#cyberpawn : vale.

[prvtocol]

dynamic '🌅' | vale entropy + clarence turay. @cyberpawn

[rebelichor]

@cyberpawn | X

Ariadne felt a tightness in her chest. It wasn't the vigorous exercise — no, thanks to Vale she was beginning to enjoy a more active lifestyle. The stubborn baby fat that clung to her frame finally began to shed and she felt more and more like she was becoming who she was meant to be.

It was only natural, wasn't it? To feel different, when she was supposed to prepare for a massive change, to no longer be a young maiden... but, what if she didn't want to be a nymphe? Why was her only option to become a subdued wife under someone else's rule?

Had her parents not taught her differently? The centre of her life was not the domestic arts. Ariadne was curious and well-educated. There had never been a divide between what she would learn and what her twin brother would learn.

And though she had equal footing, it felt like she was about to step off a precipice. Like she didn't fit into the world and her only option was a very long fall with a devastating landing.

So, Ariadne found herself staring at Vale. They spoke in such a way that it felt like she had other options. But in order to ever achieve them she would have to... let go? That was... ridiculous. Control ruled her life, how could she ever be without it?

"We make plans so that we can be successful in what we do, and... a plan navigates around the consequences we might otherwise have to face if we are unprepared." Her hand swept to the mountains where a river weaved between and flowed calm. "If we saw that it were raining on the mountains, but we stood here dry, we wouldn't approach the calm river for a drink. Because we can see that extra water is going to flow from the mountain into the river. What looks calm here and now while we're strolling on down to the riverbank is about to become like the chaos you speak of."

[holyguardian]

@cyberpawn | X

That Aerith hopped and leapt and tumbled so wildly without attracting any predator attention was a blessing, something to balance out her curse. Or maybe it was dumb luck. Still, her moment of relief only came when she landed in a desperate PLAP on Vale's leg.

Though the frog looked a little awkward. A little pathetic, even, the way its webbed feet gripped and uselessly clambered at the boxer's knee. Oh — she only had four fingers? Toes? Her sticky toe pads seemed lost on her, though it was little wonder, the sheer distance she had covered and all sorts of terrain. That stickiness had gripped blades of grass, dirt specks, grains of sandy ground. Overall she looked like she was a mess of adventure.

Eventually she clung atop Vale's leg and flattened out, little heart racing.

She desperately hoped she would find them here. They were the only one who might understand something was wrong... and if not, they were the only one where she knew her safety was assured. No gentle picking her up and taking her back out into the gardens. No panicked screams and hands wildly trying to slap her away. No harm, only a gentle acceptance that Vale seemed to hold for any creature, big or small.

When she calmed a little, she gathered herself up and tried to occupy as little space upon Vale as she could. They must have been exercising before. Or fighting. Or Vale-ing around. Their skin had a very fine hint of salt which would have gone unnoticed, if it hadn't made her feet and belly start to feel... dry, in a way... like she had taken a gulp of seawater thinking it was springwater and now she was thirstier than before.

[madeofthreads]

@cyberpawn | X

There isn't always rhyme or reason where the younger Goddess ventured. As was the way of the wild, she simply was. Unlike other deified beings within the Reborn Pantheon, she drew no strength from the worship of man.

The untamed shrine was a testament to that fact. What others might see as a place to be pitied, a site of forgotten mythos steeped in lonely abandonment, all Maea saw was life.

The dense forest — the gentle, daily chattering of creatures foraging and nesting — where the ground was moist with fertile soil. This was not only home, but the central pillar of her strength. Though mighty her power may be, there was a subtle waning, one that she sought to balance before it tipped beyond control.

Perhaps that was why her eyes turned towards a reclaimed shrine. No human had set foot there in an age. Yet one dared, and she found herself drawn, draped atop the roof as a silent observer, judging, waiting, head tilted as they knelt before the cold hearth...

The human was not greedy. She would not mind if they tasted the fruit from the branches. Only if they took too much, spoiling the gifts of food for others.

