#silverroots

[stoneexo]

do you picture me, like i picture you?

pairing: sevika x fem reader smut contains: nsfw content!!, degradation, praise, dirty talk, teasing, mocking, cursing (obviously), injuries, bleeding, smoking, drinking, fingering, cunnilingus, tribbing/grinding, mutual pining! premise: on a rainy night after years as silco's top accountant, a knock at your door produces an injured sevika in need of your help. that begs the question— why is she here, why you? as the night goes on, and sevika reveals her true intentions behind coming to see you, you finally realize that the feelings you've had for years might've been reciprocated for longer than you'd think. word count: 7.8k (wtf) author's note: here it is! my first fic! hope you guys like it, and i'm looking forward to feedback! heavily inspired at points by chappel roan's song 'picture you', noticed a particular lack of sweet sevika fics where she isn't just super dom, so this is a very self-indulgent fic lol. god i love me good ol' lesbian PINING!

candlelight kisses your face and dances up the walls of your dingy studio apartment, as well as the papers you hold out in front of you. despite the late hour and strained eyes, you still scanned the numbers in front of you, debts, copying the important ones onto a separate fresh piece of paper to your right. having been silco's main accountant (and only accountant for many years until recently), the work was near never-ending. after all, half of the undercity owed him in some way shape or form. however, with the expansion of his criminal enterprise, his 'financial department', if you could even call it that, had grown. there were others to deal with more minor debts, and your main job was to prioritize those who owed more significant amounts— and decide whose debts had to be collected immediately. you are sifting quietly through papers including just that at the moment, silverroot smoke in your hand and a dirty ashtray at your side, at your small two-person table that's pressed against the wall of your tiny apartment. when a loud knocking (more of a banging) comes from your front door, cutting through the silence.

you nearly jump at the intrusion, looking up to process the noise when it came again in a quick, desperate succession. you shoot up, making your way to the door, both concern and fear washing over you; it was past midnight, who could possibly be here this late? you made sure to grab the metal pipe leaning up against the foot of your bed- this time of night, it was more likely to be a robbery than anyone you actually knew. with your tiny kitchen at the back of the studio, your large bed against one wall, and your table and bathroom entrance on the other, it was no more than a couple of feet to your front door. 

however, as you unlocked the door and cracked it open, keeping your deadbolt in place, you felt a chill run down your spine and your eyes met sevika's, pressed up against your doorframe with blood soaking her hands. she didn't need to say a word, barely opening her mouth before you're shutting the door to undo the deadbolt, pulling her inside and relocking the door behind her.

as you lock up, you hear her stumble behind you, turning to find her sat at the foot of your bed on the floor, clutching her bloody stomach. "what the hell is going on?!" you blurt out, your concern evident as you made your way across to her. she glance at the metal pipe, still in your hand. following her gaze in confusion and noticed you were still clutching the deadly weapon before dropping it, kicking it almost sheepishly behind you, refocusing on her. "sorry, can't be too safe." you remark as you knelt down in front of sevika, and she allows you to push her hands aside with a wince to get a better look. 

you and sevika had worked closely for nearly a decade— after all, she was the one who collected silco's debts. you told her the who, what, and where. and while initially the two of you had butted heads often, things had changed for the better over the past two or so years.  since the first time you laid eyes on sevika, to be honest, lighting up a cigar in the back of the last drop, the light emphasizing the muscles along her arm in just the right way— she had stirred something deep inside you. looking up at you like she was ready to kill you as you introduced yourself, her gaze tracing up are down like she would chew you up at spit you out, reading you as a prissy little know-it-all all despite your polite manner. and she wasn't entirely wrong, with your parents having been well-off topsiders who managed to gamble it all away right around your 17th birthday. but despite that, you had been resilient, managing to sell your mind rather than your body and putting your skill for mathematics to use for various loan sharks and casino barons until silco came seeking your services around your 28th. and despite years of successful and faithful service to silco, and being practically as dedicated to him as sevika, she still seemed to see you as nothing but a spoiled topsider who would run back to the life if given the chance.

however, after about 7 years of working together, an unsuccessful high-value collection in the sump that you had tagged along for to ensure its completion was what finally brought you two closer. mainly because she had saved your ass from nearly getting stabbed by the person you were negotiating with before beating them into a bloody pulp and spitting on them, encouraging you to do the same (you did). 

you thanked her, which she had never heard come out of your mouth before, and expressed how you appreciated not only her muscle, but her expertise in reading situations that you seemed to lack, she had to finally admit to herself that she may have misjudged you. from then on, things worked more smoothly between the two of you, with her actually collecting debts and not just beating people senseless when she had a bad day as she used to (which ultimately made your job harder- people can't work to pay debts with broken legs). and you made sure to express your appreciation for her consideration. 

you even shared a couple of drinks after successful collections here and there at the last drop if the score was big enough, with her walking you home most times to ensure your safety. after all, even though you could hold your own(which she assured you constantly she knew), "can't take the risk of silco's best accountant getting mugged and stabbed on her way back from the job." she'd insist. and you didn't mind in the slightest the extra time spent with her. once or twice you had considered inviting her in as she stood at your door, wishing you a good night, waiting for you to be locked up and safe before going about her evening. but you had decided against it, after all, while you might've found her secretly attractive for years, she had only just started to tolerate you.

but all that begged the question; why was she here now? you were coworkers, and closer than most in the undercity, sure. but you had never been that close, despite the odd shared drinks and your more private desires. surely she could've gone elsewhere? "here, up on the bed." you order, pulling yourself out of your thoughts as you hook your arms under sevika's to help her up as she half-stands and scoots back from the floor to the bed. "i'm bleeding everywhere, your sheets-" she started, face twisting in pain as she settled. "they're old anyways." you insist, giving the wound one last look over, trying to asses the damage. you cheeks flush even more when you notice a happy trail crawling up her stomach from out of her pants, kissing her stomach and meeting her abs. you had to remind yourself yo be appropriate as you refocused on her wound. 

sevika's heart is already racing at a mile per minute as your hand leaves her stomach and her own, large, flesh one covers the oozing wound. it beats impossibly faster, however, when you reach between her legs under your bed and fish out your medical supplies, before you pull out the white plastic container, her cheeks flushed with pain. "I'll ask you again- what is going on?" you reiterate as you fish out a needle, thread, gauze and rubbing alcohol. 

"one of smeech's idiot grunts had a bad run gambling with me. thought he could get out of it by pulling a fast one with some of his buddies—" she scoffed, wincing with pain as you pressed an alcohol-soaked wad of gauze to the gaping stab wound, jumping up to grab something from your kitchen as sevika kept her eyes trained on you. "again, he's a fuckin' idiot. jus' made me want to collect more," she growled out, watching as you produced a bottle of some nasty-looking brown liquor, hastily making your way back over to her "i managed to beat three out of four's skulls in, but the last one got a good stab in on me before he ran off."

"shit.." you respond frankly, passing the liquor to her and taking over on the gauze, gently brushing her hand aside as you use the clean side you wipe away what blood is left at the wound. "well, once we're done let me know how much he made off with," you sigh at the thought of more paperwork "i'll add it to the docket."

"drink, by the way. this is going to hurt." you remarked, looking over the wound before holding the gauze in place, the needle cradled in between your front teeth as you use your spare hand to begin to thread it. sevika feels hot each time you touch her, unbearably so. and as she watches you use your mouth to hold the needle and your hand expertly threads it— fuck, she can feel her stomach pool up with something slick that she knows isn't blood. yeah, she needs to drink before she does something stupid, she decides, stuffing the bottle in her mouth and slugging back as much as she can before coughing. 

the liquor is definitely old, and definitely nasty. it takes everything in her not to break the bottle with the sheer force of her metal hand as she holds it in a death vice looking down at you. you hold the rag back in place and you gesture for her to take over, sevika obliges stiffly with her free hand. trying to control her racing mind.

you get up one last time as you tie the thread off at the end, still holding the needle in your mouth as you pop into your kitchen again, grabbing a few more candles and a lighter, bringing them back over to sevika's hunched-over form and lighting them as you do so. you set them down around you and grab a pillow from the bed beside her as you do so, setting it on the floor before her before kneeling on it. "you're seriously gonna have to stay still 'vika, lights have been out all night so I don't have the best visual with all this blood." you inform her, gently taking over with the rag as you brush her hand aside, her fingers radiating a deep heat.

she feels sick as you gently pat her down once more, her stomach twisting dangerously as she gazes down at you in front of her. it was a dirty sight she had dreamed of for god knows how long; there you were, in between her legs on your knees, the candlelight dripping off you and kissing every curve as her eyes wandered all over. and good lord, your hair, normally tied up, danced down your shoulders. the strap of your tank top hung off your shoulder comfortably, and the shorts you were wearing rode up your thighs just right— and sevika nearly spat out her last mouthful of liquor on you as you hit a sore spot, wincing away from your touch as you retreated from her carefully.

"sorry," you murmured out, gesturing for her to come back as you shifted nervously "next is the fun part though." she came back to you and looked down at her bottle as you readied yourself, taking note of it's lack of contents— jeez, had she really downed that much that quickly? "happen to have anything else before we start?" she questioned, setting it to the side and looking back down at you, doing her best to avoid eye contact. 

you thought momentarily before reaching under your bed once again, fishing around (much to sevika's embarrassment) before pulling out another bottle of clear liquor this time. she raised a brow as you passed it to her and you scoffed, "what?". 

"nothin, jus' never took you for the drinking type." sevika replied and she uncorked the, once again, half-drunk bottle, "i mean, half the time the guys gotta twist your arm to stay for drinks at the last drop."

you shrugged as you looked her wound over one last time, feeling only a little sick as you watched the blood ooze out. "helps with sleep." you commented with only a hint of embarrassment, readying yourself against her abdomen. even as you pressed against sevika, her solid form held true, and you felt your cheeks grow hot as it registered you were basically pressed against her crotch as well due to the angle. sevika felt warm too, all over, and she prayed to everything there was that you couldn't feel the pool of wetness growing in her pants as you shifted against her and your fingertips pressed against her sensitive skin, trying to get a better angle before the first stitch.

bringing yourself back as sevika sipped her liquor, you tried to swallow your nerves as you checked in one last time, looking up at her for assurance. as she nodded, you pressed in with the first stitch, fighting the urge to wince as you pressed onwards. sevkia gritted her teeth and fought the urge to jerk away and throw up. sure, she was a bit of a masochist, but the feeling of metal and thread moving through her skin would never be pleasant.

she let out a pained groan, stuffing the bottle in her mouth to keep quiet as you kept on. if she was trying to work you up it would be working, you thought. you feel dizzy this close to her. the best you had gotten up till now as her pulling you pack before you got punched in the face by a particularly upset client, or a hand hovering just off the small of your back as you went up stairs after one too many drinks at the last drop; a polite assurance to accompany your unsure steps. and you had been desperate for something more for a while, a long while. 

the sounds leaving her mouth and shifting against you made your stomach hot and heavy, deciding to talk to try and distract your wandering mind. "sorry if the stitching isn't the prettiest, 'm outta practice." you murmur, nearly halfway done already as you tried to limit the pain. it was a little sloppy, but it held tight, with minimal blood seeping through the sections you had finished with. 

