#char:vasilisa

[attollogame]

OC Kiss Week 5—Soothing

Vasilisa—Soothing(1.3k; NSFW continued on Patreon later today)

Murderers blocking date nights, par usual

“It isn’t him.”

You don’t need to look over at Vasilisa to know that her expression drops at those words. The informant carelessly drops the picture back down onto the table and grimaces. At least he has the heart to look sympathetic about it all, despite just telling Vasilisa that the lead she’s been working with is nothing short of bullshit. “I wish I could tell you otherwise, but yeah. He was at High Tower when you said this happened, and this is by Lacheln. His powers aren’t teleportation—as you know..” 

“Fuck,” Vasilisa breathes, picking up the picture and pocketing it again. Recently, you’ve been swept up in accompanying her to hunt down a hematokinetic gone rogue who’s been making a name for themselves with a series of rather grim killings the past few months. You know that murder is a pretty awful thing, but you didn’t realize that murder via superpowers could be so much worse. 

Not that you’ve been privy to all of the gory details, of course. You’ve been tagging along as an unofficial ‘analyst’, according to Vasilisa, because your perspective as an outsider might be useful. You’ve even got a little card on a lanyard to boot. 

“I could ask around the Under City and see if anyone has heard anything else about this person?” The informant shoves his hands into his pockets before casting a glance over his shoulder. He’s been talking to you both longer than usual, and it seems like this is starting to make him antsy. 

Vasilisa nods before pulling out her phone. “That’s fine. I’ll have the department send you over your pay for the information you’ve given so far, and if you dig up anything in the Under City that we can use, then just give me a call.” 

At this, the informant turns and begins walking back around the corner of the restaurant alley you’ve all decided to meet in. The smell of cooking oil and fries is making your stomach ache, and you glance wistfully at the restaurant's doors before looking back to Vasilisa. “What now?” 

“What now, indeed,” she mumbles, pocketing her phone again before gesturing for you to follow. The two of you both leave the alley after enough time has passed to ensure that the informant is far out of sight, lest someone be watching the exchange. She doesn’t give you a direct answer the entire time you’re walking, instead letting a weighted silence hang over you both as she retains a troubled look. 

It’s when you finally get back into the car that you decide enough is enough. 

“Lis,” you begin, and she sucks in a breath before leaning back against her seat. “I know this is shitty,”

“That doesn’t even begin to cover this. I have to go back and reevaluate everything that I have to figure out who it could possibly be next. It was a juvenile mistake to pin so much hope onto one person.” She rubs her face with her hands before dropping them to her lap and staring woefully through the windshield ahead. “Fuck me.” 

You chew the inside of your cheek a bit before reaching out and brushing a few stray hairs away from her cheek. You can tell by the flush on her neck just how frustrated she’s feeling about going back to base one, but this also isn’t necessarily the first time she’s needed to do so. “You’ve hit roadblocks like this before, yeah? And you’ve worked through them. I mean, just look at The Atlas Killer. You’re making more progress on that than anyone else who’s worked on the case for a decade.”

“That’s because there was already pre-existing material on him.” She shifts in her seat to face you with a skeptical look. “The people who worked on it before it was shunted onto me already almost had a full profile of him.” 

“But you were the one that finished that profile, no? And the one he’s currently contacting, which means you have him on an edge, no?” You nod your head with each comment as Vasilisa bites her lip. “This is just a small hiccup. Go back, look at the database to see who’s a hematokinetic or whatever, and start from there.” 

You actually have no idea how any of the investigations in Attollo work, but you feel like what you said was pretty close to being on the money. Vasilisa looks back towards the windshield with a frown, and in response, you reach out to cup her cheek, gently urging her to look back your way. “Lis.”

“Yes?” She grumbles, leaning into your touch with her brow still furrowed. You can’t help but admire her passion about the work—a passion that extends into other aspects of her life as well, if you have anything to say about it. You lean in and capture her lips in a light kiss, more one of reassurance than anything else. Then you withdraw enough to rest your forehead against hers as you sigh. 

“I’d say call it a night, but I already have a feeling you’re heading back to get started on this right away, yeah?” 

Vasilisa hums as she leans in to steal another kiss from you. You taste the faint flavor of coffee on her lips—likely from Ruthie's, which she’s been pounding back like shots for the entire day—before she shifts and presses her forehead against your shoulder. 

“Will you hate me if I say yes?” Although it comes out mildly muffled by your coat, you do catch hints of the apologetic tone she’s using. The two of you haven’t really had enough time to be alone together, with her constantly running around trying to clean everyone else’s messes up, and you trying to stabilize yourself in this city—a feat in itself, truly. Despite your understanding of the circumstances, there is a lingering ache of want in you that’s hard to ignore when you’re this close to each other, alone, with heightened emotions already present. 

Still, you let out a chuckle at her comment, causing her to pull back and look at you with a frown. “Why would I hate you for doing your job? Some guy’s out there killing people, and we have no idea why. I can’t be mad at you for trying to put an end to that.” 

Vasilisa taps her fingers on her thigh as she continues to stare at you, before her eyes narrow slightly as she seems to lock on to some idea. “Are you doing anything tonight?” 

