TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME.

kennedy "kenna" maddox • the informant • priestess of the city of wheats

[yvesolade]

                 & I couldn’t help it. I was dangerous a thing & I knew it. I nearly drowned my bodies holding them under the waves; baptised them in the water of a shallow bath, vying to kill the shaking & the victim & the rage—

                     & rising like a Lazarus from a salt-water lake, I prayed to have become something else. I wanted to be anything but irredeemable, even if that thing was dead.

Yves Olade,  from “Red Tempest” upcoming in Issue I of Horn & Ivory, Baptisms: A Beginning

[kennedy-maddox]

unsex, divorce, revive -- gabriel, cyrus, and stanford

unsex: stanford

divorce: gabriel

revive: cyrus

[kennedy-maddox]

WHO: @alexanderxgabriel​

WHEN: a bit after the event

WHERE: truck 

Even in sleep, he seemed restless. Distressed. Lines etched in his forehead and fists lightly clenched at his sides, as if he was fighting an enemy in his dreams. Shoulders slightly hunched inwards, and faintly she wondered if he could feel her presence even with his eyes shut. 

Faintly, she wondered if he was fighting her. The thought only brought a smile to her lips. 

Kennedy dabbed with the antibiotic soaked cotton to the small cuts on his face, his head rested on her lap. The sleeping quarters of the truck was quiet, most of the crew either tending to their wounds or debriefing with Cian. Gabriel had fallen unconscious as soon as the truck was safely on its way back to dust, his body seeming to sense that it was okay to collapse, registering the gunshot wound belatedly. Ever the loyal soldier, the selfless hero. 

She wondered if anyone had told him that heroes were always destined to fall. 

Some morbid, perverse part of her wanted to reach out and touch his wound. To press and press until the bandage was stained red. To see if she would hurt, knowing it had been her fault. To see if she cared. Kenna hadn’t been questioned when she’d volunteered to take care of Gabriel, and she supposed it was expected — he’d gotten shot covering for her, after all. But it wasn’t guilt or obligation that glittered in her eyes now. 

Instead, she studied his features with a sort of apt curiosity. Her fingers brushed away a stray lock of golden hair and she wondered if he could feel the insincerities in her actions, even as her touch was no less gentle, no less tender. Sometimes, Kenna managed to deceive even herself. Though if there was anyone that could discern the way her halo glowed a bit too bright, divinity nothing more than an artificial spotlight, she thought it would be him. 

She didn’t move away when she felt him stir awake, her fingers lingering against his skin. “Alexander.”

[kennedy-maddox]

alexander gabriel​.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw her. It was an inevitable encounter, something he’d been preparing himself for since he learned of the mission, but he knew now nothing ever would have prepared him for this moment.

Perhaps, he was most worried he would fall under her spell again. One look from her and he would feel humbled. It was nowhere close to that as he saw nothing but red and then white as he stared at her. It took every ounce of self-control not to strangle her where she stood or turn her inside out, so everyone could see the serpent lurking beneath her beautiful face. 

He couldn’t act on anything of these desires. Rather, he had to be kind and even act grateful to see her. He was a soldier through and through, but he knew this would be his hardest assignment yet.

As she approached, he pulled his jacket tight around himself, a form of physical protection against her charm. He forced a smile to his face, stretching it wide enough that it would hide the pure hatred in his eyes. Bile rose in his throat at the nickname, her words reaching out to strangle him, to entrap him in her grasp once again. But he wasn’t the naive boy he’d once been. The ghosts that haunted him wouldn’t allow that. “Kenna.” His eyes softened with the word. “I must confess I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, but you’re looking as radiant as ever.” Every word a dagger to what little integrity he had left. “What are you doing out here? Where’s your fiance?” His eyes roamed the street around them, searching for the man who ruled his nightmares. 

.

For what it was worth, Kenna’s smile was genuine. 