" 's all good doll," she grunted out, looking down at your work before quickly looking away; the sight of you bent over her was something she was not ready for when her head was this heavy with liquor, "not much pretty down there to begin with." she finished off with a chuckle, deciding to pause on the liquor for a moment as it drew low yet again. she closed her eyes, leaning her head back as she tried to focus on something other than the pain in her abdomen or the heat churning in her stomach. working your way along her wound as delicately as possible, you felt yourself sink deeper into the mood that seemed to have sparked between you two.

'doll'. you felt like a giddy teenager the way your chest fluttered as you shook your head and scoffed lightheartedly in disagreement. sevika cracked an eye open in response, her lips curling up in a slight smirk as she looked down at you. "oh? disagree?" she questioned, seeming almost amused as she shifted to lean back on her arms teasingly despite the pain, watching as you lurched forward to follow, practically laying in her lap now as you struggled to hold the needle up so as to not stab her.

your heart leaped with the jump in intimacy— here was sevika, who before was too disgusted to touch you for the first 7 years, and now seemingly too respectful (afraid?); and now, she was instead trying to coax you into her lap like one of her brothel whores. as far as you knew, despite your attraction, you had always been discreet and kept things professional. and sevika, more importantly, had never showed an ounce of interest beyond the general "i need to make sure you don't die and I don't completely hate you."

 for a moment, your mind ran circles around the sudden interest— was this serious? was it a test? if it wasn't, how long had she been interested, and how? were you nothing more than a lay, or—

as sevkia let out another small grunt of pain, you pulled yourself again from your momentary distraction, choosing to shift up in a rather cocky manner. moving up to straddle her as the brown-skinned woman nearly choked at the image of you on top of her, candlelight creating a halo behind your hair and kissing your lips.

the muscular woman struggled not to drool and to keep her free hand at her side, nearly tearing a hole in your sheets as she gripped them tightly (in what you assumed was pain). as you neared the end of the once gaping wound, you glanced down at sevika, surprised to see her watching your hands with an intense, hungry gaze, her face flush and sweat dripping down her forehead as the sound of small rips and tears began to emanate from your sheets where she grabbed at them. you could see she was biting her lip, but not in a pained way, and christ, as you put in the final stitch you swore you could hear her moan.

a sudden sense of power washed over you as it finally occurred to you just how into this she was. you had her hanging (literally) by a thread here, waiting in a surprisingly respectful manner for you to confirm her suspicions and let her make a move. you almost wondered if she would even care about closing up the wound at this point.

but regardless, as you tied off your stitching, you held the still attached needle in your free hand and reached for the bottle sevika still held. her gaze followed you as you drank from it; not making a face as you leaned down to wear the threat connected with her skin as you used your teeth to swiftly get rid of the excess, with her both shivering and wincing as your lips brushed against the freshly stitched and bruised flesh. as you sat back up you saw sevika beneath you, the closest to dumbfounded you had ever seen her as her grey eyes stared wide back at you.

"to answer your question," you began, drawing back to grab the discarded bloody rag from the bed slightly behind you (and oh, sevika loved this angle where you twisted just the right way. it pulled your shirt up your stomach, she could almost see right up it—), and returned to your position with it in hand, turning the bottle over in it and dousing it in what (little) was left of the alcohol. "yes, i disagree." you made sure to look her in the eye, using the playful and slightly flirtatious tone as you tried to somehow convey your sincerity and longing through your tone as her stormy eyes held desperately onto yours.

"you're pretty sevika. like, really pretty. you're beautiful. everywhere." you spoke softly, nearing a whisper towards the end as embarrassment washed over you. before you could gush any further, you stopped yourself by pressing the alcohol-soaked rag against sevika's stitches. she curled up and sucked in a pained breath, instinctively grabbing onto the rag as you moved your hand, holding it in place as you gently shifted off of the bed and her.

sevika's stomach churned once again in a confusing mix of warmth, endearment, horniness and disappointment as you moved off and away from her, turning her head to follow you as you went into your kitchen to produce yet another bottle of alcohol (she now put two and two together that you definitely drink more than she though, just not at work), this time some kind of white wine. she felt bubbly inside, and a different type of deeper warmth radiated from her gut, something she couldn't quite describe. sevika had been called a lot of things; handsome, hot, even a babe here and there; but no one had ever called her pretty. let alone beautiful. 

you opted to forgo the glass as you popped the cork, trying to look everywhere as you sipped except sevika's figure as she shifted to sit up. you reached out and slid an abandoned ashtray on your counter closer to you, pulling a forgotten sliverroot spliff from it and lighting it up with a nearby box of matches to try and ease your (now shot) nerves. huffing out a large cloud of smoke, you fought back a cough and any more remarks with the lip of the wine bottle in your mouth.

you felt a twist of disappointment in your stomach as it crossed your mind that this would probably just be another fuck for sevika, if she was interested in the bold advance you just made. after all, you knew all about her trips to the brothel- silco paid for them half the time, hell you had to budget them. and the two of you were close enough to have had talks here and there, on 'work trips' (if you could call them that), or late nights going over debt lists. each time it had made you a little nauseous hearing about the other women she had been with, but regardless, you indulged the conversation simply to indulge her and maybe spend a little more time in her presence.

you drew in another hit from your spliff, trying to clear your head as much as possible with it, only looking up at sevika as she got up, still holding the blood-soaked rag in place. you set down the wine bottle and turned to face her, dumping your spliff in the ashtray as you raised the other to scold her. "you need to sit down for at least a minute and let yourself rest, yo—" you barely managed to get a word out as she made her way across the room to you, quickly closing the small space as she reached out for you, pressing you against your fridge with her large frame as she grabbed onto your waist and leaned in, a gasp leaving your lips at the sudden movement. 

sevika stopped just short, looming over you, her forehead pressed against yours as she looked down at you, eyes holding intensely onto yours as the two of you panted respectively. your scolding hand was now pressed against her chest, though it made no attempt to hold her back, and after a long moment, her gaze flickered down to your lips and back— a silent but desperate plea for permission. and the moment you began to move in, she crashed against you, nearly knocking your head against the fridge behind you as her lips finally met yours in a messy and heated clash. she held onto you tightly as she pressed into you further, completely forgetting the rag as her metal arm came to your hip, the cool grip feeling nice against your hot skin as a small moan embarrassingly slipped your lips, her tongue slipping past to mingle with yours. she tasted like cigars, and the cheap liquor you had given her, and something else- maybe cinnamon? before you could figure it out, she pulled back for air, and the hand you held on her chest pushed back ever so slightly as you came to your senses.

she immediately drew away and gave you breathing room, face twisting in concern as she loosened her grip on you. "is everything okay?" she nearly gasped out as she tried to catch her breath, desprate to read your expression "did you not—". you quickly shake your head as you avert your gaze, "nono, i did— i do, i do. i've been wanting to do this." you sighed and looked down as your stomach turned and your head pounded "that's not the problem."

sevika took a small step back from you at the mention of a problem, however, she didn't let her hands fall from your hips quite yet, her stomach dropping in a way she hadn't felt in a long time. she wanted to ask what exactly the problem was, but instead found herself waiting for you to speak in silent concern as she could practically see your head spinning with what you wanted to say.

after a long moment, you let out a regret filled sigh, still unable to look her in the eye. "i can't do this if i'm not the only one sevika," you began, trying not to show how sick you felt talking about this. you were sure you must've been pale as a ghost with the way your stomach flipped. "and i know that not fair to ask of you; you're not that kind of person. but i don't think its worth ruining our personal and professional relationship over something that just... just isn't compatible long term." you hated to say it aloud, but the speech you had told yourself a million times left your lips as sevika struggled to process what you were saying.

"i promise its not that i don't want you, i- gods, 'vika, i want to so fuckin bad, i just can't sleep at night knowing i have to share you. it already wrecked me to try and keep track of financing your trips with silco. and i don't want to try and force you to change—" words spilled like bile out of your mouth as you felt your embarrassment and nerves bubble clearly to the surface, unwilling to look up at sevika, staring at the floor until she interrupted you by dropping to the floor on her knees in front of you, making it near impossible to look away.

you finally met her gaze, sure you had some stupid look on your face. but the one on her face was of sad desperation, her hands sliding down ever so slightly to your thighs as she kneeled like a sinner in front of you. "i haven't been to the brothel— i haven't been with anyone in months," she confessed, something serious and level in her tone as she started her ramble; "i can't even think about another woman. don't want to— can't if i wanted to. i don't know what the fuck you did, but whatever it is, it's working doll. 'cause all i can think of with them is you, y'know that? what you'd look like underneath me instead of them." the confession makes your face and core hot, and your heart palpitate more than it was before.

"when i wake up in the morning till i'm laying in bed alone at night, it's you. i can't fuckin focus, i rush to get to work in the morning just so i can see that pretty little face of yours," though the words are sweet, her tone is incensed, drunk on the thought of you and unable to stop talking, like a madwoman preaching her gospel. "and i go home early cause you never wanna stay late and have a drink with me, and i gotta make sure you get home safe, so i go home when you do. and when i go home? all i can think about is what you're doing, if you're thinking of me— if you're thinking of me the way i'm thinking of you. i need you so badly doll."

your heart is nearly pounding out of your chest at the sight of sevika on her knees in front of you as she finally pauses, her intense stare holding you in place as she watches you bite your bottom lip ever so gently. she hardly cares about how worked up it gets her because she wants— no, needs you to know that she cares right now about something more than that, that she cares about you, you, you. all that's been on her mind for the past year had been you. and here you were in front of her looking so ready and sweet and gentle and perfect. as you begin to look to the ground again, she murmurs your name softly. she pulls your gaze back to her; "i didn't come here cause silco was off with jinx, or cause i was 'outta thread, i came here 'cause i missed you, and i needed to see you, and i knew you'd take care of me," she stated, almost as if it were a matter of fact, separation still clear. "'cause you're a good person. not like me— so i understand if you don't trust a word of what i've said tonight. but i swear to you, i swear, that i care about you."

her ramble is only interrupted again by you reaching out for her, and sevika finds herself dumbfounded by how gentle you're still being with her, cupping her face with your hands and gazing down at her as if she were made of glass. and she absolutely lapped up the soft attention— no one in her life had ever handled her as gently as you were now. she fixed her stare on you like a puppy waiting for permission from it's owner, hanging off of your words as you spoke, "i believe you 'vika." your voice was a near whisper and your throat felt tight as you spoke, stomach dancing with unkillable nerves. 

"i know you, and i believe you," you continue carefully as she cautiously cupped one of your hands with her flesh one, yours seeming impossibly small in comparison, watching intensely as you bit your lip softly once again. "you don't need to beg." you remarked with a soft breathy laugh, finally managing eye contact and finding her grey gaze to be surprisingly warm for once. but just as quickly as the warmth came, it went, with a sudden shift to something dark and primal as her eyes trailed down your body once again, only stopping at the hem of your shorts.

she looked back up with that same, hungry gaze from before as her lips twisted into that cocky smirk you knew too well, the mechanical hand that gripped your thigh squeezing gently as she turned to kiss the hand that she held, still on her cheek. "let me prove it to you darlin," she murmured through your fingertips before pressing another kiss against them, glancing back down at your waistband as she spoke, "please. promise i'll be gentle."

your face felt hot with embarrassment and at the idea of the offer, but you knew immediately that you weren't going to say no even if you wanted to. how could you? with sevika kissing your hand and holding you so gently, looking up at you like she might eat you up if you tell her otherwise? you didn't know what to do with yourself, and the words felt caught in your throat as all you could manage to do was nod timidly, holding her eye contact as her grin wavered momentarily. " 'm gonna need words, doll." she clarifies, turning her head to face you fully once more as she sets her flesh hand on your thigh once again.

