pennedbymoxiee

[pennedbymoxiee]

am I the only one who never saw this official art? It’s from a limited edition vinyl release from 2020. they both look so hot

[pennedbymoxiee]

RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER (2015) dev. Crystal Dynamics

[pennedbymoxiee]

[pennedbymoxiee]

" the world is full of unanswered questions. beyond all limits, all reason ... the answers await. "

— RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER ( 2015 )

[pennedbymoxiee]

The brunette explorer followed carefully behind Ellie, mimicking her footfalls almost exactly as they made their way on foot. It was times like these when she was glad she always made sure to have good quality hiking boots, at least packed into her carry on. She practically lived in them, now. It wasn't often, if at all, that they came across clean enough terrain to go barefoot, inside or out. "I'm with you." It was a sentiment she'd said before, more than once in fact, but she wished to reassure her that she had her at her side. Whether or not she agreed with Ellie's motivations, or the way she'd gone about things 'till now, it wasn't her place to judge her. Everyone grieved differently. She wasn't sure what it was that had initially made her submit to the auburn-haired survivor that day in the storefront. It was a feeling she had. . . A goodness she felt in Ellie's presence. A purity, even amongst all of the darkness. They'd quickly became friends, got on wonderfully, then. . . Something more? Lara didn't want to put any labels on what they had prematurely, for fear of jinxing everything. The last time she'd gotten these types of feelings, the worst had happened. Sam didn't want anything to do with her after all of that. Not that she blamed her. . . "So you're hoping she's more of a challenge for you now. . ." she acknowledged understandingly.

"Just know. . . If she gets the upper hand on you and is about to take you out. . . I don't know if I can stop myself from jumping in."

[ partnership ] ; a continuation from here for @pennedbymoxiee .

never the question on whether or not lara could handle herself ; ellie had seen it all with her own two eyes not yet viciously taken from her by the hands of anyone bold enough to try . in all of her time trying to survive , she'd found the living more inhumane than the infected . executions , torture methods she'd only seen in the various films she'd watched with joel — humans were the monsters . yet even still with the confidence did ellie find herself wondering if her permission would backfire one day .

one day wondering if she'd lose lara the way she lost him . wondering if she'd be just as helpless to stop it as that day a year or so ago .

" if at any point you wanna turn back around , " she'd murmur , her voice clear despite . anxiously would her hands fidget with one another , tracing the paths of old scars and new scabs . " i won't blame you , but i have to see this through to the end . "

wasn't long before they'd be gone on foot ; it'd be some odd few days before they could be remotely close to abby's last known whereabout . for so long had ellie been tracking the woman like some sort of bloodhound , noting every last location and the precise pathing . from the surface and the outside looking in was it a clear obsession — the need to rid herself the guilt of being helpless to save joel . if she could right that very wrong and solely live with the thought she'd murdered dozens to make it happen , she could live with that .

" i should've done it then , " she'd break the vocal silence , listening to the odd crunch of gravel and the shift of tall grass against her legs and beneath her feet . " i had the chance to beat the shit out of her . . . wanted to make her pay . don't know why i stopped — guess i thought doing it wouldn't have brought him back . she was scrawny as shit , too . fuckers that caught her really did a number on her . but it didn't feel right — i wanted her to fight back . i got nothing out of beating a kicked animal . "

maybe it was a bit much , but if ellie were anything , it was honest .

[pennedbymoxiee]

Lara wasted no time sterilizing the needle and adding a few practiced stitches along Ellie's wound, in addition to the one she'd put there herself. She figured there was no point in removing it, no point in causing more trauma to the skin. Thankfully, the first aid kit came with enough surgical thread and a sharp enough needle to do the trick. With the included small pair of shears, she snipped the thread, and admired her work for a moment. "There, that should heal nicely." she assured quietly, turning to place the implements back in the pack. Next, she retrieved a dampened cloth and began to gently and slowly run it across Ellie's skin, wiping away any dirt or dried blood that may have clung to her. Lara was aware that Ellie must be feeling poorly about the injury, and about being doted upon. But she was anything but a burden, and Lara would keep stitching and patching up until Ellie finished what she had set out to do. "You may not believe me, but, I had this feeling that something had happened to you. . . That you got hurt." A pause as she diligently did her work until she was satisfied, and placed the cloth back down, freeing her hands. "I was just about to set out after you. . . To make sure you were alright." A silence bloomed between them once more, as Lara leaned forward, turning Ellie so that she could look into her eyes. "I told you I'd be by your side, as long as you wanted me to be. Not because I have to be. . . Not because I feel obligated to be. . . But because I want to be." she reminded, pressing her forehead to her companions, her voice just above a whisper. Little did she know, she was answering an unspoken question, in that moment. "Until you tell me to bugger off, you're stuck with me, Ellie. I'm with you. . ."

