phoenixkadeu

[phoenixkadeu]

IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (2005-) S07E04―Sweet Dee Gets Audited

[phoenixkadeu]

crookxdrook​:

“Do you think I could upcharge for a drink with spit in it, actually?” Rook questioned with a slight hum. “I could probably lie and say concubus spit is some sort of magical reagent, makes you look young longer, or some bullshit like that and I could probably sucker a few stupid people into it, right? Diamonds do something dumb every second Sunday without fail, I could cash in on that.” He was kidding, of course, fighting to keep the smile on his face from overtaking the false-sincerity as he mused about his possible business venture. But then Asra was offering to let him mix him something experimental every time he paid him a visit, and that, well, that was much more interesting than a possible spit-based business venture. “Damn, well, you’ve got yourself a deal, Asra. I’ll even put it on the house, if you’re willing to drink to break the monotony.”

A short snort prefaced a boisterous laugh in stark contrast to Asra’s serious expression as the elementalist insisted he’d gladly help someone burn off a tattoo that referenced the rough-hewn King if they asked-and paid him. “Please, for some of those people you’d do it for free.” He argued with a slight tilt of his head. “And you probably wouldn’t stop at just the tattoo. Not that I’d blame you.” And that, perhaps, was why Rook got along with Asra and Sparrow so perfectly: He longed for fires and chaos just as much as the young couple did, and would kick back and watch Kadeu burn, if the city going up in flames meant something more than what it stood for now.

“I tend to tell fighters to stick to their bare knuckles and their powers when they’re fighting. I don’t get many humans in the ring since I’m usually the last person you’re up against on any given night, you know? It’s me or Minnow, and if I’m honest, she’s probably beaten more people than me in recent memory. I want people to make it to the Champ’s floor, she’s got a running tally of people she’s stopped. I’d be afraid if she wasn’t a monster of my own creation.” Rook joked, shaking his head slightly. “But if you and the people you’re fighting against can come to agreement, I also allow you your usual weapons, though I do ask that you don’t go killing my patrons.” It was a bad business venture to let his friends murder his customers, after all. “It’s just something I think you should think about, yeah? I’d be glad to see you throw your hat in the ring, maybe I’d even fight for the top spot that night, get a friendly spar out, something I’m sure Sparrow would be able to learn from by watching, if anything.”

He was thankful when Asra seemed to move away from the questions about being a concubus- hardly ashamed of what he was, there was still a weight to his existence that Rook had never quite dealt with, he was constantly grappling with the awareness that his people were often written off as little more than whores and liars, something he used to his advantage, of course- but it didn’t mean that viewpoint didn’t sting. “I’ve got a hell of a lot of fight in me, yeah, and it’s not goin’ anywhere soon, I make sure of that.” That much was true, Rook was always overfed, something that stressed his chrono episodes, but made him more… comfortable in his own skin, able to sense delicate shifts in emotion that made him a menace on the battlefield- and in more subtle acts for the resistance.

He frowned a bit as Asra wondered what happened if someone did know when Mallick was perhaps bullshitting, or misleading something he spoke about- Rook didn’t quite know the answer. “If I’m honest, I don’t know. But we know Mallick, yeah? He’s a smart son of a bitch, I doubt he’d even have to bullshit with this council he’s got going, they seem like smart folks, I mean, Fal signed up and everything, she’s always had a good head on her shoulders, and Mallick’s never struck me as the type to go headfirst into somethin’. He’ll keep it peaceful, as best he can, at least.”

The fire elementalist shrugs just as quickly as he lets his shoulders slump back, the relaxing effects of the joint already making its way through his veins, however the conversation does give him a bit of an idea, even if it’s not a very smart one. “Try it out and if that works then tell me, because I might start selling some little vials with some spit and advertise it as some magical concubus spit” if not for the money, definitely for the fun of it. Or maybe both, thinks Asra as he raises his glass to his lips once more, drinking the rest of it.

“Yeah? Then make me one of those drinks, I’m in the mood to try something new” and maybe get a little drunk if the night allows him to. The bar did seem particularly cheerful but thankfully with enough room to breathe and Asra had no doubts that the drinks would be able to only make the night better.

The conversation too, was pretty good. There was never a dull moment in Rook’s bar and that fact is proven by the way that his and Rook’s laugh fill the space “I would, but if I can get paid for it why wouldn’t I?” he doubted anyone would let a club near enough to burn off their skin, but the thought was still pretty entertaining, maybe if they made it fashionable enough to have burns on their skin Asra life would be easier. He scoffed before taking a drag of his joint, as if that would ever happen.

“Have you ever thought about going against her?” maybe there was no need to do that, they were obviously two champions and had no need to be fighting to make their way to the top, however a fight between the two of them would obviously attract a lot of patrons and Asra was sure that a lot of them would pay some good coin to see that. “Of course, no killing, promise” Asra wasn’t really that vicious of a beast who killed everyone on sight, he was a club and he had some honor left in him.

