I will be the first to admit that this is an event atypical to what Lyra usually would attend. HOWEVER—!!!
Lyra is very, very curious to see what is going on at the Midsummer Masquerade. She’s going to be delighted/flabbergasted at everything she sees and hears, haha.
See you all there~
[please read note under the cut]
A/N: I am a very shy bean—hence why I am only doing one day with another artist’s own OC with Ly—and also on the side of the ace spectrum where I can get easily squicked by seeing Lyra visually depicted in explicit NSFW shenanigans.
TL;DR: Lyra and I are mostly here for the sexy, NOT the S*X.
PS: On the other hand—if all works out in me arranging their aesthetic board—Bảo and Walterine are attending as a couple.
Prologue to Day I and onward is currently a WIP, and I may be late, but I am so, so excited to share it with you all!
Walterine Aster and her husband—one of them, at least, she’d happily brag—Bảo Nguyen are attending the Masquerade as a couple. While the leash is strictly for at-home play, Bảo utterly enjoys the collar Walt put on him just for this occasion.
The last of their triad is back home, looking after their younger daughter as these two have their night(s) together at the Palace . . .~
(more beneath the cut)
[A/N: I am so very happy over how this board came out: it’s perfect!
Note: James, their remaining partner, is very ace and unlike Lyra, isn’t interested in being around the erotic atmosphere of the Midsummer Masquerade.
[Things have been discussed at length between the three of them before this event at home. This duo will be back before James even knows it].
{Everyone’s pieces have been wonderful, and I can’t wait see what’s coming next!}
explain 'Option C: Library Ghost Watches Loved Ones From the Other Side As They Live On Without Her.'
[Link to the post in question]
[CW/TW: Death/Cause of Death]
Mun: To give a quick TL;DR to what the anon is asking, this is in reference to the various Reversed timelines Lyra has within the world of The Arcana.
As stated in the post, 'There are 6 Reversed Lyras for her Apprentice Timelines, and about 2 to 3 Reversed Endings if Lyra is an NPC/just the Palace Librarian.'
'Option C: Library Ghost Watches Loved Ones From the Other Side As They Live On Without Her' is one of the outcomes for Lyra's Reversed Librarian!Timelines.
Spoilers for Portia's route (both upright/reversed) under the cut.
[Link to original post from the official tumblr account]
Seeing the Palace broken down to pieces like that . . . it made me think of Librarian!Lyra. What would've happened to her? What became of her in the aftermath?
Without a doubt, she would've gotten caught in the rubble.
Before a chunk of the ceiling—or perhaps a falling shelf(?)—crushed her, Lyra would've been helping her mentor finish whatever they were assigned to do in the library.
She'd insist on finishing the final touches. She'd shoo Alex out. She'd shoo her mentor to go and get ready since they were going with their new boyfriend to the Masquerade.
Alex had been working their ass off—with her alongside them—to get everything just right . . .
That year, it'd be all for naught.
The Aster-Nguyen family—and all those who knew and loved her—will never be the same. Never, ever . . .
Final note: She'd either be crippled for life, or subsequently die from her injuries hours/days later, or she'd have died upon impact.
You can decide.
Send me a 🧩 and an OC and I’ll tell you about a piece of me (looks, personality, Trauma, etc.) that I gave that OC.
Or, if they’re completely opposite, I’ll tell you about a piece of me that directly contrasts them.
Mun: Aww, thank you, friend!
Hmm. I'm gonna go away from the prompt and say this: the journey with Bảo's character development has been a fun one.
When I first conceptualized The Magic Aunt, for some reason this is what ventured toward my initial vision:
[Visual made by a now defunct dollmaker by RinmaruGames]
At the time I was desperate for positive male figures in my life. This transferred to Lyra in the form of Bảo.
A quick rundown of this man:
By Start of Game, Bảo’s in his early to mid 40s
Walterine by contrast is in her late 30s, and James is early to mid 30s
Favorite Food: Fishcake (Chả cá)
Favorite Drink: Iced coffee (Cà phê đá)
Favorite Flower: Bamboo blossom
[More under the cut!]
