#friendship: nik x adreanna

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search lxix

i am alive! sorry for neglecting this blog — i promise i’m gonna try to be active again! 

time to start attacking the pile of tag games i haven’t done. this one is from @dontjudgemeimawriter :) my words are believe, offer, dismiss, concern, & recognize

believe (from circle of hurt):

“What’s going on, Kina?” [Caelan] said again, more gently.

“Nothing’s going on,” she said, but there was a tremble in her voice. “Maybe I just wanted to talk to him, Cae. Is that so bad?”

“When it comes to him, yeah,” Caelan replied. “You should’ve spat in his face. He was awful to you, Kina.”

“It wasn’t all bad.”

Caelan exhaled in a frustrated huff. “You can’t seriously still believe that. Please tell me you’re not planning to get back together with him.”

Akina said nothing. Caelan stared at her, an icy curl of dread clenching around his insides.

offer (from circle of hurt — TW: alcohol):

“I didn’t think anybody noticed things about me,” [Nik] said. “Especially not you.”

Maybe it was from all the alcohol, but Nik felt as though the air was humming between them. He could still hear the sounds of the party, but they seemed to be coming from very far away.

Adreanna’s eyes were fixed steadily on his as she offered him the wine again. “I notice plenty of things about you.”

Nik held her gaze. “Like what?”

A hint of a smile touched the corner of her mouth. “Like how nervous I make you.”

Nik flinched, startled. He didn’t know what he’d expected her to say, but it certainly wasn’t that.

dismiss (from night’s daughter):

I glance over at the maid. “Are you sure... I mean, is this really my room?”

The young woman nods, her expression placid. “It is, miss. His Highness Prince Aedan ordered that it be prepared for you.”

Well, I suppose I cannot argue with that. I’m far too tired to argue anyways.

The maid begins to ask me if there is anything I need, but I tell her no before she can even finish, suddenly so swamped with exhaustion I can barely keep my eyes open. She must notice, because she wishes me a good night and dismisses herself without any more fuss.

concern (from circle of hurt):

They continued speaking, but now Nik could tell something was wrong. He’d never seen Caelan look so serious; concern had washed all the dancing light out of his eyes. As for Akina—when Nik craned his neck to see her face, she looked as though she might cry. What could they possibly be talking about?

recognize (from night’s daughter):

“Well, well, well. The damsel cleans up rather nicely.”

I don’t need to turn around to recognize that sly, mischief-tinted voice. I take in a breath, steeling myself. Maia’s grilling about protocol—and her warnings about causing offense—flutter through my head. “Good evening, Lord Alcott.”

“That would be my father, technically, but I don’t mind the sound of it. Feel free to call me ‘lord’ whenever you like.”

I turn to face Pollux just as one shimmering eyelid drops closed in a wink. [...]

Maia makes a sound of exasperation. “Oh, shove off, you worthless flirt. I’m going to get a drink.”

i shall tag @asomeoneperson @solipsism-lemonade @zmwrites @sleepy-night-child @cream-and-tea @chaotic-queer-disaster @thanatostouch + anyone else who would like to play :)

new words: wink, wrong, wish, wine, and when

(look at me w my alliterations)

[vellichor-virgo]

i know i just posted about how i’m kind of on a hiatus, but i wanted to pop in with a circle of hurt update. here’s the opening of adreanna’s pov section:

[TW: kissing]

things are HEATIN UP

[transcript below the cut]

transcript:

Adreanna hadn’t expected that Nik would be such a good kisser.

Pressed up against the wall with his body leaning into hers, her hands in his hair and his tongue in her mouth, she had to admit she’d underestimated him. She’d thought he would be stiff with fear, that he might even jerk away. But Nik’s fear seemed to kindle a kind of ferocity to life inside him. He kissed her with a hunger that seemed ravenous, bottomless, as if it would swallow them both whole. 

Adreanna welcomed it, matching him kiss for kiss, dizzy with the taste of him. If she threw herself into the chasm of Nik’s desire, maybe she could forget the sight of Akina’s hopeful eyes. 

Akina. Adreanna squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t bear to even look Akina in the face tonight. Not with her looking the way she did, her eyes glimmering, her dark hair threaded with silver, her mouth plush and pink as a rose petal. She’d been glowing like a fallen star, almost too lovely to bear. It was more than Adreanna’s heart could handle.

