#loregrown

          impressively,    not  a  single  thing  about  the  woman  seemed  intimidating.    giving  a  long  and  breathy  sigh,    vi  leaned  back  where  she  stood ,    hooking  her  thumbs  in  her  jacket’s  pockets,    and  gave  her  companion  a  pointed  once-over.    truth  be  told,  vi  was  sure  she’d  seen  petals  drifting  in  the  breeze  of  piltover’s  beautiful  skies  that  warranted  more  worry  than  the  expression  currently  on  the  enforcer’s  face.    SHIT,    WHERE  HAD  THEY  EVEN  FOUND  THIS  GIRL?    there  was  a  softness  to  her  face  vi  hadn’t  seen  in  years,    a  stark  contrast  to  the  determination  in  her  gaze;    she  wore  them  both  well.    in  those  moments  vi  had  taken  to  look  back  or  over  at  her,    surprised  she  continued  to  keep  up,    she  found  herself  admiring  more  and  more  of  the  other.    altogether,    in  a  way  it  was…    well,    for  lack  of  a  better  word,    endearing.    ❝  ‘course  you’re  not,    cupcake.  ❞      the  smirk  now  worn  on  her  face  was  second  nature,    but  she  hoped  it  sparked  the  appropriate  amount  of  ire.    fun  wasn’t  a  word  she’d  use  to  describe  caitlyn  either,    but  life  was  short  and  grim.    vi  took  her  amusement  where  she  could  find  it.    ❝  and  i  wouldn’t  dream  of  getting  on  your  bad  side.  ❞

          but  she  would  make  things  more  difficult,    in  any  way  she  could.    after  spending  hours  traversing  the  slums,    looking  at  old  haunts  and  still  familiar  faces,    frustration  continued  to  well  up  inside  the  zaunite.    there  was  no  denying  the  anger  that  consumed  vi’s  every  thought,    a  scathing  fire  that  was  fed  by  the  knowledge  that  perhaps  she  was  too  late,    that  her  chance  to  right  things  had  been  stolen  from  her  before  she  even  got  the  chance  to  get  it  back.    and  caitlyn...    caitlyn  was  looking  for  a  criminal,    a  murderer,    and  vi?    vi  only  worried  about  one  person,    one  bond.    as  nice  as  caitlyn  was  to  look  at,    this  alliance  was  temporary,    and  she  wouldn’t  let  the  woman  stand  in  the  way  of  her  getting  back  to—    she  breathed,    tight  throat  loosened  with  a  swallow.    plastering  a  smile  on  her  face,    she  turned  back  to  caitlyn.    ❝  we’ll  get  your  answers.    but  you’ve  gotta  stop  hovering  so  close,    it  makes  people  nervous.  ❞

@loregrown​​ said: ‘   i warn you, i am not to be trifled with.   ’   caitlyn & vi

               the sun fell over his face and the sea breeze brushed against his hair,  the taste of sand and salt faint on his lips and tongue.  of course,  these were all things that reminded him he was home,  but none were as prominent as the warmth that sank in his bones when he stood beside her on the shore,  shoulder to shoulder,  hands close enough for fingers to ghost over one another but not quite touch.  it was like this often  —  harder to touch when they weren’t behind closed doors,  never knowing what prying eyes were around,  how safe it was.  as if it wasn’t like a well-worn ache in his chest to not have her in his arms,  unable to press his face against her neck,  nose to her beautiful hair,  and breathe her in.  she was home,  of course,  in every sense of the word,  but it was a truth always kept close to their chest.

laughter came natural to finnick.  it wasn’t always genuine,  but he could make it seem so,  and sweet and reassuring words came easier still.  his laughter now,  however,  was genuine,  a soft thing as he turned his gaze from the boats bobbing in the distance to her.     ❝  no  —  no,  of course i don’t.   ❞     he brushes his ring finger against the skin of her hand,  a casual but reassuring thing.  there’s a smile on his face,  as warm as she makes him feel,  but no less weary of what’s behind and in front of them.     ❝   we have to be careful,  no matter what happens or how much attention slips away from us.  you know i’d never risk letting anything happen either.   ❞   not to her;  never to her.  the one and only person who had laid claim to his heart and protected it in her loving hands,  finnick would give his last breath insuring that she was safe.

the admission was something that shocked him. hearing it escape her lips caused his cheeks to slightly turn pink as he looked away , trying to process the words ringing throughout his mind. ‘ i notice everything you do. ’ it was a soft phrase that he never intended on hearing from anyone , at least not from someone else besides his parents. nyx was no stranger to the idea of mates , his parents found themselves , his aunt ness and uncle cass , his aunt elaine and uncle lucien. he was well aware of what having a mate entailed , that sometimes the thread snapped into place when one least expected it. the phrase rang through his mind , nyx making sure to shut his thoughts off from his parents prying ears as he looked at the girl in front of him. they had been friends for quite some time , their parents visiting each others courts often , bringing the children along with them. and yet , the admission from wren shouldn’t have been as shocking … since he noticed everything she did in return.

〝 you’re my best friend … of — of course you do. 〞 the stuttering was , unusual , his cheeks still a light pink. perhaps he could blame it on the winter court , the chill that ran down his spine , yet it was quite the opposite of how he was feeling. warm all over. they were alone , their parents dealing with more pressing matters which made the situation even more nerve wracking. 〝 i notice everything you do as well.. sometimes i even check up on you when we’re not together , just to make sure you’re okay. 〞 if something happened to wren and he wasn’t aware , nyx didn’t know what he’d do. an illyrian warrior was meant to observe their surroundings. after rhys sent nyx to wind haven to train , he became more aware of his surroundings. ensuring that his best friend was safe , was high on his list.

〝 it wouldn’t hurt to dial it down … 〞his head turned at the sound of her voice , eyes gently catching hers as his eyebrows raised in a slight question. they were alone , the inner circle needing to deal with some business in another court and while nyx begged his parents to let him attend , they decided against letting him come along … he was still deemed ‘too young’ to attend. so whenever the inner circle left , the cousins were always thrown together , under the watch of cerridwen and nuala — no matter how old they’ve gotten. that’s how it always happened , when nyx returned from windhaven , the high lord and lady set aside as much time as possible to spend the day with their son. and yet even sometimes the promises weren’t always upheld. yet , he understood. that was the territory that came with being the heir to the night court. 〝 your spite makes you seem unapproachable. 〞

nyx knew what his aunt ness was like before he was born. he’s overheard conversations of her actions and even then he was aware that his parents weren’t perfect themselves. he was an only child , watching as his aunt and uncle were blessed with twins , playing partners for life and sometimes , nyx felt left out. he had more duties on his shoulders , more pressure to be what everyone had envisioned. he was the perfect combination of both his parents. gently nudging her the boy moved to sit on the couch , wings spread out behind him. 〝 i know you maeve , you’re my cousin , what happened to us getting into trouble like we used to? somethings changed in you. 〞