"yes, please 'vika." you spout out, nearly wincing at the over-eager tone leaving your lips. did you really sound like that? sevika's satisfied smile returned as her hands began to slowly creep up towards your waistband, her actions methodical and already teasing in manner. "such good manners darlin" she muttered lowly, pulling at your drawstrings as she leaned in closer, pressing careful, delicate kisses against your stomach as she undid the worn string. they were so light they almost tickled, and as soon as the drawstring was undone, her thumbs were hooked into your waistband, pulling down the old grey plaid pair of shorts as you shivered under her cool metal touch. she left them to pool at your ankles as she finally got to examine what lay underneath, leaning back ever so slightly to soak the sight in. it was nothing special to you, a comfortable grey thong with lace at the top, but to sevika, it was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. as she tentatively licked her lips, she reached up and began to rub you through the fabric using her flesh hand, moving slowly and gently as she glanced up at you through lidded gaze, gauging your response.

the feeling sent a shock through your system, eyes squeezing shut as you cock your head back and swallow a potential whimper. truth be told, you were dedicated to your work, which left little time for affairs like this. it had been too long since you had been touched like this, and as sevika rubbed circles into your clit through the cotton covering it, your whole body felt electric. "shit doll.." you heard sevika murmur out from beneath you, using her metal hand to spread your legs slightly as she studied the damp and darkening fabric between your legs, "you're really putting on a show for me aren't you?" as she slid the panties down your waist, you cracked your eyes open and nearly came at the sight of her— eyes close, sniffing them. you didn't think there could be a filthier sight than this, as she opened her eyes and smirked wickedly at you, tossing the pair haphazardly behind her as she gripped your hips and spun you around, pressing your front half against the cool metal of your fridge. 

you fought back a shiver as sevkia spread your legs once again, almost bent over against the fridge as you felt her hot breath against your cunt. you couldn't fight back your noises this time as she played with your entrance, gliding two flesh fingers against it as she sucked in a breath and chuckled. "no need to be quiet darlin', 's not like the rent'll go up over one noisy night..." she teased as you whimpered slightly, glancing between the mess that was your pussy, and your face, as you tried to look back at her.

"unless there's been more than one noisy night," she began, her expression darkening as she pressed into your cunt, starting with one thick finger as you cried out uncontrollably "and you brought some other bitch back here, hmm?" you knew it wasn't an interrogation, but as her fingers began to pump in and out of your pussy you couldn't help but rebuke her claims, her voice whiney and hot. "no— no! just you 'vika!" you whimpered out, struggling to get through the sentence as she set a steady and unrelenting pace, holding your weak gaze as you looked over your shoulder at her "only you." 

she raised a questioning brow at you, but deep down, she knew you were telling the truth. she had barely touched you, but as she worked steadily on you, adding another finger cautiously as you cried out. there was already that fucked-out look on your face. still, she felt the need to tease. "really, doll? only me?" she mocked, repeating your words back to you in the same tone as she worked her way deeper into your cunt, setting her metal hand on your hip and pressing you into the cool metal in front of you even more so. "yes 'vika, only you— fuck, i haven't had time for this shit in this months," you gasped out, the confession spilling desperately out of your mouth as you began to lose all composure, embarrassment sinking in "even when i did, i only thought about you sevkia." you whimpered her name out sweetly at the end, like a prayer "i'm all yours."

that sent her over the edge;  sevkia's face and cunt grew hot as she nearly ripped her fingers out of you, loosing any sense of gentleness when she did so. you swore at the loss as she wrapped her mechanical arm around your waist and swept your legs up with her warm one, man-handling you towards the bed before you had much time to process what was happening.

she laid you the bed more carefully than you expected, making sure to set your head back on one of your pillows as she put you down. you finally had a good look at her now, and the image made you hotter than you already were; the image of her towering over you on just her knees was enough to make you drool as she looked down at you like a predator does its prey. but as she made her way down towards your sopping cunt, you quickly realized she had a trail of drool of her own dripping down her chin as she eyed you like prey beneath her. her grey eyes could pierce a hole through your skull right now, you were sure; and if you didn't know better, you'd almost be afraid.

sevika was quick to dip down and lap up the juices left behind from her previous efforts, lavishing in the sweet taste and sweet noises you made. sevika's finger presses against your entrance teasingly as she starts to play around with your clit, and it doesn't take much longer before she slides two fingers in you; her middle and ring, and scissors them in you so you adjust to the size of them properly again. you groan, muffling yourself into the back of your hand. it's not long before she's restlessly fucking her fingers into you while you needily hump into the palm of her scarred hand as she works carefully at your clit with her mouth. it's only a couple of moments before she realizes you're trying to quiet yourself down, and she is quick to adjust. she pulls her mouth away from you and lets out something akin to a snarl as she pins the hand you're using to cover your mouth, being careful not to crush you under her mechanical grip. "what did i say earlier, sweetheart? i wanna hear you." she demanded, moving her face in close to yours as she continued working on your pussy, relishing in how quickly the moans spilled freely from your lips.

it doesn't take long before you're getting closer; pussy tensing, your heart beating impossibly fast. "needed this 'vika," you breathlessly whine as you rut into her hand, eyes squeezing shut as she works you further. at this point you had begun to babble, meaningly words falling out of your lips, forming a symphony of her name, "fuck"s and "don't stop"s in between the ramble. as you reach your end, you felt sevika's cool metal fingers squeeze your cheeks and turned your head back to face her. "look at me darlin," you expected her tone to be rough like before, but it was uncharacteristically soft, almost sentimental "wanna see every little look on your pretty little face, 'hmm?"

you forced your eyes open and met sevika's once again, grey but warmer than ever before, staring at you softly, sweat dripping down her sharp and scarred face. "good job sweetheart" she cooed, "you're doing so good..." she brought her thumb up to flick your now neglected clit, and with that, you fall apart, nearly crying as your head churns from the heat, liquor and smoke. "oh— please don't stop, don't, don't sev please." you begged, any composure long gone as you ground out the last of your orgasm on your hand; and sevika happily granted your request, more than content to watch you fall to pieces on her fingers.

once your moans became pitchy and your hips began to stutter, she knew you were done, slowing down to a stop and gently letting go of your face, pressing soft kisses to your face and neck as she slipped out of you. you whimpered at the loss, chest heaving as you struggled to catch your breath, nearly gasping at points. after a moment of peppering you, sevika pulls off from you, and all you can do is whine, finding moving to be too taxing at the moment. "don't worry doll, 'm not going anywhere." sevika coos from the end of the bed, pulling her shirt off over her head as she begins to strip.

it's not long before she is back over you again, and her hands are under your shirt, a confusing mix of cold and hot on either side as she pulls off the last piece of clothing hiding you from her. you relished in the skin-to-skin as she did so. tossing it to the side, she leaned back to sit on her heels, and you could tell by the almost dumb look on her face that she was too busy admiring the view to see you were doing the same— and how could you not? she had chiselled abs and a happy trail that you would definitely be following later, both of which you knew of before. but to your pleasant surprise, as your eyes drifted to her chest, two pierced nipples shone back at you, and you had to fight the urge to suck on them this instant. you couldn't help the words falling out of your mouth, "you're perfect 'vika, y'know that?"

your tone was soft, and you looked her in the eyes as you said it, smiling softly at the conflicted expression on her face. you could already tell she had no idea what to do with the compliment, and you found it slightly amusing that with one sentence you could somewhat fluster the normally stoic woman. "i don't know about that, hon. you, on the other hand?" she began, leaning down to kiss a line from your neck down your chest and stomach as she spoke, "you're flawless."

as she reached just above your clit, she stopped and looked back up at you with a devious grin. "i hope you had 'nough time to catch your breath, though. cause i'm sure as shit not done with you yet."

—

you don't know how long it's been, all you know is you're approaching what you think is your third orgasm of the night as sevika grinds her cunt into yours. she's intent on cumming now, practically using you for her own pleasure—and you're a complete mess of babbling whines and moans as a result. "plea—se—" you're begging for nothing as you lie in a pool of your cum beneath the two of you, and you can't get enough of her or her abs flexing with every desperate hump. you wanna lick up the cum that's clinging to her happy trail, and the nasty thought makes you shiver.

"you," she murmurs hoarsely, "feel— perfect darlin. you're so perfect." she can't stop repeating your praise from earlier as she fucks herself closer to the edge "feel so fuckin good". but you're well over that, gripping your already torn sheets that have slid completely off the mattress. you forgot how to breathe; your mind is already fuzzy from the alcohol and smoke from earlier, even if it's fading, and even fuzzier with sevika still grinding into you.

your inchoerient begging is breathless and whiney, and you're almost sure you must've died and gone to the great beyond because this was too good to be real. you sob out from overstimulation, unable to hold back tears as they began to trickle down your face, "sevika please—!"

sevika lets out a desperate moan of her own, followed by several more curses as she finally lets go of her own orgasm, grinding out desperately into you as she gasped for air and rode it out. eventually, she lazily collapsed to your side, still struggling to catch her breath as she called your name and turned to face you. you do the same, and shes quick to reach out and pull you close to her, wrapping her arms around you as she buries her face into the top of your hair. you tangle your legs with hers as you let out a content sigh, tucking your head into her chest as you hooked your arms underneath hers.

it was warm and intimate as the two of you winded down silently, enjoying each other's breathing and skin as you could hear a quiet rain begin to patter outside. you weren't sure how long the two of you were laid like that, but eventually, you shifted back to half-sit up on your arm, still somewhat looking up at sevika as you spoke due to her large frame. "so..." you began softly, a small chuckle on your lips as you struggled to find the words. "so?" she mirrored, raising a brow in a slight, tired amusement. you sighed, and started again, tone slightly more serious this time, "look, i'm not asking for, or expecting, any kind of serious commitment, 'vika. i just wanna know where we stand after—"

you pause when sevika calls your name softly and shifts to sit up slightly, even though it doesn't exactly level the two of you. "if you want me—" she pauses too, as if the words feel foreign or if she is not quite sure what to say herself, "if you want me i'm yours. i've been yours for a while." you can tell the confession comes hard to her, it doesn't take a fool to look at sevika and tell she doesn't exactly do feelings.

regardless, you smile lightly, reaching forward as you lean in for a timid kiss, more shy and intimate than the ones before, one that you let linger for some time before pulling back slightly. "i'm yours sevika. wasn't just saying that so you wouldn't stop." you finish your sentence with a small laugh.

you can see a little tension leave her shoulders as you speak, and a smile graces her lips as she steals another quick kiss from you, desperate to be close. you finally allow yourself to rest, falling back into her arms as she pulled you back in and tugged what was left of the covers back over your naked bodies. you feel her let out one last sigh as she settles in next to you, and it's only then that exhaustion hits you as sevika caresses circles into your arm.

it's not long after that before the two of you succumb and fall into sleep to the sound of rain pattering against the window above your head, nothing to worry about until tomorrow morning, when you'd eventually have to go back to the pile of forgotten paperwork sitting on your table.

[akhuna01]

Alpine flowers are in full bloom! Blue Gentian,

Silverroot and pink alpine roses. Oh, and they have free roaming, cheeky Haflingers there. This boy took a lick off my cheek 😁

[bishop-percival]

It actually looked like Miriam had everything to make borscht all right there. Even the vegetables were peeled! Still, she placed her hand on her chin.

