[all-movie-stuff]

[enchanting-autumn]

Tunnel by Finn Hopson

[vinylplaylist]

Don’t let it in with no intention to keep it Jesus Christ, don’t be kind to it. Honey don’t feed it, it will come back. 

[loreleibellator]

Lorelei sat, with her head on the desk she’d been given to use, in the belly of the ship. Golden hair fanned about her crown, knotted and tangled as if she no longer gave a care towards the appearance. The stack of letters she meant to finish sat tauntingly close to her touch but far enough that if she stretched her lithe fingers she’d only be able to just graze their rough edges.

It took some time before footsteps thudded their way down the creaking steps and along the timber floor boards in her direction. The Elonian man called her name along the way, searching for the nook she had tucked herself into. Finally the discovery was made and a muffled curse slipped between his lips as he approached the disheveled woman. Words were spoke but they fell on deaf ears and her eyes moved not an inch as his face dipped into her view. Dried streaks of tears gave him the tell tale sign he needed along with the sting of cold that covered her skin when he touched her arm to give a gentle shake. She’d been laying there for hours, slumped in the chair, with her head on that desk.

Curses slipped freely from his lips now as he searched for the blanket she’d used earlier, finding it tossed just as carelessly as her hair, into a corner. Sudden warmth was felt as he draped the heavy soft thing over her shoulders and Lorelei blinked, not bothering to fight back the wave of tears that wanted to start anew. “Go away, Aetes.” The words cracked from her dry throat and his foot steps stopped their sudden pacing.

“Not until I know you’ll pull yerself from whatever the fuck this is.” He commented back as a chair slammed into place beside her, giving him the view to look into her face, and her into his. Though she wasn’t ready for the stern paternal look he’d decided to bestow upon her. The last thing needed was another lecture and with a groan she lifted and turned her head to face the lantern  instead of another stubborn man.

“C’mon, Lo!” His tone was a near growl, angered and already impatient with the child she was becoming. “Least tell me what in the Gods’ name happened before we found you so I know somethin’ to tell yer uncle. He’s in a fit of rage over all this!” He tried to reason, tried to show her the concern that more than just he felt. When there was no reply and moments had passed with only the slosh of waves battering against the hull and the echoed yells and orders from the deck as noise between the two, a low rumbling grow slipped past his throat and the balled fist of a callused hand slammed downward onto the corner of the desk. The quick action sent the stack of letters scattering and the woman flinched but did not move from her slumped position which only fed fire to the coals of the Elonians building rage. “’Ave it your way then, hmm? Be a stubborn fuckin’ child!” He yelled at her, his anger reaching a point that could no longer be contained. “Every time someone tries to fuckin’ help you, you gotta do it alone. Stubborn as, Lo can’t take any help until she’s gotten in too far to pull her own boney arse out of the hole she’s dug herself! Every fuckin’ time! One of these days no one is going to be there for you. Not I, not your uncle, Gods your father and brother are already gone, as well as that son of yours. Is it gonna be the same with this one too? You gonna leave him in the care of someone else so you can go gallivantin off and do whatever the fuck you’d like?! Risk your life and limb so you can come back to a broken fuckin’ home?!”

The last was her breaking point and before more dagger sharp words could be screamed in her direction she found her voice through her parched throat. “What do you want me to say, Aetes?!” She screamed back, whipping her head up and in his direction so he could see her reddened eyes swollen from crying and the fresh streaks trailing down her bruised cheek. “Would it make you feel damn well better if you heard me admit that I fucked up and failed? That I set out to do what I felt was right and have nothing to show for it but more scars than I have years of my life?” Her voice cracked but did not waver as she stood, sending the chair she’d been sitting in toppling backward and the blanket about her shoulders to the floor. “I failed! I went stubborn and alone into this because I felt it was the only option. The only way to keep everyone safe! It’s always the same reason, I think of everyone before I think of the consequences of myself! You know nothing of what it’s been like. To sit back and watch people walk all over you, use you as a pawn against your family, to watch your own brother murder your father because a long time ago you had to make a choice to keep everyone safe and it turned against you! You know nothing of my children and you better damn wel-” Her words suddenly cut short as a sharp pain ripped through her stomach. Arms circled round the swollen bump as she grimaced, gasped in shock then cried out in pain before sinking to the floor.

