#vepris

@eyes1nthedark ow ow owwww

i came up with vepris' backstory after drawing the portrait so i think i could do something more with it, but this is what we have rn

vepris comes from the wastes outside of the hives. when she was young, she snuck into the back of an armoured transport caravan heading to renvena with her sister. when they were found out, she left her behind. within the hive's walls, the only place she could go was down.

she's the one cosmas ingratiates himself with in order to deal with lask. he rises in her favour quickly, too quickly for some. she's the only one who gives him something not just substantial, but official. meaningful rank within her power structure. she has no seconds, but he comes close.

cosmas was often underestimated when he was young, but vepris could see what he was really capable of. she saw a lot of herself in him, a clever young woman, an eternal outsider, a desperate, ruthless whelp who could be someone. it makes the parts where they differ all the worse.

in turn, for him, there was a desire to be like her. something rough, and worn, and aged. something unyielding. while those in the upper spires inundated themselves with rejuv treatments, down here age was a status. she was a reflection of his desire to live, and to live well. no heirs, no lovers, only a hard woman who served herself first and foremost. someone who made it on her own in life, starting from the same place he did, gilding herself in any way she wanted. everything about her was aspirational.

he's plotting against her. probably. whether he really was or not, which, he probably was, she didn't need any proof to begin to suspect. she'd let him in close, almost like an heir, and now she needed to cut him off.