[ bloodied ] ; a continuation from here for @pennedbymoxiee .

how many times had it been ? how many times were it that someone had to take care of her ass where she wanted nothing more than to be able to take care of herself ? was it even so bad to have someone care ? joel cared , and it got him six feet under with a face ellie could barely even recognize . couldn't dare to remember what he looked like before it all .

in her ears was the irritating screech the tinnitus of a post traumatic induced daydream with a far off look in her eyes that they'd glossed over . it'd drowned out her surroundings if only for a moment , her lashes fluttering ever so slightly as her fingers halted in their pursuit of that loose thread . parted , cracked lips breathe out what she'd often times wished was her final breath , her heart the calmest it'd felt all week .

british - ladden accent the harmony to bring her out of her dazed stupor , olive 'pon an otherwise concerned face . ellie had grown to love staring at her ; made her feel safe . made everything feel worth it . could remember the last time she'd felt this way — before dina left the farm with jj . for once , back then , things felt alright . but then she'd lost it all and brought to fruition her greatest fear of being alone .

having lara by her side made her wish not to make the same mistake , but . . .

" yeah , " hoarsely . exhausted . shaky hands would find purchase within one another curled tight against her chest as she'd roll off to her right , allowing lara the easy access to the injury . in the brief silence there against their uneven and untimed breathing did the words wish to spill from her lips : ' you're not going to leave me , too , are you . '

selfish to ask it , selfish to have wanted dina to stay , back then . it were a year since then but it still felt brand new — the wound that couldn't be carefully stitched closed with careful hands .

please , don't leave . i know i have a lot to answer for , and i know i'm a monster , but please , stay .

[pennedbymoxiee]

Lara exhaled a breath as she was released, rocking back onto her heels and turning quickly to face the auburnette. She seemed to relent, but that didn't mean the explorer was entirely comfortable keeping her back turned. "The camp I made. . . Suits me well enough when the weather is favorable, but. . . More than a drizzle and everything I've got is bound to get soaked." she explained. At this point, there was no point in lying. If the two of them parted ways, there was no way she could go back to that particular spot anyway, for fear of being found. "So, when I can tell there's a storm rolling in, I pack up and try to move in further to, er. . . Civilization, as it were." Reaching down, the Croft dusted off the thighs of her pants as she felt the woman's gaze upon her. "Not from the States, no. . . I'm from England, actually. Came here to speak to a professor on a lead for an artifact I had my eyes on and. . . Well. . . Lets just say we didn't get much in the way of news from the US over there." Arms moved up to cross over her chest, head canting a bit to the side as she focused in on a detail: 'Joel'. Whoever he was, he meant a lot to her. She decided that was a conversation for a different time, perhaps. Business, for now. "I don't go anywhere unprepared," she replied, the cadence in her speech letting a bit of pride seep through. "Learned the hard way, once. Though the airports don't much care for firearm transport." A smile turned up one of the corners of her lips. "I was lucky I came upon this when I did." A hand moved down, patting a pistol in a holster on her thigh. A gloved hand met Ellie's halfway as she extended it, and she gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Lara."

[ paths crossed ] ; a continuation from here for @pennedbymoxiee .

it'd always been pretty easy to tell whether or not someone was bullshitting her . the lilt of a voice , the fear of being caught in a web of lies ; neither of those things present within the woman that was nearly a victim to ellie's wrath . for a moment still did it seem as though hesitation stirred within , the corners of a weary and dry mouth twitching ever so slightly before sucking back a click of disappointment the tongue against teeth .

" okay , " a heavy sigh , though one wouldn't be able to discern if it were out of disappointment she couldn't use this one for info or if it were out of relief she could let her guard down a smidge . " so you're not a wolf ; the hell are you doing all the way out here ? it's not smart — got these so called " scars " running around on top of the wlf and the infected . "

thick were the humidity that seemed to only increase with ellie's incessant pacing back and forth as though she were trying to gauge in her mind where to go from there . gaze never leaving the dirtied tops of canvas sneakers , she'd stop suddenly where dirt and debris would shift 'neath the soles of worn down shoes . with a small pivot did she regard the woman with a steeled gaze , finally being able to take in the view of what could have either been enemy or companion .

