#Old things have strange hungers

[faebound]

Celine & Ada

@voxdaemonica​

The fall out of the tournament had certainly lead to an unsurprisingly hectic week. Ada had barely slept, working tirelessly alongside Lucien to ensure the safety and security of their people in the following days, months, even years should it come to that. Crowd control had been a vital thing, thankful in such circumstances that their pack was a tight knit as it was. They shared an invisible boundary with the hunter’s headquarters after all, the last thing anyone needed was a rouge group of warriors allowing anger to take their senses.  

It wasn’t until the dust finally began to settle and she was confident they had their house in order, that her mind wondered to analytical contemplation. She likely never would understand this need their king had felt to interconnected with Night, but they were allies now. If they simply sat back and did nothing after such a spectacle, it would paint them in a light of undependability...The evening had been one she’d committed to memory, a useful commodity that usually accompanied an ability to impartially comb through faces and events -- There was just one slight problem on this occasion it seemed. Positively loathing how every so often her mind would drift to Celine in the process, derailing thoughts entirely. 

She hadn’t seen her since their little entanglement during the tournament, and Ada knew her well enough to know she would have been positively ecstatic about jumping into the fray they had caused that night...The third-in-command had killed a couple hunters of her own, it surely could not have been without its losses on their part. Celine may have been the most capable human she’d ever met, but the notion still gnawed at her, and that was perhaps what agitated her most. 

She did. not. care. If anything, the deficit of that infuriating blonde would only serve to make her life far easier -- So why could she not seem to shake such unproductive rumination from her thoughts? 

It was a frustration that had her culminating deep within Cloverwood, a need to clear her head as Tíre & Anluan padded softly beside her. Ada would have even shifted to join them, had the metallic tang of blood not swept over her heightened senses. A stag’s blood, if she were to hazard a guess. It was a macabre message she knew all too well, given the kills Celine had stolen from her in the past. A sense of relief thoroughly ignored as she decided to follow the fresh trail it left in its wake right to the blonde in question. The huntress was strong, but she was still human, and a kill of that size lead to breaks. Premeditative eyes surveyed the clearing momentarily, an ambush was quite frankly the last thing Ada felt like dealing with. “I mean this in the most....offensive way possible.” She stated simply, a brief pausing following suit as she stepped from the tree-line while her wolves took it upon themselves to start eating the hunter’s kill. “What, the fuck, are your people thinking, Celine?” 

[ofmcxie]

If there was one thing Ada was good at, it was sin in all it’s forms. Being a gay woman since the thirteen-hundreds, her entire existence had been deemed as such during the backwards time period -- and it was something she’d leaned into willingly. Perhaps even exaggerated a little, purely to spite them all. As she first entered the Inferno, all done out in it’s diabolically delicious glory, the vampire couldn’t seem to help but feel at ease there. It was her scene; truly. Satisfied as the cat who caught the canary and smirking just the same at all the lingerie clad girls flitting about. Tonight was going to be fun. Her first stop before she’d begin exploring the rooms was the bar, ordering an Old Fashioned and turning to rest her forearms on the countertop. Leaning in slightly to whomever was closest, Ada supposed there was no harm in some small talk before engaging in the night’s festivities. “So, have you wondered into any of those rooms yet? Any recommendations?”  

[faebound]

Location: Cloverwood Forest.  Open to anyone. 

There were occasions, even if they were very rare occurrences, where Ada simply grew weary of being inside her own head. With a mind built for warring and variable strategy, the military adviser would often find herself running over some ‘what-if’ scenario or another. Like a game of chess as it were, though infinitely more complex, with all the courts and humans alike rendering it multifaceted. She didn’t know them; didn’t know their weaknesses, had never seen them in battles - It was perhaps what irked her most. They were supposed to trust these people with their questionable loyalties and strenuous bonds that she fully believed could turn around and stab you in the back just as soon as they would willingly forge alliances...All while the human resistance evolved and grew bold in their unchecked shadows.    

Ada had always prided herself on her control, in every faucet of her life; entropy pressing outwards from inside her chest was hardly new, but the fact she couldn’t quite seem to quell it had her erring on the side of caution. When she got like this, she knew it was always better to be alone -- Or as alone as she ever was, given the large pair of wolves prowling along beside her. 

