#it is drath she is the friend

[monstriiss]

pspsps into the uncanny dark and forboding forest and you may just find. . . a friend :)

[stitchpunk1]

Time for some BG fan kids!

First one thing I will say is I dont give two shits how some things work like with mind flayers how they are created or timelines and whatnot. This is just for fun and I enjoy how cringe I am. Im still working on a lot of these still so I dont have much for them too. I am reposting this because I forgot one of them last night.

First kid I have Ive been working the longest on. Her name is Tald and she is a goblin being raised by Karlach and Tizdille(my tav). She was considered weak by her tribe and left behind when she was about four. She is mostly quiet and prefers to stay at home with Scratch and the owlbear. She enjoys learning various trades as she gets older but hasn't found her niche just yet.

Faerila is Astarions daughter and has no idea who her blood father is(astarion isnt so sure himself). She was hidden away by Cazador as a punishment but naturally was saved by the group. After Astarion gets with Halsin the druid adopts her as his own and spoils both her and Astarion after all they have been through. She becomes a little nature lover and loves gardening. Being born from a vampire and another race I like to think it works as a less powerful version of ascension where she dosnt have to rely on blood and can go in the sun.

Mist is a tabaxi and the adopted daughter of Shadowheart and Lae'zel. Her parents died in a fire that left her with burn scars, a notable one over one eye that makes her always squint it. She works hard to become a great warrior that will make her mothers proud.

Rutu Ravengard-Dekarios is probably the biggest troublemaker of the kids and a literal little half devil. She inherited Wylls devil looks and thankfully with being a hero of Baldurs Gate she and her father are both accepted. Magically inclined by Gale shes always testing her limits and driving her "nanny" Tara to nearly tearing her fur and feathers out. She has also found and brought home a displacer kitten, a mini gelatinous cube, and a pseudodragon(with more pets to come).

Uvren is a little mindflayer born to Blurg and Omeluum. Being born instead of created from a host she has a few differences from other mindflayers like being able to eat other foods and having a gender. She is extremely academically inclined like her parents and loves to make little journals of all her discoveries.

Drath nickname Nibbler(saw dragonborn have child names and love the thought of this as a nickname) was literally created as I was writing this in one screen and playing BG in the other with some friends and came across some new info(im slow playing this). Shes the dragonborn daughter of the Emperor and Ansur(who is resurrected because as I said above this is for my entertainment). I dont have anything made for her yet as I said I just have a concept for her.

[drathahdrabbles]

Goblin Child

Meet Kahgetah! (Kah jeh tah) Her name comes from the name Kanta, changed to fit Drath of course. Her parents are Tehge and Erdai. She's adopted. In the "timeline" of events she doesn't come around until one and a half Thardahk years after the Battle of Butting Horns. At my sort of "midpoint" on the story timeline her egg hasn't even been laid yet. She's dropped off at the capital camp where Erdai, Tehge, and all of their friends are staying, with a blanket and a basket but no note. No one has any clue where she came from, or how they managed to get into camp, which is relatively active 50 hours a day, 7-8 days a week, drop off a whole, hatched child, and leave without being noticed. They try to find a nursery to put her in, but the ones they can find are full from the war, and everything else is far away. Erdai and Tehge agree to look after her at first just because they have enough to keep her from going hungry or getting bored. They say as soon as a nursery opens up they'll send her to it cause the leaders of a brand new country, aka a coal miner turned revolutionary leader and the ex-heiress to a tyrannical empire, are not at all prepared to take care of a child, but with some time and tips from family and friends who have raised kids, they adjust to having her in their lives and wind up forgetting about sending her to a nursery. In that way she becomes a foster fail, and becomes a permanent member of their weird little eclectic family.

She's raised around family friends with war stories for days. Who have failing eyes and failing legs, yet can still spin a knife like it's a toy. Her cousins are royalty, and her aunts and uncles have coal stains that will never grow out. She's one of the few Drathah who will never meet her grandparents. She's raised in cozy, cramped tents and temporary homes well into her teen months. She's taught how to throw a punch first and how to be kind second. Her upbringing is weird, but she winds up a good person. Because of it, or despite it, is up to interpretation.

