#- queue vadis

[haden-and-daughter-blog]

Con’t from this with @mangledmenagerie

mangledmenagerie‌:

It was one of those moments when a bad memory had surfaced one that set Michelle to brooding, a cloud of gloom descending swiftly. She had sought out Ariadne only to just sit quietly before finally asking for happy thoughts.

“Those sound very nice.” Michelle sighed, “I like a good storm.” 

“Mh-mh, me too, but only if I’m not under it....But watching the elements run riot is delightful when you’re safe inside...” Ariadne smiled. Her friend didn’t look pretty happy, but she knew better than to ask - she wasn’t a counsellor, but she knew that, eventually, if someone wanted to talk, they will. You didn’t need to ask them. And her new work, at the head of the funeral home, had confirmed such idea. “Do you want some tea, Michelle ?”

[haden-and-daughter-blog]

mangledmenagerie‌:

“I came in through the front door like a normal person would,” Victor shrugged, “I knocked,” Not very hard if he was honest, “It was unlocked, you should really keep it locked in Gotham.” He had politely waited a whole five minutes at the door once he had entered, then curiosity motivated him to wander about… 

“It smelled good and I’m hungry.” 

“....I did lock the door. But maybe Magnus went out and forgot about it, that’s another possibility.” She shrugged. She knew the older man liked going for a walk sometimes to clear his mind - something they had in common - but never really thought about him locking or not the door. Even if the hitman had a good point, considering this was Gotham.

Ariadne stared at him for a few seconds when he mentioned that he was hungry. That..Was weird. But then again, far better than what she had expected from having a hitman in the house. “...I see, thank you....Take a seat, then. I was going to serve myself a bowl...Parmiggiano is in the fridge, next to the larvae’s boxes...” As much as the situation was weird and even a tad creepy, it was probably better than getting killed. Or eating in front of her thesis. And thus, with a smile, she reached for a second bowl and another spoon and placed them in front of Zsasz.

[haden-and-daughter-blog]

thexgoodman‌:

[Text: Unknown] Crap I am so sorry..

[Text: Unknown] I was on a real roll.

[Text: Unknown] I’m fine just messed up mu life again. Nothing new sadly.

[Text: Unknown] Sorry I bothered you.

[Text To : Unknown] No no, no worries, we were all there at least once...Well, not me, but it’s because I put my heart in a jar of alcohol on my desk. [Text To : Unknown] Sorry, weird funeral humor. [Text To : Unknown] But huh, if it’s a couple fight, maybe you could try going at his home with said alcohol to apologize ? [Text To : Unknown] Because there’s a chance he may have shut his phone off, or no more battery, you know ? [Text To : Unknown] And it’s alright, I was bored and couldn’t sleep. This is more interesting.

[ariadne-inthesky]

“  i’m starting to think i’m just fucked up.  ”  

She handed him his mug of tea as he sat there, in a mess of broken furniture, before sitting next to him, her own mug in hand.“Considering what you went through...Well, it wouldn’t be surprising, but it isn’t....It isn’t a fatality.”She ought to know, right ? After what Ariadne had been through - and was still going through. She was hiding here, hoping to find some peace as she gave a whole maintenance to the Explorer in his no-fly dock, after her father’s death. But his presence and the danger he represented were still there, looming in a corner of her mind.

“Healing....Take times. And there is numerous failures and back-stepping ahead. Don’t punish yourself for slipping out... Even if it’s easier said than done.”Still, those were words and words, well....They didn’t always helped. She squeezed the Zabrak’s shoulder with a little smile, trying to bring him a little more comfort in this troubled time. It was never easy, to recover from abuse - whatever the form it took.

