haelimthewatcher

[haelimthewatcher]

Haelim paused in thought, considering. He didn't question his desire to accompany Riandur more than he did what they could possibly say to demand answers. As a fellow Witcher of old age and Legionnaire, Haelim felt great shame and anger towards their distant Commander. Though he'd hold his tongue, his disapproving glower would probably be very telling.

"I will go wherever you go, brother," he replied after a moment. "But what is the plan? Will we accept the possibility of leaving Amon Sûl empty-handed?" He scoffed. "After all this time without answers, I would not be surprised if we were denied them straight to our faces."

The ring had come off, but Riandur had yet to get rid of it. It stayed, in a locked box, whispering like it was his own voice begging to be set free once more. If he got rid of it completely, someone else would fall victim to it. So instead, the Legionnaire held onto it, but his hand returned to normal, the dreams seemingly faded off, replaced by new ones. Darkness, the Blight, a dragon – it never seemed to end.

Still, he'd left Caer Glas behind for the first time in ages, down to check on those who had taken up the fight against Darkspawn in the South. How they'd skipped through the entirety of Lysara was a question no one wished to answer. "I'm planning to go to Amon Sûl. We're close enough, and I think there's more there than the Commander will ever tell us. Do you feel up to going?"

[haelimthewatcher]

You sit at a grand banquet table, surrounded by smiling faces. People you know. People you’ve lost. They pass you food, wine, laughter, but their voices are muffled, distorted, as if heard through water.

You raise a goblet, but it drips with black ichor.

Across the table, a throne of bone and twisted silver rises. A dragon rests upon it, impossibly massive. His wings stretch to the corners of the hall. The guests don’t notice him.

But his words cut through the illusion.

“They celebrate you now. How noble. How loyal.” “You swallow praise like wine. But there is rot in your gut, Legionnaire. Shall I show them? Will a Witcher ever deserve praise?”

One guest turns to look at you. Their eyes are empty sockets.

It’s a gathering of love, a bevy of joy. From the corner of his eye, Haelim sees the flash of red hair of his love, he sees the too-tight shirt of his Captain, he even sees the short raven cut of his cousin further down the table. The chatter is mild but vivacious. The air is filled with it, and with laughter and the clinking of silverware. He feels a surge of warmth pass through him as he considers his beloved company, and the affection tightens his throat before he clears it for attention. Haelim lifts his goblet, but the words on the tip of tongue are silenced as he looks across the table. There’s a creature.

It is then that he notices the black liquid of the goblet in his hand.

“They celebrate you now. How noble. How loyal.”

“Who are you?” Haelim’s reply is little more than a murmur, uncertain and fearful. In the back of his mind, he knows this can not be real. If these people were truly here, he’d stand up to defend them now. He never would have let this creature into their halls to begin with.

“You swallow praise like wine. But there is rot in your gut, Legionnaire. Shall I show them? Will a Witcher ever deserve praise?”

The stranger’s words feel like ice coursing through his veins; he doesn’t know how to reply or refute them. He realizes his grip has tightened on the goblet. Haelim doesn’t gather his wits fast enough to reply when he looks across the table, catching the gaze of Veseniya... the dark and hollow place where her eyes were meant to be. These were not his people.

[haelimthewatcher]

Haelim & Vicoya, Symbolisms

So I wait at the gates Of your fortress I'm calling the blame And she'll let me hold it

[haelimthewatcher]

Playlist Link (Ordered by Duration)

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - Sleeping At Last /// Start A Riot - BANNERS /// Till Forever Falls Apart - Ashe, FINNEAS /// Somewhere Only We Know - Keane /// When I'm Gone - 3 Doors Down /// Would That I - Hozier /// Carry You - Ruelle, Fleurie /// Without You - Ursine Vulpine, Annaca /// In Her Eyes - Josh Groban /// Fortress - Bear's Den

[haelimthewatcher]

Date: Latest plot developments Location: Border by Astoria, probably Riandur's tent Characters: @riandur & @haelimthewatcher Notes: Late from #plot-calls but needed :)

Being much further east and south from where Aventia suffered and the Kossith were rumoured to be taking people and planning sieges on Haven, Haelim had no idea what was happening there. He was used to being out of the loop - and he had never minded that. It kept his head clear for battle. Without the crown's assistance, battling the darkspawn had taken up all his attention and energy.

