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gaasaku-fanfests · 6 years ago

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Lullaby

Title: Lullaby Author: distant-voice Rating: K Word Count: 3,947 Summary: Her song had brought him to her, her conversations had made him stay, but it was his love for her that kept him coming back. Warnings: None Author's Note(s): This is the first AU I’ve ever written, yikes! I feel like I might have seen a similar character set up elsewhere, but I’d like to think the way my story goes is drastically different. Sorry for the mood of the story. I blame it on the song I was listening to while writing. I also played/experimented with the writing (cough)… sooo I hope my partner will find this somewhat palatable, as will anyone else who reads the story.

(Additional note: despite the AU there is canon SasuSaku. Not a GaaSaku ending. It’s one-sided. [edited])

Prompt chosen: ‘Song’ & ‘AU’ Partner: hubbie22

The first time he hated his job a little less was when he found himself something to look forward to while on the clock. It’d become a pastime that started to occupy most of his nights, when he was supposed to be traveling far and wide to bring relief to the sleepless.

The novelty of a thing was a gratuitous find. He’d chanced upon it while roving through the small town Konoha, agilely leaping from one house roof to another against the backdrop of the glittering city lights. There was nothing remarkable about that two-story house in the nondescript neighborhood that would have caused him to pause, yet what tugged at his steps was the intangible. Through an open window from the second story, the carefree humming grew in volume and sauntered into his consciousness.

There was a special lulling effect to the song that drew him like deer to water, night after night. Like a bedtime lullaby, it stilled him from his unrest and gave him the possibility of the very thing he furnished to all yet suffered the lack thereof himself. It was the cruel irony of his profession: Along with the irreversible insomnia that his own magic couldn’t even cure, the permanent dark circles and the general irritable disposition were all—what he supposed, occupational hazards.

As he savored the notes that soothed him, without volition his eyelids drooped. A few seconds of him perching nearby stretched into minutes, then until the break of light he stayed. Before long, he’d reserved a front row seat inside the house and become an unsought patron of the solo performance.

When his inevitable curiosity first riled him to peek, the shock of pink assaulted his vision. (There was nothing lulling about that.) Eventually coming to terms with the realness of the unnatural hair color, he’d observed a girl in her adolescence. Fair complexion and slender build, she was pretty; not the kind of breathtaking beautiful, but there was sunshine in her smiles whenever she laughed to herself with that breezy voice of hers for reasons known to no one else.

Naturally, he settled himself in his routine spot and reclined against his sizable gourd, the vessel that contained the essence of his magic. With his head pillowed on his crossed arms, his seafoam eyes languidly rested on the only other occupant of the room.

Per usual, she was engaged in her nightly ritual before retiring to bed. She sang to her heart’s content, as she brushed her long locks to free them of knots. With headphones secured in her ears, she seemed no longer on earth and completely oblivious to the unseen visitor in her world.

Her song was like raindrops on the pavement, streaming waters in the forest, and the waves that crashed onto the summer beach. He didn’t understand how a mere human girl could possess the ability to purge him of his plague, but he’d forgo his pride for practicality to tolerate such dependency if it meant he could find rest for a few hours.

As he welcomed the heavy darkness that began to set in without guard, he never had the slightest concern about his trespassing presence being discovered, not even when she’d swept his end of the room plenty of times with her pair of bright eyes that reminded him of the dewy grass at sunrise...

—No, no mortal could see him, not unless he granted that privilege...

The first bit of awareness came to him earlier than usual, in an unfamiliar way too. A pleasant smell, like the aroma of freshly bloomed flowers, pervaded his dreamless realm. In the pitch black in which his mind floated, the fragrance lingered, soon making up the air he inhaled. In his sleep, he stirred as the scent made impression on his senses.

And when he gradually roused from his slumber, he thought he’d woken up to Spring, with colors of pink, red, and a smudge of green penetrating the seams of his eyelids. As he shifted to shake off the remnants of his drowsiness, a soft gasp disrupted the quiet of his surroundings. Instantly, his eyes snapped open only to be met with those distinct gem-like orbs.

For what seemed like eternity, he locked his unblinking eyes with the pink-haired girl who knelt before him. Turquoise dipped into pools of emerald, and he was caught up in absolute stillness.

Surely, she couldn't—

"I thought you might be cold sleeping on the floor."

His brain couldn’t process his shock fast enough for him to react to the plush cover that she draped around him almost premeditatively following her words. His wide stares alternated between the hesitantly smiling girl within an arm’s reach and the blanket that cloaked his body. Realization came, as he felt a surprising warmth that hugged him from shoulders down to his knees.

Somehow, he'd manifested himself in his sleep and he was no longer the phantom that left invisible footprints at many a home.

His mind surged with questions, unable to digest the possibility of his presence being made vulnerable to the naked eyes of any human.

Unbothered by his stunned state, his observer had begun to murmur, “I’ve seen you sleep here…”

So it wasn’t the first time… His forehead creased; and he stifled an expletive, appalled at the fact that he’d lost control, therefore losing a piece of his anonymity. But more than anything else, he blamed the gods for ever giving him a physical body for his stewardship.

“I wasn’t sure at first, but I figured that…” The uncertainty in her speech hauled his focus to the present, and he fixed his gaze on the girl.

“...if you’d wanted to hurt me, you would’ve done so already," she said; then like an afterthought, she added, “Right?”

"—Hey! What are you... "

Abruptly, he stood and hoisted his gourd onto his back, not acknowledging her statement or letting her finish her sentence. The blanket that’d protected his form earlier fell to the floor. With a flurry of sand, he made himself disappear from her company.

...

There was apprehension in his gait when he retraced his steps back to that particular two-story house the next time, yet it dissipated as the pink-haired host embraced his arrival without alarm, without judgment. At the creak of the floorboards under his feet, the faint smile that was directed his way was one that made him feel like he’d just come back to a home… —when he had none in reality, living like the vagabond he was. And he no longer had the need to conceal himself in front of her.

He’d never admit, though, that his intrigue only grew since then. Those foreign gestures from her had moved him from within, and the need to experience had prevailed over his pride or logic that told him to keep away.

"You are a ghost," she declared, making her rounds of silly assumptions at his true identity. The two of them plopped on the ground by her desk, and he was the subject of her scrutiny.

He shook his head.

She pouted. Jutting a finger into her chin, she ventured another guess.

"Are you…” She leaned just a little closer, and her green eyes lit up. “Cupid?"

Again his head swayed from left to right, this time in a petulant manner. His brows pinched together, and he folded his arms across his chest in that default posture of his. Sure, that path might have been what the fickle gods had planned for him at his conception; the “love” branding on his forehead and his fiery red hair explained it all. But it wasn’t long before everyone in the heavens realized that his temperament made him unfit for the job, and he’d been demoted…

Not that he minded much, for he considered his current stint the lesser of the two evils.

"That's too bad then. I was hoping you could help me with a boy," she giggled, unaware of the annoyance that’d flashed over his features at the recall of an irksome memory.

"What's your name?"

"Gaara."

He uttered before he could catch himself. His voice, hoarse from centuries of unuse and almost like that of a sickly man, was strange even to himself. Then he resorted to his usual muteness right away, perplexed at how this girl could command this kind of response out of him.

"Gaara…” she echoed thoughtfully. Somehow, his name on her lips sounded right.

The line of her mouth curved upward, and she indulged him with yet another smile of hers that was etched in the depth of his mind. “I'm Sakura."

Sakura… Her name looped in his head. He nodded. How apt.

...

He never thought he’d find a destination in his aimless journeys through the seasons. He never thought that he’d find something earthly that would seize his interests in his stale timeless existence.

He didn’t care if Sakura sang less these days and instead let him have a slice of her life through her chitchats. Her songs had drawn him to her and allowed him to sleep; but truly it was her words that made him stay and gave him peace, perhaps because of the way she’d talked to him that made him feel… accepted.

"Ugh, I'm so stupid! Why did I cut my hair? Sasuke-kun is not going to like it."

Her voice carried over the tune that played in his ears from the earphones she’d lent him earlier. Slouched against the foot of her bed, he cracked his eyes open to witness the melodrama unfold from her, as she obsessively adjusted the red ribbon in her hair and played with the ends of her pink tresses that barely grazed her shoulders.

She spied on him in the reflection of the mirror. “What do you think?”

Her fingers still tangled in the strands of her hair, and she slanted her head in his direction. “Is it nice?”

Without hesitation, he gave an affirmative nod. Expectantly, he dropped his sight to the corners of her lips that lifted. He thought to himself that she was really too generous with her smiles, and he was too greedy for it…

…

Through the seasons and all the ups and downs, his eyes never strayed long from those flamboyant colors of pink, red, and green. Even in the sea of forgettable faces that crowded the schoolyard during the day, she’d always stood out to him, with her shining hair waving in the wind, her graceful movements, and her radiant laughter under the midday sun.

He didn’t let Sakura know that he’d followed her to school on the days he didn’t give two hoots about his job, which was more oft than not. From the roof of the school building, he watched as she surrounded herself with her circus of friends, and he didn’t think he’d ever be fascinated by the mundane.

Naruto, Lee, Ino… he knew about them from her narratives, but it was from his direct observations such as now that he matched the names to the personalities. He was between amused and troubled at Naruto’s bouts of rambunctious energy. He’d grunt at Lee for his mannerisms around her that were too friendly for his comfort. And he’d scowl whenever she and Ino huddled in their corner to whisper about what was apparently the object of affection of every girl in their grade:

Sasuke Uchiha…

And the source of all of Sakura’s petty afflictions, as he’d come to learn. With as simple as a flick of his fingers, he could knock the ignorant boy into a coma to never wake up. But just because he didn’t want to see Sakura shed any more precious tears over the undeserving twit didn’t mean he would refrain from inadvertently blowing a gram of sand his way. He’d rather enjoyed the scenes where the baffled teen woke up to the frown from the schoolmaster and a classroom full of jeering laughter.

When the head of pink bobbed toward the dark-haired youth who stood in solitude by the edge of the schoolyard, he narrowed his jade eyes. He tore his attention from the pair and instead let it land on the bulge in his pant pocket. Then fishing the item that’d filled the space, he studied it—the wrapped chocolate that Sakura had made and given him the night before Valentine’s Day, a deformed lump of thing that she insisted was the shape of a heart.

Being the entity he was, he had no need for any sustenance, yet he couldn’t resist biting into the dark perfection that melted on his tongue…

That night he was surprised to find her with her face buried in her pillows, her miserable sobs muffled by them. A lonely bag of chocolates sat on her nightstand. With wariness, he set his gourd down and approached her, yet he wavered at the edge of the bed. Sensing him, she twisted to her side. With her teary red eyes, she regarded him and the unsure hand that’d stopped a palm’s width from her. And on his behalf, she reached out and closed that gap built of uncertainty.

"Stay with me, please?"

From her plea he could feel her warm breath on him, as she held him. Little by little, his rigid body became accustomed to the contact and he relaxed. He lost tracks of the hours they remained this way, but he was relieved that her quivering had ceased and the wet trails on her face had thinned to a trickle.

In a hushed tone, she started, "I know what you are..."

Curiously, he angled his head toward her. He’d thought she’d given up on trying to uncover his mystery long ago.

"You are my guardian angel."

Her whisper tingled his skin, like a tender brush of hand that he couldn’t see. Upon her unexpected words, he widened his eyes at her. The smile that blossomed from the depth of her sadness to the surface was one that touched him profoundly.