“I’m missing something. I can feel it. Ah, I know,” She turned to Shamura again, and spoke in a serious and steady tone. “I’m missing silverroot spice. I forgot to bring it from my secret pantry of magical ingredients. Could you fetch it for me while I get started on the soup? It’s located in the secret tenth sublevel, and to get there you-”

She was interrupted by Autumn stomping into the kitchen. “Miriam! Stop trying to send the student on your stupid made up missions so you can get the kitchen all to yourself! You’ve already gotten Lola hopelessly lost in the escape tunnels!”

Miriam growled “h-how dare you accuse me of such a thing,” then cleared her throat to steady herself. 

“Ahem. No matter. You two, start chopping, then.”

“No way! I’m going back to look for Lola!” Autumn stomped back out. 

The priestess grumbled "disobedient prick" before awkwardly glancing at Shamura. “... You don’t need help chopping things with a knife, do you?”

@candbrp

(prev) Shamura had spent the hour reading about the Lunarthiests, making some rough track pad drawings in mspaint, and indeed playing tetris, which they had gotten a remarkably good score in already. They get up out of their chair and nod. “Gotcha, thank you Reverend.” they say with a polite bow before turning to make their way to the kitchen.

Sure enough, the priestess was already in the kitchen. Oddly, though, it was just her when usually there would be other deacons helping her. She seemed to be pondering an array of ingredients spread out on a long table that sat in the middle of the room. 

When Shamura entered, Miriam turned to look at them. Instead of greeting them, she pointed at the pile of ingredients and asked “Does it look like I have everything?”

[leacooleyart]

#silverroots #grayhair #feminine #piscesariescusp #bornintheearly70s #childofthe70s #firstquartermoon #pagan #heathen #witchywoman #almostacrone

[touchh-me]

SOJA playing at the Silver Roots Concert in Puerto Rico ft. my 18th birthday

[wraithwhisper-hollow]

Well...

Back in the Hollow, we had a whole bunch of holidays- Harmony Day, First Harvest, Cold Coming, Drowning Day, Rite of Whispers, Day of Forgotten Songs, and the Forestsong Festival.  

(I think that’s all of them.) I try to keep up with all of them and at least make the food, but…

There’s not a lot of point to them anymore. Most of our holidays were for Arborian things, like harvest, floods, special plant bloomings or meetings with other clans..

Most of the clan survivors just want to move on. A lot of them don’t even know what’s going on with- well, that’s a story for another time.

[regal-bones]

House Whiteblood Routine Inventory Inspection [CLICK FOR HIGH RES]

Barrack #06, Mercenary #083 Name: Tala Sharpstone Current Assignment: On a personal leave

Inventory as follows:

(1) Whiteblood Crest, well polished. (1) Whiteblood issued glaive, well sharpened. (1) Whiteblood issued shortsword. (3) Whiteblood issued standard medicine ingredients (Silverroot Powder, Slatethistle Sap, Embervine Sapling). (1) Medicine pouch, full of collected herbs, roots, and other ingredients (2) small flasks. (1) large flask. (3) Spell candles (Lightdripping, Stonemoulding, and Fleshknitting). (1) Compass. (1) Small machete. (1) Spyglass. (1) Pouch of black powder. When questioned, Mercenary Sharpstone mentioned its use in self defence. (1) Tin of (23) kindlewogg tadpoles. (1) Handheld distiller, well maintained and clean. (1) Blowgun and (3) Darts, uncoated. (1) Magnifying glass. (1) Dropper. (1) Spray bottle, empty. (1) Flagon, empty, sticky. (1) Small chest, containing some of Mercenary Sharpstone's personal effects. (1) Leather journal, well used. (1) Feather quill, well used. When questioned, Mercenary Sharpstone gladly produced less worn quills up to regulation standard, explaining the tattered pen was of sentimental value. (5) Small blades.

Mercenary Sharpstone also carried 12,450G (10 Crowns, 4 Throne pieces, 4 Eyes, 4 Toothpennies, and 10 Gold pieces).

Inspectors Notes: 'Mercenary Sharpstone, whilst carrying quite the amount of personal effects, is a stellar example of how all Whiteblood mercenaries should handle their gear. It must be noted that she kept the ribbon of her glaive tied to a small knot, against regulations, but otherwise there were little to no faults with her inventory. Her glaive has been kept well sharpened, her crest well polished, and it seems Ms. Sharpstone would be unlikely to be found in a situation without the proper equipment to deal with it.' PASS This document has been notarised and sealed by a House Whiteblood inspector for use among approved scribes only.

My Patreon is just £1! Help support me and get some stuff in return! - Click here for more Tala!

[nanominyo]

The rulers of my world :’D

More about them underneath the cut

The King of The Ardelian Kingdom:

Age: ???

Magic: Undecided

Gender: Male

Specie: Fae

Years on Throne: 283 years

The King of Ardelia is actually a good king. Depending on country may he meet up in his warfare clothes (Depicted) or his royal clothing. In countries like Shuirin, Reayeria and Qutetish does he always meet up in his warfare clothing, while I Countries like Silverroot and Dotish does he meet up in his royal clothing.

He has kept peace with other countries for his 283 years on the throne but here in the later years are countries like Shuirin and Qutetish looking negatively on him being a pro-Beastmen for his country.

He has deals with Reayeria that they’ll sail their beastmen to his country once a month to keep the peace between them. He also has peace contracts with Silverroot and Dotish and are training both of these young rulers to become good rulers.

The story of how he became a King of Ardelia is still unclear but a Rumor is that the tavern he often visits in Rane City is owned by the original royal line which he should have stolen the throne from.

(Ardelia ends up losing a big chunk of lands towards east (The land turning towards Qutetish) in war but ultimately wins over Shuirin in the west. The capital of Ardelia is still on Ardelian land at the end of the story but is known by the time traveler to be lost later on and a new country forms in its place: Ardia)

The Emperor of the Qutetish Empire:

Age: 57

Magic: Body/Earth

Gender: Male

Specie: Half-Elven

Years on Throne: 23 years

The Emperor of the Qutetish Empire took over from his father who was an Elven. It is said the original Qutetish Empire originally only belonged to Elven people but after conquering the neighboring countries and becoming one big empire has the people been mixed – this means that most of the citizens that live in Qutetish are some of the humans who have the closest to the original Elven people.

The Emperor is a strict man there like his father before him seeks to get more land in his hands. He specially has eyes on Ardelia who is another major power in the world and are on a quest to overthrow Ardelia so he also can get his hands on The Silverrootian Dynasty and The Dotish Kingdom (Both protected by the Ardelian Kingdom), but also have easier access to take over the Reayerian Kingdom and the Shurinian Kingdom.

The Emperor is also against beastmen there isn’t Elven. This means demons, werewolves, Faes etc. which is further used to create hate against Ardelia who is Pro-Beastmen.

There is a thing with the Emperor that always get an extra look:

On the battlefield is he known to be a big strong man physically and magically but when he is home in his palace, is he known to be a big fat man – two very opposite body types. This is because he has Body magic where he can easily alter his body to fulfill the needs of the current events.

The Emperor is known to have a little Harem which is a mix of both men and women, but his heir is a girl who he cherishes a lot. She is unknown to how terrible set the Qutetish Empire and culture is outside the capital.

(In story does the Emperor end up focusing all his men against Ardelia after the “Evil Witch” kills his daughter. Ardelia ends up losing a lot of land to Qutetish due to this – but due to his Focus does he lose land towards south as the Silverrrootian Dynasty attacks his lands)

The Queen of the Reayerian Kingdom:

Age: 32

Magic: Blood/Mana Control

Gender: Female

Specie: Human

Years on Throne: 5 years

The Queen of Reayeria is known to be both strong and beautiful. From her dark skin and eyes to her muscular body is she known to take physically on hands battle in the arena with the guys and even known to beat them without using her magic.

Despite ruling an island there had little to no vegetation inside the country due to the sleeping volcanos there is now covered in ashes, sand and dirt do the Queen handle her country quite well. Her people love her ruling for her optimistic spirit and for her way to handle the country.

She has created a deal with Ardelia where in trade for the Beastmen does her country get food – this makes both sides happy, though as an extra thanks for the food has she promised to assist Ardelia in war due to the treat that Qutetish has against them. Mainly she has also made this promise to protect her own country (And her country’s gold production).

She also has deals with the northwestern neighbors about the fishing in the sea between them – so despite her war getup is she doing fine.

Overall, despite her dislike towards Beastmen does she not execute them unlike her mother.

(In story does Reayeria help Ardelia out in war – and thanks to their help also have a place for the citizens to flee too as Ardelia is losing.)

The King (Or ruler) of the Shuirinian Kingdom:

Age: 43

Magic: Light/Dark

Gender: Intersex

Specie: Human

Years on the Throne: 11 years.

The King – or rather the Ruler of Shuirin is a bit of an odd one for the fact they one of the few intersex humans who doesn’t have orc blood in the lineage.

Shuirin is a human purist country – they even have a hate towards Elven people who else are the part of the evolution before the humans.

Of course as a human purist country does Shuirin hate Ardelia but also for the fact Ardelia holds a lot of farm land right up of the country of Shuirin meaning Ardelia control the foods that Shuirin need since Shuirin is very much a country filled with lots of mountains and snow most of the year.

Despite earlier Kings having hold a peace with Ardelia by selling out the iron and silver they get from the mountains in trade for food does the holding Ruler see this as unfair and that Shuirin all along should have the said farm lands instead of being held “hostage” over a thing like food – this is despite the people living at the said farmlands does not feel like they are Shuirinians and feel like they are Ardelians.

Because of this conflict is there also a treat of war from Shuirin against Ardelia.

(In story do they bomb their own citizens, so their citizen becomes corrupted and turn into monsters to be used as a weapon in war against Ardelia. They do lose against Ardelia but Ardelia does not take over the land they won)

The Majesty of the Silverrootian Dynasty:

Age: 19

Magic: Water/Air

Gender: Female

Specie: Human

Years on the throne: 2 years

The Majesty of the Silverrootian Dynasty has a harsh time with only two years on the throne after her parents left the country in utter chaos. For years had her parents had a smaller war ongoing with the Qutetish Empire where they had done everything to protect the cold islands they own against the greedy Emperor and in the end this left her father to be corrupted and turn into a beastman – something her mother who then sat on the throne demanded to get executed – this left the country in chaos as the people now rebelled against the Royal family and even got as far as killing her mother – the People did actually love her father and threw their dislike towards corrupted humans aside when it was shown that even the most prestige of all humans could be corrupted too.

The Majesty at the age of 17 now took over the throne from her parents on the wish of her people but was inexperienced in anything near ruling and this has left her constantly worried about failing as a ruler.

To her luck though did the King of Ardelia come her to rescue and has for the past two years helped her out – both in protecting her country against the Qutetish Army but also had an advisor down to help her learn how to satisfy her people without being a weak ruler. She’s still nervous though from her past experiences but every day she gets better and a little bit more confident.

(In story she actually goes as far to beginning sending out fleets herself to protect her own country with her own strategies and it actually works out really well for her – so well that she even takes over a little piece of land in the south of Qutetish though losing it 4 years later).

The King of the Dotish Kingdom:

Age: 11

Magic: Neutral/Neutral (Magicless).

Gender: Male

Specie: Human

Years on the Throne: 6 years.

