#╰ ˟ ⊰ ––––––– ✧ 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚑 ⧽ ( queue )

[ofnocturncs]

tag drop pt. 1

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     SHE  PLAYS  PRETEND.  a  contemplative  hum  leaves  her  as  she  feigns  consideration.  then,  there's a  smile  as  bright  as  a  summer  day.     ❛ i  suppose  that's  a  good  enough ��reason. ❜      how  terribly  strange  it  is  to  hear  a  man  say  he’s  killed  for  her.  what’s  stranger  is  that  she  accepts  it.  not  a  question  asked ;  only  frustration  at  the  fact  she  was  not  there  to  witness  the  act.     ❛ that’s  terribly  narcissistic  of  you,  doctor. ❜      rarely  ever  does  she  call  him  by  his  name.  it  feels  like a  strange  disrespect  to  do  so.     ❛ your  way  of  taking  care  of  me  is  incredibly  unconventional.  it  surpasses  the  threshold  of  what  could  be  considered  normal  and  what  could  not. ❜      a  brief  pause,  head  tilting  to  the  side  as  her  eyes  wash  over  him.     ❛ before  you  scold  me          ━━          i  am  not  complaining,  i’m  merely  making  an  observation. ❜      

' seeing you hurt is as good a reason as any, in my mind, ' whether that was a good enough reason for her, didn't matter. because it had already been done. small grin reflects hers. ' i do. however, hearing it does elicit some sort of joy within me, ' whatever sort of a joy a man like him can feel. ' taking care of you has been my pleasure, aveira. i don't intend to stop, any time soon, '

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     LIGHT  SHINES  OFF  THE  BLADE  as  she  holds  it  up.  aveira  considers  his  offer  but  gives  her  head  a  shake,  holding  it  by  the  hilt  she  hands  it  back  to  him.  a  kind  &&  generous  offer.  as  much  as  she  would  have  loved  to  own  a  dagger  so  BEAUTIFUL,  it  was  far  too  great  of  a  gift  to  accept.

                        aveira  was  in  possession  of  a  few  daggers  of  her  own          ━━          one  with  her  at  that  exact  moment,  concealed  away. ❛      i  would  love  to, ❜    she  offers  a  smile, ❛      but  it's  a  gift  i  can't  accept. ❜     then,  a  sudden  glint  of  mischief  in  her  eyes.

                        ❛      unless,  you'd  like  to  do  a  little  exchange ? ❜    

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 🌙 he  looked  at  the  dagger  that  was  on  his  table.  it  was  indeed  a  beautiful  weapon.  he  never  used  it  before,  but  it  was  a  present  from  one  of  the  guards.  "  you  may  look."  he  says.  he  takes  it  from  the  desk  and  he  hands  it  to  her.  he  carefully  holds  the  handle  before  giving  it  to  her.  

the  prince's  dark  eyes  too  seemed  to  be  fixed  on  the  blade.  "  it  was  a  present  given  to  me,  though  i  never    use  in  it  since  i  am  more  of  a  sword  kinds  of  man."  caspian  shrugged.  he  also  has  his  wolf  transformation  so  he  really  does  not  need  another  blade.  

then  he  smiled.  "  would  you  want  to  have  it  ?  "  he  pushes  the  dagger  closer  .

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ; @ofnocturncs

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     EVER-OBSERVANT   &&  HIGHLY  INQUISITIVE,  aveira  takes  note  of  the  shock  on  the  stranger's  face.  shock  that  quickly  melted  into  something  else.  what  that  something  else  is,  she's  not  quite  sure.  it  was  not  a  place  she  would  typically  find  herself  in,  but  something  had  drawn  her  in. ❛      INDEED. ❜      one  word  leaves  her  lips  in  response  to  the  woman's  statement.  she  was  never  one  to  enjoy  talking  about  herself to strangers,  aveira  much  rather  uncover  the  secrets  of  those  around  her          ━━           &&  she  had  to  start  somewhere.  ( with  pleasantries,  of  course  ).

                        a  quiet  laugh.  cheeks  turn  a  light  shade  of  pink  just  from  the  movement  her  laughter  brings. ❛      i  believe  that  may  be  where  my  issue  lies.  time,  i  have  plenty  of.  patience,  on  the  other  hand...  i'm  afraid  i  lack. ❜        aveira  plays,  though          ━━           &&  beautifully  so.  but  she  is  no  beethoven,  nor  does  she  play  as  divinely  as  the  woman  standing  before  her.  it  is  a  hobby  she  keeps  to  herself  &&  so,  she  does  not  mention  her  own  experience  with  the  instrument.