When I first conceptualized him, he started off as an aromantic bisexual. Bảo even dies in the first iteration of Lyra’s LI Librarian Route. This was due to the lingering effects of the ash from the Lazaret’s chimneys blowing over Vesuvia, and Lyra had made her own deals with Devil in order to keep him alive . . . at the expense of her own life/energy.
I can expand in another post about that if there is enough interest/my plot bunnies bug me about it. Whichever comes first.
Then, there was the briefest stint of him having an abusive partner for a short while, but I eventually scrapped that altogether (though in some old old RPs I had with friends there’s still mention of her here and there . . .).
Eventually, well, you yourself @vesuvianoak reminded me of two OCs we’ve tossed back and forth to each other for a while! Walt and James!
With them brought to the forefront of my memory, Bảo soon had two partners he love and they in turn love him!!! With the trio established, Neha was added to the mix, and boom! The Aster-Nguyen family was complete!
Thanks for the ask—it’s fun going down memory lane!
Send me a 🧩 and an OC and I’ll tell you about a piece of me (looks, personality, Trauma, etc.) that I gave that OC.
Or, if they’re completely opposite, I’ll tell you about a piece of me that directly contrasts them.
@probablymango
Mun: Walterine Aster isn't the name she was born with—I’m still figuring it out—but she greatly separated herself from her mom after she moved out of her parents' place due to them butting heads over Walt being polyamorous.
Given some of my own personal life, Walt's relationship with her mom is a bit as contentious as my own with my mother . . . but there's a hope we can reconcile given enough time . . .
[At this juncture for me, sadly, it’s wishful thinking]
Featuring Lyra Nguyen and Asra Alnazar; Canon Timeline
(Established Relationship)
CW: Some suggestive scenes, but it’s not explicit.
Four to five years later . . .
After everything is finally put into place, the would-be newlyweds are taken out of their respective dressing rooms. Their families watched as the couple were brought close together, just a few feet apart. Their hands are firmly planted over their own faces; Asra shifts his weight from one foot to another as Lyra bounces on the balls of her feet.
“CAN WE PLEASE LOOK AT EACH OTHER NOW?!” Lyra demands, voice muffled from behind her palms.
There’s warm laughter all around, especially as Lyra’s bouncing soon becomes her impatiently stamping her feet.
“You may!” Nadia replies with a radiant smile.
Together, Asra and Lyra countdown from three. At one, Portia passes Lyra’s glasses over to her, quickly getting out of the bride’s line of sight as Lyra places them over her eyes. In turn, her partner draws his hands together, palm to palm. He slides them down the front of his face, just stopping before his fingertips touch the end of his nose.
They lock eyes. Asra looks like someone who's had the air pulled from his chest, as if he can't remember to breathe. Lyra’s knees buckle under her, arms flailing as she catches herself before hitting the ground.
“Oh look at you!” Lyra exclaims, immediately springing up onto her feet. She pulls Asra into a delighted hug, promptly swinging him around in a circle. The skirts of their dresses billow out from the motion, their peals of laughter echoing in the Palace’s halls.
Before Lyra can get too dizzy and drop her spouse-to-be, she manages to stop. She sets Asra back down, swaying a bit. Before Lyra can fall over for real, Asra catches her, pulling her upright.
They can’t stay in the Palace for long: the ceremony is taking place at The Shop!
Nadia and Portia usher the pair into a carriage outside. In turn, the rest of the attendees get into similar transportation.
O*O*O
Praetor Vlastomil is running a bit late. This isn’t a bad thing, for it gives everyone a chance to catch up. Aisha and Salim are trading stories with Bảo, Walterine and James; Neha is chatting with Portia, with the latter helping Neha adjust the flowers in her hair.
“I’m sorry that the Praetor continues to be unreliable,” Nadia murmurs. She’s with Asra and Lyra, the three of them just a ways away from everyone else.
