davos-steelserpent

[davos-steelserpent]

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @aliasjessicaj

Jessica didn’t have to look around to know the man hadn’t run away at her outburst. Was he into the street theater of her complete breakdown? Tears continued to fall down her face as the scent of Kilgrave’s cologne continued to choke her. She couldn’t find her voice, couldn’t speak the street names to help ground her in where she was.

Her knees gave out and she fell down onto the street. Smoke began to pour out of her mouth which was new. It would have gone unnoticed if it hadn’t had the strong smell of sulfur. It overpowered every other smell giving her space. Enough space to breathe and calmly recite street names.

If she hadn’t been so distracted she would have heard the hiss of water being turned to steam when her hands touched the street. An imprint of her hands was visible on the street when she brought her hands up to cover her face. She repeated the street names again as she rocked back and forth trying to get the memories back into the box they belonged in.

Davos wasn’t built to comfort people in their time of pain and anguish. He was built to help them survive horrors so that he could take them to those that had such specialized training to help them live. Still, when the woman fell to her knees, he started forward, though he didn’t touch her. He had seen such breakdowns and knew that, depending on the person, he could inadvertently do more harm than good with a reassuring hand. 

When smoke started to pour out of her mouth, all question about her being one of the chosen selected for power shrank to almost nothing. With the variety of mutants Davos had seen, he knew that could explain her powers, but it seemed more likely that such an odd display was from the stones. Then again, he had seen several blue people, so perhaps not.

The hiss of steam drew his attention and Davos felt further vindicated in his decision not to make contact with her. He did not understand what she was whispering, but it seemed to soothe her. A mantra, then. He had heard several now and had his own, so he understood their purpose. 

“I do not mean to rush you,” Davos whispered after giving her several moments of silence, “but perhaps it would be best to find shelter,” he advised gently.

[davos-steelserpent]

Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t do.

Rikki Rogers (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @blackorder1st:

The staff of the spear clanged against his fist, recoiling from his strike, though Proxima’s grip remained on it. She went with the momentum when she saw the red glow of his fists coming at her, and raised the butt end of the spear to block his punch. Admirable and fast. Another one of the special Earthlings that lived around here. But this didn’t feel similar to the witch’s magic… “At least you’re made of sterner stuff, human.” She didn’t waste much time swinging her spear’s blade at him this time, no longer burdened with the weight of the dead. … what was that intriguing smell?

Davos’s punch grazed off the butt of the spear. He stepped into her reach, wanting to avoid giving her the room required to fully use her spear. She was inhumanly fast and strong. He knew it would be foolish to give her more of an advantage. From grazing the spear, he realized it didn’t feel like any metal he knew. He didn’t know how strong it was, but he did not want to meet the same fate from it as those laying dead around them.

When she called him human, he wasn’t sure if that meant she was a mutant or from much farther away than he was. It meant little in terms of how much he wanted to stop her. “I thought you deserved a challenge,” he snapped. Staying within the reach of the spear, he grabbed the shaft of the weapon with her and pulled it forward before bringing knee up to strike at her.

[davos-steelserpent]

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

Maya Angelou (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @thecrimsonwxdow

Yelena figured it must be nice to not have a dependency on technology. Perhaps it made it easier to be present, to have a clearer mind. He wasn’t plagued by the toxicity, didn’t have to witness the horrors caused by mankind. Well, she couldn’t be fully certain. She was sure Davos has lived quite an interesting life. The way he spoke, he sounded as though he was a man with plenty of life experience and advice to give from said experiences. “A computer phone. I have one of those too.” Several, actually, but it was a detail she could leave out. “Ah, well.. google is all you need sometimes if you want to search for someone. Or something. Anything, really.” The search engine had come in handy more than once when on missions. She could accept the shrug as a form of consent but she figured it just meant he didn’t mind. She wondered what might come up if she typed the name Davos into a search engine. Was that even his real name? Was it a name he used to conceal his identity? It was possible. She nodded, agreeing to his conditions. “I can agree to that,” she said. “Though, I don’t think you have to worry. If I ask questions, I’ll ask you. You seem like an honest person, yeah?”  She couldn’t say the same for herself but she knew how to dodge a question if she felt it was slightly too personal.

Despite Davos brushing away his questions, they still lingered in Yelena’s mind. She wondered if anyone under the dome’s control woke up and had a full understanding of their powers. Or did everyone wake up feeling lost and as though they had no idea what was happening? The latter was a bit more likely than the former. Yelena wanted to believe she had a good grasp on her powers but even when she was distracted, things still happened; flowers still bloomed, vines still moved. It was as though she took one step forward and two steps back.

