#cyra talks

[flame-shadow]

re: your tags SHOW ME JEROME PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE booflies are my favorite non-boss enemy in the entire game i love them so so much. I'm making a cowboy bug oc that's a boofly wrangler soon. I must gaze upon this boofly oc.

You're in luck, for I have not one, but TWO boofly OCs! Pictured here with some of my other characters too. Zip is the smaller purple one, and Jerome is the large one with the scarf.

First up is Jerome, most beloved. One of my oldest HK OCs and best friends with Cyra the wasp who will stab and kill anyone who tries to harm her buddy. Jerome is a soothing presence, slow to intense emotion and very thoughtful. He's a little odd for a boofly because he's as much a person as any bipedal bug, but without the means to communicate with those bugs, he is not often recognized as such. With Cyra's help, he developed a special form of communication that's a mixture of body language (limb gestures, wing positions, tail angle, head tilt) and sounds (humming, rumbling, tapping, thumping) so that he could communicate with her, and she could translate to other bugs. A way to make new friends!! He loves friends!! He will convert Cyra to the way of friends eventually, too, but he has to be patient and persistent, which he's good at.

[more about how cyra and jerome met and bonded can be found in this post]

And now onto Zip! He is such a weird boofly! He's very energetic and speedy! ...well, speedy for a boofly. He won't win any races against a dragonfly, but that's alright. Once he gains some momentum, he becomes rather like an errant rubber ball, bouncing off rocks and walls and other bugs if he can't stop or turn in time. He's fine, though! It's all play for him. Fearless to the point of ignorant endangerment, he will go where no boofly has gone before! And probably get stuck, because it's hard to explore small cracks as a big, round bug. He sometimes needs help getting free, something Jerome recruits Cyra to help with. That won't stop him from trying to explore the next small crack, though!

Jerome keeps an eye on Zip. He can't keep up with the bundle of energy, but at least he tries. Cyra doesn't like Zip, but she tolerates him for Jerome's sake.

Oh, and as a bonus. Back when Jerome and Cyra were two of my only HK OCs, I liked to put them in angsty situations. Here's a quick comic I did a few years ago where Jerome gets infected. Enjoy :,)

Also thank you for the ask! I haven't gotten to talk about Jerome in a while. He hasn't gotten much development since whenever the previous time was, but he doesn't really need it. He exists to be a stable character.

[ln444]

the las vegas gp is a mess 😃😃😃

[stephschoices]

I’m having morgan and cyra pre game thoughts. How they obviously were crushing on each other but were worried the other didn’t actually like them. When they finally start dating they’re the kind of couple that makes everyone sick by how cute and lovey dovey they are, but it like not on purpose. They don’t realize how they are around each other. Their peers are like 💞🤢get a room🤮💞 and they don’t even realize it’s bc cyras been sitting on Morgan’s lap with Morgan’s arms around her for half an hour they’re just seriously like ??? why were being completely normal ???. soulmates 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[bardic-tales]

Okay, I am quite curious about something. Do you've some headcanons for any of your couples?

Hi, Leia. Thanks for the question, and I hope you are having a wonderful day. I do have headcanon for all of my couples. Creating their headcanons can become like some people experience earworms for songs.

Again, thanks so much for the ask. It helps me keep my mind off of Loki for a bit and sort of forces me to actually think about the work that I didn't have the heart to pick back up since his diagnosis.

I'm going to answer this by splitting it up between Original and Fandom work. The original work I'm focus on right now is Cold as Ice, so the couple in that are Cyras Giovanna Teresa Covelli da Lucci and Vaene Ectorius Arturis.

The fandom work is The Old Republic: Cynthia Prescost and Darth Noktis. For Uncharted, it's Niamh Donovan and Nathan Drake.

Cyras and Vaene share a few interests. They both have a love for the finer things in life: art, literature, fashion, and exotic dishes.

Their common goal is to bring the Olessan Empire into a glory age. This means that they have to shed their opinions of each other. This will be harder for Vaene when he finally learns the truth about the planned coup.

Both Vaene and Cyras would do anything for their spouse and family. His son was taken far too early from him; Cyras' son was accepted into the ranks of the Knights of Agosto.

Vaene hates how guarded Cyras can be around him. He knows that she had a traumatic experience growing up, and that has caused her heart to have walls around it, but he just wishes that she could lean on him.

Cyras admires the way he seems to command presence in a room without really doing anything. Vaene is a very confident, cocky man, but it is to keep people from becoming too close to him. Vaene admires how strong Cyras is. She was an orphan on the streets of Glyndon, the neighboring country, and she rose to the second important position in the Olessan Empire, the Stewardess.

Fandom Original Character

This is the fanfiction section. Maybe, one day I'll make a fancy header for it. lmao.

Star Wars

My two characters that I usually do this for is Agent Cynthia Prescost, my Imperial Agent, and her lover, Darth Noktis: the player character that was known as Darth Nox.

When they walk side by side, she will often walk with her hands behind her back and fingers interlace. Even though they eventually became bonded, Cynthia still shows this respect to Noktis. He will often tell her to relax.

Cynthia was originally sent by Imperial Intelligence to become Noktis' servant when he was an apprentice to keep tabs on his master: Lord Zash.

As soon as Noktis first saw her, he was struck by a vision of the future. He would be ruling the Empire with her by his side. He often struggled with this vision as she is a human and he is a Zabrak. Noktis is often a slave to his visions, and this makes them easily manipulated.

He often tells her he will kill for her, and this does become a reality. When they were visiting the new empress on Dromund Kaas, their plane is sabotaged. Acina, Cynthia, and Noktis go through the jungles and the Sith Temple to return to Kaas City. Cyn is pregnant at the time. When he found out who put his wife in harm, he used his saberstaff to strike down the aggressor before his gathered allies.

Noktis believes that his love for Cynthia is stronger than any hate he could feel. He told her that both the Jedi and Sith are afraid of the attachment. Hate tends to die when the target dies; love is eternal.

Cynthia often likes to dance for Noktis. He enjoys his private dances, but they are often exhibitionists, too.

Their relationship was inspired by Persephone and Hades.

Due to her upbringing, Cynthia is a bit touch-starved. She enjoys it when he just teases her. As Noktis has immense command over the Force, he tends to use the Force to see to those needs. Noktis loves to indulge in the Force, and as his wife, Cynthia loves to watch.

Uncharted

For Uncharted, this happens five years after the events of Uncharted: A Thief's End. Nathan Drake is a widower; Niamh Donovan is the daughter of the late Arthur "Art" Donovan, the inspiration for Indiana Jones.

Niamh was lovingly crafted to compliment Nathan Drake's traits. I had a friend said that they wished that Niamh was included within the Uncharted Universe.

Nathan is 53 (give or take); Niamh is 31. I always believed that the older you are, the more that age is a number.

There are many activities that the two like to do together. They often discuss history, their past hunting adventures, and drinking bourbon together. Niamh is a bartender, and she made her own drink to compliment Nate's personality. She loves to create it for him.

They share the same surrogate father figure: Victor Sullivan. Sully is old friends with her father. While Nathan, Sully, and Elena were dealing with the events shown in "A Thief's End", Arthur Donovan was abducted by Kira Mitchell, the top lieutenant for Rourke McGlouglin. Sully has refused to leave Niamh's side. In fact, Nate is shocked to find Sully at Sunset Shores in 2020.

Nate and Niamh met at her bar Sunset Shores in Kuta Beach, Bali, as he is searching for her father's journal as a way to revive Cassie and Elena. She served him a beer, as she thought that he lost his wife to one of the Balian Natives, but he quickly shoots that down and says he is a widower.

When they are searching for the location of her father's journal, they first start in his study. Niamh often refused to go in there. Nate accompanies her into the room and even holds her as she cries from the memories before they begin the search for a clue or the location of her father's journal.