And that was the first time he’d been called something other than Gaara the Sandman…

…

The punishment from the displeased gods was likely long-time coming, given how much he’d been shirking his responsibilities. The thousand whiplashes, followed by imprisonment for the better of a decade, were nowhere as punishing as the restlessness that gnawed his insides while he felt himself rotting away in the dungeon. Still, the worst of the torment was what awaited him when he gained his freedom again, at that two-story house in Konoha that’d been his rest stop from years past.

Sakura was gone.

In her dark empty bedroom, he stood. Her songs, her words, her smiles, her warmth—every trace of her was now but a fragment of his recollection. Along with the first and only person who’d ever acknowledged him and gave him significance, the meaning of his existence faded into oblivion. Once again, he was a ghost to the world.

Then he was looking, always looking. But the world was vast, and she left him no clues in his vain search. The nights in isolation were long, and he passed every single one of them, painfully awake. The bitterness and anger over the abandonment was mounting, but it all paled by comparison to his fear that such a fragile human had already ceased to exist.

Yet, with false hope, he’d always end up at the starting point day after day.

Winter, summer, fall, then came again spring… In his journeys, his footsteps had become cumbersome, weighed down by all the corrupt emotions that the gods have subjected him to at his creation. Without his anchor, he’d gotten lost, and the burning desire in him was nothing but a dying flame.

Then in the dead silence of a fateful night, the melody suddenly pierced through, jolting him out of his numbness. The dulcet tune from his distant memory was one that he’d heard countless times but never enough. It ebbed and flowed faintly in the atmosphere but resonated deeply within him, rekindling the embers of hope.

He broke into a run. The glow emitting from the house at the end of the street was the most brilliant, like the north star that guided him in the dark void. Each hurried step was light but unsteady, as every fiber of his being trembled with anticipation.

At the window where the light shone through, he came to a halt. The chorus continued to flow, louder and deeper. As he spotted the shade of rose through the window panes, so did his insides flutter violently. She was taller; there were more curves to her body. With the full head of pink, there was no mistake, even with his view limited to her back from his angle.

All the bleak thoughts he’d harbored all these years were forgotten, as the impatient need to see her face and her smile propelled his feet forward. But he fell short in his determination when a pair of onyx eyes popped over Sakura’s shoulder and darted in his direction, and he almost had the impulse to dodge out of sight.

“Good night, Sarada.”

She ended her song, as she settled a small child from her arms into bed. Her lips parted the child’s black hair and met her forehead in a loving tender kiss, drawing his eyes to the face of the young one. Just then he realized he wasn’t the audience that her lullaby had meant for.

“Nighty, Mama.”

Sakura had an offspring of her own… The resemblance was uncanny, and one name rooted in his mind like weeds.

In the next fortnight, he respected their distance but stayed close, lacking the resolve on how to approach when the currents of her cries rippled through the night air. It was always after the lullabies that Sakura retreated to her old bedroom, drowning in her own unspoken sorrows that she’d kept hidden from her young daughter. These nights she was as awake as he was, as alone as he was. The tears were incessant, and he was desperate to understand why.

Finally, he willed himself out of the shadows, unable to bear the pattern he’d let himself fallen into, with him always watching on the sidelines and his longing reined back. From one end of the bedroom where half-unpacked boxes were stacked haphazardly, he manifested himself. In such proximity, his chest tightened, and jitters pulsed through him in unrelenting waves. This nervousness was unlike him.

His desire conquering his instance of timidity, he purposefully shuffled his feet to cause her head to lift from her cradled knees. The pair of glistening green eyes underneath furrowed brows connected with his, and the beats of his palpitating heart reverberated in the quietness of the space.

So many questions he wanted to ask and so many explanations he wanted to demand, yet he found no voice as all the droning thoughts in his head clamored against one another to want to be heard first by the one who’d left him behind.

"Who are you?"

Her voice, it was different now but familiar, nostalgic… yet lethal, giving him no time to dwell on its change in pitch before pummeling him with those words.

In his denial, he yearned to bring himself closer. Another step, however, only warranted her warning.

"Don’t—don’t come any closer!"

He shattered this time. What devastated him more than her harsh imperative was the fear in her countenance, and he could feel himself sink. Shaking, he was struck by his own brittle emotions.

This feeling, one that cut him so deeply, was one that he knew all too well.

Ten years was not long enough to forget someone in his books…

So he cursed the gods, cursed them for having ever made him the god of love, even for the briefest period in history; for ever giving him a physical vessel burdened with all the mortal wants, so he could empathize with those he was foreordained to unite…

And for ever making him know of love...

With alarm, she fumbled in her position. The ruffling of papers that scattered about in her bed from her movements caught his attention. As he gave a distracted once-over at the bold texts on the white sheets, he could connect the dots on his own with the characters he made out: divorce… Uchiha…

He averted his gaze right then and there from the glaring fonts and instead laid it on her once more. With an ounce extra of effort, he chose to pass beyond the guardedness that wouldn’t evaporate from her tear-stained face and took in the details of her features. The innocence that was there in her youth had been chiseled away by the evident stress and fatigue of adulthood. The pink of her hair had visibly dimmed to a muted tone, so did the washed-out greens of her eyes. The sleep deprivation was taken its toll on her appearance. With the heavy bags under her tired eyes, she was beginning to look a lot like himself.

What a shame, she’d become just like the rest of them, with their nightly tossing and turning driven by their miseries.

But even if she’d been dealt an unfair hand by fate, her beauty would persist—this was what he still wanted to believe.

His hand waved in one fluid motion, and he had to steel himself against the panic that brimmed her expression. Sand slithered out from the opening of the gourd on his back. As the golden dusts floated in the air, catching the overhead ceiling lights and shimmering, she seemed unable to deny the fascination that eventually surfaced from her. The specks danced across the space between him and her; then in a swift swirl they rained over her.

Not even a second passed, and her eyelids shuttered. His sand rushed to balance her free-falling body before easing her onto her back. Her chest rose and fell with each steady breath. As he watched the last of her tears spilled from the corners of her closed eyes onto the pillow, he was sure the darkness that cradled her now would release her from all the worries of the world, even if it might only be temporary.

As she slept, he was finally able to bring himself closer to her side. Yet he felt the distance between them had never been greater.

So close they were, yet so far apart, as the one before him only saw a stranger in him…

Another twirl of the wrist, the sand amassed in his palm, molding and shaping itself at its master’s bidding. The open umbrella in his hand now was one that he didn't care to use for the longest time. As he held it over her sleeping form, his fingers tightened around the handle. The pictures that his magic allowed to project onto the underside of the canopy were his fondest memories of his time spent with her, the same ones that he relived in his head all these lonely years.

A part of him still hoped that their shared dream would make her remember… But her smile at him upon waking up might just be his wishful thinking.

The aches inside him throbbed without mercy. Regardless, he was firm in his newfound resolution, as he remained at her bedside.

So he'd watch over her until dawn, until the future, always and forever, to make sure she'd always sleep at night, free of any anguish; and to rid her of the demons that had stolen her sleep.

If nothing else, this was the least he could do, as her “guardian angel”:

"Sweet dreams, Sakura..."

#GaaSaku #gaasaku-fanfests #GaaSaku Fan Fest 2018 #distant-voice #fanfic

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bardicfoxes · 6 years ago

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[D&D] Sastasha Levelileur Demanx - Rogue

Sastasha is one of my favourite characters I’ve ever written up. My first attempt at playing a rogue after years of being infatuated by dashing highwaymen, Assassins creeping through the shadows, and thieves pulling off the impossible heists. Unlike many of my characters, Sasha’s life events were rolled for using the character generation tables in the Dungeon Masters Guide which is why her story is particularly long. Sasha is still with me (If temporarily unavailable due to a deck of many things accident...void card...) and her story has only grown in time, stories I would like to write up at some point. Anyway enjoy my wonderful Rogue girl!

War has been nature for living beings since the dawn of time, sometimes loud, brash, and overt, others silent, subtle, carried out in the shadows. Deep in the forests, hidden from the eyes of mere men, the Elvish waywatchers of Athel Loren battled the bestial tribes that inhabited the forest they called home. Many beast tribes were crushed beneath the martial prowess of the Elves. Dryad, Satyr, Gorgan, all were felled. However one tribe proved too cunning, too quick, and too sly to be destroyed quite so easily. For over a hundred years, the Kitsune ran rings around the Elves, able to melt into the forest, whisper into the ears of generals, and strike from anywhere, they proved themselves more than a match for the Elves.

As in any war, each side had its key players, many a battle had been won with the sheer prowess, accuracy, and skill displayed by Kerillian Aidenish, lieutenant of a squad of elite Elvish archers, and trackers, conversely the Kitsunes had dealt near crippling blows to Elvish supply lines, and reinforcements with the cunning, guile, and daring antics of Takeda Yoshiro, roguish thief turned saboteur. Both Kerillian, and Takeda always seemed to find themselves two sides of the same coin, Kerillian would diligently follow the trail of Takeda, who in turn would loop, and twist in order to strike behind her lines. The pair crossed blades many on many occasions, their battles being recounted in stories time, after time, sometimes Kerillian would loose an arrow into Takeda, sometimes Takeda would catch Kerillian in an explosion, neither seeming to ever truly defeat the other.

The seasons rolled on, Spring into Summer, Summer to Autumn, and Autumn cascading into Winter. One Winter was particularly colder than others, blizzards pinning down entire armies, and burying the forest in a suffocating blanket of snow, and chilling sheets of ice. Colder than any Winter before it, Elf, and Kitsune fell to the cold, those strong enough to resist being driven into caves, sheltering from the elements. For the first time in over two centuries, the shadow war for the forest stopped…

In a strange turn of circumstance, both Kerillian, and Takeda found themselves separated from their allies, and trapped within the same cave network. The pair hunted one another, sparring all throughout the day, and night, clashing to an exhausted standstill. Without food, water, and warmth, they would both perish, and so an uneasy alliance between the pair formed. With her natural Elvish atunement to nature, and it’s magics, Kerillian fashioned them warmth, and shelter within the cave, and with the trademark penchant for luck, and perception Takeda possessed, he provided food, and water, through gathering, and hunting even despite the conditions. At first the pair was silent, weapons remained drawn and the taught thickness of mistrust hung over the makeshift home, however as the days stretched into weeks, which stretched further into months, even these vicious enemies began to talk, both longing for even the most base social contact. The hate they once held for each other became an uneasy relationship of sorts, which in the darkest, coldest night, when food ran scarce, and ice clawed at even the deepest parts of the cave, became an odd sort of Love. By the light of their flickering campfire, Kerillian Aidenish, and Takeda Yoshiro consummated their relationship.

As the blizzard finally rolled past, and Spring sunshine pierced the permafrost coating every tree, both Elf, and Kitsune began to feel the pull of war once more, with supplies lower than they’d ever been both factions were determined to become the dominant residents of this vast forest. Within their cave, even Kerillian, and Takeda began to grow weary of each other's presence, their love turning toxic as their dependence on each other waned, one morning Kerillian awoke to find Takeda gone, he had vanished into the night, Kerillian while thankful her throat had not been slit, cursed his name and their hunt began again. This time however, Kerillian felt a tug against her talents, like something was holding her back, concerned her unit coerced her into seeing a healer, who gave news that Kerillian would rather have never received, she was with child, two in fact, Kerillian was holding twins… No one dared question who the father was for fear of invoking the her wrath, but as no man came forward, rumors began to spread. Removed from the front lines for the safety of her children, Kerillian found herself taking care of menial tasks, her responsibilities dwindling as she became more heavily pregnant with each day. When the children were due, Kerillian chose to give birth in secret, with only a handful of her most trusted handmaidens by her side.

