𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦

𝖇𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖟 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖆𝖈𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝖓𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

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𝔢𝔷𝔞𝔯𝔞 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔱𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔡𝔯𝔢𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔩𝔢

general tag • intro • playlist • pinterest • headcanons • open starters • flashbacks • aesthetics • visage • connections • tasks

𝙵𝙾𝚁  𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙴𝙾𝙽𝙴  𝚆𝙷𝙾  𝙾𝙵𝚃𝙴𝙽  𝙵𝙴𝙴𝙻𝚂  𝚂𝙾  𝚂𝚄𝚂𝙿𝙸𝙲𝙸𝙾𝚄𝚂  of  the  world  around  her,  blaiz’s  view  of  the  world  long  passed  makes  her  brows  furrow.  perhaps  she’s  enamored  by  the  old  holovids  and  the  all  the  culture  she  was  enamored  by  on  cronos  station;  perhaps  she’s  always  dreamed  of  living  another  life,  and  fantasising  about  the  old  world  was  the  easiest  escape  she  had;  perhaps  she’s  merely  a  historian’s  daughter.  regardless,  venus  has  to  think  that  some  people  were  innocent;  there’s  no  such  thing  as  black  and  white.  when  it  comes  to  the  people  of  the  old  world,  venus  sees  in  shades  of  grey.

sighing,  venus  tilts  her  head  back  once  more.  “ you  have  such  strong  opinions  of  a  time  in  which  the  only  thing  you’ve  experienced  of  it  are  its  ruins, ”  she  murmurs.  she  might  mention  his  belief  in  the  spirits  too,  how  it  seems  so  unwavering  in  a  way  venus  has  never  experienced  before,  but  she  doesn’t  want  to  argue.  their  differing  beliefs  might  just  be  something  she  has  to  overlook.  turning  to  look  at  him,  venus’  brows  raise  somewhat  as  she  asks,  “  there  is  so  much  you  have  to  learn  about  the  old  world.  i’ve  grown  up  immersed  in  their  culture,  their…  arts.  it’s  encapsulating  in  a  way  i’m  sure  you  find  the  ruins,  but  in  truth?  they’re  such  a  small  part  of  it.  you  can’t  judge  them  without  seeing  all  the  picture,  blaiz.  that’s  just  arrogant. ”

perhaps  it’s  because  she’s  never  been  in  an  old  world  ruin,  but  venus  can’t  see  how  a  place  like  that  could  be  seen  as  beautiful.  she  doesn’t  think  she  wants  to  see  one,  either:  she’s  perfectly  fine  with  immersing  herself  in  the  bits  of  the  old  world  that  are  safe,  but  venus  has  had  enough  of  surviving.  she’s  had  enough  of  danger.  she'd  be  perfectly  happy  to  curl  up  into  safety  and  never  have  to  venture  out  in  the  wilds  ever  again,  and  the  old  world’s  ruins  just  scream  a  kind  of  danger  she  has  no  need  to  delve  into.  venus  is  tired  of  being  scared.  

feeling  the  mood  shift,  venus  stands,  wanting  something  to  help  lift  it  again.  in  a  moment  of  self  awareness,  venus  marvels  over  how  confusing  this  must  be  for  blaiz;  how  he  says  something  she  dislikes  and  suddenly,  with  a  furrow  of  her  brows,  the  mood  turns  sour.  in  a  way,  she  likes  keeping  him  on  his  toes:  it’s  her  own  unintentional  way  of  keeping  herself  safe  and  at  a  distance.  venus’  gaze  scours  the  room  again  as  she  makes  her  way  over  to  a  few  more  holotapes,  labelled  with  all  different  types  of  music,  and  above  it–why  is  there  a  blanket  draped  over  the–

oh.  venus’  brows  furrow  once  more  at  the  sight  of  the  broken  holoplayer.  “ what  the… ”  she  murmurs,  glancing  down  at  the  mess  of  jumbled  and  disconnected  wires.  easily  fixable,  even  if  she  is  curious  as  to  how  the  hell  such  a  thing  would’ve  happened.  as  she  gets  to  work  and  hopes  to  the  heavens  she  doesn’t  get  electrocuted,  venus  murmurs,  “ you  know,  i  don’t  get  why  you  don’t  just  leave.  i  know  your  mom  would  send  spies,  but  if  you’re  as  good  at  navigating  the  ruins  as  you  say  and  your  people  won’t  go  there,  can’t  you  use  them  to  lay  low  for  a  while?  could  even  go  back  to  the  sky  people  and  explain  how  your  people  took  me,  ask  for  their  protection…  could  even  take  mira  if  you  were  worried  about  her.  they’d  give  it  to  you.  protection. ”  venus  hisses  as  electricity  sparks  at  her  fingertips  and  she  quickly  pulls  them  away.  spinning  around,  venus  blows  on  her  fingers  and  leans  against  the  counter  that  the  holoplayer  stands  upon  as  she  continues,  “ instead  it  just  feels  like  you’re  kind  of  not  doing  anything  about  it  but  still  complaining. ”

“ i know of more than just their ruins, ” he scoffed defensively, suddenly feeling insecure in comparison to her wealth of knowledge. it surely wasn’t anything he was meant to have learned, but blaiz had been taught of wars that occurred in the old world by his tutor, along with other atrocious historic facts that only seemed to verify his beliefs. century after century, the humans refused to learn their lesson—mistakes his mother and his people were making now. 

she hadn’t been the first one to ever call him arrogant and she certainly wouldn’t be the last. the prince meant no offense by it and was far from claiming he knew it all, but nor was it so easy for him to admit that he knew too little. “ arts? ” blaiz repeated curiously, “ did they have many smiths in the old world? ” he’d hadn’t a clue, but it only seemed right that a society that destroyed themselves would be filled with weapon-smiths to aide in it.

he shifted in place, feeling a palpable shift in the air though he couldn’t say what the source had been. it was something he’d slowly become accustomed to in venus’ presence, he only wondered if it was something she intended to do or not. blaiz shrugged off the notion as another feeling washed through him as she uncovered the broken device: nervousness. “ uh- ” the blonde stuttered awkwardly. “ it’s really loud, i wouldn’t. ” he insisted leaning forward as he moved to the edge of the couch. blaiz still didn’t fully understand what the device was or how it was supposed to function, but he did know that it had been noisy and such things tended to attract unwanted attention.  

