REPENT @rafent - Tumblr Blog

✽ 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐍𝐎𝐓 ✽

Ethereal Ball 2026, Goddess Tower (set week 2)

If there is anything in this world that Nel has ever been certain of it, it is that Nil would be just as proud of Rafal as she is now-- that he would have fit so perfectly between the two of them with his sunny demeanor, a much-needed hint of levity in their otherwise stoic appearances. The mere thought of Rafal's signature scowl next to Nil's brilliant smile draws a laugh from her, her free hand raised to wipe away the few remaining tears that had spilled over. She can't feel the chill of the night air anymore, instead warmed by her brother's heart; instead warmed by the bond they share, and the presence of a third that neither of them could perceive. He was here in some capacity, Nel was certain. Part of Nil's heart resided in Rafal, and another part in her-- so it would be until the day both of their bones sank down into the earth. So it would be until they reunited in death, given the opportunity to regale each other with a lifetime's worth of tales. "If that is the case, then I believe I do have one last wish for tonight. It will be the beginning of a list we may share together. For now..." Carefully adjusting her position, her eyes glanced up to the stars overhead; it's just in time to catch a streak of light across the sky, providing just enough light to cast a beautiful glow over the display that Rafal had put his utmost effort into. It's too early for the night to end now, and... Nel wants nothing more than to stay here a little longer, hand under Rafal's. When she rests her head on his shoulder, she can feel the tension leaving her body-- in the past, perhaps she had been the one to shield him from the world; now, in this moment, it's him that has become her stalwart support. Unshakeable, no matter the circumstance. "Regale me with tales of your earlier days at Garreg Mach. I will take that shooting star as a token of Nil's encouragement for you to begin. I know well enough that he would pester you for all sorts of stories." You'd love to know too, wouldn't you, Nil? @rafent -- End!

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐄 ╱ finish.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ forget you not.#RARRRGH thank you for closing us off #very sweet very cutieful finisher #you know my thoughts on these found family twins.... twins by choice..... twins brought together by nil....#sueing them for emotional damages

( 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇 )

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃: 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐃

Is your muse Annoying™? Is your muse a certified Brat™? Repugnant in any particular and outstanding way? Utterly repellent to the senses? Capable of making other people avoid them in a mile radius?

If so, I have just the plot for you.

ANY POINT +1 — I am looking for a partner to play out the any point prompt with Rafal. I'm choosing to interpret the Zenithian orb as a portal from which another universe's Rafal will come through, namely a Rafal who won his battle against Alear in the final chapter of the Fell Xenologue and is now hellbent on conquering the remainder of the universe as his father wished. The Bad Ending.

Rafal is a canon world-hopper, and now he's at the doorstep of your world—scary! He's at his most powerful state and virtually a god; however, I have no intention of making this absolute power the focus of the prompt

Instead, I need a muse with a certain un-star quality to be the first person that this godlike Rafal sees (yappers, brats, flirts, talk no jutsu guys—you name it)

I need someone who will make this world feel so repulsive and so disagreeable to someone who's specifically looking to conquer it that he WILLINGLY chooses to go back to where he came from

TLDR: annoy the fuck out of a foreign invader from another world and make him take his ambitions elsewhere

If you're interested in this plot, if you think your muse is suitably Annoying™, feel free to DM me on Discord or comment in IMs.

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐊 ╱ housekeeping.#the bouts of laughter i periodically let out while writing this post #you dont even want to know

✦ 𝐇𝐄𝐘, 𝐄𝐌𝐎 𝐁𝐎𝐘 ✧

Modern AU, Alcryst & Rafal

starrook

[alcryst gets insecure]

There is something about Rafal's calm, lighthearted attitude that seriously irritates Alcryst. Is that guy even taking this seriously?? At the same time though, it's that very calmness that keeps him anchored to reality.

"...O-Okay." He breathes in and out slowly. Everything will be fine. No one is going to be executed. As reassuring as Rafal's hand is when it rests on his thigh, it also reminds Alcryst that he's still completely naked. Feeling cold, he doesn't think twice about pulling the blankets over himself. It's all going in the wash anyways. Twice. With bleach.

"Next time? W-Wait..." Since when did he agree to a next time?! Unless...

Alcryst is beginning to worry that, maybe, he owes Rafal now. Alcryst got something out of it, and Rafal's going home with blue balls. He pulls the blanket in closer, avoiding the other man's eyes. "I..."

Weren't they talking about this earlier? Rafal was talking about how he apologizes with sex, and the idea of doing so as an obligation didn't sit right with Alcryst. That should apply to himself too. A 'next time' should only occur if both sides are interested. Rafal seems to have interest. Alcryst...

"I guess... we can see," he finally mumbles. He won't close the door. When he said that he wanted Rafal to kiss him like he did that night, like he was wanted and desired, he meant every word. The interest is there, but Alcryst finds himself hesitating. "S'just that... I know you like to play around with others guys..."

Just saying it makes him feel uneasy. "If there is a next time, I don't want it to be because none of them are calling you back..."

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ hey emo boy.#starrook #coming out from under the read more line like entering outside into direct sunlight #beautiful. transcendental. smell that fresh air #finish on your post my friend? :flirtatious: :flirtatious:#moral of the story: dont ever let an evil twink get his claws into you #dont put your (REDACTED) in crazy guys

How cute, Rafal wanted to say. Of the way Alcryst shrunk back into himself, beneath the blankets as if he wanted to disappear beneath them. Just as timid as ever even after everything they'd done. Of his shifty eyes that seemed to want to disappear, too - looking anywhere but at Rafal, though they'd appeared to want to soak him in like a sponge just minutes before. Then, his mousy little string of words that expressed insecurity and doubt, and even more than either of these things: a lion's share of greed.

Because, really, it was greed. Setting terms with someone who'd held most of the cards until now. Wanting all the attention that a shallow vessel could hold. Demanding a pool from the likes of a known puddle - from someone like Rafal. And, from one greedy person to another, he found that he didn't dislike that greed.

"There won't be anything like that."

