I'd rather we just skip the formalities.

Indie Luxord; Multiverse, selective ship, OC/AU friendly (see rules). Mobile Links

[splattermemes-deactivated202007]

vampire starters

as requested by anon. Feel free to change pronouns, lore, or anything else !

Human

“Oh, bite me. Wait–don’t do that.”

“Woah, those are some freaky colored contacts/fake fangs/fake bloodstains.”

“Is that why you’ve always been so…weird?”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“You got a little something on your face there…and hands, and..oh gosh..”

“So…how old are you?”

Turning

“What’s happening to me?!”

“Did you just…bite me?”

“This..hurts…”

“Get away from me!”

“I feel…weirdly stronger…”

Newly Turned

“I’m still not used to this…”

“Being immortal sounds pretty cool.”

“Am I supposed to…kill things?”

“I want cool vampire powers.”

“I can’t believe this actually happened to me.”

“I have so many questions.”

Born a Vampire

“Drinking blood isn’t weird for me.”

“We watch Dracula to make fun of how dumb humans are.”

“You don’t have to drink human blood, dumbass.”

“Someone around here should show you the ropes.”

“I’m actually not that old.”

Ancient

“I’ve lived through hundreds of generations.”

“Doritos are the greatest invention in the history of time.”

“So many people have died in front of my eyes.”

“There’s no such thing as ‘the good old days’. Every time sucks.”

“I wish I could be with you forever.” / “I can’t wait until your ass dies.”

Lore

“I don’t sleep in a coffin.” / “I sleep on silk sheets.”

“No, we don’t turn into bats.”

“Are you checking to see if I sparkle? Because I do, with my shining personality.”

“Most of the crap in movies isn’t true.”

“I’d stay away from anyone that smelled like garlic. So would you, if you’re a reasonable person.”

Hungry

“No matter how much I eat, it’s never enough.”

“You’re bleeding…”

“Go. Now. Before I-”

“Everyone’s blood smells different. Yours smells like chocolate/dog shit/cheese fries.”

“I shouldn’t have waited this long…”

[gamexofxclones]

👑Royalty AU Starters👑

▸ "The coronation is tomorrow. You can't stay like this forever."

▸ "By tomorrow morning, the kingdom will be yours."

▸ "Captain _______ of the royal guard, your majesty! The castle's under attack!"

▸ "You've been locked in your room for five days, you need to act like a prince/ss!"

▸ "You gambled away... the crown jewels."

▸ "I can't tell them we're in love. A royal just can't associate with someone like you."

▸ "My GOD, your highness, what happened out in battle?!"

▸ "Did the foreign prince/ss catch your eye?"

▸ "You need to leave through the cellars. If they heard a royal ever slept with someone like you...!"

▸ "Our troops cannot fight them off. Our kingdom is dead."

▸ "We're going to kill the king."

[gamexofxclones]

Circumstances notwithstanding, Luxord was really going to have to find a way to avail himself of a horse.

Granted, he appreciated the flexibility of traveling on foot, and it wasn’t as dangerous for him as it would be for others, even in those woods where only experienced Spirit Mages dared tread.  Luxord’s own experience level was perhaps debatable, but the fine make of his staff was not.  It was largely unadorned, signifying that all the cost had gone into the perfect globe of glass at the top.  A tiny, flickering flame burned within, shining its starkly bright light out at the darkness.  The whole display crossed the line from “decorative” into “ostentatious,” at least from the perspective of certain other Spirit Mages, who tended to view him with disdain.

Still others understood.

And, at any rate, Luxord was far from home.  He’d left Mage territory weeks ago, and now a turn in the road took him to the edge of a forest.

The sight made him hesitate.  Forests were chockablock with fae and other threats, and Luxord didn’t know this area well enough to be familiar with the dangers.  But then...he was going to have to cross this patch one way or another, if he wanted to finish this slightly illegal trek to obtain some very illegal magic.  And he didn’t have anything in his arsenal to speed up the trip.

