zulcyha

[zulcyha]

( @phobetos )

Jeanette Winterson, Written on the Body (2013)

[zulcyha]

phobetos​:

And they would put their life in her hands, should it be what she ask for. What was love, they had read once, but trusting someone to be your own undoing? Freyr had loved Surtr enough to give him the blade that would carve his own heart out, and Phobetos would press their talisman into Leyha’s palm, to let it burn the skin there while knowing that she would not destroy it. “And I, you.” They leaned down to press a kiss to her temple, where warmth bloomed from her skin, and they laughed against it. “Then I do not envy the creature that dare intend us harm, there are few on this earth that would challenge you and come away unscathed.” She was beautiful and wicked, someone who held hunger and cruelty in the same space that she bore loyalty. Phobetos wondered if this was an intrusion upon that vein of loyalty, it the line of questions stopped at the flow of blood there, but curiosity was more important. “What do you think of her?” Fingers toyed with a lock of dark, shiny hair. “She is beautiful, and powerful. It is interesting to me.”

+

“Only a fool would try.” To stand against both an oneiroi and a manticore would be an act of madness, and one that would pay for with their lives, she would make sure of it. Because when it comes down to it, there is not a person on this earth that Leyha would not shred to pieces, for the sake of Phobetos. Her love had been tested, time and time again, but in the end, there was nothing that could hold a candle to the loyalty she has to her partner, even when they had been forced apart by circumstance. “She is all of these things, yes.” Leyha agrees, though a bit puzzled by the trail of conversation, she none the less indulges. Because the Valkyrie is a woman of fascination to her as well — someone strong and clever and mysterious, completely transfixing. “A warrior who carries those that are deserving to Valhalla. The gods must hold great respect for her to give her such a role.” Not like Leyha, who was used and then cast aside at a moment of convenience. “But why do you ask, my love?”

[zulcyha]

vikasokolov​:

She let the thought pass, slipping from her mind as easily as tears blended into rain. “First I will find Lada, then, I will set the city ablaze to smoke her out.” Family first, she had a sister that, as far as she was aware— still lived. The Sokolov’s were one soul in two bodies and she wondered what had happened to her baby sister when she had been torn from earth unjustly. “When Anger and Revenge get married, they name their daughter Cruelty.” The proverb was translated in sloppy Greek, but recited with a bright smile: she would become the cruelest woman in the world, Typhon had born her to be that way. She shifted upwards, fluffing up her hair, refreshing any curls that might have suffered from the laziness of curling up on the couch all day. “Currency that lives in a card. I think I would like to have one, I’m tired of counting out coins and weighing my pockets down with them.” Vika pressed a fond kiss to the top of Leyha’s forehead before standing up. “Let’s get cowboy boots. I want to look like the Lone Ranger.”

+

Lada. For a moment, the other manticore’s sibling had completely left her mind. It is not a familial tie she can pretend to understand, Leyha herself was born with no siblings and lived much of her life on her own, but she imagines the woman must mean a great deal to Vika. “I am sure she will be overjoyed to see you again.” Wherever she is. She is sure the other manticore can find her if she truly wants to, though it is of no particular interest to Leyha. The cubi are of no great interest to her, now that she has moved on from such a form. Old friends still exist across the world, perhaps, but for the most part, she thinks herself having become something greater now. She has gone through hell, but emerged the other side something infinitely more powerful. “It does not make much sense to me either, but I cannot deny that it works. Much easier than carrying around such coins and paper money. Perhaps Phobetos can get you such a card as well.” Leyha claps her hands, finding the idea to be one of excitement. “Come, we must go shopping. There is much to show you.”

[zulcyha]

elifsahin​:

    “I think they don’t go swimming on the show because they don’t want to ruin their hair and make up.” Personally, Elif didn’t quite understand the concept either. Now that she lived in a house with a pool she wanted to be in the water all day long. She would never be able to withstand such a pool like the candidates on those shows. “That’s a good question I can’t answer you.” In fact, Elif herself had never questioned the name reality TV. But she figured it was different if you came back to a world where all these things suddenly seemed to exist out of nowhere. The werewolf smiled at the other woman, then nodded. “Fashion is personal. You can do and wear whatever you want, no matter what other people say. And I think you should make as many decisions as you want.”

