Strength in Solitude

Regulus was many things, but brave was not one of them. He was clever and quick to adapt, but would not stand and fight. At least, not until he had a good reason to do so. ((semi-selective, semi-active, independent rp blog for Regulus Black))

[regulirex]

Closed Prompt || Sempervinctus

[regulirex]

( s i r i u s )

“ Thanks for the warning, but we’re all acutely aware of the ❛ effort ❜ required to kill Voldemort. ” Sirius doesn’t mince the dryness of his tone. If all these theatrics are to simply intimidate him and the rest of the Order, it’s a pathetic show. Sirius Black needs no reminding of how powerful a wizard he’s up against. And that knowledge only digs his determination deeper in. Still, any talk of defeating “the Dark Lord” at all from his little brother is enough to raise brows. Surely such rhetoric could have him punished. So why is Regulus willing to risk it? While associating with his openly anti-Voldemort brother, no less. Time to test him. “ Your insight has been vital. Thanks for helping the cause.   Now get out of my house. ”

“ What? ” Regulus frowns, blinks, tries once again to make his eyes focus. “Leave? But—” ( but Sirius is the one who left home, he didn’t make Regulus leave ) “But I can’t.” Distantly, Regulus is afraid. Or, rather, he is aware that he should be. But it is so far away that it cannot touch him, and his tone is left even (though feeble) and emotionless.  Thus, it is with none of his usual paranoia that he says “Please, Sirius. They’ll kill me.” His voice is flat, but his wide, unfocused eyes are searching through the fog for Sirius’s own.  He remains seated, doesn’t even move, but he feels his hand reach back up to clutch the locket nonetheless. It’s so heavy ( so heavy, the weight of his legacy, of his father’s and his mother’s and his Lord’s eyes ) and it presses on the back of his neck. “You need to help me, I want to help. It’s worse than you think.” 

[regulirex]

Closed Prompt || Sempervinctus

[regulirex]

( s i r i u s )

“ That would be some feat. ” Sirius watches his brother’s eyes fade and focus, taking in the sight before him. Clearly the boy is actually suffering, both physically and mentally. Sirius sincerely doubts Regulus would poison himself just to get into Sirius’ apartment, self-preserving as he is, but that still doesn’t rule out the possibility that he did it on Voldemort’s orders. Sirius doesn’t adjust his wand from where it is aimed, but he can’t keep his voice from sounding so goddamn hopeful when he implores: “ So try me.”

It takes him several seconds to process his brother’s words, and several more to realize that his shaking hand is clenched painfully around the locket. He forces his fingers to slacken, dropping the locket on his chest, where it thuds with much more force than he feels it rightly should. “The—” don’t say it, only they call him that, you’ll just remind him that you’re his ( his brother ) enemy, do not say it, “Dark Lord.” The title weighs at his chest, as it always has, but he takes a shuddering breath regardless. He can’t tell if Sirius truly sounds wistful, or if Regulus just wants him to, unable to hear past the ghost of gentle words from so, so long ago ( and a hard voice, an angry voice, hating him for failing to be brave ) But he can’t lose his nerve, can’t for once fail to speak what he wants to say. His eyes fail to focus on his brother’s face ( too old, too tired ) and he chokes again, saying “He cannot be defeated. Not...without more effort than one might expect.”

[regulirex]

Closed Prompt || Sempervinctus

[regulirex]

( s i r i u s  )

Sirius swallowed back the poison in his throat and regarded the boy before him coolly, careful not to show any outward signs of interest. This miserable creature had done nothing to earn his trust yet, nothing at all. What’s more, Sirius was 97 percent sure whole thing was just an elaborate trap, preying on his childish desire to save his brother from the life that had been set out before him. 96 percent. Maybe. “ Oh ? ” His demeanor is almost playful, wand casually resting in his lap as he sits across from his brother. Casually pointed directly at Regulus’ heart. But there’s nothing playful about his tone. Years of disappointment and distrust create a razor sharp edge on his tongue. “ And what is it… perfect child…” He spits, “…that you’ve done to fall out of the good graces of our beloved Walburga?” He smiles, but it’s devoid of his usual charm. “ Hypothetically. ” 

Finally, Regulus begins to process his brother’s tone. It slashes through the fog in his mind, and he forces his eyes to focus ( on the rotting hand reaching for his neck ) on his brother’s wand.

It takes him several long, confused moments to understand, to remember how long it had truly been, since he had seen his brother without crossing wands. ( it had only been a few hours since Sirius left him alone ) But no...it had been so much longer than he even realized.

