#*[ RANSKAHOVA V : REPLIES ]

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

the amount of blood didn't disturb her. she'd seen much more and much worse. she'd seen the volcra in action, felt what it was like to have their claws in her face. she expected there were those to whom kaz brekker was their volcra, a nightmare of the worst kind.

"you're no comfort no matter the appearance." vasilissa would never admit to it, but of all the barrel's gang leaders she was most wary of kaz. he and his crows weren't ones to discount. she hoped none of this slight discomfort showed on the half of her face not hidden by the brown leather mask she wore. still, she found it useful to keep those she distrusted most close. "i know i'm not your wraith, and of course i do expect...compensation for bringing this intel to you instead of just keeping the job to myself, but you might be interested in some information."

REPLY to @featherstcnes / kaz brekker *

[heartsbreaking]

there was a lot vasilissa felt she understood about the way the world worked. she could feel every current around them, but the water was largely still and it wasn't her doing. she understood the tides, and the way many people thought, but she was never quite sure she understood herself to the same degree. she'd been confused since she became lara, but it was becoming a confusion she was comfortable in. she could swim in it like this water and not feel as though she was drowning. she felt safe in it.

swimming with him between the silver rays cast onto the water around them things felt easy. they talked plenty, she thought, they didn't need to always be talking to enjoy each other's company. and she really enjoyed his company, even when he was talking. he started to say something, and she immediately leaned her head towards him. he ducked underneath the water though, and so did she. just as she began to blink her eyes open under the water, she felt him reach for her.

she returned the kiss, and as he pulled away she wanted to follow. they broke through the surface of the water and she didn't swim away. she didn't want to, she wanted him as near as possible. she wanted to kiss him again. so, she did, she pressed her lips to his again.

@heartsbreaking asked: [ underwater ] a kiss shared while submerged in water ( sturmhond/nikolai & lara/vasilissa )

it was late, and deep down, nikolai knew that they should be back to the ship by now. they'd been docked for a few days, and while a large chunk of his heart was taken by being on the open seas, another part of his heart was focused here, and on this moment. the moon was full tonight, and he could see it in the sky as the sun went through its last few moments of setting into the sea on the horizon. his eyes focused on lara as it felt like they almost circled each other. the waves were calm, the moonlight sparking among the surface. they both were swimming with legs and arms propelling them forward, the two of them close and then at some points, not close at all.

" lara - " he'd been wanting to say so much the entire night, and yet had felt like he could say nothing at all. he often had many lines or over dramatic analogies to drone on about at sturmhond, but when it came to matters of the heart, he felt a bit useless. but here, as their heads were both below the water, a hand reached out to reach for her cheek. he knew she was close, but the darkness of the night creeping in and his eyes closed, it left him fumbling in the dark. but as his fingers graced her skin, anchoring himself to her, he allowed himself to lean forward. he paused, just for a moment to allow her a chance to pull away before he leaned in to kiss her. it was soft, salt water cresting his lips before he pulled away, his fingers brushing against the skin of her cheek. here in the dark, eyes closed beneath the surface of the water, it was as if the two of them could be absolutely nobody -- he did not have to be sturmhond. he did not have to be anything other than who he was in this moment, here with her.

*  ―  𝑫𝑰𝑭𝑭𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑾��𝒀𝑺 𝑻𝑶 𝑲𝑰𝑺𝑺 𝑺𝑶𝑴𝑬𝑶𝑵𝑬. | accepting

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

vasilissa looked at her defeat every day in the mirror. she'd chosen not to let the capitol alter her face and remove the scars, but she hadn't realized how much that would haunt her later. everything from the day she volunteered until the moment she felt her skin being torn apart. everything before felt like another life.

she so rarely got to interact with those from her own district anymore, never mind talk openly with them. for all the joy she got from knowing and keeping other's secrets, all she felt was relief even recounting some of her most horrid memories.

she was surprised when he answered that he did not remember it. she wasn't sure she believed him, but prying like she so often did might push him away. she raised an eyebrow, the one not hidden by the dark brown mask she'd taken to wearing. she set her own drink down and unstrapped the mask to set it on the table between them. "i try not to, but yes..."