" joel — , " she'd pause , eyes quickly shutting as she turned her head away briefly . to speak of his name brought upon her memories she didn't want to relive and a guilt she continued to pile on her like pounds of dirt 'pon a grave . " he used to tell me about the other countries out there in the old world — you're not from here , are you . "

much less a question than it were a statement ; the accent gave it away . her hands found their way to the stable hills of her hips , her mind yet again the tipping scales as she weighed her options . fear and the general distrust of others told her to jump ship ; abandon the idea of strength in numbers , but the crushing desire to not be alone willed her for invitation . a quick and skillful once - over took in the other's arsenal ; prepared despite not being from the U S of A .

" that's not a bad arrangement of shit you got , " her tone lighter now ; as though to apologize for her otherwise vicious behavior from earlier . she'd had the bad habit of never apologizing unless she truly meant it — a sign of her authenticity and her dislike for lying . " given you haven't been bitten yet or at the very least shot dead . . . makes you one of the rare ones . "

another brief pause ; a moment of caution , though she'd thrown it to the wind rather quick .

" ellie , " a bloodied and dirt - riddled hand reached out — what was the point in lying , anyway ? " looking for a girl named abby . got big ass muscles and a braid , you seen her ? "

anything was better than nothing .

[pennedbymoxiee]

A wave of relief washed over the brunette as she was finally given the okay. She wasn't the type to go against someone's wishes, as much as it pained her to do so, if Ellie asked Lara to stay back, she would. Of course, not without protest, not without trying to convince her to let her help. . . She would not force her presence into a scenario where she was not needed, or wanted, for that matter. . .

It was in those moments when it was starkly evident how much she relied on Ellie, in more than one way. "Right," Lara acknowledged, heading across the room to grab her bag, but stopping halfway, where her auburn-haired companion stood, to pull her into a warm embrace. She wanted so badly to take her away from here, from all of this. Back to London, where things still had some semblance of normalcy, away from the blood and the spores and the anguish. But she knew Ellie would never agree to that. At least, not until what she had set out to finish was finished. Lara would endure all of this at her side until the deed was done, however long it took. After a few moments, she had packed a few of her garments that had been laid out and zipped up her jacket, bag slung across her body. She stood by the threshold, as to not make Ellie wait on her a moment longer than necessary. "All set," she assured, giving her affectionate smile.

[ reality check ] ; sender tells receiver " look at me . this is who i am , no matter how much you wish it wasn't . "

thinking about a scenario in which lara takes the place of dina in a situation where she realizes she can't stop ellie in her pursuit of abby and the WLF ; how defeated lara must feel , and how the ellie she initially met has died away for a more brutal , more unforgiving ellie .

That hint of playfulness she had always held, the glint of it in her eyes whenever they spoke, it was gone. . . Extinguished by this environment, these dire circumstances. And in it's place was coldness. Anger. Rage. A breath hitched in Lara's throat as Ellie's words cut deep, hacking away like a knife. The brunette's gaze lingered on her, upon the freckled high plains of her cheeks and the roundness of her nose, upon the fullness of her lips. . . "I understand. . . The desire for revenge. . . The grip it holds, and how it squeezes at your heart. . . Your soul." The urge to close the distance between them and pull her into a hug, to bury her nose in her auburn hair, overwhelmed Lara. She did her best to push it away. "I've never asked you to change. . . I don't want that. Just, please. . ." A pause, steadying herself as her words began to quake. "Let me come with you. . . You don't have to face all of this alone."

[pennedbymoxiee]

Lara helped the injured Ellie into a sitting position on the couch and took a step back, dark brown gaze flickering about the woman to assess the damage done. Her attention followed carefully along as articles of clothing were discarded haphazardly, leaving her skin bare. The wound stuck out amongst all of the scrapes and bruises in various stages of healing. Quickly, as Ellie spoke, she tried to change the expression she wasn't aware she was displaying, turning away to find a proper first aid kit. She knew there was one laying around here somewhere. Inhaling a deep breath, she slowly exhaled it, attempting to steady herself. She wasn't unharmed, but she was alive. That's what Lara would focus on. "I know. . ." she quietly replied as she made her way back to the couch, taking a seat next to her on the side of her injury, where she could get a closer look. "Honestly. . . Not a terrible job, given what you had to work with. . . and with little time, I'm sure." Eyes moved from the wound to capture the woman's hazel ones for a long moment. "I'm just going to finish it, okay?"

