pay attention

every war is both won and lost ria desai. 23.

[r-iadesai]

isabellecresswell‌:

Issy crinkled her nose in the realization that Ria was spot on. Her whole life magic had always been one thing, fun. She’d loved it from the very first day her powers manifested and she’d gotten so much joy out of learning new things but since Rose had died and Cassie had been turned the fun had kind of left her when she became Supreme. “Yeah, yeah, that sounds about right actually. I don’t even know the last time I did magic just for fun. I mean it been all reinforcing town wards and Cassie’s changing cell and teaching the littles new things. Which I mean the latter is pretty fun but I guess I it’s been a while since I’ve been out to the Mill and just connected with nature for a minute.”

“Do you wanna go up and spend a whole day up there?” Ria asked. “We could practice spells, figure out a way to do things in conjunction with each other. Maybe if you wanted to ask some others, we could all just...Bond over it. Have fun. Talk about the ways it’s important to us. Like a witches retreat.”

[r-iadesai]

bowling night

[r-iadesai]

rohandesaii‌:

“I agree. No magic and no cheating. That would just make things far less fun. Besides which, I can beat the two of you without the use of magic.” the man replied with a smirk.  Rohan turned his attention to his sister at her comment. “When you were young we let you win every game we ever played. I look forward to watching you lose, just a little bit.” he chuckled.

“Mmm, Obvious Winner. I’ll tell you what Ria. You definitely are confident.” he teased before thinking it over. “The Cute One works for me. Or The Smart One could work too.” he thought. “Mmm, no, go with the first.”

“You didn’t let me win anything!” Ria said emphatically, jumping out of her chair. “How dare you, oh Stupid One.” She could show him. Let her win? Fine. 

If that was how Rohan wanted to play it, that was how they’d play it. She crouched down to the ground to ensure her bowling shoes were tied properly. Then, rising, she tried to swivel on the balls of her feet, making sure she wouldn’t slip and lose her balance while actually bowling. Holding her left hand up to Rohan’s face as she did so, Ria moved to pick up a ball before carrying it to the line demarking the end of the lane. Swinging her hand very slowly back and forth three times, Ria finally brought it down a fourth time, letting go of the ball. It rolled smoothly to the end of the lane, but she turned around before she saw which pins the ball hit, sure of her strike. 

“And that is how it’s done,” Ria said, raising her eyebrows at her brother and cousin before checking the scoreboard. 

She’d only hit 7 pins. 

[r-iadesai]

lxttlebutterfly‌:

Chou looked at her and blinked for a moment, “So, if I were sad, you could make me happy, or if I were angry, you could calm me down?” he asked quietly, no inflection to his voice, just looking for information. He remained quiet after she asked her question, for a moment it seemed he wouldn’t answer but then he nodded, “It was four years ago, I was climbing in the forest and I fell and broke my leg. That part wasn’t too bad, hiking the several miles back to the city with said broken leg was much worse.” he said with a small shrug.

“Never without your permission,” Ria clarified. “I don’t like to force my powers onto other people. It’s unfair.” She hoped that honestly would allow him to trust her. Chou seemed the kind of person who kept to himself, but that was likely a result of how much he’d gone through. It had to be almost unthinkable if he’d hidden his emotions from even Ria in such a powerful way. Was it the hiking story? “How long did it take for you to get back?” Ria asked, her eyebrows threading together. “How old were you?”

[r-iadesai]

okgiuseppe‌:

“These aren’t really the type of cameras that are ideal for selfies,” he responded, a wry grin tugging down at the corner of his mouth as his gaze flickered to Ria. “No, not really. I prefer to be behind it, less incriminating evidence that way.” Even though it was a joke of his own, it tasted bitter in his mouth. Poor choice of words on his part, because it all it did was serve as a nudging reminder of how he came to stand here. A free man. And of course this blip in his usual kept together self would occur when around Ria — the empath. Changing the subject as quick as he could without drawing attention to it, Giuseppe faced the camera towards her. “What about you? Are you the type to blend in a crowd, or stand out from it?”

Any camera was ideal for a selfie, Ria knew, but Giuseppe was joking. Except something about the camera made him feel bad, guilty, in a way that made even Ria feel a pang in her own heart. “I’m wondering if you just don’t like taking selfies,” Ria said. 

He didn’t want to talk about it, obviously, and Ria didn’t like to pry. They weren’t close. “I used to like to stand out from it.” She’d been raised that way, and those ideals had allowed her to run for student governemnt— and win— through even her college years. In the last year and a half, however, living in this town where danger did pop up at most random times, Ria preferred to stay in the large crowd. “But now I’m at the point where— I didn’t even go to the Blood Moon Ball. I didn’t want to risk it.” 

