wampir wyższy.

wormwood,  𝔟𝔞𝔰𝔦𝔩, 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝 ⅋. sage.

[wampirszy]

    how do i look?     [ ... ]    convincingly human?

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#wampirszy. the barber - surgeon of dillingen, the epitome of humanity, the walking apothecary. an independent portrayal of the vampire emiel regis, as featured in the witcher saga by andrezj sapkowski and the witcher 3 by cd projekt red. extremely crossover focused &. friendly, 21+ only. as crafted by vanto, 31, he / they.

       carrd.    verses.    memes.

on the road with: arbitratour, wiedzlak, lamourstre.

read my rules. 2026 is the year i recover from all the bullshit i've had lobbed at me for two years now, so i'm stepping back socially. i stick to tumblr ims, i do not give out my discord. communicate with me, be honest with me as well as yourself. if i sound jaded, it's because i am but i'm trying my best.

a) re, my interpretation: i'm split 90 / 10 between book / games, respectively. i take some vampire lore details from the games and i write in the games' continuity extensively (i use regis' appearance in them as 'fc', even), but literally everything else is book based.

b) re, netflix: i don't write in that continuity and i'm highly critical of it, particularly considering how it fundamentally mischaracterizes regis. no, i won't tag my posts about it. essentially, purely netflix witcher writers dni.

[arbitratour]

" you are friends with count hasslidor ?? " he spoke slowly, tentatively, letting his disbelief taint his tone openly. regis liked to talk, or maybe more apt — regis knew quite a bit ( quite a lot ) about just about everything, and was very keen to share. absolute devotion to the absolute truth: naturally curious, as scholars, statesmen and studied surgeons tended to be. he wasn't ever one to lie, at least insofar as the truth remained practical, but at the same time he's so . . . civilian ?? so unassuming ?? in contrast to the dramaticism of his peers, the vampire looks strikingly, connivingly human. average. it is probably this lack of ambition ( not lack — ambition denied and choked — smothered the same way a drunkard smothers his vice ) which permitted him his life. so every vampire on nirn knows every other vampire, is that it ?? " how . . . how old are you ?? "

he can't fault regis his fondness, he'd seen the same look — that same hopeful assuredness — in basil's eyes whenever the subject of skingrad reared its controversial head in congregation. it echoed the same wise amusement in vicente's. the truth of the matter was hasslidor had killed more vampires than any number of their rank. more important than any of that, his mere existence was one of insane, brave defiance. hasslidor was never the lesser man, as the story goes. at the inception of vampirism not once had he given into temptation, nor made of himself a beast. he proved, without equivocation, that it was a choice. and that doesn't sit all to well with mostafa either.

who is he to judge. by absolutely no right. yet quietly and without comment, judge he does.

"that is a welcome development then. i do not trust him completely," but i do trust you "however if you think he will help us then we shall work under that assumption. " he strips his gauntlets off his hands to flex his fingers near the fire, lost briefly to thought as he watches the dying flames lick what kindling remains. " i've always wondered, why doesn't the vampire consolidate ?? you have clans and dynasties that somewhat resemble our own. there's greymoor for example. clan volkihar of skyrim. yet these are pitiful, decaying holdings bastioned by but a few able bodies. my people — humans, beastfolk and so on — have made ourselves true apex predators by the strength of our unity. for all your wisdom and might, i can not comprehend why the vampire would not attempt the same. "

[wampirszy]

" careful there, dear man, " comes regis' amused warning; he teases, nothing more, and it's evident in his eyes. the affectionate appellate, however, is genuine. " that's certainly a question that veers into uncomfortable territory, especially for one of meridia's faithful. " it may be a broken oath by now, mostafa's, but there's clearly no stopping the bright lady's name from leaving the crusader's lips. in spite of it all, and to the vampire's personal amusement, mostafa's academic side rears its head and the question is simply a curious one. regis threads his fingers together, tucks a knee to his chest, and also turns his attention to the dying fire.

" if there is one thing that your people can undoubtedly claim as an advantage, that is your tendency to gather, to establish community. it is as you say: strength in your unity. that is and will be forever undone by the desire to dominate; a vice, a flaw that you can suffer but nevertheless put aside before it threatens said unity. for vampires, and to borrow an ironic expression, domination is in our blood. " regis speaks so professionally about it, one may think this bothers him little. but he's had time to think, and years to battle his own compulsions. " and that extends not only to mortals, but to kin as well. clans and dynasties exist, yes, but there are also vampires like janus. there are independent and solitary creatures, small aggregates and communities, the many bloodlines of the iliac bay; all of them, beholden to their own rules, their own established order and at their heart, that compulsion. "

his fangs ache. it's been months since he last fed; ironically, it was from a wild boar. he turns his eyes to mostafa. " we're plagued by much the same things mortals are, believe it or not. take, for one, the cult of lamae bal. to them, vampires are a flock of diseased animals to be guided but those more reverent of molag bal and his gift might take issue with that. neither side would submit nor come together, least of all given the cult's hatred for the corrupter. " a sigh leaves him, an old habit he's suddenly all too aware of, and then a chuckle.

" i'm but one vampire, however, and an unorthodox one as of recently. this is my impression of the state of things after four hundred and twenty - eight years. "

[wampirszy]

i'm gonna be on my puter soon so lms if you want me to send u some inbox memes.

[wampirszy]

i'm gonna be on my puter soon so lms if you want me to send u some inbox memes.

