° empty thrones.

don't say a word .

don't leave me here .

meet me at our spot tonight .

follow me and stay close .

don't beg , it's pathetic .

can you ( tie / zip ) this for me ?

stop lying to me . tell me what you did .

put that down , you don't know what it ( is / does ) .

get out of my sight .

stop pretending you know what's going on .

find a first-aid kit . quickly !

don't get yourself killed .

leave them to me , just go .

just admit that you love me .

just admit that you hate me .

come here , let me look at you .

( name ) , don't make me do this .

drop your ( weapon ) .

stay here and wait for my signal .

don't just sit there , move .

take this and run , don't let anyone have it .

pretend you're my ( partner / girlfriend / boyfriend ) .

don't look , you'll give us away .

don't say another word .

stop pretending like you care .

go make sure the coast is clear .

take this with you . it's a good luck charm .

don't tell anyone about this .

if anybody asks about today , lie .

stop looking at me like that .

tell me you love me .

just kiss me , already .

keep your eyes on the road .

stop crying and calm down .

come with me . there's so much we could do .

wear the ( dress / tie / item ) i gave you tonight .

show me how you like to be touched .

hold my hand .

kiss me , make it look real .

look at me . how many fingers am i holding up ?

will you marry me ?

just slow down for a minute . what's going on ?

take a deep breath , you need to calm down .

get out of here , ( name ) !

draw your weapon .

go rest . i'm not asking .

take a step back .

give me a straight answer .

be polite to our guests .

look me in the eye and say that again .

put your feelings aside for a moment .

keep close to me .

here , let me see that .

look up at the sky .

get out of here , i don't want to see you right now .

stand up , this isn't over yet .

close your eyes and count to ten .

smile for the camera !

keep your head down .

( name ) , let me past .

listen carefully to what i'm about to say .

don't just stare , come in .

stop laughing , this isn't funny .

take this and hide it .

don't make a sound .

put your hands up .

quit causing problems everywhere you go .

just admit that you don't know what you're doing .

stop right there , i mean it .

don't say that name aloud .

just trust me , okay ?

stop acting so childish .

call the police . now .

tell me you love me , even if it's not real .

take a good hard look .

stop the car , ( name ) .

don't make eye contact .

stay out of trouble .

just do it already , we've waited long enough .

hold me tight , and never let me go .

finish what you started .

tell me what you know .

just stay away from me .

turn around . slowly .

don't be scared .

put it down before somebody gets hurt .

stop pretending , i'm tired of the pretending .

grab me my ( item ) , will you ?

don't make assumptions .

put this over it to stop the bleeding .

get to safety !

wipe that look off your face .

secure the area .

keep an eye on them .

look at yourself in the mirror .

run . run and don't stop .

     "If I didn't know you better I'd think this is a lame joke," spoken through giggles and cackles; you steady yourself unnaturally quickly, only a cruel and greedy smile adorning your lips. "That thing is damn lucky that Jack's out of town for a few days. Those gods that deal with stiffs re-eally hate the whole 'bringing back to life' shtick, and I'd at least have some decency to let that guy yap a word or two before it's gone for the second time." for once, you were not lying when you've called yourself decent. a miracle, no less!

     “jack…” pandora repeats the name briefly – and it sounds slightly awkward, as if one was recanting some spell in unknown tongue. there’s a thinking noise before it dawns on her. “oh, jackie. right.” of course, she never used that name for the child. her brain was hardstuck on anubis - or rather - inpu, as she’s been corrected in the past. no actually, maybe instead of the father she should have just gone to the son with this…?

     yet set already seems eager enough as it is, all things considered. “well yeah, of course they’d hate it. it usually means they got outsmarted or outplayed. if you ask me, i always thought of most of them as control freaks.” at least the ones she knew personally. “and uh, shit. if you’re taking this seriously, i guess i have to too.” but gods, would it be embarrassing to simply show up to the client again after already turning her down. so with grumbling she looks once again at her phone screen, conflict resting upon her face now. “i’ll just text her real quick and say i just got an 'expert’s' opinion now, and to absolutely not tell her friend about anything.”

     the sob story about the failed client almost passes your ears, and you are quite inclined to roll your eyes at it —you kinda don't give a damn about it. people do stupid shit all the time, so you've learned to let it go with almost no consequences to the offender. almost being the key word.