“ just because my people won’t go there, doesn’t mean she couldn’t find others who would. ” he replied softly, there was no such thing as too extreme for one as ruthless as her. “ she would find me. ” there was nothing he could do short of faking his own death, a thought that had crossed his mind on more than one occasion. but there were too many he wasn’t willing to just walk away from. however, turning himself into a full blown traitor surely couldn’t any easier on them. 

“ you make it sound so easy, ” he scoffed, rolling his eyes as he stood up a familiar annoyance bubbling inside him. “ even if what you say is true, and your people would protect us, ” blaiz said holding up a hand as if to pause the conversation. “ which i don’t believe they would, my mother would find some reason in that to start a war. forget the western front, she’d refocus all of her attention to wiping your people right back off our maps. ” wiping him off the map in the process, he thought silently, unaware he’d begun to pace about around her. 

“ 𝙳𝙾  𝚈𝙾𝚄  𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚈  𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙺  𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃  𝙰𝙻𝙻  𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃  𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴  is  to  know  about  our  ancestors  is  that  they  destroyed  the  world? ”  venus  asks  teasingly,  brows  risen  as  she  turns  to  look  at  him.  moving  away  from  the  desk,  venus  follows  suit  and  throws  herself  onto  the  sofa  next  to  blaiz.  she  waves  dust  out  of  her  face,  coughing  just  slightly,  and  then  exhales  in  a  sigh  as  she  leans  her  head  against  the  back  of  the  sofa.  comfy,  even  years  later.  “ it  was  a  handful  of  people  that  caused  it.  the  rest…  billions  were  innocent. ”  just  how  much  does  blaiz  know  of  what  happened  back  then?  it  was  one  of  the  tales  ingrained  into  venus’  memory  from  her  childhood  history  classes.

venus  turns  her  gaze  somberly  away  from  blaiz,  her  gaze  scanning  the  bunker  once  more.  she  notices  a  blanket  draped  over  something  on  a  unit,  notes  that  down  for  later,  and  for  now  says  nothing  of  it…  because  for  a  little  while,  she’s  uncharacteristically  quiet  as  she  ponders  what  a  different  time  it  must  have  been  back  then;  a  completely  different  way  of  life.  the  freedom  the  people  of  those  ages  must  have  had…  she  remembers  being  told  that  people  would  have  families  of  seven;  that  they  could  take  a  flight  across  from  one  side  of  the  world  and  be  on  the  other  the  next  day.  for  somebody  who  just  powered  up  a  bunker  with  a  metal  disc,  the  ways  of  the  old  ones  sound  unbelievable  even  to  her.  they  always  have.

she  turns  to  look  back  at  blaiz  after  a  quiet  pause.  she  considers  questioning  his  later  statement,  considers  stating  that  if  they  were  the  ancestors  of  his  people,  would  they  surely  not  have  come  here  for  supplies?  for  shelter?  but  she  doesn’t  bring  it  up.  even  the  thought  of  those  billions  of  innocents  dead  threatened  to  sour  the  mood.  instead,  venus’  lips  curve  upwards  slightly,  lazily,  as  she  asks,  “ how  did  you  find  this  place?  this  was  the  last  place  i  expected  you  to  take  me.  doesn’t  seem  like  somewhere  your  mother  would  approve  of,  either. ”  but  isn’t  doing  such  things  exactly  what  defines  blaiz;  isn’t  it  exactly  what  got  them  into  this  situation  in  the  first  place?

a strange sort of grin overtook his features at the question that felt so bizarre to him, “ what else is there to know? ” the prince shrugged lazily as she plopped down beside him, holding is breathe amid the cloud that rushed toward his face. without much thought, blaiz lifted his arm and placed it behind her, as though he was constantly ready to pull her close. the gesture felt as natural to him as breathing itself, to have her in such close proximity. 

“ but were they innocent? ” he almost laughed. “ none of us are innocent now, wouldn’t it be foolish of us to believe they were all innocent then? especially seeing, living in the aftermath of the world they left us. ” nothing she ever said could change his mind on it. everyone was guilty of something, for the people who used to inhabit the world it could of have been their lack of respect for the earth that sustained their existence or their effort they put forth in creating the monstrous machines that prowled the new world. 

he chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment as he recalled the memory, a wicked sort of grin spreading across his face at her last comment. “ most of the places i like to hang out in aren’t places my mother approves of. ” his smirk never faltered as his gaze settled on her once more. “ it was years ago, i needed a place to hide and i don’t know— ” blaiz went silent for a moment, remembering how he’d felt in that moment; like he might die, again. “ i found this place when i needed it most, when i needed someplace to escape. it didn’t always look so well hidden, ” he explained, having planted the shrubs in the months after he found it to help conceal his discovery. 

status:closed for @ofsanctuary​​ ​ timeline: present setting: troy, the inner keep

“ 𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝙵𝙰𝙲𝚃  𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃  𝚂𝙷𝙴  𝙸𝚂  𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙻𝙻  𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴  𝙸𝚂  𝙰  marvel  to  me, ”  toro  comments,  amusement  in  the  small  upwards  curve  of  his  lips  as  he  observes  the  so-called  sky  demon…  not  that  he’d  dare  call  venus  that  around  blaiz.  he  leans  against  the  wooden  post  next  to  him,  arms  folded  as  his  gaze  lingers  on  venus  for a  moment  longer;  she  certainly  seems  more  comfortable  here  than  she  did  two  weeks  ago,  before  he  left  for  the  oracle  lands.  blaiz  and  his  ways  with  women…  toro  is  almost  envious.  toro  looks  back  at  blaiz,  grinning,  and  teases,  “ i  half  expected  you  to  have  grown  bored  of  her  by  now,  prince.  tell  me:  when,  exactly,  will  the  wedding  be? ”

blaiz looked from venus to his friend and then back to her once more, his gaze lingering far longer than perhaps it should of before finally returning his attention back to the blade in his hand and the stone in the other. “ it’s a marvel to everyone, i think, most of all her, ” he practically spit as he referenced his mother in a way that was all too common for the prince, his disdain more than obvious to his companion. he ran the stone across the edge of the blade, the sound ringing out nosily, “ perhaps had it been any of the others i would have, ” he admitted honestly, his eyes focusing only on the blade for a moment longer. “ i’ve always wanted a winter ceremony, ” he chuckled, though it wasn’t much of a joke. he had always wanted a wintertime wedding. 

