#blightcaller vezz

[ratasum]

I was grasped by the sudden urge to write. Vezz and @wall-legion's Garrus have a heart to heart in the immediate aftermath of Kralkatorrik's defeat.

"This is where we part ways, I think, my friend."

Vezz sounded tired, and it was more the weight and weariness in his words that brought Garrus's head around to face him. He stood quiet for a moment, watching him, before he finally found the words to speak. "Is everything okay?"

Laughing mirthlessly, Vezz shrugged, scratching behind one of his ragged ears before the tips of his claws found the burn scar Balthazar had left him with. A reminder of a path he almost took. "It's complicated, I think. With just finding out Riss is expecting, I'm not keen to be away from her for long... and on top of that, I... I don't think I can keep doing this. I'm fine, but it's... a tender sort of fine."

Garrus's ears flicked forward, brow furrowing briefly. "In what way?"

"It's like... an eggshell. A whole one, with all the inner bits blown out by a crafter. Whole, yes, but fragile. One touch too rough and I fear I may shatter. I can't keep doing this."

For several moments, Garrus considered Vezz. The asura stood taller these days, chin up and shoulders back. Gone was the sense of readiness for death he'd carried when they met, when the Inquest still hounded his every step, seeking to officially "retire" him from their employ. But there was something else there too.

He had healed, but the wound was raw. A scab that could too easily be pulled back. The Blightcaller was no more, to be certain, but the weight of a tumultuous past and everything they had been through had long taken its toll on him.

And with Rissia pregnant, well... he supposed he understood.

Finally, he gave a rueful smile, resting a paw on Vezz's shoulder. "It won't be the same without you making snide remarks at your sword every time I turn around."

Vezz snorted, his smile finally reaching his eyes, if only barely. "It would help if it didn't talk back so much. I just..." The smile faded now, and he glanced away, not wanting to look Garrus in the eye. "...I feel terrible with us leaving you to go this alone."

"Won't be alone. Qirri's been itching to get back out there. "Field research" she calls it. It'd do her some good, I think, to do some proper traveling again. You have a family to take care of now, beyond just you and Riss and Taimi." He tipped his head, all four ears shifting forward just slightly. "I can get you in touch with someone in Lion's Arch. If... you need someone to talk to."

After a moment of hesitation, Vezz nodded. "I think I may take you up on that." Then he shifted, reaching into one of the pouches at his waist, fishing out what Garrus realized on looking at it in his quickly opened palm was an arrowhead. "Here. I think I should give this to you now."

"An arrowhead?"

"Yes. Phee gave it to me when I brought Kinna home to her, the night I left the Inquest. She told me her old mentor, an old charr ranger named Caessenia, had told her once that she didn't need to fly straight. She only needed to fly true. Gave me the same advice that night. Well... I've flown as true as I can. I think you could use it better than me."

Laying the crude, handmade arrowhead in Garrus's paw when he extended it, Vezz glanced up at his old friend, and Garrus could only chuckle faintly. "Thank you. I'll remember that. Take care of yourself, all right? I can only drag you out of the mists by your ears so many times."

Again, Vezz snorted, shaking his head slightly. "Let's hope the one time was the only time. Good luck, old friend. We'll keep in touch."

"I'll be counting on it."

[wall-legion]

Vezz and Rissia for? All of them? However many you want?

How differently do they think of each other now compared to when they first met? "I certainly don't hate him now," Rissia says with a chuckle. "Though to be fair, I was terribly misled about him."

What do their friends/family think of their relationship? "Mother still doesn't understand it at all." She rolls her eyes. "She cannot wrap her head around the fact that neither of us wanted to utilize the traditional contract system. And my sister Izza is still... touchy about Vezz."

How do their personalities/skills complement or contrast with each other? "He's much more blunt than I am, so if there's someone bothering us he's the first one to tell them to shove off. Unless it's someone bothering him, then it's me rising to his defense."

What is their favorite aspect of each other? "I'm pretty sure his favorite aspect of me is just me existing!" She laughs. "Mine is his patience. When I get frustrated, I can be pretty short tempered, but he just manages to roll with it."

Do either of them have pet peeves about each other? "...I wish he'd get rid of that sword? I think that's about it."

How would each reconcile with each other after a fight? "We typically give each some space to calm down, and then we apologize for raising our voices and try to actually talk to each other and listen."

What would be their ideal vacation getaway together? "Usually anywhere with a beach and the ocean."

Think of a new way (AU, different situation, etc.) they could have met for the first time. OOC: I've said Rissia nearly went into piracy. The idea of her as a pirate captain capturing the Blightcaller and holding him hostage is... Intriguing.

[rataprimus]

Colored up the sketch of Vezz and Riss being adorable and snuggly while Rissia was pregnant with the twins.

This also marks the first time I’ve shown both Vezz’s markings and a lot of his scars in one image.

But seriously I’m just kinda happy with how soft this came out.

[domesticprocyonid]

“STAY BEHIND ME, KINNA!”

Vezz may be a jerk, but he had a bit of a Jerkass Realization moment when he realized that his superior with the Inquest, Zaige (I still need to design the guy) was effectively going to force him to do horrible experiments on a little kid.