I could burn the forest down.

Luxord chuckled aloud.  “Let’s not be hasty,” he murmured to himself, and pressed on.

[divinerxeclipsed]

xemnasthatneverwas:

“… Are you supposed to just put… the dirty leaves… in a cup with boiling water? What… what in the world is the appeal of that?”

“They’re not ‘dirty leaves.’ Tea is handpicked, carefully washed and processed by steaming or roasting and then dried. The leaves are perfectly clean, assuming they’re of any quality at all. Which, I might add, bagged tea is not.”

Saix intends to stay alive so he’s not about to call Xemnas an uncultured rube to his face, but honestly.

[gamexofxclones]

“Ah, a man of some taste I see.”

Luxord you can’t even talk you drank tea out of a tankard at least once

“I was beginning to wonder if this was perhaps an unfamiliar custom to many in the Organization.”

That’s also a lie, Luxord, but hey.  Information about the Organization’s original homeworld is tough to come by.

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

Getting laughed at was not the reaction Isa was expecting. He sat back a little, giving Luxord an equally baffled look. Then he actually thought about it. Isa’d been considering the reactions of the nobility; they didn’t seem to mind Xemnas’s rule much at all. He more or less left the upper classes to their own devices, and the crueler and more corrupt, the less Xemnas bothered them, to the degree that Isa’d occasionally wondered if he were trying to destroy Liber. Isa hadn’t even considered that Luxord might mean the common people. 

Well…Luxord had a point, when Isa thought about it that way. Liber had, after all, been founded by common people fleeing oppression for their magic in Zeal. They could rise up here, given enough of them, and what would they care about interpersonal castle politics?

But Zeal would still be a problem, if Isa stayed ‘dead.’ He suspected it was the only reason Xemnas hadn’t moved against him before now.

“And? If you want to fake my death, how are you going to stop my grandfather from marching his army straight here?”

Luxord raised an eyebrow.  “By giving you to him.”

He sat back, crossing his legs and tilting his cup towards him for a moment (before realizing it was empty).  “Perhaps you misunderstand--I don’t have to fake your death, you’ve done that for me.  All we have to do now is somehow get proof that you are alive through to King Viper, before Zeal’s armies show up, while Xemnas is closing off all the roads to prevent your escape.”  That wasn’t the reason Xemnas had given for it, but Luxord saw the truth now.  “You’ll have to forgive me, but I’m still coming up with ideas on that one.  I wasn’t exactly expecting to have to deal with getting you out and compensating for your loss at the same time.”

Truth be told, he hadn’t committed much thought to Isa’s loss at all.  There were backup plans he dreaded, preparations he hadn’t touched in months and months, half-remembered contacts and long useless intel.  It had become less efficient to waste resources on that possibility, and faking Isa’s death directly was too risky.

It was still too risky, but Luxord was out of options.

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

Isa jolted sharply at Luxord’s words.

He had a fleeting instant of thinking that might be a threat, but no, of course it wasn’t. This man…was he some kind of fanatic? Isa was getting that distinct impression. But aside from that, he stopped to actually consider what Luxord said. If he was telling the truth, and after this many days of Isa missing, he must be, then the world really thought Isa was dead. He really could just disappear. 

Though he didn’t think this man would let him do that. Luxord might say those words, but if he were that determined to use Isa against Xemnas, he didn’t seem like the kind of man to let a tool slip through his fingers. Isa scoffed softly.

“What makes you think I would work as that symbol? I’m the spare’s spare, never raised for a throne. I spent my childhood being standoffish and unlikable and my young adulthood as a reclusive prisoner. Who exactly do you think is going to support me for this vision of yours?”

Luxord shot Isa a slightly baffled sort of look, then inhaled as if to say something--and abruptly burst into hearty laughter.

