#adina st carmine

[arealcrow]

citadel rooftops

~600 words, d&d (radiant citadel)

Adina flees a tense conversation.

Adina can’t hear anything but his own blood rushing in his ears. Or maybe it’s the sound of the wind whipping past him as he darts from rooftop to rooftop. Some part of his brain is distantly aware of his limbs moving, pushing him forward and ever higher, but clear thoughts are fleeting in the haze of adrenaline. He wants to leap and bite and tear, to satisfy his need for fight and flight in one sharp flurry, but the thought of causing more damage than he’s already been the source of today keeps him on the run. He only stops when he finds a perch that he can’t see the rest of the citadel from, like the tiled roof is an island in the fog of the Ethereal Plane. 

He goes through the motions of setting Goldbiter down- the dragon had stayed curled around his shoulders as he’d fled- and finding a dark corner to hide in. Shadows he could disappear into. With nothing to distract himself, the thoughts just keep rushing through his mind like blood from a fresh wound. Leaking, messy, and all together too red with violence.

What was just a glimpse in a crystal ball takes life in his panicked and spiraling thoughts, a clash of blades turned into a calamitous conflict. By now, he’d memorized the way that Micah brought that sword down on his foes. It was all too easy for him to imagine the dark blade swinging towards him, fuming with smoky malice. Would he manage to dodge out of the way in time, or deflect with his own blade? Would he have the will to strike back? Would he have the will to do what it takes to win the fight? Could he?

The thought wrenches a shaky gasp of distress out of him, and he realizes there are hot tears streaming down his face. One gasp leads to another- it’s not long until he’s dissolved into hyperventilating sobs. He goes to wipe the tears, warm and wet like Micah’s blood on his hands, and the pressure on his chest tightens like a vice.

He’s curled himself into the corner he’d found, with his wings wrapped protectively around himself. The tight configuration is no challenge for Goldbiter to squirm his way into, poking his head into the first gap he finds and insistently pushing forward until Adina makes space for him. He settles on Adina's chest, a warm weight that the tiefling shifts to accommodate.

“I don’t want to hurt them,” he whispers shakily to the pseudodragon, in Draconic hisses, “Any of them.” Some sharp part of him had wanted to snap, to say that none of it was his problem. He hadn’t been able to- to hurt people he cared about even more. He squeezes his eyes shut against the tears that still flow unbidden, though he finds no relief in it. The image of Juni and Micah’s upset faces as he fled the tower are burned into the back of his eyelids.

Goldbiter presses his snout into the space under Adina’s chin, responding with a comforting rumble that continues past the tears finally subsiding.

—

“Try to actually hit it, this time,” Adina shouts down to Micah, his usual taunt when he’s trying to get a rise out of the harengon in combat.

The blow that Micah then delivers is nothing short of brutal- a single swing that brings the gargoyle to its demise. It’s an impressive hit, and Adina’s enjoyment of well wielded violence is almost enough to distract himself from nagging thoughts of being on the other end of that sword. Goldbiter must be able to feel the spike in his pulse, as he feels a gentle nip at the tip of his ear a few seconds later. 

“‘s okay, I’m good,” he murmurs, half reassuring Biter and half reassuring himself.

[humblegoatart]

daily sketch 2023 || feb 12th

more radiant citadel card work. our resident problematic fav, adina st. carmine

[arealcrow]

Adina 🦇 - 1, 07, 10, 12, 13

01. Full name:

Adina Romulus Mariam Dimitri St. Carmine romulus was his uncle who died before he was born, mariam was great uncle, and dimitri was his grandfather. all from mother's side, all dead before his birth.

07. Turn-ons:

hmm people who are bigger than him or have an otherwise commanding aura.. there's also a trend of fire and/or draconic theming with a lot of the people he's attracted to. also loves being pampered, given gifts, and lots of attention ofc

10. Favorite music:

whatever his sister is playing <3

12. Biggest fantasy:

to break his mom out of jail , rebuild his family's criminal empire, and pay off the infernal debts they've accrued. this is all one fantasy, in which he imagines himself back in the st carmine estate, having drinks with his friends in the den after dinner

13. Bad habits:

feeding goldbiter bites of his food. baby dragon is so spoiled. also, i have a bad habit of forgetting to use his hellish rebuke in combat. idt ive ever used it lmao

[arealcrow]

For Adina, lawrie pierce moody, and Leslie!