In the middle of the night, Kerillian gave birth, the children's names leaving her lips before she even set eyes upon them “Calcifer, Sastasha” she whispered to a Handmaiden as she shut her eyes, she couldn’t bare to look upon her children, Elves were pure in nature, untainted by lesser beings, lying with a human was one thing, but lying with a beast man of the forest, was one of the greatest dishonours she could have brought upon herself. Finally she opened her eyes and gazed upon her children. She noted dark hair, nothing like her own, a soft rounded face, reminding her not of her own sharp features, and to her disappointment, and the horror of the Handmaidens around her a pair of dark midnight ears, and a sleek black tails… Too much of a fox to be raised amongst Elves, and far too much of an Elf to be raised amongst Kitsune, Kerillian, and her Handmaidens pledged to keep the children a secret, the infant Calcifer, and Sastasha would be smuggled out of the forest, and disposed of, while everyone else would be told the infants had perished during birth.

And so, the same night, Kerillian’s most trusted Handmaiden Arryn Demanx, took the child under her cloak, and journeyed for three nights, in order to reach the edge of the forest, however as she stood, dagger in hand, she could not bring herself to execute an innocent child, she rationalised that neither Calcifer, nor Sastasha had chosen the controversy of their births, why should they receive punishment for it. Instead, Arryn took pity on them, if the beings of the forest couldn’t raise her, then perhaps the beings of the towns, and cities could. Arryn traveled further not to the first closest settlement, not to the second, but to the third, a city. The chances of the children ever finding their way back to the hidden Elvish city was minute. Sastasha was left in a basket alone, swaddled in cloth at the foot of the stone steps to a temple, men of God seemed to attract an abundance of unwanted children after all. Arryn left a note on the basket, weighed down with an Elvish Kukri which read Abandoned out of circumstance, we have left Sastasha Leveileur Demanx in your care, may you care for her more than we could...

-A But of course Sastasha, knew none of this.

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Sastasha grew up under the tutelage of the temples various preachers, and clergymen, she learnt how to read, and write, and for the most part, kept herself busy with chores, after chores, after chores. What little time she did get for herself was spent kicking her heels in her room, or playing by herself. The people of the city of Anordal were a varied people, vast spires from the free mages college stretched into the sky, overseeing the rich markets, and magical item workshops. Despite this, Half-Kitsune such as Sastasha were rare, and as of such, she found the children around her would exclude her, to them she was weird, and foreign. With no friends to play with, Sastasha found herself wandering the halls of the temple, she would climb the belfry, or sit behind the altar listening to the organ. In fact it was during one of her sit ins to the music that the Organist called her over “Skulking in shadows” he asked as he played, Sastasha paused warily, people normally only spoke to her with cutting jibes, or to tell her she hadn’t been paying attention in her studies, however the organist seemed different “Just listening” she replied inquisitively truth be told she’d never really considered the organist existed, he rarely seemed to do anything other than play “Listening and skulking” he smiled, his teeth crooked “Good skills” he said with an added mutter “Malik Uredi” he introduced himself, never ceasing his playing, Sastasha frowned “Sastasha Leveilleur Demanx” before noting Malik’s own frown, her name was a bit of a mouthful “Sasha works though” she added before pausing for a beat “People don’t normally talk to me” she mentioned, her inquisitive nature showing. Malik mused for a second “Hm, and why do you think that is” he asked with a small smile, Sastasha frowned again “Well you know, because of how I look” she mentioned, her hand trailing through her hair, and touching the two soft ears that sat atop her head, she had taken to covering them with a hood, and tucking her brushy tail under her clothes, and around her waist. For the first time since their conversation began Malik stopped and chuckled “Sasha was it” he asked as he turned to her “Your appearance is of little consideration to me” he chuckled throatily as he gazed upon her, his eyes a sickly, milky white, he was blind.

Sastasha found herself making firm friends with Malik, helped by the fact he was the only person who would engage her socially, however on days when Malik was busy, or not there, Sastasha would wander the district in her free time, getting to know every street, every stall, and every secret alleyway. For a growing girl, with precious little to do, sometimes fun came from the most unusual places. The first time Sastasha picked a pocket was on a particularly sunny day, her lessons had been cancelled, and Malik was away, and most importantly, she was bored. Sastasha had an affinity with all things shiny, she coveted the glint of gold, or the shine of silver, and on this day, the sun caught the metallic shine of a golden pocket watch just right. Sastasha was filled with want as she watched it hang from the side of the large bestial man, it looked so delicate, and the clasp was so small, surely it wouldn’t be hard to. There was a dull click as Sastasha pulled her fingers over the clasp, and lifted the watch gently out of the man's pocket, her movements disguised by the jostling crowd, and her identity concealed by her cloaked androgynous appearance, once the watch was stowed safely in her pouch, she melted away into the crowd, and scurried off to the nearest alleyway, heart pounding against her chest. Sastasha clutched the pocket watch in her hands, it was beautiful, ornate, and meticulously polished, but most importantly, it was now hers. Sastasha took to her new hobby with gusto, her quick fingers, and delicate form making the art of pick pocketing as easy as anything, she started small, coins, loose buttons, jewelry, before moving bigger, entire money purses, pouches, jewelry, even taking things from market stalls, and on occasion slipping through open windows, and into peoples homes.

One morning, Sastasha was chatting with Malik, when he mentioned his birthday had been a week ago, Sastasha scolded him “If I’d known I would have got you something, she grumbled. Malik chuckled darkly “Oh my dear, I covet no material possessions” he rambled as he played “Although” he paused “I’ve always had a fondness for wine” he added guiltily. Sastasha sulked “I could have gotten you wine” she remarked, Malik sighed “Not the stuff you can buy in the market, I prefer something far more eclectic” he shuffled in his seat slightly, licking his lips as he remembered his choice wine “Fion Scathithe” he smiled softly “Elvish in nature, very old, very sweet, and very expensive” the thin man chuckled “You’d never be able to get your hands on any”. Sastasha frowned, something in her pulled, she was used to people telling her she couldn’t do something but this? This felt different “What makes you say that” she retorted indignantly, ignoring the explanation that Malik attempted to give “I’ll sort you something out” she smirked, before spinning on her heel, and leaving the building.

Sastasha scoured the city for the name ‘Fion Scathithe’ merchants, traders, and even smugglers turned nothing up, however there was one place she hadn’t yet checked. In the centre of Anordal lay the airship dock, where vast airships from Heavantis, bellies full of tradeable cargo from across the continent would dock, and sell their wares. Sastasha took a small collection of her favourite pieces of loot, and ventured into the bazaars within the docking tower. While Sastasha was unable to find the Wine she was hunting for, she did find information on an owner, a Wizard who lived in the Whitestone district for a touch more payment, she found his address, and set off. She had never intended to purchase the Wine from him, if it truly was as rare, and as delicious as Malic had said, there was no way a Wizard would part with it. Instead, Sastasha put her new found talents to use, crawling up a drainpipe, and slipping through a skylight, had she not been trying to keep quiet, she would of remarked how little security this Wizard seemed to have.

Sastasha dropped into a vast library, it seemed to stretch further than the building itself...Wizards were an odd folk. She scoured the vast halls, and multiple rooms until she stumbled through an office of sorts, and into a Wine cellar, there she found a beautiful elegant crystalline bottle, with a ruby red liquid inside, it was the wine she had sought out. With gloved hands she delicately removed the bottle from it’s shelf, curiously behind it there was a blue sigil, which as she pulled the bottle free, turned an angry red “Uh oh” Sastasha whispered before the air around her filled with horns of alarm, this place was better secured than she had thought. Dashing back into the office she panicked as she heard voices from outside, Wizards could be an unruly lot, and she was not looking to be on the receiving end of their scorn. On the desk next to her, were a pile of arcane scrolls, her head cocked as she looked at them before tucking the bottle securely into a pouch. She picked up a scroll, running her fingers over the dry paper, as she tried to unfurl it she found herself unable to undo the bindings, she cursed and pocketed it, before snatching up another, which thankfully was more compliant. She gazed over the foreign inscriptions, biting her lip as she heard footsteps outside, the markings made no sense to her at all, except. She paused as words came to her “Aperta...Ianua” she said, almost tentatively. There was a dull pop in front of her.

When the honoured Wizard Garrat finally mounted the courage to burst into his office, flanked by his own personal retinue of students, and serfs he found no intruder, rather instead he found a gaping passageway where his wall had been only this morning, whoever had been in his office, had clearly vanished… Sastasha sprinted through the streets, desperate to return before anyone could threaten her spoils, she practically fell through the doors to the Temple, remembering herself and straightening up, before nonchalantly wandering up to Malik “Hm Sasha” he greeted “Out of breath, have you gotten in trouble” the old man asked with a sly smirk. Sastasha growled, her triumphantly casual entrance ruined “Happy Birthday old man” she grinned regaining her composure as she produced the elegant bottle. Malik stopped playing as his hands ran over the bottle “Oh” he said simply, the interest in his voice palpable “Now this is interesting” he murmured “Who was it taken from” Malik said directly, his voice a little more colder than usual. Sastasha spluttered “What do you mean who was it taken-” Malik cut her off “Sasha” he said, turning his milky gaze to her “I’m blind, not stupid” he said gesturing to her thieves pouch “You think I don’t hear the collections you’ve been bringing home Hm” he asked “Or understand that a single bottle of Fion Scathithe can cost more than I could ever hope to earn, let alone a half spawn such as yourself” his words were almost scathing, but not out of hate, almost annoyance, as if he was disappointed Sastasha had even tried to lie to him. The Vulpine ears atop her head sank underneath her hood, Malik smirked “Do not despair Sasha, your secret is safe with me” he cut in before she could leave “In fact, I’m rather impressed with your work, I feel that maybe we could form a” he licked his lips as he held the wine bottle “partnership of sorts”. Sastasha cocked her head, Malik may have been blind, but his intuition, and perception was incredible “Now run along little Sasha” he smirked “I’ll be in touch” he added as he waved Sastasha away, who returned to her room in contemplation, who really was Malik Uredi….

Malik Uredi called Sastasha to his side the next evening, “Follow me” he said simply, as he tapped a cane on the floor, holding an arm out to Sastasha “We’re going on a walk” the aging man mentioned. Almost out of bewilderment, Sastasha looped her arm around his, allowing him to take her through streets, and back alleys, and though Sastasha would never admit it, through areas that even she didn’t know. After an hours walk in relative silence save for the chattering crowds, and tapping of Maliks cane, they arrived in a large graveyard. Malik strode forward, his cane no longer tapping the floor, as if he knew this place from memory, approaching a large stone casket shaped memorial he tapped his cane three times on a central ornament, then another twice, then finally three more times. Nothing happened, Sastasha looked up at him “What are we doi-” a heavy grinding noise sounded, as the caskets lid slid back, revealing a set of dark stairs “Patience my child, patience” Malik chuckled darkly as he lead her down the staircase.

