#snap;rhia

[freddiekolbeck]

too engrossed in searching his own name on twitter, freddie has barely looked up from his phone. growing impatient as he shuffles around on the spot, even though he has nowhere else to be. it's only when the barista calls out the name 'rhia' that his head snaps up in the direction of a girl who seems to have finally, at least visually, come back down from bullshit mountain. "wow," he says, lowly dragging out the word as he steps out from the queue and approaches rhia. "don't you look different, i barely recognised you." and she'd been standing right in front of him! "what is this, you're missing your master?"

@rhia-falla

[supernovaslut]

Track 1: RHIANNON

Joel Miller x OC

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: MDNI, cursing, canon typical violence, guns, minor character deaths, Joel being Joel

A.N. – This series will be based off the show to make my life easier, but you can imagine either Joel in the story. I'll be using gifs of them interchangeably. All chapter titles are based off of Fleetwood Mac songs that match the story, Joel and Rhia’s relationship, or both. Rhiannon is pronounced Ree-an-uhn. Rhia is pronounced Ree-uh.

Masterlist ~ Next Chapter

“She is like a cat in the dark And then she is to darkness She rules her life like a fine skylark And when the sky is starless All your life you've never seen Woman taken by the wind Would you stay if she promised you heaven? Will you ever win?”

The sun was setting. After a day’s trek through the forest, Joel and Ellie had finally gotten far enough for Joel to allow them to rest.

The pair sat against adjacent trees, not a word shared between them save for a “This way” or a “Shh” from Joel whenever he heard a strange noise. They were both still reeling from Tess’ sacrifice that morning.

“So who’s Rhia?” Ellie asked after a blissful 6 hours of silence.

“A friend,” Joel answered curtly.

“Tess said-” Ellie started.

“Don’t. Finish your sandwich, we’re almost there,” Joel said, shoving the rest of his measly protein bar in his mouth and standing. He checked his gun was loaded with the safety off for the 15th time that day, nerves shooting through him when so much as a twig snapped.

It wasn’t even fully because of Tess. No, he’d spent most of the day thinking about that and would probably spend the next month doing the same. Right now, though, right now he was nervous to see her again. They hadn’t seen each other in over a year and he knew she wouldn’t be keen to see him tonight, if she was even still alive. But he wasn’t anxious over her impending wrath, he was worried she may not be there at all. It had been so long without a word, but Joel knew that was his own fault.

A couple hours later, Joel spotted the house. It was more of a cottage in the middle of the woods, ivy overgrown, nature slowly reclaiming its fallen brothers, sticking to every inch of the wooden structure. The windows were all drawn shut, including the large circular one set as far up along the front wall as it could get. Joel paused, stopping Ellie beside him by simply sticking an arm out.

“What?”

“Shh,” he cut her off, pulling out his gun. He slowly walked to the front door, Ellie quietly following behind. For all of Ellie’s brashness, she knew when to shut up.

Joel knocked on the door. They waited. He knocked again. Nothing. He tried the handle and the door swung right open. Joel went into full defense mode, keeping Ellie behind him and holding his gun up and ready. They stepped into the house, Joel checking every nook and cranny, opening every door. They made their way through the living room and towards the kitchen.

As Joel stepped through the archway, he heard a gun cock and metal press to the side of his head. Ellie gasped, freezing in place. Joel’s eyes followed the gun down to pale, sun spotted hands up the arms and there she was.

The dusting of freckles across her soft nose, the round lips pointed up in the center, eyes brown as bark to match the fiery red hair loose over her shoulders, knots and twigs snagged in the bloody waves like she’d come straight from the forest. Their eyes met and the girl’s brows shot up, lip parting in shock until finally—

“Joel?”

· · ─────── ·⌖· ─────── · ·

*5 years ago*

“Joel?”

“Joel, you hear me?” Bill asked again, waving a hand in front of Joel’s face.

“Oh, I heard you. I just must’ve heard wrong, ’cause I thought you said you brought someone new for this run,” Joel said, arms crossed as he stood in front of Bill in his living room.

Frank and Tess were out in the garage, filling the truck with supplies for the short trip. They were headed a couple hours south to trade guns with some fireflies for food, medicine, and drugs … though medicine and drugs were often the same thing. “She’s good. Tested them myself when I watched ’em sneak in, take some food and a painting from the art shop down the road, and leave,” Bill said, smiling like a little shit.

“Oh, ’cause a thief is exactly what we need on a smuggling run,” Joel said sarcastically.

“What’s exactly what we need on a smuggling run?” Tess asked, wiping her hands on her pants as she walked into the house.

“Tess, you hear this shit? Bill’s having us bring some stranger with us,” Joel said, looking to Tess for backup.

“Yeah, I heard. It’ll be fun,” Tess said. Bill let out a chuckle he quickly masked as a cough when Joel snapped his head in his direction.

“We get backstabbed and killed, it’s on you,” Joel said, pointing at Bill before stalking off.

Joel walked out the front door, huffing as he made it down the front lawn to the middle of the street. He looked down the road to the only entrance or exit and saw a figure standing in front of it, covered in shadows from the backlit sun. Not behind it in the outside world, they were in front of it, inside the neighborhood.

Joel pulled out his gun, yelling down the road, “You move, I shoot. Who the hell are you?”

The figure put their hands up, walking forward. Joel didn’t shoot.

“Who the hell are you? Where’s Bill? He told me to come,” the figure called, Joel recognizing a woman’s voice. He kept the gun up as she approached.

“Joel, put the damn gun down,” he heard Tess call from the front lawn, Bill and Frank following close behind.

“Rhiannon! Welcome,” Frank called, waving at her. She waved back, close enough now so Joel could really see her. She was young, not a child, but not nearly as old as him or the rest of his group. Early-mid twenties, if he had to guess. She had long, bright red hair that burned a halo around her in the sunlight. She wore a white tank top, a bomber jacket over it to keep her warm from the late fall weather. She wore sunglasses and beat up high tops, pushing the former up her face and back into her hair as she came to a stop in front of Joel and the others, using it like a headband. Joel didn’t realize he had lowered his gun until that moment.

“Hi,” she said, looking at Bill and Frank.

“Rhiannon, this is Tess and Joel,” Frank said, politely. Joel tried his damndest to keep his eyes from rolling, settling for a deep sigh instead.

“Please,” she smiled, looking at Tess. Her eyes flicked to Joel’s, curiosity and suspicion swirling in her wood-colored eyes,  “Call me Rhia.”

· · ─────── ·⌖· ─────── · ·

*Now*

“Rhia,” Joel grunted, waiting for her to put the gun down. Instead, she pressed it further against his head, brows dropping as her lip curled into a snarl.

“Joel,” she said, voice low, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I thought you said she was a friend,” the young girl frozen behind him said.

“Who’s the kid?” Rhia asked, motioning to her with her gun without pointing it at her.

“Cargo.” “I’m Ellie,” Joel and Ellie said at the same time.

“Can you put the gun down?” Joel asked exasperatedly.

“No,” Rhia said, tilting her head to the side, “Why are you here?”

“We need your help, apparently,” Ellie spoke up, gaining confidence and walking around the living room, examining the framed photos on the fireplace mantel. Rhia sighed and lowered the gun, resting it against the fridge. Joel relaxed as well, putting his gun back in its holster.

“Whatever it is, find someone else to do it. I’m busy,” Rhia said, walking past Joel and into the living room.

“What could you possibly be busy with?” Joel scoffed.

“Doing anything but helping you,” Rhia smiled, sitting on the couch. The house was cleaner than Ellie expected. From what the outside looked like, she expected the inside to be as dilapidated and abandoned, but this house looked lived in. The living room was clean, with plants growing on every surface. Odd knick knacks, like glittery rocks, a painting of a sad clown, or a nutcracker with a missing arm, filled the gaps.