Background, Secret, and End!

stirring them up in my chili pot where they have been cooking all day. delicious

Background: Does your PC get up to anything that you don't narrate often? Any background habits, activities, plots? Do you share these through other avenues (e.g. a group chat, table cross-talk, posting online)?

adina: he does So much, most of it stays in my head because its very basic stuff like taking care of goldbiter, mending his clothes, training during downtime to keep up his reflexes. also there's some patron stuff that happens behind the scenes, less so now that he put most of his cards on the table last session. ive written about the aftermath of his last soul collection, im sure he'll talk about it/it'll come back to bite him in the ass at some point.

lawrie: similar stuff as adina where i think about his working on his armor and his sword, taking care of pepper. now thats hes spent a decent amount of time in wildspace he has nightmares most nights, and weird dreams on the nights he doesnt. ive been meaning to write smth about it, but ive still only got vague vibes for what's going on with his patron/ancestry so it'll probably be a bit.

leslie: i feel like i tell you . every single important thought i have about leslie atp hmm. i feel like he would press flowers. and translate latin and arabic poetry for fun. also im definitely going to bring it up in game if i can bc i think its fun, but he has a specific love for typewriters

Secret: Is there anything that you know about your character but your character doesn't know? What is it? How did you come up with this secret?

adina: yes <3 i cant share yet, because vee came up with it and gets to drop it in game when they want lol

lawrie: Also yes and Also i cant share yet in case any of my fellow spelljammers look but. i cant send u his lore on discord sometime if u want. secret lore. illegal lore. with secret fics included. i came up with it because i wanted something to foil his dad sid's arc, and i love being tragic, gay, dramatic, etc

leslie: hmmm. he is in so much danger. also the actual ghost of his brother is still haunting him. idr where i got the idea but i give it to you for asking if any of his family was on the titanic, because that def perfected the idea

End: What's the ideal ending for your character's story and the game? Are these the same, or different?

adina: okay. so he wants to save his family from their debt. and be very rich. i want him to detach himself from finding worth in his family's business and needing their approval of him in general, and learn to love himself as a person and not a weapon. also still be very rich tbh. he deserves it. he deserves everything he wants and to never feel bad about it <3 also i think he does want to marry the mlms. he's not ready to admit it mentally yet but I Know

lawrie: save his family!! and his friends!! and also the rest of toril. and also himself and rex. and live happily ever after In Space. mwah.

leslie: not die! get married to basher and run away to live in the countryside with cows, where he writes books about old buildings or ghosts or blood or probably all three <3

[arealcrow]

🌹 🌾 💐 🌠 for the 🦇 Adina

batty boy in his feelings what will he do

🌹 Where in the world does your OC feel most at home? Is there any reason why? If it’s not the place they were born, where were they born? Is there a certain somebody that makes them feel at home where ever they may be? What does home mean to them?

it used to be his room at the st carmine house, before everything happened. he put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, into helping earn the money to afford it, and it was a space in the house that was entirely his. he could decorate it the way he wanted, and refuse to allow anyone inside that he wanted (except for his mother). his own little lair. he doesn't feel at home anywhere anymore, but he's content being going pretty much wherever as long as his twin, mona, is also there.

🌾 Describe your OC through the eyes of someone absolutely head-over-heels in love with them

okay we're going with bullet points bc thats the only way my brain will do this: >passionate, all those prickly layers and games and hoops he makes people jump through are because he's got a bleeding heart >loyal. literally ride or die. he wants to kill for love so bad, put his skills to a positive use >doesn't shun responsibility. sooo good with commitment >good at killing, as mentioned above >god hes hot. he's so hot and he Knows it

💐 How does your OC handle being unwell or forced to rest in bed? Who cares for them and in what ways? Does your OC enjoy being doted on or are they a terrible patient? Reversed: is your OC good at taking care of others who are ill or in need?

he is Terrible at being sick, he is sooo soo whiny and irritable any time he doesn't feel 100% physically. as someone who sees himself as often times only an instrument, being out of order isn't something he's comfortable with. he's much better at taking care of other people being sick. maybe not the Most comforting, but he'll make sure their needs are met and theyre nice and cozy

🌠 On a scale of 1 - 10 how Baby is your OC? BONUS when asking this question rate the OC yourself as see if the reply matches up!!

to me? he is 10/10 baby. realistically, especially compared to his party. he is probably like 5/10 baby.