“Hmm, that is true.” Makeup is something Leyha has been learning for herself, as of recently. She finds the act of putting such paint on her face to be fun, these so called Tick-Tock looks that are popular on that strange little application, but they are rather time consuming. She would not choose to submerge herself into water either. “But why put it on at all then? It makes no sense.” To wear makeup with a bathing suit, and no intentions of swimming at all? The minds of humans, what confusion they bring the manticore. She was one of them, once, but it was so long ago, Leyha does not ever think she’ll truly understand them again. “Yes, I think so too. That is what is fun, about this age. So many interesting, strange things can be worn, and little to stop you otherwise.” She would slice anyone into pieces with her claws if they tried. Her hand reaches out, brushing against a top with something on it called sequins. “I like the shiny pieces. They’re dazzling and call attention.” Her smile turns to face Elif. “What of you? What do you prefer?”

[zulcyha]

erosxoneiroi​:

That was nice, Ørjan had heard such promises before and hoped that it was true on both counts. It would be a shame to discover betrayal in the form of one’s lover after literally going to hell, knowing Phobetos though Ørjan did not think that was the case. Were they not friends and Ørjan was in possession of their talisman then he would have liked to torture this love story a bit, a poke in one direction, a prod in the other. How horrible would it feel to suffer torment for centuries, only to find that the one you’d loved previously had moved on? “Ørjan Bue is the name I chose in this life,” the spirit offered, it was the one they’d been carrying for almost a thousand years now, it went with their face. “you are lucky to have found someone to be so devoted to. And Phobetos is fortunate as well.” They didn’t have anything like that, but they enjoyed witnessing such matches when they occurred. 

+

“Ørjan,” she echoes back, a small nod of her head. “Well met.” Any oneiroi is safe in Leyha’s presence, a grace not extended to many. But she knows that Phobetos considers them to be family, and she would not do anything to upset that, knowing the effect it could have on her partner. “They are a part of my soul. Perhaps the only good part.” The dark and twisted thing that it is now, taken and molded by the hands of gods with dark machinations. It’s never truly bothered Leyha, the power suits her and perhaps who she was always meant to be. But the human woman who she used to be is far gone, and maybe her love for Phobetos is the only piece of her that still exists. Her eyes turn to the oneiroi, gaze falling on him in consideration. “Have you ever experienced such a love?”

[zulcyha]

iapyxxdiadalos​:

“I almost had a fury.” Iapyx explained as he swiped at the air, “But they ran off to the underworld before I could kill them.” The scowl on his face was fixed and pronounced as he looked at another suspicious stretch of empty air before he swiped at that with his egregiously long claws. Poison splattered as he did, the walls, the dumpster, and the miscellaneous bags of trash strewn about were all evidence of this. Iapyx looked to Leyha, “I want to get them if they come back, will you help me?”

+

“Slippery, cowardly little things, aren’t they?” Leyha sneers with derision. There is no love lost between her and the species responsible for her caging; were it up to the manticore, she would line these streets with their bodies and paint the square with their blood. Clearly, Iapyx is of the same opinion. “I would take no greater pleasure than ridding this world of those irritant creatures, send them on to their masters they love so much.” Let them ask the Erinyes why they were not protected, why their magic and strength all failed them in the end and their masters were nowhere to be found to help them. “But I do not think it shall return to this same place, if it does come back to this earth.”

[zulcyha]

phobetos​:

The spirit knew all too well that there was no measures that they would be unwilling to go to in order to ensure her happiness— if it was a child that she wished, they would bring her one; and it would be the most beautiful child that Greece had to offer, and if it was her own son they would track down a genasi willing to pull his spirit from the heavens to put back into a body for her to care for once more. Phobetos reached for her hand, bringing it to their lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. “We can be a family,” they said before offering a smile. “I was young then, and heartsick. Now I am neither, she would not find me to be so easily manipulated.” The oneiroi had no secrets, not for Leyha, and they divulged the name easily. “Maven. I know little of her, other than that a vampire named Jamie sees himself as her caretaker.” They scoffed. “What can a vampire do for a genasi?” Still, they reached down to stroke the soft back of a passing stray. “I’ve befriended the Valkyrie,” they said idly, looking over at the manticore now with quiet interest. “Freya. Have you met?”

