BECOME LIGHT.

FADE. jaael the sun. 30. wicked.

[jaaelthesun-blog]

equilibrium

[jaaelthesun-blog]

wolfgangarcturus·:

ashescshes·:

ailes-de-fleurs·:

Their first Tribunal meeting after the Wicked elections. It was a strange affair. She knew that all three of them were observing the Wicked Envoy, discreetly, as they went about the general business. While Ayanna respected the decision of the Wickeds of the town, she wasn’t too sure about Jaael. Not that she thought that the woman was incapable of shouldering the responsibility entrusted to her. However, Jaael was a newcomer, and that was a bit of an oddity. A newcomer being given so much power. Did she even know the whole town properly in order to carry out her duties responsibly?

The Keeper decided to keep faith, and let things work out. Jaael seemed like a smart woman, so she would let time tell. While that didn’t mean she trusted Jaael, but she didn’t trust anyone of her fellow Tribunal members so, that didn’t really matter. As long as Jaael worked in the best interest of the Wickeds and Sanctuary, it was fine by her. 

As always, she smoked her way through the meeting. The discussion on all and sundry moving swiftly, for a change, without much resistance from anyone. Glad that they were about to adjourn the meeting, she put her feet down from where they were folded upon the chair on which she sat. She coughed a little. It had nothing to do with the smoke she’d be ruining her lungs with, in her opinion. She’d simply caught a bit of cold. Thinking about the soup she was going to make, she was about to stand up when Jaael began, grabbing her attention.

Her brows rose at the mention of the gun locker. It wasn’t a topic they usually discussed in the meeting. “The gun locker has a special key. It’s not a copy given to each one of us. We all have a part of a single key, that put together will make a key. It’s a specially designed lock,” she informed the Envoy. “Actually, it’s not a topic we discuss often. In fact, it’s the first time in months that it has been mentioned. So, we didn’t discuss about the lock and what not in the context of the elections for the Envoy.”

(. @ashescshes. @wolfgangarcturus. @jaaelthesun.)

The winning vote had been an unexpected announcement, but not one that Milena was opposed to. This Envoy was a rarity – someone outside of the entanglement of the Tribunal and Sanctuary itself. She was a wild card and, thus, able to be swayed by the right mind saying the right words. Had it been the Wicked who was in the pocket of the Keeper, then there would have been a far greater dilemma upon Milena’s docket for the Tribunal session.

The mention of the gun locker had been the thing to draw Milena out of her meeting notes and up to the Wicked, with whom she looked upon with blase curiosity. No one within the limits of the town had ever needed such archaic Human weapons, and thus they were neatly tucked away and forgotten most times. Today; the exception.

“Without a need for them, not even when the town was under siege, we are content to let the matter lie. But you wish to bring it up – when, I’ve been told, you have no need for such a weapon yourself. Why is it necessary?”

( @wolfgangarcturus· ) ( @jaaelthesun· ) ( @ailes-de-fleurs· )

He had spent much of the meeting as he usually did, sprawled loosely in his chair, one leg crossed on the other, hands dangling at the sides of the armrests. It was only when something pricked his hide… usually Milena… then he’d bounce up onto his feet and pace, fingers tightly laced behind his back. The last topic had been about setting up a scavenging mission to the close resort town, where a strange park had been found, filled with decaying metal machines that were painted in faded and chipped, brightly colored paint. The human engineer for the town wanted to investigate the area to see if there was anything he could use to bolster Sanctuary’s very limited electricity situation. Wolfgang had smiled at the idea and volunteered Reginmund to be a part if it could happen between now and the next flurry of snow.

He had just raised his hand to scratch at the stubble on his neck when the newest member of the tribunal… could we even continue to call it that… brought up one last topic. His fingers froze against his neck. He had all but forgotten about the damned devices… a foolish mistake on his part as they were one of the few things that could outright kill a vampire, give him the final death, and, in the hands of a true marksman, at a significant distance. Still, he had kept his part of the key, effectively denying the other two groups that simpler option.