Of course he doesn’t trust you, you idiot, you’re still one of them. He tries to ignore the growing dread, tries to convince himself that Sirius was sure to listen, that he wasn’t too late.  

Regulus coughs again, winces at the pain, and speaks. “I’ve followed in your footsteps, actually,” as distant and passive as he’s always been, as if his words meant nothing at all. He finds himself unable to tear his eyes from the tip of his brother’s wand. “I’d thought you might finally be proud.”

[regulirex]

sempervinctus

❛ Some things are more important than your well-being.  Some things are worth dying for, Regulus. ❜ He practically spits out the words, barely bothering to maintain a whisper while their parents sleep upstairs. ❛ But I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about that. ❜

Regulus’s cheeks burned with shame with anger.

“You don’t know—” what it’s like? what he’d done? what they’d made him do? “You don’t know, Sirius.”

He c h o k e d on his brother’s hatred, buried it alongside with his o w n. 

{ Sirius sounded so sure, but Regulus couldn’t understand. Still, he hoped he might. }     

[regulirex]

Closed Prompt || Sempervinctus

[regulirex]

sempervinctus

“ O h ? ” Sirius is positively venomous. His pulse throbs in his temples, almost drowning out the sound of his voice. Regulus’ coughing fit is not met with any sympathy or assistance, and he watches the boy sputter on his own liquids the way a vulture eyes some starving creature grow weaker and weaker. The Black family name had never meant much to him, and here was the enemy in his own home, on his own sofa. My, my. What an opportunity. “ Certainly mummy dearest would welcome home her little Death Eater with open arms…”

Regulus couldn’t help it. He f l i n c h e d, and the residual burning in his throat only barely drowned out the echo of his mother’s piercing shriek.

( Her disappointment striped his back, but he couldn’t say a word, he couldn’t, couldn’t do a thing but be stoic and still and accepting. Not when they had already demonstrated the penalty for disloyalty. )

The potion had been wearing off, but it was not gone yet. Regulus swallowed down the nausea, tried to still his shoulders. Reminded himself where he was.

“No,” he said, voice soft but still torn by the fire in his throat. “I don’t think she would.”

His hand tightened around the locket. ( He thought he felt a shadow brush his palm. He shivered. )

“ Not after she hears what I’ve done, anyway. ”

This was Sirius (his brother), and he was the only hope Regulus had left.

[memesfromstuff]

*: ･ﾟ✧   interrogation starters.

feel free to change pronouns etc as needed.

CALM / QUESTIONING.

“ tell me, what happened?”

“ did you see anything?”

“ what do you remember?”

“ do you remember anything unusual?”

“ please, try to remember as much as you can.”

“ every detail is important.”

“ and what happened next?”

“ and what did you do when all this took place?”

“ what were you doing around __ am/pm?”

“ where were you around __ am/pm?”

“ can anyone verify that?”

“ was someone with you?”

“ and you had nothing to do with it?”

“ and you weren’t involved?”

“ did you see it happen?”

“ did you see who did it?”

“ did you see or hear anything? anything at all?”

CARING / UNDERSTANDING.

 “ you seem scared… is that why you don’t want to talk?”

“ did someone hurt you?”

“ it’s okay. you can tell me.”

“ you were just trying to defend yourself, weren’t you?”

“ we can take a break, if you want.”

“ everything will be okay, i promise. but you need to talk to me.”

“ it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. but it really would help if you did.”

SUSPICIOUS.

“ there is something you’re not telling me.”

“ i think you’re lying.”

“ you looked away just now when you said that. are you sure you’re telling the truth?”

“ except what you’re telling me doesn’t align with what we already know.”

“ seems to me like you know more than you’re letting in on.”

“ what aren’t you telling me?”

“ who are you trying to protect?”

“ so you really don’t know what any of it means? no clue at all?”

“ they must’ve told you more than that.”

“ you have to have seen more than that.”

“ and you want me to believe you don’t remember?”

“ and you want me to believe you had nothing to do with it?”

“ an accident? is that what you’re going with?”

DEMANDING.

“ i need you to tell me the truth.”

“ i need you to tell me what happened.”

“ i know you’re not telling me the truth.”

“ that doesn’t line up with the evidence. so… you wanna try that again?”

“ stop lying. i already know that’s not what happened.”

MAKING A DEAL / ASKING FOR HELP / DEMANDING HELP.

“ what do you want in exchange for this information?”

“ i’m listening…”

“ you’re coming with me.”

“ since you’re the only one who knows how to find them, i don’t really have a choice but to take you with me.”