“He at least had the mind to let us know he was running late,” Lyra replies. Her veil is over her face, shielding her from passersby that shout their congratulations every so often. Her eyes are drawn to Asra. He’s drawn her veil over his face, resting the side of his head against her shoulder. His eyes are closed, the picture of sleep.
“I’m envious that he can fall asleep so easily,” Lyra murmurs.
Nadia chuckles. “Depending on how it goes tonight for the both of you, you’ll probably be able to fall asleep easily enough.”
Lyra blushes, averting her gaze. Her abrupt movement makes the edge of her veil tickle over Asra’s nose, making him sneeze and waking him up.
“Mm?” he mumbles, rubbing his nose with his knuckles.
“Sorry my love.” Lyra adjusts her veil as he shifts out from under it. “How was your sleep?”
“Decent,” Asra yawns, sitting up to stretch. “Any sign of the Praetor?”
“Well—”
Worm! Faust declares.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Lyra looks down to the flower basket between her and her partner’s feet.
Their familiars are waiting patiently for their time to shine. Faust was curled up in the basket of flowers. The basket itself was etched with some glyphs. Once the magic in them was activated, the basket would float. This would allow Faust to grab flowers—and their petals—with her mouth. The morph gets to fling them wherever she pleases.
Nook, Lyra’s book-shaped mimic of a familiar, is their ring bearer for the occasion. He’s in charge of a tinier basket. Nook would need to keep the longer handle of said basket between his teeth to keep pace with Faust’s floating one.
Inside the tiny basket were two paper flowers, one set in a corsage-like arrangement while the other is attached to a hairpin. Lyra had painstakingly assembled them while Asra painted them. The corsage had the red lotus, and the pin was adorned by the purple flower of the belladonna.
Respectively, they’re Lyra and Asra’s favorite flowers. Tucked safely in the center of each flower is their partner’s ring. When the time comes, the lotus corsage would be wrapped over Lyra’s wrist, and the belladonna neatly pinned behind Asra’s ear. Afterward, the rings would go to the appropriate finger of their partner’s hand.
In the meantime however, the newlyweds-to-be watch Faust slowly raise herself from her little bed of flowers, repeating, Worm!
Lyra and Asra look at each other, confused.
Nook’s eyes snap open. His four sea green eyes shift toward the right. Nook raises himself onto his tarantula-esque feet, baring his sharp teeth as he growls.
“Nook, what’s the matter?” Lyra squeaks, startled by the sudden menace overcoming her familiar.
Nadia looks toward the direction of Nook’s line of sight, immediately getting to her feet.
“Oh no.” The disgust in the Countess’s voice is palatable. Asra and Lyra blink at her, bewildered, until they see what she means.
The Praetor had brought one of his worms with him.
O*O*O
A temporary, ramshackle pen is made off to the side of The Shop in order to contain Wriggler. The servants that came with Vlastomil are very, very apologetic in expression to the more unimpressed members of the wedding party.
“Do you suppose it’s going to hold?” Salim murmurs to James, eyeing the creaky posts that were slapdashed together.
“Gods willin’ an’ we don’t have to deal wit’ anyone gettin’ bit or The Shop getting destroyed,” the latter replies in kind, their gazes drifting to their respective spouses.
Aisha is taking all of it in, bemused. Walterine and Bảo, on the other hand, are fuming beside the Countess. Nadia is giving a quiet but adamant final warning to the Praetor that if Wriggler ever shows up to another one of these ceremonial obligations again, she’d have Vlastomil replaced post-haste.
As all that is going on, Asra, Neha, Portia, and Lyra are all staring at the gigantic worm—with teeth!—in awe.
Lyra supports Nook with one forearm under him, having his backside pressed against the front of her dress. With her free hand, Lyra has it gently clasped over Nook’s mouth. That doesn’t stop Nook from growling at Wriggler, but the precaution is there. Asra holds the basket Faust is coiled up in, the latter peering nervously over the rim of it at Wriggler.
“She’s gotten bigger since the last time I saw her—” Asra laughs as the three around him stare in abject horror.