He nodded with Ayanna’s rebuttal, they hadn’t discuss the stone armory or its lock and key in a long while. When Milena paused in her endless scratching and attempted to dismiss the Wicked, minimize the effectiveness of the weapons then outright intimate that she shouldn’t bother herself because she didn’t need them anyway, it halfway annoyed me and then it hit him. The more pieces of key, the more decision makers involved in the permissions and finally opening the storage area, the longer time Wolfgang could exploit especially if they were bent on using them against him and his own people.

“Not so fast, Milena… we agreed to give the wicked a seat on the council and all that entails. If she is expected to wield equal power to our own, why shouldn’t she have a piece of the key? That’s like saying I shouldn’t have a piece because I am a vampire and could easily fight without one of the guns inside.” He rolled a hand and rested it on his jean clad thigh. “She has done nothing to prove that she shouldn’t have an equal share in it.”

@jaaelthesun @ailes-de-fleurs @ashescshes

It felt like a necessary sacrifice, having the Blood King take her side, but she could still feel something hidden deep within her roil at the very concept. Gaining a part of the key meant there was one more piece to collect, yes… but should they ever turn on what was effectively her people, that would work in their favour. 

As soon as Wolfgang finished speaking, she fished out a single, small pebble from the pocket of her coat, and then threw it into the air; her gaze fastened on the rest of the Tribunal, and not on the arc of the stone as it flew–

and then she caught it, the rock held still mid-air, as if trapped in a spider’s web.

“Push come to shove, I might be able to catch a bullet before it strikes me– who knows. But not all of us have that ability. And while I am certainly not hoping for unrest, I have lived my life outside the walls of Sanctuary. I know what happens when the world turns on us. This is a precaution, not a threat.”

Push come to shove, there were plenty among them that were weapons, herself included, should anything ever happen. If it did.. they would have to kill her to ever get her part of the key.

Above them, the stone began to twirl, turning over ever so slowly.

@ailes-de-fleurs· @ashescshes· @wolfgangarcturus

[jaaelthesun-blog]

ofwickedprophecies·:

Well, there was something marginally encouraging in the fact that Jaael, at least, didn’t flinch. She didn’t know how to explain the want for company, something that was true well beneath the distractions of her headache, the light-sensitivity and the unsteadiness on her feet. Perhaps it was simply this: the Bone Museum was the place he called home because she belonged to the Bone Court; it didn’t truly meet the meaning of the word and she knew what did. The tribe she had been a part of, once upon a time, had been a home and she’d had family. It was a fitting punishment, in a fashion, the loneliness of this version of life, but she was very tired of it.

“I don’t blame you on either count,” she returned gently. “There are days I prefer not to be there myself.” A slight pause, before she started to walk again, figuring Jaael would follow and added, “Today was one of them. It’s how I ended up here, sorry mistake that’s become.”

She fell easily into step with Elise, footfalls as silent as a mortal could make them – second nature; not easily done away with. Even here, in the supposed safety of Sanctuary, Jaael was a shadow, leaving no trace wherever she walked, observing from the sidelines, making an art out of erasing her own existence from the collective conscious. It was a different life to Elise, she thought – the woman could be silent, could do her best to avoid detection, and yet people would always pay attention. Bone-pledged. What had driven her to it? 

“What do you... do, when you’re there?”

“What’s life like in the Museum?”

[jaaelthesun-blog]

kaheerthehaunted·:

     Their entire journey since leaving the Wanderers had been everything Kaheer was warned it would be, but one thing he failed to feel after being freed from their grasp was regret. He had, in the few months underfoot, gained more than he had lost for once and it had changed him bit by bit. Even as he was learning exactly all he had been deprived of and what it meant, Kaheer could never have imagined anything so thoroughly drenched in freedom and his heart twisted in his chest, her words resting between his rib cage. He knew this feeling, knew it because he had felt it once before, been brave enough to trust someone else for the first time in years. He put his trust in her again.