The staircase went down to a tunnel, which was as black as pitch, Sastasha’s eyesight could just make out the walls, and how they twisted, and turned into the depths of the city. Presently, she found the light levels raising, as they entered a large antichamber. Torches burnt brightly in brackets on the walls, and crates, chairs, tables, and benches were placed around giving the place a surprisingly homely touch. A basic bar had been set up, and clustered around it were a group of different figures. Sastasha looked to Malik, who picked up on her confusion “The Jackdaws of Anordal” Malik nodded with a wry smile “A group of like minded men, and women” he mentioned as he pulled her forward “Thieves, pickpockets, burgarlers, and well” he smirked “Criminals”. Sastasha looked upon the diverse group of men, and women who turned to her “Until now, you’ve been nothing but a meer child, dancing through the crowds, swiping scraps, and being nothing more than a minor nuisance” Malik said derisively “But” he added quickly “Under the tutelage of the Jackdaws, I feel we could really make something of you”. Sastasha cocked her head in confusion “Wait, I don’t understa-” Malik sighed, interrupting her “It’s a thievery syndicate” he said testily “One that I believe might be of great benefit to you”. Sastasha nodded slowly, it couldn’t hurt to receive some advice…

Displaying her natural prowess, and potential, Sastasha was a fast learner, devouring any, and all lessons given to her. While her pick pocketing was good, there was always room for improvement Alexi,a red skinned Teifling taught her the finer arts of concealment, and how to slip through crowds undetected. Barouq, a wiry Kenku corrected her stances, and strikes, teaching her how to take care of herself in combat. The minor inconsistencies displayed in her pickpocketing were highlighted by Chenni a particularly deft, and mischievous Halfling. And finally a proficiency in lock breaking, utilising the thieves tools, and secretive thieves cant were taught to her by none other than the blind Malik, who despite his disability, was able to pick locks with the greatest of ease.

Despite balancing chores, her temple duties, and keeping Maugh unaware, Sastasha learnt what would take any ordinary thief years, in just a matter of months, and while Malik was apprehensive to offer her the position as a fully fledged member of the Jackdaws, she was considered an honorary ally, able to use their knowledge, and facilities whenever she saw fit. With these new facilities she had the means to expand her work, no prize too daring for her, the Jackdaws applauding her work. One evening, Sastasha crouched above the city, balancing on a narrow beam, a dark hood, and mask obscuring her features. Tonight wasn’t about her, Malik had made a special request. Housed in a glass cabinet proudly displayed above the dining table of the honourable magistrate Hadvir Angast, was a beautiful sculpture known as the ‘Frozen Flower’ a delicate rose crafted from enchanted ice, that could never melt. Malik wanted to feel the cold ridges, and smooth petals for himself, Sasha wanted a challenge. It was a win, win situation.

With an increased range of skills, and experience, Sastasha slipped into the magistrates house, picking the lock to his cellar. From there she made her way past his scant guardsmen, and into his luxurious dining chamber. Though she longed to take the glinting silverware, or gleaming crystalline glasses, she suppressed her desire, where she rounded the corner, and locked eyes on the glass cabinet, and a young man eagerly reaching inside. Sastasha waited patiently for him to pick up the frozen flower, he was unmasked, and seemed to have no tools on his person, he looked like an amateur. As he turned he saw Sastasha, his face was soft, and if Sastasha had to admit it, he was a rather attractive human. He smiled, almost melting Sastasha’s heart “Ah, how awkward” he said softly, his accent clipped, and clean “I assume you’re looking for this too” he asked, almost politely, as he held out the ornate flower, made out of the cleanest ice Sastasha had ever seen. Unwilling to reveal her voice, she simply nodded, stepped forward, and held out her palm flat, she would give him the choice of handing it over. The blonde retreated “Ah, I do apologise, but it seems I got here first” he continued, the words pouring out in a softly spoken symphony “Maybe next time you might be a little quicker perhaps” he mentioned “If you don’t mind my advice” he added with a half smile as he backed away. This wasn’t the place for games, Sastasha strode forward, stopping suddenly as she felt a crunch under her feet as she trod on a circle of glass that had been cut out of the case. When she looked up, the young man had delicately placed the icy flower between his lips, as he untucked the front of his shirt, loosened his tie, and ruffled his hair into an untidy mess. Sastasha cocked her head, placing a hand on her dagger “I do apologise my dear” he said as he retrieved the rose, wrapping it in a white handkerchief, and placing it in his pocket “But a patsy is exactly what I need” and with that, the young man yelled for the guards, he cried a warning out, which was almost instantly answered by the thudding of heavy boots from the guards at the end of the floor “Farewell” he said with a smirk, as Sastasha spun on her heels, and bolted for the nearby window.

After an hour of running, climbing, dodging, and leaping, Sastasha finally lost her pursuers, she was hot, tired, thirsty, and more ticked off than she’d ever been before. Nobody beat her to the prize like that, and she never came home empty handed. She seethed for another hour before returning to Malik, who seemed rather non fussed with the whole situation. For Sastasha this was the beginning of a long series of run ins with the handsome blonde thief, art seemed to be his particular love, and he forever seemed to be a step ahead of Sastasha. Despite his larceny he never obscured his face, nor did he ever seem to really hide, it was as if he had a natural trustworthiness about him. Every time he beat Sastasha to a prize, or called the guards on her she would seethe, and fume for hours, sometimes days afterwards. On occasion, her escapes were aided by the king of the beggars, who agreed to hide her, always stating she would pay him back in time. On a particularly sunny day, Sastasha found herself in a library in the Whitestone District, picking up a series of books for a deacon who was staying at the Temple. While there, she heard a familiar boyish chuckle. There, at the other end of the library, was the thief that had plagued her every attempt at art theft, but if she could find out who he was, she could find his home, and steal what he had stolen, it would be perfect.

Even with her hood up, people had commented on Sastasha’s soft features, dark silken hair, and fair nature, it would help she was a near natural flirt, and an even better manipulator. She took her time, casually making her way around the library, until she found herself next to the devilishly handsome thief, where she coyly let a book slide off her pile and onto the ground in front of him. As she had predicted, he practically dove on the book in a display of chivalry, and passed it up to her “Be careful my lady, the Wizards here don’t tend to allow rough treatments of the tomes, even by somebody as pretty as yourself” he smiled charmingly. Though Sastasha had expected this, she couldn’t help but be momentarily taken aback by his warming smile, she stammered, and almost forgot her plan “A-ah thank you s-sir” she stuttered as she collected herself “I feel maybe I didn’t have the grip I first thought” she continued, playing the part of a sweet, and innocent maiden “Sorry I didn’t catch your name” she asked with a soft smile. The young man chuckled “That’s alright” he replied “I didn’t tell it to you” he responded slyly before gesturing at the sigil of Selune on her broach “From the Temple on the other side of the Whitestone district” he asked with a raised eyebrow “I suspect you’ll have a carriage waiting outside correct” he added astutely. Sastasha blinked, unwilling to let the act go “Oh, yes” she answered, keeping her cool, despite the anger boiling underneath “Excellent, so how about we check these books out for you, and I’ll help you to your carriage”, he was undeniably sickly sweet…

After checking the books out, and letting the young man guide her to her carriage, he bowed as she climbed in “Charmed to meet you….again” he said with a small smirk “I must say, you are rather pretty without the mask” he purred. Sastasha growled in response as she tightened her hands into fists “Oh come on” he smirked “I could recognise those eyes anywhere” as he took a step back. The carriage began to roll off “Nathaniel” he grinned as he faded into the crowd. Sastasha fumed extra hard that night. The Vulpine girl would not see Nathaniel for some time, her forays didn’t take her back to the art world for a short while, instead she busied herself with her own endeavours. After a few months, Chenni, the halfling girl from the Jackdaws recommended Sasha a job for one of her clients. A Heavantis shipment of finery was due to reach Anordal within the week, and a certain client of Chenni desired an opulent oil canvas aboard the shipment. Eager to impress the Jackdaws, Sastasha snapped up the job. She poured every skill she had at her disposal, casing the airship dock, snatching shipping manifests, and running through a perfect plan of action in her head.

It was late when Sastasha slipped out of the temple, and skulked through the streets to the airship dock, keeping her hooded figure obscured by the crowds, and bustling merchants, until she could find her way up to the dock itself, where she positioned herself in the shadows of the wooden rafters and waited for the ship to arrive. As if by clockwork the Heavantis airship ‘Noctis Opulentos’ drifted silently into its moorings. Sastasha’s movements would need to be precise, and disciplined, very few had managed to successfully steal from one of these ships. She leapt from the rafters onto the ships rigging, and slid down a rope, darting past dock workers, deck hands, and merchants as if she were blinking from shadow, to shadow. Despite the sheer amount of people between her, and her destination, she managed to find her way into the holds of the ship, tracking her progress through the map she had memorised, it had been rather expensive to bribe for that particular piece of information. Before long, she arrived at the cargo compartment she was searching for, there were less people down here at this moment, most of them were further up the ship, unloading the more perishable cargo. With a small struggle, Sastasha picked the lock into the compartment, and began scouring the finery for her prize, she longed to fill her pockets with the shining diamonds, and clear cut emeralds, or the ornate wooden carvings, and brass statues that shined so invitingly, she resisted and stayed on target, a girl such as her could lose her mind with greed in here, and maybe she would have, if Chenni’s client had not promised such a hefty reward. She picked the lock on a large wooden chest, her eyes scanning the ornate frames inside, it was exactly what she was looking for. Getting this painting off the ship was a challenge already, doing it contained in the huge ornamental frame would be nigh impossible, she begrudgingly levered the top panel off the frame, flinching as it splintered away, she could almost hear some distant artisan screaming as she did so. With the cation that one would exhibit while handling a glass butterfly, Sastasha gently slipped the canvas out, it was a gorgeous picture depicting a icy night, and a blood red aurora splitting the sky, it was a rather chilling sight that spread a sense of unease through Sasha, when she had been but a child, she had gazed out her window at the same cosmic pattern, it had become a sort of omen to her. She shook off the notion, and rolled the parchment up, slipping it into a protective tube which was slung over her back.

There was a prick of cold steel against the back of her neck “My, my” an infuriatingly sweet voice crooned “You must be improving, you beat me to this one” Sastasha raised her palms, gritting her teeth as she did so “I must say, I’m impressed, did you really manage to slip down here unnoticed” her rival asked, she should have known such an artistic catch would have attracted him. Sastasha took a breath as she felt his dagger point against the nape of her neck “It took some planning” she admitted “And a fair amount of groundwork, and coin” the raven haired girl added “But I’m good enough to pull it off” Sastasha added with a touch of confidence “And yourself” she asked “You don’t strike me as one to hide in the shadows”. Her rival chuckled “Yes, you’ve got me there” he admitted as he took a step back “Turn to face me, nice and slow” he ordered “Keep your hands where I can see them”. Sastasha complied, locking eyes with his, he was a devilishly handsome young man, and in other circumstances she might find herself quite infatuated with him, unlike her dark, functional clothes, he wore a lavish blue, and gold attire, a long coat with a smart white ruffled neck piece “You’re right” he smiled “I don’t take to the shadows as you do, I prefer a far more direct approach” he lectured, touching the point of the knife to his gloved finger “Nathaniel Kadgar Cradagast” he said, bowing his head softly, never taking his eyes off Sastasha “My father is Eobus Cradagast of the council of free mages, it allows me certain allowances when talking my way into places” he continued “It’s also a perfect shield, not one soul would believe that the son of the great Cradagast would stoop to such debauchery” the blonde chuckled “But, I digress, time is still of the essence” Nathaniel sighed as he stepped forward, pulling Sastasha’s face mask down exposing her fair features “I’d hate to have to hurt you” he whispered “So how about you just hand over the canvas, and I’ll” he paused as he flirtatiously tugged her hood down “O-oh” he breathed, as his eyes gazed at her soft black ears, his stare tracing the frosted white tips. He was distracted for only a split second, but his theatrics had given Sasha the opportunity she needed.

