#(ic. illuga)

[museguided]

❝ If anything were to happen to me, I hope the young master will take my collection of stones and puzzles into his care. ❞

(giggling, flins @ illuga for no reason)

"Of course, I would," Illuga answered. The reply was immediate, yet his tone held no lack of feeling as he glanced at Flins' profile. That topic was unfortunately all too common in their line of work, but it usually involved some event leading up to it. Though confused—and a little concerned—Illuga wouldn't allow himself to get too distracted. "They mean a lot to you, right? Although, I'm not sure I'd be able to spin a story like you can."

His arms fell out of their crossed position, rising above his head in a stretch before adjusting his posture. He had hoped to pressure Flins into finishing his latest reports, just so Illuga could do him the favor of delivering them to the Starshyna. But it might have ended up being one of the many excuses he's used over time to keep Flins' company. Not so subtly, he peered over at the page the other was currently writing on, following the smooth script hardly interrupted by their conversation.

"In my case," Illuga murmured, watching as the pen in his hand stilled, "I'll expect you to keep looking out for Dad, and take good care of Aedon, if something happened to me." His gaze slowly traveled up his arm, tilting his head as he examined Flins' expression. It wasn't too long ago that both of them discovered a fear about losing the other, unique in a way others were not. Illuga had hesitated to put a name to it, but he caught himself wondering at times about what went through Flins' mind.

After a beat, he sighed and leaned back heavily against the metal bench. "It's way too early for this kind of talk," he huffed, knocking the back of his hand against Flins' upper arm. "Besides, you're not allowed to keel over until these reports are done."

He shouldn't entertain the thought; they didn't have the luxury to be worried about a potential future. Illuga would keep visiting Flins on his errand runs, until one day he wouldn't be able to. That would be the end of it.

[museguided]

「 HAIR 」 : the sender gently, almost hesitantly, begins to run their fingers through receiver's hair to provide some kind of comfort && grounding.

(again, them. . .)

𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 .

He didn't dream often—or if he did, he couldn't recall. Behind his eyelids, all he ever saw was darkness, tinged by the vibrant flames of the Wild Hunt, and the chaos that would soon follow. He was alone, hearing voices that shifted to screams, but no one could be found.

His body ached with tension, unable to call for his polearm or his lantern. Smoke rose from the ground in tendrils, loosely grasping at his clothes and limbs like small hands. He couldn't move, yet wild eyes still sought out the noise. It could have been someone that needed help, or a corrupted spirit unable to move on. His own scream was caught in his throat as violent streaks of dark light followed up through his veins, creeping toward his chest, his neck, his head.

He felt a touch, gentle and unlike the claws of the Wild Hunt he had expected. A soft hush echoed in his mind, then all went quiet. Illuga stirred, becoming aware of the light behind his eyelids, a dull pain radiating all over his body from the injuries he sustained, and that gentle hand slowly running through sweat-dampened hair.

A deep sigh relieved him of the nightmare's grasp as he turned his head toward the point of contact. Slowly, pieces of recent memory were all coming together—Kipumaki Cliff and a surge of activity from the Wild Hunt. They predicted the outbreak, recognizing patterns now that the main enforcers were no more, and prepared to the best of their ability.

But, to keep the Abyss from encroaching any further than the mountains that encased the far north, the Ratniki had to take the fight to them. On corrupted grounds, where the Wild Hunt was known to mess with their heads and spawn where warriors fell, it was too easy to get lost in the chaos.

Illuga remembered being surrounded in a dark fog, with agonized and distressed voices all around him. Experience told him not to swing his polearm wildly, not until he could differentiate friend from foe. Aedon's cry called for him, guiding him and his weapon forward.

He remembered finally breaking through the fog, all alone and barely able to stand. In place of the unnatural darkness, a pillar of blue flame called out to him. Flins, Flins, Flins. Something must have happened for him to release so much power. Was he all alone out there too? The thought pushed him to move deeper into enemy territory, almost in a daze from the pain, but only allowing himself to collapse once Flins was within reach.

As expected, the hand in his hair attempted to retreat the moment his eyes fluttered open, and Illuga's own hand caught it before Flins could go too far. It took seconds for him to focus properly, noting that the hand he held now supported his own. How long had he been out? What of the mission? How many casualties did they suffer? So many questions, but he couldn't bring himself to ask for a report when Flins was looking at him with a peculiar expression.

