#ruin and rising au

[ricardian-werewolf]

8: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

(Yes, Spoiler alert! A CROSSOVER!) Ao3 Link

Summary:

Nikolai explains finally how he took the crown, and dominik begins to unravel that there are layers to him that not even he as his lover knows of. Deep in Dva Stolba, a miracle occurs that shatters all of the plans anyone has.

Scene clip below the cut:

“Careful, Dominik. They also happened to secure my throne. Well, one of them did…” Nikolai’s fingers snapped, and the tent’s flaps were pulled wide to admit six figures;

The first was a boy with slicked back black hair, sharp eyes and a face made seemingly of marble. At his elbow - she was that small - was a suli girl with dark eyes and a gaze that made Dominik shrink back in his seat. Looming over the boy’s shoulder was a gangly Zemeni fellow armed with two pearl-handled revolvers and a jaunty top hat. At His elbow was a boy with freckles, ginger hair and goggles perched on his forehead. He looked about 15, and skittish. 

Dominik’s gaze focused in on the other two, a hulking Fjerdan glaring daggers at Dominik, and at his side a red-kefta clad woman with red hair. She swayed uneasily on her feet, and clung limply to the Fjerdan’s arm. Dominik had a vague memory of seeing this girl before, and then he remembered Kermazin with a jolt of fear.

“Easy,” Nikolai cooed, and settled back on his chair. It seemed like now any seat he sat upon was a throne. He radiated such power that Dominik was inclined to wonder What these teenagers had done to afford his brother and lover such a boon. So, he stirred his coffee, added a costly spoonful of sugar, and opened his mouth.

“How?”

Nikolai leaned forward, and flashed his teeth.

“Jurda Parem.”

Dominik’s brow quirked up in curiosity. 

“It’s a stimulant. The Fjerdans have been experimenting with it on Grisha. It’s highly , dangerously addictive.” Nikolai’s gaze softened as he glanced at the Grisha on the Fjerdan’s arm, and he clicked his tongue. He’d burned the parem the moment Matthais had told him - after swearing fealty to this new Opjer king.

Oh, yes.

Nikolai had killed Rasmus, and taken the throne. He had used the Black Protocol’s chaos to crown himself King, and inspire a revolt amongst the Drüskelle. Two Years of working with the common people as a nobleman had earned their favor, and with a new crop of Drüskelle coming in to replace the old guard, Nikolai’s word was law. 

“I made it my first edict that the Parem experimentation would stop instantly.” 

“What about Jarl Brum and the entirety of Fjerdan society?!” Dominik hissed. 

Nikolai’s face turned stony. He waved his hand to dismiss the guards and these teens, but then hesitated. 

His gaze turned back to Dominik, and he sighed. The two years of exile seemed to press down on him in that moment more than they had in weeks. Pulling his hands through his blonde hair, Nikolai pressed his palms to his eyes, and sighed deeply. A sick feeling wormed its way into Dominik’s gut. 

“It took a lot of work. Being inserted into Fjerdan society as an adult raised partially by Baba Anya, made for this to be one of the rudest awakenings I’ve experienced. And I’ve had some pretty rude awakenings.” Nikolai’s grin cracked and he peered down at the map. 

“I had to repress…” He fluttered his hands nervously and patted down his pockets for something. Dominik instinctively pulled out a fountain pen and tossed it to him. Nikolai grinned, stuck the barrel in between his teeth and gnawed on it. 

“-myself. Every part of myself. Fjerdan society before I got on the throne was so… masculine that the suppression isn’t even suppression, it’s socially acceptable. And yes, I know-” He glared at Dominik’s serious face. “Installing a new societal system into an already existing system is grounds for mistrust, disaster, and so on. But, beneath that veneer, by being one with the people, I found less so pockets of resistance, but the breakdown of monoliths. Ravka, and for good reason, sees Fjerda as a fundamentally singular thing: backwards. While militaristically light years ahead of us, they’re backwards in their social perceptions. At first glance. Under the surface, there’s radicals, centrists, and Jarl Brum alikes who want to march Fjerda to endless war. That’s why the Fjerdan law forces the noble families to compete for the throne. However, over the last… two centuries or so, it’s been cornered by the Grimjers.”

