If you are reading this, then you have successfully re-establish a stable loop with your Hex still alive, and with the Höllvania reactor meltdown thwarted. Take comfort in the fact that, for the time being, nothing else will disrupt the loop's stability so long as Temporal Archimedeas are upheld before the annual reset. However, that said, you should know this is not the first time you have looped in 1999; an incident occurred causing rapid deterioration to your original loops continuity, leaving little choice but for me to intervene to prevent you from being lost to time altogether. I was unable to save your, or the Hex's memories of the event, the previous loops you lived through, or the bonds you created; for that I am sorry. But as I monitor the situation now, history seems to have been, and continue to, repeat itself to what it was before.
You will not remember, but you recovered documents pertaining to [ DATA EXPUNGED ] from the Zariman and handed the contents off to your Lotus to decrypt (along with mine, the Cavia, and your other's help) before your timeline was reset, and while we are still working to rebuild much of the corrupted data, we firmly believe that the failure was due to [ T̴̨̯̋͠ĥ̶͉̆e̶̫̙͋͝ŕ̵̢͕ḙ̵̦̈́'̸̪̄̚s̷̼̾ ̸̣̇ṇ̶̻̈́̕ő̷̗t̴̞͙̄h̶̳̑í̵̦n̸̞̼͐̌g̸̼̤̍̄ ̴̪́̃t̵̖͑̄o̷̻͖͊̚ ̸̬̩̚f̵̟͒̚i̶̪͔̔̐n̶͉͔͘d̸̥͒̚ ̶̡̣̄h̴̖́e̵͙͉͑̍ŕ̵̭̭̈́e̶͈̫͑̈́,̵̹̂̈ ̷̜̔̈́ͅk̶̃͜ỉ̴̦̜d̴͇̟̈́͆d̶͓̮̊͌ǒ̴̤͊ ] interference. That statement will bring many questions and fear, all I am most happy to answer and quell within my ability; but for now, we will continue to monitor the situation and update you regularly regarding anything of interest we find.
Stay Safe, Drifter
(And please, for the love of the Void, stay away from pineapples) ]
a series of randomly assorted headcanon questions for character development. feel free to adjust or expand on any questions when sending and specify muse if you're sending to a multi.
☕ : how does your muse take their coffee or tea? what does their average coffee shop order look like?
🌨️ : how does your muse react to snow? do they want to stay huddled up inside where it's warm, or do they want to go out and play in it?
💝 : what is your muse's love language? how do they usually convey it?
⚖️ : does your muse trust their own judgement? what kind of situations would cause them to freeze up with indecision?
🧺 : what life skill was the hardest for your muse to learn once they were out on their own?
🍸 : does your muse drink alcohol? if so, what kind and how often? if not, why?
💪 : describe your muse's body language, how do they tend to stand idly, what do they do when they're bored, etc.
🎨 : what is your muse's favorite art medium to use? what do they do with it?
🔋 : how does your muse like to recharge, physically, mentally or spiritually?
🐉 : if your muse could be any mythical or supernatural being, which do you think they would be and why?
👻 : if your muse could live the life of anyone else for a day, who would they choose? what would they hope to learn about this person?
🩰 : does your muse know how to dance? do they learn routines, or do they improvise? what styles of dance do they prefer?
💎 : if you could describe your muse as any gemstone or mineral, which would they be and why?
🧨 : does your muse have attention seeking tendencies? how far are they willing to go to get it?
⚽ : does your muse have any favorite sports? do they play any sports, or do they just spectate?
🐈 : is your muse conscious of online trends and memes?
🥀 : describe a time in your muse's life where they were dishonest, either with themselves, or others.
💸 : what is the most valuable thing your muse has ever broken?
💍 : does your muse carry any good luck charms or other memorable trinkets? what makes this item significant to them?
🤝 : what does loyalty mean to your muse?
🏹 : does your muse know how to use any weapons? which ones? what is the most unconventional item that your muse has ever armed themselves with?
🫗 : what would it take for your muse to lose their appetite?
🎁 : how does your muse respond when they don't like a gift they've received?
🌌 : would your muse rather explore outer space or the deep sea? why? would they be afraid of either or both of these places for any reason?
🎥 : does your muse know any movies or books by heart? which ones? why do they like them so much?
