stcrmhold

[stcrmhold]

akslnya​:

though leyla liked to believe her tough act was strong enough to keep others from believing she was too soft, everyone knew she loved her family and her home ━ yet, she could not deny she did miss the comfort of the dorms, and the luxury of tasha’s captain status granted her even better chambers than leyla’s own mere soldier’s had been so many years ago. or maybe her memory is slipping ━ either way, she was too comfortable to move and go out into the cold right now. 

“are you kicking me out ? ” she is teasing, like a good little sister would ( the saints knows she has had her practice on patience with havva ). “what can you possibly do without me here that you don’t already do with me here ? ” the younger squeezes her eyes almost daringly, but she shakes her head, rising from her friend’s bed with a small grunt. “mm, are you going to pour some for me ? then maybe.” she approaches the table where the other studied, the mirth flickering out of her eyes for a moment. “not for the road, though.” leyla adds, the corner of her lips twisting downwards as she observes the markers ━ her own regiments often went north, rather than west, and she can barely recall the last time she has gone home and seen her mother. “are you going across the fold soon ? to the camps ? or commercial trips ? ”

WITHOUT THE CONFIRMATION, ANOTHER GLASS WAS ALREADY POURED. there were many things that tasha was willing to do, but oftentimes drinking alone could be depressing - why not take advantage of a friend’s company? “maybe i have a barrage of men coming in and out of my rooms at every hour of the night.” it was a half-hearted lie, even leyla knew that there wasn’t enough people in the second army for such visits to be anonymous. it wasn’t as if outsiders could come through the gates whenever they please, and their luxurious accommodations did not come with utmost freedom. the darkling will continuously ensure that. 

tasha handed the heartrender the glass, clinking it pointedly with her own. “ne zalost!” as if they didn’t get fussed over by healers with every bruise and scrape, she downed her drink in one. “i just came from the north with sacha, but i think we’ll be escorting some shipments to the west and back in the next few weeks.” her fingers tap at a few of the western encampments, small miniatures of ships circling ports and a much smaller few off in clusters upon the unsea. there hasn’t been news about their survival as of yet, but she remained with staunch hope that precious grisha blood would not surrender to the sea. “if princess nashka could command the first army better, we should focus our attention to the fold.” speaking ill of the royal family was treasonous, but tasha knew she was in perfectly safe company. “what’s your next assignment? have you been compelled to come up north yet?” 

[stcrmhold]

fcksacha​:

what did sacha have to prove to otkazat’sya? nothing except he was the best and shouldn’t be messed with. it was a mentality he’s always had, and after getting tested, it only amplified. “the sun itself would go out,” sacha teases, wiping mud and ash from his kefta. he glances at his friend and smiles. “only if you let me,” he murmurs. he knew tatyana had all the power and grace to save herself. she was a force to be reckoned with. he hummed, rubbing his chin. “within the next month or two, i’m sure of it.” the grisha looked over his shoulder and smiled, but there was no mirth from it. “they’ll have to learn one way or another. at least it’ll be entertaining.” 

“I’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU IF YOU COULDN’T SAVE ME, i think i believe in you far too much.” a little more than she liked, a little more than she preferred to rely on another person. dark eyes flickered up to the skies, as if she expected the gaping entrance to the fold appear just before their eyes, stopping them in their tracks. “will you ride to os alta with me tonight? we’re not required to be here any longer than today... and i quite like the idea of sleeping in my own bed, don’t you?” she looked up at him, half-teasing but wholly sincere. who would ever choose to sleep in muddy tents along the war front when the little palace had the softest beds to rest their weary heads? decades ago, tasha might be taken aback at the lush luxuries provided to them, but now she could not imagine a life without it. 