Strong warm arms kept her from falling completely, easing her down to the cool timber instead, and then stayed about her shoulders, cradling her much like the child she’d been accused of becoming until the stabbing pains subsided. Apologies were muttered as he smoothed her hair and held her close as she gasped through breathes and quiet sobs. The flutters and gentle kicks beneath her hands gave proof the child within her still lived despite her careless temperament and actions. What a fool she’d been, for all of it. It. “I’m sorry.” She muttered at last with a great sigh before just slumping against the borrowed support. He’s open his mouth to speak, to insist she had nothing to apologize for, but the opportunity wouldn’t be given. “I’ll tell you what happened.” Her words continued in a hush. “Just... Let me rest for a short while. Then I’ll tell you the story.” With a nod he moved, shifting his arms so that he could stand, and bring her along with him to the bed near the desk where he could lay her down and let sleep ease what pains he’d brought forth.

[robinwouters]

Ascalonian Ruins - a tribute to Guild Wars 2.

[loreleibellator]

pulled from the depths

The gentle rock and crash of waves against the timber hull of the ship brought the woman back to consciousness; the lull of traversing waves which had once brought so much comfort now disturbed her deep slumber. Arms wound in bandages stretched upward, cracking at the joints and causing a grimace to cross her face which had been colored in an array of hues from bruises new and old. With a sigh her arms lowered, gritting through muscles that were tender and sore to allow her hands to lay over her stomach, testing carefully for any bumps or bruises across the swollen bump. The illusion had faded, the trinket she’d acquired had drained the last of its magic days ago and she could no longer conceal her condition. Had it only been days? Or was it weeks? Time had become nothing but a blur which she only measured by how much the child within her stomach had grown. Even then it was just a guess, her seclusion driving her from anyone who could really know.

Brisk footsteps descending the stairs brought her thoughts to the present, a rescue from the clustered turmoil of trying to arrange the pieces of the puzzle of the time she’d been gone. Taught fingers pulled the blanket around her slight shoulders, more to ease the shiver than to conceal her form. The first mate came into view, a tall Elonian man whose ebony locks were now speckled with grey that even came down and touched his beard. A warm and genuinely friendly smile crossed her lips and a tension she’d been holding eased in the familiar company. “Aetes.” she spoke in relief, lifting tired azure eyes to meet his aging features. "It's been too long." The statement was only confirmed as the man nodded in agreement, a flash of a smile there and gone before moving briskly on to business.

“Lorelei... M'lady.” the taller Elonian man began, her name almost foreign on his tongue as his head dipped low to avert his eyes.  Orders were orders and they left no room for casualness. The tension rose anew in her shoulders. Such formality from one she had considered so close at one time threw her back into the unease that had become the norm as of late. “When you’ve a moment, the Capt’n would like a word with ya.” His words were clipped, to the point. Something had changed, she could only wonder exactly what.  Perhaps the captain would know, as the man seemingly no longer friend before her would give no further hints. "Of course." she returned, formal tone in place as her expression shifted to a careful neutral.

As his back turned she let a flash of pain rush to the surface, eyes watering in the uneasy hormonal state, but with a stubborn shake of her head she banished the feeling and pushed it away. There was no time for such silly things at the present. Quickly her hands moved to the pack that had been tucked nearly haphazardly beneath her cot, the strap clearly visible and laying by her feet. From the soft leather a bundle of parchment was retrieved. Letters. Some sealed in wax, others hastily folded, and a few spattered in dirt and dried blood. Just a small sign of how the journey had gone.

The bundle was held as precious cargo, clung to her chest with one hand, as the other held the blanket secure about her shoulders. The wind cut through the cloth regardless once she stepped on deck, but she clung to what warmth she could, needing the comfort it provided most of all.  Caution clung to every step she took towards the helm, her eyes set on the captain as his remained on the sea before him. Such a stubborn man he always had been and appeared to be still, always preferring to helm the ship himself rather than give the reigns to another able man.

