#thvndersnow

[lepiidopterophobia]

you have come so far, little titan, but there is still so much more to be done. the stench of rot and burnt ether clings to you like a second skin. you have fought through waves of scorn. you slew skirvaa, abhorrent beast that it was, and took from its nest your prize. in delicate hands you hold that which was once holy. that which once loved, as your little light loves.

and now you bring it to her altar, and lay it at her feet.

do it feel it, as she does? the breeze that spreads like ripples, the last waft of holy light from the shattered shell before you? it is both silk and rot, both vanilla and petrichor. it is the holy hand that guided you through the archology, and the laughter that haunts you even now.

"i stand a being with a thousand names." her voice is not as it was, back in the dreaming city. it is not churned honey and hollow promises; this memory speaks in prayer, in promise. in a desperate plea through time, to all who will listen. "it whispers one: the Witness. remember it. remember that name."

you were not sure last time. things in this world shift and change like snake skin. flowers bloom and rot in the time it takes to summon your sparrow, to clear a lost sector. so much can happen in the blink of an eye, especially for a man with his attention split. but that was then. this time, you are ready. this time, your head is down, your eyes cut to the side. this time, you are watching.

"i will not be its servant."

and this time, when the witch queen's voice breaks, you see the visage shift.

@thvndersnow

[ereknight]

@thvndersnow / for theo

" velaask, theo. i appreciate your presence here with house light. it puts many minds at ease to have such an ally supporting us. "

despite his words, and despite speaking of the house as a whole, the truth of the matter it puts his mind at ease. he has not shown it, as it is his duty as kell to stand strong, but the current times have made him uneasy.

especially now that the traveler no longer hangs protectively above the city. but skies without the great machine are skies he is used to.

" the kelekhs have been wondering at your absence. "

[fiirecracker]

cayde's comm rings with one text, followed by another, and then another. notifications, coming from the pack's groupchat andal's harem, they'd named it, all those years ago. and with andal, their only fucking admin, dead and gone, well, they couldn't change it. couldn't abandon it, either.

messages had been getting slower and slower lately. shiro, occasionally chirping in to mention he was still alive. athena, taking the piss out of him. just those two. it was just those two left.

and then a notification, a soft shattering of the quiet city morning. nothing super unusual, except when another buzz comes through. not a group chat message this time. private, from athena.

have you checked the old chat?

@thvndersnow

[fiirecracker]

"you shouldn’t be here ,  it’s not safe in these woods ." - from iiksiiks, to bran —@thvndersnow

the risen freezes where she stands; feet flat on the forest floor, one hand on the rough bark of a fallen tree. she can no longer hear the signs of battle; she can no longer smell burnt ether and fizzling light. her compatriots are far from here, and so are their enemies.

so why is there a captain with winter's colors standing before her?

her chest trembles with ragged, panicked breaths. blue eyes shift first from the eliksni to the empty space behind him, then back to him. away once again, to a path just eastward of them. an option, though not the best. perhaps she could go up, as well. use the treetops.

he isn't a vandal. surely he can't be that light on his feet.

her hand tightens on the bark. she ignores the splinters that break her skin. one way or another, she must escape.

"i don't want a fight."

[fiirecracker]

❝ i see a dozen men here ready to leap on each other’s throats. ❞ — from astrid to spider | @thvndersnow

the statement earns a hearty, if wet, laugh from the eliksni. he leans back into his chair, folding two hands over stomach. the lower left reaches out. he rests his fingertips gently against astrid's back; not quite holding, not quite pushing. pay attention.

"eleven men," purrs the baron, and turns his gaze to astrid. "seven of which will fall, if they step out of line. understood?"

from where they flank their baron, avrok and arrha click their mandibles.

[fiirecracker]

❝ you have killed them and taken your vengeance. it is enough. ❞ — from etykraks to taniks | @thvndersnow

“it is never enough!” 

the monster’s voice roars from deep within, gravel grating against grinding gears. it is not terran, the sound he makes; it is not even organic. it is machine and hate and flayed nerved endings. it is raw and vile. it is taniks, the abomination, pure and simple. 

heavy shoulders rise and fall. the machinery in his chest screams. he does not raise his voice this time, and instead emphasizes, “they are already dead, little mother. i am simply… relieving them of their continued burden. i am saving our people, one dead thing at a time.” 

and if he earns a good enough living from it, then so be it. man or monster, they all need glimmer in the end.

[fiirecracker]

❝ you smile, and your face is like the sun. ❞ | @thvndersnow

the statement catches her off guard, and, for a moment, all julia can do is squeak in response. her hand tightens around the long-forgotten cup of noodles. the styrofoam squeaks in protest. they were supposed to have been her lunch during this tour of wall-duty, but they have since grown cold. sometimes the company is just that enthralling.

"i— oh. oh, i did not—" nope, looks like she still isn't quite capable of speak. orange eyes widen, and heat rises to her cheeks. she is determined to try again. "i, uh, i mean—"

the broth begins to bubble.

she squeaks for a second time.

[fiirecracker]

andy knows what he likes and what he likes is dressing like an abuelo who just discovered color