The story of how a child became a ruler is following a bit of a classical line: His parents died in war against the Qutetish Empire.

Quickly after his parents’ death did the Ardelian King come to his rescue as he by the age of 5 wanted to be the King – having always followed his parents around out of admiration. He accepted the help from the Ardelian King and got a personal advisor from Ardelia together with the Ardelian King himself showing up now and then to teach him how to be a proper king.

Now 5 years later is he asked for troubling questions since war seems to be a thing, that he now has to take choices around again. He wants the best for his land and people, but now where he is entering a phase as a ruler where Ardelia won’t protect his lands all the time and with the same power as when he was younger does he need to take important choices by himself – though he does not give up and will take it all very seriously.

Dotish unlike a lot of countries around has never had anything against beastmen at all.

(In story does Dotish lose the protection of Ardelia as Ardelia lose against Qutetish but since Silverroot has taken over the south of Qutetish does he keep on working with Silverroot to have an unified army there can protect their lands together.)

[myvisualist]

Claridge's hotel unveiled today their Christmas tree designed by the legendary Karl Lagerfeld. #myvisualist_inspiration #childhoodmemories #traditions #candlelit #invertedtree #silverroots #reflections #christmastree #thattimeoftheyear #beautiful #christmas #decorations #hotel #interior #festive #season #cantwaitfordecember #claridgeschristmastree #karllagerfeld #design #feelingfestive #claridges #christmas #time #photo via @claridgeshotel

[birbabarba]

#Repost @claridgeshotel (@get_repost) ・・・ Our Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2017 by the legendary Karl Lagerfeld unveiled this morning in our lobby #childhoodmemories #traditions #candlelit #invertedtree #silverroots #reflections #claridgeschristmastree #feelingfestive #claridges 🎄🎄🎄

[perniaspopupshop]

Get your hands SILVER ROOTS new and stunning collection. #silverroots #newcollection #introducing #jewellery #indianfashion #indiandesigners #shopnow #happyshopping

[squidpro-quo]

Water

A/N: Second part of the dragon au just because

Zen swallows as the dragon advances on him, his instincts screaming danger despite the veiled offer to help with his energy problem just seconds before. Ignoring him, the man leans over the sink and splashes his face with water.

“So… is it like a headache or something?” Zen’s curiosity is burning a hole inside him even with the precarious situation he’s faced with. No one’s ever reacted so badly to it, he’s always just been a kind of convenient power station for others and now here was someone who not only seemed to sense its intensity but also didn’t want any part of it.

“No, your massive spillage is not giving me a migraine. What you need to be concerned about is how to tone it down.” He wipes away the droplets clinging to his eyelashes and the tips of his hair without looking at Zen, fist clenched in the washcloth patterned in tiny happy cacti that hangs from Shirayuki’s oven door. In the light through the window, Zen notices a few scales peeking over the edge of his collar, their color close to burnished copper.

Zen takes the moment of silence as an opportunity to try it. He can already tell when his signal’s getting too full, maybe it was a matter of concentrating and pulling it back in towards himself. His fingers twitch as he sucks in a breath and holds it. Reigning it in feels weird, as if he’s attempting to pull his arms into his body like a turtle. His ears start to ring and he’s not sure if that’s his own heartbeat he can hear or something else, but he imagines the range getting shorter and shorter—

“What are you trying to do?” The man steps into his space for the second time in an hour and his pupils are so wide they almost blot out the gold.

“I’m doing what you told me to. Toning it down,” Zen says, getting distracted by the intensity of the man’s gaze lying heavily across him. The first time they’d been this close, he’d been a bit more concerned with who was suddenly grabbing him and hissing in his face but now there’s no malice in the expression except a searing focus and he lets go of the frequency.

“What it felt like you were doing was making it worse. If you bottle it up, it’s only going to gush out stronger. Magic does have a physics to it, as contrary as that sounds.” The man rubs at his neck before he puts on hand squarely on Zen’s chest. He can’t tell if it’s because the man’s a dragon, but it feels unreasonably warm where his fingers rest, even through his shirt.

The man opens his mouth but his words are cut off by the sound of the front door sliding open.

“Zen, I’m almost done, I promise. This moonsage just needs to stew for a bit and then…” Shirayuki trails off as she enters the kitchen with a handful of green, feathered stalks in her hand and shears in the other.

Zen smiles sheepishly, noticing the immediate softening of the man’s posture when he sees her.

“Obi? I thought you were still at work. Is everything okay? You look a little peaked.”

“It’s nothing. Didn’t know you had someone over.” Obi steps back, towards the hallway, and tugs at his scarf as he glances between the two of them. “Are those for Mr. Rudington’s potion?”

“I started it early, just in case it went wrong. His secretary will be by tonight to pick it up, so we can make dinner once she’s gone.”

“Sounds good.” Obi retreats into the hall and with one last look at Zen, leaves with a faint mutter. “I’m going to go take a shower.”

Shirayuki sets the herbs down on the countertop beside her small table cauldron, a pensive set to her brow. Fiddling with the ladle, she stirs for only a second before she stops again.

“Do you want some tea?”

It takes Zen a moment to answer her question but he finally manages a nod.

“I’ll make a pot of silverroot,” she starts rummaging in the cupboard, still murmuring as though thinking aloud, “That’ll be good for chills, coughs, maybe with chamomile for a sore throat... “

Straightening up, she dumps the armful of tea packets onto the sideboard.

“I didn’t think you’d meet Obi today, I was thinking of inviting you over for drinks and introducing you guys then but it seemed like you guys got along fine.”

“I’d still be up for drinks,” Zen adds quickly, helping her sort the teabags into their separate piles. “I might have gotten on his bad side, though. Do you know what he would like? I want to make amends, of a sort.”

Shirayuki shoots him a quizzical look but answers anyway.

“He likes fire whiskey, when he can get his hands on it.”

Zen remembers seeing it on his brother’s shelf, the bottle he’d only ever take down for special occasions. He only tried it once, a tiny shot of it before he left home and he doesn’t remember much afterwards. Even with their limited acquaintance, he supposes he shouldn’t be surprised at Obi’s tastes.

“Fire whiskey it is.”

[vsstudios]

Warrior Cats: Flourishing Colors

Part 3 of 3

DuskClan

Leader: Shadestar

Male

Mate: Midnightmane

Parents: Hollowmist and Owlsoul (deceased)

Deputy: Midnightmane

Female

Mate: Shadestar

Parents: Sleepybranch and Tornflurry (deceased)

Medicine Cat: Crownight

Male

Mate: Ravenbelly

Parents: Sleepybranch and Tornflurry (deceased)

Warriors:

Coalnettle

Male

Mate: Silkyflint

Parents: Grimsea and Sagesky (deceased)

Silkyflint

Female

Mate: Coalnettle

Eelbriar

Male

No Mate

Parents: Grimsea and Sagesky (deceased)

Hoofdust

Female

Mate: Shadowfang

Parents: Hollowmist and Owlsoul (deceased)

Burntmouse

Male

Mate: Darkdove

Shadowfang

Male

Mate: Hoofdust

Parents: Grimsea and Sagesky (deceased)

Darkdove

Female

Mate: Burntmouse

Parents: Grimsea and Sagesky (deceased)

Ravenbelly

Female

Mate: Crownight

Parents: Hollowmist and Owlsoul (deceased)

Apprentices:

Spiderpaw

Female

Mentor: Shadowfang

Parents: Shadowfang and Hoofdust

Becomes Spidercrystal

Beetlepaw

Male

Mentor: Eelbriar

Parents: Shadowfang and Hoofdust

Becomes Beetlestripes

Sootpaw (medicine cat)

Male

Mentor: Crownight

Parents: Burntmouse and Darkdove

Becomes Sootwhisper

Batpaw

Male

Mentor: Darkdove

Parents: Burntmouse and Darkdove

Becomes Batclaw

Kits:

Soilkit

Female

Parents: Eelbriar and unknown

Becomes Soilpaw, then Soilfoot

Onyxkit

Male

Parents: Coalnettle and Silkyflint

Becomes Onyxpaw, then Onyxstream

Inkkit

Female

Parents: Coalnettle and Silkyflint

Becomes inkpaw, then Inkstripe

Oilkit

Male

Parents: Coalnettle and Silkyflint

Becomes Oilpaw, does not make it to being a warrior

Twilightkit

Female

Parents: Shadestar and Midnightmane

Becomes Twilightpaw, then Twilightstone

Ratkit

Male

Parents: Burntmouse and Darkdove

Becomes Ratpaw, then Ratleg

Flykit

Male

Parents: Shadowfang and Hoofdust

Does not make it to apprenticeship

Elders:

Grimsea

Male

Mate: Sagesky (deceased)

Sleepybranch

Male

Mate: Tornflurry (deceased)

Hollowmist

Female

Mate: Owlsoul (deceased)

SnowClan

Leader: Cloudstar

Female

Mate: Flurryoak

Parents: Palerain and Maplepond (deceased)

Deputy: Flurryoak

Male

Mate: Cloudstar

Parents: Smartwind and Quietsweet (deceased)

Medicine Cat: Opalpelt

Female

Mate: Quartzstreak

Parents: Oldair and Slowshine

Warriors:

Creamflower

Female

Mate: Silkyferret

Palerain and Maplepond (deceased)

Quartzstreak

Male

Mate: Opalpelt

Pearltalon

Female

Mate: Ivorydrift

Parents: Oldair and Slowshine

Blizzardstripe

Male

No Mate

Parents: Palerain and Maplepond (deceased)

Dovesight

Female

Mate: Featherflower

Parents: Smartwind and Quietsweet (deceased)

Silkyferret

Male

Mate: Creamflower

Ivorydrift

Male

Mate: Pearltalon

Parents: Smartwind and Quietsweet (deceased)

Featherflower

Female

Mate: Dovesight

Apprentices:

Sleetpaw

Male

Mentor: Cloudstar

Parents: Cloudstar and Flurryoak

Becomes Sleetfang

Hailpaw

Male

Mentor: Flurryoak

Parents: Cloudstar and Flurryoak

Becomes Hailtooth

Cottonpaw (medicine cat)

Female

Mentor: Opalpelt

Parents: Creamflower and Silkyferret

Becomes Cottonclaw

Kits:

Shellkit

Female

Parents: Pearltalon and Ivorydrift

Becomes Shellpaw, then Shellnose

Milkkit

Male

Parents: Creamflower and Silkyferret

Becomes Milkpaw, then Milkeyes

Sparklekit

Female

Parents: Opalpelt and Quartzstreak

Becomes Sparklepaw, then Sparkleblaze

Shimmerkit

Female

Parents: Opalpelt and Quartzstreak

Becomes Shimmerpaw, then Shimmerflare

Saltkit

Male

Parents: Creamflower and Silkyferret

Becomes Saltpaw, then Saltsting

Sugarkit

Female

Parents: Creamflower and Silkyferret

Becomes Sugarpaw, then Sugarsnow

Vanillakit

Female

Parents: Creamflower and Silkyferret

Becomes Vanillapaw, does not make it to being a warrior

Iciclekit

Male

Parents: Blizzardstripe and unknown

Does not make it to apprenticeship

Elders:

Smartwind

Male

Mate: Quietsweet (deceased)

Oldair

Male

Mate: Slowshine

Slowshine

Female

Mate: Oldair

Palerain

Female

Mate: Maplepond (deceased)

StoneClan

Leader: Boulderstar

Male

Mate: Silverroot

Parents: Gravelswift and Mooseberry (deceased)