Nate still wears his wedding ring, and Niamh never asks him to remove it. She could never ask him to simply "move on", but their love does grow.

When they do find the Ark of the Covenant, Nate will have to have a choice. He will not be able to bring back Cassie, but he could Elena. He would need to exchange the life of someone he loves for the life of his true love. Niamh is afraid he will view her as disposable.

[voidtouched-blue]

Wish me luck, friendoes. One final night before I submit myself to Partyfinder for a while. I did make some accidental friends today, so at least I'm broadening my horizon in game!

I'm live on Twitch if y'all wanna watch the absolute chaos.

Don't expect anything impressive from me tho. I am still trying to shake off the rust of raiding on Sage.

[roxiewis]

LOCATION && WITH WHOM : : XAVIER INSTITUTE W / @cyra-de-leon​

Her arm was still healing and honestly, she should be resting and taking it easy. But she was stubborn and needed to train in order to get better. She was able to partake in a mission as an official X-Men member but it was still a lost because she lost important people to her. Pretty shitty if you asked her. Bouncing a basketball with her good arm, Roxi threw it into the air, not even aiming for the hoop. But with her good arm, she waved it into the air to have a gust of wind to lead the ball into the hoop. “She shoots, she scores! Woo!” She cheered as if she truly made that shot with her own athletic skills. Roxi twirled on the heel of her feet, doing her own little victory dance ( which she was for sure going to do when she beats up a Brotherhood member ) when she saw Cyra. “Cyra! Did you see that? I’m like, the next Michael Jordan.” 

[archive-double-knots]

Anon said: Cyra, what on Earth could you find so special about Yakko? He's just some loudmouth, spotlight stealing, know-it-all.

bully my oc !!!!

"He really does know everything, doesn't he?" Cyra says with a wistful sigh. She's fully aware of what you said, she's just choosing what to hear. She likes you better this way.

"And he's such a great actor, and he has such great comedic timing!" She leans on her elbows, resting her chin on her palms. "Plus, he's so cute! How can't you fall in love with a guy that looks like that? Have you seen him smile? Plus, he turns the perfectly perfect shade of red when he's embarrassed."

"And he always knows how to get your attention, even if he doesn't say a word. He's the star of the show, always. Makes me wanna be by his side always." A small giggle as she suddenly reaches over, dragging the camera to her face, and gives you a wink.

"Plus, he manages to brings out my zany side."

[midnightsun-if]

I CANNOT believe no one has asked the classic: how would the ROs react to the MC dying in their arms?

The wind whistles a mournful tune throughout the battlefield— blood glitters like rubies underneath the fading light of day, scorched earth a darkened husk in the places magic had gotten a bit too out of hand, and the steady breeze brings with it the scent of death.

None of that mattered to the singular figure knelt in the middle of the growing carnage; the battle all but forgotten in the face of what has happened. There couldn’t be anything more important than stopping the blood from escaping— tense fingers pressed into a gaping wound that they desperately avoid looking directly at.

They knew you were gone, or close to it, but they couldn’t tear themself from your side. Couldn’t even comprehend leaving you. Not now. Not ever.

Koda: “E-Everything is going to be okay,” he mutters, tears running down his face in complete contrast to his words. Whiskey brown eyes, normally filled with so much warmth, continuously flash amber as he fights to control himself, to control his bear that desperately wants to rip the person who did this to shreds. “You’re going to be fine and then I’m going to take you to meet Pola, okay?” He tugs you closer into his arms, pressing a brief kiss to you forehead. “We’re going to be one big family. Like we’ve talked about and I can’t have that without you. So you gotta be okay.”

Scarlett: Obsidian black nearly eclipses the viridescent green of her gaze, a snarl bares sharpened fangs completely, while dirt streaks across fair skin. She hunches over your body, muscles tight in her protective stance, while she desperately tries to think of what she could do. With each moment that went by, with every second she wasted, her mate, her heart, was vanishing right before her eyes. “Just hold on a little longer, my love. Just a little bit longer.” Scarlett wasn’t above begging now— she’d kneel before anyone, grovel before any god, if it meant keeping you with her. She could feel venom pooling in her mouth, her need to rip everyone, ally or not, to shreds that got too close overwhelming her, but she remains steadily by your side. “You promised me forever,” she whispers, pressing a kiss to your forehead, desperately trying to ignore how cold it has become. “Please do not make that a lie. Please do not leave me in a world without you.”

Cyrus/Cyra: Their head whips back and forth frantically, hands shakily pressing down into your side as they simultaneously pull you closer. “Why aren’t they working?” They gasp, golden tears falling from their eyes and into your wound. “Why aren’t you getting better? Why am I not strong enough to save you?” Their lips press against your temple, crimson beginning to make a home within their gaze. “You can’t leave me. We still have so many things to do, to see, I—” A painful breath erupts from their lips in the form of a sharp sob, more tears falling down their face and uselessly to you. “I can’t lose you. I can’t be the ruler I’m meant to be unless you’re by my side. I need you. Please.”

Quinn: A rumbling snarl begins to build deeply within their chest, clawed hands, as they couldn’t stop their wolf from beginning to peak out, press firmly against your side. The scent of your blood, even if it wasn’t truly yours, causes nausea to roil within their stomach, their heart lurching at the sight of your slackening face. They know their only a small breakdown from shifting completely, from causing a rampage that only death would stop, but they take a deep breath, pulling you against their chest in a gentle hold. “I’m here, sweetheart.” Tears drop onto your cheeks, your unresponsive gaze locked with their own. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? So you better not either? Not when we have so many adventures left.”

Caden: They could feel your life force waning, could feel the pain ravaging your soul, and they want nothing more than to take it away, to lead you to a place that you’d be able to rest, that you’d be able to find peace, but they weren’t ready to say goodbye to you yet. Even if it was selfish, even if it meant you’d never forgive them, they couldn’t let you go. They’d be able to see you, but it’d never be for long, and they’d never be able to stay, as it wasn’t in the cards for what they were. The moment your soul passed on, the moment you left their grasp, all they would have is their memories, the phantom touch of your hands, and the faint echoes of the warmth you offered them after so long of being stuck in the cold. “I’m not ready,” they murmur, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. “I’m not ready to say goodbye. I’m not ready to be cold again.”

Sloane: A mournful howl rips from their chest, their wolf taking control instantly as they shrink within themself. They know that you were gone, they’ve seen the waxy quality on skin before, have seen the listless expression before, and knows exactly where it leads, they know that you’re already past a point of return— even if they’d do anything to get you back. A furred body gently curls around you, a muzzle, with teeth that could tear through flesh like it’s paper, softly shifts your arm to wrap around their neck, and they nuzzle into your chest. Great heaving breaths wrack their body, their tail thrashes against the ground in agony, but they press closer, trying to give you the warmth that your body is now lacking. You’re my pack. My family. They press impossibly closer. Please don’t leave me all alone.

Blake: “H-Hey,” they chide, trying their best to ignore the tears steadily slipping down their cheeks, as they gently maneuver you onto their lap. “We’re not gonna do this, okay? This is not where we’re going to say goodbye. You know that I’m the one that demanded to die first, and I made you swear you’d abide by that.” They choke out a laugh, although it’s more aligned to a gasping sob. “We wouldn’t want you to be an oath-breaker, right?” At your lack of a response to their joke more tears slips from violet eyes, their head bowing over your body. Hands desperately grasping at whatever they could hold as they latch onto you, gently rocking your body back and forth within their arms. “You taught me so much. You taught me what it means to have a friend, to know what unconditional love feels like, and I can never repay you. I don’t know what my life will be like without you. I don’t want to know what my life will be like without beside me. I—” They choke out another sob. “Please don’t go where I can’t follow.”

