#✝︎ . ⌜ threads ⌟ . 𝐢 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.

[cldhrbour]

" it's not that simple. i guess it never is with families , is it ?? what about you ?? what were your parents like ?? " - @satellitewar liked for a starter ; hypatia !

[cldhrbour]

just us. hm. that sounded so nice. it flashed to her moments in a quiet night , drastically different than this one. a crackling fireplace , some books , two bodies nestled in plush chairs reaching across the distance between them to idly link fingers while they sink into dancing words on pages. it's a flash of a quiet life. one , she wonders in the moment , that might've been a stark difference to what he once had. yes , she heard. despite not being a student , you don't wander the halls of blackstaff , sit amongst the stacks in the library in an attempt to find aged tomes you hadn't read when they were published , without hearing the soft whispers shared not just amongst students but staff as well. it has noticeably died down as the months went on. and she'd respectfully never broached the subject. ( outside of the briefest explanation when she'd asked of the mark on his chest , the darkened skin on his fingernails. ) and , respectfully , kept distance in case the entanglement between him and the dean was still something he had interest in pursuing.

it wasn't anything she wanted to get in the middle of , to risk being rejected for. until tonight. she was hungry tonight.

" dance with me for a few songs and then we can find a private booth. i'd be happy to divulge in the most riveting necromantic talk you want. " fingers link with his and she leads them to the modest dance floor , eyes watching the crowd carefully. LEARNING. a bit of a larger smile gracing crimson lips that is thrown over her shoulder at him when he let slip that which he probably wanted to keep buried for maybe more private moments. yet here she is. inviting gale in. bringing him close , putting his hands at her hips , letting her own porcelain arms drape loosely on his shoulders. happy to accommodate for him. " we had our parties back in the day. " goodness it ages her. she sways them to the song , listening for the tempo so they'd keep up. " had to learn proper choreography for formal dances , especially when we mingled with mortals. you know the type , giant ballrooms with orchestras and sweeping skirts. i'll admit , i like this much better. you all just let the music move you. " natural rhythm brings them closer , their motions simple in nature as her waist and hips drive most of the movement in her body to lead them , falling in line with the crowd around them all engaged in their own highs.

" not normally. . . no , " serana admits. no , normally she wouldn't search out a darkened club with a thumping bass and throw herself together with someone to writhe on the dance floor. had she the inclination to dig deeper into her psyche , in truth this was all just an EXCUSE. to be here , in this moment , right with him. feeling his heart against her chest ( there's little space here , it's just easier to dance this close ). hands on silk-covered hips ( they're dance partners after all ). lips by each other's ears as if they were exchanging intimate secrets ( how else are they to hear each other over the music ?? ). yes , yes this was all normal , wasn't it ?? this being a reason of closeness that she so desperately craved , and maybe , she hoped , he did too. " any night is a good night for firsts. thank you for humoring me. "

Serana, not for the first time, he thinks, boasts a profoundly intoxicating and peculiar air. She's skin like porcelain, appearing a brush past thirty winters, but that presence she bleeds and that look in her eyes... My gosh, Gale surrenders: she's again enigma. Half a mausoleum, there are stories that linger behind red-lacquered lips. Yet, she's hardly seen the world, is shackled and bound by those her keepers, her story half a mystery and the other half a secret--a secret, he confesses, that has gripped his thoughts. He wonders what she's seen. He questions where she's been. He's a strange, strong desire to map her all the cosmos for if the world, their cities, are well out of reach, then perhaps the stars, the moon, can fill her nights.

But then, Gale's sentimental. Always has been, always will be. What can a still-spurned man show her anyway? She sips at her hemorrhage, and Gale chugs cherry notes.

