#centuriesendured

@centuriesendured said ❝ i have decided that i will no longer be thinking. not a single thought in this head, from this point onward. ❞

AMUSEMENT  FLICKERS  IN  HER  GAZE  ,  but  eyes  roll  dramatically  as  if  that  would  make  some  kind  of  difference  to  what  magnus  states  so  simply  .  ❛      sorry  —  but  do  you  think  that’s  going  to  work  for  you  ?        ❜  the  question  is  said  mostly  in  jest  ,  but  truth  be  told  ?  she’s  a  little  curious  .  after  all  –  how  pleasant  would  it  be  to  walk  around  with  an  absolutely  barren  mind  ,  no  worries  ,  no  thoughts  ,  just  …  existing  .  perhaps  in  a  way  it  would  be  like  a  nap  while  awake  and  if  the  thoughts  ever  clicked  back  on  ?  well  …  she  could  only  hope  they  wouldn’t  just  be  backlog  of  what  should  have  been  there  all  along  . 

Eyes follow him through the downworlder camp and Alec’s shoulder blades itch with the pressure of their stares. The only Nephilim most of them have seen not covered in blood, he knows their distrust and worry is earned; it does not help it rest easier on his shoulders. Nothing is the way it ought to be. Years of being taught the Downworlders are second only to demons in threat clash harshly with the memory of being given orders to massacre a camp of refugees— most of them children, injured and orphaned by the wars.

Decisions in battle are made fast and with the hope for the best possible outcome, but the weight of that call is heavy and often bloody. Alec isn’t sure whether to be grateful or wary that this time, the only casualty of his decision is, so far, himself. Without his weapons or stele, he has no defense against any of these people taking out their anger or grief on him. No method of healing himself from injury beyond his bloodline’s passive abilities. Still, he wants to think the leader of the camp wouldn’t let a hostage be mangled beyond repair out of spite— and the world has shifted wildly on its axis, he can’t help but think, if most of his hopes rest on a man he was raised to hunt down and kill.

The sound of a baby crying and fussing hasn’t abated in the minutes of his walk and he ducks a little when he walks into the tent, trying to avoid hitting his head. The answer on Magnus’ lips— I’m used to it— is unsurprising but somehow sadder for it. Unsure of how to respond, Alec’s eyes shift to the infant instead.

Small, is his first thought. Even growing up as the eldest sibling, he never got used to how tiny a person is when they first begin their life. The baby in Magnus’ arms has white scales dappling its arms and legs, shining softly in the muted light of the tent; it’s strange to realize how little it matters. How quickly he’s gotten used to the sight of warlock marks here in this camp. Watching the awkward fold of the high warlock’s arms around the baby, Alec can’t help a sympathetic wince; not used to babies, this one.

Alec could hardly remember the complete details of the night but if there was one thing he was sure about? It was that he hadn’t had this much fun in possibly ever. Just one night free of Clave business, of expectations from his parents and the world at large. Tomorrow he’d likely pay the price with a sour stomach and a pounding head but in the moment, covered in streamers and other people’s sweat and probably some glitter (not all of which belonged to Magnus), he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on his face. The man leaned into the other’s hold and slid his arms around him, anchoring them together. 

❝ they have a word for that specific scenario ? that's odd to me. how often is that happening that they were like, " we need to make a word for this " ? ❞ @centuriesendured // memes // always accepting

CLARY  ALMOST  SNORTS  WITH  LAUGHTER  AT  THAT,    reeling  it  in  before  the  sound  can  escape  embarrassingly  from  her  nose.   in  fairness,   there  are  so  many  words  in  the  english  language  that  baffle  her,   so  what’s  one  more.   it  reminds  her  of  another   —   one  of  those  obsolete  words  that  you  hear  from  one  obscure  book  in  an  english  class  you  were  only  half  paying  attention  to.  this  one  had  stuck  with  her,    though,   for  obvious  reasons.  

