#Runaan’s Moonstrider)

[themistdragon]

*smooch*

[antaresjgj]

ちょっとしたらくがき

[halyasgirl]

If I had to guess, I think Callum will immediately fly for Katolis in season 7, but if he is there for Runaan's fuller debrief...

Rayla: So... when I said Ethari was waiting for you, what I meant was, he thinks you're dead and has for the past two years.

Runaan: *pulling on literally the first shirt he can find and scrambling east toward the Silvergrove*

Rayla: ...And I'm Ghosted, and if you try to go home you may be too.

Runaan: *stares at her in horror*

Rayla: But we're not alone! We have Callum! He saved you! He's a ~mage~

(Runaan has not gotten the memo on humans and magic. Callum is also dressed exactly like Viren, and, to Runaan's eyes, looks just like the man who tortured and imprisoned him. Runaan is one wrong move away from snapping)

Callum: Hi, we've met. ...When you broke into our castle... to kill my family...

Runaan:

Callum: Also I pawned your husband's wedding ring and accidentally killed your dog. Is this a bad time to tell you I'm dating your daughter?

Runaan (holding it together only through years of honed self-control): *turns stiffly and walks into the trees. Moments later a flock of birds fly out, disturbed by a completely unrelated scream that rings through the woods*

[hazieash]

Runaan getting a moonstrider puppy for his birthday <3

[zuppizup]

Really hope Ethari isn’t waiting for the shadowpaw and the moonstrider to come back…

[that-disabled-princess]

Feliz Día de Muertos!

It's my first time celebrating; I wanted to honor someone who was very dear to me. I also sketched a small ofrenda that I think Ethari would put up for Runaan.

[ID: A Day of the Dead alter with two tiers. In the center of the bottom tier is a large sketch of Runaan. Next to it is a smaller sketch of Runaan and Ethari embracing. Along the bottom tier are candles, marigolds, moonberry surprise, a bowl of beige bittersquash, a jeweled mouse, a songbird, a heartbloom flower, a wilting leaf, a moon opal, and two stim toys. On the top tier is a moonstrider plushie, a picnic basket, Ethari's scarf, a lotus flower, more marigolds, and another candle. /end ID]

[ask-runaan-anything]

do you miss Rayla?

Thanks to the bleeding edge capabilities of dark magic coins, it is possible to miss someone and be tormented by their memory at the same time.

Of course I miss her. I hope she's doing better in the real world than she is in my nightmares.

[apogean-tides]

Ethari: Love, what's wrong? Runaan, sobbing, as he tries to pet all the baby moonstriders: I don’t have enough hands…

[sunstone-nerding]

Nice!

The world ender's comeback

[themistdragon]

First meeting of lifelong friends <3

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Suffer.

[hoothalcyon]

Runaan's de-coining is coming soon, and it's just making everything revolving around him so much more real. Like:

Seriously injured his arm and will most likely lose it, thus severely impairing him

His Moonstrider died

His best friends had been coined, thus informing him that he (and the rest of the Silvergrove) were wrong and did something that is probably irreparable based on this decision

He doesn't know where Ethari is/if he's okay

Rayla is completely different; even if this is for the better, it's still a big change

The very being he said was "worse than death" is going to be/is free from his centuries old prison

and probably more lmao

So, yeah.

[dragonprince-imagines]

Could you do relationship hc’s for Runaan and Ethari with a shared S/O?🥺🥺

You can hardly remember a time the three of you weren’t together. Running through Silvergrove as children, playing at being warriors. Meeting up in a meadow after dark, passing around a bottle of illicitly-acquired moonberry moscato as teens and commiserating over your respective apprenticeships. Finally slipping silver cuffs over each others’ horns, making a promise words could never encapsulate.

Your life together is soft and slow. The same days bleed into the same nights, full of quiet conversations in the night air, morning strolls through the market, and your beloved daughter’s endless entertainment.

