The Blistering Star, Mage of Compassion

FFXIV writing and character blog

[blisteringstar]

Prompt 17 - Sally

Following This by @houserosaire

Cisne looked down at the sight before him. He knew that Leander knew Honore, but something in him wished not to believe it. Although he turned and angled his ears as fat as they would go, not even his hearing could pick up what the conversation was about. With a suck of his teeth and a clucking of his tongue, he turned and walked off from the scene with a particularly hard thump of his first heel.

"Ooh you sound mad," The voice over his linkpearl perked up in that dreadfully chipper tone of an airy voice. Inwa. How did he hear any of that? The miqo'te wasn't attuned to dynamis and emotions like Cisne was, but sometimes he could have sworn he had to be.

"I'm not capable of anger--," Cisne stated, cut off quickly by a peal of laughter from the other end.

"Inwa."

"Sorry sorry. I was just impressed with how fast you tried to deny it." Inwa cleared his throat. "What did you come across that made you make all of those sounds?"

"Honore and Leander were talking. I couldn't hear about what. Has he said anything to you recently?" Cisne sighed. It was easier to ignore some of the things Inwa said than address every thing he said that upset him. They'd both be there forever, and Cisne didn't have that sort of time.

"… Oh riiIight!" Inwa said in a bright, cheery tone that it was threatening to give Cisne a headache. "I forgot that they knew each other. What are the odds? That's the one you--"

"No, I do not. Our tastes are nothing alike." Inwa was derailing the subject, and Cisne couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or not. It was both easier and harder to talk to the miqo'te over linkpearl instead of face to face. The deep well of misery the dragon-cat had become lately was too much for Cisne to handle, but it also meant he couldn't tell as easily what the words Inwa used truly meant.

"Eeeh? What about that one guy who applied to the company recently? E..ti? Eti-een?," Inwa struggled, trying to remember the name and how to pronounce it.

"Etienne," Cisne corrected. "I don't get what he has to do with this. Did Honore speak to you or not?"

"Now you're deflecting," Inwa mused. "He didn't. Are you trying to get me to spy on him or Leander?"

"Neither. I don't care what they're doing. It was enough to see them." Cisne replied flippantly, shaking his head. "And you can't do anything for an entire moon." He reminded Inwa, hearing an 'aww' on the other side of the line after being reminded of his predicament.

Despite his words, Cisne let the thought of whatever that conversation was about occupy him for the rest of the walk back to the Griseux manor. He truly didn't want to know what it was about, but the curiosity was going to kill him at this rate.

[blisteringstar]

Prompt 23 - On Cloud Nine

"I'm begging you to say Appa," Inwa sobbed dramatically, much to The little one's delight. Squeals of laughter followed the fake cry, making the little wooden house the tree of them occupied a little warmer. In all the months since losing his love, The father had been worried about what to do about his son, he had missed the sound of laughter and play.

"What's going on?" He asked, looking between the little viera who was sitting up and watching Inwa with glittering eyes and a wide, toothless smile. The miqo'te in question whipped his head around, staring at him in surprise, and turning so he could see both of them better.

"I wanted to surprise you by getting him to say 'dad' or anything close to that but…" Inwa's shoulders rose, his eyes closing. As if knowing the flow of conversation, The little one flapped his arms excitedly, bouncing in-place against the pillows that were helping him with his balance.

"Eomma! buuu," the baby recited proudly, his hands lifting in a facsimile of a wave to his father. Inwa motioned his hand out to the little traitor.

"I don't get it. What does it mean?" The father looked between his son and the miqo'te.

"It means mom," Inwa sounded defeated, his shoulders slacking and his ears air planing to the sides, eliciting giggles from the baby again. "He's making fun of the fact I keep crying when he says the wrong thing. In his defense, I did this to the man who took care of me, too. You never expect this sort of karmic payback."

As Inwa expected, the father joined in with his sons' laughter, ducking and going to pick the boy up into his arms.

