Cian Dawnlight

The Captain - 27 years old - City of Iron native - Enby-he/him

[captain-dawnlight]

edithxmorran​:

.

Edith did not like any of the patrons in the Three Horses Bar. You wouldn’t know that from the smile on her face and the flirty little giggle she gave out to anyone who made an attempt at charm. It was exhausting but they tipped better when she was bubbly, and talked more openly if they thought she was an airhead. Working that magic on Dawnlight, though, that would be a little trickier. See the soldiers, they were all idiots. Dawnlight knew what his tech was doing.  And he couldn’t even be bothered to say please.

She swallowed the temptation to tell him to fuck off, and pulled a glass from the shelf under the bar. “Bottled or tap? Bottled will cost you, but the likelihood of tap having dirt in it is pretty high.” Ed drummed her fingers against the bartop, expression stoic. 

Cian blinked, but wasn’t too surprised. Dusters rarely did that to him anymore. He just shrugged. “Bottled is fine,” he said. He rarely had bottled anyway, he figured he should drink what most soldiers were drinking without raising too many suspicions. Despite his years in the desert, being Ironborn was still painfully obvious for him. “Business going well?” he asked, for lack of better conversation topics. Loud noises rose up from behind him, and Cian turned for a bit to have a look at two soldiers having an argument. He turned back to the individual behind the bar, visibly annoyed. “I always wonder if they know... what they’re doing, how they’re acting.” how the people of the desert were suffering. 

[captain-dawnlight]

justmeg​:

Meg was ready to swirl around and snap his wrist, perhaps even add a knee-kick to his stomach to make sure he knew better than to try something like this ever again; but realising there was actual fear glistening in his eyes stopped her in her tracks. Frozen for but a second, her free hand rested on his, before she quickly pulled away. “When has any mission ever not gotten us into trouble?” It was more of a rhetoric question that allowed her a quick gaze around the place, making sure there weren’t any eyes on them. Then, she closed the remaining space between them and lowered her voice, almost whispering, “Listen, Cian, I am a very accomplished woman and I can handle this. Don’t underestimate me, and just trust me on this one, will you?”

The retort was fair, maybe even correct, but it felt different because he knew what to expect on any regular day. He knew what the missions had in store, he could do a risk assessment. If he didn’t know what was happening now, he wouldn’t be able to. He swallowed. “I trust you, Meg,” he said. though perhaps that wasn’t completely true. He wanted to trust her, he didn’t actually trust her. “I don’t trust Bashi.” 

[captain-dawnlight]

Location: Three Horses Bar @edithxmorran​

Cian hated being there, it was not a place he was anymore welcome at than in the Lord’s of Dust Bar, but like the other bar, it was a place where at times his presence was required. He swallowed as he walked towards the bar after the meeting, he could feel eyes on him. Most soldiers wouldn’t know who he was, but the ones in Dust for long enough knew him well enough. Child of the famous Dawnlights, very few people knew he was also the one who ended his family’s legacy, or tried to, because he was still connected to it. The name, the legacy, the tech. 

“Can I have a water?” he asked the first person he saw behind the bar, trying for a smile, but tired from the meeting he just had. 

[captain-dawnlight]

justmeg​:

Internally, she let out a sigh of relief – she never found herself to be particularly comfortable on the opposite side of Cian – and the sternness of her gaze subsided ever so slightly. Quickly, before he could change is mind, she stepped past him, slowing down only for a moment to give him a glance back over her shoulder, shrug, and say, “That hardly matters anymore at this point anyway, does it?”

Cian couldn’t let her go. He couldn’t. He grabbed for her arm, hoping to keep her from walking away. “Doesn’t it?” he asked, swallowing. His body felt tense, fear crippling for a moment and dictating his actions. “Meg, please. Tell me he didn’t ask you anything that is going to get us in trouble,” he pleaded. 

[captain-dawnlight]

justmeg​:

“Cian.” Her voice went quiet, could almost be mistaken for a plea, were it not for the subtle threat resonating in her tone. A one-worded warning, one last chance for him to stand down.

He didn’t take it.

He drove her backwards, into a corner, and in a moment of indecisiveness, she let it happen. All light had left her eyes as she tilted her head up to meet his gaze again; her irides, once lit up with sparkles of amusement and passion, were now almost completely black, without a trace of compassion or fondness to be found.