Riandur, however, likely needed to be kept up-to-date with the happenings of other people. Diplomacy and politics seemed an inevitable consequence of leadership, no matter how detached the organization was from any crown. Haelim figured it might be something like that that had his close friend looking so thoughtful. After all, though Haelim was clueless to events outside the battlefield, he was incredibly well-informed about how well they were doing where they were stationed. And, so far, nothing was any worse for them than yesterday. Darkspawn were being darkspawn.

"I brought the count for today. No losses this time, thank the Gods or Fate... Whatever we must thank that isn't just the caliber of our men and women," he said, setting down a roll of parchment on the Officer's table. Haelim waited for Riandur to meet his eyes, saying nothing more but narrowing his eyes and canting his head in a very questioning manner. Haelim's familiar expression requested candor from Riandur, someone that he considered a brother as much as he did Alucard.

[haelimthewatcher]

They'd been obliged to bring a fellow Legionnaire home, the warrior's broken leg and slowly recovering injuries making her unable to continue fighting at the border of Astoria. The journey was quickest on Daewonsa, so Haelim had been ordered to bring her back while Vicoya had kept her stable on their way. There were still a few hours that the wyvern needed to rest - exhausted as she was from bringing 3 bodies on her back all the way. Haelim had taken advantage of this time of rare rest to collect supplies to bring back to the battlefield. When all that was done, he went to find Vicoya and their Legionnaire comrade in healing to check up on them. 'News came that everyone thinks those Kossith victims are dead now from some explosion. Vicoya looked upset so I told her I want to be alone now and get some sleep.'

Thus, Haelim had found himself knocking on V's door not 5 minutes later. He'd often found her in prayer in the past, and thus did not seem surprised to see the candles. But she had invited him in and so he did not hesitate to come closer, his hand reaching for her shoulder once he got close enough. All of a sudden, he was awash in gratitude that they had at least a few hours of respite before returning to bloodshed. "If you are selfish for thinking that, then so am I," he murmured, sitting down beside her. "You are here, safe... and yes, I am here too." He wrapped an arm around her, pulling Vicoya gently closer to his side. More comfortable in privacy and with their growing relationship, he pressed a chaste kiss on the side of her head without hesitation. "It is natural to be relieved. And I know no one who gives more to others than you do." The past few days, he had seen it yet again with his own eyes - how much Vicoya fought and healed to keep other's safe, wielding both nature and her own life force to a greater cause. If she couldn't be allowed some selfishness every now and again, no one should be.

when: recent dayz where: caer glas, coya's room with: @haelimthewatcher notes: because I FELT like it

It felt as though she was being split in two, her heart being pulled in different directions. Coya wanted, so badly, to find her lost comrades, to seek vengeance on the Kossith who had taken them. To think she had been grateful to the horned demons at first, for they'd reclaimed Aventia from the grasp of the darkspawn quicker than the Legion could muster. It was yet another glimmer of hope that ended in nothing but betrayal. She was angry, even rageful, but it was her duty to remain here, until Riandur commanded otherwise.

One thing she could contribute, from the confines of the keep, were words of prayer - to Ceres, her goddess most revered. Her room was dark, save the light of a few flickering candles, and her whispers were delicate as she knelt beside her bed. "May you bring peace to those who have left us too soon; to those we have already lost, and to those we have yet to find- Then there was a knock at her door, one she instantly recognized. "Come in." she replied to Haelim without a moment's hesitation, unmoving from her bedside as he entered behind her.

She waited a few beats, until he was closer, until she found her voice to share words others may deem as self-serving. "I am glad they didn't take you. However selfish it is of me to say it." I'm glad they took the others instead of you, is what it sounded like, now that she'd said it aloud. She hated herself for thinking as such, but Vicoya couldn't deny she'd have already succumbed to the anger bubbling within her chest if Haelim had been among those taken, too.

[haelimthewatcher]

Whatever was happening in Aventia was probably tragic by now, but out of mind. The Darkspawn that appeared from the border of Astoria could be Haelim's only concern at the moment. The ground around the Legionnaire was littered with bodies of darkspawn but, after a couple hours, Haelim was growing weary of adding to the piles. The elimination of the few that had managed to get closer than he'd like was welcomed.