He moved closer to ruffle Alcryst's hair. Even if the resulting flop of dark hair cut across the other's eyes, Alcryst would have been able to hear it: the smile in his voice. "I found someone as interesting as you. What need do I have to call anyone else? Furthermore: whether you like it or not, you just became my favorite toy. I won't leave you alone, and I'll make damn sure you can't have enough of me. So don't even dream of escaping."

( from one greedy person to another, of course. )

Rafal turned away with his belongings in tow, everything—all clothes and airs—in proper place. He coolly pocketed one of his hands and stepped into the doorway of the bedroom. There, he paused and turned over his shoulder, high and mighty and cocksure before the moment of departure.

That smile Alcryst heard, now a smirk: "Let's play again next time. . .Alcryst."

most provident in peril

ethereal ball mini | cont

Dorothea and Seadall. Yunaka goes still beside him.

She remembers noticing that something was wrong, that her bright student had come back dimmed and dour. She'd made a note to herself to keep an eye on it, but the light had returned before she'd ever asked about it, and so she'd allowed the matter to slip past quietly. Seadall...she hadn't even noticed a change in behavior.

She can barely imagine the two with blood on their hands, let alone the blood of someone on their side.

And yet he says redeemed like it's nothing. He smiles about it. Meanwhile an indescribable feeling has coiled in her stomach, unpleasant and sharp as it drags itself along her insides. The hand hold up her head balls itself into a fist, but she forces out an exhale and does her best to put on a smile of her own.

"Seadall, if I had to guess." Because that was who she knew. A man so moved by stories that he dedicated his life to them, not someone who could take a blade in hand and...

"And you're good now, right?' She gestures towards her chest with one hand, around the same place she remembers clinging to months ago. "It doesn't still...hurt or act up or anything, does it?"

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ most provident in peril.#dcggersedge #the disconnect between rafal having forgiven dorodall via their hanahaki thread versus yunaka who is Just learning of these things #really good really tasty. if this has ripple effects down the line i will be watching #rafal teasing yunaka for being a good person i think is a brand of teasing that only ex criminals like them will understand

As if the existence of his own wound had only now occurred to him—or as if little fazed—the dragon blinked down at his chest. A phantom of the executioner's dagger, of piercing, slaying, lancing sensation. Did it hurt or act up?

. . .Of course it did.

One could not so easily erase the visceral memory of death forced upon them. Yet, at the same time, Rafal's worst episode had been months ago; a sign, perhaps, that a future of normalcy was not so far off. That no matter how laden the road with stick and stone and caltrop, a path both forward and past could be found. Somewhere.

"Not as of late," Rafal said in place of no and yes, then honestly once more: "In the past, I would suffer at its behest. Plagued by hours where I jolted awake in cold sweat and hot skin. However, as I said, all that I have gone through feels as a dream. For better or worse, this body of mine forgets and remembers it as such."

Close of eyes; whether immersed in such a dream or in the present reality a matter of debate. Upon their opening, they reflected a pale face fringed by crimson coiffure and ornamental stars, a slip of an elegant black dress. On the other end, a conversation that little befit the occasion, and a Rafal who even less desired to be that cause.

"—But enough of such dour talk." A smile, one might say of the curve that artfully bowed Rafal's lips. A simper, others in his acquaintance would more accurately claim.

Playful, imminent doom.

"Did you follow me out of the theater for worry? I shall have to revoke my description: no longer wanton, you are surprisingly upstanding. In your endeavor to achieve goodness and change, I see you are not slacking in the least."

✽ 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐍𝐎𝐓 ✽

Ethereal Ball 2026, Goddess Tower (set week 2)

Rafal always had been one with tricks up his sleeve, even when once masquerading as Nil; she'd seen through his ruse early on, and Nel believed that by now... she could read his intentions effortlessly, and function truly as the other half of their whole. In this moment shared under the stars, however-- she realizes how foolish she is to have missed the intent behind his gathering of flowers. Colors in their once black and white fields, beautiful arrangements they would never have seen again in their Elyos. Illuminated by the soft light of the moon, their shades and hues a perfect display that Nil would have loved. Perhaps he would've jumped for joy, or maybe he would've wanted to add his own display; the two of them would never know his reaction-- and in a way, that provides its own sort of hole in their shared space now. It takes a moment for her to realize that her cheeks are wet, yet there remains a lack of any drizzle of rain. Nel is quick to rub at her eyes, a hoarse laugh escaping her as she wills herself to refrain from such a display in front of him. Not after all that he's done, all that he strives for... and not after Rafal has truly given a perfect tribute to the boy they both adored. Even now, long after his death. For the rest of their days, he will always be remembered. How would Nil have felt, to see Rafal as the man he is today? "... Forgive me. This is not an occasion for tears, yet they come despite my efforts." To be composed is natural for her solid support as the elder of the two of them, but it seems that Rafal is always quite proficient in breaking through any shield she's ever managed to build up. He knows her better than anyone else, after all. "It is... beautiful. Were Nil here..." Her voice cracks as she turns to face her brother, retrieving one of the few flowers she had left as friends and strangers both had received her blooms. It's a beautiful shade of pink, her gentle hands pushing some of his hair away to place it behind his ear. Smiling through her tears is easy when such happiness is brought to her-- happiness that would certainly extend to the boy that this display was meant for. "Were he here, I believe he would be stunned. I believe he would be so, so happy to stand at your side."

"... I believe he would have loved you. Unconditionally. Just as you do him."

Leaning to the side, her head rests against the slope of his shoulder; there's no place in the world she'd rather be, and Nel's hand finds his own to rest on top of it. Always a perfect fit, always a grounding comfort no matter the circumstances. "Thank you, Rafal. Nil can see them, I am certain. He would have pressed them anyways-- if only to preserve the sentiments you have sent to him tonight." To live as Fell Dragons in a peaceful world, to abandon the fight for survival... "You have made my greatest wish come true, and you are not even aware of it."

@rafent

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ forget you not.#TOAball2026 #fellsparks #you give me hammer i give you a metric ton of Rocks #a last word from nel and then wrap? :3c take it away my friend #nil our sweet.......our sweet summer child....