“You have a cat?!” Ellie asked excitedly, holding up a bag of cat treats.

“Used to,” Rhia looked pointedly at Joel, “died a few months ago.” She looked back at Ellie, “One of the very few beings to live a full life nowadays.”

“How long have you lived here?” Ellie asked, running her finger along the ridges of a geode. Rhia looked back at her and huffed out a breath as she counted in her head.

“6, maybe 7 years now,” she finally said.

“You from around here?” Ellie asked.

“No. You ask a lot of questions, kid,” Rhia chuckled.

“She does,” Joel sighed. Rhia’s smile dropped hearing his voice, her head turning back to face him with a dark look in her eyes.

“I’m not gonna help. Whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it or you,” Rhia said, standing, “Ask Tess or somethin’.” Rhia began to walk away again when–

“Tess is dead,” Joel said, as if he were simply telling her the weather. Rhia froze midstep, her back to Joel. Ellie stopped playing with whatever tchotchke she’d found and looked somberly between Rhia and Joel.

“What happened?” Rhia asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Joel stood silently, unable to force the words out. Ellie spoke up for him, “She was bitten. She sacrificed herself so we could get away.”

Rhia took a deep breath, her back still facing the pair. Tears hung for dear life on the edges of her lashes as she took a deep breath, forcing herself back into composure. She spun around, facing Joel and Ellie who stood side by side by the fireplace.

  “It’s dark out. You can stay for the night, but I want you both gone by morning,” Rhia said before spinning back around and heading up the stairs.

“Well, that went well,” Ellie said after a moment, “What’d you do to her, man?” Joel looked gruffly at Ellie, his eyes hardened.

“We leave at first light,” he said and then stalked off in the opposite direction of Rhia, leaving Ellie alone in the living room.

“Great. Cool. I’ll just sleep on the couch then, yeah?” Ellie called out to no one in particular.

“No.”

Ellie jumped, turning to see Rhia holding a pillow and blanket in her arms.

“Follow me,” she said and went back up the stairs. Ellie grabbed her backpack and followed her, no longer caring where Joel had gone. She wanted to follow the cool chick that put the moody, old man in his place.

She followed the woman down a hallway where she opened a closet. Ellie watched her fiddle with something on the ceiling and then a hatch opened, Rhia pulling a foldout ladder from the opening. She climbed up; Ellie followed suit.

When Ellie’s head popped through the hole, her eyes went wide. The attic was decorated as half a cozy bedroom and half a supply bunker. Stacks of canned food formed a castle, figurines placed on top and around like a living kingdom. Fairy lights were strung around the room, illuminating it in a soft glow. Two twin mattresses were pressed against each other by the window, forming one large bed. Rhia walked over and pulled the comforter back, pushing one twin mattress to the side and dropping the pillow and blanket she’d been holding onto it.

“You’ll sleep here. I’ll be right next to you. Not ’cause I don’t trust you, even though I really don’t, but because I don’t trust what’s out there. You’ll be safer up here,” Rhia said, gesturing to the bed.

“Where will Joel sleep?” Ellie asked.

“Down in the master bedroom. He can fend for himself,” Rhia shrugged, grabbing a can of vienna sausages and cracking it open. She popped one in her mouth.

“So, why do you hate him?” Ellie asked, putting her bag down by the makeshift bed and sitting on the mattress.

Rhia laughed, waving a sausage around, “God, where do I start?”

· · ─────── ·⌖· ─────── · ·

*5 Years Ago*

Joel sat in the driver’s seat of the car, one hand on the wheel watching the trees zoom past. Tess was knocked out in the backseat, having switched spots with Rhia when they stopped to fill the truck with gas. Rhia sat in the passenger seat, reading a book. Neither her or Joel had spoken a word to each other since getting in the car.

Rhia sighed, closing her book, and turned to Joel, “So how’d you meet Bill and Frank?”

Joel said nothing, didn’t even shift in his seat.

“Ya know, if we’re gonna work together, you’re gonna have to talk to me at some point.”

Still nothing.

“Ok, what’s your deal, man?”

Joel scoffed, “My deal is that Bill and Frank thought bringing a kid on this run was a good idea.”

“I’m not a kid,” Rhia huffed, crossing her arms, “I’m 24.”

Joel let out a humorless laugh, “Oh, yeah you really showed me!”

“Listen, grandpa, just cause my joints don’t creak when I stand up doesn’t mean I ain’t useful on the job,” Rhia said. Joel pursed his lips in annoyance at the “old man” comment.

“Listen,” Rhia started, turning her body towards Joel, “We got off on the wrong foot … or rather the wrong end of the gun. I-”

“Look, I don’t care to know a thing about you and you don’t need to know a thing about me. We do the job, we get back, and then we go our separate ways. Good? Good,” Joel said, leaving no room for conversation.

Rhia rolled her eyes, opening her book again, “Whatever, old man.”

· · ─────── ·⌖· ─────── · ·

*Now*

“He’s selfish. He’s standoffish. He’s rude. He doesn’t like bananas which is such a red flag. He-” Rhia sighs, wiping a hand down her face, “Look for all the shitty things he is, you’ve got a good bodyguard for wherever you guys are going. He’s deadly with any sort of weapon and protective of whoever he’s with. You’ll be safe with him.”

“You could come, too,” Ellie said.

Rhia shook her head, “It’s not a good idea … Where are you guys even headed? Why’s he lugging a kid along?”

Ellie was quiet for a long moment, debating whether to tell her. She looked up at the woman, face illuminated in the faint glow of the lights, her oversized shirt basically swallowing her. She knew deep down that she could trust her, especially if Joel was willing to ask her for help.

“I’m … special,” Ellie started, “Joel’s taking me to the Fireflies in Colorado.”

“Joel? Crossing the country with a kid for the Fireflies? You must be real fuckin’ special, kid,” Rhia shook her head, then paused. No, she thought, it wasn’t possible. She looked at Ellie who looked back at her as if to say, yes, it is.

“Show me,” Rhia said, sitting on the other mattress, facing Ellie.

Ellie hesitated before pulling back her right sleeve, revealing the gnarled scar of the Infected bite. Rhia froze, her breath caught in her throat and she felt like she could vomit. She reached a hand out and lightly traced a finger down the scar. She looked up wide-eyed at Ellie who looked back with equal parts fear and hope.

Rhia opened her mouth to speak, closed it, opened it again, “I’m thirsty. You thirsty? I’ll get us some water.”

“But there’s water bottles right-” Rhia was down the ladder before Ellie could finish.

· · ─────── ·⌖· ─────── · ·

*5 Years Ago*

Tess, Joel, and Rhia stood opposite six Fireflies, each group’s goods being checked by the receivers. Two men checked the guns Joel’s team had brought while Tess checked to make sure everything they ordered was there.

Rhia looked at one of the men guarding the two checking. He was tall, buff, and had a hand resting on his holstered gun. He looked between Joel and his men checking the boxes of guns.

“Do I know you?” Rhia asked, pointing at him. Joel stiffened beside her. God, what is this girl doing? he thought.

“No you don’t,” the man said, curtly, turning his attention back to the guns.

“Yeah. I do. God, where was it?” Rhia asked herself, putting a hand to her lips in thought. She knew she knew that face from somewhere. Somewhere bad.

“Rhia,” Joel warned from beside her.

“No, I definitely know you … Jersey QZ! Last spring, I think,” Rhia said, triumphantly. Joel noticed the men freeze.

“Yeah,” Rhia continued, “That’s where it was. You shot a dude in the face right after your buddies next to ya settled a deal. You’re not fireflies. You’re raiders.”

At Rhia’s words, everyone pulled their guns out, aiming for someone on the opposite team. Three guns were pointed at Joel, two at Tess, the last was the man Rhia had recognized, pointing his gun right between her eyes.