As for more information on Drathlihgs: No, that is not how Drathlihgs are supposed to sit but the stars would have to come down from the sky itself and make her stop doing it. Drathlihgs come out of their eggs as these wet, wrinkly, peach fuzz covered grubs. Kahgetah is about 4 Thardahk months old here, and she's well into the phase where she learns she has limbs and can use them to get into shenanigans. She's kind of skinny for a Drathlihg, part of it's just her body biology, part of it is being raised in an ex-war camp, in a brand new and recovering country, by very busy parents, part of it's the fact that she's VERY active for her age. She does still have some chub on her tail and around her middle though. Drathlihgs start out pretty chubby, largely in the legs and torso, with plenty on the tail and arms. As they start to get mobile though, (Crawling, running, jumping, they're sort of like puppies, quadrupedally fully ambulatory), they burn the fat around their legs and arms, then as they really grow at the start the process of transitioning to bipedalism it starts to become muscle mass around their legs, as well as their arms once they start to carry stuff and use tools and furniture, and they fill out again, with their mass redistributing. Kahgetah is definitely in the weird gangly popsicle stage here, though she was always gangly and will remain gangly for her whole life. She hits 9'6" (2.8m) at 2 years old (adult aged) and upsets her 8'1" and 8'3" (2.5m) parents. Part of learning to use your limbs when you're a sapient, technologically advanced species, is learning how to use your hands. Part of the problem when it comes to raising Kahgetah is that she's part of the population with a prehensile tail, and the tail is so much easier to use then her hands, so getting her to Actually Use Her Hands, and not her tail, is a big problem in her toddler years. It gets better once she learns to talk and can be bribed with treats or her favorite game. She is a frequent thief of the Drathah equivalent of a cookie jar. (No I haven't world built for the Drathah equivalent of a cookie jar yet.) All 4 of her ears do work, but both ears on one sides lead to the same set of internal ear bits, and her bottom ears only really hear her hair because of how they flop. I imagine when she's older she actually plugs the bottom set so she doesn't have to keep hearing her hair, and pulls them along with her hair to keep them out of the way. Her wings also grow big enough for her to use. That's a fun nightmare for her flightless parents. Trying to teach their kid to fly without getting her killed. Like, most of this information is gonna mean absolutely nothing to most people. Just know she's the equivalent of those fanfic OC kids you give to your favorite OTP as part of your AU future fix-it fic. The Bobby of Juno Lazylittledragon's Steddie AU if you will. (https://www.tumblr.com/lazylittledragon)

I tried to channel Mayday Parker of the Across The Spiderverse Trailer for this little kreatur ngl TL:DR-She's a horrid little goblin who I love.

[a-drath-named-posie]

Nature’s Healing

Idk I thought this was a cool idea, like he gets hurts by a strong shadow monster in the middle of the forest and finds him and is like “oh shoot I gotta help him” so yea :P

Drake belongs to @mythicalthingsreblogs / @draths-over-ruled

[impfiltration-archive2]

"katie, sweetie, I know you're learning how to be a girl boss but scamming the elderly out of their bank details is not the way-" from a concerned miss human drath

@monstriiss

Katie yelped, scrambling to slam her laptop close. She meant to do the same with her phone, but instead, she threw her phone right at the kitchen wall. It came down with a clatter that promised a shattered screen, making Katie suck at her teeth in a pained hiss.

She had no idea how Drathenia always managed to just pop out of nowhere, but her heart probably couldn’t take any more shocks. It was hammering against her sternum, and Katie sunk back into her chair with all the tensity in the world.

She needed to think of something. Fast.

"Me? Scamming the elderly? A-as if..” She laughed nervously. “That was just, uh.. I was just talking to my friend. Eunice. We were talking about.. bingo numbers..?”

[nydharani]

Never Fall Underneath Your Pride

“Enough, Solas.” she breathed out while tossing her own staff onto the ground, placing her only hand over her bleeding cut, stil sore due to its usage for blood magic. She looked down at her lover, who was kneeling due to his numerous wounds. “I wont let you continue.”

“This...this isn’t over.” he rasped, coughing blood soon after. He tried to stand, but the gravity of his condition was too great. “I have to free my people!”

“Look around, you fool!” Solas looked at her like it was the first time he laid eyes upon her frame, the roughness of her voice snapping him back to reality. “Look around, and see the freedom your people have gained!”

And so he did. 

Red banners with tevene-like snakes biting their tails clashed against green ones with patterns of three-eyed wolf heads. Freedom looked like ashes, dust and blood, smelled like burned corpses, and had the sound of a thousands screams.

“This isn’t freedom, Solas. It never was.” she continued, his eyes slowly drifting to her face again. “What you fight for is the uplifting of the Elvhen, not for their release from chains. Placing a few ahead of the rest won't create freedom, only an endless cycle of war, just like the one we have right now!”

“There was no other way, Solia!” he growled, trying again to stand up with no success. “I failed my people once, and it cost us everything!”

“You'll always fail if you continue to fight for wrong cause, Fen’Harel. But perhaps you are so full of pride you haven’t even consider it! Won’t you stop until the wolf’s jaws are full of flesh and the sun covered in blood!?”

She regretted her words the moment they came out of her mouth, and yet no words ever had the same impact on Solas as those did. 

“T-There was no other way...”

“I...I understand that, thousand of years ago, you couldn’t consider any outsider part of your people. But look atyour agents, Solas. Do you honestly believe they share anything in common to those who died at your time? How many of them have mixed blood? How many have ever had friends, or were in love with someone of another race?”

“I cannot stop now, vhenan.” the desperation in his voice was so painfully clear it made Solia’s heart stirr. “Even if it was true, even if I wanted--”

“Do you?” she asked, making him frown.

Her body dropped onto her knees, both looking at each other straight in the eye. Solia started to cry in that moment, as the glimpse of a new hope for both of them became the closest to reality as it had ever been.

