#knightfeared

Perhaps she's being melodramatic. But she feels she's earned the right to be, just a little. Her mother, who she may never she again, is a vampire - cursed to be hated and rejected by all, having become the thing she hated the most - a monster. She'll never walk in the sunlight again. And that fate was supposed to be Maria's... that's what hurts the most. The fact that she's desperate to escape but can never run away from, so agonizing it's unbearable - is that in the end, it's all her fault.

And her father's.

Maria feels her stomach lurch at the thought of him. Grinds her teeth together. It's not like she isn't trying to move forward, like she's sure her mother wanted for her - Richter, too... but it's hard, harder than anything she's ever known. She feels useless, too, which is a feeling she hates more than anything. Seeing Richter, though... while it doesn't exactly ease the weight in her chest, his presence reminds her that she hasn't lost everything, that there are still some things worth fighting for in this world. And she's grateful for that, at the very least.

"You're giving me that look again." she says, once she notices him staring. She's not the person she used to be, and it's no surprise that he can see that, but she feels so exposed and ashamed under his gaze. There's no judgement there, though. She can't see any, anyway.

"Are you worried about me? You don't need to be." The bitterness that colored her words before is gone now, because Richter doesn't deserve that directed at him. "I know you're thinking of leaving, but... I'm not completely useless on my own."

"Ah, immortality. Such a delicate topic, isn't it, father?"

"I understand the importance of letting go at some point, just as much as I can see the appeal of living forever and seeing the world change from era to era, maybe becoming able to influence it. It is obvious how such a thing is a threat to the balance of the worlds, taking space away from the future and maybe dragging along the distortions from a past that should be long gone... but, on the other hand, if one is capable of earning it, then I believe them worthy of achieving it and would not bat an eye - that's something that can only be reached at a price, and if that is satisfied then there's nothing to cry about."

Not that he's keen on dwelling on either Thatch or the Moby Dick nowadays. " Honestly a small miracle you manage all this while managing to keep Luffy out. "

It's on a far smaller scale of course, the Straw Hats having far less numbers than the Whitebeard crew yet still as rowdy. It's comforting, to enjoy the sounds of the sea smacking against wood and to smell booze and a good meal and have company to enjoy it with too. There's constant chatter and it's pleasant enough to keep his attention somewhat until-

Splat!

A warmth that wasn't originally upon his face sticks and slowly cools in the night's breeze, the scent of potatoes and some series of seasonings wafting closer to his senses than he'd originally had before the world briefly went black and he realizes he hasn't finished chewing his food yet, notes the way a curly eyebrow raises at him in bemusement as if to say ‘ get a load of this guy ’ and then the chef, Sanji his name is, continues speaking to him, sort of. The chide draws a childlike amusement to Ace's calm features, freckle ( and gravy ) stained flesh pulling into an apologetic grin while calloused fingers sheepishly rub at the back of his neck.

“ Sorry Sanji! ” He muses, briefly tipping his hat back to meet black leg's gaze. “ I guess chatting and eating food you make is a bit of a no go, makes my heart too happy to beat right. ” The gentle clatter of metal hitting porcelain cuts through his brief silence, honeyed eyes gleaming in the wake of his delight. “ Go on, I'll try not to interrupt anymore. ”

"The forbidden texts, the forbidden knowledge! How could you make such accusations, my boy band good sir! I am but a simple little creature, I would never."

There are a lot of ways a job can end.

╼ ༺ :||        It was so relieving whenever he came back. Sometimes she'd act like such a school girl, not realizing it until it was too late and then trying to mask the joy with a flushed recollection, hoping he didn't see it. Turning away with the pink dusting her cheeks and a familiar seriousness returning, Beatrix gestured for Chris with a toss of curled tresses.

                                        plotted  starter  @knightfeared.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄’𝐒  𝐀𝐍  𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄  𝐆𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐓  𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅  -  𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃  .                                                  eyes  pinned  to  the  hollow  metal  junk  sprawled  haphazardly  at  his  feet  .  well  —  maybe  he  shouldn’t  call  it  junk  [  ;  ]  wonder  boy  put  his  all  into  this  after  all  .  an  experiment  ,  he  says  .  sett  tuts  as  he  thought  back  on  it  .  the  gig  being  sett  wanted  some  new  toys  [  ;  ]  toys  he  &  his  fighters  can  make  great  use  of  .  hell  —  make  a  piece  of  machinery  that  might  even  act  as  competition  .  &  what  do  you  know  —  it’d  be  jayce  up  for  the  job  .  the  lucky  bastard  of  tomorrow  .

                                                  sett  whetted  his  tongue  over  the  barrier  of  white  teeth  ,  smacking  his  lips  matter  -  of  factly  .  he’d  reckon  this  opportunity  would  come  with  some  heavy  weight  payment  ,  hard  on  buck  for  a  piece  of  jayce’s  work  .  but  all  it  was  —  piltover’s  finest  only  wanted  to  test  out  his  training  dummies  .  be  it  if  he  fought  one  on  one  with  it  or  test  the  endurance  of  said  dummies  .  how  much  can  his  hits  lethally  damage  it  ,  if  at  all  .  the  latter  being  sett  quite  literally  damaging  it  without  recoil  .

                                                  sett  retracts  his  fist  ,  knuckles  coated  in  small  cracks  of  reddened  lines  ,  bleeding  just  a  bit  .  not  that  it  bothered  him  .  another  audible  noise  from  him  .  ❝  thought  you  said  this  be  it  ,  smart  guy  .  gettin’  my  blood  riled  up  for  nothin’  ?  my  momma  slaps  harder  than  this  piece  of  shit  .  ❞  the  metallic  jaw  of  the  carcass  was  stripped  from  it’s  skull  as  sett  reaches  to  grasp  the  limp  body  seemingly  ridden  with  ire  concavities  ,  brass  knuckles  shapely  embedded  within  it’s  panels  that  overlapped  it’s  skeleton  .

                                                  ❝  what’s  holdin’  you  from  using  your  hextech  -  whatsit  on  these  things  ?  i  mean  …  i  get  bein’  cheap  ,  but  yeesh  .  hangin’  out  on  me  .  ❞

                                                  the  boss  walks  over  ,  each  long  stride  making  it  almost  effortless  to  reach  the  man  lingering  in  the  corner  of  the  room  .  some  place  jayce  had  managed  to  empty  out  &  use  it  as  some  kind  of  lab  or  whatever  this  was  .  ears  flick  forward  as  his  golden  hues  began  surveying  him  up  &  down  .  noting  the  bulkiness  around  his  forearms  .  canines  click  together  &  there’s  an  amused  exhale  from  his  nostrils  .  ❝  y’  should  start  entertainin’  me  ,  jayce  .  i’d  reckon  you  can  throw  a  punch  or  two  ?  how  ‘bout  it  ?  ❞