Reginald/Regina: They shake their head, shock working its way down their body. “This shouldn’t be happening. This can’t be happening.” They press their hands firmly into your side, multi-colored eyes flashing with barely concealed panic. “I’m the one that’s supposed to die first, remember? I’m the silly human in all of this. You’re the big bad vampire. You—” They stop, breathing out a sharp gasp, leaning down to press their forehead against yours. “You can’t be dying. You can’t leave me before I’ve even had the chance to have you. Before we’ve had the opportunity to be together fully. You’re going to be okay, alright? I’m not going to accept anything else. You’re going to be okay.” They tug you firmly against their body, hating how malleable you were to their touch. You have to be okay.

[starlightshadowsworld]

Little cousin AU

When Jackson and Holt begin Monster High, and seeing that Jackson was hell bent on becoming a mad scientist.

Their mother, Cyra gifts them both their father's journal. At first you'd think it was just notes from mad science.

But it was so much more.

Jackson, Holt and Heath spend hours pouring over it. Trying to figure out what was written by Henry and what was written by Edward.

Their were doodles in the margins.

Various mad science experiments. Some that went successful and others that failed.

The boys laughed so hard when they got to the results, how do you accidentally make your shrinking potion turn someone into a chicken?

Edward and Henry passing notes to each other, to Heath's dad, James.

Showing James who chuckles at the memory and regales the boys in an epic story.

Giggling and fake gagging at seeing Henry and Edward talk about their crush on Cyra.

They skip those parts because ew and boring. But in a way it's nice knowing that their dad's really did love their mum.

Abigail, Heath's mother looked over their shoulder once and grinned.

Asking for the book, happy to fill in the gaps of the pranks she and Cyra pulled.

"Nooo, he missed the best part so what happened was"

Because Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde were both remembered in the stories of their friends, their family.

Stories they often wrote down, lest they ever forget them.

And now those stories have found themselves in the hands of their sons.

They aren't their to pass them on in person, but hearing them from the people who loved them.

Makes it feel like they're telling them themselves.

[meadowofdarts]

A Play of Vigorous Wisdom (PART THREE)

Interdarshan Championship Event x Reader (Genshin 3.6) Scaramouche/Wanderer x Reader

oh god, i'm so sorry this took like such a while to get out. i had so much going on and was extremely busy that I completely forgot i even had tumblr lol (and i will admit that procrastination played a part of this). I'm very sorry for keeping you guys waiting - genshin has already reached it's version 3.8 and the next will be fontaine while this whole event I'm writing about was back in version 3.6

ugh, i'm so dead...... but i did my best to finish this as possible!

PART ONE, PART TWO, PART THREE BONUS - Fighting For The Diadem (Cyno, Tighnari, Kaveh, Layla, Faruzan)

Hope you enjoy!

Today is still a rest day from the second round of the Interdarshan Championship. And, tomorrow will be the start of the third round of the competition. With the third round coming soon, all people around in the Akademiya Extravaganza were anticipating who could win this year.

You were one of the representatives of Vahumana along with your partner, Wanderer, but known as Hat Guy. Archons, the name of your boyfriend is just hilarious. You guys only participated in this event because of Nahida's request so both of you didn't have motivation or a motive to win this at all.

You didn't mind if you didn't win, you were extremely burnt out from participating other events and work from the Akademiya was already stressful enough.

But, as you were walking, you were kind of irritated that people around this time were talking about how you and Hat Guy weren't making an effort in participating the event.

"Vahumana literally has zero points…"

"What are they? Lazy?"

"Poor them. They are last place by this point."

If you weren't doing this because of Nahida's request and if you weren't tired right now, you would actually be ticked off, storm to them, and give them a piece of your mind. But you realize what they say is close enough as everyone already knows we aren't doing anything.

You just ignored what they were saying as you entered into the House of Daena.

The beautiful library stood out to the Akademiya as usual. The atmosphere of stepping into this wide-open place was enchanting, as everything felt peaceful and calming. Even though you've been heard more than once, it still became a comforting zone for you.

"Hey, (Name)!" A/N: I decided to change (y/n) into (name) because i realized typing out y/n is a hassle 💃(I'm doing this for all of my works now)

You turned to see your Vahumana friends calling out to you as they sat at a table filled with documents and books lying around them.

You have made friends with them ever since you enrolled in this darshan. They were just as chaotic as you and had similar interests to you. You guys always chat with one another at the House Of Daena and even during classes. Your friends love to share gossip with you because they all like to keep up with news about the Akademiya, either for curiosity or just drama. (If it wasn't for them, you wouldn't have known that your boyfriend was Hat Guy.)

You walked up to them. "Hey, guys."

"(Name)!" One of your friends, Arman, smiled at you. "I'm glad to see you again."

Your other friend Rahim was just doing some work, he did wave at you, but he seemed too busy.

Cyra, another friend of yours, smiled. "So, how's our little Vahumana representative going on?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Although, we are in last place." You answered.

Your friends didn't react or are mad at you at all. They all assumed you only became a participant because you were chosen by the majority recommendation. They knew how tiring it has been for you these past few days in the Akademiya. In reality, that was your cover-up which Nahida did for you.

Cyra hummed before widening. "Oh, yeah, Hat Guy was your partner, right? You finally got to meet him!"

You smiled as you nodded. "Yeah, I did."

Your relationship with Wanderer is private so nobody really knew you two were a thing, except for Nahida, The Traveler, and Paimon.

Rahim chimed in. "Yeah, Hat Guy is kind of cute…"

"Mhm. I will say he is beautiful." You chuckled.

"Right!? I immediately died the moment I saw him!" Cyra beamed. "Whoever ends up with him is so lucky…"

"Why do you guys like him?" Arman raised an eyebrow. "That guy always seems so grumpy like a little brat."

"He's hot!"

You giggled at the way they talk about your boyfriend. You don't blame them, honestly because it's true.

The next few moments between the four of you were just conversing about how everyone was doing recently, like how your friends were all complaining about how their lessons and research were getting more complicated by the day. You tell them a bit of your experience with the previous rounds of the championship.

Until Rahim said something interesting. "Hey, guys, I want to tell you something I found weird…"

"Hmm, what is it?" You turned to him.

Rahim muttered. "I heard that someone is planning to kidnap Sachin…"

Your eyes widened in confusion and shock. Arman had the same reaction. But Cyra just looked puzzled.

"Huh? Who's Sachin?" Cyra asked.

Arman rolled his eyes at her. "He's the one sponsoring the Interdarshan Championship. He's also the researcher who found the Diadem Of Knowledge."

"Oh, that guy…" Cyra mumbled.

You ignored her as you asked. "Where did you hear that from?"

"The night when the second round of the championship has finished, I heard Aarav, one of the Matras talking about how someone is planning to kidnap Sachin," Rahim said. "I saw him talking with the Traveler."

"The Traveler? You mean the infamous traveler all over Teyvat with their companion Paimon?" Arman asked.

You furrowed your eyebrows, taking into this new information you had just learned. You weren't that surprised if the Traveler themselves already knew something about the championship and Sachin, but it still did catch you off guard by how fast they knew more.

"Rahim, did you hear anything else in their conversations?"

He answered. "Well, I've heard that the people who are planning to kidnap Sachin were just a bunch of Eremites and the matra will take action into this immediately. Besides that, all they really talked about was what kind of a person Sachin is and how the Aarav gave the idea of the traveler to also investigate. That's all."

You hummed. "I see."

"(Name), I'd say you shouldn't worry and get yourself involve to this mess. Besides, if the Traveler is taking care of it, then I'm sure it will be handled any time soon." Cyra smiled.

"Yeah, you're right." You smiled back at her. "I won't."