                    ❝  i’ve  got  another  very  specific  word,   though  maybe  not  as  ridiculous  as  that  one.  ❞     she  hums,   elbows  settling  on  the  surface  between  them  so  she  can  create  a  perch  for  her  chin  with  both  palms.     ❝  some  people  might  say  that  i’m  very   lentiginous   —   but  personally  i  think  i’d  say  i’m  just  mildly  freckled.  ❞

❝  where do you stand on revenge  ?  ❞ @centuriesendured // memes. // always accepting

AN  UNEXPECTED  QUESTION,   and  dillon  blinks  away  his  surprise  for  a  moment  as  he  turns  to  the  other  man.   but  then  maybe  he’s  more  transparent  than  he  thinks.   not  that  he’d  been  contemplating  revenge,   necessarily,  but  there  is  still  the  small  matter  of  the  extortion  he’s  being  subjected  to.   that’s  not  something  he  wants  to  discuss,  though,  not  now. 

                    ❝  not  necessarily  opposed,  ❞    he  offers  finally,   a  shrug  of  his  shoulders  as  he  studies  magnus,  as  though  he  might  be  able  to  figure  something  out  just  in  the  observing  of  him.    ❝  —depending  on  the  situation.  ❞     he  doesn’t  have  to  add  on  the  silent  why  do  you  ask  that  hangs  off  the  end  of  his  words,   simply  allows  the  space  for  the  answer  to  come  when  it’s  ready.

Having spent a lot of time in the Spiral Labyrinth she knew she was a bit out of touch with the goings on in the city and with the Institute. But Magnus was one of her oldest friends and she could tell when something wasn't quite right. But what could have happened? The last time she'd seen him had been with Jocelyn and her daughter, and at the time all seemed okay. But this time something seemed off and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Times like this made her wish she hadn't isolated herself as she had. Unfortunately, Tessa knew that the Labyrinth was the best place for her. Especially with all the trouble that found their world. In this instance, though, she knew that being out in the world might've at least given her a clue as to what was going on. Especially with Magnus reacting like he was. "Is there something going on that I need to know about?"

their  face  is  mostly  hidden  by  the  long  hood  they  wear,  their  pale  features  in  stark  contrast  with  the  dark  runes  of  the  silent  brothers  seeming  permanently  etched  on  his  skin.  jem  nods  deeply,  bringing  the  cold  of  the  brotherhood  with  them  wherever  they  go.  his  eyes  do  not  sweep  a  room  as  they  once  did,  their  ears  do  not  perk  up  when  they  hear  a  song  playing  softly  in  the  background.  they  do  not  ask  if  @centuriesendured  enjoys  the  digital  age  of  music,  or  if  they  prefer  vinyl.  brother  zachariah  stands  outside  all  of  those  things. 

 anything  for  an  old  friend,  the  voice  is  in  magnus'  mind. the  room  remains  silent. you  call  upon  me,  i  shall  come.  you  should  know,  magnus  bane,  what  this  is  like.  it  is  as  close  to  a  joke  that  he  has  gotten  in  a  long  time. 

❝ how about we start with ‘thank you’? ❞            @centuriesendured // memes // always accepting

THUMB  AND  INDEX  RISE   to  pinch  at  the  bridge  of  his  nose,   as  if  the  sharpness  of  his  hold  might  distract  from  the  headache  rapidly  pounding  against  zane’s  skull.  thank  you  ?   this  guy  has  got  to  be  kidding.  maybe  if  he’d  held  open  the  door  for  him,  said  ‘bless  you’  after  a  sneeze,  wished  him  a  good  weekend.   all  of  those  things ?  they  warrant  a  thank  you.  interfering  with  his  job  while  zane  is  already  struggling  to  get  literally  anyone  to  take  him  seriously ?  nope,  more  likely  to  earn  a  different  word  ending  in  k.

         ❝  what  ?    i’m  not  thanking  you,   what  are  you  even  doing  here  ?  ❞    he’d  been  called  out  because  (  as  far  as  he’s  aware  )  zane  is  the  only  cop  in  this  town  that  even  knows  about  all  of  this  …..more  -  than  -  human  stuff  (  yes,  he  knows  they  have  names  like  warlock  and  vampire  and  werewolf,   no  he’s  not  going  to  use  them  because  it  all  still  sounds  like  fiction  ).     ❝  i’m  supposed  to  be  looking  into  —  ❞    one  hand  gestures  vaguely  at  the  now  empty  (  or  at  least  maybe  just  invisible  to  him,  he  really  doesn’t  know  what  magnus  did  )   crime  scene,   and  zane  sighs  in  exasperation.   ❝  —  well,  all  of  this.   you  want  me  to  tell  my  captain  i  got  here  and  there  was  no  crime  scene ?  i’m  gonna  get  kicked  off  the  force  !  ❞