[r-iadesai]

farren-loset‌:

“Well if you can’t figure it out I think there’s little chance I’ll be able to,” the young witch admitted before reaching for the drink she had purchased along with the mac and cheese that had yet to be touched by her. Though Ria seemed to be enjoying it quite a lot. “You know when we first met I thought you were going to save the world, I still do but not just saving the world from bad purchases.” With her hands falling behind her to keep her propped up, Farren allowed the weight of her body to lean back. Long legs stretched out on the grass with one crossing over the other. “I’ll be working at the Winebrary until the day I die it feels like, but if you ever wanna jump in and stir things up; ask for a Hannibal red to pair with a horror novel I won’t say no.” 

“I don’t think that’s true. It means something different for everyone, right? I don’t know what I want. You...know more than I do. You just don’t know how to get  it.”

She’d wanted to save the world, once. Roll up her sleeves and get involved and be a leader in the same way her father was. All those years of studying abroad hadn’t weakened her chances to do that. Instead, it was the war itself, and the stakes of it, that made Ria start to think maybe she wasn’t enough to make a change unless she had the support of others more powerful than her. Others stronger than her. “Maybe someday. I guess I was just trying to figure out how to survive for a while.” Farren understood. It was her situation right now, working in the Winebrary when it wasn’t really what she wanted. “I didn’t even know there was something called a Hannibal red. Is it good?” 

[r-iadesai]

text || ria + ryan.

Ria: i think you should be grateful you aren't an empath.

Ria: remember that one time...?

Ryan: im grateful all the time

Ryan: it sounds stressful

Ryan: ... you're gonna have to be more specific than that

Ryan: i've had a lot of 'that one time'

Ria: i'm gonna go hang out with my boyfiend now. :)

[r-iadesai]

text || ria + ryan.

Ria: among other things, yes. :)

Ria: oh he's back. we can discuss later.

Ryan: ... 👀

Ryan: you can't just leave me with that!

Ria: i think you should be grateful you aren't an empath.

Ria: remember that one time...?

[r-iadesai]

text || ria + ryan.

Ryan: sneaky sneaky

Ryan: well, it's about damn time is all i can say

Ryan: did he pull off makin a nice basket?

Ria: among other things, yes. :)

Ria: oh he's back. we can discuss later.

[princessbhatt]

[r-iadesai]

text || ria + ryan.

Ryan: oh did he now?

Ryan: did y'all rig the basket competition?

Ria: We didn't even enter :)

Ria: He just made it for me :) :)

[r-iadesai]

maxinesilver‌:

@r-iadesai

The warming smell of breakfast food wafted throughout the air, causing Max’s already rumbling stomach to roar in protest. Her friend Ria sat across from her in a booth set far enough back from the hustle and bustle of the diner’s morning rush that the pair could talk, without needed to raise their voices to hear one another. “Okay, I need your honest opinion -” Max set her menu down on the surface of the table, placing her palms flat on top of it as she looked across to Ria, a semi-serious expression on her face. “Do you think the waitress is gonna judge me if I order the poached eggs on toast, the banana pancakes with extra whipped cream and a side of maple bacon?”

“No,” Ria said, barely taking her own eyes off the menu. She’d been trying to eat at home recently, especially since Rohan was back and cooking, and when they did eat out, she insisted on it being his choice. But there were a lot of places she hadn’t introduced him to yet, mostly because she was taking the time to expand her own Hollow Grove horizons, and so her usual place had been left without her business for a while now. 

“I’ll split the banana pancakes with you, though. Can I ask— what do you find appealing in poached eggs?”

[r-iadesai]

bowling night

[r-iadesai]

kaillensindri‌:

rohandesaii‌:

Rohan couldn’t remember the last time he had experienced a real family outing. Back home, they had been underground in hiding for over a year and a half so it just hadn’t been practical or safe. But here in Hollow Grove, he not only had his sister again but a cousin he had never known as well. There had been some concern in his mind that he’d find a way to make Hollow Grove home but that was no longer appearing to be the case.

“I feel like you’re incredibly confident for no real reason.” he teased, smiling at his sister. “Just remember, bowling isn’t like golf. You don’t actually want the lowest number, as i’m sure you’re going to get.” the man added with a grin before turning to his cousin. “Want to make a bet that Ria’s overconfidence means she’ll lose?”

@kaillensindri​

Having family again was a weird feeling, one that Kaillen hadn’t completely gotten over. It was exciting to them. Being able to spend time with Rohan and Ria was something they had been looking forward to. Especially when Ria told them they were going to a bowling alley. They had only been to one once, but based on their memory compared to the one they stood in now, it seemed all bowling alleys were the same. 

“I hope when you say lose you don’t mean last place. Because if so, definitely can’t take the bet. You’re about to learn I am completely capable of getting a prize for lowest score in history.” They said with a laugh. “Also we are all capable of magic and even more capable of cheating.” The witch said with grin.

@r-iadesai​

“Kai,” Ria said, shaking one finger at him, “No cheating. No magic and no cheating, those are the rules. Secondly, I am happy for you to lose. I think Rohan needs to learn a little something from you. Don’t you think you should listen to him, Ro?” 

