#sacraementals

[wolfisheart]

alix @sacraementals said, ❝  i don’t think i can share you with anyone today.  ❞

arthur had been a wild card hale was not expecting on this extended marriage stay. in fact, he'd more or less figured astoria would be a ghost while she put the final touches on everything. some days he felt guilty. the whole affair was much, much more than he ever would've imagined. how was anyone supposed to remember all those tiny little details? he'd thrown parties before but they were a fraction of what his best friend was putting together.

" well, since the wedding venue's out of commission i can't think of a reason why we need to get out of bed today. " his phone is swiped off the night stand; body readjusting so hale could rest his cheek on his fiance's abdomen. the new position allows him to wrap an arm around her waist while also being able to comfortably text with one hand.

' hey babe, ' he types out to astoria with his thumb. ' i think alix and i are gonna hide from the world today. enjoy a few last moments of unwedded bliss ;] that cool? '

" i can't imagine she says no, " hale pushes the phone away with the tips of his fingers. it doesn't go very far but, then again, it doesn't need to considering he's expecting a response.

lips press against the skin beneath his cheek. almost instantly, long legs come up to curl around her in whatever way they can. alix has always been a lifeline; a light in the dark. she'd saved him from himself long before he had the capacity to acknowledge what the problem even was.

" is this a eat room service all day kind of not share or do we want to do some sight seeing by ourselves? "

[reaperlost]

mj @sacraementals said, " you deserve someone who answers. "

the kids were with shay. last he heard hale was on the way with several pints of ice cream, beer, and a stack of pizzas. jax and astoria had their hands full with abel. despite the fact that he'd handed off his own kids for the sake of some alone time, it didn't stop the feeling of not having anyone to turn to in his time of need. everyone was busy. everyone had their own thing going on. the people who had the time ( like bobby and juice ) couldn't understand all the different ways his head was fucked. they'd fell him to blow some steam. almost literally.

so, he'd gone for a drive. originally, the intent was to go up and down the highway until he could fall into bed. his sense of direction had something else in mind, though. before he understood what was happening, the biker was knocking on a journalist's door.

as soon as he'd done it, opie shook his head and turned on his heel. why would mj be home? better question was why someone so respectable was giving his ass the time of day. she'd be going back to new york, right? whatever he felt would go right along with her and he'd be left in the rearview mirror feeling like an idiot.

seconds later light spills across his boots. " i didn't think you'd answer, " slips out before he can stop it.since opie hates how small it sounded he resorts to one of the cigarettes shoved into his pocket. it's lit and held down behind him so the smoke doesn't go wafting through mj's front door.

the response makes his head jerk back. not something he'd ever considered before. why did he deserve anything at all? people yelled at him they didn't console him. then again, she'd been different right from the start.

fuck, opie wanted her to stay.

" if you say so. " grinning, the words are spoken down towards his feet. mainly because he's too embarrassed to say it to her face. several more puffs scratch down his lungs before the rest of the cigarette is put out against his boot. " i just....i didn't mean to interrupt your night. "

[xfindingtrouble]

‘ so this is where you take refuge? ’ for percy from vex!

Percy had noted the door opening, creaking against the unoiled hinges. It was intentional on his part, despite the grating sound it was a means of knowing when anyone had entered his space. He probably looks like a madman, but he can't quite care. He felt most like himself here, hunched over a handful of chaotic sketches. They were ideas, concepts. There were bits & pieces of potential gadgets & weapons assembled all around, but nothing quite complete. It was easier for him to jump from idea to idea than to be stopped by any creative walls.

There was a method to his madness, this was just one of his many idiosyncrasies. There had been a time when he had been so particular about his workshop, who came & went. the only person permitted to experience him in his element had been his sister, though such years had passed... He had long discarded the luxury of privacy. It was less lonely that way.

Percy was especially delighted to hear Vex's voice, to meet her gaze (though it's not something he could yet admit.) Perhaps this is why it takes him a moment to fully process her words. Or maybe it's just the effort it takes to recalibrate his brain, shifting his attention from his work to her.