[tangledinink]

Sits down mysteriously* do tell me, which of the turtle in your what now au finds out they're a turtle first...? And how...? Go on...

kinda! too bad their dad wasn't home when baron showed up.

part one | sorry, teenage mutant what now? au tag

[emma-the-artkid]

Fanart I made for the MJ AU on YouTube!! Pls look it up if you haven’t seen it and I hope you like it as much as I do :)) 🩵🩵🩵

MJ was made by-@howtotrainyourdragonprince !! Pls go check them out they’re super awesome ✨✨ and Ruine was of course made by me🫶🫶

[asherashedwings]

Wow, look at that, I’m back

And with a ton of art

I might start being more active on here, who knows

[wanderinguteruspress-blog]

I am deeply disappointed it took me this long to think to do this, ashamed really.

Leo Nas X , peepaw edition. Because it’s just better when it’s Peepaw Leo doing baby girl shit.

You’re welcome 🤠

[grilledcheese-savage]

What some of the ninja look like in my Jaya Prime Empire Au Comic

I decided to draw the ones that you won’t see much in it, not because they aren’t there. They’ll probably be in a couple panels or flashbacks, but I wanted to draw them in case you don’t see them that often, so you would know what they’d look like.

Who should I do next? (P.S. I made Zane’s eyewhites super light so it would give off that shiny robot feel but idk if it came across well.)

[daboyau]

I was watching lilo and stitch and that “you can never belong” scene came on and I got this idea in my head for that, but with ROTTMNT. So since I don’t do edits or draw, I wrote it out instead. Don’t think too hard about the logistics. :)

It is cold, when Leo slips out of the lair. He can feel Mikey’s gaze on him as he leaves, raising goosebumps over his flesh. He can’t bear to turn back, knowing that his resolve would crumble immediately if he did. His footsteps are too loud in the loneliness of the sewers. His heartbeat pounds in his head. He keeps expecting to hear a voice calling out for him, or the soft sound of footsteps following him. 

But of course it never comes. Mikey had been so hurt. So sad. Of course he wouldn’t follow him. 

When Leo finds a portal into the Hidden City, he doesn’t hesitate to throw himself through it despite the danger it puts him in to be there. The sounds and the sights are familiar to him, yet nowhere calls to him as loudly as the lair had. It’s only been two weeks since he was first brought into their home. They hadn’t even wanted him there, and yet the urge to go crawling back is so strong. He had messed everything up from the moment he’d manipulated his way into their lives. Of course they wouldn’t want him. 

(Why don’t they want him?)

Leo wanders the back alleys and the side streets, letting his feet guide him to nowhere in particular. The picture he had swiped on his way out of the lair is stored safely in the pouch tied around his waist, and between steps he’ll reach in to slide his fingertips over the stiff paper. Just to make sure it’s still there. It soothes him.

He doesn’t stop walking until he’s far outside the city, tucked away in the scraggly rock forests that surround the Hidden City. The aching in his chest has turned into more of a twisting knife, the small knot of sadness becoming more like a gaping chasm. An open wound. A bottomless pit of longing and loneliness that he had never felt before he forced his way into the lives of the Hamatos. 

He hadn’t had anything to lose, before. He hadn’t known the kind of pain that loving something would bring. He wishes he could go back to not knowing. He wishes he could return to a life of never having to make the choice to walk away, to spare them all the pain his existence brings them. 

Leo settles on the ground, curling into himself, shoulders trembling under the weight of everything. When he closes his eyes, the image of Mikey’s face as Leo made his choice haunts him. Donnie’s quiet voice rings in his ears in the silence of the forest, you ruined everything, again and again. Raph’s soft squeeze on his shoulder lingers like a phantom. Leo trembles, tucking his knees to his chest. Then, he pulls the photo out. 

Raph, Donnie, and Mikey grin up at him. It’s almost mocking, how happy they look here. A reminder that they are better without him around. He hadn’t seen them smile like that since the first five minutes they’d found him, back before they learned the truth of how much of their lives he can ruin. 

He runs a careful finger over those smiles, then he squeezes his eyes shut and holds the photo against his chest. His throat burns, and the ache in his chest feels like a black hole that will swallow his body whole. He does his best to breathe through the pain and when he opens his eyes again, the light speckled ceiling overhead is blurry and indistinct. It reminds him of the stars they had taken him to see, wind tickling his skin as they sat on the rooftop of the tallest building of their strange human city and stared upwards at something beautiful.

