I hope that the "tarkatan deseas" is what the characters think meleena has and it will be reaveled that she is actualy part tarkatan (how ever that will work in this timeline). Maybe, like, with time, she is becoming more and more tarkatan in apearence (while having tarkatan genes the whole time) but no one knows why, so they Just think its some mutation.
This was my theory for why 2021 meleena had her face torn all of a sudden: the teeth were there, but she had normal skin on her face that was slowly tearing off. So maybe its something like that.
Maybe liu kang fucked that up too (at this point, i'll think he is Just biased and bigoted utill im proven otherwise.)
Shorter drabble this time, about the moment Meleena first began to fall for Muriel :)
It’s strange, she thinks as she watches him, how much can change over the space of a few weeks.
She had believed her travelling days to be far behind her- with what little Asra had told her about her past, it seemed to be something she had done quite frequently. Nowadays, she could hardly imagine herself braving the wilderness in search of mysteries and glory. Yet, all the same, here she was in the middle of the woods, slowly making her way out of Vesuvia alongside her very reluctant travelling partner, Muriel. While he had initially seemed intimidating, his steady presence and brusque manner had come to provide a strange and familiar comfort. With Morga harrying the two of them through the wilds outside of Vesuvia, as well as both of them practicing their fighting techniques, they seemed to barely have a moment to think.
It was upon their arrival at the Tarske forest that Meleena finally felt she had a moment to breathe. When she and Muriel heard the whimpering of puppies, she had all but dragged him to their source, being encouraged along by Inanna; a litter of wolf cubs, with their mother close by and watching carefully. Meleena crouched down nearby and allowed the cubs to slowly make their way towards her, gently scooping one into her arms once she knew the cub was safe.
“Aren’t they adorable?” She grinned and glanced over at Muriel, who seemed to be frozen in place, simply watching the small cub curled in her hands. The look on his face was one she had never seen before, as he reached out a hand and oh-so-gently began to stroke the cub’s fur. After a moment or two of allowing him to pet the cub, she carefully handed the little one over to Muriel, before taking a seat nearby and petting Inanna. As the cub was placed into his arms, and he sank to the ground with surprising grace for a man of his size, Meleena found herself unable to tear her gaze away from him.
In this moment, he was surrounded by dappled sunlight, the leaves dropping from nearby trees creating a soft swirl of greenery that seemed to encircle him. The look on his face was so beautiful, so raw and unguarded and genuinely happy, that she found herself smiling too. She rested her head on her hand, the smile never fading from her lips, as she embraced this new side to him. She sensed the beginnings of some new feeling stirring deep within her chest- something that stretched and clawed and silently screamed to embrace him, to hold him close and never let him go, to be the one who could make him smile so tenderly- but she pushed those feelings down with a small shake of her head and a quiet laugh. This new feeling, whatever it may turn out to be, was too raw and new to allow herself to experience it fully. Besides, although it had only been a short time that she had been travelling with him, she felt she had come to know her travelling companion. She knew at least a little of what he had been through in his time, and she knew it would take a long time before he could even come close to believing he deserved to have people care about him. Still, in this peaceful moment in the middle of the forest, she allowed herself this private moment of observation, of simply basking in the presence of this man she had come to care for.
It’s strange, she thinks as she watches him, how much can change over the space of a few weeks.
Pairing: Meleena x Taliesin (major league thank you to @aarcanefool for letting me use Taliesin- your boy is BABEY and I love him)
Tagging: @lovelikeyoursfest @aarcanefool @wingardium-letmefuckyou (this is the first time in a very very long time I’ve attempted something like this- apologies in advance if it sucks lol)
Rating: E for Everyone, just soft. First meetings :D
Word Count- 1.3k (??? I got really carried away writing this lol)
The first time she sees him, she’s surprised.
She believed she was alone; out here in this small clearing, it’s rare to see another human being. Occasionally she might feel a presence watching her, though she typically dismisses it as paranoia. She comes here often, typically after a busy day at her shop, so she can practice her magic and have a moment to decompress. The people of Vesuvia are charming enough, in their way- even the sailors who arrive in from the ports make sure to give her a wave if they pass her in the marketplace- but after a busy day of work, all she can think about is stealing a few solitary moments for herself.
