#liila dragonlily

[mysdrymmumbles]

u know what i would read obsessively? either mevix comforting liila bc he found her panicing somewhere bc the scourge suck or like a fic OaF style with maybe not liila but another oc? idk hes underappreciated and while i adore thales him and mevix isnt my fave ship tho its super cute

I really liked this idea, so I ran with it <3

The Maw Walker has made a name for herself as an admirable whirlwind of death, and though Liila Dragonlily comes through Maldraxxus infrequently, when she does, everyone knows it. Enemies drop before her, and she has earned quite the reputation, enough so that some muse she will be sent to Maldraxxus upon her death–her talents would be a waste otherwise–and Vole himself has been trying to figure out how to lure her into a formal event at the Theater of Pain.

By the Primus, he wants to duel her himself.

Mevix is sure that will be one hell of an entertaining fight. 

That is why he is all the more baffled when he finds her now. 

When he stumbles across her during a patrol that takes him a bit further from his usual stomping grounds than usual, Liila is not the cold, fearsome fighter he has come to know. 

Instead, she is…small.

Smaller than he remembers, smaller than he thinks she should be. She is curled up beneath a low mushroom, legs pulled up to her chest and arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her breathing is erratic and she is whispering something too low for him to make out clearly, though he catches a few phrases that repeat, like, ‘he’s not here’ and ‘doesn’t matter’. 

She doesn’t seem to know he is there, and with the way she is whispering, head bent forward so that her forehead rests against her arms, he is not sure he wants to reach out and touch her, lest he spook her.

That, and he’s heard from Mitchell that Liila can have her ‘moments’, whatever that means.

Mevix doesn’t need vague warnings to let him know that startling the Maw Walker right now will not be a good thing. 

Instead, he quietly backtracks, far enough away that he can come up loud enough to be noticed. Loud enough that she can have time to compose herself.

He lets his feet fall a little harder on the rocky ground and whistles a soft tune, though it sounds a little awkward, more like air hissing through his teeth than a whistle. It still carries the melody he seeks.

He cannot remember much of his life–he has been dead far too long for that–but he remembers this tune. The words are long gone, but he remembers that it was something that made the dark less formidable, a balm on frayed nerves. Someone who loved him sang this song to quiet his anxieties, and he has found on rare occasions that it still works when he is rattled.

And so Mevix strolls over, whistling-hissing his tune. 

He pretends to be surprised to find Liila sitting where she is, watching him warily as he approaches. 

“Maw Walker,” he says, giving her a nod. “If you’re looking for a bit of quiet, I suppose this is as good a spot as any. Might want to watch for the crawbats, though. They can get a little bold when there’s nothing else around.”

For a moment, she simply stares at him, her form rigid, expression impossible to read. Not that he’d know what all that moving flesh means, anyway. 

When she speaks, however, her voice wavers, ever so slightly. “Do you–” 

She cuts herself off, looking away quickly.

Mevix cocks his head and strolls closer, taking the words, however brief, as an invitation. “Do I what?” 

For a moment, she is so still. Still as death, as they say.

And then the words tumble out.

“Do you know anyone by the name of Derrick Bloodsworn?” 

The name falls from her tongue like something bitter and sour. She recoils from the very words as though they are some wretched curse.

“Can’t say that I do,” Mevix replies. It’s true, after all.

For a moment, the tension in her shoulders eases up. It is back too quickly. “I…you don’t know everyone who comes to the realm, though.” 

“No, you’d have to go to Vole for that,” Mevix says, “and honestly, he only bothers to remember the ones that he thinks will keep his spectators entertained. Took him an eon to remember my name, and half the time he still forgets it.” 

The joke doesn’t reach her.

Instead, she is picking at the hem of her robe, staring blankly at the ground in front of her.

“Do you want me to ask around?” 

“No!” Panic laces her voice, and there is a genuine terror in her eyes that Mevix has seen once before. During the rescue of the kyrian from the House of Constructs, he and Thales had found her like this with a fallen ascended. She had been so…lost.

One of her moments, he supposes.

Mevix doesn’t bother to be careful now. He walks over and sits near Liila, watching her as she eyes him.

“Who were they? This…Bloodsworn?” 

“A monster,” she whispers. 

“And you think he’s here?” Mevix doesn’t bother to tease her that he appreciates that. Because he knows about the Scourge. One of the first mortals to come to Maldraxxus abandoned their cause because they were too much like the Scourge, because they were too terrifying to wake up in the midst of.

“I don’t…” Liila hugs herself again, looking anywhere but at Mevix. “I read in Revendreth that some of the souls that come here are…questionable.” 

“Well, I could tell you that,” Mevix says, plainly. “You haven’t met Emeni yet, have you?” When she doesn’t respond, he shrugs. “Well, the only way to know is to ask.” 

“I don’t want to know where he is,” Liila whispers. “I just want to know he’s not here. I don’t want…” She wilts then, crumpling upon herself. “He hurt me.”  

Her voice breaks on those words, and part of Mevix wants to tell her that of course this Bloodsworn fellow isn’t here. He is a protector, after all. He struggles to think how he can ease her nerves. “What was he?” When she’s confused by the question, he shrugs, “Azerothian, I assume, but what species…race?” 

“Human. Scourge.” 

“Well, Maldraxxus does not get many souls from any one place, and I can think of six or seven from Azeroth, even less who were human. Maybe three in the last age or so. None of them are your man.” 

She nods then, more to herself than anything. 

They sit there in the quiet, the sounds of nearby crawbats calling to each other the only thing to break up the silence. 

Finally, she runs her fingers through her hair and groans. She sounds more herself. “I had a dream that he was here. That I turned around and it was him. Right behind me.” She shivers. “He only ever snuck up on me like that once or twice, but that’s how I remember him the most. Just being there, so suddenly.” 

“Well, wherever he is, it’s not here,” Mevix assures her.

She nods again, shivers. 

Changes the subject. 

She asks about supplies for the realm and assistance needed and after a few mutual friends of theirs. Mevix lets her set the course for their conversation and answers appropriately. By the time they walk back toward the theater, she seems like her usual self, quiet and distant, but dutiful and filled with purpose.

He sees her to the flightmaster before turning and heading off to find Vole. He has some inquiries to make.

After all, he wants to make sure that Derrick Bloodsworn is not in Maldraxxus.

And if he is…

Well, Mevix can fix that.

[mysdrymmumbles]

💥 and 🧿?

💥find your least kudos’d fic - say something wonderful about it.

I have 4 that have no kudos at all. Most of them are Impervious One Shots.

A Warlock With a Heart

This one is an old side story for Impervious, with Liila Dragonlily explaining why she likes Timmons without outright saying it. I really like the way I had her tell the story, with Sethyl interrupting because she was absolutely glazing over rather big plot points. This was one of the fics that was the most fun to write.