"Is mom being funny?" He smiled at his son in what felt like the first time Inwa had seen since agreeing to babysit.

"Don't support this," Inwa chided, shaking his head.

"I got a message from one of my sisters. She's willing to take in my little one while I continue traveling," The father looked at Inwa, The little one following suit, not entirely knowing what was being talked about.

"Oh? Oh! That's wonderful! I'm glad you finally got in touch with them. When are you going to leave?" Inwa's smile was bright and genuine, his ears lifting once more while the tip of his tail flicked here and there.

"In a couple of days. She lives in Yyasulani, and I told her about the Hhestarro who may go see my boy sometimes," He offered to Inwa with a gentle smile, patting his son's back.

"So long as he stops calling me 'eomma', I will make sure to visit him monthly."

[blisteringstar]

Prompt 9: Lend an Ear

The sight of a crying child and a stressed father was not new to Inwa. Ever since the days of living and working with the Wolf Tribe, children were everywhere, and he quickly learned his fellow men weren't very good at picking up how to tend to them. It was habit that brought him over to the Viera in question, bowing and apologizing profusely before asking if he could try his hand with the child.

The moments of hesitation were warranted, Inwa thought to himself. Why hand your child to a strange foreign miqo'te? Yet to Inwa's surprise, He held the little one out carefully, Inwa taking the fussy one into his arms and holding him close. Little arms flailed, eyes squeezed shut tight as he wailed. Inwa bounced the little one against his chest, pacing and speaking quietly, while the father watched the pair with tired eyes.

Inwa barely realized when the cries had died down, averting his gaze to the pair of small blues who were watching him closely with small fistfuls of Inwa's own dark hair. He smiled at the baby, stroking his finger against the little one's puffy cheeks.

"There we go. All better now?" He could see the little gears turning in the baby viera, trying to process if this strange man with small ears was good or not. Inwa took to smoothing the baby's hair down and holding him close to his chest. Now that the baby was quiet, he set to checking the other usual problems.

"When was the last time he ate or that he was change--" Inwa looked up to seek out the father, only to find the man standing beside him, looking down at his quiet son and then Inwa, grateful.

"Oh, I didn't realize you moved. Would you like him back?" Inwa offered, blinking up at the taller viera.

"… Can we talk? I think I need your help," he replied, weary eyes fixed on the miqo'te.

[blisteringstar]

Prompt 14 - Telling

"I remembered something," Cisne said as he walked the cold Ishgardian streets.

"Oooh, interesting!" A chipper voice replied over his linkpearl. "Who's something?"

"Did you ever learn to waltz?" Cisne asked, wrapping his arms around himself to somehow fend off the chilling night air. The voice on the other end didn't answer immediately, making the line between them fall into a pensive silence.

"I thought you didn't get any of those," The chipper voice had sobered, the joy gone, leaving only a wistful curiosity.

"Only if they are linked to a strong feeling," Cisne followed up, thinking back to the reception that brought the memory to mind. "Seeing Sebastian and Lazne dancing after their wedding brought it to mind. He is ever the poet when it comes to lavishing his partners with complements." The viera huffed, slowly shaking his head.

"Aah?" Inwa questioned, his curiosity piqued. "Is the Icy Swan allowing people to melt his walls?"

"That was not my epithet," Cisne sighed. Talking to Inwa was always a game of who would deflect way from their feelings first. It wasn't lost on him that The miqo'te over the line was avoiding talking about waltzing.

"Sooo then was it a sort of synchronicity? You have to find a commonality to a memory through feelings to recover them?"

"That's tedious," Cisne bites back, putting a stop to the thought that he would bother. The quick cut in of his retort made Inwa laugh, the distinct sound of his voice being muffled as if the man was covering his mouth politely.

"I suppose that is fair. To answer your question… No, I haven't." His voice slowed and drifted to chase the wisps of buried memories. "I am sorry that bittersweet melancholy reverberated through you. Odd place to get it, though!"