[ injury ] ; sender tells receiver " so , i don't think i'm dying or anything , and it's probably not that serious , but . . . i'm kinda bleeding . a lot . "

thinking about how ellie might've bitten off more than she could chew . maybe she'd told lara to stay behind and wound up coming back heavily injured with some shoddy stitch - work she likely did in a rush .

Lara did what she normally did when Ellie set out on her own. There was a routine, she had come to notice. She protested at first, of course, and then gave in, honoring her wishes. And then the explorer paced. Back and forth, back and forth, dark braid trailing behind her, the ground crunching beneath the tread of her boots. And she would do so with a knot in her stomach until Ellie had returned. This time was no different, but the pit of worry that grew within her core was deeper than usual. She had a feeling something was off, that something bad had happened. And when she spotted the auburn-haired woman stumbling into view, visibly bleeding, her suspicions were confirmed. "Bloody hell," she cursed under her breath, taking off to her companion's side. Upon reaching her, she wasted no time taking one of Ellie's arms and draping it over her shoulder to help steady her for the walk to shelter. "What happened?!"

[pennedbymoxiee]

The explorer grit her teeth as her arm was wrenched, determined not to make a sound, eyes now fixated upon the wall her back had been pressed against moments before. Her dark gaze was hardened as she turned her head, looking over her shoulder at the woman. "I have no fucking idea who Abby is," she slowly explained, attempting to struggle her wrist free, but it was no use. The grip her assailant had upon her was ironclad. She hated this feeling. The feeling of being prey. Her head turned back to face the wall, and she began to try to formulate a way out of this situation, if it were to escalate. She knew she didn't want to kill this woman, at least for the simple fact that she was still alive and uninfected. She worked best alone, she always said, but, these circumstances were different. "Can't say I have any clue who 'they' are, either. I try to keep my head down, stay out of anyone's line of sight."

She exhaled a venomous laugh, shaking her head, eyes still searching her surroundings for a clever way out of this. Fuck, if she'd just chosen a different building. . .

"Just my bloody luck this is the place I decided to use for shelter from the rain, otherwise. . . You'd never know I was here. . ."

[ 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 ] : sender pins the receiver against a wall out of sheer rage .

thinking about ellie and lara's first encounter ; maybe ellie thinks lara is affiliated with the WLF and abby . given ellie is on a rage - driven rampage across seattle , it's not entirely unlikely she wouldn't go for lara's throat almost immediately .

She shouldn't even be here. A quick trip to the States, she thought, just to check on a lead she had. She had taken a little break, after her latest bout with Trinity, and subsequently helping to restore Paititi, she had set aside some time to rest her mind and body. But that hadn't stopped her from planning her next big adventure. Unfortunately, those plans and that lead brought her here. From the frying pan and into the fire. As if she'd come to expect anything less, it was as if this sort of luck stuck with her since the Shipwreck. Lara had made herself a small camp just north of a nearby quarantine zone, tucked away and out of sight. But anytime a heavy rain came, she had to move in to find shelter. She had had quite enough of being cold and damp. Thankfully, the jacket she had chosen was good at keeping away the moisture of a drizzle. She had done a particularly good job of staying out of the view of the factions that roamed these cities. That was the last thing she wanted, to get caught up in some sort of pseudo-political mess. She admired the resolve of the human spirit, to trudge forward even in the face of such devastation. . . But she didn't want to be involved. At least, for as long as she could manage it. Spotting a good location to duck into to avoid the rain, the brunette stayed back a short time to watch for any movement. When there was no sign of such, she hurried across the street, and slipped in through the slightly opened door. Debris from the building's dilapidation propped it just enough for her body to fit. No more than two steps in before her back met damp concrete with a thud, a strike that knocked the air out of her lungs. She struggled at first, that was until her dark eyes focused in on just what, or who, had subdued her. Lara's gaze flickered from the soft, freckled features of her captor to the knife's edge that glinted at her side. Normally, she would have tried a bit harder, pushed more against someone who had made a move against her, even as minor as this. And while she did still give a bit of a fight, she stayed her hand. Something in her eyes, however hardened, she sensed. . . Something. "Not a very grand welcome for a fellow survivor," she finally managed, accent-laced words spoken at a low volume, but with plenty of grit and venom.

[pennedbymoxiee]

RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER (2015) dev. Crystal Dynamics

[pennedbymoxiee]

"It's amazing!"