       “Not yet.” He repeated, beginning to work on building a fire. “The others…do not know of this tribe– not as we know it. If more come…” 

       Kaheer had promised himself to never take another life beneath any dictation other than his own. He had never wanted for vengeance or justice, or any shade of what had been inflicted upon him to come to those that had wronged him. He only wanted a simple life and even that seemed too far reaching, or at least it had, now it had grown closer to their grasp and with it a new desperation moved his hand to close the distance. The more he thought about it, the more Kaheer railed against leaving the best shot of survival they both had. With Noah’s recognition and the blow him and Jaael had served their former tribe by running away, thereby robbing the Wanderers of two prized possessions, every day they spent not on the run was a risk. And yet. 

      “I would like to stay.” Even if it cost the little bit of humanity he had managed to wrest from the Wanderers. He would kill every last one of them, not for anything so lofty as justice, but for her. For their limited days. He watched as smoke began to curl up from the nest of tinder, a small flame beginning to flick out over one of the sticks until he finally moved to Jaael. “I would keep them from ever making it here.” An entire tribe, winking out like a dead star, gone from the crawl of time.

I would keep them from ever making it here, he said, and she did not doubt him. He would, if he had to. There it was, in her gaze – the softness reserved for him and him alone, Jaael reaching her hand out to take his, twining their fingers together. “I hope it won’t come to that,” she said, because she knew his words weren’t spoken with vengeance. She did not want him to ever have to kill again. She would stain her own hands if it meant she could keep his clean, would soak them to the bone if it meant he could have some small measure of peace.

It was a devotion she thought might be mutual, and that was the only terrifying thing about it.

“We’ll stay, then.” Speak it into existence. They would stay. They would live. They would thrive. The flames licked up the side of the log, and she watched as it caught fire, the wood crackling as it burned, gentle heat already warming the room.

Reluctantly, she let go of his hand, Jaael moving towards their patchwork pantry to find something they might make into supper.

[jaaelthesun-blog]

ailes-de-corbeau·:

This Wicked was quite curious. The upyress, however, had no qualms lying to her face as she nodded. “Yes, I have taught before. Our monarch wouldn’t have let an amateur handle something as important as education. Even if it wasn’t exclusively for the upyr.” What exactly had she taught and to whom, those were topics best left untouched.

“What about you? Did you work with the building crew back in your…tribe? Or is it something that Sanctuary sort of assigned you, given your affinity?”

It made sense – the Upyr coveted knowledge, held it in high regard. What surprised Jaael was that they had even let Lilita teach at all – but then, Sanctuary had turned many things on their head. Perhaps it really was just the Upyrs’ way of showing their commitment to the concept of Sanctuary, offering up their knowledge. Or perhaps it was more sinister – a deliberate way of disseminating false information. A trail of bait, carefully laid out, the game already decided from the start.

“They assigned it to me when I came here,” Jaael said. “Lifting things is.. easy, compared to the actual building itself. I like it, though.”

“Makes me feel useful, even if I don’t know half as much as the rest, yet. --What is it that you.. teach, exactly?” Her tone was warm – innocently curious.

[jaaelthesun-blog]

equilibrium

LOCATION: Town Hall, after dark WITH: The Tribunal – @ailes-de-fleurs @ashescshes @wolfgangarcturus

It was difficult, sitting there in the room with them, to not feel out of place. Keeper Ayanna, a myth in the making. Wolfgang and Milena - monstrous legends in their own right. And then.. herself. No story to her name because she refused to tell it; no reason for being there beyond the whim of the other Wickeds.

Ostensibly, being chosen as Envoy – by the vote of her kind, no less – was an honor. Why would anyone say no? And what might saying no bring about? Would they be suspicious of her? Angry? Would they pay more attention to her for saying no than they would if she simply went with it?

She’d had one foot outside Sanctuary’s walls since she got there, and so, she had plenty of reasons to decline. But there were things to see through to the end, now, and in the end, what had weighed heaviest on the scale was this: can I use this to protect Kaheer?

She would try. And so she was here, in the Town Hall, her first meeting as a member of the Tribunal wrapping up. Her own doubts remained a mystery to the other three, Jaael steady whenever she spoke up, attentive as she listened to the others lay out the topics for discussion. But there was something she herself wanted to get out of the way, and she had yet to hear the others mention it– so she would take matters into her own hands.

