#eliksni baby

[brokenpieces-72]

Maybe, Finally

This is based on @emmster CoD x Destiny AU.

“When did you become a mom?” Alex said seeing his fellow guardian holding a bundle to her chest. Farah smiled at him, noticing his arrival.

“Their mother is busy with the other ones, I offered to look after this one.” She explained.

“Did one of them have a kid while we were gone?” Alex asked. Then Farah pulled the bundle away from her, cradling it in her arms. Alex’s eyes widened seeing the Eliksni hatchling chittering. Certainly wasn’t expecting that. Not unwelcome either. Cute little critter.

“Never thought this would be a scenario.” Farah said. Alex had to agree especially with a conflict that had been going on for years now. Seemed like yesterday he was fighting off the Fallen to save any survivors from the city. Now this adorable wittle big was chittering at him like he hadn’t absolutely decimated the race on more than one occasion.

Alex sighed staring at the hatchling, folding his arms.

“Alex, you’re doing it again.” Farah pointed out. Alex looked up at her, still smiling but confused.

“Doing what?” Alex asked. Farah chuckled.

“You’re remembering something.” Farah exclaimed.

“Just have a feeling.” He said shrugging.

“But it’s familiar. You often fold your arms and smile when you do. I know it’s a good one cause you smiled.”

“I fold my arms a lot.” Alex said, a little defensive.

“There’s a way you do it.” Farah tried to argue. “I don’t know, there’s also a look.”

Alex rolled his eyes, arms dropping to his sides. The hatchling chirped in agreement. Farah snickered, adoring the little guy. “Yes he is a very silly Titan.”

Alex stared at Farah. It was odd seeing her acting like a mother, but something about it… he couldn’t stop smiling.

“I only get the feeling when I’m around you.” Alex confessed. Farah looked up at him, with a bit of pink on her face. Alex felt a little warm himself. “That’s not me flirting, that is me being genuine. For some reason, I get these moments of familiarity when I’m with you.”

“I get it too.” Farah said. “It’s comforting, even when all hell breaks loose. Sometimes it’s in the vanguard tower, I want to be working with them. Especially with this alliance being formed.”

“We probably knew each other back then. Maybe we were…siblings?” Alex suggested. Farah look at him and then the hatchling which went quiet, as if it understood what Alex said. “Adopted?”

“I think we worked together. Closely.” Farah suggested, waving her finger to the baby eliksni. More happy noises.

“Battle buddies?” Alex asked. “I can see it.”

He held something out to Farah, pulling her attention from the eliksni. The Titan moved beside his friend to look at the photo with her. A photo he’d found with Kyle while they were looking around a decimated city from times long past. In the photo was Alex, Farah and another man. Farah stared trying to recall him. She felt oddly conflicted by seeing him. Alex was standing with a neutral expression, fully dressed in combat gear, as was she.

“When did you get this?” Farah asked.

“When we were out, and you were here discussing the alliance with the Vanguard.” Alex said. “And you can tell we weren’t married because no wedding band.”

There wasn’t a ring on the either hand though, Alex was wearing gloves.

“Guardian?” The two turned to see the adult Eliksni, her clutch close to her person. Farah didn’t need to be asked. She approached the eliksni offering back her hatchling. The eliksni took the little one, with a small sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Farah said. “Anytime.”

The eliksni fawned over the hatchling as it walked away, intent on returning to the rest of fallen. Alex and Farah watched.

“I’m not sure what we did… when that photo of was taken. But with everything that’s been happening, everything changing… been feeling right more and more.” Alex said, crossing his arms. “Like this is something we’ve been fighting for all along.”

Farah smirked. Alex looked at her and then looked down, seeing he’d crossed his arms again. Dang it she was right.