“That worm can get bigger?!” Neha whispers loudly, incredulous.
At this point, all Lyra can do is shrug. Before anyone can say anything else, Praetor Vlastomil calls for Asra, Lyra, and their immediate families to come and step to the spots they’re going to be at.
“I don’t have all day! I have my precious Wriggler and the rest of my worms to attend to!”
“Are you ready?” Lyra asks, looking at the familiar in her arms. Nook blinks at her, his mouth curling into a grin. “Alright. Get the basket and we’ll take our places. No trying to bite Wriggler, okay?”
On it! Nook replies. Once Lyra sets him down, Nook rushes to get his basket. Some onlookers jump out of the way as he zooms past them, making Lyra laugh.
Asra waves his hands over the glyphs on Faust’s basket, murmuring the words to activate them. As Faust is lifted by the magic basket, a loud WHEE! echoing in their heads.
Lyra stands beside Asra, offering her arm out for him to hold. Asra graciously loops his arm with hers. Their expressions are mirroring each other: just a little shy, but full of adoration for their partner.
“Ready when you are, Faust!” Neha calls from off the side of the Praetor.
When Nook finally takes his place beside the morph, she commands the basket:
Forward!
O*O*O
“ . . . and by the power vested in me by the city-state of Vesuvia, I pronounce you married.” Vlastomil barely gets the words you may now—with a disgusted scoff—kiss your partner, before Asra and Lyra grab at each other.
With her veil no longer separating her lips from her spouse's own, Lyra dips him into a deep kiss. As Asra goes completely slack in her arms, Lyra wraps her arms securely around him.
Cheers and applause from their friends, loved ones, neighbors, and onlookers alike echo into the neighborhood. Bells are shaken wildly and horns are blown. Confetti and rice are thrown into the air, scattering about the ground and carried away by the wind.
She’s the one that pulls back from the kiss first. Upon seeing her partner’s face, Lyra can’t help but laugh. Asra has the most blissful expression, and she’s sure that he’s floating.
She attempts to right Asra onto his feet, but he is, indeed literally, floating off of the ground.
“Do I need to hang onto you?” Lyra asks.
“Just for a short while,” Asra replies breathlessly, eyes soft and adoring. Lyra chuckles. She acts as his anchor, having an arm wrapped behind his waist and a hand clasped with his. They turn to look on at their friends and family, now being greeted as a newly wedded couple.
O*O*O
After Wriggler and the Praetor are gone, the festivities go into full swing. Asra’s feet eventually return to the ground, but he’s still on the high of being married to the love of his life.
Nadia has to leave to return to her duties as Countess, but she wishes them well.
“Say hi to Julian for us!” Lyra bids her.
“I’ll extend your regards!” With that, a carriage whisks the Countess away.
In the meantime, the pair grab plates of food for each other, ducking past the threshold of The Shop and seeing all the tables set around so their guests could sit, eat, and mingle. Their place of honor is where the glass case counter used to be. It’s pushed back against the shelving, which is boarded up to prevent any inventory from falling out and onto the floor.
It couldn’t have gone any better.
O*O*O
As the day passes into evening, and well into the night, the guests begin to file out of The Shop. Asra and Lyra’s parents and parental figures help them to clean up the mess. James, Bảo, Salim and Walterine get the glass counter back to where it was, with Neha and Lyra quickly sweeping the floor beforehand.
Nook gets to eat whatever scraps he finds. He’s currently hidden in a corner, eating his fill as Faust snoozes in her basket.
As the table runner is placed over the display case, Walt says with a grin, “And that’s it!”
“Oh thank goodness—” Lyra leans against the top of it, slumping over from exhaustion. Asra gently pats her shoulder, garnering a few laughs.
“Before we go, Habibi,” Aisha says, coming forward, “I’d like to say a blessing.”
Lyra immediately straightens up, looking to Asra for guidance. He holds her hand, giving her a reassuring nod.
Aisha stands before the two of them. She first speaks in Zadithi, and then says in Vesuvian, “May Allah grant you blessings, send blessings upon you, and bring you together in goodness.”