Now it was her turn to shrug. “Well, I try my best. I feel like I’ve been all over the city now trying to revive all the withering plants. Trust me, I’m trying to add a bit more life into this place.” So far, she feels as though she’s done a decent job. “Do you want to take some flowers home with you? I can always send some to you.” She offered. “The flowers are good for adding a bit of color.” She knew from experience. Her apartment was now as lively as can be with all sorts of flowers of all different shades and hues.

Her lips quirked up into a slight grin as Davos promised not to judge her. It was all she could ask for. After all, she would only be trying her best. “Please, I’m sure you’re a great teacher.” She assured him. “And I know teachers, I’ve dealt with some.. mean, mean teachers. So far, you’re doing pretty good.”

Yelena tried her best not to fidget with the flowers as she sat straight on the grass, listening to Davo’s instructions. She focused on her breathing, following the exercises as he spoke the instructions out loud. Funny enough, it was working. She felt.. relaxed. Centered. “Um, fine.” She said softly. “Calm. That was supposed to happen, right?”

Davos appreciated that Yelena was willing to ask him questions about what she found. He was unsure what would be recorded about him or what it would mean to someone of their society. He’d had his fair share of cultural misunderstandings with everyone of seemingly every economical level of their society and he had only begun to understand the structural differences between his people and those that now surrounded him. 

“I endeavor to be and honest man, yes,” Davos agreed. “I am a straightforward person. I mean what I say and I say what I mean. If I make a promise, I will do all I can to keep it. If I make an oath, I would sooner die than break it,” he told her simply. When driven by grief and the the pain of betrayal, he had strayed but no more. He would no longer let such things change or control him. When Yelena offered her flowers to him, Davos hesitated. “I mean no disrespect when I tell you that I am hesitant with offerings I do not feel bound to accept. Your flowers are beautiful and in truth I have been gifted several which I keep and care for where I stay. My worry is that I do not know how many of them, or if any of them, are giving from their own free will or if it is the power in me that causes such thoughts and actions. Since I can see no reason I would be noticed, much less offered anything by them before this began, I can only assume it is because they have no choice. I do not want to take from you in the same manner,” he explained, unsure how she would feel at his gentle rejection. 

“There is a time for strict teaching and even what feels like cruelty to those learning, but this is not one of those times,” Davos assured Yelena. She could not be expected to find her calm center if she was being barked at by a novice instructor. “Though I am pleased you approve so far,” he offered.

It had been a long while since he had meditated with another and even longer since he had taught them the basics. If he’d ever considered a path besides that of the Iron Fist, it would be as a teacher. He enjoyed sharing knowledge and watching people become better for themselves and others. “It is,” he assured her, his tone calm and low, not wanting to break the quiet more than required. “We shall continue then. If your thoughts or feelings find something that demands your attention, I will not judge you for your reaction,” he promised her before falling quiet again.

[davos-steelserpent]

[davos-steelserpent]

@markedmutant

It was quite a climb, but Davos finally rested on the high rooftop. It wasn’t the tallest in the city, but it still gave him a better view than most. He liked to be high up so that he could overlook the city. He remembered climbing the steep rock cliffs as a child and finding a sense of peace in watching over his home from above, as he planned to do for the rest of his life.

That was gone now. In its place was this. 

Davos could hardly see what stretched out beneath him. Small bits of dotted the landscape, but he knew without having to see the details that they were there only as long as they were needed. It was unwise and could be downright deadly to draw too much attention to oneself, especially if alone. 

Normally, Davos would have taken a breath and savored the smells of his home, but doing so here threatened to leave him choking and gasping for a shred of clean air. Forgoing that bit of his ritual, he sat of the edge of the building, his legs dangling over the side. He was content to wait for this phase to pass and take on whatever was next.

[davos-steelserpent]

“Rule one: Always hide the pain.”