“Do you want to stop, ma vhenan?” she repeated, whispering. His eyes drifted to what was left of her left arm. Even without a limb, she was still fighting. And, even if he was to blame for her losing her arm, she still loved him.

He looked up at the sky. A single red banner, one that represented her cause of fighting for every slave and race, waved around them. The sun was past it, and he swore he had never seen the sun shining as brightly as in that moment.

“Yes.”

First part of the commission: https://nydharani.tumblr.com/post/615588293224038400/var-lath-vir-suledin-solas-but-i-will-never

Song that inspires Solas and Solia’s romance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxWvDQyI5ts

This is the second part of my big commission made by @drathe​ !! lemme tell ya, I cannot be more happy with this comic, which shows my take in the final battle with Solas in DA4! She perfectly drew everything I had in my mind, and my two babies have never looked better. Drathe was the best, incredibly sweet and super patient with me and every bit I wanted to change. I AM FUCKING PRAYING THAT THIS IS THE ENDING WE’LL GET WITH SOLAS. I swear I’ll riot if the romance doesn’t have a happy ending XDD.

[trinity-xp]

How.....drake x Paris cause WHY NOT a panda with a drath so cute!!

Wh-

Wha XDD HAHAHA this is very random-

And funny tho XD they kinda contrast with eachother because Paris is a city girl who loves to be social around others (but actually only has a few friends LOL). Drake lives in a forest where he catches shadow creatures, and also butt naked most of the time, cause he takes baths and LOL he’s serious af, doesn’t react how most should

Paris is just like...rlly exuberant, I guess the only thing is that she bottled up and emotions, which isn’t good at all XD

Also I’m surprised U remembered Paris she’s neglected af

-taps @mythiighostii ‘s shoulder-

[darth-salem-emperor-of-earth]

"Hear my soul speak. Of the very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly at your service.” - The Tempest, William Shakespeare

If you heard incessant, high pitched squealing, that was me, flailing merrily in my chair from this artwork! <3 <3

I commissioned @drathe for a lovely, cute, and romantic scene between my lizard Godwoken Monifa and the Dragonknight Slane (who should be in the game more but that’s just me XD). There is a scene in this DOS2 collab fanfic a friend and I made a while back that had Slane kissing Monifa’s hand after she freed him from his magical imprisonment. This took Monifa off guard because she’s not use to such attention or a show of thanks but she definitely is secretly giddy about it. I didn’t expect to like Slane so much but I did, so of course I get deeply engaged and attached to a ship with NPC that doesn’t show up much in the game. XD 

Anyho, this artwork is freaking fantastic with such beautiful, rich colors, skilled shading that brings out such realistic aspects to the art as a whole, and the intricate details in this make me want to weep with joy. I feel so blessed to have been able to get a commission from @drathe, thank you so much! :D <3

[monstriiss]

drath: I am stable. I am adjusted.

drath: thinks about her past

drath: I'm not unpacking that.

[stitchpunk1]

Time for some BG fan kids!

First one thing I will say is I dont give two shits how some things work like with mind flayers how they are created and whatnot. This is just for fun and I enjoy how cringe I am. Im still working on a lot of these still so I dont have much for them too.

First kid I have Ive been working the longest on. Her name is Tald and she is a goblin being raised by Karlach and Tizdille(my tav). She was considered weak by her tribe and left behind when she was about four. She is mostly quiet and prefers to stay at home with Scratch and the owlbear. She enjoys learning various trades as she gets older but hasn't found her niche just yet.

Mist is a tabaxi and the adopted daughter of Shadowheart and Lae'zel. Her parents died in a fire that left her with burn scars, a notable one over one eye that makes her always squint it. She works hard to become a great warrior that will make her mothers proud.

Rutu Ravengard-Dekarios is probably the biggest troublemaker of the kids and a literal little half devil. She inherited Wylls devil looks and thankfully with being a hero of Baldurs Gate she and her father are both accepted. Magically inclined by Gale shes always testing her limits and driving her "nanny" Tara to nearly tearing her fur and feathers out. She has also found and brought home a displacer kitten, a mini gelatinous cube, and a pseudodragon(with more pets to come).

Uvren is a little mindflayer born to Blurg and Omeluum. Being born instead of created from a host she has a few differences from other mindflayers like being able to eat other foods and having a gender. She is extremely academically inclined like her parents and loves to make little journals of all her discoveries.

Drath nickname Nibbler(saw dragonborn have child names and love the thought of this as a nickname) was literally created as I was writing this in one screen and playing BG in the other with some friends and came across some new info(im slow playing this). Shes the dragonborn daughter of the Emperor and Ansur(who is resurrected because as I said above this is for my entertainment). I dont have anything made for her yet as I said I just have a concept for her.

[reassambled-dragoon]

I think the funniest moment during last night’s session was Khordara realizing her kobold friend is a descendant of the half-giant personification of dumbassery.

Then Khordara, who is 8′ tall, has a 14′7″ tall mother and a 7′-something father, realizing that a man her size screwing a tiny-ass lizardfolk was...uh...