[arbitratour]

and there it is, the quiet reminder — the admission of culpability, given earnestly but laden with a sort of restless discomfort regis rarely embodied. this was a necessary violation of their longstanding contract not to dredge up the violent histories of their pasts ( they share their guilt with their divine emperor, whose own decadent vices cost him his decency long ago ) . in order to function they had to ( had to ) wordlessly forgive each other, and exist comfortably in the fog of mutual ignorance, the first and only shield against genuine action.

his experience with umaril changed him. fundamentally it metamorphosed him into something better, more reasonable and more lenient. inclined as he may be to the charitable, life-affirming pursuits of his new-born faith, now in his face there's the ghost of the old razorback, who knew ( and who knew regis knew ) what duty devotion and doctrine would demand of him. forget the obligations of crusader, knight, hero and lord — forget those of meridian, priest, paladin and onward. if he were half as decent as the people of cyrodiil perceived him to be, he'd cut emiel regis down here and now for the veritable mountain of carnage they both know him guilty and capable of.

and if emiel regis was half as benevolent as mostafa fundamentally believed him to be, well then to the divine crusader regis would do the same.

mostafa's eye closes and there is a quiet but fervent bite in his voice. " you thought it wise to tell me this now ?? gods above regis i know you to be smarter than that. some basic foresight, master barber surgeon." he detaches and turns heel, driving them onward towards nowhere while he strangled down that roaring impulse to escalate. engage.

they move onward in that awkward silence for only a handful of minutes; it doesn't take long for mostafa to speak again, and when he does he sounds only weary. if they are being honest ( it seems todays the day ), images of whatever retribution regis' victims managed to invoke disturbed him to an uncomfortable degree.

" a hindrance?? don't be obscene. my enduring judgement is that you are not. i could not tolerate the humiliation of engaging with these people without you. they are gluttonous and incompetent bureaucrats and i hate them. i'm fond of you." still fond of you, despite. if confessed sooner — years sooner — they'd have been at blows. now ( much to mostafa's own fault ), one could rarely be seen without the other; this dark irony is not lost on him, and he offers regis a weak smile of his own. it's meant to be disarming, or at least it attempts to be. " you were right to have us leave, but our — my business with indarys is not concluded, " mostafa continued on, tempering his stride to that of the vampires. " how do you want to handle this ?? theoretically you could travel to leyawiin. you move faster without me and we could meet again in bravil. only — " only, selfishly, that isn't what he wants. " — it might be difficult to . . . find one another, again. thankfully i haven't eaten anyone anywhere."

[wampirszy]

he finds the bite in mostafa's reproach well deserved; he cannot and will not begrudge the crusader his frustration, because at least it's outwardly and verbally expressed rather than repressed or, gods forbid, channeled into something else. there are many facets of their respective lives, past and present, that they cannot afford to summon but indeed, to hide this was folly on regis' part. basic foresight. while mostafa trudges on in uncomfortable but tense silence, regis follows the man's strides without issue, fingers worrying the strap of his satchel in a quiet show of unease.

strangely enough, it doesn't last long. mostafa's frustration gives way to weariness, and with it comes understanding. a smile. affection. regis indeed finds himself disarmed for once, the knot in his brow dissolving to make way for wordless surprise. he only partially hears mostafa's suggestion (parting ways on account of leyawiin being the farthest city away) because it feels senseless, the manner of its delivery almost surreal. as they slow down to a more reasonable and human pace, regis meets mostafa's one - eyed gaze and finds it preemptively full of resignation.

regis' only way to combat that is to reach for mostafa's hand; he happens to take the man by the wrist instead, but the gesture suffices and gets its point across anyway. i'm fond of you. coldharbour swallow him whole.

" splitting up is an option, certainly, " regis concedes, breaking his silence at last, " but i'd be loathe to leave you to engage with these incompetent bureaucrats all by yourself. a precarious thing, diplomacy. " another moment's pause. " i'll remain nearby, circle the city; you'll have to spend the night so once you're settled, regardless of where that is, i will make my way to you. and then ... as unpleasant as it is, i'll depart in the morning. leyawiin will be my responsibility while you head to bravil and i wouldn't worry. "

he squeezes mostafa's wrist. they do not need consolation, not like most, but for all his pride and despite the path he walks in life, the man beneath whitestrake's armor is still mortal. " when i'm done in leyawiin, we'll see about bravil together. wherever on the road you might be i'll find you. never doubt it. "

[wampirszy]

this is the sixth time in as many tens of minutes geralt has found himself pacing through the short hallway of beauclair's grand castle, in the direction of regis' temporary quarters. he knows regis is there, on account of the herbal aroma his sensitive nose can detect. and he knows regis knows he's been there too. the vampire is too keen ; geralt could never hope to hide anything from him.

nor would he ever like to.

❝ regis ? ❞ comes his question, softly spoken breath pressed against the smallest crack at the door. ❝ would you come out for a walk with me ? ❞

the witcher's presence is hardly, if ever, a difficult thing to pin down. a vampire's preternatural senses are efficient and keen; geralt's habit to linger near regis' room is almost predictable, especially when there seems to be outstanding matters to discuss. a perfect excuse to be in each other's company. and so they find themselves entangled in such a dance, far less courtly and charming than the atmosphere in beauclair would have everyone else believe. though regis does not look up from his book, he does acknowledge geralt's presence in the back of his mind as soon as he hears that familiar gait from down the hall. geralt's knee is doing well today it seems, as all indicators of discomfort are absent ... and the man so abhors being idle.

geralt's question slips inside his room like a stray breeze, an invitation as appealing as it is soft despite the gruffness in the witcher's tone. onyx eyes drift towards the door at last and after a moment, the vampire abandons his reading material in favor of his satchel and black cloak. he does take his time, however, and offers no words of acknowledgment: a man of talents and senses such as geralt will pick up on some noise, even if regis is greatly silent in his movements.

he hears geralt about to draw breath, likely to insist a second time, but regis opens the door at that very moment and greets the witcher with a small smile.

" planning to take advantage of the weather, are you. " it's an unassuming half - question, small talk, but it's enough to cause a shift in geralt's disposition visible only to regis. there's certainly advantages to studying, befriending and counseling a witcher on his travails. " well, i won't say no. " his smile widens: they're briefly alone, and so his fangs show just so. " lead the way, my friend. "

unprompted asks from ages ago, ft. @wiedzlak.

[arbitratour]

@wampirszy // cont from ( x )

he's happy with a few hours. not of true sleep, for that would require separation from his armor and he will not permit himself be skinned raw in such a manner while traveling the wilds, left again with his own mortality. it would also demand mostafa slumber alone in the woods with a vampire. by now the sincerity of regis' goodwill was difficult ( at best ) to call into question. every trial and turn of their tumultuous journey, the nobility of his intent was made apparent and regis was not nor ever had been found wanting. the crusader's affection for him may be perpetually evolving and at times readily apparent, but to disarm himself completely in such a way is two steps too far. always pride, just like there was always fear; the former more often than a not a shield for the later. so a few moments to sit — to get warm and rest his eye — for this he is plenty thankful.

they sit in silence for a few hours. the hero only moves once, to draw his cape closer in around himself as the fire, its light and its warmth, began to retreat. at the fourth, once the moon's fully settled, a second before its gradual retreat, he slowly blinks and humors regis with a proper response. not before taking his time to stare, watching as the light reflects from regis eyes in a manner befitting a star-lit deer (or sabercat or a wolf ).