“Oh, Mom—!” Asra hugs her, and Lyra follows suit. She looks ready to cry, as well as everyone else in the room.
Lyra’s eyes drift to her uncle Bảo. He’s very, very nervous.
“Bảo? What’s on your mind?” Lyra asks.
“I, uh . . .” he rubs the side of his neck, looking sheepish. “I hope this not redundant—”
With some additional encouragement from his own spouses, Bảo steps forward. “I-I have a blessing of my own. You won’t know or remember it, but I hope it mean a lot all the same.”
Bảo clears his throat, saying, “Chúc hai bạn hạnh phúc trọn đời. It means to ‘wish you both a lifetime of happiness’.”
He is not prepared for when Lyra and Asra rush him with hugs. Bảo and the others outright fall into laughter as the newlyweds lift him up in their shared embrace.
“You get pass today because it your wedding!” Bảo exclaims, legs kicking in the air until he’s set down. He’s still smiling all the same, tears brimming in his eyes.
They all join together for one final group hug. Asra and Lyra see them out the door, waving and saying their goodbyes. After making sure the front lamp is out, Lyra locks the door.
Asra hugs her from behind, nuzzling her nape. “Mm . . . you should wear backless things more often,” he teases, pressing a kiss to her exposed neck and shoulder. Lyra shivers, leaning back into his warmth.
“What, so you could decorate me with kisses there?”
“That wouldn’t be such a bad thing, would it?” Lyra can feel the mischievous glint in his eye, especially when he starts to mouth over her other shoulder. Before his teeth could graze over anymore of her skin, there’s a knock at the back door.
“It’s Muriel!” Lyra wiggles out of her spouse’s hold, laughing softly as a soft whine passes from his lips.
Upon opening the door, the two of them see that Muriel’s wrapped up in his massive cloak, his head and part of his face covered as usual. However, the collar and manacles he bore for so long are now a distant memory. None of them know exactly when Muriel’s gift of being forgotten stopped working, but it wasn’t long after the Alnazars and Aster-Nguyen families started getting more and more involved in and around his life.
“Hey Muri,” Lyra greets, smiling softly. “We saved some food for you and Inanna. Lemme grab the basket.” She ducks away to do that, allowing Asra and Muriel to catch up for a bit.
“Our parents were asking for you,” Asra murmurs.
“They know I don’t like crowds. Or people,” Muriel replies in kind.
“They know; Mom and Dad are still going to invite you for lunch or dinner at their place. It’s the same with Lyra’s parents too.”
“. . . they don’t have to.”
“They want to—”
“They want to!” Lyra echoes Asra, returning with the basket. She holds it out to Muriel with a smile “Here it is. We made some lemon squares for you too.”
Muriel sighs, exasperated. Still, he accepts the basket of food.
“We can’t thank you enough for the rings, Muri,” Asra says. He and Lyra hold up their hands, the wooden rings shining in the moonlight. “They fit perfectly.”
Muriel’s smile graces his face. Upon seeing their delighted smiles in turn, Muriel flushes. “It-it’s no big deal. Congratulations. Bye.” With that, Muriel trundles off into the darkness, heading back to the forest.
Lyra closes the door, shaking her head. “One of these days we’re gonna get him to come to dinner with us and our parents.”
“Give him time. He’ll come around.” Asra stretches, languidly leaning his front against his spouse.
Lyra chuckles, angling her body so that Asra can have his arms around her shoulders. She leans back against the wall behind her, shivering as the stone chills her exposed upper back.
“Mmm . . .” Asra tucks his face into the crook of her neck.
“You okay?” Lyra asks, angling her head so that her cheek could settle against the side of his face.
“Yeah. Tired . . .”
Lyra quietly tuts, nuzzling him. She kisses his temple, murmuring, “Sounds like bedtime.”
Asra snorts, leaning back so he can bat his eyes at her. His white eyelashes flutter enticingly, but Lyra’s resolute.
