akanisxingrid

[akanisxingrid]

They were guest in the queendom, looking for safe harbour after they were pushed out of their own country. Their ideals may differ on a lot but he would never treat a guest like a criminal. “You mean the nobles? Well I wasn’t born in my position it was earned. Most of them don’t know a cold night or empty belly.” He felt like that was what made him different, yes he had training from a knight but that only taught he to fight and not fall into blunders of politics. “Well that sounds like a problem and an opportunity. What do you want to do?” Would she want to regain them become again the person she was or move on from that and have a different fate. “Who do you want to be?” He knew it would be a question that would be difficult to answer but he also imagined not many asking her it. "What is lost can always be reclaimed or even something new can take its place, which one is for you to decide no one else." There were expectations for both, two different out comes.

This one, how he seemed to come at her with threads of compassion instead of barbed threats; it was puzzling. One of the Queensguard, he who should have seen her as a threat to them, considering how others of lesser status had treated her, sat and tried to understand. That was more baffling than any venomous look or veiled threat, "That's different, I've seen others of your ilk at that dreaded masquerade." Neptunalia; when she was paraded around aside the Lady of Borderreach much like the other Iskaran's brought inside the party. "I don't know anything about myself, who I am or what I've done," exasperated, perhaps borderline defeated, "Everyone has already decided for me." Some sleeping serpent to be feared, a monster poised to strike, when all Celaya simply asked for was kindness which she could not find. "My mind - Lady Severian's daughter found me washed on their shores and everything before that is mostly lost to me." Celaya remembered the torturous months within the Witcher's Watch, peddled poisons and tonics, but she did not remember the cruel legacy that stretched between then and now.

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[akanisxingrid]

“It’s a skill honestly.” It definitely looked liked she needed someone to brake the silence, what was she trying to do in here start her own library? It was the nicest smelling one he’d been in and he’s spent some time in one recently. “Do we need to have an intervention? Or at least an afternoon organising this place?” He knew this, what this was, his friend was beating herself up that she couldn’t save everyone, that even one death meant she was a failure at her job. It was easy to feel alone at times like these, bear the burden on one’s soul, even he a changing had felt isolation but not anymore he was done moping about what he couldn’t control, what he couldn’t change. It was a long road but he could start with being there for his friend.

A fire place odd how where ever he went fire was present, he didn’t know how he couldn’t see it before but in this moment it wasn’t just consume the coal, but it was providing warmth, comfort aspects he’d been blind to before the phoenix. After making sure they both got healthy servings of the fine liquid, he took root by the fireplace sitting on Ruya floor, legs outstretched. “You flatter me to much but I missed you also.” He would have normally complain about how he had to suffer alone with Ingrid but they had a truce now no need to brake it at the first hurdle. “I’m sure the dark one would love that to be true.” It would make them all easier to trample over. “Not much, Ingrid and I are getting along, I might be taking a Witcher as a squire and we met a Phoenix.”

Rüya barely stirred at the sound of the knock, half-convinced it was a trick of her exhausted mind. Her quarters in the Tower, overflowing with plants and books, felt too large after weeks camped at Marinus Bay. The air was cool, scented faintly with lavender and parchment, but the silence was stifling. Still, she was home—too many would never see theirs again.

By the time Akanis entered with a crooked smile and a bottle in tow, her shoulders sagged in relief. “Akanis,” she breathed, her voice cracking. It'd been too long since she’d spoken a friend's name. “You’ve got impeccable timing, you know that? Close the door before someone decides to ruin my night.”

Her exhaustion bled into the way she moved, her usual poise muted as she sank into an armchair near the hearth. She watched him pour, firelight catching the golden liquid. “You have no idea how good it is to see you,” she admitted. “I'm starting to wonder if misery has swallowed the whole world.” She raised her glass, tilting it toward the changeling before taking a sip, the rich taste unfamiliar after surviving off of rations and stale water. “So? What have I missed?”

[akanisxingrid]

Who: @celayawitcher

Ingrid wasn’t fully sure what she was capable of now, after her rebirth in fire but there was only one sure fire way to know. Finding a secluded area in the training grounds, she unsheathed both her longswords simultaneously crisscrossing them across her body to loosen her wrists. There was a thread that she could pull on her connection to Akanis, her blade light up in a fiery inferno as she leant into the connection. Now she understood what it was like to be able to wield fire, it was intoxicating.

It wasn’t the only new trick she had obtained, there were the feathers of the phoenix, Aureliath's feathers. They were her new prized possessions; some might have thought that it was reckless of her to test them out in a public area, but it needed to be safe. Twenty feet around her turned into an explosion, leaving her untouched and those around rejuvenated. She was so pleased it was written across her face. Needing a break she wiped the sweat off her brow and her neck. Ingrid hid a well toned body under her queensguard armour, something many didn’t get to see unless she was training. But someone she had seen before but not through her own eyes was watching “Come here witcher” she beckoned the other over.