Because it was obvious, even as Gabriel’s lips curved upwards, that he wasn’t skilled at hiding his emotions. His eyes gave away too much, figure visibly tensed. A bow string drawn backwards, taunt until it was sharp enough to cut. Doubtless, it had always been one the qualities that had drawn her to him in the beginning — in a world where masks were sealed so tightly that people often came to forget what was underneath, Gabriel had been a welcome surprise. A breath of fresh air. 

And she’d tainted him. 

She could see it now — the thinly concealed anger, the ache for a fight. What did it say about her, that she took an almost perverse pleasure in the sight?

Kenna stepped closer, until the fabric of her skirts brushed up against his legs. Until she was sure he could smell the lavender and cedar wood she used in her hair, smile never dimming from her features. “He’s back in Wheats,” she shrugged, gaze never leaving his. A corner of her mouth lifted, silent dare glittering in her eyes. As if she knew exactly where his thoughts led. She tilted her head slightly, delicate skin of her neck exposed, so easily crushed by hands. Or lips. Kenna’s voice was low as she spoke, with a softness that resembled something like vulnerability. “It’s just me here.” 

[kennedy-maddox]

cyrus abel​.

Of course he hadn’t been planning to steal, as much as it looked that way. The romantic in him wanted to make some joke about the pretty girl he was supposed to steal a necklace for. But he had learned to guard his actions enough that what came to him was a smile, and what followed was a smile with shame. He found himself smiling back at her as she took his arm, found himself not having to fake being star struck, and he wondered if he was compromising his mission by being so forward. But he rarely was, and she was beautiful. The type of beautiful that made all the heads turn in the hallways. The type that got attention from most merchants, although they quickly averted their gazes when it became clear that she was from Wheats. There was still hatred, although it was silence. 

He gave nothing away of where he was from, his clothing and hair were Dust, his accent and his word choice as well. But he knew he still missed some of the subtle things. “I promise I wasn’t going to steal it, waead, I made a mistake, took a step back when I really shouldn’t have because I wanted to see it in the light.” He shook his head as if recalling something that had happened not long ago with shame. He left it open for interpertation however whether he was telling the truth or lying, offering suggestions of both. He didn’t look her in the eyes, he fumbled with his free hand, he also didn’t stutter, gave it straight. 

Cyrus found himself doubting her intentions as wel, wondering if she was being forward or if she was - like him - putting up a show. He couldn’t help how his real feelings were stronger than his intention to play her. Her looking at him, slightly flushing made him feel warm inside, and her offer took him aback, even though it was something he had come to expect from those from Wheats. She took out the pin and he was mesmerised by her waves of brown hair, then when the pin was presented swallowed. He wanted to keep up this lie, even if she was going to join the gang, because he wanted the pin. But on the other hand he didn’t want to take something that wasn’t his, be the gentleman. 

He took the pin. “You are too kind, kyría, it is such a kind offer I almost don’t want to take it,” he said, fuelling his voice with honesty.

.

“Here, it doesn’t matter what the truth is,” she murmured, watching as he took the pin. “Only what the other person believes.” Kenna gave a wry smile, gazing up at him for a moment before quickly looking away again. The way he looked at her almost made her wish that things could be different. That she was exactly who she seemed to be, innocent and lively. Simple. A sheltered priestess from Wheats, untouched by death and politics, without machinations behind every practiced smile. Almost.

“But I believe you.” The smile on her lips blossomed into a full-on grin as her expression brightened, and this time when Kenna snuck a look up at him, her eyes glittered with mischief. “Which I suppose means you don’t need the hairpin anymore...” Her voice trailed off teasingly and she faked a grab for the accessory, though her fingers landed his hand instead. The lightest graze of skin, not unlike the fluttering of butterfly wings outside the flower fields of her temple. 

Kenna merely stared at the point of contact for a moment, her hand small and delicate compared to his, before she withdrew and gave a small, almost breathless laugh. “Perhaps I’ll lend it to you instead. It’s supposed to bring about good luck and safety.” A pause in which she chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. “And you can return it to me later. If the fates allow us to meet again.”