If anything was sure to get his attention it was definitely someone mentioning Sparrow, so it was no surprise that Asra was quick to change the subject to talk about his lover. “That reminds me to ask you how he’s doing? Handling himself well?” Asra had tried to train with him, but the two of them often got easily distracted, however he hoped that Rook had been able to teach him some useful stuff, he was more than just a capable fighter and just like he had said someone who had a lot of fight in him. More than anything, both him and Sparrow trusted him and all of them knew that knowing even just a little bit about fighting could someday save their own or someone else’s life.

“Yeah” Asra sighed, Fallon he trusted the other clubs not so much, but unfortunately there was not much he could do except waiting to see how things would develop. So, Asra raised the glass with a mysterious concoction inside of it, clearly preparing himself to make a toast “Cheers to the club council and what we hope to be a more peaceful period in all the club’s lives”

[phoenixkadeu]

lukef​:

out of all ways he expected this conversation to end, this was the one he had wished for the least. asra seems to angry, mad even, very unhappy about the situation and pretty much dissatisfied with the answer he gave. it was an honest answer and he’s being serious about the whole situation, but it seems like..asra’s changed. there’s something different about the younger elementalist. luke is not able to tell if it’s bitterness or something else, but he really hopes that the other is just having a bad day.

“i should ask my superior to assign you another class.” he repeats. this is a worst case scenario, because if he asks sir harold about moving asra into another class, the rumors might go into another round and he might loose his job fully this time. “that might be contributing to the rumors, though, asra. that makes it seem like you’re uncomfortable and that would only..you aren’t uncomfortable around me, aren’t you? you know that the rumors aren’t true, right? i’d never even dare to lay hands or even eyes on you, asra.”

luke shakes his head, wondering if something he set had been a trigger for this sudden outburst of..what? emotion?

this feels like a goodbye, and luke doesn’t like it.

“what’s up with you, young boy? where’s all that stress coming from?” he shakes his head again, stands up and walks over to the window a second time, this time to watch what’s going on on the street. student’s are shouting, it’s still mid-break. “you came here for a reason and i’m feeling it was about more than just the rumors and me ignoring you. i can’t tell if you’re uncomfortable, have changed or..you seem like you’re scared of something. like something’s stressing you out.” he shrugs, turns around to look at asra and then faces the window again. “you don’t have to answer, feel free to leave if you don’t want to.” with one small movement of his finger, a bird of fire erupts from his fingertips and lights the candles in the room, brightening up the space.

Asra tries to hide his frustration, but that quickly proves to be an impossible task especially with the way that professor Parker continues to assemble the guilt to the wrong people. Soon, the youngest fire elementalist starts regretting the decision to see him, not because of any of the completely crazy reasons that his professor keeps talking about, but because he has to finally accept that their friendship is a lost cause. The laughter comes next, a quick and mean one, unlike the ones that are heard whenever he’s genuinely happy, he keeps it a minimum, concealed behind the palm of his hand, but he does not try to hide his true emotions any more, there’s no point, he would be misunderstood no matter what words he used.

“Fuck your superiors and fuck you too” Asra stands up at once, only to slam his hands on top of Luke’s desk. He could keep on making up stories, analyzing him in every way that he desired, but Asra was done and he was tired with how The Academy kept on brainwashing students and teachers alike. “I am not uncomfortable, I am pissed off” he looks at Luke in a way that’s different for all the other looks he gave him before, this time there’s anger in his eyes  and not an ounce of respect, even if some part of him is still begging for his teacher to snap out of it, to make an effort to understand him better, just like he did once before. “I am not them, I know the rumors aren’t true and that is precisely the reason why I am here. You’re the one that’s uncomfortable” he points an accusing finger at Luke, no longer caring about keeping it down, no longer caring about the rumors or Sir Harold. He doesn’t give a shit about anything.

“You’re uncomfortable because your comfort equals being a teacher and that is absolutely fine, what isn’t fine is that your grateful for those who welcomed you back and forget that the ones that brought you back were also the ones that kicked you in the ass without even saying goodbye” and then it gets worse, and the only thing that Asra is able to do is set on fire the papers that are on top of Luke’s desk, if only just to let out a bit of his anger. He keeps being treated like a child that is throwing a tantrum, like his emotions are coming out of nowhere and no one wants to take responsibility for the way that they make him feel.

He looks at the wall in front of him, tries to keep all of those words away from his mind, doing his best to calm himself down and before he notices it a few deep breaths was all that it took for his fire to calm down. His anger wasn’t pretty, not nearly as beautiful as the bird of fire that lights all the candles in the room, but he barely cares about that either, fire was never meant to be a beautiful thing, it was supposed to be a dangerous and all consuming one.

“I came here for a reason but you can have fun trying to figure that out” and with that, Asra leaving only damage and ashes behind.

the end.

[phoenixkadeu]

passcridae​:

Much earlier in their relationship, the swat upside the head from Asra’s mother might’ve sent Sparrow into a bit of a spiral; the Ryus had accepted him with open arms, but for those first few months Sparrow had still been waiting for the other shoe to drop. The one that said he wasn’t worthy of being with their son, or being part of their family, or getting to know them like he realized he deeply wanted to. Slowly but surely ( and over the course of years ), though, Sparrow had come to realize that Asra’s parents loved him like they loved their son: unconditionally. And even if there were days where this still confused him, Sparrow was still more than happy to accept.

