#yes i know its the most wrinkled and weirdest tension ever i no longer care

[muirneach]

the sunset star quilt 🌟🌄💛 pattern by me, both machine and hand pieced, and machine quilted.

[ren-val]

Paint me from the drabble prompts for whoever it fits best?

OK so, you have given me the chance to choose, and I want to give my dear noble Necromancer, Maesta Renata, the chance to shine. She is of orrian descent and this is a bit of the story of how she turned from sheltered lonely noble to adventurer thanks to her 5 silly friends who decided to be the Heroes of Shaemoor.

Those 5 boys are a mashup of characters @disaster-bi-canach and I took from another IP and OCs we developed from that. We decided to move them to GW2 and have fun. HERE is a pic of them all.

The night air was dense with smoke and unanswered questions. Most of the Seraph were quiet, focusing on their duty, and on the noble lady who had entered unanounced along with their Captain. They were observant enough to know that Logan Thackeray was more tense than usual, and that in spite of her gorgeous clothes, the lady had the sweet and metallic aroma of spilled blood all around her.

“A kidnapped noble and a bandit conspiracy in Salma’s district was not what I expected to come from your party, Lady Seserakh“ Logan stated, looking at his desk as if to distract himself of the matter at hand. “It was not my party, Captain”  emphazised Maesta, clearly annoyed at the mere idea “It was Lord Faren’s party, in honor of the heroes of Shaemoor“

Logan sighed deeply “So, a party when the guests of honor do not appear, and the host ends up in a bandit lair rescued by a necromancer. I must admit, it is way more interesting than the noble galas I am used to“ A small smile graced the lips of the noble, and she relaxed a bit, though her gaze didn’t lost its edge. The Captain finally took a file from his desk, and opened it so she could see it; on it were the documents of a dead Seraph called Mario Zeppeli, killed by the Risen years ago. “I assume you knew this man, and if not, I guess you know his eldest son. My men told me you were trying to court him months ag-“

“I was not!“ she exclaimed, the harsh tone of her voice contrasting to her exqusiite mannerisms “I-I mean… forgive me Captain. I… yes, Cesare. I used to be close to him. And as many nobles, I thought myself clever enough to make him settle down. I was foolish however, and I failed“

Her curt answer way too short to disallow suspiscion from the Captain. His eyes closed slightly, too tired for nimble wordplay, Logan decided to be blunt. “He was with me and other adventurers the day of the attack on Shaemoor, and now he is reported to be on Queensdale. But is was not alone: the intelligence you gathered says he and his relatives were the real targets of today’s attack. I need to know who they are, my Lady. I need to know if they are potential assets or potential traitors to Kryta“

Maesta glared at the Captain, but calmed down as soon as she felt the rustle of steel coming from the surrounding Seraph. She sighed deeply, and looked down, sadness making her limbs limp around her. “It is impossible, they can’t be traitors. If anything, they are some of the most noble men I have ever knew. Faren and I expected their return after their mother wrote them a letter, but it seemed they didn’t recieved it, or they just didn’t care…“

Logan felt the creeping sadness taking over her, little by little. The feeling of being forgotten was not something he knew well, but it was hard for him not to be kind, or at least trying. “That we cannot know yet, but there is something more important, my Lady: you said they were good men, but I saw two boys younger than any Seraph in the battle, and I want to know who they are“

He took his own chair and offered it to Maesta, kindly letting her sit and look over his desk. He also took some sheets of paper, along with pencils and a piece of charcoal. “As far as I know, most ladies of your upbringing know how to draw, am I right?“ Confused, Maesta nodded “Well, then I would like you to make a protrait of your friends, and tell me who they are, so I can track them down and ensure they come back home“

Maybe it was the exhaustion, or the melancholy that was shattering her heart, but Maesta accepted, and took the papel and the pencils, making five base models for portraits. While she was doing that, Logan took the liberty to ask for food and drink, and to assure that everything was in proper order around the headquarters.

When he looked back, he could see the portrait of two men on the paper: one was Cesare, the brave guardian that had fought by his side in Shaemoor, the other was a man with longer hair and a whimsical beard, his smile wide, even if his eyes did not reflect joy.

“You already know who Cesare is, the other is Julius. He is an engieneer, and its probably the leader among them all. He and the others are Cesare’s cousins, although they are all around the same age“ Lady Seserakh wrote their names besides their portraits, and added some shadows with charcoal “Julius wanted to be a Seraph once, but he did not enter, although he was in the Academy, and passed all his exams… he is too aware of his duties, and sometimes he can be bossy, but never tyrannical. He and his brothers have the weirdest laughs I have ever heard“ She stated, smiling softly one more time.

Silence engulfed them once more, and this time, Logan looked at Maesta working. A servant brought wine, bread and cheese, and he took the chance to drink and eat a bit before looking at two extremely dissimilar faces: the two boys he had seen fight. One was a lean lad, smaller than any of the other adventurers, his gaze cold as his gestures, strands of his hair falling across his forehead. The other was a larger lad, wide and strong, his long dark hair in a high ponytail. His features were round and soft, with thick lips and shining eyes that showed both serenity and a streak of melancholy.