" i do not expect much from regulus. bravil is hardly in any position to help themselves, least of all their neighbors. besides which, culturally there's more kinship between the colovians and their nordic cousins than their own imperial nibenese brethren. they wont care, not about bruma. we'd be better off in skyrim asking the southern jarls for help — which is exactly where we should be and precisely where we are not. " he shifted himself up to a seated position, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked blankly into the fire. " i don't know enough about millona umbranox to make comment, though my expectations are appropriately low. as for janus hassildor, " mostafa then paused a moment, and offered regis an inquisitive look, though briefly searching. "he's . . . he's different. competent. i'm expecting — no we are relying — on him completely. "

mostafa had never met the man himself, oh but vicente valtieri had, and his judgement had always been favorable. vicente had also been quite transparent about the other bit.

" he's also a vampire. he doesn't kill people — nor has he ever, i'm led to believe, but he is — meridia save us — a vampire. he is also ferociously territorial. for your sake it might be better if you avoid skingrad entirely. worth thinking about, i suppose."

[wampirszy]

regis listens with appropriate interest, gaze turned towards mostafa even as he works small lengths of twine around stalks of herbs and flowers. keeping supplies restocked while on the road has always paid off, for even though they each keep the company of their respective indefatigable monster (as well as, allegedly, the nine), they've encountered ordinary folk in need just as often as meandering daedra. bravil won't care about bruma. were regis still in touch with whatever mockery of humanity he once possessed, by now a distant speck in an ever - lengthening existence, he would have called mostafa's assessment overly cynical. he's come to learn, however, that such is a mortal's lot.

his mood improves at the mention of count hassildor: as mostafa looks to him, regis turns expectant. though his countenance remains unshaken, there's no turning a blind eye to a vampire's intensity.

" i suppose now is as good a time as any for me to mention that janus and i are friends, " regis says, putting aside his tools. " i didn't neglect revealing this on purpose, mind you: we are, after all and in spite ourselves, natural enemies that have let their histories lie undisturbed. now skingrad ... well, it happens to concern a bit of mine. " it's all he offers by way of explanation: the discomfort they cause each other is mutual and inescapable whenever they think of who they are.

" when i returned to the province five years ago, that's where i set up shop, literally, but with no shortage of trouble. the count's territorial nature and his hatred for other vampires are very much interlinked, and he first assumed me an invader. it took some time but we made peace, especially considering my history. " regis reflects on his tribulations with barely concealed amusement, as though these matters were decades past and not a simple and very short five years. his eyes soften, hopeful. " he will aid us in our efforts, of that i have no doubt. whatever deficiencies we're presented with in anvil and bravil, janus will more than make up for them. "

[vegaphysics]

EMIEL REGIS + BODY LANGUAGE, some examples in visual form.

fingers around the strap of his satchel + testing it while contemplating, nose twitches while in thought or expressing concern, sweeping gestures + a bias for talking with his hands and gesturing emphatically, the infamous thin - lipped smile behind which he hides his fangs.

THE WITCHER 3: BLOOD &. WINE EXPANSION (CD PROJEKT RED, 2016).

[wampirszy]

❛ i can always tell when you are wearied, you ask the most inane questions. ❜

it's not the first time they have camped somewhere off the beaten path, and it certainly won't be the last. it's also hardly the first time they've had to do away with squatting bandits or stray necromancers who've thought themselves powerful enough to take on the visage of whitestrake returned or the old medicine peddler that occasionally approaches them first. parlay doesn't always work; in those cases, harmless illusion often does, even if that trick still raises mostafa's hackles. 'tis the vile charm of the vampire, after all, as the crusader's incarnation still unnecessarily reminds him some nights. when regis offers the opportunity to 'sully the nine - blessed blade with the blood of mere ruffians' as a matching unpleasant counterpoint, however, mostafa finds himself duly if begrudgingly placated.

they've sought shelter for the night on the half - ruined second floor of an equally ruined fort, the only way in and out being a staircase that will definitely go undisturbed for the night.

" how difficult will it be to reason with count terentius, do you think? " comes the vampire's question, shadows cast by the small fire at their feet dancing over his face, as he trims dead leaves off a stalk of primrose.

when he's met with silence, regis looks beside him: mostafa's cracked his remaining eye open and is meeting his gaze with nothing short of quiet bafflement. " i can always tell when you are wearied, vampire. you ask the most inane questions. " he hasn't taken much of his armour off, as per usual, but even around the tabard and remainders of the mail, mostafa too seems glad their travels are over for the day. never mind that he could have kept on marching for another full day and a half over the upper niben.

regis blinks. " i'm sorry inane? me? " there's a pause ... during which he concedes (no, your questions, he hears mostafa half - argue under his breath). " i suppose i could have asked something more brain - numbing. "

" you'd most certainly find something. "

the great boar relents, leaving the man beneath some room to breathe. regis almost thinks his sight traitorous when he first catches the trace of a smile playing about mostafa's scarred lip, but even after a few seconds it doesn't seem to vanish. it's disarming. oddly enough, it's been easier to tease smiles out of him lately or perhaps 'tis the vile charm of the vampire. regis returns his attention to the primrose, his own smile as fresh as the newly picked flowers.

assassin's quest, ft. @arbitratour.