...let’s just say Khordara Drath noped the everloving fuck out of that conversation and kind of wants to go back home just to track Gradkaros down and punch him for the ow she envisioned.

I’m honestly not sure poor old Gradkaros has any operational braincells left. I mean he had like, two when Arc 1 ended. After 440 years, he probably passed them on to Holepunch.

Or maybe Jenni stole them before she died. Or one of her many descendants did, for safekeeping mind you.

(Also she had no clue anyone outside of her home planet regarded magic as a ‘fairytale thing’ until she tried discussing necromancy with a very concerned mechanic who gave her a baffled look and demanded to know what the hell ‘magic’ was.)

[teknon]

Since I’m in That Mood tonight, here’s some little known Exalted facts!

 It was only supposed to be 30 chapters long! I just kept finding more and more ways to develop the story, and got bigger and grander ideas for how it would all play out. Eventually, I just decided I was going to write the end of Dragon Age. LoL 

There was originally going to be a stupid love triangle thing spanning a lifetime with Elain. It was bad.

I rushed through writing Hallowed so I could start Exalted because I was so excited about it (and I hated what I was doing to Elain in Hallowed).

Ser Barris was supposed to be Sar’een’s love interest. Scrapped that because me and drathe felt like it wasn’t going to be developed enough (or consistent enough) to justify it. I don’t like to half-ass romances!

Bida was always marked to die in the fic. Llyn was not. The decision to off him was nearly last minute!

Elain was originally slated to end up as the Duchess of Wycome. That was scratched. I decided that it was so much more important that Wycome stayed in the hands of the city elves and Sal instead of inserting Elain and Clan Lavellan in the leadership positions. 

The High Council was originally supposed to conclude in Wycome too. My plans changed when I decided to revamp what I planned to do to end Exalted and started plotting how the elves rising up with Solas would play out in the world I built up.

Heliwr’s name was originally “Solas”. (HUGE CRINGE LOL)

“Heliwr” is the Welsh word for “hunter” or “huntsman”

When Heliwr was born, Revas was meant to do two things: first, he was supposed to talk to his mom about what it meant to be a “good man” and confess he didn’t think he was. Sohta was going to tell him basically, “Then be one”. That would’ve led to the second thing: he was supposed to talk to Donovan and Donovan was going to ask him to spare his family. Revas was going to oblige. I nixed this whole exchange because I felt overall, it was wildly out of character for the direction for Revas I really, really wanted to write. It would’ve worked out, but it wouldn’t have been the Revas I’ve gotten to now, and I love how he’s turned out.

The tension with Paeris and an ultimate showdown was originally planned with Elain in mind. Over time, I realized that would’ve been pretty shallow and unsatisfying, given their cold relationship. It’s okay though...that tension works so much better with Paeris and Sar’een! ;)

Nellia started out as a joke of the overly romantic, overly attached character with no aspirations of her own. She turned into a strong, interesting character in her own right :)

Elain and Revas’ vow-exchanging scene had been planned since I originally plotted out Exalted. Her symbolically dropping the Mantle for him was the first line I wrote on my outline. <3

I played with the idea of having Sohta and Den have a whoopsie baby and give Revas a little sister. It was silly so I trashed it lol.

And the last tidbit is......Elain was supposed to give birth during the Blitz in Wycome, but I thought it would’ve been tacky and cliche. 

I’ve had some good ideas and really, really bad ideas with my writing and what I’ve published, but I feel overall, where I am at now and what I plan now are the best things that could happen. There’s no more expectations, no stupid obligations to include everyone in my story, and no trying to please anyone but myself. I’m confident in my plans, and can’t wait to continue sharing this story with all my friends <3

[battlesthatmatter]

"Steve, dear, how about you go for a nice walk in the woods and leave your little... friends... to me?"

Drath owns the inbox now

Shifting was exhausting in and of itself. Without the full moon on his side it sucked a lot more out of him and the pain was still eating at him. He had been trying to groom the worst of the mess off of his fur in the meantime. The wolf looked up as he heard her voice. One of these days he’d have to ask her how she moved around so silently. It was terrifying as well as impressive. A puff of air and his ears slid sideways for a second as he debated the idea. Yeah, yeah the more he thought about the offer the better it sounded. The Farm was supposed to be a spot where he could relax, but apparently it had gotten on somebody’s radar. He needed to leave, let things cool down for a while. A good long walk might help out with that.Though, right now he couldn't exactly whistle for Blackie. The wolf dusted himself up and stepped over one of the heaps of bone and torn meat at his side. He’d grab Blackie and they’d go out for a nice long bit of wandering between the trees. Now it made sense to him why wolves stuck in packs and kept to themselves...“Thank you.”

[creative-type]

The Murder of Arthur Wright XI

First Previous AO3

Chapter Eleven: Bad Business

The walk to Fernando’s office was just long enough for Margot to thoroughly berate herself. She tried to keep her expression calm, but Cain’s betrayal cut deep. Margot knew not to trust him on blind faith, but they had been so busy there had been little time to do anything other than verify he was a licensed detective. Margot had allowed herself to be drawn by his affable manner and had forgotten they hadn’t even known one another a week.