“Lost,” he whispers to the open air, and he can almost imagine that single word floating upwards, towards the city and the sewers. Finding its way into the only place he’s ever found that might have one day held happiness. But only for him. Not for them. There was only danger if he stayed.

“I’m lost,” he repeats, words like some trouble confession, and hot tears roll down his cheeks.

Some small, selfish part of him hopes they’ll hear. He wants them to come for him, and to bring him back home. It is a stupid, foolish wish. It’s better for everyone that he stays gone. He can’t hurt them this way. 

He falls asleep with tears drying on his cheeks, and body curled tight around the only evidence he holds of a dream he knows can never be. 

When he wakes hours later, it’s to the sound of heavy footsteps over gravel. He jolts upright, heart pounding, eyes wide, and for one foolish, terrible moment he really believes that his family has come for him. 

But no. Of course not. When Draxum emerges with a weapon pointed at his head, Leo can’t find it within himself to feel surprised. He stares back blankly, shifting slowly to stand, halfway wishing that Draxum would just take the shot and get it over with. He doesn’t think he has the energy to raise a hand to defend himself. 

The gravel has left his legs peppered with indents and marks from where they’d pressed into his flesh as he slept. They sound like something breaking as they shift and crunch beneath his feet. Draxum’s eyes dart between those markings and Leo’s tear streaked face, before his expression twists into something complicated. Almost pitying. 

“Don’t run,” he says, voice low. If Leo hadn’t heard what true kindness sounds like these last couple weeks, he would have said that’s what he hears in Draxum’s tone. “Don’t make me hurt you. You were difficult to make. No need to ruin a perfectly acceptable specimen.”

Leo shuffles, eyes darting between Draxum and the stacked stones surrounding them. He makes a sound low in his throat, hurt and uncertain, but he does not bolt. Draxum smiles, already assured of his victory, and steps closer. Leo watches with wide eyes. 

“Yes. Yes, that’s it,” Draxum murmurs, careful and soft, like he’s trying to soothe a scared animal. “Come quietly.”

“I…I’m waiting,” Leo admits, and he watches Draxum’s brow crease. His head tips, curious. He’s not used to this side of his creation — quiet, yet resisting his orders. Leo shuffles a half step back, heart pounding so hard in his chest that he feels a little dizzy. 

“For what?”

“For…for my family.”

“Aahhh. There is no use in doing so. You don’t have one. I made you.” 

Leo shakes his head, hands trembling, photo creased from how tightly he is clutching it in his fist. The thought of ruining the only evidence he has hurts, but the fear of Draxum getting his hands on it, of him finding out about the others, it terrifies him in a way he’s never felt before. He can’t let Draxum know about them. 

“Maybe…maybe I could—“

“I don’t know what yokai fool you found, or what nonsense they’ve been filling your mind with, but banish the thought of family from your mind.” His voice has lost that careful, gentle farce. It is harsh and cutting now. A familiar sound that Leo had hoped he’d left behind forever when he ran away. “You are built to destroy. You can never belong. Now, come quietly and we can begin your reeducation once—no! No no, don’t run, don’t—!”

His voice fades as Leo darts through the towering stones, vines curling at his heels and snapping at his shell as Draxum tries to recapture him. The picture flutters from his fingertips as he trips, lost amongst the shadows of the stone forest. Leo sobs, but he does not turn back for it. It is better if it is lost; at least then, he may be able to move on. 

[zoyaofthegardvn]

nsfw alphabet for alina starkov if you're still taking requests?

Alina Starkov - NSFW Alphabet <3

A/N: THAT'S MY BABY GIRL I LOVE HER SO MUCH! Yes, I am so down for this! Thanks so much for the request :)

CW: Smut! 18+ plz!

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Alina is super cuddly and sleepy! She wants to be held while she drifts off to sleep. She appreciates when you get her a snack and some water, when you clean her up, but mostly she just wants to lay there with you and go to bed. Sometimes you can get her up and into a bath, but mostly, she's outtttt.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

She loves your fingers. She loves to hold your hand, link your pinkies together, and play with your fingers when the two of you are sitting together. Your hand is comforting for her, and she feels really connected to you when you interlace them. And, of course, they do sinful, dirty things to her that she's never felt before. She loves when you finger her, when you push your thumb into her mouth, when you spank her. Your fingers work wonders on her.

On herself, she likes her legs. Mostly, she loves the look of them when they're wrapped around your head. She likes when you hold onto her thigh, when you trail kisses from her ankle to her cunt, when you ride her thigh....