Deputy: Dustyquartz

Male

Mate: Greydaisy

Parents: Smokeyshade and Shadetree

Medicine Cat: Silverroot

Female

Mate: Boulderstar

Parents: Codbranch and Mossspirit (deceased)

Warriors:

Wolfcloud

Male

Mate: Slatefur

Ashmouse

Male

Mate: Haysmoke

Greydaisy

Female

Mate: Dustyquartz

Parents: Codbranch and Mossspirit (deceased)

Haysmoke

Female

Mate: Ashmouse

Parents: Smokeyshade and Shadetree

Granitesoar

Male

Mate: Marblehare

Parents: Gravelswift and Mooseberry (deceased)

Goosebrook

Female

Mate: Minkwater

Parents: Codbranch and Mossspirit (deceased)

Slatefur

Male

Mate: Wolfcloud

Parents: Gravelswift and Mooseberry (deceased)

Marblehare

Female

Mate: Granitesoar

Minkwater

Female

Mate: Goosebrook

Apprentices:

Riverpaw

Female

Mentor: Goosebrook

Parents: unknown, adopted by Goosebrook and Minkwater

Becomes a rogue named Melody

Thunderpaw

Male

Mentor: Wolfcloud

Parents: Wolfcloud and unknown

Becomes Thunderleap

Steelpaw

Male

Mentor: Slatefur

Parents: Boulderstar and Silverroot

Becomes Steelfoot

Pebblepaw

Female

Mentor: Boulderstar

Parents: Boulderstar and Silverroot

Does not make it to being a warrior

Ironpaw (medicine cat)

Male

Mentor: Silverroot

Parents: Boulderstar and Silverroot

Becomes Ironfang

Troutpaw

Male

Mentor: Minkwater

Parents: unknown, adopted by Goosebrook and Minkwater

Becomes Troutsplash

Sealpaw

Female

Mentor: Ashmouse

Parents: unknown, adopted by Goosebrook and Minkwater

Becomes Sealpelt

Kits:

Gustkit

Male

Parents: Ashmouse and Haysmoke

Becomes Gustpaw, then Gustmane

Dustkit

Male

Parents: Ashmouse and Haysmoke

Becomes Dustpaw, then Dusttail

Rockkit

Male

Parents: Boulderstar and Silverroot

Becomes Rockpaw, then Rockbelly

Stormkit

Female

Parents: Wolfcloud and unknown

Becomes Stormpaw, then Stormthroat

Squirrelkit

Female

Parents: Granitesoar and Marblehare

Becomes Squirrelpaw, then Squirrelhop

Willowkit

Female

Parents: Dustyquartz and Greydaisy

Becomes Willowpaw, then Willowwhisper

Elders:

Smokeyshade

Female

Mate: Shadetree

Shadetree

Male

Mate: Smokeyshade

Gravelswift

Female

Mate: Mooseberry (deceased)

Codbranch

Male

Mate: Mossspirit (deceased)

MudClan

Leader: Woodstar

Male

Mate: Maplesilver

Deputy: Dirtstreak

Male

No Mate

Parents: Dirtyshadow and Hollowlight

Medicine Cat: Chestnuttuft

Female

Mate: Sprucesquirrel

Parents: Peanutstorm and Ashnose (deceased)

Warriors:

Almondember

Female

Mate: Oakbear

Parents: Peanutstorm and Ashnose (deceased)

Oakbear

Male

Mate: Almondember

Maplesilver

Female

Mate: Woodstar

Parents: Dirtyshadow and Hollowlight

Sprucesquirrel

Male

Mate: Chestnuttuft

Petalbark

Female

Mate: Runningbranch

Twigsting

Male

Mate: Smallstick

Smallstick

Male

Mate: Twigsting

Runningbranch

Male

Mate: Petalbark

Apprentices:

Sandypaw

Female

Mentor: Almondember

Parents: Dirtstreak and unknown

Does not make it to being a warrior

Cocoapaw (medicine cat)

Female

Mentor: Chestnuttuft

Parents: Woodstar and Maplesilver

Becomes Cocoafur

Bearpaw

Male

Mentor: Oakbear

Becomes Beartooth

Parents: Almondember and Oakbear

Nutpaw

Male

Mentor: Sprucesquirrel

Parents: Chestnuttuft and Sprucesquirrel

Becomes Nutfall

Muddypaw

Male

Mentor: Dirtstreak

Parents: Dirtstreak and unknown

Becomes Muddywater

Kits:

Cedarkit

Male

Parents: Petalbark and Runningbranch

Becomes Cedarpaw, then Cedarclaw

Cinnamonkit

Male

Parents: Woodstar and Maplesilver

Becomes Cinnamonpaw, does not make it to being a warrior

Walnutkit

Male

Parents: Chestnuttuft and Sprucesquirrel

Becomes Walnutpaw, then Walnutspirit

Pecankit

Female

Parents: Chestnuttuft and Sprucesquirrel

Becomes Pecanpaw, then Pecanheart

Hickorykit

Female

Parents: Petalbark and Runningbranch

Becomes Hickorypaw, then Hickorydusk

Tawnykit

Female

Parents: unknown, adopted by Twigsting and Smallstick

Becomes Tawnypaw, then Tawnythorn

Elders:

Peanutstorm

Male

Mate: Ashnose (deceased)

Dirtyshadow

Male

Mate: Hollowlight

Hollowlight

Female

Mate: Dirtyshadow

BlossomClan

Leader: Lotusstar

Female

Mate: Roseyviper

Deputy: Roseyviper

Male

Mate: Lotusstar

Medicine Cat: Strawberrywind

Female

Mate: Coppermelon

Warriors:

Pigflank

Male

No Mate

Eveningrose

Male

Mate: Carnationcreek

Carnationcreek

Female

Mate: Eveningrose

Coppermelon

Male

Mate: Strawberrywind

Apprentices:

Magentapaw

Female

Mentor: Eveningrose

Parents: Eveningrose and Carnationcreek

Becomes Magentadawn

Fuschiapaw

Female

Mentor: Carnationcreek

Parents: Eveningrose and Carnationcreek

Becomes Fuschiadusk

Sweetpaw (medicine cat)

Male

Mentor: Strawberrywind

Parents: Strawberrywind and Coppermelon

Does not make it to being a medicine cat

Raspberrypaw

Male

Mentor: Coppermelon

Parents: Strawberrywind and Coppermelon

Ends up becoming the new medicine cat apprentice afer death of Sweetpaw, becomes Raspberrysnout

Tulippaw

Female

Mentor: Roseyviper

Parents: Lotusstar and Roseyviper

Becomes Tulipmist

Buddingpaw

Male

Mentor: Lotusstar

Parents: Lotusstar and Roseyviper

Becomes Buddingrose

Kits:

Tunakit

Female

Parents: unknown, adopted by Pigflank

Becomes Tunapaw, then Tunasmoke

Shrimpkit

Male

Parents: unknown, adopted by Pigflank

Becomes Shrimppaw, then Shrimpbreeze

Passionkit

Male

Parents: Eveningrose and Carnationcreek

Becomes Passionpaw, then a rogue named Rage

Peachkit

Female

Parents: Strawberrywind and Coppermelon

Becomes Peachpaw, then Peachdream

Hopekit

Female

Parents: Lotusstar and Roseyviper

Becomes Hopepaw, then Hopeshine

Cheerykit

Male

Parents: Lotusstar and Roseyviper

Becomes Cheerypaw, then Cheeryface

Heartkit

Female

Parents: Lotusstar and Roseyviper

Becomes Heartpaw, then Heartbloom

Budkit

Male

Parents: Eveningrose and Carnationcreek

Becomes Budpaw, then Budshimmer

Elders:

Springthistle

Female

No Mate

BreezeClan

Leader: Clearstar

Male

Mate: Sparklingwater

Deputy: Windyyew

Female

Mate: Breezybranch

Medicine Cat: Shimmerzap

Female

Mate: Oddcrystal

Parents: Speckleeye and Frogpelt (deceased)

Warriors:

Streamsplash

Male

No Mate

Parents: Nightgaze and Aspenstreak (deceased)

Sparklingwater

Female

Mate: Clearstar

Silkypelt

Female

Mate: Owlshine

Parents: Speckleeye and Frogpelt (deceased)

Owlshine

Male

Mate: Silkypelt

Parents: Nightgaze and Aspenstreak (deceased)

Oddcrystal

Male

Mate: Shimmerzap

Breezybranch

Male

Mate: Windyyew

Apprentices:

Diamondpaw

Male

Mentor: Oddcrystal

Parents: Shimmerzap and Oddcrystal

Becomes Diamondfang

Glimmerpaw (medicine cat)

Female

Mentor: Shimmerzap

Parents: Shimmerzap and Oddcrystal

Becomes Glimmerfaith

Windpaw

Male

Mentor: Windyyew

Parents: Windyyew and Breezybranch

Becomes a rogue named Lightning

Kits:

Waterkit

Male

Parents: Clearstar and Sparklingwater

Becomes Waterpaw, then Waterripple

Rainkit

Female

Parents: Clearstar and Sparklingwater

Becomes Rainpaw, then Rainfield

Shinekit

Female

Parents: Silkypelt and Owlshine

Does not make it to apprenticeship

Gustkit

Male

Parents: Windyyew and Breezybranch

Becomes Gustpaw, then Gustleaf

Skykit

Male

Parents: Windyyew and Breezybranch

Becomes Skypaw, then Skyrise

Elders:

Speckleeye

Female

Mate: Frogpelt (deceased)

Nightgaze

Male

Mate: Aspenstreak (deceased)

[atleion]

People who’ve influenced them greatly^^

This is going to be a very long answer, as Atleion’s been greatly influenced by a number of characters, both Player Character and NPC.There are several pivotal moments surrounding these characters that have shaped him into the character he is today --- that being a moody, derpy, walking the line between primitive and modern, aurin teenager who wants to save the world from bad things at all costs.

Because there are two categories I’m inclined to talk about (like a NERD), I’ll start with the Player Characters I feel have impacted him the most, then move on to important / major NPCs who anyone curious is likely to encounter during short story write-ups or references to Atleion’s personal arcs that I’m writing and posting here... Because I decided to explore more of his character than probably advised. But, well. I can’t help it. He’s my aurin child, and I love him. 

I’ll recap some core events in character interactions that sort of explain things, because context is so, so important. I like to let the course of RP events inform Atleion’s relationships and growth. 

This is going to be an extraordinarily long answer to what could probably be a simple thing, so fair warning for the wall of text! 

That said, let’s get started with exploring character relationships and story themes for this dumb superhero-wannabe!

PLAYER CHARACTERS

Rokkvell Warborn (Player: Rokkvell Warborn), Hagroth Barrelrock (Player: Hagroth Barrelrock)

If there are any characters within the community responsible for who Atleion has grown to be, they are Rokkvell Warborn and Hagroth Barrelrock. The two of them essentially make up Atleion’s paternal figures, his Gnoxian dads. He looks to them for guidance and assurance, viewing them not just as the heads of his Free Company, but as the heads of his substitute Village/Tribe/Family.

Both of these Granok are and have been responsible for training Atleion to survive as a ‘soldier waging war’. They’ve taught and shaped his combat and physical conditioning exercises --- and it goes as far as the two helping Atleion cope with the trauma combat weighs on him as a child fighting an adult’s conquest. 