Had it all been an act? When Margot thought about it, it seemed that Cain was accustomed to wearing different hats as the need arose. She remembered how he had manipulated Felix Wright into hiring him in the first place, and how different he seemed prior to their meeting with Anansi.

Reputation is a man’s greatest and most fragile mask. Look behind it at your own risk.

It seemed like it had been an age since Anansi dispersed those words of wisdom. Of course they had been referring to Felix Wright at the time, but Margot got the feeling like she was finally getting a glimpse past the façade Cain tried so hard to maintain.

And she didn’t like it. Not one bit.

There was danger following him any further. Margot was confident in her ability to fight her way out of any situation, but that was nothing compared to the damage that would be done if someone recognized her. While the Academy’s good conduct policy didn’t specifically forbid professors from going into private meetings with known mobsters, she suspected that the Board of Directors would be none too pleased if they learned of her actions thus far.

It wasn’t funny, but Margot almost laughed anyway. Being fired was the least of her worries. This was the second time Cain had gotten her involved with the Casettis without her knowledge of consent. Already she had a known hitman talking about her with a bookie of what was likely an illegal gambling operation.  

“This way,” Tony said, leading them away from the cheering crowd to an office complex. It looked…deceptively normal. The dwarves were all in good spirits, making small talk with Cain and joking with one another. Though it was starting to get late, the sun still shone brightly in the sky. There was nothing dirty or off-putting, nothing shady that would tip off it was a center for criminal activity.

Finally Tony came to a stop and rapped his knuckles against the doorway. Like the restaurant that started this whole mess there were two entrances, one meant for dwarves and another for so-called big folk. There was no answer, and he knocked again.

“Open up, Fernando. You’ve got visitors.”

There were a few moments of silence before the door opened, revealing a silver-haired dwarf. He scowled at Tony before canting his neck up to Cain. Between a pair of dark glasses and bushy beard covering his mouth it was difficult to make out his expression. Margot supposed the glasses would almost be a necessity to keep from being blinded by the heavy rings he wore on nearly every finger. When he stroked his beard the sun glittered off of jeweled cufflinks, and it wouldn’t have surprised Margot if the chain of his pocket watch was made of gold.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, surprised.

“What kind of greeting is that, Fernando?” Cain asked. “Can’t a guy come around for old time’s sake?”

The dwarf removed his glasses and cleaned them slowly with a kerchief. “Uh huh, I suppose not, but last time we talked you didn’t seem too keen on coming back.” His eyes shifted to Margot. “You brought a lady here? What kind of gentleman brings a lady into his business?”

“She’s the professor Viola was talkin’ about,” Tony said. “The one who fought the drath.”

“The one who saw Master Wright die,” Fernando said. There was something about his tone, the ease in which he said it, that put Margot on edge. He sighed, and returned his glasses back to their proper place. “I suppose you better come in.”

Margot and Cain entered through the appropriate door as Fernando directed Tony and his men to wait for them outside. The office was fastidiously tidy, with each quill and book in place. Fernando ambled behind his desk and clapped his hands. Two chairs, made to seat dwarves, sprung up in size.

“Handy spell, that,” Fernando said as they took a seat. “Enchanted by a guy on Twelfth Boulevard. He does great work.”

“Only the best for you, Fernando,” Cain said.

“Cut the *$!!@&#*, Cain,” Fernando said. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey now, no need to be hostile—“

“And what you doing, bringing a professor from Kemptson here?” Fernando said. There was dry hoarseness to his voice that reminded Margot of a tomb. “The Wizard may be gone, but her type don’t belong here. You should know that, and if you don’t someone otta be teaching you a lesson.”

Cain frowned, and reached for a stick of jerky. His expression was passive as stone, but Margot could see the sweat beading on his forehead. She slid her gaze back to Fernando.

Despite his diminutive size, there was no doubt who was in control of the room. If the jewels weren’t already a tipoff, it would have been impossible for Margot to mistake him for a mere bookie. The dwarf wielded menace like a weapon, and they were in his territory, playing by his rules.

Silently cursing Cain’s recklessness, Margot said, “I am sitting here, you know. It might help if you give us a chance to explain ourselves.”

Fernando’s moustache twitched. He leaned back in his chair and regarded her as if she were a bit of mud he had forgotten to scrape off his shoe. “Alright Professor, I’ll bite. Why in the nine hells are you here?”

“I need to talk with Felix Wright,” Cain said. “If he’s here, I thought it better to let you know before causing a scene at your establishment. You know, as a professional curtesy.”

“And if he’s not you figured I would know where to find him,” Fernando finished for him. He leaned on his elbows, the deep furrow remaining between his brows. “And what makes you think I waste my time looking after Felix Wright?”

“Viola said your Father knew him,” Cain said with a shrug. “Figured you were in business together.”

