#｡･ﾟﾟ･ — 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 : ashley

[gatheredfates]

"—And I am very excited to accompany the Warrior of Light on her family holiday!" "...Please don't call it that again."

(Count)Down to Dawntrail [DT].

[riprachel]

did you ever tell anyone ? | from ashley!

she  scoffs  then  she  looks  to  ashley  like  telling  anyone  else  is  a  ridiculous  idea,  outlandish  even.    “ why  would  i...  tell  anyone?  ”    embarrassment  shoots  through  her  like  a  bullet,  closely  followed  by  irritation  because  the  former  is  so  unwelcomed.    “ i'm  telling  you...  you're  someone,  right?  i'm  kind  of  wishing  i  hadn't  though. ”    she  thought  she  could  trust  ashley.

“ it's  not  like... look, forget it, okay? nothing's happening. ”    she  shrinks  in  her  seat.  further  and  further. heart raced and her palms grew clammy which in and of itself should have served as a sign, but didn't.    “ let's talk about something else. ”

the dusty toybox, ft. @ner0tic

[gatheredfates]

Ashe's chocobo is called Vissi! It's more an inside joke between my partner and I. Ashe holds a lot of the conceptual ideas for a brawler I made in WoW called Riylee (Some people might remember her on WRA Alliance? Maybe?) but, when I ported Riylee over to XIV, I didn't really want her to be 1x1. This meant my partner didn't really desire to play Vissi (he wasn't sure what race to make her, wasn't really interested in the character anymore, etc.) so I made Vissi into a chocobo as a homage to that character so Ashe/Riylee still had her. She's absolutely massive, adores Ashe, hates her husband. LMAO.

I've seen a couple of people share their WoL's chocobo's names so far, and they're all ready cute, so I'm gonna take advantage of my platform to ask:

What's your WoL's chocobo's name?

I'll start: mine is Edwin! Because he kinda looks like an Edwin.

[voughtpride]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝟎𝟎𝟐 :

“None  of  this  would  have  happened  if  Madelyn  Stillwell  were  still  here.”  -  Sparrow  2024.  ⁽ ᵖᵃʳᵗ ¹/ˀˀˀ ⁾

The  Legend  states  that  Madelyn  was  only  given  his  position  after  Stan  Edgar  took  over,  after  they  brought  in  Homelander  to  replace  Solider  Boy,  being  placed  as  Senior  President  of  Heroes,  because  she  isn't  just  looking  out  for  just him  but  for  the  entirety  of  the  Seven,  a  group  John  has  said  he  feels  are  like  his  family.  They  put  her  in  a  role  where  she  could  very  easily  be  interpreted  as  Mother,  and  it  is  so  glaringly  obvious  as  to  why  they  did.

How can you threaten a man you’ve made indestructible? You don’t. You find something he wants, and you tie that carrot to a stick.

Madelyn  Stillwell  was  hired  on  to  Vought  International  in  a  position  similar  to  that  of  Ashley  Barrett  in  season  one,  taking  on  the  role  of  PR  management  to  Homelander.  She  was,  essentially,  hired  on  to  be  his  handler.  Acting  as  a  mouthpiece  for  Stan  Edgar  and  the  rest  of  Vought. 

Madelyn  is  a  source  of  comfort  in  that  Vought  cannot  take  her  away  from  him,  considering  she  is  one  of  the  only  people  he  listens  to.

They  needed  a  woman  because  they  needed  a  maternal  figure*,  something  that  Homelander  has  yearned  for  since  childhood,  they  needed  a  woman  who  was  capable  of  pushing  boundaries,  of  warmth  and  sternness  in  equal  measure  because  that  is  what  they  conditioned  him  to  want,  to  seek  out.  So  they  could  point  him  in  her  direction  and  tell  him  how  her  entire  purpose  is  to  take  care  of  him,  to  look  after  him,  to  protect  him,  in  the  way  much  of  Vought  and  the  science  team  that  raised  him,  failed  to  do.  (Something  not  said  explicitly  by  Vought,  but  rather  by  Madelyn  when  she  took  him  on  as  a  charge.)

*  Seeing  how  John  acts  with  women  verses  how  he  responds  to  men  plays  into  this,  of  course,  not  only  with  Madelyn  and  Stan,  but  with  Barbara  and  the  rest  of  the  team  in  B6,  with  Maeve  when  she  defends  Starlight,  and  Sage,  and  how  these  interactions  differ  with  the  rest  of  The  Seven.  (People  like  Firecracker  or  Ashley  being  the  exception  to  the  rule,  as  one  is  a  human  without  powers  who  has  already  proven  herself  to  be  weak,  and  the  other  is  pretty  much  the  same.)