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search l

my 50th word search comes courtesy of the ever wonderful @akindofmagictoo ! my words are affection, conversation, distraction, and fraction.

affection (from night’s daughter; this is Celena meeting Maia's father):

“Don’t whine, Maia. It is true, is it not?” Lord Aimoto squeezes my hands before releasing them. “Celena seems to be a sweet girl. You will be sure to look after her.”

Now it is my turn to blush. It has been a long time since I have experienced this sort of kindness. Even Martin didn’t treat me with such fatherly affection. I have to blink away the sudden sting of tears in the backs of my eyes.

conversation (from night’s daughter):

To my relief, Iliana is not looking at me now. Instead, she is absorbed in a conversation with King Carrick, her lovely face alight with a dazzling smile. Although she is talking to the king, every surrounding eye is on her. She looks like a fairy tale come to life.

distraction (from circle of hurt) [TW: alcohol mention]:

With the exception of Akina, Adreanna had never been particularly warm or welcoming to anyone, especially not Nik. Emrys had once joked that she could scent Nik’s fear of her, like a horse with a nervous rider.

What had changed? If he’d been thinking straight, he would have bolted as far from her as he could get. It didn’t matter if her intentions were good or bad—he wouldn’t linger long enough to find out. But something had changed in him, too. Staring down at her now, his head swimming with liquor and jealousy and hurt, he let himself be drawn into her spell.

This was what he’d wanted, after all. Hadn’t he stormed up here desperate for a distraction?

fraction (from night’s daughter):

“A man turns twenty only once, Your Highness.”

“It feels no different from nineteen.”

“So the parties are that extravagant every year?”

[Aedan] chuckles, low and soft. “No, not quite. I suppose the celebration was the only thing that was any different this year. I assume you’ve seen the aftermath.” He gives me another contemplative look. “How old are you, Miss Clarington?”

“Celena,” something prompts me to correct gently.

His tiny smile broadens a fraction. “Celena. How old are you, Celena?”

“Eighteen.”

i'll tag @lunarmoment @drippingmoon @kaiusvnoir @cream-and-tea @rose-bookblood @citywillow and @moononherwings :)

new words: chuckle, swim, surround, and release

[vellichor-virgo]

last line tag xxvii

using the last 5% of my laptop battery to hop on an open tag from @sleepy-night-child, because i wanted to share the latest additions to circle of hurt !

this nik & drea scene continues to be the bane of my existence, but i think we're finally getting somewhere.

for context: drea just said that nik is the only person she's ever met who might be more distant than her, and nik asked if she really thought so

cw/tw: alcohol

“I couldn’t say it if I didn’t think it was true.” Still laughing, Adreanna reached into a pocket of her skirt Nik hadn’t noticed before and withdrew a tiny crystal flask. A pale pink liquid sloshed inside it. She took a sip, then lowered it from her mouth and grinned at him over its rim. “You’re a boy made of thorns.”

It was nothing Nik hadn’t heard before. But the way she said it made it sound almost complimentary. “And you’re a girl of ice,” he returned.

Chuckling again, Adreanna sipped from her flask again, then held it out to him. Nik’s wariness must have flashed on his face, because she added, “It’s rosé—mortal wine. Lillian slipped it to me earlier.”

Accepting a drink from any faerie was a terrible idea. Accepting one from a siren was unthinkable.

“No enchantments?” he asked.

She shook her head. “None. Promise.”

Well, she couldn’t lie, so…

Nik took the flask from her hand and tipped it back to his mouth. The pink wine was sweeter than what he was used to. Much better than that terrible beer.

i shall tag @akindofmagictoo @oh-no-another-idea @josephinegerardywriter @drippingmoon @ambsthom @willowiswriting and whoever else would like to join in!

[vellichor-virgo]

last line tag xxix

dearest friends, i am in fact alive! i've been on a wee hiatus bc of school for a little while (and i probably will continue to be for a few more weeks) but ! i have some new writing to share !

i was casually rereading circle of hurt just for fun, and then i think something possessed me and before i knew it i'd written nearly 800 words. nik's pov section is now finally finished! yeehaw!

this tag is from the lovely @thanatostouch ! thanks for the tag :)

here's the end of nik's pov section:

(CW: kissing !)

