𝐋 𝐀 𝐃 𝐘

so.........i’ve decided to put athena on hiatus for the foreseeable future because i simply never feel in the mood to write her atm?  having an oc is tricky to begin with and i’d much rather work on my canon characters.   the only reason i even log on to this blog is to check up on my ships and what-not, but it’s really silent over here.

          ❛ listen for the birds. ❜ (from susan)

          @viaminvenia​     ✦     (     *     BIRD BOX PROMPTS   !    

            𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒.   ears perk up, fingers manning the hilt of her sword, caressing the leather of her belt as the chimes of metal sound behind her.   her breath hitches, sight navigating around the fir leaves which shield her from view.   in the midst of CHAOS, those words never leave her.     ‘  listen for the birds,  ’     she can hear susan instruct inside her memory.     here, they remain as useful as the first time she ever heard them.

          (hair) ( from cosimo )

          @iilvecchio​     ✦     SYMBOL MEME STARTERS.

(hair) - for cosimo muse to bury his face in athena’s hair

          𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄.   watching as the sunrise pours through the windowpane, the sensation of cosimo’s head furrowing into the crook of her neck causes the feeling of belonging to stick further.   the night has long passed and they must soon untangle their limbs beneath the blanket they share.   for now, athena is left to simply savour the taste of cosimo on her lips and embrace the calm of his touch with her entire being.   (  contessina is away;   the mask of the night provided a cloud for their love;   the secrecy of lying within the medici palazzo adds more longing to her body  ).

          ⸺ ‘𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑦’ 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑔𝑔𝑙𝑒, but she still listened with a sparkle in her eyes, trying to imagine what sunspear could look like. sighing, she looked away from athena and closed her eyes.  ❝ one day, i’m going to travel the world. see what’s out there. meet new people that speak languages i’ve never heard of before and look completely different. ❞

          and she wouldn’t have to worry about anything other than where to go next. no wars, no other responsibilities, no duties that would keep her rooted to a chair, watching life passing her by.  ❝ if you could do anything other than what you already do, anything DIFFERENT… what would it be? ❞

          𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐒𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐔𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒.   often she has found herself in quite the knot when it came to languages or crossing the paths of other travellers again and again along the way.   loosening oneself from the ties that bind you to a particular place allows you to make mistakes with no consequence.   athena is no stranger to this concept, particularly when a series of run-ins with a brothel in the westerlands led to several mistakes all in one go.   but that is a story for another time.

SOMETHING   TELLS   LORENZO   THAT   THE   NEWS   HE   HAS   TO   GIVE   HER   ;   is   not   what   she   wants   to   hear.   He   almost   feels   guilty   for   bringing   it.   As   smug   as   he   had   been   to   be   entrusted   with   such   a   secret   ,   he   is   not   so   foolish   that   he   does   not   know   the   implications   of   it   all.   THE   LINE   HIS   BROTHER   &   ATHENA   TREAD   OH   SO   CAREFULLY.      “We   must.”   He   agrees   ,   although   he   is   not   all   too   certain   he   believes   her.   However   ,   Lorenzo   does   not   dwell   too   long   on   this.   It   is   her   business   after   all   and   the   younger   Medici   brother   knows   nothing   good   can   come   from   poking   his   nose   where   it   does   not   belong.   HE   HAS   NO   BUSINESS   MEDDLING.   “It   is   no   inconvenience   this   i   assure   you   ,   i   was   coming   back   from   seeing   an   old   friend.”   Technically   this   is   not   a   lie.   “Would   you   like   me   to   walk   you   back   Madonna?   It   is   getting   dark   and   the   streets   can   become   dangerous   when   the   sun   goes   down.”

          ‘ they only say that when first and second haven’t worked. ’        her nose crinkles, as though athena has suggested something absurd…    but secretly her pulse is racing at athena’s touch, electrified by more than champagne and the thrill of being unseen.

          what will she do next?   lucy cannot help wondering.   though the question does not spark a fire in her blood   ( as edmund explained once that intimacy is apt to do )    she is still curious.    a hand slowly sneaks up athena’s arm, inviting, if not urging her to do something more.        ‘ if you’d really like to  —  go ahead.  test it. ’

          𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄.   it’s not, but it should be.   after all, she is more than certain that lucy did not see that offer coming.   but, quite rightfully, athena would never dare to pass up an opportunity to kiss her valiant queen.  given that she’s already tried it out a couple of times, she isn’t ashamed to say that she’s developed quite the appetite for them.

            lips curve into a devious smile, the hand at her waist pulling her forward.     ‘  alright then,  ’     she whispers, her nose brushing softly against the other’s.   and then, as if something wicked had possessed her, lips touch lips in a wild urgency   —   a warm breath caught between them as she pushes towards the queen.   with that, spare fingers push past an arm to reach for lucy, savouring every second her PROOF lasts.

    HE   WAS   BEGINNING   TO   WISH   PERIDAN   HAD   WARNED   HER   -   Giovanni   is   concerned   he   may   have   upset   her.   He   sighs   in   relief   as   she   deposits   the   umbrella   onto   the   stand.   IT   SEEMS   HE   WOULD   NOT   BE   DYING   TONIGHT.   That   was   good   ,   Piero   wouldn’t   be   able   to   stop   laughing   if   he’d   been   murdered   via   umbrella.   He   takes   a   seat   almost   uncertainty   ,   offering   her   a   little   smile.   “We   were   friends…before…”   HIS   CHEEKS   WARM   JUST   A   LITTLE.   “I   apologise   ,   had   i   known   someone   else   was   here   i   would   have   made   my   presence   known   sooner.”