[resourcesinblue]

ASSASSIN’S QUEST.

the following prompts were taken from the novel assassin’s quest by robin hobb, an american fantasy & speculative fiction writer. the novel is the third in the realm of the elderlings series, & the third book of the farseer trilogy set within said series. some prompts have been slightly edited for roleplaying suitability. please note - this trilogy features an ongoing war, & this meme may include prompts that make mention of war, death, blood, corpses, & other things some might find upsetting. feel free to change pronouns & prompts as you see fit !   (   book one  &  book two.   )

❛ i busy my hands in the hope of distracting my mind. ❜

❛ perhaps there can be no thanks nor any blame, but only recognition of the forces that brought us & bound us to our inevitable fates. ❜

❛ i am always above you. you will do everything i want you to do. you will do everything i tell you to do. do you understand that ? ❜

❛ if you go out of the door or the window, if you even open the door or the window, i will know it. & i will beat you to death. do you understand that ? ❜

❛ [ name ] hates me now. they told me i had no loyalty, nor courage. ❜

❛ if they were coming back, i think they’d be here by now. ❜

❛ just because a man can do a thing does not mean he should do a thing. ❜

❛ perhaps my trade does not allow me so many niceties of conscience as yours. ❜

❛ i killed them the same way they had killed [ name. ] without a chance of fighting back, without a moment of mercy.  ❜

❛ you said i would be the death of kings, if i did not learn to leave things alone. ❜

❛ [ name ] never needed a reason to kill them. they needed only to run out of reasons to keep them alive, & you had no control over that. ❜

❛ we never spoke about it. i refused to think about it. but no man could have come through that unchanged. ❜

❛ a nightmare, that was all. sorry. i was still dreaming, just a nightmare. ❜

❛ we’ve no money to buy more supplies, & nothing left to sell off. ❜

❛ there’s game in plenty to be had. if we can’t feed ourselves up here, we deserve to starve. ❜

❛ i’d seen what they’d done to you. i didn’t think you could live through that. ❜

❛ i thought i had lost you. i thought i’d done something worse than let you die. ❜

❛ you leave behind a life, with what, the clothes on your back ? & you say there’s nothing there you’d wish brought to you. does that not strike you as strange ? ❜

❛ sometimes one doesn’t know how badly they’re hurt until someone else probes the wound. ❜

❛ i’m done with it. i haven’t the spine for it. ❜

❛ they left you nothing, not even a roof over your head, those kings you were sworn to. ❜

❛ why do you always stand me up again, for them to knock down ? ❜

❛ you don’t see, you can’t know. you can’t even imagine what you’ve taken away from me. ❜

❛ all with the best of intentions, always believing you were doing what was right, no matter how it hurt me. ❜

❛ who gave you that right over me ? who decreed you could do this to me ? ❜

❛ all your life, you’ve been looking after someone else, putting someone else first, sacrificing any kind of normal life for someone else’s benefit. loyal as a hound. is that a life ? ❜

❛ i don’t want to owe you anymore. i don’t want to owe anyone anything. ❜

❛ you came back with an … anger. like a challenge to the world at large, to kill you if it could. ❜

❛ when were you calm & thoughtful, when were you merry with your friends, when were you ever simply at peace ? ❜

❛ if you weren’t challenging your enemies, you were driving away your friends. ❜

❛ for a long time now, nothing i’ve done has pleased you. or anyone. i can’t seem to make a good decision lately. ❜

❛ over & over & over again, you forget your place ! ❜

❛ you’ll get no assignment from me, nor will you be privy to my plans any longer. those days are over. ❜

❛ i love you, [ name. ] i don’t withdraw that from you. but you’re dangerous. ❜

❛ you ask me that question, but you already know you won’t like my answer. ❜

❛ go comb your hair. you look like a wild man. ❜

❛ it’s over. that life is over, let it go. ❜

❛ have you ever considered what it would do to me if you died ? ❜

❛ i’m going to kill all of them, for all they did to me, & all they took from me. ❜

❛ i have never known a life so simple. i have finally made peace with myself. ❜

❛ i’ll do you no harm, only let me be gone. i’m nothing to you. i’ll never trouble you again. ❜

❛ this is what you were trying to warn me about, all those years. ❜

❛ i did just what you had always feared i would do. ❜

❛ time is a thing that men made up to bother themselves with. ❜

❛ they believe me dead. they will not be lying in wait to ambush a dead [ man / woman. ] ❜

❛ you must be more careful. you will draw down trouble on yourself. ❜

❛ we know only that the sole cure is a merciful death. ❜

❛ once i had a love that i had believed would carry me through anything. they have taken that from me. now i nurture a hatred fully as strong. ❜

❛ i shall not be long. i just want to go listen to them talk for a bit, to find out what is happening. ❜

❛ shame to the lord that takes minstrels’ songs, & leaves their throats dry from the singing of it. ❜

❛ some would say it is a perversion, a twisted indulgence of spirit by which men gain knowledge of the lives & tongues of beasts, eventually to become little more than beasts themselves. ❜

❛ i hate everything about your decision, except that it has saved your life. ❜

❛ it’s a lonely thing, to wake up in the night & be afraid. ❜

❛ i know of nothing that can stand between a person & the dreams that come at night. ❜

❛ i lost someone i cared for. i’ve no heart to put another in their place. ❜

❛ i have looked into the heart of my enemy. i still cannot comprehend them. ❜

❛ [ name ], this is a danger to both of us. go back. go back now. ❜

❛ you’re old for it, but you could be taught to sing. ❜

❛ what can you owe to a [ man / woman ] who left you ? unless you gave them cause to leave you ? ❜

❛ nothing challenges my curiosity quite as much as a [ man / woman ] who blushes. ❜

❛ i would love to know what you were thinking that brought the blood to your face like that. ❜

❛ i wonder if there is any way to live amongst other people & refuse to be harnessed by their expectations & dependencies. ❜

❛ wait, wait ! i am not ready for this, i do not know if i will fight or run or simply faint where i stand. ❜

❛ what kind of [ man / woman ] are you ? what kind of a [ man / woman ] can do a thing like that ? ❜

❛ i can care for my hurts myself, thank you all the same. small thanks to you i am alive at all. ❜

❛ dead men’s money to ease your conscience ? ❜

❛ i have found you neither stupid nor craven, [ name ], so i must assume you are ignorant. ❜

❛ what use to you this strength you have never learned to master ? ❜

❛ no man wishes to be ill remembered in the tellings of minstrels & scribes, or worse yet, not remembered at all. ❜

❛ yesterday was an ugly day. i would not base any life decision on it. ❜

❛ whatever it is, [ name ], i think time will make it better. it does most things, you know. ❜

❛ don’t make them mad. they’ll let you off with a beating, if no - one makes them angry. make them angry, & they’ll kill you. ❜