[pennedbymoxiee]

[ reality check ] ; sender tells receiver " look at me . this is who i am , no matter how much you wish it wasn't . "

thinking about a scenario in which lara takes the place of dina in a situation where she realizes she can't stop ellie in her pursuit of abby and the WLF ; how defeated lara must feel , and how the ellie she initially met has died away for a more brutal , more unforgiving ellie .

That hint of playfulness she had always held, the glint of it in her eyes whenever they spoke, it was gone. . . Extinguished by this environment, these dire circumstances. And in it's place was coldness. Anger. Rage. A breath hitched in Lara's throat as Ellie's words cut deep, hacking away like a knife. The brunette's gaze lingered on her, upon the freckled high plains of her cheeks and the roundness of her nose, upon the fullness of her lips. . . "I understand. . . The desire for revenge. . . The grip it holds, and how it squeezes at your heart. . . Your soul." The urge to close the distance between them and pull her into a hug, to bury her nose in her auburn hair, overwhelmed Lara. She did her best to push it away. "I've never asked you to change. . . I don't want that. Just, please. . ." A pause, steadying herself as her words began to quake. "Let me come with you. . . You don't have to face all of this alone."

[pennedbymoxiee]

[ injury ] ; sender tells receiver " so , i don't think i'm dying or anything , and it's probably not that serious , but . . . i'm kinda bleeding . a lot . "

thinking about how ellie might've bitten off more than she could chew . maybe she'd told lara to stay behind and wound up coming back heavily injured with some shoddy stitch - work she likely did in a rush .

Lara did what she normally did when Ellie set out on her own. There was a routine, she had come to notice. She protested at first, of course, and then gave in, honoring her wishes. And then the explorer paced. Back and forth, back and forth, dark braid trailing behind her, the ground crunching beneath the tread of her boots. And she would do so with a knot in her stomach until Ellie had returned. This time was no different, but the pit of worry that grew within her core was deeper than usual. She had a feeling something was off, that something bad had happened. And when she spotted the auburn-haired woman stumbling into view, visibly bleeding, her suspicions were confirmed. "Bloody hell," she cursed under her breath, taking off to her companion's side. Upon reaching her, she wasted no time taking one of Ellie's arms and draping it over her shoulder to help steady her for the walk to shelter. "What happened?!"

[pennedbymoxiee]

[ 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 ] : sender pins the receiver against a wall out of sheer rage .

thinking about ellie and lara's first encounter ; maybe ellie thinks lara is affiliated with the WLF and abby . given ellie is on a rage - driven rampage across seattle , it's not entirely unlikely she wouldn't go for lara's throat almost immediately .

She shouldn't even be here. A quick trip to the States, she thought, just to check on a lead she had. She had taken a little break, after her latest bout with Trinity, and subsequently helping to restore Paititi, she had set aside some time to rest her mind and body. But that hadn't stopped her from planning her next big adventure. Unfortunately, those plans and that lead brought her here. From the frying pan and into the fire. As if she'd come to expect anything less, it was as if this sort of luck stuck with her since the Shipwreck. Lara had made herself a small camp just north of a nearby quarantine zone, tucked away and out of sight. But anytime a heavy rain came, she had to move in to find shelter. She had had quite enough of being cold and damp. Thankfully, the jacket she had chosen was good at keeping away the moisture of a drizzle. She had done a particularly good job of staying out of the view of the factions that roamed these cities. That was the last thing she wanted, to get caught up in some sort of pseudo-political mess. She admired the resolve of the human spirit, to trudge forward even in the face of such devastation. . . But she didn't want to be involved. At least, for as long as she could manage it. Spotting a good location to duck into to avoid the rain, the brunette stayed back a short time to watch for any movement. When there was no sign of such, she hurried across the street, and slipped in through the slightly opened door. Debris from the building's dilapidation propped it just enough for her body to fit. No more than two steps in before her back met damp concrete with a thud, a strike that knocked the air out of her lungs. She struggled at first, that was until her dark eyes focused in on just what, or who, had subdued her. Lara's gaze flickered from the soft, freckled features of her captor to the knife's edge that glinted at her side. Normally, she would have tried a bit harder, pushed more against someone who had made a move against her, even as minor as this. And while she did still give a bit of a fight, she stayed her hand. Something in her eyes, however hardened, she sensed. . . Something. "Not a very grand welcome for a fellow survivor," she finally managed, accent-laced words spoken at a low volume, but with plenty of grit and venom.

[pennedbymoxiee]

if you wanted me dead, you should have just said.

[pennedbymoxiee]

SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER (2018)