+

The idea of having a family with Phobetos is a pleasant one, one that causes Leyha to smile, and so she bookmarks it for later. In her human life, it is all she could have wanted, and perhaps that contributes to the fantasy of what it could be today, if she thought herself capable of loving another child so much. “I trust in you,” she says, tucking her head against their chest. It is never Phobetos she doubts, just in the intentions of others. This is a greedy, cruel world, and while Leyha finds such things work well for her much of the time, she would also sooner kill than see any of it befall the oneiroi. “But I will remember her name all the same.” And should she ever even attempt treachery against Phobetos, then the manticore will make sure she lives long enough to regret it, until this Maven begs for the release of death. Leyha pulls back in order to look upon their face, curiosity shining in her eyes as her head tilts slightly. “The original Valkyrie?” Evidently there are many others, but only one stands above the rest, beautiful and strong and magnificent. “We’ve met, yes.”

[zulcyha]

vclkyric​:

    „You are one of the proofs for that, yes.“ Manticores, dryads, wyverns. They had all returned to the the world after being gone for centuries. „Your kind existed a long time ago, alongside two other species who have come back to this town.“ Freya spoke as she got the two horses ready. It was easy for her, and in no time they stood outside, and she gestured for Leyha to get onto the horse she picked while Freya did the same. „Maybe we cannot fly, but riding is at least a tiny bit similar, don‘t you think?“

“Did you ever see any of the previous kind? The ones who came before me?” It is a matter of curiosity to Leyha. Whatever they had been, clearly the prototype was unsatisfactory to Typhon, that he chose to reimagine them instead. The only thing she has heard is that they were monstrous, but in her opinion, that is not such a bad thing to be. Not if it means others tremble at the thought of crossing her, of making an enemy where they should not. “Perhaps it is the closest we can get to flying, in this world,” she says, hitching her leg over the side of the large animal. There are those strange things overhead, Phobetos refers to them as planes, but it is not the same as true flying. Not without the wind against one’s face.

[zulcyha]

vclkyric​:

    Freya had been alive too long, she had seen too much, and she had made too many mistakes herself to be someone who did not speak the truth. And why should she slim who she was? She was the Valkyrie, the very first one to be chosen, and the only one to be blessed by Loki. It would be stupid of her not to make the distinction. And when the other woman accepted it, it planted a smile on her lips. “Maybe one day they will return, like some other species have.” She tipped her head in the direction of the manticore with a small smile, before spreading her arms around the stable. “That’s my easiest task. Pick a horse for yourself. This one will be mine,” she added, running her hand a long the neck of a deep black horse.

“Do you mean like me?” she questions curiously. Manticores existed on this world once before, or so Leyha has been told. The original creations of Typhon, more beastly in nature and sight than the way she had been spat back out. “If they do, then I would like to ride one. I would like to see the sky from their perspective.” She imagines that there is nothing like it, to feel the wind against her skin high above the world. But for now, she will settle for simple horseback against the earth. Her eyes roam over the stables, until they land upon a stallion of a reddish coat and impressive stare. “I will take this one,” she announces, running a hand along it’s muzzle. 

[zulcyha]

phobetos​:

And her happiness was what mattered most to them— they had been alone for too long, wandering back to the place of their creation in her absence to try and find a flicker of meaning in stone walls; but there were no lights that shone as bright as Zuleyha, there was no love for them when she did not breathe. Heartache was a bitter, horrible emotion: their least favourite of all the ones that humans could feel. While a spirit is immune from physical pain, they were swallowed up from the inside, wallowing in darkness until they had once again found their siblings: a small reprieve, a moment of joy. “You could have a new family again, if you would like.” It did not exist in her dreams, nor did they weave it for her, but Phobetos would steal the most beautiful child from the arms of a screaming mother if it was what Leyha desired. They could raise them together, and they would learn what it was like to be a parent, properly. Fingers reached for the manticore’s and Phobetos gave them a squeeze. “I would like to. I have no reason to be suspicious of her intentions.” They smiled, “It is not foolishness, but perhaps I feel as though I have a had a hand in her fate and would like to see it done well with.”