“Now, fellas, we don’t need to make a scene here,” Tess said before shooting the two front men.

Joel shot the man aiming for Rhia as Rhia shot two that aimed for Joel. The last one turned his gun on Rhia who was too busy making sure Tess and Joel were in the clear.

Joel noticed at the last second, yelling, “Rhia, down!” before shooting the man in the head, his gun firing as Rhia ducked to the side.

The bullet whizzed past, slicing her upper arm. She hit the ground with a thud, a hiss of pain leaving her lips as she clutched her arm.

“Joel, grab her and let’s get the fuck outta here,” Tess commanded, tossing the boxes of guns, food, and medicine into the bed of the truck.

Rhia sat up as Joel approached, holding a hand out for her to take. She looked between his hand and his face, before letting go of her bloody arm and grabbing his hand, letting him help pull her up.

“Thanks,” Rhia muttered, turning to one of the boxes of medicine to grab some gauze and wrap it around her arm. “Wouldn’t need to thank me if you weren’t so fucking reckless,” Joel accused.

“Excuse me?” Rhia asked incredulously, pausing her messy first aid attempt.

“You heard me. You put our lives at risk with your big mouth,” Joel doubled down, putting his hands on his hips like a disappointed father.

“Oh, I’m sorry? We’d be fucking dead if I hadn’t recognized that dude!” Rhia pointed out.

“If you hadn’t brazenly announced it, we could’ve had the upper hand!” Joel fought back.

“And how was I supposed to tell you guys? Fuckin’ foot tapping Morse code?!” Rhia yelled, fed up with this asshole.

“Hey!” Tess yelled from the truck, “Can you two shut the fuck up and get in the truck? There’s bound to be more of them on the way … and Joel, help her wrap that up. Bill will kill us if we get bloodstains on the seats.” “I don’t need his fucking help,” Rhia grumbled, using her teeth to tie the gauze. It was a messy fix, blood already seeping through the thin wrapping of gauze.

“Oh, yeah. I can see that,” Joel said, grabbing a bottle of rubbing alcohol and more gauze.

He grabbed her arm forcefully, pulling her close disregarding Rhia’s complaints. He unwrapped the haphazard gauze wrap, opened the rubbing alcohol bottle with his teeth, and poured some on the wound.

Rhia held in a yelp of pain and settled for a teeth clenched grunt. The last thing she wanted was to look even weaker in front of Joel than he already thought she was. Why she cared about what he thought, she didn’t know. She just knew she wanted to prove him wrong.

When Joel was done, she pulled her arm away and stomped off to the car, sliding into the backseat. Joel watched her walk off, the anger seeping away and leaving room for something else, something he didn’t recognize. He gets into the driver’s seat, Tess keeping a lookout from the passenger seat. He drove away, getting a view from the rearview mirror of Rhia splayed out across the seats, staring up at the ceiling.

· · ─────── ·⌖· ─────── · ·

*NOW*

Rhia stumbled down the stairs, the steps blurring as Rhia’s mind raced. She’d heard plenty of false alarms of a vaccine or a cure. For all she knew, Ellie just got lucky, or maybe Rhia would wake up tomorrow to a snarling infected Ellie chomping at her neck.

Her imagination didn't run too wild. As Rhia rounded the corner to the kitchen, she ran into Joel, coming from the living room. They stopped in the hallway, having no choice but to confront the roadblock.

“Rhia,” Joel started. “She’s immune,” Rhia said, looking at the ground.

Joel pursed his lips. He’d told Ellie not to tell anyone, but if she was going to blab at least it was to Rhia.

“She is,” Joel confirmed.

“You’re insane,” Rhia said, meeting his eyes, “What do you think you’re gonna find out there? What do you think the fuckin’ Fireflies are gonna be able to do?”

Joel sighed, “Marlene said-” Rhia laughed, “Oh, Marlene said? And since when do you do anything for Marlene?”

“I didn’t want to. Tess did,” Joel said simply.

Rhia stood straighter, looking past Joel’s shoulder down the dark hall. She bit her bottom lip, willing the tears to stay inside. Years later and she still wanted to look strong to him.

“Can you please move?” Rhia said, voice steady, eyes empty.

Joel hesitated, then stepped to the side, letting her pass. Rhia walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Bill had helped her set up the power and water in the house about a month after the first job.

She grabbed a water bottle, tossed the lid, and chugged the whole damn thing. She grabbed another and turned around, looking through the kitchen island window to see Joel laid out on the couch, one leg hanging off.

Rhia closed her eyes, sighed, opened them. She looked at Joel and reached a hand up to the familiar scar on the outside of her left arm.

She said, barely above a whisper, “You should sleep in the bedroom.”

Joel sat up, turning to face her.

Rhia nodded her head towards the stairs, “C’mon. ’Fore I change my mind.”

Joel stood, following her up the stairs and to the bedroom. She stepped in, walking to the dresser and leaning against it. Joel dropped his bag by the foot of the bed.

“You know,” Rhia started, Joel turning to face her, “I had just gotten used to  the fact that I’d be alone here for whatever was left of my life … and then Bill recruited me. I thought it would be a one time kinda thing, but you were so fucking insufferable I wanted to come back just to press your buttons.”

Joel could do nothing but watch her. He’d shut down when Tess died. He couldn’t let himself feel it. He didn’t want to feel this, either.

“What do you want me to say, Rhiannon?” Joel asked, hands on his hips.

Rhia scoffed, shaking her head, “You left. Without a word. And you didn’t leave any piece of you behind except this,” she pulled a red plaid shirt out of the dresser and threw it at him. He caught it blindly.

“There. Now when you leave in the morning I can finally be rid of you,” she slammed the door as she left, leaving him alone in the darkness.

Rhia stormed down the hallway and up the ladder, stopping at the mouth of the attic to see Ellie asleep on the mattress, back facing her. Rhia tiptoed to her bed and turned off the lights. She stared up at the ceiling, tears welling in her eyes and she’d lost the strength to stop them.

“The last thing Tess said,” Ellie suddenly said, causing Rhia to turn her head, Ellie’s back still facing her, “The last thing she said was, ‘Find Rhia. Make things right. Save who you can save.’ I don’t know what he did, but I think that’s something worth trying.”

Rhia said nothing. She stared at Ellie’s back, watching the slow rise and fall of her breathing until she herself fell into slumber.

· · ─────── ·⌖· ─────── · ·

*5 Years ago*

“That’s the last of it,” Tess said as she placed a crate of guns on the dining table.

“Is it bad to say this was a good run? Ya know, we didn’t have to pay,” Frank said.

Tess smirked, “Yeah, well don’t go telling them that.” She nodded at Joel and Rhia ignoring each other in the front lawn.

“Other than the whole shootout, how’d she do? Think we can bring her on more deals?” Frank asked.

“She did fine to me. She’s young, but I can see she’s been in these kinds of situations before. Good luck convincing Joel, though,” Tess said, sighing at the end.

“He’ll do whatever you tell him to do,” Frank countered. Tess watched Rhia turn to Joel and offer him a cigarette. He took it, standing beside her to let her light it. She said something. He replied. She left.

“Not always,” Tess said, watching Joel watch Rhia leave.

· · ─────── ·⌖· ─────── · ·

Rhia stood across the lawn from Joel, smoking a cigarette. They had finished unloading the truck as the sun started to set.

“Rhia, you staying for dinner?” Bill called from the grill.

“No thanks, Bill. Got to get home. Got a cat to feed,” Rhia replied, smiling at him. She let her eyes wander to Joel who stood like a scarecrow on a field, watching the perimeters for any raiders that may have followed them back.

“Want a smoke?” Rhia asked, holding up the pack.

Joel looked between her and the box and said, “Sure.”