Out here, in the seemingly solitary wilderness, is where she truly seems to thrive. Being able to practice and control her unusual magical abilities in relative peace is a luxury she never takes for granted, and the feeling of lightning bolts gently crackling across her skin and sparking at her finger-tips grounds her in a way very little else can.
So when she arrives at what was usually her sanctuary, only to find someone else there, it surprises her. The man seems lost in his own world, and she takes a moment simply to watch him. She notices flickers of fire at his fingertips, and she finds herself almost mesmerised by the small bursts of bright orange flame that curl around him.
At least he has enough sense to practice near a river, she thought to herself with a smile. With that, she turned to leave, content to leave him to his practicing for the day. What she didn’t notice, as she made her retreat, was the man turn to glance her way, the fire quickly dying at the sight of this strange woman.
The second time she sees him, almost a week later, she’s embarrassed.
She managed to make it to her spot first this time- the shop had been particularly busy that afternoon, and since she had sold out of most of her stock, she had left Asra in charge of running what was left of business so she could sneak a moment or two of peace and quiet. She had brought her diary with her, and was taking a moment or two for herself. The small red cardinal perched on a nearby branch whistled happily to her as she wrote, detailing the people she had met in the shop that day, as well as her own private thoughts. Being here, in her own little oasis, her mind couldn’t help but wander back to that stranger she had seen here before. The crackling and twisting of the flames as they had curled across his hands still lingered in her mind, and she had found herself quietly cursing her shyness for not asking his name. As her thoughts began to wander, she felt the familiar crackling of lightning dance across her skin, her magic calling to her and begging her to practice. She stood with a soft sigh, closing her eyes and concentrating. The response of her magic elicited a small smile, seeming to jump between her hands and causing her hair to stand on end, seemingly excited to once again be put to work. She whispered a few words to herself, and a small storm cloud sprang from her hands and began to hurl miniature thunderbolts at the ground below it. A soft laugh escapes her, as the lightning once again begins to crackle across her skin. She’s so caught up in her own little world, surrounded by the feeling of electricity and life that she hardly notices the man from before, standing quietly at the edge of her clearing, watching her.
As soon as she does notice him, she freezes. A bright red blush springs to her cheeks, and her magic fizzles away. She hurries back to her journal, which she had discarded to one side, and begins to gather her things together in a rush. She slings her bag over her shoulder and immediately takes off, deaf to the sound of him calling after her, holding out her scarf, which she’d left behind in her embarrassment-induced panic. A small red cardinal flutters down to a branch near his head, chirping and seemingly encouraging him to follow her.
The third time she sees him, roughly ten minutes later, she’s nervous.
After she hurried back inside the comforting warmth of her shop, she took a seat at the small table in the back usually reserved for tarot readings to calm herself. Internally, she was cursing herself all over again for rushing away from him- what on Earth would he think of her now? Any friendship she may have been able to foster would be ruined, and all because she was too-
A sudden gentle knocking at the shop’s door brought her out of her self-deprecating thoughts. Taking a deep breath in, she smoothed down her outfit and moved to the entrance of the shop, checking around for Asra as she went. He was seemingly nowhere to be seen- which, given it was Asra, was hardly a surprise to her anymore. She cracked open the door and glanced outside, only to be met with the very same man she had seen in the clearing earlier on that evening. The blush she had tried her hardest to fight down returned with a vengeance, and her words seemed to stumble over themselves as she attempted to greet him.
“Y-you’re the man from the clearing, right? How did you know…?” She glanced over to his shoulder, where her loyal familiar sat, puffed up and looking altogether far too pleased with himself. She smiled a little, despite her nerves, and opened the door wider to allow him inside.