Adreanna pressed closer, her lips parting against [Nik’s]. One hand slid up his neck into his hair, her nails scraping across his scalp, pulling a low groan from his mouth. His heart pounded in his chest, equal parts alarm and arousal.

She could take his mind apart right now, if she wanted to. She could ruin him at any moment. The stories had all said the same thing: a siren’s kiss is their deadliest weapon. They will drain the music from your head until there is nothing left of you.

The heady mix of terror and excitement crashed over Nik in a roaring wave, sweeping every other thought away. For one blessed moment, it was enough to make Caelan’s face disappear from where it loomed in his mind.

Fear was a very, very good distraction.

i will tag @kaiusvnoir @akindofmagictoo @sleepy-night-child @drippingmoon @asomeoneperson @zmwrites and anyone else who'd like to share some writing!

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search lxii

hi @sleepyowlwrites <3 my words are tentative, unused, vein, waste, and yank

tentative (from night’s daughter v0):

“You asked for me, Your Highness?” The words waver, tentative and uncertain, forced out before that damned anxiety of mine can take over and lock them into my throat.

[Aedan’s] head snaps up, surprise flashing across his face as he takes me in, then quickly shuts his book. “Oh, Celena! I should have noticed you there. I apologize.”

“It’s quite alright—”

“Come, come, sit down.” He begins to stand, as if to pull out a chair for me, but I hastily beat him to it, dragging the nearest one over to his table.

He watches me do it, only sitting back down after I have. “I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly. I thought you would still be out with Pollux.”

“We decided to cut our tour short.”

“Too cold outside?”

Not even the half of it. I force a smile and nod. “Something like that.”

unused (from night’s daughter v1, just after Celena and Aedan met for the first time):

“Where are you planning to have her stay, Your Highness?”

“The palace, of course. Where else?”

A tiny squeaking sound escapes me.

“The palace, sir?” Captain Finnel’s wide eyes flick over me again, taking in my ragged appearance. Imagining me in the finery of Nightfall Palace is probably unthinkable for him. I know it is for me.

[...]

“Why not the palace? We are not exactly wanting for space. There are enough unused rooms to house a village of people.”

vein (from circle of hurt; TW for implied romance/attraction):

This was what [Nik] had wanted, after all. Hadn’t he stormed up here desperate for a distraction?

Nik held Adreanna’s gaze as he lowered himself down to sit on the other side of the stair, his back against the bannister. He had always tended to avoid eye contact with her, as though looking at her was as dangerous as staring into the sun. Now, with that inexplicable recklessness pumping through his veins, he leaned back and took her in, letting her beauty scorch him.

waste (from night’s daughter v0):

“There’s only one chair,” I note with a small degree of relief.

Which is quickly extinguished by the purely wicked edge to Iliana’s smile before she approaches the courtier sitting beside the empty seat and leans down to them. I can’t hear what she purrs into their ear, but whatever it is makes them dart a wide-eyed glance over at me, then back at her, before they quickly stand and exit their chair.

Iliana doesn’t waste a second, immediately gathering her skirts and settling into one of the empty seats. When I don’t do the same, too busy staring at her in dismayed surprise, she waves a hand at the seat she just procured. “Do sit down, Lady Celena.”

yank (from night’s daughter v1):

Maia snorts, picking up her silverware. “You haven’t known [Pollux] long enough yet. Give it a week, and you’ll find yourself wanting to throw a shoe at his head. Or you might want to send him flowers.” She wrinkles her nose. “Those are the only two reactions Pollux elicits from people, although you don’t strike me as a girl foolish enough to moon over him.”

I barely hear the rest of Maia’s chatter. Instead, my mind zeroes in on the stunning thing that she said so casually, as though it was a given. A week.