+

Leyha considers it for a moment, the idea of being a mother once again. She thinks of it fondly, some of the happiest memories of her life had been with her son. Watching Nikomedes grow into the fine young man he became, knowing it was her guiding hand that led him there. He was just hers, and no one else’s, not her former husband nor even Phobetos. Though she would not have minded if the spirit had stepped into a more parental figure, it was not the way things went. “It would not be the same,” she decides, shaking her head lightly. “There are none who could ever hope to match him within my heart.” No, Nikomedes had been special, her own flesh and blood, she’d risked everything for him. Leyha does not think she could ever possibly love another so much. None other that Phobetos, but that love is entirely different. It is all consuming, sunk deep into her very core. There is no future for her without them, and that is the simple truth of the matter. “I only worry for your safety, aşkım.” Genasi are greedy creatures, it is in their very nature, how they obtained such power. She will not risk losing the oneiroi, to see them betrayed by one once again. “Would you tell me her name? If she attempts any harm against you, then her last moments will be of great agony.” And then she would present the genasi’s heart to Phobetos as offering, a show of her devotion. 

[zulcyha]

vclkyric​:

     “I’m the Valkyrie.” Was that too arrogant? Showing too much ego? Of course Freya knew many more Valkyries had come after her, but she was the only one who truly carried the name. The first of her kind, the chosen one. She slowly turned around, resting one of her hands on her hip as the other brushed a stray lock away from her forehead that had loosened from her ponytail. “Unfortunately, there are no winged horses here. There are none left on this earth.” Her last one had been killed a long time ago, and Freya still mourned for her. “But normal horses are just as beautiful and kind as Pegasi are.”

The distinction gives Leyha pause, dark eyes lingering on Freya in appreciation. A woman unwilling to shy from her own strength, to demand the respect that is her due, is someone worthy of the manticore’s attention. “The Valkyrie,” she corrects, a slight nod to her head. It is not a deference Leyha has shown to many, but few have caught her interest in such a way. “That is unfortunate.” A shame, she wanted to take flight. But it is unsurprising to learn that such a creature has long been gone from this world. Humans will kill anything they cannot possess for themselves. “These will have to do, then.” Though none are so fantastic as she would have hoped, horseback is the method of transportation Leyha has long been most used to, before the strange invention called cars. “I want to go riding.”

[zulcyha]

And I have found both freedom and safety in my madness; the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.

Kahlil Gibran, from Grape Leaves: A Century of Arab-American Poetry; “The Madman (Prologue)”

[zulcyha]

erosxoneiroi​:

Their story was a nice one, Ørjan found themselves falling into it a bit. As a spirit who menaced love stories, he couldn’t help but find themselves thinking the idea of the two star-crossed lovers was a great one. Ørjan had no doubt that whatever Leyha experienced in Tartarus was horrendous, and for that she had his sympathy, but the fact that they and Phobetos were now together again -despite everything. It was inspired. “I knew others of your kind, once. Long ago.” Ørjan offered, “I’ve heard of what it is that makes you what you are, and you have my condolences. And my respect.”  

+

“It is what I am that allows me to be with Phobetos, when I could not before. For them, I would pay any price, a thousand times again and again.” But with that being said, Leyha has no intentions of ever returning to the Tartarus now that she is free. What was done to her was cruelty and violence, and so she in turn has become the same. And she would sooner see this entire city turn crimson than allow anyone to put her back inside that cage. Her eyes roam over the other oneiroi curiously, before unlocking the door into the apartment above the shop and stepping inside. His speech suggests age, and Leyha wonders how long they have spent wandering this world, what all they have seen, and whether it is comparable to Phobetos’s experiences. “What do you call yourself?”