“Before we end the meeting, I’d like to discuss something,” Jaael began. “Specifically- the gun locker. I’d like a key. Have you already discussed changing up the lock, prior to the vote for the Envoy?”

[the-red-lotus-blog-deactivated2]

Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people.

Karen Salmansohn

[jaaelthesun-blog]

themirrored·:

A week into a new life. A week into new streets, new walls, a new roof over her head. Nothing was like it was before, but Odalis was grateful that she had been given a chance within Sanctuary. It was HARD starting over; before, she had had love, and family… respect and help in her community. 

Now, she had the clothes on her back and the GRACE of the Tribunal. 

She was beginning to understand the streets around her better than she had when she had first been brought into the city, but she was by no means comforted or at home. YET. She just had to keep telling herself yet. Rebuilding took time. 

She couldn’t rebuild if she couldn’t find the bedamned SMITH. The sun was beginning to set, and she still had none of the hardware she had set out to find to make her abode that much nicer ( that much reminiscent of home ). So she bit down her pride and asked.

“I’m looking for the smith. Is it around here?”

She had stopped on her way home to admire a particularly well-made quilt, her breath coming out in small clouds as night struck Sanctuary, a light fall of snow trailing down from the dark sky above. The arrival of winter left her uneasy: she didn’t much care for the cold, nor for how you’d leave tracks no matter where you went. Though she looked lost deep in thought, Jaael never strayed far from the surface – and while she didn’t turn to see who it was until they spoke up, she’d been all-too-aware that someone was approaching her side.

“There’s a smithy a few streets down,” Jaael replied, schooling her features into a smile as she faced the woman – the expression well-practiced, no cracks to be found.

“I think they’re still open, though I’d be quick, if I were you. Head down there–” Jaael gestured towards a corner, “–and go left until you see the house with the green door. You’ll be able to smell the fire at that point.”

[jaaelthesun-blog]

ailes-de-corbeau·:

Tactful, Lilita noted with interest, though her features remained aligned in that amicable smile. “Sanctuary is very different from what anyone of us is used to. All of us are adjusting. Some not as well as the others, but here’s to hoping, right?” While not an optimist herself, she didn’t want others to know what she really thought of the town.

“Pleasure to meet you, Jaael,” she replied warmly, giving a short nod. “Oh! Helping build the town and keep the foundations strong. Very nice,” she remarked pleasantly. “I am a teacher,” she offered in return, only out of politeness. “Our jobs are similar. We’re both builders, in a way, don’t you think?”

“Here’s to hoping,” Jaael replied, still smiling. A teacher… The wheels began to turn, picking up speed as they went. Hadn’t she heard talk of that, among the other mortals? Upyr, or so it went, giving away the knowledge her people so coveted. Only in Sanctuary.

“There’s similarities, to be sure,” she said, her warm tone matching Lilita's.

“Did you teach before you came here?”

[jaaelthesun-blog]

kaheerthehaunted·:

     He caught the way she faltered and the sticks shifted in his arms as he automatically moved to do…something, he wasn’t entirely sure what, but caught himself, a small flinch of movement, faster than a wink. Not here, his mind echoed and he held himself back, unwilling to show the outside anymore than it had of their world. 

      “He said I looked familiar.” Kaheer’s face was a blank slate while his mind combed through the entire interaction with Noah, looking for the details. He thought it better to just describe everything instead, his own confusion over the entire thing altering his conjectures. They were close to home now, the sky going from dark to a warm orange at the horizon, he waited until they’d made it to their front door, hand propping the rusted metal open. Waited until after they disarmed the traps set up for trespassers, until the sticks were set down near what served as their stove before he began to speak again, telling her everything, every minute detail. “He wanted to talk with me.” 

She should have known it was inevitable. Should have steeled herself for it – more than thinking of it as a mere possibility. It would always happen, and now, it had. Comfortable silence began to stretch between them as they walked home, Jaael letting her internal pace mirror Kaheer’s until she felt steady again, until they were a matching set once more, inscrutable to anyone else.

