i do not have wings, love, i never will.

#𝙷𝙼 ⸻ her life had been built upon this. a series of warnings to be heeded. before she had even drawn breath, they had painted her a villain, a harbinger --- the end of the world born of wolf and vampire. after her birth, it was the magic that courses through her veins, LIFE ITSELF, that had to be hidden. [ don't show them what you are. they fear what they can't understand. ] hayley had taught her to blend in, to survive. always as a marshall \ never a mikaelson. ) and now, here, it had come down to this — vespera's eyes narrowing in her direction.

...     𝐀̲𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍  ‚ \   vespera : “ you do anything stupid, i'll sense it. ”     ¡.   

hope flinched. not for the words, but for the implication. heavy and loud, pointed and sharp. the one that seemed to say that stupid was her default setting. the warning thudded against her chest like an accusation, a steel - tipped knife wedged between her ribs. she turned away sharply, arms crossing over herself, nails digging into her sleeves. don't react. don't react. don't react. but her breath hitched anyway, and the tribrid had to will it to steady, force her face to flatten into something neutral. something strong. “ GREAT — then maybe you'll sense when i roll my eyes, too. ”

but beneath it? the coil in her stomach tightens. do they all think that? that i'm reckless? dangerous? jaw clenches, a spark of heat flaring at the edges of her mind --- a witch's magic, restless and waiting \ a wolf's temper, unforgiving and raw \ a vampire's hunger, cold and insatiable --- it simmers, all of it, rising too quickly. A STORM BENEATH SKIN. she swallows it back, presses it down, hard. locking it away with practiced effort. don't lose control. not here. not now. not ever. a humorless laugh slips through her lips, a sound paired with the quirk of lips corners slotted into a brittle smile. “ you're welcome to sense all you want, vespera. doesn't mean you'll understand it. ”

IF ANYONE KNOWS WHAT IT IS TO BE CURSE BORNE, VESPERA THINKS SHE MIGHT HAVE SOME INKLING. but no one had ever minded enough to poke their noses into it, and so she seldom does the same for others ― not for a lack of empathy ( only slightly ), but rather because she figures no one else enjoys their skeletons picked at. so, really, she didn't mean to stab her index directly into hope mikaelson's rib bones ― metaphorically speaking. her social skills are just in dire need of dusting, see, and she forgets at times how barbed her tongue remains unless she consciously dulls it. she is also all too aware of the tribrid's . . . methods.

the necromancer watches the other, obsidian gaze blinking slow as a cat's, as she has for the majority of their school careers: power senses power, and she had smelled the ozone stirring underneath hope's skin long before she debuted herself as a mikaelson. one of vespera's many curiosities.

here, however, she feels the uncomfortable lurch of guilt in her stomach as hope's mien tenses, as if waiting to bear the strike of criticism. which, she supposes, she had just delivered. fingers curl uncertainly at her sides, but before she can work out an apology, the other is already rolling onto her perfected defense mechanism ― quips, with a razor's edge so thin you can't see it until it's already nicked your skin.

𝙰𝚜  𝕯𝐚𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐬  𝕿𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧  𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎  𝚝𝚘  𝚑𝚎𝚛  𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚝,  𝚑𝚎𝚛  𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔  𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍,  𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚎  𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎  𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐  𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖  𝚒𝚝𝚜  𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑  𝚊𝚗𝚍  𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚜.  𝚃𝚑𝚎  𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛  𝚝𝚠𝚘  𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍  𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢  𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖  𝚑𝚎𝚛  𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚜  𝚊𝚗𝚍  𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍  𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛  𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚜  𝚝𝚘  𝚝𝚑𝚎  𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕,  𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝  𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜  𝚞𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐  𝚊𝚗𝚍  𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐  𝚝𝚑𝚎  𝚊𝚒𝚛.

─── 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬.

i feel bad asking this, but i’m in a tough spot right now. i work seasonally for a repertoire theatre company from april to december, and we go dark for three months, which means i’m currently unemployed. i’ve been out of work for the last three weeks, have applied and have been approved for unemployment on my last day of work, but in all the government’s wisdom that doesn’t kick in until next week, and things are getting really tight. i don’t have much to offer in return other than my gratitude, but please help and share if you can!

kofi

lyrics that absolutely fuck me up, feel free to change pronouns and such as needed

"A mission to kill someone's son, a foe who won't run, unlike anyone you have faced before."

"I'd rather bleed for you."

"This is the will of the gods."

"Don't make me do this."