"And I regret to inform you that I'm getting to a point where I'm not," he jokes behind his glass. He cuts her a look, and the silver in his hair more peppered with the months seem slightly, just maybe, to lightly scold her. "If it's all the same to you, I prefer keeping my parting drinks between the hours of ten to twelve. As it were, our company at present can hardly find their senses. Minus our lavishly tipped bartender, one might say it's just us." But later. He gets it. Besides, Gale suspects she's quite intent on matters a sliver more exciting. Gods know she knows, has heard of his leaning toward a recluse of late. Understandably, she then plunges in her claws, rising to trawl him from out the trenches. It's her nature, mind you, as a blood-fed hunter, and Gale eyes her helplessly in a manner like a hare. Bumping by his knees, she moves like silk. "Oh, you would have to ply me with at least several more cellars to try your hand," he manages, hauled up regardless. "Not an affront to you, though, should there be any doubt! I can watch you and your mastery over your body for hours--" he blurts, "but, ah, I can't say this is my usual my style of dance. You'd have to lead, I'm afraid, though only for a while." Gosh, a fish out of water, this tweed-clad man. Still, Serana drags them along, his swill of a drink left abandoned on the counter. Next, it's bodies, her hands, and the writhing bass. Hm... "'Not like they once were', was it?" Gale echoes. "I didn't know you had it in you, all this taste for revelry."

[cldhrbour]

" actually , now that i think of it [ ... ] i'm going to come along with you. i've been really wanting to get out and explore a bit. " - @vulpesse liked for a starter

[cldhrbour]

" i didn't want you to think i was one of those [ ... ] you know , the women who just sit in their castle all day ?? i don't know. coming from a place like this , well [ ... ] it's not really me. i hope you can believe that. " - @bendwill liked for a starter

[cldhrbour]

"are you perhaps feeling...peckish? a can hardly allow you to waste in hunger." ah. gale's a point, of course, but to offer so readily... his voice falters. - @recitedemise

head lifts. even in the dark of the tent , made worse by the shadow lands gloam , he'd see the unnatural shimmer of her eyes. scents of ginger and spice still linger within the threads of his clothes , memories of the meal the rest of them had eaten. except for the undead pair. there have been few and far between things to reliably feast upon. especially for the elder. never would bovine or rat sustain her enough , not like astarion. if the wizard were paying attention ── and she assumes , due to this comment , and nothing else !! , he certainly has ── her skin and hair have lost luster. " oh you say that to EVERYONE before dinner. . . " the smile on her lips coy , the light that bounces off of the small pond they were near glints the tip of fangs.

she should not be looking a gift wizard in the mouth.

" only if you're aware of the erm. . . side effects. " folded legs open , a pale hand reaching out to take his. " it won't be only fatigue that our beautiful cleric can wash away. " when he hands himself over , she's gentle but firm in guiding him. in bringing him in so that he can lean his back against her chest. all in an effort for his comfort , despite it's admittedly intimate form. serana's chin now perched just above his left shoulder. hands so polite rest on his arms ( gods they want to roam. to caress. to thread through hair and─── ) in a form of reassurance. of support. she'd make no move unless he gave his say. " we'd. . . be bonded. you and i. " his blood flowing in her veins. animating her.

[cldhrbour]

" luxury is quite the word. " though serana understands the larger sentiment he displays. family didn't have to be that of blood , and even despite that many wander the world without a single soul to call their own. even then , when the years bleed into one another as they have , when you can look back at them and think of only a handful of times where anything felt remotely akin to that of 'family' . . . it hardly felt befitting of such a word. maybe it wasn't that she was fighting for the family she had now , but instead the one she longed to cultivate from it's ashes. the promise she was sold before humanity was ripped from between her ribs.

" so you just survive. " and who doesn't these days ?? the world hasn't been kind. it offers no promises. " you've avoided death in the past , then ?? survived someone or something killing you ?? " she primes , waiting for his answer before another. . . perhaps more telling question comes out from the wings of her stage.