It was an entirely rare thing for her to do, to allow her thoughts a moment of peace as she wandered barefoot through the vast forrest. The soft pull of the sun’s rays breaking through the canopy and rapidly dwindling background noise making it just a little easier to breathe. She had paused in a small clearing, eyes closed and head tilted towards the sun as she tried to focus on nothing but the warmth licking across her honeyed skin. Enjoying the fleeting moment of respite, or at least, what she had thought to have been such. Tíre & Anluan’s low growls briefly disturbing the tranquility as they slowly began to stalk around the now obvious presence a little ways from the tree-line. “You know, it’s unwise to wander this forest alone, who knows what vicious beasts you might run into...”

[faebound]

@wickedgxmes

Ada hardly cared much for the Highwinds Tournaments any more. She’d understood the appeal in her youth; a way to stretch her wings, bare her teeth and prove her might against the best Astralis had to offer. It had once even given her a sense of pride to win. Evidence justifying that she deserved to be where she was in life, that she amounted to more than just a pretty face -- The lupine fae had grown much since such juvenile notions clouded her judgment. Now, she used the event for a different form of insight entirely.    

Her kin and humans alike really did go all out in such trails after all, and it was always wonderfully informative to watch. Ada was wandering the city with such thoughts still fresh in her mind as she happened upon the Autumn Court’s royal advisor. Her relationship with the women perhaps a relatively terse one built on mutual distrust, but she always reserved a certain level of respect for those who shared her views of earned certitude. “I must admit, I was unsure if the Tournament would go ahead this year given recent events. Was there much to change in way of preparation?” 

[faebound]

Iris & Ada

@theartofruling

There always was something about unadulterated violence that served to bring out an individual’s true colours. A way to dig to the very core of a person’s being, rip away any and all pretence, and see just how far they were willing to go in order to survive. The anarchy that befell the tournament had been a frenzied one, but it had also served a purpose she’d never thought needed. A chance to see exactly what others were capable of. Those that held back during the events, those skilled in magics -- And those that when the chips were down, would simply run and cower.  

It had been an intriguing turn of events, one that every so often drifted through her mind even now. The Dawn Court never was a retinue she felt she could place trust in. There were far too many snakes in that autumnal grass laying in wait for her liking, but even so, she was never one to pass up a visit with an old friend. She had almost made it to the noble district when she happened upon a vaguely familiar visage. Walking over before her senses caught up and acknowledged it wasn’t in fact Cressida she’d be faced with. “I would say I’m surprise to see you here, but your mother inexplicitly mentioned a return to your father’s Court.” Ada offered in way of greeting, a faint smirk clinging to the corner of her lips. “The tiara suites you, princess.”  

[faebound]

Daphne & Ada

@gvldntrbl

As much as Ada begrudged to admit it, times of conflict and uncertainty would always be where she thrived. Being the hight of polite society when called upon for such falsities was often necessary, but invisible battlegrounds and strategics were far more perspicuous to her. The only aspect currently souring her mood to some extent was that it’d been Gabriel who had fallen prey to some mortal’s blade. They’d affiliated themselves with Night for a reason, and yet a single human had turned around and made them look weak.

Still, there were some advantages to unity she supposed. Mainly the increase of resources and power that could be derived from having a common enemy in the Resistance -- Should the nobles ever feel the need to get their heads out of their own asses long enough to acknowledge such. It had to start somewhere though, she was certainly guilty of her own trepidations when it came to those of other Courts. With such notions still fresh in her mind, she was perhaps a little more forward than usual when happening upon a somewhat familiar face. Sleep deprivation and the promise of alcohol was an odd mix indeed. “Daphne, is it?” She questioned upon approach, not the only group to be spending a night in nurtural territory it seemed. “I wished to thank you. Your aid with some of the pups after the fallout of the tournament did not go unnoticed.” They had many capable healers of their own of course, but this one had been needlessly kind. “I was wondering if you might join me for a drink? I know I could certainly use one, and the tavern isn’t far.”  

[faebound]

@dcsireful

Given recent events, it was proving more difficult than Ada cared for to categorise the exact motivations that must have prompted the Autumn Court to host such a tournament. Stupidity, arrogance, an outwards display of resilience - Arguments could be made for many such notions. The lupine fae had to admit she was curious, an interest in witnessing the lengths they would go just to prove their mettle once more. It was an act, of that much she was certain, but they were wonderfully devious in their make-believe all the same. Most even seemed to be falling for it. 