Their odd little home greeted them with little preamble, worn for wear but theirs, and she said nothing as Kaheer opened the door, the sound of its familiar creak grounding her further. She let all else become background noise as they went through their routine, her mind focusing on the traps as she helped disarm them, never one to trust muscle memory alone.

Jaael began lighting the hearthfire as Kaheer told her how it had all shook out, and again she found herself wondering what Noah’s end goal was. No matter how she turned the puzzle, she couldn’t find the right angle – and all she was left with was suspicion, hissing and furious.

It stung more than she thought it would – more than she wanted to admit. So much time spent running, and then they had made their way here, to Sanctuary, and while she was still ready to pick up and run again…

Jaael had hoped they wouldn’t have to.

“.. I don’t know what he’s after,” she finally said, brows knitting together, furrowing the spot between her eyes as she stared into the flames – and then her gaze turned to Kaheer, and she let it soften, as she always did. "But I know I don't want us to run. Not yet." Not yet.

[jaaelthesun-blog]

ofwickedprophecies·:

A belated thirty seconds of holding to Jaael followed, before something about the smile or perhaps more accurately, Jaael’s question prompted her to let go to step back. Her head was pounding but she was at least steady on her feet again and that was really all she had reached out for in the first place. 

A quiet nod was her first attempt at an answer, a hollow echo of Jaael’s smile fleetingly appearing before she winced. “It’s just a migraine,” she murmured quietly, before she belatedly added, “And I tripped. Nothing dramatic.” Underplay, underplay, underplay. 

The offer gave her a moment’s pause, though. Company might be nice, but she didn’t know the other well; she knew better than to think than anyone outside the Upyrs wouldn’t at least blink if she asked for them to come with her to the Bone Museum. Maybe it was better to just not. “I’m going home, so not unless you’re comfortable walking to the Bone Museum.” A pause before she quietly added, “I wouldn’t blame you if you said no.”

She knew better than to argue with the other… at least outright. She understood well the urge to downplay what had happened, to want to avoid further attention – but it hadn’t seemed like it was nothing dramatic, and she found her bleeding heart tugging at her sleeves, wanting to make certain that Elise got home in one piece.

Jaael had known it was coming, and so there was no surprise crossing her face at the mention of the Bone Museum – just a calm acceptance of what she had gotten herself into.

“Then I hope you won’t blame me for insisting on walking you home regardless, though I’ll admit I’d rather not step inside.”

[jaaelthesun-blog]

dxrkchiild·:

He recognized her name, and the memory came to him almost immediately. Ayanna, coming to visit him on a night similar to this, the pair of them catching up while Parnus went back to his building duties with fervour in order to help the town recover as fast as it could. 

“You and your friend came here after the storm,” it wasn’t a question, as he remembered what Ayanna had said about the two strange Wickeds who arrived on the doorsteps of their recovery, “the two Wickeds… right? Ayanna put you up in the Tribe District.”

Suddenly realizing how he must sound, Parnus cleared his throat and nodded in the direction of Town. “I… know the Keeper well. She told me. Call me Parnus.”

She nodded. “That’s us,” she said, and for a brief moment, she found herself wondering just how much the man knew about herself and Kaheer. “Parnus,” Jaael repeated, and connected the dots: this was the one she’d sometimes heard referred to as Dark-Child. From the context.. she wasn’t sure some of the other vampires liked him. That in itself could only mean one of two things – that he was more monstrous than the rest, or – and she thought it had to be the latter, based on his friendship with the Keeper – that perhaps he had more humanity left in him than the others.

“How long have you been in Sanctuary?”

[jaaelthesun-blog]

kaheerthehaunted·:

     The first few days in Sanctuary’s embrace, had not been wasted in getting to know the inhabitants. Both of the new Wickeds spent their time, aiding in rebuild, talking, or listening in on others to put names to faces, bringing the more shadowy figures of Sanctuary to light. 