another  hard  hitting  question  ,      one  victor  finds  himself  asking  nearly  every  day.      what  is  he  doing  ?      wasting  the  precious  air  around  him  ,      which  could  be  breathed  by  someone  else  ,      someone  better  ?      a  sigh  rattles  ,      and  he  shrugs  again  ———  hopeful  that  acting  nonchalant  will  distract  ,      give  the  illusion  that  a  chord  wasn't  just  struck.         ❛❛  nothing  ,      i  guess.      really  nothing.  ❜❜          maybe  in  some  odd  way  ,      his  criminal  antics  are  contributing  to  the  larger  economy.      like  he  gives  a  shit.          ❛❛  i  just  kind  of  wake  up  every  day  ,      wait  and  see  if  anything  kills  me.      ———  i'd  probably  fight  for  family  if  i  had  any.      not  a  luxury  we  all  get  to  have  ,      i  guess.  ❜❜

[cldhrbour]

" we've got enough to worry about right now. you stay focused , and i'll worry about me. " - @satellitewar liked for a starter ; din !

[cldhrbour]

" my mother had a bit of a thing for magical constructs. not [ ... ] NOT what you're thinking. she just found them fascinating. " - @recitedemise liked for a starter

[cldhrbour]

" you'd figure a couple hundred years locked away with one would have given me some insights , but no. turns out you don't learn much from just sleeping with something. " - @tidesfate liked for a starter

[cldhrbour]

" i can't think of any reason i'd want to lose my gift. especially after what i did to get it. it may have driven my family apart , but i'm still here , and i'm alive. i won't give this up. " - @maidmyth liked for a starter

[cldhrbour]

" if you think I'm going to let you have all the fun , you're crazy. i'll let you lead ahead , but i'll be keeping an eye on you. " - @lamourstre liked for a starter

[cldhrbour]

" oh , wonderful. a war of succession. good to know the world didn't get BORING while i was gone. " - @abysswarden liked for a starter

[cldhrbour]

Not being the type to pass up an invitation quite so welcoming, Aerendyl happily obliges. Down he comes, ending up cross-legged on one of the plush pillows at Serana's side. ❛  Somewhat — but not because of my particular wormish friend in that sense.  ❜ No, it'd been contemplation that kept him awake; overthinking what may or may not turn out to be inevitable, indeed at the hand of that same creature.

But its influence on his sleep ( or lack thereof tonight ) proves more indirect in that sense. He favours neither its power to compel him to worry nor the nightmares it inspires, and so he'd resolved to concede to a night spent awake. A quiet night, at that, and alone ... until remembering that there are those among this group that need no sleep at all.

He looks towards one such person to his left here — a companion despite how different the purposes of their joining forces may be. She lacks the tadpole to begin with, after all, and therefore needn't get rid of it. ❛  What were you reading? Anything good?  ❜ he jerks his chin towards the book, folding his hands in his lap. ❛  Fiction?  ❜ @mindsmade

" then consider yourself gifted in that regard. nightmares seem only to plague the mind. " she shifts slightly to allow room for aerendyl's larger form. which she had no bother doing so. what were some inches compared to the suffocating space of her once crypt. ( back home you fought and pleaded , didn't you ?? begged not to sleep in a coffin sized just for you , not to feel those walls closing in around you until finally you had a room of your own fashioned with a proper bed. only to have your mother PLUNGE YOU into stone years later without any regard. )

legs curl underneath her. nails fiddling with the fine edges of the tome. " hm ?? oh , " a little smile. " nothing special. halsin and gale have lent me some books that cover the last few years of events. i suppose to help me catch up with what has happened while i've been asleep. "

not that the task was unfamiliar. reading about the world's affairs rather than experiencing them. the vampire gives a shrug. " i think this may be the first time i'll be an active part of something. . . rather historical happening. for most of my life , living and dead , i've been rather PASSIVE. " trapped within stone walls of either tomb or castle. " all 'end of the world' business put aside , i find it rather exciting. " but she's tempered about it all. only offers the other a warm smile before offering the book. " this one talks about an iron crisis not that long ago- " not by her standards. though she pauses for a moment , face twisting in contemplation before she waves her hand. waves the topic away. " now that you're here though , it's all probably rather dull. if you're open to it . . . i've always wondered what the elemental plane was like. . . i've found few who have written on the subject. "

[cldhrbour]

continued from here - @recitedemise

the phone chitters it's little melody and it's enough to send the vampire scrambling to reach for it from her comfortable spot on her bed. such movement roused grumbles and growls from sleeping canines who were quite incensed at being disturbed out of their cuddling form around her. in spite of herself , she's smiling.