[stcrmhold]

dvndelicns​:

“ if it feels broken, it probably is. ” yuliya replied, a playful tune on her voice. to heal broken bones were a common situation in her routine, especially of younger pupils. they had been always reckless, always doing dangerous things only to impress a teacher. but the visit of an elder graduate wasn’t something she expected, but her explanation was received with a grateful smile. “ i need to thank you, then. a broken back would be way more difficult and traumatizing to heal than a facture on the elbow. ” approaching the other woman, yuliya’s eyes were focused on the squaller’s elbow. “ may i ? ” she asked with caution before touching the skin, used to patients who weren’t fond of other’s touch. 

“YES, YES, OF COURSE.” she nodded, pursing her lips. such was the price of innovation in the face of art aged a millennia before her time. tasha must think of many other excuses to go visit the healers when her private experiments continue. “i’m sure you deal with these things all the time. is there a limit to the mending of bones? a certain point after fractures upon the same area would make it impossible to fix?” she was asking for others, of course, the new squallers she had to discipline and scare into some form of caution. “i heard that there is nothing that healers can’t fix except old age.” unless you were the darkling, it seems. but time certainly works differently for those with extraordinary powers. tasha had to bite her lip as to not ride on the green wave of envy. 

[stcrmhold]

vasiliair​:

SHE NODS,  chewing her lip as she stared the kapitan,  “hmm..   good to know.   i want to be able to refine it— i mean,  in an ideal world it would just be a flick of the wrist for in and out but if it’s too difficult then i’m waaaay off track.”   her nose scrunches,  hands moving to twist together & intently watching the blade.   “if they’re used to grip,  i could change it from a wrist movement to perhaps..  a small trigger?  something to hold in their hand and then press for the blade to come out so it feels closer to a knife..  something more resembling a gun trigger but handheld?   do you think that might work?   or should i just scrap it?”   she trails off, returning back to chewing her lip,   “if you twist your arm outwards and extend your thumb it should in theory go back in but uh, maybe watch your thumb.   i got lectured last week about safety in the workshop after i nearly blew a hole in the roof.   —both arms..  i never thought about dual wielding.  would you want to test run having two on for me?  i think i have a spare in here somewhere — ”

“PERHAPS... A CLOTH HANDLE? ONE FITTED TO EACH WIELDER. a trigger would be too harsh on the thumb and forefinger, i would imagine — but a full grasp is stronger.” she turned her arm as instructed, extending her thumb. the blade was pulled back instantly, tasha was glad the she heeded the warning; and thankful that only the flat side of the blade skimmed her skin. with another flourish of her arm, the blade shot out once more — she was slowly getting used to the sensation. “i suppose dual wielding would only benefit me, no one else prefers it. but i wouldn’t mind testing it for you.” she watched as the young durast rummaged around, and rolled up the left sleeve of her kefta. “were the blades the only thing you want to test on me today?”

[stcrmhold]

fcksacha​:

cold blue eyes surveyed the land as if enemies were going to appear from no where. sacha was always on guard, even when he appeared to be relaxed. it was another battle well won, not that it was a surprise for the grisha. grishas always won. at his name, he looked over his shoulder and focused on his friend. sacha took the cloth and wiped his face clean. he was aware that even though his skin was clean that the red would stain the cloth. there were always consequences to battles like these but that was how the world worked. kill or be killed, as it were. scoffing, his lips upturned into a small smirk. “to think…he thought he stood a chance.” his eyes glance at the young soldiers and frowned. “it’s because they’re not a challenge,” he fully faced the other soldiers this time. “they didn’t kill you today…do not let them get that chance tomorrow.” sacha stretched as if he were tired from a little exercise. “you handled yourself pretty remarkably, tatyanka.”

TASHA ROLLED HER EYES, ALBEIT GOOD-NATUREDLY. she had always been vain herself, but there was no point flexing their powers around otkazat’sya — the difference between their prowess was beyond compare. “it would be a sad day in ravka when i fail to be able to handle myself.” tasha said simply, eyes flitting up to his haughtily. “i wonder if you would be able to save me.” fearless, relentless tasha, she knew that the only person she could trust to save her other than her own self was sacha. there wasn’t many tatyana zolotova could call as her equal, but blood-stained and battle-worn as they were, she could easily found such a fearsome creature in her friend’s eyes. “do you think we’ll travel down through the fold soon? surely the volcra has been unbothered by our presence for quite some time, and i rather like the idea of breaking in the new graduates by presenting them with a true test.” 

