@angcltouched sent a raven: “You’re shaking—come closer.” ( hades to yennefer )

       Shifting  closer,  she  ignored  the  hint  of  smugness  in  his  tone.  It  had  been  her  idea,  but  the  prickle  of  power  that  washed  over  her  had  stolen  her  breath.  The  corpses  at  her  feet  scarcely  resembled  humans  anymore,  though  she  kept  trying  to  see  it.  Too  many  pieces,  and  even  those  had  been  contorted,  twisted.

"Do  you  feel  better?'

       His  hunger  had  felt  like  needles  trying  to  sink  into  her  skin  as  he'd  crowded  her,  trying  to  assuage  one  hunger  in  hopes  it  would  distract  another.  An  ever  present  thing  that  had  finally  made  it  impossible  to  think  let  alone  enjoy  his  company.  So  of  course  she'd  had  to  find  an  outlet  for  it  that  wasn't  her.

       Not  that  she  didn't  deserve  to  be  her  focus,  dragging  her  gaze  away  from  the  mess  on  the  ground  to  the  one  that  was  attempting  to  soothe  her.  Her  monster,  lips  curling  as  she  dipped  a  hand  into  a  pouch  to  pull  a  bit  of  cloth  to  begin  cleaning  the  hand  closest  to  her.  It  wasn't  his  fault  that  her  greed  had  led  them  here,  not  that  he  ever  blamed  her.  Something  she  appreciated  as  she  was  well  capable  of  doing  that  herself.

"Perhaps  we  can  find  an  inn  to  get  you  properly  cleaned,'  her  voice  lowered  into  a  purr  of  sound.  "And  bedded.'

@angcltouched sent a raven: i leave quite the impression. ( medusa to damon )

“I  can  see  that,  y'know  with  the  whole…'  Stalling  for  time,  Damon  took  a  drink  of  his  bourbon  as  he  lifted  he  other  hand  and  wiggled  his  fingers.  ”Keeping  your  friends  close,  for  pretty  much  ever.'

       He  bet  she  could  make  a  killing  selling  some  of  the  older  ones,  especially  if  they  were  ancestors  or  borderline  dopples  of  people.  Vanity  really  was  a  hell  of  a  wingman  for  things  like  that.  Not  that  he'd  ever  bought  a  portrait  because  it  looked  like  him.  He  had  taste,  and  a  really  good  mirror. 

“But  if  they're  stone,  how  do  you  eat  them?'  Chin  to  the  heel  of  his  palm,  he  smiled  to  take  a  measure  of  the  sting  from  his  words.  ”Does  it  taste  like  rock  candy?  God  imagine  if  you  could  go  to  the  dentist,  he'd  have  a  field  day.' 

       Tossing  back  the  rest  of  his  drink,  Damon  refilled  it  then  held  the  bottle  out  for  her  in  silent  invitation  to  join  him.  All  it  would  take  was  an  empty  glass,  his  gaze  fixed  on  her  chin.  He  just  knew  she  had  dimples  that  distracted  you  into  looking  directly  into  her  eyes.  Dimples  were  dangerous  weapons,  he  should  know.  He  used  them  often  himself. 

@angcltouched sent a raven: ❛ i’m not leaving you. ❜ ( lukan to dantalion )

       Their  head  turns  to  eye  the  creature  following  them,  it  wasn't  a  man,  that  was  for  sure.  But  outside  of  that  Dantalion  wasn't  able  to  place  what  it,  he,  was.  There  was  a  smell  like  death  and  something  else  only  vaguely  familiar.  But  they  were  trying  to  find  their  next  soul  to  test,  corrupt,  send  to  hell.  It  was  a  very  busy  day.

"I  said  thank  you  for  your  help.'  Throwing  a  man  farther  than  he  should  have  been  able  to  at  the  funeral  no  one  had  wanted  them  at.  "But  I  could  have  handled  it.'

       He'd  only  been  a  human  after  all.  A  sad  mortal  thing  railing  against  the  unfairness  of  human  weakness.  They  could  have  handled  it.  Instead  Dantalion  had  watched  the  man  wrenched  off  of  them  and  tossed  back  in  the  general  direction  of  his  family  before  behind  herded  off.  There'd  been  no  other  word  for  it,  they'd  felt  like  some  lamb  with  a  borderline  domesticated  wolf  nipping  at  their  heels  to  get  them  moving.