Dark Heart

This is my boy Timmons Burlaste's origin story. It is dark and depressing and I loved writing it. I made myself cry <3 This is also where Liila gets her name.

Role Model

This is Sethyl Sunblade's origin story. He's another character from Impervious. I really like how it's not grand fighting and more just people trying to live their lives, if that makes sense? I've always felt that WoW lacks that personal touch because everything has to be an epic adventure. Idk. It is more angst, which I love to write lol.

And Of Revenge and Felpebbles

This fic is far from the best thing I've ever written, but it takes me back to when I used to roleplay and it's mostly fond memories, so. This was my main rp character, Laerorith. The most airheaded blood elf in all the land. This was the beginning of a short-lived corruption arc for her lol.

🧿what steps do you take to not take things personally if a fic doesn’t do well, or if your writing/posting/sharing experience isn’t going how you’d like it to?

Answered here!

Ty for the ask <3

[mysdrymmumbles]

Of a Feather - Chapter 22 - Preview

I have been working on it, it’s just I’m slow af. But here’s the first scene. It might get touched up a bit more, but eh.

---------

The Jailer looms in all his menacing glory over the aspirant who has been nettling his forces. The aspirant who has finally been caught. The Jailer taunts him, and it makes Anduin’s stomach twist. He hates this. He hates sitting here, watching as evil does whatever it pleases. He hates not being able to move against it, hates knowing that he is not strong enough.

His jaw aches with the pleas he cannot voice, the pleas the Jailer knows, for he is so deeply in Anduin’s head that he cannot not know what Anduin is try to beg for.

Mercy.

He has watched so many souls fall to pieces before him. He has been the vessel of the spells that tear them asunder at times. It pains him. It pains him to see the damage done, and to feel the sheer joy that it brings the Jailer.

It is like popping ants, the Jailer told him once as he dismembered a few mortals who had gotten too close to Anduin during his stay in Torghast. They had been loyal heroes. One had wept when she saw her king, told him all would be well.

He had begged them to run.

Or he’d tried to.

He hadn’t spoken the full plea before the Jailer had started in on them.

He wishes he could unsee what was done to them, wishes that it didn’t replay in his mind whenever he started to drift toward sleep. Liila Dragonlily was hardly the first soul the Jailer has torn apart.

Anduin still needs sleep, he is sure, but it does not come to him, and the lack only fuels the despair that grips him. That he is not afforded even so simple a mercy…

How can anything be this cruel?

He wants to grant this aspirant a swift death, to show him some of the mercy he himself is denied. If only he could cut the poor fool down himself—as he thinks to reach for his blade, to do the deed before the Jailer can drag out whatever misery is to come, he is bothered to find that his hands move.

The Jailer will let him move freely, so long as it is violence he is chasing and not dissent.

That he would even think to turn to violence like this… perhaps he is not as good as he had always thought. Perhaps he is just as wicked, just as cruel—

A small rock plinks off the side of the Jailer’s helm, and snaps Anduin from his thoughts.

The world grows deathly quiet.

“He was talking about me.”

The voice is one that Anduin recognizes, one that he knows. As such, he knows that he cannot have heard right. He knows it must be a trick of some kind, but he cannot help but turn to see who has spoken, oblivious to the fact that he can turn at all.  

Something inside of him shifts, something he thought long lost as he manages a single word. “Dragonlily?”

Azeroth’s High Priestess leans against one of the half-buried structures within the dunes, a cocky smirk in place as she idly tosses and catches another rock, over and over, ready to be thrown. She meets his gaze first, giving him a quick wink before focusing on the god just behind him.

She arches her brows. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Impossible,” Anduin says, and for the first time in what feels like a hundred eternities, the words that fall from his lips are not the Jailer’s. “He killed you.” His voice cracks as the memories well up, of how terrified she had looked as the Jailer had spoken through him to her, telling her of her every mistake, of the way he had so easily manipulated her, like he did everyone else. "I killed you." 

The air crackle with rage, or perhaps it just seems so because Anduin can feel the Jailer’s fury. He has been told about soulbinds, and cannot help but feel that they have a twisted sort of mockery of one.

Maw runes flash to life around Liila and crackle with energy. This time, the Jailer has no interest in taking his time, in making her suffer. He is furious because he is afraid.

The Jailer will no doubt make him suffer for even entertaining the notion, but it is the truth. The Jailer has convinced himself that he is unstoppable, and to have failed to unmake a soul…

The runes flare in excess before dimming down.

And they do nothing.

Understanding shifts in the Jailer.

This is not real.

They are looking at an illusion.

Anduin feels his heart break as the pieces fall into place. While he has not interacted with Sire Denathriu much, he has enough to know that the cockiness of this illusion certainly reflects its creator.

Shadows roll off of Liila’s body, and she cracks her neck as she meets the Jailer’s gaze with an even one. The lie’s grin stretches.

Sire Denathrius taunts his brother with words he knows would hit home coming from a mortal, but it does not work because the Jailer is unconcerned. The god interrupts the valiant speech with a flick of his wrist, dispersing the spell with what appears to be less effort than is needed.

No need for his followers to know he was actually concerned.

Even as Anduin suffocates in his dying hope, he turns back to the aspirant.

And stops.

He scans the sands and then lets his gaze wander further.

Mawsworn are everywhere.

One cannot throw a stone without it landing within a foot of at least three.

So how is it that their prisoner is…gone?

The Jailer rises from where he kneels, movements calm, unbothered.

But Anduin can feel that flicker of fear again. He can feel the god scanning their surroundings, and realizing in time with his followers that someone has escaped him.

Someone has escaped him and there is no way to play off that this was intentional. Not after all the fare that went into gathering everyone to show what happens to the fool who stood against him—a redundant display, really, considering it was done so often in the Maw.

As Anduin realizes that they have truly lost their captive, he cannot help a small smile as he remembers what the Jailer said. This aspirant was a friend of Liila’s, her soulbind.

If that’s true, then—illusions aside—maybe the Jailer really isn’t as indomitable as everyone thinks.

Maybe Liila really is here.

Maybe, just maybe…there really is…

Hope.

FIND THEM!