     They were in a tight knit community, it would be impossible not to know of most people eventually, but neither of them had the luxury of time or the privilege of risking their safety– not after all that they had been through.Days turned to weeks, then to months and they were still there, but every hiccup, every glance sent in their direction had Kaheer feeling restless, he was sure it was the same for Jaael.  So when she assured him, he knew what it meant, what Jaael was truly saying without it being so explicitly stated. The knots that made up his shoulders unwound and Kaheer easily matched her stride, without need for further explanation.

A little longer.   

    “Yes.” He spoke up, glancing at her once, he liked the stars. Then, thinking of it now, he became tense again. “Jaael…” He began then stopped, unsure of how to proceed with this new information, he didn’t want to worry her, but he was worried, anxious over the recent interaction, and he’d had days to think about it, still with no way to bring it up to her. “Noah remembered me…from before.” 

His answer brought a wide smile to her face, warm at the thought – they’d make their meal, and then they could sit on the roof, nestled under blankets. She’d tell him of all the stars she hadn’t already told him––

As soon as Kaheer mentioned Noah, her gait faltered, a syncopated rhythm taking the place of what had been a steady beat. She trained her gaze forward, trying to conceal the thunder within her chest. They’d known he was there: for their first few weeks, the two of them had play-acted the part of shadows, and it had been easy, the entire town’s attention paid towards the destruction wrought by the storm. Slipping out of focus hadn’t been an issue.. and while they’d known Noah was there, neither had bothered with approaching him.

They had been Wanderers too, yes… but they were the ones who’d escaped. Somehow, she didn’t think it was quite the same for Noah, and that– that made her grit her teeth. She had wanted him to remain busy with whatever it was that he did. Had wanted the two of them to remain out of his focus for as long as they could, even in the close quarters of Sanctuary.

“.. How did he act?” Hostile? Or perhaps playing dumb? Could she ever feel certain until Noah made his move?

[jaaelthesun-blog]

ofwickedprophecies·:

BRIGHT LIGHT: OPEN

The migraine might bring her to her knees. Elise was almost sure it could because it was miserable, because it was almost completely and utterly unbearable; there was the throbbing pain, of course, but it was more than that — the very light of Sanctuary itself made her want to curl into a ball and hide but there was nothing she could do for immediate relief. She had been all but hit by foresight on the street, a waking dream she hadn’t asked for unspooling in a moment’s pause leaving her to stand dead in her spot, and the migraine had followed, fast and furious, despite her location.

Were there a god to pray to, she’d pray for relief, but then, there was no one to believe in but herself, no one but she who was going to take her home where she could draw the curtains, where she could hide in a place that was safe, cool, and perhaps most importantly, quiet and dark, until she could smooth over any sign of what she’d seen and keep going.

And so, it was little more than one foot in front of the other, a forced step forward and then another and another despite the way she felt wrung out, gaze steady on the ground, avoiding the light much as she could. As distraction, she let herself turn over a vision of the future she didn’t mean to share. This one was hers.

Then, a sudden stumble, an almost fall, and a hand thrown out for stability, finding another nearby before she fell flat on her face. Holding them, Elise steadied herself, before she dragged her gaze toward the other, instead of the ground, wincing as it exposed her to more light, before she forced the superficial appearance of a smile. “Thanks for the save. Apparently the ground itself is is a danger.” It was a bad joke, an attempt to distract from what showed that she didn’t want seen: that a new glimpse of the future sat ready on her tongue. “For all the prophecy in the world, apparently I’m keen on missing the obvious.” She didn’t notice she hadn’t let them go.

Her hands had reached out upon impact, clasping the woman’s arms in an effort to help steady her. As soon as she was certain Elise wouldn’t keel over, Jaael let go, not wanting to overstep – but found herself alone in it, Elise’s palms still warm against her own arms. Truth be told, it made Jaael a little nervous, being so close to the other – Jaael knew who Elise was because she’d made a point of it, but they’d never really spoken, Jaael purposefully avoiding those higher on the rung in both the Blood and Bone Courts.

“No problem,” Jaael said, her courteous, warm smile revealing none of the thoughts she grappled with.

“– You alright? Can I.. walk you somewhere?”