Percy straightens his stance with a crunch between his shoulders, asserting how long he had been consumed by his task at hand. He pushes silver hair from his eyes, leaving a streak of charcoal on his forehead. But in Greyskull Keep he knew anyone who walked through that door was welcome here. The servants generally steered clear of his workshop unless there was an accident & he couldn't keep the rest of Vox Machina out if he tried.

" Refuge is a strong word, " he muses, though it is an accurate description. Percy was still getting used to having his own space again, having the luxury of melting his emotions down into iron bullets of his own making. he was sure Vex was getting use to it too, adjusting to having such autonomy over her surroundings. It was different for all of Vox Machina, a home they called their own... there wasn't much to seek refuge from, but it gave him room to be in his element.

His lips finally break into a small smile, betraying him nearly as much as his voice. they all had much to hide, facets of themselves they may never share... But he didn't feel like he has to hide much from her. If Vex wanted to know something about him, he had no doubt she would find out. It was part of the draw he felt towards her, the control she weilded imposing & incredible all at once. So Percy had opted to cut out the complicated bits. She didn't need to see all of him, but the bits he put forth would be real.

Before Vox Machina had been awarded with Greyskull Keep, things had been messy, often. They still were & Percy was sure it would always be that way, but now it felt incredibly real. Like there was a more tangible connection between them all that they could do something good with. Not that good had always been their prerogative, but it was an option for the first time in a long time.

" Amazing, isn't it?, " he can't keep the impending fondness from his voice ( not that he tries to ).There is an implied question in his next words as he wonders where Vex finds peace... he imagines it's somewhere alive, secluded, wonderful. If she isn't apt to share, he may even have time to find out one day. It was clear they were in it for the long run, especially as the permanence of it all had settled in, " I'm sure we all have places like this now. "

[sumbolus]

@sacraementals / Diana: ❛What aren’t you telling me?❜

"Wh-what aren't I—" Time coils about him, the stone walls decked and gilded with a couple of centuries worth of artifacts. An image of an ouroboros, repeated, repainted, recast, mocks him and he feels his frustration rise. Boil over.

( Yet, the veiled excitement... The symbologist is choking on it. )

He breathes out, and grasps a fistful of tangled hair, pulling it back, the Harris Tweed climbing over his already creased shirt. That's what another sleepless night and a three-thousand-mile trip does to a person.

"What aren't you telling me, Diana? Who are these people? Who was that man? A-and don't tell me your husband again because i saw you — what? — just last month, and none of this was relevant then."

"I'm-I'm not engaging in any of this any further until you tell me what's actually going on here."

[gaveldefy]

tara @sacraementals said, " i just want to be your peace. "

truth be told, jax had been fantasizing about those very words since he was a teenager. since before she got scared and ran off to a different state. since before wendy landed in his bed and gave him the most beautiful son anyone could ever ask for. he hadn't been expecting tara to ever come back into his life.

she hadn't been his peace back then. looking back, jax can understand they were too young and too uninformed on life to be anything to anyone. after everything he'd seen since he was patched in? jax had a more intimate understanding of what exactly gemma was to clay and he'd prayed he'd find something similar in time.

" you are, sweetheart, " the biker says with surprising certainty. despite the ups, the downs, the violence, and the miscommunication tara had become exactly that.

his peace.

i fucking missed you, opie !!!!

hale, on the other hand.

shaking his head, jax picks up a nearby towel from the counter of the bar located in the clubhouse. he turns at the waist to throw the thing at the tall, lanky pain in the ass how hanging off opie winston's neck. " he's been gone for an hour. " whatever the response was is nothing but part of the white noise in the background. jax quickly turns back around so he can lean down, pressing his forehead against tara's.

" you are, " is whispered again along with a kiss pressed to the crown of her head. " i know shit's been rough and i appreciate you stepping up. you are always, always my light at the end of the tunnel, babe. please don't forget that no matter what happens. "

[aeternals]

alix @sacraementals said, ❛  nothing else matters except for you.  ❜

     life always had a funny way of playing out.  self destructive tendencies were dangerous lovers he flirted with constantly, as if stopping meant losing the air from his lungs.  it was a big reason why he’d stayed away from alix as long as he possibly could.  little did he realize they’d stumble into each other at the worst possible time.  if he’d come to his senses about a year and a half later he would’ve save the gorgeous woman a world of hurt.  but, the way things were unfolding means he just landed from belfast and was a day or two from a possible three years in prison.  if things went according to plan it’d be about half that.  the girls couldn’t know that, though.  not yet.