“We have the morning, my love,” Lyra counters, laughing as Asra pouts. She stands up and away from the wall. She remains steady when Asra wraps his legs around her waist, locking his ankles behind her lower back.
Lyra reinforces her hold on him with her hands against the underside of his thighs. She makes a beeline for the stairs, ascending them carefully with her precious cargo in her arms.
“We’ve been up all day and I am sure you just want to flop into bed—”
“—with you—!” Asra protests. When a yawn betrays him, Asra nuzzles into the side of Lyra’s neck.
She chuckles. “All right all right,” she relents, pausing midway up the stairs.
Lyra leans back a bit, allowing Asra to untuck himself from her neck. Their foreheads touch, their lips gently brushing against each other as Lyra deftly makes her way up the rest of the stairs.
A/N: Final Word Count: 2,800+ words
This is were I found the blessing Aisha says to Asra and Lyra [LINK]. I apologize ahead of time if I misrepresented any part of that.
Happy belated birthday to Asra and Faust! I’m glad I took the extra day to get this finalized. I loved writing every bit of it.
Thanks again for sweetalnazar and the rest of the participants for making this event possible and enjoyable! Have a good day/night!
[Asra’s design is from his official Wedding Charm design from Nix Hydra, and Lyra’s wedding charm art is done by @agent-darkbootie]
“How long do you think she’s going to be angry at me?”
“Asra, she has no right to be this pissed at you.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I’ll probably know for sure in about . . . two hours?”
Asra winces at that assessment, barely able to prevent himself from tripping over a tree root in the sidewalk as Lyra continues ahead.
“It’s not your fault!” she calls back, slowing down enough for him to finally catch up.
“Wh-when you said that your mom can blow things out of pr-proportion—” Asra chokes on air, coughing. Lyra reaches into her drawstring bag, handing her friend a plastic water bottle. Asra takes it with a quiet thanks, waterfalling the contents into his mouth.
“This is actually mild compared to the other bullshit she’s pulled.”
Asra grimaces, struggling to keep up with her when she resumes power walking. This situation is flipped from when Asra wanted to go go go somewhere; he didn’t like this one bit.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m going to stuff my face with food,” Lyra replies simply. “There’s a small Vietnamese place that cooks the best popcorn chicken with their rice down this way—” Lyra walks on, rattling on with commentary about a third of the menu before she stops and turns to face Asra again, giving him a small smile. “I’ll even pay for whatever you want to get, too. Cap is $200 altogether, for the both of us. Is that okay?”
“Y-yeah . . . no, no problem . . .” Asra's breathless. He gets properly upright once at the door of the establishment. When Lyra opens the door, the bell above clangs into the metal frame it hangs off of.
The smell of good food welcomes them both.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
Later . . .
Asra, having the end of his chopsticks hovering close to his lips, watches Lyra consume another bowl of fried rice and a side of dumplings. The aisle-side of the booth’s table has a wall consisting of plates, bowls, and various utensils. Asra looks to the busser, sympathetic when they stop by the table for the third time to clear it. He places his chopsticks horizontally over his bowl of phở, exhaling softly.
“Ly?”
“Mmph?” Lyra stops eating, one cheek full of food as she looks at him. Seeing his expression, she carefully turns to the side.
Shielding the lower half of her face with her hand, Lyra quickly chews what’s in her mouth. With each swallow, she chases it with her tea, wincing at the heat. Once she’s done, Lyra quickly grabs tissues from the napkin dispenser against the wall. With one hand, she works on getting rid of what’s leftover on her mouth and lips. Her other hand rubs the area under her hyoid bone.
“Ow . . .” she rasps.
“You’re not Faust!” Asra teases, but there’s still that edge of worry in his voice.
Lyra glances at him, her dark brown eyes unexpectedly meeting Asra’s own. Her eyes widen, taking in the brown curls framing his face. She quickly averts her gaze to the table itself. Her eyes bore into the resin tabletop.
“Do you think you’re done?”
She nods.