They keep him in line by speaking of honor and pride. Atleion admires each of their strengths, which can often contrast one another significantly. He wants to be like them, and much of Atleion’s internal philosophy is informed / reinforced by things he’s learned or experienced at their side. He has a hard time imagining his life without either of them.

He has a particularly unique bond with Rokkvell Warborn, as the two have encountered one another several times prior to Atleion joining the Free Company life. Through a series of chance meetings, Atleion and Rokk have continued to cross paths across the universe, the first time being on Arboria. Rokk was the Granok who pulled Atleion onto an evacuation ship to ensure he survived. 

It wasn’t until years later, in the present time, that Atleion encountered Rokk again at Stillriver Teahouse, the day before his first mission as an ‘apprentice’ for Keeran Chernikova’s company. Rokk ended up not just at the Teahouse, but on Atleion’s first mission, leading the venture through Malgrave to uncover Dominion experiments. 

As Atleion is very superstitious about the Weave and its capabilities to bring people together, he believes that Rokk in particular is a gift the Weave has led him to for reason he may never be able to understand. The old Granok has saved him time and time again; Atleion views him not just as a father and mentor, but as a hero he’s aspiring to be.Using popular culture references here, if Atleion is Midoriya from My Hero Academia, then Rokk is All Might.

Keeran Chernikova (Player: Keeran Chernikova, @thelostisland-wildstar)

Prior to entering the life of a Free Company soldier, Atleion was a homeless youth living on the streets of Thayd and barely surviving on what measly coin he could scrounge together. He desperately wanted to join FCON, as he saw them as a means to an end (killing Dommies). 

However, as Atleion was a teenager, and one with sometimes clear signs of emotional distress, many of the command within Thayd were not at all interested in letting him become a soldier. They saw it as an ill-advised course of action, and acted as gate keepers preventing Atleion from achieving that thing that he wanted (killing Dommies at the time).

It was within this context that Atleion met Keeran Chernikova on the streets of Thayd. He was trying to sneak a warm place to sleep for the night in the FCON Headquarters section of the city. 

Being not very good at hiding the fact that he was sort of suspicious and stand-offish, Atleion tried to dodge conversation with Keeran. She eventually caught on that he was starving and on the street. Keeran then bought him a sandwich --- which led to, probably, the single most pivotal moment in Atleion’s character development. He would not be the character he is right now had he never had this opportunity presented to him, as his life likely would have taken a very ... Very different turn. 

Keeran offered to let Atleion apprentice with the Free Company she was commanding. This gave him a place to sleep, food to eat, and security. It also meant killing Dommies at the time, buuut let’s just simplify this by saying that he’s learned indiscriminate violence is not in line with his moral identity.

Atleion views Keeran as more than a former commander. He sees her as a Matriarchal figure in a way. She is the one and only person he is willing to call his ‘Boss’, even in her retirement. He credits her with having given him the life he has on Nexus. Which means a great deal to a boy who had nothing to start with, and now feels like he has the world. 

Hawk Brokenweave, Nisha Tuliptree, and their Family (Player: Rocio Silverroot)

Out of everyone Atleion has encountered on Nexus, Hawk, Nisha, and their family have provided the most *normal* setting for Atleion. He cherishes their forest and their family. I’d venture as far as to say that he’s jealous, because enjoying something as simple as dinner at a table isn’t something that’s typical for Atleion. 

Any opportunity Atleion has to venture to their home is one he’s earnest to take. He relishes in the sheer *normalness* he feels when surrounded by their family, and it gives him a sense of composure / nostalgia for things long since gone. 

He tends to view Hawk as something of an older brother figure --- not quite someone he idolizes in the same way he does Rokk and Hagroth, but someone he has come to respect and generally wants to be with. 

Hawk’s wife, Nisha, is like a caring older sister who invited Atleion into their home, even when he caused or causes trouble for them. He sees her kindly --- and Atleion having been doted on as a small child within his village *definitely* eats up such things subconsciously.

In particular, Atleion is very fond of Nisha’s youngest brother, Kewn, as the boy is a similar-aged peer in a world often filled with people far older than Atleion himself. He relates to Kewn, and this is something of a reality check on Atleion at times as he’s watching someone go through similar things as him in a war-torn world. 

Mordecai Redsky ( Player: Rokkvell Warborn )

Mordecai Redsky was a marauder who somewhat plagued Atleion's Free Company. He escaped from their holding cell early into Atleion's 'career', and disappeared into the world after injuring Keeran Chernikova. Some time later, after recovering from his own unrelated injury, Atleion was seeking some personal confidence. So what did he do? He joined an underground fighting circut for a single fight at the behest of a Grund, who paid for his entry fee in exchange for a deal. If Atleion lost or didn't show up for his fight, then the Grund 'owned' Atleion and would sell him. 

Atleion being naive, and, well. Stupid. Agreed to this deal, because there was no way he could possibly lose the fight, right? RIGHT? 

When Atleion went to the fight's location, he ran into Rokkvell Warborn, who had been there for the rough-and-tumble action of the place. Before the two had much time, Atleion was whisked away to the fight awaiting him ... Against not just anything, but an Eldan Construct. A Giant. Robot. 

As Atleion was being manhandled by the giant robot and tossed around like a small plush toy, being, well... An aurin trying to fist-fight a robot ... Rokk got rather concerned because of Atleion's recent recovery from his *coughs* rather severe injury involving his back. 

Rokk intervened in the fight in an attempt to save Atleion from his own poor decision making, and the two fled the city they were in with the less-than-savory crew running the fight club hot on their heels. 

During the chaos, a certain marauder named MORDECAI assumed control of the group of thugs and crooks ... And in doing so acquired ownership of Atleion's now unpaid debt, for Atleion never finished his fight with the Eldan Construct, and thus... Lost. 

WELL. 

A while later, Atleion had all by forgotten the deal he'd made with the Grund and the fight-club, having vowed never to do something so stupid again. Little did he know that MORDECAI was stalking him, the crazy bastard. Mordecai waited for an opportune moment to strike, not just to exact a debt, but to torment Rokk at the same exact time. 

As Atleion was visiting Rokk within his bar, The Frozen Stone, Mordecai and seven of his men stormed the place, heavily armed and prepared. They shot Rokk, incapacitating him, before Mordecai kidnapped Atleion and dragged him away with the intent of selling him on the galactic black market. 

During his time in captivity, Mordecai made sure to mess with poor Atleion. It was so ... So brutal. I don't even need to describe the brutality, so I will not. 

But. Mordecai broke Atleion. 

Atleion was straight up terrified of Mordecai the pirate. 

Fortunately, the cavalry arrived in the form of G N O X I A N  F A T H E R S, Rokk and Hagroth, to save him from his grim ordeal. The two granok beat back Mordecai's men, and Rokk crushed Mordecai like a bug, before the three of them escaped and returned to their home on the Lost Island / Exanite Park. 

WHEW. OKAY. ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

I told this long story, because context is important. Because of Mordecai, and specifically because of Mordecai, Atleion is terrified of pirates. He checks under his bed at night, and checks his door. He slept at The Frozen Stone for a while after the incident because he was afraid Rokk was dead, or that he'd wake up in captivity once again.

Atleion’s very sensitive to the concept of slavery and captivity because of his time coping with this ordeal. He has little to no mercy for its practitioners, and there is no grey zone for him when it comes to Marauders.  

Atleion carries not just emotional marks from his kidnapping, but it's the origin of the barcode on his arm. It was a... Uh... It was a thing. A beautifully fascinating RP event of glory, but man, if there is a single villain on Nexus who has completely and utterly influenced Atleion, it's Mordecai Redsky, the most evil pirate I can imagine. 

Of course. He's dead. Right?

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

Elyia Silverwind

If there is one singular person in the entire universe whom Atleion is most influenced and affected by, it is Elyia. She was his best friend and confident. The two shared a particular bond with one another that was not shared with others, both having been drawn to the Weave in different ways, and both manifesting different aspects of one another. 

In a way, they were considered two halves of a whole. Elyia supported Atleion, and, in turn, Atleion supported Elyia. 

Having been born roughly around the same time, they directly grew up with one another inside of their village’s nursery. Elyia often led Atleion into the forests, or encouraged him to go on his own. The two of them explored every inch of their local woods together. They were nearly inseparable.

When the Ravaging struck, Elyia was the aurin who ensured Atleion survived. She made sure he would have the greatest chance possible of making it to one of the evacuation ships.

Elyia was captured by Chua scientists who were rounding up Espers on Arboria to conduct experiments on. Several years later, those experiments came to light and fruition, and Atleion found himself being the one rescuing Elyia by freeing her from the monstrosity she was made into with the help of his Free Company.

For Atleion, Elyia was a protector. She was wild like the wind, beautiful as the flowers, and braver than any aurin he’d ever known. His decision to become a soldier and fight was directly related to his loss of her, as he wanted the Dominion to hurt as badly as he did.

Atleion’s philosophy has since evolved rather greatly (it’s no longer based on vengeance, but instead on protection. His philosophy is basically ‘I fight because they no longer can, and someone has to stop bad things from happening’), but this was the starting point for him.

Olyro Firethorn

One of Atleion’s peers, Olyro grew up alongside Atleion and Elyia. The boy was fierce, confident, and somewhat of a jerk. Nevertheless, Atleion wanted to be friends with him in some way. He admired something about Olyro in his youth. 

However, Olyro was something of a bully. He hung around Atleion and Elyia, but he regularly poked fun at Atleion by calling him by his ‘title’, Rainsong. As Olyro would say, Rainsong meant that Atleion was a crybaby, a ‘sad, unpleasant noise’, or something pathetic. That wasn’t really true, as it wasn’t the precise meaning intended by Atleion’s name. 

Nevertheless, Olyro’s persistent bullying over it made and has made Atleion somewhat sensitive to being called Rainsong. He doesn’t like it when other people do it, as it feels like they’re doing what Olyro used to do to him. 

Atleion is sensitive to ‘behaving like a coward’ in part because of this bullying, and so a lot of his more reckless behavior stems from a sense of defiance to be counter to what he grew up believing himself to be (a ‘Rainsong’).

Naero Shaderoot

Naero Shaderoot was something of a community organizer for Atleion’s village. He was a consort to Matria Softleaf, and though not a member of the council of Olders (which was primarily made up of women), he was typically responsible for ensuring the council’s wishes and directions were actually carried out. He handled things like hunting pests throughout their territory, leading diplomatic parties as a first-line of contact, and generally, well... Organizing. It was a very busy job for a very busy man.

If whoever is reading this right now has ventured down the rabbit hole that is my storytelling nonsense, they’ve met Naero twice. He was a reoccurring figure throughout Atleion’s life on Arboria --- and his influence is still present in the way Atleion handles certain things or beliefs (such as singing or talking to flowers).

At the age of 12, children within Atleion’s village were supposed to declare a communal path, split into two parties. They could train to become Hunters, or they could train to become Tenders. They would graduate into their communal roles at the age of 16, where they would then be seen as adults were they to pass a Rite of Passage related to their communal role. 

Without spoilering anything for anyone who cares enough to read my dumb stories (because I am a nerd who decided ‘let’s basically write an entire narrative about Atleion’s life leading to Nexus’...), Naero became Atleion’s mentor. Atleion apprenticed under Naero to fulfill his communal role training.

Matria Softleaf

Matria Softleaf was the official Matria for Atleion’s village on Arboria. His village was somewhat peculiar, in that they operated as a collective with a council of elders called The Olders, though Matria Softleaf sat at the top of the council as the final say on tribal / political matters. 

