fcrtheglcry

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · .  ❝ ARE YOU TRULY INTERESTED IN KNOWIN’ THE COST OR ARE WE JUS’ BEING PEDANTIC? ❞ rhiannon asks with a quiet laugh, letting a grin settle on her lips. it’s hard to judge whether this woman actually wants her to answer honestly or not, whether she’s just here to fish for gossip and giggles. whatever, rhiannon truly doesn’t mind. she’s so low on company these days. ❝ MY PROFOUND THOUGHTS ON THE WEATHER, HMM? ❞ she keeps the grin, letting the joke come across easy in her tone. ❝ I THINK IT’S TOO HOT DURING THE SUMMER BUT I MISS IT WHEN IT GOES AWAY. I’D RATHER THE SUN ON MY FACE THAN SNOW IN MY BOOTS. ❞ she winks. ❝ THAT WHAT YOU WERE HOPIN’ FOR? ❞

"nothing, i suppose, but it sounds like the cost is something you're willing to pay the price for either way." a deal, perhaps? or a loan? something that's put in a contract up front but paid over the course of her lifetime thanks to the payments of those that wander here for her help? semantics, really. cordelia's own father had made a deal with a devil and she by extension. not that she's anything special because of it. just a bit of immortality to help keep things young. small bout of laughter slips through painted lips, her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "what if i wanted to get a witch's opinion on the weather? you might have something profound to say."

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · . kirin had seen a lot of the world in her short lifetime. she had spoken to dragons, fought goblins, saved the world from a prophesied doom that she alone could quell. she had traveled across the continent and back, staying in shady taverns and straw mattresses masquerading as luxury. it was the wildest and most beautiful year or so of her life and when it ended, kirin had ended up…here. 

stuck behind a bar in a coffeehouse in her small hometown, bringing home pennies to help her aging mother stay off her feet as much as she could. it was hard to come to terms with – that her life had already hit its peak and descended from it before she even reached twenty-five. 

what this stranger was implying…she was right. and lord, had she been bored lately.

❝ AND IF I AM? ❞ she asked, wanting the interesting stranger to keep talking. her job almost completely out of her mind. ❝ HOW DO I STOP FEELING IT? ❞

Ellie’s lips curled into a small smile. There was something exhilarating about being asked outright, about the possibility of sharing even a fraction of the truth with someone who might actually listen. She leaned in just a little, lowering her voice, though not entirely out of secrecy - more for the theatrics of it.

“Oh, I don’t just see them,” she said. “I walk through them.”

She let that hang in the air for a moment, watching Kirin’s reaction. Most people would laugh it off, dismiss it as a joke or an overactive imagination. But Kirin wasn’t most people — Ellie could tell.

Her fingers drummed idly against the table. “It’s funny, isn’t it?” she continued. “How some people go their whole lives never noticing the cracks in reality, never questioning where that missing sock went, or why streetlights flicker when they pass. But others … others feel it, even if they don’t understand it.” She watched Kirin closely. “You’re one of those, aren’t you?”

It wasn’t really a question.

[fcrtheglcry]

 ✧˚ · . the other woman spoke in a way that drew didn’t understand and it was frustrating to her. who was she to say her reign would bring opposition? her father had been king for almost four decades now and, while she didn’t agree with all his cowardly world policies, his reign wasn’t bringing about anything so startling as rebellion. was she naive to think there could be a peaceful transfer of power?

❝ ALL KINGDOMS HAVE PROBLEMS. IF IT IS NOT IN MY LIFETIME, THEN I WILL HAVE SUCCEEDED IN MY PURPOSE OF A PEACEFUL REIGN, ❞ she said, the end tilting up like it might be a question. that was foolish, though. queens did not need to doubt their abilities. ❝ YOU’LL TRY TO COMMIT? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? ❞

" what goes up, can only go down... where power grows, opposition festers. " she didn't mean to speak in such twisted riddles. it wasn't like she could truly know the future, only the past. nimue had seen many great leaders suffer, losing everything for their kingdom. for their people. experience the weight of loss && trial until shriveling into a husk of their former selves.