The Captain himself hadn't changed much in the years it had been since they'd seen one another. Same shock of honeyed hair, though just like his first mate grays now hinted at his age. It was a surprise event to herself that the flaxen blonde had not grown any of her own just yet, though that had yet to be seen from the latest challenges just past. "Watch your step, Bellator! Those stairs are starting to crack!" He called out, his russet eyes now catching her gaze, and a bit of color rushed her cheeks as she'd realized she'd been staring in her reminiscent state. "The last thing we need is -you- with a concussion." Steady eyes stayed upon her as she tiptoed her way up the stairs, careful of the cracking timber so as not to catch her feet.

"Always the careful one." she mumbled under her breathe, gaze no steady on the helm that spun in his hands, shifting the course in which they were traveling. "Someone has to be, especially with you around." He scolded in return, arching a brow high as he gave her a once over before attention returned to the waters ahead. "Yes, well.. I suppose I owe you thanks and above that for coming to my aid. I was unsure if you'd even be in the region. Suppose I should have known better hmm?" A deep rumble of a chuckle shook the mans shoulders as his head bobbed in a nod. "Aye. Who could resist exploring the depths of the jungle? Even you it seems found that temptation impossible to turn down." There was no chance for a reply, no way to explain as he turned a narrowed stare down at her, anger edging clearly in his gray eyes. "What in the Gods were you thinking going out there like -that-, Lo?" he snarled the question low, top lip curling in his flash of temper before he pushed it aside to deal with things like a civilized human. "It's not unlike you to go gallivanting off without a care in the world to put yourself in danger, but to risk the life of a -child-? What got into you?"

There was no reason to argue. He had a point and they both knew it, he with his stern tone and harsh angered words, and her with her timid shrunken shoulders and lowered head. "You wouldn't..." she began but paused herself short to swallow the building lump in her throat. "I needed to find answers, to keep us both safe. I never expected it to go so far..." Her gaze shifted upward towards his face, only to catch those gray eyes boring into her, searching for truth and honesty in her answers. "You really thought of no other way? It always goes too far, Lo. It's your luck of all things. You should've take help, you should've contacted me before you even step foot into that place." A realization dawned and he blinked down at her before eyes went wider. "Does the father even know what you've been up to and where you've gone?" The look on her face was enough to answer that without a word spoken. Shame. She'd left Edrick with only a letter, headstrong and stubborn, set on a mission she and only she could take on. "Darien, if I could've.."

"Blast you girl!" he roared again, no longer caring if his voice rose above anything that was polite conversation. "No detours. You're going home, you're going back where you belong, and I'll not hear a word against it. Just because your father isn't here to make sure you actually keep that head on your shoulders doesn't mean I won't do the same. Gods be damned I am still your uncle you foolish child!" It was indeed like a child she felt again, being scolded for running off from home and not returning for dinner as she'd done so many times. Though now her brother wasn't here to make up some little white lie to dig her out of the trouble she'd put herself in, and he never would be again. "Yes, Sir." she finally agreed, head lowering again as a thumb stroked absently over the edges of the letters she clutched all the tighter to her chest. "I just have one thing to ask." There was no telling if the request would push limits, but for what her uncle had already done for her, something so simple should be an acceptable request.

"You're in need of a bird?" The guess was easy as he watched her for a long moment, pushing his anger down and away, back into the little box he kept stowed away. "Aetes." He nodded to his first mate, not bothering to wait for her confirmation. "See that she has a way to send those letters where they're intended to go and take her back below deck. Keep her out of the way." The Elonian was there at once, grasping the woman gently around her upper arm to guide her off the deck and away from the bustle that had picked up once again. The men on deck resuming their rowdy work and it was only then she'd realized how quiet they had grown during their captain's moment of roaring anger.

"So much for a warming family reunion." she muttered under the sympathetic stare of the first mate as they made their way back down below. There were after all, many letters to send and even more to write.

[binxart]

Spent the past week working on this handsome fellow. My character Lorelei’s love, Edrick Pyke. Done as a gift for the ever darling and fantastic jacobe-quinn who RPs the character.

[loreleibellator]

white lies

It hadn’t taken long to move from the Guard headquarters in the Reach to the private cells nestled in the foothills of the Dale. Though it had been sometime since she had been there and Lorelei would not confirm to the Private she was meeting if she simply took her time or had gotten just a little lost.