“Step aside. Now,” she said, her voice still low, controlled, calm, but definitive; she wasn’t asking, she demanded it. “I will not justify myself to you, but if it is any consolation: this really is none of your concern, Captain.” Though she managed to uphold her calm, professional demeanour, her last word made it clear that she wouldn’t stay civil for much longer; and that his position as captain meant very little to her just then.

Cian didn’t know what to expect of Meg in this situation, didn’t know how she would react. All he simply knew was that he needed to protect his crew, even from members of his crew. He swallowed, watched her face change and almost had the right idea to step aside, to let her leave. But the situation was terrifying, always, every moment of it. Whenever he wasn’t in Dust he felt much more secure, as soon as he was back, he was once again swept away in politics. 

Still, once she delivered his threat, he did step aside. He stepped aside because he knew he wasn’t going to get the right answer if he cornered her like a dangerous animal. “Whatever Bashi promised you, it isn’t going to do anyone any good.” 

[sarahpalmerscream]

[captain-dawnlight]

justmeg​:

For a long moment, she remained silent, lips pressed together, eyes trained on Cian; a moment that seemed so stretch into a small eternity, as though she was quietly begging him to back off. She liked Cian; enjoyed his presence and admired his optimism, though more like a parent would admire their kid’s first drawing. From an artistical standpoint, it was worthless, but it was the kid’s dedication and innocent enthusiasm that mattered. Only now, she couldn’t show consideration for any fondness she might feel toward Cian anymore, she needed to do this, with or without him in her way. He must’ve known, must’ve read it in her eyes; yet, he wouldn’t stand down, wouldn’t just let her walk away, could not do so. And she understood. Yet, even so, her voice got an even sharper, icy edge, “Bashi. And now I got work to do.”

There was a long silence between them. In which Cian wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing or not, driving her into a corner. But there was a difficulty to their relationship as well, when push came to shove: they were colleagues. Thrown together by three leaders who really didn’t care all that much about what happened to the crew as long as the missions were successful. Even if Cian was responsible for bringing in some, Jae was responsible for the rest. Bashi was always meddling, same went for Samual. He blocked her way out. “About what?” he asked, his voice was also sharper. Bashi meddling could only mean zi needed Meg for something important. 

[captain-dawnlight]

justmeg​:

Meg jumped at the sudden touch, followed – thankfully – by a familiar voice. It wasn’t easy to startle her, by any means, but she had been lost in thought. The sight of Cian’s somewhat worried face did nothing to ease her tension, though; if anything, it only added to it. He wasn’t necessarily on the best terms with Bashi, or particularly close to zhi, right? “Fine,” she quickly dismissed him, perhaps a little too quickly, but in a harsh tone she added nevertheless, “why?”

Cian liked Meg, more han most of the members on his team. More than most people in the city. A reason why seeing her exit the place was so jarring. Her reaction was quick, harsh. And very much verified the feeling of fear. He couldn’t help to not be direct, there simply wasn’t a better way to do this, and to talk in vagueness now. Their situation was already questionable. “Who did you talk to at the Lord’s of Dust Bar?” he asked, swallowing. 

[captain-dawnlight]

Location: City of Dust Time: pre-mission 2 @justmeg

Cian watched as Meg exited the Lord’s of Dust bar, one eyebrow cocked. He couldn’t ignore his own anxiety over the situation, because he knew there was only person of stature in the bar at the moment. And he couldn’t imagine Meg going there to drink. He followed her for a bit, before closing in and tapping her on the shoulder. “Hey, Meg, como estas?” 

[captain-dawnlight]

soldieshir​:

“Am I wrong in thinking you are not a fan of the work of Irons,” She asked him in a direct manner, although the question itself was intentionally indirect. She could have been asking about their weapons specifically, or perhaps more largely about his feeling about the City of Irons. She would be keen to know the captain’s thoughts, loyal to Irons herself, she felt political tension unavoidable in Dust. Even if some crew members no longer pledged allegiance to the city of their birth, long held grudges and conditioning sometimes came to light when discussing the most menial things. 

“Yes my husband,” she answered, defiantly with a hint of pompousness. “I haven’t always been a soldier.” She pulled at the threads of her mind, asking, begging it, not to topple and spill into memories of him. Sweet soft glances, adoration, and the fickle promise of forever. She held onto these memories with the strong clench of past love. But Cian’s question was factual, so she managed to remain engaged on that plane. 