[zulcyha]

vikasokolov​:

“Then you are lucky.” Vika said the words simply, fixing blue eyes upon her friend. “There are not many in this world that would be as such.” She had a lifetime of lovers, but had never tasted love— not in its true form, only the sickly sweetness of infatuation: a state as fleeting as a soul. She stretched on the couch, curling her toes in borrowed socks before coiling back under the covers like a contented cat, looking up at Leyha in admiration. There had been much that she had accomplished in her short while in Corinth, and she aimed to catch up just as quickly. “I do not know her name, just her look.” Her own gaze narrowed, “It will have to be a search I do on my own, her blood will be spilled by only me.” Vika’s head tilted, before she passed off a snicker. “A death for a death, fair exchange is no robbery.” She looked over Leyha’s garments in appreciation, the bright colours, the desire to put on every accessory. Her own style was reminiscent of the sixties, a leather jacket was a necessity as were a pair of red vinyl pants. A dress was to be picked up for an evening she had planned later on in the week— but for now she was content in a shirt that hung to her knees and belonged in Phobetos’ boring side of their closet. “Maybe we should go shopping today.” She gleamed. “I have a new job, my boss is foolish.” Vika’s explanation for such was off-hand, “A blonde man. I was paid in advance for the week.”

+

“I know.” Leyha would never doubt such a thing, she knows her fortune is beyond measure to have found Phobetos in this world. Even with the time they were forced apart, the pain of separation, every moment of it has been worth it in order to be with the oneiroi now. It is not a fate everyone is fortunate enough to have. She does not know if Vika has ever felt such a love, ever even come close to experiencing the feeling, or how much she can truly understand it. “Then I hope you find her swiftly, whoever she is.” Vengeance on the other hand, is something that the two manticores understand in each other with deep clarity. The one that sent Vika from her old life into the Tartarus in the first place, still alive amongst this world. Leyha knows she would not rest, if she were in the other’s shoes; not until her claws had ripped out the woman’s still beating heart from her chest, and crushed it within her hand. Then kill any of her friends and family, the person she so much as smiled at once, just to send a message. There are no half measures, when retribution is on the line. A grin grows against her face as Leyha nods, delighted in the prospect of getting to take Vika around the local boutiques. “Yes, absolutely. Phobetos gave me this shiny card, I still do not quite understand how it works, but they can swipe it to pay for anything at the little stores. It’s incredible.”

[zulcyha]

iapyxxdiadalos​:

@zulcyha​

An agitated swipe continued repeatedly through the spot where the fury had disappeared. She’d retreated to the Underworld but was bound to return eventually, all Iapyx had to do was keep swiping until she did. The manticore was pretty sure that was how it worked, unless the furies could teleport and nobody could tell him. The continued swoop of air permeated the space around him as enlarged claws protruded from his hands, they dripped with venom and splattered the wall with every swipe. “I can’t talk right now.” Iapyx said as he felt the approach of one he’d know anywhere, it was Leyha - she’d come to Tartarus… Some time after him, he was already turned then, but for how long he had never been sure. He was glad she was here and that they’d escaped together but he couldn’t afford to be distracted. Iapyx looked over his shoulder at her and shook his head, “I’m hunting.”

+

Leyha’s eyes scan around the street for whatever Iapyx might’ve seen, but finds nothing out of the ordinary — nothing except for said manticore, swiping at air with his claws. “What are you hunting? Shadows?” Her tone is teasing, but not cruel. She has a fondness for Iapyx, reserved for the few that went through such an experience as they did. No one could quite understand the manitcores but each other, even though some would do their best to try. The anger, the hunger, the need to inflict hurt back upon the world, as if it could ever match what they had to endure. Leyha would be all too happy to assist in whatever hunt he is on, if she could understand his intentions behind his actions. “Whatever your prey, I believe that they are gone now.”

[zulcyha]

“I read about you, you know.” It’s how Leyha announces her presence, no greeting necessary as she’s certain the other woman will remember her. The manticore has always left a big impression in her wake, even in her days as a succubus. “About Valkyries.” It had been a trip down a rabbit hole, as the internet says. The accounts of humans cannot be trusted, of course, but the easy access of information online from the little cellular device Phobetos had given her cannot be beaten. “Do you have a winged horse here? I would like to see it.” Her eyes dance around the stable, thoroughly unimpressed to see what looks like all completely normal steeds. ( @vclkyric​ )

[zulcyha]

Özge Yağız in the teaser for İçimizden Biri.