     “ that is the biggest lie i’ve ever heard, “ the biker smiles from the chair he’d plopped into once arriving at alix’s place.  a day of traveling from belfast meant he was exhausted.  nothing new in the life one one ashwood, though.  hale was always exhausted.  that’s why he drank so much coffee.

     but, sleep could wait.  days without seeing alix’s meant as soon as they touched down he made a beeline for all her usual haunts.  hale missed the lilt of her voice and seeing the way her eyes crinkled whenever she smiled.  all the things he’d committed to memory over the years and taken advantage of because she’d always been right there.

     “ you.  nothing matters but you, alix. “  the tips of his fingers walk along her jawline, over her bottom lip, and up towards the tip of her nose.  more things he needed to brand into his brain to get him through the next chapter of his life.  maybe if he hadn’t been so reckless.  maybe if he hadn’t been so angry at stahl for making astrid cry….

     too late now.  there’d be plenty of time to kick himself for all these mistakes.  nice, violent fights, too.  for the next day or so he was going to appreciate the opportunity he had.

     “ means i want you to be happy while i’m gone. “  both hands pull back to rest easily on his knees.  his fingers tap a light pattern against the denim but, he was a lot more calm than he anticipated on the drive over.  “ whatever that means, ok, angel?  we’ll figure this out when i get back. “  if that meant there was nothing to figure out?  well, he wouldn’t blame her for moving on.  it was a long time to ask anyone to wait when they’d barely been together a month.

[balldwin]

Domenico / @sacraementals​ : If a king isn’t feared, he is powerless.

There is a blade pressed to his jugular, a roomful of vultures eager to twine the noose. ( Don't take risks with my family, his father's voice mocks, the once enduring shadow now waning before the vernality of The Floating City. ) He should've seen it coming, understood the auspices as they have come. Instead, he stands as his brother's keeper — the title as absurd as the faith that had born it — risking it all for a fucking masca and her fool. 

No more.

“ And there is no other way of holding other than destroying. Spare me the poorly written principles of your former bedmates, Domenico. Tell me your price. ”

[acidcaught-a]

you and i remember two very different things (from :) bruce :) )

"I remember exactly what happened, Bruce. The question is: do you? Do you remember what we said? WHEN WE PROMISED. WHEN WE GAVE OUR SOULS TO THIS UNFORGIVING CITY?!" She used to be beautiful. When the sun rose over the eastern districts, Gotham sparkled with golden rays bouncing off glass towers, glistening like sweat. Harvey would sit at a picnic table in the park between his office and the courthouse. The two buildings were within walking distance of one another, and yet, the views of some inside were millions of miles apart. But in the park, in the wee hours of the morning, only the birds kept him company. He would sip black coffee and bask in the glory of Her. His ( their ) darling Gotham.

But the sun doesn't stay high in their sky forever. What rises must fall, after all. The former golden boy of the city would know. Harvey, Bruce ( Batman? ), and Gordon alike all seemed to despise sundown. But in some ways, the city thrived in this darkness. Neon lights shimmering in alleyways, the sharp florescent lights coming from office spaces where workers tolled away, ignoring the clock's ticking. Harvey had been one of them, once upon a time. Before the mob took away his love and his heart and half his face and half his soul. Before they forced brothers to clash and mothers to mourn. Bruce moves closer to a yelling Harvey, but the latter wants no closeness. He is his anger personified and justified. He is unwilling to see the difference between the man before him and the one in the cowl. Not now. Not when he looks at those who failed him. Harvey would die before he spat the truth of Batman's identity, but it did not stop him from using it against Bruce in private.