Runaan is known throughout Xadia, the best assassin in all the land. Ethari is invaluable to Silvergrove, the smith who forges the sharpest weapons and twists wire into the most delicate jewelry. And you? Perhaps you tame the moonstriders and shadowpaws. You may be the head of the mage’s faction. The three of you are the envy of all.

Until the night the lotuses sink. One by one, you watch them sink and their lights dim. Ram, Scor, Andromeda, Callisto, and finally Runaan. The world stops spinning. The stars stop shining. You and Ethari are rarely seen outside, and when you are nobody knows quite what to say so they say nothing.

It’s not until you stroll down to the pool to watch Rayla’s lotus, all you have left, that you see a light begin to flicker and rise in the water. You and Ethari sob in each other’s arms all night for relief—guilt for the other assassins, but relief nonetheless—and for the first time in a long time the stars look bright.

[zuppizup]

“Do you know where Stella found it?”

“I have no idea where Stella finds most of the stuff she’s “acquired”.”

“What do you want to do about it?”

“What can we do? It’s not like Stella can tell me where the wee one’s mother is.”

“So, you want to keep it?”

Rayla finally looked up from the wriggling bundle in her lap, seeming confused by his question. “You don’t want to keep it?”

“I didn’t say that.” Callum sat next to her, trying to get a better look at the squirming pink ball. “When Soren said you’d got a baby “moony” animal, I thought it was going to be a shadowpaw kitten.”

“You don’t like moonstriders?” Rayla’s face fell a little as she hugged the little creature closer to her chest.

“I, well-” Callum sighed, reaching out and stroking its back only for it to squeal loudly and push itself closer to Rayla. “I guess I think they don’t like me. Or shadowpaws prefer me-”

“It’s a wee puppy, Callum. All she likes right now is milk and sleeping.”

“She likes you well enough.”

“Are you saying I’m not usually likeable?” Rayla teased as he rolled his eyes. “She probably just feels my moon energy. Might feel a bit more like her mama than you.”

“I guess.”

“Here, you hold her.” Rayla shuffled closer to him, passing the wriggling moonstrider puppy into his arms.

She cried and called out before Rayla even took her hands away.

———

“Hey, sorry I’m late, training ran over,” Rayla called out as she hurried inside their room. “Soren-”

She stopped suddenly, surprised to see Callum asleep on their couch. As usual, he was snoring softly, his mouth a little open, a hint of drool on his bottom lip... and the moonstrider puppy fast asleep across his chest.

- Rayllum fluffy prompts to cheer me up.

Rayllum “acquiring” a puppy/kitten prompt suggestion by @thedizzydinosaur and @leftboob

Love those memes of the bf not wanting the animal but then is the best dad to the animal. I feel like Callum would still be haunted by his first experience with a Moonstrider. Runaan’s going to want this one, isn’t he? And ain’t no way Callum is giving his baby up now.

[that-disabled-princess]

Prompt from @hoothalcyon: "the stages of runaan opening up to ethari enough to start to unmask"

The quickest way to a man's heart is infodumping.

Tags: neurodivergent ruthari, disabled ruthari, getting together, first dates, infodumping, tiny bit of angst

~~

Ethari said yes to a date with him. Ethari Ethari. The craftsman apprentice. 

Runaan paces his bedroom as he chooses his outfit, a pile of discarded clothes slowly growing on his bed.

Style over comfort, wouldn’t want to make a bad impression. The knee support sleeve will do today instead of the brace. Don’t forget your compression gloves.

Don’t stim. Keep your hands still when talking. Be polite. Make eye contact. Watch your tone; Lain is always reminding you of that one.

Lain was the one who introduced Runaan to Ethari in the first place. He and Tiadrin knew him from a project they did together, and invited him into their friend group. Runaan was wary of the change, but his friends said nothing but good things about Ethari, so Runaan was willing to give the change a try.

And now they’re going on an actual date.

He doesn’t know enough about Ethari to feel comfortable unmasking. So far, they only interact when Runaan goes to him for weapons, or when Ethari comes down to the training field to make notes.

Don’t fidget with your cane. And whatever you do, do not infodump.