[text]: so i can haunt your home from now on? deleted, too forward, she thinks. [text]: are you inviting me into your home, then? 🧛🏻‍♀️ [text]: that sounds most lovely. better than what i had in mind. give me an hour.

an hour unneeded , for she had already showered and dressed herself in the hopes that he'd say yes. had sent a request to garan for some things preemptively and was met with grumbling that he wasn't her personal assistant and had other , more important matters of the coven to attend to. yet when she walked into her living area the 1973 bottle of chardonnay she'd asked for had been placed neatly on her table. serana had started putting some ice in a vintage bucket when her phone chimes again. placing the bottle with a partner of a deeper, thicker red into the bucket , she snaps a picture and sends it.

[text]: what about this? does it match your taste? i'd be an awful guest if i came empty-handed 💁🏻‍♀️

is it rude to bring her own food ?? no. it'd be ruder to assume , right ?? hm. while she waits she glances in the standing mirror, ornately framed in gold filigree, leaning against her wall. a simple silk blouse and black slacks. that should be fine. not too much. why did the most trivial of her choices , ones made on most days without second thought , feel so challenging ?? why was she second guessing herself all of a sudden ??

[cldhrbour]

the moment the trio had appeared in front of them upon entering markarth , serana felt on edge. all wearing the same cloth ?? walking with purpose ?? something smelled funny and it wasn't the little market to their right. no that meat was fresh. ( and maybe you're on edge because you hear HIS call. something of his is here , he's whispering so sweetly in your ear. ) consider her unsurprised when the fight ensued. remilia holding her own. a guard stepping in to take care of another. and because of her particularly short fuse today , serana took on the third with every intent on ending the fight before it even started.

there was a flash to her eyes , taloned fingers stretched by her side. the masked man's body went rigid. within his mind he'd feel clawing at the door. a hand wrapping around it until there was NO CONTROL left. all he could do was watch as serana's lips softly uttered words that resonated loudly within his skull , an echoing , dissonant cluster until it felt like she were right next to him whispering into his ear , " that dagger belongs in your heart. " should remilia look over , there'd be the final cultist , standing in front of serana , digging his blade and twisting until he choked on a fountain of his own blood. collapsing like a wilting flower to the ground.

her hand falls to her side. heading tilting in interest at the corpse in front of her like a predator surveying its prey , before their eyes meet again and she softens. " friends of yours ?? " ──── @maidmyth

[cldhrbour]

continued from here - @the1ongcon

in truth she doesn't know much about werewolves. not from first hand experience at least. time and circumstance has kept her well enough away from the beasts , harkon's own disparaging opinions notwithstanding. books did little to shed what light she could glean , which is what had led her to become the shadow that stalked connor as he shifted and ran through the wilderness outside the city. sending the occasional hiker or camper packing before he could catch their scent and begin a rather BLOODTHIRSTY hunt ──── something she'd assumed wouldn't sit well in his soul had he had ever gone through with.

dawn had just started to break and she'd made a miscalculated step by showing herself. a quick battle of blows , hers entirely defensive , his not so much , before she'd been able to wrangle the fading creature down to the ground in the embrace he'd woken up in. yes , the blood on his shirt was unintentional. when she stands back up with him , he'd see the way her silk shirt is ripped by her waistband. shredded by massive claws , a CURTAINED SPRAY of her blood staining the both of them before he'd woken up. " remind me to be a touch more patient with you on these nights , " her voice is strained , lips curved in a tight smile , free hands now reaching to press to the wound that was trying to heal.

" you should be proud. i'm realizing now just how out of practice i am at fighting anyone really. society is much more CIVILIZED than back in the day. " her free hand gently peels his from her cheek. " it'll heal in time. i'll be fine i promise ."