Finally on my way back to my own strand... not the way I came though, I don't... I don't think I could ask Styanax to go through all that again; I don't think I can go through all that again. That leaves me with a few options... none especially good.
I could jump into a Helminth here and have it do it's weird omnipresent thing and spit me back out in my timeline...or theoretically, I can also just go wyrm mode and tear through the Void back to Höllvania but I *really* don't wanna risk getting shot at again. It's either that or try reaching through transference to one of the Hex... which could either pull them to me or pull me to them.
I mean, I could always just ask for help but.... everyone has already done so much for me
I.... need to stop transferring with other people's very traumatized warframes. I'm all for "taking their pain away" as much as the next tenno, but.... fuck.
Im going to start internalizing their trauma as my own
I.... need to stop transferring with other people's very traumatized warframes. I'm all for "taking their pain away" as much as the next tenno, but.... fuck.
Im going to start internalizing their trauma as my own
🎶What is their taste in music? What bands would they enjoy most [doesn't need to be limited to 90s or older bands]
I don't think Cass really has much of a taste in music, at least not music from the 20th century. I do think she prefers non lyrical music, orchestral specifically; with the exception of Luscinia's opera song from Duviri.
🥼Do they have a developed sense of fashion or do they just throw on whatever?
Cass def has a sense of fashion: button up shirts over a tee-shirt with baggy pants. I have a Pinterest board for her style here
🔪What Duviri weapon do they use the most?
I cannot remember the name of it other than it started with an "A" but Cass prefers the Polearm weapon as well as Sun and Moon
I.... need to stop transferring with other people's very traumatized warframes. I'm all for "taking their pain away" as much as the next tenno, but.... fuck.
Im going to start internalizing their trauma as my own
🚀 How much do they remember of their family and life on the Zariman?
🎭 What emotions ruled their Duviri prior to the executions starting?
🏃Did they escape Duviri with the same warframes offered in the quest? Or did they have a different choice in warframes?
⛅How often do they return to Duviri? Do they try to avoid it as much as they can? Do they go back frequently?
🪷How does your Drifter feel about The Lotus?
🧒How does your Drifter feel about their counterpart/The Operator?
🧑👦How does your Drifter view their counterpart? As an entirely separate person, the same person with a different experience, or just the same person?
🚪How did they feel on their arrival into the Operator's reality, in the situation of The New War?
⚔️How did they handle The New War as a whole?
🏹Did they utilize different weapons than the ones that are shown in the quest? [With the exception of Nataruk, were the Sirocco/Rumblejack replaced with something else]
✨How did it make them feel when they were sent back to 1999 as opposed to The Operator?
💣What was it like for them at the start of the year-long timeloop before they were close enough to The Hex to save them?
✉️How do they feel about each member of The Hex? How did those feelings change as they got closer?
⭕How do they feel about The Roundtable?
👥Out of the 1999 Protoframes, who are their closest friends?
💕Which 1999 Protoframe did they chose to date if any, and why?
🕛What was their reaction to being called back by Loid to handle the Devil's Triad Protoframes? How did they feel about the three of them?
🏊How do they feel about the Dark Refractory, do they make use of it for themselves as well?
🧑🤝🧑Who are they closest to in the Triad?
💗If they chose to romance any of them, who and why?
🎶What is their taste in music? What bands would they enjoy most [doesn't need to be limited to 90s or older bands]
🥼Do they have a developed sense of fashion or do they just throw on whatever?
1️⃣What warframe is their primary one? Do they have multiple?
🔪What Duviri weapon do they use the most?
🎮What kind of video games do they like if any? If they could play any video game from any time period, and not just 90s/older or the future, what would they play?
did you see all these whatsits and who-huhs down here? who knew all of this stuff was just down in the ground!
loid said i could use this thing if no one else was. the normal loid! not the tall one who's been coming around doing… whatever it is he does.
he thinks it might help me, too! with the… damage. writing things down. i try not to worry about that too much. why would i, when there's mining to be done?
Do your OCs names have any specific meaning and/or relevance to who they are as a character?
For the most part the names I give to the OCs are what I find cool at the time.
Though I do have a pattern for drifter/operator counterparts which is making the drifter names changes to the Operator's
Rovej was the original name then the Zariman happens and Ravoth is 'created' because of eternalism bs.