Taglist: @yourlovely-moon @kaoyamamegami @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @sans-chara @1mommyrose4ever29 @smitten-haematite-quartz @talia-the-gemini @yuki2129 @whitetiger846 @graystorm444 @chibiduck @reaperxxxxzz @danielle143 @sobbingnshtting @cringeycookies @cryingpages @dcnocap207 @reaper-chan666 @bestbookfriends

[delatrya]

Late night doodle to show I’m still alive

[winnowersbane]

one last baby screenshot before lightfall from last night

[ahamkara-apologist]

Passing the time between experiment runs by doodling baby Eliksni

+ an attempt at Riis-era Eramis with her own beanlets, before it all went to shit

[spiderlaria]

Eliksni studies... The beloveds

[artificial-radiance]

Baby bugs

[triarch]

Fun fact, Eliksni hatchlings bounce.

They love to be played with like a basketball.

Do it.

[wastedpotentialsblog]

Trying to see how well I can do under time. This took about 12 minutes to doodle. Which is a super big improvement compared to maybe some months ago!

[telestoapologist]

eliksni zoaea: (toddles up to sundog, nearly tripping, but grabs onto their knee with all four lil hands to balance itself. it titter-clicks and chitter-babbles an inquiry up at them)

sundog, trying not to tear up at how cute this is: ah...?

yyventriz, murmuring helpfully: she is asking if you are the one who punched the colossus that attacked our camp.

sundog: oh! y-yeah! yep, that was me.

the zoaea: (squeals happily and bounces) kas-den, shar-lo!!!!

sundog, recognizing the phrase and now actually tearing up: ohhhmygod-

[the11tailedwrites]

Day 9-10 Kidnapped

TW: non-con (but not graphic), use of slave crests

Prince Uldren didn’t know where he was. Usually, he was great with direction, but now, the woods were foreign to him. They stretched an impossible distant and the leaves rustled, casting rainbows onto the ground. Looking up, he noticed the leaves seemed to be made of a glass or crystal like substance, yet they did not conduct any heat, so the pretty colors were all they really did. He traced his hands along silver bark, but it felt just like any other tree.

”Huh, well we aren’t in Kansas anymore, Todo,” muttered Uldren, recalling a very old pre-golden age film.

The brush rustled and Uldren whirled around, pointing his gun as the rustling brush. After a second, a rabbit the size of a medium sized dog hopped out. It stared at him with purple eyes, it’s radiant fur shifting, before it spooked off into the woods. Uldren lowered his gun and rubbed his brow. Where even was he?

Then something struck his neck and he staggered, reaching up to his neck. His hands brushed against a feather something and he pulled out a dart.

”Son of a bi-“ Uldren slurred before he crumpled to the ground, vision going black.

Uldren forced his eyes open, groaning at the twing in his neck. He found himself lying on a dusty cell floor and his wrists shackled in front of him. With incredible effort, Uldren forced himself up and looked around. A guard glanced in and Uldren didn’t recognize the outfit he wore.

”Do you know who I am?” snarled Uldren, “When my sister finds out what you’ve done, she’ll kill you,”

The guard rolled his eyes and walked off, leaving Uldren seething in his cell.

It was an hour before someone else walked in front of his cell. A woman in a long and very fancy dress stopped in front of his cell door and gazed down at the Awoken Prince like he was a prize to be won. Uldren glared at her and that only seemed to brighten her mood.

”Grab him,” she ordered and a guard open his cell door and dragged him out.

Uldren fought against his hold, thrashing, but the guard held onto him with ease. Uldren was dragged out of the prison and towards a large white building, reminiscent of pre-golden age churches. He was dragged inside and towards the center piece of the church, where a man in white already stood.

”Sign the paper,” she said, blunty, gesturing to a marriage contract resting on the table.

”Fuck you,” snarled Uldren

The woman turned and snapped her fingers and another guard entered the room, dragging a familiar, thrashing Awoken into the room.

”Jol!” Uldren exclaimed, eyes wide with horror as his partner was shoved onto his knees and a blade was lined against his throat.

”Sign or he dies,” said the woman, simply

“Uldren don’t! If you sign it, you can nev-mph,” Jolyon’s words are cut off as the guard quickly clamps a hand over his mouth.