He remembers that night well. It replays every time he sees his failure on the news. "WE WERE GOING TO TAKE DOWN THE MOB TOGETHER." It may not be the old kingpins anymore, but the Maroni clan still moves. They still shake at the foundations of the city, forcing beams to crumble to their schemes. "You could cross a line we couldn't. And yet you REFUSED and here we are again, still fighting a fight you could have finished a long fucking time ago." WHATEVER IT TAKES. Harvey clutches a piece of paper. On it, the dried ink gives a list of banks. It wouldn't take a seasoned detective to know what he is after.

"I remember that night fucking perfect. And now I see you were never up to the challenge. This is my city and I'm going to hit the mob where it hurts. Since the goddamned bat lies."

[dadukos]

𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 — fred’s apartment, sometime after sundown. 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 — kaya valdés.

❝ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ? ❞, freddie doesn’t quite mean the maternal tone of her voice — unwarranted when she is not exactly the poster child for self care. she sounds so much like angie, now, and she hates this look on herself. so she bites her tongue, welcomes ( almost shoves ) kaya inside, and points to the couch so that she may sit. well, first she rushes to move a few paperbacks, the remote, a sweatshirt and a half pack of cigarettes out of the way. ❝ sit down, i’ll go get the first aid kit ❞, she declares, not much of a question — when she returns from the bathroom she stops by the kitchen first, grabs a bottle of whiskey and sets it down on the coffee table just in front of kaya. this, well — an invitation for sure. — @sacraementals.

[dracui]

DOES  SHE  HEAR  HIM,  TOO?  FEEL  HIM  WRITHING  BENEATH  THE  FLESH?  Can  the  blood  the  blood  the  blood  tell  her  they  are  many,  they  are  close?  The  blood  that  does  not  belong.  Not  to  her.  (  Soon,  the  Master  whispers.  Patience,  the  Master  demands.  And  they  listen,  they  do.  They  are  a  warning,  a  message,  an  invitation.  They  are  the  dragon's  will.  And  they  will  be  rewarded,  greatly.  )  The  creature  follows  —  a  starving  mimic,  molding  to  each  burrow  and  ravine,  to  each  exhale  of  breath.  

Can  she  tell?  Can  she  sense  their  thirst?  Oh,  but they  can  taste  hers.

" Lady  Bird,  Lady  Bird,  fly  away  home.  Your  house  is  on  fire,  on  fire,  your  children  will  burn.  They  will  burn. "  Hunger  bids  him  near,  his  voice  a  strain,  a  mangled  noise  at  the  back  of  a  parched  throat.  The  darkness  does  very  little  to  offer  shelter,  the  pale  faces  of  kindred  a  contrast  against  the  dying  night.  The  vampire  doesn't  mind.  

The  hunt  is  all  but  done,  after  all. The Master has come.

" He  will  clip  your  wings,  the  Master  will...  My  Lady,  my  Lady  Bird. " / for Constanta ( @sacraementals )

[wolfisheart]

alix @sacraementals said, " i like it when you're nearby. "

fourteen months in stockton had been an uncomfortable amount of time to think about the state of his life. when he'd originally prospected with the sons it'd been more about the concept of family than the money or even the guns. the way they loved and protected one another was something he severely missed from the mc he'd grown up around back in albuquerque. and though they were never anything close to one percent they were a close knit family all the same.

something had shifted in the soa dynamic, though. even after he and jax had been stabbed for russian retaliation, hale couldn't put his finger on it. well, tecnically, jax was the target. hale had gone off the deep end and tried to prove a point.

either way.

it hit him like a truck while sitting on the counter in the florists shop, watching alix work. that sense of family hadn't been quite the same after donna's death. from there, a wedge had been shoved in between jax and opie. clay felt like he had one foot out the door and the other in his bank account. everyone else was so fuckin' confused about what was going on that they were running around like chickens.

soft words hit his ears. since coming home he'd refused to leave alix's side. whatever had stopped him from diving all in to whatever they were? was beat out of him in prison. between belfast and stockton hale was tired of running from her. from them.