                        ❛      greatly  so.  the  ambiance  of  this  place  is...  hmm          ━━           unlike  anything  i've  experience  in  quite  some  time. ❜      she  shifts  on  her  feet,  a  movement  so  slight  it  might  go  unnoticed.  a  gloved  hand  gestures  to  the  room. ❛      you  work  here,  then,  i  presume ? ❜      

╭┈◦•◦┈➤ Rarely does Alice play her own pieces for her evening shift at the high end restaurant. Tonight starts off as any other, playing the sheet music provided by upper management. ( does she need to look at it? not one bit. it's for show. ) Fingers dance as they do, her expression dark and out of focus, before they take on a mind of their own. The result? A haunting tune of her own creation, taking on a reflection of herself rarely shown. When Alice realizes her mistake, she ends the piece and gives a small wave to the hostess who switches to their overhead ambience while she takes her mandatory break.

Head turns to the source of the compliment, mild shock registering before the pianist offers a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. ❝ At least someone appreciated it. Though, if that is the music you're expecting here, this isn't the place for you. ❞ She's certain to receive a little chat for straying from the list of acceptable composers.

❝ Anyone can play. It takes time and patience. ❞ Though, not many people are gifted with elongated fingers such as she. It does give her some advantage for pieces that require reach. ❝ Are you enjoying yourself? ❞ As an employee, they've made it clear to Alice that there's a level of obligation to make sure their guests are taken care of here.

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     A  LAUGH  LIKE  HONEY  falls  from  her  lips.  the  vampire  shifts  in  her  seat,  propping  her  head  up  on  her  knuckles,  eyes  traveling  across  the  red-haired  woman's  face. ❛      she  sure  is  something  special. ❜      she  would  not  call  her  a  friend  of  diana's,  but  from  the  times  she  was  near  her  &&  the  knowledge  she  did  posses  of  the  weaver,  aveira  knew  that  there  would  never  be  enough  words  to  describe  her.  the  power  she  contains  immeasurable  &&  the  temperament  she  holds  incomparable.

                        ❛      yes,  please, ❜      aveira  answers  with  a  smile.  she  barely  needs  to  glance  at  the  bottle  to  know  it  is  one  she  will  enjoy.  she  had  never  been  one  to  decline  a  glass  of  wine,  much  less  a  white.  to  have  been  born  during  a  time  when  women  were  not  given  the  same  chances  as  they  are  now  certainly  aided  in  making  aveira  the  person  she  is  today.  to  their  survival.  there's  a  slight  tilt  of  her  head.  a  hum. ❛      a  toast          ━━          ❜      she  declares  with  a  mischievous  look  to  match  astoria's ❛          ━━          to  our  survival,  TO US. ❜      

                        ❛      interesting  is  only  one  word  i  have  to  describe  you.  wild,  ruthless,  too. ❜      

She grins a predator's grin, bares all her teeth, though it's a gesture of amusement rather than any sort of threat. "I'm afraid Diana is infinitely more interesting than I am," Astoria counters, eyebrows raised. "She might resent the comparison—I think she has a bit more restraint overall—but between you and me, she might be my favorite sister-in-law. Never a dull moment with her."

Her laugh is bright and ringing, and she takes her time in selecting the wine, before she settles on a French white that always reminds her of honey and pears. "I suppose we are. I respect a woman so determined to survive. To thrive. We were not born at a moment that wanted our success, and yet we refused to settle for anything less. Would you like a glass?" She holds up the bottle for examination, returns the intensity of the other's gaze, though there's mischief dancing in her eyes and her smile grows crooked. "We'll drink a toast to our survival. And I'll never be opposed to hearing how interesting I am."

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     JEALOUSY  IS  A  HORRID  THING.  this,  aveira  knows  for  certain.  jealousy,  she  thinks,  is  not  quite  the  word  for  what  she  feels  when  looking  at  diana  run  her  fingertip  along  the  curve  of  the  infant's  nose.  longing  is  closer  to  what  the  ache  in  the  center  of  her  chest  reminds  her  of.  an  ache,  she  knows,  that  there  is  only  one  cure  for.

                        a  laugh  escapes  her.  two  fools  with  two  babies,  they  were  indeed.  fools  or  not          ━━          the  love  shared  within  their  family  of  four  is  something  so  beautiful  that  aveira  can  only  find  joy  in  her  heart  for  them.  THEY HAVE ALL L O S T.  matthew   &&  diana,  more  than ��most.  still,  they  are  the  two          ━━          foolishness  &&  all          ━━          who  have  come  out  winning  in  the  end.  she  wonders  if  love  is  all  it  takes  to  be  whole  again.