Jolyon twists his head, trying to dislodge the hand over his mouth, but to no avail. Jolyon stopped struggling and gave Uldren a look, pleading him not to sign the paper. Uldren couldn’t lose his best friend. He picked up the quill, resting just beside the paper, and silently wrote his full name and signature. The paper glowed gold before settling.

”I now pronounce you, Lady Ginivera Gauss and you, Uldren Sov, husband and wife,” command the priest.

Jolyon slumped, defeated and Uldren just stared blankly ahead. He was going to kill her the second they were alone.

”At least let Jolyon got,” Uldren whispered and Lady Ginivera smirked and leaned forward.

She pressed a kiss against his lips, ignoring the way Uldren recoiled.

”You need a manservant if you are my husband,” she said, “He will get a slave crest and be made your servant,”

”What!” Uldren roared, “You fucking bitch!”

He lunged at her, but before he could touch her, his body froze. Ginivera laughed and stepped aside.

”So long as you sign that, you could never lay a hand on me,” she purred in his ear.

Uldren growled at her, rage his only emotion. He would make her pay with her life.

Two weeks. That’s how long Uldren had been here, with Jolyon. Jolyon was his only joy, even after a slave crest had been forced upon his person and Uldren had been made to watch (Jolyon screamed the entire process. Afterwards, he had curled up beside Uldren, unable to stop crying. The pain only went away after a few days, but Uldren could still see it, no matter what clothes he wore.) and tend to Uldren’s every needs. Uldren demanded nothing from him, refused to force Jolyon to serve him like that. Ginivera updated the clause, if Jolyon didn’t do his tasks, he would be shocked. Uldren could only watch. One night, a couple days after that day at the church, Ginivera informed him that they had to spend the night together. Uldren refused. She didn’t care. He stumbled back to his room at 2 in the morning and called for Jolyon. He came. Uldren broke. Jolyon held him until he fell asleep. Neither of them talked about what must have happened.

Now, it was time for his “Introduction to the royals” or whatever. Jolyon’s slave mark was being hidden, Uldren wasn’t sure why. They put one on him recently, Ginivera didn’t want him outing her to the royals.

Now he walked, silently beside Ginivera, slave mark hidden and wearing clothes far less fancy than what he was used to. The doors opened, they were introduced and it drew the attention of every one there. Uldren’s eyes were instantly drawn to the non-humans in the room.

”There are the royals of The Bloodmoon Empire,” Ginivera explained, the night before, “Filthy animals, acting like they could be as smart as a human,”

There was a bird woman, dressed in fine silks that flowed down her back, a wolf man kitted out in leather armour with steel barbs littering the surface and a sword at his side, even a humanoid slime creature decorated with beautiful patterns of gold intertwined into its body. His gaze was pulled to the familiar. An Uluruan, female with large tusks and wearing what appeared to be a fancy version of battle armor. An Eliksni, female and wearing a high-low grey dress adorned with pigeons, with a live pigeon sitting on her shoulder and and a gold crown made of branches. A Psion, male with a long flowing skirt and a dress shirt decorated with floral patterns, a gun at his side and lone eye traveling. Uldren felt his heart race with a tiny hope. A psion might be able to help him…if he wanted to help him, that is.

”Congratulations, Lady Ginivera,” called a voice and Uldren tore his gaze away from the psion to stare at the newcomer.

She looked humanoid, around 8 or 9 feet with grey-ish black skin with gold lines reminiscent of Kintsugi (an old Earth practice for repairing broken pottery), and a long flowing gold high-low dress. She had massive bat-like wings sprouting from her back, which were tucked nicely behind her. On her head were a mess of horns, looping against one another to form a crown. Her eyes were pitch black and when she spoke, he spotted her razor sharp teeth.

”Thank you, Empress Divine Vamprina,” greeted Ginivera, curtseying low

Uldren lowered into a bow as well, feeling her divine power, similar to his sister’s power, rolling off her in waves.

“Just one question,” said Vamprina leaning in close to Ginivera, “Why does he have a slave crest?”

Ginivera froze before quickly recovering.

