#prose: athenodora volturi.

[sacrialege]

❛  what do you need?  ❜

athenodora looks decidedly genuine as she stands in the doorway of esme's room. aro had given her and carlisle one for their stay, although athenodora knows precious little about the duration. she knew it was special, though, because this was the first time carlisle had brought esme—his mate. athenodora was instantly curious, eager to meet someone carlisle loved so much. he had taught her quite a lot in his time with them and had become her mentor in a lot of ways. however bitter she might still be about his leaving, she loves and respects him enough to honor his mate.

she'd shut the door behind her after entering—she hadn't waited for a welcome. "nothing important," dora answers before confidently walking over to esme and reaching out to grasp the other's hands inside her own as if they'd known each other forever. they weren't friends—they had met only for a few moments upon their arrival—but that doesn't bother athenodora. "i wanted to see how you were getting acquainted, and i thought you might like some company… we could get to know each other a bit."

releasing esme's hands, athenodora moves with a supernatural speed to sit on a lounge chair facing the window, the sun glinting beautifully against her blonde hair. she looks carefree here, and eager to get to know esme. "athenodora, if you don't remember… caius' mate—we only met for a moment," she says, smiling, "you can call me dora." she motions to the chair beside her, gesturing for esme to join her. "carlisle hasn't told me anything juicy about you! i do intend to have a talk with him about it."

@wastheheart

[mythdrawn]

athenodora is quite pleasant when she approaches, a smile resting on pretty lips and disdain nowhere in sight. she’s a master actress, after all; she knows how important the cullens are to aro, and she wouldn’t want to throw a wrench into whatever plan he’s undoubtedly cooking up to add more prized possessions into his collection of powers. no matter her views. no matter how badly she wanted to see them brought to justice. she adores carlisle, of course, she’s convinced that everyone who meets him does—but to see his coven treated as above the law again and again? it made the blood in her veins boil. it made the warrior in her heart seethe.

and here she was! in person only for the second time, renesmee, the little hybrid girl who athenodora views as someone who had made the volturi look ineffectual. inside, she’s all anger. it doesn’t show. athenodora is the picture of kindness as she walks up, interrupting without a care, taking hold of the hybrid’s hand. if anyone takes offense, she pretends not to notice. “renesmee. i would recognize you anywhere. how you’ve grown, cara. i assume you have not traveled all this way alone?” a nearby guard, visibly tense with athenodora’s suddenly demanding presence, clears his throat and offers her introductions for her—this is lady athenodora, master caius’ mate. how forgetful of her!

@renaesmee *athenodora & renesmee.

[sacrialege-archive]

'I WON'T BREAK, SO DO YOUR WORST.' tyler lockwood + athenodora volturi,

"Ah, mio caro, but you're so pretty!" It comes out like a petulant little whine, and in a way, it is. To break him she'd have to hurt him, and Athenodora wouldn't want to chance marring his skin with her sweet little tortures. She wasn't sure how he healed yet, of course; so much of him remained a mystery still. Caius would've no doubt advised her against it, but it's still a thrill for Athenodora to play with the wolf like she does.

All sweet and delicate, Athenodora walks up to where she's got him shackled in place to a chair that's conveniently bolted into the concrete beneath them. Specially made, of course, for those of their particular… strength. "Cosi bello, unless you heal as I do…" She trails off, as if she's talking only to herself. Then we don't have to worry about scars. And as if she's testing it, Athenodora hovers elegantly over him and reaches a hand out to press the tip of her fingernail to the skin at his neck—gently, at first, and then she digs it in and drags down until she sees blood. She looks at him with a delicate smile, curious as ever. "You could just tell me, of course… I think I'd like to learn about you."

[sacrialege-archive]

"Yes, please, mio caro," Athenodora answers, a sweet kind of smile against her lips reserved only for the twins, only for Alec and Jane. No one but them saw her so genuinely kind, so maternal. In Athenodora's mind, her children they would always be, even if they were so much more than that. The red silk of Athenodora's dress flows elegantly around her bare feet as she saunters over to him, moving as if she has all the time in the world. They both did, and Athenodora is in no hurry. "Are you thirsty? Perhaps we'll find ourselves a snack after."

