#gutterblade

[noxianwilled]

looms menacingly behind katarina. he's looking directly at darius.

— @gutterblade (and @noxfortid)

"Tal, stop trying to pick fights you can't win."

[matrilinear]

✒️ tell me about her kids

SOURCE • @gutterblade & @noxianwill.

I'll start with TALON because he is the odd one out.

Soreana's attitude towards Talon has been mostly neutral. I don't think she's ever been openly hostile towards him barring some passive-aggressiveness. Even that wasn't meant for him but rather Marcus; when he wasn't present, Talon would become the primary target. He was the stray Marcus adopted without her consent and as a replacement for Katarina; that's two strikes against him.

Besides that, Talon remains an outsider who, per Soreana's opinion, never really tried to assimilate into their family. He wasn't acting like a son nor an apprentice but rather something in between—other times he just was, much like furniture. Except furniture ordinarily isn't equipped to kill.

She never trusted him, never considered him as a son. He was too much of a lapdog to earn her respect and too socially inept to be converted into a pawn after Marcus' disappearance. With him gone, Talon's allegiance isn't as strong as she'd like it to be.

She also finds it contemptible that he got to enjoy freedoms her daughters have been denied. None of the duties and all of the pleasures of the highborn lifestyle make for an aimless, ungrateful adoptee, which is what he is to her.

Finally, she still allows him to sleep in their house, presumably in her vicinity, so she's not ready to let go of him. Is it some latent desire to connect spurred on by her own loneliness or a desperate ploy to recruit him for his investigative skills?

KATARINA has always been a handful.

She might've inherited her father's bright locks, but the mercurial temperament is all Soreana. One of the main reasons they couldn't fully connect is they're too much alike. Granted, Soreana mellowed with age and with the help of her education. She would've liked the same for Katarina, she just wasn't receptive. To this day she regrets having not forced her into it even if she did blossom under her father's tutelage.

Not only does Katarina remind her of her young uneducated self; she also spurs on feelings Soreana believed she had abandoned long ago. Family members and housekeepers alike can confirm no one could make Soreana go red in the face like her own daughter could. A woman who thought she had risen above her own weakness undone so easily by something so trivial as a child's outburst. Oft times she would look back on their arguments and feel embarrassed. What would you do?

Soreana avoided her, said her place was by Marcus' side given her listlessness and talent for acrobatics; both being Soreana's inheritance. It was a mistake on her part as it yawned a rift between them. Had she looked to their similarities as strengths and used them to build rapport, their relationship would've been the closest out of all of the children.

As with most firstborn children, Katarina marked many firsts. They could've done better by her. Soreana is too arrogant to admit this. She is also too arrogant to admit she is very proud of Katarina. She is a self-made woman for the most part even if she is playing for the wrong team. Soreana wanted to play a part in both of her children's achievements, partially because that would have bred a sense of gratitude, of indebtedness towards her that could be used later—alas.

There may be a point when she will be made to face the same dilemma again. At this point, I think she would choose differently.

For CASSIOPEIA, I wrote a little in-character thing once. 

Cassiopeia is the favorite. She was closest to her mother, they spent a great deal of time together, and most prominently, she cared for her when she was ailing. There's something to be said about the people who remain at your side when you are at your most vulnerable. It's easy to idealize them, to regard them as saints or as your personal saviors.

To her, she was faultless. The perfect child. This is one of the reasons her disappearance hit her harder than Marcus'. She was simultaneously her savior, her apprentice, her victim, and her little girl. That's too many roles to tack onto anyone. Given time, Cassiopeia might've been able to use this to her advantage.

From Soreana's perspective, she is solely to blame for what happened to her. She should've prepared her better, should've foreseen the ill that befell her in that tomb. It was supposed to be Cassiopeia's test but if a pupil so bright failed it then the blame falls on the tutor.

Were she to find her in her current state, she would support her in any way she could. Soreana is actively searching for her, too stubborn to give her up. If she is successful, she will consider it as her redemption from both Cassiopeia and Marcus' loss.

[noxianwilled]

❛ i’ve never had anything good happen to me when i trusted others. ❜

always accepting memes!