"Water," he replied hoarsely, shaking his head. He patted at his side, the water skin that was empty by now as he approached Nurcan to stand at her side. There was a brief lull in the onslaught in their space, thanks to fellow fighters assisting in the distance. "You?" Sparring with fellow Legionnaires had been necessary schooling that Haelim had been diligent with to fight well with his comrades. But, as a Healer and magic-user that wasn't Vicoya, Nurcan's techniques were almost still a mystery to him. As he realized now, that had been an oversight. Even healers fought on the battlefield.

who? @haelimthewatcher where? The Border with Astoria when? Post last plot drop

Fire burst a few feet away from Haelim, far enough not to be caught in his anti-magic field, but close enough to consume the dozen darkspawn that had been approaching him from the back. Another flick of Nurcan’s wrist, and the fire intensifies, even as she steps closer to Haelim with a concerned frown. She knows that if she approaches too much, she will be useless, but they have been separated from the rest by a wave of darkspawns and hurlocks. They need to work together, and Nurcan is cursing herself with the realization that she should have asked to run drills with him at some point to try to identify a potential fighting style beneficial for the two of them.

“How are you?” She questions, eyes flickering briefly over his form. “Do you require any healing? I have some ointments and bandages on me, if you need them.”

[haelimthewatcher]

Haelim knew how to read people, particularly witches, if only because he'd been trained to find them and to survive them. It was of no shock to him that Vicoya seemed tense and impatient, rightfully so. Though he did not shy away, it did not mean that seeing her like this was of no consequence to him. Vicoya was not a witch to capture or kill, but she was both worse and better than that. She was a witch that wished to live life fully by his side and the last thing Haelim wanted to see was her pain or discontent. Because he, the heartsick fool that he was, wanted the very same. That he might have made Vicoya doubt this made him feel shame like a lance through his core.

He gently pocketed the flower, his eyes locked on Vicoya, passively wondering if they would wind up returning to the Keep nearly empty-handed despite the abundance of spring greenery. He found he didn't really care, not this time. He straightened up, standing to cast his reservations away with the wind that he watched blow her hair. His throat bobbed before his dark eyes lit up with determination, the sort often reserved for battle. Falling in love with Vicoya had been as easy as breathing, but loving her by choice had been a test of many wills. He had made it difficult for himself, creating a battlefield out of paradise the way only a man like him could. He'd created grief and sorrow out of pure joy and love. Regardless of the pain that he foresaw in their future, the present could no longer be denied. He no longer wanted to.

Haelim gathered her face between his two hands, in slight awe for how his hands seemed well-suited to the task. Gentle in how his fingers brushed the back of her jaw, and how his thumbs smoothed warmth across her colored cheeks. He seemed content to look at her for a moment longer… or more than content, really. Enraptured. Like he was drawing strength from her, despite her worries, ones that he had caused. Then he leaned down and kissed her. However long that lasted depended on his partner's willingness, but Haelim would eventually wish to part. When he did, it would only be to rest his forehead over her's. "If I haven't found words," he breathed out, pausing only enough to fill aching lungs with air, "it is because language doesn't express... it can't show how much I pain to love you for the rest of my life."

He pulled away a little more, painting courage from the color of determination as he sought to meet her eyes. "V, if you could forgive and suffer a fool, I vow to never again let you doubt how much I mean that."

If patience was supposed to be a virtue, an asset, then why did it make her life so difficult, sometimes? Yet, as she watched Haelim, Coya's patience made her feel as though difficult wasn't quite the right word to convey her frustrations. In fact, falling in love with him was one of the easiest things she had ever done, almost easier than breathing. Waiting for him to be ready, though, was painstaking. Every second she held herself back, unable to fully express or act upon what she felt for him. Those seconds were beginning to feel like years, and she was running out of breath.

What else was she to do, though? Her options were to be patient, or to give up. To give up meant moving on, letting him go, pretending she'd never felt anything for him in the first place, all while seeing his face around the keep every single day. She'd done plenty of hard things, accomplished the near-impossible, mastered one of the rarest forms of magic known to man, and yet, moving on from Haelim was a feat beyond her reach. So, she waited patiently as he tried to find his words, trying not to look too anxious as hope began to swell up within her chest.