Flames crackled to life and the eyes of the goddess glinted in the light up high. Curiousity lured her closer. Maea descended from the vines and landed with a dull thud behind them. When they turned, it was not towards a goddess in the form of a human, but a large white wolf.

Crouched, the beast advanced in slow, circling steps. This one wasn't a disappointment. When no threat of sharpened metal came for her, she stretched up on hind legs — an imposing, unnatural height for such a creature — and snapped her great maw at one of the thick branches overhead.

Her teeth pierced the flesh of the crimson pear that she ripped free from the branch, and she gave a subtle shake as small droplets of water rained upon them both. The wolf stared at the human again and made a bolder approach. She wasn't polite in the way she nudged at their hand with her big, bossy nose. They might not know a blessing when they saw one.

[soldier-lodbrok]

"Coffee!! Wait actually I don't like coffee... Hot cocoa, please!" vale says hi!!! :D!!!!!

My muse works at Starbucks. Send me "Coffee!" to see what terrible name/misspelling my muse will write on your cup. @cyberpawn

[cyberpawn-arc]

what if I moved to a main blog

[unrclypirxte]

@cyberpawn - Cont.

---

It was always a grim day when Hoyt appeared and Vale was over. Usually, she'd have them go upstairs, play or watch TV, and she'd go get them once he was gone. But today, the timing was awful. There was no time to plan, nor time to come up with a way to get Hoyt to leave.

She had rather POLITELY asked him to come back, but the corpo didn't take too kindly. They exchanged some words, some very loud words from his end, before he directed his attention to the kid. It was one of the first times Beth felt something so close to a motherly instinct.

Immediately, casual to an IMPRESSIVE degree, she was at Vale's side, sat down and watching. Observing Hoyt's gaze, that condescending grin, the glint of mischief in his eye. Beth averted her eyes only when Vale tugged at her, quick to peer back up at her friend.

If Hoyt had been in a good mood, she'd be a lot less on edge.

"V wants to know your name," She knew better than to sign and exclude Hoyt from this conversation. He'd already staked claim to it.

"Ah," Hoyt flashed shark-like teeth for a brief moment. "I'm Hoyt! I'm Beth's boss!" Oh how he knew she hated that fact, a once anti-corpo hotshot now devolved to his puppet. "Did she not mention me? I thought we were close," A tense beat. "But no matter!" He leaned down a little now, still towering vastly over the child. "You're Vale, correct? Why don't you talk?"

[engrm]

"Hey Johnny? Do you think pigeons have feelings?"

🐝  *  ―  𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑶𝑴 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺. ( ACCEPTING. )

lips   almost   curl   into   a   grimace   at   the   question   as   his   mind   flips   and   flaps   with   a   ton   of   replies   he   could   eagerly   give   in   this   moment,   anything   that   would   make   vale   shut   the   fuck   up   with   the   midnight   ramblings   of   a   mad   person.   but   for   once,   johnny   doesn't   allow   the   displeasure   to   show   (   look   at   that,   he's   learning   self-control   !   )   on   his   face,   but   does   let   out   one   lingering,   dramatic   ass   sigh.   "   only   you   would   think   about   somethin'   so   fuckin'   useless.   "   arms   unfold   from   across   his   chest   and   the   engram-rocker   is   suddenly   standing   near   the   bookshelf,   metallic   digits   hovering   over   a   particular   datashard   that   vale   had   thrown   so   carelessly   to   the   side   after   finding   it   on   jig-jig   street,   assuming   it   to   be   another   nomad   recipe   randomly   discarded   in   the   oddest   of   places.