Now, instead of spiraling when Aisha neatly cuffed him upside the head for his language in front of this kid, Sparrow could straighten up with a playfully offended scoff and throw his hands wide in a helpless shrug. “What?!” he protested, starting to point towards the boy with the hand holding the orange before Asra returned to save him from saying anything else stupid – yet.

Sparrow automatically took a step or two towards Asra as soon as he appeared, always ready to gravitate towards him whenever they were in the same space, before his partner paused by the kid and… explained, but not really. Said explanation was minimal, and didn’t actually explain anything. “A friend,” Sparrow repeated with clear suspicion in his tone, pulling a section from his orange to pop into his mouth, chewing slowly and darting his eyes back and forth between Asra and the k– Thomas. Asra and Thomas.

The gears were pretty obviously turning in Sparrow’s head, but without a lot of information to go on, he was mostly just confused by the situation. Confusion won out over logic, apparently, as Sparrow eventually pointed at the kid and blurted out, “Is that yours?”

The four of them stood there, three on the one side opposed to one on the other, oranges had been given as a form of momentary peace that was just about to be disrupted due to a simple mistake. The blonde frowned, eyes looking at his partner across the kitchen with visible confusion as he tilted his head before looking at the kid that was standing in between him and his mother, but unfortunately that confusion could be easily understood as embarrassment or awkwardness especially when coupled with the words that were about to leave the elementalist’s mouth.

“He came looking for me” Asra started to explain, even though it was a poor explanation that would only leave more questions to be answered “So, yeah, I mean he is my responsibility now” he shrugged, not really giving it any thought, before his mother decided to give him the same treatment as Sparrow and smacked him across the head, quick to the rescue of all of them and far more intelligent to explain everything at once, leaving no room for doubt.

“He’s not his, sweetheart” she answered looking at Sparrow and making sure that it was understood, not that it was impossible for Asra to have a kid this old, but it was very much unlikely “We are just taking care of him, isn’t that right?” Thomas nodded, with cheeks that resembled a squirrel and that left no room for him to answer as he ate that orange like it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted in his life. “Asra left a note in the gift for the children at Yeon Nen, years ago, Thomas received and decided to seek him so he could help him with his newfound elementalist powers”

A small pause between all of them happened and then after a few seconds of silence, Asra spoke up again.

“Yeah, that’s what I meant” he shrugged and his mother shook her head as she laughed, before giving him a small kiss on the cheek, finally freeing him so that he could go greet his partner just like he had meant to do. Finally pulling Sparrow by the borrowed shirt and kissing him, a kiss that did not last long because then his mother was making them a not so easy request.

“Ok, then, can I trust you both to look after him as I finish my errands?”

[phoenixkadeu]

am i allowed this? how do i accept? how do i take your hand in my unlovable hand and know that i am not a thief, a villain, a monster?

[phoenixkadeu]

Details, version II : The Dying Gladiator, 1799, by Pierre Julien. (Which is a statue, if you didn’t notice, and that would be easy to understand why.)

[phoenixkadeu]

The Wolf & The Flame

Kadeu Forest

@passcridae

Everything had been planned meticulously, down to the very last and seemingly insignificant detail, just like any other hunting trip that the fire elementalist had made until this day. There were certain things that demanded his attention to detail, specific elements that left no room for error, especially given the situation. Asra usually hunted either for fun or due to work and more often than not, alone, those were things that he was used to, however this time he needed to be even more careful because not only would he be responsible for Sparrow, but he had also been given the task of hunting down a dire wolf only to keep it alive. The rest would be up to the shifter.

They soon arrived at the outskirts of Kadeu, venturing between the familiar but still mysterious forest that guarded all of the manabeasts. It took them quite some time, Asra was not really sure of how much, nor was he about to break his focus just to be able to tell what time it was, he was patient and he was efficient when tracking down a certain species and at the end, it all paid of as they approached a pack of wolves who were quietly eating their meal, obviously tired after their hunt and soon to be full and sleepy after such a large meal.

The pair were hidden behind the thick forest trees, Asra keen eyes were assessing the surroundings, quickly making up a plan to capture one of the creatures once Sparrow had chosen the target he wanted. Asra knew that in the end Sparrow’s decision was the one that mattered the most, however as soon as he saw the enormous black dire wolf licking off the blood from his deadly fangs, he couldn’t help but grab Sparrow’s jaw to signal his partner in that direction.

It was such a beautiful sight and Asra couldn’t help but feel a bit excited after witnessing such a creature. He was the first one to finish his meal which meant that he was the first one to start the meal, clearly the leader of the pack and the one that held the most power. He just hoped that Sparrow would be greedy and not worry about him, Asra would get him any wolf that he wanted no matter how.

“That one would suit you best” he whispered quietly onto Sparrow’s ear in order not to risk it and alert the pack that was standing in the distance.

