tagged by my lovely moot @fourraccoonsinacoat <3
Working on my WIPs, though there has been a bit of a writing break (yay job, how I love thee.... not). Still working on that Rogue Trader Role Reversal AU (the others i havent had time for to properly sit down for yet), and parts of the bg3 fic "Of Lighthouses and Sunken Ships".
Role Reversal AU: "Reunion" (Working title for now, will change once I have a more suitable one)
“The planet is lost. As we speak, millions turn over their souls to the forces of chaos. There is no salvation we can offer them but death.”
He remained silent, his stare on her unblinking and unwavering. The decision had been made, but he needed to collect the resolve to issue the final and irrevocable order.
“Is there truly no way to salvage those worlds?”
“Once the process is initiated, it cannot be undone.” Heinrix let out a sigh, squeezing the bridge of his nose. “But there is a small window… before it crosses that line…”
“If afforded such luxury, yes.”
He had sounded so resolute then. And now… now he was chasing said sliver of hope still. Looking at her for the confirmation he already had in his gut. The hexagram on his back would tell him as much. Rykad was lost. There was nothing they could do anymore.
A memory struck her then. This was not seeking what he already knew. No….
“Heinrix, my dear boy,” Xavier leaned forward on his desk, hands clasped under his chin as he pinned Heinrix into place by his mere stare. “I heard from Lady Lichtenhart that your studies in Sanctic Daemonology are progressing very well.”
He paused. Helena did not dare to breath, nor did Heinrix who had frozen into an immovable statue.
“Lady Lichtenhart has high praise,” Heinrix finally answered slowly. “I only ever seek to serve.”
“Of course you do,” Xavier replied smoothly. “I am quite pleased.”
The hair on Helena’s neck stood on end. An edge was there screaming of impending danger. If Xavier was pleased, it meant his expectations and calculations had been exceeded. That was what pleased him, yet it also displeased him for not accurately judging someone’s worth. In fact, he detested such unpredictability even if it benefited him. Her eyes flitted between the two men. One ram rod straight wearing a blank expression, not betraying any fear nor anxiety, while the other hid a growing predatory smirk behind those clasped hands.
“Would you not say you are ready for your second sanctioning?” Xavier asked lightly, as if he were merely asking a triviality.
Heinrix, for the first time since they had stepped into the Lord Inquisitor’s office, swallowed heavily. They both knew there was only one answer Xaiver would accept. A second sanctioning… Helena remembered the little bits Heinrix told her… Ice ran down her spine. The chance to ascend in the Emperor’s light… or… a death death sentence. She dared a glance over to him. Only to see him having done the same with her. A wide eye met hers, barely hiding the shock and fear.
So she did the only thing she could give him.
Numb, she gave him a slight nod.
If faith was all she could give, she would give it wholly.
So she did. Lowering her eyes as she did, the finality of it all sank in. The sentence was set, long ago. Certainty and sanction had to be given by her.
Of Lighthouses and Sunken Ships (Chapter 12):
“I do not quite see how this is an urgent matter,” Ilyana mused. “This can be properly settled once the majority of the population isn’t scraping by.”
“It has become relevant already,” Enver patiently explained. “Inheritance and covetous neighbours, as you can imagine. With the rebuilding fully picking up speed, the ownership of those building needs to have been established prior.”
“I still fail to see how he regards the matter as urgent.”
Enver chuckled. “A lot of ruins lie unclaimed, their last owner deceased without any issue and a lot of people in need for housing. One could see it as an opportunity, especially those rich enough to afford to buy up whole sections of the city.”
A cold shiver ran down Ilyana’s spine as the realization sunk in. If whatever the Lord proposed this meeting would come to pass, then the patriars would buy up all available space.
Tagging very very gently: @ravelsquadespresso, @redstairs, @redbatchedcumbermayned, @lucheiah, @alittlelevity, @bearhugsandshrugs