— @gutterblade

"No? I thought you considered family something good," The comparison is unfair in light of their discussion. Katarina raises a brow, emerald eyes upon her brother, the challenge for him to deny it obvious. Trust had not been a requirement when he was first brought to them (father could have killed him easily if he wished to, and he could just as easily have harmed Talon in the streets if he desired to do him any harm; the boy had no reason to fear that, after their confrontation). Yet it was a necessary thing for him to be accepted as one of their own; for them to become brother and sister as they now were. Without the ties of blood, there would have been no family of him in the Du Couteaus were it not for trust.

One of her knees serves as support for her arm, the leg pressed against her chest; the other dangles in the roof's edge. Turning away from him, Katarina gazes at the city below, familiar and beloved in equal measure. The last few months she had often been traveling, taking one job after the other; not only to sustain herself, but to keep occupied. She hated staying still — but she missed home, after a while.

"You trusted father," she pushes further, as if to say it is the same thing (purposefully ignoring her own desire to accuse that of being a mistake). Swain was not her father, though he had been the one to offer her a hand when even Marcus Du Couteau did not. He had not made her what she was, but he allowed her to prove herself when none else would. Katarina knew as much of the name she made for herself was her own merit, she would not have gotten so far without Swain. "I trust the Grand General. He could have made himself emperor, but he didn't. He could have just replaced Darkwill, kept things the same, but that's not what he's doing."

Red hair pushed over her shoulders, she shrugged. "I think he's worth following — that he wants what's best for Noxus. And I don't know why you take so much issue with that, Talon."

[noxianwilled]

🧍‍♂️ 'your dad sucks.'

— @gutterblade

the biological one? yes absolutely he's the worst

[ionianwanderer]

Cont. from here | @gutterblade

“Oka-” Yasuo could barely get his reply out before their lips crashed back together, his eyes slipping shut once more. He could deal with the callousness, the lack of riveting conversation (he’s thankful for that one), and the methodical way Talon goes about his work. But this? This was definitely not something he had in mind when he agreed to the job and he definitely isn’t complaining. And turns out being told to ‘shut the fuck up’ wound him up more than he thought it would. His grip along the assassin’s hips tightened all the while kissing him back with a reignited fervor and leaving Yasuo almost breathless at the same time.

How one thing led to another had blindsided the ronin. Yasuo wasn’t a stranger at all to a quick lay, rather, he’d usually be the one to begin that song and dance; it just so happened that he wasn’t the orchestrator this time. So, trying to be the voice of reason here despite the lingering buzz of liquor in his system and definitely not realizing how perfectly Talon sits on his thighs was not doing him any favors here. 

Every little shift of his weight sends a shock through Yasuo and only stoked the fire burning within him, trying to grind his hips up against Talon’s to chase more of it. It’s clear to him he wasn’t the one leading here, and for once, he would relinquish the reins if it made it easier for them. A corner of his lip twitches up at the thought of being practically growled at again. Maybe he does push a bit; with practiced motion Yasuo rolls the two of them over on the scratchy sheets of the inn’s bedding and breaks apart their lips once more with a small gasp.

Yasuo watches the other man briefly, hazel eyes searching for any hint of discomfort. He doesn’t give himself the grace to ask all the questions he usually would, figuring he’ll at least be given orders, considering... Instead coming back down to kiss Talon again hard, one hand shifting to brace himself against the bed while the other stayed firmly on his hip.

[esreal]

plots please!

i. five broken blades, by des & R / this one we've already talked about before but this is just me developing it a lil more... tl;dr, i think he's done something to piss off ambessa on a prior visit, or some semi - important noxian war general, & he's just spooked enough by the political plights of noxus to want a little extra protection. someone who also works in the shadows, so he can do what he needs to do while knowing that he doesn't have to be alone . . . all of the time! maybe even out the playing field a little? lmao. after the effective dismantling of the du couteau household as they know it, talon's an ( expensive, very hard to find ) merc for hire, but one nevertheless. if anyone's persistent enough & has scraped together enough coin for about a months time together - though, he's hoping his good looks & charming personality may give him a bit of extra time on the house - it's ezreal! anyway maybe he's looking to get a little cozy with the black rose, on the request of a certain medarda / few researchers at the university that have caught wind of it. point is, he's in the capitol & it sucks! in the capitol!