And as Haelim looked up at her, crouched in the grass, Coya held his gaze firmly. Her eyes were soft - for how could they not be when he spoke to her in such a way? - but her brows were furrowed. Her gut reaction was to tell him everything was okay. That's what she was known for, wasn't it? Except this time, those words wouldn't leave her. He should have talked to her sooner, found the words sooner, but he hadn't. She couldn't deny it'd been painful, him walking past in the keep as though nothing had happened. But clearly, he knew that, and that made it easy to patient with him, even if he didn't entirely deserve it. She still firmly believed what she'd told him, weeks ago in Aventia. Both of them deserved to be happy for however long they had left, and beyond that, nothing else mattered.

She repeated his words aloud, searching for understanding. "You've no desire to ask any more of my patience?" It could have meant one of two things. Either he was going to walk away, and be done with her for good, or he finally was ready to come closer. "And what does that mean, Haelim? Please, be clear with me." He could think about her all he wanted, but that wasn't enough for Coya, anymore. She'd been straightforward with both her words and her actions, that day in his tent. It was only fair he do the same for her.

[haelimthewatcher]

To say he appreciated Alucard would be an understatement, but, after all this time, it was almost too easy to take their relationship for granted and forget how much his care was truly worth. Haelim tried to constantly remind himself not to take these people for granted; it was a steady practice gratitude that kept him along a humble and kind path. "Thank you. We walk along each other's paths," Haelim mused with a slow nod. "As long as time allows."

"We've both been busy and surrounded by new faces, brother. Our lives are... extraordinarily different from the way they were in Nornwatch, and all the world has changed. But some things have not. I wanted to remind you that I am here for whatever you need as well." His solemn expression softened a little; there was the anticipating promise of a smile hidden there. He watched Alucard's face now as he worked, trying to see if he could catch his eyes. "And also to say that I am not so blind as to not notice you're... changed. Happier, perhaps. I don't know if it has anything to do with the new recruit, or if it is many things all at once, but it brings me joy to see you in a semblance of peace." He smiled now.

Oaths were important but the only one that mattered was the dedication to eradicating the Blight. If that meant that Alucard would live a dishonourable life, then so be it because his truth was that he'd let a thousand people burn if there was even a chance at stopping the Blight - that was what it meant to fight the only battle that truly mattered. Now and then he thought about their tarnished brother in the Spine, how he'd fallen, how others among them had fallen. Time was too precious now, the end was coming and now more than ever they needed to be prepared to do what was necessary. Alucard had hoped to find a cure, for the Blight, for the calling, for the ring on Riandur's finger - but in every attempt he had failed - but in Haelim the dhampir was confident that he could succeed. Weapons were where he excelled.

Stating the dhampir was a private person would be putting it lightly, he rarely spoke of himself, let alone others unless it was absolutely necessary. "Your path is your own, I'll walk beside you for as long as time will allow, but this choice is yours - I won't cheapen it by speaking of it on your behalf." Riandur gave Alucard the same autonomy that Iskrates had been afforded and the dhampir intended to use it as best he could in their battle against the Blight.

[haelimthewatcher]

Haelim's mind raced. For perhaps the hundredth time in Vicoya's presense, he wished he was a skald with a talent for beautiful words and sentiments. Instead, all the emotions and stray words inside crammed within his head and on his tongue - all tangled up and disorganized. It took him some time to muster the courage and the sense to create a sensible language. The Witcher walked at the witch's side, his slightly furrowed brow and the tick in his clenched jaw as the only indication that he was struggling. He could hear Daewonsa as though she were there and not currently hunting. In Draconic, she would have scolded him for not having thought this through, and she would have been right. However, Daewonsa never had to look into someone's eyes and been overcome with the intense need to be at their side, regardless of preparedness.