turning to darkness when once, they were pinnacles of light. the lady of the lake had watched, and mourning, and now- she feared so much. lived with it like a heaviness against her chest, brows knit together as she heard the fire in drew's voice. " perhaps there will be no problem. in your lifetime, anyway. " the only escape for a queen from suffering was an early grave, though. nimue's heart ached. " but if you insist on this course of action... i will try to commit to helping you. "

[fcrtheglcry]

DRAMATIC & PROTECTIVE RELATIONSHIP PROMPTS *  for the ones who want to keep you safe from harm

get behind me.

go inside and lock the door and don't come out until i say so.

are you all right? where are you hurt?

over my dead body.

i promised them i'd keep you safe.

i sleep better when you're next to me.

are you serious? i'm not letting you risk your life.

don't go. it's safer here.

i should have been here. this is my fault.

here. take this gun. don't pull the trigger unless it's absolutely necessary.

they told me to watch you.

i won't let anyone lay a hand on you.

stay close to me.

i'm not worth saving. please.

can you stay? just for a little while? it would help.

it's too dangerous out there.

i thought i'd lost you.

can you hear me? hello? where are you?

they're all afraid of me.

they told me you'd be trouble. clearly that was an understatement.

one of us has to make it out of here.

is that a bruise?

get back. get back right now.

did they touch you?

i already lost you once. i'm not going to lose you again.

a few more steps. we're nearly there. i've got you.

where does it hurt? let me see.

oh my god, you're covered in blood.

i love you, but you have to go.

climb on my back. i'll carry you.

i wish you'd stay.

i slept here all night. i couldn't leave you.

stay with me. i can keep you safe.

no. i've made my decision. you're staying here.

holy shit. are you okay? what the hell happened?

we have to get inside right now.

quick! hide! in here!

if they know you're with me, they'll leave you alone.

if they attack again, we'll be ready.

this never should have happened.

i want you to run, okay? run and don't look back.

you're all right. you're safe. it's over.

i'll feel better once you're out of this.

i don't have nightmares when you're here.

where have you been? i've been calling you all night.

your phone went straight to voicemail. what's going on?

i don't want anything to happen to you.

i can't stand the thought of losing you.

i won't let them touch you.

when we met, i promised myself i'd keep you safe.

where'd they go? i'll give them a piece of my mind.

here. squeeze my hand if it hurts.

i'll lay beside you.

no. it's non-negotiable. you're staying here.

i don't want you to die, okay?

listen to me! i know what i'm doing!

i can't lose you again!

do you hear me? i love you! i've always loved you.

i've got you. i'm right here.

can i stay? i'll take the couch.

tell them you're with me.

you can make it. i believe in you.

are you kidding me? who decided this?

here, i'll pick you up.

get back in the car. i'll handle this.

if anyone can do it, it's you.

let me carry you to safety.

i don't do well when you're away.

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · .  gods above, alara should have paid better attention when she took that first aid class. she’d thought it was silly, learning how to bandage wounds and stem blood loss when she could wave a hand and have the skin stitch together in the blink of an eye. ❝ SHE’S SUPPOSED TO, BUT – ❞ she stuttered in panic, looking for something, anything to dress the wound with. her cloak, maybe? it was better than nothing, surely. ❝ SHE’S KIND OF MAD AT ME AT THE MOMENT. ❞ maybe she should have been upfront with that information at the beginning of all this, but alara didn’t think she just wouldn’t answer at all. what kind of goddess did that?

it's quite hard to explain the feeling of your own blood gushing out of you, and watching it happen isn't the best thing either. her back propped up against one of the many pilars in the lair, edie pants, her injured leg stretched out, ripped pants soaked in crimson. "nine fucking hells, alara, fuck if i know!" groans out, growing dizzier but still held awake by what's left of adrenaline in her. "she'll come if you call on her, won't she? i- i don't know what else to do either." looks to the side. the empty vial of a health potion, the only one they had, has rolled a few feet away from them.

[fcrtheglcry]

i have been struggling with muse for writing replies lately ;;; if we have something that i'm being slow on, let me know if you want to do a quicker back and forth! i love long threads but i think some short stuff will be good for getting my muse back.

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · . ayda turns away from alice for the first time, tending to her other patrons with the same polite bearing– even if her emotions are in a whirlwind behind her smile. she silently thanks the gods for a good poker face, because alice really doesn’t need to know how much her presence has rocked her. she’d spent a long time getting over her hurt feelings and the heartbreak that came with alice’s last departure, not to mention the wariness and lack of trust in her return. letting her heart roam unguarded now is like asking to be devoured. 