ii. i can't believe ezreal is FUCKING DEAD! / "dude, like whats your problem???" - ezreal probably, upon having talon try to assassinate him. "wrong guy. oops" - talon, we've also talked about this but im bringing it back to say... this is sorta funny. i think the very least talon can do is buy ezreal dinner, or something, or at least stand to talk with ezreal for a couple minutes as he tries to digest being wall jumped onto and held a blade to his throat - at.

iii. i. except this time its Black Rose, / this skin really does make me consider the Implications. i guess its pretty canon that the members of the black rose watch him, " Greetings, Jarro Lightfeather. We cordially invite you to the Silken Danse. Word of your heroism has reached the halls of Noxian nobility, and we are keen to meet you. We operate in the same manner, working beyond regional lines. You've much to learn about us, and we've much to learn about you, Lightfeather… Or, shall we be forthright, Ezreal? –Lady Elise " so i think its totally valid to be a little alarmed - besides, the Silken Danse is a ball, of course. does it not make sense to bring a plus one?

amenities include: watching your new boss / person to protect sit in front of the mirror and do their hair all nice, checking drinks for poison, being the scary dog in a silly mask as your person schmoozes at an event you dont want to be at. (oh well, at least he keeps bringing back finger food whenever he reconvenes with you.

theres a lot of people in noxus that dont quite like what ezreal has to do there. :)c

[yanlei]

❛ i had it under control. you didn’t need to do that. ❜

» — ⌜ 𝑰𝑪 𝑨𝑺𝑲𝑺 &. 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺.⌟

— @gutterblade

A scoff is the first reply the younger assassin receives, cold metal and gleaming red eyes concealing any expression the 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 may have shown. The boy's own attempt at hiding his features is crude, he thinks, face only half obscured by the hood — and his blades, dark steel shaped with due refinement, denounce his origin more immediately than his speech. 𝑵𝑶𝑿𝑰𝑨𝑵.

Lucky for him Zed doesn't immediately kill any lost noxian boys he comes across.

❝ Maybe — or maybe the moment that necromancer finished saying those words you'd have a far bigger problem to contend with and the Brotherhood would have ended you. ❞ Spoken casually, though he does not sheathe his blades just yet. Giving a chance was, after all, a far cry from leaving himself open to someone who may as well prove a bigger threat than he seems.

There's something familiar about the boy, and Zed tries to remember if they ever met before. If they have, the memory eludes him but for the distant, shapeless feeling of recognition. He decides it'll come to him in time, if it's important at all. ❝ A 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑲 𝒀𝑶𝑼 wouldn't go amiss, ❞

❝ But I'd rather know what's your business in Ionia, noxian. Especially in Yanlei territory. ❞

[noxianwilled]

Is she avoiding him? Maybe. Their relationship has become strained in recent months, but Talon is not easily deterred. He first pushes a dagger under the floor — one he thinks she'd like the craftsmanship of — and then a flask, full to the brim and ready for sharing, if she desires.

— @gutterblade

It's only partially his fault she's acting so sullen towards him. If one were to carefully retrace the events that led to this latest spat, most of the blame would lay with father instead — but she does little to alleviate Talon from what he feels is his deserved portion of the blame.

She doesn't want to make it worse, yet neither does she want to make amends. And so Katarina takes to avoidance, careful not to cross her brother's path. In the months between their spat, Katarina offers him only cold distance, the fiery anger of the initial fight becoming icy stubbornness, even if, deep down, she hates that they're fighting at all.

Her siblings were, for the most part, the closest friends she had. And with Talon, it's particularly different (special the right word, perhaps, though Katarina hesitates to use it). He understands. They are the same, in many ways; even if in others they couldn't be more different. He knows her better than anyone, she thinks, and it's a curse when they're fighting like this.

Nevertheless, it wouldn't be Katarina if she gave in, not when she felt she had been in the right. It falls to her brother to reach out first (she knows it's him, from the almost-silent footsteps in his approach), bearing peace offerings. The dagger catches her eye first, and she almost wants to insist on pretending she had not even seen it; yet even as she lets out an annoyed huff and a muttered low blow, Katarina goes towards the door to pick it up.

The weapon is exquisitely crafted, fine steel that feels just right in her grip, so well balanced she's tempted to make a throw simply to test it. She glances at the second offering, hesitating once more before accepting it — and opening the door right after, despite a hint of irritation mixing with her surrender. "Fine, Talon, come in."