#guileandgall

Her first groggy, cognizant thought is that she'd fallen asleep in her clothes.  But there's a soft body in the bed next to her, limbs all tangled up with hers, and she nuzzles the first warm patch of skin she can find, pressing a gentle kiss there.  The woman in her arms shifts, and warm breath ghosts past V's ear as her mouth finds the point where throat meets shoulder.  Feeling a soft mouth on her cheek, V adds the hint of tongue to the kiss at the junction of the jaw beneath her lips.

V shifts, further onto her back, drawing Misty along with her as their wandering kisses meet.  An aura of incense clings to her, to both of them now, but V's never been sure how Misty can taste like it, too.

Cracking her eyes open, V flashes a dashing smirk, but for all her bravado, her heart flutters when Misty smiles back at her.  V is of the mind to kiss her again when Misty's gaze wanders, her breath hitching on a stifled giggle.

Propping herself up onto her elbows, V follows her line of sight and can't but raise an eyebrow, grinning at what she sees.  "Everything alright over there, Jack?"

Staring at them with wide eyes from his side of the bed, pillow clutched in front of him, Jackie's expression is otherwise curiously restrained.  Under the weight of V's stare, he buries his face in the pillow.

Her hand flutters as the energy dissipates, and she curses while glaring daggers at him.  “Щоб тебе качка копнула!”

As usual, Vega chuckles and approaches with caution.  “Heh. Well, you’re yelling at me in Ukranian, right?  That’s better than it could be, I guess.”

With hands propped on her hips, she stomps a foot, stirring up a small whorl of dust and ash into the air between them.  “That’s all you have to say for yourself?  After scaring me like that?”

“Not sure what you said, so…yeah?”  He shrugs.   “What’s it mean, anyway?”

Turning away from him, she walks over to stare out the pane-less window at cloudy, darkened night skies.  God, what she’d give to see the moon and stars again.  “It means you should get kicked by a duck!”

“A duck?”  He follows her but stays out of arms reach.  “Really?  That’s the best you can do?”

“Ducks can be vicious,” she insists, her eyes still sparking with barely contained fire.  “And trust me, you don’t want any other Ukranian curses thrown at you.  They’re not nearly so nice.”  She has to fight back a twitch at the corner of her lips. “At least ducks you can outrun.”

He chuckles again, and from one second to the next, the tension in the room eases to more comfortable levels.  A gentle tap pulls Kandra’s attention back around to find him nudging her upper arm with a protein bar.  “It’s not much,” he admits, true regret in his voice, “but it’ll get you through for a while.”

“Thanks.” She uses her teeth to tear the wrapper open as she turns back to look out the window, nibbling at one end.  Her appetite hasn’t been what it should be since Chicago, not since Kaidan came back from that mission all battered, bruised, and bloodied.  She knows that, as a biotic, she needs to do more to fix that, too. She’d been so worried then, wondering if her twin would even survive, she’d lost herself in doing what she could for him while Michael went back to doing what he does best: leading them forward.  

But now, more than two weeks later and with Kaidan well on the mend, she still needs to pull herself together.  The only thing that has kept her going through all of this, really, has been James watching out for her, making sure she eats something, drinks enough water, gets rest when she’s tired.  It’s difficult to believe that just before they arrived in Chicago, they fought more like cats and dogs with each other.  

Sudden warmth surrounds her, seeping in through her shoulders and neck.  She glances in James’ direction, and discovers the reason; a jacket, the hoodie he likes to wear when he’s out of uniform, now lies tucked around her.  It’s huge, hanging down well past her hips, but the warmth it provides is undeniable.  And I didn’t even know I was cold.  “James?”

His attention is out through the window when he replies sounding almost a little defensive. “What?  You had goose bumps all over your arms and neck.”

A small shiver runs up the back of her hands. A quick look assures her his assessment is correct.  “I…thank you.”

That has him turning, a lazy smile stealing across his face, perhaps a hint of relief in his eyes.  “You bet.  Can’t leave my princesa freezing all night long, now, can I?”

She huffs softly and nibbles at the protein bar. “You know, you’ve been calling me that for a while now,” she muses, a soft smile finding her lips this time.  “Are you trying to tell me something?”

Even in the dim light, it’s easy to see the flush that reaches his neck, ears and cheeks as he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.  “Just…a nickname,” he assures her.  “Some people need names that match them better’s all.”