                        with  diana  having  shifted  philip,  aveira  is  able  to  take  the  boy  into  her  own  arms.  the  ache  in  her  chest  momentarily subsides. ❛      you  surely  are  something  special,  aren't  you ? ❜      she  is  reminded  that  simply  having  them  for  snippets  of  a  day          ━━          of  a  week,  even,  is  enough.  the  baby  has  her  attention  for  only  a  second  more  before  she  glances  back  at  diana.

                        ❛      his  existence  ALONE is  enough  to  annoy  me,  i  fear. ❜      the  woman  says  with  a  faint  smile. ❛      he  is  utterly && entirely obsessed,  diana          ━━          absorbed  in  his  work.  he  needs  a  break. ❜      

THERE IS SO MUCH LOVE . she had worried about it , truly worried . worried that for some reason , to be a mother would not suit her . that her heart would not stretch to accommodate the room that the twins needed . but there was is much room , now . diana has only just finished showing her infants her newest spell , sending a small universe to orbit around their little heads , when aveira plops down beside her .

❝ you hear that , bud ? i think you'll hear it a lot . so get used to it . ❞ she smiles at the boy , stroking the tip his nose with her finger . she studies aveira's face for some sort of upset . something to have prompted the outburst . she smiles at the teasing words . ❝ and now we're two fools with two babies . they're doomed . ❞

philip reaches for the woman , and diana scoops him up , shifting him so that he may rest in aveira's arms if she deems fit . predictably , becca is disinterested with everyone and anything that is not matthew .

❝ did he do something to deserve this particular snark , or is he just being predictably matthew & annoying you by that sheer fact alone ?❞

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     IT  FELT  GOOD  TO  BE  THE  ONE  HURTING,  INSTEAD  OF  BEING  HURT.  words  she  does  not  say.  a  mere,  fleeting  thought. unspoken truth.  taken  advantage  of  so  many  times          ━━          aveira  is  TIRED.  perhaps  this  was  what  she  needed  in  order  to  finally realize  that enough  is  enough.  a  flame  has  been  ignited  in  her  chest.  it  is  bitter  &&  hungry.  fear  &&  pain  turned  into  a  primal  rage. there is  wonderment  ;  curiosity          ━━          will  this  feeling,  this  burning  that  reaches  her  core  last  forever ?  it  is  a  dark,  unfamiliar  feeling  she  is  not  entirely  sure  she  welcomes.  it's  best  to  bury  it  deep  &&  pray  it  never  comes  to  light. ❛      i  survived,  but  what  if  i  hadn't ? ❜ a  question  she  does  not  want  the  answer  to.  aveira  had  told  him  there  was  no  need  to  dwell,  but  the  shock  had  begun  to  subside  &&  all  the  'what-ifs'  plagued  her.  even  though  he  says  she  is  no  burden,  she  cannot  help  but  feel  it.  arguing  with  the  man  would  get  her  nowhere.  the  matter  is  dropped  with  a  roll  of  her  eyes  &&  a  sheepish  smile.  aveira  sits  as  still  as  she  can,  the  gauze  being  placed  over  her  wound.  by  this  point  the  pain  has  been  reduced  to  a  manageable  level.  with  her  mind  on  other  things,  it  is  nothing  more  than  dull  ache. ❛      bravery  is  one  word  for  it, ❜ she  counters,  a  somber  look  on  her  face. ❛      i  was  scared  at  first  and  then  a  wave  of  anger  took  over  me.  this ❜           ━━          a  pause,  stumbling  over  words          ━━          ❛      this  abrupt,  searing  anger. ❜

                        ❛      THEN, I RAN. ❜

patience radiates from the doctor, hannibal sitting up straight, his hand falling a fraction when aveira pulls away from a stinging touch. a natural reaction to pain, even pain in the aftermath of what she's already experienced. he imagines how she must have reacted, in that moment - the stranger coming towards her, grabbing for her, the fear she felt pungent and scented and electric before a key was jammed into the perpetrator's ear. blood must have trickled down from his eardrum, over his jaw to drip onto the ground. hannibal thought he could almost hear the screaming, the sound aveira's footsteps made as she escaped. expression remains soft on hers, resuming his care as she garners the bravery to lean back into hannibal's touch. ' you did what you had to do in order to survive, ' he states simply, gaze moving over the cut, satisfied with its cleanliness before he reaches for a bandage. hannibal halts once more, their eyes meeting. ' you never have to feel like a burden to me, aveira. i am only ever just a phone call away. even at such a late hour, ' pointed look is given to the woman before he begins placing the gauze over her temple. ' i'm glad you came to me. that you can trust me enough to ask for my help, ' grin is given. ' you're very brave. and i'm glad you're okay, '