“Come in, if you like. I know it gets cold outside this late… Would you like some tea?” She stood to one side, allowing the smaller man to wander inside at his own pace. As he gingerly stepped in, she took a moment to look at him properly, for the very first time. She noted his hair, tied in a low and lazy ponytail at the back, looking the perfect combination of elegant and casual; his clothes, fitted to his slender form and comforting, designed to blend in with the scenery around him; his hands, scarred from what were no doubt many attempts to control the fire that now so easily danced around him; and finally, as he turned to look at her with a soft smile on his face, his eyes- gentle and warm and mesmerising in their own right.
“… Forgive me for arriving this late, but you left this behind.” He held out the scarf to her, the soft and silky fabric seeming to match his current outfit well. In a moment of surprise, she glanced over to her belongings, still lying in a heap near the door where she had left them.
“Oh! My apologies, I really should have noticed… I need to keep better track of my things, it seems. I assume the bird is the one who led you here?” She gestured to the cardinal, who was still happily perched on the man’s shoulder, now cuddling closer to his cheek and softly chirping. She stepped forward and gently took the scarf from him, before lightly tracing a finger over the small bird’s head.
“Honestly, he’s such a softie. That’s Celyn, he’s my familiar. He must have seen you arrive and guided you here. I really do appreciate you coming all this way just to return my scarf. Please, have a seat and I’ll get you a drink to make up for the trouble.” She gave him the best smile she could muster, all too aware that she was rambling nervously. As she turned to begin making the tea, her eyes widened, and she spun back around.
“Ah, apologies again. I don’t think I caught your name…?”
The man, having found a cosy place to sit in one of the many pillow-lined alcoves surrounding the shop, held out a hand to her with a lazy smile of his own.
Comments: Day 3! I know I’m two days behind, shhh. This has been really fun to do so far! I’m excited for you guys to see what I have planned in the future! (Here’s a hint- one of the upcoming days is going to be a drabble about Meleena and her other best friend, Lyrah, who is @wingardium-letmefuckyou ‘s wonderful apprentice! I’m super excited for that one :D)
It was a cold yet bright winter’s afternoon when she thought about it for the first time.
She had been watching him training in the forest, in the rare moments they could snatch away from the crowds of frightened townsfolk who now called the woods their home. She was sitting on a long-abandoned tree stump, carefully crafting small arrows made of lightning in one hand while resting her head on another. Even though the summoning of these tiny arrows should have been the main focus of her concentration, she couldn’t help being distracted by the figure practicing a little ways away from her.
They had been given their task the previous evening- head back into Vesuvia, and do everything they could to take down Count Lucio- or whatever he was now, since he certainly couldn’t be called human anymore. Ever since then, she and Muriel had been doing everything they could to ready themselves for the journey: gathering together a small team to accompany them, making sure they had all the supplies they required, and deciding on a time to set out. After some careful discussion, they had decided to set out in two days time- near enough to midnight, when it was less likely that they would be spotted. Meleena had been quiet since then, throwing herself both into her writing and her practice- in fact, it was Muriel’s idea that the two of them escape for a while and practice together, just like they had while travelling south. She had readily agreed- anything to get away from the worries plaguing her at that moment.
As she watched him practice, a soft smile crept onto her face. As if from nowhere, the word crept into her mind and seemed to leap off her tongue without her even noticing. It was quiet, half-whispered, but it was said nonetheless;
“I think I love you, Muriel.”
The first time he thought about it was that same evening, when the two of them were sitting near the fire. It was a few short hours until they would be leaving for Vesuvia, and he could tell that her thoughts were once again plaguing her- no doubt aided by what had happened that afternoon.
He had been caught up in his practicing, nearly missing the words that seemed to flow from her like a stream through a clearing, as effortless and graceful as everything she did;
“I think I love you, Muriel.”
He had stumbled in his movement as he glanced over at her, the shock on her own face no doubt mirrored by his. He quickly looked away, pretending not to have heard anything at all, trying to keep his face in that usual picture of mild annoyance and displeasure, even when the smile which had come to grace his feature so often threatened to break free once again. He cleared his throat, trying and failing to fight back his blush, before glancing over in her direction. He was greeted by the sight of a fiercely blushing Meleena, who hid her face in her hands and quickly hurried off in the direction of the makeshift village. Once he knew she was out of sight, he set down his staff for a moment and took a seat on the same stump she had recently vacated, closing his eyes to think things over.