Under different circumstances, Rafal suspected he might feel some healthy amount of chagrin. As glistening tracks shone bright on Nel's cheeks, once more a certain younger brother would be put to blame for the tears his sister shed. Although, this time it would not be for his crimes aimed against her heart. No crimes of his present or aimed at anywhere. A measurable and most welcome improvement, thought that brother - a relief. He could not possibly hope to beg forgiveness from Nil and succeed by bringing their shared twin to undue distress.

"Those are precious words, sister. Of greater value to me than all the rings and bracelets across all the worlds, I can only hope that they may be true. That Nil should agree with even a fraction of that statement and take pride in knowing me."

Humility, one might say of the Fell Heir who had spared no effort, no ounce that he'd ever owned, in bringing Nil's dying wish to fruition. What pride might Nil possibly withhold or fail to feel for someone who had given him all? But, still Rafal hoped.

But, even then, Rafal in truth hoped for even less. That Nil should exist in some farfetched and imaginable way, that no matter how immaterial his form, no matter how faraway, somewhere a youth too gentle for Gradlon bore witness to a land where his anachronistic kindness was upheld as proud standard. Important that he did; that he learned of a place where his true self would not be shunned, and where he would not be condemned an even greater failure than Rafal.

After all, that Child, born to the wrong era, would have flourished here.

He would have suited his black uniform - charmed the whole of Garreg Mach with his undefeated cheer and boyish good looks. He would have trained himself to the brink of exhaustion that he might catch up with his siblings and betters. Studied and struggled and gloried, making few enemies and many more friends. He would have shed tears of joy as Nel did now, or perhaps brooded over his failures like Rafal no matter how salvageable or great. Perhaps.

( . . .just, perhaps. )

The flowers before them were beautiful, all the more for their compassionate purpose. Elsewhere between delicate shell of ear and familiar gold lozenge sat a new pink rose. A place for Nel's bloom in Rafal's hair, and a place for Nil between them, he squeezed her hand and imagined for but a moment that another's smaller strength had joined to his: "There is one thing I cannot accept, and that is your admission that I have made your greatest wish come true. I ask that you invent more. For Nil's desires—for mine—I intend to fulfill even more of your grandest wishes as a dutiful brother ought to."

most provident in peril

ethereal ball mini | cont

Perished, he says. Not once, but twice.

It's not the sort of thing people usually talk about normally. Yunaka's seen a lot of death in her life. Some justified, some not. Some deserved, others not. She's seen people come back from death too, more than she ever wants to see that happen again. And even despite that familiarity, it's so strange to hear Rafal talk about his own death like this. Strange to think that something out there could defeat the strength she's seen not once, but twice.

Her face remains still as he talks. How do you respond to that? Sorry you died? Even she's not inept enough to hear how stupid that sounds.

The change of subject brings with it a much easier thing to focus on. Yunaka blinks back to life before shrugging, leaning her arm on the back off the couch to hold her head up again. "Maybe. I wasn't important enough to get dibs on those trips."

Others went before her, and she'd been left to just figure things out afterwards when they talked about bracelets and dragons and winds instead of hounds. "But I imagine running into myself would've been weird..."

That was something she'd never heard about. Not that she could exactly blame anyone for not mentioning her when there were obviously more important things going on, but when the others came back with stories of doubles and lost retainers, there'd never been any mention of her.

Though she considers this quietly for a moment, she lets the thought pass by. It can wait for a time where the light doesn't make Rafal look paler than usual.

"Sounds more like a nightmare though." She playfully pokes at his cheek. "Are those so-called allies here tonight?"

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ most provident in peril.#TOAball2026 #dcggersedge #rafal vc thank god you weren't there #idk guys is it an embarrassing moment to try to kill the divine one and your sister and become the strongest being on the planet #this is rafal's “i want to forget abt it” high school era if you squint

A thousand years ago, Rafal might have remembered each and every face belonging to the invasive insects who'd crawled out of a well, daring to infiltrate a realm not their own much less oppose his long awaited plans. Instead, he accepted and believed in Yunaka's revelation. So she'd taken no part in the struggles that ushered a failing world to its death rattles; Rafal toward his most egregious acts against humanity, divinity, and even his own sister.

A mercy for them both, that Rafal so thought.

"I had thought the label of a nightmare to be obvious. But, to answer: they are." A light tone of banter, a defying response without malice, each lacking the accessories of hatred and resentment that one may ever expect from someone whose beating heart had stilled at the hands of others. Otherwise, and to speak of other hands, a halfhearted tug of his head pulled it in the opposite direction that he might avoid her sticky paws. "I convened with two of them on this night: Dorothea and Seadall. Our troubles, however, are resolved. To me their actions are all but redeemed."

A small smile, this time not merely wry but truly sincere. In memory of Seadall whose tearful response at an unbelievable movie had yet to pale from Rafal's mind and may not do so for centuries more yet; Dorothea whose gracious tulip adorned his bouquet in tandem with her dress made of a more peaceful era.

"One even went so far as to provide a show of waterworks worthier of amusement than the very movie we watched.

. . .You may be able to guess at whom."

most provident in peril

ethereal ball mini | cont

"You pinned me!?" Yunaka's voice pitches with exasperation, even as it paints itself in the slightest bit of fondness. "You pinned one of Brodia's most well known assassins and you get surprised when there's a reaction?" She's gunna give herself a headache if she rolls her eyes any harder. "If I did that to you, you'd be saying some shit like of course I bit your head off for cornering a Fell Dragon, bleh bleh!"

Unbelievable...but also kind of a relief. Now free, she rolls her wrists reflexively in an attempt to get rid of the phantom feelings that linger behind.

"Of course it matters." With him now sitting upright and her legs free again, she's quick to take advantage. She moves both her legs to rest on his lap and hooks her heels against his thigh to act as a counterbalance as she lifts herself upright in turn. And, as punishment, she leaves her legs there for good measure.

"Being born in the dark doesn't mean you need to live there." The torchlight drifts upwards from her palm to hover somewhere above them. No longer a blinding beam , but soft enough that the darkness of the room is pushed back to its corners. Starlight fills what can be seen of the sky outside the grand windows behind them and inside, the stars in her hair shift softly as she tilts her head and watches him.