I will.

...

You had just finished explaining to your boyfriend what you heard, but it seemed to make him be in deep thought for a while.

"Huh, I kind of figured that was the case..." Wanderer muttered. "I remember overhearing two girls talking about suspicious tourists at the cafe."

"So, these suspicious tourists are supposedly the ones planning to kidnap or kill Sachin..." You said.

"That seems to be the case, yes." He sighed. "Another pain to deal with."

You said. "Hmm, I say we should stop them before the third round tomorrow. Who knows if they will be striking or disrupting the Extravaganza..."

"I suppose." Then you see him smirk. "Besides, just beating up a bunch of scums would be extremely fun and bring me energy up for the third round."

"I say you save your remaining energy for tomorrow, Hat Guy."

"Seriously? I thought that you would forget about that name."

"Well, I did a bit but I think it suits you pretty well."

"Please no."

"Hat guy? More like Hot G-"

"Finish that sentence and I throw you out to the window again."

"OKAY! OKAY!"

...

"So, shall we go ahead and do it now?" You asked him.

He shook his head. "No, because if we do it now, they will still have more time to sabotage and execute their plan. It's better if we just do it tomorrow. Besides, I'm too tired for this shit."

"But the third round literally starts at 11:00 AM?" You exclaimed in disbelief in which your boyfriend just rolled his eyes

"Then, we'll just have to do it before that. It's not my fault your sleeping schedule is messed up."

"You sombrero bitch-"

...

...

The next morning - 11:05 AM

Every contestant is now at Mawtiwya Forest near the venue. Alhaitham and Nilou talked to each other or set things up while the contestants were wandering around the area or talking to each other until the grand sage's voice gained everyone's attention.

"Everyone, we are about to begin the third round." Alhaitham walked up front with Nilou beside him. "I will now explain this championship's third and final round."

"The diadem of knowledge is placed somewhere in Mawtiyama Forest. Your goal is to reach the diadem, bring it back, and place it on the stand. Because of our scoring system, the first person to do this will get four points and will likely be the winner of this year's championship."

"And I will say in advance that you are allowed to use your vision or any other strategy you wish to pull off," Nilou said. "It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you have the diadem."

You gasped as you thought. 'Combat? Meh, it's better than finding butterflies or Ley Lines. Although, I'm still tired from fighting them... I didn't get enough sleep!'

...

AN HOUR AGO

...

You and Wanderer were now outside of Sumeru City, inspecting the area around in sight of the kidnappers or any group that is treasure hoarders.

You were pretty drowsy as you had just woken up. "Ugh..."

"Quit whining and keep looking." Wanderer sighed. "I told you. You should've slept early."

"It wasn't my fault!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

You both continue to walk, you were slumping a bit, clearly tired until Wanderer put an arm upfront to stop you. You were about to question him until you felt him pull you behind a tree.

You look past his shoulders to see treasure hoarders. They were talking very loud and in the midst of it, about Sachin. There also seem to be someone else that had a completely different attire than them. But from the looks of it, they were clearly working together.

"It's clearly them," Wanderer uttered.

"Yeah, no shit." You said

As if anybody would say anything else, another voice spoke up quietly behind you two. "Well, well, I didn't expect to see you two hear."

Your eyes widen, quickly turn around to find someone you didn't expect.

"Alhaitham!?" You said surprised as Wanderer looked at him, unbothered.

The latter crossed his arms. "I can tell we are both here for the same reason, for the group who are planning to kidnap Sachin. Why else would you both be out here?"

"So what? Are you going to snitch on us or punish us for trying to get to the bottom of this?" Wanderer inquired.

"No, actually. In fact, the two of you being here would make this a lot easier." Alhaitham smirk. "I want to question them, but they would obviously put up a fight. So, if you can defeat them, I can question them smoothly. I know you both were here to fight them anyways so that they won't disturb the third round, am I right?"

"...Yes." You sighed. "Fine."

"Seriously?" Wanderer deadpanned.

"Well, we're going to beat their asses either way."

The eremites' conversations are cut short when they see you and Wanderer walking up to them.

One of them stopped you. "You looking for trouble?"

You didn't respond as you threw your polearm near the treasure hoarder. They barely dodged it as Wanderer flew up with his vision and started to throw his anemo wind blades.

All of them screamed and protest but as you start using your anemo vision, both of you showed no mercy and didn't say anything to them as you continue to beat them all.

...

You sighed, remembering that moment. For some reason, you thought you see Alhaitham flash you a smirk. You shook your head as you try to focus because the third round is going to start, and you will be using a lot of energy today.

"You look already worn out and the round hasn't even started." Wanderer eyed you. "Archons, you don't listen to me when I tell you to sleep."

"I do what I want." You say, looking away, yawning a bit.

"Do you at least know what to do..?" He asked making you nod.

"Of course! We just have to get the diadem in place first!"

"Hey, if you can't do that much if you're that tired, don't force yourself, alright?" He whispers to you softly.

You look at him, knowing he's somewhat concerned. You reassuringly smiled at him. "It's okay, I'll be fine. I won't."

He nods, as now you both turn to the hosts.

"Alright, if all of these rules are clear..." Alhiatham said. "The round starts..... now."

Immediately, everyone took running off to Mawtiwya forest.

Third round begins.

...

You and Wanderer were faster than the others with the other contestants trying to catch up. Probably because both of your anemo abilities were more overpowered than anyone since he could fly and you have faster speed from your skills. It was quite surprising because you still felt tired.

"Go to the west, I'll head east," Wanderer commanded out for you as he flew away to the right. You rolled your eyes at his harsh tone but went ahead to the left side of the forest. As you ran to the direction, you see behind your shoulder Faruzan and Layla running to the same direction you are heading.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, junior. But I still wish you two the best of luck. And don't take what I do to heart after this round, I will try and do the same with you too~" Faruzan winked at you as she continue run up ahead and went into a different part of the forest.

After she went away, you turn to Layla next to you as you said. "May the best win, Layla."

"Oh, you too! Good luck!" Layla nervously said but you can hear how genuine she is with her encouragement to you.

You went ahead to different parts of the forest, still in no sight of the diadem. You also ran into the other contestants during the middle of it. It was a pain for you. It was just like exploring the areas when you first came to Sumeru. Although it was fun for you, it can be a bit irritating to not find anything you're looking for. You remember the pain of finding at least chests all by yourself in giant forests in all of the other nations you visited.

While doing so, you even saw Wanderer a few times. He was legit flying around like he was a fucking fairy or an insect. You gave him a deadpanned look every time and, he literally sticks out his iconic tongue expression on you all the time. God, he's been always doing that when you're busy and you sometimes feel like he does them even when you're not here.

The other contestants, they didn't really say that much to you when you ran into them. You and they were all focused intently on finding the diadem fast.

You were out of luck as you searched everywhere until...

Out of the corner of your eyes, you see Layla running holding the diadem. It seems she found it first

Your eyes widen as you immediately dash after her.

...

As Layla had successfully retrieved the diadem swiftly and quietly, she knew it wouldn't last very long but still did her best to keep a low profile and try and head to the venue as quick as possible. And now she sees in the corner of her eyes in surprise as you run after her, trying to keep up her pace. She was starting to pant heavily from running faster than usual.

But her blood ran cold as she stopped to see Faruzan ahead, blocking her path. Layla had to act fast because she knew you were still following and catching up to her, and now she had to deflect whatever Faruzan was planning.

As soon as the girl sees the astrology girl, Faruzan releases one of her mechanical devices infused with her anemo vision that immediately darts straight in Layla's direction. The moment it was about to hurt Layla in any way, she quickly summoned a cyro shield around her. The shield protected her as the device hit the shield and immediately went through different directions instead.