He was drawn gently out of his thoughts at the sound of Vicoya's voice and followed the path of her eyes, down to the violet bloom. All at once, his eyes brightened with fond recognition. "Echinacea," he recited quietly. "For colds and congestion." Haelim was no herbalist, but he paid attention whenever Vicoya taught him anything or gave any passing comments. His smile was genuine, though brief. It faded as he reached for its sister flower just a few feet away. As Haelim bent down, he also took a steadying breath. "I should have spoken to you sooner," he muttered, clearly uncertain of himself as he begun. He cleared his throat and gazed up at Vicoya, his legs still bent over the grass. He twirled the flower he picked between his fingers. "I didn't intend to be gone so long and, every time I returned, I couldn't find the words to begin. And I never did. I still don't have the words, but its time they find me. You haven't escaped my thoughts for a second." He pinned her with a sincere gaze, almost stoic with how much he meant his words. However, there was a softness to him that did not exist when he was serious about Legionnaire business.

"I wouldn't forget anything about us, and I haven't forgotten what we shared in tent. You've given me more patience than any man deserves from you, and I have no desire to ask any more of it from you." Even his duties should have waited a moment for her sake. For the first time in his life, perhaps he would need to consider there were more important things in his life than killing darkspawn. It was a thought to ponder in the days ahead.

Surely, it was just a coincidence. Right after they'd kissed, and she'd confessed her true feeling to Haelim, there suddenly were more and more reasons for him to leave, to stay away. Vicoya tried not to take it personally - the key word there being 'tried'. Whatever they were to each other now, they were still Legionnaires, first and foremost. And even though they had jobs to do, and she wasn't normally insecure by any means, it was hard not to think of his distance as a consequence for her impulsivity.

So, he'd stayed away, and she'd let him. The witch was worried she pushed him too hard, too quickly, despite the the fact he'd reciprocated her kiss. If she remembered anything from their conversation, it was that, and she'd be embarrassed to admit she thought about that moment all too frequently since. It was almost painful, in a way, to have finally kissed him after all this time - yet life allowed it to happen once, and only once. And still, despite having waited so long already, she hoped the passage of time would bring him back to her again.

She tried to keep busy, so she'd think about him less. There was plenty to be done, between the reclamation of Aventia, and it's subsequent occupation by the Kossith. Foraging was on her to-do list for today, and it wasn't something she'd expected Haelim to join her for. When he'd met her gaze, and actually held it this time instead of looking away, she couldn't keep her heart from skipping a beat. She tried to at least prevent her smile from growing too wide, quietly following him outside and into the fields. "I thought you'd never ask."

They waded through the grass, and she chuckled softly as he avoided crushing the delicate flowers under his heavy boots. She'd always admired how gentle he was, a quality that he could have so easily abandoned after everything he'd been through. Her eyes lingered on the bright, purple flower poking up through the blades of green, recognition flitting to her face as she stooped down to pluck it. "Do you remember this one?" Her voice was soft, the plant clearly stirring a fond memory. So fond she answered her own question, before he had a chance to. "You gave me one of these soon after I'd arrived at Nornwatch. It's color was much appreciated then, amongst all the grey."

[haelimthewatcher]

Ugh. This was the last thing that Haelim had wanted. While there had been no part of him that wanted to see his baby cousin die right in front of him, he also longed to be far away from her judgmental eyes and sharp tongue. As for the others? There was no point worrying about what he could not control. While Haelim cared what happened to the individuals, he also had no personal attachment or emotional commitment to any of them. He could not protect them from afar; that was already made clear once he realized there was no way to get to them. It made it a lot easier to be the Witcher he once was and not bother fretting for them. Instead, he busied himself with inspecting his new glaive. Though he had not turned his back to Moon-hwa where he sat, he had also not paid her any mind or even acted like she was there. There had been nothing but a short glance in her direction when it was clear that they were alone, then he remained aloof.

Moon-hwa spoke and only Daewonsa seemed to pay her any mind, glancing over briefly. The wyvern was sat tall next to the older Witcher, her eyes scanning their surroundings carefully. Haelim took his time to respond, silent for a few seconds as he turned the new mithril glaive over on his lap. "Do not fill the silence with questions whose answers you care nothing for," he finally replied, eyes roaming down the blade of the weapon.

with: @haelimthewatcher when: during torsten's quest where: outside of the temple notes: for you, my love

"So, we're both unworthy." There was a scoff followed by a laugh, though the latter didn't have any humor to it. Moon wasn't surprised she'd been deemed as such, but she also wanted to know who the fuck had made that decision, and just what their definition of 'worthy' was. Maybe they would find out once Torsten and the others returned from inside the temple, if they returned.