❛ too often you have taken injuries on my behalf. what right do i have to ask that of you ? ❜

❛ old blood does not turn on old blood. ❜

❛ i believe that you sought me that day, & that i called out for you. though neither of us knew at the time what we were seeking. ❜

❛ stay with me a bit. i’ll teach you what you need to know. ❜

❛ you won’t learn it in an hour or a day. it’s going to take months. perhaps years. ❜

❛ isn’t that like a woman ! knows you for five minutes, & already matching you up for marriage ? ❜

❛ if you bay out all your plans & grievances to the night moon, you cannot be astonished that others know of them. ❜

❛ do you think they will suffer me to remain here & learn more to use against them ? ❜

❛ i believe in what you go to do. i wish you success, & would aid you if i could. ❜

❛ if you think [ name / title ] has a grip on us here, wait until you get to where folk believe they have a right to it. ❜

❛ they would not scruple to use those you love against you. give them up, to protect them. ❜

❛ i don’t think, truly, that i am better than any beast. though, as you say, i am smarter than some. ❜

❛ what right is there in letting such ugliness shape your life ? ❜

❛ what kind of a moron, i ask myself, tries to walk through an unfamiliar swamp in the dark ? ❜

❛ not even the drunkest sailor i have ever known would so profane a wedding feast. ❜

❛ i think perhaps i have overstayed my welcome. ❜

❛ so insidiously gentle a touch you have, that one can scarcely feel when you are using it. ❜

❛ it is good to know well a man you are going to kill; it is not good to understand him. ❜

❛ it is said that when two men meet there to resolve a question with their fists, the gods themselves witness it & see that justice does not go awry. ❜

❛ i assure you that i have come only to see the wonders i have so often heard of in tales. ❜

❛ to me, the wonder of the song is not a harp that would play by itself, but a minstrel who would find a woman’s body, & be inspired to make a harp of her breastbone. ❜

❛ i’ve lost my way in this great maze of a house. ❜

❛ did you think with the merrymaking going on, you could just slip about & fill your pockets with whatever you found, thief ? ❜

❛ to hear you talk, you would think you are the only one who has made any sacrifices. ❜

❛ i shan’t attack you. it would be a shame to spring such a trap as this on one such as you, & have you die before you appreciated the fullness of your failure. ❜

❛ you would have been a worthy opponent, save that in your conceit you always underestimated me. ❜

❛ just me, [ name. ] got to borrow a horse, or they’ll kill me. again. ❜

❛ it was a gift from a friend. it’s not a thing i’d part with for silver. ❜

❛ i wonder if anyone, anywhere, gets to live the life they want. ❜

❛ how could you die & leave me like this ? ❜

❛ it wasn’t supposed to be this way, you were supposed to come after me, you were supposed to find me so i could forgive you. ❜

❛ it’s going to be alright. it’s supposed to be like this. i think. ❜

❛ better not to ask than to ask & be refused. ❜

❛ as beautiful as you are, what would you have to cry about ? ❜

❛ i would not let so small a thing as my death come between us. ❜

❛ oh, take care of them, see they come to no harm, guard them as if they were your own, until i can come to them. ❜

❛ somehow, i am going to make my name, going to witness some great event & make a song about it that will be sung down the years. ❜

❛ you’ve ruined my face. ❜

❛ skin as fair as yours doesn’t scar all that easily. even if it leaves a mark, it won’t be large. ❜

❛ they’re an awful [ man / woman. ] i hate them ! i’d run away if i could.  ❜

❛ sometimes, it only makes one more lonely to know that somewhere else, one’s friends & family are well. ❜

❛ there’s no sense in thinking of what’s far away & what you haven’t got. it will only make you unhappy. be content with what you can have now. ❜

❛ let me show you all i can do for you. ❜

❛ why worry about a thing that may never come to pass ? ❜

❛ i only meant to be kind to you, nothing more. ❜

❛ i’d rather witness history than make it. ❜

❛ i’ve no wish to hear more of your ghost tales before i seek my blankets tonight. ❜

❛ don’t make mock of me. i won’t be made fun of. ❜

❛ is this some sort of revenge ? are you angry because i wouldn’t bed you ? ❜

❛ how can you look at yourself & think anyone would want you for your own sake ? ❜

❛ endure. live, & see what chances are offered you. ❜

❛ once you’ve poisoned a man, you might as well rob him as well. ❜

❛ honour no longer seems to have much to do with my life. ❜

❛ even after the sound of their weeping became too soft to hear, even after they died, i heard it still inside my mind. sometimes i still can  ❜

❛ i was worried. you said you’d be back yesterday. ❜

❛ yes, there is to be a dinner this evening, a most lavish affair, my dear, only the very finest of folk to be invited. ❜

❛ was i the [ king / queen ], i’d find a better made [ man / woman ] to advise me. ❜

❛ it is all i have left of [ them / you. ] pain, & a dream of revenge. ❜

❛ i’ve no songs for you right now, but i’ve got tidings that would interest you. ❜

❛ you’ve nothing to fear from me, i assure you. on the contrary, it is i who place myself at risk in seeking you out. ❜

❛ & now that you have found me, what do you want of me ? a bribe for your silence ? ❜

❛ you might thank me for making it a bit less likely that folk would recognize you on the street. ❜

❛ as alone as you are, [ name ], you had better decide to trust someone. ❜

❛ it is expected of minstrels that they will consort with outlaws & rebels as well as nobles & merchants. ❜

❛ you look different today, & it’s not just the haircut. you’ve made up your mind about something. ❜

❛ we have been given poor directions. come, let us take ourselves back to town & try again. ❜

❛ hush. i’m the one taking the risks, so i’ll be the one to say what i will or will not do. ❜

❛ have you never bargained before in your life ? you give too much, too fast. ❜

❛ i know what i have & i know what it’s worth. it’s worth whatever trouble you’d have to go through for me. ❜

❛ i don’t like changes, especially not at the last minute. changes say you weren’t really ready in the first place, & now you’re even less ready. ❜

❛ this whole trip was a bad idea, & no good is going to come of it, i can see that right now. ❜

❛ i am glad you are here. but i still don’t understand why you came back to me. ❜