One brow arching, she watches him closely.  “And you think of me as a princess?”

“Heh.  Yeah. Well, you see…  I tried calling you Lola a couple of times, but that just…”  He gulps and shifts uneasily before turning to leave.  “Never mind.”

Before he gets more than a few steps away, Kandra turns and grabs him by the arm.  She has no idea who Lola is, and she’s not sure she wants to know in all honesty, but she doesn’t want him leaving with this sort of awkwardness between them. Not when she knows she owes him much more than that.  “Wait. Please?”  He doesn’t look at her, but he stops.  “I want to thank you.”

A frown creases his brow as he finally glances down at her.  “You already did.”

“For the coat, yeah.”  Now that she has his full attention, she pulls her hand back. “I mean for…everything.  For watching out for me in Chicago.  Making sure I ate.  Trying to keep me from worrying too much.  Reminding me when I needed to sleep, drink, that sort of thing. I…was a bit preoccupied after Michael and Kaidan came back, and…”

The creases smooth out as understanding dawns. Huffing softly, he reaches a hand out, brushes a few strands of her hair out of her face and nods.  “I know you and I didn’t start out too well when the Reapers arrived, but I’ve got your back, don’t you worry.”

There is a hell of a lot more sincerity in his eyes than she expects.  Not that she doesn’t expect it, but it’s rather intense.  Still, it’s reassuring.  “And I’ve got yours, James.  Whenever, however you need it.”

He looks about to protest, but must change his mind because he smiles instead.  “Thanks.  I’d…better go check on the others.  You gonna be okay up here by yourself?”

She looks back at the window, the mess of the room, and her earlier concerns return in a flood.  Deciding that being alone right now probably isn’t the best idea, she shakes her head.  “I’ll go with you, I think.  Safety in numbers, right?”

The paper is fine and thin. The penmanship is impeccable. The stains on the paper tell a story, Varric thinks, but he doesn’t want to read between the lines.

They came upon us a few miles out of Kaiten. A full troop of Templars, redeployed to Kirkwall.

I make no excuse, Varric. I failed her. When they hit her with the Cleanses, when she fell, I had only a handful of arrows left to me.

I begged. I begged them to take us to the Divine, to the new Grand Cleric, even to any Chantry. We were still vowed to service. We should have been allowed that.

They ignored me, once they knocked me out. And when I came to, they had the brand at her forehead. There was to be no trial nor mercy.

I swore to her, Varric. I swore I’d never let them have her. There was one arrow left. They broke my hands for it, Varric, but she died herself and free.

I’ve returned to the Chantry. For the years left to me, I’ll do penance for my failure. And if the Maker is merciful…

But it ends there; the ink fading out, the line trailing off, as if even his faith did not stretch so far.

Someday Varric will finish the story. But for now, let the Seeker search.

____

Fire - funny enough, these two aren’t setting as many fires as they should be so I think I need to rectify that and fast!

---

Now she’d messed around with a few things when she was younger. Played some pranks, knew her way around a few locks, and tried making a cherry bomb or two when one of her friends wanted to piss off an asshole that had been tormenting them, but hadn’t fully committed to dabbling in them.

But Hurk wasn’t carrying a handful of cherry bombs. No, what she was looking at he affectionately dubbed ‘party favors’, and claimed they’d be doing the Resizzy a solid by using Gina to shoot them at any silo they’d find on their little run.

He wasn’t wrong. Taking more of them down would cut into their explosive stores, and a silo on fire was one lovely sight.

---

Desire

---

She was still high on the feeling when he made another request. Asked her as he kissed his way up her body and finally stripped her shirt off.

The yes came as he stared down at her. Down at something that twisted his features, desire taking a backseat as he lightly touched her ribs. Her arms. Her legs. The places where he’d grabbed her before and didn’t think twice about it.

The bruises probably looked worse in this light. She’d ignored them plenty and hadn’t thought much of them now, because she’d had worse. Been through worse, but he hadn’t had this kind of a front row seat to them before. Hadn’t been given the chance - nor had she even wanted him to.

But she wanted it now. Gave it to him as she leaned up to kiss him.

---

Twist

---

“No, you were-it was sweet of you to get that for me, and you dropped that on your foot, hon. That hurts.”