For now, she waited next to her older cousin, knees pulled up to her chest as they sat in the snow. Her body was still sore from getting pummeled by a giant, a grisly demise which Haelim had saved her from. She still hadn't mustered the pride to thank him for it. Blood and dirt still stained her cheeks, but she wore the grime proudly, not bothering to clean it off despite their moment of respite. Even though the rest was much needed, she hated sitting still, hated sitting quietly. She decided to continue pestering her cousin, instead. "What'd you do to make the temple mad at you? If I imagined anyone being able to waltz on in, it'd be you."

[haelimthewatcher]

Date: Before Torsten's path quest Location: Caer Glas Keep Characters: @vicoya & @haelimthewatcher Notes: :'

Ever since that day, that kiss, he'd been... distant. At first, it hadn't been Haelim's intention at all. The distance had been more physical than anything. There were few Legionnaires who would travel very far compared to him, and Daewonsa was not eager to leave anywhere without Haelim again after fearing for Vicoya's life the last time she did. So Haelim took to the skies with his wyvern alone, making sure he bargained far and wide for as much supplies as they could manage to get brought to Caer Glas, a building that was slowly getting more and more occupied. Not only that, the Witcher also spent time fighting near the border of Aventia. Vicoya was often needed at home for healing or magic, Alucard was busy with his alchemy and Riandur had people to order around. However, Haelim was a warrior who had little else to do but fight - and so fight he did. But he missed them, and he missed the rest of the Legionnaires as well the longer he spent camped away. But since Aventia was retaken completely from the darkspawn, Haelim returned to full presense in Caer Glas..

The first few days, he settled back into a new routine. That had been a sensible enough excuse for a day or two, and the fact that Vicoya was busy as always. But it was a weak excuse and the truth was that he was tired of being away from her. He missed her most. They needed to speak at length about the heavy truths they had divulged to each other, and what they had shared in the privacy of that tent. He was afraid, but more afraid that Vicoya got her sense back and realized that he was, indeed, was more trouble than he was worth. It was a stupid fear, and she had the patience of a saint. However, despite every title that he held, Haelim was still just a human - just a man - one that held little in matters of the heart.

Since that kiss, Haelim had shared little more than longing, lingering looks and relatively casual conversation with Vicoya between all his journeys outside of Caer Glas. One of the more observant and nosy Legionnaires had privately commended Haelim for 'taking it slow,' but he wasn't really sure what that meant in terms of love, or if he was really doing that, or if it was what Vicoya had wanted. Now that Haelim wasn't going anywhere for a while, he knew that his longing gaze across the hall wouldn't be enough anymore once she met his eyes and noticed. He steeled his nerves and offered Vicoya a private smile before nodding out the door. Spring was here and the there was no need to grab a coat - it was new and strange for the Iskaran, but nice. He avoided stepping on a wildflower as he found them some privacy among the stones and grass. "I was was wondering if I could help you forage... It's been quite a while since we have." It was clearly just an excuse for them to be alone and talk, but the Legionnaires could never have too few herbs.

[haelimthewatcher]

"Why will I allow you to speak your mind? Because I will not cower before whatever hurt I might have caused you, or any other Iskaran," he replied quietly. "It would be unfair to them and it would be unfair to the man that I have worked so hard to become." The more Haelim stared at her, the more he could see an inkling of something so vaguely familiar... still, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He couldn't know if he was tried to kill her, or if he had managed to killed her family. Perhaps something else just as heinous - he wouldn't be surprised. There were so many faces in his past, and so many of them filled with the identical looks of pain and terror. People were all so different and unique, but they all looked the same when faced with the inevitability of death.

"Or, perhaps, why did I do the things that I did? Why have I hurt so many? The answer is as simple as it is complicated. Simply put: it was what I was created and molded to do from a young age. The complication comes from the fact that that does not excuse the choice to fail to change once I finally understood better."

She stands there trembling with rage and like a prophetic vision, a scene of violence dances behind her eyes, acting on every impulse and desire she releases a feral scream, rich with the pain that she had carried since she was small and runs towards him, fists painting his skin as she rains punch upon punch, warrior instincts keeping her violence unrelenting as she acts with the senseless of one who had nothing to lose, everything taken from them and gazing into the eyes of one who took them. Only she doesn't flinch, doesn't move an inch because he was there that day but he looked away from the grass that had sneezed, saving her fate from her parent's. She was one who always acted with anger first and he was calm, accepting and sorrow was too heavy on the lines of his face to be recognized as peace.