It took him a moment to regain control of himself, catching his breath and wiping away a tear.  “Oh no.  No, no--you really have no idea, do you?”  He choked back another chuckle, coughing.  “I’m afraid if you go about trying to raise the bar, you’ll trip.  Xemnas is a compelling candidate for the worst king Liber has ever seen; by not being him, and belonging in the actual line of succession, you already have two significant points in your favor.”

He leaned forward a little, as if to invite secrecy.  “Liber has been holding its breath since you disappeared.  Some are already looking to turn you into a martyr.  We have a small window of time before Zeal’s threat of war becomes a reality, meaning every sensible person in Liber is aware that your fate and theirs are linked.”

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

This was crazy.

This was crazy. Overthrow Xemnas? It was impossible, he had too much power. He’d already killed everyone who could even think of challenging him, killed his own father to get the throne in the first place. He’d tried to kill Isa twice, now, and Isa was shocked he hadn’t tried more. Eraqus wouldn’t be convinced to remove him if he hadn’t been moved to do so already. Something like this was a fool’s game.

Aqua could have done it. But Isa had never been Aqua, and she’d been gone ten years now. Isa sidled back over to the bench and sat down heavily. He was suddenly so tired, now that the immediate threat of murder was past.

“You’ll never succeed. He’s not human.”

Luxord raised his eyebrows.

“Neither are you.”

It wouldn’t have come to his lips so fast if he hadn’t been crafting this very narrative.  But Luxord had had a lot of time to appreciate the idea on a personal level.

“You, Prince Saix, are dead,” he reminded Isa gently.  “A memory.  A shade.  You are beyond the grasp of any man.  When you return to Liber Castle, it will be as something Xemnas cannot hope to defeat.  You will be a symbol of resistance.  Immutable.  Unkillable.”

He spread his hands.  “Should you return at all, of course.”  If Luxord later had to take steps to ensure that Isa did, he’d handle that unpleasantness when he got to it.  “But the right to inherit the crown did not dissolve when Xemnas took it, and he hasn’t managed to wipe out his country just yet.  A tyrant’s existence is finite, no matter his methods.”

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

It was a good thing Luxord wasn’t thinking of attacking him, because Isa did not think he could actually take a serious fight right now without probably getting himself killed. The blood loss and fever had really taken a lot out of him. He could stay upright and hold the sword, but he’d lose momentum quickly if he had to fight. Isa let the end of the sword rest on the dirt floor; it wasn’t, for now, worth wasting the stamina to hold it at the ready.

“So, what, then? Is this related to Lea’s ‘stupid and dangerous’ idea he pitched to me? Some nonsense about infiltrating the castle?” There was no way this visit wasn’t related to that. Lea was clearly involved in something, and obviously this Luxord was, too. Isa almost scowled, until he remembered not to.

“…Does he know you know who’s in his home?”

Infiltrating the castle?  Well, Lea had certainly taken pains to sound ridiculous.  Not that it wouldn’t be on the agenda for Prometheus just as soon as Luxord had the incredible fortune to attempt that, but considering the most precious thing to him there was already outside its walls, it seemed a moot point.

“I think we can agree Lea lacked some perspective in his initial approach,” Luxord said uncomfortably.  Of course, Isa was the kind of fighter that Luxord would consider sending in through the castle guard if there were a tangible benefit to it, but that was hardly a mission for a new recruit regardless.  “And no.  I couldn’t afford to tell him my suspicions at first, and now...”  He hesitated, but decided this was a truth Isa was probably prepared to handle.  “Fewer people knowing your identity lends itself to fewer people Xemnas can torture for your location.”

He met Isa’s eyes again.  “And if I’m going to overthrow him, I need every advantage I can get.”

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

…What?

Isa’s eyebrows tried to pull up involuntarily, and he winced in pain and forced them back down. Now was not the time to split his healing injury being surprised. Luxord made no move to stop him, and if he was going to invite Isa to pick up his weapon uncontested, well, Isa would take the opportunity. If it was a bluff, Isa would call it. He moved sideways, eyes on Luxord, until was close enough to reach the sword. Isa felt better as soon as it was in his hand. He didn’t even need to brandish it.

