#cagedfirebird

[askens-konge]

𝐎' 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑! As the holy decreed would have it, the true face of the Divine was forbidden to picture, but in his mind, Divinity was wearing Her face. The face he seldom looked at. She was the altar on which he would pray and cut himself open to be reborn. How merciful She was to accept this sinner and thus, he sank to his knees in front of the woman and gazed at Her hands in anticipation. " I have returned to your side. " Holy. Holy. It echoed in his ears and he placed his head on Her lap. For Her, he would burn down the world and rebuild it from its ashes to Her design; making it as holy as Her.

His tainted hands did not deserve to carry it out, he knew, but She allowed him to do so regardless. For this, Barnabas would be grateful for all eternity. " Save me from my sins. Show me salvation, mother, " he prayed to Her, closing his eyes so he could see Her face in his mind, for he did not dare to sully Her image with his gaze. His prayer was false. One should not pray to Her, but to their Lord. Did She know he sinned more than he ever told Her? Punished are those who would have another god before the Lord, he told himself in silence, and yet could not help himself but revere the woman who had brought him to this world more than their Lord.

@cagedfirebird

[ofengineers]

@cagedfirebird reacted: i hate that id genuinely like to do this as a small interaction now. please bite him.

Mid's tummy has been is such a bad state since last night. She even tried to fall asleep into Cid's bed instead of hers, but nothing was working. She feels like she's about to vomit. So when Barnabas pushes her food in front of her like nothing happened, like she's in her normal state, without hesitation and without a warning, she bites his hand.

"I don't want this soup. I will vomit," she replies with a pout, frowning at Uncle Barnie.

[flameblessed]

@cagedfirebird (Cid)

The town of Northreach was in an uproar. Many people poured out of Oriflame after the Mother Crystal was destroyed. Despite knowing it was unlikely, Clive constantly worried somehow they would be discovered in the Veil. He had asked Jill and Torgal to return to the Hideaway right after, only for them to find it in ruins. Everything had been falling apart. And though he had managed to stop Cid's bleeding that day, it still wasn't certain he would survive. With everyone scattered, he couldn't even guess when or if Tarja could come to help them. Not when she was dealing with the injured from when Titan attacked the Hideaway. He had been in contact with Jill, leaving to help but always returning in case. In case Cid woke up or... He didn't even want to think about it.

How cruel the world was. Just as he had found somewhere to belong, it had gone up in smoke. He and Jill were doing their best, but neither of them knew how to be much other than slaves anymore.

It was late at night and Clive was sleeping on the floor of Cid's room. He was a light sleeper and would be able to hear if he seemed to be in pain. Obviously, he would be if he woke or worsened. Jill had come by earlier to give updates and check on him. Torgal at her side. He was thankful the hound could protect her, at least.

It had been a hectic day, so it was no surprise that he managed to doze off. Then, he heard movement. He quickly sat up with a gasp. Looking up at the bed, he could see that Cid was moving. Fear gripped Clive's heart and he hurried to his feet and then sat on the side of the bed.

"It's okay." His tone is soothing and soft. It wasn't entirely uncommon for the wounded man to move in his sleep. "Don't tear your stitches, okay? Please be still." He grabbed his hand, giving it a small squeeze to offer comfort.

He doesn't expect that this may be Cid finally waking up. There is a part of him that doubts he ever will. But he would not give up on the man that saved him... The man who believed in him. Not until he was cold and dead.

[ruiination]

"Um, Jill, this feels a little.. targeted." Clive's face may be more red than her top at this current moment.

"What do you mean?" @cagedfirebird

[ruiination]

@cagedfirebird

"May I braid your hair?"She asked with a small smile. Clive's dark hair was beautiful and Jill often found herself admiring the thickness and color of it. She had been afraid to ask for some time. Considering the offer and tossing it aside due to her own embarrassment.

"I would love to brush it, mayhap. I will be gentle." She hoped that if Clive did allow it, it could offer her some peace. Not to mention the hair tie she had been trying to stitch for her. Jill wanted to reconnect with needlework.