[phoenixkadeu]

enforcerbutch​:

@phoenixkadeu​​

He was confused, but that was fine. Honestly the distrust was probably wise, if was any officer other than Butch they might be letting him go only for the excuse to kill him. But it was Butch, so the officer simply spun the fire elementalist around, his artless fingers undoing the rope bindings to the best of his abilities. “Are severed fingers popular decoration in Clubs? Is that why it always smells like shit?” Not that the perfumed odors of Diamond territory were any less nauseating in their own way. The perfumes were almost certainly worse in some cases.

As the ropes fell the ground, Butch let out a satisfied grunt. “Alright, you’re free. Fuck off before the cavalry arrives cause if there’s more than one unformed prick around you’re on your own, even if you did me the favor of setting this place on fire.” Glancing towards the would-be crystal shop, Butch took a drag from his cigarette with a wicked grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I’m Butch, by the way. That name won’t do you any favors in this territory or the next, but if we run into each other again I’ll buy you a drink.” He looked back towards the persistent fire, eyes glinting in undisguised amusement, “’least I could do.”

Knowing how much money and status his family would lose after this event made the Yoon’s heart soar. All this pain, all this suffering, plus he would be the one to let the criminal get away? It was poetic justice and its beauty made his lungs burn from the effort of holding in great peels of laughter. Then again, maybe that was the billowing black smoke emanating from the crystal shop. Several explosive pops coming from the interior of the building let Butch know the fires had reached some of the crystals. Coins expunged from his family’s coffers with every bang… the sounds were absolutely delightful.

The low chuckle that escaped the Enforcer’s lips painted a rather deranged picture, especially with the palpable amusement surrounding the man like a dense cloud. Tuesday evening and he was already having one of the best weeks of his life… amazing. “Don’t forget your spoils,” he added as an afterthought, nearly forgetting the reason for the fire had been the burglary attempt. Burglary success. Whatever.

Even as Butch spun Asra around and even as the fire elementalist felt the rough rope leave his wrist freeing him, the truth was that he did not believe how easily he was getting away with this, it seemed to good to be true, especially after knowing that the business belonged to his family. However, Asra was not about to protest and argue back, he just wanted to get away from here before he changed his mind and decided to have him locked up.

“Yeah, I guess” he shrugged, not really giving any thought to either the question or the answer. As the blond turned around and his fingers started to massage the bruised skin of his wrists, he found himself not getting even a little bit used to the actions of this LEA agent. Asra hated almost all of them, blame his past trauma, however if it wasn’t for the uniform, he would have never guessed that this man was one of them.

He made an effort to remember the name of the man who had let him go, even if he hadn’t offered him any more words before he had started to run away. It was not often that Asra was unsettled when meeting someone, but something about the way that agent had smiled after seeing the fire and hearing the cracks on the inside had almost made him laugh.

That was one crazy son of a bitch.

But, just as grateful as he was for being able to walk away freely, he also felt disappointed for not being able to see the faces of his comrades after noticing that he had run away. Asra hoped that he would find Butch again so he could at least re-tell him their reactions, stealing and fucking with the LEA were one of the things that made Asra wake up every morning.

the end.

[phoenixkadeu]

passcridae​:

September 2024; early afternoon Clubs district; the Ryu family home @phoenixkadeu​

Caution in the light of recent escalated tensions meant Sparrow had to be a little more guarded crossing borders and being seen in Clubs, but he wasn’t about to visit Asra’s family any less just because of minor border roadblocks. He and his partner had said their temporary goodbyes so Asra could set out on foot and Sparrow could take wing, eventually alighting on the windowsill to Asra’s bedroom. The window was ( as it usually is nowadays ) left cracked for him to hop neatly inside and shift back, borrowing one of Asra’s loose shirts from his bureau and padding down the hall on bare feet.

He found his way to the kitchen before he found any of the Ryus, and was pleased to see a bowl of oranges set out on the table. Sparrow had sent them the other day, fresh fruit costing a pretty penny in the midst of this late and unbearable summer; thankfully, they seemed to have arrived in good shape. Sparrow picked one from the bowl before pausing, his gaze swiveling to a figure standing in the doorway.

A young boy.

Sparrow blinked, orange in hand. The boy stared back at him, then glanced to the orange. After only a brief hesitation Sparrow tossed him the fruit, and to the kid’s credit, he caught it with only a minor fumble.

“Hi,” Sparrow said flatly and a little guardedly, picking another fruit out for himself. He hadn’t been great with kids even when he was one, as if he’d been born with a chaotic adult’s mind in a child’s body.

“Hi,” the boy echoed timidly, picking at the orange’s rind.

Resting his elbows on the nearest counter and peeling his own fruit in one fluid, single piece, Sparrow didn’t take his eyes off the boy standing near the entrance to the kitchen. The two of them eyed each other up for a long moment before Sparrow finally added:

“So, who th’fuck are you?”

It had both been a surprise and a shock to see her only son arriving at home with some unexpected company and a worried look on his face. Fortunately, Aisha was not an impatient woman and far more caring than the average person, choosing to stamp down the enormous amount of questions and letting her nurturing nature come through for the sake of the child that was hiding timidly behind her dear son. It took him a lot of time and even more encouraging words to finally get the little boy to open up and for him to tell them at least his name, but she was grateful that by the time they were able to lead him to the bathroom so he could take a much needed shower and after she had found a fresh set of some of Asra’s old clothes, the mother and son duo had finally the time to assemble in the kitchen so he could deliver the news about the exam and the reason being this unexpected visitor.