In terms of relevance to characters Rovej's name is probably the best for this. It sounds like ravage and Rovej is quite aggressive and violent when fighting enemies like grineer and corpus.
Drifting across the streams of eternalism comes a soft, distant humming. The melody of an old lullaby, comforting and strangly... familiar-?
[Somewhere in a distant timeline, Cass freezes where she sits. It's a momentary reaction, but a reaction all the same. She knows the melody... somehow, somewhere in her repressed memory there was a spark of recognition]
[She pushes it aside and shakes her head slightly, out of sight of the companion she's with. There was enough to do, she didn't have time to explore strange disembodied melodies and memories. But it still burned in the back of her mind regardless of her attempts to ignore it]
Please return to the Sanctum as soon as you are able. The situation with your Operat– with Cal, has progressed significantly. They are alive and free of the refractory, but... it will be easier to explain with you present. I hope to hear from you soon.
S- so much has happened... Venahn's hurt, I'm in his loop... Sandsteel has... gone feral, she'll tear us to pieces if we go after her, tear us apart like the monsters did C̵͈̈́ą̷̏͜d̵̜̓̋u̷̩͒̊ć̴̡̞e̶̙̾̍u̶͖̒͊s̴͙̺̎̃ -- f- fuck...
I- I can't leave her like that, she's... I need to help her. I need to help
"Again... I'm really sorry for breaking the computer. I know you put a decent amount of time and resources into fixing it up for me in the first place"
"You don't have to keep apologizing, Cass," Amir says, carefully soldering the last few loose wires to the motherboard of her POM-2, "This is an easy fix, nothing to worry over. I'm just glad your friend was able help you. But we really should figure out an intercom system for this place, just to make sure someone here can hear you gods forbid you need help again and one of them can't come to the rescue. Downside to having a soundproof room is... well, it's soundproof"
He means it to be lighthearted, trying to take the tension out of the situation given he and the other Hex had no clue what had happened until one of her friends; Venahn, had carried her from the Backroom to Lettie himself, but there's a touch of guilt on Cass's face, and Amir jumps in before she can start apologizing for that too.
"Ah, ah! That wasn't your fault either, you got help. That's all that should matter,”
“But you guys were here, in the same building! A few rooms away! I should have-”
“Cass...”
She stops and takes a breath, clearly wanting to keep on arguing, but manages to hold herself back. “I- I know, I know. It’s not my fault; but I just.... “ Cass makes a frustrated sound that makes Amir’s chest ache. He knows she’s struggling after everything that happened; learning about the fate of her childhood friend, trapping herself in Duviri for a second time, remembering more and more of her rampage over Hollvania, wrangling with the guilt over that... and it hurts him to know she’s hurting in a way he doesn’t know how to remedy.
He sets down his tools and turns to the woman beside him. She’s turned away from him, and has the blunt ends of her fingers digging into her missing arm, a destructive habit he’s noticed she’s picked up in the weeks after the initial amputation. Carefully, he reaches out and takes her hand in his, interlocking their fingers together in a gesture of comfort. He’s not... good at comfort, not really, but Cass has helped him enough through his own woes that Amir is more than willing to try to offer the same back to her.
“Hey...” he says, “Look at me, Cass”
She doesn’t... not right away, and Amir worries he’s gone too far when she shudders after running a thumb over her knuckles; but after a moment, she squeezes his hand back and lets out a wavering sigh.
“It’s not your fault”
“I know”
“It’s not your fault”
“I know”
Her voice is small, and he knows her well enough by now to know she doesn’t believe what she’s saying. He doesn’t know the full extent of her feelings, and he won’t pretend to, but Amir knows better than most what it’s like to wallow in your own blame and guilt, and he won’t stand by idlily while she does.
“No, no you don’t. It’s not your fault”
That finally gets her to meet his gaze, eyes watery as she smiles and tries not to succumb to the tears that threaten to fall. “Alright, Amir... if you say so. ‘It's not my fault’...”