The place was practically thrumming with activity, gossip over the competitors and allied groups alike filling the streets in the form of hushed whispers and brash bets. It was the main reasons she had left her wolves back at her lodgings, blending in was always far easier when leaning into her nymph blood and alone. Still, there was only so much she could take before she began to grow restless. Never one for confined spaces, the noirette soon found herself wandering into some noble acreage -- The very same grounds that also seemed to house a familiar, Autumn affiliated duchess to boot. “Just a slight forewarning, darling.” Ada all but purred as she walked up behind the high fae, any guards in the vicinity suddenly snapping to attention. “If this is your frequented sanctuary, you might wish to invest in better security.”

[faebound]

@covrtofnightmares​

It was a rare occurrence to find Ada without her wolves. Perhaps the only exception for such falling under requests from those she cared about -- Or when wandering into the den of their Wolf King. It simply never felt needed on those occasions, and they always seemed perfectly content left to their own devices regardless. She was the one that had trained them for far more than their intended purpose after all. She moved with a blasé sort of purpose, a clear destination in mind even if she was perfectly fine taking the scenic route to reach it. The military advisor bumped into many of their pack along the way. The tensions and worries in such individuals at least malleable enough that a few choice words were enough to ease such unrest.              

Eventually making it to her intended objective, she gave a smile in greeting as she walked up to the lupine fae. “The provisions we discussed have been made -- I’ve also taken the liberty of putting a pair of our most trusted assassins to work for the sole purpose of highlighting any weaknesses in our defences at large. Both for ourselves and the Garden.” The Night Court was not her priority, even if it was potentially seen as such to the King. She had worked alongside their general civilly enough to bring about the arrangements agreed upon by her Alpha and his High Lord respectively, but she would no go out of her way to work on their defences when she could be tightening those for her own. 

“Though you know I always welcome your input, should you have happened to have any other thoughts on the matter in my absence?” The fae added, taking a seat on one of the many plush chairs within the interior as she made herself comfortable. A contemplation weighing on her mind she simply couldn’t seem to shake. “...Just how much do you truly trust this night Lord, Lucien?” She interjected after a moments pause, words fairly quiet compared to those previously offered, before they gave way to explanation. “I’d follow you to certain death, you know that, and i’m not questioning your decision if you feel it best for us -- But these courts are in disarray, and now more than ever it feels as though they’re spearheading us into some civil war we need not be involved in. Not with the humans growing so bold.” 

[ofmcxie]

@rosaxlunar​

It had been a week since she’s made it back from those underground holding cells. Five whole weeks since the event and raid that had seemed to shake the entirety of Amsterdam to it’s very core. Even certain members the light alliance seemed to be second guessing themselves if her information was correct, but that was simply a pathetic notion to her. They’d made their beds, and the assassin wouldn’t discriminate when it came to the retribution she hoped for. 

The first thing she’d done when she’d returned was to ask after the people she knew to have been with her. The only individuals she’d found and aided in escape being flukes whilst looking for those who had any form of tie to her. She’d been told Rosalia was alright and she believed it, from a physical stand point at least. That she’d made it back and safe before they’d been moved to more permeant holdings after their initial rounds of questioning...It was perhaps the reason she’d stayed away as long as she did. Unsure what to say or how to even go about the conversation that would inevitably come up when they first made contact again. 

It had been her fault, and while she didn’t shoulder that particular blame lightly, she had wanted to ensure she was in the right frame of mind to deal with any of the anger or guilt that would no doubt be thrown her way -- The bruising and scars hadn’t exactly aided in her resolve either, even with her enhanced healing capabilities they were taking far longer to fade than she cared for...Still, at least she now looked a little more presentable; lingering things, remnants of a once was as opposed to deep and angry looking. Ada couldn’t put it off forever, and even then she’d simply reached the point of needing to see the fallen angel with her own eyes -- She’d reached the Inferno easily enough, taking a breath and collecting herself before knocking on the familiar villa door. After everything, the last thing she wanted to do was simply walk in and startle her. 

[ofmcxie]

@naturenocturne

Ada never had been a creature to be pitied, and she felt that lately more than usual. It had been fifteen hours since she’d reached the Black Dahlia, half of which Ada was fairly certain she’d spent in the shower. Sleep escaped her, and in the end the tick of her side clock had become so unbearable she’d simply smashed it against her bedroom wall. She didn’t need sleep anyway. She was angry, her mind pacing like a caged animal -- and it took everything in her not to simply go on a mindless rampage throughout the city. All those precious humans and little mutts that thought themselves safe under their alliance; she wanted to tear into them all...raze the city and have the streets run red with coalition blood. Show them her people weren’t to be fucked with.  