She turned from her cousin to her brother before focusing her attention back on the screen in front of her— “What do you all want your names to be? Mine’s going to be ‘the Obvious Winner,’ of course.”

@rohandesaii​

[r-iadesai]

rohandesaii‌:

“I know. And we were worried about you.” Rohan replied, reaching for her hand and giving it a slight squeeze. Their time in hiding was difficult for a number of reasons but being separated from Ria was the worst. The entire year and a half they had no idea if she was okay, if she was safe or not. If things were rough in India, they had to be difficult throughout the world. But here she was, as safe as she could possibly be as a witch in Hollow Grove. The hardest part for him was being unable to let his parents know that she was okay. “And hopefully things can continue to calm down. If I can find Dara maybe..maybe we can solve what’s going on back home.” It was wishful thinking but he needed to be hopeful, needed to keep moving forward.

“I’ve only seen parts of the movie but aren’t the dads pretty important roles?” Rohan asked, studying his sister. “Because I may have a beautiful face and a great speaking voice, but i’m not sure that I was made for acting.” the man laughed. “Unless of course I channel the fatherly voice I use whenever Raj isn’t around.” he grinned.

It was nice to have him here, and she’d keep feeling the gratitude and relief in waves. Every time Ria felt like it was normal to see his face every day, something else would happen to make her heart clench. She hadn’t had this reassurance or this love for so long, and now suddenly, she wasn’t alone. Her independence was important to her, but she hadn’t wanted it to stretch so far. “Maybe.” Ria wasn’t in a position to ask her, so she couldn’t do much more than hope Dara would come back soon. The General, they all knew her as. The first time Ria had met her, Dara had invited Ria into her dojo. 

“Pierce Brosnan wasn’t made for singing,” Ria shrugged, “But the pretty face was a good distraction. It’s only community theater, you just have to have fun. You still know how to do that, right?” 

[r-iadesai]

isabellecresswell‌:

Slipping onto a bar stool she settled in next to Ria with a warm smile as she nodded her head. “I get that.” She admitted, granted she’d never had passive power. When it came to that she’d always been a bit of a show pony. “I mean as far as Supreme’s go I don’t know if I really feel like one in the traditional sense plus I feel like I’m developing new powers every day that it’s hard to keep up but having the resources help. Plus I miss magic, I mean I even work at a school for it and I still don’t feel like it’s enough ya know?” 

“I mean it’s all just responsibility for you now,” Ria said. She’d had so much trust in her father, so much love, she couldn’t imagine Issy losing that family foundation and having this new responsibility thrust on her. Ria had gone a year and a half without contact with her family and that had drained her. Isabelle had near constant contact with some terrible parents, dealt with one sister dying, another becoming a hybrid, and she, herself, becoming the Supreme. 

Ria was tired just thinking about it. 

“When was the last time you got to just go up by the Mill and take it all in. Think about your own magic? I think that could help, especially if you’re going with other witches you trust.”

[r-iadesai]

lxttlebutterfly‌:

Chou blinked, thinking on her words for a moment, “I’m not sure.” he said eventually, “I know I will be fine but you’re not me and I can’t control what you feel.” he shook his head slightly before swinging back and returning to his cleaning. “It wouldn’t be the first time I fell.” he said lightly, “I know how best to minimise any damage my body will take. The last time I hurt myself in a bad fall was some years ago.”

“I can actually control what you feel,” Ria said. “It’s not a power I’ve used much, but I can make someone feel something. If you’re interested in that.” What surprised her most was how hard it was for Ria to get a read on Chou at all. She’d grown up with her powers, learned how to use them at a young age. Empathy was second nature, the kind of power that allowed her siblings and she to develop the skill of just understanding each other without speaking. “Can I ask about the last bad fall?”

[r-iadesai]

hollychevalier‌:

“I’m masking my heartbreak you know. Too bad singing isn’t an acquirable trait.” She pouted, if only for a moment, she never could be disappointed for long. “As long as you’re willing to participate. I mean if you’re really interested we could scratch the whole thing and do an encore,” she laughed enthusiastically, the memory of her monologue and the crowd’s reaction still very vivid. 

“Oh, I’d love that– but I have to be fair. I mean– I’m not saying there’s anyone here that is better than me but I at least want to give everyone the opportunity to audition, you know? And if I end up as Sophie then– who am I to mess with destiny.”

“Destiny, huh?” Ria laughed. “Then maybe it’s my destiny to direct the play. I like to think of myself as intuitive. It’s like... magic.” She did some jazz hands, wiggling her fingers in the air as she smiled. “Not that I’d mind the encore.”

She almost touched her lips just thinking about kissing Holly again, mainly because it had been the kind of kiss that had taken her by surprise about how good it was. 

[sirencanary]

heart eyes af (❤ω❤)

[jacobthorne]

@r-iadesai