4UGURY'S STARTER CALL, please feel free to like and request a muse ! expect slow starters to be slow to be posted.

athenodora & alec, ft. @sacrialege

" WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT THE GARDEN? " he offers her a piece of freedom, and while perhaps cruel in the eyes 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚛– it is a gesture of kindness from the hands of her small warden. the boy was not oft positioned to guard the tower where athenadora and suplicia reside, but when he was- he had far more authority than her typical guardians. 𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚌 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗, he was not here to convince her to be subdued and happy with her life. instead he was there as something else entirely- and what that was? was up to debate.

[maerps]

it had pleased athenodora greatly to see aro so shocked when bellamy called out to him from the crowd. athenodora had been surprised too, but she wasn't nearly as invested in the little human who somehow knew the volturi leaders' names—as far as athenodora was concerned, at that point, he was only there for them to feed. now, however, there's an opportunity to be had, and athenodora's curiosity has been piqued. she waits little time to seek him out — she lingers until he's alone before she goes to him with silent footsteps. she knocks once to announce her presence, a curiously kind gesture on her part, and she hovers patiently in the doorway. "i thought you could use some company." despite her ulterior motives for being here, there is a kind smile against her lips and something profoundly gentle in the way she carries herself as she moves forward to elegantly perch on one of the lounge chairs. "i'm athenodora, caius' mate," she offers, "if you need anything, little one, just say the word. it's been a while since we hosted a human guest… i do hope you've been treated well."

@g0dteeth gets a plotted thing for bellamy. ♡

[kyilliki]

So this might be a little weird, but what do you imagine the Volturi coven smells like?

I’ve totally thought about this, not going to lie. And, as much as I like to pretend that Twilight’s purple prose annoys me, I kinda love the idea that vampires smell like experiential rather than literal stuff. (Sunlight and saltwater, mentioned in BD, are good examples of this.) Because smell is the sense that best triggers memory, it’s a really useful way for vampires to get around humans’ psychological defences. Anyway! Let’s talk specifics. 

Aro, I think, smells cosy, like beeswax candles and warm rooms and lovingly-tended collections. It’s so easy to attribute the traits of a benevolent scholar to him because he totally smells like the prettiest, best-curated, totally fictional library would. 

Sulpicia literally smells like a cinnamon roll: all melting sugar and spices and sweetness. In the past, when those ingredients were much rarer, her scent carried connotations of wealth and rarity too.

Caius smells like a fire. It’s comforting on a primal level for humans, and a little hair-raising for vampires.

Athenodora’s scent is clean and lemony. It’s nice the way freshly-done laundry or a newly-tidied room is nice, and during eras when hygiene was iffy, it was particularly effective. 

Finally, Marcus smells green, like leaves and rain. It’s so vivid and alive that people sometimes overlook his whole zombie vibe as a result.

[mythdrawn]

there is something needy in the way athenodora gazes at her mate from where she sits perched ever so elegantly on the throne that she has earned. it’s been hours of politics, of work, and however important athenodora knows it to be, she is positively starved of caius. aro has been keeping him far too long—she’s already decided that she would be stealing caius’ attention when this affair ended. she’s long since been dazed to the matters they discussed, passively listening enough that she keeps up, but she is no longer interested. her silent trance only ends when the hours have finally come to an end and her covenmates stand to leave.

athenodora stays seated until aro takes his departure, when she sighs her relief; it’s a long, drawn-out kind of sound that’s quite theatrical. she wastes no time, then, and moves to drape herself across caius’ lap with a dramatic pout against her lips, demanding his attention. the soft silk of her gown flows delicately around her as her arms link greedily around his neck. his scent fills her and she sighs again, a little sweeter this time. there is no room for anyone else here. “i can’t remember the last time i had you to myself,” she all but whines, quiet and lovely. “you’ve been working too much, amore mio. it’s my turn.”

@heldrage *athenodora & caius.

