#rpurl

[tendure]

@rpurl  AS  THE BRUTE :   peekaboo,   yer highness.

in the quiet of night,  the queen leaves her bedchamber to head down to the castle's kitchens.   she knows it will be empty,  given that the cooks  &  servants who prepared  &  served her meals or refreshments throughout the day are gone for the night,  returned to their own quarters in the servant's wing of the castle to prepare for morrow,  leaving her alone when the nightmares take hold of her.   she prefers it this way,  as although she has been a queen for a few years now,  she was not raised in this environment.   she didn't grow up in a house full of servants to do her simple tasks,  &  so she's found these moments to be reflective for her as she tries to lull herself to sleep.

once she arrives in the kitchen,  she fills the kettle and warms it on the hob before preparing the tea leaves  —  the classic chamomille to help ease her back to sleep.   when she finishes,  she kills the fire beside the hob with her air magick  &  takes a tray with her teacup  &  saucer back toward her bedchamber.

it is as she is walking toward the corridor of her chamber when he appears from the shadows.   peekaboo,   yer highness.

the tray falls to the ground from the shock,  the ceramic cup shattering as it hits the stone,  gasp audible as her eyes fall on the creature before her.   an undead might be a welcomed guest in the day time,  but at night,  when no one is around her   ...   it doesn't take a sleuth to deduce what he's here for.   after all,  there are plenty of people who are interested in taking the crown off her head,  &  her head off her shoulders.

she backs away slowly,  hands turning at her side as they prepare to cast an offensive spell.     “  it's  your majesty,  actually,  ”   she corrects as her brows raise,  her tone cold as she does her best to not let her voice shake.     “  the castle's visiting hours are long past over.   i'm afraid you'll have to return tomorrow for whatever business you are here for.  ”

[tendure]

「 ⁽ ¹ ⁾ STARTER CALL : @rpurl 」

EXHAUSTION AS A SIDE EFFECT TO PARENTHOOD IS EXPECTED. it is the one thing she prepared for when she had her child, especially considering she, for the hardest parts of it, did it alone. sure, she is fortunate enough to have the village that is her closest friends, but even they couldn't be relied on every waking hour of the day. what she's done alone, she's been grateful for, especially considering she's the one who got herself in the situation and reckons she is the only person responsible for the work that needs to be done. HER DAUGHTER HAS MADE EACH MOMENT WORTH IT. all the sleepless nights, the messy home, dirty diapers. it's all been worthwhile because of willa.

what she didn't expect, however, was that with parenthood would also come survival. SHE ISN'T AN IDIOT, OF COURSE. she knows that sooner or later, the bounty would reactivate, but she'd hoped that antonio and his uncle would be kind enough to let the child grow up first before letting the society know that she hasn't been participating.

but eventually, people found out. alessandro and antonio both swore they had nothing to do with it. regardless, the bounty's been reactivated, and it's how she found herself in this situation, holed up in her safe house with her daughter and the assassin who chose to spare her life.

she plops down on the couch beside brute, an exhausted sigh parting her mouth as she does so. “ the kid wants pizza for dinner. we should order in. what do you think? ”

[jngal]

@rpurl said: " would you die for him? " from seven. [ prompt. ]

the question is an inflammatory one. seven knows how to crawl under her skin and set her nerves alight. would she die for anyone? well, that's already been proven. she risked her life countless times in order to rescue and save her friends. put her sanity on the line. but maul is a different matter entirely. he had saved her from herself. fished her out of the maelstrom inside her mind. lit a fire within the darkness and warmed her freezing soul. he'd been there for her when no one else had. understood her when she couldn't understand herself. he'd put a lot on the line for her. but would he die for her? does that even matter?

daisy's fists curl and uncurl thoughtfully as she feels the force's energy tingle at her fingertips. " i can't answer that, " she responds quietly, finding strength in her voice as she continues. " i wouldn't know until it was happening. " she'd be arrogant to try and predict such an instinctive reaction. daisy had always thought she had her shit together, that she would know what to do should she ever come face to face with danger. she never could've predicted the bodies left in her wake, though. the blood on her hands.

he's not asking if you'd kill for maul, her conscience reminds her. but she does ponder on it. helpless to the violence in her thoughts. would she even think about it? would she stain her hands and ask for forgiveness later? daisy frowns gently to herself. " i have nothing to live for, without him... " she says honestly, and she feels the prick of tears at the corners of her eyes.

          " i owe him a lot. " but does she owe him her life? would seven judge her, if she said yes? has he ever been indebted to someone before? curiosity itches the tip of her tongue and she can't help but ask, " do you care about loyalty? " her gaze lifts to meet his own. " loyalty is why i'm still alive, i think. " a pause, her brows furrow. " it might also be what kills me. "

[jngal]

@rpurl said: " don’t you get tired of being a pawn? " from seven. [ prompt. ]

daisy keeps her chin raised despite the metaphorical cloud above her head. maul has been helping reduce it. her hands may be bloody and her fingernails chipped, her muscles weak from overuse, but she feels stronger in her core because of it. she's not sure how much longer she'd have lasted without him. you're daisy, her conscience reminds her. you can handle anything. she smiles subtly to herself. ever defiant in the face of negativity. even with it pinning her like prey, preparing to slaughter her with its tooth-filled maw, she remains resilient.