She… loves me? How? I’m nothing better than a monster. How can she love someone like me, someone who can’t keep anyone safe?
His thoughts threatened to overtake him, to send him spiralling back down into the abyss where his mind had so often wandered in all those years alone, before an image of her face came into his head.
“You are none of those things, Muriel. You are a good man. You are no monster, nor are you a failure. I will always be by your side, no matter what happens. I won’t run, I won’t hide from you, I will never abandon you.”
A smile came, unbidden, to his features. He opened his eyes once more, to find Inanna sat at his feet, Celyn perched on top of her head. He chuckled quietly, feeling a warmth flood his chest as he thought of the woman beside him once again.
Is this what love feels like? Is this how she feels about me?
He sighed, bringing a hand up to press against his chest, right where his heart lay, beating for nobody else but her. He turned his head to face her, pressing a small kiss to the top of her head and taking in the sight of her features, illuminated by the firelight.
Comments: This one is better than Day 4 lol! Sorry about the lateness; you’ll be getting two stories from me today instead of one to make up for it :D
The bright morning sun filtered in through the curtains, shining directly onto the sleeping pair curled up together. Meleena, who had already awoken before the sun had even risen, was watching as the golden light poured in, catching on the blazing red hair of the man asleep beside her.
Since everything that had happened at the Masquerade, the pair of them had barely had a moment to breathe. The shop- and the newly opened doctor’s surgery next door- had been crammed full of customers and eager listeners alike, all eager to hear tales of the realms of the Arcana and of their showdown against the Devil himself. Mornings like these were a luxury for the pair, one that they took every opportunity to indulge in. But mornings such as these began, as they usually did, with one making breakfast for the other. After the disastrous last attempt from her lover to make breakfast, they had mutually agreed that he was to stick to coffee and nothing else. She grinned to herself as she remembered the scorch marks that still lingered on the kitchen ceiling, and how the little salamander living in the stove still occasionally spat sparks at Julian whenever he ventured too close.
“... Something funny, dear?” The man beside her rumbled, cracking open one bright red eye to take in the sight of her in the morning.
“Nothing, love, nothing at all. Good morning, by the way.” She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, quickly being pulled down into a loving kiss by her partner.
“I was just about to go and make breakfast… Anything in particular you like the sound of? I believe I have enough for pancakes and syrup- I know you liked that last time…” She thought out loud, running her fingers through his hair and letting him snuggle in closer.
“As, ah, wonderful as that does sound, dearest, why not let me try again today? I promise I’m getting better at it!” He took her hand in his, pressing a light kiss to the back of it. “I’ve even started building up trust with that little lizard again- surely he’ll let me near him this time…”
A small shower of sparks shot out of the small fireplace at that, clearly a signal of protest at such a statement. Meleena watched and couldn’t help but laugh, both at Julian’s words and the incredibly offended look on his face.
“Well, I never! And you promised me that I was allowed to try again!” Julian cried, in his typical overdramatic fashion, leading to another round of laughter from his lover.
“Come on, dearest. Maybe he’ll trust us to do it together.” She sighed, throwing the covers off of herself and stepping out of bed(much to Julian’s chagrin) to sleepily make her way to the wardrobe. Julian groaned and slipped out of bed himself, stretching and wincing slightly at the cracking of his bones. Meleena watched him from the mirror as she threw on an old shirt of Julian’s, before making her way over to the kitchen, making sure to give both Celyn and the stove salamander a small kiss to say good morning.
“Okay, Sparks. Can you get the fire going for me please? I promise not to let Julian do any of the cooking- he’ll just be fetching me what I need.” The small salamander nodded happily, seeming to take delight in Julian’s affronted gasp, before scuttling off to get the fire started.
