#[ not to mention they're LITERALLY hunting shadow dragons and the BIGGEST target is on the head of the woman who they hate the most ]

[coldjustness]

Hearing Neve's pain riddled "no." and nearly crying when she talks about the people she recognizes after Minrathous is blighted, and the Venatori now rule, and all of their progress was thrown back CENTURIES, I'm just imagining her horror, as you take her by the CARTS and CARTS of bodies, and the people hanged and left out to rot...

Imagine for me, since I am writing this now, the horror on her face as she goes quiet. This woman, who was happily chatting in the middle of the public to every single person that passed her, now has her eyes darting left and right. Yes, these people are faceless to you, Rook, with their masks on. But to her, they are names, people, people with families and stories, that she all knows and knows personally.

People that she's shared plights with, stories, drinks, people she's helped, people that aren't even shadow dragons that she knows that were entirely innocent and under their protection, young adults with dreams, vendors, and all those in between who are just people - good, people. HER people, in HER city, And after a while there's muttering like,

"No.. No, no, Diana, oh Martin.. Mabel.. Octavia..Magnus.. Oliver.." to herself, quietly, as she goes through this ENDLESS list of names and then..

Suddenly Neve is walking away from the party quickly to a nearby alley, to which she starts heaving. A hand on the wall, leaning over, and if you try to walk up to her to put a hand on her shoulder she will jerk away and tell you to not touch her, leave and just ... go. Just go.

[coldjustness]

Shout out to @ingllvar for putting me in my emotions this morning.

Hearing Neve's pain riddled "no." and nearly crying when she talks about the people she recognizes after Minrathous is blighted, and the Venatori now rule, and all of their progress was thrown back CENTURIES, I'm just imagining her horror, as you take her by the CARTS and CARTS of bodies, and the people hanged and left out to rot...

Imagine for me, since I am writing this now, the horror on her face as she goes quiet. This woman, who was happily chatting in the middle of the public to every single person that passed her, now has her eyes darting left and right. Yes, these people are faceless to you, Rook, with their masks on. But to her, they are names, people, people with families and stories, that she all knows and knows personally.

People that she's shared plights with, stories, drinks, people she's helped, people that aren't even shadow dragons that she knows that were entirely innocent and under their protection, young adults with dreams, vendors, and all those in between who are just people - good, people. HER people, in HER city, And after a while there's muttering like,

"No.. No, no, Diana, oh Martin.. Mabel.. Octavia..Magnus.. Oliver.." to herself, quietly, as she goes through this ENDLESS list of names and then..

Suddenly Neve is walking away from the party quickly to a nearby alley, to which she starts heaving. A hand on the wall, leaning over, and if you try to walk up to her to put a hand on her shoulder she will jerk away and tell you to not touch her, leave and just ... go. Just go.