[mysdrymmumbles]

Upcoming WIPs, in No Particular Order

Falling Stars - Original Fiction - action/horror - first draft in progress Thanks to an utterly mismanaged contest for kids to get to shadow participating scientists, Dr. Jillian Zebora gets roped into looking after a gaggle of preteens while the people responsible for the contest scramble to get things in order. That alone is enough to send Jillian into panic attacks, but when an unexpected meteor shower begins, picking up intensity with each day, Jillian soon realizes that a botched contest is the least of her problems. 2. Vesiphone x Archon angst - WoW - angst - planning stage Vesiphone has fallen in love with the Archon countless times, and forgotten each heartbreak. Will the cycle ever break? 3. Soulmated - Original Fiction - adventure/romance/horror - planning stage After millennia of suffering at vampires' murderous whims, vampire hunters have found a way to kill them. Bind their soul to that of a mortal's and then kill the mortal. It is an effective way to bring the vampires to the table for peace talks, and a tenuous peace comes between them, with stringent agreements about what lines must be crossed for vampires to gain a 'soulmate'. However, when Lorelai starts to get wicked burns in sunlight that she can't explain, she has to figure out who can help her to unravel her from her 'soulmate', without ending her life. 4. Languid Shadows - WoW, Prince Renathal x Liila Dragonlily - adventure/romance - In Progress Revendreth echoes the loss of its sire in a profound way, and Renathal struggles to hold the realm together, all while wondering if his growing feelings for the Maw Walker are a fool's notion after all. 5. Siren Called - Original Fiction - horror - planning stage After a car accident, Bailey ends up paralyzed from the waist down, and struggles to come to terms with the limitations of her life, as well as the growing distance of her husband as the strain of caring for her takes his toll. The only solace she finds is wheeling herself to the end of the pier at their house and singing. That is, until one day someone sings back. 6. Fallen Flight - WoW - found family (sort of)/adventure - In Progress Wrathion is good a projecting an air of confidence, but at the end of the day, he feels utterly alone. The mortals he surrounds himself with would die for him, but they are followers, not friends. And as fond as he is of Ebyssian, the older dragon still has his mortal tribe. Wrathion has carefully crafted himself into a fiction that he projects to all save a precious few, but as they find homes without him, he finds himself trapped in the illusion he has created, alone. Idryxia longs to return to a home she's never known, but finds that the damage her flight has done has left scars that are not so easily overcome. The only homecoming she and her flight will receive is the one they make for themselves. But can they even manage that, when the world still watches them, waiting for a single slip up to prove that they are all just as wicked as their fallen aspect?

[mysdrymmumbles]

I'm curious with all your stories: who do you consider Liilas "official" mate/lover/partner/gardener/whatever? Renathal, Adrestes, Haa'aji or someone else entirely? Does she even have one?

Okay, so! Gonna put this under a cut since it's a bunch of OC rambling xD

So, the short answer is Adrestes, but it would take like, forever, for them to get there.

Languid Shadows is like from the dark timeline or something, where Liila is more isolated. That's the only way she'd end up in Revendreth as Maw Walker, because the second she reaches out to anyone, they're like, "That god over there is gonna maim your dumb ass," and convince her to go elsewhere, so she'd never really have the opportunity to get close with Renathal.

She's had a few trysts in life, but nothing ever really panned out for her. (Haa'aji does end up with Zen'taki, and they take that bond with them to the afterlife.)

As for Liila and Haa'aji, they have the kind of relationship where no one's sure if they've ever fucked/are fucking or not, but they seem close enough that they might have, but if anyone asks they either give them blank stares or absolutely mess with them. The truth is they're just really, really close friends, but they like to screw with people's heads and enjoy the utter confusion that goes with their mystery status.

Of a Feather is Liila's canon, minus the soulmate bit. But all the other stuff, the connections and the Bastion rewrite is her 'canon' story. She did go to Bastion when she died the first time, and was there for months before she got dragged back to her body, though she was only dead a few days in Azeroth time.

And Arbiter Pelagos sends her back to Bastion, with the promise that she can keep her memories of Haa'aji and the ones she loves.

Without the soulmate pull, she might have been idly interested in Adrestes, but he's an authority figure, so she wouldn't have spent as much time with him, and on his end Adrestes would have taken Arios' warnings about, "By the Archon, not that mortal," more seriously and kept a skeptical eye on her while keeping his distance.

Once she's in Bastion, she and Thales have the same sort of relationship that she and Haa'aji have, where it's like, "Are those two close or are they close ?" and no one knows. They do not tell. They are just bros though.

Which brings me to Thanikos. He's an authority figure, but he's a fun one, and she would probably spend a lot more time hanging out with him if Adrestes wasn't around as much. So they'd have a connection, but also Thanikos doesn't 'date' aspirants because he feels like it'd be a huge power imbalance. He's iffy about dating disciples from his own temple because of that same thing.

By the time Liila gets her wings, any crush she had on him has simmered down and they're just bros. They might have a short tryst, but it wouldn't go anywhere.

What would end up happening, is, eons down the line, she crosses paths with this vaguely familiar ascended who she ropes into shenanigans and they get close over a few ages before her dumb ass realizes she's been shamelessly flirting and making out with Paragon Adrestes all this time (Adrestes is just like, how tf did you not recognize me? You worked with me when I was this size and Liila's like 'I recognized your jawline, but you weren't tall enough so I figured you were someone else.' and Adrestes wants to hit his head on a wall while Kyrestia points out that Liila still doesn't know she's Tia. It's been millennia. Liila is face blind.)

So...yeah. I'm sorry for writing an essay, but her canon lover would be Adrestes, eventually™.

[mysdrymmumbles]

Deleted Scene from Of a Feather

This was before an earlier version of the 2nd half of the Thales/Liila scene, but I felt like it wouldn’t work because Adrestes/the Archon would want eyes on the prisoners at all times, so there would be no dodging guards.

...............................................................

“Be very careful,” Liila murmurs, glancing behind them to see the drop from the platform they’ve landed on is…substantial.

Thales stands very still beside her, mouth a thin line as the winds tug at his clothes and hair. “Am I facing a drop?”

“No, your back is to the free fall,” Liila replies, and then catches his hand as he starts to take a step forward, “but there’s wards in place only a few steps ahead of us.”

“Devos?” He asks.

“No,” the mawsworn watching them with a mixture of incredulity and amusement replies.

He is not like the one Nibbles brought them to before. The last mawsworn was like husks that Devos had spoken of. She had sat there, bound in her chains, staring blankly ahead. She hadn’t responded to any comments and questions, any movement. Liila had been ready to go up and shake her, to ask if she was really lost, but Thales had taken her hand and told her he could feel energy in front of them.

While Liila had wondered if she would get caught in the containment field, Thales had been more concerned with a warning going off if they brushed against it. They didn’t need guards coming down on them.

It was tricky enough that Nibbles had managed to deliver them in the spot that the guards overhead could not see as it was.

This time, like last time, the mawsworn is in one of the few indoor spaces in the Spires, walls blocking most of his view of the outside world, of the skies and light that make up Bastion.

However, this time the mawsworn is very much alert. He has not made an attempt to come toward them, but he does seem quite…curious.

“We meet again, Maw Walker,” the mawsworn says, and Liila recognizes his voice.

“You’re Blood’s friend. Devos’…lieutenant? Colonel?”

“I’m not much of anything these days,” he replies, “though I suppose my name still serves me well enough. Astronos.”  

“How did you get here? I thought you were going to be a thorn in Helya’s side.”

His mouth twists to one side, toward the rotted part of his face as he tries not to smile despite himself. “Does the Archon know you’re here?”