"It wasn't the dancing that gave me that memory," Cisne took a breath. " Regardless," He continued, knowing Inwa was going to avoid the truth of that memory. "No one is melting anything. I am allowed to be mystified that someone as happy as Sebastian is allowed to exist."

"I'm not sure about allowed, but I'm fairly certain I remember that it wasn't easy for him to reach this point," Inwa hummed, returning to his chipper tone that didn't go at all with his thoughtful words.

"It is cute you think of him like that, though," Inwa teased.

"This is why I dislike talking to you."

[blisteringstar]

Prompt #1 Steer

Characters: Spinel Kallis & Rhapsody Onasis Warning: spoilers for late to endgame of Dawntrail.

Spinel was an eldite who lived and worked in Solution 9 as a top idol. It didn't take much searching to find a venue where he was playing. He was a busy man that kept himself working to give the people a little relief even when times were bleak. With their queen gone, now was the time to lift the spirits of the people and help pave a way forward.

Today, he encountered one of the many bumps in the road to that lofty ideal. Rhapsody, another idol, usually opened for him on gig nights. Although their styles didn't flow together on paper, Spinel has never considered replacing him. Rhapsody was new to fame and needed a stage to help launch him forward, and Spinel admired the young Shetona's strong work ethic.

When Spinel Found him pacing, face pale and ears low, He turned to one of the other stagehands for what was wrong. The dancer that performed with him for his first number never showed up. Given how much time had passed since That Event, it was possible they would never perform again.

Instead of bringing the panicking man's mood down further, Spinel turned to take the reins. It may have been Rhapsody's performance, but it was his show. The responsibility to keep everything afloat fell on him.

He would dance with him instead. Rhapsody's head shot up, turning to look at Spinel, eyes wide with dread. There wasn't time to teach him the moves, and the sort of dancing it took was not something done in Solution 9 these days. Spinel would hear none of it, already walking off to get into the appropriate costume (or something close enough, he thought to himself. His wardrobe did not fit the younger idol's 'cute' aesthetic, but he'd make it work).

Rhapsody could only thank the retreating figure repeatedly, knowing in his heart he would owe him for saving him. Spinel did not see it that way. It was his show and his responsibility. It was his job to know how to keep it running.

[blisteringstar]

Prompt #3 - Tempest

When Inwa was a kit, his enemy was naps. He would cry and scream and stubbornly sit in his comfortable bed with his older brother curled around him in solidarity. When he looks back on those stories, he could feel a pang of sympathy toward his foster fathers for handling his tantrums.

Now it was Inwa raising in the middle of the night, surrounding himself in aether and teleporting into the room of his young charge in the middle of the night. The ofuda he left on the little viera's crib did its deed of alerting him once the storm overhead finally broke and the terrible peals of lightning and thunder disrupted the baby's slumber. The quiet of the small home was cut with wails, the little one's legs kicking and arms flailing.

Reaching into the crib, Inwa gathered the little raven haired child into his arms, holding him close to his chest and rocking him. It was his hope to catch the baby before its father woke up and calm him before the peace could be disturbed. What he didn't count was how much louder sounds were to young viera ears.

"Oh I know, I know," He soothed, bouncing The Little One in his arms as he started to pace the small room. "The sound is scary, but I promise it's not as bad as it seems." Like clockwork, The Little One was grabbing at the first things it can hold and taking them along for his tirade. In this case, it was Inwa's hair once more, black and red locks of hair being yanked and tangled in little hands as the fussing persisted, causing the elder miqo'te gasp and protest.

The Little One was walked to his crib once more, reaching to sit him down and do the work of freeing his hair from the iron grip it was being held in. "No no no no-ouch- It's okay, It's okay. Aaah Kami, I hope your father isn't awake," Inwa muttered as he pulled long strands from the baby and tossed it over his shoulder. Next time, he will remember to tie his hair back.

