𝑾𝑨𝑹 𝑯𝑼𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑹.

             red bloometh the rose of conviction,   and red bloometh the rose of hate;   yes,   red bloometh the rose of conquest !

                                              ONLY BLOOD WILL SATE !

and just as we know the devil,   we also know that devils live among us;   the butcher with his cleaver,   the hunter and her quiver   —   in the name of power,   of justice,   of taking names from graves that has long since been buried in desert sand.   we know them,   we deal with them,   and we are them.   we kill them,   we steal from them,   and we choose to turn away from them.

and behold,   a black horse ...   and the rider is called famine,   and great is his hunger for he is hunger.   robbed of sight,   relying on smell,   and he follows the charred foot - prints of war,   the red horseman of hell.   hunger,   he says,   is not just an emptiness of the maw,   of the hollow space between rib and soul.   no,   no,   he says and dips his head,   hiding fang and teeth that dares to rip into any pure being bereft of free will,   for hunger is of desire,   too,   for more   —   for power,   for justice,   for taking names that aren’t yours,   but ours.

“     they say,     ”     the manhunter rasps,   voice like still - smoldering coal,   while ember eyes guard the space between he,   the devil - to - be,   and she,   a blackened angel of eld,     “     that to kill divinity,   one must aim true.   grasp the god by its throat and make sure its gasps will never be heard.     ”

the town is silent,   daylight swallowed by the horizon,   and the blackest horse neighs where it has been leashed.   darius still hears the buzzing of something fast   (   four flies for fiends   ),   something terrible   (   true tests to teach   ),   something generous   (   genesis,   gentle goading given   ),   something dangerous   (   dance,   demons,   dares devil   ),   something that reminds him of stampeding hooves and the bloody end of those on the wrong side of war’s wicked scythe.

he roughly pushes at his left ear,   nearly knocking wide - brimmed hat askew,   masking the notion by tilting it forward to hide fire - bred gaze.   curious,   yes,   and hungry.   darius lifts a hand and taps the side of his nose.   famine doesn’t see,   eyes clouded by hunger and hate,   nor does he hear,   lord of the flies as he is.   famine smells,   a bloodhound seeking tracks,   and purity,   in a world where heaven is gone and hell razes on earth,   is a scent that lingers,   stronger than anything else.

darius’ grin is a slow thing,   spreading on rugged features till it threatens to split,   like the haze in a canyon,   face in half.

“    maybe ...   perhaps ...   would what i heard be ...   wrong ?     ”

hey :)   i see jayce wants to be the big spoon but have you considered:   no

ON FOOD.

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                                            headcanon associated with a word ...

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noxus’ climate has been described as desolate and arid,   and as such the type of food the empire,   on native soil,   grows is dictated by dryland farming   (   preserving water stored during the winter months for the more dry seasons   ),   so fruits and vegetables that need little water to set root,   such as tomatoes,   pumpkins,   beans,   wheat and maize.   a common root vegetable found along the southern shoreline of noxus,   the naap,   is supposedly best served baked and can be quite delicious.

meats are more common to come by.   meat from poultry is easy to acquire as the maize and wheat makes adequate food for them,   making them great farm animals.   noxus is otherwise known for its tougher meats,   sinewy and low in fat.   basilisks and elmarks makes up the primary source of meat outside of poultry,   with elmarks being more common;   elmarks can be likened to the modern day cow.   basilisk meat is a bit more rare to come by due to their preferred use being as either beasts of burden or war mounts,   and it is notoriously tough to chew,   even when cooked well.   basilisk spines are a delicacy in some corners of noxus.

the western and southern borders of noxus,   along the coastline,   can be seen trading fish.   the cities along the great barrier,   basilich,   ironwater,   krexor,   trannit and vindor,   makes most use of fishing.   trannit is known for exporting dried bolbo,   a large,   bulbous fish,   for use in a soup made of boiled bolbo heads   —   a local delicacy.

sweets are less common and requires the buyer to hand over quite a fair amount of noxian coin.   the city of palclyff in far western noxus offers honey fruit,   which is most often made into small pieces of candy.   it is also used as a sweetener in many beverages.

as for what food darius enjoys and eats ...

darius keeps to a strict diet that gives his body exactly what it needs to stay strong and healthy.   anything sweet is almost immediately written out of what he eats,   except if it’s something minimal,   usually a biscuit or the aforementioned honey candy;   just something to curb the urge.

as such darius’ diet consists primarily of food high in protein and calories.   meats and vegetables are kept as highest priority,   with foods full of starch and unhealthy calories put into the lowest priority.   elmark meat and beans finds its way to his kitchen most often,   with imported carrots and other vegetables,   such as broccoli,   asparagus,   and beet roots,   from noxus’ conquered regions  making their way into his diet as well.

darius keeps his intake of bread at a minimum.   he also does not bother buying basilisk meat,   as it’s too much of a bother to properly cook.   when visiting south - east noxus to check up on how their borders hold up,   darius can be seen indulging in fatty fish more than any other types of meat.   it reminds him of the past,   of basilich,   and of the memories associated with the beginnings of his life.

darius keeps away from most alcohol when on duty,   only indulging when he knows he’s not required to be awake and present the next day,   and despite the variety noxus offers darius usually keeps to mead and ale.   otherwise,   darius mostly keeps to water,   caring little for the finer things in life.   in the morning darius indulges in coffee imported from shurima,   and he drinks it black.

he makes it a habit to,   when he visits new areas,   both in and outside of noxus,   to try the local cuisine.   the end results wary.

darius repeats himself,   a raised brow giving voice to his well - hidden concern.   it is not often that he catches swain unaware,   the general’s valuation and attention somewhere where darius can’t tread,   and while it’s not disconcerting in itself it’s certainly a hindrance when they’re discussing battle plans and tactics of war,   as if that is their version of small talk,   a weary conversation on a balcony over - looking their empire by choice.

“     let us stop for now,     ”     darius says and clicks his tongue,   thumping a fist on the balcony’s edge to gain swain’s attention,     “     ‘tis no use discussing the matters of ionia if one of our minds are elsewhere.     ”

it’s not a deliberately spoken question   (   where does your mind float away to ?    )   for darius has never been one to openly put word to his disquiet,   but the hand he places on the grand general’s shoulder shows the gesture fine enough.