Being, well... The Matria in a collectivist society built on communal roles, Atleion encountered her more than once during his village life. She was a very sage woman who attempted to guide not just Atleion, but all of the village’s children.

Atleion and his friends (Elyia and Olyro) were a particular difficulty for her, as they often caused trouble with or without meaning to. Atleion himself struggled with fitting into communal roles, being more drawn to the wilds --- a fact Matria Softleaf was keenly aware of, and in which she orchestrated events to try and mitigate or cultivate in a healthy manner. 

It wasn’t necessarily uncommon for aurin within Atleion’s community to be like that. They were a very, very old community, somewhat isolated from more mainstream pockets of aurin civilization. As such, they were sort of more ‘wild’ to begin with.

In this sort of context, Matria Softleaf basically spent a good amount of time trying to make sure Atleion would be equipped with the tools he’d need when he grew up.

Though Atleion’s direct interaction with her was very sparse and limited, she was an influential figure during his early years, and is the one who gave him his second name after communing with the Weave (Rainsong is not a last name, it’s like a title given to him. Atleion’s aurin tribe did not do last names, and no one was supposed to share the same name within their community).

The Old Ones

The Old Ones refers to a cultural concept from Atleion’s native tribe. 

Atleion’s village believed that the Weave contained the essence of all things living and all things gone. As such, the great aurin of the past, reaching all the way back to their days as wild animals, were harbored within the Weave. 

His village believed that the Old Ones would guide them down the paths they wished to walk in life, or would help them in times of great strife, so long as they continued the traditions of their ancestors or remained ‘good as the Stars themselves’. 

While on Arboria, Atleion was capable of hearing what amounted to Primal Echoes, though it was a concept he did not fully (and does not fully) understand. His connection to the Weave and his village’s heritage informed this, as he was rather sensitive to this specific aspect of the Weave (he was not / is not capable of Weave Magic or greater Weave abilities, however. This is as far as his Weave connection goes~). Very rarely and sparingly throughout his childhood, Atleion ‘encountered’ the voices of the Old Ones in times of great trouble --- a situation that has begun occurring on Nexus as well, though what he hears on Nexus naturally differs from what he heard on Arboria because of the change in setting.

I’ll avoid spoilers, because this is a concept his short-stories are exploring~ So if it’s something anyone is interested in, it’ll show up a little bit in some of Atleion’s memory write-ups explaining what it is. However, Atleion’s relationship with the Weave and Primal Echoes is responsible for something rather important to his abilities.

Faeli Dawncatcher

Shortly after being roused from Cryo, Atleion was slated to be sent to a peaceful aurin community somewhere in Celestion. That ... Did not happen. Atleion refused to go, and seeing as no one could really make him go live with a peaceful aurin community, he ended up on the streets of Thayd, unable to truly speak Galactic common, and with very little to no understanding about the world he found himself in. 

In canters Faeli Dawncatcher, a young aurin woman who took it upon herself to ‘care’ for the street urchins and downtrodden within the capital city of Thayd. She scooped Atleion up into her little gang of youthful misfits --- and under her direction, Atleion pickpocketed, stole, and waged conflict with rival gangs of teens and children within the city for survival. 

She helped him adjust to life in Thayd. While Atleion was a part of her group, he wasn’t necessarily thriving, but he was surviving. 

Unfortunately, Atleion had a falling out with Faeli specifically over his great interest in joining FCON. Faeli saw this obsession as a threat to her gang, as, clearly, they were not on the greatest terms with the FCON sentries patrolling the streets of the capital city. 

Faeli kicked Atleion out of her gang, and that was the event that led towards his life spiraling, and his inevitable encounter with Keeran Chernikova. 

The Speedster

The Speedster is an aurin comic book character. Graced with incredible speed, magic, and armed with rocket boots to help him fly, the Speedster protects the fictional city of Megalopolis from crime, war, and decimation. 

This is Atleion’s favorite comic book character. There is nothing better than the Speedster. Atleion admires the way he always exacts justice upon the ‘bad guys’ with child-like naivety. It’s not uncommon for Atleion to reference The Speedster, or to compare people, things, and actions to the fictional hero. 

Atleion actually wears goggles during combat in part because the Speedster himself does. They’re utilitarian (protecting Atleion’s eyes from the bright light of his spellcasting), but they’re also a direct reference to his love for this fictional comic book character. 

Atticus Stormsinger (Rokkvell Warborn’s Creation)

Atticus Stormsinger was an aurin soldier who served alongside Rokkvell Warborn at some point within the past. He was a skilled Spellslinger, who designed the weapons Atleion uses in current events (a pair of mag-pistols made to store and release large amounts of Spellpower, named the Tempests). 

Atleion firmly believes that Atticus was the greatest Spellslinger to ever live. He wears Atticus’ jacket (Rokk gave it to him), and wields the guns that aurin designed, like a pair of large shoes he needs to fill some day. 

The two have parallels with one another in personality, values, and very likely combat style. (I am hypothesizing on this point~ However, Atticus has become something of a reoccurring theme himself, being Rokkvell’s “first Atleion that didn’t make it”).

... I hope that was at least interesting to read! Looking at it, I feel like I just dropped a novel to answer a question.

[colour-me-robot]

Story of My Life

He’d come to the wall to simply look, wanting to take in the changes to his world, changes that still amazed him. The wasteland of his childhood was barely visible to his weakened eyes; a receding shadow slowly being overtaken by a carpet of colour: reds, yellows, blues, bright flowering patterns that waved lazily against a backdrop of green. There was water out there, flowing in a bright ribbon through the green of grass and flowering plants, hidden beneath copses of trees twice again Shockwave’s height dotting the landscape, only to emerge again to tumble over half-hidden crevasses left over from the scorched earth that had met his eyes daily so many years ago.

He had no memory of what the ravages of the War had done to Cybertron. He saw the leftovers now; even now faint hints of Iacon’s greenery-covered ruins glinted in the afternoon sunlight, the broken pieces of a world shattered flickering in the corners of his eyes as vines and flowers grew to cover them, a bedecked grave site for things no one would truly talk about with him.

Instead, Shockwave had the memories of childhood. When Cybertron’s oceans were myths, reduced to mere puddles that took days to get to, and were so salty that to let it touch you was to invite rust before the day was out. When surface water was unheard of, and scarce, rapidly-falling aquifers were closely-guarded secrets to prevent the populace from stealing water that should have been free. When the only plants he ever saw were dead or dying trees in pots that lined too few walkways, scrubgrass that lived only in labs, and flowers were cryptids he’d only ever seen in picture books. When turbofoxes and glitch-mice were the only animals he’d ever seen in the wild, with what few cybersnakes and other creatures he knew existed being confined to his father’s lab. A planet that never had rain; Shockwave hadn’t even known what rain was until it had poured the other night, frightening him until someone explained why water was suddenly just dropping from the sky. Where rations were simply a fact of life, and he remembered going hungry more than once simply because there wasn’t enough to feed everyone all at the same time. That was when coffee had become his ‘best friend’. Easy to synthesize, lacking almost all nutritional value, still yet it filled your belly and gave you false energy for the days when Synthergon made you too sick and Energon was simply too expensive.

It seemed that was all in the past, and in more than one way. Fields of windrye waved cheerily on the other side of Metroplex, along with gardens full of silverroot and the newly-created, punnily-named ‘heartbeets’, surrounded by camfruit trees in full fruit. All of it fed by clear water and giant deposits of Energon that, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be growing at the same rate as the plant and animal life it fed.

Shockwave could stand here on the wall and count more living species than he’d ever seen in his life, all without moving an inch. He could feel the sun on his face and still yet be able to smell the rain that was probably going to come again tonight; the faint breeze bringing the scent with it from the west. He could stare out at the receding wasteland and just barely make out the line of dry, cracked earth that was succumbing to the reaching green fingers of life growing over everything.

He’d only been ‘awake’ a month or so. His memory of six million years of war had not yet returned, though he still assumed it would. He had only the memories of being young, a newly-appointed Senator with a fledgling Academy as a safe haven for other Outliers like him, a newly-developed Endura that he loved more than life,  a chip on his shoulder stemming from the blatant classism and functionalism that ran rampant in the Senate, and internal conflict between his natural shyness and the need to speak up, to right the wrongs he saw every day; a conflict he had not yet mastered when his memory simply...ended...only to restart again a month ago, with a headache and stumbling out of a greenhouse with no idea how he’d gotten there.

All of this was too new. Too exciting. Too...alive. He wanted to go out there, to go beyond the wall surrounding Metroplex and walk through the grass. To see the animals that flitted in and out of his vision from up here, to watch them thrive. He wanted to get close to the faint frog-song he could just barely hear from up here on the parapets, to watch the electro-toads croak and try to drown out the tiny, glittery peepers Solus had shown him not too long ago, before she released another hatching of them into the wild. He wanted to go out there, to walk to the edge of the wasteland, to see with his own eyes that the Cybertron he once knew was truly being replaced by this wild, green planet overflowing with life. He wanted to see for himself that the cities he once knew, had read about, had traveled to in a few cases, were truly gone; that Metroplex was the only one ‘left’, minus what little communities the traveling Velocitronian colonists had set up. He wanted to satisfy his wonder beyond what he felt here on the wall, standing on his tiptoes just to see over the parapets. 

Most of all, though, Shockwave really wanted to just ask Optimus to go with him. He was still getting used to the idea that his beloved Pax was now the Prime, had changed his name with the taking of the Matrix, though he was still Pax. He understood all too well how much his Endura had to work, and he was reluctant to ask for something so...selfish; to take a day and just go beyond the wall seemed almost impossible, though he knew Pax would not let him go by himself. He’d already been told to stay inside where it was safe, so he wouldn’t get lost, get hurt, without any memories to guide him.

But gods, how he wanted to ask. To take Pax and just...go. Explore. Spend the night outside the walls, under the stars that were no longer shrouded by a haze of pollution that couldn’t be filtered, since there was practically no plant life. To spend the day looking and the night listening, letting the sights and sounds of growing overabundance become overwhelming until he had to shield himself against his Endura for fear of bursting. To get away from the city, from the reminders that his people were almost all gone, that something still wasn’t right and no one would tell him what, and simply be for a day. Be the two of them, exploring and imagining as they should have been able to when they were as young as Shockwave remembered them being, instead of trapped in a teeming city that was equally as desolate as the landscape surrounding them, if for different reasons.

Shockwave’s hands, shaky as ever, tightened slightly on the rough stones of the parapets, teal blue eyes wandering over the ground below as he thought of this. He let traces of longing come to his face as he kept his back turned to the glistening, still too-empty living city behind him, his wings parting into six delicate, butterfly-patterned things that tinted the sunlight shining on him, lending more credit to his desire to be out there, just for a day. But he wasn’t selfish enough to ask. Perhaps the self he couldn’t remember, tempered by six million years of war and working alongside Op -- because he simply couldn’t imagine being anywhere else during the War -- would have been brave and selfish enough to ask it, to demand it, possibly, to get Pax out of the office and gone for an entire day, just with him, outside...but he didn’t remember that Shockwave. All he had was himself...and he couldn’t ask.

But he could wish. And that is what he was doing when his comm rang with a familiar, soft love song that let him know immediately who was calling him.

[touchh-me]

SOJA playing at the Silver Roots Concert in Puerto Rico ft. my 18th birthday