They  made  a  man  who  would  crave  love,  and  approval,  who  needed  to  be  tethered  to  a  leash,  with  obedience  sewn  into  his  being,  and  a  fear  of  disappointment,  and  gave  him  a  handler  capable  of  giving  him  everything  he  needs, in just the  right  amount to keep him engaged.  Madelyn  was  capable  of  comforting  him  in  a  way  the  scientists  in  the  lab  couldn't,  she  was  capable  of  being  hands  on  and  manipulating  him  with  a  power  far  stronger  than  fear,  love.  In  any  and  all  forms.  Her  affection  is  used  sparingly  and  that  is  what  makes  it  effective,  give  him  just  enough  to  keep  him  coming  back,  only  enough  to  sustain, never enough nourish.

You  can  see  her  desperation  to  maintain  control  over  him  in  season  one  in  the  way  she  acts  with  him  in  the  beginning  of  the  season,  and  how  her  manipulations  change,  how  she  becomes  far  more  forward  in  touching  him  or  interacting  with  him.

She  knows  he  is  watching  her  from  outside  her  office*,  she  mentions  that  he  has  been  doing  it  a  lot,  that  he  has  been  hanging  out  around  her  a  lot,  and  specifically  asks  him  if  she  hasn't  been  paying  enough  attention  to  him. She  is  aware  of  what  the  problem  is,  why  he  is  acting  out,  and  seeks  to  correct  in  a  way  he  will  remember.  In  a  way  that  will  reward  him  for  following  his  script,  for  doing  as  he  is  told.  The  affection  changes,  it  becomes  physical,  more  intense,  more  purposeful.   

* It is important to note, Madelyn  does  not  reprimand  him  for  watching her without permission,  she  knows  he  has been,  she  has  been  putting  on  a  show  for  him  specifically,  and  that  is  something  John  realizes  in  that  moment.  That  she  knows  he  was  out  there,  and  never  stopped  him.  That  every  moment  he  saw  was  her  allowing  him  to  see. That she has power over him.

This  happens  again  after  the  blanket  fiasco,  as  it  is  almost  as  if  someone  flips  a  switch  during  their  interaction,  how  quickly  it  goes  from  business  to  her  touching  him,  followed  by  her  blatantly  asking  him  to  do  something  for  her  as  if  it  is  a  personal  favor,  as  if  he  will  be  rewarded  if  he  does,  a  favor  repaid.

(This  very  easily  leads  into  a  conversation  about  John  and  masturbation/forms  of  self  pleasure,  and  his  distaste  for  being  watched/caught  in  the  moment  considering  past  experiences,  and  why  he  so  easily  folds  at  the  chance  to  feel  good,  to  have  someone  else  make  him  feel  good  in  a  way  that  isn't  entirely  sexual but we won't go that far . . . yet.)

Vought  as  a  company  is  not  only  allowing  it,  but  encouraging  it,  because  that  is  literally  her  job,  to  maintain  control  over  Homelander  by  any  means  necessary,  and  no  one  has  been  more  efficient  than  Madelyn  Stillwell  at  keeping  him  in  check.

The  ramifications  of  this  relationship  and  her  death  ripple  through  the  remaining  seasons.  His  guilt  manifesting  early  on  in  season  two  before  he  further  snaps  the  cords  holding  him  to  humanity,  the  first  scene  being  him  in  her  office,  stroking  a  picture  of  the  pair  before  he  goes  on  to  drink  her  breast  milk,  and  in  many  of  the  scenes  after  he  is  seen  drinking  milk  to  self  sooth,  but  later  as  a  way  to  celebrate  in  season  four.

[themxgglebrn]

「 ✦ ashley moore. cis woman.  she/her.  gryffindor  +  hogwarts.✦ 」 was  that  LILY EVANS seen  wandering  the  streets  of  diagon  alley ? the  TWENTY THREE  y  /  o  WITCH  was  last  seen  in ST. MUNGO’S. i  hear they  are  working  as  an  HEALER  and  have  sided  with  THE ORDER. they  have  been  described  as  EMPATHETIC  +  HOT TEMPERED  with  the  familiarity  of  WILD AND FIERY CURLS BLOWING IN AN OCEAN BREEZE, STACKS OF BOOKS AND ROCK ALBUMS INTERMINGLED IN PILES, HINTS OF POTION SMOKE BLENDED WITH A FLORAL PERFUME. they  have  been  heard  humming  SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT  by  NIRVANA.