“…So you’re telling me you don’t intend to kill me?” Or turn him in for that matter?

Luxord’s lips twitched sympathetically at the sight of Isa’s struggle, but he kept his eye on the sword in case that moved in a way he didn’t expect.  He set down the cup and placed his hands on the table in such a way that his unarmed state would be very visible to Isa without giving Luxord too little time to move if Isa attacked.

“I’m telling you exactly that, in fact,” he said offhandedly.  “With your background I don’t really expect you to believe that, but I’d sort of rather you give me the opportunity to prove it, if you’ve a mind.”

Briefly, his eyes moved Isa’s way.  “Consider.  If I wanted to kill you, what would be the point of this conversation?  Even in telling you I know who you are, I’ve armed you against me.  I clearly didn’t walk in here prepared to deal with a fighter of your caliber; even if I’m hiding a last resort, it can’t possibly contend with that.”  He jutted his chin at the sword.  “The only victory I can hope to achieve in actual combat is some form of mutual destruction, which somewhat defeats whatever purpose I could actually have for killing you in the first place.”

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

Fuck.

He was fucked. This man knew. Isa’d known before he said a word about Xigbar, but he hadn’t wanted to believe it. Could Isa reach his sword, before Luxord moved? And then what? Isa got both feet on the floor, inching in the direction of his weapon. He’d probably have to kill him, but Isa didn’t know what to do after that. He hadn’t had the freedom to choose anything for himself in years, and he didn’t know what to do with it now.

“What do you want.”

Luxord had noticed Isa’s tension, but only now did he notice the sword out of the corner of his eye.

Hm.  That wasn’t the best sign.

“Oh.”  Keeping his movements slow, Luxord nodded and gestured to it.  “Please, feel free.”  (He hadn’t wanted to resort to that, but Isa wasn’t giving him much choice.)

“I want what you want, your Highness.”  Just as slowly, he set down the cup so he could spread that hand.  “An end to Xemnas’s rule.  Liber’s continued existence as a nation.  The freedom for both of us to live long and unchallenged lives.”

Admittedly Luxord couldn’t be sure Isa wanted any of that, but he was sort of counting on the prince paying particular attention to the last one just now.

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

That pause was too long. It confirmed to Isa that there really was something going on here, something more than just the idea Lea had pitched. The man kept his eyes on his cup, avoiding Isa’s. Isa slid one foot off the bench to rest on the floor, one hand shifting to the back of it, ready to push off if he had to dive for the sword.

Luxord’s question froze him cold.

“…Told him what.”

Luxord sighed, kicking back the rest of the tea as if he were finishing a shot.  He’d known this would be hard, but really.

“The captain of the guard has reported you dead, of course,” he went on without bothering to answer.  “I’m sure they’re going to a lot of trouble to find the body, but it’s unlikely that many signs survived that downpour.  On top of that, Lea has no doubt already destroyed or confused your trail, perhaps suggesting that you fell into the river.  He’s very thorough about these things.”

He eyed Isa carefully, thankful again that the injury wasn’t disfiguring.  The Prince Saix he delivered up to the king of Zeal would have to be recognizable, if they wanted to avoid war.

“So.  What do you plan to do next?”

[gamexofxclones]

[i will never understand tumblr’s insistence on ruining my bio code as soon as i edit something about how my blog appears

like i know how fuckin dare i want to change my icon or something pedestrian like that

time to break]

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

Isa didn’t speak the entire time Luxord was at the table. He only half listened to what was actually being discussed, more concerned with watching the stranger for hints of his intention. The whole thing seemed entirely too light. Too fake. Isa dreaded what would happen once Lea and his children left, but it would be better not to involve them.

Interestingly, while Roxas spoke, Xion lurked close to Isa’s bench, that concerned look still on her face. She understood more than she ought to at her age, of that Isa was absolutely certain. She proved it when Lea and this ‘friend’ stepped outside, by turning that worried look on Isa and whispering so her brother wouldn’t hear.