Tonight? “How late tonight are we talking?” 

“Past ten. Maybe closer to ten thirty.” She replies, leaning back again to start up the car. You appreciate the blast of warmth—and 80’s pop music, a staple of Attollo—that accompanies this gesture as curiosity encroaches on your thoughts. 

“Mm, not really, no. Why?” 

“Do you still have the spare key to my place?” 

Oh. Oh. You do like where this suggestion is going, and you can’t help but let a sly smile curl itself on your lips as you look at her. “Ms. Solovieva, what exactly are you suggesting here?” 

Vasilisa snorts as she pulls out of the parking spot and back onto the road, likely to drop you off before heading back to work. “Nothing at all. I’m simply saying that I will be leaving work around ten, which means I’ll be back at home. At ten thirty. With the rest of the night free. And a really great need to de-stress somehow.” 

She gives you a side eye, which you return with one of your own as an unspoken understanding passes between you both. De-stressing, yes. You are very very skilled at helping her do that, indeed. You chuckle again at the coy way this arrangement was made before leaning back in your seat and looking to the road ahead. 

“I’ll pick up stuff for breakfast, then.”

[attollogame]

"what's so funny?" with vasilisa??<3

The sound of rain hitting the sides of the glass bus shelter does wonders in making your mood more dour than it already is. You can feel the cold air sealing your soaking wet clothes to your skin as you alternate between shivering and pacing, all while waiting for the elusive buses of the Attollo Transport Department to arrive.

Sometimes, if you're fortunate, they're only twenty minutes later. Other times, they can be over an hour late—much like how tonight is shaping to be.

A dry, almost hysterical laugh escapes from you as you pace out of the shelter to look up and down the road. It's a side-street—not overly populated, but no where near abandoned—with the occasional car passing by you every ten minutes or so. You're sure the tight lipped, slightly awkward smile you give them as they pass is enough to warrant pity for your situation.

None of them stop, though. Probably because they have cars and don't need to worry about bus schedules.

You bump your shoulder against the glass wall and concoct a fantasy of some white-knight in a warm car picking you up as you bend and crease the bus pass in your hand. Your friends were generous enough to buy this for you to save you the taxi fares; you're starting to think the extra $100 per month loss isn't so bad.

You're seconds away from tearing a corner off when a pair of headlights beam on to you from down the road. You glance over passively as you wait for them to approach. Could it be your knight? Or the bus, finally getting its shit together? Or perhaps some serial killer looking for hitch-hikers to take under their wing?

The latter might be worth the odds, at this rate.

Then the car begins to slow down and the humour of that thought begins to dissipate. You don't recognize the make of the vehicle, and it's too dark to see within. You push yourself off of the wall and back further into the enclosure as the car comes to a stop and the window goes down. The smoke of the exhaust steams up the glass of your temporary shelter and the sound of rain thunders on titanium as you squint to see who resides within.

"—oh my god, it is you. What on earth are you doing out here at this hour?"

And just like that, your dreams of your white-knight in a warm car sweeping you off your feet come true. You don't even ask to get in the vehicle; you're yanking that door open and clambering in before Vasilisa even has a chance to say your name. To her credit, she doesn't object, but she does look at you with a perturbed look as you buckle the seat belt in.

Then you finally look at her and smile. "Hi."

"Hi...?" Her hand moves to roll your window back up as she slowly nods her head. "How long have you been standing out there for? The bus on this route got shut down because there was a brake problem or something like that—didn't you see on the news?"

You stare at her for a moment as your grip slowly tightens around your bus pass. Brake problem. So the bus was never going to come to begin with, is what you're hearing. Your lips twitch into a wavering smile and that hysterical laugh fights to bubble upwards as you look back to the window shield. The rain drops cascade downwards on the glass and make a lovely image in the lights of the glass bus shelter.

"—what's so funny?" Vasilisa stops her lecture about the vitality of listening to the news as she shifts her car back into gear. You shake your head and lean back, flicking on the seat warmer as you do so for that extra bit of luxury. You deserve it.

"Nothing, nothing. But can you turn up the heat a bit?"

[attollogame]

1st Edition: Vasilisa

Vasilisa was not a character in Mammon, however, she was placed in the first edition of Attollo. Her role was not associated with the C.A.P; rather, she was also a member of the government who worked specifically in archives. I wanted to give her a more hands-on role within the city, though, and thus her role as a Detective was born

Vasilisa's creation of the Powered Directory was also established in the first edition of her character; she's always been written as an individual compassionate about the people around her, and so it made sense that she would go out of her way to assist people in coping with their abilities

Vasilisa's backstory with her father wasn't really established until after chapter 1's completion; I had a completely different story in mind for her, but when I finished chapter 1 and got to explore her character more, I modified the story to include the bit with her father to add motive to her actions

Vasilisa's own powered abilities were established in first edition, and are actually on the more powerful end of the spectrum due to what they actually are. Pyrokinesis is cool, but if you can control entire crowds with the wave of your hand, I'd consider you more upper-league

Her love of dance and music are aspects of her character that were drawn from real life and are befitting of her temperament; ballet itself is a graceful, captivating art that feels fitting towards Vasilisa, but it can also be harsh and jarring when it needs to be, as is she. Her past involving both this and her godfather will play a role down the line with her character.

