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[parselfounder]

decthless​:

   Her nails tapped against the box in the rhythm of an old song. When she and her partner had tried opening the box by force, they had not asked themselves this very question as they had not the intention of releasing the spells inside in the first place. But now that she had to muse over it, Rivah found it quite an intriguing one. “Mayhaps. You certainly would cause a ruckus if you melted the river. The city relies on it around this time of the year,” she explained with an equally amused note in her voice.

   And she did not wish to become the reason for Moscow’s trade to collapse. While it was certainly tempting to see whether or not the spells trapped inside could achieve such a feat, it would be a poor decision. “Depending on your nature, you could possibly release it in summer and cause a drought or worse. But I would advise you to do so far away from your home and not necessarily on your least favourite neighbour’s land.” Admittedly, this was a use she found even more tempting and a wicked grin suddenly twisted her smile – they could make the lives of rival’s so much worse. But that was… not the right time to think about it, was it?

   Her thoughts and attention returned to her customer, though the traces of her expression remained. “Are you asking me for my secrets? The spell was unknown to us. Most objects in our care are of unknown origin and craft and we identified it with our own means.” And those means were methods they themselves had developed for their work. Telling him about those details would damage their business even though she doubted that he was interested in becoming competition. 

   Not that she regarded anyone as true competition, yet she sought to avoid creating a new one if she could. “When you know what spell protects it, it becomes easier to determine what does not work. We have tried destroying it in different ways, opening it with other spells as well as those of our own making and it remained closed. The only key is the intended one. I hope this answers your question.”

He would certainly cause a ruckus, and he regarded the box with clear, if guarded, interest. Such was the kind of artifact that might attract attention, which he did not necessarily want. It was also the kind of artifact that could well protect a city or a country... if the tales were true, of course. If he was given a key that any would destroy, or forever keep secret. 

“I am asking,” he spoke, “about the item I am considering on acquiring. And your answer will suffice, for now.” 

He had noticed her smile, he had noticed expression, and he gave the box a moment’s consideration before his gaze returned to Rivah. 

“I shall ponder on the matter. You offer me quite the enigma.” 

And oh, how he would enjoy the puzzle of trying his magic and his knowledge against a cursed item. 

“And yet, I am certain there is more you can offer me.” He spoke, as he looked around the shop. “Let us see, and only then I shall make my choice.”

He sought her eyes, as he finished speaking, wondering what he might find there. Atop his shoulders, the snake regarded the box with as much interest as her wizard. 

“Perhaps.” He spoke, only to her. “Perhaps.”

[parselfounder]

Headcanons: Legilimency

(Note: I need to modify my usual guidelines, one of this days, to account for Salazar being a legilimens, as he's in canon. I'm still thinking on how to fully word it.)

Basically, though, I will not have him just knowing what everyone is thinking all the time. Legilimens can be lied to, after all.

What he'll be able to do in a thread, unless he's given ample reason to invade someone's mind (aka, we plot it), will be detect lies if lied to his face by a non-occlument, and detect the general emotional state of those who look at him in the eye.

Moreover, if people around him are very focused on one particular thought or topic (such as panicking), he will notice.

This is a conscious skill of his in all but the verses in which he's youngest.

[parselfounder]