She'd never really gotten a good picture of what had happened during that mission, not beyond darkness and masks and some kind of betrayal. She still regrets not being there, and allowing whatever had brought him to this to happen.

...wow, look at her. Egotistical enough to think she would've made a difference. He must be rubbing off on her.

"The place where they were keeping that prison had that kinda darkness, didn't it?" Insidious, he calls it. Absently, she starts to pick at the edge of one of the couch cushions. "You're...you were upset the last time you talked about it."

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ most provident in peril.#TOAball2026 #dcggersedge #rafal laying out his experiences really does feel like a fever dream #yunaka were you there for the fx (holding up mic)

Rafal's silence if nothing else belied a manner of his agreement. Yunaka's words held a truth to them; born of darkness, still was the dragon here, though it was his place undeserved. Stranger to a great wide world of gentle and accommodating light, and now its microcosm, a slow blink adjusted his senses at the turn of blinding incandescence to one dull and vaguely pleasant. Like the moody gutter of a candle that fought sleep as much as those it was lit for.

Coaxed by this strange comfort, he relaxed - let flow.

"Such darkness offered. . .terror like none other."

Cognizant or not, he grounded himself in the weight of Yunaka's legs across his lap; her picture of detachment and utter relaxation, over all. So different from the faces of that time, so polar to its experiences, this, too, served as his comfort. A means of strict divide between past and present so that the two might not merge into one. In speaking of his darkest hour, Rafal would not invite it. He would not relive it.

Assured of this fact, he continued: "To it, I once succumbed, dragged into its depths. I recall only fragments of what happened afterward. I perished there, awoke in light, perished again at the hands of my allies, then woke once more to fight beside them."

Time enough had passed to speak of what once was. There could be only one other explanation for the ease of his words: a total trust in his company. He twisted his mouth on a wry smile. "Truthfully, in speaking of it I am reminded of a dream. I am certain this is no less than how others felt stepping foot into my world."

✽ 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐍𝐎𝐓 ✽

Ethereal Ball 2026, Goddess Tower (set week 2)

He speaks of using selfish words-- when all he has done has only ever been out of love and concern for his sister. He speaks of unjust behaviors-- when he has expressed reasonable distaste for Nel's lack of communication. For everything that Rafal sees in himself and his actions, Nel has always perceived the opposite. There has never been a doubt in her mind that should the rest of the world burn, he will remain at her side without needing to be asked, hand perfectly molded to fit in hers. How foolish he is, to not realize that he's more similar to her than he would ever believe. "Apology accepted, though unnecessary- you act only out of love. I assure you, your conversation will come- and your promise is duly noted." Once has Nel crossed him, albeit unintentionally. A second time will not come to pass. "... Thank you, Rafal. For understanding. For listening." Rafal's perch on the edge of the building has Nel following suit to take a seat beside him, shivering as the wind ruffles dark bangs; the skies are clear, even more so from on-high-- there remains nothing to shield the moon and stars from their view. Nil would have loved this, she wants to say... but he knows it well enough. Nil was not only hers to love, but Rafal's as well; as it would always be. "You have soured nothing. As always, I will gladly participate in whatever plans it is that you have... assuming within reason." The last part is said with a chuckle, reminders of harder times and questionable behaviors on her own part still vivid in the back of her mind. A jest, through and through. "What is it you have sought to put into motion, then?" To lean to the side is effortless, her shoulder gently brushing against his. Not enough to put much weight onto him, but just enough to remind that she is here, that she always will be, and that his plans are just as much hers.

@rafent

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ forget you not.#TOAball2026 #fellsparks #FAKE ASS IDGAFER!!!!!! imagine running around like a busy lil fell dragon bee collecting flowers to show to your dead flower loving brother #tch tch tch couldnt be rafal #i shouldnt have but if i've forgotten ANY flowers im sorry. you get the keys to rafals wealth and fortune as compensation and my love

What plan had Rafal sought to put in motion, Nel should ask? For one, that answer would no longer belong to destruction; to ambition; to the Fell Heir's self-serving desire that put no other before himself. In a shocking act of reversal, his vicious nature had not demolished but built, toiled to the utmost for someone who would never appreciate, never be able to repay. But, who? And for what?

"That is for you to find out. Fortunately, at this height that ought to be possible."

Behold, then said Rafal across an anticipatory look. He need not gesture, need not utter, only direct his gaze downwards in the direction. Ask and so he had received - from her, from him, from them. Procured at the behest of Rafal who spared no effort in his mission to collect an eden's worth of blossoms, so amassed for such individuals who had given for one reason or another.

This was that fruit:

As two otherworldly dragons looked on, an ethereal realm of flowers gazed back. Blooms of all kinds perched upon every spire and roof within reach of the eye; at times a colorful makeshift weather vane, at others a wreath or embellishment upon tile, in the end the lifelike replication of a meadow where a meadow ought not be. Magic, as it were, on both that front and another; that beneath the stolid witness of the night sky, these cheery pops of color seemed only to emulate the mystical.

"I readied these preparations shortly before our arrival. It took no effort to fly from roof to roof with the great advantage of a dragon's form." Who else might be capable of scattering blooms overnight ubiquitously and without detection? A mischievous, totally self-satisfied smile tugged at his lips. "—Of course, this spectacle will be sure to draw attention come the morning when it is discovered. And, naturally, there will be those who do not approve of such an unsanctioned and vandalizing display."

In the morning, there would doubtless be no shortage of speculations toward this mysterious sight. Only Nel and Rafal might understand that it was no mystery at all. At best, perhaps the most clever of minds might form a theory or two, at the curious dragon who'd fluttered in all seeming directions across the whole of the Ethereal Ball.

"Nevertheless, even if only for a night, I hope it will remain untouched."

Nevertheless, he observed the stars, appeared only to admire their light, then turned his attention beyond them with a fathomless affection transcending this plane. 'Someone who would never appreciate, never be able to repay', yet was honored regardless; the same stars looked on with silent apathy, but between them existed a dragon-child's kindly traces, lost between worlds yet found forever in the sky that stretched above these worlds all.