[akanisxingrid]

Who: @ruyaceres

In the court there were few that Akanis could genuinely call his friend, there were many he was polite and some he was tolerant of but Ruya he could call his friend and mean it. After the formalities with the Queen and Leander, the next person on his hit list of seeing was Ruya. Now he made sure not to come empty handed, though Akanis hadn’t drank for several months because he didn’t trust himself but thanks to the trials of the Phoenix he knew that what he had been scared of was not so one sided. So he had brought a bottle of wine with him and two glasses. If there was one person to have his first drink with it was Ruya.

Knocking on her door politely, he let himself in after a few seconds “Hey stranger, fancy a glass?” He was sure they both had stories to exchange and that she wouldn’t be too annoyed that he hadn't told her he had been searching for a phoenix.

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Who: @agentamulius

Only having been back in the capital for a few days Akains was back to his duties, currently he was patrolling the palace making sure no one nefarious was within its walls. It was in its garden that he noticed a familiar face, Gulizar. Now what was she doing here, he had to find out. Akanis couldn’t help himself but when approaching her move as quietly as possible, tapping her on the shoulder to slip to the other side “What do you think you are doing in the gardens without company?” It was an unwritten rule that no one could be in the gardens alone. Mostly it had been a rule he had just made up so he had a reason to approach her. He didn’t have the opportunity to thank her back in Aventia. Maybe he would have the opportunity now if she entertained his company.

[akanisxingrid]

Who: @princemordecai

They left like new people returning to Eterna the city was very much the same, but with a new air of worry then there had been before. But who could blame the atmosphere when a city fell to the darkspawn. But unlike in Aventia Akanis felt ready to face the darkspawn next time. It was clear in his stride that the queensguard had found a part of him that was missing.

Walking into the places to present himself to the queen wasn’t something he feared, he could present himself in front of the Queen with pride, with good news. And the information from his memories were shared as she might be able to make some use of the knowledge. He spent what felt like hours debriefing the Queen. Ingrid also chimed in about her own trial and amused the queen slightly that she had been present in it. Ingrid definitely left some part out for her own sanity.

But once that was all said and done, Akanis hadn’t forgotten he had sent a letter to Leander when he had set upon his search for the phoenix and while he liked to think it had arrived to the prince's hand before he had, it wasn't a certainty. Knocking on Leander's door loudly just in case the prince had company. “It is Sir Akanis, your highness.”

[akanisxingrid]

Who: @ikarosx

Where: Silverlands

Akanis wasn’t one to forget faces nor was he inept at politics enough to have not realised that Ikaros was royalty, maybe at the time Ikaros hadn’t known he thought a changeling worthy of the blessing of a dragon. It had been a small gesture, maybe one the prince didn’t take full notice of at the time, but one Akanis held close.

After Aventia maybe some were looking for thicker walls to hide behind but Akanis had embarked upon a journey of self discovery with Ingrid and unknown to him the prince's brother. On their way back from the Feywild they had decided to rest for a few days in the silverlands as there was nothing like being reborn to make your bones ache.

With a warm blow of stew and a hearty chunk of bread being slowly eaten by one of the champions of Aureliath as he smiled into what seemed like a newly acquired pocket mirror. Not many knew that he was talking to Ingrid, they weren’t best friends but they could at least laugh with each other which was a first. So much so he hadn’t noticed Ikaros till the other was standing in front of him. He quickly slammed down the mirror and stood to attention “Your highness…” he committed to a deep respectful bow “Would you do me the honor of joining me at my table?”

[akanisxingrid]

How did he know she at least had been trained by a witcher? Well to become a knight Akanis’ path had been red with blood, coated in ash. He knew how they moved because they were a powerful enemy, one that could make him weaker. Maybe he should be scared of her, maybe he should fear the worst. But the childish notion that there was only good and evil, the hero and the villain was an illusion he had overcome. “It is the way you stand, the way you fight. Like you could tell i was a queensguard in the bakery.” battle and fear each other enough you are able to pick them out. “And I’ve hurt and killed people like you. There are always two sides to every story. But you don’t treat my existence like other witchers do, why?” What was going on with this witcher, even the kindest ones were this willing to talk.

starter for @akanisxingrid.