After Julian managed to stumble his way into the kitchen, fetching everything Meleena would need to make breakfast on the way, he took a seat at the small table in the middle of the kitchen. Resting his head on his hand, he watched her as she moved around the kitchen, a lovestruck grin spreading across his face as he heard her humming. Once everything was in the pan and cooking, he stood and moved behind her, wrapping his long arms around her middle and kissing the back of her shoulder.
“Have I ever told you that I love you?” He mumbled to her, still in a half-asleep daze.
She merely grinned and kissed his cheek, turning in his arms to face him properly.
“Only every single day, dear. And I’ll never get tired of saying I love you, too.”
Comments: ok so like I said earlier, this one is significantly shorter than the others. My inspiration just left me, sorry :( I’ll probably come back to this at a later date and write something better when my inspiration comes back lol
Everything they’d endured together, everything they’d braved on their journey- it had all led to this moment.
Standing at the gates of the Devil’s Throne Room, having watched the former Count of Vesuvia flee into the horizon, the gravity of their situation finally began to sink in. Instinctively, Meleena found herself reaching for the hand of her firebrand, her rogue, her strength, and feeling the gentle warmth of his hand as it linked with hers proved a stark contrast to the stifling heat around them. While both of them had changed so much on this journey together, she couldn’t help the sudden spike of nerves as the pair and their friends stood together, at the beginning of the end of their journey.
“Julian-”
“Mel-”
Both of them turned and tried to speak at once, before both of them gave a light chuckle. Julian gestured to her, that familiar half smile- half smirk on his face, and waited for her to speak.
“Julian… I’m scared. For you, and for everyone who’s come here. What if… what if he’s too strong for us? What if we’ve come all this way for nothing?”
He swept her up into a hug, pressing gentle and loving kisses to her forehead, her cheeks, everywhere he could reach.
“Now you listen to me, little bee. We will make it through this. For the sake of everyone back in Vesuvia, for everyone here, and for our future. Understand?” He tilted her face up to look him in the eye, smoothing back a lock of her hair.
“We will do it, and we will do it together, because failing is not an option. None of these people would have come here with us if they didn’t believe we could do this. And if worst comes to worst, I will gladly give myself to make sure you all get home safe.” That statement earned a weak chuckle from Meleena, who reached up to lightly swat at his chest.
“You won’t be giving your life for us, Julian. I won’t allow it. If you die during this, I’ll find a way to bring you back just so I can kick your ass from here to the Hanged Man’s Realm all over again, understand? If we’re getting through this, then we do it together.” With that, she reached up and kissed him, earning a few hoots and whistles from Portia and a swat from Mazelinka with her wooden spoon.
A gradual rumbling spreading through the ground below their feet drew them out of their little moment. Meleena and Julian stepped to the front of the group, their hands remaining clasped together as the heavy, wrought-iron gates swung open.
Comments: The ending of this sucks and I am sorry :( Only one more prompt left, and it’s going to feature the wonderful OC Lyrah, belonging to @wingardium-letmefuckyou! (Hope I do your girl justice lol)
“... So.”
The pair glanced at each other, nervousness quickly overtaking her features as she glanced away from him. Quite how the pair had ended up in this situation had seemingly flown by her, as had much of the evening. She was quite content to blame that on the roguish doctor by her side, however, as his presence and personality proved far too distracting to even her usually carefully observant mind. The crush she had slowly been developing on him hadn’t exactly helped matters, either, and the fact that (unbeknownst to her) her affection was requited meant that sweeping her off her feet had become something of an easy feat for the doctor.
The two of them stood in silence, staring at the small bed in Mazelinka’s hut as if it had mortally offended them both. Meleena anxiously fiddled with the bottom of her blouse, while Julian did his best to look at every single thing in the room that wasn’t the woman at his side. All at once, both of them began to speak.
“The bed’s yours-”
“I’m happy to take-”
They both paused simultaneously, blinking at each other, before Meleena backed off with a nervous laugh.
“Please, Dr. Devorak, it’s your bed. I’m content to sleep on a chair in the other room.”