❝ IF YOU CAN’T EVEN AFFORD A ROOM FOR YOURSELF, HOW’RE YOU PLANNIN’ ON WININ’ AND DININ’ YOUR WAY BACK INTO MY GOOD GRACES? ❞ she asks the other woman finally, letting her tone settle somewhere in the middle of teasing and exasperated. she’s too aware that her other patrons have finally left now, leaving ayda and alice alone in the empty tavern. it feels vulnerable in a way she wasn’t expecting. ❝ IF I AM, IT’S NONE O’YOUR CONCERN, IS IT? ❞ she asks, heaving a heavy sigh. ❝ COME ON NOW, SHOW’S OVER. WHY’RE YOU SO DESPERATE TO MAKE UP NOW? ❞

alice lies in wait until the last customer leaves. “yeah, i’m not sure…” she trails off and lets the key imprint the palm of her hand, almost mesmerized by the mere sight of seeing the familiar face she’d dream of returning to. “maybe a candle-lit dinner under the moonlight could do us well,” it hurts to know that someone she held dear to her no longer holds the capacity of trust albeit earned; almost maimed. if there was anything that could hurt her in this world, it was the damage she had caused to their relationship. 

she makes every move with caution. ironic given what she is, but alice tries to be delicate. to not startle someone who used to be the love of her life. “have you eaten?” her eyes try to meet ayda’s, asking silently for some bone to be thrown her way. slowly, she moves her hand to hers. carefully but delicately ghosting over it. “you know how you get when you’re hungry. i hope you’re not working yourself to the bone again, my dear.” it’s a force of habit. she mentally curses herself for choosing to use another form of endearment with the woman who could no longer bear to be in the same world, let alone realm as her. “ayda…” my ayda.

[fcrtheglcry]

every time I socialize Im like ok that’s enough for the next 10 days

[fcrtheglcry]

 ✧˚ · . did danni need to be saved? it was a curious question – she’d certainly wished for it as a young monster, prayed over and over to the gods who turned a blind eye as soon as her heart froze in her chest for some sort of salvation that would redeem her in the gaze of all that was good in the world. but it’d been a few hundred years now and she’d stopped wishing on stars long ago. ❝ SO THEN WHY SHOULD I HOPE FOR IT? ❞ she retorted with a sarcastic roll of deep amber eyes. 

danni sighed, shifting to face the other woman fully as she thought over the question. ❝ JOY IS COMPLICATED, ❞ she settled on finally, avoiding the admiration in ravenna’s gaze. ❝ PLENTY OF THINGS KEEP ME OCCUPIED, EVEN SATISFIED SOMETIMES. BUT JOY IS A BONE-DEEP KIND OF THING. ❞ she was sharing too much, a warning bell started ringing in her mind. danni did not do vulnerability like this – but ravenna seemed so enthralled. it was hard to stop talking to her. ❝ I HAVEN’T FELT THAT SOUL-FILLED HAPPY IN A LONG TIME.  ❞

saved. wasn't that what mortals craved? it felt out of place for creatures of their kind. no religion nor love could turn the fates that put them into these bodies for eternity, could absolve the hunger that made blood flow with reckless abandon. maybe ravenna just hadn't been alive long enough - maybe a couple hundred of years more would make her wiser, but her button nose wrinkled. a frustrated sigh escaped her. " as if you even need to be saved. " she huffed, always thinking of danni on a pedestal that was untouchable.

hell, what was this if not a mixed sense of devotion && envy? ravenna adored the power, the wit, the beauty, the timelessness, the elegance that danni carried. she'd never felt quite as much as the other vampire. always on a lower scale, something to claw towards, to achieve. there was obsession in brown eyes as she gazed at her, even now, with annoyance pouting over her lips. " doesn't... anything bring you joy anymore? " don't i?