Inwa leaned into the crib, soothing down soft raven curls on The Little One's head and down to his stomach to poke him with a smile. The comforting touch caught The Little One's attention to quiet the cries to look up at the Miqo'te in question- or wonder, Inwa wasn't sure which. With that opening, He started to speak to the baby in his native tongue In higher, sing-song tones, ending the phrase with a tickle to the baby's tummy that earned a blessed giggle. Whatever Inwa said was helping.

"Niko niko? What does that mean," an older, masculine voice questioned from the doorway.

It was Inwa's turn to jump, and look over his shoulder with his ears lowered. The Father of the little one emerged from his part of the house, leaned against the doorway with a grin on his face. Inwa in turn squinted. He had been caught at the part he wanted a witness the least.

The Little One giggled once more. Inwa's reaction to his father seemed to be just as funny.

"If I knew you were awake, I would have left this for you to handle," Inwa wrinkled his nose up, the tip of his tail flicking side to side in the darkness.

"And miss you embarrassing yourself to make a baby stop crying? Impossible." The Father laughed, shaking his head. He didn't particularly think the sight of someone playing with his son while having his hair aggressively pulled was far more endearing than the Miqo'te obviously realized.

"I'll help," The Father offered, pushing off the doorway to finally walk into the room.

[blisteringstar]

Prompt 10: Stable

"Now, I know I'm starting your life of crime early, but I couldn't think of anything more 'enriching' than bringing to you to meet Joyeux and Troubadour.," Inwa spoke to the bundle of baby viera in his arms. The little one babbled at Inwa in response as the elder Miqo'te reached out to open the gate. A quick glance was given down to his little partner in crime, and then over the stables.

"Not quite" he sighed in response to that babbling. "I know your father would oppose my taking you over the salt, but you're wrong, my little accomplice." he tsked, wagging his finger. "I also didn't tell the owners of this very stable that I was coming, nor that I was bringing someone along." Inwa brought a finger up to his mouth, leaning in close to the little one. "This must remain a secret between us and the giant birds you're here to see."

If he were to be honest, Inwa rarely if ever ventured to the stables. Without a chocobo of his own and no real clue how to care for them, he always made the choice to leave them to Silvain. Even with that in mind, it was easy to find Joyeux, the warbird greeting the familiar miqo'te warmly, nipping and preening at his hair. Troubadour's talkative warbling in the background also couldn't be ignored, calling out to the pair.

"Troubadour! How could I think I could sneak anywhere with you here…," Inwa smiled, holding his finger up again. "I will get to you in a moment. I just--" His words were cut off when the small bun came to realize the large creature that had come into view, taking deep breaths to work up a cry.

"He's very big, isn't he. Oh, it's okay, he's not scary." Inwa leaned down to kill the top of the baby's head, rocking him slowly. The arm that wasn't cradling him reached out to pet Joyeux's beak, "See? He's a good chocobo. You could also pet him, but…" Inwa winced when fussy fists balled into his hair and began yanking and tangling into it as he decided if he wanted to cry or not.

Joyeux rested his head down against the small one, large beady eyes on the long-eared baby. With luck, Inwa was able to untangle one little fist. Placing a finger under it, he guided the child's fist to Joyeux's beak. "There. You see? Everything is fine."

The Baby Bun splayed his hand on the chocobo's beak, wide blue eyes on the dark blue of the bird's feathers. The deep breaths calmed, the child reaching to put the tangled hand on the beak as well, curling little fingers and then opening them again.

"Thank you for being understanding, Joyeux," Inwa also placed his free hand on the chocobo, soothing at his feathers with a smile. "And please don't tell Silvain. I know the stable hands will, but I would appreciate juuuust this bit of secrecy."

A warble from Troubadour direction called Inwa's attention once more, turning to peer at the other chocobo in contempt, proverbial feathers ruffled.

"No, it's not mine! You especially better not run your beak to Honore."

