#emrys trevellyan

[dreams-of-the-arcana]

It’s time for chapter four! 💕 I’m really starting to feel like I’m getting my voice for this story. So now, let’s check in with our beloved Director! What’s an Asra story without yearning?

Ft. @theroyalmage Emrys Trevellyan and Kit Hunter. Nadia Satrinava, Portia Devorak, Julian Devorak, Asra Alnazar, Muriel, Lucio Morgasson, Godiva Köhler, Cleo Rosehyn, and Andi

Catch up here:

Bound By Ash and Smoke: An Arcana AU

Chapter Four: I Remember You

Director of the VSIA, Asra Alnazar, had managed to attain a position and respect at a very early age. The original concept for the VSIA had laid in a file that had been dormant in the Vesuvia Central Intelligence building for many years. Mazelinka Seafarer proposed the idea after an elaborate exercise where she herself broke into the VCI’s top secret department just to show how easy it was.

Needless to say, the department heads had not liked that.

Mazelinka’s original proposal to form an intelligence agency that was independent of the government was pushed behind a mountain of red tape. Not that it stopped the young agent for one second.

After years of arguing (and many successful break-ins) the Prime Minister took an interest and gave the go-ahead for this new agency. Mazelinka was an experienced agent by that time and ran the department like a tight ship. It was Mazelinka herself who advocated for young Asra to be hired in the first place.

The government was very opposed to inviting a young person who virtually had not existed until a couple years prior into the largest intelligence organization in the country. Luckily, no one listened to them.

Asra reminisced on this as he sipped a cup of steaming hot tea next to the large bright window of the “Animals Escape Café”. Rescues of all sorts roamed the rooms as morning goers stopped in for a hit of caffeine and affection before work. He’d only recently discovered the place but immediately took to the atmosphere. There was no sense of the rush that laid outside the doors and patrons were free to sit and relax as long as they liked. On the other side, rescues got the opportunity to be seen outside a shelter environment where they could interact freely.

The bell to the door chimed and Asra’s face whipped towards it. Only to be disappointed by another happy stranger coming in.

Not that he was expecting anyone. Certainly not. Why had he even looked? Well, because the Director of a secret intelligence organization needed to be aware of their surroundings?

A comforting squeeze on his upper arm gave away that not even his pet ball python, Faust, would believe that. He sighed and went back to staring out the window.

It just so happened that this café was the favorite of Andraste Ó Conail, a person the VSIA was very interested in recruiting and also Asra’s ex-lover.

Just a coincidence, of course.

The bell rang again and this time when he looked, he found exactly who he was looking for. Andi had definitely grown up since the last time he’d seen her and the pictures the recruiting department had taken didn’t do her justice. She’d cut off most of her long wavy blonde hair in favor of a short style that reached just below her pointy ears. While she was still only 5’3”, she’d filled out and toned her muscles during her years as an investigative journalist. Approaching the counter, she removed her large sunglasses and Asra drew in a short breath. A lot had changed but he knew those big bright blue eyes out of a thousand.

Unfortunately he too captivated by nostalgia to remember one of the traits that made Andi such a desirable asset.

Andi calmly collected her order, stopped to pet the animals that swarmed to her, and before Asra had time to notice, she was there in front of him smiling mischievously.

“Asra Alnazar, it’s been a while.”

Damn, she’d made him. Asra smiled back to her and gestured to the plush chair beside him.

“Andi Ó Conail, what a treat. Please join me if you have a minute.”

Andi’s brow raised slightly but she slipped into the seat. Curiosity winning out, she couldn’t help but look him over.

Just as Andi had changed, so had Asra.

The lanky teenager grew into a confident adult without a hint of the nervousness from before. Andi recalled a time when he couldn’t even look at her without blushing. Now here he was at her favorite café without so much as a waver in his voice. Although his soft fluffy curls and sly eyes remained the same.

“What brings you here?” Andi let one of the cats jump into her lap as she settled in.

“Would you believe,” Asra gestured to the snake coiled around him. “That this is the only café where Faust is welcome?”

Andi laughed and leaned forward to boop the snake gently on her nose. Faust leaned out closer to rest her head on Andi’s hand. Asra grinned.

“It looks like she remembers you...”

Their eyes met and they were briefly speechless. The meaning behind Asra’s words were as clear as if he’d said them.

He remembered her.

Andi’s cheeks turned pink and she sat back in her chair. Asra had to ignore to urge to move closer. The space between them seemed impassable now.

“It’s been a while...” Andi trailed off.