Seeing the machine take off, Layla attempts to run again, but Faruzan decides to block her path by running up to her completely. The two of them are completely unaware of the two Vahumana representatives after them.

Layla and Faruzan both stopped running as they felt a sudden swift wind blowing against the both of them, and both don't see the diadem anymore in Layla's arms. The latter looked confused and surprised, while the other girl knew as she looked behind her to see the two people behind her.

Hat Guy to them or known as Wanderer, flew with the diadem now in his hands while you were on the ground with your polearm in one of your hands. Wanderer threw the diadem at you, and you catch it. You both share a quick high-five as Wanderer flies fast next to you as you run beside him. Hat Guy smirks and chuckles at Layla and Faruzan.

Triggered, Faruzan quickly summons another one of her devices that sends off quickly that seems to be following after you. You quickly sense a gust of wind after you, which you knew was the device.

You use your polearm from your hand, infusing your weapon with your anemo vision before taking a brief turn of the crazy and fast device up ahead. As you run, you swing your polearm at the device, hitting it perfectly and knocking it backward.

After you knocked it, Wanderer used his anemo skills and sent an anemo wind blade to the device, knocking it even more powerful. It now sends it backward to Layla and Faruzan strong. Both girls barely managed to dodge it in time by moving out of the way of the broken device on the ground. Layla looked shocked, while Faruzan was more mad as she watched two of you fly and run away with the diadem.

...

After a brief moment of dealing with Layla and Faruzan, you groaned in frustration as you see in the corner of your eyes Tighnari aiming his bow and arrows at the two of you. Once Tighnari meets your stare, he immediately shoots multiple arrows from his charged attack.

You crawled and rolled to the ground as you avoided them. Wanderer, instead just flew fast straight past the arrows, unbothered by his iconic dark laugh. In the midst of it, you had time to admire and gaped at your boyfriend. Like your mind for a brief moment was just admiring him and boasting to yourself how he's your man. What can you say? You do love him.

Snapping out of your thoughts, you used your anemo vision with your weapon once again and swung the polearm that was aimed toward Wanderer. The polearm rolls around in the air until it is caught by the owner.

Cyno grabs it and dashes forward in front of you and Wanderer. He immediately passes by you and tries to send an attack on your boyfriend. Wanderer flew, dodging it and sending his wind blades, initiating the personal fight between them.

As you were about to step into the fight, Wanderer gave you a stern glare. You knew him well enough what he was trying to say, he is telling you to just go with the diadem and break eye contact as he dodged Cyno's strike. You quickly nodded and ran away from their fight with the diadem in your hands, keeping it secured.

Tighnari was up high in one of the mushrooms in the forest again. As soon as he sees you running, he aims and throws his Vijnana Stormheart from above at you. You barely notice it, but you avoid it quickly by performing an anemo lunge forward from your elemental skill before resuming to dashing away. In the process, it also destroyed the stormheart.

You see that Tighnari is planning on hitting you with his charged attacks again. The moment the arrows have been released, you performed multiple slashes with your anemo lunge. You also swing your polearm and destroyed some of his arrows.

Meanwhile, Wanderer and Cyno continue to fight each other. Both swing attacks and send them to each other while dodging and retaliating. The Wanderer only continues to fight, so that it will distract the general mahamatra so that he doesn't go after you.

But that seemed to fail immediately because Cyno noticed your figure running away with something shiny with you. He realize that your partner didn't have the diadem in him, so that would mean...

The moment he realized, Cyno pushed Wanderer away and quickly sprinted after you. Wanderer's eyes widen in shock before he quickly flew after him.

...

After dealing with Tighnari, you yelped as you rolled to the floor, dodging the incoming electro strike coming after you. You briefly glanced and knew it was Cyno who did it. After his failed strike, he immediately started to attack you again. You were left with no choice but to fight against him.

Wanderer, still flying, squinted his eyes a bit to see the fight happening. Cyno was simply swinging his polearm around to attack you while you deflected it by performing your own polearm attacks and using your anemo vision infused. Both of your polearms clashing against each other, some attacks where you used your anemo vision to send off anemo attacks that swirl around Cyno and your charged attack to give him a hard time. General mahamatra deflected your attacks with his polearm and did more of his electro strikes.

As Wanderer was about to fly over, he noticed and turned around to see Kaveh flying towards him, clutching a device from Faruzan that seemed out of control. The moment that Kaveh flies past him with the device, he uses his anemo-charged attack on him that sends Kaveh blasting away.

Kaveh was sent off flying in the direction of you and Cyno's fight. Immediately, Cyno noticed and leaped out of the path when Kaveh grew near Wanderer's blast. But you barely had time to react when Kaveh hit his body against yours, making you yelp as you were thrown off above. It was such a powerful impact because you lost grip of the diadem that was also knocked into the air. Your body was about to fall to the ground when a gust of wind flew past, and a pair of arms held you tightly from above. Wanderer holds you in his arms while still flying.

The diadem that was knocked into the air was about to land when Kaveh used Mehrak to grab hold of the diadem in the air as he continued to slide onto the floor. He threw the diadem that was still secured to his toolbox. The diadem rolled into the sky before lunging forward in Kaveh's direction.

Kaveh was thrown off even more into the path further because of the diadem of knowledge's impact on his chest. Kaveh flew again and crashed onto the ground with the diadem of knowledge in his hands. It was a perfect moment for him since Kaveh crashed in front of the third round's venue.

...

You watch Kaveh from a distance walking to the stand tiredly, about to put the diadem onto the stand.

A dark chuckle blew against your ear, making it tickle you. You deadpanned as you turned to Wanderer. He was still flying and holding you in his arms since he caught you.

"...Didn't I tell you to not force yourself? And look at that. Sleeping beauty in my arms~" Wanderer smirks making you glare at him.

You held your glare for a while before laughing. "Well, thank you, my beautiful knight." You both smile for a bit before turning to the scene where Kaveh is talking to the ghost-like figure of Sachin.

Everyone seems distracted by the scene so nobody really paid attention to the Vahuman students wherein one was holding the other.

Wanderer sighed. "...Well, we lost. Do you want to stay and listen?"

You immediately shook your head. "Nah, let's go." Your boyfriend smirked as he flew away with you in his arms. No one noticed, except two certain traveling companions.

...

After the whole fiasco of Sachin's speech and Kaveh breaking the diadem of knowledge and refusing to take upon Sachin's research, Kaveh is declared the winner of this year's Interdarshan Championship.

The two of you were now telling Lesser Lord Kusanali about your findings and your discoveries on the past few days of how the Interdarshan Championship went.

"...I see," Nahida muttered before smiling brightly at you and him. "You both did well. I am proud of you."

"...Well, what shall we do now, Kusanali?" You asked her. "...Is there anything you want to know about Sachin's research?"

"...Actually, yes. I would want to get his research, but I don't plan to use it. Anyways, I would like you both to accompany me." Nahida smiled.

...

Even after the Interdarshan Championship is coming to an end, The Traveler and Paimon decide to head to Aaru Village in hopes to find where Sachin supposedly left his research. The two both arrived and conversed with Alhaitham a bit about his research and his points of view on this matter.

After a while, Alhaitham went off, leaving the Traveler and Paimon. Both were confused as they were waiting for the ones who supposedly would answer their questions, according to Alhaitham.

The two of them were looking through the research left here before hearing multiple footsteps.

"Traveler, Paimon, you're already here." Both turn around to hear Nahida's soft voice speak.

"Nahida! and (Name)!... oh, and Hat Guy..." Paimon muttered as you and Hat Guy were walking beside Nahida. You waved at them as the Traveler also waved back. "Wait, so did you ask them to take part in the Championship?"

"Yes, it was me. Are you surprised?" Nahida raises an eyebrow. But the traveler shook their head and responded. "Actually, not really..."