“Don’t dodge our questions,” Thales says, standing a bit straighter.

“Or what?” Astronos replies. “Will you come within reach to put weight behind your words?”

Even as Thales frowns, Liila scowls. “Are you really trying to be tough when you’re imprisoned as you are?”

“I’ve little else to do.” He tilts his head. “Did you get my warnings?” When Liila narrows her eyes, he frowns. “If you go back to the Maw, you will die.”

“I die a lot.”

“The Jailer will see to it that it is your last one,” Astronos replies. “You brought too much hope to his lightless reaches.”

“Well, maybe I want to bring some more,” Liila says. When Astronos arches his brow, she motions to him. “I wanted to talk to Devos, but honestly you’ll do.”

“I’m honored.”

“Is it true about the mawsworn?” Thales asks. “That you are turned into husks?”

And there it is, the thing that has been nettling Liila and pushing her to this mad quest. What Devos said about the mawsworn kept repeating in her mind, in her dreams.

Husks.

Playthings.

Liila doubts the paragon intended to trigger anything within Liila—she’d been all but forgotten at that point, but the words have stuck with her, and they will not go.

She knows what it is like to be someone’s plaything. She knows what it is like to be a husk.

And the idea that anyone is out there, suffering that same fate…

The idea that they are forced into it, as she was…

Devos said that those who willingly submit are the ones who become these husks, but Liila can’t help but wonder if that is true.

It only takes a second to make the wrong choice in desperation, and if there are people accepting the ‘blessing’ to make it stop eating away at their bodies, to make the pain abet, if only for a moment…

“Those who accept Helya’s blessings are, yes,” Astronos says, looking a little puzzled.

“How?” Liila presses.

Astronos stares at her and then shrugs. “I am not a god, I do not know the workings of such boons and curses—”

“I mean, are they instantly void of everything? What happens?”

“It…no,” Astronos frowns. “It is a slow death of the mind, from what I saw. It is why I turned down her blessing, why I now rot as I do.”

“He’s rotting?” Thales whispers.

“Yeah,” Liila murmurs back. “Do you think someone could reject the boon after it’s been given?”

He motions to himself. “This is what happens when you do.”

Liila stares at him, hard. She wants to make sense of this. “So you initially accepted Helya’s blessing?”

“I...why do you—” Puzzled as he is by her questions, he dismisses his own curiosity. “Yes. I was sent to the Maw to pave the way for others. I accepted her blessing. And then I felt myself slipping. My memories were…fading. In aways the Path never… I was losing who I was and the more I fought to hold onto myself, the more I began to fall apart. Physically. Literally. When Devos came, I tried to warn her not to accept the blessing at all.” He looks down, at his bare feet, dark splotches across his gray skin where sores are beginning to fester and putrefy the skin. “It turns out Helya can force the blessing. There was never a choice in accepting it.”

“So if you fight it, it rots you. If you let it go…it eats your mind?”

“So far as I could see,” Astronos replies. “The longer people followed Helya’s orders, the…less they became. They stopped talking, stopped having personalities. They just became obedient vessels whose only emotion seemed to be rage. And that only surfaced rarely, if they were questioned. Or allowed to hunt.”

“Souls?”

“And defectors like myself,” Astronos says. “Why?”

“I…do you think they’re still in there? The ones who have grown obedient? The rage implies there’s something there.”

Astronos considers it a moment and then repeats himself. “Why?”

Liila shifts a little, growing quiet when Thales holds a finger to his lips. After a moment, he sighs. “They’ve passed.”

“You heard someone?”

“I felt them,” Thales murmurs. “I’m getting good at that. Sensing souls.”

Astronos looks amused again. “So the Archon doesn’t know you’re here. Does anyone?”

Very abruptly, he moves so that he is standing with his toes at the edge of his confines, watching them with a look that is almost predatory.

It occurs to Liila then that even if he is fighting the blessing now, it is still working on him, still pulling him apart, outside and in.

Liila narrows her eyes. “If someone could disperse the blessing, what would happen?”

Astronos tilts his head, curious. “You think you can undo this?” He motions to himself. He lets his hands fall limp at his sides. “I don’t know what would happen. The pain would stop, I imagine? Or perhaps it would stay. Perhaps it is just there now.”

“What about those who were taken over mentally?”

“They let that happen,” Astronos says. “I imagine they would go back to Helya and ask for her blessing again, assuming there’s enough of them left to form coherent thought.”

“And if I could remove it from you?”

Astronos appraises her and then sits down, relaxing somewhat as he watches her with dulled eyes. “I imagine the Archon would be displeased if you wasted your time on a war criminal like myself.”

“I’m not doing this for her,” Liila replies.

“I suppose I would be grateful,” he says. “Can you remove it?”

“I don’t know yet,” Liila says. “But I wanted to know if there was anything inside the mawsworn that could still be saved.”

“Those of us who sided with Devos, certainly,” Astronos says. “Those who submitted to Helya, who knows?” He shrugs. “Other than Helya, of course.”

Liila considers it. She does not know Helya well, but she has fought her before. She went to Helheim once, as well, and remembers that it was a realm of suffering, much like the Maw. If Helya enjoys watching those trapped in service to her suffer, then there’s a chance that those, like the mawsworn who sat still and void of emotion, might still have some semblance of their former selves inside of them.

If there’s a way to reach them…

And even if there’s not, there are those like Astronos.

And Devos.

Even as Liila tries to think about what might be done, Thales conjures a spell and casts it on Astronos. The mawsworn turns his attention to Thales, expression muted. “What was that?”

“A dispel,” Thales says. He tilts his head toward Liila. “I take it that did nothing?”

“It did not,” Astronos replies.

“At least it didn’t hurt,” Liila says.

Astronos is nonplussed by her distinction.

“Someone’s coming,” Thales whispers.

“You’ve alerted my guards.” Astronos says. He offers Liila a wink. “If you’ve a way to run before you’re caught, you might want to—”

He has barely finished speaking when Liila feels a giant hand grip her and then she is pulled through the ether, through the In Between. In a blink, she is standing on an empty walkway with plants growing around them in a neat garden of sorts.

Thales stands very still. “We’re somewhere new, I take it. The guards wouldn’t have disappeared like that otherwise.”

“Nibbles caught us,” Liila replies. The devourer is already off wherever he goes again.

“Did you get what you needed from him?” Thales asks.

“I think so,” Liila replies. “Well, not what I was originally after, but…”

“But you want to save them,” Thales says. “The mawsworn.”

Liila is quiet for a moment, considering it. “I do.”

It feels a little cruel now, to think that she’s dragged Thales into this with her, when he is one of the ones who was hurt by Devos’ and her followers’ actions. If not for Devos’ betrayal, he would still have his eyes.

“I think saving them is…” Thales mouth is twisted to one side as he considers his words. She can feel his emotions twisting as well, disdain and pity seeming to be at war with one another, each trying to take over. “I think perhaps Devos deserves a bit of pain, for what she has done,” he finally says. “Perhaps I am biased, though.”