With a sharp thrust, she jabbed her palm upwards into his nose, before bringing the edge of her open palm down on his wrist, knocking the knife from his grip, she spun her body, rolling around him, and bolted for the door, she wasn’t losing her prize to him, not again. Before she could leave the hold however, she felt the air behind her crystallise, and chill. Sastasha threw herself to the side not a moment too soon, as a beam of blue white light shot past her, spidering into frost on the wall ahead of her. Behind her, Nathaniel heald his palm outstretched, a deep blue sigil traced in the air ahead of him, contrasting the crimson trickle of blood from his nose “That was impolite” he smirked “We can of course do this the hard way, it’s been a while since I’ve stretched my magics” He darted forward, Sasha’s hand going for her dagger when he caught her wrist. Her wrist was encompassed by another dark blue sigil, and suddenly began to feel painfully cold, she tugged at her dagger, but it refused to draw, Nathaniel smirked “Frost can make the blade stick” Sastasha pulled back, tearing Nathaniel's hand from her wrist, without a weapon, she couldn’t fight him, so instead, she pulled back and retreated, dancing past another ray of frost as it hurtled towards her. Stealth was no longer an option, she would have to rely on her speed, and agility, she tugged her hood up over her ears, and mask over her face, and sprinted through the holds, spinning around those who got in her way, and dodging past anyone who tried to stop her.

She burst out onto the deck of the airship, there was a single beat of silence as she felt the eyes of every member of the crew upon her, before someone yelled, and all hell broke loose. Dodging just out of the grasp of those around her she ran for the edge of the ship, making a leap of faith through the air, she became very aware of the distance that stretched out below her, and for a second, thought she had made a terrible mistake, before her fingers wrapped around one of the thick mooring ropes that bound ships to the side of the dock. With only seconds to formulate a plan, she gripped with her boots, and gloved hands, this was not going to be an easy escape. Gently loosening her grip, she allowed herself to slide down the rope, picking up speed as she followed the long cable down, and down the outside of the tower, the yells above her being drowned out by the whining of her leathers against the rope, and her nose picked up the smell of burning, and a touch of smoke. Looking over her shoulder, she judged her distance, and tightened her grip with all the strength she could muster. She slowed, the acrid burning smell from her gloves swelling as she ground to a stop several meters off the ground. She dropped from the rope onto a small awning, and rolled off into a crouch on the ground. With legs trembling from the adrenaline, and hands itching from the heat of her gloves she looked up at the docked ship, she had just pulled off the ultimate job.

Not eager to hang around she dropped her mask, and headed in the direction of the Jackdaws hideout, only when she reached sanctuary would she feel that the task had been completed. It was late, the streets were empty, and Heavantis would never admit something had been taken from them, and yet something felt off? A noise emanated from behind her, she only caught it because of the astute hearing of her ears, it sounded like metal being drawn from a sheath, she spun around, too late as a there was a sharp rending pain in her side that drove the breath from her lungs. She struggled against her attacker, pulling away with the blade still jutting from her, out of the corner of her eye she saw her assailant, a bizarley well dressed Tabaxi, with a delicate white mask over his eyes. Sastasha turned and ran, each step forcing more breath from her lungs, in her hobbled state, she was unable to move too fast. She was very aware of her assailant, he wasn’t pressing the attack any further, rather he was following, keeping pace a few meters behind her as she ran. She kept her pace for fifteen minutes, before a combination of shock, tiredness, and blood loss brought her to the floor in a dusty alleyway. Try as she might, she couldn’t bring herself to her feet, nor could she even begin to drag herself away, she was at her attackers mercy. Her attacker crouched next to her, a long, jagged dagger in his left hand “Forfeit your stolen property” he said emotionlessly as he held an outstretched palm towards Sastasha, she didn’t respond, rather she clutched the tube tightly in her hands as she bled freely onto the floor, the thick crimson liquid filling the cracks in the stone around her. Her attacker sighed “Now” he growled as he forcefully pulled the tube away from Sastasha. Until now, she hadn’t realised her strength leaving her, but as her well dressed assailant took the tube away from her with no resistance, the severity of her situation began to dawn on her.

A voice rang out from behind her assailant “What’s going on here”, both Sastasha, and the agent of Heavantis turned to the source of the voice, it was Nathaniel, the agent stowed his blade “By order of the merchant republic of Heaveantis, stolen goods were reclaimed” he said confidently “Find this citizen a doctor, my business is done with them”. Nathaniel smiled warmley “Of course sir, I congratulate your ability to dispense justice” the blonde continued charismatically as he shook the agents hand. There was a soft glow of rosy pink light from his hand, as a sigil enveloped his glove, traveling up the agents arm “Would you like me to hold that while you clean your blade” he asked warmly. The agent nodded with an odd familiarity, and handed over the tube willingly before setting to work cleaning Sastasha’s blood of his jagged dagger. Sasha looked up at Nathaniel as he looped the strap of the tube over his shoulder, he mouthed a soft apology to Sasha, before turning on his heal and calmly walking away. A span of five minutes passed before the agent looked up, he paused for a second before cursing in a foreign language, and bolting in the direction of Nathaniel, Sastasha was alone...

She tried to pull herself to her feet, but she was far too weak to do so, collapsing she felt her eyes close, she was dying here, in some alley way, she couldn’t help but think of Maugh, he would never know what happened to her… As she lay shivering on the floor, she became aware of a being nearby, she was too weak to look up, or resist when the figure lay a hand on her, checking her over, and pulling her hood down, she felt him pause before drawing her close, she tried to pull away, but there was something about him, his smell was almost familiar, safe, instead of pulling away, she huddled closer to him, letting him pick her up and move her. She was only dimly aware of the events that followed, she knew she was taken somewhere, she could feel someone patch up her wound, and was aware she was being taken care of. She finally got the strength to open her eyes and look around one morning, she was in a humble room, the bed was comfortable, and several candles kept the room warm, and light. She winced as she pulled herself to her feet, she wasn’t wearing her clothes, instead she was wearing a pair of surprisingly soft pajamas. Sastasha instantly became paranoid, she had no idea where she was, and whoever she was with had clearly undressed her which meant! She turned to a long mirror on the wall and looked at herself, her ears were on display atop her head, and to her horror her vulpine tail was hanging from behind her, whoever’s home she was staying in, knew about her more bestial aspects…

Sastasha paused and considered escaping via a window, but her belongings were missing, her leathers, equipment, and her dagger, and there was no way she was leaving without it. She tried the door, locked. Sasha returned to the bed and sat down trying to plan her next move. A short while later, she heard a key turn in the door, she stood and prepared for anything, however, she never could have truly prepared for what came through the door.

Standing in front of her, was a young male, a similar in height to her, his features were sharp, and he had a single small scar across his left cheek. However the most striking feature about him lay atop his head, he too was adorned with a pair of silken vulpine ears of midnight black, frosted with white. Sasha was taken aback, she paced around him taking in every detail, from the tip of his ears to the base of his, yes, he too had a dark tail “W-who are you” she muttered quietly, his scent was the same as the scent of the man who had saved her. The two stared at each other, each nearly as taken aback as the other, Sasha noticed his weapon, a dark hilted Kukri, it’s sheath inscribed with a similar set of markings as hers. The male nodded “Calcifer” he replied simply as now he paced around her “I feel like I know you” he added “Your name” the raven haired boy asked. “Sastasha” she responded “I feel I know you too, you’re familiar, but I’ve never met anyone like me” she responded, gesturing to the ears atop her head. Sasha paused “Where am I” she asked “And how long have I been here”, Calcifer paused for a second “You’re in the ‘Whitestone Ash’ Tavern, and you’ve been here” he mulled the answer over “Two days, you heal quickly” he remarked with a smile. Sastasha nodded “And my things” she accused, Calcifer held his hands up “Okrid took them, he said they needed a wash, and that we probably shouldn’t leave you with a weapon when you woke up” Sastasha cocked her head “Oh er, Okrid is my dad” he explained “Adopted, not by birth, he’s nice” the young man added with a smile. Sastasha nodded, relaxing a little, Calcifer seemed trustworthy after all.

Sasha’s gear was returned to her by a large half orc, she was told she was welcome any time. Neither Okrid, nor his Tiefling wife Astrid questioned her on the events leading up to her injury, they were just glad she was safe. When she arrived back at the abbey, she told Maugh about who she had met, casually leaving out her injury, theft, and near death experience. Initially she was unwilling to pry any further, it was in fact Maugh who pushed her to visit Calcifer once more. Over the course of the next few days Sastasha spent a lot of time at the Whitestone Ash, talking to Calcifer, and his adopted parents, it was only a matter of hours however that she made her biggest discovery. Calcifer was left in the Whitestone Ash, much as Sastasha had been left at the temple of Selune, and to make matters even more interesting, as well as a matching dagger, he was also left with a near identical note to her. Sastasha compared the note to hers “Calcifer Leveileur Demanx” she whispered, Calcifer’s cheeks glowed red “Ah yeah, I’ve always hated that surname” he admitted. Sastasha nodded, smiling as she suppressed the urge to cry “Yeah me too” for the first time since she and Maugh had shared the sight of the moon rising in their room together, she had found family.

Sastasha, and Calcifer became almost as firm friends as Sasha, and Maugh. Sastasha would explore the city with her brother whenever Maugh was otherwise indisposed with the various duties a paladin in training was tasked with. When Maugh was available, the three misfits would wander the streets, and markets, or simply relax at the Whitestone Ash, where they got to know Okrid, and Astrid. Both Sasha, and Maugh had never felt so popular. Sastasha even shared her more criminal secrets with Calcifer, spinning him long tales of intrigue, daring escapes, and fine thefts. Calcifer lay hooked on every word. Like Sastasha, Calcifer also found comfort in a less than legal profession. While he wouldn’t share much with his sister, it seemed he had found his calling as a state appointed Assassin. Sasha knew they had existed, but never truly believed they were active. Like finger, and thumb, the two grew closer, and closer, more than making up for lost time. Soon they began to include one another in their respective professions. When Calcifer needed a particularly difficult lock cracked, or someone to help him slip past watchful eyes, he would call upon Sastasha. Likewise, if Sasha simply needed somebody to watch her back, or to give her aid with a tough series of guards, she wouldn’t hesitate to enlist Calcifer in her activities. The pair swept across the city, no lock too tight, no patrol too tough. They felt invincible.

It was after one of these successful team ups, that both Calcifer, and Sastasha sat on a balcony, legs dangling above the city, that the pair found themselves talking about a future. Sastasha didn’t want to spend her life living amongst the thinly labeled prejudices of the temple of Selune, and Calcifer, as much as he loved Okrid, and Astrid, didn’t want to constantly live under their feet. So they talked. What if they...acquired, the funds to purchase their own place, where they could make the rules, Sastasha even suggested opening the idea to Maugh, three oddities who could live under the same roof, in a place they could all call home, Calcifer himself admitted interest in opening a tavern of his own. Over the course of the night, what started as a distant fantasy, began to seem more, and more a reality as they talked about it, all they would need, was money, and if there were two people in the city that could obtain a vast quantity of money, in a short time. It was them.

As well as being a hub for mages, Anordal boasted a hefty population of merchants, hundreds of stalls, and shops littered the markets, and all of those needed places to keep their money. The Vidulum was a large compound of storage rooms, and safes designed for that purpose. The plan was simple, break in, steal the money they needed, and escape via the sewer tunnels. It wouldn’t be the hardest job they had pulled, but it would require complete synergy on their part.