Her exploration of The Atlas Killer wasn't initially in the game. The Atlas Killer was a character established in the final Attollo draft, and when it was done, I felt it really worked in well with Vasilisa's own story—thus, the murder subplot was born. Her hunt of T.A.K is my favorite Attollo subplot so far.

Vasilisa's personality—someone who cares deeply about the world around her—is a sharp contrast to Attollo itself for a reason. It's meant to provide a sort of comfort for the MC and the reader against the trials the city poses; Vasilisa acts as a safe point within the game, and I can promise that nothing (too) bad will happen to MC when she's around

She was the second individual I chose as an RO for Attollo

[attollogame]

[back] or [cheek] for Vasilisa maybe? I miss my girl smm 😭❤️

[BACK] - sender rubs a hand up and down receiver's back.

Need to make a new header for Vasilisa fr 😔

There's poison in the water and it turns the rivers black, like slick oil churning below. You watch it with an idle sense of fascination as flashing red and blue lights illuminate the bodies of forensics units inching down the hill. Their white suits starkly contrast the night and the black bags they carry tell a story of their own.

"He's grown creative," you sigh, casting a glance at the woman beside you. Vasilisa stares down at the waters as well—a tired, pensive expression on her face. "He used to just leave them in homes."

"Now he's posing them in sewer tunnels." Her lips twist into a grimace. "This isn't exactly how I envisioned ending our night."

Cons of being out with an investigator, you suppose. You both watch as two of the forensic investigators emerge from the darkened tunnel with one black bag floating between them. It drifts unencumbered—like a reed basket of old, but made of coarse and cold fabric instead. Judging by the size of whatever resides inside, you note that at least the victim was an adult.

You're drawn from your observations by the sensation of a hand carefully stroking your back, as though to wipe the pity you feel off into the waters below. When you look back to Vasilisa you note that her expression is apologetic now—a statement she doesn't need to put into words.

"Later?" You ask, zipping your windbreaker back up as you do so. She shakes her head.

"Tomorrow. There's three this time; I won't be out until the afternoon."

You glance back at the tunnels—at the pale figures guiding the bag between them—before offering Vasilisa a fleeting, and half-hearted, smile.

"Tomorrow, then."

[attollogame]

Hi! I was thinking about Vasilisa lately (as one does), and figured that her name and overall character fits so well with russian fairytale character Vasilisa the Wise (Василиса Премудрая).In the stories Vasilisa the Wise usually helps the hero to achieve their goals with her knowledge and magic (which fits into the attollo narrative), and she is described as being super beautiful (which also tracks because *sigh* Vasilisa...😔💕). Anyways, just wanted to share this tiny bit of russian folklore info with you lol and if choosing her name was intentional then i'm going to lose my mind over your mind dkshdkdj Love attollo and the characters so much, thank you for sharing your story with us!!

I remember reading the fairy tale of Vasilisa and Baba Yaga when I was younger, but I think that was my only encounter in that context!! AlthoughI wasn't thinking of that Vasilisa at the creation, I can definitely see the resemblance looking into it more! Thank you for sharing, and thank you for your kind words!! ♡

[attollogame]

🖊 + Vasilisa if you'd like <3

🖊 for a gush

Ok this kind of is a gush but Vasilisa is a character dear to me because she is someone I would've wanted to have in my life and likely would've benefitted from when I was younger. She's someone who genuinely cares about people and treats them like they're people, regardless of their background, social status, age, or anything like that; she's also someone not afraid to out people when they're wrong. She's someone I aspire to be like in real life and is a character I use to inspire me to be better; and that's my gush djvndk she's too good for Attollo

[attollogame]

📷 + vasilisa ❤️

[attollogame]

✏️ for Vasilisia? 👀👀

❨1333❩ ❛ You can’t love yourself if you want to hurt things like that. ❜

The water runs in slow rivlets as she observes, like an uinterested audience, the shards of broken glass scattered on the ground. He observes as well. They both do, in an unfamiliar silence between them.

"I know it hurts." She breaks it as she steps back, moves towards the closet and takes out a broom with practiced steps. "But you can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?" His voice is oddly detached as he sits back on the bar stool. He looks as though he carries the weight of too many worlds on his shoulders. She wants to reach out and relieve him of that burden—but it is his to carry. Instead, she sweeps up the shards that he created.

"This. Allowing your frustrations to get to you. I know you're better than that. They know you're better than that."

"Do they?" Now he sounds angry as he sits up straight. "Or have they reckoned I abandoned them by now? It's been years since they heard from me directly. They don't love me—and I can't love myself for that fact."

Hierophant. The name sits heavy in her mind as she dumps the shards into the garbage. Once it's clean, she returns to her side, rests her hand on his arm. It's the same story every year—and it only grows worse.

"You can’t love yourself if you want to hurt things like that, be it yourself or that glass." She squeezes his arm once before withdrawing. "They love you still, even if they haven't heard from you. They know it in their heart that you care—and that's what you need to remember."