". . .Nil," Rafal called out to him, softly and at last. "In this world, many flowers reside. Roses, orchids, lilies, hyacinths, tulips—each in such excess that you need not press them to last longer. Do you behold their sights from where you are?"

ruinedskys

[ SLIP-UP ] - As it turns out, a lot of people at the monastery make for great body doubles in the dark. What do you do when you slap a friend on the back only for you to find out when they turn around that it's not your friend at all?

Rafal, for one reason or another, had been in search of the Brodian king. A single look led him to believe his target was in sight. And that same look led him astray.

He approached what he thought to be a familiar young man. His tall stature, fluffed red hair, and confident gait; all these were similar to the acquaintance he knew albeit not precisely the same. Yet, under the simultaneous darkness and brightness of the unlit room? The colorful projection lights? Even a mighty Fell Dragon could be disoriented into thinking they were.

"Diamant. Have you a moment? I had intended to ask if I could—oh." Rafal blinked, startled to the point of constricted catlike pupils, and shook his head. "Never the mind, forget that I spoke. I mistook you for another."

However. Crimson gaze lowered with intrigue at the sight of the student's flowers. A fateful thing of irony, they were precisely the same as Diamant's. Which meant—

". . .Those flowers. May I relieve you of them? It need not be many." Had the one known as Rafal ever been so fond of flowers? Mysteriously, in this moment he was.

Diamant?

Feeling vaguely like he’s been hit over the head, Sylvain thinks he’s helpless to do anything but stare back at eyes too startlingly red to be real. It’s the dark, the thought is a hopeful one, blinking to correct the freeze spell that’s been cast over him in the moment.

Then, he registers the question. A transaction - maybe the politest request he’s had all day!

Diamant’s a teacher, he recalls it vaguely, thawing just in time for his lips to curl upward. “Hey there, I’d be happy to be Diamant if it means I get to spend a little time with you.” Despite what he says, Sylvain plucks one of his own hyacinths from where it rests and offers it, letting his smile slant towards blinding. “So? A flower for your name? I’ll give them all to you, if that’s what it takes.”

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#TOAball2026 #ruinedskys #don't mind me giving sylvain a lil reply so they know each other's names HAHAHA #sylvain's lines unintentionally giving rafal a positive impression of him is so funny #ah yes generous and mindful human #he'll take your flowers sylvain its important dw about it

A noble and upstanding young man

A promising if not perfected member of the human society to which he was born

An obvious vessel for excellence

What others might not say of so significant and known a philanderer, Rafal's approving expression said plenty.

"Hm. So there are those who conduct themselves with manner across this academy! How rare a breed. You are quite unlike the impudent young girl I encountered earlier." The dragon hummed with approval, allowing this student to be rewritten across his memory. No longer 'he who was mistaken for Diamant', but 'he who could not be mistaken for anything but respectable'. And an offering of even more flowers to boot?

How could it be that Rafal would not give his name?

"I am Rafal," he gave, taking in turn as the gifted hyacinth entered his hand, "I should like to know yours as well—and to take you up on your offer."

The offer, of course, to be given all the other's flowers in full.

Before blinding smile, gemlike reds peered earnestly without guile. A silken head of white hair tilted to one side, shamelessly intrigued and ostensibly gluttonous for all precious, treasured things as befit the reputation of his draconic kind. In other words, Rafal meant every word that left his mouth:

"Your flowers. . .may I have them all?"

most provident in peril

ethereal ball mini | cont

Instinct directs action when the brain doesn't have time to think. The dragon pounces and the wolf freezes and holds its breath for a split second as the weight knocks her over and settles on top of her, legs spilling out from where they were neatly tucked away to be caged in by his own.

Yunaka has never allowed a situation where she wasn't in control. Each and every time, there had always been an out. An option. A setting where she never felt like she didn't have the upper hand. She would have never allowed this, to be pinned under someone else and unable to move as she wanted, and it's only because of the here and now, where carmine meets blood, does she allow it to happen.

Yunaka freezes and in that second, as it always has, her body responds for her. Not with a knife or a swing or a kick, but with the splaying of her hand spread wide as she pulls on a force she's never used before. The torchlight that gathers in her hand is so bright in the darkness of the room that for a second it's blinding. Even above and behind her, Yunaka still winces and squeezes her eyes shut for a second.

When she opens them again, there's no dragon and wolf, no attacker and victim. There's just Rafal and Yunaka, and Yunaka reacts first.

"What about you?" She wriggles in his grip, feels the strain of her wrists against his hands, swallows and keeps going. "Mr. Calm and casual and oh, everyone should be adoring me. You're the one acting weird!"

Last year, he'd been indulging, but taunting. He'd played along, but it had never been about him. This year....

"Is it..." There's no masks this year, so that can't be it. The ogre mask she'd taken sat unused in her office.

He said he was fine. But it's not so different from how she said she was fine, was it?

Yunaka huffs and lets the back of her head hit the cushions. "Complains about being alone in the dark but then tries to shove himself back in there, unbelievable..."

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ most provident in peril.#dcggersedge #TOAball2026 #flashbang working exactly as intended to stun and disorient the EVIL dragon #once again big fan of the “youre being weird!!!!” tell him yunaka

A scintillating light bathed the room, so enduring as to burrow behind the eyes even when they instinctively snapped shut. Like a creature adverse to all that lived within the sphere of such light, Rafal turned his cheek askance and vocalized his displeasure with a slithering 'hisssss'. Naturally, he had observed the former assassin employ similar tactics during their retrieval mission in the ravine where forced to field low visibility and gargoyles; naturally, never had those tactics been employed against him.

"Do you mean to blind me?! A shame, I will say. Just a little more effort and you would have succeeded in that endeavor with flying colors!" he groused upon regaining his bearings, colored by irritation, and—noticeably—an absence of true anger. Even a loosening of vicelike grips about the wrists they shackled, as if a sudden distraction had done wonders to erase the memory that compelled them to begin with.