“It’s cool. It didn’t hurt, or leave me with a burn or nothing. Just-“ He shrugged, and his mouth twisted. “Didn’t want you to miss out. Forgot how quick that shit goes when you’ve got both the Resizzy and the po-po doing laps around it, and it was starting to look low.”

“And you probably didn’t want to hear me complain all over again, huh?”

This time he didn’t meet her eyes when she smiled at him, shuffling in place as he shoved his hands in his pockets. It was the most uncomfortable she’d ever seen him, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth as she looked him over.

---

Flicker

---

Sharky took out his lighter and she watched as he sparked it, once then twice to see if it’d catch. It took a few tries, but he got something soon enough. A small flame that flickered as it lingered, dancing for a few seconds before the wind tried to blow it out.

---

Single

---

Why are you looking at me like that?

Her mouth moved, trying to ask what her mind started to. Tried to form the words and let them carry straight to him.

She couldn’t hear a single sound though. Only a dull ring that echoed in her ears, but she saw the shift in him as it happened. Saw the anger creep in slowly as he let the concern go, and that made her want to curl away from him.

---

System 

---

1. Does your character have good aim?

Wren: She does, actually. She’s excellent at throwing knives and such, which shocks the hell out of her. 

Whitney: NOPE. Not even a little bit. She wouldn’t try, she would either embarrass herself and say breaking her nail as the excuse not to. 

Blair: Not...really. It got somewhat better with training with Oliver, but...there’s a reason she never played any sports. It’s not really her thing.

Camille: She does now, after training with Clint and Natasha at S.H.I.E.L.D. It took her a bit longer to get it, but she did get there eventually.

Naomi: Yes! She used to play softball when she was in high school, she’s rather athletic. Good luck challenging her to a game of darts. Just saying.  

15. Did your character ever want to be a cowboy?

Wren: No, not at all. She wanted to be a rockstar astronaut at first, something her mother thought was hilarious. Wren swore up and down that Rocketman was about her, but uh...she didn’t really get the lyrics at that young of an age. 

Whitney: Absolutely not. She was definitely a princess kind of girl. Being a cowboy was never her thing, she would rather be the princess or damsel in distress that gets swept off her feet. 

Blair: Not really. She wanted to live on Mars and be an astronaut too. She loves space and always has. Blair grew up to be an astrophysicist though...close enough. 

Camille: I could see that, sure. I don’t think it was specifically a cowboy, I think she wanted to be the Lone Ranger, like the show her father watches. She would make her dad pretend to be a bank robber so she could go after him. 

Naomi: Nope. Not at all. She was more into cops and robbers or princesses, to be honest. Cowboys just didn’t really hold her attention. The only one that could was Woody from Toy Story. 

25. Does your character experience sexism for the job/title they hold? (ie: she’s a girl, she can’t be x,y,z because only boys can be)

Wren: Not necessarily sexism, but Pratt does hit on her and stupid ass comments that piss her off. It’s borderline sexist and she’s borderline ready to punch him in the face.

Whitney: Yes, she does. She was raised treated like that, honestly, and she was raised to believe it’s okay. Joseph definitely treats her like a housewife, even as Mother of Eden’s Gate. She doesn’t know better, even though it really does piss her off. 

Blair: No, not at all. Her coworkers love her and don’t at all think that she shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing. She’s smart and well-respected in her field. And that doesn’t change with the teams at all. Blair isn’t disrespected like that, that’s a big no no. She also helps Mick with being politically correct. 

Camille: It depends on which job we’re talking about. She’s had her fair share as a doctor, her knowledge and rep questioned because she’s female. Now, in S.H.I.E.L.D., she has had moments, but not nearly that many. S.H.I.E.L.D. is known for having diverse agents, and the very few she’s witnessed be assholes, she’s corrected (or Nat has rather quickly.) With the Avengers, it’s a hard no. Her place was earned and she’s respected by members of the team, and those members are quick to address those issues when they witness someone treating her that way (they drink their respect women juice.)

Naomi: As a war correspondent, absolutely. Being told that “this is no place for a girl” was something she received a lot. But she did a badass job at it. Now, S.H.I.E.L.D. was a lot better, for sure. They welcomed her and her skills for gaining intelligence with open arms, she’s a resident badass. Once S.H.I.E.L.D. is taken down, she becomes the PR for the Avengers, in which she’s someone you don’t wanna cross. She becomes highly respected. 