[maerps]

in a striking red sun dress that matches her eyes and with long blonde hair tumbling in careless waves over her shoulders, athenodora looks positively carefree. there's always something different about her when she's with jasper these days and it shows — she's a different person, no longer clawing and snapping her teeth at a predator but walking proudly beside him. especially when they travel together, to spend moments alone where athenodora will always be reminded of who she has been, taken back to a time in her life when she was unburdened and simply going where the wind took her. when life was nothing but one new experience after another. it's a time she cherishes, and it radiates from her as she takes jasper's hand, a smile catching her lips. she is something genuine here, with him. — her other hand reaches up so she can caress her fingertips over his jaw, her thumb tapping at his chin. she sighs appreciatively and steps closer, her body instinctively molding into his. oh, how things had changed. "ready," she responds, "i've sent for our bags." and then her gaze turns playful, her expression softening into a mix of angry resignation and sheepishness. "i haven't been nervous about meeting anyone in over a hundred years."

the   sprawling   stairs   found   in   the   volturi   castle   never   cease   to   give   jasper   some   trouble.      his   difficulty   with   stairs   is…   well,   it   holds   steadfast.      leg   lags,   and   he   has   to   pause   after   nearly   every   step   to   readjust   and   adjust   his   footing.      after   the   first   ten   or   so,   he   adjusts   himself   to   where   his   limp   isn't   as   prominent.      it   always   takes   him   awhile   to   get   his   bearings   and   fix   it.      the   limp,   while   not   necessary,   is   such   a   big   part   of   him   that   he   struggles   to   walk   without   it.   even   if   it   makes   things   like   stairs   more   difficult.      once   at   the   top,   his   hand   finds   hers.      a   reassured   little   smile   playing   at   the   edges   of   his   lips.         ❝         ready   ,   darlin'   ?      ❞    / @maerps ( requested jasper for dora ! )

[sacrialege]

"plain? oh, esme," dora exclaims on a sigh, shaking her head. "now that's hardly true. —ah! but you're young yet… you have time to feel differently. to become different, if you want." it's clear athenodora's transition from human to vampire had been easy with the way she speaks of it. as horrifying and traumatic as it had been, it had also been a gift unlike any other, and athenodora takes no shame in being a vampire. she was made for it, especially here—with caius, with those lucky enough to be called her family. perhaps she could understand why carlisle would want to spend his life with edward and now esme—the loneliness stung.

dora sits back in her chair and crosses one leg over the other, leaning towards esme with her arms crossed over her knee, hands dangling casually. her numerous rings, small and dainty, catch in the light of the sun. "so, tell me, how do you like being a vampire?"

It's the first time since arriving here that Esme has had space to breathe. Carlisle had given her the rundown about the members of the Volturi (including their mates) but hearing about them and meeting them were two different things.

Esme had refused to give Aro her hand; the decision caused quite the stir, muttering rippling through the guard. Aro was rather nonchalant about it, but there was that look in his eye— one that assured her he wouldn't forget.

She stupidly thought their room would finally provide some respite, but as soon as Esme has perched upon the vanity chair to fix disheveled hair, Athenodora appears. Esme spots the woman's reflection first, hardly registering her company before her hands are enveloped in the those of the blonde's. Esme barely gets the chance to speak before Dora shifts again, now lounging across the chair, her other hand eagerly gesturing to the empty chair beside her.

Esme joins her with the most tentative of smiles, her eyes starkly contrasting against the red of Dora's. A nervous laugh spills from Esme's lips with the woman's comments, not sure what she can say beyond what Carlisle has already divulged. Esme doesn't particularly consider herself particularly interesting, and unlike the residents of Volterra, Esme hasn't lived long enough in this life to be. Athenodora easily has a few thousand years on Esme.

"Ah, yes, I remember," Esme replies, her fingers linking loosely together on her lap, "I apologise, I'm not very good with names, but it's a pleasure to meet you Dora." Or she hopes it is. Esme still isn't entirely sure what to make of them all. Still, Esme continues with a lingering smile, "you'll have to forgive Carlisle... it's not exactly easy to have anything to tell when his mate is, well, as plain as me."