She was not mad nor was she disappointed with the result, if anything she was just as proud of Asra as she had ever been. This was the boy she loved most in the whole world so she was biased of course, the heart of a mother was truly a  wonderful thing, however she knew that there was no need for a big speech, she knew that Asra had done his best and that some things were just simply out of his control. She was a water elementalist and had been an Academy student too, she was aware of how rough it was and Asra had come so far and he still had such a long way to go, not having reached his full potential yet.

She knew that one day Asra would be even better than her, no need to get discouraged now, he was a smart boy so he could figure out what to do, he didn’t really need her help anymore as much as it pained her to admit this, but she was also not opposed to lending him a hand, especially when it came to dealing with children. And this situation only proved how right she was about his lack of experience, as soon as she heard some commotion downstairs.

Aisha had been cleaning Asra’s childhood bedroom and had asked her son to keep an eye on the other kid before she realized that it had been wrong to do that, once she realized that he was unsupervised but clearly not alone, Sparrow was now standing in the kitchen and Aisha had just heard the last of his words, which lead to the gut reaction of a scolding mother as she slapped him across the head before making her way to the overwhelmed child standing by the door.

Just as soon as she reached the boy, he leaned onto her, clearly feeling a bit more comfortable by her side than he had felt a few minutes ago even if his hands had stopped peeling the orange, now uncertain of what to do, but still looking at Sparrow curiously.

“Where is Asra, sweetheart?” Aisha asked with her usual soft voice, it was amazing how even when she was mad the tone of her voice never changed. One hand smoothing out the hair on top of the kid’s head as soon as she noticed how conflicted he was, he didn’t want to snitch Asra. It was sweet. Fortunately, her son came in at the right time, they stepped out of the way and Asra finally made its way through the front door, the scent of tobacco following him as his mother narrowed her eyes.

“My love!” Asra called out as soon as his eyes caught the sight of Sparrow in the kitchen, prepared to cross the distance to greet him and completely oblivious to the presence of his mother behind him. However as soon as he took a step, her hand found his arm and even without pulling him, Asra stopped on his tracks looking behind and seeing his mother and the kid standing there. Nothing needed to be said in order for him to understand that not only had he just been caught sneaking in, but also that he understood what he needed to do in order to be forgiven.

He stepped to the side, clearing the path before gesturing and starting the introduction, “Thomas, that’s Sparrow, my partner” he smiled reassuringly at the boy, before turning to Sparrow and repeating the process “Sparrow, this is Thomas, a hum...friend” he wasn’t sure about how to introduce him in a way that would be either awkward or harsh, but as soon as he saw the small shy smile on the boy’s face, he knew that he had done a good job. He would explain everything better later to Sparrow.

[phoenixkadeu]

shuliing​:

Shu-Ling hardly trusted this man against her back, as much as she also did not trust the assailants that were now involving her in this fight. She heaved a sigh and analyzed exactly what her next actions would end up being. Fighting was not something she usually did outside of training grounds, or while sparring Laela and Clayton. This was unusual, she hadn’t had to truly engage herself in the streets like this since she’d been 10, yes, indeed–ever since the moment she’d entered the military ranks. So if there was one thing she was not going to do was spill more blood than she already had.

The knee thing had been a knee jerk reaction, something she was sure she’d have to respond to if words ever got out that she’d been involved in this. It was much too late for that though, what was done was done and to be fair, she couldn’t simply stand by and let herself get beaten up either. That would not look befitting of her, as a Spade or as a soldier, or even as the girl she’d once been in her younger days. So to analyze was simply a way of making sure no one lost their life tonight, her fists would be as light as her stepping on the side, knocking the opponent facing her off their feet and watching them groan and get up again. 

To stand down would be ideal for them but of course, she couldn’t expect them to simply do that in a fight. Even Shu-Ling would not suggest that, it was a dishonorable way of losing. She focused as they got back on their feet and charged yet again, it would be best for her to avoid rather than attack, so assuming the man behind her could handle himself with the other woman, Shu-Ling detached herself from his back and rolled on the ground. A calculation that did leave her vulnerable, on her back and staring up at all the ways this could turn deadly if her opponent was quick in thinking of his next move.

The man did seem to understand that it was time to make a decisive move as he rushed to hover over her, a fist aiming at her jaw. A weapon would have been more efficient, Shu-Ling thought as she took in the blow of his punch, which did not stop he from lifting her legs and squeezing them around his midsection. Her hand rapidly rose and she hit his throat with the edge of it, a quick trick to render him unconscious. But a fatal one if the force was not ten times lighter coming from her hand. She prayed that it worked as she saw his head lull and his body slump forward against her. The weight of him, she gently shoved off her with a grunt, crouching in the dust to put her finger against his pulse–still breathing. Great. Shu-Ling had done her part, now to see if the person responsible for this hassle was handling himself well. The man with the bleeding knee was leaning against the wall, apparently having given up, which was wise of him. As for the one who was supposed to be handling himself? Whatever his fight had been like, it mattered none as he was suddenly propelled in her direction, stumbling and losing balance. Shu-Ling rose to steady him, hands against his back as she frowned at the warmth of him, assuming it was due to his lack of endurance and how much he had to exert himself right now.