— Six word story (via thedarkestofponds)

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @emma-gracefrost

“I’ve been better, darling,” She says dryly. “Much like my diamond form, this form seems to be a switch off to my empathy which makes me a little bit of a sociopath, if I’m being honest. I find little delight in things and tend to be much more – terse, I suppose.” She lifts a shoulder. “And not being able to touch people or fragile things has been annoying to say the least. I accidentally gave Bruce some serious burns on his hand,” She shakes her head as if to shake the memory away. It could have been worse, but she didn’t exactly enjoy it. “But I suppose if it came to it and this somehow never reversed,” She pursed her lips, “I would fair better than others.” She gestures to him. “I’m sorry,” Emma said, trying to find the will to actually be sorry. “I know that must be hard for you,” She nods. “And I suppose injecting logic into this scenario, as in doing something horrible or mock horrible to get people to stop fawning wouldn’t work?” She figured no because that’s not how the stones worked. There was no get out of jail free card. She knew that. “Bruce and Tony keep saying the stones work in cycles or something, that it’ll change and we’ll snap out of it, but I am almost worried what that means for the future. Being a bitchy ice woman is one thing. What’s next? Tentacles? Turn me into an amorphous puddle?” She rolls her eyes. “Regardless. You’re safe here. You know that. Have you eaten?” As ever, Emma still somehow found it possible to care about someone else’s needs.

When Emma explained how her new form seemed to dampen her empathy, Davos wondered if that was why his effect on her was also strongly negated. He supposed he should be grateful, but he could not when she was so clearly unhappy with her condition. “Is he alright?” he asked. He wasn’t sure who Bruce was, but he had seen a lot of frost bite due to living in the mountains and he knew how much it hurt and could damage people.

Davos couldn’t suppress an audible sigh when Emma mentioned the possibility of things not being reversed. He rubbed at his face and felt sorry for himself for a moment before he straightened. “I would find a way to cope,” he knew. He would enjoy none of it, but he would do what was needed.

After a moment of consideration, Davos shook his head at Emma’s suggestion. “I do not know if I would be capable of that,” he realized. “I do not mean I am incapable of being rude, I mean that I do not know if what is inhabiting me would allow such thoughts while in that situation. I will have to test this when the need next arises,” he decided.

“I have given up trying to guess what the next trial will be for all of us,” Davos admitted. “I fear that attempting to predict such a thing would only lead to insanity. I have attempted to flow with the changes as well as I can, but I know I cannot prepare for everything, nor should others be expected to do so,” he reasoned. 

“I do know,” Davos assured Emma. Despite her frozen visage, she was still able to care enough to provide him shelter and offer him food. He would not belittle that. “I have not. Is there anything available?” he asked hesitantly.

[davos-steelserpent]

March 17, 2020

sacha_dhawan Heading back to London today determined not to let #CoronaVirus dampen our spirits.

I’m starting to see it more as the perfect time to just stop 🛑. And self-reflect. Ask ourselves important questions?? What are we most grateful for? And before things swing back into motion again, what can we do to better ourselves? I’ll go first… I’m grateful that during dark times like this humanity proves that it can come together. I strive to make more of an effort to reconnect with friends and family. They need me as much as I need them.

Who wants to go next..? Please feel free to share in your stories, maybe include a selfie, and please tag me so I can add to my stories!

Much love to everyone. xx ❤️ #grateful4

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @blackorder1st:

The new shout seemed to pierce the rest. This wasn’t out of fear, this was pure determination. Or foolish stupidity, as she witnessed the seemingly-normal human running right at her. Was he trying to save the rest? How noble. With a person still on the end of it, she swung her spear in a wide arc, lobbing the dead body right at him. Proxima found that using a species own dead against them always seemed to dampen their morale.

With all of her attention focused on him, Davos saw several others take the moment of distraction to flee the area. Even if he fell, he had saved lives. He could live with that. Using the bodies of the enemies brothers against them was hardly a new tactic for him. Even though he didn’t have a personal emotional connection to the person flying at him, the simple matter of his weight would cause Davos critical time if he allowed the man to stop him. He would pay his respects later. For now, he dodged the limp form by running a few steps on a wall. 

Back on the ground, he moved to strike the spear out of his way before he punched at the woman, his hands burning with red dragon fire right before the blows would land.

[davos-steelserpent]

I stopped explaining myself when I realized people only understand from their level of perception

Unknown (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

[davos-steelserpent]

Davos liked to stay to the warehouses, especially that ones that had been abandon even before the dome arose and caused people to seek shelter. He’d found several people huddled here and there in different ones and been able to help them survive and grow. Now that he had these abilities, he tried to stay away from them, not wanting them to confuse his actions and their emotions. He still checked on them as he was doing now when he found the new person.

The woman spun and Davos raised his hands to show he had no weapons. He was unsure why the blue woman was here, but he was determined to make sure she did these people no harm. 