“Okay. You still want to pay for all of the stuff we ate?”
She nods again, taking the table’s number stand with her as she goes to the register a ways behind Asra. He finishes up his bowl of phở and leaves a hefty tip on the table when the busser comes. He thanks them, getting to his feet when Lyra returns soon after.
After they box their leftovers, the pair walk single-file out the door. Outside, they maneuvered themselves to walk side by side.
“Where do you want to go next?”
“I don’t wanna go back to my uncle’s yet,” Lyra murmurs.
“I know . . .”
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
Lyra is much, much slower with a stomach full of food. Asra's relieved, especially since he has an inkling he might have pulled something while tripping over the tree root earlier.
"How are you feeling?" Asra asks, looking over at her.
"Not that good." Lyra hugs herself around her abdomen, looking a little green.
Asra winces. He looks around them, immediately spotting a bodega up ahead.
“Ginger ale or—?"
"The lemon-lime one this time, please," Lyra rasps, swallowing thickly.
He's off like a shot, making Lyra laugh when he zips past the front door. In a few moments he zooms back to her, quickly wiping the top of the can with his shirttail before passing it to her.
Lyra gently taps the top of the can with a fingernail. She holds it away from herself, tugging on the pull-tab before shuffling to the side of the sidewalk.
The both of them stand under the awning of a boarded up building, graffitied with all sorts of art.
"No 'splosion," Lyra exhales in relief. She carefully sips on the drink, lightly coughing.
Asra nods, barely able to hide his concern as she closes her eyes.
Lyra was prone to eating her feelings. That wasn't the surprising thing. Asra has seen her stress-eat during final exams back in high school, but this was something else.
Bzz. Bzz.
"That's you," Lyra murmurs.
You left your phone back at your uncle's? Asra didn't voice these thoughts, instead checking on the messages he's received. As expected, they were all from Lyra's family.
🏒Neha: Where are you guys?
💻 Walt: Still a bit dicey back here. I think you kids can come back around 4 or 5 o'clock though.
🍰 James: Bao and Mai are still yelling at each other. Going to be a while yet. Everything ok?
Asra answers them all to the best of his ability, immediately pocketing his phone.
It's only just after 2 p.m.
"What they say?"
"Your uncle and mom are still discussing things—" He blinks in surprise when Lyra snorts derisively, shaking her head.
"Well, what do you want me to say about it?" Asra shifts his weight from one foot to another, assessing her body language.
"I know they're at each other's throats still. You don't need to protect me from that." Lyra gives him a rueful smile.
"I'm sorry,” Asra murmurs softly.
Lyra gently nudges her elbow to his upper arm. "It wasn't my fault, much less yours."
"She got really angry today."
"We were just snuggled together—" Lyra stops to scoot back from the sidewalk, allowing a parent and their gaggle of children to pass before continuing,
"—we fell asleep watching t.v. in the living room. Mom didn't have to surprise us with a visit."
"It's just her up here, right?"
"Mhm. Vinh is back with Theodore. I'm just happy my mom didn't hit you with anything more substantial."
Asra laughs. "The pillow was within reach—better than the lamp on the side table.”
"I would feel terrible if she did."
"She didn't though."
Lyra nods, exhaling softly. "I'm sorry I freaked you out earlier. I must've looked like a Sarlacc pit."
"You're nowhere near that" Asra nudges his upper arm against hers. "I don't blame you for what happened."
"I still say she's blowing it out of proportion!"
“Perhaps, but she wanted to protect you.”
“She assumes the worst in everyone around her, Asra. Theodore is the only one that’s not subject to it anymore. It’s really not healthy. Aside from my father being a major part of why I left, why do you think I wanted so badly to stay with my uncle?”
“Mmm . . .” Asra hums, exhaling.
He scoots back over to her, positioning himself so that shoulder to shoulder, they’re touching. In turn, Lyra leans over just enough to have the side of her head rest upon his shoulder.
They still had a few hours to kill. There weren’t any NO LOITERING signs nearby, either. For the time being, this was a perfect spot to rest in.