“You’re weaker than you look.” Her words came out a bit slow and assessing, but she had to quickly shove him to the side before intercepting a sword that would have surely gutted him–or her for that matter, she quickly twisted it out of the woman’s hold, it fell to the ground without much resistance.

“Can we end this now?” Shu-Ling asked as the eyes of the other woman bore into hers, it was too dark to see what they were conveying but if she were in her shoes, Shu-Ling would be gauging the pros and cons of continuing this fight with less bravour and more logic. Most of the chances were against her. It seemed after a while that her survival instincts did kick in, or maybe her wrist was hurting a bit too much from Shu-Ling giving it a bit more of a squeeze, nothing majorly damaging. All thanks to Clayton who had been the perfect guinea pig in how much pressure she needed to cause pain but not break. Shu-Ling released her only when her instincts reassured her that the woman would take off rather than try to retaliate, a bet on her guts she hoped was accurate and it was. 

The woman stumbled back and quickly turned to make her escape in the dark. Not without throwing over her shoulder as she gathered her injured but conscious comrade, “This is far from over!” 

Shu-Ling observed them with a deepening frown, worry creasing her forehead before she took in a breath and turned where she remembered tossing the other man. The one who had probably caused all of this. The thing was, the shove she’d given him, that one had not been calculated at all, so while she was not surprised to find him on the ground, she did find it alarming when she approached him, “Hey, are you alright?” and tapped him lightly to not get much of a response from him. 

Before panic settled in and after a few more light slaps against his cheeks, a quick check of his pulse proved him not dead–just unconscious. 

How unconscious and what the true cause of it was, Shu-Ling had no idea how else to figure that out other than to have to transport this body all the way to her horse and then take him to see a healer. Which was, just what she needed right now, another unwanted responsibility. She would send for the old lady who treated her mother to help her out with this one. This incident being something she didn’t necessarily want people knowing among her fellow peers so to act with someone who knew how to keep things quiet was the next best solution. Shu-Ling heaved his body without much effort over her shoulder and proceeded to continue on this rather unsavory adventure. 

The road to her mother’s cabin would be bittersweet. 

There was not much for him to remember as he woke up with an incredible headache threatening to make his head explode just right as he tried to open his eyes, only to shut them as soon as it became too unbearable to him to have them open and vulnerable to the soft lighting of the room. He twisted around a bit, trying to find a comfortable position and hoping that that would be enough to have him asleep in no time, however that task proved to be impossible as he slowly started to recall what had happened a few hours prior to this.

There was some shouting, some fighting and then some chasing before the fighting resumed again, the details were still hazy and difficult to recall, the faces had become nothing more than blanks on his memory and it physically hurt to try and remember more. However, as if out of instinct, he remembered an important piece of information, the uninvited fighter that had joined him just at the right time, the one that had fought bravely and also the one that had pushed him right before everything turned black and before he woke up feeling like absolute shit.

Asra opened his eyes abruptly after that, fighting off the still raging headache and the other several aches on his body, the survival instinct that told him to be careful and that he had no idea where he was or with who, made him lash out and grab the first person he saw, which happened to be the poor healer standing right above treating him.

He grabbed her collar and pushed her towards him, his free hand was now completely consumed by flames as he looked at the woman tried to get out of his grip “Who the fuck are you and what are doing to me?!” The questions were aggressive but the answer never came or if it did Asra did not notice, because just as soon he noticed someone moving rapidly towards him and he turned his head, seeing the woman from his memories, but he showed no sight of backing down, if anything the flames got stronger and the woman he was holding decided to stay quiet for the sake of letting him calm down instead of angering him even more on accident.

“Stay right there and tell me why the fuck am I here?”

[phoenixkadeu]

BRUISED FROM THUMB TO FINGERTIP

Red colored uniform clung to his stomach like a second skin and just like a snake, Asra was getting ready to shed it, leaving behind only a hollow carcass on the floor as a remembrance of the past only so that he could continue his life more freely than ever. Yet, it felt bittersweet, with sharp eyes locked onto the grand entrance in the distance, the one that had welcome him for so many years only to spit him out without a second though, with no regards for the bruises on his body, for his time and suffering or for the burn on the palm of his hand running from thumb to fingertip. A memory of his presence was left behind, a useless ring he had worn for the past few years, once shiny piece of precious metals and crystal and once one of his most prized possessions was now filled with only dirt, completely drained from the fight.

He touched the vacant spot where that ring had once made its home, a cigarette burned on his other hand leaving to the wind the task of sweeping the ashes away as his mind started to wander to what had happened an hour ago.

The day for the practical exam had finally arrived, only a few days after the written one that Asra had the pleasure of not succeeding in, however he was sure that this time he would be able to redeem himself, no matter how many happy or sad faces he saw coming out through that mysterious door, he was confident that he would succeed. Unfortunately, he was also wrong.