the witcher (show) starters

❝ victimhood is not your colour. ❞ ❝ you can’t outrun destiny just because you’re terrified of it. ❞ ❝ your job is to control chaos, not to succumb to it. ❞ ❝ you don’t deserve the air you breathe. ❞ ❝ not a single person alive looks in the mirror and doesn’t see some form of deformity. ❞ ❝ you lie, you keep secrets. you succumb to emotion and weakness. ❞ ❝ not answering questions is part of your brooding pillar of charm. ❞ ❝ you’re just mad because you lost your chance to be beautiful. ❞ ❝ you smell of death and destiny, heroics and heartbreak. ❞ ❝ there’s no power in puppeting fools. ❞ ❝ i’ll leave that for someone who gives a shit. ❞ ❝ i need to get back to my horse. ❞ ❝ your will to live is strong. ❞ ❝ i’m still not enough. even for you. ❞ ❝ need a hand? i’ve got two. ❞  ❝ my men will kill you. ❞ ❝ i’m here to drink alone. ❞ ❝ go. on your own or at the end of a rope, your choice. ❞ ❝ do you know how many people wouldn’t blink if you died? ❞ ❝ you weren’t taking control. you were losing it. ❞ ❝ people call you a monster too. ❞ ❝ i’ve waited all these years for you to admit we’re made for each other. ❞ ❝ if only you could tell between friend or threat. do you even know the difference anymore? ❞ ❝ when you live as long as i do, all the names sound the same. ❞ ❝ were you in love? ❞ ❝ this place isn’t safe when you’re alone. ❞ ❝ the only thing you do quickly is flee. ❞ ❝ even if you were a beauty, still, no one would love you. ❞ ❝ not a happily ever after after all. ❞ ❝ hm, doesn’t rhyme. all good predictions rhyme. ❞ ❝ you are making me uncomfortable. ❞ ❝ unchecked kings and queens start massacres. ❞  ❝ i just want some damn peace. ❞ ❝ i dreamed of becoming important to someone someday. ❞ ❝ the only thing special about you is the crown on your head. ❞ ❝ what do you long for? fame? money? power? ❞ ❝ what? no one mentioned the impending doom part. ❞ ❝ true words are rare words. ❞ ❝ i want more. i have to be more. ❞ ❝ do other women find this coarseness charming? ❞ ❝ love casts long shadows. ❞ ❝ if she runs, kill her. ❞ ❝ don’t give me that look, shitling. ❞ ❝ today isn’t your day, is it? ❞ ❝ how come when my life comes to shit you’re the one shoveling it? ❞ ❝ i know who you are. what you are. ❞ ❝ i envy you. to live, and to have no love. ❞ ❝ you’d leave a man bound to die in such a dignity? ❞ ❝ i loved your mother. ❞ ❝ don’t you know who i am? ❞ ❝ so that’s all life is to you? monsters and money? ❞ ❝ there’s a vortex of fate around us. ❞ ❝ is history a wheel doomed to repeat? ❞ ❝ the sword of destiny has two edges. ❞ ❝ i’ve considered your company and conversation payment enough. ❞ ❝ this isn’t who you are. ❞ ❝ will you be joining me? ❞ ❝ no amount of power or beauty will make you feel worthy of either. ❞ ❝ i don’t believe anyone has that power. ❞  ❝ nobody smart plays fair. ❞ ❝ i won’t listen to a man who pimps the world as some romantic adventure. ❞ ❝ a true man would state his desires. ❞ ❝ don’t turn this on me. ❞ ❝ i want to be powerful. it’s what i’m owed. ❞ ❝ that makes sense just as much as it doesn’t. ❞  ❝ you’re smart, aren’t you? you know everything. ❞ ❝ i feel something out there waits for you. ❞  ❝ please don’t hurt me. i’m lost. ❞  ❝ i won’t kill you…but you cant stay here. ❞  ❝ there’s no ‘us’. there’s only me. ❞  ❝ i’m asking for a