[izbellas]

Hande + The Dress!  (Sen Cal Kapimi 20)

[kennedy-maddox]

closed starter for: @alexanderxgabriel​

location: outskirts of crash market

The act of betrayal was easy. 

She hadn’t hesitated, as she never had. As she never would. Because people like her couldn’t afford to gamble with a maneuver on the board, couldn’t afford to spare a second for silly sentiments like morality. So the decision had been easy — and if she could go back in time, she would have done the same. 

But even with that knowledge, it was the aftermath that was difficult. The betrayal that seemed to make his eyes bright with anger when Gabriel had realized. The disbelief. She thought it was funny, how heat was depicted as red when the hottest part of the flame burned blue. Kenna had almost staggered with relief when he’d walked away, content to lock the memory into storage along with other boxes marked by humanity. 

She should have known that the gods did not forget. 

It was on the outskirts of the market that she spotted him — more unkempt than the last time they’d met, but still wearing the air of a man accustomed to victory. It was a shock, even as she had recognized his photograph weeks earlier among intel on the rest of the crew. She’d deigned to ignore it back then — a mistake, as Kenna found her default open smile frozen on her lips as their gazes met. 

After a beat, she composed herself, striding over to him, the train of her skirts picking up sand as she walked. “Alexander. Gözümün nuru.” The corners of her mouth curled upwards as the endearment rolled off her tongue. If there was a hint of irony in her lilt, then surely it was a mere trick of the wind. “You look well.” 

[dvoyd]

“you were silent but lovely; radiant, like the dawn. colors were your language, so fluently worn; conveying what words never could. you were a masterpiece, the artwork of all the greatest hands. the tenth wonder of the world; sculpted in the sunlight and bathed in the stars. you were what heaven envied— what gods feared and beasts worshipped, what made kings tremble and armies flee. when wolves howled, they were calling your name. but now you are dark, empty; now you are what bleeds the world of its beauty. you are the weed in the garden, a disease in the heart and mind, festering a sickness. you are what should never be; yet what could be, what is, and what must be. you are the lie that speaks an unavoidable truth: that all things beautiful and divine are tragic.”

— stars are still beautiful even after they have fallen | m.a.w

[kennedy-maddox]

cyrus abel​.

It wasn’t the kind of reaction Cyrus hadn’t been preparing for. He figured something would happen, he simply didn’t know what. And was it did, he was reminded of everything he had been told about the people from the City of Wheats. People who were naive, who would start with kindness, not lead with a quick lie. He turned towards her quickly, falling into the role like he did with most things. It was important to be a chameleon, important to try and blend in quickly. He felt like he could shift his identity if he wished, those who looked close enough would see that he was from Iron. Those who didn’t might not even take a second guess unless he wanted them to. He smiled at her, trying not to appear confused at the fact that she was taking a very different approach from what he thought she might do. 

He offered her a star struck smile, which wasn’t that hard. “I thought you would like it,” he said. Watching her swirl her fingers around until the Merchant was satisfied with the display, or just hungry enough for money. He guessed at both. He turned towards her, nodding. “Perhaps we should look for sapphires then?” he suggested, holding out his arm for her to take, hoping she would, because then he could walk away from the stand as quick as possible and be out of the merchant’s hair, not to mention thank her for her help. A perfect start of a friendship. The people from Wheats loved to help, and he was good at faking helplessness.

.

He was good.  

Good at blending in, at appearing natural, slipping easily into the role she had created for him. It was a sign of skill, though it made her wonder what rouse the pirates had decided upon to gain her favor. She couldn’t imagine that they’d outright reveal their cards, though there was something to be said about someone who blended in a bit too easily — good, honest people were always a beat behind in schooling their expressions, as if the weight of morality burdened their every thought. So perhaps he was good. But perhaps she was better.