“ fine. i’ll take you with me, but if you try anything…”

“ i can’t give you that. you know that.”

“ if we’re going to make a deal, you’re gonna have to ask for something a little more rational than that.”

“ okay. we have a deal.”

“ sorry. no deal.”

[graanger]

the black brothers: one too soft, the other too hardened.

regulus is nine when he first hears sirius fighting with their parents, railing against their tyranny and prejudice and cruelty. the shouting and smashing frighten him, chase him deep under his covers where he cries silent steady tears until sirius slips into his room hours later and coaxes regulus out of his cocoon, whispering soothing loving words of comfort and fierce apology.

regulus is eleven when he enters hogwarts, excited and wide-eyed at the enthusiastic crush of fellow students laughing and reuniting. after his mother warns him of mudbloods and father reminds him, toujours pur, sirius wrestles him into a headlock, dragging him into a compartment where there are three joking boys–gryffindors–who embrace and welcome regulus into their midst. when regulus sorts slytherin, he glances over at the sea of red and gold, but sirius looks away disappointed, mouth grim, eyes closed, to the beat of regulus’s sinking heart.

regulus is sixteen when he joins the death eaters, swears allegiance to a charismatic lord and band of idealistic brothers. they speak of purity, of justice, of oppression–all familiar cadences to pureblood son regulus–eliminating blood traitors and rewarding the worthy. he is swept up in visions of glory and familial pride, approving mothers and fathers and brothers.

regulus is eighteen when he stands on the edge of a precipice, hands shaking as he drinks and drinks and drinks, kreacher trembling by his side. there are regrets, so many regrets, and as he takes his last gasp, the horcrux safely stowed away, he can almost glimpse sirius smiling tenderly at him from a distant far-off shore, arms wide open and pride shining in his glance.

the black brothers: one too soft, the other too hardened. regulus and sirius, death eater and marauder, slytherin and gryffindor, blood faithful and blood traitor, weak and strong, strong and weak, soft and hard, hard and soft.

[hephaeastus]

❝ — the world isn’t s p l i t into GOOD PEOPLE and DEATH EATERS.

[regulirex]

Character Flaws && Strengths | 001

↳ Bold what applies to your muse!

╳ Flaws

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable | whiny controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid | lies impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power-hungry greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful | impulsive spiteful | stubborn | sadistic | petty | unlucky

♔ Strengths

honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky intelligent | confident | focused | humble | generous merciful | observant | wise | clever | charming cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm

[regulirex]

Closed Prompt || Sempervinctus

[regulirex]

Regulus’s eyes opened a crack, but the painful light that met them was wrong. It was dark, it was all dark, other than the creeping green floating above them-

“..S-Sirius?” 

The word was followed by drawn-out, painful coughing, but it was enough. His brother wasn’t there, Sirius had left, why was he here-

Where was here?

Regulus felt his shoulders seize, violently closing in, and he struggled to keep from falling off of the couch. Grass? He had been outside, hadn’t he, so that the bodies could just be left behind? 

Another strangled choke. “..how.?” How could it be real? 

With shaking fingers, Regulus yanked his sleeve up (not even registering the pain when his untrimmed nails scraped the flesh of his arm), and. There it was. It had been real.

Suddenly unable to breathe (was it getting hot in here? But the night had been so cool), he scrambled for his throat, only faltering at the touch of an unfamiliar chain.

Oh. The locket. Yes. 

Regulus remembered. (He also puked again.)

[sempervinctus]

Sirius’ gaze rakes over the scabbed Dark Mark in time with his brother’s nails. Maybe it’s the mark, or maybe it’s the fresh wave of vomit spewing from Regulus’ mouth, but a sudden rush of nausea seizes Sirius’ gut. Fighting back the rising bile in his throat, he turns his face away with almost violent repulsion. He cannot bear to even look at the desperate young man on his sofa.                                                  “ Why– ” His voice is strained with the effort to sound indifferent.                                                                     “– did you come here?? ”

[regulirex]

Regulus bit his lip, clenched his fists, anything to get himself to stop shaking. He was no longer a child, he had had the Mark for two years already. It was just a memory haunting him, nothing more.

Of course, that was not altogether true. Regulus’s hand reached up and grasped the locket wound around his neck.

His eyes trained on his knees, Regulus pointedly avoided eye contact with his brother. His voice shaky, he croaked out 

“I...I’m sorry. I had to...there was nowhere else I could go-”

before he was cut off by his own coughing.

The Dark Lord would be calling for him soon enough. Regulus had to make sure the horcrux would be destroyed, or it would all be for naught.