           LUCY FINDS HERSELF WAVERING    —   she can so clearly hear peter in her mind, telling her this was foolish, and to just do what they discussed, rather than this rash, half-baked idea. yet, despite this, lucy could not continue to allow the crimes against her narnians, her friends, go unpunished !  “ have you been to calormen before, athena ?  i haven’t. at least, not really  —  what would be the best way to give them that taste, do you think ?  where should we approach them ? ”      

Cosimo   is   not   perfect   ;   ALL   MEN   ARE   CAPABLE   OF   SIN   -   this   he   has   learned.   Florentines   tended   to   hold   themselves   as   if   they   were   not   ,   the   most   devout   each   of   them   claimed   to   be.   Cosimo’s   faith   in   god   is   of   a   high   amount   ;   there   is   no   equal   to   god   himself   &   yet   Cosimo   commits   sins   regardless.   He   tells   himself   it   is   for   the   benefit   of   Florence   ,   and   for   his   family   that   serves   god.   Yet   his   reasons   for   seeking   out   Athena   are   self   serving   ,   selfish.   HE   WHO   HAS   FALLEN   IN   LOVE   OUTSIDE   OF   HIS   MARRIAGE.   “You   did   not.”   The   banker   chuckles   ,   pressing   a   kiss  to   the   side   of   her   face.   Privately   ,   he   thinks   she   is   deserving   of   far   more   than   what   he   can   give   her   ,   given   their   predicament.   “No   my   love   ,   it   is   not   about   what   i   wish.   But   what   you   wish.”   He   is   determined   to   make   the   entire   weekend   about   her   -   to   shower   her   in   the   love   and   adoration   he   feels   for   her   so   that   Athena   knows   and   understands   just   how   important   she   is   to   him   ,   that   he   will   always   find   way   to   make   time   for   her.                           “Perhaps   we   could   have   breakfast   in   the   gardens   ;   the   weather   has   been   quite   lovely   as   of   late   ,   my   love.”

          𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐀 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃.   firstly, her family would not be sunk in debt   —   her brother forced to take up military work to support his sisters and for athena to claw at the feet of the medici bank for aid.   then, cosimo would not be wed to another   (  though, that, she assumes, is something he could not have avoided thinking of beforehand.   to be free in love is a wish she is certain they both share  ).   but these are things that cannot be;   these are things that are written in their fateful stars, high above mortal influence.   the promise of having WHATEVER SHE MAY WISH for the few short days they are alone together will have to suffice.   besides, it is not as if athena cannot think of any wishes to declare.     ‘  perhaps,  ’     she considers, eyes briefly flitting away from his to look beyond the windowpane.   if she has the power to wish for whatever she wants, then whyever should she waste it on wishing for breakfast in the gardens?

                    ➶ ➶ ➶     MOTIVATION     was never something that Valerie seemed to lack     ;     she could always muster some     ,     even if it were mere     FUMES     that she was grasping for     &&     would not carry her through for very long before she gave up.     However     ,     she never did     &&     the     DRIVE     she so needed was readily available     &&     through pure will power     ,     was able to sustain her for the duration that was necessary.     Even when she was not feeling up to     TRYING     ,     she could not bring herself to throw in the towel     ;     her body would not allow such failure.     Although     ,     like     ANYONE     ,     she was afflicted with the condition of being human     &&     so even she had her moments where she was basically forced to slow down due to the amount of     STRAIN     she was exerting over herself.     One of these days happened to be today where she was sparring with Athena     ,     a woman she     REVERED     not only for her strength but also her wit     &&     know how of battle strategy     &&     the like.     Whenever Valerie was in one of her sessions with her     ,     she     STROVE     for nothing but excellence     ,     giving her all no matter the cost.     She had sought out to do so today     ,     but it appeared that     OPPOSING     FORCES     had other plans.

                    It was not like she was     SICK     or anything     ,     it was just the aches     &&     pains she had been nursing for who knows how long had     FINALLY     caught up with her     &&     she was feeling the effects of not taking proper care of herself     ;     even when she implored all around her to do just that.     The word     HYPOCRITE     became less of throw away statement made for one instance     &&     had morphed into something akin to a character trait     ,     one she     ODDLY      bore proudly.     She still put as much force as she could behind each thrust of the blade she had clenched in her hands     ,     however they did not seem to     LAND     with the same impact they should have.     She knew she would be called out for her poor performance     ,     so the     CALL     to the general’s side was not surprising in the least.     Running her hand through her hair in frustration     ,     she tries to not shuffle her feet as she made her way     OVER     so they may converse.     Valerie’s slightly dulled hues drift down on their own accord ‘til they find purchase on her feet.

                    “     I am very sorry for the lack of enthusiasm     ,     but I assure you I am fine     ;     just a few aches     &&     pains that have been building up for a while     &&     now     ,     well     ,     I guess I am paying the price for being so neglectful of my health.     “     the need to     CONFESS     all this was immediate     ,     having the forethought about this ordeal to know that even if she was not told by Valerie     HERSELF     ,     she would find out in the end.          ➴ ➴ ➴       

                              { { {     @greatdelta​     } } }          

          𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐎𝐔𝐒.   they were originally designed to pace athena herself, but, evidently, others cannot keep up with relentless work.   that, or rather valerie has been neglectful of her own fitness in the past few weeks.   (  the rumoured rekindling of the knight’s relationship with the king has not escaped her notice.   spending time with him instead of getting a sufficient amount of respite may prove to be a concern  ).     but a general must expect better of those under her command if she wishes to deal out a just command.   matters of the heart should not trouble her unless it is BLEEDING OUT.   the time to make her opinion heard is certainly not now.