"Why?" Emotion is choking her, grief has her by the throat and she can barely speak without growling so speeches or rants wouldn't come for now, they demanded too much oxygen and she was trying to focus on her breath, trying to reign the demon within her touch, the poison within her palm began to ache. What was the reasons for being capable of such actions?

[haelimthewatcher]

There wasn't even the barest hint of a grimace as needle took to skin - this was a butterfly kiss compared to the needles of childhood. He waited patiently, arm stilled, as the blood was collected. "There's no path to take but the one that could bring us closer to eradicating the Blight. You know this. I might have been forced into taking my oaths but I meant them just the same, and I have meant them more with each passing year." He was silent for a moment, watching the red through the needle. Haelim knew his friends well. He could practically feel the unsaid words, heavy with meaning.

They all cared about one another - but the care he had for Vicoya went something beyond, and something inordinately special that would not have gone unnoticed by Alucard in the least. Going by how the dhampir acted around the newest werewolf, he would likely personally understand. Haelim eyes briefly fluttered shut as he let in painful emotion. Still... he had warned Vicoya about his dedication to the cause, about his borrowed time, and she had seemingly understood. He hoped she'd understand this as part of it too, the way Alucard seemed to without question.

"I've been steeled for something like this for the better part of my life," he replied, opening his eyes again. "And yet this cause is better than the one I had. I am sure of my path, and of I died tomorrow I would have-" Once upon a time, he would have said no regrets. Now? "...very little regrets." He couldn't lie, but he still wished that he could. The words came out quietly, reluctantly, but he didn't mind being open with Alucard, at least. "I would just appreciate it if I could be the one to inform... the others." Mostly, he meant Vicoya. "Although I am sure your roommate would be confidential." There was nothing in his tone that denoted humour (there rarely was), but just by alluding to Etienne he felt a flicker of it in his chest - something happy and lighthearted. He wouldn't ask Alucard to keep secrets with the one he loved.

Riandur's path had revealed much, whatever fate had prepared for them, the Nornwatch four were echoes of heroes long past - but this was another age, another battle, and it required heroics of their own. Haelim was right, Alucard knew better than most, but the Legion all saw the signs - they'd been trained to.

"There has been no word from Silas," eight months and not a single word from the Commander of the Legion of the Dead. Vicoya had tried to reach him, but even that had ended without an answer. "at this point, I'll assume Riandur is the only authority left within our ranks." They were on their own against the Church of Night, the waking Dark One, and the rising tide of darkspawn unlike anything seen since the ending of the First Age. Now worse, Lusacan was writhing about in Avalon - trapped behind an eluvian that would not hold him for long.

With Haelim, Alucard would speak candidly and avoid mincing or sugarcoating his words. "I do, but it'll come at a cost." The Blight did not allow for any to straddle the line, they could either step into the abyss or away from it, Haelim couldn't stand at its precipice for long. "Whatever years you may have left, using whatever comes of this could forfeit them." The Last Battle was coming, Haelim, like Alucard knew what became of the Legionnaires, but that did not mean he wouldn't caution him. Drawing Haelim's blood, Alucard added, "If you intend to go down this path, steel yourself." Prepare Vicoya went unsaid.

[haelimthewatcher]

Especially when it came to The Blight, Haelim was intent on knowing as much as possible. If not to put in practice with his hands, he could at least attempt to keep up with Alucard, Isak and the Tower witches among them when they spoke. For the most part nowadays, he did. But, of course, it was also ideal to understand at least some of what might be happening to his own body. As things stood now, it seemed likely his dear friend understood him well and would support him all throughout the process. It meant a lot, especially knowing that it couldn't be completely easy to put someone that you cared for through experiments.

"Better myself than the Commander." They were both Witchers, and around the exact same age, but one was just a soldier and the other was their leader. "Witchers were raised to think of our bodies as tools for the betterment... I know he must have had these thoughts too and simply been unable to risk himself. He must know something good to come of it. And I trust you could help guide us there. You have unique insights, and you know what is at stake just as well as any of us - if not more." He shook his head, "To whatever end then, brother. We can certainly begin with blood."

