  take it easy. i'm trying to get you out.  ❜ ❛  you're on their side, aren't you?  ❜ ❛  here. take this. where i'm going, they won't be of any use.  ❜ ❛  you'll have to hurry, or it could mean the end of all of us.  ❜ ❛  you must fight it! don't let yourself become a demon!  ❜ ❛  what proof is there this isn't a lie?  ❜ ❛  i'm sorry. i tried to stop it.  ❜ ❛  nothing is over. the two of us are still alive. now, will you help me, [name]?  ❜ ❛  don't force me to kill you.  ❜ ❛  i'll always be near. i will come and visit you ... whenever i can, all right?  ❜ ❛  well, i give up. you can't win against fools.  ❜

THEME: Light and Dark Academia

made from resources found on pinterest

no credits needed, but reblogs are always welcomed!

The reblog chain is one of the things that makes Tumblr unlike anywhere else. All the notes on reblogs are attributed to the original post, no matter which branch people actually liked or reblogged. We want to keep encouraging conversations, and give contributors the recognition they deserve. 

Soon, you'll be able to like, reblog, or reply to any part of a reblog chain, and that note will go to that reblog's author. Each reblog will have its own counts, instead of one aggregated number from every version of the post. And yes, you’ll be able to like multiple posts in one chain.

If a reblog doesn't add anything, the love flows up to the last person in the chain who did. Your post doesn't lose notes just because people spread it quietly.

Past notes will stay on the original post — we're only changing what happens from here on out. Retroactively re-attributing all of them would be... a lot.

I’m not sure how to combat this, but I’ll be keeping an eye out.

𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒

❝ Shards of material scratch your skin, cuts bleeding sluggishly onto your knees. You try to rub the blood away, but only smear it into your skin. Will it stain? You have given up, haven't you? It got to be too much, and these pieces of you fractured apart because you can not comprehend seeing your own reflection, who you truly are. You cradle the cracked pieces close, now cold to the touch, and wonder why you let so much go. Is it not the way of the world to drift and push away? ❞

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘: @srunelett

Blood.

“Do you hear the screams of them, as you take and take and take? You never stop taking, right? Because the world took so much from you. It’s fair, right? Even as you dig your hands into their chest and pull, trying to rip apart something that has hurt you. Even as they grasp weakly at your wrists, sobbing and pleading, saying that they’re sorry. It must have hurt. Hurt much more than this for you to do it. Their chest heaves and you hold their heart in your hands. It looks the same as yours. Isn’t that interesting?”

“How many times have I done this?” Rosa can’t help but wonder her body as numb as her head as she gazes down, looking between her feet as the visceral liquid drips onto the snow. “Does it matter? You’d do it for him, for them.” Some part of her speaks, a part she knows takes joy in this.

“Maybe I am a monster, but I’m their monster.”

(Rewrote some of Rosa’s story in my head, this caused her to change a bit, this is a fun way to acknowledge that haha.)

Tagged by: @thoserubyeyes