She handed him a cigarette and lit it for him. They now stood hardly a foot apart. Rhia inhaled the cigarette deeply and held it for a few seconds before letting it out, watching the smoke dance up to the sky.

“Well,” Rhia said, looking out at the horizon, “Hope I never see you again.”

Joel huffed humorously, “Likewise.”

Rhia nodded and walked away, her backpack bouncing with each step. Joel watched her leave, that strange feeling mingling with the smoke in his lungs.

· · ─────── ·⌖· ─────── · ·

*Now*

As the sun crept over the horizon the next morning, Ellie and Joel stocked up their bags with supplies. Rhia hadn’t left her room, opting to feign sleep as Ellie rose and gathered her stuff.

Ellie and Joel stood at the front door, ready to head off.

“Think she’ll come?” Ellie asked.

Joel sighed and shook his head, “No, I-”

Before he could finish, he looked through the door to see Rhia coming down the stairs, dressed and wearing her backpack. Ellie and Joel stared at her.

“What?” Rhia asked them, stepping out and closing the door.

“You’re coming?” Ellie asked hopefully.

Rhia smiled sadly, “Yeah, I- There’s nothing left for me here, anyways. Hasn’t been for a long time.” She looked at Joel.

He stared back, surprised at how relieved he was that she was coming.

“Well,” he started, “If we’re going, let’s go. We’re burning daylight.” He walked off.

Ellie and Rhia looked at each other as if to say This is gonna be a long trip. Oh, how little they knew. They stepped down the porch and followed Joel into the woods.

[william-m-lucipher]

I xanr fuckinf do rhia because Ford is in my brain and he never comes out (because he's a recluse) but I'm so scared with the recent book coming out he's gonna pop out. And I think he would snap and start killing people. I have no room in my fucking house the book is right next to me on my nighttable when I go to bed at night he's going to wakeup one day see it and decide to become a serial and I WILL BE FIRST.

A SIXER INTROJECT, EH? GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, KID. IF HE EVER POPS UP, TELL HIM I SAY HI, SURELY THAT WON'T MAKE THINGS WORSE, TELLING HIM YOU LEGITIMATELY SPOKE WITH ME, HAHAHAHA!!!!

[dcrixn]

@bloodyrhiannon​​

“Morrigan,” He’d watched her, the way she’d snapped that Senator’s neck; the way she’d held no regrets in her gaze. Part of him blamed himself, the man he used to be, but he’d pulled himself out of that mindset. Out of that hell that he’d made for himself. But Rhia? There was disappointment now, that was masked only by the worry. When the Senate found out that a Juno Marshal murdered a Senator? He didn’t know what they would do, but at some point – he knew he had to wash her hands of her. Had to realize that not everything was his fault. Juno vampires fed on souls, perhaps there was no excuse, “What have you done?” He was a terror, avoided by the vampires for the lack of, well, appealing blood, perhaps. It’s how he’d gotten through everything, the crazed vampires turning on themselves.

[queen-scribbles]

heehehee someone on Landy was giving away a Tome of the Snake, so I snapped that up. Cele can't use it, but I sent it to Rhia and she'll unlock a snek friend when she's level thirty and does all Radaghast's animal rescue missions :3

[rhia-falla]

IN CHARACTER TASK 004: interrogations pt. 2

Her mouth hid behind her cup, and while liquid pressed against her tongue Rhia made no effort to gulp down the water. She wondered if they noticed the tremble in her hand, or the sweat gathering at her brow. Maybe they would assume it was from that overheard beam; why did they have to make it so damn bright? There was no way the lighting was very flattering.

“Rhiannon,” a congenial voice called. She hated being called that. It sounded so stiff and formal. “You still there? Where did you go? Relax, sweetie. This is just routine questioning,” the raven-haired agent teased. Their affability with her only pushed her further on edge, Rhia split between keeping her guard up or appearing natural.

“Yes,” she agreed meekly. The agents in front of her exchanged a look, though she couldn’t read the unperturbed expressions they wore. She struggled to slow her breath, trying to remain calm by reminding herself how uneventful the last round of questioning went for her. There was no reason to hold onto this debilitation; regardless how she tried to console herself, her arms felt like jello and her heart felt on the verge of collapse.

“We’re going to begin now, okay?” Agent Choi asked. She gave a shy nod.

"Can you talk about your time capsule video? Give us some context for the clip that was leaked?”

She was left speechless like the FBI agent just reached over and gut punched her. They asked what everyone these last few days beat around the bush; though, she was well aware of the speculation revolving around the tidbit of information she shared in her time capsule. Still, that did not mean she wanted to discuss it, let alone in the presence of three strangers whose sole purpose was to place judgement on her.

“Do I have to?” Rhia scrambled, unease clear in her tone. She let out a stressed stream of air, losing the battle to her growing discomfort. How could she have been stupid enough to be willingly do this? How was she stupid enough to think she could stand up for herself when she needed it most?

“It would do us wonders in our investigation. You’ve no idea what a little school gossip can do to paint a picture for us,” Agent Choi smiled, though the warmth didn’t carry past their lips. They must have decided they hated her already.

She thought about her feature in the video leak, she replayed her words endlessly since she was forced to watch them alongside the entire student body. She took a deep breath, encouraging herself to be cooperative for Greer’s sake. “Well, no one, really,” she lied, eyes peeking up occasionally to Agent Choi and Agent Murray. “Like, no one relevant,” she clarified. “It’s just a lesson us girls have to learn, y’know? It was more general commentary about love than anything...”

“Your peers seem to have a different idea as to what you meant in your video,” Agent Murray interrupted beside Choi. “You’re certain no one comes to mind?”

His name was on the tip of her tongue, like a snake bite slowly slithering deeper into her bloodstream. She had no idea what the implications of verbalizing it meant. For the investigation, for him, for her own sanity. She nervously laughed, and an arm crossed over her chest to rub soothingly up and down her inner elbow. “Well, my boyfriend back in high school, but I doubt his name would be very help-”

“What about Jesse Hart?”

“What about him?” she snapped back, too quickly. Her razor sharp tone spooked even herself, and she bounced into a straightened, proper posture. Her wide eyes examined the surprise on Choi’s face, the distaste in Murray’s, and the intrigue in the face of the agent in the back.

“You reportedly dated.” A long moment of silence followed.

“Yeah. Months ago. We barely even speak now,” Rhia explained, irked by the inevitability of Jesse squeezing into her life. It infuriated her to think it was a lie, that everyone was right to assume she was talking about Jesse in her video. Maybe not entirely, but enough for his name to come up now.

What made her even angrier was being doomed to the same fate with Nate, something she was even further from unpacking aloud. As convinced and as comfortable as she got being held by him, Nate was just as quick to revoke his love from her and leave Rhia high and dry, wondering and waiting with no sign of sanctuary. She didn’t blame him, she couldn’t be angry with him. All she could do was allow her heart to ache for him.

Unknowingly, she made all the same mistakes and ended up on the same exact path to being strangers. She would never be worth it, for anyone. Her lip quivered, and shame made her face go tomato red. An interrogation room was no place to break down over being unloved by an ex lover. “He’s not even the person I was referring to, though,” she insisted. “Can we just-” she groaned in obvious frustration. “Can we just move on?”

“Had you ever heard of anything regarding THE NAIVE NEWCOMER using steroids?”

Steroids did not at all seem the type of thing Kit would be into. Sure, he was handsome and muscly, but he also seemed hardworking... and Greer never mentioned anything about impotency issues. “That sounds like another version of some lame gossip that gets spread every couple days around here,” Rhia countered. She knew relatively nothing about the naive newcomer, but from what she saw he was good people. His goodness made her feel obligated to stick up for him, even if she was dead wrong.