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · . ❝ NOT NECESSARILY WITHOUT ASTERISKS, BUT WHAT IN THIS WORLD TRULY COMES FOR FREE, RIGHT? ❞ rhiannon hums – it’s not often someone asks about her magic in a way that’s truly curious. most people just ask what it can do for them. she’s not unwilling to talk about it, but rhiannon also knows that if she really told the truth about the source of her magic, the deal she made in order to have the power to make deals with poor souls, she’d probably scare this woman right back out her front door before she could set down the teacup. ❝ WAS THERE SOMETHIN’ IN PARTICULAR YOU WANTED TO KNOW? ❞ she asks, leaning her elbows on the table curiously. ❝ FORGIVE MY ASSUMPTION YOU DON’T WISH TO HEAR MY THOUGHTS ON THE WEATHER. ❞

"well aren't you a benevolent soul then?" cordelia supposes that whatever the other asks for as payment will likely cover the cost of whatever her own payment to magic may be, though it does beg the question whether gold is really worth more than anything intangible. "so long as the tool works within your favor and without asterisks then more power to you, right?" and who knows — maybe the other has more power than she cares to let on. if they swapped places, cordelia would certainly keep her full hand to herself. "forgive my assumption that conversation may be harder to come by for you than requests," the presumed older of the two tacks on sheepishly, turning her gaze away as a result. "that's for me to assess, is it not?"

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · .  alara let the other woman lead her by the hand, looking around in wonder as they left the ballroom – this was surely the most beautiful building she had ever been in, it put her family’s church with the stained glass windows and carefully carved motifs to shame. ❝ THAT’S KIND, BUT I DON’T THINK MOST PEOPLE IN THAT ROOM EVEN NOTICED I WAS THERE, ❞ she joked lightly, a smile in her voice. alara wasn’t used to this bolden attention, the way they kept exchanging smiles like they held some secret no one else was privy to. it was exciting. she looked around again, taking in the quiet hallway in comparison to the raucous ballroom, and asked with the same teasing voice, ❝ HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND LIKE THIS? YOU DON’T MAKE A HABIT OF LURING GIRLS TO THE GARDEN, DO YOU? ❞

"course i'm sure." val said with a smile as she continued to tug the brunette behind her. she knew her parents were far too occupied to notice where she had snuck off so she knew she had more than enough time to show alara the garden. while everything seemed too quick, it all felt so different and exciting. the beating of her heart in her chest wasn't anything she had ever felt before, and she lived for this thrill that she was experiencing. "well, i only want to dance with one." she said with another smile as she finally turned her head back to look at her. "this is the most fun i've had at one of this parties." everyone in that room was extremely stiff and seemed to follow every rule that her parents laid out, but there was something about the brunette that seemed to go off of the beaten path. once they got closer to the garden, val's steps slowed as she gave the other's hand a small squeeze. "you know i could say the same to you, there are plenty of people in there waiting to dance with a new face." the blonde said with a chuckle as the night air hit their skin.

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · . ❝ YOU’LL HAVE’TA FORGIVE ME IF YOUR PROMISES DON’T EXACTLY GIVE ME MUCH FAITH ANYMORE. ❞ ayda says bitterly. who does alice think she is just waltzing back into ayda’s life, ayda’s business, and promising she won’t do any more harm? like ayda is supposed to believe a single word that comes from those pretty lips. she’s probably just trying to get back in ayda’s good graces for a soft bed to crash in. 

but ayda was always too kind for her own nature. and that pout, the offer to walk into the sun… godsdamnit, she is a sucker. 

❝ DON’T GO CALLIN’ ME THAT LIKE IT’LL DO YOU ANY FAVORS, ❞ she warns, her eyes narrowed. the poison is gone from her voice, though she keeps it sharp. ❝ AND DON’T GO EXPECTING ANY MORE FAVORS FROM ME AFTER THIS. ❞ she doesn’t say she’s giving in, exactly, but she slips her hand in her pocket and drops a key on the bar between them before leaning back on her elbows. ❝ NOW HOW’RE YA PLANNING ON MAKING IT UP TO ME, EXACTLY? ❞

it breaks alice’s heart to hear someone she used to hold dearly to her speak to her that way, lest she forget she had one. although it didn’t beat, she could feel it breaking. just because she wasn’t human anymore didn’t mean she was a monster, yet she had no right to treat her past beloved in such a manner. she knows she’s in the wrong, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less, scratching the leather of the seat behind her without realizing it. “so, you’re really going to do this.” she pouts, the anger subsiding to hurt. blinking away the idea of a tear.

