The Sarows

How do you know when the Sarows is coming?

♞⇸ 𝓚 ｎｉｇｈｔ }

So it really was a reaction that they were looking for, judging by how their body language changed into those of uncertainty as he simply stared past them with a disinterested look. The unsure actions of one of his aggressors did not escape his notice, just as he noticed the presumed leader seeming to only be aggravated by things not going his way, his grip on the knife tightening, yet trembling much more than it initially had been. It was then when Dio caught sight of a girl seeming to be surveying her surroundings that the knife that had been held before his face clumsily lurched forward, too quickly for him to react as it scored a line across his cheek. 

It was nothing more than a shallow wound, caused by an unintended party who was now unnerved by the sight of blood forming at the cut– yet there was still a stinging sensation that caused him to wince instinctively. Hand raising with the intention to disarm the culprit of his newly acquired cut, seeing that said cut was the result of a weapon being handled by a blatant amateur, the familiar sight of knife being thrown towards his general direction caused him to instinctively move out of its path. Instead, the knife hit its target of his assailant’s hand, eliciting a cry of pain and shock from him, effectively, though in a much more brutal manner he had personally intended to, disarming him. Metallic clattering was soon to follow, both his assailant’s knife and the thrown one falling out of his grip and to the ground respectively.

After all, said hand now had a freshly procured stab wound that was far more deserving of attention.

Whatever the reason for a bystander to have chosen their victim to be coincidentally his assailant, he kicked the two knives on the ground behind him, before looking over to the crying, shaking mess that had been attempting to threaten him mere moments ago. “ .. You’ll need to bandage that up and put force on it to stop the bleeding. I’m sorry, but the only bandages I have right now are these… ” Said bandages were the ones wrapped around the right side of his face, seeming deceptively easy to unravel, though it came to a stop upon his realizing that those bandages were there for good reason. “ Oh, sorry, but I actually need them… ” 

Those close enough to him would be able to see it. What seemed to peer through the cracks between the lines of bandages struck terror into those who saw it, causing eyes to widen and even the wounded one now more terrified of the sight before him than in pain. All of a sudden, the false bravado from the group of bullies vanished in an instant, their respective knives clattering to the ground as they collectively took a step away from him, staring in fear. 

Most of the crowd around the group of boys had now quickly dispersed. Once Lila had thrown the knife, having seriously hurt somebody, everyone scrambled to get away. It was one thing if there was a fight going on between a distinct group of boys; it was another if a knife came flying from seemingly nowhere and could hit anyone at any time.

The boys had taken a step away from their victim, most of them clearly looking at ways to escape. Only the leader looked paralyzed from fear. He lost colour in his face, either from blood loss or from being a scaredy cat. Had Lila’s knife really caused them to be unnerved? She huffed, unimpressed by their “confidence.” If they were going to bring knives to a fight, they should fully well expect for other knives to come into play. After all, they weren’t the only geniuses to think of being armed.

She casually strolled over to the scene with another knife in her hand in case of a fight, bent down, and picked up her bloody knife. When she stood up again she made sure to bring her height to the fullest as to tower over the pubescent boys. She just gave the leader a side glance, “Oh, sorry, I missed your head. It’s just so small.” Then she followed it with a smile, sharper than the knife she had just thrown, “I guarantee you that next time I won’t miss.” For once Lila was glad that she wasn’t wearing an overly-sized coat that hid her figure. Although her clothes were boyish, it was clear that she was a girl. One that scared the crap out of five boys. It wasn’t that impressive from her end, but definitely embarrassing from theirs.

“Hey kid, try not to be such an easy target next ti- The fuck are you?!” Lila caught a glimpse of what was under the kid’s bandages. Instinctively she raised the two knives she held in her hands. From what little she saw, the skin underneath the bandages looked charred, and a blackness from where his eye should’ve been. Although Lila had a black glass eye of her own, there was no way this kid could’ve also been an Antari. If he had been, Lila would have known about more Londons than Grey, Red, White, and Black. Plus, she didn’t trust Antaris much.

It had probably been a mistake to interfere, but it was too late now.

Krakenberg is rife with liars and thieves: so he knows a liar when he sees one. (A thief, alas, is apparently a harder fiend to spot.)

Unfortunately for the impertinent miss, however, that his offence at the waste has now faded, he turns his indignation to that which most others would consider the primary crime- And seeing for certain now her face before him, minute though the smile is (it is still more than imagined in a glimpse, after all), he knows her to be the culprit. 

“You would do best to save your breath for an apology. My own breakfast has been cut short by needing to change into a second shirt, as well you know.” A bird of prey who, after having its feathers ruffled, returns to its resting majesty, he stands with his arms loosely folded across his body – trying, for what little it’s worth, to pry an admission of guilt from her, futile though demanding reparation might well be. He does not flinch in face of her pretence, steadily keeping his gaze ‘pon her apparent disinterest: quite apparent from his reputation as Nohrian royalty, he has a personal pride to keep. “As soon as I am able, the dirty shirt will be sent for cleaning, the bill for which - justly - will be sent to you.” 