. . .Or, a partial one, anyway. Ultimately, what should truly relax them would be none other than Yunaka's colorful protests. An outcry against an emperor's unexplainable tyranny, that emperor blinked, overcome by surprise at the change, amusement at her name-calling, earnest consideration of the rabble's discontent, then—

A force without identity; a troubled tell of expression; a relinquishing of fingers; a confirmation made plain without need for words. Unearthed first by Yunaka, second by himself, Rafal once more looked away. This time he offered no tough parting words.

"Where does it matter where a dragon should take himself?" A sinuous, snakelike motion and said dragon moved to sit up, leaving the human humorously flopped and disarrayed in his aftermath. "Fell Dragons thrive in places without light. For that purpose, our very eyes have adapted. Beyond our twins, darkness is but our unspoken other half. It is only—"

Only? On this slip of tongue, he gave a pause, then an inwards, self-admonishing sigh: ". . .Only darkness of insidious nature which unsettles us."

✽ 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐍𝐎𝐓 ✽

Ethereal Ball 2026, Goddess Tower (set week 2)

To deny him his right to speak on the matter would simply be brushing his feelings aside, and despite the strange manner in which their roles have reversed... she opts to simply endure the scolding as Rafal chides and raves over the situation at hand-- all things she's aware of, all things she's considered over and over in her mind until it made her head throb with the effort of trying to keep her thoughts clear and concise. When his expression darkens, Nel immediately knows that he's just sending himself into a downward spiral. The sigh that comes is long, yet fond, because never once would she spurn the manner of her little brother's affections-- as strange as they may be at times. Undoubtedly, uniquely his... and the love she recognizes in his concern is what draws a slight smile from her. "Rafal." Gentle, soft, barely audible over the night's breeze and rustling of tree limbs- uncharacteristically so for the lecture she's just received. There is no world in which Rafal does not mean well, and his sharp tongue serves its purpose to pry her from her silence. "I never once have thought you a fool. Make no mistake- if there is any fool between us, it is me. You have spoken and made yourself heard: now, you will listen."

Arms crossed over her chest, the chill that runs down her spine isn't borne from the crisp, frigid air of winter. Instead, it's apprehension that digs its claws into her, refusing to release its grip even when she clears her throat to ensure the lump there doesn't get a chance to fully form. "The difficulty does not arise in regards to the man in question. Professor Laslow has shown nothing but good character- if anything, this matter would have long since been resolved were I..." Braver? No, that's not entirely right. "... It is too early for me to have told you. You know well enough that this is not a simple topic for me-- there is hesitation that remains in the form of... fear, I suppose. Fear that history will repeat itself should I allow myself to lower my guard. It is why I have not made you aware of this matter yet, not out of a desire to betray or hide, but simply because speaking it into existence is terrifying beyond my ability to describe." Her knuckles run white with the squeeze she has on her own bicep, though the sting quickly reminds her to lessen her grip. That thought alone has her blood turning to ice, but she quickly shakes her head as a means of grounding herself. "Tonight is not the night for this conversation. You have my word, Rafal, we will speak more in depth soon. It is something that comes with positive feelings, but also others not so easily dredged up from the past."

@rafent

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ forget you not.#TOAball2026 #fellsparks #muy beautiful dragon twins uuuuu uuuu

Now you will listen.

And with rucked brows so he did. Reminded all at once that such would rule as sacrosanct among Fell Dragon twins: give and take, protect and be protected, speak and silence, each in turn and in perfect proportion to the other. The smooth Nel and dentate Rafal, both harmonious and contrasting; commensurate as two pieces broken off the same dragonstone, and when shone beneath light, just as different. An inviolable system between two halves of a whole, of course - therefore, an uncontested one. And, after all is said but not yet done between them?

Before Nel's caged posture, all her now-freed revelations, his fury waned to a sleepy smolder. His fire to disappear as if one with the crisp night air alongside his darkness and demands. What remained was the younger's contrite expression, the reminder that such a thing as terror even following the visitation of Nel's once and former end had never been Rafal's to feel alone.

"It appears I have spoken selfishly and behaved more than unjustly." He looked askance, appropriately scolded though Nel did not—need not—say a word. "Ruled by emotion, I demanded for answers you were not prepared to give. Your misgivings on this matter were those I failed utterly to consider. My angry approach was unwarranted. For these, I would apologize."

Rafal shook his head with a sway of soft downy fringe. Upon the conclusion of this movement, all semblance of sharp and formidable edge briefly returned - coalesced in a long, meaningful stare. "—However, my concern remains. But as the time for such talk is unsuitable, as you say, we will spare it for the future. Its hour will come."

Threat; promise; both. Accompanying this return to the Fell Heir's usual pointy comportment was also the return to a specially bejeweled night. A trip to the very apex of the Goddess Tower made for one reason and one reason only. Relinquishing his hostile effects, the paler dragon drew nearer to the roof's boundary where he seated himself with one leg packed toward his chest and the other dangling off the edge. He directed an inviting look at Nel, then for greater measure:

"It was not my intention to sour this night. I should like to return it to what it was—and to my plans alongside. Will you join me?"

most provident in peril

ethereal ball mini | cont

The sound of her name prompts Yunaka to still. Not out of fear of him, but out of fear for him, unsure if she's stepped too boldly. In the quiet that follows, she remembers how fragile he'd been after his escape from the dark, burdened with a pain he couldn't reach. Yunaka holds her breath, waits, and hopes she didn't bring it back.

Why did she come here? She feels like that's obvious, isn't it?

Rafal's laughter breaks the stillness. With her wrist released with only his lingering warmth to show for it, she laughs in turn, lifting her eyes again to meet his proper. "Isn't ruin what you promised me?"

He held her and released her, but he did not turn her away. Yunaka stays right where she is on the couch, with her folded legs close enough that her knees brush against the side of his thigh. "Is it unsavory to enjoy company in private?"

(And though she speaks calmly, though her tone stays light, there's a little voice that seldom speaks that dares to break its silence. She knows she'll leave if he asks it of her, but that voices whispers and pleads not to be left alone in the dark again.)