Liila reaches out and takes his hands, squeezing them gently. “I don’t fault you. I just…not everyone who went to the Maw wanted to go, and I can’t help but think about those who were forced into accepting Helya’s blessings or those who feel like they’re…”

“Husks?” Thales asks.

Liila shudders, memories she does not want bubbling up.

“Maybe I’m just…too biased myself,” Liila whispers. “I…I know the forsworn and the mawsworn have hurt people here. Perhaps what is happening to them now is a fitting punishment.”

“But perhaps it is not so for every one of them,” Thales says. He squeezes her hands back. “That’s what you’re worried about.”

“For someone who’s been bound to me for a couple hours, you’re really good at reading me,” Liila says, eyeing him suspiciously.

He grins at that. “If the others can’t read you this well, it’s because they’re trying not to.”

Liila stills at that, a bit surprised. She knows that Kleia and Pelagos have both mentioned wanting to give her her privacy before, but she had never considered that they were actively…

Thales pulls his hands free abruptly and steps forward, leaning down wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder. “I’ll help however I can. It may sound strange, but I was able to meet with Lysonia and I…she has done much that is apprehensible, but she still has this warped sense of right and wrong and…” He trails off. As he speaks, Liila sees flickers of memories. Well, sees isn’t really the word. She hears them. Echoes of a hard voice, asking after the well-beings of others and offering advice. There is a fondness there, that struggles with itself. “And I can have faith that the Archon will deal with those who have betrayed the realm in a more fitting manner than what that Astronos is afflicted with now.”

Liila hugs him back. “Thank you.”

“So what do we do now?” Thales asks. “I can tell you the spell I used that didn’t work, but there are a dozen others that…well, probably won’t do anything, but might. And then I understand you mortals have different dispels.”

“It’s likely going to be something more complicated,” Liila admits. “Removing boons that gods have cast are always more complicated.”

“You’ve done it before?”

“Yes and no,” Liila replies. “I’ve removed spells woven by gods, but never one as powerful as Helya.” She considers it. “Though she’s not as strong as the Archon or Jailer, so I don’t think it would be impossible.”

Liila considers it, carefully and then pulls away from Thales. “I need to contact some people.”

[mysdrymmumbles]

[mysdrymmumbles]

Tell us more about Liila? When did you create her, what was the inspiration, what is her backstory?

So I tried answering this once already and my phone ate it 😟💔

But! I've got another 3 or so hours so let's try again.

I used to be hugely into WoW parody music, and a song by the singer Silverletomi called Play Your Class inspired me to write  my fic Impervious, which is about a dysfunctional horde guild. Lila was one of the main characters for it, and I did a few spin off fics for her background and adventures (they're all on Ao3 under the Impervious series), but here's a brief overview of her history:

Before the Scourge, Liila was a low level priestess in Silvermoon. She fell for this morally questionable noble and was even engaged. This upset her childhood friend though, and she went on an easy patrol along the western end of the southern border to try to have time with her friend to mend things before she got married.

Then the Scourge hit and her friend traded her to a dk to ensure his own escape.

The dk tortured the shit out of her, carved a death rune curse into her, and she lost her memories. Eventually another dk, Shadow (he's mentioned in chapter 1 of LS 😀) helped her escape, but had to abandon her because he was succumbing to the lich king's control again. 

That's when she met her bestie, Haa'aji, an exiled Amani troll. They made it to Tirisfal where the Forsaken adopted them and they joined the Horde with the Forsaken.

They formed the guild Impervious and took to righting the wrongs of the world, while Liila and Haa'aji traveled to different people around the world trying to find a way to safely remove the death runes. 

Thank you again for asking!

[mysdrymmumbles]

hewwo :3 7, 14, 30 for liila for the oc ask prompts if you’re taking them? 👀

Yes, I am!

7) Describe them in three words. Now let them describe themself in three words. Hmmm, let’s see: dedicated, caring, loyal Liila: tired, slightly wrathful

14) Would they agree with the term ‘guilty pleasure’? Do they have any? Guilty pleasures are to be noted and later used to relentlessly tease others. I don’t think she does have any, because she just enjoys what she likes, when she has the opportunity, others’ opinions be damned. 

30) What would they do if they knew it would be forgiven? Antagonize the Accuser a little bit. (the forgiveness would have to come from the Accuser)

Thank you so much :D I love writing about Liila <3 

[mysdrymmumbles]

d j y m n p for liila and adrestes pls :D love your writing

Thank you <3 <3

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

Before Adrestes became paragon, he sort of imagined the two of them sort of running Elysian Hold together. Now that he's paragon, he's a little anxious about just how things will play out between them. He's a little concerned about the power imbalance.

Liila has a hard time planning that far ahead--she knew she didn't really have a future outside of her curse for so long and she's just coming to terms with having any sort of future, much less eternity. Knowing Adrestes is an authority figure means that just her being her and him being him is going to result in them butting heads, eventually. She figures they'll get along when it matters, though she does daydream about him ditching his paragon status and running away with her.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

While they both get a little jealous if the other gets to spending a lot of time with someone else, they don't really act on it, other than to find time for some privacy to reassure themselves that nothing is changing between them.

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

They work even harder than usual to distract themselves. They are both workaholics.

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

There's no marriage in Bastion, but Adrestes very much wants to soulbind with Liila. He's just not sure how to go about that, when Xandria's already bound to her and all. He's made three wreaths for her already, but he always ends up tossing them because he finds something wrong with each one. Thanikos and Eridia are secretly keeping his discarded wreaths, with every intention of showing them to Liila once Adrestes finally makes his move.

Liila would like to do *something* to propose to Adrestes. She's thought about rings, but knows that's not really a kyrian thing, so she's a little lost on how to do all that, and if he'd be receptive. She's soulbound to so many people in so short a time that the depth of meaning behind soulbinding is still kind of lost on her.

Their partnership will be a sweet one, perhaps a little like how Devos and Thenios were before Devos fell, with the occasion dispute, but both of them being able to set such things aside to cuddle when the other needed them.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

Adrestes calls Liila 'love'.

Liila calls Adrestes 'lover'.

Neither of them are terribly original with nicknames.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

It depends which part of the realm/Shadowlands you're in, whether others know or not. Adrestes doesn't hide it, by any means, though he does try not to play favorites in public, since he doesn't want people questioning when Liila gets her wings if she actually earned them or not. If asked about it, he'll be honest that he loves her, but he doesn't draw too much attention to their relationship.

Liila is quiet about it, too, because she doesn't want Adrestes to feel like she's using him to get out of trouble or anything like that. Again, she'll tell people, if they ask, but she generally doesn't yell it from the rooftops, so to speak.