Yet, she knew firsthand how seamlessly one could maintain public appearances if they were high-functioning. Good people struggled with all sorts of abuse, and while she wanted to give Kit the grace of letting him answer to these accusations himself, it almost seemed like a piece of the puzzle Rhia was missing. “As far as I knew, that kid is as straight edge as you can come across. Unregulated amounts of testosterone doesn’t really mesh with his vibe to me.”

“Did you know him well?”

“Hm? Kit?” she considered. She scraped her teeth across her bottom lip, reflecting on her relationship with the naive newcomer. Of course, they were friends. Rhia had a deep fondness for Kit, though she really never gave him much more than a brief greeting while he was with Greer. “No. Not really. But I know he’s a sweet boy. I don’t know anything about a drug problem, but it seemed like he really loved Greer. I can’t see him having anything to do with this.”

“Had Greer brought up breaking up with him ever? Or anything of the sort, like she did in her video?”

“Never,” Rhia ascertained. She shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to explain what Greer meant in her video. “She seemed comfortable with him. They looked cute together,” she explained with a shrug. Yet in retrospect, Greer breaking his heart explained the loneliness she felt emanating from Kit. She always assumed it was from the unexpected departure, but she’d felt it even during their brief time together. His yearning for comfort, his yearning for someone to make him feel a little less alone. “It was a shock to me, honestly.”

“Some other students have brought up your relationship with Greer. Why do you think they thought it was relevant?“

The words made her freeze, Rhia suddenly realized she was sitting in this seat not as a potential witness but as someone to be suspicious of. She scoured her mind, searching for anyone that may have thrown her under the bus and coming up dry. Except Mimi. Or Milo. Perhaps even one of her friends. Who was to say they weren’t capable of selling her out? “Well, um,” her voice shook, her alarm splintering her composure. “We’re close. She’s one of my best friends. It’s true, we haven’t been friends for as long, but that’s my bestie. We’re basically soulmates except she never wanted to kiss me.”

Agent Choi motioned to Murray, leaned over and exchanged a few hushed words with the other. They shuffle through a few pages of notes, and despite her attempts she can’t make out any of the words. “Would you know any details about Greer’s relationship with Mr. Hart, your ex-boyfriend?” they asked, the glint in their dark eyes mocked Rhia with the answer.

What did they know about it? Could she even muster it in herself to lie? She told herself to breathe, yet each inhale caught in her throat. Her lungs felt completely deflated of air, and she gasped for more yet nothing broke through. She was drowning, right in front of them and no one moved a finger to help her.

The entire time she naively fell for him, Jesse was fucking her friend behind her back, the self-incrimination shouted proudly to the world in his own video leak. Though, she should have found it obvious enough by Greer’s constant sneering, the quips she couldn’t help but throw her way about Jesse. She could remember every smug look the golden girl threw her way when her boyfriend folded easily to her will. Even amongst them, they still recognized her as phony. Even after letting Greer change everything about the way she presented herself, she was a cheap replica at best. Greer reveled in Rhia’s inferiority to her, and Rhia couldn’t even hate her for cuckholding her boyfriend. Why wouldn’t she? She was certainly capable. Maybe that was the price Rhia paid in exchange for Greer’s fame. Now that she was missing, Rhia’s animus felt illegal.

“Do you need a moment to get yourself together?” a brusque rumble broke her trance. Unforgiving, blue orbs stared back at her, and Rhia wondered when the agent in the back approached. She was crying. She wiped at the tears on her cheeks, astounded, speechless, and completely empty. “Let’s give her a moment,” he commanded.

“No,” Rhia pushed back. She stood from her chair, head hung low as she rushed to retreat. “Sorry I’m not of more use to you, officers. Agents,” she corrected. Her fingers were spread wide, pressed urgently against the table. Apparently, she accidentally knocked over the paper cup full of water. “I think it’s best I just leave. I don’t have the information you’re looking for,” she said gravely. Rhia couldn’t bear to pick up her face and risk seeing the resentment in their eyes. “I’m allowed to go, right?” With a brief nod of approval from the agent, Rhia hurried out of the door, away from the accusatory stares and the invasive questioning.

[piscespetals]

something short! i kinda feel iffy about this but i'm trying to work through my writers block so here's an okay attempt at this prompt.

It all starts when Sevika begins avoiding you.

She follows behind Silco's every step, clinging to his shadows like it's her sole purpose. You used to admire that trait about her—you thought it spoke volumes to the amount of loyalty she's able to bestow.

But now she does it even when she doesn't have to. Even after hours, when the crew has disbursed to go about their personal lives—when the bars open up and the nightlife begins—she trails behind him like a lost puppy.

And it annoys you.

You know that she's doing it because of last week; when she found you flirting with one of girls in the brothel across the street...

You were trying to get Sevika out of your brain that night. You were tired of always wanting to be near her and always being preoccupied with stupid fantasies of her. She was your friend, and had become a close one ever since Silco started putting you both on the same assignments. But that's all that she would ever be—a friend.

It was stupid to think otherwise.

So across the brothel you went, heart bleeding and spirit desperate for a distraction. It wasn't long before Rhia, one of the girls working that night, made herself a seat in your lap. You were sipping some bourbon, a habit you picked up from Sevika, as the flirtatious woman whispered in your ear. It was going to be a fun night, or atleast you hoped so, while your hand grazed the lace ribbon of Rhia's bustier top.

Rhia sucked on a sweet spot between your neck and jaw. Your fingers faltered with their fumbling and she took that as an opportunity to brush them away, "This top's expensive," She mumbled. "You rip, you replace."

Your vision was blurring—who knew a tongue could be so skilled?—when you responded, "Then I guess I'll be replacing it."

She laughed and it was a light airy sound, like wind chimes on a spring evening. Your eyes cracked open, vision still slightly impaired, as they lazily scanned the room. It wasn't an eventful night. Most of the girls were at the bar, leaving you and Rhia to each other's company in a room more private. The entryway was still open, which would give anyone a perfect view if they happened to walk past.

Since this room was towards the back of the building, you weren't too peeved about being interrupted. People rarely come to this side unless escorted. At least, that's what Rhia told you.

So you hadn't expected to see Sevika roaming down the hallway, laughter boisterous and grin wide. She was with Gaia, the brothel owner, and was passing by the room slowly, hands shoved in her pockets and hair pulled into a tight low bun. Gaia had her right arm draped over Sevika's shoulders. She was taller than Sevika, but not quite as stocky. You knew that the two were quite close, since Sevika mentioned it in passing a few times before.

But God—this was the night, out of all nights, where you wished Sevika had no connections to this place. Even during the times when you tried not to think about her, she managed to find her way back to you.

"Oh!" Gaia called, catching a glimpse of you at the very last second. "I'm sorry, Rhia. The girls didn't tell me you had a client back here."

Time moved very slowly then. Gaia's steps had slowed, along with Sevika's, before stopping altogether. Sevika had been listening intently to whatever Gaia was saying. But upon interruption, her head snapped up, peering into the room with slight disinterest. A few seconds passed before her posture stiffened, deep lines etching into her forehead as she regarded you with a flicker of surprise.

"Oh," Rhia laughed. "It's all good. Vika, were you coming to see me tonight?"

Sevika didn't respond.

"Because if so," Rhia continued, not at all perturbed. "I just need to finish up with my client here first. It'll probably be about an hour though."

You knew that expression.

Sevika was angry.

Her jaw was grinding—clenching and unclenching, then clenching again—as her brown eyes swirled with flashes of purple. Your heart sank to the pit of your stomach, beads of sweat collecting at the back of your neck from the cool intensity of her glare.

"Sevika?" Gaia tilted her head in the direction of the brute woman, features morphing into concern. "You okay?"

You were stupefied.