For a moment, Kenna merely looked up at him with wide eyes, smile dimming infinitesimally, as if only now realizing the full extent of her whim. Her gaze darted to his outstretched arm, then back up at his face. Objectively, Cyrus Abel was the sort of handsome that would cause any Wheats resident to falter in judgement. (Subjectively, she guessed he would feed her to the desert wolves if it benefited his mission.)

So she rested her hand in the crook of his arm, chewing on her bottom lip as she allowed him to lead her away from the stand. “Whoever you were trying to steal that necklace for, must be special,” she murmured wistfully, stealing a look up at him and turning away before she was caught in the act. “Though probably not worth it. I hear the merchants here are brutal.” 

Her steps slowed and Kenna turned to him, flushing slightly as her gaze met his. “I don’t have currency on me, but,” she reached and pulled out a pin that had been holding her hair in place, soft waves unfurling and cascading down her back. The piece was delicately crafted, with fine enough metalwork to considered ornate, but not adorned enough by jewels to be gaudy. And on its head, the Maddox family crest. Kenna spared the hairpin a fleeting look of longing before she extended it to him. “It’s not much, but it’ll fetch for enough to get you what you were looking for.” A corner of her mouth lifted. “At a much lesser cost than your safety.”

[baharsahin-deactivated20221205]

HANDE ERÇEL Sen Çal Kapimi

[cyrusabel]

Location: Crash’s market @kennedy-maddox​

She was far more beautiful than in the picture. 

Cyrus swallowed at that thought, knowing he couldn’t help the swaying of his own heart at that tidbit of knowledge. It was easy to see an image of someone and think: okay, beautiful. But someone in person always was going to make a bigger impression. 

He needed to get her attention somehow, make himself known. Get to talk to her and find out things that could help their Captain recruit her to come along with their convoy of trucks. That did mean he could be around her, and the way she carried herself made him want to be around her. 

Having enough experience with being invisible to the eyes of those around him, getting attention was more of a challenge. He made a show of checking out someone’s merchandise, feeling the eyes of the seller burn into him hard. He took one cautious step back, finding a way to make it look both accidental and intentional, and found a hard hand brush against his back. “I was just looking!” he blurted out, quickly and apologetically. Knowing it wouldn’t work with these kind of Dust-bred merchants. But he aimed to get her to help him out, placing all his trust in her Wheats upbringing. “I didn’t mean to take it, I was just looking.” 

[kennedy-maddox]

It was almost too easy to get caught up in the otherness, the sheer potential that ebbed and flowed and crackled like waves of pure electricity in the air around her. Certainly, Crash wasn’t impressive — much like the other sites within Dust territory, sand kicked up as she walked throughout the market, though it had lost its austere gold a long time ago, trampled down and mixed with dirt until it became a chalky grey. 

No, the energy from the air came from her, barely contained, delicate figure clad in a hooded cloak of white chiffon, so sheer that the sun’s setting rays pierced through the fabric like a halo that billowed around her small frame as the night time’s winds began to pick up. A startling contrast from the dark colors worn by the others within the market — and a purposeful beacon. 

She spotted him around the same time he seemed to spot her, his a nondescript presence to any other onlooker, but she had seen his face before, printed upon a set of papers that served as a catalyst for this particular trip outside Wheats. Cyrus Abel. Kennedy hid a smile as she watched his struggle with the merchants, content to merely observe for a few tense moments, before she stepped over to where they stood, pulling back the hood of her cloak. 

“My love?” A confused expression settled on her features as her gaze moved from the merchant to Cyrus, before it landed on the necklace that the merchant was holding up accusingly. Her eyes widened cartoonishly, and she snatched it from the man’s hands. “For me? You shouldn’t have.” An adoring gaze was shot in Cyrus’s direction while the merchant sized them up. Objectively, there was no way the two were linked. But money was the only truth that mattered within the neutral territory, and after a measuring glance at the fine tailoring of her clothing, he soon scurried away, though she still felt pinpricks of attention on her back. 

Kenna deposited the necklace back onto the shelf. “Periodt is beautiful, but Sapphire would look so much better with my eyes, don’t you think?” she mused, gently running her fingers across the merchandise as she gazed up at him. 