”He has no such thing!” she exclaimed, stunned

”As you know, I research the spouses of any one of my people to ensure there is no nefarious activity. Imagine my surprise when I found out you are engaged to the Awoken Prince Uldren Sov, who is happily in love with his partner, Jolyon Till. I cornered Jolyon and identified his slave crest, removed it and he told me everything. As per our laws, you are under arrest for kidnapping, enslavement of a person, forgery of a marriage contract, bribery of a religious figure and falsifying marriage documents. You will be tried in court, but for now, rot in a prison cell,” said the Empress Divine

”What! This is absurd,” screamed Ginivera as she was dragged away by two guards in all black.

The Empress Divine turned to him and waved her hand. Uldren felt his shoulder where the slave crest was burn and then it was gone. He blinked slowly and touched it.

”Uldren!” a voice called and Uldren glanced up.

Jolyon pushed his way through the crowd and pulled Uldren into a tight hug. Uldren buried his face into Jolyon’s neck, breathing in the scent of his lover.

”Empress Divine Vamprina,” asked Uldren, “How do you know who I am?”

”Well, that’s easy, little prince, The Bloodmoon Empire and The Reef have had an alliance for almost a decade now”

She smiled and Uldren got the sense that a smile from her was a rare thing.

”No run along home, princeling, your sister is worried sick,”

[the-light-finds-its-way]

Imagine Magnus letting his father watch Ace for a whole day. Cayde FREAKS OUT and is like, "Him?! Watching OUR baby?? Are you INSANE???"

And Magnus just looks blankly at him and says, "What have I ever done to make you think I'm sane in the first place?"

"True. But I still don't think we can trust Spider with a baby. He can barely take care of you as it is!"

"Just trust me on this."

So the two take Ace to Spider's hideout, and Spider looks with a wide grin, chuckling lowly as he clicks his mandibles, and reaches for the baby.

Cayde shudders anxiously, and cautiously hands his and Magnus's son off.

Suddenly, Spider's eyes all light up, and his shoulders drop as he reels Ace into himself, and coos, chirps, and kisses his grandson gently. It's like he's completely forgotten Cayde and Magnus are there, as the cuteness of this sweet little hatchling has consumed him entirely.

Magnus shrugs. "See? I told you he'd be fine with my dad." He rushes Cayde out of the hideout saying, "Come on. Let's go get drunk on Ether for a while."

"How the fuck-"

"He has a serious soft spot. How else do you think he'd have fallen for me? Family comes first for my dad, and that's just how he is."

[thatawokenhunter]

the best doggo, and best babies. i honestly love this dog so much and my lil baby eliksni 🥺❤️

[destinysquared]

Variks and Baby (COMMISSION)

Drawing I've made for ShadowAwoken of their eliksni OC being held by Variks from the game Destiny. Thank you for commissioning me! Commission Prices/Info Here

[ahamkara-apologist]

Not to be insane in your inbox but I simply MUST hear more of your Uluran specbio headcanons. They keep me sane.

Okay yeah I'm just gonna post this now- been fiddling with it for several weeks and keep getting distracted by cool reproductive biology facts (like the complexities of rhino cervixes and why it makes conservation efforts via artificial insemimation so difficult) so here ya go. Most of this is reproductive biology bc I'm studying to be an evolutionary geneticist for conservation purposes, so be aware of that- all that good stuff is under a readmore

*Note: I started using the terms ‘bulls’ for male Uluru and ‘sows’ for female Uluru midway through this bc I got tired of writing ‘male/female’ over and over again, as this doc also contains Eliksni and Hive biology musings. It helps distinguish the Uluran section from the others a bit. I also use Uluru/Uluran interchangeably, with ‘Uluru’ being the notation for individuals and ‘Uluran’ being the notation for a group/the species as a whole.

