#artisanals

[loath3d]

it's difficult to talk to the woman standing just a few yards from him, but if looks could kill... the distance would mean nothing to her. he shifts on his feet, leveling a half glare at her. ❝ stop looking at me like that. if you need to say something, just say it. ❞ perhaps xaden shouldn't take that tone with her. he's only just graduated, and her ranking is high above his own. he stands his ground, nonetheless, chin lifting ever so slightly.

starter for / @artisanals

[riderheart]

   Brennan  had  said  the  first  time  she  was  late,  the  sleeping  arrangements  would  be  changed.  Or  rather  enforced.  He  didn't  say  anything  about  what  would  happen  if  she  didn't  turn  up  at  all.  Maybe  he  knew  it  meant  something  else?  Maybe  he  just  knew  that  it  wasn't  Xaden's  fault.  After  all,  @artisanals  wasn't  due  home  for  hours  yet.  Or  at  least  he  was  last  time  she  checked.  The  exhaustion  had  overcome  her  at  least  twice  since  then.

 Violet  was  slightly  more  awake  than  she  had  been  all  day  when  she  heard  footsteps.  Thick,  heavy  boots  thudded  on  stone  floors-  and  quicker  than  usual.  But  he  wasn't  running.  She  shifted  under  the  thick  blanket  when  the  door  opened,  then  closed  gently.  Heavy  lidded  grey  eyes  peeked  out.  Somehow,  with  the  dense  fog  weighing  on  her  head,  it  was  easier  than  reaching  out  with  her  mind.

   "Xaden?"

[faerieheart]

❝ no harm will come to you, you have my word on that. ❞ / aedion @artisanals

"i trust you, aedion. i have since we were children, but you can't change destiny." the words are a knife to her throat. to admit that there is no fixing this is not as easy even if she holds her chin up high. she will be strong. she will not be afraid. "i will do what needs to be done and that's that."

[nonsupe]

" they warned me not to trust you. " it takes everything in him to bite his cheek and swallow a laugh. of course they did. the caretaker isn't someone to be trusted, not with his history both with and long before the company ever discovered him. they were right to be cautious, to warn others of him when they could or felt the need to. priority or scare tactic. he's a wolf in sheep's clothing: blends in where he needs to, ready for an attack.

" did you expect anything less from them? " in a way, he likes that his presence is proceeded with a warning. they know exactly what he's capable of and now so does everyone else. but he doesn't want to give off the wrong image to @artisanals. they need each other out here, like it or not. she may be the one person he might not be able to fool. but it is still impossible to hide the smile that comes forward as he speaks his next words, " do you trust me? "

[ltr1ley]

@artisanals : ‘ you could’ve gotten yourself killed. ’ / gaz

it's like the nag of ringing in his ears, a constant ringing, gaz unfortunately is at the end of his own frustrations. eyes are tired behind the mask, a glimmer of something much more than the man would ever say because he never would. shoulders roll, easing some tension out from his body, always sore, always exhausted but he never said a word. eyes finally meet garrick's, a sound akin to a scoff leaving lips as he starts to remove his kit. ❛ we get ourselves nearly killed everyday, today is no different and tomorrow won't be either. ❜ as he sets his gear off to the side eyes leave gaz's, he knows he's being harsh but everyday is not a guarantee for them, anything could happen, even to skilled men like them who think they have everything under control.

ghost takes a moment to still himself, hands on the table in front of him. chest rises and falls, his heart beating fast despite his calm attitude. that constant ringing only seemingly getting louder by the second as silence hangs around them. they're a team, they're meant to help one another, have each others backs and he knows this. ghost also realizes that shutting garrick out won't do any of them good, communication is needed. swallowing thickly, a sigh leaves him shortly after. ❛ i did what was needed to be done, there's nothing changing it. i took a chance, a very calculated one at that, sergeant. had it not been for you, maybe i would have died but i knew you had my back. ❜ finally pushing himself from where he'd been, he walks over to garrick and puts a gloved hand on his shoulder, squeezing almost reassuringly.

❛ it wouldn't of been possible without you. ❜ his way of saying thanks, something no doubt the team was accustomed to by now. rarely have the spoken words of 'thank you' ever left his lips.

[crosaidi]

@artisanals inquired: “I hope this is important. For your sake.” / isa

Brows climb high, and he bites his tongue. " Oh, aye, for my sake, " he echoes, tossing his pack down near the fire; it slumps, not terribly full. " Now, before I go and possibly inflict some uninteresting tripe on yerself, if it's not important enough —— what, praytell, is goin' to happen? Just so I'm understandin' of all my risks. "

[kcrclrezni]

@artisanals from here (legacy editor)

Nikolai can understand restless hands and feels the need to keep his moving as he ponders Zafiya's answer, or rather, many answers. Clearly the second one - the yes - is what she seems to think reigns true. He clears his throat before he finally speaks. "Then what would you consider to be the reason why I shouldn't have you at my side?" He can't help but add in a little humor in an attempt to soften the mood and continues with, "Just don't say bad breath. There's things can be done about that."

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

@artisanals sent [TEXT] - i’m sorry.