“It doesn’t matter really does it, Private? Or shall I go back and tell the Sergeant that you’re being defiant and insubordinate?” The tone used on him was one she hadn’t wielded in months. The cold calluses thing that often came out strong during training regiments to keep the fresh recruits in line.

“N-no, Sir!” The young man stammered, offering the woman who only just reached his shoulders a salute; the plate of his gauntlet hitting his helm with a metallic clank. “It’s just- well… He smells something awful, m'Lady.” His face scrunched to emphasize the point as he looked between her and the wooden casket that had been loaded into a cart.

A snort emitted forth and she rolled her eyes at the idiot Ramoth had stuck her with to ensure the transport of her brother’s body. This really was going to be too easy. The new ones usually were the best to manipulate. “Of course it’s going to smell… Gods,

Bryant, use your damn head. It’s a corpse.“ She simply stated at him as he floundered, trying to think of a retort for the insult but only succeeding in coming up empty.

"Right, m'Lady. Forgive me. Shall we make for Ebonhawke? The Sergeant has already given me details of the residence and I’m to escort you for safety reasons.”

“That won’t be necessary.” A hand waved dismissively, and a small smile curled her lips. “We’ll be staying right here in Kryta. Though I am unsure yet at the moment of the time to deliver. I’ll be remedying that this evening.”

“B-but, the Sergeant said…” he began to stammer again only to be interrupted, cut off not by words but the over empowering glare she cast in him.

“Your job as escort is to follow instructions, correct?”

“Well, yes m'Lady. The Sergeant’s instructions.”

“Not anymore. You’ll follow mine, Bryant. You’ll do as I say or I’ll go to the Sergeant and the Captain and out your little visits to the brothel. It’s never smart to lie about your rank and throw power around with civilians. Makes your brothers in arms look bad.” She lied. Hoping the bluff would work. In truth she had no idea if he’d done those things at the brothel, but so many did. There were countless recruits that became too arrogant, too careless. Her instincts pointed that he may be one of those.

His suddenly paling completion and shifting stature brought a smirk forth and as he tried to stutter out an excuse she knew she’d pegged him right.

Of course it had been the plan all along. She had no intent of burying the body. The brother she had loved died long before the monster that had been thrown in the cage and left to rot as an example. Burying this body would do nothing for the grief and suffering she still felt, but perhaps… something else would.

It mattered even less with the fact that so many months ago Liam had lied to her. Lied to her face about being involved with a Minister. Then again hiding the truth about what he’d done to Zane. He didn’t need to know what she was up to now, he’d lost that right, even as the friend he so carefully tried to be.

“Good.” She purred with a growing smile. “You’ll wait until you receive word from me. Is that understood? I’ll send for you when I have details for delivery then you’re off the hook.”

[loreleibellator]

picking up the remnants

Whether it was by calling in a favor or by picking the lock, when the Sergeant returned to his office at Ministry Guard headquarters the door would be unlocked. Shut, but unlocked with that ever annoying knock before entering sign he used hanging in plain view on the handle.

Inside Lorelei sat quietly in the chair in front of his desk, one leg crossed over the other with a book settled in her lap, her attention thoroughly set on its contents. At a glance nothing in his office had been moved or touched, not even a single paper on his desk, nor a book on his shelf.

Instinct led him to just start digging for his keys to unlock his door. But as his wrist brushed the knob, he heard the sound of wood knock against the door. He looked down to see his familiar sign. His nostril ticked a few times. He gently reached out to touch the knob, and turned it to see if it was still locked.

It wasn’t.

He pursed his lips, sighing heavily at the thought. He turned the knob fully, and slowly pushed the door open. He leaned in, expecting the worse, but then saw her. A very cruel mix of surprise and fury overcame him as he stepped inside.

“Lory.” He said, tapping his foot on the floor as he watched her read that book.

It had been near impossible, to keep her straight face when he stepped into his office. The tap of his foot, the tone in his voice. She wanted nothing more that to look at him with a smirk and roll her eyes but somehow she had resisted. Instead those eyes stayed. securely transfixed on the book in her lap, a hand lifting lazily to flip the page.

“Liam.” she spoke back to him in greeting, trying for a tone similar to the one he had used on her.

She couldn’t do it though. With a sigh she simply dog eared the corner of her book before closing it, both hands resting on top it. Her gaze shifted to him then, but nothing else was said.