Their king was more subtle though, and she trusted his judgment. Trusted that when the time came, he’d call on her to be a part of it, and then she could get some real revenge. She learnt it had been a month. A month since she’d been taken to those underground holdings...And four of the longest weeks in her long existence, that was for damn sure. It was an odd sensation for Ada to feel as though she didn’t want to be alone, and an even stranger one to act on it. What she wanted to do was go and find Rosa, or Lucille, or honestly anyone she actually wanted to see...but she didn’t trust herself with them yet. She was was just too. fucking. angry. and as much as she was loathed to admit it, there was only one place she could turn when she got like this. 

It didn’t take her long to reach the Inferno’s villas. Knocking on the door of a particular blonde angel to boot. Her relationship with Celine was complex at best, and while yes they completely hated each other, she also knew the angel to be the one person she could truly take things out on. The one that didn’t care about feelings, the one that wouldn’t give her any pity...and the one that she could honestly hurt without any underlying guilt. She simply -- needed to take whatever the hell this was out on something that she knew could take it, and if the actual event had been any indication, there was no one like Celine for that. Ada knew it was the early hours of the morning, but it still took the blonde longer than she cared for to open the door. Not caring to even say anything at all as she caught her lips in a bruising kiss, pinning her up against the closest surface as one hand wrapped around her throat while the other tangled in her hair. She hoped it would be enough for Celine to get the message, but then, the older woman certainly never liked to make things easy, did she.            

[ofmcxie]

@sangue-e-luce​

Ada had been, for lack of a better word, starving since her escape and subsequent return to the Black Dahlia. Two and half weeks was enough time for a vampire to go without blood as it was, and given the copious amounts that had been bled from her system, the resulting hunger had almost been unbearable. She hadn’t visited the Red Ruby right away, instead going on a hunt of her own. Draining a few insignificant but known members of the coalition dry in an attempted to quench her thirst - and perhaps her anger, but that was beside the point. It had sated it somewhat, now back to feeding for pleasure rather than some primal need whenever the mood arose. 

She pulled away from the neck of a pretty little thing currently sat in her lap when she heard someone wondering over. Not expecting to see Brayden of all people, even if this was his domain. Tilting her head slightly, she licked the blood from her lips before addressing him. “Well isn’t this a welcome surprise. I heard about who you lost in the raid...I do hope you found your precious kitten safe and sound at least?”

[ofmcxie]

Plot drop 01 || Ada’s Self Para.

Ada Rhodes was nothing if not a patient woman. She could spin her web, twist her words, bide her time...the ditsy, placid persona worked every now and then, and that coupled with a few crocodile tears had been easy enough to keep up during the initial rounds of questioning. They’d been brutal, but it hadn’t been torture for her; and she’d learnt some names at that. It was perhaps her confidence that would be her downfall. The way she had decided to stay put rather than getting out when it was easier, or how she hardly put up any resistance when they were taken somewhere new...   

It wasn’t like this was her first time dealing with such things anyway. She’d been captured before, though that had always on purpose - Sometimes, the easiest way to reach a mark that was deemed unreachable was to meet them in chains. People always gave more away when they were doing the interrogating. The power trip that came with it lead to an arrogance that was unparalleled...Ada had tried to treat this like any other one of those times. Silently planning the fastest escape route that also incorporated killing the most of her assailants in the process during quite moments -- The problem was, there wasn’t many. 

She felt as though she wouldn’t get five minutes in the holding cells before rounds would be switched and someone would be on her again. They asked about everything, about how she knew Rosalia which...honestly she felt like pointing out should be pretty fucking obvious given how they were caught. About her king and Luca and Raphael and all of it. Ada would consistently fain ignorance, and it wasn’t an outright lie for the most part, but she also began to lose all track of time; disorientation kicking in alongside the thirst for blood and it became harder and harder to keep up the act...In the end, she’d yielded somewhat, loosing her temper when a vile little human started getting too handsy for her taste, hearing the satisfying crunch of bone as her foot had made contact with his knee. A dislocation and break in one, and while she didn’t regret it, she knew that meant her depict was forfeit slightly.    