[ MSG : leo ] it's okay we're both busy [ MSG : leo ] i was in court all day and didn't get to check my phone until later [ MSG : leo ] you can get me apology takeout tomorrow

[featherstcnes]

azriel knew about being a burden. his childhood was enough proof of that, and despite the years he spent alive, the memories wouldn't escape him. he doubted they ever would. and it was why he didn't blame rhysand for putting him in this position -- for making him check in with people around prythian. for making him keep tabs on any information about amarantha. about the people that had been close to her, so that rhysand didn't have to. azriel kept his information close to him. detailed records of what he found out from various people that he'd been tasked after.

but somehow, despite the distance he'd traveled, the people he'd met, he always ended up here eventually, across from @artisanals.

artisanals asked: ‘ i didn’t want to be a burden. ’

" you're not a burden, " he managed out in response to zafiya's words, his eyes flickering over to her as she spoke. he was leaning against a wall, his wings tucked tightly against him. " if you want to talk ... talk. " how was he supposed to deny someone that? and isn't this what rhysand wanted? information? he told himself that was what he was listening for. he told himself that was why his shadows stirred slightly at the idea of listening to her talk, of listening to her open up even the slightest bit. " my silence isn't disinterest, " he started, voice soft. his arms crossed gently in front of him. " far from it. "

[loath3d]

it's late, far too late for even xaden to be out wandering the courtyard of basgiath, yet here he is — and there she is. ❝ hey, you! first year! what are you doing out so late? you know better than that. ❞ he knows who she is — audra, she's in his wing — and he's never seen her step out of line like this. while surprised, he'll continue to approach her with his hands in his pockets, only stopping for half a second when he notices the tears sparkling in the dim lights outside on her cheeks.

starter for / @artisanals

[harmsdealer]

@artisanals

even though he wasn't much of a drinker—not for moral reasons; alcohol was simply hit and miss when it came to his metabolism—kei found himself frequently invited to blow-outs on the upper east side. he knew why, of course: his utility as a versatile plug made him worth the summons. and drugs were easy. servicing the brat pack always made for a lucrative night's work.

they'd reached the part of the evening where his human company began thrashing at each other under the guise of dancing. he surveyed the floor with morbid interest from the safety of a table, until a presence at his shoulder broke the reverie. he turned his head, then shot vargas a perfunctory smile of recognition. not for the first time, he wondered why liquor could make some humans behave so erratically and others... less so. ❛ how come you're not gripped by the desire to show them how it's done? ❜

[bhaalborn]

@artisanals said: the ruins of an ancient structure lost to time from isa

their surroundings feel familiar in a sort of way that the dragonborn CAN'T QUITE QUANTIFY, like stepping into a dream they'd forgotten, or into the threshold of something that'd been stolen from them since before the moment they could open their own eyes.

the cobblestones are blackened with age and there are cracks in the walls, ceilings and floors. wilted overgrowth sprouts from the edges of every orifice, forcing the fissures wider, but all seem to stretch futilely towards the center of the room where a stone chair sits.

. . . some sort of throne.

ulysses waltzes up to it and grabs the arms of the seat, hefting themselves up the three feet or so that's its built from the ground and sitting in the cathedra with little preamble. they settle comfortably- dwarfed by the largeness of the structure, built like it's made for a giant and not a man- AND GRIN.

" i think this suits me quite well, don't you think? "

setting prompts, ALWAYS ACCEPTING

[riderheart]

 With  how  many  things  that  had  been  handed  to  her  in  Cordyn  - a  show  of  strength  and  wealth  to  impress  and  startle  her  no  doubt -  she  didn't  think  they  would  miss  one  scrap  of  lace  and  Deverelli  silk.  Black,  just  like  the  gown  she'd  worn,  but  this  nightgown  wasn't  layered  and  stopped  mid-thigh.  It  showed  everything...  except  the  parts  hidden  by  lace.  Violet  had  hidden  it.  Embarrassment  filling  her  heart  at  having  snatched  it.  But  they  did  owe  her  after  what  they  put  her  through.

   She  just  had  to  wait  for  the  right  time.  Like now.

❛  you  have  no  idea  what  you're  doing  to  me.  ❜     (x)

 When  she'd  left  the  bathroom finally wearing it,  she  didn't  look  his  way  or  show  it  off.  She  just  silently  made  her  way  around  the  bed  to  her  side.  The  one  acknowledgement  she  couldn't  help  was  a  light,  self  satisfied  smirk.

   "I  have  some  idea."

[palespawn]

❛ you look like you've got something to say. ❜ / erik

astarion regards erik with an indecipherable stare, his brow furrowed in subtle confusion at the scent of him. he hadn't noticed how prolonged his fixed attention had been onto the other until pointed out. it was just that ... something was peculiar, unusual. the others all had a particular fragrance, their heart's thrummed relative to their kind. he wasn't so attuned to the details unless blood was involved, however; if he had been so exposed, he would determine that their blood emits a discernible and individual aroma― unique only to them.

so, imagine his bewilderment, as much like the creatures that served under cazador, wolves and werewolves alike, erik radiated a similar presence.

“ ... hm? oh, i always do, ” he dismisses, immediately drawn to the present. astarion's puckish smile intends to subvert his otherwise intense and inquisitive eye, “ it's just that you have a rather ... wolfish manner about you, ” then, he sighs and looks up at the night sky, as if dejected by the thought. “ it's always the belligerent loner types. still, colour me intrigued. ”

[prince1ing]

‘  how am i doing? oh, well, you know… stomach’s in knots, i’m stress-grinding my teeth, and it feels like i’m being suffocated.  ’ / aedion | @artisanals sent a message !!

DORIAN CANNOT HELP BUT LAUGH. he desperately tries to stifle it but fails as he watches aedion. " you really need to calm down. -- or get laid. " the king tells the other, slapping him once on the shoulder. " stress relief, you know? "