#deathwrung

astrid barely looks up from her book ,  swirling her glass within it .  the smile that she offers @deathwrung​ is vicious ,  sharp at the edges ,  even if her posture remains controlled and relaxed .  “ get over to you ?  hm . . . no ,  i don’t think i will , ”  she says lightly ,  before sipping her wine .  “ if you want your release tonight ,  fürstin ,  you’ve got to at least play a little nice . ”  rebekah is fiery ,  and astrid respects it ,  even if she pushes back against it where she can  --  but in private ,  rebekah in some lovely lingerie and astrid in an open shirt with nothing underneath ,  astrid so often takes the lead  --  and tonight she will do the same ,  or the two of them with scratch and fight to see who comes out on top ,  and they will both reach satisfaction in the end .

the  girl  still  hugs  the  shadows  after  @deathwrung​  speaks ,  a  little  growl  escaping  her  before  she  can  smother  it .          “ i  don’t  have  to  do  what  you  say , ”          she  says  --  an  almost  revelation  for  her ,  who  always  does  what  her  parents  ( and  her  parents’  friends )  tell  her .     small  hands  fist  and  unfist ,  tingle  and  crackle  with  magical  potential  that  she  hasn’t  quite  figured  out  what  to  do  with  yet .

astrid  gives  an  exasperated  sigh ,  leaning  back  in  her  chair  as  she  surveys  the  woman  splayed  on  the  desk  before  her .    “ must  you ,  @deathwrung​ ?  on  top  of  all  of  my  papers ? ”    she  may  be  truly  annoyed ,  but  she  tempers  it  down . . . if  she  lets  rebekah  see  the  fullness  of  it ,  it  will  only  make  her  more  determined  in  her  course .  why  must  astrid  always  be  drawn  to  brats ?  they  raise  her  blood  pressure  at  best  --  but  she  likes  that ,  gods  help  her .  what  she  doesn’t  like ,  as  attractive  as  the  rest  of  this  is ,  is  the  potential  threat  to  her  paperwork .    “ at  least  sit  on  my  lap . ”

the second that her mattress dips ,  astrid’s hand finds the knife under her pillow ,  tight on the hilt .  she’s about to react ,  attack whoever is coming for her in her own bed  --  but the familiar scent of @deathwrung​ hits her nose the moment before she strikes ,  and her hand relaxes around the knife ,  though she doesn’t let go of it entirely .  “ don’t break through my wards , ”  she grouses immediately ,  dark eyes opening even though she can’t see much in the darkness of her bedroom ,  though her voice is a mix of annoyance and acceptance  --  the way that rebekah so often makes her feel .

he knows what will come, knows how her ministrations must inevitably sting. there's so little he might say, so little distraction he might grasp at, and it seems a paltry effort when he requests, ❛ tell me about your day. ❜ as if she will have any novelty to offer to captivate his attention. but at least, at least, he can focus upon the sound of her voice and not his own broken body.

they have all died, and to survive death undermines all that they have ever known about the balance of the world. this, too, matters more to her than it does to him, he who never exhibited the slightest gift for magic. ( he knows now why, yet knowledge does nothing to take the sting from it. ) ❛ come now, sister, ❜ he begins with every effort of nonchalance. he bites back the thought that follows, that they still have half their family — even if he is only half family to begin with. ❛ you have never yet let fa— let mikael cow you into obedience. ❜ she who had always been first to take niklaus's side, despite the risks. ❛ I do not for a moment believe you ever shall. ❜

astrid bares her teeth slightly at rebekah  --  still in tact ,  though covered in blood .  though she’d imagine that such a thing isn’t a rare or even threatening sight for @deathwrung​ .  “ yes . ”  the answer is short ,  brusque  --  but can she really be blamed for it ?  astrid’s fingers hold tightly onto the doorframe to keep her upright ,  too stubborn to ask for help beyond coming here in the first place .

personal head canon  :  they can figure out a person's insecurities within a few minutes of meeting them -- how they use this knowledge ultimately depends on how the rest of the conversation goes .