[blisteringstar]

Quiz: Villain Type

The Betrayer

You like to do things up close and personal. As personal as you can get. You are an excellent actor, and you do adore putting on a smile knowing your worst enemy, the one you hate the most, doesn't suspect a thing when they tell you their deepest secrets. Your only motivation is revenge, and revenge you shall get. Perhaps you loved them once, long ago, but any fondness for your target you once felt has long since warped and twisted into perverse obsession, laced with malice and venom and seething hatred. Good or evil does not matter to you. All that matters is they get what they deserve.

---

I didn't make a comment on Inwa's, because they would be tangentially related due to what Cisne is. Given that, theirs would move one into the other. I have thought about what it would take for Inwa to become a villain and it would be a slippery slope of the help he tries to give people turning out with devastating results. Eventually, one too many tragedies would cause a break in his perception and it becomes everyone's problem.

Cisne's then becomes a result of that. How he handles people and situations becomes influenced by what created that break. Cisne becomes what's left; only a shadow of the light Inwa once was.

Anyway @reddevil-xiv was tagging me just so they could see what Cisne's would be, and here it is.

[blisteringstar]

Quiz: Villain Type

Then Let Me Be Evil

You never wanted to hurt anyone, but the world never gave you a choice. You did the best you could with what you had, but every innocent mistake you made was held against you when it counted, every crossroads led you down the wrong path no matter which way you went. No matter what you did, the odds were stacked against you. It wasn't fair, and you are sick and tired of being told what a monster you are for things out of your control. Well, fine. They want a monster? YOU'LL GIVE THEM A MONSTER!

Tagged by: @houserosaire

Tagging: anyone who wants to. Quiz: Here

[blisteringstar]

Inwa Raen

—𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒔

Name: Grian Morgoric I guess? Still figuring out the family name

Alias:  Inwa Raen, Yanagisawa Kyou, Yamazaki Kouki, Little Fox

Age: Appears late-twenties 

Nameday: 20th Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon

Race: Seeker of the Sun Miqo’te (Undisclosed)

Gender: Male 

Orientation: Awkward

Profession: Captain of magic at Priarch, Priest in Hingashi (Under Kouki), Yakuza Doctor, Information broker

—𝒑𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔

Hair: Black with red peppered throughout 

Eyes: Bright red

Skin: awkward tone between “he isn’t white or pale” but not “he’s tanned” He has color to him.

Tattoos/scars: None and yes this should be unnerving

—𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚

Parents: S’ghuro Tia (foster father), Casca Raen (foster father), Oriane (birth mother), Gilvain (birth father)

Siblings: He has no idea, but he is aware he should have two siblings somewhere, Erdenechimeg Kha (foster brother)

Grandparents: Primordial Entity Known As Chaos (it’s best not to ask about Grandma Chaos)

In-laws and Other: Nope

Children: Son he hasn’t met yet

Pets: Isamu (otter), Toshirou (bat), Daisuke (Onion Mandragora), others

—𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔

Abilities: He’s been known to do a little magic. A talent that he has always possessed. And he uses it on behalf of those that need and ask for help. There’s far more to it, but it would be easier to ask him directly.

—𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒔

Most Positive Trait: Optimistic, able to put the hard choices before himself, very good at thinking through problems and finding the most probable answer

Most Negative Trait: Anxious, overthinker, double-edged patience, low-confidence, slow to answer but when he gets there it burns 

—𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒔

Colors: Lavender, Silver

Smells: tea, sea breezes

Textures: Doesn’t think about it

Drinks: Sake, Baijiu, eastern teas

—𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒔

Smokes: The only smoking he’s doing is when it comes billowing from between his teeth when he’s mad

Drinks: Only when he’s truly depressed and trying ignore it these days

Drugs: Medical only

Mount Issuance: None! He has a giant Spriggan that carries him around sometimes, a spell to make Daisuke bigger, and a bond with a pack of giant wolves that sometimes need him to do them a favor.

Been Arrested: Not for anything he’s done/not technically.

Tagged by: two people, so I guess Cisne will get one later.