35. Naptime, yes or no?

Wren: YESSSS! That girl loves naps! Give her a slice of cheesecake or some ice cream right before, and she’ll curl up on the couch and nap while watching The Twilight Zone. 

Whitney: Eh, not really. Whit is normally busy with something, and she would rather be doing something productive than nap. 

Blair: Yes! Most of it is because she’s working all hours of the night on something in the lab, so when she gets home, she’s not getting enough sleep. So! Yummy hot cocoa and naps!

Camille: Eh, she’s not known for it because she works a lot during the day, but if it happens, it’s because she’s pulling long hours and needs a break. But Camille isn’t really a frequent napper, it makes her more tired, if she’s being honest.

Naomi: Nah, that’s not really her thing. She’s used to long hours, and knows that if she naps, she won’t be able to sleep that night. So she’ll power through and maybe just go to bed a bit earlier to catch up on sleep. 

45. Would your character kill someone to get what they want?

Wren: Ehhhh...that’s a hard maybe, depending of if we’re talking pre-cult or not. Wren is morally grey, and if she had to have it, she would once she’s joined Eden’s Gate. But before? Not as likely. 

Whitney: Yes! She actually has, to be honest. Joseph and the others pretty much numb her to killing someone, so she’ll poison someone who crosses her. She literally kills with kindness. 

Blair: Absolutely not. Blair doesn’t put her personal needs/wants above the value of others and their lives. She’s very much against that and couldn’t live with herself if she did. 

Camille: I have a hard time seeing it, unless it was a mission in which it needed to be done (her wanting peace, killing bad guys for it, etc), but those are few and far between because she doesn’t do a lot of the things Natasha does. But she is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Naomi: Eh, not really. If it is a “want”, its going to be revenge. But it’ll be with the right intentions and in the name of doing what’s right. She’s not as scared or worried about getting her hands dirty as long as it’s for the right reasons, not necessarily because of something she wants. 

55. Do you have any characters who despite trying their best ended up being horrible parents?

Wren: I think it would depend on how you define ‘horrible’. Because Wren tries her best to be the best mother she can be, but feels as though she’s become her father and failed Harper. Mostly because Wren kept a lot of the Wrath and Judge stuff a secret, and Harper doesn’t take kindly to that. It’s not her being a horrible mom, just making bad decisions that affect her kids (mostly Harper) negatively. 

Whitney: Yes and no. While yes, she protected her son and put him in hiding with Ivy, she still stands by Joseph for the longest time instead of leaving to be with her son and to take her daughter and sister away from danger and toxic relationships. She is able to redeem it, though. Her and Wren both, actually. 

The other three (that I chose to do this for) are good moms, so I don’t think this really applies.

65. Is your character energetic?

Wren: Oh yeah, she definitely can be when she’s comfortable. She can get pretty excited and pumped up, often making Jane, Ivy, and Whit a bit tired. Randy, Gray, and Ro just go along with it, Mel and Quinn join in and encourage it. 

Whitney: Yes and no. She really is, but she tries to keep it on a leash and not show it, because she was raised being told that it wasn’t lady like. The more she grows (as a character) and hangs with the rest of the group, she loosens up a bit. 

Blair: She can be when she’s had too much coffee. Blair is naturally mellowed out though, often being more calm. She’s not reserved at all, she just...has more of a calming upbeat presence. 

Camille: Sorta! It depends on the situation, she’s more reserved when you first meet her. There are moments when she’s with friends that she does absolutely get energetic, but she’s mostly energetic after working out or going for her morning jog. 

Naomi: No, not particularly. Like Camille, she’ll get amped up for a workout, and there may come a time where she’ll get energetic over a big event, but she’s not one to get super energetic. 

75: Do any of your characters wear glasses, sunglasses, goggles, or monocles?

Wren: She’s obsessed with aviators. She collects them, and they’re usually blue, silver, or black. She eventually steals John’s because she digs them. 

Whitney: If she’s gonna wear sunglasses, they’re either the 50′s or 60′s kind. Some cat-eyed, or those bigger glamorous butterfly styled ones. But she does have some nice Gucci and Coach glasses she’ll wear. It depends on what matches. 

Blair: She’ll wear regular sunglasses, mostly Ray Bans. She wears reading glasses from time to time, but she mainly uses contacts. Blair has a pair of backup glasses that have the tinted lens. 