pinterest.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐥𝐬

annabeth chase (pjo universe), constance de bonacieux (the musketeers), allison argent (teen wolf), maggie vera (charmed reboot), edwina sharma (bridgerton series), ella (ella enchanted)

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬

full name: lily jane evans name meaning: *lily*: From the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium. *jane*: Medieval English form of Jehanne, an Old French feminine form of Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan). It means "Yahweh is gracious", from the roots יוֹ (yo) referring to the Hebrew God and חָנַן (chanan) meaning "to be gracious" age: 23 birthday: january 30 zodiac: aquarius, those of the Aquarius zodiac sign are humanitarian, philanthropic, and keenly interested in making the world a better place. gender: cis woman pronouns: she/her orientation: bisexual affiliation: the order.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

face claim: ashley moore height: 5'6" eye color: emerald green hair color and style: long ginger curls that are now down to the middle of her back. . When she’s working, her hair is usual in one or two long braids to keep her hair out of her way. Other than that, she usually lets it do whatever its going to do. scars/tattoos/piercings/markings: freckles across her cheeks and nose. both her ears are pierced. She probably has a few tattoos representing friends but will discuss as connections are made. fashion sense: she’s a bit all over the place when it comes to what she wears. It all depends on her mood.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

father: Jonathon Evans mother: Willow Evans siblings: Petunia Dursley, Vernon Dursley (brother-in-law).

best friends: Peter Pettigrew, tbd friends: James Potter, Maya Goldstein, Sirius Black ex friends: Severus Snape acquaintances: tbd frienemies/rivals: tbd exes: tbd

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

The youngest of the two daughters to Jonathon and Willow Evans, Lily Evans was always the bright star for her parents. There wasn’t much that she could do wrong in their eyes, not that she didn’t anything wrong in the first place. Lily was a kind young person, whose thought was always of others and their well being than her own. It made her parents proud and her parents pride in the youngest of the Evans’ girls caused a little tension with her older sister, Petunia. But when they were young, it was nothing more than normal sisterly rivalry. At the end of the day, Lily thought that Petunia truly cared for her— Lily knew that she cared for her sister— and before everything in Lily’s life changed, Petunia probably did on some level. Then, things changed. It was clear that Lily wasn’t like everyone else. She could do things that no normal person could do and while it would scare anyone else, Lily knew whatever it was, it was part of who she was and it was wonderful. And it was Severus Snape, a poor boy who lived near Lily in Cokeworth, who explained who she was. Witch. It made all the sense of the world to Lily and she was happy to have an explanation on all the things that she couldn’t explain. And she was thankful for Severus’ help. They became rather close friends and he told her about the school that he was sure that they would both attend to learn about Magic and the Magical world. And be around others just like them. But as Lily and Severus got closer, the more distant and strained Lily’s relationship with Petunia. Their arguments became more heated and Petunia’s words cut deeper. The more Lily dove into the world of the freaks (as her sister put it) the more Petunia seemed to hate her for it. Her Hogwarts letter arrive the summer after her eleventh birthday and her parents did their best to help their daughter prepare for her new school year. With her new books and her new school uniform, Lily headed off to Kings Cross and followed the other students on to the Platform 9 and ¾. She was suddenly surrounded by many and now, it was no longer her and Severus against the world, now there were more friends. Lily was sorted into the house Gryffindor and that was where she first met James Potter and his band of friends. He and his group annoyed Lily to no end (with the exception of Remus Lupin, she quite adored his company), but James got under her skin more than the rest. His ego, his pride, his pranks all drove her up the wall and she was often the one who called James out on everything he did. What made it worse, James always seemed to try to impress her. She wasn’t going to have it. It all seemed to come to a climax in their fifth year when after one of their OWLs exams, James and his friends were bullying Severus. Lily quickly stood up for him, against them, and then, Severus snapped back at her. More than that, he called her something that she never thought she would have ever heard him use against her. With that, Lily and Severus’ close friendship ended. Mudblood. Going through her final years at Hogwarts, Lily found herself more untethered from everything than she had ever been before. So she focused on her studies and what she was going to with her life after she graduated from school. She found herself drawn to the art of healing, and in her seventh year, she was taken under the wing of the school nurse. Healer. Now, Lily is the top of her class of training at St. Mungo's so much so that she has been given her own responsibility of her own patients. With everything that has been going on in the magical world, she is thankful that she has a path that leads her to helping the most people.

