#kindlingdusk

Alright, let’s see…I guess all of these are heavily reliant on their friendship/relationship continuing until it’s a rather casual and steady part of their interaction. Hopefully that’s alright.

⭐️Given Alice’s proclivity for getting injured and the unhealthy way she dampens her pain, Dusk has started quietly checking Alice for injuries each time they spend time together. She occasionally finds wounds and bruises that Alice didn’t realize she had, was ignoring, or was hiding. She’ll sigh, admonish Alice, and patch her up. Unfortunately, old habits die hard and the next time Alice visits, it’s the same routine. This has only gotten worse as Alice starts to withdraw from her life as a pit fighter and return to her old role as a mercenary and bodyguard. Instead of bruises and scrapes, she comes back with cuts, bites, and claw marks from lucky attacks that made it through her armor. Secretly, Alice likes this routine. Being fussed over and patched up makes her feel like she matters.

⭐️ Dusk is one of the few people who have told Alice that she looks strong and openly admired that strength. Alice knows she’s basically cheating on strength most of the time since without aether she’s still a short woman who is built more like a runner than a brawler. So, when Dusk says something like that, it just inflates her ego more and she’s started to find excuses to show off. Alice isn’t known for her subtlety, so its fairly obvious. It’s even more obvious when she starts burning aether and lifts things she shouldn’t be able to, usually for no obvious reason. Dusk hasn’t said anything negative, so Alice takes that as tacit approval to keep being dumb and (hopefully) cute.

⭐️ This one is the most reliant on them just falling into a sort of relationship pattern where they spend a lot of down time not particularly doing anything but just simply with each other. They sing together. Neither of them remember how it starts but it’s usually during the quiet times when they’re near each other but focused on other things. Alice is cooking or repairing her armor, Dusk is working on something and one of them starts to sing quietly. If Alice starts, it’s lyrics to some song she remembered and Dusk will add in her melody without words. If Dusk starts, it’s a melody without words and Alice will attempt to add lyrics that she knows or makes up. It’s not something either of them do with thought, they just sort of fall into it and never discuss it because discussing it would require acknowledging what sort of relationship they’ve built up.

Ugh. These are all cheesy and very relationship heavy for a pair that only recently became friends and have no outward interest in anything more. But something about them just seems like they’d be good at falling into affectionate patterns that hint at something romantic while probably not being romantically entwined.

Very, very late birthday gift art of an obsidian dagger w/ thorny vine hilt for @kindlingdusk Please do not repost without permission.

“Ah, shit. What? Prized possessions? Fuck if I got any. Look, my folks weren’t much in the way of lettin’ me have shit. If it was worth something, it went to Cynwise, no question. Back then, food was my most prized thing.”

Alice waves a hand dismissively.

“Nah, I don’t mean I was gettin’ starved. They were shit, but they weren’t the kinda shit that lets their daughter starve t’death. Not while I had worth, at least. So I didn’t really have nothin’ back then. Then of course everythin’ happened.”

She motions vaguely upwards.

“Everythin’ I ever had or knew got burnt t’ash. After that, why would I keep anythin’ worthwhile? Who knows when it’s all gonna catch fire again. But I uh...alright, look. I ain’t ever told nobody this, so y’keep your damn mouth shut about it.

“My fiance...the first one, Eluric. The marriage wasn’t our choice, but we were friends, yeah? Though, I think toward the end he was startin’ t’see me different. Like potential wife. That’s never worked out for anyone. Anyway, he uh...he gave me this locket before he went off and died. Wasn’t fancy, but it had these words engraved inside. It was sweet. The kinda sweet I never expected from El.

The sun was barely cresting over the horizon- that stillness that overcomes all the world before it takes a breath to begin the day lay thick in the blanket of mist over the land.  She was in the Shroud, unfamiliar territory that gave all her senses a challenge- the scents warred in her nose so strongly a headache threatened, the sound of rustling made her ears turn and twitch to separate true movement from the wind, the constant shift of light and shadow playing tricks on her eyes, and the chill air making it difficult to remain crouched for long with her fingertips resting on the string of her bow.  Even the aether of the place played tricks on her, the song so complex that it threatened her focus.

Still, she stayed in the place she had chosen in the crook of a tree where she could look over the forest clearing and watch the coming and going there.  Several beasts had passed over the three bells or so she had been waiting, but none had satisfied that need for a challenge that kept her in a predator’s lazy tension.  The dawn birds singing their aubades could see the small golden miqo’te seeming almost dozing, eyes half-lidded and body resting lightly against the trunk of the great tree with only the turning of her ears, the set of her tail, and the barest touch of tension on her bowstring giving her away.

When the antelope stag stepped into the clearing, her eyes closed and lips curved into a tight smile that briefly revealed small fangs.  A rush of adrenaline ran through her like flame, setting her extremities tingling and making her pupils dilate hugely as her eyes snapped open.  Every motion became smooth, exceptionally slow, tiny adjustments of tightly controlled muscles as she curled her fingers round the bowstring.

A breath.  Two.  A half dozen.  A score.  Heartbeat slowing and thundering all at once.  The stag stepped forward, alert, nostrils flaring and great eyes scanning the clearing.  Her tail grew still and ears moved to the side, then back.

The sun broke over the horizon and the stag’s head turned…

I have never done this before but it would certainly be interesting to try.