#stardusthalos

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The statement about not going around advertising oneself really had a way of hitting Atieno deep in the core. The almost bitter tone of his laughter felt familiar, too familiar - which is why they felt even more apologetic in the first place.

"Yeah, I mean.. there's plenty reason not to go drawing that much notice to yourself when out and about hm?" They spoke with at least that kind of understanding surfacing.

And there was something, something peculiar about knowing that he had also seen so many ends, knowing that no matter what you do - those ends are coming.

Perhaps it may be a bit different to be part of those endings. But the sensation felt.. all too present nevertheless.

It was a cold day in the city, and relentless winds whipped around every person and every building, making the air hurt your face and chill you to the very bones.

This being said, that never stopped the hustle and bustle of this city. Cars were still driving, people were remarkably still walking around as though unbothered by the weather, and even kids were playing outside, making snow angels and having snowball fights.

Despite all the buzz of activity, it was very quiet. The powdery snow muffled most everything including footsteps, so the loudest noise was the wind. At least, until now...

A shrill sound not unlike a falling bomb erupted from the sky, accompanied by a lone humanoid figure. The man was spinning out of control end over end as he hurtled toward the ground. Everyone seemed to simultaneously stop and stare up at the human shooting star that had come crashing down.

The figure was barely conscious as he hit the concrete. Despite his first impact only being a brief bounce, it still made a pretty significant crumbling crater in the structure. He continued to bounce four or five times, making curious metallic noises each time, before finally skidding to a stop with sparks flying behind him at the foot of someone he did not recognize. The whole fall from the sky to the ground took about six seconds.

Raj peeled his lightly scratched face off of the ground, which was the best he could do for a greeting. His voice, although calm, deep and soft spoken, was clearly disoriented. Despite his catastrophic entry, he seemed largely -physically- unharmed.

from here x

There are a few things Ala has kept close and considers special. The first set of paint brushes Tadhg made for him, in their tooled leather roll, are one. Infused with magic and made by hand, they havent degraded over the centuries, but Ala is still careful to use them sparingly. Another is his father's pipe, made of carved bone, & its accompanied tobacco pouch- this he does use, but only in his home, and otherwise keeps it safely stored.

From Subhoiem, Ala has a pair of tailored leather riding gloves. It was one of the earliest gifts given to him by Subby, and despite their rough ending, he'd never get rid of them. That said, he has not worn them since leaving the court.

“You made it! I was worried my directions were unhelpful- its been a while since I had to give any, I dont have many guests.” 

Barachiel clapped his hands, still wearing his gloves from pruning. He’d been working in the garden and lost track of time, a common occurrence. Prep had been done a head of time though, with that in mind, and so refreshments were waiting inside, and a guest room had been set aside, just in case. 

what is my blog's trademark ; accepting

Rahul was no stranger to the idea of nightmares or night terrors that could wake a person from their sleep ... though not because he had ever experienced them for himself aside from the mild nightmare every so often. Growing up with a Father that had night terrors every so often wasn’t exactly the easiest thing, especially when Rahul was a light sleeper, but that did mean that he knew that it was best to just leave things alone, rather than trying to butt in and try to fix matters. As a child that had always confused him, quite frankly ... hell, even as a young teenager he wasn’t entirely sure why his Mother stressed the fact that he should not come into the bedroom if he heard the sounds of Caspian having a nightmare. 

Though now as an adult... he did understand, though again not out of experience. So when he heard the sounds of his roommate having one of his nightmares? He didn’t question it, didn’t try to come and save the day or make himself a hero ... oh no. He did something far more subtle. 

Family road trips weren’t entirely uncommon for the family, both parents in the front as it should be with the three children crammed into the back of the vehicle. Not that the small blonde child was complaining in the slightest. She loved her family, loved her brothers deeply and spent most of the time cuddled up with Sam as they drove along the winding road. Though what happened next was far from happy and loving. The crash had been brutal and without a single bit of mercy, sending the vehicle they rode in careening and rolling from the high speed impact. 

The only thing that saved Emma from an instant death was the fact that Sam had saw it coming moments before it happened... and was able to wrap his arms around his baby sister as tightly as he could. Of course such a thing didn’t save her from all the injury, and as the car tumbled in a deadly roll, Emma had been thrown out the shattered window, somehow managing to be thrown clear of the path entirely. Some might say it was the grace of god, some might say that there had been somebody watching over the young child as she lay limp in the street. They might have been right, Emma’s eyes partially opened enough to witness something that seemed to be a part of a dream.... 

Only to wake on her back in a hospital bed. Her mind was lethargic enough to be slow to realize that she was in pain, immediately trying to turn her head to find her family, trying to reach for the ones that she loved so dearly. Though as soon as she did, she found that she couldn’t freely move her head as she wished, her neck and head supported by a C-collar that would prevent her from being able to move. Her arm and leg both in casts, it was the sensation of being restrained that had the panic and pain cut into her consciousness, tears immediately springing into her eyes. 

This was a special case though, and she felt it was needed, especially given the number of skirmishes that had been going on. If she did not have a job that was not simply assisting where needed it was only a matter of time before the young angel would be called upon to battle, and from prior experience Anabiel knew that would not end well.

That was what brought her to the other’s office, and the politician knocks to ensure that she was not interrupting anything. “Raziel, might I have a word?”