[sctoris]

it ain’t much of a surprise that i ain’t come fully prepared like i should’ve, but 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐒 is a 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎 year old 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓, majoring in film & television. don’t have anything written out plot-wsie, but i’m always down for a lil’ brainstorming session. throw any and every idea you have at me; i’m open to just about anything within reason. don’t be afraid to slide to im’s or like this post. i’ll be around doing the same.

/ 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎 /

𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 ― satori kamil daniels.

𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 ― tori, riri, dani.

𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 + 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 ― august eighteenth + leo sun, aquarius moon, virgo rising.

𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 ― savannah, ga.

𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 ― bisexual, biromantic.

/ 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒 /

𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 ― tyler, the creator x wusyaname.

𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 ― old movies & shows on vhs tapes, p-valley.

𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 ― the ‘no make up’ make up look, silk presses, diamond earring studs, luxury streetwear, gaudy jewelry, divine feminity, vintage camcorders.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐥𝐬 ―ashley banks  ⁽ fresh prince ₎ , issa dee ⁽ insecure ₎ ,  whitley gilbert ⁽ a different world ₎ .

/ 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 /

best friend, close friends, ex, fling, family member, frenemy, playful crush, mentee.

/ 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒 /

𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐀 𝐱 𝐌𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘. ⁽ insecure ₎

𝐌𝐎𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐀 𝐱 𝐐. ⁽ moesha ₎

𝐏𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐘 𝐱 𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐄. ⁽ oitnb ₎

𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐱 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄. ⁽ all american: homecoming ₎

[gatheredfates]

...The WoW name generator. For most of them.

SDFKGJHSDFKJGHDFS. That or I used to pick real world names that I liked and got very creative on the spelling (Aryele = Ariel. Alaice = Alice, even if it's not pronounced close to that.)

That being said, Ashe was originally called Riylee when she was in WoW, and I wanted keep the trait of her having a gender neutral name when I carried her over. I loved Ashe as a nickname, so Ashley was an easy choice!

WoL QotD: What made you choose your WoL's name? Does it have any important meaning or did it just sound nice?

Follow up: Is it lore accurate? If it isn't, why not?

[gatheredfates]

SMASH OR PASS | ASHLEY HAWKE EDITION ✧˖°.

Very funny to being doing this with the OC my friends lovingly call "Smashley Motherfuckin' Hawke, Ladies and Gentlemen; First of Her Name".

QUICK FACTS:

Height: 6.5 (she is on par with male Highlanders!)

Age: Early/Mid thirties.

Gender: ???

Sexuality: !!!

Pronouns: Yes. (Will respond to anything, primary defaults to she/her).

Pros:

She is a working woman with a very successful career! She's Lead Courier of Firelight Trading Company. She got the money to spoil you. 🪙

The embodiment of a Labrador: sweet, dumb, friendly and extremely loyal.

She just wants to make you happy.

Extremely social and in-tune with other peoples' emotions.

Probably a careers councillor in another life. She's good at sussing out what other people want, even if its in a round-about way.

She's a good cook!!

Cons:

She is dumb. She is sooooo dumb. You know that head tilt puppies do when you're talking to them and they have no idea what you're saying? This is Ashe to a T. She will make this motion. You will try to reiterate what you're saying or change your point so she understands you. She will not.

Her need to make people happy can come at a cost to your happiness.

She will not have a clue if you have a crush on her. She is 100% bro mode.

She is also 100% obsessed with her husband, Shiro.

DETAILS

Ashe is not someone you want to be with if you're going to be worried about her safety. She will get herself hurt on the daily; whether that is because of work, her love of brawling or the simple fact she can be a bit of a klutz. Her husband became a doctor for this very reason.

She has a big family full of numerous issues and she will drag herself into them because she just wants to help. Boundaries? Don't know 'em.

Ashe looooves touching. Cuddling, kissing, laying across the lap, etc. If you are smaller than her, she will probably carry you around like a toddler dragging a cat. If you like fighting — congratulations! Combat is also a love language. If you beat her, she will demand you teach her. She is only as competitive as it takes for her to better herself.

She's a switch! Though she tends to take on the more top/dominate role, if you switch up (ha) on her she'll literally look at you with the wow!!! emote.

There's some thoughts between those eyes, but they're certainly not academic. Ashe is street smart, combat versed and emotionally in-tune with others. She will pout at you if you're reading a book when she's around, though.