[ariadne-inthesky]

“ i love you. “

“ What did you.....Oh.....”At first she thought it was an hallucination. That her mind had filled in that perfect moment with one little detail that would meant the world to her. Then Ariadne thought she had misheard what Maul had said. Then, it finally dawned on her, like a four-tons durasteel ingot.It wasn’t said when one was dying in the other’s arms. It wasn’t said after a terribly dramatical moment, filled with emotions. It wasn’t said as a goodbye.Those three words were said clearly as dusk fell around them like paint onto a canevas. It was said in privacy, while lounging in the atrium-patio of her summer house, after a day of doing basically nothing serious but sleep, snack, nap, and Ariadne and Ava playing in the swimming pool while Maul read his holopad. Nothing, but the quaint normality of home life. And considering neither Ariadne nor Maul could be deemed as “normal” to society’s standards, well. That was a thing.

And so, after a full rainbow of emotions had finally passed on her mind and face, Ariadne snuggled closer, her holobook left aside as she planted a quick kiss on the crimelord’s lips with a bright, happy smile.“I love you too, darling....”

[ariadne-inthesky]

“  everyone leaves, eventually. either they move on or they die. they leave and i’m left behind.  ”

“I know....I know perfectly well what you mean...”Didn’t her father died ? Her mother left her to her abuser ? Of course, Ariadne knew that, in her case, they didn’t have a choice. Heck, she even helped her father dying. But the results where the same, weren’t they ? They left and she stood behind. Alone, with her regrets and remorses and loneliness.Like Maul. Even his own Master abandoned him, for a new, shinier apprentice. And let’s not talk about his mother, brothers, people...All dead. And the rest, the ones he never spoke about.They were all alone.

“....That’s why I stayed. We only have each other, don’t we ?....”They had found each other back a few weeks ago, and a few fights of epic dimensions had littered those few weeks. The biggest, and last one ending in that ultimatum : you can leave if you want.And yet.Ariadne didn’t leave. Why ? Because in the end, she only had him. An imperfect relationship was better than none at all, isn’t it ? And now that ashes were cooling down, she sat there, on the couch. Feeling...Empty. Drained. Quieter, too, than usual. They only had each other.

[ariadne-inthesky]

“  i wish i knew how to talk about it.  ”  

“There’s no easy way to talk about what you went through....”She ought to know. Maul only guessed what happened to her by putting clues one by one - and she did the same with him. How could mere words convey all the horrible things they went through ? How did you explain it to someone else without looking like a loon ? No, Ariadne knew. What he meant. What it felt like. What it was. She understood it too well. That was why, maybe, they got along so well.

“.... But I’m here. And it’ll take you the time it needs, but I’ll be here, dear...”Ariadne put the cup back where it couldn’t be inadvertently knocked, her other hand still holding Maul’s hand, thumb brushing against the calloused skin. She knew and she would be here when he needed - and even when he thought he didn’t need her. Because she knew.

[ariadne-inthesky]

“ wow … your smile is breathtaking. “

Avéana was not a difficult child, far from it. Of course, she had nocturnal terrors and vivid nightmares - probably more than others, considering her first six years of live. But all in one, she was an easy child. Unless sick - and, again, that was perfectly understandable, fever and lack of sleep caused by a sever bout of bronchitis weren’t easy to live as an adult, but as a child ? It was hell. And so, for the past few days, Ava had been...Clingy. Whiny. Unlike her usual self, despite her mother best efforts - and a nagging fear had started to take roots in Ariadne’s heart.And so, that night, the woman sat on a lounging chair, the little girl wrapped in a blanket against her, as she rocked Ava to sleep. That position was the only one who seemed to relieve the little Pantoran girl of her coughing fit and labored breathing, so Ariadne indulged her. Nimble fingers gently detangling the black hair as she sung an old song to her ear. And Ava had fallen asleep, to her mother’s delight.That was how Maul found them, almost sneakily entering the room.Ariadne didn’t expect him to come back so early. And she really didn’t expect to hear those words, whispered almost with reverence, as he stood there.Still, she blushed the same, her smile widening and a twinkle in her eyes as she whispered her answer.“...Thanks...It’s good to have you back...”