Taking a deep breath, Runaan pulls on the clothes he’s decided on—a long-sleeve blue crop top and pants with thigh slits—and throws open his door. 

He grabs his cane and bag, and leaves for his date.

~

The date is going well. Runaan smiles and nods as Ethari talks about his work, interjecting in all the right places. He can’t talk about his work. Ethari wouldn’t stay if he remembered he could lose Runaan at any moment. If he realized he would have to risk heartbreak every day.

Besides, murder isn’t exactly a romantic first date topic.

Ethari laughs at something Runaan says about magical gems, and Runaan smiles, subconsciously wiggling his hips a little.

“What’s your favorite type of gem to work with?”

“Oh, how could I pick? They’re all so good for different things and have so many different uses! Some are better for weaponry” —Ethari winks at Runaan, who blushes— “others are better for home items, and others still are good for adding something extra to jewelry! And that’s not to mention their magical properties! My favorite would have to be ocean aquamarines, though; they’re harder to come by around here, but produce the most beautiful magic. Moon and ocean magic work so well together—I mean, the moon and the ocean themselves work in harmony! I’d love to get my hands on a rock from the moon one day...”

Runaan is full-on stimming now, rocking back and forth, recognizing this as infodumping.

Moon, that’s attractive.

“What would you do with a moon rock?”

“I would compare it to a moon opal and see how it reacts with it. And see how my arcanum reacts to it, that would be fascinating! If we can connect to the moon when it’s thousands of miles away, imagine how we would react if we had a piece of it right here with us! Imagine the magical properties!”

Ethari pauses, struggling to catch his breath. He’s breathing heavily as he reaches into his bag for what Runaan recognizes as something that helps check your heart rate.

He isn’t the only one with an emergency medical bag.

For the first time, Runaan also notices the cane resting by Ethari’s feet.

All the revelations about Ethari today make Runaan feel more comfortable. He relaxes as he realizes that Ethari is just like him.

~

They drag out the walk back to Runaan’s place as long as their bodies let them, Runaan infodumping about moonstriders.

They’re holding hands. Runaan’s heart flutters every time Ethari runs his thumb along the back of his hand. 

“Moonstriders are amazing creatures, aren’t they?”

“They are! And they’re fiercely loyal once you bond with them.”

Runaan blinks when he realizes they’ve reached his house. He turns to Ethari. 

“Thank you for walking me home. I would love to do this again.”

“Me too! Same time next week?”

Runaan smiles. “Sure.”

He rocks back and forth, unable to express what he wants. He’s not even sure what he wants.

Ethari lets go of Runaan’s hand and raises his hand to Runaan’s face, watching him for any sign of hesitation.

“Can I kiss you?”

Runaan answers by leaning in, Ethari meeting him halfway as Runaan slides his arm around Ethari’s waist. Their canes clink together, and Runaan drops his to bring his second hand up to Ethari’s neck.

It’s a chaste kiss, soft. Runaan moans softly when Ethari’s thumb brushes his ear.

Runaan only draws back when Ethari starts swaying where he stands.

“Are you alright?”

“Um...” His eyes are unfocused as he brings his hand from Runaan’s cheek to his temple. “I... need to sit down.”

“Come inside. I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Okay.”

Runaan picks up his cane and unlocks his front door, letting Ethari in.

[ask-runaan-anything]

What was it like with your moonshrider when they were a baby?

Lachir was a perfect little angel baby who has never done anything wrong ever. She loves me most, as she should, and she begrudgingly puts up with everyone else.

As she should.

When she was brand new, she would nuzzle up under my hair while I was sleeping and make an absolute nest of it. And I was soft enough to let her, because she made the cutest sleep sounds right in my ear.

The trouble is, now that she's fully grown, she still assumes she can fit under my ponytail when I lie down. I have tried instructing her about physics and mass, but she's very good at pretending she does not see things that do not benefit her - I have no idea where she gets this irritable habit from!

Anyway. If she finds me catching my breath on the ground during training, she will stuff her nose under my hair and assume that she fits. And her whuffing noises are still cute.