Ashe is the embodiment of wanderlust. She wants to go everywhere, see everything and do everything. If you're not interested in wandering, you will not have a good time.

VOTE NOW

Thank you to @thefreelanceangel for tagging me! I'm late but... I'll tag some people anyway. Worst comes to worse, you can do another oc.

@tsukinoxiv, @ffxivtribehydrae, @candycryptids, @eggnogis, @thefrostflower ( I know you have ocs )

@thefreelanceangel (you can do another, I believe in you), @unbreakable-oaths, @hazelkjt, @iron-sparrow, @this-is-ris and you!

If you'd like a chance of being tagged, you can like my permanent interaction call here!

[gatheredfates]

[gatheredfates]

Me: I'm PRETTY sure you can do HW maps with next to no people? We can try it, I'm down to clown. Us: Smashes it on the first map.

[gatheredfates]

5 CHARACTER ASSOCIATIONS ✧˖°. | Ashley

Emotions / Feelings

Excitable

Boisterous

Confusion

Contentment

Optimism

Colours

Brown

Yellow

Gold

Red

Green

Scents

Salt

Earth

Driftwood

Citrus

Vanilla

Objects

A roll of gauze, sometimes bloodstained.

A piece of fruit cut in half to share.

A well-worn surfboard drenched in sand and salt water.

A few stones of jasper in her back pocket, a relic of a distant home.

A rolled up map itching to be unravelled.

Body Language

Laughing until you cry.

The blink of confusion — the head tilt of contemplation.

Wild hands and huge gestures.

Big grins and even bigger hugs.

An assuring hand on your back.

Aesthetics

A bloody nose and split knuckles.

Tropical beaches, swimming and coral reefs.

Rock formations and the plants that grow there, despite adversity.

The first rays of light as they wash over the earth.

The thrill of adventure and promise of discovery.

Tagged by: @shroudkeeper (thank you lovely!) I feel like a lot of people have probably already done this but just in case: @ubejamjar, @thefreelanceangel ( I know you'd have someone you haven't done yet ), @thefrostflower, @riftdancing, @tsunael, @starforger & you!

If you want to be mentioned in any tag games by me, I encourage you to like my permanent interaction call!

[gatheredfates]

— a brief respite.

[gatheredfates]

if looks could kill | ashley hawke

Do you want to read all of my FFXIVWrite prompts? You can do that here!

ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY. an unpleasant experience induces caution. or, for those who knew ashley as riylee, the hidden lore.

If looks could kill, Y’shero Tia would be sixteen feet under.

Sixteen feet specifically because, although she lacked hands or arms, the creature curled around his wife would ensure she buried him twice over. Eighteen hands tall and full of muscle, “Vissi” was a draft chocobo of no small repute — ‘the pride of Ala Mhigo!’ Ashe announced the first time she got her; though he was inclined to believe she could make a far better chicken nugget.

“I’m not getting on the fucking bird,” he repeated, ignoring the way Ashe looked like a kicked puppy while her steed mussed her hair and made contented clicking noises when she got just the riiiight spot on her neck. When he spoke, her gaze snapped to attention, and the two glowered at each other from across the stable.

“What d’you mean? She’s just a little baby. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.” 

A ginormous bark-brown feathered death machine, were you to ask him. Unfortunately, Ashe wasn’t.

“She’s only like that ‘cause you’re mean to her. Isn’t that right, Vissi? You’re just a little baby. Tha’s right — that’s you! A little baby bird. You’re mama’s little baby bird. Mama’s pretty little baby bird.” Ashe ran her hand over Vissi’s beak as the chocobo nuzzled her hand, still looking at Shiro the whole time. It was if she were saying ‘that’s right, I am your little baby bird! I’m cute so it looks less suspicious when I murder your husband!’

“Nope. Tried that once and nearly lost my fingers,” Shiro said, shaking his head, “We take the carriage or we don’t go at all.”

“What? You’re so mean!”

[gatheredfates]

04. date night | ashley hawke

Do you want to read all of my FFXIVWrite prompts? You can do that here!

OFF THE HOOK. no longer in difficulty or trouble. (huge thank you to the love of my life who trusted me to write the love of Ashe's life. I love you!)

They had been married for two and a half summers.

Sometimes he wondered, standing by the door of his clinic, if that meant some of her stupidity had rubbed off on him.

“Knock off at five, I swear I won’t be late!” She lied, like a liar, and for the better part of an hour he checked the chronometer on his wrist and shot filthy looks at anyone in the company that so much looked at him the wrong way.