[regulirex]

Closed Prompt || Sempervinctus

Regulus stumbled through a dream.

His mother tugged at his wrist, muttering furiously, and raised a hand. He flinched away, but not quickly enough. He had never been fast enough.

His chest ached (and his throat?) with emptiness. His brother…had left? Truly?

Could it really be his fault, like they said?

Another jolt in the shoulder as his mother dragged him along. She had finally stopped screaming at him (at a loss, perhaps, that she had lost her preferred target), but a quick look at his father’s stony face reminded him of what was to come.

They had to ensure the loyalty of at least one child.

The landscape changed, he couldn’t breathe, and Regulus was shoved forward (collapsed), landing hard on his knees. In a blur, he made vows that echoed in his mind (echoed for ages, reverberated, never ending, they drove him INSANE), his arm was taken again, why did his throat hurt so much if it was his arm that was taken, and 

and then he was Marked.

{Kreacher pounded on the door, disgusted at the peeling paint, while his poor Master Regulus knelt on the doorstep. These were his orders, though he was loathe to obey them, especially while his young master was in such a state.

Kreacher cringed as more of the toxic green was coughed onto the door. 

If Master Regulus wanted to see his brother, not his Lord, that was his decision. He knocked again.}

[sempervinctus]

The breath leaves Sirius’ lungs. For a moment after opening the door, he doesn’t move– can’t move– trying to process the pitiful sight collapsed on his doorstep. In secret, he’d wistfully hoped for a reunion with his estranged brother before, but he’d never imagined there’d be this much vomit. Or Kreacher.                                                          “ Shit… ”  He forces himself to snap out of his frozen state and lifts Regulus to his feet by the upper arms. Sirius practically drags him inside, kicking the door closed with no regard to whether or not the house elf made it in, too. He pushes the younger boy down onto the sofa and with a flick of his wand, cleans the sickly green stains from his shirtfront.  Sirius brings him water, potions, herbs, tea, anything he can think of to just get him to stop leaking. The Sleeping Draught is perhaps the most useful, as if gives Sirius a chance to help his brother without all of the writhing. He toys briefly with the idea of summoning Remus, whose healing skills surpass his own, but Regulus’ presence here is potentially too dark to trust Remus with. Sirius does what he can on his own until he runs out of ideas. Exhausted, he slumps down in the chair opposite the sofa and waits for almost an hour, when Regulus begins to give signs of consciousness.                  “ You know, I HAD plans tonight. ”

[regulirex]

Regulus’s eyes opened a crack, but the painful light that met them was wrong. It was dark, it was all dark, other than the creeping green floating above them-

“..S-Sirius?” 

The word was followed by drawn-out, painful coughing, but it was enough. His brother wasn’t there, Sirius had left, why was he here-

Where was here?

Regulus felt his shoulders seize, violently closing in, and he struggled to keep from falling off of the couch. Grass? He had been outside, hadn’t he, so that the bodies could just be left behind? 

Another strangled choke. “..how.?” How could it be real? 

With shaking fingers, Regulus yanked his sleeve up (not even registering the pain when his untrimmed nails scraped the flesh of his arm), and. There it was. It had been real.

Suddenly unable to breathe (was it getting hot in here? But the night had been so cool), he scrambled for his throat, only faltering at the touch of an unfamiliar chain.

Oh. The locket. Yes. 

Regulus remembered. (He also puked again.)

[regulirex]

Closed Prompt || Sempervinctus

@sempervinctus

Regulus stumbled through a dream.

His mother tugged at his wrist, muttering furiously, and raised a hand. He flinched away, but not quickly enough. He had never been fast enough.

His chest ached (and his throat?) with emptiness. His brother...had left? Truly?

Could it really be his fault, like they said?

Another jolt in the shoulder as his mother dragged him along. She had finally stopped screaming at him (at a loss, perhaps, that she had lost her preferred target), but a quick look at his father’s stony face reminded him of what was to come.

They had to ensure the loyalty of at least one child.

The landscape changed, he couldn’t breathe, and Regulus was shoved forward (collapsed), landing hard on his knees. In a blur, he made vows that echoed in his mind (echoed for ages, reverberated, never ending, they drove him INSANE), his arm was taken again, why did his throat hurt so much if it was his arm that was taken, and 

and then he was Marked.

{Kreacher pounded on the door, disgusted at the peeling paint, while his poor Master Regulus knelt on the doorstep. These were his orders, though he was loathe to obey them, especially while his young master was in such a state.

Kreacher cringed as more of the toxic green was coughed onto the door. 