teeny-weeny little favor. ❞  ❝ yeah, you’re probably right. but what if you’re not? ❞ ❝ i’m not your friend. ❞  ❝ you and destiny can both fuck right off. ❞  ❝ i love the way you just sit in the corner and brood. ❞ ❝ i will not suffer tonight sober. ❞  ❝ pretty ballads hide bastard truths. ❞  ❝ i will not involve myself to petty men’s squabbles. ❞ ❝ happy childhood makes for dull company. ❞ ❝ it’s impossible to be prepared for every battle. keep your sword close, and keep moving. ❞  ❝ i see a lot of myself in you. ❞ ❝ you can’t change the world this way. ❞ ❝ i don’t need anyone. & the last thing i want is someone needing me. ❞ ❝ alright, stand close to me and pretend you’re mean. ❞ ❝ why are you dressed like a sad silk trader? ❞  ❝ only one of us will be alive to find out. ❞  ❝ i stole rather than starve. i killed rather than be killed. ❞  ❝ i have’t only done good in my life either. ❞  ❝ it’s like ordering a pie and finding out it has no filling. ❞  ❝ when i cut my finger i bleed. that’s human, right? ❞  ❝ they’re rough around the edges but they’re earthling like me. ❞  ❝ royalty is best endured in small doses. ❞  ❝ i thought the world needed me too. ❞  ❝ sometimes, the best thing a flower can do for us is die. ❞  ❝ handy with a blade. handy with women too. ❞ ❝ are you trying to hurt my feelings? ❞ ❝ you look like you’ve been through hell. ❞ ❝ i can’t do this without you. ❞ ❝ you know cautionary tales won’t work on me. ❞ ❝ you talk nonsense while making wise and meaningful faces. ❞ ❝ the apple never falls far from the tree. ❞ ❝ when i go it will be far more dramatic than this. ❞ ❝ try not to get any daggers in your back before dawn. ❞ ❝ you have your mother’s blood. you’ll be alright. ❞ ❝ a great ruler always chooses mercy. ❞ ❝ it took two strikes to kill him. they weren’t clean. but they were spectacular. ❞ ❝ if i have to choose between one evil and another, i’d rather not choose. ❞ ❝ i would do anything to forget who i was. ❞ ❝ i have no doubt blood will be spilled here tonight. ❞ ❝ there’s a grain of truth in every fairy tale. ❞ ❝ people look at you for who you are, not what you can give them. ❞ ❝ do you believe in destiny now? ❞ ❝ we can leave. we can find a way out. ❞ ❝ lovers? fun for a bit, i’ll admit, but all eventually disappoint. ❞ ❝ let’s face it, you’re a girl. we’re just vessels. and even when we’re told we’re special, we’re still just vessels…for them to take…and take…until we’re empty…and alone. ❞ ❝ people like to invent monsters and monstrosities. then they seem less monstrous themselves. ❞ ❝ every time i’m around you i say more in five minutes than i’ve said in weeks. ❞ ❝ maybe someone out there will want you. ❞ ❝ if you must kill me, i’m ready. ❞ ❝ people linked by destiny always find each other. ❞ ❝ thank the gods. i might live to see another day. ❞ ❝ i was having a rather lovely dream which then turned into a nightmare. ❞ ❝ you desperately need money for new clothes.  ❞ ❝ more and more, i find monsters where ever i go. ❞ ❝ life is too short. do what pleases you…while you can. ❞ ❝ gods you’re pretty. ❞ ❝ my lady, i would never degrade your honor in such a way. ❞ ❝ my world is cruel. you enter, you survive, you die. ❞ ❝ i feel i shall die a broken hearted man. ❞ ❝ who slits a man’s throat while he’s relieving his bowels? ❞ ❝ why help those who don’t listen? ❞ 