She'll brag about Adrestes, and say he's a damned good paragon and whatnot. Adrestes is always pleased to hear Liila is doing well and likes to point it out to Thenios and the other paragons/hands, if the topic comes up. He has a quiet sort of pride in her.

To those who know Adrestes can take the form of an aspirant, they're not shy at all. They'll cuddle and kiss and all that in front of friends. But if it's someone who doesn't know about Adrestes' ability to shift, they keep their distance because they don't want rumors spreading that Liila's banging some random aspirant while in a relationship with a paragon.

Of course, as time goes on, they get bolder with their relationship, and after Liila gets her wings, Adrestes is much more open about their relationship, as is Liila.

Thank you again for the ask :D

[mysdrymmumbles]

5 7 27 35 42 any or all but im curious lol

Ty for the ask! I was gonna answer last night, but I was too tired lol

5) Can they cry on command? If so, what do they think about to make it happen?

Liila: No. The closest thing Liila can do to this would be to make her expression blank completely and switch to a monotone. Her friends know that usually when she does this, it's because she's very, very upset, so if they see it happen, it's a bit like seeing her cry, and they will find the culprit and harass them until they find out what happened. Liila may have done this once or twice when she didn't need to in order to see what chaos might unfold.

Mitchell: He's dead, so his tear ducts are dry. No crying for him, even when it's legit.

Haa'aji: He probably could, and all he'd have to do is think 'Tears, now', but I doubt he'd do it, unless he was trying to convince an enemy that he was injured to the point of tears so that they could get close enough for him to turn the tables and m u r d e r them

7) What would you (mun) yell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

Me

Liila: "Dragonlily!"

Mitchell: "O'hara!"

Haa'aji: I'm not yelling shit because if anyone's gonna figure out I made them, it's him and I don't want him seeking vengeance for all the shit I put them through. Because he would.

Best Friend

Liila: No words are needed. Haa'aji always knows where she is.

Mitchell: "Hey, Mitch!" or "Mitch, come back!" or "I guess now I have to find another mage!" and he will come grumbling back.

Haa'aji: "Haa'aji, no."

Lover

Liila: They can say anything; she will recognize their voice and come to them quickly.

Mitchell: Same as Liila. If someone gets close enough to him to be considered his lover, then he knows their voice and will be heading to them the second he hears they're nearby.

Haa'aji: "Babe, you seein' this shit?" And he will be RIGHT there, wanting to know what is going on. Because of course he's seeing this shit and everything else happening around you, he just wants to know which thing you're seeing, so that he can respond appropriately.

27) What’s the worst gift they ever received? How did they respond?

Liila: When Liila was High Priestess, she received a very unbecoming painting of her. She stared at it and then stared unblinking at the person giving it to her until they were uncomfortable enough to make an excuse to leave and shuffled away.

Mitchell: Mitchell was given some honorary medal for helping around Dalaran. He handed it back.

Haa'aji: He has gotten plenty of things he doesn't want, and doesn't really consider any one thing to be a worst gift. He just disappears and leaves the person holding the item he doesn't want.

35) What is the smallest, morally questionable choice they’ve made?

Liila: Liila once feared a paladin off a cliff. She figured he would pally bubble before he hit the bottom. He did not. She considers that she may have been partially at fault for what happened there.

Mitchell: Mitchell stole a sheep from the Royal Apothecary Society and then lied and told guards that he had turned another Forsaken into a sheep to get out of having to explain why he was carrying a farm animal around (It was for science).

Haa'aji: All of his choices are morally questionable, but the smallest one would probably be letting an unintended target ingest a mild poison so that his actual target wouldn't catch on.

42) If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would they present on? What would the title of their presentation be?

Liila: How To Not Be An Asshole To Your Fellow Herbalists

Mitchell: He could probably do a thousand TED talks on magic or tailoring or alchemy. Get him talking and he will go forever <3

Haa'aji: He will come up in the middle of someone else's lecture to start 'correcting' them with wildly inaccurate lies facts about how whatever the topic is really works.

Thank you again for the ask <3 This was fun <3 <3

[mysdrymmumbles]

10-20 on any of your characters of choice!~

Thank you for the ask <3 gonna do different characters for

10) What fact do they excitedly tell everyone about at every opportunity?

Mitchell - "I almost cured the plague."

11) If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

Answered here!

12) What’s something that makes them laugh every single time? Be specific!

Haa'aji - someone telling him to 'do the right thing' and sincerely meaning it

13) When do they fake a smile? How often?

Haa'aji - not too often. if it's a situation where fake smiles are required, he usually just leaves or makes the other person leave.

14) How do they put out a candle?

Mitchell - The Right Way

15)What’s the most obvious difference between their behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when they’re alone?

Haa'aji

At home - actually rather quiet when he's not amusing his kids.

At work - he's an assassin so dead quiet

At school - he never went

With Friends - purposefully obnoxious

Alone - introspective and thoughtful and scheming

16) What kinds of people do they have arguments with in their head?

Liila - any and all authority figures

Mitchell - other mages who don't appreciate his genius

Haa'aji - he doesn't argue with people in his head. He lives his best life and picks all those fights in real time in person.

17) What do they notice first in the mirror versus what most people first notice looking at them?

Liila - Hair is indeed still red.

Most People - She looks really tired, circles under her eyes.

18) Who do they love truly, 100% unconditionally (if anyone)?

Liila - Haa'aji, her children, Thales, Pelagos, Kleia, her guild mates, Timmons, her lover, Theotar, Nadjia

Haa'aji - Liila, his children, maybe Zen'taki someday, but for now he tells himself that he's not *that* entangled he is.

Mitchell - Margaret, Plague Deviser Marileth

19) What would they do if stuck in a room with the person they’ve been avoiding?

Liila - would simply ignore them, even if they talked to her.

Haa'aji - someone's going to get stabbed.

20a) Who do they like as a person but hate their work?

Liila - Timmons

Mitchell - Haa'aji

20b) Vice versa, whose work do they like but don’t like the person?

Liila - Sire Denathrius

Mitchell - Most other mages

Haa'aji - Mekkatorque

Thank you for the ask <3

[mysdrymmumbles]

Chapters: 48/? Fandom: World of Warcraft Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: many, all oc/oc Characters: OCs Additional Tags: Humor, Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Drama Series: Part 11 of Impervious Summary:

When the Sin'dorei join the Horde, Wren Duskflame and Sethyl Sunblade find themselves invited to the mysterious guild, Impervious. With hopes that this might be the infamous guild that has downed Old Gods and every enemy to threaten Azeroth, they go to Orgrimmar. Unfortunately, what they find is a chaotic group of idiots more interested in screwing each other over than saving the world.

[mysdrymmumbles]

A Double Date

Forgive the title, I couldn’t think of something better >.> This is for a prompt that @myinventoryisfull​ sent like forever ago during an ask game, and I’ve just now finally gotten to finishing up.

...............................