He rolled up the sleeve of his non-dominant arm and sighed. "Controlling the Blight though... Do you think that could be possible? Without losing oneself to it?"

It was a benchmark among most of the Legion not to get overly emotional, whatever softness existed about Haelim had likely been beaten from him in his youth and Alucard was born without a beating heart. Still, he'd never forget laughter under his breath, knowing looks exchanged over the table, and the small moments of bliss in Nornwatch - when their world was quiet, cold, and isolated but still made tolerable by the company. Alucard gave the other a nod in affirmation but carried their shared sentiments no further.

"Iskrates, yes." Alucard offered, that both of them had lived under the same roof as the scientist at Nornwatch, though Alucard had spent much time learning from the Legionnaire who'd seemingly evaded the Calling completely. "He was deranged," a beat, "but brilliant." The Legion of the Dead didn't bat an eye at the unethical practices of the undying silver elvhen, not when the real battle - the blight - superseded something so common as morality. Months ago Aventia had not been attacked and the darkspawn were not at their door, Riandur's unknown ring hadn't bonded itself to the elvhen's body - which was all to say that Alucard did not have the free time on his hands that he had.

Fortunately, continuing Iskrates' work remained a priority and if Alucard could not cure the blight as he'd been hoping for years, then creating a weapon would be the next best thing. "I learned recently there is likely a magister that has learned how to control the Blight," he thought briefly again to the red-haired man in the sky, the infected one. "the vampires of Veilcrest have similar weaponry, your body's ability to survive could hold a missing link." Silas was also a witcher, but he lacked the research carried out at the edge of the world by that mad scientist. "I'll need your blood to begin... This will take some time." Progress was measured in years, but with any fortune, they could bring that about soon.

[haelimthewatcher]

Haelim would not dismiss nor cower at her accusations, for they were very real, as were the consequences that they wrought each day. He had so long ago resigned to always live with who he had been, and to always learn from that young man and his actions. "I have," he replied, no humour or joy in his careful tone. He stood still in front of her, much like a statue. "I've killed and imprisoned many magical users in Iskaldrik, just as I and many like me were raised and trained to do from a young age... But I imagine you knew that well." He paused, trying to find something familiar in her fierce eyes. "However you feel, I do not begrudge you those emotions. I give you liberty to say whatever you need to say to me, without consequence."

There is a slight tremble to her form, she is holding back rage by it's teeth as it has never mattered how many years that have past or how she grew, losing her parents to the mines would always be a raw wound. She took emotions like a threat and the conflict of pain that has taken root in her body, veins sick with disease as he with them that day as they hauled her parents off quietly, a silent promise to not make a noise and prolong the ordeal so as to not give away the hidden presence of their daughter. Wide eyes watched from her place in the field, her stomach pressed against the dirt as she used the shadows for the first time to her advantage, a halted breath to her lungs as she experienced true horror.

Yet she remembers his eyes sweeping towards where she was hidden, an accidental stirring of a child so young that gave away a rustle where she hid, she had yet to become the sharpen blade she is now. An awful fear of being caught, her vision turned into stars and dread consumed her but they left without her. "You've done more than just kill Darkspawn, give yourself more credit. Didn't you also banish evil magic users?" A sneer dresses her mouth as she used to playing a certain part within Iskaldrik, her contempt hard to hide.

[haelimthewatcher]

Haelim remembered being young and bitter about losing everything, all the land and the title he would have inherited if not for cruel circumstances. Now the insult of being this way landed dully; he wouldn't have changed his place in the Legion for anything. Proud to make his life and his blood mean something. "A Raider?" Haelim's brows furrowed with disdain. A pirate, a terror on the waters. They had switched places; he was no longer the criminal between the two.

"I felt a lot of betrayal, long ago. I remember being hurt and angry." He told her over the noise, even as he sliced a darkspawn running past them. Haelim turned back to Moon-Hwa, chest heaving with exertion but there was no exhaustion in his eyes. This truly was where he was meant to be. "Now I look at you and all I feel is sorrow and pity. We were born the same, cousin, but your life now is nothing that I envy." He spun his glaive in hand. "I just wish you could have seen I was on your side and I would have stayed on your side if you'd given me the chance."