I cannot imagine myself here in a week’s time, still living this easy, lavish life, surrounded constantly by all this splendour. Let alone the rest of my life. If this arrangement even lasts for the rest of my life. Being here feels as though I am standing on a rug that could be yanked out from beneath my feet at any moment.

i shall tag @josephinegerardywriter @drippingmoon @rose-bookblood @solipsism-lemonade @emelkae @the-orangeauthor + open tag for whoever else would like to join in !

new words: stun, edge, gaze, and escape

[vellichor-virgo]

last line tag xx

i wanted to work a lot on circle of hurt tonight, but my brain ran out of steam after like 4 lines. anyways, i decided to use what i did write to fill this tag from @talesofsorrowandofruin @lanawritesalittle and @drippingmoon !! (edit: and also @sleepyowlwrites bc i'm not sure when my next writing session will be and i don't wanna leave you hanging)

here's a moment between Drea and Nik while they're tucked away in a stairwell during a party.

TW: v slight romance (there isn't really any in this excerpt, other than the implication of Nik's feelings for Caelan & his misinterpretation of something platonic he saw earlier)

“I wouldn’t have expected to find you here,” [Nik] told [Adreanna]—another piece of unplanned honesty. “Hidden away, just when things are beginning to get...”

He trailed off, searching for the right word with one hand hanging in the air, a halfhearted gesture in the direction of the revelry.

The corner of Adreanna’s mouth curled in a bitter sort of smile. “Intimate?” she suggested.

“Yes. I suppose that’s the right word.” The memory of Caelan holding Akina’s hand came to him unbidden, and his fingers curled tightly, nails biting into his palm. He could taste jealousy in his mouth, like wine gone to vinegar—sour enough to make him wince.

these guys are the two most complicated mfs in the magic gang, which makes writing any interaction between them so damn hard. this conversation is gonna take a good while to slog through, i think (but i think it'll be worth it in the end, cause i really like this piece)

i will tag @chaotic-queer-disaster @twoseeds @corishadowfang @kaiusvnoir @cream-and-tea @ashen-crest and anyone else who wants to share some writing :)

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search xli

i'm on a roll! here's another word search from @solipsism-lemonade ! my words are insane, mistake, fair, and beautiful.

the first three excerpts are from night's daughter, and the last one is from my little magic gang project circle of hurt (which i should really work on bc i desperately want to post it on here)

insane:

For a moment, I toy with the idea of telling [Maia] the necklace’s true history. My true history. The reason why it’s so dear to me. How would she react, I wonder?

Not well, and you know it, my mind hisses. She’ll think you’re a liar, or worse, insane. This fragile little friendship will be over before it can even begin.

mistake:

I take in the room with a growing sense of disbelief. There must be some kind of mistake. This can’t be where I am to stay. This is not the sort of room you give to a commoner.

I glance over at the maid. “Are you sure… I mean, is this really my room?”

The young woman nods, her expression placid. “It is, miss. His Highness Prince Aedan ordered that it be prepared for you.”

Well, I suppose I cannot argue with that.

fair (Celena’s “did my crush try to poison me last night/oh god she ordered me to meet her tomorrow is she going to do it again” crisis continues)

“Are you alright?” Concern fills Maia’s voice. “You look a little pale. If you’re worried about the Ashstones—”

“I’m not,” I lie quickly, trying to pull a neutral look over my face. “It’s just a little spooky, the idea of them cooking up potions. Does Lord Lorcas intend for Iliana to run the business after him?”

“I wouldn’t think so, considering he intends for Iliana to focus all her attention on becoming queen. And on being queen, once she gets the throne. But I’ve no doubt she’s had a fair amount of training in cooking up potions, as you put it.”

Excellent. Maybe she’s whipped up a brew of her very own to force down my throat tomorrow. I am looking less and less forward to this meeting with every passing moment.

beautiful:

“Sick of the party already?” [Adreanna] asked him, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side. Nik’s gaze flickered to her mouth, lush and inviting, its gloss shimmering in the shadowy light. As nervous as she made him, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t find her alluring, too. She was beautiful in the same way Caelan was—otherworldly and untouchable, a reminder of everything Nik had ever wanted. She was just another thing he could never have, another thing to stoke that jealous flame behind his ribs higher.

But here she was, now. Just within reach.

i'll tag @cream-and-tea @josephinegerardywriter @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @ambsthom and @corishadowfang + open tag!

new words: jealous, pale, disbelief, and hiss

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search lxiv

i’m getting into tag games again! this one is from @akindofmagictoo <3

my words are horizon, heart, island, and idle

horizon (from night’s daughter v1):

I linger in the cottage until the night fades into dawn, until day breaks with a thin line of flames licking across the horizon. I watch from my window as the clouds catch the light of the rising sun, glowing pink and orange around their edges.