[stcrmhold]

tasha’s room feat. @akslnya​

THE CRYSTAL GLASS OF KVAS WAS BALANCED PRECARIOUSLY between her fingers, a copy of the map along the west ravkan coast — her own markings of all the troops throughout ravka. no, she wasn’t about to make important decisions the way the darkling and the general would, but tasha merely preferred to stay informed for the sake of her own curiosity. “are you leaving soon, for home?” it was still strange to have a grisha leave the little palace after a long day, to sleep under a different roof than the rest of the army, still — it would strange for a married couple to cultivate their family in the dorms. “would you like a kvas for the road?” leyla, in her own little way, was the closest thing to a sister that tasha could ever have. 

[stcrmhold]

the gardens feat. @ravkastarters​

TASHA FAVOURED HER BLADES, EVERYONE KNEW THAT; but a grisha was supposed to be flexible in every conceivable moment — the revolver in her hand felt heavy and foreign, despite so, she took her aim. one shot, and then two, she didn’t have to move closer to know that only one of them hit an outer ring of the bullseye. a string of elegant swear words were muttered under her breath, barely noticeable over the voices of trainees on the other side of the garden, as she turned to refill the bullets into the barrels. “a sixty-five percent success rate, saints, that’s basically a failure.” 

[stcrmhold]

the gardens feat. @maskved​

“NO, NO- ELBOW UP, VIKA.” dark eyes sharply scrutinising every movement, every tilt of the blade. a tailor, as rare as they were, would certainly be targets of their enemies - a surefire way for successful espionage. there was absolutely no way that tasha would let such a weapon onto the hands of others without a fight. “you need to follow through with your back leg, shift your weight forwards. if you let the tip of your blade lower than here-” she she angled her own blade low, just so. “-then the power is decreased by seventy percent. seventy percent that you desperately need.” 

[stcrmhold]

one of the gardens of the little palace feat. @dvndelicns​

“IT FEELS BROKEN, I’M NOT TERRIBLY SURE.” her features were impassive, and clear of any pain. there has been far too many broken bones and scrapes over the years that another one hardly makes a difference. tasha had been experimenting, poring over old texts as if she could find a squaller secret that would make her all the more beneficial, all the more powerful. “an overzealous new graduate was a little too enthusiastic during his sparring practice. i thought a little fracture of my elbow was better than him breaking his back from a fall.” 

[stcrmhold]

little palace, the workshop feat. @vasiliair​​

HER LEFT ARM MOVED UP AND DOWN, admiring the way the blade slid smoothly out under her arm from a hidden sleeve. after experimentally swishing her arms backwards and forwards, she hummed thoughtfully to herself, before lifting her gaze up to the young durast. “they work perfectly fine, but there has to be an amendment to the teaching curriculum - everyone is terribly used to gripping the handle.” she tsked under her breath, it would not be prudent to launch into a lecture now. “it would be interesting to see how it might work on both arms, and how do i retract it?” 

[stcrmhold]

ok so since i got that wc out of the way, does anyone want a random closed starter? if u do pls like this post 💕

[stcrmhold]

the fjerdan-ravka border feat. @fcksacha​

“SASHECHKA,” SHE CALLED, AS SHE STRODE EASILY CLOSER — ground damp with the blood of their foes and water from their makeshift trenches, a telltale sign of battle. their ghosts will haunt the grounds evermore, and those living must carry the burden plainly upon their shoulders and eyes. tatyana zolotova had lived a thousand lives, perhaps, and she must forge on in this one, relentlessly and with fervour. “you have blood on your face.” her tone light, conversational, it prompted the few first army soldiers a handful of paces away from them to look up from their hastily patched up wounds, half in interest and half in weariness. tasha handed her friend some damp cloth; grisha must be presentable at all times, of course. “that drüskelle was determined to maim you, it seems — he left those three relatively unscathed.” she tilted her head at their ( hardly discreet ) audience, all of whom had the good sense of averting their eyes. 