When Davos met her gaze, he remembered the crushing weight of failure the last time he had sworn to protect others who could not protect themselves. He could not allow all of these people to be lost as well. He tried to push away the look of pain on his face, to watch the woman in front of him.  “If you have no quarrel with these people than I have no quarrel with you,” Davos explained evenly. 

Love and Torment go hand in hand

Though her sister had been found and there was not as much need for Nebula to wander the dome alone, scavenging and looking for signs of her still-missing friends, she felt the need to continue. The solitude brought some peace, as did the thought that at least she was doing something to keep herself busy in this terrible place, including making sure her friends didn’t suffer as a result of her newfound powers. 

In fact, fewer people in general were suffering because of whatever indirect abilities she had accidentally gained when she was alone, staying calm and following her lonely pursuits. For whatever reason, her presence seemed to bring people discomfort now, reminding them of their worst moments- moments she could feel somehow, and didn’t want to. She had enough of her own bad memories. 

Today, she was scouting a couple old warehouses, exploring a new part of the city. It was a little further than she’d usually go, but the old buildings looked like they could house something promising. Nebula was standing outside of one in particular, assessing how best to enter and explore, when a small noise behind her set her nerves alight, a weapon drawn immediately as she turned to face whoever or whatever.  “It would be smart of you to leave me alone,” She warned as she did, eyes scanning her surroundings. 

@davos-steelserpent

[davos-steelserpent]

Don’t say ‘maybe’ if you want to say 'no’.

Paulo Coelho (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

[davos-steelserpent]

continued from here with @emma-gracefrost

Emma sensed Davos and his desperation for peace before he arrived. She did not keep a room at Haven, but she did have an office. She didn’t hear him coming in, but she could see he was here. She excused herself from her work downstairs and walked up the stairs, nudging her door open with a small smirk. There it was again, that overwhelming feeling of – adoration? Near infatuation? It was so odd. She was, of course, happy to see her friend but his powers made her pause before she spoke. She needed to put them in their place. “Davos,” She nods to him with a small smile. “Happy as ever to see you. I thought you’d never seek refuge here,” She teases of the many times she had offered him a home here. “But I’m glad you’ve come? Have you brought a mob of fans with you or?” She moves to sit on the chair behind her desk, motioning him to the couch. Davos was always welcome here, Emma was pretty sure she had made that abundantly clear. “I feel like you and I could not have faired worse in this… debacle.” Whatever it was. “Me, unable to run Haven almost due to my… affliction, and you, perhaps the most modest person I know suddenly has flocks of women and men who want to do unspeakable things to him. I feel like the fates are laughing.” If there were such things – Emma had given up the idea that life was random and fated a long time ago. “Are you alright?”

When Emma opened the door, Davos looked up from the floor where he sat below the windowsill. He was mostly sure he’d lost everyone that would have followed him before he attempted to enter her office, but he wanted to be sure so he stayed low for the moment. He glimpsed her reaction before she smoothly covered it with a smile. When her only comment was on his search for peace, he eased back against the wall, feeling relieved he had chosen his reprieve from the outside world correctly. Her bit of teasing was a welcome relief and in stark contrast to the fawning. “I remembered. I’m grateful for the invitation.”

“Hopefully not,” Davos sighed. He hadn’t heard anyone outside so he ventured to carefully check out the window. Seeing no one, he followed her gesture to the couch and took a seat. He was finally able to relax and not have to worry about someone else finding him.

When Emma mentioned her own afflictions, he frowned, worried. “How have you faired?” he wondered. He had come here for refuge, yes, but also because he knew she was unwell. He had noticed at the warehouse, but had not wanted to address it in front of the others. He did not wish to add to her burden and hoped there was something he could do if there was anything to be done about this besides allow it to pass. 

Davos let out a sigh at Emma’s question. She was right that this was the opposite of anything he wanted. He rubbed a hand over his face before resting on the arm of the couch. “I am accustomed to being respected. To show me respect was to show my father respect and I was in training for a great honor which garnered its own form of respect. That I understand,” he told her, tapping his fingertips against the armrest as he spoke. “I have been hugged more times during this than I have in my entire life and had more people cry to me than I know how to process,” he continued, clearly uncomfortable with that aspect. “The most unsettling piece of it all is when it all feels normal when it should not. 

[davos-steelserpent]

I am healing from the emptiness I once felt.

juansen dizon (via juansendizon)