"The blood on your hands is something you won't lose. All you can choose is whose."

"You're as old as he was when I left for war."

"How could I hurt you?"

"I'm just a man who's trying to go home."

"When does a man become a monster?"

"When does the reason become the blame?"

"Forgive me."

"We should try to find a way no one ends up dead."

"You can relax, my friend."

"Think of all that we have been through. We'll survive what we get into."

"This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms."

"I see in your face there is so much guilt inside your heart."

"Have you forgotten to turn off your heart? This is not you."

"Have you forgotten your purpose? Let me remind you."

"Don't forget that you're a warrior of a very special kind."

"Don't disappoint me."

"What gives you the right to deal a pain so deep?"

"Don't you know that pain you sow is pain you reap?"

"Your life now is in my hand."

"A trade, you see. Take from me like you took from me."

"You shall be the final man to die."

"It's just one life to take."

"When we kill him our journey's over."

"Captain?"

"You've hurt me enough."

"When I kill you, my pain is over."

"Mark my words now. This is not the end."

"Remember them."

"Who hurts you?"

"If nobody hurt you, be silent."

"He's still a threat until he's dead."

"Finish it."

"What good would killing do, when mercy is a skill more of this world could learn to use?"

"The blood we shed, it never dries."

"I am your darkest moment."

"I am the infamous _______!"

"This way, you won't disappoint me."

"This way, you won't waste my time."

"Unlike you, every time someone dies, I'm left to deal with the strain."

"I'll remind you, I saw you as a friend, but now we're done."

"This way, you won't plague my life."

"This way, you'll close the door and have your damn goodbye."

"Since you claim you're so much wiser, why's your life spent all alone?"

"You're alone!"

"This day, you sever your own head."

"This day, you lost it all. Consider this as my goodbye."

"Don't forget how dangerous the gods are."

"How much longer 'til your luck runs out?"

"You rely on wit, and people die on it."

"I still believe in goodness."

"Lead from the heart, and see what starts."

"And what will we do when it tears us apart?"

"You're like the brother I could never do without."

"How much longer 'til your strength takes leave?"

"I can't have you planting seeds of doubt."

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

"Sometimes killing is a must."

"Friends turn into foes and rivalries."

"Never really know who you can trust."

"The end always justifies the means."

"So much has changed, but I'm the same."

"I'm left without a choice and without a doubt."

"Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves."

"You are the worst kind of good 'cause you're not even great."

"You are far too nice."

"Mercy has a price."

"Unlike you, I've got no mercy left to give."

"The line between naivete and hopefulness is almost invisible."

"What have you done?"

"I am your darkest moment, the monster that always draws near."

"Remember me."

"There's only so much left we can endure."

"Think of your past and your mistakes."

"No, I'm not a player. I'm a puppeteer."

"I can hardly sleep now, knowing everything we've done."

"It's a game of wits, but you don't have to play."

"A foe like ____ is not to be messed with."

"You could be hurt or you could beat her."

"I'll help you conquer her."

"Wouldn't you like your outcome preferred?"

"Don't thank me, friend, you very well may die."

"Did you do something to them?"

"I don't know who you are or why you're here, but let me make this one thing clear."

"I've got people to protect, friends I can't neglect, so now there is no turning back."

"Back at home my wife waits for me. She's my everything, my _____."

"Maybe showing one act of kindness leads to kinder souls down the road."

"This land confuses your mind."

"All I hear are screams every time I dare to close my eyes."

"I no longer dream, only nightmares of those who've died."

"Why would you let _____ live when ruthlessness is mercy?"

"I keep thinking of the infant from that night."

"____, when you come home, I'll be waiting."

"Even if you're the last thing I see, I'll be waiting."

"I took too long."

"I'll always love you."

"Your past is always close behind."

"I see a song of past romance."

"I see portrayals of betrayal and a brother's final stand."

"I see a man who gets to make it home alive, but it's no longer you."

"We've suffered and sailed through the toughest of Hells, now you tell us our efforts were nothing?"

"I see a wife with a man who is haunting. A man with a trail of bodies."

"How has everything been turned against us?"

"How did suffering become so endless?"

"Do I need to change?"

"What if I'm the monster?"

"What if I'm the problem that's been hiding all along?"

"If I became the monster, and threw that guilt away, would that make us stronger?"

"So what if I'm the monster lurking deep below?"

"If I gotta drop another infant from a wall in an instant so we all don't die, then I'll become the monster."

"I'll become the monster."