He tilted his head to the side, looking her up ad down slightly. He folded his arms, and chewed on the inside of his mouth.

“What’s the occasion for you to break into my office?“

Something about her would seem off, different. Perhaps the fact that for once she wasn’t injured or moving stiffly as she stood from that chair. A smirk finally shifted one corner of her lips upward at his question and she shrugged innocently. “We can play a little guessing game about which one of the Privates let me in. I assure you there was no breaking in.”

“Calson? Redding? Giano?….no. That idiot Seymour. That dummy is going to be the death of me one day.”

“I suppose half the fun of this will be to see if you can guess right without me giving you hints.” The smirk spread a little wider as a soft chuckle shook her shoulders. “In the mean time while you rake that brain of yours… How have you been?” Her tone went from playful to a bit more serious, the smirk fading just a little.

“How have I been?“

“Well I’m still alive. So I suppose I’ve got that going for me.” His face hardened as her smirk faded, feeling some sort of interrogation come about. “This isn’t a social call, is it?”

A single shoulder shrugged again as she shifted her gaze to the floor, her feet shuffling as she made to smooth the leathers of the coat she wore. Not a single piece of actual armor.

“It could be still. I did bring you something, just for old times sake.” She tried offering with a hint of a smile. “Though I do need something from you, yes.”

His head tilted to the side momentarily. “What is it?”

“Business before social then I see..” Her voice trailed off, a hint of disappointment showing through. “I suppose I’ll just be blunt about it too then.” The smile vanished completely, her brow furrowed, making her face scrunch a little. “I need to find my brother.”

“What did he do this time?”

“You tell me. I’ve not seen him since you found me after he attacked me.”

He licked the inside of his mouth for a bit, and took his gaze away from her. “Why do you need to find him?”

Her eyes rolled then, the same action he’d seen a hundred times before, though the anger that flickered behind them as she stared at him after would be something new. “Come on, Liam. Don’t play games right now. Even if it’s just a damned body I need to know where he is.”

“Let’s just say he was somewhere I knew he couldn’t get out of…and that there isn’t much of a body left.”

There was a groan as she processed his answer and she turned slowly to pace by the chair. Both hands rose to scrub lightly over her face, nudging her glasses to the side.

“Bones..” she spoke, muffled by her palms. “Tell me there’s something. Anything.”

He wagged his finger in the air, and dug for his keys. He tossed them over to her, and pointed to a small cabinet to her right, at knee level.

“Second drawer. There’s a false bottom towards the back. The smallest key on that chain will unlock what you find when you open the bottom.”

Once she did that, she’d find a very small jewel box, which only had the one thing she was looking for.

She’d barely looked up in time to catch the keys and as she did her balance seemed a bit off, though she was quick to steady.

Openly she glared at him for a moment, trying to decipher what he could possibly be hinting towards. However hesitant at first she did as instructed.

A steady hand opened the box but as she pulled out the contents her fingers trembled slightly. “Where was he… When you.. when he died?” she asked quietly, her thumb stroking over the metal of the ring.

“Lory…” he said softly. He frowned, shaking his head. “Do you really want to know what happened that evening?”

The jewel box snapped shut at the same time as she slipped the ring on her thumb. The look she turned on him was an odd mixture that matched his when he walked through the door to see her. Shock laced with fury. “Are you even asking that right now?”

“I’m not asking because I want to tell you. I’m just asking that because I thought that’s where you were leading towards with your last question. If you want to know where he was when he died, he was sitting comfortably in a cell in one of the Guards private holdings.”

She nodded slowly, trying to put her temper back in check as one arm crossed over her stomach and the other hand closed around the box before resting on her hip. A few slow steps were taken towards him, eyes staying focused on the floor now. “And the body after?”

“Stayed where it died. I kept it there…to…” He puffed air through his lips before continuing. “…to remind those that find themselves in that cell that their only release is death itself. I made him into an example.”

At that her complexation paled and the hand across her stomach clutched at the leather. She stayed silent for a long few moments, fighting back the sick feeling that rolled deep down. “Let me bury him…” she made the request with a quiet voice kept carefully guarded.