General:

-The exposed upper gumline we see in almost all Uluru faces isn't how their lips normally rest; baring the teeth and upper gum is an expression of superiority/confidence in their strength. The reason we almost always see their faces in this position is because the Uluran almost universally view humans as weaker, and even those like Caiatl (who has seen otherwise) does it on instinct because they cannot fathom how much smaller we are

-Which, to be fair, doesn't say a lot; an Uluru with a relaxed mouth typically only occurs in private, when around their mate or equals. When an expression can mean both 'I am greater than you' as well as 'I am confident in myself and my abilities', and the whole society they live in is based around being the best of your class, then it's going to be a very common facial expression

-(On a side note: their growth hormones being triggered by a sense of pride isn't actually all that outlandish. House Sparrows exhibit a similar occurrance in real life, where winning dominance battles against other males increases the size of their bib, a black patch on their chest that indicates where they are placed in their social hierarchy. The more fights they win, the bigger their bib)

-Uluran fat distribution is mostly internal, and is focused around the organs to act as shock barriers when fighting; their muscles typically layer over the fat bands. The one exception to this is around the throat/jowl area, where fat layers over the thick muscle pads to help protect the vulnerable area from being gored by tusks during fighting

-Unlike in human society, hitting on a married individual is not socially unacceptable, especially if the individual doing the flirting believes that the pairing is an unfit match for one another and they can do better. It's considered romantic and marriage-affirming for the partner who's being shamed in this situation to chase the other suitor off. This weighed especially heavily on the sows bc of the vulnerable mate-guarding lactation period post-pregnancy

-(However it should be noted that Uluran gender roles are less restrictive in some ways than humans bc they’re based more on the strength of the individual than their ability to perform preset social rules, and that in modern times this is more for show)

-Historically, reverse-harem groups were a common sign of status, with one particularly fit sow mating with three or four bulls and/or having ‘lesser’ males that she did not mate with (or stole from other sows) nursing her calves. In some extremely traditionalist groups/among gladiators, this still occurs, but most mating groups max out at three individuals because the posturing required to keep people interested is just…a lot. Its a lot of mutual impressing to do

Reproductive biology:

-Much like hyenas, sows have a pseudopenis that is a result of increased androgens, and big pseudopenises on sows are seen as a mark of great status/strength. Tusk size/growth rates is also sometimes correlated with pseudopenis size, since the amount of androgens in the blood stream are correlated with both tusk growth rates and penis size

-Unlike hyena pseudopenises, however, the urinary tract does run through the shaft of the clitorus, while the birth canal essentially opens halfway down the shaft, creating a pouchlike vaginal opening. Arousal is required for this pouch to unfold; if not, penetration cannot occur, and in an unaroused state, it collapses in on itself into the base of the shaft, which then folds into the sheath for total protection. This evolved to keep the genital area clean, but has been co-opted to prevent mating until the female is ready, much like hyenas

-Yes, in less civilized times the pseudopenis was also used for dominance displays. During the breeding season, sows would evert their hemipenes in a half-erect state to essentially show off their fitness, which would greatly influence male mate choice. Tusk size = general status, penis size = reproductive status

-Bulls only receive a spike in androgens after the sows actively courting them go into an estrus cycle, which triggers increased sperm production and makes their testicles swell in size to what would be normal on a mammal (inspired by how bird testicles increase in size during mating season) and skyrockets their seminal viability 200% above average, specifically for the purpose of fertilizing a female in estrus. After fertilization occurs, they have to be around a pregnant sow for an extended period of time to a.) drop them back to a normal, non-breeding state and b.) induce lactation for the arriving calves, which is typically when mate guarding begins to occur in earnest. Both hormone cycle mechanisms are pheromonally regulated, but may have a 'ghost cycle' occurrence where the hormone fluxes occur on a very minor level

-As a consequence: very humanly 'masculine' bulls are typically less traditionally attractive compared to bulls with what we might consider more 'feminine' traits. Bulls with too much testosterone will have tusks on par with sows, larger penises, and testes that are noticeably descended from the abdominal cavity. While they are typically more capable of fertilizing sows, they are incapable of producing milk or are subpar at it, which means they cannot gestate the resulting calves effectively, so that increased fertility is essentially useless