Yunaka watches him quietly as he lounges comfortably on the couch. The picture of calm. He alludes to an end but she can only wonder if this is not, in turn, its own beginning.

"Rafal." It is not the performers voice that speaks the words, nor is it the killer's. It falls somewhere between, in the voice of the woman that Yunaka is and not who she pretends to be. "...are you still busy?"

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ most provident in peril.#TOAball2026 #dcggersedge #sorry yunaka for this bully dragon......... :sad_cat: but also #(writing on the squeaky white board with big bold expo marker) (decal for my car) i heart beautiful dommy dragons

As if in a feat of shifting chameleon color, Rafal's levity faded and exchanged for shock. If he'd worn a smile, it would have dropped like a stone. Had he held a glass, it would have met the floor in a shower of shards. Seated as he was, he staunched the sound of his own breathing and dared no part of himself to move. Such was the process of one understanding trundling toward an end and another coming to a rise: Yunaka, once thought purely mischievous, was but purely serious.

The walls were felt to close in all around him. How quickly a room with capacity for a dozen people could feel as if it were made only for one at the behest of that single, terrifying—terrifying?—conclusion.

He blinked; in the consideration of this terror, the Fell Heir remembered himself. He who was named Rafal did not surrender to fear. With more power at his disposal now than at any other age past or future, he ought not be subject to its effects any longer. So, why? In defiance against himself, that very resolve turned with bright and glittering eye upon Yunaka herself. The dragon pounced. Tyrannical; he pinned her down into the cushions with his weight, fingers tight around each of her wrists. Brutal; from afar, it might appear as if he intended to maul her, claw her, eliminate his unease at its very source. Up close he seemed only to consider it.

Gentle; he made no effort as to leave so much as a mark.

"Are you listening to yourself?" he questioned, emphasized with a tightening of his grips. "The ruin you so lightly speak of alludes to your ignorance. Your actions tell all there is to tell. You seek me. Chase me. Tempt me. During the Ethereal Ball of all happenings, you claim privacy. Skirting that which you outright desire, you answer with coquetry. Now, you ask if I am still busy?"

Rafal scoffed above her, a caging knee on either side. The hang of his hair over her face simultaneously a stark white intruder and right where it belonged.

"What a wanton girl you are."

most provident in peril

ethereal ball mini | cont

Any good performer knows that it's harder to play your part without a suitable costume to match. The costumes of the night tell of people at ease with their surroundings, who shine like diamonds and breeze through conversations without a care in the world. Neither of the performers in the room right now have ever actually been those people.

But a show is a show, and Yunaka had come here expecting to put one on. It was unneeded, in the end...but that didn't mean their had to be no show either, did it? Her cheeks puff up in a playful show of offense at his dismissive compliment, but internally her mind whirs as she listens to his list and plans.

Just four things, huh? She laughs softly. He makes it sound so easy. But let's see...

"A bigger space might be hard to find without going off mountain." A fancier one might do, but she assumes his ideal would be his dragon form. As she shifts herself a little closer, she remembers the feeling of scales beneath her hands. It wouldn't be an unappealing thing to show off again.

"The carpet..." Her eyes drop down to the tie around his neck. Her own soft puff of air acts as a warning as she reaches to break the space between them. A finger hooks around the tie and lifts it. Feels expensive. It curls nicely around her fingers though. "We'd have to get creative with that."

Worshipers and adulation, though...

She keeps her eyes lowered as she plays absently with his tie. Like a devotee in the pews. Like a cat playing with a mouse. "The other two shouldn't be hard..." That smile, though, leans hunter more than faithful. "Depends on how best you'd like to receive them."

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ most provident in peril.#TOAball2026 #dcggersedge #the 11 dice roll means rafal is going to tease yunaka to hell and back HAHAHAHA #dragon calling human needy a first for everything

All at once, the squeak of cushions seemed a louder sound than any. Rafal stiffened, visited by an acute sensitivity to what occurred around him and to him. The floating sensation of his tie as it was toyed with, the mischievous hand responsible, the waves of warmth that exuded off another - at their behest, the dragon stirred as if from a long spell of slumber, of never having truly been awake until—seemingly—now.

"Yunaka," Rafal warned - pivoted. Not quite as drastic as the abandonment from Nil to Rafal, but not so negligible that it failed to raise alarm. A simple, steady word; a single, unblinking look. Where her eyes had lowered, he commanded in silence that they raise.

For a moment, with the same patience of mind and mysterious look as when he'd first received her entry into the room, he watched her. A lazy feline stare, or a perceptive albeit inscrutable one, missing only a flicking white tail from side-to-side. Then, with slow and deliberate motion, he seized hold of her wrist - no more than a thin, human wishbone in his talons. Hold was all he did.

"Why did you come here?"

This sober question was accompanied by no scathing tone, no accusatory intention - only a frank and probing curiosity. His silken tie forgotten, still it carried signs of her manipulation; a crease, a flip of it onto the wrong side. Yunaka, altogether.

"Following a dragon to this remote area. Proving so amenable to his will. One might suspect that you possess any number of unsavory other intentions in coming here. Even, that you seek to calculate your own ruin." Then, finally, at the long anticipated tail of it all: a teasing chuckle. No, a smirk. Rafal leaned back and released Yunaka in the same motion. With laughing eyes. "Heh. Do not be so eager to end the night."