[arealcrow]

St. Carmine? Time to answer for yourself: 6. 7, 16, 29, 37, 45

"Tch- over my dead... oh. Fuck, right. Sure."

6. Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?

honestly. most of his good dreams are very steamy. so . i guess cuno and micah are recurring themes.

7. Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?

death, usually caused by his own mistakes. blood that doesn't wash out. flashes of memory from the height of fights, the moment before he takes a life.

16. Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?

adina was raised to put the success of his family over absolutely everything, including his own happiness and safety. he hasn't managed to break out of that mindset

29. What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

he wanted to run away and join the circus :'3 the closest he ever got was the trapezes in the training room of his family home.

37. Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status?

status all the way. status is safety, and he figures his honor's shot anyway.

45. What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

he's had a glimpse at what's happened to other members of his family after passing.. it was not comforting. He's already exhausted by life, the idea of eternal servitude beyond that is a nightmare.

[arealcrow]

Oh Adina, babe?

✨❤️ 🍀 🍩

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

adina - i believe i was looking biblical names on behindthename . com babey. everyone in his family has either biblical names or names from iconic literature.. just felt like the vibe for a family of tieflings constantly trying to write themselves into legend

st carmine - he's red. it sounds cool <3

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

ohhh hard one for him, a lot of his memories are tainted with death and betrayal. one thats easy and pure in his memory is getting his tattoo when he was 18. he'd spent forever working on ideas for the design and how it wanted to look, with the help of mona and the artist the family had commissioned for the piece. it was something that brought him closer to both his twin and his mom, who were already connected through their runes. his tattoo didnt get any magic like theirs' until his pact boon, but he's always had to work a little harder for what he wanted.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

i made him for one of the very first campaigns i played in, which fizzled out before it ever really got going lol so he was shelved for a long time. i wanted to play an ultra-acrobatic rogue.. someone who could hide up in the rafters and do sick flips. my dm had just gotten scag, which had the variant winged tieflings, and so adina was born

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

juniper belvedere.. why does he have beef with a teenager? is it as petty as it sounds? yes. mostly its the fact that juni just won't Trust what he says and that he hasn't actually put the party in any danger (yet. shes right not to trust him, he just hasnt given a good reason yet lol) the other part of it is that theyre the younger sibling of someone he has feelings for, so theres a measure of older brother-ly petty annoyance thrown in there. for extra flavor

[arealcrow]

Time for the hot boy (Adina) to be tried or risk being sent to horny jail.

👀 😍 🔥

he should probably be put in horny jail anyway....

👀 : Does your OC believe they are attractive? Do they use that to their advantage?

oh absolutely, though i think the way he thinks about his own appearance is very detached and objective way. he's cultivated his appearance and persona and he's aware of the effect it has on other people. he doesn't see himself as especially desirable, but he wants to be, and strives for that. appearance is just another tool to sharpen, another skill to hone.

😍 : What does your OC find irresistible in others?

passion and confidence. people need to be able to match his intensity, and not scare easily at his sharper qualities. a strong sense of personal style, or even just like a personal code/general strong sense of self is very hot to him. also bloodlust. its sexy, no further comment on that one your honor.

🔥 : What’s a surefire way to make your OC get flustered?

playing along with his little games. thats like the biggest one. he loves to leave obvious little traps just to see how people will play (like picking truth repeatedly in truth or dare when he's known for keeping secrets lol). it's especially fun if someone can outplay him, but he's extremely guarded so it's a hard line to walk without crossing it. also compliments are very good, but only once he knows the person. if he doesn't know someone well, he just considers it flattery. which Will get him in bed, just not very flustered. gifts also! he loves gifts lol

[arealcrow]

😭🍩🍧🌙🌌✏️🌟

Gimme the Adina content!

