#aiquinn

OC Ask Game

4. How would they describe each other if asked? Physically? In personality?

Aiden, poking at Quinn's cheek: Ha! You haven't seen stubborn until you've met this one. Once they set their mind to something, there is no changing it. For better or for worse - and usually, it's for the worse! Getting them to slow down or rest is equally an exercise in futility. Quinn doesn't know the meaning of relax. All they do is obsess over prophetic dreams and vengeance. Boooooring. Quinn, swatting away his hand: Aiden's pride is only matched by his vanity. He's a serial flirt and incapable of taking anything seriously. His own sanity hangs by a thread, and yet he insists on persistently testing mine. It is fortunate for him that he is pretty, or I'd have smothered him with a pillow ages ago. Aiden: So you think I'm pretty. 😏 Quinn, now blushing: No comment.

(Aiden wouldn't come right out and say it because he is well aware that Quinn has Issues with their appearance and that compliments can be a minefield, but he finds them to be very beautiful).

22. When were they the most vulnerable with each other?

If I had to pick one moment, it would be this:

For years, Celeste had held out hope that her mother would come back for her one day, like she promised. All that time, she in the cave her mother hid her in, hunting animals to feed herself and staying in her wolf form almost constantly. Deep down, she had always known her mother wasn't coming back, but a part of her still clung to hope that she was alive. Until the night Ari told her she knew of a spirit. It haunted the forest, wandering aimlessly as if in search of something. It flitted away and disappeared whenever Ari had tried to approach before, emitting an agonized wail that resembled the howl of a wolf. For years, Ari had tried to find the source of the spirit's pain, to no avail. Now, having learned Celeste's story, she thought she finally understood. Celeste was in denial at first, but she reluctantly agreed to join Ari in tracking down the spirit that night. Together they ventured into the forest under waning moonlight. Celeste's skin itched; the full moon had passed a week prior, but she still felt the wolf in her set it's teeth on edge. Then, she heard it; the howl of a wolf, achingly familiar. It had been years, over two decades, but Celeste would know that howl anywhere- "Mama," she choked out, stumbling to a halt. Ari grabbed her tunic to try and steady her, but she wasn't strong enough to keep Celeste on her feet. Instead, she fell to her knees alongside her, murmuring words of comfort that faded to buzzing in Celeste's ear. Then, she smelled it. Her mother's scent, earthy and warm and home. Tears welled in her eyes only to be furiously scrubbed away. Then Ari's hand found hers, and the blueish glow of the spirit flooded the forest glen. It was the shape of a wolf - Mama's wolf - and the edges of its silhouette flickered like candlelight. "My little pup," Yvette breathed, the glow of her spirit pulsing as she spoke, "I have found you at last." "I'm here, Mama," Celeste sobbed, "I waited for you. Just like you said." "So you did," her mother whispered, "You were so brave. I'm so proud of you, Celeste." her mother's spirit wavered, a new pain filling her voice, "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you. Celeste shook her head fiercely, unable to speak. "Yvette," Ari spoke, so softly Celeste almost missed it, "Can you tell us what happened to you?" Her mother's spirit paused as it seemed to acknowledge Ari's presence for the first time. "I tried to draw the hunter away, to keep you safe. I thought I could move faster on my own, outrun him and then make my way back to you." Yvette answered, her voice halting and uncertain, as if recalling her death was a terrible struggle, "But it was a trap. When I awoke, everything was dark, and I knew I must be dead. But I had to find you, I couldn't leave you alone. My darling pup, my little girl… I was so worried about you." "I'm okay now, Mama," Celeste said, her own voice broken from crying, "So you don't have to worry anymore. You can let go."

OC Ask Game

7. How often do they see each other? Where do they usually meet?

They live together, so they see each other almost every day!

Early on, Aiden agrees to become Quinn's familiar in exchange for her removing the magical seal that binds him to his prison. Familiars form psychic connections with their bound witch, so even when they are physically apart, they can sense esch others emotions and hear each other's thoughts. They are able to shut each other out somewhat if they choose to, but they rarely ever do.

20. What is their best memory together?

It was probably while they were staying at a secret settlement of witches and shifters, tucked away in an alpine forest near the mountains. The witches kept the entire forest safely hidden through carefully woven magic, allowing the shifters (many of whom had pacted themselves to one of these said witches) helped to fuel their magic and live their lives in peace, free from persecution and hunters.

Quinn spent the day exploring the forest and playing with Aiden, and for the first time in her life, she felt free. It was a much needed day of respite after weeks of near-death experiences and harrowing escapes.

Aiden seemed to need it too, the way he darted between one form and the next, leaping into piles of snow and soaring through the sky. He was like a little kid; Quinn had never seen him look so carefree. His joy was infectious, the way it bled over into their bond, and Quinn couldn't help but share in it too.

She was caught by surprise when Aiden, in a fit of playful mischief, dove out of the sky and tackled her. They tumbled down a hill, the deep snow cushioning their fall. Aiden landed on top of her, breathless with wild laughter as Quinn wheezed from the impact. It was then, when Aiden smiled down at her, softer than she had ever seen him, that Quinn realized she was falling in love with him.

It was terrifying and exhilarating, all the more so because she knew Aiden could feel it too, and he wasn't shying away. His smile faded and the thread connecting their minds shivered, but it wasn't from trepidation or fear. It was hope, hesitant and fragile, a halting tendril that trickled from his end of the bond to hers, seeking confirmation, seeking the truth.

Quinn didn't yet know - couldn't yet know - what it meant to him, to know that she loved him, to know he'd won her heart again. To know that although he'd lost her once, after centuries of imprisonment she had returned, and had chosen him in this life too.

And maybe she still didn't remember, maybe she never would. It didn't matter, she was his witch in both lives, past and present.