He had underestimated the wicked mind of his teachers as they stood there waiting for him as he came through that door, eyes focused on gaining a sense of his surroundings instead of the expressions on their faces. The place was enormous, a construction like any other Asra had ever seen and he wondered for a brief second as he looked upwards and sideways, what kind of being had been capable of creating all of this.

The student was standing at the center of the hexagon, a metal grid underneath his feet, fire already burning in the bottom of that pit as he looked down between the metal. The whole perimeter was surrounded by rocks of all shapes and sizes, mud and dirt placed at the bottom of the waterfalls that acted like the walls of what seemed to be a more luxurious fighting ring. Asra stood there for a few minutes, just a bit confused, but ready, waiting for the challenge ahead.

Everything proved to be much more than Asra had bargained for and at the end, he did the only thing that he had promised himself not to do. He surrendered, he gave up, and thus had to see the smiles on several of the teachers' faces as they claimed themselves victorious after witnessing his failure. The harsh truth was that he was at his limit and losing his powers again was not an option, even if he lost (and that was something that he would have to accept over the years) that was still better than damaging his mana channels again or going through the pain of something far worse than shame.

And so, he left. Tired and disappointed with the result, angry at himself and yet, at peace with the prospect of never having to set foot in that place ever again.

Yet, none of this felt right to him and none of it felt good.

However, as much as Asra wanted to continue thinking about what had happened and what he should do going forwards, especially how he should give his mother the sad news, a small voice interrupted that process by speaking up.

“Hello? Excuse me” the voice sounded like it was coming from near him, however Asra chose to ignore it anyways, his eyes still focused on the same point that had been staring at for the last few minutes. He was not in the mood for a conversation and he hoped that this person, whoever they were, would just understand that and go away. Blame the elementalist for thinking that he would get his way with anything today, because the only thing that he heard was some nervous movement as feet moved against the dirty ground as the small pebbles moved from one place to the other and then, this mysterious person decided to press even further, clearly not pleased with his lack of reaction. “I am looking for someone, I think -” there was a small pause in the speech as Asra turned his head to finally see who was talking.

His eyes roamed the figure, accessing it carefully with a rather cold gaze, assuming at first that it was just some annoying person. Instead, what he saw was frail kid, bare foot and dressed in clothes that were clearly too old, too big and too dirty for him. Asra had to force himself not to show any kind of interest, this was no uncommon occurrence in the streets, even in diamonds there were kids and adults like this everywhere, so he simply waited to hear what would come next.

“I think he might be in there” he pointed at The Academy entrance nervously, however his words did not waver, but neither did Asra’s.

“Look, I can’t help you, I don’t go there anymore” there was some disappointment in his eyes as he looked up at Asra and for a moment that seemed to bother the elementalist more than it should have, yet, he continued “and believe me, you don’t want to go there anyways, I don’t know who you’re looking for, but I bet that they would throw you away the moment you step in there” better to tell him the hard truth than build up his hopes, he could not take back the years that he wasted in there, but he could at least prevent this kid from experiencing any more pain.

Asra did not know what to do as he saw the kid standing there looking from side to side, fingers playing anxiously with a piece of paper, with a lost look in his face as if unable to tell where he should go from here after hearing that Asra was not keen on helping him the way he wanted. Asra would have offered to escort him back to his parents or his home, but judging by the state he was in, he doubted he had any of those and then as if to solve all those doubts, the kid reached out abruptly and Asra was shocked at the strength as he pulled on the sleeve of his uniform.

“You have to help me, I’m not going away until I find him” Asra scoffed, he was tired and upset, he did not need some kid bothering him right now, just because he needed to find someone. If he wanted to really find that person then he better do it himself, because Asra really could not give a shit. He was not setting foot in The Academy ever again.

“I already told you I don’t know who -”

Just before Asra could end his sentence, the little brat shoved the note he had been holding so preciously onto his chest, before declaring a simple “There” which left Asra with only the option of opening it. To his surprise the note was pretty simple and one that he knew too well, something that was written by him years ago, one that revealed only his name and species.

“Where did you get this?”

“Yeon Nen, but I wasn’t able to read it until a few months ago” Asra noticed that there was some shame in his voice as he spoke and in return Asra felt shame himself for not having considered that a possibility back when he wrote it, however it did not last long, because another feeling took its place, a much more awful one: responsibility.

He looked back at the kid, that little note in his hand. Asra had forgot about writing this, he had almost forgot that Yeon Nen and the gift he had left to those kids, but clearly the one that had received it had not forgotten and he had come looking for him. “I’m the one that wrote this”

As soon as the words left his lips, he saw the relief on that kid’s face, how his shoulders visibly relaxed even though his posture did not indicate that he trusted Asra completely, yet he did not question him, did not make him prove that he was really the one that had wrote it. 

“You’re an elementalist?” Asra asked, receiving a small, even if unsure nod “What kind?” 