status: open to all timeline: present setting: troy

𝙷𝙴  𝙷𝙰𝙳  𝙱𝙴𝙴𝙽  𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙲𝙴𝙳  𝚃𝙾  𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙽𝙳  𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙴  time  than  he  liked  in  the  lands  of  the  oracle.  the  oracle  clan  were  a  mess;  despite  how  much  they  tried  to  merely  insist  that  their  leader  was  busy,  toro  knew  they  were  hiding  yet  another  coverup  for  her  shenanigans.  toro  does  not  like  the  high  priestess  simply  because  she  likes  him;  he  views  her  as  obnoxious,  prying  into  places  she  has  no  business  prying  into,  and  his  disdain  for  her  had  all  started  when  she  began  to  pry  into  his  mother  and  her  past.  now,  toronto  couldn’t  be  happier  to  be  home.  not  much  has  changed,  aside  from…  “ that  is  new, ”  he  comments,  gesturing  to  the  giant  man  made  of  straw;  a  typical  sight  to  see  when  an  ice  walk  celebration  is  ahead.  wrapping  his  arms  around  himself,  toro  leans  back  to  observe  the  craftsmanship.  “ there  are  thirteen  in  the  mountains  now? ”  he  asks,  turning  to  look  at  the  person  next  to  him.

ezara sat silently, only listening to the hustle and bustle that surrounded her, the strange voices that shouted out gruff commands as something nearby was constructed. the shadow of it loomed overhead, much larger than she’d anticipated, since arriving in troy, the seer has intentionally avoided the celebrations that seemed to occur far too often. she had no interest in celebrating a group of future, or even actual murderers; nor did she desire to expose her son to such things. 

𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚄𝚂’  𝙻𝙸𝙿𝚂  𝙲𝚄𝚁𝚅𝙴  𝚄𝙿𝚆𝙰𝚁𝙳𝚂  𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙾  𝙰  𝚂𝙾𝙵𝚃  grin  as  the  lights  turn  on,  and  although  the  surroundings  of  such  a  pre-war  space  have  suddenly  been  illuminated,  it’s  him  she  watches.  she’s  never  seen  him  look  so  amazed  by  anything  before  and,  for  once,  it’s  nice  to  be  the  one  showing  him  new  things.  “ i  found  the  right  power  source  and  connected  it, ”  she  explains,  shrugging  slightly  before  she  swings  the  panel  door  shut.  it  was  an  easy  feat…  for  somebody  who  knows  how  all  this  works.  “ there  are  some  disc  things  back  there  if  this  one  dies.  you  just  slot  it  in  the  hole  and  make  sure  the  lever, ”  she  says,  gesturing  to  the  metal  handle  on  the  wall,  “ is  pointing  in  the  off  direction  first.  i  counted  three  back  there. ”  in  case  anything  happens  to  her  and  she  doesn’t  get  to  come  back  here  with  him,  she  wants  him  to  know  how  all  this  works.

with  her  job  done,  venus  lets  out  a  sigh  of  relief  and  steps  out  of  the  doorway  and  further  into  the  room.  she  never  thought  she’d  admit  to  it,  but  this  place  seemed  like  a  worse  place  to  have  to  stay  bunkered  down—literally—than  even  cronos  station.  cronos  station,  for  all  its  faults,  at  least  had  natural  sunlight  and  windows.  this  place…  she  already  feels  a  little  suffocated,  but  the  sheer  curiosity  she  feels  as  she  takes  in  her  surroundings  in  full  has  her  distracted  from  that.  concrete  walls,  a  big  enough  space  to  perhaps  fit  two  parents  and  a  child…  it’d  be  a  squeeze,  but  there’d  be  enough  room.  placing  the  candle  down  on  a  nearby  chest  of  drawers,  venus  notes  a  bunk  bed—double  on  the  bottom  and  a  single  on  the  top—and  a  sofa  next  to  it,  as  well  as  countless  surfaces  holding  books,  boxes,  and  general  clutter.  and  better  yet—

“ they  have  a  tv, ”  venus  grins,  approaching  the  unit.  holotapes,  too?  venus’  fingers  ghost  over  the  titles  on  display  in  a  nearby  rack,  recognizing  only  a  spare  few.  “ i’ve  never  seen  one  of  these  in  person  before, ”  she  explains,  looking  back  at  blaiz  with  a  grin.  she’s  never  smiled  this  much  around  him;  how  funny  that  all  she’s  ever  wanted  is  to  get  away  from  her  own  people  and  yet  all  this  tech  excites  her  so.  “ on  cronos,  we  had  holo  projectors,  but  never  actual  tv  screens. ”  straightening,  venus  presses  the  on  switch  and  lets  out  a  breath  as  soon  as  she  sees  the  intro  screen  switch  on.  but  the  mere  fact  that  that  works  excites  her  all  the  more,  and  her  grin  widens  as  she  turns  to  blaiz  and  explains,  “ if  the  holoplayer  works,  we  can  watch  the  people  of  the  past. ”

but  just  then  venus  catches  sight  of  another  screen,  a  keyboard  too,  and  her  eyes  light  up  as  she  darts  across  the  room  and  over  to  a  computer  desk.  she  lets  out  a  breath  of  laughter  as  that,  too,  turns  on.  “ this  thing  is  prehistoric, ”  she  laughs,  turning  back  to  look  at  blaiz  with  excitement  in  her  eyes  before  turning  back  to  the  screen.  disappointment  sets  in  as  she  sees  that  it’s  password  locked;  frowning,  she  reaches  over  towards  the  keyboard  and  tries  a  few  combinations  of  passwords—easy  ones,  too  easy  to  be  true—as  her  fingers  tap  at  the  keys  quicker  than  he’s  likely  ever  seen  her  move  before,  not  even  needing  to  look  at  them  to  type.  “ damn  it, ”  she  mumbles,  leaning  backwards  as  she  lets  out  a  sigh.  she’d  have  to  look  for  some  sort  of  hint  as  to  what  the  password  might  be  another  time.

but  something  softer  than  excitement  sets  in  as  venus’  gaze  settles  upon  what  looks  to  be  a  family  photo  to  the  right  of  the  computer  desk.  taking  the  photo  gently  in  her  hands,  venus  assesses  the  faces  of  the  people  within  it,  her  dark  hues  flickering  over  a  set  of  parents  and  the  toddler  in  their  arms.  venus  wondered  if  they  even  made  it  close;  they  certainly  didn’t  make  it  here.  “ they’re  lucky,  in  a  way, ”  she  murmurs,  her  tone  softer  than  before,  “ they  probably  could’ve  only  lasted  a  few  years  down  here  before  they  would’ve  had  to  open  the  doors.  they  would’ve  been  dead  in  a  few  days,  or… ”  venus’  gaze  flickers  over  blaiz’s  form,  “ i  guess  they  could’ve  evolved  to  adapt  to  it  like  you  and  your  fellow  freaks  of  nature. ”  she’s  joking,  believe  it  or  not.

blaiz stares at her blankly as she explains precisely what she’s done, but the words are lost on him. she motions at things he doesn’t understand and pieces of equipment that he doesn’t dare mess with, but instead of pointing it out, the prince simply nodded. the blonde didn’t even know how to tell which way was off, let alone how to put some disc into something else. no, no, blaiz would leave that all to her. candle light would be just fine as far as he was concerned.