-(However, it is important to note again that Uluran gender roles do not correlate to human ones, and high-testosterone bulls will still be considered very valuable fighters, warriors, and champions. They're just not considered suitable mate material, and are laughed or scoffed at if they ever want to have a family of their own. Ghaul was an example of a high-testosterone bull)

-[OOPS I ACCIDENTALLY WROTE THIS TWICE BUT DONT WANNA DELETE IT] Fertilization is internal and requires cooperation of both parties to occur. The female vaginal opening itself is composed of erectile tissue, and directly connected to the base of the pseudopenis; when aroused, it everts from the body cavity in an unfurling motion (as the outer labia are composed of thick skin that tuck inwards for protection) and sticks out a bit for ease of penetration.

-The male penis does much the same, but is long, thin, and semiprehensile, allowing it to easily curve under the curve of the abdomen and slip into the vagina via touch alone. The head flares after ejaculation to scrape out the sperm of opposing males, but isn’t terribly effective at it, as it is composed of soft, spongy tissue to be able to exit the tighter vaginal opening. Because bulls typically pick only one sow to mate with, the effect is not terribly drastic compared to, say, the Eliksni (who are much more promiscuous)

-Vanilla sex is typically done standing, with abdomens pressed together and reciprocal stimulation occurring in a slow rocking motion until orgasm is obtained. Casually reclining is another option, but the evolutionary default was to mate while standing bc it allowed for quicker reaction timing if a threat approached

-Uluran have 5 nipples, placed under the main abdominal fat pad and covered with their pouch, which is a flap of tough hide with very elastic skin around its edges that can be torn away if a certain pattern of muscle contractions occur (much like lizard caudal autonomy). Both bulls and sows have a pouch that can be opened, but it is vastly reduced to a mere fold of skin on sows. The pouch typically only opens when stimulated by the birth of calves (triggered by the scent of newborn calves), or when stimulated from within. The skin that seals it shut has no pain receptors, and calf ejection has to be voluntarily triggered in order to occur- the default pathway is 'closed'.

-Births are a private affair, limited only to one's mate; a midwife and their apprentice may come stay on the property, but typically only come in if something is wrong. Even though Uluran calves are born underdeveloped, much like marsupials, they also suffer from the same evolutionary blows dealt to humans in that an upright stance and larger brains made birth more difficult. Pair that with the fact that they're coming out of a narrow birth canal, and yeah, first-time births are often quite painful; Uluran culture typically see birth as a battle, and first births (where tearing of the vaginal canal almost always occurs in some capacity) as a blood rite.

-If possible, the calves are born onto the bulls's abdomen as he guards/monitors his mate, which is all the help that they are traditionally allowed to get as they crawl into his pouch and latch onto a tear to complete development. Any that fail to reach the pouch are left to die

-Up to five calves can be born at a time, but 2 is typically much more common. Of a five-calf litter, only four will ever be healthy; the fifth will always be a runt, and almost never survive. Six is practically unheard of, and always leads to the litter dying because all of the other calves are too underdeveloped to have been carried to term

-Calves are roughly palm-sized when born, and are a stoutly compact, rectangular pink blob of flesh. They're essentially fetus potatos, with the only developed part of them being their crawling limbs. Their skin is transparent, thin, and heavily vascularized, especially along their bellies, as the interior of a bull's pouch is also highly vascularized, and oxygen exchange occurs through cross-current exchange across the skin. Once they find and latch to a nipple, the babies will essentially fuse belly-first to their father's pouch + teat, and will stick there until they're developed enough to leave the pouch and start breathing on their own (the thick hide on their bellies is the last thing to develop before leaving the pouch). This also means that calf ejection is almost always fatal, as it involves the tearing of that oxygen-exchange patch

-Uluru milk consists almost entirely of protein, with the remaining content being mostly fats. There's very little sugar in it, and just enough water to give it the consistancy of something slightly thinner than heavy cream. It's basically an antibody-packed protein shake, and allows the calves to grow at tremendous speeds once born. They're capable of tripling their weight in the first week alone

-(Coincidentally, how fat a baby is when they leave the pouch is deemed a way to tell how fit the male is to be a father. The fatter the baby is, the sexier the male, as that means he's fit enough to be producing very high-quality milk at very little cost to himself)

-(Yes this means that Calus was peak dilf material in Uluran terms. Deal with it)

[emmster]

Okay I just remembered this was a thing, but how do each of the cod characters react to Fallen baby? I feel like Soap would find the little guy kind of cute, so would Alex. Farah would genuinely hold one as long as the fallen carrying them said it was fine. I honestly just love this imagery.