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

I think Alina comes pretty fast. Sometimes she gets embarrassed by it, but you always reassure her that you think it's hot that she can't help but come fast and hard when you're touching her. She always tries to hold it off, but you know exactly what to do to send her over the edge. It makes overstimulation really, really fun.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

She lovessss when you punish her. She'll act out on purpose, all of the time. She'll tease you, get an attitude with you, play hard to get with you, all so you'll bend her over your leg later. You're not dumb, you know it isn't really a punishment when she loves it so much, but how could you ever deny her?

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Not experienced at all. I like to imagine that Mal either doesn't exist in this fic world, or she never had feelings for him, or she got over him before they were ever romantic. You're her first everything, and she loves to learn from you.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

She likes when you manhandle her into whatever position you want. She really loves when you throw her over your knee, when you prop her up on all fours on the bed, when you push her to bend over a table. I don't know that she really has a preferred position so much as she loves when you take charge and choose the position for her.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

I think she tries to be unserious, in an effort to goad you, but you quickly put a stop to it. Sometimes, the moment isn't serious at all, and you two will giggle and make jokes the whole time. But mostly, she's trying to piss you off.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Maybe she trims, but I don't think she really cares. And why should she? Body hair is natural and beautiful. I imagine she doesn't groom her legs and under arms, too. All natural, babyyyy.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

I think it's usually filthy, but there are most definitely times where it's romantic. If there's any heightened emotions, like anger, fear, sadness, pure adoration and love, it'll be more intimate.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

I don't think she masturbated before meeting you and I don't think she does after meeting you, either. She has you to make her feel good, she never really has the urge to try it on herself when you're always more than down to help her out.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

She likes to be punished. Spanked, overstimulated, choked, called degrading names. She never takes it too seriously, she knows you love her.

I also think she has a possession kink. I think it stems from her unrequited love of Mal, from both the Darkling and Nikolai using her for her power. She loves to know that you get possessive over her, that you want to put her in her place because she's yours. Not because of her power or status, but because you're in love with her.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Your bedroom, where things can be as dirty as you want them to be. I also think she likes when the two of you sneak out of the palace, and have sex somewhere on the grounds, out in the forest. She loves being outside, she loves how secluded but open it is. You two have to be pretty far out, though, to do anything outside.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

I don't think it takes much. But if your attention isn't on her for an extended amount of time, I think she'll get pretty needy and want you to focus back on her. She'll tease you, which of course, will lead to something sexual.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

I don't think she's very into edging, because of how fast she comes she just doesn't care for the feeling of edging. She likes when you overstimulate her, though.

And, of course, anything that is a no for you is a no for her, too.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

She loves when you give her head, especially when your fingers come into play. But, she's always down to eat you out, too. Usually, when she's receiving, you lay her out on her back, or eat it from the back. When she's giving, you usually ride her face.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

I think she likes it fast and rough. There are times where it's slow and sensual, and that's mostly how it was when you two first started being intimate. But now that you are both well acquainted with each other's bodies, you two just go at it.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

She's down for them. I don't think she initiates them, but if you pull her off to the side for a quickie, she's totally game. A lot of times, your quickies occur when you two are out on the grounds, but sometimes, they'll be in your bedroom before one of you has to be away for an extended period of time.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

I think she's into experimenting. I don't see her as being the one to bring it up, but if you ask her to try something new, I don't think she'd say no unless it was something that made her uncomfortable. Because of her lack of experience, a lot of things are "experimental" to her as she learns what she likes and doesn't like.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Even though she comes fast, she has a high stamina. She can come 4 or 5 times before being done, and she'll definitely wring a few orgasms out of you before she's done for the night.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

If we pretend that vibrators exist in the Grisha world, I think you two would have one. Just a small one you can use to hold against her clit. I don't think you'd have a strap, or if you did, she'd use it on you, but you wouldn't use it on her.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

She's a total tease, which came as a surprise to you when you two got together. You always thought she'd be super shy and not very forward, but she loves to get you riled up so you'll correct her. She'll rub your inner thigh, whisper dirty comments in your ear, brush up against you in a suggestive way, bat her eyelashes and pout her lip. She loves to tease you.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

I think she makes soft, little noises that she tries to hold back. But the second you encourage her to let go and be as loud as she wants, she totally squeals and screams.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