Normally, I would be out at first light with my bow and arrows, stalking through the woods for game. But today, with the fog still so thick, there’s no way I’ll be shooting anything.

heart (from circle of hurt):

Adreanna was sitting in the middle of the staircase, watching Nik with inscrutable, unblinking oceanic eyes. She had that look on her face that had always unsettled him—as though she could see down to the depths of his very soul. As though with one glance, she knew every thought that had ever crossed his mind, every emotion that had ever passed through his heart. As though there was nothing he could hide from her. 

island 

idle (from night’s daughter v1):

Not all of their questions are about me, either. When Maia mentions her father in one anecdote, an elegant older woman decides to comment upon her parents. “How long is it that they have been married, dear?” she asks, with all the idle curiosity of a well-meaning aunt.

“Nine years now.”

“Oh, is that so?” The noblewoman clicks her tongue. “And still no children of their own? Why haven’t they given you a little half-sibling?”

A chorus of titters and amused murmurs goes up from the group around us. Maia’s laugh does not reach her eyes. “I don’t recall ever asking for a sibling as a birthday present,” she quips, earning another round of laughter. Only I seem to notice how her hand goes tight around her spoon.

i’ll tag @talesofsorrowandofruin @ambsthom @lanawritesalittle @cream-and-tea and whoever else would like to play :)

new words: tight, dream, hide, and linger

[vellichor-virgo]

last line tag xiii

tagged by @cream-and-tea <333

i don't have anything new from ND to share, so here's the last thing i wrote for 'Circle of Hurt', a little project about my magic gang that I'm hoping to finish and post on here eventually.

This excerpt features Adreanna, a beautiful siren, and Nik, a changeling who is a little terrified of her. They've run into each other at a party; neither is entirely sober, and they've both just witnessed their respective crushes having (what they believe to be) a romantic moment together.

Obviously, this is a recipe for disaster.

TW: mention of alcohol/underage drinking/intoxication

What had changed? If [Nik] had been thinking straight, he would have bolted as far from [Adreanna] as he could get. It didn’t matter if her intentions were good or bad—he wouldn’t linger long enough to find out. But something had changed in him, too. Staring down at her now, his head swimming with liquor and jealousy and hurt, he let himself be drawn into her spell.

This was what he’d wanted, after all. Hadn’t he stormed up here desperate for a distraction?

Nik held Adreanna’s gaze as he lowered himself down to sit on the other side of the stair, his back against the bannister. He had always tended to avoid eye contact with her, as though looking at her was as dangerous as staring into the sun. Now, with that inexplicable recklessness pumping through his veins, he leaned back and took her in, letting her beauty scorch him.

i'll tag @talesofsorrowandofruin @josephinegerardywriter @solipsism-lemonade @erinnharper & anyone else who wants to join

(also gonna take this moment to shamelessly plug the two other magic gang pieces i've posted, which involve Nik and Adreanna respectively, happily dating the crushes they're upset over here. This one features Nik and his boyfriend Caelan at a faerie revel, and this one is about Adreanna's girlfriend Akina teaching her to rollerblade. i'm desperately trying to use the magic gang to compensate for the lack of ND content, if anyone couldn't tell)

[vellichor-virgo]

manuscript search xlvi

merry christmas to everyone who celebrates it!!! i have a very seasonally appropriate word search from @sleepyowlwrites :) my words are sweet, snow, smile, shine, and save.

These excerpts (with the exception of one from ND) are from my unfinished magic gang Christmas piece!!

sweet (context: Sabina said “Let’s do Secret Santa” and Caelan abruptly remembered that he forgot to buy a present. His logical solution to the problem was to fake appendicitis. As one does. Leo isn’t buying it.)

The group watched as [Nik and Caelan] left the room, their footsteps padding softly up the stairs before fading away. Silence reigned in the living room until Adreanna reached out to give Sabina’s hand a quick, apologetic squeeze. “Looks like Secret Santa is postponed. Sorry, Sab.”