[blisteringstar]

Tagged: 10 Characters/10 Fandoms/10 Tags

Thank you for the tag @avampyone . If I am going to be honest, the inspiration comes after the character is made, but there are correlations I have definitely made. I also wasn't entirely sure what this list was supposed to be in direct correlation to, so I decided instead on characters that remind me of mine from things that I can see similarities in.

Sorey - Tales of Zestiria

Eiji Hino - Kamen Rider OOO (specifically to Inwa)

Ankh - Kamen Rider OOO (specifically to Cisne)

Mikage Souji - Revolutionary Girl Utena

chaos - Xenosaga (Specifically to Inwa)

Albedo - Xenosaga (Specifically to Cisne)

Jezebel - Count Cain (I will not spell his name the other way)

Kristoph Gavin - Ace Attorney Series

Azul Ashengrotto - Twisted Wonderland

Adam - Nier Automata

And because I did double two, I will give two extras to make up for all the tagging I'm not going to do.

Akechi Goro - Persona 5

The Main Two Gays - Heaven's Official Blessing

[blisteringstar]

What sky are you?

starry sky

you're sometimes overwhelmed by how much you feel, and you don't always know what to do with all those feelings. you value honesty. you want to feel at peace, and you try not to take the little things for granted. you believe you are part of something bigger than yourself. your actions and opinions reflect your care for other people. you're not necessarily an optimist but you hold onto hope. you take life as it comes, but you don't let it walk all over you.

overcast sky

you've built up some walls around you. you're careful with whom you give your heart and your trust. you feel like you're waiting for something, but you're not sure what it is. there's something telling you that there's more to life for you than what you have now. but until then, you're content to let the days pass. you're not in any rush, but some days you can't ignore the sense of restlessness that comes with waiting. you are a calm but intimidating presence.

tagged by: @houserosaire

Quiz Here

[blisteringstar]

Begin

Log; ninth sun of the 5th umbral moon

Erden approached and offered a drink. The waiters had already provided me with one, so I declined. When he entered, he was opposite a man who influenced sharp feelings inside of me. Something within the amalgamation of my parts didn't like the sight of that individual, but I couldn't tell why.

I was caught standing with Erden by Ivarault and his siblings. Immediately they descended on us, trying to figure out if I had some sort of relationship with him. Erden's feelings changed. My assessment is that he doesn't like being in spaces with a lot of people. He may not even like Highborn. I was under the impression he and his brother grew up fairly highborn themselves. Maybe it's something else.

Erden escaped back to the bar where his charge was. He was tasked with playing bodyguard to Mister Aramis. I will make a note to investigate what sort of people he's been guarding.

Ivarault closed in, striking up a conversation. He wanted to find out what he could about what I was doing, but I firmly told him there wasn't much to be found out. We spoke to each other longer than I anticipated. Ivarault always struck me as someone who had no interest in speaking to those whom he deemed below him. I could be wrong.

Ivarault stepped away to give his greetings to Baron Rosaire and Edarien who had made his way in. Rainimont came in and asked for a summary before I directed him in the same direction.

I spent a few moments alone against the wall, trying to get rid of the feeling of drowning in the room. Erden had gotten himself drunk and I decided to execute one last action before departing for the night. I made him drink a glass of water, was introduced to Aramis, and watched them leave together for the evening.

I said my goodbyes to Rainimont and his group and then departed. The Griseux manor was tainted, and I feared fielding more questions if I excused myself to my room with the Courcelles. I found myself in Erden's inn room for the night where I wrote this log tonight.

Tomorrow should be his nameday, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that.

[thedarknesssings]

Inwa @blisteringstar lining up the bodies. Kuni @liminal-storage manages to still look so pretty even in pretend death. Also starring Edarien, Rainimont @rain-grey-falcon and Idristan @roses-and-grimoires .