i filled this entire thing out last night and as soon as i went to post it tumblr was like 'whoopsiesss the post is gone!!' <3

😭 CRYING - what makes them cry? do they cry easily?

yea he cries Super easily actually, he's just good at holding it in until he's alone

🍩 DONUT - favourite sweet treat?

expensive chocolate, Especially fruit covered in expensive chocolate

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

he doesn't have anything left from his childhood, all he had when he left home was his gear and the clothes on his back

🌙 MOON - what is your oc’s greatest wish? how far are they willing to go for it?

this is a fun one because we kinda touched on this last session :3 he wants his family to be safe and successful, and he would give his own life and livelihood for it. i would say he'd give Anything, but he's not trying to drag people into his family's business without them having a choice in it. he'll give up his own choice, but not someone else's.

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

winged tief rogue >:3 everything else came after i just wanted a very acrobatic, batty rogue

✏️ PENCIL - is there a particular quote / lyric that you associate with them?

i gotta do a some webweaving posts for my ocs; from adina's tag:

mercy, yves olade

🌟 GLOWING STAR - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

he thinks about how far he is from home- both physically and spiritually. he wishes his childhood best friend was there, but then again, maybe he just misses the idea of an easy and innocent love

[arealcrow]

posting this thing my roommate said about adina here too for posterity bc i love it.

hes the needle he's the rope he's the chair he's the knife he's the devil he's the dragon. im normal about him

[arealcrow]

Adina: 02, 11, 16, 18

02. Best friend:

his twin mona!!

11. Biggest fear:

that everything he's done and sacrificed will have been for nothing, and he'll still lose those close to him to various higher powers.

16. Last thought:

he died right after seeing that cuno had been knocked unconscious in a hard to reach place, and had been trying to lead the monster harrying them away from cuno's body to give him a fighting chance with death saves, so i think his last thought was the hope that juni would reach cuno in time, and that the rest of the party could distract the creature

18. Biggest insecurity:

that he doesn't make the right decisions. he prides himself on a being a subtle mastermind, of knowing the best options for every situation, but when things don't work out according to plan, its hard for him not to take it personally.

[arealcrow]

🗡️ Adina - 2, 9, 17, 22

2. What would break your OC beyond repair? Has it happened?

his sister and mom dying would break him. there's a lot of things that could break him emotionally that he could still force himself to function through, but he's dedicated his life to making his mom proud and building an empire for his sister to run. without that, he'd be lost.

and i think similarly, losing his entire party would break him, albeit more slowly. losing rhi has already put him in a very weird and goal focused place, its been hard for him to connect to his feeling with so much turmoil, losing anyone else would be rough.

9. What is the greatest sacrifice your OC could ever make? Under what circumstance would they make it?

he's already halfway into making that sacrifice with his contract tbh. there was a part of him that was ready to die that day, but the chance to alleviate pressure from his family drew him back. giving up his autonomy entirely and becoming a vessel for some greater evil would probably be the worst it could get, and i could . definitely see him sacrificing himself for his family and friends

17. What is your OC’s greatest failure?

ough theres so many. he's gotten a people killed on jobs before, just by being reckless and forcing people to follow him into dangerous situations. you'd think getting his best friend killed at a young age wouldve forced him to wise up...

22. What is your OC the most guilty about?

the first soul he took for the broker. he didnt want to come home empty handed, just wanted to get it over with, so he did something out of desperation that he still regrets.

also the fact that he hasn't made any real effort to free his mom and rebuild their empire has started to weigh on him. he's focused on making sure he and mona are okay right now, but the guilt eats at him.

[arealcrow]

Biting him until he squeaks (Adina) 🌲🌸💫

🌲 How deeply does your OC feel? Are they typically empathetic or do they have a hard time connecting with others in this way? What are they like when offering support and comfort to someone they care for?

he cares soooo so deeply that he does not know how to handle it. because feelings can overwhelm him, he's not always great at being empathetic and can be quite reactive (adina with the 120ft movement per round where will he flee to) but that does mean that when he is in a place to offer comfort, its very raw and honest. he's not gonna whisper reassuring sweet nothings, but he'll make sure they feel safe and comfortable and heard, and if they want, he'll take care of whatever situation caused the distress.