SMOLLEN!

Soap was risen before Twilight gap and is unfortunately a bit weary first of the fallen in the tower. Probably would be afraid of holding it at first. Isn’t aware too much of what’s going on with the alliances part other than what the young wolf has been able to tell him. (Soap works primarily with Hive missions)

Ghost I think would think they’re cute and be ok with holding one (he was an uncle after all). He wouldn’t admit it outright he’ll just show up one day with a smollen he promised to babysit. Soap and Price would look at him weird. And Ghost would carry on like he’s not holding a little alien baby.

Farah would find them absolutely adorable and would be a strong voice for an alliance with the Eliksni for sure. Alex supports Farah 100% too. Gaz is hesitant at first but knows about the growing alliance between the two races and eventually comes around.

Price finds them adorable but is also kind of afraid of hurting them being a Titan and all.

[tell-me-a-tale-that-tells]

The Right one

°•°•—_—_—💠—_—_—•°•°

Summary: Misraaks looks at his beloved Guardian from afar and while he sees her holding a hatchling, something clicks inside him.

Warnings: None, unless kissing a big space lobster is a trigger for you.

°•°•—_—_—💠—_—_—•°•°

Misraaks stood quietly, observing as she wandered through the bustling marketplace, her movements purposeful as she examined fabrics and picked up a small lantern.

Her smile, simple and warm, was enough to make him smile as well, even though she wasn’t aware of his presence.

She had none of the traits that an Eliksni might typically admire—just two arms, two eyes, and soft skin without the protection of an exoskeleton.

And yet, in Misraaks' eyes, she was perfect just as she was.

It was rare to see her without her armour.

Today, she wore civilian clothes—a simple leather jacket, a sweater, and pants.

She looked almost vulnerable, but it suited her.

As she conversed with a merchant, Misraaks noticed the merchant had one of his younglings strapped on them, who stretched their small arms toward her, curious.

Misraaks felt the merchant apologize, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.

She offered her hand to the young Eliksni, allowing the child to play with her fingers.

The sight of her laughing softly as she interacted with the child touched something deep within Misraaks.

After a moment, she even picked up the little one, holding them close, her arms moving in a slow, rhythmic motion.

Misraaks tilted his head, intrigued by the gesture, a human custom that seemed so foreign, yet so tender.

Once she finished her conversation with the merchant, she returned the child, exchanged a few polite words, and continued on her way, heading toward Eido’s laboratory.

Misraaks quickly moved to take his place near his medical Servitor, as he didn't want her to catch him staring.

A moment later, her voice echoed softly through the room. "Eido? Are you here?"

“No, Lightbearer,” Misraaks answered, his voice calm. “She is out gathering ingredients for her tonics.”

She smiled at him, that same smile that seemed to brighten even his recurring darkest thoughts.

Misraaks couldn’t shake the image of her holding the child, swaying gently.

"How are you feeling today, Ge?" Her tone was gentle and filled with concern.

Misraaks hesitated, then sighed, lowering his gaze. “It could be better.”

When she asked if there was anything she could do to help, he shook his head.

But as she began to turn to leave, something inside him compelled him to speak. "Guardian, may I ask you something?"

She paused, looking back at him "Of course."

“I'm embarrassed to say that...I was looking at you, at the market. That movement you made earlier,” Misraaks said, his voice almost tentative. “With the child. What was that?”

A flicker of confusion crossed her features before understanding dawned. “Oh, I was rocking him. It’s something humans do to comfort babies, to help them feel safe.”