So, on a moonlit night, the two fox children skipped across rooftops, and slid down drain pipes, until they made their way to the Vidulum. Slipping in through the shadows they set to work, Sasha picking the locks, and Calcifer watching her back, as well as holding the gold. They were smart, taking only a skimming from each vault, as opposed to a large take from one, this way, each Merchant would only record a loss of a few gold pieces, enough to be written off as an accounting mistake. The pair went undiscovered until closing the final vault, when a Merchant, and his retinue made an unexpected visit to the Vidulum. Both parties stared at each other for a second, before chaos erupted. Arrows flew, and shouts of alarm were sounded, Calcifer grabbed his sister and pulled her towards their escape route. They climbed over the wall of the Vidulum, and dropped into the streets, the eyes of the night markets all on them. There was no time to lose, they darted forward, and dropped through a hole into the sewer tunnels, feet pounding, echoing against the stone walls as they ran through the maze of tunnels, they couldn’t help but laugh as they ran, they were almost home free. The end of the tunnel opened up to a five meter drop into a deep canal, Sastasha leapt, barley breaking her stride as she crossed the waters, and landed on the other side with a smart roll. That was when she heard a large splash behind her. She spun on one heel, only ripples decorated the water's surface. In the early dawns light, everything was silent.

The next month dragged for Sastasha, and she was only dimly aware of the proceedings. She had sat by the waters edge, shivering for quite some time, before Maugh tracked her down, she knew Maugh had entered the water, and recovered the still form of Calcifer, wrapping him in a cloak. It was funny, he almost looked as if he was just sleeping… Sasha was taken home by Martin, a squire of Maughs, while Maugh broke the news to Okrid, and Astrid. To this day they refuse to blame Sastasha for what happened, but the guilt gnawing at Sasha refuses to die. Maugh also returned the gold to the Vidulum, stating he’d simply found it, and heard the news it had been stolen. The only thing Sasha was left with, was the dark kukri dagger, now the soul owner she had lost the only blood family she ever knew, Sasha lived in a haze, it would be quite some time before she picked herself out of it.

A year later, Sastasha was almost back to her old self, besides private moments in the corners of her own mind, where guilt, and sadness still bit at her thoughts, she was once again smiling, joking, and socialising with Maugh, on the odd occasions they found themselves at the Whitestone Ash she would take some coaxing to come out of her shell, but Okrid, and Astrid were still as welcoming as ever. During one of her excursions with Maugh, to preach the word of Selune at the main entrance to the city, Sastasha met a most peculiar fellow. He wasn’t dressed like the others who milled through the gates, rather he wore a strange attire, that while seeming functional, and protective, had the appearance of something formal. He stopped to listen to Maugh for a short while. This wasn’t the first time Maugh had been sent to speak the word of their Goddess, and it wasn’t the first time Maugh had drawn a small crowd, if only for those in the crowd to stare at his unique form. As Maugh preached, Sastasha carried out various rituals, and blessings, spreading salt, handing out moon lilies, and the like. When she reached the well dressed stranger, he gently took a lilly from her basket, and smiled in thanks. His smile near melted Sastasha, smiles from handsome men had long been her weakness, and this new figure was unknowingly exploiting that.

After Maugh’s sermon had finished, the stranger waited behind until the crowd of gawking onlookers had dispersed, Sasha saw him approach and mutter some words to Maugh, it always put her on edge watching people approach the giant Lizard man, but both seemed happy, The stranger even shook Maugh’s hand before leaving. Sastasha was captivated, nobody had ever reacted so, well, kindly to Maugh before. As the man walked past she bumped into him, he turned to face her “My apologies” he said in a foreign accent, Sastasha bowed her head “No sir, my apologies, I must have let my mind wander” the man smiled again and Sastasha had to hold herself up, before excusing himself and turning to leave. Sasha stood next to Maugh “Hey big guy” she mentioned, staring after the man “Who was he” the raven haired girl asked. Maugh shrugged “Just a member of the crowd, wanted to thank me for the Sermon” he hissed. Sasha nodded “Hm” she muttered, casually opening her hand and dropping a silver pocket watch onto the floor subtly “Hey” she asked bending down, making a show of picking it up “Did he leave this behind” she asked. Maugh raised a scaly eyebrow at her, they’d known each other a long time, and it was hard to pull a fast one on him, Sasha smirked “I guess I’ll go return it….see you back at the Temple” she chirped before slipping off into the crowd after the mysterious man.

She dashed past merchants, and between families of travellers before finding the man, and falling into line a few meters behind him, she followed with inquisitive steps as he turned off the main road, and into a side street. Without such a crowd around him she might actually get a chance to talk to him “Hey” she called out as she jogged up to him, the man turned around, a thick head of red hair atop his head, the fringe falling over his eyes “Oh, from the entrance right” he asked as she came to a stop “Yeah” Sastasha replied “You dropped this” she said proudly holding the pocket watch out to him. The man paused for a second, taking it from her hand “Curious” he muttered “I dropped it you say” the red head added, a touch of disbelief to his voice, Sasha nodded “yeah, I thought I’d get it back to yo-” the man cut in “It was clasped quite firmly to my inner pocket you see” he said simply “Are you sure it didn’t find its way into your possession when you bumped into me” he asked knowingly. Sasha’s breath caught in her throat, she was sure she’d been more careful than that, her deft fingers had never got her caught before. The man continued “Though it’s strange, if you took it from me, why would you rush to return it, were you planning on me offering a reward” he asked “The watch itself would sell for a high price as it is” the man folded his arms “No, you’re smarter than that I feel” he rationalised as he looked her over “Which means you knew what you were doing, but just didn’t expect me to realise” he frowned “Though I must say your end is rather obscure to me, what was your goal here”. Sastasha blinked, almost letting the warmth of a blush spill onto her cheeks “well you know” she stammered, excuses flying through her mind “You were just very nice to Maugh, and I wanted to” she paused letting the words form in her head “Thank you for it” she finished. The man chuckled “So you stole my watch” he asked with disbelief “That seems rather backwards”, Sastasha coughed “Look clearly it didn’t work out the way I thought it would so, I guess I’ll take my leave”. The man shook his head “No come on, you’ve got this far, Maugh” he mentioned, rolling the name around his tongue as if sampling a fine wine “Interesting, so that would make you Sastasha then right” he asked. Sastasha took a step back “You’ve heard of me” she asked a with a small touch of accusation to her voice. The man shook his head and smiled “No, no, should I have” he asked with a raised eyebrow “It’s your necklace” he said, pointing at the flint stone just poking out of her top “It has your name on it right” he asked, gently taking the flint pendent in his hand. Sastasha smiled softly “You can read it” she asked, her interest growing with each word, “So you know my name, what do I call you” she asked. The man responded in kind “Sahelanthropus of Kynesgrove” Sastasha blinked twice, the name near flying completely over her head “Sa-ha-lan” she frowned, messing up the name. Sahelanthropus gave a boyish chuckle “Maybe I could teach you the pronunciation over dinner” he asked casually “It would give you a chance to apologise for taking my watch” he added slipping the silver watch into his pocket “How about I meet you at the Temple early evening” he asked. Sastasha stammered a yes as Sahelanthropus turned on his heel “Excellent, I’ll see you then” he called over his shoulder, as he strode off down the street.

Sastasha had been on dates before, she’d even had a couple of short relationships before, it was amazing how quickly people forget their prejudices around a pretty girl. As a daughter of the temple, she wasn’t strictly supposed to behave in such a way, but they way she saw it, if Salune had a problem with it, she was bound to let her know...right? She bid farewell to Maugh, who had playfully teased her about her upcoming date all evening, as she had thought earlier, it was hard to keep things from him. Sahelanthropus awaited Sastasha across the street from the Temple, wearing a fine long coat, boots, and smart scarf, he was dressed far more finely than Sastasha, who was in what she considered her ‘best’ clothes, a White set of clothing with gold buckles, and a red trim, officially it was supposed to be her temple duties attire, for use during the sermons, and rituals inside the Temple, and it’s grounds. However a previous fling had remarked how good it looked on her, and sealed it’s fate as her go to date wear. To say her and Sahelanthropus hit it off would be an understatement, she hung off his every word, and story, enamored by the tapestries of adventure he spun with his words, he was well travelled to say the least, and Sasha found herself asking questions on every city, and every land he talked of, he explained the thin air of Heavantis, and the strange warmth of Catedrala with such detail, the vulpine girl could almost feel herself walking the streets of these strange places. She had been afraid her own stories couldn’t possible match up, but Sahelanthropus was more than interested enough in her Temple duties, her relationship with Maugh, and what she busied herself with in her day, to day life, even though Sastasha kept the more illegal activities she partook in secret, she still found the red head enamoured by every word.

When their dinner had finished, Sahelanthropus refused to let Sasha pay, despite the fact it was supposed to be an apology for the light theft of earlier “So” Sasha said, rocking back, and forth on her heels as they stood in the chilly night air “Will I see you again” she asked with a playful smirk. The red head mulled it over, rubbing his dark chin “Well” he paused “I suppose you managed to keep your fingers to yourself this time” he muttered with a teasing tone “And you enjoyed yourself” Sasha pointed out, almost impatiently. The finely dressed man chuckled “And I did enjoy myself” he repeated “Alright, I’ll meet with you again” he said “Well Sastasha Leveilleur Demanx” he said with perfect diction, causing a small shudder of disgust from Sastasha “I’ll be seeing you soon” he said with a more than perfect smile.

Sastasha, and Sahelanthropus met several more times after that, relishing each others company, it was a near seamless transition into a deeper relationship, and though it wasn’t the first romance Sastasha had experienced, it was the best. Sastasha introduced Sahelanthropus to Maugh, and in turn to Okrid, and Astrid when the three of them visited the Whitestone Ash, Maugh, Okrid, and Astrid all teased Sastasha in a playful family kind of way, Maugh never letting the jokes grow old. Both Sastasha, and Sahelanthropus were seemingly made for each other, and even when Sahelanthropus took his frequent excursions out of the town for what he called ‘business trips’, when they reunited they would more than make up for lost time.

The pair had been together for three months now, and on occasion Sahelanthropus would take Sastasha on short excursions, be it a night in an Inn in another town, or just a wander through the plains, and forests. While Sastasha had always been warned not to stray too far from the city walls for fear of beasts of the wilds, she had previously accompanied Maugh on some of his jobs in the nearby towns, regardless however, Sahelanthropus promised himself a capable fighter, and vowed to protect Sastasha should she need it, and despite the fact Sasha was positive she’d never seen Sahelanthropus draw the ornate rapier on his hip, she was more than willing to let him offer to be her proverbial knight in shining armour. On a particularly mild day, Sasha found herself wandering through one of the many forests around Anordal with Sahelanthropus, it had started like any other walk, although Sastasha felt them going deeper into the forest then they had before “Should we go this deep” she asked, doubt in her voice, Sahelanthropus paused, almost conflicted “You know” he said quietly “You’re right, how foolish of me, come let’s return to th-” Sastasha cut him off, pressing a finger to his lips “Shh” she hushed sharply, her ears twitching freely, after all Sahelanthropus had seen more than just her head, it seemed silly to keep things obscured from him. As her ears honed in on a noise emanating around them, her eyes widened “Duck” she yelped as she pulled Sahelanthropus down on top of her, as she did a man sized serpent struck out, it’s jaws closing around the space where Sahelanthropus had been not two moments ago. Like a bolt of lightning Sahelanthropus drew the fine silver blade from its sheath and stabbed upwards, piercing the serpent through its mouth, the reptile recoiled, dragging the sword, and redhead with it, deeper into the forest.