Sevika exhaled slowly, hands pulling out of her jean pockets as she let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Rhia uttered, slowly catching on. She followed Sevika's gaze to you as you shifted anxiously in your seat.

Your mouth pooled with saliva, fingers drumming absentmindedly against the the skin of Rhia's thigh. Sevika followed the movement. Her nose flared. Your drumming ceased.

"I need to get going. I have other matters to deal with," Sevika was curt, even more so than usual.

Gaia frowned, "But our de-"

"Another time."

She didn't spare you a second glance before turning on her heel and storming away.

It's been four days since that night, and you're still completely unsure about the reason behind Sevika's anger. A part of you wonders if it's because you were messing around with her favorite girl. At least, that's what Rhia was concerned about. After Sevika stormed away, she couldn't stop raving about Sevika being her number one client: "Don't take it personal," Rhia had said. "Vika's weird like that. I think she was just jealous or something...she probably didn't know I was seeing other women." Then Rhia smiled wistfully, giggling under her breath.

A part of you has been freaking out ever since, because you don't want to lose your closest friend over something like this. But another part of you thinks that this is ridiculous. And that part grows stronger as more time passes. By the sixth day, you're absolutely fed up.

Sevika was supposed to be on security watch with you for the morning shift today. It's been like this every Monday for the past four months. You don't want to imagine the amount of bargaining she's had to do in order for Silco to take her off the shift. But she must have suggested something big since you're currently stuck with some blue-haired teenage delinquent with a sharp tongue and calculating gaze. She's Silco's surrogate daughter who's constantly working his nerves with her apparent habit of blowing things up. But you don't care enough about work gossip to know the specific details.

"I'm stuck here because of you, you know," She grumbles, obnoxiously chewing a piece of bubble gum as she squints through her binoculars.

"I figured." You hum, taking a swig of your water. "Sorry about that."

She doesn't say anything at first, spitting out her gum. It falls onto the ground. A few flies swarm around it.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," She replies. Despite her suggestion, her voice remains indifferent. "Vika tries to act like she's billy badass but," She pulls away from her binoculars, blue eyes settling on you with mirth. "She isn't. Not with you, at least."

Your head hurts as you ruminate over that night once again. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal, or that she felt so strongly for Rhia." Your lips tug down into a frown. "It's all a little ridiculous, if I'm being honest."

"Rhia?" Jinx snorts. "Who the hell is that?"

"The girl? From the..." Your eyebrows furrow. "The girl Sevika has feelings for?"

"Jesus fucking Christ," The teenager pinches her eyelids closed, head falling back momentarily as she whispers another string of colourful words underneath her breath. "I work with a bunch of idiots," Her eyelids flutter open slowly. She digs into her pocket, pulling out a circular piece of candy. While she peels at it, she grumbles, "I'm not too versed on the drama that's been happening. But I must tell you—people talk. And what I've gathered from the talk is that you're the girl Sevika has feelings for, and for some reason, you've fucked it up. Or you've pissed her off."

Then Jinx is shrugging, popping a pink ball of fresh bubblegum into her mouth before adding, "Whatever the case may be, she's angry with you. So, I suggest you talk with her. Because if Silco makes me cover another shift of hers," She flashes you a wide grin—teeth abnormally sharp. "I'm going to grenade your flat."

What an annoyingly melodramatic teenager.

You don't remember being so pesky at Jinx's age. But you decide you don't want to call her bluff.

"She's the one that should be apologizing," You simply grumble. But in the back of your mind, you're already contemplating the idea of Sevika liking you. Could that really be the reason for her withdrawal?

Could she actually have feelings for you?

"Don't know, don't care. Just fix it." Jinx digs into her pocket, pulling out another perfectly wrapped treat. "Gum?"

Your stomach is growling and your muscles ache.

You're tired, because Jinx made you do all the security rounds while she sat safely on the roof, chewing her gum without a care in the world. How you've managed to let an eighteen year old boss you around? You aren't sure. But despite how irksome the girl is, she's right about one thing: you need to talk to Sevika. And you need to talk to her soon.

That thought alone fuels you with enough energy to make your way to Sevika's office. It's not as big as Silco's and is in a less convenient part of the building, but it's hers. That's more than any of his other employees can say.

Her guards linger outside the door, one of them sleeping in a chair. The other—short and brawny—steps in front of you before you can reach the door.

"She's busy." He states.

You give him a level look, placing both hands on your hips. "I need to speak with her."

"She has a deadline to meet. Silco gave her a new project."

"It'll just be ten minutes."

"Can't. Sorry." He folds his lips together, eyes flashing with sympathy. But it leaves just as quickly as it comes. Usually, he lets you into Sevika's office without question.

"Then let me make an appointment with her."

He hesitates.

That's enough time for you to step around him, hand reaching for the door knob.

"Hey! You just can't—"

"Too late." You grumble, sliding through the door before closing it. You lock the bolt, thanking your quick reflexes when you hear his body weight ram into the door seconds later.

"What the fuck, Sev?" You huff, trying to catch your breath. You know she hears you, that she's inside the room before you can even gain your bearings. It's takes a few seconds for you to shift your attention towards her. She's sitting in her office chair, feet propped up on her desktop as she holds paperwork up to her face. She's wearing your favorite pair of glasses—the one with dark burgundy frames—while a ballpoint pen hangs loosely between her lips. "So now I can't visit you?" You add, voice strained.

She doesn't acknowledge your question. Instead, she grabs her pen, heaving a sigh before setting it down on her desk. "Yao," She calls. It's firm and surely can be heard a few feet outside the office. "That's enough."

The bodyguard stops his banging.

You roll your eyes, bubbling anger enveloping you. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not."

"You are," You take a few steps forward. Your hands shake. You have to squeeze them into fists, trying your best to simmer down. It's rare that Sevika makes you this upset. "You are and I'm over it. If this is about me being with Rhia," Your mouth tastes bitter. "It's not like I knew you were into her. Honestly, even if you were...you hadn't told me. It wasn't like I went out of my way to go after your girl and—"

"Wait, what?"

That's when she looks up at you, finally, after what seems like eons.

"And Jinx? Really?" You can't stop talking now. It's like she's set off a spark within you. "I had to spend my entire shift listening to her nag about the stupidest shit, simply because you aren't woman enough to fucking talk to me like a normal adul—"

"Then enlighten me on what you would like to talk about," Her voice, a low murmur of subdued thunder, cuts straight through you. Her lips remain pursed. "I invite you to grab a chair. It's not like I have more important matters to handle."

"You're being an ass."

"Really?" She arches an eyebrow. Her expression is uncharacteristically tolerant. The calm before a storm.

Her nonchalance is what pushes you over the edge—shoves you in all honesty. You ignore her question, ignore the voices in your brain yelling at you to walk away, as you do the exact opposite by trotting forward.

Your left hand rests against her desk, hitting the surface with such strength that your palm stings from the impact. You're leaning forward, nearly towering over her, muscles beginning to tremble as something potent begins to hang in the air. It's not logical, the way you grab her, rough and impatient and completely out of impulse.

Your right hand buries into the material of her shawl, searching and grasping for something more, but only finding the comfort of her collar. You know that you'd never be in this predicament any other day. Besides the obvious fact of Sevika's height, and her unmatched strength, you simply wouldn't have the courage to do such a thing. But you're burning, practically steaming, with emotions. You're certain that if Sevika really wanted to, she could pull away. Within mere seconds, she could have you in worse positions. But she doesn't. She allows you to tug, and tug, and tug.

Her head tilts, grey eyes appraising you with a hint of curiosity.

"You're being an ass." You repeat. This time, it's a trembling plead. A white flag waving in the air. You've already gone through the trouble of making a scene. And your heart feels like it's on the floor, because who are you kidding? Nothing will ever be the same between you two again, even if you are able to talk it out. "Jinx was rambling about a lot of crazy shit this morning but one thing that did stick out to me was," You let go of her collar, pulling away from her and straightening your posture. "How adamant she was about me talking to you. Because for whatever reason," You chuckle dryly, cracking your knuckles. "She thinks you have feelings for me."