“ watch them do what? blow up the world? ” every thing that the bunker contained that he didn’t understand seemed to be something that excited her, and the way it made her light up made him all the more glad he decided to share it with her after all. he watched venus carefully, finding the greatest amusement in her apparent happiness—no matter how short-lived or artificial it was. in that moment, she was happy. she seemed to bounce around the bunker, from one piece of tech to another, screens he’d never quite paid attention to. they didn’t mean anything to him. 

the only items that truly held any interest for blaiz were the books, there was so many of them, but many of them he’d struggled to make sense of. and it wasn’t as though he could take them back to the inner keep and start asking around. even if he’d shown the wordmaster, they would have insisted on knowing where it came from. and this was not a place the prince had been so willing to share. 

with a bit of effort, blaiz finally managed to pull his gaze away from her, to examine the room once again. he could see clearly now the places that had been of obvious use to him, books were strewn about and stacked on various tabletops. there seemed to be more off the shelves than on them and realized how in need of tidying it had been. suddenly, his eyes found an entirely different sort of mess on the floor near a shelf and he found himself feeling inexplicably guilty. pieces of plastic, metal and wiring were scattered about and falling off what was once a noisy piece of tech that he’d destroyed long ago. he couldn’t help but wonder what sort of joy that might have brought her had she been able to interact with it. 

blaiz looks over to her, her fingers moving faster over the curious contraption than he’d imagine possible, though what she was attempting to do, he couldn’t have said. and if blaiz had to be honest, he didn’t want to know. some mysteries were better left as they were, so he said nothing, allowing her to continue clacking away at the device as he moved toward the couch, pulling a blanket off the back of a chair as he went. he dropped it nonchalantly over the smashed objects as he passed it, taking advantage of how distracted she was for a moment, before plopping heavily down on the piece of furniture. a small cloud of dust surrounded him and he coughed softly in an attempt to clear his lungs. 

status: open to all​ timeline: present setting: near the entrance to the inner keep, troy; outside

𝙳𝙾𝙽’𝚃  𝙳𝙾  𝙸𝚃.  𝙳𝙾𝙽’𝚃  𝙳𝙾  𝙸𝚃.  𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚄𝚂  𝙷𝙰𝙳  promised  blaiz  that  she  wouldn’t  get  into  trouble,  especially  since  he’d  said  that  she’d  forced  him  to  break  his  promise  that  he  wouldn’t  let  any  harm  befall  her.  as  much  as  she  knew  that  was  fantasy,  she  wanted  to  let  him  believe  it  for  as  long  as  possible;  trouble  just  seems  to  find  her,  just  like  now.  her  guard—a  member  of  blaiz’s  man  posse—had  gone  into  a  merchant’s  to  speak  to  a  woman  he  quite  fancied  in  there  and  she,  as  a  sky  person—never  mind  one  called  the  sky  whore  in  these  parts—hadn’t  been  allowed  entry.  she’d  been  fine  to  wait  outside…  until  a  man  nearby  began  leering  at  her.  disgruntled,  she’d  began  to  walk  away,  but  he  only  followed.  and  now…   

“ get  away  from  me,  you  sour-headed  freak, ”  venus  hisses,  clearly  enraged.  she  makes  eye  contact  with  another  as  they  pass  by,  her  words  clearly  reaching  their  ears;  she  won’t  ask  for  help,  but  by  god  would  she  accept  it  right  now.  looking  back  at  the  ice  nationer,  she  spits,  “ if  you  so  much  as  put  a  hand  on  me  i’ll  slit  you  throat  to  navel  and  open  you  up  like  a  christmas  present. ”  clearly,  her  aggressor  hadn’t  been  expecting  that  from  a  sky  person.  “ or  maybe  i’ll  let  prince  blaiz  mount  your  head  on  a  spike.  how  about  that? ”  oh,  she  hopes  that  hits  a  nerve.  blaiz  might  have  even  liked  that  one  if  he  were  here,  too.

blaiz knew he couldn’t be the only one to notice it, but he swore the war councils got shorter and shorter after every meeting. he was trying desperately to understand what his mother’s intentions were, but those were secrets she kept from even him. whatever it was she was planning, she obviously wasn’t going to let any naysayers in on what it was; and blaiz would have been the biggest naysayer of all. 

the prince made his way to the front gate of the inner keep, finding a rather large mix of reactions from the clansmen he did happen to pass. some seemed to look at him with complete and utter disdain while others seemed to smile brightly at him and a few men even clapped him on the back enthusiastically. not quite the reactions they’d been aiming for. 

𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚄𝚂’  𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁𝚂  𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙲𝙷  𝙾𝚄𝚃  𝚃𝙾  𝙶𝚁𝙰𝚂𝙿  at  the  candle  unexpectedly,  grateful  for  the  small  slither  of  light  which  comes  from  it  regardless.  a  mix  of  fear  as  well  as  curiosity  sees  her  spin  around  with  the  candle’s  dim  light  as  her  guide,  allowing  a  small  slither  of  understanding  as  to  just  what  this  place  is.  she’d  heard  about  the  pre-war  bunkers  that  people  had  created  even  centuries  before  ‘the  war  to  end  all  wars’  began,  but  she’d  never  thought  she’d  set  foot  on  earth,  let  alone  see  a  bunker  with  her  own  eyes.