She looked at Cian with confusion. Hadn’t she just explained herself? She didn’t read him at all. “Then I will shut down,” she said with no sadness or remorse in her voice, a proud and objective ticking time bomb. It was almost a badge of honour to her, not that such an arrangement bore any resemblance to true aged human love. Nevertheless, the anchorage between her and a human man led Eshir to believe she had achieved something most androids could not. 

Cian cocked an eyebrow as he faced Eshir, he wasn’t sure what went through her mind as she asked the question, he wasn’t sure if she meant anything more than just metal work by it. For all he knew it was a trap. He refrained from looking around, he knew they were alone in the camp, and his feelings for Iron weren’t anything new to most. “I still have respect for anything Iron-made, I cannot deny the sheer perfection of it,” he said, smiling slightly. “You understand, of course. The desert can’t make what we can.” 

He nodded. Androids marrying humans wasn’t anything new, at least not in Iron, but it would suggest something else. “Did he make you?” Cian couldn’t help asking. 

He shouldn’t be surprised at how matter of factly she said it, and he wasn’t, but he very much didn’t wish for her to suddenly shut down. “Have you tried to have the code removed that makes you tied to him?” Would she even want to? 

[captain-dawnlight]

soldieshir​:

“Of course,” She said, keen to show off one of the only physical attributes she was proud of. She lifted her weapon swiftly, exposing it to him. “It doesn’t have a trigger, I just tell it to shoot-“ she explained. He looked fascinated, which she appreciated. Weapons was one of her favourite topics of conversation. 

“It does surprise me,” Eshir said, not wanting to offend him, but she hadn’t met many people who weren’t in full embrace of all technology had to offer. Trusting in the abilities of the natural world was a concept foreign to her, this lingering zeal that Eshir had also noticed was common in those crew members who came from Wheats. 

Eshir turned her mind to his question, answering matter of-factly. “I am equipped with such things,” she confessed, and then went on to explain. “My husband was keen for me to age in synchrony with him, for us to share certain human experiences. He hired the finest cybernetic programmers in the city to equip me with some human-like modifications,” she carried on explaining in an almost academic way, as if her explanation was of a mundane topic and not something potentially deeply personal. “My body is programmed to age at the same rate as his, and when he dies, I will shut down.” She finished, looking up at Cian, smiling disconcertingly. Despite these modifications, the ability to conceive of mortality on the same level as humans was not something programmed into her, the result being the unnervingly nihilistic way in which she discussed such matters. “Cool gun though hey?” she added. 

He nodded, at that much he understood. Iron was very aware of the weapons they build into Androids, couldn’t have those falling into the wrong hands. He felt a small tense in his muscles at how swiftly she was to raise it, but barely showed it, and his face didn’t change, he just looked at the design eagerly. It was probably the clear Iron-made that got his attention so much, because of the sleek design, the seamless connection between the metal. 

Cian gave her a confused look, surprised by the modification she had gotten, it wasn’t unheard of, it just hadn’t registered that someone would actually want that from their android. “Your husband?” he asked. He should’ve conversed with Eshir before, to learn more about her, but he kept a personal distance from most crew members. “What if he dies young?” Cian asked. Of course his mind went in a direction where he imagined how difficult it would be if Eshir suddenly shut down in the middle of a fight, she was one of their sharpest fighters after all. He followed in a nervous laugh when she noted the things about her gun. “Yeah, cool gun.” 

[captain-dawnlight]

neelatakachi​:

That feeling of standing on a precipice when you’re about to jump, that rush of adrenaline, but everything even nature itself telling you not to, pushing you back. But she’d already started to tell him, she had one foot hovering over nothing and the rest was a matter of when not if. Clearing her throat once again there was a long drawn out sigh that felt like it went on too long, “I want to start off by saying that they reached out to me, not the other way around.” 

Silence once again filled the air before her fingers tapped at the back of her tablet, she never went anywhere without it. Handling it over as though it was the last thing she wanted in her possession she blurted out the rest. “I was asked to spy on everyone.”

His eyebrow still raised, Cian wasn’t sure what he could expect, especially not as she continued, letting the tension draw out between them, where he almost wanted to shake her by her shoulders to make her say whatever she wanted to be saying. But as soon as the words were out, Cian tensed himself, shutting up as he mulled over the words. “By whom?” he asked, his voice a little tighter. He felt like his crew was set in the middle of a thunderstorm, and were unable to see what was waiting for them beyond it. “Who asked you to spy?” He had ideas who it could be, but there were probably still players on the board who he didn’t recognise. “What did you answer?” 