       There  had  been  a  threat  of  holy  water,  which  had  been  less  than  pleasant,  and  they  did  now  have  no  where  to  go  to  bed  for  the  night.  ....  Actually,  turning  they  smiled  brightly,  a  complete  one  eighty  of  the  irritation  that  had  attempted  to  harden  the  soft  features.

"You're  just  a  good  boy,  aren't  you?'  Stepping  closer,  they  hooked  a  finger  around  his  middle  finger  on  his  right  hand  and  squeezed.  "Are  you  going  to  make  sure  the  big  bad  griever  doesn't  water  board  me  with  holy  water?'

       They'd  bunked  with  worse,  and  there  had  been  a  few  nights  their  prey  had  mentioned  something  about  hunting.  Had  she  been  talking  about  demon  hunting  and  not  just  deer  or  bear  or  whatever  it  was  humans  were  hunting  now?

The years cram into weeks, a terrible dream to no end. The earthen taste of demise pervaded, and the coldest of them entrenched themselves into her memory as particles of bloodied soil and the putridly sweet scent of rotting life and frozen freedom. She moved, but she went nowhere. She looked, but reality blurred her vision. She inhaled and exhaled the dust of carnage, but she was forbidden to breathe. As she grew smaller in the Room, she watches from the roof in the silence of her private upheaval. She was a refugee, none else, fled in another human junkyard dotting France’s brief history.

Behind her, the playground was simple. A swing for two darkened by chipped-away paint, children finding it as a tree to climb where no one could see girls behaving like boys. Iron cuboids constructed a naked playhouse in which they could climb, webs made from cold metal a neutral cage creating the fondest memories.  

Natalia turns away from the sky, grasping him by the arm. 

‘   Let’s go.   ‘   She disappears around corners, shoes scraping down the stairs between the buildings, a narrow fit.

It’s about her conception, not the nostalgia. She mumbles something, hands in her jacket: It’s not about me, it’s about you...  

@angcltouched sent a raven: ❛ i’m just saying, murder is an option. ❜ ( asterion to hades )

       Not  the  best  one,  eyeing  the  mortal  sitting  across  them  whose  arrogant  expression  was  very  much  reminding  Hades  of  that  man  who'd  invited  himself  and  Odysseus  to  his  dinner  table.  Had  had  the  audacity  to  demand  his  wife  and  expect  no  retribution.  The...  vibe,  that  was  the  word,  was  the  same.  Breath  stealing  gall  in  the  face  of  absolute  ruin.  Were  he  a  younger  god  he  might  allow  it,  might  set  loose  Asterion  to  do  as  he  saw  fit.

       But  he'd  matured.  Had  never  been  quite  as  rash  as  his  younger  siblings,  fingers  skimming  over  the  skin  of  his  wrist  that  was  roughened,  a  subconscious  change,  a  reminder  of  decades  spent  curled  about  his  younger  siblings  in  an  attempt  to  try  to  shield  them  when  the  danger  was-  Taking  a  deep  breath  which  wasn't  noticed  by  the  man  still  monologuing.

"If  his  child  was  of  age  to  take  the  reins,  yes.  But  his  vrykolakasof  a  wife  would  drain  the  company  to  dregs  before  the  child  aged  a  year.'

       Maybe  if  he  took  the  child  as  ward  he  could  have  his  solicitors  draft  a  vicious  take  over  that  he  could  relinquish  at  the  right  time.  Something  to  consider,  where  this  man's  grandiose  plans  were  not.

"would it be so unbearable for you?" done was hera with explosive rage. she had no energy left for screaming, for crying, for throwing things at her husband's feet until they shattered. all that was left now was her anger, cold and distant and so lonely. her expression was bare as the marble statues bearing her likeness. her tone was ice, betraying nothing. there was no heat left in her glare, frigid as winter's wind.

"would it kill you?" she asked again, teeth grazing the inside of her cheek. she would not cry for him now. "is it so terrible for you to imagine a world where i am enough for you? does it torment you to stay by my side? is it so painful to be with me that you are given no choice but to seek solace in the arms of someone else?"

[ @angcltouched ] ares & adelyn : “ who did this to you ? ”