" i like being nearby, babe. love it, actually. " he slides off the counter to close the distance between them. once close enough, hale drops to his knees so he can press his cheek against alix's abdomen. arms create a loose circle around her waist, pulling her in close like a hug. " i hope you know i'm done running from this. all the time we lost? i want to be near you as often as possible. "

[reaperlost]

mj @sacraementals said, i  don’t  wanna  go  out  tonight .

the first time mary jane offered to watch the kids he'd been walking out the door to take them over to piney's. shay was going to stick by in case the old man got lost in a coughing fit or fell asleep after too much beer. besides, the other biker had been the only one to really calm donna down while he'd been in prison. a fact that was sometimes thrown in his face, which, opie understood. he hadn't been there to be a father but shay, in a sense, had. at least ellie and kenny had someone who could put a smile on their face when his wife couldn't.

opie mentioned only part of that by saying they were going to spend time with his father during work hours. she surprised him with an offer of pillow forts and television. he'd frozen, then, wondering if he'd come home to a screaming match because she hadn't signed up for everything the kids needed. maybe threats of writing an article documenting what kind of shitty dad he'd been.

he couldn't breathe, let alone answer. it was a gentle hand squeezing his shoulder that pulled him back. i'll stay, too was all shay said before wrangling the kids back inside.

ever since they fell asleep to the sounds of superman trying to wrangle a dinosaur in the artic opie wondered if this was what love could be. but, then he'd tell himself that couldn't be it. too easy to be it. no matter what the little butterflies in his lungs tried to tell him all he could do was a push and pull of not only his own emotions but mj's intentions.

" then let's stay in, " his gruff voice floats from the front door. it clicks behind him. shoes slide off easily at that small space of tile before walking on to the carpet.

the kutte slides off easily, folds in half, and is laid on a nearby loveseat. his hoodie gets pulled over his head, causing both beanie and shirt to slide up. both are settled back in place before the heavier garment is set on top of leather.

holding his breath, opie finds he's waiting for something to happen. anger? disdain? all the muscles in his upper body tense in anticipation, just like they had every other time he'd come home to mj and the kids. only, it never came. the first breath after the realization is always tentative, as if he was jumping the gun in some way. but, then, he gets down on his hands and knees to lay down close to the journalists smaller form. opie settles on his side with one bent arm propping up his head.

there's this part of him that wants to set his head in her lap and wrap his arms around her waist. he wants to fall asleep with his head on her chest to hear the way her heart sounds beneath his ear.

instead, he stays where he is. a hand slides into the front pocket of his jeans to pull out the small flip phone.

" what're you feeling? if they don't deliver i can always pick it up real quick. "

[murderbled]

WHAT IF THEY KISSED. FROM JULIAN. !!!!!!!!!

☽ WHAT IF THEY KISSED - @sacraementals ☾

The violent images that bloom behind closed eyes have been especially BRUTAL as of late - the deeper the bond formed, the deeper the blade is buried. The seas of crimson she spills within her dreams have choked from her any notion of a proper rest. She tosses, she turns, and she finally YIELDS with a heavy sigh. Oh how exhausting it is to slay your lover over and over and over and over.

Asthora is unsurprised to see light flickering from within Julian's tent at such an hour - they are two minds ALIKE, desperate to distract themselves from the horrors of their own making. It brings a weary smile to her face and an uncomfortable warmth gasps for life within her chest. Perhaps they could be two weather battered souls together.

She slips silently into the sanctity of his space, gently plucks the book he's reading from his hands, and places herself in his newly unoccupied lap. A tender hand rests on his cheek as she runs her free fingers through his hair. Her gaze averts from his for a moment as he fixes her with a quizzical look - such gentleness was FOREIGN for the both of them.

She answers not with a word, but with a breathy exhale and needy kiss. She nips his lower lip but quickly soothes the sting with a swipe of her tongue. Her mouth parts in invitation and a shudder runs down her spine. She NEEDS him in more ways she could ever admit in more ways than she could ever fathom.

[xfindingtrouble]

👄 percy abt vex!

percy sits up a bit straighter, chewing the tip of his tongue as he thought of the right words. Vex had a way of swaying Percy, of reminding him of the good in this world. He could stare right into the abyss, take a step into it & she would still be able to draw him back. She had faced dragons, spninxes, even her bastard of a father & walked away with her chin held high. Vex was a beast of a woman & not even death had been able to slow her down.