Camille: She used to wear glasses when she was younger, but she eventually got Lasik, so she doesn’t wear them anymore. As for sunglasses, she wears modern cat-eyed or just rectangle ones. Anything that looks good and is her style. 

Naomi: Aviators, and that’s really it. She’s not really big into them, she has one pair of brown aviators, and that’s it. They do the job. 

85. Has your character ever been led down the wrong path because of their anger?

Wren: Absolutely. That’s the whole point of her canon, actually. The Wrath leads to her joining Eden’s Gate and becoming the Judge. She eventually redeems herself, but it does lead her down a dark path. 

Whitney: Yep. She starts killing for Eden’s Gate because of it, but it’s funny, because it’s her anger that actually helps her redeem herself and gain her freedom: killing Joseph and Ethan. 

Blair: Yes and no...? Kinda...? Like, when she woke up from her coma, she found out Carmen had left her for someone else, essentially moving on. The anger is what led to her maybe running into some unfavorable company (Leonard), where she decided to just give him her engagement ring instead of running the risk of him robbing her at the bar they happened to run into each in (his favorite bar). In her anger, she purposefully went to a bar that was known to be a frequent place for criminals. But that anger also had her moving to Star City, where she became a hero. Sometimes her anger can get her in trouble with her powers, but that gets better. It all depends on how you look at it. 

Camille: Sort of. The Civil War incident really...was something else. Camille didn’t see it as a dark path, it was what she believed was right. She was angry that something so wrong went down in Lagos, so she sees the need for restrictions and boundaries. Her siding with Tony caused turmoil between her and the others, even Steve, and it led to a huge fight at the airport while trying to bring them in. Rhodes getting hurt added salt to injury. Later, it’s shown to her that perhaps choosing the Accords was the wrong path after all. 

Naomi: Depends on how you look at it, honestly. As head of Public Relations for the Avengers, most just assumed that Naomi would be in agreement to the Accords, but she’s not. She’s angry that the government is trying to have control over them, especially after with what happened with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, she even says that to Camille when they’re fighting about it. She fully believes Steve and sticks with them as things become divided, and she becomes a fugitive right along with them. So, depending on what side you’re on, it’s either yes or no. 

95. If given total rule over a country, would your character step aside to turn it into a democracy?

Wren: I think this depends. I think, yes, for the most part. Wren isn’t one to be a leader, she would rather not, but can rise to the occasion when needed and if she knows it’s better she’s in charge. But she would want everything to be fair and such. It would have to be a true democracy. 

Whitney: I see her as keeping control, honestly. Whit is the kind of person that will claim she knows best, and maybe she does, but she wouldn’t relinquish control. Not when she’s never been allowed to have it. If given the opportunity to do so, this queen would absolutely rule. 

Blair: Absolutely. She would try her best to set it up with the right candidates, honestly. She wouldn’t want to put anyone in the wrong position where they can do harm, but politics are honestly not her thing. 

Camille: Yes, without hesitation. I could see her turning to Steve, because who else would know better than Captain America (and no, not that knock-off Gucci Captain America they have on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier--we don’t support Walker in the Camille and Steve household), so she would ask who would be better to hand it off to.

Naomi: She would give that up so fast, without thought. She agrees fully with Sam when he says that he’s just the soldier, because she feels something very similar. She wants nothing to do with leading something like that, she doesn’t want that responsibility. It’s why she doesn’t really join the Avengers. She has zero interest in leading. 

100. Are any of your characters queer?

Honestly, it’s safe to say that most of my OCs are. I have more queer OCs than I have straight OCs. But I have so many OCs, I’m just gonna list the ones I’ve done so far, and if you wanna know more, you can always send me an ask!

Wren: Bi, hands down. Her first relationship was with a woman named Lilith in college. She honestly preferred women in the beginning because she doesn’t trust men easily. 

Whit: She’s bi, but still in the closet. She hasn’t had a chance to really be with a woman, but the attraction is there, and so it the want to do so. 

Blair: Definitely pansexual. She thought she was just bi for the longest time, but she’s actually pansexual, and she’s comfortable with it. She was engaged to a woman before she went into a coma, and a few hook ups afterwards have been a mixture of genders. 

Camille: Straight. One of the few that I have that is, honestly. She’s tried in college, but it wasn’t for her. She supports it completely, though. One of her best friends is gay, and she went to their wedding.