[blisteringstar]

Prompt# 6 - Ring

Cisne had started to realize a problem. If he were to be honest, there were a lot of little problems. To begin with, his memories were like shattered glass. Nothing fit together and nothing made sense. His feelings were like lights in a thick fog. He never knew where they came from or how to understand and make sense of them. His skills were disjointed like he was reading three different tomes from a room away. These problems were manageable, if not insanity-inducing.

He realized the real problem when he and Urien let Helios inside Priarch. Urien's feelings began to overflow in an instant and Cisne found it impossible to ignore them. Worse than that, Cisne was finding it impossible not to feel them. The elation of Helios' attention. The horror of being touched and being seen. The sharp pain of a careless grab to his ears. All of it was as if he was the one it was coming from. It was as annoying and as terrifying as dealing with Inwa's overflowing emotions.

He was aware he could feel the emotions of others, but he never realized it would lead to not being able to tell what was his and what wasn't. Asking Priarch's headmage didn't turn up the answers he wanted. The mage suggested that Cisne's lack of control over dynamis was causing his interaction with the energy to not end at just 'seeing' it. As usual, Inwa prattled on about the intricacies of what the magic could mean, but a lot of the jargon was lost on his viera counterpart. Cisne understood it as something more simple; if he didn't learn to put a barrier between himself and the dynamis, he would continue to lose himself until there wasn't a difference between himself and everyone else.

One thing he did know was exclusively his was the creeping fear of Helios. The last thing he knew was that Helios and Urien wanted him and Rain returned. Yet upon their entering Priarch, nothing happened. Was he supposed to live in fear of their expectations? Was he supposed to ignore it and act like nothing was ever said? Nothing was ever straightforward in that place.

Urien and Helios left without (much) fuss and Cisne took that opportunity to return to his room and close himself in. He didn't want to see or feel anyone. He should have said something to Rain and Edarien about the visit, but the thought of other people set him on edge after the torrent of Urien's emotions. The continuous spiral of sorting the presence of other people between himself and others was exhausting. Working on blocking himself would be difficult. Dynamis wasn't widely known, let alone studied. He couldn't just look someone up who would know how to help him from going insane.

Cisne breathed out slowly. In and out. He could calm himself down and let the evening go in time. The strong feeling of wanting to serve and please Helios echoed in his chest as if it were his own memory. So, too, did the accompanying and distaste of everything it took to get there. Urien may have been blinded by his own desire to have something, but Cisne felt as if he could have suffocated in all of the negativity Urien ignored in himself.

Give him back the overly horny people. At least he knew how to deal with that.

[blisteringstar]

Prompt #11 - Once Bitten, Twice Shy

The face of his maker showed up at the Edarien's door and Cisne nearly closed it without a second thought. If there was ever a face that would get a true and clear reaction out of him, it would be this one. It was the face of his egotistical maker who only wanted Inwa. He wouldn't have been in the wrong to sock him right in the jaw and tell him to go straight to hell.

Instead, he let him in and they talked. Crane was dead, after all. The man before him was faultless. Cisne heard him out and agreed to help him, but he couldn't get rid of the feeling in his gut throughout that talk. Who told him about what he could do? Why would anyone who knows him volunteer him to this man of all people? Cisne attempted to be cordial through the rage even if he was not polite.

The conversation seemed to almost go on forever until the massive au ra finally departed and left him to himself in the parlor. There was a room in The Forgotten Knight that he could share with him, accepting him as 'the one in charge' while they worked together. The mere thought of being alone with him had Cisne throwing his violin and bow at the couch harder than the instrument deserved, resting with a dull thud against the cushions. The face that abandoned him because he was a failed attempt wanted his help now? How many others were also going to be taken in by that face again?

But he agreed. The hatred built up in his throat could have choked him, but he agreed. This Invader stood there impassively, muttering out clipped words and offers. He was so straight and to the point that Cisne could hardly conceive how he intended to pull off whatever it was he was asking help for, or why Crane picked such a wet paper bag as his host. He was as charismatic as an eel, but Cisne didn't want to delve deeper than that. He refused to feel what was going on in that head ever again.