Sastasha leapt to her feet and took off after him, she had never heard of Serpent’s in these forests, the northern lands were supposed to be too cold, it was a miracle that Maugh was so comfortable up here. She drew her twin blades and slashed through the dense trees, her ears swiveling atop her head as she chased the noise of combat ahead of her. She burst into a clearing in time to see a second serpent wrap itself around Sahelanthropus, she plunged her daggers into the back of it’s head without hesitation, twisting, and tearing them out as she felt it’s body shiver, and twist beneath her. Sahelanthropus rolled out from beneath its body “You should leave” he growled defensively as he slashed out at a third Serpent, it’s body a sickly gray blue “Run the way we came in, I’ll hold them off”, Sastasha huffed as she pulled him backwards, out of the way of a fourth Serpent, they seemed hell bent on targeting him “No way” she protested, “I just cut you out from under one of those things” the raven haired girl growled as she twisted around him, covering his offhand side with her daggers “I’m not leaving you here to become snake food”. Sasha heard a chuckle leave Salhelanthropus’s lips “I knew there was a reason I kept you around” he muttered.

The pair fought hard against the Serpents as they coiled, and twisted maliciously, at first they strangely seemed to focus Sahelanthropus, practically ignoring her to snap, and lash out at him, however once she felled another Serpent, they began to attack at her too, trying to drive themselves between the pair, and separate them. After what felt like an eternity the tide of serpents stopped, their sickly bodies fizzling into the ground as if someone had doused them in acid. Sasha panted heavily “Now, let’s get away from he-” Sahelanthropus held a hand up, he was almost unnervingly collected, had Sasha not seen it herself, she never would have believed he had fought as hard as ten men only moments ago, his gaze was fixed on a shadowed patch of trees not far from them, maybe fifty meters in front, she slowly turned, and followed his gaze, her darkvision kicking in, what she saw caused a shaky exclamation of fear to leave her throat. Waiting, no, watching, only two meters behind the shadow of the trees, was the head of an enormous Serpent, vicious red in colour, with eyes like daggers, Sasha could feel them upon her, hungrily staring, it slowly began to move forward, slithering it’s massive girth through the tree’s. Sastasha turned to run, but Sahelanthropus caught her wrist “Don’t” he snapped “If you run I can’t protect you from her”. Sasha looked up at his, eyes wide with fear “H-her” she stammered. Sahelanthropus nodded “I’ve not been strictly truthful with you Sastasha” he said with a look of determination “You asked why I came to Anordal so long ago”, Sasha pulled against him as the titanic beast crested the treeline and glared angrily at them, a tongue bigger than her tasting the air, tasting her fear “Truth be told” Sahelanthropus said, his cold voice calming her, she loved the sound of his voice “I was hunting her” he nodded towards the beast as it coiled itself, why wouldn’t it attack? It seemed almost apprehensive “Andskoti” he growled at the Serpent in a foreign tongue. The serpent hissed something in return. Sahelanthropus turned to Sastasha, and took her face gently in his hands “Listen to me” he said sweetly “No matter what you see, I’m still me, I’ll explain everything to you in time, but for now I need you not to run, no matter what, I cannot protect you if you leave me” he said hurriedly “Wh-whu” Sasha tried to question, but her worries were cut off when Sahelanthropus leaned into her, and kissed her on the lips, a long, lingering kiss that seemed to stretch for eternity “I’ve got you” he whispered as he pulled away.

Sahelanthropus turned, a silver glow to his body, he yelled something in an odd language, sounding similar to both a hiss, and the noise one makes when one clears their throat. It was familiar, in fact Sasha was sure she had heard Maugh speak such words. However before she could rationalise the language longer, Sahelanthropus began to change in front of her eyes, his very form changing as silvery clouds steamed from his body, frosting the ground beneath him, his size more than tripled, a long thick tail began to stretch out behind him, vast wings sprouting from his back, he tipped his head back and yelled, but the roar of thunderous clouds echoed from his mouth, as his head shifted into a predatory jaw full of knife length teeth. Sahelanthropus was no mere man anymore, what stood in front of Sastasha, on four muscular legs, was a Dragon of brilliant shining silver.

Dragon and Serpent roared and clashed against each other, their blows shaking the ground beneath Sasha’s feet, she was so awestruck with the sight, she couldn’t have ran if she wanted to. The two titanic creatures tore trees from their roots, and dealt rending blows to each other. Sastasha’s breath caught in her throat as the serpent wrapped itself around the dragon, tighter, and tighter as it tried to crush the beast between it’s coils. Suddenly, the dragons freed its front claws, and drove them deep into the serpents eyes. There was a screech of pain, before the dragon pulled the beasts mouth wide open with a sickening crunch, leaning down it roared a roar of pure icy cold down the serpents gullet. The serpent thrashed, before finally settling, exhuming its last breath, before clashing to the floor, and melting away into nothing…

Sasha sat in shock as the mighty dragon stared down at her, after an eternity she swallowed and looked up at it “Y-y-your Sal” she asked timidly. The dragon nodded before speaking with surprising softness, it’s voice was different to Salhelanthropus’s, and yet so similar “yes” the Dragon said “It’s still me”. Sasha nodded and gently reached out to touch him, his scales were smooth, and shiny, like pearls in a jewelry box “are you afraid” the Dragon asked, Sasha nodded “Yeah” she chuckled in shock “You’re terrifying” she muttered with uncertainty as she looked across the injuries that marked the silver scales, years, upon years of scars, each no doubt telling a story of battle, and triumph, including one particularly large scar noting a heavy puncture wound of old in the side of his neck “Are you hurt” she asked, the Dragon shook it’s huge head “Of course not, My strength is unwavering” Sasha knew he was lying out of pride “I-I didn’t think so” she recovered “Can you” she paused “Change back” the vulpine girl asked looking up at him. With the reverse of before, his body began to change back, his wings folding up, and becoming the long tails of his coat, and his claws shifting into the silvered blade of his dagger.

Despite this rather grand secret, Sastasha, and Sahelanthropus stayed together, it definitely took some adjusting, but the pair were open with each other. With this openness came honesty. Sahelanthropus confessed that while he would never tell Sasha what to do, he had never been comfortable with her thieving nature. In the next few months, Sahelanthropus began to take more frequent, and longer business trips, instead of days, he would be gone weeks, often with little notice to Sastasha. On one occasion in particular, he missed a dinner the two had planned for some time, when he returned, he had seemingly forgot all about it. The relationship began to strain, and it was Sastasha who broke first, she had noticed Sahelanthropus growing more, and more distant from her, and confronted him. Sahelanthropus, infuriatingly didn’t see the issue, as far as he was concerned, his duties to justice, and peace came before anything, and like many Dragons, he was never going to stay rooted to one place. Sastasha argued with him, souring the night they had planned somewhat, until he interrupted her. “Sastasha” he said firmly “I’m a Silver Dragon, my priority will always be my duty” the red head frowned “And those duties will take me away from this city” he continued “I can’t promise to be here every night, or ready to drop everything for you” there was a touch of wisened understanding to his voice. As he went to explain further Sastasha held up a hand “I” she paused, gathering the words “I won’t be an anchor to you” she murmured as she began to see the bigger picture. She was a young thief of indeterminate species, he was a Silver Dragon, defender of peace, justice, and law, more than twenty times older than her. It was never going to be a permanent relationship.

Sastasha heald a lot of unfair resentment towards Sahelanthropus for some time, despite their surprisingly mature, and good natured breakup. They had promised each other to remain firm friends, and if they were ever in the same place, at the same time? Who knows. In a short time, Sastasha forgot her resentment, and once again remembered Sahelanthropus as fondly as she had when she first met him. For now however, she lives in the present, the only things on her mind are Maugh, and her own well being, the thrill of the next theft, and whatever handsome smile catches her eye.

#dungeons and dragons #character bio #creative writing #rogue #kitsune

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eldestsalvatore · 8 years ago

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As In Savior

Summary: A look inside Damon’s head during the events of 8x14 when he’s preparing to sacrifice himself. It was too good to ignore.

Authors Note: Ian Somerhalder delivered like you wouldn’t believe. Damon might not have said much but his eyes told a whole other story and that’s the story I want you the readers to get a chance to witness.

Salvatore, it means savior but to be honest it had taken Damon over a century to actually live up to such a name. There had been a time when he had only chosen himself. He lived his life as the monster that people were taught to be terrified of. He counted only on himself because at the end of the day only he would be the one he could depend on. For years he remained the monster and only the monster but then one fateful night all that changed and he slowly let it sink in that the man was still there.

Elena Gilbert, she had been this brilliant beacon of light that had shed itself over the darkness that had covered him. In just one night she had made Damon, the all-powerful vampire absolutely terrified of a human because of everything she had made him feel in those short moments. That night hadn’t been just any night because that night something had shifted in Damon, his humanity.

He had believed that would be the last he’d see of her but he had been wrong. She had stepped back into his life, literally crossing the threshold of the Boarding House and coming face to face with him. He had made a silent vow to himself not be drawn to her the way he had been on the road. He had promised himself he wouldn’t be affected by her, but that was like fighting fate, something he couldn’t win and bit by bit his walls came tumbling down. He found himself making new vows like to always protect her, to always choose her.

It didn’t take him long to fall in love with her. Each second of every day he had fallen harder and harder. He denied it. Told himself it was merely lust but the day that he had stepped in at Miss Mystic Falls he knew, he knew he was in love. He always viewed her as something angelic, some earthbound angel and when she descended those stairs, that's what he had been presented with, an angel. It had taken everything in him not to rush those stairs and draw her straight into his arms. He found himself grateful for the dance because the moment he had the excuse to touch her, to feel her chest pressed against his, he had finally felt complete and nothing else mattered. Stefan, Katherine and all the supernatural doom and gloom faded away leaving only them, Elena and Damon.

Agony, that’s what it felt like each time he had to witness the epic love affair of Elena and Stefan. Every time he saw the love reflecting in Elena’s eyes for Stefan he’d close his eyes and pretend she was looking at him. Even in pretend though it wasn’t enough because it wasn’t real. Three times he had been at his most vulnerable telling her he loved her and three times he had been greeted to that ache. The night in her bedroom Damon had needed to get it off his chest, convinced if he did everything would go back to normal. Unfortunately, he had compelled the memory away because he had been scared to hear her reply. The second time he had said it had been on his deathbed. He had truly believed he’d be dying and she needed to know. He wanted her to know that it was possible for someone like Damon to love someone as wonderful as Elena Gilbert. Death never came, though. His brother had done the noble thing by trading himself over to Klaus. Damon had wanted to do right by Stefan by not going after his brother’s girl but he wasn’t perfect. He had tried, god had he tried but then that night on the porch he decided to be selfish once more because if he was going to feel guilty of something it might as well be over something that matters.

Kissing Elena had mattered. Kissing Elena had been like she had revived him and brought him back to life. He had held onto the smallest of hope that things were moving forward but to his disappointment, she hadn’t seen it the same way. The third time he had said I love you he had been at his most raw. He hadn’t compelled her, he wasn’t dying he was simply a man telling a girl how he was mad at her because he loves her and she had broken him. Things had never been easy for them but then again that’s the best part of a love story because love isn’t easy, it’s something you have to fight for and hell did they fight.