“The twins. They are the younger of them all, if anything they must be fifteen by now“ She shook her head, stretching her fingers and looking up to the skylight above them “The little one is Alessandro, he is way too quiet and smart for his own good. Taking interest in all the secrets he can find; he loves to hear the stories of how my father and his espionage escapades. Even now, I am scared he is having some stupid ideas about being an information broker…“

The Captain frowned at that: although fifteen was way too young for anything, he remembered the traps well, along with the poisons that the scrawny kid had used against the centaurs. He sounded like a real handful, or a huge asset if he acted the right way.

But the voice of Maesta pulled him from his reveries, back into reality “The big boy is Salvatore. He is a real softie, somehow he adopted a Drake broodmother and befriended her. Ludmila lives in my house, a huge noble lady trapped in the body of a huge fire-spitting creature” The mental image elicited a soft laughter from her, but it died soon “He is too insecure to be out there killing centaurs and getting into trouble, if he is doing so it must be because of his siblings“

The murmur of pencils over paper suddenly filled the space between them; Logan had no idea why, but Maesta had started to draw with an extremely detailed pace. All protraits had a good amount of detail, but there was a depth of detail in the last one that almost shocked him. Long, silky strands of lighter hair, the steady gaze of someone whose thoughts were varied and deep, tight lips and the freckles of youth that somehow did not seem out of place on such a serious and somehow feminine face.

“The red haired mesmer…“ He whispered, marveled at the details of his face. “His name is Lorenzo“ the Lady said, not yet finished with her work “And yes, his hair is longer than any of them. He could be confused with a girl if it wasnt for his voice and the strak line of his jaw. Somehow I thought he was going to apply fro the Durmand Priory; he is very knowledgeable about magical theory… he wouldn’t be an adventure unless there was something new to know…“

A sudden dreamy look on her face appeared, lasting just a second before a nervous smile appeared “Alright, these are the men who fought by your side, Captain. I am sure you want these with the same amount of detail, so give me a moment and I will… you know…“ Her hands moved once more, drawing details that were not there before. Freckles and beauty marks, small wrinkles of laughter or frowns that were not there, details that only someone who loved those lads would be able to remember.

“How did you met them?“ He wondered aloud, noticing the change of guards and the bright moonlight in the center of the room. “We have lived in Salma for years; not only are we nieghbors, but their father is a doctor; he takes care of my father’s health as well as mine. His name is Gregorio, and he knew my dad when both were under service of the Sera-“

She stopped all of sudden, unable to look elsewhere but the paper. When she finally did, her gaze was full of anger, an accusation present in her deep frown. “Their father was a Seraph, he served in the Highlands along with Mario, and recieved and honorary discharge after his death. And I know that their mother had something to do with the Crown, Captain. There is no way you couldn’t know this” Her fists curled, but she did not reach out for her dagger. “You knew all of this, Captain. Am I right? Then why did you bring me here? Grenth’s breath I swear that if you don’t give me an answer I-“

“There is no need to get to angry, child“ A clear feminine voice broke the tension between them. A beautiful woman with exqusiite clothes had entered silently, and now walked to them. Her presence was powerful, even if she did not look as strong as any of the Seraph around her. “Logan knew the names and the faces of your friends, but there are many details that cannot be found in the files of a retired man. He needed information so he could decide if they are hero material, or just some silly boys playing adventurer“

An anwkward silence fell upon them, and it was the woman’s soft cough that made Logan break it. “Allow me to introduce Countess Anise, Master Exemplar of the Shining Blade, and personal counselor to Queen Jennah“ The womam gave a short bow, and Maesta stood up so she could return the gesture. She seemed confused, instead of angry, but her questions lingered in the night air.

“And may I know why someone of your rank is interested in this intel, my Lady?“ She asked with a hint of hesitance in her voice. “Because these lads of yours can be heroes for our Queendom. But to be honest, this is why our dear Logan is interested in them, as for me…“ she stated, looking at the portraits on the table “I am interested in arts. Especially the art of observation. I am marveled at your capacity for detail, Lady Seserakh, especially the depth of your knowledge about people. Also, the fact that you are one of the few non-sylvari Firstborn who has knows something about Orr doesn’t make me any less interested…“

Maesta blushed furiously, but her gestures didn’t betray her intentions. “I think you are talking to the wrong noble regarding social skills. Half of the court thinks I am cursed, and the other half can’t seem to forget that Grenth blessed me with something that terrifies them, and therefore ignores me as much as possible“

The dignity of her statements was broken by a chuckle of the Countess “I am aware of that, child. You are invisible and unwelcomed, far from intrigue, except for the times your dear friend Faren has been your gallant lad in distress. You are also a good book keeper, and your archive is impecable, as far as your dear father has told me. A silent shadow with amazing manners and a diplomatic streak…“ Anise breahted deeply, a proud and charming smile in her face “What I am implying here my dear, is that I am not just looking for intel on your dear friends… I am here to recruit you for the Shining Blade“

A moment passed. And the deep silence was not broken this time. Lady Seserakh lowered her gaze, deep in thought, she closed her eyes for a couple of seconds…

And then, she nodded.