Memories flashed through their minds. Awkward teenagers meeting for the first time at the local outdoor market, Asra’s cheesy pick up line, that first confession, their first kiss, the sounds and feelings when they finally...

Asra shook his head.

“It has. Maybe it doesn’t have to be so long until we see each other next time?” That made Andi smile faintly.

“I’d like that,” she took out a sheet of paper from a notebook in her purse and quick jotted down her number.

“Call me? Maybe we can meet back up here on the weekend when we’re not so busy?”

Asra reached for the paper and gently brushed Andi’s fingers as he took it. He would have sworn it felt like a jolt of electricity. Andi quickly withdrew her hand and stood up.

“I, um, better get to work now. It was nice seeing you again” she hurried and strode off, not slowing down until she was out the door.

Asra still sat with his outstretched hand holding the piece of paper.

“Nice seeing you too...”

He smiled at the numbers and pet Faust under her chin.

[ao3feed-thearcana]

by Trevellyan (06Munin)

Emrys Trevellyan, royal magician and partner to the Countess, has just learned of his death three years ago. Alone on the veranda with Nadia, he questions whether he is really himself anymore.

Words: 7501, Chapters: 5/5, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of The Countess & The Magician

Fandoms: The Arcana (Visual Novel)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Nadia (The Arcana), Julian Devorak, Portia Devorak, Apprentice (The Arcana), Asra (The Arcana), Muriel (The Arcana)

Relationships: Apprentice/Nadia (The Arcana)

Additional Tags: The Ship of Theseus, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Comedy, Romance, Kissing, Nudity, Mild Language

[dreams-of-the-arcana]

It’s finally here! Chapter 2 of the Spy AU (it rhymed so I had to). Still no title (suggestions greatly appreciated) or header art.

For Chapter 1:

Ft. @theroyalmage’s Emrys, Asra Alnazar, Portia Devorak, newcomer Godiva

We left off with Nadia Satrinava, the Prime Minister of Vesuvia, receiving a very suspicious note leading to a mystery visitor. Now we meet our surprise guest!

Chapter Two: Right Back At It

The common consensus amongst the members of the Vesuvian Secret Intelligence Agency, or VSIA, was that there was no such thing as a ‘normal’ day. How could there be? While other agencies drowned in weeks of paperwork and red tape, the VSIA agents moved rapidly and in the most intense situations.

So even getting the call that the Prime Minister had received a serious death threat wasn’t enough to make the agents blink.

Hidden away, the VSIA building stood tall and boring from the outside. A grey building in a sea of grey buildings made even worse with most of the floors boarded up. A small law firm operated on the second floor and a simple accountant set up on the fourth but that was just the beginning of this particular building.

Agent Emrys Trevellyan stretched and yawned as he strode across the white tiling towards the elevator. The receptionist offered a brief nod before turning back to her newspaper. Pulling back the rusted metal grate, Emrys entered the ancient looking elevator and tiredly put a blank keycard into the small slot at the bottom of the floor numbers. A small camera looking device popped out from seemingly nowhere and announced in an overly chipper voice.

“Look at the birdie!”

Emrys gave the camera a muted smile, as he had a thousand times before, and trained his eye on the lens.

“Welcome Agent Trevellyan”

The elevator began to descend.

Many years prior, the organization that would become the VSIA needed to find a suitable space for their operations. They had quite a few requirements.

“There must be space for expansion as our assignments grow. It must not draw attention to itself. Please no more moldy damp basements?”

Once the building was secured they decided to build underground rather than above. Though the space was absolutely covered in dehumidifiers and vitamin D lamps.

The elevator came to a stop and Emrys strolled through slowly towards his office. Other agents were already hurrying about, the VSIA maintained 24-hour Ops. Emrys reaches for his door, dreaming of hot coffee, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Oh no you don’t!”

Emrys wanted so badly to keep walking but instead he faced the voice.

“I haven’t even been here for two minutes, Goldie.”

The woman in front of him was tall and impressive. Agent Godiva Köhler stood at 6’3” with wide hips, strong arms, golden brown skin, and most striking were her gold eyes. The vibrant intensity of her gaze earned her the nickname, Goldie.

Goldie had a way with getting information out of people without using any of the usual methods. Most other agents described it as “killing them with kindness”. She inspired other people to want to make her proud. It was terrifying.

Goldie just smiled and pointed to the note attached to Emrys’ door that he’d missed.

‘Please see me immediately - A’

Emrys pulled the note off of his door and gave it another once over with a narrowed, curious gaze.

"Must be important..." he trailed off before stifling a yawn and turning towards their boss' office.