He inhaled once more, and gave a single nod. “If that’s what you want…but do you really wish to gather the remains yourself? Or would you prefer I did so.”

“I…” She couldn’t answer that. The thought brought the hand from her hip to cover her mouth and her eyes closed. Slowly after a moment her head shook and she mumbled softly. “Neither…” After swallowing hard the hand lowered again. “Make Seymour do it. He let me in your office.”

“I have somebody more appropriate in mind to take care of that. Will you take the body back to Ebonhawke for a formal burial, or do you want the Guard to do a nameless one?”

She looked to him curiously, head canting and her brows furrowed as she silently questioned who he had in mind. “I’ll take him back to Ebonhawke. Bury him with my father and my s.. With the others. There was a point in time that he was actually my brother and not a monster.”

“Okay…I’ll get it recovered within the hour for you. Unless that’s too soon?”

She shook her head with a sigh. Again she was moving, closing the majority of the distance between them before holding out his keys to return them. “That’ll be fine. “

He lifted his hand, looking as if he would retrieve the keys, but he grabbed her hand instead. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckle. The curves on his lips deepened, and he looked genuinely in pain.

“I’m sorry…”

The motion of his thumb brushing over her knuckles caught her off guard. Her posture stiffened and for a moment she didn’t breathe. Finally with a shaky sigh she shrugged a shoulder and looked up at him with a forced smile. “You did it to protect me, right? I shouldn’t be mad at you…”

“I know that’s why I did it. But this whole ordeal seems to be affecting you quite a bit. And I can’t blame you if you find me disgusting for my actions.”

Her head shook again, trying to convince him to not let the guilt affect him. “No.. You’re right, it is affecting me quite a bit, but a lot of things are right now. I just,” she paused to chew at her bottom lip and try to force herself to relax a little. “You’re not disgusting, Liam.”

He canted his head to the other side, softening his features as he stared at her. “Then can I at least hug you to calm you down a little more?”

Her teeth sunk hard into her bottom lip as she looked back up at him a moment. Slowly she’d nod, giving him approval without saying a word. The arm that lay over her stomach would slip to the side to avoid any uncomfortableness.

“Lory…” he said softly, squeezing her gently. “I know you’re hurting over something. Well…this, for sure. But something else.” He looked down on her, pulling back slightly. “I can’t force you to tell me what’s happening, and maybe I’m not the best one to tell. But…if you need to, you can break in whenever, okay?”

"Right." She answered briefly, her tone suddenly flat and distant as she tried not to say everything she had been thinking. "There's a small basket of goodies in your chair... And a thermos of hot tea. Take some time this afternoon and just relax." The smile she cast at him as she pulled from the hug was an empty one, whatever emotion she was feeling now blocked by the wall she built around herself. "Thank you, Liam." Without another word she stepped easily around him and out the door.

[loreleibellator]

flowers for the dead

She knew practically nothing of the child whose grave marker she stood before. Edrick’s little girl. Killed in a Charr attack when they both still served the Vanguard. Her memories had been picked through in the past few days while she prepared for her temporary departure. Had she known the child? Had she seen the little one in passing? Perhaps in the arms of her father, or even her mother… Lorelei sunk her teeth into her bottom lip as she stared down at the marker, a hand moving to rest protectively over her stomach and the little one within. It was the sickening fear of this, history repeating itself, that brought the nausea rising anew.

Her other hand held a bouquet of flowers, fingers wrapped perhaps a bit too tightly about the thorned stems of the soft pastel pink roses. Did the girl even like pink when she still lived? Slowly she knelt to lay the flowers over the young girl’s grave before delicately peeling the weeds away from the stone. She couldn’t linger here long for risk of Edrick searching for her, though she doubted the first place he would check was the cemetery. Perhaps the city, yes, but maybe not directly here, still it was best to be safe than sorry.