❛ i wish there were some way i could free you of this. but i do not even know how to free myself. ❜

❛ not knowing how you are bound, i do not know how to loose you. ❜

❛ i will have for us a life of our own. we shall win it together. ❜

❛ you have never been able to grasp the difference between fear & respect. you have no belief in a man’s respect for you unless it is tainted with fear. ❜

❛ i believed [ you / them ] dead once before, & my trust in the word of others nearly got me killed. ❜

❛ this time i will see [ you / them ], see [ you / them ] hacked in pieces before i rest. ❜

❛ this was no show of force or temper. this was a display of purest vindictiveness. ❜

❛ these are the only tasks i have given you ; why cannot you do them ? ❜

❛ you appear at the junctures of history & shape it. some say you come to set history on its proper course. ❜

❛ the same wars are fought, the same plagues descend, the same folk, good or evil, rise to power. humanity is trapped on that wheel, doomed endlessly to repeat the mistakes we have already made. unless someone comes to change it. ❜

❛ think how often you have wished to have more time for something, or wished you could go back a day & do something differently. ❜

❛ when humanity is freed of time, old wrongs can be corrected before they are done. ❜

❛ you are alone on your quest. do not others agree with you ? ❜

❛ who are all these people & why have you brought them here ? ❜

❛ what good is a bolthole if half the countryside knows of it ? ❜

❛ it is one thing to be willing to die for another. it is another to sacrifice the living of one’s life for another. ❜

❛ i have no desire to be a hero. only to do what i must to be free to live my own life. ❜

❛ to me it seems as if every step i take carries me deeper into a mire, & the more i struggle, the more firmly i embed myself. ❜

❛ so i shall follow you, for great events seem to happen in your wake. ❜

❛ time doesn’t stop for me just because you’re gone. ❜

❛ tell me who you are, i want you for myself. ❜

❛ if they love you that much, would they begrudge you an added bit of warmth & comfort on such a cold night ? ❜

❛ i think you have finally begun to respect me as i deserve. ❜

❛ they are not a deity to offer thanks to, but a god to swear by. the only blessing they send their worshippers are storms & hardships to make them strong. ❜

❛ the small folk of a land can only be oppressed so long before they rise up in their own defence. ❜

❛ that’s a vicious herb for a young [ man / woman ] to be using. ❜

❛ it may dull the pain of a headache, but it dulls the mind as well. i’d be wary of it, were i you. ❜

❛ i have trusted, & it has brought me what it always has. ❜

❛ i am not a fool. i know far more of what goes on than you think i do. ❜

❛ if you give me any trouble at all, i shall have you killed. ❜

❛ you believe even one of these peasants’ lives to be worth the equal of yours ? ❜

❛ we’ve come a long way from where we began, haven’t we ? ❜

❛ i will guard my position against anything that threatens it, guard it savagely. ❜

❛ i need no one to speak for me, my lord, nor am i any man’s servant. ❜

❛ as prisons go, this is the nicest one i’ve ever been in. ❜

❛ why are you not to speak to me ? ❜

❛ can you at least tell me what you know about what’s to come of me ? ❜

❛ knowing [ you / name / title ] is not the same as liking [ you / them. ] ❜

❛ i won’t be the one to die for letting you go free. ❜

❛ i learned long ago not to blame myself for evil done to me. ❜

❛ break it off, you fool, do not risk me for your vengeance ! ❜

❛ i have given them a reason to fear me. now they will never rest until they’ve destroyed me. ❜

❛ i have the grace to be ashamed of that thought. i also know that shame will not keep me from doing it. ❜

❛ fate has made me a killer, a liar, & a thief, & the harder i try to avoid these roles, the more firmly i am pushed into them. ❜

❛ i love you. but i do not wish to be you. ❜

❛ you might have knocked. even one such as i occasionally has other guests. ❜

❛ all of that is blood ? how do you yet live ? ❜

❛ what has become of me, that i did not even know you though i carried you in my arms ? ❜

❛ when i recall how beautiful you were … ❜

❛ i should have listened to my dreams. over & over, i dreamed you were coming. ❜

❛ these are words i have hungered to hear. i must know everything. ❜

❛ there was a naiveté to you that none of the ugliness could stain, as if you never truly believed in evil. it was what i liked best about you. ❜

❛ we will have to take up those lives, as little as we care for them, & fulfill all fate has decreed for us. ❜

❛ if there must be another my fate is twined around, i am glad it is you. ❜

❛ i’d have come to see you before, but i was turned away at the door. ❜

❛ i trusted you ! i trusted you with my secrets, & you have betrayed me. what a fool i’ve been ! ❜

❛ you know what such tidings mean to me. why ? why lie to me ? ❜

❛ would you have let them be used, as we have been used ? ❜

❛ there is no end ! this duty will hound me into death. ❜

❛ i’m sorry. i have never been what you thought i was. never. ❜

❛ you may leave. unfortunately, i still live here. ❜

❛ i suppose you feel you cannot trust me anymore. not that i blame you. ❜

❛ everyone hates me now. for the secrets i kept, for all the ways i failed them. ❜

❛ sometimes all the choices are poor ones, [ name ], & still a man must choose. ❜

❛ i do not tease you to be cruel. i tease you as i tease everyone. ❜

❛ you can be quite charming, when you have the time. ❜

❛ i can always tell when you are wearied, you ask the most inane questions. ❜

❛ the plans will be made, the arrangements undertaken, & then you will tell me what you wish me to do, & i will do it. has not that always been my function ? ❜

❛ i had been so sure that despite all you had endured, your heart was true. ❜

❛ you thought you knew me so well, you thought you had crafted such a tool as could not defy your purpose. ❜

❛ no - one can force me to fulfill any such prophecies ! ❜

❛ i don’t think there is anything more frightening than to encounter the true will for self - destruction. ❜

❛ someone has to do it. for a time, i hoped it would not be me. ❜

❛ i am so tired of doubts & guilts, so weary of duties & debts. ❜

❛ you take my simple dismissal of you as an insult, & strive to make of it some lack or fault in me. ❜

❛ for too long i put my faith in believing that things would turn out as they should. i will not fall prey to those expectations again. ❜

❛ poison & knives. this is what you think of me. this is still how you see me. death is all you can imagine for me. ❜