where: somewhere they can brawl in a healthy and squirely manner

when: before he goes on his questie, i'm so proud of him

note: accept this as my love and gratitude and apology

"On the battlefield - how did you know that I was a witcher?" There'd been little opportunity for them to genuinely talk through hordes of orcs and goblins, legions of darkspawn that were truly never ending as Aventia inevitably fell to their manpower. When Araceli discovered the truth, something Celaya only barely understood when it came to her own ferocity and internal rage, the Lady of Borderreach had threatened her. Clearly, such title was not one which was respected, and Celaya had gone through her own channels of research to understand that her being a monster hunter was only half of the truth. "I've hurt people like you, killed them even," that insidious flicker of magic emanated off of him, it was something present in each corner of Lysara; it was suffocating, but Celaya did not find hatred in her heart when presented with it. Whatever beast she had been had slipped away and only a soldier remained one no longer with a purpose or battle to testify for.

[akanisxingrid]

“You are too kind to me, but you need to keep that for the legionaries. We are going to need them more than myself.” If anyone was going to stop the blight it would be them not him, yes he could kill the darkspawn but he wasn’t fated to fight them like the legion was. Just because they were bound to die from madness if not a blade didn’t mean it had to be prematurely. Facing her, facing what he had done to her, he was not yet ready to face it… not yet but if one thing was consistent in his life is that the women in it were persistent. “Okay, okay… I’ll take the ointment.” he wasn’t ungrateful but it was hard to accept help from someone you hurt so much and haven’t even apologised to. “Thank you.” was all he could offer in payment for such kindness.

“I am.” There are few certainties she has of life, but she knows two things: death is inevitable and she will always want to help. It’s all she has ever wanted, and while the shape of her help had changed through the years, the core of it hadn’t. Helping lift the burden on another person’s shoulder is the best thing she is at, and she refuses to relent, because she doesn’t know who she is beyond being helpful. It’s all her parents ever saw her as, all that she thought made her worthy of friendship or affection.  “We are in the same side Akanis, helping you is not a burden. It never is.”

There was a dull ache to her help, perhaps, but nothing she can’t ignore. Their— Whatever it had been ending—  didn’t mean she stopped caring for him altogether.

[akanisxingrid]

While the other moved into position, adjusted her grip to what Ingrid recommended. Ingrid's hands rested on the pommel of both longswords she carried, she knew the heft of wielding weight in her hands, her own wrist had cried out in pain when she had first tried to lift both swords at the same time. So watching the other being able to adapt so quickly was impressive. There was no getting old hearing that you were right but telling yourself it was one thing but someone else saying it made her hold a smugness on her face. “Sir Ingrid Isherwood at your service.” Ingrid wasn’t shy about her position within the queens court and it wasn’t like she could hide it being the wielder of a sword that would identify her as such. “You need to be careful out there, the darkspawn won’t treat you any different. Stick to what you know till you are more comfortable with the new.”

Zeliha blinked, then she backtracked, mouthing some of the woman's advice to herself. She then nodded, seemingly come to a firmer understanding, and adjusted herself. When she swung the mace a few times after, it felt... strange at first, but then she could tell it felt more secure. She began to smile to herself and then up at the woman. "You were right. I-" She seemed alight with excitement. "My name is Zeliha Saye, it's such a pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand to shake the other's, hoping they'd give her their name. She knew their name was Ingrid, of course, because any Nightingale worth their feathers would know the names of the Queenguard. But it was rude and very strange to make that known - especially since she hadn't had faces to the names she knew.

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Riz Ahmed ©Taylor Rainbolt // Esquire UK

[akanisxingrid]

The tent was one of the safest places for her and also meant she could look like she was contributing in a way. She didn’t want to be out there with the darkspwan, no way! A chance to contract the blight just to buy a doom city more time, counter her to be in the safest place. She couldn’t control Akanis but she would guilt trip him later for this.

“Good, that they were able to accomplish that.” Ingrid wasn’t heartless like she wanted some to believe, when it came down to it she would always relent and do the right thing it just took her time. “I disagree, we should leave while we have a change. So we can be prepared next time. The bodies he we can set a blaze from a distance to reduce the numbers joining the horde.” She really just wanted out and she was going to support any plan that meant they left in a timely fashion.

Admittedly, Ingrid’s appearance within the tent is a surprise, but only for as long as it takes Zuleima to remember that she had seen Akanis upon the battlefield. More than once, in fact. And with him actively participating, there is nothing his counterpart could do otherwise. 

“Yes, there were some issues in the process, but luckily they were smoothed out rather quickly with the aid of some of the volunteers and the legion.” It had been curious to see the way the Blight brought people together in the unlikeliest of circumstances, but she supposes that avoiding death was a rather powerful motivator for most. “I am well aware, but that doesn’t mean we won’t try to get as many out as possible. For every corpse left behind, we have another enemy in our future.”