Although Sabina was quick to offer up her characteristic sweet smile, it didn’t disguise the trace of disappointment in her eyes. “No, it’s alright! I wouldn’t want to do it when Caelan is feeling unwell. It’s nobody’s fault; just something that can’t be helped.”

“Yeah,” Leo muttered under his breath. “Definitely something that can’t be helped.”

snow x3:

The snow had started sometime in the early hours of the morning and showed no signs of stopping. It piled up along windowsills and eaves and tree branches, filled every gust of blustering wind, blanketed everything in pure, sparkling white. It was the heaviest snow they’d seen that year. Caelan, Californian boy that he was, had been extremely taken with it until Adreanna had sent him out to shovel the driveway. He’d returned red and sniffling through his complaints (“I’m a light elf, Dre, you can’t just throw me out into the cold like that—” “You’re Norwegian!”) and shaking snowflakes out of his hair.

smile (Caelan trying to backpedal from the aforementioned fake appendicitis uproar):

“Should I call 911?” Adreanna asked, already reaching for her phone.

“No!” Caelan exclaimed. At the others’ confused looks, he hastily added, “It’s not that big of a deal. Really.”

“Yes, it is!” Akina cried. “Your appendix could rupture! People have died!”

“They’ve what?” Nik looked horrified.

“Drea, you should call,” Lillian chimed in.

“Wait, don’t!” Pushing Nik aside, Caelan darted forward to snatch the phone from Adreanna’s hand. “I don’t think it’s appendicitis. I’m already starting to feel better. My stomach doesn’t even really hurt anymore.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Really?” Akina asked finally.

“Yeah, honestly. And I’m not feverish, either. I guess you were right, Nikky.” Caelan shot a smile in Nik’s direction, but Nik did not look impressed.

shine (this one is from Night’s Daughter):

Aedan is the absolute image of [King Carrick]—the same handsome, although ageing face; the same olive skin and hazel eyes; the same brown hair, albeit longer and greying slightly at the temples, upon which his crown is nestled. It is a thing of dangerous beauty, the points carving into onyx and silver spikes that shine darkly in the light that filters down from the spaces in the ceiling. It looks lethal, more like a weapon than an ornament.

save (Leo was just chewing Caelan out for scaring everyone):

Letting out a melodramatic moan, Caelan grabbed a pillow and threw it over his face. “Stop being mean to me,” he complained, voice muffled. “I’m in a crisis. I saved my own ass tonight, but I don’t know how much longer I can fake this before someone else catches on. Or Akina hauls me off to the hospital.”

“Here’s an idea,” Leo said. “Why don’t you just buy the present?”

It was Caelan’s turn to glare; he lowered the pillow from his face just long enough to pin Leo with one. “Wow. Genius. What an excellent idea, Leonardo, I can’t believe I never thought of that before.”

happy holidays everyone!!

i will tag @akindofmagictoo @solipsism-lemonade @chaotic-queer-disaster @cream-and-tea and @zmlorenz to find the same words (sweet, snow, smile, shine, and save), bc i like Sleepy's words and i am also lazy.

[vellichor-virgo]

magic gang tweets!

gonna post more writing when i get a chance, but in the meantime, get to know the gang better through some incorrect quotes that i turned into tweets

taglist + transcripts below the cut!

transcripts:

Tweet 1:

Akina: What the fuck is wrong with you?

Caelan: You could at least start with "good morning"

Akina: Good morning. What the fuck is wrong with you?

Tweet 2:

Leo: Confession: sometimes I drink milk straight out of the container.

Caelan: The cow??

Leo: ...What?

Akina: Cae, WHY?

Tweet 3:

Emrys: Dandelions symbolize everything I want to be in life.

Lillian: Fluffy and dead with a gust of wind?

Emrys: Unapologetic. Hard to kill. Feral, filled with sunlight, bright, beautiful in a way that the conventional and controlling hate but cannot ever fully destroy. Stubborn. Happy. Friends with bees. Full of wishes that will be carried far after I die.

Caelan: Edible

Tweet 4:

Caelan: You fuckers don't know about my knife-stick. It's a knife taped to a stick and it's the ultimate weapon.

Adreanna: Spear.

Caelan: BLOCKED

magic gang taglist: @cream-and-tea @chaotic-queer-disaster