Fernando let out a harsh bark of a laugh. “As if I’d waste my time. Give him a century or two and he might be worth the effort, but I don’t deal in uncut gemstones. Brilliant mind, but without the common sense the gods bestowed on a common pudding.”

“But you know where he is?” Cain prompted.

“Comes in often enough, braying like the ass he is.” Fernando seemed to have come to the decision that they were not a threat. He reached under his desk and pulled out a bottle of spirits and three tumblers. “Can I tempt you? You won’t find better anywhere in the country.”

“No, thank you,”

“Naw.”

“Suit yourself.” Fernando poured himself a drink and took a bracing sip. “You still haven’t answered my question, Cain: What’s the deal with the professor?”

“Professor Margot is just a consultant for a case,” Cain said.

“And what case would that be?”

Fernando set his tumbler down and laced his fingers together. The intensity returned to his gaze, hidden as it was behind dark glasses, heavy and nearly overwhelming. He moved the ring on his left thumb a quarter turn, and the hair on the back of Margot’s neck prickled. Magic.

Margot called on her power, ready to activate the charms in her skirts, when Cain raised a hand to stop her.

“I just want to talk to Mr. Wright,” he said calmly. “I think you’ll find it mutually beneficial.”

The dwarf rested his hands on his desk. “Yeah?”

“If nothing else I can get him out of your beard for a day or two.” Cain said.

“That’s not good enough, Cain,” Fernando said.

Margot suddenly remembered a story one of her instructors told her years ago of a snake he’d come across while traveling. Before biting it would always shake a rattle on its tail. Fernando was like that rattlesnake, his words equal parts warning and threat.

“I’ve heard whispers, boy,” he continued. “You’ve been sniffing around where you don’t belong. You better be careful were you stick your nose. One of these days it’s gonna get cut off.”

Cain’s grin returned, wolf-like to Fernando’s snake. “It’s a good thing I just want to talk to Wright junior then, isn’t it? Hells bells, I’ll even stay on premises if you’re that jumpy.” He leaned forward as if sharing some conspiracy and stage whispered, “It’s almost as if you got something to hide.”

Fernando’s lip turned down in a silent snarl, flashing a glimpse of a golden tooth. “Tony!”

The door opened immediately. “Yeah boss?”

“Find the elf and bring him here. He was in the luxury box last I saw.” He whirled back to Cain, pointing one meaty finger at his chest. “And you get out of my sight. I’ll overlook your insolence this once. But you’d do well to remember, Cain, you get away with a lot as a friend of the Family, but you ain’t Family.”

“What in the world is going on here?”

Cain shook his head slightly, and said out of the corner of his mouth, “Not here, Prof.”

They were waiting outside of Fernando’s office, still watched by Tony’s goons. A glare from Margot was enough for them to back a respectful distance away, but there were undoubtedly surveillance spells marking their every move. Margot had already spotted two All-Seeing Eyes, only partially hidden by the natural shadows of the building. Who knew what else was watching them.

“Fine, but when this is over you owe me.”

“Fair enough.” The corner of his mouth twitched…was that in regret? Or frustration? “And I know it probably doesn’t mean anything, but I am sorry.”

Margot grunted. “You better be.”

Margot was more than content to give him the cold shoulder—perhaps literally, depending on how this turned out—but the stony silence only lasted between them a moment or two before she heard Felix complaining loudly.

“I’ve paid my debts, dwarf! You have no right to bring me here. I had twenty gold riding on that race! Unhand me, you scoundrel! Unhand me at once—“ His voice shriveled into a strangled croak when he finally saw Cain and Margot.

“You!”

“Us,” Cain said. He shoved his hands in his pockets and offered his friendliest smile. “Time to go home, Wright. Your wife’s waiting in my office.”

“Isabella?” Felix’s eyebrows drew together, a slur in his voice making it sound more like Izbell. His eyes were bloodshot, and Margot wondered if he was drunk or merely sleep deprived.

Margot had run out of patience either way. With a flick of her wrist she gathered a handful of water, drawing away enough heat to make it just the right side of freezing, and flung it at his face.

Felix yelped and strung together a string of Elvish curses, a few Margot recognized from her time with Lyra. It was hardly the sort of language a gentleman would use. Margot crossed her arms across her chest, unimpressed.

The scientist in her noted the dark bags under his eyes, the frumpled state of his clothes, the messy disarray of his hair with clinical detachment. The man who stood before her was nearly unrecognizable from the one she met at the mage’s conference, a mere shadow of the confident, charming man who was the face of his father’s research.

Her heart softened just a little. Estranged or not Felix had just lost his father, and people dealt with grief in different ways.

That iota of sympathy vanished when, still in Elvish, he suggested her mother had had inappropriate relations with an orc, which even if true would not have been something for Margot to be ashamed of, and she doused him a second time.

That sobered him enough to shut his mouth, and Cain shook his head. “You deserved that one, Wright. Now let’s get you home.”

Isabella was still waiting for them when they returned, which surprised Margot. She scrambled to her feet at the sight of them, her entire attention immediately drawn to her husband. The color left her cheeks, and her already-enormous eyes grew even wider as she covered her mouth with horror.

