#tragictwinflames

In his opinion, it had been too long since he'd spent time with Alura. Their last interaction had involved baking an apple pie together, filled with jokes and laughter as well as hints about topics that one could not talk about out loud where people could hear them.

While he was aware that Alura had grown suspicious of him, a part of him, surprisingly, didn't mind. Maybe he was tired of hiding all of the time; maybe it wouldn't be so bad to put his trust on someone who had stayed by his side through the good and the bad-- literally.

A smart person would have left his presence after the incident at the mountain, but Alura had not only persisted but flourished from that time, and most importantly, she didn't treat him any differently even though she knew.

So when he spotted that familiar face on the outskirts of Mondstadt during his return from Natlan, he couldn't help the smile that spread on his lips as he lifted his hand in an enthusiastic wave, nearly bouncing on his place to catch the wandering woman's attention.

Indeed, her scent had drawn out the creature of night. Amber optics glowed in the darkness above her, his dark figure circling around her slowly. The way she so casually met his gaze was not lost on him. A lamb blinking innocently back at the wolf.

But this lamb had teeth of her own. The way he slunk around her in the darkness appeared predatory, but it was simply his nature. He knew better than to size her up. She could so easily reduce him to ashes with a flick of her wrist. Such power made her an interesting subject, one he was ever curious of.

❝ The mouse, too, experiences a moment of peace before the cat strikes. ❞ he mused, his eyes drifting upwards. His expression was thoughtful, his hands folded behind himself as he continued to pace around her, dreadfully near.

It was amusing to not be feared by a human - especially by one in such a vulnerable position. It insulted him in a way, yet intrigued him even more. Pupils fell upon the woman once again, boring into her. His nostrils twitched as he continued to breathe her in.

send 🔥 + a spicy question for my muse.

((I think generally speaking, Cicero/Lucio is real torn on the subject. On one hand, he is fine with it. Everyone starts somewhere and usually he is a man of experience. And in his opinion, the more experience, the better. (For both him and his partners. You know how to enjoy yourselves!) So he's fine with taking things slow and guiding them through it.

On the other hand, he's also like... iffy because his partner obviously doesn't have experience and he doesn't want to say... mess it up? It puts a little more pressure on him to make it a really good experience. And also like... knowing the other is a virgin automatically makes him assume you're kinda young.

But hey, if you trust him enough to walk you through it, then sure. He doesn't mind for the most part. Two consenting adults is two consenting adults.

For the chalk prince

Send 🗣 to hear what my muse thinks of yours

“Miss Alura is a fascinating young lady… Without saying too much, I find her similar to the traveler in the way that they carry the aura of the stars. Except instead of the distant stars, she feels more familiar… she holds my interest with the gravity of her warmth and kindness, akin to that of the sun,” the alchemist gave a slight smile.

This situation filled all too familiar- the cold metal, the confusion, the warm liquid dripping from the wound, and the adrenaline. If Alura wasn’t skilled in her agile abilities- they would’ve killed her indefinitely. The flash of the metal blade had caught her attention when the wielder went to strike her- given her just barely enough time to try and dodge. They still injured her though- a deep cut now on the side of her torso but hey, at least they didn’t stab her all the way through.

She didn’t even know this person but she could tell they were trained- the fluid movement and the fast reflexes they possessed. Why were they after her? Did someone get word of her powers? Alura wasn’t typically violent and didn’t like hurting people but she would if she had to. There was that one incident.. the one that had scarred her literally. But no one knew of that or at least they shouldn’t.

Her golden green eyes scanned the person up and down, a look of confusion and shock. They really tried to kill her just now. Blood soaking through her clothes which she didn’t seem to pay any mind to. Her fight or flight response taking over- not registering the pain completely. She was focused, calm- almost too calm for a situation like this.

She was a killer too- not by choice but by accident. If she could deal with the fact she murdered several people by accident, imagine how she would be if she wanted to kill someone. Ruthless. She sized them up- they were small like she was but unnaturally. Alura was almost certain that if they had been an average thug trying to rob her then she could easily win. Unlucky for her that wasn’t the case.

“Why?” Her words came out rushed. Why was a stranger after her? What did she do that was so wrong?

JOB had started much the same as all the ones that had come before . was given a name , a photograph , a time , and a place . does not need to be told their task - is never anything different in cases like this , is hardly ever requested for anything other than getting rid of a problem . wonders , sometimes , what the people they have been instructed to kill have done to earn such punishment . had learnt long ago that to question such a request was not something they were permitted to do - theirs was not to ask why , it was to simply obey .

they had always been good at it . feels natural , in a way that they do not know how to describe . knows it is because such violence is part of their nature by careful design , being a killer comes as easily as drawing a breath . knife is held easily in their hand , fingers bent awkwardly as they always were , strength of their own grip shifting small joints out of place . the discomfort is easily ignored , would almost feel wrong to have their limbs arranged correctly at this point .

had not , they will admit , expected her to dodge . was not often that someone was able to evade them , unnatural speed usually more than enough to over power regular human . brings frown to their lips , expression hidden by mask covering lower half of their face . backs up a few steps , watching her for a moment . something did not feel right , something about the energy dancing through strangers body is unlike anything the young assassin has felt before . almost feels as though they could be burned up entirely if they made the mistake of trying to siphon it away . does not like the feeling , the restriction , makes something uneasy sit in their stomach . this , of course , does not deter them from carrying out their task .

" not personal . " tone is clipped , is not sure what move to make next . " just a job . "