“It’s not your fault,” he insists again, guiding her closer until he pulls her into his embrace, not even sure what he’s saying isn’t her fault anymore. But all he knew was: “It’s not your fault”
He feels guilty for this, knowing that Cass dislikes unprompted touches... but the way she relaxes against him almost immediately, snaking her own arm around his back and gripping his shoulder makes Amir think that maybe she can forgive him for this. The way she hugs him is unlike anything he’s ever felt; with a quiet desperateness barely suppressed.
And yet it’s so hauntingly familiar he feels like he’s drowning in Deja vu.
“E- Everyone keeps telling me how it’s not my fault...” she whimpers into the crook of his neck, “And I want to believe them... but I just... I can’t. I can’t, Amir. I did... s- so much, I hurt so many people... people are dead because of me, because I...”
Immediately, Amir feels out of his element; but still, he holds her a bit bit tighter, mindful of her still healing injuries. “Cass... you were protecting yourself after Viktor shot you with a fucking tank, and no one is blaming you for how you reacted. not the others and not your friends, and least of all me...”
He refrains from pointing blame at the civilians who were caught in the blast; they were innocent in this too... even if they ignored the evacuation orders.
“I... I’ve hurt people too, killed them without meaning or wanting to,” it’s not a story he recounts easily, and he’s not sure if this type of empathy would be helpful or even welcomed, but he continues anyway “When Arthur started sending me out on missions after I'd ‘joined’ the Hex, I was a wreck, with barely a handle on my powers; and more often then not, I’d run from a gunfight so fast no one would notice I was gone until it was over. I’m surprised Arthur and Quincy didn’t kick me to the curb just for that; but... um, one day, when Viktor had the Scaldra out doing a civilian purge, I got so overwhelmed with what I was seeing that I just... ran again. I guess I’d managed to hide where some of the locals were; they found me and tried to help, and I really, really tried to hold it back but...”
By some miracle, Amir manages not to start crying himself; the memory, old as it was, was still fresh in his mind. “Well... y- you know what happens when I get too anxious...”
Cass peels herself away from him for a moment, hand pressed to his chest as she looks up at him with worry. “Amir, no. That wasn’t...”
“It wasn’t my fault; just like this wasn’t yours” he says.
He didn’t exactly mean to bait her into that, but he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to drive the point home. Her face goes through a range of emotions: bewilderment and confusion, mixed with a bit of surprise and just a touch of what he assumes (hopes) is pride at him giving her a taste of her own medicine. Cass opens her mouth, and snaps it shut a few times before she relents and lets out a small amused noise akin to a laugh as she shakes her head and wipes away a few tears.
“I- I walked right into that one, didn't I?" she says softly, giving his chest a playful shove.
"I mean it." Amir hopes the insistance in his voice is clear. He does mean it. "It's not your fault. And I'll keep telling you it isn't until you believe it... or you get sick of me. Which ever comes first"
He has a feeling what will come first... what always came first, but Cass smiles again, and o- oh... Amir's heart feels like it's about to burst from his chest when she's suddenly touching his face, fingers gently adjusting his glasses with the tips of her fingers.
"I could never be sick of you..."
The surprised little noise that escapes him is humilliating, and he knows for a fact that his face bright red, but she isn't even phased; in fact, it only makes her smile a bit brighter.
"Thank you. For trying to make me feel better– for making me feel better," A beat passes and now it's Cass's turn to be shy; a blush of her own crawls up her neck, and she withdraws her hands back into her personal space after tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear, as if she only just realized how close they'd both gotten. "I um... I can't promise I'll always believe it when you when you say 'it's not my fault' but uh...you make it easier to try"
Amir can only nod, untrusting of himself to form any coherent words and not just another round of pathetic sounds. He feels like he might explode from the sheer flood of emotions she's invoking in him; which, admittedly, she does often, but this.... this is something else entirely.