“I know you just got back,” Goldie offered sympathetically. “But I’m sure he wouldn’t ask for you right away unless it was important.”

Emrys understood that and accepted it, he just still dreamed of the coffee machine in his office.

The Director’s office of a secret organization should probably call up images of professional, cold, and impersonal rooms with metal chairs and plain stately wooden desks but Director Alnazar took a different approach.

Upon entering, Emrys and Goldie immediately took in the calming smell of freshly made tea. Tapestries, paintings, and totems filled the room with color and even though there was a stately desk, Director Asra Alnazar was sitting on top of it.

Touchless screens sat around the Director as he worked through a world full of information using only gestures. Deep violet eyes took in everything and most of the agents joked that the Director could even see the future with those eyes.

“Ah, Emrys!” The look of concentration vanished and the Director stood up to greet the agent. Goldie waved and stepped back out.

“Good morning, Director.”

“Emrys, you know you can call me Asra.”

“And yet...”

“Fair enough. I apologize for calling you so soon after you got back. I heard you did an amazing job out in Nopal though!”

Asra smiled and led Emrys to a couple low cushions where a pot of tea waited. Emrys gladly took a cup with a small smile as the mild caffeine hit him. Asra took a moment too before beginning.

“I didn’t want to send you out at first, you’ve been gone for months but after today I knew I needed you for this,” Asra looked troubled. An unusual expression on the happy Director’s face. Emrys leaned in a bit more.

“You’re my best undercover agent though and I can’t be certain how long this assignment will take,” Asra warned.

“I can take it, Director. Just let me know.”

Asra smiled softly.

“I know you can... you’ve probably heard us mention ‘The Devil’ before.”

Emrys nodded. Many agents had worked tirelessly on uncovering as much as they could about the shadowy gang.

“Well it looks like they’re making a big move suddenly,” Asra sighed. “The Prime Minister received a death threat today and we believe it’s from them.”

Emrys’ eyes widened, so far The Devil had been involved in undercover deals like illegal fighting rings, human trafficking, or blackmail. They’d never threatened public officials so blatantly.

“Why do you believe it’s them, boss? They’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Because of Lucio Morgasson, the PM’s late husband. We’ve uncovered information that he was involved with The Devil before his accident. It appears he used his nightclubs to further The Devil’s agenda. Now that Lucio is gone, they might believe PM Satrinava knows something she shouldn’t. Lately, her own goals have been too close to hurting The Devil’s plans so she’s now a potentially a reasonable threat to them.”

Emrys took a moment to process everything he’d heard. Everyone in the VSIA had discussed Morgasson’s ‘accident’ in detail but held no suspicion his wife had anything to do with it. By all accounts, Nadia Satrinava had been a model citizen and PM with no idea the shady dealings her husband engaged in. To target her now too? Why?

Questions filled Emrys’ mind as Asra waited for him to comment.

“... What do you need from me?” Emrys finally asked.

“You’ll be inserted into PM Satrinava’s personal guard. I want eyes on her 24/7 until we have a handle on the situation.”

Asra pulled a file from beside him and passed it to Emrys.

“We have an agent already in posing as the PM’s personal secretary.”

Emrys opened the file to see Pasha Devorak’s smiling face, he smiled. Pasha was posing as “Portia Kocourek, 25-year-old personal secretary” and actually acting as Emrys’ handler.

“We have files on all of her staff and their contacts”

A large man with dark circles under his eyes and heavy features stared up. “Muriel Kokhuri, Vesuvian Secret Service, personal bodyguard to PM Satrinava.”

“He may look mean but Muriel and I grew up together. Just don’t mention the VSIA to him.”

A small woman with porcelain skin and brilliant blue eyes was next. “Andraste ‘Andi’ Ó Conail, public relations for PM Satrinava.” A small star sat by her name which Emrys mentioned to Asra. The Director quickly moved to refill their cups and shrugged it off with a simple “we want to recruit her” but wouldn’t say more.

The files went on as the two poured over the details. Finally, Asra checked the time and informed Emrys he had a meeting that day to introduce himself to the PM. They said their goodbyes and Emrys set out for the capitol building.

Questions still swirled around his mind but he focused on the task at hand. Upon entering he sought out Pasha’s cheerful face and gave her the slightest nod.

While Pasha reached out to the PM, Emrys took the time to drop into the closest chair. It really felt like a 100 years since he’d had a real break. Maybe after all this he would actually take a vacation? Use some of those days piling up behind his name.

“The Prime Minister will see you now, sir.”

Emrys nodded and stood back up, vacations would have to come later. Right now, he had a job to do.