[jaaelthesun-blog]

dxrkchiild·:

All anyone ever talked about anymore were the Fighting Pits. It annoyed Parnus to no end, who saw no point in bringing more of the savagery of the Blood Court to Sanctuary. But even as he protested to Ayanna, she had raised some good points about how potentially helpful it could be to those who needed to filter out their aggression and would rather do it on one another than people who didn’t deserve it.

Still. It made Parnus want to avoid his fellow builders more than usual.

Until a voice called up to him, and Parnus found himself looking up into the obscured moonlight at a woman’s face–the careful mask of casual politeness across her features. He could hear the blood pumping in her veins–not a Vampire–and she didn’t smell like rotting flesh–not an Upyr. So a Human, then? Or a Wicked… it was difficult to tell.

Parnus shifted uncomfortably where he sat before inching over to the left, presenting her with a place to sit.

“All means.” He said by way of offering, before clearing his throat.

“Thanks.” She sat down beside him, careful to still leave some space between them – there was a tension to him, to the stiff set of his shoulders and the way he held himself. It reminded her of Kaheer: not quite as severe, but.. reminiscent. Enough to make her want to reach out.

“… I’m Jaael,” she said, because she hadn’t actually spoken to him before, though she knew his face from her time with the construction crew. She thought he might be a vampire, but.. she wasn’t actually certain, and nowhere near comfortable enough to ask, not right off the bat.

[jaaelthesun-blog]

kaheerthehaunted·:

     “Meat from her hunt, we can use some for the stew.” As the sun dipped further from sight,shadows lengthened until they blended together, air cooling without the source of warmth. It would not be long until the other residents of Sanctuary would be able to emerge. Even with the nights he’d spent restlessly wandering, the vampires made him uncomfortable, but that was nothing of note; everything made him uncomfortable. He shifted the bundle of logs and sticks beneath his arm up a little more, re-establishing a grip.

     “He seem alright?” Any threat, any at all, and Kaheer would make them run. They could not take on Sanctuary’s monsters if those monsters decided to rise against each other, he and Jaael would only get caught in the crossfire. 

Meat for their stew – perfectly sensible, nothing she needed to be wary of. She hummed in response, an agreeable sound; lips twined into a smile as she glanced at him and then back at the township surrounding them. Evening was approaching at a rapid pace, her dark, velvet cape draping across the sky as she strode towards them.. and not for the first time, Jaeel wondered what it might be like – to sit outside until the sun rose at dawn without having felt fearful even once.

“Yeah, he’s fine.” The words themselves were simple enough – but the true contents lay in the look she shared with him, her gaze reassuring: we’re alright, still. we can stay a little longer.

Jaael picked up the pace ever-so-slightly, knowing he’d fall into step. “… I think I wanna look at the stars, tonight.” Sanctuary, despite its name, wasn’t a place where night felt safe – but in the Human District, atop the roof of their house, she could bury the feeling until it was nothing more than a soft prickle at the back of her neck. Nothing more than a bad omen.

Most of the time, she’d climb up there to look for Kaheer, for movement in the woodlands beyond the border – but she felt a longing then, a memory resurfacing. Her mother telling her of the Bow in the hand of the Huntress, of the Stag and the Doe. “D’you wanna join me? After dinner?”

[jaaelthesun-blog]

petalstrewn·:

“Not so much lurk as - hide.” Petal had never seen the point in being deceitful. Lying and masking her truths had never been a strong suit of hers; she would rather speak blunt and true than try and be sly with her words. “It’s - rather loud over there.” She wondered if perhaps it was something that would dull with time. The other Vampires didn’t seem to struggle with the sounds of their activities making their ears ring and eyes swim with all of it - sensory overload had become a regular feeling for Petal in the time since she was turned. It was good to escape into the relatively quiet solitude of the trees and rustling leaves. “If you aren’t lurking what are you doing here?” Not many came out about here at this time of night. While no Vampires were allowed to attack a human within the walls of Sanctuary, often times humans were rightfully wary of them. Petal wished she could blame them for their distrust but - she still felt it; Petal still felt that wariness within her chest while surrounded by those she has become so alike to. How could she blame those that could still be so changed? She remained quiet while awaiting her answers, legs continuing their gentle swinging. Being too still made her feel - dead. Made her feel too cold and too much like one of the statues the Upyr seemed to like so very much.