“I don’t know if you’ve moved on to the Mists or if your spirit lingers here… I pray either way that you hear me.” She whispered softly, shifting backward to lightly sit on the heels of her thick leather boots. “I’ve never been a spiritual woman… Nothing compared to your father who cherishes Grenth and Dwayna so, something that perhaps when all of this is over I’ll finally change.” A subtle laugh shook her shoulders as she tried to piece together what she needed to say, finding all of this harder than originally imagined.  “Watch over him.. Please? If anything happens to me, he’s already lost so much when you and your mother were taken from him…” Her voice cracked in her throat and the familiar sting of tears pricked the corners of her eyes. “I fear what he’ll do to himself. I know he’s a strong man but one can only take so much. In the event.. “ There was a pause as the tears spilled down her cheeks, her head following them as it hung in grief over the thought. “Guide him to the Mists for me? Don’t let him linger here when all he’s loved is there. Be with him again if I cannot.”

Nothing else would leave her lips, no matter how hard she tried to choke out the rest of the words. Both hands rose shakily to pull the hood over her golden hair and further to hide her tear streaked cheeks and red eyes before she forced herself to her feet and on her way.

[loreleibellator]

in search of ghosts

My dearest Edrick-

Never once have I seen you glance to a watch for time. Whether you have no desire to because you're lost in the fantastic world that thrives in that brilliant mind of yours or you simply don't have one, I am unsure. The point is, you do now. Inside the box beneath this note is something that looks delicate but you shouldn't worry; Bastion thoroughly tested its durability for you when he mistook it for a snack meant for him rather than a gift for you. You'll have a sudden want for tracking time, perhaps for more than one reason, thus the point of this letter.

I've lost count of the times these words have tried to pass my lips in these past weeks, only to wither and die on my tongue like tiny insignificant things. but they're not tiny. Oh love, it's anything but a tiny thing though at the same time it is. Never did I think these words would be said, let alone penned. Then again I never thought when we met that I would grow so fond of you. Fond, then completely and utterly in love. It is you that brings a smile to my lips, you that brings hope to my days, and you who sparks the fire that now drives my passion. It is for you, and I, and for your child that I carry that I must leave for a short while. I only regret that now is the time these things come to light.

Some time ago my life and the lives of those I hold dear was put in danger. That danger still exists, it has only been in hibernation so to speak. It’s why I tried to push you away. it was the reason I was so stubborn about remaining alone. it was safe when it was only me. I could live with my life being in danger, with the threat of my death looming above my head each and every day. But the stark realization that it will never be only me again has sunk in. I tire of living in fear, constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for the wolf in hiding to rise up and strike. I need to do this now. to protect you, and myself, and our little pea. I beg you, please, Edrick my love, have faith in me in this and what must be done.

I could not bring you with me without putting you at immense risk. however selfish of me it may be it felt right in my heart. There is the promise that I will return, safe and sound, with your child. Our child. But only when the nightmare I have been living is over. In hindsight perhaps a pocket watch wasn't the brightest of ideas to leave you as a gift. Please try to not obsess over the time that I am gone, rather look to the time we'll have to show our child all the love and good this world can possess. Watch over Bastion, you’ll need him and he you.

I love you so.

-Lorelei

[loreleibellator]

source: LILY-m on DeviantArt

[binxart]

My GW2 RP character, Lorelei Bellator and her faithful hound, Bastion. Done in watercolor.

[loreleibellator]

[edrickthorn-deactivated20150827]

Grenth’s Door

[fash4us]

[luxelen]

((ROFL omg Lori I posted this image a long time ago as random lux style image, and so now I have to DO A THING cause of your tags!))

The socialite kept her lips pressed the entire time she carefully, meticulously styled the warrior in the pretty, backless little number.

“Now, Lory, remember, these /chains/ are not /chainmail/….  You have to be gentle!  Let them drape over your back as accessories and not armor.  You’re used to the cool caress of steel as it is, but this is a more…delicate type of situation.  They’re there to decorate, not protect.   Now, go and —-”

Lux paused as Jay the Stylist pulled away from the pair and showed off the sexy, messy bun he’d been working on.

With a shriek, Lux continued, “Miss Bellator.    Please stand up and ogle yourself.    You….you’re a vision.   Oh, my gods, do you clean up well.”

Jay shhhhh’d Lux, “Quiet, Lady Lux!  I’m having a transcendent moment.  Can we just shut up and stare please?”

With a nod, Lux followed suit as they admired Bellator the Bellatrix admiring herself in the mirror.

(( loreleibellator xoxo ))

[loreleibellator]

((OMG LUX! So incredibly perfect! xD xoxoxo! ))

[fash4us]