“Fire”

Asra sighed, throwing his cigarette to the ground after one last drag. Gods, this was really not how he had planned for his day to go. Yet, he believed the kid and decided that for now he did not need much more information than the one he already had. So he simply crouched down, taking off his shoes before offering them. He knew that they would be way too big and not very comfortable, but at least it would be better than walking around barefooted and Asra could give up a little bit of his comfort until they got to his horse and back to his parents house where he prepare a warm shower, find some of his old clothes and give this kid a nice warm meal.

He hoped that his parents would know what to do and Asra really needed to get his shit together.

[phoenixkadeu]

Curses, Insects

Curses: Does your muse believe in good/bad luck? How about karma?

Asra does not have any thoughts in regards to luck, it's not something that he thinks very often about. He does believe that yes some people are more fortunate than others but he does not attribute that fact to luck and instead blames it on other more palpable factors.

Karma is another thing and while it is similarly mysterious to him as luck is, it has wonderful ways of working out. He knows that it works because when his family (and so many others) got attacked under the orders of the previous ace of clubs, the damage was almost impossible to revert in some cases since a lot of other elementalist who were not lucky enough lost their powers forever. Fortunately, in the end, he got what he deserved.

Asra also believes that sometimes you just have to step forward and take the position of Karma even if only for a few minutes, just borrow that role and live up to its honor. He has done this after Allore's death, inflicting the pain on those who wrongly lead death to an innocent person. There's a bit of Karma in all of us and if it's not coming to get you, someone else certainly will.

Insects: Name something your muse finds gross or annoying.

If he is being brutally honest he used to find most healers gross, prior to meeting Fallon and before he knew all the wonders that she was capable of. The thought of mending open wounds, stopping someone from bleeding out or even being able to regrown cut-off limbs grossed him out. Sure that it was incredibly useful, but being able to mess with someone's body like that was also incredibly disgusting.

In regards to the annoying bit, it's not difficult to answer that. Asra finds all things related to The Academy unbearably annoying. The gossip, the parents who think that their child deserve more than what they are capable of, the teachers who are biased as hell and put their own interests in front of those of the students, the diamonds who think that they have the right to talk to him, the way professor Harold looks at him...The list goes on forever.

[phoenixkadeu]

Spiders & abandonment.

Spiders: Does your muse squish bugs or put them outside?

Depends if they're annoying him or not, he's not against squishing them, but most of the time he does put them outside.

Abandonment: How would your muse win back someone who left them?

Asra absolutely hates the thought of someone leaving him, but whether he plans on winning them back or not depends on the situation. If he really thinks that leaving him would somehow benefit this person, he would let them go and actually stay away from them, even if it would cost him a lot do that. If not and if they leave them without a good reason or explanation, Asra would do anything to find them and then talk to them so they could try and figure things out, he just wouldn't give up that easily.

[phoenixkadeu]

falling + closet monsters

Falling: What does your muse think about falling in love or commitment?

Surprisingly, Asra is all in for commitment. He was never one to fall quickly in love and he was never one to not take it seriously when he did, however that did not meant that once aware of it he was not scared. Especially after the first time around and after having to deal with the drama of having his first love perish in such a violent way.

Fortunately there was someone able to remind him of how beautiful it could still be in spite of all the risks and the responsibility that one needed to have after capturing someone's heart.

He knows all of that not only by experiencing the feeling himself, but also by watching his parents over the years. He grew up in a loving home, with parents that loved him as much as they loved each other, it was a wonderful thing to witness and it makes Asra believe that a love like that can truly last a lifetime or even beyond that.

To be honest, Asra is a romantic even though his idea of romance may be a little bit twisted sometimes.

Closet Monsters: What is one thing your muse does that identifies them with their species? Their faction?

answered here

[phoenixkadeu]

Dolls & Number 13

Dolls: Has your muse ever collected something?

Yes, Asra collects all sorts of things, but not for himself. His apartment back at The Diamond's faction served not only the purpose of giving him a place to live during his classes but it also gave him the much needed storage room to keep all the things that he smuggled from faction to faction. It all depends on what his clients want, as long as he's getting payed Asra can be your own personal expert collector.

Number 13: Does your muse believe any superstitions?

He used to. He often considered that believing in some of the gods was a mere superstition, something to keep everyone busy and hopeful, just to keep their minds away from how miserable their lives could be. With that being said, he had always respected the ones that his dear mother believed in, praying with her since he was a small boy, lighting up the candles to her request as soon as he learned to control his fire and not once did he tell her that he did not believe in the same things.

Still, there is one thing that he does believe in and even if it's not really a superstition, he truly believes that death is the one deity that commands his life sometimes. It has kept him and Sparrow alive until now and for her Asra will bow down.

[phoenixkadeu]

Blood: What’s the worst injury your muse has ever had?

that's a pretty easy answer, it's between the injury he suffered when he was a child (just look at his face) and the one he got more recently when trying to prevent his mother for getting kidnapped and ending up almost losing his powers (it was definitely more internal than anything but it still hurt very much)

+

the one time were Asra set some fires in the heart's district and then received some punishment from Joui is very high on that list

[phoenixkadeu]

Solitude: Name 3 things your muse couldn’t live without.

his rings

the bathtub

communication amulet