“ i  doubt  they  would, ”  venus  murmurs  quietly  and  absent-mindedly,  setting  the  knife  she’d  taken  from  him  earlier  down  on  some  sort  of  coffee  table,  “ the  pre-war  ones  had  crappy  batteries. ”  not  that  she  expects  blaiz  to  know  what  that  is.  but  in  truth,  the  real  reason  behind  her  absent-mindedness  is  something  far  more  immediate:  if  this  place  is  what  she  thinks  it  is,  they  might  not  need  to  use  these  candles  after  all.

venus  lowers  the  candle  to  enable  her  to  watch  her  step  as  she  delves  further  into  the  bunker  and  towards  what  seems  to  be  a  doorway  at  the  end  of  the  room.  passing  through  the  doorway,  venus’  fingers  ghost  against  the  walls  in  order  to  feel  for  something  that  might  enable  her  to  find  a  working  power  line.  her  eyes  light  up  when  her  fingers  brush  against  something  cool  and  metallic,  and  when  she  moves  the  candle  closer,  she  finds  a  lever.  vee  hesitates,  wondering  if  pulling  it  might  be  dangerous,  but  the  ON/OFF  sign  on  the  panel  gives  her  hope.  her  fingers  wrap  around  the  lever  only  for  her  to  pull  it  down,  and  then…

nothing.  “ shit, ”  she  mumbles,  a  quiet  disappointment  setting  in.  but—wait.  is  that  a  cable  line  running  leading  from  the  panel,  plastered  into  the  wall?  venus’  fingers  follow  the  direction  of  it  as  it  runs  down  and  then  left  and  seems  to  disappear  into  some  sort  of  cupboard.  she  swings  it  open,  the  cupboard’s  hinges  giving  off  a  high-pitched  wine.  the  inside  reveals  a  dozen  or  so  wires  that  seem  to  be  leading  to  the  right  places;  she’s  no  engineering  genius,  but  she  had  gotten  her  best  grades  in  engineering  and  history  before  she  was  arrested.  “ the  only  thing  missing  from  here  is  a  power  source, ”  venus  says,  mostly  to  herself.  “ main  generator  must  be  fried,  but  there’s  a  slot  here  for  backup  power.  should  look  like… ”

she  trails  off,  on  a  hunt  for  the  right  part  as  she  delves  further  into  what  must  be  a  storage  space  given  the  amount  of  tins  and  supplies.  panic  floods  her  system  as  she  seemingly  trips  over  something,  a  loud  clattering  sound  ringing  out  around  the  room  as  the  object  collides  with  the  wall  opposite  her.  venus’  fingers  wrap  around  a  metal  shelving  unit  as  she  stumbles,  managing  to  catch  her  fall,  and  she  lets  out  a  breath  of  relief  as  she  realises  she’s  safe.  a  droplet  of  wax  falls  onto  her  hand  and  she  hisses  in  annoyance.  “ i’m  fine, ”  she  calls  back,  knowing—or  hoping?—that  blaiz  would  be  concerned.

but…  wait.  is  that…?  did  she  just  manage  to  trip  and  come  face  to  face  with  exactly  the  part  she  needs?  “ no  fucking  way, ”  venus  mumbles,  fingers  reaching  out  to  take  one  of  the  thick  metal  disks  in  her  hands.  smooth  to  the  touch,  heavy,  and  just  larger  than  her  hands,  she’d  only  ever  seen  these  old  power  disks  used  to  generate  their  old  movie  players  or  old  tech  from  before  the  war,  but  she’d  never  been  able  to  use  one  before.  only  watch.  and  she’s  in  luck:  all  she  has  to  do  is  slot  it  in  and  wait  for  the  magic  to  happen.  looping  her  fingers  through  the  hole  in  the  middle,  venus  lowers  the  candle  to  the  floor—in  order  to  watch  her  step  this  time—and  returns  to  the  power  panel  in  the  wall.  carefully,  almost  fearfully,  she  slots  the  power  disk  in  the  right  place…  and  hesitates  as  her  fingers  wrap  around  the  light  switch  lever  once  more.

“ i’m  going  to  do  something, ”  venus  calls  back  to  blaiz,  “ …  and  don’t  freak  out  when  it  happens,  okay? ”

blaiz hadn’t a clue what she was talking about still, but he brushed the comment to the side, feeling as though it was less than relevant. he lit another candle and then another, a small amount of light filling the corner of the room he stood in. the blonde turned around and watched as venus began to take in their surroundings and smiled when she put down the knife, finally realizing there was nothing murder-y about it.

the prince turned his attention back to the small bottle in his hand and moved on to the next candle. it’d always been tedious work, lighting the candles for the entirety of the windowless bunker, but there was no other choice, not if he wanted actually wanted to see. at least throughout the inner keep, there were various windows and skylights that provided them with plenty of light to see by. even at night, the moon could often shine brightly enough to fill the halls of the keep.

an irritating sound pulls him from his own thoughts and blaiz looks around, taking a moment to locate her through the relative darkness. his curiosity  piqued, he made his way over to where she was and peered over her shoulder to see what she saw—but he couldn’t. or at least, he didn’t understand what she saw. with a lazy shrug, blaiz went back to what he’d been doing and she disappeared into another room. he was just happy to see she no longer seemed quite so terrified of the place. he’d hoped this place would bring her even more comfort and entertainment than it’d brought him over the years, she certainly needed it more than he did.

he managed to get several more candles lit before a loud clattering noise came from the room venus had just disappeared into. he moved quickly, ready to go check on her, but as he approached her voice called out to inform her there was no real issue. “ what are you doing back there? ” he called out to her in a sing-song voice as he took another tentative step towards her location. blaiz tossed the bottle of fire start around in his hands while he waited for her to reemerge, eager to know what she was getting up to.

a major reason he was so willing to share this place with her was because he knew she would understand it, would probably even enjoy it in ways he’d never been able to. do something? he repeats silently, not understanding what could be done, though seconds later a blinding light floods the bunker and blaiz can’t stop the audible gasp that escapes his lips. 

Open Starter: Marketplace

Character: Frankie the Sun Sinner

“Well. Hello.” A strangely friendly greeting in the marketplace. Then again, people weren’t too friendly, which was why Frankie must have looked insane. Or like an idiot. Either one; she was often told she looked like one or the other, usually before she pulled some stunt.

But let them think what they want, Frankie thought, reclining in her seat as she chewed on a measly little sandwich.