[stcrmhold]

[ tatyana “tasha” zolotova  ], a [ thirty-two ] year old grisha in the little palace. she is a [ squaller ] and are known in the little palace as the [ enigma ]. they are known to be [ astute ] and [ deceitful ] and vaguely resemble [ melisa asli pamuk ]

LINKS: statistics, history

HISTORY: 

my one and only muse tasha! a squaller captain and occasional teacher, mysterious and charming — sometimes known as hurricane tasha due to her preferred method of attack which involves double wielding grisha blades and propelling herself forwards in quick, tight circles. ( probably also because she conjured lightning during one of the naval battles in the true sea skdjfna ). 

born tatyana, with a last name that was swiftly replaced by the couple who took her in; the zolotovs. they own a shop and orphanage in ketterdam, despite being true nationalistic ravkans. they never told her what happened to her parents, the way they never did to any of their charge — but they fed and clothed them, all the while keeping an eye out for any grisha powers. the zolotovs were as zealous as they come, teaching all their children ( whether shu han, kerch, or fjerdan ) the gospels of ravkan sankt’ya, they wanted one of their own to join their ranks eventually; and they finally had tasha to shoot their shot. 

they spent a small fortune in paying for passage through the true sea for tasha, disguising her as a member of a suli family of tradesmen — she tried her best to practice her skills around the ship, using small bursts of wind to urge the ship forwards and disguising the creaking of the boards as she tiptoed across deck, to varying success. 

basically she arrived in os alta and the little palace, and she threw herself into training like she never did anything before. tasha was a little callous a child, totally unrefined, and would oftentimes go a little further than was needed — leading to many injuries, to herself or her peers. maybe a lot of the trainees her age dislike her for it. it wasn’t like she apologised or felt sorry for her actions.

she grew to be refined and quite graceful after coming into her own, and the lavish comforts of the little palace certainly didn’t help her growing arrogance. 

her preferred weapons apart from her squaller powers are grisha blades, and i don’t think she would be a very good shot tbh, but she cheated her target exams by kinda using the wind to curve the bullets a little.

she graduated top of her training class and served in the navy as well as the fjerdan borders. this is around the time she got the nickname: hurricane tasha. 

i’m sure there are other things but mb thats to be plotted later <3 

PERSONALITY:

relentless, quiet, deceitful — you never know when she’s being sincere, she has a nasty habit of lying for absolutely no reason, maybe she thinks its fun? or maybe its a coping mechanism, who knows.

quite secretive, she’s not the type to divulge her past with anyone, and it does take her a while to warm up to someone. that being said, the second army and the grisha is the closest thing she has to family, and she will protect them fiercely. 

very hot and cold, it’s almost like she couldn’t make up her mind on how to feel!

her parents were very zealous, and some of it rubbed off on her, she could recite the gospels by heart and has the history of the grisha memorised since she was seventeen.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

probably like two (2) very close friends, it’ll have to be someone of similar age to her and came around the same time? she lowers her guard down around them, but thats not saying much tbh

an ex (please god) let it be angsty, would have to be same age or older

students she absolutely terrorised for what ever reason, younger trainees that she taught when she was in her twenties, tasha likes to push and push and demands the absolute most from them. maybe they’ve fought alongside each other now and there’s finally mutual respect? 

battle-scarred, there’s nothing like the bonds you forge on the battlefield

fellow kapitans, let’s talk strategy! tasha will be your protective (albeit distant) sister.

anything else tbh she’s completely free for everything

pls like to plot!!

[stcrmhold]

Are you a witch? A vulture, a hieroglyph, the sign or the name of a goddess? What sort of goddess is this? Who are you?

H. D., from The Collected Poems: 1912-1944; “Pallinode,” wr. c. 1926

[stcrmhold]