Cass fully pulls away and returns to her spot beside him, giving him a sidelong glance, "Anyway... um, I'll let you finish up and then maybe, once you're done we can... split a pizza and watch a movie together? Well, after I pop in and let the other Drifters know I'm okay, and thank Venahn again"
Oh gods... he's going to die here. Nope, Amir is pretty sure he's already died and gone to heaven because it sounds like Cass is asking him out. Or playing a cruel prank on him by pretending to ask him out... but she wouldn't do that to him, and he feels ashamed to even assume such a thing. He opens his mouth, and, despite himself, another (this time excited) little noise escapes him, but he manages to clear his throat and regain a sliver of his dignity back. "Y- yeah... I'd like that" he says, "I'd really like that"
She smiles, "It's a date"
He makes another noise, but this time, Amir finds he doesn’t care; even more of a blush coloring his cheeks as he kicks it into overdrive and gets working on piecing together the last bits of her POM-2. She laughs, and gods he can listen to that sound for hours... its his new favorite sound, the most beautiful sound in the whole world... the whole universe and beyond. When he's done, and the computer boots up with a friendly jingle, he turns to Cass with a nervous smile he hopes isn't too obvious.
"Do you mean it?"
Her expression is soft, if not a touch sad, "I wouldn’t lie to you, Amir. Not ever, and especially not about something like this"
"O- oh..."
"Is that okay? It doesn’t have to be a date if you don’t –"
"I'd very much like it to be a date" he assures quickly, "Very very much so"
"Glad to hear it," Cass hums, bumping her hip against his as she scoots herself in front of the POM-2, "Now, you wanna go pick out the movie while I say hi to my friends? I'm pretty sure you left some of your tapes the last time you were up here" she says, gesturing to the large TV behind them.
He basically jumps up, already having an idea of what he wants to show her (the Forward from the Past trilogy if she's willing) but not before pausing a moment and giving Cass another gentle hug, "I dunno if I told you yet, but, I'm really glad you're back.... I missed you, Future"
She hugs him back with the same tenderness, "Me too, Lightning. More than you think..."
They settle into a comfortable silence until the POM-2 pings a few times and separates them once again, alerting to a backlog of notifications waiting to be read. "I'll let Arthur know we’re going to head down to the mess in a bit, and see if he would be so kind as to prep the pizza station for us" Cass says, "Usual fixings?"
"You know it!" he chirps, zipping over to the TV console where, in fact, he'd left a stack of various VHS tapes. There was Extraterrestrial (1979), The Object (1982) which... probably wasn't the best movies to show a person who was trapped alone on a ship with monsters chasing them around every corner and was haunted by a incomprehensible being that wore other people's faces. Amir sets those aside and picks upTriassic Peak (1993) in one hand and a copy of Krull (1983) in the other. One had amazing practical effects and nail bitting action while the other... well, it was one of those 'so bad its good' movies; with action, adventure and a pinch of romance.
Next in the pile is the first season of Zasta: Warrior Queen, aand Amir feels himself smile.
Bingo.
Zasta has been the show he's been dying to show her ever since Cass first showed even the slightest bit of interest in getting to know the things he likes. There's no better contender. "Okay, I got something. Time to introduce you to the awesome world of Warrior Queen Zasta!"
Cass says nothing in response and he turns around to see her sitting stalk still at her desk, shoulders visibly tense.
"Cass?"
Still, nothing. Amir gets a sudden, sinking feeling in his chest as he stands and walks slowly up to her again, mind racing a mile a minute. Was she regretting asking him on a date? Or... maybe she was in pain again and he needed to go grab Lettie?
"Hey," he says softly, trying not to spook her "Everything okay...?"
She flinches regardless, turning to him with tear filled eyes. "I- It's Venahn. There... there was an accident. H- He's hurt, he might be..." her words are cut off by a sudden sob, "He was just here, he was just here with me! How– fuck..."
Amir looks to the screen with concern and sees dozens if not hundreds of messages filling her inbox, all from various contacts desperately trying to reach her. One message she has open is from someone called Styanax, whom he recognizes as one of the man's own warframe.
"Styanax requests assistance. Please help. It is urgent" it says.
"I- I have to go. I have to go help him, I need to make sure he's alright, that he's alive... I... he did the same for me, I have to do the same for him"
His heart drops again, "What?! But... you're barely getting better! Lettie hasn't even cleared you for field work yet! Warframe or otherwise!"
"I- I know but... he's my family. I have to, Amir..."
Amir knows she does, that she has a duty to protect others and help where she is needed, and that she'd drop everything to help. It's one of her best qualities, how loyal she is to the people she loves...
He swallows the lump in his throat, "What about....us? Our date?"