[captain-dawnlight]

Location: the main cavern of the Mines @kennedy-maddox​

Having send everyone away on their missions, Cian still couldn’t sit still. He was on edge, more than usual. The Mines had been his father’s territories, his family’s. Looking at this place, it probably still sported Dawnlight tech. And if it did, a lot of it was probably faulty, second hand, dangerous. Part of him wanted to go around, take every piece of tech, and fix it with his own hands. 

But instead he pushed his tablet back in his jacket and turned to Kenna. “I”m sorry we dragged you into this,” he said to her. “This lio really wasn’t what we were expecting.” He eyed the small group of miners not far from them, one of them broke away from the group, he recognised her instantly. Nakia Saar had never had much regard for human life, but she was still in charge. 

“Who is your friend, Dawnlight?” she asked, nodding at Kenna. 

[captain-dawnlight]

🔛 - make love to, have a quickie with, be rough / kinky with: beckett, ford, neela

Make love to: Neela Have a quickie with: Beckett Be rough /kinky with: Ford

I regret everything.

[captain-dawnlight]

🔪 - protect, attack, fight side-by-side with Beckett, Ford, Gabe

Protect Beckett (from himself)

Fight side-by-side with Ford

Attack Gabe, sorry Gabe, but you don’t need my protecting. 

[captain-dawnlight]

cmmanding​:

⊹   ⊹   ⊹

An ache had long since settled in Stanford’s chest, where a beating against his rib cage only grew more rapid. Where sorrow turned to anger, slowly simmering. And that beating turned to pounding. A creature in his chest, tearing at his insides until his fists balled in his captains collar, and knuckles turned white at the grip. 

Alcohol already burnt through his chest, and stained his breath as he held Cian inches from his face, unbothered by the way he attempted to break from the grip. His jaw clenched, and words not quite a whisper, more a demand as they leave his mouth. “No! You’re not telling me what to do, you fucked up, Captain.” The word spat from his mouth, venom lacing each syllable. 

“What was that back there?!” His grip finally loosening around Cian’s collar, instead opting to let go, only to push him back. Forceful, hoping to bruise where the two collide. Hoping to leave that lingering pain. “You fled, you left crew to die and abandoned the fight. Rafael would never have given up a fight.”

Of course a shove was going to be without any result, Ford was far bigger and stronger than him, even if Cian looked the part, just as tall, lean, muscular. But not made of Iron, as much as he was from the city, they were made of lies and air. He swallowed, but it wasn’t because he felt like he was in a situation he shouldn’t be in, it was because he was being told he did something wrong. 

He grunted when the force of Ford’s hands pushed him, feeling new pain shoot through his shoulder. He needed to have it checked again now. But he needed to dissolve this situation first. “Rafael would’ve done what he could to save as many of his crew as possible,” Cian shot back. “Also I am not Rafael. I told everyone to get to the trucks, to flee. If we engaged we might’ve had a war on our hands. They were Iron soldiers, the soldiers from Wheats would not have been far behind. It was the most logical choice.”

[captain-dawnlight]

soldieshir​:

“Of course,” She replied quickly. Her snobbery about being of Iron origin coming through loud and clear. Wasn’t it obvious? with the sleek aluminium design and the neat Dellon company logo clearly embossed on the slide. She still saw herself as fully Iron made, even though by now she was probably three-quarters Dust. The thought scared her, so she reminded herself that the important parts were still Iron made. Her mind and her gun. 

“That makes sense,” she nodded, looking him up and down. “Many humans in Iron desired cybernetic parts for the sake of improvement alone. Does it not appeal to you?” She teased, inflammatory. “Maybe it would help to have a gun in your arm,” His coolness drew curiosity out in her. 

Cian raised his eyebrows, but he said no more. Of course didn’t seem like the answer he was waiting for, but he rolled his shoulders and pretending the snobbery wasn’t registered. “Can I touch it?” he asked, something eager in his voice. He wanted to repress that part of him, the part that had grown up around technology, around mechanics, and wires, and androids like Eshir, but he couldn’t. He would watch Neela at work some times, wondering what it would’ve been like if he hadn’t chosen the path to Captain and instead turned to mechanics. 

He nodded along. Her question stopping him right then and there, and he couldn’t help the smile. “Not really. I have sharp eyes, I’m young, and I’m not too keen on being the one to start a fight. I don’t think it would do me much good. Which I understand must be surprising to you.” He paused. “What if they created human parts that could be build into Androids, would you want one of those?” Of course she wouldn’t, but he would be amused by her answer nonetheless.