[pandorasvalley-rpg]

INTRODUCTION: THE INFORMANT

BIOGRAPHY.

“i am not holy water and soft hallelujahs i am a battle hymn written in blood.”

01. fact: kennedy maddox was born in the city of dust. a revered and powerful line of mages, the Maddox family had been hunted for decades, eventually successfully murdered by those afraid of the power they were able to wield and their refusal to swear allegiance to any one state.

02. fact: only the young daughter, barely able to walk, had been rescued by the city of wheats.

03. fact: as the years grew on, true to her bloodline, kenna demonstrated her magical abilities early, rising within the ranks of the temple of light, eventually becoming their priestess. when she reached adulthood, the city of wheats recognized an opportunity to marry church and state, blessing the union between her and a prominent diplomat.

04. myth: kenna walks with an eternal glow of dawn haloing her lithe form. it is said that she is a symbol for the benevolence of the city of wheats. hers is a story hope to many, a phoenix rising from the ashes of prejudice and violence.

05. fact: a fact can be disproven while most myths are neither able to be proven or disproved.

STATS.

“why does tragedy exist? because you are full of rage. why are you full of rage? because you are full of grief.”

BASICS.

FULL NAME: kennedy theia maddox. NICKNAME: kenna AGE: twenty-eight. BIRTH DATE: march 2nd. BIRTH PLACE: city of dust. GENDER: cis female. PRONOUNS: she/hers. OCCUPATION: priestess.

FAMILY.

PARENTS: henry maddox (deceased); athena maddox (deceased) SIBLINGS: avery maddox (deceased)

PHYSICAL.

FACE CLAIM: davika hoorne. EYE COLOR: brown. HAIR COLOR: black. HAIR STYLE: long with subtle flowing waves. HEIGHT: 5′4″ NOTABLE PHYSICAL TRAITS: the symbol of the goddess of light painted on her upper cheekbone near the outer corner of her left eye in gold.

MENTAL.

INTELLIGENCE: high. educated by the best tutors in both religious studies and mechanics. POSITIVE TRAITS: cheerful, passionate, playful, sentimental, witty. excitable, graceful. NEGATIVE TRAITS: manipulative, fickle, haughty, vindictive, deceitful. DISPOSITION: open, friendly.

ABILITIES.

MAGICAL SKILLS: 5/5. COMBAT SKILLS: 3/5. THREAT LEVEL: 4/5.

HEADCANONS.

“you are shadows. you are death. your fingers will become claws and your hand the weapons. i will teach you how to howl so that even the wolves are silent.”

01. the maddox bloodline is descended from the apprentice to the first head mage at the formation of the city of wheats. elisabeth maddox, pregnant and disillusioned with the leadership within own her government, was said to have stolen a magical artifact before she left the temple in the dead of night. her descendants became nomads, escaping discovery throughout the years with their skills and sheer luck. kenna is the first maddox in the bloodline to have sworn fealty to the city of wheats after elisabeth. although she has been interrogated many times regarding the location of the lost artifact, she claims to have no knowledge of its location or existence.

02. although she is tactically trained, kenna has never engaged in actual combat. she is usually hidden behind the temple’s walls, researching scripture and aiding the city in its training of young mages. recently, she has started engaging in diplomatic affairs behind the scenes.

03. it is easy to forget that she poses a threat at all — she boasts an energetic disposition and is prone to frequent emotional outbursts. kenna is often cited as forgetful and fanciful, easily trusting those around her. she is sometimes joked to be the princess of the city of wheats. whether it is intended as a compliment or insult is to be seen.

[adaestra]

“i guess this is what you were trying to tell me – this is what heaven is: fingers dipped in blood & starved lungs / “you quiver before god as he steals the light under your skin and call it holy call it sacred - tell me did you really think he’d forge you a halo out of your own grace ? he’d rather eat it”

— do not ask a homeless angel of his father | b.s.h