It was at that point it hit him that while he tended to push the limits of discovery, he wasn’t willing to do it at the cost of an innocent progeny’s life.

This is probably as done as this is ever gonna get, so take it as you will.

[ratasum]

One of these days I'm going to pay someone to draw this scene because I can never catch the exact emotion I want.

But regardless.

He couldn’t believe it. Zaige was laughing, despite where he lay, despite the fact that Vezz had him pinned, hands closed around the taller asura’s throat. The mesmer’s gold eyes were wide and wild as he stared up at the necromancer, a wicked grin cutting across his features, sharp and vivid. “Ohoho, this is brilliant! Look at you, Blightcaller. What are you going to do? Kill me?” He laughed again, and Vezz winced, his ears drawing back. The sound was so high and clear, like glass breaking, every repetition like daggers. It echoed through the empty room, above the roaring fires in nearby labs. “You? You wouldn’t even kill the skritt you were researching! Face it, Vezz: you’re not a killer. You’re barely cut out to be a scientist! All of this, everything you’ve done here? It’s all emotion, and you’ll make yourself sick every time you remember it. You might be brilliant, but do you know what you are? You’re weak. You’re weak! Only I can bring out your true potential. Without me? You’re nothing!”

[ratasum]

A, N and T for Vezz please?

@wall-legion

Random Character Development

a. What nicknames do they get called?

He doesn't have a whole lot. The Blightcaller came from his time with the Inquest and he's not too fond of it, and some members of the guild have in the past referred to him as "spooky." Other than that, and pet names like "darling" or "dear" from Rissia, his name is short enough that he doesn't often get nicknames.

n. What are their hidden talents?

I've talked about him enjoying gardening before, and it's true across the board: he has an incredible green thumb. It's something he picked up from his mother Cautti and has cultivated through the years. It's not uncommon for him to be found talking to the farmers in Applenook to share trade secrets on the best fertilizers, or giving advice to a young woman trying to get a flower bed set up for the first time.

It's a hobby that gives him a lot of peace, too, as it lets him sit outside in the warmth of the sun to just tend to his flowers and vegetables.

t. What are their favourite foods?

He's always been fond of beetle kebabs from a cart that used to sell them near the Synergetics dorms. It was a favorite snack of his during finals crunch weeks. A similar species of beetle lives in Applenook, too, and he's been trying to get the seasoning blend right to make them at home himself.

It serves a dual purpose, too: the beetles are bad for eating the leaves off crops, so an asuran family in town that enjoys traditional asuran cuisine means the little bugs can't get a foothold.

[rataprimus]

Also, today is Vezz’s birthday! Been playing this asshole for four years, and a LOT has changed since then.

[rataprimus]

Much later, once everything is said and done, Vezz and Rissia settle down in a little cottage in Applenook Hamlet... and become the proud parents to twins. Vezz never expected he would ever have this opportunity in his life, but they couldn’t be happier...

(Fun fact: the twins are named Sieran and Tybalt. A nod to both of their dearly lost mentors.)

[rataprimus]

Almost six years after leaving the Inquest and kind of tired of people shooting at him in Inquest-infested areas, your favorite Spoopy Dad has a new look.

[rataprimus]

Married commanders Vezz and Rissia send their greetings from the Festival of the Four Winds at the Labyrinthine Cliffs! This is the first time they’ve gotten to enjoy some time alone together since everything started really going south.

The last one is a postcard they send to Dragon’s Watch, to their friends in Artistic Integrity, and to Qirri at the Durmand Priory.

[rataprimus]

It’s not perfect here between us; Even angels have their demons. Trapped inside this twisted circle- It ain’t right, but it’s eternal.

There’s a white light, and it’s calling me, And it’s promising ecstasy…

But I don’t wanna go to heaven If you’re going to hell I will burn with you, I will burn with you…

Vezz has been through hell and back, and sometimes it’s hard to see any good in himself. But if there’s one thing he knows for certain, it’s that he loves Rissia more than anything in this world… and he feels profoundly lucky and eternally grateful that she loves him too. He isn’t always sure he deserves it, but he does his best not to take her for granted.

My Vezz and Jenn’s Rissia. I really love how their relationship has progressed through us rping them and taking them through the story together. They’re best friends, lovers, and they’ve built one another up together. A couple of good kids.

[rataprimus]

Vezz: arrested for Dad Crimes.

[rataprimus]

This is just phase one of this height chart, as it’ll include all our characters involved in the story to go kill dragons and gods and crusty old walnut liches, but it’s really easy to lose sight of how tiny Qirri is in the grand scheme of things. Like, visualizing her actual height is super tough.

So here she is against her older sister and Vezz, to compare.

[rataprimus]

With promised freedom in sight, the infamous Blightcaller has arrived in the Brisban Wildlands. But his situation may be getting all the more trying...

Featuring @commanderwhirlybird‘s Garence Terring.

[rataprimus]

I specifically went into the instance just to get some pictures of Vezz with his dragon daughter back when she was still wee, before her awkward teenage years.

[rataprimus]

Just your daily reminder that I love Vezz and he is One Stylish Dad.