#kindledgrace

[phantasiiae]

@kindledgrace

"Hello, Joshua. Have you thought about my proposal?"

Dion doesn't mean to sound so formal, but all these meetings and debates and arguments with the local aristocracy have his head spinning. He realizes that he probably should've given himself more time to heal before returning to take his place as emperor, but Sanbreque was leaderless, a power vacuum quickly overtaking any sensible thought. It's hard, some days feeling near impossible, but he gets through it. One day at a time. That's all he can do.

Still, he smiles a little, pushing himself off his throne and heavily leaning against his cane for a moment before limping his way over to meet Joshua. "I understand if you don't want Rosaria, but it is yours by right. I cannot imagine her in better hands." As he says this, he takes one of Joshua's hands into his own, lifting it to press a kiss to the knuckles. "If you wish to be Archduke, then it is yours. We can rebuild it together."

[phantasiiae]

dancing for the first time {Clive for Jill - maybe them learning how to dance when they were younger 🥹}

First touch prompts || Accepting

Jill feels a little awkward. Anabella, despite her obvious dislike towards Jill and her family, for some reason still feels obligated to teach her the proper ways of court. She doesn't know why. Part of her thinks that maybe the duchess is planning on marrying her off as soon as the opportunity presents itself. The thought settles in the back of Jill's mind and leaves a bitter taste on her tongue, but she won't be mad at any chance she gets to be close to Clive.

They awkwardly clasp hands, stepping back and forth as Anabella harshly corrects them every now and then. She huffs, obviously frustrated, looking up at Clive with a frown. “Why is she so mean?” she mutters, sticking her tongue out a little. “I feel like I have two left feet.”

@forgedinruin

[phantasiiae]

I do not tolerate a world emptied of you. I have tried. {for dion}

Deathless || Accepting

Dion smiles sadly, his thumb absently brushing across Joshua's knuckles. The night has a sharp chill to it, colder than Dion ever remembers it being. There used to be stars, but the clouds that cover the sky have blotted them all out. The moon tries to peek through, and it does, to an extent, but the only light that truly can be seen comes from the lanterns dotted throughout the Hideaway. They sit there on the docks, Dion watching the waves lap against the wood, and he sighs.

"I can say the same. Without you, the world seems...darker. Less vibrant. Your absence felt so stark and heavy that I had just learned to live with it. Grief is...you don't ever truly move on. I had simply grown around it." He holds Joshua's hand a little tighter, finally looking up to meet his gaze. "Whatever happens now, we will face it together. Now that you're back in my life, I don't want to lose you again."

He scoots closer, his other hand coming to rest on Joshua's cheek. "I love you, Joshua. I think I always have. If we come out on the other side of this, know that I want you to remain with me, as we always should have."

[phantasiiae]

You’re lonely too. {Clive to sleipnir}

Deathless || Accepting

“Ah, what an astute observation. Did you come up with that all on your own? I was wondering why you were making a point to avoid me.” Perhaps it sounds bitter, but they are bitter. Of course Sleipnir is fucking lonely. The one person in the world who understood them better than anyone is gone. They're still trying to cope with it, but it's not necessarily going well. Loneliness isn't something they're accustomed to. Loneliness is a foreign feeling, thought, word. To admit to it feels like baring themselves in a way they never thought they would, but what other option do they have?

Silence hangs between them before Sleipnir lets out an irritated groan, dragging their hands down their face. They shouldn't be here. They shouldn't even be alive. If Clive was trying to make them feel better, it isn't working. “What do you know about loneliness, hm? You have all these people here who adore you, who worship the very ground you walk on. You are surrounded by people who care, and I…” They swallow hard, looking away. “I have lost the only person who cared. So yes, I'm lonely. Is that what you wanted to hear? It doesn't matter anyways."

@forgedinruin

[phantasiiae]

❛ the last time we talked, didn’t you say you wanted to kill me? ❜ {for Sleipnir from Clive @forgedinruin }

“I wouldn't put your guard down yet, Mythos. I may still want to.” Sleipnir's voice is sharp, their eyes narrowing as they look over at Clive. Truthfully, they could no more kill Clive as they could raise a hand against Barnabas. Clive may not be Odin, but he has Odin's powers. It's enough to keep a slight leash on them, enough to ensure that they wouldn't truly harm him unless some outside force commanded otherwise (they think of Ultima, how it appears in their dreams and still demands obedience. This is the closest thing they can imagine to being torn in two).

Still, that doesn't mean Clive needs to know that, if he hasn't figured it out by now. They sulk in the corner of his quarters, staring out the nearby window before letting out a long, withering sigh. “I need you to tell me why you brought me here. Really. And don't give me that savior bullshit. It can't be pity. I don't want your pity.” As they speak, their fingers dig into their own arm, leg bouncing anxiously. It's so unlike them to look so nervous, so small, but without Barnabas, who are they? “So tell me.”

[phantasiiae]

could we talk about… us? {for Jill from Clive @forgedinruin }

Morning after || Accepting

“..Well, what do you think there is to talk about?” Jill thinks it's quite obvious that their relationship has progressed to something more. It takes a lot of trust and vulnerability to give herself to someone like this. Then again, grief does funny things to people. Cid's death could've only fanned the flames between them. Grief like this can make people do things they wouldn't normally do, but she's always had feelings for Clive, even when they were children. Seeing him again brought back feelings she long thought to be lost within her trauma. 

She reaches up, gently brushing his hair out of his eyes and giving him a small smile. Here, wrapped up in Clive's embrace, just the two of them, she really thinks there's nothing to discuss. Clive has always been a gentleman, though, and she should know better than to just think he would presume anything between them. “Clive, I…have always had feelings for you, for as long as I can remember. If that's what you mean.” Her fingers trail down his cheek, his jawline, before he hand rests against his chest, feeling the thrumming of his heart underneath. “I would hope that this proves that.”

[phantasiiae]

“ there’s no way i can hide these marks… ” {For Dion}

Morning after || Accepting

"..Sorry, I suppose I got a bit carried away?"

Dion hides a grin behind his hand, even though his blush is obvious enough. The night slowly comes back to him in bits and pieces. It was a deep conversation, one about the things they've lost and what it's taken to get here. Maybe it was the threat of Origin looming over them. Maybe it was something else. One thing lead to another and...here they are. Not that Dion's complaining. He's yearned for Joshua for so long that it finally feels like a relief to know that he feels the same.

He quietly admires Joshua from where he lays, watching him inspect the hickeys on his neck. He can't help but laugh a little, shaking his head as he sits up. "Oh, there's nothing to be ashamed of, love. It happens all the time." Or so he says to make Joshua feel better. It can be embarrassing if the wrong people catch on. "Come here. Let me get a closer look, eh?"

[audaciiae]

@kindledgrace

"Joshua, can I ask you something?"

Conall has been keeping to himself for the past few days, not really wanting to talk to anyone after Leviathan reawakened within him. No one knows except Clive, and really, he prefers it that way for now. He still has to process it, still has to figure out how exactly he goes about life now, knowing that this has been in him all along. It's strange, having someone else in your head, though Leviathan doesn't really communicate well. Not yet.

And yet he can't help but feel a little embarrassed by it. Here he is, thirty-five years old and he has no idea how to wield the power he's been given. He knows it's really not his fault, but there is a lot of catching up that he has to do. "...What do we know about Leviathan? Anything? It just seems odd to me that an eikon can disappear without a trace." As he speaks, he moves to sit down, his leg bouncing anxiously. "What would cause that to happen?"