[ruiination]

@cagedfirebird

There was a time in which their nations had crossed swords. It mattered little to her. After all, Rosaria had fallen to the empire. It was not her place to worry about the past when the future held so much potential.

It took some time for her to pick a good place to meet. Settling on Kanvar for their supposed neutrality. She did not want to venture into an area far away from the empire or at war with them, after all. She would not put herself to the mercy of Barnabas Tharmr. She was fairly certain there was none of that in him.

She had tea prepared for them. Not that she knew if the savages in Waloed even enjoyed such. Still, she would be a good host no matter who visited. Such a deal could be important, as the king had been trying to purchase what she had for quite some time. Why, she could not fathom. Still, due to recent events, this way be the only way to have her so-called son be of any use.

"Greetings." She leaves off any titles. She would butter him up if she had to, but she refused to look weak in front of the king. She does gaze at him with curiosity. So it is true. He looks rather young considering how long he has sat upon the throne. Her face shows only a soft smile, however. Just like a woman's should.

"Thank you for making haste. I suspect you have more pressing concerns than this purchase." She was curious why he was so keen to buy her son. "I can say, I was fairly surprised by the offers you made. Is Waloed strapped for capable soldiers? I hear your side usually suffers no losses." She takes a sip of her tea. "Or is there a different use for him?"

[creatrix-mea-archive]

" 𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐃. 𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃, " Anabella patted on the empty space next to her on the bench, waiting for her daughter to sit down next to her. Even though the matter should have been easy, the mother did not quite know how to start the conversation; a conversation she should have had earlier in the young woman's life. With both her and her father. Anabella had stalled the moment for years due to her absence in the lives of both her children and the husband of her heart, and now feared it was too late for Astrid to find a suitable match.

With five and twenty years, her first youthful bloom was already over, despite her lasting beauty. " Has your father talked to you about the matter of succession and the duties of the royal family, " she inquired. But something told her that Barnabas had not done so, for he did not strike her as the sort of man who would put value into those rather worldly concerns. " And your future? " Under normal circumstances, it would have been the mother's duty to prepare her children for finding the right match and the following marriage, however, since when had their circumstances been normal?

@cagedfirebird

[creatrix-mea-archive]

The woman's prayer beads felt warm pressed against the wrists of the King. Pearls digging into skin and the metal of the cross warmer yet against him. Perhaps they too were blessed by the Phoenix, or it was merely the heat of the woman's palms that warmed them. Try as he may to remain focused upon his prayers to Ultima for Paradise, he found himself distracted by the need to pray to Anabella instead. To whisper prayers against her skin, breath warm upon her flesh. To him, Anabella was a holy thing, something to revere. "My beloved, what need have you of me?" Ever was he her loyal servant, and ever would he worship her.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍? And who made her heart and soul sing louder than a man of devotion, she wondered to herself, while she had watched her husband pray in front of the little shrine for his god. The silent prayers that had fallen from his lips had been meant for him and his deity alone, yet she could not help but inching closer with her own prayer beads in her hands. Perhaps it was the jealousy of a rivalling divine that brought her to contend for his attention, when Anabella started to wrap the pearls around his wrists and gently tug at them to make him turn toward her and away from the shrine.

" Pray to me, " she whispered, leaning in for a kiss she did not grant him. Her breath merely touched his lips before she tugged at the beads once more to move him downward until his lips hovered against her neck. " Entrust your thoughts with me and pray I will heed them. " Worship me, Anabella added in her mind yet did not dare to tell him, for what she was doing was already heresy enough, was it not? Her lips parted in a quiet sigh at the touch of his cool lips against her heated skin, and she tilted her head to the side, to give him access to the crook and her collarbone.

Did his god watch? Did he watch how she was stealing his disciple right in front of his very shrine and tempted him into sin? After all, worshipping another god was often punished by the divine with death and worse, Anabella knew. The thought of gaining Barnabas' attention at such a sacred hour let her heartbeat quicken; soft red patches freckled her chest as the thought arose of making him push up her skirts for him to continue his worship.

@cagedfirebird