Stuck between Margot and Cain, Felix looked like a rat caught between a trap and a hungry cat. He swallowed hard, his expression crumpling with shame. “Isabella, I can explain…”

“I’m just happy you’re safe.”

Felix tried to meet his wife’s earnest expression, but was unable to.

“I know you’re eager to get him home, Mrs. Wright, but do you mind if I have a word with your husband?” Cain asked. “I private?”

Isabella looked very much like she wanted to refuse, but Cain didn’t give her the chance, half leading, half dragging Felix Wright but the collar into his office. Margot followed, and as soon as the door clicked behind them Cain traced a sigil that would prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

It was the first spell Margot had seen him perform halfway competently, and that made her think that he was forced to use it often.

“What do you want with me?” Felix muttered as he slunk into his seat. “Have you found Desdemona yet?”

Cain took his time in answering. He drew a stick of jerky out of his pocket, but didn’t put it in his mouth. His expression was hard. “Not as of yet, no. But there were some things I wanted clear up that would be a real help.”

“Well get on with it,” Felix said irritably.

“Alright then, I’ll cut right to the chase: Where did you go after Anansi’s play?”

Felix jerked spastically and threw himself to his feet. “What do you mean where did I go? I told you, I waited for my father—“

“And you lied,” Cain said calmly. “Again.”

For a moment Felix was speechless. His eyes bulged, his lips working wordlessly as he tried to speak but couldn’t. His arms went limp by his sides, and he fell back into the chair. “You think I did it.”

Felix laughed. It started as a disbelieving chuckle and grew in volume and intensity until his whole body was shaking with it. The more he tried to stop himself the louder it got, until he was howling hysterically. At that moment Felix Wright seemed less than sane, and Margot was grateful his wife wasn’t present.

“You…you th-think I did it!” Felix managed between halting breaths. “Me! Kill my own father, when he was about to make me more money than your plebeian minds can imagine.”

“Did you hear that, Cain, we’re plebeians now,” Margot drawled.

“Uh huh.” Cain started chewing on his jerky stick. “Mr. Wright, I’m not accusing you of anything, but it is imperative that we know the truth.”

“It seems to me that you already know the truth,” Felix said.

“Not from the horse’s mouth.”

“I’m beginning to think my faith in you was misplaced, Mr. Cain.”

“Please, Mr. Wright. Every little bit helps.”

Felix snorted disbelievingly. “Well, since you asked so nicely.” He straightened himself in an attempt to appear proper, but the affect was undercut by the fact he was still a wet, sopping mess.

“Everything I told you about that illusionist’s performance was the honest-to-gods truth. Father went to confront him, and I went…out.”

“Where,” Cain interrupted sharply.

Felix’s mouth pulled down into a snarl, and he clenched his hands into fists. “I had just seen my sister come back from the dead. It…shook me. I needed some fresh air to clear my head. I took a walk around, and ended up at a tavern a few streets over. I stopped in for a drink.”

He looked up at Cain, and for a moment he looked vulnerable and lost. “I hadn’t gotten drunk since before my sons were born. I swore I never would again, but I just wanted to forget everything I saw. To pretend that it never happened. Some lads at the tavern started a game of cards, which turned to another and another, and before I knew it was two in the morning.”

“I don’t remember making it back to the hotel, but I must have,” Felix said, slumping back into his seat. “Father was furious, of course. We argued, but nothing we hadn’t argued over before, and I was in bed by three.”

“And your father?” Cain asked.

Felix shrugged. “He was still scribbling away in his little notebook. I don’t know if he slept at all. You remember, Professor, how distracted he was when I introduced you? It wasn’t like him to forget like that.”

“What exactly did you quarrel over, Mr. Wright?” Cain said.

Felix’s expression hardened. “What you must understand, Mr. Cain, is that my father cared only for his legacy. He could have stayed on at the University with a state of the art research lab and all the assistants he could have dreamed of and finished his research in half the time, but he insisted on doing everything alone. Or as alone as he possibly could. If he could have avoided working with me he would have, but he couldn’t, and I think he resented it.”

“But that doesn’t make sense, he wrote me for help developing some of his contingency spells,” Margot said.

“Ah, but it was his idea to write you, was it not?” Felix said. “And his idea to integrate your ideas into his research. And really, with all the contingencies he had already put into his device the spellwork you contributed was largely superfluous.”

“That didn’t stop it from blowing up,” Margot said.

“No, it didn’t.” Felix got to his feet, swaying slightly. “Now if you excuse me, my wife is waiting.”

“I may need to call on you another time,” Cain said.

“I pray to any god that cares to listen that won’t be necessary, but if it is you know where to find me.”

“Just one moment,” Margot said sharply. “I get what you were doing the night before the conference, but what about today? You wife was worried sick about you.”

“That’s none of your concern, Professor. Now kindly move aside.”

Margot stared down Felix Wright, and did not budge from the door. “What’s your connection with the Casettis?”