It was like they cranked up the pressure after that, the torture became more and more prominent than a need for her response. The copious amount of lost blood with no means to replenish it not helping her hunger in the slightest, and the very fucking nerve that she had humans doing such things to her whilst under normal circumstances she could tear them apart. There were two names in particular that came up more than others. Feliks, a vampire nonetheless who didn’t deserve to call himself such. And Kana, a burly human who thought himself so tough only while she couldn’t reach him...The main two of which she silently plotted only the most agonising of deaths for as they’d come at her with their own ideas of torture. 

She was unsure how long she was there, but even with everything else going on, she still managed to keep one modicum of wit about her. She figured out the patrol patterns and changes, what guards were stationed where and exactly how long she’d be left in holding on the rare occasions she was. Being and assassin did have it’s perks after all, lock-picking was a speciality, keeping to the shadows even more so. She wasn’t some innocent little creature with no bite. She’d purposely pissed off her last interrogator, the wolf hitting her so hard the chair she was tied to had fallen on it’s side...but it had been enough for her to pick up the scalpel she’d noticed on the floor. 

She hadn’t done anything about it there and then, well aware others would have been watching if the one-way glass was any indication. Instead, she’d let them drag her back to her cell, before using said scalpel to cut through the back panel and the wiring of the keypad locking her in. It wasn’t as difficult after that. Keeping to the shadows, staying quiet, making plenty of choice kills for key cards that involved snapping necks and draining humans -- she didn’t want wolves to pick up on the scent of blood after all. She lost track of how long she wondering through the place looking for Lucille, or Rosalia...or anyone in her position really, it was perhaps the one occasion she wouldn’t discriminate. In the end, she’d had to give up on finding the former two at least if she ever hoped to escape, simply praying to anything that would listen that they were safe, that they’d gotten out -- And if not she’d come back for them, there would be no questioning that. Ada had reached the exit doors with some rebellion mutt in tow just as the alarms had started blaring, and she’d ran. She ran and she didn’t stop running until she reached civilisation, luckily still finding herself in Amsterdam. 

She’d stolen a coat and some shoes from the closes vendor she could find, certainly not planning to walk around the city in her underwear, even if she didn’t care about the bruisings and fresh scars littering her skin. She’d tried to at least wash some of the dried blood and grime from her face in a public rest room before she reached the Black Dahlia, wanting to look a little presentable or at least, enough not to get any stranger looks than usual. Ada had briefly contemplated not going back with the notion of potentially being tracked, but she was confident in the knowledge she hadn’t been. Of that, she could be certain. The vampire kept her head down, walking until she happened upon one of Gabriel’s familiar servants, grabbing them by the arm, and demanding an audience with their king... 

[ofmcxie]

@sangue-e-luce​

Ada’s experience with the blood dolls this evening had been second to none. She could always rely on a certain monsieur of the night bring the highest quality to events such as this, but even by his usual standards, the vampire was pleasantly surprised. Kat had been her latest little tryst of the evening, but Ada had no doubt it wouldn’t be her last. Brushing her thumb against the corner of her lip to wipe the last of the blood there, she’d honed in on the man with ease. “Well, you’ve certainly outdone yourself with the selection you brought to this little soirée tonight, Brayden. I’m thoroughly impressed, darling.” 

[faebound]

Robin & Ada

@theartofruling

The Wild Hunt, and the Garden. It was only thing Ada had cared about in the initial fallout of all that chaos. While Night may have been allied to them, they had a capable general of their own, and she would not waste the resources at their disposal on those who would barely benefit. A military advisor was nothing if not adaptable after all, and a need to think on her feet in the short term had at least allowed her to flex those old muscles usually reserved for battlefields.

Orders had been set in motion. Warriors working as cohesive units in a verity of tasks while the Courts still fought over their old wounds, ignoring the very real threat the resistance possessed entirely. Ada would be the last to deny the appeal of a good fight, but she was not so foolish. A swift and sharp retribution when so many had anger clouding their judgement would not bode well, and it was Night they had targeted -- If anything, she would wait on their response, and aid if needed. The lupine fae had been conversing with a handful of scouts when Robin came into view. The easy familiarity that accompanied the huntress was no small thing, and Ada found herself pulled to the sense of brief respite she possessed. “Well this is a welcome surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure, darling?”