"Flins," he whispered, wincing at his own raspy voice. Upon hearing it, Aedon dropped from his perch to land on Illuga's head, preening strands of hair with quiet chirps. Illuga could only imagine how he looked, every restless shift bringing awareness to the bandages and stitching keeping him together. Swallowing and clearing his throat, he tried again. "You're not hurt, are you?"

The image of Flins standing alone amidst the destruction he wrought was seared into his mind. The moment relief softened his features as he returned from the flames to meet him. Illuga couldn't bring himself to think that Flins might have stayed by his side all this time. Not without feeling his heart lurch in his chest once he focused on deciphering the meaning behind it.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his gaze softening as he relaxed against the pillow behind him. "Back there... you looked worried." Illuga focused on their hands, shifting their grip so that his thumb brushed along Flins' knuckles in reassurance. "It's okay now," he gave a breathless laugh, "we both made it back in one piece."

[museguided]

“You know, you keep fretting over everyone else, but you won’t even take a second to relax, yourself.” // lohen to illuga

exhaustion sentence starters

Illuga responded with a small, amused huff. Lohen hadn't been the first to say that, and he likely wouldn't be the last. "When I finish touching base with the Ratniki stationed here, I might consider it."

Unfortunately, Illuga couldn't imagine taking time off for himself any time soon. The thought of attempting to find a hobby for himself even sparked a little dread. But, as long as the Wild Hunt remained active, so would he as a Lightkeeper. As it was, he knew that he had quite the extensive report to write the moment he got back to Piramida.

The Wild Hunt's activities were surging in certain areas, diminishing in others, but a sensible pattern to the outbreaks couldn't be found yet. Requests for more aid would take first priority the moment he returned to headquarters. The Tideseal Stones around Starsand Shoal had also been swarmed by an unusual amount of Exiles, cleared out with the unexpected help of Sir Lohen from the Knights of Favonius.

Although Lohen had decided to accompany him after that, Illuga was beginning to suspect that running errands all day wasn't what he had in mind.

There were just a few more locations he wanted to check in on. Leafing through the reports he already collected, Illuga lifted his gaze to the knight by his side. "But I don't mind the work," he added. "At the end of the day, it's reassuring to know that everyone is doing okay. That's good enough for me."

[museguided]

「  REUNION  」  :  for  our  muses  to  find  each  other  in  the  middle  of  a  [  battlefield  /  warzone  /  specify  ]  only  to  find  one  of  our  muses  has  been  badly  injured.

Flins & Illuga <3

𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 .

The flash of lightning amidst a sea of flames was a sight to behold. A beacon of hope, much like the lanterns that willed away the deceptive fog of the Wild Hunt. Illuga sucked in a breath, a sharp pain digging deep around his ribs. Still, he held his polearm steady in both hands, deflecting the vile grasp of an infected corpse before following into a riposte. The ruined garb of a Lightkeeper caught his eye, an ache in his heart even as he drove the spear straight through, watching the spirit crumble to dust.

He could see a Wilderness Hunter, shoving its way through the abyssal rift that formed without warning. One among several that had suddenly torn throughout Kipumaki Cliff. Even with the Professor gone, the area still suffered corruption and corrosion. Its bloody history kept plenty of corpses and wayward spirits for the Abyss to claim.

Illuga wouldn't allow his spear to touch the ground, breathing heavy as he steadied himself. He couldn't underestimate the place that took so many lives, but he didn't expect such an outbreak on a routine patrol. An injury Rollon received made him unable to fight on his own, reluctantly following the order from his squad leader to retreat, if only to gather back up while Illuga held his ground for as long as he could.

He worried over the camp, knowing he couldn't cover all the rifts that appeared on his own. Several other Lightkeepers were scattered across the plains and he had no way of knowing how they fared. They could very well lose the campgrounds to the Wild Hunt yet again, setting back years of progress if they broke through the lines. He couldn't allow that to happen; he would uphold the oath he swore to when he became a Lightkeeper in the first place.

Our bones and blood we shall use as fuel, we shall make life greater than death.

He couldn't bring himself to flee this place yet again and face the graves of Ratniki he failed to protect.

The miasma from the Abyss rolled in thick, flooding his airways and sticking to his lungs, as Exiles meandered toward him. The Hunter wasn't far behind. A harsh cough wracked his frame, spitting out the blood that coated his mouth, before he gritted his bloodied teeth and ran forth.