“Professor, let the man leave,” Cain said quietly.

“Do you realize what kind of damage Master Wright’s research could do if it got into those hands?” Margot asked. “Do either of you realize?”

“So first I’m a murderer, and now I’m in the pocket of a mob family,” Felix said scathingly. “Cain, have this woman step aside, or I swear I will move her myself.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“My business is my own,” Felix said, his voice icy cold. There was a look in his eye that was eerily reminiscent of his mother at her most imposing. Still Margot did not move. She needed answers, and she knew that Felix had them.

For a split second Margot thought Felix would attempt to hit her, but with visible effort he gathered himself back under control, and a terrible grin spread across his face. “You’re fired.”

“Excuse me?”

Margot couldn’t tell if she had said the words or Cain. Perhaps they had both spoken, but regardless of which of them spoke Felix’s gaze never left hers.

“I said you’re fired. A man knows when it’s best to cut his losses, and it’s obvious that you two are of no help to me.”

“Mr. Wright, please, I know today’s been a difficult day for you. Maybe once you get some rest—“

“That’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Cain,” Felix said, his voice deadly calm. “I’m thinking more clearly now than I have since my father’s death. I gave you one simple task, and that was to find Desdemona and prove her guilt, and all you’ve done is upset my mother at my father’s funeral, distress my wife, and accuse me of murder. I put too much stock into the Westmacott name to see you for what you truly are: a fraud.”

“But your father’s death…”

“I don’t care about my father’s death,” Felix said. “In fact, the more time that passes the more I realize how little I care at all. So what if he was murdered? That changes nothing except I no longer have to suffer his hubris. My business is my own, and I’m more than capable of standing on my own two feet.”

This time when he moved for the door Margot stepped aside. His wife stood waiting, pale and worried. He didn’t spare her even a look as he brushed her aside. “Come along, Isabella. We’re going home.”

Isabella looked from her husband to Cain, eyes full of questions she dare not ask. As Felix put on his hat and coat she pressed a small pouch of coins into Cain’s hands. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice scarcely above a whisper. “His father always did bring out the worst of him.”

[dragonauthor]

1.       Who was your first oc? tell something about them!

I sort of remember this one from when I was in kindergarden or something...I think she was a shapeshifter? As for one that I can recall better, I’ve actually had Drath around since I was 9 or so. They have undergone a lot of revision since. At one point they were a vampire (I was going through a phase), at one point they were in high school (I was 9, I thought that was basically an adult), I think they might’ve been a wolf at some point too? It was a situation, but luckily my current version of them makes much more sense.

2.       who is your favorite oc you have ever made?

How can I possibly pick a favorite??? i love andaria from that one thing i’ll probably never actually work on

3.       Are there any passions or interests you find yourself slipping into your writing for the fun of it?

If I can conceive a way to put dragons into something, I will. I haven’t figured it out for Feather and Shadow yet but I will try. So far I’ve gotten a suggestion but I’m not sure if that will fit.

4.       what is your preferred place to write?

At my desk.

5.       what genre do you find yourself writing most and why?

Fantasy! I love including magic and inventing my own worlds.

6.       Do you like to listen to music while writing? if so, what kind of music?

No, I find it distracting. But I do like to make themed

7.       Do you have a favorite wip? If so, which one?

The only (non-fanfiction) one I’m working on is Feather and Shadow.

8.       is there anyone who inspires you to keep writing?

Not exactly, but my sister and friends are really supportive!

9.       If your wip was made into a movie, who would you want to play your main character(s)?

I don’t know...I’d just hope for them to get the characters’ races correct and the birds’ species

10.   Do you like to write from an outline?

I am so bad at outlining it is honestly embarrassing. I wrote a first draft and I still don’t know how I’m going to end my current WIP.

11.   Do you prefer writing during the day or the night?

Whenever I get the motivation, really.

Thanks for tagging me @ally-thorne! I will tag @theplantpoweredwriter @theta-lee @elliewritesfantasy @tourneyofashvara (only if you want to of course!!)

[thankyourwhiskey]

I’ve been tagged by @pidzson (sorry, for being late with it but oh boy this wasn't easy)

Rules: spell out your username using song titles and tag some friends

T: Temptation - Cradle of Filth H: Hatchet - Archive A: Animal Attraction - She Wants Revenge N: Nausea & Shudder - the GazettE K: Kerguelen Vortex - Aural Vampire Y: You Walk Away - Blutengel O: Outside In - Circle of Dust U: Ulysses - Franz Ferdinand R: Rhythm + Control - Aesthetic Perfection W: world.execute(me); - Mili H: Happiness - IAMX I: If I Told You Once - The Circus Contraption S: Sentient - Perturbator K: Kill Kitty [KMFDM Remix] - Angelspit E: Echo - Crusher P Y: You Breathe, I Kill - Wednesday 13

So lets tag some ppl, show the world some good music: @awesomegirlfromnextdoor, @drathe, @onesteparound, @valamitideirok, @sleep-of-no-being , @lathatatlan-lany