REPLY to @unsnare / cove caladh *

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

vasilissa was sure she had seen something in passing. she was good at observing those kinds of things. the president was still suspicious of clemensia, he wanted to trust his former classmate, but the man was naturally suspicious. that was why he had her around. she was his eyes and ears around the capitol and beyond. she didn’t let the fact that she’d seen clemensia’s moment of what could only be fear register on her own face.

“work stuff, of course” she couldn’t claim to understand what clemensia did and most of it was so secret even she wasn’t privy to it. she did her best to find out what it was she worked on whenever she could. vasilissa smiled softly, almost apologetically. “that’s unfortunate, i’m sure the opera would have been so lovely for you.” her interest in the opera only existed because it was what was chic in the capitol. vasilissa found she didn’t enjoy it at all, but she forced herself to like it anyway. to not enjoy the opera would seem so district of her. they couldn’t have that at all. “for tonight? i wish i could, but i’ve got so much to do.” she didn’t really, she had a little to do after she left clemensia, but she’d mostly be in her house with her cat relaxing with wine. “i would go with you. we could both be bad, skip work. could be fun.” she suggested with a smile.

REPLY to @dovefalls / clemensia dovecote *

[heartsbreaking]

she liked to think she ought to know everything. she liked to keep track of those who posed a threat to her security here. "the prince of ravka is making friends?" vasilissa's laugh came out more hoarse than it once had. she did not laugh much now, but her voice had also struggled to recover since her face had become the scarred mess that it was now hidden behind her mask. she raised her brow on the side of her face that remained uncovered. "how are you managing that, moi tsarevich." she wouldn't have dared openly mock him back in ravka, but now they were on an equal playing field. she could say what she liked and while he might get angry there was little threat to her.

@heartsbreaking : ❛  is there something i should know?  ❜ ( from vasilissa )

oh, there was many things she should probably know but nothing vasily felt comfortable enough in telling her. but vasily felt it was easier to play dumb, pretend he didn't know what he was talking about. ketterdam's a big city. he could very easily mingle with members of various gangs without knowing. " is there something you should know? " is all he says, tilting his head at her. most people thought he was an idiot anyway. and while that wasn't always true, vasily was smart enough to know how to play into that belief. " i'm simple making friends with the locals, since it seems i'll be stuck here for the foreseeable future. "

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

REPLY to @kcrclrezni / sturmhond *

"not a ship as big as this, but i've been aboard a few fishing vessels." she had taken a bit of time to find her sea legs, but she was growing comfortable aboard the volkvolny. she enjoyed the sea air and the waves lapping at the ship. their gentle rocking lulling her to sleep. "happy to hear that i am already exceeding expectations, captain."

lara, lara tarasova, as vasilissa now called herself was who she could have been if she had not been swept away to the little palace. she was not as well educated, but she was well read and skilled with her hands. lara was a little friendlier than vasilissa. she was trying to bond with the new crew. she wouldn't find anything useful here if they did not like her or trust her. she didn't mind the ship even though she'd only been aboard a short time. the sun was going to be a welcome break from the gloom she was often subjected to in ravka.

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

vasilissa rolled her shoulders back, aching from use and a few too many nights sleeping unlavishly on stone, grass and first army cots. she wasn't sure where any of them stood any more. they'd been beaten back and beaten back again until they'd been forced into fjerda, out of ravka entirely. out of their homes and into enemy territory. what kind of justice for grisha was that?

she stood, dusting off her hands on her thighs. "if we sit around, someone is bound to come looking for us. best not to be here when they do." they needed to talk strategy, survival tactics and probably get some food as well. energy expended made her feel alive, but the hunger was kicking in. "let's walk and talk, find an inn maybe where we can get something to eat." there had to be some town around here in this emptiness.

REPLY to @ofeden / dominik koslov *

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

grishaverse ocs : vasilissa ranskahova

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

it hadn't been easy to get to him, but it had helped to know him and to know the king liked his alone time. she could have stood away from him, she never had to get close to him at all. his lungs could fill with water and he could drown in this very corridor, but then all signs would point to her. a knife to the throat could be anyone.

her voice didn't waiver as she spoke, but her throat felt dry. "no, i do." she wasn't as sure as she tried to sound. friendship meant little to her. it had to, and she'd thrown away this one long ago. her hesitation came from self interest, nikolai was good for ravka, but he was also the only king who would ever even let the thought of pardoning her cross his mind. "i was paid handsomely to do this."