[parselfounder]

decthless​:

   Even though the message of their reputation beyond their borders let her heartbeat quicken in pride, on the outside, the shopkeeper remained calm and nodded in acknowledgement. Due to their services wizards and witches from near and far were aware of their existence. For many they were the first place to turn to if they were searching for a specific artefact or spell. A reputation that they had carefully built throughout centuries – and still, it always felt good to have customers because of word and not coincidence.

   “Intrigued enough to travel far yourself,” Rivah Dimitrievna asked and then let her gaze wander down to the snake that made its way up to the man’s shoulders. For a brief moment his voice faded into the background as she found herself fascinated by the creature. Her attention returned to him quickly as if it had never gone in the first place. 

   Antique and powerful items? They had many of those for certain. Regarding him once more, she decided to take her chances; normally she would not take a new customer to the shelves in the back of the shop but he made the impression of knowing what he was doing. Or she was simply charmed by his companion, which was more likely. “Of course. I ask you to follow me then.” A gesture of her hand accompanied her words. 

   The light was dimmer in the back of the room and she conjured a small bluish light. “The other week we received a parcel with a curious box. It is said summer itself is trapped inside.” Her fingers travelled across the shelves before she picked up a small golden box. “Its spells are rather strong and will hold anything inside. We have tried opening it with force instead of the way it is supposed to be opened; but failed. Whether or not you wish to keep summer inside or trap something else, it will not let go of it.”

He did not fail to notice the shopkeeper’s reaction to the snake, for he never did, were it fear or interest, and he was pleased it was the latter. Fear could be most useful, and he was hardly above implying threats if needed, but it was a poor business practice. It still did not change that a snake could easily be a better deterrent than any wand. 

“It is always most illustrative to journey beyond one’s homeland.” Was his reply, before she offered him to follow her, and so he did, his gaze pausing on the items it could reach, on the faint hum of magical items nearby. He had not traveled so far only to visit them, but it was one of his reasons, and so he was satisfied he had not erred in his assumptions.

As the first item was shown, Salazar regarded it intently, knowing better than to touch anything without proper caution, and listening to the words she wove. Oh, there was much in myth that was indeed myth, but some of it reflected shards of truth, so he sought her gaze to try and discern the truth in her words before returning his attention to the box. 

“Would these lands thaw, were Summer to be released?” He asked, faintly amused. Still, it could be useful... or perhaps not. “What will you tell me of the methods you have tried, or regarding the magic it was built with?”

He himself knew a few works of magic that would keep a secret safe save for those whom it was intended for, the proof of it hidden underneath his tunic, on a chain around his neck, and he rather doubted the veracity of her claims. And yet, it was a beginning.

[parselfounder]

He was far from his homeland, the man that entered the shop, and he knew better than to dress entirely like a wizard. He wore black and silver instead, green accents adorning leather and fine cloth, and a long dark cloak with a clasp fashioned in the shape of a silver snake.

He carried himself with calm curiosity, with the air of one well aware of his status, unbothered by the possible threats that others could pose. A look at his eyes, however, might shatter the illusion: the man was cautious and curious both, and he regarded the shopkeeper for a long moment, before nodding his greeting and offering the shadow of a smile.

"Greetings." He spoke, in the same English he'd been addressed. "Word of your establishment has traveled far, and I found myself most intrigued."

As he spoke, a small silver snake rose from the ground, taking an offered hand and settling on his shoulders, atop the cloak, watching the woman with pale, slit eyes. Only then did he speak again.

"I am most interested in antique, powerful items."

   The soft noise of the chimes near the door attracted attention at once as it disturbed the comfortable silence in the shop on the Arbat. Rivah Dimitrievna looked up from the old tome that was sitting on the wooden counter in front of her; her chin resting in her hand. Colourless eyes regarded the potential customer from head to toe and back again without a hint of what thought exactly had crossed her mind at the sight. “Welcome,” she greeted him while putting a slip of paper between the pages of the tome before closing it. Who knew when he would leave again and perhaps by the time he did, she had already forgotten where she had stopped. Noiseless steps carried her around the counter. With a few strokes, she seemed to ease the folds of her dress’ skirt even though it was already flawless as it was. 

   “What can I do for you? An item from the shop or a wish carried to your heart?” It was then that the corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly upwards in the ghost of a smile. From the back of the shop echoed a noise; from behind the high shelves stuffed with books and all sort of curious objects. Her partner in crime, no doubt. Or his strange familiar. But she tried to ignore the noise, concentrating on the customer instead. 

   The front of the shop only contained useless but pretty trinkets and oddities – objects that could be placed in the hand of a common man without much thought. If he only wished to roam, she would try selling him one of those. in her mind Rivah Dimitrievna was already looking for the right things to show him. 

@parselspeaks | visits the shop!

[parselfounder]

Independent, canon and headcanon-based Salazar Slytherin of the Harry Potter Saga, as written by Nay.

See here for guidelines, about and verses

[parselfounder]

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