Bastion’s golden grasses sway gently in the eternal breeze, stretching out around Mevix in every direction. He imagines the word that he would look for to say—if someone asks him what he thinks of it—would be ‘pretty’, but the truth is it’s kind of…bland. 

Give him the lumpy valleys of Maldraxxus any day over this. The mushrooms towering up above him, the odd, stiff grasses that occasionally puncture the fetid ground… Something homey.

But this… it’s nice. 

All of Bastion is nice.

It’s also all so gentle, serene. There is nothing here that stokes excitement. Nothing to get the adrenaline running, the blood pumping. 

Well, there is one thing that gets his blood pumping, so to speak.

Thales kneels in the grass near him with his soulbind, Liila Dragonlily, the infamous Maw Walker.

They fought alongside one another for a while when she first swept through the Shadowlands like the storm that she is, and she was a fearsome little creature, all writhing shadows and hard resolve. Until they’d gotten to the House of Constructs, that is. Then she had shifted to righteous anger.

And, oddly enough, the Light.

They had only fought alongside each other for a short time, but still, it was enough that she had earned Mevix’s respect. He had been mildly disappointed that she hadn’t come back to join the maldraxxi proper, but she did visit Thales often enough when he was still in Maldraxxus that they got to be a bit more than acquaintances. She’s a good sort, just like Thales. 

Liila and Thales are busily laying out a rather large blanket across the grasses, while Mevix stands there, dutifully holding down one of the corners with his feet. He awkwardly holds a basket full of breads and cheeses, as well. There is another basket with anima-wine and sweet juice holding down the corner far from Mevix, and Liila and Thales are slowly and carefully tugging the blanket out in the other directions, chattering away about some idle things that have happened in the Temple of Humility recently.

Of course, it has not been like this the whole time. On the way out here, Mevix regaled them with a tale or two from Maldraxxus, of how Grandmaster Vole is setting up another tournament and would love for both of them to come participate. That led to a few stories of Thales’ duels in Maldraxxus, of how he was able to hold his own against quite a few of their gladiators, on the occasion that anyone could coax him that far from the Seat of the Primus.

“They went easy on me,” Thales had assured, though Mevix simply scoffed.

The maldraxxi do not go easy on anyone.

And it had been a point of pride for him to listen in on the vanquished, as they lamented that not only had they lost to one of those pretty, do-gooder kyrian, but a blind one at that. Mevix has told more than a few that they should know better than to judge someone at a glance, or based on a disability. 

Thales, however, still doesn’t seem to fully grasp just how capable he is. 

Or just how good he looks when he’s showing off his capabilities.

Capable and strong and dedicated with toned muscles and…

Well. 

Mevix could go on, but he is missing a story about how the aspirants of Courage temporarily housed over at the Temple of Humility have set up a make-shift sparring arena. Apparently one of them was bold enough to challenge the Hand of Humility to a duel, and it ended very, very, very quickly. It did, however, open the way for some of the Courage disciples to duel some of the Humility disciples and proved to be a pretty good show and stress relief in one.

Thales laughs. “Liila held her own pretty well, too.” 

“I would have kicked his ass if I had been shadow,” Liila says, grinning.

Mevix eyes her. “You didn’t?” 

Thales gives him a look that perhaps he should be able to interpret on his own, but before he can, Liila replies. 

“The kyrian get a little stab-happy when they feel the presence of the void.” 

Thales offers that he supposes that’s true enough with a faint laugh. 

“I want to see this,” Mevix says, waiting until Liila secures her corner with a smallish rock and then comes over to set one on the corner he has been standing on. 

“Maybe after things have calmed down a little,” Liila replies. Thales has secured his own corner of the blanket and moves over to sit nearer to the middle. Liila retrieves the drink basket and joins him, as Thales motions for Mevix to come sit as well.

Mevix has not been on a picnic in…well.

He thinks he might have gone on one or two in life, but that was so long ago, it is hard to remember anything more than a vague sense of boredom as whoever he was with talked about…

It has really been too long to remember the details.

Perhaps he had been with parents? What little he can remember seems to be bigger than it should have been. Like he was but a little thing, watching the world around him.

Though, if he’s honest, the blanket they’ve set out now is rather…excessive in size for a party of four.

Regardless, he has to say that while he’s not sure he finds the contentment in sitting in the middle of a field to be quite his style, he does enjoy the company.

“Will Hipokos be joining us today?” Mevix asks, noting that even if the steward was running late, they would be able to see him coming from any direction. 

As Mevix considers that this isn’t a very defensible spot, Thales smiles and shakes his head. “No, he’s training under the forgelite prime today. Mikanikos has taken him on as an apprentice, and he’s been evaluating where Hipokos’ skills are for the last week or so. Hipokos loves it.” 

“Adrestes should be here soon,” Liila says. She’s setting the foods out around them as they talk. Mevix helps a little, though it feels so weirdly domestic. 

It’s not something maldraxxi typically do. 

Granted, they do have feasts from time to time to celebrate particularly glorious victories, and whenever their House wins a tournament, but this feels much more…intimate.

When Thales invited Mevix to this little gathering, he had called it a date in his letter, and yet Mevix hadn’t really thought of it as one until now.

He does his best to brush away the notion, ignoring the various tugs at his mind of his soulbinds’ amusement that he could get so distracted on his peacekeeping mission. Because that is how Mitchell, one of the maw walkers allied with Maldraxxus, phrased it when he got permission for Mevix to come ‘represent’ Maldraxxus in Bastion.

And then, upon reaching Bastion, Mitchell had chosen to ‘peace out’ and Mevix was handed off, so to speak, to Liila and Thales.

Mevix had been a bit surprised. The plan had always been to meet up with these two, but from the letter he’d received, he’d expected that there would be four of them and well…

"Who are we waiting on, then? You said…Adrestes?" He asks, trying to place the name.

"Paragon Adrestes," Thales says, smile radiant enough to give the light of Bastion a run for its money.

"Assuming he doesn't find a reason to cancel on us," Liila adds, pouting her lower lip for a second. 

Thales laughs. "I thought you had a plan to ensure he would come?"

"Kleia is supposed to harass him incessantly, but have you ever seen her harass anyone? I'm not sure she can be annoying enough…" Liila pauses and sighs, turning to Mevix. "He's working on the tenets and lessons that his temple will teach, and so he's always very busy. Too busy, in fact. He needs to rest his mind from time to time. Even if he is a paragon now."

"He'll find time, I'm sure," Thales says. 

Mevix cannot help but cook his head. "Should he? That sounds considerably more important than…" he glances around at their little picnic.

And then the word sinks in.

Paragon.

It reminds him of Xandria, when she came to Maldraxxus, of all her glorious fury. It reminds him of how she stood tall as a margrave.

Suddenly, the blanket’s size doesn't seem so excessive. 

Mevix shifts a little, glancing toward the sky. 

He knows that even margraves rest, but he has never been around for so casual an occurrence—except to interrupt with an important missive or announcement.