@heartsbreaking said: 🔪 from vasilissa send me 🔪 to put a knife to my muse’s throat and see how they react.

Nikolai stills the moment he feels the blade pressed against his throat. He takes a few small breaths to calm himself, looking forward with an unfocused gaze. "You don't want to do this, Vasilissa," he whispers. She's lucky to have caught him without a host of armed guards swarming about. She could truly murder the King of Ravka and get away with it.

Though he's not as calm as he outwardly appears. He can feel the monster wishing to push its way to the surface. He's fighting desperately to keep it in control.

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

it wasn't a strict one favor a day rule, vasilissa was willing to admit that to herself if not publicly. her favor this morning was minor, honestly barely even considered a favor if you weren't the kind of person who kept score. unfortunately for nikolai, vasilissa was and always had been. "you should have come to me this morning when yesterday's favor expired."

her hands barely faltered, the water in front of them still partially at her mercy even as they talked. it didn't take all her concentration to be bargained with. "i could be open to discussing it," vasilissa replied, looking over at him, a barely perceptible smile on her lips. she was a serious person who often struggled to show that she had a lighter side, but she did like to mess with people when she could. she had her own ways though. "what is this favor that's got you coming to me of all people?" she was interested, of course she was interested. she'd always liked when she was special.

@heartsbreaking asked: i only do one favor a day. (for nikolai from vasilissa)

things never seemed to go quite his way. they would turn his direction, of course. things would seem to be going well before they all somehow tumbled apart or stopped right before he ended up getting what he wanted. hearing vasilissa's words, nikolai raised a brow. " ah, of course. " he started, waving a hand. " how foolish of me to be asking so late in the day, i see your quota for the day is met. " always the dramatic, his expressions overly exaggerated to match. still, if nikolai was anything, he was consistent. and as much as he knew to be respectful, he knew how to push his limits.

" what could make you change your mind? " he asked, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. " i mean, surely, there's a favor i could owe you in the future if you help me with this one, small thing. " it wasn't exactly a small task - going off on some side adventure for the day was quite a world of difference away from the normal day to day tasks they normally did. though, he would argue that things could be worse.

[heartsbreaking-migrated]

he was right, she had no love for ketterdam. it was easy to make money here, but it wasn't a home. it wasn't the little palace nor did it have ravka's clear blue skies. it was muggy and the people all seemed to have one thing in mind, greed. who was she to judge though, she saw that greed and what it drove people to do and decided she could fit right in.

unlike vasily though, she was used to drinking less than stellar fare. she'd been in battle with both the first and second armies. her stomach could handle it. she made a show of taking a long slow swig, green eyes not breaking contact with his. "it's not so bad, if you're willing to get your hands a little dirty." she tried not to think of nikolai or her time on the volkvolny at all. missing them, missing the role she'd played there didn't do her any good. she wasn't ever really lara and whatever lara had felt for or about the captain vasilissa had to kill. "and what has your brother been up to? do you keep in touch or is the wound still raw?" she meant vasily's no longer being heir, but whichever way he interpreted it, she meant her question to cut.

@heartsbreaking : ❛  it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right.  ❜ ( from vasilissa) songs from the 80s. || accepting.

if he was being honest, he was more surprised to see vasilissa in ketterdam, then he was to see her alive. he had figured some of the darkling’s loyal grisha had survived but to end up in the same people he did? that was shocking. though, he remembered vasilissa during his imprisonment with the darkling. he didn’t trust her then and if he’s being honest, he didn’t trust her now. it didn’t matter if things were in the past. they still happened. vasily wasn’t going to just forget who vasilissa was loyal to.

“ it matters because we’re both here. we were both wrong. we both trusted the darkling and look where it got us. in fucking kerch of all places. ” he finishes his drink, wrinkling his nose. he misses his kvas. nothing in all of kerch compared to that. some days he debates going to little ravka to see if they have some but always talks himself out of it. “ at least they’re both dead now. and long live king nikolai. ”