#appleyed.

KAZ DID NOT CALL UPON THE GODS FOR ANYTHING. he did not ask of them their pity or their mercy or even their guidance. this was not because he did not believe in them ( though he long took issue with such a title ), but rather, because he had met the earthshaker as a child and she had put a flower behind his ear and, with a guiding hand upon his back, led him out of the darkness and back to his brother. she had told him the names of the sprouting flowers and sung about all the creatures that called the moss their home and kaz, in his brazen youth, held tightly to her every word.

and still his father was crushed by that plow, his insides spread out like the red chrysanthemums andromeda had shown him. still, he'd held his brother's body in his arms and begged for his life. he did not blame the woman of the wood for this, she could have predicted his future no more than him, and the realization of this had cemented his belief that such powerful beings were not here for humans and their petty lives. they were not beings to worship and dedicate one's life to. they simply were.

just a little bit further. he only had to stay awake for a few more blocks. that was nothing ! a couple swings and that was it. stay awake, parker. he soars past buildings, clutching tightly to his side, trying to slow the bleeding long enough that he could make it somewhere safe. he'd considered going home, collapsing in his apartment and trying to fix it himself, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't ever make it back up.

     death  hung  in  the  air,  the  taste  of  it  lingering  on  his  lips  and  burrowing  into  his  lungs.  it  would  follow  them  for  the  next  few  hours  and  it  was  a  scent  he  never  quite  grew  used  to.  even  just  the  smallest  whiff  of  it  was  enough  to  TRANSPORT  him  back  to  the  reaper’s  barge,  wedged  between  𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒  𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒,  waiting  to  be  burned.  it  was  bearable  due  to  exposure,  he  had  taken  enough  lives  to  find  he  wasn’t  as  bothered  as  he  once  might  have  been.   ❝   you  are.   ❞   he  looks  down  at  her,  crouched  over  a  body,  her  hands  above  their  heart.  he’d  heard  the  rumors,  the  little  durast  that  stole  the  pain  away  from  even  her  mortal  enemies.  he  didn’t  bother  trying  to  understand  it.  there  was  NO  RELIEF  in  death,  whether  it  was  painless  or  not.    ❝   it  makes  you  a  liability.   ❞

lor waves the warning off. there was little that frightened the siren, and even the things that did didn't rattle her enough to deter her. the night was dark, some sort of anger thrumming in the air. she can only feel it through that nagging little sense in the back of her mind.

bad days were universal, happened on any earth. in any dimension. here, exhaustion felt the way it did when lorelai was home. it's hot, and she doesn't know where the nearest body of water is, but lor needs it stat.

“   why   do   they   do   that   ?   ”   she   murmurs,   𝒸𝓊𝓇𝒾𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓉𝓎   𝒾𝓃   𝒽𝑒𝓇   𝓉𝑜𝓃𝑒   as   she   reaches   out   a   hand,   offering   a   piece   of   bread   to  𝙖   𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡   𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙠   that   quietly   honks   in   thanks   as   it   snatches   it   from   her   hand   and   RUNS   OFF,   diving   into   the   nearby   pond.   recently,   it   seemed   like   both   her   and   annie   had   been   taking   more   of   their   lunches   in   the   gardens,   𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢   𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖   𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎   𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎.   odette   tugs   at   the   edges   of   her   kefta,   still   not   entirely   comfortable   in   it,   blue   was  not  her   color.   “   even   at   the   blue   iris   we   dined   together   despite   𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭   𝐨𝐫   𝐰𝐡𝐨   we   were.   ”   she   supposed   all   they   had   was   each   other   --   but   was   that   so   DIFFERENNT   here   ?