To imagine he has somehow been deemed worthy of such an audience with a paragon…

Neither Liila nor Thales seem overly concerned. 

Before he can ask for more details, a shadow passes over them. He instinctively reaches for his weapons, but before he can draw either, Liila is on her feet.

"You're late!"

The giant lands just shy of the blanket, the gust from his wings making the grasses bend and sway. He towers over the lot of them, power from their god herself curling through his mighty frame.

And then…

There is a shift. A shimmer in the air, a fog.

When the paragon meets Liila's embrace, wrapping her in one of his own, he is barely taller than Thales or Liila, and his wings are gone. His elegant armor is replaced with simple robes.

Truly, he looks little more—feels little more than an aspirant himself. Even as Mevix marvels at the disguise and considers how useful it would be for lulling enemies into a false sense of security, the paragon turns his attention to Thales and then Mevix, offering each of them a nod. His gaze lingers on Mevix as Liila laces their fingers and leads him over to sit with the rest of them. 

"Secutor Mevix, is it?" When he starts to stand to salute, the paragon waves him at ease. "I thank you for looking after my people while they were in your realm." 

"It was nothing. The necrolords are supposed to be the Shadowlands' protectors, after all." 

Paragon Adrestes nods.

The conversation is stilted at first. Mevix cannot help but feel the odd man out, the only necrolord surrounded by kyrian. He wishes Mitchell had stuck around.

However, he is not left fretting long. There is a change about ten minutes in. It happens when Paragon Adrestes mentions that he is not quite pleased with the location of their meeting, saying that it is not very defensible, if they were to be attacked.

Mevix cannot help but chime in with his own thoughts on fortifications and the like, and it is not until after he and the paragon have gone back and forth several times that he notices Thales seems elated, grinning from ear as he listens to them go. Liila seems equally pleased. 

Both he and the paragon seem to realize they've let their military minds run free, and there is an awkward silence before Paragon Adrestes finally says, "For eons, I was the polemarch, and the realm's security fell under my purview. It feels odd now to shift my focus to just one temple."

"Devotion is probably the most fortified spot in the realm," Liila teases.

"That will always be the Spires," Paragon Adrestes says. "Though I'll certainly do what I can."

Thales and Liila seem amused as the paragon starts walking it back a bit, pointing out that his temple shouldn't be the fortress that it was during the forsworn's hold on it, either, as of course it should be accessible to the denizens of the realm. 

Mevix suggests a few collapsible barricades, and they fall to discussing what would be too standoffish versus too open.

After all, the temples are a bit more fluid than the houses of Maldraxxus, as Mevix has already learned. In Maldraxxus, one pledges to a house and then that is one's eternity unless extenuating circumstances arise. And even then, when one shifts to a new house, there is a certain distance between the newcomer and old blood as they wait for the new face to prove themselves worthy. 

With a frown, Mevix considers that there is going to be a lot of shifting in the houses, as the Primus works to rebuild. 

More chaos for Maldraxxus. 

The paragon is surprisingly sympathetic.

Bastion is not like that, with aspirants visiting each temple and training to master all tenets of their Path. However, Paragon Adrestes admits that there have been occasions where disciples have switched temples and some have felt a bit of a sting at their departure. Such negative views are generally discouraged, of course, since they all work toward one goal in the end. 

It is fun to talk about the inner workings of Bastion with someone so intimately versed in it. It makes Mevix talk more about Maldraxxus and its own structure, of the little things outsiders might not notice right away. 

While they talk, they snack on cheeses and bread, make a few toasts to security measures and the eventual return to the Shadowlandss' true purpose. 

It is…nice.

And the word feels more sincere when Mevix tells them this when Paragon Adrestes departs. 

When it is time to go, the Paragon frets a bit over Liila, and she pulls him aside to speak quietly. 

Mevix notices as they talk, just out of earshot, that the Maw Walker looks tired, and perhaps a little pale. It is hard for him to tell, of course. 

Thales lets out a soft hum from where he sits beside Mevix. They are closer than when things started, though Mevix isn't sure when or how that happened. Perhaps when they were passing around the wine and making toasts? 

As it is, their knees touch, though it is interrupted—much to Mevix disappointment—when Thales shifts. However, instead of moving away just yet, Thales moves closer. His fingers brush against Mevix's, and Mevix turns his hand up without thinking to catch and hold Thales'.

Thales smirks for a second before turning his head towards Mevix, leaning in closer to whisper, "I'm glad you came today."

"Of course," Mevix replies. They have had so many little moments like these, most thanks to Mevix’s own machinations, but something has always happened to pull things apart too quickly. Now, with the world to themselves, it feels like it would be so easy to bridge the distance between them, to press his forehead to Thales, to pull him into his lap… Mevix is not certain how the paragon, nice as he is, would feel about a maldraxxi seeking to court one of his aspirants. Mevix wishes they were back in Maldraxxus, where he knew the field so to speak. Instad, he sighs and considers when next he might get the chance. "Not sure how easy it'll be to sneak off once the mortals return home, but at least for now, Mitchell says he's happy to drag me around, 'whenever'."

Before he can add that of course his own duties around Maldraxxus take precedent, but he's always happy to find some time, Thales leans his shoulder into Mevix's. 

The touch of his skin is more than a little distracting.It tempts him to let his hands wander a little, to see how far this familiarity might go. Mavix eyes the kyrian beside him, wondering idly if he’s aware of just what kind of power Thales has over him. 

Thales is smiling like a damned sun, dipping his head a little closer as he lowers his voice and whispers to Mevix that it will be a disappointment to see the mortals go. How he will miss them. How he hopes this does not have to go with them.

This really has been a pleasant outing, even if the location leaves much to be desired. 

Perhaps it could be a regular thing.

The mere thought makes Mevix’s stomach flip, though he can't say why.

After all, he likes Thales, and has attempted to be painfully blunt about that. So the idea of seeing more of him should feel like a victory, not something that makes him restless and nervous. 

Perhaps he worries because it is the idea of having to come here so much…

Mevix coughs and dares to lean in himself, their foreheads nearly touching—his helm rests on the blanket, always in reach should the unexpected happen. "The lot of you are welcome in Maldraxxus anytime, too, of course."

Despite the offer, it is one Mevix realizes rather quickly that he cannot give. Even as the technicalities of it dampen his mood, Thales’ grin widens. "You know, I don't imagine Adrestes will be leaving the realm anytime soon—save for an Ember Court or two, as apparently the Archon has already told him to keep going—but maybe… Liila might have a way to sneak me over, in the least. For now."

"Oh?" 

"Tell me, how do you feel about friend shaped devourers?"

[mysdrymmumbles]

Got bored. Tried to make a Liila Dragonlily alt on WRA. Liila, Amaeria, and Dragonlily are all taken TT-TT

[mysdrymmumbles]

Liila Dragonlily  💕