–Met only with continued apathy, however, Leo finds himself all at once struck by the truth that his titles meant nothing here. Though always adamant that he would not abuse his authority (as so much of the rotting court did), he cannot help but wish for even a modicum of that respect given as standard.

Though his mouth hangs open in momentary disgust, he can only press his lips into a firm frown in the end, finding no recourse to her belligerence. Embarrassing as this whole incident has been, he hasn’t the energy to waste on her – not, indeed, with physical education imminent. After retrieving his capelet from the back of his chair and draping it ‘cross his shoulders, the irritated young man inhales pointedly by way of curt farewell, that he himself isn’t later to the first class of the day. “–Tch. Very well, then. I will call on you later to settle the matter.”

…Of course, by the time he does, at last, reach for the brooch to refasten his mantle, it is woefully too late.

Lila bounced on her way in the opposite direction of class. With Mr. Don’t-Waste-Tomatoes having graciously granted her permission to leave and he was now out of sight, she took out the item out of her pocket, viewing it for the very first time. It was a brooch, pretty ugly in her opinion. It didn’t look like there was anything particularly special about it, but maybe it had some sentimental value to him or it had magical abilities that Lila didn’t know about. Either way, it was hers now: a token to another world.

On impulse Lila pinned the brooch above her breast and turned towards the closest window. She could just make out her reflection in the window to see how it looked like on her. Oddly enough, the dragon head looked pretty good with the rest of her outfit. It was nicely accentuated on top of the black jacket she was wearing. It would pair up nicely with the devil mask Lila kept on display in her room. Maybe it wasn’t that ugly after all.

Urgh. How humiliating.

Attempts on his life somehow stung less than this. There is a tragedy in how accustomed he had become to the sheer wretchedness of Nohrian court life, unregulated by a king in declining health; or else simply how - with that world far away, and with such treachery (on the whole) further away still - his day seems to have been set up already as one of misfortune, even before the seventh hour… In either case, the pace at which the young man heads back to the dining hall is markedly brisker, noticeably more purposeful than that at which he ventured out the first time. 

A more optimistic sort might have found blessing in an early-morning ambush by a bowl of salsa at least ensuring they were fully awake. As Leo stalks back to the hall (with his shirt this time buttoned correctly and, more importantly, altogether free of stains), however, he finds no such contentment in so rude a wake-up call. 

So far as he can remember, he had started the day as any other, with the same admitted bleariness shortly after waking. Yet conscious of his appearance in some - if not the entire - regard, he had unfastened his capelet, draping it over the back of his seat so as to not risk dirtying it; the dragon-head brooch pinning the two ends together he had slipped away so as to not lose it, and no sooner had he settled thus than– 

Ah, yes. He could have sworn he had even caught the smallest glimmer of a smirk from the enemy before taking dignified flight to change his shirt. Judging, too, from the trajectory and the accuracy of the shot, it couldn’t have been anybody of his fellow fast-breakers but her. 

“You there.” No longer interested in his morning meal, he stands directly across from the accused, head held high and gaze indignant. “How dare you waste tomatoes like that–!”

Lila glanced up, feigning surprise. “I’m sorry but I don’t know what you’re talking about.” A small smile lingered on the edge of her lips. It was all too funny for her. The person she had just stolen from was standing in front of her, and the best part was that he was mad about being a bit dirty and didn’t have a clue that she now had something of his. By the way he was looking at her now, Lila had judged him correctly: he was just a spoiled and arrogant princeling that thought the world belonged to him. Even if he wasn’t a prince, he definitely was a noble of some sort, which was worse.

She cocked her head a bit to the side, pretending to study his shirt. “I think you forgot to do your laundry. You probably should go change your shirt since the one you’re wearing is, you know, dirty,” she teased. If he thought that that small stain was insufferable, he should try being a pirate, where the waters of the sea could easily drench someone and if a fellow crew member was  drunk, it could result in their drink being generously poured on top of a head.

Lila took a few more bites of her toast, finishing it off. Although for most it wouldn’t seem like much of a breakfast, especially with the unlimited food that appeared thrice a day, she really wasn’t used to eating a lot. Lila was at a healthy weight, a lot more meat on her than a few years back when she lived on the streets, but she liked where she was at and didn’t want to eat more if she wasn’t hungry. 

♞⇸ 𝓚 ｎｉｇｈｔ }

It went against the principles that he had developed over the years, being among the living when he ought not to be. To wander amidst so many other people in a market, of all places was the last thing that he would have done… if he were not in the magical realm where Hiraeth Academy existed, that was. Somehow, there were individuals that were stranger than himself, to the extent that his appearance did not quite garner as much attention as it usually did, allowing him to simply browse through the wares being sold in a rather relaxed manner. 

Of course, just as he had caught sight of a faraway stall that piqued his interest, soon came the sound of raucous laughter from some ill-mannered… students, that seemed to have caught sight of him. He did not quite understand their intent in approaching him, neither did he understand their need to surround him and continue laughing, the very sound beginning to grate on his nerves. Laughter that was far, far too familiar to him, similar to what he had heard from those that had shunned him for his heterochromic eyes.