       "   those   feathered   fuckers   had   more   than   just   feelin's,   but   also   enough   damn   diseases   to   give   the   sewer   rats   a   run   for   their   money   on   who   could   nearly   wipe   out   night   city   the   fastest.   tough   call,   yeah,   just   wipin'   'em   outta   existence   like   that,   but..   "   he   suddenly   trails   off,   the   conversation   hitting   home   with   their   current   situation   and   another   sigh   fills   the   small   space   of   the   apartment.   the   fact   that   he   even   has   to   think   so   deeply   about   birds   makes   him   want   to   put   a   cig   out   using   the   moisture   from   his   fucking   eyeballs.   impossible,   he   knows,   yet   it   would   be   a   lot   less   irritating   than   the   topic   at   hand.   "   point   is,   it   doesn't   matter   whether   or   not   they   had   feelin's   because   they're   dead   and   gone.   a   fuckin'   shit-stain   on   the   timeline   like   the   rest   of   us.   "   johhny   snaps,   his   tone   holding   a   sharper   edge   than   usual.

[trapton]

🔧 @cyberpawn (𝙵𝙾𝙻𝙻𝙾𝚆 𝙼𝙴)

"𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎.. 𝚍𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜, 𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚎? [...] or how about prizes?" he darts -- from one side of their shoulders, to peek over the other. phantom hands on shoulders, while giggling... 𝚘𝚛, 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎. "oh.. ̸i̴ ̵ ̶k̶n̸o̶w̴.̶ ̴ i bet you're a cake person..." afton's low accent curls, trailing their chin, directing them to turn around. "well i can offer you all of that and more.... not to mention arcade machines -- as far as the eye can see.." a moment passes. his nose twitching, with a wiggle of rabbit whiskers. 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎. urgency in his slight bend at the knee. "allllll you have to do is come with me. you know vanessa, don't you? w̵e̷ ̵ ̷c̸o̵u̶l̵d̶ ̸ ̴a̴l̶l̵ ̶ ̷h̶a̴v̷e̴ ̶ ̵s̷o̵ ̴ ̵m̵u̷c̶h̸ ̸ ̸f̵u̷n̵ ̵ ̶t̷o̵g̴e̸t̶h̷e̶r̸.̷"

[somnus-lucis-caelum]

❛ not watching. they were showing you the way forward. your life. your path. what lies before you, and where it ends. ❜ (from ancient times vale, a moment of wisdom from the gremlin of an olympic games champ c: )

That... was a lot of talk from one of the champions regarding the gods that had looked down favourably on them today.

It made Somnus still for a moment, regarding the athlete with a measured look. There would be no danger from them, he assumed. Not in this way.

"You should be more careful with your words, champion.", he then mused with an amused tone, as he sat the laurel upon their head.

"To mention the end of an Emperor towards him could be mistaken for a threat."

@cyberpawn

[prvtocol]

@cyberpawn : What to get the person who could have everything she wanted, well, besides a low blood pressure. Vale was pretty sure that corpo work would make it impossible to have a normal blood pressure. But! Vale can get cool things! In a bag that was decorated in snowflakes, Vale packed it full of goodies! Bri was gifted a calligraphy set, a small, plush mouse, and a teapot with Beatrix Potter's art on it. "Tada!!! Merry Christmas, Bri!!" | wonderfully random asks (always accepting) ᠂ ⚘ ˚

The festively decorated package left on her doorstep the night before was scanned by security before it even made it inside the director’s estate. It would be placed alongside a row of unopened holiday cards, a crate of French wine from one of the Guyots, a bouquet of flowers from her mother, and various other packages mostly from corporate clientele that were delivered over the past week. As usual, work was unrelenting, the upcoming holiday pressing projects to completion that the mail accumulating on her kitchen island fell into neglect. Not until Christmas mid-morning when making her second cup of tea did she have the headspace to sort through it all. 

The snowflake-decorated bag stood out among those that came through the post, and she wondered, who on earth in Night City would hand deliver her something? It wasn’t until opening it and seeing the note that she realizes V, that friendly young merc who made her acquaintance, is living up to their sincere and generous nature. 

“My goodness.” With surprise, she muses, the habit of speaking to herself shining through as she pulls out a wonderfully anachronistic calligraphy set, a quaint and decoratively familiar teapot, and a small stuffed mouse, which she is a bit baffled about. She can’t recall the last time she was given a plushie as a gift (not since she was a child).