“Come on. Don’t pretend I didn’t catch you walking by.” Frankie plopped the last bit of sandwich in her mouth and pushed herself off her chair, wiping crumbs off her pant legs. “I got a pretty gnarly collection of wares to sell today. Have you seen my new crossbow?” Frankie herself was tempted to try it out.

blaiz hadn’t been paying all that much attention to his surrounding, too lost in personal thoughts as he walked through the market. there was nothing he wanted or needed, buy the prince wanted his people to see him still, no matter what they thought of him now. the market had once been once his favorite places—but that was years ago when his brother still lived. 

the blonde turned his head in the direction of the voice that had called to him, suddenly realizing it had been him she was calling. his gaze shifted the items on the table and he found himself unable to hide the sneer. “ i imagine you catch plenty walking by, ” blaiz replied, clasping his hands behind his back as his gaze moved from the wares to the seller. he’d been on his way back to the keep and just happened to take this path, perhaps why she’d chosen it as well, plenty of rich marks to target. though he refused to be one of them, not when the items were metal-based. 

Q.  WHAT  BELIEFS  OR  FAITH  DOES  YOUR  MUSE  CURRENTLY  HOLD? (  do  they  believe  in  the  spirits  or  the  gods?  or  perhaps  something  else  entirely,  i.e.  a  mostly  forgotten  religion  passed  down  through  generations  )

blaiz believes in the elemental spirits and with it that all things in the world exist because of them; that the spirits created all the natural or organic matter in the world. it’s the only thing that’s ever made sense to him, unlike many other children of his clan, blaiz had the opportunity to hear of how the other clans functioned, what sort of beliefs they held, and how they differed from their own. by the time his tutor had finished, it all sounded too unnatural and believing in all powerful entities such as ‘gods’ outlandish, even to a child with as wild an imagination as blaiz. 

Q.  HOW  DOES  YOUR  MUSE  FEEL  ABOUT  THEIR  OWN  CLAN?  how  do  they  feel  about  the  other  clans?  where  do  their  loyalties  truly  lie?

blaiz loves his people and while his brother had been alive and the crown destined for a head that wasn’t his own, the youngest prince wanted to be there for them; he just wanted it to be in the background. despite his insane plan to get his clansmen to essentially turn on him, blaiz still loves his clan wants them to remain strong and in control of their own territory, perhaps even more powerful than they currently are—he simply doesn’t want it to be his responsibility to keep or get them there. 

like many of his clansman, blaiz is very distrustful of outsiders, especially of those who hold beliefs different than his own. this suspicion primarily stems from childhood as his brother used to frequently mess with him as a child by telling him things like if the disruptors ever captured him, they’d feed him the metal devils. now grown, blaiz knows his brother was only trying to get to him, but he’d never been able to forget the tall tales. 

where he is right at this moment in his life, blaiz would say his loyalties lay only with himself and the people he cares for. that includes venus, mira, his uncle, and his closest friends. 

Q.  DO  THEY  FEEL  AS  THOUGH  THEY  CAN  TRUST  THE  PERSON  LEADING  THEIR  PEOPLE? explain  why  or  why  not.  refer  to  the  lore  page  for  information  on  the  leaders  of  each  clan.

not in the least. even though it’s his own mother and some part of him still loves her, blaiz lost any faith he had in her leadership abilities and her desire to do what’s best for their people when she sent her warriors west to march on an army she knew they were ill-prepared to face. had the battle never took place, there’s no doubt in blaiz’s mind that his brother, aydan, would still be alive, well, and ready to rule.

he would go as far as to say that his mother has been blinded by her own ambition to have it all, to rule it all, and that’s potentially even more dangerous than whatever it is he knows the children of the oracle are cooking up. 

Q.  WHAT  ARE  YOUR  MUSE’S  VIEWS  ON  THE  MACHINES? are  they  someone  willing  to  do  battle  with  them  or  do  they  avidly  avoid  detection  while  in  the  wilds?  what  are  their  theories  on  what  the  machines’  true  purpose  is/what  they  were  made  for?  if  they  don’t  believe  that  the  machines  were  made  by  the  gods,  do  they  have  any  ideas  or  beliefs  about  who  made  them?

blaiz considers the machines to be unnatural abominations, like much of his clan. they are beasts that have no right to exist and without the help of mankind, they never would have. the prince has expressed his views in the past, primarily during drunken ramblings when he’s had a few too many at the tavern. just as their ancestors made weapons that ended their world all those centuries ago, they must have made the metal devils, for only mankind could do something so evil. the spirits never would have created something so destructively monstrous. 

taking out machines is something of a civil service as far as the prince is concerned. allowing one to go free is only ensuring the death of someone else. 

Q.  IS  YOUR  MUSE  A  SKILLED  FIGHTER? if  so,  who  taught  them  how  and  what  weapon(s)  do  they  use  most  frequently?  if  not,  how  does  your  muse  defend  themselves  in  the  wilds  or  against  enemies?

incredibly skilled. blaiz has been trained by the best warriors, generals, and specialist available, just as his brother had been. the prince was tutored in numerous fighting styles and techniques, by masters from each of the different clans; the ice queen refused to allow the other clans have any sort of advantage over her heirs. 

blaiz’s weapon of choice when going into battle is an axe and shield combo, however, there is also always a broadsword attached to his left side, a dagger on his right hip, and a second dagger tucked inside his right boot. to be caught unarmed is the last thing he’ll allow. the broadsword is the weapon he uses most often as he’s found it does the most damage to his opponents.

𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚄𝚂  𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙻𝚂  𝙷𝙴𝚁  𝙴𝚈𝙴𝚂  𝙰𝚃  𝙱𝙻𝙰𝙸𝚉’𝚂  𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃  as  she  descends  down  the  ladder,  her  heart  thudding  in  her  chest  all  the  while.  when  she  no  longer  finds  a  rung  beneath  her,  perhaps  sooner  than  she  anticipated,  she  breathes  a  breath  of  relief  and  hesitantly  steps  backwards  in  the  fear  that  she  might  bump  into  something.  she  has  the  briefest  of  glimpses  into  the  small  room  as  she  turns  around  to  take  in  her  surroundings,  pulling  the  dagger  free  from  her  mouth…  all  before  she  hears  the  metal  door  groaning  above  them.