One step forward, countless steps back but somewhere along the way they had finally met in the middle. They had finally been where he knew they were meant to be all along, together. The summer of their lives Damon had felt for the first time what it was like to be happy. Had he known about the doom and gloom that was about to follow he would have clung on tighter to her. Silas, Travelers, Universe, Mega Doppelganger Hijinx, Vampire Virus, Prison World, Eternal Sunshine-d girlfriend, Lily and anything else presented themselves to them. Somehow, they always survived because they were survivors.

Out of all those obstacles though the cure had been the biggest one. The first time it had been introduced Damon had not so kindly told Elena he couldn’t think of anything more miserable than being human. Deep down it had been because of the paranoia of the sire bond. He believed the second she took the cure her feelings for Stefan would resurface and what would Damon have? Nothing, he’d be ordinary just like the rest. Elena had used the cure argument against Damon. Telling him it wasn’t what he really wanted which resulted in him doing a lot of soul-searching.

Losing Katherine had been Damon’s final straw in 1864. A world without Katherine wasn’t one worth living in, in his eyes. He had decided to not complete the transition but Stefan had other things in mind. Goodbye humanity and hello eternity. What he once viewed as a gift he had now seen as a curse, until Elena. Yes, Damon had been selfish because with Elena as a vampire he held onto the dream that they could be with each other forever. That curse now becoming a gift again only for the curse to be that roadblock. Being human was something he thought would never be in the cards again but it was and more so a human life with Elena was there as well. The thought of being human again scared him shitless but the thought of living a life without Elena? That was something he couldn’t process. He’d learn to be human again and he’d learn to love humanity. There was something beautifully ironic about it all. Elena had given Damon back his humanity and now he’d be human because of her.

She had been ready

He had been ready

They had been closer to getting everything

Until fate entered in the cruelest of ways and everything they had been close to gaining had become nothing.

He had been left with nothing but a hole in his chest, something that would never be whole until she returned.

Vessel, that’s what he had been. An empty vessel of a man who still existed yet didn’t. The world had spun madly on without her. Everyone slowly started to move on again but Damon had barely found the strength to even move. Loved ones planned their futures but Damon couldn’t do that because his was deep in slumber. Living a life without Elena wasn’t worth living at all so for the first time he had run away. It was different for him. People believed running away was the easiest but for Damon, it had been the hardest because he had never been one to run. He couldn’t face his problems head on because he hadn’t been strong enough to face them without her.

Things only got worse without her during his awakening when he had blindly walked into the armory hearing her calling his name. His head had warned him it wasn’t possible but his heart had been too focused on seeing his girl that thinking sensibly didn’t exist. He had walked deeper into the darkness because he had believed he’d be embracing the light. Sadly, all he had found was more darkness.

Being controlled by a siren hadn’t been the most horrible thing; it had been having Elena taken from him. With her gone, all goodness had left him. The man no longer existing, only the monster. It shouldn’t have shocked him that even without her physically there somehow she’d end up saving him because she did. Somehow she in the form of her necklace had found her way back to him and it had been enough to fight off the control the sea witch had on him. Remembering Elena had been his saving grace because it had instilled hope in him again but that hope was once again threatened with the appearance of the devil and every hellish thing that would follow including hell.

------

Salvatore, as in savior and that’s what Damon was doing now he was saving. Saving the two most important people in his life, the love of his life and his brother.

I will always choose you

Damon had stayed true to his word and even though his methods were reckless and actions selfish he had always put Elena first. Now, he’s putting her first again because he’s choosing to let her live but he’s also choosing to let his brother as well. There’s nothing selfish about this, it’s selfless and more importantly, it’s right.

“I choose me.”

Now saying it out loud and noticing that he Damon Salvatore actually surprised the devil.

“Stefan’s immortal, he’s lived a pretty supremely messed up life. His souls already damned. Take me you’ll get us both eventually.”

A devilish smile appearing on Cade’s face.

“I have to say I’m intrigued.”

Why did everything have to always be prolonged? Why couldn’t he just accept the deal and be on with it instead of making Damon go through the theatrics of it all?

“Well act now because it’s a one-time offer.”

A groan catching his attention as he casts his attention down to see Stefan is slowly coming to.

“Are you aware of what you’re offering me?”

I’m offering you the very last thread of hope that I’ve been carrying ever since losing my life

“My soul, an eternal anguish, twisted black and delicious just like you like em.”

How sad was this? Literally offering himself on a silver platter served at just the right temperature he sarcastically thinks to himself.

“Come on”

Damon coaxes wanting to do everything to tempt the devil to accept his deal.

“Eat me”

He half-growls, biting back the disgust he feels at the statement.

“I’d like nothing more”

Seeing Cade turn his attention over towards the coffin that is in flames a flash of panic escapes him but no harm is done. Instead, Cade now tosses a makeshift stake at Damon’s feet and Damon knows they have a deal.

“It requires you being dead.”

Of course, of course, it would because when was it ever easy for him?

“No Damon please don’t do it.”

Stefan’s voice now heard as he eyes his brother and then Cade. You’re begging me to not do it just like how I begged you not to face the devil on your own. Stefan hadn’t listened though and now it was Damon’s turn to go against his brother’s wishes.

Eyeballing what would be his executioner as he bends down and retrieves the stake. He had lived a long, full and happy life, well not fully happy but the happiness he had experienced would be enough to last him a lifetime. It would be enough to hold onto during his damnation.

“Sorry Stefan”

Damon’s eyes now solely trained on his brother because this is goodbye. After over a century the Salvatore Brother’s would be no more. It would simply be Stefan and he probably wouldn’t even be referred to as the Salvatore brother, just Stefan.

“It’s been a hell of a ride.”

Inwardly cursing himself because it’s the first time his voice has wavered. It’s the first time he has to push back the tears he knows are threatening to form. He was right, though, it had been one hell of a ride. Back in 1864, Damon had sworn to deliver a lifetime of misery to his brother because he hated him with every fiber of his being and now he stood getting ready to sacrifice himself because of how much he loves his brother. It was the older brother’s job to always protect his younger brother and that’s what he’s doing. He’s looking out for his brother. Their brotherhood wasn’t perfect. Hugs were a rarity and hearing the other say ‘I love you’ was a one in a million thing. They fought, beat each other to a bloody pulp, betrayed the other, resented the other but somewhere beneath it all was love. They’d die for each other and that’s what Damon was doing now, dying for his brother.

There had been a time where Damon wouldn’t have seen it as possible that he and Stefan would be brothers again. He had come to Mystic Falls with the intention of not only destroying the town but Stefan as well. He had almost succeeded in doing that but then another factor introduced themselves, Elena. Both Stefan and Damon had grown to care about her and had found a common goal in protecting her. Somewhere along the way, they had found their way of being brothers again. Without Elena, Damon never would have seen himself in this spot, choosing his brother over himself but he was. Elena had not only saved Damon but she had saved his relationship with Stefan making her and his brother the two most important people in his life so the choice was easy them or him, them.

Raising the stake and let it hover by his chest. He’s ready to plunge it straight through because he’s not going back on this but before he does he needs reassurance. He needs to know his death won’t be in vain. That the people he’s dying for will be okay.

“Put my girl out first. Then promise me you’ll keep your grubby paws off her soul permanently.”

Cade eyeing the Vampire for a moment before he glances back over to the coffin and to Damon’s relief the flames suddenly are no more.

“Done”

Good, she’s safe that’s all he wants.

“Your move Damon.”

No Damon don’t

Stefan’s plea going ignored because he’s gotten what he’s wanted, both his loved ones safe.

“See you in hell Cade.”

“Yes you will”

The way Cade replies causing Damon to feel a chill run through his body. It’s going to be hell. He’s going to experience a type of suffering he’s never felt before and wishing for death won’t be possible because he already is. He’s going to spend the rest of eternity damned.

For the first time since making this deal he’s scared, so he does the only thing that gives him strength, he looks to her. Moving his attention past Cade and focusing on the coffin before him. Only it’s not the coffin that he sees, it’s her. It’s always been her. Every time his hands touched the coffin they weren’t running along the lid, in his eyes, he was stroking her cheek. Everyone else saw only a coffin, but Damon only saw Elena.

We were so close. I tried so hard Elena.

I wanted to deliver that promise I made to you. I was scared of being human again but during your absence, not having you in my life gave me time to think. A lot of time. In that time I realized something. You don’t need to have an eternal life for your love to live on forever. Our love would have lived on forever because of our children and our children’s children. Our love story would have been told. It would have been a different kind of forever but our love would have lived on nonetheless. I see that now.

Fingers grasping the stake as he edges it closer. He knows Cade is watching with amusement waiting to collect his next soul but he never turns to him because he wants the last person he sees before meeting death to be Elena and only Elena.

You still are the best thing that has ever happened to me. When we first met I told you I wanted you to get everything you were looking for

He would have been a good husband. Sure, they’d argue because whether vampire or human they’d still be messy and complicated but they’d be real. He would have been the type of husband who brought flowers home for his girl for no reason, just because. He’d be that husband who made it known to anyone around him that he was the luckiest bastard and he’d be that husband who would lose hours of sleep so he could help his wife study for her boards because he’d be her biggest supporter.

He had been scared of what type of father he’d be because his dad wasn’t deserving of father of the year but now he realized he would have been a great dad. Boy or girl wouldn’t have mattered. As long as their baby was healthy he’d consider himself the most blessed of men. He would have been that dad who if he had a little girl would have endured ridiculous dress up outfits doing anything to draw a smile from his daughter. He would have been their kid’s biggest cheerleader and been proud of them no matter win or lose. He would have been everything his father wasn’t, a father.

All of that had been so close within his reach that he had almost tasted that happiness but now it left a bitter taste in his mouth because he’d never reach it.

You still can

Damon had thought that being human again would be their second chance but he was wrong. It could still be Elena’s though. She could still have that life she spoke of. Live in a loft, be a general surgeon and eventually down the road become a mom. Everything about Elena was nurturing, she had always taken care of people and he knew she’d be a fantastic mom; he just wouldn’t be the father. It kills Damon to come to this realization that he wouldn’t be in the picture but he’d want her to live her life even if it no longer included him. Elena had given Damon back his life and now he would be giving her a chance to eventually be able to live hers.

He had lived his life. He had loved twice during his years on this earth and one of those loves had been consuming. That love had reached into the cold waters, pulled him out and breathed life back into him. That love had made him feel human again and that love had made him want to be human. He would get to leave this earth knowing that he had been loved by Elena Gilbert and nothing would ever be more beautiful than that.

Yes, he wasn’t perfect. He had done awful things but he had proven that there was goodness in him and that he wasn’t a lost cause like he believed himself to be. He had left his mark but if there was one thing he wanted people to remember about Damon Salvatore it’s that he not only loved but was loved in return. That he, Damon Salvatore was worthy of being loved.

This is the only thought that keeps him composted, stops him from letting out the sob that is escaping him. He refuses to let the devil watch him break because there will be enough breaking in hell. This is what draws him to finally meet his end. He manages to give a small smile towards Elena’s direction finding that last ounce of strength to hold onto and help him pierce the stake straight through his chest. His heart now squeezing on itself, he didn’t scream, he didn’t cry he just fell to his knees with an anticlimactic slump.

I love you

Goodbye Baby

Now, here he lies. His death as a human had been done for all the wrong reasons. Trying to rescue a woman who never wanted to be rescued by him in the first place. Dying for a love that was never returned making his death meaningless. This time was different though because he had died for love.

This time his death would mean something.

End

#Damon Salvatore #TVD #TVD One Shot #Delena #Defan #Vampire Diaries

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