Cass gets to her feet and turns to him with such a Sorrowful expression that Amir feels like he might start bawling on the spot, "I know and I'm so so sorry. I want nothing more than to spend my night watching movies with you, and forgetting everything that happened. But Venahn is my brother... he's my family, and I need to–"
"I need you to promise you'll be back. I... I can't handle you being gone that long again... I don't–"
She blinks up and him and nods firmly, once again taking his face into her hands, except this time she brings his face down to hers. "I'll be back," she assures, thumb brushing along the scars under his eyes, "I promise. I'm not leaving forever. I swear on my life that I'll come back to you, Amir" And then, she does the unthinkable; she closes the gap between them and presses her lips against his. It's awkward, and messy, and more than a little unsure, but Amir melts into it all the same.
He feels lightheaded when they both pull away, somehow positive that his face was even redder than before. "I'll be back," she says again, giving him another peck on the lips, "I'll message you every chance I get, okay? And the second I'm not needed anymore, I'll come right home. Home to you"
[Cass is on the floor of the backroom, shaking and sobbing and drenched in sweat as she roughly grips the stump where her arm once was, the blunt ends of her nails digging into the freshly healed skin. She's loosing herself to the delirium of pain, but hopefully the crash of the computer will be enough to draw attention]
The door to her Backroom opens with little fanfare, and the drifter known as Venahn steps through. Void whisps quickly fade from his form as he looks around and then his eyes fall onto the floor. His expression immediately softens and he makes his way over to Cass.
“Cass-shi, take a deep breath for me alright?”
He’s been in similar situations, alone and afraid. He won’t let Cass go through similar.
She winces when she hears Venahn's voice, a sob escaping her throat, sounding more like a wounded animal than anything else. She feels a mix of relief and shame that he had to find her like this again, but at least she knows her messages, however vague and alarming, got through to someone. All Cass can do is force herself to string together small sentences through the pain that spreads like fire across her non-existent arm. "G- Gone..." she whines, "It's gone... its gone its gone its gone...!"
Her arm is gone, she *knows* its gone, but she can still feel it; feel the fire and effervon burning away at her skin., the heat of Arthur's exalted blade bubbling against her skin. She writhes in on herself and gasps out a sob again.
“I know Cass I know, take a deep breath for me okay?” Venahn gently insists. It’s not pleasant-he knows it’s not pleasant cause he’s been through this before. And though there’s not much he can do-at least like this.
Instead the older brother part of speaks louder, he gently picks Cass instead. He’s not going to be able to help her much on the floor. “Come on, let’s move you up from here hm?” He asks, not expecting her to answer him. He instead just gently carries her to the closest comfortable seat.
Cass puts up no fight when Venahn lifts her up and carries her to the closest thing to sit on; the edge of the mattress she set up next to her now destroyed POM-2. The deep breathes he requested proves to be a bit more difficult, a rather pathetic mewl escaping her as she lets herself flop over, but she tries. Her breathes are shaky and uneven, and a bit too fast, but she takes them.
The pain is still there, and Cass digs her fingers a little deeper into her stump in the hopes of drowning it out "... hhnng..." she hisses softly, looking up to her new-found brother with bleary, confused eyes, "... g- give it back..."
“Give what back, sister?” Venahn asked Cass as he picks up a blanket and gently drapes it over her. “I cannot give you back your arm. Though I wish I could.”
He reaches over and gently stops her from digging her fingers any further into the stump of her arm. Instead he pulls something from his pack. Instead he gently pulls it on Cass’s arm. “We call it a compression sock. Helps to reduce it. Won’t take it all away.”
Cass fights the urge to push Venahn away when he careful removes her hand from its near death grip on her stump; its a reflexive instinct from Duviri she doubts she'll ever grow out of, but she trusts the man wholeheartedly and knows he won't hurt her.
She watches through silent tears as he takes whats left of her arm and pulls a "compression sock" over it; and while it doesn't take away all the pain... it does help take the edge off. The even, constant pressure around the tender and aching flesh is a welcome comfort and distraction; and eventually Cass's breathing starts to stead, bit by bit. She runs a tentative hand over the material of the "sock" and chokes back a small noise, looking up to Venahn again with a mix of emotions.
She wants to apologize for likely scaring him with the incoherent jumble of letters before mysteriously going offline, for pulling him away from arguably more important things, for the vulnerable state he found her in...