    "You know it's damn noon, everyone's only starting to wake up from their party nights. There's nothing to do and," you yawn, barely covering your mouth with your hand, "I don't feel like helping out with shit." the shit being one of your duties, but hey, the world isn't gonna collapse if you laze around for an hour or two.

     ❝ what, you interested? because you know if it is a ‘spirit or ghost or whatever’ i don’t think you can just punch it out. ❞ …or maybe he could? there were still a lot of things pandora didn’t quite know about how the ennead ‘functioned’. how grand were their spheres of influence and were they all simply free to use whatever strengths they had across realms? if so, she’d actually like to see it.

     with a shrug of her shoulders, she decides she might as well speak more if he’s willing to hear it. ❝ like i said, i don’t deal with that kind of stuff, so i wouldn’t know. but her friend told me that apparently she believes she made contact with someone from ‘beyond the grave’ in her dreams. and that they’ll give her secret knowledge or something, as long as she brings them back to life. ❞ there’s a hand waved in dismissal as she continues to explain. ❝ but they only started recently, the dreams, so i’m not convinced that it’s something serious. and if it is, well i can’t actually do anything about it. ❞ pandora didn’t have the ability to hop around into what others might call the ‘dreamworld’ - and while she technically knew someone else that could help, vying a demon’s help on a whim would get her the tonguelashing of a lifetime.

Meiko felt like a godsdamned fool. So much time had passed since Y'shtola had been retrieved from the Lifestream -- why, how, did she not realize the woman was blind?

It was like how she had felt with Thancred being possessed by an Ascian all over again. Too absorbed in her own selfish insecurities to really see the people around her. Too intimidated by anyone who enunciated every letter in a word to forge bonds with her own comrades unless they were children or common-born. If she could go back in time and bust her own jaw, she would.

But there was no room for such nonsense right now. She would make it right. And even if she couldn't quite do that, she would bring the Scions home no matter the cost.

Meiko took a moment to regain her composure before she knocked on Y'shtola's -- Master Matoya's -- door. Once beckoned inside, she let herself in; she hadn't tried to memorize what she wanted to say because she knew there was no point in it. She'd end up babbling regardless.

"Uh, hi." The skittish part of her didn't want to do this, wanted to flee like a shy child, but she bowled that feeling over. She wouldn't let herself feel the regrets and loss she felt in the days leading up to finding her way to the First. She was far more scared of feeling that way again than she was of social rejection. "Is now a good time tae chat...?"

        Yet her concentration is pulled out of deep thoughts as her ear flicks at the sound of a knock. And she's quick to vocalize for the other to usher in. Watching as the beacon of aether crosses the threshold of her abode gives Y'shtola a good moment of pause before the voice reaches her and everything settles. It wouldn't do either of them good if the sorceress could not recognize Meiko a second time; a smile graces her lips instead, ever patient and calm as the other sounded so small.

        ❝ I daresay now would be as ripe a time as any. ❞ Casting the book from her lap aside to the top of one of her many piles, Y'shtola shifts slightly in her seat to face proper.

the one sending in the prompt is the one comitting the action . [ add * for role reversal ! ]

     when you're finally close, you forcefully tug on her arm to turn her towards you.

     "You're back earlier than expected. What's new?" maybe it's a genuine interest for nefarious reasons, or maybe it's just what you consider "small talk" and you will filter out the answer soon enough from your brain.

       the dash of annoyance is clear on her face as she’s turned around, but gradually softens when she sees exactly who it is. “seriously, man? you’re lucky i don’t swing first sometimes.” …she does, just she knows a bit better to do it here of all places.

       soon there’s a small grin on her face as well as swelling pride in her chest. “i didn’t realize you were waiting for me though. should’ve called me if you were that bored.” she wags her phone in her free hand, before speaking once more. “and nothing crazy today, just dealing with some insistent ‘client’. swears her friend is possessed or whatever. i tried explaining to her that i don’t deal with that kind of stuff, but i got forced to ‘check it out’ anyway.”