That's the accusation that gets through to her—the root of this entire problem. True or not, Sevika looks at you like you've just robbed her of everything, something you've never experienced with her before.

She blinks, taking off her glasses, shrugging off her shawl and sitting back fully in her chair. You watch with bated breath, waiting for her to deny it, waiting for her to diminish your hopes.

"I surely was thinking something else. I thought you were jealous because of Rhia, that maybe I fucked up your thing with her? She mentioned that you were her number one client." You swallow thickly. "That made more sense to me. But no matter the reason, it's not okay that you ignored me—that you shut me out. I don't deserve that."

Her eyes flutter shut when your voice cracks.

"I mean," You voice continues to waver, thick with emotion. "What the fuck, Sev? I thought we were better than that. I thought you could talk to me about anything."

There's a small splinter in your heart; burying itself deeper and deeper with each second of silence. You feel ridiculous for being so hurt by this.

Because that's what this all truly comes down to—you're hurt. You know that Sevika has a tendency to be cold with others. It's her well-protected armor after years of fighting and grief and loss. But you thought that maybe you'd be that exception; that your friendship was too valuable to simply cast away over a small misunderstanding.

Underneath all the annoyance and anger, resides a raw ache that hasn't left you since the very moment you noticed her distance.

"I'm sorry," It's almost as if Sevika's resolve slips. She allows her apology to bleed with sincerity, lips pulled down into the ghost of a frown. Her shoulders broaden when she takes a deep breath. "I'm..." She falters, shaking her head slightly. "I'm not good with verbalizing my emotions." She wets her lips. "That's something that sort of falls by the wayside when you've been at war for 10 years."

She grimaces before continuing, "...it's a skill that I've put down more than others. And I've never really picked it back up again—I've never felt the need to." Her throat bobs as she swallows. "My reaction at the brothel—that was something I didn't fully understand until a few days later. And even then, I had already been avoiding you—so I didn't know what to say; how to explain myself. And if I had told you how I felt, I didn't know what you would say. How would you react? Would I offend you? I wasn't sure I wanted to know. It was easier to avoid you—or, at least, it felt safer. Familiar. Because it's what I know."

She's standing to her feet, eyes darting away from you and towards the furniture taking up her office.

You always had a feeling that Sevika doesn't break often. But hearing her confirm it feels different. Here she is, the strong unyielding pillar you always knew her to be, acquiescing right in front of you. You thought she would have kicked you out by now, maybe argued back with you for the humor of it. But never this.

She's walking around the desk, combat boots clicking loudly against the wooden floorboards. You don't quite register that she's making her way over to you until she's a few paces away.

"Well," You say, cogwheels churning inside your brain. "Can you tell me how you feel, now?" You can't shake the trepidation pulling at your soul. "Because I can strongly confirm, that you only hurt me by ignoring me."

She stops when she's only a step away from you, appraising you stealthily and seemingly inhibited by emotions unclear to you. It's hard to read her; to decipher what she's going to say next. She hesitates, worry lines appearing between the space of her eyebrows. Her full lips rub against each other, a habit she seems to do when she's thinking deeply.

"I was jealous. At first I didn't realize I was or that I even had feelings for you. But I saw Rhia on your lap, and I realized that I do...have feelings for you. And it's not like I never entertained the thought, but I was convinced you couldn't feel the same, and that it would never go anyw—"

"So Jinx was right after all."

Her train of thought falters and you grin.

Silence descends around the both of you while you lean forward, caught up in the dark swirl of her usually light-grey eyes. The surviving remnants of fear sizzles out completely, and something insatiable unfurls within you.

"I'm going to kill her." Sevika mumbles, eyebrows shooting upward in distant thought.

"Why? You should be thanking her."

"For being a shit talker?"

You laugh, which is your first real one in days. You don't miss how Sevika inches forward then, almost as if she's tugged by the sound. "No," You reply, grin widening. The way Sevika peers down at you in that moment? Well, it's brighter than the Sun expanding across Earth's horizon. You cling onto that feeling, you bask in it—and ultimately, it causes you to reach for her. This time, you use both hands—whether it's to ground yourself or because you need to feel just that much of her, you aren't sure. But you do so without any second thought, using all of your muted strength to grip the collar of her shirt, and tug. "Because of this," you whisper, soft and broken.

Your rise to the tips of your toes, pulling her down with the amount of desperation that one can only feel after being starved. Closer, closer, closer—she meets you with just as much intention, tongue hotly dipping into you, and hands slipping under the material of your shirt. Her mouth melts against yours, and she sighs contently. It's the first confirmation you haven't asked for yet happily receive.

This time, you don't pull away. You don't let go. With your fists wrapped into the cotton of her collar and chest blooming with flowers, you allow yourself to be pulled into her. She sucks and bites and hums.

More blooming occurs, this time an entire garden.

Sevika exhibits just the right amount of strength and just the right amount of sweetness. Just the right amount of there. There's other things going on: Yao knocking on the door again about something irrelevant, the muted footsteps of someone walking on the floor above, and the distant barking of a dog a few blocks away. But that all fades when you're reminded of the present; of her lips and her hands and her taste. Of her.

In that moment, she just about outweighs everything else.

Okay. I love when a tall character tilts a shorter characters head upward by the jaw as much as anyone.

But consider a short character pulling a taller characters head down by their collar. Helloooooo??? @_@

[roxsannel]

A Dowry of Snails and Mud by Brittany Tucker.

Rhia Caddell is the sixteen year old daughter of the Mayor of the small Welsh village she lives in with her older brother and parents, it isn’t the easiest of lives and involves a lot of toil in the fields and manual labour on the farm and Rhia has been doing these chores and labour for most of her life, it has left her strong, tall and muscly for her gender and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by those in the village. This is a good thing for Rhia because she can both intimidate and work at the same time and that has some advantages where she lives, but one thing that isn’t an advantage is that she is a free spirit in everyway and has no plans to settle down, but a letter from the King changes all of that.

Unbeknownst to Rhia, her hand has been given in marriage to the Prince of Wales so that the debt which her father has accrued over the years can be forgiven and those are two things which Rhia hates most, finance and arranged marriages and she cannot for the life of her understand why this tradition still stands, but despite her arguments against this imposition, it seems that she has no choice in the matter, so the preparations for her wedding begin in earnest.

As the day of her wedding grows near, Rhia is doing everything she can think of to turn the day to her advantage and when she sees the Prince in person, all she can think of is that she could snap him in half! He is so dainty that she doesn’t believe that he has done a days manual labour in his life, but she goes along with the pretence for her villages sake. Little does Rhia know that it is the Prince’s mission not to forgive the debt, but convince her that she has to pay before a deadline which the King has sent with him.

As the time passes and Rhia and the Prince come closer to the deadline, can they work together to formulate a plan to keep the peace and remove the debt, or will all their plans be snookered by snails and mud? This is a sweet romance with plenty of wit and humour throughout as this unlikely pair try and work out how to play a game they are both highly invested in without being hurt too badly in the process and it is one which will keep you laughing and gasping in equal measure as you follow along this rocky path with the newly-weds.

[skypagex]

snap: rhia

@rhiannonindigo​

SKY: finally a picture which truly captures my essence:

SKY: fragile.