‘Will you really be okay?’

Isa didn’t know how to answer that, and before too long, Lea was shooing the kids out the door. He obviously knew, too, that something was about to happen. Isa didn’t reach for his sword off the bat, but he made sure to have it in his peripheral vision and tensed, ready to dive for it.

“What is this about?”

Luxord didn’t say anything in front of children that he wouldn’t say in front of adults in the same position.  Too often he’d learned the value of a child’s cocked ear, and he had a hard time separating them philosophically from adults who lacked perspective.

For all that, it wasn’t really Roxas’s questions he feared, though those could certainly cause trouble.  It was Xion who would figure this out if he screwed it up, and while she was unlikely to tell anyone about it, that would also complicate other secrets.

She’s going to find out eventually, Axel.

But all that was for another time.  Luxord didn’t answer for a moment, swirling his tea and choosing his words carefully.  He was familiar already with Saix’s paranoia; the man had been impossible to approach.  Luxord had already snuck in several servants on short term missions, each one with the express purpose of fostering a connection with the shut-in prince.  Each one had failed to achieve more than a passing word before they had to be withdrawn.

After some consideration, Luxord decided on brevity, sparing Isa eye contact.

“You haven’t told him yet, I take it.”

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

This was an act. There was some kind of code going on between Lea and Luxord. Xion could obviously tell that, too; Isa caught her looking between the adults worriedly, and then she shot a concerned look at Isa, too. Roxas was oblivious, but that girl…

Well. Whatever was about to happen, Isa couldn’t let it happen in front of a couple of kids. Especially since Isa wouldn’t even be alive right now if it weren’t for the boy.

“…It’s fine,” he finally said, decided. “I’ll be fine here.”

Lea looked troubled at that, so Luxord willfully misinterpreted his concern.

“Ah, never you mind.  I’ll stay and keep an eye on things,” he offered with a wave of his hand, taking a seat at the table.  “Now.  How is the hunting going?”

That was evidently enough to change the subject for the time being, and gave Roxas an opening to talk about some of the animals they’d seen.  It quickly turned into a retelling of how they’d run into Isa, and Luxord listened tolerantly with all the baffled interest of an adult who has no idea how to soften concepts like “dead bodies in the woods, almost certainly killed by the man sitting across from us.”  Fortunately Lea was there with all his child-friendly subtleties, and Luxord conspired to speak with him alone, outside the cottage, and out of hearing range.

“I think I can convince him,” he said with fervor before Lea could even ask.  “But I need us to dispense with the audience.”

Lea’s eyes flickered away and then back.  “I don’t like this.”

“I’m not the most ardent supporter of it either,” Luxord lied freely.  “But Roxas and Xion will overhear too much, and I wouldn’t ask you to leave them unsupervised.”  Luxord also wouldn’t expect Roxas and Xion to have any trouble being unsupervised.  He just wouldn’t ask that of Lea.

Lea sighed.  “Alright.  Two hours.”  He shifted his weight, eyeing Luxord worriedly.  “Don’t be dead when I get back.”

Luxord smiled wryly.  “Oh come now.  Haven’t I proven my worth yet?  A little faith, if you please.”

Lea snorted, but it seemed like that reminder did ease his mind a bit.  Enough not to do much more than clasp Luxord’s arm on the way out, with a wave to Isa before he went back to shooing the kids on.

Behind him, Luxord sipped unconcernedly at Lea’s weak abomination of a tea without complaint.

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

Here it was. Could Isa reach his sword, before this man moved against him? Isa could normally overpower a man of that size, but he was still weak from his illness after his injury. He didn’t have the stamina for a protracted wrestling match against a possibly armed man. Isa wouldn’t be rash, and he didn’t care to do this in front of children. But that brief look, like the cat that got the cream, did not bode well to Isa.

“…I suppose I’m to be left here to ‘rest,’ then.”

Luxord heard the suggestion and smiled back.  “I’m afraid I insist.”