"Did you know that there was something wrong with the diadem from the start? And if so, why didn't you switch it out for another one?" Paimon asked.

"Because Sachin's research is not mistaken. He spent his entire life researching this topic, and these materials are a result of that." Nahida stated. "These are the crystallization of his wisdom. Yes, I was worried that the material might cause some disruption, but I didn't want to wipe away all his hard work searching for the truth. So instead, I had (Name) and Hat Guy here to help me keep an eye on things."

"Seriously? I think you can stop calling me that now." Wanderer turns down Nahida.

"Why not? I think I like it. It suits you." You grin at him as he sighed. Nahida nodded and smiles too before turning to the others.

"...Well, anyway — if Sachin's chosen successor hadn't been able to handle his research, or if it had brought pain to more people, he would have intervened at a suitable moment."

Hat Guy spoke up beside you. "And after all that, the person Sachin chose, turned his nose up at his life's work. Pretty hilarious."

"I was also hoping that this could be an opportunity for you to learn how to interact with people normally... I even thought it would help you better if (Name) was by your side, but it looks like that didn't work out." Nahida sighed.

"That wasn't necessary. I'm still paying you back for your help, and the last thing I need is more reasons to be indebted to you." He tells Nahida.

"Don't worry, Kusanali. Hat Guy and I sure had a great time together in the championship." You smile at her in which she smiled back.

Paimon interrupted. "Nahida, what did you mean by "Sachin's research is not mistaken"? Does that mean that you approve of his research?"

She hummed in response. "Hmmm. Put it this way instead. Truth, to me, is like a Shroomboar."

(sorry, i'm skipping this because i don't want her speech to take most of this part already... still a good speech though nahida <3) Lesser Lord Kusanali proceeds to tell about her analysis and comparison of how a shroom boar is seen and how she tells how the world is the same.

"Ultimately, my duty as the God of Wisdom is to guide every form of wisdom to a place where it can find its purpose." Nahida finishes.

"That was a long speech," Wanderer muttered.

You nodded "Indeed, but it's a great perspective and I agree with some of her points with it. So, Kusanali, what do you plan to do with the research? Do you plan to keep it or not use it?"

Nahida nodded. "Yes. Because Kaveh, as the successor of this research, does not wish to see these ideas disseminated, I will seal it up."

"But even though Sachin's research could be considered "negative" wisdom, it is still a building block of the truth. If someone wishes to follow in his footsteps in the future, I will not stop them."

Nahida turns to Wanderer. "I also look forward to the day that a member of the Vahumana Darshan can not only comprehend his theories but also find a way out from the despair as well." You smirk knowing who she's referring to.

"Hmph, Vahumana doesn't have that kind of talent..." He trailed off before realizing. "Wait, you're not intending to keep me in Vahumana long-term, are you? Hah, I don't remember signing up to become a scholar. Don't you think I'm useful enough to you as a prisoner?"

Paimon sighed as the Traveler facepalmed. "Oh boy, here we go again..."

"Why not? Don't you want to work in Vahumana with me?" You smile at him.

"As if. I see you already procrastinating a lot and you don't even get enough sleep. It was already a pain to work with you, idiot." He said as you stare at him, offended.

"...We. Do. Not. Talk. About. That. Hat. Guy." You smile darkly at him.

Nahida spoke up. "Well, to that, I would say that in Sumeru, even prisoners have the right to an education. I hope that your studies in Vahumana will help you deal with your own fate, and learn how best to settle old debts from your past."

"By the way, (Name)," You turn to her. "I am really happy about how hard you worked for Vahumana. I've been getting a bit of intel and seeing how much your progress has grown. Even though your habits are bad, your hard work has paid off in your thesis and research."

You blush slightly as you smile at her. "Oh, thank you, Kusanali... I really appreciate it..."

She giggled as she turn to Hat Guy. "I will also review your final thesis myself. I am expecting great things from you, Mr. Hat Guy."

You laughed alongside Nahida at him.

Wanderer rolled his eyes. "...Tsk."

...

...oh my gosh, why did it take so long to get this out... i sincerely apologize everybody... BUT IT'S FINISHED YAYYY

thank you all for the likes, comments reblogs, and follows! i really appreciate it!!

...now, what to do now? if you guys had seen the poll earlier i posted, you might know what I'm planning and i plan to announce it later in the day.

but for now, i think i need some rest... literally spend 4 am for this...

BYEEE!

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[thirteens-lucky-tardis]

𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 - 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐓 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐗 𝐎𝐂

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎

≪━─━─━─━─◈─━─━─━─━≫

As the sun chose to grace the land in the morning, the welcoming beams of light fell in Ember's room. The new addition of luminescence caused the young dragon to stir gently before waking up. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and took a deep breath. Today was the day. She was terrified, no doubt, but there was an unwelcome sense of ease about the whole thing. Why was she feeling so calm? This was supposed to be nerve-wracking...

In the corner of her room hung a simple white dress - an empty canvas with which to create her world upon. It was ceremonial to wear white for The Selection, as with most other ceremonies you might know of. The door to her room opened, and in stepped her mother with a flower crown in her hands, decorated in white lotus flowers and smiled.

"Good morning, my dear. Are you ready for today?" asked her mother, properly named Cyra, crossing the room to Ember's bed and set the flower crown on the blanket.

"I'm a bit nervous..." replied Ember, hugging her legs to her chest.

"Oh, my dearest Ember, there is no need to be nervous. Just... imagine it as a party. A party with all of your friends who are there to support you and who love you..." Cyra said softly, placing a comforting kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Now come along, Ember. Let's get you dressed."

Cyra held out a hand and helped Ember off of the bed and led her over to the dress, pointing out small details in the fabric. For example, there were small stitches of some of her favorite things along the bottom of the skirt in white thread, of course. Crystals, stars, flowers, paintbrushes... everything Ember loved sat embroidered in the cloth. On the back of the dress was a small train of an iridescent fabric that flowed from the shoulders. The stitching around the edges made it look like dragon wings. Two pieces of elastic sat on the ends of the sheer cloth that she could attach to her fingers.

"Oh, Mama, it's beautiful!" Ember gasped in awe as she ran her fingers over the embroidered artistry that adorned the dress. Ember was very, very excited for this dress alone.

Cyra smiled brightly at her daughter's awestruck look and pat the young girl on the shoulder. "Go take a shower, and then you can put it on, alright?"

Ember happily ran into the bathroom to take a shower, and once she was finished, she practically skipped out in a fuzzy robe, and Cyra continued talking. "Would you like my help putting the dress on, or would you like to do it yourself? I will respect your privacy if you want it."

"Can you help me...? I don't want to ruin it..." Ember admitted. Cyra nodded and carefully took the dress off the hanger. Ember took off the robe and quickly slipped into the dress. Her mother was careful not to touch anywhere that could be deemed inappropriate in order to respect Ember's boundaries. The zipper was soon zipped up, and the small pieces of elastic hung around Ember's fingers, making it look like the flowy material was actually her own pair of wings.

"I love it!" Ember exclaimed as Cyra began to style Ember's white hair into a simple yet elegant braid and finally placed the crown of lotus flowers onto her head.

Cyra smiled warmly. "There we go, Ember. You look beautiful."

Ember giggled and spun around before playfully bowing. "Thank you, Mama!"

"You're welcome, dear. Now, shall we go? Your father is already there since he had to help set up!"

"I'm ready!" Ember smiled herself and grabbed her mother's hand as they left their house.

The location of The Selection was a rather elegant location. It was hosted in a large arena that could hold hundreds, maybe even thousands of people. The empty area in the middle was where many events occurred, and currently, there were several tables set up, awaiting Ember's arrival. One might compare this arena to that of Earth's infamous Colosseum. At this time, the arena was already almost packed, and the chatter was deafening. Within moments, an announcer's voice sounded through a sound system, announcing Ember's arrival.