[consulaaris]

“brightburner”

[ladyviscera]

she'd never pretended that kieran gravitating to this side of the island wasn't a shock, she was the original kook princess, her family practically ran figure eight and she was the it girl, whatever that meant. that being said, rhia had always liked her. it was strange, at first glance it was easy to make a snap judgement, but kieran had always been cool and down to earth. they may not have ran with the same people but kieran always offered a smile or a kind word if she got the chance. there was no bad blood between them and she was truly glad to have another femme around the group. she scoffed as she moved behind the counter, " you can say that again. you want a drink? "

she knew what jake thought . hell , she knew what most of her friends thought : that she was trading the kook side of the island for the cut . that she was going full pogue and replacing all of them and while kieran argued it , she knew what it looked like . she was barely on her side of the island . almost avoided jake even if she swore that she wasn't . even now as kelce rode by being an idiot , there she was on the cut . not in the car with him and not egging him on although she never really saw kelce's appeal . " always a dick . "

[stopthefeeling]

Lads I've officially made it

On one of my other accounts I've been asked for my url because they're obsessed with it

Is this what it feels like to reach the pinnacle of tumblr?

[gonegrove]

Jodi Pierce: same year as nancy + jonathan. was friends with benefits with billy until he got his shit together and got with [preferred partner for billy here]. they’re still friends bc she’s literally is only one lol. very style forward. socially mobile and well liked without really belonging anywhere. new wave, funk and proto-indie. likes the muppets, puppets and animatronics and makes puppets of her own for comedy shit. dates robin. finds out she and eddie are half siblings bc her mom had an affair w/ his dad pre-3 bc her mom has a crisis about them being in the same grade now. it’s a mess but they’re working on it.

Shannon Harrington: roughly nancy’s age. steve’s younger sister. she’s also very popular and extremely funny. she’s on the volleyball and cheerleading teams. she’s a loud pain in the ass and deeply weird when you actually know her. she’s Peak annoying younger sister. still considers steve probably her best friend bc he’s the only one who actually knows her and still likes her. she is a tinkerbell who will die without attention and her entire outward personality is geared to ensuring attention. also has like no filter, no shame and says wild shit so often. pop music fiend.

Rhiannon Hargrove: nancy’s age. billy’s younger biological sister. named after the fleetwood mac song and hates it. is one of those memes of someone who looks sweet and nice that has the subtitle of something like “i’m about to fucking lose it”. she and billy pretty co-dependent and rhia’s life is heavily controlled by neil and billy tho for different reasons. trying to make this new family shit work but people are Testing Her. can be just as shitty as billy but is usually better at reigning her anger in for the most part (or really she just lets it stew until she Snaps lol rip). a little pop-y and little boho. she and chrissy would get on except that rhia would snap jason’s spine over her fucking knee in 0.0005 secs of meeting him so lol. takes after their mother a lot in looks and personality, not sure how she feels about that since she’s not a fan of her as much as billy still is. still tries to fight back against neil when he gets physical about 50% of the time, usually when he’s going after billy.

Richard Brandon Mayfield: goes by his middle name brandon bc he hates richard. is about 14-15 when they move to hawkins. he’s the epitome of the DW “this sign can’t stop me because  i can’t read!” meme. he’s a dipshit and he means business. literally all the other siblings are smarter than him but he doesn’t give a shit and it’s not a thing for him. he’s gay and he’s so aggressively average about it. like he just is what he is and like ???? that’s it???? doesn’t think their dad is as cool as max does. deadass tries to go toe to toe with neil every. single. time. you cannot TELL this child otherwise. he is a fratboy and an idiot and he could be 100000% shifaced and never get your pronouns wrong even tho he doesn’t get SHIT about what ur talking about. he’s gonna go to trade school after hs for carpentry. he and will get together at some point lol.

[hardestgrove]

thoughts on how to handle the byers house in s2 with 2 new sibs:

brandon is with max since the escape from their house

rhia was hanging out in billy and brandon’s room with billy while he got ready for his date.

neil happens.

rhia goes with billy to find the mayfield kids

rhia spends the whole time driving around trying to soothe billy and keep him calm/make him feel better.

rhiannon talks to karen at the wheeler’s while billy stays in the car

alarm bells go off for both siblings about the byers house situation. even with brandon there with max it’s still Super Fucking weird.

billy hit steve in the driveway and rhia doesn’t stop him

rhia DOES try and snap billy out of terrorizing lucas. mixed success.

brandon trying to talk sense into billy about what’s going on. mixed success.

billy and steve start to fight.  rhiannon has to physically pull billy off of steve.

brandon opens the fridge which kinda acts as a record scratch. on the whole thing

stuff gets explained.

assuming steve is still conscious he and billy go and set shit on fire.

OR

everything is the same until the byers house

they get there and brandon goes out with steve because he thinks this is dumb and DOESN’T listen to max.

him, steve, billy and rhia all talk it out.

the other siblings strong arm max in to heading home bc it’s not like they were doing much here anyway and they gotta do damage control

those are the basic ideas and then they could theoretically get edited depending on say, if you wanted rhia and billy to know about the upside down but have the fight in the house brandon could just not open the fridge and do something else. idk i’m out here lost in the sauce lol

[devouredlamb]

rhia sighed softly, biting her lower lip and stepping back, " you think josh would agree? " she looked him over, placing a hand against his chest, " dakota... destruction of property is one thing, " her gaze drifted towards kelce as he scoffed, pulling out his phone to snap a picture of the two. rhia scowled, moving towards the other and pulling his phone from his hand, " stop being a dick, kelce. be thankful it's your car and not your fucking head. "

dakota heard rhia's voice . he knew she was there and was well aware how close she was to him but his eyes remained on kelce . " you really like pissing off people that could ruin your fucking life , huh ? " dakota's jaw clenched as rhia continued on , hand flexing around the handle of the bat . " i'd say he's very worth it . " he almost wanted to dare kelce to do something but he knew the other was too much of a chicken shit for that .

[iwillwaitgladly]

Last Call

LumBar attracted a colorful crowd. Every night brought a fresh batch of brawlers and bystanders, a bit of extra cash, a means to an end. Most of her customers were reasonable enough. They played by the rules and paid her well. Others, however... tested her patience.

This idiot wasn’t taking the hint. 

“Like I said before the match,” she explained (again), “I agreed to heal any superficial injuries. Fractures, sprains, and breakages were not part of our arrangement.”

He was tall, lithe, with a tail that lashed from side to side and wickedly sharp claws. Some kind of were-creature or other. What was his name again? Tora? Tori? She couldn’t be bothered to keep track. 

“I’ll pay extra, I don’t give a fuck. Just take care of it,” he hissed. He gestured to the arm hanging limply by his side, hand twisted at an odd angle. Rhia barely spared it a glance, folding her arms across her chest and leveling him with her flattest expression.

“Matter of principle, not payment. You can find some other Achillea to patch you up, if you’d like. I made myself very clear.”

She watched his upper lip curl. “Christ, just fix it already. You’ve done it before. I don’t get it.”

“Mm, sorry. I can’t cure stupid.”

Tora stiffened, stepped back as if he’d been slapped. Seemed like his ego bruised as easily as the rest of him. “Are you fucking kidding me right now—”

The alley behind the bar was empty, but if he kept raising his voice, it wouldn’t stay that way for very long. What a nuisance. He was relentless as he had been during his match, a fierce opponent if ever there were one. His temper fueled her own. Their argument grew heated. A few more sharp words, a gesture-- and then he had the gall to latch onto her wrist, what a fucking idiot, did he forget who she was?

Apparently so. She heard the brittle-sounding crack before she felt it, a white-hot pain that lanced up her arm... and disappeared, just as quickly. Tora let out a short, sharp cry.

“Should’ve told me you wanted a matching set, I could’ve arranged it,” Rhia snapped, yanking her arm away from him. She rubbed at the spot-- it was still sore, shit, that was the worst feeling-- and glared at him with a single bright red eye. “Go fuck yourself! Oh, wait, you can’t, not for another two months while you wait for those to heal. Fuck off.”