🌸 What are some of their favourite things and why? List as many as you can think of!

well the main one is money, because that buys him all of his other favorite things (jewelry, clothes, blades, tattoos, etc.). and then of course attention. he also enjoys murder and blood and occasionally power, but mostly because those get him attention.

💫What is your favourite fact about this character and why?

a lot of his and his family's vibes are inspired by the devil being referred to as a red dragon in pathologic (which i believe might also be common in wider russian lit but idr), and this quote:

And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. - (Rev. 12:3–4, KJV)

[arealcrow]

adina 'being in love makes me feel physically ill' st carmine vs sendoa 'im so in love im going to spend an entire day meditating about it' calyn

[arealcrow]

trapped

300 words, d&d (radiant citadel)

After satisfying a demand from his patron, Adina confides in his twin.

He feels small. Everything is too loud, too bright, too fast, too warm. The concerned eyes of his party burn into him; he has to empty himself before he can meet their eyes. Let only the exhaustion leak through, and try to clamp down on the fear and guilt that strangles his words like a collar. It should be a relief when they give him the peace and quiet he craves. 

"I think I'm a bad person, Mona," he croaks out, when it's just the two of them. 

It's not an answer to her question- how successful he'd been on his endeavors away from the group- but it's enough for her to understand. She doesn't press for more, but after a few hours cuddled together in the dark and the quiet, he tells her. It should lift some of the weight off of his shoulders, not having to be alone with his sins, but speaking it out loud to his twin just makes it feel real. 

He feels like he's thirteen again. Warm, thick blood seeps through his fingers as he twists the knife, and feels it hit home. The target goes limp as he carves into the man's chest. His head feels light with adrenaline, fear and excitement entwined with his fight response. The human- larger than the skinny, teenage tiefling by a good measure- slumps forward as the life leaves his body, and sends them both crashing to the ground. Adina is trapped, eye to eye with a corpse of his own making and quickly being drenched in blood.

He feels like he's sixteen again. Desperately trying to hold his best friend's guts inside his opened stomach, yelling for help, for anyone please. He's making promises he can't possibly keep, lying like always, that they'll be fine, everything is fine. Mayhem looks resigned. He's going to die here, because this has already happened, because this is a dream, and Adina is always helpless to stop it.

[arealcrow]

don't think

2.2k, d&d (radiant citadel, pre-campaign)

Adina attempts to talk to his father, and attempts to calm down afterwards.

The dimly lit halls of the upper floor of the St. Carmine family home are oppressively quiet; a stark difference from the mid-day hustle and bustle of the streets outside of its imposing walls. Adina hesitates as he goes to knock on the dark wooden door of his father’s office. Despite his clarity of purpose and confidence in the intel he’s acquired, a shadow of anxiety passes over him. Shoulders straight, head up, face clear- an attempt to ground himself. He takes a final deep breath to steady his nerves, a quick gaze around the empty hallway, and then knocks on the door.

“You may enter,” his father’s voice calls, voice clear as a cold winter’s day. The speed of the reply makes him wonder if he somehow heard the approach of his boots, even muffled as they were by the carpet. 

He shoulders his way through the heavy door and is greeted by a look of surprise on Ornaryn's face. The drow's shoulders fall, and he can feel the disappointment that doesn’t quite reach his father's face.

"Ah- Adina. I wasn't expecting you today. What do you need?" He says. His polite tone does nothing to soothe the sting Adina feels. 

"Do I need an appointment to talk to you now?" Adina asks, and doesn't wait for an answer to sit down in one of the plush armchairs facing his father's desk. The noise of the heavy door clicking closed behind him makes him feel claustrophobic. He doesn’t ask if his sister gets this same treatment when she drops in to see Ornaryn, because he knows the answer.

"I guess not," Ornaryn sets aside his quill, "but it would certainly be appreciated more than you interrupting my work like this." 

"It'll be worth the interruption," he leans forward to set a sheaf of papers on the imposing wooden desk. It's bound in twine and marked with the wax seal of the harbourmaster.

"What.. is this?" 

"Cargo manifests. They're supposed to delivered tomorrow, so there's plenty of time to make any adjustments you need," His pitch is confident, but the addition he makes is quieter and wavers slightly with anxiety, "I heard you've been having trouble with the situation at the docks, thought this might be useful."