❛ you can’t see that isn’t who i am any longer, you can’t forgive me for wanting a life of my own ! ❜

❛ new boots ? as little as you venture outside, i would scarcely think you need them. ❜

❛ i expect to die on the journey, if it’s any comfort to you. ❜

❛ these questions so frighten me that i have almost no desire to pursue the answers, save that if i do not, another may. ❜

❛ you have always been far stronger than i in matters of skill or stubbornness. ❜

❛ i cannot change my attitude about duty & sacrifice than i could change the blood & bones of my body. it is who i am. ❜

❛ i can’t live on your kindness forever. i’ve got to get on with my life. somehow i just can’t think how to begin, just now. ❜

❛ you pine for me, you yearn for me in the depths of yourr soul, but know not how to express it, poor thing. ❜

❛ it has been so long since your tongue has had an edge to it, it’s almost a relief to hear you mock me. ❜

❛ you absolutely reek of omens & portents & prophecies coming into focus. ❜

❛ are you sure you want to know ? the last time we made such a trade, when i gave you the secret you’d bargained for, you found you did not want it. ❜

❛ all these years & you never even knew ? never even suspected ? ❜

❛ to bear my sorrow is one thing. to bring sorrow to you is another. ❜

❛ i’ve a serious question to ponder. i’ll not find the answer to this in your bed. ❜

❛ they’ll already be in place, their plot already in motion. what am i to do ? ❜

❛ i begin to fear, [ name. ] forces pull at you, taking you to places i cannot follow. ❜

❛ i would not use you so harshly, were the need not so great. ❜

❛ look behind you, [ name. ] you have left a trail of blood & mayhem. ❜

❛ they’ve no cover worth mentioning, & they aren’t expecting an attack. if i’m lucky, i can kill one before they know i’m even around. ❜

❛ in the end, it was simple. ugly mindless slaughter, but simple. ❜

❛ i just wish that i could simply sleep for a time. alone in my mind, dreaming my own dreams, without fearing where i’ll go or who might attack me. ❜

❛ there is no sense in trying to play that game with the past. here is where we are today, & we can only make our moves from here. ❜

❛ when my prophecies were different from what they had planned, they were not pleased with me. ❜

❛ did you see my crown ? wasn’t it magnificent ? ❜

❛ it is not that i wish to keep secrets, but these secrets defy telling in mere words. ❜

❛ i do not ask that you court them, only that you do not let them be rent with jealousy. ❜

❛ you think that everything in the world, no matter how private, should be a topic for discussion. ❜

❛ admit it. you asked that question with never a thought as to whether it would hurt my vanity. ❜

❛ you know i love you. after all that has been between us, how can you even ask ? ❜

❛ the words popped into my head & i said them. i often say things i have not well considered. ❜

❛ i have come to understand that you do not live by the same rules that i do. ❜

❛ why should not i take my pick of what i can have ? ❜

❛ by your love you are betrayed, & your love betrayed also. ❜

❛ let us not think of tomorrows that may never come. ❜

❛ oh, i like not this place. i like it not at all. ❜

❛ perhaps i learned by listening instead of asking personal questions all the time. ❜

❛ the gods mercy, tell me you are lying, please ! ❜

❛ it had never occurred to me, somehow, that you could be wrong or mistaken. ❜

❛ some tale - tellers speak of bargains struck with ancient demons of the earth. ❜

❛ you heed no - one’s rebukes, nor do you recall that silence can be a virtue ! ❜

❛ it irritates me beyond words that you can go so abruptly from serious words to some kind of knavery. ❜

❛ prophets are not always right. did they say, for certain, that they had seen your death ? ❜

❛ i fear my death, but fearing it will not stop it. so i make what provisions i can. ❜

❛ even as i appreciate the artistry of what has been done, i am not sure i approve it. ❜

❛ my hands & arms are covered with magic. i do not know what would happen to you, were i to touch you. ❜

❛ is your tongue hinged in the middle, so that it flaps at both ends ? ❜

❛ you have no idea of how to be careful. you won’t know you’ve lost your way until you’re gone. ❜

❛ this conversation goes in circles. i am tired of riddles & guesses & beliefs. i want to know what is real. ❜

❛ i have tried so hard to forget it. if i touch those memories at all, they seethe & burn within me like a poison i cannot be rid of. ❜

❛ they ascribe to you every evil ambition they can imagine. ❜

❛ you would not ask that, if you knew what you were asking. ❜

❛ it is not enough that i am trapped here in misery forever, alone & cut off from all i once loved ? ❜

❛ ignorance is always the excuse used by the cruelly curious. ❜

❛ i’m blundering in the dark, hurting everyone i care about in the process. ❜

❛ i am saying what i know, regardless of how others may come to think of me. ❜

❛ i would have forgiven you. i would never have wished this on you. ❜

❛ i think your heart eats itself hollow with jealousy. ❜

❛ stay away from me, [ name. ] for all our sakes. ❜

❛ do you speak truth, or do you simply seek to save your skin ? ❜

❛ they will take from you whatever they need to rise, even if it is your whole life. ❜

❛ you are young, & lovely. so full of spirit. you deserve better. ❜

❛ for all your quick tongue, you have a soft nature. ❜

❛ you know you will just say the wrong thing, so why don’t you be quiet for a time ? ❜

❛ no matter what you do here now, you are defeated. i win. ❜

❛ i shall be a hero. no - one will oppose me then. ❜

❛ they are jealous, always jealous, & they will turn on you. ❜

❛ you have no concept of governing a kingdom, only of wearing a crown & doing what you wish ! ❜

❛ it is, after all, a time for heroes & all sorts of marvelous things to occur. ❜

❛ when you come, you bring me news. i do not know that i always welcome it. ❜

❛ i think i will always miss you. ❜

❛ i think i will rise on the morrow, & find some new meaning to my life. ❜

[wampirszy]

❛ i have never known a life so simple. i have finally made peace with myself. ❜ what we were talking about >:)

'simple' is hardly what a vampire's life could ever be, but regis understands the sentiment intimately well. and for all his penchant for the dramatic, the lofty airs that elevate astarion's words, there is nary a hint of falsehood behind the declaration. far too many creatures spend their lives hounded by ghosts they cannot banish, and even more of them twist their being into half - understood versions of themselves in order to reach some modicum of stability. for monsters and men alike, true peace of mind is a luxury. astarion, at the very least, has come to enjoy it to some extent.