“Cute,” she says, wiggling its round ears and finding herself smiling in the process. Just when you think the youth today have no hope... How easily she forgets they once broke into her estate. ...Old water under the bridge.

[rebelichor]

@cyberpawn | X

The torchlight went from a sweeping motion to a sudden jerk towards the direction of Vale's voice. One moment they were shrouded in darkness and the next they were assaulted by light shining directly into their eyes.

Ari gasped — but had enough common sense to lower the light. That natural movement illuminated Vale's injury. "What happened??" she immediately demanded. Her tone sounded pushy, when really it was a mixture of concern and fear.

Did they trip in the dark? No, probably not, there was too much blood on their lower clothes for some simple trip, unless they had landed in a hunter's trap. The lack of cruel metal contraptions meant it had probably been something else. Something like the bears that Mr. Hackett had warned them about.

The poor teddy bear was spared little more than a glance. In her own shock, Ari brushed it aside. It wasn't important to her in that moment.

"This looks bad. I need to roll up your pants to get a better look, okay?" The flashlight was shifted to rest between her cheek and her shoulder as she dedicated both hands to checking over them. Her movements were very careful, easing the fabric back to reveal the damage.

"Oh fuck." The swearing didn't sound natural coming from someone like her. It was her honest reaction when confronted with the size of the bite mark. "Okay. Alright. Okay." The words coming out of her mouth didn't serve much of a purpose, she was speaking out loud while her mind shifted gears.

Just like that Ari pulled out bagged saline water from the med kit. "I'm going to clean the bite and slap a quick bandage on, just something to cover it until we're back at camp." She barely, barely poured the water onto Vale's calf.

[loqis]

"maybe don't mention my past indescretions?"

"Your past indiscretions?", Loqi looked the punk up and down with a slight look between disgust and utter judgement.

The young Corpo seemed to not even want to look at the other one. Much less answer their questions or show them any of the newest tech and cyberware that Arasaka had produced and showed off at this open presentation.

"I don't think I have to mention your past indescretions with the way you look. You do that all on your own."

@cyberpawn

[exigencism]

@cyberpawn --> [also for johnny!] we need to get out of here ,  come on .

BLOOD RUNNING hot, dripping from his metal fist, chest heaving from the exertion. He can't remember the last time he'd seen red like that, nothing but blind fury, pure rage, all bared fangs and loud barks. He can barely register the blows the former-merc had landed before their face got smashed into nothing more than a gore pile, their stolen optics broken beyond repair. A swift kick, not even for good measure, just the thrill of coming out on top. Johnny doesn't even register Vale's words, but he can understand the meaning through the tone; let's delta the fuck out.

Sunglasses readjusted to something a little more presentable. He wipes the blood from his nose with his forearm, smearing it across his cheek; he wants out just as much. "Car. Now." Unceremoniously, he grabs Vale by the arm, sparing no thought. It was hard for him to admit still, but he had grown overprotective of them since they'd split minds again. Nobody dares lay a fuckin' finger on 'em. The last mistake one could ever make.

[divinejudge]

"I'm proud of whoever you turn out to be, as long as that's who you wanna be, y'know? I'm proud of you, because that's a decision no one can take from you."

The words gave Alexander pause. He blinked, and he had to blink again as he swallowed down an uncomfortable lump in his throat. Those were words he had always wanted to hear... words that his father denied him...

He exhaled a breath and a smile twitched on his lips. Then that same smile grew a little more. "Thanks kid." He didn't mean to sound so stiff and formal. Didn't mean to offend by acknowledging their gap in ages either. The younger clearly had their head screwed on a lot better than he did.

"Not sure I deserve it. Not even sure who I want to be, or where I'm headed..." He cleared his throat again, sniffed, dipped his head in a short nod. "Still. Feels kinda nice knowing someone's proud of this big lump."

[sirenaceae]

❓ >:C

The first word that crosses my muse's head when they think of yours!

"Pawn."