Ornaryn looks down at the papers, and then narrows his eyes at Adina over the thin rims of the reading spectacles he's wearing.

"You heard I was having trouble," he starts slowly, and Adina's anxiety starts to rise. He can tell his father is choosing his words carefully. "And instead of trusting that I can manage my responsibilities, you decided to involve yourself where you don't belong? Do I have that right?"

"Involve myself where I don't belong? Sorry, did my last name change overnight? Because as far as I was aware, being a St. Carmine means that-"

Ornaryn raises one thin, purple finger to cut him off, "I'm not finished."

Adina swears he feels a chill pass over the room. 

"Being a St. Carmine means having common sense, Adina. Does your mother interfere with my business without my knowledge? Do you assume I don't know how to navigate the problems that arise with my work? Because it sounds like you think you could do my job better than me." 

Ornaryn’s words blanket the room in suffocating fog; Adina swears he can’t breathe. He watches his father lean forward to take the sheaf of cargo manifests, only to set it aside. In its place he sets an open letter; he can see the broken wax seal on the edge is their own family's crest.

"The safehouse you went to, after your escapade at the harbor master's party, was raided and seized. You were tailed to the bar you tried to lay low in, and were tailed from there all the way to the safehouse. You had the barest thought to try and lose your tail, and you could not manage that. We are lucky that two of our people cleared the property of anything that could be used against us after you were there. We are doubly lucky that you were not followed here. 

And as if ruining the security of one of the family's most used assets wasn't enough, the little friends you decided to run and gloat to are now seeing healers after a close call with the city guards. On our gold. Now I have to figure out how to get rid of the warrants that have been put out on them."

"They’re not my fr-" Adina starts to mumble. 

"I don't care about what they are to you," Ornaryn snaps at him, cutting him off, "If you could look past your vanity and ego long enough to really see the situation, you would realize that we can't afford this kind of mess. We don't make money by wasting it recklessly; our wealth and our resources- our hired swords- are not your playthings. We don't keep a low profile by sending someone like you, who is clearly under qualified, on an important reconnaissance task, just so you can lead the dogs right to our door. Has your mother not taught you the stakes? Or does it just not penetrate that selfish head of yours how much we stand to lose from one of your fuckups?"

This isn't the first iteration of this lecture he's been subjected to, but there's an icy sharpness to Ornaryn’s words that Adina's never heard before. The words strike to his core like a spike of black ice.

"I was trying to help, I thought-" he says, words uncharacteristically quiet. The noise building in his head is thick as a roiling storm cloud, it's hard to hear his own thoughts underneath it. 

"Don't," Ornaryn says sharply, "think. We don't need you to think. Just do as you're told."

He sinks his nails into the plush velvet arm of his chair, feeling their pointed tips sink like needles through the material. Too many words swim in his head for him to string them together. Jabs he's thrown his father's way in past fights and bones he has yet to pick, running together and threatening to overwhelm him.

"You are dismissed, Adina," Ornaryn says with a cold finality. 

Heat simmers under Adina's skin, warming his blood until he feels feverish. He wants to bite out a reply, some parting blow, but the words don't come. His head is filled with noise, his face is warm, his hands are itching. 

So he does as he's told. He stands and leaves the room without another sound. The hallway around him is a blur as he moves, trying to outpace his own thoughts. He passes the door to his room, the door to Mona's, and doesn't take a second glance behind at the large set of double doors at the end of the hallway that hides his parent's suite.

When he finally stops, he's in the bowels of the house, in a wide open room that serves the family as a training space. Wooden practice weapons sit in their neat and ordered places on the wall, arranged carefully by his sister when the room was first being furnished. She'd insisted that individual alcoves for the weapons looked better than a standard weapons rack. Tucked in the corner of the spacious room is a small sitting area, complete with armchairs and a coffee table. Another addition by his sister- so she can cozy up with a book and watch him exercise.

