#ettards

     “That would be Fiora Laurent, of House Laurent.”

     The answer comes naturally and without much thought; Vladimir does not even look up from his reading, nor does he lose his place in the dense lines of 2nd century AN philosophy. The bladework of the Laurent family is envied all over Valoran— even in Noxus (though certainly not by Vladimir himself; he isn’t impressed by steel and hasn’t been for quite some time). 

     “From what I hear,” Vladimir continues, “she too searches for a worthy opponent... though I’m afraid she’s surrounded by Demacian walls, and they do not take too kindly to people like you and I.” 

     His eyes— lacking their lively red glow and seeming dark, studious— peer over the pages. Zelgius has requested very little during his time in Noxus. It surprised Vladimir at first. All who come to Count Savatier want to leave with a little something of his: knowledge, power, riches. But Zelgius has not wanted much, even if Vladimir has offered— and so this single request, this single inquiry, piques at Vladimir’s interest.

     He finds he is not surprised. If Vladimir knows anything, it is the thirst for blood. If he knows anything, it is the hunger for a heart-pumping battle. He shifts, closing his book as to offer Zelgius his full attention, straightening his posture to that of formality. 

     “However, as far as I know, Lady Laurent is more versed in noble dueling. The kind to please a court, rather than turn the tides of war,” Vladimir says. “Have you been to Ionia? Oh, they like their swords there. You can’t go a mile without meeting the most skilled warrior in all the land. And I imagine they’d let you in with open arms. Perhaps not me, though.” And Vladimir chuckles, making a dismissive gesture with his clawed hand.

gaze remains upon the other's weapon and curiosity blooms like a stain upon his mind. "—one would only hold a weapon one knows how to wield, is it not so...?"

    𝐡𝐞  𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬  𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 , brows  moving  incrementally  into  a  furrow  of  irritation  as  the  words  sink  in . confused  by  such  a  comment , saix  wonders  what  about  him  doesn’t  seem  to  fit  the  weapon  that  rested  idly  in  his  hands . unaware  of  the  jarring  size  which  was  nearly  as  tall  as  he  was  he  couldn’t  tell  if  the  other  was  serious  or  mocking .      this  weapon  was  wielded  without  effort  as  an  extension  of  himself , manifested  by  the  nothing  just  as  he  was , with  precision  &  force . he’d  never  once  truly  considered  how  it  may  appear  to  other  people  with  it’s  blunt  edges  littered  with  large  impaling  spikes . it’s  deadly .      saix’s  eyebrows  lose  it’s  tension  as  he  realizes  the  others  confusion , and  the  slightest  smirk  lifts  on  the  side  of  his  lips . 

    Ah, this is a familiar sight, isn’t it? Grisly, monstrous, haunting— but Vladimir feels no fear. He hasn’t done so in quite some time, and even the sight of Zelgius, splitting open before him, does nothing to inspire more than a narrowing of Vladimir’s curious eyes. 

     It’s a bit like looking in a mirror. Vladimir might understand now, why it is so hard to turn away from the monstrous. Even as Zelgius tells him otherwise, Vladimir doesn’t want to leave. He can’t truly be harmed by talons or teeth. No cut will last... ah. Now that’s a familiar story. Vladimir is understanding. 

     Vladimir does not step closer, but remains standing in the doorway. No tension in his body, no expression on his face but the studious observation that Zelgius is surely familiar with now. He looks at the mangled knight in parts, top to bottom: the bone-white wings, the blackened feathers being torn by talons, the blood dripping down skin. 

     And what sparked this? Vladimir wonders. Is this a transformation or a reveal? Is Zelgius warping before his eyes, or is he being stripped down to a true self? He’s always alluded to monstrosity, being something other than human, but Vladimir never imagined it to be like this. 

     He searches the eyes of his dear friend, and in doing so, feels something in him sink. The mind of the scholar is analytical and hungry to learn the truth, but the heart winces. He does not like the word pity, and doubts Zelgius would, either— but that ache makes Vladimir’s eyes soften and his voice grow quiet. 

A little sun on his brow wasn’t the worst way to spend an afternoon. Yi sat by a quiet roadside in the wilderness, his worldly possessions strewn about him as he split open the shells of some nuts. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so calmly snacking, but there was only so much he could do in a day. Rumors told him of people suffering banditry along this road, and the bulk of his time had been spent on patrol. For that moment, he tried not to think about being all places at once as he rested his bones.

His lilac eyes ambled about without much purpose, though eventually he found himself double taking at a strange silhouette. A person? Seeing anyone was as curious as it was concerning, but the other’s approach only roused him in the slightest outward way. He couldn’t make out particulars while they were still at distance — especially without the goggles — yet he still called to the swordsman regardless,

“Hello? Are you well?” His hands set about bundling up his hair and feeding it back into his helmet, speaking on as if his questions bore no weight at all, “It would not be you that is robbing traders of their pelts and coin, yes? This would be somewhat unfortunate, though I would like to have a word about it either way. If you have the time, of course.”

@ettards​ asked: ❔0:

aside from naesala, of course!

1. dimitri / fire emblem ( as well as my other fe muses! ) — whether slotted into the world of fe9/10 or heroes, i think some kind of verse where zelgius joins dimitri as his knight captain or something of the like could be interesting?  i kind of like the idea of zelgius as a fe3h!professor or serving house blaiddyd in some way, shape or form, but i’d definitely have to think about how dimitri could fit into fe9/10 after i refresh my memory!

2. lunafreya / final fantasy — lunafreya is basically a princess so a verse where zelgius is assigned to be her bodyguard fits easily enough, i think!  i haven’t thought of a fire emblem verse for lunafreya, but i think it could translate easily.  something something she’s a grand oracle destined to marry a prince in order to save the world while the kingdom is under attack and her safety is entrusted to zelgius.  of course, lunafreya has some choice words!

HEADCANON DEVELOPMENT MEME // OPEN

@ettards​ asked “hc + attachment. :)”

                                       Oh boy where do I even begin with this one.

Every aspect of Arvis’ character, from his interpersonal relationships to his motivations to his introspective thoughts and his ability to communicate with other people, stems from the trauma he experienced as a child that culminated in the events surrounding his seventh birthday. To summarize it briefly, he had been born the eldest and only legitimate child of Duke Victor and Duchess Cigyun of Velthomer. His father was violently alcoholic and trapped them within the confines of their castle to live at the whims of his ever-sour moods, and his mother, who he developed an unhealthy and wholly unnatural attachment to as the only other person within the space he could interact freely with, was neglectful and would often leave him with his father despite knowing full well how horridly he would treat them to go cavorting with Prince Kurth in Belhalla. Victory would cheat on her every opportunity he got, but when she did the same he took his rage out on their child until he hung himself, and in response Cigyun ran away. She knew it meant that Arvis, then seven, would be forced into forfeiting any possible childhood he would have had in favour of becoming duke and that he, as the only other living carrier of Loptyr blood apart from herself, would be surrounded by danger at all times, but she decided that her desire to escape everything that had happened in Velthomer outweighed her child’s wellbeing and abandoned him. He was left completely alone and he snapped, his attachment to her grew into an obsession and he become so fixated on her and on the notion of her coming back that he would, even as a child, canonically murder people with his magic in fits of rage if they ever dared to suggest anything in ill taste about her regardless of whether it were true or not, because she was coming back for him, he knew it, what had driven her away in the first place were all the lies that people had told about her and about Kurth and once he had eliminated them all she would be back for him because she loved him and he loved her and there was no possible way that his own mother could throw him away like garbage.

But she sure did!

Send ✍️ and I’ll draw your muse!