A heavy strike took down one of the Exiles, adjusting to swing into the next. Another teleported before he could make contact, a searing pain tearing through his back as he tried to regain his balance. Illuga lost focus, polearm stabbing into the ground as his body stumbled into it. Blearily, he watched the Hunter raise its axe, unable to expend the energy even to brace himself.

A blinding streak of Electro shot past him, striking the Hunter with a small explosion of elemental energy. Illuga stumbled to his knees, breath rattling in his lungs as he rubbed his eyes into his sleeve. When he looked up, he followed a line of dark cloth up to a lantern, glowing bright with a peculiar blue flame.

Relief twined with his worries. Reinforcements have arrived, their echoing cries pushing Illuga to stand once again. He refrained from curling in on himself, pain radiating from his chest, and adjusted the grip on his polearm. But Flins could see right through him, from the injuries he suffered down to the misery clouding his mind.

"I won't fall back," Illuga interjected before the other could speak. It was beyond reckless, he knew, but there was too much at stake. "At the very least, I need to ensure that the rest of my squad make it out alive. Until then, please, lend me your strength and let me fight alongside you!"

[museguided]

❝ do you like it here? ❞

Again, from Flins for Illuga 🥹💕

for muses that are getting to know each other

"I could ask you the same thing." Illuga tilted his head with a knowing smile. He understood the question; Final Night Cemetery was a ways away from any civilization, with the looming shadow of the Experimental Design Bureau and a few gravestones to keep him company. The sun couldn't break through the clouds and dense fog—only the recently repaired lighthouse, bright and warm even from Piramida, offered any reassurance to anyone visiting the lonely isle.

"But I do. It might be unusual for others to visit a cemetery full of people they don't know, but these people were our comrades—family." Plus, it was where Flins chose to live. He wasn't unnerved at all.

Breaking a piece of flatbread from today's supply run, Illuga held it out to the puffins that lingered. But it seemed his affinity with Aedon didn't extend to the local wildlife. Tossing the pieces further away for the birds to enjoy, he stood from a crouch and turned to the Ratnik.

"Even if I say that, Sir Flins, do you ever get lonely?" He recalled something Nikita mentioned in passing, though Illuga was unsure if he should have taken it seriously at the time. "The old man said I should start looking for a dog to bring back here next time I visit."

[museguided]

❝ you have a nice smile, has anyone ever told you that before? ❞

From Flins for Illuga (they own my heart!!!)

for muses that are getting to know each other

Illuga considered himself familiar with Flins' flattery. Or rather, he knew how to read through it when the taller Ratnik attempted to make light of a situation. But the sweet talk usually involved an overly optimistic judgment of character. Not once has he heard him compliment someone's features.

As such, he almost choked on his mead. Some of the Lightkeepers around them caught on and thumped on his back with hearty laughter. Illuga hurriedly waved them away and they returned to their card game, seemingly unaware of what was said. Clearing his throat, he wrapped both hands around the tankard and slid his gaze back to Flins. He hadn't bothered concealing his amusement, causing Illuga to frown.

"I... you..." Mission accomplished; between the alcohol and the compliment, he forgot what they were talking about.

Sighing, he decided to let it go. There would be other chances. Flins was a rare sight in Piramida, so convincing him to stay and share a drink before he headed on his way was enough. "You might have been the first to say it to my face, Mr. Flins."

[museguided]

"Another uneventful patrol. The old man's going to love hearing about nothing a second time."

Illuga's sigh dispersed into fog, the temperature dipping low as the sun began its descent. Perched comfortably on a boulder, he watched the radiant beasts as they grazed the fields in the dying light. He should be counting his blessings; this land once ravaged by the Abyss still managed to recover and sustain life. While running into treasure hoarders or the Fatui was an inconvenience, Illuga would take the headache over the devastation of the Wild Hunt any day.

For now, it was peaceful. But once night fell, the shadows could grow teeth and claws. He ought to return to camp soon.

A few meters in front of him, a mandragora skipped through the tall grass, harassed by a mischievous bird on its tail. Aedon trilled as he circled the creature, causing it to spin and fall over. The mandragora released a burst of kuuvahki in its panic and Illuga laughed as the nightingale sung. Leaning back to rest his weight on his hands, he tilted his head to watch the glowing bird soar higher to streak across the sky.

"Alright. A few more minutes won't make anyone worry."