“Nonsense!” The doctor retorted, a hand pressed against his heart. “What kind of host would I be if I allowed a lady as fair as you to sleep so uncomfortably? Take the bed, I insist.” He bowed low, gesturing in the direction of the bed.
“Really, Doctor, I must insist. What kind of guest would I be if I allowed the host to make themselves uncomfortable in their own home? I’ve slept in far worse conditions than a chair; I’ll be fine.” She fired back, taking a step back towards the main living quarters.
“... You know, there is a solution that could resolve this little squabble.” Julian grinned all of a sudden, that half-smile half-smirk that she had become so familiar with since they had met. “How about, instead of fighting over who sleeps in the bed, we share it?”
The grin quickly fell from his face at the same time as her cheeks burst into a deep shade of scarlet, nearly matching the colour of his hair.
“Ah, I mean, wait, no-” He stumbled over his words, reaching out a hand to her. “There’s nothing implied, I swear! I-I’ll even separate us with pillows if it would make you comfortable. This way, we both get somewhere soft to sleep, and hopefully it’ll be less awkward for both of us if there’s a barrier in the way. What do you think?”
She paused for a moment, thinking it over as the blush started to spread down her neck and along her collarbones.
“I-I mean.... If you’re absolutely certain I wouldn’t be imposing?”
“Of course not, dear! Please, make yourself comfortable. I’ll even look away if you need to change.” He turned to face the wall at that, bringing up a hand to cover his eyes for good measure. With that, she approached the bed and removed her lace-up boots, setting them to one side along with her bag and her jacket. She crept into the small bed, making sure to move as far back against the wall as she could, before stacking a pillow next to her body.
“Alright… I’m ready.” She closed her eyes and turned away herself, only starting to peek as she felt the bed beside her shift. When she looked, she realised that he had removed his long coat and gloves, and now was dressed in just his shirt and trousers. His shirt had fallen open as he had climbed into the small bed, and she couldn’t help but stare at his exposed chest.
“Like what you see, eh?” He teased gently, leaning back to give her a better view. “Stare all you like, I’m rather enjoying the attention.”
She flushed bright red once again, quickly turning around to try and hide it from him.
“G-goodnight, Doctor Devorak!”
“Goodnight, Meleena. And please, call me Julian.” With that, he turned to face the opposite way and attempted to sleep.
Somehow, sleep seemed rather reluctant to come for either of them. Perhaps it was the unfamiliar sensation of someone else sharing the bed with them, or simply that the pair were in such close proximity to one another, but they found themselves gradually inching closer to one another. Julian eventually hitched in a breath when he felt the woman beside him turn to face him and softly wrap her arm around his waist, heedless of the cushion still separating them.
Meleena found it oddly comforting to embrace the man beside her, as if it were something she had always been meant to do. Just as she felt her eyes start to drift shut, she noticed him turn to face her and mirror her movements, draping his long arm across her hips to try and draw her closer. She didn’t dare to speak, afraid to break this fragile moment of tenderness that would never so readily have shown itself had the two not been in such a precarious situation.
The next morning, Mazelinka was busy in the kitchen making breakfast for the two who had ended up at her home once again. She noticed it was relatively late in the morning, especially for the doctor who normally never slept, so she went to check on them. The scene she witnessed as she approached the bed made a soft smile appear on her face.
The pair had become fully entangled with each other during the night, the pillow meant to act as a barrier lying discarded on the floor. Meleena slept peacefully with both arms curled around the sleeping form of the doctor, who was quietly snoring with his head resting against her chest. The two of them looked so peaceful, Mazelinka almost didn’t want to wake them. Almost. She reached to one side for her trusty wooden spoon, giving them a few more moments of peace, before she began to hit the spoon against a metal pan hanging on the wall.
“Wake up, you lazy pair! It’s almost midday!”
As the two slowly came to consciousness, they noticed their close-knit position and jumped away from each other, Julian actually falling out of bed and thudding on the floor. As they stared at each other with flushed cheeks, the only thing that could be heard was Mazelinka’s laughter from the kitchen.