✽ 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐍𝐎𝐓 ✽

Ethereal Ball 2026, Goddess Tower (set week 2)

Thousands of years ago, in times of desperate need, it was nothing to carry a tiny Nil on her back-- plucked from the clutches of danger, her scales and frills more suited to withstanding blows than the feeble flesh of his humanoid form. Each and every jagged edge on the membranous tissue resembled an injury taken willingly, selflessly, without thought. A million more would she endure if it were necessary. Now, the coiling obsidian body that reflected her own ability was fearsome enough in its own regard; how strange it felt to be propelled by the wings of her brother instead of her own, her knees planted on an unsteady surface comprised of thick scales. Maybe, were she less composed of a woman, she would hiss a warning in his direction for turns taken too sharply or drops too quickly... but there's no fear to be had when it's Rafal's back she travels upon. (Had he ever been apprehensive when resting upon hers?) The jolt of his landing is less than Nel believed it would be, and hopping down from his lumbering form is easy enough. With his request to ascend the tower, she had been unsure of his intentions other than to spend a quiet moment together; 'important business' has her raising a brow before his question comes in the wake of a brilliant light that nearly blinds her for a moment. Ah. "... I do." A succinct answer befitting the no-nonsense communication that the two of them generally employ, but the twitch of her lips and the downward tilt of her chin implies a depth far greater. "I was asked to attend the ball at his side. I agreed. I had not thought it worthy of note." Half-truths, she supposes. A shake of her head and a twisted grimace follows, eyes flickering with some complicated jumble of emotions-- perhaps happiness, perhaps nerves. A hint of sadness, a hint of excitement. All contrary to one another, and Nel knows best how horrible it feels settled deep within her chest. "... It is not my intention to keep important matters from you. It is a matter of ability- and I... cannot speak on the matter. Not yet." Not yet. Not now, not too soon, lest this find a similar fate to what was in her hands before. Her voice dips as a means of remaining quiet; as a means of hiding what strange sort of shame arises from showing the vulnerability that she does. "We spoke of no secrets hidden between us- I intend to keep my word. The matter of his company is.. difficult, in certain ways." @rafent

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ forget you not.#TOAball2026 #fellsparks #little brother with his rampant demands hahaha #that moment when rafal's surface level reaction is anger but all of that anger is sourced from a secondhand fear for nel

For a time, Rafal listened. Even when it appeared that silence would prove to be his struggle, even when his breathing thinned to shallow breaths, his lips pinched together so tightly as to wane in color, he listened to the end. A feat of compliance he could manage only because shock was not the colossus that dominated his emotions. What he had so disturbingly seen for his own was confirmed to be true; however, by such initial exposure, Nel's words offered no revelation of surprise, either. Greatest of all, what he sought was not the truth. Not entirely.

No; what he desired most was a means of denial, a path by which he might tread backwards and renounce this all. Confirmation from Nel herself that all he'd seen and heard could be consigned to mere misunderstanding. A selfish, self-soothing, hopeful attempt to shirk all acceptance of the unbelievable; the unacceptable.

"You did not think it worthy of note?"

At last came his piece. Delicate nostrils flared on an inch of frustration, then several more as he waved his hand through the air like he might banish the disbelief that permeated the space around him. "This is an unprecedented decision. Your time in this land has amounted to little more than a year, need I remind, and already you accept the invitation of a human? Do not take me for a fool, sister. You think him special. You favor him!"

What upheaval amidst their difficult lives, that Rafal might lecture the elder who had once spared no effort in reprimanding the course of her destructive and too-sacrificing younger brother; but, perhaps, between two halves of equal standing, this were ultimately no upheaval at all. At present, stormy eyes blazed before Nel. He could not deny that he perceived it as a betrayal, to know of such significant news from the mouth of another over his own sister, but mixed within that concoction of hurt was—

"Difficult, you say of his company, but not unknown I should hope. What do you know of his intentions? Does he intend to court you—a Fell Dragon from another world?" Rafal's concerned expression twisted with darkness as he glimpsed a future of unforgivable outcome; a man who, should it attempt to occur, would know better of Rafal's bite than any tender touch by Nel. ". . .To philander?"

most provident in peril

ethereal ball mini | cont

Oh, he joins her. That's a good sign. The face he actually reached out first is an even better sign that maybe she had worried for nothing. After all, adequate from him is basically a roaring review.

So, she scoffs jokingly in turn. "Not even gentlemanly enough to offer to take them off for me." But it doesn't take her long to follow his advice either. Soon enough, her shoes are hitting the floor one after the other. Yunaka heaves a great big sigh of relief, stretching out her legs as far as she can while wiggling her toes.

With that out of the way, she can now focus on more important things. "Wait a second, impress?" Yunaka turns in her seat to face him instead, tucking her legs up beneath her. She rests her elbow on the back of the couch so she can hold her head up as she grins at him, playfully. "Even if I needed to impress anybody, are you really gunna look me in the eyes and say I don't look amazing?"

Whether he does or doesn't, she's happy so long as the mood stays playful. As long as he stays like this and not the man who spoke of knives and betrayal that hunted him in the dark. "Alright so...what would we need to do at the ball to make it worthy of a Fell Dragon's enjoyment, hmm? I'll start with the obvious; way more sweets with lots more sugar for sure."

#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 ╱ writing.#◜ ₊ — 𝓡 ˚ ₊ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ╱ most provident in peril.#TOAball2026 #dcggersedge #most hard to please uppity high brow snobbish dragon man #but its ok thats his charm

"Congratulations. You look as a human who has dressed for the occasion, no less than any other human who has dressed for the occasion. If that is what you call amazing, then yes, I shall give you that."

Leaning his arm upon the couch rest, then his cheek into his fist, Rafal uttered a quiet puff of a laugh. It would not only be words that traded with words, but words which traded for amusement. Their exchange went only to remind that preened appearances concealed only the same substrate; that, beneath all polish and allure, other things remained ever and always the same. A dress. A suit. What were these if not the paltry costumes worn for a mere eve?

"You would be at a start. Sweets with ample sugar are the bare minimum. However, far more is required if this ball should even begin to impress me." Even so distanced from the body of the festivities, its noise continued to reach this outlying room at a subtle background's whir. Yet, the more Rafal spoke—was spoken to—the less he came to notice what trivial matters did not pertain to the present - including the darkness which he fled to begin with. Using the vacant hand upon which he did not rest his face, he made a show of examining the perfect nails that tipped each finger.

"—Worshipers." One such finger pointed toward the ceiling.

"A roll of carpet to unfurl before my every step." A second digit rose.

"An even grander habitat to welcome my presence." The timely ascent of the third.

Last but not least came the fourth criterion and finger: "Adulation of such recognizable power and pulchritude as my own. Naturally."

✦ 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐎? (𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐖) ✧

Ethereal Ball 2026, White Heron Cup: match 12