She got super insecure the first time you made her squirt. She had no idea what had just happened and felt so bad about the mess she made. It took some convincing from you to get her to believe that it's normal, and that you thought it was insanely hot. It doesn't happen all the time, but you do try to make her squirt again and again.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

She's got a small physique. She's skinny, with small breasts and a small ass. She was a bit insecure about this, but you assured her that you love and adore her just the way she is, and that you're incredibly attracted to her.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

There are certainly a few nights of the week that you two don't have sex. Life at the Little Palace is busy, and some nights neither of you really have the desire. But most nights, you do. I'd say 4-5 days of the week you two are intimate. Definitely a healthy and normal amount.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

She falls asleep quickly. As much as she'd like to stay up with you, she just can't help it. You always ware her out. She'll lay on your chest, maybe talk to you for a bit, but she's asleep within a few minutes.

[darth-sonny]

prime leo au but human!!

as you can tell this is post-prime; leo sulking in the bathroom, reminicing at how different he looks now, and remembering a small moment from his dream world that pisses him off greatly...

[endermen-impasta]

(( I have a comic issue planned out rn, It's gonna be a while to finish but hold on guys. Sorry for the slow content, tbh my tiktok page has it worse but I swear I'm working hard rn. Also, if you don't recognize the turtle by Leo, it's a new Bumble version -- which is an OC from @th3inb3tw33n. I hope y'all enjoy the update coming soon. ))

[ricardian-werewolf]

I Will follow you into the Dark Masterlist.

Ao3 Link. Summary:

"Love of mine, someday you will die But I'll be close behind, I'll follow you into the dark No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white Just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark," - Death Cab for Cutie. Alina Starkov is the Sun Saint, yet without her powers in the wake of the White Cathedral escape. Her Summoning has abandoned her when she needs it the most. Abandoned and forgotten by the world for who she really is, love is a fleeting thing. However, in the wilderness of the Fjerdan mountains, Nikolai Lantsov, the Too-Clever fox, offers her something she cannot resist - true understanding. Her summoning depends on her sanity. Ravka depends on her to be in fighting shape. But Nikolai needs only her. An AU of Ruin and Rising that works around the plot for some great Nikolina moments and changes the ending, with some noticeable changes also along the way.

Chapters on Ao3.

Stars round his wrists

When I am King, you will be first against the wall.

Take my hand, I'll drown you with me

But your profile could not hide the fact I was approaching your throne

The world is lying fallow and you are apart from me

Holy water cannot help you now

Still, I follow the Heartlines on your hand

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.

The Cost of the Crown

I am a world's forgotten boy

Once More Unto the Breach

The Sun's Turning Red

Every time I see you falling, I get down on my knees and pray

True Faith

Just our hands clasped so tight

Tumblr links:

Stars 'round his wrists.

When I am King, you will be first against the wall.

Take My hand, I'll drown you with me.

But your profile could not hide the fact I was approaching your throne.

The world is lying fallow and you are apart from me.

Holy Water cannot help you now.

Still, I follow the Heartlines on your hand.

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.

The Cost of the Crown.

I am a world's forgotten boy.

Once More unto the Breach.

The Sun's turning Red.

Everytime I see you falling, I get down on my knees and pray.

True Faith

Just our hands clasped so tight. Amazing chapter Moodboards done by @lordbettany - Seriously THANK YOU! Moodboards are in order of chapters.

[lee-and-honey-bee]

That’s great!!! What did he think of Honey? Are you gonna take her with you on the date?

Heheh....

OK so maybe I didn't tell him about Honey...

Or the fact I'm riddled with anxiety and PTSD....

But! We're going on a date soon!

So that's good news!

[chocoee]

Lemme just...🤭🤭🤭

By the vibe alone you should guess that this is some kinda dystopian esc apocalypse au 💃🏾💃🏾

Also that gives Leo a LOT of trauma so ya... It's important to the story♥️🫠 it's called a gnat

Plus moreeeee✨✨✨✨✨

I love me some ancient roamers 🤭♥️

[the-quasar-hero]

Darrow: I came here to love my friends and family and to kill fascists.

Darrow, tears in his eyes, clutching his razor tight: and I’m running out of friends.