“Shiro, do you have a second?” “No.”

“Hey, doc! I have this weird rash, can you take a look at it —” “Why the hell are you announcing that in the fucking hallway?”

(He lost track of exactly how many requests he got within that time. After a while, he stopped acknowledging them altogether in the hopes they assumed he was a rather peculiar statue. Had they forgotten his former professor was employed in the same building? Morons, the lot of them.)

The only reason he knew it was his wife approaching instead of any of the others was the thunder of her footsteps, a cacophonous roar that was trumped only by the panicked “I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY — SHIT!” as her shoe slid on the recently mopped floor and had her skidding into the wall. Shiro didn’t even look up from the clock at first; he merely sighed, pressed his free hand to the bridge of his nose and tried to massage the cluster headache that had formed between his eyes.

“I’m HERE!” Ashe vaulted from the wall and slid in front of him, all but shoving a rather sad looking bouquet of flowers in front of his face. He realized she had probably picked them herself on her adventures that day but, between the exploring and the fighting and the brawling (did he mention the fighting?) they’d gotten crushed in her bag.

He said nothing. She continued to waggle them in front of his face.

He sighed.

She pouted.

“You’re -” He began, only to be cut off by her lament.

“LATE. I know — I know! I’m really sorry, babe. I was going to be on time, I swear; we were on the home stretch back to Firelight when we came on another adventurin’ group that was badly injured. We couldn’t just leave them goin’ back to Ul’dah.”

Shiro looked up at her slowly. Ashe knew he was mad at her; it wasn’t like his tells were subtle. His tail swished irritably from side to side, his ears were pinned back and he stopped letting his tongue run over his fang when it pierced the flesh. She was still pouting, too; sad brown eyes fixated on him as one hand joined the other in holding out her equally droopy gift like a peace offering.

“Are you hurt?” He didn’t accept the offering, but it was a step in the right direction. Ashe perked like a puppy, looking down and around her as if though she wasn’t even sure of her own injuries.

“I don’t think so! It wasn’t a hard job, it was just long.”

Shiro groaned and plucked the flowers from her hand. He reached up onto his tip-toes and grabbed Ashe’s chin, forcing the highlander to look down as he tilted it from side to side and examined her.

Knowing full well she was in trouble, yet still feeling the need to try her luck, she gave a sheepish grin. “Am I dying, doc?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

She knew she was off the hook then. Ashe didn’t even mind when he tossed the bouquet into the bin just inside his office. Were she to be honest, she knew there was no saving them. Surely it was the thought that counted.

“I love you!” She chirped, seizing his arm in hers. “Can I have a kiss?”

“Try taking me on this date first.”

[gatheredfates]

Gelato - What’s your most traumatizing food experience?

Can I say the fish for Ashe or is that cheating?

[gatheredfates]

12:00 | ashley hawke

Do you want to read all of my FFXIVWrite prompts? You can do that here!

CHECK. inspect or examine thoroughly | another word for tick A sort of natural continuation / conclusion to this prompt. I did not intend it, but it's very cute.

“Have you got the keys?”

A familiar pat of her left pocket gave a jingle in return.

“Check!”

“Gil?”

“Back pocket.” She didn’t try to make it obvious she reached there, but he’d know. He’d know.

“Bill?”

“Paid! I can at least remember that much, Shiro.” 

She watched his lips curl into a mischievous smile.

“You did lock us out last time —”

“Shut up — that was one, no… that was two times! And one time, might I add, Poki was s’posed to be home. That wasn’t specifically my fault. I can at least remember to pay a waiter for their trouble.”

Ashe knew this because she had tipped the waiter for their trouble, realising they held her table far longer than needed, and thanked them profusely for their service. Now they walked back to the Company hand in hand, the dimmed night-lights illuminating their way back to the grand house, rehearsing the same old lines repeated over and over in play. She was glad they were able to get out; glad to see Shiro relax for the first time in some weeks, unburdened by the work that drew dark circles under his eyes. She swore she could feel the exhaustion in his fingers, and she most certainly knew the tension that drew itself across his shoulders like a bowstring.

They enjoyed their work, mutually so — he might complain about his patients, but his irritation was less of their injuries and more how they got them — but she would be full glad to return to Costa Del Sol. The sea and sun would do wonders for them both.

“Did you have fun?” She asked after a beat, peering down at him. Shiro let out a yawn, covering his mouth with his hand as he leaned his weight into her side.

“Yeah, it was good fun.”

“I’m really glad.”