alarmed,  venus  looks  up  in  the  direction  of  the  opening  only  to  find  that  the  prince  is  pulling  it  shut.  “ blaiz, ”  she  hisses,  perhaps  the  first  time  she’s  displayed  fear  to  him.  usually,  when  she  speaks  to  him  in  such  a  way,  she’s  irritated…  but  the  way  her  voice  wavers  just  a  little  says  otherwise.  what  is  he  doing?  venus  stumbles  away  from  the  ladder  in  order  to  give  him  space  to  move  about,  praying  that  her  eyes  will  adjust  sooner  than  later.

his  words  of  encouragement  do  have  the  desired  effect  despite  how  nervous  this  whole  scenario  makes  her  feel,  and  she  reaches  out  to  feel  her  surroundings  only  to  find  that  her  free  hand  splays  flat  against  his  chest.  “ shit, ”  she  murmurs,  a  little  calmer  now—but  still  embarrassed—as  she  stumbles  backwards,  “ sorry. ”  she  can  feel  her  cheeks  reddening,  thoughts  brought  back  to  the  way  her  hand  had  done  the  same  thing  in  the  tavern  last  night.  stammering,  venus  says,  “ uh,  i  said,  uh…  a  flashlight.  it’s…  we  use  it  to  make  artificial  light  in  dark  places  like  this. ”  that’s  right,  vee.  change  the  subject.

the way she said his name was different this time, almost as if he could hear the panic in it, though blaiz knew there was nothing for her to fear; not down here. it had been the one place he felt safe, where he felt as though he could be himself without the constant prying eyes of his people. who he wanted to be, who blaiz knew he wanted to be, was not the person or leader his people had always vied for. something touched him unexpectedly and a second later he realized what it was, the contact was short-lived but welcome and something about the darkness enveloping them made it feel all the more tantalizing. her voice pulled him out of his own swamping thoughts and he cleared his throat trying to run back to the task at hand, unable to ignore the tension building between them all over again. “ the oracles might, ” he replied exhaling deeply to calm himself. 

𝙸𝙽  𝙳𝙴𝙻𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙴’𝚂  𝙴𝚈𝙴𝚂,  𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴  𝙸𝚂  𝙽𝙾  𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙱𝙻𝙴  way  that  somebody  from  the  ice  nation  could  know  more  of  the  machines  and  these  ruins  than  she.  she  watches  the  other  as  he  crosses  the  room,  a  mix  of  wariness  and  curiosity  in  the  soft  furrow  of  her  brows.  his  strength  in  being  able  to  open  the  doors  both  impresses  her  and  makes  her  all  the  more  concerned;  even  through  his  clothes  she  can  tell  that  this  man  is  broad-shouldered,  likely  muscular,  and  she  would  be  no  match  for  he.  delphine’s  brother  is  the  fighter;  delphine  was  raised  like  a  princess  and  there  are  even  times  that  she’s  been  called  naive.  the  words  belonging  to  those  lips  are  long  since  dead,  though,  executed  by  her  hand.  delphine  is  able  to  show  kindness  but  her  patience  is  short  and  her  capacity  for  taking  criticism  is  even  shorter.

she  inches  towards  the  space  the  ice  nationer  made  between  the  doors,  grateful,  at  least,  that  he  did  not  cut  her  down  in  this  very  room.  following  after  him  through  the  opening,  delphine  winces  as  she  straightens  in  order  to  fit  through  it.  “ you’d  be  a  fool  if  you  think  you  know  everything  there  is  to  know  about  the  doors,  as  well  as  everything  about  me.  i’m  not  even  quite  sure  why  you’ve  made  this  so  difficult, ”  delphine  retorts,  referring  to  them  finally  getting  out  of  that  room.

quickly  growing  tired,  delphine’s  hand  finds  the  wall  in  order  to  support  herself  as  she  walks,  and  she  slows  a  little  as  she  tries  to  catch  her  breath.  “ are  you  always  so  reluctant  to  help  damsels  in  distress,  or  is  that  just  an  ice  nation  thing?  or  perhaps  do  you  feel  competition  in  my  being  here?  or  perhaps  you’re  merely  compensating  for  something— ”  gods,  delphine,  shut  up.

blaiz knew entirely more about the old ruins and how the technology that once powered them worked, but it was not entirely his own doing. on countless occasions, the prince had followed his sister into the ruins throughout their clan’s territory, what precisely she was after he’d never been able to understand. however, thanks to mira’s own clever mind, blaiz found himself able to freely walk throughout the ruins; no longer harboring any fears he may get trapped or lost in the wreckage that now remains. 

who’s the fool, again? he mused silently, reminding himself that it wasn’t he who was lost, injured and relying on the help of a stranger. “ did i say i knew everything? ” he scoffed, looking over his shoulder for only a moment, making note of how she’d managed to follow him thus far. “ i know all i need to about the doors. ” blaiz informed her, his pace never slowing as he made his way down a dimly-lit corridor. “ that behind them is a sleeping army that your clan will probably wake once again and cause another fucking war in the process. ” the prince was old enough now to understand his mother and the way her mind worked, and she was a different ruler from the man who held the throne when the last treaty was forged. the ice queen would not stand by idly if the children did manage to open another door. she would surely declare war, citing the fanatics obvious disregard for the safety of the other clans as a ‘breach of peace’ in the treaty—as though a full scale invasion of another clan wouldn’t mean the thing. 

𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝙻𝙰𝚂𝚃  𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶  𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚄𝚂  𝙴𝚇𝙿𝙴𝙲𝚃𝚂  𝙸𝚂  𝙵𝙾𝚁  blaiz  to  laugh  in  the  way  that  he  does,  but  she  can’t  help  the  small,  surprised  huff  of  laughter  that  slips  from  between  her  lips  as  her  lips  curve  upwards.  that  little  smile  of  hers  even  has  teeth,  too.  is  this  the  first  time  they’ve  joked  together?  the  first  time  she’s  genuinely  smiled  at  him  without  an  air  of  mischief  mixed  into  it?  venus  quite  likes  it.  it  gives  her  the  confidence  to  take  a  few  steps  forwards,  intrigued  by  what  he’s  doing  as  he  pulls  some  sort  of…  lever?