they're on their way to a hotel. word is, an associate of damocles is staying there. seven has a connection he's not been wholly open about to daisy and despite her prying, he'd kept it largely to himself. enemies of some sort, she assumes. in all honesty, she doesn't trust him in the slightest. he's here for his own personal gain, daisy believes, and won't care to keep her safe. not that she needs his help, but if it came down to life or death, he'd abandon her. guaranteed. which is why it's laughable when he begins prodding her about her relationship with maul.

don't you get tired of being a pawn? daisy glances up at him with a scowl. " i'm not a pawn, " she asserts. " i'm... a project. " she doesn't know if that makes it sound better or worse. " a student, " she adds stiffly. " everybody does this. acts like they know everything about maul. i doubt even he knows everything about himself, " daisy complains. " you always think you know better. " she leads the way into the hotel and waits at the reception for someone to serve her. her gaze considers the other for a long moment. " don't you get tired of that? " a pause, her fingers tap thoughtfully at her thigh. " besides, we're doing this for ghost. i'm here because i want to be. "

[tendure]

「 ⁽ ¹ ⁾ CERBERUS : he should have killed you. 」

DECISIONS, OLYMPIA LEARNS, HAVE CONSEQUENCES. IT'S NOT JUST HER OWN THAT HAVE AN EFFECT ON HER LIFE. Brute's decision to spare her has resulted in tensions among his group of operatives. Olympia knows full well no one is thrilled about this, the fact that she's still here, alive and well when there is a sizable bounty over her head. SHE KNOWS HOW MUCH THIS COST THEM. And she knows that not everyone agrees that she's valuable enough to keep around. As such, she's always felt like she's walking on a minefield now, the only comfort she'd have is when Brute is around.

The stare she holds on the man before her is empty, her own attempt to avoid letting any emotions show. In theory, ﹝ @rpurl ﹞ is right. Brute should have killed her and won the money for the bounty, or at the very least, completed their mission. While she cannot bring herself to feel guilty for his decision to save her, she understands the inconvenience her continued existence causes.

“ Sorry to disappoint. ” Her voice is flat, plain. Lips press together as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “ Is there a purpose for your visit today? He'll be back soon, y'know. ”

[0azrae7]

@rpurl said: " sometimes i wish i was dead. " from the mothman. [ prompt. ]

hollow stare watches the mothman curiously. death is a blessing. what comes after is a curse concealed as an honour. bound to haunt endlessly, a purgatory he is doomed to never find peace in. purpose is obvious but personal desire creates conflict. drained of aspiration, of longing. with dry and itchy bone marrow and an ache behind his ribs he cannot cure. not to mention the loneliness. the silence.

people fear him just as much as the skeletons in their closets and for that alone they avoid him. he is their truth, walking and talking. and that creates a fear so real, even he cannot conquer it. " they'd nev'a waste such a power on you, " grim tells mothman ominously. doesn't explain himself further. " you reckon it's easy, " he observes monotonously. " an escape. " skeleton head tilts. " you're wrong. "

[0azrae7]

@rpurl said: " i'm losing my mind. " from bigby. [ prompt. ]

the cigarette between grim's lips remains steady. smoke whirls up into the air with each puff. it burns the back of his throat, his corporeal form, and it brings him satisfaction. eases him. like a mother stroking a child's arm. his lungs blacken and he thinks he can feel the heaviness of the tar. pulling him down. back down into the earth where he belongs. sometimes he yearns for it, the suffocation, the gravity of it all... just to feel something. i'm losing my mind, bigby says from his desk and grim chuckles. the wolf is searching for something. paperwork he'd set down, misplaced.

          " you're just fuckin' disorganised, " he mutters, " don't be so dramatic. " fingers draw the cig from his lips and give it a little knock, sending ashes falling across the surface. his gaze falls on the pile of papers bigby's looking for and he nods. " there. " another huff of amusement. if the wolf thinks losing papers makes his sanity questionable, he'd surely have a lot to say about ghost's... " sorted. "

[tendure]

「 ⁽ ¹ ⁾ BRUTE : never understood why ya stuck around. most people don’t tend to hang out with their attempted assassin. 」

IT'S NOT SOMETHING OLYMPIA HAS EVER ACTUALLY CONSIDERED. Leaving him behind, moving on with her life the way she should, and taking herself and her daughter somewhere far away from here. ﹝ @rpurl ﹞ is right, of course. People who are spared by their attempted murderers don't tend to spend time with them, don't give them a chance to change their mind or provide any openings during vulnerable time periods like when she's asleep or otherwise preoccupied. They don't make home-cooked meals or baked goods for their almost assassins. They also don't bring them around their children, who is now in another room, drawing what seems to be a family portrait that includes the masked man before her.

They are in the kitchen. Olympia is preparing a snack for Willa, a simple dish of baby carrots with a side of hummus to dip it in, as well as naan strips she's slicing on a cutting board. A frozen applesauce pouch sits half-melted beside the plate. BUT BRUTE'S WORDS MAKE HER STOP, eyes remaining on the plate in front of her.

“ I guess I just ... didn't really think about it, ” she admits. She's quiet for a moment as she contemplates why he's bringing this up, assuming it's because he wants her to leave. Maybe she should've a long time ago. “ People don't really hang out with those they try to kill, either. You could leave if you want to, y'know. ” The dare hangs in the air like she's waiting for him to up and leave. Then, after a second, she starts slicing the naan again, ignoring the fact that she's holding her breath.