" i admit i'm always surprised to see other vampires engaging in such ... coexistence, " says regis, speech a diverging line that quickly intersects with astarion's, " but i do have my reasons for generalizing. higher vampires aren't ones to simply settle and live among other species the way we both have. for what it's worth, it's good it worked out for you. " he extends a hand to rest on astarion's shoulder. the gesture could have felt dishonest from anyone else; from regis, it's anything but.

maybe in time, old habits will resurface. perhaps not. for now, it's best to live in the moment's quiet.

regis turns his eyes skyward, drawing his attention to the moon, half - hidden behind a thin layer of clouds. " you still feed, however. " unlike me. the next look in his eyes turns almost coy. " here's hoping to your own brand of discretion, or you'll upend that peace faster than one can say cintra. "

assassin's quest, ft. @alcriti.

[wampirszy]

note to self for later: expand on my verses section bc regis is missing So Many and i can't believe i've never done anything about it.

[wampirszy]

we're 90% done so i wholly recommend checking out the section. come get your local vampire he absolutely doesn't bite (not anymore anyway).

[wampirszy]

note to self for later: expand on my verses section bc regis is missing So Many and i can't believe i've never done anything about it.

[wampirszy]

everyone tell @wiedzlak to get back on geralt rn.

[sarastuss]

SHE REALIZES WHAT SHE STANDS BEFORE ; THE SHIFT IN THE ATMOSPHERE IS BOTH UNMISTAKABLE, YET FAINT AT THE SAME TIME. she feels it as that intuitive pressure, ( not the familiar sting of echo flowing through, affording her glimpses ) but much more simpler, that kind of knowledge installed into her very being long ago. there is no mistaking the presence she shares the atmosphere with is more than eyes alone allow to witness. still, she utters no word of this, though she suspects with the way he carries himself, there is just as much knowledge there, too. a stand-still.

one, that the champion of the star breaks; ❝ it is not the safest choice to travel paths like this whilst it is so dark, ❞ out flows that calm, refined tune ... no accusation, no push, but an observation all the same. ( not to forget, who was she to speak, sharing the same situation. still, the care for others does not fade. ) ethereal golds briefly glance at his side at the satchel, the scent of herbs &. something akin to metallic carried. but just as simply, her gaze returns, ❝ is there something you are in search for to make such a journey? ❞

@wampirszy

[wampirszy]

this is a radiance that few can ever hope to remain ignorant to; such is the case with him, despite the relative seclusion he enjoys this deep in the Twelveswood this time of year. What a privilege, that he should meet the famed Champion of Eorzea indeed, of further beyond even in such deep a darkness, so mundane a set of circumstances. [ Has he become a reason for alarm? He would hope not ... but then again, there are few beings like him out here, of aether so particular it could be said to be from another realm entirely. Regis knows she can spot such a thing with enviable ease. ]

slowly he stands to full height, taking with him one last sprig of lavender to wrap carefully and stuff into his apron. Regis' eyes hold the gleam of a predator's in the dark, but that's a detail he can't remedy. ❛❛ Other than herbs and spices, no: I can't say I'm in search of anything in particular. Strange at this time of night, I'm aware, ❜❜ he says gently, casually. He meets Sarastus halfway, reciprocating the grace she's extended him. ❛❛ I may seem lacking in means of self - defense, but I'm in no danger. The same can be said for you, for that matter. What's got the Warrior of Light in the middle of Gridanian woods this late, I wonder. ❜❜

[wampirszy]

there are moments where feeling little has its advantages. while the snow falls , there's no rush to find warmth. this little moment snowglobes around her, a frozen lake, balsam firs standing sentinel in close formation somewhere in the pale, far away from the oppressive castle. she slips across the ice, gliding, as the cold bites at her cheeks, threads through her hair, and for once it feels natural to let momentum decide. to let it carry her straight into regis. arms clamp around him to anchor her borrowed freedom against his solid weight. freedom. even if only for a moment.

she takes his face in her hands. a kiss to his forehead first, then a quick brush of her lips to his. "thank you." - smoochie from the lady !!!

weather like this flittering snow, biting cold, hazy grey skies feels almost welcoming in its familiarity, and grimly so. For @sanctifisol, it's closely associated with the clan's lair, its seemingly all - encompassing influence upon her; for Regis, it's always reminded him of the day life was taken from him. All these centuries, and it's the one day he can't forget. Still, the lingering feeling of discomfort finds itself muted by that selfsame chill, and further assuaged by the company he keeps. It brings him warmth where there is none to be found, certainly not out in the open, among wintry wind and frosted - over trees.

the freedom Serana enjoys, transient though it is, instils in him a sense of melancholy. Not because it's anything he himself misses, but because the relief woven into Serana's features begs to be immortalized. She deserves better. He's joined her on the ice though he's kept to himself, both out of respect for freedom she's rarely granted and because of that melancholic twinge in a heart that no longer beats. Regis watches her glide effortlessly and he can't help but smile, taken over by the contentment she radiates.

he sees her intention before truly processing it, only doing so when Serana's weight collides against him, gentle and controlled. He slides on the ice but a pace and then slows to another stop, returning the embrace she's all but locked him into. It's tender, grateful; she's so convinced of the tangibility of his form, she trusts him without question. He's grown so fond of her, it's almost comical.

he catches Serana's eyes as she draws back, feels one kiss on his forehead and then the next, surprisingly, against his lips. It's quick, chaste; nearly blink and you'll miss it and though cold, it's full of gratitude a feeling Serana voices soon after. Perhaps it's because he's an old creature, battered but stalwart like a ship lost at sea stubbornly making its way home, but hearing her thank him is enough to tell him, again, that such a long existence is worth the trouble.

Regis returns the gesture, pressing his lips to the crown of her head. ❛❛ You're ever so welcome. ❜❜

unprompted asks, always accepting.

[wampirszy]

one day i'll be able to articulate my thoughts on the blood bond regis and dettlaff share but one thing that is very, very clear to me is that there was and is nothing romantic or sexual between them and i'm willing to die on this hill.