He loosens his belt for a moment to peel off the shirt he'd had tucked into his pants, taking care not to catch any edges on his furled wings, and throws the piece of fabric haphazardly over the back of an armchair. Out of habit, he pats himself down for weapons and slowly remembers that he disarmed before attempting to talk to his father. Probably smart. He ditches the belts he attaches his sheathes to, and then the ones that have loops for his toolkits. His tools and pouches were left with his weapons, all of his effects hurriedly dropped in his room when he first arrived home earlier that evening. Once he’s sure his only remaining belt is secure, he makes his way out to an open area of floor space.

He starts stretching his legs, and then works his way up, to his tail, and then arms and wings- rolling out his shoulders slowly. There’s a wall of mirrors behind him he would usually use, but instead opts to face the obstacle course that takes up a third of the basement’s floor space. Another design by his sister, a special gift just for him. As he stretches, he eyes the padded and wooden structures, trying to formulate the route he wants to take. Between the things to climb, roll through, and balance on, as well trapezes and other perches hanging from the ceiling- he's spoiled for choice. 

Once he feels looser, a little more grounded, he leaps forward towards the first hurdle. He throws his entire body into the motion, wings churning the air around him as they help to propel him forward. From there, he moves on autopilot, instinctively taking jumps and dives where he sees them. 

As he moves, his mind works. The adrenaline and feeling of air rushing past him as he moves keeps his head clear, like he's finally moving fast enough to rise above the clouds in his head. His father's words echo in his head. 

'if you could look past your vanity and ego'

'selfish'

Adina dives forward from the perched he'd climbed to, hurtling towards the ground in a freefall that makes him feel all at once free and alone. Wings extend at the last possible second they can to keep him from crashing into the floor. His arms move without thought, going through the motion of stabbing down into the floor pad as he lands despite his lack of weapons. It's a good landing, doesn't hurt his ankles or knees, but he wants to collapse when he feels solid ground beneath him for the first time in a few minutes. His run of the course is usually enough to clear his head, but he can feel his mind spinning and his vision blurring, and he knows it's more than just the day's exhaustion affecting him. 

'how much we have to lose'

There's a warm and slick feeling trickling down from Adina's hands, starting at his fingertips and dripping up his arm. It's a feeling that defies physics, the memory dripping down his arm like he's stabbed into someone above him. He tries to wipe it away, tries to wipe his arms off on his pants but through his hazy eyes he can see the blood still covering his hands. The sound of desperate gasping fills his ears, overtaking the sound of his own pulse racing; the sound of someone's last breath- no- many people's last breaths, layered over each other like the winds of a storm.

"Adina? I've been looking for you," a voice calling to him across the room cuts through the thickness of his thoughts. His head snaps up and he sees six figures swimming in front of him. He blinks once- four figures, blinks again- three figures, blinks one final time, just one figure. A shape he recognizes, one of his mother’s hired bruisers.

“You’re..” he trails off, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before he starts again, “You’re done healing and resting up already? I only saw you guys last night- and Ornaryn said-” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Itzel cuts him off with a noncommittal hand wave, “Bernie’s still sleeping. I got bored. Your mom left some stuff for us to follow up on, figured we’d get a head start without him.”

He wouldn’t ask anything of them for another day at least, especially not after inadvertently leading the city guard to them. But if Itzel is itching to move just as much as he is, he’s not going to say no.

“Sure. Yeah. Sounds good,” Adina glances down at his hands to find that they feel normal and look clean. Still, he feels shaken, and he doesn’t want Itzel to see him in this moment of weakness. He adds, giving the door a pointed look, “I’ll meet you in the hall. Gotta get dressed and armed.”

Itzel nods and leaves without another word, always a man who prefers action to small talk. It makes him easy to work with, Adina reflects as he watches him leave. He only heaves himself up off the mat once the door has clicked shut behind the man. It takes him half the time to redress than it did to remove his various belts and shirt, no longer trying to ground himself and his thoughts with the actions. He makes quick work of grabbing his weapons and tools from his room before he finally joins Itzel in a hallway leading towards the back of the house. It’ll lead them to a side entrance, a door theoretically built for servants that the family uses more than their main entrance.

“Are we going or what?” Itzel asks.

It crosses his mind, briefly, that he hasn’t seen his sister in two nights. She might not know where he is, or that he’s even been home. He doesn’t have long to dwell, urged forward by impatient words into another night of danger.