Taking a few deep breaths, Ember walked into the arena, and the crowd cheered loudly, which caused Ember to wince and cover her ears. Within moments, the people were silenced. A tall woman stood in the center of the area, in the middle of the circle of tables. Her hair was an ashy black, and her eyes a bright orange. She stood in a regal way with her head held high. Her features were sharp and gaze heavy from all that she had seen. This was Cigri, no doubt.

"Ember. You come before me to participate in The Selection, yes?" Cigri said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Her voice was smooth and calming in a way.

"Yes, I do." Ember replied, repeating exactly what she had been told. She glanced around at each and every table and saw that every one had something upon it, hidden under a fiery red cloth.

"Then I, Cigri of the Elders, invite you to find your clan." With a wave of Cigri's hand, the pieces of cloth on each table burned into ash, at which the crowd gasped. Ember looked around at the crowd and saw Rhaelrivera smiling down at her and nodding. Ember took another deep breath and looked at the tables. Each one had a dragon upon it - some a solid object, others simply manipulated into shape. For example, the earth dragon was simply carved from stone and covered in moss and small flowers, while the air dragon was simply a floating cloud in the shape of said dragon.

Ember walked around, looking at each of the tables. None of them spoke to her... in truth, she could pick any of them, but she would do well with the dragon that called to her. She looked at the fire dragon that hovered above the table. She debated choosing it to make her family proud, but... she didn't feel anything around it, so she continued. It wasn't until she got around to a figurine made of pure glass did she feel something... a sort of pull towards the small glass dragon, like a magnet. Her eyes fixated on it, and without thinking, she grabbed the figurine off the table.

A mere second later, a tingling sensation filled her body, which caused her to giggle. As she held up her hand, she noticed a white glow around her fingers. The crowd cheered as they watched Ember, yet - like before - the crowd was silenced when Cigri stepped forward.

"Ember has been selected to join the Glass Clan!" vocalized Cigri. As if on cue, every glass dragon in the audience cheered. Ember couldn't help but smile, realizing that she had found her place.

***

After the ceremony, a glass dragon named Agate led Ember to a back room that held a rather large mirror in it. Agate was a rather short, slightly curvy woman with a bright smile and a brighter personality. Her hair was a pale yellow, and her eyes lavender in color.

"Okie dokie, little Ember! This is the fun part!" Agate smiled and clapped her hands.

Ember looked at her, confused. "What's happening?"

"Oh, little dragon, here is where you get to pick how you look! We're some of the special ones. You see, glass can be stained to be any color in the universe, so thus, we as glass dragons can choose whatever color we want to use for ourselves! I change my hair nearly every week," Agate explained. She had a tendency to ramble, but Ember didn't mind.

"How does it work?" asked Ember.

Agate smiled again. "It's simple, really. Just think really, really hard about one of your features, and it will change!"

Ember turned to look in the mirror and focused on her eyes. She thought of a deep red, and soon, the iris of her eyes changed to red. She made a look of disgust and focused again. Blue? Maybe... Orange? No. Brown? No. Black looked too menacing for her... Ember was starting to lose courage when she perked up and focused one last time on her eyes. They changed to a vibrant green, and Ember smiled. That was perfect.

"Ooo, I'm digging the green!" Agate exclaimed as she watched. Ember smiled and turned back to the mirror. Now it was time for her hair... what color looks good with green? She thought for a moment before her hair changed to a pale blue. The color wasn't as vibrant as the sky but could be compared to the of a very light cornflower. Ember hopped up and down slightly and grinned. She loved how the bright green felt with the blue hair. She pushed her newly colored locks behind her pointed ears and squealed softly.

"How do I look?" Ember asked with bright, hopeful eyes.

Agate beamed and clapped. "I love that combination! You look so pretty!" Ember looked back at herself in the mirror, and for once, she genuinely liked who she was seeing...

≪━─━─━─━─◈─━─━─━─━≫

Also published on Wattpad: To Be Free by embers_dragon_

Tags:

@rxin3akamallory @pretty-chips @glow-autumz @evolvingchaoswitch @raccoonfallsharder @criticalcrit @thejudgyboiao3 @love-for-faeries-go-burrrr

[stephschoices]

i drew cyra x morgans kids 😳👉🏻👈🏻

[bardic-tales]

Hi, the OC Creator Bingo sent me (admittedly late but better late than never)!

As a huge fan of fantasy novels, your original story caught my eye.

So, infodump about it! Give me a plot summary, main characters and your favorite thing about it!

-@heresthefanfiction

Hello. I apologize with how late this is. I've been very busy, lately. Thank you so much for your interest in Cold as Ice. Between the worldbuilding and 6 drafts, I've been working on it since 2009. It's my favorite WIP I ever worked on and really tests my abilities as an author.

Summary:

“Six nobles. One crown prince. An evil machination they cannot allow to come to pass.” - Cold as Ice

For Vaene Arturis, the Crown Prince of the Olessa Empire, life has been cruel. His son and wife were assassinated by the Wraith, the most proficient shadow-blade in all of the Olessan Empire. He has few people he trusts, and he keeps most people at an emotional distance.

For Cyras Covelli, family is a luxury. Something you never take for granted. As an orphan, she was taken in by the Duke of Avis Niccolo Napoli and thrust into a life at court to further the Duke’s machinations. She learned that most look out for themselves.

After her husband is assassinated by the Wraith and she is appointed Stewardess of the kingdom, Cyras learns that taking risks is paramount to her happiness. Risks like working closely with the Crown Prince and placing the Olessan Empire’s interest above her own.

But to save the empire, Cyras needs to turn her back on Niccolo and go against the dark secret that the Duke of Avis and his supporters are hiding.

Main Characters:

There are at least eight main characters, but I'll focus on Stewardess Cyras Giovanna Teresa Covelli da Lucci. Cyras is the main protagonist in Cold as Ice. She is a widowed noblewoman who originally sought to overthrow the Arturis family when she realized how corrupted Emperor Graeme Sextus Arturis. To that end, she agrees with a plan her foster father has been planning since Graeme has been showing signs of dementia. Her foster father is afraid that Graeme will spill secrets, and so is the The Penumbral Society.

Cyras often describes herself as a self-made woman. Although she was forced to marry the Steward of Olessan Empire when she was young, she refused to let fate or society force her how to act. She educated herself in the ways of the men and created a reputation for herself. Because of this, she has remained at the top of society through manipulation and refuses to let her guard down.

She is not interested in love, and when Cold as Ice starts, she does not believe that love really exists. It is a manufactured idea that men use to ensnare women. That is why her feeling of love and affection for the Crowned Prince takes her completely by surprise.

As a letter writer, Cyras is very shrewd. She developed the ability to lift phrases out of people's letters and use their own words against them. This is shown when she intercepted a letter that Catrina Raspanti wrote to her own brother, a letter that Vaene Arturis -- Catrina's betrothed -- knew nothing about.

Favorite Thing:

I think my favorite thing is how Cold as Ice evolved. A very early draft of it was actual a fan fiction set in the Assassin's Creed universe. It was canon x oc, and she was paired with Ezio Auditore.

Looking back, it hardly resembles the fan fiction while certain elements remain. There is still an assassin organization, but they are not the heroes in this.

[bemercifuls]

OPEN STARTER : featuring cyra tully in the red keep gardens.

her attention is lost on present company, nodding along to words she doesn't seem to hear. the lady tully knows her weakness is clear during small talk, unable to pretend to seem interested. someone walks by and she spots them out of her peripheral vision, jumping up from her seat to take interest in something else. " it was lovely to speak with you, my lord, but i forgot i have prior arrangements... " said in passing to her company, now focused on who she's latched onto for rescuing, " come, let us walk. are you enjoying the excitement ? "

[t3mpest98]

Fixing the ventilation of a helmet was one of the most calming things Cyra had to do now. She could go through the motions without thinking once about her next step.