His lack of response seemed to agitate them, knives being pulled out all of a sudden in an attempt to appear more threatening, wanting to get some sort of reaction from him, he supposed? He had his own assortment of knives on himself, but it seemed hardly necessary, seeing that the brutes before him were handling their knives like amateurs did. Though, the crowd that was beginning to form due to the spectacle was starting to make the air suffocating, and that, he did not find pleasant in the slightest. 

Hand now resting on the nearest knife on his person, fingers curled around its handle as one of the students suddenly lunged towards him with an ugly sneer, not quite using the knife in hand whatsoever. He simply let himself get pinned against the wall, his aggressors not noticing the accessibility that he had to a weapon as they continued to spit out choice words, seemingly projecting their own feelings of inadequacy onto him. Though he was staring back at the one pinning him against the wall squarely in the eyes, he was acutely aware of the knife being clumsily held near his face, wondering if he actually might not need to draw his own knife after all, if the matter of taking the knives from them would really be as easy as it seemed.

Lila hadn’t been the only one to notice obnoxious boys surrounding the smaller one. Fingers pointed towards them, hushed whispers wondering about what the smaller one had done to make the others act like this. While Lila had been ready to jump in and maybe give a few warning cuts, two things stopped her. For one, nobody else in the crowd seemed to be keen to help. Everybody just watched, but kept a respectful distance in order not to get hurt. They were so immersed in what was going on that nobody had even noticed the knife that Lila was holding in her own hand, or the danger that she could pose to them.

The other reason: the boy’s reaction. Or actually, lack of reaction. Despite being outnumbered, pinned to a wall, and having a knife next to his face, the boy didn’t show any signs of fear like any normal person would. Then again, nobody in Hiraeth was normal. While there were those that didn’t exhibit any magical powers, there weren’t many of them. And even so, most knew how to handle a weapon of some sort.

She still kept her own knife out. Maybe it wouldn’t be necessary to step in, but usually a fight where the party with the greater number of people had weapons out never ended well for the person opposing them.

The boys seemed to be unsettled. One of the boys that were at the side, previously sneering, now gave what Lila presumed to be their oh so courageous leader a confused look. It clearly asked Retreat? The leader grew angrier at this clutching the knife tighter. Only then Lila noticed that he wasn’t holding the blade properly, it clearly only being an object he flashed around to show his power but never had to actually use it. She looked around again, and still nobody that was watching looked willing to step in. In fact, some people got bored with the display and started to go about business per usual.

Lila

submitted by @long-live-the-king-of-the-damned

She starts out the adsom series as reckless and STAYS RECKLESS THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE BOOKS thank you ?????? 

like this never happens in books especially with girls, usually if they start out reckless their arc is to become demure and reserved and “mature??” but lila bard really stayed out there ready to throw hands the entire time god bless her heart

she holds essentially a limitless power source mcguffin in her hand, and the first thing she makes is a fucking sword 

deliberately stakes out her pick pocketing hits in rich areas like yes girl go for their throats!

was ready to cut a bitch when she saw people stealing from an obviously homeless orphan boy. girl may be a thief but she has a conscious

has no less than 10 knives on her person at all times so she’s ALWAYS ready to cut a bitch

is the literal definition of the person who brings knives to a gun fight

her ultimate goal in life is to become a pirate and have a ship of her own AND SHE FUCKING DOES IT WHAT AN ICON

ok but the suit!!!!!

she has to sneak in to a royal ball and passes on a dress and decides to saunter in in a full blown suit and devil horned mask my bi ass was QUAKING 

ditches the opportunity to live in a castle among royalty TWICE to become a pirate i-

is so lethal and cutthroat after only 4 months being a pirate that there’s already a song that sailors sing about her she’s literally a legend

makes a bet with her other crew members that she can take down one of the most infamous pirates crews (made up of around 20 men) AND SHE FUCKING DOES IT WITH FINESSE 

even knowing that holland was under astrid and athos’ direction, she never forgives him for killing barron and honestly, same

like she even sends an assassin to kill him with her own knife while he was in prison and i wasn’t even mad

her complicated father/daughter relationship with barron and mother/daughter relationship with calla were the purest things to come out of this series

i’ll never get over how long this girl can hold a grudge it’s honestly such a mood

like after defeating astrid and kell turned her to stone and crumbled it she KEEPS A PIECE OF HER FACE ive never admired someone so much

doesn’t even know if she’s an antari that can travel between worlds but says “fuck it” and tries to do it anyway

her entire life motto is essentially “fuck it”

oh and the whole time she’s been doing it with ONE EYE

and rocked her shattered glass eye for ¾ of the last book im actually still upset they decided to switch it out it was such a Look

the entire time they lead you to believe she’s going to settle down with kell in the red london palace because he has to be there to protect his adopted brother rhy BUT THEN THEY PULL THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER YOU IN THE END LIKE NOPE SHE’S A PIRATE CAPTAIN NOW AND SHE’S SO COOL KELL DITCHED HIS HOME TO FOLLOW HER