she  smiles  faintly  at  his  jest  about  the  murder  dungeon  being  back  at  the  keep,  finding  it  quite  amusing  in  her  head,  but  it’s  rather  drowned  out  by  the  groan  of  the  metal  door  as  it’s  swung  open.  venus  can’t  help  but  marvel  at  his  strength.  tentatively,  the  girl  takes  a  few  more  steps  forwards,  her  feet  coming  to  a  stop  just  at  the  edge  of  where  the  hatch  drops.  she  peers  down  at  the  hole  in  the  ground  and  swallows  thickly  at  the  darkness  that  awaits  her  below,  knowing  fully  that  looming  darkness  below  is  the  kind  of  stuff  that  would  haunt  her  nightmares.  on  cronos  station,  they  had  every  type  of  pre-war  movie  one  could  think  of.  paranormal  horrors?  zombie  flicks?  you  name  it.  anything  could  be  waiting  for  her  at  the  bottom  of  this  place,  no  matter  how  irrational  they  might  seem.  centuries  ago,  people  would’ve  thought  animalistic  machines  were  far  fetched,  too,  and  her  own  people  had  been  shocked  to  find  that  humans  were  still  alive  on  earth.

but  venus  left  her  distrust  for  blaiz  a  few  steps  back  and  she  won’t  refuse  to  trust  him  now.  although…  in  one  swift  movement,  venus  reaches  for  the  knife  at  his  side,  the  metal  scraping  against  its  sheath  as  she  releases  it  from  its  leather  hold.  with  her  gaze  on  the  prince  pointed,  venus  explains  to  him  firmly,  “ in  case  there’s  anything  down  there  waiting. ”  

she  doesn’t  expect  him  to  understand,  not  when  he  hasn’t  seen  the  things  she  has,  but  still.  with  one  deep  sigh,  venus  pops  the  hilt  in  her  mouth  and  clenches  it  as  she  turns  around  only  to  bend  down  and  wrap  her  fingers  around  the  ladder.  her  voice  muffled  by  the  dagger  in  her  mouth,  she  calls  out  as  she  descends  into  darkness,  “ now’s  the  time  you’re  going  to  tell  me  you  guys  still  use  flashlights,  right? ”  please  let  there  be  some  sort  of  light  down  here  rather  than  navigating  in  the  dark.  she’d  even  hated  navigating  the  halls  outside  hers  and  her  father’s  quarters  during  power  cuts.  at  least  if  this  is  a  murder  dungeon  then  she  has  a  knife  to  defend  herself  against…  a  lifelong  trained  warrior.  yeah,  great.

an unmistakable panic flooded through him, setting every nerve on edge as she pulled the blade from his waist before he even knew what was happening. no sooner had he started mentally curing himself for willingly trusting her she began to defend herself. his brow furrowed, doing his best to hide his annoyance. “ and what do you presume is waiting? ” he pushed back, as she began to descend the ladder. perhaps she would always assume he meant to due her harm. 

she spoke, though whatever she said came out as an unintelligible mumble as the round hilt of the dagger was still stuffed in her mouth. he teasingly mimicked her, a garbled sound echoing into the bunker below as he placed a foot on the ladder. 

𝙳𝙴𝙻𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙴  𝚂𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚂  𝙸𝙼𝙿𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙻𝚈,  𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶  𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈  little  for  his  talk  of  the  spirits.  in  truth,  delphine  believes  in  respecting  mother  earth  and  all  that  comes  from  her,  and  she’d  tried  to  once  figure  out  a  way  to  combine  the  two  faiths  because  of  just  how  devoted  to  nature  the  children  of  the  oracle  can  be…  but  she’d  failed.  perhaps  it’s  just  this  person  that  irritates  her  rather  than  his  talk  of  the  spirits,  though.  because  the  other  doesn’t  move  her  hand  away,  delphine  sees  fit  to  delve  further  into  his  personal  space,  her  gaze  catching  something  tied  around  his  neck.  she  reaches  up  to  pull  it  from  under  his  clothes  gently,  recognition  flashing  in  her  eyes  as  she  sets  her  sights  on  the  artefact.  a  gods-made  gift.  why  would  the  gods  let  somebody  who  doesn’t  believe  in  them  find  that?

biting  back  her  shock  as  she  removes  her  digits  from  the  machine  necklace,  delphine  responds,  “  because  i  know  what  this  is,  and  unlike  most  of  your  clan  likely  would,  i  don’t  recoil  at  you  wearing  it.  if  you  have  it  around  your  neck  and  you’re  here,  we’re  both  interested  in  the  same  things. ”  she  swallows  thickly,  taking  a  step  backwards,  and  her  tone  is  a  little  more  exasperated,  tiresome,  as  she  continues,  “ i  am  also  injured  and  in  need  of  aid,  and  i  would  hope  despite  our  differing  beliefs  that  you  might  help  me  out  of  here  if  i  show  no  threat  to  you. ”  a  feeble  hope  for  someone  from  the  ice  nation.  

delphine  winces  at  a  sudden  stab  of  pain  in  her  ribs,  her  tone  strained  as  she  continues,  “ i  also  know  the  location  of  more  places  like  this.  i  might  tell  you  if  you  decide  not  to  be  an  ass.  surely  you  being  here  is  a  sign  of  your  curiosity,  unless  you’ve  decided  to  come  to  this  location  specifically  on  a  noble  mission  for  the  spirits? ”  delphine  teases  somewhat  sharply,  brows  risen.

every muscle within him tensed as her fingers made contact with the metal bit he still wore around his neck. blaiz nearly pushed her hand to the side, but part of him was curious as to if she really knew of the whistles purpose. more importantly, if she’d ever seen one before, surely in her clan’s territory such a thing would have been common. or at least known of?

it’s true, she doesn’t recoil, but the prince wonders simply if it’s because she doesn’t know what it does. what it is. blaiz tucked it back under his clothing hastily, unwilling to trust she wouldn’t attempt to swipe it and use it against him. he laughed quietly at the thought of the two of them being alike, he didn’t know her anymore than she did him. nor did he care to take the time to know her. something about her gave blaiz the sense she would sooner kill him—since she’d never be able to convert him, than she would willingly assist him in finding a location such as this that she held in such high regard.

blaiz rolled his eyes as he moved to the far side of the room, maneuvering the overgrown foliage and stalagmites to reach the only other door in the room. “ you think yourself alone in that knowledge? ” he retorted placing a hand on the metal door and feeling for the crack he knew was somewhere in the middle. this was far from the first old ruin blaiz had adventured into and he wouldn’t let it be his last. he pulled his sword out once again and forced it in between the thin slit where the two sides met. with a bit of effort, blaiz twisted the blade to the left and the door made the most peculiar clicking as a space between the metal slabs appeared.