#restraintispower

[yourfirstladylavinia]

You took my heart and you held it in your mouth And with a word all my love came rushing out And every whisper, it's the worst, Emptied out by a single word There is a hollow in me now So I put my faith in something unknown I'm living on such sweet nothing But I'm tired of hope with nothing to hold I'm living on such sweet nothing And it's hard to learn And it's hard to love When you're giving me such sweet nothing Sweet nothing, sweet nothing You're giving me such sweet nothing

[flamesandgames]

Father and Son « Ronin and Tobias

It had been a while since Ronin had sparred with his father. Being invited to do so gave him a little thrill of pleasure, though he was nervous. He had been out of sorts for days. He knew he looked awful. He was pale, he'd lost ten pounds since the games started, and he hadn't slept well in more than a week. But he showed up to their usual room, dutiful, wearing only a pair of pants and going barefoot as he entered the room.

He bowed when he spotted his father had gotten there before him. "Thank you for making time for me, Sir..."

[anunlitflame-blog]

{ｔｈｅ ａｒａｔｈａｌｄｓ}

Ronin Arathald, A Mother's Love (x)

Lavinia Arathald, A Mother's Love (x)

Tobias Arathald, You're in Trouble Now (x)

[yourfirstladylavinia]

Returning the Favor|| The Arathalds

There was nothing worse than the hatred Lavinia had for her husband. It had never been just the jealousy she had toward Ronin. There was the pillage of all her hopes and dreams of a loving marriage, the lonely nights when he kept to his side of the bed, the continuous game of passive aggression between them. This was just another political ploy, a marriage he kept for the cameras. Lavinia was good at her job, though- she was looked up to in every way, a pillar and role model of beauty, kindness, and modesty. A cookie-cutter loving wife, who could sell her husband's campaign just as well as the Vice President, and spoke to the press when anyone else was all too busy to do such. In her own way, Lavinia was plenty powerful; the people of the Four Nations loved her- for the most part- and politicians had learned to respect her. She was not the kind of person to let someone step on her.

That being said, Lavinia's fury over learning that her husband had laid a malicious hand on Ronin was beginning to return once again. She had never been so mad at something Tobias had done before, save for their marriage. Her jealousy had blinded her, and Lavinia wondered just what other things there were that she didn't know about. Had Tobias hit him before? Or was this the first time? What was it that Finch did for Tobias on the side? There were plenty of questions that had been left unanswered for all too long.

Heels click-clacked in the wide hallway as Lavinia headed to Tobias' office. She had already spoken to his secretary, making sure no one else would be in the room when she walked in. Lavinia was sure the secretary had told Tobias that she was coming, but that didn't settle the fire in her chest. The woman didn't knock when she got to the office, merely opened the door and shut it with a quick hand, lips pursed as she saw Tobias.

"I can't believe you," she started in a low hiss, walking the few steps to the desk. Lavinia raised her hand, fueled by pent up anger that she couldn't contain, striking down with every intention of it connecting with his cheek.

[flamesandgames]

When I was a young boy,

My father took me into the city

To see a marching band.

He said, "Son when you grow up,

would you be the saviour of the broken, 

the beaten and the damned?"

He said "Will you defeat them,

your demons, and all the non-believers, 

the plans that they have made?"

"Because one day I'll leave you,

A phantom to lead you in the summer,

To join The Black Parade."

[flamesandgames]

Memory « Spirits

Ronin was five when he first heard the voices, the ones Tobias came to dread. He did what any child would do when he heard little voices whispering his name.

He went to find them.

Tobias was startled awake when he felt that his bed was empty. Ronin was gone -- the young boy had taken to crawling in his bed when he was unhappy. And ever since morning, Ronin had been feverish and shivery, though he seemed to calm as night drew close.

Tobias stepped out into the hall, trying to quell the bubble of panic in his stomach. "Ronin?" He called, tense. He heard the patter of footsteps down the hall, and he ran after it, his heart beating like a drum in his ears. He came to a halt when he heard the flap of a curtain from an open door. His heart stopped when he saw Ronin, standing on the edge of the balcony railing, balancing forwards. He was staring up as if in a trance.

Standing over him was a huge spirit, it's body a deep blue. What appeared to be it's eyes seemed to glow a soft gold, its huge, amorphous head cocked to one side. With one huge limb, it reached up and towards Ronin.

Panic hit Tobias like a fire, and he ran forwards, grabbing onto Ronin, wrapping both arms around his tiny waist and pulling him in close, away from the huge creature. Ronin didn't react, didn't look at him, just stared up at the thing, which now hovered with it's huge paw over the two of them.

"You can't have him!" Tobias yelled, holding him tight. "You can't take my son!" He barked, louder now.

Tobias was unsure how long he stared the spirit down, how long he held Ronin unresponsive against his chest before it seemed to melt away into the air, vanishing before him. Only then did Ronin startle in his arms, blinking a few times before tipping his head to look up at Tobias, sleepily.

"Wha' happened?" Ronin yawned, as if he'd been asleep, peering up at Tobias. His brow scrunched up as he touched Tobias' cheek, slick with sweat. "Daddy, are you crying?" He asked, softer this time, startling Tobias out of his thoughts. He bent his head, pressing his face into Ronin's shoulder, shaking his head.

"No, Ronin…I'm fine." Tobias said quietly. "Let's go back to bed…alright? We're going to make you all better tomorrow." He said this with more determination, slowly rising to his feet, his legs aching in protest from kneeling in one position for so long.

"This is not going to happen again."

[yourfirstladylavinia]

Passive Aggressive|| Lavinia and Tobias

Dinner was typically eaten with the absence of Ronin and Tobias as of late. Games season was a blessing in disguise for Lavinia, honestly. She could eat without having to be bothered by her husband's political talk, or by Ronin just being there in general.

He was just another trophy, and a rebellious one as well. But he was so naive.

Lavinia was almost finished with dinner, contemplating a bath and an early rest, since Tybalt couldn't make another meet tonight. Busy, busy. She really wished he could be here- he could share a bath with her, they could drink scotch together. He would make her smile...

Lavinia set her fork and knife down, taking a sip of the wine beside her instead, on the verge of brooding when she noticed the door open at the other side of the room. Oh.

Tobias was home early.

"Tobias," she greeted, stifling her spite with another sip of her wine. "I was just about to bathe. I didn't know you'd be home so early."

[flamesandgames]

Mother Knows Best