Cisne's foot rose and collided with the arm of the sofa, kicking it in rapid succession, a loud noise of the feet dragging against the floor as he did.

He didn't want to help him!

Kick!

He didn't want to see that face anymore!

Kick!!

He didn't want to feel fondness when he saw him either!

That warm feeling made him want to puke. It wasn't his fondness, yet he was forced to hold it like a curse. How could he ever trust him again? There was a point in time where 'Cisne' trusted them all and thought there could be beauty in feelings. The only place that got him was this frozen hellhole under the 'watchful gaze' of a spineless traitor who was more than pleased to live as another man's dog.

Finally, Cisne took a slow, shuttering breath, hunched over with his arms lax at his sides and his feet both firmly on the ground. Around him the neatly pinned curls that were up in a bun on his head had begun to fall out, forming a curtain around his face of raw, unbridled, raging fear.

They were different. There was nothing about Erdenechimeg and Crane that was alike other than that face. Cisne still could not find it in his heart to trust him like family. This time he would be cautious.

This time he would make sure that face never forgot him.

[blisteringstar]

Prompt #4

Grief was a terrible, heavy thing, and Inwa had traveled the length of the universe to get away from his. He could have stayed with his family in that shining palace in the sky so far from everything else, but no. Instead, he chooses to stay by himself in a quaint little cottage in the middle of nowhere. To be alone with grief was hell to him, but to pour his pain on others was no better.

Viper almost died before his very eyes. Their gazes locked, watching the moment the Duskwight's own went dark with looking betrayal and pain. Viper had been there because Inwa asked for his help. It had barely been a sun before he was on the floor of the bar, slowly dying before Inwa's very eyes.

Inwa doesn't remember if he screamed. He doesn't remember if he pleaded with the fates to spare him. Did he promise anything to the universe in those dark moments when he thought Viper's life was lost? Did he breathe? The whole night was a blur after watching Viper fade.

His next memory was watching Viper sink into the dark water. He could do nothing but stand away from him and wait. He didn't eat or sleep, spending the whole sennight in a daze. Once Viper had resurfaced, Inwa fled.

The biggest difference between Sancturia and Etheirys was time. A year on his mother's homeworld was merely a sennight of Etheirys. He could spend much more time there trying to get himself through watching someone he cared about so deeply nearly die in peace. The time he spent alone was anything but peaceful, though.

Whether awake or asleep, he saw Viper's eyes. He could feel that hug he gave him the moment he saw him in Thavnair, and hear the way he sounded when asking Inwa if he was okay. Every memory of Viper felt distorted. Happy or sad, they all left him in tears when the deafening silence and isolation didn't. He couldn't count how many days ended with him sobbing on the floor while trying to remind himself to make it to the next day.

Change, as it always does, started small. He needed to eat, for one. If he wasn't going to stay with his family, he needed to feed himself, and that meant he either had to go into town to buy goods or find ways to produce them himself. The thought of being around other people in his state filled him with dread, so he foraged on his own and got to work. The more he could set his hands to, the more he didn't have to think about what happened. It wasn't healthy, but it was how he made it through the stillness of grief.

One day became several, over and over again until the years were starting to pass. Yet, still, the pain in his heart didn't pass. The time he spent thinking about Viper lessened and lessened until he found himself too busy with upkeep. It was only when he sat down to sleep that those silent hours brought back the memories he was trying to run from.

When Talia came for him, he returned to Etheirys without issue. What he found when he got there was that he was no better for all of his running and hiding. His heart was still heavy and the thought of Viper or Elias weighed him down like stone. He couldn't see him. He wouldn't see him. Every thought of him made him still feel like he could burst into tears like a grieving widow.

He still had not seen Viper, and intended to keep it that way. At the same time, he knew that even the vaguest mention of Viper being in trouble would send him to the duskwight's side.

This was The Curse of Compassion.