The explanation hit Misraaks harder than he expected.

The kindness she had shown, not just to a child, but to a child of his kind, touched him deeply.

“You don’t have any children,” Misraaks observed softly. “Would you want some?”

The question felt bold, perhaps too bold, but he knew time was not on his side, and he couldn’t keep such thoughts to himself much longer.

She smiled, though it was softer this time, more thoughtful. “Maybe one day. If I find the right person,” she replied honestly.

Misraaks couldn’t help the words that slipped from his mouth next. “And... what if it was the right Eliksni?”

There was a moment of silence between them that felt like eons.

She looked at him, her expression unreadable at first, but then she blushed slightly, her gaze lowering as she pondered his words. "I don’t know," she admitted softly. "I think I would love to... even if they couldn’t be biologically mine."

Misraaks noted the light in her eyes when she spoke of children. It stirred something deep within him.

The Lightbearer cheeks, Misraaks noted, were now a brighter shade of pink; her eyes were wide, and she nervously bit her lower lip.

“Guardian,” he began, his voice failing him. He swallowed hard, summoning the courage. “I-I must tell you something of extreme importance. I know that I'm the shadow of myself right now and—”

Before he could finish, she interrupted with a firm but gentle response. “I love you too, Misraaks. The answer is yes.”

Her words struck him like a bolt of electricity.

He hadn’t expected such directness.

"I was very obvious, didn't I?" he whispered, his voice raw.

"I guess we both were. I...felt this way for a long time now. Since the Endless Night," she confessed.

"I didn't expected you to reciprocate my feelings. Now I don't know what to say..." Misraaks rubbed two hands together, trying to find the words.

She stepped closer to him, and Misraaks felt his heart begin to race.

There was a nervous tension in the air, but it wasn’t unwelcome.

He braced himself as she reached for the armor plates on his chest, her eyes full of quiet curiosity.

“May I?” she asked softly, her fingers hovering near his mask.

He hesitated, then nodded. “Yes... you may.”

As she carefully undid the straps of his mask,

Misraaks closed his eyes, feeling exposed in a way that had nothing to do with physical vulnerability.

He heard the faint click as the mask came loose, and then felt her gentle touch, her lips pressing softly against his jaw and neck.

A low sound escaped his throat, half-surprise, half-pleasure.

Misraaks breathed deeply, his voice a soft rasp. “If you keep this up...the evening will take an interesting turn” His voice sounded different without the mask’s filter.

She smiled at him, her lips brushing against his skin again. “Oh, already worked up?” she asked, teasing him.

“For you, yes” Misraaks whispered, leaning into her touch, the tension in his body giving way to something else entirely.

But before they could continue, a cheerful voice interrupted them.

“Father! I’ve returned!”

Eido’s voice broke the moment, and both Misraaks and the Guardian pulled back, startled.

They exchanged a quick, embarrassed glance as Eido stepped into the room, a basket of any kind of bottles and ingredients in her arms.

She looked at them curiously, clearly sensing that something was off, but said nothing.

The Lightbearer smiled, stepping forward to greet her. "Eido! I was looking for you."

Eido looked at her, a bit puzzled, but nodded.

"I've returned with some ingredients for the tonics," she said, holding up the basket. "I hope they're what you needed."

The Guardian nodded, "Yes, they are perfect."

As Eido set down the basket, she couldn't help but feel a strange energy in the air.

Eyeing Misraaks and the Lightbearer, she noticed her flushed state and the way they seemed to be avoiding eye contact with each other. "Is everything alright?"

Misraaks cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Yes, everything is fine Eido. We were just discussing our tasks for the evening."

Eido looked at them both curiously, but decided not to push further. "Alright then," she said, picking up the basket again"

Misraaks watched the Guardian preparing the tonics she needed with Eido's aid and when she finished, she bid them goodbye and leaved.

The two Eliksni whatched her go, then Eido turned to his father.

"... isn't that the Guardian's lipstick on your neck?"