“what do i have to do to make you trust me? i can walk outside if it means that much to you, i can — i know i did you wrong but i’ve promised i changed.” she hopes she has at least but she can’t resist her inhibitions deep down. alice has always meant well but if things came to light, about who she was, she couldn’t promise anything. vampirism was in her nature. “please, just this once. for a night. i don’t have much, but i’ll make it up to you.” she begs, almost quivering in her boots. “you can say all you want to hurt me, but you were everything to me, my love.”

[fcrtheglcry]

“I’m not used to being loved. I wouldn’t know what to do.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald // More Than Just a House (via qvotable)

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · . drew usually had a great time at parties like these – her parents usually ass-kissing some foreign dignitary, her ladies stealing her extra glasses of wine, and plenty of beautiful people and music and romantic candlelight to dance by. winter’s visage was not wholly surprising, but it was certainly a buzzkill. ❝ I’M SURE HE WANTED YOU TO SEE HOW REAL LADIES PRESENT THEMSELVES AT A BALL LIKE THIS, ❞ she said lightly. a bit petty, yes, but something about winter really got under drew’s skin. they’d been rivals since she could remember and drew was always too competitive for her own good. she lifted the champagne glass to her lips and took a sip before continuing with a small shrug, ❝ MAYBE HE THOUGHT YOU’D GET SOME TIPS OR SOMETHING. ❞

          winter barely spared drew a glance as she lifted her own champagne flute to her lips, taking a slow sip. the bubbles fizzed against her tongue, crisp and cold—just like her mood now that drew had decided to materialize unannounced at her side. she rolled her eyes before she even bothered to turn fully, a brittle smile plastered on her face. "drew," winter said, her voice dripping with false sweetness as her fingers tightened around the stem of her champagne flute. "what a surprise. i didn't realize you were keeping such close tabs on my schedule these days." she didn’t dislike drew, per se—loathe, maybe, on a bad day, tolerate on a good one, but their families had been at war long before either of them had learned to weaponize a polite smile, so really, what choice did they have? "father thought it would be… diplomatic of me to make an appearance. though i can't imagine why—your family's taste in everything from decorations to alliances has always been questionable at best."

[fcrtheglcry]

if i'm distant rn it's bc grades are due this week and my principal is a pos that keeps giving us pointless extra work so i'm overwhelmed but replies will be coming soon!

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · .  ❝ YOU’RE LUCKY NOTHING BAD HAPPENED! ❞ melora felt like she was going crazy, but this argument obviously wasn’t going anywhere. she took a deep breath, trying to bring her emotions back in check before saying anything else she might regret. ❝ IT’S GOOD YOU’RE OK. DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING? ❞

"and waste valuable time?! i don't think so!" gina was determined to defend herself. especially when so much of melora's anger felt displaced and unfair. "besides, nothing bad happened. so, it's all a moot point isn't it?"

[fcrtheglcry]

✧˚ · . ❝ MY MAGIC ASKS VERY LITTLE OF ME THAT I’D BE UNWILLIN’ TO GIVE, ❞ rhiannon answers easily, giving a small shrug. ❝ AT THE END OF THE DAY IT’S ONLY A – WHAT DID YOU CALL IT? A TOOL. ❞ she smiles, flashing bright white teeth at the other woman for a moment before they disappear behind the lip of rhiannon’s teacup. she can’t deny the hint of surprise the other’s questions bring to her expression and she hides it beneath a sip of her tea, thinking for a few seconds before returning the cup to its saucer with the tiniest clink of porcelain. ❝ A CONVERSATION WITH LITTLE OL’ ME? ❞ she asks with a laugh. ❝ CAN’T IMAGINE THAT’D BE WORTH PAYIN’ FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE, SWEETHEART. ❞

"it's certainly a helpful tool in a pinch. and to wield it so freely? what is the price you pay for that?" the you is a generalization of course, not that cordelia will reject any personal anecdotes if the other is willing to share. doesn't want to chomp at the bit just yet when she's just arrived, having wandered quite a bit off the beaten path to get here. she might as well enjoy her rest while she can. "what if what i want for the time being is conversation? does that require a fee?" she asks softly, lightly painted lips curled into a simper, her head tilted just a smidge.