It never got rid of her annoyance completely, but it dulled the feeling for a time. Usually she’d have music blasting in her headphones as she worked, the loud melodies drowning out the darkness in her mind, but that would defeat the purpose of making Noir stay with her as she worked. Even if they weren’t talking much outside of her asking for certain tools, the company was nice. He sat on her desk, leaning against the wall while sitting close enough that her elbow brushed his leg, a datapad in his left hand.

She was trying to go slow so that maybe Noir would stay still. Even if Spade hadn’t messaged her about the lack of sleep Noir had been getting, it would have been evident in the dark circles underneath his eyes. He’d already been there for half an hour so she might be running out of time unless she changed tactics.

His stubborn will rivaled her own when it came to his job, something she found both impressive and aggravating. And She wasn’t the only one who thought that, the earlier conversation she had with Spade running through her head.

“Do you think you can get Noir to stay at your place for a little while?”

“I mean ya but why?”

“He hasn’t been sleeping well, again.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I assume nightmares but he won’t say. He's running himself to the ground with his work. I thought you might be able to help with that. He seems to relax when you’re around.”

Where Spade had gotten that idea she didn’t know, but he wasn’t one to lie so she took his word for it.

Currently she isn't doing very well at getting Noir to rest. She was heavily considering just wrapping him up in a blanket to trap him. He might tire himself out trying to escape it while throwing whatever empty threats he could think of at her, most of which he’s heard from her ranting about certain people. She huffed with amusement at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” Noir asked, startling Cyra from her thoughts. She gives him a confused look while pausing in her work.“You were smiling. Usually you don’t do that unless something’s funny.” He stated. She hadn’t even realized she had been smiling until he pointed it out. With how often she wore her mask, sometimes she forgot others could clearly see what face she was making when it was off.

“Why were you looking?” She shot back, her words not holding any real irritation. He muttered something about good peripherals and went back to whatever files he was sorting through. He had probably just been watching her fix the helmet, though she’s not sure how he found that interesting. She glances at him for a moment then looks back to the helmet in deep thought.

“He seems to sleep better when you’re around.”

Cyra sighs and falls back against her chair, stretching her arms up with a deep breath. If he wasn’t going to try and sleep on his own then she might just have to take a few extra measures. “Alright Empty Can, I don’t know about you but I’m getting tired as shit.” A lie, but she wasn’t above lying to get what she wanted. Besides he wouldn’t leave without the helmet being done. At least she hoped.

Noir just looked up at her questioningly while lowering his datapad to lay on his lap. She moves her chair back then stands up to start walking over to her small room. She tapped the panel that opened her door, leaving it open to encourage Noir to follow.

She ran her cybernetic hand through her short hair, the cold metal oddly soothing.

The bed she had stuffed in a corner wasn’t the most impressive thing in the galaxy, though it was better than nothing so she didn’t care. The room was dimly lit, making it hard to see clearly. It was a comforting darkness nonetheless. She sits up on her bed then relaxes against the wall as she waits. It only took a few minutes before Noir walked through the door and crawled into the bed beside her.

If there was one thing she’d learned while becoming Noir’s friend, it was that he absolutely hated being alone. At least he did no, so it wasn’t any wonder that he had followed her. Perfect, she was one step closer to completing her master plan.

He took one of her pillows to lay his head on, then laid on his back with his datapad held above his face. “The hell do you think you’re doing? You’ll burn your eyes with that thing in here.” She says, snatching the datapad from his hands while ignoring his word of protest. He was an idiot if he thought she was allowing that.

“I was close to finishing those files!” Noir retorted as he glared at her. She just stuck her tongue out at him then lightly hit him with her other pillow before putting said pillow behind her. He could finish his work later when he got some rest. Right now they both needed to just lay there existing for a moment. He didn’t put up much of a fight to get it back, making her wonder just how tired he really was.

There were millions of people on this planet, each hurrying to run their next errand or go to their next meeting. Yet here, just the two of them, it felt so quiet and peaceful. They could pretend nothing was wrong, that there wasn’t any danger, that they could stay within the garage’s sturdy walls forever.

Cyra fiddles around on her comm while Noir shifts to lay on his left side. She glances at him to see his eyes slowly begin to close. So close. She was determined to make sure he slept for at least an hour.

Noir was probably one of the last people in this galaxy she was comfortable being this close with. He never lied to her about what he thought. She’d seen him around people he didn’t trust, if he had planned on hurting her he would have never even taken off his helmet. And here he was laying on his side right next to her. Such a simple display of trust made her feel like she must be doing something right.

She reaches for one of the soft blankets she may or may not have stolen and pulls it over him. He looks at the blanket hovering above him through barely open eyes, his expression unreadable. Once she drops it he lets out a deep sigh of content. “You’re infuriatingly good at this.” He whispered, exhaustion heavy in his voice.

She let out a short laugh and shook her head while Noir gave her another half hearted glare. “Is it really so infuriating that I’m trying to take care of you? One of us has to, Spade will wring my neck if I let you keep working anyway.” She said, a bit of happiness creeping into her voice.

“I’m not even that tired.” He whispered in reply as he started to curl up, tugging the blanket to cover more of him. She’s glad he seemed to be making himself more at home instead of trying to leave.

“Sure Little Wrapper. Don’t get too comfortable, I might kick you off later.” She joked, a smile starting to tug at her lips.

“Do it and I’ll put you in the big house.” Noir mumbled.

“Oh, I’m absolutely terrified.” Cyra replied sarcastically with an eye roll. If she remembered what Spade had told her correctly, Noir was threatening to put her in jail. She’d like to see him try. “Watch it or I’ll drag your ass ten blocks with a rope attached to my speeder bike.”

Noir had the audacity to smile slightly. They fell into a comfortable silence so easily it was almost surprising. She wouldn’t complain though. She reached for her own datapad she left on her bed, opening a game to play mindlessly as she listened to Noir’s breathing get slower and slower.

“What happened to not being tired huh?” She asked softly. The silence she was met with made her look down at him only to see Noir dead asleep. Her shoulders shake slightly in a silent laughter, trying her best not to wake him back up. A small, soft part of her wants to run her fingers through his hair like she’s seen Spade do to see if he would relax further.

She thinks about it for way too long before tentatively reaching her left hand down to hover over his head before slowly, gently running her fingers through his hair. The effect was immediate as Noir practically melted into the mattress. She smiles and decides that showing more affection for her friends might not be so bad. No one else down here would.

An alert from her datapad drew her eyes away from him.

Mountain Goat: How is he?

Getawaydriver: out like a drunkard

Mountain Goat: Well now I need evidence.

Getawaydriver: yee of little fckin faith

She turns the datapad to Noir and snaps a quick picture. She could hardly see his face anymore with how he had tucked himself underneath the blanket. This would definitely be saved for possible blackmail later. Spade took a little longer to answer than before after she sent the holopic.

Mountain Goat: Thank you.

Getawaydriver: nw but when do i get paid

Mountain Goat: Haha. No.

Getawaydriver: rude

She turned the datapad off and tossed it away from her on the bed. Her attention snaps back to Noir when he starts shifting again, her hand automatically going to run through his hair again. That made him stop moving, making her realize she’d be here a while now if she wanted him to keep sleeping. Oh well, there wasn’t anything else for her to do today.

She found that she was surprisingly ok with that.

[archive-double-knots]

Cyra, normally: .....hi

Cyra when someone asks about Yakko: WELL YOU SEE-