Vampire, her instinct whispered – but simultaneously, something else, something softer, said oh.

They had been human, once. Maybe some of them still were.

“.. I was practicing,” Jaael replied, and she felt that softness turn insistent, tugging at her, doing its best to drown out the alarm and distrust she felt around the undead. This was the problem with bleeding hearts: they didn’t care if it hurt, in the end. They paid no attention to the possibility of danger, heeded no words that told them different. Her own bleeding heart would always be at odds with the practicality that lived in her.. and at that moment, it won out.

Slowly, she raised her arm up from where it had hung by her side, so her palm faced the tree. Slower still, she turned her wrist.. and as her hand carved out a half moon in the air, a handful of pebbles began to float upward. Soon, they drifted in the space between Jaael down on the ground and the stranger up in the tree, the stones waltzing in lazy circles around one another.

She could justify it, couldn’t she, this display? As truth returned for truth given.. as a warning sign, maybe. Nowhere in the depths of her was there a part entirely willing to admit it was a siren song, if it was anything – it’s okay, it isn’t loud here. it’s okay, I’m not quite human either.

More stones joined their like up in the air, as though they were a cloud of solid rock. Shapes and silhouettes formed and disbanded – the shape of a cat chasing a mouse, which turned around and became a wolf, chasing the cat back.. a tree stretching up, up, up; a grey rose, its petals far from soft.

It didn’t have many actual uses.. but it took effort. Concentration.

It was a lesson in control.

[jaaelthesun-blog]

kaheerthehaunted·:

     Kaheer nodded once in agreement to the idea of the stew, then added, “they let me go early from weaving so I picked up more rations and I have a gift from one of the hunters, she liked the clothes that I made. They must have benefit her.” He had spent a lot of his time cultivating techniques and learning from fellow weavers that he had become decent enough to produce a few garments of note. A few that had gone to clothing some of the hunters on their excursions, flexible but durable, warm for the coming chill. He hoped this aided them in their travels, allowing them a better chance to have a successful hunt.

     They had the rest of the ingredients for a stew, his errands having included picking up more rations, with all the work Jaael did, he wanted her to have a decent meal to sustain her through her day. 

     ….more than a bruise…

      Kaheer didn’t think he would ever get used to her concern or the feelings that came with it, the initial surprise would always melt into something unfamiliar, something he couldn’t quite put a name to. As always, when faced with such a question, his brows crinkled together and he moved his hand to his side, gently prodding the spot where the branch had dug into him. It stung, but not terribly, his arms had been scratched up by errant twigs and cat’s claws and those had stung just the same, so he imagined they were similar. 

      “A scratch, if anything. I’m okay.” 

      “How did the rebuilding go? Did something happen?” He thought of the person she was talking to before, felt an uneasiness about the people around them, taking every glance in their direction as a hidden threat. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus only on Jaael and the path ahead.

“That’s great, Kaheer.” She took care that her tone remained calm, though her eyes still lit up, happy that his talent was getting noticed – the knee-jerk paranoia she felt buried deep, deep down. Not everyone is out to hurt him, she told herself, and doubt chimed back with but what if they are? She didn’t let it show.. but she still found herself prodding at the feeling, letting it sit inside her chest like some crooked little bird. Its beady eyes looking around with hunger, trying its best to find something to tear at, something to feast on.

He told her he was okay, and she nodded – once, smiling at him before she replied. “–– Just let me know if you need anything.” The words were a promise, or perhaps a reminder of one – she had his back, always.

“No, it was fairly uneventful, as far as construction sites go. Loud noises, like always, but no accidents. Last week a toe got stubbed, but that’s about it.”

“I was just in his way.” 

Doubt had begun to peck at her ribs, hacking away at morsels. She could only smile as she spoke once more, hoping he wouldn’t think anything of it – she didn’t want him to worry, too, not yet, not when it was just her doubt that needed quelling. “What did she give you? The hunter?”