Where percy could not help but simmer on the past, vex always seemed intent on moving forward, surviving & doing good when there was room for it. she made him want to change, evolve past his solitary existence. it was easy to wallow in the past, to get stuck in it. yet it was always at her back. vex made percy think he could be a better person, in the right hands. left to his own devices, he had a habit of looking to worst case scenario. anticipating gore & atrocities beyond belief. percy was particularly talented at prepetuating the horror. vex was better at taking things in stride, reminding percy that he should too.

" Sometimes you meet a person & they inspire you. " he speaks truthfully, though he's very careful. no word is chosen without purpose, a nagging paranoia in the back of his skull. he wonders if somehow she'll hear him through the walls, expose him for his sentimentality. if he was wholly honest & she found out he doubted he'd ever live it down.

vex'ahlia was, perhaps, one of the most magnificent people percy had ever had the luck of meeting. she wasn't perfect, by any means, no one was... but she had relentless strength about her. she could fight & fight & fight & still have more left to give. she was fragile, in other ways, though it was more difficult to see. there was a weight on her shoulders that came with the love she gave. it left her open, vulnerable in a way that percy is sure was supposed to be private... but he had a habit of looking for the details. it was not easy to choose good, it never would be.

but it was more than inspiration & he knew that, somewhere inside of him. for all the internal battles he fought, it was one he knew he would lose. it was a surreal thought, to think that another person could affect him so deeply... that he could want something ( someone? ) so badly. yet he could never admit to it, at least not out loud. but still, he's sure she's caught his lingering glances.

she was smart & decisive, fierce & terrifying. perhaps this is why it was so intimidating to think that she might know his truth, overhear any heartfelt confession. he was half-sure she would eat him alive if she did. he was nearly as sure that he would let her. vex knew how to read a man, how to bend them to her will & as intimidating as it was... it drew percy in. he wanted to be what she wanted, who she wanted. a hero, a friend, a lover, percy didn't care. he just wanted to be.... hers. was his face flushing now? definitely. he could feel it in his ears. he lets out a deep breath, unable to catch every racing thought that now poured into hs head. they were like fireflies in the dark, endless.

" I would die for her, " he finally admits, trying to shy away from his beating heart in different sort of dramatic confession. his next words are less careful, his mind beginning to tumble thhroug a hundred other sentiments while trying to shake the feeling at the center of it. he's going to need a drink after this, " Though I would much prefer to live for her. She is my inspiration. "

send a ‘👄 + character name’ and my muse will talk about that character

[sumbolus]

@sacraementals / Diana : ❛Do you have a minute?❜

"Diana? Dr. Bishop." Late afternoon sun cuts his office in half, and the contrast, the play of light and shadow turns his otherwise prosaic rooms into Renaissance art. Not quite as showy as chiaroscuro, though perhaps one would dare to call it unione. Vibrant. Colorful. Harmonic. She fits right in, Langdon thinks and falters, wondering whether to stand or remain where she found him, with a pen and an ungraded paper in hand.

He opts for the latter, and tries to hide the clumsy pause with a smile, fingers already combing his hair back. "Hi, yes. Yes, I do. Please, come in."

"How can I help?"

[saatu]

@sacraementals : Did you know that I was spellbound? (Diana)

"I never lied to you, Diana." It comes, no longer in rivulets or whispers, but like a reflection distorted, loud, molten. Loitering at the edges of her vision, a kaleidoscopic chaos. It will pull her in, if she isn't careful. Carve its way through until she is hollow, until she is gaping. Until there is nothing left. 

It already has, once. 

( She wanted it then. And it ruined her. But she wants it even now. )

Satu smiles.

"The first time we met, I wanted to open you and look inside. But your magic was hidden. Held back. I told you that, didn't I?" She pulls at unseen strings, one by one, until there are only knots. And tugs, in an attempt to bring Diana with it. 

"I never lied to you. And I will never lie to you, Diana. Can you say the same for him?"