#covrroucer

[etherdwellers]

@covrroucer

while alive, julian had been a political behemoth, tasked with all manner of important duties. he'd played as hard as he worked, certainly, but was known for strategy as much as escapades. for the most part he'd tried to cultivate an air of finesse.

in death, he played hide and seek.

he didn't want to, but kitty, much like a junior partner in a coalition, had mastered the art of whine. if he and his fellow phantoms hadn't agreed to participate, they'd never hear the end of it—which was how he found himself in the kitchen doorway, holding up a palm to keep a frenchman at bay. a predicament he'd often encountered in life.

"oh, no. think again, mate." julian's voice was a low hiss, though he needn't have bothered. kitty rarely thought to check the area of the house in which a round had begun. "this is a prime strip of hiding steak and i'm not gonna let you spoil my perfect record." well, he hadn't wanted to play. that didn't mean he wasn't now in it to win it.

[kessenyans]

he'd lost track of the days long ago. at first, he'd made a feeble attempt to mark them as they passed - ticks scratched on the wall, any snippet of chatter from the guards eagerly remembered to help keep some sense of the world beyond the thick stone walls... but there was no helping it. soon enough, all sense of time was lost. it was buried under the haze of sickness and suffering around him. the sounds of men in pain. the smell of their festering wounds. he did what he could. tended to them as best he could manage with his own weakening health - with the growing exhaustion and the sense of despair that had become harder and harder to keep at bay...

he thought of caroline amid it all. at first, it had been with longing - the need to see her again keeping him moving almost as much as the men around him in need. but with time, memories of her came with a sense of resignation. he would not see her again - what else could he do but imagine the sound of her voice, sure in the knowledge he'd never hear her make another tease?

all he could do was work. survive. and work some more. hope was slim - but no prisoner would die without his doing his damnedest to prevent it.

it was morning when he heard the heavy clanking of the locks. at least he thought it was morning. outside the door he caught a voice. he'd long since learned every tread and timbre that sounded beyond the crowded, dirty hold. but this was new.... once he might have brought himself to care - to be interested in such a development. but not now. now he could do little more than turn his face to the man, eyeing him with tired impatience. " if you've come to stare, monsieur, you will find little to excite you here. "

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑳 --> @covrroucer

[guttersniper]

@covrroucer

an exhale nudges its way out of mutt's chest, through his nose, crossed legs shifted a little closer to his frame all the same. " what d'you want me to do? "

[dualitytransformation]

@covrroucer asked: "what are you hiding?" intended for jekyll but can be for hyde!

“WHAT…?”

Jekyll’s eyes widened for HALF A SECOND before he managed to regain his composure. If he stayed calm, maybe the other man would get off his back and DROP IT. Feigning a casual demeanor, Jekyll’s gaze softened slightly, though the fear still lingered in his eyes. How did he know?

“You’re asking a very BROAD question,” Jekyll answered, surprising even himself with how cryptic he was being. He reminded himself to take a breath, trying to maintain a sense of calmness. “We all have secrets, DON’T WE? And I don’t feel the need to share mine with you.”

[penvcnens]

@covrroucer said: 🌿 lmao

intolerable. absolutely intolerable. her eyes flashed in annoyance as she realized what was dangling above their heads. in a room full of handsome, thoroughly unobjectionable, thoroughly english young men, she now found herself under the mistletoe with him. a man she could not like, could not respect - could not even flirt with. and the list of men who held that distinction was short indeed... but she was not prepared to back down - to walk away and give him the satisfaction of her open dislike. she would endure much to prove him wrong. so instead, she lifted a sardonic brow and handed her glass off to a passing servant.

" well then, monsieur? will you come claim your prize? " she glanced up at the sprig in the doorway. a smirk appeared on her lips. " i would say you so cunningly planned this - but that seems rather too much to expect of the french... anyway! " she turned her face towards him, leaning down to offer her cheek. " do your worst, my little citizen... "

[dolcesuono]

" with such a welcome as this, who could help but find paris inviting? " there is a glimmer of a tease behind her eyes as she turns to the grim-looking man beside her. it was rare that she had the opportunity to perform beyond the shores of her native england. but when the season contract with the paris opera had presented itself, she jumped at the prestigious opportunity. and if rumblings of political troubles had made their way across the channel, what business was it of hers? still, she had not expected to find such a dour agent of the government at an artists' salon such as this... " are you merely an admirer, sir? or do you dabble in the creative arts yourself? "

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑳 --> @covrroucer

[andprejudice]

@covrroucer said: ❛   I will keep my ill-humour to myself.   ❜

he made a nod of acknowledgement. after all, the sentiment was one he had long-since made his own habit. though, as he had been told on numerous occasions, he was not always successful in his efforts. and if this evening was any indication, his companion similarly struggled - for there were few he suspected would accuse him of appearing to be anything but ill-humored at present... " you need not strain yourself on my account, " he replied dryly. indeed, it was almost a relief to be speaking with someone who appeared to have even less enthusiasm for balls than he did, the peculiarities of his circumstances aside... " i confess i have not yet mastered the art of it myself. "

[songandflame-archived]

“ how long have i been asleep? ”  

@covrroucer || thank you!

She glanced up over her sewing, the tip of her needle finding the pad of her index finger as her attention shifted. With a sigh, she briefly sucked at the blood before discarding her project to the table beside her.

"More or less the whole day."

He was eaten out with fever, and despite his delirious protests, Fantine had somehow managed to get him home with her; she assumed it was an advantage he was so short. Any other man, and she would struggle to get them here.

"You woke up a few times, mumbling mostly in your sleep." She found herself offering a soft, comforting smile. "It's good to see you awake."

Her back arched against the back of the chair she occupied, her legs feeling numb with the vigil she had spent at his bedside. Beside him sat a bowl filled with water and a damp cloth. It seemed to calm him down when she pressed the cloth against his forehead.

"Do you want to sit yourself up and we'll get some food in you, hmm?"