But here was the tricky part.  Luxord feigned indecision.  “Ah, well...”

Nothing Luxord could say was likely to move Isa at this point.  Though it would really surprise Luxord if Isa actually took in anything from that basket in the first place, he’d also taken the risk that Lea wouldn’t want to include a stranger in this little windfall.

Hopefully it didn’t come off too much like a bribe.  But to say Luxord was willing to pay for a moment alone with Isa was an understatement.

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

“A picnic!” Xion echoed her brother. The basket was too high for her to look into, but she stood on her toes and tried. Then, a moment later, she turned her head to look at their guest, expression becoming concerned.

“…Is it really okay to go picnic?”

This was all kinds of tense. The man hadn’t reacted much to the sight of Isa, just looking long enough that it could be passed off as curiosity, or surprise at his hair color. Isa’s mother’s lineage had bred true for both him and his sister; it was impossible to miss. Not many Zealian nobles risked travel to Liber these days. Which only made it a matter of time until he was recognized. And if this ‘Luxord’ had, and wasn’t saying anything, Isa didn’t know what that would mean.

The picnic also seemed like a ruse; Lea was playing along, but Isa didn’t think that surprise had been faked. He carefully didn’t move, eyes on Luxord.

“…Hello,” he said grudgingly.

Luxord stepped in, guiding the basket past Roxas and Xion’s attentions and setting it on the table.

Isa.  Well, if Lea had told him that name right away...

But there was nothing to be done about that now.  Luxord could pack away effusive joy as effectively as he could crushing disappointment, but he probably couldn’t hide all of it in the glimmer in his eye when he smiled Isa’s way.  “Charmed, I’m sure.”

He shot Xion a quirked eyebrow.  “Why not?  After all that rain, you must have been cooped up in here long enough.”  He gave Lea a suspicious look, poorly disguised on purpose.  “My apologies for the oversight, then.  I’d assumed you would have told them by now.”

[gamexofxclones]

divinerxeclipsed:

Isa really was not thrilled about this impending visit that Lea had mentioned. Sure, Lea hadn’t done anything to Isa the days he was utterly helpless, or taken advantage of his blindness even once Isa was up and moving. He’d even waited until the bandages had come off and Isa could see before initiating this meeting, knowing full well the kind of violence that Isa was capable of. But Isa still did not like it.

After all, he was still deciding if he should indeed just disappear. That would be far, far harder to do if he were recognized, and any new witnesses just made that more likely. And he couldn’t shake the feeling this visit was related to Lea’s proposition. Isa sat up straighter on the bench he’d been resting on, reminding himself not to scowl and pull open the angry red ‘x’ healing between his eyes.

The girl-child, who was so shy around Isa, ran to the door with a delighted shout of ‘Luxord!’ The twinge as Isa tried to frown again made him return his expression to a neutral one; that sounded like a safename, but then again, so did Roxas and Xion. He hadn’t thought the lower classes did those anymore; the nobility hardly did them anymore, Isa himself notwithstanding. But the man also looked vaguely familiar, like maybe Isa had seen him somewhere a long time ago. Isa tensed, just in case, and made sure he knew where in the room his sword was.

Outside, Luxord waved genially to Roxas, but it didn’t help much.  The first few moments before Lea opened that door felt like some of the longest in Luxord’s life, and he knew the moments after that would be even harder.  He smiled in response to Lea’s, but it was all he could do not to push the basket into Lea’s hands and rush out an explanation.  “Afternoon!” he said instead, acknowledging Xion as well with a nod.

Then his eyes flickered just over Lea’s shoulder and lingered for an instant.

That was all Luxord allowed himself, and then he turned his attention back to Lea and Xion with an offhand sigh, as if of contentment.  “Ah, well, not much I’m afraid.  But I know your pantry could use a break for the picnic today, so I brought by a few things.”  He delivered that with a perfectly mild smile, directing it briefly at the prince with polite disinterest.  “So sorry to intrude.”