[ryanthel0ser]

Donbot has a lot to deal with

pretend i remembered to include the braindump

[mythsha]

chapter 1

Summary: Does past define someone, or perhaps what they were born as? Everyone looked at Alina Starkov as if she was the answer to all their questions. But Alina felt that Kyra Kozlov was the answer to all her problems. Kyra was a mystery, a powerful Grisha, and somehow she started to be the sun summoner's home too.

Kyra always heard whispers but for once they weren't about her presence;  the grisha had found a new topic to talk about; the hallways were flooded with talks of a summoner who could call the sun.

Kyra yet hadn't met the summoner, but felt pity for the girl knowing how pestering grisha can be if they wanted to be. Maybe that's why she opted to serve at the country's borders away from the little palace.

She had arrived at the little palace only days before the sun summoner; and though it had been only two weeks she already wanted to leave the little palace. She wasn't close with many grisha and the ones she knew were either in the front lines or in the darkling's inner circle. She kept her distance from the latter, having enough of political matters.

Usually she would be by the lake, teaching and supervising the training tidemakers or in her room sitting at her desk with piles of paper. Yes, she had declared she hated political matters but being a grisha of her rank, she had no choice but to manage the issues in the borders. Hey, at least they were far better than the atrocious things the king's advisers suggest the general.

A book was open in her lap, the words glaring at her for her attention but her focus was on touching the edges of the book lost deep in thought. She had been sitting like that for a long time since she had wandered the halls and settled in the library after dinner. The footfalls of someone and a soft hushed voice got her to glance up from the book. Turning to look she figured it was someone behind the bookshelf possibly searching for a book.

Indulging into the book again she failed to sooth the glare the words had set upon her; she got up to leave placing the book on the bookshelf where it belongs. Rounding the corner of the bookshelf she spotted the person she heard before, it was a girl and by the colour of her kefta she was an etherealki.

The girl muttered something under her breath when she couldn't reach the book on the shelf, pulling her hands down she moved away from the shelf not yet noticing Kyra standing. When the girl disappeared from Kyra's sight she moved towards the book the etherealki was  trying to reach and grabbed it with much ease spying at the cover; it was a book about ravkan folklore. Hearing a thud Kyra saw the girl again now with a stool by her feet a defeated look on her face. It took a moment for Kyra to realise what the girl must have thought, she took her book. 

Kyra smiled stepping towards the girl extending the book towards her. The girl eyed it for a moment a took it, giving a slight nod.

"Ravkan folklore?" Kyra offered to the girl who looked increasingly uncomfortable. really? ravkan folklore?

"Something wrong with it?" Dark brown eyes stared up at her. Kyra now took notice of the embroidery in the girl's kefta- Saints, this was the sun summoner. 

"No, there's nothing wrong with it. It is good book, a lot of illustrations;" pointing towards the book, " A lot of hidden meaning are expressed beautifully in the illustrations."

The girl hummed, she looked pretty relaxed now but there was a bit of stiffness in her shoulders as if she were alert for some danger. Kyra lifted her hands, as if in surrender "Relax, I'm not going to bite you;" her words ending with a chuckle, "I'm Kyra Kozlov, if you're up for introductions?" Kyra offered her hand forward.

"Alina Starkov" the girl accepted Kyra's hand, a truce of sorts to whatever was going on. Alina shrugged her shoulders, "I-I just didn't realise anyone was in the library other then me" She slightly tilted her head, smiling.

"Well I apologise then, I didn't expect anyone to be in the library at this hour either; grisha usually don't linger by the library after dinner" Kyra moved away from Alina reaching for another book on the shelf. "This one, Miss Starkov;"  She tapped at the worn cover, "Is also really good. Similar genre" 

Alina reached forward, running her fingers over the cover. "Thanks Miss Kozlov, I sure will read it" looking up at Kyra, she gently took the book from her hands. "It's alright, and Kyra is enough" Kyra's eyes followed her hands watching the gold threads by her kefta's reflect the soft light.

"Only if you call me Alina, Kyra" she shifted her arms positioning the two books more comfortable, raising her eyebrow

"Then as you wish, Alina" Kyra whispered leaning against the shelf, drawling her name.

Alina felt heat creeping up her neck at that, huffing a small laugh,"I- better get going. Good night Kyra" Alina muttered, nodding towards the library doors and kind of hurrying towards it.

"Sweet dreams then!" Kyra called after the girl. Well she met the sun summoner. Kyra's eyes moved to the window, it wasn't that late and she nothing to do. Why not have an early night as well?

chapter 2 sankta masterlist