If Master Regulus wanted to see his brother, not his Lord, that was his decision. He knocked again.}

[regulirex]

This probably happened.

Regulus: I'm a Death Eater now, dear brother.

Regulus: I'm too tough to cry.

Sirius:

Sirius: Just today, you were crying about snakes.

Regulus (tearfully): They don't have any arms!

[damnbutcher]

☠ ➳ Black Sails; III.

send one for my muses reaction!

“You’re dripping blood across my floor.” “Whoever tied this bandage was either blind or drunk.” “I told her I would protect her. Did she not believe me?” “I must admit, given how long it’s taken to track him, I had wondered if it was a lost cause.” “I just, well, I was hoping to have you all to myself.” “Well, you all seem rather angry with me. Especially you.” “If I were to write it all down what’s to stop you from killing me right here?” “I have an extremely low tolerance for pain, I’ll say anything to make it stop.” “Well, that’s a few weeks from now, isn’t it? We might be friends by then.” “Wait, we’re moving ahead?” “As I said. You’ll have it.” “You. Come with me.” “I can’t help but notice that you don’t seem to like me very much. Do you mind if I ask why?” “I know this is difficult but I need you to trust me.” “Who the fuck are you kidding?” “Oh, they might save you from the gallows, but they won’t spare you their scorn.” “Think on that while you sit here and pretend that helping me isn’t the only choice you have.” “You know what I find hard to believe? We’ve been on land two days and you still haven’t gotten yourself laid. Now that’s a fucking mystery worth investigating.” “What’s this? You backing out?” “You make me climb those fucking stairs just to see you again and my first order of business will be tossing you and that poxy chair into the fucking ocean.” “Don’t be pleasant with me. I know why you’re here.” “Some risks nowadays, it’s more dangerous not to take ‘em.” “No matter how many lies we tell ourselves or no matter how many stories we convince ourselves we’re part of, we’re all just thieves awaiting a noose.” “After 50 years at sea you’re the only man I’ve ever met that’s gotten dumber with age.” “I want to live. Earning your trust seemed like a good start toward that end.” “He’s got no one left but the misfits. How dangerous can he be?” “That wasn’t a joke, was it?” “They need to yell every now and then. It’s good for their self-esteem.” “Do you really think I’d bring you something like this with just money to offer in return?” “Are you as surprised as I am that I’m the only one here behaving myself?” “What have we been doing here all day if you’re planning on pulling this shit?” “You do understand I had no choice. What you did, it required an answer.” “I’m afraid I’ve become a burden.” “True love shouldn’t require suffering, and you don’t have to take my word for it.” “You move, you die.” “We could have been free.” “He didn’t do this to me. You did.” “So, what now? You here to threaten me?” “To him, we’re all disposable.”

[regulirex]

"I see myself in you." -sempervinctus (angst/creepy starters)

Regulus’s eyebrows furrowed at his brother. Is that…supposed to be an insult? A compliment? Regulus no longer knew his brother well enough to tell the difference.

“What on earth are you talking about? We couldn’t be any more different if we tried. You’ve said so yourself.” He scowled darkly, fully prepared to end the conversation there. (It would not do him well to dwell on these topics.)

[sempervinctus-archive]

“Look, you’ve managed to get fully dressed today instead of parading around the house like a savage…or worse, a muggle. Congratulations.”

His eyes flashed, hot and quick, but it was his smile  that raised more cause for alarm. To Sirius, faking sweetness was as natural as breathing. ❝ Yes, brother, I’ve finally abandoned my old sense of style–    It’s time I adopted the more formal attire that you and Father    prefer, so that I too, can look like a penguin. ❞

[regulirex]

Regulus began to sneer, but he (miraculously) held himself back. A biting smile twisted his face, looking wholly unnatural on his normally gaunt features. “Well, we’re glad you’ve finally come to your senses. It has been horribly awkward for us penguins to have to see you strutting about in practically nothing. I, for one, was starting to think I’d overdressed.” His cheeks beginning to ache, he dropped the smile, letting his face return to his usual (cold, blank, empty) stare. “Good to see I was wrong.”

He was more than familiar with his brother’s wit, his sarcasm. They had learned young the recipe for coating bitterness in honey. Still, Regulus had not been the better of the two of them in that regard.

( Of course, though Regulus had learned mostly from his brother, that knowledge came from watching his jabs, not being targeted with them. )

[regulirex]

☆ hahhahahahahha sempervinctus

(send ☆ for my muse to give yours a compliment)

“Look, you’ve managed to get fully dressed today instead of parading around the house like a savage…or worse, a muggle. Congratulations.”