A/N: I took it in a bit of a different direction. (^w^)
Context for who is who in here—
Lyra Nguyen is related to her uncle Bảo through her mother, Mai. Theodore is Mai’s current significant other, but not married to her (yet). Vinh is Lyra’s biological younger sister.
Walterine Aster is—from the canon Arcana timeline—the aunt Ly inherits The Shop from in Center City. In modern AU, she’s a single mother who has a daughter named Neha. She’s known James and Bảo for years, having met the former back in their college days.
James Cionaodh is Bảo’s partner (married). These two live with Walterine and Neha because living where they are—modern equivalent to San Francisco—is expensive as all hell.
Neha is roughly the same age as Vinh in this modern AU. She is technically Ly’s cousin by marriage from the canon Arcana timeline (long story), but in that timeline they’re essentially sisters, at least Pre-Red Plague and post Upright/a few Reversed timelines.
I’ll probably need to make a separate post for this but, thank you so much for reading!
A/N: I’m going to run with this one because it deals with Lyra’s past and her adjustment to living in Vesuvia with a supportive, loving family.
CW/TW: For past abuse/child abuse/emotional abuse, dysfunctional family, development of anxiety, etc.
Timeline/Settings—Rồngkarst, Leysương, nineteen to twenty years ago; Pre-Red Plague Vesuvia, eight and a half to nine years ago . . .
1. When her mom (Mai) married her dad (Nhung, son of a high ranking diplomat), Mai expected that she would be moved to a living situation where maids/servants would do things for her. Spoiler alert: that didn't happen.
When Lyra was 7 to 8 years old, Mai took her frustrations out on Lyra over this. Over time, a disproportionate amount of chores was hefted onto Lyra so that Mai can attend to other things.
[More under the cut!]
O*O*O
2. After Mai fled Rồngkarst with baby Vinh in tow, this left a thirteen to fourteen year old Lyra alone with her father. At this point, maids/servants (two to three of them) were hired to help out.
It turns out like many elders’ opinions of the next generation, the maids were very judgmental of Lyra's methods of cleaning. Despite the fact the kid still got her chores/tasks done on time, there was always something she had done wrong.
This would lead to Lyra having a lot of anxiety.
O*O*O
3. When on the road to Vesuvia, she was forced to serve her cousins hand and foot so they'd give her room and board.
Said room was a cramped area of the cart, and the food they left her was just enough scraps for her to survive on.
Sometimes, Lyra didn't eat because she was too exhausted.
O*O*O
4. Upon finally getting to her uncle's house and settling in, Lyra often overdid herself in trying to help with chores.
During just the first six months of living there, Lyra went above and beyond in keeping her uncle's house and shop spic and span.
Unfortunately, Ly was having breakdowns over any bad spots in the house she missed. She kept this hidden until James, Walt, or Bảo encountered her having one of these in the storage closet of Bảo’s store.
Everyone was worried of course. It was Walt during a family meeting that she suggested the following: Lyra needed a day or two—to a week—every month without worrying about chores.
Before Lyra can protest, Neha interjects that none of them would be suffering if she (Lyra) just needed to relax.
“You don’t get mad when any of us get too tired to do what we need to, right?”
Lyra gets quiet, knowing full well one of the rest of them would take over, if they could.
It was really, really rough on Lyra on the first few attempts. It takes time, but it worked!
O*O*O
5. They all eventually figured out that the best way for Lyra to do her household tasks was to NOT TO BE WATCHED. On her own, Lyra did things her way and nothing went wrong with anything. Easy-peasy.
If she missed a spot/forgot a task, it was no biggie.
Bảo seeing his niece adjusting to her new surroundings—slowly but surely—was of immense relief to him.
O*O*O
5a. Lyra can help get ingredients/prep food for meals without any problem.
Cooking for the family, however, is completely off limits. Lyra has extremely awful memories of her father/cousins throwing the food that she made for them back at her because she did it 'wrong'.
A/N: I’m gonna stop here for now. thanks for reading!
